Setting out Again

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.

Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake


With a clang and the sound of fracturing rock, a large chunk of bright pink ore fell to the ground, shards of it clattering into the grass. Bram set down the pickaxe he'd been carrying, leaning down to dig through the pieces, searching for something worth keeping. There was a lot of Fucium in the stone, but not much of it was pure enough for Bram to consider collecting. Some of the impurities were worth holding onto though, including some silver-colored earth crystal shards. Bram hadn't used any earth crystals for anything in a long time, but every older hunter he met swore you needed to build up a stockpile as soon as you could. Bram couldn't guess at why; was it a right-of-passage, or was it just a method of hazing younger hunters, having them collect piles of near-useless crystals?

Bram shrugged, gathering the shards and sliding them into his pouch. It wasn't as though the crystals really took up much space, and if he really did need them, better to have them then not. Of course, most of what he was gathering would go to Caravan Stellazzio… but he was sure to walk away with a little bit of it.

"Ugh… these are so heavy." Bram looked up as Sonia appeared from behind a nearby boulder, her item pouch weighed down with several mined ores of her own. She scowled irritably, dropping her own pickaxe and flexing her hands. "Why doesn't Gahiji use disposable pickaxes? Real ones are so bulky… I think I'm getting some callouses on my hands."

"You're a hunter," the red-haired archer replied. "You spend your days swinging swords. Your hands should already have callouses on them. I know mine do."

"Yeah, well… my callouses are growing bigger callouses on top of them. Why do we have to use these, and not lighter ones?" Sonia grumbled, kicking the solid iron pickaxe.

"You're asking why a country with so many Purists doesn't use mechanical, disposable pickaxes?" Bram asked. "They're heavier, certainly, but they're also more durable, and their weight makes it easier to break off ores. Besides, it's not like you had to buy it, and you didn't have to carry it that far."

Bram glanced off through the trees, where they could see the wagons of Caravan Stellazzio rattling along the ground, the brightly-colored wood standing out in stark contrast against the greenery of the forest.

"Do you think we have enough to make Cleyra happy?" Sonia asked, opening her pouch and glancing inside.

"I doubt it," Bram replied. "That woman takes anything she can get… at least she uses every scrap. I guess she really does make a lot of stuff to sell in villages."

"She doesn't take everything. We get to keep a little bit."

"A few handfuls of ore shards after five hours of mining is certainly a 'little bit'."

"Better than what the Guild takes after a monster hunt. You killed the monster? Great! Have four scales, a scrap of hide and a chunk of the horn and we'll take the rest! Just kill three more of them and you might have enough to make a hat! Honestly, you'd think a hunter would get the lion's share of the materials… whatever a lion is."

"I've heard it's like a small Teostra without wings… you've seen drawings of those, right? But at least with the caravan, we can see what the parts are going to," Bram noted. "The bones go to repairing the wagons or making tools, the hides are tanned and turned into clothing or sacks, the meat is ground up and kept for meals…"

"That's what Burmecia's secret ingredient was in last night's stew?"

"Fresh off the Velocidrome. What did you think they did with the meat and intestines after we'd killed it?"

"I don't know… made them into violin strings or something."

"That's catgut."

"Catgut? Wait… they don't-"

"No, it doesn't come from Felynes. That's just a catch-all term. They use Aptonoth or Popo or Kelbi guts for that."

"Oh thank goodness."

Bram chuckled as he hoisted his pickaxe over his shoulder, motioning back towards the caravan. "Come on, let's get back. We can empty out what we've gathered and hope we've done enough for the day." Sonia nodded and grabbed her own pick before catching up with him, and the two began to work their way back through the trees towards the wagons.

Stellazzio had left Lintukoto right on time the day after the three Therians had beaten the Training Hill, and the caravan was finally on its way toward Dundorma Town. The exam was still a good three months away though, so the caravan was going to take its time getting there. A long, long time getting there: in truth, Dundorma was only about a week's worth of travel to the south of Lintukoto, but the path they were taking was incredibly roundabout.

First the caravan would travel east toward the distant mountains, where they'd spend a week or so at the smithy town, Harth. From there they'd turn south, missing Dundorma and stopping in a few villages as they continued all the way down to the southern sea, where they'd pass through several coastal towns before turning north and making a beeline towards Dundorma. By Steward's calculations, they were slated to arrive a couple weeks before the exam, giving the hunters plenty of time to explore the town and Stellazzio time to sell their wares.

Bram had wondered what they were going to do about having Tuulikki, Violetta, and Leon join the caravan, though; Steward had needed to clean out a storage wagon to make space for Sonia to sleep after all. But the problem was solved before it really became an issue: Tuulikki had access to one her father gave her to use. Apparently it had been used by himself and her mother when they were still active hunters, and Tuulikki was free to use it if she needed to. It wasn't in the best condition since it hadn't seen use in a couple decades, but a week of having the local carpenter work on it got the wagon into working order in time for the journey. As for Leon, while he didn't have a wagon of his own either, Violetta did. It was a small wagon, made for one person, and like Tuulikki, hers was inherited from her mother. Violetta was perfectly content to bunk with Tuulikki though, letting Leon sleep in her wagon, even though the huntress kept some of her equipment in it.

So Caravan Stellazzio set off once more as the week reached its end, this time with six hunters in tow for a long, three-month journey through the countryside until they reached Dundorma Town. Their journey was taking them through what the Gahin referred to as the 'true interior' of the country: the Everwood. So far it didn't seem any different to Bram than the other forests they'd traveled through between Val Habar and Lintukoto Gully, but the Gahin locals had warned the Therians not to stray too far from the road they traveled on. By their word, the Everwood was an almost entirely unmapped maze, and only the roads could be considered trustworthy paths, but even then experienced travelers could become hopelessly lost if they weren't careful. As such, though the hunters were allowed a certain degree of freedom when exploring the area near the road, it was advised that they remain within sight of the wagons at all times.

Unlike their journey through from Val Habar to Lintukoto, Steward wasn't just going to have the hunters walking next to the wagons acting as guards the whole time; he was going to put them to work. The day after they'd left Lintukoto, he'd approached all six hunters and promptly announced that he was going to assign them gathering and mining jobs for the duration of the trip. Though the Gahin hunters had apparently been expecting something like this, the Therian hunters were left baffled when Steward wrote the work off as essentially mandatory.

"Three hunters are fine to keep around as escorts, certainly, but now there are six," he'd explained. "That is six bellies to fill. Your place here as guards is well and good, but if nothing attacks the caravan, then doesn't it seem like you are getting transport and a meal for free? I think it is high time you started earning your dinner. Two hunters are more than plenty for a main guard, while the remaining four gathers resources and materials from the woods."

"Why didn't you have us doing this stuff when we leave Val Habar?" Logan had asked, and Steward had smirked.

"Well, there simply were not many decent materials worth gathering on those western steppes. However, we have begun traveling through the Everwood proper, and the rewards for venturing into these trees are much greater than what we could have found before. Also, I feared that if we worked you too hard so early into the journey, you might rescind your decision to accompany our caravan."

Logan had raised an eyebrow at that. "So you was just waiting until we couldn't back out so easy? That's a bit sneaky, hey?"

"It is hardly sneaky at all, my friend. It is merely business. I run a caravan, and we must make what profit we can to keep moving. All members of the caravan must aid in that endeavor, even the hunters which protect us. Think of it as an investment; the more you gather for the caravan, the greater Stellazzio becomes, and the more we have to offer to you, the hunters." Steward smirked slightly at the hunters. "Or do you feel confident enough to cook your own meals and repair your own weapons for the rest of your journey?"

"Gathering's fine!" Sonia replied quickly, looking nervously between the other two hunters. "So, uh, what sort of gathering are we talking about here?"

Turns out Steward had meant for them to gather pretty much anything of value. He'd had them running through the foliage during the day, gathering anything the caravan needed or could make a profit off of. Meat from Kelbi and Aptonoth, ores from stone outcroppings, herbs, seeds and flowers… almost everything they could get their hands on. The meats, berries, and spices they gathered went to Burmecia's food stores, the ores went to Cleyra, and everything else went to Daguerreo for him to concoct into potions and other apothecary goods. As for today, Bram and Sonia had been assigned to mining duty, which was the roughest, most unforgiving task of them all. Breaking chunks off of ore outcroppings and hauling the spoils back to the caravan was an arduous and tiring task.

As they walked back towards the caravan, the two apprentices passed under a tall stone overhang which was completely overgrown with vines and small shrubbery. This wasn't just any stone overhang, however, but the remains of an ancient ruins, yet another oddity of the Everwood. As Stellazzio had journeyed deeper and deeper, Bram had been surprised to find so many of the dilapidated structures filling the woods of Gahiji; they weren't exactly everywhere, but you couldn't go a whole day without passing one or two. Some were half-submerged in streams and creek beds, some buried in wide valleys and ravines, while others still stood tall and ominous, covered with trees and rising up as though they were part of the landscape itself.

Sometimes, when he'd had time, Bram would investigate the ruins, in hopes of finding something worth discovering. Archeology wasn't his forte, and honestly he had no interest in it; that was the specialty of his sister, Lucy. But if he found something interesting, he might be able to at least send a letter informing her about what he'd seen, and she could look into it herself if she was interested.

Unfortunately, he really couldn't discern anything truly fascinating from the old ruins. His knowledge of the Meridians and their structures wasn't extensive, but he knew enough to assume these ruins were of a different type. The stone wasn't the same type of material for one; the color was generally a dull grey or worn-out orange, and their decaying state was enough to tell Bram that they weren't the same as the pristine white, nearly indestructible stone which most Meridian structures were made from. There weren't any interesting writing on the walls of the ruins either, so hoping to get some information about whoever built them seemed futile. Still, even if he didn't understand anything, maybe his family would. He kept a map in his room and did his best to mark down the locations of the ruins he found in case someone else decided to come visit for themselves.

Soon Bram and Sonia were back on the trail, and a few Felynes darted around Bram's legs, nearly making him trip over himself. Several of the small, cat-like creatures had temporarily joined up with the caravan as it made its way south, since Steward was planning to make a stop at a village called Cheeko Sands down on the coast which was populated almost entirely by Felynes. The Felynes with the caravan were a friendly bunch who all claimed they were heading down to Cheeko Sands to train to be Palicoes, and asked Bram and Sonia to keep them in mind if they ever had need of a sidekick. Bram didn't know how he felt about the idea of hiring a 'sidekick', but he'd promised he'd remember them if he ever felt the need.

As the two hunters caught up with the rear wagons of the caravan, Bram caught sight of Violetta and Leon emerging from the forest on the other side of the train. Both Gahin hunters looked worn down and dirty, and their hands and gauntlets were covered with lingering dirt stains. Violetta smiled and waved when she saw them, grabbing Leon's shoulder and dragging the lancer over towards them.

"You look like you two are having fun," the horn user said with a grin as Sonia swung her pick to the ground and caught her breath.

"Yeah, loads. Nothing like hauling around ten extra pounds of metal and wood and hitting rocks with them for a couple hours, then carrying the best rocks around in your pocket as well."

"What has Steward had you two working on?" Bram asked. "Hunting for tonight's dinner?"

"No, no. Burmecia is planning on finishing off the Velocidrome meat tonight," Leon sighed, patting his own item pouch. While it bulged large on its own, it didn't look as heavy as Bram's and Sonia's. "Today we've been on mushroom and herb duty. Sap plants, ivy, fire, and antidote herbs, nitroshrooms, parashrooms, mopeshrooms… anything that can turn a profit or be mixed into an herbal remedy. Honestly, I feel like there's no point in putting on my armor some days. Maybe I'd be better off getting some farmer's clothes and a till and I'd be better prepared for this kind of work. Gauntlets aren't exactly the best choice for digging through dirt."

"Ah, the glamorous life of a hunter," Violetta laughed. "Become an apprentice in hopes of protecting innocent lives by challenging mighty beasts, and spend your days digging through the underbrush in search of useful leaves and flowers."

"Could be worse," Sonia noted. "Me and Bram get to spend all day breaking rocks. At least plants aren't too heavy, and you don't have to carry a pickaxe…"

"You've clearly never had a fire herb or nitroshroom rub together in your pouch," Leon replied flatly. "At least when you're mining, you're less likely to burst into flame."

"And you've clearly never been hired to gather firestones or firecell stones… or powderstones," Violetta retorted, before shivering slightly. "Things like that make me happy my armor is fire-resistant. But if it makes you feel any better, even the most renowned hunters have to go through the same thing. Imagine someone strutting around in… let's see, what monsters do you have in Theron? Diablos? Deviljho? Imagine someone wearing those armor sets, and know that just like you are right now, they'll be out in the wilds, picking away at ore veins and hoping to chip off a nice chunk of iron, despite having hunted some of the biggest, most violent monsters in the country. Even me and Tuli has some days when we need to go out and break apart big rocks. You should see Tuli when she does, though; her stature is not made for swinging a pickaxe around, so it's kind of funny."

"Where's Tuulikki at, anyway?" Sonia asked, looking down the length of wagons. "I haven't seen her around all day…"

"Today was her day to sleep in a little," Violetta replied. "I don't think she's really taking advantage of it though. She's off in the bushes."

"Uh… Doing what?"

"Master Steward's work having us running through the thicket gathering materials may not be fun, but there is value in it," Leon replied. "The Everwood contains many useful goods and materials for hunters, including Kinsect nectar."

Bram and Sonia nodded in immediate understanding. Bram could already imagine the glaive wielder scouring about in a frenzy, looking for nectars to feed Ketrak. "Why is she bothering having us buy her nectars in Dundorma if we don't pass the exam, if she can just find them lying around on the side of the road?" Sonia asked.

"Probably the same reason people buy potions from apothecaries rather than just mixing together herbs and mushrooms themselves. It's just easier that way. From what Tuli's said, it's pretty random as well. Some nectars just aren't worth collecting, while others are worth more than their weight in gold."

"Uh… I hope you're being rhetorical," Sonia muttered. "I don't think I can afford to buy many nectars if they're worth that much…"

"Just keep your chin up," Violetta replied. "Besides, as long as you all pass the exam, you won't have to worry about it!"

"Yeah… but if I pass, Tuulikki said she'd teach me how to use a glaive, so I'd need to buy nectars to feed my own Kinsect anyway."

"Oh… well, in that case, maybe you should ask Tuli to teach you how to pick out valuable nectars while you're at it."

"Maybe… But do you really think we've got what it takes to pass the exam?" Sonia asked. "Tuulikki said we wouldn't be able to pass the upcoming one at all."

Violetta frowned and cocked her head uncertainly. "I mean… probably? The exam in Dundorma is downright nasty some years. Honestly it really has to do with what year you take it."

"What 'year'? What do you mean?"

"Think about it this way: how many elder dragons are there in Theron?" Leon asked.

"I'm not sure if there's an accurate tally," Bram told them, "but several dozen. Perhaps just under a hundred at the most."

"Hmm. Well, Gahiji has several hundred living within our borders at one time. And Dundorma… For some reason, Dundorma attracts elder dragons as though it has an enormous bulls-eye painted on its walls."

"Pretty much," Violetta nodded. "Some years are worse than others. Most years there's only one or two elder dragon attacks against the city… Sometimes there's half a dozen or more."

"And that affects the exam?" Sonia asked.

"The standards would be higher…" Bram muttered thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Leon nodded. "With elder dragons banging against the walls of the city, the Guild judges tend to be a little harsher. They only accept the best of the best, the cream of the crop… Anything less would just be a casualty against the elder dragons…"

"Huh… well… how are our odds looking this year?" Sonia asked.

"Well… the city was hit pretty hard by a Rusted Kushala Daora last year, but no other elders have made a move in a while now. There haven't been many Chameleos sightings in the last few years, either; its poison gas can really do a number on the population. The deaths have been minimal recently, thank goodness. So the judges should be pretty lenient this year."

"That's… I mean, that's good to hear, but it doesn't really make me feel any better," Sonia replied, crossing her arms. "Even if we pass, won't it just mean we beat the exam only when it was really easy?"

"I don't think many hunters will hassle you too much about it," Leon replied. "Some of the hunters who passed during the rougher years can be snobs about it, but they aren't common. Some of the greatest hunters in the country passed during the more tranquil years. I'm pretty sure she won't bring it up, but Tuli actually passed after an exceptionally long calm. She took her exam after Dundorma hadn't been attacked in almost two years!"

"A Teostra did hit the eastern barricade a week after that," Violetta cut in, "but that's beside the point. As long as there aren't any elder dragon attacks between now and the exam, the judges shouldn't be too critical of your performances."

"It would be kind of interesting to see an elder dragon," Sonia said. "They're really reclusive in Theron."

"Well, if you do, you'd best hope it's a carcass you're looking at," Leon scoffed. "Elders generally aren't friendly to humans when they're still alive, and if you ever see one in Dundorma, I guarantee you it won't be pleasant."

"Chances are good none of you will meet one anyway," Violetta said, stretching her arms. "Only upper high-rank hunters or G-rank hunters are allowed to challenge elders in the first place. Tuli and I have been high rank for a while, but it'll probably be years before the Guild allows us on that kind of hunt. So you can put ideas of hunting elder dragons out of your mind for a while. Maybe get back to focusing on mining ores for Cleyra."

"Ah… I was actually hoping to put that off a little longer…" Bram sighed wearily, patting the bag of rocks at his waist.

"Just imagine how much you're boosting your upper body strength swinging that pick. Great for archers!" Violetta laughed before grabbing Leon's arm and dragging him away. "And keep your eyes open for Dragon Toadstools! They're worth a small fortune! We get the rest of the day off if we find one."

"Will do!" Sonia replied. "But… maybe we should just hold on to them and wait for our own day hunting mushrooms…"

"Aw…"

"I'm kidding! Mostly…" As Violetta and Leon walked away, the huntress turned to Bram. "Come on, string bean, let's drop off what we have."

"Right."

As the two continued towards the smithy wagon, they were stopped by a shout above them. "Did you find anything good out there?" Bram looked up at the sound of the voice, and spotted Selene sitting on top of her wagon, looking over the side and smiling down at him.

"Ah, a bit," Bram replied, patting the bulging pouch at his waist. "Hopefully enough to keep Cleyra happy for a couple days… What are you doing up there?"

"Oh! I am checking up on reports of monster migration! One moment, allow me to show you…" The Guild rep vanished back over the side of the roof for a moment, and Bram and Sonia looked at each other in confusion. A moment later Selene appeared again. "See? Look!"

Perched on the young Wyverian's arm was a tall falcon, clinging tightly to a falconer's glove which covered most of her forearm. The bird was a fine-looking creature, as well as Bram could tell. There was a small tube strapped to the falcon's leg, a message container.

"This is Roo, Master Steward's falcon," Selene explained. "We use it to send messages to villages we leave or are heading to. I sent a message to Harth a couple days ago with a request asking for recent migration patterns in the area, so we know what to expect between here and there, and Roo just returned with their reply. If we see unusual monster activity in the area as we're passing through, we send a report to nearby villages so they are warned in time."

"Using a falcon? Really?" Sonia asked. "Why don't you use the Felyne courier service? They're pretty quick."

"They are, certainly," the young Wyverian replied. Raising her hand into the air, she urged the falcon to the sky, before sliding off the side of the wagon and climbing down. Once her taloned feet clicked against the ground, she raised her arm again and the falcon descended, landing on her arm once more. "However, you can only meet the couriers in towns and villages large enough to support a post office. And if something truly dangerous is spotted out in the Everwood, it is best to get information to other caravans and villages as fast as possible."

"So what sort of message did you get this time?" Bram asked

"Oh, yes. Let me check," she replied, pulling the note from the falcon's leg and unfolding it. "Hmm… It appears as though travel should be relatively safe, with nothing out of the ordinary on the roads… Normal Kut-Ku breeding season, so no need to worry about dealing with them in great numbers… Though, Harth is reporting juvenile Basarios are reaching the age where they venture out from the Volcano, so we'll need to keep an eye out for them. That should not be too hard; Basarios are quite placid unless you intentionally provoke them or get too close."

"Are they dangerous?" Sonia asked eagerly.

"Hmm… Yes and no. As I said, they only attack when provoked. I cannot speak for their difficulty, but I've heard they're fairly slow and cumbersome. But they can spit fire and exhume poisonous gases. However, their greatest challenge is their hides. Even in their juvenile form, their shell is utterly rock-like, and nearly impenetrable to all but the most high-quality weapons."

"Oh," Sonia muttered, frowning irately and pulling out her Seltas sword. "I don't think my sword can handle something like that…"

"It's probably for the best," Bram grinned. "I've read that Basarios have weak underbellies and legs, but intentionally standing under a living boulder to try and wound it seems like a poor plan."

"Hmm. Yeah… all it would have to do is sit down, and… squish."

"Essentially, yes," Selene nodded. "But they are relatively docile creatures. We should be fine as long as we avoid them. All we need to do is keep an eye out for odd rock formations and be wary of them."

"That's… somewhat vague," Bram said.

"It is much easier than you might think. If we do have trouble with one, at least there's some comfort in knowing there are six hunters here to protect us. Having more eyes keeping watch over us is always welcome."

"It must certainly be a lot livelier than usual," Bram grinned.

"Aha, I cannot deny that," the Wyverian laughed. "If nothing else, I am pleased to have someone around I can play chess with."

Sonia blinked in surprise at the words, before giving Bram a flat look, and the archer chuckled sheepishly. "Really? You're already looking for someone else to play with? I know I'm not as good as you, but jeez…"

"Come on now, Sonia, playing with the same person repeatedly can be quite tiring… Logan doesn't play at all, and nobody else in the Caravan seems eager to play. Honestly, I was surprised she'd even heard of the game when I brought it up. It's a Lost game, after all."

"I'm just messing with you, string bean," Sonia laughed, before looking at Selene. "But yeah, I didn't think many non-Lost knew how to play chess or checkers."

"There are some Lost in Gahiji," Selene replied. "Not as many as Theron, but there are enough. Most keep to the larger cities. I've met a few of them in Dundorma, and I learned to play from them. The… rest of the caravan isn't that fond of playing with me though, so it is nice to have new people to play with!"

"I'm looking forward to playing with you later," Bram agreed with a smile. Sonia raised an eyebrow and the archer shook his head. "We've scheduled a game for once the caravan stops for the night."

"Such exciting plans," Sonia replied flatly. "Then again, considering the rest of your family, that sounds like the formula for a regular party night."

"You can play the winner if you like," Selene offered, but the huntress shook her head.

"Eh… no thanks. Board games aren't exactly the most stimulating spectator sports."

"Oh… well, if that is the case, chess is not the only game I learned about from the Lost," Selene replied eagerly. "There's another entertaining game where you use dice to-"

Selene petered to a halt, however, as Sonia made a sour face. The huntress chuckled sheepishly, shaking her head. "Ah, sorry, but I'm really not a big fan of dice games."

"Oh… um, it's not really so much a dice game, but-"

"Sorry," Sonia replied.

"No… no, it's fine," Selene replied with a smile, though Bram could tell she was slightly disappointed. "But if you ever change your mind-"

"Hey, kids!" Bram and Sonia looked up as Burmecia leaned out of the food wagon, smiling warmly at them. They could hear her twins, Conde and Petie clattering around inside the wagon, shouting and playing. "Just wanted to let you know, Cleyra wants you two to try and gather as much machalite as you can today. She need it for something or another."

"Oh boy… uh, how much machalite you have, Bram?"

"Not much, I fear… An abundance of earth crystals and iron, and a few shards of fucium, but machalite has been elusive today."

"By elusive do you mean you can't find any, or you keep messing up when you mine it and all you get is weak scraps?"

"Ah, well… The matter simply comes down to-"

"Yeah, that's what I thought…" Sonia turned and grinned nervously to Selene. "Well, uh… we should probably drop off what we've got and get back to mining. See you around, Selene!"

"Yes… see you," the guildie replied as the huntress took off towards the smithy wagon. Selene looked hopelessly at Bram, but the archer could only shrug.

"Don't worry about it. She's just… not one for games of chance. She doesn't mean anything by it." The Wyverian nodded slowly as Bram turned to follow after the huntress. "I look forward to playing with you later though. See you this evening."

"Yes… see you then, Bram."


Bram and Sonia continued to mine until evening rolled around, when Stellazzio began looking for a good place to set up camp. The Everwood was a rugged land, but every once in awhile, there would be a wide glen or dale where the wagons could circle up and prepare to camp for the night. Steward eventually called them to a halt upon discovering one such area, a wide and level field sitting comfortably near a wide stream which trickled through the forest. The sky was blotted out by the tall trees around them, gargantuan pillars which stretched thick and tall, spreading their canopies out high above and blotting out quite a bit of the dying light. But Steward claimed such cover would keep them safe from any flying wyverns, unless the beasts came plummeting through the canopy for whatever reason.

Bram had accustomed himself to the process by now. Much like they did upon reaching a city, Stellazzio had the draft Popos pull the wagons into a long U shape, with one main opening that would be closed up as the caravaneers went to sleep. Once they were unyoked, the Popos were allowed to roam free for a while, eating grass and berries until night fell, when they were brought inside the ring so they wouldn't be easily targeted by large monsters, and so they wouldn't run away if something nasty did show up.

In the meantime, the most important wagons would open up to get to work; Burmecia's stall would open up to cook everyone dinner, Cleyra would fire up her forge and prepare goods for the next stop or go around repairing anything which was broken, and the hunters would return from their gathering and pass off what they'd collected to whoever needed them. Everyone else went around preparing the camp, and once everything was done, they worked to prepare their own goods in their wagons or sat around making merry with everyone else.

Once the wagons were settled in for the night, Bram was able to take his collection of ores to the smithy wagon and offload the weight which had been bogging him down. Sonia had turned in her own ores a little earlier, when Bram had gotten roped into helping get the food wagon set up. The huntress had teased Bram about getting out of work, but turnabout was fair play: across the caravan, the archer could see that the huntress had gotten pulled into helping Daguerreo organize the potions he was brewing.

"Are you almost done, Bram?" Selene asked eagerly. The Wyverian Guild rep had been hovering close by since she'd gotten her own wagon in place, waiting eagerly for her chance to play Bram in a game of chess.

"Nearly," the archer replied, patting the pouch at his belt. "Once I drop these off, I'll be available, assuming nobody asks me to help them with any other business."

"Well, do so quickly then! I haven't been able to play a game since the last time the caravan was in Dundorma, and that was over six months ago!"

"Yes, of course," Bram laughed as the Guildie pushed him towards the smithy wagon, where Cleyra was already smelting several chunks of iron.

Cleyra was a relatively tall woman, nearly matching Bram in height, but the hunter really didn't know if that was an average height for middle-aged Wyverians or not. Most of the ones he'd met were older Wyverians, and had shrunk down to half Bram's height over time. Aside from Selene, Cleyra was the first one under fifty Bram had ever known… well, the first one that looked like she was under fifty. Her real age was likely much greater, if the rumors he'd heard were true.

She had long, pointed ears and taloned, wyvern-like feet, the latter which were left uncovered, letting her stride around barefoot with the tough soles with her claws clicking against the stone earth. Aside from those points, however, she appeared human in every other way. Her skin was a light coppery color, and her time in the forge had built her into an exceptionally strong and well-built woman, easily capable of swinging the forger's hammer. Her face was pointed and sharp, and her shoulder-length hair was jet black, pinned down haphazardly behind her head, with loose strands hanging down along the sides. Bram had never seen her wearing anything more decorative than durable work clothes, and today was no different. She wore a plain green shirt with the sleeves rolled up over her shoulders, sturdy leather pants, and a thick smithy apron with heat-resistant gloves.

She was a brash and crude individual, but easy to get along with, even if she did like to poke fun at anyone and everyone's expense. She really enjoyed teasing people, and nobody was safe from her tawdry jokes and wicked laughter. The only time she was in a bad mood was when something broke or was damaged, at which point she'd be fuming that someone or something had dared to mar her handiwork. Accidents were let off lightly, but Bram feared what would happen if she'd gotten hold of an intentional vandal; if she'd gotten a chance, she might have reduced that Seltas which had attacked the caravan to paste.

At the moment she was forging a sheet of red-hot iron into some piece of equipment or utensil, though it wasn't developed enough quite yet for Bram to make out what it was going to be. The walls of her wagon were coated in numerous forge tools hanging from pins, and several barrels and buckets containing shards of ore and other supplies surrounded her as she plucked bits and pieces from all of them. It seemed as though she had a small supply of every type of ore Bram had ever seen.

There was even a net filled with dead Konchu hanging from one corner of the roof, which the hunters had killed and collected when they'd come across the Neopterons out in the wild. The creature's shells weren't very malleable, but still found a range of uses. Normally the hunters would've just carved off the shells and brought those back, but Cleyra apparently passed the rest of the Konchu off to Burmecia. Bram chose not to ask what the chef did with the rest of the creature. He wished he could say he remained totally ignorant, but really couldn't after seeing a couple armor spheres sitting at the bottom of a pot of soup a few days ago…

The woman looked up as he and Selene approached, before her eyes beaded in on the heavy pouch hanging from his waist. "Find anything good today, Red?"

"A few decent ores… I think," he replied, sighing at the nickname; the smith favored giving them to people, and Bram wondered if Cleyra even remembered his real name. He turned over his pouch and let what he'd collected clatter onto a table next to her. The smith turned, picking through the shards and chunks of stone.

"Eh, not bad…" she muttered. "Not great though. You don't seem to have the same eye for this that your friends do. I can work with some of this… but the rest is useless to me. You can keep some of the iron and earth crystals."

"Thanks…" Bram sighed, scooping up the scraps Cleyra slid back to him.

"Once we get to Harth, you'll be able to gather more ores for your own use," Selene told the hunter. "Though Cleyra may take more than she needs while we travel, what you collect during sanctioned hunts is yours to keep."

"Ha! And then he'll be paying me some pretty zenni to work that ore into something he can use," the smith cackled. "One way or another, it all comes back to me or some other smith, Twitch."

Selene wrinkled her nose at the nickname, but Cleyra merely smirked. As the smith shifted through the remaining ores, the archer shot a nervous look towards Selene, who returned the look with a confused expression. Bram shook his head though, returning his gaze to the smith and clearing his throat.

"Excuse me, Miss Cleyra… I was-"

"Drop the Miss and try again, kid."

"Erm… Ah, I had a question… Cleyra."

"Yeah, okay, hit me."

Bram cleared his throat, shooting a nervous glance towards Selene. "Well, you seem much more… straightforward and brutally honest than a lot of the other members of the caravan, not one to mince words or show excess… tact."

"Hey now, that's… Eh, actually, that sounds about right. Keep going."

The hunter was quiet for a moment before continuing. "Is… the caravan really alright with accepting me, Sonia, and Logan back as guards for the caravan?" Selene turned to look at him, wide-eyed with shock, but Bram pressed on. "After our failed Seltas hunt, I remember the way they looked at us… Even with two months worth of training, and with Tuulikki, Violetta, and Leon joining us, does anyone really trust us?"

"Bram…" Selene said sadly. "We wouldn't… I mean, I… the rest of the caravan would not…"

However, the smith paused in her work, glancing up at the hunter and raising an eyebrow. "What, you're still worried about that? Don't beat yourself up about it, kid. Everyone makes mistakes or has a rough time sometimes."

"But because of us-"

"So you had a rough time against a Seltas. Big deal," Cleyra muttered. "Nobody in the caravan really minds. Everyone's a rookie at one point, and it's not rare for a caravan to take on an untested hunter. About a year back I heard about some other caravan that hired a hunter who barely had a weapon or armor set to their name, but the caravan master let 'em aboard for the price of a badly-cooked steak and some poorly-mixed herbal remedies. Can you imagine trusting a hunter who only had that cheap mass-produced crap you buy from armories? Uh… don't tell Quale I said that… Actually, tell him if you want. His stuff is garbage."

From across the wagon circle, a metal helmet flew through through the air. Cleyra ducked just in time, and the helmet clattered against the wall of the forge and rolled through the grass.

"Ha! Crap goods, but he's got ears like a Kut-Ku!" the smith cackled, before returning to her work. "Anyway, Steward would'a known hiring three hunters who'd never been to Gahiji before would have its risks, but he did it anyway. The brat's always done that, hiring people because he likes them, rather than knowing whether they're worth hiring or not. At least you three seem to care. I heard about your reception in Lintukoto from the brat. The fact you three were willing to stay there for two months of training after a welcome like that, just so you could improve and guard Stellazzio better means a lot to us. Besides, you did fight off a couple Great Jaggis and Velocidrome, so we knew you weren't blowing smoke or anything.

"You're not the worst hires we've ever had either. At least you three are trying. One time we hired this guy from Dundorma who swore he was this master hunter; had this well-crafted Tigrex armor and everything. But the moment he got scuffed by a Great Jaggi, he screamed like a child and turned tail to run back to town. Turns out he was some merchant's son who'd never hunted in his life before, and had gotten the armor from his father. He was just looking for a thrill, but the plan bit him in the ass… literally. That Jaggi took a piece out of his tush before he got away."

"Really?" Bram asked, as Selene giggled beside him.

"I had almost forgotten about that!" she laughed. "He was using a hammer, and the first swing he took, he lost his grip and ended up throwing it into a pond."

"That's right," Cleyra grinned, giving Selene a smirk. "Of course, I remember one of your daddy's attempts to show off going sour, too."

"My father?" Selene gasped. "Really?"

"Your father was a hunter for the caravan?" Bram asked, and the blonde Guild rep nodded slowly.

"He sure was," Cleyra replied. "Kind of a prude if you ask me, but he wasn't bad with a long sword. 'Course, all the older folk remember one of his first hunts. The guy decided to try and show off for his wife and daughter, who were watching him fight a Kecha that was getting a little too close to the wagons. The Kecha managed to slap the sword out of his hand, then picked it up with its tail and played a big ol' game of keepaway from him."

"He didn't!" Selene gasped. Bram couldn't help but snort in laughter at the mental image, earning a short glare from the Guildie. "I don't remember anything like that!"

"Ah, you were just a little thing at the time, Twitch," Cleyra cackled. "Probably too young to remember. He eventually got his sword back, but he was completely knackered by then, and the Kecha had such a fun time 'playing' with him, it gave him a friendly hosing off with its trunk before swinging off into the forest. Knowing your pop, he probably wove the story into something a little less embarrassing. That or your mother did it for him; your dad wasn't much for telling tales."

Selene writhed about a little in secondhand embarrassment, reaching up and covering her reddening cheeks with her hands, though her flush stretched all the way up to the tips of her wiggling ears. Cleyra leered at the Guild rep in silent laughter, and Bram couldn't help himself from trying to pat Selene on the shoulder consolingly, but that only made her face grow redder.

"Anyway, like I said, you three aren't doing too bad. You've got plenty of time to prove yourselves," Cleyra said, still grinning as she returned to her work on the forge. "Just keep trying and do your best, and the caravan won't think less of you."

Bram nodded, smiling slightly. "Thanks…"

"Though, it wouldn't hurt if you could mine something better than those dregs you thought were ore. Just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's any good, Red."

"I'll attempt to do better… I suppose I'm just better at digging through bushes, looking for those seeds and flowers Daguerreo wanted." Bram reached into his pouch, pulling out a small collection of said seeds, which he'd picked up when searching for ore veins. "They're pronounced 'Cathangeas', right? What does he want all of them for?"

"We use them as trading goods," Selene replied. "Cathangea flowers, seeds, and extract are all potent healing agents."

"Really? They're medicine?" Bram asked, looking down at the seeds in his hand.

"You got it… but they aren't for humans," Cleyra told him, shaking her head. "They work primarily on Wyverians, closing wounds and bolstering the immune system."

"They are a Wyverian equivalent of potions, when properly blended with other herbal ingredients," Selene added, clearing her throat now that her face and ears weren't beet-red anymore. "For humans, Felynes, Troverians, or any other creature aside from Wyverians, they do not have an effect more than giving the user a slight buzz."

"How does that work? What's so different about Wyverian bodies that makes this work for them and not everyone else?"

"Who knows?" Cleyra shrugged, and Selene shook her head as well. The smith sighed, however, when Bram gave her a frustrated look. "Hey, I'm not a doctor, Red. I hit stuff with a hammer until you can wear it or use it to kill things. Don't look at me for biology lessons… And don't ask me about the fun kind of biology lessons either, like your boy Logan did; you're too young for my tastes."

Bram flushed in embarrassment. "Buh… I wasn't going to-"

Cleyra threw her head back and laughed at the hunter's flustered expression. "Ah, you young boys are always so much fun to play with." The Wyverian leaned forward, giving the archer a sly look. "Though, I have always liked men with red hair… If you're still interested in a few more years, and put on a little more muscle… maybe grow a beard too, you'd probably be someone I wouldn't mind spending some quality time with. Then you can really find out what the differences between human and Wyverian bodies are."

Thankfully, Selene stepped forward to save Bram as his face flared and he sputtered out an incoherent response. "Oh, quit playing around, Cleyra. Leave him alone; can't you see he's uncomfortable?"

"Ha! That's what makes it fun! The only thing better than toying with a boy like him is watching a show-offy Kin like Logan flounder when you make the same offer. He's not as suave as he likes to think he is."

"Kin?" Bram asked.

"You still shouldn't tease him like that!" Selene replied stubbornly, getting an amused smirk from the smith. "It's rude."

Bram cleared his throat, trying to push down any lingering embarrassment. "Well, either way, it isn't as though she and I could… erm. Well, I'm human and you're Wyverian, after all."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Humans and Wyverians are perfectly compatible," Cleyra replied, winking at Bram, and making the archer blush again. "I speak from experience."

"They… what?"

"Sure. Humans and Wyverians can have all the fun their little hearts or other body parts desire. There isn't that much difference in equipment. They can even have kids together if they want."

"They can?"

"Sure. You didn't know that? My father was human after all. And just looking at Twitch here, you can tell that she probably has a fair share of human blood in her too." Bram glanced at Selene with a scrutinizing look, and the Guild rep fidgeted nervously under his gaze. Realizing he was embarrassing her, he turned away and cleared his throat again.

"That's… I didn't know that was possible," Bram muttered.

"Wyverians are not exactly… forward about that information," Selene replied. "It is not a true secret or anything. Perhaps Wyverians in Theron simply don't feel the need to announce it… at least, not as loudly as Cleyra here does."

The smith chuckled in amusement as Bram leaned forward intently. "Are you certain? I didn't think that would be biologically feasible."

"Well, you changed your tune quick," Cleyra chuckled. "Sure, Wyverians and humans can make babies if they make the effort. I'm proof positive of that."

"But we're different species… how would a human and Wyverian-"

"You don't know? Sheesh, Red, I would've thought your parents would've given you that talk by your age." Bram found himself growing red again, and Cleyra cackled again. "Heh, I'm just messing with you. But I thought I told you, kid: don't look at me for biology lessons. I know it works, and I know the process is nice and fun, but I don't know the chemistry behind it. Talk to a doctor about that kind of thing."

"But how-"

"I think that's enough sex ed for now, kid. Twitch, do you mind distracting him with something else? Go play that royalty game you like so much, cheese or whatever."

"It is called chess," the Guild rep corrected, but she wrapped a hand around Bram's arm and dragged him away from the smithy. "But that's a good idea. Come on, Bram, let us get you to do something besides asking women about intimate matters."

"But I was just… erm. Right. Okay…"


"How was your big game?" Sonia asked as Bram approached the campfire, carrying a small bowl and spoon in his hands. The hunters had gathered around a small fire pit near the open end of the caravan, where they could leap into action if anything more threatening than an agitated Kelbi showed up in the clearing. Burmecia had cooked up the last of the Velocidrome meat, so it was round two of stew night. At least she'd used different spices this time, but fire herbs and pepper had been used, and Sonia hated spicy food…

"Rather… informative. If nothing else, Selene is much better at chess than I first believed her to be," the archer replied, sitting down next to her and swallowing a spoonful of his stew. He gave her a small but sly grin. "Better than you, at least."

"Hey, now-"

"I'm only teasing you," Bram laughed. "Perhaps it's more accurate to say I'm too used to playing against you. You're always so defensive-"

"It's not like I have a choice! If I didn't defend myself, you'd roll right over me."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Sonia. However, Selene was always on the offensive. She'd taken half a dozen of my pieces before I managed to adjust my strategy."

"You sound happy about that."

"It's nice to find someone new and challenging to play. I don't really have many people to play back home. My siblings all think it's a boring memorization game… and maybe they're right. If someone can think ahead enough moves, you really can't beat them."

"Is that why you keep beating me? You've just got a better memory?"

"That and the fact you keep your king in one place. A king can and should move around, Sonia. It's not a bad strategy to use it as an attacker if you're careful about it. You're a hunter, so you should know standing still isn't a solid plan."

"Yeah, yeah," Sonia mumbled, lifting her bowl to her lips and draining the rest of the broth inside. She winced a little as the spice bit into her tongue before grabbing her water bottle and downing half of it.

"It's not even that spicy," Bram said, shaking his head.

"Spicy enough," Sonia replied. She set her bowl down next to her, but she could still feel an ache in her stomach. She was still pretty hungry, and the stew had been delicious… but it was just so spicy! She'd suffer a little tonight and eat well in the morning…

"Still hungry, Sonia?" the archer asked, a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. Sonia frowned. He must have seen her eyeing his half-eaten meal. "Go ahead and get another bowl. There's plenty to go around, and it would be such a waste to shame such delicious food, don't you agree?"

The huntress scowled at him for a moment before huffing and crossing her arms. "I'm perfectly fine. I can go without another bowl and not be-" She was cut off, however, as her stomach growled noisily, and she pursed her lips together in agitation. Bram held back a snicker and motioned back to the food wagon.

"Just go get another bowl, Sonia; there's no need to starve yourself. I'll fill up your water bottle for you."

"Yeah, fine…" the huntress sighed, pushing to her feet and shuffling back toward the food wagon.

When Sonia returned, blowing away the steam on her piping-hot stew, she glanced up at the sound of Vi and Leon laughing. Across the campfire, she saw Logan sitting next to the horn wielder, waving his arms dramatically as he told the two of them a story.

"I swear, the Qurus couldn't have been higher than my chest, hey? Tiny little things, and at least a half-dozen of them! Little devils was jumping all over the place, making all these little bursts of fire and lightning. Didn't think too much of it 'til I got hit by one of 'em and the blast sent me flying over a ledge and into a pond. They chased me into the water, like they was gonna try and finish me off, but it was too deep for them, hey, and they had to swim for me. When I get my head above the water, all I see is a line of little Qurupecos honking at me, all in single file like they was a group of ducklings. Was so adorable I could hardly keep from laughing until they was striking they flints at me again."

"How'd you manage to get out of that one?" Leon asked.

"One of my buddies, Steven, come jumping over the ledge to save me. Now Steven's a big boy, hey? Least three-fifty by himself, and he wearing full Barroth armor with a big ol' iron hammer on top of that. He just-" Logan slapped his hands together for emphasis "-belly-flops the Quru in the middle and they both sink. The rest of the Qurus flip out and panic, and I got time to lop of one of they heads with my sword, and that's it. The rest of them had enough and bolt. Next thing I know they's this flurry of feathers and flapping wings and they four of them that's still living take off running. Me and my friends decide we'd had enough too, so we pack it in and take what we found back to the camp. Gotta say though, think that was the only time we managed to carry an entire monster back to the Guild, rather than cutting up the pieces. Two of them, actually, even if one of them was a little, eh, flat."

"Oh, wow, that's great," Vi giggled. "Does Theron have a lot of tiny monsters like that?"

"Eh, ain't common, but you see 'em now and then. The Guild once had a Green Plesioth on display that was half my size. Think some fisher caught it off the western coast and managed to beat it into submission. Couldn't been much bigger that the jumpy girlie over there," Logan smirked, pointing towards Tuulikki, who scowled irritably back at him.

"At least it was shockingly small, and not shockingly big," Leon chuckled, looking at Vi and Tuulikki. "Remember that 'extermination' job we were hired for?"

"Oh, man, that was terrifying…" Vi groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"What happened?" Sonia piped in.

"Some weirdo in a town south of Lintukoto was keeping Konchu as pets-"

"It wasn't that weird…" Tuulikki said quietly. The glaive user's gloves and knees were covered with a thick layer of dirt and grass stains from her nectar search through the forest. Ketrak was sitting on her head with a large, moist-looking white flower in its forelegs and seemed to be sucking a pale liquid out of it. Sonia supposed that had to be the nectar she'd been looking for…

"It was when he was feeding them so much that they were six feet tall and fifteen feet long!" Vi replied. "The were bigger than a Rhenoplos!"

"That is terrifying," Logan muttered.

"It wasn't that bad!" Tuulikki argued.

"Anyway," Leon cut in. "A bunch of the things got out of their cage and took up residence in a small canyon nearby, and the Guild put out a bounty to get rid of them before they started breeding and ruining the ecosystem. We took the job… even if it took some work to convince Tuli to join us."

"She wanted to keep one of them," Vi whispered, though the look on Tuulikki's face showed she'd heard.

"I'm surprised you participated at all, considering your feelings about insectoids," Bram noted.

"Yes… well, while I do not like harming Neopterons or the like, I realize that they sometimes can be a threat. Besides, these Konchu were unnaturally enlarged, and would only have endangered themselves and the world around them if they hadn't been dealt with."

"She did help out a lot," Vi told the Therians. "Usually you just need to flip a Konchu over and stab its underbelly, but that's a little harder to do when a Konchu is three times your size. Tuli was able to pry her glaive between the Konchu's shells and gut the creatures from the side that way. It made things a lot easier."

"That's quite impressive," Bram said. "Konchu shells are quite hard from what I've seen. I'm surprised you have the skill for such accurate attacks with a weapon like that."

"Of course," Tuulikki replied, puffing her chest out as a haughty expression covered her face. "I have high goals set for myself, after all. My mother was a great hunter, and-"

"'-as her daughter I strive to hold myself to the great standard that she has set.'" Both Vi and Leon had spoken in sync, rolling their eyes as Tuulikki words sputtered to a halt.

"We've heard this many times before," Leon explained with a smile as Tuulikki scowled at the two of them.

"So how many stories about her mother has Tuli forced you three to sit through?" Vi asked with a smirk.

"Hmm? Uh. None?" Sonia replied.

"What? Really?"

"All we got so far is that Tuulikki uses the glaive because her mother used it."

"You don't say?" the huntress asked, glancing curiously at the glaive wielder. "When we first met, she wouldn't shut up about her mother. Me and Leon must have gotten six stories in the first day after we said 'hello'."

Tuli huffed and crossed her arms, but tilted her cap down so the brim covered her eyes a little. "Well, considering our relationship for the first month we were acquainted… telling stories about my mother didn't seem like they would be well received."

"Ah. Fair enough."

"Was your mother some sort of local hero or something?" Sonia asked Tuulikki. "I saw the tapestries in the village hall, and there was a woman in them that had hair like yours. Was that her?"

"It was indeed," Tuulikki replied proudly. "My mother, Mielikki tar'Lempo, was an excellent huntress, who protected Lintukoto for well over two decades. She and my father were two of the finest hunters of their generation, and until the day my father lost his leg in battle with a Black Diablos, they were one of the most well-respected pairs of hunters north of Dundorma. Even after Father's retirement, however, Mother continued acting as the guardian of Lintukoto. One of her greatest achievements was her victory over a Teostra that threatened to devastate the whole village, single-handedly meeting it in battle and repelling it before it could damage a single hut!"

"Wow! She sounds amazing!" Sonia replied excitedly.

"She was. There is a reason I chose to take up the insect glaive: so I could follow in her footsteps and become a great huntress that would be able to defend Lintukoto as well as she did."

"I wish you would have introduced us while we were still in Lintukoto!" However, Tuulikki's expression fell at Sonia's words, and both Vi and Leon looked away uncomfortably. It took a moment, but Sonia quickly realized what was wrong. "Oh… Is she…? I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Tuulikki replied solemnly. "You didn't know. She… died when I was a little girl. My father and several other elders were called to an assembly between the villages around Lintukoto, and our family went along. En route to the gathering, however… our wagons were attacked by a Tigrex. The caravan was saved, but both I and my mother were badly wounded during the fight. I managed to recover from my injures, but Mother…" The glaive wielder shook her head. "I was raised hearing stories about her from my father and the rest of the village, telling me tale about her adventures, her personality, and her ideals. It's why I became a huntress, because even after her death, she had such a strong legacy within Lintukoto Gully, and I wanted to live up to that."

Sonia nodded. "I understand that."

"But what about you three? You said your parents were hunters, right?"

"Want to brag about them, too?" Vi asked curiously. "Can't have Tuli taking up the quota, after all."

Sonia and Bram shared a quick, nervous look between each other, getting an odd look from the Gahin hunters, and Sonia chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, our parents were all hunters at one point or another. My dad's the only one that's still in the business though. Mom retired to run a shop when my brother was born so she could take care of us."

"My father and mother retired a couple years before my eldest siblings were born," Bram added. "Father was wounded during a hunt, and Mother wanted a more peaceful life, so she went with him."

"You get any good stories from them?" Leon asked.

"A couple…" Sonia replied slowly, thinking for a moment. Somehow she'd managed to hide her heritage during these last couple months, and she wanted to keep it that way, so she'd have to think of something exciting that wouldn't give her and Bram away… "I can't follow up an elder dragon with something weak, but Dad mostly keeps to simple hunts and helps Bram's dad with his work these days… Oh! I've got a good one! My dad once killed a Gold Rathian by himself! I think. He always is kinda vague about that story… Or, wait, maybe the time our parents all killed a Silver Rathalos? What do you think, Bram?"

"Don't ask me," the archer shrugged. "You're the storyteller between us, though I'd go with the Silver, myself. My father tells that Rathian one differently every time I ask. I think he gets a kick out of making things up. My siblings and I suspect he did something foolish during the fight and is too embarrassed to admit it. My mother was there for the Silver fight, and she's always been steady with her telling of it. But how about the Deviljho story?"

"That's a good one… but it's a little depressing. And it's a little… you know."

"Ah. Right."

"A little what?" Vi asked curiously.

"Eh… we'll tell you that one another time," Sonia replied, before . "Alright, then, I'll tell the Silver one. Give me a minute to get into a good storytelling vibe. This story starts off strong and I want to do it right!"

"You do that," Bram chuckled as the huntress put on a serious face while brushing her fingers through her fluffy brown hair. He turned away from her a moment later, looking towards Leon. "While she's thinking about that, how about you? Any family stories you want to share?"

The lancer shook his head, though. "My parents were both shopkeepers who worked for Vi's father. No hunters in our family at all."

"None?"

"Not a one. Working at a general store isn't the most noble occupation in the world, but it kept us fed and happy, and that's all you really need. I was inspired to become a hunter thanks to all the stories Vi's mother told us, and a few noble hunters I met at the inns in Dundorma."

"What about you?" Tuulikki asked, looking at Logan. "Any family on your end? You said you used your father's great sword earlier in your career, so I assume he was a hunter?"

However, Logan was quiet for a moment, glowering slightly as he stared into the flames. "Yeah, he and Momma was both hunters, I guess, but I never really knew my father. Momma was the only one around, and she retired a long time 'fore… I came along. But ja, I did it 'cause of my mother."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group when Logan didn't immediately continue speaking. It was broken not long after, when Sonia clapped her hands together. "Alright I'm ready!"

"Oh! Let's hear it then!" Vi said eagerly.

The hunters swapped a couple stories they had ready to tell, but after Vi told a story about one of her mother's encounters with a pair of Zamtrios, Tuulikki pushed to her feet, stretching a little before clearing her throat. "We need to decide what tasks we're all going to have tomorrow. Since Logan was on permanent guard duty today, he gets first pick of what duty to take tomorrow."

"Probably gonna help Burmecia get some more meat, hey? Getting sick of Velocidrome. Too chewy for me. Meat needs to be tender and juicy. Thinking of going after Aptonoth… maybe fishing if I can. They was some nice-looking Speartuna in the last stream we pass by."

"Oh! Yes please!" Sonia said as she licked her lips. "Try and get some Blue Cutthroat if you see any! Those are the tastiest!"

"Eh… hate catching those pointy things. They keep cutting my lines… but I try, hey?"

"Make sure you ask Burmecia to use that pepper sauce from three days ago on it," Leon chimed in with a small smirk.

"Don't you dare!" Sonia snapped.

"She'll cook the fish as she deems fit," Tuulikki noted, cutting the two off, "and we'll eat it, unless you feel like cooking your own dinner. As for you, Logan, how do you expect to catch fish and keep up with the caravan as well? I'm no fisher, but as I recall, people generally try to remain still and quiet while fishing. If you loiter too long, the wagons will leave you behind."

"I got my ways," Logan replied. "On that note, hoy Leon, think you could loan me you lance tomorrow?"

"Why would you… If you're planning on going spearfishing using my lance, it's not going to happen."

"What, you don't trust me?"

"No."

"If that's your plan, maybe you should try and use your great sword," Violetta suggested with a grin. "You could save Burmecia the need to cut off their heads herself."

"If we can get back to the business at hand?" Tuulikki sighed. "Sonia, tomorrow you're on Kelbi duty."

"Aw, what? Again?"

"Yes, again. Apparently, Daguerreo favors your work. Just do what you normally do and you should be able to collect what he needs."

"Another day beating Kelbi over the head with my shield… fun-fun…"

"You're the least likely to kill them out of all of us. Now then, tomorrow is Bram's morning off. You can get some extra sleep if you want, or you can try to gather some spare materials of your own out in the forest without worry of the caravan claiming it."

"I just might do that," Bram replied. "I think I'll try and collect some Cathangea seeds while I have some time…"

"Oh? Why the sudden interest in Wyverian remedies?"

"I'm just curious about them. Also, while we're on the subject…"

"No, I have not started gathering Kinsect essence," the glaive wielder grumbled. "Should you manage to pass the hunter's exam, I will start gathering it then, but not before. It is to be the reward for a wager, not a gift. Perhaps you should be gathering money for my nectars, hmm? Or spend your day off gathering high-quality nectars while we're still in the Everwood?"

"Ah, never mind then…"

"I thought as much. Now, Cleyra told me earlier that she needs some higher-quality materials for certain goods she'll be selling in Harth, so tomorrow Leon and I will start-"

However, before the woman could finish speaking, the silence of the forest was cut short as a loud, echoing roar rolled through the trees. It was like the cawing of a crow, but amplified much louder. In a flash, all the hunters were on their feet, and shouts of concern and worry began to sound through the caravan.

"Garuga!" Violetta hissed, immediately pulling her hunting horn into ready position and glancing around worriedly. The huntress rushed towards the gap in the wagons, and the rest of the hunters followed her.

"A what?" Logan asked, raising his hand and clutching the hilt of his great sword.

"Yian Garuga," Tuulikki replied as she unslung her glaive and held her arm up for Ketrak to land on. "A violent and dangerous monster, full of fire and poison. Like a Rathian, but smaller and faster."

"Hoy, that don't sound good," the great sword user muttered.

Sonia nodded in agreement as she reached for the hilt of her sword, clutching the handle. Another caw sounded, echoing through the trees, but Sonia still couldn't tell where it was coming from. The sun was nearly beyond the horizon, and the growing darkness was just making the situation worse. Every shaking bush and moving branch seemed like it could be the monster coming for them. Sonia strained her mind, trying to remember the monster guide books Bram and Logan had shown her; what was a Yian Garuga supposed to look like again? Wasn't it purple or something? Damn it, why were all the pictures of the monsters drawn so badly?!

"Stand back," Tuulikki said sharply, holding her hand out to the side and waving the apprentices back. "All four of you! Violetta and I will take care of this! A Garuga is far out of your skill range at the moment!"

"I can help!" Logan cut in, stepping forward and grabbing the hilt of his sword. "If this thing so dangerous, you gonna-"

"I told you to stand back!" Tuulikki replied sharply. "You're not ready for something like this yet."

"This flat ground!" Logan snapped, pointing at the flat field in front of them. "This ain't something I gotta use all that training for, hey? I can help you take care of-"

Tuulikki turned on him. "You will not! You are still an apprentice, and a Garuga is beyond your-"

"I is not just an apprentice!" the great sword user barked.

"You are in this country!" the glaive wielder hissed. "And I will not have you breaking Guild regulation out of some prideful desire to-"

"Uh, guys?" Sonia tensed as the footsteps through the foliage grew louder, and the trees and bushes beyond the treeline shook and trembled. Logan and Tuulikki spun back around, and a small sapling jolted to the side, snapping in two, and Sonia stared intently at it, bracing herself, and a moment later a large creature burst from the foliage.

It wasn't exactly what Sonia had expected it to be. It was a flying wyvern with a similar body structure to a Rathian, that much was true, but it didn't appear nearly as dangerous as Tuulikki and Violetta had made it out to be. Looks could be deceiving though. The creature was thin, with a long, sinewy body ending in a whip-like tail. Its wings appeared rather small for a creature its size, but Sonia couldn't guess how well it could fly from just that.

What caught Sonia off guard were two things, however. First was the Garuga's large and bulbous head. The wyvern's wide, curved beak had to be almost as big as its torso, and that wasn't even taking into account the large fan-like ears which sprouted from the top of its head, curled around like a frill. As the creature had run out of the foliage, its head bobbed around awkwardly as it ran, making Sonia wonder how it managed to stay upright at all. The second thing that surprised her was the creature's color. She had expected something dark and natural-looking, to let the creature hide in the greenery around them; that's what most monsters were like. But she hadn't been expecting the Garuga to be so… pink.

As the creature slid to a halt in the glen, it paused for a moment to catch its breath, panting heavily for a few moments. Its head popped up a moment later though, and it turned to look at the caravan in confusion, cocking its head and twisting its fan-like ears curiously.

"That's… the deadly Garuga?" Sonia asked uncertainly. "It doesn't… look that dangerous."

"Ah, no no, that's not a Yian Garuga," Tuulikki sighed in relief. She, Vi, and Leon had all relaxed immensely from how they'd previously been. "That's just a Yian Kut-Ku. They are similar species, and I suppose they and Garuga sound quite similar. The echoes must have made the sound deeper than it was."

"Guess this one just has a good set of pipes on it," Violetta agreed, stepping back a little and patting Logan on the shoulder. The hunter was still glowering slightly, and the horn wielder chuckled nervously. "But this is a monster you guys can take on. Why don't you four go ahead and-"

Before the hunting horn wielder finished speaking, however, there was another loud crashing in the underbrush. The Yian Kut-Ku jolted in fright, turning around in terror before bolting away as another monster burst through the foliage from where it had come from.

Sonia thought it was another Kut-Ku at first, but it wasn't quite the same, with a similar shape but quite a bit larger. Its long tail ended with a spiked club as opposed to its pink variant's thin whip, its beak was more long, narrow, and sharp-looking, and its fanned ears were much more pointed. There was a bright, silvery mane growing from behind its ears, and its shell was coated in spikes. The pink coloration was gone as well, and the creature was covered almost head to toe in deep purple scales.

This monster certainly looked more deadly than the Kut-Ku. Aside from its appearance, the creature's body was completely coated in battle wounds. Its torso had countless scars running across it, its wings were tattered and torn in some places, and one of its ears had been torn away to the point where it was almost completely gone. A large scar tore down the same side of the wyvern's face, and had completely destroyed its eye, leaving the creature with only its right one. Its beak was chipped and dented all over, but retained its sharp appearance… and though Sonia couldn't be sure, she thought she could still see dried blood caked onto the point of the beak, a lingering remnant of whatever poor creature this beast had last attacked.

"That's a Yian Garuga," Violetta said, rushing back in front of the apprentices.

The Garuga was chasing after the Kut-Ku almost immediately as it burst from the foliage, howling violently as flames licked its beak. The Kut-Ku fled as though its life depended on it, and Sonia couldn't help but feel that, judging from the look in the Garuga's eyes, it probably did. The creatures were so similar, and yet the Garuga was preying on the Kut-Ku? What kind of monsters were these? The Garuga had burst out from the bushes sprinting at almost full speed, and had barely slowed down since its appearance. The Kut-Ku, however, had been standing still when the Garuga had appeared, and by the time it had turned to flee, the Garuga was already nearly on top of it. The Kut-Ku was squawking in horror as the Garuga's ravenous caws echoed behind it, and the purple monster's beak snapped viciously at the pink's snapping tail.

The Kut-Ku's panicked sprinting sent it careening across the field, its head spinning about in terror as each look back only showed the Garuga nipping at its heels. The wyvern's frantic path sent in charging directly towards the base of a tall, dead tree, and at the speed the Kut-Ku was fleeing from the predator behind it, Sonia feared the pink wyvern was going to crash right into the brittle old trunk. However, just before the Yian Kut-Ku reached the tree, and as the Garuga's beak prepared to clamp down on the pink wyvern's thin tail, the Kut-Ku spread its wings, beating them powerfully and pushing itself into the air. It twisted its body, planting its feet against the base of the tree and half-sprinted, half-flew up the side of the dead tree, shooting straight up towards the branches up near the top.

Behind it, the Yian Garuga had been too focused on trying to sink its beak into its pink cousin that it was caught off guard by the tree and slammed headlong into the brittle trunk. The wood splintered and creaked as the purple wyvern's sharp beak pierced the old wood, burying the Garuga's head into the trunk nearly up to its eyes. The creature groaned in pain, tugging backwards, but the impact had really wedged it in there, and the Garuga was left flapping its wings and digging its feet against the ground, trying to yank itself free.

At the top of the tree, the Yian Kut-Ku had reached the highest branches, and settled down to catch its breath, wheezing for air as it perched on a thick leafless branch. After a few deep breaths it snapped its head around fearfully, before cocking its head in surprise at the sight of the Garuga wedged into the base of the tree. The Kut-Ku let out a pleased caw, bobbing its head gleefully, but jolted in fright as the purple wyvern below managed one especially powerful pull, yanking its head free of the trunk with a ripping, splintering sound. The Garuga shook its head a couple times, sending shards of wood and debris onto the grass under it, before spinning its head around in confusion, searching for the Kut-Ku which had apparently disappeared without a trace.

Before the creature could look up and spot its pink cousin, however, the Garuga turned its gaze in the direction of the caravan. The hunters winced as the creature's single, piercing orange eye drilled into them, before it turned to observe the caravan. The last of the caravaneers were retreating to the safety of their wagons, but the Popos remained staked to the ground, panicking in fear from the Garuga's calls. Though the food wagon had been boarded up, the wafting smell of the stew which had been cooking could still be smelled coming through the vents on top.

The Garuga's eye remained locked on the caravan for several moments, and after a moment's contemplation, the Garuga turned away from the dead tree, forgetting about the Yian Kut-Ku completely, stamping its feet and letting out a low, threatening warble towards the hunters.

"Vi!" Tuulikki hissed, and the hunting horn wielder nodded sharply. Logan took a step forward, but a sharp look back from the glaive wielder froze him in place, though he glowered at her in frustration. "Stay there! We'll deal with the Garuga, you keep the caravan safe!"

"But I-"

"No arguments!" Tuulikki snapped, before both huntresses dashed towards the Garuga, making the purple wyvern's gaze snap towards them. Logan looked as though he was going to follow them into the fray anyway, but he froze with a look of bitter consternation on his face, growling under his breath. He remained where he was, but his hand remained firmly on the hilt of his great sword, and he looked ready to charge forward at the slightest sign of trouble.

Before the huntresses could get halfway to the wyvern, the Yian Garuga unleashed a powerful caw, so loud and penetrating that Sonia winced painfully, even from how far away she was. Tuulikki and Vi were much closer, and both of them nearly staggered to a halt due to the sound, wincing in pain as they covered their ears.

Almost immediately, flames blazed in the Garuga's maw, and a fireball blazed out of the creature's mouth, searing through the air towards the two huntresses. Sonia winced in shock at the speed that the creature had unleashed the blast; she'd seen Rathians fire off such fireballs, and the Garuga had done it much faster! The huntresses leapt away as the blazing orb hit the ground between them, detonating and sending a wave of dirt and fire outwards. Tuulikki and Violetta each circled around the creature in different directions, forcing the creature to snap its head back and forth between them uncertainly. Its instincts kicked in quickly though, and the purple wyvern snapped its head towards Tuulikki, the smaller of the two, and charged towards her.

The Garuga really was fast, and was on top of the glaive wielder in only a couple seconds, sliding to a halt and pecking at the huntress. Tuulikki had been ready for it, however, and leapt away from the creature, sliding between each of the creature's attacks with fluid dexterity. The huntress lashed out with her glaive, the edge of her weapon clashing against the creature's beak and making the purple monster flinch back. At the same time she swung her arm out and Ketrak darted forward, slamming into the Garuga's beak and biting the creature's torn ear. The purple wyvern squawked in rage, shaking its head fiercely to dislodge the Kinsect, but Ketrak had already let go and was flying back to Tuulikki, his essence sac growing a vibrant red color.

As Ketrak settled on Tuulikki's bracer and emptied the essence into the mouthpiece, the Garuga finally noticed the Kinsect wasn't on its head anymore and returned its attention to the huntress. However, the huntress immediately lashed out at the creature, cracking the blade of her glaive against the Garuga's beak and making the creature flinch slightly. The blade didn't pierce the wyvern's thick beak though, and the creature lashed its spike-covered tail at the huntress. Tuulikki immediately ducked under the tail before leaping forward and sliding between the Garuga's legs.

From under the purple wyvern, an orange twister seemed to spring up as Tuulikki spun and slashed out at the Garuga's underbelly, slicing into the weaker scales and cutting shallow lines into the creature's hide. The wyvern howled in pain before unleashing another powerful caw, beating its wings and throwing itself backwards, leaving Tuulikki wincing in pain where she stood. However, just before the creature's talons struck against the ground, the Yian Garuga beat its wings down in a powerful push which launched it through the air like an arrow. Sonia could scarcely believe the speed at which the wyvern rocketed through the air towards Tuulikki, and she couldn't even try to shout a warning to the huntress before the purple creature was upon her.

Tuulikki had recovered in time and seen the attack coming though. The moment the Garuga was within range the huntress sidestepped to the right, just as the wyvern twisted in the air with incredible dexterity and performed an aerial backflip. The spiked tip of the Garuga's tail sliced through the dirt with ease, but Tuulikki had dodged the appendage, completely escaping the poison-tipped barbs. The Garuga wasn't done, however, and even as it completed its backflip it pushed itself several yards backwards through the air before rocketing forward again and swiping at the huntress with yet another backflip. Tuulikki dodged the second swipe just as nimbly, pulling herself back from the Garuga as the creature finally dropped to the ground again, cawing venomously at the huntress as she circled around it.

Flames welled up in the wyvern's gullet as it glared at the huntress, but before the Garuga could strike, there was a flash of pink. Suddenly, Violetta was next to the wyvern, swinging her hunting horn around and smashing it into the creature's skull. The fuzzy green horn cracked against the Garuga's head with much more force than Sonia would have thought possible, and the wyvern staggered backwards in pain. As the creature shook its head and turned towards the huntress, Vi followed up the attack by swinging her horn low to the ground before pulling it upwards and smashing the base of the weapon into the Garuga's lower jaw, snapping the wyvern's head upwards and sending it staggering backwards.

It retaliated almost immediately though, howling in fury and stamping its feet on the ground a couple times before dashing towards Vi. The huntress braced herself and dove to the side as the Garuga drew close, but the wyvern caught her off guard by sliding to a halt right next to her. The purple monster snapped its head back and clamped its beak closed before driving it down towards the huntress. Vi leapt backwards before the wyvern's beak punched into the ground, creating a four-foot wide crater in the earth. Even as Vi staggered back, the Garuga yanked its head free of the dirt and stepped forward to slam its beak down again, and Sonia could hear the edge of the Garuga's beak scraping against the huntress' chestpiece as it slammed into the ground again.

However, the Garuga was frozen for a moment and began twitching wildly. Sonia realized the wyvern's beak had actually gotten stuck in the ground. Vi didn't wait for the creature to free itself and pulled her hunting horn around over her back before slamming it down onto the back of the Garuga's skull. There was a powerful crunch as the force of Vi's blow drilled the Garuga's beak even further into the dirt, burying the creature's head up to its eyeball. Vi pulled her horn back once more, but the Garuga beat its wings wildly, kicking up a wave of wind which sent the huntress sliding backwards a couple feet. Before the huntress could recover the wyvern gave a mighty pull and yanked its head free again.

As the Garuga shook the dirt off its head, its bright orange eye flared in fury, and it unleashed another powerful caw. Smoke began to billow from the edges of the creature's mouth as it stamped its feet in fury, howling in anger.

"We've got it!" Tuulikki shouted, making the Yian Garuga's eye snap in her direction. "Come on, Vi!"

At the words, both huntresses turned and bolted for the tree line in the opposite direction from the caravan. The purple wyvern crowed in rage, completely forgetting about the wagons and chasing after them. The huntresses dashed into the foliage, slipping through the tangling vines and between the towering trees, but the Garuga would not be swayed and smashed its way after them, hardly slowing down as it ripped through the brush after them. Sonia and the other three apprentices could only stand and watch as the purple-scaled monster raged its way after the huntresses, eventually disappearing in the forest, though they could still hear the enraged cries of the Garuga and the crashing of the creature through the trees.

Sonia released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in. She hadn't known what to expect when the Garuga had shown up, but she'd never expected something so fierce. It had been so quick and so brutal… Sonia had seen high-threat monsters in the arena, creatures she knew she didn't have the experience or equipment capable of challenging, beasts like the Rathian and Rathalos, Zinogre, and even one Nargacuga. But the Garuga was a whole level of dangerous like she'd never imagined…

Looking around she could see that the other apprentices were just as unsettled by the Yian Garuga as she'd been… except for Logan. The great sword user was still scowling with discontent, glaring off in the direction that the huntresses had left.

"Well… now what?" Sonia asked.

"Don't forget the Kut-Ku," Leon snapped sharply.

Sonia tensed, recalling the pink creature from before and gazing up to where the wyvern still stood. From its perch atop the old tree, the Yian Kut-Ku cocked its head curiously as the Yian Garuga chased the two huntresses away, and remained up there as the cacophony of battle continued to echo through the trees. Cawing in satisfaction, the Kut-Ku leapt from the branch, flying down to the ground and landing with a thump on the ground.

The huntress tensed eagerly, tightening her grip on her sword and lowering her body in preparation to charge. However, Leon quickly stepped in front of her, holding his shield out between her and the monster.

"Don't attack. It's not a threat yet."

"Not a- Since it's here, we should take it down!"

"We need to protect the caravan!" Leon snapped back. "If the Kut-Ku doesn't threaten the caravan, then it's safer to just let it go!"

"What? That's not-"

The hunters tensed as the Kut-Ku turned its attention towards the caravan, tilting its head curiously. Another echoing caw from the Garuga echoed through the trees, and the pink wyvern shivered slightly in fear. With a nervous look towards the trees, the Yian Kut-Ku began to walk away from the caravan, wanting to get away from the creature which had nearly caught and devoured it.

However, the Yian Kut-Ku spared one last glance at Stellazzio, and its gaze paused and narrowed. The wyvern's mouth dipped open, and its tongue rolled out of its mouth hungrily. Sonia glanced behind her, but the rest of the caravan members had long since hidden away. What was it-

"Damn! The Konchu!" Leon hissed. Sonia glanced towards Cleyra's smithy wagon, where the bodies of the dead Neopterons still hung in their net. "They're Kut-Kus' favorite meal."

Bram took a step back towards the wagons. "Do you think we have time to-"

With another squawk, the Kut-Ku turned to face the caravan directly, stamped it feet a couple times, and charged toward the wagons.

"Damn it!" Leon cursed as Logan shoved past him.

"Move it," the great sword user growled. "Don't think we got a choice now, hey?"

As Logan dashed towards the Kut-Ku, the bird wyvern spotted him and adjusted its charge to run him down. The hunter didn't raise his great sword to block at all, however, yanking his sword out of its sheath and cleaving it down towards the wyvern's skull. The Kut-Ku realized the danger just before the blade came down, skidding to a halt just short of the attack, though the edge of the blade scraped against the creature's beak, and the Kut-Ku staggered back in surprise. Before it could recover, Logan pushed forward, yanking his sword from the ground and swinging it around in a horizontal slash. This time the blade struck true, cracking against the wyvern's lower jaw and fracturing a large cleft through the beak. The Kut-Ku squawked in pain, staggering backwards as Logan swung his great sword back into attack position.

"Hold still you big pink chicken. I got some anger I need to vent, hey?"

Monster or not, the Yian Kut-Ku grew nervous at Logan's threat, stepping back as it worked its cracked jaw back and forth. The wyvern tried to step to the side and walk around the hunter, but Logan stepped in its way, making it clear that passing wasn't an option. With a low warble, the Kut-Ku pulled its head back, with fire licking across its tongue. Logan growled angrily and made to dodge, but hesitated at the last moment before swinging his sword upside down and slamming the tip into the dirt.

Logan braced himself behind the wide metal blade just as a fireball blazed from the Kut-Ku's maw. However, the burning orb seemed… wobbly to Sonia, odd as it sounded. The fireball fluctuated as it flew, looking more fluid than flame, and falling towards the ground much faster than other fireballs she'd seen monsters unleash. Even as the orb crashed against Logan's sword, it didn't so much detonate as it did pop, creating a small shockwave which shook the great sword but otherwise didn't budge Logan. The flames still rushed around the side of the blade and singed the ground, but it just seemed so… weak.

Even Logan was surprised by the lackluster detonation, glancing around the side of the blade as though he was expecting more. The Yian Kut-Ku did manage to catch him off guard, however, not with another fireball, but by leaping forward and pecking fiercely at him. The hunter just managed to yank his weapon from the ground before the wyvern was upon him, the point of its beak clanging off the great sword. An arrow shot through the air, shooting straight through the Kut-Ku's ear and clashing off the shell on its back, leaving a cross-shaped hole through the thin membrane. The Kut-Ku jolted in shock, wiggling its ears awkwardly as it stepped back from Logan, twisting its head around as though to try and see the new hole.

"Come on, we need to help!" Bram shouted, drawing another arrow. Sonia shook herself slightly at the words; she'd been so shocked by Logan's initial aggression towards the Kut-Ku that she hadn't moved from her spot. Leon must have been perturbed by the sight as well, because the lancer hadn't moved either.

Slapping her cheeks lightly, Sonia shook herself and unsheathed her swords. "Come on, Leon, let's go!"

"Right…" the lancer nodded slowly, pulling out his lance.

Sonia nodded and darted forward, circling around the other side of the pink wyvern. The creature was still trying to figure out what had happened to its ear when it spotted them coming and trilled threateningly. When Logan pulled his sword around, however, the Kut-Ku's attention snapped back to him fearfully, beating its wings to push itself away before the blade could cleave into its skull again. The creature skidded slightly against the dirt as it hit the ground, and Sonia turned sharply, darting towards the beast. The beast noticed her as she came in close, but an arrow punched into its side and made it flinch, allowing Sonia to slide under the Kut-Ku's legs and slash a couple times at the beast's left leg. Her Seltas blade didn't cut too deeply into the beast's hide, but shattered several weak scales and sliced shallow lines into the wyvern's pink skin. The Yian Kut-Ku squawked angrily, arcing its head down to look under it, only to have Sonia swing her left arm around and smash her shield into its beak. The wyvern jolted in shock and staggered forward, shaking its head dizzily.

Sonia leapt forward to attack again, but the Kut-Ku shook its hips, cracking its tail like a whip towards her. The huntress yelped as the appendage stretched slightly with each swing, snapping against the ground and tearing long lines through the dirt. Sonia tried to move in between strikes, but the Kut-Ku swept its tail sideways, forcing her to raise her shield to block. Even so the blow tossed her sideways and sent her tumbling through the dirt.

As Sonia rolled back to her feet, she braced herself for another attack as the Kut-Ku spun around to face her. However, rather than charging, the Kut-Ku pulled its neck back before snapping its head forward, lobbing the fireball up towards the canopy high above them. Sonia was caught off guard, however, when the fireball arced in the air, dropping back down towards her. She leapt back, just barely avoiding the orb as it crashed to the ground and detonated, making her wince as a wave of heat washed over her.

The Kut-Ku cocked its head back again and lobbed even more fireballs at the huntress, raining down exploding orbs around her. Sonia scrambled around, trying to avoid everything, but the fireballs were being launched too quickly. She tried to close the distance towards the Kut-Ku, but a fireball detonated a couple feet behind her, sending out a small shockwave which made her stumble and drop to a knee. Seeing her fall, the Kut-Ku immediately stopped lobbing the fireballs and charged towards her.

Before it could cover half the distance, however, Leon leapt into the wyvern's path, bracing himself behind his shield. The Kut-Ku lowered its head and crashed its skull against the Kecha materials, sending the lancer skidding backwards a yard, but the man managed to hold his ground. He snapped his lance forward, aiming the point for the creature's head, but the tip glances off the Kut-Ku's thick beak, sliding back and tearing into the creature's ear. The wyvern squawked in frustration as it pushed its head against the wide orange shield, but the lancer refused to move. However, the Kut-Ku twisted its head around, opening its beak and clamping down on the top of Leon's shield before tugging sharply on the Kecha Wacha materials. The lancer cursed as his balance wavered, and with a twist of its beak the Kut-Ku managed to toss Leon backwards. Before he could recover his stance, the pink wyvern reared back and blasted a fireball against the orange shield, knocking Leon onto his back.

The Kut-Ku reared its head back, preparing another fireball, but an arrow cracked against its beak at the last moment. The wyvern jolted in shock, and the fireball veered wildly to the side, erupting against the ground and sending a spray of dirt into the air. The creature's head snapped around to glare at the archer angrily, but another arrow pierced into its hide just under its shoulder. With a squawk of rage, the pink wyvern lurched towards the archer, charging straight towards him.

Bram remained where he was, however, keeping his aim on the Kut-Ku even as it charged. The wyvern's head bobbed back and forth as it rushed, and at the sight of the archer remaining still, the creature pushed itself even faster. The point of Bram's arrow bobbed left and right, trying to follow the creature's head.

"Bram, look out!" Sonia shouted fearfully. At the shout, the archer frowned in frustration before lowering his aim and firing. The arrow slid under the Yian Kut-Ku's head and punched into the creature's leg, making the pink wyvern flinch and topple over at the speed it was sprinting. With a shocked warble, the Kut-Ku crashed to the ground, digging its beak into the dirt. As it slid to a halt, the wyvern raised its head, hacking up puffs of soil that had gotten into its mouth.

Bram drew another arrow, aiming the shaft down towards the Kut-Ku's eye, but before he could shoot, a swell of flames jumped from the wyvern's maw, spraying over the ground wildly and bursting on the ground at the archer's feet. Bram yelped in fright, jumping backwards and patting fitfully at his coat and pants, where the Ludroth materials had caught flame slightly. Thankfully, the fire was quickly snuffed out, but streaks of black covered the once dull yellow materials.

Heavy footsteps snapped the Kut-Ku's attention to the side as Logan rushed up next to it, pulling his great sword out and swinging it down towards the creature's neck. The wyvern squawked in fear, writhing around and trying to get out of the way. It managed to twist its neck out of the way of the falling blade, but there was a loud screech and a sickly crunch as the great sword cleaved into the thick plating across the beast's upper back. The Kut-Ku screeched in agony, but while the heavy weapon fractured the spines along its back, the hard shells managed to keep the great sword from completely chopping into its body. The pink wyvern thrashed about wildly, striking Logan with its wings and knocking him back a couple steps before swinging its legs out from under itself and kicking the hunter in the chest.

As Logan slammed onto his back, the Yian Kut-Ku managed to get its legs underneath it and push back to its feet. The creature warbled in pain as it shook itself, with broken shards of its spinal plating falling to the ground beside it, alongside thin trails of blood which slid over the beast's wings and down the Kut-Ku's chest. The wyvern craned its head back, looking at the shattered remains of its shell before turning to glare at Logan. Flames blazed in the back of the creature's maw as the great sword user scrambled back to his feet, rushing to get his weapon in front of him to block.

However, before the Kut-Ku could spit a fireball, it paused, glancing to the great sword user's right. Sonia followed the creature's gaze, realizing the wyvern was looking towards the caravan, one more towards the Konchu-filled net. The Yian Kut-Ku looked back and forth between Logan and the Konchu a few more times before making a decision. With a snap of its head the wyvern launched a fireball in front of the great sword user, nearly knocking him off his feet. The moment the fireball hit, sending Logan skidding backwards, it turned and darted towards the wagons.

There was a shout from the side before the creature could get too far as Leon charged in. The Yian Kut-Ku saw him coming in time to skid to a halt, but the tip of the hunter's lance clashed against the creature's lower jaw. The wyvern staggered backwards as the lancer spun around, planting himself between the pink creature and the wagons.

"Damn it, hold the Kut-Ku back!" Leon shouted. "It's getting too close to the caravan!"

Even as the lancer said the words, the wyvern's head glanced to the side, once more eyeballing the collection of Konchus hanging from the smithy wagon. Leon pushed forward, clashing his lance off of the creature's chest, but the Kut-Ku squawked angrily, rearing back and kicking its talons against the orange shield and slapping its wings against the lancer's head. Leon staggered back as the webbing smacked against the side of his helm, doing little damage but knocking his head back and forth. With a sharp spin the wyvern snapped its tail low to the ground, knocking the lancer's feet out from under him and dropping him onto his side.

Leon twisted around to block any attacks, but the Kut-Ku simply leapt over him, dashing towards the hanging Konchu net. An arrow smacked against one of the creature's legs, sinking shallowly into the hide, but the wyvern stumbled slightly, allowing another arrow to punch through its wing webbing. The Kut-Ku snapped around angrily, launching a fireball at Bram and forcing the archer to leap away. However, rather than firing again, the Kut-Ku turned and ran towards the Konchu again.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sonia shouted, dashing between the Kut-Ku and the wagons.

The wyvern slid to a halt in front of her and immediately began pecking at her. The huntress slid between the attacks, clashing her sword against the creature's beak and blocking when she needed to, but the Kut-Ku beat its wings and kicked up a gust of wind which staggered her, giving the wyvern the chance to swing its head around and headbutt her in the chest. Sonia stumbled back winded, and the wyvern twisted its head back, welling up fire in its throat. The huntress cursed and prepared to dodge, but froze at the sound of a shout.

"The wagons!"

Sonia glanced back, realizing the caravan was right behind her! If she dodged now… But her shield wouldn't be broad enough to block the fireball completely…

The fireball blazed from the Yian Kut-Ku's beak, and Sonia could do nothing but raise her shield and hope for the best. A moment later the blazing orb crashed into the Seltas shield and erupted, throwing the huntress off her feet and slamming her against the wheel of one of the wagons. Even after blocking, waves of flame rushed around the sides of the plate, blazing over the huntress' thighs, right arm, and the top of her cap. She hit the ground a moment later as the flames burned at her armor, and she gasped in fright as she rolled around, trying to put them out. Thankfully the flames weren't too big, and most of the tongues were snuffed after a second or two, though she had to yank her cap off her head and slap it against the ground to put it out. She heard Bram shout her name from across the field, but waved her hand in the direction she'd thought it came from.

"I'm fine!" she shouted. "I'm-"

Before she could get back to her feet, however, she was knocked over again as the Kut-Ku stepped over her, clipping her with its talons and flipping her onto her back. The creature wasn't even focusing on her either as it made its way into the circle of wagons, once more focused on the Konchu. They wyvern weaved through the goods and equipment scattered through the camp, kicking over pots and pans, knocking over clotheslines, and stepping on goods and materials. The draft Popos were braying fearfully, tugging at their reins in fright. It cocked its head curiously as it passed the cooking wagon, sniffing at the closed awning with interest before closing in on the smithy.

As the pink wyvern strode up to the Konchu net, its tongue rolling out of its mouth hungrily, an arrow glanced off the Kut-Ku's back, making the creature flinch and turn around and glare at Bram. The wyvern was caught off guard when it saw Logan bum-rushing it. The great sword user bellowed with fury as he tackled the creature's leg, knocking its feet out from under it and twisting his body to send the Kut-Ku toppling to the ground away from the wagon. The hunter rolled back to his feet, reaching back to grab the hilt of his great sword, but the Kut-Ku kicked its talons against his chest, throwing him backwards and knocking him over the ore-filled barrels near the forge.

Logan rolled back to his feet as the Kut-Ku righted itself as well, and immediately flames welled up in the wyvern's maw. The great sword user cursed sharply, glancing at the wagons behind him before rushing towards the creature. As the wyvern snapped its head forward, Logan swung his great sword around and shoved the flat of the blade right into the monster's face. Logan's sword smashed against the Kut-Ku's beak the moment the fireball roared from its mouth, and the orb detonated. Logan was thrown off his feet as his great sword was blown backwards, spiraling through the air and clanging against the side of his and Bram's wagon before falling to the ground.

The blast had affected the Kut-Ku just as badly, however, as the eruption of the fireball had burst right in the wyvern's face. Flames had ripped across its head, searing and blackening its beak and burning its ears to cinders. The Yian Kut-Ku stumbled back in pain as its head smoked and steamed. The tips of its ears were touched with small flames, quickly snuffed out as the wyvern shook its head and teetered uneasily on its feet.

Logan pushed back to his feet, rushing over to recover his great sword. As he did so, Leon caught up with the pink wyvern, swinging around the creature's side and planting himself between the Kut-Ku and the collection of Konchus. The lancer pulled back his lance until it was nearly pointing directly behind him before swinging it forward in a powerful thrust which punched into the Yian Kut-Ku's ribcage with enough force to knock the beast back a step. At the same time, Bram fired an arrow at the beast which pierced into the Kut-Ku's leg. The wyvern warbled in pain and shock as its dizziness vanished and it toppled onto its side. Leon leapt forward to attack it again, but the creature thrashed around in terror, its wings and tail flapping and snapping around as it pushed upright.

Logan lunged its way, and it stumbled backwards in fear, but Sonia darted in from behind, dipping under the Kut-Ku and jabbing her sword into the the creature's left thigh. The wyvern yelped and leapt back, but its foot landed on and slipped on an overturned barrel, making the creature flop on top of one of the campfires, warbling in shock as the flames bit into its belly. The great sword user brought down his weapon on the creature, but the blade clashed off the thick plating on the wyvern's back and cut a wide slice into the beast's wing membrane. Logan pulled back for a final blow, but the Kut-Ku managed to find its feet and slide away before the blade could come around for a second blow.

By now, however, the Kut-Ku had suffered enough. Both Logan and Leon began to advance towards it from the left and right, forcing it to take steps backwards towards the opening in the wagon circle. With the creak of Bram's bow echoing from behind it, the pink wyvern could only snap its gaze between the three of them in fear. An arrow clashed off of the Kut-Ku's beak, making the creature jolt in fright, and that was the final straw. With a fearful wail, the Yian Kut-Ku turned and ran away, or rather, limped away. The wyvern hobbled away from the wagons as fast as its feet would let it, beating its wings in an attempt to fly, but with the tear Logan had left in the membrane, it could barely get a foot off the ground.

"You're not getting away!" Sonia shouted, charging after the Kut-Ku. She heard a shout behind her, but by now she was already right behind the creature. The creature twisted its head around at her approach, and tried to swipe its tail at her, but it was too slow. Before it could react, Sonia had slid under its tail, swinging her sword out and slicing the creature across the back of the leg. There was a clash as the edge of the sword struck against the Kut-Ku's scales, but blood sprayed out as the blade tore through the beast's tendon.

With a howl of pain, the Kut-Ku toppled over, crashing into the ground. It nearly collapsed on top of Sonia, but the huntress leapt out from under it before it hit the earth. The wyvern's legs flailed wildly as it tried to right itself, but the severed muscles on its legs wouldn't let it do so. Sonia rushed around the side of the creature, charging towards the Kut-Ku's head.

The pink wyvern spotted her and twisted its head around, flames swelled in the back of the creature's throat, and Sonia cursed as she sidestepped away. A fireball roared from the wyvern's mouth a moment later, though the shape was oblong and curved awkwardly through the air, detonating against one of the far trees thick bark. The Kut-Ku tried to twist its head around to spit more flames, but Sonia swiftly kicked it in the side of the head, sending the jet of fire across the earth in front of the creature.

Before the Kut-Ku could retaliate again, Sonia spun the sword in her hand into a reverse grip, taking hold of the hilt with both hands and driving it down at the base of the wyvern's skull. The thick plates along the peak of the creature's neck screeched as the tip of the blade scraped against them and sent a jagged crack across them. The blade caught against the gap between plates, however, and with a grunt Sonia shoved the sword down, punching into the Kut-Ku's spinal cord. The pink wyvern screeched in agony, and its body seized up sharply, the creature's wide wing snapping out and smacking Sonia in the side.

The huntress was thrown backwards a couple yards by the force of the blow, rolling back to her feet out of worry, but she needn't have been concerned. Her sword was buried deep in the wyvern's neck, and the Kut-Ku's body was stock still, save for the occasional twitch or spasm. After a couple sharp breaths, the pink creature's muscles relaxed, flopping to the ground limply. The wyvern's tongue lolled out of mouth, flopping into the dirt as the creature's eyes glazed over.

Sonia sighed in relief, rolling her shoulder as she walked back over to the Kut-Ku and yanked her blade free of the wyvern's neck. The blade was chipped and dented from striking the creature's scales and spine, far too damaged for a single whetstone, but it didn't seem like anything which wouldn't be fixed in the forge. Sonia still had plenty of Seltas materials in her item chest, after all.

The sound of footsteps called her attention to the other three hunters as they approached, and Sonia grinned as Logan hurried up to her. "Not bad, huh?"

However, the great sword user had an irked look on his face as he got near to her. "Ja, ja, looked real nice, but you need to be more careful 'bout things like that, girlie!"

"What do you mean?"

The great sword user thrust a thumb over his shoulder. "That's what I mean!"

Sonia glanced where he'd pointed and winced slightly. There was a massive scorch mark across the trunks of one of the trees, the result of the Yian Kut-Ku's last fireball. The tree wasn't on fire, thankfully; the thick wood of this forest seemed resistant to flames, which was fortunate considering all the fire-breathing monsters in the area. However, the blast mark was only a dozen feet or so to the right of the wagon at the end of the train. If the Kut-Ku had twisted its head only a little more…

"Oh…"

"You gotta try and keep better track of where things is, hey?" the great sword user said sternly, crossing his arms. "We trying to protect the caravan, not turn it to charcoal."

"Sorry…"

"Always keep you primary goal in mind, Sonia," Logan told her. "That ain't always killing the monster either, hey? They's worse things that could happen than letting a monster go free."

"I… got it," Sonia replied. The huntress lowered her head meekly, and the great sword user sighed and scratched his head.

"Eh, chin up, Sonia. You did a good job blocking that fireball earlier. You kept the wagon safe then."

"I guess so…"

"Just keep mind of you surroundings and situation, and do better next time. That's what an apprenticeship's for, hey?"

The clanking of armor called Sonia's attention to Leon as he came their direction. The lancer didn't say anything as he approached, looking over the Yian Kut-Ku on the ground intently. He carefully paced around the creature, pausing at each of the wyvern's injuries and looking them over. Sonia was about to ask him what he was doing, when some rustling from the bushes behind her caught her attention.

The hunters immediately tensed fearfully; was it another monster? Was it the Garuga? However, their fears were assuaged when Violetta and Tuulikki pushed their way through the foliage. The huntresses looked battered and dirty, but both of them were in one piece. Violetta was carrying the Garuga's broad purple tail under one arm, carefully avoiding poking herself with the long spikes which jutted out the sides of the appendage.

"We're back!" Vi shouted cheerfully. "And it looks like you cleaned up the Kut-Ku, too. Nice work!"

"What about the Garuga?" Leon asked, looking behind them.

"It ran away. We managed to pummel it enough that it decided we weren't worth the effort and took off flying in the other direction. We kept its tail though!" she said excitedly, holding up the dark purple, barbed tip. Blood was still dripping from the point where the tail had been severed. "Watch out, though; the barbs are poisonous."

"Is there a chance it'll return?" Bram asked, looking out into the shadows of the forest.

"Unlikely," Tuulikki replied. "Not between now and our arrival at Harth, at least. Losing its tail is a highly debilitating injury for a Garuga. It will take at least several days for it to recover, and several months for it to get back to full strength. It may even grow its tail back, given enough time and proper sustenance. The loss of its tail may lead it to an early death, I fear… but it is a Garuga. There are few monsters which would willingly challenge it in the wilds, and even without its tail it will likely find a niche for itself." The huntress glanced over towards the remains of the pink wyvern. "And yourself? The Kut-Ku didn't prove too dire a challenge, did it?"

"We handled it," Logan replied sullenly.

"Looks like it," Vi remarked, looking over the pink wyvern. She shared a quick look with Leon, but looked back towards the caravan a moment later. "Looks like it almost caused a real mess around here."

"It certainly got too close for comfort," Bram replied. "It quite nearly set the caravan aflame a few times."

"You did well to keep it from doing too great of damage then," Tuulikki said, nodding approvingly. "However, it looks as though it's done some damage to the materials in the camp… I imagine Master Steward will have us gathering quite a few goods to make up for our losses tomorrow."

"Wonderful…"

Tuulikki paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Sonia, you have tomorrow off with Bram."

The apprentice blinked in surprise. "I… what? Why? I'm not hurt."

"You may be in good condition, but your armor isn't," the glaive wielder replied, looking Sonia up and down.

"Oh. I was just a little singed," Sonia replied quietly, looking down at herself. She winced slightly at the sight, however: she'd put the fire on her armor out as quickly as she could manage, but the flames had still burned a few holes in the lavender hide and scales.

"Nonetheless, you'll need to have Cleyra repair your armor tomorrow. You too, Bram."

"I know," the archer replied. The dull yellow material hadn't suffered as much as Sonia's from the Kut-Ku's flames, but streaks of black were spread across the sponge. "I fear I may need to find a replacement soon. My spare Ludroth materials are down to the last scraps."

"Discuss that with Cleyra tomorrow. If worse comes to worse, you may need a carryover set from Quale."

"I understand."

The sound of clicking shutters and unlatching doors could be heard coming from the caravan. A few members were emerging from their wagons after so much silence from outside, and at the sight of the fallen Kut-Ku and the severed Garuga tail in Vi's possession, calls went out about the safety of the caravan. More people began to emerge, and soon a cleanup of the circle was being conducted. The Popos were hushed and calmed down, knocked over materials were picked up and dusted off, and anything that was broken or dented was appraised to see if they could be salvaged. And of course, the caravan members congratulated the hunters on a job well done.

As evening passed into night time, the caravan prepared to head to sleep. Logan and Vi volunteered for first watch, and the rest of the group made their way towards their wagons. As Sonia reached her wagon, reaching for the knob, a voice stopped her.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

Sonia paused at her door, turning to find Leon standing at the base of the stairs of her wagon. "I'm sorry? Do what?"

"The Kut-Ku," he replied. "When it was trying to run off-"

"I know, I know," Sonia groaned. "I'm supposed to make sure I remember the caravan. Logan already talked to me about that."

"Not just that," Leon said. "You didn't have to cut its legs out from under it. You could have just let it run. It wasn't going to bother us anymore."

"Well… yeah, maybe not. But isn't it better to kill them if they threaten the caravan?"

"Charging after a retreating monster that only came upon us by accident wasn't exactly an act of defense though, was it?"

"What do you mean?"

Again, Leon was quiet, but eventually just shook his head. "It's… not important right now. Sleep well, Sonia. I'll see you in the morning."

Before the huntress could respond, the lancer turned and walked away, returning to his own wagon. Sonia watched him go uncertainly. As Leon disappeared into his own wagon, Sonia finally looked away, opening her door and walking into her own. She stood just inside the doorway for several minutes, confused and lost in her own thoughts. Eventually, with a baffled shake of her head, she began to undress, returning her armor to its stand and dropping her sword and shield into her item chest. Tired and ready for sleep, the huntress pulled on her pajamas and hopped into bed.


Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about traveling!

If you thought I wasn't going to have Selene be a D&D player like the Guildmarm in the games, you were wrong. That was one of my favorite quirks the Guildmarm had! One of the DLC chapters I want to write is actually of Selene DMing a game between all my main characters, and getting completely fed up with their shenanigans… You know, like every other DM gets.

Yian Kut-Ku's fireballs always seemed a little weak and lackluster to me. I think it's the only monster with a fireball that actually arcs in the air, so I always imagine that whatever fluids that mix together in its flame sac aren't mixed very well so it comes out a little sloppy.

Again I had to make sure that the monsters were properly sized in this chapter… and I actually had to take some liberties. Did you know Konchu are 295 cm? That's 9 FEET LONG. Christ. I intentionally went against canon and dropped them down to about 4 feet, tops. And Yian Kut-Ku is supposed to be about 9 meters long on average, a solid 29 feet. But was that from its beat to the tip of its tail, or its wingspan? Usually winged creatures are measured by their wingspan, so I went with that. It's a big boy though, so I guess that explains how it can eat Konchu whole.

Now here's a question … what would you think about me lowercasing the monster names? For example, the Yian Kut-Ku becomes the yian kut-ku. A Rajang becomes a rajang. This may seem odd to you all, but how about it? You don't call a dog a Dog, or a cow a Cow. It should only apply to named animals, like Siberian tiger or German shepherd. But I'll get your opinions on the matter.

One last thing, a bit of unfortunate news for the readers: I've reached the end of my chapter backlog. That means that I can no longer guarantee that chapters will be released once every two weeks anymore, so the wait times will likely increase. I'm trying to keep my chapters shorter than they were in TLC, so it shouldn't jump to monthly releases, but there will no longer be a set schedule. That being said, my chapters will always release on Saturday morning (assuming my internet is being compliant), so if you're wondering if there will be any releases, that'll be the day to check. On the plus side, I'm working on finishing the first chapter of a new DLC series: Charon. Hopefully I'll be able to release those in times when I don't have any SOP chapters ready.

Playing: MH4U, Bravely Default (need to 100% this before Bravely Second comes out… damn this boss gauntlet!), GTA5
Listening: Revolutions Podcast, The Wedding Present, Jethro Tull, L.I.E., Radio Birdman, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Mad Max Fury Road OST
Reading:
Their Story by Tan Jiu, Overlord by Maruyama Kugane, Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Den by Fuse, Spirit Circle by Satoshi Mizukami, Nomi Joshi by Ukatsu