This idea was originally a prequel to 'The One Who Hunted the Merciless' and 'The One Who Preyed on the Survivor'. But I decided to change it and have it be a stand-alone short story because I changed a lot of the characters originally planned. Oh well. 

I should mention I wrote this around March 2017, and completed it in the summer of the same year. Even though I wrote it back then, I am going to publish the chapters one by one because why not?

This story was inspired by 28 Days Later, though you may find certain references to other pieces of media.

66 Million Years ago

Dusk. The sun crept behind the mountain, its warm rays dwindling in an orange sky. The Acheroraptors watched vigilantly, their brown-feathered leader standing on his rock. Lower ranking members of the pack stood sprinkled across the ground, some in the open meadow surrounding the rock, others hiding in the surrounding forest, their narrow toothy snouts poking from the greenery.

They were waiting- waiting for the hunting party to return with flesh from the prey they had caught. A dark-feathered raptor at the edge of the forest snorted impatiently. He chewed on his sickle claw, lowering his tailed rear into a seated position in the process.

Then, finally, six raptors appeared, each with scraps of flesh in their jaws. The leader jumped down from his rock, head held high. The six dropped the bloodied pieces of muscle to the ground instantly.

'That took time,' He growled.

'Apologies, Quick Blade,' a light brown Acheroraptor chirped to her leader. 'It took time to find adequate prey. There was a carcass, but it smelled very strange so we decided against scavenging,' she quickly explained, ruffling her pelt.

'Well, thank you for bringing us this, Fleet Claw. Even if it took quite some time,' the leader muttered, then lowered his head to take a bite. That was how it was- the alpha always had to eat first.

'The rest of you may join if you wish.'

Twenty-five raptors or so swarmed forwards hungrily, salivating. The dark-feathered raptor did not move, though. He just watched from the forest, his soft brown eyes glinting. The dying rays of the sun highlighted his grotesque, scarred body.

Three of the six hunting raptors noticed him- Fleet Claw, a reddish raptor named Thorn Tooth, and a silver one named Razor Feather. Quickly, they ran to him, running past the starved crowd to join him by the forest.

'Hello, Black Talon!' Fleet Claw greeted energetically, nudging him. He ruffled his feathers, somewhat unsure in the presence of affection.

'Nice to see you're all back,' Black Talon replied.

'Don't you want to eat? Aren't you hungry?' Fleet Claw asked.

Black Talon clicked a 'no'. 'You all took so long. I managed to catch a lizard and ate it when no one was looking,' He said.

There was an unnerving silence between the four. Suddenly, it was broken by none other than Razor Feather.

'You can't do that!' Razor Feather gasped, surprised. 'What if someone caught you eating before Quick Blade had his fill!?' Her pupils constricted in fear.

Black Talon snorted, amused. What would happen if he had been caught? He didn't really remember- he hadn't taken the time to learn the consequences of breaking certain rules- but it probably wasn't something nice.

'You shouldn't brush this off,' Fleet Claw growled seriously. 'You need to be careful!'

'Agreed,' Thorn Tooth spoke up. 'You've been around for a year... surely you'd know the rules by now?' He pondered.

'I know the rules, I just don't really care for them much. I mean, why should I wait? The rule has no meaning, except for making Quick Blade feel superior for being the alpha. I was starved, and you were all taking forever!' Black Talon quickly explained, fluffing up the crest on his head.

'Oh, Black Talon!' Fleet Claw chuckled to herself. 'You really are a riot!' Razor Feather snickered. Thorn Tooth grinned, snorting as he held in his laugh. Black Talon sighed, while a small, barely noticeable smile appeared on his face. Last year, he had abandoned his harsh rogue life and joined this pack. He rarely had interest in other packs- there were far too many needless rules (although he had been in a few others before this one) - but here, he had allies. He had friends, even. Somehow, they were all able to tolerate him. Yes- he had been reborn when he joined the pack, and life had finally become good.

The four of them waited for the rest of the pack to eat their fill. Then, they ate some of the leftovers, and sat down for a conversation as the night crept in.

'So... Black Talon, will you finally tell us the story of one of your scars?' Fleet Claw asked.

'No.'

'Please! We're intrigued!' Razor Feather chirped. 'Tell us about the one that looks like it nearly took out your eye!'

'It's going to give you nightmares.'

'Of course it won't! Just tell us!' Thorn Tooth nudged Black Talon in a friendly manner.

'No.'

The three sighed. Ever since Black Talon had appeared, he barely ever talked about his previous lifestyle as a rogue. They had wanted to know his story since he joined, but he was rather secretive about it all. All three of their faces twisted into pure disappointment. Even after a year, he still didn't like talking about before.

'Fine. I'll tell you.'

Fleet Claw looked up, as did the others, in awe. 'You're not joking, are you?' Thorn Tooth asked with a raised brow.

'No. I will tell you, but not right now. It's not the time. I'll think up how to say this story in a captivating way over this night, and you can hear it all tomorrow,' He ruffled his feathers in an absent-minded manner.

'Wow! After a whole year, you'll finally tell us?' Fleet Claw's eyes were wide, smiling almost.

Black Talon nodded once, slowly. The three raptors excitedly exchanged looks to each other, grinning with glee.

'Please excuse me. I'll be off exploring for the night, I need a bit of solitude. I promise I'll be back by morning,' He said, getting up.

'Wait!' Fleet Claw shot up as well. '...Are you all right?'

Black Talon exhaled. '...I'll tell you all everything tomorrow. I can't say now because I don't know how to explain it all, but I promise I will tomorrow. I trust all of you.'

He turned and left, walking into the forest while the wind blew against his dark feathers. Fleet Claw raised her hand, about to reach out, but by the time she did Black Talon had gone. Slowly, she lowered it back down. 'Sometimes I worry about him,' Fleet Claw said.

'Me too,' Razor Feather added. 'But he will explain everything tomorrow. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can help.'

Black Talon walked past little cliques of raptors, when a dark brown one approached him. His heart twisted with hatred- it was Bark Scale, the only member of the pack that he hated.

'And where are you going?' He snarled, his bronze eyes stabbing into Black Talon's own.

'Out of my way,' Black Talon growled, and shoved the disgrace before him to the side. He marched on, not looking back.

---

The stars twinkled discreetly in the black void. Quiet chirps from insects could be heard by an attentive ear.

Black Talon ran past the trees, the vines, the bushes. He didn't want to remember- not the blood, not the pain, not any of it. And yet, he did. Vividly.

He ran on and on, to the one place he knew was safe. There was a cave nearby- a cave he had known for a long time. It was where he went whenever he felt exposed or unsafe. That cave was like his second home.

Hidden by the base of the mountain, he entered its dark opening, running inside as if his life depended on it. He skidded to a stop, and looked around. The walls shone- they were covered with light blue crystals. He could only hear himself breathing quickly. With a little sigh, he sat down on the ground, finally feeling safe.

I should tell them everything tomorrow, He thought to himself, shutting his eyes and twisting his neck around to rest his head in his clawed wing, much like a bird. Every day when I wake up, I know it will be a good day... even tomorrow, when I finally explain what happened all those years ago. Either way, those times are over... now, I have them, and they have me... I have my pack... and my pack has me...

His mind drifted away into the land of dreams. He dreamed about blood, about fear, about isolation. But he had mostly grown used to the nightmares. He did not have to fear, for it was not real- his reality now was nothing like before. He was happy in his waking life, and that was what mattered to him.