Isla Sorna Stories: Rebirth

[TyrantTR]

Diablo snarled, he turned and lazily head butted the trunk of the tree the raptor was in, in an attempt to knock it out. He drew back, then slammed his head into the tree again, loosely shaking the branches. He made one more pitiful attempt, his head making light contact with the trunk. "Everything was fine before you were around" he growled quietly. He fell to the ground, making a small, but audible thump as he hit. He breathed heavily, still staring intently at the tree. The rugops flexed, attempting to get up but with no success, it had been a long, long day.

[C S]

Aircrest stared down at the Rugops, claws still dug into the branch he was perched on after his tantrum. He was unsure whether or not he should deride the creature or sympathize with him. "Yeah," Aircrest growled, wrenching his claws from the branch and kicking off to another across from it. He landed on the branch and made it shudder for a split second before turning around and peering down at Diablo. "I'm sure going hungry while watching other carnivores gorge themselves was just fine before I showed up!" he sneered.

[TyrantTR]

Diablo had no response, a part of him was too tired to come up with a retort, but another part of him knew that the raptor was right. Silently, the rugops sat there, staring blankly at the tree trunk he was bashing himself into earlier.

[C S]

Aircrest calmed down in the moments after the exchange between himself and the Rugops, the silence helping the transition in mood take place. He jumped down to a slightly lower tree branch that extended over Diablo, landing with a light thump and dislodging a few leaves, which spiraled to the undergrowth. "Look, we can both point out how each other's lives are **** for the rest of the day and by nightfall we'll have wasted the energy we got from that Rex's kill arguing;" he began to say with a friendlier tone. "If we're gonna be alone on this island all our lives, then how about we be alone together. Don't you think it'll be nice to have one thing to be happy about?"

[dinoman666]

"I... is that Rocktail?" Brighteyes hissed breathlessly. She and Sharpclaw were in a small chamber the Alpha had made into his own personal lair of sorts. He had refused to let anyone in until now, and the Albino scout suddenly realized why.

Rocktail, a female Albino that was one of Brighteye's oldest friends, was lying in the corner of the chamber, resting on a large mat of vegetation. Her jaw hung slack, and her body seemed frozen... except for her bloodshot eyes, which flicked to stare at the two Albinos, the horror clearly evident within. A chunk of flesh was missing from the base of her tail, where a Troodon had apparently bitten her. The last Brighteyes had seen of her was the Raptor standing her ground to cover the rest of the pack's retreat from the cave back in Death Valley, and the mass of glowing yellow eyes that drew ever closer. She had thought Rocktail dead, until now.

Sharpclaw merely stared numbly at the paralyzed raptor, while Brighteyes stumbled backwards, gaping and attempting to mouth words that refused to be uttered. "I... I discovered her only a few hours after we found this place, during a scouting trip. She was delirious, mumbling, but I managed to get her back here without being noticed. It didn't take very long for... this to happen. She's alive, most certainly, but she might as well be dead if we don't find a way to reverse the effect of this venom." Brighteyes finally managed to speak. "Wait... you think the Troodon did this?" Sharpclaw shrugged. "I do not know, but it is the only explanation I can see." He turned to Brighteyes, uncharacteristically serious. "Take me to where you met that loner. I wish to speak with him. Only a raptor out in that jungle, one who is familiar with these Troodon, can tell us how to save Rocktail. An herb... or something, I don't know..." Brighteyes scratched the back of her head, unsure. "I don't know, Sharpclaw. He wasn't exactly agreeable, and I certainly wouldn't want to get on his bad side. Besides, there must be another way to fix this, right?" Sharpclaw stared at the ground, or, more specifically, at his sickle clawed feet. "There is... But doing something like that to one of my own pack would haunt me for the rest of my days." He looked back up at Brighteyes. "If the loner does not cooperate, I will show him this, just as I showed you. Perhaps that will convince him..." "And if it doesn't?" "Then I will find another way!" Sharpclaw hissed angrily. Brighteyes recoiled at his sudden forcefulness, then sighed. This disaster was definitely wearing on his nerves, just like it was for the rest of the pack. "Very well, Sharpclaw. Let's see if we can find him before he moves on..."

[The Kingpin]

Fatalis edged along the borders of the forest as he followed the scent of a small flock of Gallimimus. the herbivores were energetic and alert, a challenging choice of prey and satisfying to bring down. There was nothing the Raptor took pleasure in more than the thrill of the chase....be it as the predator....or as the prey. the relatively bare tree trunks around him cast most of their surroundings in a backdrop of brown. His own jagged black, white and grey patterns threw off most onlookers, blending in well with the mottled, marbled patches of light shining through the canopy. "You ever hunted Gallimimus?" inquired the Raptor with a hiss as he glanced at the female. With the strength of the herbivores' scent hinting to a healthy flock, and the wisps of another predator's scent on the breeze....this promised to be an eventful hunt...


Meanwhile, Crusher was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of squabbling. rattling hisses and disgruntled chirps aimed at some larger creature that just grunted in response. His curiosity piqued, the Rex moved to investigate. He resolved to distract his mind with the events around him rather than let it wander back to the ifs, buts and maybes of his own life. It did nothing but lead to misery at the best of times...


"I intend to see it through" growled Aurora calmly, almost startlingly so, as if she had suddenly locked away the emotional grief that had moments ago threatened to consume her. The Allosaur looked down at her son, Blade cocking his head curiously, the female smiling as she nuzzled the chick, before encouraging him to return to his meal; something Blade didn't need to be told twice about, the youngster promptly diving back into the slab of flesh, tearing away at it voraciously...

[Hopeflower]

"A few times," Steeltalon murmured, alert to the scent of another hunter. So they wouldn't be the only ones stalking the flock. Well, she wasn't alone this time, even though her previous wounds were only barely beginning to heal. Whether that would be true in the future, she wasn't too sure, but for now at least, if things went wrong, she had someone to count on. Or, at least, she thought, glancing at Fatalis, maybe she did.


As Cirrus backed away and flopped on his side, his stomach full, he looked up at his father curiously. Xanthe dipped his head to Aurora, growling, "I'm glad. The pack will have need of your strengths if - and when - it comes to a fight." Alira went to her mother's enormous foot and clambered on top of it, yawning and curling up for a nap.

[InfernalAngel]

Oblivion was irritated. She was tired, thirsty and on top of that, hungry. She didn't want to think much at the moment, and simply follwed, her head drooped low, the massive muscles on her thighs acheing. How long had they been walking?

[The Kingpin]

"Ever had your hunt interrupted by other predators?" he growled with a smirk, the question foreshadowing what he expected was going to happen...



"You can rely on it" growled Aurora calmly as she watched Blade finally flop onto his flank after the meal, stomach bloated from the sheer amount of food he had consumed, the Allosaur's feet pointing upwards at his mother as she leered over him and smiled, the youngster squeaking at her in a tone that seemed to say I'm stuck...help please. nudging the youngster with her snout, the female watched him shuffle his feet as he finally gained traction, lifting himself back up and walking over to the female, curling up by her neck and resting, a light purring sound coming with each breath...

[TyrantTR]

The rugops sat at the base of the tree still, almost void of motion. He wasn't about to respond to the raptor, but he knew it was right. Two sides of Diablo where clashing, for what seemed to be the future. On one side Diablo has always been a loner, it's the only life he's known, yet on the other side he longed for company, something to make his survival and daily struggle less insignificant. Admitting this to some random predator he met just today felt like a sign of weakness to the rugops, his mouth remained shut, his eyes fixed on the tree branch in front of him.

[C S]

Aircrest let out a sigh of frustration and aggravation at the Rugops when it was clear that there was no point in talking anymore. The raptor's patience with the redheaded predator was depleted as his irritation began to smolder within him. No matter what he did, it seemed he was greeted with silence. The most he got out of the creature was its tantrum, and that only left it in an almost catatonic state now, devoid of any reaction. Confused and angry at the complexities that came with being around others, Aircrest turned his back on the Rugops, soaring through the tree tops with every leap from branch to branch, taking refuge in the simplicity of being by himself...

[The Kingpin]

As the young Rex pressed his head out from amidst the foliage, he spotted the source of the sounds; a Triceratops feeding from a low branch. The herbivore was large and covered in dark blackish grey, scaly skin, though leaf-shaped brown patterns could be seen on it's flank, it's face out of the Rex's view from this angle. Around it were a small flock of Caudipterix, their brightly coloured peacock-like feathers shimmering in the sunlight. They chirped and twittered irritably as they tried to drive off the large, obviously disgruntled herbivore. It had apparently come a bit too close to their nests, and the small bird-like creatures were trying desperately to turn it away, ear-piercing trills and sharp pecks being aimed at the large Ceratopsian, though meeting only with failure along with the occasional annoyed grunt from the herbivore. Interested to see what would happen next, the young Tyrannosaur settled into a crouch, watching the humorous scene unfold...

[C S]

The green raptor thudded onto a branch as if the impact would work to relieve his flare of anger, his claws gouging the wood and digging in, forcing him to stop. Never before had he met anything that he could've related to but still utterly reject in such a manner. After all, he did mean what he said about him being on the same tier of the food chain with the Rugops. Still, he found the creature's affinity for silence grating, as if being in the presence of another without communicating was a waste and he might as well be alone. In fact, when he thought about it, he realized that must've been why he tried speaking the elder despite having a crude understanding of how his kind interacted. "A mistake," he thought as he scanned his surroundings and sniffed the air, getting back into his cautious mindset. "I can't afford to make much more..."

He cocked his head after making sure he wasn't being hunted and then pried his talons from the tree limb, heading off with a leap...

[Hopeflower]

Xanthe rumbled a low, approving sound as he turned to take a long look at his pack. It might be years before they would see the Spinosaurs put in their place. Unless the fish-eaters started to press on the Allosaur pack's territory or kept stealing their kills, hopefully, there would be no need to confront them before the time came. He wanted the hatchlings and youngsters to have a little more time to play and be blissfully unaware of the danger that now loomed over their heads, like a storm cloud dark and heavy with rain.

Steeltalon gave a wry, almost bitter smile. "All too often," she growled, lifting her muzzle to try and identify the other predator's scent.

[The Kingpin]

Fatalis nodded. "It's a sad truth of living alone. Still, with a bit of luck, we can bring something down and get a good enough meal out of it before we're stopped" he growled as he continued forwards, following the scents in an attempt to gauge beforehand what the risks were. There was blood in the air, so he knew that at least one of them were injured. Or dead he reminded himself, noting the predator's scent. It smelled like an Allosaur, but not the same one that took down the Baryonyx earlier. no, this one was different...



The Triceratops meanwhile, was swiftly getting annoyed by the small herbivores, the scene playing out before the Rex. the horned beast raked it's massive foot in the dirt, kicking up dust beneath it's form as twin jets of vapour puffed from the herbivore's nostrils. the Caudipteryx were not oblivious of this fact, and had lightened their onslaught, wanting to drive it off, not provoke it's wrath...

[InfernalAngel]

Tsar broke the leg of the Edmontosaur he had ambushed with a svaage "Crunch". The large herbivore bellowed out, calling for its lost herd. The bull rex quickly snapped his prey's neck, sending a flare of red mist across his snout. He had made a quick meal. While a large pteranadon soared overhead, Tsar leaned back and bellowed in victory across the island.

Darkwing gave up wathcing the rex. He wouldnt leave his kill for smetime, and she needed food for her hatchlings to survie. She contiuned scanning the grassy plains, her large wings cutting the air like a scyth to grain.

[C S]

The grunts and snorts of an animal reached Aircrest's ears, the creature obviously very large. Its vocalizations were laced with the chattering and chirping of smaller creatures, akin to compies but not quite. He proceeded carefully, a powerful scent in the air told of a Triceratops in the area. A frightened or angry Trike was just as threatening as the most fearsome Tyrannosaur the island had to offer and the raptor did not plan to make himself a target of the behemoth's apparent irritation. It was not long before the pebbly flank of the three horned titan revealed itself through breaks in the low lying foliage, but it was not the only thing to catch Aircrest's attention. His amber eyes widened and a reptilian smirk crept onto his face. "Eggs...snacks..." he thought after spying the Caudipteryx nest mound. With most of the pack preoccupied with the Triceratops, the juvenile raptor could make off with their eggs undisturbed...

[The Kingpin]

The chittering didn't take long to raise in intensity as the Triceratops edged slowly closer to the nest, completely ignoring the small herbivores as it tore away at the low lying shrubs that hid the nest from view. Crusher meanwhile sat at a distance, watching in amusement as the ceratopsian seemed not to care how much trouble it caused, continuing it's browsing of the foliage, giving an irritated snort or stomp whenever the Caudipteryx got too bold, the stomp usually scaring them into being more cautious for fear a false move could send it trampling over the nests. Crusher meanwhile noted the scent of a Raptor on the air, smirking. Looks like things were just getting better and better...

[C S]

Aircrest shifted down the length of the branch towards the trunk, hopping onto the bark and kicking off, landing among the roots with a muffled thump. He cocked his head and glanced around, making sure his landing did not catch the attention of the Caudipteryx. The antics of the Triceratops were more than enough to cover his arrival at the nest. Slinking quietly over to the mound, Aircrest picked up an egg gingerly in his maw, his many fine teeth pressing against the small mottled shell as he did...

[Pyronychus]

The rusty brown raptor’s face twisted in pain and he barely suppressed a groan of discomfort as he shifted into a more comfortable position on his bed of ferns, his broken leg protesting excruciatingly against the tiniest motion. On the finely-scaled skin over the break, a large, ugly bruise had been steadily spreading, turning brown skin various shades of purplish-gray and creating an unsightly mottled effect over most of his shin. He had wanted to keep it out of sight of his offspring for fear it would be too distracting, but the pairs’ keen eyes had quickly spotted the discoloration, and just as he had expected, the sight immediately terrified them. “Dad, what’s wrong with it? What can we do?” Sylicora’s tone was quavering as she gazed wide-eyed from the mouth of the cave, seemingly scared to come near the older raptor. Rhojis stood just inside the entrance, refusing to look directly at the injury. They had both just come back from a half-hearted agility practice session, and noticed the bruise looked worse now than when they left a couple of hours ago. As the pulsing ache slowly eased to a more bearable level, Beryl glanced up at the juveniles, the uneven cave lighting and unrelenting pain making him look several years older. “I don’t know what’s wrong, or what we can do to help it,” he hissed, sounding tired and strained. “Maybe I could find some more moss and water?” Sylicora volunteered tentatively. Rhojis shook his head. “It’s not bleeding. There’s nothing to wash away.” “Well what then? Do you know something I don’t?” As her voice rose frantically, Beryl clenched his teeth and momentarily squeezed his eyes shut, then spat, “Enough! I want you both to leave! Go back to doing something useful to help yourselves, and forget about me!” It had come out almost explosively, but the raptor hardly felt the need to apologize. He was fed up with their bickering, and simply wanted some peace and quiet to let his temper simmer down. He released a slow breath. “Go on,” he growled in a softer tone. “I’ll be fine.” The two juveniles had no choice but to comply, turning one after the other and exiting the cave numbly, throwing him backward glances that were filled with shock, fear and... was it hopelessness? Were they starting to believe he had no chance of recovery?