Isla Sorna Stories: Rebirth

[Hopeflower]

Blade was not the only young Allosaur who had grown quickly over the past few years. Xanthe's children, Cirrus and Alira, had turned into fine young predators. While Alira still held onto some of the habits she'd developed and still enjoyed play-wrestling, Cirrus had taken to studying Xanthe closely, at points almost mirroring his father. He sulked when Xanthe told him he wasn't yet old enough to patrol the borders, and complained that his parents just wanted him to stay a hatchling forever. Savarna had joked more than once that the alpha male might be facing a challenge to his authority soon.

Xanthe himself had been upping patrols as the herbivores in the area seemed to grow more uneasy and easily spooked. The threat of the Spinosaur pack was always on his mind, and so he often found himself checking the territory in the middle of the night. The pack didn't have young hatchlings to worry about right now, but the idea of moving his pack and trying to carve out a new territory somewhere else was not a pleasant one. This had been their home for generations. Still, if it couldn't support them, he'd have to send out scouts to find a new place. In the meantime, he was pleased with the progress Blade had been showing recently. Xanthe had feared as the young male grew older, there might be pressure to kick out the youngster and Aurora. Thankfully, though, things had settled as mother and son proved themselves more than a credit to the pack.


Some distance from the Allosaurs, another group had managed to find a way to scratch out a living. Siri, Mwuaji, Viridis, Inculta and Astus had become a nomadic pack. It was a harsh lifestyle, and they were never sure where their next meal would come from or where they would spend the night. The lack of a constant supply of game, plus the harsh weather of the past few years, had proven very tough on them. The five of them, who had been badly treated in Riptide's pack to begin with, were lean to the point of being skinny and battle-scarred, but further hardened both in body and spirit. Siri, who had once been the gentlest of them, now led them with an iron claw. The change in her had been hard for her mate, Inculta, to understand, though he suspected part of it stemmed from the fact that none of the hatchlings they'd tried to raise in this way had lasted very long. The lifestyle just wasn't meant for youngsters. Viridis and Mwuaji stuck close together, and Astus had taken it upon himself to take them out to look for what food they could find when arguments broke out between Siri and Inculta - which happened quite often. The paler of the two prothers knew it upset the younger raptors to see their leaders fight, so he tried to keep them out of it as much as possible. Viridis, in particular, was badly affected by it. She'd become so withdrawn it was hard to get a word out of her, let alone a full sentence, and Astus suspected she was eating and drinking less lately. Her condition worried him, and it infuriated him that neither Inculta nor Siri noticed their only daughter growing weaker.

Vertigo hadn't fared much better than her former packmates. A lone raptor had little options when it came to food. A compy or lizard here, an opportunity to scavenge there. She'd become so desperate that she'd resorted to cannibalism - when she happened upon a hatchling that had strayed too far, she snatched it without a second thought - and eating the eggs in any nest she found. It was not an ideal life - the weight she'd lost was proof enough of that.


Steeltalon, on the other hand, had somehow - she still wasn't quite sure how - managed to raise Silver into a promising young hunter. Silver was fast, inquisitive, and eager to learn. They had come to enjoy each others' company, and Steeltalon had grown quite fond of the hatchling she'd brought home. The two of them, hunting as a pair, managed to catch prey just large enough to keep them both fed. The stream outside the underground cave ran just deep enough that during heat waves, it didn't completely dry up, and during storms, the flooding wasn't enough to force them completely out of their home. Not to say they hadn't suffered - Steeltalon was amazed they'd both survived. It had been a rough few years, with prey either scarce because the herds had moved on to find new, lush vegitation during the dry spells, or the floods the storms caused driving the game out until the waters receded.

[Murloc Tyrannus]

The Oviraptor's dusty orange feathers were now dark crimson with blood. The dinosaur that was holding it, Paradox, arrived at his den, where he swallowed the Oviraptor whole. Now no one was able to steal it. The predator stepped into the den before curling up again to rest in the shade...

[Giratina93]

The moment she heard the snarl, Twincrest knew she had been caught. She had been so focused on the conversation, she had failed to recognize danger coming... No matter, she had heard what she wanted for now... Without warning, the Dilophosaur shot off and ran for it, away from both Crusher and Ba'al. Even with he rcover blown, she could always find more opportunities to spy later on...

[Hopeflower]

Alira cocked her head first one way, then the other, watching her brother intently. She couldn't figure out, for the life of her, what Cirrus was doing. He seemed jumpier than the little furballs she ran across now and then; just now, he was sitting stone-still, staring into the jungle with his eyes wide open and his nostrils flared. Every muscle in his body was rigid, as if he were frozen in a state of panic, but Alira couldn't smell anything worth being so alarmed over. She sniffed again, out of curiosity. The undergrowth. Birds. A furball somewhere close by, furiously scraping at the ground and adding to the everyday scents the aroma of freshly turned dirt. The individual scents of the members of the pack. A faint smell of blood, from the previous day's kill.

Nothing out of the ordinary at all. So why was Cirrus so worked up?

As quietly as she could, Alira crept up behind her brother and fixed her gaze on where he was staring so intently. Nope, nothing strange there either. She'd have to ask him, and Cirrus was really grumpy these days when he was "bothered", as he put it. "What are you doing, Cirrus?" she asked, giving him a friendly greeting nudge. He jumped as if she'd woken him, leading her to wonder if he'd fallen asleep sitting up and with his eyes open. Wouldn't that be painful? He met her curious blue eyes with an irritated amber glare and growled, "I'm keeping watch. Father asked me to, until he gets back."

Confused now, Alira glanced at the regular adult sentries. Why would Xanthe ask Cirrus to keep watch, when they already had plenty of guards? They appeared completely relaxed, unlike the rigid way Cirrus sat. As she watched, one of them even yawned, as if bored. Any outsider would think they weren't doing a good job - but when she was a hatchling, Alira had found it completely impossible to pounce on their tails. The sentries were always aware of everything around them. She had tried, many times, only to be chased away with a good-natured growl and a gentle nudge. She'd given up eventually. "I don't think you're doing it right," she said doubtfully, looking back at her brother. His annoyed look deepened into a glare, but she went on, "Why don't you ask the real guards how they do it?"

Cirrus bared his teeth at her. "What do you know? You're barely more than a hatchling."

Alira drew her head back and curled her lip, a growl building in her throat as her temper flared. Cirrus was barely a few days older, and he thought he was so much better because of it! "As are you," the black and red female snapped back, flexing her claws. "You strut around the place as if you're alpha male already! Father will never name you his successor if you're always so...so arrogant!"

"Maybe I'll just take the position myself, then," Cirrus hissed through clenched teeth. "Xanthe won't be alpha forever."

"And you won't ever be," Alira snarled. She was about to continue when Savarna's quiet voice cut in.

"Break it up now, you two. Cirrus, you're far too young to be worrying about such things," their mother scolded. "Xanthe has led us well, and will lead us for many years yet. Right now is your time to enjoy being young." Cirrus looked away, his expression mutinous - Alira ducked her head as Savarna turned her gaze on the younger sibling. "Alira, we need to work on your temper. You and Cirrus argue far too often, these days." Alira cringed slightly and murmured an apology. She hated disappointing her parents. Savarna gave her children an affectionate nuzzle each, softening the sting of the scolding. "You both have much to learn," she growled, "but you're young. Before you know it, you'll be wishing you were youngsters again." They exchanged a doubtful glance, making her chuckle and straighten up. "Off you go," she growled. "Don't get into too much trouble." The alpha female walked off to check with a sentry, not hearing Cirrus's muttered, "That was your fault".

[The Kingpin]

"I'd keep an eye on him if I were you, Savarna" murmured Aurora lowly as she lay along the path Savarna was headed. "Males will be males, and all that, but still, best to make sure it doesn't amount to anything in the future" she added quietly as she lounged on the soft grasses in the shade of a particularly large tree. She had barely finished speaking when a badly mangled Dryosaur carcass dropped in front of the female, an arced brow raising as she looked up to see Blade, grinning widely, looking a bit roughed up, but cheerful as ever. "Thought you could use something to eat, so I went looking" he growled with a smirk, Aurora smiling softly at her son. "Aw, Blade, you don't need to worry about me" she purred softly as she nuzzled the juvenile. "Well, if I don't who else is there?" he retorted with a chuckle. "You don't put enough faith in your mother. I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me as well" she responded with a smile. "Your eyes tell a different story. Besides, it was fun, so it's not like I didn't get something out of it" he retorted with a smile. That cheerful, ever-optimistic smile. It was refreshing to see that kind of light, optimistic outlook in times like these. It made each day just a bit easier to tolerate. "Learned anything from the hunt?" she asked with a smirk, knowing her son tended to have some interesting experiences because of his hunting style. "Yeah. Dryosaurs have a NASTY kick" he responded with a grunt, flexing his jaws as if he had just been slugged in the face by the aforementioned kick. Aurora chuckled at that, which further broadened the young Allosaur's smirk. "Well, you live and learn, right? At least now you know what to watch out for when you're hunting bigger prey" she responded with a soft smile. "Well, thank you for the gift, Blade. I'll be sure I enjoy every bit of it. Now go find out what Cirrus and Alira are up to. They're bound to be up to something" she added as she sunk her fangs into the Dryosaur's flank, Blade nodding as he turned away, looking for his closest friends in the pack...


Hellfire meanwhile, stuck to the shadows, moving slowly and carefully as he waited for the tell-tale signs that the mutants had shifted their attention to the smaller Raptor, before moving in, his leg muscles rippling as they tensed, killer claws held high; organic guillotines waiting to tear apart the Deinonychus's unwary foes...

Crusher snarled as he closed in on where the Dilophosaur had been, taking in its scent and the much stronger scent of the Tarbosaurus. The latter being the bigger danger, he pressed on, glowing yellow eyes glimmering through the trees as he eyed the Tyrannosaurid ahead of him warily, a rumbling growl, akin to the sound of a stampede, rolling in his throat as he approached...

[Hopeflower]

Savarna made a low noise of agreement, growling, "I'll have to have Xanthe talk to him. Cirrus doesn't yet understand there's more to being a leader than being the biggest or the strongest." She watched Blade's interaction with Aurora with equal parts affection and amusement. Blade had a way of growing on everyone and making every day interesting. "Your son's growing into a fine young male," she commented with a smile. "I wish I had half of his energy."

The squabble between Cirrus and Alira had turned into an all-out wrestling match. The siblings were fairly evenly matched, however much Cirrus boasted that being the older made him better than his little sister at everything. In fact, the young male let out a frustrated growl as Alira yet again slipped out of his hold before he could pin her firmly. She wasted no time in ramming him with her shoulder, sending him sprawling. The look on his face was murderous, and Alira decided the wisest course of action was to run before he got to his feet. So she took off, ignoring her brother's snarling. "I'm going to kill her when I catch her!" he muttered as he finally found his balance and chased after Alira.

[The Kingpin]

"You and me both" growled the female with a smile. "Makes me wish his father could see him now. He'd be so proud" she mused, smiling as she let herself slip into memory for a brief moment, of that black and grey tiger-striped Allosaur that had transformed her outlook on life...that had pulled her from the brink of disaster and given her the will to learn to live again. Glancing at the alpha-female, she cocked her head. "Want to share the kill?" she offered...


Cirrus didn't get far after Alira before his run was quickly cut short, as Blade collided side on with him, the two tumbling along the floor before Blade righted himself, landing back on his feet and turning to face the other male with a smirk. "There you are" he growled with a snicker...

[C S]

"Ignore the sights, forget the...smells. It'll all be over soon..."

It was never enough for Aircrest to tell himself that once. He went through the room, eyes adapting to the low lighting, letting his thoughts take up all the space in his mind, so much so that the noises were all drowned out by his own voice.

"It will be over soon"

His claws sounded against metal walls as he scraped the tips against them. The resounding screech was a horrible, ear rending cacophony that refused to die out, repeating itself in an infernal echo which the mutants responded to with snarls, hisses and growls of protest.

"Soon"

The green raptor was positioned across the way from the entrance of the room, poised to strike when the Deinonychus came in to attack.

[Hopeflower]

Savarna hesitated, then shook her head, gently declining the offer. "No thank you," she replied. "I've already had my share; and I need to check with the sentries." She gave Aurora a respectful nod and moved off, leaving the other female to her meal.

Cirrus gave a frustrated growl, flipping back onto his feet yet again. Alira was well out of his reach now, snickering at the brief show the two males had provided. She trotted closer, greeting Blade cheerily, "You always have the best timing."

[Godzilla Forever]

Ba'al's ears picked up the sounds of Crusher's approach ,and his threatening growl. His nostrils sweleld as they picked up the tyrannosaur's scent as well. Ba'al soon turned towards where Crusher's scent arrived from. The aging Tarbosaur snorted, as he let out a low chortle, and soon let out a somewhat passive grunt. He wasn't here to cause any harm... but he needed to tell the rex what he had seen.

[The Kingpin]

He was on them before they could react, the Deinonychus's killer claw scoring right in the base of the male's neck, the larger predator's weight combining with the vicious weapon to sever the spinal cord, causing the Raptor to slump over the other, the latter being pinned under the combined weight of the Deinonychus and dead Raptor. Barely skipping a beat, Hellfire viciously stomped the second one's face into the rough ground, cutting off a screech of alarm, before grabbing it's skull in his jaws and twisting suddenly, a sickening snap being heard as the Raptor was killed instantly, leaving Hellfire to stand over the corpses of the two mutants, eyes narrow slits as he scanned for other threats...


"What can I say? I have a nose for fun. And nothing beats tackling Grumpy here to the ground....'cept maybe putting bugs on his head while he's asleep and watching him squirm in his sleep afterwards" growled Blade with a mischievous snicker as he eyed the two, tail lashing excitedly behind him as he stood in a half crouch, braced to evade an incoming tackle should the need arise...


Aurora eyed Savarna as she departed, a brief look of concern on the amethyst-eyed female before she shifted back to her meal, smiling as she thought of Blade, her heart swelling with pride as she thought over Savarna's comments on the young male. It was quite a compliment, coming from the pack's alpha female. She couldn't help but wonder though, how Cirrus and Blade had grown so....different, despite living together, playing together, and dealing with the same things. Perhaps being Xanthe's son had something to do with it?



"What brings you here?" growled Crusher through narrowed eyes, not dropping his guard for an instant despite the Tarbosaur's passive demeanour...he couldn't take chances...

[C S]

Rapid thumping sounded off as something bolted into the room from another hallway, which connected to the room perpendicular to the first. Its silhouette was visible for a split second against the wavering light blinking in and out of existence. The newcomer was as almost as tall as the corridor's height. The right side of it was vastly misshapen, the arm a stump grotesquely consumed by bulging flesh and rippling muscle. Its head was adorned with a crown of spikes, larger ones arranged in a row on either side of its predatory snout, smaller ones making the top of its head akin to a porcupine's back. The larger ones were recurved, like the horns of a devil. Its tail was held rigidly during the charge, the sides of which had bony spines protruding from the flesh a small distance, jagged and sharp at the edges. A natural, double-edged blade...

Aircrest sprung from the shadows at this impossible threat, claws finding purchase on its deformed side. There he tore at the creature's hide, forcing it to redirect its focus from the Deinonychus to him. And refocus, it did, breaking off into charge at the concrete wall and swinging itself sidelong towards it so that on collision it would have crushed the green Velociraptor. Aircrest narrowly avoided the grisly end, pulling his talons out and allowing himself to drop to the floor, rolling underneath the mutated monster as it thundered over him, audibly thudding against the wall.

"Oh, I do hate it when a plan goes horribly right..." Aircrest muttered...

[Godzilla Forever]

Ba'al eyed Crusher cautiously. He, too, wasn't gonig to let his guard down, in case this rex proved to be hostile.

"I originally followed you with curiosity, as you drifted near my territory," Ba'al grumbled slowly and steadily. "But soon, I noted a peculiar scent following yours, and I continued to follow you. While you were fighting the spinosaur, I smelled the scent again, but paid little heed to it, assuming it was simpyl a scavenger. However, I noted that the smell had not left, and none had gone to feed upon the corpse of your fallen opponent. I can only assume that the creature I smelled was tracking you... for what reasons, I cannot explain, for I do not know."

[Hopeflower]

Cirrus gave a growl at that, shaking himself as he got to his feet yet again. He sent a final glare at his sister, who hopped sideways a few steps to hide behind Blade. "I had nothing to do with the bug," she offered, hoping to ease Cirrus's temper. "So you really shouldn't have made me eat it."

[The Kingpin]

"Pfft. He couldn't catch me if he tried. Isn't that right Grumpy? Grumpy says yes" growled Blade as his gaze shifted between the two, smirking as his tail whipped back and forth excitedly, as if anticipating Cirrus's imminent explosion of anger...


"Smaller predators often follow larger ones as a source of food. Especially if the large predator in question is abnormally successful. Your assumptions are misled. Scavengers are fast, and don't take long to feed. It is how they survive" rumbled Crusher through narrowed eyes. "You, on the other hand, don't have a reason for leaving your territory. If anything, you'd be wise to head back and watch your borders, before the Spinosaurs make use of your absence....otherwise you may well end up a roamer with no territory" he warned, lips curling into a snarl, though his hostility seemed not to have a specific target, aimed instead in general, at the Tarbosaur, the Spinosaurs, perhaps even the island at large...


The distraction was all Hellfire needed. Before the mutant could recover from the charge, it was hit full on with the size, mass and ferocity of a Deinonychus, claws sinking into its flanks as fangs tore at it's neck, killer claws kicking dangerously at it's stomach, threatening to eviscerate it at any moment...

[C S]

The unrecognizable wretch of a dinosaur responded by sinking its teeth into the lower end of the large dromaeosaur's tail and pulling it off of itself, having no visible reaction to the myriad of wounds the action resulted in. It swung Hellfire to the ground and leveled its head so that those many horns and spikes were primed to skewer the bold Deinonychus right then and there when Aircrest intervened again, leaping at its head. His clawed hands hug into the side of it's face, one behind its large, sallow eye and another slicing into the bridge of its nose. He swung his legs up to slice at its throat, but a powerful backhand knocked the smaller raptor away effortlessly.

Despite hitting the wall hard and falling onto his stomach, Aircrest was satisfied with his efforts. Those few seconds were all the orange and black Deinonychus needed...he was sure of it.

[Hopeflower]

Cirrus snarled and threw himself at the younger male, causing Alira to yelp and scurry out of the way. Even if Cirrus managed to catch Blade, someone was still going to be sliding or falling in her direction - she didn't want to end up being knocked over by her irate sibling.

[The Kingpin]

Blade, as usual, hopped aside at the last minute, evading the charging Allosaur before whirling around with a bright grin and wide, excited eyes. "Hey Grumpy. Wrong way!" he barked with a snicker as he dropped into his half crouch, braced for another evasion at a moment's notice...


The attack was the last the mutant managed to pull off. With a vicious upward kick, the Deinonychus slashed it's throat in two places, massive, gaping wounds opening up as blood spilled freely from the injury, a second pair of vicious kicks hitting the Raptor square in the chest, knocking it away from him and leaving it to take in the shock of the injury as he rolled to his feet, splaying his claws and baring his fangs, prepared to strike another lethal blow if it proved insufficient, though at this point there was little possibility of it being required...

[Hopeflower]

The black and gray male skidded to a halt, faster than he normally did in his anger, his toe claws deeply scarring the ground as he pivoted on an ankle and spun back to face Blade. Cirrus charged again, head lowered and jaws slightly parted to deliver a vicious nip. Alira, feeling her playful nature rise to the game, darted forward to give Cirrus a quick nip on the tail before hopping back out of his reach. He swung around, growling, too late to catch her.

[The Kingpin]

The distraction gave Blade the opening he needed, the young Allosaur leaping at Cirrus, his weight knocking the other male to the floor, where Blade sat on his flank, looking down at him with a smirk. "You look funny from up here" he hissed with a snicker, using his weight to keep the other male from retaliating...