Kirin

 

This week's CAToon is a beautiful unicorn. You just looked back at the drawing to see if I was mistaken, didn't you? Don't worry. The Kirin, or Qilin in some countries, is the mythical dragon-unicorn from Chinese and Japanese mythology. But unlike the pretty European unicorn you're probably used to, the Kirin has the body and head of a dragon, the feet of an ox, the mane of a lion, and a deer's antler. And it's on fire. Clouds wrap around the Kirin's legs, because Kirins are so pure they don't even walk on grass, they don't want to harm even the smallest of creatures. Flames lick around the Kirin's knees as well, for kirins are very powerful, and were said to only appear in times of good rule and guard the king or emperor. If you look closely, you can see the word 'Kirin' written in Japanese on its horn.