Cargo Ship Escape
Zeal, unconscious and unaware, felt himself floating through a vast expanse of darkness. And endless void of it. Cold, empty, and alone.
"Zeal..." A voice echoed through the void. "Zeal..." It sounded omniscient and wise. "ZEAL!"
'WHACK'
"Oww!" Zeal's eyes snapped open with a start.
"Wake up you disobedient foul brained fawltreheol!" The voiced screeched.
"Who is there?" Zeal questioned while rubbing the center of his head. He twisted and turned in the vast blackness, searching not only for the voice, but assumingly for what hit him as well.
'WHACK'
"OWWW!" The hits seemed awfully familiar to Zeal. Only one Saurilied he knew had such technique as to cause severe pain in such a defined area of his muzzle. "Eldanrae Wiesen?"
'WHACK'
"OOWWW!"
Who else would it be, pallel?" Wiesen confirmed. His figure began to manifest in Zeal's field of vision until the old raptor appeared clearly.
"I am glad to know it is you eldanrae, but were those hits necessary?" Zeal whined as he cradled his sore head.
"You deserve several more for the situation I specifically told you to avoid!" Wiesen growled. "Now look where you've landed yourself! Go ahead, look around!" Zeal surveyed the empty black void. He and Wiesen were the only ones within the range of his smell. Other than that, Zeal detected nothing.
"What is this place, eldanrae?" Zeal questioned.
"We currently stand in your mind." Wiesen explained. "Or, more accurately what might become of it."
"So I am not awake." Zeal reasoned. "Then how are you here? OWW!" Zeal made a hoarse pained cry from being hit yet again.
"I'm dead, larainel!" Wiesen snarled, using the Ancient Saurilied term for remember. "Which reminds me why I woke you in the first place." The elder raptor pointed an accusing claw at younger bird of prey. "Do you recall anything about the fight you just had with your older brother?"
"It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can not recall any details other than the mention of the name Peregrine." Zeal admitted.
"Then it's just like I thought." Wiesen scratched under his jaw with his toe claw. "You and your primal side are still separate osolrantes in one mind."
"You taught me much of the Ancient Saurilied language, eldanrae, but never the word osolrantes."
"That is because it's meaning varies, and did not much apply to what I taught. But, again, you seem to be the exception, pallel." Wiesen noted. "Osolrantes can mean entity, or soul, or being. Or, as you may soon see, an existing conscience without form."
"But my body should be my form...right?"
"Yes, but it seems that you might be sharing it with another conscious mind."
"WHAT!? With who!?" Zeal demanded. "You?"
"Humph, if only you could." Wiesen snorted. "No, not me. But I have an idea of the identity it might be."
"Don't play quoi old fool." Another, much harsher, voice echoed from the abyssal darkness. "You know exactly who, and what I am." The silhouette of another velociraptor began to take shape as the predator stalked out of the shadows with calculative and deliberate steps.
Zeal stood dumbfounded at the newcomer. "You are...you are me." His features hardened as he gazed upon the red raptor's form.
"What was your first clue you half-brained idiot." The other Zeal responded. "Was it that we look exactly alike?" He sarcastically remarked. "It's like gazing into a clear reflection from a pond only to see your image completely tinted red with bloody water." The second Zeal laughed maniacally.
"I hoped this wouldn't be the case, but if you wake up from your mind now there is a good chance you'll be fighting for your own body." Wiesen sighed.
"You mean my body, old fawltreheol." The Rampage Zeal chirped cynical laughter.
"I did not ask you for your input!" Wiesen snapped his jaws at the red raptor, following up his initial action with a growling hiss. The second Zeal jumped back in surprise. The elder returned his attention to the first Zeal. "It seems you," Wiesen indicated the normal Zeal, "and your primal side," he then pointed to the red Zeal, "are still separate osolrantes."
"I understand that, now." Zeal ground his dagger-like teeth, and narrowed his gaze at the menacing copy of himself. The second Zeal returned the glare in kind. "But how did this happen."
"Oh, come on! We've met before. How could you forget your own comalsid?" The Rampage Zeal began to stalk towards his normal counterpart.
"You are no identity I claim as my own that I remember meeting." Zeal countered.
"Really now?" The copy perked his head up in feigned interest. "So I guess that little incident in the Park Center's vents never happened then." An image of Zeal roaring in pain as he clawed his head flashed through the normal Zeal's vision.
"I remember feeling like I was fighting for control of myself."
"YOU WERE FIGHTING ME!" The red raptor roared, standing snout to snout with the normal Zeal. "And when you rejected me as part of you, I became my own fawltreheol...your primal side. Through sheer will I live, and will continue to fight until I permanently have my body back."
"Then you and I are at an impasse." Zeal growled.
"Settle this, here and now. Once and for all." Wiesen stated. "This will never end until one Zeal remains. One of you must be defeated."
"Fine by me." The normal Zeal went sliding back on his toes from the kick his Rampage counterpart delivered.
"Underhanded attacks. I should have expected as much." The normal Zeal shook off the blow. The Rampage Zeal displayed his dagger teeth in a gnarly grin. "No matter. I will make sure this fight with myself shall be my last!" Zeal barked a rolling growl that bordered on a roar.
XXXXXX
"Wait, why now!" Dr. Alan Grant held on to the door to the control room for dear life.
"Because the velociraptors were just reported jumping on to the top deck." Dr. Alice pulled on Grants legs to get him to leave. "And they were reported to be working together. Don't worry we'll give you an armed escort."
"No way." Grant refused. "You said they were in that primal mode, and was killing everybody."
"Yeah, but they've obviously have calmed down if they're working together." Dr. Alice tugged harder on Grant's jeans, but her results proved fruitless. "MILLS, some help here!" She yelled angrily at the military man standing behind her. He had been watching the proceedings for the past five minutes and had done nothing to help.
"Let's do this the easy way." Mills sighed. "I'm sick of standing in the rain anyway." He complained approaching Grant. He snatched the paleontologist's trademark hat of his head and tossed it onto the ground a distance away. "Might want to get that before the wind does."
"MY HAT!" Grant released his grip, causing Alice to stumble backwards at the loss of leverage. Grant ran over to his beloved hat, and placed it atop his head again. When he turned to rush back into the control room he was greeted with the slam of a door. "Damn it!" He had been tricked.
"They'll be an armed escort at the bow of the ship." Alice's voice came out muffled from behind the closed door. "That's where they were last seen heading."
"Oh, and you'll need this." Mills said as he quickly opened the door and tossed a metal box at Grant's chest, and then just as quickly closed it back. Grant fumbled with the device before getting a good grip on it. "Try talking to the damn things. See if that box is actually worth all the money that went into it." Mills's muffled voice spoke through the door.
The paleontologist gazed down at the box in his hands. His options were either stand in the storming rain and probably die of freezing to death, or go find the armed escort and probably die by dinosaurs. Ultimately, both choices ended in his untimely death, but the dinosaurs one would probably be quicker. Dr. Alan Grant began walking towards the ship bow as, once again, he was faced with another situation he really didn't want to be in.
"I really hate this place."
XXXXXX
Burning up with all the unused energy from the yellow substance in the containers, Peregrine weaved through the large metal freight containers on the ship's deck with focused velocity. It was like navigating a maze with too many dead ends. He considered bounding to the higher platforms on the ship for a quicker escape, but that would draw attention and involve putting his brother in harm's way too, and he refused to take any risk that might bring that about unnecessarily.
"Anyone ever tell you that you're due to lose some weight?" Peregrine glanced at the unconscious dinosaur on his back. "Because you're pretty heavy." Zeal's unconscious form gave no reply. "Just saying." Peregrine pounced onto a metal rail, and used it as a spring-board to leap a great distance down a flight of stairs to a lower part of the ship's top deck.
The bird of prey gave himself an extra boost, kicking off from a solid platform of air using his Air Rushing. Peregrine alighted on top of another rail just as a strong gust of wind brought a wall of stinging rain crashing into his face and chest. The raptor was barely holding his balance due to Zeal's extra weight. He hopped down from the railing before he fell off, and continued down a straight corridor of giant metal containers. He could see the front of the ship.
"Almost home free." Peregrine told his unconscious brother. "Just a few more...you've got to be pulling my tail." Peregrine groaned as five more armed humans came into view at the end of the corridor, but they hadn't noticed him yet. The clever carnivore used his binocular vision to zoom in for a better look at the men, and noticed that there was a sixth unarmed man. And it was none other than, "Grant." Peregrine grinned.
"Well, where are they?" Grant sighed. "Did we beat them here?" He asked the man leading the fire team.
"Your guess is as good as ours, sir." He replied. "We're just following orders." The men formed a wedge around Grant next to the chain on the anchor.
Peregrine saw an opportunity to rid himself of all the men in one foul swoop, and without harming Grant in the process, or putting Zeal at anymore risk than necessary. The raptor charged head long at the formation of men, disappearing right before he reached them. None of the men ever saw what hit them.
Peregrine had dashed into the middle of the formation. Using his dexterous tail, the swift footed raptor swiped all of the soldiers off their feet, and continuing with the momentum from his sweeping motion, twisted in a semicircle that slammed and gathered all five men on to his tail. Peregrine crunched his foot into the metal of the ship's deck, clamping down his killer toe claw into the metal to come to a sudden halt. With the resulting force and speed of his movement transferred fully into the men, they were sent flying over board the ship's railing and into the ocean water below.
Grant had no idea what had just happened. All he saw was a red blur came rushing at all the men, and before he could give them warning, they all went flying past him into the water below. Now in front of him stood a red raptor with its tail stiff in the air, and its claws gripping steel. Its head was slightly leaned forward and pointed towards the deck, seemingly trying to retain balance from the weight of a second normal colored raptor on its back. Grant noticed the air around the radiant red skin of the standing velociraptor was shimmering, as if the dinosaur was giving off heat equal to a desert's scorching surface. The rain hitting the creature even turn to steam upon contact. The raptor had to be burning extremes amounts of energy to be producing that kind of heat.
"Grant!" Peregrine snapped his head towards the paleontologist. The man jumped in alarm. "Finally, do you know how long I've been tracking you!" Peregrine shouted in excitement. The man obviously took the raptor's joy as a threat, for he jumped backwards and held up a odd looking metal box to defend himself.
"Don't eat me!" Grant shouted at the bird of prey.
"I forgot, humans can't understand Saurilied." Peregrine thought. "Let's see...what did Luliera say they did to communicate, again? Hmmm, oh yeah! Shake and nod their heads." Peregrine shook his head 'no' in response to the outcry. Grant beamed at the realization the dinosaur understood him.
"So you're not going to kill me?" Grant looked warily at the unmoving raptor on the red raptor's back. Peregrine shook his head 'no'. "Oh thank God!" Grant released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "They sent me out here to communicate with you since they thought you followed me here from the museum and..."
Grant began to rant on about something Peregrine really could care less about at current. The Rampage raptor just tilted his head to the right in his 'that's interesting' look at how fast humans could speak upon a random subject. After a few minutes passed, Peregrine finally stopped Grant by nudging him, and announcing an irritated groan that came out as a mix between a bark and a hiss. The paleontologist got the message.
"Sorry, sorry." He apologized. "I'm just glad you're the raptor from the museum, and not some other raptor." Peregrine shook his head at this statement. "Wait, you're not the raptor from the museum?"
"Nope." Peregrine shook his head again. This was going to get tedious, and there were currently more pressing matters to attend to.
"So, then he is the one I met in the museum?" Grant pointed to Zeal on Peregrine's back. Peregrine nodded 'yes'. "So who are you?!"
"I'm his older brother." Peregrine stated proudly, but then remembered the man lacked the knowledge to speak with him. That was going to make asking for help pretty difficult.
"I wish I could understand what you were..." Grant paused as he realization dawned on him. He looked at the box in his hands. "Please work." He begged as he turned on the device to the proper settings. "Okay, now say what you said again."
Peregrine looked at the man with utter confusion. "Why? It's not like you can understand what I'm saying anyway." The raptor barked.
"Why? It's not like you can understand what I'm saying anyway." The metal box translated perfectly. Peregrine cocked his head back in alarm as he heard human speech repeat his statement. That machine must have been how the guy in the helicopter knew what he was saying.
"Was that what you said?" Grant's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"Yes." Peregrine nodded his confirmation.
"Yes." The metal box translated again.
"Holy crap." Grant dropped to his rear end. "Holy crap. They actually did it...again!" Dr. Grant stared at the box in his hands. "I can actually understand dinosaurs."
"Well, so can I, but you don't see me making a big deal about it." Grant gave Peregrine an incredulous look as the machine finished translating the cunning dinosaur's sarcastic statement.
XXXXXX
"HAAHAHAHAA! This is too good." The Rampage Zeal taunted. "I'm not even starting to get tired, and you're already panting and out of breath." He stalked a circle around his normal counterpart. "It must be crippling to not be able to use your Rampage. And do you know why that is?"
"Humor me." Zeal said, trying to catch his breath from the brawl.
"It's because, I AM RAMPAGE!" The red raptor roared. "You cannot access what is not yours! I am separate from you. I am anger, hate, and will personified! And no matter how hard you fight, or how strong you attack, I can't be defeated." The Rampage Zeal began to laugh maniacally. The black void filled with his thundering voice.
Zeal growled to his self. His Rampage part was right. He could not defeat him. No matter how hard Zeal fought his Rampage fought harder. How was he suppose to defeat a part of him that was designed to always fight with the fuel of hate, anger, and will. The situation was dire. If he had not forced himself to suppress his primal side in the park and had just accepted it, then he would not even be in this situation.
"Wait." Zeal had stumbled upon an epiphany. "That just might be my answer."
"What are you mumbling about?" The rampage raptor snarled.
"You are right. I can not defeat you in a fight, no matter how strong my attack." Zeal admitted.
"I see you've come to your senses." The Rampage Zeal quit stalking around the normal Zeal.
"Yes, I have." Zeal began to approach his Rampage self. "I keep resisting the idea that you are a part of me, when really I should embrace you."
"What?" The red raptor was taken aback by the declaration.
"I cannot access or control Rampage, because I have not accepted it as part of who I am. I have not fully accepted my instincts." Zeal placed a clawed hand on the shoulder of a confused looking red Zeal. "I have not accepted my primal side."
"I...I...but...you..." The Rampage Zeal's red color waned. His once brilliant red glow dimmed. "But...that's not fair! You can't just accept me for what I am just like that! I am anger! I am hate! I AM WILL!"
"And you are me." Zeal stated calmly. "I channel anger into focused determination. I change hate into understanding using reason. And I warp will into pure power. " The red raptor had completely lost all his crimson coloring by the end of the normal Zeal's final statement. "I accept who I am for the good, and the bad."
"But...I...I..."
"It is alright. I understand now." Zeal nodded to his second self. "I won't resist you any longer. We are one osolrantes."
"I...I see." The now second normal Zeal nodded somberly, and mirrored the placement of his clawed hand on Zeal's shoulder. "I guess that means I will have no use now."
"On the contrary, I will use you all the time." The first Zeal grinned. "You are me, after all." The second Zeal returned the grin in kind as he gracefully faded away into the abyss of the darkness.
"You never cease to amaze, pallel." Wiesen made his presence known again. "Once you wake, you will have absolute control of yourself, and the ability to use your primal ability at will."
"That was quite the ordeal, Wiesen eldanrae." Zeal breathed relief.
"I know the feeling." Wiesen agreed. "Do you remember the details of your confrontation with Peregrine?"
"Unfortunately." Zeal conceded. "As well as everything else that occurred while I was in Rampage."
"Don't lose sleep over it, pallel. I did much worse damage before I confronted my inner self, and became one osolrantes."
"You have experienced what I have just been through before?" Zeal gawked.
"Don't look so surprised." Wiesen let loose a hardy laughed. "Young Zeal, I am the reason the raptors were forced into the pens, and no longer allowed in the open enclosures."
"That is worse." Zeal agreed.
"Yes, but it lead me to a level of understanding much deeper, and more insightful than most eldanraes can provide." Wiesen explained.
"You are- I mean...were our best, eldanrae." Zeal corrected his self. "Which brings up a question that has been bothering me."
"What is that, pallel?"
"Well...are you really here, or am I just imagining you...or all of this for that matter." Zeal gestured to void around them. "And did you just come back to help me this one time?"
Wiesen slowly tapped his toe claw, pondering in what way best to answer the questions. "It is your mind, pallel. You tell me."
"Honestly eldanrae, I do not even know. I'm beginning to question am I even sane anymore." Zeal sat down on his haunches. Wiesen couldn't help but laugh at this statement. He took a seat next to his former student.
"Many mysteries shroud nature. There are a great many things that cannot be answered through reason," Wiesen lectured. "but we are left to accept as reality and truth."
"We breathe air, but we cannot see it. Yet we accept that it exist." Zeal summed up.
"You always did pick up notasels quite quickly." Wiesen smiled, using the Ancient Saurilied word for 'lessons'. "You should teach your thick skulled brother a thing or two. You should be waking up soon enough anyway."
"What!? Already?" Zeal whined.
'WHACK!'
"OOOOWWWWW!"
"Don't whine. It doesn't suit your character." Wiesen scolded.
"Yes, eldanrae." Zeal chirped laughter while rubbing the sore spot on his head.
XXXXXX
"I'm sure this all must be new to you, but right now I can use some help." Peregrine's barks, hisses, and other vocalizations were still translating perfectly through the machine. "You came her in a boat, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"Excellent, then we can use that to get back to the island." Peregrine displayed his teeth in a toothy grin.
"Go back!" Grant yelled. "I just got off the island!"
"And you can leave again if you want." Peregrine reasoned. "I was told that you helped part of my pack survive, including the leader. She was the one that told me that for a human, you're not half bad, and that's why I tracked you across this island. Originally, I wanted to get your help to leave this place, but circumstances have changed and now I need to get my brother back to the island." Peregrine's eyes translated his emotions of which the machine could give no justice. "Our species aided each other once before. Would you be willing to aid us once again?"
Dr. Grant sighed. He was still having a hard time believing he was actually understanding the dinosaur, let alone that it could be so persuasive with its words. "Alright, I'll help." Grant agreed. The red raptor slowly inclined its head to the man.
"Thank you." Peregrine said humbly, raising his head back to full height.
"The boat I came here in should be hanging from a life raft holder over here." Grant led the velociraptor to the side of the containers he and the armed men had rounded earlier. Not 30 feet away from the bow, hanging by two ropes, was the fore mentioned boat. "Come on." Grant rushed over to the dingy and hopped inside. Peregrine followed Grant's lead and hopped into the boat. Carefully, he slid Zeal onto the floor of the tiny boat. Grant then began to lower the boat by its rope into the storming water below. Everything was moving smoothly.
"Do you hear that?" Peregrine pointed his nose to the floor of the boat. With his inner ear now aligned to hear better, he could pick up the distinct sound of a close by helicopter, even through the storm. It could likely be the helicopter that had attacked him previously, but he didn't want to take any chances to find out.
"Hear what?" Grant questioned.
"No time to explain!" Peregrine swiped his toe-claw through the rope. The boat took a sudden plunge in several feet of height before it abruptly slammed to a halt in the water. "We need to get to the island. I can't really fight on water."
"I hope your rushing pays off." Grant rubbed his sore butt from the fall. He quickly brought the engine to life, and pointed the boat in the direction of the island.
XXXXXX
"Hey, Mills." Alice pointed to a camera in the control room. "He's taken both raptors off the ship and onto shore."
"Good. Is the leader of 'The Five' in position yet?" Mills inquired.
"Yeah, but is it really necessary to use one of the 'The Five'?" Alice frowned. "It seems a bit of an overkill, don't you think?"
"Well, it was at his personal request if truth be told." Mills admitted. "Something about wanting to get back at the raptor for a earlier encounter." The Lieutenant Colonel shrugged.
"This is not going to end well, Mills." Alice foretold.
"I just hope he doesn't go overboard." Mills sighed.
XXXXXX
"Okay, we made it." Grant huffed as the boat hit the sandy shore. Peregrine lifted Zeal back onto his shoulders, so that he lay lengthwise down Peregrine's body. Zeal gave a slight murmur of sound at the movement. Peregrine took it as a good sign.
"Thank you, again. I can't express how grateful I am." Peregrine inclined his head slightly. "I will repay this favor one day."
"Hopefully you won't have too." Grant smiled at the red raptor.
"Oh, he won't!" A voice spoke through an amplified speaker. A helicopter, the same as the one on the ship, rose from behind the tree line on the shore. But the pilot was a different man than the one before. "Cause he won't live long enough."
"Not again!" Peregrine roared furiously at the flying weapon designed to take his species down.
"I don't think you can win this battle!" Grant yelled at Peregrine. You might want to run!"
"The good doctor is right." The pilot taunted. "You might want to run."
Peregrine roared, "Can't I catch a break!" He disappeared from sight, and reappeared near the road that attached to the beach. It would lead him to the interior of the island. The helicopter would have less of an advantage there. He dashed down the road in a dead sprint, hoping his re-energized Rampage would outlast the helicopter's pursuit.
"Oh no you don't!" The chopper followed.
Peregrine heard an all too familiar tone behind him. He chanced a glance over his shoulder just as the fiery metal tube came sailing through the air at him. On instinct, and with great effort, the swift bird of prey shifted his footing in mid-stride so that his next step would allow him to pivot to his right. His claws strained to keep grip on the black surface as he slid out of harm's way, and their task was made all the more difficult with Zeal's extra weight. The tube went sailing by into the forest. The resulting explosion toppled a few trees.
"You can't dodge the missiles forever." The pilot smirked.
"But I can try." Peregrine countered as he pushed his legs to speed himself up. He began to pull away from his attacker. He was pushing at a speed he nearly couldn't sustain. Each tap of his toes against the ground became a painful exertion on his body.
"Your speed won't help you now." The helicopter closed the gap the raptor had put forth so much effort to make. The machine gun began to fire at the carnivores feet.
"I beg to differ!" Peregrine smirked. Burning up what excess Rampage the yellow substance had given, the velociraptor made a quick succession move of disappearing and reappearing 50 yards away. He repeated the move so many times it put him nearly a mile ahead of the helicopter. "That should spare me some time." Peregrine breathed rapidly. Unfortunately, he had overestimated his own abilities. The raptor's legs locked out only after a few seconds more of sprinting. He tripped over his own feet and nearly tumbled forward. Instead, Peregrine forced himself to slide chest first to protect his brother from coming to any harm.
"What! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!" The pilot pushed the helicopter to move faster to catch up to red raptor. Fortunately for him, the damn dinosaur had tripped which gave him time to catch up.
Peregrine stood with hesitant legs, taking a defensive stance in front of Zeal's unconscious body. It was too late to start running now. The helicopter was nearly upon them. He would have to take it head on. It was time to put his Rampage to the test.
"Are you really going to take me head on?" The pilot laughed hysterically as he started to close the remaining ground between him and the dinosaur. "Strength won't help you now!"
"I BEG TO DIFFER!" Massive serrated teeth crunched onto the tail end of the helicopter, crushing and warping the tail. The machine shook with the force of the blind side blow, and the current shaking of jaws that held it. The chopper was smashed into the ground, destroying the top rotors. The Primeval T-rex let loose an earthshaking roar as the her foot slammed down onto the helicopter's over turned side, crushing the frame beyond repairable use. "Strength is one of my finer toned assets!" Kenduari roared out her dominance.
Me: There you have it ladies and gentlemen. The next chapter.
Zeal: He gladly awaits your torches and pitch forks of death.
Peregrine: Make no mistakes, he deserves them.
Me: For once, I agree with the brothers...*sigh*
Kenduari: Never thought I would hear that.
Me: Neither did I. But I have been inactive for a while, and I know how much I hate waiting for new chaps to get posted. So It's only fair I take my stabbing and burning like I should.
Peregrine: Dibs on the first stab *lifts killer toe-claws*
Zeal: No way, I get this one!
Me: Oh no. You keep those things away from me.
Peregrine: Grab him.
Me: Uhh, I gotta go. Kend-
Kenduari: I know, I know. I suggest you start running. You will have much more to worry about than just Featherclaw and Quicksickles soon enough.
Me: Thanks- Oh, HOLY CRAP! *ducks under claw swipe* Hey, calm down!
Kenduari: Well, to anyone who isn't chasing the author...*watches author run by with angry mob and raptors behind him* Thank you for your continued support of this story. Your constructive criticism is always valued with us. Always let it be known that your favs, reviews, messages, and comments are greatly appreciated and are highly motivating.
Me: *ducks under thrown spear* Hope you enjoyed the chapter.