Answers to reviews:
Guest: here you go.
Drakena: Sorry for the wait, but here you go.
Guest: Thanks.
Redblade66: Thanks.
Yubel578: Hmm, I see your point. If I do go down the route of having Jason paired with all four raptors, Blue would be the first and head of the... harem, I suppose it could be called.
Disclaimer: I do not own Jurassic World. I only own the OC Jason Grady.
Before Jason knew it, his first day at Jurassic World came to an end and he woke up in his second day on the island, groaning as he lifted himself off the bed in Owen's trailer, stretching his limbs.
"Morning sport." Owen called from where he was making breakfast in the kitchen part of the trailer. He had gotten up early, something a lot of handlers did so they can be ready to tend to their animals if a problem occurs and for Owen, there was always something that bothered the Raptors. He learned his lesson after he was woken up very early by Barry who told him that one of the trainers had been nearly mauled by the raptors for getting too close to the cage... and turning his back to it.
Rule one when dealing with the Velociraptors: Never turn your back to the cage.
"Morning Owen." Jason said before he yawned and shook his head, sniffing the air. "What you got cooking?"
"Sausage, bacon and fried egg." Owen said as Jason came over to see. "I trust it's still your favourite."
"Hell yeah." Jason smirked, taking a seat at the table next to the window. He looked out, seeing it must be at least 8 AM in the morning.
"You sleep well?" Owen asked, glancing at his nephew for a second before quickly looking at the breakfast being made.
"I did, though I stayed up for an hour or two to listen to the singing of the Brachiosaurus." Jason said with a smile. That had been the most beautiful sound he had ever heard before.
Owen chuckled. "It's amazing to hear, isn't it?" Once he put the necessary food on the plate, he turned and placed it in front of Jason. "There you go, kid."
"Thanks." Jason said as Owen took a seat across from him, sipping his coffee while reading a magazine. "So what's the plan?"
"Well..." Owen took another sip of his coffee before putting it down. "I figured I'd give you a tour around the park, let you see more than just the Velociraptors like say..." He stopped as they heard the distant roar of the T-Rex that echoed across the entire island. Owen smirked. "Her. Rexy never fails to give a morning roar and remind everyone who's the big boss around here."
Jason chuckled at that. "Sure, I'm up for a tour. Though won't you have to tend to the girls?"
"Obviously, they always get a little out of hand and Barry calls me when I'm elsewhere." Owen explained, getting a nod from Jason.
However, the young man then raised an eyebrow. "So what's with the names? That's the NATO alphabet, navy boy."
Owen merely shrugged. "What? It sounds cool. Anyway, how about I take you to see the girls first, then you get a tour of the park? It's best you start bonding with the Raptors so they can get used to your presence. New people make them..."
"Defensive?" Jason guessed, seeing his uncle struggling to come up with an accurate word.
"Yeah, that's about it." Owen nodded. "Can upset their training regime. Luckily we caught them after their hunt yesterday and not during a training session, or else it would've been bad. The progress with them is... slow. It's never usually a good day."
Jason was about to say something when Owen's phone virbated, causing him to pick it up and look at it. A frown soon settled onto his face before he sighed in frustration.
"I hate paperwork." He grumbled before looking at Jason. "I need to go to the Research Center, work on some reports that are to be sent off to InGen seeing as I've been putting it off."
"You just hate the paperwork." Jason smirked.
"Would you like to do it?" Owen retorted playfully.
"School work is enough for me." Jason said, hands raised in surrender.
"That's what I thought. I'll drop you off at the paddock and you can watch the Raptors while I deal with the reports."
Like Owen said, he dropped Jason off at the paddock before leaving for the research Center to deal with the progress reports. The teenager was up on the catwalk, in a corner he's claimed as his own. There's a chair and even a footstool which he had picked for whenever Owen would be training with the Raptors. It will allows him to watch without being in the way.
He had to admit, watching Owen teach the raptors to obey commands would be fascinating given that these are nature's most dangerous killing machines that roamed the Earth 65 million years ago, not to mention just watching the Raptors themselves. There is a kind of beauty in the power they possess, and it greatly interested Jason to eventually see how smart they were.
Right now, there's not much to see. His eyes skim over the mini jungle below trying to get a glimpse of a long snout, a swishing tail, or a gleaming talon. There will be no spotting them if they don't want to be found though. Velociraptors may not have camouflage but they might as well have considering their ability to melt into the jungle, seamlessly, soundlessly. If Jason was down there in the enclosure a Raptor could be right next to him and he would never know it until it's too late. He will never see them unless they want him to.
A sharp bark broke Jason from his thoughts and he looked down into the enclosure just in time to see the Raptor squad burst from the tree line and come to a halt in the clearing, looking up at him with Blue chirping up at him. It was almost like she was saying hello.
Jason smiled. "Morning to you four as well."
Blue is calm and collected with almost a regal air, taking to her role as beta well. Charlie is all barely-contained energy, wiggling on her feet and turning in circles as she looks up. Echo nips at her without actually biting, just a snap of teeth inches from Charlie's tail to show Echo's annoyance at her antics. Delta headbutts Echo roughly in the side and chitters shortly at her, like she's trying to tell Echo to cut it out. Echo bites at Delta too, crouching low to the ground like she's about to attack, but then Blue lets out a sharp caw and all three of the raptors stop. Blue snorts at them, shaking her head a little, and then resumes staring at Jason, the others looking back up as well.
"Glad I don't have sisters or it'll be a living hell for me." Jason snorted, which Charlie chirped and barked up at him for. He shook his head. "If you're asking, no I don't have any siblings. I'm an only child. Which I don't mind, siblings sound like a stressing life. No offence to you four of course."
Blue tilted her head as she stared up at him with her sisters.
Jason looked around, seeing there wasn't really anybody here. He then spotted the bucket full of dead rats Owen used yesterday, well the bucket he had given Jason to feed the Raptors. Jason picks up the heavy bucket, the foul smell of dead roadkill wafting up his nostrils and he wrinkles his nose in disgust. Delta barks at him and Jason looks down, seeing four pairs of eyes darting from him to the bucket and back again.
He couldn't help but smirk. "You girls want to do this again?"
They chitter their approval, Charlie practically hopping on her toes in excitement, which was all Jason needed to go ahead. Setting the bucket down at his feet, he picks out a rat with his bare hands, unfortunately not having any gloves but not wanting to deny them their treats just because it's kind of gross.
It's not like the rats are slimy or anything. They're clean.
Sort of.
He holds the rat up, the Raptors standing at attention below him.
"Now, we do this one at a time." Jason called down to them trying to sound authoritative but most likely failing, but he was confident in their intelligence to understand him as well as him feeding them the day before. "Blue, heads up!"
Blue lifts her head higher than the others and with careful aim Jason throws the rat to her. Gracefully, Blue's jaws snap it out of the air.
"Good girl. Charlie! You're next!"
When Jason throws the rat at Charlie the raptor moves almost faster than he can see, swallowing the snack down like she's practically inhaling it.
Jason laughs. "Jeez, Charlie, did you even taste it?" Charlie snorts at him and he laughs again. "Okay, Delta, you're up!"
When he tosses the rat to Delta, Echo reaches out to intercept but Delta bumps her away with her hip, making her miss and allowing Delta to grab her treat.
"Echo!" Jason admonishes, making sure his voice is loud, stern, and full of disapproval. The raptor looks up at him, growling slightly. "No, Echo, I won't be having any of that. You wait your turn. Actually, I'm not sure I should give you one now." He holds the rat away from the ledge, showing he's not going to throw it, and glares at Echo. The raptor still looks ready to argue, that growl still grinding around the back of her throat, until Blue lets out a raspy hiss. Echo then lowers her head and tail, like a dog who knows she's done something wrong. "Are you going to behave now?" He holds the rat out and Echo chirps softly, the sound barely reaching her. Jason smiles and then tosses her the rat, Echo eating it up happily. "You're lucky I'm so nice."
More like he doesn't know how to say "No" to these raptors.
Blue barks at him again and the four raptors crowd around closer together, bumping into each other, looking up.
Wanting more.
Jason chuckles. "Owen says you girls need to get used to me, and what better way to do so than by feeding?" He paused as he contemplated something while looking at the bucket of rats. He grins and looks down at the patient raptors. "You girls up for a game?"
They tilted their heads curiously, but Charlie was the one to respond with an eager bark. Owen was right, she was the most energetic of the four and seemed the type who likes games.
"Let's make a little competition." Jason said as he looks at the rat in his hand, then rears back. "Ready?" He tosses the rat out into the jungle, plopping between the leaves like a stone thrown into water. "Go get it!"
Four raptors take off, their excitement suddenly reined in as they slip into the undergrowth without a sound. There's the slight rustle of leaves from where they disappeared and then nothing. Jason waits with baited breath. The enclosure isn't large but it isn't exactly small either. Will they be able to find their treat? How long will it take them?
A victorious screech resounds throughout the jungle, followed by yips and snarls. Looks like it didn't take them long. Less than ten minutes really. The pack races out of the trees to stand in the clearing again, Blue looking awfully pleased with herself, head held high with the others growling a little resentfully at her.
"Oh, so you're the one who found it, huh, Blue?" The beta chitters happily causing Echo to snap at her and then bark up at Jason, Charlie and Delta echoing the call. "So you all want another chance, huh? Okay, let's try this again."
Jason does it a couple more times, the final score being Blue four, Delta two, and Charlie and Echo with one each. They seem to really be enjoying it. They love the hunt, the search, the competition with each other. But when Jason reaches inside the bucket for the next rat he finds he only has four left. He frowns, wanting to continue their game, even though now it has to come to an end, and wanting to make sure they each get one more rat. Thinking on his feet, he holds out his hand in a tight fist like Owen showed him when talking about how he keeps the raptors' attention on him. "Okay, girls, this way!"
He moves down the catwalk, the raptors miraculously following him, though it's probably more from wanting another rat than actually listening to him. He takes them right next to the cage gate and stops, making sure they're as far from the jungle as possible. He then holds up a rat with one hand. "Okay, Echo, this one is for you! Just for you, Echo!" Moving slowly, Jason walks back down the catwalk, eyes solely on Echo, trying to draw just her away from the others, but all four of them step forward as well. Jason holds out her other hand, palm out, motioning them to stop. "Blue! Charlie! Delta! No! You three stop right there!" He knows they understand simple commands such as this and they do listen, stopping like he tells them to though cocking their heads confusedly at him. "Blue, Delta, Charlie, you stay there. Echo! Come!" She moves a little further away, this time only Echo and Charlie moving. "Charlie! No! Stay!" Charlie stops, still looking confused, but when Jason moves again the other three stay put with Echo following him.
"Good girls," he praises. "Very good girls." When he's far enough away he yells out, "Go, Echo!" and tosses the rat out into the jungle. Echo shoots off, the other three raptors quickly moving to follow, but Jason holds both of his palms out to them again. "No! Stay!"
And they do.
Echo soon returns, quite satisfied with herself, and Jason does it three more times, so each of the other raptors get to chase after their rat alone without the chances of any of the others nabbing it first. And each time, the raptors listen to him, the three staying put as their fourth zips off into the jungle.
It's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, having these ferocious animals listen to his commands, at least in this moment.
When the last rat is gone and Blue has returned, Jason tips the bucket over for them to see that it's empty. "Sorry, girls, but you ate them all. All gone."
It only takes them a second to realize what the empty bucket means and Jason swears he can see the disappointment on their faces even though Velociraptors don't really have expressions. Their disappointment is short-lived, though, because then there is the chattering of monkeys in the trees that gets their attention. Charlie takes off after the noise first, eager for more food, and her sisters soon follow, Blue at the end of the train like her siblings are dragging her along but she's obligated to go just to make sure they don't get into any trouble.
Blue turns back at the last moment before entering the jungle, looking back at Jason. They stare at each other for long, drawn out seconds, something being communicated that Jason doesn't understand, and then the beta is gone.
"Now that was amazing!" Jason nearly jumped at Owen's voice, turning tos ee his uncle grinning proudly as he approached. "You handled them well, Jason."
Jason shrugged. "I'm sure it was because they were hungry."
Owen shook his head. "I beg to differ. You see the monkeys there? If they wanted food, they have plenty to get when it comes into their home. They listened to you, which means they've accepted you into the pack, even Blue. And the beta wouldn't really listen to anyone but the alpha."
Jason frowned. "You think it's because you're my uncle?"
Owen shrugged. "Possibly. They are intelligent, enough to know they should respect those related to their alpha. Long as respect is shown back to them in return, which you did very well. Besides, a few more days of playing games with them, you'll possibly have four friends."
Jason snorted. "Velociraptors for friends? Oh how that would be useful at school when dealing with jackasses that think their tough."
Owen chuckled as he put an arm around his nephew's shoulder. "Friends like them, nobody would even approach you."
The duo were completely unaware that they weren't alone, that somebody had been watching and had seen Jason's interaction with the raptors and it brought a grin to his face as he realized he had found the perfect candidate.
Vic Hoskins took out his phone and dialled Wu's number as he turned and made his way to his car. "Hey, it's me. I think I've found our candidate for the project..."
And that's it for this chapter folks, like I said, Jason would bond with the Raptors and I tried to come up with good ways for him to do so while on the other side of the cage since he can't exactly go in there with them. They are still dangerous predators that can turn on you like as quick as a snap of your fingers.
And it looks like Hoskins has seen Jason's growing bond with the raptors as well.