This chapter isn't the best.
I was going to write more, but decided not to.
Skunk would remain among the bloody and the dead.
Her belly was hungry.
But there was no food to be found.
Just broken friends that leaked too much red and smelled of a dark, foreign scent.
The black and white female trotted around, jaws agape with a tongue lolling through horrendous teeth. She was thirsty, but she didn't see a water bowl.
Why was everything so cold and scary?
Why did the friends make loud, frightening noises?
Why did the friends try and hurt her brothers?
Skunk didn't understand.
Where were all the squeaky toys?
Where were all the beds?
Where were all the fuzzy rugs to curl up on in front of a warm fire?
Why was it so confusing and flashy here and wet?
By now, most of the water from the fire system had dried out, and the flooded room was damp with mere puddles tinged a soft red.
The pattering of Skunk's feet and clacking of her filed claws echoed as she sniffed one of the many splotches of water that pained the cold, smooth marble floor. Her smooth maw lowered, parched tongue slipping forward to lick the floor. Slowly did she seek out the dwindling puddles, snorting as she sought to quench her thirst.
The taste of iron and salt enveloped her tongue, however faintly.
The leaking red tasted funny.
Her killing claws idly clacked, and the white stripped female turned her attention from the damp floor, to the vent her brothers went through. Her circular pupils widened in interest-and excitement as her tail wagged in expectation.
Any moment now, her brothers would return.
Her tail resumed to sway back and forth, to and fro.
Any moment now.
Any moment now.
Any moment now.
Her tail thudded against the ground, eyes wide and intent, resuming to wait expectantly.
Nothing.
Slowly, the swaying of her tail died down.
Then completely stilled.
A low whimper escaped the hybrid that was akin to a dog's whine.
Her brothers were gone!
Gone!
For ever and ever and ever!
Panic and a welling anxiety filled the Indoraptor's breast.
She could not see her brothers again!
She just found them!
Gone!
Lost!
Away!
For ever and ever and ever!
Skunk's maw opened up on a whine that sounded horrifyingly like a toddler screaming. A temper tantrum gave way, and she squealed and jumped up and down upon her hind legs, head thrashing back and forth.
The Indoraptor's temper tantrum was halted by the sound of the heavy lab doors opening.
The black and white female's neck twirled around.
Friend!
Skunk pattered forth with haste, jaws opening in an excited scream as she stumbled over the fallen.
She wanted food!
And nuzzles and snuggles and squeaky chewies!
Loud, multiple pops, and pain.
The Indoraptor squealed in confusion-and pain.
Sharp and piercing pin pricks, and she stumbled backwards upon slipping feet. Her weight quaked the floor, and she scrambled to rise upon slick marble.
When she did, she whined, and was swift to scurry off with her tail between her legs, belly low slung to the ground.
Leaving behind a trail of blood, Skunk would seek shelter in her cage, and hide in the dark.
She didn't understand.
What did she do wrong?
Was she bad?
Skunk merely whined in quiet squeaks of the throat, heart hammering in rising fear, pupils wide and eyes shining in sadness, pain, and confusion.
She was leaking red, too.
Skunk wanted her bed to hide in.
But this was close enough.
She wanted her family.
She wanted her brothers.
She just heard the nearing sounds of boots squeaking upon the floor instead.
Skunk couldn't help but thump her tail hesitantly, unsteadily.
Friend?
The echoing boom of another vent being broken punched through another section of labs.
The metal grate of the vent slammed against an experiment's tank, and shattered the glass.
Water poured out onto the smooth, spotless floor.
A gurgle came from the creature suspended in the air from a vent lodged deep within its throat.
It's body surged to life, wiggling and writhing in discomfort, clawed fingers raking at its neck and snout.
With a harsh pop and slip of the trach vent from the throat, the beast fell upon the amniotic soaked floor among shattered glass.
The raptor coughed and gagged, eyes blurry and senses overloaded.
The warmth of dripping fluid covered her body and illuminated her scales like a newly hatched chick. She attempted to call-to make any type of sound-but she found she could not speak.
Her throat was too sore and hoarse from having the plastic tube wedged down her throat.
She attempted to move her arms, her legs, her tail.
She had the coordination of a newly hatched raptor.
The ground rocked to and fro-and then quaked as a massive weight hit the ground.
The shaking of the cold floor, followed by the clacking of claws and the serpentine hissing of a beast drawing near.
Her blurry sight struggled to focus through the haze of newly opened eyes.
What she saw before her-was a towering beast.
So black-she almost did not see it with her current poor vision.
But she could feel the heat from its size.
Smell the blood and scent of something foul upon its breath as it danced along her damp scales in moist puffs.
See the horrid teeth that jutted up and down its grisly jaws like broken bones.
She blinked, and the jaws retracted.
A white beast with teeth as equally as unsettling neared her, nares flaring and inspecting.
Seraphim and Legion both looked upon the raptor, eyes gazing intently down in curiosity-and interest.
A tan hued female, with dark brown and green stripes. Her eyes were golden, pupils oval and wide, hiding the natural predatory sharpness.
The brothers remained close in inspection, briefly glancing towards each other, then back towards the female.
She fidgeted as she tried to move-to make her limbs obey. Her scaled lips unfurled in a snarl of knives.
Slowly, thoughtfully, Legion's clawed hand rose, a black taloned finger extending.
It neared the female, and gave a swift tap upon her earth toned snout with a calloused finger pad.
The snapping of her jaws made the male swiftly retracted his red scaled finger.
His feathers ruffled and became erect, before briefly settling.
Feisty.
The distant popping echos of gunfire rang through the air, causing Seraphim to twirl around upon his hind legs in a rasp, neck twisting to look upon the vent.
The black and red male's feathers once more ruffled and stood on edge. A hoarse bark escaped his jaws, to which the white and golden striped Indoraptor responded with a vexated hiss.
Feathers unfurled to full, Seraphim crossed the room in three stride, and leapt back into the vent with the grace of a feline hunter.
Legion's nares flared, and his scaled lips peeled back into a grotesque grimace.
However, it did not stop his attention from turning back towards the strange female, blue eyes focusing upon her, pupils narrowing.
Slowly did the male's sapphire eyes flick up.
There were two other raptors in the same strange container.
The sanguine stripped male then flicked his gaze intense gaze back towards the female-who was now rising upon unsteady, trembling legs.
Her golden eyes narrowed into thin slits, throat swelling as a hiss in warning riveted from her tan throat.
The Indoraptor lowered his large head to the earthen female's level, and a choppy, short bark emitted from his maw.
It was a noise that caused the female to chirp in confusion-perplexion-and curiosity, cocking her head.
Her amber eyes narrowed, and resumed to peer through tan scaled slits.
Her killing claws clacked and twitched.
When she tried to call-to answer-it was a hoarse noise, gargled and grating. It caused Legion to cock his head.
His head dipped downward, and a low, vibrating rumble slithered from deep in his throat.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
It was a noise the female did not entirely understand, and when she responded in kind-she had found her voice, however hoarse.
It was a call the male did not entirely understand, either, but it did not stop them from trying.
At least it was something.
The pattering of taloned feet echoed along the clear floor.
The distant sounds of alarms reached Blue's ears as she traversed the halls and followed her senses. Her honeyed eyes were sharp and wary, killing claws clacking and at the ready.
The humans caught her, and caged her, once, like they did before.
Like they did many times.
And like many times before, Blue escaped.
But this time, it was the noisy, blaring alarms and flashing lights that aided in her escape of her cage.
The humans panicked, and fled mid process of transferring her.
They forgot to properly lock her cage.
It was easy to slip out in the chaos.
Beta was here.
Her daughter was here.
Blue knew it.
She could feel it in her blood.
Feel it in her bones.
Her flesh and blood was here.
And that was her priority.
Thus, the last living sister skulked the halls, following the familiar scent of her young.
She would weave along the labyrinthine corridors and halls, the scent of her daughter drawing ever closer and closer.
Her golden eyes birthed a flame that shimmered in excitement, and her athletic legs increased in stride. Her nares flared, her chest swelled.
Closer and closer she drew, the stronger the scent of her daughter became.
A corner, another corner.
When Blue rounded into another room-a series of excited chitters slipped from her maw, eyes wide-expecting to see the little form of her daughter.
Expecting to hear the high pitched barks and yaps.
Expecting to feel her nuzzles and cuddles.
What she saw before her-was blood.
Sanguine sprayed upon the wall next to her, and a pool upon the ground.
Confusion caused her body to still, mind reeling, trying to make sense of her own senses.
Would they lie?
Did she smell what she smelled?
Did she see what she saw?
Could she put faith in her eyes?
Could she put faith in her nose?
Her senses that had yet to fail her?
Her senses that had kept her alive?
They could not be right.
Could they?
She could smell her daughter.
But she could not see her.
All that was there were blood splattered upon the wall and a pool upon the floor.
Blue's lips twitched and spasmed, molding into a grisly snarl before becoming neutral once more.
She smelled Beta.
But she was not here?
Her mind reeled, struggling to make sense of the conflicting data.
Her breath quickened, and she called for her daughter.
It was a nervous, quiet yet frantic trill of the throat.
Another call, louder, stronger, more frantic.
Twice.
Thrice.
Her daughter did not answer.
Her daughter did not come.
Rising trepidation bloomed within the grey raptor's chest.
Something was wrong.
Blue just wasn't sure what.
Didn't want to think about what.
That the blood was Beta's.
Beta was hurt.
Her daughter was hurt.
But where was Beta?
Other scents mixed in with her daughter's.
Human.
And others still so familiar, yet foreign.
Blue had no choice.
She decided to follow the foreign scents in the hopes of finding her daughter.
Her senses could not have been right.
For once, they must have made a mistake.
For once, her own body lied to her.
For once, Blue decided to not rely upon herself.
To doubt herself.
Because denying the very objective data her senses deciphered was too much.
Beta was hurt.
But she could not be...
No.
Her baby could not be.
She would not.
She would be fine.
She had to be.
Jagged jaws of ill scent resumed to bark and chatter against a maw of knives.
The earthen toned female with stripes of forest green and tawny stripes would look upon the larger creature, amber eyes wide and wary, yet interested.
Her nares flared, catching the scent of something foreign, yet familiar.
The large black and feathered raptor had blood upon his jaws and chest.
It smelled of her own kind, perhaps?
Yet he smelled like her kind, too.
Still, the large male did not seem to be a threat, nor did he have any interest in fighting.
If he did, they would not be attempting to communicate.
For now, it seems they reached a mutual agreement within this frightening and confusing place.
Their communication was interrupted by the clacking of taloned feet within the vents.
Legion did not think much of it at first.
He assumed it was his brother or sister.
But as the clacking of talon upon metal drew closer-he realized-that was not the gait of his siblings. It sounded too light.
Too anxious.
Too worried.
The dull thud of a lighter weight hit the ground, causing Legion to twist his neck. His sapphire eyes narrowed upon a grey female with cobalt stripes crackling with wisps of white.
Blue's nares flared, and her gaze fell upon the blood that adorned the black and red male's grisly snout.
The grey female briefly froze, mind reeling and blood turning cold.
Through the ill scent and waft of foreign forests was something familiar.
It was her daughter's blood.
Beta's blood.
And this beast was like the one that she fought before, all those years ago.
It smelled similar to the one that killed her sisters.
A scream of fury tore through Blue's throat, and her athletic muscles poised to attack.
A call not unlike her own caught her off guard, and caused the grey female to falter.
Her amber eyes slipped passed the monster-and towards the other raptor.
Her breath hitched, and her body froze.
A quiet, barely audible chitter escaped her throat.
Echo!
Her sister!
Echo, her sister, however scarless!
A confusing mix of emotions washed over Blue.
Happiness.
Relief.
Confusion.
Fear.
Anger.
Rage.
Unbridled wrath.
No.
This monster killed her daughter.
Her baby.
She would not let it kill her sister again!
In a bay for blood that echoed along the halls, Blue charged forth in a feline leap, talons poised.
Next chapter will more than likely be Anathema and Zeb based. Like with Broken Raptors, I alternate to keep the writing from going stale. :)
I'm too lazy to write humans and better explain what's going on. Echo will eventually be explained in another chapter whenever I get the ambition.