Chapter 2

Bad hunt.


One of the trumpeter sentinels honked a warning, and soon the herds were fleeing through the field or forming phalanxes of menacing horns and spiked tails.

Charlie roared in frustration, running after the fugitives, although the effort would be fruitless. Her ambush was discovered too quickly, and now it would be nearly impossible to catch anything.

The raptor gave up the pursuit, standing right in the middle of the range, gasping and watching the preys out of reach. She angrily snarled at the escaping animals, and trotted back to the jungle. Once again, with her stomach empty.

The herds lately became more suspicious, and the watching doubled. Charlie committed the mistake of frequently attack them, keeping them nervous and ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. She hadn't had a successful hunt for days now.

The raptor walked through the jungle; she moved lightly, but fast, making almost no sound on the soft ground.


A grey blur caught her sight. A sleek, four legged body moved fast through the fern-covered soil, taking low but long jumps. Charlie recognized the furry animal; it was no dinosaur, but the difference meant nothing to her: meat was meat.

The deer had amazing agility; it zigzagged sharply, looking for low braches, bushes and roots, anything that could persuade or slow down its pursuer. Unfortunately, such pursuer was built for the chase.

For Charlie, it was no very different from the pig-hunt. The dinosaur could perform turns almost as narrow as the mammal, using her tail as counterbalance. The hard part was guiding it to where Charlie wanted.

Usually, Blue leaded the hunt, and she and her sisters drove the prey easily to the kill zone. It was harder doing it alone, but she was far more intelligent than her prey.

Charlie moved forward, slightly ahead of the deer. It made a sudden turn, and the raptor followed.

The deer looked desperately to go back to the woods, into tighter space, where it would be easier to lose the bigger predator; but for each time it ran back, Charlie had already anticipated, forcing it where the trees were more spread.

They finally got to the forest limits. Beyond the line of trees were the open ranges where the herds used to graze. Once the deer crossed that line, it was dead.

The raptor growled with anticipation. The closer she was getting to the fields, the more anxious she got, pushing her prey with more and more obstinacy, focusing maybe too much on the chase, and too much less on what stood up ahead.

An angry roar made the deer bolt to the open. There was the chance Charlie was hoping for.

She dashed after, claws spread, jaws salivating…

And she froze on its feet, mere inches before the little three-horned, that jumped and ran away from her with a painful cry.

Charlie stared at the two massive adults to whom the calf was running to. They seemed as shocked as she was, and for a second all stayed still, not knowing what to do.

One of the adults bellowed an air-shaking battle cry, and the earth quivered under Charlie's feet, as the pair of gigantic bodies rammed at her at full speed. The raptor turned on her heels and made it for the forest, knowing very well what an angry three-horned was capable of.

Charlie dashed for her life, hearing behind her the sound of trees snapping at the irresistible force of the brutes.

They were gaining ground. She might have been faster than them, but now she was tired by infructuous hunts, and weakened by hunger. The half defiant, half panicked cry she gave while running was answered by a furious snort, and she could feel the warm breath of the beast on her back.

The three-horned lowered its muzzle and swept it sideways. Charlie felt a hit, and suddenly the world spun out of control, her body tossed through the air.

She was lucky not to crash against a tree, but she rolled a good distance before stopping. The adrenaline and fear let her ignore the pain, and she was on her feet before the beast could trample her to finish the job.

She forgot, however, of the other one.

The raptor barely had time to dodge the spear-like nasal horn, but one giant foot kicked her with force. This time, a tree stopped her flying too abruptly.

The three-horned couldn't stop and crashed head first against a trunk. There was a loud, snapping sound. The tree shook, roots pulled out from the ground, moaning as it fell. The dazed dinosaur took a few steps backwards, shaking its head.

Charlie stood up, like spring loaded. The first three-horned resumed its attack, its head falling down, trying to impale the raptor with its two large horns. Charlie shrunk, getting right in the middle of them, as they sunk on the earth. She foolishly slashed the heavy armored forehead, and in response the giant swept its head forward and up, sending the raptor flying like a rag doll.

This time Charlie managed to land on her feet. All her body was a ball of pain, but fear gave her renewed strength. Her mind searched desperately for a way out.

She ran madly… straight at her second attacker.

Her opponent's muzzle lowered to the ground, ready to strike. To avoid the hit, she jumped, getting in the way upwards of the massive nose; the force of the blow catapulted her once again.

The agile raptor shifted her body midair. A treetop was getting closer really fast.

She clawed frantically, slapped by leaves and branches. She felt a searing pain on her thigh, and the warm humidity of her own blood pouring. Her fall came to an abrupt end, as her talons found a thick enough branch to support her weight. She grasped desperately at the tangled foliage, fighting to keep her balance.

Suddenly the tree shook fiercely: the two colossi knew she was up there, and wouldn't give up their efforts easily. The tree shuddered, but its roots were deeply burrowed, keeping it from fall.

Charlie held up, hissing and snarling in impotence and fear. Down there, the three-horned rammed and bellowed, circling the tree and charging again, steadfast on their purpose of killing.


The sun was very much lower when the call of the herd finally drove the two animals away from the trunk. By the time both got out from the forest, they had forgotten about the raptor up the treetop.

But Charlie took a long time before going down, fearful of the return of the giants. It was dark way before she was on her way home, limping.

The raptor crawled back to her nest, feeling miserable. Now that adrenaline wore off, she felt the damage on all her body: she was lucky not to be a trophy speared on a horn, but everything in her was bruised and full of scratches, and her thigh bled; it was an ugly gash, probably made by a sharp, thick stump. It would not kill her; at least, not the wound itself.

Charlie hardly understood how everything on and inside her hurt so much, and began to lick her injuries on a pitiful effort to reduce the stabbing pain.

For the first time in a long while, she let out high, painful chirps claiming for the attention of a caring pack. The night grew older as she continued her cries, but no one came.

Finally, pain and exhaustion silenced her. She curled around, still aching, and closed her eyes to a dreamless, pitch-black sleep.


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