Hi guys, it's the man with the thylacos. Welcome to my first story here. I've been working around six months on this story. I had some serious writer's blocks and at one point I ripped out half of what I had and completely redid it. But now I'm finally happy with how it turned out. This is my first monster hunter fanfiction so please let me know if I got anything wrong.
This story is partly inspired by "Empress of Flames" by Xeno Emperor. Go and check out his stories as well.
Please tell me what you think so I can improve my writing.
Derek was one of the youngest hunters in Astera at just 17 years old. Due to his hunting skills being below average it often occurred that he couldn't kill a monster on his own or he let the monster get away. When he was ordered to kill the kulu ya-ku that had been causing some trouble in the ancient forest a year ago the bird hit Derek's head with a clay pitcher and knocked him out. His parents, both very famous hunters, were pretty disappointed by his non existent success.
Today though he would finally be able to hunt something bigger than a kulu ya-ku. For some reason a teostra went into the ancient forest and was now causing trouble. As all other hunters were busy Derek got chosen for the dangerous mission. This was his chance to proof that he was worthy of being a hunter.
As he walked through the forest he started to question whether it was right to accept this mission. A teostra was going to be a challenge, especially for him. He maybe wouldn't even survive the encounter. He suddenly heard a loud roar that sounded like either a teostra. Then another one. This one sounded like a great jagras or something. He immediately went in the direction the roars came from. When he arrived he saw the teostra eating a freshly killed great jagras. Derek waited for a good moment and jumped at the distracted monster's back. He rammed his sword into one of it's wings making it roar in pain.
The teostra shook him off and threw him against a tree. Derek stood back up and charged at the elder dragon again. He aimed his sword at the teostraʼs head, the dragon using his unharmed wing to protect its face. It roared in pain again as it's second wing was cut open, making it unusable. Just as Derek wanted to charge at the teostra again the ground under them gave away and a huge sinkhole opened up. The hole was deep but both of them survived the fall.
After they both regained their consciousness they stared at each other. Derek drew his sword and noticed that it broke in half during the fall. He wanted to stand up and immediately fell down again as both his legs were broken.
"Oh shit this freaking hurts." The teostra suddenly said, coughing a bit.
Derek couldn't believe his ears. "You… can talk…?" he asked.
"Of course I can talk. There was never a human who could understand me though." The elder dragon answered. Derek couldn't believe his ears and just stared at the teostra with an empty face.
"Tell me human, why did you attack me?" it asked the hunter.
"It's my job to kill you." Derek answered and pointed his broken sword at the teostra.
"You, a young and inexperienced human, wants to kill me, an elder dragon, with a broken sword? Stop it before you hurt yourself even more. You can't even walk like this..." it said, looking at Derek's legs.
"I could walk if you didn't break my legs..." Derek began but Teostra cut him off.
"You attacked me first and you cut my wings so don't act as if this is only my fault."
"How about you come over here and let me finish my job?" Derek almost screamed in rage.
"And if I don't?" teostra asked back.
"Then we'll sit here until either my legs are healed and we'll fight it out or your wings are healed and you'll let me die here." Derek said angrily.
"Sounds as if you'd die in any case." Teostra said to him, making him even angrier.
"Then why don't you just kill me now?!" Derek screamed out at the top of his lungs.
"Did you consider that I might not even want to kill you?! I just want my lunch but no, mister 'I want to die' had to attack me!" the elder dragon screamed back.
Derek looked at him and then started to cry. Teostra now felt sorry for the boy. He went over to him and laid down next to him.
"I'm sorry, please calm down. I'm not going to hurt you…" Teostra said in a comforting tone.
"I'm the worst hunter ever." Derek cried. "I was only sent because everyone else was busy." he continued. "The thing is…" he looked into the teostraʼs eyes, "in the end I still managed to kill you, by also killing myself…" he finished, looking into the teostraʼs eyes. His eyes were still wet from the crying and he had a sad grin on his face.
"Hey, for being such a bad hunter you did a pretty good job on me… Listen, when we get out of this hole I'll show you Elder's Recess. It's a beautiful place. I'll show you where I live and how I hunt for food." Teostra said.
"I'm not sure if the other elder dragons would agree with you bringing a human. They might kill me…" Derek answered concerned. Despite his serious concerns he thought about how it would be to visit Elder's Recess.
'If we ever even get out of this forsaken hole.' He then thought.
"I'll make sure they won't kill you." Teostra said. Derek looked into the elder dragon's eyes and knew that he was serious.
"Why… why do you do this?" Derek asked.
"Do what?" Teostra asked back.
"You know, not killing me, trying to comfort me, why? You could kill me and have enough food to stay alive a few more days." Derek said curiously.
"Yes, I would stay alive a bit longer. And then? I'd sit here and die… alone… having eaten my only company." Teostra said. His expression went from neutral to sad.
"You are lonely?" Derek asked. Now he began to understand why the elder dragon was acting like this.
"Yes. Being big and fearsome isn't always an advantage. Everyone always either runs away or attacks me immediately."
"You're not that fearsome, more like… cute." Derek said.
The teostra looked into the boys eyes and knew that he really meant what he said.
"Thanks." he answered.
"Do your wings still hurt...?" Derek asked.
"Yes… but I can deal with it." The elder dragon answered.
"I'm so sorry, if I just didn't…" Derek started but got interrupted.
"No, it's not your fault. Well, technically it is but you were just doing your job. And if we didn't fall into this hole one of us would be dead now. And I am glad that we're both alive."
"But for how long? We'll both starve to death."
„Hey, you can say that you died by killing me. And I can say that I died together with a friend."
„But I don't want to die."
„Then let's find a way out of here." Teostra said. He didn't really believe that there was a way out of the sinkhole but he wanted to make the young boy happy.
"I doubt that there is one. I mean you can't fly and I can't even walk."
"The I'll help you up. Hold on to my leg."
The Teostra slowly stood up pulling Derek up as well.
"Ahhhh! It hurts!" Derek screamed out as he lost his grip and fell back down.
"Okay we'll try something else. Try to climb on my back." Teostra said as he knelt down for Derek to reach his shoulder. Derek grabbed the shoulder and pulled himself up. He laid with his belly on Teostraʼs back and laid his head into his soft mane.
"Your mane is so comfy." Derek said.
„Thanks." Teostra answered.
„Do you have a name?" Derek asked.
"None that you could pronounce. Just call me Teo." Teostra said.
"Thanks for helping me, Teo."
"You're welcome. What's your name?" Teo asked.
"Derek."
"A nice name."
It was getting afternoon. Teo and Derek just laid there… waiting for something to happen. Teo then decided to break the awkward silence.
"Derek… how long will your legs take to heal…?" He asked.
"If I manage to not move them I should be able to walk in around two to three weeks." said boy answered.
"We're doomed…" Teo said quietly.
"Teo?"
"Yes Derek?"
"Do you now really think we're going to die in this hole? You were so positive that we'd survive earlier."
"I don't know but I hope that we survive."
By now the sun stopped shining into the hole and it got colder. Derek pressed his body against Teo's as hard as he could without his legs hurting too much.
"Teo, I'm cold."
"I'm sorry but I can't do anything about it."
"Can't you use one of your fire abilities to warm me?"
"I could but it would most likely roast you."
Then there was a long pause. Derek listened to all the sounds that came from the forest. After a few minutes he decided to break the silence.
"Teo?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Thanks. For everything."
"You already thanked me…"
"I did? I'm sorry, it's just… I can't think straight."
"It's fine. Everyone would react that way in a situation like this."
"Do you mean being in a hole with broken legs or talking to an elder dragon…?"
"I think both is a situation that nobody would be able to think straight in."
"I just don't want to die here…" Derek said, almost starting to cry again.
"It's ok. Try to sleep a bit. I'll do my best to warm you."
And Derek fell asleep. A few hours later he woke to a loud roar coming from deep within the forest.
"Teo… Teo did you hear that?" Derek aasked.
"Hear what?"
"That roar."
"It's fine Derek. That was far enough away."
"But what if we're in another monster's territory?"
"If that is the case I'll still do my best to keep you safe."
"Teo you really don't have to do that. I mean it's my fault that we're stuck here so I kind of earn it to die."
"Don't say that. I'm not mad at you if you think that, we all make mistakes."
"But I'm mad at myself. I'm mad at myself because I failed again and because I got us stuck here. And I'm also mad at you for not being mad at me. I ruined your life. Instead of giving you a fast death I got us stuck here. You're going to painfully starve to death and that is my fault. And you're not even mad at me for all that…" Derek said starting to cry again.
Teo just looked at the ground as the boy cried into his mane. He didn't really know how to react to this. Thinking of Derek's words he had to admit that the boy had a point. If it wasn't to him they wouldn't be stuck there now... But no matter how right Derek was, he just couldn't be mad at him.
"Derek please stop crying. You were just trying to proof yourself." Teo said hoping to calm Derek.
"But I failed and sentenced both of us to a slow and painful death."
"Isn't that already enough punishment?"
"It would be if you weren't involved. You share my fate but it was not your fault. You're nice to me even though I tried to kill you. This is not fair to you. I'm not worthy of being your friend!" he exclaimed.
"Derek please don't say that. Do you think I would help you if I didn't want you as a friend?"
"I don't even know what to think anymore…" Derek cried into Teoʼs mane.
"That's okay. Just please stop thinking so bad of yourself."
Just when Derek stopped crying it began to rain. "Does it have to rain now?" Derek said annoyed.
"I don't know much about humans, but if you were already cold earlier the rain certainly won't help." Teo said worried.
"At least we won't die of thirst." Derek joked.
They laid there for minutes without saying a word, Derek was cold and cuddled with Teo as best as he could. Even though it was rainy and they were stuck in a hole it was a peaceful night.
"Teo…?"
"Yes Derek?"
"If we get out of here alive… will we meet again?"
"For sure. I mean, I promised to show you Elder's Recess."
They both fell asleep shortly after.
The next day
It was fairly early in the morning when the sun rose. Over the night the ground in the hole became muddy. Derek was slowly waking up from the most uncomfortable night ever.
"Morning Teo." he said.
"Morning Derek. Did you sleep well on my back?" Teo asked.
"Do you want an honest answer?" Derek asked back.
"How about next night we swap positions? You sleep in the mud and I sleep on your back." Teo joked.
"If it wasn't for my broken legs I might actually agree to that." The young boy joked back, coughing a bit. "Seems I've caught a cold." He added.
It didn't take long for the sun to shine into the hole again. Both of them were just laying there, Derek was enjoying the little warmth that was coming from the sun.
"Teo, I'm hungry."
"I know Derek and I wish I had something for you."
"Thank you anyways." Derek said.
Again there was a long silence. Derek was thinking about something he wanted to know since they fell into the hole.
"Teo… do you know why I can talk to you?" he then asked a few minutes later finally breaking the silence.
"I have no idea Derek. I know someone who might know the answer but I'm not entirely sure. What I do know though is that it means something that two enemies are now lying here talking as if we'd been friends for years." Teo answered.
"To be honest if we weren't in this hole and my legs wouldn't be broken and we'd have food I could lie here with you all day without a care in the world." The boy replied and stroking Teoʼs mane who just purred.
A few hours later
It was getting afternoon and they were still just lying there. Derek's condition had dropped rapidly. He was feeling worse with every minute. He had high fever, felt cold and his legs hurt like shit.
Teo was worried. He wanted to help Derek but he didn't know how and thus he felt bad. The thought of losing his new friend was making him sick.
"I'm sorry Derek. I promised I'd show you Elder's Recess but it seems I can't even get us out of a simple hole… I'm a terrible friend…" Teo cried but didn't get an answer. Derek had lost consciousness.
While Teo desperately tried to think of a way to help Derek the ground began shaking. The wall of the hole cracked open on one side and revealed a dark cave. Teo didn't hesitate and ran into the cave searching for an exit. After quite some time he finally found the exit he already thought he would never find.
Teo then ran in the direction of Astera, the only place he knew Derek could be saved. While he ran it began to rain again. The rain hit his face, his legs were sore but he kept running. All he could think of was saving Derek, his own condition didn't matter. As he got closer to Astera he slowed down though. Not because he was tired but because he new he couldn't just walk into a human city, even with Derek on his back. He came to the conclusion that he had to leave Derek outside of Astera and then get the attention of the hunters.
So as he got close to Astera he found a path the humans used to transport supplies to the forest camps. He carefully laid Derek on the ground next to the path but clearly visible. Teo then said goodbye to his unconscious friend and took a few steps back. He breathed a huge column of fire into the sky. Once he was sure that the people were on their way to investigate he slowly walked away, leaving his friend behind.
Two days later
Derek woke up laying in a bed, a palico doctor was treating his wounds. It hurt as the bandages on his legs were changed. His head was hurting too and he had felt a bit dizzy. He was only awake for a few minutes though, then he fell asleep again.
Over the following days he was asked about what had happened and how he survived the encounter with the teostra. He told them the story like they already kind of expected it: the teostra almost killed him but he got away, his sword broke during the fight and his sos flare didn't work, so he crawled through the forest trying to get home for one and a half days until he lost consciousness. When asked about the fire column he said the truth: that he didn't know what they were talking about, but he figured that it was Teo.
Though he was glad that he survived all of that mess he missed Teo. He had asked if there were any news on the teostra and he was glad to hear that it was not seen again since that night. That meant that Teo was alive, that he was fine. And even though that news made him feel a little better he still missed Teo.
It took two weeks until Derek was able to start walking again. It felt uncomfortable to walk again after such a long time and it still hurt. He wanted Teo's soft body to support him, he wanted to be around someone who didn't think of him as a weakling but all he got were wooden crutches and weird looks. So while he was still recovering he thought about where Teo would be. Probably he was recovering from his injuries too.
As the days passed Derek could walk better and better but he still needed the crutches. He could go back to his own room. Not everything went back to normal though. It was decided that his hunting skills were not good enough and thus he would now assist the blacksmith. He suspected his parents to have made that decision. So Derek packed some food, a new sword and a first aid kit, took his hated crutches and sneaked away during the next night.
He didn't really know where to search for Teo so he decided to go into the ancient forest and find shelter first. He didn't even know if Teo even wanted to see him again after what he did to his wings. While he walked through the forest he came by the hole again. That hole that would always remind him of his teostra friend.
Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings behind him. As he turned around he saw the face that he had missed so much in the almost five weeks.
"Hey there, nice to see that you are still alive." Teo said as he landed in front of Derek.
"Hi Teo." Was the only thing Derek said as he l hugged his teostra friend.
"I already thought you wouldn't come back. I thought I failed to save you or that you'd hate me…" Teo said holding his tears back.
"I'd never hate you buddy." Derek said.
Derek and Teo walked through the forest while Teo told the story of how they got out of the hole. Derek had tossed his crutches away and supported himself in Teo's shoulder. After wandering around for over an hour Derek started to get cold. They made a campfire and laid down next to it and fell asleep.
The next morning it was still dark when Derek woke up. Teo was still asleep. He had laid a wing over Derek to keep him warm after the fire went out. As Derek laid there he thought about the events of the past month. He discovered that he could speak with monsters, he befriended a teostra and left Astera without permission. There was no going back now.
Teo most likely still thought that Derek was going to go back to Astera and return to see him again in a few days or weeks. Derek had to tell him, that he couldn't go back, that he didn't want to go back.
"Hey, Teo. Wake up. We have to talk." He said.
"Well good morning. Is it that important?" Teo asked still half asleep.
"Yes it is. I won't return to Astera." Derek answered.
"What do you mean you won't return to Astera? Don't you want to live with other humans? And where will you even live if not in Astera?" Teo asked shocked.
"I just can't return. They took my hunter rank away and made me the blacksmiths assistant. The only way to even leave would be to sneak out like I did last night." Derek said trying not to cry.
"I'm so sorry to hear. Where uhhm… where will you live now?" he carefully asked to not make Derek feel even worse.
"I uhhm… had hoped that I could live with you… just for a bit… until I…" Derek wanted to continue but Teo interrupted him "Sure Derek, you are free to stay with me for as long as you want."
"Oh yes Teo thank you so much!" Derek exclaimed as he flung his arms around Teoʼs neck …or at least he tried to.
After a few minutes though Derek's excitement settled down and he began to worry if it was going to work as he imagined it.
"Uhhm Teo… what if the other elder dragons don't want me to live with you?" Derek asked.
"Over my dead body!" Teo exclaimed.
"Thanks Teo. You're the best friend one can have." Derek said.
Teo smiled as he heard this. Finally he had found a friend. Finally he was not lonely anymore.
Once the sun had risen Derek climbed on Teoʼs back and grabbed his mane to hold on. Teo then rose into the sky and they flew to Elder's Recess…
…but that's another story.