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To be a Hunter in the Guild meant never letting fear conquer one's mind. Always level-headed, no matter the odds. So Crow hung between a sharp beak and sharper fangs by the scruff of his armor, calm as can be. Plenty of other feelings rushed in to fill the void. Crow's mind wound through all of them just as fast as the Nargacuga dashed through the Highlands.

Exhilarated? Absolutely.

Confused? V_e_ry much so.

The Nargacuga bounded over crevices and scaled trees with other-worldly ease and stomach-churning pace. To experience it so intimately put his own wedge beetle usage to shame. Crow tucked his limbs behind his body, dodging errant branches from the trees.

How far had this Wyvern taken him? Crow didn't recognize any landmarks or any of the rock faces, especially as they blurred by his face in great leaps. The Nargacuga's huffs of exertion ran over his head and down his back. Warm, moist air reminded the Hunter that he was at the mercy of a deadly Wyvern who seemed too happy to carry him about like a favorite toy.

Even favorite toys weren't immune from damage. The Cuga hopped back to the treetops, snapping and slicing offending branches with bladed wings. One branch snapped in two and whipped up to slash

Crow's uncovered face. A reverberating pain lanced through his cheek, stifled fast by his adrenaline. Crow hissed out; the sting throbbed through his nerves. A foreboding warmth traced down where the thin piece of wood impacted his cheek. He was bleeding.

"Okay now," Crow raised his voice in irritation. "That's enough!"

Much to his relief, the Nargacuga recognized the displeasure in his protests. The ground shook with the force of the Nargacuga leaping down from the treetops. Gingerly, Crow was lowered to the loamy forest floor. Once sat upon his own two feet, the Cuga parted its jaws to release him.

"Thank the Sapphire Star." Relief flooded over him at his regained freedom. "Thank you."

Crow caught his breath and looked about the alien environment. He had to figure out exactly where he was.

The hunter scanned in every direction, and even his scout flies had no trail to go off of. Nothing came up as familiar. Pooling uncertainty formed a yawning pit of unease in his stomach. "This isn't good," he muttered.

A heavy weight pushed at his back. Nargacuga's curious nudge between his shoulder blades recaptured Crow's attention. The Flying Wyvern slunk around him, yellow eyes scanning him over from head to toe like a fragile package ripe for damage.

Indeed, Crow had taken damage during transit, and the Cuga eyed the dripping blood from Crow's cheek.

“Oh, right." Crow futzed with the laceration, tracing his finger down to assess the damage. It was superficial, but it still stung and could get infected.

The Nargacuga loomed over him, but its neck craned down to meet Crow eye to eye. It rumbled its concern. Despite being a Wyvern who could eat him in a couple of bites, the Nargacuga watched him through sympathetic and even apologetic yellow orbs.

Anger bubbled up beneath Crow's calm psyche. Here he was, lost between the Ancient Forests and Highlands, kidnapped by a very inquisitive Monster. He'd be stuck in Astera doing inventory after this stunt that he found himself a part of. Even getting back was a big 'if,' being lost and stranded in the New World could be a death sentence.

The Nargacuga flumped itself down on its haunches, sitting before him. The vibrations of a slow chuff stifled Crow's anger. At least he was not stuck entirely alone, the Nargacuga eager to remind him that they weren't going anywhere without Crow.

"You're lucky you're adorable, or I'd be pissed." Crow's empty threat bounced off the brick wall of beak, scale, and fur. The Wyvern sensed Crow's calm and leaned in until the tip of its beak grazed his wounded cheek. A deep breath pulled Crow's hair with the sheer amount of air brought in by its lungs. The Cuga huffed the air back against his cheek, doting on the cut.

"Yeah, it hurt quite badly, thanks for asking," Crow explained to his oversized companion. "Let me just bandage it real quick, right?"

This Nargacuga seemed unsatisfied with the response. They had no patience to wait for the Human to care for itself. Crow's eyes widened as the broad tongue of the Cuga slipped below its beak and exposed itself to the air. Crow eyed the broad, rough surface of the tongue that rivaled the size of his head.

"What?" Crow's exasperation boiled over. The Nargacuga's eyes shimmered with intent, and the exposed tongue inched closer and closer to his face. Silver-lining at least, Crow basked in the glory of an exceedingly rare Nargacuga 'blep.' If only he had his camera.

Crow's concern mounted as a lump in his chest. The Cuga shuffled forward, crawling forward step by step until Crow had nowhere to go but down. Smooth belly chutes and a glorious coat of black fur dominated his vision. At the center of the darkness, a single eye showered him in yellow light, lit from behind by the tapetum lucidum. The Nargacuga lowered itself down upon Crow, guiding the human until he plopped butt-first into the soil.

Broad paws with claws wide as his arm settled on either side of Crow's waist, pinning him in place between two walls of scale and muscle. Content with the Human's positioning, the Nargacuga fell to the ground at Crow's feet. The impact shook the earth below them, leaving the Cuga with his jaws inches from Crow's nose. A content rumble emanated from deep within the Wyvern, he heard the sound from head to toe, and felt the power behind it through his legs now laid against the Wyvern's chest.

The Nargacuga's tongue remained exposed between beak and fang. Close enough that he could feel the heat radiating from the organ.

"Am I dead?" Crow wondered aloud, attempting to come to grips with how his day turned out like this. Maybe he got blindsided while taking pictures? That'd explain it. Maybe he was ended by this very creature that haunted him in his afterlife? That would be a cruel irony.

A drip of hot moisture on his cheek ripped him from his thoughts. This was very real, and so was the tongue that it came from. The Nargacuga's rumbles deepened in affection, providing a soul-shaking baseline to the tongue's first swipe at blood and dirt from his cut.

The air shifted around him, pulled and released by the Nargacuga's lungs. The humid air ruffled his hair, blew beneath his shirt, and left him stiflingly warm. The breathing felt so invasive, intimate, and personal.

The Nargacuga took advantage of the opportunity to inspect its new prize and the scents it wore. The Nargacugas unyielding sniffs stole Crow's breath from his lips, all of it absorbed, processed, and remembered by the Wyvern.

Nargacuga's rumbles lowered in pitch and heightened in intensity. They leaned down closer to their pleasant-smelling human. That rigid beak preened through Crow's hair locks, swiping him with another gentle lick across his entire cheek.

With another lick, the dexterous appendage stroked its smooth backside over his cut. It felt clean, at least, if not slimy. The muscle curled and pressed against the cut, depositing enough saliva to coat his entire cheek. The warmth of Cuga's presence wrestled a shiver from his spine. The tongue swiped once more, but this time, it never left, dragging over his wound, cheek, and beyond.

"Okay," He mounted a weak protest by the time the tongue pathed over his nose and brow. "Okay!" He reached upwards to try and shield himself. The Nargacuga paid no heed; its rumbling quickened, and its eyes narrowed on him. The rumbling shook through Crow's own chest. Vulnerability floated within Crow's body; this was getting out of hand. "Alright Nar—MMh!"

The Nargacuga traced its tongue over Crow's parted lips and, without hesitation, plunged into the open space between. Crow's arms snapped up against, gripping and pushing against the unrelenting weight of Nargacuga's beak. The beak nudged further, capturing his focus with the slitted yellow eyes intently watching him.

His whine devolved into wet grumbles and groans, unable to withstand the assault. The Nargacuga pillaged the Hunter with its tongue, funneling deeper until it swiped at the back of his throat and threatened to push deeper. He gagged around the undulating mass, hands palmed and clutched at the beast as they drove their tongue even deeper. No inch of Crow's mouth was untasted, his own meager tongue pinned to the bottom of his mouth. Nargacuga twisted and curled deeper, rumbling their pleasure. The human's throat bulged with the invading presence, and he had no choice but to swallow the smoky Wyvern saliva.

Crow memorized the Nargacuga's flavor, burning straight to the primal part of his brain alongside the gaze of the Nargacuga boring down into his own. Domination and submission, predator and prey—one goes with the other. Crow felt the latter in both cases.

A soft snarl of possessiveness rolled over Crow, reverberating straight into his throat. Lost in the purrs, groans, slurps, and gags of the one-sided kiss, Crow began to see why this Nargacuga was so special—more so than he thought. Crow's lungs begged for air, and his vision and mind began to sink into the haze of oxygen deprivation.

This was no accident; Crow reasoned internally while gagged by Nargacuga's tongue. No animalistic misinterpretation of behavior could account for being pinned and kissed intimately by a massive Wyvern. Especially while it [i]watched[/i] his every reaction. Did the Nargacuga realize he needed air?

Kissed to death by a Nargacuga. A good end.

The cold forest air found its way back into Crow's gasping lungs. His vision returned, and he coughed up more of the Nargacuga's drool than his own. The invading mass of Wyvern tongue relinquished its hold just in time. The Nargacuga released a deep pleasured chuff and drew a last twirling lick across Crow's face from cheek to cheek. Its tongue retreated, but not before licking over its fangs and relishing the Hunters flavors.

Crow caught his breath in ragged gasps, and his arms peeled off of the Nargacuga's beak. Even after Crow's white-knuckled grip, not even a smudge of his fingers remained on the glossy surface. His fingers reached to his throat, recalling through his own flesh how deep it invaded.

His sense of smell returned and processed everything had missed while the Nargcuga gagged him. The smoke of a bonfire, the fragrance of crushed fire herb, and something else. A savory, primal smell that tingled the back of his nose. A shiver ran down the length of his spine, his cognisance sapped away.

"Wow," The aroma rebooted Crow's mind, but words failed to form on his still-soaked lips. He tasted nothing but the Nargacuga and smelt nothing but the Nargacuga's presence. Overwhelmed, he craned his head up to peer at the Flying Wyvern. "You're a pretty good kisser for being ten times my size."

The Nargacuga traded Crow's praises for soul-warming purrs. The affections did not stop at the kiss; the Cuga's deep breaths and preening beak evidenced just how pleased they were.

"Feeling's mutual, huh?"

The weight holding his hips in place relinquished gingerly. The claws around him gouged channels into the dirt, supporting the Wyvern's weight in a graceful rise to its feet.

Expectant eyes ordered Crow to his feet, reinforced by the parted maw that threatened to pick him up again should he feel too winded by the intimacy. The ground felt quite cold and uninviting now that his tonnage of Wyvern blanket had left.

Crow cleared his throat of the final vestiges of Nargacuga and rolled to his feet. "No need to tell me twice." He cast his eyes into the forest's depths and coral around him. He'd need to use his flares to signal for help for sure. Hopefully, someone will actually see it from this far away.

The Nargacuga seemed to have a destination in mind, bounding off into the deeper forest. The Wyvern spun and stared at Crow until the Hunter followed. Crow did not need convincing. The Hunter had to see this through. He could imagine the researchers losing their collective minds over a fraction of what he was observing.

Wild Nargacuga have always been enigmatic creatures, dangerous to study and dangerous to hunt. Somehow, his efforts at tracking and documenting it had earned this specimen's companionship. The Hunter rolled to his feet and jogged after his new Wyvern... friend? Crow questioned the term, and uncertainty plagued his mind. The Nargacuga had dominated him just seconds ago, taking his taste, smell, and feel. For a solitary creature like a Nargacuga, it baffled Crow what all this could mean. The kiss had to mean some form of courtship or at least curiosity: The offered Kelbi, non-hostile vocalizations, cautious approaches; he recollected each through his guided trip through the Forest. It all seemed to lead to an affection of some sort.

"Can Wyverns get feelings for humans?" He muttered aloud; the question bounced through his head.

His guide slowed their own pace to match Crows, even if that meant slinking beside the human at a crawl.

The sun bathed its warming rays through the forest branches. The rays faded as they walked deeper into the forests and later into the day. How far had the Nargacuga taken him outside of the charted area? At this point, he had no way of knowing. He could find his way back, though with how long he had been gone; he pondered if any at Astera had flagged him for SOS yet.

Crow stole a sidelong glance at the Purple-eyed Nargacuga. His over-eager and friendly captor walked beside him. "Is this how riders feel?" He reached a tentative hand outwards until it met with the Nargacuga's hindquarters mid-step. The musculature underneath the thick blanket of fur quivered at the touch.

"You know," Crow spoke to the Nargacuga. He knew the Cuga heard him, with ears perking up in interest. "I gotta figure out how I'm going to make the researchers believe any of this without a camera."

Crow pondered the conundrum, studying the attentive Nargacuga. "Maybe I can take some sketches of you later?"

Nargacuga gave no answer, nor did Crow expect one, but he felt confident that he would have a chance. Though what the Cuga would do to him in return? The ideas that came to mind gave him goosebumps.

Crow had read the occasional account of Monsters in a rut, taking out frustrations on competitors, including very unlucky Hunters. But no account involved a kiss and courtship beforehand, or if they did, it was brushed off as exaggeration and bias. Despite his best intentions, the thoughts of this Nargacuga seeing him as a potential 'interest' roused a familiar heat from his loins. He shuddered at the thought, wondering what this Nargacuga could do if they really were courting him as a mate.

Freezing tendrils of doubt plucked him back down to reality. A realization that locked him into a brutal internal analysis.

Was he really considering doing that with a Monster? A wild, carnivorous,deadly Wyvern?

Crow peered up at this new Nargacuga subspecies, strutting with confidence beside him. Purple scales around the eyes that trailed up to the fins of the ears. Thick, almost oily-appearing fur, perfect for nocturnal hunts. He was undoubtedly the smallest Nargacuga he had ever seen, a Mini crown for sure. Beyond the physical, this Nargacuga demonstrated behavior unlike any he had ever seen in the field— Empathy. There have always been fables and yarns of intelligent monsters, but no matter how much the Guild tried, it could never dig up a lick of evidence. Perhaps the New World was hiding another miracle behind its layers? Perhaps Crow had the chance to find out.

If this Purple Nargacuga lacked intelligence, the whole situation was a barrel bomb ready to blow. Crow doubted he'd be capable of resisting the advances of a wild Nargacuga without a fight. One furtive glance towards the torso-sized arms and human-sized blades adorning them reminded Crow that he could easily lose that fight, especially lost and isolated like this.

A thunderous intake of breath rattled Crow. The Nargacuga slowed to a stop, taking in the air around them. Crow peered into the forest, unable to see exactly what the Nargacuga could smell. The Cuga honed in the smell and bumped its snout into Crow's chest. It took another pull of air, checking his scent. Displeasure rolled out in a snarl softened by compassion.

The links came together slowly in Crow's head but fell in line with a nudge of beak against his chest. So gentle, like a human adoring their Palico.

Crow brought his palms to settle on the short fuzz bordering the Cuga's beak. Fingers sunk into soft fur and rubbed the scales beneath. "You smelt my fear, didn't you?"

Those sympathetic eyes peeked up at him. The Nargacuga expressed empathy for his struggle, reinforced by the fur dragging beneath Crow's fingertips. The Nargacuga pushed their head into Crow's arms, taking the chance to steal the human's scent through its huffing nose.

"I'm sorry," Crow explained to his attentive audience. "I'll figure it out. I just have to keep it professional." He murmured into the Nargacuga's ears.

Heady smoke and sweet undertones caressed his nose. It shocked Crow how enticing the Nargacuga's natural scent was. It tickled at his brain and drew him in further until his nose tickled at the presence of the Wyvern's fur. Deeper still, he went, driven by his curiosity and persuaded by the overbearing presence of the Cuga. A sharp thud against the ground shook his feet. The Nargacuga's tail slammed into the earth in lazy arcs; even the gentle sway was powerful enough to smash the vegetation beneath it to a pulp.

"Look at you," Crow laid on praise and leaned deeper. "Who's a big killer Nargie?" The length of the black tail thumped the dirt— pure muscle spurned by his utterance and praise. The impact was enough to shake his feet. Crow leaned deep enough into Cuga's cheek that his world became naught but a black forest of fur. His nostrils flared, and the Cuga's heady aroma claimed his mind. Recollections of nature, wild, untamed, unexplored, flowed through him, brought on by the Wyvern's scent.

A slow chuff into his chest plate wrenched him from the depths of the Cuga's fur. The Wyvern pulled back and looked towards the canopy, peering for something above the trees.

Crow took the chance to look about. They wandered through a thick forest along a cliff face that reached high and out of sight into the trees. Multiple cave entrances formed pockmarks along the cliff's surface, some big enough to fit a Wyvern.

Sun filtered through the leaves, dimming the midday sun. Water poured high from above through a clearing in the overgrown canopy. It trickled into a deeper pool. The water sparkled in clarity apart from the pads and insects that called the pond home.

"Lovely place." Crow whistled out his approval. He reached to his canteen and shook it, half-full. Crow approached the waterfall, never one to waste an opportunity for a drink. He dipped a hand in first. Cool and refreshing. Perfect to top off with. And if he's stuck out here too long, a good place to wash his scent away.

He filled his canteen and cleared his face of the Nargacuga saliva that clung to his cheeks. He turned around and found nothing but the forest surrounding him. How the hell did someone that big slip away so silently? Crow stood still as a statue and gazed into the miles of trees and foliage around him.

"Nargie?" Crow queried with no response except for the trills and croaks of the smaller fauna. _ "Nargacuga?!"_

He hustled back to where he had just nuzzled the Wyvern and found the footprints made by their final encounter. No footprints led away from the site, only the single set that brought them here. "Well, you couldn't have gone anywhere but up?"

He craned his head up to the trees and found a familiar and devious pair of yellow eyes gazing back at him. The Wyvern did not move an inch, entertaining itself with the humans' confusion.

"Really? It's hide and seek now?" Nargacuga's ears perked up; the Wyvern's gig was up. Crow swore the Nargacuga held a smirk behind its beak. Then, like the shadow they were, they vanished into the cliff face they had peeked from. Crow bit at his lips, debating how he was supposed to get up there. No vines, no overgrowth, no wedge beetles.

"I don't wanna climb a cliff, Cuga." Crow sighed in dejection and prepared himself to scale the nearest tree to see if he could make a jump. "I'm not giving up!"

He called up to the cave entrance. No sooner did his foot sink into the tree trunk than a firm poke at his back spun him around. The tip of the Nargacuga's tail hung before him, dangled from the cave entrance on high. The appendage was offered, and Crow didn't need any more convincing. The Hunter struggled to wrap his arms around the tip without scratching his armor on the razor-tipped scales buried beneath the fur.

Once his grip was secure enough, the Cuga hoisted him high. Compared to the bulk of muscle and murder, he might as well have been the leaf of a tree. The Cuga stepped forward, inviting the Human into the cave mouth.

Crow released the tail, boots thunking against the hard stone floor. "Thanks." A chuff reverberated off the cave walls and welcomed him. The Cuga slunk deeper into the dim light of the carved-out tunnel. Their journey wasn't done just yet.

Deeper into the mountain, the cave curved into a deeper chamber illuminated by the flickering green glow of Omenflies and the soft bioluminescence of fungal growth. The two-leveled cavern sported a collection of gathered furs layered into a shallow divot. Claw marks adorned many of the walls, and a small hoard of trinkets had been arranged on the lower level of the cave.

“This must be your place, huh?" Crow observed the Purple Nargacuga's home. Nice and concealed, near water, near prey.

Dragged along by the insistence of Nargacuga's Tail, Crow found himself standing at the foot of a Wyvern's 'bed.' Nargacuga lowered themselves down with a relieved grumble. Though they were not satisfied laying down alone, as evidenced by the Cuga's tail dragging Crow in by his waist until a broad paw snagged him in beneath bladed wings.

Smooth chest chutes pressed flush to his back, rising and falling with the deep breaths of the Wyvern. Unable to move, unwilling to cause a fuss, Crow simply relaxed. “So, you just wanted a human teddy bear or something?"

Nargacuga grumbled in response and brought its beak down to preen through Crow's head of hair. That beak capable of biting his head from his shoulders instead vied to care for him like a mate. Surrounded by the Purple Nargacuga, he felt a peace wash over him. Sleeping in the wilds was usually a death sentence but with a layer of Wyvern blocking him from the rest of the world? Crow had a good feeling he could catch some rest.

It had been a long day of adventuring after all, no doubt when he awoke there would be many more challenges to face.

==== Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, I'd love to see some feedback or love! ====