Cocotte Queen (1)
The expansion of the Varshe fort was complete, so now it was time to find warm stones in the Great Forest.
There were none around the area we collected last time, so we pushed further in, but still found nothing.
At this point, it seemed better to search near the nests of other Cocottes.
Before that, though, it might be a good idea to ask the Cocotte Queen if there are any other warm stones.
And while we’re at it, ask about raising the chicks.
I sent Atre ahead to the Cocotte nest to negotiate, asking if he could talk with the Cocotte Queen, so now I was waiting for him.
After a while, Atre returned and told me that the Cocotte Queen would only talk if it was just me.
“You can’t have a conversation if it’s only me, no?”
Apparently Atre and Lucas are separate.
Meyer and the others wanted to oppose it, but with Atre and Lucas there, it was fine. Crawling on all fours through a crack in the rocks, I felt soft, warm fur brush against my head.
Looking up, it appeared Cocotte-like—but huge.
Atre told me this was the Cocotte Queen. She’d even waited for me.
A normal Cocotte is about the size of a medium dog, but the Queen was roughly the size of a bear cub, with some pink feathers.
She stood shorter than me, around 120 cm.
Since the Queen sat on the fluffy, warm ground, I tried to cross my legs too, but I ended up looking up at her, so I folded my legs properly and sat facing her.
In the back, I could see many chicks and young Cocottes.
The cave was surrounded by warm stones, but sunlight filtered in at points, so it wasn’t completely dark.
The back was brighter, which seemed like the area without a ceiling that Ciel had mentioned.
“Thank you for meeting me today,” I bowed my head.
The Queen lowered hers too, placing both wing tips on the ground in front of her.
Atre translated for me.
She was very polite.
I asked if there were any other warm stones and inquired about raising the chicks and young Cocottes.
“There are no other places with warm stones besides the location I told you before,” she said.
Newborn chicks should be fed Dodorin fruit powder soaked in water, gradually transitioning to just the powder. A water source should also be nearby.
Once their feathers resemble Cocottes, feed them only the peeled Dodorin fruit. Eventually, they’ll pick the fruit themselves.
“Can they eat anything besides Dodorin?”
“Adults can eat any kind of nuts, but they like Dodorin best.”
“Where do you use the warm stones?”
“They’re part of the walls and buried under the soil.”
“Why is the soil so soft?”
“They sprinkle remnants of fruits from trees that grow here.”
“Can I see the fruits?”
The Queen nodded and led me deeper.
In the back were three more Queen-like Cocottes, apparently helping care for the chicks together.
The food supply really holds up.
As we carefully moved past the chicks in the cave, the ceiling disappeared, revealing many Dodorin trees and some unknown trees with fruits about the size of volleyballs. The young Cocottes were scattered beneath them.
The cave walls on both sides were gone, so we were effectively outside at that point.
Perhaps the overlapping Dodorin trees and large fruit trees hide this cave.
“Do any other beasts come here?”
“None have come this far.”
“Do you communicate with other Cocotte nests?”
“No. Each Cocotte has its own territory.”
“When they grow up, do Cocottes leave here?”
“Those capable of surviving on their own leave. They only return to lay eggs.”
“They lay eggs every day, right?”
“Those eggs won’t hatch, so they’re left in the forest.”
So they’re infertile.
“Is this where you sprinkle the remains of the big fruits?”
Following her wing’s direction, we found the leftovers under a tree. They were dry, like dried grass.
Breaking one open with a knife, half the outer skin was fibrous, covering white, juicy flesh and black seeds.
The young Cocottes seemed to get their water from this fruit.
There was a tiny stream in the cave, but it wasn’t enough for the chicks, so this makes sense.
“Can I take a few of these fruits?”
“Of course.”
“I want to thank you for all this information—can I do anything in return?”
The Queen put one wing to her face and thought for a while.
Eventually, she said she’s never left this place, and besides these two types of food, she’s never eaten anything else.
She asked if I could plant food here that could grow in this environment.
… That’s tricky.
I could make something once, but the Queen probably wants it every year, or even all year round.
I opened my magic bag and pulled out some fruit. I wasn’t sure if they’d grow well, but I could at least give them and see her reaction.
I handed her an apple and a mikan. She held them skillfully with both wings, staring intently, then suddenly tossed the mikan into her mouth whole.
She ate it without peeling.
I wondered if that was okay, and then she picked up the apple and ran around the area shouting, “Coco!”
What do you think about this chapter?
