"I can't believe it!" Harvey, the leopard village healer said as he began to clean all the scrapes Chiaki had gotten during the day. Inside his home stood Qianhuang AND the feral male Curtis, watching him work. He'd never had a feral male in his house. There hadn't been one allowed in the village! Of course they weren't allowed in the village he chided himself.

"I know it's strange..." Chiaki trailed off.

Harvey patted her head. "You are a good female, do not trouble yourself. You are strong for taking on such a task for the sake of the other females."

Chiaki glanced at Qianhuang and Curtis, both remarkably unharmed from their fighting. Here she was banged up from loosing the fight with the ground. She frowned then hissed when Harvey put something on the scrapes. "Make her rest for the night, if any of the areas look worse tomorrow do not hesitate to bring her back to me."

Bai Qingqing had told Chiaki about the large amount of edible plants the healer used for his job and even she could identify a few of them, like the peppers. "I don't want to be rude, Harvey, but can Qianhuang get a look at your healing plants? So he can bring some back to you as payment and so we can have some to use without needing to bother you for small things?"

"Nothing is considered a small thing when it involves a female." Harvey smiled at her, causing the two other males in the room to bristle. "Bai Qingqing asked much the same, and I gave her some of the ones she picked out." Perhaps this meant he had caught the eye of the lovely little female, he'd already declared his intentions in-front of many of the village several days back when Bai Qingqing had started her cycle. Parker was cutting off any attempts he made though.

"That's alright, these are for your healing." Chiaki said, her words calming her mate and suitor.

Harvey nodded. Chiaki didn't want to accept anything that might be seen as a courting gift. Harvey found her lovely, but his heart was set on Bai Qingqing. "I think I have done as much as can be." He said, standing and facing the two males. Qianhuang scooped Chiaki up into his arms. "And remember what I said about checking the scrapes tomorrow."

"Of course, healer Harvey." Qianhuang said with a nod of his head. He looked at Curtis. "Follow." With that he walked out of the house and headed for his own. Curtis glared at the command, but slithered out of the healers home in his half-beast form.

Curtis was astounded by the oddity of the home belonging to Chiaki. There were so many things! She must have so many suitors to be gifted so much! But she had picked him! He felt smug.

Qianhuang settled Chiaki onto the pile of sleeping furs. "I will make you a meat broth." He said.

Chiaki shook her head. "It's just scratches, Key. I can eat food just fine, but thank you."

He turned to Curtis. "And you-"

"Will be staying right here." Chiaki stated. "I promised the village males." She waved Curtis over, which he slowly obliged, curling up at the edge of the sleeping area.

Qianhuang glared at Curtis again. "I- I understand." He said and left the room.

He left the hide that covered the doorway between the sleeping room and the main room open, and was happy to see Chiaki stop Curtis from pulling it closed. He could watch the other male through the door. He left to gather the needed ingredients from the clay pots outside. When he returned, the only difference he could find was the snake male had lowered his upper half to the floor and was resting his head on his arms as he spoke quietly to Chiaki. She was probably telling him about how she was not like most females. He cooked the meat and vegetables with a little salt until the water became broth. He filled a bowl with the liquid and brought it in to Chiaki.

"Please drink this." He said handing the bowl to her.

She accepted the bowl and sipped the broth. "Thank you Key." Qianhuangs ears perked up as her words. She smiled at him. "The day is only half over, what are your plans now that things got derailed?"

"What is derailed?"

"Sorry, today didn't go as planned?"

"No, today did not go as planned." He gave a look to Curtis. "I was planning on making more clay pots, but what I have already in the fire-pit will have to do for today. I do not want to leave you alone with this feral beast for as long as it takes to mold another pot."

Curtis gestured at Qianhuang, a gesture Chiaki didn't know from Earth. It was apparently rude as Qianhuang bristled at him for it. They sat there glaring back and forth at each other for some time. Eventually Qianhuang stood up and exited the house for a short time, bringing in a tanned hide that was finished.

"Would you like me to make you a new outfit?"

Chiaki agreed, it would ease the tension between the two males if they weren't simply glaring at each other. With a happy nod of his head, Qiahuang began to trim the leather to the correct size.

"I can make you much nicer clothing out of my shed skin!" Curtis boasted.

Chiaki shook her head at him. "You don't know my size and I'm not ready for you touching me in the places you would be touching to get those sizes." She told him. "And there is a lot more for me to tell you about myself."

Curtis deflated a little. She didn't want his shed skin for clothing? But she did want him to sit and listen to her. He felt a little better. What she had told him of herself already was impossibly strange and he really was interested to know more. "Of course, you were just talking about what tribe you hail from."

It was time to sleep when Chiaki finished her tale. She'd told him most of the things she had told Qianhuang, though left out her breeding cycle as it wasn't any of Curtis business right now. The leather hide had been turned into new clothing of a different make than the horse hide dress she was wearing.

"He'll sleep in the room set aside for our cubs!" Qianhuang insisted as they readied for sleep.

"That's not keeping an eye on him, Key."

"You will be asleep, it matters not."

In the end Curtis was left to sleep anywhere in the house he saw fit as long as it was not the same room as Chiaki. He curled up just outside the entrance to the main bedroom, Qianhuang closing the hide in his face. The inside fire-pit had been stoked low for the night, leaving the room warm and humid. Curtis fell asleep quickly.