Chapter 9: Pack Mates
A/N: So good news, it turns out the delay for a new chapter wasn't as long as I had feared as I made this chapter a top priority for me to complete. And so I have completed it and now it's posted (though I suppose that's obvious, why else would you be reading this?).
Also the poll results have been tallied (in regards to what name Raptor Roberto should have); the majority of you seem to prefer him to keep his Human name (that being Roberto, obviously) and so that will be the case. Roberto will stay as Roberto, whether Raptor or Human.
Furthermore, I just need to offer a small "warning" for this chapter; there may be some filtering between the characters and shipping between two of them. Read on to find out more :)
"Life finds a way."
- Dr Ian Malcom (JP)
Leaning against a tree at the edge of the clearing, Echo watches with dismissive eyes her fellow pack mates; Blue and Delta standing at the pond's boundary, their expressions stern which from experience told her they were talking strategy. Charlie energetically chasing her own tail around in circles, not too different from a dog, to which she couldn't help but cringe at the sight of, rolling her eyes, You childish fool. While Roberto was- Walking towards me?!
Scraping her claws on the trunk of the tree in response to the approaching male, irritation instantly swells inside Echo as she narrows her eyes and gives off a soft growl at him. Roberto doesn't respond with a display of aggression, instead he moves towards the opposite side of the tree, parallel to Echo as the two leaned shoulder-to-shoulder against the plant, in an awkward silence.
Within that time, Echo's gaze wandered elsewhere the presence of the hybrid being beneath her notice as she looks at the distant Blue and Delta again, Maybe I should find out what my sisters are talking about? Anything to get away from this...- She glances at Roberto- thing.
Feeling an aura of uneasiness resonate from her, Roberto dares to look at Echo and speaks in a respectable tone in hopes of breaking the ice, "...I just wanted to thank you, Echo."
Widening her eyes in shock, Echo turns back towards him and meets Roberto with a suspicious look of mistrust. Her tone sudden, with a voice bordering on the lines of anger and hesitation, "For what?"
"For your intervention back there. If it weren't for you I could have failed."
Flashback to Chapter 7
Stepping away from the man he stood over, Roberto walks for several feet before suddenly stopping, his body swaying as his eyes flicked, drowsiness forming in his vision. Ripping out the tranquilliser round from his body and casting it aside, Roberto attempts to steady himself to no avail, the substance already going to work.
"No, no, no!" In anger, Echo clutches the head of the Human she restrained with her jaws before twisting sharply, breaking the man's neck and killing him instantly. Rushing over towards Roberto, conveys a determined look of rage as she slaps him across the snout, "Listen to me, focus on what I'm saying! If you fall unconscious all of this would have been for nothing. You need to say what you have to say, right this moment."
Acknowledging Echo's encouraging demands, Roberto musters the mental fortitude to supply himself for a few minutes longer. Within that time he proceeds to write on the ground in the direction of Owen, driving his clawed digit thought the dirt and gravel to form words.
End Flashback
Recalling the events of the past, Echo understands what Roberto was referring to. Taking a deep breath of air to calm down, she talks in a contemplative tone, "What's done is done. You said that you had to say to the Humans." Before looking away at the ground in a moment of thought.
Another awkward silence followed with Echo processing the meaning of his words. As time dragged on, small increments of guilt slowly builds inside her that eventually forced Echo to turn back to Roberto, "But...I appreciate your gratitude."
"Thank you, Echo."
With that, Roberto stands upright and walks away, giving her space. Moving towards the opposite end of the clearing he stops at the perimeter of the jungle, unsure of whether or not to enter. Turning around to face his new packmates, Roberto's eyes eventually set and remain on Delta, and the beautiful sight she was; the lust of her scales reflecting the sunlight, her claws shining with a metallic hue, her eyes gleaming a fiery yellow.
Wow she is beautiful. Perhaps I should go talk to her? Feeling eyes were on her, Delta turns and sees Roberto looking at her body. Smiling mischievously at him, she sways her tail side-to-side in excitement. Extending a clawed digit outwards, she waves it back and fourth at him, beckoning 'come here'.
She's so hot. Roberto takes a step in the direction of Delta before the sudden sound of Blue's voice forces him to stop-
"Hey Delta are you paying attention?"
Jumping in fright, Delta snaps back to Blue with a look of surprise. The Beta conveys an expression of annoyance at the second-in-command, narrowing her eyes and growling, "Did you hear anything I just said?"
"I-I'm sorry, Blue. My mind was...wandering." Replies Delta, a small blush of embarrassment forming on her cheeks. Shifting her sight back around to look at Roberto, Delta feels a sudden yearning for the male who stood just out of reach. Following her sister's gaze, Blue finds the subject matter that was preoccupying Delta's focus and couldn't help but smile in amusement; resting a gentle clawed hand on Delta's shoulder, Blue speaks in a reassuring voice, "You can spend time with him soon. I promise."
Feeling relieved, Delta resumes her discussion with Blue just as Roberto noticed her attention was no longer on him. Shutting his eyes and shacking his head in an attempt to lose the thoughts he had conveyed, Roberto steps into the jungle and disappears from the other Raptors' sight, walking away from them.
For several minutes, Roberto walks through the undergrowth, trying to reorganise his thoughts and feelings into an equilibrium. Stopping to rest under the shade of a tree, he lies down and sighs, I would have liked to have spent time with Delta, but she was busy talking to Blue. Maybe later I can? In the meantime I should think about other things.
He reviews the conversation with Echo, and the progress he had made with her; the words she had used and the gratitude she had expressed, It's too soon to tell but hopefully I can get on her good side, eventually? Now that I'm apart of this pack, I should make an effort to get along well with the girls. Like Blue said "the pack comes first", not me, not her but the pack. In which case I should try and make myself useful to them and respect their boundaries...Which is why I didn't approach Delta. She was busy talking to Blue and I didn't want to disturb them and-
Whose there?!
The sudden sound of bushes rustling around him pulls Roberto's attention back to his immediate surroundings. Jumping up to his feet, he scans the undergrowth with alertness before the sudden smell of her scent relaxed him; stepping out from the shrubs, Delta walks up to him with a smile on her face and muses, "Oh I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"I-I wasn't scared. You just caught me in a...bad time." Replied Roberto, trying to no avail to remain confident.
"Rrriiigghhtt...Is the Human in you still afraid of me the Velociraptor?"
"Why would I be?"
"Because I could be gaining your trust only to lower your defences. Then one night, while you're sleeping-" Delta approaches closer with lowered eyelids in a seductive expression. She extends her clawed hand outwards and glides it on Roberto's muzzle, moving slowly towards his throat before stroking it. The sharp pricks of her claws against his skin causing a cold chill to run down his spine. "One good swipe and I'll open you up like unwrapping a present."
"Well then, I had better sleep with one eye open. Or I get to you first and open you up." Jokes Roberto, giving a lustful look back at Delta.
Mmmmmmm, there is more than one way to open me up, Roberto. Thought Delta giving off a purr, that signature Raptor purr, before she glances downwards between her thighs at her cloaca, and feels it open up slightly with small beads of juicy liquid dripping from it onto her legs.
Taking a step back, Delta observes the surrounding environment before looking at Roberto with concern, "Why are you over here alone?"
"I needed to be alone to think about things."
Nodding in acknowledgment, Delta's expression shifts to one of slight disappointment, "Why didn't you come and see me?"
"You were talking to Blue and it looked important. I didn't want to disturb the two of you."
"That's thoughtful, Roberto...Am I disturbing you? Would you like to be alone?"
"Not at all. I welcome your company, Delta." Reassures Roberto warmly smiling at the female before he points in a direction that led deeper into the paddock and further away from the other Raptors, "Please, walk with me?"
Following the pointed claw, Delta looks at the jungle then Roberto before switching to the jungle once more and then him again; nodding enthusiastically in response, "Let's go."
The duo step close to each other as they walk in the indicated direction side-by-side, their tails becoming intertwined as they did so. For several minutes the two walked at an easy pace through the beautiful jungle undergrowth; the lines of sunlight piercing holes in the canopy, descending to the ground in rays of white. The soft touch of a breeze blowing against them and the canopy overhead, almost making the leaves sing as they moved. The humid heat of the jungle, the perfect temperature for their Dinosaur physiques; it was like a paradise.
While walking, Roberto couldn't resist but glance over at Delta's body once more; the tensing and relaxing of her Raptor thighs and calfs with each footstep she took. The sway of her muscular tail, the sparkle of her claws and teeth, the smell of her pheromones; it was intoxicating.
"If you don't mind me asking; what were you and Blue discussing." Said Roberto, trying to make conversation.
"Blue was wondering what may come if this - she thinks that now that Owen knows what you are, he will spread the news to other Humans."
"Good. The more people who know, the better." Responds Roberto with determination thick in his voice, before he takes a deep breath, "But let's not dwell on that now. I'd rather focus on you and the pleasantness you offer being in my presence."
"I'm flattered." Replies Delta a small red hue of a blush on her cheeks.
After walking closely together for a prolonged time, the two Raptors arrive at the paddock's main clearing, the same clearing that hours ago Roberto had written to the Humans. Stepping out into the open space, Roberto takes a few steps faster than Delta and leads the way, moving in front of her he points up at the ACU soldiers (the Humans) that stood on the catwalks and said, ""To understand something you don't understand never stop trying to understand it"".
"What is that?" Asks Delta, tilting her head in confusion.
"My motto. To understand them, don't stop trying to."
"Are they worth understanding though?"
"That's debatable. But I believe there are lessons in the history of my kind, lessons you Raptors could learn from."
"Maybe." Delta approaches him and rubs her muzzle against his chest, purring as she did so, "I'd rather learn from you though."
"Me? What's there to learn from?"
Stepping back, she conveys a mischievous smile with eyes that glowed playfulness, "Well what do you know? What Human quirks could you teach this Velociraptor?"
"..Well I could continue to teach you how to read and write?"
"Why not." Responds Delta, giving a shrug of her shoulders.
Taking the initiative, Roberto steps away to find find a clear patch of ground. Lowering himself down, he proceeds to claw through the gravel floor a complete list of the Alphabet:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Waving Delta over, he encourages her to try the same, "Try writing out these letters."
She moves next to Roberto and lowers herself to the ground, to his side, their tails once more becoming intertwined. She proceeds to claw her own Alphabet list underneath his:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
"Now focus on one letter at a time. Start with this one, the letter A." Instructs Roberto, pointing at the designated symbol before he softly nudges Delta's clawed hand with his own. Grabbing hold of it, the stimulation of them holding hands (or claws) brought a blush to Delta's cheeks.
Roberto then moves her clawed hand with his own, gently guiding its movement as he assisted with her writing down the As. After a while, Delta follows through; repeatedly writing said letter down all by herself, drawing a list of As that through repetition made the drawing become nature. After a while of continued effort, she looks at Roberto and says, "I think I know how to write this letter now, Roberto. Can we move onto the next?"
"Sure thing. Try the letter B."
Just like before with the As, Roberto and Delta repeats the same practice for several minutes with the Bs until she also understood how to draw them.
"Moving on to C."
/40 minutes later/
"And lastly Z."
Drawing the final letter of the Alphabet, Delta stands up and observes the various lists of symbols she had drawn; letters she now knew how to write, letters that, through further continued practice, would allow her to form words and in turn communicate in a non-verbal way. She smiles with pride at the effort she had put in, which was only reinforced by Roberto's voice, "Well done, Delta. You now know how to write all the letters." But something was missing. Something important. Turning to Roberto she inquires,
"Could you show me how to spell my name?"
"Of course." To which he carries out said obligation, craving through the ground the following letters:
D-E-L-T-A
DELTA
"Can you spell your name now?"
R-O-B-E-R-T-O
ROBERTO
Delta then gives a wink at the male before she draws a large shape around the two names, encompassing them. Upon closer inspection, Roberto realises the shape was a love heart that contained his and her's name, "Oh Delta..." They rub their muzzles together for several moments, softly purring as they did so.
After cuddling with him, Delta conveys another mischievous smile and says, "What other Human things can you teach me?"
Looking to the sky with narrowed eyes, Roberto thinks carefully for a proposed activity before it suddenly occurred to him; turning back to her, he raises the equivalent of an eyebrow, "Have you heard of fire?"
"What's fire?" Asks Delta, tilting her head in confusion.
"Here I'll show you." Roberto holds Delta's clawed hand with his own and softly tugs her along, together they move towards the jungle. Upon reaching the edge of it, he lets go before entering the undergrowth and vanishes from sight. The constant sound of rustling plants and beaches snapping signalled he was still there however. After a moment of foraging, Roberto returns with his arms full of a pile of sticks and dead leaves to which he rests on the ground.
What are you doing? Thought Delta, watching with intrigue Roberto's activity.
He then draws a circular area with a clawed digit, marking the ground. At the circle's perimeter, Roberto inserts the tips of the sticks into the gravel and leans them upwards and inwards, each stick meeting at a central point that formed the shape of an upside-down cone while the dead leaves were placed at the base of the sticks.
"Uhhhh, Roberto."
Not stopping to explain himself, after each stick was in position Roberto dashes off back into the jungle before eventually returning with a large black stone. Holding said stone close to the base of the sticks and above the dead leaves, Roberto strikes the rock with his off claw, the resulting friction causing hot sparks to fly off the rock and onto the leaves. Through continued striking, eventually the sparks consistently fell onto the leaves, causing them to catch light which in turn ignited the sticks - creating fire.
Turning around, Roberto is met with a wide-eyed Delta who stared at the fire with a gaping mouth; a look of complete bewilderment. Trying not to laugh at her expression, Roberto gives a swaying point at the now burning flames and says "That's fire. Can you feel the heat?" He walks closer to the still shocked Delta, bitting his lip and lowering his eyelids seductively all the while a itching sensation of arousal formed between his legs, I can feel my heat.
Stepping past Roberto and towards the fire, Delta's body soon tingles upon reaching a certain distance from the flames. Regaining some composure she observes, "It's warm. Like the Sun."
"Yes. Ancient Humans used fire to keep warm, like how you Raptors use the Sun to warm you." Explains Roberto moving next to Delta as the two stared at the flames, "Beautiful isn't it?"
Just like you. Thought Delta, nodding in response to her companion's question as she glanced over at him and bits her lip.
Minutes pass as the two watch the fire burn all the while Delta becomes mesmerised by the flames; the hues of orange and reds, the swaying movement of its form, the way it almost flowed across the wood like water but it wasn't water; it was like nothing she had ever seen before. And it fascinated her, "What does it feel like?" She slowly moves her hand towards the fire, attempting to touch it...
Roberto's eyes go wide with shock as he shoots his arm forward in hopes of grabbing Delta's, "No Delta don't!-"
"Ahhhhhhh!" Too late. The fire surges onto her clawed hand in a stream of heat, Delta pulling her arm away from the flames in screams of pain. Jumping to her feet, she rushes away from the fire while frantically shacking her burnt hand in an attempt to cool it down, "What the hell was that!?"
Roberto catches hold of Delta and raises her burnt palm up, holding it at eye-level he observes the damage done; her scales glowing a reddish hue at the sight the flames had damaged them, "Don't touch fire, it'll burn you." His late warning offering an explanation to her injury.
With narrowed eyes, Delta nudges Roberto aside and walks several feet away with her back turned to him. Hiding her injury as she grits her teeth, she blows air onto her wound in an attempt to suppress the burning soreness that came from it.
"Let me see." Roberto moves back towards Delta as he looks over her shoulder. His action causes her to turn frustratingly back at him before growling in an attempt to mask her anguish, "It's fine. I'm okay."
"Please Delta." Pleads Roberto, resting a clawed hand on her shoulder in an act of care.
Reluctantly turning all the way back around to face him, Delta holds her palm outwards and allows Roberto to cradle it in his grip, "Oh you poor thing." His words cause another red hue to form on Delta's scales, this time on her cheeks in a blush of embarrassment.
Instinctively, Roberto begins to lick her wound in an attempt to null her soreness. Delta couldn't help but smile both in reaction to his caring gesture and the tickling sensation of his tongue against her skin that, before long, eased the pain and slightly removed some of the redness, "Thank you, Roberto."
After helping Delta to heal, Roberto looks back at the fire still burning. With a sudden swipe of his tail through the ground, he smothers the flames with a cloud of dust and dirt, severing the flame of oxygen and cutting its supply which in turn soon forced it to exhaust itself, the fire dying down, "I think that might me enough of "Human things" for me to show you for one day."
"I agree. Thanks for doing it though, it was fascinating."
"My pleasure, Delta. Maybe another day I could continue to show you other Human discovers my species have made?"
"I look forward to it."
Delta approaches Roberto with lowered eyelids in a seductive look, wrapping her tail around his body she pulls him close, "As smart as you are, I wonder why you might need our help to escape. It seems like you'll be able to figure it out alone."
Roberto blushes as he stares into Delta's piercing eyes, "Flattering. But there is a limit to what one can do alone."
"Which is why we are here to help you, Roberto; why I'm here for you." Delta shuts her eyes and rubs her muzzle against his chest, softly purring as she did so.
Roberto shacks his head and lightly pulls away from Delta's embrace. Taking several steps back from her, he looks at the ground before taking a deep sigh and responding, "No. I don't want my burdens to become your burdens."
"..It's not a burden if I genuinely care for your wellbeing." She offers a heartful expression as Delta walks back up to him, their tails intertwining, "Would you show the same kindness if I needed it?"
"Without hesitating."
"So why can't I offer it back?"
Roberto's mouth opens to respond before silence comes out, his answer faltering. Shutting his mouth and closing his eyes, he attempts to reorganise himself in reaction to realising Delta had him; it was true what she said and he knew better than to question it. Instead of speaking he remains silent, unsure of how to react to her further, all the while his heart fluttered to the kindness of Delta's words.
Feeling another blush forming on her cheeks, Delta takes a deep breath while feeling her own heart begin to race, building in rhythm as she becomes flushed in anticipation to the discussion she was about to have with Roberto, "Can I ask you something, Roberto?"
"Anything."
"...Were you with someone when you were Human? Did you have a mate?"
"..No. I've never been with anyone. Why?" Asks Roberto giving a raised eyebrow-look.
"...No reason." Responds Delta, guilty looking away from him in embarrassment.
"Delta."
"Okay, alright,-" She turns back to him and feels his heavy gaze rest upon her. With an ever-increasing pulse combined with her intensifying blush, she musters as much composure as she could before saying, "I like you Roberto, a lot. I want to be with you."
"Delta, you can't be with me; I'm part Human."
"That's what makes you so unique. You offer a view point from the perspective of two different species."
"I suppose. But what if your sisters find out?"
"If they are my sisters than they should respect my decision, that I love you."
Delta steps close to Roberto, wrapping her arms and tail around his body in an embrace. She leans close to his head and whispers, "I love you, Roberto."
In that moment, euphoria swells within Roberto. Embracing her in a fashion similar to how she did to him, the two Raptors rub their muzzles together and hold each other tight. Roberto leans down to the side of Delta's head and whispers back, "...I love you too, Delta."
Before another word was uttered, Roberto moves the tip of his muzzle towards Delta's; the two kiss passionately for a prolonged time full of bliss. It was perfect, almost like his problems had sudden been swept away because of her. Cast aside was his fears of the future, his concerns of escaping, his anger from being trapped like an animal. All that mattered was this moment, and Delta. Nothing could take this away from him. Nor could anything take Delta from him...
Standing on the catwalk overhanging the clearing, a lone ACU soldier observes the scene beneath him; the two Raptors kissing(?) each other, after they had discovered fire and writing before that. No doubt the red-streaked Raptor must have been the hybrid his superior had authorised; only a Human would know how to teach a Raptor to read, write and create fire - but to fall in love with each other? That was something else entirely. Something that had to be told to his Commander Officer.
Walking away from the Raptors, the lone trooper equips his phone and dials the number for:
Commander Hoskins
A response came immediately:
"Yes Lieutenant?"
"Sir, you won't believe what I'm about to tell you..."
A/N: I won't lie, this particular chapter was difficult to write for two reasons:
1) My early drafts were deleted and so I had to re-write this chapter all over again from the start.
2) I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to have Delta and Roberto flirt with each other and ultimately get together.
In regards to these two points; I would REALLY appreciate it if you could review and tell me; What did you think of Delta and Roberto's chemistry? Was in believable? Was it badly executed? Good? In between? Please let me know, as it helps me improve.
Thanks for your time.
PS: I just want to apologise for the possibly grammar errors, bad fonts or bad flow in the past chapters. I'll make an effort to not make such errors in any future chapters. If you manage to read through them and wasn't turned off of this story, than I just want to THANK YOU for your devotion. It helps inspire me.
PPS: For sometime now I've been thinking about creating a profile picture for my Fanfic account, but because I can't draw even if my life was on the line, I think it would be best if I commission it. In saying that, I'm willing to commission an art work from anyone with the artistic skills interested and who happens to be reading this; PLEASE PM me if you are interested so that I can talk about the arrangements with you.