Jurassic Park: The Broken Lives Saga by Dinohunter55
Chapter 14: Ambushed
Amanda twirled a rose between her fingers. It was yellow with red tips. It was an odd thing to find on the island though certainly not the most out of place considering the dinosaurs. She loved it. Amanda had spent a summer growing roses at a greenhouse in the countryside of California. Her Mother thought it would keep her out of trouble, little did she know that Amanda would gain her first real crush and kiss during that summer. She chuckled at the symbolism of the rose due to who gave it to her. It meant either friendship or more commonly falling in love. Silver Claw had plucked it for her when she had gone on at length earlier in the day about a love of flowers she had since she was little. She had plucked a couple of stuck thorns from his lips in return and then gave him a kiss on the snout.
The rose smelled so sweet and Amanda took a deep sniff. She sighed and relaxed. It along with the gentle breathing of Silver Claw under her head lulled her mind to peace.
They had stayed in the Embryonics Administration for several days now. The spinosaurus was gone, they hoped, and Ellie was in a better mood. She had found a much too large grey hoodie in a locker. It was comically oversize for her but she loved it. It kept her warm in the cool nights and the bugs away from her arms and face. Ellie also found the radio setup the day after they arrived but had no luck in getting it working so far. The facility did not have a source of power generation like Observation Administration. Amanda guessed that this facility relied on the large geothermal power plant far to the south east for its supply. Any back up power stations were long dead too it seemed.
The velociraptors were infrequent visitors. Sunayana returned the most. She and Silver Claw had struck up several long conversations about their respective packs. That made Amanda happy. Sunayana appeared to be the favored as next alpha of the pack in the event something happened to Jack and Sara. Amanda made the right choice in encouraging him to talk with her. She knew he would have passed up the opportunity if she did not encourage it. Sunayana was warming up to Amanda a little. They even had a few conversations while Silver Claw was out hunting. The other velociraptors were another story.
Loki had not returned since, though Amanda had a growing suspicion that he was watching them from the jungle on occasion. She still did not know if she could trust him yet. A few others kept to the jungle and disappeared as soon as she spotted them. Talon and Rebecca were the most unpleasant visitors and only came by once thankfully, though they wanted a fight. They were mates. It was Talon that Silver Claw had charged into while trying to defend her under the tree. He held a grudge and so did his mate who was also present. Amanda learned a little about the other velociraptors too but had yet to see them for proper introductions. The pack only numbered thirteen members Amanda gathered. All but one had a mate but the remaining female was siblings to Sunayana and Loki.
Silver Claw twitched in his sleep. Amanda smiled. She set the rose aside and pulled a blanket over her. She stared out of the large reinforced cafeteria windows at the darkening sky and the winking lights of stars. She had a full belly, safety, and a good friend by her side. Her eyes closed. She wanted life to stay like this forever.
Silver Claw walked the fence line that once held the velociraptors of his kind captive. A large tower that he had not explored yet watched over it. The fence ran along the back of the facility. A section of jungle between the buildings and the river was all the territory they had at the time. How much had changed in so few years.
"Be glad you never had to experience life inside there," Sara said as she slipped silently from the jungle. She walked the path between the large cafeteria windows and the fence towards him. "Hello little one," she said and nuzzled him affectionately when they met.
"Hello grandmother," Silver Claw said. He nuzzled her back. "I'm surprised to see you. I was expecting Sunayana."
"I asked Sunayana to lead the pack in a hunt." Sara said. "Please, call me Sara. The human references for family beyond the immediate siblings and parents feel weird in our language. Shall we be off?"
Silver Claw nodded and then followed Sara. They slipped into the jungle and then followed the river north. The ground was easy to follow near the river. The waters moved slowly but were dirty brown. The faintest glint of silvery scales revealed the presence of fish.
"You're time in our territory grows short little one," Sara said.
"I know," Silver Claw said. He felt for a few days that he would be trying the patience of Jack and the rest of the pack before too long. "Amanda and Ellie are happy again. And," Silver Claw added, "We are regaining our strength. We starved for a long time in the other building."
"Because of Tyrannous," Sara nodded. "Sunayana relayed the stories that you and Amanda shared with her to me. They are consistent at least."
"I'll lead them to the harbor in the next few days," Silver Claw said. "That's at the edge of your territory at least."
"It is fully in our territory." Sara said. "Our boundaries have expanded greatly in the absence of the other packs. We patrol a large area more frequently."
"My old pack did not maintain a large territory. We mostly stuck to the two valleys with the most prey." Silver Claw looked down.
"I miss your pack," Sara nuzzled him. "It was too long since I spoke to any of them besides Scar."
"I have a new pack now but it doesn't take away any of the pain at the old ones loss," Silver Claw looked up into Sara's judging eyes. "Amanda is by my side and as close as any pack mate that I have ever had."
Sara stopped. "If you left the humans then I think Jack would accept you into the pack. Sunayana likes you. She has started speaking about you often with the others and me. The others may take a while to accept you due to this mistake with the humans but in time they will."
Silver Claw stepped away. "Amanda is not a mistake."
Sara snorted. "You took too much after your father and not enough after my daughter."
"What does that mean?" Silver Claw snarled. His quills stood up.
Sara reared up to her full height. "Watch your tone with me little one. I am still the alpha female of this territory you trespass within." Sara showed her serrated white fangs and raised the long sickle claws on her inner toes. "I will not suffer such disrespect, even from family! You have been separate from a real pack for too long and it seems you've forgotten how things are ordered."
Silver Claw backed off quickly and showed his throat.
Sara took a step towards him.
Silver Claw averted his gaze and rolled onto his side, exposing his soft and vulnerable belly. "I'm sorry Sara."
Sara stared down at him for a while before she relaxed. "Get up," she said.
Silver Claw did as she told him to do and instinctively kept his eyes averted. He trembled.
"Do not test my patience little one," Sara said into his ear. "It is our love for you and our lost daughter that has allowed you this much leeway inside our territory. Don't forget that."
"I won't," Silver Claw said. He waited until Sara nuzzled his head before he dared move again.
"You wear the scars of frequent disobedience," Sara said as she circled him. "That behavior will not be tolerated in our domain."
"I understand," Silver Claw lowered his head in submission.
"Good," Sara said. "Let us continue on our hunt then."
Silver Claw fell in behind Sara but was silent. The valley widened briefly and Silver Claw heard brachiosaurus calling nearby but did not see the trunk like grey legs or long graceful necks. They passed beyond into a narrowed space with barely enough space beside the river to walk.
Sara slowed down and then stopped. She looked at Silver Claw for a while and then walked into a lush wall of growth. She disappeared inside.
Silver Claw stared.
"Come," Sara said.
He understood the command in the tone and followed Sara's path. He stopped as his head pieced the veil. Sara was inside a cave. Silver Claw's heart pounded. She was not alone. Jack was waiting inside as well.
"Come and join us," Jack said.
Silver Claw took a tentative step inside and looked around. He felt the pressure of their eyes on him and the weight of judgement upon him. The fear nearly overwhelmed him until his eyes adjusted to the dim light and he saw the back of the cave. It was shallow at least. He tried to sit near the entrance but a slight shake of Sara's head warned him against that. He joined them near the back of the cave.
"We need to talk about the humans," Jack said. "It is a challenge to my leadership every moment they are allowed to live."
"I will take them away," Silver Claw said hurriedly. "I will lead them to the harbor for a few days so they can search the equipment there and then lead them out of your territory after that."
"I've had to put down two acts of disobedience within my own pack Silver Claw," Jack said sternly.
Silver Claw lowered his head. "I will take them out of your territory immediately."
Jack snorted. "Why do you persist in protecting them?"
"I owe Amanda my life," Silver Claw said. "I was originally just curious about her since I had never seen a human before but she proved herself to me and earned my friendship. She is my pack mate now."
"And Ellie?" Sara asked.
"Ellie is Amanda's friend," Silver Claw said. "As soon as Ellie gets a chance to leave this island, she will."
"But not Amanda?" Sara asked.
"No," Silver Claw said confidently. "We've spoke at length and she said she wants to stay with me."
"She is a burden on you," Jack said. "She is the weakest part of your pack alongside the other human. Let nature take its course."
Anger flashed in Silver Claw's eyes but a look from Sara quelled it. He gave a soft whimper, "What did you mean when you said that I take after my father in regards to humans?"
Jack and Sara looked at each other for a while in silence.
Jack spoke for them both. "Your father could understand human language as well, he and two others that hatched beside him. I and the other firstborn hatched a while later and joined his small pack. The two others died during an escape attempt much later and left your father the sole velociraptor capable of understanding the humans. We did not believe them for the longest time. That was until he befriended one of the humans."
"I was never told this," Silver Claw said.
"Nor will you repeat it little one," Sara said. "Few know the whole story. We would like it to stay that way but you deserved to know the truth."
"My Father was friends with a human?"
Jack looked at Sara for a while before his gaze returned to Silver Claw. "You're father attempted to teach this human our language but clearly you were more successful at it than he." Jack looked away and Silver Claw caught the hint of unease in his body language. "He…"
"Perhaps that is something for another time my love," Sara said. "The human suffered injuries from an attack during the storm that let us free and likely died from them. It left your father heartbroken for a long time. Our daughter eventually won his heart and bore you."
"My mother was born while you were captive?"
"Yes and no," Sara said. "Jack and I conceived her while captive but during the escape that killed your father's two clutch mates, I managed to escape to this cave and lay our eggs. Amber was the only one to hatch. I was able to raise her for long enough to survive on her own before I was recaptured. She would visit us in the dead of night sometimes and always avoided interacting with humans."
Jack nuzzled Sara.
Silver Claw looked around at the cave and wondered how much was the same from that time.
"We don't want to see you heartbroken like your father," Sara said. "You should step aside before you get too attached. They will not survive on this island for much longer."
Silver Claw looked at them both. "It's too late for that. I think I…"
"I love this," Amanda stretched lazily in the noon heat and yawned. She was alone at the moment. Ellie was off exploring the rest of the building. She felt free yet had greater responsibilities than she ever had back home. It was an odd reality that brought her true joy. She wished Ellie felt the same but she saw the deepening homesickness setting in despite the façade Ellie tried to maintain. It was only a matter of time before Ellie would find a way home. Ellie would take it in a heartbeat.
Amanda tried to help but did not have the skills needed to do so. She frowned. Her lacking the skills was becoming a problem. She needed to learn how to hunt with Silver Claw instead of relying on him. She had to be better. Perhaps she would look for some advice from Silver Claw or Sunayana when they returned, maybe even go with them on a hunt soon. Though she did not know how much more time they would have within the pack's territory.
The heavy door creaked as Amanda stepped outside. She blinked in the bright light. The air held the earthy aroma of the jungle mixed with the dusty hint of the buildings. She smiled and walked across the relatively open space between her and the tower. Today she would check out the watchtower.
She learned a little from Sunayana about it. It watched over the velociraptor pens that Silver Claw's pack called home for too long. She eyed the fence. Much of it was intact save several points where the velociraptors chewed through it. The storm knocked out power on the island probably and the backups failed. That was likely how they escaped she guessed.
She found the door at the base of the tower and climbed the internal stairs as she saw little of interest on the bottom floor. She used a flashlight to light her way. The stairs creaked a little and there were scratches where clawed feet had climbed years before. Amanda guessed that the velociraptors had little to do with the building after their escape. She just hoped there were no bodies.
The top floor was spacious with most of the equipment gathered along the windows. She recognized the radio immediately but put it aside in her mind for the moment. There were two different sets within the complex seemingly. The other was with the offices above the cafeteria in the building she just left. Ellie would be happy to learn of this second one.
Amanda moved to the windows. The glass looked out on three sides with a solid wall blocking the view of one mountain. It gave a clear view over the whole Embryonics Administration and of the velociraptor fences. She guessed the open area doubled as storage and a helicopter-landing pad upon closer inspection. Though, she noted the framework of a fence surrounding the space.
She looked down upon the velociraptor pens and to the slow river flowing from the north. Silver Claw was somewhere in the valley to the north with Sunayana. She did not see them leave but he told her where he was going when they parted as Amanda went to find something to eat. They were gone before she got back from the kitchen.
Amanda pulled up a chair and daydreamed for a while until the hot air grew stuffy. She stretched her growing muscles. She had put on a little weight since arriving on the island, of that she was sure, and most of it was muscle. However, that waned while they starved in the building but had since continued. The frequent hunts by Silver Claw brought her and Ellie enough to survive and maybe a little more than that, to grow. Amanda did more exercise and running now than she had ever done back home though she also rested more.
A man might not desire her more muscled build but then she laughed at the absurdity of it. What kind of man would she find on this island anyway? She sighed. She wanted children eventually but that would not happen if she remained on the island. She could barely survive now, how did she expect to do so while pregnant. Who would want to live with her in this place?
Amanda leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her stomach. She wept silently for a while. She wished Silver Claw were around. His presence brought her comfort. If only he was human, she would happily…
Amanda shook the thought from her mind a got up. She headed for the radio to look it over before telling Ellie. It looked complicated at first but she found the manual in a shelf under it. She flipped through the pages only skimming them until she reached one about backup power. She read it over twice and looked at the controls.
A small door unlocked to reveal the backup battery inside. Corrosion had destroyed it but the battery removed from the housing easily enough. The connections were still intact as well. Amanda found the shelf nearby where extra batteries were alongside the walkie-talkies. She placed the battery inside and connected it.
A small red light flickered into life on the controls. She heard the faint his of static over a speaker. Amanda sank into a chair and just stared at the light. They had a way home. She just had to use it.
Ellie ducked under a bent pipe as she entered the circular building at the edge of the complex. The maintenance building connected to it and she hoped that it was part of the power generation for the labs. She was wrong.
A double-layered chain-link fence encircled an inner ring that was open to the sky. It was just another cage she realized and frowned. Much of the facility appeared to be dedicated to either hatching or holding the smaller dinosaurs.
Ellie leaned on the railing and looked around the pen. The pipes probably brought fresh water to and from the large pool that now sat stagnant with rainwater. There were bare trees and ledges to rest on throughout the space. It put her in mind of an aviary. The mesh of chains over the opening to the sky cemented that thought.
Another failed hope. Ellie groaned and looked at the high roof. Eyes stared back at her.
Ellie screamed and ran from the building. A small flock of young pteranodons, spooked by the noise, chased after her but spiraled upwards when in the open air. Ellie ran to the shelter of the nearby garage and stood in the open door frame. She watched the pteranodons circle overhead for a few minutes before they disappeared over the nearby mountain.
She was sick of this island and sick of this laboratory complex. They might have better luck at the harbor.
Ellie left the safety of the garage and headed for the housing units. They were two long multistory buildings at ninety-degree angles to each other with three overgrown tennis courts just inside the jungle. They were the place where all the scientists stayed. The rooms were too nice for the general works and so she wondered where the construction staff lived on the island. They might have some useful equipment if she could find it. They might have a place at the harbor.
Halfway to the building, she heard a rustling in the trees. Ellie froze and watched the jungle. She was in the open between buildings. She might be able to run for the housing but that was closer to the sound. She took a tentative step back and then another. The trees rustled again and a blue velociraptor leapt out, snarling.
Ellie's eyes went wide. She turned and ran for the garage. A second velociraptor greeted her from inside the building. This one was white in color. Ellie kept running and screamed.
She raced for the bridge as the female velociraptor put itself between her and the rest of the buildings on this side of the river. Tears streaked Ellie's cheeks. She dared to look back. The male was closing the distance between them. The velociraptors were toying with her she realized. Had they not, she would already be dead. They could move a lot faster than they were.
The panic at what they might do to her when they stopped toying with her drew another scream. She was nearly at the bridge, but what then. If she made it inside the largest building ahead, then she could lock herself in one of the various cages. That would keep her safe for a while, maybe long enough for Silver Claw to return and scare them off. What about Amanda though? Would they attack her?
The velociraptors closed on her as soon as she reached the bridge. They would not let her cross it to the other building.
Ellie screamed.
The velociraptors snarled.
The spinosaurus roared as it burst from the river and nearly caught the male in its jaws. A clawed hand caught the female and sent her sprawling.
Ellie screamed again. Her foot caught something as she looked back. Ellie slammed hard into the concrete bridge. Her vision wavered. She thought she heard Amanda scream.
The world slipped away as she fell into darkness.
Amanda heard Ellie's scream faintly and saw the pteranodon flock circle overhead. Amanda laughed but decided to make sure Ellie was ok. She headed down the stairs and decided to circle around towards the main entrance in hopes that was the direction Ellie headed.
A small wall of tree separated the buildings from the river. It was comforting to know with the increased presence of the velociraptors that there was likely nothing lurking in the area.
Ellie screamed again. This time it held a primal terror about it.
Amanda's eyes widened and she broke into a run, "Ellie!"
Amanda considered cutting through the building but that would only slow her down. Ellie screamed again. Amanda rounded the corner of the building in time to see Ellie reach the bridge. Two velociraptors chased her. She recognized them immediately as Talon and Rebecca.
The spinosaurus burst from the water and nearly caught the male. Amanda shrieked and froze as the female velociraptor flew from a powerful swipe. Ellie screamed but Amanda had lost sight of her on the bridge.
Amanda's eyes widened as breaths came hard and fast. The spinosaurus snapped at the velociraptors but they managed to flee into the jungle. The female was clearly injured.
Amanda ducked into a doorway before attention fell on her. Where was Ellie?
The spinosaurus shook water from its hide and returned to the bridge. It bent and sniffed at something. Amanda's heart dropped. The jaws opened and shut. The head rose with Ellie dangling from its jaws. Blood streaked Ellie's face. The beast lumbered back into the water with its prize.
As the spinosaurus and Ellie disappeared from view, Amanda sank to her knees as a guttural scream tore free and tears poured from her eyes, "Ellie!"