The flying cat was fat and soft, and extremely pleasant to the touch.
Despite its rotund body and carrying three people on its back, the orange cat's flight speed was anything but slow. Rowe estimated that they were soaring through the skies at several hundred kilometers per hour.
From an Earthling's perspective, that kind of speed was astonishing—especially for such a large creature. But for Asgardians, this velocity was nothing remarkable. It was likely equivalent to the sprinting speed of an average Asgardian warrior. Compared to Heimdall, whose divine power was speed itself, this pace was downright sluggish.
Rowe looked at Heimdall and asked, "Heimdall, can you run in the air?"
"Yes," Heimdall replied.
"Running in the air… that's terrifying. Why don't you just carry me? You're way faster than this flying cat," Rowe muttered with a sigh.
"Meow!" the flying cat—Fei Mao—let out a disgruntled cry, seemingly insulted.
The light elf steering Fei Mao glanced back. "You can't leave the transport. We've been ordered to take you to a designated location."
Roughly three hours later, Rowe and Heimdall were flying high above the Norn Forest atop Fei Mao. They weren't alone; several other flying cats accompanied them, ferrying other members of Hela's hunting party to the same destination.
"Look down!" someone suddenly shouted, pointing at the forest below. "There's a beast on fire!"
Everyone looked in the indicated direction. A crimson leopard was visible beneath the canopy, its fiery-red fur gleaming like molten metal. It was crouched over a deer carcass, feasting.
"A fire-bathing beast!" someone exclaimed. "How did one end up here?"
"Are there trolls nearby?"
Fire-bathing beasts were native to Nornheim—sleek, leopard-like predators with shimmering coats. Their name wasn't due to any fire magic they possessed. Instead, when they ran at full speed, the friction of their velocity would ignite the air around them, making them appear as though engulfed in flames.
They were extremely rare in the wild. After dragons, they were the second-rarest beast in Nornheim. Most fire-bathing beasts were domesticated and belonged to the troll clans. A wild one hadn't been seen by Asgardians for centuries.
The flying cats weren't allowed to stop until reaching their designated drop-off point, so the group could only observe the beast from above.
Still, many were visibly excited. "It's wild!"
"We have to catch it!"
"Heimdall, it's on you!"
In the entire hunting group, Heimdall was the only one who might stand a chance of catching the creature. With his divine speed, he had a shot.
Heimdall's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I've memorized its location."
Moments later, the flying cats began to land at the designated location.
Before his own mount had even touched the ground, Heimdall took a step into thin air—and vanished in a blur.
"Meow! Meow!" Fei Mao screeched in panic.
Rowe dismounted and looked in the direction Heimdall had gone, a flicker of envy in his eyes.
Beside him, Bart voiced what Rowe was thinking. "If only I had divine power too."
Rowe nodded in agreement.
Bart turned to him with a grin. "What kind of power would you want?"
Rowe shrugged. "Any divine power would be a blessing. I'm not picky."
Bart chuckled. "You need dreams, Rowe. Otherwise, what separates us from mortals?"
Rowe raised an eyebrow. "And what power would you want?"
"A divine power that makes one… part of the body larger," Bart said, mustache curling in amusement.
Rowe looked skeptical. "That exists?"
"Of course. Every man has it," Bart said with a wink.
"…"
The light elf and flying cats departed, leaving Hela and a dozen members of her hunting party behind in the forest.
Once everyone gathered, Hela unfurled a detailed map of the Norn Forest and pointed to a spot. "We're here."
"…We'll divide into six teams and hunt across this area. After seven days, we reconvene at this lake." She tapped the map. "There, you'll submit your prey, and we'll evaluate results and plan the next phase."
"Yes!" the group responded.
Hela continued, "The first team will hunt with me. That includes Heimdall and Rowe."
"Second team…" She assigned the remaining members, handing smaller maps to each team captain.
Suddenly, Heimdall reappeared in front of the group—staggering slightly and gasping for breath. His armor was scuffed, and he looked exhausted.
"Heimdall?" Rowe blinked in surprise.
Heimdall grimaced. "The fire-bathing beast… it's too fast. I couldn't catch it."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"It outran Heimdall?"
"That's the first time I've seen one, and it's faster than Heimdall?"
Even Hela looked momentarily stunned, though she quickly masked her expression. "It doesn't matter. If Heimdall can't catch it, none of the hunters here will."
The crowd fell silent.
Heimdall slumped to the ground, still panting.
Rowe knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "When your power grows, you'll catch it next time."
Heimdall snorted. "Who shows up to the Hunting Festival with only second-tier divine power?"
After a few minutes, his breathing calmed. Then his expression shifted suddenly.
"Wait… it wasn't wild!" Heimdall stood up abruptly and walked to Hela. "Your Highness—I just remembered—the fire-bathing beast was wearing a collar. It's domesticated."
Hela's face darkened. "Then trolls are definitely nearby. We'll need to be on guard."
She gathered the party again and changed the formation, merging the six teams into three. Two new members were added to the first squad: Hoddle and Bart.
After giving each team updated instructions, she sent them off in different directions to begin the hunt.
Rowe, now in Hela's squad, followed the group into the forest's depths.
As they traveled, Rowe found his attention drawn to one of the new additions—Hoddle. He'd never seen the man before.
Hoddle was lean with messy black hair. He looked unusually aged for an Asgardian, with wrinkles and pimples marring his face. In a race known for its radiant beauty, he stood out—not in a good way.
But Rowe wasn't interested in his appearance. What caught his eye was Hoddle's gaze.
He carried a longbow on his back—marking him as an archer. Yet his eyes were clouded, lifeless. He seemed blind.
"You're right," Hoddle said abruptly, startling Rowe. "I am blind."
His voice was hoarse and eerie. The sudden declaration sent a chill down Rowe's spine.
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