"Maisie, please!"

I was getting fed up. I hadn't seen Maisie since the incident at the paddock, and I had a feeling that she was keeping up her silence out of spite, more than anything. But it wasn't my fault! Owen was the one who pulled the trigger. I couldn't help chasing after her like that! It was in my nature.

I scratched at her door again.

"Maisie, you know I'd never hurt you!"

"How do I know that for sure? How can I be positive that you aren't trying to hunt me down?"

That was the first thing I'd heard her say until now. I stopped scratching the door and instead tried to reach underneath it.

"Maisie, I'm not trying to- OW!"

I pulled my paw back when she stomped on my fingers. Shaking away the pain, I growled with displeasure.

"Maisie! Come on! I'm your mother!"

"You tried to EAT me!"

"No, I didn't!"

"GO AWAY, CLAIRE!"

My quills flattened against my neck. Beak quivering, I retreated.

"Okay, Maisie, I'll leave you alone."

Fifteen minutes later, I was climbing through her window.

"AH!"

"Maisie, it's just me!" I pleaded.

She screamed and started throwing toys at me. I tossed my head.

"Maisie, it's just your Mommy. I wouldn't hurt y- Maisie, put the bat down!"

She held the baseball bat in a defensive position.

"Stay back!"

"I'm not an animal, Maisie! Please, just-"

I couldn't help letting out a pained whimper when she clobbered my snout. I rubbed my muzzle and backed up clumsily.

"Maisie . . ."

"Not another step! I'm warning you!"

My face pulled into a frown. I whipped my head around and grabbed the bat between my teeth, yanking it out of her hands. She shrieked and flung herself onto her bed, covering her face with the comforter. I stepped up cautiously, paws sinking into the soft mattress.

"Maisie . . ."

She squeaked as I tugged on the sheets with my claws. I leaned down to nuzzle her.

"Maisie, I lo-"

I stumbled backwards in surprise as a sharp pain zipped across my snout. I reached up and felt blood trickling down my beak. Maisie was holding a knife. She looked just as surprised as me that she'd used it.

"Maisie, where did you get that?!"

"Owen."

"He gave you a knife?!"

"I took it from him."

I wiped my snout. The cut wasn't very deep, but it still hurt.

"Maisie, I need you to give it back to him. You could hurt yourself."

"I don't feel safe."

"Maisie, nothing's going to happen to you while I'm around."

"I don't feel safe around you."

Oh, no . . .

I turned away as tears pricked at my eyes. Nodding slowly, I stepped down from the bed.

"O-okay, Maisie. I'll leave. I won't bother you anymore."

As I crawled towards the window, Maisie sprinted forward and grabbed my paw.

"Claire, wait."

I churred sadly. Maisie knelt beside me.

"I know you didn't mean it. But I'm still scared. Scared of the gun. As long as you listen to the gun, no one is safe."

"Then we'll get rid of the gun."

She shook her head.

"Someone will figure out how to use you, just like Eli did back at the cliffs. I won't feel safe unless you find a way to stop yourself."

I nodded slowly.

"Maybe . . . Maybe Owen could keep training me. He'll show me the way."

Awkward though continued training may be, given our recent break-up, I was running out of options. And it would give me a chance to be around Owen, in case-

(NO. I can't throw myself into that mess again. We're DONE.)

Maisie stroked the side of my neck.

"I'm afraid."

I shut my eyes.

"Maisie, I will never, ever hurt you. You're my daughter, and I love you. I'm going to beat this thing, I promise. Nothing will stand between us. Not a gun, not a person, not anything. We'll be a family again, just like we were supposed to be."

"And what about Owen?"

Oh, shit.

"Owen . . . he'll be there, too," I improvised.

"What's going to happen, now that you're not together anymore?"

I let out a pained sigh.

". . . I don't know, sweetheart. I don't know."

After a pause, I sighed.

"It's past your bedtime. You should get some sleep. Iris is taking you to the zoo, tomorrow morning. Then you have your swimming lesson, and-"

"I'd rather be with you."

I smiled sadly.

"I need to do my exercises. With any luck, I'll learn to ignore the gun by the end of the week."

(Even though I haven't made any progress in the last few months.)

Maisie smiled.

"Okay, Claire. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I tucked her in, and managed to hold back my tears until I was out of the building. I left through the window, growing wings and flying under the light of a full moon. I flapped my arms up and down without much grace or care. I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going. I could barely see through the blur of tears anyway. I'd have to return to the building sometime, though. I was no longer living with Owen, but I was still a resident of the hotel. My room was on a different floor, which made things harder. Of course.

The sound of an engine caught my attention.

"Claire! Hey, Claire!"

Eli was chasing after me. I banked and landed in front of him.

"Eli, what's the matter?"

"I was about to ask the same question. I felt water on my nose, but instead of a raincloud, I saw you flying overhead. What's up?"

I wiped my nose, which was still covered in blood.

"Do you know what it's like to lose the trust of the person who you care about the most?"

"Um, not in the same way you do, probably, but I know that guilt is a bitch to deal with. What happened?"

"I'm supposed to find a way to stop myself from slaughtering anyone the gun tells me to by the end of this week, but it's impossible! I just can't do it!"

"Yes, you can," he stated.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked, frowning with suspicion.

"You're Claire Dearing."

Oh, god. My heart was melting. I smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Eli."

"Don't mention it. It's just the truth. Now, you get a good night's sleep, and I'm sure you'll have thought of something by tomorrow afternoon. You're still training with Owen, right?"

"I guess so, even though we broke up."

Eli shrugged.

"For now. You two are never apart for long. You were made for each other."

I batted my eyes with confusion.

"Are you saying that to make me feel better, or because you genuinely believe it's true?"

"Both, I guess? . . ."

"Well . . . I might not want to get back with Owen."

"Hm."

"I think we're really done, this time."

"It's up to you. I trust your judgment."

"I'm not sure I do."

"You should start, then."

He yawned.

"Sorry, Claire, but I have to turn in. I really burnt my midnight oil, as it were, and tomorrow is a big day."

"What's tomorrow?"

"I'm going to the car wash, and I'm treating myself to that rainbow foam soap. Just gotta remember to close my eyes, this time."

"I see. Well, goodnight, then."

"Goodnight, Claire, and don't forget: you can do this. It's a mathematical certainty."

I nodded and pattered away.

God, why did I always feel better after talking to Eli?

***TSJWFKFEW***

I was almost late to my training session because of an unexpected encounter with Perry. She still had it in her head that Owen was her true love, and that they were destined to spend the rest of their lives together. Now that we had broken up, it would be even harder to convince her that this was not the case. After trying to talk some sense into her, I finally decided to ask why she believed this to be true in the first place.

"He gave me a whole cabbage, once," she replied.

I guess that's all it takes.

Eventually, I managed to shake her, and quickly greeted my friends outside the ring. I was surprised to see Eli standing not too far away. I cantered up to him with a quizzical frown. He waved.

"Hey, Claire. Is it alright if I watch?"

"Yes, but don't you have a car wash to attend?"

He snorted.

"Naw, I can go anytime. I'd rather show my support here, if that's okay."

I smiled.

"Of course it's okay. Don't get your hopes up, though. I'm not expecting to do well."

"Well, you won't do well with that attitude . . ."

We started drifting towards the entrance. Eli rolled backwards while I circled him playfully.

"Attitude helps, but I'm just being realistic."

"You're being negative. Not the same thing."

"Oh, no? It's safer."

"But it doesn't help anyone."

"What if I try extra hard because of it?"

"Then that's good, but if you've already made up your mind that you're going to fail, that's a problem."

"Fair point, but-"

Our improvised dance-walk was interrupted by Owen's arrival. I gulped.

"Oh. I guess I'd better get inside."

"Alright. I believe in you, Claire!"

"Really?"

He laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't have said it if it weren't true . . ."

"What if it isn't?"

He smiled encouragingly.

"It is, but there's no pressure. You can try again, if all else fails. But you'll get it."

"You know, saying 'no pressure' just makes the pressure more noticeable."

"But under pressure, coal turns into diamonds."

"That's actually not true, and in my case, I'd be a lump of coal becoming a greener lump of coal that may eventually work its way up to being human again."

"Hey, that's more than most of us get."

He intended his remark to be lighthearted, but I felt a stab of guilt. Eli bit his lip.

"Hey. It's alright. Even if my life isn't perfect, it's a hell of a lot better than before. I have you to thank for that. You've done incredible things, Claire. Don't stop now."

I wanted to believe him, but a part of me wondered if hope was a dangerous sentiment. Eli made me feel good about myself, but was that really the best way to improve? On the other hand, Owen made me feel shitty, and that didn't help much, either.

Well, I soon discovered that my fears were justified. I did alright with the early tests, but the gun tripped me up, as usual. I slammed into the closing pig-door so many times that I lost count. It was humiliating, and I regretted letting my friends watch . . . especially Eli. I must look like a complete loser right now. And here he was, telling me that I was so good and pure and wonderful. I wished I was the person he believed me to be, but there was nothing I could do about my uncontrollable impulses. I might just have to give up on the gun entirely.

And lose Maisie.

Owen approached me as tears started pouring down my cheeks.

"Claire? . . ."

"I'll be fine. I just need a minute."

"Do you want to stop and pick up where we left off tomorrow?"

"No. I'm running out of time. Just give me five minutes."

Eli, who had been watching intently, slowly drove over to where we were standing. He dipped his head over the railing to speak with Owen.

"I have an idea."

Owen threw his arms up in the air.

"Oh, great! He has an idea! Tell me, Eli, what's your brilliant plan?"

"Can I come down and show you?"

"Be my guest!"

Owen made his way over to the door, and Eli followed, stepping into the elevator. Soon, he was in the paddock. Owen marched past him.

"Alright, then. What do you have in mind?"

"Point the gun at me."

Owen blinked, then held out his palm.

"And then? . . ."

"Pull the trigger."

Owen waited for an elaboration, but none came. He rubbed his forehead.

"You know, if you're trying to get yourself killed, there are easier ways."

"She won't kill me."

"So you're going to fight her?"

"No. She's not going to attack me at all."

"Uh-huh. And you know this because? . . ."

"I just know. Nothing's going to happen."

"I'll be sure to put that on your tombstone."

I reached up to touch Eli's paw.

"This isn't going to work. You weren't there when I went after Maisie. You don't know how strong the urge is."

He shrugged.

"But I know how strong you are, and I'm sure that you can do this."

"Eli-"

"I know I have no right to ask for it, but I need you to trust me, Claire. Considering everything we've been through, I wouldn't blame you for not having faith in me, but I really, really need you to, just this once. Please, Claire. Let me help you."

I shook my head slowly.

"Eli, if I fail, there will be no way to stop me. Even if they tranquilize me, the damage could be severe. I don't want to hurt you."

"And that's why you won't."

"Eli-"

"Trust me."

"Eli, this is-"

"Trust me," he repeated.

I looked into his eyes, and knew that I couldn't refuse. But this was a terrible, terrible idea, and he was going to find out the hard way. I lowered my head and slunk away, hoping to give him a decent head start.

"Alright. I'll do it. Owen, get ready."

He frowned with puzzlement.

"Really?"

"Yes," I replied.

He turned to Eli.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah."

God, he said it so casually. Didn't he know that I was about to tear him to shreds?

Owen laughed condescendingly.

"You know, just because you have thick skin doesn't mean she won't be able to-"

"Can you skip the warnings and just pull the trigger?"

Owen sighed.

"There's something deeply wrong with you . . . Here goes nothing . . ."

I met Eli's gaze, silently begging him to reconsider. He wouldn't budge.

"Three . . . Two . . ."

Why was he so calm?

BREEBREEBREEBREEBREE!

I launched forward, crossing the paddock in a matter of seconds. I spread my paws and prepared to pounce.

(Oh, god! Eli's going to die! I'm about to kill my best friend!)

As I drew near, I noticed how calm Eli looked. How? Why? Didn't he understand that I had failed? I was about to tear his throat out, but there wasn't even a hint of fear drifting up from his figure. It was as though he didn't even see me.

"RAGH!"

I crouched down to launch myself towards his neck, but at the very last second, I jittered to a halt. What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he running away?

He held my gaze as I paced back and forth with frustration, snapping my jaws. He didn't so much as flinch. I clawed the ground angrily. Every time I lunged forward, he held his ground. He didn't even look particularly worried. I snarled and turned away, swishing my tail irritably. I made it halfway across the enclosure before I realized what had just come to pass. I lifted my head and turned to stare at Eli. He was smiling.

"Told you."

Mouth agape, I sat down in the sand.

"I . . . I did it."

Owen tried to conceal his surprise.

"It . . . It could have been a fluke."

"So try again," Eli suggested.

Owen turned the gun to Iris and pulled the trigger. I stared at her for a moment, then looked back at him, waiting. He aimed the gun at Franklin, and though I saw him flinch out of the corner of my eye, I didn't even turn, this time. The feeling was gone. I had ignored the gun because I knew that it was possible, that I could do it. I had passed the final test.

And it wasn't even that hard, once I figured it out.

Zia was the first to cheer. Franklin joined her. Iris, losing all sense of composure, stamped on the catwalk while bellowing triumphantly. I beamed at them with pride, then turned back to Eli, who was rolling towards me. I did leap on him right then, but it ended in a hug instead of disembowelment. He tensed up at first, surprised that I was holding him so close, but he loosened up eventually and rested his head on my back. When we separated, he squeezed my paw gently.

"You're gonna be just fine, Claire. No matter what happens, you're still you. And you're amazing."

I smiled, then peeked around him to see if Owen was proud of me too, but he was nowhere to be seen. Eli followed my gaze, then did a quick scan of the paddock.

"He can't have gotten too far. Go on. We'll talk later."

I nuzzled him once more before leaving, then barreled out the door. I skidded to a stop outside. Owen was kneeling by the wall, disassembling the gun. I chuffed and approached him cautiously.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"That was pretty major, huh?"

He nodded.

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised it worked," I prompted.

"Me too."

I waited. When he didn't continue, I nudged his shoulder.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Isn't there something you'd like to say to me?"

"There are a lot of things I'd like to say to you."

"Like? . . ."

"Congratulations. I'm proud of you."

I cocked my head.

"You don't sound like you're proud . . ."

"I am, Claire. Don't think I'm not. I'm just disappointed in myself, that's all."

"Why?"

He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I've been training you for months, and I thought we were really making progress, but I guess I was going about it the wrong way. I should have listened to you. You were right all along: I really was bad for you."

"Not always . . ."

"But most of the time. And it didn't have to be that way. I thought I was helping you by trying to make you see that you were wrong, but I didn't stop to consider that I was the one to blame. We could have fixed everything, if I had just listened to you."

I pressed my beak against his face.

"It's not too late, Owen. We can still make this work."

He rested his hand on my front horn, but it slipped away as he sighed.

"I don't think I'm ready. After everything I put you through, I don't know if I could live with myself."

I nuzzled him harder, tears stinging at my eyes.

"But now you understand. If you just-"

"I'm sorry, Claire, but I'm bad for you. Maybe if we had some time-"

"We do have time. We can take all the time in the world. And you don't have to be bad for me, if you just make an effort to-"

"I'm sorry, Claire, but I can't. This whole time, I've been holding you back-"

"Owen, I love you, and I know you love me, too. This doesn't have to be the end. We can still try. I don't want to let go of what we have."

"Neither do I, but we have no choice. Right now, you're growing and changing, and I'm just stuck being the same person I've always been."

"So don't be. You can choose to be better."

He shook his head.

"I've tried, Claire. Every time I start to think about us, about moving forward like this, I can't help but feel this twinge of uncertainty. You deserve someone who loves every part of you, who doesn't doubt their feelings like I do. I'd only be getting in your way if we continued to see each other."

I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. Here he was going on and on about how he was such a bad person for acting the way he did, and he was right, of course, but how could he not see that the solution was to learn from his mistakes and improve himself? Why didn't he want to put in the effort?

Well, I guess whatever his reasons may be, if he didn't think our relationship was worth saving, no good could come from trying to convince him. I swallowed the lump in my throat and lumbered away, tail dragging.

"Goodbye, Owen."

"Goodbye, Claire."

I hate to admit it, but even then, I expected him to rush forward and change his mind at the last minute. Instead, I found myself wandering home alone. As I stared up at the setting sun, I realized that our relationship was truly, honestly over. I hadn't fully accepted it, up until that point, and I felt sick to my stomach, knowing that I was alone.

. . . Well, maybe not alone.

"Claire!"

Perry bounded over to me, shaking the ground with each step. She skidded to a stop, and her feet made lines in the dirt.

"Have you seen Owen around?"

"Not since this afternoon."

She lowed with disappointment.

"I was hoping we could watch the sunset together."

I exhaled slowly.

"To be honest, Perry, I don't think he'll want to."

"Why not?"

I gulped.

"He's not in a good mood. We broke up yesterday."

"Really?" she asked with excitement.

"But he's not interested in you, either. He doesn't like dinosaurs."

Her face fell.

"But . . . But we were destined to be together. It's true love."

"I don't think there's such a thing, Perry. And if there is, neither of us are destined to be with Owen."

Her lower beak quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes. As she started making a broken squeaking noise, I reached out to comfort her, but she bolted away, howling in agony. I decided not to follow her.

Down the path, I started to smell my friends, and I noticed Gunnar's tail poking out of a nearby bush, twitching with anticipation. I smiled, rolling my eyes, and trotted forward.

"SURPRISE!"

I pretended to jump, but my smile was genuine. Zia, Franklin, Gunnar, Iris, and Maisie leapt into view, all wearing party hats (some of them donned one hat per horn). Gunnar skipped up to me, dancing around in a circle.

"Congratulations, Claire! We decided to throw you a surprise party, on account of your graduation . . . or whatever you call it."

I laughed.

"Thanks, you guys. How did you come up with this on such short notice?"

Zia crosses her arms.

"Claire, if there's one thing I know how to do, it's party-planning. And veterinary work, but mostly party-planning."

Suddenly, the top of a nearby cake burst open. Wheatley raised his frosting-covered arms and blew on a noisemaker.

"Surpri- Oh, wait, did I miss it? Damn cake was too soundproof."

Zia blinked.

"Anyway, we were hoping to have dinner at The Steg, but we didn't make a reservation in time. McDino's is open right now, if you wanna go. I heard we're in one of the Happy Meals."

Gunnar bounded up and down excitedly.

"We are! We are! My toy spins around like a top! It's really cool!"

Zia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. It's a filler toy. Everyone wants the toys that complete the action set."

"Have you been collecting them, Zia?" I asked.

She pouted.

"NO! . . . Maybe . . ."

I quirked a brow.

"I just wanted my own toy, but they got me hooked!" she whined, "I'm only missing you and Franklin now."

I chuckled.

"Then let's go get me and Franklin."

Zia whooped, then darted down the road. I followed her, but was caught off guard when Maisie climbed up onto my back. She squeezed my neck.

"Owen told me you don't listen to the gun anymore. I'm glad."

"Me too, sweetheart."

"Does this mean you're safe to be around?"

"Absolutely."

For the first time, I was certain that this was the case.

We spent the evening at McDino's, as promised. Zia managed to collect her missing action figures, and we played with a few extras just for fun. Franklin's toy was a doll that jittered when you wound it up. Fairly accurate, I'd say. Mine had a biting action feature, which was decidedly less accurate at present, and thank goodness for that. We were the only ones in the restaurant, so we set up an arena for the spinning toys by sitting on the ground with our legs spread. To Gunnar's delight, his toy was the heaviest, and because of this, won most of the battles. After a few matches, I snuck away to finish my fish-burger. I tapped the wheel of an Eli toy idly while I chewed, making it spin on its poorly-manufactured hinges. I would have to show this to him, sometime. I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it.

As I watched my friends laughing together, I felt a sense of accomplishment welling up inside of me. I had done something impossible today, and that meant nothing else was off the table. If I wanted to live happily as a dinosaur, it could be done, with or without Owen. Maisie still loved me, and she trusted me again, which was the most important thing of all. I still had my daughter, and a handful of really cool friends, so all things considered, I was doing pretty okay. Things were finally looking up, and nothing could ruin-

The door swung open. Moonwatcher jumped into the restaurant.

"I'm ba-ack!"

I slammed my head against the table.

"SON OF A-"