The Hunters followed the blood trail for a while, soon leaving the dry underground river channel and following the tracks into a side passage.
The moment they emerged from the passage, a dazzling array of multicolored light flooded their vision.
Clumps of luminous moss and fungi grew across the rock walls, filled the crevices, and even clustered around the stalactites. Their cool glows of dark purple and fluorescent green painted the cave in strange hues.
Individually, these plants and fungi gave off little light, but their sheer number was overwhelming. Their soft, shimmering glow merged into a sea of fireflies.
Altaïr told his companions to turn off their alchemical lamps.
The cave was already bright enough to see by, and the glare from the lamps might actually hinder their vision.
"There's so much Brightmoss here," Isis said, looking around. "Compared to that barren underground river channel, this is like another world."
Ms. Meow-It-All's eyes gleamed green. "Something's wrong, meow. Call Sajji and the others back. Stay alert."
Altaïr did not yet know what Ms. Meow-It-All had noticed, but he signaled everyone to be on guard and let out a piercing whistle through his fingers.
The sharp whistle echoed far through the underground cave. Before long, Sajji and Clawdia came running back from their scouting mission farther ahead.
"What happened, meow?" Sajji asked, looking puzzled as he carried a rocket launcher.
The Hunters turned equally confused gazes toward Ms. Meow-It-All.
Ms. Meow-It-All stared intently at a large patch of Brightmoss on the rock wall. "Have you ever seen Brightmoss growing this densely, meow? No, it isn't just the density. It almost looks deliberate..."
"You mean the Brightmoss and luminous fungi didn't grow naturally?" Altaïr understood what Ms. Meow-It-All was implying.
Ms. Meow-It-All nodded, her gaze sweeping over their surroundings. "These caves are hardly fertile. It is difficult enough for plants to survive down here, let alone spread and multiply, meow. Even in the lush Ancient Forest, Brightmoss rarely grows in dense patches. Here, it covers the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, illuminating the entire cave. Someone almost certainly 'planted' it, meow."
"Someone lives in this godforsaken place?!" Isis exclaimed in a low voice, then thought better of it and corrected herself. "Or maybe Lynians? Gajalaka or something?"
"It could be insects," Morgan interjected. He had an odd fondness for and familiarity with all manner of Carapaceons. "Some ants cultivate fungi inside their nests."
"It doesn't look like insect work," Altaïr said, crouching to examine the Brightmoss and luminous fungi beside his feet. He pushed aside the knee-high blue fungi. "There's even a thin layer of soil beneath the moss and fungi. You don't find that in caves like this; it must have been brought in from outside. Insects probably couldn't manage that."
"And it isn't only insects, meow. Most Lynians and humans couldn't grow anything in an underground cave like this either, meow."
Ms. Meow-It-All yanked up an unusually thick luminous fungus as if pulling a carrot, intending to take it back as a sample. "Unless a human or Felyne who specializes in farming did this–"
SMACK!
"Meow–!"
Sproing!
Before she could finish her sentence, something struck her. She lurched backward, clutching her forehead, and rolled around on the ground in pain.
As her guard, Isis was horrified. She slammed down her Large Shield to cover Ms. Meow-It-All, blocking every possible angle from which another attack might come.
Ms. Meow-It-All was the brains of their investigation team, perhaps even the entire advance team. Nothing could be allowed to happen to her.
Morgan had already unfolded his Heavy Bowgun. With a click-clack, a round of Bowgun Ammo slid into the chamber, and the muzzle swung toward the attack's source.
The instant Ms. Meow-It-All was struck, Morgan pinpointed where the attack had come from. He was about to pull the trigger and teach the attacker a lesson.
Altaïr suddenly reached out and pushed the Heavy Bowgun's barrel down. "Hold on."
Ms. Meow-It-All, now with a large bump swelling on her forehead, also shouted, "Don't shoot, meow!"
Morgan glanced at them with a flicker of confusion, but eventually lowered the muzzle and moved his finger away from the trigger.
"Uruha," Altaïr called toward the spot Morgan had been aiming at.
In the distance, a cluster of luminous fungi as thick as shrubbery rustled.
Ms. Meow-It-All rose from the ground, rubbing her head, and stared at Altaïr in astonishment. "How do you know such an obscure language, meow?"
Altaïr bared his teeth in a grin. "That's the only phrase I know."
"Boss, we know one too, meow! Uhamuha!" Sajji called cheerfully.
The cluster of luminous fungi shook even harder.
Isis and the others exchanged puzzled glances, completely at a loss as to what Altaïr and the two Felynes were doing with those cryptic calls.
A moment later, a figure about the size of a Felyne stepped out from among the fungi.
She was covered in fluffy fur, had large eyes, and looked quite adorable. Her coat appeared dull yellow, perhaps because of the cave's lighting. It might have been brighter in sunlight.
Her expression, however, was far from friendly. She carried a small Slinger made from a tree branch. Clearly, the large bump on Ms. Meow-It-All's forehead was her handiwork.
"Ahh! What is that?" Isis let out a soft exclamation.
Though she was usually easygoing and bold, she was still a young woman at heart, always curious and fond of cute things.
"An Uruki. They're easygoing little creatures and skilled at growing all kinds of plants, especially flowers. You can see some in Loc Lac too; they help maintain the city's precious greenery. We've had a few dealings with them," Altaïr explained with a smile, his voice no longer carrying its earlier tension and gravity.
Ms. Meow-It-All kept rubbing the bump on her head. "This was my fault, meow. I didn't realize this was an Uruki's garden. I pulled up one of her carefully cultivated plants and made her angry, meow."
Ms. Meow-It-All pushed the luminous fungus she had tucked into her clothes back into the soil. It probably would not survive, but the gesture at least made her intention clear. The Uruki's expression softened noticeably.
"So she can communicate, right? How do we talk to her?" Isis put away her Large Shield and quietly asked Altaïr, "Offer her food? That's what Francesca taught me, anyway. What do Uruki like to eat? Are rations okay?"
"...Probably not. I remember Uruki are good at fishing, and they eat certain flower and grass seeds. Francesca's methods only work on Gajalaka."
"All right..." Isis put the rations away with disappointment.
"Ms. Meow-It-All, do you speak Uruki?" Altaïr looked at the elderly Felyne, who looked ridiculous with the large bump on her forehead. "Even if she isn't native to this area, she's clearly lived here for a long time. Otherwise, she couldn't have cultivated this entire garden. If we can communicate with her, she may be able to provide us with a great deal of information."
Ms. Meow-It-All scratched her ear. "I know a little, meow, but the Uruki language has a very simple structure. She probably can't express anything too complex with it, meow."
"Could you at least ask her about the Pariapuria?"
While Altaïr and Ms. Meow-It-All spoke in low voices, the Uruki walked over.
Isis could not help reaching out and stroking her furry head. The Uruki did not object; she merely twitched her ears.
"Big Momma has... traveled in the human world. Big Momma can speak... your language," the Uruki said in a soft, high-pitched voice.
Everyone responded with a long, awkward silence.
Whatever else they might have asked, none of them could get past that grating way she referred to herself.
Theo had never been one to hold back. "Where did you learn 'Big Momma'? It sounds kind of imposing, actually."
The Uruki tilted her head. "A female Hunter... taught Big Momma language. 'Big Momma'... means mother, yes? Big Momma... became a mother. Is this title... right or wrong?"
As she spoke, the Uruki took the beautiful flower basket woven from luminous mushroom mycelium and Brightmoss off her back, held it before her, and showed it to everyone.
A tiny head no bigger than a fist poked out of the flower basket. The little one clearly could not talk yet and let out a soft, high-pitched "Mew."
(Translated by yourtl.app)