Within the rolling seas of the New World, a ship braving the storm descends upon the shores of the Ancient forest. The Kestodon flee with their young as the large commission vessel docks on their lands. The ramp is brought down as the anchor lands, with the passengers looking with eager eyes. "We made it! And look at those creatures there! Goodness, such a unique head shape!" A shorter man with pointy ears soon pulled the scholar back so he wouldn't get an unfortunate 'closer look'.
"I am just as intrigued as you are, Samuel, but we need to set a camp first to rest. And I do believe those creatures are not very fond of our presence." Samuel, though reluctant to miss such new creatures, obliged with his wyverian compatriot, shuffling along to help the rest of the scholars unload the ship. Evening had dawned upon them by the time they had made camp within the less dense area of the forest they found themselves in. As the campfire was being set to make their next meal, the flaps of the main tent were drawn open.
From the depths, A female wyverian in a scholar's robe and a focused look stepped out. The fur lining attached to it still held the powerful aroma of chemicals, with blotches fanned out, indicating that the Fleet Master had most likely just finished one of her experiments. "Don't get too comfortable, as we still have work to do." From a pouch by her side, the Third Fleet Master retrieved a photo. Passing it to the nearest scholar, she said, "Our first objective is to find out what made these tracks. I found them as I was gathering more materials for my latest theory, with a trail leading towards an opening in the ancient forest. They are fresh, likely whatever made it still near."
The scholars' eyes all lit up as they further analyzed the image. A pair of three-pronged footprints, one large and one small, were side by side, with a viscous slime in the bottom corner not far from them. The next day soon arrived, and with their preparations set, glasses cleaned, and scrolls wrapped in a bundle, the Third fleet master, two scholars, and a hunter made their way towards new discoveries.
"This place is full of potential! That plant makes us feel better with its pollen! And those beehives, they were GINORMOUS! The honey was practically flowing from it!" The ecologist of the group couldn't help himself. Not even a day in, and all of these fascinating organisms were right in front of them! He was about to continue discussing the larger aptonoths when the hunter protecting them signaled to be quieter. "My, what a strange creature." The Third Fleet Master watched in silent awe as her eyes landed upon Evans, chewing a portion of an aptonoth leg.
6 Months of perfecting his hunting technique led to him growing a bit more from his small 1-meter size to about 1.5 meters of lean muscle. His tail swayed lazily as he enjoyed his meal, when his nose caught a scent. Nose flap now on full display, Evans left his unfinished meal as he slowly approached a strange-smelling shrub. Step by step, he drew closer, as quietly as possible, like a ghost in the night. With a sudden lunge, Evans ripped the plant to pieces to find!... Nothing. 'Odd...' Evans scanned the surroundings once more to find anything out of place, unaware that four certain individuals slipped away from a shrub just beside the previously torn one.
"That. Was WAY too close for comfort!" Samueal could feel his heart raging in his chest at how close his group was to being in the jaws of such a large creature. And the worst part, that it might have been just the child! The others were feeling it too, as their faces were just as pale, if not more so, than his own. "Good work with that vial, Fleet Master. Otherwise, we would have been food on our first investigation!" The Third Fleet Master didn't respond immediately, though, lost in thought, with her brows furrowed.'So the pheromone is still too weak...' Her thoughts soon faded as she spoke. "We will be back by nightfall. That may be our best chance to see it up close." The people under her looked at her as if she had grown a second head.
The commission always did say that she was...unique. Just not to the point of DANCING ON A SERRATED BLADE! Seeing their looks, she sighed before pulling out the vial that saved them from being found. "I have been working on a way to mess with a monster's sense of smell for the whole trip to the New World. From our close encounter, I can safely say that it works, but it's just a bit lacking. However, I'm confident I can make one that will mask our scents by nightfall. And if that doesn't work, we still have a hunter on the field."
The sword and shield wielder tightened the grip on her weapon at the mention of her. She was still new to this whole monster-hunting thing! She just left home not too long ago! 'You want me to fight a pair of T-rexes!?' Either oblivious or uncaring of her plight, the ecologist brought up a more important matter. "So what class of monster would this one fall under?"
Without a second thought, Samuel answered. "I would say it's a brute wyvern. That fella back there seemed to have powerful hind legs when it jumped. And the way it tore our previous hiding spot. If that wasn't brutish, then I don't know what is." The other scholar and the ecologist murmured to each other before looking towards their leader. Seeing that she had no objections, Evans was soon classified as a brute wyvern under fairly blank records.
The investigation swiftly took place by moonlight. The snooping scholars made their way back to the nest and found that Evans was, in fact, not alone. The slumbering giant dreamt away, a snot bubble in an ever-moving loop of growing and shrinking. The fangs gleamed under moonlight, promising a gruesome end for those who fell victim to it. The Third Fleet master didn't focus on that, as the main target to observe was the cub. From her supplies, she pulled a brush and began to create the symbol of the Third Fleet upon Evans' upper thigh.
She froze halfway through as Evans twitched in his sleep. The others held their breath, ready to run at a moment's notice if the beast had woken up. To their relief, Evans simply continued to snore, allowing the Third Fleet master to finish the mark. With it, tracking this specific specimen will be incredibly easy. Signalling the retreat and a successful mission, the Third's hunter and scholars returned to camp, eager for the observations that were to come.