Holy cow, the weeks went by fast. I rewrote this chapter several times and I still think it could have been a bit better (oh well). Fun fact, I actually read up on wolf behaviors for certain parts of Velociprey behaviors (since I don't have living raptors to study, I went with the next best thing). Enjoy!
Los was flying high among the clouds the next morning looking for prey. Up here he could really feel the cold winter winds coming from the north. It never snowed in the hills but the slight chill was enough to drive away most Aptonoths. Where the Aptonoths went, so did the Velocipreys that hunted them. This was why Los and Ian were trying to have kids now. Velocipreys were dumb but opportunists. If they saw an unguarded egg or wandering hatchling, they would snatch it up quickly. Even if Los and Ian would have to spend a few days hungry it would be worth it to raise their kids with one less predator to worry about. Besides, some Kelbi and Mosswine would migrate to the hills and meat would be plentiful again.
But as for right now, the cool wind only made Los more miserable. He struggled to keep his eyes open, flew unsteadily, and felt nauseous. He hardly got any sleep last night as he was constantly worried about Asta invading their cave. The first thing he did when the storm ended and the sun came up was to check the destruction outside. He couldn't find the remains of anything but that only made Los feel more uneasy.
His keen eyesight helped him scan the hills for any source of food, but he was begging to think the baby Aptonoth from yesterday might have been the last one in his and Ian's territory. If he flew outside his territory, he would risk running into other large monsters, including Asta. Logically the Astalos should be sleeping after his light show last night, but Los didn't want to take any chances…not when Ian and their eggs were counting on him.
Los didn't want to go home with nothing, but all he wanted to do was sleep. Ian could hunt but her earth-colored camouflage meant she was better suited for guarding their eggs. She also wasn't as good of a flier as Los. He just needed to find something, anything, and then he could get some much-needed sleep. After a few more hours of fruitless searching, he was becoming so hungry and tired that he probably wouldn't pass up a baby Aptonoth if he found one.
Then everything went dark. Los had fallen asleep while flying! His large powerful wings allowed him to glide while sleeping but it was still risky. Los knew needed to find something right now or return home and sleep before he glided into another wyvern's territory. He was about to head back home until he noticed a blue scaly creature with a red crest on its head. It was a Velociprey, and it was rare to see one alone. Los didn't like eating Velociprey as there wasn't a lot of meat on them and they were hard to catch, but food was food. Plus, the less Velociprey in the hills, the safer his babies would be. He waited for the Velociprey to drink from a nearby river before he swooped down to catch it. To Los's relief, he caught it but unfortunately, he didn't strike it hard enough to kill. Then it started talking.
"Please don't eat me. I'm really sick," the Velociprey said in a shrill voice. It then let out a few over-exaggerated coughs.
"I'll take my chances," Los said.
"Oh, you can talk too! You wouldn't eat another talking monster, would you?"
"I'll admit I've never had the opportunity to eat another talking monster before, but I imagine you'll taste just like a normal Velociprey."
The Velociprey went wild trying to claw at Los's feet. His claws were puny and useless. The creature barely drew any blood. He knew Bird Wyverns were stupid, but this individual was somehow even dumber than his non-talking relatives. Even if he escaped Los's clutches, he would have nothing to look forward to but a long fall to his death. Still, Los understood the struggle to survive. Had this Velociprey stayed with its pack, away from Los's turf, it might have lived a good long life. Maybe even become a Velocidrome and father lots of children. There was something unnerving about food screaming and crying so much. Still, Los had his family and himself to think about first. He tightened his grip on the Velociprey.
"My talons are filled with poison," Los warned. "If I scratch you, you'll die a slow and unpleasant death. I could do that but you'd taste terrible. Enjoy the view for now. When we get closer to my home, I'll kill you quickly and painlessly."
That made the Velociprey go quiet and motionless for a few moments. It didn't last and Los growled in anger as he felt the Velociprey bite into his toes. The teeth might have been small but this Velociprey had lots of them and he wasn't letting go.
"I COULD DROP YOU TO YOUR DEATH YOU KNOW! THERE IS NO WAY YOU'RE GETTING OUT OF THIS!" Los yelled.
The Velociprey then began to cry louder. Los wished he could have killed the smaller monster when he first caught it, and he really did consider dropping it right now.
"Why would you eat me? Don't you feel bad about eating someone you can talk to?" The Velociprey asked.
"I already have someone to talk to, she's my mate and both of us are really hungry. Why am I even discussing this with my food?!" Los responded.
"I can bring you food," the Velociprey said. "I know lots of places to get food. If you let me go, I'll show it to you."
This made Los consider his options. If he did kill the Velociprey that would be that but he and Ian would still be hungry as one Velociprey was not enough for two full-grown wyverns. He didn't trust this Velociprey and was expecting it to run away the first chance it got. However, judging from the weight of this Velociprey it was well fed, which should be impossible if it was living on its own without any Aptonoths. Perhaps there was something to gain from hearing this creature out.
"All right, tell me where this food stash of yours is and I might let you go," Los demanded.
"It would be easier if you put me on the ground," the Velociprey said nervously. "I can only find it by smell and I can't smell anything but us way up here."
Los let out a loud sign and began to descend. "You will only walk when we get down. If you try to run away, I'll burn you to the bone."
When they reach the ground, he let the Velociprey go and it carefully walked in front of Los. Instead of running away as Los expected, the Velociprey turned to face Los, raised up its head, and began to sing in a shrill little voice.
King of the Skies, Wyvern of Fire
He heard my Cries, the noble flyer
He is so wise, he'll get his desire
"What are you doing?" Los asked before the Velociprey could go any further.
"Singing. My pack sings every time something good happens," it explained. "Those who can't talk whistle and chirp instead. We sound a lot better when we're all together."
"Well stop it!" Los shouted. He was so tired that hearing this creature's horrible singing gave him a headache. This food source it spoke of better be close. Once Los had found it, he would take it for himself and eat the Velociprey too so it would never bother him again or threaten his unborn children.
Velocipreys, while annoying and dim, were at least good at following orders. The little creature walked at a steady pace while staying right in front of Los. He only stopped to ask if he was walking too fast or slow for the large Rathalos. Being on the ground for this long felt unnatural to the usually airborne Los, but he continued to follow the Velociprey up and over several hills and through a small forest. In the forest, it was easy for the little Velociprey to hide under foliage or behind trees where Los couldn't reach or see. He began routinely calling out to the Velociprey to make sure it was always nearby but this grew tiresome very quickly.
"Velociprey is too long," Los complained yelling it out one too many times. "What's your name?"
"I don't have a name. Most Velociprey don't. Only master Cidro has a name."
"Who's Cidro?" Los asked.
"My Velocidrome. The leader of our pack. He forbids everyone else from having a name. Even if they can talk."
Los looked around while rolling his eyes. "I don't see any Velocidromes nearby. You can give yourself a name if you like."
"I can…name myself? But I'm just a little Velociprey, nothing special about me."
"All the more reason to give yourself a name. Make yourself stand out more so I don't have to keep yelling Velociprey. It gets confusing after a while. You can talk, can't you? So, you can give yourself a name. Cidro can't do anything about that. So, pick a name for yourself or I'll just call you snack."
"Velo!" the Velociprey said abruptly. "Please call me Velo!"
"That's a start," Los said. It wasn't a very original name but neither was his own. Naming was hard, what other names could he have gone by, Ratha? "Keep moving Velo, you're still looking pretty edible right now."
"We're close, we're close!" Velo stressed. "We're really close now. Is it alright if I pick up the pace?"
"Just a little. Don't try anything," Los said. He continued to follow Velo through the woods until Los could smell the faint aroma of herbs and the strong odor of herd animals. The closer they got to the source got the more meat Los could smell. His mouth watered and he began to wonder why no other monster had marked this turf as their own. He sniffed the air again, looking for signs other than meat and he suddenly realized why. The scent of humans and their work hung heavily in the air and if Los could smell it, then surely Velo did too. Suddenly this Velociprey didn't seem so stupid, and Los feared it was trying to lure him into a trap. He kept quiet and expected flesh-takers to attack any moment now while the Velociprey ran away.
The two monsters stayed hidden behind the trees until they reached a cliff overlooking a valley with a village built in the middle of it. A large section of the village was surrounded by a wooden fence and was filled with different herbivores. Aptonoths, mossy backed Mosswines, fat flightless Gargwa birds, and even some furry creatures with large tusks that Los had never seen before.
"The people keep animals behind the fences and eat them later," the Velociprey explained. "They keep a close eye on them but at night I can sneak in and take a couple for myself. They just think one jumped over the fence and forget about it, after all, they have more than they could ever need!"
Los looked at the Velo in stunned silence. "Are you trying to get us both killed?" he yelled at it.
"No, I'm trying to feed us both master Rathalos. If a little Velociprey like me can take from the humans, then surely you can take from them with no problem."
Los roared before remembering he was close to a village. "Look, you're small and don't eat much. Humans aren't likely to notice if one of their smaller beasts go missing due to one sneaky Velociprey. But they will eventually notice a giant Rathalos flying down and making off with their animals."
The Velociprey crouched low to the ground and its eyes darted away from Los. It was displaying fearful and submissive behaviors it would normally only reserve for its alpha.
"Couldn't you just fight them off?" it asked Los. "I haven't seen any flesh-takers in this village so they would be no threat to you."
"Flesh-takers or not we don't attack humans without good reason. It always leads to bad things."
"So…do you want me to steal the food for you master?"
"No, no, no. You need to stop going to the village altogether. You're breaking one of the pacts."
The Velociprey tilted its head in confusion. Any thoughts of this creature being traitorous and cunning died suddenly. It was a miracle this creature hadn't gotten itself killed a long time ago. Los still considered eating Velo, but it did try to hold up its end of the bargain and it clearly placed a lot of unfounded trust in Los. He wondered why this creature insisted on calling him master. Was it out of an instinctual desire to serve? What had happened to his old master? Being called master was very strange as Los was naturally an antisocial creature. He hunted on his own and only needed his mate. It was this strange curiosity that led Los to spare the Velociprey, at least until he grew tired of it.
"Ok, we, as in most talking monsters, have these…unspoken agreements with each other. It's just something our parents taught from generation to generation that's kept us alive. And the first rule is not to attack villages and kill humans unless absolutely necessary. If you harm them then flesh-takers will gather and start hunting you down as well as any other monster they preserve as a threat."
"Are there other rules?" Velo asked.
"Second rule: Respect territory. When you smell anything that comes from another monster, you turn around and walk away. If I spot you hunting on my turf, I will consider you either food or foe, and you Velo are much too small to ever be considered foe."
"So that's what happened to me earlier?"
"Now you're learning," Los said. "Third rule: When food and water are scarce, don't hoard it! The monster that hoards is the first to be killed by the others. Fourth rule: Kill only what you need to, leave nothing to waste, and if you eat eggs always leave one.
Velo hadn't asked any more questions. He had been taking in all the rules while gazing at Los with his yellow eyes. Los hoped his children would be good listeners like this Velociprey
"Final and most important rule," Los continued in a stern voice. "Always remember nothing is without consequence. These rules were known as the Pact of Packs, but really, they were more like warnings. If a monster breaks a rule, they might be able to get away with it, but continuously breaking the rules will make you a target of flesh-takers and monsters alike. That is why nothing is without consequence. The Astalos that terrorizes these lands, Asta, if he were a weaker monster then he would have been killed a long time ago. It's only a matter of time before he grows too old or weak to fight off all the enemies he's made.
"First time I'm hearing about all this," Velo complained. "Master Cidro never taught those to me."
Los thought about what Velo had just said until everything had started to connect. It was no accident Velo had never heard these rules before, was living on his own, and hadn't been given a name. Cidro never wanted Velo to be anything.
"He probably wanted you to die," Los told Velo.
"What?! But why?"
"You're a growing male. In time you will become a Velocidrome like Cidro. He will no longer see you as a pack member, but as a rival for mates and food. Considering you can talk you're also a bit smarter than other Velociprey. Not by much, but enough for Cidro to consider you a future threat to his rule. That's why he never told you about the Pact of Packs. That's why he abounded you. That's why I found you all alone."
"You're…" Velo began to tremble as he spoke. "You're probably right."
Los could only assume Velo had seen Cidro do similar things to other pack members. Why else had he been so quick to accept this truth? Abandoning the young was a harsh reality, but one that needed to happen to all monsters. Los and Ian had been kicked out of their nests, and even though they wanted kids of their own, there would come a day when they would have to look after themselves. Yet despite all this, Los still felt hollow looking at this shaking, terrified, smaller creature. Cidro had purposefully abounded Velo during a time when food was becoming scarce and left to unknown lands. This was not a parent pushing their child, this was something else.
"So…are you going to eat me now?" Velo asked while crouching down again.
"Honestly you wouldn't be worth it." Los said after a moment of contemplation. "I might still have some use for you."
Velo stood back up and opened his mouth to start signing again before Los cut him off.
"Bring me one Aponoth from the village. This will be the last one you will ever steal from humans. After that, you're allowed to move into the outskirts of my territory in exchange for altering me and my mate any time you see Asta or flesh takers enter our turf. Your species are loud and annoying so I'm sure one of us will hear your warning cries."
"That's a lot I have to do for no food," Velo said. "What do I get in return?"
Los loomed over Velo while huffing up smoke and flames from his mouth. "I'll let you live."
"That sounds very good master Los! Just one last question."
"Yes?"
"Why do some monsters talk and others don't? I understand herbivores are just too simple-minded, but why can't we all talk to each other?"
That was a question that had always gnawed on Los's mind. It was a strange phenomenon that he had grown to just accept in life. Talking had only given him a good mate in Ian, but outside of that, he didn't know how it had benefited him. He had never had a prolonged conversation with another monster outside of his own species until now. It wasn't like he could talk to humans (not that he would want to anyway), so where did this trait come from and what was its purpose? Had talking monster been around for as long as the Pact of Packs or did that come much later? Los answered Velo by telling him the very same thing Ian had told him when he had asked her the same question many years ago.
"Why do some humans have different colored skin and hair? Why do Rathalos have different wing patterns? How come some Velociprey have bigger head crests than others? It's just an odd trait...nothing more, nothing less"
"But then why is it that talking monsters teach the Pact of Packs and not… nontalking monsters? Does anyone know who came up with that first?"
"You've asked enough questions. Start working on getting me my Aptonoth." Los flew off after ending his discussion with Velo. He was confused and frustrated with himself and the world. Velo's response was almost the exact same as Los's was to Ian's answer. Thankfully her response wasn't as harsh as Los's was but he had had enough of the little raptor today. He just…needed…some…sleep…
I hope I didn't make Los too unlikable in this chapter. While he is a sympathetic character at the end of the day, he is still a wild animal that was raised by wild animals. This chapter was meant to explore that side of him a bit more as well as world build a little. I think the next chapter will focus more on Ian. By the way the large tusked creatures Los saw were Popos. I doubt he knows anything about tundra monsters (if he even knows tundra environments exist).