Muldoon brought Wu with him to the lab in case the weak chick needed any medical attention. With him, he also brought some of the Gallimimus meat which he'd diced up into small pieces.
He'd cleaned up first though after Wu had informed him he smelled like a slaughterhouse and to be fair he had, being covered in blood and gore from the kill as he was.
Currently, the chicks looked quite happy under their heat lamps. They were warm-blooded and strictly speaking probably didn't need the lamps, but it would help them conserve energy and after their less than optimal start in life a little TLC wouldn't go astray.
He'd divided the brooder in two, housing the chick from the nest separately just in case the others decided to take advantage of her weakened state. Each time he checked in he expected to find her dead but so far she'd defied his expectations. This time was no different. She didn't chirp excitedly like the rest of the chicks but she was on her feet which was a good sign.
He offered them pieces of meat individually, making sure everyone got their fair share and being careful not to let their needle-like teeth nip him in the process.
They were easy to tell apart with their varied colourations.
The spotted one was a little smaller than the others but that didn't stop her from pushing to the front and making sure she got her share first. He'd have to keep an eye on that one.
The pale one seemed to be the most docile, he scooped it up and placed it in with the lone chick to keep her company while he was here to watch them. They didn't really pay any attention to each other, intent as they were on watching him in the hope of receiving more food.
Of the remaining two blotched ones, one was already bigger than the other. There would be a tendency to refer to it as the big one but he didn't want to go down that particular path again. He'd decided he wasn't going to actually name these chicks, he'd already broken his rule with Priscilla and wasn't going to repeat that. He wanted to keep his distance a little, especially as he'd be leaving them before too long.
He watched with amusement as the smaller, blotched hatchling crouched low and stalked her unsuspecting sibling from behind. The bigger chick was still watching him and the smaller one used the distraction to its advantage. It launched its attack, knocking the bigger chick off its feet and then the pair fell into a playful battle, nipping and clawing at one another with their miniature killing tools. It was incredible how ingrained their hunting instincts were and how quickly they began to exhibit the behaviours. They really were remarkable creatures and despite the failure of Jurassic Park he was glad Hammond's doomed vision had given him the opportunity to work with them.
That hadn't always been the case. Initially he hadn't wanted to come and work at Hammond's freak show but the first Priscilla had been right, game reserves ate money, and when the old man had offered to fund the Kenyan reserve for as long as he lived, it was an offer Muldoon couldn't refuse. He'd missed the dry heat of Africa, the red soil, the vast plains of the savannah and the familiar wildlife, but over time he'd grown accustomed to the dense greenery of the jungle, and admittedly the dinosaurs were a marvel.
Behind him Wu cleared his throat and Muldoon realised he'd become lost in thought as he watched the playful antics of the chicks. He turned to face the scientist, feeling a touch of satisfaction when he saw Wu's bruised face. That punch had been a good one.
"How do you plan on getting us off this island?" Wu demanded. Muldoon wasn't exactly sure when it had become his sole responsibility to rescue them, but apparently the scientist had deemed it so.
"I don't know. There are some things I need to get in order first."
What he needed right now was a safe place to introduce the chicks to Priscilla. Initially, he'd have to have a barrier between them in case Priscilla got any ideas about asserting her dominance. Maybe he'd just show her one first to get an idea of how she was going to react.
"C'mon you,' he said, scooping the pale chick up. It squirmed in his grasp, trying to escape and get back to its siblings. "C'mon, settle down," he soothed, covering its eyes until it stilled in the darkness. When he removed his hand and it remained calm. "There, that's it."
He cradled the baby to his chest and headed outside.
"Priscilla!" he called, the adult raptor trotted into view. "Come see what I've got."
She approached cautiously, noticing from his posture that he was holding something unusual.
"Look," he said enthusiastically, holding the hatchling out for her to investigate. She stretched her neck towards it, keeping her body as far back as she could. She sniffed over it, the young raptor watching her curiously. Suddenly it squirmed in his hands. Priscilla snorted at the sudden movement and jumped back, her lip curling in a snarl.
"Don't be like that," he told her, "she's just like you, only smaller." He took a step towards her but Priscilla backed up and began to pace agitatedly. This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. She didn't look at all happy with the newcomer.
"C'mon, it's alright," he tried to tell her, taking another step forward, but she just grew more agitated, going as far as to actually growl at him. The chick growled and snapped its tiny jaws in reply. Muldoon decided to call the attempt off before it escalated too far and someone got hurt, namely him if Priscilla decided she wanted to put an end to the chick and he'd have to defend it. He held one hand up to stay Priscilla, while the chick did it's best to escape his grip, writhing and snapping in his other hand until managed to lock it's jaws around his finger. He ignored the pain, fearing a reaction to it might provoke Priscilla.
"Wu!" he called to the scientist who was watching from near the visitor centre. "Can you come take her?" In his peripheral vision he saw Wu hesitate, which was understandable but inconvenient.
"Please?" He said through gritted teeth. He held the chick out towards Wu, being careful to keep his eyes on Priscilla, who was watching the young dinosaur uneasily.
"You're mad if you think I'm going anywhere near her," Wu replied. One thing he could say for the man was that he knew how to make dealing with a tricky situation more difficult.
Muldoon decided to change tactics.
"If she snaps and attacks me, she'll be coming after you next."
That spurred the scientist into action, Wu was nothing if not self-serving. All he cared about was saving his own neck.
Slowly, Muldoon backed a little further away from the raptor, meeting Wu halfway to hand the chick over. Wu took it.
"Put it back in the brooder and I'll try to settle her."
Wu nodded, which indicated he was learning. Priscilla wasn't his biggest fan either and it was best for him to keep quiet in her presence. It was still too much though. Priscilla screeched and lunged forward, and Muldoon reacted just in time, throwing himself between the raptor and the geneticist who was now in possession of the chick. She halted her attack just in time to avoid colliding with him.
"Get inside!" he commanded, maintaining eye contact with the raptor as he instructed Wu. "I'll come get you when it's safe." Wu did as he was told.
With Wu and the chick out of harm's way Muldoon could focus on the distressed raptor.
She looked at him fearfully, though what she feared wasn't exactly clear. Did she think she'd be punished for her behaviour? She had no reason to, he'd never been harsh with her before. He reached up, she shied a little, but when he brought his hand down gently on her snout she began to relax. The least threating approach would've been to touch under her jaw, like he had the very first time, but by pressing down softly on the bridge of her snout he could comfort her and assert a little dominance, provided she didn't decide she'd had enough of playing subordinate to a man and lash out. He trusted their bond and took the risk.
Her rapid, shallow breaths slowed to a steady rhythm.
"There, that's better," he soothed, stroking her gently. "Now what was that silly display all about?" He spoke calmly, not letting his frustration show through. He'd hoped she'd take more readily to having another of her kind around but it didn't look like it was going to be that simple. Perhaps it was to be expected. Gaining her initial trust had been almost too easy, so he couldn't loose heart now regarding forming a new pack. Of course there were bound to be some hiccups along the way when dealing with intelligent and sensitive animals like raptors. Complex personalities as well as powerful instincts came into play.
The tension drained from her and she nuzzled closer, purring under his touch.
"It's for your own good," he explained to her, "you can't survive in the wild alone and you can't live a full life in a cage. Don't you want to be free and live like you're meant too?"
Of course she didn't understand what he was saying, but he thought it might make them both feel better to hear the words spoken out loud.
xxx
One-hundred and twenty miles to the east John Hammond was not ready to give up on his dream of bringing dinosaurs to the people of the world. In the time since the breakdown his sizable bank account had been very persuasive in convincing a search party to go back to Isla Nublar despite the saurian threat, and retrieve the most valuable piece of the puzzle. Dinosaur DNA was useless without someone to engineer the recreation process and head geneticist Henry Wu had disappeared somewhere between the lab and the dock.
AN: Thanks so much for all your kind reviews! They really do encourage me to keep writing as fast as I can :)
And a big thank-you to TreasureHunterGirl! She puts up with a lot of crap from me regarding this fic. (BTW, if you're a Harry Potter fan who's into romances, head over to her profile page and check out her chapter fics. Start with Lily Potter and the Potions Professor. I promise you won't be disappointed.)