The Legend of Brandon

by Dragoness' mate

ONE-SHOT about a human boy who has been raised by the Velociraptors of Isla Sorna. The boy has his traditional coming of age solo hunt. He is also something the raptors call "Tarok'Kik"Kao", which means he has instinctual combat abilities that, together with his raptor upbringing, means he is as deadly as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan combined.

I am nine today. Tyadueria came into my Quarters and said "happy hatch day, Brandon!"

"It's called a Birthday, Tyadueria."

"No it Isn't, at least not amongst Velociraptors." "Something is up today, isn't it?" I asked, knowing the answer I would get.

"whatever do you mean?" asked Tyadueria.

"Well, you went out of your way to wish me a happy birthday…"

"hatch day" interrupted Tyadueria

"yet I'm pretty sure I never told you when that was." I finished.

"Your smell gave it away three years ago. You were happy about The day that was today that day. It was an easy enough assumption judging by your face at the end of the day that that day was your hatch day."

"Wow, you're good." I said, startled.

"Thank you" she replied with a hint of superiority. "Seriously, though, what is up with you today?" I asked. "You're not normally this cheerful."

"Today, you come of age, Brandon. Do you know what that means?" "It means that I get to go on my solo hunt, doesn't it?" I replied, with a slight lifting of my attitude.

"Uh-huh. Tell me, what are you planning to hunt?"

"the largest predator on the Island, The one who swims and preys on the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Spinosaur."

"You?! Kill a Spinosaur? By yourself?! How on earth do you plan on doing that?

" "who said that it would be the first thing I kill?" I asked.

"You mean you intend to kill more than one thing? How will your sanity survive being alone for so long?"

"we've been over this. Humans are a lot less social than Raptors. Most of my kind does enjoy company, but we don't need it for the sake of our sanity." I replied.

"It's just hard for me to believe. Anyway, you have one season to hunt whatever you're hunting down. What are you going after first?" she asked "first I am going to go after A Shield Back Long Spike so that I will have a weapon."

"Brandon, we've been over this, Being a Tarok'Kik'Kao does NOT make you invincible. You can still be overpowered, especially by something ten times your size!" She Exclaimed.

"No, but you yourself once said that a Tarok'Kik'Kao ups your chances of living to old age exponentially." I half-jokingly replied.

"Not if you do stupid things like hunting something as big as a Spinosaurus by yourself." Tyadueria muttered. "Look, Tyadueria, I can't stand being treated like I'm a… A human." "Oh? I thought you were one. Aren't you?" she asked, trying to pull off an innocent look. She failed.

"Tyadueria, I have lived with you Raptors for the last four years, which is almost half my life. In that time, I have come to several realizations about humans, such as the fact that humans are almost entirely without honor, decency, or skills at hunting anything dangerous. They kill with weapons that give their target NO chance to fight back and they either destroy or try to exploit anything they find to be different. I don't like being reminded that I am one."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "The Elder said that you were to be considered as a raptor."

"I know she did," I sighed. "But, I've got to prove myself worthy of that. There are still those who consider my soft feet to be a barely tolerated insult. I want to prove to them and to me that I'm just as good as any raptor."

"This, coming from a guy who defeated five of us with nothing more than a stick!" she said, exasperated.

"That said, I believe that I won't be able to prove her right without bringing back something that no one has brought back before as a trophy." Tyadueria snorted, her hot breath warming my face.

"Well, I'll see you in a season."

"No, you'll see me sooner than that. I've asked the Elder to be one of the judges of your hunt."

"And she agreed?! Who's the other judge?" I asked in wonderment.

"You're not going to like this."

"Just give it to me straight." I said, suddenly wary and with a bad feeling in my gut.

"Irar'k"

Irar'k? He hates my guts! He was one of the most 'Brandon hating' raptors there was! "Why on Earth would the Elder approve someone like him to watch me hunt solo? He is totally biased against me! You know he considers the fact that I breathe the same air as him to be a barely tolerated insult!" I cried.

"You are exaggerating with sarcasm." She replied calmly. "Besides, it was the Pack that anointed him, so the Elder chose me to counterbalance him."

"That settles it then."

"Settles what?" asked Tyadueria, warily.

"Then I am going after the Spinosaur, the biggest predator here. There is no other way to get the others to respect me, especially with Irar'k as one of the judges."

Tyadueria snorted, "If you get a Spinosaur, I would not be surprised in the least if some decide to hail you as a god! But there is no way you could possibly survive trying to kill that. Besides the fact that any Spinosaur you kill will have family coming after you, there's just no way to kill something that deadly without being killed yourself."

"If I intended to engage it without a tactical advantage, yes, I would agree with you…"

"How could you possibly hope to gain an advantage?

"I intend to use an advanced hunting technique, traps, to immobilize it's leg. If it is Immobile, even for a couple of minutes, then I can kill it." I said Confidently

"Um, Brandon?"

"What?" I asked. suddenly I heard a stick crack from Behind me. I twirled to find myself face to snout with Irar'k.

"So, the little human freak wants to hunt, does he? Isn't that sweet?" Said Irar'k in a fake high pitch.

"Eavesdropping isn't very honorable, Irar'k. Somehow, though, it doesn't surprise me that you would stoop to it." I said. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that you intend to use advanced hunting techniques. Oh, what could possibly be big enough to make YOU stoop to using them? Oh, that's right… Everything is!" he chortled.

"Shut up!" exclaimed Tyadueria.

"Stop stepping up for him. You know you won't be able to do so for his solo hunt, you Freak-lover."
"He is Not a Freak" she hissed, looking ready to chomp him.

"No? He has no tail, no scales, no claws,no feathers, and only weak, bare skin and whatever he covers himself with for protection. He is weak and slow, he probably won't even get a kill." He replied, obviously pleased with himself for winning the point.

"You obviously did not hear what he is going to kill, did you?"

"No, but I imagine he'll try to kill a plant eater or some lesser carnivore, like a Compy."

"I will make you eat those words" I said.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we." He replied, smugly.

We left for the Elder's quarters then. As is tradition, every young raptor goes to the Elder to tell her what they want to hunt. The Elder was like a mother to me as she had been the one to allow me to stay with the pack. When we arrived at her residence I opened the door and entered solemnly. "Elder," I said, "I am here to announce my prey for the solo hunt."

"Do tell," she said, "I have been wondering what you would go after."

"I am going to bring home the skull of the most ferocious dinosaur here."

"The spinosaur! Are you sure?" she asked, with a worried tone.

"My mind is made up. I'm heading out to kill this and to prove to the rest of the pack that I am raptor and as good as any raptor."

"There is no shame in being a human Tarok'Kik'Kao. You know that, right?"

"I know that you don't think so, Elder."

"And I know what I am talking about. You forget that I have been around ten years longer than any other raptor. I was the first one the humans made, you know. For those ten years, the only pack mate I had was a human male named Carl. He taught me how to understand the Human tongue. He smelled a lot like you."

"You never told me about this, mom." I said, intrigued

"I never told anyone about him. I am only telling you because you seem to think that being human is, by definition, a bad thing." She replied.

"Please, go on." I said, adopting a pleading look.

"Oh, alright. He was the only human who didn't treat me as though I was just the product of a successful experiment. He made sure I was fed; and if I was lonely he would personally come in and stay with me. And, without his colleagues knowing, he taught me to read. So, you see, there is such a thing as a good human."

I looked at her with a flash of understanding spreading over my face. I suddenly realized that Carl was probably the reason that I was allowed to stay with the pack in the first place.

"You're going to go after it no matter what I or anyone else says, aren't you?"

"Pretty much." I replied

"Then Make me proud, my son."

_ I left the Elder a couple hours later. I had had a refresher course in the rules of the hunt, mostly involving what weapons can and cannot be used and the fact that I can bring no weapons that would help me on the hunt. As raptors have built-in killing claws, I was allowed a knife. I didn't want to take it, but the Elder insisted. I swore to myself that I would find out more about this Carl character, although I didn't know how I would do so.

Along with the knife, I packed only a couple changes of clothes. This, too, was an exception to the rule, because raptors don't wear clothes. I thought it was kind of humorous that I was allowed to bring clothes in a solo hunt because I had had to fight pretty hard to wear clothes in the first place. It was only when they noticed that my skin peeled when I had too much sun that they allowed me to have clothes at all, although they still insisted that I only wear what I needed and clothes that wouldn't hinder my movement in any way.

Traditionally, all family and friends of a young raptor about to go on his or her solo hunt will gather together for a feast with the young one, held in his or her honor. As I am human, there was no family, and I have few who would consider me a friend for the same reason. Out of the two hundred and fifty raptors from the four villages, whose population was between 40 and 100, 6 were there. They were the Elder, Tyadueria, the Minstrel, Hiracal, Saelam, and Iskarous, Saelam's and Hiracal's hatchling. The Minstrel was an old friend of mine, and would often recite Ballads for me. My favorite was "the Ballad of Arasck, the slayer of a Tyrannosaur." He used to ask me for Human Ballads, but I was so young when I… came here that I did not know any stories about famous humans.

"Please make Some new ballad material for me, Brandon. It has Been a long time since there were any new ballads. No one has done anything very heroic lately" Said the Minstrel, rather distraught.

"Oh don't worry. There is no way that what I am going after will be forgotten anytime soon." I said.

The Elder smiled knowingly. She winked at me and I knew that she wouldn't tell him what I was after unless I did, and I had no intention of getting his hopes up.

Iskarous came up to me. He looked up at me and said "please come home in one piece, Uncle Brandon."

"Why wouldn't I come back in one piece, Iskarous?" I asked.

"I've heard stories from Mommy and Daddy about raptors who die on their solo hunts." He replied, looking down at his little claws worriedly.

"Well, they weren't a Tarok'Kik'kao, were they?" I asked rhetorically.

"No." He said, still looking at his claws.

I crouched so that my face was at his level, put my hand under his chin, and lifted his face to look at mine. There was a bit of moisture in his eyes. "Listen to me Iskarous. I will be fine." I said slowly, emphasizing the last sentence.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Next to say goodbye was Saelam. He looked me straight in the eye. "You'll do fine. If you fight like you did against us those four years ago, then you'll probably bring back a tyrannosaur!"

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked.

"That Depends on who you want me to keep it from." He replied

"I want you to keep it secret from Iskarous."

"How long do you want me to keep a secret from my son?" he asked coldly

"Until I get back from my solo hunt." I replied, ignoring his verbal jab.

"Okay, why do you want me to keep a secret from my son?" he asked, going directly to the point.

"Quite frankly, because I am not sure I will be able to keep my promise to him about me being fine."

"Is that a second guess on your part? Because you know Tyadueria told me to whap you with my tail if you second guess yourself!" asked Saelam, in a slightly excited tone.

"I'm just not sure I'm going to come back alive from this hunt," I confided.

Saelam was startled. "What do you mean, you won't come back from this one alive? You're a Tarok'Kik'Kao! It would take a spinosaur to…" Suddenly, a realization struck his facial expression. "Surely you don't mean to…?"

"I do", I replied. "If I am ever to be accepted, then I have to prove myself as being as good a hunter as any raptor."

"You could do that without taking down a spinosaur!" He said, in a near-rage. "It's only happened once that a raptor took down a Tyrannosaur once and he became a legend!"

"Yes, and the method for doing so is now known throughout all the villages."

"Still, very few ever go after them because they are so dangerous" he replied, speaking slowly, like he was trying to reason with a hatchling. "Please go after a Tyrannosaur or a Baryonyx, I don't want to be the one who explains to Iskarous that his favorite uncle is dead because he tried to take down something that no one can possibly best, ever!"

"There would still be raptors who would say that I should have been killed when I got here if I take down a Tyrannosaur, or that I am 'the little mistake of the Elder' if I take down a Baryonyx." I replied, saddened by the fact that I knew that people already did call me "The little mistake of the Elder", and I could see on his face that he knew that, too.

"Okay, maybe there would be some who would scoff at you if you took down a Baryonyx, but no one would scoff at a Tyrannosaur kill."

"Irar'k has enough die-hards under him that even a Tyrannosaur kill wouldn't get me completely accepted," I sighed. "No, the only way is to take something that no one has ever taken before. There is no other way, and you know it. Besides, I have a plan," I said, cockily.

"I hope it's better than most of your plans that nearly get us killed!"

"What's the first thing that you learn in hunting large prey?" I asked.

"Never step on Master Car'kleas' tail?" he asked, grinning.

"Right after that."

"'Never take down something bigger than you without a tactical advantage.' But what advantage could you possibly gain against something so much bigger, stronger, and more heavily armored?" Saelam asked, questioning my sanity.

"I intend to make a pitfall, bait the trap with Tyrannosaur urine, and when big ugly comes to investigate, he steps in the trap and I swoop in and kill it."

"With what?" Saelam asked, dubiously.

"I never said the spinosaur would be my first kill in the hunt. I will kill a stegosaurus first, take the spike from the end of its tail, and maybe a plate from its back to use as a spear and shield. I will take the spike and once the spinosaur is trapped, I will stab it through the eye into the brain, which will kill it." I replied.

"That would mean quite some time alone, Brandon. Are you sure you would be able to stay sane?" he asked, worried.

"Aw, you called me sane. That is so sweet of you, Saelam." I said smugly.

"Well, you are sane…ish."

"Anyway, we have been over this. My species doesn't need to be in contact with others for the sake of our sanity." I said dryly

"I know, but it is still very weird to me." He replied "Still, just be safe. Well, as safe as you can while hunting a Spinosaur."

"I will." I replied, once again ignoring the verbal jab. "Brothers…"

"…In all but blood" he replied. It was our typical farewell.

After Saelam left, his mate, Hiracal, came in. Hiracal is from the village of Hic'racous, Situated at the high point of Isla Sorna. They get their water from a stream near the village and their primary food source is tamed Edmontonia, mountain-dwelling armored dinosaurs weighing about 8000 pounds and they are the smallest village, their population only fifty raptors. They are known for their skills at climbing and empathy, and their purpose to the pack is that they serve as lookouts and scouts. the first words in her goodbye were "good luck to you in your hunt."

"Thank you"

"Remember to climb if you need to." She said. She had taught me how to climb, and I could climb everything from trees to sheer cliffs without any trouble. She, as my teacher, takes full credit for my success.

"I will." I replied, knowing that I would probably need to do so.

"Well, I'm not one for long goodbyes, so farewell and take care of yourself. Which means don't do anything stupid or I will get my pet Edmontonia to rub her shoulder against you when you get back when you get back."

I shuddered, remembering the long spikes on an Edmontonia's shoulder and knowing that hunting a spinosaur definitely qualified as "stupid" at the very least, and more likely fall under the categories of "foolhardy" and "suicidal." Luckily for me, she then turned and left.

I knew that I would need a weapon if I was going to kill anything in this hunt. It was for that reason that I decided that I would make a wooden spear to kill the stegosaurus. I knew it would not be enough to kill the spinosaur, but it might be enough to kill a stegosaur if I'm lucky. "That sounded better before I thought that through", I thought to myself. At that point I had a stroke of luck - a flintstone that could be shaped into a spear point with my knife. The stone was too small to be of any use against a spinosaur, but it definitely was big enough to kill a stegosaurus. It took me the rest of the day to shape the flint into a decent spearhead.

Irar'k started to needle me, saying, "Aw, look! The poor, helpless little human is trying to kill a stone! I sure hope that isn't what he's planning to kill, because this will be a very boring job if it is."

"Leave him alone," cried Tyadueria. "You're a judge, not a hatchling. That means you can't distract him or aid him in any way, other than to be there to ward off insanity."

"Why did you agree to be a judge on my solo hunt, Irar'k?" I asked

"Because there is no way a human, even a human Tarok'Kik'Kao, could ever be as good a hunter as a raptor. And I want to be there when you learn that." He replied in an undertone.

"In a way, I am glad you are here." I said.

"What?!" cried Irar'k, obviously startled.

"Brandon, you don't have to tell him." Tyadueria stated calmly

"I'm not going to. I was just going to say that I want him to be here so that he can see for himself that, though I may be human, I am as good or better at hunting and fighting as any Raptor. And I am going to be there when he learns that." I replied smugly.

That being said, I went back to work on making that Spear head. On our way to The Stegosauri, I found a stick that would be perfect for the spear's body. As I chipped out a notch on either side of the base of the head, I went to a tree with vines. Perfect. I cut the vines with my knife and tied the body of the spear to the head. My weapon, with which I would kill a stegosaurus, was complete. I hefted and twirled it to get a feel for the weapon. I knew that the stone was too small to be of any use against a spinosaur, but it would be plenty big enough to kill a stegosaurus. Once I did, I would be able to tie a stegosaurus spike to the spear's body, which would be big enough to kill a spinosaur. I would also take one of the plates on the back of the stegosaurus to use as a shield.

We arrived at the far side of the White Wood, where stegosauri lived, about four days later. I had gotten a good feel for the spear, and was confident that I would be able to slay a stegosaurus. There were two herds of stegosauri at this time of year, the bull herd, which consisted of all the adult males, and the cow herd, which consisted of the females and young. The male herd was smaller, but fiercer. I decided to go after the male herd. We tracked the smaller herd until midday. We situated ourselves downwind of them The stegosauri bulls were eating, completely oblivious to us.

"That's your big quarry? Do you seriously think you will impress anyone with a Stegosaurus kill? They're dumb and they don't hunt you back!" Irar'k whispered incredulously.

"No," I replied "I just need the tail spike and a back plate to kill my real prey."

"And what is your real prey?" he asked condescendingly.

"Well, you'll just have to find out. Won't you." I replied.

Unfortunately, one of the stegosauri heard us and came to investigate. When it saw us, it trumpeted a cry and slammed the ground near us with its tail. The tail whooshed and raised for another blow. But by then it was too late for the stegosaurus, for my Tarok'Kik'Kao instincts had kicked in. Colors faded and vital parts seemed to be highlighted. In one movement, I jumped up, twirled, and drew my spear. Trusting my instinctual skills, backed by four years of competing with raptors, had turned me into a deadly weapon. The Stegosaurus' tail slammed the ground where I was 5 seconds ago, but I was no longer there. I leaped above the tail and slashed with my spear. Blood spurted from the wound, and the stegosaurus howled. I knew that I would have only a few minutes until the guards of the Stegosaurus bull herd came charging at me, and I knew I would have to finish this quick. While I knew I could technically take them all, I did not want to waste so much meat and risk getting injured. One stegosaurus could be eaten by a scavenger, six was a lot less likely. I leaped again, and landed on the head of the Stegosaurus bull. I drove my spear down into it its skull. It yowled and fell to the ground, dead. The whole thing took about a minute.

But it could never be that easy. I leaped to the back and used my spear to cut out one of the plates, then ran to the tail to cut off one of the spikes. I had just succeeded when I heard a howl. I twirled and saw that I was in trouble. Five other stegosauri had me surrounded. I was trapped, a dead stegosaurus behind me and five living ones in front and to the sides. I knew that I wouldn't be able to run from them, so I did the sensible thing. I attacked, leaping toward the one in front and severing the tail nerves. I knew that it was essentially out of the fight at this point, so I got in front of a second one's side. A third stegosaurus whipped its tail at me, its spikes swinging toward me. I ducked and the tail slammed into the side of the second stegosaurus, killing it. I then slashed the tail nerves of the third, disabling it. The other two decided to take me together. They whipped their tails from my right and my left. I waited until they were inches away, then dived, letting the tails collide with each other. It worked, they speared each others tails and howled. I then gathered the spike and the back plate that I had cut off of my first kill and left.

"Well, that was exciting" said Irar'k later that night.

"You look as though you're re-evaluating me." I said.

"I am. You have gone from being as worthless as Pteranadon dung to being a somewhat-capable fighter. You also only killed two of them when you could have killed six. I want to know why." He replied curiously.

"Because I didn't need parts of six, I only needed parts of one. The other kill was because they attacked me." I answered.

"How very wise of you that was." He said.

The next day, I started chipping four holes through the back plate. Once I had completed that about three days later, I took two vines and weaved them through the holes, tying a knot on either side of each hole. That took me until midday. Then I untied my stone spearhead from the shaft and used it to chop notches into the stegosaurus spike. Once that was done, I tied the stegosaurus spike to the spear shaft. That, of course, changed the balance of the weapon, enough so that I spent the rest of the month-long trip to the Southern Highlands, where the Spinosaur lived, getting used to the new feel of the weapon. By the time we arrived, Irar'k was getting restless.

"What are we doing in the Southern Highlands, Human?" he asked.

"Going after my prize." I replied

"What would be foolish enough to live near the spinosaur nest?" he asked questioningly.

"Spinosaurs." I replied nonchalantly

He halted abruptly, looking at me as though I had bitten his tail. Then he stuttered incoherently. And then he started grinding his teeth. It was very satisfying.

When he finally gained coherence, he was hop raving mad. "You've gone insane! Do you have a DEATH WISH? Because I don't! Why did you have to drag me into this? What could have possibly possessed you so as to make you even consider the impossibility of killing a spinosaur?"
"you should have eavesdropped better." Tyadueria stated calmly

"Or for longer." I quipped. "Oh, and by the way…"

Tyadueria suddenly sniffed the air. Her eyes widened, and she tackled me.

"Huh? Tyadueria, what was that for?" I asked. Irar'k opened his mouth to comment.

"Quiet. It is close enough to hear us." She whispered

Irar'k snapped his mouth shut.

I suddenly knew I wouldn't have time to make a trap that takes as long to set up as a pitfall would. I took in my environment. Grass beneath my feet, a bird chirping in one of the two giant trees, a clear sky, a snake rustling through the grass, a small cave,… wait a minute. I thought quickly, trying different quick traps in my mind. Suddenly it came to me. I needed to make a tripwire. I took the four vines and quickly intertwined them. I then ran it as high as I could between the two trees. It would not be seen by the spinosaur. Then I saw it. I quickly yelled at it and dived into the cave. Irar'k was already in it, but Tyadueria wasn't. I felt my heart stop, and I looked outside. The spinosaur had blocked her entrance. She looked terrified. Suddenly, my Tarok'Kik'Kao instincts kicked in, more so than they had ever done before. I charged out of the cave with my spear held high, and with a yell, I stabbed the beast in the back of its foot. It howled and tried to chomp me, but I didn't care. The only thought on my mind was to make sure that Tyadueria made it into the cave, which meant that I would have to buy her time. I withdrew my spear and stabbed a little higher, catching its tendon. Blood spurted everywhere. It howled and dropped to the ground, its leg collapsed beneath it. I withdrew my spear again, clambered up its fallen side, and ran across its back. Then it started to try and shake me off. I stabbed into it deeply and held on to the shaft of my spear. It howled again and redoubled its efforts to get me off, but to no avail. As I was tossed about its back, my left arm slammed into the Spinosaur's sail. It tried to reach back to its back to get me off, but to no avail. It just wasn't built in such a way that it could get me off. It eventually exhausted itself, at which point I pulled the spear out of its back. I then ran up to its head, and with a triumphant yell, plunged my spear through its eye straight into its brain. It died with a final, deafening roar. As my battle rage faded, I suddenly felt a great pain in my arm. I tried to move it, but found that I couldn't. I looked down to see that I had a broken bone.

Tyadueria ran to me, and asked the traditional end of solo hunt question "is this your primary kill?" she paused, then added in an undertone "I can't help you until you say yes."

"Yes, this is my most dangerous kill." I replied.

She then picked me up gently and helped me onto her back.

"Thank you" I said, remembering how much Raptors hate being ridden.

"For what? You just slew the biggest predator in the world for me, the least I can do is let you ride my back."

Irar'k ran out of the cave, wide-eyed and looking for all the world like a hatchling just coming out of the shell into bright sunlight. "That was amazing! It didn't stand a chance against you! Oh boy, oh boy, if I live to see my grandhatchlings, I'll be able to tell them that I saw Brandon slay a Spinosaur!"

"Care to help me cut off its head?" I asked Tyadueria

"You bet I would." She said with a smile.

We spent the rest of the day cutting off the Spinosaur's head and figuring out how to bring it to the nearest village, Arasckous, which was about 5 miles away as the gull flies. We eventually settled on stripping it of its flesh and building a fire around it so as to burn off the remaining meat. I was thankful that the raptors were capable of doing so much of the work, as I was a lot less capable, what with my arm tied to my chest. All I had to do was tie knots and start the fire, even though I did need a little help from Tyadueria in order to do the latter. we kept the fire going until the morning. By that time, enough of the meat had cooked off that we could carry it into Arasckous.

By the end of the week, I had been driven to the brink of insanity by Irar'k nearly worshiping me and the ground I walked on. When I confessed this to Tyadueria the day before, she laughed.

"It's only going to get worse. I did warn you that some would hail you as a god." She reminded me.

"I know you did. I just didn't think Irar'k would be amongst them." I replied sorrowfully.

We arrived at Arasckous the next day. After nearly a month and a half on our own, it was strange being back in the hubbub of a village. Of course, the general conversation flow didn't last long. Once the villagers noticed what we had a silence fell over the entire village. I was a well-known oddity of the Elder's, so the sight of a human wasn't what they were staring at. No, what was shocking everyone into silence was the sight of a spinosaur's skull being pushed into the center of town. The silence was suddenly broken a raptor signaling the entire village about the news. A small group of raptors immediately came to see for themselves and proceeded to take over moving the skull to the InGen buildings at the center of town. Suddenly relieved of our burden, we stumbled and then stretched our aching bodies. By the time we got to the InGen installation at the center of the village, we had thirty of the villagers begging us for answers. But we had decided the night before to tell Arasck, the village leader and the previous record holder for "most dangerous kill of a solo hunt," first. Typically, you would go to someone who had slain something deadlier than yours, but no one had ever hunted a spinosaur before, and there was nothing on the island that was deadlier. Feelings of elation and fulfillment suddenly flooded me. It was over. I had won, and would never be shunned or called "the little mistake of the Elder" again. I would be recognized as being a raptor in all but blood now, not a human whose soft feet were a barely tolerated insult. No more would I have to see the looks of contempt from the raptors who thought that I should have been eaten when I first came to Isla Sorna. No more would I have to hide behind the Elder. I was now the record holder for "most dangerous kill of a solo hunt", and that record could not be taken away from me. I would become a legend in my own right. Arasck leapt out of the second story window of The Ingen complex. He had obviously just finished having his mate polish his scales, as he was shiny in places that he certainly couldn't reach by himself. He looked straight at the three of us. "What is going on here?" he bellowed.

"I am Brandon, and I come to end my solo hunt." I said with an air of finality.

"Name your kill." He said, as was tradition.

"Spinosaur." I replied.

"Do the judges confirm that he alone slew it, and without any help from you before or during the kill?" Arasck directed at Tyadueria and Irar'k

"Yes, he alone slew it, without any help from us before or during the kill." They replied simultaneously.

"Then let it be known that Brandon's solo hunt is now over. He has slain a spinosaur, the top predator, and a much greater kill than mine. He may take any female he chooses as his mate. I will send my fleetest runners to every village, and the leaders of the villages will meet in Ventalukaous to discuss your place further." Arasck said officiously.

I was overwhelmed. To have the leaders of every village convene to discuss a single raptor's place in the pack was unheard of. But, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that killing a spinosaur in your solo hunt was unprecedented, and if Arasck, who was already a legend amongst the villages, pledged his loyalty to me, then I was probably going to have all the leaders pledging their loyalty to me as well, but he couldn't put me in a place of authority over the other villages without the approval of their leaders.

We spent the next week living with Arasck in the old InGen complex. I Stayed indoors most of the time, knowing that if I went outside, there would probably be a lot of female raptors trying to take me somewhere private and mate me. While I knew there were some male raptors who would give anything to be in my position, I knew there was only one raptor who would ever catch my eye that way. Tyadueria had been my closest female friend before I made the spinosaur kill, and I would want no other. I knew that these females that were Interested in me only wanted me because I had made the spinosaur kill. Even though Arasck had said that I could have any female I chose as my mate, I wanted her to want me, too.

I spent the week recuperating. Tyadueria was constantly by my side, which was very soothing. The villagers had grown out of the rather uncomfortable "worship Brandon" phase, much to my relief. Oh, the little hatchlings still looked up to me with hero worship, but that I could take. On the third day of my stay, The Minstrel, Hiracal, Saelam, Iskarous, and The Elder came to visit me. The Minstrel was jubilant.

"Well, you really did it now, huh Brandon?" he said excitedly "now I'll have some new ballad material, for sure!

"You really did me proud, my son." The Elder said calmly. This nearly brought me to tears.

Saelam clasped my shoulder wondrously. "What did you do?" He asked "You even have Irar'k looking up to you. I was secretly sure that a pitfall wouldn't be able to impress him."

"Yeah, Circumstances happened. I ended up slaying it after only stabbing its foot and slicing its tendon."

"What?!" Saelam cried, looking ready to claw me.

"Why did you hunt a Spinosaur?" cried Hiracal "that definitely falls under the stupid category. Did you think I was bluffing when I said I would get my pet Edmontonia to rub you with his shoulder?! Because I wasn't."

Iskarous came up to me and looked up at me "why did you do it, Uncle Brandon? You could have died!" he asked pleadingly.

I knelt down and looked Iskarous in the eye. "I had to, or I would have continued to be shunned by every raptor on the island, present company excluded."

"That doesn't explain why you didn't use a pitfall trap, or any trap." Exclaimed Saelam.

"Well, it surprised us. All I had time to set up was a tripwire. I set it, got its attention, then slipped into a nearby cave. But it got between Tyadueria and the entrance. Its back was towards me, so I charged, trading my safety for hers. I can't imagine life without her." I confessed.

"I forgive you, Uncle Brandon" chirped Iskarous. Those words made me feel much better. Iskarous meant a lot to me. The only two raptors who meant more to me were Tyadueria and The Elder. If he hadn't forgiven me, I don't know what I would have done.

"Oh wow, that is going to make your ballad even better!" exclaimed The Minstrel happily "tell me everything, please!"

And so I spent the next hour telling the tale of my hunt to The Minstrel. Hiracal's eyes slimmed when I told how Irar'k had needled me, a sure sign of anger. Saelam cocked his head sideways, as he always does when listening intently. Iskarous leaned forward, looking like I did when The Minstrel told me a ballad. I had heard them all, and memorized most. My favorite was "the ballad of Arasck", and I knew it by heart. My favorite verses were the ones about the climax of his hunt.

"Then roared the Beast, its dreaded wail,

And the judges fled, the Rex on their tail.

But Arasck the Brave, he kept still as a tree,

And waited ever patiently.

The Rex, it chased the judges into the trees

But Arasck, an opportunity he sees,

With a mighty leap he bit under its neck,

Ripping it out, leaving it a wreck."

"How did you get the Spinosaur's skull here?" asked The Minstrel, interrupting my train of thought.

"We cut off as much of the meat as we were able, and burned off the rest. Then it was light enough for the three of us to push it here." I replied.

"Hmm, that doesn't sound nearly as heroic as the rest of your tale. How about if we say that you brought it here on your back and threw it over your shoulder at the feet of Arasck?" he suggested.

"Nah, it would be too easy to pick apart then. Keep it true to how it happened." I replied.

"That sounds good to me." Chimed Iskarous.

"Oh alright" said the Minstrel begrudgingly.

"Anyway, do you know what we have planned for you, Brandon?" asked The Elder.

"No, I've been inside recuperating for most of the time that I've been back in Civilization." I replied.

"The village leaders and I have met, and have decided to give you a title. You will come to Ventalukaous at the end of the week, where we will officially bestow upon you this title and we will feast upon the Spinosaur's meat in your honor." She said officiously.

"Wow. What title did you decide to give me?" I asked

"How does 'The Huntmaster' sound to you?" she asked knowingly.

"'The Huntmaster?' I like the sound of it." I replied happily.

"I thought you would. That's why I suggested it.' She said smugly.

"You did?" I asked, astonished.

"But of course! The other leaders don't know you well enough to suggest a title you'd like, so they all immediately went for mine." She replied.

"Just out of curiosity, were there any other suggestions?" I asked.

"Oh you're going to love this." She said sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"The other suggestion was 'The Tailless Wonder.'" She said, grinning.

The Tailless Wonder? I had sarcastically called myself that for two years, mostly when I was beating up on myself! And that had been suggested as a title for me?

"Don't worry, I didn't let them go very far with that idea" soothed the Elder

"How did you know that's what I was thinking about?" I asked

"Your face and your scent gave it away." She replied.

"Wow you're good." I said. "So, when do we leave?"

"It will take them until the end of the week to get the spinosaur's carcass to Ventalukaous." Replied The Elder. "In the meantime, I'm going to present you to all the villages, ending with Ventalukaous."

"Sounds great! Where do we start?" I asked

"We start in Hic'racous." Replied The elder

"Hic'racous? Isn't that your hometown, Hiracal?" I asked

"Yes it is. I wish I could go with you. It has been a while since I've been to the mountains." She replied wistfully.

"Why can't you come?" I asked.

"Because I have to help the villagers here get enough of the Spinosaur's meat to Ventalukaous for the feast." She replied.

"Oh."

"Don't you dare try and convince me not to. I am capable of running at near-top speed with a large burden on my back. Not many other raptors can make the same claim. I'll be needed if we are going to get enough meat for a feast to Ventalukaous in time for your arrival." She said.

"If it isn't too much to ask, Elder, I would like to request that Tyadueria come with us." I said politely.

"But of course." Replied the Elder. "Brandon, I would like to speak to you privately." All of my friends took the hint and left. "I'll tell you that she is lucky to have someone like you."

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked with false ignorance.

"I didn't hatch yesterday, you know. It's obvious that you love her." The Elder chuckled. "It surprises me more that you think you can fool me with words when I can smell your emotions."

"I know you can, but I'll never understand how you do it. What does an emotion smell like, anyway?"

"Well, similar emotions, like anger and fury, smell a lot alike. Any raptor can smell more powerful emotions, like love or fear. In humans, Love smells like…" here she trailed off.

"Like…" I prompted.

"Like a combination of cold flowers and warm honey." She finally replied

"Sounds like you had to think about it." I said.

"I had to think of similar smells that humans can smell. Emotions' scents are hard to describe to someone who can't smell them, because few things smell the same as they do If I were talking to a raptor, I would tell him that love in humans smells bright"

"Wait, what do you mean, in humans? An emotion is an emotion, shouldn't they smell the same, no matter what species they come from?" I asked.

"Oh, you'd think so, wouldn't you? But that isn't the case. Emotions in humans smell quite different than emotions in raptors. That is why most raptors don't seem to be able to smell your emotions, Brandon. They smell the scent, but do not know what they are smelling." She replied

"Then how do you know the scents of human emotions?" I asked, bewildered

"Those ten years being the only raptor in existence taught me." She replied

"Oh." There was a long pause in our conversation.

"How strange it is, to know your every thought before you think it." The Elder said contemplatively.

"Come on, even your nose can't tell you that much about me." My eyes widened. "Can it?"

"Oh no. I am talking about a much greater sense than scent." The Elder then Leaned in close and whispered "I am old. I can call upon wisdom that is beyond you, for your fresh mistakes are my ancient ones."

"What are you trying to say, Elder?" I asked "help me out with your riddle."

"You need to tell her how you feel about her, Brandon." She said.

"But what if I mess up?" I asked worriedly "what if She doesn't want me?"

She leaned in again and whispered "nothing haunts you like a love you did not pursue. This I know from experience."

From experience? As far as I knew, she had never taken a mate! How could she have experience in the field of the kind of love I had for Tyadueria if she had never loved anyone that way? It struck me then how little I knew about her that wasn't common knowledge. Before I could stop myself I asked "what experience?" my eyes widened, but it was too late, the words were already out, and I knew that they were very disrespectful. "Wait, I mean…"

"Don't worry, I'm not mad. It was an apt question. Remember what I told you about Carl?"

"Your human pack-mate back when there were no other raptors?"

"That's the one. By the time my ninth hatch day came, I was madly in love with him, but I was afraid he'd reject me, so I kept my feelings for him hidden. Nevertheless, I was starting to long for the company of my own kind. Carl noticed this, and suggested to the other humans that they make more raptors. On my tenth hatch day, He surprised me by taking me to the lab and showing me what they were incubating, a clutch of raptor eggs. When they hatched about nine months later, I was overjoyed. I started thinking of what Carl, my oldest pack mate, wanted less and less. When the humans left, Carl came to me and told me why. Apparently, a giant storm had set the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar free, and they had killed and eaten some humans. I could have made it clear to the other raptors that he was to stay with us, yet I didn't. He and all the other humans left, leaving us with the island. I never told him how much I loved him, and still love him, and his face and scent haunts me to this day. I always find myself wondering what would have happened had I told him how I felt about him, whether or not he would have stayed if I had. He is the reason I never took a mate, and unless I see him again, I never will" The Elder's eyes were moist at this point. She was not her normal, cheerful self. She started to look off into the distance, but there was nothing there. I had seen her like this before, but before I only knew that she was 'remembering the past' as she had put it. I now realized that she was specifically remembering this Carl. I felt terrible; I had brought these horrible memories on her. Then she snapped out of it. "Anyway, that is why you should tell her, and the sooner you do, the better it will be for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked

"I mean that if you keep your feelings bottled up, they can destroy you." She said ominously.

I spent a couple days trying to work up my nerve. Amazing, that I can kill a Spinosaurus without a moment's hesitation, but can't bring myself to admit my feelings to the Raptoress I love. "Today's the day that I tell her." I said aloud.

"Tell who what?" came a voice from behind me. I jumped, recognizing the voice as that of Tyadueria. 'It's now or never' I thought.

"Tell you that I love you. Tell you that I want you to be by my side, now and forever. Please, will you be my mate?"

"You know we could never have children, right?" she asked concernedly
"I don't care, as long as I am with you."

"Good." she replied. "As long as you know and are okay with that, then I would be happy to be your mate."