Happy Halloween, wonderful reader (or readers). I've been a big fan of Monster Hunter since the third generation, even if I'm not very good at it. This Fanfic has been on my mind for many years now and only now have I decided to give it a shot. Like so many other people on this website, I hope to publish my own original work in the future but I figured why not work on a little fun project on the side. Who knows? I might even learn a thing or two more about writing.

Four hunters prowled the green hilly terrain in search of their quarry. In the front was a muscular man decorated in bones and skulls from beasts he had killed in the past. The hammer he carried was larger than himself. He was the second youngest in the group, a fact he hated as much as his baby face which he always had hidden underneath his horned helmet. The Bone Hunter wanted to make it known throughout the land that he was a prodigy among hunters and was to be feared by man and beast alike. He paid very little mind to the rest of the group struggling to keep up with him. He was only concerned with what awaited them further ahead.

Behind the Skull Hunter was his childhood friend. He was younger than the Skull Hunter but looked a few years older for his age due to his height, muscles, and chiseled features. He carried a massive but crude sword and wore standard armor made from a combination of worn animal hides and dented iron. It was hand-me-down armor that wasn't very good even back in its prime but the Newbie hunter had only started hunting a few weeks ago after being persuaded by his friend. The Newbie didn't talk much, he usually let the Skull Hunter do all the talking for both of them. He talked so infrequently that many people assumed he was mute! The Newbie, quiet as always, kept nervously looking behind him at the sole female member of the group hoping she hadn't noticed.

The woman behind the Newbie wielded a bow, wore grass-covered armor, had beautiful ink-black hair she kept in a ponytail, and had indeed noticed the Newbie's occasional stares but chose to ignore it for now. The Grass Archer was grateful that he was at least quiet and wasn't making gag-worthy flirts like the last group she was with. She used to be part of another hunting group but had suffered a nasty leg injury that put her out of commission for a month. Her old group found a replacement and then moved on without her. She was now forced to work with novice hunters to earn her old rank back. None of the groups the Grass Archer had been with had been very competent and as such, they didn't last long. She scanned the landscape hoping this group wouldn't let her down.

Trailing the back of the group was the oldest member. He was wearing well-crafted steel armor. Despite his age and potbelly, he was much stronger than he looked and carried a large shield and gun lance (as well as most of the supplies). The Steel Gunlancer would occasionally break away from the group to catch some bugs, pick some plants, and mine an ore deposit. He could not help but chuckle to himself as he watched the three younger hunters eagerly chase down their unseen target while missing all the valuable materials around them. The Grass Archer was skilled, the Newbie was patient, and the Skull Hunter was strong, but all of them had a long way to go before they could be master hunters themselves. The Steel Gunlancer himself still far from being a top-ranking hunter but was fine with taking his time to get there. He'd rather be old and prepared than young and dead.

The team was after a large wyvern. Most of the Aptonoths in the area had migrated and the only ones left were weak, lost, or sick. As such the local wyverns had been taking advantage and picking off the stragglers cut off from the rest of their herd. The Grass archer was looking for corpses, claw marks, or droppings while the Skull Hunter and Newbie watched her work intently. The Steel Gunlancer spent this downtime cooking steak for the group. He was admiring his cooking until he felt something like a raindrop land on his helmet. Confused, as today was a sunny day, he rubbed the top of his head and looked at his hand. On top of his fingers was a small amount of blood.

The Skull Hunter yelled and pointed to the sky where a giant red wyvern flew over them with a fresh kill in its claws. The Green Archer aimed and fired an arrow into the wyvern's feet. He roared in pain and dropped his fresh kill to the ground. He considered letting it go, but that was the only Aptonoth he had seen today and his mate was surely hungry by now. Besides, the flesh-takers didn't look that challenging to him.

Los was his name. Not many of his kind had names or really cared for them. The flesh-takers called his kind Rathalos so Los seemed like a decent name to help himself stand out. Los had a mate, she was a Rathian who called herself Ian. She was back at their cave awaiting Los to return from his hunt and Los was not about to let these flesh-takers stop him. With a mighty roar Los dove out of the sky towards the humans. The Grass Archer fired a few more arrows at Los but he took the blows and continued his descent. He could see them raising their weapons over their heads and partially crouching. They were expecting him to break out of his dive and try to breathe fire on them or strike them with his tail as he flew by. Too bad for them Los wasn't planning on doing any of that.

Spreading his wings to slow down his fall only just a little, Los crashed into the ground causing bits of loose earth to be sent flying. His legs ached from the sudden impact but it was worth it to see the dirt-covered flesh-takers panic at the wyvern that now stood before them. The Steel Gunlancer dropped his well-done steak, the Green Archer nearly tripped stepping backward, and the Newbie dropped his greatsword. Los took advantage of this and swiped his tail towards them. While all the Flesh-takers easily dodged his telegraphed attack, Los was able to knock the great sword far away. However, the Skull Hunter, the only flesh-taker who wasn't shocked at Los's planned crash landing, boldly charged at Los with his hammer raised. The boy managed to land a solid hit on Los's head. Los returned the favor by breathing a large fireball into his attacker.

The Steel Gunlancer and the Green Archer tried to flank Los while the Newbie ran to get his sword. Los flapped his wings to make it look like he was about to fly away. When he jumped off the ground the Steel Gunlancer went to attack Los's exposed feet, unknowingly walking straight into Los's trap. Los came crashing down on the veteran warrior sinking his talons into his foe. Los got off the Steel Gunlancer almost as quickly as he had landed on him. He had managed to crush a few of the human's ribs and possibly poison him a little as well. The Steel Gunlancer wouldn't be fighting for a long time but he wasn't killed…Los didn't want that.

The Green Archer was next. Los waited for her to grab another arrow before he charged at her. In her haste, she fired her arrow at Los before she could fully pull it back or properly aim. She barely missed as Los veered to the left suddenly. His charge was merely a bluff to confuse her and judging from her shaky movements he had succeeded. She had never encountered such a crafty Rathalos before, every movement Los made had her second-guessing her training and instincts. Was he opening his mouth to launch a fireball, or was he just making a threatening display? Was this charge another bluff or was it going to be for real? Los had no way of knowing it, but the Grass Archer was horrified of a repeat of her last disastrous hunt.

As she kept trying to gauge Los's attack patterns, she realized too late that all his bluff charges had gradually been bringing him closer to her. He bit down on her arm and tossed her aside. Los was about to launch a fireball at her until he felt a sharp pain at the end of his tail. Looking behind him, he saw the Newbie hunter had reclaimed his greatsword and was trying to cut off Los's tail. With a flick of his tail, he sent the Newbie hunter flying. The flames in Los's mouth were burning and he decided to fire this one at the Newbie instead of the Green Archer. He felt a sudden rush of warmth followed by a sense of cool relief as he fired a ball of flames at the Newbie. Right as it was about to hit the young boy, the Steel Gunlancer, who had taken a health potion when Los wasn't looking, ran in front of the Newbie and used himself to shield the younger hunter from Los's flames.

Los stood there bewildered that a flesh-taker would put himself in harm's way for another. Rathalos tolerated each other at best, feared each other at worse. There was only so much food and good nesting ground to go around that having another large wyvern would only lead to conflict. When Los could fly and hunt on his own his parents no longer considered him their child but another Rathalos that was invading their territory. He had to move on or fight them for their territory. He wasn't even fond of most Rathians (the females of his species). All he needed was his mate Ian, any other monster was a potential threat. He had observed other monsters hunting in packs or traveling in herds, but none of them would risk their lives for each other. If an Aptonoth was injured and could no longer travel with the herd, they would leave it behind. So why had this flesh-taker, risk his life for another. What did he have to gain for doing it?

As much as Los wanted to understand this strange behavior, his attention turned to the yelling of the Skull Hunter who had stamped out the fire on him. The young man charged at Los swinging his hammer wildly. That hammer looked heavy and Los knew it was only a matter of time before that little human body would run out of strength. He let the hunter keep charging at him while slowly walking backward. With one last scream, the flesh-taker swung his hammer to the ground missing Los entirely. As Los predicted the human had run out of stamina and was now struggling to lift his hammer back up.

The Rathalos flew up and grabbed onto the Skull Hunter's helmet with his talons. He contemplated crushing the young man's skull, stabbing him with his poisonous claws, or dropping him from hundreds of feet into the air. He hated the flesh-takers, all beings called monsters did. Flesh-takers did not kill for food, they killed to steal the skin, bones, and other body parts of monsters so they can hunt more monsters efficiently. Killing monsters wasn't the only thing they did, they also stole eggs, aided villages expanding into monster territory, and captured monsters who would never be heard from again. As much as Los could easily kill this flesh-taker he knew that killing a flesh-taker only attracted more dangerous flesh-takers. This fight alone would already bring unwanted attention to the hills. Any time a monster killed a flesh-taker a small army would arrive to hunt down the guilty monster and others of their species. To protect himself and Ian, Los had to let the flesh-takers live.

He finished the fight by tossing the Skull Hunter at his friends, the fall shattered his helmet and gave him a nasty cut on his forehead. The Green Archer and the Newbie had to pull him back as they retreated. As they fled, a pair of previously hidden cat-like Felynes appeared out of nowhere with a small wooden cart. They tossed the Steel Gunlancer onto the cart and took off with him.

Felynes were small but clever monsters. Unlike other monsters, they liked humans and humans liked them. They shared a mutualistic relationship; The Felynes would get to live in human villages and in exchange, they would aid them in their daily lives. Some joined humans in hunts, while others (the duo here) helped rescue flesh-takers who had been knocked unconscious fighting a monster. Fighting them was a pain as they were fast, harder than their small size would suggest, and were amazing at hiding. Even after all his time fighting off flesh-takers and their Felynes, Los had never seen a dead Felyne. As annoying as they could be, they weren't as dangerous as the flesh-takers they worked with. Wild Felyne's didn't have

Even if Los wanted to finish off the older hunter and eat his Felyne saviors, Felyne medics were known to carry dung bombs and other nasty tricks to keep away large monsters. One direct hit would cause him to smell nothing but feces for days. Not only would this be extremely unpleasant, but it would leave him unable to smell prey or rivals for weeks. He had driven the flesh-takers away for now and there was no reason to put himself in any further risk...even if he really wanted to burn them all to ash. With the flesh-takers gone, Los picked up the Aptonoth and flew off.

The battle and long flight had left Los feeling exhausted. He was relieved when he spotted the small cave opening in a rocky hill. Hidden inside, curled up in a pile of bones and branches was his mate. Ian was beautiful. Her tail was sturdy and large; good for fighting off threats, and her spikes were preened and sharp; good for defense (but not always the best for mating). Her scales were dark green like wet moss and grass; good for camouflage. Los only spotted her in their den by her brilliant burning eyes. She kept them partially closed most of the time to keep herself hidden, but Los had grown accustomed to seeking them out every time he came home from a hunt. They brought a warmth greater than any flame he could ever produce. When she spotted Los, she lifted herself up from their nest where three eggs were so carefully laid beneath her.

"Are you hurt?" she asked him in their mysterious language only a few other monsters could understand.

"Just a few cuts. Nothing out of the ordinary," Los explained while puffing up his chest and grinning.

"Were you followed?"

"No," Los said horrified by the mere suggestion. "I made sure to fly around several different hills and cliffs to throw off any would-be followers."

Ian didn't look satisfied. She kept looking around the cave and behind Los as if she were expecting flesh-takers to appear out of the natural stone walls. She was right to be afraid; Los had heard stories about flesh-takers getting more powerful and acquiring strange new powers. Supposedly, they could turn invisible, become indestructible, and even fly! Of course, Los had only overheard this from some overly talkative Bird Wyverns who were notorious for being plentiful and stupid…most of the time.

"You need to eat. I caught an Aptonoth, your favorite " Los sang as he lifted his talons off the unfortunate prey he caught earlier.

Ian's brilliant eyes widen, just as Los had wanted. They were her beautiful eyes, and only he could make them shine like that. He felt like crying when he saw that wonderful shine disappear so suddenly.

"It was a juvenile," Ian said sadly.

"Is there something wrong with that? There aren't a lot nearby but I can check again for a full-grown one."

"No, no, it's fine. You're here now, you're safe now. That's all I want," Ian said before biting off the Aptonoth's bony head. Los would have let her eat the full carcass but she insisted he had least had the flat, spiked tail. The meal wasn't much for either of them but it would have to do until new herbivores migrated to the hills.

That night the once cloudless sky became filled with dark rain clouds. Los and Ian huddled together for warmth as they listened to the raindrops and thunder outside. It was long nights like this one that Los was glad he found Ian to be his mate. He had someone to talk with. Many other Rathalos and Rathians couldn't or wouldn't talk to each other and that left Los alone with his thoughts. It made him feel so alone and confused about the world, but with Ian, he didn't have to feel alone like that anymore.

"A male flesh-taker shielded another one from one of my fireballs," Los explained to Ian about the fight he had earlier. "I still can't figure out why he would put himself in harm's way like that."

"Was he trying to defend a female? Perhaps she was his mate," Ian suggested.

"No…it was a younger male."

"Perhaps it was his child?"

"Maybe," Los grumbled. "It's always hard to tell when they're wearing all that armor."

Ian hummed in agreement and repositioned herself on the nest. This had been the tenth time she did that since the sun went down. As Los watched her get comfortable, he noticed her looking at him intently with her orange eyes and her ears lowered. He recognized this was her "investigation face", she made it every time she was suspicious of something. As much as he loved her eyes, he was a little frightened when she made that face at him.

"You have something else on your mind. Tell me."

Los signed. "You've never been picky about Aptonoths before, or any type of meat for that matter. I've seen you eat a rotten half-eaten Kelbi before with no hesitation. Is everything alright?" It had been dwelling on Los's mind for a long time, but he didn't want to upset his mate. Ian signed and looked at the eggs underneath her. At that moment Los, for all his cleverness, had only just realized why giving her an infant to eat might have upset her.

"It's foolish…really foolish…but," Ian spoke as if she was struggling to say each of her words. "Seeing that Aptonoth made me think of our first eggs. How they never got to hatch, learn to fly, breathe fire, or see the outside of their cave let alone their shells."

Los felt a sick twisting pain in his stomach. It was the same feeling he had when he and Ian had to finally kick their old eggs out of their first nest after they had started to attract insects. They had waited weeks after their due date hoping for any signs of life. They were so desperate that they ignored the scent of rot and decay coming from them. Los hated this pain; it wasn't like a battle injury that could be treated and understood. This pain came and went unexpectedly and even after an entire year it still reemerged occasionally.

"I won't bring you another juvenile," he told her. He wasn't even sure if he could eat another juvenile now.

"No, no, you'll probably have to. Aptonoths are always having new kids, only care about grazing, and if you didn't kill it then some other predator would have. A lost and dying young Aptonoth isn't the same as a baby-I mean…a hungry Rathian mother."

Los looked at Ian sadly and nuzzled her head. "Alright," he said, "but I'll still try to find an adult next time."

The two rested against each other and eventually fell asleep for a few hours until they were awakened by the thunder growing louder and closer to their home. From the cave entrance, they could see white flashes of lighting. After one bright flash, Los looked to Ian and noticed she was counting quietly under her breath. This happened a few more times before she noticed him staring at her.

"The thunder comes after the lighting. They happen after every five seconds or more," Ian explained.

Los gave a big grin and waited for the next lightning strike. When he saw the next flash, he loudly shouted "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE!" then roared right as the thunder boomed outside.

"What are you doing? We're trying to stay hidden, go to sleep!" Ian scolded him.

"No one can hear us over the thunder and it's not like we're getting any sleep in this storm."

Ian rolled her eyes but she eventually joined in with Los.

"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE!" the two roared in unison before sharing a laugh. Their laughter stopped when they saw an unnatural strike of green lightning that was followed not by thunder, but by hysterical cackling coming from just outside the cave.

Is that Asta?" Los asked.

"Who else," Ian said.

"Should I let him know he's on our turf?" Los said while growling.

"No, he'll want to fight you again and we're too close to the nest. Besides, he might not even know we're here. I'd like to keep it that way."

Los nodded but he continued to watch the cave entrance. The green lightning flashed again with the Astalos' cackling accompanying it. Asta was a talking monster just like Los and Ian, but they both weren't very fond of him (and it wasn't just due to the fact he was another large wyvern they had to compete with over food). Asta had settled in the hills only 4 months ago and in that small amount of time, he had already caused trouble for all the monsters living here.

He proudly claimed to have killed a number of flesh-takers, had no regard for other monsters' territory, and enjoyed killing neopteron swarms with his electric powers. There would doubtlessly be a pile of uneaten, broken, and scorched exoskeletons outside their cave tomorrow. Los had once tried to establish boundaries with Asta only to be knocked out of the sky. The only thing that stopped Asta from killing Los was a group of flesh-takers who had come to collect a bounty on Asta. One of those hunters never returned to their village, and Los was unable to fly properly for a few days.

"Los, I just realized something," Ian whispered.

"What?" Los asked, never taking his eyes off the cave entrance.

"It's raining outside."

"So?"

"Neopterons are giant bugs, they have fragile wings. They're not around when it's raining so what is Asta fighting outside?"

Los couldn't think of an answer, but he felt his blood race throughout his body when he saw the flash of green light and heard the deranged cackling of a true monster.

Yep, this is a story about monster characters. They've always seemed like the real stars of the show to me. I'm looking forward to expanding their world and stories, as well as reading your comments. Unfortunately, work, life, and other writing projects might keep me away from time to time. I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Here's hoping this is the start of a long and fun adventure in fanfiction.