Chapter 2: Rigel

Strafe and the raptor stared at one another for several seconds, expecting him to spring at her any moment. The Deinonychus simply remained perched casually atop the rock, surveying the female iguanodon.

"Don't be afraid. I won't harm you." he finally spoke after a long, tense silence.

"What do you want?" Strafe demanded, backing away from the predator.

"First, I wanted to thank you for standing up for me. I doubt most plant eaters would have been so generous." the raptor stated. "As such, I feel I should repay you for what you did for me."

Strafe's green eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? What could you possibly do for us?"

The sickle claw answered, "You want to get out of this ravine. I know a way out. I also overheard you mention something about the Great Valley. What if I told you I knew exactly how to find it?"

Strafe huffed and growled, "I don't believe a word you're saying! You're a hunter! Why would you help a leaf eater? For all I know you could just be leading us to your pack!"

"I… have no pack…" the raptor replied flatly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't bother going through all this trouble first."

The iguanodon frowned. "You still didn't answer my question. Why are you interested in helping us?"

"Well, for one thing, I admire your optimism." explained the sickle claw. "I've been watching you two since you first entered this ravine. Most who enter this ravine don't last very long before breaking down. You've kept your spirits high even in the face of grave danger."

The sickle claw then smiled and said, "And I also respect your integrity. I doubt your swimmer friend would have actually killed me. After all, swimmers are not violent killers by nature. But you no doubt spared me from a grave injury and for that I am thankful."

Looking up at the female iguanodon with piercing yellow eyes, he added, "Also, it has been quite a while since I've had any sort of excitement in my life. I could use a good adventure."

The raptor finally stood up and leaped down from the rock he was perched on, landing in the water with a splash. Strafe surveyed the predator. He was of a slender build. His body was covered in light grey, almost fur-like pinfeathers with a pattern of similar red feathers extending from the top of his head, running down his back, and ending at the tip of his tail. His arms and legs were covered with grey pinfeathers similar to the ones on the rest of his body. Strafe's eyes shifted down to the raptor's signature retractable claws, which were just as razor sharp as one would expect.

Strafe snorted and lashed her tail, still uncertain about whether to trust the meat eater or not.

"I don't think we need your help." snapped the female iguanodon and with that, she turned and began to walk down the stream, looking for Snork.

The sickle claw called after her, "If you want to escape from this ravine, just follow this stream. It eventually empties into a river. However, I believe you'll find the river to be extremely treacherous. It's the only way out though."

Strafe turned and glanced back at the raptor. "Alright, if you are so certain you can lead us to the Great Valley then by all means, show us the way."

"Of course." the Deinonychus responded, wading through the water that came up to his knees as he walked past Strafe.

The spikethumb placed an arm in front of him, blocking his back, and then threatened, "However, if you betray us, I promise that you will regret it dearly."

"Understood." The raptor replied. "Now come on. We're wasting valuable time."

Just as they two dinosaurs rounded the bend in the creek, Snork appeared.

"Hey, Strafe, I couldn't find any…"

The swimmer spotted the raptor and snarled, "You! What are you doing here!?"

"Easy, Snork. He said he knows how to find the Great Valley." Strafe explained, trying to keep the situation calm. She knew there would be trouble the moment Snork saw the sickle claw.

"And you actually believe him?" Snork exclaimed in a state of pure disbelief.

"Not really. But I already made it clear what would happen if he betrayed us." Strafe stated firmly, glaring at the predator.

Snork snorted in pure disdain as he glared at the sickle claw. "I don't like this."

"Nor do I." replied, Strafe, shaking her head. "But he is our best lead so far."

Reluctantly, Snork relented. "Alright. But I still don't like it."

The raptor glanced at the two plant eaters. "So your name is Strafe…" he said to the female spikethumb. Turning to the parasaur, he said, "And your name is Snork. My name is Rigelus, but you can just call me Rigel."

Then, without another word, the sickle claw began to lead the way down the stream. Strafe and Snork just glanced at one another and shrugged, following after the raptor. The ravine walls on either side of the stream were so narrow that the three dinosaurs all had to walk single file. Strafe studied Rigel carefully. She had many questions racing through her mind and her curiosity was getting the better of her. To her, predators had always been nothing more than mindless savages.

"So, how is it that you can speak?" Strafe asked Rigel.

The raptor grinned. "It's a rather long tale so I'll just tell you the short version." Rigel started to explain. "Basically, someone way back in my family lineage learned to speak your language. None of us knew who it was though. It took years to master the language and become fluent."

Rigel chuckled and continued, "The funny thing is, we had never thought of leaf eaters as being intelligent before we learned their language. For my family, that revelation changed everything. Some of us didn't want to hunt anymore. Some of us chose to do so regardless, seeing it as a necessary evil. After all, we had to eat. But others, like me, decided to take a different approach."

Strafe cocked her head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I took to hunting smaller creatures such as rock lizards, bugs, fish, and whatever other small things I could catch. Those small morsels manage to sustain me, but I'm not above scavenging off the dead though."

Strafe nodded. "I see." she said, taking a small amount of comfort in knowing that Rigel would rather eat other things besides her.

"So what happened to your pack?" Strafe inquired to which Rigel frowned.

"I'd rather not discuss it." the raptor replied flatly as he continued walking, avoiding eye contact.

"I understand." Strafe said in almost a gentle whisper, assuming that they were most likely dead. After all, it wasn't uncommon in this brutal wasteland.

Strafe suddenly became aware of a steady rumbling sound ahead.

Snork, who was trailing behind like always, noticed it as well. "What's that noise?" asked the swimmer.

"That sound is the river up ahead." Rigel called back.

Eager to escape from the ravine, the dinosaurs picked the pace. The roaring waters of the river became louder and louder until finally the spray became visible. The stream they were wading through abruptly ended in a small waterfall which drained into the river. The instant Strafe laid eyes on the river, her jaw dropped in shock and awe of what lay before her. When Snork caught up, he too stared in shock. There before the three dinosaurs was the most terrifying set of rapids any of them had ever seen. The raging water was white and foamy with massive waves as high as thirty feet, as well as deep hydraulics and deadly rocks.

"Okay, what now? How are we supposed to get past this?" Snork demanded.

Rigel replied, "Well, this is the way I came into the ravine. I walked along that little path there."

The raptor gestured to a tiny, extremely narrow ledge just above the raging current.

"And what in blazes are we supposed to do? That path is too small for us to use!" Snork exclaimed.

"You'll have to swim." Rigel replied as if the answer was obvious.

"You're insane!" protested the swimmer. "There is no way we could swim in that!"

"Snork's right. It would be suicide to try in swim through those rapids." Strafe said.

"Look, the rapids end just a couple miles down the river." Rigel explained. "There is no other way out of this canyon as far as I know. We'll just have to take our chances with the river."

Snork shook his head. "This is unbelievable."

Strafe looked into the uninviting water and felt a chill go down her spine. She knew in her heart that there was no other alternative though.

"Snork, since you're a swimmer, perhaps you could lead us down the river. After all, you have a better chance than the rest of us." Strafe suggested.

Snork sighed. "Alright. I guess it's better than starving to death."

Rigel looked into the deadly water and said to the others with a hint of fear in his voice, "Well, we may as well get this over with."

Snork nodded and muttered with fear evident in his voice as, "Well, here goes nothing."

The parasaur got a running start and dived off the top of the small waterfall, plunging into the whitewater and instantly vanishing into the foamy rapids. Without even waiting for him to surface, Strafe and Rigel leaped in as well. The instant Strafe hit the water, the current pulled her straight to the bottom. The iguanodon lost all sense of direction as the current rolled her over again and again and sent her bouncing along the rocky riverbed. She desperately tried to get her bearings as she held her breath. The riverbed suddenly dropped sharply downward and the sudden change in current pushed Strafe to the surface. Breaking through the turbulent surface, Strafe gasp for breath, paddling her legs and struggling not to get pulled under again. She narrowly missed a large rock as the current swept her along. Water splashed in her face and stung her eyes as she fought to stay afloat. Seemingly out of nowhere, Rigel swam up next to her and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding on for dear life. The raptor wasn't very heavy so he was not really a bourdon for the iguanodon.

"Sorry! My kind aren't the best swimmers!" the sickle claw shouted over the roar of the river.

Up ahead, Strafe caught a glimpse of Snork bobbing up and down in the water. The current swept the hadrosaur into one of the massive hydraulics but his forward momentum pushed him clear. Strafe took a deep breath as the current swept her in next. As with Snork, she was pushed clear as well. Up ahead, the water sprayed in all directions as it struck a large rock in the middle of the river. Snork paddled desperately as he tried to avoid the rock but it was too late. The parasaur scraped his leg against the side of the rock, tearing the scab off his wounds and reopening the gashes on his injured right leg. Snork let out a shriek of pain as he disappeared under the waves yet again. Strafe let out a gasp of horror, accidentally inhaling a little bit of water in the process. Moments later, the swimmer surfaced again, coughing and gagging. To avoid the same situation, Strafe turned sideways and used her tail as a rudder, trying to steer herself around the boulder but it was already too late. As a last resort, the iguanodon rolled onto her side, using all four of her legs to absorb the impact. She then propelled herself off the rock and followed after Snork, who was now struggling more than ever. He was just barely keeping his head above the water and Strafe was fearful that he would drown. She wanted to call out to him but it would do no good. All anyone could hear was the roar of the rapids. Strafe eventually realized that the river was calming just as Rigel said it would. The massive waves and hydraulics were gone and now there were just a few rocks to steer around. Finally, the steep gorge gave way to a gentle, sandy river bank lined with trees. The first thing Strafe noticed was the vibrant greenery that still clung to the trees.

"There…" Rigel gasped, pointing a clawed finger at the river bank with one hand while still clinging to Strafe's neck with the other.

There was no need to tell Snork. The parasaur was already well ahead of them and paddling toward the shore. Snork crawled out of the river and limped up the river bank. Strafe paddled as hard as she could until she could touch the bottom. Rigel let go of her neck and paddled to shore as well. Strafe climbed out of the river behind Snork, coughing on the water she had accidently inhaled during the trip. Snork keeled over, gagging as if he were about to vomit. He coughed for several seconds before regaining his composure.

Strafe gasped as she saw the reopened wounds on Snork's leg. Scarlet blood stained his tan hide, mingling with the water that dripped from his body. The hadrosaur limped over to one of the trees and gently lied down at its base.

Rigel darted over to the injured swimmer, examining his wounds.

"Wait here." The raptor instructed to the two leaf eaters, just before he ran off into the grove of trees.

"Where's he going?" Snork croaked weakly.

"I don't know." replied Strafe as she lied down beside him.

The wind picked up and the two dinosaurs gazed up at the sky to the west. Dark storm clouds were rolling in. In the dry, barren land, the approaching clouds were actually a welcome sight. The wind smelled of moisture and rain, bringing the weary travelers a sense of relief.

"Well, we're alive." Strafe said to her friend, a smile on her face. In her heart though, she was worried. Snork's wounds were bleeding badly.

Moments later, Rigel returned carrying a bundle of vines in one hand and a gourd of some sort in the other. The raptor squatted down beside Snork and used the retractable talon on his foot to slash the gourd open. After pulling the two halves apart, Rigel placed the vines on a nearby boulder, picked up a chunk of limestone, and pounded the green vines into a fine paste. Next, he took the paste and mixed it with the pulpy juice inside the gourd until it had formed a sticky, gooey paste.

Scooping up the paste, Rigel looked at Snork end explained, "This is going to hurt, but it should stop the bleeding and keep the wound from getting infected."

For a moment, Snork looked confused until Rigel began to rub the paste into his wounds. The hadrosaur tensed up, pinched his eyes shut, and was clearly struggling not to scream. After Rigel finished applying the concoction, he too gazed up at the sky.

Turning his attention back to Snork, the sickle claw mused, "It appears we're in for a storm. Perhaps you two should eat something before the rain starts. I'll find us a suitable shelter for the night."

Strafe nodded to Rigel and then turned her attention back to Snork.

"Since your leg is hurt again, I will bring you some food." the iguanodon instructed.

Snork just nodded, turning his head to survey the wound once again. Just as Rigel had said, the bleeding had stopped and the painful burning sensation had actually wavered as well. The hadrosaur watched as Strafe snagged a branch covered with lush green treestars and pulled it down from the tree. Next, she walked over to a palm tree and tore down another branch. Snork watched as Strafe gathered a rather large collection of greenery that included fresh fruit and lush, green leaves.

The hadrosaur stared hungrily t the green food. "That looks so delicious." he said.

"I'll split it with you." Strafe replied, looking up at the sky as the dark clouds covered the sun.

The scent of rain grew stronger and the low rumbling of thunder was closer now. Rigel returned and gestured toward a nearby cliff.

"I found a shelter for us. It's not much but it will keep the rain off of us." the Deinonychus said.

Strafe grabbed the huge bundle of green food in her arms and followed Rigel as he led the way through the grove of trees. Snork slowly got to his feet and followed, limping as he walked. They came to a large alcove at the base of the cliff. Overhead, a bolt of fluorescent blue lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder.

"Let's hurry!" Snork panted, making his way inside.

Snork carefully lowered himself to the ground and waited for the others. Strafe laid the huge bundle of green food down on the stone floor and set about preparing the food she had gathered. She mixed the various types of leaves and fruit together in one big pile and then divided it into two separate piles.

"Here." The female iguanodon said in a gentle tone as she pushed one of the piles of food over to Snork.

"Thanks." Snork said with a smile before digging in. A look of surprise and delight appeared on the swimmer's face and he exclaimed, "Hey, this is pretty good!"

Rigel commented, "I've never heard of anyone mixing food together like that. Is that a spikethumb thing?"

Strafe chuckled, lying down beside her pile of food. "I used to do it as a kid. It's been years since I've been able to enjoy it like this though."

"I see." Rigel replied.

The raptor sat down and waited for Strafe and Snork to finish their meals.

Snork crossed his arms and rested his head on them. "I can't even remember the last time I've had that much to eat." The parasaur chimed happily.

Rigel took a claw and began drawing a map in the dirt. The raptor explained to the two leaf eaters, "Alright, here is the plan. We will follow the river until it turns toward the south."

He drew a line in the dust representing the river.

"Past the bend in the river, we will come to a large, dry desert. The desert will be a lot like the lands you two have been traveling through already so you should be used to that by now."

Strafe and Snork both watched Rigel's movements as he began adding landmarks to the map.

"The dry wasteland is a longer rout to take, but it will bypass the volcanoes, which are far more dangerous. Eventually we will arrive at a small oasis nestled among some hills. From there, we head north for a bit until we reach the Great Valley."

"You make it sound so easy." Strafe commented, staring at the odd series of confusing pictures Rigel had drawn.

"It will be anything but easy." Rigel replied.

A bright flash of lightning outside illuminated the inside of the alcove, followed by a crack of thunder. Outside, rain began to pour from the darkened sky.

Strafe gazed out into the story evening for a few seconds and then turned to the others again.

"Before we do anything else, I think we should stay here for a few days. That way we can rest up and regain our strength for the journey ahead."

Snork nodded. "That will give my leg time to heal also."

Rigel agreed. "I was just going to suggest that. For now, I think we could all use some sleep."

Strafe nodded. Having not slept in two days, she and Snork were both exhausted.

Snork waited for Rigel to bed down at the opposite end of the alcove before whispering to Strafe, "I still don't trust him."

"I'm not entirely sure I do either, but I don't think we have to worry. He can't take both of us by himself even if he does try to double cross us. And he did put that stuff on your leg that stopped the bleeding." Strafe whispered reassuringly to her companion. "For now, let's just go to sleep."

The iguanodon folded her front legs and rested her head on them, closing her tired eyes.

Snork followed suit and before long, all was quiet except for the steady pitter-patter of rain outside.

To be continued…