Zuri tried to do all the baby stuff on her own. When the baby started to cry at night, Keta-ki literally had to place his hand on her shoulder and force her to lay back down in bed. They had breast milk stored for later use, so there was no reason for her to be up every few hours. Keta-ki was used to dealing with sleep deprivation on hunts, so a baby was no big deal. He went into the nursery and picked up the child, lightly bouncing him in his arms.
There was a mini fridge in the wall of the nursery and Keta-ki grabbed one of the bottles, warmed it, and sat down in the chair in the corner. The child continued to cry loudly until its lips closed on the nipple of the bottle and it started to drink. After a few seconds, the babies eyes closed with its lips still over the bottle. Keta-ki gently rubbed his knuckles on its cheek to wake him and encourage him to keep feeding. When the baby finished the ration of milk, it started to fall asleep again and Keta-ki gently set him back down in the crib.
In the morning, Keta-ki was back in the nursery and as soon as Zuri woke up she came to find the baby immediately. It looked like she'd just popped up from the bed without combing her hair first or anything. As soon as she saw him with the baby though, she crossed her arms in front of her. Keta-ki couldn't help but feel that he was in some sort of trouble. Yautja females did not like anyone messing with their child except their mates, and if Zuri didn't like him caring for her child, that meant that she didn't see him as a mate.
He could understand her reluctance after what happened with Uri, but Keta-ki didn't move to hand over the child. He looked back down at the baby and continued what he was doing. Training to become a great hunter began the instant yautjas were born. Since the child was male, it was a females job to raise it, but a males job to train it. Whether Zuri liked it out not, Keta-ki was determined to train the child to his best ability.
He would dedicate several minutes a day with the child to early neurological stimulation. He would spend time just touching the baby, its toes, its fingers, its mandibles, making the child aware of them. Then, he would position the baby, lifting its arms, its legs, and turning it head. Those sorts of tiny exercises would start the neurological system earlier than was normally expected. And in yautja society, everything was about pushing for faster, better, and stronger.
Enrichment activities were important while it was young too. With thermal stimulation, he would introduce the child to different variations of hot and cold, allowing the child to squirm away if it didn't like it. Keta-ki tried to introduce the child to every different texture, letting its feet and hands touch each. Everything was incorporated: sight, sound, touch, smell, and even taste. The little hunting hound was growing fast and when the baby got tired of the attention, he would go through the same motions with the puppy.
But since the baby was still awake and not fussing, Keta-ki grabbed a small container off the shelf then sat back down in the chair. With Zuri watching him skeptically, he opened the container of powder and put a small dab of the substance on the knuckle of one finger. Then, he brought his knuckle to the baby's lips. At first, the baby didn't really notice, but then its compulsion to suck on things took over and its mouth closed over his finger. The babies eyes immediately shot wide open and its arms sprung up over its head.
Zuri gasped, and stepped forward to snatch the baby from his arms, "What are you doing to him?" She coddled and rocked the baby in her arms, trying to comfort it, even though the child didn't seem upset.
"It was a non harmful substance, I assure you. It was just very sour."
"Poor thing, you're going to stress him out."
"Small amounts of stress are good, preparing him to better withstand stress in later life."
Zuri shook her head.
"Meketre will become a great hunter...and with his eyes and skin, I figure that he's going to be wooing all the females too."
"I told you I was still deciding on a name...I might name him...Erick."
If he wanted her to see him as a strong but caring mate, he had to start acting like one, "The child's name is Meketre. We will not discuss it anymore."
Her eyebrows pulled down for a second, but then a smile started to spread to her lips. "Alright." She agreed reluctantly.
Keta-ki began instructing her on where everything was and how to use the items, as they varied from the things on earth. The drawers, shelves, cabinets, and the changing table was completely stocked. There was everything from clothes and diapers, to bottles and blankets, to toys. Stimulation, socialization, and enrichment were important for a newborn and he wanted to make sure Zuri was filled in on yautja ways of raising children. Though others did not hold the baby, he still needed to be socialized. Hearing and seeing others, and how Keta-ki interacted with them was key, so that was his next task.
Keta-ki grabbed a brown leather sort of back-pack with baby stuff inside, and slung it over his back. Then he handed a cloth wrap to Zuri to hold the baby in. The cloth was designed to keep the baby cool outside in the warm air. Keta-ki knew that they had to keep the walk short, but he was excited to show everyone the baby. And it would be good for Meketre to be introduced to new sounds and sights.
However, the walk did not go how Keta-ki planned. Right off the bat, they ran into a mated pair who were friends of Keta-ki's. They talked casually and didn't leave Zuri out of the conversation like others had on previous walks. Everything was going smoothly until Zuri asked if they wanted to hold the baby. They acted repulsed by the very idea.
The male had a snide comment then, "She wishes to pass off her baby to another family! I wonder if she'd let me try and breastfeed it too."
Keta-ki shoved her along to continue the walk with a growl, and Zuri muttered, "I'm sorry. I forgot that you said only the parents hold the baby."
Keta-ki insured her that it wasn't her fault, and that she would quickly adapt to the culture. They walked around the neighborhood, keeping to the more quiet streets when the baby started to fall asleep. Keta-ki was stopped then by a female he used to mate often, and she didn't have anything good to say to either of them. Keta-ki kept trying to urge Zuri along, but the female walked beside them. She seemed determined to get under Keta-ki's skin.
What seemed to affect Zuri the most though was when the female said, "What a big belly, and she already had the pup. She still looks pregnant!"
When the female finally left, Zuri frowned as she poked at her belly, and Keta-ki had to reassure her, "You're not fat."
"I know." She said glumly, "But isn't that how everyone is after they have a baby? Or does your species pop out a child and go right back to having abs?"
"Well, with our females, the bump is gone within a day or two. You should look back to normal in a matter of weeks."
Zuri groaned, "Yautja females are on some sort of steroid."
"It can seem like it, on occasion. Most females don't hunt, but the ones that do are the best of hunters. There are stories of females that have given birth during hunts, and with all the hormones coursing through them, they are madly protective. It gives them a bloodthirsty edge to their hunting."
When it finally seemed that they might make some friends, the baby started to cry. Zuri swayed back and forth to try and calm Meketre as she continued to listen to the conversion. They were trying to talk with another couple that lived nearby, but the baby got louder. Keta-ki watched Zuri rock and whisper to the baby, but it was still fussing. When he couldn't hear himself think, Keta-ki finally lifted the child into his arms and started purring, which quieted it immediately.
The young female seemed shocked, "The ooman can't even quiet her own baby."
Zuri was apparently done with being insulted, as she just turned and walked away. The couple gave Keta-ki strange looks, probably never having seen a female leave like that without its child. Keta-ki didn't bother saying any goodbyes, and quickly caught up with Zuri. She looked halfway between sad and angry, her eyes pouting but her hands in fists. He decided that would be the end of their walk and took her back home.