Chapter 371 – Lucenti Kit

Chapter 371 – Lucenti Kit

Kai stared at his friends’ complicit grins. A squeaky chirp cut the lingering haze of Elijah’s departure. His eyes itched from rubbing; not nearly enough to mistake the bundled blanket in Flynn’s arms.

A pink, blind noodle of a body with little nubs for paws and a stubby tail wriggled among the folds. The kit squeaked its displeasure at the sudden draft. It glowed no brighter than a firefly in Raelion’s dense essence. Even so small, the presence of a natural-born beast was unmistakable.

“Isn’t it adorable?” Rain had somehow moved beside him, shaking a teal paper bag filled with purplish leaf-looking bits. “Petal chips?”

“…thanks.” Kai picked one and chewed, unable to say how it tasted, only the sticky sugar on his fingers. Inwardly, he groaned.

I just left them unsupervised for half a day.

The opinionated noodle gave a reedy peep as Flynn set the wool bundle on the kitchen table with anxious care. Rewrapping the blanket, he petted the whisper-fine peach fuzz. The kit nosed at his hand with clumsy insistence, mouth open in search. “Uhm… I think it might be hungry again.”

Rain dashed back, switching the teal bag for a small glass dropper and a flask of warmed milk. Mana swirled inside the glass. “Here.”

“Did you check the temperature?”

“I stored it right after heating it earlier.”

Flynn tested a drop on his wrist and nodded. “Here you go, lil bud.”

The kit fit inside his palm. Its pea head looked comically large on the tiny body. Soft a mip-mip quietened the squeaks as it gurgled with earnest effort, drop by drop. Its tail gave a wobbly twitch with each swallow.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to hijack your birthday. Happy fifteen!” Flynn offered him an apologetic smile, still focused on not spilling a drop. “We have to feed it every three hours for the next couple of weeks. It should get easier after. And I’ve also prepared a present for you!”

“It’s my fault, actually.” Rain looked away from the feeding noodle and dipped his head. “I wanted to keep it a surprise. It was too late to delay once I found out it fell on your name day.”

Kai scrubbed a hand over his face. “That’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. I wasn’t expecting a party or gifts.” He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy them, but, to his own mild surprise, he genuinely didn’t care. When he’d rolled out of bed this morning, he’d thought it an ordinary day; anything beyond a casual happy birthday already counted as a bonus.

Was I the only one who forgot the date?

Regardless, a larger issue occupied his mind—a tiny, gurgling, yipping issue. The kit looked much like many baby mammals: sealed eyes and hairless, except for the patchy fuzz, still uglier than cute.

Even if mana does weird stuff with physiology, it can’t be more than a couple weeks old. Where did they find it?

Kai considered himself reasonably well-learned in zoology, though his knowledge skewed toward tracking and hunting adult beasts rather than identifying newborns. Kits weren’t usually found lying around—much less awakened ones. From the tip of its poking fangs as it fed, it must be a small carnivore species, with a long body in proportion to its stubby legs.

Please, don’t tell me…

A glance at his beaming friends provided the answer. His mouth opened and closed, words and clues falling into place.

Why am I even surprised? Of course, Rain picked the cute, fuzzy animal…

Stifling the urge to smack his own face, Kai sighed. Surely, he would have anticipated this if Elijah hadn’t broken into his life. And now, the butler had left for Spirits knew how long…

Time for damage control. What do they even plan to do with it?

Kai sank into a chair. “You chose the Lucenti Kit from the Trials’ reward?”

Rain snapped his head up, a little abashed. “Hmm, yeah… I didn’t need any of the other rewards. And it looked so tiny. I couldn’t just leave it there alone.”

Naturally…

“Have you thought about what you’ll do with it after?” He tightened his tone to avoid sounding patronizing. If the academy placed the kit in the top five prizes, it couldn’t be an ordinary species. “It’s a beast reared for taming or bonding. It may look helpless now, but it’ll grow. You can’t keep it around without a dedicated skill. Unless you plan to bond with it?”

“I did consider it.” Rain drummed his fingers, somehow looking even more guilty. “Even if I were free to take a familiar, I couldn’t choose a landbound beast. So I gave it to Flynn.”

You… what?

His gaze whipped to his suspiciously quiet friend.

The kit had gotten its belly full and curled up in Flynn’s palm with a soft peep, leaving him no excuse for distraction. “Uhm, well… I also only found out today.”

And you couldn’t tell him it was a bad idea?

One breath. Two breaths. Kai bit his cheek. Despite looking like a rushed decision, was it really his place to criticize them?

And it might not be necessarily bad if this is what he wants. They must have talked through it. No way Rain just picked it because it looked cute?

Kai axed that line of thought; no point in mulling on past events, anyway. Better if he focused on the future. “Uhm, so… what kind of beast is it?” He scratched his forehead with a thumb. “A lucenti kit should be like a weasel or ferret?”

“Closer to a stoat,” Flynn said, leaping at the chance to switch topics. “At least, that’s the unawakened breed it resembles most. Its eyes should open in the next two weeks. The academy said they’ll provide all food and essentials for this academic year. You should see the grounds and facilities they have available for tame beasts. Most students’ companions stay there. Some are truly enormous.” He tucked in the snoring noodle. “This little guy should become quite smart and mischievous, but it shouldn’t grow too large.”

“It’ll also change its coat each winter. Isn’t that incredible?” Rain placed a shell with a sound ward over the kit, voice high in excitement. “I knew land dwellers were diverse, but I didn’t realize there were so many curious species. I’ll show you. We stopped to borrow the recommended texts.”

A stack of books thudded onto the table: general guides on beast rearing, breeding, handling and bonding, topped by a weathered encyclopedia on awakened mustelids.

“The academy refused to tell me how they got the kit. They couldn’t even remember when the last one passed through Raelion, so there was no manual specific to them.” Flipping pages, his scowl eased as he found an illustration. Time had yellowed the paper and muted the colors, but not the details: a pure-white stoat peeked from the fresh snow. It had tiny rosy paws, a button nose and a gold-tipped tail curled behind it. “This is their ermine coat in winter. We’ll have to wait a year to see it. I wonder how it feels to touch…”

Kai nodded along, his attention drawn to the written text.

Lucenti Mustela Erminea, also known as Lucenti Stoats or Ermine, were officially recorded in the Index Bestiaries in the summer of 3792 AL, after the expansion eastward across the Goglin Woodland led by Consul Iudicious Almeria against the belligerent orcish hordes…

Kai skimmed over the paragraphs of historical references and patriotic drivel. The author looked more fond of reconstructing past accounts than the living beasts.

…stealthy ambush hunters, a notoriously challenging prey to all but the most skilled Green trackers. Adults mature at the peak of Yellow, though specimens have been recorded to cross the threshold…

…Lucenti Ermines were believed extinct in the Merian territories after their pelts became highly prized among the Great Houses as symbols of Moonblessed purity during the Immaculate Century.

…In the spring of 4776 AL, nearly four centuries after the last recorded sighting, a surviving population was discovered within the inland Mirror Moor. The hedge researchers noted the innate predispositions and abilities of this population appeared strengthened, though these findings have not been substantiated by scholars of high blood. Thus, theories of long-term adaptation and unconfirmed mutations remain uncertain.

…main traits include exceptional Perception and stealth magic, an innate Light affinity and territorial nature, known to hold grudges against specific sapients who wronged them for decades—

The page flipped before he could finish reading.

Just as I was getting to the good part…

Kai swallowed his protests. From the authors’ tone, the old tome might not even be that reliable. His friends’ race to share every useful and random fact about the kit’s bright future distracted him. Luckily, only half of Rain’s reasons involved how soft and adorable the stoat would eventually look. Flynn seemed more overwhelmed, though still excited.

For once, it’s actually not my problem to figure out. Oh… Hey there, bud.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Mrow.” Hobbes blinked on the table, silver coat fluffed up, tail swishing the air. His violet eyes traveled between the bundled blanket and his chief dispenser of treats.

Got off your nap to say hi? Not like we took a pivotal specialization less than an hour ago.

Kai ran his fingers down his familiar’s back, a knot of thrumming emotions and sensations. The milestone had changed something, though he couldn’t quite define it. Subtle yet deep. Almost their bond had gained a new taste.

Wait, is he jealous?

“Are you hungry, bud?” Flynn brought Hobbes onto his lap as the cat stalked across the table. “I bought this for you.” He held out a stick of salted salmon. “What do you say? Is it to your liking?”

Hobbes turned away with a sniff, never interrupting his dirty look at the intruding kit. His principled fasting lasted a full five seconds before his nose twitched. With a lick at his paw, he devoured the offering and it in three begrudging nibbles. Then, he ate a second one for good measure.

“Meow.”

Flynn scratched his neck, inviting a reluctant purr. “I’ll make sure to buy more. This little guy here is our new addition. I still haven’t picked a name. Maybe you could help. Got any ideas?”

His whiskers whipped away from the kit with a disinterested growl, and he twisted to guide the scratches in the right spot.

“Who else could watch over and teach your little brother half as well?” Flynn produced another fish stick. “You’re the only one I can count on for this.”

“Meow…” Well, Hobbes couldn’t deny that. None of the humans could be relied upon. He’d always been too magnanimous for his own good.

He does have a—

A sharp pain snapped him back. Kai recoiled from the flood of sensations brushing his mind like a rubber band whipped taut. Hissing, he glanced at the angry red spot on his forearm.

Did Rain just pinch me?

His roommate innocently hummed. “You looked lost, craning your neck like Hobbes.”

“I what…? Hmm… thanks.” Kai rubbed his arm, unsure what exactly had happened. He watched Flynn coax Hobbes from a grumpy cat into a responsible older brother, keeping his mind carefully separated from the bond.

I’ll have to test this.

“Thank you, bud.” Flynn smiled as the furrball fell to flattery and snacks. “I don’t know how I’d do without you.”

Who’s playing who anymore? They have each other wrapped around their little finger and paw. Wait… am I third-wheeling?

“Meow.” Hobbes settled on the table, curiously peeking at the snoring kit. Idle glimpses of the noodle bolting at his command trickled through his thoughts.