Despite his protestations Wu had assisted with the care of the raptor chick, cooking up some IV solution for rapid rehydration. Whatever else had and hadn't happened, and whatever they thought of each other, the chick was too weak and pitiful to ignore. Not even a person who'd spent their life locked away in a laboratory could be immune to its suffering. Because of its severely weakened state Muldoon had thought about putting it down but when it had reacted to the smell of food he'd taken that as a sign that it's will to live was strong enough to allow it a fighting chance.
The truce between himself and Wu had lasted long enough to tend to the hatchling, and now they were back to arguing. With the chicks taken care of and stashed safely in a brooder for now, the topic of the discussion as they exited the visitor centre revolved around living arrangements.
"Go back to your fancy house," Muldoon said as they descended the stairs, a wave of relief washing over him when he saw Priscilla waiting patiently at the bottom for him.
"Now? It's getting dark."
"Stay in the bunker then, it's close by."
"Can't I just come with you?"
"I don't think so."
"What about the raptor?"
"She's fine. She'll stick with me."
"I think it'd be better if we stuck together. You know, as in the human contingent..."
"Look," Muldoon said frankly, "I don't feel like dealing with you anymore for today."
"You don't feel like it?" Wu asked incredulously.
"No. So shove off."
"You shove off," Wu retaliated, actually reaching out and shoving Muldoon in the chest.
Priscilla reacted instantly, jumping to his defence. She knocked Wu off his feet and stood over him menacingly.
"Easy there girl," Muldoon soothed. "It's alright, I'm okay. See?" He held his hands up to show her he was uninjured.
"You alright Wu?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the agitated raptor. "She didn't get you with her talons?"
"No," Wu huffed from his position on the ground. His voice drew a growl from Priscilla.
"Alright. Stay still until I lead her away. I'll come find you in the morning." Wu was sensible enough to keep his mouth shut as Muldoon encouraged Priscilla to follow him.
"I'm not sure you should've attacked him, but I can't argue with the sentiment," Muldoon laughed quietly to Priscilla as they made their way towards the bungalow. He made light of the situation because what Priscilla had done was just a warning. If she'd wanted to kill Wu, she would have.
If living on the island had been a permanent arrangement for the men, Muldoon would've had to discipline her but as it was, he wasn't going to put her through the anxiety of reprimand. Now that the prospect of an actual pack was before her Muldoon would increase his efforts to get off the island. He could leave Priscilla behind with a clear conscience. Besides, he didn't really have an option now that Wu was involved too, he needed to get the geneticist back to civilisation.
After being in Wu's presence all day Muldoon truly appreciated what excellent company Priscilla was. He'd only come across Wu this morning and already he was fed up with the imposition on his solitude, Priscilla excused of course.
They arrived at the bungalow. Usually Priscilla lingered just out of reach, only coming onto the porch to sleep when he retreated inside for the evening. This evening however she stuck close by and followed him right to the door. She was obviously feeling insecure about their bond because of the newcomer into their social circle.
"It's alright, girl. Just give me a minute," he said to her before retreating into the house, leaving the door open so she could see him. He gathered some food for himself and then headed back outside.
"We haven't had a day this busy since the breakdown," he commented, plopping down on a chair and elevating his feet. He rested his weapon against the wall next to him.
The anxious raptor curled up beside him, resting her chin on his muscled thigh. It looked uncomfortable but then that had never stopped any dog from trying to get some sleep and be as close as they could to their master. Why should a raptor be any different?
Back when he'd lived in Africa he'd always kept a Ridgeback or two around. They were excellent hunting dogs, having the capabilities of both sighthounds and scenthounds. They made good companions too. A lot of dogs excelled at one or the other, hunting or companionship, but the special ones were both. They had that extra intelligence and drive that made them more aware of their surroundings and attuned to their master. They were good hunters because they were smart and calculated about it, and they made better companions because they were more perceptive. Priscilla had that potential.
He finished his beans, and sat the can aside.
"You haven't had anything to eat today," he observed, stroking her head as he spoke. She cracked one yellow eye open, huffed out a breath, squirmed around a little to make herself more comfortable and tried to get back to sleep. "We'll hunt in the morning," he told her softly, "and then I've got something to show you." He found he was looking forward to introducing Priscilla to the young raptors, it would be good for her. He'd have to be more careful with her after that though. Once she was back with others of her own kind she'd be less trusting of him, and that in turn would make her more dangerous to be near. For now though he'd just enjoy the fact that an elite predator deemed him worthy to be an equal. The thought of the loss of their closeness made him a little sad but he knew that was just the way it was with animals. Profound connections were often fleeting, especially when dealing with wildlife. People tended to project human emotions onto animals that simply weren't there. They didn't love for the sake of love, if they were capable of love at all. He was sceptical about most creature's ability to do so, but some did. Christian had. As a young man in England the story of Rendall and Bourke had captivated him. Come to think of it, that may even have been the beginning of the end with the first Priscilla.
By and large, animals shared connections with those they could trust, those that took good care of them, those that they needed. Once she didn't need him anymore, their relationship in its current form would be over. He'd raised and released enough orphaned big cats to know that.
"But that's tomorrow..." he sighed, shifting around a little himself to find a more comfortable position before closing his eyes to get some sleep.
xxx
When morning dawned Muldoon was stiff and sore. His exertions yesterday had his abdominal muscles aching with every movement, his shoulder wasn't much better. So much for taking it easy. At least his knees had scabbed over nicely with no sign of infection. The last thing he felt like doing was heading out for a hunt but he had promised to help Priscilla find a meal.
After informing Wu, who had indeed spent the night in the bunker, and checking in with the baby raptors who were safe in their cosy brooder, he took the lazy option and climbed into a jeep. Driving slowly along the road towards the paddocks, calling to the raptor to follow him. She kept up easily with the slow pace.
He brought the vehicle to a halt just short of the area he'd last seen the Gallimimus in, grabbed his gun for protection, and covered the last short distance through the trees on foot.
The Gallimimus were grazing a few hundred yards further down the field than where they'd last been. He opted not to shoot one, wanting instead to let Priscilla practice her skills. In a moment of bittersweet realisation Muldoon knew he really was preparing her for the day he'd leave. It was for the best though, she'd be better off with her own kind.
In the past Priscilla been the diversionary member of the hunting party. He knew that from the one hunt he'd seen the old pack orchestrate. In that particular attempt she'd distracted the prey while the big one attacked from the side. He remembered it vividly because he'd been that prey. He was thankful their roles had been modified.
"You take this one," he said to her, holding his hand up in the stay gesture before stepping slowly from cover and giving the Gallimimus time to adjust to his presence. They watched him warily as he circled around in front of them. With all eyes on him, he dropped his hand and Priscilla suddenly appeared from nowhere, slicing her deadly talons across the belly of an old dinosaur on the edge of the flock. It screeched and tried to run despite its disembowelment but Priscilla leapt up onto it, clamping her jaws around its neck and riding it to the ground as it fell. The rest of the omnivores flocked and ran, he waited for the stampede to pass before going to the kill site.
The struggling Gallimimus was considerably larger than the raptor, and as it continued to kick violently he worried that its powerful hind legs might injure her as she attempted to finish the kill without a pack to back her up. He pulled out his hunting knife as he approached the battling dinosaurs and swiftly stuck the blade into the dying Gallimimus' heart to finish it off. In the moment before he drove the blade in, he shut his thoughts out completely, focusing solely on the physical action required. The thin intercostal muscle provided little resistance against the sharp blade, and the instant he felt it pierce through into the chest cavity he came back from that empty place with a rush of adrenaline. Blood gurgled from the wound as the animal's spine arched back in a tell-tale sign of death. With that killer blow, the furious kicking slowed and finally ceased.
Muldoon watched with satisfaction as Priscilla tore chunks of flesh from the fresh carcass and devoured them. Considering his vast experience with predators, it was all too easy to forget that this particular one possessed the temperament and capability for this level of savagery. She ate quickly, wolfing down as much meat as she could, as quickly as she could. It was an instinct to prevent larger predators stealing the entire kill. Something he'd seen countless times on the savannah when jackals or cheetahs made a kill in lion territory.
Still grasping his knife, he used it to go about cutting the limbs off the dead Gallimimus, while Priscilla continued to feed on the belly of the animal. Because he was the alpha he could get away with such behaviour, if Wu had tried such a thing on her kill she'd have likely gutted the scientist for dessert.
It was messy work, but nothing he wasn't used to and this early in the morning there weren't too many annoying insects about. The warm scent of fresh death wafted up from the exposed meat, the muscles still twitching as synapses fired for the final time. The blade of his hunting knife sliced easily through the flesh to the joints which he twisted and cracked to remove the limbs. Back at the compound he could find somewhere cool to hang the meat so they wouldn't have to hunt again too soon. Some of it would be good for the hatchlings too. Even though the dino's were now capable of breeding their number was not infinite and conserving them was the smart thing to do.
Suddenly the acrid smell of bile and fermentation filled his nostrils, indicating that the raptor had torn the Gallimimus' stomach. When dressing carcasses, perforating the stomach was a practice to be avoided at all costs but there was no point mentioning that to a hungry carnivore in search of a protein rich liver.
With no small effort, he loaded the heavy limbs into the back of the jeep while Priscilla finished her meal.
Dilophosaurs, or raptors of the feathered, avian variety, would make the most of the remainder of the kill and pick the bones clean.
The trip back was a little slower now that the raptor's belly was so full. Once they reached the compound she headed for the bungalow and curled up in her favourite spot on the porch. With her hunger satisfied, he knew she would sleep the rest of the morning away. It would give him time to catch up with Wu without upsetting her, and to check in on the hatchlings again. He wasn't looking forward to the first task so much, but getting to know the hatchlings a little better certainly wouldn't be as much of a chore.
AN: Thanks again to everyone for reading and to those who have taken the time to review, I really appreciate it.
I just wanted to take a moment to address a couple of points in some reviews I've received. Something that a few people have asked about is raptor language. I don't really know anything about it. I remember something about raptor communication in Jurassic Park 3, I think? Jurassic Park is one of my two all-time favourite movies, but I'm not a massive fan of Lost World or JP 3, so I'm pretty unfamiliar with where they went with raptor behaviour in those. Anyway, at this stage I have no intention of there being an actual 'language', just vocalisations like all animals use. I see this story more as being about them sharing a bond of trust even though they have no way of directly knowing what the other is thinking.
One other thing a few people have mentioned is Jurassic World. I don't want to give the story away but I'll just say this, this story certainly has the potential to tie in with Jurassic World, we'll just have to see how it goes ;)