"Rathi!"

Covered by the dark essence of the Black Blight, Lute remained motionless on the ground, the mere sight of his monstie turning against him tearing at his heart. She couldn't have forgotten about him… she couldn't… she couldn't have forgotten about everything they have been through up to this point…

… about their bond…

And yet, as he knelt on the ground, burn marks covering his armor from her last fiery attack against him, he felt empty. As if the burns had merely left a visible injury on the outside, but that Rathi had attacked him out of her own volition… it felt as though he was stabbed in his heart.

She roared at him once more, purple flames gathering at the edges of her maw, and there was nothing but hatred reflecting within her darkened gaze.

No…

No!

Lute tightened his hands into fists, gritting his teeth as he returned Rathi´s hateful glare. This was not her. This was not his beloved monstie. It was the blight…!

"Rathi… I know that you are still there…", she roared once again at his words, even as he slowly, albeit weakly got up from the ground. He refused to believe that she was gone. That she had forgotten everything that they had shared.

Slowly but surely, Lute took a step forward, steadily, without ever avoiding the gaze of Rathi. She growled in a threatening manner, the flames in her maw intensifying.

"I know that you can still hear me… please… d-don´t let it win…", with a rageful roar, Rathi suddenly unleashed yet another savage fire breath, and Lute cried out in utter agony as it washed over him. He barely managed to shield his face behind his arms, the armor only offering little protection anymore.

Only once it stopped, Lute succumbed to the ground once again, his breathing ragged. And still, he weakly raised his head to look back at Rathi, his eyes filled with nothing but sorrow and hope.

"... p-please… you must… fight it…!", for the briefest of moments, Rathi stared at Lute with the barest hint of confusion, roaring at him once again.

Yet, she hesitated.

And with his last shreds of strength, Lute pushed himself off the ground before he closed the last distance that remained between him and his dear monstie. Rathi roared in rage as he forcefully wrapped his arms around her neck, embracing her while refusing to let go.

She violently shook herself, trying to throw him off, but regardless of what happened, he wouldn't let go. Never.

Until suddenly, Rathi bit down upon his left arm, her razor sharp teeth clamping down upon the only thin layer of metal armor that still protected his skin and prevented his arm from being bitten off.

And an agonizing cry of pain escaped his lips, screaming to the heavens.

Lute buried his face against the side of her neck, the blighted wyvern still trying to bite down upon his arm. The edges of his vision were beginning to darken, and all of his wounds, all of his injuries, all of the pain… it all became unbearable for the young rider. He would never let go, regardless of what happened, even if this was going to be his end.

And yet… for the last time, Lute weakly raised his head, tenderly rubbing his cheek against her scales, just as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"... I… I love you… Rathi…"

…

With a gasp, Lute awoke from his slumber, escaping the horrid memories of a time that was now in the past. Panting heavily, Lute took a glance around his environment, and he realized once again where he was.

Rathi´s wings were engulfing him entirely, protecting him from the chilly air of the night almost like a warm blanket while she hugged him against her stomach.

The Black Blight was long gone… it was all just a dream.

And still…

Lute glanced at the peaceful expression Rathi held, having cuddled her head against him within her sleep as she calmly breathed. In the end, she did remember him…

He shifted his gaze back to the ground, multiple thoughts coursing through his mind. Still, why did it still hurt so much whenever it replayed in his mind over and over again…? He didn't want to admit it to himself. Before all of this happened, he would have never questioned their bond. He would have never believed that it would ever be possible that they would ever turn against each other…

Clamping his eyes shut, Lute barely suppressed a choked sob, trying his hardest to banish the images from his mind. It was not her fault…!

Had it shaken his trust in their bond so much…?

However, suddenly, he was torn out of his thoughts. A low croon caused Lute to look up, only to witness that Rathi had awoken from her slumber as well and was now looking into his eyes with another concerned rumble. She could feel that her rider was distressed.

Lute did not utter a word for a long moment, but in the end, he merely forced a small smile upon his lips before he chuckled slightly, running a hand across her head.

"I´m fine, I just… couldn't sleep.", without looking back at her, Lute closed his eyes once more to try and let sleep overcome him. And yet, Rathi only frowned, for she realized that he was merely forcing a smile.

And he didn't trust her enough to confide in her…

"Lute, you´re back!", Lilia ran up to the young rider and gave him a hug, causing him to smile back at her. And directly behind her were both Cheval and his Ratha, walking up to him as well. Just on the next day, the three childhood friends had decided to meet each other once more within Hakuum village, their home. Now that the blight was finally gone, and each of them would pursue their own path afterwards, they wanted to see each other again one last time.

Just as Lilia pulled back with a large smile, it faded ever so slightly when she glanced down beside Lute, seeing the way Rathi was clinging her head close to his side with a sad growl. Confusion soon replaced her joyful smile, for it was evident from a mere glance alone that something was ailing Rathi.

She was constantly staring at her rider… but he seemingly didn't acknowledge it…?

"Is everything alright with Rathi…? She seems to be upset.", only upon speaking of it did Lute glance down at his monstie, and Lilia could witness the way he almost winced as he looked back into Rathi´s sorrowful gaze. She could only wonder, what was wrong? It was clear that there was an unresolved tension…

Suddenly, Lilia gasped when Rathi pushed her head even closer against Lute´s chest, causing him to fall back on the ground from the sudden push.

"H-hey, why-", however, just as Lute attempted to get up from the ground, he was silenced the moment Rathi placed one of her clawed feet upon his chest, pinning him down with her leg. Trying to push her off was futile, her strength being far too much, yet, she never pushed down strong enough to cause him any serious discomfort.

But still, she didn't allow him to evade her intense gaze as she towered above him. He still tried, and thus, Rathi had enough of it before she leaned her forehead against his own, now entirely holding him in place. And their eyes were mere inches apart, Lute´s breathing almost feeling shallow as she held control over him.

Lilia held her hands together in front of her mouth as she was unsure what to do, and it was then that Cheval had joined her side along with Ratha.

However, just as Cheval wanted to interfere, Rathi shifted her eyes towards both him and Ratha with a glare, daring them to intrude as she growled. Thus, she scared off anyone who tried to get between her and her rider.

Lute´s eyes were closed, clenched together with guilt and regret. She knew. He should have known. The more he would try to suppress and hide his feelings, the more she would know about them. That is how she understood him, how she was connected with him.

Through their bond.

And if he secretly questioned it…

Before long, Rathi was crooning in a longing and sorrowful manner, desperately nuzzling her head against her rider with boundless affection as he didn't look back at her.

The whole matter had long started to gain the attention of the villagers that were nearby, and especially both Lilia and Cheval kept silent as they watched the scene in front of them. They all knew that something was unresolved between both Lute and Rathi.

"I´m sorry, Rathi…", Lute´s voice was frail, ashamed of his own feelings of hurt and betrayal. He knew that it had not been her fault, so why… why did he still feel this way…? Rathi listened to his small and frail whisper almost as if her life depended on it, and once again, she expressed her own feelings in the only way she could show, cuddling her head against his own with need.

And yet, the moment she felt the overwhelming amount of hurt from her rider, Rathi suddenly froze in place, her eyes widening in pure and utter horror.

It was… h-her fault…?

A tear trickled down her scales as she relived the images and memories that were buried deep within Lute´s mind, and how it was connected to her. And before long, she couldn't take it anymore as the realization overwhelmed her with guilt and hurt. With a pained roar, she took flight and disappeared in the sky, flying away into the forests nearby.

Lute looked after her with horror, his hands clenching together with guilt as well. It was his fault that she blamed herself for something that was never her own doing…!

Without an ounce of hesitation, Lute wordlessly rushed off to where Rathi had flown off to, following his heart to determine where she had gone.

All the villagers looked after him with confused and concerned expressions, and Cheval moved to climb onto Ratha´s back to fly after them.

However, he was stopped amidst his movements when Lilia suddenly intervened.

"No, I think that, whatever it is that is going on between them, only they themselves can solve it.", Cheval looked back at Lilia with a gasp, but she was convinced that they shouldn't in any way interfere. Thus, Cheval relented in the end as he looked upon the horizon. The way Rathi was looking at Lute with so much sorrow… it reminded him of himself, when he had neglected Ratha…

And he could only hope that they would be alright.

´Stupid… stupid…!´

With a mourning growl, Rathi rammed her head against a nearby tree stump, multiple tears trickling down her scales. It was her fault, she had been weak… she hadn't been strong enough to withstand the blight…

… she had hurt him…

For a long moment, she remained motionless against the tree stump, her eyes closed while only more tears were running down her head. Until, slowly but surely, she turned her head to look at a certain, small clearing.

There, where the moonlight was shining through the thick top of the trees, there was a small nest…

That was where they had first met…

Another mournful roar escaped her, and yet, unbeknownst to her, she was oblivious to the way a certain monster was observing her from the dark cover of the night. A pair of glowing red eyes, watching, patiently waiting to strike…

… and the moment it found a perfect opportunity, it jumped forth from its cover-

-with a startled growl, Rathi instinctively made a backflip in the air, narrowly dodging the sharp whip attack of the opposing monster´s tail.

A Nargacuga.

Landing back upon the ground, she locked eyes with her opponent as it glared at her in a predatory way, sharpening its claws upon the ground. Rathi roared in a threatening manner, quickly trying to focus as she gathered heat in her maw. Shortly afterwards, the Nargacuga lunged at her once again.

Firing a blast of flames at it, the nimble monster was quick to dodge to the side, doing so over and over as Rathi desperately tried to hit it with her fiery breath. However, just as it reached her and raised one of its claws to strike her neck, it suddenly cried out in pain and recoiled.

"Don't you dare…!"

A knife was stuck within the Nargacuga´s hide, and it's paralyzing coating was showing effect. Stunned in place, the agile monster had lost its advantage momentarily as it was forced to stay in place for a moment. Thus, Rathi´s heart jumped as Lute joined her side, witnessing the sheer concern and fright in his eyes. And before long, he held her head in his hands.

"You're alright…", his voice was trembling in barely suppressed joy, and Rathi could only lean her head against his own.

However, the Nargacuga didn´t remain stunned forever, and before long, it screamed with rage as it forced itself to snap out of the paralysis. Moving like a shadow, needle-like spikes were protruding from the tip of its tail before it fired them straight towards the young rider.

Lute watched with horror as they soared through the air and straight towards him, however, Rathi acted upon instinct.

´I will protect you…!´

In one, quick movement, Rathi had pushed him out of the way, engulfing him in her wings as she brought them both out of harm's way. The spikes missed them by mere inches, impacting upon a tree instead.

Rathi slightly opened her wings to see that Lute was alright, giving him a short but loving nuzzle before she faced their aggressor once more.

The Nargacuga screamed once again, its eyes still glowing red due to its rage before it rushed forward to try and engage directly. However, this time, Rathi´s mind was complete again, the emptiness within her having vanished into nothingness.

She focused upon its every move, and just as it was about to strike with its claw, she jumped backwards and leaped into the air. The Nargacuga merely struck the ground, and it watched in shock as Rathi made another somersault within the air, the tip of her poisonous tail being the last thing it saw before it impacted against its head.

Recoiling in pain, it could feel the poison coursing through its system before it hastily made its retreat, rushing off into the dark cover of the night again as it fled through the forest.

Rathi only watched for another small moment to make sure that the threat was now gone before she turned and almost leaped at her rider. Nuzzling against him, she stopped as they gazed at each other for a long moment, all until they both wordlessly embraced each other.

"Forgive me…!"

´Forgive me…!´

Without holding anything back, they both cried into the neck of the other, knowing that they could not last a single day without the other. Rathi recalled the horrid memories one last time, of when the blight had forced her to… to turn against Lute. Their bond was the most important thing to her in this world… and thus, she remembered just what it was that had freed her from her plight.

...

For the last time, Lute weakly raised his head, tenderly rubbing his cheek against her scales, just as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"... I… I love you… Rathi…"

…

A tear rolled down her scales, and with it, she pressed her head against Lute´s, leaning further into his touch.

´I love you too… Lute...´

As a small sidenote, I've changed Lute's monstie into a Rathian on purpose. Just to avoid confusion, there is a reason behind it.