((Writer's Note: Sorry everyone. I've been out of commission for a while. I did this as a dare from someone I talk to a lot. Here it is! A Hunter's Tale! Enjoy! No flaming. Only constructive criticism.))

I looked over to my fellow hunters as we sat at the table eating our steaks and drinking our beer. The Guild Master yells to me, saying something to me. I could not understand him, so I stand up and walk over to him. "What's up now Guild Master?" I asked with a questionable sigh. "We need you and your friends to go to the Volcano and bring us back a Rathalos Plate. We need it to finish repairs on Loc-Lac." he said with his normal, low growl. I walked away from the scene, looking toward the table with a usual grin. They all knew what that meant. We scattered to get our armor, weapons, and items ready. I accidently tripped over a Loc-Lac guide on the way before running into the armory.

We all met back at the usual table, my friend Alex sporting his normal Rathalos Mail. The other two were close friends of mine, Daniel and Mikey, both sporting their normal Barioth Mail. I was still looking the best, always wearing my typical Alatreon Mail. Glistening with sweat from the heat of the desert, I pay for the balloon fees as my fellow hunters surround the quest board with anticipation. I was wondering what was going through their head as they saw the quest mounted on the board for hunting a Rathalos. Could they have thought I needed something? Without a second to spare, they were surrounding me and patting my shoulders, hoping for a good hunt. I was shocked. For the first time, there was no argument about what quest to do and no complaints from the others. I rallied my troops before setting out on our quest. All of my fellow hunters shouting and raising their fists. Without another thought, we boarded the balloon and set out toward the volcano.

As we arrive at the volcano, we're seperated. Alex and Daniel at the peak of the volcano while Mikey and I were at the base camp. We communicated through our gems, sending out signals to ensure our safety. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who gave a sigh of relief when I heard the signal from the others. We all split up to look for the Rathalos seperately and give another signal once one of us finds the beast. Mikey and I split up, him going right and I head left. We're all seperated, me heading straight toward the volcano itself, hoping to find the beast. I hear a signal come from my gem, did somebody find the beast? Alex had seen it he started running after the beast, quickly making a signal to let everyone know. The Rathalos was in hot pursuit of something, what could it have been? It had passed by Daniel, who was in the volcano itself. He made a quick signal but it flew by him. The beast was headed right for me.

I hear the flapping of wings above me. The adrenaline rushing through my body, I was ready for this beast. I make a final signal to let my fellow hunters know where the beast was before taking the hammer off of my back and charge for the beast. The Rathalos looks around the area, taking a quick scout of the area before noticing me charging at him. He turns around, obviously not happy with a random hunter running at him, he takes in a breath before releasing a thunderous roar from his great maw. He looks at the hunter before him, quickly releasing a quick fireball at me. I roll to the side, my armor getting singed from the ferocity of his great breath. I get back to my feet and start running toward the creature again, not as slow this time. I hear another weapon strike the Rathalos' scales. It was Alex and his trusty Great Sword.

My brother, Alex, had saved my hide from another fireball. He came in with a quick slash at the Rathalos' tail, trying to distract it long enough for me to get in range. I hear more rustling of the dirt and peer over my shoulder. Mikey and Daniel had been late to the party, but they still made it, quickly drawing their long swords and charging the beast. Soon, the Rathalos was surrounded by hunters the size of it's foot. The Rathalos whipped it's tail around, knocking Daniel and I away while Alex put up a guard with his mighty sword and Mikey rolling away from the second strike. Daniel helps me to my feet as we take another charge at the beast. I watch Mikey get swept away by the mighty tail of the Rathalos. I swing at the beast's head and hit it twice, knocking the beast backwards while my friends started working on the tail. This was going to be a long fight and I'm sure none of us were completely ready, except for Alex.

The beast let off another ear shattering roar. We all covered our ears to muffle the noise. I look over to my fellow hunters, only to see one of them on the ground, was he dead? No. Mikey had just passed out from the exhausting heat of the volcano. The large dragon had shot a fireball at him quickly after the roar. Something inside my head told me to rush over and see if he was okay, something else told me to be prepared for it's next attack. I choose to glare at the beast angerly and ready my weapon once more. Daniel and Alex were already dashing towards the beast as I started to ready my hammer, getting ready to slam it down on the fearsome dragon's head. I could feel power rushing through my hammer as I was swinging at the great deagon.

After a long and troublesome battle, the Rathalos starts to fly off. We all look toward each other, feeling exhausted and fatigued. Daniel looks at me with a peculiar look on his face. "Think I'm about done. He's eating me up over here. I can't take many more hits. I'm almost out of potions and herbs." he said as he was panting. Alex walked over to us, seeing our exhaustion and lack of preperation. He had a small frown upon his face. Could he be disappointed in us? I hope not. We're all giving our best against the sky king but none of that mattered. Alex let off a sigh of disappointment, I knew what he was thinking. "Should we just head on back? I don't know if any of us could keep up the battle this long." said Alex with a tone of sadness. My heart stopped when I heard the crash of stone. What could be here now?

I look over toward the dirt patch where the Rathalos had landed as fear struck into my eyes. Fear had struck all of us as we laid eyes upon another great beast. He was drooling at the mouth and rushing toward us with a hastened step. The Deviljho had come to find a meal and we looked the best at that moment. The hunters were seperated once again, I had been the only one left near the beast. I stood there, fear taking my ability to run, and with a frightened yell, I had angered the beast. He looks down to see a puny hunter with a rather large hammer, me, standing before him. I could smell his disgusting breath from where I was standing. I couldn't do anything but stand before the beast and yell. I could feel something else come into my mind, I look over my shoulder and start running.

The devil himself had let off a roar that could bring down a cave. I covered my ears and stopped running, being sure that my ears didn't bleed. I turn my head around to see the muscles on the Deviljho had tightened. He was sporting his scars from previous encounters and his eyes were red with fury. I turn my head back toward the base camp and try to start running once more. The Deviljho put his mighty jaw into the ground and threw a rather large rock at me, striking my back and causing me to roll forward in agony. Even wearing my mighty armor, this monster could do that much to me? I was dazed for a second but I had picked myself up once more and looked back at the devil. He was rushing toward me again, I had a different approach to this beast. I rush toward him and roll between his legs, feeling his high body temperature above me. I was scared and my fellow hunters had abandoned me, but none of that mattered at that minute.

I turn around with a quick upper cut from my hammer, smashing it into the legs of the giant. The Deviljho had taken a step back, knocking me away with his foot, before slamming his great body into my back. I was starting to feel weak. I could hear my armor crunch from the strike of the Deviljho's body. I stood up once more and looked at the beast. My friends shouting for me to run away. My face was covered in my own blood and sweat, his covered in saliva. I take one last mighty charge toward the devil, hoping for good results. I was wrong. That was a big mistake. The Deviljho had taken another step back and used his mighty jaw once more to produce a breath from the pure element of dragon. I fell before the beast, wounded and tired. With no more will to stand and my eyes blurring out, I felt cold. Was the Deviljho going to eat me?

I had finally woken up. I was on the ground and at the base camp. The guild Felynes had taken me here on a cart. I waved them a friendly good bye as they ran off once more. Mikey was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at me with a typical grin. "Damn dude. Get hit hard enough? I could hear your screaming from here." he said with that sarcastic tone of his. I stand up and punch him in the arm, wincing a bit from my injuries. "I could say the same to you. I forgot to ask, how did that fireball taste?" I replied with a friendly joke. We hear the others yelling to us. Alex and Daniel were dragging back a severed tail from the Rathalos. The shock from the possibility of them slaying the great dragon had come over my face. Did they really slay the mighty king of the sky?

"What took so long? I've been waiting here all day." Mikey said with another sarcastic joke. I could see a clever smirk take over Daniel's face as he replied, "Well when you're actually doing something it's going to take a while." I had looked at the tail for a quick second. Almost instantly, Alex tells us that they hadn't slain the dragon, only taken it's tail. We had decided to head back to Loc-Lac and try again some other time. I hope the Guild Master won't be disappointed in us. At least we had a trophy to remember the glorious battle. Alex calls for the balloon to take us back to the city. We had felt accomplished from just taking the tail.

On the ride back, we had all been laughing and smiling again. Cracking jokes at each other for the hits we took. I heard a joke about me and simply shrugged it off. All of the hunters were smiling once more, even through their defeat. We had all been excited to head back to Moga Village and go straight to sleep. I could say that I was the only one who was afraid of what the Guild Master was going to say, but I knew I wasn't. Could he still be pleased with the tail we're taking with us?

Finally back to the city of Loc-Lac. I had never been more relieved to see the gate for the hunters. We walk through the gates once more and enter the dining area. Alex and Daniel had went to the Guild Master with the tail. I knew I wasn't the only one who let off one last victory cry. We had gotten what the Guild Master had needed, even through the difficult odds. We had all taken one last seat at our table and shared a beer before heading back to Moga Village. All of us exhausted, and Daniel possibly drunk, we start to leave the city. All of us splitting up to go to seperate villages. I couldn't wait to hunt again tomorrow. Next time, that Rathalos will be ours.

I walk into Moga Village, burned, scarred, and bloodied up. None of that mattered to me, I just wanted to sleep. I walk into the house that was graciously built for me, wobbling a bit from the long walk back. I walk through the curtains that function as my door and almost pass out on the floor. Chamberlyne whacked me on the head and told me to either pick myself onto my bed, or wake up with back pains. He didn't know I had those alright but I slowly crawl into bed and spread out on the sheets. I toss off my helmet, greaves, and my faulds before resting my head on the pillow and falling into a sound sleep. I'm sure Chamberlyne wasn't very pleased with me leaving my armor next to my bed. That had to wait until tomorrow though, I had passed out before he could scold me about it. Sound asleep on my bed, nothing could wake me up. I was glad to have been a hunter at that moment. Knowing that without me, Moga Village and Loc-Lac City wouldn't be around very long. I don't know for sure, but I might have shouting another victory cry in my sleep. I drifted into my dreams before the dawn of the next day.