The Regalia slowed to a halt as Ignis pulled over, the gravel on the road crumbling beneath the weight of the wheels. Prompto leapt out of the car before Ignis had even removed the keys.
"CHOCOBOOOOOS!" He shouted happily as his feet hit the ground. Noctis sighed, following his friend out of the car in a far less enthusiastic manner.
"You haven't even seen them yet." He pointed out. Prompto shrugged.
"That's why I'm in a hurry." He replied with a smile. "You guys are too slow! The early bird gets the worm y'know!"
"Or the early chocobo in this case." Ignis said, closing both his and Noctis' car doors. Him and Gladio walked over to the two younger boys as Gladio shook his head.
"There won't be any worms or chocobos to get if Prompto scares them away with his shouting before we get there."
Prompto pouted, but kept his mouth shut. He was pretty sure Gladio was joking, but if there really was a chance of him scaring away the chocobos, he didn't want to risk it.
"So, should we set off then?" Ignis asked. The others nodded and headed towards the stables. As they got closer, Noctis groaned, covering his nose.
"Ugh, I can smell them already."
"Wait, that's the chocobos?" Prompto looked over in surprise before taking a deep breath. "I mean, it's not a horrible smell. It's almost like a… friendly stink? Oh! Like Gladio after a training session!"
"Why are you smelling me after training?" Gladio asked, his eyebrow raised.
"Hey, it's not out of my own free will." He replied. "Your B.O's range is just as big as that huge sword of yours."
"You wanna test that range?" Gladio asked. Prompto hid behind Iggy instead of replying.
"Let's not kill each other before doing what we came here to do." Ignis said, giving both Gladio and Prompto a disapproving look. "If you're that offended Gladio, then at least wait until after he's seen the chocobos."
"Y-Yeah." Prompto replied. "I can die happily if I've seen a chocobo at least once."
"You may be disappointed then sonny."
The group turned to face the newcomer. Based on his outfit, he was most likely from the ranch. Noctis rested his hand on his hip as he replied.
"What's wrong? This is a chocobo ranch, isn't it?" The man nodded.
"Usually, yeah. But I don't know if we can call ourselves a chocobo ranch without any chocobos."
Ignis adjusted his glasses as he nodded.
"I assume the missing chocobos are related to the open gate we passed on our way here?"
"Seems those glasses aren't just for show." The man replied. "Yer right. One of our new ranch-hands left it open when they came in this mornin'. Now our birds are on the wrong side o' the fence."
"We can get them back for you!" Prompto offered. Noctis sighed, but nodded nonetheless. Tracking them down would be a pain, but it'd make Prompto happy.
"Yeah, we can help you guys out if you want." He said. The man's eyes went wide before he smiled from ear to ear.
"Well I'll be damned! I didn't think city-slickers like yerselves would be up for getting' yer hands dirty like that. Guess there's a first time fer everythin'". He slid off the whistle he was wearing around his neck, handing it to the prince. "When yer out there, just give this a good blow and they should come runnin'. There's four in total, and they should all still be wearin' their harnesses."
"Uh… right." Noctis nodded as he took the whistle. "Well, we'll be sure to bring them all back here then."
"I appreciate it." The man replied. He gave them a thumbs-up before heading back to the stable. Gladio sighed.
"If he had the whistle already, I don't know why he needs us to do all the leg work."
Prompto shrugged, jogging over to the gravel road before turning back to the group. "Well, I'm not complaining." He said. "Now we get to see four chocobos for free! I'd say that makes this a win-win situation!"
"Don't count your chocobos before you catch." Ignis replied. "We need to find them before we get to see them."
"And we'll have to go on foot." Gladio added. "The Regalia isn't built for off-road jobs like this." Noctis stretched before heading down the road towards the gate.
"I guess we'd better get going then."
The gate was slowly swinging in the breeze as the group approached it. Its hinges creaked, and more rust flaked off with each movement. Prompto tilted his head to the side as he looked at it.
"Y'know, I'm surprised this thing even opened at all."
"It does look a little worse for wear." Ignis replied. "But I'm certain that the rust keeps it from opening by accident."
Noctis swung the gate a bit, testing the hinges. "They could just invest in a better lock." He said. Gladio nodded.
"Or some more attentive ranch-hands."
The group moved past the gate, and Gladio knelt down by the road, checking some tracks left in the dirt.
"Well, at least tracking them will be easy." He said. "It looks like they all went this way. So, as long as they stayed over there, we should find them pretty quick."
He dusted off his pants as he stood up, and Prompto squatted down next to him, looking at the tracks as well. They were a lot bigger than he expected them to be.
"I can honestly say that I didn't expect my first time seeing a Chocobo to go like this." He said.
"What did you expect it to be like?" Noctis asked, watching as his friend stood up. They all started following the tracks, letting Gladio take the lead.
"I dunno." Prompto replied. "I figured I'd see the chocobo, and we'd stare into each other's eyes and feel a connection. Like, it'd be as magical for it as it was for me! Something special like that."
"I can't tell if that was egotistical, or borderline romantic." Gladio teased. Prompto's cheeks went red.
"I'm not gonna flirt with the chocobos!" he argued. "I just… I dunno. I feel like it'll be an amazing moment."
"Well, no matter how the meeting goes, I'm sure the chocobos will like you." Noctis replied. Ignis nodded.
"They're a very good judge of character after all." He added, causing Prompto to blush even harder. "Oh, and Noct, you may want to start using the whistle."
"O-Oh, right." Noctis nodded, taking the whistle out of his pocket. In all honesty, he'd already forgotten he had it. When he used it, a high-pitched note filled the air, followed swiftly by silence. Prompto put his hands on his hips.
"Did it work?"
Thump Thump Thump Thump
The group turned towards the approaching sound, both Ignis and Gladio positioning themselves between it and the two younger boys. As the noise got louder, the nearby bushes began to rustle before a large, yellow chocobo emerged from the greenery.
"I guess that answers that." Noctis replied. The chocobo stared back at the group, tilting its head as it got a read on them. It paced slightly, keeping its gaze on the strangers. Noctis, however, looked over to Prompto. His friend's eyes were practically sparkling as he stared at the bird, his mouth wide open in awe.
"It's so… big." Prompto said, honestly caught off guard. He knew they had to be big if people rode them, but he hadn't expected it to be that big. Ignis and Gladio relaxed, moving out of the way now that it was clear that there was no threat. Gladio nudged Prompto towards it before crossing his arms.
"Why don't you say hello?" He suggested. "This one seems friendly enough."
Prompto nodded before turning to face the chocobo again. He took a deep breath and slowly moved closer to the bird, holding out his shaking hand. "Hey buddy." He said. "Don't worry, we aren't gonna hurt you. We just wanna bring you back home." As he got closer, the chocobo shook its head, causing Prompto to jump a bit, but he quickly steeled himself and gently grabbed the reins hanging from the bridle. "There's a good boy."
When he realized that the chocobo wasn't resisting, Prompto smiled and used his free hand to pet its feathers. He was still nervous, but couldn't help but smile as he felt how soft it was. The chocobo seemed just as happy, and nudged Prompto with its beak.
"H-Hey!" Prompto laughed, petting it more confidently in return. "I think he likes me!" He turned to the others with a smile, noticing them all smiling in return. "Wait, what're you guys smiling about?" He asked. Gladio shrugged.
"It's nothing." He said, turning away to look at the other tracks. Ignis and Noctis did the same, none of them wanting to admit that they had found the interaction completely adorable. Prompto stared in silent confusion before shrugging as well.
As Prompto led the Chocobo over to the others, Gladio finished investigating the tracks.
"The other three should be this way." He said, heading off again. The others followed suit. Prompto patted the Chocobo's side as he walked.
"Don't worry buddy, you'll be with your friends again in no time."
After at least half an hour of walking and several fights with monsters roaming the wilds, the group finally found what they were searching for. In the center of a barrier of rocks was a strong looking chocobo, even larger than the one Prompto was leading. Its feathers were thicker, and were a warm brown rather than yellow. Gladio held his arm out, stopping the others. Noctis looked over to his shield.
"What's up? It's right there. Shouldn't we just grab it and go?"
"I don't think it'll be that easy." Gladio replied, gesturing to the bird. It looked their way, puffing out it's feathers at the newcomers. "It looks like it's more aggressive than the first one."
Noctis looked back to the chocobo, realizing what Gladio meant. It paced slowly, ruffling its own feathers as it stared. Even the chocobo Prompto was leading seemed to be on edge in the other's presence.
"Do you think it might be a wild chocobo?" Prompto asked. "I mean, the ones form the ranch should be pretty calm, right?" Ignis shook his head.
"That's unlikely." He argued, gesturing to the bird. "It has a harness as well. I doubt you'd find one of those on an untamed chocobo."
"Ah, that's true." Prompto replied. "But then, how're we going to get it to come with us?"
To the others' surprise, Gladio drew his sword.
"We make it." He replied. Prompto's eyes went wide in horror.
"Dude! You can't attack a chocobo!" He argued. Noctis nodded.
"I'm with Prompto on this one." He said. "We're supposed to bring them back to the ranch in one piece; Not kill them."
"I'm not gonna kill it." Gladio replied. "Just trust me, okay?"
Noctis and Prompto shared a glance, but kept their mouths shut. Once he was sure they weren't going to interfere, Gladio approached the chocobo, sword in hand. The bird spread its wings, shrieking in Gladio's direction. Gladio spread his own arms, swinging his sword above his head, making sure to stay far enough away that he wouldn't hit the bird itself. He shouted back, causing the bird to back away slightly, startled by the response.
Gladio, however, continued his approach. His sword vanishing from his hand as he got close. The chocobo swung its beak, trying to knock him away, and Gladio grabbed the reins firmly, stopping the assault. The bird continued to swing, and Gladio's muscles flexed as he struggled in response. Then, the two glared in silence, both refusing to break eye-contact, silently fighting for dominance. The chocobo pulled away on the reins, but once it realized that it couldn't beat the other's strength, it's gaze moved to the ground.
"There you go." Gladio said, easing up a bit. "See, you were worked up over nothing."
He patted the chocobo's head gently, to show it that he meant no harm, and the bird relaxed slightly. It seemed that despite Gladio's physical and mental victory, they were on rather equal footing now. With the chocobo's reins in hand, Gladio walked back over to the others.
"Impressive." Ignis complimented. Gladio shrugged.
"Just had to show it some tough love." He replied. "We good to go?"
"Hell yeah we are!" Prompto said with a smile. "Two down, and two to go!"
Evening was fast approaching as they continued the search. The leaves of the trees rustled in the wind, and the sun peeked through the canopy, flickering across the tracks they were following. Noctis would blow the whistle every once in a while, but it seemed to no longer work. After the dozenth time, the prince sighed.
"Maybe the last two went the other way?" He said, returning the whistle to his pocket. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"
"I'm sure." Gladio replied. "The tracks are going this way, so the others had to too."
"I have no doubts in your tracking abilities Gladio." Ignis said. "But considering the sun is beginning to set, it may be best to return to the ranch and continue in the morning."
"We can't do that!" Prompto argued. "The trail will be cold tomorrow!"
"Iggy's right Prompto." Gladio said. "I'd rather not have to deal with Daemons if I don't have to."
"Ultimately, however, it's up to Noct." Ignis said, looking over to the prince. "What do you think we should do?"
Noctis looked back at the others, honestly not sure. All of them were right. He'd also rather avoid any dangerous fights with the monsters of the night. But he also didn't want to go back to the ranch with only two of the chocobos in tow.
"I think-" He began, before cutting himself off. In the distance, its dark grey feathers somewhat lost in the bushes, was the third chocobo. "We should follow him!" He gestured to the distant chocobo, and the others turned to look. Noctis began approaching it, only to see it run off.
"Quickly." Ignis said. "Don't lose track of it."
The group, along with their chocobos, followed the grey bird through the forest. It maintained its distance from them, glancing back on occasion to see if its pursuers were still behind it.
"It's acting kinda weird, don't you think?" Prompto asked, his breathing quick from running. Noctis nodded.
"Kinda like it's leading us somewhere."
They continued to give chase before reaching a small stream. The chocobo turned, running along the shore towards the water's source. Prompto watched it turn and frowned.
"Okay, it's definitely leading us somewhere." He said. Gladio passed by him, turning at the stream.
"Let's just hope it's somewhere good then." He replied.
By the time the chocobo finally stopped, they had reached the base of a cliff. A waterfall flowed down its edge, feeding the stream that had guided them there. The grey chocobo looked over to them, before rustling a bush with its beak.
"It seems our wild chocobo chase has come to an end." Ignis said. Noctis nodded.
"Let's see where it was leading us."
Noctis and Ignis approached the bush as Prompto and Gladio stayed back. The grey chocobo eyed the prince and his advisor with caution, but remained still. Once they were close enough, Ignis pulled back the branches of the bush, revealing a small bundle of black feathers. Noctis looked over to Ignis.
"Is that…?"
"It is."
Sleeping in the bush was a small, black, baby chocobo. It was curled up, with one leg sticking out. The leg had both dry and fresh blood on it. Ignis stood up, walking back to the others.
"Prompto," He began. "Would you mind if I borrow the handkerchief you have on your arm?"
"H-Huh? Oh, uh… yeah, go ahead." Prompto untied the handkerchief and handed it to Ignis. "Why do you need it?"
"Our first aid kits are in the Regalia." Ignis explained. "So, I have to improvise."
Ignis knelt back down, gently wrapping the fabric around the cut on the chocobo's leg. Unfortunately, the movement was enough to wake it up. The bird struggled, causing the grey chocobo to take a defensive stance. Noctis stood up and held out his hands to the larger bird.
"Hey, stay calm." He said. "Specs knows what he's doing. He won't hurt your baby."
The grey chocobo calmed down, watching as Ignis managed to soothe the smaller one as well. Then, with as gentle of a grip as he could manage, Ignis lifted the small chocobo out of the bush, cradling it in his arms.
"I would've like to wash the cut first, but I don't trust the water in that stream." He said. "However, this should do nicely until we're back at the ranch."
"I didn't think the last chocobo would be a baby." Prompto said, staring lovingly at the adorable bird. He was one hundred percent certain that it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. "Y'know, it kinda looks like you Noct!"
"I don't look anything like that." Noctis argued, leading the grey chocobo to the others. "If anything, a baby chocobo like that is more like you. I mean, I am more mature after all."
"Keep telling yourself that buddy." Prompto teased.
"If you two are done, we should get going." Gladio interrupted. "The sun's almost setting." Ignis nodded.
"Indeed. It would be best to avoid the forest at night."
The others nodded and they headed back towards the ranch, the chocobos happily following behind.
"Well I'll be damned. Ya found all four!"
Back at the ranch, Ignis handed off the baby chocobo to one of the ranch hands, and the other birds were led back to the stables. Noctis handed the whistle back to the old man as he nodded.
"Yeah, it was no problem." He said. "Just happy we could help."
"You fella's did more than just help." The man replied. "You saved my business! If ya ever need a favor, feel free t' ask. I'll be more 'n happy to lend a hand as thanks."
The man waved goodbye and returned to the stables. Noctis turned back to Prompto.
"So, do you still want to go for a ride?" He asked. Prompto glanced at the stables before reluctantly shaking his head.
"Nah, the chocobos have been through enough today. I think we should just let them rest."
Gladio patted Prompto on the back, nearly knocking him over.
"We can come back another day." He suggested. "Maybe they'll even give us the ride for free as thanks."
"Then we should head back to Insomnia for now." Ignis suggested. "Before it gets too dark."
"Ooh! Shot gun!" Prompto rushed back to the car, and Noctis followed behind him.
"We already told you you don't have to call shot gun." He said. "You're the only one that wants that seat."
Gladio and Ignis followed the others, and they drove back along the gravel road. Prompto snapped a quick picture and waved to the old man and the Chocobos as they passed the stables, continuing to wave until the ranch had disappeared behind the trees. His first time seeing a chocobo hadn't gone as he'd expected, but if he had to be honest, it had gone better than he ever could've hoped.