Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

April's P.OV 

"Of course, it's all happening inside your head, April, but why on earth should that mean that this is not real?" Dumbledore asked me quietly and I immediately snorted. A typical and incredibly vague Dumbledore answer, right there. Before he could turn around and walk away, I had one more question. "Professor?" I called and he looked at me again. "If I decide to take the train and go on, will the others be okay?" I asked

He immediately smiled at me, sensing my inner doubts. "They will be just fine, April. Tom will be defeated one way or another thanks to your sacrifice. If you wish to go on, then do it with no guilt." He replied and I looked down at my feet as he finally disappeared. That made things a bit easier, but could I look at myself if I chose to leave everyone now? I bit my lip as I tried to look at all the options of both going on and going back

Going back, I had my entire life and all my friend as well as my surrogate family waiting for me. By now, they were probably wondering where I was and if I was okay, having no idea what I had done and probably wouldn't know until Voldemort decided to brag about it. I was richer than I could ever imagine and as much as I had always hated it, everyone knew my name. Once I defeated Riddle once and for all, I'd never have to worry about anything ever again. It honestly sounded perfect. It sounded like everything I wanted when I was a child and slept in a cupboard under the stairs

Wait... no, it actually didn't. What I really wanted when I slept there in the dark and all alone, forced to listen to aunt Petunia heaping love and praise on Dudley while I was completely ignored and forgotten, was to have someone give me that very same love and attention. Maybe not as much as they did as I've seen how that turned out, but anything was better than to be yelled at and shoved out of their oh-so-important way

What I wanted was to finally have a true parent's love in my life and sure, Mr and Mrs. Weasley were great, but they weren't my parents. I only had photo's, memories, stories and literal ghosts of them. I wanted something more than that. I wanted to have someone raise me like how I always should've been raised, wrap me tightly in their arms and promise me that they'll always protect me. I wouldn't get that if I went back

I also thought of something else that I wouldn't get if I went back: a relationship. The only boy I ever loved was dead, having been killed while trying to protect me. He promised to wait for me until I was done with Hogwarts so we could start a life together if I still wanted him by then, but once again, that half-sperm, half-snake hybrid just had to put a stop to those plans. Cedric was the sweetest boy I had ever met and he was dead simply because he was a "spare." I didn't know of I'd ever find someone like him ever again

As much as I loved my friends, I wasn't sure if I could continue on. I had fought so much, had lost so much and I didn't know if I could give any more of myself. If I went on, I would hopefully be reunited with my parents, Sirius, Remus.... Cedric. I took a deep breath as a train actually appeared. "I'm sorry, everyone. Please forgive me." I said as I got on and it started to ride. The white light got brighter and I closed my eyes

Opening my eyes again after the light faded, I looked right at an azure-blue sky and tilted my head. Was this heaven? I tried to get up and look around, but failed as it felt like my body was way too heavy for my arms to lift. "What the hell?' I thought as tried it again, but to no avail as I actually hit the back of my head hard against the ground as I fell down. I let out a cry of pain and immediately shut up again. I sounded like a baby!" 

I immediately lifted one arm to see what was going on and not only was it smaller than I remembered as it really was the size of an infant's arm, I now only had four fingers on my hand: thumb, index, middle and little pinky. My ring finger had disappeared and the same on my other hand What the hell happened to me? Where was I? Why was I a baby again? I started to cry as I realised that I definitely wasn't in heaven with my parents and everyone I had loved and lost. The damned Potter luck had struck again and I was the sore loser

I had no idea how long I laid there crying, only that eventually, I heard a sound nearby and shut up. It sounded like something was coming closer and it didn't sound like a human. 'Padfoot?' I thought rather foolishly as it came close, only to stare in horror as a purple and red creature with sharp teeth came into my field of vision. 'Nope, definitely not Padfoot.' I thought as the thing roared in my face and I screamed in fear

A sudden and bright flash of light disoriented both me and the creature and it was quickly followed by another, making it roar at the one responsible for the flashes. "Shoo! Leave the child alone! Go find your dinner elsewhere! Leave!" An unfamiliar voice loudly shouted at it and the creature ran away. A man who I had never seen before replaced it as he first looked in one direction, probably to see if it really had run off 

He then looked down at me and kneeled. "Where did you come from, little one? And where are your parents?" He asked in a gentler voice as he picked me up and held me to his chest, which confirmed that I had been turned into a baby. I whimpered as I had no idea where my parents were. I had decided to move on to be with them, but instead, I was alone again and was almost dinner for a... whatever that thing had been. "Oh, sssshhhh. It's alright. We'll find them." He hushed me as he started to walk. 'I doubt it.' I thought, before noticing something

The man who rescued me... had pointy ears! What kind of world was this? Was this Middle-Earth? I remember reading about elves before going to Hogwarts, which was why sweet Dobby had been such a surprise for me. Now that I wasn't lying on the ground anymore, I tried to look around. I seemed to be in some kind of mountainous area, with many rocks and cliffs around us, but where we were was rather flat and even

The man continued to talk to me as we continued on, clearly trying to distract me as we seemed to go in one specific direction, probably his home. He had a very low voice, not as low as Snape, but still rather low and actually rather pleasant to listen to. At one point, he lifted one hand to gently tickle me under my chin and I suddenly saw he only had four fingers as well. Did that mean I had pointy ears as well?

Reaching back and touching my own ears, it was quickly confirmed that I did actually have pointy ears now. So, not only was I in England anymore or even earth from what I could see, I wasn't even human anymore. What had happened to me when I took the train? He saw me grabbing my ears and smiled. "You're definitely a Wyverian, so hopefully, that will help us find your parents." He stated, "A wy-what now?' I thought in utter confusion, never having heard of that before. I honestly don't think Hermione would know what it was

Walking up a rather steep hill, the man walked through some kind of gate that I honestly wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been walking straight towards it. "Zellard! There you are! We were getting worried." One person said. "I apologise for worrying you. I was walking through the valley when I heard this little one crying out in fear. A Great Jaggi was about to attack her and I scared it away." The man holding me said

"A baby all alone in the valley? Where are her parents?" The second person asked in shock. "That's honestly what I'm hoping to figure out myself. And once I do find her parents, I will have a very stern word with them. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to inform the elder of this." My saviour, Zellard if I heard correctly, stated as he walked away. As he walked through the village, i could only look around in awe

It was absolutely beautiful with the buildings in complete harmony with the plants and nature around it. I saw more weird creatures walking and even flying around, creatures that i had never seen before in my life, but unlike the creature that had roared in my face, these seemed really peaceful as they just went with their own lives. I was pretty sure I even saw people riding those flying around. Zellard carefully walked up a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a very tiny man who honestly reminded me of a just slightly bigger professor Flitwick

Although, his glasses, beard, hair and moustache reminded me more of Dumbledore. "Elder Maolo." My rescuer greeted with a small bow, clearly not daring to bow any lower with me in his arms. "Zellard, who do you have in your arms?" The Elder asked. "I don't know, sir. I found her alone in the valley about to be attacked or eaten by a Great Jaggi, but I have no idea who her parents are or how she got there." Zellard stated.

'You and me both on the latter part, buddy.' I simply thought. "Hmm, let me see her for a minute." The elder stated and I swear, the fact that Zellard literally had to kneel down to show me to him would've been hilarious if not for the whole situation I was in right now. "Hmm, she doesn't look like anyone in the village, but she's certainly Wyverian." He commented as he gently looked me over. He then nodded as if making a decision

"Right, we will find out what has happened and if she truly belongs to anyone living in the village. Until then, I think it's best if she stays with you, Zellard." He said and Zellard stiffened up. "But elder... I don't have anything that is appropriate for a child in my house. I don't even have food or milk." He protested. "I have some things left from when my daughter was a baby and I know a few women who I think could nurse the child or give up some of their milk, but she seems to trust you and I can see you have already grown fond of her." The elder replied

Zellard seemed at a loss for words, until he looked at me again. I only now realised he had green eyes like me too, although his hair was black like my father. As I looked back at him, I could see something in his eyes soften and he sighed. "Very well." He agreed and somewhere inside of me, I was glad he did. He seemed like a nice guy and if I was stuck here, then it might as well be with the person who saved me

"Excellent. I will have others being over the stuff to your house while I ask around. Go and be with her now." The elder gently ordered and Zellard made another bow, before he walked away. "Well, I guess if you're going to stay here, you'll need a name until we find your parents." He hummed as he walked into one house and sat down on the couch. I just looked at him as he tried to think of a name. ""Dearien."" He then decided

I actually rather liked it.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Well... that happened, I guess

To Zellard's credit, he took the fact that he unexpectedly had to take care of a foundling baby with the utmost grace and tried his best to look after me, helped by many of the villagers. Once word got out he had found a baby, many Wyverians as they were apparently called, came to meet me. This was both out of curiosity as children apparently weren't very common, but also to see if they could find out who my parents were

One really nice lady even made me an incredibly beautiful and personalised baby blanket with my new name and many flowers stitched on it. Apparently, it was an ancient tradition in the village as it was something that the mother would do when she was pregnant with her baby, but with Zellard seemingly unmarried as far as I could tell, it was really sweet of the woman to do it as she honestly didn't have to, but still did it. 

I really don't want to talk about the breastfeeding to be completely honest as the elder really had found a woman willing to share her milk until we either found my parents or another solution to the situation. It was one thing to do it as an actual baby when you don't know any better, but that you're hungry. It's a whole other thing entirely when you have a mostly adult mind and you realise you have to suck another woman's breast to get any food inside until my teeth come out. Wait, if these people were like elves... how long would that take?! Fifty years? 

Zellard was a pretty good caretaker of a newborn baby. I will immediately give him that, although he seemed rather distant during my first few weeks of staying with him as he only did the minimum required to look after me. I really didn't understand it at first as I thought he'd be like the Dursleys, before realising that he didn't want to get attached to me in case they found my parents and he had to give me up

After that, I became much more understanding of him only briefly playing with me, although I may or may not have fallen asleep on him several times during playtime to make sure he had to spend time with me. What can I say? I was almost sorted into Slytherin for a reason. I could see he was growing fond of me, despite trying to push those feelings down in case my parents were found and I had to go back

After at least a month had passed, the people started to realise that they were not going to find my parents as none of the villagers had ever seen me before. I knew the day they had given up on the search when Zellard slowly walked in after a few more weeks had passed, looked at the kind lady who had made my blanket and who was watching over me when he was busy and silently shook his head in answer "The poor thing. All alone in this world." She muttered as she looked down at me where I was lying on another blanket with toys spread out around me.

I just smiled and waved my arms at them both as I made some small noises, trying to pretend I had no idea what they were talking about. Hang on, I have no idea how these people age. How will I know when they exactly start to come into their own or even start to walk or talk. Well, I guess that when they slowly started to encourage to walk and talk seems like a good time, but how long will I have to play dumb? 

"She won't be alone anymore, though. I will take care of her to the best of my abilities." Zellard stated as he carefully picked me up and held me close to his chest. I could already feel a difference between how he was holding me when they were still searching and how he was holding me now. When they were still searching, the was a certain tension in his body as if he was scared to get too attached to me

Now that they had given up the search of finding my parents and I guess that either the elder had assigned him as my permanent caretaker or he had even volunteered to be that, he was more relaxed as he realised that he wasn't going to have to let me go and that I was going to stay with him for a long time. I looked up at him and he smiled, green eyes warm as they looked at me and I found myself smiling back at him as he lifted me up just slightly and gently kissed my tiny forehead, me letting out a little squeal in the process

Was this what having an actual parent looking after you felt like? Honestly, I really liked it. I mean, he obviously wasn't going to replace James and Lily and they'd always live inside my heart as they had loved me as well and died to keep me safe, but if I was going to be stuck in this world by the powers that be, then there really wasn't any use fighting it and being stubborn about having only one set of parents.

Zellard seemed like a nice guy and he had already grown fond of me. Besides, he had saved my life from the... "Great Jaggi" or whatever that was. I honestly wouldn't complain if he became my adoptive father. He may seem rather stern and strict, probably a stickler for the rules like Hermione, but he had actually given me my own room, instead of shoving me into the cupboard. Anything was better than that cupboard

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I officially came to stay with Zellard in a place I later heard was called Rutoh village. Yeah, if the pointy ears on my new guardian, the people around me, myself and the different and new creatures weren't a big hint I wasn't on earth anymore, then that would've been the final nail in the coffin of my denial. Zellard often took me around for walks around the village and many people often came to see me again. "Oh, she's so precious. You better take good care of her." The lady running the market warned my new guardian

He immediately chuckled as he looked down at me and gently caressed my cheek with his thumb. "That won't be a problem. I promise." He replied as I smiled back at him. Walking on, I saw one of those peaceful creatures standing nearby. It looked like a white and pink, fluffy, bat/beaver mix if that makes sense. I reached out towards it with a squeal. "You want to see the Paolumu?" Zellard asked and I squealed again

After asking permission of the "rider" who was apparently the owner of it, he carefully got me closer to the creature. "Be gentle, now." He told me. Yes, yes. I'd be very careful. I reached out and holy crap! It was the softest fur you can think off. It was just as soft as my new baby blanket. Wait... was that made from this fur? Like a sweater was made from wool? I guess it'd make sense if normal animals didn't exist here

I didn't honestly see it as I was much to busy focusing on petting the creature in front of me and not pull its fur, but I had the feeling that Zellard was smiling at me as I very carefully petted the...Paolumu... was that what it was called? Anyway, he eventually pulled back again and thanked the owner as we walked on. I yawned as the soothing rhythm of his walking and his body warmth slowly lulled me to go to sleep. The last thing I heard and felt was Zellard chuckling and gently kissing my forehead before I fell asleep in his arms

As time passed, I truly started to realise how slow Wyverians aged as after at least six months had passed by, even if time was a bit harder to keep track of when you were a baby and slept a lot, I still looked the same like I had when I had arrived. And considering no one said anything about me not having grown an inch as far as I know, I guessed it was normal for them to age much slower than what I was used to

I learned that my guardian was the advisor of the elder and had to help when things went wrong in the village. Because of this, there were times that he barely had to do anything and there were times where he was very busy. One day after a few years had passed, I woke up from a nap on what I had started to call my "play blanket" on the floor to see him writing things at the table, looking quite distressed and tired.

I managed to roll onto my stomach and started to crawl towards him, actually doing this for the first time. It felt weird, knowing I once walked He barely noticed the shuffling sound I made until I reached out and touched his ankle. I had to admit, for someone who managed to scare the big monster that was about to eat me away without so much as blinking an eye, it was rather funny to see him jump a mile into the air because a baby startled him. "How did you get here? Did you crawl?" He asked in surprise as he looked down at me. No, I apparated, okay?

"Did you... crawl?" He repeated, talking like he couldn't believe his eyes as he got off the chair and kneeled down in front of me. Oh shit. Was I not supposed to crawl yet? I had no idea how this worked. I quickly made some noises as I rolled onto my back again and he laughed. "Unbelievable! You actually crawled!" He exclaimed as he picked me up and covered my tiny face with kisses, pride practically rolling off him

I immediately squealed and giggled, relieved that he hadn't thought it suspicious that I had crawled towards him. He then put me down on my stomach and took a few steps back. "Come to me, Dearien. Come to papa." He whispered, clearly wanting to see me crawl again. Well, after he took such good care of me, who was I to refuse? I slowly lifted myself onto my tiny arms and legs and crawled towards him again

The huge smile on his face was enough for me to make the few feet between us, although I pretended to lose my balance when I was almost there to make it seem I didn't have control over it and he immediately caught me in his arms. "You did it! You actually did it!" He cheered as he lifted me up in his arms, sounding absolutely ecstatic. I guess that with children being so incredibly rare, having only seen a couple in the village, every milestone was celebrated. I squealed again as he pulled me into a hug and buried my face in his white clothing

I suddenly realised that this was the very first time in our time living together he had called himself my father and as much as I loved and would always love James Potter, I felt my heart warm at finally having a father in my life again. However, James would always be "dad" to me. Zellard would be, as he himself had said "papa" and maybe "father" later on as I've seen several older Wyverians calling their parents that

He eventually pulled back and smiled at me, face full of pride as he kissed my forehead again. "Let's take a little break from writing, shall we?" He asked and I simply squealed again as he walked towards the couch, grabbing a toy from the blanket and holding it in front of me. I grabbed it and giggled, making him smile before he leaned back and closed his eyes. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep, absolutely exhausted

I smiled, before lying against my new father's stomach and falling asleep too 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Zellard was a good dad

That was the conclusion I eventually pulled. Despite having pretty much no experience raising a child of his own, he didn't let that stop him from doing his utter best to take care of me and doing a pretty damn good job on it, despite Wyverians having much longer childhoods than humans. While I'd always remember my treatment at the Dursleys, it was nice to finally have someone who truly cared for me and didn't do the bare minimum

There was this one time that I will never forget and truly showed how much he cared. It was a few years after I came to live in the village. I was in the arms of the woman who had made me the baby blanket, me having learned her name was Mirien. Papa.... yes, I'd slowly started to call him papa now, was on the other side of the square, helping and advising Elder Maolo and quite a few feet away from us as Mirien did some shopping with me in one arm

In my time as a newborn baby, I had finally learned why other babies always cried when they had a dirty diaper. Feeling poop or piss being stuck next to your body because your clothing was extremely uncomfortable, not to mention absolutely disgusting. Anyway, as we were walking around, I went number two and immediately started to cry to get rid of the disgusting feeling. I have no idea how he did it so fast or how he even realised it was me, but papa was there next to Mirien and already taking me over from her within five seconds 

To her credit, Mirien didn't even blink an eye as I was taken from her, only smiled as she saw papa immediately starting to hush me, rocking me slightly. He soon felt the problem and after excusing himself to both Mirien and Elder Maolo, he brought me home to clean me up. "Ssssshhhhh, my sweet Dearien. It's alright." He whispered as he carried my still crying self inside. I whimpered and squirmed to try and get rid of the feeling, but to no success

One thing about Zellard was that once he knew how to do things, he was quick, but efficient and within a few minutes, I was clean and changed. I have to say he didn't just do the fun stuff and letting Mirien do the disgusting things, but doing both with as much care as the other. Sure, he had to be taught on how to clean me, but once he got the hang of it, he rarely let anyone else do it unless he was out and I was back home where he couldn't hear my crying

"There we go, my little treasure. All clean again" He whispered once he was done and carefully lifted me back in his arms, kissing my forehead to calm me down. Since he had found me in the wilds, he always called me his little treasure and I loved it as it really confirmed I had a family here, even if it was just papa and myself. Speaking of which, I had previously wondered why he wasn't married as he wasn't exactly bad looking. I obviously was not growing a crush on the guy raising me as his own, I'm just stating fact. I've met uglier guys in my life

It wasn't until I lived with him for a while longer and heard some people talking about the difference in my papa between before and after my arrival in this world and the village, I finally realised that he actually had been married before I came.... but to his job. I heard someone say that his job and status once were the most important things in his life. Then I came along and booted those things to second place without so much as blinking an eye

The fact that eventually he went back to advising Elder Maolo with me still tightly in his arms after thanking Mirien for looking after me honestly was proof of that. To his credit, Elder Maolo simply gave my father a smile, before continuing on like nothing had happened. They were talking about many adult things that I really didn't want to think of while I was still physically a baby, so I let my father's warmth and voice soothe me into a little nap

Oh, did I mention I made my very first friend who wasn't an adult around this time? I really did. His name was Alwin and he was only a bit older than me. I guess from a human standpoint, he'd be around two years old as he could already walk and talk a bit, while I was still stuck on a very slow one. His father and mine were good friends and were hoping that we'd be friends as well. Until now, they had pretty much succeeded. Alwin was a very sweet boy, but he was already rather independent and soon became protective of me as well

There was this one time where with very reluctant permission from my father as he'd be busy the whole entire day, Alwin's parents took the both of us out for a picnic right outside the gates of the village. Like, seriously, we'd be back within a five minute walk. It wasn't like we were going to the other side of the world or something. Relax, papa. Anyway, while we were there, Alwin constantly kept an eye on me and made sure I didn't go too far

It was honestly adorable as he tried to keep me from leaving the blanket his parents had brought as if I'd disappear into nothing the minute I left it, a Paolumu keeping an eye on things to make sure no wild monster would attack us. Despite me not able to physically do much yet, it was a lot of fun and it was nice to see more than just the village. The walk with papa when he found me had been very brief and in had still been very confused at the time

Papa was already waiting for us right at the village gates when we returned from the picnic, making me briefly wonder how long he had exactly been waiting for us and immediately took me over from Alwin's mother again, thanking Alwin and his parents for looking after me while he was so very busy. They smiled and nodded, before papa walked away to go home. "Did you have fun?" He asked me and I squealed in answer, making him smile as he walked back home and I took another nap. Being a baby meant a lot of sleeping, even as a Wyverian

I don't know what it was, but like with the crawling, there was a small instinct inside me telling when it was a good time to start doing things and relearn certain things, so after another while, I started to say "apa" when referring to papa. His face when he realised I was trying to talk was amazing. "No, sweetheart. It's papa." He gently corrected me, before slowly repeating the word, which honestly looked rather hilarious considering his usual personality 

"Apa!" I squealed again in return, mostly to tease him this time and throwing my arms in the air like you usually do when you're happy about something, a big smile on my face and he chuckled, not realising I was mostly messing with him. "Well, it's a start." He muttered, before pulling me close and kissing my forehead and I immediately let out another squeal, albeit a quieter one as I snuggled closer to him. I absolutely loved having a parent in my life

Many of the other people in the village soon started to realise as well that I was trying to talk, although me loudly shouting the word "apa" several times over probably had something to do with that. "Oh, she's already trying to talk! She's growing up so fast." Mirien commented with a smile. 'You call this fast?' I thought as it had been at the very least a century had passed since I was found by papa and came to live in the village, although time seemed to both move fast and slow when living here with people who barely aged and no one else. 

"I know. She'll be getting her very first monstie before we know it if she wants to." Papa quickly agreed as he looked down at me with a smile. Geez, papa. I'm only trying to talk for the first time. It's not like I'm already going to leave home. To show this, I immediately reached out to him with my tiny arms and he chuckled as he lifted me up and held me upright instead of lying in his arms, my head on his shoulder as I grabbed a lock of his black hair

"She's holding your hair hostage." Mirien joked. "Oh, no. Not my hair." Papa gasped dramatically and i giggled, before calming down. "Papa." I whispered and I could hear him gasp. "Did she say it?" Mirien asked in an excited tone. "She did. Oh, my little treasure." He breathed as he held me even closer to him. I felt something wet falling on my cheek and realised my father was crying in happiness at hearing my "first word." 'Sap.' I thought, before closing my eyes

Mirien soon became a very prominent figure in my brand new life as well, together with my papa obviously, Elder Maolo as well as Alwin and his parents. She immediately helped papa with many things and sometimes was the first to realise what exactly was wrong with me, like this one time where I was very grumpy and nothing my friend or his parents did cheered me up. She was the first to realise that I was grumpy because I hadn't seen much of papa recently as he had suddenly become very busy and I was simply missing him

She was there when I took my first steps when it was time. I'll be honest: when I started to walk,I had thought that it would be easy. 'I've walked before. I can do it again.' I thought. Boy, was I wrong. Not only were my legs a lot smaller and weaker, there's a reason you have difficulty walking when you haven't used your legs in a long time. There was way more falling and crying than I'm comfortable to tell you, but papa was always there to soothe and help

One day, we were going to try again and Mirien was carefully holding me up on my tiny feet and papa was just a few feet away from me, holding his arms out towards me like he had done when I had started to crawl. The Elder was actually watching from the sidelines as he had come to discuss something with my father, but was willing to wait until we were done"Come, my little treasure. Come to me." He said and I slowly started to take little steps towards him.

Mirien helped me in the beginning before letting go. For a moment, it seemed like I was going to fall again as I wobbled. However, I was determined to make it this time, so I made the last steps right into my father's arms and he immediately caught me. "You did it! You actually walked on your own!" He cheered and I squealed as he covered my face in kisses as Elder Maolo and Mirien chuckled. Mirien came to congratulate me as well and I noticed her and papa looking at each other for several seconds, before looking away. 'Now, this is interesting.' I thought

She and papa slowly grew closer to each other as well and once I did my best to play baby matchmaker. It helped that I seemingly couldn't say more than a few words as my actions to get them near each other were brushed off as coincidences or just that I wanted to see one when I was with the other. Ignorance is bliss, it seems and it also seemed that one day, I would maybe have a mother again. And that was the best thought ever

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

It wasn't always fun and games though

Even though Wyverians lived much and I really mean much longer than humans did, they weren't fully immortal and still died. It just took a really long time for them to do so. Eventually though, one very old villager died of illness and because the village was so tight-knit, everyone mourned with the man's family. I hadn't really spent much time with the man in question as he had been weak and sick for quite a while too 

However, the overall sadness and mourning going around in the village was so prevalent that even I was affected by it as we all came together to remember the one we had lost. Papa was holding me close to him, me now old enough to sit in his arms with my own wrapped around his neck rather than lying all the time. My grip tightened slightly at feeling everyone's grief around me and he gently stroked my back

"Sssshhhhh. It's okay, Dearien. I'm here." He whispered as he kissed my temple, having dressed both himself and me in black clothing. It seemed that this was something that was the same between where I came from and here. Mirien quickly joined us and papa gave her a tiny smile even as he continued to hold me before the ceremony began. Once everyone was gathered, the elder stepped forwards and said a few words about the wyverian lost and even though I could count the amount of times I had met him on one hand, I mourned together with everyone

The elder's daughter and only child Rivena, a very lovely woman, carefully stepped forwards once her father was done talking and started to sing an old song that I'd later learn was another ancient tradition in the village and would be sung every time that they lost someone. The song was mostly meant to comfort those left behind and tell them that even though their loved one was gone, he'd still be with them in spirit

Night

And the spirit of life

Calling

Oh, oh, iyo

Mamela

Oh, oh, iyo

And a voice

With the fear of a child

Answers

Oh, oh, iyo

Oh, mamela

 oh, iyo


Wait

There's no mountain too great

Oh, oh, iyo

Hear these words and have faith

Oh, oh, iyo

Have faith

He lives in you

He lives in me

He watches over

Everything we see

Into the water

Into the truth

In your reflection

He lives in you

At the end, the elder slammed the end of his staff on the ground and the body of the wyverian began to glow, dissolving into thousands of tiny particles that rose up into the sky. I let out a little sound of awe as I watched them disappear into the evening sky. There was silence for a while as the wyverians remembered the one they had lost in their own way, before the ceremony was over and we slowly left

Mirien followed us home and papa gave me to her while he went to get us all something to drink. "So, how do you feel about your first funeral?" She asked me and I immediately pouted in answer. I was slowly learning to talk once again, but still preferred to use expressions to make sure that they didn't realise that perhaps, I was a bit too smart for my age. "It's a lot, isn't it? She asked and I immediately agreed. She gave me a tiny smile as she kissed my forehead as well, having grown more motherly the more time she spent with me 

My matchmaking plans were still on the table, but with the loss of the wyverian and the mourning everyone was going through, I had quickly decided to put them on a temporary hold as this really didn't seem like an appropriate time and place. Papa came back with wyverian tea for him and Mirien and creature milk for me. I had briefly wondered from what creature the milk came, before deciding to ignore it and just drink it

Papa smiled at me as he held me while I drank my milk, gently caressing my cheek. "I hope I never have to go through that with you." He muttered after a while. "Zellard, she's much younger than you. There is absolutely no way that you will lose her." Mirien chuckled and I just drank my milk, trying not to think of all the times I almost died in the first twenty years of my previous life. Papa just smiled, but didn't say anything

Mirien eventually left to go back to her own home once she had finished her tea and papa took me to the tiny garden that was behind our home, sitting down in the grass with crossed legs and me sitting in the space between his legs and his body, my tiny head against his stomach as we both looked up at the stars. "I meant what I said though. I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you. In such a short time, you've already become the most precious person in my life. To lose you... would drive me mad." He muttered after a while

I immediately looked up at him in utter concern at hearing this and he quickly smiled at me as he gently cupped my face, his hand pretty much covering one side of my face. "It's okay. As Mirien already said: I'm not going to lose you for a while." He said as he lifted me up and into a hug. I quickly wrapped my tiny arms around his neck again. 'Never, if I have anything to say about it.' I thought to myself as i clung onto him

I loved having a parent too much to leave. Although, I was still like in the baby/toddler stage and I was still enjoying the fact I had a father in the first place. Things would probably be different once I reached puberty, however long that took. And even then, I wouldn't walk to my death again like I did last time. As much as I loved my friends, I actually had a family to live for now, especially if my matchmaking plans paid off

Papa eventually pulled back and smiled at me again. "I love you so much, my little treasure." He whispered, kissing my forehead. "Love you, papa." I replied as I hugged him and he immediately beamed at me as he put me down again and pointed out several constellations we could see through the ceiling of leaves above us. I eventually fell asleep listening to his voice again. What can I say? He has this really soothing voice. That evening would eventually fade into my memory, even though I'd later wish I had remembered it better

I grew up almost tortuously slow with my very different, wyverian biology, but I also found that I really didn't really mind as cared for me and loved me with all that he had. If I had grown up this slow with the Dursleys, it would've been a whole entire different story. Papa made sure that I was taught in the important matters and made sure to find out where my interests laid so he could make sure that I had lessons in those subjects as well

Alwin and I stayed the best of friends during that time, which made our parents very happy to see as we always played together. We even roughhoused together once we were old enough to do so and while Alwin at first tried to be a bit more careful as I was younger, I quickly showed him that I was not above taking advantage of that, making the adults laugh as I simply travelled my best friend without any regret whatsoever 

"She's definitely going to be a fighter." Mirien or mama as I'd eventually call her, commented one day as the two of us rolled around the floor. Yeah, you heard that right. I was playing with Alwin one day when I saw her and papa walking together, seeming very comfortable with each other as papa said something to her and she actually blushed. I will freely admit that I both silently cheered to myself and mentally patted my own shoulder. Papa eventually called me to him one day and sat me down, telling me he was planning to court mirien

"However, I'm not doing it if you don't agre-" Papa began before I tackled him into a hug. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Do it!" I cheered. "Are you sure?" He asked as he pulled back. "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked in return. "It will be a big change in our lives, my little treasure. It won't be the two of us anymore." He replied, and I smiled. "Mirien is here most of the time anyway, so the only thing that will change is that you will be officially together." I said

He opened his mouth, before realising I had a point. I smiled, before hugging him again. "You deserve this, papa. I mean it." I stated and he let out a sigh of relief which made me realise how scared he had been for my reaction to the news. "Thank you, Dearien." He breathed as he hugged me back and we sat there for a while. The next day, papa officially admitted Mirien her permission to let him court her and she happily gave it. 

"Yes!" I cheered quietly as I watched a new relationship start

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

And I thought papa was happy before

Now that he and Mirien or mama were officially courting, he was happier than ever before as he now "had his two favourite girls with him" as he'd later say to us in private and we'd always smile. One of his very favourite things to do when we were spending time together was to pull the both of us closer and tickle our sides, making us squirm and giggle as we tried to break free from his grip, but he was always much stronger than us and held us tight

I obviously did wait a little bit to call Mirien "mama" as I pretended to get used to the situation, used to the fact that as papa had said, it really wasn't the two of us anymore and also because I wanted to see if their relationship would hold over time and if they'd get closer to each other or break up. Having been in a school that was filled with teenagers who seemed to jump in and out of relationships, I wanted to see how they as adult Wyverians would do

Luckily for all three of us and especially the couple it concerned, the bond between papa and Mirien only seemed to grow stronger as I grew up more and I slowly started to call her "mama" much to her happiness and glee. I'd always love my biological mother Lily and would never forget what she had done to protect me from Voldemort, but I think she'd be absolutely ecstatic for me to finally have a new set of parents who raised me and loved me with all their hearts. I had always wanted a real family and here it was. And I honestly loved it more than anything 

One thing I loved in Rutoh village was this particular bush with purple flowers that smelled heavenly and unlike anything I have ever smelled before, so I tried to get a sniff as many times as I could get, much to the amusement of both my new parents as they'd watch me run off towards it with knowing smiles on their faces. "She really loves those flowers." I heard mama comment when i ran towards it again one day, but for different reasons this time

It was mama's birthday and while papa had given her a beautiful dress, I had decided to do something a bit me simple and fitting my physical age or what counted as my physical age and started to run around the village, getting many different flowers from wherever I found them and binding them together. "I just wish flowers didn't die so soon." I muttered as I got ready to go back and give it, missing a slight glow coming from my hands as I walked back

Mama gasped as I gave her the flowers as she kneeled down. "For me?" She asked and I nodded as she took it over and immediately pulled me into a tight hug, papa smiling down at us both from where he was standing next to mama. "Thank you so much, sweetheart. I love it." Mama herself quietly whispered during the hug and I immediately beamed as I clung onto her. As she pulled back and stood back up again, papa carefully took one flower from the bunch and put it behind mama's ear. "There. Perfect." He said and she smiled at us both

Yeah, despite papa's doubts about everything in the very beginning as he didn't want to start a relationship if I didn't agree with it, he clearly loved mama with almost all of his heart. I say "almost" because I like to think mama and i share his heart 50/50 between the two of us as he loved us both equally. Maybe we should own about 45/45 and leave the final 10% for his job and the people of the village. Yeah, that sounded like a fair deal

One day, mama turned to papa with a knowing look on her face. "Darling, I think it's time we give Dearien her first ride." She said and I immediately perked up from where I was drawing. "I'm not sure if it's the right time." Papa protested and I rolled my eyes. There was his protectiveness over me. It has honestly only gotten worse over time as I grew up and started to explore the world around me, not wanting to stick close to his side all the time anymore

"Zellard, you'll always think its not the right time even if we wait until she's all grown up and ready to get a monstie of her own." Mama stated.  She got a point there and I knew papa knew it too as he sighed. "Come on, my love. She's been talking about riding ever since Alwin has had his first ride and I'm sure the rider will be extra careful with her since it's her first ride." Mama insisted and he looked down. "Fine. She will be allowed to ride a Paolumu for a few minutes, but I want to keep an eye on her at all times." He compromised and we both agreed 

Okay, so if I thought just touching the Paolumu was heavenly soft when I was a baby, riding one was a whole different story as one rider who was a friend of my father immediately agreed to give me my first ride and who owned the Paolumu gently put me in the saddle in front of him. "Always hold onto the saddle and don't let go." Papa told me and I nodded as I hugged him to the best of my abilities from my rather awkward position from the saddle

For a moment, I honestly thought that papa would just pull me off the monstie and bring me back home again, but he pulled back and helped me sit securely in the saddle "Be careful with her." He then requested of his friend and the rider smiled at him. "Don't worry, Zellard. Your daughter will be completely safe with me." He promised as the Paolumu started to stretch his wings and both mama and papa stepped back as we took off into the sky

I immediately squealed in excitement as I absolutely loved being back in the air again. Not counting that time on the dragon as we had been busy escaping Gringotts or when I left the home of aunt Petunia as we had immediately flown straight into a battle, I hadn't really flown for fun in a very long time with my new life, but I immediately was back in my element. Thankfully, riding a Paolumu was definitely a lot more comfortable than riding Buckbeak in my third year, but perhaps that was because of the saddle that helped me keep my grip better

Papa's friend had one arm tightly wrapped around me as we flew a couple of rounds around the village from above. I looked down and in the centre square of the village, I could just barely make out Papa's white robes and dark hair as he kept a very close eye on us. 'Worrywart.' I thought good-naturedly as we already started to land again. Although I had the feeling that I would find his protectiveness a lot less fun when I grew up even more

"Again! Again!" I cheered as we landed and papa's friend chuckled. "I don't think your father would agree with that." He said as papa was already walking towards us and I pouted as papa carefully lifted me off the saddle. "Thank you, sir." I said politely and he smiled at me. "No problem. I hope to see you again soon." He said as papa carried me back to mama. "When can I go again?" I asked papa then. "We'll see about that." He said and I pouted again

To quickly cheer me up as she had already expected he'd say that in answer, mama had actually bought me my first riding boots to celebrate the occasion. Which reminds me that one thing you should really know about Wyverians is that like cats or horses did back on my world, we always walk on the very front of our feet. Basically, we're constantly walking around on our toes as if we're trying to sneak out of the house without our parents noticing that we were lowing or like I was constantly wearing very high heels, but without the heels of that makes sense.

One other reason that I had trouble learning to walk again as a Wyverian baby/toddler was because I constantly forgot that my heel was now on about the same height as where my shin used to be and every time I tried to put weight on it, I'd fall down on my ass. It took a lot of getting used to and papa often had to catch me whenever I forgot that my heel was pretty much useless, but I eventually managed it. Still, it made putting on shoes a bit of a hassle. 

"Zellard, you're going to have to let her go one day. If you're going to stay so protective over her, it will eventually result in fights." I heard mama warn papa later, both thinking I was asleep on the couch. "I know, but when I found her in the wilds, a part of me already promised I'd keep her safe, even if we found her parents. I just don't want to break that promise." Papa muttered. 'Oh, papa.' I thought to myself as I tried to suppress my smile

I could now understand why he was so protective. He literally saved me from being attacked or eaten and apparently, he was terrified that the very same thing would happen again, even if I was all grown-up and had a monstie of my own. Well, considering how slow Wyverians aged, I think he didn't have to worry about me leaving for a long time. I purposefully moved a bit as if I was moving in my sleep and I sensed him walking closer to me, putting a hand on my forehead. "She's so young. So fragile. I just don't want anything to happen to her." He continued 

I'm fragile? Papa, the darkest wizard of all time couldn't kill me. I don't think you have much to worry about, although most of the time, it was by "sheer dumb luck" as professor Mcgonagall called it when we defeated the troll. "Nothing is going to happen to her. Not as long as she has us, but if you keep trying to smother her, she will eventually try and break loose." Mama stated as she walked closer as well. Thank you, mama, for being the voice of reason.

I heard papa sigh and I felt a bit sorry for him. I knew no good parent wanted to lose their child, but considering that he met me right as he was about to lose me already, it was probably even worse for him. I then felt him carefully lift me up and put me down again on his chest, wanting to hold me close for a while. I immediately snuggled into his touch like a cat and heard him chuckle as he stroked my hair. I felt mama join us and rub my back as well

It was in this moment of peace that I really nodded off to sleep

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

It took me a while to realise something was off 

A few months after mama's first birthday she had while courting papa, I casually walked past the bouquet of flowers I had made her, before suddenly stopping and really looking at it. They were still as fresh as they had been when I picked them, not a single petal drooping or having fallen off just as I wished it. I frowned at this before looking down at my hands. Did that mean that I still had my magic inside me?

I immediately closed my eyes and concentrated to try and find out the return. One thing that wyverians also learned growing up was meditation and mental focus, but because I had never actively searched for it as I had thought my magic was gone, I had never noticed it before. Looking inside myself, I suddenly saw a glowing ball inside of me, shining as brightly as the sun. I carefully tapped into it and let it surround me

It felt quite a bit different than the magic I was used to from my last life, but it was definitely mine. I opened my eyes again and looked down at my hand. I concentrated again and light slowly came from my palm, before dying down. I grinned at realising I still had magic, before it fell as I realised I would have to tell mama and papa about it. With how big magic used to be a part of my previous life and with me probably having to go and train my new powers without a wand, the was no way they were not going to eventually notice that something was different

But how on earth was I going to tell them about this after we already had to go through quite a few changes in our life? Just walk up to them out of the blue right now, say that I had magic and hope for the best? My blood immediately froze at the idea of them reacting like the Dursleys, despite them having shown that they were nothing like those despicable muggles that I unfortunately had to call my family once. 

Still, I knew that I couldn't keep this a secret from them, so after gathering all of my Gryffindor courage that I still had in me after an already long and really peaceful life, I went to find them. They were both sitting in papa's private study, mama sitting on papa's lap with her head on his shoulder and papa nuzzling her hair with his eyes closed, the both of them looking so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb them

I tried to walk out again to give them privacy, but one thing about papa was that he somehow always knew when I was near or needed something, so before I could even take a step back to leave, he was already looking at me. "What is it, Dearien?" He asked in a gentle tone, mama looking up as well at realising they weren't alone anymore. I slowly walked further into the room, probably looking like a child who had done something wrong and honestly, after living with the Dursleys, using magic around family still felt like that

I could see this immediately worried them as I never walked like this and as soon as I was in reach, papa quickly pulled me closer to him, mama going to sit on one leg so he had space for me. "What's wrong, my little treasure?" He asked again, kissing my temple. "I need to show you something." I said in a very quiet tone as I looked at my feet. I didn't see it, but I practically felt them sharing a concerned look over my head

"What do you need to show us, sweetheart?" Mama asked me then as she gently grabbed my hand to try and comfort me. I took a deep breath and opened my free hand with my palm facing up. I concentrated again and sure enough, light came out of it once more before dying back down as I refused to look at either of them. "How did you do that?" Mama asked. "I don't know. I just do it and I don't know how." I replied

I felt them share another look, before papa pulled me even closer. "You really are a wonder, my sweet Dearien." He whispered as he kissed my temple again. "You're not.... scared of me or it? You don't hate it?" I asked and I felt his grip tighten. "We'd never be scared of you or hate you, sweetheart. What makes you even ask that?" Mama asked and I shrugged. "We don't really know anyone with powers like this here, do we?" I asked and I knew they had to agree with that. "Maybe not, but there are wyverians with other powers." Papa told me

"I have heard of a wyverian who can unlock a monster's true power and lock it back up again if necessary, so you're not the only one with powers." He continued as he nuzzled my hair now and I started to cry as I realised that they really wouldn't be like the Dursleys. Mama and papa immediately pulled me into a very tight hug. "We still love you, my little treasure and that will never change." Papa quietly promised me

"You promise?" I whispered in a tiny voice and he smiled. "I promise, Dearien. I knew you were special the moment I found you and we couldn't find your parents. You were clearly sent here for a reason and we will help you learn to find it and control your powers." He replied and now, I was the one smiling as I snuggled closer to him. "Mama. Papa." I breathed and they both hushed me as mama kissed the top of my head

"It's okay, sweet Dearien. We're here and we're not going anywhere." She whispered and I smiled as I finally relaxed against them. If you were to look from the outside, you'd probably be barely able to see me, they were holding me so tight, especially papa as I burrowed myself into his chest and took a deep breath. They hadn't reacted like the Dursleys. They were okay with it.  I was okay. "We will need to tell the elder about this though. He might be able to help." Papa stated and I reluctantly nodded in agreement, knowing he was right

Thankfully, the elder actual thought that my "new" powers were absolutely fascinating once he heard about it in private as he didn't call me a witch or anything. I mean, I obviously was a witch once, but he probably wouldn't mean it as a compliment in this case. Papa still held me tightly against his side while explaining most of the situation to him, clearly willing to defy the elder in case he reacted negatively to the news

I myself clung to his robes and hid my face as he had one arm wrapped around me and mama rubbed my back. Despite my actual age, I only looked about eight years old, so I was still quite small, although I was taller than I had been in my previous life thanks to actually getting enough food and not just the scraps from the table. "We will have to be careful to make sure no malicious rumours will come out." Elder Maolo said

Papa's grip on me immediately tightened and I instinctively clung onto him too. Even though many villagers knew me well and were always really nice, there was still the fact that I wasn't originally from the village and one person seeing my magic going out of control for even a moment or something could have devastating consequences for both me and my family's status here. Even though I didn't say it out loud, I solemnly swore that day that if anything of that nature happened, I'd leave the village myself to spare my parents the consequences 

I looked up at papa and he immediately gave me a smile as he kneeled down and hugged me tightly. "I will protect you, Dearien. I promise." He whispered as he held me close to his chest, knowing that as long as papa was with me, I'd be safe. "We both will." Mama corrected him as she joined the hug as well and I have it admit that I was preening in happiness as I rightly realised this was the childhood I always should've had

Safe with two parents who loved me and would protect me with everything they had, although I would prefer to leave before letting them get hurt because of something I did. Burying my face in my father's shoulder, I willed myself not to think of such things right now. We were going to try and get control over my magic so that in the best case scenario, I would never have to leave. Then again, this was me I was talking about

That was how I started to train my new powers and soon learned that they were different than the magic I once used. Almost all if them had something to do with nature as I could make plants grow and bloom and could attract all kinds of beasts to me. We kinda found out about the latter through trial and error as I tried out the power and sudden had a group of Paolumu and other creatures living in the village, even the felynes chasing me until I cancelled the magic. Thankfully, the wyverians all thought I had treats hidden in my pocket and didn't ask

The only power that didn't have anything to do with nature was that I could disguise myself, not unlike Tonks, although I wouldn't master it until I was grown up. I hoped she and Remus were okay now. Papa, mama and Elder Maolo carefully watched my progress, although I didn't forget to spend time with Alwin too, finding out that he was allergic to felynes as he kept sneezing every time one came close. It was a shame as felynes were so soft.

Something else happened around the same time. Elder Maolo's daughter Rivena eventually got pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but didn't survive the birth herself and her husband passed away not too long after that, leaving the poor elder to raise his granddaughter, named Ena after her mother, on his own, although we promised to help. When we visited I looked down at the baby in my arms 

"I'll protect you, Ena. I promise." I whispered

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

It's funny how one person can change a group's dynamic

When mama joined me and papa and started courting him, we became a true family where it had been once just the two of us, even if they weren't married yet and with little Ena eventually joining the group that Alwin and I had made, we changed as well as we both took on the role of the little girl's protectors as she grew up. She was honestly adorable, the tiny thing. Was I that small at that age? 

Mama and I helped Elder Maolo with taking care of her as he was very busy with his duties. Watching mama walking behind the elder with baby Ena several years after she was born, honestly reminded me of when papa did the very same when I was only a little baby myself so many years ago. 'Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear.' I thought to myself as the man or I guess Wyverian himself walked towards me.

"Dearien, I have something private to discuss with you. Could you come with me?" He asked quietly. "Yes, papa." I immediately replied dutifully as I got up from where I was playing with Alwin. I knew papa well enough that if he had something to discuss, it had to be very important "Be right back, Alwin." I promised and he nodded as papa took me home. "What is it, papa?" I asked curiously as I looked up at him once we were there. "I wanted your opinion about something." He replied as he kneeled down until he was at my Lai and I tilted my head in confusion

"What?" I asked and he got something out of his pocket. "How would you feel if we officially became a complete family?" He asked in return as he showed me the necklace that he had in his hand and my eyes widened at seeing it, a smile immediately growing on my face as I knew what it meant and what he really wanted to do. Per tradition, a male wyverian would give his partner a necklace when he asked her to marry him

The necklace was quite beautiful, but very simple at the same time and for a second, I was honestly a bit confused at seeing it as I knew papa could afford better with his status, before I realised that 1: I sounded a bit like Malfoy and 2: that he had bought one mama would be comfortable with as she loved the simplicity of life. I then quickly tackled papa into a hug and he laughed as he immediately hugged me back

"I take it you agree with this then?" He asked with a small laugh and I immediately nodded in answer. He hummed at this, before nuzzling my hair and quickly making me giggle at the feeling and in pure happiness as mama and papa were going to be married. Well... as long as mama said yes to papa's proposal, obviously, but the two of them were so very close and love each other so much that I couldn't see her say no. I closed my eyes as I enjoyed this hug with my father and even though I didn't know it, he was doing the very same

I wasn't there in person when papa proposed to mama, papa having taken her to the highest spot around the village that  he could think of, so he could ask her with just the two of them underneath the shining stars. It was honestly the cutest thing I've ever heard in my life. So no, I wasn't there to see it personally, but I immediately knew the result the moment I woks up to see a very happy papa sitting at the edge of my bed

"And? And? And?" I still asked in utter excitement as I crawled over and he smiled as he pulled me into his lap, despite me now being about the size or a twelve year old child and starting to get too big for this. "I know you already see her as your mother, but soon enough, it will be official." He told me as he held me close and I could feel the smile on his face as he kissed my temple and I immediately hugged him with a squeal

Once I had hugged mama as well, the news soon spread all over the village. Papa had waited an appropriate amount of time so everyone could mourn Rivena and Viran properly as he wouldn't dare disrespect their memory, but the Wyverians soon became very happy again as they quickly prepared the first wedding in quite a while. That kinda made me think of something. Despite there being at least a couple of hundred wyverians living here, how did they make sure there wouldn't be any incest eventually if they never left the village?

The most I could think of is that some had travelled to the only other Wyverian settlement called Nua Te village that was on the other side of the continent many years ago and some people from there had moved here, creating some fresh new blood, but still. You would have to watch out eventually, didn't you? Ugh, I really didn't want to think about it anymore. Let's let hope Wyverians got more sense than pureblood wizards

I immediately helped everyone in my own way where I could helping mama decide on a new dress design so the seamstresses could make it for her. "Are you happy, mama?" I asked as I was sitting next to her and she immediately smiled at me. "You already know I am, my little flower." She replied, having even asked me if she could give me her own nickname and I honestly loved it just as much as papa's nickname for me 

Speaking of papa, I honestly didn't think I had ever seen him this nervous before, apart from perhaps when we went to tell the elder about my powers and that had been more worry that I would be thrown out of the village by said elder for not being normal. This was very clearly nerves for the upcoming wedding and it was honestly rather hilarious to see my usually calm and collected father be actually distracted at times as he had to make certain decisions as well. It was kinda surreal to see, but I knew it were happy nerves.

Several months went past in the blink of an eye, seamstresses working on the dress mama and I (but mostly mama as it was still her dress) had decided on as well as new clothing for papa and I. I couldn't wait to see papa's face when he saw mama. I had the feeling I would have to close his jaw. The idea of papa standing there with his jaw on the floor was hilarious and helped me get by as the wedding neared ever closer 

Eventually, it was time and I was the first one awake on the morning of the wedding. Because Wyverians were proper even on love, couples weren't allowed to live together until they were married. Because of that rule, I actually slept in papa's bed one more time before my place was "stolen." Thankfully, Alwin's parents had agreed to let me come stay with them to give my parents some time alone. I just hoped they were quiet

I immediately opened my eyes from where I was snuggled close to papa and grinned as I realised what day it was. Looking out of the window, I could see it was around eight in the morning by how high the sun was in the sky, which was honestly later than I've ever seen papa sleep, but then again, it was his wedding day and even the elder had said he didn't want to see papa arrive for his duties today. With a huge smile, pulled myself out of my father's arms and started to shake him. "Papa. Wake up, wake up, wake up!" I called

"Dearien, go back to sleep." Papa slurred as I woke him up, which again was so different than how he usually was that I giggled. "Okay, I guess mama will have to marry herself then today." I replied as I laid back down and papa simply grinned as he blindly pulled me closer to him. "The ceremony isn't until this evening. This is my one day off. Let me enjoy it." He muttered and I giggled, before calming down and closed my eyes

After a couple of hours of some much-needed sleep, we finally got out of bed and I was practically vibrating in excitement as we ate our breakfast and we changed into the clothing prepared for us. I immediately beamed at seeing papa in his wedding robes as I walked to him and gave him a hug. He quickly hugged me back and stroked my hair. "No matter what happens today, know that I will always love you." He whispered

"I know, papa. I love you too." I replied as I buried my face into his robes, before I eventually let go and went to mama's house instead. Despite mama going to live with papa now, she had actually decided to keep her now almost former home. She didn't say why, but I had the feeling she was holding onto it so I could go and live in it once I was all grown-up. I knocked on the door and a friend of mama immediately let me in. Seeing mama in her dress,  I quickly squealed and jumped in happiness. "You look so beautiful, mama!" I said

She immediately smiled down at me as she opened her arms. I quickly ran into them, hugging her with all that I had. "Thank you, my little flower. You look very lovely as well." She chuckled as she pulled back to look me over and I smiled as I straightened up, making her laugh again as she brushed a lock of my hair back. I flitted between papa and mama for most of the day, trying to calm them down if they had any nerves

Eventually, as the sun started to set in the sky, pretty much all the village gathered around the fountain in the main square where papa was waiting with the elder. The main square was on a higher platform than most of the village, so mama and I kinda had to sneak around the edge of the wall towards the stairs to make sure papa didn't see her. Both parents of mama and papa were dead, so I would lead her to papa by tradition. 

I looked at mama to see if she was ready and she nodded as we began to climb the stairs towards the square. The villagers were quietly talking with each other, but that quickly stopped as I appeared, holding a small bunch of flowers in my hands and I could see papa straightening up as he knew mama was right behind me. I could see his eyes widening as she appeared and... did I see that right? Yes, his jaw was definitely just a tiny bit lower than normal as he stared at mama. I didn't have to look back to know mama was beaming at her.

I joined papa and turned to see mama make the rest of the way, absolutely beaming at seeing her happy smile and feeling papa wrap an arm around me without even looking away from her once. Mama then joined us as well and I went to stand behind papa. Tradition stated that family of the bride and groom would stand behind them and even though I saw them both as my parents, papa was the only one I was officially family of

'Until today.' I thought to myself with a grin as after today, mama would officially be papa's wife once and for all and therefore, she'd finally and officially be my mother in all but blood too. Elder Maolo said a few words about the strength bonds between people and how love was the most important bond of them all. I didn't know it yet at that point, but at one point in the future, those words would be more important than ever

Mama and papa eventually had to say a few words and mama began to speak first. "Zellard, I have admired you from a distance for a long time, even before our Dearien came to live here in the village and changed both our lives around. You're patient, caring wise and you always try to give everyone a chance, you taking in an orphaned baby with no parents being the absolute proof of that, but I never thought I'd be standing here one day, about to marry you, be your wife and mother to our sweet Dearien until the end of our lives. She began

I instinctively straightened up at being mentioned. In normal circumstances, I'd rock back and forth from my heels to my toes in excitement, but with my now Wyverian feet, that was probably not a good idea. "You are the greatest man I know and I promise you that I will always be at your side, supporting and helping you and Dearien in any way I can. I love you so much, Zellard and nothing will change that." Mama then finished 

Looking up at papa, I could see he actually had tears in his eyes. I had rarely seen him cry in my life, but this was obviously a very good reason to cry. Taking a deep breath to collect himself before it was his turn, he then began to talk as well. "My darling Mirien. Once, I thought I had everything I could need in my life. Then, our little girl and you came into my life and proved to me how wrong I was." He started 

"I had obviously seen you before in the village, but it wasn't until you helped me raise Dearien that I noticed how utterly radiant you are both inside and out. You are the most amazing woman i have ever met and I will never be able to understand why you decided for me, but I promise you that I will never take your love for granted. Just as you promised to support and help me, so too will I promise to protect and care for both my girls with every fibre of my being. You have my heart, Mirien and you always will." He stated as mama wiped away one tear rolling down his cheek

I had to wipe away tears as well as Elder Maolo waved his staff at the both of them, before pronouncing them bound in matrimony. Wyverians were very private and proper, not often giving kisses in public, but their first kiss as a wedded couple was an exception as papa pulled mama closer to him and kissed her with all that he had, her wrapping her arms around his neck as i jumped around in happiness and everyone applauded 

Once mama and papa had broken apart, they immediately reached out to me and I quickly ran to hug them. They laughed as they hugged me back and I closed my eyes. We were now officially a family. Nothing could tear us apart. The feast to celebrate the wedding started immediately and mama and papa opened it with a dance. I beamed at seeing them this happily dancing. Matchmaking complete or as a certain phrase went....

Mischief managed

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Several years after mama and papa got married, I woke up very excited

Today was the day! Today, I'd get my first monstie. I was finally old enough to get one and Alwin had already gotten his quite a while ago, getting a Paolumu egg from his parents. Despite papa's quiet protests and continuous questioning about whether or not I was sure I wanted a monstie, it was finally time. I obviously knew that he was worried about me, but I'd be fine. I wasn't that helpless little baby he found anymore

The smith had made me my very first rider armour and it was different than the robes at Hogwarts. It was far more form-fitting, but also heavier and a lot more work than just shrugging a robe on and off as at least a dozen straps had to be secured before I was ready. It didn't really help that I was practically vibrating in excitement, making it rather hard to make sure the straps were tight and they slipped out of my fingers often

"Come here." I heard papa state as I failed to do a strap that went around my arm and looked up to see him standing there with a smile. I reached out and he walked over to help me, quickly checking me over to see if I had missed any, before pulling me in a very tight hug. I immediately hugged him back and rubbed his back at feeling how tense he was. "I'll be fine, papa. Alwin and his mother are coming with me." I reminded him and he sighed. "I know, sweetheart, but I'm your father and I'll always worry about you." He replied as he pulled back and cupped my face

I smiled and immediately leaned into his touch, rejoicing once again that I actually had a parent who cared so much about me. If it had been the Dursleys, they'd hope that I'd be eaten anyway. Papa smiled back at me. "You've grown so much, my sweet Dearien. It seems only yesterday that I found you in the valley and now, look at you. All ready to get your very first monstie. Where has the time gone?" He asked

"Mostly spent together." I joked and he laughed as he pulled me closer again, which was a bit uncomfortable because of my armour, but I knew we both didn't care as I'd happily accept any hug he'd give me after living with uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia. I closed my eyes as I thought back for a minute as well. Despite how slow Wyverians aged, it really did seem like yesterday that I was almost Great Jaggi food

I still had absolutely no idea how I got here after choosing to take the train, but I knew that if it weren't for papa saving me when I arrived, my stay here would've been a very short one. As unhappy as I had been back then as I had hoped to be reunited with my other parents and everyone else I had lost, I knew I wouldn't the fact that I actually had a family and was now much more thankful to whoever sent me here. I buried my face in his robes and he kissed the top of my head, before mama arrived and told us assistin and his mother were there 

"Be very careful out there, even with Alwin's mother. Be back before it's dark." Papa whispered to me as he gave me a hug at the village gate, mama standing right next to him and some villagers having come to wish me luck as well. I rolled my eyes, but hugged him back nonetheless, knowing he meant well. "I know, papa. I promise." I whispered as I gave him another squeeze before letting go and hugging mama as well

After that, I finally climbed into Alwin's paolumu behind my best friend and carefully held onto him around the waist, trying not to let my cheeks grow too red as I had to sit very close to him. To be honest with you, I think teenage hormones or what counted as teenage hormones here had started to kick in, although I haven't had my period yet and from what I've read over the years, periods aren't something Wyverians have

This was one of the biggest reliefs I've had in my entire life as in really didn't feel like having periods until what counted as middle-aged in Wyverian years. Nevertheless, my body started to react to certain things and my brain started to realise that Alwin was slowly growing into a handsome young man, but where I was very happy to accept mama and papa as my parents, I honestly wasn't as certain about this as I remembered very well what happened to the last boy I loved romantically. Shaking my head to get rid of the image or green light, we finally left

I had seen the beautiful nature around Rutoh village quite a few times already from above whenever papa allowed me to fly and we did have a few walks through it, but it was always very near the village as papa didn't have a monstie of his own and didn't want anything to happen to me. I heard somewhere that he had lost his own monstie long before I ever came around and simply didn't take another one after that. 

Still, actually going through the highlands on the back of Alwin's Paolumu, I could really see how big it all was. I wondered where exactly papa had found me and apparently, Alwin's mother saw the question in my eyes from where she was riding on her own monstie. "If I remember correctly, then your father found you in the valley, on the other side of the lake." She told me as she pointed at a place in the far distance

Had the walk to Rutoh village really been that long? I guess that either papa talking to me during the walk or me wondering where the hell I was had made it look a lot shorter than it actually was. "Alright, Dearien. Let's get your very first monstie today." Alwin stated with a grin and I happily nodded as both monsties took off into the air. Now, this wasn't like a pet shop where you could buy puppies or adult animals. To get your own monstie, you had to find a monster den and retrieve an egg from it, bring it back to your home and hatch it there

I had felt a bit bad about essentially kidnapping an egg from its mother as I knew very well what it was like to be taken from your home, but papa promised me that the monsters always had more than enough eggs and I had decided to believe him, even if it was to feel better. "Where do you want to go?" Alwin asked over the wind. "To where papa found me!" I shouted back and he nodded as we flew to Alcala Valley

"I believe that it was around here from what I've heard." Alwin's mother Verwen said as we landed. A different Great Jaggi noticed us and roared, but unlike last time, I just roared right back, making Alwin laugh as his paolumu chased the monster away. "What was papa doing here anyway?" I asked, never having thought about that. What was papa doing this far in Alcala? He didn't have a monstie and he was all alone.

"Your father always liked to take very long walks when he could before he had you, said that it helped clear his head." Verwen explained.She chuckled at seeing my very confused face, knowing that I couldn't really imagine my father walking this far during his free time. "He always took flash and sonic bombs with him to make sure monsters left him alone and ever since he found you and took you into his home, he doesn't really do that anymore as he rather prefers to spend his free time with you and now with Mirien." She continued 

I had to concede at that as we looked around, trying to find a monster den nearby for me to get my very first egg. We eventually found one hidden in the cliffs and carefully walked in. "Woah!" I breathed at seeing the huge cave that greeted us once we walked in. "You wouldn't say or was that big from the entrance." I muttered as the Paolumu barely fit through and he snorted as we quietly rode further

We then came across a royal ludroth that we had to fight first before we could continue. As I didn't have a monstie of my own yet, I quickly stood to the side and simply watched Alwin and Verwen fight. This really helped me to see how riders fought in action after papa had already explained the theory behind the fighting couple of days ago to help me prepare in some way despite not having a monstie himself.

There were monsters that preferred power attacks, monsters that preferred technical attacks and monsters that preferred speed attacks and every single type had an advantage over one other and a disadvantage compared to the second one. "Speed beats power, power beats technical and technical beats speed." I quietly recounted from my lessons, knowing that both Paolumu and Royal Ludroth were monsters that preferred technical attacks. Working together with their monsties, Alwin and Verwen finally managed to beat it with a special attack

It was called a "kinship attack" and that could only be used once the kinship stone lit up. I had to admit I liked seeing Alwin in action, before blushing as I realised it. He thankfully didn't notice and we went on. We didn't come across more monsters and eventually found the monster's nest. I widened my eyes at seeing at least a dozen eggs "'Wow, papa really wasn't kidding when he said that monsters laid a lot of eggs.' I thought.

"Now, it's your turn, Dearien, but be quick. The longer you hesitate, the more chance there will be that mama will come back and attack us." Verwen said and I nodded as i dismounted. Carefully walking into the nest and making sure that I didn't step on any egg, I looked around as I tried to pick one. There were many eggs of different sizes. I noticed many eggs with an orange and blue striped print and hummed.

I wondered if I had to choose one of those, before my eye suddenly caught a green and white striped one. "This one seems a bit lost. It's not like the other eggs." I commented as I carefully picked it up and Verwen hummed as well as she joined me, looking around and recognising the colour and pattern. "Looks like a tigrex nest. There are stories that they sometimes steal eggs from other monsters." She explained as she looked at the blue and orange eggs that were scattered around. "Like what we do?" I asked cheekily and she and Alwin both laughed.

"Yes, but we take the eggs to raise them and care for them, where tigrex often want to eat the eggs they steal as nourishment for when they have laid their own eggs." She replied and I immediately made a disgusted face as I clutched the egg very close to my chest, feeling very protective of it already and she nodded in return. "Come on. Let's go before the tigrex actually returns." She said as we went back.

Riders get special, padded bags to put found eggs in when out on a quest and I very carefully put my very first egg in it as we quickly left the den and climbed on the backs of the Paolumu, immediately flying back to Rutoh before the tigrex came back and spotted us. I was smiling from ear-to-ear as I couldn't wait to meet my very first monstie and show mama and especially papa that I was ready to be a true rider

Papa and mama were already waiting for me and papa immediately pulled me closer to him. "How did it go?"  Mama asked as she smiled at the both of us. Papa had probably been pacing back-and-forth in worry ever since we left. It honestly sounded like him. "It was so much fun. I got my first egg." I said, almost jumping up-and-down in excitement if it wasn't for my father still holding onto me. She immediately smiled at me. "Well, let us see it." She said and I finally pulled myself free, getting the egg out of the bag

"Oh, I've never seen an egg like this before in my life. Come on, Dearien. let's show elder Maolo and see what kind of monster is in it." Mama said as we quickly went to him. If not for the heavy egg in my arms, I would've skipped as papa kept one arm around me, his eyes full of pride and I smiled up at him "Welcome back and I see you've got an egg already." The elder stated and I nodded with a big smile on my face.

" Zellard, would you like to do the honour?" He asked and papa nodded as he held out my own kinship stone, which I attached to my wrist. With them, Alwin and his parents watching it, the elder began the ceremony to hatch the egg and I held out my kinship stone to make the connection with my monster as the egg started to twitch, before hatching. A green dragon slowly came out of it and I heard papa groan at seeing it

"Why did it have to be a Rathian?" He muttered 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

I could hardly believe it either. 

An actual Rathian. The Queen of the land was my very first monstie. I didn't have much time to think on it anyway as the Rathian suddenly jumped into my arms and I had to catch her. I could hear papa instinctively rush forwards even if the Rathian was now bonded to me, before realising I had it under control as I caught my monstie. Still careful not to touch the tail as I knew it was poisonous, I turned around 

"Tadaaaaa." I said in a rather sheepish tone, my new Rathian letting out a cry as if emphasising on the fact that I had a very rare and rather dangerous monster as my first monstie. "Were there any other eggs in the nest?" Papa asked as he rubbed his temple. "It was actually a Tigrex nest." I replied and he sighed as I knew that the mental image of me riding on a very ferocious Tigrex wasn't something he wanted either.

Mama slowly walked forwards to meet my monstie as we talked and carefully reached out, only touching my Rathian when she didn't protest. "Well, I think you just became the most protected person in the entire village. "She commented as she gently stroked my monstie's head. "This is amazing, Dearien." Ena squealed from her place, having arrived just in time to see it happening and I smiled at her. "Just your luck, huh dearien? My Lumio is nothing compared to this." Alwin commented with a teasing grin on his face, meaning his Paolumu and I gave him a sheepish grin.

"Then, what kind of monster do you want to have?" Ena asked him curiously and he thought deeply for a minute. "A Legiana." He finally answered "Alwin, I promise you that one day, I'll get you a Legiana." I stated and he smirked. "I'll hold you onto that." He replied and we all laughed, before I looked at papa. He still looked rather concerned as he looked at the tiny green wyvern in my arms, clearly still unsure about this.

Putting her down as she was getting heavy, I walked to him and put a hand on his arm. "I'll be fine, papa. Rathian is now Bonded to me. She won't hurt me." I whispered.As if to prove my point, Rathian walked over to me on wobbly legs and rubbed her head against my foot. It would've been my ankle if I had still been human, but because of my Wyverian biology, she rubbed her head against the front of my feet

I quickly kneeled down, gently stroking her head and back. I heard papa letting out a sigh as he kneeled down as well to properly meet my new monstie, mama joining us too . "She'll need a name if she's going to be yours." Mama stated as Rathian, seemingly realising that my parents didn't mean any harm to me or her, started to snuggle up to them as well and I hummed in thought as I looked at the green dragon. A female monster willing to fight until the end to protect her eggs if necessary. The name of my biological mother immediately came to mind

However, I wasn't very sure if I wanted any reminders of my old life. My memories were enough and besides, a fearsome rathian named "Lily" didn't really sound right. Therefore,  I decided on another name instead. "Saranya." I decided, having once heard that the name meant "protector." "That's a very beautiful name." Papa commented as he stroked my hair and I smiled at him, before looking around the village

That was when I realised something. "So.... how are we going to raise a creature that can breathe fire... in a village surrounded by nature with grass on the rooftops?" I asked. My parents, Elder Maolo, Ena, Alwin and his parents chuckled. "I'm sure we'll figure something out." Papa said as he put a hand on my back while we were spending time with Saranya and the others gave us privacy for me to grow closer to my monstie.

We carefully led her to the stables and gave her a place all for her own. "You'll have to stay here overnight. It's a bit dangerous to have you in our home." I explained. She crooned, but seemingly understood as she settled down in her new spot and closed her eyes to get some sleep. Have to say that leaving her was rather hard even if I knew the felyne looking after the stables would take very good care of her. "You'll see her tomorrow, sweetheart and she'll be just the same." Papa reassured me and i hummed as I was gently led away

That's how I finally started to raise my very first monstie and I've honestly got to tell you it was quite a bit of a challenge at times. To my relief, Saranya didn't immediately start to spit out fireballs or anything of the sort as for a while, she was actually rather harmless. Despite that, we always made sure not to touch her poisonous tail as we all had heard of very powerful hunters that had almost been felled by such a tail 

Yeah, something I found out was that there were humans in this world, many being hunters or riders but that Wyverians rarely if ever interacted with them or anyone outside the village, yours truly obviously not included in that. "I do not think wyverians and humans can be friends, Dearien." Papa had stated when I asked him why I had never seen a human in the village before and yeah, that answer made me feel very awkward

I had asked him why he thought that way, feeling a bit nervous about his answer in case he thought that Wyverians were superior over humans or something similar to the pureblood philosophy that the Malfoys liked so much, before hearing that humans aged the way I once used to and that was much faster that how we aged.Because of that, it seemed that humans aged in what seemed like a blink of an eye for wyverians and we'd lose them soon. I was suddenly very thankful today I was turned into a wyverian and was found by one.

I honestly wouldn't want to know what would've happened if papa had found me in the valley as a human, grown attached and I had died in just a few measly decades. I may have grumbled about how slow Wyverians aged in the past, but I knew that it would've been much worse if I had died with my father and friends looking exactly the same they would've done my entire life if I had even been raised here

Saranya soon proved herself to be quite a character as she grew and as mama had predicted, no one was able to come close to me as looking as I didn't want it and she was around as she'd immediately growl threateningly at anyone if I didn't tell her it was okay. That said, she quickly learned that Alwin, his parents, Elder Maolo, Ena and obviously my own parents were people to be trusted and never growled at them

A few months after she hatched and once she was big enough, I was allowed to fly on her all by myself, although Alwin and Verwen would still fly near me to make sure nothing bound happened and I didn't fall. This was done for all new riders who were flying for the first time, so it wasn't papa fretting over me for once. Once the day was there, I gave my parents a very tight hug at the village gates, before climbing into the saddle made for me and taking a deep breath as I prepared myself. "Ready, Saranya?" I asked and she let out a cry

Alwin and Verwen were on their own monsties as well and were waiting for me to go first. "Let's go!" I ordered and Saranya immediately roared as she started to run and beat her wings. She then took a leap and soon, we were off into the air. Much like my first ride many years ago, I let out a squeal in excitement. All those flights had been fun, but there was nothing quite like flying on your very own monstie

Flying around the entire highlands and the valley outside rutoh with my best friend and his mother on my own monstie, I took a deep breath as I felt the wind in my hair. I had kept my hair rather short in this life as it was much easier in a place where the were branches everywhere and I had already gotten my hair stuck several times in my childhood. I still laughed about the very fact that my father had longer hair than I did. 

Flying over the huge lake in the middle of the highlands and making sure that Saranya was flying stable, I slowly let go of the saddle and spread my arms like that time I was flying on buckbeak in my third year. "Woohoo!" I shouted as I enjoyed it low than almost anything I've had done in this new life and I heard Alwin laugh over the wind at hearing my excitement. I then grabbed the saddle again and flew up high, before making a spectacular u-turn and diving back to the ground, pulling up in time and flying over the ground.

Eventually, it was time to go home as Saranya still had to get used to flying with me on her back and we landed nearby the village again. I dismounted and hugged my monstie's neck. "Thank you Saranya." I whispered and she crooned as she gave me a nudge as Verwen and Alwin dismounted as well and were smiling at me. We walked into the village and I immediately ran towards my father who was waiting.

I knew he'd go and hug me instead if I didn't do it first, so I immediately ran towards him. He chuckled as he hugged me back, me burying my face into his white robes. "Did you enjoy your very first flight?" He asked and I quickly nodded in answer. I felt him kiss the top of my head. "My little treasure." He breathed and I smiled. I felt him looking at my monstie then. "Look after her, Saranya when I can't, please." He requested

Her roar was all the answer he needed

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Years passed

With my very own monstie now always by my side when she wasn't in the stables for the night as she couldn't exactly fit in our house, papa finally allowed me to go outside the village more often once we had trained and my monstie could handle it. Although, he did prefer if someone went with me in case anything went wrong, never mind that my powers were still growing stronger with the day and that Saranya would protect me if anything actually did happen

As I had predicted, his overprotective instincts were slowly starting to grate on my nerves as I grew older and wanted to do more things than just play around in the village or the forest nearby. I got that it was a dangerous world out there and that he didn't want to lose me and while I'd obviously never take the fact that I finally had parents who worried about me for granted but I wasn't a little girl who couldn't even stand up straight anymore.

I had my own monstie now and was training to protect the village once I was allowed to be a guard, which thankfully wouldn't take that long anymore. I thought that if I had magic to use, might as well use them to protect everyone in the village after everything that had done for me. Apart from Hogwarts, I hadn't had a true home until coming to Rutoh and with the monsters prowling around outside the gates and walls, you'd never know if something bad would happen. I'd obviously gotten these powers for a reason and I wanted to use them for good

Papa didn't agree with that opinion though. "What if someone sees it? What if you get kicked out or shunned?" Was something he had asked one evening. "Papa, we really can't live our lives on only "what if" questions. I want to protect the village and if I can't use my powers, then what's the use of having them?" I had asked back, before storming to my room and jumping on my bed. I got where he was coming from, but he'd have to let me go one day

In the background I had been able to hear mama and papa quietly arguing, until papa had eventually walked into my room as well and sat down at the edge of my bed, taking a deep breath and gently stroking my back. "I understand that this is important to you. Trust me, I really do understand, my little treasure, but if you were to get shunned or cast out because of your powers, I wouldn't know what to do." He had told me and I slowly looked up at him

"I  could always live with that other Wyverian with powers you told me about all those years ago so I'd have an ally." I had immediately replied and he had chuckled in answer. "He lives all the way south in the cold, snowy region of Loloska, sweetheart." He had said as he caressed my cheek and I instinctively leaned into his touch. "Yippee! We could make snowmen all day if that's the case." I had cheered with a grin and he had laughed outright, making me smile at successfully brightening the mood as mama joined us at hearing us laughing again

Papa had backed off about the subject a tiny bit after that, but he was still worried and always hugged me when I returned from small, training quests completely unharmed and I happily hugged him back every single time as despite our arguments, he was still my father. Saranya did her best to fulfill her promise to papa to always keep me safe, her tail managing to injure and drive off many monsters that we fought over the years

Unfortunately, there was one day that didn't start out as happy. Most monsters weren't exactly immortal, Elder dragons perhaps not included and as the years passed, Saranya got older as well. After at least fifty years had passed, she was getting slower and weaker. The felyne responsible for the stables told me to start taking it easy as it suspected Saranya was slowly nearing the end of her life and I had immediately hurried to her part

Kneeling in the hay of the stable next to my very first monstie, I hugged her neck tightly as if that was going to keep her with me. "Don't go, Saranya. I need you." I whispered desperately, tears in my eyes and she let out a croon as she leaned her head into my touch. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and looked up to see papa and mama standing there, mama kneeling as well to give me a one-armed hug. "I don't want to lose her, mama." I breathed, one hand still holding onto Saranya and she nodded. "I know sweetheart. I know." She whispered 

I then looked at my faithful, first monstie and she looked back at me, seemingly trying to say it was fine, but I was sick and tired of losing those I cared about after having gone through that too many times in past life "I wish you'd live as long as we did." I muttered as papa kneeled down as well, before we all widened our eyes as my body and hand on Saranya started to glow and my monstie herself soon following for a few seconds before dying down

When the glow disappeared, Saranya, who had looked weak and tired just a few seconds before, suddenly looked a lot stronger as she stood up and looked at me as she tilted her head, wondering what I just did. "Don't look up weird, but I think I just did exactly that. Do you mind?" I asked with a slight wince and she carefully nuzzled my head. I sighed in relief as I gave her another hug as my parents smiled. "You really are a miracle, Dearien." Mama commented

Unfortunately, storr people had seen through glow coming from the stable and wondered what was going on and after a talk with the Elder, he officially told the villagers about my powers, warning everyone that they would only be used for the greater good of the village and not for someone's personal gain, what just happened with with Saranya not counting as I hadn't done that on purpose. "Dearien is still part of our village and will always be welcome here, so if anyone wishes to say anything, now is the time." Elder Maolo stated

Silence fell as many villagers shared looks, trying to see if anyone had a problem papa and mama both had a protective arm around me as they looked to see if anyone was a threat to me. "What can you do?" Ena, bless her heart, asked curiously. I slowly extended my hand and let a flower grow from between the stones of the square and she gasped in awe as I followed it with throwing ice and snow into the air so snowflakes fell down despite it being summer.

Many Wyverians muttered as well at seeing my powers weren't dangerous at all like this.As my final trick, I turned myself in an exact copy of my father, much to the shock of those around me as I grinned. "And that's pretty much it." I stated, many people jumping as I even imitated papa's voice perfectly, papa himself smiling ruefully as I changed back. Eventually, the other villagers decided that I was still the same person and that my powers might help protect us

They slowly drooped off after saying that they didn't mind, much to our relief. Alwin stayed behind though, looking rather hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. "Alwin, I already pissed my pants at the thought of telling my parents and the elder, let alone you." I replied and even he couldn't suppress a snort at hearing this. "I'm really sorry for keeping it a secret for so long, alwin." I told him then and he hummed, having seen how scared I was during the speech. "No more secrets?" He asked as he held out his hand and I agreed as I shook it

More time passed and Alwin and I finally came of age, Saranya still there with us to celebrate. Papa actually got a bit emotional as he gave me my birthday gift, having chosen the day he found me as my birthday, which was a bracelet with the image of a rathian on it. Once they came of age, parents would give their children a bracelet with their very first monstie on it if they were a rider or other symbols if they had decided to do something else

I immediately hugged him and mama tightly as I thanked them profusely, knowing that this day was rather hard for them now that I was officially an adult and ready to take on the world if I wanted to. "I'll always be your little girl. That will never change." I whispered and they both hugged me back, before papa pulled back and kissed my forehead. "My amazing treasure." He breathed and I chuckled at the slightly changed nickname as I wasn't exactly small anymore

I now reached papa's collarbone now instead his heel like I did once, but I found that I preferred his old nickname for me. "You don't have to change it, papa. I'm still your daughter." I told him and he smiled as he pulled me into another hug. "I'm so proud of you, Dearien. Never forget that." He whispered and I immediately shook my head in answer. "I won't, papa. I promise." I replied as I buried my face in his signature white robes and smelled in the lovely, woodsy smell that was just so papa that I'd recognise it from miles away even if he was disguised

Ena was now slowly becoming an adolescent as well with her only a certain amount of years younger than us and the two of us, together with Alwin often took walks in the nature around Rutoh, Saranya and Alwin's new monstie protecting us from other monsters. One day not long after we came of age was no exception as we were walking near the lake where papa found me all those years ago, not aware that our lives were about to change

"Hi there!" We heard a voice call and Alwin turned to me. "Dearien, you know you shouldn't use your powers out in the open like this." He said. "That wasn't me." I said, before we heard footsteps and a young boy ran towards us. "Didn't think anyone would be here. I got lost, but I'm glad I was able to find you three." He said as he stopped right in front of us. I widened my eyes at seeing the boy's rounded ears. This was the first time in this life that i saw a human

"Nice to meet you. I'm Red." The boy greeted with a smile

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Woah! Easy, girl. Easy."

Yeah, running up to us out of nowhere with a very protective Rathian next to me probably wasn't the smartest thing this boy had done as Saranya immediately growled in his face, tail ready to strike and her throat lighting up with fire as I tried to pull her back with help from Alwin and Ena. "I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm. Calm down, girl." I grunted. Even if a Rathian wasn't as big as a Rathalos, she was still very heavy

Saranya was still growling, but took a few steps back as she trusted us to deal with the situation, although she kept her tail wrapped around my back with the stingers aimed at the boy in case he tried something. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you guys. This is my first trip away from home and as I said, i got a bit lost in the woods. I promise I don't mean any harm to your rider, great Rathian." Red promised with a bow to Saranya

My Rathian grunted, but calmed down as I put a hand on her neck to make sure that she didn't attack. He actually seemed like a nice kid. "You guys are wyverians, right? Wow! I've heard about you, but I never thought I'd actually meet you." Red then gushed as he looked at the three of us and I couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. He was acting like he was meeting some legendary figures or like Colin Creevey in my second year. The thought of that brave boy made my smile fall and I saw that Alwin noticed this, but before he could say anything, there was a roar

A Great Jaggi was running towards us or more specifically Ena at top speed. Seemingly without even thinking about it, Red tackled her out of the way as my Rathian quickly attacked the Great Jaggi. 'Bloody hell, these monsters are arseholes.' I thought, remembering the monster that had tried to attack or eat me when I had just arrived here as I gave Saranya orders and we had soon beaten it. I then turned back to the others

"Are you guys alright?" I asked in concern as I quickly hurried to both Ena and Red with Alwin and Saranya. "I'm fine." Ena assured me, but Red groaned in pain as he slowly got up and looked at his stomach. He had received a pretty nasty gash from a rock during the fall. "Thank you for protecting her." I told him as I looked it over. "You're welcome. Ah!" Red winced and I bit my lip. "We need to bring him to the village." I muttered 

"You can't be serious!" Alwin stated in shock as he crossed his arms and looked at me 'No, but my godfather is.' I thought with a bittersweet smile as I remembered someone else who had died for me, before I looked up at him. "He's hurt, Alwin and we don't have the necessary equipment with us to bandage or heal his injury, so unless you want him to die from either blood loss or infection, he's coming to the village." I insisted as I carefully helped Red up and Ena agreed with me, making Alwin sigh as he was outnumbered for now

"Fine, but you both are telling the elder and Zellard exactly why you brought a human with you." He muttered and we nodded as I helped Red get on Saranya while Ena and Alwin took the latter's newest Paolumu and we took off towards the village. Despite him being in pain, I could hear that Red was enjoying the brief ride towards Rutoh. We soon landed outside of the village gates and I quickly helped Red inside

"Dearien! You're back early... and who exactly do you have with you?" Papa asked in surprise and slight suspicion as he immediately hurried towards us. "This is Red. He got injured protecting Ena from a Great Jaggi." I explained, the boy's round ears immediately showing to everyone he was human and I could already hear several whispers. "You brought a human to our village?" Papa asked in a slow tone and I rolled my eyes

"He's hurt, father! He got injured while protecting one of our own What exactly would you have wanted me to do? Leave him to his fate?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, having started to call my parents "mother" and "father" in public as was considered proper while still calling them "mama" and "papa" in private line I was used to. Seeing the bleeding gash on Red's stomach and his pale complexion, papa sighed and loudly called for a healer. One arrived thankfully soon and took Red over as we went to explain everything to the elder. 

"So, you brought a young human to our village for the first time in its history, hmm?" The elder asked once he also heard of the situation and I let out a breath, before straightening my back and lifting my chin. "He got injured trying to protect Ena. Even if we had sent him back home with a catavan, it still might have been too late. I have absolute no regrets about taking him here, sir." I replied with no hesitation in my voice 

"And I agreed with getting him here, grandfather. He protected me and got hurt in the process. I would never have forgiven myself if we had left him to his fate" Ena stated to help me and the elder hummed. "We'll see what the human will do, but if this goes wrong, then it's on you for bringing him here." He stated and I saw papa stiffening up. "Yes, sir. I understand." I spoke up before he could, but I could see he was not happy with it

Thankfully, Red turned out to be a really sweet kid as he asked everyone everything he could think of about how we worked and lived. Despite not everyone exactly welcoming him with open arms as he healed and eventually left, he kept on returning over the next couple of years. His kindness soon made sure he had a little entourage of admirers around him, which Alwin didn't really like. "Are you jealous, love?" I asked teasingly, before turning red as I realised what I said and Alwin blushed as well as he cleared his throat

"No, not at all. Why would you say such a thing?" He quickly denied, before walking away as I repeatedly hit my temple. 'Why did I say that?' I thought to myself as I rubbed my forehead. I remembered the heartbreak I felt when Cedric was killed right in front of me and swearing I'd never fall in love again, but it had happened nonetheless and with my best friend too. What would Cedric say if he saw me in this situation? 

'He'd tell me to stop being an idiot and would want me to be happy.... even if it wasn't with him.' A small voice in my head stated and I sighed as I saw Alwin leaving the village with Red following him. "Let's hope I didn't screw things up again." I muttered as I crossed my arms. "Why on earth would you say that?" Mama's voice asked from behind me and I jumped, which was still weird to sl with my Wyverian feet

"I may have called Alwin "love" a few minutes ago." I confessed and she smiled as she wrapped an arm around me, immediately understanding. "Remember what I said during our wedding? I admired Zellard from a distance for a while, until you came along and we finally grew closer. You are much closer than we were once and knowing Alwin, he won't let this change anything if you both don't want to. Besides, you might not be the only one who wants more, but don't tell your father I said that. He might borrow Saranya if you do." She fake whispered and I laughed 

When Red and Alwin eventually returned, the former told me all about how my best friend had saved him from a monster and I automatically gave my friend a smile, making him blush and rub the back of his head. "It was nothing. I just chased it away. Nothing more." He muttered and I chuckled. Yeah, that was Alwin. Humble to a fault and always dismissing his accomplishments. He was rather like Cedric in that way. 

However, he wasn't a complete replacement for the only other boy I had loved before. He was his own person with his own desires and flaws like his allergy for felynes and I had fallen in love with him because of that. Still, I really wondered if he really felt the same thing like mama said he did. I was not going to risk our friendship if he didn't. I took a deep breath, before sending them both to the healer just in case

As Red travelled all over the known world and often came back for visits, his multiple stories about the places he had seen and the people he had met there slowly awoke the desire to see these places for myself. Truth be told, even Alcala and its vast mountains and valleys had slowly started to become boring as well as much as I loved to fly around. I was pretty sure Alwin and I had explored everything that there was to explore and had fought every monster that there was to fight here, much to my father's worry and concern.

One evening, I finally decided to breach the big subject with both my parents during dinner. I now lived in mama's old home Nope I was of age, but still came to eat dinner at least three times a week "Mama? Papa?" I started slowly and they both turned to me. "I was wondering... if you'd allow me to travel further than Alcala." I started and when they didn't say anything yet, I quickly continued on before I lost my nerves

Red has asked if I wanted to see his homeland and all the different stories he told me about all the places he has visited during his journeys has made me want to see them too. I love Alcala and I always will, but I want to see more." I said. "No." Papa stated. "But papa-" I started to protest, but he cut me off. "No, Dearien. I already worry enough about you when you're out there in Alcala and nearby." He said in a loud voice

I don't want to think of you travelling in the cold reaches of Loloska or the desert of Lamure all by yourself. Something might happen and you might not be able to come home or get help." He said as he put his utensils down harshly and with a frown."You can't protect me forever, papa! I'm of age now and I have full control over my powers now. I could do it. I want to travel" I insisted stubbornly, trying not to cross my arms to look like a teenager arguing with my parents. "You can at least let her try, Zellard. Look at how much she wants to go." Mama tried as well. 

"I said no and the decision is final." Papa shot back and with a growl, I jumped from my chair. "Thanks for the food, mama. It was delicious." I said, knowing that she had done her best on it, before walking out of my childhood home. I could hear her arguing with papa as I walked to Alwin's house as I didn't want to go to my own home just yet. I knocked on the door and Alwin opened it, immediately frowning at seeing my face

"Zellard said no?" He asked as he let me in, me having told him about my desire to travel as well. "Emphatically. Repeatedly. At times, it's like he still sees me as the baby he found in the wilds and just refuses to let go of my leash. It seems I won't be getting his permission." I muttered as i sat down on the couch and rubbed my face tiredly. "But you're still going, aren't you?" He asked as he sat down next to me 

"You know me too well, my friend." I said with a tiny smile aimed at him, before dropping it and sighing as I looked down at the ground. I was torn between glory anyway and starting home as I knew me leaving in such a way would break my father's heart "I love Alcala and it will always be my home, but I just can't stay here for my entire life. I really want to see everything this world has to offer." I continued, remembering how much I wanted to travel when I was small in my previous life and had to stay with Mrs. Figg every time the Dursleys went on an expensive holiday.

That desire had only continued to grow at realising that I was in a completely new world and now that I was finally of age after several centuries of growing up and being papa's little girl for most of that time, that desire honestly seemed about to burst out of me .Alwin was quiet for a minute, before sighing. "Well, you will need to prepare supplies without your father noticing." He stated and I looked up at him in surprise.

He immediately smiled at me, chuckling at seeing that I was actually surprised at his words. "I can see how much you want this, my friend and as much as I know I will miss you whole you're gone, I cannot watch you be absolutely miserable at being forced to stay here by Zellard. I will help you reach your dreams in any way I can." He said, before grunting as I tackled him into a tight hug thanking him over and over again.

He then chuckled again and immediately hugged me back, stroking my back and hair, before we eventually pulled back and went to prepare the first important things to take with me on my journey. I was happy at least one other person except for mama understood how much I wanted to go and as much as I knew that I would miss being here, I really wanted to see more than just Rutoh and Alcala. I just hoped that papa wouldn't be too mad at me. That night, I also wrote a letter for Alwin to give to papa once I had left

The only other people who knew that I was leaving after that were Ena, the Elder and even mama. Granted, mama was an accident as she walked in on me, Alwin and Ena carefully packing things for the journey, but she gave us a grin and pretended not to have seen anything. Elder Maolo thankfully understood my desire to travel as well and wished me luck, promising not to tell papa and stating I'd always be welcome home

I did go to papa and apologised, both for my words and secretly for what I was going to do, before hugging him and mama. "Stay safe." Mama whispered as she hugged me and I nodded, before subtly going to Alwin and Ena to say goodbye. That night, I snuck out of my home and towards the stables. Quietly saddling Saranya after telling her to stay silent, I secured my bag and climbed on her back, looking at my childhood home

"I'm sorry, papa. I'll see you soon." I whispered, before we took off into the night

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

3rd person P.O.V

It admittedly took a bit for Zellard to notice that something was different the next day. When he made his usual rounds through he village like he usually did to see if anything was wrong and saw that Saranya's stable was completely empty with the Rathian's saddle and other stuff missing, he first thought that Dearien had simply gone out flying for a few hours and would be back soon. It wasn't until noon came and went that he started to get worried

"Elder have you seen Dearien? I haven't seen her since yesterday." He said to the tiny Wyverian leading the village as the sun started to set in the sky and Elder Maolo sighed as he realised he'd have to be the one to tell him as Alwin had refused to give the letter until he knew. "I saw her last night. Said she was going to make a trip. She's probably in either Loloska or Lamure by now." He stated rather bluntly and Zellard immediately stiffened up

"What?" He breathed in utter shock and Elder Maolo turned to him, feeling sympathetic for the concerned father and understanding his desire to always keep her safe from any harm, but also knowing that he really needed to hear this. "She deserved to have her freedom and travel to places beyond Alcala, Zellard. I understand that you're concerned about her and what could happen. Trust me, I really do after losing Rivena, but you were not doing her or your relationship with your daughter any favors by forbidding her from going to see the world." He said

Zellard looked down as he realised his daughter had run away from home because of what he had done and enormous guilt filled him to the brim. Elder Maolo saw his words had sunk in and nodded with a hum. "Alwin has a letter from her that she wrote for you. I suggest you go and find him instead. You're dismissed for today." He said and Zellard left with a small bow. He quickly found Alwin and got the letter, going home to read it

Papa. 

I'm sorry

I'm really sorry for just leaving like this and not telling you I would be gone. I never thought that my very first real trip away from home would literally start with me actually sneaking away in the middle of the night like a common thief or a shadow, but I simply knew that as much as I love Rutoh and as much as it and you and mama will always be my home, I'd be utterly miserable if I stayed they'd for another century or so and I couldn't cope with that

I immediately promise you that I will be extremely careful while I'm gone and that I won't reveal my powers to anyone that I meet. I just had to see what else was out there for myself and see what other people and monsters live out there, but don't worry. I'm sure that Saranya will watch me just as well as you always did when I was a little girl playing in the village, but that's exactly the thing that brought us in this very situation in the first place, isn't it? 

I'm not an innocent little girl anymore, papa. I'll always be your daughter, no matter what happens in the future and no matter what you or I do, but I'm  not the helpless little baby you found in the valley all that time ago anymore. I can fight. I can dodge monster attacks and I have raised a very protective Rathian who will keep me safe no matter what. I hope that I can prove myself to you and that I will see you soon. I hope that you can forgive me

I love you papa and that will never change,

Always your daughter,

Dearien. 

Zellard groaned in almost physical pain once he finished reading, looking down and resting his forehead against the letter. His daughter had run off because of him and was now somewhere out of reach. If anything happened to her while she was gone, he'd never forgive himself. Mirien walked in and saw the letter. Sighing at seeing he knew Dearien was gone, she put her things down and went to sit next to him, pulling him into a tight hug from the side

"Did you know?" He asked as he willingly sank into her embrace. She sighed again and nodded in answer. "She's just as stubborn as you are, my love. Did you really think that she'd stay because you said so?" She asked. "She used to once." He muttered. "Well, she's not that girl anymore and if you keep treating her like that, you will only destroy the close relationship you have." She cautioned and he didn't say anything in return. They stayed like that for a while

Several very long weeks went by without them getting a single message from Dearien about how she was doing and Zellard tried his absolute best to distract himself from the fact that his only daughter, his little treasure, was somewhere out there with only Saranya as companion and protector in case anything happened to her because of him. Even though Wyverians lived for a very long time, the days since Dearien left the village beside seemed to be going even slower, even with his wife doing her best to help him as she really missed their daughter as well. 

One day, at least two months after Dearien left, a catavan arrived with a pretty big box in it. "Package fur Alwin." The felyne delivering the box stated and Alwin stepped forwards, even if he kept his distance because of his sneezing. Thanking the creature anyway as he took it over once the felyne had put it from the cart, apparently having heard that he was allergic even if he didn't know what it was, he carefully lifted the pretty heavy box in his arms

"What is it?" Ena asked curiously as she saw a note attached to it and went to read it. "I always keep my promises." Was all that it said and once they opened it, they saw it contained an egg and Alwin widened his eyes as he started to realise what it was. Quickly hatching it with help from the Elder, he grinned as the monster inside was revealed: a Legiana like he had always wanted. "Thank you, Dearien." He whispered as he greeted his new monstie

Over the several months that followed, letters slowly trickled in about the many different places Dearien had visited while she was gone and even Zellard could see that his daughter was really enjoying herself from her writing. Alwin happily raised and trained his Legiana, who he had named Shaulk in those months and was soon very close to his new monstie as they became a good team and protected the village from any dangers. They hadn't seen Red in a while, but knew he'd turn up soon again. They were right about that, but not in the way they expected 

It started on a normal day, Mirien and Zellard were taking a relaxed stroll through the village in the morning, when they suddenly saw a mysterious red light appearing in the distance. "What is that?" Mirien asked in fear as she clung onto her husband. "I have no idea." He replied as he pulled her close as well. He, Elder Maolo and Ena went to check it out with alwin providing aerial support. "Be careful." Mirien whispered as she hugged Zellard tightly

"I will. I promise." He swore, before finally letting her go and quickly following Alwin the Elder and Ena. They found that it was an enormous pit on Mt. Harzgai, bright red light streaming from it like blood from a wound. "What could this be?" Ena asked in worry. "I've never seen anything like this." Zellard confessed, before hearing something coming from it. He started to walk closer to it. "What are you doing? It's not safe!" Ena protested,

She knew Dearien and her mother would be devastated if anything happened to him. "I'll be fine." He waved her off as he walked to the edge of the pit and looked into it, his eyes widening at seeing something moving in the depths. Elder Maolo noticed something coming closer and warned him. It was a tigrex, but something was wrong with it as there was a red glow coming from it and it was even more aggressive than usual as it advanced on Zellard  "Run!" Ena shouted as the tigrex roared in his face, before being temporarily knocked back by Alwin and Shaulk.

"Zellard!" Alwin called as he reached out to get the man to safety, but Zellard only stared at the wild tigrex. "Hurry!" He continued, knowing Dearien would never forgive him if her father got hurt. The tigrex got back up and knocked Alwin off Shaulk and quickly advancing on the now injured rider as he tried to get away. Ena rushed forwards to help despite not having a monstie, but they then heard two familiar voices shouting one word. "Alwin!!!"

Dearien's P.O.V. Several months ago 

Brrr, Loloska really was cold all over and with "cold," I meant "freezing." I was glad mama and Alwin shoved at least a dozen bottles of hot mist in my bag as I used it to keep myself and Saranya warm. I knew that my Rathian would be alright in the hot, volcanic regions in the North, but Loloska was a bit closer to Alcala. Besides, I heard you were able to find Legiana eggs here and I still remembered my promise to Alwin to get him one when I got Saranya

After quite a bit of staring at us because of both my ears and the Rathian next to me, the nice people of Kuan Village, the only town in this region, agreed to let me stay for a while in exchange of doing some chores and errands like defeating monsters that had been causing a ruckus around the place. Not very different than what Alwin and I did back in Rutoh. I did often wonder how they were and if papa was really angry at me for leaving like this

I also wondered if mama, Alwin and his parents, Ena and even the Elder were okay as weeks passed during my stay in the human village. However, as much as it really pained me to say it, I had only just started this first journey and I was not going to crawl back home just yet because I was experiencing a bit of homesickness. I was really exploring the world I had arrived into and not just Rutoh and its surroundings. Besides, if I was sent here for a specific reason, then wasn't I supposed to know why or at least care about the people around me?

Didn't really make sense if I was supposed to save or help save these people from something in the future and I cared about them as much as I cared about the Dursleys, meaning not at all. Thankfully, the people of Kuan were all really nice and the children were obsessed with Saranya, never having seen a Rathian before. Thankfully, they had actually managed to find a way to keep the stables nice and warm so my monstie didn't suffer during the night

With help from the people living there, I actually got armour that was incredibly resistant against the cold so I only had to use hot mist on Saranya when going out and one wise one woman helped me find a Legiana egg that I immediately sent home with the catavan, hoping that Alwin would like it. After a few weeks, though, I wanted to move on and said goodbye to everyone, thanking them for everything they had done to me as I headed north

Going to the desert of Lamure next, I immediately noticed the enormous difference in temperatures between the two places, although i also quickly noticed that Saranya much preferred this region over the last one, which wasn't a big surprise as she was incredibly warm-blooded. I vigorously studied with the Royal scriveners during my time there who in turn learned things about Wyverians from me. Not things that were secret and sacred to my people obviously, but nothing that was incredibly common knowledge either, so it was a nice compromise

Exploring the region, I landed on the top of a high, but abandoned tower in the middle of the desert. "I'd hate to fall from this height. There's no way you'd survive." I muttered to my monstie as I carefully looked over the edge and Saranya agreed. We then heard a roar and looked up, my eyes widening in fear. There in the distance... was a Rathalos and it was coming straight towards us. I had no idea what it wanted, but i wasn't going to wait to find out

I jumped on Saranya and flew away, the Rathalos coming after us. No matter what we did, the Rathalos kept following us until I got an idea. "Get ready to do a u-turn." I said and Saranya roared as she thankfully heard me. "Now!" I shouted and she made a very quick U-turn and went back the same way. As we crossed the Rathalos, I only now saw it had a rider who was frantically waving at us and I immediately stopped Saranya as I realised who it was. 

Red?!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Phew! Finally managed to catch up with you."

"Sorry about that. I thought your Rathalos was a wild one." I apologised after Red and I had both landed on the ground in a nearby field and dismounted. "It's okay. I would've done the very same thing if I had been in your situation. Ratha and I just arrived in Lulucion and heard about how there was a Wyverian with a Rathian staying there and I immediately knew that it was you. Why are you here?" Red asked with a chuckle, but I had one question first

"You named your Rathalos "Ratha?" Real original." I commented and he grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, naming monsters isn't exactly my best quality." He admitted. "But again, why are you here and so far from Rutoh?" He then asked and I sighed as I sat down in the grass. "I grew curious to the world outside my village, so I went to travel around with Saranya over here." I said, gesturing to my Rathian as she laid down next to me and Red and "Ratha" did the same

"And your dad just immediately agreed with letting you leave your home like that? I always thought that he was incredibly protective over you." Red commented in confusion. "Oh, he is and he didn't agree at all, so I may or may not have snuck out in the middle of the night with help from Alwin, Ena, mama and even Elder Maolo." I admitted and he laughed. "Okay, now that I can believe about Zellard. But good for you that you went out on your own. If you want, I could show you Mahana village. It's where I live." He replied and I smiled, his enthusiasm being very infectious 

"Great! But first, have you been to the felyne village nearby?" Red asked excitedly and I shook my head. He grinned and jumped back up on his feet, Ratha standing up as well and me and Saranya following his example. "Just follow me. I know the way." He stated as he climbed on his monstie and already sent him running away without waiting for me. "Red! Ugh, he's unbelievable." I muttered as I jumped on Saranya and quickly sent her after him

Thankfully, there was a reason Rathian was called "Queen of the land" and we had quickly caught up to my human friend and his monstie we held a small race on land as Red said it was too nearby to fly towards it. Ratha was bigger and had more power in his run, but Saranya was faster and more agile. It was a neck-to-neck situation as we ended the race with huge grins on our faces as we dismounted and told our monsties to wait outside the gates

The felyne village was absolutely adorable to go through and after looking at us a bit weirdly, the tiny and incredibly cute inhabitants were all too willing to help us with anything that we needed. When we came back after getting some supplies that were for both felyne and human (or Wyverian,) we saw Ratha using his tail to let some felyne kittens glide down to the ground and it was just the cutest thing ever. We reluctantly told the kittens we had to go and after bumming a bit, they let us go and waved us off as we flew off into the sky towards Red's hometown

When people think of a vacation paradise, they usually think of pure white beaches, sky blue ocean and the sun shining every day. Not go give Red opportunity to brag about where he came from, but that was exactly what his birthplace on Hakolo Island looked like. 'Why couldn't I have been reborn here?' I thought to myself before shaking my head. Rutoh was still my home with my friends and family living there and that would never change 

The humans living there gave me weird looks as well, until Red loudly told everyone that I was a friend of his and i was quickly accepted in the village. A younger boy named Gara was absolutely fascinated with me as he tried to touch my pointy ears even as I tried to keep him away from my face. Red only laughed at seeing this as Saranya and Ratha quickly made themselves comfortable in the stables as Saranya immediately loved this place too 

Suddenly remembering what exactly happened when you put a Rathian and Rathalos together or at least very near each other, I often checked up on them over the next few weeks, but they didn't seem to be doing anything just yet or be busy making eggs. "So, any idea when you're going back?" Red asked me one day as we were just sitting on the dock across the village entrance, bare feet in the water and simply relaxing for a bit. No hunting, no farming ingredients, no quests or requests from villagers to fulfil. Just two very good friends spending some time together

With Red being human, every moment was precious. Going back to his question, I shrugged in answer as I looked at the blue sky. "I'm not sure to honest. I'm kinda scared about what my father will say to me about me running away from home." I confessed, having written them a few letters over the past few months. However, facing my father in person was something quite different and despite having been a Gryffindor, I didn't feel very courageous 

"You can't stay away forever Dearien. You have to return home some time. Besides, I can see you miss everyone. All your friends and your parents. How much longer are you going to torment yourself by staying away?" Red asked and I sighed, having no idea how to answer that. "Let's get you home, Dearien. I'm sure your parents and your friends miss you." He insisted and after a few minutes, I reluctantly agreed as a part of me wanted to go back too

We both waited for another week before Red finally brought me home as we prepared for the trip back to Rutoh. I finally said goodbye to everyone and promised to visit soon. Red and I then climbed on our monsties and took off into the air, flying over the ocean towards the mainland. As we flew over the vast ocean, my hands gripped the handles of my saddle so hard that my knuckles turned white. I had no idea how papa would react to seeing me again and that scared me. I just hoped that after all the yelling he'd definitely do, he'd at least give me a hug

As we finally reached the shores of the nearby mainland, Ratha and Saranya suddenly stopped flying out of nowhere and roared loudly. "What is it?" I asked in concern, before seeing red light shooting up into the sky in the distance. Uh-oh. That's not good. We immediately flew towards it with the utmost haste as we both knew that this wasn't normal. Sorry papa, mama, Ena, Alwin. The reunion had to wait until we figured out what this was exactly.

It turned out that I had nothing to worry about as I saw my father and Ena at where the light came from, papa's robes sticking out and as we got closer, I even saw Elder Maolo. I gasped as a tigrex appeared and roared in my father's face. "Run! Why aren't you running?" I asked desperately as Alwin briefly knocked it back and tried to save papa, but he seemingly didn't listen. My eyes widened when he was attacked instead, getting knocked off his monstie 

"Alwin!!!" I loudly screamed at the same time as Red did as we pushed our monsties to fly even faster. Because Ratha was stronger and bulkier, he knocked the tigrex back as I landed in front of my friends and father, the both of us looking back at them. Alwin sighed in relief at seeing us and I then glanced at papa, who looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. The tigrex then roared again and I glared at it as I joined Red. "I will not let you hurt my family." I growled as we both readied our kinship stones. "Okay, pal. Let's do this!" Red stated as we attacked 

It was a very harsh battle and something was really wrong with this tigrex, but we eventually managed to subdue the monster. We landed on the ground once the fight was over and I immediately jumped off Saranya's back, running towards my father without a care in the world and slamming into his chest. "Why didn't you run?" I asked in a tiny voice as I buried my face into his robes. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and held me close

"I'm sorry, Dearien. I was stunned at seeing the tigrex." He whispered as he realised I was really there. I took shaky breaths as the image of a monster roaring in my father's face was not something I'd easily forget. 'Karma is a bitch' I thought as I remembered that this was exactly how papa had found me when I was a baby, only then with a tigrex instead. Papa hushed me as he kept holding onto me, our argument and my actions briefly forgotten 

Eventually pulling back from me once I was calmer, he looked down at me. "Where on earth have you been?" He asked and I gulped. "Loloska and Kuan village, Lamure and Lulucion, a very adorable felyne village, Red's hometown Mahana village. I've been to a lot of places." I answered and this only deepened his frown as I briefly noticed Red, Ena, Alwin and Elder Maolo giving us space to have this conversation. He closed his eyes and pulled me closer again, taking a very shaky breath himself. This surprised me as I had expected he'd be furious with me because of what I did.

"You're not... angry?" I asked. "Oh, trust me. We'll have words once we're back at the village and you've reunited with your mother, but right now, the happiness and relief of having you back, not to mention my pride of seeing you beat that tigrex is bigger." He replied and I smiled as I hugged him back. Writing letters was nothing compared to hugging papa again. We eventually joined the others and I was immediately tackled into a hug by an ecstatic Ena

I laughed and grunted as I fell. Chuckling as well, Alwin helped me up and hugged me. "It's good to have you back." He muttered and I smiled as we went home. Walking into the village, I already saw mama walking towards us with a worried expression. The moment she saw me, she let out a cry and rushed towards me. I immediately hugged her back, pressing my nose against her shoulder. I'd have a big talk with papa about our actions later, but that was okay

I was home

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Well, that could've gone worse.

Papa and I did have a very tense conversation and there was quite a bit of shouting from both sides as we both could be as stubborn as a mule at the worst of times, but with help from mama, we eventually calmed down as we also knew we had missed each other. This was probably the first time papa had seen me in action with Saranya and he had seen that I was able to hold myself in a fight even against an insane tigrex

Once we had both cooled down and were more reasonable and calm, he eventually pulled me into another tight hug and kissed the top of my head. "You did so well against the tigrex, Dearien. I'm proud of you." He whispered and I immediately preened at the warm praise as I buried my face in his chest, once again smelling that familiar, woodsy scent that I'd always associate with papa until the end of my life.  

We still had no idea what exactly had happened to make that particular tigrex to be that aggressive or what that red light was and if it was connected somehow, it having disappeared as quickly as it apparently had appeared as soon as the tigrex was beaten by us. However, it did seem that the kinship stones of Red and I had been powered up by it somehow. What the bloody hell was that light and more importantly,  what on earth or any world was the thing causing it? A monster? A natural phenomenon? I didn't know, nor was I sure if I even wanted to know

Unlike in my last life, where even I have to freely and sheepishly admit that I basically had zero self-preservation skills whatsoever which was mostly because of me having lived a life of where I never had an adult to help or protect me growing up as the Dursleys always left me to figure things out for myself without caring if I got hurt, I didn't want to recklessly jump into danger anymore. Not when I had papa and mama now.

Speaking of which, I was immediately reminded of something that I had been torn about for quite a while, even when I was away from home and thinking about going back: finally telling my parents where I truly came from and what had happened to me in my past life. I didn't want to lie to them about anything anymore. I was getting tired of having all these memories in my head and not having anyone to talk about them with.

I wondered what their reactions would be, especially papa's as he had thought that Wyverians and humans couldn't be friends. I was curious and nervous about how he would react about the fact that he had adopted a former human. But that would have to come later as Red eventually left the village to find answers about the pits and what they could mean. "Red, I promise that if you ever need help, I'll be there. If you need anything, just call and I'll be there." I promised as I hugged him and he smiled. "Thanks, Dearien. You're an amazing friend." He said

I chuckled in return. "You helped me save the lives of my friends and family. Seems only fair that I'll do my best to protect yours as well." I replied, pulling back from the hug to ruffle his hair and he immediately laughed as he pushed my arm away, making me grin at him in return. In the time that we had travelled together, we had almost become like siblings. Siblings of two different races, but siblings nonetheless

Despite knowing that he'd look much older than me in a few decades, I delighted in having a little brother for now. At least, until mama and papa ever gave me a real one, but with our biology, it was very uncertain if it would happen. It did help that papa was finally acting nice to him ever since we returned, having been rather cold and distant at first because of that belief that humans and Wyverians couldn't be friends.

But now that he knew that Red had kept me company, had actually saved my skin a couple of times during our adventures while I was gone, and had helped me save the village as well as his life, I had actually seen him talking to the boy several times over the past few days and looking quite interested in all he had to tell him. I had the feeling that it was the start of a nice friendship between the two of them as well. I hoped so anyway. Red then climbed on Ratha and flew away into the sky, briefly waving back at us and we returned the gesture

A few days later, I was nervously playing with my food for a bit while sharing dinner with my parents and once again, papa soon noticed that something was really off. "What is it, Dearien?" He asked in a gentle tone and I took a deep breath. "I have a story to tell you after dinner." I admitted slowly and after sharing a confused look, mama and papa agreed and we quickly finished dinner, before going to the living room

Once we were ready, I began. "Right, once upon a time, there was a little human girl named April. She was born in a world very different than our own as there were no monsties to be gained or ridden, but she did have magic as did her parents. Around the same time the girl was born, the world she was in was at war against a very evil wizard and a prophecy was made about how April was the one to defeat him." I started

"Her parents tried to go into hiding to protect her, but they were betrayed by someone they considered their friend and the evil wizard came to their home a year later, killing the father and offering the mother a chance to step aside and let him kill April. She refused to get out of the way and he killed her as well, but because she gave up her life for her baby's, the curse the evil wizard used to kill said baby, rebounded on him and briefly destroyed him. He used very dark magic to keep himself alive, but he was weakened and April was an orphan." I continued 

"That poor baby." Mama breathed and I nodded. "After the death of her parents, the baby was sent to live with her mother's sister and her family, a vile woman who didn't have magic and despised it. Instead of treating her like a family member, they treated her like a burden, letting her sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, feeding her scraps on the table and letting her do all the chores once she was old enough." I said

My parents looked absolutely horrified at what I was telling them, but I had honestly only just begun. "Over the next ten years, April's life was miserable as any sign of magic was punished heavily. They never told her about her true heritage, telling her that her parents were good-for-nothing drunks who had gotten themselves killed in an accident. It wasn't until she turned eleven that her life changed for the better." I stated

I then went through the events of the first three years of Hogwarts, from meeting two-faced Quirrel and almost dying to fighting the giant Basilisk and almost dying to meeting Sirius and almost having my soul sucked out by dementors. They both looked pale and sick at hearing my story and mama's eyes spat fire at hearing that the little rat got away and that the man who could've raised "April" and could've taken her away from her aunt had to go on the run. Papa was taking very deep breaths as well and I closed my eyes for a moment

From this point on, things would only get harder. "It wasn't all doom and gloom though. When she was fourteen, April fell in love for the first time. He was a boy named Cedric who was about three years older than her. They had grown close in her third year, despite being a supposed murderer after her. They only became even closer in fourth year, even when the Triwizard Tournament was announced." I told them

I then slowly went through how "April" was selected for the tournament, despite it being supposedly impossible as wel as the first two tasks of retrieving the egg and the lake, but I paid more attention to the ball. Despite it technically being against the rules, Cedric and I had gone together and it had been a wonderful night. I smiled at the memory, before l slowly dropped it at getting to the part of the third and last task

"It had all been part of one big plan, designed by none other than the evil wizard from before." I started. "This wizard is really getting on my nerves." Papa interrupted me ellyth a growl and I let out a tiny laugh. "The wizard's minion hiding in the school had enchanted the cup so it would bring April to his master and tried to disable the other champions, but when April heard Cedric being hurt, she saved him and they took it together, getting transported to a graveyard where the weakened evil wizard was waiting." I went on

By now, my hands had slowly curled into fists and I was taking very deep breaths not to cry and give away that I was April just yet. "Wait. If they only wanted April, then what happened to Cedric?" Mama asked in worry and I bit my lip. "The evil wizard was accompanied by Wormtail and when he saw Cedric was there as well and refused to leave her behind even as she told him to run, he only gave one single order." I replied

I looked at my parents as I tried to imitate Voldemort's voice. ""Kill the spare."" I hissed and papa's jaw fell in horror as mama covered her mouth with tears in her eyes. "Just a second later, the boy who April had loved and who had loved her simply for who she was in return, was dead and April was captured, her blood being used in a horrible ritual that brought the man who had killed her parents back to full strength." I continued 

I kept my voice monotone even as I talked about the duel, the spirits of my parents and Cedric appearing and helping me escape, the second dementor attack against me and my cousin Dudley and how the ministry had told everyone that I was crazy and only seeking attention instead of actually admitting that Voldemort was back. Papa loudly growled at hearing about Umbridge and for a second I wished that bitch was here, just seei I could sent Saranya after her. What would be more painful, dying of poison or being burned alive? 

I eventually told them about the D.A and about the fake vision of Sirius getting hurt. I told them about the fight at the ministry and how I lost Sirius there. I told them amount sixth year and finding out about the horcruxes and how Snape killed Dumbledore. I told them about the year hunting the horcruxes, getting captured and finally the battle of Hogwarts, about how I lost so many friends, before finding out that I was a horcrux

My parents were again looking horrified as they now realised what it meant without me having to tell them and I was taking deep breaths, trying not to show how deep they really was. "With the spirits of her parents, godfather and honorary uncle guiding her, April willingly walked to her death and met the evil wizard who started it all by hunting her when she was a baby. He shot the killing curse at her, ending her life." I said

"However, instead of immediately going to the afterlife, her spirit landed in what I supposed was limbo. There, she met the spirit of Dumbledore and talked with him, before getting a choice to go back or go on. April had lost so much in her life that she just wanted to rest and she chose to go on, hoping to be reunited with her loved ones." I said. "Was she?" Mama asked. "No. Instead, she found herself in a completely different world as a Wyverian baby and with a Great Jaggi soon roaring in her face." I replied, looking at them both

I could see the different emotions on their faces at this: confusion, contemplation, realisation and finally, shock and horror as they finally knew how I was able to tell this story. "Dearien..... you're the girl from the story?" Papa asked and I nodded as I looked down, only to squeak in surprise as mama practically tackled me into a hug. "Oh sweetheart. I'm so sorry." She breathed as she held me as tightly as she could

I immediately started to sniffle as I buried my face in her shoulder for a few seconds, before finally letting everything out and crying for those I had lost. I soon felt the couch next to me dip, followed by papa wrapping his arms around us both. He didn't say anything, but when I glanced up at him, his face was full of love, concern and sympathy as he kissed my temple. "You'll never be alone anymore, Dearien. I promise." He whispered

He then simply let me cry my heart out, neither he nor mama judging me as I grieved everyone in a way I hadn't been while to do in public. There had been times when I had been a baby again when mama put me down for a nap and I had actually just cried as quietly as I could, but after telling everything that I had gone through, I really needed to let it out. "You've gone through so much sweetheart. Things you never should've had to go through at that age." Papa stated after a while. "Mm-hmm." I sniffled in agreement and he pulled me even closer

"I promise you that you will never have to go through something like that again. I will protect you from anyone wishing you harm." He continued. "We both will." Mama immediately piped up and I smiled tearfully. "Mama. Papa." I whispered and now that they knew I had parents before, they just held me even tighter in return. "Why didn't you tell us before?" Papa asked. "Didn't know how." I admitted quietly and he hummed

He kissed the top of my head again and pulled me even closer. "You won't go through something like this again. I swear." He whispered. "I don't know. With my luck, I'll probably have you try to kill me or something." I muttered and he gave me an unamused look as I grinned at him. He rolled his eyes, before silence fell and we simply hugged as they let me cry everything out. They loved me and I loved them. That was enough

I was finally, well and truly home.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

A weight was gone from my heart

I immediately noticed it now that I had finally told mama and papa the complete truth about me and where I really came from, there truth about everything that has happened to me. I'm also pretty sure that I heard papa muttering curses to the Dursleys, Voldemort, Umbridge and several others as he pulled me into several hugs over the next few days but it only warmed my heart as I knew he was angry for my sake

Mama understandably was absolutely horrified at what I had to go through in my past life and pulled me into many guys as well, although both she and papa did keep the hugs very private as they knew that the others wouldn't understand why the hugs looked so desperate. Like I said, I'd always remember and love James and Lily Potter, but I was happy that I finally had parents who survived into my adulthood 

Red did come and visit us over the years even as he kept searching for answers about the pit and it was honestly rather weird to see him grow up really fast compared to us and knowing that I once aged the same way, only having less than a century to spend compared to the many years ahead of me now. It also seemed that papa was thinking along the same line as he and Red became pretty good friends now that papa knew I had been human once. It made me really happy to see them finally getting along. Eventually though, the boy we knew had grown up

He had now become  a strong young man and his abilities only sharpened over the years to the point where he could completely understand what a monster was saying. One time, he actually told me that Saranya felt a bit stuck in her stable and wanted to go out and fly a bit more. Granted, I had been rather busy in that time, but the fact that he literally told me that in public was rather embarrassing to be honest

He never really changed from the happy-go-lucky boy that we knew and who had accompanied me on several adventures, only that he became wiser and slightly calmer over the years as even despite his research over the pits, he managed to still have a life outside of that. He and I often exchanged letters and he told me all about a woman from his hometown named Anela who had officially stolen his heart

I once received at least three pages of complete rambling about how amazing she was and how much he wanted to ask her out, but didn't know how and didn't want to look like an idiot. Having gone through that phase once already, I advised him to have a quiet and private conversation first to try and gauge her feelings and not to run in headfirst like a brain dead kulu-yaku. He clearly followed my advice as by the next letter, he was officially dating her and he thanked me over and over for my words, making me smile

Alwin and I were still as close as ever, although there was a slight difference from before i left, but it felt like a good difference. A few years after Red's rambling letter, I got an invitation to his wedding to Anela. One set of puppy dog eyes to papa later and he actually allowed me to go as he had now seen that I could look after myself. If I managed to subdue an enraged tigrex, then I could make the flight over the ocean

Nevertheless, Alwin and Ena went with me as they wanted to see where Red came from. They gasped in awe at seeing the paradise that was Hakolo island and I grinned as I knew that this had been my first reaction as well. Red and Anela were already waiting for us on the beach and as was tradition in their village, they cupped our faces with both hands and rubbed or cheeks as a greeting. It always tickled and made me laugh

Alwin was still rather uncomfortable at having his face touched, but he reluctantly let it happen as he knew it was tradition. "Now, tell me everything. I want to know exactly how you managed to get her to marry you." I teased Red as I ruffled his hair again, actually having to reach up to do so as he was now a full head taller than I was, a complete difference from the small boy he was when we met him and he laughed as he led us to the village, telling me all about how he had proposed to Anela and how she had accepted

I swear the smile on his face never disappeared during the entire time that we were there, from the day of arrival to the wedding day. We honestly stuck out like a sore thumb among the darker skinned inhabitants of Mahana village, but Red's happiness about us being there made everything worth it. Gara had now become a young man as well and apologised for constantly trying to grab my ears and I forgave him

During the ceremony, I leaned against Alwin. "They grow up so fast, don't you think?" I asked and he snorted. "Especially compared to us." He argued as he slowly wrapped his arm around me. I saw Ena looking at us with an excited expression on her her face. "Shut up." I mouthed to her and she giggled as Red and Anela got the rings from Ratha's back and officially became husband and wife

They then kissed each other under loud applause from everyone, us included. We then happily congratulated them and made sure to stay far away from the village during the wedding night. Sometimes, having very good hearing was more of a curse than it was a blessing When it was time to go, Anela pulled me aside and asked me to look after Red as he was getting slightly obsessed with finding the answer to the pit. "I promise that I will protect him with my life." I swore and she nodded in gratitude before I warned Red to take good care if her

He immediately promised to do so before Ena and I finally climbed on Saranya and Alwin got on Shaulk. We then took off to go back home and waved at the newlyweds until we couldn't see them anymore. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I smelled the salty air, feeling Ena's arms around me and seeing Alwin flying next to me. Whatever was causing the pit, it wasn't important today as I had my friends and family

Over the next few decades that followed the wedding, i received four more "rambling packages" as Ena once jokingly called them at seeing the huge amount of pages that Red sent me about one particular subject and they weren't even about the pit or anything like that. I received packages when Anela was pregnant with their child, when his son was born, when his son got married and when his grandson was born.

Especially the latter package was filled with at least four letters about how absolutely adorable his grandson Leo was and how he couldn't believe he was a grandfather. I smiled at how incredibly happy he was and showed the letters to mama and papa. They smiled and we spent the evening reading all about our friend's grandson until I eventually fell asleep against my father's chest, smelling his woodsy scent and feeling him kiss the top of my head as I dozed off. "Goodnight, sweetheart. We love you." He whispered and I smiled, before falling asleep

A few days later, I noticed Alwin speaking with both papa and mama after I returned from a small flight on Saranya to let her stretch her wings as Red had advised. He looked really tense as he talked with them and papa looked really stern as he stood there with his arms crossed. Suddenly having the feeling that it was about me, I slowly backed away with Saranya and went for another hour of flying

One day, not long after the final package had arrived, Red actually came to visit us in Rutoh again, not having done so in a while because he was busy with searching for answers and spending time with his family. Where was once a young, enthusiastic boy ward now a wise old man who kinda reminded me of Dumbledore in some ways. It felt really weird to see him as a grandpa, but I knew that was just life

Me, papa, Ena, Alwin and Elder Maolo went to greet him and especially Ena immediately ran towards him with a happy laugh. He cupped her face with a smile. "Hello, Red. It's good to see you" Papa greeted him, his arm linked with mine. "Look at you all. You haven't changed a bit. I'm really starting to feel the years." Red stated as he rubbed his back and I snorted. "Yeah, you're really an old man now." I chuckled and we laughed. Once we had calmed down, things got serious really quick as Red told us all he had found several other pits all over and not just in Alcala.

I immediately grabbed papa's hand at hearing this and he quickly squeezed it in return without looking as it concerned him as well. "Is all this true?" Elder Maolo asked. "They're not just regular fissures in the ground. These pits.... they're everywhere too. I have to find the truth behind what's causing them." Red stated. "The truth?" Alwin asked. "Have you seen something in the pits?" Elder Maolo asked as well

"No. I haven't seen a thing, but I heard something. It was a monster's voice echoing from the depths." Red answered. "A monster's voice?" Papa asked with a frown, quickly pulling me even closer to him and I had the feeling this monster had nothing good in mind if it actually drove monsters in a huge rage like with the tigrex. I held onto papa's hand as I flexed the fingers of my free hand in case we needed magic 

Red was the only outsider who actually knew about my magic as I had once used it to chase a monster away when he had been knocked off Ratha and I had also used it to change the holder of his kinship stone to a mix between what it used to be and the Wyverian version to make an unique creation that fitted him perfectly as a symbol of our friendship. Not even his family knew as he had promised he wouldn't tell anyone. Still, even though everyone in the village accepted my use of magic, it still made me nervous to actually use it

"Yes. Just hearing it I knew... ruin is coming to our world." Red answered papa's question, harshly snapping me out of my thoughts as papa quickly tightened his grip on my hand. "As unbelievable as that sounds, it behooves us to investigate." Elder Maolo stated and we went back inside the village to prepare and tell everyone where we were going. During the walk back, I slowly let go of papa to go and walk next to Red

"How's the family? Is Anela completely alright with the fact that you're here?" I asked with a small grin, only to regret it as Red looked at me with a certain pain in his eyes that I knew all too well. "I'm afraid she passed away last year." He replied and i looked down. "Oh, I'm so sorry." I said and he patted my back. "It's not your fault Dearien. But I was wondering if you could do me a little favour." He stated and I looked up

"What is it?" I asked curiously. "As I said, I'm not the youngest anymore and I can feel that my time on this world is almost over. My grandson Leo is only three years old and it's a dangerous world out there. If anything happens to me, I want to ask you to look after him until he can take care of himself." He said and I immediately nodded. "I'd be honoured." I stated and he smiled as we reached the village. It was decided that the elder would stay back and that me, papa, Alwin and Ena would go with Red to investigate. 

Mama wasn't really happy with staying behind while we went to investigate these strange pits, but she did give papa and I the tightest hug she could give and we both hugged her back. "Don't worry, mother. We'll be back before you can say "monstie."" I promised as we pulled back as it was time to go. Papa and I climbed on Saranya while Alwin and Ena joined Red on Ratha, who was thankfully big enough and we flew off

We eventually found a pit near Lulucion and my eyes widened at seeing it was the same place where Red and I reunited after I realised that he was riding the Rathalos chasing me. A pit had formed in the middle and red light was coming out of it, just like that time in Alcala. Dismounting from the two monsties, me telling Saranya to stay back, we slowly walked closer, only to stiffen up at hearing a cry coming out of the pit

I instinctively grabbed papa's hand at hearing how loud it was. I may be an adult now, but I had a really bad feeling about this and I really didn't like it. It felt like walking through the ministry, looking for Sirius "So, you think the truth to the pits... is this noise?" Papa asked as he squeezed my hand. "Yes..." Red said, before an even louder cry was heard and the light became even brighter, but I heard it saying something. It sounded like it was saying: "the beginning." Beginning of what? "It is a voice." Red breathed at hearing the same thing that I did

"It certainly is. Did it say "the beginning?"" Papa asked and I looked up in surprise. Papa heard it too? Did we all hear it? What was going on "It's a cry of new life." Read said, before Ratha roared and suddenly began to fly closer to the pit, Red barely able to jump on as he flew away. Another cry was heard from the pit and the ground started to shake, breaking up in more fissures as papa immediately put me behind him.

I clung onto him, before noticing something on the rock wall next to us. "Papa!" I shouted at seeing the monster that had just landed. A black dragon/bat-like creature with white spikes all over its body and two huge horns on its head. "It's a Nergigante!" Alwin said and I frowned. What was a Nergigante doing here? They only attacked elder dragons. The Nergigante then jumped from the ledge and towards Ratha.

3rd person P.O.V

The group standing further back from the pit could only stare in absolute horror as the monster then attacked Ratha for seemingly no good reason and harshly knocked Red off his back, making him fall down to the ground as Ratha and the Nergigante started to fight each other,  Saranya quickly flying up and coming to help as she saw what was going on and realising this monster was a threat to her rider.

"Red!" Alwin and Dearien shouted at the same time as more cries were heard. The ground then started to erupt and fall away, Red being very close to the pit and unable to get up because of the blow from the attack and painfully landing on the ground. Another cry was heard and Red seemingly understood what it was saying now. "So, you're going to be born, huh?" He asked, but Zellard interpreted it differently.

"So this... this is the beginning." He said as the ground started to break more and Ena tried to rush forwards to try and save Red, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her as it was too dangerous. "Let me go!" She cried as she pulled herself free and ran towards where Red was lying on a piece that was almost breaking down. She desperately reached out to try and grab his hand and he did thee, but they just couldn't reach each other by a few inches. A whistle behind him made Zellard turn to see his daughter running away and calling Saranya.

The Rathian immediately abandoned her fight with the Nergigante to pick her rider up, Dearien jumping on without her stopping as they flew towards the pit. "Dearien!!!"  Zellard and Alwin shouted at the same time to try and stop her as the ground underneath Red fell away and Ena could only watch helplessly as he fell into the pit, Dearien recklessly flying in after him to try and save him... and neither coming back out 

"No! Red! Dearien!" Ena shouted, before she collapsed into tears, Alwin having rushed forwards to make sure she didn't fall in as well and he could only stare in horror as two of his best friends disappeared. Zellard slowly walked forwards. "This was his fate. Life is so fleeting. So fragile and precarious. Red may have been strong and skilled in life, but against the awesome powers of nature, he was merely a man." He said

Tears were rolling down his face as he realised he had lost his only daughter, the one person he swore to protect and who had changed his life for the better. He had always promised to protect her ever since she was a baby and he had failed. Now, she was gone and she was never coming back "Neither he nor Dearien stood a chance." He stated as he turned and walked away from the pit, closing his eyes and making a face or pure pain as he realised that he was going to have to tell Mirien that their daughter was never coming home. 

As she cried., Ena saw Red's kinship stone and held it to her chest. Alwin soon flew back to Rutoh first, stating that they needed another monstie to bring Ena and Zellard back as Shaulk could only carry him and a couple of Paolumus was sent with him. "Can't Saranya bring them home?" Mirien asked, but he didn't answer as he flew away back to the pit. Mirien watched him go, a feeling of dread slowly starting to fill her

She realised something was wrong. She paced back and forth for an hour until they returned home... but without Dearien or Red. "Where is she?" She asked, but one look at her husband's face told her everything she needed to know. "No...." she breathed in denial as she backed up. "No!" She shouted as she collapsed to her knees and started to cry, Zellard kneeling down next to her and hugging her as everyone realised what had happened

Dearien was not coming home. 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Many years ago. 

Dearien, who looked about the physical age of five years old, slowly opened her eyes one cold winter morning. Yawning and stretching herself, she then quickly shivered at feeling the cold and immediately burrowed herself back into her blanket. When he found Dearien, Zellard had promised himself to make sure that she would have everything she wanted and was doing a pretty good job on that as she was never starving for things or attention 

Unable to fall back asleep, she instead sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She then got dressed and took a peek out of the curtains. Her eyes widened at seeing it was snowing. Even though she wasn't the biggest fan of snow growing up after almost breaking her leg being forced to clean the Dursley driveway, her friends at Hogwarts had made it fun for her again and now that she had a real parent she wanted to play in the snow with him

He had been very busy lately and she honestly hadn't seen much of him because of that. Don't get her wrong, Alwin and Mirien both obviously were excellent companions to play with too and she was never bored when they were around, especially since she was still trying to get her father and Mirien together, but it was probably because of her lonely upbringing that she just really preferred Zellard. When she was younger, she had often found herself being getting upset if she hadn't seen him in a few hours, although she had gotten better with that

Ever since she was a baby and he had taken her into his home, Zellard had shown that he preferred to keep himself to a tight schedule, even on the days that she didn't have lessons, although he did make sure to spend more time at home on those days. Therefore, she already knew he'd be in his study before breakfast to do some paperwork, him usually going to advice the eider after they had eaten breakfast together and she hurried towards the right room

"Papa?" She asked, before knocking on the closed door. "Do you wanna build a snowman? Come on, let's go and play! I rarely see you anymore. Come out the door. It's like you've gone away. I'm really, really bored now, without you around. Please tell me that you'll plaaaayyy. Do you wanna a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman." She sang and she could hear her father laughing as he walked towards the door and opened it to look at her

"You really know how to exaggerate things, don't you my little treasure?" He asked as Dearien immediately walked closer for a hug, Zellard automatically wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. "It's true though. I haven't seen you in forever!" She sighed dramatically as she looked up and straight in her father's slightly lidded green eyes, putting on the biggest puppy dog eyes she was capable of and he gave her a very amused smile. "A couple of days isn't forever, Dearien." He told her. "It is to me." She muttered, her voice muffled against his clothes

He chuckled as he stroked her hair and she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the fact that she had a loving father once again. It really showed her how much she had missed because of the Dursleys, so she was catching up on missed feelings and experiences. As she did this, Zellard looked at the paperwork still lying on his desk and sighed deeply. He had been rather busy in the past few days, only really spending time with his daughter during meals

"I have been kind of neglecting you in the past few days, haven't I?" He asked as he looked back at his daughter and she nodded. He hummed as he lifted her up in his arms and held her close, kissing her forehead. "Alright, my little treasure. We'll play in the snow today, but I do still have to do my duties to the Elder." He said and she nodded in understanding as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, before her stomach rumbled and she blushed

He immediately laughed at this as he adjusted his grip slightly to make sure his arm didn't fall asleep. Even though she was still quite young, Dearien was slowly getting heavier with the year and all Wyverians had really sharp nails on their feet so she always had to make sure not to accidentally scratch him across the stomach or side when he was holding her like this, keeping her feet pointing downwards and her toes close together when not wearing shoes. "Let's get us both some food first." He said as he walked towards the kitchen 

Putting her down once he was there, he made breakfast for the both of them. Once they were finished with breakfast and Zellard had wrapped her in warm clothing, Dearien did first have to play with Alwin and Mirien slightly outside of Rutoh as Zellard finished his duties for the day, but Elder Maolo let him go early after he had explained that his daughter was waiting for him. He walked towards her from behind and lifted her up in the air, making her laugh

Mirien immediately smiled at seeing Dearien literally light up now that her father was there as Zellard lowered her just enough so she could sit on his arm and he could give her a hug, the girl immediately hugging him back, before they went to play in the snow together with Mirien, Alwin and his parents as well as the few other children that were there with their families. They actually did build a snowman and just had a lot of fun as even Zellard relaxed a bit

After a while though, Dearien and Alwin both began to yawn and rub their eyes as they grew tired of playing. Mentally, they may have been further ahead then humans, but like every child, no matter what race they were from, they still needed a lot of sleep and became very easily tired. "I think it's time for us all to go home." Zellard then decided and Dearien let out a groan that may have been her refusing to go home if not for another yawn as her father lifted her up in her arms and walked to their house after they had said goodbye to everyone.

After discarding their wet clothing, Zellard sat on the couch watching the fire, Dearien sitting in his lap with her head on his chest and a blanket covering them as he stroked her hair. Dearien was soon out like a light and her father smiled at her. "Sleep well, my little treasure. I will be here when you wake up." He whispered, having noticed in the beginning that she panicked if she woke up and couldn't find him. He kept holding her for a long time

------------

Many years later, a now older Dearien woke up much better, but still had the same enthusiasm at seeing the snow. This was the very first snow since her parents got married and she couldn't wait to spend time with them both. Knowing that her father now preferred to spend the mornings with her mother, she quickly got dressed and hurried to their bedroom instead of the study, once again knocking on the door as her father had taught her. 

"Do you want to build a snowman? Or ride Paolumus down the hill? I think we can go further now. After all these hours, I've kinda had my fill. It gets a little boring, all these real old spots. I want to see some moooore. Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman." She sang, before going to make breakfast herself as her parents woke up. "Is she always like that when it snows?" Mirien asked. "Only when she thinks that I haven't been paying enough attention." He answered, making her laugh and he grinned, before they kissed and got out of bed

Now that Dearien wasn't an incredibly hyperactive child anymore, they opted for a peaceful family walk through the snowy forest instead, Zellard making sure that monsters stayed away from his wife and daughter. Dearien stuck very close to his side, looking up at him as she remembered that it was probably during one such walk that he had found her. He immediately smiled down at her as he kissed her forehead, making her close her eyes

Mirien smiled at them both as she could see how they loved each other and how much respect there was between the two of them, before looking down. Sure, she may see Dearien as her own daughter as well since having begun to court Zellard and the girl had slowly come to see her as her own mother over that time too, but there was no denying that there was a certain bond between the two of them that she wasn't even close to catching up with

A snowball thrown her way snapped her out of her thoughts as she squealed in surprise at the cold feeling. "Come on, mama. Don't look so down. It's supposed to be a happy day" Dearien teased her and she immediately narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Why you little-" She muttered as she threw a snowball back as Zellard quickly took a step back, never having liked the idea of throwing snow at each other ever since Dearien had first introduced the concept to the other Wyverian children, pretending it to be something silly she came up with

A loud roar immediately ended the fun they were having together as an Azuros suddenly turned up out of nowhere and the family quickly huddled together as Zellard immediately got a smoke bomb out of his bag to scare it off, his arms stretched to keep his girls behind him and Dearien secretly prepared her magic in case it was needed to knock the monster out. "Stay away from my family!" Zellard growled as he threw the bomb to the ground

The monster thankfully turned around and fled in fear for the sudden smoke, but the very good mood the family was having was completely destroyed as they quickly went home before any other monsters could attack, Zellard wrapping both arms around his girls and the both of them practically squeezed against his side as Dearien briefly looked back, hoping that they didn't scare the monster too bad, before they quickly walked out of the forest

Arriving back home without any more incidents on the way back to the village, Zellard instead made some much-needed hot drinks for the three of them so that they could calm down and they once again relaxed on the couch with the man tightly squeezed in-between his wife and daughter and honestly not minding it a single bit. Once she had finished her own drink, Dearien carefully put it down on the table, snuggled even closer to her father and closed her eyes, soon falling asleep with both her parents watching over her with warm smiles on their faces

"We're so lucky with her." Mirien breathed. "I know. I don't know where I would be without her having come into my life." Zellard immediately agreed as he carefully brushed a lock of his daughter's heir out of her face. Dearien moved a bit at this, but stayed asleep and they chuckled. Mirien then looked at her husband and gently kissed him. "Wherever you'd be, I bet this place is better." She chuckled. "Much better." He replied, before kissing her again 

----------

Mirien slowly walked into her quiet home, completely dressed in black. She just came back the memorial for both Red and especially Dearien. Ena had been inconsolable as she cried and even Alwin had tears rolling down as he mourned for his best friend as Elder Maolo said a few words. It was a snowy day, just like the ones Dearien had loved most as a child. Almost the entire village had turned up to remember her daughter and friend.... except for one

She quietly knocked on the door of her husband's study, Zellard having practically locked himself in the room after losing his daughter and not even having left it for the memorial to remember her with everyone else. She knew that this wasn't healthy and had tried to get in before to try and help her husband grieve, but for the first time in their relationship, he had actually shouted at her, telling her to leave him alone and she had quickly left

"Zellard? Please, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been. They say "have courage" and I'm trying to. I'm right out here for you. Just let me in." She begged him quietly, but to no response coming from inside the study. This broke her heart even further and tears rolled down again as she closed her eyes and tried not to cry out loud. With her daughter's death and now her husband's complete silence, it felt like she had actually lost her entire family in one day and it felt like someone was stomping on the remains of her already shattered heart

"We only have each other. Just you and me. What are we gonna dooooo?" She asked as she slowly sank to the ground with her back against the door and started to cry, despite having thought she had cried out all her tears back at the memorial. For a moment, she wished Red had never come to the village. If he hadn't come, then this never would've happened and she'd still be a mother with a child asking her for advice on so many things.

If he hadn't come to the village all these years ago, then Dearien probably would walk into the door at any moment and give her a teasing greeting as they hugged each other with the love of a family, even if they weren't relates by blood. She'd see Saranya in the stables instead of an empty space with only some of the Rathian's things. She shook her head, knowing she couldn't fully blame Red. Dearien had decided to fly in after him despite the danger

The horrifying realisation that she'd never hug her daughter ever again, never smile at her again or laugh at one of her silly jokes again then hit her like a ton of bricks and she started to cry even harder, hiding her face between her legs. The silence around her was deafening. She couldn't take it. She wanted to leave, even if for a little while. She then decided that whether or not Zellard would join her, she'd go and stay with some relatives in Nua Te village in the North. She just couldn't stay here for much longer where everything reminded her of Dearien

Inside the study, Zellard felt tears rolling down as well at hearing and feeling his wife's grief together with his own as he sat at his desk. He wanted to go and comfort her, but he couldn't. As much as Mirien had obviously loved their daughter, she had been his daughter first. She wouldn't be able to fully understand. Like Mirien, he didn't just feel grief, but anger as well. The difference was that his anger was more focused on humanity in general 

Red had been human and his daughter a former one and the world had seen it fit to take both of them away. Apart from his wife, what worth did life have if the world would always take things away from you? He hoped that Dearien had finally found peace with her former loved ones, even if it meant that perhaps, he'd never see her again. As he grieved in his own way, he heard Mirien asking him the one question that he never wanted to hear again from outside 

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Mahana village. 11 years later

There was a great feast being celebrated with both hunters and riders invited to try and foster a peaceful relationship between the two different occupations. Under the night sky, a woman was helped onto the stage in the village Square and started to sing. "Dance, O light across the sky, sent to us from heaven. Bring us hope and show us the path to all our futures." She sang, before a traditional Mahana dance was started to light up the lanterns waiting.

As this dance was happening, a 14 year old boy got closer to the square, pulling two women with him. "Leo, there you are. We were worried you were going to miss it." A woman said at seeing him as she quickly walked towards him and checked him over to see if he was alright. "Mom, I'm fine. We just lost track of time cleaning Sara." Leo protested as he pulled free. He had officially become a rider today and he wanted to prove he was not a little boy anymore 

His mother immediately smiled at him, before a masked man on a Velocidrome and the singer continued, the dancers having already pierced the laterns and light shining through the holes as they were ready to fly up. "Shining in the night, upon wings you'll fly, hope from the dark, brightening the sky like the sun. Our salvation enlightened by you. O, sacred star. Light the way." She continued as the man on the Velocidrome gave the signal and all the lanterns were released into the sky, Leo, his mother and two companions all watching in awe as they flew away

"I'm really glad you could see this." Leo commented to one of his companions, a woman with black hair and hazel and she smiled at him. "Oh, what are friends for? Besides, it's better than the epic scolding that is definitely waiting for me back home." She muttered and he laughed. She smiled, before suddenly noticing something weird, the water where the village was build upon was turning red and she gasped as everyone else noticed it too 

"Damira? What's going on?" Leo's mother asked as she held onto her son, but it seemed that Damira barely heard her as she kneeled down at the edge of the platforms the village was standing on. Leo was sure he heard her muttering but he couldn't understand it. Loud roars made everyone look up to see many Rathalos flying away like the devil was on their heels. "Damira!" He called and she looked up as well, focusing on one Rathalos in particular 

"Guardian Ratha!" She called at seeing the huge Rathalos leading the others away, but it either didn't hear her or didn't react as they all left the island as fast as possible. She then ran to the stables and opened the door to her monstie, who immediately roared at her arrival as it felt the tension in the air and saw the red light. "I know, girl. I know. This is really bad." She whispered as she hugged her monstie around the neck and watched the red light coating the entire village in its hue. She didn't know what it was, but if it made Rathalos flee, then it couldn't be good

The next day, everything went from already pretty bad to even worse as it was soon discovered that a group of hunters had gone into Guardian Ratha's woods during the feast without getting any permission and had actually attacked him, many getting injured in the process when Ratha fought back. Needless to say, the riders who lived in Mahana village were absolutely pissed off that they had attacked the Rathalos who protected the island

"Why did you enter the sacred mountain without our permission?" One rider demanded to know. "Why?! A dangerous Rathalos lives there!  Don't you think you should've mentioned that?" One of the hunters asked in return. Chief Gara, Leo, Damira and Leo's other companion Kayna were silently listening from the sidelines, Kayna deep in thought as the two argued back and forth. The hunter thought they were crazy for idolising a "wild" Rathalos

The platform they were on started to tremble as the water underneath it started to move a bit wildly and Kayna broke up the argument. "Okay, that's enough!" She stated as she got in-between the two groups. "Knock it off, both of you. The main reason we brought hunters to our island's festival was so we could foster a little bit of goodwill between us." She continued, leaning into the personal spaces of both men one at the time and making them flinch back. "Kayna's right. Besides, there are children listening. Please calm yourselves." Chief Gara agreed

The rider quickly listened as the trembling finally stopped and the water calmed down. Kayna then asked the hunter why he'd call Guardian Ratha "dangerous." "Because we were tipped off that Razewing Ratha, the monster with the Wings of Ruin lives on this island." The hunter stated. "The Wings of Ruin?!" Kayna asked in slight panic, not liking the sound of that. "Tipped off by who?" Damira asked as she crossed her arms and joined her friend 

"Does it matter? Anyway, it's said that a beat of its wings can bring about waves of destruction." The hunter went on. "I've been taking care of Guardian Ratha for the past decade and I've never seen him do anything like that." Damira huffed, both at the accusation and at the hunter dismissing her question. They had tried to attack Ratha and she was not going to let that go easily. Kayna then asked if Chief Gara knew about the Wings of Ruin

"Legend has it that a long time ago, a Rathalos born in this region brought chaos and destruction to our world." The chief explained, Leo immediately gulping in fear at hearing that and Damira quickly put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. "But... but that's only a legend, right?" Kayna asked him nervously, even slightly stuttering a bit. "Hmm, who can say? In any case, our top priority right now is to determine the cause of these strange happenings." Chief Gara then stated and they all nodded, before splitting up and preparing themselves 

Not too long after that, Leo and Damira walked towards the chief and Kayna. "Hmm. You want to join the expedition too?" The chief asked. "Yes, sir." They chorused, but Kayna wasn't sure. "I don't know. This could be dangerous. And the kid only just became a real rider." She protested, only to see Damira raising an eyebrow at her. "No offence to your skills, Mira. I just want to make sure that he's okay." She quickly explained and the other woman hummed

"You're worried about Guardian Ratha, aren't you?" Chief Gara asked Leo and he nodded again. "That makes sense. He was your grandpa's monstie after all." Kayna realised. "Red was a fine, upstanding rider. He led our tribe and protected this island alongside Guardian Ratha for many years." The chief continued and Damira looked down at the ground at the mention of Red. "I wish he was still around now. I'm sure he'd know what to do." Kayna sighed 

Seeing Leo's sad expression, Damira wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "He'd definitely be very proud of you. You should've seen the rant he gave me when you were born. I thought it would never end, he was so excited to have a grandson." She stated and that thankfully cheered him right up. Chief Gara then decided that Damira and Kayna would teach Leo the ropes of becoming a rider and especially Kayna was incredibly excited to be a teacher. After thanking him and after Leo had changed into his own rider armour, they quickly left for the stables

Because Leo didn't have a monstie of his own yet, Kayna allowed him to borrow one of her own: a Velocidrome named Ranmar. While she was explaining some important things to Leo about how he should always respect monsties and treat them right, Damira opened another door and got out her thunder Palamute named Chimwemwe. A little roar was heard as her first monstie poked her head out and she smiled at realising she wanted to come too.

"We're only getting Leo his first monstie and help him get the hang of being a true rider. It wouldn't exactly be a training if you scared all the monsters away." She explained as she stroked its head. Her monstie made another sound, before seemingly agreeing and pulling back to go take a nap. After Leo's parents wished their son luck, they left the village and led the way to a nearby part of the jungle, letting Leo battle some Aptonoth to get experience. 

Getting into the jungle and battling some other monsters, Kayna and Damira switching who was Leo's battle partner every time, they eventually reached a monster's nest in the middle of it, dismounted from their own monsties and walked further. Damira suddenly held out a hand to stop the other two as she her something. "There's a monster here. It sounds like a Kulu Ya-Ku." She whispered as the trio quickly took cover in the undergrowth and sure enough, that exact monster appeared, looking around as if searching for something and roaring up a ledge.

The trio shared very confused looks, before an egg sudden appeared on the ledge. They could only stare in surprise and confusion as it jumped from the ledge, onto the monster's head and then bounced around the place at incredible speed as the Kulu Ya-Ku chased after it. There were times that Damira saw a tip of a tail or ears, but it went so fast that she could barely keep up with it. The monster finally caught the egg and shook it back-and-forth.

"Hey! Knock it off!" A voice shouted as the egg broke free from the monster, flew through the air and landed right on Kayna's head. She tried to grab it, but it jumped from her head as well, Damira jumping up to catch it and turning it around to reveal a yellow and brown felyne, who looked different from any other felyne she had met. "I thought I was a goner. I was taking a catnap when all of a sudden I got attacked." The felyne stated and Damira looked at the nest.

"Maybe, that was because your bed was a monster's nest." She deadpanned and the felyne gave her a sheepish smile as he jumped down and she put the egg on the ground. "What exactly are you? You look like a felyne, but somehow different." Kayna commented and he grinned. "Nya-ha. With my wit beyond compare and unparalleled flair, you're absolutely right." He stated, before climbing a nearby rock. "I'm not like other felynes now that you mentioned it. I'm the legend. The felyne hero.  That's right, I'm... Navirou!" He exclaimed, little pose and all

Before they could go much further other than Kayna stating that she'd never heard of a Felyne hero, the Kulu Ya-Ku attacked and with help from Kayna, Damira and even getting advice from Navirou, Leo defeated it with his very first kinship attack. Navirou then decided to join Leo on his journey. "From now on, we're going to be partners! And I'll do it all free of charge. But if you really want to thank me, I wouldn't say no to a couple of donuts." He grinned

Damira snorted, before they took the egg back with them. With Damira, Kayna, Navirou, Chief Gara and his parents watching, Leo used his own kinship stone to hatch the egg and a baby Kulu Ya-Ku came out. While he was spending time with his new monstie, Damira slowly slinked away to spend time with her own first monstie. "Soon enough, he'll be able to take care of himself." She muttered and her Rathian let out a tiny cry, making her smile

"We can almost go home, Saranya." She whispered, before hugging her monstie 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Dearien P.O.V

I sighed as I watched Leo having fun with his new monstie, remembering how I felt when the Rathian next to me first hatched. I looked down as I grabbed the necklace around my neck. Every wyverian gets a small, simple diadem with a single jewel when they come of age. Some wear it like Alwin, some prefer to keep it at home like papa and at coming here around a decade ago, I turned mine into a necklace

The past ten years hadn't been incredibly easy ever since I managed to climb out of that damn pit with Red's body slung over Saranya's back after I utterly failed to save him like I promised to do. I refused to let his body rot there, but because we had to do it very carefully as Saranya didn't want to make the wounds on the body even worse, night had already fallen and Alwin, Ena and papa were nowhere to be found

It had been my fullest intention to go home once I brought Red's body back to Mahana village, but seeing the villagers so distraught to see their leader dead and seeing tiny Leo burst out into tears when his grandfather didn't wake up to go and play with him, I had decided to stay for a few weeks as I had promised Red that I'd look after his grandson. Weeks turned into months and before I knew it, a decade had passed. I had tried to write multiple letters, but none had sounded right and by now, it might be better to either not tell them at all or tell them in person

To be completely honest, I actually wasn't sure if I wanted to go home as Red's death once again reminded me that many people who I care about and who care about me, often die in the process. I didn't want my friends and family to die, so I was wondering if I should instead move to Nua Te village so I could still be with my people, but my family would be safe or just wander around the continent so I wouldn't hurt anyone

I had completely failed to protect Red, even if he was human like I used to be. What if mama or papa got in trouble because of something I did and I wasn't able to save them? I didn't think that I'd be able to survive that and even though I knew they were most definitely grieving me, they at least had each other and perhaps had a chance to get another, less problematic and safer child who wouldn't cause as much trouble for them

Seeing that red light shining here as well and turning the entire ocean red called all sorts of ugly memories to the surface, not helped by Red's Ratha just up and leaving like this. As I already told the hunters earlier today, I had taken care of him ever since he returned and was the only one be allowed close, even though he never let me ride him. Gara always said that he was waiting for Red to come home, even though he already had, but as a body. Something big was happening and I didn't know what it was, which I hated with a passion. 

At least with fighting Voldemort, it was obvious that I had to defeat him, even if the way how had been a puzzle to figure out. I leaned against Saranya and sighed, making her let out a little sound in concern as she turned her head to look at me. "I'm fine, sweetie. I'm just trying to think of everything that's going on and what I'm supposed to do now that Leo is starting to become a full-fledged rider." I told her as I stroked her head

She quickly let out another noise in agreement as Kayna's monstie Ranmar actually wanted to stay with Leo instead, rubbing his head gently against Leo's chest and arm. "Seriously? And after everything I've done for you?" She asked dramatically, even though she only hatched him a couple of months ago. "Ranmar's just being honest with his feelings. Perhaps, if you were gentler with him maybe..." Navirou suggested and I snorted 

That snort became a laugh as Kayna grabbed Navirou and pulled his cheeks apart in almost cartoonish proportions as she threatened to wash his mouth out with soap, trying to hide it from the others. "Thish ish exawy wad I'm tawking about." Navirou exclaimed despite the cheek pulling and I hid my face in Saranya's neck as I laughed and I could hear her let out  sounds that sounded like a monster's form of laughing as Gara, I was the only one who didn't have to call him chief as I wasn't originally from the tribe, told Kayna to knock it off

Kayna then let Navirou go, quite literally as she just let him fall to the ground and reluctantly agreed to let Leo have Ranmar as his own monstie since his new Kulu Ya-Ku was still a baby, telling the boy to take very good care of her former monstie and he immediately promised. I had to laugh once again when Ranmar repeatedly slapped Navirou in the face with his tail. I wouldn't be incredibly surprised if he did it on purpose

Deciding to eventually take pity on the strange, but cute felyne, I walked out of the stables and lifted him up and out of the reach of Ranmar's tail, putting him down on a nearby rock. "Oh, thank you.... erm, I don't think I've heard your name." He said with a slight frown. "Call me Damira." I replied with a smile and he nodded as we walked back to the chief's house now that Leo got a monstie of his own, together with Ranmar 

Gara told Leo to go and investigate Rider's Overlook, which was very nearby, but he had to do it on his own with no help from me or Kayna. Apparently, Red had sent Kayna there all by herself when she first started out too as it was practically considered a rite of passage for new rivers to go there on their own. Although, Leo wasn't completely going alone as apart from Ranmar, Navirou was coming with him too and I had the feeling that the little felyne could scream loud enough for us to hear if he was in trouble all the way from Rider's Overlook

Leo then went out to go to Rider's Overlook, me putting just a little protection spell over him just in case, my powers having only grown over the years and thankfully returned within a few hours with a new egg. "You even brought back an egg. Splendid work." Gara commented. "Damira and I must be better teachers than we taught." Kayna agreed after just saying that it was probably easy for Leo as he was Red's grandson

"Which is it? Your teaching or the fact that this was Red's grandson?" Navirou asked in confusion as he crossed his tiny paws. "Eh, who cares?" I asked in return and Kayna agreed as Leo did an awesome job. She and Leo then went to investigate some monster turf wars that had been going on in the grasslands, while I got a completely different assignment, namely to investigate Ratha's den and I immediately agreed with that

Because I didn't want to worry the people any more than they already were by letting them see me fly over towards the den on Saranya, I instead went on my palamute instead after promising my Rathian I'd be back soon, stroking her head to appease her. It would be slower and longer, but Chimwemwe or Chim was very strong as well and I had trained him a lot since I got him. I went out together with Leo and Kayna as the grasslands and the den were in the same direction and we both wished each other luck as we spit up to go our separate ways

Chim ran as fast as he could over the grasslands and towards the mountains that held Ratha' den, leaping over the barriers that usually kept outsiders out of it. 'Unless you're a haughty hunter.' I thought with a huff as I was still pissed that those guys had tried to attack my old friend's monstie. We rushed past many monsters, before eventually arriving at where Ratha always used to be in the ruins of an old temple

I carefully got off Chim's back and started to look around everywhere. "Try to see if you can find any clues, buddy." I told him and he whined as he started to sniff around. My more sensitive ears picked up on the sound of a twig breaking underneath something and I was immediately on high alert, fingers moving slightly to always be ready to throw magic, secret be damned. Chim then whined to let me know he found something

"What is it, boy?" I asked as I hurried towards him and saw him sniffing at two footprints in the sand, right before the spot where Ratha was often lying down in the shade of a broken down wall, waiting for his deceased rider to come back. At first, I wanted to dismiss them as hunter footprints, before suddenly realising that A: Ratha wouldn't ever allow a hunter to be this close to him if the villagers already had trouble, B: the footprints were far too shallow to be created by a heavily-armed hunter and C: these footprints were different 

I carefully inspected the tiny indents in the sand. It looked like someone had walked on their toes towards Ratha. Had someone tried to sneak up to him? Granted, Ratha wasn't the youngest anymore either, but I'm pretty sure it was impossible to sneak up on him. My eyes suddenly widened as I looked down at my own feet. I was wearing special boots that made it seem that I was using my full feet to fit my disguise

However, my feet were still the same Wyverian feet they had always been and I then realised that these footprints could've been caused by another, perhaps on the same night that Ratha disappeared with all the other Rathalos. Had there been another Wyverian on this very island during the festival? And if so, who had it been? It had to be someone close enough to Red and Ratha to even want to make the journey all the way here.

Alwin? No, he was too busy guarding guarding Rutoh. Papa? Pfff, he had trouble with me leaving the village, let alone going himself. Mama? She wasn't a rider, but these footprints were definitely rather small and delicate, even for a Wyverian, so it was probably a female. I looked around again, but didn't see anyone. Whoever it was had probably left or fled when Ratha flew away. 'Or had hidden themselves.' I thought at remembering hearing the twig snap. Standing up and walking further with Chim right at my side, I stopped at the edge of the sea

I breathed in the salty air as the wind blew in my face. Only an ocean and my reluctance stopped me from going home, rather pathetic if you thought about it, but I couldn't help myself. Looking to my left, I frowned at seeing a tiny ship anchored at a small beach. So someone was here and they hadn't left. My ears then picked up on slightly scared breathing and I turned around with Chim, who was growling at hearing it too 

I heard someone suppress a gasp at my sudden turn and my eyes widened slightly as even though it was brief, I recognised the gasp. 'No way...' I thought, before straightening my back and looking at my palamute. "Come on, Chim. Let's report back to Gara." I stated as I walked back into the den, Chim quickly following. I jumped on his back and we ran out as I realised that this may be bigger than I previously thought

After all, what was Ena doing on Hakolo island?

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

We were soon back in the village

It seemed that Leo, Kayna and Navirou had already completed their mission as they were reporting back to Gara. "Ah, here comes Damira as well. Have you found anything?" Gara asked as Chim and I joined them and I nodded in answer. "Ratha really is gone. I found the footprints of the hunters who snuck into Ratha's den that night... but I found something else as well." I told him after a hesitation. "What is it?" Kayna asked in worry as she crossed her arms

I briefly looked down, before steeling my resolve,  looking around to see if anyone heard us. "Chim and I found Wyverian footprints in front where Ratha was and I know the owner of them is still hiding somewhere." I said "Then why didn't you bring them here?" Gara asked. "Because she's a good friend. She wouldn't harm a fly even if it bugged her all day and she doesn't deserve to be dragged into the village like a lowlife criminal." I stated as I crossed my arms

Even if these people had given me a very nice home in the past decade, I'd always protect Ena with my life before deciding to protect them. Gara hummed at seeing my determination to keep Ena safe. "Very well. We will trust your word on this Wyverian, but if anything does happen, then it will be your responsibility." He warned me and I nodded, before looking back towards the hunters that were still roaming the village. "Just don't tell the hunters. I don't know what it is, but something about them gives me bad chills down my spine.." I muttered 

Gara and the others promised not to tell a soul, before I asked the tiny team of Kayna, Leo and Navirou how their mission had gone. Apparently, they had found, battled and defeated a Yian Kut-Ku who they suspected to be the one to stir up trouble. As a rewards for Leo's bravery, he was allowed to enter Ratha's den as well. Gara had been about to order someone to remove the barriers. "I can do that. Sara needs a flight anyway." I offered

Gara immediately agreed with that and I turned to Leo and Kayna after that. "It will take a couple of hours though. You know how she is, if I don't take her out for a flight first, she will refuse anything I say." I told them and they nodded in understanding as we immediately walked to the stables. "What kind of monstie is Sara? I bet she's a very fluffy Paolumu!" Navirou called excitedly and I snorted, knowing my father would've loved that

I put Chim in his stable after getting his saddle off him and petted him on the head once I was done. "Thank you, buddy." I whispered and he wagged his tail as I closed the door to his stable. From beside me, Navirou was still trying to guess what monster my first monstie was. "Or perhaps a Barioth. Or maybe a sand one for these warm climates. Or maybe..." He went on, before I opened the upper door to Saranya's stable and my Rathian poked out her head with a roar, making the felyne jump back with a screech of fright. "A Rathian!?" He asked in shock and I chuckled 

"Yup, that's right. She's my first monstie." I said with a grin as I leaned against the wall next to Saranya's stable, acting like having a Rathian was a normal thing. "How did you get a Rathian?" Navirou then asked, clearly still in shock and I shrugged. "Lucky find." I answered, which was true. I just didn't add that Saranya had been my monstie for hundreds of years at least "Still, I wouldn't know what I'd do without her." I continued as I gently stroked her head

Seeing her croon and lean into my touch, Navirou slowly calmed down, before telling Leo he'd seen a suspicious melynx over at the harbour and they went to check it out while I went to saddle my monstie. They came back, saying that the melynx could give them rare items in exchange for bottle caps, which they could find in a nearby everden. Kayna hummed as she told them that everden had a history, making me hide my grin as I knew what that was

"Something bizarre happened there years ago. Right in the middle of the den." Kayna told them as I busied myself as a distraction so I wouldn't burst out into laughter. "Something.... birzarre?" Navirou asked in slight fear. "There was a big fuss about a huge monster showing up there. The village sent some riders out to investigate." I decided to join in on the fun. Together, Kayna and I really hyped up the story about how the riders had found a huge white-haired beast with blue eyes and tanned skin in the den, also known as... Chief Gara

The faces of Navirou and Leo when they heard it was just the chief of the village were hilarious. I  ished them luck with finding bottlecaps and went to leave to let Saranya stretch her wings. "At the end of the flight, we'll remove the barriers to Ratha's den, but we're not going there. Ratha is gone anyway and Ena might still be there." I quietly told my monstie and she gave me a look. "Yeah, I don't know what she's doing here either." I replied and she grunted

"Nevertheless, as much as I love Ena, she can't keep a secret to save her life. If she recognises you becauseof your scar, then she'll realise who I am and then, all of Rutoh will know very soon." I continued. Despite winning against that oddly behaving tigrex, Saranya had received a scar above her eye, distinguishing her from many other Rathians not unlike my scar had once done. My monstie agreed, before flying off into the air and over the ocean

Having the feeling that soon, things would blow up and I wouldn't be able to fly for fun anymore, I enjoyed this flight more than usual, even if I made sure to avoid the location of Ratha's woods. I spread my arms out as I felt the salty breeze in my face and hair as well as the monster living and breathing underneath me. As much as I had loved riding a broom, it was nothing compared to riding my own monstie. I closed my eyes as Saranya's paws hit the water surface letting the sun shine on my face and for a second, I didn't have a single worry

Then a roar was heard coming from the island and that second was over as I immediately grabbed the saddle again just in time as Saranya abruptly stopped at hearing the loud roar as well. "You heard that too, right?" I asked and she grunted. "It sounded like an Anjanath. Let's go." I then ordered her and she immediately flew towards the direction of the sound. We arrested at the beach again, just as Leo, Kayna and Navirou ran out of a den

"Guys! Over here!" I called as Saranya quickly landed in the sand and they ran to us. "What happened? I was flying nearby and I suddenly heard this terrible roar." I said as I instinctively checked them all over. They told me how they had been busy fighting a bulldoze in the den when a very powerful Anjanath had suddenly entered the fight. Kayna had thrown a flash bomb to scare it off, before they had quickly left after getting bottlecaps and an egg 

Even though most monsters were mostly mixes between animals I recognised from my world, there was no doubt that Anjanath looked about 99.99% like a T-Rex. A pink and black T-Rex that could spit fire like a dragon. Also T-Rex/Tigrex. I'm still not sure if that was a coincidence or not. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I quickly escorted them back home so we could report to the chief about this event. I hit my head at realising I still hadn't removed the barriers, before deciding that Leo's, Kayna's and even Navirou's safety were far more important right now

Turned out that I got another chance as after we finished reporting to the chief, hurt riders from an expedition to the North side of the island arrived as well, telling us of a monster with  powerful poison. Once they had recovered from the shock and once their parents had done their fussing (me not feeling jealous at all. Noooo, what are you talking about?) Leo and Kayna went to investigate, Leo's mother and I giving them at least two dozen antidotes

While they were gone, I finally removed the barriers that (usually) kept intruders out of Ratha's den. I could've done it when I went to investigate, but they're such a hassle to get back up again, so I just jumped over them with Chim. "Leo's really growing fast, huh?" I asked and she grunted in understanding. "I mean, he's fourteen now. When I was fourteen, I...." I went to continue on, before falling silent as I remembered what happened. "Never mind." I muttered 

Saranya gave me a tiny nudge in concern, but i shook my head. "I don't wanna talk about it. Let's go back." I stated and she grunted as we flew back to the village. Kayna, Leo and Navirou soon came back and reported the poisonous monster was actually a Pukei-Pukei, but they had defeated it as well and once we had rested for several hours, I had made Leo upgrade his weapons and armour and Saranya was back in her stable in case Ena was still there, we were ready to go back too Ratha's den to see if there were any clues I had missed

Three people with their monsties could see much more than one person and one monstie after all. We eventually arrived and I had to admit the den looked stunning in the sunset with little ponds glistening all over. "Your grandpa passed away, but his Rathalos came back. Besides Red, Guardian Ratha would never let anyone else ride him, not even Damira. "I'm sure he's waiting for Red to come home." That's what chief gara always said." Kayna told Leo

Navirou jumped onto a nearby rock and loudly ondered why Ratha wouldn't let anyone ride him if Red was gone. Kayna told him and Leo that once a monstie formed a bond with its rider, it would never forget them and deciding that something big must've happened that night of the festival as Ratha never would've left Red's former island and both Leo and I nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's look for more clues." Kayna then said

"Yeah! Follow me! My nose knows there's something here." Navirou said excitedly as he ran forwards and I scoffed as he had told us before he could smell good eggs from a distance. "I highly doubt that there are eggs here, Navirou." I said and he grinned before we suddenly heard a voice. "Is it.....? Red!" A very familiar voice exclaimed and I turned around just in time to see Leo getting tackled to the ground by a even more familiar figure. 

"What is she still doing here?" I thought in utter confusion 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

I immediately checked if my glamour was still working

To my utter relief, it was. As much as I loved Ena like a sister, I didn't want her to know before papa and mama. They were the ones I had to explain most to and they deserved to be the ones to find out the truth first. Navirou asked who Ena was and Kayna told her Leo wasn't Red. "Of course.... There's no way it could be.... It's just.... those eyes look like Red's." Ena said as she let Leo go and stood back up again

She was right as Leo's eyes were exactly the same as Red. Leo stood up again as well as Navirou grinned at him.  "Red was one of our leaders. This is his grandson. Red passed away a long time ago." Kayna told her. "I know... it's just I....I actually came to see guardian Ratha. Red face me something to bring back here." Ena explained and I frowned. 'When exactly did that particular thing happen?" I thought

I didn't have time to think about it as things started to shake around us. Kayna and I immediately put Ena and Leo behind us. Chim growled while standing in front of me and an Anjanath appeared and my eyes widened at seeing the same red glow about it as around that tigrex all those years ago. So it really was happening here too. "This looks clawfully bad, buddy." Navirou whimpered before Ena gave Leo Red's Kinship Stone, the same one I had enhanced many years ago. So that's where it went. I hadn't been able to find it after climbing out of the pit 

I had put a glamour on mine so it'd look like a human Kinship Stone, rather than one from Rutoh. At Ena's insistence, Leo took the Kinship Stone and we then went to fight the Anjanath with the three of us as we tried to calm it down. This monster seemed even more enraged than the tigrex from that time with Red. Did it mean those red rays were growing stronger? We did eventually manage to beat and knock it out though

"We did it, buddy!" Navirou cheered. "That was amazing! I wonder if it was thanks to that Kinship Stone." Kayna commented, just as Red's or Leo's kinship stone now I guess as well as mine lit up for a moment, just like when Red and I beat that tigrex. "Wow! The Kinship Stone powered up! Hmm, seems like this one works differently from the ones I remember." Navirou commented and I quickly hid a grin at this

We then looked at the felyne as he explained his old partner's (or pawtner's as he himself called it) Kinship Stone had powered up after purifying something called the Black Blight, which had happened a few years ago. I had heard about it and had even gone out to help with the absolute chaos caused by it, but this definitely wasn't the same thing as it happened long before the Black Blight ever did and Navirou agreed with my silent decision as he realised that this could perhaps be something even worse than that as he loved at the Anjanath 

Leo then walked to the downed Anjanath and gently checked it over, despite it having just attacked us. I couldn't help but smile. He really was like Red. "Just as I thought. You really agree like Red." Ena commented, unknowingly agreeing with me before she introduced herself to us. Well, I obviously knew her already, but she didn't know that as she suddenly grabbed Leo's hand and pulled him somewhere with her

We stopped nearby the place I had heard Ena first and my old friend got out a red and black egg from a small hiding place. Okay, either I was blind or she had quickly hidden it with her when she heard me arriving, because I hadn't seen that last time. "That's a Rathalos egg, isn't it?" Kayna asked. "I hid it here, so the hunters wouldn't be able to find it. Well.. avpsy from the time you came to investigate." Ena explained as she looked at me

Well, that confirmed it and I gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry if I scared you." I apologised and she smiled, before Navirou smelled the egg. "Hmm, smells nice and fresh. For sure a peppy little monster. Told you my nose told me something was here." He teased me as he grinned and I stuck out my tongue. He then did say the scent was a little different from a regular Rathalos and I had to agree with him. I had seen several Rathalos eggs in my time here and this one didn't exactly look like a regular egg either. The pattern was all off 

Ena then told us that Ratha had given her the egg before he left and that these strange happenings were going on all around, Rathalos disappearing from their natural habitats, docile monsters becoming aggressive and even attacking people. This was so much worse than I had thought it to be. Even Navirou stated that he had been travelling around to find out the cause. Kayna then asked what the strange red light was

"Well, I don't know yet. But i think Red... knew something. He spoke about an omen of disaster." Ena replied as she looked at the ocean and I looked down as I remembered the last day I had spent with my family Anne how much pain I had definitely caused them. Chief Gara then appeared with Leo's parents and we heard hunters looking for us. "Want me to take care if them, chief?" I asked him in a whisper as I wiggled my fingers

"No. The hunters believe we're harbouring a dangerous monster. They won't rest until they've found what they're after. You need to get out of here." He stated. "We should go to Rutoh village. The hunters can't harm us there." Ena decided and I stiffened up as she explained what Rutoh was to the others. "Gara..." I breathed and he hummed. "It's time to go, Damira." He replied as he patted my shoulder, telling me it was time for me to finally go home, no matter how reluctant I was. Ena then asked Leo to come with her and he looked at his parents first

His father and Red's son sighed. "You're a rider now, Leo. You can take care of yourself now." He commented as I took a deep breath and stepped forwards. "And I'm coming too." I stated and I could see this surprised Ena. "I promised Red that I'd protect his grandson and I won't see the promise as fulfilled until we find out the cause behind these strange happenings." I explained as much as I was torn about going home

Leo's mother relaxed slightly at hearing this as she knew that I'd keep her son safe. Seeing that I was determined, Ena nodded. "Very well, but we must hurry." She stated as she pointed out the boat. Leo said goodbye to his parents and I hugged Kayna. "Look after Sara. Tell her I'll come and get her soon. I first want to tell them what happened first." I whispered and she promised to take care of my first monstie while I was gone

"You know how to contact me." I whispered, touching a crystal that was hanging from her neck. It was something I had made when in Mahana village. If they were ever in life-threatening danger, they had to break the crystal and a matching one on the bracelet papa had given to me when I came off age would glow red to show they needed my help. I only had made six of these and Kayna was the only one who had one until now.  She nodded in understanding, before letting go and hugging Leo as well as she told him she had faith in him and that we could do it together.

"Look after our boy, Damira. Bring him home." Leo's father told me as he patted my shoulder. "I will, sir. I promise." I stated. I failed to save Red, but I was not going to fail Leo. I laughed as Kayna pulled on poor Navirou's cheeks again as she told him to look after both me and Leo. Seeing how Leo's parents were saying goodbye to their son one more time, I decided to go and make the boat ready for departure

Ranmar and Chim barely fitted into the incredibly tiny boat with us as we all tried, but with just the tiniest and secret help of my magic, we managed to keep the boat floating and sailed away. We all waved at the others and thanked them for everything they had done for us until they were out of sight and if I used my magic to machoke us go slightly faster.... well, there were hunters after us, so who could blame me?

The sail took quite a bit longer than the flights on Saranya's back had and that unfortunately gave me plenty of time to truly realise I was going home. To Alwin, mama and papa as well as the epic scolding that was waiting for me once I revealed I had been alive all this time. 'First mama and papa together, then the others.' I told myself with a small determined nod as I petted Chim on the head as he rested it on my kneel Ena asked us several questions, but Leo thankfully realised how awkward this was for me so he made sure to answer most of the questions

Navirou actually managed to make sure that it was never quiet in the boat even when Ena wasn't asking about questions as he talked about many things. This felyne was honestly growing on both my heart and my nerves at the same time. I have no idea how he managed to do both, but he did it as he could be both annoying and adorable, but he meant well and genuinely wanted to help, so I guess that that helped.

After at least a night of sailing in which Ena and I both took turns making sure we kept in the right direction, although she thankfully didn't ask how on earth I knew the way, we eventually reached the mainland Making sure the ship was securely anchored at the beach and wouldn't drift away from shore, we quickly climbed onto our monsties, Ena and Navirou going with Leo and climbed the hill to the centre of Alcala.

Seeing the familiar highlands and valley there in the distance, I had to wipe away a tear as I realised I was almost home. Despite dreading the reaction, I couldn't wait to see everyone again. We dismounted to take a closer look when the Rathalos egg Leo now had began to shake and he put it down "Is everything okay, buddy? How's the egg holding up?" Navirou asked as it shook again. "Hehehe. It looks and smells nice and healthy. It's sure to become a clawdacious Rathalos. I can't wait to meet the little guy." The felyne stated.

"Neither can I." Ena said, before we heard a monster's cry and saw a Legiana flying straight towards us, its rider taking Ena with him. Navirou asked who it was, but I knew as soon as I saw the monster.  "Alwin." I mouthed at seeing Leo's confused look and he nodded in understanding, having heard about him from me. We then grabbed the egg and put it back, before we immediately jumped on our monsties 

We then quickly went to follow them, me leading the way through the forest as I knew how to get to the valley. We soon found them both standing rather nearby the entrance top the village if my memory served me correctly. Despite little Navirou not reading the situation and telling ena we were here to save her, even if I wouldn't fight my friend and neither would Leo, Ena thankfully managed to calm things down.

Alwin gasped at seeing Leo's Kinship stone."That Kinship Stone... Red?" He breathed at recognising it as he pulled his shawl from his face. He then realised it was impossible, but holy shit!  Had he always been this handsome? They always said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but just... wow! Ena then gently introduced Leo as one of Red's descendants, saying that we had met on Hakolo island. "If you had just told me you were going to Hakolo island... I've been worried sick, Ena. I thought you had been kidnapped or worse." Alwin scolded her.

After Ena told us that he was from Rutoh as well, Alwin apologised for startling us, saying it was his job to keep the village secure"Well, it looks to me like we might've gotten off on the wrong paw, huh? I'm Navirou and these are my buddies Leo and Damira, two riders from Hakolo island. Pleased to meet ya." Navirou introduced us, but Alwin only stated that he'd lead the way to the village, making me smile as I shook my head

Yeah, Alwin was definitely still the same as before I left. I just didn't realise how weird it was to have that stand-off attitude aimed at me after being best friends with him all my life. Following him and eventually walking into the village, we immediately noticed the stares from others as I looked around, trying to see another familiar face, before noticing a figure in white robes standing in the distance and my heart skipped a beat

Papa

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Alwin exused himself to go talk to Elder Maolo and left

Knowing that papa would be right there with the elder and having already seen him from a small distance, I decided to first try and find mama first so that I could finally tell them both together. Under the guise of looking around the village, I really tried to find her, but to no avail. I frowned as I looked around again, but while I saw many familiar faces, none of them was the one I wanted to see again after all this time

"Hey, Damira! Come on! They're already waiting for us!" Navirou called to me after a few minutes and I reluctantly followed them as I still wondered where mama was. Climbing up the stairs, I had to do my best not to stare at seeing my father. He looked exactly the same as he had when I left with his white robes, dark hair and half-lidded green eyes. From where I stood next to Alwin, I could even smell his woodsy scent

Looking around, I bit my lip as almost my entire family was here. Alwin, Ena, papa and Elder Maolo. Only mama was missing and I briefly looked back if I could see her from our now higher vantage point, but still nothing. "Grandfather, my apologies for worrying you, but...." Ena began to say as I quickly focused on the conversation, before her grandfather interrupted. "I already spoke to Alwin. What were you thinking running of to Hakolo Island like that?" He asked in a stern voice and I raised an eyebrow. Wow, Ena really didn't tell anyone she was leaving, huh? 

Even when I ran away, I at least made sure mama, Ena, Alwin and elder Maolo knew I was gone. "I had to keep my promise to Red. He wanted his old Kinship Stone taken there." Ena defended herself and I frowned. What made her wait so long. Red had been gone for a decade. "And you crossed the sea on your own, just for that?" Papa asked and I closed my eyes at hearing his voice again. Merlin, I had missed him so much. 

"Elder, Zellard, these are the riders from Hakolo island." Alwin then introduced us and I immediately bowed to the tiny Wyverian in respect, Leo quickly following my example as he realised it would be best if he was respectful as well. "Navirou and best buddies reporting for duty. Nice to meet you, gramps." Navirou greeted him with a grin and I gave him an incredulous look. Did he just call the leader of my village gramps?! 

To his credit, the Elder didn't comment on it and simply directed his attention to Leo. "Hmph, so you are Red's grandson. I do see the resemblance I suppose. And you are....?" He asked as he then turned to me. "I'm Damira. I came along for the ride." I answered as I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, hating the fact that I was lying to my friends and family once again, but I wanted to wait until I told mama and papa who I really was before telling everyone else. Thankfully accepting my answer Elder Maolo turned back to Leo

"We all owe your grandfather a great debt. If there's anything we can do for you, by all means, ask." He said gently. At least, they were slightly nicer to him than to Red when he first came here. Leo showed them the egg and Elder Maolo immediately asked where he got it from, actually rearing back just slightly as if he was aunt Petunia recoiling from something magical. "Guardian Ratha gave it to me." Ena explained

"And then you brought it here?" Her grandfather asked, sounding like he honestly couldn't believe his pointy ears. "I had no choice! There were hunters after it. Please, let's keep the egg here. Just until it hatches." Ena begged. I then noticed papa really focusing on the egg. Like really focusing on the egg. He looked like he'd never seen an egg before which I know is bullshit. "Elder, could this egg be...?" He asked slowly

"Indeed.... descendant of Red. Do you know of the Rite of Channeling?" Elder Maolo asked Leo and he frowned as he didn't know. "I see. So you have come here without completing the Rite. Hmph. You are inexperienced as a rider and have nowhere near the power held by your grandfather." The elder stated. Now that was just unnecessarily blunt. "With all due respect, sir. Leo just became a rider a few days ago and we were still teaching him the ropes when all this happened, which is why I came with him." I defended my friend

"Regardless of that fact, your friend would definitely not be capable of forming a bond with the monster in this egg." Elder Maolo immediately shot back and I raised both my eyebrows at this in surprise at hearing this as Ena asked what he meant. "What do you know of the Wings to Ruin? Legend speaks of Razewing Ratha, a monster so powerful it can bring ruin to the world with every beat of its wings." Papa told us

"Some even say that it was such a monster that laid waste to the village that once stood on this site." He then continued and we all stared in silence. "So, you're saying that inside this egg....?" Alwin breathed as he looked at the egg in Leo's arms. "It matches the description of the egg in the legend." Elder Maolo stated, but Ena wasn't too sure about it and neither was Navirou and the felyne immediately made this known

"Hey, quit yankin' my tail! You don't seriously believe all that?! You can't just decide the monster's gonna be evil before it's even born." He started. Thank you, Navirou, for being the surprising voice of reason. Even Dumbledore didn't know how evil Voldemort would become when first meeting him and look how that turned out. They seriously couldn't just look at an egg and decide it's evil. Usually, I'd trust their judgment, but now.... "I know. It doesn't exactly sound fair. However...." Papa commented as he looked down at Elder Maolo.

"Should this Rathalos hatch and awaken its destructive power, you will be to blame for what happens. Aye you prepared to take that risk?" Elder Maolo asked in a very stern voice and Leo looked down at the egg, feeling unsure. "Buddy...." Navirou began to say, but for once, he seemed at a complete loss for words. "It's a rider's duty to protect the egg they've been entrusted with, no matter what egg it may be." Papa told us

"As a start, let's see if the human youth has what it takes to participate in the Rite of Channeling." He then suggested to this Elder. "Hmm. I confess, I am curious to see what the young one can accomplish with Red's Kinship Stone." Elder Maolo agreed with him, before they allowed us to stay. Leo was allowed to use his grandfather's old house, but there was a slight problem when it came to where I was going to stay

"I'm afraid we're going to have to give her Dearien's home." Elder Maolo and I knew Leo sent me a look at this, but I refused to look back as I tried not to react to my old name. "But Elder..." Papa started to protest. "You promised you would keep it empty." Alwin took over. My home had stayed empty all these years? "If it's a problem, I can sleep outside. I'll use Chim as a pillow." I hastily offered at seeing them getting upset. "Nonsense. You're a guest, but that house belonged to a beloved member of our community, so keep it like how it is." Elder Maolo told me

"Yes, sir." I immediately replied with another bow as papa, with the greatest reluctance I've ever seen someone have in my entire life, started to lead me to the right place. "Was this member close to you?" I asked as if I didn't know. "She was my daughter." He replied rather bluntly and i immediately winced, not even having to pretend. "I'm sorry I'm temporarily taking it. I promise I won't break anything." I swore 

"That would be very appreciated." Was all that papa said in return, before silence fell between us for a few seconds, making me feel very awkward. Things never had been awkward between us, not even when I ran away. I really wanted to tell him right then and there, but something else came out of my mouth instead "Do you have a wife?" I asked. "I do, but she's in Nua Te village and has been for the past decade." Papa answered

I looked down at hearing this. There went my plan to tell them both together flying away faster than Saranya during bath day. "So, it's just you?" I asked and papa only hummed in answer. I wondered what on earth or any world I had to do now, wait until I've managed to get them both together somehow or tell papa the truth now. I looked up at my father again and I only now noticed something was different. He seemed... colder. More closed-off than I remembered. I couldn't really explain it, but something just felt....wrong

Papa then led me to my former home in complete silence and I quietly thanked him as I walked in. "You better keep your promise or you'll find yourself out in the wilds very fast, even if you're with Red's grandson. "Papa warned me in a cold tone, before closing the door behind him and leaving me alone. Okay, I know grief changes people, but papa was never like this. I looked around my former home and saw it was just as I had left it

Wanting to know exactly what was going on, I quickly left my former home again and snuck after papa from a distance, using my magic to make sure no one noticed me. I saw him talking to some riders and they nodded before they went their separate ways. The riders came my way and I quickly hid myself. "If this egg really is the egg, then the Exalted One will finally be awakened." One rider said and I frowned in confusion

Exalted One? 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

We soon met up on our way to the Elder again

Apparently, Alwin had shown Leo the stables in the meantime after I "stumbled" upon them myself. They thankfully got room to house both Chim and Ranmar comfortably, unlike me as I was getting dark looks from staying in "Dearien's house." I never thought I'd feel uncomfortable in my own village. And then, there was papa's odd behaviour and talk of the "Exalted One."I had decided not to tell papa who I was just yet until I figured out what was going on

"Damira! It's truly awful!" Navirou immediately exclaimed at seeing me as I joined them having made sure to look confused about my surroundings as I made my way over, trying to make it look like I've never been here "What? They don't know about donuts here?" I asked, knowing how much the felyne loved the snack and that Wyverians actually didn't have donuts. "Wow! How did you know?" Navirou asked in shock and I made sure to look surprised 

"Oh, they actually don't? I was just guessing." I hastily replied. "Yeah, Alwin told me and I asked him if they didn't have donuts.... how didn't they go nuts?!" Navirou asked loudly and I facepalmed. "No offence, Navirou, but that honestly had got to be one of the lamest jokes I've ever heard." I stated as I rubbed my face. "Well, at least you got it. Alwin didn't." The felyne replied as he crossed his little paws. "Hey, come on, Navirou. At least he apologised to you for not getting the joke." Leo said and I smiled as that really did sound like the Alwin I knew

Even if papa was different because of his grief and even if mama now lived somewhere else, it seemed that Alwin and Ena were still the same and that was a very comforting thought. We soon arrived in front of Elder Maolo again, papa standing behind him once more with Ena who was now wearing a very pretty white dress and I tried not to get emotional as I had given her that dress to celebrate our friendship. Even after all these years, she still had it

"Hmm, so you've come." Elder Maolo stated at seeing us, before telling us that a wild Paolumu had attacked and injured several riders and I frowned. Paolumus usually never attacked anyone. "A Paolumu?! But those fluff balls are adorable! How could they hurt anybody?!" Navirou asked in utter surprise, unknowingly agreeing with my thoughts as i stood next to Leo, Navirou standing on a barrel on his other side and Alwin standing next to the felyne 

"True. Normally, they don't attack people at all." Papa agreed with him and me as well and Navirou crossed his little paws again. "Let me guess. This one isn't normal." He muttered "Indeed. This is the first time we've had to face such a threat. We'd like you to help investigate. Show us your skills as a rider." Papa then told Leo, Ena asking if it was wise to do it so soon. "This should be a good experience. And what's more, the child has Red's Kinship Stone. This is a good chance for him to show off he's capable of taking part in the Rite of Channeling." Papa replied 

"I agree with Zellard. If you plan to form a bond with a Rathalos, you must hone your skills as a rider." Elder Maolo stated with a solemn nod. "Well, when you put it that way, challenge accepted! We'll show you what we're made of" Navirou said with a grin, but Alwin had his doubts about this mission. "Wait a moment, Elder. Apart from the lady Damira as she has a Palamute, they don't have necessary experience." He stated, angering the felyne

"Hey, whose side are you on? We took down an Anjanath and not just by a whisker!" Navirou immediately protested. "Just because you beat one Anjanath, doesn't mean you can take on the whole entire world, Navirou. If it did, I wouldn't be here." I told him, knowing how dangerous it was in this world to be overconfident . "Exactly. You're just proving my point. That overconfidence could be your undoing." Alwin agreed with me in more ways than one. 

"Why I oughta.....!" Navirou shouted at him in indignation, before I stepped around Leo's back and quickly whacked the felyne on the back of his head for talking to my friend like that, immediately stepping back to my place and looking the other way. "Hey! What was that about, buddy?" Navirou asked Leo as he rubbed the back of his head. "That wasn't me! That was Damira!" Leo protested. "There's no way she moved that fast." The felyne replied and my friend glared at me as I gave him a smug grin in return. I saw Ena trying to hide her laughter at our actions 

Nevertheless, Alwin went with us on this mission as well and we went out. I smiled at seeing Shaulk again and saw that he was rather confused as he sniffed at me and then looked up at my face before Alwin called him. Clearly, he recognised my scent. "So, Alwin? What was up with everyone's reactions about the home Damira stays in? Is there something wrong with it?" Navirou asked after a while and my oldest friend in this world let out a deep breath.

"That house belonged to Dearien, Zellard's daughter. He found her as a baby here in the wilds and took her into his home, raising her as his own." He began to explain. Leo looked at me as he knew Alwin was talking about me, but I shook my head. I didn't want to tell him until this situation was over and I had told mama and papa. "Dearien, huh? I don't think I've seen her in the village." Navirou muttered, me biting my lip at the irony of that statement.

"I would've been shocked if you did. She.... she died about a decade ago." Alwin replied, just the slightest hesitation in his voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Navirou sincerely apologised and Alwin looked down. "How did Zellard take the death of his daughter?" I asked carefully as I had to know. "Not well as you can probably expect from a parent who lost their only child without being able to stop it. You really have to understand that Dearien was his whole entire world ever since he found her and within a day, he had suddenly lost her without warning." Alwin answered 

"It didn't really help that his wife Mirien left for Nua Te village not too long after that as everything here reminded her of Dearien. They had a massive fight about it as Zellard didn't want to leave, so she left on her own." He continued Great, as if my guilt couldn't get worse. "When she left and with Dearien gone, we honestly thought Zellard would eventually fade, which is what happens when our race suffers so much pain that we can't bear it." He continued 

He started to leave the village for hours and borrow Paolumus from friends before eventually settling down into a routine again, but now, it's like Dearien never existed and he refuses to mention her unless absolutely necessary. To be completely honest with you, he worries me. He's still doing his job as you've already seen, but there's a certain coldness to it when he helps others, like he doesn't care anymore about what's going on in the world." He stated.

"Wow. Sounds like you know Zellard pretty well." Navirou commented with slight awe in his voice as he looked up at my friend. "My father and he are very old friends and Dearien was my best friend since I could remember, so yes. I do know him rather well... or at least....I did." Alwin said. He then changed the subject and even Navirou understood that he didn't want to talk about it, but my guilt had grown even more. By never telling my friends and family, mama had fought with papa before leaving him all alone with his grief for someone who wasn't even dead

Papa had apparently stopped caring about his job, something that I knew had been his life before I had taken over that spot and I could clearly see my "death" was still hurting Alwin despite me being right here. I honestly didn't really pay any attention to the other conversation the boys were having about Red as we finally entered the forest, until we found a den. Inside, we did find the Paolumu and it really was aggressive as we fought against it

Working together, we managed to beat it. "You did it, buddies! Now, we're another step off Channeling!" Navirou cheered, before thanking Alwin as well as my oldest friend had apparently explained that he had insisted on coming with us because, like me, he felt responsible if anything happened to Leo because of his old friendship with Red. While they were talking, I walked to the downed Paolumu and secretly used my magic to check on it

It felt the same as the Anjanath from Hakolo island, just in lesser amounts than it. It had turned aggressive because of... whatever it was that made them turn this aggressive, but it had seemingly not been in complete contact with it. Chim let out a very small whine as he joined me and sniffed the Paolumu. "I really don't like it, Chim. Something is clearly upsetting the balance and it seems its getting stronger as it even turns a Paolumu aggressive." I muttered and my monstie agreed. Seeing that the guys were leaving, we quickly followed 

We returned to the village and reported to the Elder immediately. "Hmm, I see you are back. How was it?" Elder Maolo asked. "It was just like you said. I dunno why, but that Paolumu was going nuts. But don't worry. We made sure it won't be causing any more trouble." Navirou replied with a grin. "Well done. However, you still lack experience. You must work a lot harder if you plan to protect the egg." Elder Maolo said before Leo could say anything

"Well, jeez... you got any other problems around here?" Navirou asked as he briefly slumped in disappointment, before jumping back up. "We'll solve them all. No big deal. Bring it on! Right buddies?" He asked us and we both nodded in agreement. "Some of our villagers have been reporting an increase in monster attacks on the Harzgai Rocky Hill. We suspect it to be the work of a monster camouflaging itself among the rocks." Papa explained to us

"A monster that looks like a rock? Hmm, I feel like I've seen one of those before..." Navirou muttered as he crossed his paws thoughtfully. "A Basarios, perhaps?" I suggested, that being the only monster that fitted that description. "A basarios! Of course! That has to be it! Let's go get it" Navirou exclaimed as he jumped from the barrel he was standing on, but I stayed behind. "Damira?" Leo asked in confusion as he noticed I wasn't following him. "If you truly have to proof yourself, then you should probably do it without me holding your hand." I said

I meant this as Leo truly had to proof he could bond with the Rathalos inside his egg, but I also felt that if i had to do one more of such trips with Alwin like the last one and he told us more stories about what has happened since I "died", I'd probably and actually die of guilt. "Alwin has clearly proven that he can help you on this mission and I'll be right here when you get back." I continued and he nodded as he understood that I really wanted to stay behind for now

"You got it, Damira! We'll make you proud! Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Navirou said with a grin. "Watch it, Navirou, or I might take an page out of Kayna's book." I threatened, gently pulling on my own cheeks to show what I meant and he recoiled in fear, before they left to check out if it truly was a Basarios. "It was very wise to let him figure this out on his own." Elder Maolo stated at he came to stand next to me and I sighed as I knew papa was near too 

"He has to learn things on his own and I can't play babysitter forever. Let's hope that the sooner this situation is over, the sooner I can go home to my family." I replied, subtly glancing back at papa as Elder Maolo nodded. "I hope that you can go home soon as well. Go and rest." He said and I bowed again, before I walked away to my old home. As I walked through the village, I suddenly smelled a familiar scent and followed it to the flowers I loved so much while living here. I carefully picked one and smelled it, tears filling my eyes as it reminded me of when I was small. 

"What is it with you and those flowers?" I heard mama's voice behind me, but when I immediately turned around, I didn't see anyone and I looked down at realising it was just a memory. As I walked towards my home, I lost myself in my thoughts about what I was going to do next. Alwin's story hadn't exactly made me feel better about my choice to stay away from my family, but I was still torn. Every time that someone cared about me, they got hurt.

Ron got attacked by a brain, Hermione was tortured, mum, dad, Cedric, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and many others died to protect me. It seemed no matter what I did, I still hurt people. And I had absolutely no idea what was coming with these pits, but I felt like it was really big. I felt it was big enough that if my friends and family knew who I was, they'd get hurt again trying to protect me and I took a deep breath, clutching the flower as I made a decision 

I was not going to tell anyone, until we managed to find the cause of these pits.... and destroyed it! 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

The guys thankfully came back within a few hours

I immediately gave Leo a hug in relief at seeing him unharmed and he quickly hugged me back, before we went back to the elder, Alwin officially announcing they had returned with another bow to the tiny Wyverian "And the monster?" Papa asked. "Damira was right! It was a Basarios disguised as a rock!" Navirou answered. "You're sure?" Papa asked, his eyes widening slightly. "Without a doubt." Alwin agreed with him.

"So, you're ready to admit how great my buddy is now?" The felyne then asked with a grin. "I may have been there to support him, but he put a stop to the beast by his own power. He fulfilled his duty as a rider admirably" Alwin stated, me immediately giving Leo a proud pat on the back and him smiling at me. Elder Maolo hummed in thought. "I trust Alwin's judgement. What do you say, Elder?" Papa asked him

"Then it would seem the time has come." Elder Maolo stated and I smiled. "Nya-ha! I knew you could do it buddy!" Navirou cheered as I ruffled Leo's hair. "The Rite of Channeling is a secret ritual that helps draw out a monster's hidden strengths. By combining the powers of two monsters, you can awaken your monster's latent abilities." Papa explained, me already knowing it but never having really used it before as Saranya was perfect the way she was, thank you very much. We then went to the stables where I stayed back a bit in case more monsters recognised my scent

"Damira? You're not going to watch?" Navirou soon asked in confusion at seeing I had stepped back. "I already learned about it. This is Leo's moment." I explained and he agreed as the elder explained how it worked. Once he was done, I quickly joined him again. "Mastering the Rite of Channeling is an impossible milestone for any rider." Papa stated. "This is gonna open all kinds of doors for you, buddy!" Navirou cheered 

"You'll be able to go to new places, do new stuff. I can't wait where you go from here!" He continued. We then heard a villager desperately asking father's help. Apparently, his own daughter had lost something in Alcala cave a little while back and had asked him to get it for her, but there was a ferocious Yian Garuga in that cage and he was terrified of facing it "Is that really all you're scared of?" Papa asked him.

......wow! I know what Alwin said about my father having changed, but..... wow! The papa I knew would have immediately started suggesting solutions, not asking the poor man who didn't have a monstie from as far as I could remember about whether or not a monster was all he was scared about. Especially since the man wanted to do it for his daughter, but perhaps that was the reason why he was acting that way as it reminded him of me. "Well no. It's also the idea of falling my daughter. How can I look her in the eye if I mess this up?" The villager asked

I quickly noticed my father's face hardening for just a moment and I knew that he was thinking of the "loss" he had suffered. Navirou then offered that we would go and defeat the monster for him so that he could get the stone his daughter had lost. "W-wow, you mean it? That way, I'll be able to face my daughter again." The villager stated. "Sheesh, you're a real number one dad." Navirou commented with a smile

I specifically didn't look at papa as I knew it would only make me feel more guilty about having decided not to tell them yet. I decided to join them this time and Alwin went along as well. As we walked top the entrance of the village, Leo and I fell back. "Why haven't you told them yet?" He asked in a whisper. "Because every time, people care about me, they get hurt and with the situation getting worse, I don't want that." I replied 

"They're definitely hurting now!" He hissed back and I closed my eyes. "I know, but I prefer that they're mourning me and stay safe over them knowing who I am and getting themselves killed because of them getting close to whatever is causing these pits. Trust me when i say that I've seen enough people die. Never again." I stated as I climbed on Chim's back and ran ahead before he could say anything more

The trip to the cave was spent in complete silence and we soon arrived there. Inside, we surprisingly found another felyne standing there. "Hey look. What's that felyne doing in a place like this?" Navirou asked as we walked closer and the different felyne turned to face us. "And she's kinda cute, don't you think?" Our felyne continued and she seemed rather adorable but something about her made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight as Leo stroked her face. The look on her face clearly said she didn't like it and I pulled him back

Alwin, who had kept his distance, told us a story about how Red had driven away a monster for the first time just to protect a different felyne and I smiled. I missed Red so much at times. We then walked further into the cave. Continuing on and eventually reaching a dead end, we suddenly saw the felyne running past like something was chasing her, only to find out something really was chasing her: the Yian Garuga. 

We immediately battled it and eventually managed to win after a particularly harsh battle, even if Leo got knocked down at least once by the monster. "Oh yeah! Another victory!" Navirou cheered, before turning to the other felyne "I'm glad you're all right too, kitty." He continued and the felyne nodded with a tiny smile. "Seriously though, you shouldn't have followed us all this way, you know..." Navirou then said, before smiling

"But hey, I get it. Who wouldn't want a piece of the legendary felyne hero?" He asked, before giving her his paw print and even though she didn't say anything, I had the feeling his paw print was the last thing she wanted. "Now, you can brag to all your friends. I bet the three of you are totally jealous." Navirou stated with a smirk and I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Whatever, Navirou." I said, before we heard a suppressed sneeze and I knew it was from Alwin, who was already walking back towards the entrance before his allergies got even worse

Returning to the village after getting out of the cave, we immediately told the villager that it was safe to go there now, before noticing a lot of fuss going around. It turned out that a monster had appeared near the village and some children who had gone to play in the Wendwood still hadn't returned, so we went to look for them whole the other riders kept the monster away from the Wyverians living in the village

Chim, Ranmar and Shaulk immediately brought us to the Wendwood as fast as their legs could go as if they knew that they couldn't waste time. "I remember getting lost in the forest when I was a child. These poor things must be scared to death." I commented in concern. "You got lost in the jungle on Hakolo island once?" Navirou and I had to remind myself that Navirou didn't know it had actually been this very forest 

"Yeah, I was just a little girl at the time. My father and i had gone for a walk when I jokingly ran and hid from him, only to completely lose my way back to the entrance and having to run from several monsters. It wasn't my brightest idea, but my father eventually found me and brought me back home safely." I confessed sheepishly, remembering how scared I had been when I realised I had no idea where I was or where papa was. I had hidden myself under the ripped out roots of a dead tree and I had started to cry.

The relief I had felt when papa found me and took me into his arms had been immeasurable. He had scolded me all the way home and had grounded me, but I had known he was relieved that I was okay. I noticed Alwin briefly looking at me, before we went to find the children. We soon found the three of them all spread out through the forest, hiding from the monsters, several felynes thanking us

We then quickly brought them home too after fighting a huge monster and winning. Returning to the village and reuniting the children with their overjoyed and relieved parents, me not really feeling any better at seeing the reunions, papa told us that with Leo having earned the right to use the Rite of Channeling and having proven himself to be an ally, he was allowed to fight a powerful monster: the Nargacuga.

My eyes widened at this, not having expected Leo to be allowed to face that particular monster this soon. Even I hadn't been allowed to fight that particular monster with Saranya until at least five years after I hatched her and became a full-fledged rider, although that probably was mostly because of papa being his usual overprotective self over me like he usually was "You're sending us on another quest already? You really know how to work your riders." Navirou sighed in utter exasperation and even papa let a tiny smile show at this.

This made him look more like the man I remembered from my childhood, making me smile as well. "That's quite enough! There's no need to get snippy with Zellard." Alwin scolded the felyne. "Snippy? Us?! Why I oughta..." Navirou growled again and I whacked him on the back of his head once more. "It really was you!" Navirou exclaimed at I couldn't hide behind Leo this time as he was on the other side f the felyne.

"You really should respect your elders if you don't want to get hit on the head." I replied as I crossed my arms. As funny ad Navirou could be at times, I did not appreciate the way he talked to my friends and family at times.  We were told that we would be allowed to fight the Nargacuga during the next morning as it had been a very busy day for us all and I took a deep breath as I went back to my old home.

To be completely honest, after having been "led" to it by papa after first arriving here after so many years, I had mostly avoided it but I had no choice this time. Walking inside slowly and carefully, I had to gulp as I truly realized that it was exactly the way I had left it, like I had only been gone for only a few hours instead of a decade. I took a deep breath as I looked through the cabinets, but it seemed that they had taken the food out of it. Which made sense, but it made me wonder how I was going to eat as I wasn't sure if they accepted human currency

A rapid knock on the door startled me and I quickly went to open it. "Alwin! What a surprise! Can I help you with something?" I asked, before noticing the basket with food in his arms. "I realised you wouldn't have food in here. May I come in?" He asked and I let him in. He put the basket on the table and took a deep breath. "I have to say I'm impressed at your loyalty to Leo." He commented and I grinned at him

"I did promise to Red that I'd look after his grandson." I told him and he looked down as he sighed. "Yeah, I know." He muttered before he turned to face me and I frowned at seeing a strange look in his eyes. He then walked closer and put his hands on my shoulders. "I have a question." He stated. "What is it?" I asked in a tiny voice as he was slightly scaring me right now, but I'd never would've expected his question 

"Why did you make us think you were dead, Dearien?"

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"........ sorry?"

'Smooth, you idiot. Real smooth.' I thought as I stared at my friend. Alwin gave me a tiny smile. "I had my suspicions when Shaulk was rubbing his head against you. I think we both know he wouldn't do that to strangers. Then, the was how you looked at Zellard and your reaction when I told you how he reacted after the incident. I know guilt when I see it, not to mention you constantly hitting Navirou whenever he was rude." He said

"It was just all these little things that seemed to add up, eventually confirmed by your story about getting lost and you talking about your promise to Red. I was there during both, remember?" He asked and I sighed, knowing that he was not going to believe me if I told him he was wrong so i smiled at him. "Well done, Alwin." I said, using my normal voice and he stiffened up, before pulling me into a sudden hug

"Damn it, my friend! Why did you do it?! Why?!" He asked desperately as I was surprised for a minute, before slowly wrapping my arms around him as well. "I'm so sorry, Alwin. I climbed out of the pit hours later with Red's body, but you guys were already gone. I brought Red's body back to Mahana Village so they could bury him. I was planning to come back immediately after, I swear. However, seeing everyone so devastated to lose their leader and seeing tiny Leo burst out into tears at seeing his grandfather dead, I decided to stay for a while." I quickly began to explain

"Pretty long while." He muttered and I winced at hearing the anger in his voice. "I know. It just didn't feel right to write you guys a letter "Hey, guess what? I'm not dead!" Besides, everyone who cares about me usually gets hurt or dies, so I thought it was for the best that I stayed away." I muttered and he frowned. "Why would you say that?" He asked as he pulled back and I sighed. "Long story. Short version is this..." I said

Throughout the rest of the evening, I told my true story to Alwin even as we ate dinner together while night fell over the village and he was absolutely horrified. "And this is why you stayed away? To keep us safe?" He asked and I made a face. "Or is it to keep yourself safe from the pain of losing us?" He then asked as I poked a bit of fruit. "Both probably. I'm sick and tired of constantly losing people I care about." I muttered 

"Well, at least you're honest about it." Alwin replied, before sighing and rubbing his face. "I cannot believe you just made us think you were dead all this time." He muttered as he's at back in his seat and I simply looked down, knowing that no excuse was going to make up for it. "Are you going to tell Zellard now?" He then asked. "No... and neither are you." I stated. "You want me to lie to Zellard?" He asked in shock. "Until this situation is over, yes!" I replied and where I expected him to protest, he simply watched me in silence for a second

"Give me one very good reason why. I told you how he has been since you died, so I need to know a reason why I should lie about you being dead" He said as he crossed his arms. "I feel like something is going on here in the village. Something sinister. Have you ever heard of the "Exalted One?"" I asked and he shook his head. "Me neither, but I heard a couple of riders talk about it right after papa talked to them." I said

"There's something afoot and I want to get to the bottom of both it and the pits before I tell anyone else." I stated, but he stared again for a few seconds, scanning my face. "There's something else, right? The Dearien I remember would never hide away from all of us, so why did you?" He asked and I sighed as I closed my eyes, before opening them again and telling him something that I hadn't told anyone before

The next day, we went out to face the Nargacuga and won by handy teamwork with each other and our monsties. Alwin had reluctantly agreed not to tell papa, Ena or Elder Maolo the truth just yet at my insistent pleading but the both of us were now a lot more comfortable around each other now that I knew that he knew the truth and now that he knew who I really was. Leo immediately noticed the difference. "Did you tell him?" He asked and I shook my head. "He figured it out." I answered and he gave an impressed nod at that

After a conversation about how Alwin and Red sparred with their monsties back in the day before the incident (me knowing very well that Red won those matches, no matter how much my friend tried to deny it) and with Navirou's insistence, Leo and Alwin had a sparring match themselves, me and a suddenly appearing felyne acting as referees. Like his grandfather, Leo actually won and I snickered as I helped Alwin up

"You're really getting old, my friend." I quietly joked to him and he chuckled as he took my hand and got up. "Perhaps, but I feel a lot better now that you're back with me." He muttered and my face turned as red as a Rathalos scale. I gave him a tiny smile and he smiled back, before we returned to the village. The felyne had disappeared as soon as it had appeared and like the felyne in the cave, I got a bad feeling about it

We were welcomed as heroes when we got back, Navirou accidentally knocking another felyne into Alwin's arms and sure enough, he started sneezing like crazy because of his allergies, the poor guy. Taking sight pity on him as both Navirou and Leo laughed at him as they realised he es not as aloof as they thought, I put my hand on his back and used just a tiny bit of my magic to help him stop sneezing. He continued on for a few more seconds, before sniffling and giving me a tiny smile. I smiled back, before Ena told us Elder Maolo wanted to see us

"I'm glad to see you prevailed. It seems you have the potential to live up to your grandfather's legacy." Elder Maolo commented and Leo immediately rubbed the back of his head with a grin. "How's that for proving our worth. Not that we didn't have help. Damira and Alwin did a great job too." Navirou grinned, before commenting that all the monsters in the woods had seemed really on edge. Something I had noticed too 

"Is this true, Alwin? Papa asked my best friend. "Yes, sir. It's just like before." Alwin agreed with the felyne. "Before?" Papa asked with a dark frown. "When both Red and Dearien saved the village all those years ago. The monsters were agitated back then too." My friend elaborated and I could briefly see my father's face hardening as I glanced at Alwin. 'Really? You're bringing this up now?' I thought, but Alwin ignored me. Jackass

Ena worriedly asked if said things were happening again. "There's no need to worry, Ena. We'll tighten security  If anything does show up, our riders will be there to deal with it." Papa stated and the elder agreed. Papa then walked away and I watched him go with a frown. Navirou asked what happened back then and Ena offered to tell them by taking them to the place where it happened. Already knowing the story and not wanting to go back to the place where my father almost became Tigrex food, I decided to stay back again

"Are you sure?" Navirou asked with a small frown after I told them I was staying. "This is about Leo's grandfather, not mine. Besides, Alwin will go with you. Be careful out there though." I said, looking at Leo at the last part and he nodded. Once they were gone, I went to find papa and found him talking to the same riders as before. I hid myself around the corner. "So, it's getting stronger again?" I heard one rider ask

I immediately realised it was the same rider who gave me my very first ride on a Paolumu. "Yes, it seems that it is almost time for the Exalted One to be awakened and we will be there when it happens. Be on your guard and keep an eye out for now." I heard papa reply, before they seemingly split up. I started to move as well and pretended to accidentally bump into him. "Mr. Zellard, sir. I'm so sorry." I immediately apologised 

"It's alright. Wyverians are very light on their feet, so I can't blame you for not hearing me come around the corner." He said, which was probably the most he had said to me ever since I came back in disguise. "Will the village be alright now?" I asked, genuinely worried and he gave me a tiny smile, me having to fight to not just change back and hug him again. "We will be fine. I promise. Thank you for your concern though." He said, before he walked away. "It's not the only thing I'm concerned about." I muttered as I watched him go again

Ena, Leo, Alwin and Navirou returned several hours later, telling us that the pit that had turned the Tigrex crazy all those years ago had, activated again and had turned a Rathian enraged this time. I glanced at Alwin and he subtly shook his head, telling me it hadn't been Saranya, as impossible as it was since she was still on Hakolo island and the red light didn't seem to affect Bonded monsties, but you couldn't be too sure

However, it also seemed that it was finally time for Leo's egg to hatch. We went to the place where eggs were carefully hatched for all the riders and like he had once done with me when I first hatched Saranya all those years ago, the elder waved his staff over Leo. "Now, the Kinship Stone." He stated and Leo nodded, before the boy turned towards his egg. Everyone else stepped back, me standing right next to Alwin

Once Leo was in his place, the elder waved his staff once again. The egg started to shake and Leo's Kinship Stone lit up as he held it towards the egg. Black smoke was coming from it and I took a small step back. Never, in all my life, had I seen black smoke coming from an egg as it hatched. Seeing that Leo was starting to hesitate at seeing the smoke too, Navirou jumped forward. "Don't back down, buddy. Remember what Kayna said. Believe in yourself." He called and my friend nodded as he closed his eyes and concentrated deeply

I could see when he truly believed in himself as the Kinship Stone started to glow brighter, the blue and white light battling the very dark red and black smoke coming from the egg. "Come on. Just a little more. You can do it." Navirou encouraged. The egg moved a bit more and fell over. The smoke disappeared as a tiny hole was made in the shell and a small head poked out of it, a bit of shell on top of his head like a hat before he threw it off

I had rarely seen a baby Rathalos , even during my time on Hakolo island where they were common until they fled, but by Merlin's beard. He was adorable! My grin fell, however, at seeing the tiny, deformed wings the baby had as he climbed further out. It looked like a chicken wing if you plucked all the feathers. Leo and Navirou didn't notice this just yet. "Look, he thinks you're his mommy. Welcome to the world, Ratha." Navirou said

The Rathalos jumped into the air,  wanting to fly towards Leo, but failing because of his tiny wings. Leo barely managed to catch him and lower him to the ground. "His wings... are so small." Ena commented in concern as she and I kneeled next to it and Alwin leaned down."That's true. He's got cute widdle wings. Everyone's gonna love you little guy." Navirou cheered. "I wouldn't be too sure about that.' I thought as I saw the very dark looks on papa's and Elder Maolo's faces.  "Elder." Papa muttered. "Make no mistake." Elder Maolo stated and I didn't like the tone in their voices.

"What are you talking about?" Navirou asked. "This is the destructive monster from the legend." The elder said. "Huh?!" The felyne exclaimed as the baby nuzzled against Leo, really not looking like a dangerous destructive monster. "Somehow, I was picturing something a bit more impressive." Papa commented. "He may look weak now, but one day..." Elder Maolo began to say, before Navirou interrupted him

"Can you stop with all the doom and gloom?! He's just a little baby." He stated as he jumped in front of the baby Rathalos. How was it that a talking cat somehow managed to be the voice of reason? Elder Maolo and Leo glared at each other. "Zellard, you must show them." The elder said. "Yes, as you wish." Papa said as he turned to us. "If it's proof you're seeking..." He stated, all of us now focusing on him

"You'll find it at the dragon shrine." He continued, before leading the way

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Papa led us to a chamber underneath the place where eggs were hatched

Even I had never been here as this place was sacred to our people and you were not allowed to go in without permission from Elder Maolo and before today, I never had a reason to ask I kept an eye on the baby Rathalos, who Leo had also named Ratha after his grandfathers monstie, as it carefully hopped down the stairs after his rider. It honestly looked so adorable that i just couldn't believe papa and Elder Maolo thought he'd destroy everything

Going in, papa lit up a torch and showed us a beautiful drawing on the walls. Whoever had made this had been no cavemen as it was very detailed. 'Well, most of it.' I thought as the lower half was faded and barely visible, but the upper half was intact and we saw a drawing of a wingless baby Rathalos coming out of his egg. Underneath it was a picture of a fully grown Rathalos and a Rathian breathing down fire in on whatever had been faded away

"This is the legendary monster. Razewing Ratha, the monster with the Wings of Ruin. It is said that long ago, a flightless Rathalos was born in these lands. At the same time the Rathalos was born, disasters started to befall the world. Sensing that the Rathalos was responsible, the people banded together to hunt it down in an effort to escape, the Rathalos' wings grew and it took flight. Together with its mate Rathian, it blanketed the world in light and brought ruin to all in its path." Elder Maolo told us in a very solemn voice as we all stared at the shrine in awe

"Brought ruin to all? Razewing Ratha was responsible for all that together with a Rathian?" Navirou asked. "So the legend says. It's thought that because of this legend, Rathalos and Rathian are as revered as they are in your homeland." Papa stated and the felyne immediately let out a groan as Leo looked down at the now sleeping Ratha, kneeling down and stroking him. This woke Ratha up and he stood up as he let out a little cry, Leo hugging him close

"I can see what you're saying. There is a resemblance, but still..." Navirou continued, torn at seeing that Ratha's wings looked like those on the shrine. Now that I looked closer, it looked like someone had glued his wings together and had put a black shell over it so it couldn't break free, only the shell couldn't be removed. "Our ancestors passed down this story. There must be a reason why. It would be folly to ignore its warnings." Elder Maolo said

I slowly walked closer to the huge picture drawn on the wall, particularly the part of the Rathalos and Rathian in flight. There were these weird shapes on the back of both monsters as they spat fire down at the ground, but it was just a bit too dark to see it properly, even by the light of the torch papa had in his hands. "Damira? What is it?" Alwin asked as he noticed that something had caught my attention. "I'm not completely sure." I confessed as I them looked at the faded parlance gently rubbed over it with my hand. What had been drawn here? 

"Well, what do you expect us to do?! You want to get rid of the little guy?!" Navirou then asked, Leo immediately putting his monstie behind him and glaring at the Elder, daring him to try it or anything else and clearly ready to fight. Papa thought for a second, before turning to face us. "What if we were to awaken its power?" He suggested, throwing us all for a loop. "Zellard, I don't understand..." Alwin said as he instinctively stepped a bit closer to me

"If we believe the legend, it means this monster's true power is still lying dormant. In my opinion, the Rite of Channeling won't be enough to help us. But if we can draw out is true power, we can see if it's the force we all fear." Papa explained and it actually kinda made sense. If we could prove Ratha was not the monster from the legend, then they'd hopefully stop acting like it was going to explode every minute. But how were we supposed to do it? 

Leo stood up with a determined look, ready to try anything to prove that his monstie was not a dangerous beast, but Alwin wasn't completely sure. "But what if it truly does possess the Wings of Ruin like in the legend? In that case, what do you suggest we do?" He asked and I caught the quick worried glance he aimed my way as he knew that if Ratha really had that power and it was awakened, I'd probably be very close to it and get caught in the crossfire. He just got me back so it made perfect sense that he didn't want to lose me again

"I know of a Wyverian who can both awaken and inhibit a monster's abilities. If the worst should happen, he should be able to seal away this Rathalos's power." Papa explained and I immediately remembered him telling me the very same thing when i revealed my powers to him and mama. Oh, to go back to those simple days would be amazing. After a bit of prompting, Navirou realised it was an old friend of his: Ol' Dede and I almost snorted

I honestly did not expect a Wyverian to have that kind of name. Anyway, the last papa heard of Ol' Dede, he was staying in Kuan village and I quickly thanked Merlin that Saranya was still on Hakolo Island as I remembered how much she hated the cold region of Loloska when we travelled the world after I ran away. "I know the road to Kuan village like the back of my paw, buddy!" Navirou promised and despite me knowing the way as well, I let him have this

"I'll go as well." Ena decided, surprising us all. "I'm the one who gave you the egg. I will stay by your side until we can understand the truth of Ratha's power." She continued and I tried not to grimace as I realised a journey of "watch what I'm saying or I'll get discovered" was ahead of me. "I hope what you're getting yourselves into. This will neither be easy nor safe. There's no guarantee you will succeed. With that in mid, do you still plan on going?" Elder Maolo asked as he stroked his beard, really looking like a mix of Flitwick and Dumbledore 

"Yes." Ena stated in certainty, Leo nodding as well. "Definitely." I said as well as I crossed my arms. I could see Alwin giving me a concerned look, but ignored it for now. Rather surprised at seeing how determined we were to still do it, Elder Maolo asked papa's opinion. "Legends can be interpreted in a number of ways. None of us can say what they mean for sure. Having said that m if there's even the tiniest sliver of hope, I believe it's worth the risk." Papa stated

I stood up straight with a smile as this sounded just like the papa I remembered, before immediately sagging again at remembering the conversations he had with the riders. Did he really think this or was it an act like how Voldemort used to act in his youth? I shook my head. Great, now i was thinking the worst of my own father. With his advisor agreeing, the Elder ordered Alwin to set things up for us to depart and I went to help him.

As we walked out, I squeezed his shoulder. "Are you still not telling them? This could be dangerous." He whispered. "And that's exactly why I shouldn't tell anyone and why you can't tell papa or the Elder Why make them feel overjoyed that I'm alive, only for me to actually die?" I asked and he shot me a look. "I have no intention of dying soon, but you have to admit it would be cruel. Besides, papa will immediately ground me and I need to stay with Leo." I said and he snorted, knowing I was right. "Yeah, good point about the last bit." He agreed as we went to set things up

".....Alwin?" I asked once we were almost done and he looked up at me. "Keep an eye on papa when we're gone from the village. You were completely right when you said he had changed, but there's something else too. I'm just not sure what." I told him quietly and he frowned in confusion for a second, before he nodded as we continued on, making sure we had enough hot mist for all of us to make the trip to Kuan village where we could buy more. 

3rd person P.O.V 

Once they were ready and Ratha was in a special bag attached to Ranmar's saddle, Elder Maolo and Zellard said goodbye to Leo, Ena and Navirou while Alwin and Dearien subtly pulled themselves back to Dearien's old home to share a brief, but tight hug. "Please be careful. Please come back." He whispered desperately as he clung onto his best friend. "I will do my utter best. I promise." She replied as they slowly pulled back, but not before he kissed her cheek

"Alwin...." Dearien breathed in utter shock, her face completely red once again as she stared at him. "I've always regretted not doing it before when I thought you were gone. I'm not wasting any more time even if you don't feel the-" He began to rant, before she gave him a kiss on the mouth. "I have felt like this forever. You'll get a better one when I get back" She whispered as she pulled away and he stared at her, before smiling and kissing her hand

She immediately smiled back at him, before giving him a crystal that was connected to her bracelet, every crystal unique so she knew who had which crystal. "If there's some serious trouble, break it and I will come as soon as I'm able." She whispered, not wanting to speak up and ruin through moment and he nodded in understanding, before they heard Navirou calling her. "I have to go." She sighed. "I wish you didn't." He muttered and she gave him a smile as they walked out and to the entrance of the village. "There you are! Where were you?" Navirou asked

"I went to make sure the house I stayed in was as I entered it. I mean, it's clear that the previous owner was beloved and I didn't want to disrespect her memory." Dearien said, feeling it was weird to talk about herself in the 3rd person, but the others bought it apart from Leo who saw the slight flush on her. Alwin stated he wished he could go with them, but he couldn't leave the village unprotected, before Dearien noticed a new necklace around Ena's neck.

It was an amulet in the shape what reminded her of arrow tips. Ena explained that her grandfather gave it to her and how it had been in her family for many generations. "Please be careful." Alwin said as he looked at Ena, but not just meaning her "I'll be okay. I have fine protectors with me." Ena stated as she looked over towards the others. "Fine protectors?" Navirou asked as he looked at Leo, Damira, Chim Ranmar and baby Ratha in his little bag.

"Am I one of those fine protectors too?" He asked, his voice getting high-pitched in excitement "Yes. We'll need your help guiding us to Kuan after all." Ena reminded him and he grinned. "Hehehe. Well, okay. Leave it to me. Navigatin' Navirou!" The felyne stated, before Alwin gave him a bag to calm him down. Opening it, Navirou immediately cheered. "Woo-hooo! Oh my toe beans! It's a donut!" He said loudly as he held it up and admired it. Alwin explained that he had the Wyverian chefs make it based on his description, saying that he hoped it was any good

Dearien smiled at seeing that her best friend (maybe more) really was still the same. Swallowing it completely whole after a few bites, the donut got Navirou's seal of approval as he jumped into Alwin's arms to thank him. Alwin panicked as he pushed Navirou away and got ready for the sneezes.... only for nothing to happen. "No sneeze... but I always sneeze around felynes." He muttered in confusion as he looked at Dearien, but she could only shrug in answer

She had nothing to do with it this time. Navirou grunted as he got up, before grinning.  "Didn't I tell you? I'm not like other felynes. I'm the legendary Navirou-" He began. He didn't get any further than that as Alwin grabbed his paw and started to pet him. "It's so soft... so warm. I thought I'd never get to actually touch a felyne." He breathed. "I'm uh.. I'm very happy for you, I guess." Navirou muttered, even as he clearly enjoyed Alwin's pets.

Dearien simply smiled at them both from a distance, remembering how he always wanted to play with felynes, but couldn't because he wouldn't stop sneezing. She was so happy for him that he could finally pet a felyne without sneezing up a storm "We better get going." Ena stated after a few seconds had passed and they reluctantly agreed. "Promise me you'll protect Ena and Damira from harm." Alwin then asked of Leo and he nodded. "Hey, I'm older than he is." Dearien protested as she crossed her arms and Alwin made a face at her.

As they turned to leave to go to Kuan village, she gave him a final smile and he smiled back, putting his hand over his heart and then reaching out to her, silently telling her that his heart would be with her until the next time they saw each other. She did the same, before following the others. They reluctantly left the village, unaware that they were being watched. The felyne they had seen in Alcala cave was watching them too, hidden in a nearby tree.

The way Leo and the others had seen her that time had been nothing more than a disguise. Her name was actually Tsukino and she worked together with the group of hunters who were after Ratha. She had tracked them ever since they had left Hakolo island on Ena's boat to go to Rutoh and had been spying on them ever since in disguise or from afar, having reported to her human partner Kyle after seeing the smoke coming from Ratha's egg shell

"So that's the monster with the Wings of Ruin?" Kyle himself asked out loud as he walked out from behind the same tree and she quickly jumped down, having come to join her immediately after getting her message After a bit of talking and discussing the next best course of action, they eventually decided to keep following the unaware group and alert the other hunters of the situation if Ratha really did possess this terrible power and capture him if he actually did. With the plan made, they immediately followed the party leaving the village 

A few days later, Alwin couldn't concentrate. His best friend was back and she returned the feelings he had kept hidden for so long. He should be ecstatic, right? But she had left again and this time on a mission they didn't know the scale or the outcome of. If only he didn't have to protect the village. He could have come if he didn't. He sat back in his chair and remembered what Dearien had told him that evening of when she had flown into the pits. 

"I saw a glimpse of the monster that is causing these pits. It's huge. Bigger than you could imagine. There's no way we're able to go up against it." Her voice echoed in his head and he groaned. Dearien may be on a course that would lead her straight to that monster again and he couldn't help her. He looked to the left, seeing a pile of letters lying there and an idea formed in his head as he quickly grabbed parchment and ink, starting to write a new letter

He may not be able to help her, but he knew a powerful rider who could

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"So, what made you look so red?" 

"I may or may not have kissed Alwin." I quietly breathed to Leo, keeping an eye on Ena to see if she heard us as she was walking ahead talking to Navirou while trying to find a place to camp, but she didn't. It certainly took a lot longer to get to Loloska when you didn't have a monstie that could fly. It took me half a day or so to cross Alcala when I ran away from home. We had been travelling for at least a few days now

Leo's jaw fell for a brief moment, before a huge smile took over instead as he knew how much I had liked him before I had left home after he once asked me if i had anyone waiting for me back home about a year all. This had eventually resulted in a rather embarrassing moment where I had talked about how much I missed Alwin and papa and mama as I burst into tears. I didn't want to talk about it after that, but still

He then gently punched my arm with a "good for you" look on his face, knowing that with Ena nearby, he couldn't say anything out loud. I smiled back as I instinctively rubbed my arm, despite the hit not really hurting. I hated that I immediately had to leave my home again just after finally confessing my feelings and having them actually be returned, but it seemed that the Potter luck really had followed me here. I then looked at Ratha, who seemed to be growing almost unnaturally fast in the past few days, which didn't help the suspicion that he was in fact Razewing Ratha

Seeing me looking at his monstie, Leo sighed before straightening up. "It'll be fine. I'm sure that this Ol' Dede can help us. Did you ever hear about him before?" He then asked quietly as Navirou seemed to be telling Ena a story about his past adventures, his habit of being loud working in our favour as we could have our own quiet conversation. "Papa told me about him once when I told him and mama I had powers." I muttered 

"I had no idea that was his name though." I continued with a smirk and Leo snorted before we both got serious. "So, what are you going to do about him now? I mean, he really isn't like the stories you told me about him, so what now?" Leo then asked. "I don't know. He's... different, but not just in the way Alwin talked about. There's something that creeps me out, even though I know it's still my father we're talking about." I sighed

Making sure Ena still didn't hear us, i carefully told him about the riders talking about something called "the Exalted One." "What on earth does that even mean?" He asked in utter confusion. "I have no idea and I really don't like it." I muttered as I crossed my arms. It then started to rain and baby Ratha immediately ran to hide in-between Leo's feet. It was clear that he was not a big fan of rain, which made sense as he was a fire monster like my Saranya was fire/poison. We quickly found a cave and hid over there after we checked for any monsters

It was thankfully completely clear and we actually found some logs that we used to make a campfire by gently prompting Ratha to try and spit fire. He barely managed and this was the monster papa and Elder Maolo were so worried about? As the night progressed, the rain turned into a storm. I promised to take the first watch for the night as you could never be too careful in these times and went to sit at the entrance

It was still dry where I sat, but I could look outside and enjoy the storm. Chim came to join me and put his head on my lap, me petting his head as I watched lightning flash across the sky, thunder often immediately following it. This reminded me of both the year we were hunting horcruxes and my very first thunderstorm here when i realised exactly how much having Wyverian hearing was a pain in the ass at times. 

-------------- flashback ----------

I was peacefully sleeping in my very soft bed, holding onto a stuffed toy that Rivena had made for me when a very loud clap of thunder made itself known to the entire village as lightning had already flashed across the sky, it having already rained the entire day and the weather having only gotten worse over time. I immediately woke with a jump and a scream as my mind briefly went back to the Battle of Hogwarts.

For a brief moment, I actually thought that the incredible boom had actually been Death Eaters blowing something up once more and hurting more people by this just because they could. One dark thought led to another and soon enough, I was crying hysterically again at the fact that I had lost so many friends and family without being able to even try to save them, the loud thunder not helping as it hurt my ears almost every time.

I barely heard the footsteps quickly running towards my room, but I did feel my bed dipping underneath someone's weight as well as papa's warm arms around me as he carefully picked me up and held me in his arms.  "Oh, my little treasure. It's okay. It's okay. The thunder and lightning won't hurt you. Sssssshhhhhh." Papa tried to sooth me, but it didn't really work as this was rather early in my stay with him where I was still grieving everyone I had lost. "Oh, sweetheart." He breathed at hearing that I wasn't calming down. He didn't let it stop him though

He simply kept holding me in his arms, covering one of my ears with his hand and gently pressing my head against his chest to that the thunder would be muffled in that ear as well and I'd hear his calm heartbeat instead, slowly rocking back-and-forth and whispering comforting things to me, kissing my temple and the top of my head and even though he didn't know it at the time, he was giving me exactly what I needed right then

Even though he didn't know the true cause of my crying and thought that it was only because of the storm raging, he still tried his best to comfort me as he held me close. "I'm here, Dearien. You're not alone. I'm here." He whispered as I slowly started to calm down as my brain finally remembered where I was and that I wasn't alone anymore, having tried to grieve in private as literally no one here would understand what I had gone through

To be completely honest, my first thought of how I had to react at realising that papa was there with me was to quickly pull away from him, harshly wipe away my tears and pretend that I was okay again, but it was so incredibly warm and comfortable where I was and papa had a pretty tight grip on me anyway, so I wasn't completely sure if I would've been able to pull away. Instead of pulling away, I let the little abandoned child in me speak and burrowed myself in the comfort my new father was willingly giving me without wanting anything in return.

"That's it, my little treasure. That's it. I'm here with you. You're completely safe. I'll protect you." Papa quickly encouraged me at hearing that I was slowly calming down as I stubbornly buried my face in my chest. He still covered my ears and kept holding me that way until I had completely calmed down. "Papa?" I breathed after a few minutes. "Yes, sweetheart. I'm here. You're safe." He whispered, kissing the top of my head again

I honestly wanted to tell him pretty much everything that had happened to me during my very painful, previous life in that very moment as I actually opened and closed my mouth several times for a few seconds, but eventually said something entirely different instead of that. "The thunder is so loud." I whimpered quietly as the thunder was still going on above us, lightning illuminating the entire room every now and again.

"I know, my little treasure. I know that it is incredibly loud. I'm so sorry. I had completely forgotten that Wyverian children have more sensitive hearing than adults so I hadn't realised how much the thunder would scare you." He whispered as he held me. He continued to move back-and-forth. I sniffled as I clung onto his night clothing, closing my eyes for a few seconds. "Everything is going to be alright. I promise." Papa whispered as he nuzzled my hair at this always made me laugh. I only smiled this time, but he saw it as a victory nonetheless

Getting an idea, papa then lifted me into his arms and carried me to his bed instead, lying down with me on his chest and tucking the both of us in. Because of the crying, the late hour and papa's warmth and comfort, I was slowly falling asleep again now that I knew I was safe and sound. "Go to sleep, my little treasure. I promise I will always be there for you." Papa whispered and that was the last thing I heard as I did exactly that

--------------- end flashback --------------- 

Chim's quiet but very worried whine quickly snapped me out of my bittersweet memories and I realised droplets of water were running down from my cheeks and not from the rain as utter guilt filled me. I never should've made papa believe I was dead. He had done so much for me ever since he found me. He had taken me in and had raised me the way I always should have been raised and what did I do to thank him?

I made him think that he had lost me, completely shattering his heart if I had to believe what I heard from Alwin as well as driving mama to go to Nua Te village and leaving him to face that terrible grief on his own. Once this was done and we still lived, I was going to tell him everything and beg his forgiveness until my voice was hoarse and my throat was sore, no matter what was going on with this whole "Exalted One" business. 

"How is it that no matter what I do or what choice I make to try and protect everyone, I still screw up everything and at least one person gets terribly hurt in the process?" I quietly asked my monstie and he let out another whine as he clearly tried to comfort me, but unlike papa on that stormy night, it didn't work as well as I gently stroked his dark red fur. Leaning ball against the wall and looking up, I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes for a second. I immediately opened them at hearing Chim starting to growl at something

"What is it?" I immediately asked in worry as he jumped up and growled while looking outside, before hearing a monster's cry over the rain and I got up as well as I looked out into the storm with Chim. There! Right there in the sky was a moving flash of blue and green. It was a monster with a glowing blue horn on its head, electricity coursing through its entire body. My eyes widened at realising what kind of monster it was.

"Holy shit. It's an actual Boltreaver Astalos." I breathed in shock and a little bit of fear, before I gently pushed Chim away from the entrance and further into the cave. These deviant monsters were very well known to be incredibly aggressive and with a baby monster with us, it was for the best that it didn't notice we were there. Thankfully, we had made the fire around a bend, so the light wasn't visible from the outside

Chim and I both peeked around the corner to see if it had noticed us, the two of us completely ready for a fight if it had even though Chim would be in the disadvantage as Boltreaver Astalos preferred technical attacks and Chim preferred speed. We could vaguely hear it crying out a couple of more times, before it eventually faded away, having flown past our spot without knowing we were there. I let out a tiny sigh of relief as I carefully snuck back to my spot at the entrance again, my palamute obediently following as we resumed our spots 

It wasn't until we sat back down again that I realised something. "Hang on. These monsters don't live in Alcala. They prefer the volcanic regions in the north. What on earth is a Boltreaver Astalos doing so far from its habitat?" I asked out loud and Chim let out a little whine as he didn't know the answer either. "It probably has to do with these bloody pits. Mark my words, Chim. It all comes down to that." I muttered. Chim let out a growl.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not a fan of these things either, especially with what I saw at the very bottom. I don't think I've ever seen such a big thing. Hagrid's half-brother would be about the size of Ratha compared to it." I replied, before falling silent. Ena eventually came to replace me with Ranmar, promising to call us if anything happened. I went nal insider the cave and lied down next to the fire, using Chim as a pillow and closing my eyes

I was asleep before I knew it. 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

I told the others about the monster in the morning

"You saw a Boltreaver Astalos in the sky? But they don't even live around here or Loloska." Navirou commented in utter confusion. "I know, my friend. It doesn't make any sense for one to fly here for no particular reason." I muttered as I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall of the cave. "Maybe, it wasn't a wild one." Ena suggested. "You mean it could be someone's monstie?" Leo asked with a frown

"If it actually had a rider, then it wasn't a smart one to fly in such a storm. Although, if it really did have a rider, I'll immediately admire that rider's strength and courage if they managed to raise such an aggressive monster." I muttered and the others all made faces of agreement. Everyone knew that Boltreaver Astalos were some of the hardest monster to raise. I think papa would've gotten a heart attack if my first monstie had been one

"What do we do now?" Ena asked in slight worry as Leo held Ratha close to him. "We'll just continue on with the journey and try to reach Loloska soon enough so we can find Ol' Dede. Unless that Boltreaver Astalos actually attacks us, I don't think it shouldn't be a concern to us." I shrugged and the others agreed as we eventually got out of the cave again and continued on. The rain had thankfully stopped, but it was very cold and slippery because of the storm, so we had to be very careful when riding the two monsties unless we really wanted to slip and fall

We eventually reached the incredibly cold region of Loloska and immediately had to use the hot mist that Alwin had given us before we left. It honestly made me miss him even more than I ever had during the ten years I had spent on Hakolo island, but that was very likely because of our confessed feelings and me having to leave pretty much immediately after finally doing what I had wanted to do for such a long time 

After we dismounted as our monsties had trouble getting through the snow with us on their backs, Navirou and Ena walked in front of us again with Ranmar keeping an eye on them while I, Leo, Chim and Ratha were walking behind them. "Shake a tail buddy! Kuan village, here we come!" Navirou cheered as he turned to face us, before Leo stumbled and fell in the snow, me quickly going to help him get back up

"Why are you playing around here?" Ena asked as she turned around. "I wasn't playing. I fell." Leo defended himself as I helped him up. "Oh, I get it! This is both your first time seeing snow." Navirou chuckled, me not correcting him as I had seen snow before both in this life and my previous one. I snapped out of my thoughts as Navirou tried to give us advice, only to stumble himself and roll down the tiny hill towards us, turning into a snow-felyne. "Do you want to build a snow cat?" I sang underneath my breath, trying not to laugh, before sobering up

That line only reminded me of happier times and made the guilt grow. I missed mama's laugh and papa's hugs. I wished those stupid pits had never appeared. Then, things never would've become this bloody bad. "Is now really time to play around?" Ena asked curiously and I shook my head as I carefully climbed the hill without losing my footing. Despite Wyverians walking on the front of our feet, we had excellent balance and grip

Ena and I then suddenly noticed Ratha acting rather odd as he was now walking alongside us as he had grown too big and too heavy for Ranmar to carry in the bag. He refused to walk forwards and was glaring at the sky. "What is it, Ratha?" I asked, despite Navirou not noticing something was wrong. "Kuan village is right up ahead." The felyne announced, just before the ground shook and we saw the red light of another pit opening

We immediately rushed towards it and saw that the red light was actually coming out of a hole in the frozen lake. I remembered gliding around here with some friends that I had made during my first visit here, but how deep was the lake if the red light was actually coming out of it. We then had to deal with an enraged Zamtrios, a monster that really looked like a shark that could live on land. Despite the young Ratha being the only monster that was in the advantage, we still did our best to fight it as Ena kept Ratha back from the monster

I loudly groaned as I was harshly knocked back by one attack, Chim immediately covering me as he growled at the crazy monster. Getting up, my eyes widened at seeing my three fingered hands. My glamour had briefly failed because of the hit. I glanced up at Ena, but she was much too busy focusing on the fight and Chim covering my body had hidden the change as I put the glamour on once more and joined them again

We then heard the sound of wings coming closer very fast and a female voice calling out. "Hey! Are you alright?" The woman asked as a blonde woman riding a Barioth landed right next to us. "What the- Avinia?! What are you doing here?!" Navirou asked in utter surprise, but she simply replied that they had to focus on the fight first and talk later. 'I like her.' I already decided as I had the feeling she was a person to be respected

She was pretty powerful too as with her help during the rest of the fight, we managed to slay the Zamtrios and get some parts from it. Armour made from Zamtrios parts was known to be cold resistant and that was exactly what we needed right now. The red light disappeared again and I heard this Avinia mutter about how there had been more pits in Loloska. 'So more and more pits have been popping up.' I thought, before grinning as Leo grabbed the woman's face to greet her in the way of the people of Hakolo island, surprising her quite a bit

"That's how folks on Hakolo island say hi. Good to see ya again, Avinia." Navirou greeted her with a huge grin on his face and she snapped herself out of it. "Oh, I see, it's been a while, huh?" She asked with a smile. "And Frostfang, ol' pal. You look like a million zenny!" Navirou cheered as he jumped on the Barioth's head and hugged it to the best of his abilities. So, these two were friends of his? Well, that was good to know

We then quickly introduced ourselves to each other. Ena explained that we were looking for Ol' Dede and asked if Avinia had seen him, but unfortunately for us, she hadn't seen him in a while. "Are you kitten me? We came all this way for nothing?" Navirou asked as he immediately sagged in disappointment and even I let a scowl show on my face. As much as I enjoyed playing in the snow, the cold wasn't really my favourite either

I always thought that Alcala was one of the best places to grow and live, not feeling biased about it at all of course. Not too hot and not too cold and pretty nice weather most of the time. Only the thunderstorms were an annoyance when I was younger, but as papa had said, it had gotten better when I grew up and my hearing had become less sensitive. Only Hakolo island came even close to it in my opinion. We then talked about how we wanted to control Ratha's power, before we heard the loud rumbling of a stomach

"Are you hungry, Navirou?" Avinia asked him with a knowing smile, proving that she really knew him from before. "It wasn't me! I'm not some mangy mutt with a bottomless stomach! Was it you, buddies?" He asked, looking at me and Leo with an accusing look and we shook our heads. Ena then turned out to be the one with the rumbling stomach and Avinia led us to Kuan village. I couldn't wait to sleep in an actual bed. 

3rd person P.O.V 

While they were busy travelling the last few miles to Kuan village with Avinia and hopefully getting closer to finding Ol' Dede to find out the truth about Ratha and his supposed power, a single catavan arrived in Rutoh with a very special passenger riding on it who hadn't been seen in the village for a long time. "Ow, ow, ow." The woman groaned as she was practically thrown off the cart and slowly got up from the ground.

"Ugh. I always hate travelling like this. It's so freaking uncomfortable and hurts pretty much all of my body. Talk about necessary evils." She then muttered to herself s she cracked her back and started to walk through the village towards her target. Many people stared in utter shock at the woman as she quietly made her way towards the elder, who was talking to Alwin about the points of security at the moment

"Yes, of course. And we must make certain that...." Elder Maolo was saying to the rider with a nod, before suddenly noticing the new arrival. "Mirien?" He asked in shock and Alwin immediately whirled around to see his best friend's mother walking towards them and she grinned as she bowed to him. "Did you miss me?" She asked. "Very much so, my dear. How are you?" Elder Maolo asked gently and she took a deep breath. "I'm... better. I'm feeling good enough to come back." She sighed and he quickly nodded in understanding

"Of course, of course. Although, I must admit I am rather surprised that you didn't tell us that you were coming back." He said. "Wanted to surprise Zellard. He hasn't reacted to my last letter I sent a few weeks ago..... or the one before that one. Where is he?" She asked. "I'm afraid you just missed him. He went out for a walk about an hour ago. But I'm sure he'll be back soon." Alwin reassured her at seeing her dejected face.

"I hope so. I didn't come all the way just to be blown off. Did I miss anything important here?" Mirien asked, before letting out a big sneeze. "Bless you." Both men said at the same time. "Thank you. I think I'm gonna take a bath while I wait for Zellard to come home." She muttered as she rubbed her nose. "Naturally, my dear. Alwin, could you please escort her back home?" Elder Maolo asked and Alwin agreed with a bow

"How have you been?" Alwin asked her as many came to greet the female Wyverian who hadn't been seen in the village since at least ten years before. "I honestly have no real idea. I feel... all kinds of things that you really don't want to feel and I hate it." She replied as she sneezed again. "How has he been?" She asked and he sighed as he looked around. "Different. I'm afraid that what happened back then has permanently changed him and I'm not sure if that can be reversed." He confessed and she bit her lip as she looked down

"Alwin.... can you be completely honest with me?" She then asked and after a slight second, he nodded in answer. "Did I do the right thing by going to my relatives in Nua Te?" She asked as she loved at him. "You did what was best for you at the time. If I didn't have my duty to the village, I might have left as well. I know I still want to this very day." He replied and meaning it, just for different reasons than he had in the past decade

She nodded again, before they arrived at her home and she gave him a hug. "Thank you." She breathed. "You're welcome." He replied, before she went into her home. Walking into her bedroom, she sat down on their bed and opened her bag to put her things away. It had taken her a while, but she was finally home. She grabbed something she had gotten in Nua Te for a moment, before shaking her head and putting it away

She just really wanted a bath

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Zellard took a deep breath as he returned home

He was so tired, but he knew that it would be all worth in the end once everything had succeeded and he didn't have to worry about anything anymore. Everything would turn out alright. "Zellard, welcome back. How was your walk?" Elder Maolo asked him once he had joined. "It was enlightening." Zellard replied and the elder nodded. To be completely honest, the amount of times Zellard left the village was starting to worry him

Still, he felt like it wasn't his business to pry about what he did during those walks and with Mirien no doubt waiting for her husband to come home, he straightened up. "Very well. I don't really have anything to do for you as I've discussed the most important things with Alwin, so you're dismissed for today. Go and have some rest. You look tired." He said and the younger Wyverian bowed to him, before leaving

He was pretty sure that he had seen the Elder smiling at him and briefly wondered why, but he waved it off as he walked back to his home. Walking into the door as he rubbed his eyes, he heard someone being busy in the kitchen. His feet immediately started to go faster and he walked into the room to see Mirien cooking up something. He stared at her as she looked up and smiled. "Hello, love. Did you miss me?" She asked. He slowly walked forwards and cupped her face with both hands. She immediately leaned into his touch as she closed her eyes, kissing his palm

He then pulled her into his arms for a tight hug, burying his face in her hair and she laughed as she hugged him back, before pulling back and caressing his cheek. "I need to watch the food before it burns." She told him and he reluctantly let her go enough for her to turn around and keep an eye on the food. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the crook of her neck, making her smile as she finished making the food

She thankfully had the feeling that he'd be home soon enough and made enough for two. As they sat next to each other, Mirien finally asked her husband something that had been bothering her for a while. "Why didn't you write anymore?" She asked in a quiet voice and Zellard briefly stopped eating as he sighed. "I'm sorry, Mirien. I have been so incredibly busy with more and more pits appearing that I didn't have time." He said

"You didn't have time to write a small letter. Pits have been appearing around Nua Te village as well. I was worried sick that you were attacked again like that time with Red and...." Mirien said, before he interrupted. "Please don't say her name." He begged as he closed his eyes, grief still coating his voice, despite the fact that he had seen his daughter only a few days ago even if he didn't know it and she sighed as she grabbed his hand. "I miss her too, my love. I miss her every day." She whispered and he sighed as he pulled back

"What have you been up to?" She asked as she looked him up and down. He told her about things she had missed and even told her about Leo and the group. "I thought Red only had one grandchild." She commented at hearing about Damira. "He did. Damira was there to keep an eye on him. I believe she and Alwin have become friends in the meantime, before they left for Kuan." Zellard explained. "That's great! I'm so glad!" She cheered.

He smiled before sitting closer and telling her about what he had been up to personally. Once he was done, he kissed her deeply. "Soon, all our troubles will be over." He said, before lifting her up in his arms and carrying her to their bed. A few hours later, he was sleeping with Mirien watching over him. He hadn't changed as much as Alwin had implied. He had changed even more. She sighed, before holding him closer and falling asleep

Dearien P.O.V

With Avinia leading us for the rest of the way, we arrived in Kuan village soon enough. It honestly was... a bit different than I remembered, but I remembered Navirou talking about the village being rebuilt at the lake, so something had clearly happened to it. I then saw a bunch of ruins in the distance. That had to be the remains of the village I remembered. Meeting Avinia outside her house, we told her about the legend

"Wings of Ruin? So you're telling me Ratha here is behind all these strange happenings lately?" Avinia asked. "No way! I don't believe that!" Navirou immediately defended Leo's monstie, even if he admitted that he did look like the Rathalos from the legend. Avinia asked the very sensible question about if we didn't believe the legend, then went did we want to find Ol' Dede and have him control Ratha's power

She then told us that her Frostfang had sensed something and that's how she had found us. We then explained that we just wanted to see if Ratha was the true monster from the legends and Avinia understood. Navirou asked if we could stay in Kuan for a while until we found Ol' Dede. Avinia thought for a minute as she looked at the sleeping, but still growing Ratha and finally agreed on the condition that we wouldn't inconvenience anyone in the village and we promised, before I bit my lip. "Do you mind if I go back to Hakolo for a day?" I asked

This immediately surprised everyone. "Why would you want to go back there? We need to find Ol' Dede." Navirou exclaimed. "I'm very well aware, Navirou, but it seems we won't find him anytime soon and Sara is still back there. I need to see if she's okay." I replied. "Right.... forgot about that." The felyne muttered as he crossed his little paws and they then all allowed me to go after we said hello to the chief of the village

We then quickly walked to the biggest house of the village and saw a big man with red hair and a beard standing in front of it. He made me think of a human sized Hagrid. "Hmm. Auspicious winds are blowing." The man muttered. "Excuuuuse us, is this the village chief's house?" Navirou asked. "Ah, you're looking for the chief?" The man, who I could only assume was the chief himself, asked with a smile

"Yup, do you know who that is?" Navirou asked and I gave him a look. Ward this cat completely serious right now? "You're looking at him." The chief confirmed my suspicions as he introduced himself as chief Daul. "Let me guess, you must be Avinia's friends." He continued, lowering himself look at Navirou closely. The felyne then asked if it was okay for us to stay in the village for a while. "Of course. Of course. What's ours is yours, my friends." Chief Daul told us and I immediately liked him as he really reminded me of Hagrid

"I knew something good would happen today. Stay as long as you like. Offering you hospitality is the least I can do to repay you." The chief continued, confusing all of us as Ena asked Navirou what he was talking about. "Repay us? But we didn't do anything." The felyne stated. "You can't hide it from me. A Rathalos rider accompanied by an unusual felyne. You're the folks who saved us from the Black Blight." The chief stated

"It's good to see you have new companions with you." He continued ad he looked at me and Ena and where Leo was staring, Navirou got a beaming smile on his furry face. "So, you're saying you know who I am?!" He asked happily and chief Daul confirmed it. "Wow, Haha! I didn't realise I was this famous! Now that the cat's out of the bag, I won't deny it it. It's me, the legendary felyne Navirou!" Said felyne continued 

"So you weren't just boasting when you said you're a legendary felyne?" Ena asked. "Um, hel-lo. I told you that before, right? Did you take me for a liar?" Navirou asked. "Yes." Ena and I chorused at the same time and I saw Leo suppress a laugh. "Well, that's just clawfully rude." Navirou muttered, before Ena tried to tell the chief that Leo wasn't the very same rider as the one who had saved them, but Navirou quickly interrupted her by offering to help whenever he needed them. Once the meeting was over, I was about to leave

I gave Leo a tight hug before I left them. "Be extremely careful out there. Make sure to buy and use a lot of hot mist to make sure you're not frozen and a lot of monsters that live around here can give you paralysis, so make sure you've got potions against that as well." I advised him and he quickly agreed, before I took the catavan to Hakolo island, the cart turning into a little hot hair balloon and carrying me away.

Catavans were known for its shaky rides and this one was no exception as the landing especially was incredibly rough, but I made it, even if I was in slight pain. Damira! What a surprise! Have you found out the secret of the egg?" Chief Gara asked. "No. Honestly, things are only getting more confusing with the day. I'm just here to give you an update and see Sara. Are the hunters still here?" I asked as I looked around

"No. They left right after you did." Kayna answered as she joined us with Leo's parents and I let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Last thing I need is for them to hear us." I muttered as chief Gara led us to his house where I told them almost everything that had happened since then. The kiss between me and Alwin remained a secret for them as was the whole "Exalted One" bit. "Do you think that Leo's Ratha is the one with the Wings of Ruin?" Chief Gara asked. "Right now, he's just a little baby. I honestly have no ideas what to think." I replied and they nodded

I then went to see Saranya once again and she let out a loud roar that made birds fly away at seeing me. "Hey girl. I'm so sorry for just leaving out of the blue, but things got hectic so fast that I barely had time to do anything but go away." I muttered as I hugged her neck and told her everything. "Can't stay either. Will have to leave again soon enough." I continued and she gave me a nudge, clearly asking me to take her with me

"Ena is still with us, sweetie. She'll recognise you and then tell mama and papa and all hell will break loose. Besides, we're in Loloska now." I told her, laughing when she took a small step back, clearly remembering the cold region. "If there's any trouble, I promise I'll call you." I whispered as i kissed her head, my magic having made sure she could always hear me call, no matter how far I was. She reluctantly agreed and I smiled

Little did I know that I would need her help soon enough

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Leaving Saranya behind again was hard

It honestly was even harder than last time as it had been a very hurried affair and I didn't exactly have time to run back to the village to go and get her. Now that things had slightly settled down and I could go see her again, leaving her again felt much harder than it had before. Still, she thankfully didn't blame me and Kayna promised to take good care of her and with my permission, to take her out for a flight every day as my first monstie agreed

I counted on that as I reluctantly took the Catavan back to Kuan as I knew I couldn't stay away too long. At least the snow softened the often harsh blow of the landing. "How was this Sara of yours?" Ena asked as I got off, her looking after Ratha while Leo was busy. "A bit grumpy that I had left without taking her with me, even if I didn't have much of a choice considering the circumstances at the time, but she can be as stubborn as her rider at times." I sighed

She immediately giggled as little Ratha let out a tiny roar and i chuckled as I petted his head. "Not a big fan of the snow, are you, little one? That's okay. I prefer warmer climates myself." I told him as Ena watched us with a smile for a second. "What kind of a monstie is Sara?" She asked curiously. "A Pukei-Pukei." I replied almost without thinking, already hearing Saranya's indignant roar in my mind if she ever heard about this. Ena thankfully stopped asking after that and we went to ask around if anyone had seen Ol' Dede anywhere, but no such luck for now

We then stayed in the village for a few more days after my return as we waited for any sign of the Wyverian, Leo helping villagers with their needs. He got help from Avinia as the village's foremost rider and me at times when staying in the village was driving me mad. We fought and beat several monsters as Leo had his Kulu Ya-Ku brought over from Mahana village at seeing that Ranmar had more trouble with the cold, even with the hot mist covering us

It made complete sense as Ranmar was far more reptilian like than the Kulu Ya-Ku, Chim or Frostfang. Saranya had hated the cold, but she at least had her fire organs warming her up from the inside. Ranmar had no such luck, so we sent him back to Mahana village where he could stay in his old, but most importantly warm stable and not freeze to death whenever we were gone or when we had to go on and had to leave him behind for some reason too 

I had to admit that it was funny to see people believing Leo was the legendary rider, especially when they paid more attention to him than to Navirou and said felyne's indignation at being ignored by pretty much everyone. During one mission, Avinia commented about how it had been fate meeting Leo and the cat just had to let himself be heard. "Hey, what about me? It was fate meeting me too." He stated, paws at his sides as I just stood next to him and looked over to where Avinia and Leo were already walking back to the village without listening to him

"Uhm, Navirou?" I began to say, before literally lifting him up and turning him around to show I was the only one really listening to him, maybe one of the two as Chim was next to me. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" He shouted and I rolled my eyes as I started to follow them, grunting as Navirou suddenly jumped on my shoulder like he often did with Leo. "I'm not a monstie, Navirou." I muttered as I got him off my shoulder and put him on Chim's back instead

Between the two of us, he was the actual monstie. Navirou quickly apologised and I waved it off to show he was forgiven. I just didn't like to be jumped from behind, even when it was by a tiny, harmless felyne. "Do you think that Boltreaver Astalos had something to do with the pits?" I asked the cat and he hummed. "I'm not sure. It is possible if it's a wild one as there's no reason for it to be this far from its usual habitat." He replied and I immediately agreed

Eventually, after we had defeated a pretty ugly and creepy monster that was called a Khezu and had gotten some parts needed to bring the last windmill up and running, the chief told us some more pits had been acting up and how the Hunter's guild was calling the light that was making the monsters aggressive "rage-rays" and I honestly liked it as we now finally had a name for this really strange and creepy phenomenon and I was definitely not going to let Leo handle this on his own. Although, I had to admit that I was surprised when he chose his monstie

In the time we had been staying in the village, Ratha had finally grown big enough to be ridden (seriously, even if he isn't the legendary monster, it was rather unnatural exactly how fast he had grown in what had only been a few weeks at the most) and Leo had been training him by sparring with me and Chim, my monstie making sure to be very careful. He wanted to take Ratha with him and even though I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, it was his decision

As we were walking to the pit, Navirou suddenly had the feeling we were being watched. I heard some snow moving and looked up, seeing a flash of dark purple disappear behind some snow. Were there any dark purple monsters in Loloska? None really came to mind. Avinia and Leo then distracted me as Leo confessed that he wasn't certain if he could control Ratha if he really did have the terrible power and I looked down. He really was in a pinch, huh? 

If Ratha wasn't the actual monster from the legend, then he'd have a disabled Rathalos that couldn't fly. If he was then.... well, shit would definitely go down. Avinia advised Leo to believe in himself as if Ratha sensed there was doubt in his rider, he'd become nervous too and that was the last thing we wanted right now. "He needs to know that you'll protect him, no matter what." She stated and Leo nodded. Navirou then once again commented that he felt that we were being watched and thought it was one of his fans and despite not seeing anything, I didn't like it

One uncomfortable journey through a geyser later, we arrived at the pit and maybe it was the contrast with the white of the snow, compared to the earthly tones of Alcala, but it seemed worse now. We then had to fight what we'd later call a "rage-rayed" Seltas and Seltas Queen, monsters that were insect/scorpion based if that made sense and because Ratha was still young, it was a harsh battle, but with the dragon energy from Chim, we eventually won

We quickly returned to the village after wondering why the light wasn't affecting our monsties like it was doing to other monsters, which made me curious as well. I literally flew into the light with Saranya and never once did it affect her. Ena told us she finally found Ol' Dede and we immediately went to the place he had been last seen, which turned out to be a hot spring with tiny geysers spouting off steam every now and again, but there was no sign of him

After fighting a Lagombi, a monster that looked like an overgrown rabbit and that came pretty much out of nowhere, we tried to look around for him without getting into the water for now, but much to the confusion of us and especially Navirou, we came up empty.... until Avinia mentioned she had actually brought steamed moss with her and out of nowhere, the most un-Wyverian-looking Wyverian immediately popped out from underneath the surface. "That's him?" Ena and I asked in unison. For some reason, I had expected him to look different 

Maybe it was because papa had told me about him, but I kinda pictured him looking like my father as Avinia confirmed it. Ol' Dede held out his hand and asked for the snack. He literally refused to do anything else or react to anything Navirou was saying until it had been given to him "Hmm, de-lish." He said and I raised an eyebrow at the way he talked. I then noticed Leo was about to eat some of the moss, which didn't look delicious for humans.

"Leo, no! I wouldn't.." I began to warn, only for him to eat it and immediately turn green. "... eat that." I finished belatedly with a wince. Ol' Dede then went back down into the warm water, no matter how much Navirou loudly called him to come out again. "Please! Listen to us!" Ena begged desperately and he actually popped back up this time. "Won't listen to me, but when it's a cute girl, he's all ears." Navirou muttered sarcastically and I suppressed a snort

Merlin, I loved this felyne

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

That night, we sat around a campfire

"We need to know if our monster is Razewing Ratha, but for that, his true power must be awoken." Ena explained to him. "Now, let's say I do that for you. Then what, hmm?" Ol' Dede asked and Navirou explained that if Leo's monstie really had the legendary and terrible power, then it had to be sealed again and that the strange Wyverian in front of us could do it. "Sure do. However, I'm not teaching you that." Ol' Dede replied

"Come on! Don't be like that!" Navirou complained, his head briefly sagging. "Nature should be left alone. Awakening a monster's power just to seal it back if it's not what you wanted, doesn't that sound a bit selfish, hmmm?" Ol' Dede asked and when he put it like that, it did kinda sound selfish. I wondered if papa knew what his answer would be and if so, why he still sent us towards Loloska for practically nothing

He and Avinia then explained there was a reason why only chosen Riders were able to undergo the Rite of Channeling as it could be used for bad intentions if anyone could do it as they could control the monsters with it. He then blocked the geyser right next to him with his hand. "What are you doing?" Navirou asked. "A little demonstration." Was all that Ol' Dede said in answer, before the earth rumbled and a new geyser shot up right underneath poor Navirou, sending him several feet into the sky. The poor thing really was the universe's punching bag, huh? 

"By suppressing power, you will kick things out of balance. Creating an anomaly. This irregularity, unchecked, can lead to devastating consequences." Ol' Dede explained, his words barely audible over Navirou's screaming as the felyne was still atop the new geyser. "Sir, can you please let Navirou down?" I asked and he listened as he freed the geyser next to him, making the other one stop and I quickly caught our little friend

"My tender toe beans! Did we really need that paws on demo?" Navirou asked very loudly as steam was coming off him, but Ol' Dede simply went on without answering his question. "Power is not what's important." He stated, but he refused to go any further than that as he stood up and started to go back to his hot spring, saying the lesson was over and that Leo had to find out the answer on his own from now on.

"Just one more thing before I take my leave. Sometimes, hiding the truth from those closest to you, no matter the reason can have bigger consequences than you thought." He said. I was pretty sure he was looking right at me when he said that, but he didn't elaborate as he went back down underneath the surface. "What on earth did he mean with that?" Avinia asked. "I have no idea." Ena answered, but Leo glanced at me, having the same feeling as me: that he was talking about the fact I kept the fact I was still alive a secret from my family

We then quietly discussed what we had learned from Ol' Dede and like me, Ena understood his point of view. Navirou didn't and offered to go and bride him, but an uncertain Leo disagreed with that. Avinia suspected that the request was denied because Ol' Dede sensed that Leo was doubtful. Sweet little Navirou tried to cheer him up, but before we could say anything else, we heard the sound of a pit opening again

3rd person P.O.V 

The group then soon arrived at the pit. "These things are really growing on my nerves." Dearien muttered, one hand into Chim's dark red fur as he growled at the light. They were then attacked by a Legiana, but it wasn't rage-rayed yet, so they tried to beat it before it happened. Unfortunately, they failed and the Legiana was driven crazy as well, but it wasn't the only monster affected by it... as Ratha was too 

Chim was the first one to sense the change as he turned and growled at the Rathalos. "Chim?" Dearien asked in confusion, before noticing Ratha's eyes glowing and his scales darkening, dark smoke coming off him. They barely had time to see his wings opening just a tiny bit with purple flames when a small cyclone or dark purple energy knocked them all back. When it disappeared, Ratha was completely different

Instead of mostly being bright red with tan underside and blue eyes with slit pupils, he was now completely black with purple flames coming out of his wings and his eyes fully purple as well. "Oh, shit. He really is the legendary monster." Dearien breathed as for the first time in a while, she felt afraid for her life. As ratha tried to advance on the Legiana, Dearien and Ena tried to stop him and hold him back. However, even though he was still very young, he was already much stronger than them and knocked them back, going after the monster as it flew off

Realising the monsters were flying into the same direction as the village, Avinia quickly jumped on Frostfang and flew after them. Leo stayed behind at first, only staring in shock at seeing that his monstie really was the destructive monster from the legends, but Navirou told him that they had to follow as Dearien jumped on Chim. "Jump on!" She ordered, Leo and Navirou immediately listening and joining her as they ran after them

They weren't the only ones as Kyle and Tsukino had been watching them and were following as well. Ratha kept chasing the Legiana, seemingly even more out of his mind than any of the other monsters that had been in contact with the light. Avinia followed them as they got closer to the village, but could only watch and reach out in futility as Ratha shot off a fireball that missed the Legiana... and hit Kuan's windmills instead

Dearien would later say she wouldn't have been surprised if they had felt the explosion all the way back in Rutoh or even all the way north in Lulucion as two of the windmills were completely destroyed and left a huge crater. At his rider's order, Frostfang knocked Ratha down with a cyclone before he could reach the village, the Legiana flying away. That's when the others arrived and could only stare at the destruction 

Dearien's jaw immediately fell in horror as she stopped Chim from coming any closer, Leo jumping off his back to try and stop Ratha himself, but only getting knocked back as the monster seemed to not even recognise his rider anymore. Dearien was about to order Chim to attack Ratha, when Ol' Dede suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumped in front of the enraged Ratha, waved his staff around and said a few words. "Quell thy fury!" He stated and just like that, the Rathalos went back to normal and was knocked out as well

Telling Leo that this was actually just a mere ounce of Ratha's power and asking what he was planning to do with it, he left once again as the villagers came out to see the destruction caused. "Man, the Potter luck strikes again." Dearien muttered as Leo sagged in defeat. From the distance, Kyle told Tsukino to send word to the other hunters now that they knew Ratha really had the legendary power and she did

Avinia picked up a broken piece of the windmill and held it close in grief at the loss of the windmills as the chief walked closer. Deciding not to blame anyone for what had happened as he could see it had been out of their control, he instead focused in the fact that there had been no casualties and that they could rebuild them again. "Avinia.... we're so sorry." Dearien said as she got off her Palamute and Chim whined in agreement

"We promised not to cause any trouble and now look...." Navirou agreed. "It was me who vouched for you. I was hoping that with your help, we could figure everything out and life would return to normal. A silly hope..." Avinia scoffed and Dearien never felt more guilty as those words really struck home. Would it be possible to go back to normal once this es all over and she had told her family the truth? Especially with what Ol' Dede said? She had the feeling it wouldn't be, so the best she could do was hoping for the happiest scenario

Now that it was proven that Ratha really was the Rathalos, Ena stated that he was too much for Leo to handle and she couldn't let him be responsible for the monster, but Navirou asked what they were supposed to do as if they brought them back to Rutoh, they'd just lock him up. Ratha then woke up and Leo decided to go and see Ol' Dede again as he remembered Avinia telling him that he needed to be there for Ratha

Having realised that the bond of Kinship was the answer to Ratha's mystery, he was ready and with help from Ol' Dede unlocked Ratha's true power, but unlike last time, Ratha managed to control it and finally complete the Kinship bond. Ol' Dede gave him a few words of wisdom, before turning to Dearien. "And for you, hidden flower, I will say that both allies and enemies can come from the most unexpected of places." He said

"Also remember that the elements can withstand even the strongest of foes." He continued. Dearien frowned, but he just went into the spring. "Man, just as vague as Dumbledore." She muttered, before they decided to find that Legiana and defeat it. Finding it, Leo was finally able to use a Kinship skill with Ratha now that his powers were unleashed. They eventually managed to beat it, but that also meant that it was time to say goodbye to Avinia as she had to return to the village. They thanked her for everything and Dearien gave her one of her crystals 

"Break it if there's any huge trouble and I'll come as soon as possible if I'm not busy with anything important." She explained quietly and Avinia nodded in understanding as she and Frostfang left them. As we started to walk back, Navirou said he was certain that they could keep Ratha's power in check and the others smiled, before two someones threw a spanner in that idea and those someones were Kyle and Tsukino

"Hey, you were one of the hunters on Hakolo island." Dearien realised. "Yeah, I was at the festival or what you called that snoozefest." Kyle replied as he explained he and Tsukino had been following them ever since. "So much for a clean getaway." The disguised Wyverian muttered as Chim growled at them. After telling them that a Rathalos from Hakolo island had almost killed his father Kyle demanded they handed Ratha over

When they refused, he snapped his fingers and iron chains appeared out of nowhere as they were thrown over Ratha as more hunters appeared and tried to take the monster, one of them kicking Chim away from him when the Palamute tried to defend him. Chim let out a yelp as he hit a nearby wall and fell down. "Chim!" Dearien shouted as she ran towards him, carefully using her magic to check up on him. He thankfully wasn't injured, just a bit winded, but she glared at the hunters nonetheless as her fist started to shake and the wind picked up

However, just before she used her powers to teach these hunters a cold lesson in "don't touch something that doesn't elong to you," secret identity be damned, some other people arrived with a huge wagon and to everyone's surprise, Navirou actually knew two of them. 'Wow, this cat sure goes around.' Dearien thought as she helped Chim up. Navirou asked if the leader, ironically named Lilia, could order the hunters to free Ratha

Unfortunately for them, she and Navirou's other old friend Reverto were with them to take Navirou to Lulucion and Dearien didn't think that she'd ever seen the happy felyne look so betrayed as the hunters loaded Ratha onto the wagon. Leo tried to protest, but Kyle asked if he cared more for one Rathalos than for the world it might destroy. Having no other choice as they took Leo's monstie with them, the group followed

A few days after they left, Avinia and the other villagers were already busy with planning on how to rebuild their windmills. They all looked up when they heard a monster's cry. Much to their shock, a Boltreaver Astalos landed nearby. Avinia was ready to call Frostfang, when she saw a rider dismounting from the beast and she relaxed for now. "What happened here?" The rider asked, their helmet covering most of their face. "A monster attack. No casualties thankfully." Avinia replied, looking the rider up-and-down to see if she had seen them before

"Is that your Boltreaver Astalos?" She asked as she looked past the rider at the monstie. "Sure is. Hatched him five years ago." The rider replied, before sneezing. "Bless you." Avinia said. "Thanks. Flew through a thunderstorm not too long ago. Caught a bit of a cold." The rider replied. "Why were you flying during a storm?" Chief Daul asked as he joined. "Was looking for something for a friend. Didn't find it." The rider shrugged

"Anyway, back to the subject. Do you happen to know where the monster that did this is right now?" They asked. "Hunters took it to Lulucion a few days ago. Why?" Avinia asked. "No reason. Thank you." The rider said before climbing on the Boltreaver Astalos again. The pair then flew north as fast as the monster's wings allowed them to "If they think their trouble can't get worse, they're sorely mistaken." The rider muttered

Their monstie roared in agreement as they flew on

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Dearien P.O.V

It took us a while to reach Lulucion. It was on the other side of the continent compared to Loloska, so it was to be expected, but still. We were all very pissed and unamused by the time we trooped into Lilia's office, me having put Chim in the nearby stables and having asked the stable cat to look after him to make sure he was okay. I was really going to talk about the way they treated both Ratha and my own monstie

Ratha had been put away somewhere else and this really pissed all of us off. "Where's Ratha? You cannot separate him from his rider!" Ena immediately insisted, me crossing my arms from my place next to her. "Let's stay calm and talk, shall we?" Lilia asked. "No." I replied, this Lilia and Reverto looking at me in surprise. What? Did they think I was just going to listen and obey them after the dirty trick they pulled? 

"I don't know any of you. All I know is that you literally captured my friend's monstie with no warning whatsoever. We were literally making progress on how to control Ratha's power when you came in and bloody ruined it all by simply deciding to forcefully separate Ratha from the one he trusts the most and leave my friend without a monstie to ride on because you also demanded we'd follow you immediately. Not to mention that one of your little hunter buddies kicked my palamute in the stomach. If he had broken a single rib, you guys would all be in major trouble." I continued 

"So, no. I actually don't really feel like staying very calm right now." I finally huffed as I glared at them both with my eyes narrowed to slits. Lilia quickly avoided my eyes as she told us that Ratha was being kept safe. "You grew up in a Rider village, Lilia!  How can you do this?! If anyone can understand the bond between monsties and riders, it's you" Navirou exclaimed. Again, why was a talking cat being the voice of reason here?

And why is my life so bloody weird that such a sentence doesn't even surprise me slightly anymore? "That doesn't matter, I'm a scrivener now and this job comes with its own duties. I can't simply allow Razewing Ratha to roam free." Lilia stated. "Well, apparently this job also makes you lose your sense of logic too." I muttered. "What did you say?" Lilia immediately demanded to know and I simply shrugged in answer. 

"All I'm saying is that if you had just....I don't know... asked us about whether or not we'd allow you to carefully examine Ratha and make sure Leo would be able to see him all the time, we might have agreed as this way, we could've worked together to find a way to keep everyone safe. Ever think of that, hmmm? Clearly not as you just had to come in guns blazing and take Ratha by force with you now even refusing to tell us where he is, even though the legend states Razewing Ratha supposedly destroyed the world because of the people hunting him." I said

"You said it, Damira. Please listen to yourself, Lilia. Want do you have to do everything by the book?" Navirou asked. "Hey, I'm just doing my job!" Lillia protested. "That's literally the worst justification in human history." I said and I could tell that Lilia was growing genuinely annoyed by me. Good, she deserved it. "Anyway, a happy-go-lucky alley cat like you wouldn't understand!" She continued, completely ignoring me

Now, that was just unnecessary. I thought these two were friends. "Alley cat! I'm a legendary felyne!" Navirou stated, before Ena managed to get things back on track. That's something I always admired about my dear friend: her ability to keep a cool head no matter what. Lilia said she wanted us to tell her everything we knew about Ratha. "You could've asked us that nicelyyyy." I stated in a sing-song tone to mock her

Lilia growled, but Ena spoke up before she could say anything. "We'll tell you what you want to know, but you need to answer our questions too." She said, before asking who told them about Ratha. "The hunter's guild did. They said an egg containing Razewing Ratha was taken from Mahana village. Many people believe there's a connection between the strange happenings and the Wings of Ruin." Lilia answered. "If you're talking about the pits, they started appearing over fifty years ago. Ratha is just a few weeks old. Care to explain that?" I asked coolly 

"How do you know they started then?" Reverto asked. 'Crap.' I thought, realising that I might show my hand to Ena if I didn't come up with something fast. "I was friends with Leo's grandfather and he once told me he came across a pit with a rage-rayed Tigrex when he was young." I quickly explained. Ena confirmed this to be true. After a while, Lilia realised that she was the one answering the questions instead of the other way around

Ena told her that Ratha did have tremendous, dormant power, but that it didn't necessarily bring ruin and destruction. "We defeated a rage-rayed Legiana that probably would've terrorised Loloska with the same power. Does that sound evil to you?" I asked. "No. I can see what you're saying, but can anyone channel such a force. "How about the person you literally stole Ratha from?" I asked with quite a bit of snark 

Ena agreed and said that was why they shouldn't be torn apart, but Reverto didn't believe us yet. "If you dudes are rad enough to control Ratha, prove it." He stated and I saw that Leo was about to agree if it got Ratha back, but I quickly put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Not until you both apologise for the way you acted and took Ratha." I stated and they grumbled, but eventually apologised. "You can use Chim while you're here. Ena and I will stay back. I've got a couple of questions about the way scriveners act now." I told Leo and he nodded

3rd person P.O.V 

As Leo set out with Reverto and Navirou on Chim's back after Dearien had checked on her monstie and had told him to listen to Leo for now, the girls stayed back in case anything happened with Ratha as they were the only ones who would know what to do in such a situation. "This situation is all sorts of messed up." Dearien muttered after a few hours as she laid upside-down on the couch, her feet resting on the back of it

"Like I seriously don't get their whole plan of capturing Ratha. "Hey, there's this monster of legendary power that can supposedly bring ruin to the entire world. How do we bring it in? Should we ask its rider to let us study it? Nah, let's surprise it by throwing chains over it and lock it in a cage, undoubtedly scaring it and take it out of the sight of the one it considers its parent. What can possibly go wrong?" She snarked

"When you put it that way, they really could've done it better, but fear makes people act irrationally." Ena agreed with a chuckle and Dearien looked down (or up in her case as she was upside-down.) "Yeah, I know all about it." She muttered. "Really?" Ena asked. "I've... kept a big secret from my friends and family and I'm afraid it may have changed some of them forever." Dearien said as she thought of one person in particular. "What do mean?" Ena asked in concern, but she shook her head. I don't want to talk about it." She stated

Ena frowned and was about to say something when they heard a voice from the shadow. "Ratha's at the lab." The voice whispered and both Ena and Dearien shot up. Who's there? Why do you know where Ratha is?" Ena asked. "And where's this lab?" Dearien asked. In answer, a little piece of parchment with a map drawn on it fell down from the ceiling. "Everything will be clear soon. You must hurry." The voice whispered

Ena tried calling out again, but it was silent. "That sounded like that grey felyne with the hunter boy. Chim is still out with Leo, so we're going to have to use our own feet." Dearien said and her old friend nodded as they ran out. They were just gone from the city when Lilia heard there was trouble at the lab. Right after that, Reverto, Leo and Navirou came back from their errand and Lilia sent them there as well with the other hunters

She had gotten a letter from her mentor stating that she had been chosen to lead because she knew the bond between monsties and riders better than anyone and had realised she'd been in the wrong. Taking Chim with them again after not being able to find Dearien, they quickly rushed towards the centre of the desert where the lab was, only to be stopped by a mysterious masked rider and their Tigrex. "I can't let you beyond this point. Be gone!" The masked rider ordered, going to fight them when they refused with help from two other riders

While they were fighting, Chim protecting his Rider's friend, Dearien herself and Ena had already gone on thanks to a shortcut that was on the map and saw that the hunters and masked riders were taking Ratha from the lab, one talking about how the "trouble" had just been a ruse and nothing more so they could take the monster. "What's going on?" Ena breathed. "I have no idea." Dearien whispered back as a sand ship appeared

Seeing Kyle and Tsukino on it, Dearien growled. "I have a bad feeling about this." She muttered. Seeing how they were going to load Ratha's cage onto the ship, Ena had enough. "Stop it!" She demanded as she got out of their hiding spot, Dearien immediately following her. "What!? You two!?" Kyle asked in surprise. "Let him go this instant! You don't understand, that Rathalos is-" Ena began, before one of the hunters interrupted

"Stay out of this!" He told her as he took a step forwards to do something, but they'd never know what he was planning as he was interrupted. "Hold it right there! Give Ratha back" Navirou shouted, Leo and Reverto having beaten the three riders trying to stop them. "You again!" Kyle growled, before other hunters suddenly grabbed Ena and Dearien. Chim growled and started to run towards his rider to protect her. Remembering what happened last time, Dearien  stopped him. "Stay with Leo!" She ordered him and he let out a whine, but she shook her head.

'I really can't let him get hurt again. If they kick him once more, they might break something incredibly vital. He can't stay lucky forever with his soft skin. Wait a minute... that's it!' She thought as she got an idea. Managing to pull one arm free from the hunters for just a few seconds, she put her index finger and thumb in her mouth and whistled as loud as she possib could, putting a bit of magic in the air during the whistle.

The sound was heard all across the entire desert and even beyond that, before the hunters harshly grabbed her arms again and forced them behind her back, her wincing slightly in pain as she tried to keep her glamour on at all costs. "What are you doing? Your palamute is right there!" Kyle demanded to know, but she only gave him an infuriating smirk, not saying anything in return as they were pulled towards the ship.

She knew that she could still use her powers against these people as her legs were still free, even if they were in the middle of the desert as she'd learned how to shoot off air attacks with her feet if her arms were ever occupied like they were now. However with Ena and Ratha both being in the strike zone and there being a very big chance of them getting hurt in the process, she'd rather wait until the one she called had finally arrived.Besides, Moody had taught her two lessons "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!" and to never show your trump card early.

To her, these people were just the pawns of whatever plan was going on with the captive Ratha, which was silently confirmed when Kyle asked a question about no one getting hurt and the older hunter simply told him to shut up.She'd simply wait with using her powers for now until she finally met the chess master and give them all a little surprise they wouldn't soon forget. Navirou tried to run after the sand ship as it took off.

"Stop! Hey! Let them gooo!!!" He shouted. but it was too fast for his tiny legs and literally left him in the dust. Poor Chim let out a howl as his rider was taken away from him."We'll get her back, Chim. I promise. Her and Ena. Let's go after them." Leo stated and both Navirou and Reverto nodded as the ship had left faint tracks in the sand and they followed it until they came across another pit and a rage-rayed diablos they had to fight

Chim was clearly out on a warpath to get his rider back as Leo had never seen him attack so viciously and without even being able to use his usual Kinship attack, he did a lot of damage. They had been fighting for several minutes, before they heard another monster crying out and a Boltreaver Astalos landed next to them. "Are you Leo?" Its rider asked from its back. "Yes." Leo answered very shortly. "Good." Was all that the rider said, before they went to help fight the monster. With their help, the Diablos was soon defeated in no time

"Who on earth are you?" Navirou immediately demanded to know, rather suspicious considering what had just happened and suspecting their monstie to be the very same Boltreaver Astalos Dearien had seen. "Someone who has been looking for you for a while . Alwin sent me." The rider answered. "Oh, you know Alwin?" Navirou asked, relaxing slightly at hearing this. If this rider knew Alwin, then it had to be a friend right? 

"Yes, I do. He wrote to me and asked me to help you, but he said you had a Rathalos and two other companions." The rider said. "They were taken by masked riders." We were following them when the diablos attacked." Navirou told them. "Taken?!" They breathed in shock and the group nodded. "Will you help us get them back?" Leo asked and the rider looked at their monstie, before looking back, determination shining in their eyes. 

"It would be my utmost pleasure." They stated

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Dearien P.O.V

After a while of riding the sand ship, we were forced to get off and walk the rest of the way to wherever we were going, Ena and I getting thrown over the shoulders of two of the hunters. "We can walk, you know!" I protested with a growl as this position was incredibly uncomfortable. "Shut up or we'll gag you as well." One of the hunters threatened and I just let out a grunt of utter frustration, before noticing something as I forced myself to stay as upright as I could 

Looking over at Ena, I silently nodded towards the red light I saw in the distance. Another pit had opened and if my sense of direction wasn't screwed up, it was on the same route we had just taken, which meant Leo, Chim, Reverto and Navirou could come across it. She saw the sane thing andcould barely suppress a gasp as she looked at me in fear and horror. "Leo?"  She mouthed, but I could only shrug as much as I could considering my current position 

Looking to where we were going as much as i could over the Hunter's shoulders, I soon realised we were going to Lamure Tower at seeing it in the distance. I honestly hadn't been there since I ran away from home all those years agoand met Red, going to travel with him after that and simply never coming back here after that. Oh man, if Red had been here with this, he'd be torn between facepalming at the idea of me getting captured and just absolutely demolishing these guys with his Ratha. I hoped that Ratha was okay, wherever he was

"You okay?" Ena whispered from next to me. "Peachy." I replied. After all, this was not the first time I had been captured if you counted my past life and at the very least, these people weren't hunting us to bring us to their leader who wanted to kill me. The only way way from that is up and it certainly took some fear out of it. I saw Kyle giving us some uncertain looks as if he wasn't sure why we were here and I just raised an eyebrow at him every time I noticed 

I had absolutely no idea why we were taken by these morons as well, but he didn't seem to be speaking up after that time in front of the lab and even that stupid cat of his was completely silent. What was her name again? I honestly didn't know, nor did I really care. Now, if I had used my magic against them when they were taking Ratha, then I definitely would've understood why they'd take me, but I didn't use it, so what use were Ena and I to them? 

"No talking!" The hunter carrying me ordered us both as he shook me to try and stop me from talking, but if there was anything these people should know about me, it was that if you told me to not do something, I'd immediately do it. Only this time, I was not going to talk. Instead, I was going to sing. "Well, the Camptown ladies sing this song doodah doodah. Ah the Camptown race track's five miles long oh doo-dah day. Goin' to run all night, goin' to run all day. I'll bet my money on the bobtail nag, somebody bet on the bay." I sang as obnoxiously as I could

"SILENCE!!!" The main hunter shouted in frustration as we came closer to the tower and I smirked at having once again succeeded in annoying those in our way, winking at Ena and she gave me a tiny smile, now "knowing" me well enough that if I was annoying people, I was alright. We reached the tower and went inside. Before I couldn't see anymore, I looked up at the sky, but didn't see anything. I knew the one I had called had quite a distance to go, but still

Once inside the tower, we were finally put back down on our feet. "Was that really necessary?" I asked with a huff as two hunters forced my arms back again. "Shut up! You only would have slowed us down. Now, let's hope no one heard that screeching voice of yours." One hunter I recognised from Hakolo island, the same one who had first told us about the Wings of Ruin, growled and I stuck out my tongue, before noticing the group that had been waiting for us

Almost all of them had their faces covered, some of them by masks that honestly looked like skulls....apart from one person. 'Okay, that's definitely the leader.' I thought to myself at seeing one man in Nergigante armour, a black cape billowing behind him, two huge horns on his helmet and a thin, iron plate covering most of his face with only a tiny slit between it and the edge of his helmet for his eyes. Yeah, if that was not the one behind it all, I'd eat my own helmet. What kind of a ridiculous helmet was that anyway? Was he compensating for something?

We were standing in front of a huge elevator as hunters and riders talked without fighting which way of living was better. I briefly thought I heard Navirou, but when I looked, there was no one. "We can call this a success." One of the masked riders commented. "Indeed." The hunter from Mahana village agreed and I frowned. They actually called the kidnapping of two innocent women a success? "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" Ena asked.

"You're wasting your breath. They're not going to answer." I replied sarcastically, getting cuffed on the back of my head by one of the hunters holding me. "Who are the girls?" The masked rider asked. "The Wyverian from Mahana and the woman who, by her own account, has taken care of this Guardian Ratha in the past years. They might be useful." The hunter replied as he briefly turned to look at us. 'Me and my big mouth.' I thought as the riders concede

The hunter mentioned something about their plans finally coming to fruition. Ratha was handed over to the riders, which didn't sit well with Kyle. "Hey! What's going on here? Why are you giving the Rathalos to these riders? Wasn't our mission to stop this monster from hurting anyone?" He demanded to know, only to be told that he had to know his place. 'Such a pawn.' I thought as we were pulled to the elevator "Wait!  I demand an explanation!" I heard Kyle say, before he was knocked down by the other hunter. His felyne partner (still didn't know her name) hurried to his side.

"You double-crossed us, didn't you?" She asked. "Double-crossed? Haha. You never opened your eyes. You know nothing of the world or of Ratha's place in it. You never even tried to learn more. You're just like the rest of those ignorant fools. You may have done your best, but you're no hunter, boy. Now, run home to daddy and stay out of our way." The ashole of a hunter stated. Now, that was just unnecessary. Don't be surprised if he joins us now

"Wait just a minute here!" Ha! I knew I had heard Navirou's voice and I had honestly never been so happy to hear it as he, Leo, Chim and Reverto ran up to us, ready for a fight. "Give Ratha, Ena and Damira back right now!" He continued as Ratha let out a roar at seeing his rider. "You're here." Ena called in relief, before one of the riders went to stop them in their tracks and tuff elevator went up with us on it anyway. I hoped they knew what they were doing 

As we stood in the elevator, Ena and I heard the riders talking amongst themselves. "With this Rathalos, the Exalted One can finally be awakened." One of them commented, honestly sounding quite pleased with himself and I immediately stiffened up. This Exalted One business again? I looked at my friend and she was frowning. "Exalted One?"  She mouthed and I shrugged in answer. I then looked at the ground, before noticing something incredibly peculiar and looking up at the leader of the group. "Hey! Mr. Head-honcho!" I called and he turned to me

"Yeah, you! Why do you have such big horns on your helmet, huh? Are you compensating for something?" I asked, Ena simply staring at me in horror as she watched me mouthing off our kidnappers. Hey, my mouth has brought me into trouble with Umbridge and I doubt these people would have a blood quill. "You know that having a tiny penis is nothing to be ashamed off and-" I continued, before the leader walked towards me and grabbed my throat

He didn't squeeze or anything, but the warning was clear. "Shut up or I'll hurt you." As we stood there, I looked him straight in the eyes through the tiny slit between the helmet and face plate, taking deep breaths through my nose. He let go and walked away as we were taken off the elevator and through the maze that was Lamure Tower. We eventually reached the top and saw an airship already waiting for us. Wow, these people had really planned ahead, huh? 

Too bad that I was about to throw several spanners in those plans. Ratha was loaded on first, before Ena and I were taken on board. "Enaaaaa!" We then heard Navirou call, followed by Chim's howling. I turned to see them, plus Leo and Reverto standing there, having been right behind us the whole time. Ena tried to break free but failed as she reminded Leo that they wanted Ratha. Some hunters blocked their path as the ship took off As we took off, I suddenly saw a Boltreaver Astalos appear and knock the hunters down as Leo and Navirou ran on

Ena and I could only stare as Navirou briefly changed appearance and  got enough speed and strength to get in front of Leo and actually give him enough of a boost for him to grab a hold of the ship. "Didn't see that coming." I muttered as Leo climbed onto the deck. "You just don't know when to quit." One hunter commented as they surrounded him, only for Ratha to go slightly crazy again at seeing his rider in danger and shake through entire ship

With the hunters now preoccupied, Ena and I were finally free as I jumped in front of my friend. Not giving up, Leo hurried towards Ratha and tried to calm him down. "Hey, let's traumatise the world ending monster. Surely, that can't go poorly." I snarked at the stupidity of the plan, as well thought-out as it was. Seeing them shooting a harpoon at Ratha despite Leo trying to defend him, I used my magic to send it down, only for it to knock Leo off the ship

"Nooooo!!!" Both Ena and I loudly shouted and I was about to use my powers again when I suddenly noticed light coming from Ratha. His wings were glowing a very bright blue and with a loud roar, they finally broke free from their black husk he had since he hatched, not the purple flame wings from Razewing Ratha, but normal Rathalos wings and he quickly jumped from the ship and after his rider even as the hunters tried to shoot him down, but I subtly used my powers to make them all miss as he dove down and caught Leo before he hit the ground 

Ena and I cheered, before I heard a very familiar roar behind us. Turning around, I saw a certain green beast flying towards us. Seeing that Leo and Ratha were coming back to pick us up, I turned to Ena. "Go with Leo and Ratha. I'll see you in a minute." I whispered and she gave me a frown. "Trust me." I told her and she nodded as we split up, her to the very front of the ship and getting picked up by Ratha and me jumping from the other side of the ship

I turned myself around in the air and soon landed on the back of my very first monstie. Saranya let out a roar as she quickly caught up with Leo and Ratha. "WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!!" I loudly cheered at the fact that Ratha could fly now and Leo grinned at me. We then heard another roar as well as screams. Turning around, we saw that the Boltreaver Astalos was attacking the ship and I only now saw the rider on it as they readied the biggest attack yet

I immediately sent Saranya there before it was too late and casualties fell. "Stop!" I called and the rider turned to me. "Let's just go. These people are not worth our time. Although...." I said as I tithe to the group that had kidnapped us. "Try such a trick again and I will let them attack you." I threatened, before I went back to the tower and jumped off Saranya to comfort Chim and reassure him that I was okay. "Chim, I need you to stay with Reverto for a while, okay? I can't carry you on Saranya's back, but I will come back for you as soon as I can. I promise." I stated.

He whined in reply at being left behind, but I could see he understood. I then turned to the hunter himself and pointed at him with a threatening glare. You better take good care of him Reverto. I don't want to see a single strand of fur out of place." I told him. "You got it, sis. He'll be pampered like you wouldn't believe." He promised and I nodded, before giving him a crystal. "Break it if there's any major trouble." I said and he quickly nodded in understanding

I heard Ena calling me as they were all ready to fly on and were waiting for me before the hunters came back to try and shoot at Ratha again. I then took a deep breath and looked at Kyle before I left. "You and I aren't finished yet, young man." I growled, not having missed how he literally aimed an arrow at Ratha back in Loloska. He glared back without saying a word, before I turned around to go back to my monstie and join the others before it was too late

"Come on, Navirou." I called over my shoulder as I climbed on. "Coming!" The felyne stated as he ran after me. He quickly jumped in front of me on Saranya's saddle as I settled down and we took off into the air, Chim letting out a howl to say goodbye as we joined Leo, Ena and Ratha in the sky. To my surprise, the rider with the Boltreaver Astalos joined us too and flew beside us "Who is this?!" I asked Leo over the wind. "A friend. Alwin sent her." He called back and I could see Ena nodding in understanding, but I frowned. Why on earth would Alwin sent a rider to help us?

Who would he sent after us? Wouldn't all riders in Rutoh be busy protecting the village to drop everything and come and help us? Ena told Leo to go somewhere as she wanted to show him something and we flew into the right direction. I soon realised where were were going: the pit where Red died. We landed there, the pit now being surrounded by white flowers and I smiled. I had used magic to create them when Red died and they were still there.

Ena then told Leo about how his grandfather died, but I didn't really listen. I walked away from them and the Astalos rider followed, arms crossed as they waited for something. "What?" I asked. "Why?" She asked in return. "Why what?" I asked cheekily and they glared. "Why did you make us think you were dead, young lady?" She asked and my eyes widened as I recognised her voice. She then removed her helmet and I paled as I stared into a very familiar face

"Mama?" I breathed before I could stop myself

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Mirien..." 

Mirien looked up from where the Catavan dropped her to see her cousin standing there, waiting for her next to some monsters and two guards. "I'm so sorry." Yoomlana breathed as she opened her arms and Mirien immediately walked into them, bursting out into tears again. She had just lost her daughter and her husband refused to come with her, stating that he needed to stay in Rutoh to help the Elder, so from one day to another, she was completely alone.

"I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. I'm so sorry." Yoomlana breathed as she gently pulled back after several minutes and wiped away her cousin's tears. Mirien and her family had moved to Rutoh when she had been a very young child, but the two of them had stayed in contact. Yoomlana had been unable to come to her cousin's wedding because of her duties as the Elder of Nua Te village, but she had sent them a gift instead. 

Reading about the death of her cousin's daughter in her latest letter had completely broken the female Elder's heart as she could easily sense her cousin's pain from the written down words and she had immediately offered for her and her husband to stay with them as she knew that staying in the same place as so many memories of their daughter. "Where's your husband?" She asked at not seeing this Zellard anywhere. "He decided to stay back. He thought his job as advisor was more important than grieving our little girl." Mirien muttered pessimistically

"Well, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. We will help you mourn your daughter as much as possible." Yoomlana immediately promised as she led her cousin to a Paolumu that was standing near, having decided to use a monstie Mirien would be familiar with, despite Paolumus not being native to the area. They quickly flew up the volcano side towards the entrance to the Wyverian village and they went in, the guards putting the monsties away

Yoomlana led her cousin to the rooms where she'd be staying for as long as she wanted. "I'm afraid we expected your husband to come as well. We can change the bed if you wish." She apologised the moment Mirien saw the double bed that was waiting for her. Mirien took a deep breath as her heart squeezed in pain, before slowly letting it go again. She knew it was not Yoomlana's fault that her husband thought his job was more important than his health

"No, thank you. I'll be fine." She quickly told her cousin before she could already give the order to change the bed as she put her stuff down on the ground and Yoomlana simply nodded in answer. "Of course, dear. Call if you need anything, my own chambers are right next door." She stated and Mirien nodded as well, before she was left alone. Once she was completely alone, she slowly walked towards the bed and sank down on it. It was incredibly soft and comfortable, perfect for the couple that had been expected instead of just one grieving mother and wife

She felt like she had lost her husband and her daughter at the same time. Until the argument they had about her wanting him to go, Zellard had practically ignored her, always locking himself in his private study and oftentimes actually eating and sleeping there as well. He had been completely closed off until she had practically kicked the door down and had begged him to come here with her. She knew that the entire village had heard the ensuing argument

She remembered stating that apparently now that Dearien was gone, his life would revolve around his job again and guilt filled her at remembering the pain in his eyes, but if she had to be truly and completely honest with herself, to be all alone in this bed at night probably wouldn't feel very differently than sleeping in her own bed back at Rutoh in the past few weeks since Dearien had died with Red and Saranya as Zellard either slept in his office or not at all.

Their daughter had brought their family together and her death had torn it apart. The only comfort she could give herself was that Dearien had died a hero, trying to save someone like she had so many times if she remembered the stories correctly and she had died with Saranya. Perhaps now, she'd finally be reunited with everyone she had lost in her past life. She deserved to finally have peace, even if she had left them behind. Lying down on the bed and clutching a pillow, Mirien covered her face with one hand and cried for the loss of her family 

That's how Mirien came to live in Nua Te village. In the beginning, she didn't do much as she just wandered aroundthe place with a very empty look in her eyes, looking around without actually seeing her surroundings. Yoomlana secretly ordered one guard to follow her from a distance at all times only a day after noticing this behaviour, knowing that they were on a mountainside and not far out of their gates was a steep drop from several hundred feet

She obviously didn't say it out loud while giving the assignment, but the guard immediately understood why she wanted him to tail and guard Mirien during this depressed stage of the mourning period. Grief could make people do terrible things at the worst of times and Yoomlana really didn't want to be the unfortunate person informing Zellard that he had lost his wife as well. Thankfully, it seemed that Mirien wasn't planning on anything like that.

About a year or so after her arrival in the village, she finally decided to go help the healers of the village, anything to get her mind of the family that were far away, quite literally even if she thought one was more figuratively. She was a hard worker and the work did offer her some really necessary distraction from her grief, even if she kept in contact with Zellard, Ena, Alwin and the Elder, but something told her that this wasn't what she actually wanted. She just couldn't figure out what it was that she did want to become, until about five years into her stay

There had been incoming reports of monsters starting to get really aggressive in the area and the riders went to check out what it was, getting the order to quell the monsters if they were a threat to the village and its inhabitants. Mirien was there in the main square to see them off with her cousin when she noticed one rider quietly saying goodbye to his family, holding his wife and daughter close. Her eyes widened as she realised what she wanted to do

"Can your people teach me to become a rider?" She asked Yoomlana once the riders were gone and they were walking back to her cousin's chair. Yoomlana gave her a surprised look at hearing this. "Why do you want to become a rider?" She asked in return as she sat down and Mirien sighed. "It's just that every time my daughter and husband went out on an assignment, I almost always was the one staying behind in Rutoh, helpless to do anything." She said

"I have started to wonder if I could have saved my daughter if I had been a rider and could've gone with them. Dearien promised to be back soon. If I had been a rider, I could have made sure she did." She continued as she sat down. Yoomlana rubbed her back. "It's unnecessary and unhealthy to focus on what could've happened as it will only cause more pain." She advised and Mirien looked down. "Nevertheless, I'm sure my riders will be happy to welcome you in their ranks." Yoomlana continued and her cousin smiled at her. "Thank you." She breathed

Over the next few months, Mirien got several different lessons in how to be a proper rider like her daughter had many years before. She honestly had never been really interested in monster riding before, but if it could help to protect the remaining people she cared about, then she'd gladly become a rider. As this was happening, she was also measured for her very first armour, a guard letting her have some parts he didn't need anymore for it

After a few months, it was time and with two riders, Mirien burrowed the Paolumu and they went to find a monster den. Finding one in a rather abandoned part of the volcano base and at first, they doubted they'd find anything, only to find one solitary egg in the nest. "Still warm. We're in luck." One of Mirien's companions said as they went back and hatched it. Seeing it was a Boltreaver Astalos, Yoomlana chuckled. "Good luck, cousin." She said

She indeed needed quite a bit of luck as the monster was known to be very aggressive and was incredibly hard to raise, but she never gave up. She had raised Dearien, she could handle her new monstie. She thankfully managed not to make him electrocute anyone as he grew up and eventually, her monstie, Seron, was big enough for a short flight and Mirien finally understood why her daughter had loved it so much when she had lived as jumping from the mountainside and flying through the air felt incredibly freeing as she felt the wind blow through her hair

About a year or two before a certain Rathalos was born, Mirien eventually got the assignment of investigating a very strange den that had appeared not too far from the village from her own cousin. Taking Seron and another rider with her, Mirien soon found it and carefully went inside. "It's quiet..... far too quiet." She muttered. Normally, monster dens had other monsters living in the same cave as long as they didn't disturb the nest, but not this one

Slowly walking further, they eventually found the nest and it was bigger than any nest Mirien had seen, but the strangest thing was that there were only a few eggs lying in it. Picking one up, she made a face at feeling the weight. "Oh my goodness." She grunted as she managed to lift it up. "What kind of a nest is this?" She asked as the rider came to help. "No idea, but let's go before mama comes back." He said and she agreed as they quickly left

They returned to the village and informed Yoomlana of the nest. "A huge nest with only a few eggs, you say?" The female elder asked and they nodded in answer. "Do you know what it is?" Mirien asked. "I'm suspecting something and I hope I'm wrong. If I'm right, then that egg in your arms will be even harder to raise than Seron has ever been and if it goes wrong, I cannot forsee what could happen. Are you sure you want to be the one to raise it?" Yoomlana asked, knowing it was too dangerous to return it. Mirien looked down at the egg, before nodding

And so, Mirien got a new monster to raise and true to her cousin's words, it was harder than anything she had ever done and eventually had to make her go outside as she grew too big for the stable. "Monsters like Vetra deserve to live in the sky, my dear and she will always come back when you call." Yoomlana promised her cousin as her second monstie flew away in the sky to find a nearby cave to sleep in, thankfully understanding she was simply too big

Around the same time Vetra hatched, the inhabitants of Nua Te village had to stay inside as much as they could as the volcano they lived nearby and its surroundings were the victim of huge storm winds. It took weeks before things settled down again and things could continue on. During all this time, Mirien kept in contact with those in Rutoh, only telling Alwin about her becoming a rider and her monsties as she wanted to surprise Zellard

However, she was slowly starting to worry as Zellard's returning letters were slowly lessening as the years passed by and his words became more formal as if he was actually talking to the Elder during his job and not like he was writing his wife. It was really starting to make her feel concerned, so she asked Alwin to subtly keep an eye on him as she wasn't sure yet if she felt like she could return to the village just yet. Every time she thought of returning, she'd remember who wouldn't be there to greet her and her heart gave a painful twist

About a few weeks before, it had started out as a normal day as Mirien went to check on Seron. Carefully checking his scales to see if there was any dirt or anything else underneath it, when a servant came towards the stable and told her a letter had arrived from Rutoh. She quickly finished her task and followed her, hoping it was from her husband as he hadn't written in a while. Unfortunately, it was from Alwin, but she'd never forget its contents 

Mirien

I'm actually writing to you right now because I honestly have no idea who else to turn to as a certain someone we both know very well backed me into a slight corner and you're the only one I could think of who could help me with this as she ordered me to keep something a secret from Zellard, Elder Maolo and Ena, but she never said anything about not telling you though and this may be my only chance to help. You may want to sit down for what I'm about to tell you

Dearien.... is still alive. She has always been alive and well in Mahana village, looking after Red's grandson all this time. Ena went there not too long ago to see Red's Rathalos and came across the both of them there. She's using her magic to disguise herself so our dear friend didn't recognise her. Circumstances brought them to Rutoh with an egg that seems to contain the legendary monster Razewing Ratha and Red's grandson Leo has taken responsibility for it

Over time, I noticed some rather peculiar things about Leo's female companion, most importantly the look of absolute guilt when I told her, Leo and the strange Felyne accompanying them about what happened after she "died." She tried to hide it, but wasn't very successful about it. I also noticed how quickly she managed to find a way through the village while Leo and the Felyne Navirou were still incredibly lost and were often seen following her instead. A couple of days ago, I confronted her and she eventually confirmed it was her, telling me the truth about who she had been

I really need your help now, Mirien. Your daughter, Leo, Navirou and Ena are currently on their way to Loloska to find Ol' Dede and find out the truth about the Wings of Ruin and if Leo's new Rathalos actually has that power. I fear that they may run into terrible danger and you're the only rider I could think of who can help them as again, Dearien said nothing about not telling you. I'm begging you to look after them. They left a few days ago, so I'm not sure where they are now

Please help them, my friend. 

Alwin.

Mirien, who actually had sat down when the letter suggested just in case, could only stare at the words. Her daughter... was still alive?! All this time they grieved her and she wasn't even dead in the first place! Oh, when she caught up with them, she was definitely going to give Dearien the scolding of a lifetime. She read the final paragraph again and snorted. "Of course, they'll run into trouble. Dearien is with them." She muttered, before going to Yoomlana 

Her cousin was just as shocked at hearing about Dearien's survival and immediately allowed her to go and find the group to go and help them with their quest. Saddling Seron and packing some things for the trip as fast as she could, Mirien quickly left the village and flew south. She didn't even stop when the weather grew worse and worse until she was flying in a thunderstorm. She wanted to find her daughter and she was not going to give up so soon

Barely being able to see where she was flying in the dark and rain as she reached Alcala, Mirien had absolutely no idea she was flying right past the cave her daughter was in and that Dearien did see her monstie, even if she had no idea her mother was riding it. Eventually being forced to give up when the weather became too bad, she landed and found an empty cave to stay for the rest of the night. Unable to sleep, she looked out into the storm just like her daughter was at the very moment. She hoped that she would find her soon before it was too late.

The next day bore no results either and with the symptoms of a cold coming up, Wyverians being able to get sick too, Mirien stopped and went home instead, putting Seron in a cave as she didn't feel like explaining why she had a Boltreaver Astalos with her. She laid out enough food for him to last a few days and told him to be careful, before changing her clothing and taking the Catavan for the last few miles to her home so no one would think she walked

Meeting Alwin who explained how Zellard had changed, she gave him a hug. "Thank you, Alwin." She breathed. It was thanks to him she knew her daughter still lived. "You're very welcome." He replied, before she went into her home. Once her husband returned and despite the facade he put on, Mirien immediately sensed the change, especially when he talked about what he had done in her absence. He had changed and she didn't think it was for the better

Reluctantly sitting out her cold as it got worse and actually being taken care of by her husband, Mirien hoped that once Dearien was back with them once more and was completely grounded until the end of her life, things would eventually go back to normal again. It could never go back to the way things had been, but she hoped that a sense of normalcy could be achieved once this whole entire mess was taken care of. She just wanted her family back together and she was going to fight with both Seron and Vetra if she needed to achieve that goal

Once her cold was mostly over, Zellard had to leave again with the explanation he had to investigate the pits. "Let me come with you, please." Mirien begged, feeling like even though she had her daughter again, she was slowly losing her husband with every day that passed. "No, my love. It's too dangerous. It will only take a few days and I'll be back again." He promised as he kissed her forehead and left the village. She scowled at his retreating back

"I'll show you it isn't dangerous for me." She muttered stubbornly as she waited a few hours to be safe, before telling the Elder that she had some important, unfinished business back in Nua Te village and had to return for a few days. Elder Maolo thankfully didn't ask any questions and let her go. Taking Seron from his cave, she immediately went south instead to the cold reaches of Loloska, hoping to still find her daughter and the others there

Staring in horror at the devastatingly huge crater next to Kuan village and hearing that Razewing Ratha was responsible for it, she immediately asked where it was now. Hearing it had already been taken to Lulucion with the group by hunters, she almost growled in frustration as Lulucion was on the complete other side of the continent and she had missed them. She managed to keep it in as she knew it wasn't their fault. She thanked the people of Kuan and climbed back on Lulucion, hoping that her daughter hadn't gotten into too much trouble already 

Finally finding Leo, Mirien felt her blood freeze and boil at the same time at hearing her daughter and Ena had been kidnapped, before quickly agreeing to help. At arriving at Lamure Tower, Leo, Navirou and Reverto went inside, while she stayed outside to head them off. Seeing a huge airship arrive, she realised this was way bigger than she had thought and quickly flew up. Seeing her daughter getting taken onto the ship made her want to attack it in motherly fury

The fact that Dearien, Ena and Ratha would get hurt stopped her as she instead helped Leo get on. Seeing Leo fall, she had been about to help when Ratha broke free and did just that. A familiar Rathian then joined and confirmed it was her daughter. Once everyone was of the ship, Mirien started to make Seron prepare an attack, ready to make them pay. Dearien stopped her and she reluctantly followed Leo on Ratha, looking at Dearien when she joined too

That young lady was in so much trouble 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise

My first thought was scolding myself for letting that slip, before realising... she already knew

"You know....?" I breathed  and she scoffed. "Alwin told me everything. You may have ordered him to not tell your father about your survival for some reason that clearly only you know, but you never said anything about me. Now, I'll ask you again: why did you make us think. You. Were. Dead?!" She asked loudly, punctuating the last three words and her voice echoing slightly as I winced. Give me an enraged monster and I'll happily fight it without a problem 

However, having to suddenly face my enraged mother, I actually found myself not knowing what to do as I looked at my feet. The others had now noticed that something was going on with us. "You guys alright?" Navirou asked as they walked closer. "We're just fine. Just a little family squabble." Mama answered coolly without looking away from me. "Mirien?" Ena asked in surprise, only now recognising her voice and my mother briefly smiled at her

"Hello, Ena. It's good to see you again." She said, before going to glare at me once again. "Wait, Mirien? As in Zellard's wife?" Navirou asked her and mama nodded as Leo stared at her in shock. "You didn't tell me she was a rider too." He stated to me before he could stop himself. "That's because she wasn't last time I saw her." I replied back and both Ena and Navirou looked between the three of us in utter confusion. "Remove the magic concealing you, young lady. I want to see the face of my daughter before I give her the scolding of a lifetime." She said

"What?" Ena breathed as I lifted my hand and slowly lowered it again, removing my glamour. "Dearien?!" Ena exclaimed as she immediately stared at me. "Hey Ena. Long time no see... in a way." I replied sheepishly as my friend had to sit down, having to process this. "Dearien? Wait a minute.. you're Zellard's dead daughter?!" Navirou asked in utter shock. "Apart from the "dead" part...... yeah." I said, before I looked at my mother. "Mama..." I started to say.

"Quiet." Mama hissed, her voice no louder than a whisper, yet I immediately shut my mouth. "Do you have any idea what you put us through, young lady? The pain your father and I felt? For heaven's sake, I barely saw your father before I left for Nua Te village because he was so distraught with grief that he pretty much locked himself in his office day and night and I had to leave our home because it was too painful for me to stay." Mama continued 

I immediately shrunk into myself with every word that passed, closing my eyes tightly at the huge guilt that was growing with the second at hearing the pain in her voice. "At least ten years of pain, grief and guilt that could've been easily avoided if you had just been honest with us. I was followed around by a guard in Nua Te for at least a year because they were scared that in my devastating grief, I'd eventually throw myself off the steep cliff the village is built in and you never once thought to send us a little note?!" Mama asked and I quickly looked up at this

"I did think about it. There were many times where I sat down to write a letter to Rutoh, thinking that you and papa were still there, but nothing I came up with seemed good enough. I was going to come back once Leo was a rider, but this situation forced our hand!" I protested and she narrowed eyes. "And yet, you still hid your true self and ordered Alwin not to tell your father, even though he had mourned you more than anyone. Now why is that?" She asked

"Because I can't afford to lose you too!" I shouted with tears in my eyes. She stared at me and I sank to my knees. "I told you my story. You know how many times I lost someone I cared about when they were trying to protect me from danger. I saw a glimpse of a monster at the bottom of the pits when I tried to save Red and I'd be damned if I lost any of you to it. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now... I don't know." I whispered, tears rolling down

I heard footsteps coming closer and looked away. "Those people you lost tried to protect you because they cared about you, little one. You can't control another person's actions any less than you can control a wild monster. I know that if I had to die to keep you safe, I'd jump in front of whatever danger is threatening you." Mama said. "I don't want you to." I muttered petulantly. "Well, tough. I'm your mother, Dearien. It's my job to protect you." She replied and I didn't say anything in return. I heard her sigh, before jumping slightly as she suddenly wrapped her arms around me

"I missed you so much, my little flower. Please never do that again." Mama begged as I hugged her back. "I promise, mama. I missed you too." I replied, burying my face in her neck as much as it was possible with her armour on. I then pulled back and really looked her over. "You look pretty good, mama." I commented as I looked at the armour she was wearing "Seregios, right?" I then asked at recognising the skin of the armour and she nodded. 

"Yes. There were some aggressive ones near the village a while ago and we went out to make sure they wouldn't be a threat. There was enough for at least six riders to make armour and weapons from them once we were done." She replied, before cupping my face and I was the one being looked over. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you?" She asked and I shook my head. Apart from maybe a few bruises from being manhandled roughly, I was fine

They honestly  kept it to threats apart from harshly pulling us at the worst of times, although I probably made it very tempting for them to do more at times." I replied and she gave me a very unamused look in return. "And you wonder how you keep getting in situations like this. You really should've let me and Seron attack that ship instead of stopping me." She said with a huff. "You would've regretted it forever." I muttered and she frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked in confusion and i opened my mouth to answer, when red light distracted me

There was a new pit in the distance and mama sighed as she knew what it meant. "We're definitely not done here." She stated as she went to get her monstie and I got up. "Dearien?" Ena breathed as she slowly walked closer. "Hello, my friend." I greeted and she almost forced me back to the ground again by tackling me into a hug. "I can't believe it." She then said as she pulled back and cupped my face, much like she had done with Leo back at Hakolo island 

I smiled, before gently pulling back. "We really need to go. We'll talk later." I promised and she nodded as she got on Ratha with Leo and I climbed on Saranya. The five of us, spread over three monsties, flew towards the site of the pit and I gasped at seeing where it was. It was the very same place as the felyne village Red and I had visited all those years ago. The only thing that was left of it was the gate. The rest had all been swallowed with nothing left

I covered my mouth as I felt sick, not wanting to know how many felynes had died. We landed and mama noticed my face. "What is it?" She asked as she put a hand on my back. "I came here with Red once when I ran away. There was an adorable felyne village here and now... it's all gone." I muttered and she stared at the pit in horror as we suddenly heard a voice shouting as a felyne was attacked by a rage-rayed monster. We immediately went to fight it and another monster that it called and defeated it. And what do you know? Navirou actually knew the felyne

"Rule number 1 of travelling with us: Navirou has connections everywhere." I muttered to mama as Navirou greeted the felyne he called Sarge with an enthusiasm I hadn't seen in him yet, not even when meeting Lilia and Reverto for the first time for me "With your antics, I'm surprised you're still alive." This Sarge commented. "I know the feeling." Mama commented as she looked at me and I turned red in embarrassment and shame as i looked down

Ena asked how this new felyne knew Navirou and both Navirou and the felyne named Orgo immediately explained that they were very close friends and that their history went way back. "He's my brother from another mother." Navirou grinned, although there was a little snag when they did something I assumed was their catchphrase and our little felyne apparently didn't know the final part. Orgo then led us to where he lived now in Pomore Gardens

Every environment had its own kind of beauty, from the cold and snowy mountains of Loloska to the hot desert of Lamure, but I'd honestly be damed if I said that Pomore Gardens wasn't one of the most beautiful environments I had ever seen with trees that always had pink and purple blossoms in them and cliffhanger overlooking the sea. Saranya let out a rumble at seeing it and I patted her back. "I know, girl. It's beautiful. Don't you dare burn any of these trees down." I teased her and she huffed, a bit of smoke coming out of her mouth as a joke

Orgo then led us to a cave and explained that it was a shelter for Felynes who had nowhere to go. I was glad that many still managed to get away, although there were monsters around the shelter and we offered to help with anything and he gratefully accepted. " You guys go and explore. I need some time alone." I said, one thing constantly repeating in my head as I left the shelter with Saranya. I didn't have to look back to know they shared worried looks

Flying up to a monster free cliff that looked over the sea, I got off Saranya's back and sat down, my legs dangling in the air as my monstie curled up behind me and I leaned against her. "Things have just become more complicated, Saranya." I muttered and she let out a rumble as we looked out over the sea. The sun started to set into the sky, colouring it all kinds of shades. About an hour later, I heard wings coming closer, followed by two monsters landing

"There you are." Mama's voice said from behind as she sat down next to me, closely followed by Ena, Leo Ratha and Navirou as they all sat around me. "What are you all doing here?" I asked in slight surprise. "I may not have seen you in a decade, but I'm still your mother, my little one I can tell there's something bothering you deeply and it's not just the pits. "What is it?" Mama asked and I sighed as I rubbed my face. "Come on, Damira or Dearien now, I guess. If it's something that we can help you with, the don't hesitate to tell us." Navirou stated with a grin

"It's something personal, actually. When we were in the elevator back at Lamure Tower, our kidnappers were talking about the Exalted One. You didn't know what it meant, Ena but I had heard it before in Rutoh. I then noticed the leader in the Nergigante armour had Wyverian feet. I... said some things I'm not going to repeat to get him close and when I managed it, I looked him right in the eyes." I said. "Did you see who it was?" Mama asked and I nodded.

"Who is it?" Leo asked. "There's a reason I stopped you from attacking the ship, mama and said you'd regret it if you had succeeded." I stated and she immediately frowned. I sighed again, knowing she was not going to like this. "There's only one Wyverian I know who has half-lidded green eyes and a woodsy smell." I said, looking at them all and seeing mama widening her eyes as she understood. "No." She breathed. "Mama..." I began, grabbing her hand 

"Papa is their leader."

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"HUH?!?!?! 

Again, leave it to Navirou to say what everyone was probably thinking as they stared at me. "Are you certain?" Ena asked. "I've lived with him, Ena. I could recognise those eyes and his scent anywhere, even if you put me in a room with a hundred other people. Besides, I heard him talking about the Exalted One back in Rutoh. Hearing them mentioning it in the elevator was what made me look at their feet, hoping papa wouldn't be among them, but alas." I said

I  looked down and sighed. "It's all my fault. He once told me he'd go insane if he lost me, but I didn't believe him and we're seeing the terrible consequences of that now." I muttered as I covered my face. Thanks to me keeping my survival a secret from my family, my father had actually become someone willing to resort and agree to kidnapping and who knew what else. Wait, was he the one who tipped the hunters off about Razewing Ratha in the beginning of it all?

I then felt mama gently hugging me from the side. "I wouldn't have believed him either if I had been there and it's partly my fault too. I left him behind when he probably needed me the most as I was too caught up in my own grief to realise I should have stayed." She stated as she held me close. I immediately leaned closer to her as we both realised the kind man we both knew had changed and not for the better. "What are we supposed to do now?" Navirou asked and I sighed as I looked at Ratha. "We continue finding out the truth behind the pits." I said

"And if we come across your father again?" Leo asked nervously and I immediately looked down as I took a deep breath, knowing this would definitely be one of the hardest decisions in my entire life. "If he and his followers show up and try to take Ratha again... then I absolutely won't hesitate to fight back. I won't hurt him, but I will make sure he won't hurt others." I replied and the others looked down as well, knowing this had to be painful for me to say and realise 

My father had raised and cared for me ever since finding me as a baby and now, because of my own stupid actions and decisions, I might have to fight him if we didn't manage to knock some sense into him somehow. "I don't think papa is in Rutoh now." I muttered, looking at mama and she shook her head. "He actually left shortly before I went to find you again. Said he was going to investigate the pits. Now, I realise what he meant with that." She said

Navirou's ears and tail slowly drooped as he truly realised what a horrible situation this was for the two of us. If things truly went bad from now on, then we might have to fight our father/husband. "I'm sorry, Mirien and Dearien." He said in the most sincere tone he could muster and I gave him a small smile in return. "Don't be, my furry little friend. It's not your fault, but let's go and see if we can help Orgo with anything tomorrow." I stated as I stood up and they all nodded in agreement as we got off the clifftop we were sitting on and flew back into the shelter

That night, I had a lot of trouble falling asleep as I tossed and turned. As much as I loved Saranya and she would always be my first monstie, sleeping with my head on her hard scales was quite a bit different than sleeping with my head resting in Chim's very soft fur and every time I closed my eyes, I could see papa's cold green eyes glaring at me through the slit in his helmet, making me shoot my eyes open again. Eventually stopping with trying, I carefully stood up

I walked out of the shelter and looked out over the ocean again, the wind blowing in my face. I heard a rumble and smiled as a worried Saranya carefully nudged my back, having seen me leaving and having followed me outside. "I'm fine, Saranya. For the most part." I told her as I petted her neck without looking away from the ocean's surface glittering in the moonlight. "You sure? Because you don't really look fine." Mama's voice commented as she joined us too

I immediately sighed at seeing her, knowing how stubborn she could be at times and that she wouldn't leave until I told her what was going on with me. "I'm just hitting myself over the head for not telling papa the truth when we were back in Rutoh. Yeah, i definitely would have been grounded for the rest of my life, but it might have saved us a lot of trouble as well." I said. "You couldn't have foreseen that this would happen. I think we both noticed he was different, but neither of us could have expected to him to have changed this much." Mama replied 

She then wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my back. "You meant well, in a way. You tried to keep us safe as in your experience, everyone gets hurt when around you-" She began, ignoring my muttering of "they do get hurt." "But completely removing yourself from the situation wasn't the solution either. We love you, Dearien and if we want to protect you from harm, then that's our choice. You shouldn't have taken it away from us." She told me

I looked down as guilt grew even more and she immediately noticed this "However, I don't believe that Zellard had gone completely insane. I think he's just lost and confused about everything that has happened and now, he seeks refuge in this Exalted One, whatever that is. Let us hope that next time we meet and he sees that you're alive, he'll come to his senses." She continued and I gave her a brief smile. She smiled back, before we both looked out over the sea.

"With such a helmet, where does he keep his ears? I mean, I haven't seen you wear a helmet and I modified mine, so how does he do it" Mama then asked. "Oh, he had these two little horns on the side of the helmet and I'm pretty sure they're hollow." I replied and we both snorted at the image of papa having to force his ears into the helmet, before sobering up as it reminded us of the screwed up situation we were in. "We'll really have to talk for days once it's all over." I muttered and she agreed before we went inside and I managed to fall asleep

The next day after we had some human food and berries that Orgo was kind enough to share with us so we wouldn't starve to death, we heard from a little felyne that there was a monster threatening the hideout and went to find it with Orgo. It was a Mitzutsune, a pretty but dangerous monster. We immediately went to fight it to protect the felynes, Seron especially being a pretty big help with his electric attacks, when I suddenly heard a very familiar howl

"Kyle, over there!" The grey felyne, of whom I still didn't know her name, said as Kyle of all people suddenly joined us too. I almost wondered how on earth he managed to find us here, before Chim quickly stopped at my other side, him now on my left and Saranya on my right. I should have known. My Palamute could honestly find me anywhere. Seeing it was now hopelessly outnumbered with them joining, the Mitzutsune quickly fled into the cliff area

"You again?! Why are you here? I bet you're still after Ratha, aren't you? Can't you just leave us in peace?" Navirou asked, sounding quite pissed off and I couldn't blame him after the shit they pulled. The grey felyne tried to explain that we got the wrong idea, but Kyle immediately wanted to leave. Orgo stopped him from going for a second, telling him he was pawsitively clawdacious. "As usual, nothing escapes your attention Orgo." The felyne with Kyle commented. "It's been a while, Tsukino." Orgo stated. Oh, that was her name. Wait, they knew know each other? 

Navirou had the same question and Orgo confirmed it. Tsukino explained that they came because she had a bad feeling. "And I was right. The village has been destroyed. Of course, I didn't expect to run into you here." She said. "The Palamute of that girl did the rest. He made a lot of ruckus until we took him with us." Kyle told us and I sighed as I looked down at Chim. "I told you to behave." I scolded him and he whined as he rubbed his head against my side.

"Yeah, I missed you too, you silly dog." I muttered as I petted him and Saranya at the same time. "Wait, he's your Palamute?" Kyle asked in surprise and I realised I hadn't put my glamour back on. "Yeah. It's a very long story." I muttered Orgo then invited Kyle and Tsukino over for a chat. "About what?" Mama asked just as Tsukino asked the same thing. "About how you clawdacious folks can solve our monster problems once and for all." Orgo stated

We realised he wanted us, people who had been enemies until like a few minutes ago to work together. Que either glares or awkward looks. Back at the shelter, Orgo thanked us for our help, but it was just awkward as no one said anything while me and my group refused to look at Kyle and Tsukino and vice versa. "Why is everybody acting so tense? We're all in this together, aren't we?" He asked. "We have history." I said from where I was sitting on Saranya's back, my monstie having to make herself as small as possible as to not get in the way. Ratha was even worse.

"Sarge, I'm all up for helping you get rid of big bad monsters, but it might be impossible to team up with these guys." Navirou agreed. "I thought you were all well-aquainted." Orgo said and I scoffed. "Oh, we're acquainted alright. In Loloska, Kyle actually aimed an arrow at Ratha and I don't think it was just for show." I said, glaring at the young hunter with Leo and he glared back. "I think it's still a good idea to join forces." Ena of all people commented 

We all looked at her in surprise as she explained this way, we could both help the felynes and get closer to finding out the truth about the monster in the pits as hunters were excellent at tracking monsters while riders had greater mobility. Tsukino had to admit it was a good point and more silently and reluctantly, so did I. Kyle wasn't too sure though as he still thought Ratha was cursed, but his Palico reminded him they didn't know it was a harmful power

When Orgo asked what he was talking about, Kyle explained how the pits gave monsters terrible power. "Is that true?" Orgo then asked Navirou. "Ratha doesn't have that power though." Our felyne protested. "And the pits were appearing way before Ratha was even an egg. They already appeared when Leo's grandfather was a young boy." I stated. Kyle seemed about to ask how I knew that when he saw my pointy ears and was reminded that I was actually a Wyverian. Orgo agreed as his village was destroyed long before we showed up, so we weren't to blame

I was about to give Kyle a smug look, when Orgo suddenly offered for us with a catfight and we all stared at him. "Sarge, that's how felynes settle matters. Not humans." Navirou protested. "I don't know. I'm willing to fight Kyle." I stated. "Dearien!" Mama scolded me and I ducked my head with a scowl. We then reluctantly agreed to work together, but Kyle said that if he saw Ratha going mad again, he'd put an end to it and we all knew what he meant

"Can I at least give Kyle one punch in the face?" I asked. "No." Mama said in a tone that every child knew not to argue with and I pouted. "So, you were the rider that almost attacked the ship. Why did you stop?" Kyle then asked her. "My stubborn daughter over there told me not to. Apparently, my husband was on it." Mama explained. "Your husband? Was he one of the hunters?" Tsukino asked and mama shook her head. "He's the leader." She said

Cue Kyle and Tsukino staring at her

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Your husband... is the leader of the masked riders?"

"I'm afraid so, Kyle. When they were being taken to the top of the tower, my daughter had a pretty good opportunity to look him in the eye and if she says it was him, then I believe her as hard as it is." Mama replied as she looked at me. I looked down even as Chim gave me a gentle nudge to try and cheer me up. I gently petted his head and smiled when he licked my hand as Kyle and Tsukino looked at me

"So what if he tries to steal Ratha again? What will you do then?" Kyle asked and I sighed. "As I told the others before: if he really tries anything again, then I won't hesitate to fight him. I obviously won't kill him, but I will make sure that he won't be able to take Ratha or hurt anyone else." I replied with a deep breath as saying it really didn't get any easier no matter how often I said it. This was my father we were talking about

Kyle hummed as he seemingly accepted this answer, before Orgo told us about a monster that had been causing havoc near the sea and after a final warning from Kyle about how he'd put Ratha down if anything happened, we let him lead us to the place,  me asking Chim to stay behind and guard the felynes left behind as I couldn't control two monsties at the same time and he agreed. Navirou was a bit grumpy when the hunter tried to take charge, but Orgo realised he was just hungry and gave him a donut before the monster we were looking for literally jumped out of the water

It was a Lagiacrus, a electric lizard like monster and it wasted no time in shooting a ball of electricity towards Tsukino, Orgo taking the hit for her. It shot off another attack, but this time, Navirou jumped in front of it and actually caught it in a way, changing shape once again. "What happened to you?" I asked in worry as I was pretty sure this wasn't natural and if it wasn't natural, then someone had forced the change

Someone had clearly experimented on my sweet little buddy here and I really wanted to know who had done it so I could find them. You know... to have a little chat with them..... flying above the ocean.... with Saranya holding them in her claws and ready to let go any time I want her to. We then had to fight the monster, but between three riders, three very powerful monsties and one hunter, it never stood a chance

We then checked up in Orgo, who insisted he was fine. "Is this how we're going to beat the monster causing the pits? By catching its attacks?" I asked, only to have Kyle on Tsukino staring at me. "The pits.... are caused by a monster?" Tsukino asked. "Yeah. About geen years ago, Leo's grandfather Red fell into a pit nearby. I went in after him to try and save his life, but it was too late. When I found his body, I saw movement nearby and I knew it really was a monster that was causing the pits and it's getting stronger every day." I explained 

"How big was it?" Kyle asked. "Think of the biggest monster you can think of and then at the very least ten times that size." I explained and they both gaped, before Kyle looked down. "It's strange. I'm a hunter. It's all I know. Everything about you people confuses me." He said. "Same here." I snarked. "What's this whole idea of forming "Kinship bonds" with monsters? How do you control them?" He asked and I rolled my eyes

Yeah, he clearly didn't know much about riders if he asked how we controlled our monsters. If I didn't know any better, I'd feel insulted that he thought I forced Saranya to work for me "It's not about control. Monsters help riders of their own free will." Ena piped up. "Yeah, me and Saranya as well as me and Chim are a team... like you and Tsukino." I agreed with her and he stared at us, clearly never having thought of that before. 

Ena then said that not only people were suffering because of the pits and what was causing it, monsters were as well. "We're not your enemies." She stated in a very strong voice, before walking away. 'Well said, Ena.' I thought with a proud smile as I joined mama who was already waiting for me with her monstie. It was still so weird to think that my mother was a rider now as well and a pretty good one if she managed to raise a Boltreaver Astalos of all things. We went back to the shelter, although I noticed that Navirou was not his usual cheerful self

This became even worse once we were finally back at the shelter and found Navirou sitting on a barrel away the back of it just looking down at the donut that he had gotten from Orgo. When Navirou of all people or felynes just looked at a donut instead of propping it into his mouth with a huge grin like back in Rutoh, then something was really wrong. "You okay, little buddy? I asked as I kneeled down next to him

"You're not eating your donut?" Ena asked as she realised this too. "I've got this nagging feeling I'm forgetting something important." He muttered, before we asked him about his powers and he told us his story. He had been a stray who had been found and protected by Orgo and that was why he called the bigger felyne "Sarge." "We had a dream. We promised to travel the world together." Our little felyne said, before looking down 

"But things happened and we went our separate ways. Our promises went unfulfilled. I got... experimented on. I lost my memory. But I gained these powers." He continued with a small hesitation and before I even realised what I was doing, I had lifted him up into my arms and pulled him into a hug as Ena tried to cheer him up by saying he had found Orgo again, actually saying it was pawsitively clawdacious like the felynes always did. "Yeah. Pawsitively clawdacious and..." Navirou said from his spot in my arms, before falling silent 

He explained that he and Orgo had a catchphrase, but he didn't remember the second part. I squeezed him closer one more time, before putting him down again just as Tsukino came to us and said that there was something in the garden that had panicked a lot of felynes and we had to go out again. "You think Navirou remembers who experimented on him? I just want to talk to them." I whispered to Leo who nodded in agreement

This time, I decided to let Saranya stay behind at seeing how many scared felynes there were as she could guard the entrance from the sky and attack anything that came too close. I took Chim with me after having felt a bit bad for Kyle as he had to go after and keep up with three flying monsties. We soon found what the felynes were so scared of: another pit had opened up and a rage-rayed Mitzutsune was waiting for us

It let out a stream of water towards us and Leo could barely push Ena out of the way. Navirou and Orgo weren't as lucky and were taken with the stream. Seeing that they were heading towards the pit, I quickly jumped on Chim and we ran towards them with all haste. Chim jumped over the water and grabbed Orgo by his jacket with his teeth as I leaned down and managed to grab Navirou's paw, pulling them both out of the soapy water as it went over the edge. "Phew. That was way too close for comfort." I muttered, before glaring at the monster

I briefly wondered if this was a different monster than before or it was the same one who had fled from us and had come in contact with the pit that way, but that didn't really matter right now as we had to fight. Even if it was rage-rayed, it didn't stand a chance against the three.... well, four of us, even if it easily smacked Kyle's first arrow away. Things got worse, however, at the end of it when we had almost beaten it

Leo was riding Ratha to deliver the final blow when the light of the pit grew stronger and started to affect Ratha again as he started to fly erratically. "Not again!" I muttered, before seeing Kyle already readying an arrow to aim at Ratha. "Oh no, you don't." I muttered as I forced his bow down. "Let. Go." He hissed at me through gritted teeth. "Not until you stop being si trigger happy and trust Leo to keep his monstie under control." I shot back

"Dearien, Kyle. If we don't do something soon, the Mitzutsune will attack Ratha while he's fighting the pit." Mama said as her monstie shot another attack at the monster. It dodged the attack by jumping up and actually tried to do exactly what she said as it aimed an attack at Leo and Navirou. Kyle pulled free and thankfully shot the Mitzutsune instead. I sighed in relief as Leo got Ratha under control again and did his Kinship attack called "Sky-high Dive" and let me tell you: I wouldn't want to be the one that attack was aiming at as it was extremely powerful

The monster was finally defeated and Leo got off Ratha. "Thank you." He said to Kyle with a grateful nod. The hunter muttered about how he didn't understand so much yet like Ratha's power or what was causing these pits, but he did understand that Leo and Ratha and we all smiled at this as mama wrapped her arm around me and we shared a grin. Leo grabbed Kyle's hand again and nodded, before Kyle pulled away

"We'll keep looking into the pits. Different perspectives can't hurt. That's the way I see it." He muttered as he turned away and crossed his arms. I quickly snorted as in realised he didn't want to say we were friends just yet and even mama looked incredibly amused. "Well, if that's the way you see it, then you probably won't mind to take Chim with you one we split up." I said. "Huh?" He asked as he and the others stared at me in surprise.

I smiled as I looked at my palamute and petted his head. I was going to miss him if Kyle agreed, but I didn't want to leave him behind every time I took Saranya with me. "I've got my first monstie now and I don't want him to feel lonely or left behind every time I take her with me. He can take you to places much faster than on foot and even if you can't use Kinship attacks, he can still help beat monsters that you meet on your way." I said and Kyle hummed in thought, before nodding in agreement. I smiled at him, before kneeling in front of Chim

"Look after them and yourself, okay? I'll see you soon." I whispered and he whined, but eventually went to stand next to Kyle who seemed uncertain about climbing on his back. "Do you need a hand?" I asked. "I got it." He muttered as he carefully got on Chim's back with Tsukino and I climbed on Seron behind mama as we went back to the shelter one more time. Once we were there, Orgo told us that he had once heard a story about a Rathalos

He said its legend was written down in a village beyond the Volcano. "Nua Te? I didn't know there was a monument about Razewing Ratha there." Mama commented. "Well, time to check it out." Navirou stated and we nodded as Kyle decided to go look for answers about the pits. I gave him my second-to-last crystal and he left with Chim and Tsukino after i explained how it worked. I watched them go with a deep sigh. 

"Good luck." I muttered, before we went to prepare

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Pffffff." 

The path to the volcano was boiling hot. Understandable, of course as it was a bloody volcano, but still. "How did you live around here for ten years?" I asked mama as we quickly used some cool mist to make sure we didn't overheat. "It's not that bad in Nua Te, sweetie. It's at the base of it." She chuckled and I huffed as we started to walk down the path that went over the volcano, only to come across a huge rock blocking the way

Orgo immediately instructed us to make some felyne barrel bombs to destroy any rocks that we came across as we crossed the volcano. They were made from mushrooms that grew on the volcano. We then had to fight several monsters on our way, but with three monsties with us, it was no trouble. It helped that all three monsties preferred other types of attacks. Saranya preferred speed, Ratha power and Seron technical.

Working together over the next couple of hours, the three of us managed to quickly beat any monster that we came across. Taking a small break in a felyne burrow as we were slowly nearing the summit, I admired the fact these little creatures were able to live here too, even if the burrow was significantly cooler than the volcano outside. "Mama?" I asked as we were sitting on the ground with our monsties surrounding us and she hummed as she looked at me. "If I'm truly right about papa, what will you do?" I asked and Ena, Leo, Navirou and Orgo all looked at us

Mama sighed deeply as Seron gave her a small nudge at sensing she was uncomfortable. "Depends if we can make him see sense or not if it's really him. I still think he's hurt and confused by this all and if we can get him to see sense, I think I'm willing to give him a chance, but it won't be the same as it once was." She replied. "And if it's really him, then he might have to leave Rutoh." Ena piped up carefully and my heart froze in fear

The idea of my father being harshly banished from Rutoh and being forced to live out in the wilderness absolutely terrified me. Mama immediately wrapped her arm around me and pulled me closer to her as she clearly thought of the same thing. "I'll ask Yoomlana if he can come and live in Nua Te if it really comes to all of that. He won't be alone." She tried, but that didn't make me feel much better to be completely honest

Sure, mama would very likely live with him if we managed to get him back to normal and Yoomlana really allowed papa to live there in Nua Te village, but I'd probably go back to live in Rutoh to be with Alwin, so I'd be far away from my parents again. "How is it that if the leader really is papa, things might both get much simpler and more complicated at the same time?" I asked with a defeated sigh and mama kissed my temple in response. "We'll figure something out when the time comes. I'm sure of it." She whispered and I dearly hoped she was right

We then continued on again after thanking the sweet felynes for letting us stay and escape the volcano's heat for just a while and soon reached the highest point. I was on my guard the entire time as this was usually when we were attacked most of the time and sure enough, a huge monster soon came literally rolling towards us. It was a Uragaan, a monster that was well known for creating rock bombs while fighting its opponent.

Orgo immediately went to face it himself, despite not even being a tenth of its entire size. "Are you off your rocker?" Navirou exclaimed in shock from his place next to Leo and Ratha. Very good question, Navirou. Orgo briefly turned back to us to state that he knew this particularly monster very well, only to be almost immediately proven wrong as the Uragaan started to roll towards him "Sarge, behind you!" Navirou called to warn him

"Don't worry I'm perfectly capable of.....drawing its attention away!" Orgo shouted, only noticing the monster about to literally steamroll over him halfway through the sentence and immediately running away. I carefully facepalmed with my long nails thankfully not accidentally scratching me as had happened a few times when I was younger as Orgo somehow mentioned to get on top of the Uragaan and walk on it like it was a very fast spinning barrel I had seen at playgrounds. "I'll save him. You defeat the monster." Mama told me and Leo and we nodded 

Mama climbed on Seron and flew up, getting Orgo off the monster before he could get too hurt. Once things were safe, we fought the monster. Saranya and I mostly worked together to beat the Uragaan as she had the advantage while Ratha and Leo took care of any bombs it created. Within a few minutes, the fight was over and we went to praise our monsties. "You did so good." I told Saranya and she crooned as she nudged me

With the monster finally beaten, Orgo told us that he had to go back to his family again. "Can't take any unnecessary risks like I used to. 'Sides, you got yourselves some new pawtners." He told Navirou and our little felyne was confused for a minute about what he meant with that, before he looked at us and understood as we all smiled  at each other. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, until we meet again." Navirou stated with a grin

"Go and do all the things we dreamed of, pawtner. Travel the world." Orgo told him as he patted our little felyne on the head and Navirou promised he would. I smiled, before looking down. There was no doubt that I absolutely loved it here with my family and friends, even if my father was very likely hunting us at this very moment, moments like these reminded me that I had basically left my old friends without saying goodbye to any of them. I leaned against mama's side and she immediately pulled me closer, thankfully thinking I was moved by the goodbye

Once Navirou revealed that he did remember the second part of the catchphrase, we moved on and down a path that led to the other side of the volcano. "I wouldn't be surprised if the den I found Seron in was somewhere nearby here." Mama commented and we all smiled ar her, before rounding a corner and saw at least a dozen of smaller glowing pits stretched out in front of us. I then noticed something and gasped, running forwards

"Dearien!" I heard mama, Navirou, Leo and Ena call behind me as they ran after me, but I didn't stop until I reached my destination: a grievously injured and unconscious if not dead Rathalos. "A Rathalos. What's he doing here?" Navirou asked quietly once the others had joined me. "Perhaps it's one of these Rathalos that disappeared. He's hurt too. What could've happened to him?" Ena asked in concern, just as we heard a roar

We saw another Rathalos flying overhead towards the biggest pit on the plain. The minute it hit the light, it grew brighter and we heard a roar coming from the earth as the Rathalos just... fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. We ran towards it, before we heard another roar coming from all around it. Ena asked if we heard it too and I nodded. "It's the same roar as when Red died. I'm certain of it." I muttered and mama grabbed my hand. The ground shook and black smoke came up from the pit, followed by a huge, dark shape

As we could only stare at it in shock, it took the fallen Rathalos into the pit and very likely devoured it once it was gone from our sight. 'What kind of a thing eats Rathalos?!' I thought in horror. "Wh-what is that thing?" Navirou stuttered in fear. "It's the monster I saw when I failed to save Red." I replied as mama kept me and Ena behind her. The smoke then cleared up, but the creature returned so we could see it in all it's "glory"

It was a worm/tentacle/tendril like... thing and it was bigger than you could ever possibly imagine with a grey mouth that opened to reveal a second, glowing red mouth within. It honestly looked more like a bloody alien than an actual monster, something that wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. The five of us ould only stare in horror as it slowly focused on us, before attacking. Mama pushed me and Ena out of the way of it

It was only because I pulled her with me that she didn't get hurt either. Leo whistled for Ratha, but he seemed to actually be afraid for it. Was this thing like Rathalos' natural predator or something like that? Like lions and gazelles? It would make sense, I guess. "Seron, use vengeful thunder." Mama ordered as my and her monsties didn't seem to be afraid of it like Ratha was and I quickly ordered Saranya to attack as well. The thing let out a roar as it clearly didn't like getting attacked, before or monsties got helped by another Rathian

With three monsters harshly attacking it, the monster seemingly gave up for now and retreated back into the pit. Our monsties landed next to us as the other Rathian came closer and started to land as well, a red-haired rider visible on her back. "That was a close one. Everyone okay?" The rider asked us and Navirou immediately got happy again as the second Rathian landed. "Cheval!" Navirou exclaimed. Of course, he knew the guy

Navirou told us they apparently went way back. 'Yeah, like you and almost everyone else we've met on this journey go way back.' I thought as we discussed the monster we just saw and how this Cheval guy was hunting a Nergigante that had been attacking settlements and villages for unknown reasons, even though if usually only attacked Elder Dragons. "Maybe, that thing was an Elder Dragon." I speculated and everyone looked at me 

"These pits have been appearing everywhere and it seems this monster travels underground. Maybe, that Nergigante is not attacking villages because it simply can or because it's angry at something, but because it senses that monster underground and tries to attack it instead." I went on. "That might be a reason for it. Nergigante hunts elder dragons." Mama agreed. "We really need to go to Nua Te to see if they can help." Leo stated and we nodded as we invited Cheval to come with us and he happily agreed. "I have one question though." I said and they looked at me again

"How on earth are we going to tell our Rathians apart?" I asked as I pointed between my Saranya and Cheval's Rathian, who I later learned was called Rathi. Again. Very original. The others all laughed. "Well, Saranya has a few more scars on her head, so I think that's how you will recognise her. Not to mention that I highly doubt your monstie will come when Cheval calls." Mama said with a chuckle, before we went on again

I stayed very close to mama after what we had just witnessed and she seemed equally reluctant to let me out of her sight at the moment. Finally arriving at the volcano base, mama turned to us. "The village is very nearby, but it's even better hidden than Rutoh and they're even more weary of strangers. Just follow my lead and we'll be fine." She stated and we nodded as she climbed onto Seron and flew up the mountainside

We immediately followed her on our own monsties and soon landed outside a very small path leading into the mountains that I never would've seen if mama hadn't landed right outside of it first. "Make sure you dismount. If you're seen riding your monstie to the village, it might be thought of as an attack." Mama quietly told us and we immediately got off our monsties as mama took the lead again. It was a good thing too as we were soon surrounded by Wyverians with spears. They looked very suspicious of us until they saw mama was with us

Where the Wyverians living in Rutoh looked more like Europeans apart from the obviously different ears, hands and feet, these had a more Chinese/Asian look to them. It was actually rather interesting to see the differences. I had always thought mama looked different than most others in Rutoh and once I learned she was originally from he, it made a lot more sense. Another Wyverian then joined us and smiled as my mother

"Cousin. I was wondering when you would return." She stated and mama smiled back at her. "Hello, Yoomlana. I'm glad to be back. We have a lot of important things to discuss." She replied and Yoomlana nodded. "Very well. Are these your friends?" She asked. "This is my daughter Dearien and her friends Ena, Leo, Navirou and Cheval." Mama introduced us all and with another nod, mama's cousin led us further into the mountain

Good, because I really needed a drink. 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"What do you think?"

I immediately looked at mama after hearing her ask that as we looked around while following Yoomlana to her chair after putting our monsties away. Nua Te really made me think of Chinatown, but it was rather enclosed. Understandable as it had been built into a mountain, but in was used to the open air in Rutoh where the only covered places were the houses. "It certainly is different." I said, but mama knew me too well

"You're not a big fan, are you?" She asked with a knowing look. "It takes some getting used to as I've never been in a village that was built into a mountain. That's all I'm saying." I replied and she conceded as Yoomlana laid down on her chaise like couch and asked us what we knew. She in return explained to us that they had a shrine dedicated to the Rathalos legend as well, but because of a Nergigante, they couldn't access it

A messenger eventually arrived stating that the Nergigante had been spotted nearby not too long ago and we went to try and find it. "Why don't you guys go? Dearien and I need to talk to Yoomlana." Mama said as she looked at Leo and Cheval and they nodded. "Do you think you can handle things without me?" I then asked Leo teasingly and he grinned as he nodded. "I think I'll be fine with Cheval helping me." He said as we shared a hug, before the two men left with Ena, Ratha, Navirou and Rathi. I watched them go for a minute, before we both turned to face Yoomlana

"What is it that you wanted to speak about, cousin? You seem more troubled than when you left." Yoomlana commented. "That's because I am. When I left to try and find Dearien, I constantly missed them by a few days until I eventually found Leo and another friend of his in Lamure. It turned out that Dearien and Ena had been kidnapped by a group of riders that want to wake up a monster they call "The Exalted One."" Mama said

"Are you alright, child?" Yoomlana then asked me. "Yeah, I'm fine... for the most part." I replied. "Very well. How can I help with this group?" She then asked and mama and I shared a look. "The riders took us and Ratha to Lamure tower and brought us all the way to the top when Leo, Reverto and secretly masks caught up to us, even if mama stayed outside to keep an eye on everything from there." I then began to say

"In the elevator upstairs, I noticed how the leader, whose face was about 99% covered by a plate so you only saw his eyes, had Wyverian feet and when they said the name "Exalted One," I recognised it from when I was back in Rutoh while disguised. I then taunted the leader into coming closer to me so I could really look him in the eye." I continued, before looking down. "Did you find out who it is?" Yoomlana asked. "I have a suspicion, although I'm still hoping that I'm wrong." I said. "Who is it?" She asked and mama and I shared another look

"We suspect it's Zellard." Mama said and Yoomlana briefly stiffened up. "I see. What can I do?" She asked then. "If it really is papa and we manage to beat whatever is behind the pit as well as snap him out if whatever he's going through right now, which is also my fault as I made him think I had died, then he'll either be banished from Rutoh or he'll leave himself and mama and I don't want him to die in the wild." I said

"I see. So you want to ask if he could live here. How can I be sure he won't be a threat to my people if he's willing to kidnap your and his own daughter?" Yoomlana asked, which was a fair question considering she was still the leader of the village and had to protect those living there. "Zellard always was a good man, cousin and I do not believe he is completely lost to us. He's hurt and confused, not evil." Mama replied 

"Yeah and I was disguised by magic so he didn't even know it was me his men had kidnapped. It's all my fault in the first place. He once told me he'd go mad if he ever lost me and I still made him think he had." I muttered and mama rubbed my back. Yoomlana was silent for a minute as she took this in, before making a decision. "If you can truly defeat the monster behind the pits and get Zellard back to normal, then he will be welcome to stay here if it really is him." She told us and we relaxed as we thanked her and went to leave

"Actually, Dearien. I want to speak to you in private." Yoomlana told me and mama and I shared a look, before she left and I turned back around to face Yoomlana. "You caused your parents great pain by not telling them the truth, young one." She began and I looked down. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know." I muttered. "What made you decide to keep your survival from them and make them grieve you?" She asked

"Did mama ever tell you the truth about me?" I asked and she nodded. "I lost so many friends and family back then. Some of them before I could even remember them. When I tried ro save Red, I saw the monster behind the pits and it was bigger than I could ever imagine. Neither mama nor papa were riders away the time, so there was no way they could defend themselves if it ever attacked them." I explained 

"You thought the monster would come after you?" She asked in surprise at hearing that. "With my rotten luck, I honestly wouldn't have been surprised, but it was more that I was planning to eventually hunt it down myself once Leo was a full-fledged rider so it couldn't hurt anyone again and I didn't want them to get caught in the crossfire if anything did happen to me. I didn't know about the Razewing Ratha legend back then " I replied. "And now that both your friend and mother are caught into this situation anyway, what will you do?" She asked

"Try to protect them as best as I can with both my monstie and everything I have inside myself." I immediately stated without any hesitation and she nodded. "Although, I wonder if a Rathalos, a Rathian and a Boltreaver Astalos are enough to help stop it." I then confessed. "If it really comes to that, then I'm sure your mother will call Vetra. The other monstie she hatched while living here." Yoomlana told me with a smile

"Why would she need to call upon her monstie when you have stables here as well?" I asked in confusion. "Vetra became a bit too large to fit inside the stables, so she roams the air while still being bonded to your mother and ready to help her at any time." Yoomlana explained and I widened my eyes. Sure, the stables weren't as big as others from what I've seen as they had been hewn into the rock, but they still were quite large

How big was this Vetra I'd it didn't fit? Yoomlana then let me leave and I quickly went to find mama. She was nearby as she had realised I didn't know the way here and quickly led me to the room she had been staying in for the past ten years and we decided to take a rest after climbing the volcano. It was nice to lie in an actual bed again and we were woken up by a Wyverian who told us that the others had come back. We quickly went out to go and see if they were okay, but I immediately noticed something was off and asked what had happened. 

It turned out that they hadn't actually found the Nergigante where they had looked, but had instead come across a rage-rayed Astalos and after fighting and beating it, Ratha had soon collapsed trying to suppress his Razewing side. Cheval then told us that his mother had been killed by monsters a few years ago and that for a while he had wanted nothing more than to hunt and kill every monster, even hurting Rathi in the process

I looked down, knowing very well what it was like to lose a parent because of a monster, even if that monster had been a man once and mama gave me a one-armed hug. Navirou's old partner, "the legendary rider" the people in Kuan had mistaken Leo for, had eventually shown him what a rider really was about and he had bettered himself after that. We then heard that another monster had been spotted and went to find it

It once again wasn't the Nergigante, but a rage-rayed Brachydios. A monster that could create explosive slime, one of the batches of said exploding slime almost blowing Navirou away as we went to fight it. Ratha almost started to go crazy again, but Leo had it under control now and calmed him down again. With the Rathians of Cheval and I having the advantage, we eventually won and could cross another monster of the list. Ena then stated that she had figured out her purpose in this quest: to support Leo and help protect Ratha from danger

Returning to the village once again at realising it was another dead end with the monster we were looking for not there. The next day, Yoomlana then told us that the Nergigante had finally been spotted in the crystal depths, a huge, maze like cave with huge crystals at the end of it. I let out a deep breath as I really hoped that this was the last place we had to look. "Let's avenge Red once and for all!" Navirou exclaimed with a huge grin

They thought this was the same Nergigante that knocked Red off his Ratha? It was possible, but there were more than one Nergigante in the world. We went after a lot of preparation after mama told us how dangerous Nergigante were and after fighting several monsters, including some annoying ones, w slowly started to reach the end of the cave. Mama, Ena and I all stopped away the same time as we sensed something

"What's the matter, Ena, Dearien and Mirien?" Navirou asked, unaware that something was nearby and Ena told him to be quiet as the nergigante finally appeared and we fought it. It was definitely one of the hardest battles I had ever had in my life as the Nergigante sure hit hard and we were almost knocked out several times. Saranya managed to poison it with Ratha delivering some vicious burns, but it was still hard as the monster shot big, sharp, porcupine like nails at us from time to time. I could barely dodge one at it almost hit me on the head

We finally managed to beat it and knock it out, but we still didn't know why it had been acting like this. We didn't have much time to think about it as the earth shook, mama quickly grabbing me and we heard an all too familiar cry as another pit appeared in the distance. Ratha suddenly took off towards it and it wasn't the only one as despite getting a really good beating from us, the Nergigante flew towards it as well

Leo ran after Ratha and I jumped onto Saranya's back. "Jump on!" I called to him as I held out my hand and he grabbed it, jumping on behind me as mama and Cheval went to try and stop the Nergigante, but still it went on. Once we reached the pit, Leo jumped from Saranya again. This turned out to be a mistake as the ground broke up and the tentacle monster appeared again. The Nergigante tried to attack it, but was knocked down with ease.

Not exactly sure how it had planned to attack the tentacle monster if it hadn't been beat up as it was the size of a bat compared to it. The monster snapped at Ratha and missed, before pulling itself back and breaking the ground up even more, making Leo, Ena and mama who had followed us after she had failed to stop the Nergigante and had dismounted from her monstie, fall with Leo and mama almost falling into the pit. Seron roared at seeing his rider in danger and the Deja Vu I got from the moment was so bad that I stiffened up in fear.

"No... I can't lose them. I can't.' I thought as Saranya roared, snapping me out of it.  "Mama!" I called as I flew down and tried to reach out to her while Ena was trying to reach Leo. I managed to grab mama's hand and pull her onto my monstie just as the ground broke away. Leo almost fell into the pit like the Nergigante, until Ena threw herself forward and managed to catch him, dangling over the edge. "I won't let go. I won't lose you." She said.

I went to fly lower, but Leo was too close to the wall for me to get him onto my monstie too. Saranya then got an idea of her own and put her head underneath Leo's feet to push him up like that. Together with Navirou and Cheval, we managed to get Leo up again and I practically fell off my monstie in relief. Sliding off her back, mama hugged me tightly. "It's okay. We're safe. We're safe." She whispered as I clung onto her and thought one thing

'I've had enough of this.'

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

We went back to tell Yoomlana of what happened 

It turned out that not only did she actually know about the monster at the bottom or the pit, she even knew its name: Oltura. I was less than amused to be confronted honest as I wondered why she didn't tell us sooner, but we were finally able to see the shrine after we heard a couple of children sing the song from Hakolo island. It seemed so long ago that Leo and I were at the festival and so much had happened since then

Yoomlana led us to the shrine and Ena found a stone mural with the song inscribed in it. "What's this?" She asked as she noticed a part she hadn't heard before, me, Leo, Cheval and mama looking over her shoulder as she brushed dust away. "Is there more to the legend?" She asked. "So this song reveals more about the Rathalos legend. I don't get it at all though." Navirou muttered after he jumped down from the mural

"Such is the nature of legends. They change over time. So much so that the true meaning is... lost to the ages." Yoomlana said as another Wyverian lit up another torch at her order and we saw almost the same picture on the wall as back in Rutoh, but with one major difference. The lower part of the wall, that had been worn out and faded in the Rutoh painting, was completely whole here and showed a monster that Razewing Ratha and the Rathian seemed to be attacking. "Oltura..." I breathed at seeing it as Ena commented about how the lower part was new to her

"Dance, oh light across the sky, sent to us from heaven. With flames you burn a crimson hue, burn through all our destinies, before the red sky is painted blue." She then quoted the missing part from the song and I slowly walked closer to the painting. "What is it?" Mama asked. "Look at the art right at the base of the wings of both the Rathalos and Rathian. It almost looks like.... they have riders on their backs." I said as I pointed

Ena looked closer as well and gasped loudly. "I see it. There's the head there the arms and there the legs." She breathed. "So the previous Razewing Ratha and the Rathian had riders?" Cheval askedin shock as Leo walked closer as well. "There's something else... in the background. Some kind of shape." He said and we looked closer. There was indeed a very dark shape that almost disappeared in the background like a shadow.

"What is it?" Mama asked in confusion and I narrowed my eyes. It looked slightly familiar like I had seen it before. I then suddenly remembered when I was little and i first learned about the monsters living in this world. I had always been incredibly interested in the different Elder Dragons and one in particular as papa had a book with a beautiful illustration of it. "It's a Kushala Daora." I exclaimed. "Yes! Now, I see it too." Cheval stated. "So, the last time Oltura was defeated, it was a teamwork between three riders and their powerful monsties." Navirou realised 

"It does seem that way. Problem is that while we do have Razewing Ratha and a Rathian, we don't have an Elder Dragon." I muttered. After that, thanks to Navirou being his usual, clumsy self, we realised that if you looked at it on reverse in the reflection of the water of a pond, it looked more like Oltura was the one causing ruin from deep inside the pits and Razewing Ratha as well as the Rathian and Kushala Daora were fighting it

Cheval then asked why the part about Oltura and the Kushala Daora were forgotten over time, but even Yoomlana couldn't say for sure as it seemed Oltura had retreated deep into the earth and people had forgotten about it just as the bit about the Elder Dragon was forgotten as Kushala Daoras what exactly known to help people. Yoomlana then told us that Ratha's power was slowly draining his life force as he tried to keep it in

We all stared at the monstie as Leo went to Ratha himself, our monsties having followed us into the shrine. Yoomlana then told us that while Ratha's power was very dangerous and draining, it was our best bet against Oltura. Cheval then left to go to Lulucion and tell Lilia of what we had discovered and we went back to the village as well. We had barely walked in when I heard a very familiar howl and Chim came running up to us. "Chim! What on earth are you doing here?" I asked in surprise as I then noticed Kyle and Tsukino follow my palamute

After Kyle grumpily complained about how the Wyverians had been very suspicious of them until they had said they were with us, he then told us that several hunters had seen  the Rathalos all flying towards the light and we told them about Oltura and how it was really the one causing ruin. "We need to continue investigating the pits." Leo stated in determination. "Yes, but where do we start?" I asked, before red light caught my attention 

One-by-one, three of the crystals on my bracelet turned a very bright red at the same time, which meant that the ones I had given them to needed help. "Which crystals are those?" Navirou asked. "The ones I gave to Alwin, Avinia and Reverto." I said as I used my magic to find out where the counterparts were. Alwin was at the Harzgai Rocky hill, Avinia ay the Loloska Rocky Canyon and Reverto was in the Jalma Highlands and I told the others this

"What do we do now?" Ena asked. "I think it's best if we split up. Mama and I can go help Alwin while you help either Avinia or Reverto and we can reconvene for the third one." I said and the others all nodded. "We'll go help Reverto as he's the closest. We'll come back together in Loloska." Kyle said and I nodded as we went to get our monsties again. "We're almost going home." I told Saranya as I saddled her and she let out a roar. "Don't get her hopes up, Dearien." Mama said and I grinned, before we left Nua Te one-by-one after thanking Yoomlana for everything

Mama and I flew through the air at top speed as we knew we really had to hurry. Alwin wasn't someone who would break the crystal at the slightest sign of trouble, so for him to break it, something big had to be going on. We eventually arrived back in Alcala and immediately went to find him, eventually seeing him and Shaulk standing on top of a cliff. "Alwin!" I shouted and he immediately looked up with a smile at hearing my voice

We landed near him and I immediately jumped off Saranya's back, running towards him as fast as I could. He quickly caught me in his arms and held me close for just a bit. "I'm so relieved you're alright." He whispered as mama joined us too. "How are things in Rutoh?" She asked and we pulled back. "Things have been tensing up since you both left. Zellard hasn't returned ever since you left either." Alwin told us and we shared a look

"What is it? And where are Leo, Ratha and Ena?" He asked at noticing it was just the two of us. "You weren't the only one who needed help, so we split up. They're with a hunter named Kyle and his palico Tsukino in Lamure. As for the looks, when we were in Loloska before you sent mama, Ratha was snatched by the scriveners who took them and us to Lulucion. While we were there, Ratha, Ena and I were kidnapped by a group of hunters and masked riders, led by a wyverian in Nergigante armour with half-lidded green eyes and a woodsy scent that I can recognise everywhere." I said

"Are you saying that... Zellard is actually leading the group that kidnapped you and Ena?" Alwin then asked in absolute shock and I looked down as I nodded in answer, mama putting a hand on my back. He then did the same and sighed. "What will you do now?" He asked quietly. "Well, there's a reason you called us here, right?" I asked to change the subject and he nodded, telling mama and I a new pit had formed just over the hill, 

However, this one was more powerful as it affected every monster in its vicinity, unlike only one monster like before. He also told us that as much as he wanted to come and help us, he couldn't go fight as he had to protect the village with papa still gone from the village as well. "We'll go check it out, Alwin. Don't worry about it. Just keep everyone safe." I told him with a smile and he smiled back before pulling me close again.

"Do be careful though when you go in. I rarely eon't want to lose you again." He breathed very quietly as he kissed my forehead and I immediately smiled as I cupped his cherk. "I promise." I whispered as I kissed him for just a second before pulling back and he reluctantly let me go. mama and I then carefully went on with our monsties. I eventually looked sideways and saw her brightly grinning at me. "What?" I asked. "You forgot to tell that little tidbit to me." She chuckled. "Not another word." I muttered as my cheeks grew red and she laughed

"You know, before all of this happened, your father and I were actually wondering about whether pr not we had to lock you in a room together until you confessed that you liked each other. Glad I don't have to." She laughed. "Mama!" I whined in return and she giggled, before we had to fight several rage-rayed monsters until we got to the pit. "Mama... look at the colour." I breathed as the colour of the pit wasn't red anymore, but purple.

If there was anything that I had learned in kindergarten all the way back on my old world before going to Hogwarts, it was that you always got purple when you mixed red and blue together. Oltura was already getting stronger and if we didn't hurry up, we would be too late to stop it from destroying the world as we knew it. We then saw a rock cut in half horizontally with heat still coming off it, so the one behind it still had to be close.

Just as we wondered exactly what kind of monster could've caused this destruction to a pretty thick rock, said monster already announced itself to us by thundering footsteps and a loud roar: a glavenus, an incredibly ferocious monster with a tail that it could heat up to cut through literally anything. It immediately tried to attack us and mama could barely push me out of the way to protect me, me using my magic to block the next attack as our monsties quickly joined us to fight against it and we immediately went into battle mode

It was an incredibly hard battle as the monster could shoot off fireballs and attack us with its tail. I actually had to dive out of the way as a tree almost fell on me after being cut. We did eventually manage to beat it and the light of the pit disappeared. "It's moving. We need to join the others to see if they have found anything." I muttered and mama nodded as we left the pit behind, knowing there was no time to lose

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Alwin was incredibly relieved to see we were alright, having been waiting for us

"Thank goodness you didn't get hurt during the fight." He said as he cupped my face after I got off Saranya's back. "Have a little bit of faith in me, would you?" I asked teasingly anh he and mama chuckled as the latter joined us and Alwin asked what the situation was, lowering his hand to grab mine. "All the monsters in the surroundings of the pit had become rage-rayed and none more so than a Glavenus. Mama and I could barely jump out of the way." I told him

"The light from the pit is slowly changing colour too. It used to be bright red, but it's far more purple now." Mama quickly took over. "It's Oltura growing stronger. I just know it. There was a part of the Razewing Ratha legend in Nua Te village about how the red sky will be painted blue. Red and blue makes purple, so we're really running out of time." I said as I subconsciously squeezed Alwin's hand and he immediately squeezed back as he took a deep breath

"So what are you going to do now?" He asked. "Mama and I are going to Loloska next as soon as we finished talking here." I began, before Saranya let out a small, unhappy rumble at hearing that. "Oh, don't be such a big baby." I muttered and mama and Alwin laughed again. "There were actually three pits opening up at the same time. We took care of this one and I'm sure the others took care of the one in Lamure, so that's the last one for now." I continued and Alwin nodded, although he seemed extremely reluctant to let me go into danger again

Last time, we had planned to just go to Loloska to find out the truth about Ratha. This was far more dangerous. I walked closer and was the one to cup his face. "I'll be fine. Mama will be with me now." I reminded him and he closed his eyes as he covered my hand with his. "But what if you're right about Zellard? What if he tries to take Ratha again?" He asked and I sighed. "Then I'll let Saranya headbutt him until he sees sense." I muttered and even mama snorted

My monstie immediately let out a roar in answer as if saying that she would do it too if I gave her the order. Alwin took a deep breath at my words and kissed my palm, before cupping my face again. "Please, be careful. I don't want us to end before it even started." He said, his words unintentionally being the prefect way to describe how my previous relationship with Cedric was: dead before it could even blossom into something amazing and beautiful. 

I stepped even closer to the Wyverian i loved and gave him a very gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll come back to you this time. I promise." I whispered after I pulled back just slightly, before hugging him one more time. He immediately hugged me back, holding me as tightly as he could with the both of us wearing armour. I held on tight as well, closing my eyes and smelling his scent. I didn't want to think about the last time I did this with someone, me faking my death may have driven that person insane with grief and made sure he was now on the opposite side

"We really need to go, before the others beat us to the pit and we lose our chance to find out more." Mama said after a few seconds, sounding incredibly reluctant to break us up and I sighed as I slowly pulled back and put my hand on Alwin's cheek one more time. He did the same as our foreheads touched each other and we closed our eyes again. A low rumbling sound made me look up to see Shaulk walking to me. Clearly, he wanted to say goodbye as well

I smiled and pulled myself out of Alwin's arms to pet the legiana on the head. "Look after him until I return, alright?" I asked and Shaulk nudged me with his head as he promised. "Thank you." I whispered as I heard Alwin ask mama to look after me as well and smiled, knowing I deserved it after all the stunts I pulled. We then climbed on our monsties and started to fly away, me waving at Alwin who returned it until we could see each other anymore 

We were about halfway towards Loloska when we heard a very familiar roar behind us and Ratha soon joined us with Leo, Ena and Navirou on his back. I gave all of them a thumbs-up and Leo returned it as Navirou and Ena both beamed at us, relieved that we were alright. We soon landed near Avinia and Kyle soon joined us with Tsukino and Chim, having used the Catavan to get here. "Hey, Avinia. Sorry you had to wait a bit. There were more pits opened up at the same time." I apologised as the blonde rider had probably been waiting for a while

"That's alright. I understand. I'm glad that you're here now." She said, before gasping at seeing Ratha with his wings out. Navirou said that Leo had no problem handling Ratha now, but she seemed a bit concerned about something. When Tsukino asked what was wrong, Avinia went from mature Rider to squealing fan-girl over Tsukino's toe beans. The felyne looked terrified like she was facing a great monster rather than a young woman gushing over her paws

Navirou snapped Avinia out of it with a face that said this wasn't the first time it happened. It reminded me of when Ron and Hermione were fighting. We then introduced Kyle and a very unamused Tsukino to her and explained the situation while she said that Ratha seemed rather out of sorts to her. Promising to check things out while she guarded the entrance to the pit to make sure no rage-rayed monsters escaped, we went on to investigate.

On the way to the pit, Navirou started to complain about the cold as we had already used hot mist on us and our monsties, but it seemed that it had already worn off on him. "Never gets any warmer in Loloska, huh? My whiskers are like icicles. My toe beans are becoming toe ice cubes." He whined, but we were so used to him talking that we pretty much ignored him since we had bigger things to worry about. This did not sit right with our strange little buddy. "Hey! Don't you care apt a freezing felyne!?" He asked as he jumped up and down and we turned to him

"You wouldn't have the energy to complain if you were really freezing." Kyle snarked as he and Tsukino passed Navirou, both of them rolling their eyes at his dramatics and I snorted. I may not have liked Kyle all that much at the time and we definitely weren't best friends yet, but that was a really good one. Navirou jumped up and down in indignation, before a monster jumped out of the ground. It was a Glacial Aknator, another dangerous monster 

Fighting this beast was hard as its shell was practically unbreakable, not helped by the fact Kyle had a bow and arrow, but we managed to crack it as it was still a monster weak to fire and we had two fire monsties with us so even Kyle could help during the moments the shell was broken and we eventually beat it without getting too hurt. However, the light from the pit was now almost turned to blue, which seemed to mean Oltura was slowly to full strength.

"What now?" I asked, just as another crystal lit up red. "Whose is that?" Leo asked. "It's Kayna back on Hakolo Island." I said, before looking at the others. "You too tell Avinia what's going on. I'll go back to see why she's calling for help." I said. "I'm going with you." Mama said. "We'll join you as soon as we can." Ena stated as we climbed on our monsties and after a final nod, we took off. Flying at breakneck speed, I noticed how things got increasingly dark and as we approached the island, we saw the reason for the call already and stared in utter horror. "Oh no..." I breathed

3rd person P.O.V 

After telling Avinia that the light was growing stronger over time, making the monsters that lived around the pits more and more violent with each and every one that opened in the past days, Avinia told them in return she felt Ratha's life-force weakening because of him having to restrain his power, asking Leo to take good care of Ratha and he promised. They then went to Nua Te to tell Yoomlana that Mirien was on Hakolo but fate had other plans in mind 

Running over the path that let to the village, the group stopped as they saw people approaching them: two masked riders and their leader, the man Dearien suspected to be none other than her own father. "It's them." Ena muttered as they went to face the men. "Who are you and what do you want?!" Navirou loudly demanded to know. "I want to talk." The leader answered in a voice that was unfortunately very familiar and Ena stiffened up at hearing it

"Your voice...." She breathed. "And I want you to hand over that Rathalos." The leader continued as he removed the thin iron plate covering his face. "It's really you!" Navirou exclaimed and Leo could only stare as he looked right at his best friend's father, who seemed nothing like the stern but kind man Dearien had told him spot and he had met during his time in Rutoh. 'They're going to be heartbroken.' He thought, knowing that a small part of his friend and her mother had hoped that Dearien was wrong about this. To learn that she wasn't was going to hurt them

Ena came to the very same conclusion as she honestly felt disgusted with him. He had pretty much fooled everyone, including her grandfather and his own wife that nothing was wrong, only to secretly do something like this. Like Leo, she had realised that this was going to break the hearts of both Dearien and her mother and that made her feel furious with him. "So you really were behind this all along, Zellard." She stated, her voice just a bit away from a hiss

Kyle and Tsukino then noticed that more riders were suddenly surrounding them from both sides with monsters ready to attack at any moment. "Looks like they've got us surrounded." Kyle growled. "We've been compromised." Tsukino hissed, but Ena didn't listen. Even if Zellard thought Dearien was dead, he had still betrayed Mirien and had kidnapped her and his own daughter, betraying everything her friend stood for and she wanted to know why

"What do you plan to do with Ratha?" She asked. "You've always been so perceptive and yet, you have no idea what will soon be born into this world, do you?" Zellard asked in return, not really answering her question. "The light from the pits is growing stronger and changing colour. The way I see it, Oltura has set the world on a course for utter disaster" Ena said. "Oltura?" Zellard asked. "That's the name of the monster you call "Exalted One."" Ena scoffed, having put two and two together with Dearien between the name and the monster in the pit. 

'They worship it and they don't even know its name?' She thought as Zellard smirked. "A glorious name. Shall I tell you what you don't know?" He asked, before going on without waiting for an answer. "Our world is not headed for disaster as you say.  The Exalted One's awakening is simply the first step to a brand new world.  Everything will be destroyed to be born anew. And I wish to be there to see this new world born of the almighty Exalted One." He stated

"What kind of nonsense is that? You're okay with destroying the world?! You might die too, you know?!" Navirou exclaimed. "All things are subject to the cycle of death and rebirth. It is base arrogance to think we can be exempt." Zellard replied. 'If Dearien could die and be reborn, this might be the only way I get to see her again. I'm so close.' He thought to himself. He missed her so much that it felt like he wasn't living anymore, not even with Mirien returning 

"Who cares? I don't wanna die!" Navirou stated as Zellard demanded to have Ratha again as his power would awaken Oltura. "You knew all along, didn't you? That Ratha wasn't the bringer of calamity?" Ena asked and Zellard simply chuckled. "All monsters simply fulfill the life they were born into. So too does the Exalted One." He stated and Ena looked down. "Red tried to stop Oltura from destroying the world and Guardian Ratha did what he could to protect Ratha all so we could finish the job." She breathed, before looking back up. "We won't let you awaken it!" She stated

"Red and Dearien both passed away before they could learn the truth of the Exalted One's awakening. Had they known what i know, they would've tread the same path that I walk now." Zellard stated. "That's not true!" Ena exclaimed as she knew Dearien was trying to stop it. 'Oh, why did they have to leave.' She thought as mother and daughter could've knocked sense into their father/husband. "We're going to finish the work that Red started." She continued 

Zellard looked down at this "It pains me to hear you say that, Ena. I was sure you'd understand my point of view with your friendship with my daughter." He said and Leo stepped forwards to face him. "Zellard, listen. Dearien isn't dead. She's still alive and kicking. She stayed on Hakolo Island in the past years to look after me like she promised my grandfather. She and Mirien are there right now. If you stop this and come with us, you'll see be again." He pleaded

He had to try and make his best friend's father see sense before it was too late. It was clear that Dearien's fake death was hurting Zellard so much that he wanted to die and despite him having literally kidnapped her and Ena all the way back in Lamure, he knew that it would absolutely crush Dearien and Mirien if he died. Zellard simply scoffed as he glared at Leo. "Do you seriously think I believe that. I saw her die! I saw the girl I took in and raised as my own fly to her own death to save one of you humans. She would have lived a long life if not for you." He hissed

Leo immediately reared back at hearing that not only did Zellard not believe him about Dearien being alive, he also blamed him and other humans for her "death," even though it had been her very own choice to go after his grandfather to try and save him "You listen to me! Ratha's been putting his life on the line to protect us! I'm gonna fight for him now!" Navirou stated in determination, seeing that Zellard was not going to listen, no matter what they said.

"I'm down for a fight." Kyle said as he immediately stepped forwards with Chim. "I'm ready." Tsukino agreed, going to help in any way that she could. Seeing the same thing as Navirou had, Leo readied his Kinship Stone to protect his monstie. "You intend to stand against the Exalted One?" Zellard asked, sounding like he couldn't believe his eyes and Ratha loudly roared in answer as Leo glared at him. He was not going to lose Ratha again.

"How foolish." He then scoffed as he simply raised an arm and the riders immediately rushed forwards to fight the group, turning back and walking away with two of his closest followers as he looked down in disappointment. He couldn't believe that they would try to lie about his daughter being alive to stop him from continuing his plans. Kyle, Chim, Leo and Ratha harshly fought and eventually won from one pair of riders with their own monsties, only to immediately have to fight another pair and by the time they were done... Zellard had disappeared 

"Where is he? Where's Zellard?" Ena asked once the battles were over she looked around to try and find him, but couldn't find him. The defeated riders tried to escape, only to be suddenly blocked by Lilia and the scriveners. "Take them away!" She ordered her men and they immediately listened. She then told the group that she had information for them, that Cheval had told her everything about Oltura and apologised for not believing them before and blaming Ratha

"It's okay, Lilia, but didn't you say you had something to tell us?" Navirou asked. "The scriveners found some information on Oltura and about its lair and birthplace. It's currently sealed off to prevent anyone going there." She told them and they looked at her. "Where is it?" Ena asked, the situation with Zellard temporarily forgotten. The commander looked down, before looking at Leo especially as she said three words none of them had expected 

"On Hakolo Island."

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Dearien P.O.V

"Oh no..." I breathed at seeing the huge, whirling purple cyclone in front of us. Only difference was that this cyclone stayed in one place rather than moving, but it did have lightning. "Oltura." Mama stated as we both somehow knew what it was. "It's been here the entire time? All these years that Red tried to find answers about what was causing the pits and he never realised that it was on his very island." I muttered before we flew onwards to find Chief Gara and Kayna 

We found many of the villagers praying on the little Dock in front of the village, hoping it might help and found the chief and Kayna helping the others release lanterns into the sky. "Kayna! Up here!" I called as mama and I landed on the beach and she immediately hurried towards us with Gara. "Oh, so that's where Saranya flew off to. Almost broke the door to her stable trying to get out." She chuckled and I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head

"Sorry about that. I was in a bit of a pickle and I needed my flying monstie." I explained and she chuckled before looking at mama. "Who is this?" She asked. "This is my mother in all but blood Mirien." I introduced mama to her and she blushed at this even as she smiled. "Good to see you're back with your parents again, Dearien." Gara commented as he joined us and neither of us said anything about how I was technically back with only one parent. I then looked at the purple cyclone. "We don't know what's causing that. It's why we called you." Kayna explained 

"It's very likely the monster that's causing the pits named Oltura. We've been looking all over for it, but we never would've thought that it might be here." I said and I saw Chief Gara thinking about this. "It must be the forbidden grounds." He stated, telling us of an ancient legend about a monster being sealed away long ago. "That has to be it." I said. "You're not telling me you'll fight it on your own, are you?" Kayna asked in concern and I quickly shook my head

"No. Leo Ena, Ratha and Navirou will soon be here with a hunter named Kyle and his palico Tsukino. However, we might as well go and prepare for everything as best as we can." I said and mama, Gara and Kayna all nodded in agreement as we went into the village. After putting our monsties in the stables, I pointed mama the way to the smithy at her request and went to buy as much medicine as I could as I had the feeling we would definitely need it

"Damira?" A tiny voice asked and I immediately looked down to see a bunch of kids looking up at me with big and very scared eyes. I smiled and kneeled down as I quickly changed my appearance to the one I had used in the very beginning of the journey. Boy, did they seem like a lifetime ago instead of it having been a few weeks at the veil most "Hey kiddos. Don't be scared. My friends and I are going to stop that evil cyclone as soon as they have arrived and you won't have to worry about it." I told them as I gently patted one of them on their head

I was busy with the kids for at least an hour as I tried to calm them down, until another rider joined us in Astalos armour, their helmet covering her entire face apart from two holes where pointy ears poked out of it. "Are you sure Seron will be happy to see you wearing that?" I asked and despite the helmet covering her face, I could hear mama laugh as she pulled it off, her armour giving off a green light every few seconds. "I'm not taking him with me." She told me

I looked at her in surprise as a Boltreaver Astalos was a pretty powerful monster to have in a fight, even against such a monster as this one. Certainly better than a Rathian as much as I obviously loved Saranya with all my heart. "I'm not sure if he can help much against a monster as powerful as Oltura seems to be. So, when Leo and the others her here and we're going to the forbidden grounds, I'm going to call Vetra to come and help us." She continued 

I then quickly nodded in understanding, before mama and I went to try and comfort the still scared children as we brought them out onto the beach to look at the numerous lanterns being released by Kayna and the other villagers. We eventually saw an airship slowly coming closer to the island and I squinted my eyes until I eventually recognised Leo and the others stands on the deck. How on earth did they get on that airship? They eventually landed and the group immediately ran towards us. "Glad to see you're okay." I commented with a smile

"We are, but what about everyone else?" Navirou asked, none of them commenting I looked like a human again as we all had bigger things to worry about. "Everyone's fine.... for now." Kayna muttered. They then talked a bit about Ratha having grown incredibly, but Ena pulled me and mama apart. "Dearien.... Mirien... it's about Zellard." She said hesitantly. "He really is the leader, isn't he?" I asked and she looked down, which was already answer enough for me.

"Yes and he seems to want to sacrifice Ratha to awaken Oltura. Leo tried to tell him about you still being alive, but he didn't believe it." She replied I sighed and covered my eyes as I let out groan. "I should have told him when I was in Rutoh. This wouldn't have been so complicated." I muttered as mama and Ena rubbed my back. "What's done is done, my little flower." Mama said before we joined the others again just as Gara asked for confirmation about Oltura.

Kyle then noticed how the people of Mahana village first poked holes in two tiny circles in the material of the lanterns with spears before actually releasing them into the sky and muttered about how if this whole releasing lanterns bit was part of a very old and traditional ritual, it might have something to do with Oltura. I had honestly never thought of that and now that I looked much closer at said lanterns, the drawings that were on each lantern did look vaguely like a monster, but nothing like we had seen of Oltura before. Did it have another form? 

We heard roars and saw shadows flying over us as the Rathalos that disappeared were now flying into the purple cyclone of death like moths to a flame. We could only stare as they disappeared into the light and we realised we had to hurry. "You guys go ahead with Ratha and Chim. Mama first has to call her other monstie to come and help and we'll join you as soon as it's here." I said. "You couldn't have called it earlier?" Kyle asked with a raised eyebrow 

"People are already panicked enough as it is at the moment. My monstie would make things worse by showing up." Mama immediately defended herself and he hummed as Chief Gara told us the Forbidden Grounds were behind Guardian Ratha's den and after I petted Chim, telling him to look after them as Kayna asked the same of Ratha, Leo, Ena, Navirou, Ratha, Chim, Kyle and Tsukino were off towards the place where I first met Ena again after a decade.

We followed them for a bit on Saranya to make sure that Vetra wouldn't scare anyone living in the village, especially the very young and already incredibly scared children and stopped at the edge of a cliff. "We'll join you as soon as we can. Be extremely careful and be constantly vigilant." I told Leo and the others. "You too. Don't be too late." Leo stated with a solemn nod, before the others quickly left and it was just me, mama and Saranya that stayed behind. I honestly was very curious of what kind of monster Vetra could be after hearing so much about her.

Mama then walked to the fruit edge of the cliff and took a deep breath held up her Kinship Stone in the sky. It immediately started to glow a very bright light even in the dark purple sky that the unnatural cyclone caused. 'She probably looks like some kind of lighthouse.' I thought to myself and had to suppress a laugh as this situation was nothing to laugh at whatsoever. We then looked around for any monster coming our way, hoping Vetra would he here soon

A few minutes later, Vetra still hadn't shown up, nor was she anywhere close from what we could see and I was now sitting in the grass with Saranya lying around me as we were still waiting. "Mama, I mean absolutely no offence with this, but any time now would be very appreciated." I muttered with a sigh and she gave me a brief glare, before concentrating again as I mentally checked off several monsters to see if I could guess what kind of monster Vetra was

'Mama said it could scare people, so definitely not a Paolumu. If can fly so it's not anything like a Ludroth or any other monster without wings and.... wait a minute... Seron is a Boltreaver Astalos, a Deviant monster. Deviant monsters are some of the most powerful monsters in the world. The only kind of monsters that are even more powerful are...' I thought, before the last two crystals on my bracelet started to glow red. "Mama, Kyle and Leo are in trouble!" I called and she immediately whirled around. "But Vetra isn't here yet." She protested and I got an idea

"Climb on Saranya and keep your stone high." I said and she agreed as we climbed on my monstie. We flew up and were almost at the entrance of the den when we were attacked. Saranya barely able to dodge it. It were two of the masked riders from before. "We don't have time for this!" I called. "Then you make time. We won't allow you to foil our plans again." One of the riders replied.. "Dearien... if they're here, then that means that Zellard..." Mama breathed

My eyes widened. Papa had followed the others and in his state, he could do anything. We then noticed the wind picking up and not because of the cyclone as another, normal one formed around us, the riders getting blown away as a huge shape flew over us. "Dearien, get us out." Mama ordered and I flew out of the cyclone. A few seconds later, it broke up and revealed a huge beast. "Vetra." Mama sighed in relief and I stared at the Elder Dragon in front of us

'Mama has a Kushala Daora?!' I thought in utter shock

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

3rd person P.O.V 

While Dearien and her mother were rather impatiently waiting for Vetra to show up and help them with this, Leo, Ena, Navirou, Ratha,Chim, Kyle and Tsukino had rushed their way through the very thick jungle as fast as they could towards Guardian Ratha's den and the eye of the purple cyclone. Arriving at where they had fought the Anjanath, they saw all the Rathalos flying into the light like they couldn't control themselves, before disappearing inside it

Looking down from the Rathalos flying to their deaths, they saw Guardian Ratha himself lying on his old place again. "Guardian Ratha!" Ena called as she ran forwards and put a hand on his nose. "You came back. I was so worried about you." She breathed in relief as Navirou, Leo and his own Ratha walked to them as well. Kyle and Tsukino stayed a bit behind, feeling rather awkward considering what happened the last times they were there

"This is the Rathalos you protected." Ena then told Guardian Ratha with a big and beaming smile as she turned to face Leo, Ratha and Navirou and he followed her gaze. "Look how much he's grown." She continued as Navirou grinned and nodded while Leo smiled at seeing his grandfather's monstie once again. Guardian Ratha then started to get affected by the rage-rays and roared as he tried to fight its control. Ratha backed up while Chim rushed forwards. His rider had given him the task of keeping Leo safe and he was going to do his best to obey.

Red's old Kinship Stone then lit up as if sensing what was going on and Leo held it up and towards the old Rathalos, the blue and white light looking to be even brighter in the dark purple surroundings. Guardian Ratha calmed down again. "He didn't get rage-rayed?" Navirou asked. "The Kinship he shared with Red still lingers. That must have protected him." A relieved Ena said and Leo nodded, before they all heard Ratha roar in alarm and turned around 

Somehow, Zellard had actually managed to sneak up on them all while they were too busy calming down Guardian Ratha to pay attention and had put a tight, iron spiked collar around Leo's Ratha's neck, now being its rider by force. "Zellard!" Ena hissed. "Ratha!" Navirou called as he and Leo immediately rushed towards the younger Rathalos, only for Zellard to hold a blade against Ratha's neck, the threat being very clear: another step and he'd kill Ratha. 

"Give up already! Let Ratha go!" Navirou immediately demanded as he glared at the insane Wyverian. "This Rathalos is the key to awakening the Exalted One. The process can't be completed without sacrificing the monster." Zellard replied. "You... you still want to destroy the world?!" What's wrong with you?!" Navirou exclaimed. "What about your wife?! Don't you care about her?!" Leo demanded to know from him as well. Even if he clearly refused to believe them about Dearien being alive, he apparently still wanted to destroy the world with his wife on it

"I wish to see the end of a world centered around humanity. Humans are pathetic. They're weak and ineffectual. I realised that when Red and Dearien died. The world as we know it is destined to end. It is time for a new world to be born in its place" Zellard stated with a smirk without answering Leo's question as Ratha started to get infected by the purple light of Oltura's awakening and Ena looked down as she finally realised what this was all about

Dearien had told her the brief version of the truth about her origins as well and things slowly started to make more sense for her as she thought about it.Red had been human and so had Dearien once. Zellard was blaming the fact that they'd been human in some way that they were now dead or "dead." He was nothing more than a grieving father lashing out at a world he believed had taken his daughter away from him. That's why he kept talking about rebirth.

He wanted to see Dearien again and he simply didn't care how he had to do it. If only he knew doing that was much simpler than destroying the world. "It's true that humans have shorter lives than us and their existence may seem fleeting, but they aren't weak. They have the power of Kinship. Their friends, their monsties.. humans carry the strength of everyone they meet. That makes them strong and Dearien is no different. My friends here taught me that. I believe in the strength of humanity." She stated, trying to tell Zellard his daughter was still alive as well.

The smirk slowly left Zellard's face at this, but before he could say anything in return, the purple cyclone that was caused by Oltura waking up flashed and rumbled. "You can hear it too, can't you?" Zellard asked Leo. "It speaks of the beginning of a new world. Of needing this Rathalos to fulfill its wish." He continued as with a final pull, Ratha transformed into his crazy Razewing form and roared at the group before flying into the cyclone with his new rider

Leo glared at the way they went, before hearing a rumble as his grandfather's Ratha looked at him. "Guardian Ratha. Will you take us there?" Navirou asked him, before they had to shield turgid their eyes from a bright white light. In it, Leo saw a vision of his grandfather holding out his hand. "There's nothing to fear. Rathalos will guide you." Red told him, which was the last thing he had said to his grandson before going on that fateful mission to Alcala 

Reaching out to him, he instead touched Guardian Ratha's nose as his grandfather's spirit disappeared again and he realised he was going to ride his grandfather's monstie like he always wanted to when he was small and the others all smiled as he climbed onto Guardian Ratha. "We should warn Dearien something is wrong. "Ena stated and both Leo and Kyle broke their crystals. "Chim, stay here for now. It's too dangerous for you to go in there." Leo then told the Palamute. Chim whined add he didn't want to stay behind, but knew that he was right about it

After Ena, Navirou and an uncomfortable Kyle and Tsukino climbed on as well, they flew into the cyclone. It was a harsh ride as the miasma caused by Oltura hit them every single second and tore at Guardian Ratha's wings. They eventually came out on the other side and saw dozens of dead Rathalos lying on the ground. Up ahead, they saw Zellard still riding the brainwashed Ratha, but before they could do anything, Guardian Ratha crashed to the ground

"Is he okay?" Navirou asked as they climbed off Ratha's back. "You're badly wounded. I'm so sorry. We asked far too much of you." Ena whispered as she rested her head on Guardian Ratha's. Kyle and Leo then focused themselves on Zellard and especially the latter glared at him. Best friend's dad or not, he was going down for messing with Ratha. Despite not having a monstie now, he still had his weapons. He just hoped Dearien and Mirien would arrive soon

The two women had actually arrived at the den just a few minutes after the  had left to go after Zellard and Ratha and Chim immediately howled into the sky to get their attention. "Chim! Where are the others?!" Dearien asked as she lowered Saranya a bit without actually landing and the Palamute gestured to the cyclone. "Alright. Stay here. It's too dangerous." She told him and he whined, but stayed put. Flying up, mother and daughter looked at each other as they rode their dragons. "Here goes nothing." Dearien muttered, before they flew inside the cyclone 

Within a second, they already felt the miasma tearing at them as well and Dearien quickly stretched out both her arms at feeling it hitting her face and body ,conjuring up shields for both her and Saranya as well as her mother and Vetra. "Shut up and fly." She shouted at seeing Mirien looking at her and both dragons sped up. Coming out of the cyclone, they immediately saw the others fighting a dark shape, Oltura's light blinding them a bit.

"Guys, guys! We're he-" Dearien began to call to the others as she and her mother got closer to them before finally seeing that what the others were fighting was actually a brainwashed Ratha being ridden by her father. "Oh, are you kidding me?" She muttered in utter shock and also a tiny bit of exasperation and disbelief as they quickly landed next to Leo and Kyle, much to the relief of the others at getting backup until Kyle got a good look at Vetra.

He and Tsukino both stared at the Elder Dragon in utter shock as it roared in challenge. "A Kushala Daora." The hunter breathed in absolute disbelief, both at the fact that the seemingly calm and innocent looking Wyverian woman had somehow managed to raise an actual Elder Dragon and all by herself as far as he knew and because he remembered it being part of the legend. He then looked at the monsters that were there at the moment. If they actually managed to get Ratha back to his senses, they'd actually have all the monsters from the legend

Dearien chuckled, before sobering up and looking at her father. Because she had forgotten to take her glamour off after leaving the village to call Vetra and because Mirien's new helmet covered her entire face, Zellard didn't realise these new riders were his wife and daughter, even if Dearien was riding Saranya now and where normal people would back off at seeing that an Elder Dragon was involved now, he didn't stop as he felt he had come too far

At seeing her father sending a Savage Fireball attack at Leo which she  blocked before it hurt him, Dearien closed her eyes for a second. Right now, the man in front of her wasn't her father. He wasn't the man who had tucked her into bed every night with a kiss and lulled her to sleep merely by the sound of his voice.He wasn't the man who had always hugged her every time she was scared or sad. He wasn't the man who had always been so protective over her

Right now, at this very moment, he was her enemy and even though it hurt her and her mother more than a cruciatus curse, they had to fight and stop him before the entire world that they lived in was completely destroyed. After giving out several attacks to the group and seeing how they were still not going down, Zellard finally went for the big one. "Sky-high Dive!" He loudly ordered Ratha and the monster's wings quickly lit up with purple flames as they shot up in the sky. At seeing him go, Dearien's mind unwillingly flashed back to several years ago

"You won't go through that  again. I swear." Zellard whispered to her, his voice full of love and care as he held her close after she told him and Mirien the truth about her past and she burrowed her face in his chest, smelling his familiar scent. "I don't know. With my luck, I'll probably have you try to kill me or something." Dearien muttered and he gave her an unamused look. She grinned at him Mirien giggled . He then gave her a rueful smile as he kissed her forehead 

Back in the present, Dearien shook myself out of the memory of when things were normal looked as Ratha started to come crashing down upon them with his deadly attack. Dearien immediately paled as she thought one thing while Mirien rushed to her to instinctively pull her closer as Saranya and Vetra tried to protect their riders from the upcoming impact, seeing the insane smile on Zellard's face and realising he was not stopping for anything 

'Oh crap. My father's trying to kill me.'

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Everyone, get close to me now!"

Leo, Navirou, Ena, Kyle and Tsukino immediately ran closer to Dearien at that order as they knew how destructive Sky-high Dive was. Dearien then quickly conjured up a shield big enough to cover them all. The brainwashed Ratha crashed into the shield and Dearien quickly collapsed as intercepting the attack took almost everything out of her. "Dearien!" Mrien, Ena, Leo and Navirou gasped as Ratha roared and she groaned in pain

Mirien immediately fell to her knees next to her daughter and checked up on her in utter fear and concern, cupping her face. "I'm fine, mama. Just very tired as that was a big hit. You need to stop papa before he kills himself and Ratha." Dearien breathed as she held onto her mother's hand. Despite not wanting to leave her daughter now that she was vulnerable, Mirien nodded as she and Ena helped her sit back up again

"Ena, Navirou. Look after her. Saranya, protect them." She ordered as she knew Tsukino had to help Kyle in his attacks and both Ena and Navirou nodded while Saranya curled herself around the three and roared at her Rider's father for hurting her. Mirien climbed onto Vetra's back and glared at her husband. This had gone on long enough. He had been willing to kill them and their daughter had gotten hurt in the process. She had enough of this. "Ancient storm!" She shouted as her Kinship stone glowed and for a second, Zellard paused in attacking

'That voice... it sounded like Mirien. But it can't be...' He thought to himself. He honestly didn't have much time to think of anything else as Vetra then created several tornadoes around the group without actually hurting them and then flew up as the tornadoes shifted into one with the Elder dragon and Mirien inside as it followed Vetra's movement, the tip briefly forming a dragon's head as it crashed into Ratha and its temporary rider 

As this was happening and her mother pretty much attacked her father, Dearien had climbed onto her own monstie to get more grip. Ena and Navirou had tried to keep her on the ground, but she refused to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. This final attack knocked Ratha out and Zellard fell off his back as Vetra landed next to Saranya. "Ratha!" Navirou called as he and Leo ran forwards to try and get Ratha away from Zellard

"Zellard." Mirien breathed as well as she got off Vetra's back and ran forwards with the boy and Felyne. She needed him to snap out of this crazy state, even if she had to smack it out of him. They barely made it halfway when the ground to break into fissures yet again. Leo, Mirien, Navirou, Ena, Kyle and Tsukino all fell and could only hold on for dear life as Saranya flew up so she didn't fall and Vetra flew over to stay near her rider in case the ground fell away underneath her. Unlike the members of the group who were terrified, Zellard was ecstatic 

"At last! It appears!" He shouted into the sky as three tentacle heads burst out of the ground. "Finally." He breathed, before letting out an insane laugh the Joker could be jealous of. He then climbed on Ratha's back again as while Vetra's attack had knocked him out a bit, he was still in his crazy Razewing form. "Accept my offering to you. Take the Rathalos, take me! Forge a brand new world!" He shouted as he flew up with Ratha

"No!" Dearien loudly cried as she flew after them as even though he had clearly lost it, she didn't want to lose her father. Leo began to ran after them as well, only for the ground to collapse and he started to fall into the pit. Guardian Ratha then appeared out of nowhere and managed to catch him as he joined Saranya. Dearien looked at Leo. "You get Ratha, I get my father." She shouted over the wind. "Understood!" He shouted back

Above them in the sky, Zellard and Ratha were now completely surrounded by the three tentacle heads as one opened right in front of them, ready to eat them whole. Instead of being scared like a normal, sane person would be, Zellard stood up in the saddle and spread his arms as he let out another laugh. 'Just a bit longer and I will finally see Dearien again.' He thought. He had no idea how right he was as Dearien was flying right towards him. Seeing her father so close to being eaten, she panicked like she never had before. "PAPA!!!!" She screamed

"Huh?" Zellard breathed as this briefly snapped him out of his suicidal state and that was just enough for Leo and Guardian Ratha to knock him and young Ratha out of the way. This made Ratha turn back to normal as Dearien caught her father and slung him over Saranya's back face down. She took a shaky breath in relief as she then watched how Guardian Ratha had to avoid Oltura's mouth, before getting surrounded as well

Something miraculous then happened as right before the eyes of both Dearien and Ena standing back on the ground, the spirit of Red suddenly appeared on Guardian Ratha's back behind Leo and gently pushed him off as he and Guardian Ratha flew on and right into the mouths of Oltura. Dearien looked away as Leo's Ratha quickly caught his rider and landed on the ground. Following him, she sent Saranya downwards as well

Once she was a few feet off the ground and understandably being rather angry about him trying to kill her, her mother and friends, Dearien practically threw her father off her monstie's back as she joined the others to get ready for the final fight. Once Oltura had eaten Guardian Ratha, the three heads pulled themselves back into the ground and everyone tensely waited for what would happen now. Bright blue light then shone through the fissures in the ground, making them cover their eyes as something shot out of it: Oltura's true form

It was like a huge and admittedly beautiful hybrid between a dragon and a moth as it let out a loud roar that made the earth shake. Unnoticed by all but Kyle as they were all focused on the new threat, the amulet Ena had been given by her grandfather when they had been about to leave Rutoh started to glow the same bright blue light for a second and even he dismissed it after a second. He had bigger things to worry about

While this was all happening, Zellard was crawling and stumbling to the pit laughing. He had somehow managed to convince himself the reason he had heard Dearien was because he had been so close to being reunited with her and hadn't even realised the monster that had caught him was Saranya. He stopped at the edge and spread his arms. "For this awakening, take my life!" He stated as he let himself fall forwards

His literal descent was stopped as two pairs lf hands suddenly grabbed him by his arms and pulled. "Huh?" He breathed as he quickly looked around to see Ena and the rider in Astalos armour who had knocked Ratha out pulling him back with all their might, the latter even giving him an extra pull and he stumbled back. They then put themselves in-between him and the pit as they pushed him further back. "Why must you both interfere?!" He demanded to know as a shadow fell over them. He had been so close to reuniting with his daughter.

"We won't let you die!" Ena insisted stubbornly as she glared at him, having had enough of this as well. She knew how much it would break the hearts of Mirien and Dearien if he died now and she was not going to let that happen. They had to make him see sense. "Open your eyes and look! Look at this world that you reject. Now open your ears and listen. That which you hear... it's not the voice of that monster." She told him

"It's not telling tales of a new world to come. All it wants is to live. It's the first cry of a newborn. The one who wants a new world... it's not the monster. It's you." She continued tearfully once he stopped trying to fight them as she now fully realised how much the man had been broken when Dearien seemingly died and as Zellard tried to process this, he heard another voice. A voice that he could recognise everywhere

"Zellard..." It breathed and he stopped moving at hearing it as shock coursed through his veins at hearing it, before he looked down at the rider who was still pushing him back. "That's enough." She continued as she took a small step back and took off her helmet. Zellard let our a gasp as the face of his wife was revealed to him. "Mirien?" He whispered as he stumbled back a bit. What was his wife doing here? She was supposed to be back in Rutoh where she'd never realise what he was planning to do. "Oh, my love." Mirien breathed as she cupped his face.

Like Ena, it only now hit her how much Dearien's disappearance had completely torn her husband apart and she hadn't helped by leaving him to face his grief alone "I'm so sorry, Zellard. I never should've left you after Dearien disappeared. I should've been there to help you, but I wasn't. However, this has gone far enough. You can't do this to her or me." She stated in a stern tone. "Her?" Zellard asked, before they heard a roar and looked up

There, sitting on her trusty Rathian and shielding her parents from the very bright light, was Dearien without her glamour on. "Took you long enough." She quietly snarked as her father stared at her, unable to believe his eyes as he then remembered Red's grandson telling him his daughter was still alive and on Hakolo island with Mirien. Had he been telling the truth? "Dearien?" He breathed as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees

Dearien landed Saranya and jumped off her back. Walking towards her father and seeing those familiar geen eyes looking up at her like he was seeing a ghost and despite him having literally kidnapped her and his attempt to kill her and her friends, she felt her own eyes fill up with tears and fell to her knees as well. Then, for the first time in over a decade, she finally hugged her father again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, papa. I never should've left. I thought it was for the best, but it wasn't. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." She begged

Zellard seemed to be completely frozen for a solid minute as his daughter desperately begged his forgiveness over and over, albeit with her voice muffled just a bit as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. He then slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her extremely close as his brain started to work again. Feeling that she was completely solid and really there alive and well, he broke down in tears as he clung onto her. 

Ena and Mirien immediately sighed in relief at seeing them finally reunite and hug again, even if it could be under much better circumstances and they didn't exactly have much time for this. In the meantime, Kyle had tried to shoot an arrow at Oltura, but it had simply shattered by Oltura's power before it even reached the monster. It then flew away to the top of a nearby ruin, but they had to hurry before it destroyed the world

"My little treasure. You're still alive." Zellard breathed after several seconds as he pulled back to really look at her and cupped her face, looking her up-and-down with tears still in his eyes and she gave him a very tiny smile. She looked completely fine, just rather tired and stressed from everything she had been through until now. "Well, I might not have been if I hadn't used a shield to block that Sky-high Dive attack you did." She muttered and her father paled at realising he had tried to kill both his wife and daughter in his madness.

He immediately let out a small moan like a wounded animal and slowly curled into himself, tears rolling down again in utter guilt as he realised what he had almost done. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whimpered as he held onto his daughter's hand like a lifeline. Mirien and Dearien shared a silent look as Zellard was now the one begging forgiveness, before they hugged him tightly as all three of them had some blame to share.

"We really need to go now. Oltura needs to be completely defeated before it's too late and it actually destroys the world." Kyle stated as he walked closer to the family as they were hugging. He realised this was a very personal moment, but they had to leave. Mirien and Dearien started to get up, only for Zellard to cling onto them both and stop them from leaving him. "No... please...." He begged as he didn't want to lose them again

Dearien took a deep breath and hugged him again, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding onto him. "We'll be fine, papa. We've got Leo, Ratha, Ena Navirou, Kyle, Tsukino, Saranya and Vetra with us. We will destroy that stupid beast and we'll come back to you once we're done." She promised her father as Mirien quickly hugged him too, kissing him gently to try and reassure him that they would come back as well. A little howl was heard as Chim joined them, the cyclone having stopped now they Oltura had completed its transformation. 

"Chim, guard papa. Make sure that no one hurts him." Dearien ordered the Palamute and he huffed as he planted himself next to the man as he got ready to obey her orders. Father and daughter then shared a look and another hug. "I love you, papa." She whispered. "I love you too. I love you so much and I'm so sorry." He replied as he clung onto her. "We'll talk more once we're back." She promised as she pulled back with difficulty

As her parents said their own goodbyes to each other, Dearien climbed on Saranya with Ena while Kyle and Tsukino joined Leo and Navirou on Ratha. "Time to finish this." She muttered and her monstie roared in agreement as Mirien climbed on Vetra. Looking at Zellard once more, they then took off towards where Oltura was waiting. As they flew, Dearien took a deep breath, before looking at the distant figure with determination. 

She was coming back this time... even if it was the last thing she did

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

After leaving Zellard behind, they flew on

Dearien's body was trembling slightly as she realised that this was it. What had started with a rage-rayed Tigrex about fifty years ago and had taken them so long to figure out all came down to this and it was time to stop Oltura from destroying the world. She had finally reunited with her father and she was not going to leave him again if she could help it. He had suffered enough because of her actions and she didn't want him to go through that pain again

She then thought of all her friends she had made on the journey, not to mention Alwin. If they failed to stop Oltura now, they would all die and with her father, Kayna, Chief Gara and Leo's parents being on Hakolo Island, they would probably be the first ones to be killed if they didn't succeed. She had failed to save Red, but she would not fail them."We'll beat it, Dearien. I'm sure of it." Ena stated from behind her as she felt her friend tremble a bit

"What I wouldn't give to have your optimism right now." Dearien muttered and Ena chuckled In answer as she gave her friend a reassuring squeeze from behind. They landed in front of what seemed to be some kind of building and dismounted. Oltura was perched on a top of it and they all glared at it. "Oltura. This is where it all ends." Ena stated in a solemn voice as Mirien instinctively stood in front of her daughter. At seeing them and seemingly realising they were here to fight, Oltura descended to hover right in front of them.

They briefly had to cover their eyes from the dust and wind that Oltura caused. Four scaled spots on Oltura's wings, two on each wings, started to glow with power and so did Ena's amulet again. "What's happening?" She asked in surprise as she looked at the blue light coming from it. "It flashed again." Kyle stated as he looked back at Oltura. At the same time, Dearien felt her magic give a rather harsh jolt inside of her as if it wanted to fight Oltura as well.

"Dearien? What is it?" Mirien asked at seeing her daughter move involuntarily at the jolt from her magic. "I'm not sure." She muttered as she readied her bow and arrows, using her magic on it and the bows and arrows of her mother and Kyle to make sure that the arrows actually hit Oltura. "P-pawtners?" Navirou stuttered in slight fright. "We're pawsitively clawdacious. Nothing to fear, right?" Tsukino asked him and this strengthened his resolve.

Kyle then put two steps forward and quickly  turned to them. "Let's finish this hunt!" He stated with a grin on his face. "Let's end what Red started." Dearien agreed as she stood up straight with her mother and Rathian at her sides. "Yeah. Time to put our Kinship to the test. Riiiiiiiide on!" Navirou exclaimed from the top of his tiny lungs as all three riders held up their Kinship Stones in challenge to the Elder Dragon with their own monsties all at the ready, Kyle already preparing an arrow Oltura roared and the fight for the world began.

It immediately proved to be a very hard battle as they attacked Oltura with all their might, but none of their weapons or attacks from their monsties seemed to make any impact whatsoever at first. That is, until a part around Oltura's legs started to glow and spread out, revealing to be a second set of wings"Wh-what is this thing?!" Navirou asked as none of them had seen that one coming. "Is it..evolving?" Tsukino asked in shock as she stared at it.

"Just what we needed." Dearien snarked, her mother standing right next to her with Saranya and Vetra standing on the other sides of their riders, ready to protect them. Ena's amulet started to glow again and Kyle looked at it. "That light.. both the wings and the amulet... I get it!" He stated as he started to realise what was going on just as Dearien groaned in pain and stumbled as she clutched her chest at feeling her magic react again

"Dearien!" Her mother loudly exclaimed at seeing how she jolted forwards out of nowhere and quickly having to catch her before she fell to the ground, Saranya coming closer to support her rider in any way she could. "What's going on?" Leo asked in concern as he walked closer with a just as concerned Navirou and Ena. "My magic is reacting to Oltura in ways that I've never experienced before. It's like every time those wings glow, my magic pulls me forwards like a hook." Dearien groaned as she leaned on both her mother and monstie

They didn't have much time to do much else than that as Oltura prepared a huge ball of energy right above its head and eventually threw it at them, it being big enough to hit them all, even as their monsties tried to shield their riders from it. Dearien instinctively threw up a shield to try and protect them all from it but it still hurt every single one of them as it blasted through the shield and she almost collapsed to the ground as this took almost out of it.

"And I thought Voldemort was hard to beat." She groaned as she slowly got up again with her mother's and Ena's help. "You need to be careful, sweetheart. If you use too much, it might actually kill you." Mirien breathed as she watched her daughter give her all to try and protect them, only to get hurt herself in the process  They still fought on and aimed their attacks at the wings now, finding out that this did work better as they slowly chipped away at the wings,

Dearien had used her magic before the fight to make sure none of them ran out of arrows no matter what happened during itand it immediately helped as they aimed one after the other. "Bet that any time now, that stupid bloody monster will reveal another pair of wings that we have to chip away at." Dearien muttered to her mother as they started to use their Kinship attacks together and she agreed as Vetra and Saranya crashed into Oltura's wings. "Take that, you crazy beast!" Dearien shouted at it to let her frustrations out

However, she was completely right about the wings as a third pair soon revealed itself and Mirien immediately grabbed hold of her daughter before she could fall again as her magic gave an even bigger reaction than before. "I got you, sweetheart. I got you." She whispered as Saranya let her rider lean on her as she groaned in pain with tears in her eyes. Seeing the amulet glow blue once again, Kyle stated that it had to be connected to Oltura somehow.

Oltura threw out another huge attack and this time, the monsties shielded their riders and friends. Mirien herself shielded her daughter, keeping her close to her chest and standing with her back towards Oltura as Vetra and Saranya did their best to block the attack, all three getting hurt in the process nonetheless. Mama... Saranya...." Dearien breathed at seeing her loved ones in pain while trying to protect her once again and she had enough

They attacked the beast even harder than before and shot their arrows as much as they could until Oltura suddenly fell to the ground, seemingly defeated. "It... it stopped moving?" Navirou asked. "Did we do it?" Tsukino wondered as they all waited for something to happen. "I don't trust it. This isn't over." Dearien muttered and she was right once again as Oltura's body started to glow so bright that they had to cover their eyes, flying up in a ball of blue before bursting out of it again, ready for one last round as it prepared the biggest attack yet

The magic in Dearien's body was almost burning her from the inside out and she had a hard time keeping it in as she felt that she wouldn't survive such a big attack. Kyle then recognised the glowing patches in Oltura's wings really looked a lot like the holes in the lanterns the people of Mahana village used in their rituals and realised there had to be a way to pierce those patches as well. He let out a gasp as he then realised it had to be the amulet.

Dearien was about to say something when she heard a familiar howl behind them and whirled around to see Chim running up with Zellard on his back. "Papa!" She shouted as she ran to him with Mirien. What are you doing here? It's not safe." She whispered as her father immediately pulled her and her mother into a brief but tight hug, relieved that they were still alive. "I couldn't just stay behind. Not after everything I did." He replied as he held them close

They hugged him back, before focusing themselves on the fight again. "This is bad. Look at that power. We don't stand a chance." Navirou said. "Then we finish it off. With the amulet." Kyle stated. You think that will work?" Tsukino asked. "Just a hunch. Unless you've got a better idea." He replied and Ena agreed as she gave him the amulet and he attached the two parts to one arrow each. "So, they actually were supposed to be arrowheads." Dearien muttered as she clung onto her parents, trying not to show how much her magic was hurting her right now

"We got to stop it from moving. We need to do something. Thing is, those scales are in the way." Kyle then said. "I'll distract it so you can get a clean shot." Dearien decided. "I'll help." Mirien agreed, before they gave Zellard a final hug and he clung onto them both as he was left behind again, knowing they had to do this. "I love you." Dearien whispered as she hugged both her parents and they held her even tighter. "Come back to me." Zellard begged of them

"I promise." Mirien breathed, Dearien humming as she didn't dare say anything out loud. He then let them go and they climbed on their monsties, Leo, Kyle and Navirou jumping on Ratha's back and they all flew up, Tsukino, Ena, Zellard and Chim all watching from the ground. Vetra and Saranya stopped when they were eye-to-eye with Oltura while Ratha flew past it and even higher. "Hey, asshole!" Dearien shouted to get its attention and it focused on them

Closing her eyes and letting her magic take over, Dearien spread her arms. The wind started to pick up and on the ground, huge rocks flew into the air to circle around her and Saranya. Everyone could only stare as Saranya breathed fire and said fire also started to circle around them, joined by air and water. Realising that this was what her daughter's magic had tried to do all this time, Mirien helped she distracted the dragon from both Dearien and the incoming Ratha. Then, as if taken over by Dearien's magic as well, Saranya flew up to join Ratha in his dive to Oltura 

Kyle jumped off Ratha's back as he couldn't get a good shot. He managed to shoot right through the biggest patches on Oltura's wings. "A well-aimed shot!" Tsukino cheered as Mirien caught him on Vetra. "Now it's your turn, Rider!" He shouted. "Pawtners, Ratha, Saranya. It's showtime!" Navirou exclaimed. Ratha's wings glowed blue as well with the power of Kinship and together with Dearien and Saranya pushed a now defenceless Oltura down at breakneck speed.

Both Navirou and Leo were eventually blown off the saddle, but Dearien stayed seated as the elements pushed it down as well, having gone from circling to almost arrowlike in shape as they burned and broke Oltura while forcing it downwards. "She's not stopping..." Ena breathed from the ground as she realised she was not slowing down. "Dearien!" Both Mirien and Zellard shouted and their daughter closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." She breathed as a tear rolled down

She, Oltura, Ratha and Saranya crashed to the ground and there was a huge explosion 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

'Are you kidding me? Not again' 

Dearien looked around the white place she was in, getting a sense of Deja Vu she remembered seeing the same thing after sacrificing herself in the Forbidden Forest. It made sense that she saw it again after what she did The last thing she remembered was crashing with Saranya, Ratha and Oltura while being surrounded by magic before all she saw was white. "I swear, if Dumbledore shows up again this time, I'm going to punch him in the face." She muttered 

"I don't think he'd be very happy with that." A female voice said with a laugh from behind hey and she immediately whirled around to see a couple standing there, looking at her with beaming smiles of utter pride on their faces. Dearien stared at them, immediately recognising them despite not having seen them in any shape or form since she began this life. The red-haired woman smiled at her, before reaching out to her. "Come here, baby." She breathed

That was all that Dearien really needed to hear from the woman as she immediately jumped to her feet and then started to run towards them as fast as she possibly could, hoping that for the first time since she was a one year old baby in her previous life, she could actually touch them and not just see and talk to them. "Mummy? Daddy? Mummy! Daddy!" She called as she realised they really were there. She quickly ran into their arms and they actually caught her. She didn't go through them, they were not mere images or ghosts. They were real

"Mummy." She cried as she buried her face in her mother's neck, smelling an almond scent she vaguely recognised somewhere in her mind. Another scent of pine and air joined them as James Potter wrapped his arms around both his wife and daughter. "Daddy." Dearien breathed and they smiled at her. "You did it baby. We're so proud of you. We’ve been watching the whole time dear. We’ve been with you, every step. We love you so much my baby." Lily breathed 

Dearien listened to every love-filled word her mother whispered to her, clinging onto both her and her first father as they peppered her face with kisses the entire time. She obviously loved Zellard and Mirien and they had been amazing parents to her, but these were her first and biological parents. "Let it out, sweetheart. We will hold you for as long as you need." Her mother promised and she broke down as she cried everything out and they held her as promised 

"You have done so very well, sweetheart, even if another life hadn't been what you were expecting, but I'm glad we asked faete to give you one." James said quietly once his daughter had mostly calmed down again from her crying and Dearien or April quickly looked up at hearing this. "What?" She breathed and they smiled as Lily caressed her daughter's cheek. "We heard your wish when you were in limbo the first time, how you wanted to have a true parent and as much as we wanted to, we couldn't really give that to you anymore." She explained 

"You would've been with us if we hadn't intervened, yes, but you deserved much more than to just be with us. You had suffered so much and you deserved to have a true childhood so all of us asked the powers that be to give you one. Granted, we didn't expect you to be roped into the Razewing Ratha situation or for you to have to fight your adoptive father in the process, but we should be realised something would happen with you." James took over with a chuckle

April stared at her parents in utter shock as she took this in. She had been so confused and upset when first arriving in her new life and going to live with Zellard as she thought she'd never see her loved ones again and she now found out the people she had been wanting to see again had been the ones responsible for her getting another life in the first place. Her eyes teared up again and she hugged them once more, James and Lily immediately hushing her.

"I do think you're being a bit ungrateful though. It wasn't just them asking for it, you know?" Another voice asked teasingly after a few minutes had passed and she immediately let out a tearful laugh as she reluctantly pulled back from her parents to quickly hug the speaker instead. "You silly dog." She laughed and Sirius smiled as he hugged her back. "Hey, pup. Long time no see." He greeted her as he kissed her temple and Remus joined them as well. He immediately commented on how much better she looked now in this life as he hugged her as well.

She told him the very same thing as the greying hair and scars were completely gone now in the afterlife, before one more person arrived and she immediately stared at him as well. "Cedric." She breathed in utter shock. "Hello April." Cedric quickly greeted her back with a warm smile, only to grunt loudly as he was immediately tackled into a hug by her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated over and over again, meaning more than one thing with that.

"Ssssshhh. It's okay, April. It's not your fault and I would do it all again if it meant you were safe. Besides, it warms my heart to know you've found love once more." He continued once he had recovered and held her tightly. He had watched over her with the others ever since she had first started this life and couldn't be happier when his former girlfriend and Alwin first kissed each other. April had found her own happiness now and he was so proud of her for that.

He then carefully pulled back and wiped her tears away, before gently kissing her forehead. April let out a shaky breath as she clung onto his wrists, before going to hug her parents again and everyone smiled. "My sweet baby." Lily breathed with all the love she had in her voice as she simply couldn't get enough from holding her daughter in her arms again, even if she was all grown up now and she knew there was a chance it was only temporary. "You have done so well in both lives. Everything will be alright now." James said as he stroked her red hair.

"I missed you." April muttered after a while and everyone smiled as Lily kissed her daughter's temple a couple of times and held her even closer. "We missed you too, but that doesn't make us any less proud." She whispered, Sniffling, April pulled back after a while as she simply reveled in the love they all gave her. Lily brushed her hair back. "I wish we could talk to your other parents as well so we could thank them for looking after you." She commented 

"After first punching Zellard in the face for trying to kill you." James muttered and April scoffed. "It was mostly my fault. I made him think I was dead and he had said he'd go insane if he ever lost me." She defended her adoptive father. "Fine. A stinging hex then." James conceded and his daughter immediately giggled at that. "I'd love to properly meet this Alwin of yours. Make sure he will treat you right from now on." Sirius said with a grin. "Padfoot." April sighed

"No, I'm with him." Lily of all people agreed. Even though she had seen that Alwin practically worshipped the ground April walked on and would probably do it more as time went on, she was still her only daughter. "Mum!" April whined and they all laughed. "In all seriousness, shut up Padfoot, does anyone know why we're actually here? I didn't have a horcrux in me this time, so that's not a possible explanation." She then said, stopping her godfather from making a pun before he even opened his mouth and both James and Remus snorted as he pouted

"You're here to make another choice." A new voice suddenly said and everyone quickly turned to see an unfamiliar being standing there. It was neither tall, nor short. Neither man nor woman, but it was definitely there and April immediately realised who it was despite never having seen it before. "Death." She breathed as she clung onto her parents. "Mistress." The being greeted her with a bow. 'Mistress? The Hallows!' April thought after wondering a bit

"This wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't taken them all." Death stated at seeing how she had realised the truth. "I was able to give you this life as your loved ones asked because you were my Mistress. If you had been any other person, you would have joined them anyway, no matter what you or others wished and I can't help people on the world you are now." It continued and April as well as the others nodded in understanding as Lily held her daughter close.

"What happens now?" April asked as she held onto both her biological parents, not fully comfortable. "That all depends on you, Mistress. Many years ago, I actually sent one of my older masters to this world to help beat Oltura the first time. They sacrificed their lives as well and when they were given the choice after that, decided to move on and give the mantle of Master of Death to someone else. Your life on this world is technically over, but the question is if you want to go on as well or decide to go back to those left behind." Death explained 

April stared again as she looked at her loved ones and they smiled, telling her that they'd accept any choice she made. She then thought of her adoptive parents back on Hakolo Island and Alwin waiting for her in Rutoh. She promised she'd come back, but now that she saw her biological parents, Sirius, Remus and Cedric again, she could see why the former Master or Mistress chose to go on. "Sweetheart." She heard her mother breathe and looked at her.

"We'll be fine, my sweet baby, but they won't be if they have to go through losing you again. We'll see each other again. We can wait until then." Lily promised her, the others all nodding. April then looked at Death and tried to stay strong. "Will I see them if I go back and die naturally?" She asked it. "You're my mistress. I will do as you wish." Death replied and she took that as a yes. Hugging all her loved ones, she tried to force her tears back as she made her decision 

"I'm sorry." She breathed as she told Death what to do. 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Back on Hakolo Island.

Mirien, Vetra, Zellard and Ena were all waiting for... something to happen, hoping on another miracle that would bring Dearien back to them once more. Leo had passed out because of the crash and all the power the attack had required of him. Kyle had quickly gone to bring him back to Mahana village on Chim's back with Navirou and Tsukino. Ratha, Oltura, Saranya and Dearien had all disappeared after the crash and had yet to come back

"Please. Please. Not again. I can't lose her again. Please" Zellard whispered in an absolutely broken and desperate tone as he clung onto his wife before he did something stupid again and she held him just as tightly. He had just gotten his daughter back and he couldn't lose her again. "Dearien... come back to us. Please." Mirien begged. Things stayed silent and the longer it took, the less hope the three Wyverians had about their friend and daughter returning.

"No...." Zellard breathed after several minutes had passed as he fell to his knees, completely losing hope as Ena covered her mouth and Mirien had tears rolling down her cheeks. He had lost his daughter once more and this time, it really was forever. There was still so much more that he had wanted to say to her, things he hadn't told her enough. He wanted her to know how sorry he was and how much he loved her, but it was too late. His wife immediately hugged him tightly, before looking up as Vetra spread her wings at sensing something 

"What is it, Vetra?" She asked as the Elder Dragon took a few steps forwards and they looked back at the edge of where Oltura crashed. They heard a weak rumble, before a very familiar wyvern showed itself as it tiredly flapped its way over the edge and landed harshly on the ground. Someone fell from the saddle on its back and rolled their way over the ground, coughing loudly as red hair hid their face from them, but the Wyverians knew who it was.

"Dearien!!!" They all called at the same time, Mirien and Zellard getting up to hurry to their daughter. Dearien had rarely felt this weak in both lives as she could barely do anything but breathe very carefully. She felt strong and most importantly very familiar arms carefully lifting her up as Zellard almost crushed her to his chest, her barely having the energy to move her arms to return the hug, letting herself fall in the familiar comfort of her father's arms.

"We thought we had lost you again, my little treasure." He breathed with tears rolling down his cheeks as Mirien joined the hug as well, openly sobbing as she clung onto her only daughter. "I thought so too, papa." Dearien mumbled in return as she rested her chin on his shoulder, unable to do anything more than that as she took deep breaths and closed her eyes. It wasn't the most comfortable hug the family had shared with all three wearing armour, but they didn't care as they hugged with a relieved Ena watching them from a distance with a smile

Despite him having literally tried to kill her just mere hours ago if that, Dearien instinctively leaned into her father's touch with her head resting against his cheek. "I've got you now, my little treasure. It's okay. I'm so, so sorry." Zellard whispered, regret and guilt clear in his voice. "My fault too." She muttered as she felt her consciousness starting to fade and her parents noticed this as they immediately pulled back and checked on her to see if she was okay

Despite the situation and how tired she felt at the moment, Dearien couldn't stop her smile as she knew that she had definitely made the right choice about this. As much as she obviously loved her previous family, she would have regretted it forever if she had not gone back. She'd see her other family again one day, but not after living a true full life with her parents, Alwin, Ena and her new mortal friends for as long as fate will allow them to spend time together 

"I'm fine. Just completely exhausted." She told them and they relaxed as Ena carefully checked up on Saranya as well, asking if she could fly to Mahana village on her own and Saranya rumbled as she stood up and flew away to get some proper rest. Seeing this and knowing they had to go as well, the smell family of three plus Ena climbed on Vetra after they worked together to get Dearien on the saddle, Vetra helping by lowering herself as much as possible and flying as carefully as she could as she knew how important the woman was to her rider

Dearien was at the front of the saddle, leaning against her father's chest as he was briefly the one with his hands at the reins, making sure she didn't fall off. Mirien and Ena were behind them as like Guardian Ratha, Vetra was big enough to have four people on her back. They flew to the village and landed outside where they were immediately welcomed like heroes. At seeing the half-conscious Dearien, Kyle and Kayna immediately rushed forwards to help

Zellard and Mirien carefully lowered their daughter into their arms as Vetra had already gone to lie down to make the distance between her back and the ground as small as possible. "How did a Kushala Daora get here?" Lillia asked in shock as she joined them. "She's my monstie, so I'd prefer it if you didn't take her like you took Ratha and the hunters you were working with took my daughter and friend." Mirien answered rather shortly as they got off as well

"Mama? Papa?" Dearien breathed in slight confusion from just a few feet away as Kayna and Kyle were carefully starting to guide her to the village, suddenly realising in her tired mind that they weren't there anymore. She was tired and felt sick. She wanted her parents. Zellard immediately ran towards her and took over Kyle's spot after thanking him while Mirien first sent Vetra off to rest herself after thanking her for everything, before following him. "That armour.. isn't he....?" One of the scriveners began to ask, but they were already gone

She immediately took Dearien over from Kayna and the woman then led them the way to the house she had used in the past decade. Mirien and Kayna carefully helped her out of her armour and into more comfortable clothing while Kyle and Zellard waited outside, before the two worried parents sat down next to their daughter's bed. A healer checked up on her and said that she was just exhausted and nothing more, leaving after they thanked her.

"Mama? Papa?" Dearien breathed once again and they smiled at her as they realised that she wanted confirmation they were there. Confirmation that she saved them and that they hadn't left her. "We're here with you, Dearien. You can go to sleep now." Zellard whispered as he brushed his daughter's hair back, having removed his gloves as Mirien grabbed her daughter's hand. Their daughter gave them a tired smile, before closing her eyes and falling asleep

Ena immediately went to check in on Leo in the meantime as she was worried he had gotten injured while falling from Ratha's back. Thankfully, he was mostly fine despite the fall, but needed some rest after the whole ordeal too. Like with Dearien, his parents were already watching over him with Navirou and Kayna let her, Kyle and Tsukino stay in two empty houses that were in the village. Like their friends, the moment that they laid down in bed after Kyle put his bow and arrows away, they were out like a light despite it being the middle of the day

"....should stand trial!" A voice hissed in the background as Dearien slowly woke up. She kept her eyes closed as she tried to figure out what was going on. She smelled the salty scent of Mahana village and realised she was back in the home she used while living there. She wondered if everyone was alright, before hearing the next part of the discussion. "We'll bring him to Rutoh. You have no right to sentence a Wyverian." She heard her mother whisper harshly

She paled and tensed up at immediately realising who her mother was talking about and her hand slowly started to move in search for her father. He had to be there, right? "Dearien?" His voice thankfully asked right after she started moving as Zellard's warm hand wrapped itself around hers and she relaxed again at feeling it. "Ssssshhhhhh. It's okay. I'm okay. You're okay." Her father whispered at realising she was awake and heard the discussion outside.

Lillia really wanted to arrest him for his actions and Mirien was currently trying to stop her as their daughter needed him. Dearien squeaked and grabbed her throat. "Oh, right. Here." Zellard breathed as his hand gently lifted her head and a goblet was carefully pressed against her lips. Zellard helped her drink some needed water and laid her back down again once she was done. "I don't want you to be arrested." She whispered as she finally opened her eyes and he smiled at her as he kissed her forehead. "I'm going to be fine, my little treasure." He breathed 

He then looked down as he took a very deep breath, his actions weighing heavily on his mind. "I can't return to Rutoh. Not after everything I have done or tried to do. I won't be able to face anyone, knowing that i was willing time destroy the world.... knowing that I tried to kidnap and kill you." He continued as he held her hand. Dearien looked at him and gave him a tiny smile, knowing that no matter what happened, she'd still be separated from her parents.

"We already thought so. Mama's cousin allowed you to stay in Nua Te with her as she's the village's elder." She said and he frowned in confusion. "But what about you?" He asked and she shrugged in answer. "They will probably need riders in Rutoh and that's still my home, no matter what." She answered and he looked down. Even though he was apparently allowed to stay in Nua Te and his daughter would have Ena and Alwin, nothing would be the same

He had known that everything would be completely different from now on, of course, but knowing that his daughter would stay behind in Rutoh without either him or Mirien with her if anything happened to her still hurt him to think about as his parental instincts reared their heads again after a decade of having laid dormant, a bit too dormant considering what he had tried to do. Apparently, his thoughts were rather visible on his face as Dearien squeezed his hand. "I'll be fine, papa. I'm a big girl now." She told him and he smiled as he caressed her cheek.

"I know, my little treasure, but I am still your father and despite what I tried to do only yesterday, I do love you. I'm so sorry for what I did, sweetheart." He replied with a sigh, making his daughter smile as Mirien walked into the room again. Seeing both her husband and daughter looking at her, she smiled at them. "I managed to get her to back off." She told them and they relaxed as she joined Zellard at Dearien's side. The former witch smiled at them both

Her parents were there with her and they knew who she was. No more lying and keeping secrets from anyone ever again. No more sneaking around. Oltura was gone and they could live in peace now. Seeing her daughter's eyelids dropping, Mirien kissed her on the forehead. "Go to sleep, my little flower. We'll still be here when you wake up." She whispered and Dearien smiled as she closed her eyes, falling asleep. Oltura was defeated and they were safe. 

They were safe

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Papa?" 

"Yes, sweetheart? What is it?" Papa asked from where he was sitting next to my bed. It had been a couple of days since we defeated Oltura. Ratha was still missing, but I was now strong enough to get out of bed, but my father had become his old, overprotective self again and insisted that I took a lot of rest, not that I could blame him this time. After all he had almost lost me twice now and that brought me to what I wanted to ask him

"Why did you want to destroy the world?" I carefully asked and he looked down. "I... wasn't thinking clearly, my little treasure. I was just so... angry and hurt. You lit up my life in ways I could put to words before i started to court your mother and then... I lost you or I thought I did. It hurt so much and then Mirien left as well. I started to get furious at the world who took you away from me and that anger continued to fester in me." He began

"Things just got worse and worse from there to the point that when you first visited Rutoh again with Red's grandson and I saw that egg, I was already planning on how to get your friend's Rathalos. If I had realised who you were, I would have stopped everything immediately." He continued and I looked down. "I wanted to tell you." I confessed and he looked back up at me. "There were so many times I wanted to tell you during my visit, especially when you led me to my old house. I wanted to tell you and mama the moment I arrived, only to hear she was gone." I continued 

"Why didn't you tell me ?" Papa asked in a very quiet whisper. I was the one looking down now. "I caught a glimpse of Oltura's larval form when I tried to save Red and it scared me so much in ways not even Voldemort has managed. I thought that if I told you who I was, you would try and protect me from it and get hurt or killed in the process. I lost so many people in my previous life, I didn't want to lose you too." I told him

"Of course, if I knew you were planning to sacrifice yourself to that thing, I would have turned back into myself right then and there and would have slapped you in the face while I was at it." I continued with a very small grin and he scoffed. "I can easily believe that." He stated, before going to sit next to me on the bed and pulling me into a hug. "Thank you for trying to protect me, my little treasure... even if you made things worse." He said

I snorted in return at that statement as I buried my face in the thin robes that he had been wearing underneath his armour and he held me even closer. Lilia had finally given up in trying to arrest him and the other Wyverians who worked with him on the condition they'd be punished by our people and with us leaving in a day or two to return to Rutoh, the moment of truth was growing closer and closer  I really was both looking forwards to finally returning home and not at the very same time. I couldn't wait to be home and not hide who I was anymore.

However with it being certain that my parents would leave for Nua Te as soon as possible and we wouldn't live in the same place anymore, I was also dreading it."I'm gonna miss you." I whispered and papa hushed me as he nuzzled my hair. "It will be okay, my little treasure. You can come and visit us as much as you can. Now that Oltura is gone, things should be a lot calmer around Rutoh now." He replied as he kissed the top of my head.

I simply clung onto him even tighter at this and he kept hushing me as he stroked my hair, rocking me back-and-forth a bit like I was still the same little girl who wanted to be carried by him. I then closed my eyes and simply enjoyed this moment with my father as I knew they would be a lot more rare once we left here. Even if I hadn't wanted it in the beginning and it hadn't been perfect, I thanked my other family for giving me this one

Mama then walked in after talking to Kayna for a couple of hours about what she had missed of my life while I lived here for about a decade. I wouldn't be surprised if Kayna had told her all sorts of embarrassing stories about me raising Chim and the like. I glanced sideways over papa's shoulderand saw her smiling at us, knowing that the upcoming separation was going to be hard on all of us, even if this one wasn't as forced as the one I caused. I smiled back and reached out. She quickly joined us as best as she could and hugged both me and papa

"Kyle just talked to me before I came back here. He and Tsukino are leaving for Lulucion in about an hour." She told us. "Oh, already?" I asked in slight surprise. Even if we had really started off on the wrong foot with him trying to shoot Ratha and following the people who took him, even if he had been clearly been lied to and the leade of said people had ironically been my own father, we had very slowly become friends over time

"It's time for them to go home, sweetheart. Just like we soon will go home too. Oltura is gone and will hopefully not bother the world for another few thousand years. They don't really have a reason to be here anymore now that Leo is also up and about. Besides, Kyle's father was hurt when they tried to attack Guardian Ratha and he wants to see how he is." Mama explained and I conceded at that, before starting to get up from my bed

"Well, he's not leaving without me seeing him off." I muttered, waving off papa trying to help as I got up and grabbed some of my clothes. Papa left to let me change and mama helped so we were done before the half hour was done and I quickly went to find them. They were already at the docks with Ena and Navirou. "Don't tell me you're leaving already." Our felyne stated as he I joined them and Ena immediately smiled at me. "Sorry, buddy. Can't stick around forever." Kyle said after nodding at me. Tsukino then reminded him he had something

It was Ena's amulet, Tsukino having somehow managed to find it. I had absolutely no idea how she managed to pull that feat off, but I was genuinely impressed. When Kyle asked where Leo was, Navirou led us all to the dock in front of the village. Leo was standing there all on his own as he waited for Ratha to come back. "Ratha put his life at risk to protect us all, together with Dearien and Saranya." Ena stated and I smiled

My trusty Rathian was completely fine and healed now she had rested quite a lot for a few days after the very harsh fight and I honestly couldn't be more grateful that I hadn't lost her either. Sure, I still had Chim with me and I loved him, but Saranya was still my very first monstie. Ena then stated that everyone who we had met on our journey had helped us defeat Oltura in their own way, including Red and Guardian Ratha 

I immediately smiled as I thought of all the different characters we had met, my mind immediately going to one of them in particular, who was probably fearing the worst as I hadn't written to him about my survival yet. This time, I wanted to surprise him by showing up again and staying this time. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Leo let out a whistle I wouldn't be surprised they heard from Loloska to Lulucion. Looking up at the sky, Ena and I gasped at the same time at seeing something as Leo shouted out one word "Ratha!"

High in the sky finally appeared the familiar monstie as he immediately started to fly down to his rider. Leo started to run with Navirou at seeing this and the minute Ratha was next to them within just a few seconds, they quickly jumped on without hesitation. We all laughed and cheered at seeing the two reunited again, me hugging both my parents as were watched them fly. "You're back! You're really back!" Ena shouted in pure happiness

"I'll tell our story to everyone back home. About how we met, about our adventures together. About all we went through. And, above all, about the bond between riders and monsters." Kyle stated. "Sounds like a plan." I replied happily, before we heard that Kyle's and Tsukino's boat was about to leave. Returning to the village with Leo flying over with Ratha, the two got on and wanted at us as the ship sailed away, us waving back at them

A couple of days later, it was our turn to go home again, but not before Gara told Leo he was now allowed to go into the Elder's Lair that laid fat behind Guardian Ratha's den and even further than where we had fought Oltura. 'Just how big is this bloody island?' I thought to myself. "Well, I'm first gonna spend some time with my parents for a while before I think of tackling that. Will you join me when I do?" Leo asked me 

"If I'm not busy with my duties as a rider of Rutoh and I'm sure that all of our new friends will be very happy to join you on your journeys when I am." I replied and he smiled as he nodded and I nodded back, before we had to go as well. Lilia was dropping us off with the airship to make up for taking Ratha back in Loloska. Vetra had left once again left to roam the skies while mama was taking Seron back home. "Take care! We'll see you soon!" Navirou called as we took off as he, Leo and his parents, Kayna and Gara all waved at us and we waved back

Saranya and Seron were flying next to us, while Chim was at my side and let out a little howl to say goodbye in his own way. I kept waving until my friend were mere specks on the ground and I couldn't see them anymore. During the entire flight, I myself rarely left papa's side and he always held me close as he tried to comfort me as much as possible. "Everything's going to be alright, sweetheart. I promise." He whispered 

The flight was over soon and we were landing in Alcala Valley before we knew it. Papa let out a dry chuckle at seeing the spot we landed in. "This is where I found you. Right there next to that bush." He told me as he pointed at a very big, but not exactly special bit of shrubbery. Trust papa to remember the exact spot he found me in. I smiled, before we got off the airship. However, papa had insisted he'd be bound from this moment on

When Lilia cuffed him, I looked away, not wanting to face the fact that my father was now a criminal in several ways. Scriveners would help us get everyone to the village before leaving. I kept holding onto my father's arm with mama holding the other one the entire time as we led the way for the humans. Of course, such a big airship hadn't gone unnoticed and we were soon met with several riders, led by Alwin. I could see the moment he recognised me as his entire body sagged in relief. He quickly jumped off his monstie and ran to me, pulling me into a crushing hug.

"Thank goodness that you're safe. I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you again." He breathed in utter relief and I briefly smiled as I quickly hugged him back, before seeing the other riders staring at me in shock. I smirked and waved at them. Lilia then announced why they were here and I could see many of the riders looking at papa in shock and disbelief now as they couldn't believe herse would want to destroy the world.

Letting me go, Alwin quickly became serious again. "We'll take over from here. Thank you." He stated and Lilia nodded as she handed over the Wyverians who had followed papa over to the riders of Rutoh as we silently watched from the side. Once the scriveners had left to go back to their airship and we had waved at Lilia, we returned to Rutoh in a rather solemn mood, apart from the other riders being happy to see me

Nearing the village, I slowly started to fall back and because of that, my parents fell back too. Despite his arms now being bound, papa turned to me and apparently saw the fear in my eyes. "It's going to be okay, Dearien. Everything will be fine." He whispered as he rested his forehead against mine and I gulped as I tightened my grip on his arm. The fact that no matter how Maolo was going to react on the news his advisor was responsible for a lot of chaos, papa and mama were leaving soon, probably never to return, suddenly hit me in the face.

Deciding to give us this moment, Alwin and the other riders all went ahead to warn Elder Maolo we were coming. I later found out that Alwin only said the leader of the riders was coming, not who it was or who was with him"We're all going to be okay, my little flower. I know that our upcoming separation is something none of us wanted, but it's for the best. Besides, you're a big girl now and you'll have Ena and Alwin to help you." Mama told me

Just promise me that you'll go to them if something happens and we're too far away. I want to make sure you're in good hands" She continued. I nodded with teary eyes as Alwin appeared at the gates, signalling for us to come and we shared a final hug as much as we could with one of us having his arms bound as he rested his face in my hair. "I love you, Dearien." He whispered, before we pulled back and I took a deep breath

"Here goes nothing. I muttered as we walked into the village

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Ena was the first to walk into the village with Alwin

Many people immediately cheered at finally having her home again, completely safe and sound once more and at hearing that the danger was over for good. Alwin hurried forwards and carefully whispered something to elder Maolo and he widened his eyes just as Dearien and her family arrived. The Wyverians now saw the bound Wyverians, including Zellard and more importantly, who was escorting the latter.

Many now gaped in utter shock as someone they had thought dead for over a decade had returned completely alive and was now bringing the elder's right hand bound. Dearien instinctively tightened her grip on her father's arm at the stares, still not a fan of being the focus of everyone's attention and her mother reached out to rub her back. The bound Wyverians were brought in front of the elder and pushed to their knees

With Alwin and the other riders keeping most of the other villagers back once they had reached Elder Maolo as not everyone needed to know exactly what had happened apart from the families of the riders who followed his best friend's and hopefully future partner's father, Zellard quietly confessed everything that he had done to Elder Maolo, including the kidnapping kidnapping and even attempted murder of Ena and Dearien. The tiny man could only stare in utter shock as he couldn't believe his advisor had done these things. "Why? Why would you do such things?" He asked.

"Because I was completely consumed by grief, pain and anger. I thought my only daughter was gone and I just wanted to be reunited with her, no matter the cost." Zellard replied as he looked down and Dearien did the same thing. "I'm wrong to take the blame for everything and I will leave the village as soon as I can if it means they can return to their normal life. You'll never have to see me again." Her father continued

Elder Maolo looked at her and her mother to see what they thought. "Would you agree with this?" He asked and they nodded, albeit incredibly reluctantly. Maolo then sighed deeply. Zellard had been sm incredibly loyal advisor for many years, but even he couldn't let this go unpunished. "Very well. Zellard, you are hereby banished from Rutoh village. You will leave tomorrow morning and not return for the rest of your life." He stated

Despite knowing it was coming, Dearien still winced at hearing it and both her mother and Ena hugged her from the side. "Take him home, Mirien and you as well. I need to talk to your daughter." Elder Maolo said and all the riders plus Zellard were gently taken away until only he, Dearien, Alwin and Ena were standing there, Saranya, Chim and Seron having been brought to the stables. "You have a lot to explain, young lady." The tiny Wyverian said in a very stern tone. "I'm wel aware, sir." Dearien said with another wince as she took a deep breath

She slowly explained everything, about trying to save Red from his death all those years ago, only to unfortunately fail and catch her first glimpse of Oltura, of staying in Mahana village and helping with Leo and how everything on the journey had happened and how she hadn't wanted to tell them before telling her parents at the same time, only for circumstances to constantly ruin that plan several times

"If I had known what papa was planning, I would've revealed myself. However, he managed to fool even me enough that I realised something was different, but not how bad it was." She said and Elder Maolo nodded. "Very well. Go to your parents. We will talk more after tomorrow." He said and Dearien bowed to him, before leaving. Walking into her childhood home, she immediately ran into her father's arms, Mirien having freed him

"Ssssshhhhh. It's okay, my little treasure. Everything will be okay. I didn't deserve any less after what I tried to do to you and everyone." Zellard whispered as he held his already crying daughter close. Dearien sniffled as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't want you to go, papa." She whispered and he gave her the smallest smile. "I know, sweetheart, but I have to. It's for the best of everyone." He replied, kissing her temple as Mirien put a hand on both their backs to comfort all three of them. They stood there for quite a while

The next morning, Zellard and Mirien officially left Rutoh village behind them for good. At the request of the family themselves, only Dearien, Alwin and Ena were there to say goodbye a few miles down from the gates, Seron, Saranya, Shaulk and Chim standing very close by. Zellard cupped his daughter's face and smiled tearfully at her when he saw that she was desperately trying not to cry again, gently hushing her. 

It honestly seemed only yesterday to him that he had found her as a helpless baby in the wilds and the Elder had told him to look after her until they had found her parents, eventually becoming a family when they couldn't be found and getting joined years late by his beautiful wife. But it had not been yesterday. His little girl really truly was all grown up now. She could fully take care of herself now. She'd be fine without them.

He pulled her into a final hug and stroked her hair, hushing her again at feeling her body shake with sobs as she realised this was if. "You're going to be fine, sweetheart. Just promise you'll be careful and you won't dive into any more pits." He whispered. "I promise." She replied as she held him even tighter and he smiled as he returned the favour, burying his face in her red hair. He then eventually pulled back and held her face in both hands, before kissing her forehead. She clung onto his wrist until he let her go and nudged her to her mother

While they were busy hugging and saying goodbye to each other, Zellard turned to Alwin and Ena with a question for them. "Look after her. Please." He begged them quietly to make sure that Dearien didn't hear him. "Of course. She'll be safe with us." Alwin promised with a small bow and Ena nodded as well. "Thank you." Zellard said in a grateful tone, before going to ask the same of his daughter's monsties and they promised as well

Eventually, it was time and the family shared a final hug. "We love you, Dearien. Never forget that." Zellard breathed. "I won't. I love you too." She replied. "Write to us." Mirien ordered and she promised before they let go and the couple flew away on Seron, waving at her until they were gone. "Hey do the riders have anything to do?" Dearien then asked. "Not sure. Why?" Alwin asked. "There's something we really need to do." She replied 

Not too long after that, the people of Kuan village were incredibly surprised to see several Wyverians approaching their home, led by Leo and a disguised Dearien flying on Ratha and Saranya. "What's all this?" Ivinia asked in shock. "Well, considering that it's our fault your windmills got destroyed, we decided to help you rebuild them again." Dearien explained. "You shouldn't have." The chief protested. "Nonsense. You helped us with Ratha even if you knew it could be dangerous and now, it's our turn. What do we do?" Leo asked

With their help and that of their monsties as they worked together, they rebuild one of the windmills in just a few weeks, Leo, Ivinia and Dearien defeating monsters to get the right parts and the chief threw a feast to celebrate and thank them for their help. He did ask if thru could do the second windmill on their own and the Wyverians agreed, leaving for Rutoh village not long after that and after Ivinia thanked Dearien and Leo once more

Like his grandfather, Leo soon became a familiar face in the village as he often asked Alwin, Ena, Dearien or all three with him on journeys or quests. One time though, Dearien came back from having tackled the final stage of the Elder's Lair shaky and jittery with ash covering her entire face. It turned out that the final monster of said Blair was a Fatalis, the most dangerous monster in the world. They had beaten it, but with a lot of difficulty 

Months passed and after a while, Ena, Alwin and Elder Maolo noticed something off about Dearien. If Leo hadn't visited in a while because he was busy or travelling with someone else, they caught her walking to her childhood home, sometimes even raising her hand to knock, only to lower her hand again and walk away at realising no one was there anymore, Mirien having taken everything they needed with her. They also noticed her walking up the stairs where Maolo usually was, only to see Alwin standing there instead of her father and walking back.

It was clear that despite her saying she was fine and writing her parents at least once a week, she was still feeling the separation. "I'm worried about her, grandfather." Ena confessed as they saw Dearien walk away again. "So am I, my dear. I'm afraid that being apart from her partner is hurting her more than she lets on." Maolo said. "So, what can we do to help?" Alwin asked and the Elder hummed. "I may have an idea." He said

Not too long after that, Yoomlana called Zellard and Mirien.  She explained that to strengthen the bond between the two villages, an ambassador would stay there for about half a year, before going back and they had to welcome them. They agreed and a few days later, they were waiting outside the village. "Who do you think it is?" Zellard asked. "I don't know. Ena?" Mirien guessed, before they heard a roar and a very familiar Rathian appeared

"Hello down there!" An ecstatic Dearien shouted as she waved at them

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

"Mama! Papa!"

Dearien could barely wait until her Rathian had landed before she immediately jumped off her back and ran to the couple waiting for her. Zellard opened his arms and she ran into them with a happy squeal as Mirien joined the hug as well. "Oh, my little treasure." Zellard whispered as he held his only daughter close to him. "I missed you." Dearien breathed as she buried her face in his chest and they smiled

"We missed you too, sweetheart." Mirien replied as she stroked her daughter's hair. As she took a deep breath and let it out, Dearien pretty much sagged into their grip as she was finally turned with her parents again. Sure, it wasn't completely the same as it had been once with her parents still living in Nua Te and her now spending only six months with them, but it was much better than it had been in the past few months

She slowly started to cry in pure happiness at being reunited with her parents again, but also a bit of regret and sadness that despite her previous life, she had still taken them being together for granted before she had disappeared. "It's okay, Dearien. We're here with you. We're together again. You're okay." Zellard whispered as he felt her body starting to shake as she clung onto him, gently hushing her as he rocked harr. They had both missed her so much and it seems that she had missed them just as much if Maolo and Yoomlana had made this happen.

He kissed her temple and Mirien kissed her cheek as they tried to calm her down. With deep and shaky breaths, Dearien's sobs slowly started to disappear as her parents did what they did best: comforting her. "That's it, my little treasure. That's it. Easy does it." Zellard encouraged her as she relaxed more and more, before pulling back and cupping Dearien's face. "This is the best surprise anyone could've given us." He stated 

"Indeed, although we're probably should've realised that you were the special guest. You and perhaps Ena are the only ones with some kind of connection to this village. Can't believe we didn't connect the dots." Mirien agreed with a chuckle as she and Dearien held onto each other while the latter also held onto her father's wrist with her other hand. "Well, I think that out of the three of us, I'm the best at connecting the dots." Their daughter grinned

"Oh really?" Zellard asked in an amused tone as he raised an eyebrow and she chuckled as she pulled back and started to lead Saranya inside the mountain. "I figured out you were the leader of the masked riders with nothing more than said riders mentioning Oltura, one look at your feet and looking right in your eyes." She reminded him as they went inside and he chuckled. "I still can't believe it was you asking me that question and saying those things." He muttered as he rubbed his temple. "What question and things?" Mirien asked curiously

"Well, I needed him to look into my eyes, so I asked him if he was compensating for something with those big horns on his helmet and that a tiny... you-know-what was nothing to be ashamed of. Dearien muttered as they walked past some other Wyverians. "Dearien!" Mirien immediately scolded her in a hiss as her daughter ducked into herself. "Had I known who you were, I would've washed your mouth out with soap." Zellard stated

"Had you known who I was, we wouldn't have been in that situation." Dearien muttered as she put Saranya in an empty stable and took off the saddle, still feeling guilty about lying and the domino effect it had on everyone around her. Zellard immediately wrapped an arm around her as soon as she was done. "It's okay, Dearien. We're all fine now." He promised as he kissed her temple and she smiled before they went to meet Yoomlana

The elder of the village officially welcomed Dearien and told her she was allowed to go wherever she wished that wasn't the personal rooms of those living there. "It's still going to be weird for me, living in a mountain. I'm used to the open air of Rutoh and Mahana village." Dearien muttered as they were led to her new rooms which just happened to be across the hallway from the rooms of her parents. "We really should've realised something was up when they assigned that room." Mirien would later state with a slightly embarrassed laugh. 

"You'll get used to it, my little flower. I had to get used to it myself when I first started to live here. It's not as confined as it looks at first glance." Mirien quickly assured her as they inspected the rooms Dearien had been given. They were certainly some of the more open rooms while also making sure that the inside was fully protected from the at times fast-changing weather around the volcano. "I like it." Dearien stated

That's how Dearien came to live in Nua Te for the next six months of the year, helping the Wyverians living there with several chores around the entire village while also being the in-between person for Yoomlana and Maolo whenever necessary. In the worst-case scenarios, she and her mother also took care of any monsters that were causing trouble around the volcano. Not rage-rayed trouble, but trouble nonetheless

Leo soon came to visit with Ena and Navirou after hearing that she had temporarily moved to be with her parents again. With how close he was with his parents, he could completely understand it and he was happy that they had found a solution to their separation. Even he had noticed her mood souring over time, more than it had in the past ten years that she had been living in Mahana village anyway, but that was understandable. It was one thing to live somewhere else while still thinking you can go home to your family at any time

It was a whole different thing when you knew your family wouldn't be waiting for you when you returned home especially after fighting something as dangerous as a Fatalis, but now after months of her mood slowly worsening, she could return to her parents again, even if it wasn't in Rutoh anymore. He really was happy that they had found a solution so Dearien could help in Rutoh when needed and spend time with her parents 

"So, Dearien wrote to us a few months ago saying that you finished exploring the Elder's Lair." Mirien commented as she and Leo caught up, watching Zellard, Ena and Dearien carefully give a very reluctant Saranya a bath, Navirou chewing on a donut next to them. "Yeah, we did. It was a harsh battle against the final monster, but we managed it." The boy nodded. "Really? What monster was it?" Mirien asked curiously. 

"Uhm...." Leo began, before hesitating a bit at realising Dearien hadn't told her parents. "It was a Fatalis, but we put a stop to it." Navirou answered with a grin. "Come again?" Mirien asked after a few seconds as she desperately hoped she had heard him wrong. "It was a Fatalis." Leo repeated and Mirien had to take a few deep breaths to stop her body from throwing up. "Mirien? What's wrong?" She soon heard Zellard ask her in concern as his arms wrapped around her. "Mama?" Dearien asked as she kneeled down in front of her mother and the older woman looked up.

"You didn't tell us that the final monster of the Elder's Lair was a Fatalis." She hissed and Zellard stared at their daughter. "A Fatalis?!" He breathed as Mirien started to inspect their daughter for any injuries. "We're fine, mama. Really. We only had a bit of singed clothing and ash covering us from head to toe, but we weren't badly hurt." Dearien hurried to reassure her, her cheeks a bright red under her mother's scrutiny

"You honestly should've written to us. Vetra and I would've come to help you fight it." Mirien muttered as she continued her check up. "In our defence, we didn't actually know that there was a Fatalis at the end of everything. Not even my grandfather had come that far in his life and by the time we saw what exactly was waiting for us, it was already attacking and we had to fight back." Leo defended both him and Dearien 

"But don't worry, Mirien and Zellard. With my help, your daughter and Leo managed to take care of the monster." Navirou bragged. "You mean after you ran and hid behind a rock?" Dearien teased and he let a sheepish smile grow on his face. The others all chuckled at that as Mirien slowly calmed down again once she had reassured herself that her daughter was completely okay and hugging her instead. "Don't ever do that again, understood?" She whispered and Dearien immediately nodded. Once was more than enough for her. A few days later,  Dearien went out with just Mirien this time

Ena wanted to speak with Yoomlana, Navirou and Leo wanted to sleep in and Zellard didn't feel well. They came across a weird guy at the volcano base. It turned out he was the scientist who experimented on Navirou. They shared looks with each other and their monsties before smirking dangerously at the man. "Oh, are you now?" Dearien asked as they aimed their weapons while Saranya readied her fire and Seron his electricity 

A few minutes later, a very satisfied mother and daughter returned to the village, smelling vaguely like smoked meat. "What are you grinning about?" Ena asked at seeing how almost absurdly happy they were and Dearien took her and Leo apart to tell them while Mirien distracted a certain felyne. They both sighed in relief at hearing that the guy who hurt Navirou would never do so again, not even caring how they had ensured it. 

A few years passed, Dearien being much more stable now that she could spend six months back home at Rutoh and six months with her parents. Leo grew up in a strong young man and his bond with Ratha only grew stronger over time. One day, Dearien arrived at Nua Te only to see her father waiting for her alone. "Where's mama?" She asked in concern. "Put Saranya away and you'll see." He replied with a smile and she quickly hurried to do so, Saranya helping as much as she could. Zellard then led her to their rooms and opened the door

"Ah, Dearien. There you are." Mirien greeted her from the bed with a smile, her stomach bulging. Dearien's eyes widened at seeing it, before a grin overtook her face and she quickly ran to her mother to hug her. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked as her mother chuckled while hugging her back. "See it as revenge for lying to us." She replied as Dearien and Zellard both joined her on the bed and Dearien laughed. "Touche." She conceded

She was there for the rest of the pregnancy, using her magic to help with the symptoms and strengthen get mother. She still remembered Ena's mother dying in childbirth and didn't eat the same thing to happen here. At the third-to-last month of her daughter's stay, Mirien gave birth to a baby boy. Thanks to her daughter's magic, she survived the birth and was the first one to hold her new son with her husband and daughter at her side

"Hello little Vinion." She breathed

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise 

Dearien adored her little brother

Having never had the chance to be a big sister since her other parents had obviously died when she was very little, she happily grabbed this new opportunity to be one with both hands and was Vinion's first babysitter when her second parents wanted time alone for an evening or afternoon. Both Mirien and Zellard loved watching their daughter interact with their son. "You don't think he had a past life too do you?" Mirien asked with a tiny smirk on her face

"Goodness, i hope not." Zellard muttered as Dearien held Vinion up in front of her. "Red? Red, is that you?" She asked in fake panic and Vinion gurgled in answer, making her parents laugh as Vinion then began to cry and his older sister quickly gave him to their mother, turning her back after that. No matter if she remembered having to breastfeed as a baby Wyverian, she didn't want to see her mother's breasts when she was feeding her little brother 

When she eventually had to leave to go back home again, she did so even more reluctantly than before, even if Mirien promised that they would visit Rutoh again once Vinion was old enough to travel the distance. Arriving at Rutoh, she immediately had to tell all about her little brother to Alwin. Leo and Ena had visited after she had written them about becoming a big sister. Alwin smiled at hearing how ecstatic Dearien was to be a big sister and to simply still have her parents in adulthood after losing her previous parents at such a young age

Years passed and Leo slowly grew up, becoming the new chief of Mahana Village like his grandfather before him had been and everyone was proud of him. Dearien and Ena made sure to spend as much time with him and all the other human friends they had made during the journey as they knew they'd be gone before they even knew it like Red. Dearien even took Vinion to meet the now adult Leo when taking her family out to a small vacation to Hakolo Island.

Vinion happily splashed in the sea and Dearien chuckled as she held her little brother to make sure he wouldn't accidentally fall backwards and drown. Her parents would never forgive her"Dearien, look." She heard her mother call and she briefly looked up to see that the children of Mahana village had somehow managed to cover Saranya with sand, the Rathian keeping the poisonous end of her tail buried in the sand herself so only her head was sticking out.

"Looks good, my friend." She chuckled as she carefully stood up from the water with Vinion. The young Wyverian first whined as he wanted to play more in the water, until she sat down in the sand near Saranya instead and he immediately threw tiny fistfuls of sand in the air, making his and his sister's hair soon be covered in it. Both Zellard and Mirien laughed at this and even Saranya let out a rumble that sounded like a laugh and she glared at them all as she went to join her parents, giving her brother to her father and he immediately held him tightly

Like he'd been with her when she was younger, a certain situation not counting as that was all her fault anyway, Zellard had proven himself to be a very good father once again. Dearien even once said that he was probably better than he was with her. "You've had to raise me on your own at first before mama officially came into our lives. A harder practice isn't possible." She had stated, making them both laugh as Mirien stroked her hair and kissed her forehead 

As a couple of more years passed and Leo grew into his forties, Alwin decided to join Dearien on her way to Nua Te as he really wanted to ask something to Mirien and Zellard. While Dearien was busy playing with her little brother, he carefully pulled her parents aside and asked them a very important question. Sharing a look with his already beaming wife and getting a nod from her, Zellard let out a sigh and nodded as well, making Alwin smile and bow to them

Not too long after that and with Alwin staying for a bit longer to wait for the perfect moment to ask a certain other question to the woman he loved, Dearien eventually woke up on a cold winter morning. She shivered a bit as it was rarely this cold around Nua Te with the volcano nearby, until she saw it was snowing outside. With a mischievous smile on her face, she quickly got dressed and hurried to the rooms of her parents. She knocked on the door and asked one important question through the wood "Do you want to build a snowman?" 

One day, Alwin suggested they would go out for a flight together and she happily agreed. They flew over the volcano to the Pomore gardens, landing on a rock overlooking the ocean near the Felyne shelter. It was there that he gave her a necklace and asked her to be his wife as he knew that while Wyverians usually took longer to become engaged, Dearien would want all their human friends to be there. With tears in her eyes, she immediately accepted 

All their family and friends from over the continent came to congratulate them, from Leo and his wife Leia to Kyle and Tsukino. Zellard and Mirien immediately took their daughter into their arms the moment the other couple returned and they saw the beaming smile on their daughter's face as well as her new necklace. Zellard had trouble believing that soon, he wouldn't be Dearien's number 1 anymore, but she told him she'd still be his little treasure

About a year later, Leo, Leia, Ratha Navirou, Avinia, Reverto, Lillia, Cheval, Kyle, Tsukino and of course Mirien, Zellard and Vinion arrived at Rutoh, Zellard being allowed to come back for this occasion despite being banished. The women immediately helped Dearien get ready for the big day ahead, while the men made sure that Alwin didn't become a nervous wreck at his upcoming wedding. "It seemed only yesterday that you were little and it was my turn to marry your father and now, look at you." An emotional Mirien whispered as she braided Dearien's hair

"Oh, don't cry, mama. It's gonna make me cry." Dearien replied quietly as she grabbed her mother's hand and Mirien smiled as she hugged her daughter from behind for a second, before pulling back and continuing on again. When it was almost time, Zellard carefully knocked on the door of Dearien's home. Ena peeked her head out to see who it was, before letting him in just as the woman were straightening Dearien's dress and she quickly turned to face him

At seeing his only daughter, his little treasure, in her wedding dress and completely ready to be married, Zellard felt himself tear up like he had that terrible day when he thought he had lost her. He supposed that in a way, he was losing her again, only now to someone else. Someone who he knew would always do his best to protect her until the end of their days. "You really know how to make me cry, don't you?" He said with a small chuckle and she smiled

She quickly walked to him and gave him the tightest hug imaginable as she closed her eyes and fought her own tears. "I'll always be your little girl, papa. No matter what happens from this point on." She whispered and he smiled at this as he hugged her back and took a deep breath. He loved her, Mirien and Vinion so very much and hoped that there would never be a day that he lost them again. He probably wouldn't even go crazy this time, he'd just kill himself. Shaking his head to get rid of the dark thought as he pulled back and kissed her forehead 

Eventually, it was time and most of the women left to take their places, Ena taking Vinion with her. Mirien and Zellard took their daughter to the main square and led her to where Alwin was already waiting for them with the elder. Saranya, Ratha and Seron were flying in the air, wanting to see this as well. Dearien smiled at seeing the starstruck look in Alwin's eyes when he finally saw her. She and her parents soon arrived and Zellard gave her hand to Alwin 

He and Mirien then went to stand behind Dearien as Mirien took Vinion over and Elder Maolo started to talk. Later, Dearien would wonder if her parents remembered anything of what he had said during their very own wedding because she sure as hell didn't. She was way too focused on Alwin's face as he held both her hands and gently stroked her knuckles with his thumbs, before they were allowed to say something and she went first

"Alwin, you have been my best friend ever since I was a baby and ever since then, you have always been at my side. We played together so many times and fought many monsters together once we were old enough to do so. One of my biggest regrets of pretending I was was dead was thinking of the heartbreak I was causing you, my parents, Ena and everyone else. It was honestly no surprise when you were the first one to figure out who Leo's friend really was and I was so happy to finally be able to tell you the truth of what happened." She began 

"I'm honestly still having trouble believing that I'm getting married to you today, to be bound to you until the end of our lives after all the trouble I have caused you over the many years we have known each other, but here we are and I cannot be happier we managed to make it this far. You are one of the most amazing people I have ever met, Alwin and I cannot wait to spend as long as I can at your side with our friends and families." She continued 

Alwin, I promise you today that I will never pull such a reckless stunt again. I promise that I will never be the cause of your or anyone else's heartbreak again. I promise you that when I'm not working in Nua Te, I will always be by your side. I promise to always stay faithful to you, to laugh with you during happy times and support you in times of struggle. I will give you this and much more until the time catches up to us." She promised and he smiled at her

She was incredibly touched to see that her usually calm and collected Alwin was clearly holding back tears of pure happiness as he took a deep breath so he could actually speak. "Dearien, when I first met you when we were both young, I immediately had the feeling that I had to keep you safe and that feeling never left even as we grew up into best friends and strong riders. When you left to explore the world, I missed you deeply, but I knew you were having fun and you were thinking of us like when you sent me Shaulk's egg." He told her and everyone else

"When I thought that I had lost you forever and that  before I could tell you how I truly felt about you, it honestly felt like a block of ice completely encased my heart and almost forced it to stop beating. For ten years, I lived with the feeling that I had failed to keep you safe Like I had promised myself And then, you came back albeit in disguise. When I realised it was you, I felt that I could finally breathe again. At least, breathe enough to scold you." He said

Everyone chuckled as he continued. "In that terrible decade, I thought this day would always remain a dream and nothing more. To actually be about to marry you feels like a miracle that I'll never take for granted. Dearien, I promise to protect, worship and support you for as long as life gives us. You will always be my first priority, my first thought when I wake up and my last thought when I fall asleep. I love you so much and I always will." He promised 

Dearien heard many women sigh at his words and heard Navirou chuckling in happiness as Alwin then had to gently wipe her own tears away. Elder Maolo then waved his staff over both of their heads for a second and officially bound them together in matrimony as he told Alwin he could kiss his new wife. He didn't waste a second and cupped her face, kissing her with everything he had. She immediately kissed him back as their friends and family applauded them. Breaking apart, they both grinned like idiots as they then embraced each other tightly 

Everyone then came to congratulate them, both Mirien and Zellard as well as Alwin's parents pulling their children into a tight hug, although the former couple also made sure not to crush their son in-between their bodies. Dearien closed her eyes as she enjoyed the hug and all the love she felt. As she then had to greet, thank and hug all her friends while staying near Alwin at all times, she suddenly felt she was being watched and looked up for a second

At the back of the square, another group of people were standing . A woman with red hair and green eyes was smiling at her with tears as the dark haired man next to her wrapped an arm around her as another dark-haired man gave her a thumbs up and a young man nodded at her. She smiled as an old man joined them and smiled at her, before her loved ones and Red disappeared and Alwin wrapped his arm around her, making her smile at him

It had been hard, but she was finally happy