a hallow victory

after everything i'd gone through, i'd finally reached the pack of the primordial feather's precious crate.

caleb and kirsten had done an amazing job distracting the crimson talons, which gave me and carmen a chance to sneak to the crate without incident. as an aside who knew that universities had some many tunnels running through the bottom of them? it made bypassing the pack a snap.

emerging in the store room... funnily enough it was the ONLY room i hadn't already seen in the whole geology collections!... i finally set eyes upon the wooden box that had been causing so much trouble.

it looked harmless enough, and for a brief moment i thought maybe ruffled feather had been wrong about the threat it represented. then it hit me. the smell from the box... i knew that scent well! almost as well as my own.

carmen didn't notice my hesitation and marched towards the crate, and finding a easy to release latch opened the lid. "oh my," she murmered softly, in shock at what she saw.

i already knew what was inside, yet i had to make sure i wasn't somehow mistaken. oh how i wanted to be wrong! i let out a howl of dispair when i had my confirmation.

we sat there a good two or three minutes both just staring at the crate, though to me it felt like years or centuries. my brain was numb with anger and depression. how could the pack have done this? how?!? they truly were monsters...


even carmen, who didn't know the full extent of what she'd just seen picked up on the scope of the crate's cargo. "this is a mistake right?" she looked to me desperately. "i mean that could just be a decoy or extra security? the real artifact is another of these boxes."

i just shock my head. carmen may not have recognized the contents, but i certainly did. there was no way it was a mistake. it was exactly what the pack had wanted in the box, and i knew why.

i explained to her as best i could through howls of sadness (a theropod's version of crying) what this cargo was, and what it represented. she looked helplessly at the crate. when i'd finished my tale of woe carmen offered. "we could take it out of the crate, and then destroy the box. hopefully the pack would think we'd destroyed..."

i cut her off. "we don't have time carmen," i stated coldly. my rage at the pack was tapping into my surpressed tyrannosaurus instincts. "besides, it's in no condition to be taken out of the box."
"what do you do then?" carmen asked.

"nothing," i could only defeatedly admit. the pack had won. we couldn't wheel the crate out of here. i could smell theropods still out in the hallway (the daspletosaurus in particular). we certainly couldn't destroy the crate's contents, for we'd be as bad if not worse then the pack... which meant we could only leave the crate in the pack's claws. which was the worst outcome of all!

suddenly carmen lunged for a clipboard. "not on my watch!!!" carmen declared. she started madly writing away on a form. i was starting to feel ill from my crate discovery to clue into what she was doing, till near the end of the form she asked me. "what's the address of that museum you work for?"

i told her, now snapped out of my defeated daze. what on earth did she want to know that for?

"there, done!" she stated with a final scribbling of her signature.

"done what?" i asked dumbfoundedly.

"a two zero one transfer form," carmen proudly informed me. i just blinked stupidly. "the pack was able to sneak this into here by logging it as an offical addition to our collections. well if it is in my collections, than it is up to me to have the final say on where any item goes. as of such i just override their request to ship it back to their home office, and am now sending it to you in new zealand."

i said nothing, but instead lept onto carmen with a furious hug. "calm down. calm down," carmen insisted. "just don't ever underestimate the power of collections!" she winked.

for a moment i was overwhelmed with absolute joy. we'd won the day, and more to the point dealt a serious blow to the pack. however facing the crate again, my momentary celebration fell on its face. the contents of that crate were by far one of the evilest things i'd ever seen anyone (human or dinosaur) do in my personal life...

i had a realization in that moment too. carmen was sending this to me in new zealand... that meant when i got home, suddenly i would be the one responsible to safeguarding the contents of the crate. was i up to that task? could i really survive having to face it all everyday for the rest of my life?

(From the reflections of Desdemona Deinonychus, Crimson Talon and Pack Matriarch of the Pack of the Primordial Feather)

A mournful Royal* howl echoes down the hall. Indicating my plan has come full circle, and been a success.

*[Tyrannosaurid... in this case Traumador]

The Runt** has clearly discovered Razi [Saurornithoides]'s little project. Oh how I wish I could watch his spirits utterly collapse upon discovering that which we have stolen from him. Alas sometimes the greatest predator is that which is unseen.

**[Traumador]

Victory is truly mine!

Had Layla [Oviraptor] not been such an arrogant fool, it would not have been possible. Yet she could not resist in trying to act superior to us true hunters, and give us conflicting and completely inexperienced orders. My Crimson Talons were confused before the battle even began, let alone after Valour [Velociraptor] skillfully muddied the waters.

In the wake of us losing the crate, it will quickly become apparent it was Layla's incompetent leadership that cost us this victory. At the same time my protests throughout this operation will have to be acknowledged, and reveal me to be a far more competent commander than Layla. It shall be my pride and me who ascends within the Pack from the crate now, and not that scheming scavenger!

To think I have the Runt to thank for it all. Not that I haven't left him with a memento of my appreciation!

to be concluded with a phone call

converging schemes...

(From the reflections of Desdemona Deinonychus, Crimson Talon and Pack Matriarch of the Pack of the Primordial Feather)

Enough is enough!

I am a hunter*. More to the point I am a Matriarch**, and the Alpha** of the Crimson Talons. Not some Ornithomimid or Alvarezsaurid commoner for Layla [Oviraptor] to order around!

*[in pack language a hunter is more akin to soldier]
**[A commander and chief within the pack]



Yet she continues to walk about our temporary territory* as though she is a Royal**. What makes her even more insufferable is that the Royal who is present allows her to do so. If I were Vicsurus [Daspletosaur] I would most certainly have shown the Oviraptor who the superior one was.

*[Base of operations]
**[Tyrannosaurid]


Alas, Vicsurus is too disiplined a hunter to go against the orders from the Grand Matriarch. Even the supreme predators of the Primoridals thought that Layla's and Razi [Saurornithoides]'s precious crate was valuable enough to devote half the Crimson Talons to its protection, meaning none of us here could make a move against the smug Oviraptor.


This has made my position all the more difficult, for I am beginning to fail in containing my contempt for Layla. Especially the way she has had the gumption to order my troops around, as though she'd passed the trails and been marked a Crimson Talon.

Reports from Vicsurus of the Runt's* sudden appearance here has caused Layla to worry about security even more than before. Today I had to use all my control not to slash her throat as she did rounds instructing us all in how to ward off enemy intruders. Of all the nerve!!! The cowardly scavenger hasn't once lifted a claw in the heat of battle, and yet treats us frontline hunters like fresh hatchlings!!!

*[Traumador]

Like I said enough was getting to be enough. Despite Layla believing she is about to ascend within the Pack's leadership, I have other plans. Her current authority is only secure if the crate is secure, which is something I very much have a say over!

However my list of true allies in my potential planned treason is thin . Layla and Razi are both political scavengers*! They've undermined the loyalties of many of my Talons, and though the Talons all still unquestioningly follow me into battle, are not all completely devoted to our Pride as they once were. If I actively ordered them into what I planned, some of them might very well turn on me, in hopes of gaining favour with the Pack's leadership and ascend with Layla.

*[an insult similar to being referred to as a weasel]

There was only one in my Pride I could trust my rage and plans with, Valour [Velociraptor]. Despite her martial arts trained calm, Valour was also beginning to wear under Layla's lecturing. The thought of pouncing the Oviraptor had even passed through Valour's crystal clear mind once or twice today.

I vented my anger to Valour when I was certain no one else was within earshot. In her typical manner Valour was unphased by my anger, but for once at the end showed her own feelings. Many in the Pack do not fully trust Valour due to her relative lack of emotion. I must admit initially I did not immediately take a fancy to her when she first earned her place amongst the Talons. As a rule we Dromaeosaurids tend to be a very passionate Pride, and Valour most certainly does not fit this mold. Yet I have come to envy her for her detachment.

When it came time for us to discuss how to sabotage Layla's precious crate, I especially envied her clear minded control. Though I had my own strategy devised, Valour had already concieved a brilliant tactic for integrating the rest of the Talons into transparently helping us. All we needed was for the Runt to make a move against us.

He had demonstrated many times now that this was something that he would most certainly do. When he did so this time, we would make sure he succeeded. Not only would Layla suffer, but the Runt himself would no doubt be devastated by the crate's contents. And this should lead to a complete victory against my enemies with one box! Of course, that's only if it all goes according to plan...

(From Traumador the Tyrannosaur's blog The Tyrannosaur Chronicles)

i'd hit a most stressful... no that's not strong enough word for it. a most terrifying. yeah that'll do... moment in my life.

the crate was now within sight. the only trouble was, i had no idea how i was going to get it away from the primoridals!

the collections manager carmen had taken me through the building's layout, and given me a few ideas of places that might be handy in distracting theropods... but there was a lot of uncertain variables, in particular how many and what types of coelurosaurs were guarding the area. this had me in particularly worried. there was every likelihood that the crimson talons were about, and i knew there was at least one daspletosaur kicking around. worse, i had no idea how i was going to get them ALL away from the crate and remain safe!?!

one thing was certain. i was going to need help... especially given my history with the crimson talons. the pack had vowed it would make me join them one way or another... so walking right into a stronghold of theirs solo just didn't strike me as a good idea!

fortunantely i had a scheduled lunch with two people who might very well be willing and able to help me! my palaeontologist friends caleb and kirsten! man i'm glad last time i met up with them i'd scheduled this lunch date...

concidentally the university's resturant stuck us in the most darkly lit corner, which give it the perfect conspiracy air to plan a heist.

caleb and kirsten were somewhat amused by my immediate launch into my pack/crate woes and how i needed their help. "only you could say hi, by asking us to risk life and limb," kirsten pointed out to me. "we really should bet on such things, 'how long it'll take traum to bring up something perilous."

"you're certain its the pack of the primordial feather?" caleb asked pointedly. he had a bit of a history with the pack too. they'd kick him out of the tyrrell just like me. i assured him there was no question, to which he responded "what's the plan then?"

the tough question. one to which i had an answer, but not the best...

kirsten immediately upon my conclusion agreed it wasn't a great answer. "that is seriously your plan?" i nodded, prompting her to reply. "you seriously expect the two of us to take on a whole swarm of raptors and who knows what else?!!"

i couldn't see any other way. it was better the two of them than me... and not for the selfish reasons that sounds like!

silence took over our lunch for a bit. caleb sat thinking on it all before finally asking. "why don't we ask the lab rats for help too? their presence might help ensure we stay safe."

"no," i answered firmly. despite thinking not being my strongest suit, i had considered the possibility of bringing in other vivus-dinosaurs to help (such as norman). "you'd be bringing something with you that is definitely a meal. to the coelurosaurs that would signal a hunt definitely being on. they'd kill the lot of you without blinking. just the two of you, palaeontologists and all, might throw them off enough."

"i'm afraid it is either you guys going in on your own, or i need a different plan," i admitted guiltily. "i know it is a lot to ask."


"no it isn't traum," kirsten stated calmly. i raised my head in hope which she noticed, and just as i thought she was in, kirsten shouted. "because you're going to need a new plan!"

i was crushed. not that i blame her really. i was asking everything from these guys, and i hadn't always been the best friend to them (more in my actions mind you than my intentions... having a small brain causes one to make some bad descisions, but for all the right reasons... sort of like what i was asking of them...).

suddenly caleb countered kirsten. "we're in."

"what?!?" kirsten spat at caleb.

"true its not the best plan ever," caleb explained. "but given what we know it is the only logical course of action. any attempt to probe the pack's position for more information would be even more dangerous."

"you don't seriously expect me too..." kirsten started, but was interupted by caleb.


"to stand up against a force that is actively attacking our field?" caleb challenged in reference to the science of palaeontology. "the primordials have shown they have no qualms with interferring with our research, science, and field work. now they are using our institutions as fronts for their activites."


"where does it stop. simple smuggling? if they get away with this, what is to stop them from stealing things from our collection while they are at it next time? who's to say they won't start using this cover to start poaching our vivus-fossil collections? to top it all off, their presence here went completely unnoticed, if not for traumador's hard work. this might be our one and only chance to stand up to them."


kirsten thought on that a moment. "what choice do we have but to stand up to them?" caleb asked again, somewhat rhetorically.


"alright," kirsten reluctantly signed on to my little operation. she then threatened me. "if i die trying this little stunt of yours though. i'll, i'll..." she thought for a second, clearly fighting off her anger and fear at the situation. then she came to a decision. "i'll kill you!" she said in a surprisingly playful manner. she wasn't mad or frightened anymore (or at least angry at me in any case). she'd come to the same conclusion as caleb.


if we didn't stand up to the pack, then it would keep acting like they could push any of us around. something i hoped this afternoon might fix...


otherwise kirsten was going to kill me... and i couldn't have that! it would mean she was dead too!


"there's just one little part to the plan i'd like to alter," caleb suddenly cut off that thought. both me and kirsten looked at him puzzled. he'd just convinced us all my course of action was the only option. why was he suddenly suggesting a change. "we're going to grab carmen. you're going to need her help once we do our part." he said, clearly with a scheme in mind...

to be continued with lots of plans in action...

pinpointing concerns...

i found a lead on the pack of the primordial feather's whereabouts here in calgary... from the most unexpected source!

now i needed to see if it would lead me to this crate of theirs (which i had on good authority was something they should not be allowed to keep)!

there was only one person who could help me sort out whether this information was of use, as information was kind of his thing...

that was of course mike the librarian!

i called him to cut down on the time usage rather then go over to his place. he seemed to like the fact i didn't come over uninvited.

i informed him of the coelurosaur sightings in the (most remote section of the) university geology department. "hmmm," mike stated as he loaded up all the information he could find on the department.

man i couldn't believe what mike could find as a librarian. i always used to think librarians just put books on shelves, but in reality they're information sleuths who can find out anything if it is written down ANYWHERE... "there doesn't look like much here. just supply and specimen storage and shipping requisites..."

suddenly mike paused as though to read something. though his response came a lot quicker than it would have from me. mike is a powerhouse reader compared to me it would seem!

"those sneaky little bird like reptiles!" he gleefully stated, much like the hunter who has caught his prey. "there was a recent inbound shipment of a 'crate 14' to the university not too long ago. why didn't it raise any red flags though?"

crate 14 eh... okay, so we now knew not only where the pack was hiding, but where the crate was and what it was called. the only question was what was i going to do about it now?

mike had continued his probing while i was lost in this deep concerned thinking. "of course," he concluded. not that i had been part of the problem. "the crate didn't show up as it was sent through a 'legitimate' agency. tracing it back a few levels, i have to say the pack is well set up. they maintain a whole network of dumby companies to hide their activities. how could they keep them all running i wonder?"

i had my suspicions. the pack of the primordial feather had quite a few movie actors in its ranks. my cousin larry being the biggest among them. with all those big hollywood salaries there was no end to the number of things the pack could probably afford.

"where is the crate being kept?" i asked. hoping mike would not only point me in the right direction, but also hoping he might give me some hints on how to get it away from the pack.

"i'm not sure," he answered.

my info guru had tracked down a top secret mailing, but couldn't tell me to where?!? "i can tell you where it was delivered traumador," mike retorted annoyed, when i questioned his info tracking skills. "but it has only arrived. so it hasn't been logged into the university's collection catalogue. which means it is where ever the collection manager has decided to store it until it is officially added to the collection."

"so the plan is what?" i asked hopefully.

"i don't know!" mike defiantly responded. "i helped you find these guys, just like i said i would. now it is up to you."

i just stood silently on the phone thinking helplessly of what i was going to do next. finally mike offered. "maybe if you track down the geology collections manager they can show you the crate."

i was just about to ask who they were, when mike beat me to the punch (somewhat annoyed i was going to ask). "i'll track them down for you. however you are not to contact me about this whole crate situation again if i do!" he warned. i agreed.

so i'm off to track down this carmen, the university collections manager. hopefully she(?) will be a nice person, and help me out (instead of mike)...

all i know is that this tracking mission has been going relatively well so far... so i'm just waiting for it to go demonstrably wrong!

Meanwhile in the University of Calgary Geology Department...

(From the reflections of Desdemona Deinonychus, Crimson Talon and Pack Matriarch of the Pack of the Primordial Feather)

I yearn for the hunt. One where the quarry would be a certain Oviraptor!

As if it weren't bad enough I have been reduced to a simple watch dog, I have had to put up with Layla being in command. The pack can afford to hire proper mammalian sentries, rather than treat our top warriors as dogs. My hunters are needed on the front line, not guarding a human school.

I had thought Razi [the Saurornithoide]s' arrival signaled that our mission here was important. Unlike Layla, Razi has proved not only how dangerous her planning and cunning are in battle, but she has actually fought in combat. Normally Razi's interest in a plan would indicate it to be of importance to the pack.

Now that I have seen the contents of this great "strategy", to say I am not impressed would be an injustice to the disgust I currently feel!

The only way we Primordial Feathers are going to defeat our enemies is through battle. Not this complicated "stratagem" that Razi and Layla have been obsessed with the past few weeks. The contents of the crate possibly represent a great weapon to the pack, but it is not yet ready for deployment. In fact it could be no where further from!

The "refinement" required to ready it, unlike what Razi tries to assure me, is not going to be quick or easy. After all the intense energy and effort needed to ready it, there is no guarantee that when unleashed, the pack won't be among those it damages.

Adding insult to injury, the contents themselves are a little self indulgent on the part of Razi and her pride. To give into a personal flight of fancy would be a trait I'd expect of the Oviraptor, not Razi. I fear Layla is beginning to rub off on the Troodontid matriarch. They think I'm a idiot, and that I haven't noticed them plotting and scheming together, but I have. I am ready for when they make their grab for power within the pack too.

In the meantime I have the current crate situation to worry about. For whatever reason the Royals have placed a great deal of faith and interest in this mission. Meaning that if they succeed in returning with the crate, both Razi and Layla will receive great favour within the pack's leadership. All the while my efforts and sacrifice will no doubt be downplayed. After all I was merely the guard.

Of course I dare not risk sharing these thoughts with most of my Crimson Talons. Despite their loyalties to me in battle, sadly some of them have ambitions that have set them to ally with those such as Layla or Razi. Especially with Layla, the treacherous scavenger! Meaning I can not currently trust my own hunters.

All but one, my chief lieutenant Valour [Velociraptor]. There is not another Theropod alive today who is such a pure hunter. Valour lives for the hunt, and could not care less for politics. I see eye to eye with her on almost all matters. (Except perhaps on how to emote. Valour's upbringing in China, has brought her up very in control of her feelings in battle. Too much so if you ask me. How can one enjoy the rush of the kill if they are constantly meditating on it? I digress.)

I explained my concerns to her, and quickly she came to my point of view. Something had to be done about the crate. Especially given with how the situation was unfolding at moment. If it succeeded according to the current plan, it would be more of a defeat for our pride. We needed to shift the situation so that it was we Dromaeosaurs who would benefit from the crate. Not the conspiring Razi and Layla.

"Do you have a plan?" Valour asked me cautiously.

With regret I was forced to reply. "Not as of yet. No opportunity has yet presented itself," Valour eyed me with anticipation, suspecting what I was going to say next. "Of course, all great predators must be patient, so they may wait for an opportunity to walk into their 'waiting' ambush."

We discussed a number of possible scenarios and how we might act upon them. Quickly we both agreed we needed an outside distraction to properly act. Yet, at least for the moment, none had presented itself. We could only wait, and hope one would materialize.

Then we would turn this pathetic sitting around into a true hunt!

To be continued...

cowtown... everyone's coming here...

well with my trip back to drumheller over it was time to start making my way back "home" to new zealand... meaning i had to pass through the closest big city, calgary, if only really just to get to a real airport (drumheller has a tiny one lane road for an airport).

though i have to say this whole human concept of home is weird to me. home is where you currently live, yet at the same time it is where you once lived... so in my case i'm leaving home to go home?

i guess its just my nomadic predatory instincts conflicting with this concept. back in the cretaceous a tyrannosaur probably didn't really stick around any one place unless there was food hanging around it. meaning our food was really our home... oh well

regardless, i was in for yet another surprise from this trip. not that they're that surprising anymore. i think if something goes according to the plan while i'm here in canada i'll be floored...


i headed to the calgary airport to catch my flight back to new zealand. i don't have clear pictures of the airport, as i've been told you can get in trouble for taking lots of pics around airports. i did sneak in a couple snap shots of these pterosaurs that were hanging around the ceiling of the port though. sadly you don't to fly on the pterosaurs, as i'd hoped.

rather they're just some cool statues to decorate the place. the idea is it shows the evolution of flight, as nestled among the huge quetzalcoatlus and pteranodons was a giant dragonfly ancestor protodonata, and of course my relative archaeopteryx... i didn't notice a bat in there, but for the display to be complete it should have been in there. this was more a work of art than museum display in fairness i guess...

anyways when i went to go get my ticket to new zealand, i was told that someone had rescheduled when i was flying out...

of course i didn't buy my plane tickets in the first place, someone else had (though i still don't know who?)... yet why would they buy me a trip back drumheller, only to trick me into spending some time in calgary?

i found out quick. the ticket clerk had a note to give me, sent by the "party" that had changed my flight.

i would never have guessed in an epoch who or why though...

it was my mysterious informant from the pack of the primordial feather, a coelurosaur who called them self ruffled feather. i hadn't heard from ruffled feather since they had tried to warn me about dr. spectre's attack.
`

ruffled feather was a disgruntled member in the pack who sought to hurt the group. somehow i was useful in this effort, though i wasn't clear on how? i guess my being one of only a handful of coelurosaurs who'd turned down membership in the primordial feather and had survived to tell the tale was handy... somehow?

beyond this i knew nothing about this ruffled feather, not even enough to know if i should call them a he or a she (i'm going with he for now). his note wasn't exactly much help on answering any of my questions either...

Dear Traumador,
`

I'm sorry for the disruption my actions have no doubt caused. I assure you I wouldn't have made them if it were not important.
`

You can not leave Calgary yet. Despite evading you in Drumheller, through that Spectre diversion, the pack it would seem did not lose you.
`

They have retreated to somewhere in Calgary, and they have brought the 14th crate with them! Where exactly I do not know, and I wish I could be of more help.
`



It is crucial that you make sure the contents of that container do not make it back to the pack! Thankfully anyone who can survive a run in with Dr. Spectre, such as yourself, should have no problem against the Crimson Talons. No matter the backup they will be receiving, and I have heard they are getting some!
`



Ruffled Feather
`



ps- How did you beat Spectre in the end exactly?

there was a missing connection somewhere between me and ruffled feather...


he seemed to think i knew what he was talking about, and more to the point what the pack was up to. the problem is i really didn't!
`


causing the miscommunication, i'd had thought it was the pack who was responsible for all the fossil poaching around drumheller. it in fact turned out to be two hardened palaeo-criminals (megan and jo)... i hadn't really thought about why the pack was there any further, as a few things had distracted me... however due to our conversations being interrupted, ruffled feather was never able to realize i was under the wrong impression about what was going on...
`


whatever it was the pack was up to, they had thought it awful important. they'd tried to kill me thinking i was trying to stop them.
`

the pack must have cleared out of the tyrrell during the "Spectre diversion". i know that professor paradigm had done a sweep of the museum looking for them, once he'd rescued me from spectre, but didn't find a trace.
`

so what were they doing in drumheller? ruffled feather had mentioned a "14th crate". i began wondering what it might be or mean...

as i left the airport and headed back into calgary, or cowtown as many call it in alberta, i realized the scope of what ruffled feather had just asked me. i had to find the pack and whatever they were up to somewhere in here!
`

sure, no biggie. i only had a place 50 times bigger then drumheller to search!!!
`

as i looked out over cowtown, i had one reassuring thought. despite the unfun task i'd for some reason agreed to take up, i did have a lot of friends based here in town. with a bit more time here i could catch up with the lot of them, and who knows maybe get one or two of them to help me out...

Elsewhere in Calgary...

(From the reflections of Desdemona Deinonychus, Crimson Talon and Pack Matriarch of the Pack of the Primordial Feather)

I miss the front lines!

At least on the field of battle you can tell where you are. In the midst of the hunt you know what you are to do.

I no longer know any of this with my current mission, helping with this stupid intrigue and espionage debacle Layla, matriarch of the Oviraptorids, has pulled me into.

The mission was simple enough at the beginning. Lead a troop of my Crimson Talons in guarding this "crate 14" from hostiles. At the onset of the mission the enemies were few and easy to counter. Just the runt [Traumador] and a few human members of palaeo-central. With this limited intelligence provided, may I note by our head of intelligence, there was no way I could have predicted a direct confrontation with Lance one of the most dangerous saurians on the planet!

Despite my troop being too small to proper engage Lance, we none the less confronted him to the best of our abilities. Despite taking heavy causalities, we were able to inflict considerable damage to Lance, and through these wounds we Crimson Talons turned this losing situation into a strategic draw. Through this action we kept the crate from harm. Yet when Layla ordered a full retreat, it somehow became my fault we were falling back.

I grow tired of her "command" of the operation.

If not for Layla's political connections throughout the rest of the Pack, I would have ordered my hunters to teach her a lesson in what our pride does to treacherous scavengers such as herself!

Layla is truly an arrogant fool. As she considers herself smart, Layla is under the impression she is somehow dangerous. She seriously believes that in the Packs' daily struggles, it is her schemes that will win the day. I only wish I could put her on the field of battle once, as the coward has never once joined our brave hunters on the front line! Then she would see just how "dangerous" ideas and plans like hers really are in war. The Gondwanaians will not be defeated by thinking. No, they only succumb to the tooth and claw! Which is where we foot soldiers and hunters come in. We are the true power of the Primordial Feather!

Yet Layla has the nerve to walk among us trying to show dominance. If she only knew the danger her presumption was placing her in. All of my troop, especially me, were fighting our instinctive urge to subdue her. To have earned our utter contempt as she has is a dangerous thing. For we normally reserve this for our enemies.

My lieutenant Valor [the Velociraptor] in particular was not handling Layla's demeanor well. The greatest warrior in the pack strode beside the Oviraptor in a ready to pounce stance. Had Layla uttered a single condescending word to Valor, the Oviraptor would have only had a few seconds to regret it. The rest of my hunters were containing their disdain better solely because they followed my lead better. Despite her incredible battle prowess, Valor lacked a soldier's discipline.

Fortunately an altercation was avoided, as Layla said nothing. Either she had picked up on hostile air about her as a hunter would have, or as I personally think she had simply been lucky. Either way she would live. For today at least!

Today we received reinforcements from the Pack. I couldn't have be more pleased with who was sent. A fellow matriarch of the Pack, Razi [the Saurornithoides] of the Troodontid pride.

Razi's assignment indicated just how important this crate had become to the Pack's strategy. It now had three of the Pack's main general's in the field to martial it. This was quite a tactical risk. I can only think a handful of battles with this many Matriarchs involved. The scorn for failure would be great. I couldn't help but think it would be Layla's responsibility to accept it if something were to go wrong...

Not that failure was an option. Razi's arrival heralded a shift in the command dynamic. When Layla had requested my help I saw it as my duty to protect the Pack's interests from interference. Especially since the challenge was coming from the whelp if a Royal the Runt! However, Layla misinterpreted my participation as me bowing to her authority. I most certainly would not be tolerating this any longer!

Despite being renowned for cunning like Layla's, Razi was a most able predator. One who had personally lead troops of hunters into countless battles. I'd personally had the honour of hunting along side her, and as a result could respect orders from her. Unlike the coward Layla, who had never once tasted the blood of the enemy!

Razi did not arrive alone, however. Being a strategic and tactical prodigy among the Pack, Razi was far too valuable an asset to leave unescorted. She arrived accompanied by one of the Royal prides's most feared warriors, Vicsurus Daspletosaur. Vicsurus is one of the renowned Daspletosaurus"triplets", who serve as the Royal's personal elite guard and assassins. Her being Razi's bodyguard indicated this crate affair was of great importance to even the Grand Matriarch.

Razi and Layla formally greeted each other with signs of complete respect and admiration. As befitted their Matriarchal status. I disciplined myself, as I grew resentful of being excluded. I was equal in rank to either of them, and unlike Layla had actual spilled my own blood in this mission. Yet as it was Layla who had "saved" Razi's crate, it was she who was acknowledged.

I on the other hand was relegated to greeting the new hunter to join the mission. We warriors are not ones for pointless show and formality. Though I resented not being acknowledged by my fellow Matriarchs, I in truth much preferred the simple exchange with Vicsurus.

Though I despise the Royals as a Pride, I have a grudging respect for Vicsurus and her two sisters. Not only had her sister Rancor personally saved my life in battle from a Gondwanaian Carcharodontosaurid, but the ferocity of the three Daspletosaurus matched that of any raptor in my Pride. Something few other Royals could not boast.

For her part Vicsurus was far more accepting of us Dromaeosaurids than most in the Royal Pride. She'd been in too many battles where it was us who had turned the tide in the Primordials' favour, rather than the Royals.

Leading Razi to her prized crate, it was here we Crimson Talon's were finally recognized for our heroism. Razi personally thanked me for my part in protecting her prize. With it she could now get back on task refining its contents into, what she assured us would be, the Pack's greatest weapon.

Perhaps I was too hasty before in wishing to return to the frontline. At least until this weapon is completed!

To be Continued...

the spectre menace

(From Layla Oviraptor's personal journal)

I have difficulty finding a word to express what I am feeling at the current moment. There are too many options.

My hope had been to protect Crate 14 from the Pack[of the Primordial Feather]'s enemies. Instead I have now ended up with not one, but as many as three of these enemies all actively trying to interfere with the project!

Making this incredibly stressful situation all the more unbearable has been the never ceasing presence of Desdemona Deinonychus, my self-inflicted accomplice. She has clung to me the last week like a fresh hatchling, unable to fend for herself. I normally find her unbearable, but this new defeated Desdemona has me yearning for her "old" arrogant and insufferable self I'd some how lost.

I understand defeat is something a hunter [hunter=warrior or soldier in pack lingo] like Desdemona is unaccustomed too, but she has become truly pathetic at moment. The way she sulks about you won't guess she is the matriarch of the feared dromaeosaurid pride, that alone the captain of their dreaded Crimson Talons. Making this all the worse she is now beginning to shed some of her disgrace onto me and make me appear equally weak.

My bringing Desdemona had proven a grave mistake. She certainly was going to be of little use to me now other than perhaps directly guarding the crate. If the overall situation was to be salvaged it was going to be up to me, like usual.

I had formulated a new strategy to try and distract our enemies from the crate, and hopefully kill some of them along the way!

As it was just a distracting tactic, I was at the simultaneously have to maneuver the crate out of harms way. I briefed Desdemona on my plan for the crate, and the Crimson Talons' new role escorting it on its way.

"We are retreating!" Desdemona stated in disgust. The first hint that the arrogant raptor hadn't lost all her spark. To a hunter like Desdemona a repositioning and regrouping like I was about to stage was seen as cowardice. "Why?!?" she then demanded

"Do I really have to answer that?" I responded in annoyance, as I was hardly in the mood for her stubbornness. However rather then let the rhetorical question do, Desdemona defiantly stood waiting for me to acknowledge her question. Fine, if she wished for my 'opinion', then she was going to get it! "We need to retreat Desdemona, because you and your precious Crimson Talons utterly failed in eliminating the Runt like you were supposed to!"

"You dare imply that I and the Talons failed like incompetent fools?!? You speak so arrogantly for one who the Lambeosaur would have crushed in seconds!" Desdemona hissed defensively, I'd hit a nerve. Though I may have done too good a job. The raptor's tail was curving upwards to assume a pre-pounce stance. I'd seen Desdemona dispatch too many opponents (both of within the pack and out of it) to ignore this subtle threat.

"You are taking my statement too seriously," I pretended to assure Desdemona. I had meant for it to be a biting insult. However she was right. "I don't expect you or the Talons to be capable of defeating Lance. Especially when he is the one ambushing you."

My acknowledging Lance's prowess as a "hunter" disarmed Desdemona. We both stewed silently for a moment on the topic of the troublesome hadrosaur. Never before had any prey been as dangerous as Lance. He was such a capable warrior that he'd even bested some of the Royals in combat. [Royal= Tyrannosaurid in pack lingo]

"We should stand out ground! This is our museum. It is time we demonstrated it!" Desdemona boldly challenged as she returned to the conversation. "We simply need to bring in more hunters."

I openly laughed at this suggestion. "This is not our museum, Desdemona, you should know that. It is and always has been Professor Paradigm's favourite. He tolerates our presence here as it would cause a confrontation to get us out. That and I think he tries to use it to keep tabs on what we are doing. If he ever thought it would be to his advantage to oust us from here, Paradigm would do it in a moment. He is one of our most effective enemies," I cursed out loud.

The Professor has always been one of the greatest threats to the Pack of the Primordial Feather. Him and his Palaeo-Central organization have foiled many of our best laid plans, and now that Paradigm had finished forming and training this Task Force of his, he was all the more dangerous...

"Exactly, it will take a confrontation to remove us from this place!" Desdemona tried to convince me. "Paradigm has already gathered most of his strength here. Let us crush it! All we need to do is gather our hunters from North America, and he will be a problem of the past. Think of the glory that will be bestowed on both of us for such a feat?!?"

To think moments ago I'd wanted Desdemona back to her usual self! She was so busy imagining leading our troops to victory her eyes were visibly glazed over. "There will be no stand off with Paradigm," I dismissed her whole stupid idea. Desdemona was about to protest, but I cut her off. "Think you stupid predator! Paradigm would hear the instant we sent out a summons. Before our forces could properly gather he'd overpower us, and take the crate. More to the point even if we were to rally a proper war party, do you seriously want to risk the crate in the middle of a battle?"

Desdemona's only reply was a dumbfounded blink. I'd ejected her from her envisioned victory, and overwhelmed her with the reality of our situation. Rather then risk her recomposing herself, and starting another irrelevant argument I decided to tell her my entire plan.

"You are to mobilize the Talons to extract the crate in five hours. A truck will be showing up then," I instructed her. She was about point out the still outstanding point of Paradigm, his Runt and the Task Force. "Leave Palaeo-Central to me."

My last claim was too much for the raptor to handle, for once she openly laughed at me. Something she rarely would dare to do. "How do you plan on defeating them exactly?" I couldn't blame her for asking. If I had to combat even just the Runt, and his Royal predatory physiology, I won't fair well. That alone against Paradigm or his Ornithischian lackeys.

Luckily this couldn't have been further from my plan. "I'm not intending to take over your role as the prime hunter, so calm yourself Desdemona," I jokingly assured her. "I simply am going to use our enemies existing weaknesses against them."

Desdemona was intrigued but simply tilted her head in curiosity rather then ask a dumb question. So, I decided to reward her for staying silent. "Their attentions are already divided by supposed fossil poaching. Paradigm and the Task Force are busy scrabbling around the badlands, while the Runt has missed the crate altogether and gone to prepared collections for some reason."

We both chuckled over that mistake on the Runt's part. After my confrontation with him the other day, I was very concerned he was going to make a move for the crate. Despite posting the Crimson Talons to guard the crate, I wasn't confident we could keep it safe. The Runt had been demonstrating an annoying ability to beat the odds.

"How are you going to use this poaching distraction to our advantage?" Desdemona inquired.

"I am leaving you to prepare to crate for departure, while I go and make a deal with Spectre." I answered.

Hearing the name Spectre, Desdemona's tail went rigidly straight, a raptor's version of fear. "THE Spectre?" she nearly whispered out of disbelief. Despite not being a warrior of her caliber, I had just earned Desdemona's respect.

"Yes the one and the same Spectre," I reinforced. "Which is why I leave you in command of the crate and its retreat. If I do not return, I leave it to you to pass on news of my sacrifice to the rest of the pack." Desdemona bid me farewell with a solemn bow, as a show of respect.

I tried to keep my composure as I marched past her and her now onlooking Crimson Talons. Absolute anxiety and dread now raced through my body, as I realized I was beyond planning and imaging my battle plan. I now had to leave the safe confides of my imagination and enact these deeds in real life. In other words, I was actually going to have to meet with Dr. Spectre now!

As I approached the isolated spot in the badlands outside the museum we had arranged by email I once again had to compose myself. For the mammal Spectre was already waiting for me.

"You say you have something of interest to me," he coldly stated through his large breathing apparatus, causing the words to be eerily distorted.

"I do," I tried to calmly reply, but I failed. My only hope was that his understanding of my Oviraptorian tongue was not strong enough to grasp my emotional expressions. As they are very different from human mammalian signals.

His eyebrows raised in predatory anticipation, as he clearly detected my stress. "You better be right, Primordial Feather. I've come a very long way to be here on your word, and me and this place don't have a shall we say agreeable past. I'd hate to have returned here because you are 'mistaken'."

I tried to calm myself by reminding myself he was just another mammal like the rest. However I was too sound of mind to be fooled by self rationalization like this.

Spectre was no mere human, though at first glance one could be deceived. He was a palaeontologist, the one group of mammals we Vivus-Dinosaurs deal with on a day to day basis. Unlike him though, the majority of them are weak pathetic things equipped with only knowledge about us Vivus survivors. Spectre was not only one of the most intelligent of them, but he was also armed with far more then his large brain. For despite his inferior frame, Spectre was hunter easily of Desdemona or even the Royals level.

Of all the players in the ongoing Vivus-War, Spectre was the most singularly deadly player in the fold. Yes, any of the factions could crush him with its entirety, but the effort of doing so and the damage he would inflict upon it would leave that faction defenseless against the rest.

I took an incredible risk approaching him. Especially as I was about to try and coerce him into acting on the Pack's behalf. Be it only as an aside. My hope was the gain he stood to make from my proposal would outweigh the fact I was making a gain as well.

If I failed to convince him, there was good reason I had told Desdemona to be prepared for my demise. Spectre was infamous for his brutality. Especially when trying to acquire palaeontological specimens. I did not want to think of what he might do to a Vivus-fossil such as myself to render me into the spectacular specimen I potential represented.

With this in mind I explained my reason for contacting Spectre, and my suspicions as to what the Runt might represent scientifically. I then waited for his reply in the most terrifying and drawn out seconds of my life. Keeping in mind I have faced down Carcharodontosaurids before on the front line of the Vivus-wars, and this fear now did not compare.

The answer I got was no cause of relief. He drew his fingers together and cackled. A most disturbing sound due to both the malice it betrayed and the alteration its sound underwent through his breather.

"If your hypothesis is correct, I am in your debt Primordial," he mused. "This is too perfect. Especially with Alvar in such close proximity!" Spectre referenced Paradigm by his first name.

As if I didn't need another reminder of this man's dangerous nature, he directly referenced the feud between himself and Paradigm. There were few the Professor feared, but Spectre was certainly was the chief amongst this list. Like all great enemies they had once been the best of allies, only to betray each other. Now they fittingly displayed their animosity to the world in the form of scars so great they needed breathing masks to survive them.

Spectre reached for his trademark Katana, and I suddenly went numb expected to be dispatched by it. I misinterpreted his intentions, for a moment later Spectre pivoted and began walking away, clearly on the hunt.

"Just so we are clear, Primordial," he cautioned, slowing his pace for a moment. "I am well aware you are using me as a distraction against Paradigm. Though the discovery you have alerted me too is ample compensation. Just be warned, if 2003. 12. 7. [Traumador's official fossil catalogue number] is not what you claim he is, then I will be coming to claim something of equal value from your beloved pack." With that he marched off into the badlands.

I wasn't keen on sticking around. Especially with one of the most dangerous human predators now stalking these badlands.

As I reentered the museum and retook command of the crate's removal I suddenly was overjoyed. I had not only made a successful deal with the devil, but I had now sent him hunting my enemies. There was the slim possibility he would come looking to collect later, but that was only if I was wrong in my guess about the Runt. Something I was certain I was not!

To be continued with Several Unexpected Surprises...

theropod's bane... (raptor attack part 2)

i was in trouble people of the innerweb... BIG trouble...

what had started off as a care free and normal day at the tyrrell museum had turned into a nightmare. the pack of the primoridal feather had finally made good on its promise to get back at me for not joining its ranks! they'd sent a pack of dromaeosaurids (commonly known as raptors!) to come and get me...

so far with devastatingly effective results!

they'd cornered me and tony in the tyrrell's back parking lot... making things worse i was hiding in the pack on tony's back. so i couldn't do anything about it at all! worser even still, they held our friend yumi hostage at talon point. with the flick of a dromaeosaurus' toe, yumi was done for...

tony was left no option, but to surrender over the backpack (and by extension me!)...

i don’t blame tony though, you must understand. there was nothing really stopping them from killing him or yumi to get to me. by handing me over, tony at least gave himself and yumi a chance at living through this... maybe...

i was kinda wishing there was an alternative to handing me over though, mind you... not that any were obvious ones to my tiny brain.

the whole time, a group of hadrosaurs sat on the other end of the parking lot gawking at what was going on... stupid burgers!

they'd stopped by the museum in their relentless search for work... work being the modern replace to food. the over flow of vivus-dinosaurs in drumheller meant anywhere tourists went, vivus dinosaurs were sure to not be far off. as the museum is the biggest tourist attraction in the valley, there are always plenty of saurian wanders like these guys hanging around...

on any other day the tyrrell was a lot safer to loiter around for a walking lunch like a duckbill. today though, with a pack of highly pumped up and psyched raptors in active hunting mode just metres away, the hadrosaur crowd quickly caught the vibe if they stuck around much longer they might end up becoming a victory lunch for the dromaeosaurs.

as tony handed me over to the raptors, the pack got very audibly excited and wound up. the duckbill's decided they'd witnessed enough, and before the raptor's attention left tony and the backpack, the hadrosaurs began to make their way towards a more public area...
`
probably a smart move. it's what i would have done, if i were a burger that walks and talks like them...

suddenly, against the follow of their crowed, one of the duckbills walked straight towards the tense bag hand off. this caused a slight commotion among the duckbills, who honked and bleated annoyance at the uncaring rebel who just continued to push, check, and shove his way through the herd... the raptors all paused hearing the distressed call of their instinctive prey. i let out a involuntary sigh of relief... even if my tiny brain knew this was but a momentary pause from my doom...
`
being able to speak a limited range of the duckbill language, due to my time growing up at the tyrrell among various types of dinosaurs, i could tell something weird was going on. clearly the other hadrosaurs were not just annoyed by being delayed by the single dissenter. they were scared by this one's actions too. it was risking the raptors noticing and attacking (even if i was their objective, which they'd yet to fully collect).
`
what duckbill could possibly be stupid enough to risk being eaten...
`

i finally caught an edmontosaur angrily state the trouble maker’s name. i should have guessed it was them way earlier... it was lance the lambeosaur, the rather grumpy and ill mannered assistant of professor paradigm. I even knew he was already in town and everything...
`
before i could wonder why lance needed to struggle his way through his peers for a better look, suddenly he let out the most unusual call i'd ever heard a hadrosaur make...
`
the raptors thought so too, they all started chatting uneasily in response to it... though feeding off each other, their unease quickly shifted into predatory anticipation. lance, and possibly now some of his friends, were now in much more immanent danger...
`
i was as confused as i can be (what with a tiny brain and all). lance's behaviour seemed almost suicidal... especially considering the clear evidence of scars covering him head to toe from close calls with theropods. why in fossilizations’ name would he be trying to provoke another encounter?!?
`
before i could think about this any further tony shifted the bag (and thus me too) in utter surprise. the most unexpected thing happened...

`

seconds after lance’s eerie bellow (it resembled a ceratopsian battle cry, come to think of it... something duckbills don't have or do) he charged full steam towards us, and more to the point the raptors...

he ran head long towards yumi and her dromaeosaurus captor.

wisely the tiny raptor bolted from her captive... at a mere 15 kilograms the dromaeosaur really couldn't afford lance's impressive 20 tonnes slamming into her (unless it wanted to be a pancake!)...

with the immediate relief from the removal of the raptor’s weight and talons, yumi rolled over to tend to her wounds... though rolling over she let out a scream as lance's giant mass came charging over top of her.
`
despite her panic, yumi was in little danger (somehow?). lance gracefully and carefully narrowly avoided crushing her. all while making it look easy, despite considering how big he was it must have been hard to pace his steps like that. still lance never broke his stride or speed, though why he didn’t just stop there began to raise our suspicions (human, t-rex, and raptor).

`

i could feel tony air fist in victory at lance's success... i'd have to thank lance for his efforts on our behalf. assuming tony could get away from the 10 raptors still surrounding us, that was...

suddenly things went insane!
`
lance didn't turn or even hesitate. he ran straight over yumi, and bore right in on the main grouping of raptors!!!
`
the dromaeosaurids were a mix of reactions. some panicked. others were dumbfounded like me. however the scarier ones (the deinonychus, velociraptor, and atrociraptors in particular) all grew excited... in a very scary way. like x-mas was running over to them early.

as lance closed on us, the pack swung into a big game formation. clearly with the intent of taking him down before seizing me... the raptors fell into two frontal attack waves, supplemented by a group of decoys who mocked flanking lance to try and distract him, while some real flankers snuck behind the man made cover of the recycling bins to try and double back on the brave hadrosaur.
`

lance wasn't a brave duckbill, come to think of it. he was a really stupid one! no wonder he had so many scars on him from theropod attacks! he just walked into situations with them (or was it running?)... even i'm not that stupid!!!
`
the raptors were happy as... uh, well, happy as hunting raptors i guess...

they clearly weren't used to dinner being so helpful in rushing in for slaughtering, but they sure weren't complaining about it either. all around me their excitement could be heard.
it was at this moment everything that was about to unfold became clear. i just didn't realize it...

desdemona deinonychus, leader of these "crimson talons", muttered under her breath "lance," in a very angry and spiteful manner. there was a hint of uneasiness in her voice, which i chalked up to her sizing up such large prey... if i only knew the half of it!
`

just as the front line raptors met up with the on coming lance, things started to go fast. the raptors began spacing themselves out, aligning for optimum pounce positions.
`
just as the first couple raptors were about to jump onto him, lance suddenly swung up his head. the motion was so powerful i heard the whosh of air it made in the backpack!


had things been normal lance would have been dealt the first deadly blow by the raptor front line. however things were suddenly not normal, not normal at all!

as the lead dromaeosaurus began to leap towards him, lance swung his whole body weight right into the tiny theropod...

the crunch of bones could be heard, as the tiny coelurosaur was flung helpless into the air away from lance.
`
abruptly the scenario of the helpless duckbill, me and the raptors had anticipated, disappeared! for all of us but desdemona it seemed, as she'd never had this idea, it became clear.

The deinonychus angrily cursed. "not this time you don't!" desdemona had definitely met lance before, and what he was now doing didn't surprise her one bit.
`
with this nebulous threat desdemona snuck off from the carnage being dealt to her front-line troops, and fell back into the maze of recycling bins and cars around the emerging battle.
`
lance's sudden battle prowess may not have surprised desdemona, but it sure was throwing her crimson talons for a loop!
`
the first frontline futilely tried to do their job, but lance dispersed them quickly.
`
the second wave put in a token effort, but it was cleverly just to distract the duckbill. as they convinced him they were trying to attack, the real danger to lance closed in behind him.
`
the flankers that had snuck off behind the bins had emerged behind lance, and were about to get the drop on him...

lance's current offensive looked like it was about to be short lived. the flankers swung into action in perfect form!
`
yet somehow lance knew the pack's tactics better then they did...
`

out of no where, the decoys went from effective distractions, to becoming lance's weapon against their flanking cohorts!
`
combined with lance's unbelievable use and coordination of his body... i'd never seen a hadrosaur (that alone any of the proper "fighting" ornithischians like ceratopsians or ankylosaurs) use their head, tail, or limbs so effectively and naturally as weapons!

it was like watching a hadrosaur samurai! seriously... it was the closest i'd ever seen to a dinosaur martial artist!
`
keeping in mind i've seen ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, and stegosaurs fight (no stegosaurs outside of on TV mind you), and they are all amazing fighters.

just not in the gracefully and effortless manner lance was displaying. his moves were always perfectly times, and never more or less power then they needed to have. the traditional fighters tended to overpower their moves.
`
also true fighting plant eaters all tend to preferentially use their battle endowed anatomy. ceratopsians just use their heads due to the obvious attached horns or bosses. for the stegosaurs and ankylosaurs it is their tails, which end in either deadly thagomizers or clubs.

not lance though. probably, because he didn't have any of these natural enhancements to begin with, and because a preference would hinder his total combat style. no, lance used his entire body so well the whole thing became a weapon, on par with any horns, club, or even thagomizer!

the crimson talons didn't stand a chance against him one on one.

to prevent them from using their superior numbers against him, lance somehow kept them off balance and at bay with an uncanny knowledge of their own battle tactics. he was always one step ahead of them, and taking them out slowly one at a time as he did so...
`
i was beginning to wonder if he was some kind of superhero? his counter attack was going perfectly...

of course i jinxed the whole battle by thinking that!

the crimson talons had been sitting on a secret weapon... valor velociraptor.

i was dumb founded, a velociraptor, really?!?

of course when the average human hears the name velociraptor they associate it with being among the most deadly dinosaurs of them all. however this reputations, is well frankly, completely overblown!

despite what you saw on jurassic park, raptors aren't quite that dangerous... the writers in hollywood decided to soup up their raptors quite a bit, to make them better movie villains. so the raptors were given through the script and stunts things like human intelligence, opposable door opening thumbs, and speed of a cheetah etc. dromaeosaurids were pretty impressive predators in real life, but none of them could do all of that stuff! that'd be a super predator...

the other reason i was surprised by this velociraptor being so dangerous, is that for jurassic park spielberg cast deinonychus to play the raptors (desdemona was the lead raptor in fact! come to think of it). the reason being velociraptors are small things in reality, and only come up to the average humans hips. not something that could stare you imposingly in the eye...

i'd have expected the most deadly of the crimson talons to be desdemona or an atrociraptor...

man was i wrong. within seconds the velociraptor had effortlessly bypassed lance's defences and was really tearing into him.

watching this valor i realized something unnerving. i'd thought lance was impressive a second ago, but watching the velociraptor attack such a massively larger opponent, i realized lance was but an amateur martial artist compared to her.

suddenly my spirits sank... the wail of pain from lance indicated valor was inflicting some serious damage to him!

with ninja like grace, valor leapt away from her prey having inflicted as much damage to lance as she could safely.

it looked bad. she'd scored a pretty good slash on his neck. fortunately not anything lethal, but it wasn't a mere flesh wound either!

as valour delicately landed beside him, lance sort of collapsed... probably from the pain...

just like that, the invincible hadrosaur warrior image faded... he was mortal just like the rest of us, and in fact quite vulnerable it seemed.

suddenly the pack regained its predatory spirit as desdemona and help gathered above lance on the bins he was leaning against.

lance's momentary pause gave the raptor's the opportunity they'd been waiting for...

suddenly lance was covered in biting, kicking, clawing, and slashing dromaeosaurids!

his bellow of agony and pain was awful to hear. especially at such close range. the battle was literally over top of me and tony now!

though all i could do was spectate through a small opening in the zipper, tony suddenly realized the situation had shifted.

It may not have been in lance's favour, but it definitely was in ours! all the raptors were either lying injured around us or actively attacking lance... we were no longer being guarded!!!

without a second thought tony sprinted as fast as he could from the massive tussle going on behind him.

within moments we were clear, and out of danger. tony gently peeled yumi off the ground and starting assisting her towards the museum's front to get her medical attention.
behind us the battle took yet a new shift...

lance's yells of pain suddenly ceased... and it wasn't cause the raptors weren't still ripping him apart. far from it. he now had some pretty serious wounds on his face, neck, and flanks... yet he wasn't crying out anymore?

then it hit all of us, human, tyrannosaur, and raptor. lance had been faking it the whole time. sure he was hurt (you could see him starting to limp a bit), but he still had plenty of fight left in him.

he'd been hamming it up to distract the raptors and give us the chance to escape. now that we’d gotten away, lance was back in the game.

in really bad accented dromaeosaurid lance warned. "break off now, or else!"

despite his lack of obvious pain, the raptors knew they doing him some critical damage, and thus they still held the upper hand...

all of them except valor that is... hearing lance's ultimatum she suddenly leapt off in almost a panic.

the others should have followed her cue. lance immediately veered the bulk of his colossal body sharply. desdemona and the atrociraptor had no choice but to desperately hold on.


with the same amount of power lance swung back towards the dumpsters. the force of his giant strength and weight flung the atrociraptor from his head, and it helpless flew towards the recycling bins back first.

desdemona found herself dislodged too, but being by the more stationary legs she managed to land rather cat like on top of the bin.

not the atrociraptor. with a horrendous snapping of bones it slammed into the bin.

lance wasn't done though. he could see desdemona and valor preparing to renew their assaults.

"it is over," he steerly warned. despite the clumsiness of his theropod language (lance's head is basically a giant organic tuba! imagine trying to speak through one of those...) his dead seriousness came through.

desdemona won't yield. her and valor weren't phased by his word at all.

i'm certain in theory, valor especially, but probably desdemona too (who i could now see was almost as good as the velociraptor) would at some point be able to out manoeuvre the larger slower lance again.

however it was now just the two of them against the lambeosaur. lance had disabled or wounded every other raptor the crimson talons had thrown at him. sure the two remaining raptors probably could have gotten in a few more attacks, but the odds of them inflicting mortal wounds, versus the odds lance would get a piece of them along the way weren't good.

to demonstrate his dominance in the new tactical situation, lance reared up onto his rear legs and trumpeted "IT'S OVER!"

the display was awesome, which i mean it was just amazingly powerful. not the surfer boy version of the word.

valor, clearly the calmer headed zen like warrior, immediately realized the odds against her seeing the 13 metre 20 ton behemoth towering above her, and retreated.

desdemona took almost a whole minute before following. however her and lance engaged in the most hate filled stare i've ever seen (and me and larry have glared at each other before remember!) before she turned and screamed a retreat call.

slowly all the raptors picked themselves up (most in clearly severe pain) and dispersed in any direction they could. so long as it took them the furthest from lance.
just like that, it was over...

somehow tony, yumi, and i (me in particular) had all made it out alive, and in one piece (mostly).
we owed it all to lance. which i never would have expected in 65 million years!

though the being one piece couldn't be said for lance. as the last raptor disappeared, he slumped on the pavement in sheer pain and exhaust. blood freely poured from the large wounds he'd incurred. despite the posturing he'd just display, lance was clearly much worse for wear then he'd let on.

i ripped open the backpack (finally!) and sprinted towards lance.

tony paid our saviour no further mind. his concern was on yumi, who herself sported a rather serious raptor wound. he took her off to see a doctor.

i rushed over to lance to try and see if i could offer similar assistance. plus i wanted to know why he'd helped us?

lance had made it clear he hated us theropods, including (and especially?) me! yet he'd just put his life on the line for me.

why???

to be concluded...