Isla Sorna Stories: Rebirth

[Pyronychus]

Now the olive raptor cocked her head as well. A loner. She wouldn't have guessed it. Neither of the twins could remember ever meeting a raptor who wasn't part of a pack. Then again, they had lived sheltered lives at their previous home where very few other raptors came at all. That only made the recent loss of a family member all the harder to bear. "Our day hasn't exactly been too great either... Well, the last few days-" murmured Sylicora. "But that's neither here nor there," hissed Rhojis quickly, almost cutting her off, as if he was trying to avoid the subject. "What about any other family, even if you're not in a pack with them?" inquired the gray raptor a bit too brightly, hoping his sister wouldn't try to change the subject back to something painful...

[C S]

"That happens? Raptors can leave their packs?" Aircrest inquired, daring to lower his guard just a little around the strangers. He didn't know too much about the social workings of his own kind due to his limited exposure to them. His question showed it quite clearly and showed the effects of his self-upbringing. He would stay just a while longer in the hopes he might learn something from the two. While he inherently distrusted his fellow raptors, learning just a little more of their behavior could aid him in the future...

[Pyronychus]

"Yeah," hissed Rhojis, thinking it a rather odd question coming from a grown raptor. "Actually, that's what our-" Sylicora started, pausing only momentarily as Rhojis failed to suppress a wince. "That's what our parents did. Our dad was just living with a few friends in a loose group with no real leader, and after they ran into our mom's family group, she and dad decided to leave their old packs for good... to go out on their own and restart their lives elsewhere." At this point, the olive raptor fell silent, seeing that her brother's gaze had dropped to the ground and knowing he was trying hard not to relive the painful events that came years after that first parting of ways. She herself tried not to think about it, but found that talking about bygone times actually seemed to put her just a little bit more at ease about their current situation...

[C S]

"Things didn't work out as expected, I take it?" Aircrest growled, studying the expressions and body language of the twins. Something happened that hurt them immensely. What it was, he couldn't be certain of, though he felt death had some part in the matter. Death, or abandonment, but he dismissed the latter. That was probably his own issue, not theirs...

[Pyronychus]

"Well... things were okay- good even- until a couple weeks ago," hissed the olive raptor, her brother standing still and silent at her side, eyes averted. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, then continued slightly more quietly and deliberately, "Up until then, we'd been living in one of several interconnected caves by the sea. Most of them were off-limits because they flooded when the tide came in. The whole area was really rocky and full of hidden holes... We had always been really careful but... one day after a heavy rain our mother tried to jump over a big hole in the top of a flooded cave and s-slipped on a wet rock..." the olive raptor tried to steady her voice, the gray male still standing stock still, as though afraid to move. "...She hit her head on the way down. By the time we got there, all we could see was blood on the rocks and in the water. We checked the cave when the tide went out, but we c-couldn't find her..." Finally, the gray raptor stirred and hissed in a low voice. "Dad couldn't take it... didn't want to live by the sea anymore. So we left..."

[C S]

Aircrest looked forward again, not wanting the raptors to see that his cold, uncaring guise had been broken by what he had heard. The corners of his mouth drooped a little as he realized that if he did kill the gray male, the olive raptor would have had to live with the loss of two of her family members. The possibility left him split. One one hand, he had survived completely on his own. The twins were lucky to have known any of their relatives, to know they would be around to help. Dealing with death shouldn't be an issue, but instead making sure that they don't meet the same fate before their time. On the other however, he felt deep down within that the life he lived was not fit for any creature. All he knew was fear and running...it was why he wanted to change himself for the better.

He wanted to say something to break the silence. He really did. But he just couldn't think of anything that might have been remotely fitting. What words could he, a random intruder, say that could help the two with their grief? He didn't pity or sympathize with them, for he despised such things. He only felt guilt for his own actions. "I'm sorry...for trying to kill you before" Aircrest hissed to Rhojis, deciding it was better to stick to his true emotions, rather than feign others for the sake of decency.

[Pyronychus]

Rhojis still didn't fully look at the dark green raptor, but made a kind of nodding shrug. "I can't truthfully say I know what it would feel like to be in your place, but I can imagine it isn't easy. If was alone and surrounded, I might've done the same thing..." He hissed in a subdued tone, though he could feel the unease in his own words. He knew it would take a very dire situation for him to resort to killing his own kind, but he didn't know how dire, having never been in a dangerous enough encounter to have to test his boundaries. Now it was Sylicora's turn to stand in silent thought, the olive raptor's mind on that horrible day, blinking away an image of her father's horrified face when the siblings had come running up the rocky incline to find him standing at the edge of the blood-spattered cave hole. After a few moments, she murmured, "Dad took it the hardest... He was right near her when she fell... Never forgave himself for not catching her in time..."

[C S]

"He would have been an idiot to try; he would have met the same fate" Aircrest barked abruptly. "Then you two wouldn't have anyone except for each other" He snarled, staring off into the distance. The more he spoke, the more he came to realize just how much he wouldn't want any other to live the life he did. Something about the twins, either their younger age or their inexperience allowed the green and black raptor to relate to them somewhat and he wanted the offer them some guidance. It was a strange feeling that he didn't understand and didn't like. His fellow raptors were his enemies, things to avoid unless he wanted to be torn apart like any other prey. Why would these two and their father be any different?

[Pyronychus]

"I'm only telling you what he told us," Sylicora hissed, raising a clawed hand disarmingly. "We didn't see any of it. Maybe he could have saved her, maybe there was no chance, but knowing Dad, he'd jump into danger's path any day to help someone he loves..." "At least, that's what he's shown us..." Rhojis added. His sister gave him a questioning glance. "Well, as you said, we weren't there to see it. Maybe-" "How can you doubt him now? He's always been there for us. There's no way he'd give up if there was a chance..."

[C S]

"He still takes care of you, does he not?" Aircrest asked, turning around to look at the olive and gray raptors, his eyes locked in a glare. "He could have easily left you after your mother died. He could have left you before you even broke out of your eggshells." His voice suddenly became a harsh snarl. "But he didn't and even now he remains with you. It may be the fact I don't know what it's like to have someone like that around, but I didn't think he just left your mother for dead. Clearly he was willing to raise you two with her, and now intends to do it by himself. I wish him luck" Aircrest growled before stepping back, his amber eyes wide as he wondered what made him snap like that, though he already had a good idea...

[Pyronychus]

Despite the distance between them, the olive raptor took an involuntary half-step back. She could almost feel Rhojis tense up beside her, both startled into silence. They were both somewhat confused, but Sylicora more so. What did she say wrong? It sounded as though he was surprised that Beryl had stayed in their lives at all. Finally, when the olive raptor could think of nothing to say, Rhojis growled quietly, slightly warily, "Why would he leave us?" Sylicora shot him a glance, starting to wonder if it was wise to continue talking to the stranger, seeing as they had already said something that seemed to irritate him. "Why would anyone abandon their own offspring for no good reason? I mean, if he didn't want to have a pack, we wouldn't have been born, and he'd probably be living off somewhere by himself now... It was his choice..." The gray raptor's voice trailed off slightly at the end as some of Sylicora's thoughts finally started to occur to him. Maybe they were just naive and inexperienced with many of the ways of their kind. He couldn't be sure how well his own experience applied to other raptors. "Uh, Rhojis, maybe we should just finish those nests now or something..." hissed the olive raptor in a low voice...

[C S]

"Well like hell if I would know!" Aircrest barked, trying so sound harsh and intimidating, but the passion behind his words and the fire in his eyes were gone. He experienced a sinking feeling at what the gray male said, as those were questions he used to ask himself when he was younger. Why was he alone? Where were everyone he should have met in the first seconds of life? Even at a young age he knew something was not right with his life but over time he simply stopped thinking about it. It only brought sadness when he did, and he couldn't waste time lingering on something he had no control over. Having it be brought up unexpectedly pierced the shell he had created to protect himself...

[slashmaster101]

Chomper stepped away from the river,having washed down his previous meal and having nothing much better to do began to follow the scent of the female dilophosaurus and was a bit surprised when he couldn't locate the dilos scent.

[The Kingpin]

As Crusher continued forward, he got a proper view of the structure before him. it was large. about twice the height of a fully grown Rex, perhaps a bit less. it's grey, moss-speckled walls were streaked with vines, wrapping along it's surface and growing wild within. real vines. natural ones. Somehow, the fact that they weren't the strange ones that connected the trees earlier didn't do much to bring him peace. Before him, the massive structure loomed, out of place amidst the foliage. gaping rectangular entrances covered the mossy walls amidst streaks of orange leaking from random spots in the strange vertical cliff face. As the Rex approached, the sheer darkness of the inside of the strange cave seemed to stare back at him, as if it were alive. the chilling feeling unnerved the Rex. But at the same time, it intrigued him. Why was this cave so different? was the inside also so strange? Why was this place so quiet? questions flooded the Rex's mind. So, albeit somewhat reluctantly, the young Tyrannosaur continued....into the shadows of the cavern...

[Hopeflower]

Steeltalon let out a content sigh, rolling onto her side in a patch of sunlight. She started licking the blood from her claws. The kill she'd made was a short distance away from her; she'd been lucky this time and been able to eat her fill without being chased off. She gave a luxurious stretch, giving a small wince as the scabs on her wounds pulled taut, unable to remember the last time she'd felt so well-fed. She half-closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth. Would it be such a problem if she dozed off right here...? The jungle, for once, seemed relatively calm....she seemed to be alone.

Seemingly she was, but this was not the case. Pale green eyes were fixed on her, filled with a mixture of hatred and frustration. With a near-silent hiss, Raven backed into the deeper shadows. Riptide expected the murder to go smoothly on the first try - how would he explain that he'd needed an extra day to kill one young lone female raptor? But Raven had missed his chance; the half-mutant had made a swift kill, and there had been no time to try and stage a stampede. He growled, giving Steeltalon one last searing glare before he set off at a light trot, making no noise in his retreat. He'd have to come up with another plan.

[The Kingpin]

The air felt thick and heavy, it's scent so thick it could almost be tasted. This scent however was strange. It reminded him of the insides of rotting logs during his childhood. the thick scent of stale air and mould, of dirt and undergrowth....but also of something else. something he couldn't identify. The walls were grey and lined with moss and lichen, vines forming a thick web of flora along the walls and punching out of holes in the ceiling where square panels had once been. the ceiling as a whole was warped, dipping downwards in various locations, water dripping through cracks from the last rainstorm. The lifeless feeling that he felt earlier seemed strongest here. Was that even possible? How could any place be completely lifeless? Even the Rex nest that he had lived in as a hatchling wasn't completely lifeless...


He had no idea that the Life that resided here....was looking directly at him...


crack.

The Rex jumped as he heard the sound, right next to him, Crusher practically leaping to the side to put space between himself and the source. and just as he did, a pair of jaws clamped shut right where his head had been, a rattling snarl coming from the source as a large horned beast turned to stare at him, fangs bared as it's patterns fluttered, streaks of grey, green and brown running across it's skin as piercing orange eyes stared at him, the mottling finally arranging itself in such a way the creature seemed almost invisible. But it was too late. Crusher had seen it. The Rex backed away as the beast let out a rattling hiss, before bolting out of sight down a narrow corridor, one of many large pathways that decades ago had been occupied by much smaller creatures, the size made so merely to impress the superiors that visited this place...now...they were used as a hunting ground. Another rattle sounded off in the facility, echoing off the walls...and another. and another.....

It was suddenly obvious to the young Rex why there was no life here......He had entered The Hissing Cave....One of the largest nests of a species he would later learn were called....Carnotaurus...

[TyrannoTitan]

The massive animal swung its head from side to side, scanning the plains for any sign of weakness. As a loner, his options for meals were much more limited compared to other Allosaurs. But there was always opportunity for those that seek it, and as such, patience was a virtue he learned to accommodate. Seeing no obvious signs of a free meal amongst the various herbivores grazing in the open, the carnivore took shelter underneath a nearby tree, relaxing in the shade. With so much potential prey around, any larger predator that came around would probably be more interested in them then a fight with a creature such as himself...and if that were not the case, he could always leg it...

[The Kingpin]

As Steeltalon rested after her kill, a screeching roar tore through the trees, a Raptor's screech calling back in response as a series of thumps began to gain in both strength and frequency....something was coming her way...


Meanwhile Crusher began to back away as he glanced around. His entrance was apparently blocked. he could hear hissing from that area and could see shifting in the shadows. His options were few, and time was short. I'm gonna die in here thought the Rex as his eyes shot around wildly, looking for the sources of the hissing. as a loud hissing snarl rang out, Crusher dove into one of the corridors, a pair of Carnotaurus jaws slamming shut right behind him...

[Hopeflower]

Steeltalon's head shot up, the female's contentment vanishing like the morning mist as she started to get to her feet. She was torn; run and save her own skin, and surely live to fight another day, or investigate, put herself in danger - again - and maybe get herself killed this time? Instinct told her to run. Curiosity goaded her to hide somewhere and wait and watch. She found herself inching toward the edge of the clearing, instinct beginning to win out, though she was curious enough that she stayed facing whatever was coming.

[The Kingpin]

"You'll have to do better than that you over-fed land-croc!" screeched Fatalis as he tore out of the treeline, the infuriated roar of a Baryonyx close behind. The Raptor's cackling rang out as he shot through the clearing, spotting Steeltalon as he ran, hissing "Hey! join in on the fun!" as he closed in, before diving into the undergrowth, disappearing from view just as a large green, blue-streaked Baryonyx pushed it's way out of the treeline on the other end of the clearing, a bleeding gash on it's neck and snout, with twin three-clawed cuts criss-crossing just in front of it's eye, the flesh around the eye itself a vibrant shade of red, partially from bleeding and partially from the creature's actual colour scheme...