Splash—
Waves crashed against the jagged reefs, producing a continuous, rhythmic roar as the massive freighter rose and fell amidst the surf. The afternoon sun cast a shimmer across the ocean surface, and combined with the gusting sea breeze, it felt like a grand symphony of nature.
But beneath that melody, there was no sense of comfort or beauty for the dinosaurs, only a lingering silence and a suffocating sense of tension.
Well, that was how the Velociraptors felt, at least. Not Carlo.
Splash—
The waves struck the reef again, mirroring the pounding hearts of the raptors.
On the ship, one especially large figure and three especially small ones… well, they were locked in an intense staring contest, standing like statues and forming a scene that was bizarre, to say the least.
Carlo sat casually in the center of the cargo hold, facing the bow. The three Velociraptors crouched in a row on the deck, their backs to the ship's direction of travel, watching Carlo with lingering wariness.
Why? Just why had it come to this?
Delta was happy because she had survived; Delta was miserable because she had to share a "confined space" with Carlo.
Back before Jurassic World had completely collapsed, the four Velociraptors and the Indominus rex had formed a temporary alliance to duel Carlo. That had built up quite a bit of animosity, and though things had softened slightly later with the help of the Dilophosaurus, the bad blood remained…
Delta stared at Carlo. Her right leg began to ache faintly. Even though Carlo's gaze was fixed on Blue, the raptor in the middle, Delta couldn't help but feel that he was looking right at her.
Her body trembled slightly. After all, her old injury was Carlo's handiwork; in an unintentional moment, he had sent her flying six meters into the air. Though Delta had endured much worse falls since then, to this day, he was the one creature she feared most.
And… you should have warned me you were going to grow this big! I never would have picked a fight with you!
Judging by Carlo's current size, he could probably launch her sixty meters into the sky!
Gah! Don't look at this! I don't want to look at this!
Delta's thoughts were running wild, it was hard to tell if it was from listening to too much radio. After all, for a Velociraptor, that gadget could be playing music one second and blaring commercials the next.
"Aook…!"
Lost in the memory of being flung through the air, she let out a mournful cry, immediately drawing the attention of the other raptors.
Blue's expression was one of seasoned exhaustion, as if to say, "What are you losing your mind over now?"
Carlo also shifted his focus to Delta. He didn't care much for her theatrics; he was preoccupied with the sequence of events.
Just moments ago, the raptors had been chasing the human transport plane. His heightened sense of smell told him the scent of two other Velociraptors was on that plane. So… their kin had been taken as well?
Carlo didn't really care about his past grudges with the raptors; after all, even if these few combined forces with the Indominus, they still couldn't overcome the power of pure stats.
He was currently pondering a question: Were the people who kidnapped the raptors the same ones who had kidnapped Dad?
If so, could he track them down to find the others?
Carlo fell into deep thought, his head remaining perfectly still, eyes locked on Delta. And Delta… well, Delta had essentially checked out mentally a while ago.
Seeing that Carlo was motionless, Blue furtively glanced up at the sky, in the direction Beta had been taken.
Buzz—
A harsh, grating sound rang out. Something had scraped along the freighter's hull.
What was going on?
Carlo looked up from the hold toward the horizon. There were faint, dark shadows beneath the water, partially revealed by the direct glare of the sun.
Reefs!?
…
Pat!
A dinosaur with bat-like wings landed slowly on a tree branch. Its general physique was more akin to a chicken, aside from the transparent, membrane-like wings.
This was the dream-like dinosaur: Yi, the first species confirmed to possess membranous wings.
"Roar?"
Kafka looked up at the treetop. Yiwere exceptionally beautiful at night; their blue pupils shimmered with a brilliant, faint light under the moonlight, and their transparent wings were speckled with starlight, as if they held the mysteries of the cosmos.
This was the first time Kafka had seen such a magical little creature. Back in the Primeval Ecological Zone, she was used to seeing squirrels or snakes, but those were the native inhabitants of Isla Nublar.
"Woo?"
The Yilooked back at Kafka. This tree was its habitat, but it hadn't seen this Giganotosaurus when it left earlier. Why was there a new neighbor as soon as it got home?
Low growl.
Kafka emitted a soft, rumbling purr in response. Every night, her eyes would involuntarily drift upward, trying to catch a glimpse of the sparkling stars. She seemed to love the starry sky and anything as mysterious and resplendent as it.
"Ao!"
A sharp, low cry erupted from another branch in the forest. It seemed the newcomer meant trouble.
An Archaeopteryx stood on two legs, its yellow pupils glowing slightly in the dark. It flared its two wings to make itself look larger, issuing a threat to the Yi!
Was it here to compete for territory?
"Aowo!"
The Yialso spread its wings. Under the backdrop of the stars, its wings began to emit a blue, bioluminescent glow, as enchanting as a lantern!
Sound of climbing.
The Archaeopteryx scrambled up the trunk, vanishing into the dense canopy. The Yi took the initiative, launching itself into the air with its blue light, flying rapidly toward the Archaeopteryx!
Sound of breeze.
Rustle…
The leaves swayed. The pioneer of gliding, the Archaeopteryx, burst out from the forest! It collided head-on with the Yi!
A clash of flesh, feathers, and membranes!
The two locked together, spinning in mid-air. The Yi used the sharp spikes on its toes to strike at its opponent, while the Archaeopteryx fought back, thrashing its feathers against the other's head!
The blue light flickered in the sky, and a few feathers drifted away like falling flower petals.
Sssss!
"Ao!"
The Yi's spike pierced the Archaeopteryx's abdomen. The latter immediately stepped on the Yi's body with its feet and kicked off, reverting to its gliding state!
The Yi adjusted its body in mid-air, flapping its wings to regain altitude. The Archaeopteryx used its tail feathers to adjust its direction, executed a 180-degree turn in the air, and charged back at the Yi!
Clap!
The two collided once more, their continuous cries shattering the forest's tranquility.
Kafka watched the two little things brawling in the air, then watched them plummet into the bushes, producing a minor disturbance.
It was… actually kind of entertaining?
Blue light flickered incessantly within the grass. The Yiseemed to be losing, but BioSyn would never allow such a rare species to perish.
…
In the monitoring room, staff members detected a spike in the dinosaurs' heart rates and pressed a button, transmitting a signal through the neural implant devices.
"Are those two at it again?"
"Indeed. Though this time, the Archaeopteryx seems to have the upper hand. I recall we recently revived a Microraptor as well."
…
The blue light suddenly vanished. But the Yiwasn't dead; it flew back to the treetop as if nothing had happened, grooming its feathers and tending to its wounds.
The Archaeopteryx likewise trotted out of the bushes and back into the woods, seemingly suffering from a case of intermittent amnesia.
Watching this, Kafka felt that something was slightly off.
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