F O U R
12 Years Later
'Fulsamee reflected upon the events of the past twelve years - the infant, now known as 'Ornamee, the attack on the nests, and the subsequent move to an abandoned human structure. The old pack leader, 'Rolamee, had been killed when a Spinosaurus had attacked their nests, destroying almost all the eggs. Several of 'Fulsamee's brothers had been lost there, and the pack had decided that the site was no longer the safe ground they had previously known it to be. Under the leadership of 'Fulsamee, the raptors, and the child, had searched for a new nesting site. They had found an old, unused human building. The structure was in fairly decent repair compared with some of the other buildings, but it still was damaged from an unknown cataclysm. It was their home now.
Now 12 meta-cycles old, 'Ornamee had quickly grown into a capable fighter and a valuable member of the pack. He lacked any sort of natural weapon, unlike the deadly raptors, but 'Firnomee had shown an inventive streak and had crafted several weapons for 'Ornamee to use. He had learned to run and jump almost as well and as fast as any of the raptors, and could even make every different bark and chirp the raptors could.
Privately, 'Fulsamee was very impressed with 'Ornamee. He had not expected much of the child, thinking that he would die of inability to coexist with what was now 'Fulsamee's pack. However, 'Ornamee had shown a level of tenacity 'Fulsamee did not believe such a small, weak, fleshy creature could possess.
"'Fulsamee!" It was 'Firnomee.
"What?"
"Come outside for a moment. I've got something to show you."
'Fulsamee got up from the extremely comfortable position he'd been in, and followed 'Firnomee out one of the wrecked side doors.
SPLASH!
A large quantity of water from the previous night's rain was dumped on his head. Head quills soaked down to his neck, 'Fulsamee looked up to see who had nailed him, and received a second bucket of water for his troubles. Unfortunately, he'd also had his mouth open enough to catch more than a desirable amount of water. Through water-blurred vision, he could see that 'Ornamee was responsible for his dousing.
"Hey! You little...", he yelled, got a small running start, and jumped the 10 or so feet up onto the roof where 'Ornamee was. A small romp ensued, with the two rolling around on the rooftop, and 'Fulsamee winding up pinning 'Ornamee under his still-wet foot. And one arm. He didn't give up easily.
"Hah! Gotcha!"
"And? You always win."
"That was good. I should have known better than to follow 'Firnomee out, the two of you are completely inseparable. Did you really need something though, or was this just a cheap way to get me off my tail?
At that moment, 'Sonamir came through the doorway.
"'Fulsamee, one of the younger scouts just reported back. You need to see this. Follow me."
The trio followed 'Sonamir back into the building, through several ruined halls, and finally into a large room with piles of dried grass arranged around the perimeter. The other two female raptors were gathered around the scout 'Sonamir had mentioned, who had a pair of large slash marks down his flank. They were doing their best to treat the wounds, but there was a large pool of blood beneath the young raptor, named 'Diromee.
"What happened? 'Diromee, give me your report!", said 'Fulsamee as they arrived.
"Leader... it was near... the southern border, second section. There were... others... not ours. They come... I saw two, but... there may be more.", he finished, and fell silent.
"Another pack of raptors?"
'Diromee nodded.
"Well... this is interesting..." Turning to 'Firnomee, he said, "Can we seal this building in any way? We cannot have anyone getting in here and destroying or taking our eggs."
"Leader, the humans did not construct this building, as a whole, for security. However, there are several sections of it which we could move the eggs to until the threat is dealt with. With your permission, I will take 'Ornamee and begin the necessary preparations. I would project the secure areas to be ready within a quarter-cycle."
"Granted. Be swift.", said 'Fulsamee.
'Firnomee and 'Ornamee left for parts unknown, and 'Fulsamee went around the lower levels dispensing orders. He instructed 'Isnomee, 'Ikaporamee, and 'Nosimee to follow him and face the threat of another pack, and had the female raptors collect and move the eggs to 'Firnomee's safe areas.