Over the past few days, prominent flashes of lightning had occasionally appeared across the Coral Highlands, like eyes blinking in the abyss.
Leon was tracking the lightning, hoping to find a Kirin.
He picked up a fallen feather and examined it between his fingers; the quill was slightly curved, and its vane was smooth.
However, it bore faint traces of static electricity, lacking the characteristic lightness of a wind-elemental wyvern like the Legiana.
Leon deduced, "It's not a Legiana..."
Dumpling approached, his small nose twitching as his ears perked up. He muttered, "Hmm... no stench. It smells a bit like steamed buns, meow."
"Steamed buns?" Leon glanced at Dumpling and smiled. "You can actually distinguish that?"
Dumpling puffed out his chest and said confidently, "Of course. Spicy meat buns are the best, meow."
Ignoring Dumpling's nonsense, Leon tucked the feather into his Hunter's Notes and continued forward.
The scent in the air was gradually changing. It was no longer warm and humid, but instead carried a faint hint of scorching and metal, as if lightning were carving scars into the atmosphere.
Leon crouched down and discovered a medium-sized hoofprint. Its front was slender, forming an acute triangle.
It was nearly identical to the Kirin hoofprints he had seen in the Chief Ecologist's archives.
"Finally found it..."
Dumpling's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow, this footprint looks as exquisite as a carving, meow!"
Leon stood up and quickened his pace.
He followed the trail of lingering marks through the coral forests that dotted the highlands.
Ahead was a narrow canyon, the terrain resembling a fractured coral spine leading straight from the gap to a high plateau.
Leon looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly.
There it was.
A silver-white figure stood atop the high plateau.
Like a beast from a dream.
Its slender body was covered in frost-blue fur that looked like snow, with a mane like drifting clouds flowing slowly in the wind.
That spiraling horn glowed with a faint light, and lightning coiled quietly around it, as if heavenly punishment itself were gathered in its form.
"Kirin!" Leon held his breath, his fingers instinctively tightening around his dual blades.
Dumpling sat down by Leon's feet and whispered, "It... it's too cool... But isn't it striking lightning a bit too often?"
The Kirin suddenly looked up, as if sensing danger.
Lightning surged quietly beneath its four hooves, causing the air on the entire plateau to vibrate.
Leon suddenly covered Dumpling's mouth.
The next instant—
BOOM!
An arc of electricity erupted from beneath the Kirin's hooves, instantly shattering the coral stone layer into flying debris.
"It spotted us..." Leon's eyes were locked firmly on the Kirin's position.
Miraculously, the Kirin raised its front hooves and leaped lightly, as if treading on clouds. It moved gracefully across one high coral platform after another, vanishing into the deeper thunderclouds in an instant.
"It actually fled?" Leon quickly marked the Kirin's appearance on his map.
The lightning faded, and the highlands gradually returned to silence.
Leon continued forward, following the direction the Kirin had taken.
He passed through an archway formed by giant hanging coral branches. The path ahead suddenly opened up into a natural amphitheater.
The soft coral grass served as the center stage, and on the surrounding platforms sat several small, furry figures.
They held strange instruments made of shells and bone fragments, playing a slow, soothing melody.
"Meow—!!"
The first to spot Leon was a chubby Felyne carrying a bone drum on its back.
Its eyes lit up as it jumped and waved its drumsticks in warning. "A human, meow! An outsider human, meow!"
The other Felynes stopped their actions and looked at Leon with curiosity.
Dumpling perked up and rushed forward, cupping his paws. "Meow! I am Dumpling, Hero of Lightning, Bone-Crushing Claw, Veteran King of Rat-Catching, here to pay a visit, meow!"
"What?" Leon looked at Dumpling with a skeptical expression.
The Felynes burst into cheers. "Meow-hoo! Welcome, Lightning-Claw Hero, meow! A friend of a friend is a meow-friend!"
Though he couldn't quite figure out the situation, there was clearly no danger. Leon gave a light chuckle, sheathed his blades, and gave a slight bow. "I want to ask you something. Have you... seen a one-horned lightning beast?"
The lively Felynes went silent as soon as they heard "one-horned lightning beast."
At that moment, a Felyne wearing a feathered crown and blue-and-white shell armor slowly stepped forward.
He leaned on a glowing scepter made of ancient bone and spoke slowly. "You mean... the Kirin, meow?"
Leon nodded. "You know of it?"
"I am the chief of the Troupe." The chief sighed, reminiscing. "The Kirin is the oldest legend of these highlands, meow... In our ancestors' songs, it is the incarnation of thunder, the messenger of judgment..."
"It never harms the innocent, nor does it hunt merely for the sake of hunting. It only appears upon 'polluted land'."
Leon frowned and muttered, "Polluted land? You mean... the Rotten Vale?"
"Exactly, meow." The leader nodded. "Recently, cracks have appeared at the bottom of the Coral Highlands. Beneath the thunder, a black mist rises. It is the scent of the 'Effluvium from below,' meow."
Leon felt a slight shock in his heart. "It's not just active; it's performing some kind of... mission?"
Dumpling rubbed his chin and said, "No wonder it didn't fight us... Turns out it has stuff to do, meow?"
The leader sighed. "Our tribe once saw the Kirin from a distance, patrolling the Thunderous Cliffs every night. It treads lightning seals with its hooves, calling upon a web of electricity to seal the fissures. It wasn't fighting..."
"Hunter, it is no ordinary Elder Dragon, meow. If you strike recklessly, you will surely face the wrath of thunder."
After a moment of silence, Leon suddenly asked, "Do you have a map? One that records the times and locations of its appearances."
The leader nodded and whistled. A scholar cat wearing glasses brought over a rough but detailed hide map, which marked the Kirin's sightings.
Leon took the hide map and spread it out on a flat coral stone.
The map showed the passages, plateaus, cliffs, and habitats from the middle to the deep layers of the Coral Highlands.
Different symbols and colors decorated it, clearly marking the Kirin's appearances over the past few days.
"Here... and here..." Leon studied the map, his brow furrowing. He pointed to four spots marked with thunderbolt patterns, his expression turning solemn.
Through the map, Leon grasped the Kirin's position.
"Thank you." Leon tucked the map away and gave a formal bow to the leader. He continued, "I am not here to cause destruction, but I must hunt the Kirin."
The leader nodded slowly. "You hold reverence for nature and the resolve to match, meow... That is enough."
While Leon was talking with the chief, Dumpling's eyes shone as he was drawn to the Troupe's instruments.
An old Felyne with round-rimmed glasses and a small wooden lyre on its back approached Dumpling, mysteriously handing him a miniature bone drum. "Little meow-friend, would you like to try the charm of performance, meow?"
"I can play it, meow?" Dumpling took the drumsticks and held them seriously in his small paws, striking it once.
Thud!
The bone drum responded with a deep, powerful resonance. Dumpling felt as if a mystical channel had opened within him. He marveled, "Meow-ah—this is so satisfying, meow!! This sound is exactly like when I smash a Rathalos eggshell!!"
The leader laughed kindly and gestured for the other cats to gather around. Some taught drumming, others taught the flute...
In just a few minutes, Dumpling was tapping out a decent rhythm and had even learned some combat drumbeats.
"Boom-boom, boom-boom-boom, da—meow!!" Dumpling drummed while keeping the beat, his tail standing straight up in excitement. He continued, "If Coco saw me now, he'd definitely be jealous enough to puff up his fur, meow!"
Leon looked at Dumpling, unable to help but smile. "Are you here to investigate the Kirin or to join a band?"
"Both, meow!" Dumpling held the bone drum righteously. "Knowledge is also combat power, meow!"
The leader cleared his throat and said seriously, "Music is an ancient language, meow. It can empower hunters, meow."
Leon was slightly stunned for a moment, then nodded.
The Felynes waved their drumsticks in unison, sending them off with music.
They continued their search for the Kirin, with Dumpling carrying the bone drum, tapping out rhythms with a "thud-thud-thud" as they walked, looking completely absorbed.
[Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? Check my author profile or novel description for Patreon.]