Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Monster Hunter, only how the story goes. The characters and world of Monster Hunter belongs to Capcom. The only thing that I do own are the OC's of the story. I do apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.

A/N: I know that the title of this one is a little confusing, but you'll pretty much be seeing what I'm talking about. And sixty chapters, wow. I just wish that this chapter wasn't going to hit pretty hard.

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Chapter Sixty: Odd Disappearances and New Reappearances

It was several hours when the rain ceased to pour over the Ancient Forest and the day was practically over. But within the large space of the Ancient Tree, Jacob and the Rath family continued to sleep. That is, most of them were still sleeping peacefully.

(Cue Anomaly in the Forest from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne)

Samson awoke with a small snort and lifted his head from the human. The young Rathalos looked about and saw his family still sleeping. The eldest of the Rath trio got up off of the human and made his way over to the small pond for a drink of water. He bent his head down and took in a few mouthfuls. With his thirst sated, he felt tired again. But just as Samson turned to lay back down with his family, a smaller bird-like creature with long blue feathers glided down from above. It landed not too far from Samson and his sleeping family. Becoming a little curious about it, Samson kept low as he tried to get closer to it. But the bird turned its head and saw the young Rathalos coming at it.

With a frightened squawk it fled towards the other side of the pond. Not wanting to lose sight of it, Samson started chasing after it. The bird hopped across some small stepping stones and roots before coming to the edge of the pond. It looked back and gave another squawk to see the Fire Wyvern still coming at it before opening its wings and jumping off the edge. It glided down to the forest below and disappeared into trees below. Samson didn't hesitate or look back when he opened his wings and flew down after the creature.

Samson glided down into the shaded forest below and landed amongst the roots of some trees. The little Rathalos looked about for the bird but didn't see it anywhere. He started to sniff around for it and seemed to find its scent a second later. Samson rushed off through the trees to find it. Hopping onto a root, the young Rathalos looked about before spotting the bird on the trunk of a tree not too far from him. With an excited small screech, Samson flapped into the air towards it.

The bird turned its head to see the Fire Wyvern coming at it again. With another terrified shriek it jumped off the tree and glided away through the woods. Samson flapped his wings and maneuvered his wings to where he would go around the trees. He chased it for several minutes before it disappeared into a hole in the trunk of a tree. Samson stopped next to the hole and peered inside. The little Rath didn't see any sign of the bird and stepped away from the hole. Samson looked around to see where the giant tree where he had left his family, but became worried when he couldn't see it through the canopy of the trees.

He heard a twig snap not too far from him and looked around once more before walking towards the sound. Carefully making his way around a few more trees and through some bushes, Samson found himself in a decent sized clearing. It was there that he saw another young red Rathalos. This new young Flying Wyvern looked to be around his age and size. The new young monster was quick to notice him and let out a shrill roar. Samson quickly responded with a shrill roar of his own. The two were thinking of each other as an intruder to the other's territory. The two young Rathalos started rushing towards the other.

But a sudden gust of wind and an odd sense in the air made them both slide to a stop. The two Fire Wyverns looked about with curious sounding growls before a sudden blinding light made them shield their eyes with their wings. The sound of metal pegs hitting the ground made them look with squinted eyes. From what they could see, though quite limited, the new thing looked like a giant, shiny bug. The shiny bug thing let out an odd sounding screech as wings popped up on its back. The two young Raths had to brace themselves when the wings started rapidly moving and the shiny bug lifted off the ground. The bug's abdomen then opened up and something suddenly shot out of it. Both Samson and the second young Rathalos found themselves ensnared and cried out as the things they were caught in were slowly retracted back into the bug's abdomen.

Samson tried screeching out for his parents and his human to come help him, but he and his captured kin were raised into the air. When the two were squirming in the creature's bindings in the abdomen, the bug closed them in with a loud bang. Muffled screeches could be heard from inside the shiny bug's abdomen, but another flash of bright light and it's catches disappeared as if they were never there.

(End of track)

The intense winds quickly died down and the sounds of the forest soon filled the air again. The only thing that was left of Samson and the other young Rathalos were some footprints and a few scales that had fallen off.

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Back up in the Ancient Tree, things were still quite peaceful with the five who were still sleeping soundly. That was until Mama Rath woke up with a snort, raised her head up and sleepily took a look around. When her gaze landed on where the human and her children were laying, the Queen of the Earth quickly became frantic when she saw that her only son was gone. She gave a loud, worried roar that quickly woke up her mate, her two daughters and her human friend. The human teen groggily sat up and asked, "Huh? What's going on?

"Are we being attacked by an enemy monster again?" He sleepily asked as he looked around. Papa Rath looked around too and noticed what has made his mate so frantic. The two started looking around for their eldest hatchling and Jacob got off the ground. He noticed that Samson was gone. The boy started looking too, but when he turned around, he was knocked into by Mama Rath's tail before the club. He was thankful that he didn't get pricked by any of the poisonous needles as he fell down. Jacob shook his head to clear it and looked up to see both Rahtria and Verda quickly moving out of the way to avoid getting stepped on by their parents.

Knowing that he needed to help find the eldest of the trio, it was then he noticed something not too far from him. Getting up on his knees, Jacob crawled over and found what appeared to be a young Rath's footprint. Knowing that it belonged to Samson, the human from another world quickly remembered the scout fly cage that he had decided to bring with him. Unclipping the cage from his belt, he opened it while holding it close to the footprint. The scout flies flew towards it and it made the indention glow for a moment. Some of the trailing insects moved from the print before quickly moving towards another and a few more after. Then he watched as they went past the small pond and down into the forest below. Looking back to the Rath family he gave a small whistle to get their attention. The Rathalos and the three Rathian's looked to the human as he moved to the edge of the pond. When they saw the trail of scout flies and where they were going, Mama and Papa Rath quickly took to the air. Jacob gave a startled gasp when Mama Rath flew right up to him and grabbed him in her talons. He was whisked into the air while Papa Rath flew behind them with Verda and Rahtria right behind them.

Down in the forest below, Mama Rath came close to the ground and let Jacob loose from her talons. The boy tumbled on the ground before coming to a stop. With a groan he pushed himself to his feet and looked over to the Rathian as she landed not too far from him. Dusting himself off he commented, "Nice job."

They both looked up to see the rest of the Rath family quickly joining them. Jacob looked around for the scout flies and saw the trail leading towards another set of tracks. Moving closer to the tracks he saw them go off to the east. As he started to move after the glowing bugs as they whisked ahead of them, some glowed red when the two little Rathians started to try and bite at them. They moved out of the way when the two got too close. Knowing that this wasn't the time to eat or play, Jacob said, "Girls, stop it. Leave them alone."

But when they didn't, a quick growl from their mother caused them to shrink back a little. The bugs that had fallen behind turned green again before flying off after the others. Jacob followed the trail through the forest and the Rath family followed after him. The scout flies touched down on a few more tracks before continuing on.

Soon they followed the trail of scout flies into a clearing. The bugs all collected on a single spot and Jacob wondered if they had found him. But when he walked up, the teen was greatly surprised and confused when there was nothing but tracks and a few scales lying on the ground. The scout flies quickly retreated back into their cage and Jacob closed it. But looking around he said, "I don't understand.

"I don't get it. Where could he be?" Jacob said as he moved around, hoping to find some sign of the little Rathalos. The teen came upon some odd looking tracks in the dirt and saw that they were round, like pegs of a tent or something. The boy also happened to notice a pair of tracks that seemed to belong to another young Rathalos. He was startled when a mournful cry suddenly came from behind him and he looked back to see Mama Rath with her head thrown back. He could tell that she was apparently mourning for her missing child. Papa Rath moved closer to his heartbroken mate and gently nuzzled her to try and comfort her. Jacob looked down to see Verda and Rahtria looking up to their parents before looking around for their big brother. He wanted to do something to try and comfort the family, but didn't know what he could do.

Mama Rath lowered her head and gave a small growl to her two daughters. The three Rathians then quickly took off into the air and with the Queen in the lead, she guided the two back towards their nest high up in the Ancient Tree. Papa Rath was about to join them when he looked back to the teen. Jacob could see a pained look in the father of the trio's eyes. With a small huff, the Rathalos opened his wings and took to the air after his mate and offspring. Tears welled up in Jacob's eyes as he watched them all go. With a sob he dropped down to his knees and held his head in his hands as he couldn't help but feel useless right now. With an angry yell he punched the wet earth and tears flowed from his eyes as he thought of how he had let his Rath family down.

From behind the teen, a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows of the tree line. But the being didn't attack as it just watched the human sitting in the middle of the clearing.

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Later that day…

Up in the nest of the Ancient Tree, Mama Rath laid in the middle while curling around her two daughters. The two young Rathian's were pressed up against each other as they slept. Papa Rath was keeping watch over them as he sat a few feet from them. While he was greatly upset over the loss of his only son, he could see the impact on his mate and daughters. He had also sensed it in the human that had grown on him. Wondering what the boy was up to since this morning, Papa Rath stood up and walked away from his mate and his children. Rahtria and Verda lifted their heads and growled at their father. But the Rathalos looked back to give a small growl to tell them to stay put when he looked to them. The girls obeyed him and moved to be close to their mother. With a flap of his great wings, the King of the Skies lifted into the air and flew out from the nest. The three Rathians looked up to see him flying away.

He tilted down and descended towards where the human usually dwelled. When he made it down to where the boat was sitting the Rathalos flew a little closer to it. Unlike the last few times he was here, Papa Rath didn't see or smell any signs of Jacob. The only scent of his was old from the previous day and that was practically gone due to the rain. He gave a loud roar to try and get Jacob's attention, but nothing happened as the human didn't emerge from the vessel. Thinking back to where he had last seen the human, Papa Rath quickly turned and made his way back to the clearing.

…

It didn't take Papa Rath long to find the clearing where Jacob had led them to try and find his missing son. But when he arrived, he found that there was no one here. Landing in the clearing, Papa Rath looked around for any sign of the boy. The Fire Wyvern became frustrated and worried when he didn't see anything. He did however take notice of some nearby trees and bushes. Walking a little closer he saw that the limbs had been broken, as if in a violent rage. Figuring that his human may have had something to do with it, the Fire Wyvern knew that he needed to find him. A short walk later and he found himself in the shaded forest again. The human's scent turned to the north from here. Taking flight again, the Fire Wyvern followed the trail.

Coming upon the old Pukei-Pukei nest, Papa Rath touched down. Still no sign of his human, Papa Rath turned to where the scent was leading him. The Rathalos had to stop when the scent lead to a hole that was covered with vines. Having no idea where the tunnel was goes or where Jacob had gone, the Fire Wyvern was at a loss. He thought of only one who might know where he could have gone. With another flap of his wings he took to the air again.

…

A short and quick flight later and Papa Rath returned up to the nest and found his family still there. His mate was still laying on the ground with Rahtria and Verda huddled around her head. They all looked up as he touched down higher up the nest. The Rathalos slowly walked up to his mate and with his head he lightly nudged the Rathian with a growl. When she didn't move, he did it again. He was basically telling her to go and find their human. Though looking a little reluctant due to how she was currently feeling, Mama Rath rose off the ground. Verda and Rahtria got up and took off after their mother. Papa Rath was about to stop them when Mama Rath gave a small growl to say that they could go with her. Trusting in his mate's judgement, Papa Rath sat down in the nest and watched his girls fly away from the nest and turn east towards the Wildspire Wastes.

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After a little bit of flying, Mama Rath, Rahtria and Verda finally made it to the desert area of the New World. Touching down near the ruined gate of the hunters, Mama Rath watched as her daughters touched down next to her. Verda and Rahtria stuck close to their mother as she walked past where the first camp of the Wastes sat and towards the waterfall close by. The three Rathians came across the stone bridge and looked around for danger and their human. Mama Rath caught his scent and found it going over the stone bridge. The three took to the air and flew over the narrow pass past the bridge and towards one of the openings of the forest area of the desert. Touching down underneath another bridge, the fully grown Rathian sniffed around and was able to find the boy's scent again. It continued to head east and it gave her a bit of an idea of where he may have gone.

The three took to the air once more and headed for their old cave. They flew over the dunes before turning towards the opening to the old cave. When they made it into the cave, they touched down on the slope that went down towards the nest. Mama Rath happened to notice something lying in the middle of the disheveled nest. Having an idea of whom it was, she and her two daughters walked up to the nest.

When she could look down into the nest, the mother Rathian and her two children found Jacob lying in the middle of the old nest. The boy seemed to be sleeping on his side and Verda and Rahtria moved closer to the nest and when they saw their human the two young Rathians quickly moved towards him. They jumped in and pressed their bodies up against him and he slowly opened his eyes. He glanced up and found the three Rathians looking at him with a sympathetic looks in their eyes.

Sitting up, Jacob rubbed his eyes as he had been greatly sad about what had happened to Samson. The girls all nuzzled against him and he wrapped his arms around Verda and Rahtria to hold them close to him while doing his best not to get pushed over by Mama Rath. When he released them and they backed away, Jacob got out of the nest and dusted himself off. Mama Rath lowered herself enough to where the human could climb onto her back. Deciding to take up her offer of going back to the Ancient Forest, Jacob climbed onto her back and carefully held on to the moss-like fur on her back. Mama Rath, Rahtria and Verda all opened up their wings and took to the air.

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It was a little later in the afternoon when Jacob and the Rathians returned to the nest high in the Ancient Tree. Papa Rath was currently sitting in the middle of the nest with his eyes on the skies of the New World. He rose onto his feet when he saw his mate, daughters and human returning to the nest. The three fliers landed on the edge of the nest and Jacob slid off of Mama Rath's back. All four moved closer to the interior of the nest. Papa Rath lowered his head and gently nuzzled his head against the boy. Jacob placed his hand against the Rathalos' forehead and told him, "Hopefully, one day Samson will come home.

"We'll just have to keep our eyes open." He said and glanced out to the New World. He could only hope that Samson was okay, wherever he was.

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The sun was getting ready to set as Jacob planned to keep the two young Rathian's busy while their parents had probably gone hunting. They had been taken to a small clearing that had a good number of bushes and surrounded by dense trees. The spot they had been left in wasn't too far from the Ancient Tree. The teen was thankful that the forest around them looked to be tight enough to keep most predators out.

As for keeping the girls' busy while Mama and Papa were gone, Jacob was currently hiding in one of the bushes as the two Rathians were searching for him. The human could hardly believe that he had remembered that dream from a while ago and was able to teach them this game because of it. The girls could treat this as a way to practice their hunting for when they were much older. He could see them as they looked around for him when he carefully moved some of the leaves out of the way. The Green and Pink Rathians raised their heads up and tried to detect his scent as they sniffed the air.

But as they turned to his direction, a small shadow passed over the clearing. Looking up, they all saw a small shape quickly disappear over the trees. Thinking it could be a flying predator, Jacob got out of his hiding spot and started moving towards the girls. The two Rathians were slightly startled when he had come out of his hiding place and they gave him a small, curious sounding chitters. But Jacob had his gaze fixed on where the shape had disappeared.

Looking through the trees, he noticed a face staring down at them. He couldn't quite make it out since the creature was hidden due to the shade from the branches over them. Without looking away, Jacob moved closer to the girls to keep a watchful eye on them. The shape cautiously yet quickly moved out their hiding place and glided down into the clearing. Verda and Rahtria moved closer to Jacob while the human teen got ready to fight.

But he calmed down when he saw who it was. The Azure Rathalos that would have been sold by the crew of the Captor had once again crossed paths with the human teen. Jacob hadn't expect to see him again, mostly not this close. He looked down when the two Rathians started roaring at him. The Azure Rathalos roared back at them and Jacob felt that he needed to do something to keep them from fighting each other; for both the girls' sake and his too.

The sound of buzzing came to him and he looked up to see a lone Vespoid flying overhead. It was a pretty decent sized one at that. Thinking that a snack might calm the mood a little, Jacob picked up a good sized rock from the ground and loaded it into his slinger. And just as the Vespoid started flying over them, the teen fired the stone at it. The projectile struck the insect in the head and it caused it to fall to the ground with a shrill squeal. The Vespoid landed on the ground with a light thud. It seemed a little dazed but tried to rise itself off the ground. Quickly removing the Iron Katana from its scabbard, Jacob rushed forward and cleaved the insect monster in half with one stroke of his sword. The Vespoid gave one last squeal as the blade was coated with the bug's guts.

The thorax and the upper body fell to the ground, the green blood of the creature oozing out a little. Picking up the thorax of the dead Vespoid, Jacob looked to the girls and jokingly said to them, "Don't tell your parents that your dinner may be spoiled."

He tossed the half of the Vespoid to them and it seemed to distract them from the Azure Rathalos. The Green and Pink Rathians caught the piece with their jaws and played a little tug of war with each other before tearing their piece of the bug in half. While they were enjoying their piece of the snack, Jacob picked up the remaining half of the Vespoid. Turning to the Azure Rathalos, he slowly walked to where he was halfway between him and the girls. The Azure Rathalos seemed wary of the teen and started to move back towards the trees. Jacob held up a hand and calmly said, "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I promise."

He gently set the upper half of the Vespoid down on the ground for the young blue Fire Wyvern. The human teen took a few steps back to give the Azure Rathalos some room while wiping his hand of the bug's guts. When he stood close to the Rathians again, they had just finished their portion of the Vespoid. Kneeling down, Jacob watched as the young male Rath slowly approached his half of the bug carcass. When the Azure Rathalos was before the portion, he started to eat it.

Verda and Rahtria gave a squeal started to make for their blue kin, but Jacob held up his arms to stop them. They stopped before they could barrel into him. All three looked to see the Azure Rathalos finish his portion of the snack. He gave a light chitter as he turned his gaze to the three.

But just when the young blue Rathalos started moving towards them, a couple of shadows covered the small clearing. All four looked up to see that Mama and Papa Rath had returned from their hunt. The fully grown Rathalos and Rathian landed between Jacob, their daughters and the young Azure Rathalos. The two older wyverns roared at whom they believed to be an intruder and a threat to their young. The young blue Fire Wyvern squawked in fright before quickly turning to take off. Jacob started to run to stop them but a quick warning look from the mother Rathian made him stop in his tracks.

The Azure Rathalos flew for a gap through the trees while Papa Rath started to give chase. The young wyvern managed to make it through the trees and Papa Rath stopped before he could crash into them. He gave one final roar at the retreating young wyvern before turning back to his family.

Before Jacob could say or do anything in regards to the Azure Rathalos, Mama and Papa Rath both flapped their great wings and took to the air. The human teen gasped when Mama Rath flew towards him and grabbed a hold of him in her talons. She carried him high into the air as Papa Rath waited for Rahtria and Verda to rise into the air before flying after them. As he was carried through the air in Mama Rath's talons, Jacob looked back to the clearing. He couldn't help but worry if the Azure Rathalos would be alright. And he also wondered if he would ever see him again.

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Author's Note: I know that you all must have some questions about what has occurred, and I do promise that all will be revealed in due time. But thankfully, we're getting to meet our new friend; the Azure Rathalos that Jacob has encountered twice now. I also have in store for you a sneak peek of what has become of Samson. While I won't give too much away, I wonder how many theories I'll be getting about this. I want to know what you all have to say. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you all next time.

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Extra Scene

In an unknown location, a large white room with multiple dark windows stood empty. But a split second later, a flash of light appeared and an electrical tear through reality with it. A large shape landed in the middle of the room with a bit of a thud and the large insectoid-like being stopped rapidly flapping its wings.

The insectoid made whirring noises and mechanically moved forward. A door opened up and a few humans in white lab coats stepped into the room. An older gentlemen with blonde hair and blue clothing walked up to the robotic insectoid and seemed very impressed when he said, "Seems the test run for the portal works."

"But only for a short time." A woman with brunette hair and red dress pointed out. In her arms she held a tablet. She looked at something on the tablet, "And it seems that we won't be able to make another trip for some time."

"As long as it managed to bring in some specimens." A new voice said from the door way. The scientists looked back to see someone in a black business suit standing in the hall. His face was obscured by the shadows and the scientists greeted him, "Sir, we weren't expecting to see you for the results."

"This is one of the greatest achievements of the company." The man said, not moving from where he stood. He then ordered them, "Now. Have it open up and let's see what our prize is."

"Sir." The scientists nodded to his command and the woman touched a few commands on her pad. The mechanical insectoid maneuvered its upper body to where its abdomen faced them. The abdomen opened up and two creatures wrapped in nets fell to the ground. Two red winged creatures screeched in terror as they tried to fight their way out of the nets.

On the floor, Samson looked up to the humans and thought they smelled strange to him. They didn't look like Jacob and he didn't like the way they were staring down at him. Nor did he like the feeling of where he and his captured kin was.

"Feisty little creatures, aren't they?" One of the scientists asked. The nets were quickly moved off of the two young Fire Wyverns, but they were restrained with muzzles and their wings were bound to their bodies with odd wrappings. The scientists' leader then commanded them, "Quickly learn what you can about them."

"We'll begin the tests immediately." The female scientist told him. The man then began to tell them, "And once you've learned all you can…

"Let's see what a dose of this will do to 'em." He added before tossing something small to one of the scientists. The man caught it and his eyes widened when he saw what it was he held in his hands. The scientist looked to the one in charge and asked, "Sir, are you sure?

"We have no idea what this will do to a creature of another world." He worriedly said. But the man didn't seem to worried when he said, "Then we'll treat them before it gets too out of hand.

"And this seems like too much of an opportunity to pass up." He said as he stepped into the room. He took the item back from the scientist and stepped over to the two bound Rathalos younglings. Samson glared up at the man as the human stared down at them. The man leaned a little closer and Samson narrowed his eyes at the white-headed man as he held a vial with the letter 'R' close to his face.