It moved. For those seconds as it simply shifted, Basile was frozen. It was struggling. That was evident in the way it fell and then trembled. When it turned to face him it had bowed up, and Basile shifted his weight back, away, when it hissed. A naturally reaction. The creature was unsettling and he imagined there was some ingrained instinct in him still left that was screaming danger. Basile wasn't stupid. He didn't wish to get bit, and so he scurried back, out of what he guessed to be its strike range. He'd left the dagger forgotten in his own shuffling, though he didn't retreat entirely.<br/><br/>“You're the intruder on my property. Do not threaten me,” Basile growled, standing up in a regal fashion, trying to fight instinct that told him it was a very healthy thing to be intimidated. He gestured out towards the land around him, the fountain, and then the estate itself. He used his full height, maxing out at just over six feet of lean frame. His tension betrayed his intention.<br/><br/>“Gave my servant a serious scare but I'd suspect the only reason you're here at all is because you lacked for options.” Basile gestured next to its body, then the condition of his wounds. “That hunter that was after you, I sent him on his way. There is no trophy hunting here and I've no use for the pretty ornament he was going to make you into.” Basile tilted his chin up the way his brother used to do, though part of it was bluff. If the creature lunged it was sure to send him fleeing.<br/><br/>“A little gratitude might take you a long while, especially if I am to offer you sanctuary. Can you understand me at all?” Basile had only been guessing, though he really didn't know the extent of this creatures comprehension. He had nothing to compare it to in all the years he had under his belt. Whatever it was, he had never met anything remotely like it. In the myths though, they had spoken, could be reasoned with.