Logan, unaware of Aki's little act behind him, only felt a bit helpless. He had thought the Chameleos had long since left, yet to his surprise, it was still hanging around!
Did it really have nothing better to do?
Didn't it need to return to its own lair?
Logan couldn't figure it out.
Not long after the Chameleos finally left, the Fire Wyverns too returned to their nests one by one, settling down to digest what they had witnessed today.
Though no one knew exactly what had happened during Logan's absence, one thing was certain: from this day on, the Fire Wyvern pack of the Ancient Tree would truly reign over the Ancient Forest.
With a leader capable of intimidating even an Elder Dragon, the pack now had undeniable confidence.
When Logan returned to his nest—abandoned for over a month—he immediately noticed something wrong.
Most of his scent had faded from the nest. That was normal. He had been gone for over a month, the lair wasn't fully enclosed, and with the cats constantly tending to it, scents were bound to dissipate quickly.
But why was Aki's scent just as faint?
Turning his head, he saw her entering slowly, head lowered as if lost in thought, dragging her steps for reasons he didn't understand.
Now that his excitement had cooled, Logan finally noticed: many of Aki's scales had been freshly replaced.
And some of the harder-to-shed ones, like the plates along her back, bore clear signs of erosion from wind and sand.
A faint sniff picked up the trace of blood clinging to her.
Given how particular Aki always was about cleanliness, carefully scrubbing away every bloodstain after hunting or feeding, she should never have carried such a scent.
Aki's body was spotless, yet even so, the scent of blood lingered faintly on her. It could only mean that during the time Logan had been gone, she had endured battles and slaughter so constant she hadn't even had time to fully shed her scales.
Just as Logan was about to ask, Aki suddenly lifted her head before him. For some reason, her eyes carried a hint of quiet reproach.
Then, without warning, she bit into Logan's neck and slammed him to the ground. As he stared up in bewilderment, she jabbed the spines of her jaw against his cheek in a fit of sulky defiance, before sprawling her whole body across his back, pinning him firmly beneath her.
It was just like when they were young—on those countless rainy nights, when Aki spread her double spines to shield him, bearing the storm herself to give Logan a warm, sheltered embrace.
Feeling that familiar heat against him, Logan stopped resisting. He lay still, at peace, and let himself sink into the quiet moment.
But of course—nothing ever stays undisturbed.
"Gwaa, gwaa!" (So this is your nest? Pretty cozy, gwaa!)
The Chameleos's voice suddenly rang out—from deeper inside the den, near the pool.
It stretched out its limbs lazily, flopping down by the water in a flat, duck-like sprawl. Meeting the startled stares of Logan and Aki—and the armed Fire Wyvern guard Grimalkynes who had rushed over in a fluster yet still held their weapons firmly—the Chameleos merely turned its head, opened its mouth wide, and took a leisurely sip from the pool.
A moment later, Logan's furious roar shook the entire Ancient Tree.
Nearby Fire Wyverns panicked at the sudden outburst, not knowing what had happened.
"How are you here!!"
Logan was dumbfounded. Why wouldn't this thing leave him alone?!
Back in the Coral Highlands, he could understand the Chameleos's actions—he hadn't even minded them.
After all, with both a Shagaru Magala and the Gore Magala appearing, who knew if the Coral Highlands only had that one Gore Magala slain by Nergigante?
In that situation, traveling together had made sense, at least for mutual protection.
And even when they returned, he could still understand it.
After all, he had flown the whole way back riding favorable winds, speeding his journey. Following him had cost the Chameleos little effort at all.
What was this situation now?
It had followed him all the way back to his own lair!
And what was with that ridiculous duck-flat sprawl?
Wasn't that a posture only short-legged creatures assumed when they were completely relaxed?
Aki too was startled. She immediately leapt off Logan's back, fixing the Chameleos with a hostile glare, her expression saying she could unleash a charged fireball at any moment.
"Gwaa!" (I'm just resting here.)
The Chameleos spoke with perfect confidence.
When Logan had returned, he had been flying almost nonstop, barely taking any rest.
Trailing after him, it had grown tired as well. And since they had spent those days in the Coral Highlands living in the same territory, wasn't it reasonable now to rest a little in Logan's place?
After all, they had fought side by side, a team cutting down enemies together!
Even if it hadn't asked beforehand, surely Logan wouldn't throw it out, right?
With that thought, the Chameleos calmly took another sip of water.
Three minutes later—
The Chameleos, gazing at the distant sunset, began to question its very existence.
Turning its head, it saw Logan standing guard at the nest entrance, face full of disdain, while the wind from the heights of the Ancient Tree brushed past.
It could hardly believe it—Logan had actually driven it out!
Once again, it felt the sting of Logan's ruthlessness, grinding down its Elder Dragon dignity into the dirt.
Unbearable!
Turn back!
"Gwaa!" (I'm leaving! Really leaving!)
It snapped angrily, then turned and slipped into invisibility.
Watching the leaves sway in the distance, Logan finally let out a breath of relief.
Who knew what the Chameleos had been through before? But ever since Logan had shown his strength and, in a way, saved it, the creature had dropped all the aloofness an Elder Dragon should have carried before him.
Instead, it behaved as though it hadn't spoken with another being in centuries—always "gwaa, gwaa, gwaa" right at his ear, so noisy that Logan had no interest in conversing at all.
Now, at last, it was gone. The world could finally be quiet again.
But as Logan turned back into the nest, he didn't notice—the very leaves that had just stilled began to rustle once more.
The Chameleos tiptoed back into Logan's nest, sneaking around the patrolling cats until it reached the poolside once again.
What a joke—Logan told it to leave, and it would just leave? Did it have no dignity?
Besides, it would take several days to return from here to Astera. Out there it would have to sleep under the open sky, with no safe place to rest. Wouldn't it be better to spend the night comfortably inside Logan's nest?
Those cats, and even the Fire Wyverns outside—weren't they all free guards? Not to use them would be a waste!
And even if Logan disagreed, so what? Would he really notice?
With that thought, the Chameleos carefully studied the cats' patrol routes. Then, finding a very well-hidden corner where they would never pass, it happily curled up and lay down.
Logan had no idea that this fellow had once again sneaked back in.
At that moment, he was sharing with Aki the things they had each experienced during their time apart.
He hadn't expected Aki to be "assigned" to guard the entrance of the great canyon in the Wildspire Waste, nor had he imagined that, in places he couldn't see, so many Frenzied monsters had poured into the gorge.
Especially the Thunder Wolf Wyvern she described—just from Aki's account of its appearance, Logan could already tell it was definitely an apex specimen.
Thankfully, the Huntsman had been there. Otherwise, who knew how many wyverns they would have lost just to bring down that Frenzied Zinogre.
That was an apex specimen!
A monster with a body at Elder Dragon level should never be underestimated!
And from Logan's words, Aki came to understand the nature of his connection with that Chameleos.
She hadn't thought her mate would take part in a battle to hunt down an Elder Dragon, let alone that he would join forces with the Chameleos to drive back the true culprit behind such a catastrophe.
It made Aki feel that Logan had indeed grown tremendously strong, and she was proud of him.
Yet beneath those emotions was an even stronger desire—not to be separated from Logan for so long ever again.
During the battles at the great canyon, Aki had also come to a clearer understanding of her own strength.
She had once thought of herself as nothing more than a Fire Wyvern. Even if she was a special case, in the process of transforming toward a Gold Rathian, she still believed her strength fell short compared to tempered Azure Rathalos.
But the truth was, as her metamorphosis progressed and with the boost of Symbiosis energy holding a high rank for years now, her power had already grown immensely.
There were even signs of her becoming like a Gold Rathian—proficient in every aspect.
After more than a month in the canyon, Aki's performance had been second only to the tempered Azure Rathalos.
In fact, when facing certain Frenzied Brute Wyverns, her results were even better than those of the tempered Azure Rathalos.
Her virulent poison proved especially effective against those stubborn brutes with overwhelming vitality!
Perhaps, once Aki advanced further—reaching the same stage as Logan, with scales shifting to a metallic sheen—her strength within the Fire Wyvern group of the Ancient Tree would rank just below Logan and the Flame Rathalos.
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