Jurassic Park: The Broken Lives Saga by Dinohunter55

Chapter 19: The First Trophy

"That bullet was so fast that I didn't even see it," Zathana whispered.

"Now you see why you need to be cautious when picking a fight with humans," Grey said. "If that were you, they might not have missed and there would have been a lot more to follow the first."

"They didn't miss," Silver Claw snarled. "They hit her arm."

"But they didn't kill her," Sunayana said. "And she told you that she was alright, that it was an accident."

"Save your fury for later little one," Sara added. "Don't let it distract you. If the humans will not leave, we will take care of them tonight when they are blind in the dark. Until then, relax and save your strength. Though I will have a few words with Amanda about that radio transmission," Sara looked at Silver Claw, "Privately."

Lowering his head, Silver Claw looked away and then out through the trees at the group of humans. Amanda was standing and clearly upset about something. He could not hear her words from this distance. He considered watching them from a closer position but knew Sara would disapprove immediately.

"I shouldn't have let her go," Silver Claw said, a little defeated.

"It was not your choice to make," Sara said. "It was hers. She still feels a connection to other humans and that's why she didn't want us to kill them last night or just now. We were close enough that we could have killed them without much risk. She knew that. I saw it in her eyes. I let her have this for now. Amanda finds herself caught between her new life and her old life. It is a terrible place to be but she will have to choose one."

"She refused to leave with despite the offer," Silver Claw said. "How is that torn?"

"Her loyalties are still split." Sara said. "The thought of watching another human die, even one she is unfamiliar with, causes her grief. I think this is a common trait among humans. Your feelings for her and lack of experience around other humans are preventing you from seeing this clearly. I have allowed Amanda time to adjust because of my feeling for you little one and I see some potential within her. If I thought she was useless or a threat, I would have killed her while you were hunting and let you come to the pack seeking some solace in your grief. That time has passed however. Now, Amanda has to find her way. I see that if I forced her to accept life like one of us, it would just breed resentment in her heart for us. She is not one of us but will have to accept that if she is to live like us she will have to adjust to be like us in mind since she cannot in body." Sara looked Silver Claw over. "That will include being able and willing to kill her own kind to defend the pack. Do you think she is capable of that now?"

Silver Claw hesitated for a moment, "Maybe." He lacked any conviction in even that statement. Sara was probably right on this. The admission to the thought of killing Amanda while he hunted sat heavy in his mind.

"See, you are not even sure. I don't think she is yet." Sara said. "She can have no hesitation if-"

"Two of the men are leaving," Zathana said. Her whole body trembled.

All eyes turned to the humans. The two men walked away from the group while speaking in hushed tones. They passed into the jungle relatively close velociraptors as they headed south. The rest of the group remained by the fire along with Amanda.

"Not yet little one," Sara said, seemingly knowing Silver Claw's thoughts before he had them. "We will wait and observe."

"Be wary of that one called Diego," Grey said. "He was one of our captors and has cunning about him to worry about. He has killed our kind before."

"I remember him. They are both experienced hunters," Sara said. "They will not be easy to take unaware while awake. It was likely their focus on Amanda kept them from noticing us in the grass. For that, we should count ourselves fortunate."

"Why is Amanda staying with the group," Silver Claw wondered aloud. His attention drifted away from the conversation. It was the least of his worries.

The others did not have an answer and the conversation died out as they waited patiently.

Amanda sat near the fire and drank from a cup, occasionally eating something given to her. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. It hurt Silver Claw to see her upset like that. He wanted to go to her and comfort her. Instead, he remained watching helplessly from the treeline.

The remaining men settled into a routine. Two of the men started patrolling the perimeter again while the others busied themselves with various tasks. The older white male went to the helicopter, opened some panels in the side, and became lost in checking and rechecking various parts.

After a long time, Amanda stood and wiped her eyes with the collar of her shirt. She started walking away from the group. One of the patrolling men stopped her and motioned for her to return to the fire. They had a short back and forth before the man called out the white man by the helicopter. Silver Claw's quills stood stiff.

"She's not a prisoner," the man at the helicopter called back.

Grudgingly, the man let Amanda continue but watched her until she disappeared into the jungle.

Silver Claw raced silently through the undergrowth until he found her leaning against a tree out of sight of the camp. He nearly bowled her over as he ran up to her and in the end she dragged him to the ground as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. No words passed between them but an overwhelming sense of relief flooded Silver Claw.

The rest of the pack joined them a few moments later.

"I'm sorry Sara," Amanda said. "I know you could have… I-I just couldn't…" Her words fell away and her gaze turned down.

Sara said nothing, only watched her.

"Let's get you back to the building," Silver Claw said. "You can stay safe there."

"No," Amanda said as she gave a shuddering breath and stood. "Lance and Diego are heading towards the big lake. I need to stop them or they'll be close to the nest and put the others at risk."

Sara snarled. "They won't make it that far."

The trail was easy to follow at first but quickly grew cold. Lance and Diego used something that helped mask their scent and followed an irregular path from the camp. When the pack split to cover more ground, Amanda stayed with Silver Claw and searched with him. It was on the far side of the ridge that she noticed the tread of their boots. Silver Claw overlooked it completely. She had a feeling the others would as well as they relied more on scent and hearing to track and less on sight unless there were obvious clues like broken branches.

"It's not too late to go back to the building," Silver Claw urged.

"No," Amanda said, her eyes tracked the footprints as best she could but she had no training and found it exceptionally difficult to spot the marks. "I'm following through on this."

It took most of her focus to follow the trail. However, her mind danced between the current goal and previous events until she could not hold back, "Earlier, what did Sara mean when she said our pack?"

Silver Claw paused. "Were you awake while we were speaking last night?"

"No," Amanda stopped and looked at him. "I slept through the night. What did you talk about?"

Silver Claw hesitated. That fact made her slightly concerned. "The pack is considering letting you in," Silver Claw said softly. "It's not confirmed yet and will take time. Sara said she would talk to me more about it later."

"And I said that I would talk with Amanda about it. Maybe," Sara said as she emerged from the foliage nearby.

Silver Claw lowered his head.

"I'm not mad at you little one," Sara said.

"I have their trail," Amanda offered to break the tension.

"Good," Sara said. "Silver Claw, go find the others and bring them here."

Silver Claw tensed.

"I will watch over Amanda," Sara said. "Now go."

Silver Claw hesitated still.

"We'll be alright," Amanda reassured him. "The others won't be far."

Silver Claw hesitated a little longer but reluctantly slipped away.

Amanda swallowed nervously as she watched him leave. When he was gone, she looked at Sara expectantly. Sara watched the direction Silver Claw left in for a while longer until she was sure they were alone.

"You want to talk to me about something don't you?" Amanda said.

"I do," Sara said and looked at Amanda.

Amanda felt the weight of that gaze but it lacked anything dangerous to it. That eased some of the tension from her body but only a little bit. She still had other things to worry about.

"You spoke of a radio transmission with the humans," Sara said. "I did not sense any lies from you last night but I have concerns that you did not share the whole truth."

Amanda sighed and looked to the ground. He shoulders dropped. "I had a moment of weakness. I thought about going home, I did. But I didn't call for a helicopter. I made the choice to stay here. I told anyone who was listening not to come to the island if they valued their lives and not to search for me, that I was already dead. That Ellie was dead. When someone tried responding, I turned it off and let the battery die."

"Did this Diego hear this message?" Sara asked.

"He did and that's why they're on the island. He realized that the dinosaurs were still alive." Amanda said. She looked up at Sara and blinked away the forming tears. "I'm sorry."

"He did not heed your advice," Sara said coldly. "Now they will face the consequences. I do not think you are lying to me in this and so I do not blame you Amanda. I just hope in that in the future you will think out your actions before you act but I know grief is clouding your mind right now. I do not understand what it is like to be torn between two lives like you are, and after such a loss, but I can imagine it is difficult."

Sara stepped closer. Amanda went to lower herself almost instinctively now but Sara caught Amanda under the chin with her snout and raised Amanda back up. Amanda's heart quickened. Sara then nuzzled her gently. Amanda trembled but then stepped in and wrapped her arms around Sara for a long moment.

"My little one cares for you deeply," Sara whispered. "Don't break his heart by dying."

Amanda stepped back and met Sara's eyes briefly, "Thank you Sara."

"This stays between us for now," Sara added.

Amanda nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes before they fell.

"Now," Sara looked around. "Where is this trial?"

Amanda crouched down and pointed out the footprints in the mud. "They're really hard to see but I've found them every couple of meters."

Sara looked at the disturbance and sniffed it. "I can only catch a hint of their scent even this close."

"There are more over here." Amanda shifted to the next set.

Sara looked up and through the trees beyond. "You are sure that they are headed to the big lake?"

"Yes," Amanda said. "They told everyone that before they left. They wouldn't lie about where they were going just in case something happened and they needed help."

"They will have to cross the road and then the river." Sara said and then nudged Amanda to her feet. "We need to hurry to catch them."

"They'll head for the bridge then?" Amanda started to run, avoiding anything that might make noise. It was far easier in the light of day.

"No," Sara said. "There is a shallow crossing in the river. I expect that Diego will know about it."

"Ok," Amanda said. "What about the others?"

"They will catch up," Sara said. "Silver Claw will not have trouble finding your scent to track us."

Amanda blushed a little at that comment, unsure if it was a complement or insult. She managed to keep pace with Sara but she knew that was only because Sara deliberately slowed herself. They moved at an easy pace that meant Amanda was able to breathe hard but not overly stress her body. Likely, the frequent exercise over the past few months helped her endurance. She did not feel as winded as she knew she would be before coming to the island. She still could not believe how long it had been and wondered if it was truly the day they said.

"What are we going to do when we catch up to them?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know," Sara said and then looked at her. "What are we going to do Amanda?"

Amanda's eyes widened and she nearly fell as her foot caught on a root. Sara slowed and allowed Amanda to regain her footing.

"I-I," Amanda stammered.

"I will not force you to do anything," Sara said. "You are not a member of our pack yet."

Amanda's mind raced. This was certainly a test and she was failing it miserably. Tears threatened to fall but she forced her feelings back. The men had been kind to her and did not deserve to die but they trespassed in the pack's territory and were a threat. Most importantly, they were a threat to Silver Claw. She had to think. She did not have the speed of a velociraptor or the strength but she did have the intelligence of a human.

"Where would the rest of your pack be right now? The ones who didn't come with you," Amanda asked.

Sara eyed her. "A few would be tending to the nests but most would be scouting for our next hunt. Why?"

"And that might put them at the lake?"

"The lake is one of our main hunting areas," Sara said, "A few would be hunting in that area most likely."

Amanda swallowed to wet her throat. "Then we can't let the hunters get near the nest or the lake, no matter what it takes." A chill ran down her spine at the words. The men would die no matter what she did in the end. They were not her responsibility she told herself but that did little to alleviate the guilt.

"Could you kill your own kind if you needed to?" Sara asked.

"I-I don't know," Amanda admitted. She licked her lips and further pushed her feelings aside. She had to do this. "I could distract them. Maybe lead them to a place away from the nest. Whether or not you kill them then or tonight will be up to you."

Sara looked ahead, thought heavy behind those predator's eyes. "That could work."

Sara stopped suddenly and grabbed Amanda by the shirt. Amanda stifled a shriek as she fell backwards to land under Sara's clawed fingers. "They're close."

Amanda caught her breath and listened. She heard the soft crunch of footsteps and a brief but muffled exchange of words. "I hear them too," Amanda whispered.

Amanda slowly rose to her feet and peered forward through the vegetation. She could not see them but it was the jungle so it was hard to figure out any distance further than a few meters at the best of times.

"They are almost at the road," Sara offered.

"How far ahead is the road?"

"Not far," Sara said.

Amanda thought for a moment. "I'm going to go ahead and find them by myself."

"You would risk your life again?" Sara looked at her disapprovingly.

"I'm not going to start off with a hello in velociraptor this time." Amanda grinned, "If that's what you mean. I will catch up to them and direct them somewhere else. Is there a place with lots of dinosaurs nearby that isn't the lake, where the pack most likely won't be hunting? Diego might know if I'm lying to them."

Sara considered the question for a moment. "There are a few but they are across the river. Our pack does not venture on this side often. I am unfamiliar with the gathering places here."

Amanda frowned. "Do any of them require you to go near the nest?"

"No," Sara said. "They are on this side of the mountain ridge while our nest is on the other."

"Where are they?"

"There is a place north along the river before you reach the buildings and bridge." Sara said. "Another is south between the mountain ridge and the canyon. Further south is the largest fields of prey in the valley but the pack might be there as well."

Amanda considered it for a moment and then sighed. "Where is the river crossing?"

"Nearby," Sara said. "There is a shallow place close to where the river drops into the canyon. We used it yesterday shortly before we found you."

"Ok, that's good." Amanda said. "It won't take us near the nest. I think… we'll have to cross the river using it but I'll redirect them south after that so that we keep the mountain between them and the nest. I'll keep them out of the big valley if I can help it."

Sara looked ahead and flashed her teeth in a threat display though Amanda was pretty sure it was not towards her. "I don't like it." Sara said. She looked back at Amanda with a softer gaze. "But I don't think we have a choice. If you see any of our pack…"

"I'll yell to them in this language and warn them away." Amanda said immediately. "I won't let them shoot at any of ours. I'll attack the hunters to stop them if it comes down to it."

Sara frowned. "No unnecessary risks Amanda, I mean it." Sara looked ahead once more. "But keep the pack safe. You've worked hard to earn our trust. Don't waste it by dying."

Amanda felt the tension in her body fall away at those words. "I promise you that I'll keep the pack safe. I," Amanda hesitated briefly. "I won't let them hurt anyone, even Talon and Rebecca." She meant it.

Sara looked at her. "Maybe my little one sharing that conversation was for the best." Sara nuzzled Amanda. "Now go and stay safe. I'll be nearby and the others will join me soon."

Amanda smiled. "Please make sure Silver Claw doesn't do anything reckless."

Sara showed her teeth. "I will."

Amanda nodded and walked into the jungle. She heard the footsteps ahead and picked up the pace. Through the trees, she saw a break. It was the road. Amanda considered her next actions for a moment and then broke into a run.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Amanda called out in English before she reached the treeline.

Amanda broke from the trees and found Lance and Diego standing in the middle of the road. They had their guns raised slightly.

"Damn it girl," Diego said. "That's a good way to get you shot! Again…"

"I've been looking for you for a while now," Amanda said. She stopped and for dramatic effect bent over to catch her breath. "I-I had trouble f-f-finding you," she added breathlessly.

"Amanda," Lance said. "Why did you leave the camp? It was safe there."

"You're heading to the big lake right?" Amanda said. She stood straight and looked at them directly.

"Yes," Lance raised an eyebrow. "We saw some large herds in that direction during our flyby last night."

"You don't want to go to the lake," Amanda said.

"And why's that," Diego cut in. He took a step towards her.

"It's raptor territory," Amanda said. Inwardly she smiled at the deep frown that put on Diego's face.

"How do you know that," Diego asked.

"I've seen them hunt there," Amanda said, "Nearly got myself eaten once." She pointed at her leg where the faintest hint of a mark remained from when Sunayana dragged her out of the tree. "Got bit by one," Amanda added.

Shouldering his rifle, Diego bent down and looked at the mark on her leg. "Shit, you aren't lying. I got a couple of marks just like that. It is damned lucky that you survived. I gotta hear that story later."

Amanda frowned. She did not like the fact that he survived his encounters with velociraptors and wondered if it was just the one or if it was more. He was dangerous either way.

"If we run into any," Lance shrugged. "We'll just shoot them."

"Hard to shoot them if they're eating us alive," Diego said. He crossed his arms. "I don't wanna be messin' with no raptors."

"So where will you go?" Amanda asked.

Lance frowned. "So is this what you came to tell us? Is that why you insisted on coming with us back at the camp?"

Amanda nodded.

Lance sighed. "You could have just told us that at the camp."

"I didn't want to stick around your camp. Something is bound to find it eventually," Amanda said. "And, I told you already that I'm not going back with you."

"She's got somethin' loose in her head," Diego said. "But she's probably right about the raptors."

"I am right," Amanda said and crossed her arms in a mirror of Diego. "There's a place south of here that's got some large dinosaurs and shouldn't have any raptors this time of day."

"And where would that be?" Lance said. He actually seemed curious.

"Just south of here on the other side of the canyon," Amanda said.

"We'd still have to head north and cross the bridge or swim the river," Diego said. "That's still a risky task either way if the raptors are on that side of the river, no quick exits if they find us."

"Why not use the river crossing?" Amanda said. Immediately she realized the stupidity of what she just did. She was glad Sara could not understand English and hoped Silver Claw was not back yet to tell her.

"What river crossing?" Diego asked.

It was too late to back out now. "There's a shallow spot in the river just before it drops into the canyon."

"Sounds like a plan," Lance said. He clapped Diego on the shoulder, "Unless you have something better on this side of the river."

"Looks like you're our tour guide," Diego said with a furled brow, "For now." He unshouldered his pack and pulled out a radio. "Doug, can you hear me?" Diego waited a moment. "Doug, pick up the damn radio. I know it's near where you're working."

After a minute pause, the radio crackled, "Doug here, over."

"Change of plans Doug, we're heading south along the other side of the canyon to avoid those fast fuckers that I told you about." Diego said.

"Understood," Doug said a moment later. "The girl left by the way. I'm not sure where she went. Over."

"Yeah we know," Diego said. "She found us."

"Understood," Doug said, "Need anything on our end? Over."

"Nah," Diego said, "Going radio silent again." With that, Diego turned the radio off and stashed it away in his bag.

"Alright Amanda," Lance said. "Lead the way."

A sense of dread washed over her and the memory of Tyrannous flashed in her mind. Amanda swallowed nervously and looked back at the jungle for a second realizing she should have got better directions. She led the hunters south. They walked for a few minutes in silence before turning off the road. The rumbling waterfall grew steadily louder until they came at last to the river. The canyon south lay smothered beneath a layer of swirling mists and ran like a grey line that split the jungle.

Lance whistled. "What a sight," he said.

"I wouldn't go down into that canyon though," Diego said.

"Why's that?" Lance put on boot on a rock and leaned forward with his elbow resting on his knee.

"They flyer's will take you away." Diego shook his head.

"What, do you mean something like that thing that circled over the camp?" Lance looked back at him.

"These ones are much bigger," Diego grabbed a stone and tossed it into the canyon. It clanked off metal somewhere in the mists. "Those metal posts among the trees help hold the chain nets in place so they can't fly out. Surprised it lasted this long but InGen did build some of this stuff to last."

"Maybe they escaped already?" Lance said.

"Nah," Diego said. "It'd be on the news."

"The smaller ones haven't left the island," Amanda offered.

"We put tracking collars on them when we released a few them to see just how far they could fly," Diego said. "They can't fly far enough to make it to the mainland. Best they can do is island hop in this archipelago. They barely made it to the small islands at the deep hole."

"Where's that?" Amanda asked.

"If you go north of this island from High Point Ranger Station, there's a couple of rocks barely worth mentioning but they're the top of a dead volcano. The center of that is a deep hole where it collapsed into the magma chamber. Plenty of sharks there so I wouldn't recommend a swim." Diego grinned.

"Let's get moving," Lance said. "I see the shallows." He pointed up river at a point where the rock broke the surface regularly.

"I'm just educatin' the girl," Diego said then laughed.

The riverbank was a mix of sucking mud and gravel. Amanda's shoes became unsalvageable quickly. She would need to find a new pair when back at the buildings. She kept glancing at the trees but did not see any trace of the velociraptors. She hoped that they were there. On the far bank, she saw a group of microceratops dart out to drink but fled when they spotted the group.

"Those dangerous," Lance asked.

"Only to the greenhouse or electrical wiring," Diego replied. For a moment, his gaze drifted into recollection.

They crossed into the river. The water rose from ankle, to knee, and then leveled out just under the hip. The current was slow thankfully. Lance and Diego carried their guns high as they walked. Diego gave Amanda his pack to carry. A brachiosaurus cried in the distance causing Lance to ready his rifle. Diego's laugh put him at ease and they carried onward.

"How'd you know about this spot?" Lance asked.

"I saw the dinosaurs use it," Amanda said. It was plausible.

"I thought you stayed in the buildings?" Lance said.

"I do but sometimes they become unsafe." Amanda shrugged. "I started in the Island Observation Administration after the attack on my yacht. Recently, I moved to the airstrip but it is home to a young tyrannosaurus rex so I moved again to the Embryonic Administration."

"That's a lot of walking," Diego said and then whistled. "That's a lot of jungle to get lost in or attacked by dinosaurs unless you followed the roads. I reckon that the predators use them as game trails often."

"My friend managed to get a vehicle running but only had enough gas to get us most of the way to the airstrip." Amanda said. Her shoulders dropped a little and she squeezed the bag to her chest.

"What made you leave the western building?"

"The spinosaurus ripped through the electric fence, which was turned on, and a raptor in the area harassed us frequently before that." Amanda said. "There were tunnels we used to get around the place to make our escape."

"We had to use steel pipes in place of cables to try and keep them contained. That wire fence didn't stand a chance. I know them tunnels too," Diego said. "Old lava tubes, the island's covered in 'em. Slap a bit of concrete and rebar on the walls and the whole thing looks manmade. What color was the raptor?"

"It was a green one but the blue and white ones were there before the spinosaurus attacked them around the same time as my yacht," Amanda said and followed the men up the bank.

"Had my fill of the blue and white ones," Diego said as he took back is pack. "They were the first dinosaurs on this island. The green ones were someone else's problem thankfully. I heard they could climb trees pretty good though. The striped ones were Muldoon's problem. Heard one ate him when the park went under."

"I didn't know that raptors could climb trees," Amanda said. She guessed Muldoon was one of the one of the other rangers.

"Only the green ones, they sometimes hunted like that," Diego said. "They'd drop down on ya from the branches."

"Quiet," Lance said and raised his hand.

"What is it?" Diego went to his side and whispered.

"I think we're being followed." Lance said, "In the bushes across the river."

Amanda paled. She looked but did not see anything.

Lance raised his rifle.

Amanda rushed to his side and pushed the barrel down.

"The hell you doing girl," Lance cursed.

"Saving you," Amanda hissed. "The shot will attract the predators around this place."

"Did you see what it was?" Diego asked.

"Something man sized roughly." Lance said.

"Was it a raptor?" Diego asked.

"Not on that side of the river," Amanda said. She stepped forward and called out in velociraptor, "Run deeper into the jungle but don't speak and don't move quietly."

A second later, several creatures moved away from the river and deeper into the jungle. Amanda sighed and relaxed. Silver Claw probably remained to watch her and she hoped he would remain unseen.

"Not raptors," Amanda said in English, "Probably some pachycephalosaurus or herrerasaurus."

Lance grabbed her arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Scaring it off so it hopefully doesn't bother us later," Amanda said. She looked at Diego, "You aren't the only thing on this island scared of the raptors."

"How'd you learn to make those sounds?" Diego stared her down.

Amanda shrugged. "I've been on this island a long time with plenty of time to spare. I've seen a lot of raptors too. Let's get going before anything else decides to come around."

Amanda started walking south. Lance and Diego spoke quietly between themselves for a moment but fell in behind her. They offered no more conversation and instead listened keenly for the slightest noise. After about a kilometer, the jungle thinned until it parted to reveal a long plain that ran the length of the mountain ridge. Few trees reached beyond the foot of the mountain and fewer grew near the cliff. Tall metal spike rose from the cliff edge at regular intervals, out of place in the otherwise natural landscape.

More importantly, herds of dinosaurs grazed about the plain. It was not as many as Amanda had seen in the valley further south but it was a lot. Closest, she spotted a trio of stegosaurus with a young one scampering about their feet. Three triceratops watched as another two bellowed and then locked horns. Gallimimus moved among the parasaurolophus herds while a pair of edmontosaurus honked at a passing ankylosaurus group. In the trees, the lone figure of a mamenchisaurus passed near a group of singing brachiosaurus.

Amanda sighed, "This place is beautiful when you're not running for your life. It's part of the reason I want to stay."

"I liked it better when the carnivores were locked up," Diego said. "But you ain't wrong."

"Do you still want to shoot them?" Amanda said and looked to Lance.

"Yeah," Lance adjusted his rifle. "My mates back home won't believe me if I don't bring back a trophy or two."

Amanda frowned and then sighed.

"I reckon you've killed a few yourself," Diego said. "Else how'd you survive this long without food?"

Amanda looked away. "That was different. I did it for food, not sport."

Lance grunted. "Of all things, we had to find a sheila on this island with an animal rights streak. If you don't like it, rack off."

Amanda frowned and crossed her arms.

"Diego and I are going to bag us a couple of dinosaurs," Lance hefted his rifle to emphasise it. "Don't get in the way. I'm a better shot than the guys we hired. If you're good, I'll bring you back a couple of steaks. Call it a Christmas present."

Amanda watched Lance and Diego leave. Soon they were creeping through the grasses, stalking the stegosaurus family.

It was just past noon so Amanda moved under the trees to enjoy the shade. The idea of calling out in velociraptor to spook the herds played in her mind. She ultimately decided against it as amusing as it would be to her. These men were dangerous and she could only push them so far before they pushed back. It was for the best if she did not give them a reason to push back.

The guilt over their nearing deaths crept into her mind. They were kind to her and they deserved some kindness in return. Amanda shook her head to clear the thoughts. She had to be loyal to the pack, not strangers even if they were human.

After about fifteen minutes, a single shot rang out. A stegosaurus dropped. The rest fled. The infant squealed. The sound was heartbreaking. The remaining animals looked up, some bolted, but all moved away from the downed stegosaurus.

Amanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She slowly walked towards the pair of hunters as they approached the kill. A second shot rang out as Amanda got half way to them. It was to make sure the stegosaurus was dead. By the time she reached them, Diego had a camera in his hands and took pictures of Lance lifting the head of the stegosaurus. He posed a few more times in various positions beside it before Diego put the camera away and dug something else out of his bag.

"That was a clean first shot and you didn't even need the coating to pull it off," Diego said.

Amanda watched in silence as the men moved to the tail. She wondered what kind of coating he referred to and thought back to Lance tapping that pouch on his side. Diego handed a rope saw to Lance who started working on one of the spikes.

"What did you say these spikes are called again?" Lance looked up at Diego.

"A thagomizer," Diego said.

"So that's it?" Amanda asked. "This whole dinosaur and all you're taking is that small piece?"

"Bloody hell," Lance said and then grunted as he finished cutting the spike. Lance looked up at her. "Are you always this cranky? You are awfully high and mighty for someone who's been running from these things for months, hell, even killed a few. You might try thanking me for having one less to run away from now. Why don't you go stand under the trees again and let us finish."

Lance stood up and handed the rope saw off to Diego and then the spike. It was as thick as Lance's wrist and very sharp at the point but he only cut a piece from the upper half so that it still fit in the bag. Clearly, he would have liked the whole spike.

"I…" Amanda started but a roar cut her off. A ceratosaurus was at the edge of the trees. It charged them.