Guided by the Scoutflies, Arlow began his ascent. He climbed the thick vines growing along the massive roots of the Ancient Forest's centerpiece, the Great Tree.
"Running this far after being injured... this bird sure can hustle," Arlow muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Using the Slinger's Clutch Claw as a grappling hook, he pulled himself onto a broad wooden shelf. Within the Great Tree, life thrived in layers.
Abundant rainwater collected in the tree's complex internal structures, forming countless small streams that flowed through channels of wood and soil before cascading down to the forest floor and eventually the sea.
Arlow stood before one such crystalline stream. The interior of the Great Tree was a world unto itself—a vertical ecosystem teeming with flora and fauna. Various botanical and insect materials were visible at every turn.
"Something's coming, meow!" Lucerne hissed. He noticed the Scoutflies suddenly retract into the cage on Arlow's belt, a sure sign of a nearby predator.
Arlow froze mid-step near the stream, then slowly began to back away, cold sweat pricking his neck.
A creature with pale blue scales and patches of white, downy fur emerged from a hollow in the trunk. It moved with the silent, fluid grace of a leopard, walking on all fours.
It was a Tobi-Kadachi.
Arlow cursed his momentary lapse in caution but felt a wave of relief. In the New World, unless provoked or part of a major ecological disturbance, Tobi-Kadachi were generally non-aggressive toward Hunters who kept their distance.
Man and monster met at a crossroad of branches. The Fanged Wyvern's snake-like head turned toward Arlow. It paused, its vertical pupils tracking his every movement with wary intensity.
Seeing Arlow back away to yield the path, the Tobi-Kadachi watched him for a few tense seconds before continuing on its way.
It vanished into the dense foliage of the Great Tree's mid-section without a sound.
"Phew!" Arlow let out a long, shuddering breath.
In the game, a Tobi-Kadachi might ignore you, but in reality, there are no guarantees. The distance between them had been dangerously close.
Given its incredible agility, if it had lunged, Arlow wouldn't have stood a chance. The creature's paws were padded like a jaguar's, muffling its footsteps and allowing it to ghost through the forest in total silence.
Thankfully, it hadn't viewed him as an enemy.
After that heart-stopping encounter, Arlow continued through a series of wooden tunnels toward the mid-layers of the Great Tree.
The interior was hollowed out in places, with massive branches forming a natural spiral staircase leading toward the heavens—a living, wooden tower.
The trail of the Kulu-Ya-Ku continued to lead upward.
Arlow frowned. "A Kulu-Ya-Ku's nest shouldn't be this high. We're entering Rath territory."
"Would a Kulu-Ya-Ku really climb this high into the forest, meow? What is it thinking?" Lucerne wondered.
Arlow was equally puzzled. The bird-wyvern had a low standing in the food chain and was naturally timid. Why would it risk venturing into the upper canopy, the most dangerous part of the Ancient Forest?
Setting his doubts aside, Arlow pressed on, moving with double the caution. As the altitude increased, Noios (Wingdrakes) could be seen resting on the inner branches. Ahead, a large gap in the tree's "wall" revealed the world outside.
"Lucerne! Get over here! Look at this view!" Arlow hurried to the edge of the wooden platform.
"Coming, meow!" Lucerne trotted over, and the two stood side-by-side, peering out from the Great Tree.
Under a brilliant blue sky, several Wingdrakes soared lazily, their cries echoing in the wind. Below them lay an endless, vibrant sea of green.
There were clearings where Aptonoth grazed, hidden lakes reflecting the sun, and silver streams snaking through the canopy.
To the south, the Ancient Forest met the boundless, sparkling ocean.
To the east, the Astera base was visible—a sprawling fortress of ships nestled between cliffs and reefs. Massive waterwheels turned by waterfalls provided power to the entire settlement. Further east lay the barren, sun-scorched Wildspire Waste.
To the north, jagged cliffs and deep, desolate canyons acted as a barrier. Beyond those walls sat the vertical ecosystem of the Coral Highlands and the Rotten Vale.
Arlow squinted toward the furthest northern horizon, toward the Elder's Recess—the convergence of the bioenergy veins and the end of the River of Souls.
In one glance, he had taken in sixty percent of the New World's geography.
The world felt vast, open, and magnificent. A gentle breeze brushed his face, clearing the lingering tension from his mind. It was the feeling of standing on a summit, but this vista belonged only to this world.
His soul, once dulled by a "jungle" of steel and concrete, felt suddenly painted with the vivid colors of this wild frontier.
"Lucerne, have you ever seen anything like this?" Arlow asked softly.
"No, meow. I've always stayed in the lower levels or the outskirts," the Palico replied, his wide eyes trying to soak in every detail. "I'm so happy, meow! I finally see it all... so this is the Ancient Forest!"
Lucerne began to dance and point with excitement.
"That's Astera, meow!" "The Wildspire Waste is over there!" "And the north... it looks like a completely different world!"
The cat's paws moved frantically, pointing at one landmark after another, his eyes full of curiosity and longing. Arlow felt exactly the same.
"This is just the beginning," Arlow promised. "I told you, Lucerne. We're going to see it all."
"Meow!" Lucerne jumped high in the air.
Yes, this was only the start. The stone pillars of the Wildspire, the skeletal remains of the Dalamadur in the Vale, the cloud-touching peaks of the Highlands, and the crystalline heart of the Recess.
The frozen wastes of the Hoarfrost Reach. The Isle of Origin.
One day, they would go there.
Calming his racing heart, Arlow refocused on the Kulu-Ya-Ku. But the creature's route was becoming increasingly bizarre. They were approaching the very crown of the Great Tree—the heart of the Raths' nesting grounds.
"What is that bird doing?" Arlow whispered.
ROAR!
A soul-piercing shriek erupted from outside the tree. Arlow crept to a gap in the bark and looked out. He saw a Rathian screaming as she flew at top speed toward the canopy.
"What's happening?"
ROAR!
Another roar followed, this one descending from the very top of the tree. Arlow's eyes widened as an impossible thought crossed his mind.
"That Kulu-Ya-Ku... it couldn't be trying to steal a Rath-egg, could it?"
He was stunned by the idea. No Kulu-Ya-Ku was that suicidal—unless it was the legendary "Arch-Tempered" variant.
ROAR!BOOM!
From the canopy above, the furious bellows of a Rathalos echoed, punctuated by the sound of rushing flames and explosive impacts.
"It got caught!"
Just as Arlow prepared to retreat to avoid the crossfire, a pale yellow blur scrambled out of the tunnel leading to the canopy.
"The Kulu-Ya-Ku?! And what's that in its arms?!" Arlow stared in disbelief as the battered, limping bird-wyvern came sprinting toward him, clutching a massive, ornate egg.
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