“What about the Moonhowl? You mentioned earlier,”

Enara asked about the MoonHowl since their most known habitat was the first zone of the Ash Crown, even though they sometimes appeared outside the forest.

“Ah, the Moonhowl? I killed it,” Ryn answered nonchalantly.

“You did what!?” Enara couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“It dropped its guard and I stabbed it until it was dead.”

‘But that’s not possible for a child!’

Even though Moonhowls were first-zone occupants, that didn’t mean they were so weak that a child could just kill them.

“And the eggs? Did you return them?”

“I couldn’t return them,” Ryn replied sheepishly.

“Go fetch Elly’s old milk bottle from the kitchen. We will talk about that later.”

“Okay, mom.”

Enara had been using her spirit magic on the kittens since they were laid on the table and even in the middle of her conversation with Ryn.

A hue of green light was coming out from her hands and engulfed the kittens, circling around their bodies.

‘They should be recovering by now, but they still look weak.’

Even though she had mostly healed all their visible physical and internal injuries, they still looked weak.

“Here, mom.”

Ryn brought back the feeding bottle that used to belong to Ellysia.

“Good. you already filled them with milk.”

“I filled it in with the fresh goat milk in the kitchen. I thought you wanted to feed them.”

“You are correct son. I am already done with the healing but they still look weak and barely breathing, so I thought we should feed them, since you found them abandoned.”

‘Is it because they were abandoned by their mother?’

‘Is it because they were there when their mother died?.’

Enara thought that the cats were that weak because they were abandoned by their mother, while Ryn thought it was probably because they watched their mother die.

“Mother, should I bring the other feeder too?”

Ryn thought since there were two of them, it would be better to use two bottle feeders, so he can help his mother.

“Yes son, go and bring it. Elly doesn’t use them anymore.”

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Ryn rushed to the kitchen and came back with a filled feeder.

“Feed this one son. I will feed the other.”

Enara handed Ryn the black one, which after some hesitation started feeding on the milk. But the gray one wasn’t even opening its eyes nor did it feed on the milk.

Ryn took the kitten and wrapped some garments around it and started feeding it.

“Son, is that one drinking it?” Enara inquired.

“Yes mother, its drinking it”

“Good, this one will be drinking it soon.”

The gray one that Enara was holding seemed to be in a worse state than the other one. Not only was it refusing to drink, it wasn't even trying to open its eyes. Unless it was sleep.

Even when Enara healed its internal and external injuries, it seemed to be suffering from something more internal. Since it looked like it didn’t want to live on anymore.

‘I should clean its body first, then try feeding it again.’

Thinking that maybe cleaning its gloomy looking fur will make it less resistant to feeding it, Enara started cleaning its body.

“Son, tell me about the eggs now? You said you couldn’t return them.”

“Yes mother. There was a dead big bird in the nest.”

“A dead bird!? Was it the same one you saw last time?

“No. This one was different and it was white and bigger.”

Ryn described how this one was all white, with vermilion eyes. And how it looked sad inside the nest.

“Wait! Did you say an all white bird with vermillion eyes?”

“Yes!?”

‘It can’t be.. A white feathered, crimson eyes? Isn’t that the Silvermist? I should’ve realized when I saw the diverse eggs.’

One of the characteristics of the Silvermist, that made it well known apart from its elegant appearance and deadly nature to anyone who goes around its nest, is that it has the habit of stealing eggs from other nests and raising them as their own.

“Son, tell me the truth?” Enara looked at Ryn with a questioning look.

“W…what is it mother!?” Ryn was anxious that maybe his mother found out about what really happened.

“Did you by any chance go into the Ash Crown forest and lied about it?”

“No mother, I really went down the mountain on the north side. You know they don’t open the door to the Ash Crown forest that easily.”

Even though Ryn appeared to be explaining more like someone who was caught red handed, he was just too relieved that he said too much.

“I believe you son. But then how did you end up finding its eggs, when silvermist doesn’t build its nest anywhere other than the Ash Crown trees?”

“Ash Crown trees? … Ah, are those huge trees that have a white flower at the top?”

“Exactly, that’s the Ash Crown trees.”

“Yes, that was the tree where the nest was located. But..”

“But what?”

“They were on the foot of the mountain on the north of the village.”

“That’s strange, but since you found the mother bird dead, now both the kittens and the eggs would be your responsibility son.”

Enara didn’t want to keep questioning her son since it felt like she was interrogating him with all the questions, but she still wanted him to learn from his mistakes and take responsibility.

“What!! But..” Ryn was out of words and didn’t know what to say anymore.

“No buts son. That bird you snatched its eggs is called Silvermist and they have high maternal instinct that they would steal other eggs and incubate them, but when their eggs are stolen they become so sad they would die out of agony.”

“.....”

“These kittens too, since you are the one who found them, then it's your responsibility to feed them and provide for them until they can do it on their own.”

“Okay, I will take care of both the eggs and the kittens.”

“Good boy, I will help you with feeding the kittens, but you will have to figure out how to catch those eggs on your own.”

“I will definitely make sure to hutch them, mother.”

Ryn was already prepared for taking care of the kittens but he didn’t know what to do with the eggs, but now he will have to find a way to hatch them, even if he has to search through the encrypted data and have to decrypt a method out of this world.

“That’s my boy.”

Enara and Ryn kept feeding the kittens, but while Ryn’s kitten -the jet furred kitten- consumed half of the bottle, Enara was still having hard time feeding the gray one.

“Son, let's eat lunch first, I will feed this one after it.”

“This one drank a lot mom.”

“Is that so? This one needs more caring. Let’s first eat lunch, then I will find a way to feed it.”

Enara made a spot in the kitchen warm for the kittens to sleep with some of her old dresses and let the kittens snuggle while they had lunch.

"I guess I will find what I need in his shop," Ryn muttered on his way to Gideon's smithy.

He sneaked out of the house while his mother was busy finding a way to feed the kitten. Before leaving, he stopped by his room and left the satchel with the eggs there.

"Can I make it in time?"

As Ryn glanced at the sun edging beyond the zenith, he contemplated whether he could return before sunset.

He had a lot to accomplish on his own and needed to be back before dusk, so he was uncertain if he could manage it.

"Should I take someone with me? Someone with tight lips. But who?"

Ryn pondered taking someone to assist with the tasks awaiting him, but he was unsure if he could find someone who wouldn't ask too many questions.

He wished to avoid drawing strange looks from the villagers and prevent further gossip about him. After all, his reputation as the miracle child was slowly fading away.

"Ah, I am here!?"

Ryn arrived at Gideon's smithy with a lot on his mind and time ticking away.