Hello again, dear readers!

This chapter is very diologue heavy, which is why it took a few more days than expected. Nevertheless, I'm happy how it turned out. It provides more context as to what Chaser was doing last chapter and bit of an insight into the raptors.

I did my best to provide a unique flavour to the raptors, while keeping it simple enough as to avoid confusion, but I would still appreciate some feedback.

As always, thank you for reading and please leave a review. I love reading them.

-x-

Chapter 8: Kinship

For most humans, the jungle is a treacherous biome, an amalgamation of bushes, vines and trees that is both difficult to move through and makes zero sense. It's easy to become lost and walk in circles, as there is little to no points of reference inside of it. That's why large geographical features such as mountains and rivers are so important, because they are often the only way to guide yourself.

For him, however, the jungle was his home. He had lived there his entire life. It wasn't some strange frontier to be explored, but a familiar place he grew up in. It was that knowledge accumulated all his life that gave him the confidence to run full speed through the jungle. The feeling of the wind against his feathers was amazing. It was special, and it gave him a sensation of freedom.

While his eyesight alone would leave him just as lost as a human, his kind were gifted with a sense of smell and hearing far superior, allowing them to guide themselves without any visual points of reference. Through those two senses he was able to determine the approximate direction and distance of his target.

Those same senses indicated his target was getting close. Slowing down to a walk, Chaser looked around to make sure there were no immediate threats. His eyes, which were better adapted to the night, revealed nothing.

The raptor lifted his head high and let out a long croon, very similar to a bird call. The sound echoed around him and over the many sounds of other creatures. Soon enough, he got his answer with a similar call coming a few yards ahead of him.

He walked forward towards the source of the answering call. After a few steps, he began to smell the other raptor hiding in the bushes, as well as noticing a distinct shape ahead of him.

"Fallen Rock!" He greeted.

"Fallen Rock" The other raptor answers back. Stepping out of the shadows, the raptor revealed himself to be a male, like Chaser, covered in a mix of brown and yellow feathers.

What the two raptors had said was a common form of greetings amongst them. The name "Fallen Rock" referred to their home, the place their clan had stablished themselves. It had gotten its name from a single large volcanic boulder at the center of a small rocky crevice. It was a nice place. The rock itself provided a vantage point from where his kin could watch for incoming dangers and created a good shadow to protect them from the midday heat.

Chaser recognized the raptor in front of him right away. "Tree-climber? What did you call for?"

"I think you know why," Tree-climber answered. "It's been days since we last saw you. The clan is starting to get worried, especially after we killed those soft skins earlier."

"Let me guess, the elders are spooked?"

Tree-climber tapped one of his killing claws a few times in agreement, a gesture similar to a human nod. "Of course they are, you know the stories. But there's also a second reason why I came here, there's something I need to ask?"

Chaser was taken aback by that. What could it be? "Alright, out with it."

"A hatchling arrived at Fallen Rock a day ago, he said you were chasing one of the soft skins, correct?"

There was a shiver down his spine. He had forgotten about the hatchling he saved from the Carnotaurus. After Samantha had left them, Chaser made sure to escort the little one back to the edge of their territory, where it was safe for him to go alone. During the short walk, Chaser made the hatchling promise he wouldn't speak about the Carnotaurus attack, offering to let him accompany Chaser on future hunts as a reward. His efforts had obviously failed.

Being careful not to show his internal distress, Chaser answered. "Yes… the one who was separated from the group."

"He said the two of you were ambushed by a horned tyrant?" More like the little bugger got spotted, Chaser thought bitterly. "And that you fought the tyrant by yourself to protect him."

"Well, of course I did" It was only natural. Surviving into adulthood wasn't easy, and so hatchlings were seen as extremely precious to his kind.

"Exactly, and his parents were very thankful for that. They wanted to share a hunt with you as a reward."

"Oh…" That was surprising. Maybe the little hatchling did keep his word – at least when it came to Sam – and he didn't need to worry so much. That was a great weight lifted from his back. "Thank the stars" Chaser quietly whispered to himself.

Sadly, his joy only lasted until Tree-climber spoke again.

"But he also said something very strange…" Chaser froze on the spot. "He said at one point you got knocked out by the horned tyrant, and the only reason the two of you survived is because the soft skin helped."

He didn't know what to say. There was no point in lying, not when word had already reached the clan. Even if most of them didn't believe it, he was sure some of the elders would want to know more about it.

Should he just spit out the whole truth? Maybe, but the truth was more unbelievable than any lie he could come up with. He couldn't just say he had made friends with the soft skin and taught her to speak their tongue, or that she was doing the same to him. It sounded insane. Nobody would believe it, especially the elders.

Yet, a small part of him was saying to do just that. It wasn't his sense of morality, but the more curious and adventurous side of him that was eager to share what he discovered. The time spend with Samantha made him confront the knowledge his people had of the soft skins.

Ever since Chaser was born, he had heard stories of these small, but powerful evil beings that once ruled the land. Beings so powerful that they could bend rock and metal into strange unnatural forms and shapes to fulfill their plans. How they could spit fire and thunder from strange metal weapons that killed from afar. How they could go beyond the great waters using big metal birds and fish.

All these magical tales had been shattered the moment he had killed his first soft skins. They were no longer legendary beings, but flesh and blood just like him.

The greatest surprise, however, came from his time with Sam. The moments they had shared made him realize that, despite the weird looking body and strange items she carried, Samantha held the same emotions as him. She was capable of fear, curiosity, and joy just like he was. More importantly, Sam was able to communicate with him, something no other creature was capable of.

Those facts alone showed potential for… something. He didn't know what exactly, but it made him think that maybe his kind didn't need to do what the elders did in the past. If they could communicate, his kind might be able to settle things with words instead of claws, like they did with other clans. In addition, while soft skins were so different with their strange posture, weird items and body coverings, it also made them intriguing. He wanted to know more about why they covered themselves, how they created such terrible weapons, why did they placed meat over fire before eating. Chaser had so many questions that were so close to being answered.

"Well… the truth is," Chaser took a deep breath. "Yes, the soft skin did help us."

Tree-climber was, understandably, confused. "Really? Why?"

Chaser struggled to answer, as he himself still didn't understand. "That's what I have been trying to find out."

"What, you mean…" He paused for a moment. "Chaser, what have you been doing this whole time?" There was suspicion in his tone. It was obvious Tree-climber was beginning to connect the dots about Chaser's absence.

"I followed it for a while, until something bad happened," Tree-climber remained quiet. "The soft skin was attacked by a couple of venom spitters, they almost got it, but the soft skin killed them with her thunderer."

"That must've been scary!"

Chaser tapped his killing claw in agreement. "It was," He could still remember the wounds on the dilophosaurus, with the chest covered in blood and several deep holes. "But the soft skin was covered in venom too, enough to make it pass out."

"Oh, so the soft skin is dead then?"

"No…" He couldn't bring himself to elaborate.

Tree-climber was silent for a moment, before realizing what Chaser meant. "Oh, by the stars, don't tell me you did what I think you did."

Chaser cringed at the words. "I… I couldn't help myself. I just couldn't understand why it had saved me when it had the perfect opportunity to kill me, even after I had attacked it!" His voice was filled with frustration. "I guess a small part of me wanted to repay it for sparing me but… I just really wanted to know why it acted the way it did."

"I managed to get the venom off of it and dragged it to a safe place. I waited until morning and hunted some small game to give to it as a sign of peace. It didn't work very well… the soft skin was still terrified when it saw me."

"No surprise there," Tree-climber commented. "Of course it wouldn't understand it, it's not our kin."

"Yes, but I didn't give up. After a while I managed to get it to calm down. Or maybe it was just confused as to why I was just sitting in front it, I don't know. The point is that it seemed to realize I didn't mean any harm."

"That doesn't mean much. It could still kill you if it had the opportunity. Just because it didn't do it once doesn't mean anything."

Normally, Chaser would fully agree with Tree-climber on that. "Well, the thing is… I kind of gave the thunderer back to the soft skin."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Tree-climber's eyes grew wide. "Yes, I know!" Chaser said before the other raptor could speak. "It was incredibly dangerous and stupid, but it worked!"

He took a second to breathe. "Look, what I'm trying to tell you is that the moment I made the soft skin understand I didn't mean any harm, it didn't try to attack, not even once. I have spent this whole day with the soft skin, gave it plenty of opportunities to kill me, and it didn't do it. It got scared at times, but that was expected."

Tree-climber was almost speechless. "What? That's insane! Have you forgotten what the elders say? All the stories they told us?"

"Yes, I know, and I'm not saying they aren't true, but maybe there's more to it than anyone knows. Maybe the soft skins have different clans we do. How do we know this soft skin is from the same clan that ruled over us?" Chaser questioned. Sam and her group didn't seem like the powerful beings the elders claimed they were. Maybe she was from a smaller clan that was migrating from somewhere.

Despite his reasoning, Tree-climber was still unconvinced. "Well, there's no way you can know for sure, who knows what a soft skin might be thinking. It's about as useless as trying to reason with a king tyrant!"

"Only because we can't speak to them."

"Exactly. Is your soft skin any different?"

Calling Sam his soft skin made him feel a bit awkward. He wasn't paired with anyone at the moment, but it was something expected at this age, and the mere suggestion of him with the soft skin, as small as it was, made him uncomfortable. "I think it might be…"

"What do you mean?"

"After a while with the soft skin… it tried to speak to me. It was a bit difficult at first, and the weird sounds they make are really strange, but I think I'm learning to speak with it," For the first time since the conversation started, Tree-climber seemed genuinely intrigued by what he was saying. "Not only that, but after some time I tried to teach it some of our own words and it worked! It wasn't perfect, but she was able to speak back to me!"

That made Tree-climber pause. "She?"

"Oh, yes, I figured out the soft skin was female. Or at least I think it is, based on how different it was from the ones we killed earlier."

"Okay, but are you really sure you were able to talk to it… or her?"

"Yes, like I said, it wasn't perfect, but I managed to replicate some of the sounds she made and figure out their meaning. In fact, I think she was really eager to teach me, maybe she's just as curious as I am."

"And you taught her our tongue?"

"Not our whole tongue, obviously, just a few words, but it was enough to convince me she was capable of learning."

Tree-climber felt conflicted. On one claw, this whole story sounded impossible and if any other person had told him this, he wouldn't believe it. However, he knew Chaser, they were clanmates, and while they weren't the best of friends, he knew Chaser wouldn't lie about something this big. Besides, if what he said was true, it could mean a lot of incredible things, a whole world of possibilities his kind didn't know was out there.

"Alright," He began. "Assuming this is all true, what do you plan to do after? It won't matter if you can't prove it to the rest of the clan. Even if you somehow succeed, what about the soft skins? Are you going to do the same for them?"

It took a moment for Chaser to come up with an answer. "To be honest, I haven't really planed that far ahead. If I can teach her enough of our tongue, I could try bringing her to the clan, but only if she was okay with it…"

"That's risky."

"I know, but it's the best way to show them it's true. Having the soft skin speak to them would be much more believable than me trying to convince them."

"True, but you would have to warn the clan before, so they don't attack her by mistake, and that would mean convincing them to let a soft skin enter our home."

It didn't take a very smart raptor to see how fragile Chaser's plan was, but what else could he do? He needed to bring this to the clan, and Sam speaking to them was the best way to show it. However, he would need more time to prepare and figure out a safer way to do this.

Suddenly, an idea popped in his mind, and Tree-climber was an important part of it. "Would you be willing to help me?" He asked him.

Tree-climber was taken aback by the request. Giving Chaser the benefit of doubt was one thing but getting involved in his dangerous game was very much another. "What? No! I don't want to get blown up by a soft skin thunderer, that's your thing!"

Had Chaser been human, he would've rolled his eyes. "Not with that! I need you to help me out bringing this to the clan."

"You want me to convince them to let you bring the soft skin into Fallen Rock?"

"No, not the whole clan. I need you tell some people I trust about it. If I can prove it to them, they could help me with the rest of the clan."

"Alright, that's better. It's still risky, but maybe it could help."

"Good," Chaser couldn't hide his excitement. With Tree-climber's help he just might be able to do this. "I want you to speak with my hatch siblings, especially Star-gazer and Midnight, they know me well enough to believe you."

Chaser pondered for a while, thinking about who else might believe his story. "You could also tell Swift."

"You mean the elder?" Tree-climber said with some hesitancy.

"Yes, but don't worry, she's my grandmother and she know me well enough."

"Okay, but then what? Do I just tell them and wait for you?"

"No, I need you to meet with me in… two days from now, maybe that will be enough."

"And if they don't believe your story?"

"Then meet me in two days and tell me."

A single soft skin walking into Fallen Rock could only end in tragedy, but if he could show her to a select group of people who trusted him, then they could vouch for him and get the rest of the clan to believe him. There more people knew about Sam, the less dangerous it would be.

That, of course, still left one problem…

Even if all went well, if he could show Sam communicating to his friends and family, and they were able to convince the rest of the clan to let her in, there was still the issue of Sam herself. He didn't know if she would be willing to do it. Although she seemed just as interested and curious about learning his tongue as he was about hers, walking into a raptor stronghold was an entirely different matter, and he wouldn't blame her for refusing.

He still didn't know much about soft skins, but based on the reactions so far, and the stories the elders told, he guessed the soft skins saw his kind as a natural threat, at best. Even if he somehow could explain to her what he wanted to do (and that was another puzzle he would have to solve), it might still be too much to her.

As much as it worried him, Chaser decided he would cross that river when the time came.

Tree-climber's voice broke his line of thought. "I'm not sure if this will work, but I'll do it."

"Great!" Chaser said. "Is there anything else?"

"One thing, you might want to stay away from that hollow rock near the river."

Images of the old research center flashed through his mind. That's where Samantha was staying, what problem could it be?

He took a deep breath and did his best to avoid showing his concern. "Why?"

Tree-climber shrugged. "Part of the Mountain Clan got displaced by the rain – something about a landslide and some venom spitters getting them off guard – They've been sending scouts around to search for a temporary home, so our clan is avoiding leaving Fallen Rock to make sure it doesn't spark another conflict."

Tree-climber's words sent a chill down Chaser's spine. This was bad, really bad. The Mountain Clan shared a border with his own, but they were not on friendly terms. There had been a series of disputes over hunting grounds that more often than not ended in violence. Of course, that was in the past, as both clans had managed to settle down a peace agreement a few seasons ago, but they certainly didn't see eye to eye.

Convincing his own clan not to attack the soft skin was a difficult task, but the Mountain Clan would be simply impossible. They would kill him before he uttered a single word, just for bumping into a disputed area.

Even worse, any attempt at diplomacy wouldn't matter if Chaser wasn't there with Sam. If anyone from the other clan saw her, they would kill her just as any raptor would. It was an unspoken agreement between the clans, a shared trauma from the past.

There was only one thing he could do. He needed to get back there as quickly as possible. If he was lucky, he might get to her before the other raptors did, and maybe they could just leave without any problems. If he wasn't lucky… than he hoped the soft skin had her thunderer ready.

"I have to go back!" Chaser exclaimed, making Tree-climber jump in surprise.

He stared at Chaser with confusion. "What, didn't you hear what I just told you?"

"I know, but that hollow rock is where the soft skin is staying!" He blurted out.

Tree-climber's eyes widened. "You mean… oh crap! By the stars, this is bad!"

"Yes, I need to get back there as quickly as I can."

"Do you want me to help?" Tree-climber offered.

"No, you haven't completed your hunting training," Tree-climber was a few seasons younger than Chaser and was still being taught by the older adults of the clan. He wasn't helpless, but he also wasn't a full hunter yet. "Just go back to Fallen Rock and do what I told you, if things go bad, I'll let you know."

It was clear Tree-climber didn't like the idea of Chaser possibly getting into a fight with multiple raptors by himself, but he didn't voice it. "Alright, I'll do that, may the stars watch over you."

"Thank you, safe journey to you."

With that, Tree-climber dashed into the dark jungle, back to the clan's territory. Chaser, meanwhile, took a deep breath and prepared himself. This was not going to be easy, especially if he was too late, but he trusted his abilities. He was an experienced hunter; he had fought tyrants and venom spitters before. If he was forced to fight his own kin, so be it.

It was strange to be willing to do that for a soft skin. However, at the same time there was a feeling deep within him, a fire burning inside that was mixed with wonder and sheer curiosity. Sam was more than an anomaly, she was a window to a new world, a new perspective, and he wanted gaze through it. He was not going to let those raptors hurt his soft skin.