Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 377 Black Cat Nia Lu

With a "clang," Lin Lin drew his shield and axe and leaped out of the tent.

"Meow?!"

The forest hill was quite dark at night. The hazy moonlight shone through the mottled leaves and fell on the storage box, illuminating a blurry black shadow. With the help of the faint moonlight, it was still possible to vaguely see that it was not the night that made it dark, but that it was originally black.

Perhaps because it was already very nervous, upon hearing Lin Lin's loud roar, it was so frightened that it jumped three feet high, and its second reaction was to turn around and run away.

Lin Lin paused for a moment, then instead of chasing after it, he went to the storage box and bent down to check what was missing.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, coupled with the scream the other party let out when startled, that sneaky, uninvited guest was most likely a Melaluru.

If it's the Grimmkin, there's not much to say; going at them with knives wouldn't be a problem. But if it's Melalus, they are an intelligent race capable of communication, so it's better to be gentler.

Melalu, commonly known as the Black Cat, belongs to the same Beastman race as the Elcuis, commonly known as the White Cat… Well, strictly speaking, Melalu is actually a subspecies of Elcuis, and without reproductive isolation. As their common names suggest, Melalu and Elcuis are very similar; the biggest difference is probably their fur color—Melalu are mostly black, while Elcuis are mostly white…

Aside from their coat color, Meralu and El are actually no different in terms of physical structure. Their biggest difference is probably their personalities. For example, El is more gentle and has long been deeply symbiotic with humans, playing various roles in the human world such as helper, sailor, butler, attendant, and cat lover.

Meralu, on the other hand, is much more aloof. Although some, like Nyanjiro, have become the companion cats of postmen or hunters, they are ultimately a minority. Most Meralu still live a precarious tribal life in the wild.

It's not that humans are engaging in racial discrimination or ostracizing the black orcs, but rather that, compared to the Elru, the Meralu are generally extremely curious by nature and like to engage in sneaky little acts, especially among those living in the wild. When they discover hunters venturing into the wilderness, they always actively approach and then—steal!

Many inexperienced novice hunters have suffered at the hands of Meralu. Some had their healing potions stolen, forcing them to interrupt their hunts and gather and brew them again. Others had their barbecue grills stolen, leaving them with only dry and hard-to-chew food to eat when they were hungry. Still others had their maps stolen, causing them to lose their way and wander around the hunting grounds in circles...

Lin Lin never imagined that one day he would be the one having his head stolen from...

Let's see what's missing. If things like the barbecue grill have been stolen, we need to find them as soon as possible. He really doesn't want to force himself to eat the food he brought with him when it's not necessary.

The contents of the box were originally neatly arranged, and they weren't too messy at the moment. It seemed that Melalus was afraid of making too much noise and disturbing them, so it only dared to make some small movements.

This made it easier for Lin Lin to take inventory. With just a glance, he was able to determine what the Meraru had taken.

"Boss, what's wrong, meow?"

Lin Lin had just caused quite a commotion, and Yezao quickly followed him out, rubbing her eyes.

"A thief just broke into the camp; it must be a Melaloo."

"Meow?! The medicine and other supplies weren't stolen, were they, meow?"

"I just checked, it's not there."

"Map whetstones or something, meow?"

"nor."

Date palm breathed a long sigh of relief. Life was tough for the orcs in the wild. If they had only stolen some food, there was no need to chase after them. Consider it a small aid to them.

"That's good, meow... If nothing important is lost, there's no need to keep chasing after them."

Lin Lin nodded. "Yes, that's what I think too."

"If that's the case, then what exactly did that Melalu steal just now, meow?"

"They only took one small jar, the one that holds the powdered cardamom."

"What the heck?!"

Date was terrified and immediately grabbed the cat sword, ready to rush out, leaving Lin Lin dumbfounded:
"what are you doing?"

"We have to catch up with that thief right away, meow! That's the catnip we went through so much trouble to collect, meow! We can't let that guy get away with it so easily, meow!"

Lin Lin: ...

Who just said there was no need to keep chasing after them?
However, since Yezao was so indignant, Lin Lin didn't say anything more. He just yawned and quickly followed.

Why did I let it escape? Fine, I'll chase it... but after all this trouble, I don't even know if I'll have enough energy to cause trouble for the fire dragon tomorrow...

Thinking this, Lin Lin jogged after Yezao.

Ai Lusheng had a great advantage in tracking scents and searching for traces at night, and he was very confident in entrusting the tracking to Date.

But before he had gone very far, Lin Lin was surprised to find that Yezao had suddenly stopped.

"Why don't you chase me anymore?"

Dates turned their heads to look back, their expressions strange:
"No need to chase anymore, meow..."

What do you mean by "no need to chase anymore"? Does it mean you lost them or what?

Lin Lin took a few steps closer and saw a black cat lying on the grass not far in front of the date palm. On the ground not far in front of the black cat, a small jar was lying quietly, which was the stolen wood gypsum powder.

Looking at his surroundings, Lin Lin could already recreate the scene in his mind.

Discovered halfway through the theft, the cat had no choice but to flee hastily with its loot. Perhaps due to its weakened state, or perhaps due to its panic and inability to see the road clearly, it tripped over a protruding tree root while running. The cat tumbled several times in mid-air before crashing headfirst into a nearby tree trunk. The loot it was clutching flew out of its hands and rolled a considerable distance away on the ground...

"And there's a breathing cat..."

Date palm bent down, stretched out its paw, and probed the tip of Melalus's nose before turning its mouth down sharply.

"What a clumsy thief cat to have managed to fall and get himself all messed up like that..."

"He really is an idiot."

Lin Lin put away the small jar of wood celery powder, stood in front of the Meralu, thought for a moment, reached out and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and gently lifted it up.

"Let's take it back first. If we leave it here, it'll probably be eaten as a dessert by a passing blue Velociraptor."

……

The next day, early in the morning. Nia rubbed her dizzy head and got up, feeling lightheaded. That fall had really hit her hard; her forehead was still throbbing.

A warm, meaty aroma wafted through the air, mixed with a unique scent that would intoxicate a cat. Although not fully awake, Nia's body already reacted, instinctively wanting to rub against the source of the scent.

This smell...it seems kind of familiar...

As her senses gradually returned, Nia Lu vaguely remembered that the reason she had sneaked into the hunter's camp last night was because she had smelled this alluring scent at dusk.

However, as a somewhat knowledgeable creature, Nial knew that those hunters carrying huge weapons were not easy to mess with. So even though his stomach was rumbling and the tempting smell in the air was irresistible, he forced himself to endure until late at night. He guessed that the hunters were probably asleep by then, and then he cautiously crept in.

It's a pity that even with all its caution, it was still spotted by a highly vigilant hunter and only managed to escape with the fragrant-smelling earthenware jar...

Nia Lu suddenly blinked and looked around.

The canvas curtains shielded the forest from the morning mist and moisture. The spacious bed, though not particularly soft, was still much better than the hard, rough rocks in the wild. And the blue-painted storage box in the distance looked somewhat welcoming.

Wait, didn't it run away, meow?

Why does this place look so much like the hunter's camp from yesterday?
In its last memory, it ran away, and then... it crashed headfirst into a tree?

Nia rubbed her aching forehead, on the verge of tears.

Oh no, he must have been knocked unconscious before being caught!
I've heard that hunters, those terrifying creatures, eat kittens that steal things. So, what awaits me next is probably frying, boiling, and stir-frying? No way! If I end up on the dinner table, my cat life will probably be over…

Nia felt a great crisis.

Niaru decides to try to escape again.

Nia leaped into the air on all fours.

"Puff, puff"

Niaru was so weak from hunger that she couldn't jump up and instead fell to the ground, turning into a cat pancake.

"Boss, I heard a noise, it must have woken up, meow! I'll go in and check it out."

Nialu stared wide-eyed in horror ahead, where a tall Ailu clad in emerald green armor came into view.

"Strange, why are you lying on the ground, meow? Is it more comfortable or your preferred sleeping spot on the ground, meow?"

At this moment, Date was speaking Orcish. Although there are some differences in language among Orcs due to regional and racial differences, to this Melalu from Forest Hill, it was just that the other party sounded a bit accented.

"Um... because it's cooler on the ground, meow..."

Instead of being lifted up and tied to a skewer, Nia's panic subsided slightly. She blinked her big eyes twice, and it took her a while to realize that the date was talking to her. She babbled a couple of times before realizing what she had just said.

"Cool?"

Date turned its head and glanced at the sky, "The warm season is over, meow, so Melalu is such a heat-sensitive race, meow?"

Nia forced a smile. "What? Being afraid of the heat? That was just an excuse I made up without thinking..."

"How is it? Has the little black cat woken up yet?"

A head suddenly popped out of the tent, startling Nia Lu so much that she jumped up from the ground. Judging from the ice-blue armor on the person, it was the hunter who had discovered her yesterday.

"Oh? You're awake..."

Lin Lin looked at the little black cat that was staring at him warily, and tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing what he thought was a gentle smile. Little did he know that in the cat's eyes, this was the savage grin that the cat-eating demon would give when looking at its food before it was time to eat.

"You're awake, that's good. Let's have breakfast."

Nia's body trembled slightly involuntarily. Eating breakfast... could it be her?

His body was so weak that he didn't even have the strength to run away, let alone resist.

Therefore, Nia could only watch in despair as Yeza easily lifted it up and followed Lin Lin to the campfire. There was a large pot on the campfire, with something bubbling inside, and the aroma she had smelled earlier was coming from there.

"Does Melalu... also like catnip?"

Lin Lin ladled a bowl of meat porridge from the pot, looked at the little black cat and the dates, and then sprinkled some knotweed powder into it.

Breakfast shouldn't be too greasy, so Lin Lin didn't grill meat. Instead, he cooked a pot of porridge with the food he brought, and added some diced meat and wild vegetables to enhance the flavor. Since he wasn't a big fan of catnip, he put the earthenware pot aside and added dates himself when serving the porridge.

The little black cat looked blankly as Lin Lin finished his work and handed it the steaming bowl. The aroma of the meat porridge inside constantly stimulated its nostrils, and its mouth began to water.

"Is this for me, kitty?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, the little black cat gritted its teeth, took the bowl, and shoveled the meat porridge into its mouth, completely disregarding the scalding heat of the porridge.

'Is this porridge just to marinate me before eating? Whatever, even if I die, I'll die with a full stomach! I'll eat!'

Watching the little black cat wolf down its food, Lin Lin and Yezao exchanged a glance and smiled slightly.

When Lin Lin found this little black cat yesterday, he did a quick check. The average height of the Ailu is about 1.1 meters. As the strong man among the Ailu, Date is already 1.4 meters tall, while this skinny little Melalu is only a pitiful little over 1 meter tall. Standing next to Date, the difference in height is so great that it's like comparing a big gold and a little gold.

This Melalu, who was clearly malnourished and so thin that you could see the outline of her ribs, was obviously a poor creature who was starving every day. If she didn't sneak into the camp to find something to eat, she would probably starve to death in the wild soon.

After confirming the little black cat's situation, Date generously forgave its crime of stealing catnip and suggested giving it a good meal.

"If it steals after it's full, I'll have to punish it for its crimes, meow!"

Lin Lin still remembered what Yezao said last night.

And now, the date is gently patting the little black cat's back:

"Eat slowly, meow, there's still a big pot left, meow, don't choke on it, meow..."

(End of this chapter)