Blue was awakened in the daybreak by something dripping on her face. She frowned, scrunching up her nose and blinking. The early morning sun was strategically placed to shine right above her head, shooting tiny arrows of light right into her eyes. A tall, raptor-shaped thing was peering at her, completely darkened by the sun at its back.
"Okay, okay, I'm up." Blue grumbled. She rubbed her face. "What the hell are you dripping on me, Red? That better not be drool."
She sat up and looked at her hand, which was now covered in smeared flecks of red after passing over her face. She frowned and looked up at the raptor.
Red had the leg of some kind of baby dinosaur dangling from his jaws, held out to Blue like an offering. She shrieked.
"What the fuck!?" She cried out, scuttling to her feet. "When did you go hunting?"
Red cocked his head in his confused face, and then dropped the bloody leg stump at Blue's feet. She tried not to retch.
"Um, no. No thank you. Sweet, but no." Blue was vaguely reminded of cats leaving dead mice and birds at the doorsteps of their owners. She sighed as Red continued to stare at her, waiting for her to do something.
Blue gingerly picked up the piece of meat and held it out to Red. "Eat." She commanded.
The raptor still looked confused, but he picked up the leg with his jaws and began to wolf it down. Blue sighed and wiped her bloody hands on her jeans. She was pretty sure that she stunk to high heaven by now. Her stomach rumbled. Raw meat might work for Red, and it might have been fine for Blue's ancestors once upon an ice age, but she needed cooked food. Preferably vegetables or fruit; something that hadn't once moved and breathed. She was kind of off the idea of meat right now.
Well, the only place to get food suitable for humans was back at the destroyed nightclub, and Blue was not going to go back there. She wished she'd had the presence of mind to pack something before heading out, but it was too late for that now. She would just have to book it to the helipad and eat once they got back to civilization.
That didn't stop images of burritos and pasta and ice cream from dancing through her head.
After drinking from a tiny stream and washing her face and hands (and washing off Red's blood-plastered face and claws, as well), the two of them set out. Blue kept within the relative shelter of the trees, but with the road just close enough that she could catch glimpses of it if she tried. It was on her right hand side, which unknowingly both saved her and complicated things. Unbeknownst to Blue, her stepbrother and his friends had traveled on the other side, with the road on their left, before joining the herd of whachimacallits, and the raptors that were stalking them were on that side of the jungle as well. So while this ensured her safety from attack for the time being, it meant that she was not aware of Nathan's presence just a half a mile ahead of her.
It had only taken them about an hour driving by jeep to reach the club two days ago, but going by foot – and stopping to sleep and rest – extended the journey into an entire day. Blue had never before appreciated cars so much, and resolved to take better care of her vehicle the minute she got back home.
After a few hours of walking, the sun was a good bit over the tops of the trees, although noon was still a couple of hours away. The trees began to thin out, and Blue could hear a loud roaring, rushing sound that filled her ears and made the very air about her vibrate subtly.
Red made a sound that she'd come to recognize as joyful, and hurried forward. It amazed Blue just how many different sounds the raptor could make, and she was pleased with herself that she could identify the emotions behind them. She began to jog to keep up with Red, and soon burst through the trees only to stumble to a stop as she gaped at the huge half-circle waterfall.
They had reached the helipad.
Red was jumping up and down in wonder at the waterfall, making excited noises and pacing back and forth to get a better look at it. Blue smiled and patted him on the back. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said. Red couldn't understand what her words were, but he got her meaning and snorted at her playfully, blowing her hair out of her face.
There were shouts and cries, and Blue turned to her right. Four figures were whooping and dancing on the road, just at the edge of where the dirt ended and the concrete began.
"It's 10:30 – the copter should be here in half an hour." A very recognizable male voice shouted. "We're almost home free, guys, we're almost home! We fucking made it!"
More cheers accompanied this announcement.
"Nate?" Blue breathed. She grinned. "Nate!" She shouted.
She began to make her way down the slope she was standing on to the road, waving her arms. Red followed her, nearly falling a couple of times as he tried to both keep up with her and maintain his balance.
"Nate the great!" Blue shouted. "Nathan!"
Her brother turned, his eyes widening with amazement and disbelief. "Bluebird?" He whispered.
Blue ran up to him, and he grinned. "Blue!" He cried, sweeping her up into his arms and swinging her around. "You made it, Primary, you made it!" He hugged her tight, and Blue was startled to feel tears fall into her hair as he cried. "I thought you were dead." He admitted. "I thought you were dead and it was my fault…"
Blue pulled back, smiling. "C'mon, Nate – you know you'll never get rid of me."
Nathan grinned, hugging her tightly. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again." He declared.
Just then, Robbie screamed.
Nathan and Blue turned to see Red making his way towards them. Nate pushed Blue behind him. "Run, Blue!" He yelled. Blue fought him.
"No! It's okay, it's okay!"
Oliver and Nathan glared at Red, who sensed their anger and paused, cocking his head. He turned to look at Blue for guidance.
"Leave him alone, you guys, it's fine!" Blue insisted. She wiggled out of Nathan's grip and approached Red. "It's okay, baby." She crooned soothingly. "They're just a little on edge. They're going to like you, you'll see, once they see what a good boy you are. Aren't you my good boy, huh baby?"
Red nuzzled Blue happily, glad that he wasn't in trouble. Blue wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "See?" She called to Nathan. "It's okay." She kept one arm slung around Red and led him towards the others, who looked wary. "He got his tail trapped by a piano and I helped him out, and he's been with me ever since. He saved my life, actually. And he's young, too, and really eager to learn stuff. Watch this."
She turned to the raptor. "Red?" His head perked up and he looked at her. "Lie down." He did so. "Roll over." He obeyed. Blue pointed at a patch of ground. "Leap." The raptor leapt onto the area she'd indicated. "Hold." He froze, and stayed frozen, for an entire minute. "Okay, stop." Red relaxed.
"Come." Blue said. Red padded over to her. "Good! Good boy! Nuzzle." Red nuzzled her happily, smiling in that weird raptor way of his, proud and glad that she was so pleased with him.
"Holy mother of Christ…" Oliver breathed. "Your sister trained a fucking killing machine!?"
Nathan shrugged. "Don't look at me. She's the dino expert."
This time, it was Caleb who screamed.
"Seriously, Caleb, he's perfectly harmless…" Blue turned to the girl but stopped when she realized that Caleb wasn't looking at her or Red. She was gazing back towards the road.
The road, which was currently blocked by about ten raptors leering at them hungrily.
"Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh my fucking God, oh God…" Caleb babbled, stumbling backwards and clutching at Oliver.
"There's nowhere to run." Nathan said. "Our backs are to the waterfall, literally."
"What time is it?" Robbie breathed.
Nathan spared his watch a glance before his eyes locked on the raptors once again. "10:45." He said.
"Oh God…" Caleb whimpered.
Blue's arms tightened around Red, who was staring at the other raptors in confusion. Her heart was hammering so strongly that it was physically painful; she could feel it straining and thudding in her chest, sense the blood pulsing through her system. She was Red's friend, and he'd even saved her life. But this was Red's family. They had raised him.
Who would he choose?
Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing, because they all glanced over at the raptor, their eyes flicking back and forth between the pack and the lone ranger.
"Red?" Blue asked tentatively.
Red growled, and she stepped away from him. But he wasn't looking at her. He was glaring at the raptors stealthily approaching the group of humans. One of the raptors, the biggest one, snapped at Red, and he growled even louder.
"Blue?" Nathan said, not taking his eyes off the raptors.
"It's okay." Blue said shakily. "He's staying with us." She stroked Red's back. "Good boy, Red. Good boy."
Red made a rumbling sound of pleasure at Blue, but continued to glare at the pack of raptors. Blue's mouth was dry and fuzzy, and her eyes were watering because she was scared to blink. She was grateful and relieved – so, so very relieved – that Red was on their side, but one raptor and five weaponless humans couldn't possibly stand up to a dozen raptors. Blue glanced around them at the trees. While the others might not agree, she thought they were lucky they had this waterfall.
"Back up towards the helipad, keeping the waterfall at our backs." She instructed. Her mind was racing as she tried to remember everything that she had read about raptors from Dr. Grant's book. "They communicate by complicated sounds but also by gestures and movement so pay close attention to what they're doing."
The others obeyed, backing up slowly over the concrete towards the waterfall. "Why are we doing this?" Nathan asked.
"Raptors like to sneak attack." Blue explained. "They surround their prey and make their presence known from the front where you can see them. While you're focused on them, the others jump out at you from the sides and behind. You don't even know they're there until it's too late. But with this waterfall here, we've stumped them. They can't surround us, so they have to do a full-frontal attack. It's not their forte but with their numbers they know they can pull it off."
"And this gives us an advantage how?" Nathan asked.
"It doesn't." Blue said. "But it evens out the playing field. We can see all of them, just like they can see all of us."
"We are so screwed…" Oliver said. Caleb whimpered.
Robbie remained silent, pale and trembling once again, the hand clasped in Nathan's shaking uncontrollably. He squeezed it soothingly.
"Any ideas, Primary?" He asked.
Blue swallowed. She tried to speak but all that came out was a croak. She tried again. "Uh… fight them off until the helicopter arrives?"
"I wish we'd kept those heels…" Robbie muttered. Both girls were still barefoot.
One of the raptors gave a cry, and the pack surged forward. Nathan and Oliver pushed their girls behind them, taking up boxing positions. Red gave a cry of his own and launched himself at the biggest raptor, the leader, despite his disadvantage in size.
"Protect your abdomens! That's what they're going for!" Blue yelled.
"What?" Nathan yelled.
"Your stomachs! Block your stomachs!" Blue shrieked.
A raptor leapt at Oliver, who ducked and slid along the concrete, slipping just underneath the raptor's outstretched claws. Caleb screamed and punched the raptor in the head, disorienting it. She sprinted back and helped Oliver to his feet.
The other raptors were prowling, trying to surround the group.
"Keep facing them! Don't let them get around you!" Blue hollered.
"Easier said than done, Bluebird." Nathan grunted through clenched teeth. A raptor came for him but he twisted, grabbing at its leg and pulling it with him so that it swung around and crashed to the ground as he let go. He felt a strange tickling sensation and a thin line of blood stained his shirt. That had been far too close for his liking.
Blue faced another raptor. She imitated the raptor's pose and cocked her head, trying to mimic the growling sounds that Red had made. The raptor appeared confused. Blue growled again, baring her teeth. The raptor made up its mind and jumped at her, but she brought her leg up and gave it a full frontal kick. The raptor fell to the ground, scrambling back to its feet in an instant, but Blue had already moved.
"Where'd you learn that?" Robbie asked, panting with fear.
"It's just like kicking a guy in the nuts." Blue said, shrugging. "Worth a shot, right?"
Robbie laughed, but it was just a little too high and a little too giddy, betraying her fear and adrenaline. Blue swiveled, looking for Red. A familiar cry alerted her to his location.
The big raptor had him pinned down and was snapping at his neck, trying to tear his throat out. Red had his arms and legs up, blocking his underbelly and attempting to slash at the big raptor's stomach. Without even thinking, Blue ran towards them.
"Get off of him, you fucking bastard!" She yelled, jumping onto the big raptor's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled, squeezing and tugging and digging her heels in. She kicked his sides repeatedly, and managed to wrap her left arm enough around his neck to get a good hold and free her right arm to punch him in the head. "Let go, you fucking moron, get off!" She yelled.
The raptor, surprised and disoriented by Blue's punches and presence on his back, reared up, twisting and turning his body to try and throw her off, or at least get a glimpse of what was attacking him. He snapped and gnashed his teeth fruitlessly in an attempt to get at her. Red tucked his legs under even more and gave a ferocious kick, knocking the big raptor off of him. Red jumped to his feet, growling and snapping. The big raptor reared up again, snapping at Blue's fist. He nicked her knuckles with his teeth and she loosened her grip on his neck in shock. She slipped, landing heavily on the ground hard enough to bruise. Before the big raptor could do anything to her, however, Red launched himself and this time was the one who landed on top, inserting one powerful leg in between the raptor's and slashing open his belly.
The other raptors turned, startled, and gazed as Red finished off their leader. Blue slowly got to her feet, the entire right side off her body aching from landing on it. Her knuckle stung, too. She glanced over at the others. Robbie was supporting Nathan, who was clutching his stomach. Oliver had almost completely wrapped himself around a crying Caleb, doing his best to shield her with his body. They were all staring at Red as well.
Red stepped off the dead body of the raptor and immediately padded over to Blue. He bobbed his head, his eyes skittering over her body, looking for injuries. Deeming her unharmed, he nuzzled her before pulling back, awaiting judgment.
"Good boy, Red." Blue assured him. "You were a very, very good boy."
Red gave a pleased noise and nuzzled her again. Blue wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, pressing her face into his smooth scales.
The other raptors were looking at one another, conferring almost, as to what to do about this strange turn of events. This was supposed to be an easy kill. But now one of their own had not only turned against them but had killed the pack leader. This demanded retribution.
Having reached a decision, the other raptors turned and began to advance again. Caleb made a hopeless squeak.
"Red can't kill all of them, Bluebird." Nathan said quietly.
Blue nodded. "Love you, Nate the great." She said.
"Love you too, Primary." Nathan responded. Robbie hugged him tightly. The raptors had surrounded them, pinning them into a tight circle. There was no way out of this.
There was a whirring, chopping sound, and a steady, unnatural breeze began to blow around them. The raptors looked up, startled, and began to back away, making angry noises of indignation. The humans and Red looked up as well.
"Thank God." Oliver whispered.
It was the helicopter.
"We're here!" Blue shouted, waving her arms. "We're here!"
The helicopter slowly descended as they all backed out of the way. The pack of raptors slowly left the area, snapping and growling at them, vanishing into the trees so fluidly they practically melted into the foliage.
Everyone cheered.
The title of this chapter is a reference to the battle in which 300 Spartans, lead by King Leonidas, faced off against a good few thousand Persians. Although fighting valiantly and costing the Persians some heavy losses, a traitor showed the Persians a way to sneak around the back of the Spartans and surround them. Every single Spartan died. Cheerful stuff.