Chapter 5: Matters of a raptor

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Tholestes POV-

Pava was the last raptor I thought I'd see in our pack's perceived territory.

And she had other pack mates with her. They, like her, were female but had darker and lighter scale colouration then her.

"I don't know what possessed you and your pack sisters to defile and invade my pack's nesting ground, Pava," I hissed menacingly while I approached her. "But now your gonna' wish you hadn't!"

Pava hissed back, "If your barking about spilling my blood, I don't see that happening, little forest rat!"

"Then let me be the one to open your eyes!" I leaped at her and the fight was on.

Josiah's POV-

Tholestes and Pava attacked each other, but Pava seemed more at an advantage. They were both large, but Tholestes didn't have the quick movements necessary to take her down.

The two other subordinates that Tholestes had brought along with him didn't fair any better. Sandah and Dulia were literally kicking their tails.

I couldn't blame them. Their wounds were not fully healed from their earlier attack from the nest.

From what I learned from Tholestes and the INGEN dinosaur files, raptors were slow bleeders with special nervous systems that prevented them from dying from minor or serious wounds. But that didn't stop them from feeling pain and from slowing down.

Having enough of this, I scrambled to my rifle, picked it up, and sprang to my feet, the weapon raised. I didn't know if my rifle would be strong enough to take them down, but I had to try something.

I took aim at Pava but paused. Tholestes would get hit if I misfired. I wasn't much of a crack shot when it came to aiming and shooting.

I decided to go for her subordinates instead.

I squeezed the trigger and fired. Dulia let out an agonized shriek and fell to the ground. That was enough to make Sandah stop her attack. She got off her opponent and went over to Dulia, limping slightly from her fight.

The two injured raptors had a look of utter surprise stamped across their faces when they both turned to look at me.

Tholestes and Pava stopped their fight, too. Pava dashed over to join Sandah and Dulia, who's leg was bleeding.

"YOU FILTHY HUMAN!" Pava screeched at me, turning to pounce.

"Don't touch him!" Tholestes yelled, quickly jumping between me and her.

I raised my rifle again, pointing it Pava's head. I moved to the side a bit to avoid shooting Tholestes. I couldn't take her out without killing him by mistake.

The two other subordinates pounced on Dulia and Sandah, pinning them both to the ground. From the corner of my eye I could see that their killing claws were pressed on the female's throats.

Now we were at a standstill. Who was going to kill who?

Tholestes POV-

I stood in front of Pava, keeping myself between her and Josiah.

Nil and Cain, though wounded, were keeping Pava's pack sisters subdued.

Josiah had his weapon raised, ready to use it if necessary.

"Well, it seems we're at a bit of a stalemate, huh, Pava?" I chirped at her, keeping my stance.

"Don't get too overconfident, forest rat," She hissed. "You may have won this time, but I will be back."

She turned and headed off into the jungle. Cain and Nil didn't let the other two females go however.

"What are you waiting for?" I said, turning to them both. "let them go."

"But they're black stripes," Nil said while keeping his killing claw on Sandah's neck. "We should kill them."

Cain added, "They trespassed in our territory, Tholestes. Alpha Kara gave us permission to kill any black stripe that..."

"I know!" I snarled at them, which made Josiah jump a little. "You don't think I know that already? But as beta of this group, you will do as I say."

Nil snarled, "You're an omega like us, Tholestes! The only reason why you were given that position was because your grandfather, Sandar, weaseled you in as a beta."

I growled deep in my throat and marched over to Nil. I stood up to my full height and glowered down at him. He glowered right back but I could see that he was cowering under my stance.

"My grandfather asked for the position," I told him in a deadly hiss. "Alpha Kara and Phaganax both said that it was alright. Just as long as I tow the line as a beta and do my duty as a second in command. Now do as I say and let them go."

Nil and Cain both looked at each other and then back at me. Together they both released Sandah and Dulia. The two females sprang up to their feet and, with the both of them limping slightly, dashed away back into the jungle.

When they were gone, and their scent no longer around the area, Nil rounded on me.

"I don't know what you were thinking allowing them to leave here, Tholestes, but we should have killed them when we had the chance!"

I snorted in his face and hissed defiantly, "What good would it do if we were to kill them senselessly? Besides, they weren't in our territory."

Cain shook his head in disbelief. "What are you barking about? This human village is part of our territory, isn't it?"

"It was," I barked at him. "But the rains have washed away all traces of my scent marks around the place. Therefore Pava and her pack sisters had every right to enter here. But now they're gone. Which means that we can start re-scent marking the place."

Cain and Nil still didn't seem to agree.

Turning in the opposite direction, Nil said, "We're heading back to the nest, Tholestes. You're welcome to join us if..."

"Now, hold on!" I barked at him, getting in his way to stop. "Alpha Kara gave us a duty to do. As a beta, you omegas have to do what I say."

Cain snorted and moved aside to get past me.

"I don't know who you think you are, nest brother, but you are not our beta. And we do not answer to you."

And with that, they both moved past me with disgusted snarls and disappeared into the village, leaving me and Josiah alone.

Josiah's POV-

I watched as the two subordinates of Tholestes left, leaving the two of us alone in the parking lot.

"What was that all about?" I asked Tholestes.

Tholestes let out a sigh and turned to me. "Nil and Cain didn't want to stay and help. I guess they don't want to take orders from a beta like me."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You're a beta now? Since when?"

"Since some of the other betas at our nest got attacked and injured." Tholestes explained. "My grandfather spoke to Kara and Phaganax and I got permission to be a beta. Mind you, I'm still a low ranked beta until the injured members of my pack who are betas heal and get well. Then I'll be put back in omega position."

I nodded in understanding. In raptor society, the beta raptor helped the alphas with decisions as well as some other pack activities. With the presence of the alphas gone, the betas would usually take over.

"But aren't they omegas? Shouldn't they've done what you told them to do?" I said curiously.

Tholestes snorted and let out a small growl. "Yes, Josiah, they should have. But Cain and Nil disobeyed my command and insulted my rank as a beta. They think my grandfather weaseled me into the rank, but that is not true. He asked and I got permission."

"Oh Tholestes, isn't it obvious?" I said almost chuckling. "They're jealous!"

"Jealous?" Tholestes said disbelievingly with a bark. "Jealous of what?"

"Look," I said with patience, "Your grandfather is a high-ranking beta male raptor of your nest, you know he is. As the high-ranking beta of your pack, and you being his grandson and all, your next in line of beta. The other omega subordinates feel like they've been cheated out of that position. They think that you are getting special attention, and your position as beta will grant you privileges."

Tholestes shook his head, still not understanding.

"Let me explain," I said with a sigh. "You are a beta-a second in command to the alphas, right?"

Tholestes nodded his head.

"And Nil and Cain are omegas, right?"

Again Tholestes nodded.

"So, that means that they think you'll bully them. You'll abuse your position as a beta and make them submit to you."

"But they are lower in rank then I am," Tholestes said. "They are suppose to submit to me. And I'd never bully them. They are my pack mates."

I sighed again. "I know, Tholestes, but the way you told them to do something they didn't want to do made you look like a..."

I couldn't finish the words. Not without making Tholestes mad at me.

"Like a what?" Asked Tholestes, tilting his head.

"Like an alpha," I said. "An alpha they didn't want."

Tholestes POV-

After I was done re-scent marking the boundaries of the worker village, I traveled back to the nest. I tried get my head around about what Josiah had told me about my position as a beta.

Was it true that Nil and Cain were jealous of me? It wasn't possible. The three of us had been pack mates ever since we were young raptors. But we were omegas back then. Now I was a beta and they were still lowly omegas. They were still at the bottom of the pack, along with my brother.

My brother and sister. What do they think of me now that I was a beta?

When I got back to my nest, and settled myself down to rest, Terias came up to me but didn't join me.

"So," he said, when I was about curl up to sleep. "Congratulations."

"What do you mean, congratulations?" I said, staring at Terias. There was definitely something wrong with the way my little brother was frowning at me.

"For being a beta," He said. "Nil and Cain already told me what happened today. And as a beta of our pack, you get to boss any lower ranking pack members around. Does that include me, as well?"

I stood up from our nest and narrowed my eyes at my brother. He shrunk back a little but not that much.

"You'd think I do that?" I said. "You'd think I would treat my own little brother that way? You're wrong."

"Yeah?" said Terias, and he growled. "Is that all I am to you? Your little brother? Or just an omega?"

Anger sliced through me. "I didn't ask to be a beta, alright? Grandfather asked for me for the position. I'm sorry you feel that way, little brother, but that is how this pack works."

Terias backed away from me and hissed, "Then maybe I don't want to be in a pack that has you as a beta."

Those words cut through me like a sickle claw in my chest.

Terias turned and walked away from me, his tail held high. When he got into his nest with Fern and grandfather, he turned his back to me.

"First Nil and Cain, now you," I barked angrily at him. "I didn't ask to be a beta!"

But my brother didn't respond. Instead, he gave me an icy look and turned away.

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