Chapter 2

Ok, just a quick note, the Lincoln as a Deinonychus will now actually be designed to either resemble appearance wise the Raptors from JP III,(full grown) and the Raptors from Primeval(UK version), however I still like the Raptors from ARK so if you think they would do for designs for another Dromaeosaur, let me know. Ps NONE for the Dromaeosaurs, save Velociraptors will be completely feathered. Don't care it's inaccurate, never cared for the completely feathered version, . In my mind for this story, Lincoln's species, Deinonychus when hatched start out covered in feathery down, then lose their feathers as they mature, when fully grown, Male Deinonychus have protofeathers and females look similar to the Jurassic Park raptors, gotta tell them apart somehow. And at least I admit I'm gonna be slightly inaccurate. Well not actually inaccurate as no actual fossil evidence of yet shows any signs of feathers, least on Deinonychus they just assume since others have them, Deinonychus does too.

Outside a nest made of mud and leaves, a small Deinonychus hatchling covered in white feathery down, chases dragonflies. After weeks of being cooped up in the nest, being feed by one of the two adults it had learned to identify as it's mother and father, it was finally allowed to explore its world. Never too far from the nest, however. If it tried to go any further then the bushes surrounding the nest either Father or Mother would pick it up and carry it back. Either Father (Grey he called him for his grey skin)or Mother (No feathers, for she had none, unlike Grey who possessed protofeathers and quills on the back of his head ) was there at all times, if one was hunting, the other was guarding. This time it was No feathers turn at guarding, while her two offspring played around her. Jumping at insects and the occasional lizard. The larger offspring, the one with white down, lunged at the dragonfly it was chasing, only to over balance and tumbled into the mud. Undeterred it picked itself up and charged its parent, playfully nipping in an attempt to get her involved in the fun. No feathers wasn't interested in playing and hissed. The hatchling backed off.

Grey returned a few minutes later, a Compsognathus dead in his jaws. Dropping it in front of the hatchlings, he encouraged them to feed, up until now, the hatchlings had been fed on bits of meat hanging from their parents jaws, so they were confused at first. Eventually the scent of fresh blood overcame the confusion, the two hatchling tore into the openings made in the skin by Greys teeth, pulling out shreds of meat and squabbling over them. Meanwhile Grey joined No feathers as the two parents watched their hatchlings. Both parents were skinny and their ribs were prominent through their skin. Most of any food they caught went to their growing chicks. Soon it would be time to stop bringing them food and teach them to hunt for it.

The two Raptor chicks continued to pull at their latest meal, throwing back their heads to swallow, much like a hawk or eagle. Suddenly the ground below them started to shake, little pebbles vibrating and bouncing. Grey , on edge the second the vibration was felt, raised up as the chicks scurried to their parents side, whimpering. Grey lifted to his full height of just over 5 feet and peered over the bushes at a cloud of dust that was approaching their nest…fast!

~~~~~/-\~~~~~

Luna: Linc?

Lincoln: Nngggh?

Luna: Bro. Wake up.

Lincoln felt her snout nuzzling his head and opened his eyes from were he was still snuggled against Luna's neck. Night had faded into day, the ferns still wet with morning dew, and above grey clouds gathered, promising a storm.

Luna's tongue dragged over his face, waking him up completely. Lincoln shakes his face , throwing off saliva.

Lincoln: (chuckling) Ok Luna, ok. I'm up. I'm up!

Luna: Bout time bro. Been trying to wake you for five minutes. You were real deep in dream land.

Lincoln: Yeah, guess I was.

Luna: Mind if I ask what about?

Lincoln: (halting) I…don't remember.

Luna could tell he was lying. The Deinonychus was a terrible liar. But she could see whatever it was troubled him greatly and decided not to press further. In the meantime there were other things to do before the rain came.

Luna: Well, I was trying to wake you so we could go hunting. The smell of rain is in the air. Best we do some hunting and get some food in our bellies before we get soaked through.

The two carnivores rose to their feet and went to their stream and drank. As he stared at his reflection while he drank, Lincoln saw the bony little bumps that had started to grow in last year were reaching full size, soon the edges around his eyes would start turning blue too.

As he watched a flash of the male Raptor from his dream popped into his mind. He was amazed how except for color, and still having feathers… how much he resembled that "Nychus" in his dream.

He couldn't see how he deserved that. Despite the brief time he'd known him that "Nychus had been the bravest dino he ever known, before Luna , of course. She was right, Lincoln had been lying when he said he didn't remember his dream, he remembered it vividly.

It was of the last day he saw his family alive.

~~~~~/-\~~~~~

The two meat-eaters headed out of the marshy bit of ground that was their territory. Clyde wasn't with them, after taking a look at the sky, he had opted it'd be better for him to stay behind to try catching insects instead of risking getting caught in the downpour sure to come. He wished them luck as they departed. On the way they past the almost clean picked remains of the Sivatherium Luna brought down yesterday. Nocturnal hunters visited during the night, now only small scrapes of flesh still clung to bones. Only enough to feed the flies.

Luna: So much for leftovers.

Lincoln: Did you really expect there to be any?

Luna: Nah.

At the edge of the tree plains, Luna stopped and sniffed the ground for signs of prey. A patch of disturbed earth caught her eye as well as a footprint. The earth held the scent of prey fleeing, like something was chasing them but the foot print was what worried her. It was three toed much like a birds, with the imprints of claws at the end of each toe. A carnivores track, it matched Luna's footprint almost exactly except for size, being larger and deeper.

Luna: (to herself) Looks like we got another big carnivore running around. Scents not that old either.

Though she was talking to herself, Lincoln heard what she said, it made him nervous. In the time since Luna had been looking after him, he's seen her chase of at least a dozen would be usurpers to their territory. Mostly Ceratosaurusus and once a Megalosaurus but there was the occasional other Allosaurus, but those had looked different then her, slightly smaller and with a more slender built and a less broad muzzle. All the confrontations ended with Luna as the victor and the losers limping away with injuries. At roughly 13 to 14 feet tall and 32 feet long , she was big for an Allosaurus, and a danger to any who challenge her, but to Lincoln she was mostly a gentle giant. Still that didn't mean she couldn't or wouldn't defend what was hers. If something wanted to challenge her, she'd greet it with open jaws.

Luna sniffed at the disturbed earth, if looks and scents were any indication, another carnivore was gonna make a push to claim her and Lincoln's territory, she would need strength, that meant food. A few sniffs told her a large group of prey where to the southwest of here. She headed off the plain, Lincoln at her heels.

After a little while of walking, the pair entered a wooded area as the storm clouds grew darker and darker overhead. Up ahead was a herd of Hadrosaurus, feeding on all fours while occasionally shifting to two as so to leaning on trees to reach tough branches. Most predators found them delicious . Luna and Linc exchange a look and nod before separating in opposite directions. Luna heads away from the herd while Lincoln carefully sneaks around , working his way behind them, making sure to keep an eye on the wind direction, like Luna said. If it changed before he was in position the hunt could be ruined. He reached a suitable spot and hunkered down. When the herd wasn't looking he popped his head up enough to clear the foliage he hid in. His orange skin and white feathers would show up easily here. He crouched quickly back down, waiting…for the signal.

After a second, he heard a rustling from farther down the wood land. At the rustling the plant eaters stopped eating and looked around suspicious.

Then the wind changed. Before they knew it, Lincoln dashed out from cover and charged the herd, letting out a sound somewhat between a cough and a snarl, a Deinonychus hunting call. Though they could see only one Deinonychus, the herbivores knew from experience that where there was one there were usually at least two or three others laying in wait, and no herbivore would ignore a potential predator, no matter the size. The herd panics and sprints away on two legs, with Lincoln hot on their heels, snapping at their legs.

One that was smaller then the others tries to separate from the herd, that was what he was waiting for. Lincoln ran up and leaped onto its neck, digging his front claws and sickle claws into the skin. Then he dragged his right sickle claw down, again and again raking bloody wounds while at the same time biting as hard as he could. The herbivore stops and shakes its body wildly, trying to dislodge him. Lincoln held on as best he could and kept scraping and biting.

Lincoln was eventually knocked loose with the herbivore hurrying to catch up with rest of the herd, who hadn't paid any mind to its peril, one less predator for them. Lincoln rose but didn't pursue, he didn't have to. He did his part. Now it was Luna's turn.

Luna lunged from the trees she used for cover and fell into step beside the injured plant eater. This was their system when hunting large prey together, Lincoln would get the prey running, injuring and wearing it down then Luna would come in for the kill.

The Allosaurus opened her jaws and slammed the top jaw into the back of the Hadrosaurus's neck. She did this again, in the side and fell back, running at a slow jog.

(The narrator speaks up.)

Narrator: Allosaurus, among Theropods has a unique way of bringing down its prey. Rather then expend energy, it uses its upper jaw like a machete, makes a few deep wounds, then waits for shock and blood loss to do the rest.

The Hadrosaurus moves slower and slower, blood oozing profusely from its neck and the wound in its side. Lincoln's attack had managed to tear open the jugular on one side and Luna's had completely severed the opposite one. It takes a few shaky steps before collapsing onto its side, and going completely still. The poor plant-eater stood no chance, least the death was relatively quick.

Luan came up to the corpse, with Lincoln beside her. Luna's foot came up and tore a gash from her bite in its side with her talons . The larger carnivore buried her snout in the opening and tore a gobbet of flesh and swallowed it whole. Lincoln hopped on and joined Luna in eating the plentiful flesh, their teamwork again got them a substantial meal . Off to the side several Ornitholestes and Dimorphodon gathers to wait until the larger predators had finished and departed.

Luna carved another mouthful of flesh, and looked around, watching to see if another predator would try to make a push for the Hadrosaur. But none came, Luna and Lincoln were able to feed uninterrupted.

When the two stopped, the two turned and headed back and head away towards their marsh leaving the partially eating Hadrosaur. A minute after their footsteps faded, the Ornitholestes and Pterosaurs burst from the undergrowth to the carcass. Tearing at the meat and fighting among themselves, stealing a choice morsel from another and equalling and hissing at each other.

As they continued to battle themselves, a loud roar sounded as it came towards them, as a large carnivore broke through the trees. It didn't rush the carcass, just casually strolled up as the smaller predators scattered. The newcomer came up to the carrion and lowered its head and began to feed. The carnivore was larger then Luna, and looked like an upscaled version of her, only the crests before the eyes were longer, it's skin was grey green, and it's stripes were dark brown. Down its back were a row of small spines. It was at least 15 feet tall and 36 feet long.

Narrator: This is Saurophaganax. "Lord of lizard eaters". It may look like a upscaled Allosaurus but it's bigger, meaner…and nastier. And this male isn't just looking for a meal, he's also searching for territory to call his own. This floodplain looks good. He'd been scoping it out earlier this morning when he had chased after a herd of Hadrosaurs, this herd to be exact. But they gave him the slip and he'd been bidding his time to try his luck again, when he saw this fresh kill. If this territory is to be his, he would have to deal with the Dino who did this.

The Saurophaganax tears a huge mouthful and swallows, as he eats he sniffs around before seeing Luna and Lincoln's footprints heading away. He bends down and sniffs at the prints. The scent belonged to a Allosaurus and …a Deinonychus? Under normal circumstances, he would find it odd that a solo Deinonychus would be so close to an apex predator like Allosaurus. But with prime hunting territory so close, he instead left the meat in favor of following the tracks. As he lumbered away, the scavengers picked up where they left off.

At the marsh, Luna and Lincoln were resting after their most recent hunt. It had started raining. They were in their usual spot, the trees covering them from the worst of the deluge. Lincoln resting on Luna's back, up in the tree, Clyde was cleaning and shaking rain from his feathers.

Luna: You did great today Linc.

Lincoln: Thanks Luna. Course it still would've probably gotten away if you hadn't done your Allosaurus thing.

Luna: Well, maybe…maybe not, but still you did well. You paid attention to the wind and attacked before you lost the element of surprise. Used to be you'd slip and fall, but now your really shaping up nicely.

Lincoln: All thanks to your advice and helping me practice hunting.

Luna: Well, I did my best, especially since I have next to no knowledge how your Raptors hunt, except that you hunt in packs. The rest was all you, baby bro.

At the mention of pack, Luna felt a sinking feeling in her chest. Pack, Raptors need packs. By themselves they're dangerous, but in a pack, they were among the most cunning and efficient hunters. She watched this little dude grow from a hatchling. Doing her best at teaching him all she knew, but it couldn't compare to having a pack of your own kind, creatures that understood him, hunted like him.

Now, he was growing up, she seen enough Deinonychus before finding him. She seen the signs, loosing his feathers, the small bony crests before his eyes, the light blue edging around them also, her Deinonychus bro was reaching adulthood. Then what? Would he stay content here with her, or would he long for the companionship of his own species, a mate, little hatchlings of his own? If he wanted to do so…she wouldn't stop him. But she wondered if their was any room in his future for her?

Lincoln and Luna have hunted successfully, but a Saurophaganax is sniffing around. And Luna wonders if her Deinonychus baby bro will leave her once he's grown, desiring a mate and family of his own. And a peek at hatchling Linc's childhood.

Read and review. Any Dinos you wanna see ? Let me know.

Facts: Allosaurus was originally believed to have a weak bite force for a fairly large dinosaur, but their neck muscles could withstand a tremendous force, so it was hypothesized they used their upper jaw like a machete or hatchet to inflict deep bleeding wounds in their prey (usually a dino smaller then them). Their prey would then die due to a combination of shock and blood loss. I don't know if that theory been debunked, but in here, Allosaurus like Luna use the hatchet jaw as a way to kill without expending to much energy.

Average height of an Allosaurus fragilis, Luna's species, is around 28 ft long and 13 feet tall. Luna's size is based of the largest definite Allosaurus specimen . Don't know if it was a fragilis, but for this story, they can get this size.

The Deinonychus pack hunting is also up for debate. What I refer to as a pack is more of a family group of the parents and offspring before the babies grow up and head off to start the cycle again.

A real Deinonychus sickle claw measured 4.7 inches long, but as these Deinonychus is based on the JP III Raptors?, who are roughly around half the size again of avreal full grown Deinonychus, they measure around 5 inches.

Dinosaurs and other prehistoric appeared or mentioned:

Allosaurus Jimmadensi.

Allosaurus fragilis: Luna

Deinonychus antirrhopus: Lincoln

Archaeopteryx: Clyde

Megalosaurus: (Great lizard) Theropod

Saurophaganax: (Lord of Lizard eaters) Allosaurus like Dinosaur (Considered by some paleantogists to be a large subspecies of Allosaurus)

Hadrosaurus: (Bulky lizard) Duck-billed Dinosaur.