Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park/World franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.
34. Welcome to the Jungle
Gwyn stared at the gun on the edge of the table with a downward twist to her lips. It was big. It looked like the one Owen had been toting around all day, but this one––this one was supposed to be hers. It would sit slung across her back, end up clutched in her hands as a security measure while they were out there looking for Ingrid. While they worked side-by-side, out in the open, with the Girls. No matter how well Owen had explained how to hold it, what did what, or shoot it, it still felt awkward in her hands. Too heavy and unwieldy. But it was the only thing that, at the end of the day, could feasibly save her if one of the Girls turned and snapped their jaws at her. Months ago, Gwyn might have had few qualms with shooting one of the Girls; but now, after working with them for weeks on end, the idea twisted her stomach.
Gwyn sighed, grabbed the strap of the gun with both hands, and hauled it off the table. She grimaced at the weight and carefully looped the strap over her shoulder. She walked out of the aptly named 'arsenal tent,' trying her damndest to lend an unamused glare at any of Hoskins' men she passed. She passed between armored cars and idling ATVs, all of which were equipped with high-powered headlamps that would cut into the murky darkness. And at the front of all those vehicles was a familiar Scrambler motorcycle. Owen sat astride it, legs kicked out to keep it upright as it idled.
"It's a good thing you were tuning this thing up earlier," Gwyn commented on her approach. Her tone was light, but her brows were furrowed, unable to ignore what she was about to go out and do.
Owen glanced over his shoulder and, upon spotting her, smirked a little. "Guess it is." Gwyn came to a stop beside him, eyeing the jungle's treeline with a twisted frown. "Hey." When her eyes darted back to Owen, he arched his eyebrows. Gwyn quirked one in response. He raised his a little bit higher, a pointed look. "It's gonna be okay. Just stick with me."
"If you think I'm not sticking to you like glue, you're damn mistaken."
Owen grinned crookedly. "Doesn't sound like a bad deal." That grin faded a bit and his eyebrows pinched. He shoved a hand into his pocket. "I, uh… I made a quick stop when I ran back to get the bike. Thought that you'd, uh…" he pulled a carefully folded piece of paper out of his pocket, "want to have these." The paper was offered to Gwyn, pinched between his pointer and second finger.
The paper was thicker than normal, and the faint grey words printed on the back betrayed it as photo paper. And upon opening it, Gwyn realized that it was the picture of her and Alan from her bungalow. It was both of the pictures that had been on her shelf.
"Owen…" she murmured.
He winced regretfully and scratched the side of his nose. "Had to fold 'em, sorry about that. But I, uh… I know I wouldn't want to leave pictures of my loved ones here."
Gwyn looked up and immediately locked eyes with him. There was a shine to his eyes that betrayed a resolution he'd come to, one that she had arrived at this morning. That once all of this was over, there was no coming back. Once they were off the island, they weren't coming back. And in that realization, he'd thought of the photographs on her bookshelf. The original copies, the only copies. In retrospect, bringing the singular copies of such important photos had been a real stupid idea. But Owen had remembered them, and he'd doubled back to her bungalow to grab them for her. It made her anxiously beating heart flutter and swell happily for a change.
"Thank you," she whispered. Gwyn looked up, eyes glassy, and nodded. "Really, thank you. These, uh… mean a lot to me. What you did means a lot."
Owen shrugged. "It's no big deal."
"It is, Owen." Gwyn reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. She gave it a squeeze. "Thank you."
Quietly, he reached up and clasped a hand over hers. He squeezed and swept a thumb over the back of her wrist. Gwyn smiled at him and shoved the folded photos into her back pocket, which buttoned closed, with her free hand. The moment was tender, but doomed to be brief. Everything was ramping up––they'd be rolling out soon. And they were taking their final moment of softness before it all went to hell. Owen's hand slipped away from hers, stretching back out to grasp the handle of the motorcycle.
"So, you ever ridden one?" he asked, nodding to the bike.
Gwyn snorted and shook her head. Her arms crossed over her chest as she considered the two wheel vehicle. "Closest thing I've gotten to a motorcycle was an ATV."
"Well," he reached back and patted the spot behind him, "just hang on tight and lean if I tell you to."
"Told you I'd be on you like glue," she deadpanned. Gwyn adjusted the gun strap, letting it sit across her body than just dangle over one shoulder. She let out a slow breath and reached out to place her hands on Owen's shoulders. With her weight bearing down on him for a moment, Gwyn swung her leg over the Scrambler. "Is this… meant to carry two people?"
Under her hands, Owen shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't see why not."
She offered a look to the back of his head, lips tightly pursed. Then with a roll of her eyes, she seated herself behind him. "Y'know, this isn't the most dangerous thing I've done all day, so…"
"I'm joking; it can handle two people, don't worry," Owen promised. He reached back and squeezed her knee before he gestured down at her feet. "Just put your foot…" His fingers curled under her knee and pulled it upwards. Gwyn let him place her foot on a small panel set back on the bike. "There." With her feet propped up, her thighs cradled his hips nicely. "And your arms––"
"I think I've got that," Gwyn countered. She wound her arms around his middle, and pressed her front firmly into his back––and the gun strapped across it. The gun was really the most uncomfortable aspect of the positioning, but it wasn't like she could ask him to take it off and leave it behind. And, of all the things that had happened that day, it was only a minor annoyance, and one that she could deal with.
"You got it," Owen confirmed. He settled himself in his seat a little better and revved the engine a bit. He twisted his head around to glance at Gwyn from over his shoulder. "You ready?"
Gwyn offered a wry smirk.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
And that meant that her heart was hammering in her chest, crawling up towards her throat, and threatening to choke her. It meant that anxiety coursed through her veins with her blood, flooding her system something fierce. Because it felt like they were entering the final stretch. Like the final chapter was beginning. If Gwyn dared look back to the incident in '93, she could recall feeling this way the minute they'd entered the kitchen to hide. It was the beginning of the end, which was finally in sight––but they still didn't know what that end looked like. Whether it would be bloody, or barely scathed, or fatal was all unknown to them; and it was all they could do to truck forward and hope for the best. But for Gwyn, it was hard to conjure optimism. It was always supported by and undercurrent of anxiety and a reminder of what had happened before.
Owen threw a glance over his right shoulder, and Gwyn craned her head around, too, to allow him the chance to look. They both locked eyes with Barry, who was joining them on an ATV. He gave them a nod. Everything was all set. Owen had given the Girls the scent off the cunk of Indominus flesh the ACU found that morning. They could hear the raptors scrapping around in their stalls, eager to be out of the confined space. Owen puffed out a breath, turned his head forward, and shifted in his seat. Gwyn watched him tilt his head up and nod at a young paddock worker at the top of the stairs. In his hand was a button, one that, when pressed, would release the Girls. It was about to start. The last chapter of this nightmare was about to kick off, and Gwyn felt her stomach twist.
A buzzing filled the air.
Someone called 'here we go!'
Owen revved the bike engine.
The doors opened.
And the Girls were free.
They burst out of their holding stalls, screeching and squealing, moving almost perfectly in sync. They were headed for the jungle, heads stretched forward, following a scent only they could pick up. Just the sight of them free and unconstrained made Gwyn's heart palpitate. It was enough to distract her from realizing that Owen had spurred the motorcycle into moving. In response to the sudden realization that they were gaining speed, Gwyn instinctively wrapped her arms tighter around him. In any other situation, she was sure he might have laughed; but they were on the job, now, a very dangerous one. The time for laughter was gone, now.
The motorcycle was fast. The humid, warm air felt cool as it whipped against her face, arms, and tangled through her hair. The vehicle rumbled underneath her, the vibrations of its powerful engines rattling her bones. The dark shapes of the jungle whipped by them in blurry masses. Ferns and scrub brush thrashed against their legs as Owen maneuvered them through the rugged terrain. They jostled and bounced and wove. It was exhilarating and terrifying, and the speed matched the thrumming of Gwyn's heartbeat. There would be moments where, through the murky darkness, they'd catch sight of one of the Girls. Their tails thrashed, their movements were acute and sharp. They'd swap places with ease, as though it was coordinated. It was the perfect reminder that these were the perfect hunters; and that no one should let their guard down for even a moment.
Eventually they caught up with the Girls, motoring on behind them by some ten or so feet. Moonlight had started to spill in through the trees, illuminating their surroundings in a sort of bluish light. It wasn't long after they'd caught up then, suddenly, they were incorporated into their pack. There was a velociraptor on either side of them––to the left, the right, in front, and behind. Gwyn's arms tightened around Owen's middle again, her eyes wide as they bounced from raptor to raptor. The last time she'd been surrounded like this, she was sure she was about to meet her end. But these raptors… these ones weren't eyeing her like she was their next meal. They were laser focused on what lay ahead of them. They were treating Owen and Gwyn like they were part of their pack.
To their right was Echo. Her scars almost seemed to glow in the bluish moonlight, which made her easily identifiable to Gwyn. There was a fleeting moment where Echo ticked her head to the side and stared at her; she tittered at Gwyn, who just stared, wide-eyed at the acknowledgement. Echo then faced forward again and started to run faster. Gwyn watched her go, heart pounding. That little shared look almost felt like it was meant to be a reassurance. Like Echo was trying to convince her that she was okay, she was with them. And that––that was remarkable.
Not too long after the Girls overtook them again, Gwyn noticed that their speed was dropping. Owen had been adjusting speed based on how quick the Girls had been moving. Most of the time, they were speeding up steadily; but that had changed, suddenly almost. Gwyn started to scan the surrounding jungle, looking for flashes of bone-white flesh and wickedly sharp teeth.
"They're slowing down," Barry announced.
Owen released one of the handlebars and pinched the communication device pinned inside his vest. "They've got something."
Gwyn let out a long breath as they continued to slow. She could already feel adrenaline pumping through her system, feel it buzzing in her fingertips. The Girls slowing down could only mean one thing––the Indominus was close. When they came to a full stop, Owen raised a clenched fist in the air, signalling their little convoy to come to a halt, too. With another steeling breath, Gwyn decided it was time to be brave. She'd been through hell before, made it through these jungles alive before. This wasn't the time to shrink and shy away, because that was what would get her killed. She unfurled her arms from around Owen's middle, placed her hands on his shoulders, and pressed down on them as she dismounted.
Her legs felt a little shaky, now that they were rooted on solid ground again. Gwyn exhaled again, silently assuring herself that she could do this. She reached for the strap slung horizontally across her front, and fumbled to get it over her head. The barrel of the gun whapped the back of her skull in the process. Once it was over her head, Gwyn situated the gun in her hold the way Owen had taught her. It still felt foreign and uncomfortable, but she held it with a little more ease than before. She glanced over at Owen, who had also dismounted, and had taken hold of his own weapon. He caught her eyes and tilted his head to the right, urging her closer. She was only happy to comply, placing herself just behind his left shoulder.
Despite her resolution to be brave, Gwyn stuck with Owen like she had promised she would. Their shoulders were practically glued together. He walked with a slight hunch to his back, gun held out in front of him to sweep their surroundings. The barrel of Gwyn's remained pointed at the ground, but her eyes scanned every inch of jungle they were about to pass through. Around them, Hoskins' men flooded past, assault rifles at the ready, moving with a ruthless, practiced quickness. Their movement around them spurred Gwyn to stick closer to Owen than previously, now eyeing the men just as warily as she eyed their surroundings. She didn't trust them more than she trusted Hoskins. Or the Indominus, for that matter.
They all came to hunker down behind a log, overgrown with moss and foliage and lichen. All the men propped their weapons up on the fallen tree, so Gwyn followed suit, situating herself between Owen and Barry. There was a small, narrow clearing in front of them, and it was in that clearing that the Girls had gathered. Gwyn awkwardly attempted to keep an eye on them while trying to mimic Owen's stance. It left her half hunched forward, with her knees in the dirt, and her elbows braced against the log. Her heart shuddered inside her chest as she peered down the length of the rifle's barrel. And just as she looked up, something emerged on the other side of the clearing.
A flash of bone white skin through the vines and the branches.
The shudder of the ground as the Indominus pushed into view.
Gwyn let out a shaking breath, which passed between pursed lips. Her eyes, blown wide, took in the monstrous creature no less than a couple hundred feet away. But it didn't hone in on the wall of humans on the opposite side of the clearing; it was more interested in the pack of velociraptors that had come to square up with it. With the ultimate predatory slowness, the Indominus bowed its head till it was almost level with the Girls. The tense silence that had gathered in the area broke as it growled, a squealing, high-pitched sound that Gwyn had never heard before. It had her sitting up a little higher, brows crunching together. Blue answered the growl with the scoffed coughing sound typical of velociraptors––and the Indominus seemed to reply immediately afterwards.
"Oh my god…" Gwyn muttered, voice breaking. Her eyes started to grow glassy in fear as Blue scoffed a few more sounds, as the Girls' tails started to whip around a bit more. How their posturing changed as Blue and the Indominus had an exchange.
"What?" Barry whispered. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"
"Yes, something's very wrong," she confirmed. "They're listening to her."
There was a beat of heavy realization. "They're communicating."
"I know why they wouldn't tell us what it's made of," Owen drawled.
Gwyn watched as the Indominus snapped its mouth shut and started to chuff lowly. A sound so low that it rumbled in her chest, sent a chill down her spine. It started to lift its head, and as it did so––Gwyn could feel its eyes single her out. It stopped its soundings for a moment, before air puffed out of its nostrils. It made a high-pitched tittering sound, one of recognition. One that Gwyn had heard Echo make not an hour before. Her throat closed up as Owen's realization struck her square in the chest.
"It's part raptor," she squeaked out brokenly.
Blue, Echo, Charlie, and Delta all simultaneously turned back towards them. Charlie and Delta's mouths popped open to bare their teeth and squeal. Blue and Echo, closed mouth, stared down the squad of humans silently. The Indominus loomed above them like a puppet master. Gwyn felt her heart squeeze and her adrenaline spike. Beside her, Owen perked up, the wave of horror that washed over him almost palpable. Because they both realized what had just happened––the Girls had just turned on them.
"Engage!" cried one of Hoskin's men.
Shortly after the call, the deafening sound of gunfire began. It was an orchestra of explosive bursts, short and loud and seemingly never ending. Gwyn swore at the sudden onslaught of sound, which burned in her ears unfamiliarly. On either side of her, Barry and Owen had started to fire. She wasn't sure if it was the sound or the way the situation had turned that had frozen her on the spot. But Gwyn couldn't bring herself to look down the sights, or fire the gun. Her muscles had locked up, eyes wide and locked on the pack of dinosaurs before them. The Indominus roared unhappily and turned tail, making to go back the way it had come. And the Girls all screeched and peeled off, disappearing into the jungle. That was what woke her up. The raptors had peeled off in groups of two. Perfect for a hunting maneuver.
Somewhere, someone launched a bazooka; its projectile struck the ground at the Indominus' heels. There was an enraged roar, and a ball of flame and heat. The firing ceased as everyone waited for the smoke to clear. When it had just started to clear up, they could all see the Indominus on the ground. And, for a brief moment, relief started to settle on everyone's shoulders. But then the Indominus rose back up with a growl. The gunfire resumed uselessly as the dinosaur disappeared further into the jungle, snarling and roaring as it went. The gunfire stopped. Gwyn's ears rang. Her heart was racing. Adrenaline and fear coursed through her system side-by-side. And she tried to actively channel that into something productive. Because crouching there half catatonic wouldn't do her any good. So Gwyn grabbed Owen's bicep with a vice-like grip. He whipped his head round, and their eyes locked immediately.
"The Girls are getting ready to hunt," she warned. "They split off two and two––two Charlie and Delta to the left, Echo and Blue to the right. They're gonna try and herd us in."
Owen nodded solemnly. His brows were furrowed sharply, his lips pulled into a frown. "Stick by me," he instructed lowly. He rose to his feet with ease, rifle still at the ready, Gwyn followed suit, the barrel of her gun once again pointed at the ground. She stayed behind him almost perfectly as he started to move, her eyes sweeping their surroundings with an acute accuracy. "Watch your six," he called out. "Raptors got a new alpha!"
"Keep in groups, they like to single their prey out," Gwyn added.
The whole group started to push forward, moving in some sloppy semblance of a formation. They moved with weapons at the ready and slow steps. Fire crackled from where vines and trees had caught alight, and the smell of burning foliage was heavy in the air. Gwyn was taking 'watch your six' literally. She knew how they hunted. A turned back was as good as a death warrant. So she kept a keen eye on where they'd come from, as Owen scouted the way ahead. She was practically walking backwards, but it felt necessary. Because if there was one thing that Gwyn was determined about, it was that she would not die on this island. And she would not die by the teeth of a velociraptor.
Gwyn hoisted her gun up a bit, letting it point forward, but keeping it at hip level. The further they moved into the jungle, the higher up the gun crept. The darker it got, the harder it got to move with ease. It was hard, however, to tell when it got quieter, because her ears were still ringing. But the distant roaring of the Indominus had disappeared. The sounds of foliage ruffling around everyone's feet was muffled. By the time the ringing had died out, and the shuffling of her feet became more audible, Gwyn realized something was off. There wasn't the scuffing of multiple feet clad in heavy boots––it was the scuffing of one pair of feet. Her own.
She came to an immediate halt. in her vigilance of keeping an eye on their six, she had completely lost Owen. And the other men. And, slowly, she peered over her own shoulder––there was no one there. No one to her right or left. Just the claustrophobic darkness and the trees that loomed above. Everything suddenly seemed heightened. The moonlight was cold as it shone through the leaves and dappled against her body. Every rustling fern sounded like an explosion. Gwyn started to turn in a slow circle, lifting the butt of the gun to press into her shoulder. Anxiety started to claw its way up her throat as her surroundings seemed to close in on her. The ringing in her ears returned, but not born of gunfire––this time it was born of panic. Her breathing started to come hard and fast. She was all alone in the jungles of Isla Nublar with a pack of velociraptors on the loose. Gwyn was, quite literally, living her nightmare.
Except she wasn't.
In her nightmare, she was eleven. She was helpless. She was caught in a loop of horror and pain. This was reality. Gwyn was thirty-two years old. She wasn't helpless any longer; she was older and wiser and had the ability to check herself. And she could break that loop, absolutely smash it and come out on top. She had come to the island to prove to herself that her fear of this island could be controlled. And while the whole day had reinforced the fact she had a reason to fear it, it was also her chance to prove that she was brave enough to overcome it.
"Okay…" Gwyn murmured to herself. She started to creep in the direction they'd all initially been heading in. Or, at least, what she thought was the direction they'd been headed in. The ringing in her ears died out again, and her breathing evened out. The thrumming of her heart, however, had not calmed. And she suspected that it wouldn't. But it kept her alert; and being alert was what would save her in this situation.
That was when the screaming, and the responding gunfire started.
But it wasn't continuous fire. It was short and stuttered, coming in bursts before it halted. Gwyn's fingers reflexively tightened around the gun, and her progress forward stalled. Instinct punched her in the gut, told her that she knew what was happening––the Girls had arrived. They were close. And they were singling out their prey. It was impossible for her not to acknowledge, then, that she was in prime position for them to come after her. She was alone and disoriented. It would be very easy for any number of the Girls to converge on her and take her out. They could be deceptively quiet for their size; and the ambient rustling of the jungle was on their side. Gwyn recognized, however, that she couldn't let that get to her. If she let that terror paralyze her, she wouldn't make it off the island.
Suddenly, there was a screech, much closer than Gwyn was expecting. It was accompanied by screaming and a violent rustling. The sounds were getting closer to her. The low growling, the cries of pain, the fluttering of underbrush. She had enough sense to stumble back a few steps, just as something burst into view. That 'something' was Echo, dragging one of Hoskins' men by his lower leg. He was writhing, making weak attempts to shake his leg from the raptor's mouth. His face was pale in the sickly moonlight, and it seemed to glow in contrast to his all black clothing. Gwyn gaped at the scene, frozen. She knew what this was leading to––a whole lot of blood, and a whole lot of screaming. And, before she could process her next step, she was already taking it.
"Echo!" she barked. Then, immediately after calling out to the raptor, Gwyn gaped at herself for doing so. She watched Echo release the man's leg, which flopped to the jungle floor with a painful thud. The raptor twisted her head around, hissing out a screech as it moved. They locked eyes. Gwyn had taken a step in a direction she hadn't expected to take. And now, she needed to follow through with it. She lowered the gun tentatively, and let out a slow breath. In that moment, she tried to search out recognition in the dinosaur's eyes. Anything that said she would take Gwyn's commands over the Indominus'. "Stop."
Echo tittered and cocked her head to the side. She blinked and her fingers twitched, like she was attempting to process the command. But then, with a drawn out squeal, and a narrowing of her eyes she turned her attention back to her would-be victim. He moaned in fear and scrambled backwards on his hands.
"Hey, hey!" Gwyn clucked her tongue, which sent Echo's head reeling back towards her. She slowly shifted the gun strap up and onto her shoulder, and then held out her hand. Just as Owen would have. Then she clicked her tongue again. "Stop."
All was still for a moment. No one moved. No one made a sound. But then, Echo took a step towards Gwyn. And then another, accompanied by a chuffing sound. Despite herself, Gwyn faltered a step back, hand still outstretched. For each step the raptor took closer to her, she took an instinctive step back. She couldn't hold her ground. Because at the forefront of her mind, she remembered pain and blood and terror. No matter how brave she felt, it was hard to forget what happened the last time she was up against an unhindered velociraptor. Gwyn's not-so-tactical retreat ended when her heel caught on a stray rock. She fell hard onto her ass, which threw everything off kilter.
In the moment that she fell, Echo rushed forward. Upon registering the hurried movement, Gwyn scrambled backwards. But the palms of her hands slid through the mud, which sent her reeling back onto her elbows. Fight-or-flight instinct had her grabbing the gun, which she awkwardly aimed at the approaching raptor. Echo stopped, looming above Gwyn, when the barrel of the gun became pressed to her chest. Gwyn stared up at her wide-eyed, her finger poised over the trigger. The raptor cocked her head to the side curiously, as though to get a better look at the weapon. She tittered in what could be construed as confusion. And Gwyn's heart squeezed. Clenched at the thought of having to pull the trigger. Tears started to sting in her eyes.
"Please, Echo," she whispered. A tear escaped the corner of her eye, burning down along her cheek.
Echo tittered and straightened her head out, which let her stare down her nose at Gwyn. She chuffed and started to crane her head forward, nostrils flaring and lips puffing. Gwyn inched her head backwards, eyes not straying from the smears of human blood across Echo's mouth. Her nose scrunched up at the hot, metallic smell of blood and flesh. But instead of those jaws opening in preparation to snap, they closed completely. And with an almost warm sound resonating in her throat, Echo nuzzled the side of Gwyn's face. The side that the tear had rolled down. Echo's skin was hot and leathery, and vaguely slick with viscera. It was with a sharp sense of shock that Gwyn realized that she was being comforted. That the velociraptor was trying to reassure her in some capacity.
The barrel of the gun that had been pressed to Echo's chest fell away; and with a shaky exhale, Gwyn removed her finger from the trigger.
Echo drew back, leaving a smear of gore across Gwyn's cheek, and remained hunched over her. She tittered and chirped a bit, as though she was speaking. Her head quirked to the side before it swung forward to nudge against Gwyn's cheek again.
"Thank you," Gwyn exhaled. She reached up a shaking, muddy hand and pressed it against Echo's neck. The raptor pulled back and blinked down at her. "Thank you."
Echo chirped in reply.
There was a grumbling in the distance––a revving. The stuttered revving of a motorcycle engine. Echo perked up physically, neck arching, head rising. She chuffed audibly, scoffing into the air before, with one last glance over at Gwyn, she rushed off into the jungle.
Gwyn stared after her, mouth agape.
"You…" breathed the man Echo had dragged. Gwyn twisted her head around to look at him––and recognized him as the one who had been aggravating the Girls back at the paddock. "You are a crazy bitch…"
With a huffed half-laugh, Gwyn reached up and scrubbed the blood off her cheek––his blood––with the back of her hand. "Thanks."
Afterword: I wanted to get this up sooner, but I graduated from college on Saturday (fuckin' finally) so I had some last minute things to tie up! This also proved to be a tricky chapter. Because, fun fact, I had originally intended Gwyn to NOT go into the jungle. So I had to figure out how I was going to configure this sequence with her involved. I reached a point that I liked without really throwing things too out of whack, or making them too strange. It's a bit shorter than other chapters, but I wanted to get something up and out there for y'all!
Review Replies!
MsRosePetal: I always knew that I wanted Gwyn to have a one-on-one with the boys; she really wanted answers when she went through it that first time, so she's the one providing some answers to them. And I'm loving all the Owen/Gwyn moments I've already gotten to write. And looking forward to all the ones I'll get to write! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
AlchemyWriter: I've dropped a hint or two that the Indominus recognizes, or has at least acknowledged Gwyn. When Ingrid killed Irene, she acknowledged Gwyn in a sort of 'look what I did, aren't you proud?' kind of way. And then we have this chapter. And we'll have a little something-something coming up. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
monkeybaby: Thank you! I had a blast writing Gwyn talking with the boys. A heart-to-heart is exactly what they all needed. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
xenocanaan: I… love Echo dearly. If you couldn't tell––so we'll see what her fate is soon… maybe next chapter, and if not, the one after that! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
msbeku1: It's been a long road with the raptors, but Gwyn has definitely finally hit a real big milestone. At the start of everything, she definitely would not have hesitated to shoot a raptor––but now, she hesitates. At least for the Girls! And I had to have Owen involved with Gwyn's literal first content with a raptor; he's been a constant in the acceptance process, it would've been a shame to leave him out!
I figured that the "veggiesaurus" thing is something Gwyn probably uses with kids all the time. Particularly when they come to the museum and she gives a school tour. It's also something I see her using as a way not to come off super blunt, as she is wont to. I wanted Gwyn to have a good connection, or the good starts of one, with Zach and Gray. And, y'know, maybe they will pop up to Montana for a bit, and Gwyn will show them around the museum and the dig site. I've been playing with how she'll keep in contact with them after the fact. And there'll definitely be a reunion, of sorts, with some of the OG survivors. I definitely see them as a close-knit group, who check in with one another and keep up-to-date on their accomplishments. I think some keep in contact more than others, but they do all keep in some form of touch.
And, again, I always love getting to discuss this stuff! I love getting to nerd out of JP characters, because I think there's so much to unpack and analyze with all of them, and their situations. And, with your permission (as it was your idea, and I won't take it away from you, in case you want to use it for something), I would love to incorporate Eric as a relief worker (for which you would receive credit). I'll totally send a message your way if I ever need/want to discuss something, and, please, feel free to do the same with me!
I hope you and your family are safe and well!
Thanks again! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
NicoleR85: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter; thanks again!
AmericanNidiot: Zach and Gray deserve a spa month after what they've gone through. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
daydreamer1119: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
AugustRrush: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, just as you did the last!
ZabuzasGirl: I love the Girls, and I love getting to write Echo. Sometimes it feels clunky, but I had fun this chapter parsing out how she and Gwyn interact. Balance should have a new chapter up relatively soon! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
Makokam: I agree with the dinosaurs being able to acknowledge friend from foe. And I think that's something that Gwyn recognized as theory, but not as fact till the end of this chapter. I believe that gwyn and Echo (and Blue) could definitely have had a better relationship to go on had she come to that realization earlier; but they've still got room and time to grow! And that's one of the reasons I really liked developing Gwyn as a character––someone who inherently fears and hates velociraptors puts herself in a situation where she has to learn to fix that attitude. And it ends up benefiting her.
Gwyn's coming round to the idea of herself being brave. She's set a higher standard for herself than she has for, say, Zach and Gray. For her, she thinks that in order to be brave in this situation, she has to do better than how she reacted before. But Gwyn's coming round to the idea that not screaming and running for the hills really is brave especially in this kind of situation. Like you said, she's teaching herself through teaching others.
I know not a lot of the movie canon stuff in this chapter changed, but I gave it all a good think and couldn't rightly change something major without it just being strange. I toyed with the idea––very briefly––of having her try and speak to the Indominus, but that was just… it did not fit well. Didn't work out. But I did have fun coming up with the Echo scene, which was a new idea that popped into my head only a couple of days ago. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
god of all: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Angel JJK: Gwyn and the Girls finally came to an understanding, just in time for it to be tested. We love it. And Zach and Gray are just sweethearts and I have a blast getting to write for them. I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
Guest 1: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
Guest 2: The growing bond with Echo has been fun to write. Because they are the most unlikely of pairs, but it's been so lovely. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
RJNorth: A lot of the fun I have with this story is adding in the extra little tidbits with Tim and Allan and Ellie. It really fleshes out the world and the character relationships––for me at least. And I do have two tumblrs! One is under seasidewriter1 and the one where I've written for Joe Mazzello's characters is for-my-life-still-ahead-pity-me. I've been meaning to post more stuff on there, but, hey, life gets ya! Oh, Tim meeting Owen is going to be SO FUN. And Billy meeting Owen… so ready for it. And, yes, I do plan on doing Fallen Kingdom!
Gwyn and Owen's relationship has been one of my favorites to write. Writing how they went from co-workers, to friends, to flirting, to dating has been a joy. I tried to make it feel like a realistic progression, and the payoff has been so sweet. And originally, I had Gwyn giving Zach relationship advice, but maybe they'll have a friendly skype call about it after the fact!
I hope you and your family are doing well health wise! And I'm happy to hear that there are things that are working out well for you! Thanks again; hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Camille: Thank you, very much! I've tried really hard with Gwyn to strike a realistic balance between her being brave, but also being scared. Because I don't think anyone who's gone through what Gwyn has would boldly venture forth back into the same situation. And I'm happy that Gwyn and Owen's relationship has been woven through the store well! We'll have some more stuff with Ingrid coming up, which I've been itching to get to. And don't worry about any grammar mistakes (of which, I didn't see any!)! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
Fidjie: I am incredibly flattered you consider this the best Owen/OC! I've worked really hard on this story, and it gives me joy to know that people love it as much as I love writing it! Gwyn is very near and dear to my heart, and I, too, think she's pretty damn cool! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
And thank you to those that added this story to your follows/favorites; it means a lot!
Well, that's that for now! Now that I've graduated, and all uni classes are done, and I'm officially unemployed and in quarantine, I've really got lots of time to write. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
~Mary
