Six months have passed. The hatchlings have grown quickly and are now able to fly. They've grown up to my waist, but they're still too small to fly with me on them. Despite being the runt when he first hatched, King has grown to be the same size as the other hatchlings. I recently started draping myself over their backs like I did with Queen. They're still young though, so most of them don't stand still long enough for me to swing my leg over. King is the only one who has figured out that if he doesn't shake me off, I'll eventually climb back down by myself. I'm already able to subconsciously ask him to walk with me on him.
I've also developed a way to communicate with Queen using hand gestures for when we're away from the nest and on the ground. I always walk in front of Queen so she can see these gestures, and the younglings quickly picked up on them as well once they started hunting with us. As she follows, I raise my right hand to indicate "stop." If I want her to continue following, I just lower my hand and continue forward. With my hand up, I extend it to the side to indicate "wait here." A forward waving motion means "fly," and a forward point with my index and middle finger means "go ahead." If Queen wants to get my attention, she lets out a quiet huff if she's behind me, and raises the end of her tail if she's ahead of me, then points her head at what she wants me to look at. The others stay between me and Queen for protection.
I've named each of the hatchlings, since I'll be living with them until they gain their independence. King is the Azure Rathalos that likes to always stay by my side. Red and Scrap are the two other Rathalos. Red likes to stay away from the rest of the hatchlings to be with Queen. Scrap likes to pick fights with the others, but I think he's usually just rough playing. Pearl and Velvet are the two Pink Rathain. Pearl likes to try to show off as much as she can, and gets upset when other hatchlings don't play with her or pay attention to her. Velvet is usually the one to intervene when Scrap starts fighting with another hatchling. She's tough and defensive during these situations, but otherwise very sweet.
The last three Rathian are Jewel, Nip, and Melody. Jewel is the most hyper Rathian I've ever seen. She will run all around the nest, stopping occasionally to play with the others, then goes right back to running. Nip likes to bite at the other hatchlings to try to annoy them, but quickly backs off when they nip back. Nip most often finds herself fighting with Scrap, which usually ends up with Scrap running after Nip until Velvet stops the chase. The last Rathian, Melody, is usually very vocal and playful. Grunting, growling, huffing, and chirping are among the most common sounds she makes while with the other hatchlings, but she knows to stay quiet when out hunting. She's always learning new sounds she's able to make, and has recently started snapping her mouth shut like an Agnaktor to make a popping noise. And once she learns a new noise, she doesn't stop for at least two days.
This is my new family, and I will protect them with my life. I haven't heard from Tavris for three weeks, but by now I've learned all I need to know about living out here like this. Since the first time me and Queen have flown together, my senses seem to have sharpened. I can see more details from further away. When I hear rustling leaves, I'm able to determine whether it's just the wind or if it's a monster. Even my sense of smell seems to have become more acute as well. Now that the hatchlings are able to fly, we all go out on hunting trips together for food. Today's target is a Great Jagras. As we're flying, I notice a patch of discolored dirt. We land, and I investigate. The top layer of dirt around this patch is dry to the touch, but this patch is slightly moist. There's also grooves in the dirt all in line with each other. It's clear that a Great Jagras scraped up the dirt here, and it has a full belly. I signal for Queen to smell the dirt, then let her take the lead.
After walking for a short while, she stops and raises her tail. I walk around in front of her, and notice a small bit of yellow through the edge of the woods. I motion for the others to fly, then creep closer. Once I get close enough, I notice the target surrounded by other Jagras. I count 6, not including any behind the leader. When I'm close enough, I jump out, quickly killing the Jagras closest to me. It yelps in pain, which wakes the others. They all turn towards me, and the leader starts running in my direction. The others follow close behind, but all at once the Rathian and Rathalos all crash down on all of them. Queen takes out the Great Jagras, and the hatchlings take down the others.
It was a fast hunt, with enough to feed the whole family, myself included. Each hatchling gets its own Jagras, while Queen gets the leader of the pack. I sit and let them eat. After a short while, I notice King walking towards me. He hasn't taken a bite from his Jagras, so why is he coming to me? I quickly figure it out when he starts gently tugging my arm. He wants me to take my share before he starts. I set up my cooking spit, but before I'm able to light the fire, King starts puffing at the base of the base of the stand. What is he doing? He puffs a few more times, when suddenly he blows out a blast of embers from his mouth. I stand and look at him, surprised. That was the first time he's ever tried blowing a fireball, and I think it worked better than we were both expecting, since he's looking at me with a bright-eyed expression.
The embers settle, so I start gently blowing to heat them up. I eventually get the fire going. I slice off the hind legs of the Jagras, and King starts eating the rest. I hack off the feet and tear off the skin before cooking the meat. I hum a tune as I'm turning the meat, then take it off and cut it open, inspecting how well done it is. It's evenly cooked all the way through, so I start to chow down. So tasty! We all finish eating around the same time, and the sun is starting to set, so I climb aboard Queen and we head back to the nest to rest.
When we land, the hatchlings immediately start playing with each other. I sit with my back against Queen's folded wing, watching the others, and I start to drift off. I wake up in the middle of the night when King starts tugging my hand again. As I slowly get up, he starts walking toward the nest entrance I use, then stops and turns to me expectantly. I quietly follow, careful not to wake anyone else up. I grab my sword and shield as I pass by, then continue behind him.
After a while, we enter what looks like the same clearing where I rode the Kulu-Ya-Ku. He starts pacing around, picking up branches and dragging them on a pile near the middle. I decide to help him, and it slowly grows. As I put down another stick, King stands opposite me and the pile, staring straight at me. I get up and slowly back away, expecting him to charge. He starts to rear, raising his head while keeping it pointed at me. I ready my shield, but lower it when nothing but embers comes out of his mouth.
I know what he's trying to do, he's trying to blow another fireball at the sticks! I see his chest inflating as he rears up again, but only embers again when he fires. They're noticeably bigger and brighter this time. He takes a few breaths before inhaling again, and this time instead of small embers, he manages a small blast that only goes a short distance before quickly disappearing. He sits to catch his breath, and looks up at me when I come around the sticks toward him.
"You're trying so hard," I say, "you'll get it eventually." I sit beside him, and he rests his head on me. After petting him for a while, I get a strange feeling. I get up, and hear a small rustling behind me. I quickly turn toward the sound, trying to find what made it. I slowly look around for the source of the noise, and notice a pair of glowing, red dots through the leaves staring directly at me.