Live Or Die

Chapter 5: Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

Harvey had made me a stone hatchet, similar to a tomahawk. I was using it to bushwhack through the jungle, with Ruby (who I was incredibly concious of) close behind. The others were crowded round the unconcious raptor, watching over it. We were making our way to its nest. The eggs came into veiw, and as she saw them Ruby squealed with excitement, grabbed my arm tightly and bobbed up and down on the spot before rushing over to stare adoringly at the eggs. I should’ve pulled her back incase the father raptor was waiting to ambush us, but I was too stunned by the way she held my arm to do anything. I rushed over and joined her side. We grabbed all 6 Eggs, and raced back to our clearing with our cache in our arms. We saw the others crowded round the mother raptor, who was stood up and well. We placed the eggs evenly around the fire, and the mother raptor checked them all before leaving them to us- which was surprising. Ruby lay on her front and closely watched an egg. I took an interest in the one next to her, and kneeled down to watch it. Dasha found one next to me, then Harvey, then eventually Jude, who had been solutary and isolating for most of the day. There was just one left, and the mother raptor went and lay around it. I watched mine. It slowly cracked, the little splits getting wider and wider… until it broke. I saw the most adorable, tiny raptor from inbetween the cracks and I helped it out. Ruby saw and gave a huge squeal, and an even bigger squeal when hers began to wobble. I looked at my little Raptor, and decided to give him a name.

“Dagger. He’s Dagger.” Ruby looked at it with so much affection I thought it might burst. I scooped it up in my arms, but then had a bit of a realisation.

“AWWWWW!!! LOOK AT IT!!!!” Ruby almost cried. “OH MY GOD! MINE’S HATCHING!!!! AAAAAAAHH!!”

I took my bow and quiver from under Bob, who had been sleeping on the unconcious mother raptor and then my weaponry. Bob decided to follow me and Dagger. We dissapeared into the bush.

“Where’d you think he’s going?”

“No idea… he isn’t… abandoning us, is he?”

“No- that’s not it… There has to be a reason.”

“Yeah…” Bob emerged from the bushes, running and squarking in panic. He bumped into a rock and fell over, and then I emerged, holding 4 dead Dodos by their feet with Dagger darting in and out of my ankles. I set them down and fed a little slice to Dagger.

I guess, good things come to those who wait. The rest of the raptor pack hatched- Ruby called hers Violette, Dasha called hers Sovereignty, Harvey called his Master and Jude called his an odd name we couldn’t pronounce, so we called his ‘Blabs’ as a nickname (you know, blah blah… blabs… yeah..) and they all grew up- but Dagger was the strongest, by far. Oh- the mother raptor, she’s called Madré. Community thing- and we had an interesting discussion, too.

“So… Dagger was born on… wait- what month is it? I know it’s 2022, but what mont-“ I was cut off by Harvey, who just burst out laughing.

“HA- aaaahh… You think we time travelled? 2064 mate, it’s 2064, hehe…” Ruby came in.

“Are you mad? It’s 2022, like he said.”

“Thank you!” I replied, but in came Dasha.

“Erm… hate to break it to you guys, but it’s 2037.”

“2037!?” butted in Jude “It’s 1452, you crazys.”

“Wait… did we… time-travel?”I asked.

“I mean- there were some rumours that it might be possible with element…” added Harvey.

“Element? As in, that meteor?” Enquired Dasha.

“News flash- we caught the asteroid with rockets to lower it to the ocean- where it just floated.”

“What is element?”

“Yeah- what is it?

“What is an az-tur-oid?”

“A big space rock.”

“Space?” I cut in:

“Hey- wait. So, we time travelled using some big rock, and ended up here?”

“Sounds about right,” replied Harvey “But with REFINED element.”

“Ok but you get the point.“ Ruby drifted back to the conversation.

“Guys… I think I can make saddles for the raptors.”

“WHAT!?”

-Next in Anglerfish

-Nightfall