"LOOK!" A female exclaimed. "The males are returning form the great hunt!"

Everyone rushed to the village entrance. It had been nearly three weeks now from the time the males had left. The males were all in their beast forms, heavy bodies of dead boar and cow like creatures slung over each back. The giant boar were easily five times the size of the regular boar Chiaki had seen in the area. One of them must be at least 1,000 pounds! Still each boar ranged from about half that size and up, with colors in the red-brown all the way to white-gray. The other creature, the Aurochs, were larger... much larger. The smallest of the beasts were the size of the biggest boar!

"Chiaki!" Called a happy Qianhuang. He was easy to spot in the returning group of leopards. Three times the size of the largest leopard male, the winged lion with his bright white coloring stood out like day and night.

"Key!" She called back, waving excitedly.

Qianhuang huffed and rolled the giant Aurochs off his back, the beast hitting the ground shook it. "I brought back the Aurochs!" He said with pride, sitting in-front of her in his beast form, chest puffed out.

"They're cows?" Chiaki mumbled as she started at the huge beast. Well, she would call it a cow... well a bull, a bull at least 2/3 the size of Qianhuang himself. It was the size of a small Elephant!

"With this big a beast, I might not have to hunt at all this cold season!" Qianhuang licked his paw. Then he paused. "Where is the snake feral?" Indeed, Curtis was not in sight.

Chiaki shifted, knowing that the length of the hide dress she was wearing covered the mate mark on her thigh. "He fell asleep at the start of the cold season. He's at the house." She said.

"You head home." Qianhuang said, grabbing his prey. "I'll haul this through the crowd."

Chiaki didn't even know where to start on the gigantic animal Qianhuang had brought home. He smiled and shook his head. "I'll handle this beast." He transformed into his human form, showing just how dirty and bloody he was after weeks of hunting and travel. He tried to hug Chiaki to him.

"Go bathe!" She laughed. "You'll make me all filthy, Key!" She stopped and clapped her hands together. "Actually I have a surprise for you! Come into the house!" Curious Qianhuang allowed his mate to pull him by the hand into their home. "Ta-da!" Chiaki said as she waved to the new wooded structure in the corner of the main room. "I got a bath built for us!"

"How?" Qianhuang asked surprised.

"Don't worry, I paid well in furs and some food. So there isn't a male thinking I've taken a gift from him."

Qianhuang chuckled. "Alright, how about you bathe with me then?" He asked suggestively.

"I'll wash your hair." She countered.

Soon she had her mate stripped and in the lukewarm water. With a sigh she pulled her own wrap off, reveling the mate mark on her thigh. "Chiaki!" Qianhuang half burst from the water, reaching for his mate. "You accepted the snake?"

Chiaki pushed him back into a sitting position. "You knew it would happen eventually. Think of it this way, Curtis is still going to sleep through the Winter, so you have time with me to yourself for a little longer, okay?"

"I- I wish I could be your only mate, my beautiful female." he said cupping her face with a hand.

Chiaki leaned forward and kissed him. "I love you, silly."

"I hear a 'but' coming." He said with a pout.

"But, I gave Curtis a chance and he is a very good person, and I did start to have feelings for him."

"I see." Qianhuang sighed. "Still, he isn't very useful in the cold season." He glanced over at the doorway that led into the large sleeping chamber. "If I have to leave in the cold season, you are still alone." Chiaki pushed Qianhuang under the water. He came back up sputtering. "What?!"

She laughed. "You said it yourself, we should have no problems with this Winter. So don't start worrying that I'm going mate hunting!"

He blushed. "Right."

She kissed him. "Now that I've got your hair wet, let's get you cleaned up." She rubbed her nose to his as she pulled back. "Then~" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. It was not body language that was used in this world, however her tone of voice made up for it. Qianhuang brightened considerably as his body began to react to his playful mate.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Chiaki woke with only the sleeping Curtis beside her the next morning. She carefully got up and pulled on her cold weather dress wrap, heading outside where she could hear Qianhuang working on the Aurochs. The morning was cold and damp, with a thick haze in the distance.

"Good morning, my lovely female." Qianhuang greeted her.

"G'morning Key." All around she could see the entire male population working on their kills, pulling hides from the bodies, cutting meat from bone. No females were visible.

"It's cold, you should stay inside as to not catch a sickness. Stay in and rest, stay warm." Qianhuang said as he stood. "This Aurochs will take all day to render and with the low temperature it isn't going to go bad quickly."

"I'm going to the sand pit." She said.

"Ah, understood." He said with a nod.

Chiaki glanced to the top of the cliff that had Parker and Qingqing's house on it. There was the steady stream of smoke from the inside fire. It was quiet for now. She wondered if Parker was planning to hunt during the cold season, he'd stayed in the village to pursue Qingqing instead of going on the big hunt. She sighed, she wasn't sure what Winter was like in this world.