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Welcome...to the Attempt

Chapter 16

Clearly His First Rodeo

I wait in my cave for the rock to close. My tail swishes as I look to the top, and my head tilts to the side. The cave remains open. Why isn't it closing? Why hasn't it shut? Why is it that my sisters have been called and closed in for the night, yet I am left?

My muscles tense. This must be what Delta and Echo were talking about. The fleshlings are trying to kill us. I'm surprised they forgot to shut me away.

Pity them.

The loud snarl sounds at the large jaws. They must be attacking from there. It has to be Delta they're after. She's the only one who can understand them. She could give us information on what they plan to do. I cannot let them attack her. I cannot let them anywhere near my sisters.

My talons plunge me silently into the bushes without a sound. The leaves caress my skin as I rush past. They seem to whisper encouragements of what's to come. My claws flex as they ready for the flesh they'll dig into. My teeth are prepared for the flesh they'll rip into. My nose twitches to see how many fleshlings I'll face.

As the breeze slides into my nose, my body betrays me. I find myself as still as the rocks that surround my territory. The leaves provide cover yet allow me to study the large jaws.

No.

What stands before me is most certainly a trick.

｡.•°•.｡ɹǝƃunH｡.•°•.｡

I have got to be the dumbest guy on the planet, Owen thinks as he stands, unarmed, in the raptor paddock. He's pretty sure tasty jackass is written across his forehead. Even though three of the four raptors are locked away, one raptor can easily take out an entire Marine squad. Perhaps this is how he'll die.

His gaze is on the brush because he knows without a doubt Blue is hiding within. She's smart, calculating, and probably devising a way to eat him. Owen misses the days when she attacked before she thought. It saved him on a number of occasions.

The fact Blue is weighing her options from the brush puts his nerves on edge. During all his years in the Navy, he's never witnessed anything as intelligent as the creature which hides before him. Terrorists, soldiers, and even admirals have never played the game as well as this predator. People think their actions through to an extent, but often times miss little things here or there.

The Velociraptor does not.

He takes a breath to steady his nerves. "Bl—"

There's no shriek. By the time the rustling of the leaves reaches his ears, he's pinned to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. Teeth gleaming in the moonlight become the only thing he can see as hot breath seems to scorch his face.

"Blue?" Owen manages to choke out.

He grimaces as he feels a claw slice into his shirt and nick his shoulder. Talons on his chest constrict his airway, however, it's very deliberate that she's not ready to disembowel him since the talon doesn't cut. A soft growl comes from her throat but stops as her head snaps up.

Blue's foot shoves into his chest softly as if she's telling him to stay put. In the next moment, he's gasping and coughing as her foot releases. Rolling to his side, he does all he can to fill his lungs with fresh air.

Looking up, Owen sees Blue approaching the open gate. He knows she can only get into the entryway. What has her so curi—

"Doe," he exhales with widened eyes. Oh God…

He forgot to tell her to shut the door. Now, who had the stupid idea?

Owen can't pull himself to his feet in time to stop Blue, nor can he get his lips to shout her name. He's helpless as she charges.

｡.•°•.｡ɹǝƃunH｡.•°•.｡

Alpha stands watching the bushes where I'm hidden. Has he come to kill us one at a time? Has the large fleshling sent him to destroy us? Has Alpha been our attacker all along?

With the scent of Meat Bringer lingering near, I am most certain this is the truth. They are here to kill us, starting with me. Alpha knows me too well. He knows I will protect my sisters at all costs. He must also know I will not go down without a fight. I will not let them be the death of us.

It is Alpha I will attack first since he does not carry a lightning stick. I'll let them think I haven't smelled Meat Bringer. My gaze settles on her inside the metal jaws. She holds no lightning stick which will make this easy. Once he is down, I will lunge for Meat Bringer and rip her throat out.

My muscles shift and I'm flying through the bushes. In a breath, Alpha is beneath me. A low growl develops in my throat as my foot holds him down. A claw settles on his arm. He whimpers softly. His death will be quick for if I think too much I might not kill him.

There's a clatter in the distance and I look up to see the cave where furry white meats come from rolling at Meat Bringer's talons. Was she trying to attack me? Since Alpha holds no threat, I'll have to kill her first.

I shove Alpha into the ground with my talon before trotting toward the jaws. Meat Bringer doesn't move, but I can hear her heart racing. There's a healthy amount of fear radiating from her.

Good.

I lick my jaws. She deserves death for what she's trying to do.

My ears catch Alpha struggling to breathe. I snort and try to focus on what's before me. Sadness creeps into my bones. He shouldn't have been hurt. He didn't attack me. But, he did speak with the large fleshling who commands him. I cannot allow Alpha to kill my sisters or me.

Meat Bringer does not see my muscle shift as I rush her. She won't have time to shriek as my teeth slash her throat. What I don't understand is why she doesn't even try to move. Instead, she holds her claws up near her head.

Skidding to a stop, I look at her through the dust. She's coughing but remains frozen. Her gaze is on me. While I hear her racing heart and scent the fear radiating from within, there is no hint of it in her eyes. No, the only thing I see is something I've seen in Charlie lately.

Determination and boldness.

I glance to Alpha, who's trying to stand, before turning back to Meat Bringer.

My head turns to the side as I relax.

They cannot hurt me. They know they would have been foolish to try.

Alpha growls from behind. Meat Bringer does not respond. Her gaze remains on me. I do not understand fleshlings. They are curious creatures. I know that I am dangerous. I know I am a hunter. I know that I am terrifying.

Fleshlings are not like that. Some are terrifying. All are weak. Some come to bring pain.

Meat Bringer brings meat.

Alpha gives meat sticks and orange crunches.

Fleshlings are confusing for none are similar.

Alpha growls a second time and this time Meat Bringer responds. She still doesn't look at him, though. Despite his soft growls to her, I recognize what she is doing. She is not challenging me, there is no anger in her eyes. I lean closer and sniff her which confirms my thought.

Meat Bringer is letting me know she is not a threat.

I turn to Alpha with narrowed eyes. My brow lifts slightly. If he is not here to hurt me, why is he here? He hasn't been around, hasn't spent any time with me. He left me in this forsaken place.

Alpha is offering me the meat stick and that's not something I can pass up. It's been a while since I've had one. I snatch it from his claws and toss my head back. The taste warms my mouth as it slides to the creature in my stomach. While I love the meat we've gotten lately, nothing beats a meat stick. But that makes me wonder…

Why has Alpha been so distant? If he still cares about me, why is he so far? And is this him trying to fix that?

I glance to Meat Bringer. She has always helped me. Perhaps she is trying to help Alpha fix this issue. I look at Alpha and snort. My lip twitches, revealing sharp teeth. Can he really be back?

If he is…

"You have a lot to make up for, Alpha," I growl and headbutt him into the jaws behind him before heading into the bushes.

I wonder if he is serious about actually coming around again.

｡.•°•.｡ɹǝƃunH｡.•°•.｡

There's a whirlwind of dirt that floods the entryway, and Owen the dark he can't tell what's going on. There are no snarls or screams which make him even more nervous.

By the time he's reached the gate, the dust has settled enough for him to see that Blue is studying Doe. His girl tilts her head slightly from side to side as her muscles unwind.

"Doe?" he questions softly. He isn't surprised she doesn't acknowledge him. She's in a staring contest for her life. What worries him is she isn't breathing or shaking. She's frozen solid. Owen takes a step closer. "Elizabeth?"

Her shoulders rise gently with a breath and a whisper follows. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to get you out of here," he replies softly and reaches into his pocket.

Taking out a piece of jerky, he opens it. Pulling it from the wrapper, Owen holds it up. "Blue. Here, Blue."

The silence that floods the entryway is unnerving. If his girl is playing a mind game, then it is extremely fucked up. It also means that InGen has created creatures they could never hope to control. That is a scary thought to swallow.

"Blue, here's jerky."

His girl leans closer to Doe and sniffs before turning to him. Her eyes are narrow as her brow lifts. Owen can't remember the last time he's seen her so untrusting. On the other hand, he doesn't remember the last time he's been so untrusting of her.

Boy, InGen has screwed both of them up.

Blue glances from the jerky to him. He watches in slow motion as she snatches the jerky from him. She tosses her head back and devours it in one bite. Her nostrils twitch, and she exhales slowly.

With a glance to Doe, she snorts at Owen. Her lip twitches to reveal her teeth. In the next instant, she headbutts him into the bars with a growl before slowly exiting the entryway and disappearing into the bushes.

Owen closes the cage door before sliding against the wall to the ground. His eyes close, and he attempts to catch his breath.

What was he thinking? Doe's idea was stupid. It almost got them both killed. How could he have agreed to something so foolish?

Movement next to him catches his attention in enough time for him to see Doe fall to her knees as she breathes slowly in and out. Closing her eyes, her fingers dig into the wood chips.

"Hey," he says softly. "Doe?"

What hair she did manage to put up in a bun slides out of the hair tie as her head meets the ground. Her sides softly heave every few minutes.

"Elizabeth," Owen says and can understand why she's crying. "We… we made it. We're alive. It's okay."

When she looks at him, he's shocked to see her dry face. Instead, there's a soft smile and she's chuckling.

"Are you okay?" He begins to worry maybe he needs to get her a straitjacket. No one comes out of a life or death situation and laughs like that.

She shifts to sit with her back against the bars. "She's confused."

His brow furrows. "Blue just tried to kill us."

Doe shakes her head. "She definitely considered killing us—like when she pinned you to the ground, but she didn't. "

Owen lets out a small breath. Knowing he could have died doesn't make things any better.

"InGen hasn't rewired her thinking," Doe explains. "Which means she still sees you as Alpha."

｡.•°•.｡ɹǝƃunH｡.•°•.｡

A catnap is required before showering and heading back to the paddock for work, except she feels too tired to even try. Her brain is going at a million sluggish miles an hour; she's not even sure she's capable of making it up the steps.

Perhaps she's more than a bit foolish on her end. Perhaps this will all end in death. Perhaps she should have ran while she had the chance.

Most people would have fled. Facing an evil such as InGen is not something that should be done lightly. Besides they've put more people in the ground than she's been able to count. If they have their way, the raptors will help them accomplish the task sooner.

Not that InGen is looking to take over the world. Far from it. They just want to run it from behind the scenes. And with their gene splicing?

Well, it won't be long.

One step at a time, though. She changed her name to keep herself safe. She's already gotten into Jurassic World, despite her better judgment. The next step is Grady and his raptor pack.

She barely opens the door before someone places a hand over her mouth and shoves her inside. Fear floods her veins and stops any flight signals her brain is giving out. Tears well in her eyes as she knows InGen's found her.

The grip on her mouth releases allowing her to back away. Air floods her lungs as she prepares to scream at the dark-haired man before her.

"What are you doing here?" he whispers.

The glasses completely threw her off, but there's no mistaking that voice. Her eyes widen as a gasp escapes her lips.

"Lowery?"

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