Shaking off the pursuing Hawk Wyvern pack was not difficult. In fact, if the group covered one another, hunting down the entire pack would not have posed much of a challenge either.
But as proper Hunters, they could not do that. To avoid drawing more trouble with the sounds of battle, they took down the few Hawk Wyverns that refused to break off, used a couple of Flash Pods, and quickly left the pack behind.
Once he was certain they were safe, Morgan's first act was to peel the little creature from his back and drop him on the ground.
"This little one is pretty clever. He knows where to direct his resentment," Altaïr said with a chuckle. "Look, he isn't squawking or snapping his beak anymore. He's much better behaved than he was at first, isn't he?"
Isis chimed in, "Maybe he's grateful that you saved his life? Judging by how those adult Hawk Wyverns behaved, if we hadn't brought him out of there, they almost certainly would've pecked him to death."
"Grateful? Hah..." Morgan snorted. "He watched us take down those adults with ease and realized that if he didn't behave, he'd be dead."
Altaïr crouched, held out a hand, and made a few coaxing clicks at the half-grown juvenile.
The juvenile ignored him, turning his head from side to side as if searching for an escape route.
Sajji could not help commenting, "Boss, that thing isn't Hibiki. You don't even have any food in your hand. You're not going to fool him, meow."
Altaïr stood again, disappointed that he seemed to have no knack for winning over the little creature.
Having learned from Altaïr's attempt, Isis tried as well. She placed a piece of ration in her palm, but the young Hawk Wyvern did not even glance at it. He merely tensed his limbs, wary and nervous.
Morgan was not interested enough even to try.
After hearing Clawdia mention Halks, he had briefly considered taming the little creature.
But after what had happened last night and today, he found him greedy, cunning, cowardly, and ungrateful. He could not see a single redeeming quality in him.
He had not even made a threatening sound while the adults chased him. The juvenile had merely hidden behind Morgan.
And that was not even the greatest problem.
Judging from the way his eyes kept darting around, he was plainly waiting for a chance to flee. Even if Morgan wanted him as his hunting partner, he would probably bolt the moment Morgan blinked.
As for tying him up again and trying to tame him by force, there was no point.
To Morgan, a hunting partner was a companion to whom you entrusted everything. Even if trust and rapport did not exist from the outset, there had to be at least some mutual fondness, surely? Forcing the matter could never end well.
Otherwise, anyone could tie up a random Bullfango by the roadside and call it a hunting partner.
"Come on. We still have real work to do, so let's not waste any more time on this thing." Morgan motioned for his companions to follow.
Altaïr and Isis exchanged a glance. They had long since found partners they could trust with their lives, so Morgan's decision was his own. They had neither reason nor desire to interfere.
After checking their direction and route, the three Hunters and two Felynes set out once more.
Before starting up the Rathalos Model-09, Sajji looked back at the young Hawk Wyvern they had left behind.
He had imagined the creature gazing after Morgan with tearful eyes and uttering soft, mournful cries. That scene never materialized. The creature was already long gone.
Sajji scratched his ear. "Maybe he really wasn't a good fit, meow."
The rest of the day's journey passed smoothly. Apart from the Hawk Wyvern pack pursuing them from the Seacliff that morning, they met with no further incidents.
For the expedition's investigation, however, an uneventful journey also meant finding no leads, which was hardly good news.
Morgan appeared as composed as ever, but anxiety had begun to stir beneath the surface.
He believed he was the main reason their investigation had produced no leads.
In his view, Altaïr's team was exceptionally well balanced. Although it had only three members, each of them filled several roles, covering every aspect the mission required.
Nymera, the team's senior Hunter, was both an excellent Gunner and a master scout. As her temporary replacement, Morgan could provide the necessary Gunner firepower, but he could not fill the gap she had left in their reconnaissance.
That was the real reason the investigation had made no progress.
Of course, he had kept that thought to himself. He suspected that if he voiced it, Altaïr would tease him for being far too self-aware.
Altaïr noticed the subtle change in Morgan's mood, but completely misread its cause. He assumed Morgan was still bothered by what had happened with the young Hawk Wyvern.
—--
Once the sky began to darken and they had chosen a campsite, Altaïr waited until Morgan left to gather firewood, then raised the subject with Isis.
Isis immediately gave him a thumbs-up to show that she understood, then turned and marched out of camp.
Altaïr was left rather puzzled. What exactly had she understood?
Half an hour later, Isis hauled back a fat Mosswine. To her, the best cure for a bad mood was a hearty meal.
Altaïr strongly suspected that she mostly wanted to eat it herself, but he still went to the trouble of preparing it.
Compared with Kelbi, Mosswine were relatively difficult prey to prepare.
Of course, if all one did was carve off the Raw Meat and grill it, there was no real difference. But as everyone knew, the best part of a Mosswine was its hide, covered in parasitic moss and Unique Mushrooms.
Processing the hide alone took Altaïr considerable effort. He cut its thinner edges into narrow strips for skewering and roasting, then used the thick, firm sections to wrap the tender cuts of meat before burying them beneath the campfire to roast slowly.
It was hard to say whether the meal improved Morgan's mood, but it certainly delighted Isis.
While waiting for the meat to cook through, she hummed a little tune as she cut the leftover meat into thin strips and hung them beside the campfire to smoke, planning to make jerky for the road.
Feeling awkward about sitting idle while the two of them worked, Morgan tried to help.
His cooking skills, however, were so poor that even a simple cut of meat could come off the fire half raw, so Altaïr quickly chased him away before he could cause trouble.
Unable to help with dinner, Morgan pulled out Ms. Meow-It-All's incomplete hand-drawn map and began filling in details from his memory of the day's route.
The work demanded both time and concentration. Before he realized it, more than an hour had passed, and the meat slow-roasting beneath the campfire was finally ready.
Altaïr cut off some of the meat wrapped in Mosswine hide. Roasting had infused it with a distinctive mushroom aroma, and he placed it on a plate beside Morgan.
Morgan murmured his thanks without looking up from the map. His right hand kept refining it with a charcoal pencil while his left picked up a fork, ready to spear a piece of meat.
Then he stopped.
Munch, munch...
"..."
Without changing expression, Morgan put away the map, set down the fork, and seized the creature that had buried his head in his plate and was devouring his meal, lifting him by the neck.
The young Hawk Wyvern shrieked and thrashed, his wings battering Morgan with a rapid flap-flap-flap.
Altaïr and Isis looked over from beside the campfire in astonishment.
When had he arrived? He had not made a sound. Neither of them had sensed his approach, nor had Sajji or Clawdia, whose senses were sharper than a human's.
Although still young, the Hawk Wyvern was no longer a downy chick. With a wingspan close to two meters, he was remarkably strong and soon broke free from Morgan's grip.
Instead of fleeing, he darted back to Morgan's plate and resumed eating with gusto.
Veins stood out at Morgan's temples. He drew a deep breath, composed himself, then walked over and donned the pair of vambraces from his Seltas Queen Gunner Set.
The vambraces incorporated articulated mechanical Clutch Claws. Their oversized grip compensated for Morgan's small hands, which otherwise made it easy for things to slip free.
Using those enormous claws, Morgan easily clamped the young Hawk Wyvern's entire body in their grip. He struggled violently but could no longer escape.
Holding the writhing young Hawk Wyvern, Morgan walked up to Altaïr. "Do me a favor. Roast this for me."
(Translated by yourtl.app)