Jing He looked down at the small Flame Heart in his arms. In this position, he actually couldn't see how this beast resembled a heart. If it was lying down on a flat surface that would likely be different though. He should pay closer attention in the future.
Yes, even though he had spent most of his time with this beast since waking up, his thoughts hadn't been there even half the time. No wonder he hadn't noticed any clues. He had to do better from now on.
He gently rubbed the top of its head while his gaze turned thoughtful. "Now, what should I name you?" A mythical beast ... that type of creature should surely receive a name that reflected its proud heritage. "We could use either of the characters in your name as a way to pay tribute to your roots. Or would that be too on the nose?"
His brows raised faintly as he was still unsure how to go about this. He had never needed to name anything. It made him wonder how people usually went about it. Surely, you couldn't just casually decide. No, there should be a meaning to every name just as their own names contained such meaning.
The little beast wasn't of much help. It gave a faint sound that could have meant anything and then stretched its paws and moved its head, indicating for Jing He to go on with the rubbing.
Jing He chuckled softly and indeed continued while pondering the issue with the name further. Judging by the painting of the Flame Heart in the book, this little one would turn out to look quite proud in the future. In that case, the name shouldn't be too soft. Something that spoke of its courage might be fitting.
On the other hand, the Flame Heart also looked very pleasing to the eye. It was elegant with its smooth dark fur and graceful limbs and should have a splendor to it when its body lit up with flames. Maybe a name like that would fit it just as well?
He felt torn between both options. Both had their own reasons for being chosen and neither was better or worse than the other. Thinking about it more closely, the two characters of its peoples' name would allow its own to go either way. Xin might be a more elegant-sounding name while Yan would go in the other direction. Maybe he could also choose Huo as an alternative although he felt that it didn't have as nice of a ring to it.
He would first have to choose either of these characters but then, that alone wasn't helpful either. Using just one character seemed rather crude, after all. Originally, that had been the norm among the immortal races but nowadays, it was out of favor. Especially while in the Nine Heavens, where having a three character name wasn't unheard of due to the ascended deities, it would be too odd to only give a name with one character. No, two characters were a must.
Jing He stroked the fur of the Flame Heart, lost in thought. Which one to pick though ... he still wasn't sure how to decide that. Wouldn't it also depend on the second character? But maybe he was going about this wrong.
Yes, following the general feeling of the Flame Heart's appearance wasn't a bad basis for the name. This, he had already established and he could accomplish it with just the first character. In that case, maybe he shouldn't worry too much about the second character fitting that feeling as well.
Yes, for the second character, wouldn't it be better to incorporate his wishes for the little beast's future? Or trying to show a connection between the two of them as a way to appreciate that this beast had been given to him?
Jing He unwittingly thought of Qiu Ling who had caught this beast for him. Surely, he had done so in the hope that it would keep him safe in the future considering how strong the Flame Heart would become in the future. And even now, when it was but a cub, he might have thought that it could at least keep him company so that he would not be lonely while he was away.
Both were beautiful sentiments worth cherishing. Sentiments that might as well be immortalized in a name. Not to mention ... 'An' could mean safe but also peace just like the character 'He' could. In this way, wouldn't he tie this little beast to both of them? On one side, there were the wishes hidden in Qiu Ling's heart when he chose it among all the possible beasts to bring back and on the other side, there was him as the person that this beast would accompany from now on. Tying all three of them together ... it seemed like the perfect choice.
Jing He's lips curved up, forming a brighter smile and he raised the small Flame Heart to his eye level to look directly into its face. "What do you think about An Xin? Would you like that as your name?"
The Flame Heart looked at his face, stretched out a paw, and patted his cheek once while giving a faint sound. To be honest, it didn't even care that much about having a name in the first place so it also didn't care what that name should be. Back at home, it had never had a name either. Getting one now didn't seem that important but if it made Jing He happy, it didn't mind. It liked this person, after all. The hair was really soft.
Jing He saw the reaction as silent acquiescence and gave a hum. "Well, if you don't have any complaints, then from now on, your name shall be An Xin."