I just want to say thank you...again. I recently checked out that this story is now part of a community called "Can't get enough of" and I am truly honored that this story has been included in the list. In terms of the Tyrannosaurus, people have called it Rexy and have gendered it to be female. To be honest, in the fourth movie I didn't notice whether or not it was a female and have used my imagination. Let's face it, the park was making a new set of dinosaurs and I rolled with that. That being said, happy reading!
Chapter Four
"Doesn't take you very long to get ready does it?"
"I didn't want to keep you waiting for too long Claire. I'm sure you have other things on your agenda to attend to besides me"
"Very few people realise that"
I smirk at how well I knew her personality from a few interactions. I get into her car and she drives off onto a dirt road. Eventually we come to a large caged habitat and I look at it in awe. I could hear some people walking around and the sound of crunching leaves and grass. I look at how high the walls were and I doubted anything could get in or out of the cage without some help.
Claire gestures me to follow and we walk until we see some men milling about. A tall man walks up to us
"Miss Claire, how nice to see you"
"Nice to see you Barry. I hope everything is in order"
"Like a well-oiled machine ma'am"
"Good, good. This is Rae Jones; she will be working with our resident Tyrannosaurus. Rae this is Barry, he works with Owen on taking care of the Velociraptors"
"Ah, I can see your hands are going to be very full in the near future Miss Jones"
I shake the offered hand
"That is something you and I both agree on and please my name is Rae, there isn't a need for formality"
"Planning on staying a long time?"
"For as long as I'm needed"
I hear the trees within the contained area shaking and I turn to look. I see four bodies moving in the greenery and I try to decipher what exactly is going on
"Ah, Owen is about to start the training. Would you like to see?"
I nod at Barry and Claire and I are led to a safe area away that would allow us to see into the habitat. A well-built man, which I presumed to be Owen Grady stood high above the raptors, a bucket beside him and something in his hand. Four Velociraptors break through the foliage chasing a small pig that was making distressed noises as they almost caught up with it.
Owen raises his hands in the air
"Hey!"
The predators stop dead in their tracks, while the pig gets away and manages to escape the pen via a small door that had opened for it. They look up at him and he presses his thumb on the device that makes a clicking sound. The dinosaurs pay him the utmost attention when he does this, but their attention is suddenly on each other and they begin their nipping and playing rather than listening to Owen. He calls out to them again and they eventually stop their antics, putting their attention on their trainer. After a few tries to keep them in line for more than a minute, he gives up and gives them their treats.
We get back down and wait for him on the ground and after a few minutes he comes out, wiping his now wet hands on a cloth. He sees Barry and Claire and smiles before seeing me
"You must be the new recruit"
"And you must be Owen Grady"
He does a dramatic bow
"At your service"
Claire rolls her eyes
"What did you think of my training?"
"I've never seen dinosaur training before, so I can't really give you an accurate rating"
He smiles at me, before talking to Barry about helping him to get the raptors in their restraints. Myself and Claire watch them from a safe distance as they go through the procedure of getting them inside each contraption. Curiously I wondered if I could touch them. Owen turned to face us
"You guys can come in now, it's safe"
The gate opened and Claire and I walked in side by side. I approached one of the raptors warily and Barry smiles at me in a reassuring way
"Relax; they won't get out of these"
"Are you sure?"
He laughs
"Not without a little help they won't"
I sense Owen behind me and he leans down next to my ear
"Scared Miss Jones?"
"Do I have a reason to be scared Mr Grady?"
"Owen, please. My father was Mr Grady, you're making me sound old"
"Alright then, Owen. Is there a reason I should be scared?"
I don't know how it was possible but he leaned in closer, forcing me to look him in the eye
"As long as I'm around, there isn't anything you should be afraid of"
If only you knew Owen that the person that should be afraid is you.
I break the connection and look at the raptors
"Do they have names?"
He points to each one
"This is Blue, Delta, Charlie and Echo"
Blue had a more confident stance when they were being trained, which probably meant that she was top dog in this little pack
"So who is the head of the pack?"
"You mean the Alpha? You're looking at him"
"Really?"
I give him a playful yet impressed look
I walk up to Blue and stand between the raptor and Claire
"It's funny how men think that they run things"
Claire smiles and looks down at the radio when it starts to crackle. She goes off to answer it and I look at Blue
"She's the Beta"
I look at Owen
"I guessed as much"
He raises an eyebrow in surprise
"How?"
"Well, she has a more confident energy than the others and is more likely to be confrontational when the others don't listen to you. I noticed that during your training session"
"You're a keen observer"
"I am an animal behaviourist Owen. I studied animals and their behaviours since I was a child"
"I'm guessing that you're a National Geographic and BBC World fanatic then"
I give him a look
"Those are good shows, don't diss them"
Claire comes back with her face red. She grabs me by the arm and takes me back to the car
"What's wrong?"
"They're having a problem with the hatchling"
"Hey, where you guys going?"
She looks over her shoulder
"Owen, you can come along and show Rae the ropes on how to handle a dinosaur"
We get into the car and speed off towards the hatching facility.