Author's notes:
This chapter is posted in bulk with a number of other chapters, so don't be surprised if you get notifications of a few chapters being posted at the same time as this one.
This chapter the Deviljho would be named.
Enjoy!
*Edit 07/2019
Fix some typos...maybe edited some text a bit and change Yohra to YoRHa.
I feel so Embarassed that I didn't notice I missspelled it.
Okay! Enjoy all these slightly revised chapters.
"So, let me get this straight Nya…. You bought a pocketbook containing an unbelievable legend and found a connection to the locked bookcase you found yesterday…" Whistill started.
"Which enabled you to unlock it and discover a whole new culture around bonding and riding monsters, which you believe may have been connected to your past due to seeing an image of your choker on one of its pages…" Pod 153 continued.
"But you weren't sure if all of it was true, so you decided to do something to prove if it is or if it is not, Nya…?" Whistill trailed off, moving his eyes to look at the newborn Deviljho on 9S' lap. The little brute wyvern looks at him and gives its own version of a smile, but seeing the sharp teeth unsettles Whistill. The Deviljho turns its attention back to 9S, who was feeding it the rations he has packed and keeping it placated for the time being.
"Which explains the whole thing I did and the hatched Deviljho on my lap. Yup! That sort of sums everything up." 9S said to the two felynes who still couldn't believe in what they seen or witnessed.
A few minutes ago, after Whistill and the Melynx calmed down and assured by 9S that the Deviljho won't eat them, everybody decided to sit down and hear him tell them everything and explain what he has learned. He began by telling them what he bought from 32S and the whole Legend of Redan. Their reactions after hearing the story was understandable, since 9S himself thought it was crazy and unbelievable for a hunter and monster to befriend each other, but the Deviljho sitting on his lap that miraculously hatched from an unknown ritual made them think otherwise.
He then proceeded to tell them how he unlocked the bookcase and discovered the Rider's manual. He explained how the manual wasn't another work of the author LimE, which he previously thought, and how he found an illustration of his choker on one of the pages regarding Kinship stones.
That was when he started to suspect the manual may hold a clue to his forgotten past. He admits to Pod that it was the reason he stayed up all night, since he couldn't believe what he found and there was a lack of proof or evidence for anything in the manual being written as true. It made him unsure if his past is connected to Riders or if Riders exist at all. Which is why he decided to do the Rite of Kinship and hatch an egg to test and prove if all of it is true.
Leading to their current predicament.
"Meowster are you INSANE!" Pod 153 shouted at him, not caring of the Deviljho on his lap.
"Look, Pod I know that all of this seems crazy, I think it's crazy too! But let me finish explaining…" 9S tells his felyne who's anger is rapidly increasing.
"Explain what?! You deciding on performing a ritual you have no complete idea of? You hatching a potentially dangerous monster? You doing all of this without consulting any of us?! Do you have any idea of what you are doing?!" She argues at the actions her slightly idiotic meowster made.
"Oh c'mon Pod…" 9S replies, thinking that his Pod was overreacting.
"Don't c'mon Pod me! What were you thinking Meowster? You hatch a monster like a Rathalos and fly around the world going on adventures like a protagonist in a fantasy story?!" Pod waves her paws around incredulously at the scenario in her head.
"W-What no! I told you that if I hatch a monster then that means there is some truth to all of this Rider stuff!" 9S explains again to Pod 153.
"Uhhh… Nya… You're scaring the little one!" Shouted Whistill at the two, making both Pod and 9S pause to look at him.
Hearing what Whistill said, 9S turns his attention to the Deviljho on his lap and sees it visibly upset, whimpering and curling itself deep to his stomach. Feeling wrong for upsetting, 9S pets its side to soothe it, while apologizing for scaring it.
"Shhh…Hey it's okay… I'm sorry little guy. Don't worry everything is okay…" 9S said softly at the brute wyvern, petting it and stroking its side calming it down.
It uncurls slightly to look at him and 9S gives a smile to make it feel better. It gives a happy croon in response, visibly relaxing to his hold. With the little Deviljho taken care of, he turns his attention back to the felynes, specifically to Pod 153 who still has an incredulous expression. Seeing her, 9S gives a sigh before speaking.
"Look, Pod I don't know why you're so upset? If you must know, I did give a lot of thought on this Rider business. Since Last night when I was searching for any proof from the manual to this morning when we're heading here. Trust me I didn't make my decision recklessly." 9S said to Pod calmly, seeing her expression change to one of worry.
"Meowster… I'm just worried you might be doing something dangerous and reckless like that time you rode that Tigrex in YoRHa. Nya… you might be actually doing the same thing anyway since you're following a Rider's Manual.
And taming monsters meowster… many attempts are rarely done successfully." Pod admits to 9S, who understands since it was just a day or two since he did something incredible dangerous.
"I'm not gonna lie Pod. I knew if the egg hatches, everything was going to change for me and there is no going back to my decisions. I knew things might get a bit dangerous. I was hopping a bit that everything was just fake, and the egg won't hatch, then I can carry on with the life I've known. But I guess… I been given the chance to know the life I've forgotten." 9S said wistfully as he looks at the Deviljho on his lap and scratches it under its chin. It purrs in content and relaxes on his lap with bliss.
"I'm still not sure of all of this Rider business Meowster, what makes you sure that hatching the egg isn't a fluke and everything else?" Pod 153 asks still a bit skeptical.
"The monstie on my lap proves that there is some truth to everything I learned! Rider's exist Pod and I could feel it. And that means I could have been one of them. DO you know what this means?!" 9S tells Pod 153, not showing anymore restraint to his held glee and excitement to his discovery.
"And there was that glow coming from his choker Nya. I think Nyain-es may have found some truth in all of this…maybe something incredible as well Nya…" Added Whistill, remembering the light that covered the whole room. His statement cause everybody in the room to pause and remember as well, with Pod 153 going in deep thought.
"Nyaaa… Meowster."—Pod 153 sags and gives a short sigh— "Knowing you I should have expected this. Well maybe not this scenario entirely, but this takes the cake for all the crazy shenanigans you have done." With a shake of her head she turns to look at 9S.
"Fine I'll hear you out, if not because you won't stop trying to convince me but because I know how it troubles you whenever a topic of your past comes into mind." Pod 153 said to him, finally calming down and accepting the current predicament her meowster has gotten herself into.
"I still think that all of this is still crazy but… I really care about you meowster and I don't want you to face whatever this is alone." She said making 9S smile at his felyne's support for him.
"Thank you Pod… you have no idea how much this means to me and I promise you Pod, I'm going to tell you everything." 9S said, happy that Pod is giving him a chance.
"And this little guy will be with us along the way." 9S says as he smiles and raises the Deviljho above him, with it crying joyful growls as it flails its legs and tail, enjoying being lifted up.
"I'm surprise that your so at ease with your… Deviljho. You know Nya, since it's a Deviljho." Said Whistill, still a bit perplex with the brute wyvern on 9S's lap.
"Me too Meowster. You were a bit hesitant at first, but all that nervousness disappeared somehow." Added Pod 153 looking at the sight of her meowster petting the Deviljho.
"Well maybe its got to do with this whole Kinship thing I did. Whatever happened to me and this Deviljho, may have been the same with Redan and that Wyvern. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I'm hoping to figure it out in the future." 9S tells them as puts the Deviljho down and lets it sit beside him as he gets the Rider's manual and places it on his lap.
"Nya… I think what we should figure out first is how did a Deviljho egg get here in the first place?" Whistill raised the question, making both 9S and Pod 153 focus on him, with eyebrows raised in realization.
All of them had their expressions slowly turned to a look of terror.
"You're right if a Deviljho egg is here then… did a Deviljho make this den?" 9S said as he looks at the small Deviljho at his side, it stares back at him and tilts its head in confusion, not understanding the question. 9S's statement sends a chill to everyone in the room besides the newborn Deviljho.
"Impossible Nya! If a Deviljho was here, then we would have smelled it by now Nya! Heck Nya, we would have notice if there was a giant murderous pickle going around the forest!" Exclaimed Whistill.
"But a Deviljho's presence could explain the disturbance the forest was having for the past weeks, they're super predators that rival elder dragons, which would explain why you said the monsters were feeling on the edge lately." Said Pod 153, suspecting it to be the case.
"But Whistill is right, we would have noticed if the local wildlife suddenly disappeared or if the Deviljho itself was rampaging here. They're not the most inconspicuous of monsters and the guild would have reported the inhabitants in the forest suddenly becoming extinct, because of its unending appetite." Told 9S, as he begins to remember some facts of the brute wyvern.
"Nya, we would have reported it ourselves, but for the past weeks we didn't see any Deviljhos and only noticed the heightened territorial behavior of the other predators." Added Whistill.
"Then what happened to it? Based on the materials we gathered, it could have stayed here for quite sometime since all the waste it produce would have fertilize the soil to grow the plants we gathered. Even if it wasn't feeding or hunting, which is unlikely, its presence would still affect the entire ecosystem." Asked Pod 153 as she guessed why there were a lot of goods in the monster den.
"True, the eggs were here for quite some time as well. They didn't seem freshly laid or the Rite of Kinship would have failed if the eggs weren't developed enough to hatch. The Rider's manual said that eggs still have to grow past the yolk stage, and you check the weight of the egg to see if it has grown enough before attempting to hatch it. The power of the Kinship stone would accelerate and finish the process when the rite is performed then the monstie would hatch." 9S explains to Pod and Whistill, as he reads a page from the Rider's manual.
"Really? These Kinship stones are sounding more mysterious Nya, to have the power to speed up a monster's hatching process." Whistill commented.
"But if this was its den, it would have been littered more with monster bones…" 9S stood up and began to pace around, with Pod and Whistill surprise at what he said. The small Deviljho began to follow 9S as he paced back and forth, finding the act amusing.
"What do you mean Meowster? That this den wasn't made by a Deviljho?" Inquired Pod 153.
"You do have an interesting point Nyain-es, but a Deviljho doesn't leave much leftovers and would eat the bones as well." Said Whistill.
"But we were still able to gather some bones and I noticed in the nest there were two types of patterns on the eggs." 9S told them, surprising the felynes.
"If we can check the eggs and see what they are inside then I think I know one possible explanation to explain why there are Deviljho eggs here and why the Deviljho isn't." 9S tells them, getting their attention.
"Check those eggs we have Nya! See if any of them were the same pattern or looks like the one this hatchling came from and bring them all here, then get one that isn't." Ordered Whistill to the Melynx, who began to scramble to the cart to check the eggs they packed.
The Melynx bring two eggs with zigzag stripes and places them near the group. 9S checks the patterns with the eggshells from his hatched Deviljho's egg, compares them and sees that they match. The Deviljho gives a sniff at the eggs and gets enticed by their smell.
"Well, from the looks of it, I could say that these are Deviljho eggs and maybe the rest that are inside that nest." Told 9S as he looks back at the nest.
"Yes Nya. But Just to make sure…" Whistill goes to of one of the Deviljho eggs and makes a crack at the top and carefully makes a small opening to see its contents and checks the insides of the egg.
"This one is definitely a Deviljho, the shapes there but not as developed as the little one." Whistill said, before moving to let 9S and the Deviljho see it as well.
The small Deviljho begins to drool at the delicious contents it sees.
"Now let's check this one that got spots on it." Said Whistill as one Melynx brings another different egg to the group from the cart. Whistill does the same, making a small opening to look inside. Pod 153 checks it.
"It looks like a Yian Kut-ku and would have hatch naturally after a couple of weeks." Said Pod 153, turning to Whistill and 9S.
They hear a rumble and notice the small Deviljho eyeing the eggs in hunger, drooling saliva on the floor. Seeing this, Whistill and the other felynes back away while 9S just shakes his head and moves all the eggs to the small Deviljho. Seeing this the Deviljho croons in delight but looks at 9S first, as if it was asking permission to dig in.
"Go ahead little guy, eat up while we try to figure out why you were laid here." Said 9S patting its head giving it permission. It goes straight to the eggs and begins to gorge at them, not caring if some where its suppose siblings. He turns to back to the felynes to begin to explain what he believes is the case in their monster den mystery.
"Well seeing that there are two kinds of eggs here, from a Yian Kut-ku and a Deviljho, I think I'm confident to explain what could have happened here." 9S said, with the felynes listening to him.
"Deviljhos have high metabolism, producing heat and burning though a lot of energy at a rapid pace that results to their seemingly unending hunger. But I remember reading from the monsterpedia before that there are cases of Deviljhos satisfying their hunger." Told 9S.
"When they do, they immediately produce special hormones to attract mates and copulate. After that I guess they would make a den or find and invade other monster dens to lay their eggs, like this one. Not much else is known of a Deviljho's breeding habits or anything else regarding nesting. But in this case, we can say that a Deviljho was carrying and drove out the monster in this den to lay its eggs on an already made nest. It may have stayed here for while guarding the eggs and eating anything that stumbled in here and must have left when its hunger returned, leaving the eggs behind. Maybe even migrated to another locale due to all the prey leaving the forest to YoRHa, from either it nesting or something else entirely. What do you guys think?" 9S finished as he faces Pod and Whistill to hear their opinion.
"Hmmm… Your explanation is plausible. It could explain why we didn't see it throughout the past weeks nor why it didn't hunt. If it prioritize guarding its egg since its hunger was temporarily satisfied." Said Pod, pondering a bit on his explanation.
"Nya there maybe some inconsistencies to it. We're not sure when the Deviljho abandoned this den, since the tracks me and my Melynx saw were already unrecognizable and the Melynx have scouted this den days before as well. Meaning it could have left much earlier before the entire stampede to YoRHa Nya. But that would imply that something else drove the monsters away and maybe even the Deviljho itself from this area. I'm not sure what that something could be Nya." Said Whistill speculating a bit from all the information that he's heard.
"Regardless, I think its safe to say that the parent wouldn't be coming back soon nor the original recipient of the den. Most of the monsters are still in the southern area and I bet some of the monsters here wouldn't dare enter a Deviljho's lair, abandoned or not since some traces of its presence are scaring them away." 9S said to the felynes who nod in agreement.
"We may have to report this monster den to Chief Zinnia or the commander. The idea of a large monster, like a Deviljho, wandering in the Whistill forest is alarming even if it left the locale." Said Pod 153, her statement making 9S agree reluctantly.
"Yeah… they're planning to have a hunting group to investigate the northern area at least two days from now, after they fix the village a bit. But at least they'll be able to deal with the eggs here and maybe even study the Deviljho ones." 9S chimed in as he stretches, moving his body a bit as he felt stiff.
"Nya… I wouldn't be sure of that…" Said Whistill taking a look at the nest.
"Why what do you mean?" Asked 9S as he turns to look at Whistill.
"I think there maybe another reason to why Deviljhos would invade other monster dens…" Whistill then points to the nest, making both 9S and Pod to look at it.
"Shit!" 9S shouts in surprise as he sees the small Deviljho on top of the nest and eating all the eggs. He rushes to climb up and try to stop the little one before it eats everything. Both Pod and Whistill could only shake their head at the sight in disbelief.
"I guess, Deviljho hatchlings would eat the eggs of other monsters as their first meal…" Said Pod to Whistill, who chuckles.
"And maybe even the unhatched siblings, without knowing. You think we should help him?" Asked Whistill as he sees 9S trying in vane to stop the small Deviljho.
"Hey, nooooo! These are evidence and potential items for research. You can't eat them… Stop it! How are you digging them out so easily?!" 9S shouts as he tries to pull the small Deviljho away from the eggs.
"No need. I think it would be easier to report to the guild if the eggs where sadly scrambled because an opportunistic predator came in… Besides we don't want any more rogue Deviljhos running around. One rogue is enough." Replied Pod 153 back to Whistill making the other felyne chuckle again.
"Hey! I heard that. The little guy here doesn't look rogue, see!" 9S said as he lifts the small Deviljho for Pod and Whistill to see.
The leftover yolk and some bubbled saliva in its mouth made the small Deviljho look like it was frothing, like a rapid animal. Its growling and snapping of its jaws just added to the image of it being a psychotic killer.
"Yeah not convince Meowster/Nyain-es." Said both of the felynes at the same time, even the Melynx flinched at the sight. 9S turns the Deviljho around to look at. It wags its tongue at him, before licking its snout of the excess saliva and yolk. 9S lets out a mild expression of disgust.
"Ueehh… Okay maybe you do look a bit rogue." He said, as the Deviljho suddenly perks its head and gives out a small bark.
"Groah!" 9S tilts his head in confusion from its bark. The Deviljho just shifts its head and appears to be giving its version of a smile to him, which was pretty disturbing.
"What did I say something wrong?" He asked the small Deviljho.
"Groah!" It barks again, shifting happily at his arms.
"Ughhh, I don't know what you're trying to say to me?" 9S said confused.
It suddenly shakes itself out of 9S grip and suddenly charges down from the nest, straight to the felynes. The felynes panic and begin to run away from the charging pickle.
"NyaaaAAAH! Nyain-es!" Shouted Whistill as the small Deviljho seems to follow them, forcing them to split up.
The Melynx try to dig to underground to escape but the Deviljho would catch up before any of them would finish. Pod 153 and Whistill make their way to the nest and begin to climb up to where 9S is.
"Meowster! You're Monstie is trying to eat us! The eggs weren't enough!" Said Pod 153, who suddenly jumps onto 9S' arms in fear. Whistill clings to his foot as they watch the small Deviljho chasing the Melynx, while occasionally barking at them.
"Hey! No… Bad Deviljho, they're not food!" 9S calls out to it wondering why it suddenly wanted to chase them. Then again, the monstie is a Deviljho, so Pod may be right that the eggs weren't enough for him.
"Nya! Pod is right, its going rogue! Your Kinship thing is a sham!" Shouted Whistill in fear.
"Groah!" The Deviljho hears him and gives a bark to their direction before it begins to head straight to the nest.
"Meowster its coming back! Do something I don't want to be monster chow! Much less to a rogue monster you hatched!" Pod said hysterically while clutching the fabric of 9S' shirt.
"Groah!" It barks again, which 9S noticed this time to Pod. He begins to see a pattern and suspects why the Deviljho is acting this way.
"Hey guys hold on for a bit…" 9S said as he puts Pod 153 down and meets the Deviljho midway just at the bottom of the nest. It barks at him in delight, then barks at the felynes on top of the nest.
"Meowster what are you doing?" Pod asked in worry, while Whistill hides behind her.
"I just realized something…"
'I didn't give him a name' 9S thought to himself.
"…Wait are you a boy?" He asks the brute wyvern, since he has been calling it an it for a while and he didn't consider to check first what gender the Deviljho was.
It gives a short bark, which he interprets as it agreeing and saying that it's a boy.
"Huh, so it's safe to say that you're a boy" 9S said to the brute wyvern before he calls out to the felynes.
"Can you both say what you guys said earlier about him, the Deviljho I mean!" He calls out to the felynes behind on the nest, who stare at him skeptically.
"What? That it was trying to eat us Nya?" Asked Whistill.
"Or its going rogue Meowster?" Guessed Pod 153.
"Groah!" The Deviljho barks at Pod 153 making her flinch. It looks to her for a minute then back to 9S, giving a bark and happy croon to him.
"Can you say that again Pod?" Asked 9S to his nervous Pod.
"I-I don't think it l-likes what I'm saying…" She replied back to 9S, shifting a bit backwards. Seeing Pod a bit reluctant, 9S begins to ponder on what she said and tries something.
"Hmmm …Rogue?" He calls out to the Deviljho, who immediately shifts its attention to him before barking loudly in joy.
"Groah!"
"Rogue?" 9S calls the Deviljho again and he barks.
"Groah!"
"Rogue…" He trails a bit, testing it a bit more. The Deviljho just barks again.
"Groah!"
"Hey guys, its okay! I think we just named him!" 9S said happily as Deviljho decided for a name for itself, as the felynes could only react dumbfounded.
"You're joking Meowster?" Said Pod 153, with Whistill thinking the same while scratching the back of his head in confusion.
"No, I'm serious. Look come closer… He hasn't chased you ever since I started calling him Rogue." 9S replies to them, who were hesitant to go near him. He just gestures them to come closer.
They look at each other before both decided to come down reluctantly from the nest. The Melynx decided to watch from the safety of the cart, while Pod and Whistill stay behind 9S.
"Look, see. Hey Pickle? …Pickle?" He tries a different name.
The Deviljho just stares at him and the felynes look if it would react differently.
"G.I. Jho?" 9S tries another.
The Deviljho just tilts its head in confusion at him.
"Jhojira?"
The brute wyvern's expression changes to a thinking one before it shakes it heads in disagreement.
"9D?"
"Grrrrrrr…." It responds a bit threateningly, making the felynes hide behind 9S back. It already has a name so why won't he call him with it.
"Rogue." 9S says in amusement, which returns the joyous expression to the Deviljho.
"Groah!" He barks happily at his chosen named being called. Pod and Whistill could see that Deviljho has taken a name for itself, both couldn't believe that a monster got a pet name.
"ROGUE!" 9S says it one more time, the Deviljho bounces in place in response before opening its mouth.
"Groooooaaaaah!" The Deviljho, now named Rogue, roars at delight before he barrels on to 9S chest sending him falling onto his back and begins to lick his face. 9S could only chuckle with amusement at the gesture.
"Okay, Okay! You like the name… Rogue stop… hehehe." The brute wyvern continues to shower him with affection despite 9S protesting, while getting tickled by the licking.
"Meow… this day is getting weirder and weirder… Nya! That's its we're done for the day lets head back before anything else happens." Whistill said, which the Melynx agree and begin to secure their cart one last time before they begin to head out.
"Yes we should, the day is almost over and I believe me and Meowster might have some things to do when we get back… Like how are we going to explain the Deviljho to Zinnia and the others? I'm not sure if they would even let him keep the monster, much less let it live in the village." Pod 153 said with exasperation.
Her statement made 9S sit upright and Rogue pause, sensing something troubling him.
"Uh… about that. I'm not planning to… tell… anyone… yet." Said 9S nervously, almost whispering the last part and avoiding Pod 153's questioning gaze.
"Oh Nya, what is it this time?" Said Whistill getting a bit tired from today's events.
"What do you mean Meowster? You're not going tell Zinnia and the others of this?" Asked Pod 153 questionably and surprised at what he said.
"Yes… I'm not going to tell anyone about all of this Rider's stuff …and Rogue as well." 9S answered seriously. Before the felynes could ask or react he quickly cuts them off and explains.
"Look, you remember when I said that the egg hatching was the decisive moment for me to decide what to do next with all of this Rider stuff. Well it hatched Rogue, which made my decision and opened a whole lot of opportunities… but also a whole lot of new responsibilities I need to do and secrets I need to keep." 9S tells the felynes, as he brings the Rider's manual out again and gesture them to come closer as he turns to a specific page.
"Even with a brief history and all the details to help Riders with their monster taming, I couldn't find any trace of where this manual came from or where the original owner lived as well. Not even a village name or directions where it is hidden. I believe we couldn't find any Riders before not just because they live in hidden villages, but because they also didn't want themselves to be found." 9S said as he skims to the pages letting them see that most of the contents of the manual was about taking care of different monsties, rider combat and certain equipments.
"Riders separate themselves from the outside world out of fear against the prejudice of hunters and they have a Rider's code to never leave the village to keep them safe from the outside world and to remain hidden from it too." He continues to explain as Pod and Whistill follow the pages 9S is showing them.
"I don't know how this manual washed by the river, maybe from the owner losing it on an accident. But from the initial reactions I got from you guys and if what the manual said is true of their fear at the prejudice of our world, something worst may have have happened to the owner long ago that lead to his/her bag getting wash up by the river…" His statement sent a slight chill to all of them.
The next page he turns to is one with an illustration of a hunter and rider fighting each other, adding a point to 9S's explanation.
"Despite in hindsight on how unbelievable all of this is… I don't want to risk any harm to come to me, Rogue or anybody else, getting hurt from fighting something not everybody would understand or agree on. Both people from YoRHa and the people from whatever village I came from in my past." He said solemnly and finished his explanation. When he looks to see Pod and Whistill, he became glad that they had a look of understanding.
"…I'm a bit scared too, that people would go back being weary of me if they find out of my connection to all of this… maybe they will, since I now have hint of were I came from and I was able to hatch a monster." 9S adds and admitted with a sad expression, making Rogue come close to him and nuzzle his side to offer comfort. Trying to make him feel better from whatever that upset him. He pets the Deviljho in response for its kind gesture.
"I could see your point Nyain-es. Nya, I think I could relate to these Riders situation a bit, since I kept my village away from YoRHa out of fear before you came along." Said Whistill, who comes closer to 9S and pats his arm as well, while keeping some distance from Rogue, still not trusting the monstie a bit.
"I understand as well Meowster. People do fear things they don't understand, but can ask why you'll still keep… Rogue?" Pod 153 says the last part wearily not sure if the monstie will tackle her in response.
"Well… If I'm going to search for my past and because my past involves riders, then I would have to search for them as well. Since I believe I can't find them the traditional way, then I'll have to look for them on their own terms. Which involves riding a monstie to places hunters normally couldn't and maybe even impossible to reach. Besides that, isn't it cool to have a monster as an ally or a friend?" 9S answered Pod 153.
"That would mean you have to take care, train and ride Rogue here when he grows a bit. How about your hunter training, wouldn't all of this get in the way? Would you still want to be a hunter, if you are going to be a rider?" Questioned Pod 153 to 9S.
"Why can't I be both? Redan was a hunter before he became the first rider and I still want to get strong and be skilled to fight against anything that I would face in the future. Hunter training would help me fight monsters by myself and would be advantages when I'll have to fight with Rogue in the future when I'm not riding him. Maybe I can learn something new from both trainings if I could fit them both to my schedule. Either way in case I would need to face a rider in battle, I would be able to keep up with both a trained monster and someone who is a hunter's equivalent." 9S explains to Pod 153, who goes wide eye from his explanation.
"Maybe you did think all of this true…" She whispered this to herself.
"But I still need to find a place to keep Rogue out of sight and find you, Whistill, a new home. And I still need to make an excuse to why I need to go and see Rogue.
Wait... what would I feed him? Oh, I hope the manual would have some stuff for raising Deviljhos..." 9S then shifts to a thinking position. He may have bitten more than he could chew when hatching Rogue.
"I think we can work something out Nya." Whistill said to 9S, surprising him and taking him from his thoughts.
"What?" He said to the felyne, thinking he misheard him.
"I said we can work something out Nya! I want to help you Nya!" Whistill said happily to a shock 9S.
"Why? Weren't you afraid of Rogue? I can't keep him with you guys, the other felynes would panic as well." 9S tells him, before Whistill waves a paw to signal that he would explain.
"Nya, I am still afraid! But he could stay with us for some time, while you can find a home for both us and your Deviljho. Maybe both that are close to each other and hidden. I'm not gonna lie to you Nya, a monster like a Deviljho can keep some monsters away from our settlement and …Nyahehe I may be a bit curious in all of this rider stuff as well. You really peaked my interest Nya." Whistill said while giving a short laugh and rubbing the back of his head.
"I don't know what to say… I mean would you really do that for me Whistill… are you sure?" 9S asked hesitantly to the felyne chief who nods in response.
"Yes, you maybe endangering the lives of your fellow felynes, since you know... it's a Deviljho?" Added Pod 153.
"Nya, I'm sure. But I trust Nyain-es. I know the risks of something going wrong Nya, but I could only blame myself, for my own decisions Nya. You should know as well, for every choice you believe you've done wrong. Besides, call it a hunch Nya, but I believe that this Kinship thing is something you can do Nyain-es." The felyne said truthfully to 9S, making him crouch to Whistill and bows his head.
"Thank you Whistill, I promise you that you won't regret your decision and I would find you a new home and do all the tasks you'll give to me for your settlement." 9S answered truthfully as well, showing his gratitude. Pod 153 approaches him as well.
"Well I can't argue you for making your own choices but know that I would be there to help and keep my Meowster in check." Pod 153 said as well to the felyne chief.
"Nya, you both better keep word of your promises Nya. I feel what whatever happens next, something big is gonna happen and I for one Nya want to see whatever it is that's coming…in one piece purrferrably." Whistill said to the two, both nodding their heads in agreement and chuckling at his statement.
With nothing else left to do, 9S then stands up and calls out to Rogue who seems to be investigating the cart they had, making the Melynx nervous. The small Deviljho wasn't biting anything but was sniffing around the cart.
"C'mon Rogue, stay beside me. We're going to leave your nest and see the outside world now." He said to the small Deviljho as it runs to his side, wagging its tail in excitement.
"Nya the other felynes might be done as well. Lets head to the rendezvous point." Ordered Whistill, making the Melynx push the cart.
"Agreed, lets go Meowster. We can discuss more of what your planning to do with Whistill back at their camp." Told Pod 153 as she makes her way with Whistill to ride the cart.
"Yeah let's go…" 9S looks down at his monstie and gesture it to follow him. Rogue barks and walks to his side as they begin to leave the cave.
9S gives one last look at the nest area and touches his Kinship stone on his choker. He thinks that no one else would know of what happened here besides them. That this place would forever be etched in his memories of the new kinship bond that was formed between him and Rogue. And how all the eggs were eaten by said Deviljho… except the two they have left, lucky for Whistill.
He then turns and departs from the nest, monstie in tow.
Author's notes:
Well that's the end of the chapter!
I hope you enjoyed this and enjoy the next one!