It was already a month after the Kirin took the magical vow of silence. Peace was restored to the Peaks of Peril, with their hidden valley forest returning from the ashes they made as Niriks. Of course, no one was happy about it… or sad… or angry… or anything for that matter. The stream of silence magic surpassed the leader's expectations, as none of her subjects spoke, or even felt anything for that matter, not even herself. With the exception of their hooves clopping when they walk, the wind passing through the trees, and chirping of birds, all was quiet. That was, until a new race entered.
It began on a non particular day, with every nirik doing their tasks at hoof: gardening, fetching water, cleaning their homes, ECT. Rainshine, the leader of the Kirin, relaxed in her house, using her magic to comb her mane. A small flash of light appeared, grabbing her attention.
“W-where am I?” A voice spoke out. Despite having their suppressed, she was surprised to hear a new voice. She looked around to see where this new voice came from, only to not see anything. A scream made her stop, causing her to look down. Cowering on the floor was a small, 3 inch tall, bipedal creature of sorts. Curiosity got a hold of her, making her look down at the tiny creature. It wore what looked like clothes all over it's body, with no fur, showing it's somewhat light skin, despite having a small mane. Said creature turned to her and screamed louder, turning and running outside. Her ears flapped as she could hear more screaming.
Walking outside, she could barely see many of these small creatures, each in a state of panic, running and screaming everywhere. Her subjects looked a bit nervous, unsure what to do with these creatures. When they turned to her, Rainshine simply gave a look that told them to round up these small creatures and bring them to her. A silent nod, and the Kirin used their magic to pick up the small creatures, bringing them to Rainshine.
Ray didn't know what was going on. His day was already bad enough, as his great grandmother recently passed away. Despite going out a lot a lot and working a full time job, he was obligated to attend her funeral, a traditional Chinese burial held in Chinatown. Doing so, he had to wear blue robes, and go through all the traditional steps, as a sign of respect to his great grandmother. But when the burial was finished, and burning of paper, he glowed, and landed in a strange new world.
To say he was scared was an understatement. His mind was everywhere, as he's unsure where he landed, who was with him, and what these creatures were that towered over them all. Of course, being picked up with what seemed like magic, and being rounded up, didn't help whatsoever. He was placed in a large circle with other people, as the giants surrounded them.
Despite being scared out of his mind, something about these giants felt like something he knew, something righteous. He looked to see the giants around them all; they looked similar to unicorns, but weren't exactly what he saw in those old kids books his cousins had. For one, they had manes that looked more like a lion’s, a maroon horn with some lighter patterns to it that looked like that of a tree branch, and scales that covered their back, the top of their heads to the tip of the muzzle, and the front part of their hooves. When he looked past them, he saw that they were in a forest that looked to be burned down recently, but the plant life was growing back.
‘Wait… unicorn-like creatures, burnt forest, taller than us…’ Ray thought. He turned to see the biggest of all the creatures, looking at them with a curious look, being majestic looking itself. Then it dawned upon him. ‘K-kirin!? They're real!? Then… that means…’
“Everyone! Stop what you're doing and bow!” He yelled. Everyone turned to him and looked confused, murmuring to each other, with the faint sound of some kids crying.
“Bow to them?” A woman asked.
“Why should we do that?” Another asked.
“You know what's happening!?” A man asked. The Kirin made concerned looks.
“Listen! Everyone!” Ray yelled again, but cleared his throat. “I have no idea what's going on and why, all I do know is that we are in the presence of Kirin.” Some murmurs broke, asking what's a Kirin. The Kirin even looked a bit surprised, caught off guard. It was most likely because someone knew about them. “My ancestry is Chinese, and my great grandmother told me about them when I was little. They are powerful creatures, who are righteous, only showing themselves to those who are good. If angered, they can use fiery magic to incinerate anyone easily.” Some more concerned Murmurs, with the Kirin looking to each other, a bit guilty looking. Ray turned to the tallest Kirin, getting on both knees, and bowed to her. “Please, all mighty Kirin, we mean you no harm. My great grandmother recently passed away, and I mourn for her, but I am honored to be in your presence.”
Rainshine was taken back a bit at how this creature feared her, but showed a great amount of respect to her. From what it sounds like, her ancestry may have once been with his kind, serving as guardians of some kind. The other creatures hesitantly stood, but followed suit, bowing to her, staying as silent as possible. She walked down from her steps and stood over the creature that first bowed to her. Her subjects looked to her, with her giving a quick nod. All her subjects left, beginning a new project: give these creatures new homes.
The creature noticed them all leaving, but stayed silent, still bowing to her. Rainshine picked him up with her magic, making him yelp a bit. All the creatures noticed and stared in silent horror. She gave a dismissive wave, turning and taking the small creature inside her home.
Ray nervously sweated as he was picked up by the supposed Alpha of the Kirin. Much to his surprise, she lived in what looked like a tree, with the inside looking like a house of sorts. She (as he assumed) rested on a bed, gently lowering him onto her bed.
“Uh… did I do something bad?” He asked. She shook her head. “Oh… you… want to know me?” A nod. “Oh… uh… a-alright, miss… you are a woman, right?” The head Kirin gave him a curious look, but nodded. “Sorry… mane threw me off… can I… groom you as I talk to you?” Another nod. Ray nervously approached the Kirin leader, and carefully, placed his hand on her mane. He could feel how each hair was thick, but how soft it was. Turning, he picked up what looked like a giant comb and began to groom her. “I-if you're curious, my name is Ray, Miss.”
The small creature named Ray began to groom her. She tried her best to pay attention, but his touch was really relaxing. All she was able to gather was his name, what his kind is called (Humans), and his general personality. If these humans were like Ray, maybe they should find a cure and speak again… though, it's not gonna be good when they get angry and turn into Niriks again. Probably best to continue being quiet unless all the humans are like Ray.
Ray watched as the Kirin leader was asleep, admiring at how both majestic and huge she was. If his great grandmother was here… maybe she would've been happy to be surrounded by the majestic creatures their ancestors once spoke about. But what's important is that this is his, and many others, new life now. The hardest part may be to get everyone to obey the Kirin, Show them fear as they would with their parents, and respect for being creatures that keep everything safe. Looking outside of a window, he could see the Kirin Outside, quickly growing bonsai trees for the people around, using tools to quickly hollow the trees out and make furniture for the people amongst them.
“Well… seems we really owe it to them.” He spoke to himself. "Wait, does that mean...? Oh crap... I'm gonna have to lead them!"