When the pair of hunters came back from their successful Run, Omaciyu glanced at Temih to make sure that she was happy with their work. She seemed distant, and that displeased him.

Though he was only a decade her senior, he knew that she looked upon him like a father, rather than a ... Well, he'd have to work out becoming her mate someday - with her permission.

The guys were arguing, and rather than put an end to it, it seemed Temih had had enough conversation and companionship for the night. She strode out of the cavern, and up the hillside to her own den. Omaciyu wanted to rise and follow her - but that would certainly be noticed by the others.

Though now, now that she was gone probably until morning, would be a good time to bring up the subject to the rest of the males. Omaciyu gave a chuffling sound, and commanded the attention of the males. Most had blood still on their pale chins, licking it off and cleaning themselves took a number of minutes.

Omaciyu paced about, his golden tail touching the violet cloak he wore. Some of the males said he tried to be too Human, in his elegant clothing. Dijo didn't argue, his own extravagant kimono would only attract attention to his non-human nature if he were to wander through Human space.

When everyone had finished up, or cleaned off sufficiently, Omaciyu crouched high over the common room on a ledge designed to show off a speaker.

"Temih is grown restless," he said, "and though she claims that she has no interest in any of us, we know she is ignoring her own body's opinion."

"It's no opinion," said Ihnala, picking a piece of gristle from his fangs with a sharp pale claw. "She has the scent of readiness on her, and she refuses to believe it."

"What would you know," Qodara spat, "you're hardly one to talk. Not one of us have ever been around a female in heat, and you know it."

"We will not fight amongst ourselves," Omaciyu said, loudly. That calmed the pair down, barely. "Not if we can do something else in the meantime."

"Would you have us prepare nests?" Ihfosa asked, "There are good denning areas all around the plains, but I'd rather have her here where she will be safe."

"She's a danger to others, more than anything," Hala grumbled.

"We know your thoughts," Omaciyu said, nodding. "I would rather know that our tribe will continue on even if we must confront the Human forces, or the Others."

"Then what are we doing in the mean time?" Asked Utori, "collecting bugs? Making clothing? We've got all we need already."

"Perhaps we could find another way to impress her," Omaciyu said, thinking. Something had edged in on the far portion of his mental landscape, something odd. And distant. "Games perhaps, skill or mental energy, those might interest her. Plying her with more weapons is more trouble than it's worth," he said, and the others laughed, knowing Temih's propensity to trade for the best weapons before she even showed the rest of the Tribe.

"I think that is all I had to say," he said, and the rest mostly went back to their eating or grooming.

Omaciyu slipped outside, to get some water and clear his head. The sun had set not long before, and he still could smell Temih's distinct scent where she'd sat watching it. On a strange whim, Omaciyu went quietly up to the edge of Temih's den.

He could smell the big Stork Kin before he heard her gruff hoarse voice, and they were laughing. Bol was such an odd creature. But, friendly enough.

They were talking about him? His feet?

"I have big feet?" Omaciyu whispered, looking at his foot-paws. He stretched them out, looking at the blunt claws and ... well, he hadn't thought of them as all that big.

Sulking, he wandered up to the top of their plateau and grumped about his 'big feet'. "I do not have big feet. I have ... strong running-pads." He harrumphed.

Looking at the sky, the stars had begun to shimmer in the thick night air. It was late summer, the rains would come soon. Fortunately, the monsoon season didn't hit as hard here in the center of the Three Mount area, protected by huge mountains on the south-west and south-east, and then the big Inner Ocean to the south. It was always a little wet, so the monsoons didn't seem so bad.

A falling star caught Omaciyu's attention. It sped through the air, brightly. But... it didn't go away. Instead, it stayed visible just on the horizon.

"Another ship," he sighed. "Just what we needed."

He got up to inform the group, but when he did so, another falling star caught his eye. It wasn't as bright - in fact it wasn't bright at all, it was dark but moving.

It was black against the violet-blue sky, and it had wings. That was a ship - or was it? There was no sound, no engines, and it wasn't letting off any vapor trail. What was this thing? Suddenly as it passed overhead at quite high a distance, Omaciyu felt ...

"Minds? Two of them - it's not a ship, it's a creature?" He whispered.

He hustled back to the chambers, but most of the males were asleep already. Their stomachs full, they slumbered and wouldn't be roused easily.

Omaciyu decided to keep mental track of the creatures in the air, as they drifted farther away. They were headed toward the ship on the horizon. Perhaps they ought to head that way in the morning.

The golden-furred cheetah Kin found his way in the dark to his own den. It was cool and lonely, and he hated it that way.