Maki was a Village Chief through and through. When she had said, "I'll find a way to transport this Espinas back to the village," she had simply meant snapping her fingers.
A Felyne from the Meowcenaries, clad in fitted field gear, immediately dropped down before her and knelt on one knee to await her orders.
Maki casually said, "Find a way to transport this Espinas back to the village," and that was all she had to do. The Meowcenaries would send one of their Felynes back to the village by kite to report the capture, organize a transport team, and handle everything else without any further effort from the Hunters.
After a short rest, the Hunters mounted their Palamutes and set out for home.
—--
By the time they returned to Nymera's home, where they were staying, it was already late at night.
Yomogi had roped Nymera into helping her prepare ingredients for the next day's business, and she was a little surprised to see the pair return so soon.
Before setting out, Altaïr and the others had told Yomogi what they were doing, so she knew the two had gone with Maki to Hunt the Espinas.
Yomogi smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. "It looks like the Hunt went smoothly. You rushed all the way back and haven't had a chance to eat yet, have you? I'll make you something."
Altaïr and Isis blanched.
"No need to trouble yourself, Yomogi. We had some rations on the way back," Altaïr said quickly.
As an experienced shopkeeper, Yomogi saw through them at once.
She planted her hands on her hips and feigned displeasure. "Do you really dislike my Bunny Dango that much? Our Bunny Dango are famous far and wide, you know."
"Not at all..." Altaïr and Isis shook their heads frantically.
Yomogi gave an emphatic huff, then smiled. "I wasn't planning to stuff you with Bunny Dango. Those are for dessert or to go with a Canteen meal. Who eats them in the middle of the night?
"There's still plenty of rice left from dinner. I'll make you some rice balls."
Without giving them a chance to object, she turned and went into the kitchen.
Altaïr quietly sighed in relief. Between the day's Hunt and the long journey home, they were already exhausted.
They had not planned on eating a late-night snack at all. They only wanted to wash up quickly and go straight to bed. If Yomogi had filled them with glutinous-rice Dango, even Isis's digestion would have struggled.
"So? How did it go? Did you really manage to Hunt the Espinas yourselves, or did Maki step in?"
Nymera ran over as she spoke.
"It got a little dangerous, but we did it!" Isis gave a thumbs-up. "Hunting Helpers really are amazing. We used an Antidobra and a Stinkmink, and both were a huge help."
"Squeak!" A furry little head poked out from behind Isis's shoulder.
Nymera stared. "A Stinkmink? You brought it back too?"
Altaïr looked at Isis in surprise, only to find her equally startled.
"But I... I let both of them go after the Hunt! How did it follow us here?" Isis stammered.
Altaïr studied the Stinkmink for a few seconds. It gave another squeak and ducked behind Isis's other shoulder.
"It should be the same one as before." After checking the patterns in its fur, Altaïr nodded. "It must've stowed away in our baggage or packs and followed us home.
"I have no idea what it's after. Let's throw it out."
Isis looked at the Stinkmink on her shoulder. It gazed back at her with watery eyes, then stuck out its little pink tongue and licked her cheek.
The cool, damp touch made Isis shiver. "Mm... I don't think we need to throw it out right away. Why don't we find out what it wants first?"
Altaïr stared at her in silence.
He had a feeling this little creature would not be so easy to get rid of.
Isis scratched it beneath the chin with one finger. "Nymera, do you know much about Stinkmink behavior?"
"Not much, but we already have an expert on small animals right here." Nymera drew a deep breath and called at the top of her lungs, "Master Iori! Are you there?"
"What is it?" Master Iori hurried over in a loose-fitting yukata. "Did something happen?"
Nymera pointed at the Stinkmink on Isis's shoulder and briefly explained the situation.
Master Iori considered it for a moment, then asked several more questions about how Altaïr and the others had encountered the Stinkmink. He soon arrived at a theory.
"If I'm not mistaken, this Stinkmink has chosen you as its 'protectors.'"
"Protectors?" Altaïr repeated.
"Yes. Have you ever wondered about this? The gas a Stinkmink releases is rich in pheromones that attract Monsters.
"If the Stinkmink were a powerful Monster itself, that ability could serve as a hunting method for luring in prey.
"But Stinkminks are actually very weak. Any Small Monster can easily prey on them. So why would they evolve an ability that seems almost suicidal?"
"I never gave it a thought. I just found it useful." Nymera shook her head.
Master Iori fell silent.
How could he put it? His daughter looked calm and intelligent, and Kagero's influence had lent her a certain artistic air, but deep down, she was not much different from those burly types. She was a dyed-in-the-wool pragmatist who never wasted thought on fine details.
Isis shook her head along with Nymera, while realization dawned on Altaïr's face.
He recalled the scene when they had first encountered the little creature.
"Stinkminks are too small for Large Monsters to consider them prey. Their true natural enemies are small and midsized predators like Velociprey and Jaggi.
"So they use Large Monsters as 'protectors' and let them deal with their enemies?
"If that's true, it sprayed us with pheromones back then because it saw us as threats just like those Velociprey?
"Espinas was powerful, but it slept too deeply, so the Stinkmink deliberately lured a Nargacuga to it... Now it makes sense..."
"That should be right." Master Iori nodded. "Then you defeated the Espinas. To the Stinkmink, you're creatures even stronger than an Espinas, and since you showed no intention of preying on it, it latched onto you."
"Then why does it only cling to Isis and keep avoiding Altaïr?" Nymera was still puzzled.
"That reminds me. I'd almost forgotten you nearly got us killed," Altaïr said with a resentful look as he plucked the Stinkmink from Isis's shoulder. He drew his Carving Knife and waved it threateningly before the creature. "Throwing you out would be letting you off too easily. We should stew you instead."
The Stinkmink shrank into a trembling ball.
"All right, I understand..." Nymera muttered as she turned to Master Iori.
She had expected Master Iori to stop Altaïr's "savagery," but instead found him watching with a smile and a hint of approval and encouragement in his eyes.
Isis's heart softened at the sight of the trembling Stinkmink.
She rescued it from Altaïr's hands. "All right, all right. Back then, it only saw us as dangerous predators and was trying to protect itself. Besides, didn't it end up being a huge help in the later fight?"
The Stinkmink shot into Isis's arms like an arrow and refused to poke its head out again.
Nymera finally understood. Altaïr's malice had been an act. He must have had another purpose in mind for the little creature.
Though Stinkminks looked cute and harmless, they were still wild animals. Giving this one someone to fear would help keep it obedient.
Now that she thought about it, few people in Kamura Village kept Stinkminks, but it was not unheard of. Minoto had one of her own.
For a heavily armored Hunter like Isis, a small creature capable of attracting Monsters would be extremely useful.
As it turned out, Altaïr's intimidation worked perfectly. The Stinkmink attached itself completely to Isis and refused to be shaken off.
It clung stubbornly to Isis through their late-night snack, followed her back to her room, and even refused to let go while she washed up. In the end, it crawled into her futon and volunteered to serve as a body pillow.
After Isis had scrubbed it several times with soap, the Stinkmink's fur was soft and fluffy and felt exceptionally pleasant beneath her fingers. Exhausted after the long day, Isis hugged it close and quickly drifted off to sleep.
—--
Later that night, Clawdia returned.
(Translated by yourtl.app)