Ƭħє ŞąЬяє'ƨ Şħąmє
Chapter Six: Discovery
When you're surrounded by animals that shouldn't exist, you know you're in trouble. We'd known that we were in trouble from the moment we fell down into the underworld. Now we're surrounded by a loose semi-circle of Allosaurus'. We were so close, so close to the way out of this horrible place – the dinosaurs between us and it were the only problem.
Raze was at the front of the pack, snarling at the dinosaurs to stay back. Damian and Lars were to my right, more dangerous and threatening than I'd ever seen them. Ray and Silver were on my left, actually working together for once, holding their ground steadfastly and not letting any of the Allosaurus' come near us. I was at the back of the pack, with Shi. We were in the least danger, but we were still terrified – or at least, I was. Shi was nothing but furious; he wanted nothing more to attack, but he knew if he did, he'd die. The fact that imminent attack would result in imminent death didn't stop him from feeling like a coward, though.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The Allosaurus' took a collective step back. Raze dared to break eye-contact with them, looking around us for the source of the noise, asking "What's going on?"
A strangled whimper came from Silver. Ray's jaw was hanging open in shock. In front of them, only meters away, stood the mother of all dinosaurs – the Tyrannosaurs Rex.
We ran.
There was nothing else we could do. The Allosaurus', so threatening a moment ago, now looked just as terrified as we did, scattering across the rock pinnacle and jumping down the sides. Even as we fled, though, Raze stayed back. He held his ground, turning around and glaring down the T. Rex, even as it began to reach down towards him. There was a massive rumbling, like thunder in the sky, and a high-pitched shriek coming from above. Time seemed to slow down.
I screamed.
Raze looked back towards me, just once, his face set in an expression I'll never forget. It wasn't heroic or noble or brave; it was scared, uncertain, but still determined. Then he faced the dinosaur again, yelling "GET OUT OF HERE!!!"
It was a direct order. We had to leave. I was the last one to get out, a massive amount of rocks falling behind me and blocking the entrance completely.
We managed to get out alive.
Raze, to the best of our knowledge, didn't.
***
Alexia woke up with a sharp jolt of painful remembrance as the last tendrils of the nightmare … memory… left her. Adrenaline was already going through her body, despite the fact that it was nothing more than a memory that had incited it. With nothing more than a need to burn excess energy, she got to her paws and started pacing the clearing.
"Alexia!"
It was barely more than a hiss, but Alexia reacted instantly, whirling around and facing the direction it had came from. Ray stalked out from the shadows, his body pressed almost to the ground.
"Ray…"
"We need to talk," he murmured. Alexia inclined her head and they left the clearing together, before she asked "So, what's going on?"
"I'm hungry," the younger tiger complained. "How far have you gotten?"
"Not far enough, but I've made a start," she told him. "Calm down. They'll be ours within the week."
"Good." Ray looked slightly more cheerful, asking "How did you convince them to let you into their herd?"
"They used to keep another sabre with them. He left a few days ago, but they're still trusting enough of him to give me a chance. Diego or whatever his name was obviously made a good impression."
"Diego?" Ray looked startled. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I… think I know him…" Ray lamely explained, his eyes still wide. "Anyway. I'd better get back to the pack before dawn. Bye!"
Before Alexia could reply, Ray had vanished into the night.
Diego, you have some damn good explaining to do, and you'd better hope to the high heavens that I don't sell you out to Akira…