Morning came all too quickly and Owen was stirred by a less than gentle nudge against his head. Cracking his eyes open, he found Blue staring down at him with a tilted head. Closing his eyes again he ignored the blue streaked raptor until she let out a snort of hot breath into his face.
The trainer shot up with a start, coughing and choking back the urge to vomit at the rancid smell of Blue's breath. His coughing fit earned the interest of the rest of the pack. The four raptors stared at him while he struggled to regain his breath before Blue gave him a sharp bark. Turning around, she flicked the tip of her tail painfully against the back of his head as she slipped into the tall grass.
"Damn raptors." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head and finally getting to his feet. He carefully picked up his rifle and slung onto his shoulder. Blue offered him another bark accompanied by an impatient whine. He was coming. Grumbling, tired, and sore; but he was following the insistent dinosaur.
The perimeter check went much quicker this time, Blue only stopping to update her markings or wait on him as he followed slowly behind, even stopping to "mark" the territory himself. That had earned Blue's interest. She had quickly returned to investigate his work, finally deciding that it was acceptable before moving on. When the pair returned to the camp, they saw all three raptors were up and moving. Delta and Echo were busy sniffing the tall grass that marked the edge of their makeshift campsite. Charlie was standing comfortably. She still favored one leg when she walked, but the nights rest and full meal had done her well. Owen cracked a small smile. The girls were still looking rough, but they were a lot livelier today.
With everyone up and moving, Blue wasted no time in convincing the pack to start hiking. Her barks and purrling calls seemed to encourage the other raptors into movement. The raptors themselves stayed together for the most part. As they moved, Owen quickly learned the standard formation that the dinosaurs preferred to travel by.
They had none.
Delta, Echo, and Blue seemed to be vying for the position as leader of the party and while both Echo and Delta Followed Blue's direction, they seemed more preoccupied by just about anything else they could possibly run across. One of the two would frequently duck away to chase what he assumed was a pleasing scent, quickly followed by the other when she realized her sister was gone. Blue would then follow after, noisily calling after the two sisters, urging them to return to the group.
Charlie was slowing them down. She was moving far more steadily today than she had yesterday, but she still couldn't run or join her sisters. Her pace matched Owen's own pace and honestly the trainer was a little grateful that he wasn't the one keeping the pack from moving faster. Unfortunately, this gave the other two raptors more time to goof off and explore stray game trails. Owen could swear that Blue was getting irritated almost to the point of breaking. He smiled a bit, enjoying the tiniest taste of karma as he watched the blue streaked bark and nip at her two sisters as they gleefully ran off for the umpteenth time. The trainer silently wondered when she would snap.
It happened not much later and to his surprise she had snapped at him, not the other raptors. Delta had ducked away again to chase a small bird, Blue releasing a pained whine, following it with a harsh warble. Owen walked slowly next to Charlie, biting back a light laugh. He couldn't hold back the snort when Echo used Blue's distraction to duck off on her own adventure.
Blue had whirled on him the moment the noise left his mouth. Her head was lowered and her teeth bared towards him in a dangerous snarl. She had surprised him so much that he had instinctively raised his gun to her.
Their forward progress stopped and both he and Blue bared their weapons at each other. Ignoring the rifle all together, the blue streaked predator glared at Owen, a sharp hiss escaping her mouth. They faced each other until Echo burst through the grass only to stumble forward when Delta slammed into her from behind, the two falling into a tight wrestling match, complete with excited cries and playful barks.
The angry raptor in front of him released a huff of hot air, turning from Owen to address the playful duo. Her barks were shrill, ending in a hissing undertone as she faced her unruly sisters. They however, ignored her soundly, far more focused on their play fight.
Blue remained where she was, glaring at him while her tail twitched in frustration.
Then it clicked.
Stepping forward, the trainer moved next to the upset raptor, letting his hand brush her side to let her know he was there. Her muscles tensed, but she didn't move. Pulling his hand off her, he rested his rifle in front of him, gripping it casually with each hand.
"Hey!"
"Delta, Echo!"
They didn't respond, either ignoring him or unable to hear him through their own barks and whines.
CRACK!
The sound of a gunshot echoed around the valley once again. All four raptors jumped, Delta, and Echo freezing mid wrestle and Owen lowered the rifle to his waist from where he had been aiming in the air.
"That's better."
"Eye's on me."
Two sets of amber eyes were boring holes into his skull.
"Good, now follow me."
Confidently he stepped beyond them without another word, purposely turning his back to the entire pack, and moving forward in the direction they had been travelling. He half expected to be jumped by one of the predators. Instead, he only heard a huff and the soft steps of one of the raptors catching up to him.
Blue materialized on his left, taking a position beside him as he continued to walk. She nudged him softly with her side releasing a soft purrl as she continued beside him at an easy pace.
The rest of the morning was filled with walking. Blue would occasionally rush ahead, disappearing into the grass or nearby jungle underbrush, before returning a few minutes later, guiding the man and the rest of her pack through the jungle valley. Owen for the most part just enjoyed the walk. He had expected danger with his back to three members of the pack, but they didn't interfere with him. Charlie seemed to be focused on keeping up and only paid him mind when Blue would let out a warble or a bark. The other two behaved for the most part. They still ducked away frequently, satisfying their insatiable curiosity, if only briefly. When their behavior devolved into squabbles and wrestling, Owen would only need to let out a sharp "Hey!" to get them to fall back in line.
It was early afternoon when they finally stopped to rest. Owen let out a relieved sigh when they finally reached a moderately sized river that snaked its way lazily through the valley floor. All four raptors made their way straight to the water's edge. Taking turns to drink greedily from the water source while their sisters instinctively watched the surrounding area for danger.
Owen retrieved the small bottle of water from his pack and fished out a small bottle of tablets from one of the front pouches. Kneeling at the water's edge, he filled the bottle and dropped a tablet in before sealing the lid and tucking it back into his backpack.
Setting his things down, the animal handler carefully waded into the water, feeling the sigh of relief escape his lips as the cool water rushed over his tired body. The river itself was wide, only about chest deep, and the current slow enough that he had no problem swimming upstream.
After several meters, he turned onto his back and let the current slowly carry him back toward where he had gotten in.
Blue was at the bank, eyeing him curiously, her head was extended over the water, but her feet were at the water's edge, unwilling to step in. Owen put his feet down, standing in the middle of the water.
"Eyes on me." She watched him.
"That's it, good girl, now follow me."
He pushed away, backing slowly across the river. Hesitantly the grey-blue raptor stepped into the water with one foot. She paused with one foot in the water, staring at the liquid as it slipped lazily over her talons. She cocked her head and watched the water for nearly a minute before finally slipping into the water fully.
She continued to make her way towards Owen, trying to watch her legs through the flowing water. Catching herself from slipping on the shifting stones under the water's surface, she finally reached the center of the stream. With almost a contented sigh, Blue lowered herself into the water until just her neck and head sat above the waterline. Turning her head back to the bank, she let out a trill warble before dunking her head into the water and giving it a violent shake.
The rest of the pack had joined in quickly enough and soon all four raptors were lounging in the cool water. Owen took this time to actually begin examining and cleaning the various injuries that the Velociraptors had sustained. Starting with Blue, he began to carefully run his hand along her back, feeling the rough edges and dried blood that marked her cuts.
She hissed at him several times when he carefully removed splinters and other debris from the closing wounds, but she had never turned her head, content to let him work and even letting out a low hum when he rubbed the base of her neck, checking the healing cut that had been the insertion point of her new tracker.
Charlie had let him do the same, though she preferred to watch him as he worked. Soon, the cuts and scrapes on her back were clean as well. Feeling confident with his success, he cautiously approached Delta. She actively tuned her back to him, letting him work without a second thought.
She only had one or two gashes that he was worried about, and soon enough, he had finished with her as well. Turning to face the last raptor on his list, he was surprised to see that she had waded to him and was now lowering her back to him, a carefree hum emanating from deep inside her throat.
It was actually the crackle of the radio that pulled Owen from the cool water. Stepping out of the water, his clothes clung wetly to him. Grabbing the radio, he clicked it on.
"Hello?"
"Owen, thank God!" Barry cried, his voice cracking across the radio.
"What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, yes. For now at least. What about you? Are you hurt?"
"What does that mean?"
"There have been reports of gunshots on the north side of the island. A.C.U. is talking, were those shots yours?"
"They were, just needed to secure some food for our girls, that's all."
"They aren't hunting?"
"They're trying, but they seem to be learning the hard way. They were thin enough that I'm not sure they would survive recapture. I think Blue is finally realizing that a trapped pig is not the same as a wild animal."
"And Charlie?"
"She's doing alright, using her leg more today than yesterday, but she's still slow. I'm guessing it's a strained or torn muscle, but I don't think anything is broken."
Grabbing the tracking device out of the stained pack, he flipped it on and let it boot up. "I'm looking at our position now, Blue's leading us the long way around, but we are heading toward the paddock."
"Wait, Blue's leading you?"
"It's a long story. Listen, just have the vets ready for when the pack gets back. I'm going to keep travelling with them until they get close to home, then I'll jump the fence and meet you at the paddock."
"Wait you're travelling with them? Not tracking them?"
"I'll explain everything later."
"You had better. Look, just be careful. Vic is pissed, but I think he's more concerned about getting the raptors contained. They'll be dropping the food off tomorrow.
"That's early."
"Well that happens when someone follows a pack of predators into a restricted area. Look, just don't do anything else stupid. You're already going to be in enough trouble when you get back. I don't want to lose my rifle out there."
"Your rifle? This is mine."
"No, I'm looking at yours right now, complete with the stupid custom engraving on the stock."
Owen glanced down at the rifle lying next to his pack.
"Well I'll be damned."
"Copy that."
Owen brought down another Gallimimus that evening, Delta had even helped chase it out of the woods and into the open. The pack itself had made camp near the river and Blue dragged him on another perimeter run. Her persistence scared off a couple of Ankylosaurs. He felt lucky they hadn't risen to the challenge because his group would have likely lost that fight.
It turned out that the raptors were deeply intrigued by fire. When Owen had gone about lighting it to cook his own share of the Gallimimus, he had been quickly approached by all four raptors who made themselves comfortable next to him, staring into the flame. Echo was the first to try and nip the flames, but had pulled back with a yelp and a hiss.
Owen watched the raptors as they lay around him and the campfire. Rest and a good bath had done them wonders. With the dried blood and mud finally washed away, the girl's natural colors were finally allowed to show again. He could see that each raptor was beginning to heal and none of the lacerations or bruises showed any visible signs of infection.
Surprisingly, none of the dinosaurs were interested in the meat he had set to roast above the fire. He wasn't sure if it was because they had already eaten their fill or if it was respect for his kill. It was a concerning question to not know the answer to.
The next morning had been much of the same, the pack moved slowly through the valley. With Charlie looking and feeling better each day. Delta and Echo had fallen comfortably in line around him and seemed to pick up on whatever he was trying to communicate to them at any given time. Charlie was a little less compliant, but she still responded anytime he addressed her.
It was actually a little frightening how quickly he was adjusting to the new order of things.
xxxxxxxxxx
Owen was hunting.
It was late in the afternoon.
Echo and Blue had returned earlier with half a carcass. The other raptors had fed greedily while the two successful hunters had watched their sisters eat, tails swaying happily behind them. Owen on the other hand was not a huge fan of roasted Gallimimus. He had seen rabbit holes in a nearby field, and now, he was hoping to get something a little less tough and stringy to eat.
Delta had followed him out. She watched him with expressionless amber eyes as he moved quietly toward his prey. He stopped when he was about twenty feet away. The rabbit saw him, or knew he was there, but it felt safe, its hole only a few feet away.
The man raised his rifle quietly, lining his sights with the rabbit's head. He would need to get a clean hit or risk losing the entire animal to the rifle's large caliber. Steadying his breathing, he prepared to take the shot.
A mechanical growl echoed through the valley, quickly dying down to a more standard constant rumble.
"Shit."
He had lost track of time.
He sat perfectly still, the rabbit forgotten as he listened to the approaching motors. He cursed himself once more. A.C.U. was heading out to retrieve his girls.
The carcass from earlier was likely the laced meat and they would be moving in to pick the dinosaurs up. This adventure was over.
Delta just stared at him, sniffing the air with short breaths.
Owen's face scrunched in confusion. If the carcass was laced, why was Delta still awake? Either they weren't sticking to the original plan, or the tranquilizers hadn't taken effect yet.
"Delta, Eyes on me."
"Okay, follow me."
She gave him an inquisitive chirrup and he turned, shouldering his rifle and breaking into a light jog. An alarming series of barks echoed through the trees around him. He picked up his pace, running toward their clearing.
Delta kept up with him easily and when they neared their camp for the day, she broke off to join her sisters. He broke into camp breathing heavily. In front of him, he could see the pack standing off against a group of men dressed in black military gear.
The men had piled out of their vehicles and spread out around the camp with their weapons drawn in a semicircle around Owen's raptors. He could hear the growls coming from each Velociraptor as they lowered themselves, stretching their necks and baring their teeth aggressively.
Standing just behind his men was Vic Hoskins.
He was decked out in similar field gear, a large caliber pistol on his belt and an electric goad gripped loosely in his right hand.
Pulling his rifle to his shoulder Owen entered the clearing and stepped in front of his raptors, eyeing the group of men angrily
"Mr. Grady. I was wondering where you might turn up. I kinda figured we'd find you dead in a field somewhere. This is honestly more surprising."
"Vic, what happened to the plan? You shouldn't be out here until the raptors are unconscious."
"And you shouldn't be out here at all. Mr. Grady, It was easy to guess your 'family emergency' was fake, even easier to prove. Still, I held out some hope that it was an attempt to keep yourself away from the temptation, not throw yourself into it. Still, you made me $50 dollars. Thanks for that."
"Vic, ask your men to get back into their vehicles and I will radio you when the raptors are unconscious."
"That's not your call to make. Now, I'm going to ask you once. Put the rifle down Mr Grady."
"Not until you tell your men to stand down."
"That's not how this is going to work, and you know it."
"What I know is that we agreed to not use aggressive capture techniques." The hiss from behind him, punctuated his words.
"We also agreed that you were not to enter this zone, but you decided to do that anyway didn't you."
He felt, more than heard the thud as one of his raptors slipped to the ground.
"One down sir."
"Thank you, I can see for myself." Vic replied with a grunt.
"Now Mr. Grady, you can see that, unlike you, I followed direction. So do me a favor and stand down. You are already in enough trouble as it is."
Grady heard a second raptor hit the ground behind him with a soft thud. Blue's hissing grew into a deeper growl, filling his left ear as she stepped up beside him. He glanced at the fierce amber eyes that were fixed on the men in front of them. Looking back to the men, he realized something.
"Believe me, I would love to right now, but I don't think I can."
"Excuse me?"
"Blue is fixated on your men. If I move at all, there is a chance she will as well."
"My men can handle it."
"You don't understand. If I give in now, I will lose all of the progres I have just gained. Once she is out, I'll stand down."
"I see." The large man paused, tucking the goad under his arm and pulling out a cigar. Flicking a lighter out of his pocket, he lit it and took a long breath. Breathing a large cloud of smoke out as he considered his options.
He felt Blue stumble beside him. She sunk low to the ground, her eyelids drooping heavily.
A deep thud behind him informed him that Blue was the only one left awake.
She stumbled again, sinking to her belly, eyes closing as she tried to let out another, quiet warning bark.
When all four raptors were safely on the ground, Owen dropped his rifle, flipping it and sliding the strap over his shoulder. He approached the men in black gear. A small smile made its way to his face and he held out a hand toward Vic.
"Thank you for following the plan."
"It's what I do Mr. Grady." Vic said, shaking the trainer's hand firmly.
Owen turned and looked at his girls. All four were safely asleep, not in the most graceful or comfortable positions. But they were safe. Looking back to the men he began to direct them.
"Okay, let's get them loaded up and moved, we really don't want to be on the road when they wake up."
The men began to move carefully toward the drugged raptors.
"Mr. Grady?"
"Yes?" He turned back to Vic who had a troubled look on his face. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, when we spoke, I told you I would revoke your security clearance should you cause more trouble. You've been now trespassing for three days."
"I'm so-" The electric goad jabbed its way into his gut, releasing 50,000 volts into Owens stomach. His body stiffened, unable to move, unable to react in any way. The rod pulled away.
He fell to the ground groaning in pain, a hacking sob escaping the man's lips.
"A.C.U doesn't tolerate trespassers."
The kick hit him in the back of the head and everything went black.