Qianhuang stirred awake, feeling the cub stalking him and ready to pound. Kimba had flourished in the Winged Lion Village. The cub's wing feathers had nearly finished growing in and he could both glide and flap short distances upwards. As Kimba sprang, Qianhuang rolled over and caught the cub with his hands. "What do I have here? A young male attempting to take me out in my sleep?"
"Aw Papa!" Kimba groaned. "How'd you know I was here?"
"You have attempted to pounce on me every morning for the last four mornings."
Kimba's ears drooped. "Oh."
Qianhuang chuckled. "It's good practice. And you needed to be up early today anyway. We will be headed back to the City of Beasts today. If you want to say goodbye to all your friends you will have to hurry." He let go of the cub and Kimba scrambled out of the hut.
Qianhuang had been able to trade all of the items he'd brought with them, though it had taken longer than planned. Still with the amount of salt alone he'd be bringing back to his home, the trip was worth it. The salt the Winged Lion Tribe had been able to pull from the sea over the hot-dry-season was more salt than he'd seen even at the Leopard Village!
He didn't know exactly why he was itching to leave for home that very day, it had not been planned, but he felt like he was being pulled back to his new home. With a stretch he got up and began to pack for the trip.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Chiaki was glad when Elder Langzhu pushed Bai Di and Duskmane out of the cave saying the females needed to rest without males swarming around and being a nuisance. The girl was awake, with a fur clutched tightly around her. Chiaki was annoyed about being left nude also, but had pushed aside her feelings on the matter. Asking for anything from the healer beyond medical would only have indebted her to this village. And asking Bai Di would be an even bigger headache.
The girl looked a little like Bai Quinquin to Chiaki, maybe it was the hair color. Maybe it was what she was beginning to consider Earth-girl eyes, a little brighter and more expressive than what she often saw from the females of this world. They were more in line with the eyes that the males typically had. She briefly wondered if she was actually attractive to her mates, or if the low number of women in this world meant that even having more masculine traits could be looked over just for the chance of getting a partner.
"How are you feeling?" Chiaki asked.
The other female jumped as the silence was broken. "Ah, I don't know."
Chiaki shook her head. "Yeah, they are a lot to get use to, but most of them are harmless."
"Get use to?" The girl nibbled her lip, looking around in worry.
"Yeah, nothing like the guys back home."
"Yeah, being found by a wolf that turned into a guy-" The girl stopped suddenly. "W-what?"
Chiaki covered her mouth as she laughed. "Earth girls are easy to tell apart once you start looking for the signs." Then she took a deep breath. "I'm starting to think that being transported to this world is a common occurrence."
"I've transmigrated?! But how?! I was in my bathtub!"
"Oh, ouch. Well that explains not having clothes. I'm Chiaki Sato, from the United States."
"Lin Huanhuan, China."
Chiaki through up her arms. "Was I the only person dropped into this world that wasn't living in China at the time?!"
This caused Huanhuan to giggle. She paused. "Wait, you mean there are others?!"
"I've met two others so far. Ji Mo and Bai Quinquin."
"So, there are at least four of us. Are the others outside?"
Chiaki shook her head. "No, Ji Mo is living with the winged lion people and Quinquin is with the leopard people."
"Oh... uh, where are we?"
Chiaki's eyebrows drew together. "I'm not sure. I was brought here by a white tiger and you said-"
"A wolf."
"A wolf." She echoed Huanhuan's words. "Not that I can tell most of them until they transform anyway either. Trust me, wings do not mean a guy is some kind of bird."
"CHIAKI!" A loud shout from outside.
"That would be Curtis." Chiaki said as she pushed herself out of the furs she had been wrapped in. Huanhuan questioned who that was, but didn't get an answer as Chiaki crossed the room and headed outside.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Curtis burst through the edge of the forest and into the territory of the Rock Mountain Wolf Tribe. "CHIAKI!" The village was just ahead and as the giant red form slithered hastily towards the place he felt his mate, Curtis bowled over several members of the tribe that were in his way.
Just ahead! His mind screamed at him. Where was she? He could feel her so close, but not in sight. He rounded on the few males in-front of him. "Where is my mate?!" He hissed in anger and taking a snap at the gathered males.
"Feral! Feral! Hide the females!" Several males began to panic and rush towards the cave system that acted as the cold season housing for the tribe.
A large white tiger collided with Curtis' side, knocking him away from the cowering wolf tribe members. "Your mate?" It growled out.
Curtis rounded on the white tiger, it's form only half the size of winged white lion Qianhuang. "You smell of her!" He struck out at the transformed male. "Where is she?!"
Langzhu made it to the door of his home just as Chiaki pushed her way out. "No! Don't leave the safety of the healing house!" He said as he tried to turn her around gently. "A crazed snake feral is attacking the village!"
Chiaki pulled his hands from her shoulders. "That's one of my mates!" She said as she smacked her hand on her naked thigh where Curtis' mating mark was plain for all to see.
The elder wolf shook his head at her words. The poor female must have been kidnapped and forced to mate with the feral. "Duskmane, Bramble, you two keep the other female safe inside here." He told the two closest wolf tribe males.
"Curtis!" Chiaki called out, attempting to get the males attention. "Curtis!"
Curtis rounded towards the sound of his name being called, but was blocked by the white tiger male.
"Leave or fight and die!" A silver wolf snarled as he joined the white tiger between Chiaki and Curtis.
"You will be the ones dying!" Curtis hissed, drawing back to bite at the males in his way.
"CURTIS!"
He stopped short, flinging his head back as Chiaki rushed between him and the other males. Her arms were flung wide, as if her small form could protect the beasts behind her. An echo of the bright red snake form that was Curtis, this time made of pure energy, spring up around her. She was breathing heavy, having rushed to intervene in time. She was nude, having not bothered to try to keep a loose fur wrapped around herself.
Instinctively Curtis switched from attack to defend.
He coiled around her feet, looping himself upwards as his form shrunk and shifted to half snake and half man. "Chiaki!" He gasped as his arms wrapped around her. "I found you!"
Chiaki's arms came up and wrapped around his chest. "We've only been apart for a day."
"Too long without knowing where you were! If you were safe!"
She wavered against him as the image flickered out of existence. Curtis pulled back. She'd summoned up his own protective energy out of the mate mark. His eyes swept over her. "Look at how hurt you are." He said in worry. Chiaki was covered in bruising, abrasions, scrapes, nicks and cuts. Curtis ran his hands over each little blemish. "How can I ever be forgiven for letting this happen to you?"
"I'm fine."Chiaki protested, but winced all the same at a sharp tugging pain in her body. She felt a ticklish line on the inside of her thigh.
Curtis' tongue flicked out, his eyes widening at the scent of fresh blood. In one smooth movement he pulled his mate up where he could see, thinking to find a freshly reopened wound. Instead, there was a growing red line running down her inner thigh. Then he felt her go limp in his hold.
