A/N: Thanks to church2550 for doing most of the transcript and many reactions!
A hunter was following a trail of scoutflies as he made his way through the canopy. A male narrator spoke. "In the upper reaches of The Ancient Forest, lies a canopy of massive branches. These are the literal foundations for all life that can be found here."
Neo was struggling to stay awake as the narrator sounded like someone from one of Emerald's nature documentaries. Emerald lightly elbowed Neo in the side. "Come on, Neo. He's bound to get to the good stuff soon." She told the former mute.
Neo groaned at this. "We're here to learn about a big, flying, fire-breathing dragon! Get to the good stuff, don't make me look at a bunch of trees, plants and bugs." She complained.
"It's called building suspense, Neo. The anticipation of what's to come. Didn't I teach you anything about showmanship!?" Roman questioned, causing the former mute to roll her eyes.
The hunter reached an area of the canopy that had a clear view of the skies. "One might be forgiven that believing that these upper reaches are safe. Or at least, safer than the depths below them." The hunter was getting closer to the top of the canopy. "At first sight, the most dangerous thing one can find is the occasional Jagras or a pack of slow-moving Vespoids." Byf continued.
"Oh, gods! Giant bugs! Creepy, creepy, creepy!" Summer cried out.
Qrow chuckled at this. "I guess the afterlife didn't cure that fear of bugs, eh, Shortstack?" He chuckled.
"Those Jagras are quite striking in appearance. And their legs are uniquely underneath them, like Odogaron's. That could make them quite useful for fast-paced trackers or even as partners for police officers." Winter suggested.
"You just want a bunch of dog-lizards running around, don't you?" Adam questioned.
"You can't prove that!" Winter denied.
We fade to later on during the hunter's journey as he reached another section of the canopy. "However, one should treat this place with caution. For the greatest predators in this forest, can be found not below, but above." The narrator warned.
That gained everyone's attention, even the sleepy-eyed Neo was now wide-awake. "Well, Neo. You wanted 'the good stuff', I believe this is it." Pyrrha told her.
"That makes sense that a king sits at the highest place in the forest. On top of his jungle throne!" Jaune said dramatically, secretly wishing he could do that.
"So be very careful venturing into the higher areas of forest regions. Fortunately, the Emerald Forest is not known for its high altitudes. Only the very outskirts of the forest have decent cliffs and caves where a Rathalos may live" Glynda said in relief.
Razara winced at this. "Yeah, sorry... But Rathalos usually take at least a mile or two for their territory, so while it may nest just at the edge of the Emerald Forest, it will probably be patrolling the entire forest for food or intruders." She explained.
The hunter had reached his target area and met his handler, they noticed that several creatures were quickly fleeing the area in fear of something.
Blake, Ilia and Velvet were on edge as their Faunus instincts were telling them to run. "I don't like this..." Velvet said unsurely, clinging fearfully to Coco.
"Whoa, chill out, bun-bun. It's gonna be fine. It's just on a screen, remember?" Coco told her.
"What's wrong, Blake?" Weiss asked.
"Something's coming. And it's definitely not friendly." Blake said in a mild panic.
The reason for their fear was soon shown as a monster soon made its appearance as it roared and dove at the intruders to its territory. The hunter managed to save his handler before she looked up in fear as she recognized it immediately as the monster that was called the "King of the Skies" but was best known as one other name by the Guild and she spoke the monster's name. "A Rathalos!" She declared.
"Isn't that your brother's handler?" Ren asked.
"Oh she's from a big family of handlers who all look pretty similar. They're like the cops and nurses in Poke- Oh, sorry: Pinchermon." Tekko explained.
"Well, that's convenient. But as long as every Hunter properly has a handler as needed, I suppose there's no reason to complain." Winter stated.
The Rathalos unleashed a fireball onto the intruders but thankfully they survived only to be greeted with the terrifying sight of the Rathalos, a monstrous wyvern that had red and black scales, poisonous talons and spikes on his wings and tail. The Rathalos tried to crush them but they managed to dodge out of the way in time.
"Oh, my gods, it's so cool! A bit scary, but totally cool!" Ruby cheered.
"I like the colors. And the spikes definitely make it look intimidating." Cinder said appreciatively.
"Whoa. That thing's edgy enough to make you look soft and cuddly." Roman taunted, lightly nudging Adam.
"Say that again and you'll die." Adam snapped, though he couldn't deny, he did have some jealousy towards the beast.
"Rathalos…" The narrator spoke the name as though he were an old foe. The hunter dodged as the Rathalos tried to lunge at him and kill him. The hunter knew that it was time to flee and grabbed his handler before they immediately escaped to safety.
"Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire, am I right?" Yang asked and joked.
Ilia shuddered. "That was too close for comfort." She said to which some of the group nodded in agreement.
"Good thing that hunter thought and acted quickly." Summer said, running her hand through Ruby's hair.
"Another excellent lesson, students: always have an escape plan." Glynda told them.
The hunter later returned to observe this wyvern as the narrator continued. "This is the King of the Forest Skies. An Apex predator that can grow up to 22 meters in length, with a wingspan almost as wide. This carnivore reigns tyrannically over the forest and is capable of dispatching almost any creature that would oppose it." Byf declared.
"At that size, it's almost capable of dwarfing a Bullhead!" Penny said in amazement.
"Yeah, I can see why they call that thing a king." Emerald admitted fearfully.
"It might even require a Flagship to drive one of those away." Ironwood said, clearly intimidated by the beast.
"You better have some crack shots, because Rathalos is pretty agile in the air." Tekko informed him.
"Rathalos and its female counterpart, the Rathian, are some of the most common flying wyverns across both the New and the Old World. They represent what many think of when we see a stereotypical dragon." The hunter carefully watched as the Rathalos was taking several drinks of water from a nearby pond. "A fire-breathing airborne predator, much like those of legends." Byf said dramatically.
Everyone looked at each other in worry as they remembered what Katana told them about the sleeping Grimm Dragon within Mount Glenn. "So, that Grimm's only gonna wake up with a serious amount of negativity, right? Like a whole kingdom would have to be absolutely furious?" Neo asked worriedly.
"That or a direct order from Salem, assuming she remembers that the thing is still in there." Katana assured the former mute.
"Wait, Rathian is its female counterpart? As in Rathian is Rathalos' mate?" Blake asked Katana.
"Well, every King needs a Queen." Katana answered her.
"But here lies an important distinction between the two. Dragons have six limbs, namely two wings and four legs whilst Wyverns have only four." The hunter was now observing a Rathalos and a Rathian from a safe distance. "This classification is often the major difference between Wyverns of all types and their Elder Dragon counterparts." The narrator explained.
"Hey, what about Kirins? Those are Elder Dragons too!" Nora said in defense of her partner monster, hugging the lightning unicorn again.
"I'm sure he's getting to it soon, Nora!" Pyrrha assured her.
"Yeah. Kirin is too important and amazing not to mention." Weiss added.
"Although more exotic Elder Dragon classifications such as the Kirin do still exist." Byf corrected himself.
Nora nodded in appreciation that her partner/steed was given its recognition. "See? All good things to those who wait." Ren told his girlfriend.
"I'm glad he remembered to give Kirin recognition." Velvet said happily.
"Well, like they were saying, it's pretty hard to forget a lightning pony." Coco reminded her.
"There is also a marked difference in the intelligence of these beasts. Elder Dragons are sentient to the point where they will not attack or engage a Hunter unless provoked. Having said that, you should not underestimate the intelligence of a Rathalos. They may not be as intelligent as an Elder Dragon but they certainly have a bigger brain than the creatures that they prey on." Byf gave another warning.
"You know, I think I kind of prefer the Grimm. It's easy when they're dumb." Jaune said nervously.
"Yeah, but come on! Where's the fun in that, vomit boy? The Grimm are a problem for normal people, but for us, they're fodder! We need a challenge every now and then!" Yang said, getting a hearty "Yeah!" from most of the other students.
"Yep. She's Raven's daughter, alright." Qrow said with a smile and roll of his eyes.
"Rathalos and Rathian will often undertake turns rotating between defending their nests and patrolling their vast territory for food and water. As a result, Rathalos rarely spends much time in one place. Moving quickly between zones to maintain a vigilant watch for all the resources that it might need and for any intruders that might enter its territory." The narrator explained.
"Aww, that's sweet. Mom and Dad take turns watching the babies." Nora cooed.
"Man, I feel bad for anything it considers to be an intruder." Ilia said nervously.
"We may have to assign regular patrols around the cliffs and caves of the Emerald Forest so a Rathalos can't move in. It would be less than ideal for students to run into one on a training exercise." Ozpin said.
"Oh, now you care about student's safety on training missions?!" Hazel demanded.
Katana rolled her eyes at this. "Maybe you should have trained her better to make sure she wouldn't die on a simple training mission!" She told the hulking man.
"Rathalos is the more airborne of the two Wyverns and will hunt voraciously for food from the skies above. Having found its prey, it can leverage its massive wings to accelerate with incredible speed." The hunter observed as the Rathalos did just as the narrator described. "One strike and the Aptonoth here, is already dead." Byf announced as the Aptonoth was brought to its side, the life leaving its body.
"Poor thing." Velvet said sadly.
"At least it was quick and painless." Coco told her.
"That's simply how nature works. Predators must feed on prey to survive." Ren told them.
"Still... It never gets any easier to watch." Wiess said sadly.
"That means you have compassion, Weiss. It's a powerful thing. And essential for any person to call themselves human." Winter said.
"Whilst Rathalos in the New World have been seen to abandon a corpse to Revoltures and smaller Jagras within only a few bites, reports of the Old World have seen Rathalos even carrying off their prey and doing so with quite some ease. Doing this, needless to say, allows them to consume undisturbed or even to feed their young. A testament to their prowess as a master of the air." The narrator declared.
"It can carry those big dinosaurs?! They're at least twice the size of a cow!" Ruby cried out.
"How wasteful. It kills a monster, only to take a few bites? That is incredibly selfish." Pyrrha said angrily.
"Well, at least the Jagras and vultures are getting leftovers." Adam said.
"Even our world is like that. Lions often eat much of their prey, but still leave plenty meat on the bones, while vultures and hyenas eat everything that's left, bones included." Penny explained.
"The wing membrane of a Rathalos is likely a very thin layer of skin, stretched from its torso to the ends of its wing digits. Allowing them to catch and ride warm updrafts of air in much the same way as a bird would." Byf explained as the hunter carefully followed the Rathalos as it marked its territory before sneaking around it to get a few samples of its poison from the gashes on the ground.
"I always liked sailing around with my umbrella." Neo said proudly.
"Totally. And I rocket over trees and everything with Ember Celica." Yang agreed.
"I remember, once Ozpin gave your mom and Qrow the ability to turn into birds, Raven would always love to soar in the sky. It's like it set her free... At least at first." Summer said, although the memory turned sad at the end.
The hunter now observed the Rathalos from the edge of its territory. "When spotting a threat, a Rathalos can react in a variety of ways. If spotted on the periphery of its territory, one can potentially flee the monster after it gives a sharp warning roar. Get too close, however, or infiltrate its nest and the story will be very different." Byf advised as the Rathalos gave a sharp roar as it caught the scent of the hunter before he began to run for his life.
"Well, hey! There's a stroke of luck! He gives you a chance to run! How considerate for a giant fire-breathing tyrant dragon!" Roman said jokingly.
"Hey, as long as it gives people a chance to book it before it attacks, I'm happy. We might not need those extra patrols after all." Qrow told Ozpin.
"Honestly, with all the Grimm in the forest, Rathalos will probably be too busy dealing with them instead of your students." Katana assured them.
"I'd still highly advise patrols." Glynda declared.
"For but a single creature, the vast array of weapons that a Rathalos has at its disposal is rather staggering. From its sharp gripping claws capable of poisoning prey to a huge mouth full of dagger-like teeth." The hunter fled until an Anjanath began to fight the Rathalos. "To its spine covered tail, a Rathalos can bite and bludgeon its foes into submission with ease. Such a terrifying array of natural weapons is complemented by the Rathalos' ear shattering roar capable of stunning hunters into submission with ease." Byf warned once again of the creature's extensive natural weaponry.
"Well, that's just perfect. It's basically a flying Tyrian." Hazel said sarcastically.
"Ugh. Don't mention him, please. I hate that guy." Emerald groaned.
"At least with Rathian, you can cut her tail off and stop her from poisoning you. Rathalos? You're stuck chugging antidotes until you run out or he dies and/or you capture him." Razara said.
"Wait, why is the poison in different places for the male and female? They should be in the same place, they're still the same species of creature, just different genders." Velvet wondered.
"Nobody knows. We've just come to accept it as a fact of nature that we despise to the core of our beings." Tekko explained.
"A stunned hunter is often susceptible to the follow up attacks of a Rathalos, be it a charge or a dive from above." The Rathalos was ignoring the Anjanath in favor of the intruder to its nest. "But then this is why the Rathalos is so dangerous. Its mobility is paramount to its fighting style, they fly high into the air and can attack from a variety of different ways. But, the most fearsome weapon of this flying monster is really its fire." The narrator declared.
"Oh, great. It'd be like fighting that giant Nevermore all over again. Because I really want to go through that pain in the butt fight again." Yang groaned.
"And yet you still watch it on your scroll in your free time." Blake said.
"Really, Yang? That's just a bit vain, isn't it?" Summer questioned her eldest child.
"What?! It was a good fight to WATCH, it just wasn't as fun when we were actually getting hit by a giant bird." Yang explained.
Later on the Hunter was now fighting both the Rathalos and Rathian. "Rathalos have specialized flame sacs that have been honed to release devastating bursts of concentrated heat. These can be summoned regularly and are powerful enough to burn a hunter alive or knock them off their feet with the sheer force of the blast." Byf warned yet again.
"I wonder if I can use my flames in the different ways the monsters can?" Cinder wondered.
"It would be a good idea to try, in order to get a firm handle on your Maiden abilities." Winter agreed.
"I'm sure whatever you did would be amazing." Summer told the half-Maiden causing her to blush.
"Often, when in combat, a Rathalos will make use of its aerial powers in combination with this fiery breath. Attacking targets from above and giving it a supreme advantage in terms of both maneuverability and against most hunters in terms of range. However, in these moments of flight, these Wyverns are also very exposed." The narrator pointed out.
"Maybe if you can fly or something? How would I be able to attack it in the air!?" Jaune wondered.
"Good thing most of us have guns!" Coco said with a smirk, turning her purse into its minigun form.
"You should really consider getting some kind of firearm, Jaune." Velvet admitted.
"Well, you'll also be happy to know that Rathalos doesn't fight too high up in the air. Enhancing your legs with aura should let you jump and hit it in the face easily." Razara assured them.
"A well-placed flash bomb will stun these beasts, knocking them out of the sky and leaving them reeling. This is a particularly pertinent strategy when facing the Rathalos instead of its female counterpart considering that out of the two, the Rathalos is the King of the Skies while the Rathian is the Queen of the Lands." Byf advised.
"So it's best to approach them as a team and with a strategy rather than going solo and blind, which would be considered suicide?" Penny asked.
Ozpin nodded in agreement. "Even the greatest of Huntsman and Huntresses worked best as a team." He said to the young gynoid.
"We'll have to make note of these flash bombs." Ironwood said.
"Excellent idea, sir." Winter agreed.
"We also know how to make smoke bombs if you want." Ilia offered, gesturing to herself, Blake and even Adam.
"Hunters should be keenly aware of this weakness as well as the other key faults in the defenses of the Rathalos." A diagram was now showing how best to damage a Rathalos as well as its location and a few facts. "They have some natural weaknesses to water or ice, but are far weaker to Thunder and Dragon attacks. Their back, wings and head can be broken and its tail, much like many other monsters, can be severed for an extra carve." The narrator gave a helpful tip.
"Oh, good. We have Dust for that. A little bit of lightning dust and the king will be deposed." Weiss said confidently.
"Still, we'll have to come up with some type of equivalent to Dragon Element at some point." Blake said.
"Yeah! Dragon explosions!" Nora cheered.
"Uh... Maybe that's NOT such a good idea." Ruby said nervously.
The Hunter was now using his Greatsword against the Rathalos, even in a different location, the Elder's Recess, against a blue and green-colored Rathalos. "When weakened, the Rathalos will fly back to its nest, often straining with the damage made to its wings. These areas are naturally well-defended from a variety of creatures, most of whom wouldn't dare to brave the upper reaches of the forest branches, anyway. But Rathalos and Rathian will find time to slumber in this nest. In particular, it's also important for the defense of their eggs. The partners will often not be far and sometimes will defend each other when one of the pair is in a wounded state, keeping guard while the other recuperates. After all, it's tough to take down two dragons, let alone one." Byf declared as the Hunter was shown to have some extreme difficulty maneuvering and landing hits on the Rathalos with both the Rathalos and Rathian attacking him together.
"Whoa. You either need to be super tanky to take all their hits or super fast to dodge all their hits if you're gonna fight both of them." Yang said worriedly.
"And if you're the tank, you also need to make sure you don't get poisoned." Glynda added.
"So, if you're going after a Rathalos, you should always bring a group so you can split the monsters up, right?" Neo guessed.
"Not necessarily. Remember, there are dung bombs we use to drive away unwanted monsters as well." Tekko reminded them, but then saw their faces of disgust. "Fine, use garlic and onion bombs or something, I don't know." She said with a shrug.
The hunter was then seen following the bluer version of Rathalos through the Elder's Recess. "There are various subspecies and Deviant versions of the Rathalos that the Guild has identified throughout the Old and the New World. Whilst the Silver, Flaming and Deadking Rathalos have all been found in the Old World, the New World is known to be home of one of the more common species of Rathalos, known as the Azure Rathalos. Unlike its crimson counterpart, the Azure version is commonly found within the Elder's Recess, sharing its territory with many of the more aggressive creatures that live there." Byf explained as the Hunter continued to observe the Azure Rathalos, which seemed calm and oblivious of his presence.
"Let me guess: bigger, stronger, faster and more aggressive?" Emerald asked.
"And with a much harder shell." Razara confirmed.
"Oh, good! I was almost worried it would be too easy." The former thief groaned.
"If we work together, I don't believe any monster would be able to take us down, as long as we're smart and prepared with both equipment and a strategy." Pyrrha said confidently.
"Subspecies are generally rarer, but their armor is thicker and their attacks more lethal as a result. The poison of a normal Rathalos will wear off rather quickly. The poison of an Azure Rathalos can kill a Hunter entirely." The narrator warned as the Rathalos now seemed to be in combat mode, in the air and roaring at the Hunter.
"Correction, that's a flying Tyrian." Hazel corrected himself from his earlier comment.
Ruby, Yang and Summer held Qrow tightly as he had nearly died from being poisoned by Tyrian Callows. "Thanks, guys. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Qrow said as he held them reassuringly with both his arms and wings.
Winter put a hand on his shoulder as well. "I certainly hope not. I'd hate to say it, but... we need you in this fight..." She said, before shaking her head and pulling her hand away. "You dirty drunkard!" She quickly added, trying her best to fight the blush creeping across her face.
"I believe Winter needs more experience with the practice of... flirting." Penny told Weiss, who desperately tried to hide her laughter.
The hunter was back in the Ancient Forest now as a Rathalos and Rathian fought together against a Bazelgeuse. "Take care, hunters. If you see a winged shadow, this beast is not far. They won't attack without provocation, but when they do, they pose one of the greatest threats to Hunters, outside of the Super Predators and Elder Dragons that can be found throughout the New World. Those wishing to hunt such a beast would do well to bring an abundance of Flash Bombs, Antidotes and other remedies to protect against the various natural weapons and defenses of this beast. And remember this: long has the Rathalos reigned supreme over the skies. Should you wish to depose him, you must respect his power, counteract his strengths and exploit his weaknesses. Turn the skies from his weapon to his downfall and you may claim the throne for yourself. But be wary: do not fall to the fires of your own hubris." Byf gave yet another dire warning.
James sighed as his future self had fallen both figuratively and literally to his own hubris. He looked up at Ozpin when the immortal put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave the General a small smile of understanding. "That was a different Ironwood who fell from grace, James. You are still the same stalwart ally you've always been." He assured the general.
"Thank you, Oz. I'll do my best to make sure I never sink that low again. And I'll extend Atlas' advances and technology to the other kingdoms that need it instead of thinking only of Atlas." The general promised.
Ruby hugged Cinder reassuringly and kissed her cheek as she had a feeling that her girlfriend was thinking of her own future self. "You're no longer going to be that monster, Cinder. Not if I have anything to say about it." Ruby said to her girlfriend.
"My hero." Cinder said with a light blush before kissing Ruby softly in thanks which got the young Reaper blushing as bad as her namesake. Cinder held Ruby protectively in her arms.
"Rathalos is not the greatest enemy you shall face. There are darker shadows still on the horizon... And they bring with them a mastery of the wind itself." The narrator finished on one more ominous and cryptic note.
"Yeah, that's not ominous at all." Jaune said nervously.
"Don't worry, Jaune. If we encounter a Rathalos, we only have to hurry along out of its sight and not linger. And even if we have to fight one, I'm sure we'll be able to do it together." Pyrrha told him.
"Yeah! Teamwork!" Nora cheered.
"Still, maybe we should just stick to the avoiding it plan." Velvet said nervously.
"So, thoughts?" Katana asked.
"I thought it was cool! It definitely lives up to the name King of the Skies!" Ruby said excitedly.
"Very regal and very intimidating." Blake agreed.
"As long as it keeps those talons away from us, I think we won't have a problem." Qrow said.
"I definitely wouldn't want to see it flying toward me." Weiss said, a bit shakily.
"As long as they stay away from rural areas, I believe they could be quite an asset to reducing Grimm populations in areas where they could access the city from." Glynda added.
"And with their sheer size and power to match, very few Grimm will have a chance to reach massive sizes like the Deathstalker and Nevermore you all faced." Ozpin said.
"Even if they do, I don't think they'll be much of a problem." Coco said confidently.
"Indeed. And it is quite refreshing after Gravios and Diablos to see a Flying Wyvern which can fly." Penny added.
"Alright, then. I think that should wrap up another day of monster lore, then. It's getting a little late. We'll start again in a couple more days." Katana said. "Hopefully that should be long enough for Sai to finish that Dodogama video." She said under hear breath.
"Aww, it felt like it was over so soon!" Ruby whined.
"It's still been quite a while, Ruby. Especially with the break the new arrivals got to bond with their monsters. But at least next time, you know there will be plenty more." Cinder assured her.
"Yeah. I guess you're right." Ruby agreed.
"Night, everyone!" Katana said, waving at them as they went to their respective room, earning a number of waves and other parting gestures in return.
A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! So, you might have noticed in the beginning, there was no scene of the characters talking and wondering about what the monster will be like. Well, I figured that, since they already do that at the end of the previous chapter, having them basically do the same thing would be redundant, so we're dropping the pre-reacting chat. Hopefully you guys are all on board with that.