Foreword

Jurassic World.

The human wailed as she sank her teeth on his neck. A vigorous shake and it was done in a second.

Something rustled nearby. Charlie raised her head, ready to strike. She saw a figure crouching in the darkness, staring right back at her. She recognized him.

Owen lowered his rifle, keeping his eyes on her. Charlie tilted her head, chirping friendly.

Nameless was the new alpha, and she had turned the pack against the humans. Blue didn't mind. Charlie would do as Blue does, so she didn't mind either.

But Owen was part of the pack. He was always fighting Blue, and given the chance, Charlie would probably have helped her maul him, establishing her as the new alpha.

But Blue wasn't there. Nameless wasn't there. Charlie didn't quite like the new alpha. But Charlie liked Owen.

The young raptor heard a rustling behind her. She jumped as if she was spring loaded.

There was a loud whistle, and then everything busted into flames. A fraction of a second late and she would have been blown to pieces.

Still, Charlie was pushed by the strength of the explosion several feet on the air, landing far away from where she stood. Small chunks of ground and vegetation fell on her, the amber fire fading into darkness, just as her consciousness.

Charlie opened her eyes. Her whole body was sore, but complete. The jungle was in total silence, except for the gentle rustling of fire nearby.

The emerald raptor stood up, shaking off the mud and dust from her body. She turned her head one way and the other, trying to find her sisters. She called them. There was no answer.

She sniffed the air, trying to pick their scent. There was Owen's. There was Barry's. And there was Blue's.
She followed her nose to the place where the scents mixed in a mess. There happened something violent. There was a log impregnated by Barry's fear and Blue's rage. Charlie knew she didn't kill him, for there was no smell of blood. The air was loaded with the stench of burned rubber and fuel: Owen's fast thing.

Maybe all settled back to normal.

She followed the traces through a dirt trail, marked by recent tire prints. She recognized her sisters' footprints, apparently chasing the vehicles. They went all the way to the concrete place.

Charlie found the truck and the bike parked. Her senses went to full alert, perceiving the aroma of the new alpha, and… another one. It was something she had never smelled before, but it definitely reeked like danger.

Something was wrong. Things got very confuse.

She looked around. The place was destroyed. There had been one hell of a fight and the presence of the new alpha, her sisters and this new other one impregnated everything. And then… there was also Owen's scent. And more humans. Lots of them.

The young raptor's mind tried to figure out the scenario when she picked something nearby. It was Delta.

Charlie stopped caring about what happened at the scent of her sister. She had been growing anxious being alone, and the presence of enemies around didn't help. She needed the reassurance of the pack, the strength on numbers.

She ran to where the aroma came. It was from a group of ornamental bushes, under a knocked up palm tree.

Charlie called up. There was no answer, but she was positive Delta was right there. Was she hiding? Was she hurt?

She approached cautiously. She peered through the branches.

She could see the bulge of a body through the vegetation. She immediately knew it was Delta, and moved forward, chirping in relief.

Her sister didn't answer the salute. She didn't eve move.

Charlie tilted her head, confused, feeling the angst growing stronger. She chirped again, demanding attention. She even dared to hit the bulge with her muzzle: it would have won her a quick bite back in the day.

But nothing happened.

Charlie leaned forward, her fore claws on her sister; the body felt cold, and wet; Charlie recognized the smell of blood, pouring from deep puncturing wounds on her sister's sides. The young raptor looked at the other one's head: her jaws and eyes were mid open, but Charlie knew she couldn't see her. She wasn't breathing.

Her mind couldn't wrap around the situation. She nipped on her sister's neck once, and twice, and a third time, stronger that she ever dared to. The body stayed limp.

Charlie started to shake in panic. She cocked her head around, looking, but she didn't know what or who…

Blue. Echo. Owen.

She jumped out of the bushes, calling with all her might. She ran through the street, yelping, and sniffing, and calling again. There was Blue's scent all over, but she didn't answer.

Instead, a thunderous roar came from afar.

Charlie shrunk at the sound, mute. It sounded like nothing she had ever heard before. It was frightening.

She had to get out from there. She had to get back home.

She ran away from the concrete place, back into the dark jungle. She knew Blue did the same, and maybe Echo was with her.

They probably went back to the den. She would find them there.

The young raptor got lost in the night. Far behind her, the deep roar shook the air again.