THERE WE GO! CHAPTER 11!

Hello peeps! Sorry for the delay. Had a major storm go through my area and knocked out the power for my town for two days.

But I'm back! Power's on and Why So Blue can continue!

I thank you all for the reviews, and hope you continue to give me your thoughts. I also hope what I have planned will excite you. :3 Lots of plans.

And to XenoRex, I was hoping to ask if maybe you could get yourself a FF account, so we dont have to communicate through reviews and updates anymore. It would be much easier to talk that way. :)

Anyways! Without further ado...chapter 11!


"Jurassic World: Why So Blue?"

Chapter 11

"In The Lion's Den"


This was bad...very bad...

Blue lay in a heap on the cold stone; shifting about in pain and a frantic effort to get her legs underneath her. Every breath she could feel her ribs shift, and grate against one another. Three were maybe broken.

Depite the pain and the sad grunts they caused, Blue wasnt paying attention to it. She had more pressing matters on her claws and she was in a bad spot to be hindered by her wounds.

The lion's den; trapped underneath the hard gaze of the Alpha male.

After the Utahraptor had fled the scene and three raptors gave chase, she was left with the Alpha, the black female with red stripes down her back, and a female with tan scales Blue had not previously met. Her eyes were covered in two small golden snips, and down her back ran two thick golden lines; similiar to Blue's own.

She was currently staring at Blue, right along with the Alpha. Her lips were curled in a sneer as she chittered sharply to him and thrashed her tail.

Blue could see that she was agitated, and squirmed a bit as she fought to hold back a short whine. Instead she replaced it with a growl directed to the other raptors before her.

She risked her life to defend their territory under siege, Blue wasn't about to cower and beg for mercy from these-

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted, when the Alpha hissed sharply in reponse to her growl and strode towards her. The shock of it made her eyes widen and her body collapsed to the ground as her muscles gave out.

Her mind shouted as her lungs wrenched out a wheezy breath, "Attack. Protect yourself!"

But her instincts were torn, and Blue growled to her own thoughts of a latter option.

"Don't! Do not harm pack!"

Pack? The pack that denied her food and drove her away with nothing but hostility? The pack that now looked down upon her broken on the floor, with that same look of disgust in their eyes.

They were no more her "pack" than her prey was.

Blue kept her eyes on the Alpha; baring her teeth when he bent low and hissed at her. His talons were extended and he growled as if to demand her to leave.

But she couldn't. Her energy was spent from the battle and her body was weak with pain. She couldnt get up, and she couldnt leave, as much as she wanted to.

Knowing this, the female in the back hissed sharply, as if to urge her Alpha that nothing could be done for the wounded raptor.

She had intruded on their territory and intruders, like the Utahraptor, were nothing but a danger. What if she came here to attack them and attracted the Utahraptor in doing so?

The Alpha glared down at Blue and chittered in reply. She saw the dark thoughts in his eye and she hissed loudly with another effort to stand.

She meant nothing to them, and nothing was stopping them from dispatching their nuisance. She had to try and get up no matter the pain.

So, Blue grimaced, and pulled herself upright with a deep grunt and hiss. She could feel her bones shift and realized just how much of her ached from her run in with the Utahraptor male. How nothing more than her ribs were broken, she did not know.

Blue supposed she had atleast that to thank the Alpha for.

By the looks he was giving her, she knew the feeling of thankfulness wasnt mutual. The Alpha had her still in his sights; body low in agressive position as he bared his teeth and inched closer to her.

Blue's own teeth flashed as she stared into his eye, and he stared right back with murder in his gaze. His talons lifted and he snapped his jaws with a sharp click of his teeth in a last effort to urge Blue out of the pack den.

If she wouldn't leave his territory, he had to take care of her accordingly.

Blue's eyes widened and she expected a sharp snarl, growl, or anything agressive to be thrown at her. She expected him to try to drive her away like he had done before...

But he never came at her.

Instead, before the Alpha male could threaten Blue any further, a sharp call sounded from behind and bounced off against the cave walls. It shook with weakness yet rose with a tone of intensity.

Its suddenness caused all four of the raptors to tense and glance about in confusion. As the Alpha looked away from her, Blue followed his gaze to the shadows deeper within the chamber.

There, she saw the raptor whom only minutes ago was being brutaly mauled by the male Utahraptor. He walked free of the darkness with a broken gait and he voiced a pained chitter that made Blue grimace heavily.

He was a mess.

Covered in bleeding gashes his grey scales were stained red, and his white speckled markings unseen beneath the grime. His leg, clearly broken, lay deformed beneath him and drug along somewhat as he hobbled on towards them. With each step it clicked and shifted in such a way that Blue could almost feel his pain as she watched him.

How he was standing, let alone walking, she did not know.

But, the wounded male slowly made his way to his pack, and Blue saw their faces distort at the sight of him.

The Alpha male warbled in a tense pitch and turned away from Blue, whilst the tan and gold female lifted her head with a low snort of shock.

The black female...her reaction surprised Blue entirely.

At the sight of the male the raptor went wide eyed, then made a choked whine before jumping foreword to meet him. He responded with a gentle croon to which she purred and strode faster.

In much the same actions Blue had seen exchanged between the two Utahraptors, both spoke in a jumble of gentle whimpers and warbles of relief and affection, as they met and bumped each others muzzles.

Blue tilted her head when the male purred and licked the female across the side of the face in a loving matter.

Again, she was faced with the puzzling bond of two mates. It confused her greatly, but her instincts assured it was only natural, as the female raptor nudged her snout under his chin and took a deep breath.

Watching on with a look of relief, the scarred Alpha chittered in greeting to the wounded raptor and gazed on with a softer gaze than what he gave Blue seconds before.

The mood was lightened in that moment...until in a rush of movement the black female pulled away from her mate and sqwuawked in a sudden spike of fright. Her eyes were again wide and she stared at the wounded male with an intensity.

His face weakened into pained sadness under her gaze, and he uttered a gentle whine that made his mate blink. Then turning, he flicked his tail and parted his jaws with a low call into the darkness he had returned from.

The pack and Blue watched, as silence was eventually broken by a spurt of weak chirps. These were not shaken by pain but rather a deep fear as tiny footsteps approached and the black female purred loudly.

From the shadows appeared three pairs of tiny eyes that Blue could recognize vaguely. One an unusual green, and two deep gold; eyes she had seen from the shadows during her battle wuth the Utahraptors.

Next came the owners of those eyes and the creatures Blue had been surprisingly eager to see.

Two tiny raptors; adolescents nearly half Blue's own size, slinked from the dark and gazed up at the pack with nervous looks as they shivered in stress of the chaos.

One, was a tiny grey male with faint green markings running across his hody like camouflage.

The other, was a slender female youngling with deep blue scales that lightened across her underbelly and legs like the blue of the sky. Oddly Blue could see tiny patches of refined blue feathers clustered at the back of her head and the tip of her tail. She was the one with the emerald green eyes; an unusual trait not often seen in Velociraptors.

Well...not seen in the raptors she had ever met in her life, which was few.

For a moment the younglings seemed to glance about and whimper as they pressed against each other, cowering. Yet the adult raptors before them did not give them the reaction that Blue expected a parent to give.

She knew nothing more of a parental bond than what she shared with Owen, but when the raptors merely chirped reassuringly and purred in an effort to simply calm the young ones down, Blue's heart dropped and hit the floor.

Their parents must have been murdered in the attack...

Again there was silence through the cave, and for a fleeting moment the black female seemed to choke on a saddened gurgle.

...Until her attention was snagged by a third chirp from the shadows of the cave.

It was smaller and more frail than the other younglings, but it ripped a sharp coo from the black female's lungs as she shot her eyes up in a frantic movement.

A frightened cry responded, and the female crouched low on her legs as a tiny figure appeared in the light.

A hatchling...no more than a few weeks old as far as Blue could tell from its frail physique and gangly appearance. It glanced out with big golden eyes and shivered even more rigidly than the two adolescents that came before it.

Seeing the black female it cried softly, before lurching foreword and scurrying to her side to be met with a loving croon and frantic licks that covered her trembling body in a blanket of mothering comfort.

This was the black female's offspring; a tiny solid grey female that glanced about in fear of the surroundings and breathed in the scent of death through quivering nostrils.

The two hatchlings Blue had heard die at the claws of the female Utahraptor, must have been this little one's siblings...the rest of the black female's litter.

Knowing that, watching the bittersweet reunion, Blue made a small coo and tilted her head. For a moment she forgot about the danger and her need to escape; mesmerized by the pack relationships and bonds she was seeing come to light.

She felt a warmth in her chest, as she watched the mother keep her daughter close and fuss over her as her mate stood shaken nearby. Spurred on by the situation a flash of thoughts invaded her mind; prodding and questioning in a curiosity if Owen had ever once coddled her in that way.

Blue couldn't remember that...she remembered the care Owen gave them but she couldnt seem to grasp any memories of him ever holding her in such a way...

A part of her yearned to though...as if it was there and she had just misplaced it.

But, while she was fighting to remember, a hiss caught her senses and her eyes flashed upwards to meet the sight of gleaming white fangs before her.

The Alpha male had returned his attention to her, and after seeing that mutiple of their pack's young had been murdered in the attack, his face was no less than aggressive.

Blinking Blue returned the hiss and scrambled backwards away from his teeth; snapping her jaws once as her hackles raised and instincts screamed defense.

Ever so slowly he followed after her...until the face off was broken by a sharp cry.

Both raptors froze, and the Alpha made a confused rumble as a mess of footsteps and grating bone approached followed by another sharp chatter.

Feeling a stab of worry, Blue turned to see that the wounded male had left his mate's side and was now limping to his Alpha; gazing down at her with dark unreadable eyes.

He was coming to assist in her demise...how was she to fend off two raptors? Regardless that one was wounded far worse than herself.

She didnt understand why the wounded male would attack her, after he witnessed her stop the female Utahraptor from murdering his last hatchling.

Was it because she failed to save the two others?

Unsure of the answer Blue stared up into the wounded raptor's eyes and clicked her teeth in anxiety. Her feet shifted and she winced at the pain that came with a deep intake of breath.

The male stared back at her, silent, until he snorted softly and stepped closer towards her.

Between her and the Alpha he came to a stop, then turned, and faced his leader with confident eyes. He straightened best he could, then cackled insistently.

Blue could hardly believe her eyes as the pack stared at him and shifted in confusion.

He was protecting her!

Taken aback she relaxed into the stone and felt a wave of relief and happiness, as the male again chittered in a hasty plead to his Alpha. His eyes gleamed with determination and flicking his snout towards the cave's back chambers he urged his Alpha to see the dead Utahraptor laying in a pool of blood on the floor.

He assured him that Blue was the one whom killed her; saving the younglings from death. She had arrived only after the enemy had begun their attack and if it wasnt for her, the younglings would have been murdered, and the pack would have returned to face off with two Utahraptors instead of one.

He would have been dead, if the second Utahraptor hadnt gone after Blue in rage and forgotten about him...

Bewildered, the Alpha gazed at the wounded male, then shot Blue a surprised glance. His nostrils flared and his talons wriggled in thought as he seemed to process the new information.

The wounded male chirped persistently and dared to snort at his leader when a look of doubt crossed his features. This gained a low growl, but Blue saw a change in the male's grizzled face, as he gazed down at her and pressed his lips together.

She took that moment to study his features; note the way he tilted his head so that he could see her with his good eye, or how his lip twitched when he thought.

She didnt understand. He was not old...in fact he was young and in the prime of his life...yet his body was marred with massive pale scars and his eye was left useless amidst a cloud of dead grey. The talon marks over it spoke of a large raptor...a dominance fight maybe?

Once before she had been in such a brawl with Echo; the result of which left her sister with a scar across her snout and a jaw permanently offset. Blue had come out unscathed, and it won her title of Beta.

Did this male obtain these scars when he took the title of Alpha male?

Blue snorted softly and tilted her head. The Alpha copied this, then hissed to himself and turned to the wounded male.

A quick snort and nod of the head was given, then turning on stiff legs he backed off from Blue and moved to assess the pack casualties. He appeared reluctant, but by the word of his subordinate and the evidence supporting him, he gave in.

Blue was safe from him for now thanks to her new ally. She finally gained something when she chose to intercept the attack and it was giving her a deep sense of satisfaction.

Above her, the wounded male inhaled softly and she looked up to warble her appreciation of him standing up for her. He snorted gently at this, and nodded before turning to make his way back to the rest of the pack.

Hidered by his leg this was a painful task, that Blue could see in his eyes with each step.

As she watched him go the raptor tilted her head and clicked her teeth in thought. It was entirely unexpected, for a member of the pack to take her side after she was rejected by them not days before.

They probably would have severely injured her, or worse, killed her if the male hadnt stepped foreword.

The thought put a sour taste in her mouth even though Blue knew the Alpha only did it to protect his family. She probably would have done the same, back in the days of living in the enclosure.

As she laid there, the strength oozing back into her body, Blue didnt notice the raptor slowly slinking its way across the stone towards her. Close to the ground it crouched and golden eyes locked onto her with a cautious curiosity.

Closer and closer it crept, until it pressed to the ground not three feet from where Blue laid. There it stared at her for a moment of silence, then parted its jaws to make a weak whining sound.

It caught Blue's hearing and attention; making her lift her head and blink as her body stiffened. Who came to her now?

Expecting either the Alpha or one of the females, Blue curled her lip in anticipation and turned her head with eyes lifted upwards. But, nothing was there.

Again the faint coo reached her ears and Blue snorted until her gaze was dragged downwards and to a tiny grey figure pressed into the stone staring at her.

The hatchling...

Surprised, Blue clicked her teeth sharply and tilted her head to one side, which the hatchling imitated immediately with a thrash of her tail.

Blue turned her head to the other side, and the young raptor again followed her lead. This time she chittered as if she was testing the raptor to see if she was safe.

Blue had come to her rescue; saved her from the giant raptor before she could grab her as she grabbed her siblings. She watched the battle and witnessed Blue's victory.

The little hatchling still heard the death cries of her siblings, but in that fear and uncertainty she turned to the thing that had given her safety.

It was young instinct; like a kid wanting to meet the fireman whom saved him from a burning building.

Blue watched the hesitation in the little one's eyes, and she blinked amidst a faint coo.

She couldn't believe she was once so vulnerable...so tiny...the sight of the hatchling fascinated her and she was almost happy she had come to see her.

Her loneliness cried out in rejoice of non hostile raptor interaction.

So, lowering her head to the young one's level, Blue chuffed softly and clicked her teeth. This caused the hatchling to react with a happy cry and wiggle of her hips; her big golden eyes shining as she gave a jumble of little chirps and appreciative purrs.

Happiness again touched Blue's heart and she warbled back. The hatchling, distracted from the fright of the attack and the death she witnessed, inched again closer until she lay just before Blue.

With curious eyes she looked her over; clicking her tiny teeth in awe of the adult raptor whom saved her from the beast.

Laying her head on the stone Blue examined her admirer as well.

She was not solid grey as she first assumed. With the little space between them Blue could now see a mark located in the center of her right thigh; a pale white birthmark with four extending corners.

Like a star...

Blue chuffed at this, and the hatchling wiggled again before shifting into a crouch. She then stood, and wriggled her talons as she did a little hop and cry.

She was an energetic one...

Suddenly, as the hatchling made a short spin and chittered, a sharp snort erupted from above and Blue only had enough time to look up and see the raptor coming in.

It was the tan and gold female; teeth bared in a low hiss and body crouched aggressively as she shoved herself between Blue and the hatchling.

Knocked back a bit by her side and tail Blue snorted in surprise and pain as her ribs shifted awkwardly. She heard the hatchling's cry of disappointment and almost snarled when the other female growled sharply at the young one.

Her face was tight with anger and her talons snapped up and down as she pushed the hatchling away with her muzzle a little too harshly. It knocked her over, and Blue blinked in shock.

But, the hatchling got back up and shook herself off as if it were nothing more than a tap, before giving one last sad glance to Blue and trudging off.

This left the adult female...

Standing above Blue the raptor gazed with a fire in her yellow eyes; lips twitching and claws wriggling as if she fought the idea to attack her.

Blue saw this, and feeling the hostility flowing off the other female she curled her own lips with a sharp hiss.

The female glared, and before she turned to walk away, aimed a well placed slap of her tail upside Blue's head. It dazed her for a moment and sent pain across her skull, but by the time she had recovered the female was gone from her side.

Blue grit her teeth and growled. The female was rough...aggressive...

If she wasn't so tied up by her wounds Blue would have dared to retaliate. There was no harm done in seeing the hatchling and the young one did not deserve such harsh actions.

Surprisingly, it bothered her a great deal and she found herself glaring shards into the back of the tan female's head.

Blue didn't like her...already she knew that.


...


Some time passed, as Blue rested on the stone floor of the cave and watched on to the pack and studied them...observed them as they seemed to ignore her presence and pretend she wasn't there.

Twice the grey hatchling tried to go to her, but both times she was ushered away from the strange raptor, either by the stern tan female, or her mother.

The black female, was a little more forgiving and only did it in gentle protective instinct.

Blue was still a stranger to them, despite what she had done.

Knowing this Blue kept quiet as the younglings were quieted and left to sleep in a pile at one end of the cave, whilst the adults roamed about and tried their best to tend to the ruins of the attack.

The bodies of the dead would have to be moved, and many of the nests located at the back of the cave would need to be rebuilt.

Blue watched this from her place against the wall, as her tail flicked back and forth and her teeth clicked.

Long ago, she had been ready to leave the cave and return to the valley...at least...physically ready. An urge and need to stay with the pack kept her where she was and made it difficult to consider leaving at the time.

Even in the back of her mind a voice insisted. Owen was probably waiting for her; worried, maybe even lost if he was unable to find his way back to the village without her.

Thinking of this Blue grimaced. She had left Alpha behind some time ago...and he had been quite upset...

As she thought, Blue failed to notice movement from the entrance of the cave, and only looked up when she heard the taps of talons against stone amidst the clustered chatters of multiple raptors.

The rest of the pack had returned from their chase; out of breath and energy from the distance they forced the Utahraptor to flee.

The two elders walked at the lead and Blue watched on with curiosity.

The Albino, with equally curious red eyes, turned to her and tilted his head in surprise. He almost seemed appalled that she was still in the cave...that the Alpha had not driven her off.

Blue snorted at this and a look of amusement flashed across the white elder's eyes.

The other elder missing a talon, walked past with a wary glance; followed by the young female with the green spots. She too looked at Blue in surprise and chittered gently.

But, eventually shrugging aside the presence of the lone raptor, the three new arrivals focused their attention foreword as a sharp warble called to them.

The scarred Alpha, strode towards them from the shadows and bobbed his head with a questioning look of his eye.

The Albino churred in reassurance. The Utahraptor was driven from their territory and forced into the beyond lands. He wouldn't be back if he knew what was good for him.

Listening to their chatter, Blue shifted slightly and clicked her teeth.

It appeared as though the albino raptor was a higher subordinate; not quite Beta, but clearly still holding a high rank. From what she saw of him he was the one to give the Alpha his advice...and from how old he appeared, Blue assumed there was much advice to give from years of experience.

As he again glanced to her, Blue saw a look of pity and curiosity, rather than the look of mistrust and doubt the Alpha constantly sent her way. He didnt seem to be as wary of her...

Reacting to his lingering gaze Blue clicked her teeth, and he replied with a short warble and flick of his tail. He then looked away and proceeded to check on the wounded male and the young; completely undisturbed by the strange young raptor laying amidst his pack.

As he moved off, Blue chuffed and shifted her growing curiosity to another of the raptors. This one, was a young grey female just under her own age. Her scales were splotched with colorations of deep green giving her the well valued camoflauge effect.

But, what Blue noticed, was that she was gazing about worriedly; yellow eyes darting through the cave amidst whines that called out to someone.

She was answered seconds later, by a short chirp and the tap of feet as a tiny figure ran to her side.

It was the adolescent male with the green spots...bearing much similiarity with the older female now that Blue could see them together.

They met with gentle purrs and whines, and immediatly the male pressed against the larger female's leg; allowing her to nuzzle him with short churrs and whimpers as if he ranted on and on of the horrors he witnessed.

The female replied with short croons, and prods with her snout making sure he was all in one piece.

At first, Blue automatically assumed that these two were mother and child, until the adolescent clicked his teeth and growled quietly at the older raptor's fussing. The female responded with a challenging growl, then continued her inspection much to the young male's disgust.

It got worse when she began to lick him, and Blue tilted her head upon recognizing the bond.

A sibling bond...so familiar to her after years of living with her three sisters. It surprised and intruigued her, but at the same time made her grimace.

That meant that both of the raptors' parents were dead...

Blue flicked her tail, and caught the spotted female glance her way with an off look in her eyes. She then chittered, and ushered her brother towards the back of the cave where the rest of the pack had gathered.

They preffered to keep their distance from her...she was an outsider.

Feeling as though she had stayed well past her full welcome, Blue grunted and pulled foot out from undernesth her. She had to get up; get back to Owen before evening.

Blue had a feeling it would take her some time to walk back to the valley let alone the village, if the pain in her ribs caused as much discomfort as she expected.

Blue paused in preparation, then straining, began to get to her feet. Immediatly her ribs shifted with her and shot a flame down her side, but she held her breath, and straightened against a muffled whine she tried to hide from the onlooking raptors nearby.

The Alpha was watching her; his head tilted to one side as he chittered softly and snapped his tail.

Yes she was leaving, Blue thought with a curl of her lips. She'd be out of his claws and he could focus his concern to the damage of the attack, rather than keeping an eye on her.

Disgusted by this thought, Blue stood up best she could and gazed on to the group of raptors. Her head tilted high and her talons wriggled slightly as she braced against her bodily pain.

Then, she snorted, gave them a nod of her head, and turned to begin her long trek out of the cave and the canyon in which it was located.

But through the pain of her steps, Blue heard a distressed cry, and paused to glance over her shoulder. In surprise she blinked and tilted her head.

There, scrambling after her, walked the grey hatchling. Her eyes were wide and her jaws parted in another confused gurgle as she stressed after the raptor whom saved her from death.

The little one didnt want her to leave, and Blue hesitated in response to the surge of hapiness and shock.

The moment however, was short lived, as the hatchling was quickly followed and cut off by a concerned purring mother; stooping down to gently grab her dsughter by the scruff of her neck and lift her squawking into the air.

Her tail and feet thrashed about and Blue chittered softly, but the black and red female glowered at her. A growl wavered from behind the hatchling in her teeth as if scolding her for affecting the youngling in such a way.

Blue blinked, and exhaled roughly when the tiny raptor went still in her mother's jaws. Defeated and trapped, she gazed after Blue with a dying gleam in her eye and the ocassional whip of her tail.

The mother turned away, and Blue was forced to turn away as well.

After months, she was able to feel acceptance from other raptors, only to have it torn from her grasp by those whom dissaproved.

She enjoyed it, while it lasted, even if one of those that gave it to her was just a tiny hatchling...