Sounds like everyone loved the last chapter. So now that you're all happy with me... why don't I change that? 8D

Raptor
Chapter 29: Hunt

Zach stood on his tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd of armored people milling about. But he couldn't see anything! Nothing at all, but the strangers with guns. He couldn't even see the raptors anymore. They'd been moved somewhere else, just a few minutes after Owen left. Echo had been the last to follow, seeming to want to stay with Zach and Gray. But Blue had run over to her, snapped loudly, and chased Echo away.

"Can you see him?" Gray asked, giving up himself. He was too short to even try.

Zach shook his head and let out a sigh. "No." He hoped to see Owen before he left. To like... wish him good luck or something like that. Actually, that sounded really stupid. Zach bit his lip and let out a sigh. Yeah, that was probably stupid. He sighed again and kicked at the bottom of the fence.

Gray watched him for a moment. "Did you guys make up?" He asked.

Zach frowned and looked down at him. "What?" He asked, only paying half attention.

"You and Owen." Gray said. "Are you guys done fighting?"

Zach shrugged as he turned. He kicked at the ground again and leaned back against the fence. He gave up as well. Owen was busy now. He wouldn't have time for them. And he shouldn't. "I don't know." Zach answered. "Maybe, I guess." He tilted his head. "We really didn't get to... uh... talk about it."

"You didn't tell him you're sorry yet?" Gray asked.

Zach rolled his eyes. "I really didn't get a chance." He said sourly. "Sorta busy trying to not get eaten." He mumbled under his breath.

Gray seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he nodded his head slowly. "Fine. But next time you see him, you have to apologize."

"Zach! Gray!"

The brothers turned and glanced back as Claire walked up to them. Zara was just behind her. Zach sighed and pushed away from the fence.

Claire waved them over. "Come on." She called loudly.

Zach turned back. His eyes scanned the crowd one last time. He still couldn't see Owen. He let out a sigh again and shook his head.

"He'll be fine." Gray said softly.

Zach glanced down at him and nodded. "Yeah. We'll all be fine."

"Zach! Gray!" Claire snapped their names. "Now!"

Zach rolled his eyes and put his arm around Gray's shoulder. "Let's go before she freaks out." He said and Gray laughed.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Okay." Owen said loudly, drawing all the attention to himself. He was standing beside his motorcycle in front of the raptor paddock. The raptors where out of their cages, standing at the fence and watching. Owen glanced back at them and waved. Then turned back around. "I want everyone back 15 paces." Owen said loudly. "The raptors will be up front with me. And I repeat, do not engage without my signal and do NOT fire at my raptors." He swung his leg over his bike. "I want everyone out of the line of sight when the cage opens." He pointed back at the raptor fence. "I want their attention solely on me."

Owen wasn't afraid of them attacking anyone. He knew they would never do anything without provocation or permission, especially not now, with the emergency. But he could imagine Echo running up to someone, trying to make a new friend and Blue following and snapping at her. And then Delta would copy Blue and Charlie would try to stop them all. And it would just be a confusing mess for the non-freak-raptor-people.

Everyone gathered around, stepped back. Owen glanced over his shoulder. Barry was standing near the fence. Owen nodded his head and the man turned to hit the gate released. The gate opened and the raptors all rushed forward and surrounded Owen. Blue let out a growl as they moved in to circle him. Delta growled as well and snapped her jaws. Owen rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Stop it." He snapped lowly to them, a growl in the back of his throat.

Blue snorted and shook her head. She looked at the crowd and snapped again. And Owen reached out to thump her in the side. Blue swung her head around towards him and narrowed her eyes. But Owen just glared at her right back. He bared his teeth for a moment and let out a real growl. It wasn't even close to as scary as he could be in his raptor skin, but it was just enough to remind Blue who was in charge. She knew, of course. She was just always testing.

Owen breathed out loudly and shook his head. Then he pointed to the ground near the front of his tire. The torn chunk of Ida's neck that once held her tracking chip was laying on the ground. "Ida's scent." He said.

The four raptors moved around to the front of the bike. They all bent down and inhaled the scent deeply, committing it to memory.

Owen waited a few moments, watching them. "Okay, got it?" He asked.

Blue snorted and nodded her head. The others followed suit, all nodding at him.

"Okay." Owen closed his eyes for a moment. He breathed in deeply as well, but he was already familiar with her scent. He was just stalling for an extra moment. He opened his eyes and nodded. "Moving out." He called out loudly as he started his motorcycle. He didn't wait anymore after that. He kicked off the ground and sped off. The girls followed quickly, letting out chirps and squeals as they were. Together, the five raptors raced off. The girls moved with him, just like they did whenever they ran together in the jungle. They kept pace with the motorcycle, running as close as they could. If it hadn't been for the rampaging dinosaur on the loose, Owen would have called it nice. The raptor, too, was enjoying it.

He glanced over his shoulder a few times. Barry wasn't too far behind, on a 4-wheeler. There were a few men he didn't know on various small vehicles. And a large van. He couldn't exactly see the van, just the headlights. So far, everything seemed to be going as planned. They all kept back like he'd asked. The group slowed as they reached Ida's last known location. Owen glanced over his shoulders and signaled the van to stop. He turned back to the girls. "Okay. Fan out a bit. Pick up her scent."

They all nodded and moved off in different directions.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Claire lead the small group to a large, armored truck. She walked around to the back and threw the doors open. She glanced around the empty interior and nodded. "See?" She said, glancing back at Zach, Gray, and Zara. "Totally safe." She said. There was a slight strain in her voice. She was trying her hardest to sound confident.

"Safe." Zach repeated, nodding his head.

Claire nodded stiffly. "Yes. We'll just... hide inside until Owen gets back... and his raptors are back in their cage... and... it'll all be okay."

Zara reached out and touched Claire's shoulder. "It will be." She said.

Zach glanced down at Gray and breathed out. "Sure thing. Sounds great." He said.

Claire nodded again and stepped back. "You two, get in the back." She said, pointing. "Zara and I will be upfront."

Gray climbed in first and Zach hopped in behind him.

"There's a window right there." Claire said, pointing. "We'll be just on the other side."

Zach glanced at it and shook his head. There weren't really seats. Just two boxes under the window and a couple tanks strapped to the wall. Gray sat down on one of the boxes and Zach sunk down beside him.

"Put your seatbelts on." Claire said as she grabbed one of the doors. Zara moved in beside her and grabbed the other.

Zach glanced at her. "There aren't any seatbelts." He said. "There aren't any seats."

"Oh... so just... hold hands." She said, closing the door. Zara slammed the other door shut.

Gray looked over at Zach and held out his hand. "She said to."

Zach rolled his eyes and leaned back.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Delta picked up Ida's scent first. She snorted, shook her head, and inhaled again. It was unmistakable. And now that Ida was so close... Delta snorted again and stepped back. There was something off about the smell, she realized, being so close. She wanted to run away and put as much space between Ida and herself. That's what the small was telling her. To run. But she knew she couldn't. This was important. Alpha said they had to find and stop Ida. And fast, before she caused more problems. Delta tilted her head back and called out for her pack. [Over here!] She said loudly.

Blue joined her, stepping out instantly. [Delta find?] She moved closer to her sister, her eyes darting around.

Delta bobbed her head.

Blue bumped her nose into Delta gently. Then she stepped away. She scented the area and then turned back to Delta. [Delta good. Delta stay. Blue get alpha.]

Delta nodded and watched as Blue darted off. Again, she got the feeling she should run, that the smell was bad. But she wouldn't. She let out a snort and turned as she heard something.

Charlie and Echo appeared just after, stepping out of the brush. Charlie put her nose to the dirt and sniffed. [Close.] She said, straightening up.

Delta snorted and nodded her head.

Echo copied Charlie, scenting the ground. [Find now. Then home?]

Delta growled and shook her head. [Echo stay.]

Echo shook her head and stepped away from her. [Delta no alpha!] She snapped.

[Blue say!] Delta said. [Blue get Alpha.]

Echo breathed out loudly and stamped her foot. She just wanted it to be over with. She wanted to go home and watch Nemo.

[Pack wait!] Delta commanded.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Zach and Gray had opened the little window in the back of the truck. Claire held a monitor screen in her hands, watching Owen and the raptors. Zara had scooted closer and they were both hunched over it. The brothers were both in the window, watching over her shoulder. Zach smiled as he watched. It was reassuring to see that they were all okay, that Owen and the raptors were okay and working together. "Badass." He whispered.

"Yeah." Gray said softly, his voice low. "Your boyfriend's pretty cool."

Zach's eyes widened and he stiffened.

Claire glanced at Zara and they both let out a soft laugh from the front seat. Claire shook her head and Zara smiled. "He is not my boyfriend." Claire said, still shaking her head.

For a moment, Zach breathed out, relieved.

But then Gray shook his head. "Not you." He said.

Claire turned around in her seat and looked at him. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Look!" Zach snapped, pointing to the screen.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Owen followed Blue and caught up with the other raptors and they started off again. He glanced back over his shoulder, making sure Barry and the ACU and InGen teams were still behind him. Then he turned back around and weaved with the raptors. For a moment, he wished it was only the 5 of them out there, running through the jungle chasing Ida. Then it could really be the 5 of them, as a pack. But he didn't think they could handle it by themselves. He glanced up as the sound of a helicopter came to his ears. Looked like Simon found the other helicopter. Owen smiled slightly and shook his head. He hoped the man didn't crash this one, too.

Then the raptors started slowing. Owen slowed his motorcycle and glanced over, watching them. He hadn't signaled for them to stop. And he didn't think Ida was near. But then Blue stopped completely and shook her head She looked like she was in distress, almost shaking herself violently. Owen pulled to a stop. "Blue?" She snorted loudly and stepped away from him. Delta and Charlie were doing the same, moving farther away. Echo glanced at Owen, looking confused. Then she closed her eyes and shook her head.

Owen held up his arm and signaled the truck and everyone to stop. Then he shut off his motorcycle and hopped off. "Blue? Blue!" He clapped his hands together, trying to get her attention. "Echo, Charlie, Delta!" But none of them seemed to be paying any attention to him. They'd stopped shaking their heads and were looking out, into the line of trees in front of them. Owen stopped. Without the sound of engines, he could hear the low growling now. It was really low, and garbled, but he thought maybe there were words in that growl. He felt like he could almost understand. He turned, a growl in his head again, and braced himself.

Ida stepped out in front of them. She melted from the shadows. The helicopter moved in the air and hit her with a spotlight but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were only on the four raptors. She moved right up to them and leaned down towards them, her jaw barely a foot from them.

"Blue!" Owen called. "Charlie, Delta, Echo! Out of the way!" But they remained where they are, like the hadn't heard him. They hadn't even moved. "Shit." Something was very wrong. Owen darted back towards the line of men filing out and readying their guns. "Don't hit my raptors!" He hissed at them as he pulled out his rifle and trained it on Ida.

But Ida was unfazed by Owen and the teams of armed men. She didn't even seem to notice them. Her eyes were on the small raptors. She tilted her head. Then lowered herself to them. Blue snapped at her and Ida growled low in her throat.

"Something's wrong." Barry said, moving closer to Owen. "They're communicating."

Owen narrowed his eyes. He couldn't hear what they were saying, Ida's rumblings were too low. But Barry was correct. Ida was clearly talking to his raptors. Owen jumped up. "Blue!" He called out. "Hey!"

Ida lifted her gaze and looked at Owen. She snorted and let out a growl.

"That thing's part raptor." Owen said between gritted teeth as his blood ran cold. She was part raptor. The raptor in his head growled at the idea, not liking it at all. Owen didn't either.

Ida stood up and let out a low rumble. The raptors turned towards them.

Owen needed to get Ida away from his girls. He didn't like the way they weren't listening to him. "Engage!" He called out. All around him, bullets started flying. Ida let out a roar and turned. She was hit hard and she fell over. But she quickly recovered and scrambled up. She ducked and ran into the cover of the trees. The helicopter lifter higher in the air and then took off to follow her.

Owen lowered his rifle and scanned the area. The raptors were gone. "Stay here!" He called out and rushed forward. "Blue! Delta, Charlie, Echo! Hey!" He ran to where they'd been standing with Ida. He spun around, his eyes darting everywhere. But he couldn't see any sign of any of them. "HEY!" He shouted. This was bad. They weren't listening to him. And the men with the guns were all looking around nervously. Owen needed to get them out of here before they shot at his girls. "Retreat!" Owen called out loudly. "Fall back to the truck! Raptors got a new alpha!"

The few ACU men stopped and turned to follow his orders. But the InGen men kept advancing, their guns raised.

"Hey! Fall back!" Owen called louder and still got no response. "I said..."

One of the InGen men let out a scream as he was pulled down into the brush. A few feet away, a second one vanished. Screams and bullets broke out around them.

Owen ducked and gritted his teeth as it exploded into chaos around him. Never once had he considered this. Ever. How had she brainwashed them, in a matter of seconds? "Shit! No! Fall back!" He called again. But no one was listening to him. They were all firing at his raptors. Ida's raptors. This was bad. Really bad.

Owen spun around as he heard a scream behind him. He saw a tail lashing. And then Charlie stood up and looked at him. She tilted her head, looking confused. And a tiny spark of hope lit in Owen's chest. "Charlie!"

Charlie snorted and shook her head. [Alpha!] She said after a moment.

Owen heard the fire of the small missile launcher. Charlie had too. She tilted her head and glanced back. Owen's eyes widened. "Charlie!" It hit Charlie and Owen was thrown back by the blast. Owen felt the tears in his eyes as he scrambled up. "CHARLIE!"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

One of the cameras had turned black as a set of jaws snapped at it. Claire turned back and gasped as a second one blackened. Zara pressed closer, looking at the screen. "What was that?" Her question was answered by screams and more dead camera angles.

Zach looked away, tears suddenly in his eyes. What had just happened? The raptors... had they just... did they... he closed his eyes as tears spilled down his face. He hadn't seen Owen.

"Is everyone dead?" Gray asked softly.

Claire pushed the monitor at Zara and turned around. She shook her head quickly. "No, everyone's fine."

"Don't lie to him!" Zach snapped, looking back at her. "Everyone's dead!"

"He's scared!" Claire snapped back. "It's okay to lie when people are scared!"

"I can hear you!" Gray said.

Zach blinked and wiped at his eyes. "Owen..." He couldn't be dead! He just couldn't be!

Then there was a sudden thud at Claire's window. They all looked to see a bloodied handprint and they all screamed. "Get out of here! Go!" A man yelled. Then he was suddenly gone and they could hear his screams.

"Turn around." Claire screeched before the van jerked forward. Zara slid the window shut.

Gray's eyes were wide and he was breathing hard as he turned around and leaned back. "What happened?" He asked, reaching over to grab at Zach's hand.

Zach shook his head as he squeezed Gray's hand. "We're fine." He mumbled, more to himself than to Gray. But he really didn't believe it. "They can't get in here."

"The raptors..." Gray started softly.

Zach shook his head. "I'll protect you. Nothing is gonna get you while I'm around, alright?"

Gray swallowed and nodded.

Zach smiled weakly. Then the smile fell and he leaned closer to Gray. "What you said... about Owen..." He whispered.

"He's kinda old." Gray whispered back.

Zach's eyes widened. "You can't tell anyone."

Gray blinked and tilted his head. "Is it a secret?"

"Yes!" Zach said louder. Then lowered his voice again. "How did you find out?"

"I saw you two." Gray stated bluntly.

Zach frowned. "When?"

"Yesterday." Gray answered. "Behind the maintenance building you said you were trying to break into."

Zach sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Shit. He looked away for a minute.

"You weren't really trying to break in, were you?" Gray asked.

Zach shook his head.

"So this means you're gay?" Gray asked.

"Yeah." Zach nodded his head.

Gray continued with his questions. "No one knows?"

Zach shook his head. "No."

Gray nodded. "Okay. I won't tell."

Zach breathed out and smiled weakly again. "Thanks."

"But..." Gray continued talking. It was his favorite pastime, after all. "You just met, right? Like now, when we came to the island? You never met him before, right?"

Zach sighed as he leaned his head back. It thumped lightly against the wall. "Yeah, I just met him, same as you." He breathed out.

"Good." Gray said, nodding.

"Good?" Zach repeated, looking over at him.

Gray nodded again. "Yeah. I'd be mad if you came here without me at some point and met him and lied."

Zach let out a laugh and closed his eyes for a moment. Now Owen was swirling around in his mind more than before. Owen had to be okay. He just had to be. If anyone could survive, Zach was certain Owen could.

"Do you love him?" Gray asked after a moment.

"Gray!" Zach hissed. "Shut up!" He turned back to the window and opened it. "We have to go back." He said loudly. "We have to find Owen."

"No. We have to..." Claire was cut off as one of the raptors suddenly jumped at the truck. Delta's head went right through the window and she snapped at Claire. Claire screamed and swerved the truck. Delta was shaken loose and fell. She rolled for a moment before scrambling up and screeching loudly.

"They're chasing us!" Gray wailed.

Zach stood up, trying to keep his balance. He gripped the side of the truck as he moved towards the back door. He quickly undid the latch and the doors flew open. Delta and Echo were following closely. Delta let out a scream and jumped towards the truck. Zach scrambled back. He pulled one of the tanks off the wall and let it roll out.

"Zach!"

Zach glanced back. Gray was holding what looked like a cattle prod. Zach grabbed it and fumbled with it.

"Turn it on!" Gray said.

"I don't know how!" Zach said, fumbling with it more. It suddenly turned on and the end sparked. Delta jumped at the truck again, her claws scraping against the metal floor and she tried to pull herself up. Zach jammed the cattle prod as hard as he could into her. Delta let out a horrible screech and fell from the truck.

Zach smiled and moved towards the doors. He held on and looked out. Delta was laying on the ground, not moving.

Claire glanced back out the window. "Hey. Are you boys okay?"

"Claire!" Zara yelled. "Watch out!"

The truck swerved violently. Zach tried to hold on. His hands fumbled against the door but he couldn't stop himself. He tumbled from the truck. He landed hard on the ground and rolled.

"Zach!" Gray screamed his name.

"Shit..." Zach let out a groan as he peeled himself off the ground. Everything hurt. Again. He glanced back at the truck and it was getting too far away. Zach stood up slowly, practically scraping himself up off the ground. And then Echo was in front of him. She tilted her head and let out a squeak. It was low and soft. She lowered her head and inhaled, sniffing him.

Zach swallowed. And turned and ran into the jungle.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: *goes to hide under his bed*