I follow Tavris to the nest, and Queen stands aside. He points at the nest and tells me to watch. I do, and notice one of the eggs shift. I look up at Queen, and she looks back down at the eggs. I sit with my legs crossed and turn around the one that moved, being sure to keep it with the others, and it shifts again as I hold it. I start to pick it up, and I hear a crack. I look up at queen and nod. She looks down at the eggs, then back at me before turning around and going off to hunt.

I hear more cracking. I look for where the cracking could be coming from, and I notice an unusual bump. The egg shifts and cracks again, and the bump grows. Another shift, and the hole opens, revealing a black nose tip. It's a Rathalos. He keeps pushing, but he only manages to poke out the tip of his snout. As he tries to push the top off the egg, I consider helping him out. I notice a line form on the sides of the hole going in opposite directions, and then start to widen as he pushes the top off. As I'm placing him back with the other eggs, another one shifts. I talk to the eggs to familiarize them with my voice, and the first Rathalos manages to tumble out. To the surprise of both me and Tavris, it's an Azure Rathalos.

By this time, the rest of the eggs are shifting and bumping against each other. I clean the Rathalos in the same manner a mother Felyne would clean her kittens, using my hand instead of my tongue to brush off the liquid and egg fragments. Soon, all of the other eggs hatch. Five Rathian in total, two of which are pink, and three Rathalos, with the first to hatch being the single azure. I pick each of them up individually and brush them off the same way I did the first, then observe them all as they tumble over each other in attempts to stand up and walk. The pink and azure colorations must be a recessive trait.

The whelps eventually figure out that they can use their wings as support while they build up the muscles in their legs. After this, the Azure Rathalos comes right up to me and rests his head on my leg. I pick him up and put him back with the others, but he just comes right back. The others follow him and gather around me. A Rathalos and Pink Rathian start nipping at each other, but I break up the small fight easily. It's at this point that I realize how small the Azure Rathalos is compared to the other hatchlings. He must be the runt, even though he was the first to hatch and start walking. We bonded almost immediately. I can tell that this is going to be a very powerful monster.

I'm so focused on the hatchlings that I don't even realize Tavris is gone. Queen returns carrying an Aptonoth in her talons, and she drops it near the eggshells. All of the other hatchlings immediately turn towards the smell and stumble over each other to get to the food, but the runt stays with me. I walk over to the Aptonoth carcass, and he follows close behind, tumbling along the way, following my sound and scent instead of the smell of fresh meat. I sit next to the others as they feast, but the runt just stands behind them. I carve a small chunk of meat from the neck of the Aptonoth and offer it to him, and he eats right from my hand. He needs to eat with the others, so I try picking him up, tucking his wings against his side, and gently push him between two other hatchlings. He smells the meat and starts eating. I take this opportunity to go around disarming the snares in case a clumsy hatchling wanders into one, then head back to camp. I find my ration and assignment. On the sheet, it simply says "Wait Outside." I eat, then wait outside the tent as instructed.

Tavris walks through an opening in the branches, holding a small pouch. "Thank you for waiting. Your assignment is to tame and ride a Kulu-Ya-Ku. This powder will help you calm it down enough for it to trust you. Simply pour a small amount on your hand and blow it at the monster. Kulu are usually skittish and flighty, but there are some that are more curious than others. If you're lucky, it will come right up to you once it sees you. You'll also need this." He hands me an eggshell fragment, and I know he wants me to use this to give my scoutflies a lead. I release them, and after they analyze the shell, they start leading me to the next track.

I follow them toward a footprint in the mud. I follow the tracks and eventually spot it. It seems to be wandering at a casual pace, so I pick up a branch and follow behind at a fair distance. Once we're in a clearing in the forest, I snap the branch to gain its attention. It swivels its head to look at me, then turns and slowly approaches. As I reach for the pouch, the Kulu freezes. I pour a small mound of the mix as instructed, then wait for it to come closer. It cautiously approaches, and I softly blow the powder towards it, being careful to not frighten it. As it inhales the powder, it visibly relaxes and comes closer. I run my hand along its beak, and it stays put. It doesn't lower itself though, and I can't jump high enough to mount it, so I look around for something to stand on and use as a stool. I find a tree root close by, and I decide to use it.

As I walk towards the root, the Kulu obediently follows behind, though doesn't stop close enough to the root for me to mount it. I point to where I want it to go, but it just stares at my hand. It seems to have no clue what I want it to do. I gently grab the bottom of its beak and pull it towards where I need it. It stations itself next to the root, right where I want it to be. I let go and step on the root, and it turns to face me directly. I chuckle, then step back down and pull its beak to the side again, but it just cranes its neck and doesn't turn.

"Come on," I say, laughing as I pull. It's hilariously clueless.

I continue pulling its head around, and it eventually turns its side to the root again. I try holding on to its beak as I go back to the other side and step up. It cranes its neck with my hand as I expected it would. I let go of its beak, and we stare at each other for a couple seconds before it tilts its head. I laugh and pet it again, then bring my leg over its torso to mount it. I feel it rear a bit to accommodate my weight, which helps me situate myself closer to its center of gravity. I wait a few seconds for the feeling of connection like the one I had with the Aptonoth from before, but nothing happens.

It takes a few slow steps before stopping to peck at my boot. I swing my leg forward and the Kulu recoils in surprise. It looks up and around for a few seconds, and soon I feel the connection slowly grow. I ask it in my mind to start walking, and it does, but starts to turn and go around in a circle. When I ask it to stop, it takes a few more steps before stopping. This monster is clearly the origin of the term "bird-brain." Since the Aptonoth was able to find the herb easily, I wonder if this Kulu could look for eggs? I think about an Aptonoth nest, and the Kulu starts moving again.

I stare around the forest absent-mindedly as we go, and after a while we suddenly stop. I feel a sense of unease, and look around for what made the Kulu stop. Instead of finding an Aptonoth nest, the Kulu found an Anjanath nest. It doesn't seem to have spotted us yet, so I ask the Kulu to back up slowly. It seems to be relying on my direction now, since it listens without hesitation. We turn around and go back in the direction we came.

We eventually arrive back at the clearing where we met, and the Kulu lowers itself so I can dismount. I walk around in front of it and pet its beak again. When I bring my hand back down, it takes a step towards me and rests its beak on my head. Confused, I rub its neck, and it stays that way for a few seconds before stepping back and turning to wander off. I release my scoutflies, and they lead me back to camp. When I get back, I look in the tent, and notice a small sheet of paper where my ration tray was, with the Guildmaster's seal on it. I open it and read.

"URGENT: A Seregios has been identified close to your area. Exercise extreme caution."

I run back to the nest as fast as I can.