[SirMax]

Tom sighed slightly and nuzzled Erica. "Still... I wish Fire had cancelled your list. You're going to be my first and last breeding..." he added, smiling at her happily. He'd managed to convince Max to take off the one breeding on his list.

[[47-Shoooort. Dx]]

[SpringsSong]

[[Don't feel bad.  My muse has abandoned me.]]

Erica chuckled.  "Well, she got one breeding off of my list.  So, actually, I'm down to three: A Sulkuhna, a Kanua, and another Common Kuhna.  The one she removed was the Preluhna breeding; but my brother has a breeding cued up with the apparently famous Miss Shotou." She said, looking down at her kits.  "Sometimes, I wonder why Fire arranges such breedings... but then again, she really longs for original Kuhnas..." She smiled.  "That's why she's so protective of Aya and Nia and  Lurker and Ashilata even Wyra; they're all her babies... just like I am; what, being her first Kuhna." She said, purring.

Nia smiled as she bounced around the two, chasing after Rhyia... again.

{24:12 x2}

[SirMax]

"Oh, Richard has a breeding with Shotou." said Tom, remembering how Richard, who was even more shy than he was, had been both over the moon and terrified at the prospect. It had been quite fun to watch the two reactions battling for Richard's attention. It'd be even more fun if the two of them actually ended up in a room. "You were Fire's first kuhna? Really?"

[[48]]

[SpringsSong]

Erica puffed out her chest.  "That I am.  About four or five days after Fire adopted me, she adopted E??wyra, and then came Yeesha; a Cake Kuhna.  Soon, my brother and E??wyra's cousin came to live with us; and then Yeesha's lifemate and her sister.  Fire seems to be a magnet for Kuhnas." She said, chuckling.  "I mean, she does have around 16 or 17 of us." She chuckled.

Nia smiled.  "I'm her first Berry Kuhna!" She said happily.  Rhy nudged her sister.  "Even though those of the generation before me are not tradeable since they are unlimited, Fire could trade me, but she won't.  She's only traded three Kuhnas, but she was only really attached to one of them  Man, she was so sad when she couldn't get Aditi back..."

"Children..." Erica chuckled, nuzzling both of them.

{25:13 x2}

[SirMax]

"Sounds like she really does like Kuhnas, doesn't she?" asked Tom, laughing. Erica did look quite silly with her chest puffed out like that... Tom nuzzled her happily, looking over at Rhy. "Wait, who's Aditi?" he asked curiously.

[[49]]

[SpringsSong]

"Aditi is a Hoarfrost Kuhna.  She was one of Wyra's first two kits, and was very special to both Fire and Wyra.  Wyra is my 'niece', I guess you could say; seeing as her mother and I are sisters by adoption." Erica said, and then, she shook her head.  "Last any of us heard, she was due to be traded along with a Treasure Albie for an Edler Kuhna.  Fire and Wyra were so heartbroken..." Erica said, tears coming to her own eyes.  Rhy shook her head.  "At least she said no one--'Cept maybe Specter's trainer--was gonna touch Lasha.  She's a Doomsberry Kuhna, and very special to both Fire and... oh, what's her name." She said.  Nia laughed.  "Lasha and I are as close to cousins as you could get--we both have Berry Kuhna genes." She said, smiling happily.

Erica nuzzled Tom again before asking, "So... have any of your trainer's pets found lifemates yet?"

{26:14 x2}

[SirMax]

Tom smiled proudly. "Nope! I'm the only one that lucky so far. Sethor's probably going to have lifemate, the way things are turning out, and Aksel's set up to have a lifemate, even if it's not going too well at the moment..." he nuzzled the Kuhna next to him happily. He was lucky.

[[50]]

[SpringsSong]

Erica chuckled.  "Sethor, eh?  Isn't he the one that gave Tali?±a the necklace she has yet to remove?  And didn't she give him some sort of charm to go around his ankle?" She asked, chuckling.  "So far, three Kuhnas and one Lucain from my trainer's pen have found lifemates: E??wyra, Ryen, myself, and Tasera.  We're... all pretty lucky.  We either met our lifemate beforehand, or were so enamored with the other Kuhna that we went into that breeding strangers and came out lifemates." She said, smiling as Rhy and Nia continued to play-wrestle with each other.

{27:15 x2}

[SirMax]

"Yeah, he wears it constantly." said Tom, laughing. "But whenever you ask him about lifemating with Tali?±a, he claims that he's 'not making any decisions' until he finishes his list." Tom rolled his eyes. "Which he convinced Max to reduce." Listening to her list, his eyes widened. "Wow, you're trainer's lucky, to find that many lifemates..."

[[51]]

[SpringsSong]

Erica had to stifle a laugh.  "Ah... 'Not making any decisions', eh?  That, to me, sounds like code for 'I'm just not gonna tell anyone until I get through my list'.  At first, Ryen tried to put on that suit, but not long after, he begged Fire to clear his list." She said, chuckling.  "It's amazing that, out of the three children Tali's mother had, Tali's the only one that's bred more than once and is close to the record number of pups--Record is 15, I believe, she's up to 12." She added, laughing.

Rhy and Nia looked over at Erica.  "Mom, why does Lady Fire feel the need to have so many breeding pets?" Nia asked.  Erica laughed.  "Because, dear, she loves Kuhnas and Lucain.  She's spent so much time researching our species that she could give this conclusion: 'The only pairing that confuses me is the Common x Common.  Every time that pairing's been done, it gives a result that, apparently, isn't supposed to happen.'  I told her she needs to get a life--like studying how Lucain markings get passed down."

"It's random." Rhy insisted.  "I mean, only one Lucain from her last litter got the Sundancer marking, while every other pup from that litter got either Ringed or Jacketfox from Tali, and maybe the Dingo marking from Varalus."

"Maybe you should go into that kind of research, then." Nia said, smiling.

{28:16 x2}

[SirMax]

"Well that's what it seems like..." said Tom, smiling. "He went to go visit her in Wilt'no, and it doesn't seem like he's going to be very distant." he said, smiling. Thoughtfully, he added "He really seems quite fine with Tali?±a's legion of children..." he murmured. "I would have thought he'd be a bit more the jealous type."

[[52]]

[SpringsSong]

"Her 'legion' of children..." Rhy laughed, rolling on the ground.  Nia apparently found that funny as well, for she was laughing uncontrollably.  Erica giggled slightly, then said, "Okay, children.  Mind you, you're going to have a legion of brothers and sisters as well.  Don't be picking on Tali just 'cause she's got the second highest number of pups in her name around the Lands." She said; then, to Tom, she said, "Well, that could get interesting..."

{29:17 x2}

[SirMax]

Tom smiled the kit's amusement, and then shrugged. "He really doesn't seem to mind at all. Then again, I've never seen him actually run into any of Tali?±a's children or former mates..." he pondered for a moment. "And those legion of brothers and sisters are going to be ours, right? Just how many kuhnas are on your list?" he asked, half joking, half serious.

[[Tom:53]]

[SpringsSong]

Rhy and Nia both blinked as Erica answered, "I have... oh, three breedings left.  One to a Kanua named Setsu, one to Lurker, and one to a Common Kuhna named Blast." She sighed.  "While I think of Lurker as a brother to me, Fire had that breeding arranged long before we ever got to know each other.  So, I really have no choice on that one." She sighed again.  "As for the Kanua, I'm not entirely sure what Fire's reasoning is behind it, and the other Common Kuhna... I dunno.  But yes, the legion of brothers and sisters will mostly come from the two of us." She said.  Nia and Rhy just blinked their big eyes.

{30:18 x2}

[SirMax]

Tom smiled. "That's good." he said, glancing at the two kits in amusement. "You couldn't get Fire to cancel the breeding with Lurker?" he asked curiously. "Wouldn't she understand something like that and not make you do it?"

[[54]]