But did he use a word for his kitsune that is obviously related to the animal or is that a hint from the translation intended just for her??

"Cool! We have variations like that too, either as the result of deliberate breeding in different areas, or because the species was created from lots of individual animals. Physical variations, but the magic is the same.

Seems like your kitsune are more powerful than our gnomunks. I feel like your magic is generally a little stronger than ours, and sometimes more metaphorical, which fits with it having a different origin." Like a different big guy with different tastes.

Hm, can she get different ways to translate 'kitsune' if she says it enough and listens closely? Can she figure out which part of Theo's word 'foxkin' refers to foxes? Then it would be safe to bring up that Ansaf kitsune are also made from foxes... oh, assuming that their foxes are the same...

"Our kitsune can't take things with them when they teleport, so kitsune are usually naked, which makes a certain impression, and kitsune are often bored enough to strengthen that impression. Our kitsune are also really fluffy, and kitsune come in lots of colors, so kitsune fur makes really fancy clothes. Catfolk fur is fine" she gestures at her utility skirt, which is a grayer shade of her own orange hue "but needs to be mixed with werewolf fur for strength."

The word he's using for 'Foxkin' shares a phoneme with a word that means 'fox'. The other half is pretty similar to the word for 'person'.

Oh, a good segue into daily life stuff.

"There's enough plants around here that we can use them for fiber instead of hair. I was working on that earlier, actually- Beating snakegrass or coconut husks into fiber would always be a good chore to do. If nothing else, more twine and sailcloth and rope for Bys's... Adventures. Did [Rock] have spindles and looms?"

"Why do they need to be beaten? I'd think that would make them weaker! Should I get started on that now, or wait until after the others get back and we eat?

[Rock] has [drop spindles], and I think sailcloth is made on big frames, but most clothing is felt or nålbinding. Or leather, if you live someplace really cold, or if someone wanted to give you something special when they died."

"The useful fibers, bast fibers, are deep in the leaves and we want to get them out without snapping them. That means scraping or beating all the leaf flesh out. 'Beating' is maybe a bit dramatic a word. We do have some leather too, it's from the boars and goats and those fucking monkeys."

He shakes his head.

"The monkeys are jerks, but if anything the boars are the most dangerous on land, so do be careful... If more people are showing up, maybe we ought to try and get off this island after all. New kinds of magic, new ideas, maybe we can get past the obstacles in the shrines, the ones that seem to be some kind of demented test."

"Huh! ...Thanks for the warning."

Well that's a sudden change.

"Yeah, I don't like playing along with the big guys, but I'm too curious to resist. I guess they knew that about me. Do you expect Erebys to keep trying the same thing, then?"