New Worlds
AvalonReeseFanFics
A/N: And Hello again my wonderful readers! So here we are, we're onto another age. We get to see how little Una and her mummy are doing. Don't forget to leave a review so I know if you guys are still enjoying it!
Chapter 2 – The Thrilling Threes
She was talking.
Not right because her mouth wasn't the same as theirs, but she was finally getting words out.
Una had learned to walk no problem. Una had also learned to climb, which was a problem because she knew how to get up but not to get down. Climbing up a tree, easy. Climbing down a tree meant throwing herself down onto something.
Sometimes onto Terra, the Triceratops babysitter, sometimes onto Rela herself. She once dropped out of a tree and onto Roc and had Rela not been there to stop him he might have ripped one of her arms off. As it stood, Una would have the scars on her arm from that incident most likely for the rest of her life.
But there had been things that Una hadn't been able to learn. Though walking, and usually quite bright she seemed unable to smell out prey or even danger, and she hadn't been able to talk.
Until today.
"Say it again," Rela order, looking down at Una.
Her second skin was tied up around her, something she had learned to do by herself earlier that year. It had big clumsy knots that Rela could sink her teeth into. This was helpful in picking the hatchling up or dragging her away from dangerous things. And Una did so like finding danger.
"I hungry mummy," Una repeated and Rela trilled in excitement.
"Very good, my little hatchling. Let's go to the grove, you can pick some fresh mangoes."
"Mangoes, yay!" the little girl scampered off into the trees with Rela following after.
She couldn't run very fast, she'd never be able to keep up with the pack, which was why her scent improving was very important. Once she was stronger and older, Rela had no doubt that she could let Una trail behind. If her scenting improved, she'd be able to follow after them. Rela couldn't carry her forever.
In fact, with the number of holes in Una's second skin she'd no doubt have to find her another replacement soon. Which meant going to that building to forage.
They made it to the grove and immediately Una went to climbing like the little monkey she was.
"Mummy mango?"
"No mummy doesn't want a mango," Rela called up. "And remember, don't climb too high."
"Okay mummy."
It wasn't just words. Una was speaking almost full sentences. To go from nothing to sentences was a feat, she must have been waiting to talk. Waiting until she built up a vocabulary. Oh her smart little Una.
Oh, she had been able to make garbled noises, things that the hatchlings would have said. But those hatchlings that had hatched were almost adults now, and Una hadn't grown much at all. Terra said it was because humans aged differently. By a set of moons and not a single one. This was troublesome at first, but to Rela it just meant that she would get more time with the cute stages of Una's life before she got too old and too proud for her mummy. It also meant that she would be in this vulnerable stage for all together too long.
Rela was under the impression that the cuteness would outweigh the worry and so far she had been right.
Rela was certain to watch carefully as Una climbed up into the branches before tossing down a few mangoes. Some would be for right now, the others would be for later, so her mother could slice them up while they were at the nest.
Then she watched as Una carefully as she made her way down from the branches, climbing all the way down to the trunk and jumping the little distance between her and the ground. She landed on her unstable legs wobbled a bit but managed to right herself. Her balance was clearly getting much better.
"I down, mummy, all by myself."
She said it so proudly that Rela couldn't help but be proud too. "Good job little hatchling," she said and then sliced up the first mango on the top of the pile. "Eat your meal and then we'll go."
As she watched her little hatchling devour, she found herself staring at the trees that surrounded them. There was something off with the smell of the place. A stronger scent then usual. Of predator. And she didn't just mean her. Something bigger had been coming here. Something bigger might be there right now.
Rela didn't want to make her hatchling worried though. So she let her finish the mango before saying: "Carry all that you can, little one. We'll take it back to the nest."
"Okay mummy."
Her little one gathered many mangoes up in her arms, all the mangoes she could carry and together they walked out of that clearing.
Rela would have to be more careful when bringing Rela to this clearing from now on.
-JP-JP-JP-
After scenting the predator in the area, the pack picked up and moved their nest to a safer area. Though Rela was certain to tell her pack why the move was necessary, Una had not been made aware of why they were moving their sleeping grounds for the time being.
Instead they found a perfect little grove of trees to nest in, and Rela and Una went about making a little area for Una to sleep, where Rela could lie down with her.
Una liked a lot of nesting materials, so the others often brought down branches with leaves and vines for Una to pile into like a little bird.
Everyone except Roc that was. Roc liked to pretend that Una didn't exist, he didn't acknowledge her, talk to her or even look at her unless necessary.
This worried Rela because Una was very curious. Sooner or later, she would ask why Roc didn't like her and Rela would have to have an answer. Other then he was a big huge idiot.
When they were done making up their nests a few of the other females came to lie beside Una and Rela. These two females, Crin and Leri, were probably the nicest in the pack. Rela could always trust them to watch out for her little Una if Rela was distracted or busy being Alpha.
"Say my name!" they kept crowing to Una.
Una's little face turned back and forth between them and would say their names.
Crin would come out as Rin and Leri came out as Eri. She was still having issues with their language, but Rela assumed that was just the way her mouth moved. She had a different mouth than them, it would make sense that she would have trouble with words.
But you know what she could say? Mummy and Food. With no problems what so ever. And she so did love being called mummy.
"Mummy I tired," she said then she turned to the two raptors peering in at her. "Night Rin and Eri. Night pack!"
Then she threw herself down into her little nest and began to wrap herself up in the leaves and branches.
Once Rela was certain her little Una was asleep she got up to do a perimeter check, to make sure that all was alright.
But she hadn't been up for two seconds when Roc got into her face.
"This is just another reminder that thing will never be one of us."
Rela bristled at that, because Una was doing very well considering.
"She's getting old enough… large enough to eat."
Rela hissed at him, pairing it with a threatening bark that put him in a lowered submissive stance. "You will leave her alone."
It was all she was going to say of the matter and he seemed to sense that this was not a wise path to be taking. Roc wisely scampered away and behind her she heard a little whisper of: "Mummy?"
Rela turned back to the little nest where Una's little blue eyes were glowing out of the branches and leaves that made up her nest.
"It's alright, go back to sleep."
"Okay Mummy."
She watched the nest shift as Una got herself comfortable again. Rela just had to turn a look onto Crin and Leri and both of them got out of their own nests to nestle down beside Una. They would make sure that she was safe while she was gone.
But she was going to have to think of something to keep Roc away from her hatchling.
-JP-JP-JP-
*This scene is somewhat graphic at the end. Reader beware*
The pack hadn't hunted for a long time. The longest Una was aware of anyway. Her mummy kept saying that they couldn't hunt yet, that she was worried about leaving the nest unattended. But they didn't have hatchling yet, and they hadn't laid eggs. All they had was her.
She could tell that the others were not happy that they had to keep from hunting because of her. Mummy wouldn't even let her go back for mangoes. She would send someone else in the pack to get them for her.
It took a long while but eventually the pack convinced her that they had to hunt.
Her mummy had taken her to the mango grove sniffing at everything carefully. Usually, Una could run right into the grove but that day her mummy had made her wait. She had sniffed the air as if testing it, looking around as if she had expected something. And when whatever she was expecting hadn't appeared she walked in and then barked for Terra.
Terra was old and slow, so it took a while but eventually she came and by then Una had gathered mangoes for both of them to eat.
She said bye to her mummy who would come back once the hunt was done, promised to be good and then she and Terra dug into to their feast.
Once done eating, Una went to climbing. Her favourite thing to climb was Terra and the old Triceratops always let her climb to her hearts content.
"Have you been working on your raptor?"
Una knew how to talk Triceratops but she had difficulty with raptor. Her mouth didn't do the same things are her mummy's. She often wondered why.
"I have. Listen!" she screwed up all her raptor courage and shouted: "I'm the best raptor in the world!"
Terra laughed at her. "I think you just called yourself the smelliest compy in the forest."
"I did not. I said best raptor and you know it!"
She climbed up to Terra's head, hiding herself behind the massive fin. The old Triceratops shook her head again trying half heartedly to shake the younger girl off.
It was all fun and games, with Terra trying to shake her off and Una trying to stay on until suddenly she stopped.
"Off me. Now."
Terra only used that tone when she was being completely serious so she quickly climbed down.
"Under me. Under me."
It was that same worried tone and Una scrambled to obey.
Then for a little while they were quiet.
It was Terra that spotted it first, the giant monster standing just outside their grove.
It stood a little bit like a raptor would but it was as tall as the trees. It's arms were tiny, it's hind legs massive. And even though it's mouth wasn't open she could see a row of sharp teeth peaking out from it's lips. And it was just staring at them.
"Get ready to run," Terra said to her.
It started forward the trees bending and cracking as it crashed through and towards them.
Terra shouted: "Run!" at her and she took off towards the trees, but didn't quite leave. She wasn't supposed to leave Terra's side and she didn't really know the jungle all that well. But even she knew she shouldn't bring that thing back to the nest with her.
She stood just outside the clearing she watched the great big predator run at Terra, and she watched Terra run back. She jerked her head, the horns managing to impale it a bit, it's upper body crashing into her crest. She managed to throw it back, it hit the ground, struggled to get up and Terra turned and ran for the trees.
When she spotted Una she nudged her with her nose. "Come on, go."
The two of them turned to run and it didn't take long for the massive shaking footfalls to start following them.
It must have been catching up to them because Terra started using her serious voice again.
"Run! Run Una! Climb a tree, climb up, don't look back, don't follow!"
Terra's large head swung in her direction setting her off course. So she kept running and Una was sent a little off course. As she ran off looking for the tallest tree the big predator crashed on past without giving her a second thought. Still Una climbed up the nearest tree, climbing up as high as she could to be as far away from that thing's mouth as possible. But from up there she could see everything.
So she saw the giant predator catch up with Terra. She watched it corner her. Watched it's big gaping toothy mouth descend.
She saw exactly where fighting became too much, when Terra grew too tired and the predator managed to knock her over.
As blood painted the forest floor and Terra's cries silenced, all anything could hear for a long while were the wails of a little creature trying to stifle them.
-JP-JP-JP-
They had just finished the hunt when the screaming started.
She knew that scream. Una hadn't wailed like that since Rela had found her. She hadn't even wailed like that when Roc had accidentally ripped up the skin of her arm. Yes, she had cried, she had even cried out in surprise and pain, but she hadn't wailed like she was wailing now.
So, for her to be making that noise she had to be either very badly injured or very scared.
Rela had already abandoned their hunt and prey to chase after her hatchling's screams. She left half of the pack with the meal they had hunted and the other half went with her. As she ran towards where she had left Una in the first place some of the wails began to stagnate. And in between her cries came hiccupping stuttering barks for her mummy.
By they time they reached the clearing Rela was in a right panic. Una's wails had subsided, in fact Rela wasn't sure she had heard her hatchling in a long time.
They combed that clearing but they didn't find Una there, though they could scent a predator. The same predator that Rela had scented earlier that moon. She could identify it now. It was a Tyrannosaur. Judging by this scent she'd say a female Tyrannosaurus Rex.
It had been through the clearing recently, she could see where the trees had been bent out of the way.
"Tracks go this way," one of her pack called and Rela followed them. The tracks led her to a more than grizzly scene.
They found the carcass a short way away from her mango clearing. Terra's body had been left for the scavengers. The scent of the Tyrannosaurus was keeping them away so far not even her pack was willing to get too close.
Una's cries had stopped fully and Rela was past panic. She didn't know where her hatchling was. Between the scent of the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the blood from the carcass she couldn't scent Una anywhere. And she wasn't crying anymore so she couldn't find her that way either. Did that mean she had succumbed to her injuries? Did that mean she was dead? Taken away?
"Mummy!"
Rela turned, she knew that bark. "Una! Where are you!"
"I'm coming mummy!"
But Rela couldn't see her, she could tell that Una was close, but she didn't know where Una was.
"There, up," Roc said.
She hadn't noticed when Roc had come to stand with her, but she did note that his snout was pointed upwards. She followed his gaze and saw the bottom of Una as she made her way down the branches of a near-by tree.
Rela was at the base of that tree in moments watching her little hatchling's hasty descent. In her scramble she slipped and missed a few branches but she made it to the ground without incident. Where she then threw herself at Rela and sobbed into her chest.
As she cried, Rela tried her best to sniff at her hatchling, the rest of the pack came to their side. Each bending low to sniff and lick at any perceived wounds.
"She looks okay," Roc finally said and Rela was almost certain that he sounded relieved.
"Come on," Rela said bending down to sink her teeth into the second skin that Una always wore. She hoisted her up. "We're going back to the nest."
Una continued to cry, this time silently as Rela took her back to their nest.
-JP-JP-JP-
Rela had tried to leave to get her share of the hunt they had taken down that afternoon, but every time Rela tried to leave Una would start to panic again. She would grab Rela's leg and start to cry. Rela couldn't bear to hear her little hatchling cry.
Crin and Leri promised to watch her, both practically sitting on either side of her, and only then did Una quiet down a bit.
But even though they were there with her, and they helped her make a nest, when Rela came back her little hatchling was still awake and clamoured for her.
Rela nodded her thanks to the two younger females as they walked back to their own nests. Rela looked down at her little hatchling as the two settled back into the new nest that they had made for that night. Her little face was covered in tear stains, her cheeks were red from the rubbing of them. She had never thought that crying could make it look like her face had been hurt like that.
"Why does she cry like that, she's not hurt," Roc said, appearing from no where. Rela didn't even bother getting up.
"She's frightened. It was her first brush with death today," she said. "Now go away."
"it does hurt mummy, it hurts here," she said pointing to her chest. "It hurts so much!"
Rela wasn't sure what that was. But it was clearly an inside wound. Maybe like the kind she hurt had felt when she lost her first set of hatchlings.
"That will fade in time," Rela said nuzzling her little hatchling. "You're just sad."
"I don't like sad. Make it stop mummy."
"I don't have the power to do that, only you can fix your own sad," she whispered. "But I will always be here for you so that when you are sad you are not alone." Una's thin lips twitched, the tears now silently streamed down her face.
"Terra's not coming back, is she?"
"No."
"Is she dead? Dead like the things you hunt?"
"Yes."
The tears renewed this time, but even Rela could tell they were angry tears.
"But why did she have to die, mummy?"
"That is the way of jungle," Rela said. "The jungle never takes more than it needs, and while it was tragic, the Tyrannosaur was hungry. Just like we are when we take down on our own prey."
"But Terra was special."
"All creatures are special to someone else. Just like you're special to me. But a predator still might gobble you up if given the chance. That is our life, that is why I try to protect you so, but even I can't keep you safe forever."
"Is something going to happen to you too?"
"One day. Everything dies one day. How I die is up to me. Just like how you die will be you to you. Sometimes lives are stolen, sometimes lives are eaten, sometimes lives just stop being lives. But that is our world, it's not something that can be stopped."
"But I don't want you to die."
Rela lowered her snout to Una's little face as the little hatchling chose to nestle up to her. "You don't have to worry about that for a long, long time."
"Can you stay mummy. All night?" her little hatchling asked.
"Of course."
She figured, for one night, it wouldn't hurt to stay with her hatchling. Just one night.