Okay I've just introduced a character in my story, and they're a member of a fair violently alien race that resembles an excessively toothy koala. There's no easy way to tell males and females of the species apart. This particular character is female, but the MC is not aware of this. For various reasons I want the gender to be a surprise later on, but I'm having trouble referring to the character using gender-neutral terms.
I don't like the look of referring to them as "it" all the time, and I'm worried that would imply true gender neutrality which isn't the case. How can I make it clear the MC isn't aware of gender without neutering the character, so to speak?
Edit: The story is in 3rd person POV
I don't like the look of referring to them as "it" all the time, and I'm worried that would imply true gender neutrality which isn't the case. How can I make it clear the MC isn't aware of gender without neutering the character, so to speak?
Edit: The story is in 3rd person POV
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