Jurassic Park Broken Lives
Chapter 25: Valley of Shadows
Disclaimer: I do not own Jurassic Park
Author Note: I am keeping the length of my stories, sorry to those who hoped for shorter chapters and faster updates.
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The rhythmical beat of the rain against the forest canopy sounded like drums in the darkness. The chorus of frogs and insects reverberate through the chilled night air. A light breeze in comparison to the storm overhead snaked its way through the trees and rustled the leaves of the undergrowth.
Amanda pushed past a large fern as she followed behind the velociraptors. She sighed. It had been half an hour since she walked away from the humans that wanted to imprison Silver Claw and Loki, to capture nature for profit, and make her speak to an enemy pack. However, some of the humans she left behind, she considered her friends and wanted to preserve the island, not destroy it. She felt bad for leaving them behind.
Amanda was tired of the walking but did not want to stop, at least not yet. The cold she felt through the wet shoes only made walking worse. Her clothing was damp from when she dropped to the ground after being shot at and the mud she gather during her short but hated time on the ground only made things worse.
Amanda sighed as she thought about what the people would go through just to get to the building and even more so, what would happen once they got their. Surely, most would survive the trek to the building, Amanda though optimistically, then again, those who survived the tyrannosaurs would have to deal with a pack of hateful velociraptors. It was likely most would not survive.
Amanda looked at Silver Claw. She was sore and tired, and the air was only getting cooler. She had to stop. "Do you think we should find somewhere for the night Silver Claw?"
"Are you tired?" Silver Claw asked and slowed his pace so that she walked next to him.
"I'm more sore than tired," Amanda exclaimed but could not help but yawn. "But it would be nice to get some rest and continue in the morning."
"I agree," Loki said. "I'm still a little sleepy from that stuff."
"I don't like stopping in an unfamiliar area," Sophia said, emphasizing her voice, "Especially at night."
"Someone could keep watch while the others sleep and then switch off during the night," Amanda suggested.
"Fine," Sophia sighed. "You will not be watching though."
Amanda stopped and looked around. "Where should we stay though, this area looks too open to me."
"Open's good," Loki yawned, showing his teeth. He shifted his jaw slightly. "You can see what's coming."
"But it can see you," Silver Claw added. "Let's just continue on for a bit until we find a suitable spot where we could hide and not be seen." Silver Claw looked to Amanda, "If you like, I could carry you until we stop Amanda."
Amanda smiled but then remembered the fall Silver Claw had at the river. "What about your chest, I don't want to aggravate it anymore than it is."
"Don't worry so much," Silver Claw reassured and set himself down. "Are you just going to stand there?"
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Fine," she sighed. Instead of sitting as she did before, Amanda laid herself so that her head rested against his neck and her arms hung behind his arms. "There," she said, shifting to get comfortable against his scaly hide.
Silver Claw slowly stood up and looked at her caringly. He looked at Sophia to see her glare at him. She went to speak but Silver Claw shook his head. They continued onward.
"Thank you," Amanda said softly. Her voice was becoming drowsier and it was obvious that she was falling asleep.
Several minutes passed as they moved quietly through the jungle. The insects and frogs continued there chorus in the night while the storm above began to die down. The breeze stopped and the area seemed at peace.
Silver Claw looked to his back and smiled. Amanda was asleep. A smile graced her face and she had her arms snugly just behind his ribs. Her legs crossed over his tail so that they did not disrupt Silver Claw when he walked.
"Let's keep quiet so Amanda doesn't wake," Silver Claw said almost in a whisper.
"She fell asleep," Sophia said, glancing at the human.
"Yes," Silver Claw said. "She's had a rough day and she should get some rest."
"We've all had a rough day," Sophia commented in a tempered tone.
Loki stopped. "How about that spot?" He gesture to a large protruding piece of rock, it looked rectangular with a single part rising above the roof in the center. "I see what looks like an entrance we could go into."
Silver Claw looked at it. "What do you think Sophia?"
"It'll do I guess," She sighed.
Loki and Sophia slowly approached the entrance and looked inside. Both disappeared but Loki's head soon reemerged.
"It's clear," Loki said. "And I think Amanda's going to like what's inside."
Silver Claw cocked his head.
"She may know what this place is." Loki said, "Because I have no idea."
Silver Claw slowly stepped into the entrance, and what he saw shocked him.
In the center of the room, a large bowl like object with charred logs and plant material sat upon a raised stone platform. The floor was stone, gritty and rough but may have been smooth at one time. The engraved walls surrounding the bowl, depicted scenes with strange carvings and figures that none of the velociraptors could tell what the meaning was. The roof was stone and opened up in the center to the canopy above. Only a few holes appeared in the walls where years of corrosion crippled some of the structure. Vines spiraled down from holes in the roof and walls, while leaves covered the floor.
"Amanda will like this," Silver Claw said with wide eyes. "I don't want to wake her though. She can tell us what it is in the morning."
"I understand," Loki said. "What do you think this place is?"
"Some kind of human structure," Silver Claw replied. "That's all I can say."
"Quiet down you two," Sophia said. She had already curled up in a corner to the right of the entrance. "I see no need to keep watch; it is easy to see if something is coming in here."
"One second," Loki said as he walked out the door. "I'll be right back."
Silver Claw looked around and moved to the opposite corner of Sophia. He gently set himself on the ground and looked at Amanda. She was still asleep and he did not want to wake her. Using his snout to hold her head, Silver Claw slowly tilted his body until Amanda fell gently to the ground. Silver Claw rested Amanda's head on the floor and laid himself on the ground next closest to the door.
A snap quickly got his attention. Silver Claw watched the door with suspicious eyes. Loki suddenly appeared in the doorway with a large leafy branch in his mouth.
"What are you doing?" Silver Claw had to ask. He tilted his head as Loki straightened the branch in the entrance.
Loki finished what he was doing and looked at Silver Claw. "I saw humans do this to hide a trap once. I though I may be able to do the same with the entrance here or at least well know when something tries to enter."
"That seem ok," Silver Claw said and rested his head on the cold floor. "Good night," Silver Claw yawned.
"Yeah," Loki sighed and curled up on the other corner next to the door.
Sophia remained silent.
Silver Claw turned his head and leaned it against Amanda's shoulder. "Good night my love," Silver Claw whispered and closed his eyes…
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Dawn slowly crept over Isla Sorna. The morning light bathed the island in a golden hue. The placid surface of the lake glistened in a florescent glow of gold and sky-blue. In the skies above, large dark clouds drifted lazily in the wind, the only reminders of the night's storm. On the ground, trees swayed gently back and fourth in the breeze.
The heavy aroma of that surrounded herbivores filled the air. The deep long calls of the dinosaurs drifted out of the jungle and into the small field.
Sunayana lazily sat on a slope overlooking the field and lake. It was the spot where she and the pack first met Silver Claw, Amanda, and Ellie. It was a great spot to bask in after a night of hunting in the rain and not too many carnivores were around so she could take her time. The rest of her hunting party went back to the nests some time earlier, but she wanted to linger a little longer.
She basked in the warmth of the sun as she thought about several things. The warmth helped to ease her racing mind, but not for long. Her thoughts lingered on her life and of that of her pack, and of the night of hunting.
During the start of the storm, the rain and wind brought down several trees not too far from the nests and everyone was on edge about it. If one had fallen in another direction, it would have landed in the nesting ground, though it would only have hit Silver Claw and Amanda's nest, which was in ruin anyway.
She sighed as she thought about what could have happened to Silver Claw. It was foolish of him to run away in the night with two broken ribs. He could be dead now. Then there was Loki, he was near the nest that night but he turned away and followed Silver Claw. Some of the pack went looking for both of them that morning, but the trail lead outside the territory and none wanted to start a rivalry with any pack that lived outside the boundary.
"Sunayana!" Her pack called suddenly from the distance. "Come quick!"
In an instant, Sunayana scrambled to her feet and disappeared into the jungle. The air quickly became humid as she approached the swamp. The ground underfoot became soft and leaves stuck to her feet. Within several minutes, she passed out of the swamp and continued deeper into the jungle. The distant calls of her pack told her to be wary of something but they were not specific.
What could it be? Sunayana thought, trying to figure out what would cause them to call her with such urgency. Half an hour passed until she reached the nests. Her legs hurt and her breath came in raspy gasps as she stopped next to a clustered group of velociraptors.
"What…what is it?" She gasped.
Jack stepped aside to reveal a limp form of a velociraptor. It was Mark. He was the one assigned to guard the eggs while the others were out hunting near the end of the storm. A long clean slash from just under his skull ran to the center of his chest, a very painful but quick death for a velociraptor. He would have died in moments of receiving the wound.
"What…" Sunayana stuttered. "What did this?"
"Not what," Sara snarled, "But who."
"I can't believe this," Sunayana said shaken. "He was strong, how could any thing cause a wound on him like that."
Jack let out a heavy snort. "He crushed our eggs killed a member of my pack, Alex will pay for this!"
Fang and Elise snarled at the mention of his name, baring their teeth in an angry display of hatred.
"Who is Alex?" Sunayana had to ask.
Jack snorted. "He is a green, a male. He was the most vicious creature of the old velociraptors. He escaped twice and twice killed five humans... and nearly myself."
"I thought you killed him," Elise snarled. "He should have died! We all saw it."
"I thought he was too," Jack sighed, "But you don't mistake a smell like his."
"What happened?" Blaze asked.
"He fell," Sara snarled. "He fell off a cliff and into jungle, he should have died. Just before he was about to try and kill Jack, Jack got one kick in, square in the chest. No velociraptor could survive that drop!"
"We should move our nests," Fang said. "Alex knows where we are, and if he could kill Mark like this, it would seem he has kept up his strength after these long years."
"There is nothing to move," Jack said. "But I know we have to move, it's just I don't know where we could go to that he could not find us though."
"We could hide… I mean go in the human buildings," Sunayana said, remembering the large buildings where the indoor environment was. "There is a large building that we could easily defend with lots of space and sheltered from the rain."
"Show us," Jack said and the pack followed Sunayana into the jungle.
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Amanda stretched her arms as she awoke. The ground beneath her was hard and cold. She opened her eyes to see a stone roof over her. She quickly sat up. She was in a room of a building.
How could it be, there were no building close to where they were, were there? Then, she noticed the central stone platform holding a bowl like object and the brick walls that surrounded it. It was not one of Ingen's buildings but one much older
Amanda looked down to see Silver Claw, asleep, with a peaceful expression on his face. His body was close to hers. She looked up to see Sophia and Loki were asleep on either side of what appeared to be the door to the room, where a large branch stood upright as a sort of barrier.
The air was musty and cool. Very little light filled the room and outside was not much better. The jungle that she could see through the entrance seemed dull in comparison to what she normally surrounded her. The air was empty of smell except for that of the velociraptors and the smells emanating from the old structure.
Amanda slowly stood up, as not to disturb Silver Claw, and walked over to the bowl to look in it. Charred wood and grasses lay scattered about the metal object while rust and something that looked like a kind of mold grew over the surface. Surprisingly, the wood and grasses did not look too old. A snap outside quickly got her attention.
A shadow appeared in front of the door way and Amanda ducked down behind the bowl and the stand that held it. She peered around the corner of the stand to see a herrerasaur step into view. Its tan hide made it easy to see even in the low lighting. The creature sniffed the air and lowered its head to the ground. Amanda nearly gasped when it turned to come into the structure. The head stopped at the branch and slowly shifted back and forth. A low hiss caused the raptors to wake instantly.
The herrerasaur pushed past the branch and headed straight towards Silver Claw, the only one in sight. Silver Claw hissed as he scrambled to his feet.
The herrerasaur was too close for Silver Claw to defend himself in time. Suddenly the creature froze. It wheezed and dropped to the ground only feet from Silver Claw. A knife stuck out of its side.
Amanda was knelt by the stand, her arm extended and the knife's sheath empty. Her breath came in a heavy sets and she paled slightly.
"Thank you Amanda," Silver Claw said, lowering his claws and feathers.
Amanda sighed heavily and moved to the side of the herrerasaurus. "Don't worry about it."
She reached down and pulled the knife out. She whipped the blood off the knife carefully with her fingers and slid it back into the sheath.
"I guess you can have breakfast before we go now," Amanda said and walked over to Silver Claw.
"You killed it Amanda," Silver Claw said, "I think you should have the first bite."
"I can't," Amanda said and looked down. "On the mainland, a doctor said I was sick from all that raw meat."
Silver Claw cocked his head. "You didn't seem sick. Maybe this…doctor was wrong."
"I don't want to get sick though," Amanda said.
"Didn't Sarah tell you about some kind of plants that help with that sort of thing?" Silver Claw said and craned his neck to look past Amanda to see Sophia going to take a bite. "Sophia, it is Amanda's kill, not yours. You can wait your turn."
Sophia snorted but backed away.
"Well, Sarah did." Amanda admitted. "I wish she would have had the chance to show me how to make a fire, that plant tastes odd."
"Are you going to eat or shall I?" Sophia said testily. "I would like to get a move on soon."
"Sophia," Loki said, "Be nice."
Sophia only glared at him.
"Ok," Amanda sighed. "I guess I'll have some."
Silver Claw put his foot on the right leg of the herrerasaurus and sank his claw into it. He quickly cut out a sizable piece for Amanda and gave it to her.
"Thanks," Amanda smiled and kissed his scaly snout. She moved to the corner where she woke and sat down.
"Now can we eat?" Sophia sighed.
Silver Claw looked to Amanda and when she nodded, the three velociraptors dug in. They tore flesh and muscles from the bone. Blood quickly spread out over the floor as the raptors continued to eat.
Amanda sighed and leaned back. She suddenly jumped forward and turned around to see something in a small pile of leave. She blew the leaves away to reveal a lighter or at least it looked like one. Amanda quickly picked up the item with one hand and brushed off the side with her thumb. It was a lighter, and it was full.
A grin crossed Amanda's face. "I found something."
Silver Claw and Loki both looked up from the carcass. Blood trickled down their jaws and dripped to the floor.
Amanda held the object up. "It's a lighter. Humans use it to make fires."
Loki went back to eating while Silver Claw moved to Amanda's side.
"Are you going to use it?" He asked. He could not hide his curiosity.
"Yes," Amanda said with a sigh. She stood up and walked to the bowl. "Could you hold this," Amanda asked and held out her piece of the kill.
"Of course," Silver Claw said and took the flesh in his mouth and stepped back.
Amanda felt the charred pieces of wood and picked up one. She scraped it against the side of the bowl to rid it of the charred wood. The sound caused Silver Claw to shake. She put the wood back in the center and piled the grasses on top of it. Amanda brushed the remaining dirt from the lighter and tried to use it. The wheel creaked and a flame shot up. Amanda quickly moved it to the grasses. It took a second but the dry matter combusted and the fire slowly began to spread.
The flame flickered and smoke rose up into the air. It rose to the ceiling and disappeared into the hole in the roof. Amanda smiled as she watched the flame grow until it consumed the entire bowl. Suddenly, the flames died out.
Amanda tilted her head. "What the…"
The flames suddenly shot up with a renewed fierceness but the flames were not reddish orange, but a bright green. Amanda suddenly felt odd. Her vision flickered slightly and she looked to Silver Claw. He looked different. His scales seemed to ripple like on the water after a drop of rain hit the surface. Amanda's attention suddenly turned to the walls as they began to move. The figures came alive it seemed to have life as they danced along the surface.
Amanda felt sick all of a sudden. Her eyes rolled up and she felt her limps go limp, darkness…
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Sunayana lead the pack through the maze of halls. They traveled through the jungle for two hours to reach the building as to make sure nothing followed them. The trip was slow and several wanted to find this Alex to kill him for what he did to Mark and the eggs. It was bad enough to kill another velociraptor but to crush the eggs as well, that was asking for a slow painful death with the full wrath of a pack. Eggs were essential to a pack, not only did they add to the number of members, they were hard to hatch and the more a female had, meant that there was a more likely chance that the hatchlings would hatch and live to have their own children.
Sunayana slowly ascended the stairs and pushed the door at the top open. The hall bridging the buildings was clear. The door on the other side was open, just as Amanda had left it when they left.
"It's just through that door," Sunayana said and walked towards the door. She was the first in the room and soon the pack followed her.
The massive room was exactly as it was the few weeks before, green and empty of animal life.
"This will due nicely," Jack commented and jumped onto the grass below.
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Amanda slowly awoke to the steady movement that she knew was Silver Claw running. Her head hurt and she felt sick. She slowly opened her eyes to see that it was dark. The jungle passed by very quickly but she saw that it was very open in-between trees.
"Silver Claw," Amanda said weakly. "What happened?"
"I'll explain in a bit," Silver Claw said quickly. "For now, we have to be quiet."
Amanda felt offended for some reason. He just told her to be quiet and that was rude she thought. She suddenly felt a surge of pain rush through her head that quickly passed. Amanda lifted her head and looked to her right to see Loki and Sophia looking around as they ran alongside Silver Claw. They seemed worried.
Amanda gathered her strength and lifted her head to look to the sky. Sparse holes let slight amounts of light through to the forest floor. The light she could see seemed bright, it must have been around noon.
"Silver Claw," Amanda protested.
"Shut up human," Sophia snapped. "You're going to get us killed!"
Amanda looked to Sophia. She had a terrified expression on her face. She never saw a velociraptor that worried about something. It must be bad if they were all worried.
Amanda lowered her head back to Silver Claw's neck and held on tight.
The terrain was flat and easy to maneuver for Silver Claw. Little undergrowth grew because of the lack of light. The trees were thick, larger than a man could put his arms around. They were scatter about, even at the distance, the canopy still blocked out the sky.
Suddenly, a loud sheik sounded in the sky above the canopy. Heavy flapping filled the air and small holes of light disappeared for a moment. A loud crack sounded overhead followed by a terrific screech. From the canopy, a large creature burst through. Its large beak and crest were the intimidating features. The wings tucked against the side as it dove towards the velociraptors. Just before it hit the ground, its wings spread open.
Amanda gasped as her ears hurt from the pressure caused by the force of air. The creature shrieked as it had to climb back into the sky because of a closer group of trees.
"Is that what's following us?" Amanda had to ask.
"Not only that," Silver Claw said. "We have to find somewhere to stop."
"Over there," Sophia said and turned towards a large curved root that looked to be the entrance to a hole in the ground.
Sophia was the first in, then Loki, and then Silver Claw and Amanda. Amanda quickly got off Silver Claw and sat against a dirt wall. The area was cramped but large enough to hold them with a little room for movement. Sophia and Loki were panting while Silver Claw dropped his head to the ground.
"What happened?" Amanda said.
After several moments of heavy breathing, Silver Claw lifted his head and looked at Amanda. "After you blacked out, we began to feel weird and got out of the building. The herrerasaur you killed was not the only one." Silver Claw took in a breath. He was talking quickly and Amanda found it hard to keep up with what he was saying. "There were at least fifteen others. Herrerasaurs are the sworn enemy of velociraptors and either species will attack the other at first sight. The herrerasaurs chased us for a long time. We finally lost them only to stumble too close to the valley's edge. That winged creature that tried to attack us was only one of about fifty now searching for us."
"What time is it?" Amanda asked then rephrased it. "How long has it been since I blacked out?"
"The sun was only starting to rise when you passed out." Loki stated, allowing Silver Claw to catch his breath again. "It is now midday, though it does not look like it."
"What about the herrerasaurs?"
"I've never seen more that two in a group." Sophia stated. She kept a keen eye on the entrance. "It must be sometime just before or after their mating season."
Amanda tilted her head.
"Once every two years all the juvenile or mate less herrerasaurs gather in one spot to mate. It probably lasts about two weeks and then they all leave in groups and spread out over the island again."
"I saw some with children already," Amanda said. "That was a few days ago."
"That pair was a life pair most likely." Sophia panted. "They mate earlier than the juveniles."
A loud shriek echoed through the jungle. The heavy flaps sounded in the sky above. In the distance, another shriek sounded and soon another pair of wings circled overhead.
"I didn't think they would spread so quickly over the island," Loki sighed and rested his head on Sophia's back.
"It didn't look like the ones that were on this island." Amanda said, remembering the booklet she once had.
"There are other islands Amanda," Loki said.
"I know," Amanda said but before she could continue, Silver Claw pushed her mouth shut.
The distant but constant thuds of approaching creatures quickly grew louder. Before long, a strong rotting smell filled the air and the first herrerasaur passed by the entrance, oblivious to the velociraptors. Soon more passed by at the same quick pace. Minutes passed until the last passed by. It seemed to have a limp. The sound of the creatures slowly faded into the distance.
Silver Claw slowly moved his snout away from Amanda's jaw. "I'm sorry I had to do that Amanda," Silver Claw said softly and his feathers flattened.
"I counted at least twenty," Loki said. "They didn't see us either."
"I know," Sophia said. "They must be in a hurry."
"Well," Silver Claw sighed. "At least they'll be in front of us when we get out of here."
"In front," Amanda said. "Let's turn around and put as much distance between us and them as we can."
"I for got to mention something to you," Silver Claw sighed. "We're in a valley and the only way out is the way the herrerasaurs are headed in. It was hard to get down, up is impossible."
"What are you talking about?" Amanda asked.
"We had to go down a cliff to get in here, the only way out is on the other side of the valley we think." Silver Claw replied. A loud shriek in the skies above let them know the winged creatures were circling still. "And then there are those."
"So we are going to the other side of the valley?" Amanda questioned to make sure. She instinctively held the handle of her knife because of the possible threat.
"Yes," Silver Claw sighed and moved to the entrance. He turned his head to scan the area and then stepped out. "It's clear except for those winged creatures."
"Ok," Loki sighed and moved out of the hole. Sophia soon followed.
Amanda hesitated for a moment but reluctantly followed. She stretched her back. "What happened just after I blacked out anyway?"
"Uh…" Loki started. "Let's not get into that."
Amanda tilted her head. "Why?"
"Believe me Amanda," Silver Claw said before Loki could reply. "You don't want to know."
"Now I'm curious." Amanda said, "What happened?"
"Nothing," Sophia said. "Nothing happened, now stop asking."
Amanda sighed. "Now I'm really curious. If all three of you are trying to hide it, it must be interesting."
"I carried you out and that's it," Silver Claw said. "That's all you need to know."
"Please…" Amanda pleaded. She made to most innocent face she could, the one that she used on her parents to get her way or get out of trouble.
Silver Claw looked to Loki. "Should we, It would have involved her if she were not on my back."
"If you tell her, she will hit you," Loki said, "And I cannot have her speaking about it by accident around the pack if she knew."
"I guess you're right," Silver Claw sighed. "Sorry Amanda, I cannot tell you."
Sophia let out a snort of satisfaction. "Good, it didn't involve her so she has no need to know. And like Loki said, I don't want her accidentally saying anything."
"Fine," Amanda crossed her arms. "Be that way."
The flapping overhead started to fade into the distance. The shrieks became quiet and the winged creatures were gone.
"That's one good thing." Silver Claw sighed. "Would you like me to carry you Amanda," Silver Claw asked. "If we run into some more herrerasaurs, it would be better if you were on my back rather than on foot."
"Fine," Amanda said. She moved next to Silver Claw and with a jump, was on his back again. She laid her head against his neck.
"Ok, let's get moving." Silver Claw said.
They moved quickly through the jungle but at a speed, they would not catch up to the herrerasaurs. An hour passed and Amanda became sleepy. Her arms were sore from rubbing against Silver Claw's scales and her head still hurt. In the distance, the calls of dozens of herrerasaurs echoed.
The pace slowed and Silver Claw, Loki, and Sophia became nervous again. They stepped carefully to create as little sound as possible. The trees grew thinner and the sky opened up, though it was still almost as dark on the forest floor. A large slope rose from the ground in the distance.
"What do you think is on the other side of that?" Amanda asked in a whisper but only got looks to tell her to be quiet. She got off Silver Claw at his request.
They reached the base of the slope and Silver Claw slowly started to climbed, keeping low. Sophia and Loki followed, keeping low as well. The sound was louder that earlier and it seemed to be coming from the other side of the slope. Amanda looked to her left and then to her right. The slope seemed to run as far as she could see.
She looked up to see the velociraptors near the top and quickly followed them. As she reached them, Silver Claw put his tail in her path and shook his head. Amanda glared at him for a moment and crawled over it. She reached the top despite his attempts to stop her. Amanda gasped.