Heavenfall

It had been a while, and he wasn't sure the Nezumi was any better disposed towards humanity than he had been before, but Sora still felt like checking on him.

After all, he'd hit it off with that Nezumi librarian, and he also figured... if could build a bridge here, then the relations between the species were fated to fare better,

So he went looking for Ch'chit T'kkiri

Ch'chit was crouching back on his tail next to a fire. He had an indistinct stick in his hands that he was slowly turning over and over as he watched the flames.

Sora approached and arched an eyebrow.

Those sticks contained... so much. Even if this one was just a diary of some sort.

"I imagine you can smell my presence, but I'll announce my arrival anyway to give you the chance to tell me to fuck off."

"No need to mate outside." He said calmly as he continued to look at the fire.

Sora approached a bit closer and squatted down on his haunches.

"Speaking of mates, I think I met one of yours- pleasant-natured female, tends the memory sticks?"

“T'tok tch'tch, very clever. Great Rememberer. Great bringer-of-life.” He nodded. Then his eyes moved from the fire to Sora.

“Said Sky-Man no bad. Protect hairless-one leader pups.”

"Well, considering how impressed I was with her, I take that as very high praise. I expect her pups are clever enough to be a handful! And yes. I guard Shiba's pups."

He smiled.

"Five of them- I don't know how many that is for your people, but for us, it's a decent number. I miss them."

“Five is few. Each cycle usually 6 to 8 pups to one bringer-of-life.” He replied.

Sora chuckled.

"Then your females are truly the mightiest of creatures, because Jiyo's one of the toughest people I know and her five are reckoned a serious success in as many years..."

“This Jiyo is Chief Four-leafs’ mate?” He asked.

Sora momentarily debated going into the nuances of the arrangement of the Imperial Household, then decided his Nezumi associate most likely would just find it pointless blither.

"Mother of his pups, yes."

“And you borrow Name from Four-leafs’ mate?” He asked.

"Yes. It's... our way of keeping track of those who join a family, since we can't smell it. We borrow the name of the one we swear ourselves to. Which means we're responsible not only for our own Name, but for how our actions reflect upon theirs, so those of us who choose to borrow are very careful about it. In time, as we have pups who simply inherit the names, I think that part will likely die out."

“What Name mean?” He asked.

“Your Sora name Sky. Jiyo meaning?”

"Time giver, which suits her patience."

He tilted his head in confusion at that. “So all Time-givers protect pups?”

"Not... all pups, but all Time-Givers protect. Some protect Yuzuru's followers, some simply protect Shiba's territory. But the Jiyo family are defenders."

"I understand. Ch' warriors. Protect pups when others away. Also fight-fight enemy. Ch'chit is warrior who no fear." He replied.

"Then yes, the role is much the same. Ch'chit.... and T'tok tch'tch called you T'kkiri for short when I mentioned we'd spoken."

He left the obvious request for a translation unspoken.

"Means... black... when moon go down... moon... set." He replied as he thought about it.

"Name given when still young. Powerful Shaman. Adviser to Chief-of-Chief. Say day soon come where moon turn black when set. Chief-of-Chieft no listen. Fallen-rock-man come... destroy city. Moon black for day after day. Since then dark nights often in Nezumi lands. Always should listen to Shaman."