Glowing forest

Today I started by brushing and milking my lovely goats Dar and Din. I might not be seeing the two troublemakers for a while so I made sure they're comfortable in their furs. Having done that, I took to the kitchen and made a small amount of barley porridge to sell with the cow milk I'd bought. It would be going bad soon and a little pocket money is always appreciated.
I made the Berry lovely and Nutty for you. I didn't sell too much but it is easy to store and reheat, a good small meal for on the road.
Before leaving I had a stern talk with Dar and Din, though I'm not certain they took it to heart. I'm just hoping not to find them stuck on the rooftops again because the barrels and crates were removed...
 
The forest itself was as strange as I'd heard it to be. Vibrant colours, glowing and virtually unrecognisable to me. I gathered a few ingredients on a gamble that they'd be useful or edible, though I honestly have no method of knowing. Neither of the gentlemen travelling with me is well versed in the local flora and fauna either.
Though they have a very humanoïd-centred view of nature's usefulness. I'm not sure I can judge them. After all, my mind seems to only be filled with thoughts of ingredients for food being lost because an important species elsewhere along the food chain has gone extinct.
 
In the afternoon we did find those aggressive beasties the men at the lodge had been talking about. Or rather, they found us.
As it turns out the mysterious creature is not one but two, or perhaps even more, displacer beasts. Large cats with extra paws and flail tentacles. This specific group seems to have undergone a slight mutation as their usual black fur is purple. Of course, I'm not an expert on these creatures. Far from it. I'm simply writing down what mister Gimdalf has told me.
I managed to down one of the big cats during the scuffle we had with them but as it turns out this couple has a nest of kittens. It is no wonder that they are less than courteous towards those who pass by. Now the question remains if these beasties belong here but have simply never been seen or if they are an invasive species. After all, they seem to be adapted especially well to hiding themselves.
 
Not wishing to orphan the helpless kittens, the gentlemen and I decided that the best course of action would be to report back to the people at the lodge with our findings. We also surmised that much information could be learned from the dead beasty. such as what they eat and if they can be eaten.
The gentlemen dragged the corpse up from below the cliff while I calmed down the remaining cat and kept busy her kittens. Once they'd been gone long enough I followed them back to the lodge, though we did have to stop to make an improvised cart on the way. These creatures are easily over 500 kg.
 
Once at the lodge, we informed the men there about the situation. The two gentlemen seem to think that there might be a problem with the cats' usual prey being overhunted, which would explain these beasts venturing out to new places and attacking humans who weren't even aware of their existence before now. Gimdalf also suggested they should feed the beasts to foster better relationships. As a cook, I find this a terrible idea. feeding wild animals is how you get vermin in your kitchen.
I'm also reminded of the story about the tourists visiting a reef where one could pet sharks. The sharks had been 'tamed' by the guides by feeding them whenever their boat came by. One of the sharks wanted more food. Not understanding the concept of pockets but knowing the food came from the but area, the shark took a bite out of a persons rear end. I imagine it was greatly confused when it didn't taste fish and the humans panicked...