Moynihan felt her legs become weak. She fell to the ground in absolute shock. Stone had raised her? But how was that possible? She doesn't even remember him from that long ago. It was impossible, wasn't it? She remembered being in a pack, a velociraptor pack at that. They weren't alimons. They were of her own kind. Those were her earliest memories. So could Stone have been the one to raise her? It just didn't make any sense to her.

She continued down the pathway, but at a much slower pace. Her mind kept wandering to what Mudrock had said. It wouldn't leave her alone. The nagging feeling made her heart ache and her head spin. She put her hand against her forehead, trying to make sense of it all. She soon found herself moving too close to the walls of the cave. She pushed up against it, knocking herself around a little. But she paid it no mind, acting as if nothing was happening. She ignored the stares she got from passerby alimons.

She began to wonder if she had remembered her life wrong. Her father teaching her how to hunt, her mother showing her where the best hiding spots are, were those all fake memories? She shook her head. No, they couldn't be fake. She knew it from the bottom of her heart that they were real memories. Mudrock must have just wanted to unsettle her. He did seem like a nasty sort, the way he acted towards her unprovoked like that. She wouldn't be surprised if he just made that stuff up to get back at her for some reason.

She turned around a corner and nearly ran into another alimon. She took a few steps back. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to almost run into you! I was just..." She stopped herself as she stared at the new alimon. The alimon was a female, judging from her mane along her neck. She was covered in green and teal skin. Her expression was noticeably softer than Mudrock's. Just like Stone, this alimon seemed to trigger something in the back of her mind. "...who are you?"

"I saw that encounter you had with Mudrock." The female alimon said softly. "Don't worry about him. Some Rock Rangers here have bad attitudes, but they won't lift a claw against you." She took a step towards Moynihan, lowering her head to be eye level with her. "As for me, you can call me Treestar."

Moynihan instantly recognized that name. "You're the one who helped Veloci escape the Darkarians, aren't you?"

"And someone else as well." Treestar nodded her head. "But she decided not to join us. She went off somewhere else."

"Who? And where did she go?" Moynihan inquired.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but she made me promise not to tell." Treestar said. She paused for a moment. She seemed like she wanted to get back on the subject. "About what Mudrock said..."

Moynihan raised her hand up. "Don't worry about it. I know he just said that to make me angry, but he will have to do harder than that."

"No. That's not what I was going to tell you." Treestar said, invoking a look of confusion from the old woman. Treestar sat down, her tail moving slowly up and down, hitting the ground gently. "He may be a jerk, but he isn't much of a good liar. What he told you was the truth."

Moynihan gasped, clutched her chest, and moved back from the female alimon. She felt herself spin once more. "You...you mean that..Stone did raise me?"

Treestar nodded her head. "That is correct, Moynihan. As did I." She watched as the woman grabbed her head, a pained look on her face. "And to put your mind at ease, yes you were part of a velociraptor family through adulthood. We raised you and Veloci only while you were very young, and it was just temporary."

Moynihan stared at her. "Veloci too?" The alimon nodded. Moynihan stammered. She was even more confused. Veloci didn't remember any of this, did he? He never mentioned it. He was just as shocked about the alimons as she was. "How..what happened?"

"I was afraid that this day would come." Treestar said, her expression saddened. She turned her head away. "I've prepared for this moment, but no matter how hard I tried, I can never be prepared enough." She looked back at Moynihan. "Do you wish to know the reason why you've stared to become more aggressive?"

Moynihan's eye widened at this. Had Treestar known about her increased aggressive tendencies? Did Stone tell her about how she had snapped at one of her students back at the school? She narrowed her eyes slowly. "It's because of Veloci. He did something to me...made me go feral." She was not prepared for the response Treestar was about to give her.

Treestar shook her head and gave her a serious look. "No...that wasn't the reason."

Moynihan stared at her in shock. "But..how could it not be?"

Treestar raised a paw. "Don't get me wrong. That did have something to do with it. But..Moynihan..listen. There's another, deeper reason why you've become like this. It's something in your subconscious, that faintly remembers what had happened to you. It has laid dormant inside of you all this time. But now is the time for me to tell you what had happened."

*Past*:

Red Shadow and his mate, Green Scale, were running for their lives, racing across the forest floor. They could feel their hearts pounding so hard they thought they'd break open. Their legs were getting tired and their lungs were burning as well as their throats. But they couldn't stop now. They had to keep going. In their mouths, they gently carried their chicks, one male and one female.

Behind them, they could hear the growls and grunts of a big predator running after them. They dared not look behind them. They were too afraid to. They could feel the massive footfalls of the predator coming after them. They could hear it slobber and hiss. They could almost feel its breath on them despite them still having enough distance between them. They knew if they didn't get away soon, they would feel those horrid teeth on their necks.

The two velociraptors ran through the thick foliage. They ignored the thorns scraping at them and the unusually sharp rocks of this part of the forest. They normally didn't come here, but they thought it would make for a great deterrent for the creature chasing them. They endured several minutes of this more hazardous part of this area. They jumped out, coming out to a small river with waves crashing against hard rocks. They didn't hesitate to jump onto the rocks and cross it.

Up ahead, they could see a burrow. It looked abandoned. It also looked big enough to hold them. The burrow was pressed up against a large boulder and further shielded by low hanging tree branches. They didn't bother looking behind them as they raced towards the burrow. They stood in front of it, pausing to wonder what to make of it.

Green Scale hesitated, taking a step back. "I don't know about this, Red Shadow. What if those annoying hairy things are down there?" She inquired, her voice muffled from holding the chick.

"You're worried about those pests? They're harmless!" Red Shadow said, his voice also muffled.

"Yes I know." Green Scale said. "But it's just that... What if they reveal our location? You know how they can get. They might accidentally make us flush ourselves out."

Red Shadow opened his mouth, but stopped. He looked out across to the river. He could see the leaves rustling. His eyes widened. He turned to his mate. "We don't have time for this! Just jump in!"

At that moment, they both heard a loud roar. Their chicks shrieked in response. The adult velociraptors turned their heads to the sound. There, standing on the beach roaring at them, was the green creature who had been chasing them. The creature had called himself an alimon, and has said that his name was Haze. A most unusual name, but they didn't care about that. What did they did care about now was that the alimon was crossing the river to get to them, and he was moving at impressive speed for an animal his size.

Red Shadow gave the second chick to his mate and said, "Take them and go in there! I'll try to fend off the alimon. If I fail and the monster comes after you, take the chicks and run!"

Green Scale watched as he turned and ran towards the river to meet with the alimon. She wanted to say something to stop him, but she knew he was right. She held onto her chicks and moved into the burrow. She pushed her way into it, trying to get as far down as she could. She had to use her hands and feet to kick away some dirt to make room, but she managed to get deep enough in.

The burrow was small and cramped, with worms and bugs wiggling through the dirt, but it would have to do. At least it didn't have any of those odd hairy creatures. She shuddered at the thought. All they would have to do is bite her in the right place to make her jump out of the burrow and expose herself. She hoped that Red Shadow could fend off the alimon. He was one of the pack's best hunters after all. She was a little confused that he didn't want her fighting with him, but it made sense. Someone had to take care of the chicks.

She looked at her chicks, who were huddled up against her now. They were chirping in fear. She lowered her head and licked the tops of their heads. They didn't understand what was going on and they were scared out of their little minds. She placed her head against them, pushing them more firmly against her body. She wished she could do more to comfort them. She turned her head towards the hole above her. She wondered how her mate was doing.

Red Shadow planted his feet firmly on the ground, feeling the dirt clump up between his toes. He tapped his sickle claws against the ground threateningly, a warning to the alimon crossing the river. The alimon had stopped on the final stone and was glaring at him. He narrowed his eyes back, opening his mouth in a hiss.

"Leave this place, alimon, or whatever you call yourself! These are not your lands!" Red Shadow proclaimed. He raised his hands up towards Haze, showing off his claws. "You will not wipe out the remainder of my pack! Not while I'm still here!"

Haze tilted his head. Then he threw it back and laughed loudly. "You're something, aren't you? You think you can give me orders? No, these lands don't belong to you. This place..no..the entire world, belongs to me and the pack I belong to!"

The red velociraptor was shocked by this. "Taking over the world? No..that's..not even conceivable! You're crazy! No predator would ever..."

There was an insane look in Haze's eyes as he answered the velociraptor's question. "You don't get it, do you? I won't bother explaining to you..." He began to walk off the rock, stepping onto the dry land. Red Shadow moved back from him. "Your inferior species don't deserve to know. But rest assured that one day, my species will claim all the lands as our own!"

Red Shadow growled. "I won't let that happen! These lands are ours!" Suddenly, he howled in pain as the alimon struck him across the face. He felt the sharp claws dig into his skin and leave long gashes along his cheek. He fell to the ground.

Haze stood over the velociraptor. "I wasn't asking for your permission!" The velociraptor looked up at the alimon, blood streaming down his face. "Now die!" The alimon seized the smaller dinosaur's neck in his jaws before he could react. He lifted him off the ground and began slamming him into the ground has hard as he could.

Red Shadow cried in pain, struggling to escape the jaws of the alimon. He pushed on Haze's snout and kicked at his sides. But the alimon didn't let go and continued to ruthlessly slam him into the ground. In a desperate attempt to free himself, Red Shadow drove his sickle claw against one of the alimon's front limbs. This did the trick. The alimon released him and howled in pain. Red Shadow fell to the ground in a thud, groaning. He tried to get off the ground, but his freedom was short lived. The alimon pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

Red Shadow moved his eye up towards Haze, watching as the alimon bared his teeth close to his head. He watched as Haze moved his head to another part of his body. He tried to watch in curiosity, but the alimon's head had moved out of view. He soon found out what the alimon was up to. He felt the alimon's jaws set on his right leg. Desperate, he started to kick his leg, but he couldn't get it free. Haze pulled on the leg roughly, tugging it at an odd angle. Red Shadow closed his eyes tightly as Haze increased the pressure on the pulling, feeling his skin beginning to tear.

Haze tightened his grip on the leg and pulled back sharply suddenly. Red Shadow's eyes widened in agony as his leg was ripped out from the socket. Haze held his leg in his jaws for a few seconds. Bone, vessels, and muscle were exposed as blood dripped from the severed leg. He dropped the leg beside Red Shadow's head so that the smaller predator could see. Red Shadow stared in horror at his severed leg. All that remained of it on his body now was part of the bone that connected it to him and a few torn ligaments and tendons along with a few shredded muscle and skin. Blood poured out of his open wound.

He didn't have time to completely register what had happened to him because Haze was starting to make his second move. He soon felt the fangs on him again, this time on his right arm. The alimon pulled hard on the arm, pulling it away from the velociraptor's body. He placed his foot on the arm and twisted his head as he clamped down harder. Red Shadow roared painfully as waves of agony shot through his body. He felt his arm start to crack in the middle, the bones splintering, and then Haze yanked upwards.

The arm came off easily. Haze held the severed arm high into the air. Blood dripped from the opening. Muscle and tendon bits hung loosely from the edges. The crimson liquid also started to drip out of Red Shadow's body. He wiggled what was left of his arm, trying in vain to attack the stronger animal. Haze stared at this and swallowed the portion he ripped off whole. Then he went for the remainder of the arm. He gripped it tightly and ripped it off, causing more blood flow.

Now Red Shadow was missing half of his limbs, both on the same side. In their place were just large openings, exposing what was left of the bone and the muscle surrounding the area. His remaining limbs kicked as he writhed in agony. He started to realize fighting Haze alone was a big mistake. He turned his head over towards the burrow, his mind racing, filled with pain. He tried out let out a call for help, but Haze clamped his jaws shut with a paw. The alimon tilted his head so that one of his eyes looked up at him.

"Oh no..We can't be having that..." Haze said, narrowing his eyes. He was not going to have this pathetic creature call for help and ruin his victory. He knew he had to silence him before he could finish him off. And he knew just how to do that.

Haze pushed Red Shadow's snout upwards so that his throat was exposed. He took his other paw and pushed the talons into the neck. He sliced through the neck, using his claws to slice through the folds that allowed Red Shadow to make words. He pulled his paw out, now dripping with blood. There was now a deep gash in the velociraptor's neck. His esophagus was visible, along with muscle and vessels. His vocal cords could be seen, now ripped to shreds. Haze had been skillful; he managed to avoid the major blood vessels so Red Shadow wouldn't die just yet.

Red Shadow tried to cry out. But with his vocals slashed, he was unable to make any noise other than a gurgling sound. Blood dripped from his mouth. He lifted up his head and tried to roar at the alimon. But all that came out was a bubbling sound and a cough. A glob of blood and tissue fell from his mouth. He collapsed his head onto the ground. Haze smirked down at him and lowered his head.

"I usually don't take my time with this. But I must impress my elders. This is my first hunt after all. You understand right?" Haze spoke. He knew Red Shadow wouldn't be able to respond. But that didn't bother him. He just took the silence as a yes and said, "I knew you would understand. Don't worry. I'll try to make this quick for you. But no promises, okay?"

The next few minutes were torture for Red Shadow. It seemed to go on for hours. Over the next few moments, Haze proceeded to dismember him. He pushed him onto his other side and began to rip off his other limbs. He started with the arm and twisted it out of its socket. He went for the leg. He used his jaws to break it in many places and then pulled it out of his body. Then finally, his tail was gone. It was ripped at the base, though it took Haze a while to bite and slice through the thick meat in the tail. The only thing still attached to his body now was his head.

Haze went for the head next. He placed his teeth on the base of his neck. He bit down hard. Red Shadow's eyes widened as he felt the teeth grind through. He soon found it hard to breathe. He opened his mouth wider to try to get more air. But the alimon sliced through his breathing tube effectively. He then pulled the neck from the body, decapitating him. The last thing Red Shadow was aware of before he died was the feeling of hitting the ground and Haze's teeth biting through his skull, piercing his brain.

Green Scale noticed it had gotten quiet. She growled worriedly. She didn't know what to do. She looked down at her chicks. She had to keep them safe. But the silence was worrying to her. Had her mate been knocked out? Had he been trying to call to her for help? Or had he won? He could have beaten the alimon and maybe he was waiting for her now. There was only one way to find out.

Taking in a deep breath, Green Scale started to push her head through the opening. She stuck her head out and looked around. She noticed there was nobody around. She thought that was strange. Perhaps Red Shadow and the alimon named Haze had simply ran off somewhere else. It was certainly possible. It would also explain why it had gotten quiet now. She lifted her head up higher to try to see more, but she was unable to spot her mate or the intruder. She was about to go back down the hole when there was a sudden thud to her left side. She looked over and her eyes widened only slightly at what she saw.

She could see Red Shadow's head there, turned slightly away from her. He looked like he had been hurt, but she couldn't see any signs of trauma. She moved her head over to him and said, "Red Shadow! What happened? Where is the alimon?" But he didn't answer. She widened her eyes. "Red Shadow?" She nudged him only to find his head rolling away. She screamed in shock. Now she could see the lethal injuries he had sustained.

Before she could move down the hole again, she felt something bite into her shoulder. She roared in agony as she was roughly pulled from the burrow. She felt the attacker push her into the ground roughly, twisting the jaws to rip up her shoulder. Blood poured from the wound profusely. She kicked her legs frantically, trying to get away. She twisted her head around and managed to bite her attacker, Haze, at the base of his neck and ripped out a chunk of his flesh. He released her as he howled painfully.

But as soon as he released her, he grabbed onto her again. One paw grabbed her bottom jaw and his other roughly seized her top jaw. The alimon glared down at her and said, "You need to be taught a lesson! No biting!" With that, he started to pull her jaws apart. Green Scale screamed loudly as she felt her jaws coming apart. Her jaw joint ached horribly. The alimon kept pulling the female velociraptor's jaws apart until he heard a loud crack. "There, isn't that better now?" He said as he released her, staring down at her.

Green Scale's bottom jaw had been pulled out of the joint, but it was still connected to her head by the loose skin. Her top jaw had busted in the middle, making it impossible to breathe through there. She was forced to breathe through her mouth. She looked up at the alimon and couldn't help but wonder why he had done this. What joy did he get from torturing? What did he hope to accomplish? She was angry at what he had done to Red Shadow and even angrier at whatever reason he had to be like this.

Haze seemed to notice what she thinking, using her facial expression to judge. He took a step towards her. "I know this is all confusing for you. But inferior animals like yourself would never understand, so there's no point in explaining myself. I will make sure you suffer the same fate as your mate, along with your chicks. That is my only gift to you." He put his paw on her side. "Now hold still so this can go faster."

Haze returned his head to her shoulder. He bit down hard. Green Scale cried out in pain as she felt the alimon dig his teeth in deeper into her body. Then she felt the pain of her backbone being scraped against. She realized that Haze was going to break her spinal cord. She couldn't let that happen. She began to struggle, kicking her legs at Haze. But the alimon was too swift for her. He gave one final crunch down on the backbone before it busted in his teeth. Green Scale immediately lost control of her legs, tail, and arms. They now rested on the ground limply. She could no longer move them, but she could still feel them.

Releasing his grip on the shoulder, he now moved lower. He bit down on her belly. Immediately she let out a loud cry of agony. Haze sliced her open easily with his teeth. He pulled away, blood flowing rapidly from her body. He dropped the chunk of flesh he had ripped out of her. He could see her intestines, gallbladder, liver, and other organs now. He stuck his head into her body and seized the intestines in his jaws. He pulled them out, shredding them along the way. He continued to do this until all of her intestines were out. Then he stuck his head back inside and went for the liver. He sank his teeth into it and pulled it out. His face coated in blood, he swallowed the liver whole. He licked his jaws.

"Now time to finish this." Haze said to the agonizing female velociraptor at his feet. Despite her cord being severed, some little movement remained. He could see her feet and tail twitch in pain. He would soon put an end to that.

He pushed Green Scale onto her back. He heard the sloshing of her exposed organs as bits that remained fell back into her wound. He stared at her chest for several seconds. Then without warning, he bit down on it. He used his paws to hold her body down as he gripped her chest tightly. He pulled away, ripping off the meat. He went back down and pulled off more. He did this until he exposed her ribcage, caked in blood. He could see her heart beating, pushed far up inside her for protection.

He grabbed her ribcage with his paws and pulled on them hard. Green Scale yelped as she felt her ribs crack. When Haze opened her ribs enough, he released her. He stuck his head into her chest and went for her heart. Green Scale growled and whimpered in pain and discomfort. Her eyes widened as he felt the alimon slice through her heart with his teeth. She was instantly gone when the alimon pulled the heart out of her body. He stood triumphantly over her now dead form and dropped her shredded heart to the ground.

"..mama...?"

The soft voice caught Haze by surprise. He tensed up. He looked over and saw something moving in the burrow. He caught a glimpse of what looked like a tail. He moved towards it. Soon he was standing over the burrow, looking down. He could see two velociraptor chicks in there. They were huddled together. He instantly recognized them from the den he had raided. He narrowed his eyes.

"Looks like you two are the only ones left of your pack." Haze said, licking his lips. "It should be easy to dispose of you." The chicks shivered as Haze placed his paws at the entrance of the burrow. He stuck his head in, attempting to bite at the chicks. The two youngsters cried out for their mother and father.

Haze was almost able to snag one of the crying children when he felt something grab his neck. His eyes snapped wide as he felt the grip around his neck tighten. He was lifted up into the air by something big. His eyes drifted upwards and he found himself staring at the bared muzzle of another alimon. Haze narrowed his eyes when he recognized the alimon. There was no mistaking this black and white alimon. It was Kenichi.

"You..how dare the Darkarian mission!" Haze shouted. He swatted at Kenichi. "You stupid Rock Ranger!"

Kenichi didn't react for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes, gripped Haze's neck with his other arm, and roared loudly in his face. He then tossed Haze into the ground. He watched as the Darkarian rolled across the floor. When he came to a stop, Kenichi walked towards him. He grabbed his tail before he could get up and then proceeded to pull him backwards. He threw Haze into the ground once more. This time, the force was enough to cause the Darkarian to tumble into the river's edge.

Haze shook his head and looked over at Kenichi. He hissed and roared at the Rock Ranger alimon. He was answered back by another, louder roar. He charged towards Kenichi, mouth wide open. He snapped his jaws at him, managing to snag one of his feathers. He pulled hard, but Kenichi knocked him loose with a swat of his paw. Undeterred, Haze went back for Kenichi again, this time going for the other's neck. The two alimons locked in combat, rolling across the dirt and rocks. They struck at each other, cutting into each other's skin. Blood stained the floor near the river. Some dripped into the water, some of the immediate water turning a pinkish color.

Finally, Kenichi managed to toss Haze against the ground again. He pinned him down onto his side. He dug his claws into the Darkarian's shoulder. "You always seem to forget, Haze. You may have some impressive skills, but you are not as high ranking as I am. You do not stand a chance against me! Leave now!" Haze responded by snapping his jaws close to his face. "You were always so immature. I will tell you again. Leave."

Haze laughed loudly. "Oh? You're going to make me leave?" Haze couldn't help but find this very amusing. Kenichi wasn't that old of an alimon. Maybe a little older than he was. Did he really think he had more experience than him at fighting? He knocked Kenichi off with his tail, got up, and said, "You and what army?"

Kenichi climbed up to his feet. There was a rustling sound in the distance. Footfalls were approaching. Haze stopped in his tracks. Kenichi smirked slyly. "This army." Haze took a few steps back, his feathers lowering. "What's the matter, coward? You don't want to fight us Rock Rangers when we're in a group?" He asked tauntingly.

Haze growled at this. He didn't like being mocked. But he knew he didn't have much of a chance. He had been foolish enough to wander here alone, outside of his assigned group. He wanted to prove he could be a leader and set out to show it by slaughtering the entire pack instead of just a few like he was told. Now he was going to pay the price with his life if he dared to stay here and fight, especially if Donovan and Stone were involved. He looked into the distance. He couldn't see the Rock Rangers yet, but he didn't want to stick around for the potential brawl.

Haze growled, "You win this time. I will leave. But mark my words, Rock Ranger fool! This isn't over! It will never be over!" He turned tail and ran away across the river. He disappeared into the distance.

Kenichi snorted at his direction. "What an idiot..." He heard a sound coming from the burrow. He wondered what the Darkarian had been trying to get at. He was in such a hurry to stop him that he didn't stop to think what he was tormenting.

It didn't take him long to realize what it was. He saw the remains of the two velociraptors laying on the ground. He gasped at the brutality displayed. The limbs ripped off, organs spilled on the ground, the torn up heart on the ground, he could tell this was definitely a Darkarian's doing. The smell of death was strong in the air. He walked towards them and sniffed their bodies. He recognized their scent. They were a velociraptor pack that lived in the area. While he didn't see any other bodies, he assumed that, since these two were a good distance from their den, Haze had killed or chased off the others.

He went over to the burrow. He looked inside and saw the two velociraptor chicks in there, cuddling up to each other for comfort. Kenichi was shocked by this. Was Haze going to kill these two? Part of him wasn't surprised. It was typical predatory behavior. But alimons, at least Rock Rangers, were trying to fade out this practice. This decision was made before the Darkarians existed. He thought that the Darkarians would adopt this, but this was evidence to the contrary. Seeing how scared these two were, Kenichi felt the anger rise up inside of him. Haze must have killed their parents right in front of their eyes.

He heard the footfalls grow louder. He knew that some more Rock Rangers were approaching the area. They would be here in a few minutes. He was about to leave, but he found he couldn't leave the velociraptor chicks. It was unheard of for the Rock Ranger pack to take in animals of other species. But he couldn't just leave the chicks here to starve to death. There was no way they could survive by themselves.

He stuck his head into the burrow. The chicks squealed in surprise. He smiled down at them. They hissed in response. "It's okay. I will not hurt you." Kenichi said as he proceeded to give them both a quick nuzzle. This seemed to calm them down slightly, but they were still scared. Kenichi grabbed them both in his jaws gently and lifted them up. He then walked in the direction where the other Rock Rangers were approaching.