"OHHH THERE ONCE WAS A MAN NAMED MICHAEL FINNEGIN. HE HAD SOME WHISKERS ON HIS CHIN-NE-GIN. TRIED TO CUT THEM OFF BUT THEY GREW IN AGAIN. POOR OLD MICHAEL FINNEGIN. BEGIN AGAIN! OHHH-" Owen groaned into the palms of his hands as he listened to Felix scream at the top of his lungs in the backseat trying to get Hunter and him to sing with him. Felix was ten times more annoying than any other person he had dealt with, he didn't understand how or why Emma put up with him.
Hunter impatiently tapped the steering wheel, trying to block out the annoying sound of Felix's deep voice and pay attention to the beeping of the video collar. The raptor had taken them across a small creek and into the restricted area where the old park was. Some carnivores still roamed loose over in this area, mainly dilophosaurs and the occasional chirping compsognathus. He could feel his brain ache as Felix continued to sing...horribly. He wondered if Owen would be deeply and morally upset if he dropped him off in the middle of carnivore territory. Hunter scowled, Owen was a goody goody of course he'd care.
He let out an irritated sigh as he listened to the passenger in the backseat croak out more melodic tunes. "Twenty two, freaking times..." Owen complained into his hands as Felix started up another verse. He instantly regretted bringing Felix along, he no longer wished to bond with his girlfriends partner. Hunter glared over at the raptor specialist, who's face looked cherry red with annoyance. "We had to bring him? We had to bring him?" Hunter ripped on Owen who continued to groan loudly.
He was puzzled why the other two grown men didn't want to join on his song. He felt a little offended. "OHHH-" Felix crooned up another annoying verse. Hunter slammed on his brakes causing Owen to hit his head on the dashboard, his seatbelt giving him some protection, as Felix to rammed into the backside of Owen's seat hard since he had no restraint on him. "If you keep bloody singing I'm gunna turn this car around and take you back." Hunter threatened, glaring at Felix who held his head gingerly, his thick accent coming out. "Undastand?" Felix nodded his head slowly as he sat back in his seat. He instantly took a disliking to Hunter, all he was trying to do was make this trip fun.
Owen leaned his head back against the window looking out at the scenery, trying to relax his mind after Felix's and Hunter's debacle. He furrowed his brows as he gazed at his surroundings, it finally clicked that they were in the restricted area. He hadn't been on this side of the island since the Indominous Rex incident. He shuddered a little bit, thinking back to it. Sometimes he couldn't get it's hideous roar out of his head, it just kept replaying causing him to have massive headaches that even medicine couldn't fix.
The restricted side of the park had been where the original Jurassic Park was going to be until that park ultimately failed and was abandoned to rot into rubble. Owen was glad that Emma and Alan hadn't joined him and Claire on the Indominous Rex excursion, Alan may have had a heart attack seeing the old park and reminiscing about the dangers he encountered. Not like he didn't do that already, Owen had heard the time where he was stuck on Isla Sorna and was surrounded by a raptor pack but was saved by some kid. It got more eccentric every time he reiterated it.
"So where is this maiasuar at?" He questioned Hunter, breaking the awkward silence that fell between the three men. Hunter bit his bottom lip, he honestly wasn't paying much attention to the maiasuars tracking device but more along the lines of the collar's tracking mechanism. He looked towards the screen with nervous eyes, he hoped he was on the right trail.
His heart was relieved when the monitor said it was about one and a half kilometers away. "She's a click away north of here." He assured the suspicious raptor trainer, he didn't feel nervous anymore as he eyed up Owen's relaxed posture. "Well then, this'll be a short scouting trip." Owen replied with a small yawn. He hadn't gotten much sleep due to the raptors, they were relentless on trying to make his life miserable.
Yes he had taught them basic commands but, Ella was just too lively, nipping at him at every chance she got. Vivian and him had finally transported them to the old paddock that left him flooded with rendered memories of his old pack. He would spend most of his time there making sure they weren't up to each other's throats and when he would get home he'd worry about Emma and her innate ability to literally fall asleep anywhere due to their child, including in the bathroom. "Whoa, you look extremely exhausted." Felix noted from the backseat as Owen continued to yawn.
He feverishly shook his head, trying to shake off the fact that Felix was right but, he didn't want to admit it. "No, I'm fine. It's just long car rides, you know? We've been in this truck for almost forty five minutes. Once we get out of this truck I'll be good and rarin' to go." Owen lied, stretching out his arms in the process. Hunter laughed to himself a little as he debated on what he should say. "Keep tellin' yourself that, old man." Hunter jeered with a mischievous grin on his face. He was only seven minutes away from the target.
Felix sucked in a deep breath, as he watched Owen crack his neck and glare over at Hunter. Did this guy want to die? Owen was practically a living legend because of the incident and here Hunter was just toying with him like he was a child. He had more of a respect for Owen, he did manage to help fend off the Indominous Rex and risked his life. "What?!" Owen shouted in cross tone as he watched Hunter laugh dryly towards him. "I'm just saying you're not as spry as you used to be." He continued to taunt, earning a loud gasping sound from Felix as he held onto his chest waiting for Owen to blow a gasket.
"You're precisely seven years younger than me, how am I old?!" Owen growled, deeply offended and enraged. "Calm down, Owen." Felix coaxed the raptor trainer from the back in a relaxing voice. Owen glared back at him, earning a sheepish smile from the tyrannosaur handler. So much for being nice. "Exactly. And how old is baby mama?" Hunter knew he was being asinine at this point but he loved watching Owen writhe in anger and humiliation. "She's twenty-seven. So?" Owen's face was beet red in anger, he couldn't stop thinking about how outrageous and obnoxious Hunter was being. "That's quite an age difference." Hunter concluded with a shrug of his shoulders.
He was right, she was almost nine years younger than he was but, it wasn't like he didn't already know that or was concerned with the age difference. He sometimes pondered if she was better off with someone her own age, like Hunter and Felix, but somewhere, deep down in him he knew she belonged with him. Why was Hunter bringing this up now? "Is this about Isla?" Owen questioned, watching Hunter's expression tense as he brought up his sister's name.
Isla Gallagher. One of the first people he had met on the island, she was beautiful, and intelligent, but she was wild and couldn't be tamed. For the first few months Owen worked here he was thrown into a dorm next to her, they quickly became friends after they had encountered each other several times in the hallway and at a few dorm parties. Then one night she decided to get serious with Owen, they had messed around a couple of times beforehand but, at that moment he was ready to make her everything in the world. They had moved in together and we're happy for a year or two but, things turned sour after he had been introduced to the pack, he spent more time with them than her. Is that what he was doing to Emma now? Oh no.
"No. This isn't about Isla, this is just about the fact that you're so much older than Miss Grant. I honestly don't know how you two do it...but Isla was your age." Hunter spoke up as he cleared all his thoughts about his bratty older sister, she was always his parents favorite. "How about you keep your mouth shut for the rest of the ride then, pipsqueak?" Owen threatened earning an sarcastic laugh from the head ACU. Felix shuffled his eyes between the two, watching Owen's face become more deadly as Hunter laughed. There was going to be a death on this trip and it wasn't going to be him. "Try me." Hunter taunted with a brilliant smile.
"Trash!" Emma screamed as she ripped up pieces of lined paper with writing on it. "All of it! Trash! Trash! Trash!" Roscoe has begun to whine with his ears pressed to his head in the bedroom as Emma rampaged throughout the house. Emma leaned into the fridge, her eyes focusing on the beer that Owen had stocked up on. She had wanted one so badly. She hastily bit her lip, causing it to bleed before picking up a pitcher of sweet tea she had brewed and slamming it on the table.
"A month of work, Roscoe!" Emma picked up a small blue cup from the cabinet. "How long is a month in dog time is it to you?!" Emma rhetorically asked, slamming it down next to the pitcher before dumping some tea into her cup. "And then he decides he can just waltz up in the paddock and ruin everything!" She opened the fridge and slid the tea back in before slamming the fridge shut. She walked back over to grab her cup, taking a long gulp from it as she ran her finger over a blue notebook labeled "Tyrannosaur Behavior: Week Three".
She examined it softly as she hesitantly gulped down the large swig in her mouth. She slammed the book down in the trash can lividly. "A months worth of work, gone!" She screamed, almost sobbing. "At least it's not a years worth." A voice startled her from behind. She turned to see that Claire was at her door, letting herself into the small bungalow with a meek smile.
Emma glared at Claire, because of the construction of the new house happening literally in their backyard she could barely get a decent nights worth of sleep. "What do you want?" She asked coldly, making Claire instantly stop in her tracks. Claire timidly took off her beige heels she was wearing and brought up a bottle of red wine. "I thought we could have a drink." Claire suggested, with a fake smile. Emma perked an eyebrow up at her in question. "Claire I'm pregnant. I can't have alcohol-"
"Ah, ah, ah. Shhh. It says in the book I've been reading you can have at least one glass of wine a day." Claire interjected, smirking devilishly. Emma placed her hand on her hip, smirking back at the park manager. No matter how angry she could be she couldn't stay mad at Claire for some reason, she was probably the closest thing she had on this island to a girl friend. "You've read more about babies than I have." She commented as Claire giggled a little as she passed her for the cabinet. "I'm gonna stick with tea for now. But I definitely will have my glass of wine later." Emma promised as Claire grabbed a red cup, pouring a gracious amount of wine in it.
Claire didn't like to presume herself as an alcoholic, she wasn't, but on some days she could be one. "As long as you have some. It was expensive. Let's sit outside and talk about what's going on with you and Owen, I've been sent to check up on you." Claire explained, heading out the front door and making kissy noises at Roscoe for him to follow her.
Sent to check up? Emma furrowed her brows in question at this, wasn't he free all day from work? "Where's he at?" Emma questioned, pouring another glass of tea. "Oh he's proving who's got the bigger penis between him, Hunter, and Felix. They went out to scout for a missing maiasuar." Claire explained through the screen door as she watched Emma beeline for the outside. "There goes my picnic." Emma sighed out, saddened as she exited the door Claire was propping open for her. "Oh honey..." Claire cooed, following her down the steps of the bungalow and towards the lawn chairs.
Felix stretched out his legs, sighing loudly as his feet connected to the jungle ground. "God, I feel great." He groaned with pleasure as he cracked his back. "Shh." Hunter hissed towards him as he cautiously strode forward. They were about four hundred feet away from the maiasuar, and about seven hundred from the collar which meant he was only a few feet away from destroying the nest. But would Owen let him do it?
Felix felt a little disheartened as he watched Hunter stealthily crouch forwards towards the maiasuar, which was hidden behind dense foliage and trees. "Don't worry about it." Owen whispered to Felix as he slung a lethal rifle around his back. "He's just being a hothead. Usually these animals can't hear a small predator stalking them, let alone three humans scouting it." Owen smiled down at the young tyrannosaur handler who instantly beamed up graciously at him. Owen thought he saw a small glimpse of himself in Felix's brown eyes that were filled with hope and excitement. It was like he was looking at a younger version of himself when he first came to the island, so happy.
Felix was glad that Owen was finally noticing him, he had admired him from afar after his brother told him about how heroic he was during the incident. He even wanted to be his partner with the raptors but, they found someone more qualified but, he settled for Owen's girlfriend which was basically the same.
They edged forward to see the maiasuar, Hunter held up a hand for them to stop moving. He closely examined the dinosaur, it was laying down, it appeared to be injured. No, not injured, killed. Slash marks were ribbed down its body, flies were everywhere around the carcass, the putrid smell of rotten flesh out everyone's stomach off. "It's dead?" Felix whispered, edging closer to the maiasuar trying to get a closer look. "Appears so. Let's have a look around to see if there's any carnivores still at the carcass." Hunter suggested edging around the outskirts of the maiasuar, trying to stay within the dense foliage.
He was excited, he was hoping to see a raptor and now it looks like his wish was coming true. What not a better place to look for raptors than a large carcass? He was so giddy it was almost sickening. Owen was almost overjoyed as well, there was no big carnivores on this side of the island which means perhaps some dilophosaurs took it down maybe a wild pack of raptors? Blue was out here. He knew she had to be surviving somehow and maybe this was how. He hoped he could see her and try to get her back to the park.
Felix felt nauseous as he breathed in the sickening smell of dried blood and fresh flesh and death. He dry heaved for a moment before calming his bubbling stomach down by plugging his nose and breathing through his mouth. He was the only one out of the group who couldn't get out of their fast enough. Hunter held up a hand as they came to a part where the foliage had stopped, revealing a clear cut towards the raptor cave and the kill.
There was an odd crunching sound coming from the carcass but, no visible dinosaurs were to be seen. It took a while for Felix to study the carcass to reveal that there was a raptor inside of the large maiasuar abdomen. Owen smiled in amazement, he felt good knowing that there was other raptors on the island meaning Blue must've been surviving on the island and was in a pack somehow but, at the same time he felt endangered by the creature.
Felix continued to dry heave as he listening to the bones being crunched in the raptors mouth, the wet slapping of fresh flesh being torn off from the inside out. "Keep it together." Owen hissed through his teeth, the tyrannosaur handler shook his head as he dry heaved. Felix was going to blow their cover. Hunter placed a hand over Felix's mouth as the large old grey raptor began to emerge from the belly of the maiasuar. It cocked its head as if it were quizzically listening to the sounds of the jungle. It growled before jumping on top of the maiasuar and visibly started tearing large chunks of ragged flesh off the body.
Felix felt his head go dizzy as he watched the raptor intently. Hunter felt a warmth hit his hand, he turned to see Felix vomiting into his hand that was covering his mouth. Hunter wanted to lose it but Owen kept a wary eye on him which basically read "Don't freak out or you'll kill us". Hunter wiped the green vomit off of his hand when Felix was done puking, taking heaving breaths to try to stabilize himself.
Hunter knocked on Felix's chest with his fist to try to quietly scorn him but, in turn Felix lost his balance and fell backwards causing a commotion in the process. Owen winced as the raptor became alert towards them. It hissed as it jumped off the carcass, stalking forwards towards them to investigate. Owen broke out into a cold sweat, staring at the raptor as he fumbled to find Felix's arm to sit him up right. "We need to go." He hissed toward Hunter who stared forward, mouth agape. "Now." He clarified as the raptor jumped into the foliage beside them blocking off the the route to the truck. "Shit." Owen cussed as he scrambled to get up, pulling Felix up with him.
Hunter made a beeline behind them, in the opposite direction of the truck. Owen looked at him confused for a moment but it only took him a couple minutes to get his bearings right. Hunter wasn't running towards nothing, but in the direction of the small lake that was placed for lakeside hotels. Across the lake was the park, the sanctuary that they called home.
Owen pushed Felix in the direction of Hunter, the raptor at their heels. He usually had a hard time trying to keep up with the girls but he felt like he could easily outrun this overgrown carnivore. It seemed slow with age. Yet it still seemed to continue to feebly nip at their heels but, it was starting to slow down. Perhaps it wasn't too worried with chasing them down and more worried about protecting the kill. It launched itself towards them with an ear piercing screech landing only a few feet away from Felix who screamed in horror trying to move faster.
Owen looked towards Hunter who seemed perfectly content with being chased, like it was absolutely normal for him. His face seemed unphased from the current pursuit, Owen found it oddly discomforting. Hunter was irritated. Here he was only a few feet away from the raptor nest and Felix the klutz interferes with his plans because he's too weak and clumsy. He knew he shouldn't've brought him no matter how much Claire and Owen insisted. He looked back to see the older raptor gaining on them. Damn, it was persistent.
Owen knew he had to distract the raptor somehow, he needed to buy Felix and Hunter more time to escape towards the lake. He swallowed the large lump in the back of his throat. He branched off from the rest of the group making the raptor follow pursue him instead. "Owen!" Felix shouted looking over to him worried. "Keep going! I'll catch up!" He replied heroically as the raptor followed him instead of the other two. He dipped below some vines trying to entangle the dinosaur within them.
As he exited the other side of the greenery the raptor seemed to tear through them with ease, pouncing to get out from being ensnared within the vines. "Shit." Owen cursed as he began running faster. He quickly contemplated on why he had decided lure the raptor towards him and not the others. He had a daughter he had to live for, Emma as well. She still loved him, right? With how distant he's been lately he could see why Emma wouldn't be close to him anymore. Just like Isla.
Owen ducked under a log, quickly making the raptor try to duck under it as well, forcing it to get stuck. He smiled triumphantly as the raptor screeched, clawing at the dirt. It wasn't smart enough to hop over it, age must've hindered its mind. Owen didn't waste anytime in finding the group and running with them. When there was one raptor there was bound to be more. "You made it!" Felix yipped slowing down for a second to jog with Owen, who was slinging his gun into his hands. "Don't stop running!" Owen shouted, looking over his shoulder he watched as the raptor broke free of the log and was still content on chasing them.
Owen saw the dock, it wasn't more than twenty feet away. There was another dock not too far from it, it looked rotted and it was sinking terribly. "Into the water!" He screamed towards Felix and Hunter. He looked back momentarily to see the raptor had gained on them, it was almost at Felix's heels. It's ragged snorts could be heard from up near him even though it was at least five feet back.
Owen attempted to shoot at it, missing on purpose, it was a warning shot. It drew the raptors attention towards him and started to gain on him. Shit. The water was closer now, he could smell the pungent odor of the lake. He heard several snaps and took a look back, the raptor had tripped on something, causing it to lose balance and fall. He was relieved that that had bought them some time to get to the water. "Don't slow down!" He yelled at Hunter and Felix who were cautiously looking back at the raptor that was now starting to get back up.
Owen's feet connected with the wood on the sturdy dock, he could hear the snarls of the raptor behind them again. He shut his eyes tightly and jumped off the wooden dock landing in the water between the two docks. Hunter and Felix shortly trailed behind him, Felix flailing in the water like a wounded animal. Owen swam back toward Felix passing Hunter and letting him take the lead, he wasn't about to leave Felix behind. "Come on, we gotta go!" He shouted as he grabbed Felix's arm and pulled him towards the end of the dock.
Suddenly he heard a loud snarl, looking up he was the raptor running on the dock towards them. He jerked him and Felix's way towards the other dock as the raptor snapped it jaws at them as it came to a complete stop on the dock. Owen felt somewhat relieved near the other dock, wanting to lean his head against it until he saw a large shadow overhead.
The raptor was ballsy enough to jump over the large gap between the two docks just to try to catch them. Owen grabbed the back Felix's neck. "Onetwothree!" He shouted, his words coming out clustered and pushed together. Felix didn't have anytime to question what Owen was talking about before he was drug face first underwater. Felix didn't dare open his eyes under the water, he didn't want to see anything that could possibly kill him again. Owen breached themselves quietly under the second dock where the raptor was on, he knew that Felix couldn't hold his breath as he could.
He placed a hand over Felix's mouth so he wouldn't make sound as he came up for air, he placed a finger over his mouth to quiet him. The dock creaked as the weight of the raptor passed over them, the animal causing the underneath of the dock to go dark when it passed. Felix let out a slow sigh as he relaxed a little, thinking the raptor was gone. Owen gave him a surprised yet irritated face, when suddenly the docks wood smashed a couple of feet away from them, revealing the raptors head. It saw them and let out a screech.
This thing was persistent, Owen had to give it that. "What do we do?" Felix questioned anxiously as they started backing away from where the raptors head was bursting through. Owen's mind drew a complete blank. "I-I don't know." Owen admitted, stuttering in disbelief in the process. He was certain that they were going to die as the head popped through a few inches away from his face. All the raptor had to do was snap his jaws at his face and it would be over.
He waited for his demise, for several seconds before opening his eyes and seeing that the raptor head was no longer there. "Where'd it go?" He wondered out loud, staring up through the cracks of the dock, he could still see its dark shape above them. The raptor landed on the dock with a thud, shuttering the surrounding rotten wood, and making Felix and Owen flinch. "What just happened?!" Felix yelled, looking to Owen for an answer but even Owen was speechless.
He didn't understand why the animal had fallen so suddenly. Hunter bursted out of the water in front of them, holding his tranquilizing gun in hand. "I saved you, that's what happened." He noted after he gasped for air. "Now c'mon. I don't fancy being around here when it's friends show up." Hunter quickly added, ducking his head back under the water. Owen looked towards Felix who's mouth was still agape looking for answer. He shrugged his shoulders towards Felix and dipped his head under the water, following Hunter.
Felix huffed out a puff of air, stopping shortly as he heard the animal start to snort from above. He wasted no time following the other two in swimming out from under the dock and past it. He breached near them, at least ten feet away from the two docks. "We're gonna wanna swim towards that shore, right there." Hunter proposed pointing at the shore that was across the ways from them, it didn't look too far.
Owen and Felix nodded their heads in agreement before starting to swim out further into the lake. Owen knew that if had didn't make it home by nightfall Emma would be worried sick, she'd make Claire send even more ACU's out on their trail. He shook his head at the thought of Emma staying up all night worrying about him, he couldn't concentrate on that now. It was gonna be a long swim home.