I apologize everyone, for this taking so long to be posted. :/ I had some stuff come up and writing was slow, but in the last few days I've been struggling with the scenes that take place in this chapter.
This chapter is what I consider to be the "turning point" in my story. This is the place where all of my running plot lines begin and alter, with new developments and the like. Its where my true plan for Blue's story begins, so I hope you all like it.
Please, let me know what you guys thing in a review if you can. ^_^ I've been working on perfecting these scenes for multiple days now, and that has been a very very big struggle. I guess you could say I'm a perfectionist.
The 24th chapter should be finished in a few minutes and posted, because it was actually part of this chapter in my original draft. I reached 14,000 words, so I decided to split it. :)
Anyways. Thank you everyone for being so patient with my poor updating skills!
"Jurassic World: Why So Blue?"
Chapter 23
"What Hides Beyond"
~Kilo's POV~
No one could have predicted what would happen that day. No one expected that Kilo's territory would be threatened, by something so large it wasn't a thing easily remedied...or in their case a thing easily chased off.
Kilo and his pack were no strangers to the sail-backed dinosaurs. From previous years and experiences they knew how their kind behaved, with aggressive behavior and greedy tendencies that made them determined killers. Kilo himself had seen them kill before, using their long arms to grip and their larger size to get an advantage over even a Rex's powerhouse brutality. Many times he saw the sail-back prevail against such opponents.
With that in mind, it was absurd to expect even a pack of raptors to remove their Spinosaurus intruder. How was Kilo going to protect his family from that? Chase it off like he did the Utahraptor?
That was highly unlikely, if not impossible and suicidal.
In an effort to outweigh the sick dismay in his gut, Kilo tried to think rationally. He tried to examine all that was before him, every piece of evidence and observation his mind could conjure up. First thing he decided on was an investigative scouting run into the wildlands. Just like the burst in Utahraptor and Dilophosaurus activity, there was a reason the Spinosaurus had suddenly appeared. Surely he had his own territory, and surely he wouldn't abandon such an important thing without good reason. He must have been driven out, but the thing that did it would have been even more terrible than the Spinosaurus itself...which concerned Kilo.
Another Spinosaurus maybe?
No. The sail-back would have been bloodied if he was in a fight with one of his kind, or any other big predator for that matter. What scenarios did that leave? Did the Spinosaurus just up and decide to come and wreck their lives?
Unfortunately, as much as Kilo wanted to go out and get answers, he couldn't start a scouting mission right away. Considering his omega Blue had just survived drowning from the Spinosaurus, she was weak. Respecting her trauma he had to make sure they waited for her recovery.
The experience of seeing Blue nearly killed was harsher than Kilo anticipated. When she was attacked and the sail-back put her under, he was wracked with dark terror, fearing for her life as the big predator thrashed about in the water. He wanted to go in and save her but Shadow held him back, knowing he would have gotten hurt or killed. She insisted it was smarter to wait, rather than risk both of their lives and potentially loosing the pack's alpha.
Kilo supposed he agreed with his sister. Loosing an alpha was probably one of the worst things that could happen to a pack, but still the moments of apprehension he experienced were almost painful. Immediately after the attack ended he started looking for Blue, and when he found her alive that apprehension switched to an overwhelming relief.
It was frustrating really, to be dealing with such a change of heart in himself. Affection was a vulnerability in Kilo's eyes, but in those days the omega -of all raptors- had him choking on it. It was getting harder for him to suppress his softer half, which responded to her devotion and determination to claim the pack as her family. Every time he thought he had regained his better judgement, she did something that threw him off and poisoned his prioritized values of a "good strong alpha".
For goodness sakes he felt like he was a newborn hatchling. Crawling free from the nest and venturing out of the den for the first time, the sunlight that was his emotions blinded his eyes. It was horribly frightening, yet felt good in a small way that drove him absolutely insane. His inner voice of reason was constantly screaming.
Get a hold of yourself, alpha! Nothing good comes from this! Stay strong! Keep your walls up!
While the group waited, Kilo lay crouched within the grass, shadowed and protected like a shield that hid him from the Spinosaurus' sight. Shadow lay a few yards off his blind side, the elders were behind him, and Blue was laying just off his right shoulder. They had moved her off the shore and into the grass as a precaution, feeling that staying by the water was too "out in the open".
If the Spinosaurus felt they were any kind of threat to his feast or presence, he wouldn't hesitate to strike. Kilo preferred that didn't happen again.
Suddenly, the alpha male heard a soft gurgle from his side. He turned just in time to see Blue duck her head and start coughing frantically, startling him for a moment as he watched her hack and bare her teeth. Her actions showed that she was trying hard to keep quiet and regain her breath, but the strain became to much. In a sudden movement the female extended her neck and wretched, vomiting a puddle of stomach contents, diluted from the large amount of water she had swallowed.
From behind, Hook made a disgusted sound and shifted away. He eyed Blue with a dark eye but Kilo remained where he was and leaned his head closer to the omega. She finished and he chuffed with a soft tone.
Blue?
A soft wheeze answered him as she licked the awful taste from her lips, then looked up to meet his gaze. Her breathing relaxed a bit but she refused to let her body do the same. Her eyes flashed across his face then looked down in embarrassment and uncomfortable nausea. She made a little whimper noise but Kilo flicked his tail and ignored the smell of her vomit on the ground. He considered looking away and ignoring the coo in his throat but eventually it escaped him.
She did not need to feel bad for her state. If he remembered, not too many days ago she stood by him when he was a mess...and making a mess of himself after vomiting under the affects of the Dilophosaurus venom.
At his words the female arched her neck into an S and tried her best to appear strong. She looked up at her alpha and bobbed her head, insisting with a weak chirp that she was feeling better.
Kilo chuffed, slightly amused by her actions even though he tried not to be.
Good.
Curse emotions! Curse them all!
Torn between loathing his thoughts and being pleased by Blue's progress, Kilo looked away and snorted. In doing so he caught Shadow looking at him, watching with warm eyes and amusement at him worrying over Blue. At that he gave a little growl and fought to defend his diminishing self pride.
He wasn't worrying over the omega. He was simply making sure she wasn't going to be a liability, going out into the wild lands. They didn't need her slowing them down, especially since they were going to be in plenty of danger anyways.
Shadow nodded her head and chuffed, but the sound was crisp as though she tried to hide her sarcasm.
Sure. Whatever he said.
Kilo glared at his sister, before chuffing and lurching to his feet in a single abrupt movement. This startled the other raptors but he chuffed, urging them to stay down as he slid forward through the grass and approached the watering hole. He made sure his head only just peeked over the grass, so that he could look into the distance without immediately revealing his own presence.
The Spinosaurus was easy enough to spot on the opposite shore. Kilo could see him splayed out over the gravel, catching the outline of his brown scaled body with hues of white and burgundy. His sail was a big shape blocking out the sun, absorbing its warmth like a solar panel.
Kilo growled softly at realizing the sail-back was napping, head placed neatly between his forearms and eyes closed. He laid not far away from the carcass they stalked and killed, nearly picked clean of all the best meat even in the little time he had to eat from it.
Kilo would have played with the idea of sneaking over and scavenging from the kill, but doing so with a Spinosaurus was suicidal. They weren't known for leaving scraps, and he'd certainly protect it from pesky raptors.
So, the alpha raptor cast off such a plan and broke through the grass to get a drink. From behind he heard soft footsteps. A quick inhalation of scents told him it was Shadow, who politely walked up on his good eye's side. He saw her watching the Spinosaurus with an equally hateful gaze, before he stooped down to lap at the water.
A few moments of silence passed until the female looked to her brother and chittered softly. Her voice was weak with worry, mirroring the concern he was trying to hide in his own heart.
Was he sure going into the wildlands was worth it?
Stopping mid drink, Kilo looked down and focused on his reflection in the water. His head tilted so that he could see the ripples across his face, until the water cleared and revealed the scars set deep into his face. The tender pink flesh was ugly to him, in contrast to his ebony scales.
Grunting, gritting his teeth at old wounds and painful memories, the male sat braced against his pelvis and chuffed in reply to Shadow. They didn't have a choice. It was the only way to get answers, and he wasn't about to accept that the Spinosaurus was in his territory to stay.
Shadow seemed concerned. She watched him, before bobbing her head. Did he remember what happened to them out there in the wildlands?
Kilo flinched. He still didn't look at her, but his talons dug into the soft gravel and his tail flicked.
He couldn't forget those days...but he couldn't let it stop him from what had to be done, and she couldn't either. The pack depended on them to work through problems such as their current one. It was their job as alpha and beta.
Kilo made a little sigh before standing and turning to face his sister, reaching forward to nudge her shoulder with his muzzle. He chittered to her expressing deep encouragement, flowing through their sibling bond to memories both of them were reliving.
Shadow nodded. She agreed with him, just as footsteps rose from behind and three figures appeared from the grass. Hook came first, followed by Alden and Blue whom all cast wary looks to their enemy across the way.
Kilo looked up and growled. What were they doing up? He told them to wait for him to-
Blue stepped forward and chuffed, interrupting him. This made him blink but she bobbed her head and stared into his eye, challenging him on an ever so hesitant level. She was ready to move, if he wanted to begin the investigation. She was ready to keep up with them, and was confident she wouldn't be a distraction...or a "liability".
Alden snorted. He announced an offer to play as supervisor for the omega, to keep her safe and help Kilo focus on their task.
For a moment everyone was silent. Kilo stared at Blue with a blank expression, never moving or giving hints to his inner thoughts. He began to look her over in an inspection of her stance and actions, which appeared surprisingly strong and confident.
She thought she was ready, but this was the same raptor that endured the freezing rains for the sake of her pack members. Was she just hiding it?
Probably.
Kilo considered making her rest longer, but releasing a deep sigh he clicked his teeth. If she felt up to it, he supposed he wouldn't take the time to argue with them all.
On with the investigation.
From there, the group was quick to form up. As always Kilo took the lead with Shadow behind him, followed by Hook, then Alden who kept back in line with Blue's shoulder. It was quickly realized by everyone that the female would be slower than usual, when she walked and immediatly fell behind so that her chaperone had to fix his own pace. Her gait was broken. Her sides shuddered with breaths that crackled behind water that lingered in her lungs.
Alden reassured with a soft chuff when Blue tried to walk faster than she was capable. He would stay with her, no need to push herself beyond her limits.
From up in the front Kilo glanced over his shoulder and watched Blue struggle. He felt a sting of pity in his chest, as she fell behind and coughed from time to time when she lost her breath.
No...no he wasn't going to allow that.
So, looking ahead and acting inconspicuous, the alpha shortened his stride until his own speed was lowered to a comfortable shamble. This affected the whole line of raptors, but eased things on Blue so that she could easily keep up with them and not tax her strength.
Shadow adjusted easily enough, but behind her Hook began to tailgate and make little growls. He looked across to Kilo and upon seeing his slow steps he chittered.
Come on! Pick up the pace!
Kilo continued to look ahead. For a moment he didn't answer, but when Hook growled he made a responding hiss that demanded silence.
If he didn't like the pace, he could move to the back of the line where they couldn't hear his whining. He wouldn't make Blue miserable just because he was an impatient old fart. She may have been an omega but he wouldn't have her dropping dead under his charge.
Silence, but eventually Hook grunted and slowed down off of Shadow's tail. He cast little glares and grumbles to Blue, but Kilo hissed again and he shut up.
From the back Blue watched this all take place with wide eyes. She glanced to Alden and the albino simply chuffed, completely fine with a slower pace that would be easy on his old bones. Hook was exactly as Kilo said; a grumpy old fart that didn't like waiting others to get stuff done. If he had his way they would all be running.
Alden bobbed his head. Hook would like to think he was still in his prime. Someday it was all going to catch up to him and he'd find he wasn't as young as he used to be.
Meanwhile, Kilo led the group across the field and towards the western tree lines. he watched the ground as he walked, his lips twitching in response to his inner stress. The closer they got the hotter his chest burned in fear and concern, becoming much harder to ignore.
More than Kilo was letting on, leaving the territory was about as frightening as facing the Spinosaurus itself. He had his reasons but most of them he avoided like the plague, which he shoved to the back of his mind to simmer.
It had been four years since he was last in the wildlands; four years since his territory was established. Before that him and the pack knew the forest as a dark and dangerous home, filled with rival creatures that would like them better dead.
Kilo started his life in the wildlands. It was there that the Waterfall pack formed and where many life changing events took place. The alpha was secretly terrified of those memories.
~Blue's POV~
She was lucky, Blue knew that all too well. She knew her meeting with the Spinosaurus could have been worse, even fatal, but she survived and for that she was thankful. Her lungs burned when she breathed too deep, and sometimes she coughed enough to trigger a gag reflex, but otherwise the exhaustion in her body left with time. The mental fogginess she had after blacking out was slowly replaced by the usual sharp alertness.
It was all thanks to Kilo, who made sure she had time to rest and recover. He was odd after the attack. Blue didn't know if she was under hallucinations in light of near death, but his behavior was all wrong. It caught her off guard and made her a little uneasy.
"Kilo 2.0" came out again, she supposed. The nice Kilo Blue had come to grow fond of and eager to see.
When the male found her on the beach, he seemed worried, almost frantic. His voice was soft for her and called her awake. His muzzle was against her, nuzzling with a shocking gentleness and concern. The rest of the group were present but none of them expressed themselves on the same level Kilo did.
But as always, when Kilo came to realize what he was doing, he acted like he had been burned by fire. He faltered from his gentleness and tried hard to seem unaffected, to regain his usual "harsh alpha" image.
Blue supposed she didn't mind. She was overjoyed secretly whenever he showed his soft side to her, but she didn't expect him to change permanently. She knew better than to expect that from him, so she accepted the fleeting moment and didn't let herself get too excited.
If anything, the more she refused to acknowledge Kilo when he was being kind, the easier it was for him to forget what was happening and that he was going out of character. Reverse psychology, if you will.
Nice Kilo or not Blue was still thankful for the chance to rest. She had coughing fits from time to time, but before long the time came when she felt she was ready to move. Kilo tried to argue with her but eventually they convinced him to lead them on, beginning their travel to the western forest and the lands beyond, where they would hopefully find some clues as to why there was a sail-back in their territory.
When they got moving the pack became as silent as death. No one made a sound as they walked, sending a solemn and dark feeling into the air, weighing heavily on Blue's heart as a lingering concern.
Something about the outer forest frightened the pack. Most wouldn't have guessed it, looking into Kilo's cold eye, but Blue could catch it in the way his lips twitched from time to time. She had learned that was his anger or stress sign. She had learned to avoid him when his lips were twitching but that moment felt different, when she detected fear from him in heavy waves.
Blue decided she didn't like the feeling she got when Kilo was scared, especially when she didn't see or understand the thing he was scared of. She had never seen him scared before and considering what she had been through with him, that was saying a lot.
Quickly enough the omega found her place at the rear of the procession, where she kept pace with elder Alden's shambling gait. It provided her with the perfect view to observe everyone's actions, catching changes in their strides and dips of their heads.
Alden seemed the calmest of them, but then he was known to be ridiculously easy going. His pale rose eyes flickered about in constant study of their surroundings, changing from barren field land to thick trees when they entered the forest and began navigating down the thin trail. He seemed to listen to the birds, they way the quills on the back of his head rattled and his teeth clicked together.
It made Blue notice how oddly quiet they were that day. She could see them roosting in the branches above, watching them pass by with little chirps and tilts of their heads as though raptor presence was a shock to them.
In fact, the entire forest felt as though every living thing was holding its breath. The Spinosaurus had agitated everything in Kilo's territory, not just his pack and their hunting grounds.
As Blue looked out into the shadows and foliage, she half glanced to Alden. He was still walking in his calm silence, while Kilo was busy inspecting a scent mark and Shadow was checking for danger with Hook.
Blue chuffed to catch the albino's attention.
Alden?
The elder flinched and turned. His eyes fixed on her and his quills rattled.
Yes omega?
Hesitation, then Blue gurgled past a little cough.
Why were they afraid of the wildlands? What was out there?
She was worried. Was there some kind of danger or creature out there she didn't know about? A monster?
In Blue's mind the worst kind of monster was an Indominus, and her greatest fear to that day was seeing another of their kind. It made her heart shudder wondering what would happen if the Spinosaurus was just as terrible and cruel.
For a moment Alden stared back without an answer. His body had frozen and his eyes distanced as he seemed to flash-back, living in his thoughts and memories before coming back to the real world with a gurgle.
The pack had their reasons to be afraid, as did Kilo. It was difficult to explain those reasons to her...so he just asked that she trust them, and stay close to his side in case anything happened.
Out in the wildlands, they couldn't be too careful. Dangerous place.
Blue nodded swiftly, disturbed by his simple yet forewarning response. Despite this she still obeyed him and his wisdom; she would keep quiet and make sure to stay close.
Alden sighed and turned again as Kilo moved the group, past the last scent mark which stood as the western borders of his territory. From that point they stepped into the unknown, finding paths through the trees and ducking under overgrown vines or fallen logs.
They didn't know what they would find. It was best that she be ready for anything. The first rule was to keep one eye on alpha Kilo at all times. If he sounded an alarm, run to him as fast as possible.
Blue and Alden were the last ones to exit the borders. As they passed the trees her sense of smell picked up Kilo's old scent posts, communicating heavy aggression and possessiveness of his property. She thought how it was a shame, that their scents did not deter the Spinosaurus, but she didn't imagine their presence concerned the large carnivore all too much. They were insects to him. Raptors had never attacked him before so he had no reason to fear them.
Blue hoped in the back of her mind that the sail-back's appearance didn't threaten the pack's home and way of life. She wanted to fix it, protect them from the kind of loss she once experienced...but she didn't know how.
As the pack traveled Blue became very silent and discouraged. She almost didn't notice the distance they covered, over hills and dips in the earth as Kilo directed them no specific direction in particular. The alpha went where he felt most uneasy, where his instincts tickled him with warnings of danger and his heart shuddered like a sputtering engine.
As time passed Blue noticed that her alpha became more and more uptight. Sometimes when a raptor got too close he snapped at them and growled, or hit them with his tail as he lurched to the side in surprise. Once Shadow bumped into his blind side and he whirled with flashing teeth, nearly slashing her shoulder before realizing who she was and backing off.
The male ducked his head and whined softly, apologizing and licking his sister's neck while she simply cooed in reply. She appeared frightened whenever he had a moment of fury, but she always responded with patience and trust, as though she understood and accepted his bizarre turn of behavior.
The longer they were out in the wildlands, the more intense Kilo became and the more Blue began to wonder what had him so wild...but then...she supposed she could feel it too.
The unease started as a tickling sensation in the back of her thoughts. Eventually it grew to the point that she began searching for any visible cause, glancing around and flaring her nostrils in an effort to discover what it was.
Nothing...just a dark feeling and an instinct to keep her guard up. Ever so slightly her memories stirred with familiarity, as though whatever was out there, she somehow knew it.
The group traveled further still, until suddenly Kilo came to a stop on the trail. At first no one thought much of it but then he began snarling, pacing back and forth with head up and teeth flashing. It startled Shadow so much that she slid up to his side and chuffed.
Kilo? What was wrong? What did he find?
They had come to a stop in a very thick section of the forest, where the ferns were hip height and the moss was a soft layer beneath their feet. The air was thick with moisture and the birds were chirping once again, telling Blue that they had gone quite some distance from Kilo's territory.
Oddly, the smells were different in the new region. Blue couldn't recognize them but her hackles went up and that only got worse when Kilo growled. His nostrils flared and he looked around, before striding to the right of the trail and sniffing a cluster of ferns. After a minute there he crossed to the left and sniffed a tree, as though there was an invisible wall that kept him from going any further on the trail.
From beside Blue, Alden shifted uneasily on his feet and sniffed the air. His quills rattled as a sign of tension, while Hook gnashed his teeth together in a more passionate expression. It made the omega shrink back but she found her own lips curling.
Pack was upset...pack sensed something. If they were agitated then she was to be agitated as well.
Alden?
The old male chuffed softly. He ducked his head close to her and nudged her with his muzzle, directing her to pay attention and keep an eye out for danger.
Kilo recognized where they were, and it was a very dangerous place. It was the place of blood spill and at any moment they could all be at risk.
Blue blinked. She stared at the albino as his own eyes darted around, unsettled by his claim and orders, before looking around with a new fear. Her heart kicked up a pace when she started feeling as though eyes were boring into her, as though the shadows in the trees were moving and they were not alone.
There was a moment of silence, before Kilo spun around and walked back down the line, passing Hook and Shadow before coming to a stop in front of Alden. His chest was puffed out and his one eye was wild with hate, while his talons snapped up and down in frantic tension.
They were turning back home.
Surprised by the order Alden chuffed and bobbed his head, hesitantly arguing that he could sense the Spinosaurus came from this direction. Didn't they have to go in to continue their investigation?
Kilo snarled. He stepped forward and Alden lifted his head to dodge any coming attack. The younger male thrashed his tail and stared up at him as though he had gone mad.
Investigation or not, they wouldn't be going further! He would not step foot into that place! It was off limits and Alden of all raptors knew that!
Hook stepped forward and began to voice his siding with Alden, which made Blue stiffen and take a step away from their little gathering. The three males proceeded to argue back and forth to each other. Each claim and response only angered Kilo more and put the tension on a rise.
Kilo was frightening to Blue, when he flashed his teeth and gave threatening actions. Every time he moved she flinched and ducked her head in response to his rage.
What did alpha find? What was Alden talking about? What were any of them talking about! She didn't understand!
Blue stepped back until she was some yards away from the males. She turned, closing her eyes in an attempt to block it all out, trying to calm her heart. After a moment the snarling and growling faded to the background. Her senses instead focused onto the chirping birds and wind rustled leaves, far calmer things that helped her take a break from all the stress.
Blue released a breath and opened her eyes. In doing so she noticed that Shadow had stepped over to her, surprisingly calm as she nodded and made a small cooing sound. She gave encouragement upon seeing that the omega was frightened.
There was no need to be frightened of her brother. He was just...upset.
Blue snorted and glanced over at the three males, wrinkling her nose at their angry voices. Alpha Owen would never get that violent when he was upset. He yelled on occasion, but he never displayed threats of physical violence to his pack.
She wasn't sure she liked Kilo's approach on things, or Shadow's assurance to not be afraid of him...
Interrupting her thoughts a soft voice sounded, and Shadow reached out to nuzzle her shoulder. It made Blue look up long enough for the higher rank to nod, eyes suddenly expressing a note of concern and fear.
Let the males be males. Come, omega. She would show her what troubled them all so deeply.
At that Shadow then turned, leading Blue past Kilo and the elders until she was standing at the trail, in the exact place where her brother had come to a stop and started acting so fiery. Blue obediently followed and stood at her side. She looked around and finding nothing that jumped out at her, she chuffed.
She still didn't see what was wrong.
Shadow flicked her tail and gazed ahead. She closed her eyes, flaring her nostrils and breathing in until her lips began to curl in the same reaction of anger Kilo expressed. She made a little growl and wriggled her claws.
Smell the air, Blue. She'd feel it in her gut and she'd understand the instincts.
Blue puffed out her chest, but taking a deep breath she too closed her eyes and examined the air. Her mind went into overdrive sorting scent tags and aromas on the wind, all buzzing around and hitting different nerves in her olfactory processing.
Suddenly, the female's eyes shot open and her instincts flared in a sudden moment of shock. Her body tensed and her teeth snapped together with a sharp click.
There was a barrage of scents before her, and it was indeed like a wall, stretching out to the left and right as far as she could smell. It was placed strategically on trees and brush, heavy with messages that riled her hackles up. They gave messages of death and warning, challenging intruders and all that threatened the land. The scents themselves were raptor, but hardly familiar like the Waterfall pack had become for Blue.
It was a territory border just like alpha Kilo's. They had found another pack's territory.
Such a discovery surprised Blue, due to the fact she hadn't considered there to be other packs on the island besides Kilo's. Since she arrived she only knew the Waterfall pack, and like her sisters on Nublar, she assumed they were the only raptors.
That was obviously false. It showed just how little Blue knew about the island and its creatures.
Oddly, the discovery of another pack didn't strike as exciting as Blue's first meeting with Kilo and his family. The only things she felt were emotions of possessiveness and anger, mixed with a sense of danger and pack duty.
Such things came from the deepest of pack instincts. They urged her to protect her family and all that they stood for, because every bit of her said that the only relationship between other packs was a harsh rivalry. Ancient feelings told her that other packs would kill their younglings, or try to overthrow the alpha and take his family as their own members.
It kind of made sense, why Kilo was so angry and violent. As alpha his protective instincts would have been stronger than hers...but then...Blue felt like there was something missing in the puzzle, like there was still something she didn't know.
Shadow seemed about ready to clarify, when suddenly, a voice came from behind. It was sharp enough to make both females whirl and duck their heads, eyes wide until they saw who it was.
Kilo stood before them with a solemn look in his eye. His neck was arched and his tail was high up in the air, but he seemed a bit calmer than he was while arguing with the elders. Alden and Hook were in the back with troubled looks on their faces. If anything they looked disgruntled that Kilo wasn't taking the investigation further.
So he won the argument then...
The alpha male chuffed, looking down at his sister and Blue before casting a dark glance down the trail.
Come. They were going home.
Shadow hesitated, but slinking forward she nuzzled her brother and cooed gently, then took her rightful place in the upper section of their travel line. Kilo watched her go but once she disappeared into his blind spot he turned his attention back to Blue.
Blue was quiet, but working up the courage she bobbed her head and chirped. Did he think the rival pack was the reason the Spinosaurus moved into their territory?
Kilo chuffed in a low tone. Of course not. The rival pack would have no more affect on the Spinosaurus than they did.
Blue looked to the ground, then chirped again. Didn't he think Alden was right? Didn't he think it was wise to continue on and find answers?
Blue's heart was set on fire whenever she smelled the rivals, but deep in her mind her rationality was kicking in. Alden said the Spinosaurus came from deeper in the forest, past the rival territory's borders. Didn't that mean they needed to go on and find out where he came from and why?
Kilo stared at her. He cast a look to Alden, before showing his teeth and turning abruptly away.
No investigation was worth setting foot in that wretched place.
He then walked away, moving to the front of the line while Alden approached Blue with a disappointed air about him. He chittered to her, glancing to the trees and beyond before taking his place at her side.
Blue didn't understand. Didn't Kilo want the Spinosaurus to leave their territory? Was he just going to leave him be, destroying their luck at hunts and disrupting the prey valley's peace?
Alden chuffed softly.
As he said before...alpha Kilo had his reasons.
Blue shuddered at the thought of the Spinosaurus being in their home forever. She imagined what it would be like competing for food...or what it would be like if he attacked one of them again. At that thought the females head and tail drooped, upon imagining the kind of damage the Spinosaurus was capable of dealing.
The group began walking on, but Blue lingered behind for a moment and glanced back in the direction of the territory border. She looked through the shadows, wondering just what was in there that scared her alpha so much that he lost his nerve.
Again, Blue could only imagine the monsters she herself had experienced, Indominus Rex being at the top of such a list. She highly doubted such an unnatural creature was on Sorna, so it was curious to wonder what could possibly be lurking in the forests. Drop it, Blue. Listen to alpha.
The female was about to turn and follow her pack down the trail, when she came to a stop and blinked. Her head lifted high, her tail arched, and her nostrils flared with the flow of scents she crossed.
Wait...what was that?
Blue turned to face the territory border as Alden disappeared around the next bend. They hadn't noticed she was falling behind, thus she herself didn't realize they were leaving her behind. Instead she closed her eyes and breathed in, examining the air which for a moment had poked her attention.
There...something faint that flowed down through the canopy on a breeze. It wasn't dinosaur, but it was so familiar to her she growled and flicked her tail, similar to how a human has a word or memory on the tip of their tongue and it just wont let go.
Memories...memories she thought often of, but in a sense forgot the longer she lived with the Waterfall pack.
Was that human scent? Blue's mind voice piped up with an urgency. It whispered to her, implying something that made her tense up and blink.
What if, by some chance, Owen had returned to the island as he promised?
In a rather uncharacteristically simply way for the raptor, Blue's animal mind processed the situation based on small hopes and past instances. Upon smelling the humans scent she immediately remembered her last moment of contact with one, which was a moment shared with Owen before he left her in the Waterfall pack's care. That, combined with her affection of him, was a harsh rule of cancellation and made her jump to conclusions.
With a happy chirp, Blue bounced on the pads of her toes and cooed.
Owen was back! OWEN WAS BACK!
