Chapter 3: Back Home

It was a hard night for the Indoraptor.

The children hadn't understood, they'd been terrified, distraught, and worst of all; they were without their mother. The little ones took it harder than the others, who at least could rely on each other. The oldest could take care of themselves.

But the three little ones? They were down to one paranoid parent.

When Blue left, he stood still for a long time. He hoped that she'd come back, change her mind. But, she didn't.

He'd expected that, but it still hurt. She could be so stubborn when she set her mind on something, most of the time to her benefit.

But this was different.

Light and Grey had long since left, off to look for their siblings.

He was alone. Alone with his thoughts.

He stood there, wondering what he should do. He knew what he should do, but he felt off.

She'd been off on her own before, but not like this.

Never like this.

He was worried, and that worry made it difficult to react to the immediate situation.

Finally, he snapped out of it, and dashed headlong towards his youngest. When he reached the nest, they were still sleeping.

White and Gray were standing above them, obviously on edge. They asked about what they'd heard, and he was quick to assure them that all was well.

Thinking that that was the end of it, the pair made to leave. However, they hadn't taken a few steps before the Indoraptor asked them to get some things for him; the kills he'd left near the pond.

They said that they'd get them, soon leaving him alone.

Left with silence, he simply gazed at the little children in the nest.

They were so peaceful. So precious.

He loved his children.

He didn't want to think, he didn't want to react, he just wanted peace. He needed something to soothe his heart.

So he climbed into the nest, curled up around his children, protecting them from anything that could harm them, and soon slept.

The nap didn't last very long, but it served its purpose.

When the youngest woke, they asked to be fed. They didn't question their mother's absence, they didn't know better.

Even when she wasn't with them they believed that she was within reach.

He looked to the sky, noting the position of the sun. It was getting late. Not too late, luckily, but late nonetheless.

He showed them the kills, and absentmindedly looked outward. He counted the trees, truly wishing to keep his mind from wandering.

He was scared for her.

He simply didn't know what was out there, what was happening to her, what could happen to her. It hurt all the more because there wasn't a single thing he could do about it.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't help but worry.

His children, ever the perceptive bundles of pride and joy, noticed the sour tint his mood was putting on the moment. Precious was the one to ask what was wrong, why he was upset.

He didn't know how to answer.

How could he answer?

How does one answer such hard questions?

What could he say? Their mother was gone, out of their reach. She was following dangerous and potentially aggressive intruders that could tear her to pieces. Their older siblings had been threatened by foreigners and found themselves fearing for their lives.

How could he explain danger and peril to children that had never truly known hardship?

He told them some of the truth, but thought it best not to scare them.

Their mother had gone on a trip of sorts, and he missed her.

The little ones were a bit upset, but they didn't understand how long she'd be gone. Well, that'll make things more manageable in the short term at least.

He soon became concerned for his older children, and he called out loudly for them.

Light replied first, then Gray, then Black, then White, and then Grey. They were seperated, and realizing that briefly disrupted his thoughts. He asked them to come to the nest, as soon as they could.

The little ones, already skeptical, silently panicked. They were worried, having never known a situation like this. This was different, this was unknown.

He was silent until they arrived.

Black was there first, and he was confused. He hadn't heard anything other than the alarm cries, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary other than the fact that his siblings were dashing to and fro in some kind of panic. He hadn't been able to get anything out of them, having had trouble even finding them before they'd been called.

Light was unusually silent. In fact, more than any of the others, he was terrified. When Blue left, his example, his hero, went too. If she didn't come back, what would happen to him? To all of them?

He was the only one of the Indoraptor's children that had truly tangled with death. It scared him more than it scared the others.

Grey flat out snarled at Black, saying that something was very wrong.

White chastised her sister, hoping to calm things down. She didn't fully understand what was happening either, but getting mad at each other wouldn't help anything.

The Indoraptor shrieked loudly, his patience evaporating. His children cringed, and the little ones nearly started crying.

He stated what Light and Grey already knew. Foreign raptors had intruded on their territory, and their mother had followed them. Until she returned, the whole pack needed to stay together, and stay safe.

The little ones, having only a few minutes ago been in the dark about the whole matter, trembled with barely concealed fear. They had been raised to rise, but this was something they'd never faced before.

Gray asked if there was anything they could do to help their mother, and the Indoraptor sadly said that there was nothing. She'd already gone too far.

Light became angry, growling at his father with fury in his eyes. He was speaking as if her death was guaranteed! They needed to be hoping for her safety, not despairing over her absence.

Before the Indoraptor could react, Light declared that he wasn't going to cower before the threat of intruders. His mother had followed them, seeking to know more about them. She had gone forward without fear, only determination.

He turned his disdain towards his siblings. They were behaving as if a whole group of the horned predators was going to swoop in and kill them all! Had they all forgotten their mother's lessons?

Black snarled at Light, asking him why he was saying that when he was the most afraid out of all of them.

White tried to shush them, but Light was insistent. He stated that he was terrified, but they all needed to be brave regardless. Wasn't that the point of the lessons? So that they could rise to meet challenges like this?

Having stated his piece, Light stormed towards the side territory. After a few moments, the Indoraptor and the little ones were alone again.

The Indoraptor decided that the oldest would be fine as long as they stayed together, trying to justify letting them go. The whole pack was stressed, more stressed than they'd been in a long time.

The little ones were terrified, whimpering like he'd never heard before.

His head felt off. It was almost like there was a physical pressure on it, closing in on him. He was tired, but he didn't feel like he needed to sleep. He couldn't think clearly, it was making him feel odd.

He snapped out of his melancholy when Red asked him if they were safe.

How was he supposed to answer that? He honestly just wanted the whole situation to wash away and never come back. He didn't want to deal with it anymore.

What was he thinking? The family was in disarray, and he'd done nothing about it. In fact, he'd made it worse. That realization only made him sink deeper into his discomfort.

He decided that he could at least do some good in comforting his youngest son.

So, he did something that he'd never done before, but something that felt, oddly right.

He purred softly, picking Red up out of the nest and cradling him in his arms and swaying slightly. His son found it strangely pleasant, and the Indoraptor found it peculiarly satisfying.

He continued to purr, reminding him of his promise. When they had all been in their eggs, he had spoken to them, and he'd promised that he'd be a good father for them. He promised that he would raise them as best he could, and that he would protect them.

So yes, they were safe. Nothing was going to harm them, nothing at all.

Red purred in a soft response, and started drifting off to sleep again.

Precious and Beautiful watched this with an unusual sense of longing. They wanted to be cradled, and felt somewhat left out.

The Indoraptor was quick to assure them that they hadn't been left out, and that they'd get their turn soon. They whined a bit but sank down into the nest.

Soon, Red was fast asleep, and he was placed back down in the nest. Then came Beautiful, and then Precious.

The Indoraptor was thus left alone. However, he didn't feel as upset as he was before. Blue was gone, true, but Light had been right. They all needed to have faith in her, she was the best of them all.

Caring, empathetic, protective, capable, sweet, loyal.

Perfect, she was perfect.

He soon decided to fall back on his 'grand' purpose: to protect his family. That was what he had decided to do when his oldest children were born, and that was what he continued to do every day after.

Things will be better tomorrow.

He laid down to sleep, curled defensively around his sleeping children.

Things will be better tomorrow.