The first thing I could taste as I woke up was the bits of mud and rotting flesh which I had yet to pick out of my teeth. I opened my eyes, looking around as I lifted myself out of the wet bed of dirt I had slept in. The other raptors still seemed to be asleep, though it was clear that they were growing restless. No doubt I was not the first to rise. Nevertheless, there was no need to preemptively wake the others. After all, as long as they slept, that meant more meat for me. I slowly began to creep out of the nest, trying to be as silent as possible. Beams of sunlight shone through the thick canopy of leaves which hung overhead, and a feint squawking could be heard out in the distance.
I walked through the forest and around the bones and broken egg shells which lined the outside of the raptor nest. The farther away I strayed, the fewer and far between they became. Such scraps were warning signals that one was approaching the home of a predator, at least that was how prey read it. I had to get far enough away, so that any potential meals would not suspect they were in dangerous territory. At the same time, I did not want to stray so far as to make a major trek of it, all just so that I could get my breakfast. Cutting through some greenery, I saw what appeared to be a small streak of green cut across the ground and duck into a shrub. I instinctively followed it, and came to a small clearing. An acrid smell hit my nostrils, and looking ahead I could see several large piles of waste. Since I was still in the woods, the trees provided copious amounts of shade, while also blocking out any breeze which might carry the scent of the area throughout the island. Unfortunately, this meant that the smell before me was particularly strong, and quite difficult to stomach. Regardless, I had seen and smelled much worse in my time.
The small green blur I had followed, ran up to the pile. Compys. It must have been one of several dozen who were picking apart at the great mound of shit, hoping to find some remnant of protein to feed on. A part of me thought these creatures to be pathetic, but if nothing else they made for easy pickings.
Off to the side, I noticed a youth of my kin, a young raptor. It must have been a fraction of my age. He was scrawny and frail, and covered from head to toe with scars, some of which had yet to heal. He was feeding on a compy which he had dragged to the side. Its legs had already been mangled and shredded, and it let out a wheezing yell to express its agony. The other compys seemed to pay no mind. The young raptor proceeded to take another bite as its victim attempted to crawl away. In a weird way, he sort of reminded me of myself at that age. The youth then spotted me; it picked up the creature in its blood-soaked lips and ran off. He was wise to. There was nothing stopping me from choosing him as my breakfast as opposed to one of these scavengers. If nothing else, he would have had more meat on his bones.
I quickly plucked one up between my jaws, causing the rest to flee in fear. The one I had picked up let out a wheezing squeak. I quickly tightened my jaw, sinking my teeth into the varmint. Any remaining breath the creature had left was let out, leaving it to droop lifelessly from my mouth.
I took it away from the piles of waste so that I could eat in peace, settling down beside a shallow stream. I began tearing into the compy's corpse, it's tendons and blood splaying out. I did my best to pick it clean, but those things had so little meat on them as is. I dropped the bloodied and mangled skeleton off to the side, turning my attention now to the stream. Looking in, I could barely make out my own reflection in the muddiness of the water. Only just was I able to see my blood smacked lips and ravaged, frail face. I sometimes wondered what I would have looked like should I never have been subjected to all the scars and bites I have endured over the years of my life. I took a sip of the water, then began to head back to the nest. I was certain the others had woken up by now, and although I held a great distain for my brethren, I still required them in order to get a more substantial meal.
As I arrived back, I was surprised to see that they had already cleared out. Damn! I quickly began following whatever trail I could find, but the area was so well-trodden that it became difficult to distinguish between the old tracks and the most recent. I brushed through the forest, branches battering my sides, calling out to see if anyone was nearby. I eventually reached a wide-open, grassy field. I called out once more, and to my surprise, another raptor quickly approached.
"Prey! Prey" he screeched, "C'mon, c'mon!" He beckoned for me to follow. Just as I had suspected, they needed my help. Although any velociraptor would gladly rid themselves of the others of their kind for a quick meal, working together was a necessary part of capturing prey. I quickly followed and the two of us soon came upon a stray Parasaurolophus. It had clearly been separated from its pack, as it looked around the area in distress, calling out for its family as it wandered around by the edge of the field. By no means was it fully grown, but it was close to adulthood and had a fair bit of meat on its bones. Farther back, I could make out the shapes of two creatures stalking it from the bushes. Two other raptors; that made four of us in total. The raptor I was with nodded to the two in the bushes, who gave a subtle nod back. He then turned to me.
"The four of us will flank him, then close in."
I nodded. The two of us crouched down, not wanting to be spotted. We sidled forward, trying to avoid drawing attention to ourselves with too much noise. After a moment, the raptor from behind the bushes let out a cry, and all four of us leapt into action. The Parasaurolophus seemed equal parts scared and confused. It tried to run, but I leapt out in front of it just as it had begun to build speed. It ground to a halt, trying to turn the other way before spotting the others, who now had it trapped within our square. It looked between us in a panic, calling out for help, but no one came. We encroached closer and closer, until finally we pounced, biting into its flesh. The beast roared and tumbled to the ground. It whimpered and sputtered as we tore the skin from its bones, exposing the tissue and muscle underneath.
The four of us ate and ate, biting and clawing at each other in a desperate attempt to get the most food. Compys began to swarm around the body, but we quickly swatted them away. Sadly, they were not all we had to contend with, as other groups of raptors began spotting our feast. Soon enough, it felt like there was hardly any left for those of us who had actually performed the kill. So many raptors had gathered around that the body was barely visible. I swatted and clawed my way to the front, but there was far too much competition. It soon became apparent that my task was futile, however, I was not done yet. In one final attempt, I grabbed a raptor by the back of the neck with my jaws, pulling them away. The amount of force I used was far greater than intended, and to my surprise the skin tore clean off. A shower of blood spattered the grass, as my victim flailed about the ground in pain. Several of the other raptors took notice, turning away from the Parasaurolophus in order to feed on their fallen comrade. This opened things up just enough for me to get my head in a take a few bites, but it was not as if there was much left to feed on.
We soon dispersed, leaving whatever was left to the compys. I walked away, stopping to take one more look at the two corpses. The Parasaurolophus and raptor lay beside each other, both having been killed by the same predator. Despite being one of the fiercest beasts on the island, the compys did not distinguish between the two, eating whatever they could, much in the same way the raptors had. I turned my back to them, returning to the darkness and shade that the jungle provided. I had grown tired from the kill. Looking through the leaves, up at the specs of sky, I could tell it was almost mid-day.
I yawned, though I did not stop and rest. I was a predator, there was no way I could allow myself to be vulnerable while out here. In spite of this, there was something empowering about the forest. The way the trees and greenery formed all around, it provided the perfect place to jump out and ambush unsuspecting prey. This would not be something I would do anytime soon, however, seeing as I was now quite full. I soon found my way back to the nest and collapsed in a particularly sunny spot, though I still kept my guard up, just in case. After all, there was no telling as to whether or not I would be the next one to end up like that raptor and Parasaurolophus out in the field.
I was not the only one to return to the nest and take a breather. Several other raptors lay about the place, all trying to take a moment to recuperate without being wholly vulnerable. My eyes locked with a female who was resting beneath a tree. Her eyes had transfixed themselves on me, and I could tell that she was scoping out a potential mate, most likely for the sheer pleasure of it. Her gaze drifted around the nest, trying to find any other suitable males who might do the trick. Unfortunately for her, the few raptors who had returned to the nest in that moment were mostly female. The few males who had returned had already paired off and begun engaging in amorous activities. She locked back on to me. In that moment, I could not help but wonder the thought process cycling through her mind. The way I was lying on my side, right underneath the sun after having performed a fresh kill, I pondered if this was a draw for her.
Regardless, I gave no indication that I was interested in what she had to offer. Sex with females was always a tricky business. It was not necessarily the process itself I objected to, by all means it was enjoyable enough, but it was instead what it resulted in which I was against. It almost always led to children, and if there was one thing I didn't need running around the island, it was more youths. The more children born, the more competition there was for food, and that was something I had more than enough of already. Besides, if I really felt like it, then I could get an equal if not greater satisfaction by doing it with other males, and the best part was that there was no risk of creating any offspring.
In spite of this, it was clear that not everyone was as forward thinking. The female stood up and sauntered towards me. I made no effort to engage, still choosing to lie on my side. Upon approaching me, she lay down beside me, trying to get me to interact. I shoved her away with my heel, quickly evoking frustration. She turned to me and hissed in a mocking tone. Several heads perked up at the scene, curious as to what was happening. It seemed I had made it clear that she would not get me to engage through traditional tactics, and now shaming me into it was her backup method. She hissed once more, egging me on. She was exclaiming how much of a coward I was in front of the others, how there must have been something wrong with me or that I must have been inadequate. The full attention of the other raptors had been drawn as they watched out of fascination.
I scoffed, doing my best to shoo her away. I never like drawing attention to myself, seeing as its always the best way to get killed, but now it seemed I had become the center of attention. She hissed once more, this time drawing her claws and bearing down. I immediately rolled out of the way, leaping to my feet defensively. I screeched, trying to indicate my strength. Both of us were now ready to pounce. The other raptors had gathered around us, eagerly anticipating what might happen next. This mating call had morphed into an all-out fight, and the crowd was eagerly awaiting some bloodshed. Fights between raptors were fairly common, with the loser often getting eaten. I could feel a sense of fear crawl up within my gut. This was nothing like hunting out in the wild, I had a very strong chance of dying right here and now. The female raptor in front of me had far sharper claws, and although we were the same size, it was clear that she was the healthier of the two of us.
She quickly took a swipe at me, which I only just managed to dodge. I snapped my jaw, just barely nicking the edge of her nose, though not drawing blood. The crowd around us grew more and more anxious, hissing and snapping, eager for the loser to fall. I could see the thought process hitting the female as she glanced around at our predicament. She knew just as well as I that one of us would not be leaving this match alive. I could only assume that this had escalated to a point beyond what she had expected. In an odd way, we must have reached some sort of mutual understanding, as we both began to slowly back away from one another. We continued to hiss and claw the air, though now it was evident that the two of us were doing our best to calm down. As we did so, the crowd grew disappointed, many of them walking away to find something to eat.
I decided it would be best if I did the same. There was no way I would want to linger at the scene of the incident. Looking towards the sky, I was surprised at how much time had passed. It was no longer midday, with the sun drifting lower it had become evening, and I felt a rumble emanate from my stomach. I ran off into the woods, hoping there were perhaps a few other raptors I could meet up with in order to take something down. I ran and ran, calling out to see if anyone was nearby, but I received no answer. I eventually came to a small outcropping, which appeared to have been trampled over by something very large. Suddenly, I felt feint vibrations run under my feet. Slowly, but steadily, they grew more powerful, along with a great stomping sound which grew closer and closer.
I quickly ran to hide behind the nearest bush. Immediately after doing so, an immense figure broke through the trees, towering forwards. Its legs were like tree trunks and its jaws were large enough to easily crush me in half, much like I could to compys. It was a T-rex, and I had a nasty feeling that I had just wandered into its territory.