I believe that monsters are not simple-minded creatures. I believe they can feel emotion, and can tell the difference between ally and enemy. I believe some monsters, especially Elder Dragons, even have varying degrees of intelligence. The way Velocidrome use different calls to strategically command Velociprey is a shining example of this. Queen has proven just how intelligent she is.

I wake up in the middle of the night as I'm being rolled over on my stomach. As I'm clearing the sleep from my eyes, I feel Queen carefully scoop her chin spike under me as I'm laying down and roll me back over on my back. I jump up, unsure what to think, and Queen recoils slightly in surprise. She comes back in and rubs against me, huffing softly. The moon is shining bright and the clouds are mostly cleared out, allowing me to see my surroundings well enough. After a moment, Queen wanders towards the edge of the nest where she usually takes off to hunt and sits, turning her gaze towards me.

"I knew it." I recognize the voice at this point, so I turn towards the wyverian.

"What's going on? Why is she awake in the middle of the night, and why did she wake me up?"

"Before you went to sleep, you were able to climb on that Rathian's back, if only briefly. I've only ever seen something like this happen once before."

This isn't the first time this has happened? The wyverian seems to be able to see the questions coming before I can ask them.

"I've been observing your bond with this Rathian, as I'm sure you're aware. Over a century ago, there used to be a group of humans that could forge a kinship with monsters, dubbed Riders. The bond that a human and monster shared was established with the help of a special stone known as a Kinship Stone. These humans have long since been forgotten, and their methods abandoned, but there are rumors among my kind that the spirit of the riders lives on in a very small number of humans today, and that these humans don't need Kinship Stones to bond with monsters."

That still doesn't explain what's going on. Queen lets out a loud but short rumble in my direction. Me and the wyverian both look towards her, then back at each other. It seems to still see my confusion, and gives me the explanation I've been waiting for.

"She wants you to fly with her."

WHAT? When I first found Queen, she was barely hanging on to life, and in less than 3 days I've built enough trust between us for her to let me ride on her back as she flies?! I struggle to find my words in an attempt to find an excuse to do anything but fly.

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"W- Whenever I fly on the guild airships, I… I get motion sickness!"

"Well a Rathian isn't an airship, is she?"

I quickly find out that excuses aren't getting me out of this. It's far too soon. Part of the initial purpose of training Queen was so I could mentally prepare and train myself for when we did take to the skies. I look back towards Queen, and I swear she looked antsy. The wyverian speaks again.

"It's a warm night, and the other monsters are asleep. It's the perfect opportunity." Most of me just wanted to go back to sleep, but there was… something inside me that wanted to get right on her back and go with her. Was that the spirit of the riders?

"What if I fall?"

"If you do everything right, you won't."

I sigh, then walk over to Queen and run my hand along her neck. She purrs and lowers her head. My body is not used to moving this late at night, so I struggle to climb on her neck. She's patient enough for me to make my way up and get settled. Once I situate my legs in front of her wings, I hear the wyverian speak again.

"Who would have thought-" It removes its hat and face covering, "That I've been raising the spirit of a rider?"

I would have yelled, had it not been for the fact that before I could even react, Queen had taken off and was now flying up and over the forest with me on her back. All I could focus on was clamping on to her neck for dear life. She keeps flapping her wings, going higher and higher, and I keep my eyes shut tight out of pure fear as I hold on. After a while, I feel her stop flapping and start gliding instead. I start to loosen my grip and push myself up straight, hands still on Queen's neck for support. I open my eyes, and I can see for miles ahead of me.

I look to my right and see where the trees transition into the shoreline, which then opens up into the sea. On the other side are more trees as far as I can see. In the distance, I can barely make out the lights coming from Astera. I see these, and all of a sudden, all my fear is gone. We're so far above everything, but I'm not afraid. I can't believe it, that wyverian… it was him.

It was Guildmaster Tavris. How long had he been looking after me? Why wasn't he back at Astera? The questions seem to fade away as soon as I think about them while I observe the world around and below me. I remember the flight plans I made before, and decide now would be the best time to try them out. I lean right, using my right leg to pull myself in that direction and pushing with my left hand. Somehow, Queen seems to know exactly what I want to do, and she banks left. As I sit back up, Queen evens out.

All of a sudden, everything seems to click, and I completely forget about the plans. I lay down close to Queen's neck, and she starts flapping again to gain altitude. When I feel like we're high enough, then I start having fun. We start to dive. At this point, me and Queen understand each other perfectly. I command her subconsciously, and she listens. We're going down fast, so very fast, but I'm not scared. We even out, and start gliding again, downward velocity helping us go much faster than before. I lean up slightly, and Queen tilts her wings to slow us down. Now we're gliding as slow as before. I throw my arms up and yell, which then turns to laughter. I've never had this much fun in my life.

Is this what it meant to be a rider? It felt… right. It felt like I belonged on Queens back, up in the sky. I turn to look for the nest. I spot it, and we start gliding back at a comfortable speed. back. Once we get close enough, Queen stretches her legs and lands, and I dismount. Tavris is sitting near the eggs when we land, then looks up at us.

"How was it?" At this point I realize my heart is still pounding, so I wait for it to calm down before speaking.

"That was incredible. Is this how being a rider is supposed to feel?" He smirks and nods.

"I need to get back to Astera before sunrise. See you tomorrow."

He leaves, and Queen walks over and lies down over the eggs. I lay down near her head, and we both drift back to sleep.

Morning comes, and I wake up as the sunlight hits my eyes. I roll over on my back, and stretch out my arms and legs. Queen raises her head and yawns as I get up. I run my hand over her head, and she huffs contently. I equip my armor then head to camp. I see and eat my ration, then pick up the sheet with my assignment. This one was very strange, though.

"Tame and ride an Aptonoth." Tame and ride? This assignment has to have been written by the guildmaster. I call a wingdrake to fly me to the southwest camp, then follow the path to the river where I find a herd of Aptonoth grazing. They're hardly wary, since I'm no bigger than the smallest in their group. I pull up some grass, then approach the biggest one and offer it to him. I rub my right hand over his head as he eats the grass from my left. After he finishes eating from my hand, he lies down in front of me.

I climb over his back, and he stands up again. I get that feeling again, like I'm connected with this monster. He stands still until I want him to move forward, which he does. A monster like Aptonoth is good at foraging, so I wonder if he could help me look for certain plants. I think of looking for a sleep herb, and the Aptonoth starts moving automatically. I wait and search, and we manage to find some sleep herbs near a tree trunk. This trick is going to be useful. I dismount, and he goes back to join his herd. I call the wingdrake again to take me back to the camp near the nest.

"Well done." Guildmaster Tavris was waiting for me as I got back. He must have been watching me riding the Aptonoth.

"Come to the nest, there's something that requires your attention."