A/N: Thanks to qazse as always for help with reactions and to Siats4197, or Manzac11 on YouTube, for making the video and supplying me with the script for it. The video is titled "Kamura Village Animal Guide Edition | Part 1: Lemme Smash 2/2 (Great Wroggi & Great Baggi)". Go check it out and support him, it is criminal that he has under 100 subs. The video has a LONG intro, which we don't cover in the chapter, so skip to 6:45.
Upbeat, wild music played as two different scenes were shown bit-by-bit: a Popo was seen being chased by two small, blue raptors and chased into a dead end blocked by a cliff, on top of which stood a larger alpha of the raptors, spitting a glob of blue liquid down on the Popo, which caused it to become weary before falling asleep. Then, two orange raptors were seen squaring off against three Jagras, but then a much larger version of the raptors ambushed the Jagras from behind and unleashed a glob of poison, bursting as a cloud of smoke that consumed and killed the lizards.
"Ooh, raptors. I always had a bit of a soft spot for them." Cinder admitted.
"And it seems both versions rely on chemical warfare." Ironwood noted.
"I-it looked like the blue raptor made that Popo fall asleep. That's got to be horrifying, starting to fall asleep knowing a dangerous predator nearby, then being killed while you fall asleep so you never know what happened to you..." Velvet said fearfully, stroking her bunny ears to calm herself down.
"Then again, that's probably the way most would want to go out, going peacefully in your sleep, not knowing if something happened to you." Hazel countered.
"Not me. I'm going out in battle. This, I know for a fact." Adam declared.
A phylogenetic tree was then seen, showing the lineage of Bird Wyverns. "Great Baggi and Great Wroggi are under the classification of Bird Wyverns, called the Dog Wyverns." Rakka Suripa asked as the phylogenetic tree zoomed in to focus on a small superfamily of five Wyvern species. "Now what is a Dog Wyvern?" Glad you asked!" Rakka declared as the image of a wide-eyed staring dog popped up with a big boom noise as a jumpscare.
"Oh, hey, a new guy." Yang noted.
"Yep. Rakka Suripa. You might remember he got some footage for one of Sai's videos, but now he actually took it upon himself to make his own video." Katana confirmed.
"Well, it's nice to see more people willing to take initiative and help spread knowledge about these creatures." Winter said approvingly.
Ruby and a few others giggled when Rakka rolled his r's when he pronounced Wroggi. "That's really fun! I'm gonna start doing that now!" The young scythe-wielder giggled.
Weiss rolled her eyes at this. "Ugh... I can already see the migraines coming in the future." She groaned.
"Oh, come on, Weiss! That just sounds like the best way to say it!" Nora told her.
"But why are they called 'Dog Wyvern-'" Blake began, a bit unsettled by the title, before leaping up and hissing as the dog jumpscare happened, falling behind the couch.
"You REALLY need to work on that." Ilia told the cat girl with a deadpanned expression.
The screen was black as the shuffling of papers was then heard. "Hold up, I need to actually get something. Hold on for a sec." Rakka muttered to himself, before finally revealing an anatomy chart of a different Dog Wyvern, called a Great Jaggi, as an example. "Ah, here it is! So, unlike most Bird Wyverns that have lighter bones, like Malfesto for flight and Kulu-Ya-Ku for cursoriality, the Dog Wyverns are a bit different. While the smaller members of the pack retain the light bone structure and cursorial pursuit hunting, one or two of the alphas will retain a more compact bone structure. They most likely will rely on their ambush hunting, while signaling to the pack to chase/tire out the animal towards them." The host explained as images of the various Wyverns he mentioned were shown.
A word then popped up on the screen:
CURSORIALITY
A cursorial animal is an animal that is mostly adapted for speed. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run with quick acceleration or if it can maintain a constant speed for a long distance. These are two completely different conditions.
A cheetah and its locomotion in a diagram are the example of speed and a hyena is the example of running for long distances.
Glynda smiled at the small extra lecture on cursoriality. "An excellent lesson on different adaptations. It's truly incredible to learn how many different ways animals have developed and changed to become as effective as they are now." She said approvingly.
"Right. And it's not something you hear of very often, so it's not super common knowledge most people know about, so it's good someone's explaining it. Sai and Rage usually don't go into that great of detail." Emerald agreed.
"Indeed. And it also allows you to learn even more afterwards. For instance, cheetahs are indeed faster, but hyenas can run FAR longer than them, so they are ultimately the superior hunters. They're even capable of outrunning lions. Even in reverse!" Penny added.
Quite a few audience members were surprised by this. "Seriously?! That's awesome! I already liked hyenas before, but they're even cooler now!" Ruby cheered.
"Whoa, that's crazy. I just thought hyenas were weak scavengers, like in Leo Emperor." Jaune admitted.
"I'm certain I've stated it before, but Leo Emperor had a significant number of inaccuracies, that being one of the biggest." Penny explained.
The screen went black again for a moment. "So without further ado, let's begin with Great Wroggi." Rakka declared as the screen did a wavy transition to reveal information and an icon of the monster in question.
Great Wroggi | Venomous Commander
Length: 27.3 – 38.3 Feet
Strengths: Pack Mentality, Venom, Balance, Keen Eyesight
Weakness: Ice, Water?, Getting Disorientated, Paralysis, Sleep
Prey: Small to Medium-Sized Animals
"Venomous Commander, huh? not gonna lie, that's a pretty sick title." Qrow said in respect.
"Oh, why does it have to be venomous! It's already a pack hunter, isn't that enough?" Summer groaned, now concerned for her daughters if the creature came to Remnant. A pack of beowulves? Sure, no problem. Aura can protect you from that. It CAN'T protect you from venom, so ANY poisonous animal could be a problem. Let alone a whole PACK of venomous animals.
"Creatures need every advantage they can get in nature, Summer. Even pack hunting isn't always a guarantee venom is their way of leveling the playing field." Ozpin said.
"Right, I get that, I'm just worried about how that playing field might get leveled AGAINST us." She told Beacon's headmaster.
"Hey, you know what they say: whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Roman said with a shrug.
"Uh, yeah, I can think of at least five times that's not the case." Neo said with a roll of her eyes.
A reverse iris transition revealed an image of the orange alpha raptor standing over the dead Jagras that had attacked its pack mates. "Ah Great Wroggi, basically the venomous desperado of every wetland region from the Flooded Forest, to the Shrine Ruins and to even the Lava Caverns. So basically everywhere, but dry desert areas and very cold places." The host explained as an image of Great Wroggi was seen in the various locales around Kamura village and the raptor's approval or disapproval of them.
Flooded Forest? yes.
Shrine Ruins? Yes.
Lava Caverns? YES!
Sandy Plains? Nani?!
Frosted Islands? WHAT THE HEEEE….?!
Many of the students laughed at the raptor's reactions to the various biomes. "To be fair, that would be a natural reaction to suddenly finding yourself placed in a biome vastly different from the one you're naturally acclimated to." Ren admitted.
"Yeah. I remember when we got close to Summer time and it started getting hotter. Little Schnee over there was practically melting every day." Coco laughed, gesturing to Weiss.
"Sh-shut up..." Weiss said, fighting a massive blush.
"I'll admit, even I had some trouble adjusting. Argus is still quite on the cooler side compared to Vale." Pyrrha said with a blush of her own.
A chart was then shown revealing Great Wroggi's weaknesses. "By the way, that's what he's actually weak to. So basically, death by freezer burn or dehydration... Or hydrate it because for some reason…they are weak to water….WHY?" Rakka mentioned in confusion as a water bottle appeared on the screen next to an image of Great Wroggi.
Much like the host, many of them were dumbfounded by the monster's strange weaknesses. "What? How is it weak to water? It lives in places FILLED with water!" Winter asked incredulously.
"Well, to be fair, it seems like a lot of monsters with the Dragon element are also weak to it." Jaune pointed out.
"But the Dragon Element is unstable and dangerous, having consequences for both the target AND user, so it's a double-edged sword." Adam reminded him.
"True, but there is such a thing as being overhydrated. This causes the salt levels of the body to go down and the cells to swell, making them grow in size and causing cells in the brain to press against the skull, causing throbbing headaches, brain impairment and trouble breathing. Along with nausea and vomiting, confusion and disorientation and muscle cramps. This is especially a problem for people exercising or competing in rigorous sports, which is why you should ONLY drink if you're thirsty when doing physically taxing ideas." Penny informed everyone.
"Yikes. Good to know. Dad always said we should be drinking water any chance we get when training or out on a mission, even if we're not thirsty. Guess that's out the window." Yang said.
Rakka Suripa was then navigating the jungle with his palico, Guroto-Usu and his palamute, Chaba. "So for hunting Great Wroggi we're going to start at the Jungle Island. Oh look, even the little boat is still there." The host said, taking note of a boat that looked like it hadn't moved in 20 years. "So, Great Wroggi is actually a very active predator. They mostly hunt in the day, along with the smaller Wroggis. They're only active at night when they need to move to a different area or when they need to avoid predators. If they're in a smoky, crowded, dark area, or if it's at night, their eyes are capable of glowing whether to see better or communicate with other pack members. I can honestly tell you sometimes when it's misty and their eyes glow it can be pretty intimidating." Rakka admitted as he now engaged in combat with the raptor.
"Y-yeah, I can definitely agree with that. Those shining eyes look like they're staring into my soul!" Velvet agreed fearfully, shivering and petting her ears.
"It's okay, bun-bun. I got you. It's just a video." Coco assured her, pulling her in close.
"I've always wondered why some animal's eyes glow like that. I've always thought it was cool." Nora said.
"Because their eyes have reflective structures called tapetum lucidum that reflect light and increase their night vision." Emerald explained, earning a few "cool's" from those that didn't know this fact.
An image of the Great Wroggi, specifically their arms and feet, were then shown. "So there are a few adaptations that makes Great Wroggi accustomed to wetland, tropical and even temperate environments. Special padding and webbing on their arms and legs help them traverse through soft or wet ground. And it also gives them resistance to slipping, at the cost of moving very quickly though. Also their tail is a bit more flattened, which helps him when they're swimming or is a good signal-caller to other members of the pack." The sword and shield-user explained as the tail was then shown.
"Take note, students. It's always important to be able to adapt to handle the environment you're entering." Ozpin informed the students.
"And how exactly do they adapt to being launched off a cliff, Oz?" Summer questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"By having a landing strategy." The Headmaster said simply.
"signaling with their tail fins is pretty cool, though. Maybe we should come up with none non-verbal signals like that, Ruby?" Jaune suggested.
"By shaking our butts?" Ruby asked in bewilderment.
"N-no! I meant like hand signals, or maybe waving your cape or something!" He quickly explained himself.
Rakka then attempted to stun the creature with several shield bashes, but to no avail. "They are very well balanced animals which makes them very difficult to stun and/or knock them off their feet to begin with. As with many Running Dog Wyvern, they are very protective when it comes to their pack and have the weaponry to do it. The fangs are along their jaw are capable of hooking onto prey or predators when they are attacked. Speaking of their prey, Great Wroggi goes after fish or smaller animals. But, when they really need to get the main course they usually prey on Slagtoths." Rakka explained as the herbivore in question was shown.
Ruby began gushing as she saw the Slagtoth. "Oh, my gosh! Look at them! They're adorable! Look at the little neck flops, just like a bulldog!" She exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
"You know she'd LOVE Bogabadorumu." Tekko whispered to her sister, who nodded.
"Oh, I just want to give them headpats like a cat!" Ruby cooed.
"I find that offensive, Ruby." Blake grumbled... although secretly, she couldn't deny she wanted to do the same.
"We should probably mention Slagtoth are very territorial and will attack hunters and even Wyverns." Katana said, causing the two to deflate.
Another image of the Great Wroggi, along with two smaller packmates was shown, their neck visibly inflated. "And these guys are actually not easy to take down, even if Great Wroggi has a pack with it; so, they rely on a very unique weapon. If you actually look closely at their necks, you'll notice that it's a little bit pouchy in a way and it actually looks somewhat analogous to the raised hood of a cobra or any of the relatives when it feels threatened." Rakka informed as pictures of Binocellate Cobras and King Cobras were shown. "Well, those are its venom sacs. Whereas biologically poison is in absorbed, ingested and/or inhaled, venom is when the toxin is delivered through a wound with a needle-like body part by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. A phantom sack can't be developed through a salivary gland, an olfactory gland, or reproductive gland." He explained as the definition of poison was shown, with puffer fish and death cap mushroom as examples, then venom's definition along with Giant Silkworm Moth Larvae and the Carpet Viper as examples.
Yang couldn't help but shiver at this. "Ugh. Those sacs on their throat just don't look right to me. You see those on things like frogs and toads, not dinosaurs." She said with a shudder.
"Now you know how I feel with monsters with weird mouths or human teeth, dear." Summer told her.
"I must say, though, I do like how he's explaining the differences and giving examples of poisonous and venomous. I definitely know SOME PEOPLE that don't know the difference." Weiss said, looking to Ruby and Yang, who chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of their heads.
"But, much like Summer said before, even a single poisonous adversary is risky, so fighting a whole pack of them could prove impossible for lone Huntsmen and Huntresses. If they are poisoned, they'll have to retreat immediately for medical attention, while the raptors will only continue to cause havoc." Ironwood voiced his concerns.
"Their poison is easily cured with simple antidotes created from very plentiful herbs, don't worry, James." Katana assured him.
As they were fighting, the Great Wroggi jumped back and unleashed a cloud of purple smoke at the hunter. "Great Wroggi can take it a little to the extreme sometimes. When hunting something too dangerous or when it's backed into a corner, it will puff up the two venom sacks on the side of its neck and will violently release the venom in condensed clouds that can stay there for a little while." Rakka warned as he attached a cyan wire to the Great Wroggi's chest and violently launched it towards a wall, finally knocking it down in the process.
"So, if the clouds linger, that limits safe areas of the battlefield, making it more difficult to maneuver around them. Interesting." Hazel praised.
"Not to mention, it can use those clouds as a deterrent to keep hunters from getting closer to it." Pyrrha added.
"And, of course, it can always knock you INTO one of these poison clouds after spreading them around." Ren threw in as well.
"Let's just hope they aren't smart enough to actually think of that." Ilia said nervously.
"Well, luckily, we have some things hunters don't. Dust, remember? A bit of Wind Dust and you can blow that nasty gas right back at them." Roman pointed out.
"That's... actually not a bad idea." Winter admitted.
But while the Great Wroggi was down, Rakka turned to a snake that popped out of the ground, observing the battle before it, before the hunter calmly picked it up. "Being hit by these venom clouds, can get you disorientated. The venom won't blind you, but it has a very horrible smell; I can tell you personally. And it's a fast acting, but mild venom. Now, using venom as a projectile or a defense seems kind of outlandish but spitting spiders and spitting cobras have been known to do it." He explained, before accidentally stepping too close to one of the venom clouds, getting infected with the poison. "A quick second drink of antidote would get rid of the venom quickly; however, herbal medicine, herbal powder, and/or if your palico has a status nullifier are also great to have. Armor that is equipped with poisons/venom resistance and antidote jewels to equip onto your armor are also good optional uses." The host informed as he used the snake on himself to heal from the venom, text explaining that Antidobra snakes are another alternative.
"Wait, certain armors and jewelry can keep you from getting poisoned?" Neo asked, hoping for another way for her and Coco's clothing store to make money.
"Yeah, it's kind of similar to the weapons: it's made from monster parts, so they keep a bit of the monster's capabilities. Poison resistance in this case." Razara explained.
"Definitely a good reason to have a nice selection of monster outfits." Coco said.
After carving one of the smaller Wroggis, the host finally turned his attention back to the Great Wroggi. "If you're engaged with or hunting the Great Wroggi, it's status quo with Dog Wyvern to make sure that it's a one-on-one affair and to make sure none of the pack gets involved. Or else, it will catch you off guard. Once again, be aware that Great Wroggi is a very well-balanced animal, so you need to disorientate it or knock it down as early, often and quickly as possible. Because if you can't it is quickly able to take you out with a poison cloud. And if you're still on your feet, it will give you a three-piece combo, with a side of a biscuit and soda." The host warned, before showing the chart of weaknesses for the monster again. "Alternative methods, other than ice- and water for some reason- is the use of paralysis. This would freeze up the animal and would lock up its stability, helping you able to stun it and knock it down. Sleep/Torpor is also another good alternative and, don't worry, we will be covering that." Rakka listed off, taking note of all the beast's main vulnerabilities.
"This guy gets it: it's not about overpowering the enemy, it's about taking away the power they have." Cinder recalled what she said to Mercury and how that ties in well with Rakka's advice on dealing with Wroggi's stability.
"Well, it is a common solution. One of the best ways to bring down your opponent is to LITERALLY bring them down. They're much more vulnerable when they are on the ground, as their options are limited." Glynda pointed out.
The Great Wroggi finally tired out after a surprisingly interesting fight. "Fun fact about these guys: Like many animals that live in a lot of wetland or swamp regions, they will most likely be attacked by mosquitoes. So to compensate for that and to protect themselves from the hot sun, you will see smaller Wroggis or even Great Wroggis on rare occasions roll themselves in mud, like a mud bath that hippos do. Side note: I absolutely adore Great Wroggi's armor. It has an incredible Western/Cowboy feel and is a good representation of what Great Wroggi is." The host added a fun tid-bit as the armor was shown for male and female hunters, even the palamute and palico, the latter having a mustache attached to the cowboy aesthetic.
Many of the cast were immediately enamored with this armor. "It looks like a cowboy outfit!" Ruby said in awe.
Yang chuckled at this. "Yeah. I remember when we ran around dressed as cowgirls as kids with toy six-shooters. Good times." Yang reminisced fondly.
"You know, I'd never replace my old bowler hat, but that cowboy hat ain't half bad." Roman admitted.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind suiting up in that armor. After all... No woman can resist a cowboy." Qrow said, wiggling his eyebrows, to which Yang, Glynda, Summer and especially Winter let out a long groan. "What is wrong with you?" Winter demanded, her eyebrow twitching as she struggled not to try and strangle him for saying such lewd things in front of her sister.
"Too many things to list." Glynda sighed.
The venomous raptor was clearly running out of fight as the host placed down a shock trap. "But they can be rather shy and would rather avoid competition or confrontation than try to get itself into a fight to injure itself." He finished as he trapped the Great Wroggi. "However, the same cannot be said for Great Baggi…" The host gravely warned as everything went black.
Ruby quickly perked up upon hearing the raptors were shy. "Ooh! so, maybe that means that I could work with them a little and eventually be friends with them!" She said hopefully.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Summer shouted immediately. "Ruby, need I remind you these raptors are VENOMOUS?! As in... Do. Not. Approach!" She told her daughter in a tone that left NO room for argument.
Ruby quickly deflated at this. "Buzzkill..." She grumbled.
The music quickly jumped to a more dangerous, wild feel as the new monster's info soon appeared on the screen along with an illustration of it.
Great Baggi | Cunning Usurper
Size: 27.5 – 47.8 Feet Long
Strengths: Pack Mentality, Physicality, Sleep, Ice
Weaknesses: Fire, Paralysis, Blast, Exhaust
Diet: Small to Large Prey
An image of the alpha raptor in an ice cave was shown. "Great Baggi is easily the largest of the Dog Wyverns at around 50 feet long for the largest ones, but they are incredible survivors of multiple glacial habitats. They are also my favorite of all the Bird Wyverns and easily one of my favorite monsters altogether. One, for what they're capable of. And two, how I fought one for the first time." The host explained, chuckling sheepishly at the end as a slightly younger was seen in a glacial habitat, called the Frosted Islands.
"Ooh, these are pretty cool-looking raptors." Yang admitted.
"Yeah. I like the backwards shark fin they have on their head." Neo agreed.
"Plus, the blue and black work really well together." Coco added.
The past version of the host was now deftly traversing the icy area. "For newer hunters, this would easily be one of the more difficult and one of the most dangerous challenges. Not only will you be dealing with the harsh temperatures of the cold, but usually Great Baggi is going to have some friends with him and they are dangerously deceptive tricksters. Best to usually have a 4 Hunter party for these situations, just in case something bad happens. Any hunters or researchers that are going after bone excavations should also be extremely careful if a Great Baggi is around, Usually, recommended to avoid them at all times; until, the situation is dealt with." Rakka explained as his younger self mounted his palamute to engage with the blue raptor and its subordinates.
"Cold climates, huh? So, it sounds like this one's gonna be a problem for you guys up in Atlas, huh?" Qrow said with a smirk.
"I highly doubt they'll be much of a problem, if at all." Winter said confidently.
"From the sound of things, they may actually be good opponents for Atlesian Huntsmen-and-Huntresses-in-training." Penny pointed out.
"As long as their full teams go on the mission to eliminate them. He did emphasize the importance of having a hunter PARTY take them on instead of a singular Hunter." Ironwood added.
He then showed the process of osteophagy, along with the examples of the lammergeier and a bull. "The explanation is that Bird Wyverns are capable of what is called osteophagy, which is the practice of animals consuming bones. Surprisingly, this is mostly found in herbivores because of phosphate." The host explained, showing pictures of white phosphate and red phosphate. "Phosphorus is an essential mineral for the skeletal system. And is also used in helping lactation, cell signaling, protein synthesis, and….uhm….metabolism." The sword and shield hunter elaborated, showing a map of all the bone sites in the Frosted Islands. "This is one of the reasons why a Great Baggi needs the bones. Also, they need them for their nest as well. And sometimes, Baggi fights for bones can be brutal." Rakka warned as everything went black.
Jaune and Velvet both shuttered at this. "Eating the bones again? Why do they have to do it again?!" Velvet complained.
"Yeah, I thought it was bad enough when Magnamalo did it. It's just so creepy!" Jaune said with a shiver.
"Rakka just explained it, though. It's an excellent source of phosphate. There are countless vitamins our bodies need to function properly, so it's good to get it however you can. There's even a species of vulture whose diet almost ENTIRELY consists of bones." Penny pointed out.
"That's... actually quite fascinating. In a super morbid kind of way." Weiss admitted.
The present-day Rakka took a quick picture of the Great Baggi, before he quickly went to fight it. "So if you're hunting or being engaged by a Great Baggi, you're going to find out very early that…." He began, before cutting off dramatically, everything going to black once again.
The younger Rakka Suripa started to fight the monster, before quickly realizing something as he got up close to it. "OH DEAR GOG, THIS THING IS HUGE!" He yelled in fear, before being knocked back by a hip check.
Upon finally getting a good view to see the size and scale of the beast, many were floored by just how big it was. "Holy crap. I always thought raptors were smaller, weaker dinos. Starting to have some serious second thoughts." Yang admitted.
"The only thing I can think of that comes close is the Megaraptor, but even that only reached around 8 feet in height and 26 feet in length, barely half of this one." Glynda said in awe.
"It's likely due to Bergmann's rule, a general trend suggesting that larger species are found in colder climates, their larger size likely helping them retain heat better." Penny theorized.
But, a few of them couldn't help but groan at the "Oh, dear Gog!" line. "Ugh... Why does everyone keep referring to Gog like it's a god? I mean, yeah, it's big and powerful, but it's probably not even in the top ten most powerful monsters." Emerald pointed out.
"Yeah. At least Rage is insane, so him just praising a monster he likes makes sense, but everyone doing it takes the impact out of it." Ren said.
"I think Sai praying to Alatreon makes more sense, since it's at least in the top five." Adam added.
"Well, I believe everyone has the option to choose which monster or being they worship and we shouldn't take away from that." Pyrrha said reasonably, one of the few people on Remnant who still follows a religion. [1]
Present-day Rakka continued to fight the beast. "Anyway, first thing you're going to notice is…um…THIS ANIMAL IS FREAKING SOLID! Like seriously, the moment I got hip checked by this animal for the first time, it felt like my ribs were being launched out of my body. I am not joking. Due to the colder climate, they're usually bigger than other Dog Wyverns. Adding to it with thick skin, flesh and muscle, gives it a very dangerous physical edge." The host warned as he was knocked down by a tail slap from the massive raptor.
Many were quite shocked that Rakka adores this monster so much despite this rather harsh experience. "Okay, maybe I was wrong. Maybe Rakka is insane as well." Ren said.
"Right? How are you gonna be gushing over a monster that hurt you THIS badly!?" Coco asked in disbelief.
"That just means it was an excellent fight, to love it despite being beaten down so bad. Now I can't wait to see what fighting it is like." Hazel declared.
"Also, probably because he wasn't really taking it seriously. He holds back A LOT when he hunts. So he probably just chalked up any hits he took as lucky shots." Katama explained.
"That is DANGEROUSLY arrogant." Winter criticized.
"Pride cometh before the fall." Weiss declared.
Rakka now struggled to defend himself as he fought the alpha raptor AND its smaller pack mates. "Also if you look around their body, you'll notice a lot of black plumage. These feathers help them insulate heat while living in the cold." The sword and shield-user explained, before a picture of a furry theropod was shown. "Almost analogous to the prehistoric theropod on Earth, called Nanuqsaurus." He informed, before returning to the fight as the alpha raptor pounced on him. "Great Baggi also has a cranial ornament on its head that can be used as a signal to other members of the pack. It's also used in moving around meat, bones and snow. And it's also used as a weapon either used to defend itself from other predators or for mating rights." Rakka elaborated as the creature caught him in a vicious combo of bites, headbutts and tail slaps.
"It's still so weird seeing furry dinosaurs." Yang said.
"I think they were cute." Ruby cooed.
"But again, just like Wroggi's tail, how does the crest signal anything?" Jaune asked.
"Maybe it's flexible enough to move a bit, or they move their head in certain ways?" Ren theorized.
The alpha raptor then began to leap back and spit out blue globules of liquid. "Speaking of meat, usually their favorite to go after is Popo and the Anteka antelope. However, there is one tiny problem: Ya see, it's also the same prey that Tigrex and Barioth go after. And if you know anything about Bird Wyverns, Dog Wyverns specifically, they legitimately hate Pseudo Flying Wyverns. Like to the point of lions-versus-hyenas hatred. In fact, smaller Dog Wyverns have been known to eat the eggs and newborn young of Pseudo Flying Wyverns." The host informed of the gruesome rivalry as he managed to knock the massive Dromaeosaur down.
The cinnamon trio were horrified at how far the Dog Wyverns took the rivalry. "That's horrible!" Velvet said, feeling so sorry for the unborn eggs and newborn babies.
"These might almost be as atrocious as the Qurio... Almost." Pyrrha huffed.
"If it was for food, that would be one thing, but doing it purely out of spite is just evil!" Ruby cried out.
"I don't like it either, Ruby, but that's nature. A sad fact is eggs and newborns are just easy meals." Summer told her youngest sadly.
"And, it's just a smart move, eliminating your predators early on before they can become a threat to you. It's quite common in nature." Penny added.
"Doesn't make it right..." Ruby huffed.
Rakka would then chase the Great Baggi to a new area. "For Great Baggi's instance, they will usually come into contact with Tigrex and Barioth. Great Baggi is a very hostile opponent to tackle even for a lot of Pseudo Flying Wyverns, other large predators and hunters. Their claws are very strong, able to rip through rock at times. Their mouths are capable of opening at a very wide angle and those jaw muscles are very powerful. And when they clamp down on you, they will break multiple ribs or be able to break through thick ice as well. They can move their solid stature very quickly with devastating body flows, and they have a considerable distance as well. Or they can just jump over to you and quickly Goomba stomp the hell out of you." The face-painted hunter warned as the raptor repeatedly pounced on him.
Roman whistled at this. "Dang. Not bad for creatures on the lower end of the food chain." He praised.
"Again, you don't expect raptors to be all that tough, but these guys really break the mold." Neo agreed.
"Underestimating your opponent is a fatal flaw. Even the weakest enemy can do you grievous harm if you let your guard down." Ozpin advised.
The host was knocked down once again by another powerful hip check. "But what if raw physical strength doesn't work? As we know already, Popos can be very defensive, especially when they're protecting their young. Even when in a pack, Great Baggi knows that it will be a very difficult task. And just going head-to-head with Tigrex or Barioth is just a death sentence. That is where we get to Great Baggi's greatest weapon and the main reason why new recruits are always accompanied with veteran hunters at all times. When the Baggis hunt, sometimes these smaller normal Baggis usually would start to ambush their prey, usually from behind, nipping at the ankles or rear end. Usually, they would start chasing the animal and/or unlucky researchers/hunters. Or sometimes the Baggis would, in a way, beckon the prey or person to follow them in a way, sometimes mimicking the sounds of a straggler to beckon them further." Rakka cautioned once again as the smaller Baggi chased down a Popo.
"Ambush tactics. Those are always tricky." Adam said.
"Yeah. Enemies coming from one direction is bad enough, but EVERY direction... I definitely would've been Beowulf food by now if not for my team." Jaune admitted.
"But I must admit, the mimicking tactic is quite genius. Neo definitely puts it to good use." Cinder said, giving a nod to the former mute. Sure, it was visual mimicry, not audio like in this case, but it still counted.
"So, they try to lead the prey somewhere, but what's the end goal there?" Blake wondered.
The Popo was now trapped in a dead end, where the Great Baggi stood atop a cliff and spat a blue globule on it, causing it to fall asleep. "And usually, once they get to where they want them to be, the Great Baggi will come out of nowhere, slowly rear its head and unleash an interesting blue fluid. And as the liquid gives off a strange fume, the straggler will notice too late that that would be the great baggage narcotic venom." The host explained as the definition of Neurotoxin was shown, with the Indian Cone Snail being the example of a creature that uses such a toxin. "And as this sleep venom works his way through the nervous system as a neurotoxin, the unfortunate victim starts to get a little lightheaded. And then, they start to see weird hallucinations, until... it's good night for them." Rakka said grimly as the Great Baggi stood atop the unconscious Popo and roared. An important text warning then appeared on the screen: Great Baggi will sometimes coordinate smaller Baggis to surround a target, so it won't escape once they unleash a circular cloud of sleep venom.
Many of them felt a shiver up their spine at this. "I don't know what it is, but something about the idea of sleep monsters is honestly scarier than most other monsters, except obviously the ones with world-ending capabilities." Ruby said.
"Because the idea of being rendered asleep and helpless in any dangerous location is already unsettling enough, but knowing you're about to fall asleep directly in front of a dangerous monster, or worse, MULTIPLE dangerous monsters, since they're pack animals, is terrifying for most people." Hazel explained.
Yang shivered heavily at this. "Yeah. I can definitely agree with that. One of the worst feelings in the world." She said, having PTSD from when she took Ruby to that abandoned house when they were kids and were almost killed by Grimm if not for Qrow.
"Then I pray you never run into any Apathy Grimm, children. They can leave you in a much similar state as this, only while you're still awake and aware of what they'll do to you." Glynda said, causing most of the students to become deathly pale.
Great Baggi and smaller Baggi tried to surround Rakka Suripa, his palico and palamute with barely any success. "And as the saying goes, the bigger you are, the worse your fate. Usually, Great Baggi can be able to put down a small animal, like an Anteka, in about a few seconds to a few minutes. With larger prey like a Popo or like a midsize, teenage Pseudo Flying Wyvern, it could be minutes to maybe hours, in a forced state of torpor, with the Baggi literally eating them alive from the inside out. I've heard horrifying tales as a kid of many hunters, even veterans being basically dragged off and basically heard screaming as they were put to sleep and then just torn apart. These were... Oh man, they made me a little afraid when I was chosen to take down one of these Great Baggis for the first time." The sword and shield-user recounted the horrifying tales as the monster continuously whipped around to attack the hunter and his helpers with bites, headbutts and tail slaps.
And after this bit of information, the adults turned as pale as the children once were, while the students somehow found a way to become even paler than deathly pale. "Oh, come ON! First it was just Rage, but then Sai and now this guy?! Why does EVERYONE have to find a way to give us nightmare fuel by being as descriptive as possible about the gory details of these monsters killing you!?" Emerald complained.
"Okay, yeah, I was thinking I could take these things on alone, but NOPE! I'm never fighting those things unless the whole team's with me. And even then, I'm probably gonna stay back and blast them with grenades." Nora said fearfully.
"Smart decision." Emerald agreed.
"This might be one of the few times I'm grateful to only be a robot, so I am not capable of sleep." Penny sighed in relief, unaware of all the dirty looks she was now getting from the other students.
The chart of the monster's weaknesses was then shown. "So, here are some early tips to help you deal with these animals. Due to their unstable metabolisms at times, they can get exhausted very quickly, so you can get some easy shots on it. Also, make sure to cut down its numbers to keep it as a one-on-one fight as usual with many Dog Wyverns. Anything dealing with fire and blast as well, should be recommended immediately for this fight. Paralysis is also a good secondary option as well. Using bone piles or sleep-induced meat to attract a Great Baggi can be risky, but it's very effective. Make sure to also break the head, so you can disorientate it and it also impedes sleep-inducing venom when he is about to use it. Bring energy drinks with you at all times, please. Those can help counteract sleep-inducing venom." The face-painted hunter advised as he was seen riding the dromaeosaur and making it slam into multiple cliffs.
"Huh. So, in a way, it's not that different from fighting Beowulves, take out the smaller ones to make the alpha easier to deal with." Weiss noted.
"If beowulves were 50 feet long, sure." Blake said.
"I said not THAT different, not that it wasn't different at all." Weiss huffed.
"But, at least I don't have to be afraid of them anymore if fire and explosions are their biggest weakness." Cinder declared with a smirk, making a flame in her hand.
"Oh, great. As if her ego wasn't big enough." Roman said.
"Overconfidence is a killer, hot-head. How many times have we learned not to underestimate these things? You'd think you'd have learned by now." Coco told her.
"Well said, Miss Adel. All it takes is one opening for the tide of battle to change. And letting arrogance lower your guard is doing the enemy's job for them." Ozpin agreed.
The Great Baggi armor for hunters of both genders, palicos and Palamutes. "Sleep-resistant armor or Pep Jewels are also very good ways to protect yourself from sleep venom. And also, I recommend getting some frost resistance because sometimes Great Baggi will use ice as a weapon or as a deterrent as well. Ironically, Great Baggi's armor comes pretty in handy for the situation as well for a later monster, but that's for a different video for another day. A torpor sack, which is where Great Baggi's sleep venom is from, so there is another reason why you should break the head of this animal. It comes very in handy when creating sleep weapons or sleep ammo, which is used by long-distance or range hunters, to capture other animals. Overall, Great Baggi is a testament to how adaptable bird wyverns can be in multiple different climates and it's also served as a rite of passage for new recruits. And to test your will to survive and thrive as a hunter." Rakka finished as he lured the massive raptor into a trap his Palico set up, before finally killing it.
"Eh. I've seen worse, but I've seen better." Coco said, observing the armor.
"I quite like it. It looks like a military uniform suited for cold weather." Winter noted.
"Indeed. I might actually base changes to Atlas' uniforms based off it." Ironwood said, looking to Penny, who nodded and saved several images of the armor to her memory.
"Still, like he said, it is quite interesting to see how the Baggi are able to adapt and overcome challenges from the environment and large predators. I think we could all stand to learn something from these creatures." Glynda said appreciatively.
"Just as long as we all keep thermoses with enough coffee to have us zipping around like Professor Oobleck." Yang said.
But somehow, even in this void of space, it seemed they weren't safe from the green-haired teacher's corrections. "DOCTOR!" Oobleck's voice rang out.
"Well, you know what we want to hear." Razara said.
"Ooh! I liked Great Wroggi a lot! I thought they were pretty funny-looking and it's cute that they're shy, I just wish they weren't venomous so Mom would let me be friends with them." Ruby said, giving her mother a small glare at that last point.
"Yes, because they'd just be clambering over each other to be friends with you otherwise." Summer said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, but still smiled at her daughter's innocence.
Ruby's smile then fell, however. "And I know I shouldn't be bias, because it's nature and everything, they're just doing what they have to in order to survive, but I still don't like how they eat baby Pseudo Wyverns just out of hate..." She explained.
"Well, I don't care about bias. Even if they're starving, eating babies is crossing a line." Velvet huffed, with Pyrrha agreeing.
"Then, in that case, you probably hate pretty much any animal ever, because even herbivores have been discovered eating baby birds." Tekko said, showing them a video of sheep, deers and elephants eating baby birds right out of their nests, much to their horror. [2]
"My life... Is a lie..." The cinnamon trio said together in pure dread.
"It's nature, bun-bun. That's how it works. It's not pretty, but it's how they stay alive." Coco said, holding Velvet as Cinder and Jaune did the same for Ruby and Pyrrha respectively.
"But yeah, I thought they were pretty cool. They definitely had more up their sleeves than I was expecting. Like I said before, I always thought raptors were smaller and weaker dinos, but these guys definitely beat those allegations." Yang said.
"Indeed. The Great Baggi especially seems like it would be a worthy challenge." Hazel agreed.
"Yeah. And I wouldn't mind having one on my side." Nora said, imagining herself riding the giant blue raptor... after it had been given the Thunder Element with the Rite of Channeling, of course.
"There are a few riders running around with a Great Baggi, but I've never seen one ride a Great Wroggi before." Tekko explained.
"But still, long as you can avoid the sleep gas, Great Baggi seems pretty cool. Might be nice to see a few of them running around Atlas' territory. With how boring that place is, they'll fit right in with things that put people to sleep." Qrow chuckled.
"Absolutely not! Keep them away from Atlas at all costs! Any hostile monster, for that matter. Unless they can be easily tamed or domesticated, I want as little monster activity around Atlas as possible." Ironwood said.
Katana just glared at the general at this. "James Ironwood. It's seriously annoying how you always think Atlas is the main priority above the rest of Remnant. As long as they're on the list of monsters coming to Remnant, Atlas will be getting any monster that is compatible with the climate. No special treatment for you." She said sternly, causing Ironwood to sulk angrily, earning a small bout of laughter from the Branwen/Rose/Xiao Long family.
"So, what have we got lined up next? And is it in ANY way marketable?" Roman asked. [3]
"Oh, right. Ruby, do you remember you wanted to learn about Malzeno in the Qurio lore?" Katana asked.
Ruby asked eagerly. "Does that mean Malzeno is next!?" She asked eagerly.
"It does indeed. So, I hope you are all ready for one of the coolest Elder Dragons ever." The hostess declared, playing the next video.
A/N: The video you'll be looking for is "The Dhampir Dragon! Malzeno Lore" by Sai Blade. Check it out as you read along with the next chapter.
[1] Fun fact: Pyrrha's speech when unlocking Jaune's aura was a religious chant and NOT some kind of special password to unlock aura.
[2] Yes, this is true. Look up "The One Rule of Nature School Never Taught You" by Casual Geographic.
[3] Wow, I should use a RWBY spin the wheel site to pick who should ask that every time. A: I don't think I ever picked Roman to ask that question before, which gave me a fun idea of how he would go about asking what's up next.