Elder Dragon Rider (Cheval X OC Monster Hunter Stories Ride On Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Taken to Hakum Village!

Six years later

Nikara's POV

I was getting ready to go play on the shore of the lake as I pull on my grey dress and leggings that Papa took from a merchant ship so that way when I'm a Two-Leg, I won't be without covering. Papa calls me Nikara, he said it felt like that name was rightfully mine, whatever the Heavenly Wheel that means. 

"Be careful, Nikki my child. Don't let any of the humans up there see you transform and stay away from anything that has a purple-black haze to it or is turning black." Papa says from where he is laying down after he and I had eaten lunch which was Ludroth. A little too sinewy and stringy for my taste, but we gotta eat what we can.

"I will, Papa!" I say as I turn into a Caedeus hatchling and begin heading toward the tunnel after I dive into the water, swimming with my head above the water.

"And remember, if a human takes you to their village, stay there until either I can come get you or I send someone for you! And if you make any human friends and can trust them with your secret, you can tell them!" He calls after me.

"Yes, Papa!" I call back as I keep swimming, enjoying the free feeling of swimming in the water. I think Papa worries too much, what human would come all the way out here for no reason? Unless they were hunters and Papa tells me hunters are really bad and not to be trusted. He never tells me why thought, no matter how much I ask why Hunters are bad. But every time I ask, Papa gets a really sad look in his eyes and his expression gets as sad as a Caedeus Elder Dragon can get. I hate seeing Papa sad, so I decide to stop asking him why Hunters are bad. I leap out of the water to make a splash as I dive back in, swimming with the sea monsters and fish. I then swim for shore and once I reach the shallow water, I climb out and go Nargacuga hatchling in order to shake myself try before I return to my human form and begin playing on the beach, making a sand monster and monster den. I hum as I build the sand monster and den, before I thought I heard something and lift my head, looking around, but not seeing anything. So I shrug and go back to playing and soon finish. It's me, Papa and our cavern! I used twigs and shells to make the steps to the shore of the platform in our cavern where Papa and I sleep together.

Don's POV

I was on a mission and was riding my Queropeco, when I see a child on the shore of a very large lake. I don't see her parents, maybe she's lost. Queropeco was scared for some reason, like he didn't want to be near the lake for some reason. Queropeco refuses to go any closer to the lake, so I get off his saddle, beginning to walk toward the kid. If she has no one, I can't leave her all alone out here or some wild monster might get her. I'll take her back to Hakum Village if she is all alone, so that way she'll be looked after and taken care of. I begin walking to the girl, she lifts her head when she hears my footsteps on the sand and turns her head to look at me.

Nikara's POV

I hear someone walking toward me, before I lift my head and turn it to see a man walking toward me. He didn't look like a Hunter from Papa's stories, I don't see any weapons on him either and he was dressed a bit too different from a Hunter, there's no monster part armor on him. He was a bit large at least to me, his hair was brown and kinda spiky, he had a sort of goatee on his chin, his clothes looked to be made from some kind of fur and any armor he was wearing was completely metal, no monster additions of any kind. But what was odd to me was he smelled of a Queropeco, which was odd since Queropeco didn't like ordinary humans that well, at least that's what Papa told me.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" he asks me in a gentle tone and I clear my throat since I wasn't used to speaking in the human tongue.

"My name is Nikara, but my friends, if I had any, would call me Nikki. Who are you, Mister?" I reply as I tilt my head curiously.

"My name is Dan. What are you doing out here?" he asks as he kneels to my level.

"I'm playing, wanna join me?" I ask as I keep working on my sand version of Papa.

"Nikki, where are your parents?" He asks and I knew he means my human ones, so I shrug.

"I dunno, been out here long as I can remember." I reply, before yelping in surprise as Dan picks me up.

"Well, being out here is no place for a kid. I'll take you to my village, you'll be taken care of there." he says as he begins to carry me toward the woods. At first, I struggle to get out of his hold so I can go back to Papa, but then I remember Papa's words if a human takes me to their village. If I'm patient Papa will send someone to come find me, then I can come back home. I still struggle though, until I see a Queropeco, but it seems...smaller than what I've seen.

"A Queropeco? But why is it so...small?" I ask as I look at Dan.

"I'm a Rider." he replies.

"What's a Rider?" I ask confused as I tilt my head, all Papa talked about were the Hunters and how they were bad. He never spoke of Riders, maybe he didn't know about Riders.

"A Rider is someone who rides a Monstie, we live in harmony with monsters and nature." he replies.

"You mean...you don't kill Monsters?" I ask curiously as I look up at him as he sits me in the saddle in front of him.

"No, I don't and neither does anyone in my village. I think you'll like it there, Nikki." he replies as he ruffles my hair and I hold on as the Queropeco takes off. I watch as the scenery shoots past us as I do my best to memorize  landmarks so I can find my way home, someday. We soon come out of the large forest that surrounds Papa's and my home, running across some plains. I see Aptonoth and wonder what they taste like since all i had was fish and water monsters to eat, along with kelp and other underwater plant life. I yawn tiredly as I try to stay awake but I end up falling asleep against Dan.

I woke up to the smell of humans and I see we had arrived in Dan's village, if the people greeting him was anything to go by. Seeing all these people, I felt so exposed and press against Dan.

"It's OK, Nikki, the people here treat everyone like one big family, no one is going to hurt you." he says and I look up at him.

"Promise?" I ask him.

"I promise." he replies and I smile softly. We soon come to a stop and he helps me off Queropeco and sets me down. I follow him to talk with Chief Omna as Dan calls him. He was a short one, even shorter than me! I follow him to meet three kids, Cheval, Lute and Lilila. He explains to them I would be staying in the village from now on.

"It's nice to meet you Nikara." Cheval says while Lute and Lilila agee.

"It's nice to meet you too, Lute, Lilila, Cheval." I reply as I smile, not knowing that these three friends and I would go on wild adventures when we were older and Riders. I was looking forward to being a Rider if it meant I don't have to kill monsters unless I have to, like if they're too sick to help or too bloodthirsty. And I was also looking forward to trusting these three, so I can show them what I can do.