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Golden olive skin trotted along behind, under a head of blue hair and wearing as little as its ownr could get away with. The owner, a boy of only a few years, was carrying a basket of absorbant cloths, freshly loaded with xaraan eggs. Fertilized ones, with more xaraan in them rather than breakfast! Her helper's specialty, in this case, was much the same as his auntie's: constant motion or stillness. With an extra pair of hands, these came in handier than one might think on a ranch during most occupants nesting season. He hadn't his brother's memory, but he took in all the sights, birthing processes, laying of egg-clutches, and the ways in which his grandmama had them helping. Auntie Ein said that earthlings were badly-designed for making new earthlings, which was part of why he didn't know the specifics yet. For Innsaei, the past week had been educational.

Innsaei did his best to see everything, so as to keep ahead of whatever might unbalance him. He swayed and occasionally stepped around curious snoots and beaks alike as they passed each stall. The big birds, he'd been told, could have two or three cycles a year, depending on how the first clutch did. If it came out alright, they didn't bother laying the later ones. Not with a successful fledgling to look after. Mind, the failures were sometimes due to careless birdfeet. Xaraan in this season could be silly like that.

This was why they did the transplant with the first laying as soon as possible. More little birds meant less upset big birds. Why they were so much better with chicks than eggs seemed silly, but silliness wasn't his concern right now. Eggs were. "Okay Nana. We gonna plop 'em down or bury 'em?"

'Saei kept his big yellow peepers open, taking everything in. The balance of the basket, of the earthen floor, the little curve of the hall between the pens, the boy adjusted to keep his load upright. At all times, he kept his ears open for the next little bit of wisdom. Because clearly his Nana Nin knew everything about beasts. She was his Papa's mama, so he'd learned from her. And Thalassa, his papa, knew a whole lot. It'd be dumb not to pay her attention, so 'Jiu had made sure the other two brothers remembered.

Minding her was a different thing than unquestioned obedience. And there were far too many thoughts swinging around a little boy's head for that. His nose had scrunched up in thought as he listened. "But even big birds don't sit on their eggs all day, do they? They don't need turnin' more often than that?"

Her grandson's pleasant expression broke into a proud grin. He'd helped a bit more than he meant to! The hug that followed saw Innsaei lean into his Nana's hug and nuzzle, as his arms were still full with EGG. "D'ya need to sit down, Nana? We can stop for a snack if you're tired." Thoughtful as he was, the olive child was in no way above begging treats or snacks. As with many little boys, his belly could be excellent motivation.

But even greed was outweighed by affection. Nana needed this done. He looked down at his cargo, as though remembering the task at hand. "...Once we tuck these in, maybe?"

The blue head nuzzed at Nin once more for good measure. "I miss 'Xi too." Wasn't much else to say, it seemed to the boy. There was a bit to take in, though. Apparently being worried tuckered you out, though. Gotta let Tathy know that. He worries a lot. Saei didn't much worry, himself. No time for it in his busy day. He had to see all the things. ...That, and he knew his family were the best hunters. They'd find Elaxi. It was just fact, and didn't bear fretting over. Even if it was taking forever.

What wouldn't take forever was getting the eggs warmed up. They had a nice hot sandpit for that. He had to ask Jiu how that worked without the sun on it. They'd been told, but Saei didn't really remember off the top of his head. It wasn't usually so important. Either way, he came to the nest, crouching instead of bending down and setting his basket on the floor. From there, he waited for instructions. Nana was the one with the marking paint anyway.

So far, egg was a confusing topic. One Papa had needed to explain several times. It had holes for air to get in, but water couldn't come out. Tiny holes that you couldn't see, and they were all over. Doing stuff with them came so much more easily. Once he'd seen it all done and set, the rest flowed naturally, if not quite perfectly.

The first he did wound up too shallow, and needed redigging. His head tilted, studying his own and his Nana's work, and he took to fixing it. The next wound up upside-down andfound a crab in the sand, which he plucked right up and tossed to one of the predator pens. After sucking his pinched finger a moment, Saei got back to work, mostly getting them right. He'd picked up the knack of it in watching her, and was starting to feel how she'd done hers.

Her grandson was one of those that felt comfortable with his mouth closed. It certainly helped his work ethic. The boy had said little else, busily listening to the pictures and voices in his skull, when Nin spoke up on the possibility of bird friends. Tanning little hands patted the last of the clutch into the sand, snug and secure for the moment. Meanwhile, wide golden eyes glittered up at Nin. "I could make a bird friend takin' care of the nest?"

The boy paused, recounted the half dozen eggs in this batch. He tried imagining being surrounded by six or seven friendly xaaran chicks. It reinforced the smile, but the fantasy passed, momentary thought that it was. The now couldn't maintain it, so he didn't bother. There were business considerations probably, as they sold these beasts for a living, but these barely touched Saei's mind. The future wasn't half so interesting as everything all around anyway.

"So we gotta make a friend at the start, 'fore the customers come by. Okay, makes sense to me." He might well have missed or ignored the bit about getting a headstart on his brothers. One of the eggs was reexamined, and propped back up to settle down with the rest. The weight hadn't looked right, but with thr sands packed here... Nin's mention of snacks snapped the little boy right out of his semi-trance, head whipping around wide-eyed. "Do we got some of the yellow cheese left?"