Talking With The Straight Tailed Lion

This story is for the Vocal "Tall Tail" Challenge which you can read about below. I have decided to do it as chat fiction as that seems an appropriate medium for a story that features a talking animal.

I looked out of the flat window and saw that snow had fallen overnight in Alnwick. Today was another walking day and yesterday I had passed the Alnwick Lion who was conversing with Crows so I thought I would leave him be.

Today I wandered down to the bridge over the River Aln through the snow in hope of catching the Alnick Lion alone and having a conversation with him about where he was from, what he was doing and why his tail was straight when it should be floppy like all the other lions.

I got to the bridge and he was there looking out over the snow-covered field to the east of Alnwick Castle.

Me: "How are you today, with all this snow? I saw you yesterday on top of the Tenantry Column with your Crow friends so I thought I would not disturb your conversation with your friends"

The Alnwick Lion: "They are no friends of mine, they come every day and drive me mad with their yattering and noise. They do nothing but argue and philosophise about existentialism and any other concept that crosses their minds. Don't get me wrong, they are incredibly intelligent but they can talk the hind legs off a donkey, and sometimes I just want a little peace from them, which is why I come down here, you should have come and seen me, it might have shut the crows up"

Me: "Oh I'm really sorry about that, if I had known they were annoying you I would have come. Would you mind if I asked how you got here and why you are the Alnwick Lion, and why you have a straight tail?"

The Alnwick Lion: "My name is Percy, and I am known all over the world as The Percy Lion. I was commissioned by The Duke of Northumberland but one urban legend says he didn't pay my creator who left the straight tail in protest, but I am two hundred years old and even I have forgotten why I have a straight tail, but it does make me unique and known all over the world. People see a lion with a straight tail and they know immediately that it is Percy Lion. Percy of course is the surname of the Duke of Northumberland.

The big column I sit on is known as "The Tenantry Column" It was erected in 1816 by the tenants of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland in thanks for his reduction of their rents during the post-Napoleonic depression, however, there are rumours that Hugh Percy raised rents because they could obviously afford to pay for things like column and became known as "The Farmer's Folly". This is the plaque at the bottom of the column.

The other urban legend is that when I am on top of the column my tail point towards Scotland for some reason, that is just pure coincidence and there is absolutely no particular underhand reason for it."

Me: "That is extremely interesting and yes, when I see a straight-tailed lion, I know that it is you. I knew nothing of the Tenantry Column but I have learned a lot from chatting with you. When are you going back to your column and are you going to tell the crows to be quiet?"

The Alnwick Lion: " I am going to spend the rest of the day here enjoying the peace and quiet, then go back and hopefully the crows will be asleep or somewhere else"

Me: "I'll let you rest and give you some peace. Do you mind if I call you Percy?"

The Alnwick Lion: "That is fine, I like it when friends use my real name."

Me: "I'm glad that you consider me a friend, but I will let you rest now and may see you tomorrow Percy"

The Alnwick Lion: "Thank you, and look forward to speaking with you tomorrow, much more interesting than those blood crows"