The Grove of the Amethyst Qilin
Just beyond the fairy’s lotus pond, in a grove where bamboo stalks grow tall as jade pillars, walks the gentle Qilin. It is a creature woven from starlight and earth. Its body is covered in scales that shift from iridescent opal to deep kingfisher blue with every quiet step. A flowing mane of spun silver and cloud-white silk cascades down its neck, soft as mountain mist, and antlers like branches of dark, polished coral crown its head. Where its hooves touch the mossy ground, tiny, glowing flowers bloom in shades of electric violet and radiant gold. It is the silent guardian of the grove, breathing out clouds of sweet, rose-coloured vapour.
