Jurassic Park Broken Lives

Chapter 33: Reunited

Disclaimer: I do not own Jurassic Park

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Author note: Sorry for the wait.

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Amanda's eyes opened sluggishly, still heavy with sleep. She groaned softly, her body was cold and stiff. Small beads of water dotted her skin.

The air was cool but humid. The soft sounds of rustling branches and leaves gave the surroundings a welcoming appeal. The fragrance of flowering plants and damp vegetation filled the air in an intertwining and alluring aroma.

Amanda's eyes finally opened to see the soft morning light flooding the entrance. Beyond the hole that led into her shelter lay a sea of greenery and above that, a baby blue sky specked by light pink clouds. Amanda sighed and sat up. Her arm grazed the bare skin of her chest and a chill ran down her spine.

Amanda slowly picked up the ragged remains of her shirt. It was still damp but it would have to do for now. She slowly placed it over her chest and pulled it to her back and tied the frayed ends together in a crude knot.

A low grunt nearby made Amanda freeze and listen. She strained her ears for the slightest sound for any indication that something was lurking nearby, ready to strike. Several more noises soon followed. Some kind of herd was growing near at a swift but steady pace. A loud yelping boggled Amanda's mind. She knew what they were but yet the name escaped her grasp. Her head tilted unconsciously to the left as she stared blankly out the entrance. Her eyes lit up with recognition. They were pachycephalosaurus. The dome headed creatures that could grow very large in size and were fiercely confrontational.

Amanda watched in a silent horror as one of the pachycephalosaurus passed by the entrance. It was a dark green in color with lighter green blotches covering its body like lichen on a rock. It stood about a meter and a half high with a bulky build and looked to be at least as long as Silver Claw.

Amanda sighed and relaxed as it passed out of sight, seemingly unaware of her presence. The sounds of the herd grew continuously louder until they seemed to be on top of her. Then she saw something.

Amanda lifted her head as high as she could without letting the creatures see her. Outside, where she had fallen in the mud the other day, the pachycephalosaurus were rolling about and calling loudly to one another. It quickly became impossible to tell what color they were and even how many there were as the mud enveloped them.

Amanda leaned against the dirt wall and sighed. It was going to be a while before she could leave safely. Her fingers explored the surface of the rock beneath her. She could feel the rough grainy surface, it almost was like sandpaper. Her hand stopped. A warm draft was coming from a small but noticeable fracture in the rock.

Amanda flinched at the noise of two of the pachycephalosaurus clashing head on with each other. She inched closer to the only source of warmth in her hiding place. Amanda froze, she could hear faint voices. Was it Silver Claw?

Amanda listened more intently than she had ever done before. They voices were growing closer but not from outside the entrance but under where Amanda was sitting. Amanda quickly stretched out on the floor and put her ear to the crack. The source of the voices was nearly under her. She immediate recognized the language, velociraptor and there were two of them, a male and a female. It was not Silver Claw.

There was no way they could get her or at least that she knew of. Amanda thought as she considered talking to them. "Hello," Amanda said quietly but reluctantly as they were about to pass by her.

She heard the footsteps stop. She could hear the heavy breaths of the raptors.

"Who's there?" A deep male voice asked, almost demanding.

"I'm up here," Amanda said and blew into the crack. She quickly felt the warm but foul breath of the raptor.

"Who are you," the male asked.

"Amanda."

"A female eh," a soft feminine voice said quickly. "Where's your pack?"

"I don't know," Amanda replied.

"How long have you been alone?" The female asked.

"Over a day," Amanda replied. It felt strange talking to the velociraptors but at least they could not harm her if they found out she was human. That was if they didn't know already.

"Oh you poor thing," the female said. "What species are you?"

The question shocked Amanda, "Pardon?"

"You know, are you a green, white or brown," the male asked.

"What are you?" Amanda asked quickly.

"Greens," the male said sternly. "Now what are you?"

"I thought the greens were all dead, the carnotaurus destroyed the pack," Amanda said.

"Poor thing's definitely a white," the female said. "Only they were naive enough to believe that. Tell me something, what are you doing so far away from home."

"Well I…" Amanda stuttered.

"Wait a minute, do I smell a human scent?" The male interrupted Amanda.

Amanda froze unsure of what to do.

"You know," the female said. "I wondered what I smelt under that male musk. Did you recently kill a human?"

"No," Amanda said nervously.

"Why do we smell one then?"

"Are there any nearby exits so I could speak to you face to face?" Amanda asked.

"Not for a few days walk, a cave-in collapsed the only entrance nearby." The female replied.

Amanda sighed.

"Well, answer our question."

"Well," Amanda said haughtily. "I'm not a white, nor green, or even a brown I'm… human."

A loud chirping made Amanda realize that they were laughing at her. She had to make them stop before they attracted the pachycephalosaurus. "I'm serious."

"Yeah, ok," the female said, "and I'm the alpha of our pack."

"Well apparently you are the alpha," Amanda said in English, "Because I am human."

A tomblike silence made Amanda nervous. What if they had lied about a nearby exit? Why hadn't she thought about that possibility before she opened her mouth?

"How could this be, a human cannot speak and smell mostly like one of us."

"I was taught how to speak your language by a mate," Amanda said.

"Who's your mate," The male asked, his intention was clearly to kill Silver Claw.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Wait a moment, I already know. It was that one who was in the cave on the other side of the island. He found a rock and carried it off with him." The male said. "I knew I recognized that scent, his name was Silver Claw, a blue."

"What…?"

"I should have killed him when I had the chance. He was blind to my presence when I was only a short distance away." The male said angrily. "Amanda, Silver Claw, and… Ellie, that's what it was. I thought you three were velociraptors so I didn't attack. I will not make that mistake again."

Amanda began to tremble at what could have happened. A low hiss made Amanda look down to where a long black claw was sticking out of the crack and a scratching sound was coming from beneath her.

Amanda quickly backed away. It was solid rock. They couldn't get through it, could they? A loud yelp caused Amanda's attention to turn out the entrance. The pachycephalosaurus were still out there but had not yet noticed her. She was trapped though.

"Why are you trying to get me?" Amanda asked. "We were fine until you found out I was human. What if I was a raptor, would it be different?"

A long silence followed and the claw slipped back into the darkness of the crack. Amanda sighed. "You don't have to attack me. I've done nothing to provoke you."

She heard on of the raptors running away from the area. Why'd one go and the other stay? Amanda thought. There probably wasn't another area nearby so why'd one leave. "Who stayed?"

"I did," the female answered.

"Why'd the other go?" Amanda asked.

The female was quiet for a moment. "He went to inform the others of this… situation."

"You're being kind to me, why is that?"

"I'm one of the few remaining first of our breed." The female said. "My name is Tessa after my human caretaker, unlike all the others I choose not to change my name."

"Tessa, I've heard that name before." Amanda said, pondering of where she might have heard it. Then it hit her, Tessa was the name of the women that Silver Claw's father loved.

"I'm one of the very, very few if not the only who are sympathetic to humans though around others I can't show it. After all, humans did raise us from eggs to adults," Tessa paused for a moment. "So you actually have a raptor as a mate?"

"Yes."

"Is he strong," Tessa asked.

"Yes of course he is and not just physically." Amanda smiled. "I miss him a lot."

"I'm sure you do," Tessa said. "I remember a time when I had a mate that cared for me as much as you and your mate probably do about each other." Her voice softened drastically with a hint of sadness, "We had a son together. It's too bad that they are probably dead by now."

"Oh, what was his name?"

"My mate or my child," Tessa questioned softly.

"Your child," Amanda said softly.

"Zenith, my sweet little child…"

"Zenith The Forgotten One," Amanda said in disbelief.

"Yes, how did you know that I referred to him as the forgotten one?"

"I met him," Amanda replied. "He's probably with Silver Claw and Sophia still."

"How did he survive alone for this long?" Her voice was full of confusion and wonderment.

"Why did you leave him?" Amanda asked. "He is still hoping you will come home."

"I… I had no choice." Tessa sighed. "I couldn't let him be killed by the others so I hid him in that building but they found me and forced me back underground."

"What?" Amanda questioned.

"I have to go, I've said too much, bye Amanda." Tessa said. "I hope you find your mate soon."

Amanda heard the clicking of her claws as she ran away from the area. Amanda moved to look out the entrance. The pachycephalosaurus were still there. She couldn't wait much longer. She had to get on the move before they attracted something unwanted.

Amanda noticed a light scratching noise behind her. She looked back to see some of the dirt fall free of the wall. Something was digging its way in. They had lied. The male was going to get her. Amanda backed warily to the entrance. A large chunk of the wall fell and a head pushed into the entrance. It was not the male velociraptor but in fact an ornitholestes.

Amanda shrieked as the small carnivore snapped at her. Amanda felt around for a weapon there were none. She had nothing to defend herself with. The ornitholestes pushed further into the shelter and snapped at Amanda's legs. Amanda quickly turned herself sideways in order to keep more space between her and the creature.

Suddenly, everything became quiet. The ornitholestes pulled out of the hole and could be heard running away. Amanda sighed but became uneasy when the light that had flooded into her shelter was cut off.

Amanda slowly looked out the entrance to see one of the pachycephalosaurus. It made what seemed to be a barking sound and rammed the dirt wall protecting her. Amanda shrieked and backed away.

The creature was blocking her only means of escape, Amanda began to panic. Suddenly, the pachycephalosaurus howled as another rammed its side. The two creatures turned to face each other and prepared for a charge.

This was her chance. Amanda quickly moved to the entrance. The two creatures made several calls and reared up. Now, Amanda thought as she crawled out of the hole and made a mad dash for the safety of the thickets as the pachycephalosaurus clashed heads.

Amanda pushed past a large cycad and began to slow her pace. The pachycephalosaurus had not pursued her. In the distance, a roar that she knew all to well thundered through the jungle. It was the tyrannosaurus.

The ground began to shake underfoot. Amanda's heart raced, she knew not where it was coming from and feared running to it. A branch snapped. Amanda spun around to see the heard of pachycephalosaurus running towards her!

Amanda turned around and began to run. The herd quickly engulfed her. She was in the middle of a herd of young pachycephalosaurus. None were taller than her but each could easily trample her.

Amanda desperately tried to maneuver her way out of the herd but every time she found an opening, it closed up on her just as she reached it. The herd emerged onto a clear stretch of the jungle. Amanda suddenly realized that it was the road. The herd began to disperse out as more room became available.

Amanda was getting too tired to run any further. The rex was gaining on the herd and she didn't know if it had seen her yet, the worst thing she could do was break away it if could see her. Behind them, the tyrannosaurus broke out of the trees and picked up speed.

As she rounded a corner in the road, she saw her solution, a vehicle. Its appearance was similar to a hummer but not quite as large. The windows were covered in plant matter but intact. She hoped it was not locked.

Amanda forced all the strength that she had left into a sprint to the vehicle. Her already sore joints screamed at her to stop and rest but she couldn't. She had to survive! She had to live to see another day!

Amanda quickly reached the side of the vehicle and pulled on the handle. It opened. Amanda threw herself in and slammed the door. She crawled to the back seat for cover and looked out one of the few openings in the vegetation.

The herd continued to pass by but not the tyrannosaurus. Suddenly, from the other side of the vehicle, the tyrannosaurus broke from the trees and grabbed one of the pachycephalosaurus in its massive maw.

The creature squealed in agony as the tyrannosaurus shook its head, snapping bone after bone in rapid succession, a time tested tradition of the hunter and the hunted. With a loud crack, the squealing stopped and the body went limp. The remaining herd of pachycephalosaurus continued on and disappeared into the jungle.

The tyrannosaurus tossed the body to the ground and placed its foot upon the head. With a triumphant roar, the tyrannosaurus ripped into the carcass. Bones cracked and flesh tore until the body of the pachycephalosaurus was nothing more than a few bones in a pool of blood.

Amanda felt as if she were going to be sick and quickly turned away. As she moved, the vehicle creaked. Amanda froze. The vehicle shook as the tyrannosaurus grew closer. Amanda prepared to make a run for it if the tyrannosaurus attacked. She probably wouldn't make it far but she had to try.

Amanda could only watch as a shadow fell over the windows and the plants rattled under the tyrant's breath. The tyrannosaurus began to circle. It nudged the vehicle curiously after a moment. It seemed to be confused by the vehicle. The rex stopped its circling at the front by the hood.

Amanda held her breath. Suddenly, the back end rose into the air .Through a small hole into the vegetation, Amanda could see that the tyrannosaurus had not placed a foot on the hood but sat on it. The metal on the roof and hood squealed as the tyrannosaurus shifted its hips back and forth on the vehicle.

The sound that the metal made as the scales dragged over it was horrific and Amanda was forced to cover her ears. Over a minute passed as Amanda continued to endure the high pitched squealing, unsure of what the tyrannosaurus was doing and unsure of what to do.

Everything became silent. Amanda slowly moved her hands from her ears and listened. She could hear the heavy breath of the tyrannosaurus. Suddenly, the vehicle dropped back to the ground and the tyrannosaurus began to move away.

Amanda sighed and slumped back in the seat. The tyrannosaurus was gone and she was safe for the moment but what had it been doing.

Curiosity got the better of her. Amanda slowly crawled into the front of the vehicle and looked for any holes where she could look out though the vegetation but found none. It bothered her that she couldn't see what the tyrannosaurus had done and it would keep bothering her until she found out.

She quietly slid into the passenger side seat and looked at the door. She was in luck. There was a handle she could crank to roll down the window. The handle move only slightly at first but soon the window began to move down. A foul smell drifted in through the window and Amanda covered her nose.

She cautiously leaned out the window, placing her hand on the side of the door. Amanda stopped. She slowly lifted her hand away from the door and in front of her face. She nearly puked.

Her hand was covered in a whitish paste like substance that reeked of urine and an unmistakable male musk. Like Silver Claw and Sophia had done to trees, the tyrannosaurus had marked the vehicle in its own way. Amanda quickly rolled the window up slightly and wiped it off on the outside before closing it the rest of the way.

Tremors ran down Amanda's back. She could still feel the substance on her hand even though there was little of it left. She wiped her hand on the underside of the seat but she still felt it. Amanda quickly moved into the back seat and looked behind it. There were several black containers in which darts and what appeared to be gas grenades lay in a Styrofoam lining, a white container held several medical supplies including a giant needle that she presumed were for the dinosaurs, and an empty white bag.

Amanda picked up the bag and placed it over her hand incase she made the mistake of touching her face. If she did that, she would most likely throw up. Amanda sighed and sank into the seat. For now, she would rest.

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Silver Claw awoke. His leg tingled in a dull pain that extended outward from his killing toe or at least where it had been. He left out a gentle sigh and looked to where Zenith had been to find him missing. Silver Claw's attention shot to Sophia. He grinned gleefully.

Zenith was sleeping with Sophia. His neck curled over Sophia's with his head side by side to hers. His body was pressed tightly against Sophia's side and his tail overlapped hers. If he had not known better, he would have presumed they were mates.

Silver Claw slowly turned his head to look at his claw lying on the floor of the cave. He let out a soft whimper out of his despair. This would affect his hunting and movement until the claw grew back. Until then, he would have to watch the hunt instead of participating and hope that he didn't encounter too many problems with an infection that could turn deadly.

Slowly, he staggered to his feet. He gently picked up his torn claw in his mouth and moved towards the back of the cave. His leg trembled as he walked because of the small but constant pain that he felt with each step.

The cave quickly grew darker until Silver Claw could hardly see. He tested the air for any scents but could only find the three he knew. Silver Claw continued forward, cautious and wary of his surroundings. He hated caves but he needed to know how safe they were here. Suddenly, he bumped something.

Silver Claw stopped. He sniffed the air. It was stale and tainted by mold. Silver Claw reached out with his forearm and felt the coldness of the stone before him. It was not the cave wall but a cave-in. He could hear a small trickle of water from the other side but that was it.

Silver Claw sighed and turned around. There was nothing in the cave. He would not find Amanda hiding any deeper. Silver Claw moved back into the light to see that Sophia was beginning to stir.

A gentle breeze swept into the cave and carried along with it the unmistakable scent of a herd of pachycephalosaurus. Their faint calls were growing closer. Silver Claw quickly moved to wake the sleeping pair.

"Sophia… Sophia, wake up." Silver Claw said and gently nudged her head.

Sophia moaned softly and opened her eyes. She only turned her head on the ground and looked up at Silver Claw.

"We have to leave. There is a herd of pachycephalosaurus coming this way." Silver Claw said. "We can't hide in the cave. It's blocked not too far back."

"But I'm comfortable," Sophia said tiredly and closed her eyes.

"Yeah I can see that," Silver Claw said. "Come on Sophia get up." Silver Claw nudged her more firmly.

"What is it Silver Claw?" Zenith asked. "Why are you trying to wake her?"

"She is awake," Silver Claw replied. Before he could answer, a loud barking sounded from a short distance outside the cave's entrance.

Zenith hopped to his feet and looked at the entrance. "How close are they?"

"I don't know but we have to leave else we'll be trapped in here." Silver Claw said and looked to Sophia who had curled up without Zenith's warmth.

"Wake up pretty girl," Zenith said and gently nudged Sophia's neck.

Sophia groaned and lifted her head. She slowly shook her body and stood up. Sophia yawned and shifted her jaws.

Silver Claw shook his head and quickly walked to the entrance of the cave with a slight limp to his step. Sophia and Zenith slowly followed. The area surrounding the entrance appeared clear for the moment but that could quickly change as the herd grew closer.

Silver Claw looked around quickly to find the best possible root that they could take to keep some distance between them and the pachycephalosaurus. The clearest and easiest path headed straight towards the herd.

If they could sneak by herd without being noticed, Silver Claw thought, he would have less strain put on his injury to keep ahead of them. Silver Claw looked at Sophia and Zenith, they were close to each other but Sophia seemed to be standing awkwardly. "This way," Silver Claw said.

Sophia quickly moved next to Silver Claw as they entered the jungle. "I will explain what you saw later and when we're alone," Sophia said and moved past Silver Claw.

"I…" Silver Claw stopped when he receive a scolding look from Sophia. Silver Claw became quiet and shifted the claw in his mouth. He didn't know why but he wanted to keep it with him after all it was apart of him even though it was no longer connected.

The herd of pachycephalosaurus grew steadily louder until they were almost in sight. If it were not for the cover of the thick low growing shrubs they would have been spotted long before they were close enough to do anything.

Silver Claw slowed his pace and ducked his head in hopes that he would not be seen. They soon began to move away from the herd and Silver Claw sighed, they had not been found. Silver Claw sniffed the air to be sure there were no more creatures lagging behind the main group.

A small gust carried along with it the scent of blood and… Amanda! Silver Claw's eyes widened. Amanda, he thought, she was near! The blood… was it hers? He had to know.

Silver Claw rushed forward. He ignored the pain he felt. He had to see Amanda. he had to know she was alive. Branches and leaves lashed his skin. He jumped over several trees that had fallen during the storm and continued unaltered in his state of mind.

He could barely hear Sophia and Zenith as they called to him to slow down. He mind was a flurry of thoughts, possibilities of what happened to Amanda. Silver Claw burst from the jungle and stopped. He was on a road. A large pool of blood lay near its center about twenty meters from him. A large vehicle was close to the blood with a white paste covering the front of it.

"Amanda," Silver Claw muttered. "Amanda, where are you!?"

Silver Claw looked back to see Sophia and Zenith emerge from the jungle and stop behind him. Sophia let out a heavy breath and stepped to be beside him. "Why did you run like that? You don't know if anything is around here."

"I smelled Amanda's scent," Silver Claw said.

"I don't smell anything Silver Claw, well nothing but the blood." Sophia replied and glanced at the surrounding area. "What is that on the front of that vehicle?"

"I don't know," Silver Claw said and cocked his head. He sniffed the air and slowly walked forward, towards the vehicle, slowly. He circled around the pool of blood and bits of jagged flesh then stopped a three meters away from the vehicle's front.

Sophia and Zenith stopped beside him. Sophia sniffed the air and then shook her head. She snorted. "What is that?"

"The… tyrann…osaurus rex," Zenith said slowly to pronounce the name.

"What?"

"He marks his home like this," Zenith said softly. "He was here recently."

"How recently," Sophia asked quickly.

"He just left… I think."

"It's close by?" Sophia said in alarm. "We have to leave and hope it doesn't catch our scent."

A low snap sounded from the vehicle. Sophia and Silver Claw jumped and turned to face it. Sophia hissed loudly and the noise stopped.

Silver Claw cocked his head and slowly moved towards one of the doors. He stopped a meter away. A small movement in the window caught his attention. He turned his head just in time to catch a blur of motion as the door swung open and he felt himself thrown to the ground. It was Amanda!

"Silver Claw!" Amanda shrieked with joy.

Silver Claw was speechless. His chest burned from the impact but it was distant in his mind. There were so many things he wanted to tell her but where to start?

Suddenly, a thunderous roar rang out from the jungle. The ground began to shake and the trees down the road shook. The tyrannosaurus burst into view at a full charge.

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Ellie stretched her arms into the air and yawned loudly. She turned off the alarm next to her. She had lied to her parents in order to get out of the house for a night. She had told them that she was staying at a friend's house when in fact she was in a bunkhouse near the hidden complex she now worked at.

With her parents smothering, she couldn't stand living in the same house as them. She knew they loved her but they were going overboard since she returned from Isla Sorna. She longed for the freedom that she had on the island. She missed it. She missed her friends there.

A suddenly flash of light blinded her temporally as the light above was turned on. She moaned and sat up slowly to see who was disturbing her.

"Rise and shine," Sandy said as she walked into the room.

Ellie moaned and slumped forward at the edge of her bed. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning," Sandy said with a hint of amusement. "You should be out of bed already."

"I've never gotten out of bed this early," Ellie sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Well get used to it," Sandy said and tossed a bag to Ellie. "Get dressed."

Ellie looked in the bag. There was some bundled camouflage clothing with a black pair of boots. "What's this for?"

"So far you've done nothing but get coffee, carry papers, and practice your marksmanship. Today we start the physical labor to make sure you're fit enough for your first mission." Sandy said and disappeared out the door before Ellie could as anything.

Ellie gulped. No one believed that she could speak raptor and it even seemed silly to her, she could hardly believe it herself since she got back. She only hoped that her first mission was not one of sabotage like she had overheard about the other day. One of the few people she ever saw was a man by the name of James which was ironic because from what had overheard it sounded like something out of a James Bond film.

Only two days after the explosion at the Ingen research center, a similar explosion happened at a Biosyn building. Biosyn, from what she had heard, was a corporation much like Ingen but with more of a reputation for criminal conducts. She once overheard that it was someone in Biosyn that had caused the downfall of Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar.

"Ellie hurry up," Sandy said from outside.

Ellie sighed and pulled the clothing out of the bag and quickly slipped into them. She put her hair in a ponytail since she had no brush nearby and stood up. She quickly walked out the door and stopped. Sandy was in front of her. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot impatiently.

"If we want to catch the helicopter before it leaves, you should hurry up."

"Helicopter," Ellie repeated, confused. Where would they be going?

"As you should know, no one really believes that you can speak raptor so we need to know you can to other things such as watching our backs." Sandy said. "We're going to a mountainous region nearby for the weekend."

"But…" Ellie started.

"Arrangements have already been made with your parents," Sandy sighed. "They think you're going to Ingen's European facilities for some tests that can't be done here."

Ellie was speechless.

"Well don't stand there like a deer in headlights," Sandy put her hand on Ellie's shoulder and pushed her towards a waiting vehicle. "I'll tell you about your first mission on the way there."

"Where is it," Ellie asked as she sat down in the back seat.

Sandy smirked and moved to the other side of the vehicle and sat down. "You've heard of Nublar, right?"

"I've only heard a little about it, why?"

Sandy's smirk grew larger. "Well…"

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