"I'm so amazed! You've spent a whole week firing clay pots to store the food in!" Qingqing said as she watched Chiaki putting the last of the fired clay pots filled with dried food into the storage room of her home.
"Qianhuang made the pots." Chiaki corrected her.
"And you dried so many fruits and vegetables!"
"Curtis traded for this food." Chiaki corrected the girl again.
"And you have such a pretty dress!"
"Both my mates contributed to this." Chiaki said, growing annoyed with the teen.
Qingqing pouted. "Parker hardly has the skill to keep together the clothing he made me."
Chiaki turned on her heel and walked into the sleeping room, checking on the sleeping cub in his basket. She looked over to Qingqing. "Do you not want to praise my child? He is something I have actually helped make."
Qingqing looked uneasily at the sleeping cub. It was a small white lion cub, with nubs for wings that would one day be covered in feathers. It didn't resemble a human baby at all. It was an animal. She had seen Eves cubs, they were cute. Eve though was a beast-woman, even if she looked human. But Chiaki said she'd came from Earth!
Before Qingqing could say anything that would make Chiaki angry the woman spoke. "I think it's time for you to go back to your own home."
"Uh? Yes!" Qingqing said as she hurried out of the room and then out of the house entirely.
Chiaki frowned at the door. The girl was still unable to come to terms with the new world she was living in. Perhaps it was time to step back and let Qingqing be on her own. The time was coming that Chiaki would be leaving the leopard village. She looked at her sleeping child. It was odd thinking of a lion cub as her baby, but it was true and she felt just as much love for him as she would a human looking baby. She frowned. Her child needed a name.
She left him sleeping in his basket, but picked it up to take with her outside. She sat just outside the house, the warmth of Spring bringing a burst of life inside and outside of the village. Many males were out hunting, but just as many were working inside the village walls. Both Qianhuang and Curtis had gone hunting, agreeing on one thing... that they needed meat in their diet and not just the dry stored foods.
Many of the females were out, baskets of cubs in their arms. Newly born cubs or less than a year old cubs were staying by their mothers side. Older cubs followed their mothers until they were distracted by playing. Some of the oldest cubs were watching the males work, learning skills they would soon need.
"You brought your cub out!" Eve said as Chiaki joined her sitting under a tree. Eve's cubs from the year before where playing in the field of wild flowers.
"Yes." Chiaki placed the basket in the shade between her and Eve. "Qianhuang says his eyes will be opening soon!"
"He's so white! Like snow." Eve observed.
Chiaki nodded. "Yes, he looks like his father. I think now that he can hear and will soon be seeing, I need to name my child."
Eve looked confused. "You are going to name your male offspring?"
"Uh, why wouldn't I? I there some tradition I do not know about?!"
Eve shook her head. "No, it's just that a female will give birth to so many male cubs, how would she think of so many different names for them? So we normally only name female offspring."
Chiaki relaxed. "I see." She smiled. "Then it's still okay. I have a head full of names!" She laughed as Eve shook her head at her odd friend. "Besides, with lots of children how will any of them know what one you are talking to if they aren't named?"
"I talk to them as a group."
"And when you have several litters like Eudora?"
Eve paused. Eudora had given birth to a litter of cubs for each of her many mates. How did she call her cubs? "Hm, we should ask her then!" Eve said, now curious. After all, this litter of cubs were a year old and she would likely go into heat and become pregnant again this year.
Eudora looked surprised at the two females that had sought her out and asked such an odd question. "What do I call all my cubs?" She repeated.
Chiaki shook her head. "I mean, with so many litters how do you make sure the cub you are talking to knows it is them whose attention you want to get."
"Oh I understand!" Eudora said. "I normally talk to them as a group."
"See." Eve said.
"All of them?" Chiaki pushed.
Eudora paused. "Well, if it is a certain litter whose attention I want, I call them by their fathers name." She pointed at the cub in Chiaki's basket. "So, you'd say Qianhuang's cubs, listen to your mother. And that will get their attention." She smiled. "But Chiaki you only have the one cub, why are you worried? You have until the heavy-rainy season comes again before you need to think about having another litter... or-" She stopped, a slightly sour look on her face.
"Eggs." Eve finished for her. She knew Eudora still feared the snake Curtis and the idea of giving birth to his offspring was more than the leopard tribe female could handle.
Chiaki was still thinking on her idea though. "Then where do males get their names?"
"They pick a name for themselves when they come of age and transform for the first time." Eve said with a smile. "Really, Chiaki, it is as if you were never taught anything by your family some times."
Chiaki quickly looked down into the basket, focusing on the cub who had been slowly and wobbly exploring the small space. The females didn't know she had came from another world, they didn't even have the story about the Beast God sending her to the Winged Lion Tribe.
"Come to think of it, that male-stealing female that mated Parker also knows almost nothing." Eudora said with a huff.
"You mean Qing-" Eve started.
"Don't say her name!" Eudora snapped.
Chiaki's cub reacted to the sudden yell that he heard, with a hiss and a tiny growl he backed away from the side of the basket where Eudora stood. Chiaki reassured him by stroking his soft white fur and making soft nonsense sounds at him. Eudora was surprised by the cubs reaction and looked over at her own cubs. They were use to their mother getting loud and had paid no mind to the sudden outburst.
