Hello!
Here is the next chapter at long last. I updated Beautifully Broken a while ago and probably should have focused on this work. But I wanted more Indoraptor/E stuff.
I also started on working on the next Courageous and Gentle chapter. I do not know when it will be out.
Angst Indoraptor chapter because he needs more attention.
I apologize for any spelling and grammar errors. :)
The Indoraptor was a raging beast, jowls frothing with thick and viscous foam that caked between his jagged, yellowed teeth like stalagmites serving as the last bastion against the ever churning, raving cold of the sea and its salty froth. The hybrid's golden eyes were wet and wild with a film of malignant insanity akin to a rabid beast. His sharp, predatory pupils were alert, yet unfocused in a haze of madness, tinged red from bloodshot vessels that criss crossed along his faint sclera like intricate spider webs.
His nostrils flared, spouting forth clear mucus and heated wisps of breath. The black and gold hybrid was breathing, deep and swift in his arduous labor. His powerful legs pounded into the earth, killing claws poised and ready.
Dried tears slithered and snaked down the scaled, nigh skeletal contour of his face.
He was in such a rage-running, running, chasing, chasing-the hybrid had long lost sight of the white female in his madness.
The Indoraptor ran in a fervor of adrenaline and wrath.
He could feel his blood pumping within his body, heart pounding, lungs burning, muscles tensing and releasing their genetic power.
His whole body was alive with the pulsings and flickers of life.
The world blurred and dimmed, light fleeing from shadows that crept along the forested floor like vines upon the earth and talons from the sky.
Like quarry giving flight from a hunting ave.
The Indoraptor became one with the murk of the descending darkness, the moon blanketed by smooth clouds whose edges were softly illuminated by the moonglow's haze.
Like once before, the Indoraptor ran and ran in a futile hunt to give chase to a prey long gone.
To a prey his mind tricked was still there, in the dark, just out of his nocturnal vision.
Just out of his overloaded senses wracked with horror, and grief.
Like once before, the Indoraptor ran and ran until he could no longer.
His muscles burned, and grew heavy and pained.
His lungs expanded and heaved in swift succession, midnight scales growing taut over his ribs.
His throat clenched and grew tight, horse from his labored breaths.
The Indoraptor ran until he could no longer.
His legs began to slow in their run.
They slowed further into a light jog.
Then a brisk walk.
Then a calm jaunt.
Then a crawl.
Then his belly hit the earth, buckling arms and legs giving out to his fatigue in a heavy quake of the earth.
The Indoraptor's maw hung agape, froth thick and dribbling like sap down his jaws. His nares flared, chest heaving in urgency to catch his breath.
His heart hammered and thrummed in his chest, blood pulsing and raging.
His heavy breath escaped in white mist against the chill of the night air, wisps dancing and flittering into the clam skies.
The Indoraptor's eyes, pupils wide with adrenaline still coursing through his veins, looked upon the sky, then lower-to the trees.
And even then-lower.
To the surrounding vegetation and gnarled tree trunks.
To the ground, to the soil, to the grass.
His instincts were screaming.
Screaming.
Commanding.
To resume the hunt.
To resume the kill.
To make his prey into nothing.
Nothing but torn scales, severed arteries, rend limbs and eviscerated entrails.
To make something into nothing.
Because his something was dead!
Dead!
Nothing!
His something!
His sweet, little, precious something!
His E!
His sweet, little, precious E!
Dead!
Nothing!
All because he couldn't protect her from the Grey One!
All because he wasn't fast enough!
All because he didn't kill the Grey One back there!
There!
There!
Therrrrre!
He should have ripped her head from her body!
Should have gored her on those horns!
Should have killed her!
Should have-
A shrill, high pitched scream then erupted from the hybrid's horse maw.
Though it was not one out of rage or madness.
It was out of pain, and horror, and realization.
Pain, and horror, and anguish at the realization that without E-He was alone.
Alone, like he was back there.
Alone, with no one that cared.
Alone, with the dark.
And thus-the Indoraptor screamed.
And screamed.
And screamed.
And screamed.
He screamed in a mindless carcophony of wails, cries and screeches akin to an animal being slaughtered.
Cried and screamed as if he were back in his cage, once more, being tortured and abused.
The Indoraptor cried and screamed until it felt like something popped in his throat, and the iron taste of blood flooded his maw, however faint.
His cries went hoarse, and strained.
Then they went silent.
The Indoraptor's cries did not remain unnoticed.
They attracted attention.
Two males-one of a purple hue, and the other, a black not unlike his own.
The hybrid's nares flared, and his pupils focused upon the two, lurking in the blackness.
His quills raised in a sudden surge of adrenaline.
His body screamed that they were danger.
But it was a danger the hybrid was unsure he could fight off in his exhausted state.
He saw one-out in front.
He saw the other-slink off to the side in flank.
The Indoraptor produced a serpentine hiss, vicious jowls peeling back to expose horrid teeth. An echoing clap rang out in warning as his jaws slammed together.
A warning-and a threat.
That his jaws could and would kill, if need be.
The Indoraptor attempted to rise-and did so with quite the amount of difficulty. His arms buckled.
His legs buckles.
His whole body shook, spent yet struggling to obey his commands to live.
To fight.
If he were to die, it would not be without a fight, however much his body begged him to rest.
He did not fall to his abusers.
He did not fall to the confines of his cage.
He did not fall to the horns.
He did not fall to the Grey One.
His body could beg, and beg, and beg.
He was not going to waiver.
He was not going to falter.
He was going to fight.
Because that was what he was bred to do.
E's feet pounded against the earth in a flurry of swift flight.
Her nares flared as she breathed in swift, urgent puffed of breath as she punched through the low lying foliage and swerved around great trucks of olden redwoods.
She heard the cries.
The screams.
The wails.
Never mind waiting for death.
Never mind waiting for another monster to end her.
Never mind her broken jaw and pain.
She heard the Indoraptor!
She heard her male!
She heard her mate!
She knew his calls-his tone-his pitch.
That was not normal.
Her male was not okay.
Her mate was not safe.
Nothing mattered but him.
She heard the shrill, hawk like screams of raging raptors-war cries of those she knew.
War cries of her pack.
No.
They were not her pack.
They betrayed her.
They left her.
They left her to die.
Die, when she was weak and helpless-like the tawny, lone female.
Left her to die, because they could not control her as they once did.
Should E feel sorry for them?
Should she feel kinship for them?
After all the horrid things they did?
Things that should have only been done with her mate?
No...Not done with her mate.
Because the Indoraptor stopped when he hurt her.
The others never stopped.
And the horrid cries of the Indoraptor?
She could hear the sounds of struggle.
A desperate fight to cling to life.
Her pack would give the Indoraptor no mercy.
They preyed upon the weak.
They preyed upon the lonely.
They preyed upon the vulnerable.
Her pack deserved no mercy.
And she would make sure they would never hurt again.
The Indoraptor was an amalgamation of raw genetic will and perseverance.
Every draw of breath, every pound of his heart, every tension of muscle, every snap of the jaw, every blink-sharpening his focus to achieve his desire.
Every command of his body-of his flesh-of his heart-of his breath-of his mind-screamed.
Raged.
Ordered a command he could not disobey.
An order embedded deep within his genetic code.
Survive.
Live, and not be nothing.
Endure, and be something.
Alive.
The blood pumps, and the limbs obey.
The hybrid's talons were ordered to rake and rend.
In the heat of battle-the hybrid's claws were not talons.
They were scythes.
And they were designed to reap.
The violet hued male charged forward, and leapt upon the hybrid, gutting claw poised.
A pained cry rang out as black scythes slashed through scale and rend through vibrant muscle flush and tender with sanguine that glittered under the moon's soft glow. The Emperor was smacked down to the ground and slid along the earth, clawed fingers and toes splaying and seeking purchase upon the merciless ground that tore at his hide and ground rock and dirt into his open wounds.
Just as the amethyst raptor began to recover and rise, a brief flicker of a darker shade than the surrounding murk of the night volted forth with killing claws poised.
The glimmer of eager teeth and flashing of claw was something the Indoraptor barely noticed. The hybrid's neck twisted and jaws snapped as he felt powerful talons clasp upon his quilled hide under a heavy weight.
The killing claws thrust and stabbed, attempting to pierce his armored flank, the Usurper dancing and twirling along the larger male's back to avoid his jagged maw.
The slamming of the second, smaller male into his form caused the Indoraptor to grunt, and in a loss of balance, fall to the ground upon his side.
The force caused the black raptor to shriek as his footing lost purchase upon his prey. The Usurper was cast to the ground with a hard thud, rolling and tumbling along, powerful legs catching himself to steady and rise.
At first, the hybrid felt pressure upon his fingers--his hand--his arm. felt pressure clamp, like needles piercing his flesh.
He did not feel pain in the surge of adrenaline that coursed through his blood.
All his body was doing--was screaming.
Rise!
Stabilize!
Endure!
There would be time for pain later.
Not now.
Pain was not an option.
The Indoraptor's powerful, muscular legs hunched flush to his belly, killing claws ready to rake and rend to rid the attacker from his arm.
The Emperor shrieked as he was tossed from the larger hybrid in a flurry of punching muscles and flaring talons. The purple hued male landed roughly upon the ground, a faint sprinkle of crimson dotting the ground from his lacerated wounds.
The hybrid was swift to rise to his feet, a harrowed, gutteral wail of feral defiance erupting from his hoarse throat.
Stand!
Indomitable!
Unconquered!
Rise!
Endure!
Survive!
Wage the war of life!
Give no quarter!
No mercy!
No falter!
Survive!
Live!
The searing, fiery pain of a killing claw piercing his shoulder caused the pool of resilience to ripple.
The Indoraptor squealed, and he spasmed and writhed, posture akin to a fearful feline.
The Usurper released a hawk like scream, the sound of battle reigning in his lungs. His killing claws flicked, one wet and glistening colors of rich garnet.
Survive...
...Only to suffer.
Rise...
...Only to bleed again.
Be indomitable...
...For death is patient, and waits for the slightest lapse in judgement.
And death came not from the front, nor skulked and kept from behind.
Death struck from the blindside in a flank.
The sounds of struggle for life allowed death to creep forward.
Slow, and patient.
When the Usurper felt a weight with talons poised pounce upon him--it was too late.
Death was swift, and efficient.
Death's talons sought to reap, a thick blade piercing his spine.
Pinning him down.
Powerful, crushing toes housing baleful nails clasp the base of his skull.
A muscular leg tensed, and pulled.
His neck snapped, and broke.
The Emperor squeaked in horror, and turned to flee.
Death was swift to chase.
In three strides and a feline leap, Death was upon him.
The wounded male found himself pinned, a black talon stopping short of his dilated pupil. His breath was swift, body wooden and rigid, eyes wet and wild.
The killing claw was wet with the blood of his packmate.
Death's talon pulled away.
A bloodied, marred snout lowered, lacerated, scaled lips pulling back into a fierce snarl. Broken and missing teeth gave way to bloodied gums amid a forest of serrated fangs.
Death's eyes were cold, like frost after a cold, still night.
The Emperor urinated himself, the sour scent of urine leaking between his thighs and onto the bloodied ground.
His alpha was alive.
Alive, and livid.
E was his alpha.
But not.
His alpha was a killer of kin.
She killed her own.
She was scary.
She was a monster.
And now--he was at the mercy of a beast that refused to die.
E stared upon the purple hued male.
Her killing claws twitched, causing the male to flinch.
She could feel every muscle of his body twitch.
He was horrified.
Terrified.
He deserved no mercy.
They were monsters.
Horrid monsters.
Still, E faltered.
Hesitated.
Because she, too, was a monster.
Maybe even worse than her pack.
After all, they never killed their own kind, did they?
Yet, they were cruel.
But she was cruel, too.
And the Emperor did something the others didn't.
He gave her a gift.
An offer in food.
An offer in something.
Just as she gave the Indoraptor something, once, as a gift.
The Emperor showed he cared.
Cared, once, for her attention and affection.
Slowly, hesitantly, E's killing claw retracted away from the amethyst male. Slowly, hesitantly, she stepped away, and allowed the injured raptor to flee.
He may not survive his wounds, but E knew there was a lot of death in one light and dark cycle.
Too much for her liking.
Too much, and it was her fault.
She could at least offer some mercy, even if it may be a mistake.
Mercy, because at one point, she needed mercy, too.
E then turned towards the Indoraptor.
He remained wooden and rigid, tense and on edge. Froth and dried blood caked his jaw, breath ragged and body heaving. His legs buckled, and his tired and injured muscles spasmed underneath obsidian scales. Blood ran freely down his shoulder, breath sharp and pained. One of his clawed fingers was a bloody stump. He did not realize one had been torn off in combat.
He was running on the very last fumes of his adrenaline. His body was ready to collapse.
But he couldn't.
Wouldn't.
Not yet.
Not yet.
Only when the Emperor skittered off into the shadows, did the hybrid surrender.
Every muscle in his body pleaded for mercy.
He hit the ground as if he housed the weight of the world.
Spent.
Exhausted.
His heart pumped.
It felt as if his heart was too tired to beat, and he was just waiting for it to give out, and stop.
His amber eyes were half lidded, only fully opening a few seconds upon seeing E approach, and heavily slump down in front of him.
A brief moment of clarity in the eye of the storm.
Their noses touched.
Their snouts.
Their cheeks.
The Indoraptor was too fatigued to purr. Too tired, and pained.
Simple touches of the skin was enough.
It was then that the Indoraptor learned something.
This was what he was surviving for.
This something.
This little something.
He could tell his mate had done things.
Bad things.
She could tell her mate had done things.
Bad things.
His already dark amber eyes looked a shade or two darker.
Her sapphire eyes looked several shades darker.
They both had darkness in their eyes.
They both knew what those things were.
They were both monsters, when they needed to be.
When their little something was threatened.
But now, their something was safe.
It just felt so good to feel her head against his.
It felt good to love something, and to be loved in return despite being a bad thing.
It was okay E did bad things.
The Indoraptor was a bad thing.
E was a good thing, that loved a bad thing.
He just forced her to do bad things.
The Indoraptor would never let her do bad things again.
He would be her protector.
He would be her male that she deserved.
He would be her mate that she deserved.
He would do the bad things, so she wouldn't have to.
Because if one of them had to be something--TheIndoraptor would want E to live.
And if the Indoraptor needed to be nothing to protect E--
--The Indoraptor would fight, and fight, and fight, until he collapsed.
Fight until his instincts screaming at him to fight, and live, no longer screamed--because he would be nothing.
Just like he was almost nothing on those horns.
When he twisted and landed between them.
Yes.
He had something worth fighting for.
No, more than fighting.
Living.
And feeling E's head nuzzle and press against his own?
This was living.
This was his something.
For the first time, the Indoraptor looked forward to the darkness of sleep.
He couldn't wait to spend it with his precious little something.
He couldn't wait to live with her, no matter how exhausted, and wounded.
It was good to have something to be excited about.
It was good to have a purpose: To be the best mate he could, to the best little something in the world.
I want to get to Blue and Storm next chapter. This chapter was going to be vastly different, with the Indoraptor fighting E's stalker of a S. Rex, and him getting poisoned and suffering from illness.
But I figured the poor Indoraptor suffered enough and needed a break, and in this state, he'd easily get killed.
Actually, all the characters need a break, though I do think Blue and the Indoraptor will eventually meet again (and hopefully it will be less bloody and more tolerable).
I like E's development and have fun writing her. She's really grown since the start of the first chapter.
Please note I read each and every review for all my stories. :)
I may not respond to all of them, but I certainly do read them all.
Thank you for reading this work and giving it so much attention and love!
I want to give most of the characters good story narratives and arcs (Rust, Storm, Blue, ECT.), so I'm taking my time writing. So I apologize if the plot (if there even is one lol) is slow.
I also may take a break from Broken Raptors (and my other fanfics in general) to focus on writing an original work. I will still update this work, but it might not be my priority.