Jurassic Park: The Broken Lives Saga by Dinohunter55
Chapter 13: The Embryonics Administration
Silver Claw walked past the pack to the sounds of snarls and hisses. His head hung low. Amanda followed him closely and Ellie even closer to her. He had refused the offer though it pained him greatly to do it. A few of the pack made taunts and tried baiting him into fights. He ignored them.
Jack, Sara, Fang, and Elise watched him go from the top of the hill. Jack had allowed Silver Claw to remain in his territory for a while so that the humans could reach the various buildings. He probably hoped that the humans would leave or die and free Silver Claw for a second chance to join his pack. They could not remain too long however within the territorial bounds. Jack prohibited Silver Claw and the humans from scavenging any future kills by the pack.
"I'm sorry," Amanda said. She looked like she wanted to place a hand on his side to comfort him but held back.
"I made my choice," Silver Claw said and looked her in the eyes. It amazed him how easy the gesture came now and that the feeling of threat and challenge was nearly gone. "We're a pack and I won't betray that to join another." He nuzzled Amanda's face.
Amanda gave him a quick hug. "I would have understood if you wanted to be with your family, I know I would have considered it."
"Like you told Sara," Silver Claw said. "We both suffered because of the spinosaurus. We share a bond as close as any pack mate I have known. I won't leave you now."
Amanda smiled and hugged him again. She kissed his cheek. "Thank you," Amanda said, "For everything."
They followed the road north of the tree. Silver Claw told them about the pachycephalosaurus herd and Ellie reluctantly agreed to go to the laboratory instead. Silver Claw heard the distant pachycephalosaurus down the valley and led Amanda and Ellie further north where a cliff loamed over the road.
Silver Claw soon broke from the road and walked towards the cliff face. Amanda gave him a questioning look but said nothing. At the base of the cliff, Silver Claw found a few scattered bones where he knew they would be, prominent of which was the skull, that of a velociraptor.
Silver Claw stared at it for a while and then looked up to the top of the cliff. "This is where my mother died," Silver Claw said softly. Images of that day flashed in his mind. He tried to feel angry but sorrow and guilt overwhelmed him. He was too small to do anything at the time but part of him wished he tried.
Amanda hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry Silver Claw," Amanda said. He heard the sorrow in her voice and knew tears would not be far if they lingered too long.
"Since we were close to the spot, I just wanted to…" Silver Claw trailed off.
"I understand," Amanda said. She released him. "Take as long as you need. I'm sure it's been a long time since you were last here."
Silver Claw let his eyes linger on the cracked skull for a little while longer. "We should get to the building before you get sick from this rain."
"Ok," Amanda said.
They carried on along the base of the cliff until the road ran parallel. A cave, hidden partially by a flowering bush and behind iron bars, drew their attention but a rusted lock held the door shut. It was too dark to see beyond a few meters and Silver Claw did not wish to enter it anyway.
The cliff fell away from the road and the terrain rose slowly. The jungle surrounded them. The rain poured. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Something moved in the jungle.
"We're being followed." Silver Claw said softly to Amanda.
"I thought so too," Amanda said. "They didn't wait that long after we left the circle to start following us, did they?" She looked back at Ellie who had resumed walking with her eyes down. "I think Ellie's going to need some time alone when we reach the building."
Silver Claw agreed but said nothing. Ellie definitely had something on her mind. First, he needed to decide what to do about the velociraptors following them. He guessed there were at least two.
"So are you our escorts around your territory?" Amanda asked loudly in the velociraptor language. "I thought that Jack said our fate was not your concern."
"What are you doing?" Silver Claw hissed softly.
"They're not going to harm us," Amanda said, "Probably. I would rather have them out in the open and talking to us than following us all the way thinking they're hiding."
Silver Claw snorted at her logic but agreed in part. He would rather have them visible.
The jungle rustled on either side of the road. Two velociraptors emerged. One was the massive male Silver Claw mistook for the alpha and the other was Sunayana.
"Hi Sunayana," Amanda said and gave a little wave with a smile.
Sunayana snarled a little but walked alongside them. "You're avoiding the pachycephalosaurus herd?"
"Yes," Silver Claw said. He eyed the large male nervously as the male ducked his head to sniff at Ellie. Ellie only gave a vacant glance at the raptor and continued walking. Perhaps he should encourage Amanda to stay with Ellie once they reached the building.
"What's your name?" Amanda asked the large male.
"I am Loki," said the velociraptor. He circled around until he was walking between Amanda and Sunayana. He sniffed at her as well. "You smell odd."
Amanda laughed nervously. "We haven't had a bath in a while but this rain is probably helping." She held out her hand to catch the large droplets.
Loki nudged her outreaching hand so he could examine her fingertips. "You have no claws."
"No," Amanda said.
Silver Claw relaxed a little. This Loki showed no signs of aggression but rather genuine curiosity. "Have you seen a human before?"
"Only a dead one," Loki said. He looked Amanda up and down. "I've never seen a whole one before though."
"Oh," Amanda said.
"Loki," Sunayana said sternly.
Loki looked at Sunayana for a brief moment and then slowly circled around until he was on the other side of Silver Claw.
"You're Silver Claw's aunt," Amanda said, looking directly at Sunayana. "Jack said you were his daughter right?"
Sunayana stared at Amanda for a while before speaking. "I am Jack and Sara's daughter, yes. I am from their third clutch. Silver Claw's mother was from the first."
"That still makes you his aunt," Amanda said. "So you are family. What about you Loki, are you related too?"
"Sunayana and I are siblings from the same clutch." Loki said. He had a small number of quills along his head but they were flat for the moment. His gaze switched quickly between Amanda and Ellie.
"So you're Silver Claw's uncle." Amanda said. She smiled at patted Silver Claw's side.
He gave her a questioning look.
"Get to know them," Amanda leaned in so only he could hear. "They're your family and maybe one day the pack will accept you. It'll help if others in the pack like you already and get to know you first."
"As long as you humans are with Silver Claw, I doubt that will change," Sunayana showed her teeth, amused. "I have better hearing than you think human."
"So you do," Amanda shrugged. "Either way, I'm not wrong. You should get to know Silver Claw."
"Why do you care?" Sunayana asked.
"Silver Claw is my friend," Amanda said. "He is also my pack mate. I want what's best for him and I think it would be good for him to connect with family, even if it's just a little while."
Silver Claw watched Sunayana stare at Amanda for a long while. Sunayana's body relaxed ever so slightly. He considered what Amanda said. She was probably right and it could not hurt to get to know them while he had the time, family or not.
Tyrannous watched the pack of striped velociraptors chase a separated parasaurolophus whose herd had wandered into the long grass. It would not be long before they got a kill. He counted less than a dozen members but there could be more elsewhere. The velociraptor he sought was not among their number.
The parasaurolophus went down and the pack swarmed over the squawking creature. The rest of the herd ran on and disappeared into the jungles. He watched the mix of males and females tear into the still living meal.
He wondered how their pack managed to survive and produce hatchlings. When the humans left the island, the pack was entirely female save a young male, too young to reproduce, who died during the storm that freed them all. Tyrannous's pack and those of Silver Claw's pack had a mix of males and females from the start. Over time, males started appearing among the striped velociraptors number and more appeared with the few births they managed. Due to the more savage nature of the pack however, the original velociraptors were basically gone and those that hatched since made up the majority but even they were few in number.
The humans had done something that caused the infertility among the various packs. He was sure of that. For a while, the eggs lain were dead but slowly over the years, they began to stir with life again, for a few it happened even while still captive by the humans. Whatever the humans did was temporary but had lasting effects that still haunted them to this day.
Tyrannous was about to leave when he spotted something strange amongst the pack, a female velociraptor that was white in color with black peppered spots. He watched her for a long time as she fought amongst the others for a place at the kill. A fight turned bloody and one of the other females left the kill with a new limp as the white female took her place.
Tyrannous settled down atop the cliffs. He decided he would remain in the area for a while. The cries of the parasaurolophus died as it finally drew its last breaths. Only the rumbling of thunder remained.
Amanda ran, heart pounding, breaths fast and hard. She felt the tremors through her feet and heard the breaking trees. They were part way across a bridge when they spotted the spinosaurus down stream of them. It spotted them when a flash of lightning drew its gaze up from where it fished the deep slow river. They were close to the building but it was gaining ground on them.
Silver Claw ran nearby. Ellie trailed a little behind Amanda. Sunayana and Loki had left them behind.
The road curved and Amanda saw the grey buildings ahead. She pushed harder. The breaking trees stopped but the stomping continued. Amanda dared to look back. She did not see the spinosaurus yet but knew it was on the road. Ellie and Silver Claw were behind her now.
Amanda nearly ran into a vehicle as she looked forward again. They had reached the parking lot. She spared the various vehicles and a sign only enough attention to avoid them. She ran across a walkway connecting the parking lot to the entrance. It crossed a murky pond. She climbed the stairs towards the entrance. A sign above the doors said EMBRYONICS ADMINISTRATION.
The spinosaurus roared.
Amanda did not look back. She passed through the open glass door and swerved around a curved desk that greeted the door. She stopped at the back of the room and bent over. She puked between dizzying breaths.
Amanda looked up and realized that she was alone.
Pain rocked Ellie's ankle and then she fell hard. She rolled to a stop against the tire of a vehicle. Silver Claw stopped and said something to her but she could not understand it. She looked back down the road but the foliage blocked her sight. Silver Claw said something again and then ran away from her.
Ellie felt the tremors rumbling the earth.
The spinosaurus roared.
Ellie shook with fear and wept. She looked around and dragged herself under the vehicle to hide. It was all too much for one day. She wanted to scream. She wanted to go home.
The tremors slowed but a deep breathing grew louder. A foot landed next to the vehicle and stayed there. The mud squelched under the beast's weight. She heard the sniffing again.
Ellie held her breath as lips trembled. Snot ran heavy from her nose. Ellie closed her eyes.
The tremors started again. The spinosaurus walked away.
A low shuddering breath shook Ellie. She watched the spinosaurus move parallel to the buildings, following something that it could see but she could not. She lay still for several minutes as the spinosaurus returned to view and then disappeared again into the trees.
Ellie heard Amanda calling for her but the dinosaur was too close still. Ellie remained silent. She tried rolling her ankle but that brought spikes of pain. Ellie closed her eyes and just lay in the mud. A deep cold, more than just the rain, brought fresh shivers to her.
Ellie thought of home and wept anew. She wanted to go home even if it was to a broken one. She wanted off this island, no, needed off this island. If Amanda wanted to stay, that was not her problem anymore.
When the spinosaurus next roared, it was more distant. Ellie dared to look out from the vehicle. She saw neither Amanda nor Silver Claw. She dragged herself out and staggered to her feet, using the vehicle to help support her briefly.
Ellie limped to the entrance and climbed the stairs. She gripped the railing tight and each new step brought fresh agonies. When she reached the entrance, she found the nearest chair and dropped into it. She heard footsteps coming towards her from outside.
The large male velociraptor that had followed them approached her. It looked her over, head getting too close for Ellie's liking. She pushed it away saying, "Go away."
The velociraptor flashed its teeth.
Ellie just leaned back a little in the chair and closed her eyes. When she next opened them, the velociraptor was gone. Ellie just did not care anymore. Her tears stopped and she just stared through the glass at the jungled valley beyond.
Amanda found Ellie when she looped back around to search the main lobby again. She hugged Ellie but just got a vacant stare in return.
"I thought I lost you," Amanda said, "Ellie?"
"Yeah," Ellie sighed and just looked away.
Amanda was on the verge of tears. "Are you alright?"
"Just let me be alone Amanda," Ellie said and crossed her arms.
Amanda heard steps and turned around. Loki stood in the passage leading deeper into the building. Amanda looked at Ellie for a moment and then walked away.
"You and Sunayana are fast," Amanda said.
"Much faster than you it would seem," Loki said. She saw a hint of anger when his eyes passed in Ellie's direction.
"She's been through a lot." Amanda said. "She took a long time to get used to Silver Claw. Don't expect her to like you anytime soon." Amanda looked at Ellie. "Or ever if we can get her a way off this island."
The thought dragged up a deep sorrow in Amanda. She wanted her friend by her side but Amanda felt there was nothing worth returning to back home. She had a new home though it fought her at every chance.
Loki snorted. "I don't think either of you will last long at this rate."
Amanda patted Loki on the shoulder as she walked by him. "That's why it helps to have a pack."
"A pack is only as strong as its weakest member," Loki said.
Amanda frowned. He was right but she did not like the thought of being the weakest member of the pack. She was intelligent. That must count towards something on this island. It was just the physical aspects that she needed to improve, however that seemed to be most of the problems she had run into so far. She would have to find something she could contribute to the pack to make them accept her as an equal.
"Where are you going?" Loki asked.
Amanda ducked into a small room off to the side of some vending machines and the bathrooms. She found a long padded couch with a coffee table and a water dispenser. "I want to know where we can rest until morning."
"Where is Silver Claw?" Loki said and he watched her intently.
Amanda moved the damaged magazines from the coffee table and laid out her soaked map. "I saw him leading the spinosaurus away. I am sure he will be back soon. He normally slows down to keep pace with us."
"You trust him?"
Amanda stopped what she was doing and looked Loki in the eyes, "With my life."
Amanda kept Loki in the corner of her vision as she tidied up the room. He was curious about humans so she had that going for her but she did not know where curiosity ended and danger began with him. He was family to Silver Claw and that mattered to her, maybe more than it did to the velociraptors it seemed but time would tell if it was a good idea to get to know them. She walked back out and found Ellie unmoved. Amanda walked up behind her and grabbed the back of the chair.
"What are you doing?" Ellie grumbled. "I just want to be left alone."
"And I will leave you alone," Amanda said and started wheeling Ellie across the floor, "Just as soon as I get you somewhere to lie down for a while."
Ellie said nothing.
Amanda wheeled her into the room and then helped Ellie onto the couch.
"Thank you," Ellie muttered.
"You're welcome." Amanda looked Ellie over. "Where's your bag?"
"I tossed it away when that thing chased us." Ellie said. She sucked in a rattling breath through her nose and coughed a little.
Amanda frowned, "Oh. I'll go and see if I can find us some clothes to change into. Get some rest, ok?"
Ellie nodded slowly.
Amanda closed the door behind her as she stepped out of the room. Through the glass, Ellie lay on her side and shivered. Amanda felt her own shivers. They would need clean clothes soon or risk getting really sick.
"Do humans often express themselves like that?" Sunayana said.
Amanda gasped at the unexpected second velociraptor. "We've been through a lot these past few weeks," Amanda sighed. "It's just been weighing on her mind a lot more."
Sunayana cocked her head. "What have you gone through that would trouble a human so much?"
Amanda sighed and started walking through the building to find the things she needed. She recounted an abridged version of the story to Sunayana and Loki. They listened in silence until she reached the part about Tyrannous, then they hissed.
"We've heard that name," Sunayana said. "He betrayed the pack."
"I'm sure he's done lots to earn that hate," Amanda said. She did not tell them about the night hunt with Tyrannous, only that she managed to kill a gallimimus and get it back to keep them from starving. She stopped her tale when they left the airstrip in the early hours. They could guess the rest easily enough.
Amanda still found it hard to believe that they only left the airstrip earlier that day. It had been a long day. She felt the cold and fatigue creeping into her the more she dwelled on that fact.
"You have been through a lot," Sunayana relented, "For a human."
Amanda cocked an eyebrow at that. Sunayana might actually warm up to her after all.
"Was the boat that the spinosaurus destroyed your home?" Loki asked.
"No," Amanda said. "We just rented it for a week and a bit to celebrate my birthday. My home is back in San Diego."
"Is that another island?"
"No, it's a city." Amanda said. She did not know how much they would understand the concepts. "It's on the mainland far to the north of here. Lots of people live there."
"Why did you travel so far from home?" Loki cocked his head. His quills were up.
"My Dad surprised me with the trip." Amanda felt a rush of emotion but barely kept it in check. "He thought it would be a beautiful adventure to mark me reaching adulthood."
The velociraptors were silent. Their attention turned to something else she could not hear.
"It doesn't matter now," Amanda sighed. "My parents both died in the attack. The only good thing to come from this trip was that I met Silver Claw."
"I think I hear him coming," Sunayana said.
Amanda smiled. "That's good to hear."