"Now Ladies and Gentlemen," A distorted voice boomed in the walls above me and my cage, rattling the earth with a quiet tremor, "that we are halfway through the evening, I'd like to offer a special treat to our...discriminated buyers."

There was a slight pause and a murmur of quiet voices before the man continued.

"This evening we will preview a new asset that we have been developing. A creature of the future...made from creatures of the past."

As soon as his sentence finished the elevator jolted beneath me and began to rise. Lights around my body flashed and glowed, triggering a slight stab pain in my optics and a rumbling rage in my throat. Being caged in this emptiness, I growled and snarled furiously, wandering around the small metallic area without any realization of where I was going, or what was happening. The endless darkness had surrounded me, internally and externally, and being so deep in my primitive state I thrashed and snagged my jaws around the cage walls, tugging as if it too were fresh meat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," The voice returned as the elevator reached it's top, rattling the ground as I dug into it, "Please be warned. This is the perfect blend of the two most dangerous creatures that have ever walked the earth. We call it, the indoraptor."

Before my very eyes, mist and dry cold fog began surrounding the cage floors beneath me, clogging sight from my forepaws before the concrete wall ever did open. It expanded open, widening rather slowly as my cage was thrusted through. I hissed, slightly still confused about where I was going, but curious at the same time. I tilted my head left and right, gasping and growling as my cage opened up to hundreds and hundreds of tasty suited morsels watching me in silent awe.

All of them appeared to be victims to my appearance, for the moment my body revealed itself each one of them, male or female, cowered in fright, trembled in terror, and froze in fear.

Suddenly, I sensed something approaching my left flank, and before I could protest or even snatch the object a horrible shockwave of pain erupted on my side, forcing a roar from my jaws. Everyone in the audience jolted and flinched as I was electrocuted, crying out to the heavens. More rage had suddenly bloomed inside me, causing me to snap at the stabbers. But to no extent did it do any good, the agonizing pain kept coming, and without much to do, I had to roar to please the crowd. But one word kept echoing in my mind, despite how advanced I had truly become only that word ever did speak to me.

Kill.

Kill.

KILL.

"The perfect weapon for the modern age," The small man in the distance called out with a devilish smile as he watched me get shocked, "built for combat, with tactical responses more acute than any human soldier."

Another stab made me screech, and I swung my black scaled head toward the human, slamming my head against the cage to scare him, but also in defeat for being restrained to kill. Two more shocks made my tail thrash against the rear metal door behind me, and it too quaked from the strength of my pain and rage.

"Designed by Mr. Henry Wu," The man muttered, nodding his head to an invisible shadow to his right that had turned in his chair, "An intelligence quotient comparable to the velociraptor."

I turned my head to the shadow only for a brief moment, but it was only his shadow that made me realize what he truly was. His face was unmistakably recognizable, and his scent was so putrid in my nostrils that it made me gag and snarl toward him. Everything about him was familiar, every limb that had dissected me, every blink as he watched me murder innocent prey, every breath he dared take in front of me without fear. His eyes would sometimes gleam black like death itself, and sometimes it would flash spurts of pure yellow.

And in spite of being caged, I believed that he was the true indoraptor. That he was the true monster, hiding within the vast crowd of humans as he looked at me with a pleased smile.

KILL, The thought roared louder in my psychotic mind, HIM!

"Bio specs include heightened sense of smell and trying to respond to a pulse coded laser targeting system, enabling it to isolate and track prey in complex environments." The weird-haired man lifted his chin as the electric men backed up, allowing me to breathe for the first time.

"Voila!" He then would cry, dipping his head to a nearby soldier. I turned my head, watching coldly as the man he had motioned to lifted his bullet-less gun and pointed it to a man in the audience, yellow tied and black haired. He smelled of terror and fear, but his heart seemed to be confined to this meeting when he became part of the showcase. I had never realized that my eyes had taken control of my body the moment the laser flew out toward his chest, causing my head to mindlessly turn and stare at the red dot with a hungry rumble in my throat.

"Now first," The man muttered, "The laser sets the target. Once locked on, the acoustics signal triggers the attack."

Out of nowhere the horrid sound of air being coiled and twisted, like metal tearing in half, shattered my eardrums. I lost myself for a brief moment, recalling a roar into the dark eternal night. Strange darkness overcame my eyes, and not long after arrived the anguish of insanely slamming my skull into metal. It was only a moment later before I could finally recover, breathing heavily as I refreshed myself.

What happened? I thought as I shook my head, noticing a hint of blood, my blood, stained on the grey corner bars of the cage, what did they do?

A round of applause dominated my ears as I looked around in confusion, noticing the man who had been speaking smirk with approval. All around me the fear I had produced turned into enjoyment, and sunken eyes had begun to widen with approval.

They wanted me. They wanted to buy me for their own gain. Use me as a slave for their enjoyment.

And as I tilted my head to glance at Wu, his eyes were glowing even brighter than before, and his smile curled even wider.

"You are the perfect weapon."

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

I jolted awake in my sleep. It was a slight flinch, a powerful flinch even, and the shockwave from it traveled down to my tail where it too shuddered. I blinked, breathing and wheezing heavily as I lifted my head, startled from the nightmare that felt so real to me.

Pain overcame me not long after awakening, and as I sniffed myself the dominant scent of raptor blood overcame my nostrils. I remember being wounded on each side of my body, shot and stabbed and broken from the highway run from earlier. Except I didn't know how long earlier had been. In fact, my limbs felt as if they hadn't moved for over three days, and even still the broken bone remained protruded from my chest like an ivory spear.

How am I still alive? I growled, feeling rather unsatisfied that death had spared me for the third time, how is this possible?

Magic?

Oh shut up, I snarled, sniffing the air and catching scents for more than a mile, magic is a human's stupid way of making dreams come 'true'.

Ah yes, dreams are false, my mind hissed, and wishes are mimics of it. Nothing ever comes and goes as one pleases.

If only that was possible, I thought, lowering my head again with sad eyes, Then all of this would be unnecessary.

All this death, all this blood, is necessary, my mind growled with a smile, it makes you stronger and more powerful over the weak. And that's why you are a perfect weapon-

"No!" I thrashed suddenly, jerking my tail as it split a nearby log in half. I roared even louder, feeling the earth beneath me quiver as I jumped to all fours, clawing at the earth and straining to get Wu's face out of my head. My body slammed into a tree, causing it to rock before I finally calmed down, breathing even heavier as I reopened my deep wounds. The forest had trembled from my outburst for a little while until it too calmed down with me, and the darkness returned to the woods like water in a stream.

Don't ever say those words! I thundered to myself, growling as my jaws twitched and trembled and my tail lowered to the ground, Don't.

"Pokey?" Belle's voice echoed my head, making me gasp as I stumbled backward, "Pokey what's wrong?"

I thought at first I had heard a ghost. Men I've encountered have seen ghosts in their eyes. They've feared them, for one has said they could make you go mad or lose your mind. And in terms of Belle, that's what I had believed I had heard.

"No..." I growled, curling my claws into the rubble of the snapped wood, "You're dead. Get out of my head."

"Pokey?!" The voice called louder, along with the noise of crunching leaves, "Pokey are you there?"

I spun my body around quickly, allowing my tail swung from side to side, and I strangled myself to not turn around and see my past terrorize me. I took a few steps away from the noise and yelped, clutching my broken ribs and fell on my side, whimpering heavily.

"Pokey?"

"GET AWAY!" I roared loudly, twitching in fright, "LEAVE ME ALONE! You're not real!"

"Pokey-"

"I'm sorry I got you killed," I closed my eyes, beginning to weep as the crunching grew louder and louder, "It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault."

And that's when my eyes finally opened. With a heavy heart, I turned my head to the side and there, standing still without a scratch on her, without a disfigured face or a broken body stood Belle. At first, I had believed in reality, sinking into the dire and dark truth that yes, Belle was dead, and I had gone mad. But when I pressed my pulsing ruined snout against her plump chest she giggled and rubbed her warm fingers against my scales.

"You're...alive..." I gasped, whimpering slightly before closing my eyes. She wrapped her arms around my snout, feeling my cold tears stain her jacket and muttered.

"Why is Pokey dinosaur crying?" she asked. I sniffled and nuzzled her chest again.

"Because I thought I lost you."

"And I thought you were dead," Another voice hissed. I lifted my head with a growl, not because it sounded strange, but because it was in my language; raptor. I didn't want to believe myself when the first name popped into my eyes, but I had to expect the unexpected. Before my very eyes my own killer had emerged from the shadows, eyes of dotted grey and a body drenched of light grey scales with a blue stripe running from her head, down her neck, and to her tail.

"You..."

"Wu brought you back I guess," She hissed, crouching as she began to approach, "What else does he want from me then? Blood? Eggs? Scales off my hide?!"

"You...you're going to pay," I snarled, nudging Belle away as the human watched fearfully and helplessly, "For what you did to me that night!"

"I wouldn't mind killing you again," Blue snapped, tongue curling in as she stared at my bloody chest and the rib that hung loosely from its binding in my body, "Then I could finally get you out of my life!"

There was no stopping me this time. Nothing was there to hold me back, not even Belle who had called against this. Crouching low, eyes narrowed, and filled with a thunderous storm brewing in my heart, I found enough rage inside me to roar as loud as I could, making both Blue and Belle shrivel back. Despite the pain, the blood, and the wounds I had encountered, I had no care for them when I lunged at the raptor, slamming my body into her as we both tumbled downhill.

"Pokey!" Belle cried from above, watching us both tumble down the small slope to the flat bottom. I pushed Blue with my hind legs away from my chest and watched gleefully as she slammed into a tree, slumping to the ground in pain.

"You deserve to die," I snarled, standing upright as I approached her with my throat twitching violently, "You never gave me a chance!"

"You're out of chances!" Blue snarled as she stumbled to her feet, a bit dazed too, "You're nothing but a mindless dirty, abominable weapon who only cares for himself! And nobody will ever care about you for that reason alone!"

"I don't care..."

I screeched again, jerking toward her with my claws outstretched and with the intention to kill. Blue, to my surprise, dodged and snarled, slamming her body into my side and sliced my right flank with her free claw. With a roar, I rose up and slammed my claws into her chest, knocking her down and bared my teeth at her.

"You only won because I fell! And all you ever do is protect your stupid humans as if they're your hatchlings. Maybe you should feel what I felt when you killed me," I growled, raising my claw and inserting it deep into her side belly. Blue suddenly screamed in anguish as I dug deeper, watching her with strange enjoyment as I slid my claw down her side in a deep wound. Blue's eyes stared at my rib, and in one fluid jolt, her teeth wrapped around my broken bone and tugged. I gasped and cried out, trembling as she took the battle to her shoulders, raising up painfully as she twisted the ribs. I yelped and cried out, digging my claws into the ground rather than into her and tried to pull away. But with my bone getting tugged from my body, nothing was more painful than this one move.

"I hope you rot!" Blue growled and threw her head back hard. In that one single movement, my entire exposed rib got torn from my body in a bloody display, and in horror and agony, I screamed, clutching my belly as I stumbled forward. Deep and dark blood dribbled from the exit hole of my chest, and suddenly I felt some strange desire to stop fighting.

Blue raked my snout and struck me down with ease while I was still groaning over my wound and wrapped her jaw around my neck, squeezing tightly. Fire boiled on my neck as I stumbled, trying to get her off of me.

"Enough!" I snarled, swinging my head around twice before I finally detached her. The velociraptor fell with a quiet thud as I spun to her, limping to her location. She shook her head and stood up, but by the time she could recover my claw had collided with her skull, snapping it backward. Blue let out a shrill cry as she fell backward, allowing me to approach her with hungry bloody jaws.

"W-Wait-"

"I don't want to hear another word come out of your mouth," I spat, snatching her spine in my jaws and lifting her up. With one large spin of my body, I let her go, watching her flail as her body struck yet another tree and she slumped down dazed and injured. She tried to stand again, but the pain was intense, though nothing was broken.

I needed to scare her.

I wanted to watch the fire go out in her eyes.

Snarling and hissing, I bounded toward her before she could stand or cry out and flipped her on her back, slamming my foot into her belly. My claws dug into her soft tissue making her squeal and gasp, and my yellow eyes went dark as they too focused on her throat. I snarled and went for it, but she resisted, hissing and barking as I tried to reach it. Eventually, I struck her head back which revealed an opening and took it, cupping her neck in my jaws and held her tightly in my jaws. With my free claws, I held her body down and her tail and growled, hearing her screech when she realized I was breaking her neck.

KILL...HER...

Nothing shall stop me this time, I growled, beginning to inflict pain on her neck with a slow twist. The raptor kept hissing and crying out while I kept turning her head, eyes narrowed in hopes to kill her, in hopes that nothing else would ever stop me-

"Pokey, stop!" Belle's voice cried, whimpering slightly, "Don't hurt friendly dinosaur-"

"Stay out of this Belle," I growled through a muffle. I began twisting again before she wrapped her hands on my snout, holding me back. But even from her kind ways, I was too angry to even bother and I snarled yet again, glaring at her angrily.

"I said stay out of this!"

"She's a good dinosaur too," Belle croaked with hesitant words, folding her arms on her coat, "She helped me from the fire."

I stared at her, feeling Blue's throat rise and fall in my jaws, but when I turned to look at her my jaws clenched, making the raptor shriek in agony.

"No! Pokey!"

"You don't know her as I do," I hissed at Belle with pained eyes, "She's doesn't care for what I am. All that matters to her is her stupid human pet and her lust for a freedom that she'll never have! If she cared-"

"She helped me from the fire," She repeated, "She saved me Pokey."

I blinked, watching the human tremble as she looked at Blue, then back at me. Her eyes, they spoke no lie and no regrets, and for a moment I found belief surge towards the little human.

"It's true," Blue rasped, growing limp and watching me watch her, "I saved her. I saved her even when you didn't. Where's the care in your damn heart, to leave innocence to burn at man's desires? You never even checked if she was even alive."

"If she was alive I would've felt it," I snarled back, crunching harder to make her bleed.

"And she is," Blue muttered, wincing as she grew tense, "She's alive now, isn't that what matters?"

"Pokey-"

"RAGH!" I snarled, flashing my eyes at both of them. My claws dug deeper into Blue, trembling slightly as if they were trying to refuse. As an eerie silence crept from the undergrowth of the forest, my heart suddenly flipped when I stared at Blue, growling quietly as I looked into her eyes.

But when I looked, I didn't see a monster, I saw myself.

I saw a creature, a lost creature, in fact, trembling and unbeknownst of what his purpose is. I saw a creature who was lost and afraid, never governed or led by trust, grief, or rage but by fear itself. I saw something that didn't even know who it was.

And upon this sight I let go, roaring angrily as I threw Blue's head down in defeat, hearing her breathing return back to normal. The fire had consumed me entirety, and just to release some of it I turned to Belle and jerked my head toward her snarling and hissing loud enough to make her jolt and fall before she too began whimpering. My teeth shuddered against my jaw as I limped away, but instead of dominance over the two innocent creatures I had dropped, I felt guilty.

And this guilt turned to pain not a moment later when sharp spasms of agony raced around my body, now bleeding once more. I coughed, stumbled a bit, then fell on the ground with a thud.

And everything around me went dark.

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"Hungry?" Belle's voice returned.

I lifted my head weakly, catching the whiff of fresh meat and popped my eyes open, staring at the five-year-old holding a large chunk of red deer meat in her paws. I gave her no warning when I snatched out, tearing the meat from her paws and wolfed it down in a matter of seconds, enjoying every little bit of it while Belle stood there stunned.

"You didn't say thank you!"

"So?" I grunted back in raptor.

"Say thank you, Pokey!"

"I don't speak human," I growled back, bumping the little girl. "Do you have more of the meat?"

"Say thank you!" She whined again, bumping my snout repeatedly. My throat spasmed suddenly as I growled louder, eyes growing into slits while my head raised to her height. She crossed her arms, puffing out her lips, and narrowed her eyes. That look alone made my heart quiver with amusement and concern, and I lowered down with a solemn sigh.

"Even if I did you can't understand me," I rumbled to her, neither being a purr or a threat. "But fine. Thank you."

"That wasn't so hard now was it," Blue grumbled, leaning on a tree nearby as Belle stumbled away, "Once you get used to a human it's hard to let them go no matter how ruthless one may seem." She was grooming herself, licking the blood spots and wounds I had inflicted at a steady pace. I growled again, watching her lick herself and snorted.

"Why are you here?"

"Why are you still here?"

"Does it matter?"

"It does," she hissed, nostrils flaring. "You're a threat to me and this world."

"Since when does a dinosaur protect humans?" I spat back, unable to stand and approach her, "You're acting like a slave to their world."

"Oh! But aren't you one?" Blue hissed.

I felt my tongue smack the roof of my throat in annoyance and turned my head away.

"Leave me alone. Go bother your 'Owen' friend or something."

"I left him," Blue snapped her jaws at me, "There is no bothering Alpha. I refused to return to that cage he keeps putting me in, no matter if he's my friend. Though I do miss him."

"I wouldn't mind eating him," I hissed amusingly with a flash of my eyes, "If that should help get him out of your mind."

    "What's wrong with you?!" Blue suddenly snarled, making me growl back with a swing of my head, "All you want is to kill someone!"

    "You're no different from me," I snorted back, "I know you want to kill something, you can feel it, and so can I. You can play 'human' all you want, but at least I woke up!"

    "You're dead!" she roared, jolting to her feet and snapped her jaws at me. "And you always will be! You'll never wake up, no matter what that rotten scientist you love puts in your skull-"

 "No fighting," Belle suddenly whimpered quietly, fiddling with the leaves. "Play nice."

Both of us stared at her with a sudden agreement, and with a slight snort, Blue returned to her post, laying on her side and continued to lick. I watched her tongue move, slithering from her flank to her toes, before she moved to her crotch and licked the underside of her tail with a heavy slurp. I turned away shamelessly from looking and bowed my head, claws twitching slightly.

    "Why'd you even bother helping me?" I asked slowly.

    "I never planned to," Blue growled, moving her tongue from the pubic bone up to the tip of her tail, "I could've let you bleed out in this forest for my own enjoyment. Any human would've done the same, and any other dinosaur would be no different."

    "Then why didn't you?"

    "Because of this," cooed Blue, motioning her snout high to point at Belle. I followed her gaze, watching the human waddle about, then bared my teeth, disgusted by her pitiful look.

"What?"

"I'm still confused as to how a human befriended a murderous, killing machine like yourself," Blue grunted with a chirp, forcing a louder growl from me. "Frankly I'm more surprised to see a level of trust coming from a human."

I stiffened from her voice, for there was truth in her words, then rumbled in my throat another question: "Why do you even care?"

Blue shifted uncomfortably and glanced at me, allowing her eyes to fumble over my body, from head to tail before pausing and swallowing, "Because this feels wrong to me. When I fought you the first time, you were... ruthless. Bloodthirsty. Hungry. There was... no life in your eyes, and I knew killing you would save everyone... even my own pack." 

She bared her teeth coldly, then huffed slightly. "But now you speak. You bear feelings. You seem calmer, relaxed, hell you haven't snapped at me yet. And, above all else, you befriended her. Nothing adds up, indoraptor, and I want to know why."

    I stared at her silently, unsure how to react or what to say besides listening to my shallow breaths echo in the starry night above us three. I looked up at the stars, almost wishing something would flutter down and save me, but when I returned my gaze to her I showed no fear and no rage. I was just blank.

    "Speaking of which," she stood up and padded to me, causing me to growl. "How are your injuries?"

    "Fine."

    "You're not fine," she retorted quickly, almost as if she expected me to answer like this. "I tore out your rib bone for a reason."

    "To kill me faster?"

    "No!" Blue hissed, ignoring my dark intentions, "I'm not that reckless. I ripped it out because it was killing you. I saw the pain in your eyes, and smelled your blood. I knew even when you tried to ignore it."

She was right. Again.

I grumbled miserable and shifted about with a slap of my tail. "Then I'm not fine. I got shot."

"I'm aware."

"Are you?" I spat, baring my fangs. "How do you know?"

"I took all fifteen bullets out," she hissed, laying down nearby. "Three days ago."

"Three?!" I cried out. Now I didn't snarl due to being asleep for three days. I snarled for being unconscious and allowing her to touch me without permission.

Blue nodded slightly, "The smell was hideous to begin with. But I couldn't stand by and watch a creature bleed out without a say in it all. Here-" She moved closer and moved her snout to my flank, making me flinch, "it might get infected. Let me-"

I snapped quickly before she could dare get close. "Don't you dare-"

"Please-"

"I'll tend to myself-"

"Trust me," the velociraptor huffed back, digging her talons into the earth. "I could take out the pain. It's going to help, I promise you that."

I stared at her, then looked at Belle, the back at Blue. I didn't like the raptor, let alone trust her. She didn't have the face of friendliness or kindness, but alas she seemed to be helping my cause, and my reason to exist. I needed to heal somehow, and being lost in a Californian forest, she seemed like the only option, even if my mind disagreed with it to the highest of levels. Usually, I let Emma lotion me or caretook me. But this was totally different and unnatural of her and me. I snarled at first, then snorted, turning my head away and laying my head down.

"Okay."

Blue grunted, shifting a bit closer. She was hesitant too, unsure if I would attack or not this time. Still, the strange gullibility of her decision to help me felt almost similar to an immediate trust, which was odd of her to do. I knew that raptor was still hellbent on killing me, though, denying her every instinct, she chose to spare me. 

I have yet to find out why. 

She moved her twitching snout to my flank and nudged it, watching the gooey ooze leak from the wounds. It stung for a moment, and I shuddered as a warmth began to mold down my scales.

Blue didn't hesitate when she saw the blood. Quickly, and quietly, the velociraptor moved her pink tongue up and down, pressing against some wounds and tasting my torn flesh. I jolted and flinched upon impact before she suddenly growled.

"Unless you want to bleed out can't you hold still?"

"Don't you tell me what to do!" I hissed back before we both fell silent, wondering if Belle was watching us fight.

And she was.

"No fighting!" She ordered, curling her lip and crossing her arms again. I grumbled and laid down again, turning my head as her tongue went back into action, slurping all the bloody dents and holes all around me. She'd move to my neck, then press against my spine before licking my limp limbs and rear. My hisses and growls turned into groans and moans before I fell quiet, feeling painless relief flood over me. For some reason, my twitching ceased, and all thoughts of attack submerged into pure darkness.

Blue had her snout painted red when she was finished and growled, snorting in disgust. "You don't taste very good. You're not even worth eating, no wonder I left you on that skull."

"That alone sounds like a worthless lie you made up," I hissed. "You left me because you despised me."

Blue snorted in reply, letting her eyes glaze over my flesh before reaching her tail out and grasping Belle. I hadn't noticed it but the little human had fallen asleep, curling into her coat hoodie and offering quiet, little murmurs. I watched her sleep, and felt my jaws curl everso slightly. 

I didn't realize it was noticeable, nor was my sudden purrs.

"I don't want to trust you," Blue suddenly growled, forcing me back into my darkened state. "But she does. I have yet to find out why, but... I'll accept the actions of an innocent child over your own."

"And that's why your trusting me?" I huffed, puffing steam from my twin nostrils. Blue bit her lip for a moment, gazing at Belle, then turned to me. All she could do for now was shrug.

"For now," she said, settling her tail down before resting her head. "Maybe she sees something in you that I don't."

"Well, what do you see in me?" I asked. Blue flared her nostrils.

"A monster," hissed the raptor. "A project of the man who tried to cage me, born with no identity, no remorse, and no other purpose but to kill... for sport."

I felt my lips curl into a snarl and narrowed my eyes. "I may bask in the blood of my prey... but I'm no monster, Blue. Every kill ever made was done for a reason. You wouldn't understand the rage I felt since you live a life as a pet, acting like the rich matriarch of their worthless little lives..."

I watched Blue's head lift up from the shallow bark of that word, and her eyes flashed dangerously from the shadows. I didn't dare let go of my hardened stare, and sneered through the darkness. 

"Don't deny that this isn't true."

"It isn't."

"Then you're only lying to yourself," I clicked. "You don't know me any better than you know yourself, that's why you wanted to kill me, Blue."

"I killed you because you were hurting people!"

"Bad people," I corrected her, lifting my chin up high as I pushed my argument forth. "You would've done the same had your human friend, Owen, taken Wu's place. Once he hurts you, brands you, and poisons you from the inside out all for the sake of a price... you wouldn't hesitate."

Blue fell quiet. Her grey eyes sank to the ground, and a melancholy puff of air flustered from her snout. I could tell that she was trying to counter me, but no matter he words none seemed to work. With a growl, she turned her head away, already bound to settle for the night and leave me hanging in the darkness, awaiting a response.

"Is that all?" I interrupted with a snort. The raptor felt her tail twitching slightly, and preened her claws one last time in thought. But my conversation still needed an ending, and I growled to her once more.

"Why are you really helping me?"

Blue parted her maw, fumbling over words before speaking.

"Because an enemy of an enemy is a friend of mine," Blue muttered, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "Now get some rest, indoraptor."