Title: Slave to the Raptors of Helios
Rating: T, mostly for Language
Genre: Undecided.
Summary: A Herrerasaurus arrives in a new land, where he will meet old enemies and unexpected allies. Taken hostage by a savage cult of Austroraptors, can he escape with his life or end up as their next sacrifice?
Author's Comment: A story I'm writing based on an ongoing RP I'm doing on the game, The Isle. If anyone here has the game and wants to join in on the story, let me know! :D
Ch. 1
The sun rose to greet the landscape, casting its warm golden rays over the grassy terrain and rolling hills. This was entirely new territory, for many dinosaurs, Rav included.
Laying with his tail wrapped around himself, the black-and-white speckled Herrerasaurus opened his eyes to have them greeted by this peaceful scene. Of course, if there's one thing he's learned on this island, is that nothing remains peaceful for long. One must always remain alert and trust no one.
'Tis the Herra way, especially. They are a solitary species; any large congregation is brought together by convenience and without social order or bonds between the members. Cannibalism, while not preferred, was an action done with no qualms should food run scarce.
He glances over at the remains of what was once his packmate, who had travelled with him here from Predatorium. A major drought has taken hold of the once prosperous lands, the lakes drying up and the vegetation soon to follow.
Rav and several others stayed for as long as possible, taking advantage of the bounty of dead or dying dinosaurs. But even that source ran thin and those who stayed any longer would've met the same fate.
He had decided to leave. He was always a nomadic Herra to begin with, traveling from one part of the island to another, taking up what the other dinosaurs called "Clean-Up Duty". His packmate had joined him, but the journey was not a kind one.
Prey was scarce throughout the island, carnivores forced to feast on each other instead and fight over what scraps were there. Rav would always watch these squabbles, rushing in to snatch what meat he could. It was always a risky business and brushes with death was common.
Eventually, it got to the point where his eyes turned to his packmate. The attack was swift, unexpected, and brutal, and he bared injuries from the struggle. But it was worth it, especially given that he knew the roles could and WOULD have been reversed. He'd rather not be the one being cannibalized.
Standing up after some time basking in the morning light, he keeps his eyes, nose, and ears alert for danger as he devours the last scraps from the remains. It wasn't enough to fill him, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully, this new land held promise of better opportunities.
Leaving the bones behind, he moves downhill to meet this new world, keeping to what undergrowth he could.
He travels a full day before he catches sight of a large lake in the distance and there, right at the shore, was the single greatest thing he could have ever hoped for: the body of a downed Puertasaurus. A bounty to keep him fed for months to come!
His strides sped up, the wind brushing his scales and tantalizing his nostrils with the enticing scent of carrion. As he arrives to the lake, he hesitates, automatically scanning the area for the predators that killed this massive beast.
There is nothing.
He keeps low, slithering towards the body with great caution. As he draws closer, he sees that there's another body right next to the sauropod. A Giganotosaurus. No doubt a casualty in its pack's efforts to kill such a dangerous herbivore.
More food for him.
He moves towards the Giga corpse first, ravenous as he begins to feed. Who know when he'll have another opportunity like this... An opportuntity lost when he sees a blue Allo approaching the carcass, drawn by the same promise of a feast as the small Herra.
Despite the Allo's passive calls as it drew nearer, Rav knew better than to take the risk. Just one snap of those jaws would be all that's needed to deliver a devastating blow he won't be able to recover from. He moves away from the bodies with haste, watching the larger carnivore eat. Despite his hunger, he's patient and can wait his turn for his fill.
As the Allo moves off from the body after taking its share, still giving passive calls as it settles a respectful distance to digest, Rav moves back for the bodies.
As he eats, he spots an Austroraptor nearby. He keeps a wary eye on it; Herreras and Austros do not tend to get along at all. Many times in his travels he would witness his kind engage in lethal gang wars with these creatures. He wouldn't take any part of those, but he cannot deny that the rivalry is warranted. He can recall plenty of times where an Austro was in direct competition for the same food as himself. He's been hunted by them, and he hunts them as well. The blood feud between their species shows no sign of ending, certainly not now...
The raptor stopped, looking back at him and their eyes met. The Austro begins hissing softly and Rav responds with a deep growl, standing over the corpse protectively. He is not willing to share this bounty with this raptor and was certainly hungry enough to fight for it.
Even when it gets claimed by another Allosaurus, who pays no mind to the duo as she eats. The two smaller dinosaurs give the red-crested predator her space, but tensions between them is still high as they regarded each other with hostility.
"Helios will not allow you to withhold his bounty, Herratic."
"Herratic?" Rav grunts, noticing the emphasis on certain syllables. "Is that what your kind calls us nowadays?"
"The spelling is up to interpretation," she responds in a cool, yet taunting tone.
"Regardless," he continues. "This carcass is Herra property. It would do you well to leave."
"Herra property?" another voice interrupts irritably and the duo quickly make way as a Spinosaurus strides by. The giant sail-back was not pleased by the two's disagreement and was quick to establish her dominance as she stands over the carcass, the red-crested Allo wisely moving off to join her blue companion. "Herras have no property here. Everything in this lake belongs to me."
The Spino was deadly serious and the two keep a distance from her as she fed. However, despite her intervention, the argument was far from over. The topic of who will get the next turn to feed is still unresolved.
"You try to take this feast from me, but everything that is graced with Helios' golden rays are a gift to his followers, dark one," she states matter-of-factly, showing no signs of backing down. "Those who oppose this are to pay with their blood."
She kept going on about this 'Helios' person. Looking about, he can see several other larger predators being drawn in to the Pue's corpse, but none of them appear to be affiliated with this raptor in any way. He snorts, fixing his eyes back to her.
"I fail to see this 'Helios' of yours, so these words you speak are nothing more than empty threats."
"Herratics such as yourself live in the shadows," she explains. "Hence, you will never see the glory that is the Great Helios."
"Sounds like a bunch of superstitious nonsense to me," Rav declares, finally understanding what the Austro was rambling on about. "You're obviously insane and really, I can't decide whether you should live or die. Put you out of your misery."
"Any who dares to bring harm to the priestess of Helios will only seal his own demise," she tells him.
"Now you're just tempting me," he responds.
"Okay, that's enough!" the Spino again pipes up, having enough of hearing their bickering. The other carnivores in the area watch as the massive sailed carnivore charge and give warning bites above the two small critters, sending the duo scurrying off on their own separate ways.
"Why is it that Austros and Herras always seem to be out for each other's blood?" asked one of the Allos to their companion, who shrugs.
"Who knows?"