As you might have noticed, I've included Red's thoughts in this story. Not a whole lot, but a bit here and there. I hope that you guys like it.
Billy and Tim dashed to the left. Blue and Red darted to the right.
The baby stayed in the middle, making tiny jumps and happily mewling as the mother approached. She bent down and nuzzled her child much like Red nuzzled Blue. The baby cooed as his mother rumbled low in her belly and began to lead her baby away. Although the humans would never know it, she would lead her little girl through the jungle to her skeleton-strewn lair, where she would be reunited with her father and older brother who, despite suffering a broken leg when he was about the same age as his baby sister, was fortunate enough to get it patched up by a scientist/photographer and a Greenpeace activist, and was able to walk just fine.
The group of humans, meanwhile, was decidedly split up. Billy and Tim ran towards the complex, breaking into and swiping one of the all-terrain vehicles the BioSyn team had brought with them. As Tim drove, Billy radioed for the copter to come and pick them up – now.
Blue and Red, on the other hand, rushed around the back of the complex and through the jungle. This was Red's territory, and Blue remembered it well enough from her last excursion, so finding the helipad wouldn't be a problem. It was the getting-there-in-one-piece part that was a little tricky.
The cries of the raptors hadn't ceased, nor had the shouts and screams of the BioSyn team. It was every man for himself, and unfortunately man wasn't doing a very good job at it. Blue frantically wondered where Billy and Tim had gotten to, but she didn't have time to worry about them. She just had to get to the helipad and pray that they were safe.
And then, to make things worse, it started to rain.
She'd forgotten it was fucking hurricane season. Mother Nature was leading them on merry game, wasn't she? The bitch.
Blue did her best, honest she did, but the ground quickly became slick and muddy. It was terrifyingly dark, and while the cries of both predator and prey had begun to fade she didn't trust the silence. Who knew what else lay in wait here? Between her fear, the gooey ground, and her haste, Blue slipped and fell, drenching her entire front half in mud and getting some flecks on her face as well.
Without even breaking his stride, Red picked her up once again, weaving his way through the jungle at breakneck speed. Blue twisted just enough to wrap her arms around his neck and lift up, swinging onto his back. It was like being plastered to the bastard child of an ostrich and a horse. To his credit, Red didn't protest at this interesting turn of events, merely shifting his center of balance to accommodate Blue's weight.
It had taken Blue an entire day to get to the helipad from the welcome center last time. Riding Red, it took half an hour.
She could see two figures shouting, but it wasn't until she was closer that she could hear them over the torrential downpour.
"We have to find her!" Tim was shouting. "That raptor's dedicated to her, I'll give him that, but there have to be a dozen of those things out there!"
"We can't risk it! We'll just end up dead!" Billy argued. "Our best bet is to wait here and see if she shows up!"
It was just like the last time, only with different people and at night with rain instead of during the day with sun. Blue shouted from Red's back. "Tim! Billy!"
Both men turned, blinking incredulously at Blue's interesting position. Red skittered to a stop in front of them and she dismounted awkwardly.
Without preamble, Tim hauled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her. It wasn't the most romantic or finessed kiss she'd ever had, but Blue thoroughly enjoyed it all the same. And it certainly made for a good story a few years down the road. Soaking wet, covered in mud, barely able to stand him at the beginning of the day… yup; this was the stuff that romantic comedies were made of.
When they finally broke apart, Tim held her to him fiercely. "Thank God you're okay." He whispered.
Blue pulled back a little. "Is that blood on your shirt?" She inquired.
"Guy got his arm torn off right in front of me." Tim admitted with a shudder. "You could hear the bone snap."
Blue felt her insides twist and thought that she might vomit. Oh yes, her kids were going to love this first kiss story.
Over the sound of the wind and rain could be heart the electric heartbeat of the chopper's blades. They all turned, watching with joy as it began to descend.
"I'm surprised he even made it in this weather!" Billy shouted.
"With what my sister pays him, he should come if there's a blizzard!" Tim replied.
Red saw the machine and immediately began to growl. He tugged on Blue's shirt possessively. Blue turned to him. She couldn't… she couldn't do this again. She could read the emotion in Red's eyes as surely as if he were talking to her.
Don't leave me. Blue stay. Don't leave again. Let me be your good boy. I love you.
"Oh, Red." Blue breathed quietly.
Tim laid a hand on her shoulder. "Um, I hate to brag, but my family is kind of rich. And my sister is the CEO of a major corporation that technically owns this raptor."
Blue turned. "What?"
Tim blinked. "Didn't you know? All the dinosaurs were created by InGen, and are therefore legally considered products of the company, which means that InGen owns them."
Blue gaped at him. "So… I can keep him? And you'll protect him?"
"He's yours, come hell or high water." Tim promised.
Blue threw her arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, kissing him on the cheek.
"If that's the reaction I'm going to get, I'll get you a dinosaur every day." Tim replied, grinning.
"Hey! What's the hold up?" The pilot called. "Let's get out of this weather!"
"Come on!" Billy called. They all started towards the copter. When Blue saw that Red wasn't moving, she turned and beckoned him.
"Come, Red!" She called.
Red gave a cry of joy and ran up, nuzzling her. He followed her happily into the copter, curling up as best he could alongside the three humans.
"Good boy, Red. Good boy." Blue said, stroking his nose. "I love you."
The chopper took off as Blue curled against Tim, Red's head in her lap, her hand still stroking his nose. Billy collapsed against the bench on the opposite side, mumbling about how he was too old for this kind of shit.
Just as the chopper cleared the waterfall, there was a gut-wrenching roar, and the Spinosaurus burst out from behind the wall of water, leaping and just barely missing the metal bird. Blue screamed, and both Tim and Red jumped.
"Told you there was one!" Billy chuckled triumphantly.
Maybe it was the stress, or the adrenaline, or the relief that she was finally safe, or a combination of all three, but Blue found it hysterically funny and laughed until she cried and finally fell asleep, using Tim's shoulder as a pillow.
And so concludes the chronicles of Red and Blue! Massive thanks to everyone who had the patience to follow along with me on this story. And for those of you who reviewed, you get not only my thanks but my unending gratitude. Reviews are not only euphoria-inducing but encourage me and help me with my writing. So thank you all! *plays Jurassic Park theme*