"A Debt to Rexy."

Stupid attackers.

Blue made a sharp whip around the large trunk as her sisters dodged their own obstacles. Delta made a large leap over a tall bounder, and Echo skittered over the trunk of a long dead tree. Blue was happy to be running again, but she had to focus on the mission.

White One was acting as a second Alpha. Blue accepted her as such; she cared about the pack now. Alpha was in touch with White One; they understood one another.

Blue had agreed with White One; this harmless attack was an attack regardless. No one messed with this pack and lived to brag about it. Blue was not that forgiving.

The three broke into the clearing, and Blue stuck close to the tall fence as she began to make her loud 'I'm here' barks. Her sisters stuck close to her as they began to do the same, and they waited before a loud roar shook the earth. Blue clutched the dark weapon against herself before giving a sharp snort as they bolted over.

Rexy broke free from the trees before letting loose another furious roar. She had heard the roar from White One. On one hand, Rexy was absolutely proud of how terrifying that roar had been. It shook the trees, echoed through the jungle, and demanded Death's very presence.

Regardless of how wonderful the roar had been, White One was still just a youngling; she was Rexy's responsibility. Rexy would be there to protect her even if it killed her.

Rexy turned her head towards the fence when she heard the sharp barks from the raptors. She didn't like how White One wasn't with them; she didn't like how they were trying to get her attention. Was White One in danger? Rexy wondered if she was overwhelmed by another attack, but that didn't make sense to her.

As much as she hated raptors, she would never deny they were brave creatures. Sometimes brave to the point of being dumb, but they were brave.

And noisy, raptors were so noisy; always chittering or barking. It drove Rexy up a wall just thinking about it. She liked the silence of her territory. She would only tolerate noise near the false log, and she had learned to ignore it.

Rexy almost gave a sigh at the overly excited raptors; she didn't know their tongue. She recognized few calls. A call to hunt, to run, and to attack. She lowered her massive head to their level before blinking at the blue raptor.

Rexy knew what that was in the raptor's claws. She had seen several humans use it before, and they had even used it on her twice. The first time to get her in this walled territory, and the second to help her when she had grown ill so long ago.

Did the blue raptor intend to use this on her? She didn't think they were that smart, and she didn't seem to be holding it correctly. Rexy wasn't exactly sure of the correct way, but it didn't look like that.

Rexy startled when the blue raptor began to shove the weapon towards the fence. Was this raptor not aware of what this fence did?

Clearly not when the shiny tip drew nearer to the buzzing fence, and Rexy gave a stern snort. She was more startled when Blue paused, and looked at her questioningly.

Velociraptors could actually listen to others?

Rexy could have fallen over dead at all of this, but instead she gave another snort to not touch the fence. The confusion clouded the raptors' eyes, and Rexy was frustrated; the language barrier was a bitch.

Blue gave a frustrated huff. Why wasn't she allowed to push the weapon through? She wanted Stern One to catch the attacker's scent. She didn't think Stern One would be so territorial. Blue wished White One was here to translate, but she had to stay there so Alpha didn't know about this plan. It had to be a backup.

Stupid Alpha could be naïve about his own kind sometimes. Blue was glad the arrogant human had been eaten by Delta. He was bad.

A flash of movement caught Blue's eye, and she stared at the long eared creature bouncing towards the fence. It was one of those quick runners that she had hunted! She still wasn't sure if they even tasted good, and the other raptors followed her gaze.

Blue wanted to hunt the creature, but she had to focus on White One's order. She had to get the scent to Stern One before Alpha came back. Blue watched Stern One turn to stare at the furry animal, and Blue wondered if she would go after it. She didn't think she would.

The rabbit seemed oblivious to the stares as it slowly bounded over to the cable fence. It was in no hurry, and Blue snorted when it stood on its back legs before touching the strong cable. A loud crack was made as the smoking carcass was flung back, and all three raptors let out startled shrieks. They watched the burnt remains give a couple bounces on the ground before rolling to a stop, and the rabbit didn't get up again.

The pack slowly turned their gaze back to the fence, and Blue took a large step back. That's what the fence did? It exploded what touched it? Blue had almost touched the fence! She almost exploded! Stern One was the only reason why she was still alive at the moment, and Blue gave a quiet, grateful chirp.

She was in Stern One's debt.

But now she had to figure out how to get the stupid weapon to her. She needed Stern One's help. Blue found it odd how White One seemed to behave so differently. She acted like one of the pack, but then she'd act all mushy for the creatures like Owen.

And she was apparently part of Stern One's very tiny pack.

Blue briefly wondered if they could make Stern One part of the pack. They already had an odd, almost dysfunctional group for a pack. Why not add the old lady? They would certainly be able to keep a much larger territory with her. If they could work with Alpha's garbles and stupid clicking, then they would learn to work with Stern One.

Content with her decision, Blue puffed the air through her nostrils. Stern One was now part of their pack until she said otherwise or until Blue could wipe out the debt.

Rexy tilted her massive head when the blue raptor gave a chirp before she began to walk along the fence. Her sisters paused, but followed quietly, and Blue paused to give a look at Rexy. The old Tyrannosaurus was curious enough to follow, and maybe she could get to the other side of the fence to check up on her youngling.

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"Where are we going?"

Owen winced as he wiped his jaw clean of the staining paint before saying, "Just a quick stop."

Tim raised an eyebrow at the building before asking, "At the Break Room?"

"I want to compare some notes with Elise a little later."

Owen opened the door, and was met by the welcoming whoosh of air conditioner before smiling at the empty room. Tim followed easily, and asked, "No really, why are we here? I know you don't keep your stuff here."

Owen walked into a room connecting to the living room before giving a crooked grin.

"But everyone else does."

Tim blinked as Owen began to comb over the lockers, and it wasn't hard to figure out which ones belonged to who. A slight grin tugged at Owen's lips when luck smiled up him.

Miss Debra forgot to properly shut her lock this morning.

"Owen, we are going to get in trouble..."

Owen pulled his head from the open locker with a raised eyebrow before asking, "You come face to face with that old lady how many times a day? And you're afraid of Debra?"

Tim huffed when Owen pulled out an interesting journal, and he retorted, "Rexy is different. I'm not stealing. Honestly, Owen, you do act like a Velociraptor sometimes."

"Kind of hard not to when I am the Alpha."

Owen let out a small chuckle before suddenly going to one knee. Tim raised an eyebrow at the odd sight before he asked, "Um, Owen? What are you doing?"

"Pulling a Tim Tebow, and thanking the Good Lord for this gift."

"....What?"

Owen only grinned as he scanned down the paper. It seemed, as the Head Zookeeper, Debra had written down all her fellow keepers' combinations.

She had even gone out of her way to write them alphabetically. What a good woman Debra was. Tim almost grew wide-eyed as Owen began to open the lockers before rummaging through them.

"What are you doing?"

Owen ignored the panicking hiss as he began to take small things from each of the lockers before carefully wrapping them in their own little paper towel. Each item went into a plastic bag, and Owen could not believe how easy this was. How nice of...Jim to supply the towels and bag.

Just like most of the dinosaurs of Jurassic World, their handlers did not know what to do when a cunning Velociraptor stalked amongst them.

"Owen! Quit stealing, seriously man!"

Owen paused at the last locker before coolly saying, "I do not allow anyone to mess with my girls. Elise has to know that I will not tolerate anyone trying to hurt her. I have been pissing off the Petting Zoo lately, okay? I put laxatives in their doughnuts this morning; maximum strength."

"Why would you do that?!"

Owen gave a crooked grin as he shut the last locker before saying, "The real question is why you didn't help me."

"Because that's mean, Owen! Jesus, you were asking to get paintballed."

"But not Elise. They fired at her, Tim. I won't tolerate that. I would never involve the animals, but now they stepped it up."

Tim looked absolutely flabbergasted as he quickly followed out of the Locker Room before anyone else could see them. He knew there had to be security cameras around, and he had a really bad feeling about this.

"The Petting Zoo couldn't have done it if they were all in the bathrooms!"

Owen didn't slow down as he walked out of the building with Tim nervously following. It was almost funny, and Owen wondered what Rexy would think of this sight.

The trespassing, destructive leader of the Velociraptor pack was being a bad influence on her good son. If Owen wasn't asking to get munched by Rexy before, then he sure as hell was now. Besides, he wasn't technically stealing, he had every intent of returning the stuff after Elise had pointed the finger.

Owen was pulled from his thoughts when Tim trotted next to him, and Owen said, "There's a lot of people for that petting zoo, I know I didn't get all of them. What are the odds that everyone got a doughnut? From what it sounds like, Debra ate more than one."

Tim paled before hoarsely saying, "Jesus Christ, Owen. Are you trying to kill her? There is such a thing as an overdose of laxatives!"

"Eh, she's so full of it, I doubt they'll even make a dent in her."

"That's not funny! I'm being serious!"

Owen gave a grin as he trotted back to Elise's paddock, and said, "It's pretty funny."

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Claire let out a small sigh as the clip ended again. She had no idea who those people were. She didn't think they would be animal rights activists; they had purposely hit Elise several times. They did sound angry with Owen, and she quietly asked, "Has Owen caused any more trouble with the Petting Zoo lately?"

Lowery pressed his lips as he made a split second decision. He really didn't want to be the one to go squealing to Claire. He really didn't want to rat out Owen, and Lowery said, "I don't think so."

Vivian glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and Lowery knew he had just sealed his fate. Raptor Squad better be the winning team, because he had just picked his side.

Lowery was now part of the Raptor Squad; McDonald's and Ben & Jerry's better be part of their turf.

The rest of the room remained silent as they waited to see how good of a lie detector Claire was. Lowery refused to even move as he pretended to stare at the screen in front of him; he could feel the sweat gathering on his forehead. He almost jumped when Claire's phone suddenly rang, and she turned away to answer it before he let out a shaky breath.

Lowery was too afraid to even glance at Claire for fear of giving himself away, and she sounded startled. He didn't catch much from her conversation, but she hung up before quietly saying, "I want Security to thoroughly comb this island for those men. I'll be back as soon as I can; I need to find my nephew."

Lowery blinked before gesturing to the cameras as he offered, "I can just make a quick sweep..."

Claire shook her head as she tucked her phone away, and said, "I have an idea on where he went."

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Elise gave a grumble as she tried to wipe the itchy paint from her scales. She was not in a good mood, but she had heard Rexy give a loud roar. She trusted Blue to be smart enough to get the weapon to her; she had told Blue how to unlock the gate.

But she wasn't sure if Blue was smart enough to learn like that. Elise knew the Velociraptors were very intelligent, but it seemed like they had to learn through visual example. If Elise showed Blue how to open the silver ball, then Blue would be able to mimic that. Elise wasn't sure if Blue was smart enough to open a gate by being told how to.

Sometimes it was frustrating being stuck like this. Elise could think like a human, but she wanted to be around other dinosaurs. It didn't exactly appease her when the conversations were stuck to basics. The raptors were getting better though; they were learning.

Elise really needed to get Owen's butt in gear with the sign language. She needed to talk to people, not just make small sounds around them. She wanted people to know who she was. Sometimes she felt like Owen forgot that she could talk, but then he'd make her into mush.

Elise gave a huff, and turned her head when movement in the room caught her eye. People were not supposed to be in here, but she tilted her head at the small boy.

It was Gray.

Elise missed seeing Gray; she had seen him yesterday, and he had mentioned that he would have to leave soon. He was funny to her, and so very innocent about the world. He reminded her very much of Small One. He was a precious, little creature with a very big heart. He was very kind to so easily forgive her for her unprovoked attack.

Elise gave a happy croon, but paused when he wiped his eyes of water. She allowed her vision to distort, and Elise grew upset at seeing the heat clustering around his chest. Gray was in pain.

He gave a small hiccup, and Elise snagged her claw into the ledge of the window. Owen hadn't seen her do it, but she had managed to chip enough of the false bark away to reveal the corner of the clear pane. It was easy to slide the window back, the first time she had done it she had accidentally jammed the window. She didn't need to tell Owen that was why it never slid back when he wanted it to.

Gray gave a loud sniff as he tried to hide his face, and Elise gently puffed air on him before making a soft sound. The boy quickly wiped his face on his shirt before turning around as he quietly said, "Hey, Elise..."

Elise didn't like the redness of his normally bright eyes. His nose was running, and his normally soft hands had been balled into hard fists. He was breathing more quickly than what was normal, and he seemed to be shaking slightly.

Gray was very upset, and Elise didn't like that.

She gave a concerned croon before pushing her hand in. Gray only sniffed when she gently brushed his side, and he finally said, "I'm not crying..."

Elise had no idea why Gray felt the need to lie to her. She didn't understand humans sometimes. Was there shame in crying? Elise didn't think there was; it was a way of communicating to others when words failed. It was a relief from built up frustration.

Crying wasn't bad.

Elise made another soft sound as she gently brought Gray closer. He gave a hiccup, and Elise could see the red pain building up in the chest. It was another wave, and she didn't want him to repress the tears.

Gray was so focused on keeping his tears under control that he hardly noticed Elise scooping him into her palm. He blinked when sunlight hit him, and Elise sat on her haunches as she kept her cupped hands in front of her. Gray's lip trembled, and Elise made a soft whine as she pressed him to her chest.

She was here to comfort him. She would not judge him for crying; it would be their secret if that was what he desired.

That was all the silent communication Gray needed, and he buried his face in the scales before letting out a pained, quiet cry. Elise curled around him protectively, and she made soft sounds that had always comforted Small One when she had been upset. Elise only wished she was a little smaller; she would have tried to rub Gray's back. That had always made Small One feel better.

Elise felt Gray finally pull back, and she glance down at him. It hurt her heart to see the pale, chubby face covered in shiny tears and snot, but it was good that he was crying. The pain wasn't being cooped up. Elise made another garble at him, and Gray wiped his face as he hiccupped, "My p-parents are..."

Gray's face contorted, and Elise wondered if his parents were in danger. Was there anything she could do? Elise made a small whine, and Gray said, "They're getting a divorce...."

The simple sentence brought about a fresh wave of tears, and Elise had no idea what to do. What was a divorce? Elise wasn't sure, but she did know that Gray had come to her for comfort.

She gave a soft croon to let him know she would not leave him. She was right here, and he was safe.

Gray sniffed as he wiped his face again before tearfully asking, "D-Do you k-know what a d-divorce is?"

Elise shook her head, and Gray sniffed again. He pouted his lip unintentionally as he tried to find the words to explain it, and Elise waited patiently. She would not push him for answers. She was simply here to offer a warm, safe environment for him to feel comforted. Gray finally said, "I don't want to talk about it..."

Elise gave a single nod; that was perfectly fine. She would respect that. She cuddled him close to her heart, and Gray gave a shaky sigh. He jumped when he heard his older brother say, "Are you hugging a dinosaur?"

Gray was very quick to wipe his face of the evidence, and Elise wondered why crying was such a private thing amongst humans. She waited for Gray to get his bearings about him, and he said, "Maybe..."

Elise glanced at the elder, and he didn't seem to be judging Gray. He looked upset as well, but he seemed to be holding it together a little better. Elise scooted closer to him before extending her hand. Zach blinked at the massive palm before shrugging as he stepped on.

Elise was happy to see Zach immediately wrap his arms around Gray in a tight embrace. Zach was a good sibling; he watched out for his brother. He did not fail in his responsibility to Gray, and Elise remembered how the elder had made sure Gray was right next to him as they had run from her in the thick jungle.

Zach didn't abandon his little brother. Elise loved Zach for doing that.

She tilted her head quietly as Zach seemed to be struggling on how to comfort his brother. There was obviously an embarrassment on Gray's part if he was caught crying, and Elise was confused. Zach glanced up at her as he squinted his eyes in thought before growing confused.

"Did you get shot by paintballs?"

Gray blinked, and became distracted by his depressing thoughts. The two brothers stared at Elise, and she huffed before giving a single nod. She had been shot multiple times by the stupid paintballs.

"You know the point of the game is to dodge them, right? Were you having a painball fight with Owen?"

Elise blinked; that had not been a fun game at all if that's what it was. Paintballs hurt, and she did not appreciate the ambushing. She shook her head, and Zach raised an eyebrow before saying, "I think it'd be fun to have a paintball fight here actually. We could totally send people in here, and you and Uncle Owen would get them. I'd pay to do that."

Elise tilted her head; she did not want to encourage anyone to shoot at her or Owen. She had had enough of weapons, thank you very much. Maybe if they shot soft things, but no paintballs.

Elise just wanted the cute 'munchkins' to pet her nose, give her scales sincere kisses filled with love, and she'd reward them with dazzling colors. They would give her colorful pictures, and then she'd got eat with Rexy.

Another sniff from Gray caused Zach to look at his little brother. Elise could see the internal struggle of not knowing what to do, but Zach glanced at Elise before saying, "Hey, Gray. You never told me why Elise was able to bite through the hamster ball."

Gray shifted around on the hand before mumbling, "Tyrannosaurus Rex has the most powerful bite force."

Elise had no idea what a hamster was, but it had distracted Gray from his parents getting a divorce. Zach was smart for this, and he asked, "So...what else do you think is in Elise?"

She gave a soft croon to encourage Gray to talk, and the small boy looked up at her before shyly asking, "Do you know what the labs used to make you?"

The Indominus only knew the Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus for sure, but she wanted Gray to talk. She shook her head, and Zach nudged Gray before the boy said, "I think you have some Giganotosaurus in you...I think it makes sense, and I thought I saw the name in the labs before Uncle Owen's Velociraptor..."

Gray shivered, but Elise was trying to unjumble the big word he had just spouted. Sometimes, human words came out as garbles to her, and this was one of those words. Elise glanced at Zach, and she was relieved to see a similar look on his face.

He wrapped an arm around his brother before saying, "Well, I'm sure Elise wants to know about her ancestors. What's special about the giantnatosaurus?"

Elise snorted at the new word, and Gray gave a small smile before shyly correcting, jig-a-not-o-sor-us. It means 'giant southern lizard'. It was supposed to be the largest carnivore, right behind the Spinosaurus, but I don't think Elise has Spinosaurus in her. It lived in the Cretaceous Period, and it might have hunted in packs..."

Elise was glad she wasn't the only one with glazed over eyes. She really was interested in what Gray had to say, but her attention span simply wasn't ready to deal with words that sounded like garbles to her. Zach's eyes would glaze over momentarily, but he would do his best to try and keep up with the conversation.

Elise applauded Zach for knowing how to distract Gray from his sad thoughts. He was a smart, good brother for doing that. Elise would sleep better knowing Zach was there to take care of his brother.

She relaxed against a large tree, and allowed Gray to continue to babble about all the different dinosaurs that could possibly share their blood with Elise. She wondered how one so small could be so intelligent about the world. She glanced down at Gray, and smiled at the sparkle in his blue eyes. She knew the answer.

Dinosaurs held a magic that made Gray view the world with a sense of wonder. He loved the magic, and intended to relish it for as long as he could. Zach seemed to have lost the sense of wonder, but he was getting a little better.

Both children were content to sit in Elise's hands, and the trio never noticed the redhead giving a gentle smile from the tunnel exit. Claire leaned against the tunnel wall as she watched Elise babysit her nephews, and she was fine with that.

There was no safer place in the world than in Elise's protective hands.

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A/N

Hey guys!

Sheesh, this chapter bounced around a lot, sorry about that. Anyways, a little announcement, I will not be posting another chapter until this Wednesday the 15th. I need a little break. I hope you understand that because you guys are awesome like that!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I sincerely thank you all for your reviews! Really I do!