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Chapter 22: A medical situation (part 2)

"The problem about preparing for an outside context problem is that, by definition, it is a problem that a species could not consider until it actually manifests. Such problems are generally encountered by a group only once, and generally as a terminal crisis.

The classic example is, of course, that of a primitive hunter gatherer tribe living peacefully on an island with no concept of technology suddenly encountering a giant chunk of floating metal, followed by strange creatures with special sticks that shoot lightning. But the examples are not just limited to primitive societies encountering technological ones; they can also extend to individuals encountering unforeseen situations. Part of your training as a Cadet is to prepare you for such occurrences by constantly subjecting you to new stimuli in order to build character and fearlessness even when faced with the unkown.

Ultimately, however, rising from this struggle is entirely up to you. But as one of the lucky 5% to pass the Officer Corps exams, we have every confidence in your ability to succeed."

~ Consortium Office Training text (excerpt)

"Don't stop there, Dad!"

"Yeah, you haven't even gotten to the best part yet!"

Leap smirked at the restless children as he drug out his drinking of the stream's clear water. He knew how to build up suspense in a willing audience. The comparative patience of the two guests was made all the more noticeable by his children's antics.

"How much of this have you heard before, Gyors? Ungu?" Leap offered, hoping that the refocusing of attention on them would give the pack's children something to ruminate upon.

"I never heard any of it," Gyors replied. Ungu, however, looked away, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

This was noticed by more than a few of the children though Swipe was the only one to ask her the obvious question. "Are you alright, Ungu?"

"I'm okay," Ungu said, doing her best to sound normal. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to having been sneaking around when she was supposed to be asleep, even if it had been a long time ago.

Leap recognized that tone but decided not to pry into the little one's past. What child didn't listen in when they weren't supposed to? Certainly not any of his children were immune from that.

As soon as he felt the weight of Tranquil on his back he realized he had no further time to contemplate such thoughts.

"Dad!"

Leap smirked. "Alright… alright… no more stalling. Since you little ones already know the rest, why don't you lead me into the chorus? The part where the healers and Taunt met an old 'friend'."

The past:

We've gotten pretty far, I'll admit, but we might've been there by now if the pack didn't change the plan right before we left, Violet thought in frustration, I'm glad Haven's with us, but... She sighed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft hiss as Taunt and Ducky both threw themselves to the ground, hiding in the tall grass.

Violet immediately copied her friends. Did you smell something? she wondered, I definitely didn't. Well, that's no surprise, but I didn't hear anything, either.

Taunt waited a moment, quietly sniffing the air as Haven did the same. It was only a moment later, as Taunt let out an annoyed grunt, that both of her counterparts rose.

"Fucking fastrunners… false alert. Let's go."

"Fastrunner?" Violet asked, curious. If only we didn't have somewhere to be...

Taunt shook his head as he tried to regain his former pace. "You never know when it is going to be a big runner, so you have to check… but we can't afford to have too many delays."

Ducky modified her pace to match the rest of the trio. "It could be worse; we could have a big runner helping us keep our pace. That would not be good, nope, nope, nope."

Taunt snorted. "Only bad if you trip!"

"What's a big runner?" Violet asked.

Both Ducky and Taunt shared a look before shifting their focus back to where they were running. In the end it was Ducky you answered her question. "It's like a fastrunner… but only a little smaller than a two-footer."

"And dumber than a spiketail who catches his tail!" Taunt added helpfully, "It took me a day to stop laughing at Purple Tail!"

"That is why he almost ate you," Ducky noted.

"Is there anything that hasn't almost killed or eaten Taunt?" Violet wondered aloud.

"Tiny biters and fish!" Taunt replied helpfully.

"Do not tempt fate!" Ducky retorted.

Apparently more things want to kill Taunt than me, Violet thought with a suppressed laugh, Somehow that doesn't feel like an achievement.

Taunt noted the somewhat amused expression on Violet's face and visibly relaxed. It was the most calm she had appeared since she had received the news.

"Well, as long as I can avoid dinosaur-eating fish and Mender can avoid my father's flirting, we should be okay."

Violet gave Taunt a very annoyed glare in response before darting forward without a word.

As he watched her speed forward, avoiding his gaze with her tail as rigid as a spear, he knew that he had screwed up in some way.

The slap across his head that was helpfully given by Ducky confirmed his suspicions.

He glanced at Ducky and gave an understanding nod before speeding forward. "Hey, Mender, wait up!"

The violet fastbiter slowly began to grow larger in his vision as he picked up his speed. It was only then that he realized how fast she was going.

"Mender, please slow down! One of us needs to sniff ahead."

Violet didn't reply, but she did slow down somewhat. Oh, sure, now you start thinking.

Taunt struggled to match her speed as he pulled up beside her, carefully sniffing the air to make sure there was nothing upwind from them. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something that offended you. I was just joking because I thought..."

"Thought what?" Violet replied surprisingly vehemently.

Taunt opened his mouth but then promptly closed it. "You were calming down, so I thought a joke would help." He offered her an apologetic nod of the head. "I guess I was better off not thinking."

"It wasn't funny, Taunt," Violet replied bluntly.

Taunt was silent for several moments, not really knowing how to react to that.

Wow. I guess Taunt usually doesn't have someone tell him that, Violet thought, almost amused despite herself, Maybe if I told him why it wasn't funny...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noticeably winded Taunt. "I just figured… I mean I joke with Stern Claw like that all the time. And she isn't offended. Well… she is, but no more than usual, you know?"

"Mender is not Stern Claw!" Ducky's voice finally rose above the clatter of their running feet. "Stern Claw is mated, but she is not. And neither is Thud."

Violet looked over at Taunt, trying to gauge his reaction. The heaving of his chest as he shook his head confirmed that he was having an "I'm such an idiot" moment. Though she would not admit it at the time, she could relate.

Taunt sighed. "Sorry, Mender. My mouth ran faster than my brain."

"You can outrun your brain?" Violet asked, sounding alarmed.

"If you are Taunt, it happens," Ducky noted with a laugh.

"You slay me."

Ducky rolled her eyes. "That is Stern Claw's job."

The green fastbiter then directed her gaze back onto Mender, who showed no sign of being fixated on Taunt's jab any longer. She knew that she had to act before anyone could manage to put their foot in their mouths.

"Speaking of jobs, we need to review our jobs. Do you remember what we need to look for first when we find them, Mender?"

"Signs my brother is trying to hide an injury?" Violet replied uncertainly. She knew from experience that her brother would almost never admit to an injury no matter how painful it was.

"That. But what else? What kind of injury are we looking for?"

"What was it called... the breathing sickness?"

Ducky nodded. "We have to watch their breathing…" She tried to catch her own breath for a moment as if to emphasize that point. "...in case they breath in water. Sometimes the signs are not there until a bit later."

"Not too late to do something, right?" Violet asked, suddenly unsure of herself.

Ducky hesitated noticeably. "Sometimes it is not. In those times Chronos told us to force the dinosaur to rest and to keep the chest upright."

"Wait. I thought you guys had done this before."

Ducky was silent for a moment, silently bemoaning destroying her counterpart's confidence before their important mission. "We have healed before, but we have never healed this. But the rainbowfaces have never led us astray yet."

"Let's hope this isn't the first time," Violet said more to herself than Ducky. Going by the pack's song, the rainbowfaces are weird. Even Taunt thinks they're weird. I wonder if meeting them would be fun.

She turned away from the others for a moment, thinking she heard something. That sounds like a two-footer but pretty far off. We should be... Violet caught sight of what appeared to be the silhouette of a beak growing in the distance over the tall grass. A shadow which was coming from something that her mind said simply couldn't exist. A fastrunner that dwarfed her and everyone else in the pack. Yikes!

"B-big runner!" Violet stammered before starting to shift away from the big runner, even if it was some distance away. A moment later she disappeared into the tall grass.

Taunt rolled his eyes as Ducky began to slow. "Very funny, Mender. But I think we would have…"

Almost immediately after the words had left his mouth, his ears were assaulted by a shriek that seemed to come from the very ground itself. High pitched and shrill it was like a cross between a fastrunner's call and a fastbiter's victorious roar. A sound that simply shouldn't exist. A sound that Taunt had heard before.

Both he and Ducky threw themselves into the tall grass without a word as the creeping shadow of what looked like a massive fastrunner descended upon them against the reflected light of the Night Circle. Gesturing towards the others to follow his lead through the dense cover, he allowed himself a moment of contemplation.

I certainly hope Leap and Verant are having better luck than us!

Later that morning:

For once Dodger thought he and Leap might finally have a bit of luck. While still a bit distant, he could see a possible way across the river.

"I think we might be in luck," Dodger said with barely contained enthusiasm.

Leap picked up the pace as he strained his eyes to focus on the horizon. "It's the rocks! Finally!" Suddenly he did not feel the bone-numbing exhaustion he had felt moments before.

"Think we can make it across?" Dodger asked.

His counterpart nodded as he sniffed the air. "We should as it has not rained in a few days. The pack has made it across quite a few times. You just have to watch out for the bellydraggers."

"The... oh, great." Dodger sighed. "We're never going to catch a break, are we?"

Leap was silent for a moment before slowing his forward momentum and quieting his footsteps into soft clicks upon the barren rocks. "We need to be quiet here. If they are looking elsewhere for food, then we can go across. But I don't fancy a race with those who live in the water."

"Me either."

The rushing river roared against its enclosure like a rampaging two-footer challenging a competitor, sending torrents of water spraying against the already slick rocks. Against the stark backdrop of the barren rocks and the untamed current little was immediately visible. It was only when the two fastbiters slowly crept within a threehorn's-breadth of the water's edge that Leap caught sight of what he was looking for. A gentle click of his sickle claw alerted Dodger to the glow of red eyes in the waters below.

"That is Lorack," Leap said simply as if he were personally acquainted with everything that wanted to eat them in this desolate hellscape. "There should be two more unless he finally drove them off."

"Do I want to know why you know the name of someone that would happily eat you?" Dodger asked.

Leap shrugged as he continued to study the water. "Sometimes it is worthwhile to know where the competition lives. And… um… well…"

Dodger gave Leap a skeptical look, not believing he just asked the bellydragger its name.

Leap thought about it for a few moments before finally letting it out "...one time we kind of gave him some of our catch in order to encourage him to let us across. A peace offering."

Dodger looked around to see if there was anything for them to use as either a peace offering or a distraction. "We're going to die, aren't we?" Dodger said after his search turned up nothing.

Leap's tail sagged slightly in a frown before perking up again. "There's the other two. By the threehorn skull."

"Not good," Dodger said, "That's way too close."

Leap nodded. "They know this is where 'food' crosses over. We only need a few moments to make it across, but we will need to have something to distract them…"

Both fastbiters grew silent for several moments as they considered the area around them. Though the land around the crossing was not as barren as the areas they had transveresed in the previous day, it still provided little in the way of meaningful cover. But even if they had all of the cover of a jungle at their disposal, it was hard to evade a threat who had its eyes focused on the only way you could possibly advance. With each minute that went by the possibility of waiting until nightfall, and hoping beyond hope that the bellydraggeers were asleep, became a more promising option despite the obvious danger.

"I not find any fish 'ere, Flinter! Belly draggers must scare em'!"

"Well, if there not any food, soon then we not eat. And if we not eat, then we die."

"We cross then?"

Dodger couldn't help but stare at the arguing dinosaurs on the river bank in morbid fascination. Rising only to the height of a fastrunner's knees, their green features shone like beacons in the morning sun, leaving nothing about their location to the imagination of any predators in the area. Tiny biters, he mentally groaned, Small and stupid, but Tracker insists they're delicious. She'd love this.

"But they eat us then!"

"Then we 'ook other place?"

"But fish harder to catch than 'ere! 'Ere they slap on rocks!"

But you idiots just said there weren't any fish here. How stupid are you guys? Dodger wondered, listening to the tiny biters' discussion, Hm, maybe we can use these idiots to get across safely...

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Leap whispered as his yellow eyes focused on the tiny biters in the distance.

"We snag a couple as food for us and shove the rest in the water?" Dodger asked.

Leap tilted his head. "Well… they're looking for fish to land on 'ere' right?" Upon seeing Dodger's annoyed expression at Leap replicating tiny biter stupid-speak he quickly amended himself, "They're looking for fish to crash on the rocks. So what if we give them something like that? They would not see us over there…."

He pointed at a slight indentation in the ground several fastbiter-length's away.

"What if we caught a few fish where it is safer, and then gave them a little toss away from the rocks?"

"I'd rather eat the fish," Dodger grumbled but nodded his agreement.

Splash!

Flinter's head turned at nearly breakneck speed as the sound registered in his ears. For the last several hours they had followed his brilliant idea of waiting for fish to crash into the rocks, but those that did were quickly retaken by the river. But the splashing further up the river… could his ears be deceiving him?

It was then that the sound of something wet smacking into the ground made the entire pack rise as one in a flurry of running feet.

A fish had landed on the rocks!

"We fish 'ere now! We go where fish go!"

He did not notice the bellydraggers moving in the water accordingly...

"We go now?" Dodger whispered as he watched the tiny biters prove they would be too stupid to exist if yellowbellies hadn't already proved it was possible to be stupider.

Leap nodded. "Let's take our chance!"

"After you," Dodger said, intentionally remembering the rank difference between the pair. This better be worth the food we gave up.

Leap did not waste any time rushing forward, causing tiny biters to look up in alarm as the two predators came out of hiding at the same moment. Deep in the water the bellydraggers began to stir once more, but within moments it became obvious that barring a slip that both Leap and Dodger would escape from the bellydragger's clutches.

Sickle claws clicked on the first rock as Leap's tail swung wildly to the side in order to balance his next jump. In another instant he was airborne once more, taking aim at the flattest of the black rocks.

Dodger landed on the rock Leap had been on shortly after Leap left it. He paused to steady himself and wait for Leap to get a bit further ahead so he would have room to continue. These are more slippery than I thought they were going to be. This wasn't a good idea.

Leap heaved himself off of the massive rock onto another that was disturbing low to the water. Resisting his own momentum by throwing his tail in the other direction he barely had enough forward momentum to throw himself up upon the shore, landing in a gasping heap.

Dodger made his last two jumps in quick succession. Not pausing to steady himself the last time, he landed awkwardly beside Leap, his snout slamming into the ground. Ow. Not my best landing.

Leap sighed deeply as he forced himself back onto his feet, nearly falling back onto his belly as his feet slipped. "Let's get further on land before Lorack bites our tails."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Dodger said as he hurriedly moved away from the water. Within moments they were away from the danger of the crossing and well onto dry rock.

That was when the screaming began.

"Well, the bellydraggers found the tiny biters," Dodger said before starting to move further away from the water.

Leap froze as he surveyed the scene in the distance. Tiny biters were scattering away from one of their comrades who had met an untimely end at the jaws of one of the predators. The other two belly draggers appeared to move in to partake of further easy pickings. That was when the unexpected happened as one of them bit upon Lorack's exposed side.

"Over here, you stupid tiny biters!" Leap cried as he began to wave his arms frantically. "The bellydraggers are fighting! Now is your chance! The rocks are free!"

As if to punctuate his point the other belly dragger moved in on Lorack's other side in a coordinated attack just as he let go of his catch. This was not a fight over food, this was a territorial battle.

A territorial battle that the tiny biters were watching.

"Now, you idiots! Move!"

"What are you doing?" Dodger asked, "If they're too stupid to act, that's their problem. If they get over here they'll NEVER leave us alone."

But Dodger's retort came too late as the tiny biters began to rush forward like a flock of flyers in a sudden gust. Within moments dozens of the little predators were scampering forward towards the rocks, their small bodies making easier work of the passage than Leap and Dodger as they could use the smaller rocks as well.

"Intentional or not they helped get us over here, so helping them across is the least we could do," Leap retorted before wincing as two tiny biters fell into the water and quickly went out of sight, "Well, most of them across."

"Great..." Dodger sighed. And here come the little idiots now. The thirty or so little biters were practically sprinting towards them in a near-stampede. None of them even looked back to the three who were lost in the moments prior.

"Well, you just invited the dumbest sharpteeth you could possibly find to follow us around, Leap. I hope you know what you're doing." Dodger wasn't looking forward to what they were about to deal with.

Leap gave Dodger a disbelieving look. "All I did was help them across. I hardly think that…"

His words were promptly interrupted by one of the little biters bowing impossibly low while the others did the same as if they were caricatures of the first one.

"You help us, Big Biter! We follow you now!"

Dodger closed his eyes in exasperation. Ancestors give me strength.

"Is he gone, Spotter?"

Ducky listened intently for her friend's answer as she clung to the tree. Though they had not smelled the insufferable predator for several hours, the coming of daylight allowed Petrie to put them at ease.

"No sign of Purple Tail. Me think he gave up and went to sleep somewhere."

Ducky let out a contented sigh at that. With a grateful nod in the direction of the flyer's perch she prepared to make her way down the tall tree. I could never have done this as a swimmer, nope, nope, nope.

It took several moments but she finally landed on solid ground and looked towards the others. Violet's alert form stood in stark contrast to Taunt's lazy yawn.

"Spotter cannot see him, so he thinks we are clear."

"We're not going to get eaten?" Violet asked, sounding a bit shaken.

"He wouldn't eat us anyway. Probably," Taunt offered, "The last few times we have met he chased us off."

Ducky rolled her eyes. That is an understatement, Taunt. "He does not like others in his territory, and he thinks everything he sees is his territory."

Taunt smirked. "A simple plan for a simple mind."

"If he's so dumb, why doesn't something else big just eat him?" Violet asked, "They're a lot smaller, but Staza always said that stupid things like tiny biters were easy to trick. So why doesn't something eat him?"

Ducky swung her tail into a smirk. "Well, being his size limits the number of things that can eat you. And being that fast limits the number of things that can catch you. Which is good, because, as Ponder would say, big runners are not smart runners."

"But I thought fastrunners were smart." Violet was now rather confused. "Does being bigger make you stupider?"

"Well, we are all bigger tiny biters when you think about it," Taunt noted.

"Some of us more like tiny biters than others," Petrie mocked as he again took flight, "You biters okay if Spotter check for Leap and Verant? We almost there now."

Ducky nodded before looking at Taunt for confirmation. It was a reminder to Violet of Ducky's lower rank in the pack.

Taunt nodded. "Go ahead, Spotter. We will follow as fast as we can."

"We're never going to get any sleep, are we?" Violet moaned. She didn't want to admit it, but she was exhausted.

Ducky noted her tone. It was the tone of someone who could push herself for far longer if she had to, but she wasn't sure she could be effective if things went on. A tone that she had heard in herself on several occasions.

She walked up to her friend and gave her a tail smile. "We just need to get in place so that if they are found then we can help. Then we can rest."

Taunt patted Violet on the shoulder as he gave an understanding. "Even your worst efforts will be better than treating them late. Who knows? They might not need our help at all except in being found."

"I hope they're alright," Violet said, "Verant might be fine with it, but I hate the water. It makes stuff like this happen."

Taunt and Ducky shared a look.

"I am sure that they are fine," Ducky forced more certainty in her voice than she actually felt, "But maybe we can do something to help us keep awake on the way there?"

"Like what?" Violet asked, "Poke Taunt with a stick?"

Taunt shook his tail in response. "Gotta catch me first!"

Ducky rolled her eyes. "Nope, nope, nope! But I think it might be good to sing some of our songs. I was a swimmer, so I have some songs about the water that are not scary."

"How is water not scary?" Violet asked, intentionally ignoring all the reasons she'd previously heard from Tracker when she'd asked her the same question.

Ducky laughed. "You will have to listen to the song to find out! Taunt, care to lead while I sing?"

While the trio advanced into the barrens, Ducky's soothing tones appearing to hum through the rocks that they passed, Petrie's journey was about to uncover a most unwelcome discovery.

The blue sky appeared to pulse with energy against the desolate rocks of the barrens. To the south stood the black rocks which occluded the contents of the deeper depths from the soaring heights of the clouds. To the north and west lay an expanse of barren ground interspersed with just enough vegetation to constrain the soil. Nowhere was a territory that any sensible fastbiter pack would claim as their own.

The flyer's eyes were wide open, absorbing the all-encompassing desolation with the same subtlety that parched soil took in the first summer rains. Looking for any sign of his allies.

The possibility that they were dead was one that he forced into his subconscious. There was a time and a place for deliberate self-delusion.

Despite this, as the flight continued with no sign of any life, even Thud's pack that he knew was nearby, the flyer felt his hope evaporating.

That was when he saw it. A purple mass quickly appearing in the horizon. A purple mass advancing with great speed for a land-dweller.

Damn it, Purple Tail! Why don't you be stupid elsewhere?

Despite his growing annoyance he tried not to let the appearance of the predator distract him from his greater mission. Yes, he would have to warn Violet and the others about the threat as they advanced. And, yes, he would have to try to convince Purple Tail that this land was not worth having (it wasn't). But ultimately it would be up to him to find his friends.

That was when something else caught his attention.

Chasing tiny biters? How that good meal, Purple Tail? At least hunting my friends make some sense.

Perhaps it was something about the way Purple Tail sprinted with purpose, or perhaps it was the way he sniffed every few moments despite the tiny biters being in sight. But something deep in the flyer's mind told him to follow the big runner.

It only took a few seconds for the entire tiny biter pack to appear in the horizon, followed by two new objects. Two objects that were moving side-by-side.

That was when he realized exactly what Purple Tail had caught the scent of.

His alert call erupted into the morning sky. The lost ones had been found, and they were in trouble!

Caw!

What was that? Tracker wondered. She glanced around to see what might have made the sound.

In that exact instant Thud and Swift came to the most abrupt stop possible without falling face-first into the ground. The dusty soil erupted in a snow-like flurry around Tracker as she struggled to replicate their maneuver, her confusion quickly turning into concern.

Thud's foot stomped twice. It was a silent command that brokered no disagreement.

I guess the sounds mean something to Thud, Tracker thought, I hope it doesn't mean we have more trouble.

The alert calls repeated in a rhythmic pattern. One and then another. One and then another. For a moment Tracker thought that it was just a repeat of the previous call, another mindless vocalization from a flyer. But Thud seemed to hang on every call. That was when another series of two calls was cut off, followed by a louder call.

"That's Spotter," Thud confirmed as he listened for another moment in a tense contortion of a posture, as if on the verge of jumping into the sky. That was when Petrie again called twice.

The resulting leaps from both of her counterparts made Tracker hurl herself backwards out of surprise.

"He's found them!"

"What?" Tracker blurted out in surprise. Are they okay? How close are they?

Thud looked in the direction that the flyer's call had emanated from and prepared to make a call of his own.

That was when a torrent of calls echoed in their ears, followed by a volley of distant screeches that Tracker could recognize.

"Apparently Spotter also found lunch," Tracker said, recognizing the panicked screams of tiny biters. Hopefully we can find some of those as well.

Swift did not move. "Something's wrong."

It was then that the screeches were drown out by a deafening screech that clearly emanated from the ground. Something that reminded Tracker of a fastrunner, yet had the deafening percussion of a threehorn's bellow. A burst that made something in her gut churn.

Whatever that is, it can't be good.

"Damn it! It's Purple Tail; that stupid…" Thud roared, "Come on! We have to help our packmates!"

Neither Tracker nor Swift needed any further motivation as the pack sprinted in the direction of their wayward comrades.

"What is that thing?" Dodger yelled as he tried to run faster than he ever had before.

Leap, meanwhile, could barely hear his counterpart over the thundering footsteps echoing behind them and the panicked screams of the tiny biters who had long since fallen behind. When he finally did speak his voice came out in a barely intelligible growl.

"Purple Tail! Big runner!"

"How did it get that big?" Dodger asked, but he wasn't really expecting an answer, "And how do we kill it?"

He didn't get an answer aside from a near-collision as Leap edged closer to his counterpart, barely dodging the massive beak that tore through the sky.

The Gigantoraptor's call was deafening as it protested the denial of its killing blow. Both fastbiters pushed themselves to go faster as they knew the momentary setback would not last.

"Kill it?!" Leap finally asked as the thundering footsteps echoed in the barrens once more.

"If we can't hide from it, the only other option is to kill it," Dodger replied, not bothering to keep the irritation out of his voice. It was better than sounding afraid.

Leap glanced back briefly before glancing at Dodger, his feet never letting up on their forward sprint. "Split and run? One of us… huff... as bait and the other go for its feet?"

Caw!

In that very moment the big runner's forward momentum was slowed by a familiar sound in the sky. It was only when Leap saw a brown blur quickly ascend back into the skies above them that he knew the culprit.

"Run, stupid biters! Run!"

Leap growled, "Trying, Spotter!"

"Never mind the big runner. If we get out of this, I'm going to kill that flyer!" Dodger really didn't appreciate Petrie's idea of advice.

Thum, thum… thum, thum… the constant rhythm of their adversary's footsteps greeted their ears. They only had moments to make their move.

"I'll be the bait. You go for the legs," Leap's voice finally spoke with resignation.

"Just say when," Dodger replied, sounding far more confident than his packmate.

Thum, thum… thum, thum…

Leap's eyes narrowed. "Now!"

In a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, the green fastbiter suddenly veered to the left, nearly sending his tail skidding across the ground. It was the sort of ungraceful move, the kind of mistake, that no predator could resist.

And Purple Tail was no exception.

As the big runner shifted his momentum to follow the unfortunate fastbiter, he took no heed of his counterpart. He knew that the big runner who chased two often ended up with none.

But he did not see what the other fastbiter had in mind.

Dodger resisted the urge to look back as he continued his forward sprint. He had to make absolutely sure that his counterpart was the one who was being chased. If he was wrong and he slowed…

That was when he heard it. The sound of the footsteps getting slightly softer. The big runner was getting farther away. Without missing a beat he aimed himself towards the adversary and allowed his mind to focus on Purple Tail's footsteps…

Thum… thum… thum… thum…

Step by step, advance by advance, Dodger did his best to match the big runner's lumbering yet agile gait. He had to outright jump in many cases to advance only when Purple Tail did and advance towards him at the same time. But slowly but surely he noticed he was making progress as the overgrown fastrunner's calf muscles fixated in his gaze.

Only a longneck length to go…

As Dodger continued to close the distance between himself and the big runner, said big runner seemed to be doing the same to Leap. The big runner's gaining on him, Dodger thought worriedly, Come on, Leap. I've almost got this guy. I just need a little more time. Realizing that Leap might not be able to keep ahead of Purple Tail for that long, Dodger started thinking about how close he would need to be before he could strike without worrying about discovery.

That was when Leap made another sudden turn, forming a large arc as the big runner continued to make gains. A dawning realization, a horrible realization, emerged in Dodger's mind.

Leap, if the big runner doesn't kill you, I'm going to, Dodger thought angrily as he realized that Leap was trying to help him catch up to the big runner, Focus on staying alive.

Half a longneck…

Focused as he was on getting close enough to strike, Dodger almost didn't notice the sound of flapping wings. When he did see the familiar brown hues of Petrie he was overcome by concern.

Don't make him focus on me, Spotter! You could end up getting us all killed!

But despite his fears the flyer did not make any sound as he descended upon the purple big runner. Instead he merely dove near the predator's shoulder level and swooped in front of Purple Tail's advancing form. It was just enough to slow him down.

Now!

Dodger quickly closed the remaining distance between himself and Purple Tail's leg, eager to do as much damage as he could. Within an instant his teeth advanced upon the pulsing tendon in the back of the big runner's leg.

Screech!

Flesh ripped before the fastbiter's razor sharp teeth, cutting a path of destruction into the purple flesh and red sinew below. It was only when his teeth caught in something that would not budge that he realized he had underestimated the fortitude of his target's leg.

He barely dodged the massive beak as it tore into the ground beside him.

This is going to be harder than I thought, Dodger thought frustratedly.

The screech of pain beckoned in Leap's mind like the call of a mother to a child. A sound of utter surprise and anguish that made something in the mind of all predators come alive in anticipation of a coming meal. The culmination of everyone's efforts.

Or in this case, their salvation from death at the Gigantoraptor's jaws.

His body veered to his right even as it refused to slow. The time to run had passed now was the time to drive home the attack.

He was quickly greeted by a volley of dust as the overgrown fastrunner appeared to attack the ground. Only the airborne blue object sailing in the other direction confirmed that Dodger had not met an untimely end. In that moment of chaos the fastbiter was the only sign of stability in a reality that had turned too surreal to process.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Purple Tail's rampaging beak appeared to be everywhere and nowhere at once as the giant beast attempted to land the killing blow on his nimble adversary. Taking no opportunity to run in a straight line, lest he open up an attack of opportunity, Dodger spun around his opponent as if he were a seed being carried in a whirlwind. The beast may have been injured, but that made him no less dangerous. It was all Dodger could do in avoiding his strikes.

Leap's eyes narrowed. There was no time for contemplation. There was only time to act.

He felt his body being carried forward, as if not under his own power, as the sounds of the rampaging Gigantoraptor carried on around him. The percussions of stomping feet and the beak cutting through air was only accented by the sound of his own breathing. He had no idea he had jumped until his claws collided with feathers and his head collided with beak.

By the time the ground broke his fall he was already unconscious.

Dodger barely had time to get out of the way as the feathered side of his adversary briefly collided into the ground with a resounding thud. Scampering claws appeared to run in place as the massive beast attempted to regain his footing. But as his head swayed and body shifted uneasily, Dodger hesitated to deal the killing blow.

The fallen body of his packmate had landed right in front of him.

Okay, now what do I do? Dodger thought, Leap's not going anywhere, and the oversized dinner is already getting back up.

Dodger attempted to regain his fighting stance, leaping over his fallen comrade. His efforts were greeted with a flurry of fallen feathers as Purple Tail bolted in the other direction. His dazed mind was still apparently able to give the command to run away.

I've never been that lucky before, Dodger thought, shocked to see the big runner retreat, Now I've got to figure out how to get Leap out of here before that thing comes back...

Dodger hurried over to Leap. After making sure Leap wasn't dead, audibly sighing in relief upon hearing the intake of breath. That was when he took stock of the body before him.

Blood oozed from his ripped scales bestowing crimson wetness upon his green coloration. His body, meanwhile, was as relaxed as a corpse. A sign that his stunt had completely taken him from the world of the awake. He could only hope this was not a permanent and final departure.

Looks like he's messed up his head pretty bad. Hopefully it's not too bad, but it sure looks messy. Why didn't I ask Mender more questions about injuries before we left?

"Leap!"

I guess Leap was right about Thud coming after us, Dodger thought after hearing Swift's voice, Great... Why'd Swift have to be the first to see this?

The sound of rushing feet only lasted a few seconds before they were joined by several others in the distance. But not before Leap's sister was violently shaking his side.

"Leap! Can you hear me?" Another nudge to her brother followed before Dodger suddenly had the female's face taking up much of his vision. "What happened?"

"We had a problem with a big runner. We managed to hurt it a bit, but, well..." Dodger gestured at Leap helplessly.

"Leap…" Swift moaned as she sat down upon her haunches, energy suddenly drained from her. She and the entire pack had been prepared for a fight, but now they were arriving to its aftermath. A battle that had already ended with a terrible price.

The sound of sliding feet and Thud's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Report, Verant! And are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Dodger replied, "We got chased by a big runner. I guess we scared it off, but it was far tougher than we thought it would be. Leap got hurt attacking its head."

Thud noted the tracks leading away from the pack. "I should have Spotter finish the job. Purple Tail should know that no one harms my pack with impunity," he roared in frustration before putting a hand on Swift's shoulder. His next words were as soft as they were concerned. "It's good to see you two have not gone to the ancestors. But Leap needs a healer."

Once Thud was no longer talking to Dodger, Tracker rushed over to Dodger to do her own check. She didn't believe for a moment that her mate could be completely fine while Leap was badly hurt.

Thud looked up at the sky. "Where is that flyer?"

Almost hesitantly, as if unsure if he were completely real despite the evidence, Tracker allowed herself to the slightest bit of a nuzzle with her mate. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Dodger intentionally stepped back a bit to get a good look at his mate. "Are you alright?"

Tracker was taken aback for a moment. "I am now that I know that you are." She hesitated slightly as she noted her other two packmates looking over Leap. "He fell while ending the fight?"

"If he hadn't gotten that last attack in, we'd probably still be fighting that monster now," Dodger replied, "And I thought fighting two-footers was hard."

That was when a familiar flyer landed right beside the pack.

"They on the way! Me had to warn them!"

Dodger glared at Petrie, not exactly happy to see the flyer. "Warn who?"

Petrie took a step back. "Mender and Haven on the way! Taunt too! We sent healers as you requested, Thud."

Thud took a deep breath, ignoring the cold reception of the flyer by Dodger for the time being. "Thank you, Spotter. Mark our spot if you don't mind so that they find us right away."

Petrie nodded. "On it!"

I can't believe they sent my sister out into this, Dodger thought angrily.

Unaware of the mental turmoil of her packmate, Swift could only cradle her brother's head. "You stay with me, Leap. Help is on the way."

Ducky sprinted forward as she gestured at the others to follow. Petrie's announcement had staggered them all, both with hope and grave concern. "Head injury! What do you remember about those, Mender?"

Taunt quickly matched Ducky's speed as Violet fell in beside her, all pretenses of avoiding predators falling away as they focused on helping their ally in his time of need.

"Um, I know mine made me forget a lot of things," Violet replied, now feeling a bit uncomfortable.

She could see Ducky bob her head mid-run. "And it is worse if they are knocked into sleep. We need to make sure not to hurt his head worse."

"So we need to keep Leap's head from moving too much and... um... make sure he can breath, right?"

Ducky let out a grunt of agreement as Taunt picked up speed.

"There they are!" Taunt cried as he let out a loud roar to let them know they were on their way. He was quickly greeted by a roar in return.

"Should we really be doing that when there's nowhere to hide?" Violet asked, hurrying to keep up with the others.

"Strength in numbers," Taunt affirmed as he looked up at the sky, "No alert call from Spotter, so let's go!"

For once, Violet found herself looking at a scene that was almost familiar. Dodger and Tracker stood side by side in a gesture of mutual support against the concerning backdrop around them. Thud, meanwhile, appeared to assume all of the foreboding power that his position of pack leader could confer upon him as he examined the advancing fastbiters. That was when Violet caught a good look at Swift and the head that she was cradling in her hands.

Leap's eyes were closed and his head was placid as if in repose. From her vantage point it could have been death or sleep upon his features.

The pack closed the distance before she even had time to think of what they had to do first.

"Okay, Swift, we need you to keep his head upright, okay?"

Ducky's words quickly reminded Violet why she was here in the first place. Letting her more experienced friend take care of Leap for the moment, Violet tried to get some answers. "Um, how exactly did he get hurt?" she asked, not directing her question at anyone in general.

Thud paused before glancing at Dodger. "They fought that fucking big runner! Leap hurt his head in the process."

Dodger bit back a nearly reflexive retort about swearing in front of his sister before focusing back on the subject at hand. "More specifically, he ran right into the big runner's head and got sent flying. I'm pretty sure he was out before he even hit the ground."

Violet blinked. "So he hit his head twice?"

Ducky stopped as she carefully took control of Leap's head from Swift, keeping it and his body upright by allowing it to rest upon her shoulder.

"If you count hitting the big runner and the ground separately, then yes," Dodger replied.

Ducky sighed. "Well we need to get the bleeding under control first. We do, we do." She carefully examined the bleeding wounds. "Mender, can you apply pressure where you see the gash?"

Violet carefully put pressure on the wound on Leap's head with a leaf. "Good thing he's out right now," she said with a sympathetic wince, "Taunt could you hand me another leaf?"

Taunt quickly complied as he looked down at the gash on Leap's head and muttered under his breath, "That is a gusher."

The sudden intake of air from Swift earned Taunt stares from both Ducky and Violet before he again took a step back.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Violet said, deliberately not looking at Swift. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't always true. "These always bleed a lot."

As she carefully wiped the crimson fluid off of the gash, she gave Ducky a quick look to make sure that she was doing it properly. She earned a polite nod before a hand stopped her from wiping a second time.

"Let it bleed slightly and then use the no-infection leaf. Then pressure."

Dodger blinked in recognition. The wound that bleeds clean does not become a fiend.

"How does it look?" Tracker asked, having come up to get a better view of what was going on. Swift was already circling Leap like a concerned mother checking on her chick.

Ducky waited for a moment before giving her appraisal. "How much pressure, Mender?" She applied pressure on Violet's arm, slowly increasing her push.

"About that much," Violet said almost immediately, surprise evident in her tone, "It's not much pressure."

Ducky allowed herself an exhale of breath. "That is good, it is, it is. Now it is up to him to wake up."

Having been the victim of head injuries herself, Violet wasn't entirely sure things were going to be all that simple. He could end up a bit confused or, like me, he could end up really confused. Or he might not wake up at all. What if I got here too late? Oh, what have I gotten myself into?

The present:

As soon as two hidden runners appeared in front of his beak, their faces stern, Orchid began to realize that he had missed something. With an almost helpless expression he turned towards the one to his right.

"I am here to help. Can you show me which of you is injured?"

This seemed to cause something in the hidden runner shift as he removed his grip on the stick to his side. Slowly he and his counterpart took a step back from the male. That was when he caught a clear look of what lay behind them.

The pink female was almost a mimic of his mother in a way. Or, rather, how he might have imagined his mother would have looked before he had been hatched. This female's vibrant feathers had not started their midlife fade, but yet her eyes carried a wariness that he had noticed in both of his parents. A wariness hatched from adversity and struggle.

The slight glance she gave the two orbs behind her before again staring at him spoke volumes.

What have I gotten myself into?

As if to answer his question he felt a presence behind him as the two hidden runners looked up as if rising to attention. Orchid responded by slowly turning. He was greeted by the sight of two translucent yellow eyes resting upon the face of a blue fastbiter. A fastbiter that looked equal parts concerned and ready to eviscerate him at a moment's notice.

Choking down his fear, Orchid's brain put things together remarkably quickly.

"Verant?" It's obviously Verant, you idiot. It's male and it's a fastbiter, "I am with Mender, sir. How can I help? And is she alright?" He gestured carefully in the direction of the female fastrunner, being careful not to gesture too far.

"She's fine," Verant replied in a not too friendly tone.

Hint taken. Orchid retorted mentally as the eggs beside the female fastrunner clearly indicated the source of conflict. I am such an idiot.

Orchid forced his face to remain neutral though he was sure that he was radiating fear. He was quickly realizing what Mender had said about being subject to one of Dodger's 'looks'.

"How can I help, sir?"

"I would suggest checking on a few of the injured here, but I don't have the time to sit around and make sure they don't eat you," Verant replied, though sounding more like he was thinking aloud.

Taking the dismissal for what it was, Orchid quickly gained some distance on the pink female and was nearly immediately run over by a distracted Ducky,

"Orchid? Do you remember how to do the calming trick?"

Orchid froze for a moment before responding. "I remember it."

It seemed that this was all that she needed to hear as he was immediately nudged in front of a small hidden runner youngling.

"He is getting the fireweed treatment after his brother. Try to calm him down."

Before he could ask for clarification the bundle of green feathers had sprinted and weaved through the assembled bodies like a snake through an outcropping of bushes, leaving Orchid to his task as if he were an expert.

The wide eyes of the little hidden runner appeared to be fixated on the fastrunner as his legs trembled as if it were the coldest winter morning. For once Orchid found someone who was radiating more confusion scent than he was even managing at the moment.

"Hey, little guy. Um…" Orchid paused, unsure of how to proceed. "How are you?"

"Okay..." the young hidden runner said, looking at Orchid oddly.

Orchid tilted his head, feeling a bit of amusement at the hidden runner's response considering he smelled like a youngling that had just escaped from a two-footer.

"Well, that's good. You smelled like you weren't okay, so I wanted to check." He gestured at the little one to raise his arm.

The younger dinosaur raised his arm. "Have you met Ovie?" he asked, starting to calm down.

Orchid noted the small insects crawling on the feathers but suppressed giving an overt reaction to the youngling's plight. He could not change what would soon be necessary, but he could help distract him in the meantime. "Um… Verant thought that wouldn't be a good idea. But I did see her."

"What are you? I forgot what Ovie told me."

The fastrunner smiled at the young one's innocence. "We are fastrunners. We are like you, except that we run fast but cannot hide well." He held up his purple arm for emphasis.

"Faster than the fastbiters?" the kid asked.

Orchid rubbed his crest awkwardly at that question. As the child's questions as gone from innocent and cute to innocent and awkward, as children's questions often did. "Um… some of us. The lucky ones." Where are you, Haven? I'm supposed to help heal, right?

"Yeah, fireweed isn't that bad. I've run into it a few times…"

"Does it hurt?"

"It… burns a little. But it is all worth it once the blood-suckers are off of your skin."

Orchid's pretty good at keeping kids calm, Mender thought before returning her attention back to the task at hand, Maybe I could get him to watch Verant's kids sometime. They at least won't eat him.

"Manny has been so nervous since… it all happened." The young female hidden runner shifted awkwardly under the fastbiter's careful gaze. "I am glad that he likes your friend."

"Orchid's pretty easy to like," Mender replied.

She looked back briefly to see her counterpart apply a small sample on the young hidden runner's skin.

"See? It's not too bad… especially if you know it is coming."

"I hope that I never run into this stuff!"

"Yeah… I learned a lesson one day when I decided to try to eat some of the stuff."

"Really?"

"Really. Mom didn't let me out of the nest for another season because of that little stunt. I couldn't feel my tongue for a day. But in my defense… I mean… it does look kind of tasty when you just look at it…"

It was in that moment that both Mender and the hidden runner's guardian watched the fastrunner act like he was going to put it in his beak. He was quickly stopped by his little patient as he grabbed the offending leaf. It was only when Orchid laughed that the kid realized that he had been played.

"You tricked me!"

Orchid took a little bow. "Guilty. But are you afraid of the fireweed now?"

I don't know whether to call you a natural or an idiot, Orchid, Mender thought as she watched the hidden runner shake his head at the question before erupting in amused laughter, Did you really eat something called 'fireweed' and expect it to be good? It seems your new friend found it quite funny, though.

"How did he do that?" the hidden runner patient asked, suddenly bringing Mender back to the task at hand. "Manny hasn't laughed since it happened."

"Orchid's only just now become an adult. I guess he still knows how to be a kid," Mender said with a laugh.

"I just… I wish I was as good with Manny as he is," the female noted morosely, "If my mother could see me now… how did she do it?"

"Staza might be able to help. She helped me when we were both younger," Mender suggested, "If nothing else, it helps to have someone to talk to." Not that I've had time to talk with her or anyone else beyond knowing who is hurt and how badly.

"Can you move your arm for me?" Mender asked after a moment.

The hidden runner was surprised by the sudden request but quickly complied. "I think the… whatever you call it is helping. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Mender replied, "If anything starts hurting more later, tell me. Alright?"

The hidden runner nodded affirmatively before stepping backwards and giving one of the deepest bows that Mender could ever remember seeing.

After a moment of confusion, Mender bowed slightly. I'm never going to get used to this.

"Alright, Manny, let's see if Haven is ready to give you the treatment."

"Okay, Mo-Lesle… thank you, Orchid."

"No problem, little guy."

Orchid appeared to be distracted for a moment as he watched the two hidden runners walk away. In his contemplation he nearly jumped when he saw Mender walk right next to him.

"Good job, Orchid," Mender said once the hidden runners had left, "I think you made a friend."

"Manny seems like a good kid. I just wish that we could do more." He rubbed his feathers awkwardly as if checking for parasites. "I have never seen an infestation that bad."

"I've seen a lot worse," Mender said.

"How?" The fastrunner gestured wildly as if outright frightened by the idea. "There was as much blood in those blood-suckers as in his body."

"Well, the last time I saw this, it killed a whole nest of hatchlings. The parents didn't look much better." Mender cringed at the memory.

Orchid barely stared at Mender mouth agape as he leaned in. "How can it get that bad?"

"Bad nest site. The parents weren't exactly experienced in, well, anything now that I think about it," Mender explained.

Orchid's focus on the hidden runner female in the distance was obvious as several supportive coos emanated from Ducky's mouth. Manny though, keeping to his previous attestations kept a brave face as the burning leaves were placed upon his flesh. "She… she is only my age, isn't she?"

"The one looking out for your new friend?" Mender asked as she examined the female's body intensely for a moment, "I think she's a little older than you, but not much older."

Orchid nodded. "It is hard to believe taking on that responsibility at that age… I mean…" He looked away awkwardly for a moment, his words suddenly cut off.

"You can't imagine taking care of one that isn't yours?" Mender continued for him, "Do I have to remind you again to stay away from Ovie?"

Orchid turned back towards her at this, his expression clearly indicating that the words had stung. "Mender, you know that I would never do anything to her or her eggs! I am not a monster!"

"No. You're a male fastrunner, something Verant has been getting very good at hunting," Mender said, not that concerned about Orchid's reaction.

"Have I given him any reason to doubt your opinion of me?" he retorted.

"You're not dead. Once you're dead, my brother will trust you around Ovie," Mender replied, "Don't take it personally. I'm not sure he trusts Taunt even today. Since I trust Taunt, my choice in friends is a bit suspect." She tried to hold in a laugh. "He's just being protective."

The fastrunner was silent for a few moments as if carefully considering his companion's words. He didn't have a chance to speak, however, before several small scaled bodies were spotted by Orchid's widened eyes. "Mender, look out!"

"Calm down, Orchid," Mender said with a laugh, bracing herself as several fastbiter younglings hopped on her back, "They're Staza and Verant's kids."

"Aunt Mender! Daddy said we had to stay put, but we couldn't wait!"

"Is Gyors okay?"

Orchid watched the scene with some amusement as he proceeded to search for other work with the generally healthy group of refugees. Not wanting to walk near Ovie, he eventually settled himself with doing one of the skills he was competent at as he talked with the two other hidden runner children and began to examine them for the same blood-suckers that had been on the two brothers. This left Mender with the five excited bundles of scales and claws on her back.

"Aunt Mender, are you listening?"

"One at a time, kids; one at a time," Mender said as calmly as she could, trying to give herself a bit more time to think about how to answer the children's collective question about their brother.

The confusing jumble of voices quieted down as if receiving an alert call. It was only when one of their number, Sana jumped down that a child's voice again spoke.

"How is Gyors doing? He looked pretty bad before the flyer took him!"

"He's going to be okay," Mender said, deciding to be entirely honest with the kids, "He lost an eye, but he's going to be okay."

"I told you that Spotter wouldn't lie to us!" one of the sisters noted.

"But you know what Dad says about flyers! We have to make sure…" Sana whispered

The children began to mutter amongst themselves as they noticed Mender's somewhat stern expression at Sana's admission. It appeared that the father's cautious lack of trust had begun to rub off on more than one of his sons.

She looked at Orchid in the distance who was acting silly for some reason, causing the two hidden runner children to laugh. This is what I warned you about, Orchid.

Mender found herself waking up that night with a pain in her side.

"Yowch," Mender muttered, glaring at the stick she had just rolled onto, "Stupid stick." She tossed the offending item into the darkness. I just can't get a good night's rest, can I? I didn't think we were ever going to finish checking everyone today.

Rising from her temporary sleeping place, nestled as deep into bushes as her brother's well-justified paranoia would allow, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the all-encompassing darkness of the night. This only took a few moments with her predatory eyes, but as soon as they focused on the sleeping bodies around her she quickly regretted her previous thoughts. How could she be annoyed by the duties that fell upon her when those she had tended to had lost so much more?

Her eyes first focused on the four small hidden runner bodies, each with their respective guardians, but only two with one of their actual parents.

Poor kids. I know what it's like to lose friends and family, but I can't imagine what it's like knowing there's almost nothing left of what used to be home, Mender thought, I hope they'll be okay. I wonder if Orchid could talk to them... Now where is he?

Mender proceeded to do a cursory inspection of the other sleeping areas, being careful not to trample upon the hidden runners who blended into the terrain just as their names indicated and being even more careful not to wake the refugees lest they be even more exhausted for the journey ahead. But even with her extreme caution something became quite obvious.

Orchid was nowhere to be seen.

Mender quickened her pace as she strained her ears to hear anything in the evening breeze. Where can he be? Surely no one tried to have a snack!

She continued creeping through the bushes, careful not to make too much noise and wake up everyone. As she moved she thought she heard someone talking. Ovie?

"So you left your parents because you helped your sister keep a secret?"

Who is she talking to? Mender wondered.

"Uh… kind of. My father and I made amends but it was my time to go. And… well… when I saw that Mender's pack was helping people and exploring the Mysterious Beyond it just called to me, you know?"

Oh, no. Orchid... You're going to get yourself killed. If Verant finds you, good luck not getting ripped apart. Mender moved closer both to better listen and to hopefully be able to intervene if her brother showed up.

She did not have to venture far for the tell-tale silhouette of two fastrunners to appear in the periphery of her vision. Both were focused on the other, but a clear distance was being maintained.

Ovie smiled. "So you wanted the adventure of a pack more than the adventure of being an easier target."

Orchid, for his part, was taken aback. But he returned a humored smile nonetheless, "Are you calling me brave or a coward?"

Ovie returned the expression. "Both."

Orchid rubbed his crest awkwardly before shrugging. "Sounds fair. I think Nahoda still thinks I am stupid, though."

You're not exactly proving him wrong here, Mender thought, Why didn't you just get me or someone else to keep watch so Verant doesn't decide his kids need a fastrunner dinner?

"And who exactly is Nahoda?" Ovie prompted.

Orchid laughed softly. "He is the one that I told you about. My sister's mate who was nearly was killed twice before finally making it official. He nearly didn't get his chance."

Ovie stiffened. "I know the feeling."

The two fastrunners shared a long look for several moments, neither saying anything as the chilly air of the night cast its breeze upon everyone present. The moment was only broken when Ovie spoke again.

"Brakas was so much like you when I first saw him… brave in his own way but smart enough to know that there was safety in numbers… though he would never admit the safety part." Mender could see Ovie's beak life upwards in a smile against the starlight. "His idea of adventure... and impressing the females… was showing off as one of Ignis's scouts."

Orchid's eyes lit up. "She uses us as those?"

Unfortunately, Mender thought, Have I got a story for you, Orchid.

Ovie gestured at herself. "We girls don't blend in very well… but a few males try to go for the challenge. He was one of those who tried and died."

Orchid hesitated for a moment. "I'm sure he would be proud of how you are carrying on without him."

Almost imperceptibly the female's head jerked in the direction of a nearby bush. It was something that Mender picked up on immediately, but for which Orchid made no visible response.

Ovie, if you're trying to hide something, looking at it is not a good idea, Mender thought, Especially if what you're hiding is eggs.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you," Orchid continued as he took a step back and gave the slightest hint of a bow in the hidden runner style. It was given just as awkwardly as he had learned the gesture a mere few weeks before. "Sometimes I can be such an idiot. This was a mistake."

Well, that bow was a mistake. I'm not letting you near another hidden runner pack until we get that right, Mender thought, cringing at what she was able to glimpse. She could only imagine what Ovie had seen.

"I was the one who called you over."

Interesting...

Orchid did not turn around, but raised his beak in acknowledgement. "I know. But not all dangers you can see. And here I am, not knowing what I am doing, sending myself into other people's business."

He turned around to look in the direction of her nest, his expression unseen from Violet's vantage point. When the words left his mouth they almost sounded like they had come out of another dinosaur completely.

"Please do not think ill of me, but I will not approach you again until your children are safe from danger, and from me."

The female stared for a long moment, before walking backwards towards her nest. Her beak was in a stern frown, but her eyes lacked any coldness. "And on that day you will be welcome at my nest, Orchid. Farewell."

Orchid, merely taking this as a polite dismissal and nothing more, nodded and walked away without another word. Within moments the only thing that could be heard was the soft humming of a tune by the female fastrunner as she drifted off to sleep.

Orchid... Mender wanted to slam her head into a tree. We're going to need to talk. Your parents apparently didn't cover this.

Ignis's territory:

The hidden runner's verdant feathers rested upon the rocky scrape, while her head did anything but rest upon its roughened surface. Even the best days of leadership contained their fair share of burdens, but today was one of those days that tried the wills of even the most formidable leaders. She had repeated one of the few feats of her father that she never wanted to achieve.

She had lost a pack.

Since the announcement had come from the scouts she had nothing in the way of rest. First had come the concerned chattering of her followers to soothe, then had come the anxious chattering of her advisors to analyze; by the time she had finally gotten to the reassuring chattering of her mates she had decided that more chattering was the last thing that she needed.

At this moment, just like in the last several that had come before, she was left with the silence. Only the recriminations in her own mind gave her company.

Is this how it felt, father? Losing dozens and not knowing what to do next? Not knowing whose advice to follow? Well, at least no one recommended that you mate your way out of the problem!

There was no answer, of course, but for some reason she was comforted by that fact. She didn't want to know what her father would have made of the options suggested to her mere moments before.

"Well, from where I am standing, this only gives us four options. Three of which are viable."

Viscond rolled his eyes at the Left Hand's silky words. "You mean only three of them aren't stupid."

Dravos nodded. "That is what I said."

Both of the males were answered by a claw screeching against the scrape, causing everyone to cringe. Ignis's glare told them both to get on with it.

"The first option is for the Great Leader to raise her loyal packs and to face Wrok in open battle. Let Fate choose its side."

Ignis frowned. "Assuming that Wrok plays fair and does not have a flyer take me out from afar or kill me in the middle of the night."

"The second option is to raise the assistance of our allies in removing Wrok as a threat. We have it on good authority that Seeker's pack will already take our side. Others may follow due to his pack's reputation… though the valley's loyalties have been a bit less certain as of late."

"The Dein and Terri incident," one of the advisors added.

"Options three and four are variations on the same theme, but may also entail some problems. As both Questor and Wrok both want power but lack the blood connections, you could simply mate with one of them."

All eyes turned to Dravos at that suggestion, with only Ignis's raised hand preventing Viscond from seeing to it that the Left Claw's beak was rearranged on his face.

Ignis kicked a bone on the ground to the side in exasperation as she secured her advisor's head with both hands. When she did speak her voice came out in a fierce hiss.

"You want me to fuck my way out of this? And what would become of the children that I already have? Would you expect either of those 'esteemed' suitors to see to their safety when they are focused on getting their children into the succession?

Dravos merely shrugged, his eyes not changing tone despite the implied threat of violence. "Like I said, there may be some problems."

After that she had ordered Penol to see to it that no one was let into her scrape until she gave the word. She never even considered the fact that wasn't her cousin's role until she finally took refuge upon the scrape itself. By that time she was too tired to care.

But now it was time to be a leader again. The time for sulking had passed.

She slowly rose from her scrape as she walked up to the entrance of the cave, more than a little surprised to see three guards and an out-of-place Penol standing at attention.

"Um… First Assistant Penol, your normal duties can resume once more."

Penol suppressed a sigh of relief before bowing then hurrying away to resume tasks she knew how to do.

Ignis barely suppressed a smile as she followed her cousin. Penol was hurrying with all of the intensity that Ignis had when, many years prior, her father had her and her siblings perform bone cleaning duty so that they would learn how the others live.

Everyone had to start somewhere.

"Cousin?"

"Ma'am?" Penol asked, stopping in surprise.

Ignis gestured for Penol to follow as they walked into one of the other caves in the cavern system.

"You did a fine job back there. There is nothing harder than trying to deal with something you have never been trained for." She tilted her head in an amused expression. "What were you going to do when I accidently made you the lead guard?"

Penol looked at Ignis, barely suppressing her surprise."I was going to try to do what you told me until I could hand it off to someone that knew what they were doing."

Ignis gave her a soft smile that did not reach her sad eyes. "I see. Well, in that case, feel free to watch and listen to this meeting. I think you have had enough stress for the evening, and you need to learn more of the hidden ways."

"Yes, ma'am," Penol replied, seeing Ignis's words as a polite order rather than a suggestion.

Ignis was about to tell her cousin to relax but, as often happened in her life, reality soon intervened. She probably should have told her cousin where they were going.

"Great Leader…"

Ignis held up a hand. "It's alright, Prizo." The other hidden runner was almost catatonic as the leader helped her to her feet. "I just came by to see if you were feeling well enough to speak. We need to know as much as we can if we are going to avenge the fallen."

Penol almost spoke but decided at the last moment to keep quiet. Instead she moved off to the side where she could still listen and be available to fulfil any requests without getting in the way.

"I… I don't remember much more than what I said before…"

"Get out. The Leader needs to think."

Ignis took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Without any further command she knew that everyone would obey and leave her in silence. That was what she needed right now.

"As you command, Great Leader. Shall I delay the meeting with the survivor?"

Her eyes shot open. What was her Left Claw muttering about?

Dravos slowly turned from where his gaze had been focused a moment before. At a certain hidden runner who was desperately trying to stand at attention in the guise of a guard. As soon as his gaze met the leader's he gave a slight nod.

"We discussed it previously. The survivor seems to be depressed according to Penol."

Ignis stared at the Left Claw for a long moment as the final footsteps of her entourage departed the range of hearing. As the realization hit her that it was only her and her advisor in the cavern she forced down the sudden suspicion that no actual meeting had ever scheduled.

"I will deal with it as soon as I am done, Dravos. Now depart."

The hidden runner gave his customary elongated bow before strolling out of the cavern, leaving the Great Leader to her own troubled thoughts.

Ignis frowned at the reluctance of Prizo to speak. It was just like Dravos had reported. Why hadn't her cousin told her of this? Surely she knew that she could report on something of such importance? She did not need to use Dravos as a go-between.

She sat down, which made both the survivor and her cousin to do the same in a flurry of activity.

"While we are in this place, please address me as if I were a friend and not your leader. You do not need to hide your pain or complaints from me. I know that I failed you."

Prizo was stunned into silence. It took her several moments to find her voice. "You did what you were able, but we can't avoid our fate."

Ignis was silent as she forced herself to restrain cursing Fate in front of the other female. She had lost her family and pack, the last thing that she needed was to have her beliefs challenged in this time of need as well.

"Fate sometimes offers us choices," Ignis began carefully, "And I want to make sure that my next choices are for my people's benefit. To do that I need to know how my people are feeling."

Ignis looked upon the hidden runner with a compassionate smile. She did not see Penol watching the scene with wonder.

"Have you decided what choices you wish to make? And can I help you in any way as you make these choices? After all, Fate helps those who help themselves."

She waited for the other female to speak. She was unsure in that moment if her words would be accepted as an esoteric conception of Fate or outright blasphemy.

Prizo nodded in understanding. "I guess Wrok didn't make a good choice in starting this challenge, then."

Ignis glared into the dirt at Prizo's left. "I will see to it that he receives no reward for challenging Fate. Its favor has not left me, or my people."

"What can I do to help?" Prizo asked, keeping her voice level.

Ignis took a double-take at this. Both my cousin and I have misjudged you, Prizo. You do not seek death for yourself, but for our enemies.

Nonetheless this did not resolve the problem. The female's mind needed to again be fixated on life. She would be more useful as a symbol of hope than a martyr. And, more important to the leader, Prizo deserved to feel hope again.

"Fate has spared your life, Prizo. Undoubtedly it had a purpose in doing so. We have seen through you the depths of loss, but your recovery has given us hope. I think the hope of life after loss is what the packs need now."

She stepped forward and touched Prizo's shoulder, stunning her.

"As you see the choices that Fate has presented before you. Revenge and lonely death… despair and no one to remember your pack's songs… or the hope of a better future for all of us and a legacy for those who came before. How would you like to proceed?"

"I'd like my pack to be remembered," Prizo replied.

Ignis nodded with encouragement. "Then tell us exactly what happened."

Prizo then began her story, the likes of which Ignis hadn't heard since Calin had plagued the land. A tale of specters in the night. Of pained screams and fallen bodies. Of a pack that had been slaughtered without a chance to defend the land they called home.

By the time it was done Ignis made no attempt to maintain a leader's composure. She did not realize that she had embraced the other female until she felt her tears against her shoulder.

"Thank you. Thank you for telling their tale. I will make sure that their words are added to the Leader's Song," Ignis consoled as she considered what she had heard. Her defenses would have to be changed appropriately. Despite the necessary plotting, her next words were directed entirely for the other hidden runner's benefit. "Calm your tears and rest your conscience. You have fulfilled your duties to your pack."

She was surprised when the female pushed her away lightly, shaking her head.

"There is still one duty I must perform, though it pains me," the female's words took on an air like that of one of higher rank in that moment, "But… Fate sometimes shows the way."

She touched her abdomen as if confirming something.

"My time approaches again. Though he is gone I… I can't let myself fight what Fate demands."

Ignis opened her beak to speak, but then wisely closed it again. She would never force another to discard such pain like a picked clean bone, but she knew that Prizo had made up her mind. If she were going back into season and she felt it was Fate's will then not even the words of the Great Leader would dissuade her.

Despite her somewhat unique view on the machinations of Fate, Ignis could not doubt the existence of Prizo's unshakeable will. There were some things you see with your heart, but there were others that one could see with their eyes.

"I will see to it that those of our rank know of your willingness," Ignis responded with a light bow.

Prizo simply nodded before returning the bow, too stunned to speak. She did not even register that Ignis had nodded at Penol as the Great Leader walked away to her other business.

Exacting the revenge that Prizo could not.

Once Penol had led Prizo out of earshot of Ignis, Prizo felt it was safe to voice her concerns. "What am I going to do? I don't know the special ways at all."

Penol tilted her head and gave the elder female a small smile. "You now have the Great Leader's blessing, so I am sure you will find plenty of suitors who will be willing to teach you what you don't know."

Penol offered the other female her arm to show that she was of equal rank. It was only when the other female accepted that the two walked out of the cavern and into the bright day outside.

Penol offered the last words more to herself than to anyone else. "We all have to leave the nest sometime."

An hour later:

Dravos left the cavern with an audible sigh. Of all of the possible solutions to the political situation Ignis seemed dead-set on the one that entailed the most risk. It would take only one setback in a battle for mutterings about the will of Fate to rise up in the feather-brained multitudes. And it would only take one of their number trying to "carry out the will of Fate" for Ignis' to fall by assassination. And him with her.

His guards could not watch everywhere.

His eyes focused on the scene on presentation hill, as it was sometimes called by the populace. The low-hatched survivor was carefully watching the dances of several males, scrutinizing their every action. None of them would have bothered to jump your tail before… my how things can change.

But she was out of the question for his alternative plan, of course. Both Wrok and Questor knew that Prizo would not lead them to the scrape. He would have to find some other way to elicit Penol's interest in his little mission.

"Sir?"

Dravos turned towards the guard's voice as he feigned disinterest at the intrusion. "Hmmmm?"

"Uh… permission to have my second take over, sir?"

Dravos stared at the male for a moment, carefully examining his features without moving a muscle. The feathers were well-preened for one on guard duty. The eyes were wide with great interest… and there was more than a slight shake to the young male's tail in the direction of the female in the distance.

"Granted."

In an instant the young guard went through several emotions, from shock, to ecstasy, and then finally into an incomprehensible combination of the two as he muttered something in thanks and disappeared in a blur. Despite himself, Dravos put on the slightest of smiles.

If Wrok chased tail that easily then this challenge would have been over by now. What is your ruin, Wrok? What do you look towards when you sense danger?

His thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps, but as the other guards did not stir he did not put much weight in this development. Penol's weaknesses are obvious and manifest: her low opinion of herself, her deep fear of losing her benefactor's favor, the resulting insecurity… but how to use these without damaging her effectiveness? Questor would value a vulnerable egg-holder, but Wrok is the type to only value what he sees of himself in others. For Penol to win his favor he will need to see fire behind the naivete.

He clicked his beak in annoyance. Another source of leverage would need to be found.

"Left Claw?"

Dravos turned around upon hearing the voice of the source of his turmoil. "First Assistant Penol? What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

Penol took a steadying breath before replying. "Whatever your plan is, sir, I want to be part of it."

For once in his life Dravos widened his eyes in surprise. Well… that was surprisingly easy.

"So you have decided to follow in your cousin's footsteps and to do the hard task that the Leader will not?" Dravos asked.

"I heard what happened to the first pack Wrok attacked," Penol said, "I can't let that happen again."

Dravos looked past Penol as the dancing of the guard proceeded before the clearly impressed Prizo. So his feint had worked after all. It seemed that Penol's strength had made her vulnerable and not her weaknesses. Though he was troubled.

Why had he not thought of using honor as a tool?

Dravos nodded. "Accompany me, Penol; we need to plan our next steps… for the good of the pack, of course."

"Do you have any idea how I'm supposed to leave without Ignis noticing?" Penol asked as she followed Dravos, surprised that Dravos sounded like he didn't have a plan at all, "She already forbid me to resign once when I had a really bad day. I doubt her opinion has changed any since then."

Dravos smiled inwardly. "Leave that small detail to me. For the good of the pack, the Right Claw does not always need to know what the Left Claw is doing."

Questor's territory:

"Fate has turned against us. We've lost a lot of scouts, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing."

"We got the rest of the valley, though."

"One victory doesn't mean we've won everything. What do you think the Great Leader will do to us all? We will have a river full of corpses!"

The words of the guards carried some distance through the thick foliage of the dense forest. Against their verdant hue and the scent of their pugnant sap a weary pair of eyes studied his clawed hands.

These claws joined yours, Wrok. And what has your contribution gained for me? A dozen dead scouts and your long shadow over my pack!

He slashed the tree as if that would resolve the anger within his heart. Instead it merely earned him an injured nose as the sapling ricocheted against the blow.

And what of you, Ignis! Have I not been generous in my offerings? Did I not offer my support for your hand? You forced me into this!

With the second blow the sapling finally was cut through and tumbled to the ground, casting his claws in brown sap.

He sighed. If things continued the way that they had been then he might have a challenge of his own soon enough. He had no doubt that his lessers would relish the idea of deposing him if Fate gave them suitable sanction. They would go rushing into Wrok's welcoming arms, or perhaps even Ignis's… whichever looked more in favor to Fate at the moment.

He needed to outshine them both. His survival depended upon it. Even a dangerous move would be preferable against the slow decline he now faced.

"Come, Ryzor. I know that you're listening, you nosy beak-face."

"You have message?" Ryzor asked, landing on a branch where Questor could see him.

Questor glared at the flyer. "We feed you and your brother well, but yet you respond to my call as if you were starved."

"More food's always good," Ryzor replied, suppressing a laugh to avoid making Questor angrier.

Questor could only roll his eyes. "This message will need to be sent very carefully, you understand? The slightest error could end me, and you know what that means."

"No more food?" Ryzor asked.

Questor nodded. "Unless you want to try your luck with your previous benefactors…" He smiled at the sudden twitch of Ryzor's wing. He knew as well as Questor that his brother would never be able to find food on his own. "This message needs to go to my 'special friend'."

Ryzor stared at Questor in surprise and more than a bit of concern. "What's the message?" he reluctantly asked.

Questor began in a slow careful prose. "Begin the message like this: It is time to put your training to good use…"

The Great Valley:

The flyer watched carefully as the domehead carefully approached the cave. With a few darting moves of the head he checked his surroundings for any sign of life around him.

The flyer's eyes narrowed. Any concern that they were targeting the wrong dinosaur had ended with that reaction. He gave no signal, however. He knew that the others were watching the same scene as him.

The domehead cringed for a moment as some distant flyer screeched from the Mysterious Beyond. It took him a moment before he regained his senses.

"Get ahold of yourself. You can do this…"

With only the slightest of hesitations the domehead peeked his head into the cave, and disappeared into its depths.

It took a few more seconds before his sister finally gave the order.

"A flyer has entered the valley from the West. Follow this domehead. Whatever is said between them must be heard."

He nodded without a word. The wellbeing of the valley was riding on their wings.

Within moments he slipped into the darkness of the cave.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! It has been awhile since we have had a chance to update but between work and final exams we have managed to find the time to complete another chapter. As always we look forward to your thoughts and reviews. And, on behalf of Historian1912 and I, we hope that you have a merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

bryanmccloud: Indeed. With some of the prompt challenges coming up there might be a few opportunities for humor. Though I would feel sorry for anyone playing "Beakface" with Chomper. d-; I think being tagged "it" by him would probably the last thing that would happen to whoever was playing with him.

Keioj6: Thank you for the detailed review. (: In many ways, as I am sure you have noticed, the Mender/Orchid relationship in the present is in many ways an analogue of the Mender/Haven relationship in the past scenes. I am curious what you will think about the resolution of the immediate crisis in the past as well as the sudden introduction of the tiny biters and Purple Tail. I realize that their entry might seem sudden, but in reality these species (in the LBT world where time eras do not appear to separate species) would be quite common. I do hope any deficiencies in this chapter are minimal though, in many ways, this chapter is one of the most modified of the original roleplay. I think its current form works much better in terms of plausibility though it may seem rather sudden in parts in terms of developments.

As for Dravos and Penol that is a dynamic that I have enjoyed exploring. We now, as you will have found, four separate schemers in the unraveling political drama in Ignis, Dravos, Questor, and Wrok, and four separate factions in the loyalist hidden runners, the rebel hidden runners, the valley, and Seeker's loose confederation of allies. I just hope to keep it accessible to everyone otherwise we might have to rename this story "Game of Bones" d-;

Nimbus01: Thank you very much for the review and your constructive feedback over the last year. Your insights on Wrok are quite spot on. He is a product of his environment in many ways, and is now using the new tools that are available in order to obtain power. And, as you pointed out, the traditions and pseudo-morality of the hidden runners is now turning into what we would associate with the beginnings of Bronze Age social development despite being an early stone-age (stick-age?) culture. I think it shows how a different species might develop in a different sequence compared to humans. As for Dravos... yeah. He is a character that is still developing in ways that even I did not anticipate. I can't wait to find out where he goes in the end.

gordhanx: It's not a problem, and I still think that your review was quite details and illuminating. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter. (: