AN: well, here is chapter 2...sorry to my readers...if there are any...about the delay, but life is hectic...

Zarken lead Kate deeper into the cavern, where she was instantly hit with a blast of cold air. She looked around her, only to see the darkness that filled the entire room. "Zarken?" she called.

"Yeah?" came the reply. Kate moved forward and bumped into something scaly. With a shriek, she fell down. There was a sudden burst of light, followed by the warm glow of a torch. The teenage girl opened her eyes, and looked into a pair of reptilian eyes. "You are gonna have to not do that." Zarken said. There was something like laughter in his eyes. The younger raptor gave her a hand and pulled her up. "Follow me." Kate nodded, and did so. As they walked in silence, the fifteen year old studied the cavern. The walls were covered in strange hieroglyphics that looked like dinosaur footprints and murals of creatures, dinosaurs and humans- mainly raptors. Kate looked at Zarken. "Hey, what do these stand for? I mean, why are they here? What do they represent?"

"They are great moments in our history, the raptor's history. You are honored to see them, as you are one of the few who ever will. This cavern is said to be an entrance to the world beneath, or contain one. The raptors have lived here for hundreds of years, but there is none." He said. "The footprints are our writing system. You will learn it when you start school."

"I see." She said. "So, how many raptors live here?"

"Thousands dwell here; raptors of all ages. There are also deinonychus' who live among us as well." he said. "And the raptors who live here are split into clans. It is a city you see. Different families of different clans or different races all live there together." Zarken said. "You will enjoy it I think." Kate nodded, and continued to study the walls. After about an hours march, the two came upon a large door. Zarken tapped it three times with a claw, and it was opened. Kate's eyes widened in amazement as she viewed the site before her. They were standing at the top of a cliff, looking down at the city. She thought of it like Minas Tirith in Middle Earth and Khazad-Dum combined. There were at least 4 levels of houses going around the entire circle which made up the city. Down below she could see markets, houses, shops, everything. There was a large tower opposite of where she and Zarken were standing, from which a bright light emitted. The city was beautiful. The windows in the buildings emitted a soft light, like there was electricity here, though Kate knew that there wasn't.

"So what do you think?"

"It is beautiful." Kate said awestruck. Zarken smiled, and then saw a small shape running towards him. He was suddenly bowled over as the smaller raptor ran into him, hugging him as a raptor would. "Zar!" she said. Kate laughed at the site. "This is my sister, Treac." He said. Treac smiled at the human girl. "Just call me Tree."

"Nice to meet you."

"Well, lets go to the city! Come on Zar." Tree said, as she began to walk down the path she had used to get up. The three of them walked down, and Kate began to question her guide once more. "So, she is your sister."

"Yep."

"Where are your parents?" Zarken's face became sad. "They are gone."

"Oh...I am sorry..."

"No, it is OK." He said. Tree continued to run forward, staying ahead of them. "When we reach the bottom, you will be staying with Treac and myself. Just follow us. Tomorrow we will give you a tour of the city, and you will begin school."

The three soon reached the city, and Kate was lead through the streets. As they walked, she saw raptors everywhere, some larger than the others. All of them smiled at her and many waved. They were much friendlier than she had though. The teenage girl smiled and waved back to them, enjoying the attention. She had always seemed invisible before, always being ignored. Now she was like a celebrity! She continued in this way for a long while, until they finally reached a good sized home on the second level of the city. Zarken opened the door, and they walked in. Tree lead Kate to her room, chattering as she went. "So, you just got here?"

"Yep."

"Cool! And where did you come from?"

"The United States, I was traveling back home after my trip to Europ."

"Where is that?"

Kate didn't really know where they were, but she had a map. "I will show you sometime."

"Really? What is in your bag?"

"My stuff."

"Like what?"

"Well, I have some clothing, snacks, games, books...you know, stuff."

"Oh, I see."

Zarken rolled his eyes as he watched them go down the hall. Sisters, he though.

Kate looked around her room and smiled. There was a bed made for a human, which had probably just arrived. The house itself was beautiful, expensive looking. But she loved this room already. It was large enough for her and all of her belongings, with a bay window facing the city on one side. The house was on the cliff side, so she looked straight down, and could see the tower in the distance, standing bright and tall. She would have to ask Lan about it.

Kate was also amazed at the lights in the houses. There were small lamps in each house, glass with a bright rock inside of them that gave off light. There was one in each room, the tiny rocks giving off more light than a light bulb would. When you wanted it to be dark, you would just cover the lamp with a cover that was hanging on it, according to Tree. The human girl decided to test that, and pulled the cover over it, and the room was immediately filled with darkness. She pulled the cover off, and it was once again flooded with light. Kate already liked this place. She sat down, and began to unpack her stuff as Tree went to help Zarken prepare some dinner. After a little more than half an hour the room was cleaned (not that it wasn't) and made to her standards. When she had finished, Kate went to explore the house. She peeped into the different rooms, each with something. There was even an entertainment room with a game table that looked a lot like table tennis. The 15 year old smiled. These raptors were smart. As she looked at the room, she heard a call, and the next thing she knew Tree was there, waiting for her. "Dinner. Let's go!" she said.

Kate hadn't known what to expect exactly. Raw meat perhaps. But, when she got to the kitchen and sat down, she saw a plate of steaming meat, as well as some fruit. Odd, she thought, I thought raptors were carnivores. Not caring though, the human took a bite of the meat, and swallowed. It was a lot like poultry in texture and taste. She was fine with that and at it. "I thought raptors only ate meat. Why is there fruit here?" she asked the two, trying to start a conversation of sorts.

"Normally we don't, only when we can get some. It is a common thing for humans to be surprised, but we can't get all nutrients out of meat. We don't enjoy them as much as you would though." Zarken told her between chews. "I see." They continued to eat in what seemed an uncomfortable silence. Perhapes it was just a custom, as in some cultures, to eat without speaking. She would learn in due time, she thought.