Monster Hunter Rise: A Cat's Price

Story by ReynartWrites on SoFurry

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A hunter isn't quite sure how to learn to improve his abilities when he spots what he believes is a large palico. Perhaps a felyne with plenty of experience can teach him a thing or two.


A village sat nestled against a cliff with water rising and falling around it. Buildings were placed along the hills with a main hub area leading to the others via bridges, both manmade and natural. It was here where the Kamura hunters had made their home. Down one path, a set of low hanging branches with pink blossoms covered a tea shop with soft shade while another path around the outside of the village held tall trees at the edges with vibrant green leaves swaying in the breeze. Guild hunters worked tirelessly to provide for the village, and to keep it safe from any abnormalities in the monsters wandering the wilderness outside of the village. Hunters had their weapons, concoctions, and contraptions to help them combat the powerful creatures, but there were also trustworthy allies that they could rely on. Canyne Palamutes and felyne Palicos could be trusted to give hunters much-needed support on the field as distractions and more. However, there were certain buddies that hunted by themselves instead of with hunters. There weren’t that many but one, in particular, sat at the tea shop in Kamuro with a cup between his paws. It was an older felyne with black fur peppered silver wearing a jinbei top left open instead of tied along with a rounded cap made of bamboo. He was larger than most felynes with a stocky and strong build, bright violet eyes peering out from the shade of the wide-brimmed hat. Taro wasn’t a palico as much as he was a hunter himself but such a thing had only been seen in other regions as a prowler. He could take down any monster without a problem and had even earned official recognition by the guild as a hunter, though the term prowler remained. Other hunters had tried to garner his support as a palico but he simply didn’t feel like playing second fiddle to a hunter, and he figured that no one would take him seriously if he didn’t complete hunts on his own. That being said, he’d be lying if he said it didn’t get a little lonely now and then. A small smile touched his features as he reached up to touch a scar that lined the bridge of his nose. Of course, it wasn’t the danger of being alone that bothered him, and to be honest, too much noise never suited him either. At the same time, it would be nice to have someone warming his bed now and then, or to have a scratching post when he was feeling frisky during a hunt. Ah well, he didn’t need a hunting partner for that. He could just find himself a fine piece of meat who was looking for companionship at the village. Such thoughts were probably better left for when he wasn’t sitting at a tea shop. Taro brought the cup to his mouth taking a sip, eyes shut as he heard a voice from behind.

“You’re a tough-looking cat, aren’t you?”

He tilted his head and turned it just enough to see a hunter standing in armor with a big smile. He was an olive-skinned sort with curly hair and deep green eyes. For a hunter, he seemed kind of short, or maybe Taro was just that tall for a felyne. Regardless, he decided not to answer the hunter and go back to his drink, tail flicking back and forth.

The hunter seemingly wasn’t deterred and continued to speak instead of walking off, “Hi! My name is Obi. I’m a fresh hunter. Just got approved and everything! I’ll be heading off to fight a Great Izutchi of all things and was lookin’ for a palico to join along since well, I can’t say that I’m the strongest. Iori’s not around to help me out on that one so I figured I’d do some scouting of my own? Whaddya think?”

Taro sniffed, “Name's Taro, and I'm more of a prowler than a palico and for the most part, I like solo hunting.”

For a moment, the hunter was quiet and Taro figured that was that but soon enough, Obi’s voice came again as he took a seat next to the felyne, “Then you can watch and tell me all about my mistakes! If you’re a felyne and working alone out in the field that must mean you know your stuff!”

A chuckle came from Taro as he looked toward the hunter, “You want a felyne coaching you? Isn’t that a little embarrassing? Shouldn’t you be aiming a little higher than that?”

Obi put a hand over Taro’s head and hummed, “Well, you’re pretty tall for a felyne, and to be honest, I’ve already had a few embarrassing run-ins with other hunters. I figure if you’re so tough then you can rescue my tail and also whip it into shape and maybe not laugh when a bullfango knocks me out.”

Was this fledgling hunter seriously asking him to be a tutor? He wasn’t a teacher, wasn’t a master looking to pass down his techniques. Then again, hadn’t he been itching for a scratching post? Hadn’t he just been remarking on how he had been lonely? More than that, he remembered how he had started. Nothing more than a fledgling kitten looking to make something out of himself. Maybe he had a soft spot for folk who were a little green around the gills but he just couldn’t find it in himself to tell the fledgling hunter that he wouldn’t do it. Besides, it was endlessly funny to think of the stories told of a legendary hunter trained by a felyne of all things. Now that sounded nice.

With a small smile, he brought the cup to his mouth and drained the rest of the flowery concoction before setting it down with a sigh, “Okay. I’ll bite. We’re not going to be taking any missions, though. I’m not going to save you and complete anything critical for you and I figure if you’re not confident then I doubt you could take down even a Great Izutchi. Cancel your mission and slot up for an expedition instead.”

The hunter leaned on the table with both of his hands on it, “Really?!”

Taro chuckled and crossed his arms while leaning back, “Yup but y’gotta do everything I say. First, we’ll head out into the field to see how you do against some smaller monsters and then we’ll establish a new camp that’ll give you a workout. Oh, and no wirebugs allowed until I see that you can move your tail yourself.”

“Yes meowster, sir!” Said Obi as he got up to bow.

“C’mon, don’t embarrass yourself like that. Now go on, get us signed up for an expedition.” Taro replied with a snort while shooing them away with a flick of the paw.

Once Obi straightened up and sauntered off to do as he was told, Taro headed over to a hut he had been using as his quarters to get ready. Obi was already geared up and prepared for a hunt but Taro had yet to make his preparations. He wrapped a beaded petal lace bracelet around his wrist and placed bracers that covered both arms but left his paws open. Next came the leg guards and then the wrap for his top, tying it so his chest was still exposed but the material wouldn’t flap in the wind. He then took his sword from the foot of the bed and strapped it to his back. Taro felt comfortable with the weight on his back and it reminded him of the danger inherent in hunting, and the thrill. With that done, they left for the Ruined Shrine to begin this lesson in hunting.

Far past the village laid an area that had once been the location of a shrine. The buildings laid in ruin serving as the nests of monsters surrounded by mountains and tall bamboo. The base camp sat atop a cliff with a brook leading over to a field full of white flowers. Taro sat on a boulder in this field with his legs crossed and his sword set at his side. At the moment, he was watching a scene unfold below with a mixture of pity, concern, and humor. Obi was fighting off a pack of small Izutchi with his longsword out but it might’ve been better to say that he was running. The small red raptors were barking and baying at the hunter while chasing him down and Obi was darting back and forth. Of course, the Izutchi were much more aggressive in particular because Taro had snuck a piece of bait into Obi’s outfit. He had expected Obi to fight back and get roughed up a bit but this was too funny. That being said, he didn’t want to discourage Obi so he didn’t laugh. He simply sat there stone-faced while his new pupil was run down by monsters smaller than Obi himself.

At some point, he decided to call out, “Stand and fight! They might have claws and fangs but you have a sword so use it!”

Obi froze at his words and turned, immediately getting headbutt in the gut by one of the Izutchi. The hunter stumbled back but grabbed his sword with both hands and steadied himself to fight. Taro watched as his pupil fought the smaller monsters. It was sloppy but Obi was fighting back instead of running away and in the end, the hunter won. There were several Izutchi littering the ground ready to be carved and Obi went through the process of collecting their hides and claws before sitting on the ground with a sigh.

“Catch!” He called out while tossing a bottle. The hunter turned his attention toward Taro and caught the bottle, blinking while Taro explained, “Drain that potion down and let’s keep moving. We’re going to establish a new camp and set it up ourselves instead of getting someone else to do it.”

The young hunter sighed, “Seriously? Well, at least it’ll be easier than getting hounded by tiny monsters.”

While Obi drank the potion, Taro grinned from ear to ear, fangs flashing in the sunlight. Oh, how little this hunter knew. The new camp was far from base and far from where they were standing. It was located past the old shrine and up above in the cliffs. They weren’t using anything but their hands and legs to get to where they were going so when Obi saw that ascent, he sighed deeply and turned his head downward. Taro couldn’t help but laugh at that as he jumped up and latched onto a small incline.

“C’mon! You’ve got all the supplies on your back so if I make it there first I’ll die of boredom having to wait for you all day!”

Despite what he had said, Taro waited for Obi at various points up the mountain. He stopped at various shelves and watched Obi’s progress, encouraging him, prodding him, clapping, and sometimes even helping him despite saying he would do no such thing. Up and up they went until they got to a point near the top with a large flat surface they could use as a camp. Taro crouched at the edge while watching Obi struggle up the last few inches before throwing himself flat on the ground with his legs still hanging off. Gently, Taro pulled the panting hunter onto the shelf properly before taking the bags from him.

Obi slowly got up to his feet, wobbling just a bit while breathing out, “I’ll never take the wirebugs for granted ever again.”

Taro began to roll out the bags one by one to get what they needed prepared while grunting, “And we’ll keep doing training like this until I’m sure you’re strong enough to take things down on your own. You’re agile though, you should be using more of that footwork of yours against the monsters instead of running and wincing from them.”

A moment of silence touched the air between them before Obi sniffed, “Y’know, you didn’t seem eager to do this and you’ve been pretty harsh on me, but your instruction seems sound and you almost seem like you’re enjoying this.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, “Is it that obvious?” Taro then looked over toward the young hunter while scratching his cheek with one digit, “Green hunters like you are always fun to look at. All the mistakes you make are something to watch for but it is the passion you put in wanting to rise that makes my blood boil. Besides that, you agreed to do anything I asked, so I look forward to sharing a bedroll with you.”

The young hunter put a hand on his chin, eyes furrowed until they suddenly widened, cheeks bursting with color before he scrambled to help Taro set up camp, “Right. Thank you for your instruction and uh, I guess I look forward to whatever you have planned for me, meowster.”

Meowster. What a ridiculous thing for a hunter to call a felyne, however, Taro could get used to that very odd title. As the sun began to fall, Taro and Obi worked together to set up camp. A tent was set up with two bedrolls and a supply box. They made a firepit together with a spit hanging over it that soon had a piece of meat rotating over flames that added an amber glow to the camp as the sun fell over the horizon. Finally done, the armor came off to be set aside, weapons sheathed and crossed together against the large tent while the armor laid in neat stacks nearby. Taro stood nude in front of the fire with a pouch in one paw, the other grasping a spice from within before tossing it over the meat, Obi spinning the meat slowly to make sure that every inch was covered. The hunter had opted to stay in his underwear despite knowing where things were most likely going. That was fine, Taro liked to bite and claw a little.

While the meat kept roasting, and Taro continued adding spice, Obi spoke up quietly, “Thank you for your instruction today. Y’know, I got left in the dust a lot to the point where even the instructors just told me to wing it. You didn’t pity me either, you told me to stand and fight. I already have a few scars from my mistakes and I figured today I’d earn some more from those small monsters, but instead, I actually managed to do it. You even told me that I was agile, that I should use that more. I’ll take that advice to heart, meowster.”

Taro looked toward him for a few seconds before snorting, “I thought about telling you to stuff it, but hey, you’re welcome. Starting out without the right guidance is rough. That being said, don’t expect me to come rescue you if you get in trouble.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it! A good palico like me knows how to run and hide.” Said the hunter without a shred of dignity.

They looked at one another, forest eyes meeting his violet before they both began to chuckle, “My Palico, huh? Guess that means you’ll be waiting on me hand and foot during every single one of my quests. Hm, could get used to that idea.”

Obi stopped chuckling, cheeks flushing with color again beneath the light of the fire while he kept turning the spit. Taro was about to make a joke about cats and tongues when the young hunter cleared his throat, “Y’know, I wouldn’t mind too much. Having a little instruction in life can feel nice. Following orders is easier than leading, after all.”

“Then after we eat. You’ll follow every little thing I ask you to do for me in that tent.” Taro rumbled.

And that was that. No other words were shared between them while the spit continued to spin. It wasn’t long before their meal was ready and soon enough, picked clean to the bone by both of them. Taro was the first to retire to the tent, rubbing his rounded belly with a satisfied purr. He figured that Obi would back out on what they had been talking about but was soon proved wrong as the young hunter stepped through the flap. Taro turned his head enough to see that Obi was slipping out of his underwear, meager human shaft twitching and already hard from what he could see. He brought himself around to watch properly, noting the subtle curve of Obi’s hips like they were meant to be grabbed. The older felyne licked his chops and found one of his paws coming down between his legs to grab onto his shaft and start tugging, that heavy girth growing harder and harder with each tug.

“Here I figured you might run away.” Taro purred.

Obi took a seat near one of the bedrolls and shook his head, “No way. Figure I might as well go along with whatever you want to repay you. This is what you want, right?”

Taro stepped toward the young hunter and placed a paw on his cheek, leaning in so their mouths were nearly touching, “No zenny needed, no materials either. Just a little piece of meat like you will do as payment. This is what I was after the entire time.”

The young hunter shuddered beneath his touch as he captured Obi’s lips. Their mouths melded together, parting for a few seconds to let their tongues meet to deepen the kiss. It had been a while since he had gotten this opportunity so he savored it, leaning in closer and closer while both of his hands grasped onto Obi’s shoulders. There were scars along one shoulder, claw marks that reminded him of the Izutchi that this hunter had struggled with. With such a pathetic display it was no wonder he called Taro meowster, why he had offered to be a palico of all things despite not being a felyne. Maybe Taro should accept that offer. Growing hungrier with that thought, his claws came out to grasp onto the human’s shoulders, digging in just a bit as he brought them around to Obi’s back to trace. Each movement of his claws left white lines and brought about a wince from the young hunter.

When their lips parted, a line of spittle remained between them to mark the connection, their claws digging in just a bit more while he rumbled, “Get on your back and get ready to use that tongue of yours to show me just what you’re going to do for me every hunt. A sweat rag, a toy, that’s what you are once you step inside of this tent. You don’t like that, you walk off but if you want to be my pupil then this is the price you pay, got it?”

He let go of Obi and the hunter simply nodded before lying on his back. Taro was beginning to enjoy that obedience. Grunting, he stood over the hunter's face before dropping down to set his fat balls on his lips. It didn’t take long before he felt a soft tongue lapping at his heavy orbs, the tongue replacing every bead of sweat with warm spittle that cooled the instant the air touched it. He grabbed hold of his shaft, tugging on it while grinding his balls to the young hunter’s face. The sweat was soon gone from his orbs and he dragged them over the hunter’s nose, pushing firmly before coming back to the lips and just a bit lower. Taro then sat on Obi’s face, fat rump squished around the young hunter’s head with his puckered hole planting a kiss on Obi’s lips. That soft tongue that had been worshipping his balls moved quickly to worship his ass as well. It lapped away the sweat before dipping inside, his own body shuddering as his hunger continued to grow more and more with the hunter’s show of obedience. Taro felt as if the hunter were worshipping him, treating every part of his body as if it were precious.

“Fuck, that into an old cat’s body, huh? Shouldn’t I be the one doing this for you? Bet you couldn’t even muster up the courage to ask me to do something like this. Pathetic.” He said with a chuckle. Despite his taunting, Obi didn’t slow down, in fact, he seemed to quicken the pace, deepening the kiss with his rear. In return, Taro dropped his hips just a bit more to smother the hunter with his rump, purring and growling as he felt his hunger nearing its peak, “That’s right. The only time I’ll be eating your ass is to prep it to be bred and your mouth in this tent will be better spent worshipping my body instead of talking. Y’really wanna be my little hunter gone palico? Then bend over for me once I get up and spread your ass.”

Instead of getting up immediately, Taro bounced, rolling his hips down to grind his asshole against the young hunter’s tongue. Once he felt like he got his point across, he got up, savoring the feeling of that warm spittle on his rear along with the huff of breath coming from Obi’s panting mouth. The human turned on his stomach, raising his rear high while planting his face to the floor as if he were begging for forgiveness. Before he went feral, Taro grabbed a bottle from a bag and bit the cork off, spitting out before moving behind Obi. One paw grasped that cute rear, claws digging in just a bit as he spread. He planted a firm kiss on that puckered hole, letting his tongue trail out to taste his new mate before he pulled away. The older felyne growled and spat on Obi’s rear before dumping out the contents of the bottle onto that puckered hole slick with his spit and onto his own thick length. Taro then tugged his shaft with one hand, making sure the lube was all over while his other paw pushed two digits inside of Obi’s ass to make sure he was spread. Once the third digit managed to fit inside, he pulled them all out at once with a wet pop causing the human to gasp.

Slowly, he took his cock and eased the tip into place, pushing it in as carefully as he could manage. Once he was dipping inside of those tight shallows, both of his claws grabbed onto the hunter’s sides to dig in. Unable to control himself, he drove his hips forward and stretched that tight rear wide open. Each movement of his body served to break his feral desire free into the world, the human’s moans urging him to keep going while his claws kept on digging in until he felt a warm trickle. It wasn’t long before their balls kissed and he brought a foot up to push on the human’s calf as he took a dominant position to begin pounding that tight rump with all his might. Obi’s moans grew louder, his body trembling beneath every thrust while the older felyne hissed in pure delight. He leaned over and tore one of his claws away from the human’s hips to take a fistful of hair and tug on it hard, Obi’s gasps growing louder once Taro bit down on his shoulder. The other set of claws he had on the hunter’s hips moved up to the side leaving marks where he could before coming onto the other shoulder to drag down. His claws digging into something, breaking something down bit by bit along with his fangs buried in the hunter’s shoulder brought him a shudder and primal pleasure that boiled within his gut as a precious pressure. His hips kept on moving with the pure desire to breed while his fangs held onto his mate’s shoulder. Obi didn’t complain, didn’t tell him to stop, simply moaned for more and more of his meowster’s love.

With such passion, with such an answer to his feral hunger, how could he hold back? One more thrust and hot cum began to pour out of his shaft. That thick substance stained the hunter’s insides, filling them with an amount that would have knocked someone up in a heartbeat. Each shot seemed to stretch the hunter’s abdomen just a bit, pushing at his deepest spot over and over again until Taro’s climax had finished. He pulled his fangs off of Obi’s shoulder and pulls his claws away as well, tugging out of that abused rear to take a good look at his work. With a satisfied growl, he swatted Obi’s rear once and pushed him over onto his back with a foot on his thigh.

While Obi was panting, Taro moved to his head and grabbed his hair, tugging lips and nose to the base of those heavy balls while growling, “Any complaints about how I treat you?” Obi shook his head, trembling while Taro pulled away to aim the tip of his cock toward the hunter’s lips, “Then open wide and worship this. It was just in your rear, but it belongs to your meowster. So thank me for it and get it done.”

Obi breathed out, “Thank you meowster, for teaching me how to worship.”

With that said, the young hunter brought his mouth over Taro’s shaft, dragging his head back and forth while his tongue slid over the length. He could feel himself getting hard again, getting ready for another round, and so he grabbed the hunter by the hair and began to push. Obi gagged a bit but remained in place as his mouth and tongue were used to pleasure Taro. The older felyne groaned and growled, hips jerking forward to make use of his new palico's mouth. His shaft continued to grow until it was back to full erection. He thought of nothing other than breeding that soft throat, his body urging him to keep going faster and faster while his mind shifted back to a pure primal desire. Just before his second climax, Taro brought his hips back just enough that the tip of his cock was on the young hunter's tongue, hot cum pouring out to paint it with his mark. Obi waited obediently while every twitch produced another few shots of thick seed and when Taro was done, the young hunter swallowed every drop.

Obi pulled away slowly and looked at him for approval with his mouth open and tongue hanging out. Taro spat on the hunter’s tongue, before giving his cheek a pinch, “C’mon. Let’s get ready to sleep.”

Preparation for sleep meant cleaning and bandaging the bites and scratches he had left on the young hunter, his back trembling a bit in excitement as he wondered which ones would leave a visible mark for next time. When he finished, they both laid atop one of the bedrolls with Obi’s face pressed against the side of his chest near his underarm. He purred with his eyes shut wondering how much fun it would have been if he had done this sooner.

“So...Meowster. Wanna keep me around?” Asked Obi quietly.

With his eyes still closed, Taro chuckled, “Sure sure...I’ll even get you a specially made petal lace choker for a stealthy pet collar.”

Obi chuckled, “Why don’t you just put a wedding ring on me?”

Taro growled, and pressed claws to the hunter’s skin, just enough to remind him of what had just happened, “Because I already own you.” When he felt Obi trembling, he said in a softer tone, “Besides, we just met.”

The hunter cleared his throat and said no more, the evening entirely quiet now as sleep began to take them each into the land of dreams. Taro wondered just how much he would be able to push this green hunter, and if he could continue teaching him with such a desire to turn Obi into a permanent housekeeper rather than a palico. In his dreams, Taro thought of all the little things he could do to taunt and tease his new partner. This lovely game would continue when the sun came back over the horizon and who knows, perhaps there were more hunters waiting to give themselves as palicos.