~Brother! Brother! Brother!~ Kimba announced as he bounced around the room.
"Brother?" Qianhuang asked as he entered the room.
"Look, the egg hatched!" Chiaki said as she held up the tiny snake. Copper curled around her thumb. It was so... much... Another large male had gotten close, but didn't seem as hostile as the first. So he simply watched as the female held him aloft.
"Congratulations!" Qianhuang said, speaking to both parents.
Kimba ran through the house announcing the birth of his sibling, then rushed outside to tell the males out there and anyone else who would listen. No one asked him the species of his new sibling, instead congratulating him on his new brother. The news peaked a few ears from unmated males, a breeding age female with at least two successful pregnancies was desirable.
Chiaki couldn't help but spend the next few days in Curtis' lap, letting Copper weave through her fingers whenever she got the chance. She wanted her mate to bond with his son and see that the tiny infant snake was no threat to his position.
"Why hasn't he eaten?" She asked.
"I'm not sure." Curtis said in a sleepy tone. He'd been fighting the desire to hibernate long past the normal level.
"When did you last eat?" She then asked.
"Hm, a few days ago... before the hatching."
"Go eat." She said as she elbowed Curtis gently in the ribs. "And see if Copper wants anything yet."
"Alright." Curtis collected the tiny red and orange snake and took him into the kitchen with him.
Chiaki got up and checked the window. Just like the other home, this one had no glass. It was just covered with wooden shutters that were held closed with a strong board. So opening it to look outside came with a gust of cold wind.
The day was overcast and cold, with a soft flurry of snow coming down. Thankfully there hadn't been anymore Ice Fall storms over the last few days and the snow had filled the impact craters left behind. She shivered from the sudden cold.
"You should wear your heavy wraps." Winston said as he came up behind her carrying her hooded cloak. She turned to face him as he draped it over her shoulders and tied it.
"Just getting fresh air."
"You're letting the heat out!" Curtis called from the kitchen.
"I'm going to get dressed and go out then!" She called back. She pulled the shutters closed and barred them again from the inside. It didn't keep all the heat in or all the wind out, but it was the best the world offered. Upstairs she quickly switched into the full Winter outfit she'd gotten finished. Then an idea hit her and she grabbed an armful of hides and brought them back down with her.
"What are you going to do with all those?" Winston asked in curiosity.
"I got an idea, let's tack these over the insides of the windows to help keep the heat in."
He nodded and took the pile of hides. "I can do this for you. Go outside and play."
Chiaki smiled at the white-tiger male and have him a kiss on the nose. "Okay." She headed outside.
Bai Di was outside chopping more wood to leave in the cellar to dry for when they needed it. After several days of bad weather the dry wood had mostly been used and he wanted to get enough stored back inside in-case the snow forced then to stay inside again. "Hello!" He called when he saw Chiaki exit the house.
"You're working hard."
He puffed out his chest a bit. "Of course! I would never let my female freeze during the cold-season!" She kissed his cheek as she walked past, causing his ears to stand up.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
The rest of the Winter passed much like the first part. Curtis finally hibernated, but it wasn't for nearly as much time as the year before, leaving Chiaki curious. All the games she'd introduced to her family were a big hit and she thought that the next year she might try making more complicated game boards, ones for more than two players at a time. The food lasted fairly well. They went through all the salted meats and fish and most of the pemmican, all the salted and pickled vegetables too.
By the time the cold weather retreated back to the high mountains and Spring was around the corner, Chiaki and her mates had settled into a nice routine. Cooking, hunting, chores. Who she had sex with never found a routine, as her mates would often surprise her. There were even a couple more nights where she shared two lovers at the same time again. No more threesomes happened though, she found it to much to balance.
They lost three of the short-winged birds to a thief, but the perpetrator was never caught. This lead to some improvements on the coop during a warmish day and the males all going around marking their territory again. As long as they didn't scent mark the inside of the house with urine she was fine with it.
Then it felt like it was suddenly Spring.
Copper had figured out what 'father' and 'mother' meant. He also knew 'papa' and 'daddy' that Kimba had taught him. Kimba was 'brother' because they had the same mother. Curtis was his father, the male who he had came from. Papa Qianhuang was Kimba's father. Chiaki, the female, was their mother. They had both been born out of her. They also had the other adult males, who were 'family' to them.
His favorite foods were the raw eggs and meat his father gave him. He did not like the 'spicy' food Kimba ate. He liked his mother and brother the best, they were very warm and would always let him coil around them as they moved around their 'home'. Father was cool to the touch, but would also carry him around. The other males were warm, but seemed a little distant and sometimes didn't notice him. Sometimes they didn't notice his brother either, so he did not think them mean.
He was very happy.
Chiaki thrust open the shutters for the firsttime in months, letting the warmer Spring air circulate through the house. She moved from one room to the next until the whole house was filled with fresh air and sunshine.
"Spring!" She said gleefully. "I have so many plans!"
