Jurassic Park Broken Lives
Chapter 13: Fair Game
Disclaimer: I do not own Jurassic Park.
Author note: Due to the number of review suggesting I add a male character, I have. I would like to know what you think of him and if he needs to be improved, and if so, where to improve. In addition, I am thinking of drawing up some of the characters from this story and posting them on my Deviant Art account (unsure if I will though).
Amanda suddenly sat up, her body shaking and drenched in a cold sweat. Her breath came in quick and raspy gasps. She nervously looked to the right then the left, scanning the darkness around her. Amanda felt something brush by her side and she suddenly jumped.
"What wrong?" She heard from beside her and looked to see Silver Claw with an expression of concern on his face.
Amanda gasped for air for a moment before responding. "Sorry, it was just… I just woke up from a nightmare," Amanda replied and laid her head back on Silver Claw's side.
"What happened in it?" Silver Claw asked softly.
"I'd rather not talk about," Amanda said and brushed several tears away.
"Ok, I understand." Silver Claw said and rested his head on her stomach.
"Is it morning or night, I can't tell." Amanda questioned.
"Morning," Silver Claw replied, "It's still raining out."
"When did it start raining?"
"Shortly after you when to sleep," Silver Claw yawned, "The stream is getting bigger too."
"What?" Amanda blurted. "How big has it gotten?"
"It's almost at your feet," Silver Claw said and moved his tail, splashing Amanda's feet slightly.
"Do you think it'll stop raining soon?" Amanda asked and slowly sat up, allowing Silver Claw's head to slip to her lap.
"I don't know, but I hope so." Silver Claw replied. "I am hoping we can play some games today."
"Yeah that would be nice," sighed Amanda. "When are you going to teach me some velociraptor behavior and politics?"
"If you want I can now, we're not doing much until this rain stops," Silver Claw said and stood up. He sat down to the left of Amanda lifted his feathers. "What do you think me raising my feathers mean?"
"I don't know… does it mean you're agitated or something close to that?" Amanda replied.
"Yes and no," Silver Claw said, "In pack order the alpha male will almost always have them straight up to show his authority while the lowest member will have them flat to show submission to the higher ranks."
"Ok. Depending on your mood, will it show in you feathers?" Amanda asked.
"Yes," Silver Claw sighed, "They are also used in the raptor mating rituals and on few occasions in hunting. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, but how do you tell what mood a raptor is in by looking at his feathers?"
"Raised feathers are used to show agitation, excitement and joy while lowered feathers show when a raptor is sad, tired, and sometimes affection. In addition, to tell the mood body posture is important." Silver Claw stood up and lowered himself towards the ground, raised his claws, tail, and bared his teeth. "If I do this, it means that I'm going to defend myself or attack." Silver Claw then raised himself until he towered above Amanda, lowered his head and tilted it slightly to the right. "This means I'm curious about something and want to investigate usually or it can be just a trick to attack you. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, I think so." Amanda said, "So if I want to avoid a fight what do I do?"
"Well don't threaten a raptor or turn you back to them if they're agitated or looking for trouble," Silver Claw said. "Try not to look them in the eyes because that is seen as a direct challenge to their authority. Then there is a lot about pack order that you don't need to know about."
"Why not?"
"Because we don't really have a pack order and don't belong to any pack really."
"Maybe we should have a pack order, just for fun." Amanda said and moved back as the water was starting to soak into her shoes.
"I'm happy with what we have right now, if we do get a pack, I'll explain it before we do anything else."
"Oh, I see." Amanda sighed, "How do I act around other raptors?"
"Depends, male or female raptors?" Silver Claw asked.
"Both. Start with males, since I'm with you always." Amanda smiled.
"Well around me you should act like you always do, around other males though, stay away, they may attack you if they see fit because you're a human. If you do want to go near them though, have me by your side unless they are friendly but if they start getting agitated, back away because if you get into a fight, I can't help you at all." Silver Claw said. "Now females are different, they won't become aggressive unless you do something to offend them, their mates or they just don't like you. If you do happen to offend them, you should apologize and bow your head respectfully. Oh yeah, and do not under any circumstances touch their eggs with out them present and given permission or I nor Sunayana will not be able to stop them."
"Ok, that'll help a lot." Amanda sighed then asked, "Why can't you help me in a fight though?"
"If you accept a fight, that means you are challenging them and even if I wanted to, the other raptors would stop me." Silver Claw answered, "Toe claws are forbidden and so is killing in a fight for rank."
"Ok, that's good, thanks." Amanda said and asked, "How do I greet raptors if I meet them?"
"The alphas, you bow your head and greet them. The rest of the pack you can nod your head and say hello. Out of a pack situation, friends greet each other how they like. Mates often lick their partner on the cheek or rub heads and in some cases they have a song they hum to one another." Silver Claw said.
"That sounds sweet," Amanda said, "What were the names of the alphas?"
"Jack and Sara," Silver Claw replied.
"Ok," she sighed. "What else is there to learn?"
"Hunting techniques, eating order, what to do if you do get in a fight, what to do if you run into an unfriendly raptor alone, what to do if you're out of territory," Silver Claw said and took a breath. "Politics, grooming, nest building, choosing a nesting area, and then there are several thing that Sunayana will have to teach you if she wants, about hatchlings and how to care for them."
"Why would I have to learn about raising baby raptors?" Amanda asked.
"If we do eventually get accepted into a pack, you might be put on nest duty for some time as a way to gain the other members trust," Silver Claw said and slowly stood up. "The rest can wait for a bit though; I think it's stopped raining."
"Really," Amanda questioned with enthusiasm and quickly stood up. She walked to the bend and looked around it.
A few droplets of water fell from the entrance. The cave remained dark, the clouds still hung over the island but a few blue patches of sky allowed the light to shine through in small beams. The trees swayed slightly in the wind and several branches lay strewn about on the muddy ground. Large puddles blanketed the ground outside the cave though the rocky area near the cave was less of a mess.
The stream had grown nearly four times its size overnight and only a few feet of soil and rock remained on either side to walk on. The water was a murky brown with leaves and twigs dotting the surface. Several insects struggled to swim against the moving water in a vain attempt to get to land.
"We might have to find a new home Silver Claw; I think we're going to get flooded like this every time it rains." Amanda sighed, "We could try to block the water from coming here but I don't see how we could do that."
"Maybe we could find a cozy place in the forest like at my old home." Silver Claw suggested. "With a stream nearby and I could show you how to build a nest."
"Maybe, though humans don't sleep in nests like you." Amanda said, "But I'm willing to try it… for a little bit. Though, it would have to be sheltered from the rain and wind so I don't get sick."
Silver Claw chirped with excitement. Amanda nearly fell over backwards, stunned and confused.
"What's wrong?" Silver Claw asked.
"I've never heard you chirp like that, it just shocked me. That's all." Amanda said. "You must really be happy."
"Really, I've never chirped like that before?" Silver Claw questioned.
"No, what are you so happy about?" Amanda stated.
"I didn't want to say anything because you were happy but I haven't really liked sleeping in buildings and on rocks." Silver Claw confessed.
"You could have told me that, we could have found somewhere where we both would have liked." Amanda said.
"Yeah but you were happy so I ignored the issue." Silver Claw said and stretched his right arm.
"It's nice that you're thinking of me before yourself but I want you to be happy also, even if that means doing something I don't like." Amanda said.
"Alright, I'll do some things that you don't like sometimes." Silver Claw said and gently rubbed his head against Amanda's neck. She giggled slightly and pushed him away.
"What do you want to do?" Amanda asked sweetly.
"Are you hungry?" Silver Claw asked.
"Are you?" Amanda asked back.
"Yes, but do you want to try hunting yourself?"
"You want me to kill something again?" Amanda almost stuttered.
"If you want to be more like a raptor, you have to hunt like one or close to it." Silver Claw said and tilted his head. "It's what I want you to do," he smirked.
Amanda frowned at him for a moment. "Fine, I will hunt something by myself if it'll make you happy."
"Yes, as long as you don't feel bad like last time." Silver Claw said, pleased.
"If I can watch a dinosaur rip apart a smaller one without feeling bad, I think I can handle this, this time." Amanda sighed. "If I do need help, you'll be nearby anyway."
"Ok," Silver Claw smiled. "What are you planning to use to kill your prey?"
"I don't know, probably the knife or I could try and make a spear." Amanda replied.
"I know what the knife is but what is a spear?" Silver Claw asked.
"It's a sharpened stick sometimes with a rock at the end." Amanda explained. "Are you going to tell me some techniques first?"
"No, I want to see you in action before I tell you where you could improve," Silver Claw said.
"Alright, but where are we going to go hunting?" Amanda asked, "I don't want too many dinosaurs around when I do this."
"I think we should at least look around first, maybe we'll get lucky and find something your size." Silver Claw said.
"My size, I'm not going after something that big and preferably not a carnivore." Amanda said and pulled the knife from behind her back. "I should make a spear first."
Amanda quietly walked out of the cave, followed by Silver Claw. They walked along the edge of the stream until they enter the jungle. Amanda searched through the different branches until she found one to her liking and broke it off. She started to slice the wood with the knife but suddenly dropped both. Her eyes filled with tears and she started sucking on her right index finger.
"What happened?" Silver Claw asked but then smelt the air, "You're bleeding!"
"Yeah…. I cut my finger," She sniffled.
"Are you ok?" Silver Claw asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I think I'll be alright," Amanda said, brushing away some tears. She showed him the long thin cut along the side of her finger.
Silver Claw leaned forward and licked the wound clean of blood. Amanda quickly pulled her hand away and wiped the saliva off her finger. She looked at him, unsure of why he did that.
"Sorry," Silver Claw said and lowered his head slightly.
"Why did you lick my finger?" Amanda questioned.
"I don't know, it's just the smell of blood is a little inviting. It won't happen again." Silver Claw apologized.
"It's alright. You have instincts; just try not to drool as much when you follow them." Amanda said.
"Let's move out of here before anything smells the blood and tries to eat us." Silver Claw said and turned away. He soon disappeared into some bushes.
Amanda sighed. She bent over and picked up her knife, sheathing it. She grabbed the stick and suddenly she felt something hit her back. A sharp pain pulsed from her right ear and she screamed, dropping the stick. "Silver Claw!"
Silver Claw suddenly burst from the bushes and lunged towards Amanda, his head disappeared over her shoulder. The creature that held Amanda's ear released its grip on her and struggled to fight off the raptor. Amanda quickly scrambled away and turned around to see Silver Claw holding a flailing compsognathus. It squealed and screeched in frustration but Silver Claw did not kill it. Instead, he lowered his head to the ground and placed the animal down. He put his foot over it to make sure it could not escape.
"Do you want to hunt this Amanda?" Silver Claw said, "It did attack you."
"Maybe," Amanda said and pulled out the knife. She looked at her reflection on the blade. I can do this can I not? Amanda asked herself, I have to hunt to survive but it will end the life of another creature. She sighed.
Amanda slowly walked over and knelt by the compy. It snapped at her and hissed. She placed the knife against its throat and quickly slit the creature's throat. Blood spilled out and the compsognathus went limp.
"Good job Amanda," Silver Claw said, caringly. "It didn't suffer. You killed it almost instantly."
"I don't feel that bad either." Amanda said. "Is this enough hunting for now?"
"Yeah, if you want it to be Amanda, you're hunting, not me." Silver Claw said and lifted his foot. He picked up the small animal in his mouth and held it out to Amanda.
"You can have, I'm not really hungry right now." Amanda said and sheathed the knife.
"Are you sure you don't want even a little bit?" Silver Claw asked and when Amanda nodded, he tossed back the compy, swallowing it whole. He licked the blood off his jaws.
"Where do you want to go?" Amanda asked him as she gently placed her hand on his neck and began rubbing it.
"Would you like to go to the lake for a bit or should we find a home first?" Silver Claw questioned then began to purr softly.
Amanda chuckled slightly, "Let's find a place we can call home first and then we can have some fun."
"Ok," Silver Claw purred.
Amanda pulled her hand away from him and smiled. "Lead the way."
Silver Claw walked with Amanda into the bushes. Thick trees soon surrounded them as they walked northward. A gently breeze snaked through the trees, rustling leaves and moving Amanda's hair. They passed a large bush covered in brilliant flowers, yellow with red tipped petals. Amanda smiled as she looked at them.
Silver Claw noticed this and stopped for a moment, he made it look like he was just cleaning his toe claws. When Amanda passed out of sight of the bushes, he quickly grabbed one of the flowers by the stem in his mouth. He winced in pain, not realizing there were thorns but snapped it off the bush. Silver Claw quickly caught up with Amanda and nudged gently. He opened his mouth, offering her the flower.
"Ah, thank you Silver Claw." Amanda said as she took the flower and hugged him. "You didn't realize there were thorns before you gabbed it, did you?" Amanda questioned when she noticed the few specks of blood on the stem.
"No I didn't, but it doesn't bother me." Silver Claw replied and rubbed his head against her neck.
"This flower is called a rose," Amanda said, "Do you know what his one symbolizes?"
"No," Silver Claw said. "It isn't something bad is it?"
"No not at all, it symbolizes friendship and falling in love." Amanda said and smiled as she twirled the rose between her fingers. "I love roses," Amanda said softly, "I used to grow them at my house before I ended up here."
"Are you happy," Silver Claw asked softly.
"Yes," Amanda replied and released him from her hug. She gently kissed him on the cheek and then said, "Shall we continue our walking."
Silver Claw smiled, "Let's."
They continued onward, through the dense brush. Amanda pulled the larger thorns of the stem as they walked and slid the stem into the grove at the top of her ear. Silver Claw meanwhile watched the surrounding jungle for any sign of trouble. Before long, they stumbled upon a worn path in the jungle and Silver Claw became nervous.
"What is it?" Amanda questioned.
"This is a game trail, carnivores often follow this path and one has been on here recently." Silver Claw said as he examined some tracks, larger than his own.
"What kind of carnivore?" Amanda nervously questioned.
"Carnotaurus, the one that can hide by changing color," Silver Claw said and sniffed the air. Suddenly the wind changed and Silver Claw's eyes widened. "Run Amanda!"
Amanda and Silver Claw both ran forward. A loud crash sounded from behind them as the head of the carnotaurus crashed into the ground, nearly hitting Silver Claw's tail. Although they could not see the carnotaurus, its heavy steps and deep growl never sounded far away. Amanda and Silver Claw dodged trees and bushes until they passed from jungle into a huge field. They kept running and slowed down once the sounds stopped. Amanda looked back.
The carnotaurus was at the edge of the field, nervously shifting its legs. Its skin changed as it moved, two horns protruded from above its eyes and rows of spiny bumps ran down its back. It moved forward slightly and into the light, its body immediately flashed a rainbow of different colors. The creature roared and quickly pulled back into the jungle, immediately disappearing into the dark green background.
"Are we safe?" Amanda questioned.
"Yes," Silver Claw sighed. "They hate the light because it exposes them, making them vulnerable to attack."
Amanda sighed and looked around, they we in a large empty field. The surrounding waist high, golden grasses swayed carelessly in the wind. Jungle surrounded most of the field except in a small area where it cleared, revealing the lake. The sky, no longer clouded but instead a bright blue, allowed the sunlight to bath the field.
"Do you think we should head to the lake?" Amanda asked, "I don't want to go into the jungle with that thing around."
"Yeah, that might be best." Silver Claw said and sniffed the air. He started to snap his head back a fourth and spun around.
Suddenly the low groan of a helicopter echoed from the distance. The sound got increasingly louder until a helicopter burst from a misty rise behind them. Silver Claw instantly ducked down and hid in the grass next to Amanda. The helicopter passed overhead and headed towards the lake. It had a single main propeller, glass bubble at the front, and was white and blue in color. Definitely not a company owned one but more that likely a commercial helicopter used in tours or private use.
"I don't think it saw us," Amanda sighed but moaned when it suddenly U-turned and headed back. "This is going to attract some unwanted attention."
"Do you think it's safe for me?" Silver Claw asked.
"You should stay hidden until I have a talk with them," Amanda sighed and stepped forward, three feet in front Silver Claw.
The helicopter hovered some ways away for a moment and slowly dropped to the ground. The wind caused by the rotating blades flattened the grass around the bottom of the helicopter and flung dirt into the air occasionally. Amanda looked through the glass, two men sat inside. Suddenly the left side door flew open and a man stepped out, holding his hat on his head.
He slowly approached Amanda. He stood about five foot eight, medium build and his body was thick with muscles. He had on tan shorts, jungle green under shirt, and a forest green vest. A large rifle hung over his right shoulder and sunglasses hung down around his neck. His face was clean-shaven, his brown eyes shifted under a thick brow and short brown hair stuck out from under a brown fedora, long teeth lined the hatband. He stopped a few feet from Amanda.
"What's a good look-in Sheila like you doing on a rock like this?" He asked in a deep tone.
"This is my home," Amanda said but the man back up slightly, clutching a handle at his side. She realized that she had said it in raptor and quickly repeated it in English.
"What were those growls about?" he asked suspiciously.
"Wrong language," Amanda said, hoping Silver Claw would remain hidden.
"I've been around the world but I have never heard anything like that but from the creatures I've hunted." He said, "What is it called?"
"You're a hunter," Amanda said nervously.
"Yes I am," he said with increasing irritation. "Why are you so nervous?"
"No reason, why are you here?" Amanda asked, shaking off the nervousness in her voice.
"I heard rumors that some kind of monster lives here and attacks boats that sail too close." He said, "My name's Lance by the way."
"Go back where you came from Lance, you don't know what could happen to you here." Amanda said, worried that some predator might come anytime now.
"Do you want to leave this island?" He asked, "The chopper can take you to the mainland."
"No, I love this place. But you should go before you get hurt." Amanda replied without hesitation.
"Ok, then." Lance said and raised his arm, giving a slight wave.
The helicopter began to lift off. Before long, it reached an altitude that it could move freely. It passed overhead and disappeared over the rise. The engine slowly faded until it was nonexistent.
"What did you do that for?" Amanda freaked.
"I have a phone to call them when I'm done here." Lance replied.
"And what exactly are you going to do here?" Amanda asked.
"I'm going to bag me something worth a place on my trophy wall," he replied. "So where do you live?"
"I'm currently looking for a home where my friend and I can build nests to stay in." Amanda replied and got a wide eye response.
"You sleep in a nest," Lance nearly stuttered. "Who's your friend?"
"He's hiding somewhere because you're here." Amanda said. "You'd shoot him if you saw him so I hope he remains hidden."
"What is he?" Lance demanded and suddenly a hiss came from the grasses. He quickly readied his gun and pointed it at the grass around him.
"He shouldn't hurt you as long as you don't threaten me or raise your voice again." Amanda said when she notice Silver Claw had made his way to behind the man.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Lance asked more politely.
"Because I do not want anymore people dying in front of me again," Amanda said.
"Again?" he asked, clutching his rifle tight to him.
"The creature you heard of is called a spinosaurus and it attacked the boat I was on, my whole family died that night and I was stranded here. The only other human up until now that has been on the island was my friend Ellie but she's now gone, she died a few days ago." Amanda said in a saddened tone and looked down.
"I'm sorry," he said and walked up to her, placing his hand her shoulder. Suddenly a hiss came from the grass and Lance spun around wit ha smirk on his face, pointing the rifle straight at Silver Claw. "Gotcha!"
"No! He's my friend," Amanda screamed and moved between the gun and Silver Claw. "You'll have to shoot me first if you want him!"
"I could never shoot a Sheila such as yourself, an especially good looking one I might add." He said and lowered his gun slightly. "Prove that he's your friend."
Amanda glared at him foe a moment. "Silver Claw could you come here, but be cautious." Amanda said in raptor.
Silver Claw slowly stood up and walked over to Amanda. He gently rubbed his head against her neck, glad that she was safe right now.
Lance looked at Silver Claw awestruck. The creature was nearly as tall as he was and the claws could rip him to shreds easily. "What is it, your pet?" he asked.
"No, he's just as smart as you or me, his name is Silver Claw and he's my friend!" Amanda defended.
"Those growls, are they his language?"
"Yes, he taught it to me when I asked him." Amanda said and placed her hand on Silver Claw's back. "He's all I got left for a friend," Amanda added, not wanting Lance to find out about the other raptors across the lake.
"So everything you and I are talking about, this overgrown lizard can understand?" Lance skeptically questioned.
"He is not a lizard, he's a dinosaur and yes he can understand us."
"Dinosaur, huh… those are extinct." Lance laughed.
"Do you know who owns this island?" Amanda asked, "Ingen, a genetics company and they cloned the dinosaurs that live here."
"This is all just gibberish to me, so short story of all of this is that you got stranded here, learned to talk to a dinosaur and what me to go home."
"Yes, you could say that." Amanda said.
"What's your name by the way?" Lance asked, keeping a watchful eye on Silver Claw.
"Amanda," she replied then mumbled something in raptor to Silver Claw.
"Well Amanda," Lance started but a loud hoot interrupted him. "What was that?"
"That would be a dilophosaurus and it spits poison, so be careful." Amanda said. "We aren't going to stick around either because it could probably spit from the tree line and reach us."
"What else is on this island like that?" Lance questioned.
"There's a creature that can blend in to its surroundings by changing color. We just escaped from one so it might not be to far away as well." Amanda replied. "Are you wishing you left now?"
"No, one of those would make a fine trophy on my wall." Lance said and took his eyes of Silver Claw for the moment to look at the jungle.
Silver Claw suddenly pounced on the man, knocking him to the ground easily. Lance tried to push Silver Claw off him with his rifle but Silver Claw only bit down on it. Lance's eyes widened as the wood began to splinter under the biting force of the raptors jaws. The barrel dented inward and Silver Claw twisted his head, bending the barrel slightly. Suddenly Silver Claw jerked his head to the left, tossing the gun several meters away and hissed. Amanda quickly rushed over and convinced Silver Claw to get off.
"What are you doing?" Amanda asked in English.
"He threatened you and that gun could have killed you," Silver Claw said, angered.
"Yes it could have killed me but I don't think he would have shot me." Amanda said.
Meanwhile Lance slowly stood up and reached into his pocket. "Why did he attack me? I thought you said it was nice!"
"He wouldn't have done that if you wouldn't have pointed the gun at him, it looked like you were going to kill me when I stepped in the way and he made sure it wouldn't happen again." Amanda said furious. "Why did you point the gun at him anyway?"
"Like I said, I'm a hunter." He replied and slowly pulled something out of his pocket. Suddenly he stumbled forward slightly and his eyes widened. "You said those things spit."
"Yes," Amanda replied, "Why?"
"They can reach us." Lance said, unwilling to turn around. "One just hit me I think."
Amanda's eyes widened and she turned away. "Run!"
Silver Claw quickly followed Amanda towards the lake. Lance raced to his gun but found it damaged to the point it would no longer work. "Shit!" He tossed it aside and followed Amanda and Silver Claw. The ground turned steep as the headed towards the lake.
Silver Claw looked back to see the dilophosaurus break cover and run after them. Suddenly the carnotaurus also broke cover, turning a brilliant green in the light with white blotches all over. It sank its teeth into the neck of the young dilophosaurus before it could react. The dilophosaurus let out an unnerving shriek and sank its teeth into the lower jaw of the carnotaurus but soon went limp. The limp body fell from the jaws of the carnotaurus and it bellowed in victory. Suddenly the massive creature staggered and collapsed to the ground.
"I think we can stop Amanda," Silver Claw said as he looked back to the path ahead of him.
Amanda slowed down and stopped. Lance quickly stopped himself too, though keeping an eye Silver Claw. "I could have got my trophy but no…" Lance said furious. "That thing had to destroy my rifle, now I have to find another one on this rock."
"The closest you'll find is a flare gun." Amanda said, "All the weapons here are not lethal except for knives, I found that out on a computer a while back."
"What about the stuff that thing spit on me, how toxic is it?" Lance questioned.
"Throw what ever it has touched away," Amanda said.
"It's that bad," sighed Lance as he took of the vest and tossed it aside after putting the phone and supplies in his pockets.
"Are you going home now?" Amanda asked and crossed her arms.
"Nope, I think I'll stay around for a bit more Sheila, you're not getting rid of me that easily." Lance joked and suddenly a thunderous roar came from the lake. "What now?"
"Run," Amanda said as the spinosaur emerged from the water and headed straight for them. "Welcome to Isla Sorna."
The three ran into the jungle as fast as they could without hitting the tree. The dense jungle slowed them down and the spinosaur was quickly gaining ground. Suddenly the ground gave way and the three fell into the darkness below…