(Hello everyone, here's chapter 6. Hope you all enjoy.)
Chapter 6: Primal Instincts
Sora and Buge walked amongst the root columns into the tree, Sora could only look around in awe. They come to a center, hollow area within the trunk of the tree, Sora could see from above branches and limbs that could go to the very canopy. But his attention was soon drawn to the walls around him, paintings and drawings showing almost every creature that he has seen in the Sirona lands.
"Just like in the primordian lair." Sora said softly in awe as he looks over the paintings, noticing how they are very much like the other's he seen in the cave.
"Yes, Sora… Just like in the lair, these murals also tell the stories of what has happened in the past and present of our land. Stories that can have a great importance even now…" Buge says as he paints a little mural with his finger, Sora looked to him perplexed a bit. Then from out of the corner of his eye, a bluish hue light illuminated.
What Sora sees and walks over at the very center is a pillar, consisting of twisted vines that extended to one of the top branches. In the center of the pillar, a light blue stone shimmers as Sora walks around curiously looking at the stone.
"Is this…?" Sora asks as he stops to gaze at the stone.
"The primordial stone…the heart of our land." Buge says as he walks over.
"Father told me about it once. I've never thought I would actually get to see it." Sora says as he continues to look at the stone in awe.
"Legend has it that on the day Gundrin fell, he used his remaining strength and power to create and bless our land with this very stone. It's even believed that his spirit lies within as part of the stone itself." Buge explains to him.
"Wow…" Sora said in awe, "Can you feel its power?" Buge asked him.
"I, um… I don't really feel anything, but…You said I can find answers, what does this have to with what I've been experiencing?" Sora asks him perplexed.
"Try looking at the stone again." Buge says, Sora looks at the stone again.
"…I only see my reflection, there's nothing else." Sora says a bit discouraged and still perplexed.
"Look harder, beyond what you see." Buge says pointing at the stone. So, Sora gazes even deeper into the stone.
"I see…" Sora says gazing, as he does, he begins to see spiritual figures of various creatures from raptors, thanators, therizinosaur's, sturmbeasts, and even T-rexes from within the stone. Then from amongst them, a dragon-like spiritual apparition takes form and rushes out toward Sora's gaze mouth wide open. Sora suddenly steps back startled and bewildered by what just occurred as Buge watched.
"What did you see?" Buge asked him.
"I…I didn't just see, I was…feeling. It was as if the spirts of the creatures that I've seen in the Sirona lands and even beyond, I felt their call. Like they were talking not with me, but as me; I know it sounds strange but…" Sora was saying when he noticed through his pov that everything seems much clearer, even in the darker areas; he rubbed his eyes a bit confused.
Buge then grabed half of a gourd fruit and filled it with water, which he gave to Sora.
"Buge, I'm not really…" Sora was saying when he saw through the water's reflection, his eyes. They were not brown, but a golden yellow. Sora blinks his eyes for a bit to look at his reflection again, but they returned to be a being a brown color.
"Strange things seem to be happening a lot for you, like having clearer sight?" Buge asks Sora who pondered in thought.
"Yeah…" "Reminds of you how Shadow-fang can see so well even in the dark, and your eyes. They were very much like that of your sister." Buge says to Sora who was still a bit perplexed about it.
"It was like looking through their eyes almost. But…why would this be happening to me? I mean I'm a man-cub as everyone seems to point out." Sora says getting despondent.
"…What are you doing…?" Sora asks when Buge directs his staff at the stones base near vines. To his awe, they glow and lead to part of the trunk wall.
"I'm casting light, to bring answers from the darkness." Buge says as the wall with paintings and drawings come to light from the glowing vines.
"Whenever a new life is brought into our world, from the mightiest to the humblest of creatures, a spirit stands beside them." "Why is that?" Sora asks Buge curiously looking at the wall.
"To provide them guidance in the circle of life, and to bring comfort once that life is passed on. You see, every one of us has a path that sets us all apart. Those paths maybe different from how we see, but they can be the very same in how we feel." Buge explains to mystified Sora as he looks to the murals.
"So then, Zeon and the others…" "Have their primordian sprits to guide them…" Buge says looking to Sora.
"And even me?" Sora asks wondering.
"Yes, even you… Or rather instead of leaving as spirit, it should rather be said that you have spirits to guide you. Perhaps maybe to help you…" Buge says leaving Sora a bit amazed and mystified by this. "A man-cub, that you are. But, rather on believing on what you and others see…What is it that you feel…?" Buge asks pointing his finger at Sora's chest, leaving him pondering on the very question.
Then the two hear sounds coming from outside the tree, "What was that?" Sora asks as he then runs out to investigate with Buge following close behind him. As he comes out, he sees and hears in the distance great flocks of birds scattering in all directions.
"The birds…?" "Danger, they're warning of Dra-khan." Buge says quite concerned.
"Dra-khan's near?!" Sora says startled by this, then they both hear a great roar that seems to echo across the land affirming to their dread of what the birds cry out. "So, he is here." Sora thought when they hear the bellow of a familiar saurian, only adding more to their anxiety.
"That was Nymeria!" Sora says realizing.
"She's in trouble…! Sora, wait. You know this will be dangerous." Buge says as Sora stops to listen as he was running off.
"Yeah, well…I'm not just gonna stand by when my friends are in danger…! You wanted to know how I feel. I feel like that even though everyone says I'm a man-cub, I know I can be there to help and fight alongside them when they need me the most. And, that I will do the kind of thing that any worthy raptor hunter would do; just as my father did for me." Sora says to Buge who just listened in silence to his words, then he runs off into the jungle.
Buge could only smile a bit as he watched after listening, he starts to whistle. A small bird comes flying down and lands on his staff, Buge leaned in and whispered to it. "Go." Buge says as the bird takes off into the air.
In the jungle, Sora runs through the brush and vegetation. Hoping over logs and rocks and swinging through the vines. "I'm not going to be able to make it there in time like this…I need to go faster…" Sora thought.
That's when like before he felt a sensation running through his body. He notices the surroundings moving more rapidly around, he realizes that he is moving quicker than he ever has before; much to his amazement.
"Hahahaha, yeah…! Wooah, woah, woooah." Sora says nearly stumbling but manages to stay running as he continues through the jungle brush.
Zeon and the others meanwhile were fighting fiercely against the rock giants, each member focusing their strength against one of the three. Zeon was taking quicks snaps at one while avoiding the rock giants' arm swings, Katuri and Adar also jumped on its back trying to slash and bite. Blade was doing the same, side stepping dogging a direct swing from giants' arms. He then takes a swipe with his claws, but they don't do much.
"Ugh, my claws… they just glance right off." Blade says while stepping back avoiding another hit.
Harmond and crystal were also experiencing trouble, both roaring at the larger rock giant who takes a large tree branch from a tree and hurls it at them. They both dodge it running to the sides, then Harmond charges and takes a bite at the giant's leg, but the giant only manages to kick him off. Harmond lands on his side but manages to get back up and regroup with crystal.
"Damm, their hides are tougher than that of an ankylo's armor!" "Well, they are called rock giants…" Crystal said adding to Harmond's annoyance, but then dodge an incoming double arm slam that hits the ground between them.
Zeon takes a bite on a rock giants' arm, but the rock giant flails him off and punches him making him stumble back a bit from the blow. The giant also manages to shake off Katuri and Adar from its back and nearly stomps on them as they dodge its foot.
"This isn't working." "All we seem to be doing is just making them angrier and losing our fangs against their rock hides." Katuri and Adar say getting frustrated that their efforts are becoming feeble. Yet still they and the others continue to fight against their opponents.
"Zeon, what do you think we should do?!" Crystal asks as the situation become seemingly impossible, much to Zeon's growing concern.
"There has to be a way to beat them, but what…? What was it that Buge said? Zeon says as he thinks back to what Buge told him.
"Let your instincts and spirits guide you, and they will show you the path to victory." Zeon heard as he remembered those very words from Buge, then a thought occurred to him. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, "Let my instincts guide me." Zeon says deep in thought, then his eyes begin to glow red and his skin begins to change color to a fiery orange-red with dark black stripes as he lets out a great roar; the others are left in awe as they see this.
"Great Gundrin…" Blade says in in awe, while Zeon takes a look at himself seeing his new skin color.
"Zeon, watch out!" Adar shouts out as a rock giant takes another arm swing at him, Zeon dodges and then as he roars lets out a great burst of flame. Striking the rock giant down its center, pushing it back as it falls to the ground. Everyone including Zeon him was taken aback by the show of power.
"Unbelievable." "You can say that again." Crystal and Harmond say in awe.
"Looks like I found our path. Guys, you need to stop…" Zeon explains to them.
"Stop? Why the heck do you want us to stop for?!" Harmond asks surprised.
"Listen, you need to stop and relax a bit. Clear your mind, and let your instincts tell you what you need to do." Zeon explains, and even though the others didn't understand they followed what he said.
"Stop, think…" "Clear our mind…" "Let our instincts tell us…" Adar, Katuri, Harmond, Crystal, and Blade thought as they do what Zeon had done. Then they began to feel it, their own powers whelming from within.
Adar and Katuri's eyes glowed yellow, their skin color changes to become green with yellow markings and horizontal striping along with a light-yellow underbelly. Crystal eyes glow blow, her skin changes to having aquamarine and a light underbelly, and red shade on her eyes.
Blades eyes glow purple, his feathers and face become more brightly colored, his face with a shade purplish-blue and his feathers become a tinge of rusty orange and red on the backs tip from neck to tail; there are also blue markings and horizontal striping along with a lighter colored underbelly. Harmonds' eyes glow grey, his skin becomes a dark blue and purple with a lightly colored purple underbelly and his crests become vibrant with a violet purple-red. They all roar from the power that springs out.
"Look at us…" "Well, my feathers have never looked better." "Never thought that blue would be my color." "This feeling…haha, I like it." Katuri, Blade, Crystal, and Harmond say looking at themselves and feeling the power they've felt.
"How are you all feeling?" Zeon asks approaching them.
"I'm feeling ready for a fight." "And to defend our lands…" Harmond and Blade say to Zeon, as the three rock giants regroup including the one Zeon hit as it gets back up.
"Then, lets send them to Nemesis hell." Zeon says as he roars sounding the charge, once again each of them focusing on a different rock giant engaging them.
"Alright, time to see what I can do." Blade says as he fights one rock giant, his eyes and red feathers on his very back glow a purplish hue.
A cluster of sharpened crystals emerge from the ground around him, with one motion of his arms he sends the crystals right at the rock giant piercing its hide making it collapse to the ground. "…Drac…" Blade says amazed and impressed by his own power.
Crystal and Harmond against their own rock giant, doge a stomp and a kick from the giants' massive feet. Crystals skin glows a bluish hue, as water begins to rise from her feet and whirl around her in a vortex. She roars out the water, the rock giant becomes caught in the vortex spinning it around and eventually knocking it down.
"I've always known that water was my greatest strength." Crystal says feeling a bit proud, but the rock giant gets back up and bellows out to her much to her dismay and frustration.
"Not bad. But now its my turn." Harmond says stepping in front of crystal, his skin begins to glow a greyish-light blue hue. From above, a whirl of wind descends and surrounds his tail.
He roars out, swinging his tail forward creating sharpened blades of wind. Through the air, they hit the giant cutting it off parts of its hide and even slicing one of its legs off. The rock giant falls to the ground head first as it cries out one last time.
"Oohhohoho, I'm going to enjoy this for sure!" Harmond says feeling great and smug about his new power.
Zeon along with Katuri and Adar continue to fight their now mid-scorched rock giant, the giant tries to stomp on Katuri and Adar but they dodge the attack. Zeon charges in snapping at the giant, who bellows at him and then swings it arms trying to hit him again; Zeon though steps back and spins around whacking the giant with his tail causing it to nearly stumble on its back.
"This will end now. Katuri, Adar…!" Zeon shouts out to them seeing the opportunity given.
"Well sister, you ready to finish this?" "Like you have to ask me twice brother." Katuri and Adar say to each other, then their bodies begin to glow a yellow hue as lighting surrounds them.
They charge, jumping high into the air, spinning forward as lighting envelops them. They fall toward the giant, hitting it at the scorched mark on its mid-section. Together grinding it with such force, they penetrate right through. Landing back on the ground regaining their balance, they look back along with Zeon to see the big hole left on the giant. It bellows out as it falls to the ground.
Zeon approaches, then lifting his head high lets out a great roar of triumph; the others follow, sounding out through the Sirona lands. They soon transform back to their former appearances.
"We did it guys!" "Yeah…!" Zeon and Adar say yelling, jumping, and stomping for joy over their victory.
"Now that was drac, so this is the kind of power that the spirits granted us eh." Blade said to them.
"Yeah, I never would've imagined feeling that kind of power in all my life." Crystal stated to him feeling a bit elated.
"Zeon, how did you know what to do in order for us to feel those powers?" Katuri asked curiously.
"It was what Buge said, let our instincts…" "And our spirits guide us to the path to victory." Zeon and Adar said realizing the meaning.
"Huh, guess that old monkey did good by what he said after all." Harmond states.
"Does that mean you believe in these so-called stories now." Crystal asks him with the others looking at him to his response.
"Well, maybe there's something to them. But don't you go thinking that I'll…" Harmond was saying when a small bird fly's down and moves around his head, much to his annoyance.
"Friend of yours, Harmond?" Zeon asks him perplexed by this along with the others as they watch.
"No, but most definitely annoying." Harmond says as he takes a snap at it, making fly away and around the others.
"Hey." Katuri says, "He's a hyper little guy." Zeon says as they watch the bird fly around them close and erratically.
"Actually, it kind of looks like he is trying to tell us something…" Adar says as the bird fly's close to Blades head.
"Oh, and what would he have to say; how are the seeds this evening?" Harmond says a bit mockingly at the idea, while Blade seems to listen to the bird as it tweets to him.
"He has a message for us, and it's from Buge." Blade says much to Harmond's surprise.
"What's the message about?" Crystal asked curiously.
"Yes…Uh-huh…Oh-no." Blade says alarming everyone by his tone.
"What, what is it?" Zeon asks as he starts to worry.
"It's Dra-khan, he's here in the Sirona lands…" Blade says leaving the others taken aback.
"Dra-khan!" "Him too?" Harmond and Crystal say surprised.
"He was heard not far from here, and not just him; Nymeria was heard the same time as well." Blade says alarming them even further.
"My mother?!" Zeon exclaimed.
"But why would Dra-khan be here in the Sirona lands?" Crystal asked perplexed.
"Um, cause he's a cynical tyrant that doesn't care about the circle of life." Harmond says a bit sarcastically to Crystal's annoyance.
"The rock giants; this entire circumstance was little more than a diversion. The rock giants were brought here just to make us keep our time with them." Katuri says puzzling the pieces together.
"So that he would be able to go after his target of choice, and that target would be…" "The Queen!" Adar and the others say in unison realizing their worst fear, especially Zeon.
"We gotta move, now!" Zeon exclaims as he turns to head into the forest with the others following him.
"We're not the only ones doing so. The last part of the message; Sora is on his way there right now." Blade states surprising the others.
"Sora?!" "Our little brother?" Katuri and Adar say now dreading the worst.
"I told that man-cub that this was no game!" Harmond says agitated by this as they run.
Nymeria and Dra-Khan clash ferociously, bodies intertwining and slamming as jaws snap and bite at each other. Tania and Maria watch hidden near brush and large boulder cover, frightened by what's happening. Nymeria slams her head against Dra-Khan's chest pushing him back, but then his three-fingered claws find their way and scars against Nymeria's lower jaw and neck. She roars out, Dra-Khan charges her, Nymeria quickly responds body slamming him making him stumble and dazed from the blow.
However, she then hears the cries from the sisters, looking over to see them being surrounded by the atrociraptors snarling and bearing their claws. One of them prepares to lunge, then its suddenly grabbed by Nymeria's jaws, thrown to the ground, and stomped on. She roars fiercely putting her body between them and the sisters, but the raptors didn't hear her warning. They surround Nymeria and jump onto her, clawing and biting at her back. Nymeria moves around trying to shake them off, she grabs the tails of two and throws them off; but she begins to struggle with the onslaught and starts to feel getting exhausted.
Then catching her by surprise, Dra-Khan comes charging in grabbing her and then slamming her body against the trunk of a large tree. The atrociraptors jump off as she wails out as she falls alongside on top of the tree to the ground. The sisters could only helplessly watch as their mother is at their mercy.
"Hahaha, you're certainly a strong fighter Nymeria. But even so…From this point on, the weak will be broken. And the strong will grow to rule them all." Dra-Khan says wickedly as he pins her with his foot, even slowly forcing it putting pressure on her.
"You…won't have your way, Dra-khan…never." Nymeria says groaning as she feels the pressure from Dr-Khans pinning foot.
"Oh, I believe I have." Dra-Khan says then leaning in with his jaws open toward her neck as the atrociraptors watch the moment to their delight.
However, it was then a loud yell could be heard all around them much to their surprise; but Nymeria knew even near exhaustion who it was. Sora comes swinging in from the vines, landing on a branch that bends back sending him high into the air with the atrociraptors watching. He lands right on Dra-Khans back.
Dra-Khan twists and turns his massive head trying fiercely to grab Sora as he hangs on the spikes on his back from the motion.
"Sora." Nymeria says as she watches him evade and hang on.
Dra-Khan unaware of his footing then trips on a log causing him to fall on his side, Sora jumps off at that point and then lands directly in front of the rex sisters blocking them from the attackers.
"Stay behind me." Sora says to them as the Atrociraptors snarl at them as Dra-Khan gets back on his feet.
"… Perfect, look who decided to show his scaless hide." Dra-Khan maliciously says as he half-circles around them.
"Dra-Khan, I won't let you continue on with this you scale-bellied worm." Sora says making Dra-Khan growl angrily at the remark.
"No, Sora… Take the little ones and run!" Nymeria tries to plead to him for his and their safety as she looks on, but Sora doesn't move.
"What's wrong man-cub, feeling hesitant to move…? Well it doesn't matter, you have greatly overestimated your position here. Now my fangs will have you." Dra-Khan says cynically with him and the atrociraptors surrounding them, as Nymeria could only watch helplessly.
"You haven't won yet… Gangway!" Sora said when he suddenly rushes in, startling the atrociraptors and pushing them aside, he goes right under Dra-Khans feet to his brief confusion.
"Try to catch me if you can you big spiny slug!" Sora teased as he rushed into the forest, which angered Dra-Khan.
"Quit standing idly, After him!" Dra-Khan ordered as he, Ghost, and a couple of other atrociraptors chased him into the forest, but some stayed behind. Their attention went back to the sisters in the brush rock cover, once again they began to close in.
"No…" Nymeria thought as she tried desperately to get back up, but she was still exhausted and collapsed to the ground. The sisters could only back themselves up against the rocks frightened as the raptors get closer and closer.
Then from above, Shadow-fang jumps out of the rock roaring and charges straight at the raptors. He swats at one and clamps his jaws at another that tries to jump on him, the remaining raptors get weary at the sight of Shadow-fangs ferocity as he turns his growling sights at them. At that point, the raptors decide to retreat.
Nymeria although still a bit wobbly, gets back on her feet. Tania and Maria also come out from the cover as Shadow-fang checks on them. "Your safe now." He say's reassuring them as Nymeria walks over.
"Thank you, Shadow-fang. I'm glad you two are okay." Nymeria says as she nuzzles the youngsters who do the same to her snout.
"Mother!" A voice calls out from the brush which turns out to be Zeon rushing in with the others towards them. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm alright and so are they." Nymeria says to Zeon reassuring him.
"Where's Sora?" Katuri asked concerned.
"In danger, he's leading Dra-Khan and the atrociraptors away from here." Nymeria explained to Katuri and the other's fear.
"Shadow-fang?" Crystal said as she and the others see him run off into the forest on the trail.
"Crystal, Blade. Stay here with my mother. Harmond you're with us, follow him." Zeon says as he, Katuri, Adar, and Harmond follow Shadow-fang into the forest trail as well.
(What will become of Sora? Will the others make it in time before Dra-Khans fangs do? Stick around and find out in the next chapter, see ya soon.)