Due to sickness, dying laptops, buying new desktop, waiting for new desktop to arrive in mail, getting used to new desktop, getting a second job, working both jobs, holidays, and falling down the stairs, I haven't been able to post anything. And I'm sorry. So, so, so, so sorry. Good news is that I've written the next 4 chapters. In a notebook. While at work. Bad news is... I have very little time to type it out at the moment. And it sucks. Because every night at work I write a couple more pages and it just keeps adding to the ones I still have to type up.

Also this little impromptu prologue just keeps getting longer. I just keep writing scenes with Owen and the baby raptors. And I can't edit them out. So it looks like chapter 8 will intro Zach and Gray. I think.

Raptor
Chapter 4: Practice

Every part of him hurt as he stepped back into his apartment. Everything. He swore his fucking hair hurt. That sounded crazy. But yeah. His hair hurt. He headed right for the bathroom and cranked the water in the shower up as hot as it would go. He stood under the spray, letting it cascade down his beat body and massage his sore muscles. Wu had touched him and he wanted to wash all of that away. He wanted to wash all of it away. Everything that had happened. Oh god, please… let this be some fucked up dream. Some fucked up, god awful dream! He couldn't be some mad scientist's crazy experiment.

After a while, he turned the water off and leaned against the wall. It was certainly a much too vivid dream. A vivid nightmare.

He spent the next two days locked in his room. He didn't answer the door when there were knocks and he didn't answer his phone when it rang. He'd woken up the next morning, hoping it had been a dream still. But when he'd looked at himself in the mirror, he knew it wasn't. He could see the raptor in his eyes. He blinked away tears… and then put his fist through the mirror.

He barely felt the pain and ignored the blood as he leaned over the sink, gripping the edges hard. Two days he spent wallowing in self pity. Until his phone rang and Dr. Wu's name popped up on the caller ID. Despite his enormously huge and growing hatred of the man, he grabbed the phone quickly. In his haste, he stumbled over the end table. And he stubbed his toe in the process. A string of very colorful expletives escaped his mouth as he answered the phone.

"Mr. Grady?"

"What?" He snapped loudly and angrily.

"Your… shack… is ready." Wu said slowly and awkwardly.

Owen dropped on the couch and pulled his foot into his lap, cradling it gently. "What?"

"You asked for an isolated shack in the woods." Wu replied. "Mr. Grady, have you forgotten already? I may have overestimated your intelligence."

Owen rolled his eyes as he dropped his foot back on the floor. A quick inspection deemed it fine. It wasn't even bleeding. Just hurt like a bitch. "Fuck off, Wu." He snapped.

"Yes." Wu let out a laugh. "That wonderful wit."

Owen shook his head. "When can I move in?"

"Right now, if you'd like."

"I'll be ready in five minutes." He hung up the phone and jumped up. Everything he owned still fit in the oversized duffle bag he arrived with. He hadn't acquired anything since he got there. It took him exactly three minutes to fill it and he was standing outside the building in the five he promised. Wu pulled up in one of the park's jeeps, followed closely by a second jeep driven by someone Owen didn't recognize.

Wu got out and tossed the keys to Owen. "Follow me." He said, taking over the other jeep as it's driver got out and walked off without a word.

Owen fought back the urge to glare, growl, and attack the man. Because he really wanted to do all of those things. But none of them would be productive. Instead, he caught the keys and jumped in the jeep. He tossed his bag in the back seat and started the jeep. This looked like it was going to be fun. Maybe. Probably not. He followed behind Wu, moving through the sparse jungle. There was the barest hint of a path worn by tires. Not fit to call a road.

Wu stopped and motioned for Owen to pull up beside him. "You want total isolation?"

Owen nodded, pulling the jeep to a stop. He sat up a bit and looked around.

"I'll send someone to drop off supplies for you here." Wu continued. "I've marked the spot on a map. Assuming you know how to read one."

"Navy." Owen said with a smile. "I can read a fucking map just fine."

"Wonderful!" Wu said, sitting back in the seat and hitting the gas pedal. "Would hate it if you got lost."

Owen watched him speed off, a growl at the back of his throat. Did the man have to constantly goad and try to provoke him? Probably, Owen thought as he put the jeep in gear and tore out of there after him. Probably some sick, twisted experiment. Yeah, that was probably it. This was some giant, weird experiment for Wu. Owen pushed the thoughts from his head and paid attention to the jungle around him. It suddenly stopped and they pulled up to a bluff overlooking the ocean. It was… beautiful. Owen wasn't too much of a macho man not to admit that the view was amazing. And he couldn't wait to see the sunrises. And sunsets. Beautiful. This was a fucking awesome place to live. So maybe it wouldn't be all that bad.

"It's small." Wu said, getting out of the jeep and slamming the door. "But it's all we had available that no one would miss." He nodded towards the small trailer. "But you look like a mountain man. If you want to build something for yourself, go for it. Or maybe you'll be more comfortable digging a hole in the ground or sleeping in the trees."

Owen ignored him as he started the jeep back up. Then he smiled, shifted it into gear, and gunned the gas. Towards Wu. Really fast. Wu's eyes widened and he jumped out of the way as Owen swerved around him. "I think I'm going to park it here." He said, turning it off and jumping out. He crossed his arms and leaned against the jeep. Wu's expression was enough to make him beam. Yeah, he was very pleased with himself. And he loved smiling all cocky like at him.

Wu dusted himself off and straightened his white coat. "Yes. Well… they're in there. In a small incubator. Along with some video equipment." His voice wavered a bit. He cleared his throat and continued on. "It's probably a bit above you. So call before you end up breaking it. All very expensive."

Owen let out a grunt and laughed. He knew Wu was trying to bait him. But he wasn't going to fall for it.

Wu looked unhappy as he climbed back into his jeep. "Keep me… posted." He said awkwardly.

Owen smiled widely. Then flipped him off. He waited until the jeep was out of eyeshot. Then he pushed off his jeep and waited until he couldn't hear it anymore. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and turned around. His eyes studied the trailer. And it looked awesome. The whole setup. A smile spread across his face. Okay. He had to admit it. This was kinda fucking cool. Except for the whole turning into an aggressive dinosaur thing. Because that wasn't cool… well... uh… no. He shook his head and said it out loud. "Nope. Not cool." He said to himself. He grabbed his bag out of the back and threw it over his shoulder as he headed into the tiny trailer. It was probably half the size of the employee housing room. Actually it was definitely a third of the size. Or less. Probably.

But it felt like so much more. And it was awesome.

He found the small incubator in the center of what he thought was the living room. It was on wheels. That was cool. He dropped his bag on the floor beside the couch and sat down. He reached out and his fingers grazed the incubator. With nimble fingers, he pulled it closer to him. "Okay eggs. I'm… Owen… that sounds stupid." He said, leaning back on the couch. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm in charge here. I'm your..." Dad sounded weird. So did teacher. Leader? Maybe. A word popped in his head and he smiled. "Alpha." He leaned towards the eggs.

They were sitting in a straight row. Oddly perfect and arranged with the slightly bigger one first and the slightly smaller one last. "I'm Alpha." He repeated. He touched the first egg. "You are... Bravo." He touched the second egg. "Charlie." He repeated the gesture with the other two, Delta and Echo. He went back down the line and repeated the names a few times. He honestly wasn't sure how much, if anything, was retained. But Lala came out knowing his voice and her name. Clearly they understood something.

He spent the first day checking out everything in the tiny trailer and unpacking his meager possessions. He pulled the incubator around with him everywhere he went in the tiny space, talking all the while. Just like with Lala, he wasn't even sure what he was talking about. Growing up, his mom, her death, being raised by his uncle after that, school, the navy, the differences between training dolphins and raptors. He just kept talking. And walking around. He took turns cradling the eggs against his chest. Heart beat was very important. He was sure it was. Well maybe it was. It was weirdly comforting, carrying the eggs around with him. So much more so than with Lala. Maybe it had something to do with the raptor in his head, some more paternal pull.

Owen narrowed his eyes, glaring at nothing really. But he could feel it, the raptor. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. Okay. All his training was helping immensely with his self control. That's where Wu had been wrong. He didn't need the man's help to control himself. And he'd learn to control the raptor just to prove him wrong.

Which, of course, meant he'd have to let the raptor out.

It scared him a bit. Well... actually it scared him a lot. A whole fucking lot, dude. He wasn't an angry person. But the raptor, he felt that anger. And power. And it was scary. Because he kind of liked it. Some part of him, deep down really liked it. And that was the scary part. He took a deep breath and got up off the couch. He glanced down at the eggs. A trip outside for them was probably out of the question. He didn't want to accidently wreck the incubator. He quickly rigged up the camera equipment and set a monitor outside. He had the perfect view of the eggs. Just sitting there. He glanced at the screen one last time. The eggs were fine. Of course they were fine. But he felt awful leaving them alone in there. He kept his eyes on the screen and took a few steps back.

He started stripping his clothes off and dropped them in a pile at his feet. He closed his eyes for a moment as he called the raptor forward. He wasn't really sure how to do it, how to work it. But the second he thought about it, he felt it. He gasped and collapsed on the ground as his skin hardened and darkened. It felt like he was being torn in two as his bones shifted. The pain subsided after several slow long minutes and he slowly blinked his wrong eyes. He stayed on the ground for several more long minutes. He wasn't even sure how long. The ground beneath his skin... scales? Whatever. It felt good. The ground felt good. He slowly pulled his long, thick legs under himself and stood up. The tail was awkward. If he tried to stand up too tall, he could feel himself tipping. It felt... not exactly awkward, but just... weird to be hunched over. But he didn't feel like he was going to fall over. So... tail is good. For balance. Balance is good. He turned slightly in a tight circle. He wanted to see it, wanted to get a better look. It wiggled a bit and shit, that felt weird. Like he was wiggling his ass. He kind of was.

Okay. Tail. Up, down, left, right. He moved it all around. He let out a snort. Do the hokey pokey. It was sort of cool. Then he whipped it as hard as he could and completely threw off his balance. He staggered a moment from the momentum. But he kept on his feet. Claws? He shook himself. There was definitely some power and muscle in his tail. Or his ass. Ha! Ass muscles. He shook himself and blinked his eyes. The eyes were throwing him off a bit. The peripheral vision was awesome. He could just make out his tail while facing forward. He swiveled his head to the side and then back again. He did it several more times, finding the right angles. He stopped suddenly and blinked. Just a tiny bit dizzy. He snorted and turned to look at the camera monitor.

No change. Still just a bunch of eggs. He nodded his heavy head and looked to the jungle line. He picked up one foot and set it down, taking a step forward. When he touched his foot back to the ground, he thumped his large claw against the ground. He took another and another step, thumping his claw as he did. And then he was walking across the empty expanse towards the line of trees. He dipped forward, tail back, arms tucked against his sides. He turned when he reached the trees. Then he sprinted forward. He lengthened his stride as far as he could, stretched his legs, and moved faster. He practically flew back towards the trailer. And then suddenly, he was heading straight for the jeep and lost his footing. And ran head first into it. Running very cool. Stopping not so cool. Jeep bad for break. Jeep very bad for break. He shook his head as he pulled himself up. Maybe that was enough raptor practice for the morning. He needed a raptor break. And now there was a sizeable dent in the passenger side of his jeep.

Oh well. He headed back to the monitor and checked on the eggs. Again, no difference. Still a bunch of eggs just sitting there. Which was good. But boring. Very boring. He let out a snort and shook his head as he turned around. He headed for his pile of clothes and shifted back. He stretched his muscles over his head and then dressed quickly. Then he collected all the video equipment and went back inside. He sat down and promptly told all the eggs how awesome he was at raptor stuff. He was very awesome at raptor stuff. He was so awesome at raptor stuff.

Twice more that day he shifted for raptor practice. He noticed the last time hurt less than that very first time. "I think I'm getting used to it." He told the eggs early the next morning. "Maybe." He shrugged and leaned back on the couch. "That sounds like shit, right? I don't really know how this works." He glanced at the eggs. "I'm not calling Wu. Asshole." He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. Then he jumped up. "Okay. Alpha's gonna go have raptor time. Bravo, you're in charge. Charlie, Delta, Echo, listen to your sister. Okay?" He pointed at them, like he was really warning young children.

He set up the camera and headed outside. He stripped down and shifted. Then immediately shifted back. He fell to the ground, struggling to breathe for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, stood back up, and did it again. And again he fell, practically blacking out. But he dug his fingers into the dirt and pushed himself back up. And he did it again. Again, again, and again. He thought it was getting easier. Maybe. Quicker and less painful each time. He thought so. Or else he was just completely numb. Yeah. It was probably the numb thing. And then he blacked out for real.

He came to, opening his large raptor eyes. He pulled himself up and tried to shift back. But he was too exhausted. Well... that was... bad. He crawled over closer to the monitor and laid down. He'd just sleep for a bit. Then he could shift back and go tell the eggs about his new discovery. Assuming he could turn back. Well... he was certain he could. Yeah, he could. He just needed to sleep. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

And that's when he heard the crack.

His head snapped up and he swiveled it towards the monitor. The largest egg, Bravo, moved slightly. He opened his mouth and out came a loud chirping sound. He tried to shout wait. But he didn't speak raptor. He had no clue what, if anything, he said. Do the eggs know raptor? They probably didn't. Would they learn? Shit. Was he going to have to teach them? Who was going to teach him?

He shook his head, pushing through the tiredness sinking into his odd muscles. Okay. Get up, get up! He pulled himself up and stumbled towards the door. He clawed at the handle and managed to get it opened. He crashed through the door, rather gracefully, he thought. Not really. But he was going to call it graceful. He slammed his tired body into the couch and pushed it back as far as he could get it. He squeezed in as close to the eggs as he could get.

She wasn't moving. Had he imagined it? He bent his nose down towards her and nudged her egg gently. He let out a warbling sound in the back of his throat. He did it a second time. It sounded like an encouraging sound. He hoped it was an encouraging sound. He was rewarded with a slight wobble. He clicked and whined, making noises that oddly seemed natural, and touched his nose to the egg again. [Come on!]

A tiny sharp black claw pierced the egg shell.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: Yay! Here comes Blue! Also, is it noticeable enough to just italicize the raptor speak? I think bolding might draw the eye too much. But I don't know. SO HERE! HAVE CHAPTER!