When Aki and the younger Rathian flew out of the Ancient Tree, a flock of Fire Wyverns had already taken to the skies. Their roars echoed one after another, as if egging the fight on.
In the midst of these cries, the younger Rathian suddenly felt she might have made a terrible decision.
Logan was still in the nest—with absolutely no intention of coming out!
Not only had her plan fallen apart, but it seemed to have made Aki even angrier.
Aki spread her wings wide. Under the sunlight, her intricate scales reflected a golden, metallic sheen.
Her massive frame blotted out the sky. From the younger Rathian’s viewpoint, Aki sat right at the heart of the rising sun—like a divine judge descending from the heavens.
And she was the one about to be judged.
A clear, commanding roar—full of majesty—instantly drowned out all the other Fire Wyverns. In the very next moment, with a burst of turbulent air, Aki closed the distance, appearing before the younger Rathian in a flash. Despite her 'delicate and feeble' resistance, Aki's sharp claws seized her, spiraling downward toward the ground.
The battlefield for Rathians should be on the ground—not in the sky!
My foolish little sister!!
Logan didn’t witness the details of the fight. All he knew was that when Aki returned, aside from a few scratched scales in some spots and a bit of dirt on her body, she looked completely refreshed—like she had vented to her heart’s content. Even her mood seemed much better.
As for the younger Rathian... she hadn’t been seen since that day.
Adult Rathians, aside from the 'primary mate', can only stay for one month—regardless of whether they manage to conceive.
During that month, Aki completely changed her approach.
Every morning at first light, she would drag Logan out to hunt, returning only at dusk.
And when they came back, she flew like a personal escort, circling constantly around Logan. If any other Rathian dared approach, she would drive them off with overwhelming force.
After witnessing how brutally Aki crushed the younger Rathian that day, almost no other Rathian dared provoke her again.
On the last day of that month, once the other Rathians had left the Ancient Forest, Aki finally let her guard down.
She no longer slept at the nest entrance, but as before, curled tightly against Logan. They drifted off, wrapped in each other’s breath.
With the Rathians gone, the food pressure in the Ancient Forest began to ease. Herbivores that had been hiding deep in the jungle finally dared to step into the sunlight again.
Among them were Logan’s favorites—Mosswine.
In the same hunting ground as before, the same adorable Grimalkynes moved swiftly. They set up traps with practiced ease, placed the bait, and then—along with the Jagras—climbed nimbly into the trees to lie in wait.
Soon, drawn by the deliberately released scent, a plump Mosswine came snorting and sniffing its way over, trotting straight in this direction.
Its eyes lit up at the sight of the bait, and just as it was about to step into the trap, a Tobi-Kadachi hidden in the branches suddenly leapt down, biting hard into the panicked Mosswine. Amid the furious howls of the Grimalkynes, it fled with its stolen prize.
“Meow! What do we do? We finally managed to lure one in, and now that despicable bastard stole the tribute meant for our Fire Wyvern boss!”
“It dared steal the offering for our Fire Wyvern boss—we have to take it down!”
“But we can’t beat it here in the forest, meow…”
“Then we drive it out!”
The Grimalkynes chattered over each other in loud meows, and finally came to a decision: the Tobi-Kadachi had to be driven off. If they let it go this time, it would definitely come back again.
Mosswines weren’t exactly rare, but they tended to live deep in the damp, shadowy layers of the forest floor. In this vast forest, finding them was never easy. Even for Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes using bait and traps, success always required a good bit of luck.
In other words, catching a Mosswine was no easy feat.
More importantly, now that their Mosswine had been stolen, they had no tribute to offer their Fire Wyvern boss—and without tribute, they wouldn’t receive Logan’s praise. For the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors, that was almost unbearable.
But now came the real problem.
Even if they wanted to drive off the Tobi-Kadachi, it was going to be extremely difficult with just a handful of Grimalkyne—even with the Jagras helping.
The Forest Bug-Cage Tribe specialized in traps. Without the aid of those traps, fighting a monster of that level was simply too much for them. So they had to come up with a better plan.
“Meow! I’ve got it!”
Suddenly, a Grimalkyne warrior with a polished Fire Wyvern scale hanging from his neck spoke up.
“Do you all remember that Felyne who came looking for us through the Grimalkynes on the forest outskirts?”
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes all nodded.
“Didn't it say that if we ever ran into trouble, we could go find it? That Felyne was so strong—it could definitely help us.”
“But... is it really okay, meow, for us to approach that outsider on our own?”
One Grimalkyne warrior hesitated.
“It’s fine, meow! The Fire Wyvern Boss won’t mind this kind of thing. Besides, did you see that huge weapon that Felyne was carrying on its back? If we build a good relationship with it, maybe in the future, it can help forge the Fire Wyvern Boss’s scales into weapons! Wouldn’t that be amazing, meow?!”
At those words, all the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors' eyes went wide and round.
It did sound amazing!
Weapons made from the Fire Wyvern Boss’s scales! Armor made from the Fire Wyvern Boss’s scales! Accessories made from the Fire Wyvern Boss’s scales!
“Let’s do it, meow! It’s decided!”
Without another word, the group of Grimalkynes mounted their Jagras and rushed off toward the location that the Felyne had mentioned before.
...
In a humble campsite, the Felyne companion of the Admiral, Sita, was carefully cleaning the greatsword it treated like a treasured heirloom.
As a Palico, Sita’s strength was unmatched among its kind. Even when compared to Hunters, it could still be considered elite.
What kind of master you have determines what kind of Palico you get!
The Admiral was incredibly powerful, and to keep up with him—to fight alongside him—Sita naturally had to be overwhelmingly strong as well.
But this time, they had been out for nearly two months… and had gained next to nothing.
The Grimalkynes deep within the Ancient Forest were simply too xenophobic. Even with an introduction from the Grimalkynes of the outer forest, the results were disappointing.
Including the group from two days ago, this had already been the thirteenth Grimalkyne tribe it had contacted.
Yet once they learned of its purpose, their attitude immediately turned cold.
Perhaps it was because the living conditions here were far harsher than on the forest outskirts. The tribes in this part of the forest were indeed stronger overall, but they lived far more difficult lives.
Barely able to fend for themselves—how could they spare the strength or risk their lives to assist a mere 'Hunter'?
Sita sighed and glanced at the guide Grimalkyne who had been with it for over a month, now packing up to leave. By now, it was about time for the Grimalkyne to head back.
But judging by the current results, the boss might end up disappointed.
“Meow! Meow!”
The cries of unfamiliar Grimalkynes came from outside the camp. Sita exchanged a glance with the guide Grimalkyne and hurried out.
There, they saw five Grimalkynes with their forelimbs planted on the ground, sitting neatly and obediently as they waited.
Behind them were five strong-looking Jagras, standing guard alertly.
“Are those... the warriors from the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne tribe we met at the beginning?”
As soon as Sita came out, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warrior stood up and bluntly stated the reason for their visit: as long as Sita could help them drive away a Tobi-Kadachi, they would offer the friendship of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne tribe.
To think that the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes, who had been so prideful at the start, would be the ones to reach out in the end—though the offer came with conditions, Sita didn’t consider it a loss at all.
At last, this expedition had yielded some results. When it returned, it would have a decent report for the Admiral.
After all, based on the information gathered over the past weeks, this group of Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes lived high atop the towering Ancient Tree and had a murky, possibly symbiotic relationship with the Fire Wyverns that nested there. In terms of strength, their tribe ranked among the top Grimalkyne groups in the depths of the Ancient Forest.
Gaining their friendship would be a huge asset for future missions deeper into the Ancient Forest.
As for the task of driving away a Tobi-Kadachi—that was no big deal for Sita.
If it were a Barroth or a Nargacuga-level monster, that would be a different story. Against monsters of that ecological tier, going in unprepared could easily lead to a serious setback.
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