Meowster's furry face was clouded with confusion and uncertainty.
Temnoceran Monsters such as Nerscylla and Akura Vashimu commonly used spider silk to capture prey and drag it back to their nests, where they could feed at their leisure.
To make absolutely certain their prey could not break free of the silk and escape, however, they usually took far more thorough precautions.
Take Nerscylla, for example. They injected a sleep toxin into their prey to immobilize it completely, then wrapped it tightly in layer after layer of silk, forming a cocoon that they suspended inside their lair. Finally, they injected digestive fluids to liquefy the prey's muscles and internal organs, making it easier to consume later.
Even Large Monsters such as Gypceros, Yian Kut-Ku, and Khezu could not escape Nerscylla's grasp.
The red monkey before them, however, had only its lower body bound in silk and stuck to the canopy.
It was neither encased in a tightly wrapped cocoon nor listless. Quite the opposite, it was lively and full of energy, still strong enough to cry out, with no sign that it had been injected with toxins or digestive fluids.
By Temnoceran standards, this treatment was far too gentle for prey.
Unless...
"Stay alert, meow." Meowster scanned their surroundings. "That red animal may not be prey at all, but a 'lure' meant to draw prey in, meow.
Its cries and movements drew us here, meow. We are the real prey."
At that warning, Altaïr and the others placed their hands on their weapon grips.
Plenty of Monsters in nature used lures to hunt. Take Gobul, for example. It lurked underwater and used its luminous organ to attract nearby fish or even Small Monsters before devouring them.
None of them, however, had ever heard of a Temnoceran that hunted in a similar way.
Tidal Island was completely isolated, an unknown and untouched wilderness, so it would hardly be surprising if unique species had evolved there independently.
Besides, they could not even be certain that the Monster producing the silk was a Temnoceran; some Neopterons could also spin silk.
They remained on guard for some time. Altaïr focused most of his attention on the ground beneath his feet, wary that a Monster might burst out from below in an ambush.
Yet nearly a minute passed. The red monkey-like Monster in the tree kept screeching, but nothing else happened.
The Hunters could not help glancing at Meowster, who had also begun to question his own judgment.
If this truly was a lure trap, the Monster lurking in the shadows should have launched a surprise attack as soon as they entered its range.
Even if it was slow to react, enough time had passed. The Monster should have shown itself by now.
Could the Monster that had set the trap have left for some reason? Or had it sensed the danger they posed and decided not to attack recklessly?
"Where could it be hiding, meow...?" Sajji seemed a little nervous, his small head swiveling uneasily as he looked around.
The tense wait for an attack at any moment was deeply unnerving for a Felyne.
For portability's sake, the only machine he had brought on this survey expedition was the Rakna-Kadaki Model-4, which was intended for restraining targets. If he had known it would come to this, he would have piloted the Rathalos Model-09 here instead.
What he needed right now was a sweeping barrage of Incendiary Rounds for some reconnaissance by fire, meow!
"How about we rescue that fellow in the tree first?" Isis suggested.
She was partly moved by the red-furred monkey's pitiful cries, but her proposal rested mostly on sound judgment.
If the Monster was hiding nearby, seeing them attempt to rescue the "bait" would surely force it to reveal itself.
If nothing happened even after they rescued the red monkey, it would mean the Monster was no longer in the vicinity, and they could consider moving on to investigate elsewhere.
"That works, meow." Meowster agreed with Isis's suggestion.
Isis glanced at Clawdia beside her. Clawdia nodded, dashed to the tree, and scrambled up to the crown of the tall mangrove in a few swift movements.
Clawdia's approach only terrified the red monkey further. It flailed its forelimbs, bared its sharp canine teeth, and let out a strange cry of "Chah-oo!"
The red-furred monkey's threatening display ignited the hot-tempered Clawdia's fury. "You ungrateful little brat! I'm trying to save you, and you're still screeching at me, meow!"
Despite her anger, Clawdia drew her steel claws and slashed rapidly, trying to cut through the sticky strands. Just then, a warning cry rang out from above.
"Scree–!"
The Cohoot was warning them.
At that instant, trees rustled and branches cracked in the distant forest. Tremors rippled through the ground, as though a large creature were charging toward them at full speed.
"Hah! So it's finally showing itself?" Isis hurried to Meowster's side, raised her Large Shield and Gunlance, and turned toward the noise.
Altaïr frowned. That commotion sounded nothing like a Nerscylla-type Monster.
With its many pairs of limbs, Nerscylla usually moved almost silently, earning it the nickname "the assassin in the shadows."
Other Temnocerans might not be quite as quiet, but they should not move with such reckless force either. Perhaps it was not a Temnoceran at all, but a Neopteron. Something like a Seltas Queen?
Even as Altaïr considered the possibilities, he sprang into action. He gestured for Hibiki, who was carrying Meowster, to fall back and take cover behind him and Isis. Then he swiftly retrieved a Flash Pod and loaded it onto his Slinger, ready to fire at any moment.
If it truly was something as large as a Seltas Queen, he would fire the Flash Pod at once.
Isis was capable of taking the hit now, but there was no reason to make her weather the opening charge.
The noise in the forest drew closer and closer. The red-furred monkey's cries from the treetop grew more frantic, and it even began biting and clawing at Clawdia as she tried to cut it free.
Clawdia was furious now. She had never encountered anything so ungrateful!
The unknown Large Monster was closing in fast, and she no longer felt the slightest pity for the red-furred monkey. With one full-strength slash, her steel claws severed the spider silk binding its lower body to the branch.
So what if she had used too much force and left a few scratches on the red monkey's leg...?
Whatever. Screw it!
Once freed, the red-furred monkey dropped from the canopy. To break its fall, it hooked its forelimbs, noticeably thicker and longer than its hind legs and tipped with oversized claws, over a branch before landing nimbly.
The wounds on its leg left it unsteady, however, forcing it to drop to all fours and limp away.
"What the–why's it running that way?!" Isis shouted from behind her braced Large Shield.
The red-furred monkey was running straight toward the approaching unknown Monster!
Was it fleeing blindly in a panic? Or was there some other reason?
"Forget the monkey!" Altaïr bellowed, gripping his weapon tightly. "Get ready to fight!"
A deafening crash rang out.
A massive, dark crimson shape bounded in from the distance and landed atop the crown of a tall mangrove. It sprang again, twisting nimbly in midair before crashing heavily to the ground.
It scooped up the limping red-furred monkey and placed it on its back, fixed its dark crimson eyes on the nearby Hunters, and let out a furious roar.
"Wha–whoa! Whoa–!"
The Hunters and even Meowster froze in stunned silence for a moment.
What stood before them was neither a Temnoceran nor a Neopteron, but a crimson Fanged Beast nearly ten meters long.
In plainer terms, it was a giant red-furred monkey.
"Is that... its mom?" Sajji blurted out.
The question hardly needed an answer.
Judging by the build of the red-furred monkey Clawdia had just rescued, the two were clearly members of the same species.
Moreover, the newcomer's instinctive act of placing the smaller creature on its back to protect it did not fit the sort of dominance hierarchy seen between a Congalala leader and an ordinary Congalala. The smaller red-furred monkey was most likely the cub of this unknown Fanged Beast.
Had the cub been captured by some silk-spitting Monster and cried out for help, only for its parent to arrive just as the Hunters stumbled upon the scene?
Similar thoughts flashed through their minds.
Just then, the crimson Fanged Beast suddenly raised a forepaw. Translucent fluid shot from a gland on its wrist and solidified into spider silk the instant it touched the air, wrapping around the trunk of a distant tree.
When the crimson Fanged Beast yanked back its forelimb, the taut, elastic silk snapped tight and flung it toward the tree like a stretched rubber band.
Just before it could slam into the tree, it twisted nimbly in midair, planted its legs against the trunk, and launched itself back off, pouncing down on the group from above.
The Hunters stared in shock. Meowster's eyes were practically bulging out of his head.
"A monkey that spits silk... a Fanged Beast?!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)