At the sight of the tiny, fluffy Uruki cub, Isis clutched her chest as if she had been struck. The girlish side of her that years of strength training had dulled came surging back to life.
Altaïr's attention remained fixed on the Uruki mother's bold way of referring to herself. "It isn't wrong, exactly, but it's more common to use your name or 'I' when talking about yourself."
"Is... that so?" The mother and cub tilted their heads in unison.
"Yes!" Isis nodded firmly.
Some of the older women she knew habitually called themselves "this old lady," and hearing anything similar brought back unpleasant associations.
"My name is Honeysuckle, after a flower..."
The Uruki obediently changed how she referred to herself. "Honeysuckle knows you are Hunters. That huge-mouthed Monster that just passed by... is it your prey?"
"You could say that, meow." Ms. Meow-It-All crossed her forepaws and nodded solemnly, but the large bump on her forehead made her look rather comical.
"Honeysuckle will help you take it down." The Uruki raised her small Slinger, looking somewhat angry. "It ruined Honeysuckle's flower field, and it's very dangerous!"
Since Honeysuckle had volunteered to help, Ms. Meow-It-All quickly pressed for more information. "Do you know that kind of Monster, meow? Are you familiar with the underground caverns around here, meow?"
A guide familiar with the area was far preferable to feeling their way through the dark, treacherous depths on their own.
Honeysuckle lowered her small Slinger. "Honeysuckle has seen those Monsters. They used to live underground, but then they left. Honeysuckle thought this cave would be safe..."
Ms. Meow-It-All tugged at her whiskers. This way of communicating was inefficient and likely to leave out important clues, so she changed her approach.
"How did you get here, meow? Would you mind telling us everything that happened after you arrived, meow?"
Honeysuckle blinked her round eyes. "If Honeysuckle starts from the beginning, it may take a while."
Ms. Meow-It-All looked at Altaïr. "The Pariapuria's trail is clear and won't be easy to lose, meow. I suggest we listen to her story. We might learn something very important, meow."
Altaïr gave a quiet hum of agreement and surveyed the cave. It was filled with Brightmoss and luminous fungi, with only two entrances. As long as they watched both passages, the cave itself would be safe. For now, they could treat it as a brief rest stop.
The others had no objections. Honeysuckle sat on the ground and hugged the flower basket, which served as both backpack and cradle, close to her chest.
"About a year ago... Honeysuckle and Uruka rowed a small boat to this island..."
Ms. Meow-It-All quietly explained, "'Uruka' means companion or partner. In this context, it probably refers specifically to her husband, meow."
Honeysuckle nodded, remembered Altaïr's suggestion to use names, and corrected herself. "His name is Star Jasmine. Honeysuckle and Star Jasmine came to this island because they wanted to build a new garden.
"Star Jasmine found a beautiful valley with volcanic ash in the soil, enough fertile ground to cover the mountainside with flowers.
"Honeysuckle and Star Jasmine wanted to sow seeds there so the baby could grow up alongside the flower field."
"Isn't that romantic?" Theo gave an appreciative click of his tongue.
Altaïr smiled. "Uruki are all like that. Quite a few Felynes in Loc Lac envy their way of life. Some have become their friends, even their family."
"But then, one day, the whole world started shaking..." Honeysuckle lowered her head. "The earth split open, the valleys crumbled, and clouds of volcanic ash blotted out the sky..."
"Honeysuckle fell into the gaping earth and lost consciousness. When she woke up... she was somewhere completely unfamiliar."
"An earthquake and a volcanic eruption, meow!"
"Violent geological upheaval!"
Ms. Meow-It-All and Altaïr spoke at the same time. The Felyne and the man exchanged a glance, and Ms. Meow-It-All was the one who asked, "When did that happen, meow?"
Honeysuckle shook her head. "Honeysuckle was deep underground and can't remember exactly, but it happened before the baby was born, probably more than two hundred days and nights ago.
"Honeysuckle saw those huge-mouthed Monsters. Honeysuckle hid, then secretly followed them after they left and found the path back to the surface.
"But the surface was dangerous too. The underground cave was very quiet, though, and there were some glowing mushrooms.
"Honeysuckle stayed here, planted mushrooms, and gave birth to the baby."
Aside from the earthquake, the fall into the depths, and waking somewhere unfamiliar after losing consciousness, Honeysuckle's story was simple and did not take long to tell.
Isis could not help asking, "What did you and the baby eat underground? Can you eat Brightmoss and these glowing mushrooms?"
"Brightmoss can't be eaten, but glowing mushrooms without mature spores are edible. There's a small stream in a nearby cave where you can catch some small fish," Honeysuckle explained, holding her flower basket.
"That sounds really hard. Didn't you think about finding the baby's father first?"
A worried look appeared on Honeysuckle's furry face. "Honeysuckle thought about it, but the baby was too small, and the surface was dangerous too. Honeysuckle wanted to wait until the baby was a little bigger."
There was something she did not say, but the others could guess it.
Honeysuckle herself could not be sure whether the baby's father was still alive. Rather than put the baby at risk by bringing her along, she had chosen to focus on caring for her.
After a brief silence, everyone decided not to pursue the subject.
Altaïr thought for a moment. "By the way, Miss Honeysuckle, you said those Monsters left and the cave became safe.
"Over the past few months, while you were tending the flower field and raising your child, those Monsters never appeared again, did they?"
Honeysuckle shook her head. "They were still here during the first few months, but then they stopped coming. They didn't all leave at once; some left earlier and some later.
"But the one that just came back was the first to return."
"That's good news, meow." Ms. Meow-It-All let out a sigh of relief. "It means the resources in these underground caverns can't support too many Pariapuria, meow.
"Once they found a path to the surface and its richer food supply, they left the barren depths one after another, meow."
"So you mean all the Pariapuria that originally lived underground have escaped? Isn't that bad news?" Morgan asked.
Ms. Meow-It-All glanced at him. "Ten escaping with none left below is better than ten escaping while another hundred remain hidden underground, meow."
Morgan opened his mouth.
Then he closed it again without a word.
Altaïr smiled as well. "If Pariapuria kept pouring out from underground without end, that would be terrifying. But it seems their numbers are limited, and the island's ecology should gradually adapt. Even in the Mangrove Forest, where most Monsters have fled their original habitats, some stronger ones will eventually choose to fight back and reclaim their territory, like the Gogomoa we encountered. Things will slowly improve from now on instead of continuing to deteriorate. The Village Chief and the others should also be issuing Hunt quests through the Guild to speed up that process."
Ms. Meow-It-All nodded firmly. "We need to confirm the Pariapuria's original habitat, meow. If possible, it would be best to drive some of them back. Otherwise, removing all the top predators from an isolated ecosystem could cause other problems, meow. Also, Miss Honeysuckle, you said you regained consciousness near here. Could you take us to that place, meow?"
"Honeysuckle can take you there, but that area has already collapsed..." Honeysuckle looked uneasy. "About that Monster... Honeysuckle is worried the Hunters will chase their prey here, then leave without finishing it off once they have all the information they need. That would leave Honeysuckle and the baby in danger."
"To maintain the ecological balance of these underground caverns, we may choose not to kill that severely injured Pariapuria, but we can offer you another option, meow." Ms. Meow-It-All adjusted her square hat to cover the bump on her head. "We can escort you and your child out of these caverns and away from this mountain region to our outpost, somewhere truly safe, meow. The outpost lies on a fertile alluvial plain where you could cultivate real flower fields instead of living in a... mushroom cave like this, meow. Living underground without seeing the sun isn't good for a cub's growth, meow. Perhaps you could join us. Then we could send people to help find the baby's father, meow."
Standing beside Ms. Meow-It-All, Altaïr grinned. Ms. Meow-It-All was already trying to recruit Honeysuckle.
Uruki were natural farming experts, and they cultivated far more than flowers and mushrooms. If Honeysuckle agreed to join the Mangrove Outpost, perhaps a real farm would soon appear beside the outpost.
Honeysuckle did not hesitate for long.
Although she was reluctant to leave the moss and mushrooms she had painstakingly grown by carrying in soil and rotten wood bit by bit, she did not want her child to grow up in a dark cave. She wanted her to live among real flower fields.
Honeysuckle carefully pulled up some glowing mushrooms and Brightmoss, arranged them on her flower basket, tightened the vine straps, and slung it onto her back.
"Honeysuckle will leave with you all."