Aki had returned to her nest.
Yuno wanted to follow her in, but was mercilessly driven out.
He hovered outside the entrance, wings flapping to stay aloft, and locked eyes with Aki.
Every time he even tried to inch forward, she responded with a low growl.
She didn't physically attack him, but the message was clear: stay out.
And so, a rare stand-off began between the two wyverns.
"Uuuh~"
"Aki, I'm really tired… I can't fly much longer…"
He cautiously stretched a claw toward the entrance.
"Rrrroar!" (Get out!)
"Okay."
He pulled his foot back instantly.
A few minutes later, he spoke again.
"Aki, I don't wanna stay out here…"
"Aki, the sun's too bright… It's so hot…"
"Aki~~~"
Lying down to recover and tend to her wounds, Aki's brow twitched.
Yuno's constant whining and chirping was grating on her nerves.
"ROOOAARRR!!!"
Can you SHUT UP already!!!
Aki's furious roar echoed through the canyon. Her eyes burned with irritation, and she almost charged just to give him a tail smack.
"Uuh…"
Seeing she was truly angry, Yuno whimpered pitifully and fell silent.
Aki glared at him for a while longer, making sure he was actually quiet before huffing in annoyance.
She slammed her tail against the ground a few times, then laid back down.
That earlier battle with the unfamiliar Pukei-Pukei had left her with more than a few injuries.
The worst was her wing membrane, which had been torn open in the initial impact and later soaked in venom.
Now, that area was starting to rot.
But what truly annoyed her wasn't the pain.
It was the fact that she wouldn't be able to go out hunting until the wound healed.
Which meant…
She'd go hungry for a few days.
Going hungry wouldn't kill a wyvern, sure. But that gnawing emptiness, that sickening, hollow ache, was something she never wanted to experience again.
Every time her stomach went empty for too long, she remembered the days after their mother left the nest and never returned.
There had been six hatchlings back then.
Now… only three were still alive.
Her one open eye glanced toward the cave entrance,
Yuno was, once again, trying to sneak his foot over the edge.
The moment their eyes met, he jerked it back in panic.
That dumb, stubborn expression made her unsure whether to be angry or laugh.
But watching him hover steadily in place, wings flapping with practiced rhythm, a different thought crossed her mind.
Among her own brood, Aki had always been special.
She was the first to fly, the strongest, and the smartest.
After their mother vanished, she was the one who first left the nest to scout the area.
She was also the first to decide to go hunting, even while her siblings remained curled up inside, crying with hunger.
If not for her, her foolish siblings would never have survived, much less learned how to hunt in a group under her leadership.
Eventually, they all went their separate ways.
Not only because she believed they could survive alone,
but also because she simply couldn't stand their idiocy anymore.
Yet even with her exceptional instincts and strength, when she was Yuno's size…
she had just barely started flying, let alone fought monsters like that.
Yuno's performance in that fight had been monstrous.
He didn't fight like a hatchling at all.
His instincts, his tactical decisions…
They were things she had never seen in any of her siblings. Not even close.
He was like her.
One of the few who stood out.
But with his current size, he really should've still been with his mother.
And yet, he was already capable of fighting on his own.
He didn't need to be treated like some helpless fledgling.
That was what troubled Aki.
She wanted to drive him away.
But she couldn't bring herself to go through with it completely.
Because at the end of the day…
she wasn't actually his mother.
All she had done was imitate what her own mother once did for her.
She didn't know what it felt like to be abandoned.
Thanks to her natural talent, she never had to face true starvation after leaving the nest.
And now… with Yuno being not only a hatchling but also a male Rathalos,
her instincts clashed with her logic, and she didn't know what to do.
So all she could do was pretend she didn't notice him sticking around.
Outside the nest, Yuno saw Aki close her eyes again and relax instead of roaring or threatening him.
He breathed a small sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to sneak his foot forward again,
His stomach growled loudly.
He had only eaten a single little Raphinos that day, just as a snack.
After that, it was nonstop searching for Aki… and then the battle.
No wonder he was starving.
He glanced at Aki, who seemed to be sleeping again, and turned to fly deeper into the Wildspire Wastes.
As soon as he left, Aki's eyes snapped open.
She blinked in surprise, watching his retreating silhouette disappear into the sandy horizon.
Something stirred in her chest, an odd, unfamiliar feeling.
Maybe it was just because she hadn't seen other wyverns in a while.
She slowly walked to the cave entrance and watched him vanish into the distance.
She didn't know if they'd ever meet again.
But… with how strong Yuno had proven himself to be,
he probably wouldn't die that easily.
Returning to her nest, she closed her eyes again,
but her tail kept thumping restlessly against the ground, betraying her unsettled thoughts.
She hadn't expected to see Yuno again so soon.
In fact, she'd barely dozed off, she hadn't even fully fallen asleep yet,
when Yuno came flying back with a freshly killed Kelbi in his claws.
Before she could even react with a scowl or roar, he dropped it in front of her…
then turned around and flew off again.
Aki stared at the Kelbi's cleanly pierced corpse in confusion.
It was a perfect one-hit kill.
"…What just happened?"
The second time Yuno returned, he brought another, slightly smaller Kelbi.
But this time, he didn't offer it to her.
He just plopped himself right at the nest entrance…
and started eating.
Right there.
Munching happily. Tail wagging.
Every few bites, he'd look up at her in confusion,
as if asking, "Why aren't you eating yet?"
Aki felt like she needed to completely reevaluate this hatchling.
Didn't he just leave?
She had already prepared herself emotionally for his departure.
And now he's back?
…And bringing her food?
Did he seriously think a little offering like that would make her forgive him and let him stay?
Who did he think she was?
Did he think she was the kind of Rathian who could be bribed by a baby wyvern?
"Aauuh~"
…Tastes pretty good, though.