Jurassic World: Apocalypse – Chapter 10: Owen's Raptor Squad
A/N: Yes, you guessed it! We'll be seeing Owen's pack of raptors – Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo – dubbed the "Raptor Squad" by fans. If you're into Velociraptors, you'll love this chapter! Please enjoy...as you acknowledge that visitor safety is a top priority at Jurassic World!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Jurassic Park except the very characters I've made up.
"Where are we?" Jess asked as her father parked his jeep on a high hill overlooking an open grassy plain with scattered bushes and ferns.
"This is Triceratops Territory," Harding told her daughter. He, Claire and Jess got out of the jeep and walked forward. They could see for simply miles across the land.
"Wow," Jess said. "It's a great view, but are there actually Triceratops out here?"
"Of course," Claire answered. "We spared no expense at this park."
Jess grabbed her pair of binoculars and began to scan the area. "Hey! I see them!
She saw several of the three-horned giants munching away at the bushes growing in this part of the island. They roamed about in a herd of both adults and juveniles like a herd of modern buffalo would.
"Wow! Real dinosaurs!" Jess exclaimed. "This is so cool! Look at that one!"
Jess pointed to one of the largest Triceratops in the herd. It lifted its large head up and roared. Then it shook its frilled head from side to side. One of the other Triceratops – slightly smaller – snorted back in reply. She seemed to be offering to challenge the larger animal.
"Oh! I think those two are fighting!"
"Actually, it's more of a dominance display," Harding explained. "Whenever she feels her dominance is being threatened, Lady Margaret will–"
Jess looked up from her binoculars and winced. "Seriously? Lady Margaret?"
"Yeah, that's what we call the alpha female. See her down there?"
Lady Margaret bellowed with aggression as the slightly smaller Triceratops began to paw the ground. The other Triceratops snorted and shook his head from side to side. Lady Margaret began to do the same. Even though Lady Margaret was certainly capable of defending her place as herd alpha, she always wanted to avoid a fight if possible. Fighting would open the possibility to getting injured, which would lower her chances of staying on top. Snorting smoke from her nostrils, she emitted a low growl and thrust her head forward. Then she continued with a mock charge and roared. The other Triceratops immediately cowered and ran away from the fight. Her place retained, Lady Margaret continued her previous activity of eating. When you weigh over 10 tons and your main diet is low in nutrients, you have to spend most of your day eating.
"That was awesome. When do we get to see T. rex face-off with a Triceratops?"
Harding chuckled. "That's not going to happen, Jess," he said. "I'm busy enough around here without hosting gladiator fights–"
"Gerry," Claire interrupted. "I think one of the trikes is coming down again."
Harding looked over at the herd and frowned – true to Claire's statement, one of the Triceratops – this time an adult female – appeared to be panting heavily. She wasn't otherwise moving, eating or interacting with the herd. After a few moments, she laid herself onto the ground. Harding sighed. No doubt about it, she's sick.
"We'd better get down there," Harding said as he began walking back to the jeep.
"Can I come with you and see the dinosaurs up close?" Jess asked.
Harding turned to Claire. "What do you think?"
Claire shrugged. "Well, I don't see a problem. Sure, why not? It's not like we're cleaning out T. rex Kingdom."
"Are you sure we shouldn't stop by Winston's Steakhouse first?" Hammond asked Masrani.
Masrani responded, "If you think you can change Billy's mind about this, go right ahead."
Owen was briskly leading Malcolm, Hammond, Gennaro and the others toward a pair of large complexes situated a little ways away from the rest of the park. Near the compound on the group's right, several InGen workers were moving a cow toward what appeared to be a large crane. There was about 30 feet of space between each compound and they were attached to each other by a catwalk.
"It's just over here, guys," Owen said.
Hammond went up to Billy and asked, "Wouldn't you rather have lunch first at Winston's Steakhouse? I believe our chef has prepared a delightful meal for us...Chilean sea bass I believe. Shall we?"
"I'd like to!" Gennaro announced.
"In a minute," Billy said. "I need to find something out first." Ever since Dr. Grant had disappeared, Billy had made it one of his life's goals to prove Dr. Grant's theory. Years ago, Dr. Alan Grant proposed that Velociraptors were capable of sophisticated vocalization; he believed that they could hunt in packs and carry out coordinated attack plans. Now that Velociraptors were alive upon the earth in the first time since their extinction...he could actually prove Dr. Grant's theory once and for all! Dr. Baselton better get ready to eat some humble pie, Billy thought.
Owen turned to the group and said, "This is the Raptor Compound. The Raptor Compound consists of two buildings. We have nine members of the family dromaeosauridae on this island. That's eight Velociraptors and one Utahraptor–"
"Wait," said Sarah, "you have a Utahraptor too?"
Owen nodded. "In the compound on my right – your left – is the main Raptor Holding Pen. That's where six of the Velociraptors and the Utahraptor are held. I have a pack of four raptors in the other compound."
He walked them over to the other compound first. They walked up a flight of metal stairs so that they could look down into two enclosures. One of the enclosures featured the Utahraptor. She lied down calmly on a bed of palm leaves. Upon seeing the humans looking at her from above, she hissed, slightly raising her hackle-like neck quills.
"How aggressive is she?" Malcolm asked.
"Very aggressive," Owen said. "Utahraptor ostrommaysorum is the largest species of dromaeosaur, or raptor, we know of. She stands about six to nine feet tall, depending on her stance, and 23 feet from nose to tail." Owen led the group to the next holding pen, in the same compound. In this one, a pack of raptors could be seen hiding in the foliage, watching the group. "This is where the pack of six raptors reside. They're a little hard to see with all the foliage. If you look right...there, next to that little bush...that's the alpha female. We call her the Big One." Then, with a grin Owen added, "Billy, it might interest you to know why I got interested in raptors. My interest in raptors grew from my knowledge of your mentor."
Billy raised his eyebrows. "You knew Dr. Grant?"
"Not personally. But I studied his research that he published."
Billy turned thoughtful. "So...you know about his controversial theories?"
"You bet," Owen said with a nod. "I watched his final confrontation with his most skeptical critic – George Baselton, I think? What I've found in my behavioral studies of Velociraptors is that they are indeed vocally sophisticated. They're highly intelligent animals, and just like Dr. Grant theorized, they hunt in packs."
Billy and Cheryl looked at each other and smiled. Wow, finally after all these years, Billy thought, now I know that Alan was right all along. Rest in peace, Dr. Grant.
Kelly asked, "What's in the other enclosure?"
Owen nodded and led them across the catwalk and toward the other pen. As they walked, Billy nudged Cheryl.
"What?" Cheryl asked.
"Isn't this exciting? Finally, we know Dr. Grant was correct!"
Cheryl nodded. "It is pretty cool."
The group reached the other holding pen. Inside of this one were four Velociraptors. Malcolm took note of how much smaller these animals were than the Utahraptor they just saw – they stood six feet tall, 13 feet long and couldn't have weighed more than 200-300 pounds. These dinosaurs were also distinct from the Utahraptor in other ways: their colors were quite varied, ranging from a blueish color, to greens and even a burnt orange. Perhaps most striking was the raptor's enlarged six-inch toe claws on each foot that was held up off the ground. For a few moments, the raptors continued to scamper around the enclosure until one of the green-colored raptors noticed the humans watching them. It squawked and the other raptors took notice. They hissed expectantly.
"This is my raptor squad," Owen announced. "The green one over there is Delta. Let me tell you, being watched by Delta is a lot like being stared at by an eagle about to launch an attack. Next to her we have Charlie, the rookie of the group. She still has a lot to learn from the other raptors. The burnt orange-colored individual is Echo. We've nicknamed her 'Elvis' due to the scar on her face. The one in front of the others is named Blue, she's the beta. We've designated these four so that I'm better able to study their behavior."
Kelly watched at Blue snapped and snarled at the humans above. She paced in place, extremely anxious of what she was anticipating to happen. Her enlarged toe claws tensed, ready for action. "If Blue's the beta," Kelly began to ask, "then who's the alpha?"
"You're looking at him, kid."
"What do you mean by that?" Malcolm asked in confusion.
Owen grinned. "You'll see in just a minute."
Dianthus whimpered; he often got nervous around the Velociraptor enclosures. Seeing this, Hammond picked him up in his arm, comforting him. Down in the enclosure, the raptors began to yelp and snap their jaws. They appeared to be waiting for something.
Near the crane, one of the workers shouted, "Hey, Owen! We're ready for you over here!"
"Alright, I'm going in," Owen answered as he made his way to a nearby ladder leading into the pen itself.
Gennaro winced. "What? You mean you're going in there?"
"Yes, just like I always do."
The others watched in surprise as Owen climbed in. He reached ground level and the raptors growled. Owen held out his hands. "Hey, girls," he said calmly. Surprisingly, the raptors didn't attack him. Just then, a whirring sound came from the nearby crane, attracting the attention of Owen's raptor squad. The crane slowly lifted a cow into the air and began moving it toward the enclosure.
"Girls, take cover!" Owen ordered.
The raptors shrieked in reply and obeyed, quickly dashing toward the foliage to hide as the crane started to lower the cow.
"What are they doing?" Billy asked.
Hammond grimaced. "Uh...they're feeding them. Perhaps we should go eat?"
"Why do that when we're about to watch this?" Kelly asked with excitement.
Once the cow was right above the enclosure, the crane mechanically groaned, lowering the animal down to the ground. Already, raptors could be heard in the bushes, growling impatiently. The cow though was none-the-wiser and walked free from the straps that were holding it to the crane. It mooed and began walking toward a patch of grass.
"Wait," Owen said. He looked to his right and saw Blue tensing. Her tail twitched with excitement, and her claws twitched. Owen shook his head. "Wait, Blue. Wait...wait..." The raptors continued to wait. Hammond's guests watched in anticipation, waiting for the next moment when– "Now!"
The attack came in an instant. Delta and Charlie suddenly rushed from cover, issuing an angry shriek. The cow sprinted away. But what it didn't know was that it was heading right for the other pair of raptors! Blue and Echo wasted no time as they too charged after the prey. The cow mooed and tried to dodge the raptors, but he was too slow. Blue snarled and leaped forward, pulling forth her deadly claws and opening her tenacious jaws. She landed on the cow's side, piercing the skin with her claws and teeth and then leaping away in an instant. The cow was left with deep lacerations in his side. He didn't have time to recover before Delta and Charlie attacked. They began mauling the cow from different sides; their attack was quick and they were soon out of reach. The cow tried hard to headbutt the predators, but they were too fast and intelligent.
"Echo!" Owen shouted. "Attack!" He hand-gestured to Echo and the Velociraptor darted in and slashed into the mammal's side with her sickle-claw. The cow mooed in pain; his wounds now loosing much blood.
Blue emitted the loud iconic chirp-barking sound. This was the signal that let the rest of the pack know it was time to go in for the kill. They attacked as a team, running inward and leaping into the air. The carnivores grappled onto the poor cow and wrestled it to the ground. Even before the cow was dead, the Velociraptors began to consume their prey. A great uproar rose from the squad as they tore the cow apart, ripping through the hide and exposing muscles and dozens of snake-like intestines. The scene quickly turned into a bloodbath as they fed.
Meanwhile, up on the catwalk, Malcolm, Sarah, Kelly, Cheryl and Gennaro watched with great disgust as the animals consumed their meal. Billy however, unaffected by the gruesomeness of the scene, was entranced...watching as Dr. Grant's theory literally came to life right before his eyes. What Dr. Grant wouldn't have given to see this!
Owen walked over to the feeding raptors. Blue looked up and snarled quietly. Her trainer gently rubbed the top of her head, issuing a low growl of contentment from the dinosaur's throat. "You did good, girls," Owen said quietly. After a few moments, Blue's blood-drenched jaws dove back into the dying cow to continue ripping out the animal's guts and liver.
"So you've tamed them?" Malcolm asked as Owen made his way back to the group, climbing the ladder out of the pen.
"They're not tamed they're–"
"How were you able to control them?" Kelly asked.
"Hold on. Firstly, I don't control the raptors. It's a relationship based on mutual respect. That's what you need in order to get close to Velociraptors like I do. It makes studying their behavior a lot easier. Secondly, they're not tame. Trained to an extent? Yes. But they're not tame. I've trained my squad to respond to me using a combination of hand signals and verbal commands, but they're still aggressive, unpredictable, wild animals."
"That was incredible," Sarah said.
Owen nodded. "Yeah, it was."
Billy said, "What kind of growth rate do these dinosaurs have? What's their metabolism like?"
"They're lethal at about eight months...and I do mean lethal. And they're pretty fast too. They can run 50-60 miles per hour if they're ever out in the open. And they're extraordinary jumpers–"
"Yes, yes, yes," Hammond interrupted sheepishly, "that's why we're taking extreme precautions. They're a dangerous species, but we've got all the necessary requirements set in place to make sure they stay...uh...'enclosed'."
"They must have a great intelligence," Billy said, not really paying much attention to Hammond, "because they have a large brain cavity–"
"They're extremely intelligent. They even have problem-solving intelligence along the lines of chimps. Far smarter than most of our other dinosaurs. Especially the Big One. She's an intelligent critter. When she looks at you, you get the feeling that she's working things out."
"Do you always feed them...like that?" Cheryl asked.
"No. I usually feed my squad myself. Once a week or so, we'll give them a live cow. The other raptors have to be fed live cows every time though, otherwise they end up attacking the fences when its feeding time."
Malcolm nodded. "Hm...dangerous creatures."
Everyone looked back at the feeding raptors; astonishingly, they were still tearing into the cow. Blood from the animal had gathered in a red-colored pool beneath it. It was a very disgusting scene. Hammond looked up at his group as they stared in awkward silence.
Hammond chuckled. "Well...who's hungry?"
A/N: Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo are probably some of my favorite raptors yet to have appeared in the Jurassic Park series, right next to the Big One, who made a cameo in this chapter. I figured it would be kind of fun to take the raptor feeding sequence from the film and put a little Jurassic World twist on it! Hope you all liked it! I can't believe that Jurassic World is going to be released in 3 weeks! THREE! After years of waiting, I'm glad this movie is finally coming to fruition. I just can't wait! In the next chapter, we'll catch up with Tom, Brianna and Aliana as they continue to explore the park, see what Claire, Gerry and Jess find out about the sick Triceratops and we'll see if Malcolm's group can mouth down their meal after watching Velociraptors tear apart a cow! Until next time, favorite, follow and review on this story, and...spare no expense!