Chiaki growled at the dark red splotch on her sleeping furs. "Damn it! I's only been six weeks and my period is starting back up?" She grabbed the fur and tossed it off the top of the stack.

"Are you okay? I smell blood." Curtis asked as he raised his head.

"My cycle is starting." She said roughly. "I'm staying in the house today."

Curtis shifted closer. "You're entering estrous again so soon?"

"Yeah." She replied grumpily.

"Are you going to have offspring with another one of the males?"

"I am not going through this Winter pregnant. I'll just have to be careful."

Curtis relaxed. She wasn't going to have more young right away. He wanted to curl around her and keep her to himself, but she was already headed down the stairs into the main part of the house, dragging the bloodied sleeping fur behind her. "I'm not in the mood for games guys!" She called out loudly, letting it echo around the house. "If anyone bothers me in the bath it will be THEIR blood all over, not mine." She warned all of the males.

None of them dared enter the bathing room.

Curtis gently turned the single snake egg in its sandy home. It would be a couple more months until the snake-lings hatched, but he was feeling calmer about things after the last time he talked about his past with Chiaki. She understood the strength of the memories and he realized that his main fear was not loosing her to his own son... but not wanting to kill his offspring because of how their memories would make them act towards her.

He was fiercely territorial over his mate, no other snake male would ever be allowed to be with her. This included his own son. Two snake beast men could never share a mate, one would always kill the other first.

It was why his father tossed his sons away while they were still eggs. Jealousy. Possessiveness. Pure and simple greed to keep his mate to himself, not even letting his mother see her children hatch!

He would be a better male than his father- no, he would be a better male than every other male of his line! It ended here. This egg. This little snake. He would not be a feral. He would be the first snake male to be raised with care and love.

Carefully Curtis returned the sand filled pot to its place out of the way on the top shelf. All the other males knew where it was and what it was. It was safe. His and Chiaki's offspring would survive, he would make sure of it!

The house quickly became loud as all of the males awoke and began their daily tasks. Qianhuang fixed a breakfast for himself and Kimba. Each of the other males fixed food for themselves. Curtis was a bit annoyed that Chiaki had simply placed the food the courting males brought to the house right in the cellar with the main stockpile. If he couldn't smell their scents on a jar here or a bag there he wouldn't know what had been brought in by them And of course, she didn't force them to only eat from the food they contributed. He would admit though that the amount of food being stored was going up faster than it was being used, giving them a net gain for the Winter.

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

The foul mood their mate was in lasted the entire time she was bleeding. The only one who seemed to be completely immune to her anger was her cub Kimba, who she would spend most of her days with. Curtis was a close second, as the snake male simply let her anger roll over him and then he would offer her a sweet food.

One final bath washed the last traces of her period away. Eventually her mood lightened throughout the day as she no longer had to put up with the bleeding.

"Forgive me for being bitchy." She said as she hugged Qianhuang and Bai Di, an arm wrapped around each males neck.

"You seemed very stressed by your cycle this time."

She let go of the pair of males. "Yeah, because Winter is only half a season away and I'm already starting to become fertile again." The words had the same effect as they had any time she mentioned anything closely resembling mating. "And there's the problem rearing it's little heads." She said as she stepped back. "How long do I need to devote to reviving the Beast God? How long should I let my life be that of any woman on this world? I'm worried that if I just keep having children... when do I accomplish what is wanted from me? When is just taking time to live my life the correct path?"

"Maybe you should go up to the sleeping furs and spend time talking with your Tobi-cub that speaks to you for the Beast God. Perhaps he will have advice for you?" Qianhuang offered.

Chiaki nodded. He was right, if anyone could answer her on how to balance her life it would be the Beast God's Voice.

Upstairs Chiaki settled herself onto the furs, laying down like she was going to take a nap. She knew that it was upsetting to see her unresponsive and looking blankly out into the room. Even though her three suitors were not suppose to come up into the bedroom she couldn't be one hundred percent sure one of them wouldn't... and she hadn't told them that much about her connection yet.

"Voice? Tobi?" She said softly, more trying to feel for the connection than actually get his attention by talking. She drew on the energy she used when she wanted to identify plants. Soon she felt herself being drawn closer to the other side.

(You need something from me?) The young Voice asked.

She wasn't in the Beast God's Domain, so she could only hear him and not see him. "I- now it sounds stupid to say out-loud." She mumbled.

(You may ask anything of me. I will answer if it is within my power.)

"Just how long has the Beast God been regenerating?"

It was silent for a long time. (Approximation: 8,000 generations.)

"Eight-thousand?! Just how many people have been brought to this world?"

Another long pause. (Approximation: 500 females from Earth have been brought to this world in the time after the Beast God was wounded and began his regeneration.)

"What happened to them?"

(Most of them spent under ten years living in this world before their connection to it became too weak and they were transported back to Earth. You are the first person to complete the connection.)

"So, I will never return to Earth?"

(Correct.)

"Tobi... how long do I have to save the Beast God?"

(The Beast God can not die. However he needs a substantial amount of pure life energy to revive. And the worship of his people to once again create a body to walk among them.)

"What will happen if I fail?"

Another long pause. (Nothing. As a Voice I will be forced to collect tiny amounts of praise energy until I have gained enough to be able to summon another from your world.) A slight pause, then Tobi continued. (With the praise you have collected and not used, I would be able to summon another female in... 100 years. A very short time frame.)

"Why- why do you want to revive the Beast God?"

(The world has slowly regressed and so has it's people. Knowledge has been lost. The population is out of balance. Once revived the Beast God could bring the world back to the way it once was.)

"Bai Di said that a male killed the avatar of the Beast God for the loss of his mate. Is that true?"

(I do not have this answer.)

"He also said he was told she appeared from nowhere. Was she transmigrated like me?"

(I do not have this answer, however a few people have came to this world without the guidance of a Voice, so I can not say that she was not.)

"Tobi. What should I do? Do I need to find a way to revive the Beast God as soon as possible?"

(I do not have this answer.)

"What if I do nothing? What if I just ignore what you are asking of me and go live out my life in peace and quiet?" She asked in irritation.

(Then I would do the same as if you tried and failed. I would bring another to this world in the hopes of one day reviving the Beast God.)

"Wouldn't you be upset at me? Angry? Disappointed?"

(I would be saddened to see the first person to make it to the Beast God's Realm abandon it.)

"Can you tell me what I should do? Should I focus on reviving the Beast God... or can I have my life happy filled with overly sexy husbands and dozens of kids?"

(Live how you wish. This is what the Beast God would ask of you.)

"What would you ask of me Tobi?"

There was a long pause, long enough that Chaiki thought she would not be answered. (There is one thing. There is an item on the world filled with enough energy to revive the Beast God, but to seek it would certainly mean death. Whatever it is, it holds more power than myself.)

"You want me to find it?"

Tobi didn't respond.

"Tobi? Tobi?!"

Chiaki sat upright in her furs, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat.