Broken Wings

It's having an effect! The herd is changing direction!

What did you use, Artisan?

Fowlbeast, stinky! Made Dung Bomb!

Ah, so that was it! Of course my little Smithy would be able to craft a Dung Bomb from droppings so quickly!

If you throw a Dung Bomb onto a monster, they won't be able to stand the smell and will run away from mew, just like us with Noir Corne earlier.

Hey, no using me as an example!

Even though they changed directions, they're still rampaging through the forest. This will be troublesome if the Rathalos tracks get trampled over.

Rampaging hornbeasts... I feel like that's definitely out of the ordinary. Why would they go berserk for no reason?

It doesn't matter, we just need to stop them.

With my expurrtise, I postulate that there must be a lead hornbeast at the front to make such a huge herd move like that.

Really now? If that's the case, then we'll just have to cut it down.

Wait, what do you mean by 'just have to cut it down'?

What part of that was hard to understand?

And how exactly do you plan to do that, huh?

Just charge right in.

There's so many of them and they're all in a frenzy... You sure about that? We don't even know why they're going crazy.

And will they wait for us to sit down and figure out the cause? Cover me.

Wait up! Arty, do you still have that, uh... Dung Bomb?

So much stinky! Fur mew!

Scholar, I just want to make sure... If I can land this on the lead hornbeast, is it possible the rest of them will disperse?

Based to their purr-evious reaction... In theory.

But pawbably not fur long! And you have to aim from up close to make sure it hits the right one.

Aight, I think I got something. I'll try and aim for it from up here on the tree.

Yato, when the other hornbeasts scatter, take the chance and subdue the leader in one strike!

Of course I will.

But this means you'll...

Get even stinkier? Eh, couldn't be any worse—yuck!

......

There's... still time...

They are too fast, too young, too powerful, too difficult to control.

The past once suppressed surges forth, yet the danger of the forest has never abated.

You have lost control, broken your body, made too many mistakes.

No!

No... that's not the reason.

We must keep up the chase.

Ah, isn't that...?

Over there! I spotted it!

Right in furont of the stampede, the one with bigger horns and a yellow sheen to its fur, that should be the lead beast!

It's heading here.

I can do this, I can do this...

Focus.

They're almost here, get ready.

Wait... I think I dropped my nose plug.

Now!

Huh? Argh! Forget it!

Super Dung Bomb Attack! Right on target!

—Haah!

...Did you get it?

Got it.

Sure enough, the herd has calmed down quite a bit.

Corne, you...

Yes, I know! I stink like hell, I'll get away from you guys!

No, you're hurt.

Oh, this scratch? It's nothing.

It's a good thing I had a spare first aid kit. Come over here and I'll take care of it.

Ah... O-Okay.

Come over quick, the two of mew.

See here? The nose of the lead beast has traces of a grayish white dust here.

Uh, this looks familiar...

Back home, there is a species of fauna known as a Stinkmink that can release a cloud of pheromones, sending meownsters into a frenzy and charging straight into mew.

Our Hunters make use of that effect in their hunts.

Ah, now I remember... I saw bottles of this stuff at that Kashiwau's place, could it be...?

I'm pawsitive.

Did he know we entered the forest and agitate the hornbeasts with the dust to cut us off?

He did say 'Don't ever let me see you there—'

No, that can't be it.

Huh?

He was already in the forest by yesterday afternoon, while we only arrived here after the incident in the cave, so he shouldn't know our whereabouts.

He couldn't have seen us in the forest either; there's no way I wouldn't have spotted him first.

True enough, and I guess if his motive was to find the Rathalos, he wouldn't want to risk losing its tracks either, by triggering such a stampede.

Lemme think... Or maybe he planned to do something else with the herd, but lost control of it?

...You're thinking about pointless things again. We have a beast to track.

This is bad! Smithy's gone again!

We were together in the tree earlier, but when we came down...

Ahhh! I won't go through that ever again... never!

Mrrow...

I think I heard a Felyne over there.

Ah! Smithy! What happened to mew?

Seems like... he got stunned by the stink.

...I can only hope this will be the worst of it.

Today's sun is setting.

Look...The light between the leaves wavers, while their rustling in the darkness grows ever louder.

A momentary impulse... O beasts who have gone astray.

You will not return from the darkness of the forest.

Shut up...