Chapter 28: Perspectives I
"There are no facts, only interpretations." - Friedrich Nietzsche
A strange-looking volcano that accurately resembled a Triceratops head. A female Dakotaraptor who, apparently, looked and smelled closely alike one of the most gruesome hunters, killers, murderers, enemies around. Two sights that couldn't have been more unrelated to and different from another indeed, yet it were precisely those two sights between which Specter's eyes switched every half a minute.
Threehorn Peak, Union, Threehorn Peak, Union, Threehorn Peak, Union...
Only ten minutes had passed since this new fastbiter joined the pack, in theory making it a lot more dangerous with her mere presence but also leaving Specter in charge of four lives now. Alba's, Blaze's, Union's and his own. It might've been strange to count his own life as well, 'leading' and 'being in charge of' himself, but this was plainly because Specter preferred to have a constant reminder not to put his wellbeing before that of others.
Not as the leader of a pack of hunters. Though he didn't know for sure if he could go as far as, rationally and with a clear mind, decide to sacrifice himself for his friends, or anyone of importance in general, should an upcoming situation really demand this, he at least thought himself able to. More or less. A difficult, lingering question, especially now, but there was a certain resolve building up inside him.
Anyway, the little determination he had on that matter was enough of an answer to dismiss this sudden thought.
But maybe, taking the concept of a 'divided mind' one step further, it was also to keep this fearsome predator inside him under control. This other side of him, this primal voice, this Utahraptor that was supposed to have no problems with eating its prey alive, ripping it to pieces, feeling nothing, amongst many other things that he, the altered human, just considered overly 'savage'. Thus the part of Specter that controlled his every action had to stay human under all circumstances, this he forced upon himself. As long as it was just about one's wellbeing, though, he tried not to think much about anything else.
However, Union's most basic welfare, no matter if she'd be friend or foe in the end, was the whole problem at the moment. Homo sapiens or Utahraptor ostrommaysorum, mammal or dinosaur, human or raptor, what always remained within Specter has been his exceptional protective instinct.
She said she's been out here for almost two days... That wasn't a lie... That was the truth... I could smell it clearly... Poor girl... Two days in these types of lands means two days without any real food, maybe even without any clean water... No wonder she didn't stand a chance against Alba... Though I suppose I should be glad, shouldn't I?
Now, he could already guess what had to be done. But he certainly didn't want to discuss this openly with all three females around. For good reason.
So far, there has been dead silence among the companions, making the tension which radiated especially from Alba even more noticeable. The albino fastbiter walked very closely to Specter's right flank, yet stayed far enough to his rear so that she could use her smaller size to look beneath his tail or belly and eye Union on his farther left with utmost care, a cold and mistrusting glare that Specter knew all too well. Alba had eyed him, too, in such a manner for a little while, after all.
Blaze emitted the same vibes, the same signs of uneasiness, even though she still couldn't really understand anything of what had recently happened. The glider had seemingly tried to distract herself by preening Specter's back feathers in search for any insects, but since she only found a single and tiny one, this had not lasted her for more than some two minutes. Funnily enough, were the current mood not so grave, and in spite of the recent amounts of Sky Water, it would've surprised her that Specter kept his whole plumage pretty much sparkling clean, something very unusual for the common dinosaur, to say the least, certainly for feathered ones that required very extensive grooming sessions.
And this whole situation, this tension, this uneasy silence, conflicted Specter in multiple ways, too.
Sure, there were multiple reasons for him to be happy, like having actual trees all around again, vegetated soil instead of ashes and bones below his feet. But also the silence itself, the thoughtless form of it, at least. He hadn't had anything against telling Alba so much about himself, pretty much everything there was to know about him, yet he was also fine with being forced to watch out for his words from now on, being forced to keep his sometimes careless mouth shut on most occasions. After all, he had basically talked more over the last two days than in the entirety of his new Utahraptor life combined. Maybe even more than in some months of his human life, now that he thought about it. So he was actually rather thrilled to be returning to his usual, quiet and slightly introverted demeanor.
But there was something else in this silence. In this awful, hurtful silence...
The growing unease in that deafening silence was definitely not what he had in mind upon starting this journey with Alba. As with her, he felt so incredibly relaxed and comfortable. He felt cared about, trusted and listened to. And it truly showed how much Alba cared about him now, especially when she had expressed her opinion about Union's presence. She had not even feared much for her own life, only for Specter's. It definitely wasn't her bothering him, as much as he would've liked her to ease up a little and give him some time to figure Union out.
There was another member, however, another individual to figure out. Just earlier this very day, Blaze joined them. But she really had not brought up any negative feelings whatsoever. Though, being completely honest with himself, maybe this was because Specter didn't exactly think of her as a new friend or companion just yet, rather a pet. A highly intelligent pet whose language he happened to share, and one he tried to refrain from treating as such. Yet again strange thoughts to have, perhaps borderline insulting towards the female Changyuraptor even, but he figured that he wouldn't need to word it this way in case anyone asked. Friend, companion or pet, he would look after Blaze just as much, up to the point when they reached the Great Valley to hopefully let her have a new, permanent home there.
No, the problem, Specter's main subject of conflict, once again was Union. For some reason, fully blending out her past or any potential dangers she might pose in the future, her plain presence here, so close by his side and in reach of Alba, simply felt wrong to him. A feeling that was nagging at him, never to stop however hard he may try.
Is this... what it was like for you then, Seeker? Before... and even after you took me in so quickly? I mean, with her... we definitely are an actual raptor pack now... And me being, sort of, the alpha...
He had often wondered exactly why packs of carnivores absolutely always demanded from their newcomers to pass a challenge, but it was only now that Specter truly and 'first claw' understood the simple logic behind this. It was to satisfy the primal instincts, verify that a new member would be as competent as trustworthy. There was just no way around that practice for a pack of hunters, and it seemed like nature forced this upon every leader, every alpha, through their unforgiving instincts.
Now that Specter thought about this topic, he had already, back then unwittingly, given Blaze such a challenge last night. It had not been an easy task by any means, yet she completed it like a professional. Even if only to save her own feathers, but perhaps that was especially why it felt 'right' to have her perching on his back for the trip, have her around in general, even though she was only a 'small' Changyuraptor and thus of no benefit in a messy hunt or fight. And sure enough, Littlefoot had also given Specter an apparent challenge on his very first day with his pack. However, this only proved to Specter once more that he might have to anticipate a rather cold greeting soon. Since Littlefoot had ostensibly planned on getting hit by the threehorn and thus never was in life-threatening danger, the brown fastbiter had also rendered the desired result ineffective with his actions.
This should remain a very farfetched guess for the next time, though. At the moment, Specter couldn't say anything for certain but that he was starting to dread the future reunion with his first pack a bit.
Just... whatever it was, I hope you still remember me... You know, the real me... Your disciple and friend... Not this uncaring jerk I sometimes can be... You wouldn't kill me on sight, right? You'd give me a chance to explain myself when I come back with these two big girls by my side... Right? Ah, why do I worry so much? You're Seeker, of course you would give me another chance. I've nothing to hide, after all. And you're one of the good guys. And I didn't do anything bad. Then again, neither did I make much of a good impression when I left, did I? And what if Spotter actually came looking for me and saw me with...
A light sigh escaped his mouth as he averted his gaze from the dark sky, clearing his thoughts, and looked forward again. What he could definitely say for certain, right now, was that he had to do something about the current atmosphere. This was far more important. Even without his instinctual concerns he didn't trust Union to the fullest, he really wasn't anywhere near that naive and blind to the subliminal signs enough for this to happen, but the female Dakotaraptor had also proven with her words and scents that there was no reason to distrust her as much as Alba did. There was absolutely no justifiable, discernible explanation at the moment.
At least Specter figured so to a very specific extent.
Even if everything she said was just one big fucking lie... Just a carefully made up, false story... I mean... 'A big sharptooth with dark feathers'...? That sounds an awful lot like... me, too... But it can't be... She knows... How could she lie? She must've been there, and if the raptor he killed was this 'Mist', Union knows it was Bloodhorn... But what if she wasn't, and...? No, impossible. They couldn't have. Besides, she also said she didn't mean us any harm... You cannot fake a statement like that... You cannot fake this honesty... You cannot claim this with other plans in mind. Well... maybe I could, but she's not me... She can't know about that, about imagination and believing in something different... Still... I think I might really need to make sure of her good heart sometime... Though, would Seeker's tactic really work on her? Even if it would, what if...? No. Doesn't matter... Too soon... Not yet, not now...
As the landmark known as Threehorn Peak was only around a kilometer away, he finally decided to stop pondering and instead 'squash two buzzers with one stomp', as Chaser had sometimes put it. Three buzzers even, if he were to break down everything into details. Chaser, Wrath, Sharptooth, whatever his true name actually was, the now certainly deceased Tyrannosaurus sure had been blunt but indeed always on point and instructive with his phrases, Specter figured quickly as he raised his voice.
"Union?"
"Sir." She instantly reported to Specter's careful voice, though she seemed to have been deeply lost in her thoughts the whole time beforehand.
"You said that you waited for almost two days. So am I right in assuming that you haven't eaten anything in that time, up until now?"
She frowned slightly while looking at the ground for a moment, which made Union not notice that Alba certainly showed the same reaction on her face, albeit for another reason, as she immediately understood where this would lead to. Specter was extremely bad at hiding his future intentions with questions like that, Alba deduced grimly, yet in silence.
"Yes, sir. That is... correct." Union answered as she restored eye contact with the large fastbiter on her right. "I managed to catch one or two, maybe three scaly crawlers while I stayed there, but... not much else... Not a single leaf-eater ever returned, as you can imagine. And those who 'stayed', well... Not exactly edible anymore."
"How about water?"
"Neither, sir. I could not find a clear watering hole anywhere around, not without the... serious risk of missing you. Same as with food. The lands are vast but this one area, where I finally found you. What would I have done then, had I gotten distracted, ended up with no one to go to...? I did not even know if you would really come through our old lands, and... Well, yes, the Sky Water over the last days had made some fresh puddles, but with all this strange dust around there..."
"I see." Specter concluded his queries, all of his assumptions confirmed, then using his right forelimb to point forwards at the area close to Threehorn Peak. "Alright then, since you must still know your way around here for the most part, scout ahead and report everything you can find in the vicinity. Leaf-eaters, sharpteeth, caves, water... Everything. Can you do that for me?"
Union nodded firmly and already prepared herself to sprint off right the next moment, yet she was forced to wait for another as Specter extended his left forelimb, blocking her way with his wing, and made a quick addition.
"But stay alert, will you? Even if this was your home once, mostly, I guess a lot has changed around here since you and your... acquaintances were forced to leave. Especially as you're probably running on fume-... Anyway, just one quick scouting run, got it?"
Though part of her, somehow, wanted her to believe that this shouldn't have surprised her, Union was actually taken aback. She was taken aback by what felt an awful lot like honest concern and kindness coming from the murderous, male sharptooth. So much so that she didn't even notice Specter's peculiar choice of words in the last part. And now she wanted to contemplate all this in more detail, but rather dismissed the desire as swiftly as she could. Her brother had told her enough about this black fastbiter and his actual, far-away pack. All those short, precise but still seemingly never ending stories. Just how could she ever doubt Skull's word? How could she ever doubt her brother, who saved not only her and Decay but also so many others already?
No, Union decided, she would not let this male fastbiter here fool her with his fake emotions and dangerous lies. She would never let that happen. Instead, she would have to be even more careful around him, it seemed.
You will show your true face soon enough... You can't pretend forever... Truth always prevails...
"Understood." Union ultimately answered, waited for Specter to lower his forelimb again and sprinted off as soon as her path was clear.
Specter watched her sprinting form until she disappeared in the vegetation ahead, his assumptions concerning the speed of Dakotaraptors also confirmed. Union really was immensely fast, despite evidently not even in her optimal shape. And still she pretty much, though still not quite, matched Alba's exceptional speed. But this didn't come as too much of a surprise, given Union's slender, defined body and low weight. As Specter then turned his gaze over to Alba, he could see her wearing a tell-tale expression on her face. Another thing that didn't come as a surprise, as Alba's facial features communicated neither anger nor confusion. It was this innocent look again, this shy, caring and deeply concerned side of her which almost never surfaced, and it was already clear to Specter what she wanted to express with that.
"Please don't tell me you are planning on doing what I think you are..." Alba explained her countenance, a borderline begging tone in her voice, but one that she unintentionally managed to hide from Specter, appearing to be more doubtful than afraid.
"I am. She needs to eat something and have a drink, badly." Specter responded dryly. Though he understood very well what his friend thought of Union's condition, and could actually relate to those feelings in some way, he once again wanted to explain his reasoning so that there would be no huge discussion following. "On a quick hunt, she can get both. I won't treat her like an outcast only because of her past allies... Who, mind you, allegedly tried to kill her. Look, I know how all of this sounds to you. Again. I don't believe myself either... But it's just not right. Nobody benefits if we let her hunger, especially not us. Two days isn't much, granted, but that can quickly turn into three or four days. Eventually, she'd only slow all of us down, or worse, turn on us. I'd prefer she didn't. Ever. So I will treat her like our guest for now, as long as she doesn't give me one reason not to. Besides, I still need to brief her and ask a few more questions."
"And... I take it you want to do that alone?"
"Yes, I do." He remained firm. Admittedly, he really would have preferred to have Alba by his side for this, just for the worst-case scenario, but it made sense in his mind to split up for a while. "I mean... You almost killed her. So, don't take it personally but... I think she might not feel very comfortable around you right now."
Alba couldn't have been more indifferent about how Union felt around her, so she really didn't take it personally. Actually, she wanted this dangerous fastbiter to feel uncomfortable around her. She wanted Union to watch her every step, not even dare to think about raising a claw against anyone of the pack, especially Specter. This aside, Alba didn't like his idea at all. To her, it was still clear that Union was only waiting for the right moment to kill him, take her dear, first and only remaining friend away from her for the means of bringing about even more needless deaths. Probably to avenge Bloodhorn's disgusting brothers or something, she obviously could not tell for certain. Whatever it was, though, if Specter went on a hunt with Union by himself, it was very likely that exactly one of those suitable moments might soon come. On a hunt, he would eventually turn his back towards her, and however big Specter might have been, Alba knew that one good slice or pierce from one of Union's killing claws could very safely, and slowly and painfully, end his life. She had once gotten far too close to doing this to him herself, after all. A memory she suppressed like very few others.
"And I reckon you might enjoy a little rest after all this... stress. So, in the meantime..." Specter started concluding his plans, flexing his neck around to look at Blaze for a moment, then back at Alba. "Why don't you two get to know each other a bit while you're waiting?"
Soon as he said that, Blaze stirred noticeably, made herself as small as she could manage and clinged around his neck with one of her forelimbs, almost hiding between his feathers. Alba easily noticed the glider's fearful reaction, something which annoyed her in more ways than one. She neither felt the need nor desire to make herself acquainted with this little red fuzzball, but neither did she want to come across overly cold.
Not anymore.
For so long, she had tried to take after Shade, thinking that he would have so much more to teach her about this world and its inhabitants. To be vigilant, trust nobody but herself and those who were ready to shed blood for her.
And for what?
For her own, beloved brother to betray her in the most heinous of ways, leave her behind at the mercy of vile creatures, not even dare to watch what had almost happened to her. Shade's true face revealed, cold, emotionless, uncaring.
So by now, she actually tried to be more like Specter, this big black fuzzball she had so much despised for quite some time, to be at least a little bit more outgoing. Perhaps, no, probably never would she truly share and agree with all of his unique traits, but at least some. At least that much she could do. For as much as she disliked his friendly, honestly careless, attitude towards Union; if not for Specter's kind and forgiving attitude in most cases overall, where would she be right now, Alba asked herself once more.
And, of course, she still knew the answer to her own question.
Alone, humiliated... Destined to suffer... and die...
So she ultimately decided to just listen to Specter's words, as there must have been more to them. She knew him decently well enough by now to know that he only reluctantly shared his full plans and thoughts, and rather trusted her to make her own conclusions. That's what it had seemed like so far, at any rate. Just another one of his strange antics, Alba figured, but perhaps for the best in the current and future situations alike. After all, neither Blaze nor Union were supposed to know about Specter's past, and neither were they supposed to feel like there was something going on behind their backs.
So... You don't only want me to 'get to know' her, do you? You want me to find out about her past, and if what she claimed is true...
Having understood this, Alba gave Blaze her most friendly face, not an easy task in and of itself when taken into consideration that she had rather seldom felt any joy in her life, and moved a bit closer to Specter, offering her back to the red glider. Blaze stood up again and looked down at her, already extending her wings a little, yet still hesitated quite noticeably as she then looked at Specter with asking, unsure eyes.
"She won't eat you, don't worry. And if you trust me not to harm you, you can trust her." He encouraged Blaze, wearing a slight, amused and understanding smile.
Blaze took a deep breath in response, closing her eyes for a moment, sorting out her emotions. Her hesitation, frankly, didn't even have all too much to do with Alba's aggressive behavior towards her on the last night. She was aware of how much this female fastbiter cared about her male companion, to the point where Blaze started wondering who was actually protecting who in this pack. And since she had injured Specter with her stupid mistake caused by desperation and lack of experience, almost clawing one of his large eyes out, she deduced that she was actually beyond lucky to have lived long enough for Specter to deliver his reasonable verdict and grant her a second chance.
Or rather, the chance of her entire life. A life in the mysterious Great Valley, in almost complete safety, certainly wasn't something many predators, dinosaurs in general, could expect.
No, it was rather because Alba, being one of those extremely rare White Ones, and just on top of that completely unfeathered, just could not offer any of the conveniences that Specter could. She had no soft, fluffy plumage anywhere, just bare white skin and scales, meaning that Blaze would seriously have to watch out for her own feet, lest she wanted to risk scratching her, too, with one wrong move. After all, Specter's feathers offered him enough protection from her claws while she perched on his back. It also didn't help that a certain part of her told her again and again to stay away from Alba, stay away from that ugly white coloration she had, or rather the lack of any color. Like earlier, with the cleanliness of Specter's feathers, it would have immensely surprised Blaze how indifferent the black fastbiter was about his friend's 'special' appearance, but right now she quickly figured that he most likely has been friends with Alba for a long time already.
And that was enough of an explanation to ease her mind a bit.
So in the end, Blaze took heart once more, pushed everything aside and finally jumped down on Alba's back, and with utmost carefulness she adjusted her position so that she could perch there halfway comfortably.
Specter concluded this little, awkwardly innocent interaction with a satisfied smile, afterwards looking forwards again to await Union's return as he gestured for Alba to reduce the pace now. And then there was silence yet again, not even the slight rainfall from before to be heard, as it had stopped by now. Only the two fastbiters' slowing footsteps and distant, muffled sounds of life could be heard. But this time it was an at least partially relaxed silence, maybe because a clear plan lay in the air.
Or maybe because Union would be gone for some twenty minutes.
A bit later:
As Union broke through the underbrush, the task given to her obviously well completed, and laid eyes on the waiting pack she now somehow belonged to, she couldn't help but frown heavily. Suddenly, she could feel this anger building up inside her. This rage. This contempt. This disgust. This desire to just charge ahead and let her claws do the work right now instead of sometime in the far future. Even though she had known from the start that her overall task, waiting for the 'right moment' to avenge her friend and help her actual allies, would be anything but easy, she had honestly never expected that it would be this hard to keep her emotions under control.
Returning to this pack, having done things for them, about to work together with them, certainly felt entirely different from just joining them. For a reason, obviously, as Union has spent some time with them now, and this ridiculously small amount of time was everything she needed to confirm what she knew anyway.
Only the most disgusting sharpteeth were able to pretend, able to lie, able to hide their true personalities, able to be true fake-faces. This was common knowledge, it belonged to the most important lessons for each and every single fastbiter to be aware of those dangers. And even those very few masterful fake-faces had to be extremely careful with what they said, as nobody could alter their scents. It just wasn't possible, there was no way to do such a thing.
And Union knew that. She knew all of it. But most of all, Union knew she just wasn't that kind of sharptooth. She wouldn't be able to continuously be something she just wasn't. After all, there was a reason why she had been the trusted leader of the reserves until recently, Skull's direct deputy in the overall order of ranks, keeping all those different kinds of sharpteeth together. It was her caring nature, her desire to look after her peers, making sure that everyone was alright. This was what Union stood for. Ironically this so fitting name being but a vestige of happier days, and it was rather her new name, Discord, which she embraced nowadays.
However, this Specter...
This liar. This pretender. This wrongdoer. This murderer. This monster. He apparently could, he was apparently able to hide his true face even from his companions such as that strange glider or the White One.
Yes, Union figured, now that she contemplated her, the White One, 'Alba'. In a way, a subject of great problem to her, a truly unexpected turn of events to have her still here and seemingly rather close to Specter. Alba was indeed Shade's sister, strangely enough, but her scents confirmed that to Union. Just why some cold renegade with messed up ideals, such as Shade, would want this hideous dinosaur back, she could not comprehend. Evidently, even if Shade were able to bring her back right now, someone would eventually rid her from the living. Rightfully so, given what she had heard led to this peculiar incident in the past. It would certainly be more of a favor than keeping her alive until the inevitable came anyway.
And yet, Union was actually immensely thankful for Alba's presence, in another, very special way. She really was.
As, thanks that cursed White One, it couldn't have been any easier to fool the black fastbiter for a change. He must've been more of an idiot than Union had originally expected, as he had not even realized that she had basically given herself away already in that short outburst of emotions, by directly hinting at her desire to kill him, by mentioning a 'big sharptooth with dark feathers', mentioning Specter himself.
It was beyond ironic that this White One of all dinosaurs had probably ensured her survival earlier by just being there.
Hmm... 'I mean you no harm'... Indeed... You, White One, I don't mean any harm... Though you'd deserve it... No, you'll perish anyway... but not by my claws...
It helped a lot that it had been Skull's clear order not to touch the White One anyway, in case she stuck around. Which she had indeed, apparently, so Union would comply. Any particular reasons for such minor details did not interest her.
Having firmly concluded this line of thinking, and to avoid her scents becoming corrupted by anger and disgust, her eyes quickly switched over to the red glider, who was surprisingly now perching on said White One's back. This sight began to even her emotions again, as she felt a bit sorry for the, in comparison, small female sharptooth.
Just what are you doing here? Hmm... Yes, surely... He forced you... Perhaps to find food for him because he couldn't see with that eye Mist almost took from him... until recently... But now that he can, he'll end you, sooner or later... Once you appear useless... it's over.
The obvious, cold methods of the disgraceful pack leader disgusted her to the core. Though, ultimately, Union was completely indifferent about the glider's fate, of course. This was no time to pity anyone, not while she had a mission to complete. Until then, until that mission was completed, she would only care about herself for once in her life.
No, the only important thing was, whoever this small sharptooth might've been and whatever her reasons to stay with this pack were, perhaps she could serve as a powerful, albeit unknowing ally, Union deduced. This glider could serve as a last resort in the most improbable scenario, when she really faced imminent failure. If the glider lived longer than a few days from now, that was.
However, she would not fail. Because she would not change, she would not pretend, she would not lie. She simply would not be a fake-face. She would be true to who she was. So the exact opposite of the black fastbiter, who would soon enough realize that his ways only granted him a sad demise. Nevertheless, it would be easy enough for Union to be pull that off, staying low and yet still honest, because she has always been a very quiet and reserved fastbiter unless there was an absolute need to have an extensive talk. And when there was, she knew exactly what to say. Or show.
But it was this very thought about herself which then abruptly caused her to assume something when it came to her target of elimination. Something which deeply unnerved her, almost made her stop moving, but at the same time calmed her emotions even further. It was long since clear to her that Specter wanted to head out on a hunt with her soon, and also that he wouldn't be doing that out of the goodness of his nonexistent heart. He obviously had other means, there was no doubt.
No, I was wrong... You cannot be that stupid... after everything you did... You figured me out already... but you're unsure... and you also find use in my presence at the moment... Yes, that's it... And now you want to test me, isn't that right?
This meant she had most likely misjudged Specter's wit. She really, really had to keep herself under control at all times from now on, Union deduced. Perhaps just in time for her to realize so, as the waiting pack of sharpteeth was only twice her own length away by now. She couldn't allow herself any more pondering. Or any more erratic emotions, for that matter.
And as such, Union's decision when it came to her stay with this pack was very swift to make, though anything but easy.
Fine... I will do as you said, brother... I will obey him... From now on, Specter, I will obey you... Whatever you say, I will listen... Whatever you want to know, I will answer... Wherever you go, I will follow... I will fight for you, hunt for you, kill for you... Until the very last moment, the very right moment... Just you wait, it will come... sooner than you'll like... And then... Then, I will kill you...
"Welcome back, Union. Find anything? Some good news, for a change?"
Specter would have also liked to say that Union's quick return came as a pleasant surprise, but there really wasn't anything pleasant about it. Not just yet, when his instincts have yet to be presented a good reason to accept her presence.
Still, he was rather impressed with her indeed. Union had completed her task in way less than fifteen minutes, and her confident posture indicated nothing but success. Although the scenario that was very soon about to happen, hunting again on the very same day, participating in taking at least one life again, was exactly what Specter had tried to avoid by stuffing himself full with Altirhinus meat this morning, he was looking forward to it anyway. At least a little bit.
It wasn't even so much the thought about hunting again that bothered him, but rather that he never liked it when something, or someone, got in the way of his plans, forcing him to adapt to a new situation, reshaping what he had already checked off. It always made him feel uncomfortable and annoyed, this being perhaps a remainder of his rather spoiled life as a human.
Though, the change in plans might just about result in a few positive things, too. Not only would he be able to watch Union's abilities and get to know her a bit, maybe even learn some new moves himself, but perhaps also silence that inner voice of his. And maybe this little break would enable Alba and Blaze to become acquainted as well.
The female Dakotaraptor continued to close in on Specter until she stood face to face with him. Then she briefly lowered her head before raising it again, along with her tail, ultimately remaining in this stance. It surprised him a bit, but Specter didn't think much about this behavior. Union obviously exercised extreme awareness of her new leader, and carefully followed the procedure of approaching a raptor of his size and apparent rank. And even though Specter didn't want to be treated like this by any of his companions, he kept his quiet for now.
"Sir." Union then spoke up. "Only good news. There is a domehead territory in another part of this forest nearby, six potential targets; a small watering hole at the foot of those cliffs next to the Smoking Mountain, one small cave there, abandoned; no other big leaf-eaters or sharpteeth in the area."
"Hmm. I see... Well done." Specter answered to her very concise report. Though he always liked to hear details, for example what exactly Union considered to be 'big sharpteeth', in this case only the most important things mattered. She probably meant no other carnivores around bigger than Dakotaraptors or Utahraptors, and certainly no sharpteeth rivaling his size, Specter simply figured. It also pleased him to hear there was a watering hole nearby, so Union wouldn't have to actively drink her prey's blood in order to temporarily quench her thirst. One buzzer had already been stomped, it seemed. "Then I'd say let's go get you some food now, first. You can drink afterwards to wash everything down, and then we'll hopefully be all on our way again, until the night falls. Sounds good to you?"
"Most definitely, sir." Union quickly responded, nodding once. However, this slight nod literally was the only thing even close to an emotion that came along with her statement.
And this time it truly surprised Specter, to have actually heard a considerable amount of apathy in Union's voice when she must've evidently been very hungry and thirsty.
Strange... That's not how any hungry raptor I got to know has ever reacted when it comes to food... Hmm... Maybe all of this still is a little too much for her... Someone like me giving out orders... until recently her enemy... Or maybe she just tries to stay very serious and respectful around me... I certainly would be, if I was in her feathers...
So he only nodded in affirmation, too.
"Alright, good. Take point then." Specter then said to Union, who simply returned another nod. But as she turned around and already took a few steps away from him, he turned his attention to Alba and Blaze for a moment, cautiously lowering his deep voice to a whisper, a hissing mumbling that was barely intelligible even to them. "You two wait for us at that watering hole she mentioned, ok? This won't take long, I promise."
Specter's last sentence was especially meant for Alba, who still carried this extremely worried look on her face, despite having been briefly informed about his plan in the time Union had been gone. And seeing how she still had her back turned towards everyone for now, Alba decided to act swiftly. She edged closer to Specter, stretched her neck and placed her head under his, pressing the topside of her snout against his lower jaw.
"Be careful."
Specter returned the little pressure Alba applied on his head, this subtle and weird, yet still protective kind of embrace. Had he been given any more time to ponder this gesture, he would've realized that this was something he had only observed before once in his life. Namely in wolf packs, between the alpha male and alpha female. The ultimate sign of trust and protection.
But right now his thoughts lay elsewhere, and his answer came spontaneously, but with confidence.
"I will."
Following this assurance, Specter detached himself from her and took a few big steps forwards to regroup with Union so that she wouldn't notice anything odd, leaving Alba standing there, her bright blue eyes following him and especially his elusive hunting companion until both fastbiters slowly disappeared somewhere in the green. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, looked slightly to her right at Threehorn Peak again and then flexed her neck around to Blaze.
"Come on. Let's find that watering hole..."
Well then... It's certainly been some time, hasn't it?
Now, you're probably almost shocked that, after all this time, THIS amount of content is what I am releasing. Less than 7k words. Certainly those to who I have spoken to, occasionally, and promised a really lengthy chapter.
Indeed so, but let me explain. You'll likely have noticed the "I" in the title already, so yes, there will be a "II", possibly a "III" if things go completely out of hand. I have once again split an absurd monstrosity of a chapter into smaller pieces. This one just happens to be a bit smaller and less, I guess "progressive", than what I would normally consider worthy of publishing. But I simply found no other way to make the split. Still, I hope this is still enjoyable for what it is.
Alright, so at this point, I of course want to apologize for this humongous delay. Actually, not so much the delay itself, rather the lack of communication from my side. Months ago already I had considered putting up a placeholder chapter in which I would have explained myself. But then I just kept telling myself that it would only be one or two weeks until I was finished and ready to publish, so I delayed even that time and time again...
So, what is the reason for this? Well, I want to put it plain and simple, and especially honest: I had/have sort of lost motivation to write, to engage in this topic and lore. This, sadly, is part of my character, my mentality. I would put loads and loads of time and resources into a particular medium to spend my time, but then suddenly lose interest in it. And it's the same with many things, really, even basic stuff such as food. Too much of a single meal and I can't stand it anymore after a few weeks.
Yes, university has, at times, kept me from really writing with a clear mind, but the last thing I want to do now is find excuses. So I will not delve further into this topic. All I can say is that I will never force myself to write, and thus future installments might appear sporadically, like this one, or not at all.
Good news is, however, that I have 50% of the second part done already, so I still hope to be releasing that around the start of 2017.
And I also want to use this opportunity to thank you all for the support, via reviews, favs, follows, or simple views. I would never have imagined that there is a real interest for this plot, and this is why I take my time to really think everything through. Which can lead into situations such as this one, unfortunately. And that's even though I have, in theory, so much more planned for the future. Besides making The Eighth Hunter a story truly interesting and unique at it's very core, a sequel to this, very possibly in cooperation with Rhombus, would only be the start. Two other stories in other universes, as well. Perhaps more, depending on future releases.
Alright then, these were just the things on my mind that I wanted to get out. Again, I am sorry for not communicating properly with you guys, but I do hope you understand that this story is something very dear to my heart by now, and I will never give up on it entirely until it is done, nor will I publish solely for the sake of publishing.
So for now, thank you for your time and understanding. I do hope you had a nice few weeks, have a nice evening/day, do take care, have an awesome start into 2017, and I'll see you next time!
