CHAPTER 15
Dr. Bryce Conners stood in the open field and listened. Over the ambient hums of the jungle he was waiting to hear more raptor calls. Skittish compsognathus chattered through the knee-high grass around his legs. The low trumpeting belches of parasaurolophus drifted from the valley.
Finally he heard it. A single bark cawed through the dense foliage on the other side of the fence. It was just enough to get his attention as if that was its sole purpose.
Bryce eyed the fence suspiciously. He inched towards it with great hesitation. As he neared the tightly strung buzzing cables and wires he examined the ferns and tree trunks. He looked passed the vines, palm fronds, and rich colored leaves, searching for movement or the shadowy outline of a figure amongst the tangle of forest. Nothing stood out.
A bead of sweat rolled down his nose as he looked up and observed the row of steady glowing red lights at the top of the fence. Part way down he regarded the sign that read: DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE.
When his eyes fell back to head level they were met by another set of eyes glaring back at him through the fence. Immediately his muscles tensed. A scaly black and red snout aimed at his nose. With flared nostrils and bearing teeth the creature snarled. It was an adult velociraptor no doubt but one like no other Dr. Conners had ever seen.
The coloration was sharp and aggressive. Its plumage was far more prominent. It even had the small beginnings of wing feathers sprouting out on its forearms.
"Hello sir." Dr. Conners whispered, presuming he was witnessing the male of the species. "You are a handsome devil."
Bryce didn't know what to make of the privilege of having this creature expose itself to him. He stared at the raptor, and it stared right back. He shifted the tranquilizer rifle in his hands, and the predator took a slight back step. Bryce tilted his head quizzically and the raptor mimicked the motion.
"Intriguing…"
Lifting his right hand off the trigger he slowly waved his hand and the dinosaur flexed its fore claw in a likewise fashion.
Dr. Conners put his finger back on the trigger. With a slow steadiness he raised his weapon. As he brought his eye to the sight he felt that the raptor had become unusually still. His eyes met with the dinosaur's, and they locked stares. Bryce was easing down on the trigger when he noticed the raptor's pupil shift as though it were watching something behind him.
Dr. Conners quickly realized his error. "Clever, boy."
Bryce flung his gun around and spotted two more adult raptors not more than ten feet from him. One was a dark brown female. The other was a black and red male like the first.
The velociraptors stood at bay. Their piercing eyes acknowledged the weapon with an understanding. They were like a pair of cats against a spray bottle. Their eyes darted rapidly between Bryce and the gun. They did not flee, but they did not advance though Dr. Conners could tell there was little will holding them back. As he flashed his barrel between the two carnivores he saw them calculating their odds against his.
A disturbance across the field interrupted the conflict. A loud shriek cut through the open and turned the heads of the velociraptors and Dr. Conners. Emerging from the far tree line was the third juvenile raptor. The young predator ran the clearing with all haste. It shot passed the adults and fled into the foliage where the other two adolescents had gone.
Next the air was filled with the grumble of motor vehicles. The pair of adults immediately retreated after the younglings. In their departure the female plowed down Dr. Conners with an aggressive shoulder throw.
Bryce ended up on his back. The wind had been knocked out of him. A sharp stone was jabbing his ribcage. With a groan he rolled onto his elbows and noted that the male behind the fence was still spying on him.
Dr. Conners realized then something he hadn't before. This male was different than the second one he'd seen. Instead of a jet-black mane this one's was a silvery white. The velociraptor also held a greater sense of authority about it. Dr. Conners pondered if perhaps it was some sort of dominating male or simply a fluke.
As the motor vehicles approached, the silver-neck male disappeared into the jungle.