Chapter 15: A reckless choice and an Alpha's shame


Josiah's POV-

I didn't stop driving that day until I'd reached the town's gate. Fern and Terias held on in the back of the open jeep as best they could, but since there weren't any seat belts in the back, the two young raptors had to hang on with their claws where they could.

The road I had taken back was a bit muddy from the rains, the windshield getting splattered with mud as I drove. The road wasn't narrow but wide and provided good traction. Either way was okay with me, so long as nothing like a larger predator or drug gunman came after us. When I wasn't totally consumed with scanning for predators or anyone following us, I tried to take in my surroundings. Isla Sorna really was beautiful. I guess coming back here was worth it.

When I had gotten back to the village, Tholestes was waiting for us. He stood by the church and was accompanied by two other pack members, one of which was Durgen.

Fern and Terias, not waiting for me to park, leaped out of the jeep and went over to their brother. I parked the jeep in the repair shop, got my stuff, and went over to the church so that I could tell Tholestes what had happened at the southwest jungle.

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"So, other humans are here on the island after all," Tholestes said.

We were all in the church now, the sun just about to disappear behind the trees. Myself, Fern, and Terias had spent the last hour telling Tholestes about what we had seen on our journey. Durgen stayed outside the building because Tholestes wanted him to keep watch.

I described how the men were drug dealers and were potentially dangerous. Not just to me, but all the dinosaurs on the island, and the people on the mainland. Tholestes didn't think so because the men didn't know about the raptor pack's nesting site.

I told him it didn't matter because those men were armed with enough guns to kill an entire pack of raptors and more. Fern was a little concerned, and so was Terias.

"An entire pack?" Tholestes scoffed with a rough bark. "Don't be a fool, Josiah. A sickness can wipe-out an entire pack. What harm can these other humans cause that a sickness can not?"

"I'll tell you," I said. "Those drug-smuggling bastards have killed more people than I want to count, all in the name of making and getting money. The harm those drugs can cause include heart attacks, organ damage, and even malnutrition. But those men don't care about that, Tholestes because they only care about getting rich."

Tholestes tilted his head in confusion, like he didn't understand all my words.

"This is a little extreme," Terias said, shaking his head. "no humans can cause that sort of destruction, can they?"

"They can," I said. "And they'll continue their operations on this island until they have enough drugs to sell to almost anybody on the mainland. Many innocent humans might suffer because of it."

"It's all mildly displeasing," Tholestes said calmly. "but like I said before, it has nothing to do with my clan. It's a human problem. I don't know why we should care as long as they don't come into our territory."

I jumped to my feet and said, "Well you'd better start!"

Fern and Terias jumped back a little from my outburst. Even Tholestes took a step back, his neck quills raised.

I looked right at Tholestes and said, "You don't care? I'll tell you what I don't care about. I don't care that you are always sneaking off to mate with Pava of the black stripe clan. Sorry, it's true. But I had to hear it from your sister here and I'm quite surprised you'd do that."

Tholestes turned sharply to Fern, his teeth bared in a silent growl. Fern looked at me and I could tell from the look on her face that I had gone back on my promise. Stupid me!

There was an uncomfortable silence for a long time until Terias broke in and said, "I think we better leave, brother. It is getting dark. And it's time for the night hunt."

Without saying a word to me or giving me a look back, Tholestes and Fern walked out the door together, Terias following close behind them. I watched their forms disappear into the dark jungle, like shadows in the pre-darkness. It was a bit scary as well because I swore I thought I saw a pair of glowing-green eyes looking back at me. Who's eyes they were I couldn't tell. I couldn't over step my boundaries with these dinosaurs. Their trust was everything to me. To lose it now...

I closed the door and re-barricaded it, my spine tingling. I was embarrassed that I'd lost control, but Tholestes and his lack of empathy for my species had pushed me. That, and telling me that I was a fool.

Innocent people on the mainland were going to die if those drug-smuggling gunmen delivered their products to the unsuspecting public. Teenagers, I knew from experience from Enid, in particular would be the primary target. Then high-paying adults would be next. The world as I knew it would suffer a little more because of these bastards and their god-awful trading operations. How could Tholestes just wave that aside as a mere problem that was not his concern?

But then I realized as I walked upstairs to my room, that maybe he had the right reaction. After all, he was only just a dinosaur.

And he was right.

This wasn't his pack's concern. It was mine. This was a human problem, and I had to deal with it. On my own.

Tholestes POV-

I didn't know what I was going to say to my sister, but I was not going to talk to her until we got home. Terias followed reluctantly behind Fern and I could tell that he was sensing my anger.

The rest of the night was uneventful. The night hunt went well and my sister didn't say anything to me after we brought food back for the chicks. Truth be told, we pretty much didn't speak to each other during the hunt. Cool air felt nice on my scales and I was ready for sleep, but my insides felt troubled.

Fen knew of what I was up to now and so did Josiah. Terias now knew, but didn't say anything to me on the matter. What if the rest of the pack knew should Fern tell them?

I know what would happen; the older males would start challenging me, Durgen being one of them. They would question my loyalty to the pack and start challenging me for dominance as the new alpha. Should that day ever come, I would be forced to either exile a member of my pack...or get cast-out myself.

But I knew Fern wouldn't risk that, would she?

I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I'd gone behind my clan's back. Even more so now that Terias knew. The rest of pack wouldn't understand and would think that I was a traitor. Josiah already did.

I would find a way to make it up with him tomorrow.

Josiah's POV-

By next morning, I had packed what I needed into the jeep. My rifle, my camouflage clothes, and my smoke grenades. And a bandana to go with it. What I had plan involved infiltrating the drug smugglers camp, sabotaging the drug shed and the equipment and also the other vehicles if I could. It wouldn't stop their operations, but cripple and stall them. The rifle was the last resort in case I needed to use it. I didn't intend on shooting anyone, but if I was given no choice, then I would have to shoot.

That's where my knife would come in. But these guys used guns. I very much doubted that they would be sporty in a fight. But that was not what I was counting on.

Stealth was I was counting on for this.

I got behind the wheel, started the engine, and drove off toward the road that would lead me back to the southwestern jungle.

This was going to be dangerous, that much was true. But I had to try. And if all else failed, and my plan went south, no pun intended, then I would have no other choice then to use the game trail's main resident inhabitant; The Spinosaur.

That was the plan, anyway.

The dinosaur was the last resort though. And I hoped I'd never have to do it.

The gunmen didn't have the firepower to take down a super predator like that, but they could take me down, no problem.

Well, no turning back now.


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Once again, I'm sorry about the late chapter. Been a bit lazy with writing, but hey, that's the way I work.

Now things are about to get serious and situations for both my OC and the raptors will rear-up and test them.