CHAPTER 352

Kyra was off. She sprinted out of the trees sooner than Richard had anticipated, and it left the doctor doing a double take. Richard's feet stammered and then caught traction, vaulting her forward to catch up with Kyra. Levine saw the pteranodons in her upper peripherals. They were swooping in. Her reflexes were buzzing at the sight of them and ready to dodge, duck, or dive in any direction needed to avoid them. The pterosaurs tipped their bodies and tucked their wings. They were diving. Richard was ready, but then she saw all three of the pteranodons billow their wings, arch upwards, and scatter.

Dr. Levine realized she had been too focused on the pterosaurs. She hadn't been watching the ground around her. When she dropped her eyes it was already too late. Kyra was just ahead of Richard, and from their flanks three velociraptors came rushing in. Richard and Kyra dug their boots as the three raptors circled them with biting and hissing jaws.

The ambushes were Ghost, Needles, and Roadkill. A moment later Richard spotted Vulture coming up to the circle at a more casual pace. The utahraptor locked eyes with the doctor, showing her a pair of scrutinizing slits whose pupils were scarcely visible until the light caught them.

"Richard," Vulture growled.

Kyra side glanced at Dr. Levine with a bit of shock. "You two know each other?"

"Acquaintances, more or less," Richard gulped.

The three velociraptors opened the circle, and Vulture came closer, her teeth bearing through parted lips.

"Easy," Richard spoke quietly. Her gestures were submissive and slow.

Vulture's snout stopped just a few feet short of Dr. Levine's face, and they stood upon dirt with their ankles being brushed by grass and bracken. Each stared at the other until Levine spoke.

"What do you want?" She asked.

Kyra looked at her from the side of her eye again. "You know they can't really understand you, right? I mean, they're smart, but they're not that smart. They just mimic words and make somewhat complex associations for an animal. I mean, they're about to tear us apart here. They're not looking for civilized conversation."

"Quiet!" Vulture bellowed at Kyra.

Kyra shrank her neck and lowered her eyes. She was astonished.

Vulture shifted back to Richard and looked like she was about to speak again, but there came the sound of clapping from behind Richard and Kyra. Vulture's eyes followed the source of the sound and the three velociraptors also looked in its direction. Kyra and Levine then turned their heads.

Approaching them were Lewis Dodgson and Daniel. Dodgson was the one clapping, and he did it slow, sharp, loud, and with a sinister toothy grin. His eyebrows peaked like rooftops, and the corners of his smile were taught like they'd been stitched in place.

Vulture circled around behind the two men and stood with them as they stopped.

Dodgson ceased his clapping, and his face melted to something of a deeply unamused haze. "I have to hand it to you Richard. You're resilient. A quality I pride myself on. But now you're gonna have to die."

"Well, you're just an asshole, Mr. Dodgson." Richard said.

"Please, call me Lew." Dodgson's grin returned. "Kill em." He nodded at Richard and Kyra, expecting that the three surrounding velociraptors would do his bidding, especially now that Daniel was there.

Roadkill, Needles, and Ghost all remained where they were. Dodgson saw them all staring back at him with blank eyes. He snapped his head to Daniel, doing a poor job to hide a quickly brimming anger.

Daniel couldn't help but look a bit smug. "I guess they're still warming up to you, Lew." He nodded his head to the side. "Yeah, kill em."

The raptors remained with their feet planted. In that moment Daniel felt in his gut that the tables were now turned against him. "Skeksis?"

Daniel's gun slipped up from his waist in a swift motion, but he was not the one drawing it. He spun on his heels and saw Vulture towering behind him with his pistol in her jaws.

"Daniel, what the hell is going on here?" Dodgson growled.

Daniel was silent. He watched as the positions of the three velociraptors changed so that they were no longer surrounding Kyra and Dr. Levine, but rather he and Dodgson.

Vulture began to circle toward Richard, and when she approached the doctor she lowered her snout and offered the gun.

Richard was almost gawking, but she managed to accept the weapon with grace. She bowed her head at the utahraptor, making certain that Vulture understood it was taken humbly and with great respect.

"Uh, what's happening?" Kyra asked Dr. Levine in the most confused of voices.

"I don't know yet," Richard replied in a whisper. "Something good, I think… I hope."

"So you've made your decision," Daniel said.

Vulture turned and looked at him.

"Drawn a line in the sand," Daniel continued. "This is absolute, Skeksis. The trust is broken."

Dodgson tried to speak. "Daniel, what in God's name is-"

Daniel silenced him with a wave of his hand. He just stared at Vulture with firm piercing eyes.

"Never trust with you," Vulture's voice slithered up her throat and out through her teeth. Her face lowered to the ground and then her eyes trailed back up to Daniel. "Never. You see how is?"

"Yes, Skeksis. I see how it is." Daniel nodded coldly. His gaze shifted to Dr. Levine who now had the pistol aimed. Daniel looked across the barrel and up to her face. "Hats off to you, Richard. You can charm a prehistoric monster better than I can."

"Charm had nothing to do with it," Richard smiled. "You're simply up to no good, and they can smell it."

Kyra tugged at Dr. Levine's arm. "We need to keep moving."

"Right." Richard looked at Vulture and the other three raptors. She wasn't the least bit sure whether or not she was in a position to be giving them orders or even friendly suggestions. In the midst of toiling over the decision to say something or just wait to let them take the lead there was some commotion at the tree line, and everyone turned to look.