"~I wanna play!~ Kimba announced as he bounced around the garden. The four adults watched him with smiles.

"Just don't pester the short-winged birds!" Chiaki called. "They are meaner than you!"

"~Yes mama!~

Qianhuang chuckled at the thought of the birds chasing his cub around the yard. Still, Kimba had no one to play with. Maybe he should ask Chiaki if she wanted to try for more cubs... or with one of her other mates... to give Kimba playmates. His face heated up at the thought of mating with her while she was fertile once again.

"We only have a couple birds. The egg production will lessen in Winter." Chiaki said as she walked through the yard with her three mates. "I had the coop built bigger for that reason. "Kurt?" She turned to the red haired male. "Can you capture enough birds to bring the flock to fifteen?"

"Of course." He said with a smile that then turned into a frown. "How many is fifteen?" He didn't like to admit it but he had only learned about the first ten numbers, fifteen was not one of the numbers he knew.

Chiaki thought for a moment. Then landed on how Skye had counted the figures he sold to her in the market. She held up a hand. "Five is one hand worth of fingers. Ten is two hands worth of fingers." Curtis understood these, they were numbers he had learned. "Fifteen is three hands worth of fingers." She closed her hand then opened it. "Five. Ten. Fifteen." She said, showing him.

Curtis nodded. Chiaki was so smart! "I would like you to teach me more numbers."

She smiled at him, then raised up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss on the nose. "Of course!"

He blushed at the simple action, but seeing how happy his request had made his mate energized him. "I'll go catch all the short-winged birds today! I'll raid the nests too!"

"Perfect!" Chiaki said as she leaned back down. "We'll make more plans." As Curtis headed off to capture the short-winged birds, Chiaki turned to Qianhuang. "How was Ji Mo at the Winged Lion Tribe village?"

"Courting. Amos of the Winged Tiger Tribe has his eye on her, as do several other males outside the tribe. She also still has the males who saved her the day you arrived, they have made themselves her protectors. Besides that, I spoke to the Matriarch, she wants to give her position to Ji Mo."

"That's- a lot to take in." Chiaki bit her lip. Wasn't the position of Matriarch the leader of the village? Ji Mo had only lived with them for around a year, she must have really been putting her Earth knowledge to good use. "Anything else happening?"

"Tension with neighboring clans, but that happens frequently enough to not be considered unusual."

"I overheard while I was at the Rock Mountain Wolf village that they are having relation troubles with other clans too." Chiaki offered.

"It happens every year." Bai Di said. "They have a branch clan of wolves who sometimes stay during the cold season and tensions run high because of that."

"Ah, I see. Well, now we need to-"

Bai Di interrupted. "Are you sure you are felling well enough to be doing so much?" He asked, placing a hand on her head. "I know you said you feel fine after a little rest, but- I'm still unsure of this strange connection you have to the Beast God."

Chiaki pushed a stray strand of her hair behind an ear. "I'm doing fine. I promise. Here, I'll even sit down." She sat on the ground, in the yellow-green grass. Bai Di still looked unconvinced, but said no more. "Besides, I'm just going to tell you what I hope to get done over the next few days."

"Alright, what do you have planned?" Qianhuang asked. He knew better his mates ability to be head-strong.

"The hot-dry season is ending, that means many of the wild plants will be ready to harvest. Key, you recognize the fruit, vegetables and grains we have been eating."

"Yes."

"Good, I'm going to need you to take collecting baskets out and start gathering the longer keeping root vegetables and anything that counts as a medicinal plant."

"That won't be too hard to do."

"Bai Di, uh, you probably don't know the area as well... do you think you can cover getting the hunting covered for everyone?"

The white tiger thought about it. "I would have to hunt every day to feed four- five," he added, remembering the lion cub.

"Is it doable?"

"I can try." He conceded.

"That's all I ask. Besides, if Curtis really does bring home all the short-winged birds in a single day, he'll be able to go hunting too. And then you can switch who is doing the collecting." She shook her head. "I know you three can't keep it up day after day, so I also don't want any of you arguing if I tell you to take a break, got it?"

"Of course. " and "Understood." were their replies.