Rick tappped his ears with his hands, the shout was unbearable. ``Man, was that really necessary?´´ he asked, ``I guess so, adrenaline rushes through your body and for a time you have increased strength´´ the Derek answered not even bothering with the shout. Truth was, an armor created from Azure Rathalos´ materials had good isolation from loud noises like roars of many monsters, including human shouts. He was still able to listen well to normal speaking and mumblings with just a minor difference but the trade was worthy.
Yoru gave a deep breath and calmed down, the weight of the longsword was taking a good deal of concentration to keep her balance. She walked forward, her foot basically stomping the ground as she bit her lips. ``Congratulations!´´ Derek clapped his hands, he smiled even though the helm covered his face. ``And I bet the entire village knows you did something after that burp of yours´´ Rick joked, he was betting that the huntress couldn´t run after him. ``But I still can´t hold it´´ she protested, ``You will someday. There is no use in training techniques if you can´t travel with it in your back. By the way, I advise you to stay inside the village for some days until you can at least walk normally and then do some easy jobs while carrying it´´ the azure hunter said.
``Hunt with that thing on her back? Man, it is easier to carry me´´ Rick said. ``I will do it´´ Yoru said breathing deeply, ``Carry me?´´ Rick asked, ``Only to your grave. I mean, stay for a while´´ the huntress answered. ``I´m going t drink something´´ she said walking away, ``Understandable´´ Derek said waving his arm. ``Ahm, Derek´´ the white armored hunter called, ``Before I came here I was at the tavern. Yue was there awaiting for lunch´´ the hammer user said. ``Let them alone´´ the azure hunter said shaking his head, ``Are you sure? She will probably mock Yoru´s strength´´ Rick said. ``There isn´t much she can do with that thing on her back, besides it is better if they can get along´´ the Derek said. ``If something happens, I will tell that it was your idea´´ Rick warned.
Yoru stumbled over the door and almost fell to the ground getting the attention of everyone inside. There were many of Grey´s cats eating together with their hunters, all wearing colored iron plaques over their torsos and shoulders with helms over their heads. These "cats" were the Felyne Comrades.
After the incident during Yoru´s gathering quest, the council formed by Shen and other Felyne chiefs decided to create a league of trained Felynes so they could protect themselves and other Felyne watchers. The Felynes that chose to become Felyne Comrades were given special armors and specially crafted warpicks, staffs, small lances or anything they could hold. They initially received training from hunters but it soon became clear that they couldn´t swing weapons with grace like most humans.
It was at this time that Gray and his Felyne decided to help. Battle-hardened by their difficulty existence in the desert, Gray and his tribe developed some efficiency in combat with what they had which suited perfectly to other Felynes. Due to several requests from his family and friends, Gray allowed the tribe to become "Comrades" as well, but required that at least some of them remained to train others. To say that the Gray´s Felynes were happy is too little, they were so eager to finally help hunters during their quests that they celebrated with a party that lasted an entire day and their mood was happy ever since.
Unfortunately, the monsters soon understood that these Felyne Comrades were a threat to them and as such the creatures started to attack the trained Felynes. This put the Felyne watchers in danger and so they stopped defending them and instead helped hunters directly by fighting together. Extra caution was advised when Kelbi were spotted in the area and villagers had to pay more so they could get the precious Kelbi´s horns for their daily life and festivals. The lack of horns elevated their value by almost three times, creating a sort of challenge between hunters and a luxury for the ones who could afford. The Felynes designed to watch over the hunters were given even more rigorous sneaking training and had to change their habits if they wanted to survive. Fortunately there wasn´t any extra accident concerning the watchers but the cats were still cauious.
Yoru gave a deep breath as she looked around, her eyes searching for someone. ``Good morning, meow!´´ a voice came beneath her. ``Pasir, where is your warpick?´´ the huntress asked her Felyne Comrade. When Pasir became a Comrade, Yoru soon chose him as her personal partner during quests, the cat was hesitant at first but ended up accepting the offer. They eventually became friends, one saving the other and vice versa more than once but it didn´t stop the huntress from being severely rigorous with her partner. ``I will get it´´ the Felyne said half jumping half walking on four to an empty table, he grabbed his warpick with haste and went back to the huntress.
``Are we going to a job?´´ the cat asked. ``No, I just wanted to know if you had lost your weapon´´ Yoru said, once in a while she liked to test the Felyne to see if he was ready for any sudden attack, with the "Felyne Killer´´ on the jungle it was necessary to be wary of the surroundings if one wanted to be alive.
``What is that on your back?´´ Pasir asked leaning to the side, ``My longsword, I need to carry it around until I get used to its weight´´ she explained walking to the empty table her Felyne was using, the huntress ignored the look of other hunters. When she sat the bench cringed slightly with the sudden weight. ``Waiter!´´ she called and soon a man came to see her, ``Two glasses of milk´´ she ordered searching her pouch for some zen and offering to the waiter. ``But I don´t drink that much´´ Pasir said, ``The other is for me´´ she said gritting her teeth. ``Uh, sorry´´ the Felyne apologized, ``No, it is just the sword´´ she moved her elbows in a circular motion to feel better. The drinks arrived and the two started to drink.
Forgetting that she had her longsword on her back, Yoru moved her head upwards as she chugged, shifting her mass center as she leaned back. The result was that she fell on the ground and the milk splattered on her face. ``Gods damn it!´´ she cursed cleaning her face with the back of her hand. Pasir was on the verge of laughing but knew that he would suffer if he angered the huntress. However, not everyone was so smart.
Someone laughed amongst the crowd, Yoru tried to get up but the longsword was too heavy. ``I can´t…´´ the huntress struggled, more hunters laughed. ``Rah!´´ she turned to the side and stood on four, ``Shut up!´´ she shouted , her muscles burning with overuse. As soon as she got up everyone shut up, except for one:Yue. ``You can´t even get up, hahaha! And it is a milk drinker´´ the ore clad huntress mocked. ``You!´´ Yoru clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She couldn´t harm the blue haired huntress or all the saved money she had would be in vain, she still had hopes of building that barrier around the village and wouldn´t ruin it again by the same reason.
``Ah forget it, you are not worth my time´´ Yoru waved her arm before sitting down, she used one hand to support her weight and the other to clean her face with a fabric given by a waiter. ``Are you okay? Meow?´´ Pasir asked, ``No, I want to break every last shard of ore of her armor and leave her on the jungle for a day´´ she stared at the rich huntress but then sighed. ``Sadly, I can´t do it now´´ the red haired woman placed her elbow on the table and supporter her head with her hand. ``Ugh´´ she grunted, the adrenaline was rushing out of her body making it more difficult to endure the sword.
Yue fumed with anger, she had intended to make Yoru angry, but somehow this time the "Greenprey" didn´t fight back. She still didn´t get her revenge from the first day they meet because the one eyed huntress was always doing jobs or training with company. She had to think of something else.
(3 weeks later)
(Old Jungle)
A kelbi was eating grass in the middle of the jungle, alone and unprotected. It walked closer to a bush to eat a fruit that was laying on the ground. When the deer like creature was about to bite the food a form erupted from the bush and launched itself into the kelbi, sending it to the ground. ``Hit it! Hit it!´´ Yoru shouted holding the creature down, her weight stopping the kelbi from escaping. Pasir appeared from inside the bush holding a pink colored ball, the huntress turned to the side, keeping the creature binded as it struggled to escape. ``Do it!´´ the woman shouted and the cat threw the ball at the monster, the ball exploded creating a pink splash on the creature´s stomach. Yoru left the creature flee, leaving a pink trail of paint behind. ``Arf, arf! I hope this works´´ she said breathing heavily on the ground
``Meow! Why someone didn´t think of this before?´´ Pasir asked, ``Don´t know, they are stupid for not trying´´ Yoru answered getting up slowly but steady. ``We need to hurry, before a hunter kills it´´ she said rubbing her back, the heavy longsword attached firmly in her back. The huntress ran the fastest she could towards the trail, which was like spaced footsteps. She gave deep breaths often and her feet were producing small thuds with every step.
Yoru turned around a tree and almost tripped when she saw a huge hole in front of her. ``Hey! Is someone there?! Please help me!´´ a familiar voice begged, the huntress peered inside the hole and saw Rick standing on the bottom, it was a five or maybe seven meters deep. ``Oh Yori its you! Can you help me? I am kinda of stuck here´´ the white clad hunter cupped his hands and called. ``Let me guess, you spent days digging this hole and forgot it was here?´´ the woman asked raising her visor, ``Basically´´ the hunter answered. ``I don´t have any rope with me and I need to track a kelbi before the Unknown gets it´´ she said running away. ``Wait! ´´ the hunter shouted, for a moment no one came.
``I almost forgot!´´ the huntress appeared on the opposite ledge, ``Will you help me?´´ Rick asked. ``Stay close to the wall, here´´ she pointed to the wall under her, the white hunter obeyed. ``Now what?´´ he asked, ``Stay here´´ she ordered raising and walking back. Yoru kicked the ground dislodging part of it, a mixture of earth, dirt and small rocks fell on Rick´s head. ``That´s for being so stupid! How could you fall for you own trap?!´´ the huntress shouted snarling and then shook her head. ``I will come back later, this is a promise´´ Yoru looked at her shoulder, where a "R" was stamped on her shoulder pad, before running away. ``Oh come on! I know I am stupid for falling here, but at least give me a break!´´ Rick shouted.
Yoru crouched behind a tree and spied, the kelbi was wandering around in an open clearing with a giant tree on the other side. The creature was trying to clean the paint with its mouth to not avail and even shook every so often trying to take off the pink liquid. The huntress spotted Pasir silently climbing a nearby tree and positioning himself. ``Good, now let´s see if this works´´ she thought shifting her weight, it was a miracle the deer creature didn´t hear she.
Meanwhile, Rick sat on the ground with arms crossed. ``How will I get out of here?´´ he mumbled looking at the walls, they were flat without any rock to grab to use as support. ``Note to myself: Always leave a rope in the bottom of a pit trap´´ he thought looking at the sky.Like a thunder, a large form jumped over the hole. All the hunter could define in this brief moment was that it had a tail and maybe it was black, though it could just be the shadow of what passed over him.