Anyone who has played any Monster Hunter game will have probably noticed at some point that the ways these so called "monsters" act are strangely familiar, with their behavior being more animalistic than monstrous. This is without a doubt the thing...
Usually Kelbis will feed on low growing vegetation; however the tree's sap is a welcomed and sweet treat for this individual. Looking around carefully, the animal slowly moves closer to the amber liquid, making sure that the coast is clear.
Despite its natural camouflage, the Kelbi is still on edge. It knows that the jungle hides may dangerous predators, and any one of them could be eyeing it at this very moment. In addition to this, it's wandered away from its group, so it doesn't have a partner to keep a lookout for it.
Sniffing the air, listening carefully, and scanning the area, the skittish mammal finally lowers its guard for a moment, and starts lapping up the sweet sap. With its head down, the Kelbi never noticed the small Velociprey pack that's sneaking up on it.
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Using the foliage to keep themselves hidden, the Velociprey pack splits up as they begin surrounding their prey. Still oblivious to the danger it's in, the mammal continues to lick the sap; however, out of the corner of its vision, the herbivore does sense some movement to its left. Despite not having as good a depth perception as its predators, the position of the Kelbi's eyes gives it a wider field of view, to the point where its only blind spot is directly behind it.
Quickly looking up, the Kelbi stares in the direction in which it noticed movement. Seeing it has been spotted, the Velociprey freezes, hoping that the mammal won't discover it, and instead return to its feeding. The Kelbi nervously stamps the ground, its heart beating incredibly hard while its muscles are getting it ready to run. Suddenly a Velociprey on its right bursts out of the undergrowth, and leaps onto the mammal's hindquarters.
Digging all fourteen of its hand claws into its target, the Velociprey tries to lift its legs up, and rip open the Kelbi's hind limbs with its toe claws to incapacitate it. As it tries to bring down the panicking animal, its four other pack members explode from their hideaways, ready to assist; however, this prey isn't going down without a fight. Bucking back and forth, the Kelbi manages to get the Velociprey riding it to loosen its grip, allowing the mammal to kick it off, stunning the hunter. Seeing its other attackers closing in, the herbivore begins using its horns to keep the theropod bird wyverns back. One of the Velocipreys rushes it, but the mammal quickly lowers its head, and uses its horns to throw the attacker overhead. Seizing its chance, the Kelbi runs at the hunters, and leaps over them, shocking the theropod bird wyverns.
A chase commences as the pack attempts to catch the fleeing animal. Although both species are for the most part equal in speed and agility, the Kelbi continues to dodge all of the hunters' attacks despite its injuries, until it finally manages to lose the Velocipreys in the dense undergrowth; this time the predators will have to go hungry.
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In a different area of the forest, Nutcracker has found his way to one of the many rivers which crisscross the jungle. Approaching the source of water, the Yian Kut-Ku unfurls his ears as he enters the thick blanket of mist that surrounds it, giving him some sense of direction in this area where he's struggling to see what's a few meters in front of him. As he gets closer to the river, Nutcracker listens even more carefully than before. He knows that Plesioths patrol these waterways, and in an area with such poor visibility, he could easily become prey to these massive, yet stealthy piscine wyverns.
