"The cub has open eyes now." Qianhuang commented as he watched the cub as it slowly moved around. Tiny tail stuck strait up in the air, ears pitched forward, dark blue eyes unfocused. "But he can not see well yet. Still, it is good. Once he's weened we can leave him for the Winged Lion Tribe to raise as the new Saint."

"Leave him?" Chiaki repeated in surprise.

"Of course, he will be the new Saint for my clan, he will be raise to fulfill that role."

Chiaki looked at her tiny cub. "How long will it take to ween him?"

"Cubs normally are weened after about a month-"

"That's way to short a time!"

Qianhuang stopped at his mates outburst. She was often very at ease with the traditions of the world she'd been dropped into. "How long do cubs nurse in your world."

"Babies are given milk for at least six months!" Chiaki shook her head. Maybe it was because of a difference she didn't know about. "Do the male children age at the same rate as the animal? How long does it take until they can transform?"

"How long until a male can transform? On average eighteen years is when a male will gain the ability to transform and is considered and adult. I myself was about that age." Qianhuang answered.

"I was sixteen years." Curtis joined in. At least he thought he was, he tried to keep track of the passing of seasons but it was not always easy. "The stronger a males beast spirit is the sooner they are likely to become an adult.

Qianhuang nodded. "The Winged Lion Tribe have a story passed down for generations of one Winged Lion Saint, who is said to have transformed for the first time at only 13 years old."

"Females often come of age around fifteen or sixteen. With no beast spirit of their own, they will quickly take mates to protect them in replacement of being protected by their family."

Chiaki thought for a while. With her human fertility and the fertility of men in the beast world, it was likely she'd get pregnant several more times. She would probably even get pregnant again during her quest to find out what the Beast God wanted the women of Earth to do on this world. She'd have to talk to Qianhuang and Curtis about perhaps refraining from lovemaking while they were travelling. She frowned, knowing it was likely not to work. "When will we take him to the Winged Lion Village?"

Qianhuang thought about his mates question. It had taken them much longer to get to this village on foot while his wings were tied down with belongings. If he flew back to his birth village, he would arrive in less than seven days. With Chiaki and the cub, he would be more careful, so perhaps ten days. If the snake feral were to travel with them... How fast could the four-stripe male move overland? How long could he travel for before he tired? Would he be able to keep up with the fastest flyer of the Winged Lion Clan? "If we fly, then less than two weeks." He said holding up two fingers.

"We could go there and return here before the hot-dry-season starts." Curtis commented.

"You think you could keep up with me?" Qianhuang challenged lightly.

"I have seen you fly several times now, I am sure I can keep up."

Chiaki could almost see the sparks of rivalry between the two males. "Qianhuang, I don't want to abandon our cub so shortly after birth." She said, trying to distract them and voice her worry honestly.

"Abandon?" Qianhuang said as he turned to look at her.

"Well, I know it isn't exactly abandoning... but, don't you want to watch you child grow?"

The winged lion male glanced down once again at his carefully exploring cub. Qianhuang himself had been born with a brother, one who's colour was brown. Although he'd been raised as the Saint of their people, he had not been removed from his family. His mother still lived in the village, along with her mates and all of his siblings. Was having their cub raised as the next Saint by the village without them really what he wanted? Chiaki spoke as if her travels would keep them away for much longer than spending a year or two living in the City of Beasts. Travelling with a cub should not be too difficult. Qianhuangs ears drooped, he had not been thinking of what would make his mate happy just what was common to do in the Winged Lion Clan, "I'm sorry, I was not thinking about your feelings." He said with his head bowed low. "No mother would want to give up her offspring."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Yes." Qianhuang nodded, then stood. "I will go hunt. You are too thin after the harsh cold-season."

Curtis frowned as the other male left to go hunting. The offspring of a snake male were born with all the memories of their father and would have to be chased away from the family very shortly after they hatched. If they weren't then they would fight with each other and even their father as they tried to replace him as their mothers mate. Young snakes needed to be separated from their family so they had a chance to become their own person by gaining their own memories first. That way by the time they came of age and transformed they would go looking for their own female to become mates with.

Curtis realized that Chiaki would not know any of this, neither would her other mate. He spoke up. "When we have a clutch of snake eggs you will not be able to raise them." He quickly repeated his thoughts to his mate, in hopes she would understand. "That is the way it must be."

Chiaki looked surprised. "That's so sad! Why ever would snake males evolve that way?" She took Curtis by the hand.

Wide eyed at the sudden touch Curtis could only tell her the truth. "Because a feral male normally only gets a single chance to have offspring. Females are so weak that they do not survive long alone in the care of a feral mate. If a feral male is lucky the female he stole will live long enough to give him offspring before she dies. Feral males will often follow their mate in death, leaving their young to fend for themselves."

"Is that what happened to you?

"Yes." Curtis nodded. "My parents are long dead... as are the brothers I hatched with. It is an odd thing to think about, either a feral snake will have his mother die when he is young or he will grow up wishing to be her mate."

"Even your brothers are gone?"

Curtis looked away quickly. "Yes." He did not have the heart to tell his mate that he had been the strongest in the clutch, the first out of his shell and had eaten all the other eggs as they struggled to hatch. He was already alone by then, not knowing where his parents were. He assumed they had died before the clutch of eggs had even hatched.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt." Chiaki said as she raised her hand to rub his shoulder.

At the touch Curtis was again reminded of how lucky he was that he had found a mate. He felt his desire rise and moved to embrace her. She was so comfortable making love with Qianhuang that Chiaki could feel a small amount of shyness. It had been so long between when she became mates with Curtis and now. They were distracted for a moment when the cub made a small noise, Chiaki quickly gathering him up into her arms. When the cub yawned she smiled and placed him in his basket.

They resumed their exploration of each other, now laying in the sleeping furs. This would be the first time she had sex after giving birth. She melted into his gentle touches and soft kisses.