On the journey back, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors took charge of transporting supplies, while the two Felynes were tasked with scouting out a safer route.
This wasn't just for preparing the research team's future expeditions into the forest—it was also because they had established a deep alliance with the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne. Frequent travel between the two sides was expected going forward, so a safe and suitable route was absolutely essential.
A few Grimalkyne stayed behind to feed the Jagras, while the Felynes headed out to investigate the surrounding area for better paths.
Just as the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors were resting, one of them twitched its pointed ears and instantly turned vigilant, staring up at the sky. A dozen Wingdrakes were soaring rapidly in one direction.
That direction was exactly where the Felynes had just headed.
"Meow! They're in danger, meow!"
One of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne shouted out. Without hesitation, the others mounted their Jagras and charged toward the Felynes' direction.
Although their Palico training was only preliminary and their techniques hadn't yet reached the level of a fully trained Palico—
With proper equipment and real combat experience, they were in no way weaker than standard Palicoes. And with the Jagras' support, they didn't fear Wingdrakes at all.
Before long, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors burst through the trees and spotted the Felynes hiding between rocks, waiting for a chance to strike, while Wingdrakes circled overhead.
"Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors, charge!"
At the command, the Jagras began their assault. The Grimalkyne warriors brandished their boomerangs, skillfully dodging the Wingdrakes' dives and striking back with deadly accuracy, knocking the creatures from the sky.
They drew their Zinogre weapons and engaged in close combat.
Though the Wingdrakes had the advantage of flight, the Grimalkyne and the two Felynes were all equipped with boomerangs. With the Jagras packs assisting, it was the cats who actually held the upper hand in this fight.
"Rooaaar~"
A familiar yet long-unheard wyvern roar echoed through the battlefield. In that instant, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors, who had been dodging attacks, felt their fighting spirit surge. Their strikes grew sharper and more precise—they were determined to show off everything they had learned.
The Felynes, on the other hand, were puzzled at first. Why had these three Grimalkyne suddenly become so fired up?
Then, a Fire Wyvern descended from the sky, its scales gleaming with a metallic sheen.
With wings aflame, it plunged into the swarm of Wingdrakes, tearing through them like a god of war. The once-menacing flock was now like a herd of sheep scattered by a tiger, fleeing in all directions in utter panic.
Those that failed to escape in time were swiftly hunted down and dropped to the ground.
"It's a Rathalos, meow!"
The two Felynes instinctively shrank back into the crevice between the rocks. As elite cats themselves, they didn't feel overwhelming fear toward this sudden, chaotic intruder. Instead, they calmly began digging, preparing for an escape route underground.
"It's the Fire Wyvern Boss, meow!"
In stark contrast to the Felynes, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors eagerly approached the descending Rathalos. Clad in armor, armed with weapons, they held their heads high and jogged toward him proudly.
Logan looked down at the three Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors. The armor they wore had been forged from the very scales he had shed. Each of them stood upright and serious, fully kitted out.
He had also seen their fight just now—vastly different from how they used to be. Their attacks were more precise, their evasions more controlled, and even under a Wingdrake ambush, they remained composed and calm.
Even in a ground-to-air disadvantage, they had managed to maintain the upper hand—and while the Jagras support certainly played a part—
It had to be said, their growth after specialized training was quite remarkable.
"Fire Wyvern Boss, we're back, meow!"
Logan gave a low grunt in response, then glanced toward the nearby rock crevice, but didn't say anything. He simply began devouring one of the Wingdrakes.
He'd planned to change things up today, try some Wingdrake for a change of pace—but running into the returning Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne was a surprise. A coincidence, but not unwelcome.
As for the two Felynes, Logan had no interest in them. According to his plan, he had no intention of interacting directly with the Research Team. Everything would be handled by the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne. If there was ever a need for communication, it would go through them.
Seeing Logan start to eat, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne instinctively mounted their Jagras and began standing guard around him.
"So this is the Fire Wyvern your tribe always talks about—the one you follow, meow?"
Noticing that Logan wasn't hostile, the Felynes crept cautiously out from between the rocks, slowly approaching the alert Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne and whispering their question.
"That's right, meow! Pretty amazing, isn't he, meow?"
The Grimalkyne being questioned lifted its head proudly as it answered.
"Mhm, he definitely looks impressive, meow! You can tell just by looking."
The Felynes sneaked glances at Logan. This Fire Wyvern had practically become a legend at the Astera outpost.
The story of two unusual Fire Wyvern scales discovered years ago in an abandoned Rathalos nest—located at the border between the Wildspire Waste and the Ancient Forest—was still being passed around the outpost.
But due to chronic staff shortages and the high difficulty of the mission, the Field Commander had long listed it as an off-limits investigation for the time being.
One of those Rathalos scales had been awarded—by vote—to Nori, who returned to the Old World, while the remaining Rathian scale was kept in the care of the Wyverian Scholar.
But this time, the scale brought back by the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors instantly reignited heated discussion. After a comparison by the Field Master and the Wyverian Scholar, it was determined that this new scale also belonged to the same Rathian—meaning the corresponding Rathalos scale must have come from her mate.
With that, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne at the outpost suddenly became the center of attention. During that period, hunters tried every trick in the book to gather intel about the so-called "Fire Wyvern Boss." Even if they couldn't go out on a formal expedition, just hearing details was enough to fuel their curiosity.
So, from the mouths of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne, they heard tales of the Fire Wyvern Boss's growth—stories that included the Chameleos sniper ambush from four years ago, and the recent war against the Zinogre.
In their accounts, Logan was portrayed as an overwhelmingly powerful force of nature—an unrivaled monster, strong enough to battle legendary Elder Dragons, those very avatars of calamity.
With a flap of his wings, he could stir up flaming tornadoes. With a single breath, he could scorch mountains and boil seas. He was described as the most powerful, awe-inspiring, and majestic Fire Wyvern in the entire forest.
…Of course, Logan himself had no idea he'd been deified like this in the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne's stories. He didn't even know he was supposedly that strong.
If he ever found out how they'd described him, he'd probably want to bury himself from embarrassment—at least for now.
But the hunters didn't know that. Silver Rathalos were already considered an extremely rare species—very few hunters had ever seen one. The only thing that was widely accepted about them was that Silver Rathalos were incredibly powerful, strong enough to rival even the Elder Dragons.
So if this Fire Wyvern was in the process of evolving into a Silver Rathalos, then exhibiting that kind of strength made perfect sense.
And since all the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne were saying the same thing, naturally—everyone believed it.
The two Felynes kept casting glances at Logan, which made him feel rather uneasy. Their stares weren't hostile—far from it—but there was something hard to describe in them that unsettled him.
Thinking about it carefully, it was a bit like how he used to look at giant pandas in a zoo back in his previous life. Only this time, he was the one being watched.
Irritated by the staring, he suddenly turned his head and shot them a vicious glare.
What met his eyes were two round, sparkling ones, unblinking and twinkling like stars as they stared right back at him.
…Alright, staring at cats like that, his irritation began to melt away. Sulking a bit, Logan finished off the rest of his Wingdrake-brand Crispy Bone Strips in just a few bites. Then, with a flap of his wings, he stirred up a blast of wind and shot upward at high speed. Locking on to the direction of his next hunting ground, he soared away.
"What a majestic Fire Wyvern-meow! That one glare just now had such terrifying pressure, meow."
Watching Logan's figure fade into the distance, even the seasoned, battle-hardened Felynes couldn't help but sigh in awe.
"Meow-hmph~ Of course! Boss Fire Wyvern is absolute perfection!"
Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne puffed out its chest with pride as it responded to the compliment.
Once the Jagras had devoured the remains of the wingdrakes left behind by Logan and filled their bellies, the group set out again, hoping to return to the Ancient Tree as early as possible.
And just like that, a few more uneventful days passed.
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