Chai


(chai)

For hundreds of years, chais have been kept as pets. Their round bodies, soft fur, and loving affection of their keepers has made them a popular choice among Subetans all over. One thing, however, puzzled their owners -- why did their chais insist on sharing their tea, draining the last dredges from the cups, even eating soggy, leftover tea leaves? The discovery of Shengui Guo brought that question to light, along with its answer, for chai are well known as the purveyors of fine tea for the Shengui Guo Ren.

Chai are not particularly large in stature, standing at around 36 inches (91 cm), but they have quite the mass for their size! A full grown chai can easily weigh 70 pounds (32 kg) although 50 pounds (23 kg) tends to be average. In the wild, they tend to live in very dense groups, called cosies. A cozy, however, does not seem to serve any purpose for mating or gathering, and they do not generally communally raise their young. In fact, it seems like their purpose in living in large groups is simply for physical comfort; the term cuddling has been used on more than one occasion to describe how a group of chais seem to interact! The females will have one to two cubs per year, if they take the time to mate at all, as species survival is not very high on a chai's priority list. In fact, the main thing a chai seems to care about - other than cuddling - is food. They will eat anything green: leaves, grasses, flowers, although their absolute favorite are leaves from camellia trees, traditionally used for making tea. In Shengui Guo, chais were originally trained to help find hidden groves of the trees, thus helping Shengui Guo prosper and grow. This has created quite the reverie for chais there, where they are considered a national treasure.

This elite status lead to chais becoming quite spoiled. These days, domestic chais do very little beside try to cuddle with their owners and eat. They adore being with people, and similar to a toddler will ask to be held or picked up, often with a gesture of their arms and a pitiful, begging look on their face. Chais are quite easy to care for as pets, since they require relatively simple care. Their appetites are the largest hurdle, although domestic chais have gained the taste for far more than just tea leaves; they will eat salad greens, fresh fruit and vegetables, and even simple wheat and oat grasses (although tea remains their favorite). Many of these domestic traits seem to have been picked up by wild chais as well, creating quite the lazy species overall! Pet chais always receive special collars from their owners; this is a tradition that dates back to them first being domesticated and is believed to help forge a closer bond. Chais do seem to take great pride in being given a collar, and some owners will even let their beloved pets pick out their own.


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