Staying on the trail was easy, the Bullfango they were hunting left plenty of tracks behind. The ground had plenty of prints and the trees were all bruised up. There were other signs too, but these were the easiest to notice. Because of these tracks, finding the Bull was pretty easy.

There was just one thing…

"Holy shit." Gales muttered as he looked out from his hiding spot and stared at the Bull that they had been following. Calista said it was big, the tracks they had followed showed it was going to be big, but actually seeing it?

That thing had to be the size of a full grown wyvern. Not the commonly seen Flying or Fanged Wyvern, but rather Brute Wyvern. It was less of a creature and more of a small mountain, it was tons upon tons of pounds of raw muscle and nerve.

And the crazy part; it wasn't done growing.

When a Bullfango grows up - when it becomes a Bulldrome - its fur develops a layer of white, its tusks grow bigger and it all but doubles in size.

This thing was still an adolescent - maybe in its early years, maybe in its later years - either way it didn't matter. This thing wasn't a full fledged adult yet.

"If this thing reaches adulthood…"

"The damage it would cause to the ecosystem would be on a scale rarely seen." Calista muttered as she looked at the youth from behind her mask. "We have to kill it."

"Yeah but… how?" Gales asked. "Something that size…" Gales seemed to examine the beast for a bit.

"Are you scared?"

"I wouldn't say scared, more like I'm trying to figure it out." Gales shrugged. "Given what I know about Bulls, they're all muscle, that's what allows them to shrug off most strikes easily, and that thing's supersized." Gales muttered as he looked back at the Bull who was rooting up the ground to find some roots to eat. "The amount of weight those muscles are putting on its bones… its skeletal structure has to be incredibly strong in order to hold itself up and not be crushed." Gales stated as he crossed his arms. "My Iron Sword is good for hunting big prey, but it's not 'perfect'. Same goes for my Iron Katana, if I'm to break through it's natural defenses I'm gonna have my work cut out for me." He admitted before seeming to think. "How to go about this? Maybe take out its legs? If it can't move we can chip away at it at our leisure…"

"You're actually thinking." Calista muttered, seemingly in approval. "Good, most hot-blooded younglings merely rush in without a plan or preparation." He seemed to be smiling under her mask.

"Yeah well, I may be hotblooded, but my blood isn't that hot." Gales muttered. "I… learned the hard way that just running headlong towards a goal isn't the smartest thing to do, especially when it causes you to overlook those who you work with." Gales admitted before going silent. For a moment neither said anything, but after a bit Calista looked in his direction.

"Your recklessness endangered someone you love." Calista whispered. "Such things happen when you Hunt, but you either learn from it or you don't." She stated. "I'm happy to know you seem to have done the former." She admitted before turning her attention towards the Bull as it's rooting around in the dirt caused it uproot a tree and topple it over. "Regardless, we have a duty to perform."

"Right." Gales muttered as he pulled at his greatsword and seemed to look at it for a moment before resting his head on the flat of the blade and closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes he got back to his feet and he took a breath. "Ready when you are." Calista just adjusted her sword and shield.

"Then show me what you can do."


Prey was nearby.

It didn't just smell it, it didn't just hear it, it saw it well.

From the skies; from miles upon miles away, it eyed its designated prey; a big tusked one. It was easy to see, much easier to see than the rest of its kin. It was bigger than the rest of its kin. Almost as big as the trees.

Rare for the tusked ones to get to this size… it's not a good thing, but not a bad thing either.

Something this big offered a lot of meat, more than what the others could give.

If this prey had been found during the cold seasons, its meat would feed the family all throughout the harsh winters.

Finding such prey now though?

Well, no point in letting such fresh meat go to waste.


At first, the bull doesn't seem to notice them. That changes the moment they start to attack the giant beast; coming at it from three angles. When it realizes it has company, the Bull rears back, raising itself high before dropping to the ground and causing the world beneath to shudder. The moment it hits the ground, it 'roars', releasing a noise that echoes out into the wilds.

The noise - the bellow that echoes out into the wilds sounds like something akin to temples gong or a boom of thunder than anything a bull should be able to release. There's no point in lying about it, the noise made is so loud it kind of hurts, not just the listeners ears, but rattles their bones as well. The curious thing? This noise is… mild when compared to the bellows and roars that leave some other beasts.

Garm wasn't even fazed by the noise, instead he just continued going for the giant bulls legs. Cutting into them with his folding blade till the bull rose up, once again balancing on its hind legs as Garm jumped, landing on the bull's exposed underbelly and started running across its stomach to reach its back. Moment he did the bull fell forward, a failed bodyslam causing it to just crack the earth beneath it, kicking up loose soil and dirt for a moment. It released this sort of groan as Garm ran across its spine and up its head before jumping off to stand in front of the bull. When the Bull got back up it buckled a bit as its back leg was struck and started to turn. Gales was already on it, turning into each of his swings as he struck the leg he was aiming at. A moment later he found himself dodging to the side to avoid a foot that nearly stomped him into the dirt. He follows by quickly turning, his feet sliding against the dirt before he lunges forward, his greatsword swinging as he cut line of red along the exposed limb. 'Not heavy enough…' He makes another swing, creating another wound on the limb before backing away from the limb as it is raised up and attempts to crush him beneath it. Once he regained his footing he went after the limb again.

'It's skin's pretty thin.' The Hunter thought as he noticed blood was already starting to spill out the wounds he was inflicting. "Problem is that everything beneath it is pretty tough." He grumbled as the bull turned to him and did this head related swipe to reach him. The Hunter responded by using his greatsword to block and went sliding back a bit. "It's heavy." He muttered taking the time to get the feeling back in one of his arms before rushing back towards the bull. He noticed that Calista was already on its tail and the bull was trying to get to her.

A good cut on it's side caused its belly to bleed as Gales did another to form what looked loosely like an 'x', before splitting it right down the middle. Garm was still focusing on the legs, trying to reach the tendons so that he might make the leg useless and Calista was at the front.

The woman used her shield to block a headbutt as she went back a bit before charging forward to slash at its snout. The bull shook its head before squealing, rising up in its hind legs before dropping down and trying to flatten Calista. In Turn Calista just backed away, making sure she was out of range before the body came down.

It did this swiping turn, its head digging into the dirt, kicking up a few pounds of soil and earth. Gales dodged a few mammoth sized chunks of unearthed soil before swinging his blade again. Another hit caused a trail ofThe Bull recoiled, before it started to back away before scrapping the ground with a foot.

'It's going to charge.' Gales realized as he adjusted his body and started running. The bull followed him, charging after the Hunter as he made his way across the part of the grounds. He whistled as Garm came running, closing in on his Hunter and all but threw him onto his back and carried him out the way, up a tree and then flipped into the air before getting onto the Bulls back so Gales could stab it with his sword. Garm started running down the beast's spine as Gales dragged his blade across the bull's back before the canyne jumped off and landed on the ground while the bull stumbled and fell on its side.

"Well, what now?" Calista asked as she stood next to the mounted Hunter. "It broke the triangle pretty easily." She admitted watching the bull get back up and start to turn.

"It's skin's thin, and the muscles are dense." Gales admitted. "It's still going to take a while before we cut deep enough to do any real damage." He noted. "Also given its size and movements I don't think it really knows how to make proper use of that huge body."

"Its size alone probably keeps most would-be predators away, and even if it doesn't there shouldn't be many that can compete with it." Calista added before seeming to glance upward. "Till now anyway."

Gales glanced in the direction Calista was looking and seemed to nod as the bull charged them. Well it started to before it was slammed face first into the ground from a taloned foot. The roar that left the new beast it was attached to didn't just echo across the land, but it seemed to heat the very air.

"Cavalry's here." What stood before them now was a fable in its open right. Large dark red wings with 'small' sharp protrusions were bound to one the world recognized as King of the Skies.

They knew it as Rathalos.

"That doesn't look like a normal rathalos." Gales muttered as the bull got back to its feet and tried to force its new opponent off its back. The king of the skies allowed it to do just that, he let the bull up as he started to climb into the sky before dropping once more and slammed it's prey into the dirt a second time.

"That is Ignis, the Old Flame King." Calista muttered as the Rathalos adjusted himself and started using the sharp protrusions on its wings to stab into the bull's neck. "He is one of the oldest Rathalos you may ever see. " She admitted. "A long time ago he earned the title of Apex, and afterwards he earned the title of Zenith." The bull managed to get the Rathalos, Ignis off its back and turned to it, bellowing as the airborne wyvern responded not with a roar but a fireball to the face. The bull charged, leapt in an attempt to bore the King of the skies with its horns only to miss as Ignis moved to the side and turned to strike it with its barbed tail and caused the bull to recoil as blood went flying. Ignis followed by grabbing onto one of the bulls tusks with its talons and started to climb into the air, lifting the bull up off the ground before the tusk snapped in half and its owner went crashing into the ground. Ignis tossed the toss aside and grabbed the bull again, this time grabbing its entire body and lifted it into the air. "We should take cover." The bull squealed, kicking its feet out as the Rathalos brought it higher into the sky before letting go.

That bull must have dropped a few thousand feet before it crashed into the ground and shook the world beneath it. Gales actually stumbled from the tremors it kicked up. Looking ahead he saw the bull struggling to get back up, the problem was its landing had all but destroyed one of its front legs and caused it to wail out in pain. Ignis responded by crashing its head into the dirt for a third time and used its talons to force its snout open before spitting a fireball down its throat. Embers and smoke rose barely a moment later as the rathalos backed away and watched the bull start to choke and slowly stop fighting.

"He won so easily." Gales muttered as he saw the Rathalos walk towards the bull.

"There exists a hierarchy between them for a reason." Calista muttered as she stared at Ignis and watched him plant a taloned foot on the hide of the bull and tightened his grip so hard that blood started to spill. It did the same with its other foot as its head seemed to glance in the Hunter's direction. Gales tightened his grip on his greatsword as Calista just raised a hand to stop him. "We are not permitted to hunt - let alone challenge the Old Flame King." She told him. "Besides, he has no reason to fight us." The Rathalos looked away from the trio as he spread his wings and started to fly off with his prize beneath him. "He has his prize after all."

"He wanted the Bull."

"With a catch that large, he need not leave his lair to hunt for quite a while, less he plans to merely stretch his wings." The woman states as she starts walking forward. "That bull will keep him and his Queen fed for quite some time."

"It has a mate."

"Ifreeta." Calista stated before looking at the massive tusk that had been broken off. "And given that the Breeding Season has passed they should have children as well. Or at the very least eggs that will hatch soon."

"Eggs huh…" Gales muttered as he watched the Rathalos disappear over the horizon. "Does that mean the Guild might make a request for one or two." Calista chuckled.

"Pray they don't." She stated as she examined the massive tusk and started to lift part of it up. "Regardless, help me with this, though Ignis took our quarry, he left us proof that we can bring to the guild to show it has been dealt with."

"Well yeah but… should we really bring it in?" Gales asked. "I mean we didn't really get to complete the Hunt ourselves."

"True, but things like this happen." Calista stated. "I will have to explain to the guild why we could not acquire the body, as well as why none will be able to after we return, but they should understand." Gales didn't say anything, just looking at Garm who started walking up to the giant tusk and tried to help lift it. "Come, we need your strength."

"Right…" Gales muttered, putting his sword on his back. "Um… should we, I don't know, split it in half?" He asked. "That should make it a bit lighter for each of us to carry."

"An excellent idea." calista stated as set the tusk back down and and seemed to search for something on it. "Here." She pointed at a particular spot on the tusk and looked at Gales. "Strike here with your sword." Gales just nodded as he pulled his sword back off his person before resting it against the spot she gestured to. Right after he raised the weapon back up and took a breath before bringing it down with full strength. "Well done."

The tusk had been split almost perfectly down the middle. Picking up one half Calista hoisted it over her shoulder while Gales did the same. "So…" Gales began. "Where to now?"

"Where else?" Calista asked. "The guild needs proof, so we go to the guild." Calista stated. "In that case, let's return to Harribel."