Sorry about the large delays. I'm still interested in this story, but I'm having trouble keeping my groove and passion consistent. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 35

Getting Acquainted

Part 2

The archaeopteryx released a steady, contented coo, eyes closed as Unseen gave him yet another tongue bath. There wasn't much else she could think to do to occupy herself, and the feathery little raptor apparently enjoyed being fussed over. She was surprised he'd taken to her so quickly after she tried to eat him months back after leaving the pack. Then again, he didn't have much to lose. It was either this or suffering under the Shadow Pack's subjugation, and 'this' was a pretty sweet deal, all things considered.

As much as she found it difficult to view the little raptor as anything besides a hatchling, she kept reminding herself that he was a highly intelligent miniature predator. He'd even thought to mask his scent with sulphur before coming, just as the Shadows did. She wondered how much of what she said he actually understood.

Unseen still wasn't sure what to call the critter. Speaking of which, she wasn't sure what to call her other roommate either. She ended the archie's bath and decided to ask the white beta what her name was.

The other raptor replied with a blank stare.

Unseen quickly remembered that none of these raptors had names. Welp, she had to call her something. How about ... One Whose Name Is No Name, or 'Unnamed' for short. She was aware that it sounded a bit like 'Unseen' in English, which was only befitting given their relation as cousins.

The white beta thought for a moment before cooing in amusement. Her name would be her absence of a name! How funny!

The archaeopteryx loosely mimicked the white raptor's response. Yes, how funny!

Unseen's eyes flicked to him. She was still getting accustomed to the fact that he could speak her language, albeit he articulated himself in a somewhat juvenile way. He also had a tendency to repeat phrases. That seemed to be his way of agreeing with the speaker.

Realising that Unseen had finished licking him, the archie softly nibbled at her for attention. She scolded him with a gentle growl. He whined before pushing his head under her paw. Unseen rolled her eyes. Fair enough. She began to stroke his feathers and he settled into another bout of cooing.

Unnamed announced that it was her turn to ask a question, so she asked Unseen why a human would give her the armour? She was sure that species had fled the island years ago. How had Unseen managed to put it on? It didn't look like something she could do on her own.

With a shake of the head, Unseen explained that the human helped her put it on. He was her frien- ... well ... they were allies. They'd both been captured when they tried to pass through the valley.

Unnamed throbbed, expressing her surprise that a human had survived on the island ... and had allied itself with a utahraptor, to boot. Shadows had use for humans, but why would a sunwalker like Unseen spare one?

Huffing at the irony, Unseen explained that she hadn't spared him. He spared her. As to how he survived, he was far from an ordinary human. She also noted that the males of his species were usually stronger than the females, as opposed to utahraptors, whose musculature was comparable regardless of gender. That probably helped him out a bit, although he'd told her that the females could be pretty dangerous too.

Arching her neck with eyes squinted in thought, Unnamed commented on the fact that he was a male ... and Unseen was a female ... why exactly had he 'spared her'?

Catching the blatant implication, Unseen hiccuped as her gut nearly rejected the horned gophers she'd had for dinner. Much to her confusion, the raptor bird lifted his chin and opened his mouth, chirping eagerly. Why would he-? Oh ... he thought she was going to throw up. He whined in disappointment as she closed his mouth with a humoured coo. Not this time, little one.

Unseen took a moment to ensure that her stomach had settled before putting it to rest that she would never, ever consider a human a significant other. Not that his species repulsed her. It just didn't seem right. Aside from that, he was her best friend. She thought they'd fostered a platonic love that worked both ways, and she was content with that. However, it turned out he was incapable of returning the sentiment. He was raised to be deadly, with zero sense of compassion. He had even admitted that the pleasant moments they shared were only a cleverly structured ruse. However, he was trying to change for the better.

Giving it a moment's thought, Unnamed commented that this human sounded like a threat to friend and foe alike. She gave a sinister purr at the thought of whatever he had planned for the alpha. Give a human time and they always come up with a plan.

Unseen brightened at the thought. Maybe Taberah would come up with a plan of escape!

With a grunt, Unnamed clarified that she didn't say that. He would give the alpha grief, but the chances of escape were slim.

How would she know, challenged Unseen? She doubted they'd never captured a human like Taberah.

Unnamed agreed, but they'd never had an alpha like this one either. Twenty three had come and gone. Then there was him. She wouldn't be surprised if he remained alpha long into his old age. He was the strongest of them all, but he was also the most cunning. With his constant shedding, she almost wondered if he would ever grow old.

The white beta expected Unseen's feathers to fall in disappointment. However, the young raptor seemed surprisingly undaunted as she returned to petting the dino bird.

Time would tell, Unseen replied, and fate would favour a raptor who prepared. Speaking of which, she got up, stepped towards the wall and began to kick it.

Staring, both Unnamed and the feathery raptor tilted their heads in bemusement. Surprisingly, Unnamed didn't initially ask what she was up to. The beta seemed to be trying to work it out on her own. After a few moments, the white raptor's feathers lifted in realisation.

So, her cousin was unsatisfied with her striking power, Unnamed surmised? She must have noticed how easily the alpha stood up to her attacks, so she was trying to strengthen them by practising on the wall. Focussing on her kicks was the most viable option, since there was nothing stronger than a kick.

Unseen paused, crooning that she was impressed by the deduction. Not only were her blows too weak, but striking the alpha hard enough actually hurt her. He was like stone! She needed more than stronger muscles. She needed tougher bones. Taberah had explained that subjecting the bones to moderate impact would damage them on a harmless scale, causing them to repair themselves harder and denser. He had helped her strengthen them before, but it was clear that she needed to take it to another level. Luckily, Taberah had taught her how to do it, but she could use a little help from her cousin to optimise the conditioning.

Cooing in amazement, Unnamed moved to join Unseen. Spending so much time around the human must have made her a treasure trove of knowledge: deliciously dangerous knowledge.

Unseen had never really considered that, but she agreed that it was true.

Kicking the wall alongside Unseen, the beta suggested that they strengthen more than just their legs.

Unseen nodded.

The feathery raptor heard footsteps and darted into Unnamed's nest.

A Shadow guard appeared at the entrance, only to be met by the sight of the females striking the wall for no apparent reason. He grunted dismissively before leaving.

The alpha had a strange taste in females.

Once the guard had departed, Unseen burst into a fit of amused, staccato cooes. The look on his face! Priceless!

Unnamed joined her cousin with a subdued coo of her own. She couldn't help but notice that Unseen's coo was broken in a pattern very unusual for a raptor. It sounded a bit like the laughs she'd heard of in stories featuring humans. Utahraptors had a tendency to mirror those they respected, especially their alphas. The way Unseen spoke of her human, Unnamed had a hunch he was the alpha in their relationship, whether her cousin realised it or not. She decided to keep that theory to herself for the moment.

After completing their new routine, Unseen suggested that they time their training so that guards would not see them. It would do them no good for other raptors to catch on. It would seem they had the same idea this time around, though, continuing when the guard showed up so that he witnessed what appeared to be absolute nonsense. If they stopped, he would have heard the activity and grown suspicious upon seeing nothing noteworthy.

Unnamed agreed, although patrols were timed so as to be unpredictable. Sometimes, guards would arrive almost immediately after one and other, just when one would think they were in the clear. Nonetheless, it would be safest to condition themselves shortly after a guard left. Even so, she was fairly sure word of their seemingly erratic behaviour would reach the alpha. He would most likely inquire about it.

Feathers twitching in thought, Unseen advised that they modify their techniques so as to be less effective in the presence of guards. That way, anything the other raptors learnt would be flawed.

Crooning, Unnamed praised her for the brilliant idea!

Unseen bashfully flattened her feathers.

Meanwhile, the archie emerged from Unnamed's nest. She cast him a disapproving glance for choosing her most personal territory as a hiding place. Oh well. She'd let it pass this time.

Speaking of things to conceal, Unnamed asked her cousin what made her stand out among the sunwalkers? What was her unique ability?

Unseen answered by blending into the bedding and grey wall nearby. From Unnamed's perspective, the camouflage effect was almost seamless, adapting if she moved her head to any significant degree.

Unnamed throbbed in fascination. Her cousin must have been a monster when it came to stealth, she commented.

The archie trotted up to Unseen, looking her up and down, impressed. How amazing, he chirped twice! His new alpha was amazing!

Tilting his head from side to side, a hypothesis formed in his mind. Without warning he darted to the top of Unnamed's head, half fluttering, half scaling her scales with his tiny claws. The raptor didn't flinch, although she didn't take kindly to the antic either. She was a beta, not a perch! If Unseen hadn't taken him in, she would have considered devouring him on the spot. As far as critters went, he was much worthier prey than a horned gopher.

Gripping her feathers none too gingerly, the archie exclaimed that Unseen was even harder to see from this angle! She must have been changing colour to disappear to Unnamed's eyes. Even more amazing!

Yes, a brilliant deduction, Unnamed commented. Now, if he'd just quit tugging her feathers immediately, just maybe she would consider resisting the urge to snap him up. Did that sound like a fair trade?

Screaching bloody murder, the feathered raptor darted to Unseen, accidentally kicking Unnamed's eye on the liftoff.

That was it, Unnamed hissed! With apologies to her little cousin, Unnamed declared the vermin to be meat!

The archie shrieked for Unseen to bite the ugly, mean raptor! That would put the ugly, mean raptor in her place!

With a thundering roar, Unseen demanded that everyone just STOP!

The squabblers went silent, though Unnamed inwardly lamented. Was she actually submitting to this smaller, younger cousin of hers? How far she had fallen!

Unseen snappily commanded the archie to apologise. He had invaded Unnamed's personal space, yanked her feathers and kicked her in the eye to boot!

The archie chirped in surprise. He kicked her eye? He hadn't realised ...

Softening her tone, Unseen told Unnamed that the little guy was like a hatchling: immature and impulsive. He'd overstepped his bounds, but he didn't deserve to die for it, did he?

Unnamed narrowed her eyes. The brat. Well, at least Unseen was being respectful this time. She decided to honour that, conceding that she supposed he didn't need to die for that, but he would have to heed her boundaries from then on.

He would heed her boundaries, repeated the archie in an apologetic croon.

Unnamed lightly snorted. Good enough. Now, back to the subject of camouflage. She suggested that Unseen not show The Shadow Pack her ability unless specifically asked to do so. In fact, she recommended not volunteering any unnecessary information. It was best to keep them in the dark wherever possible.

Unseen bobbed her head in agreement. It would be crucial to their escape.

With a grunt, Unnamed reiterated her doubt in the likelihood of that. Though it was always good to be opportunistic, in any event only Unseen could escape. Unnamed had nowhere to go, and Shadows couldn't survive sunlight. It triggered deadly panic attacks similar to the trauma of losing a pack. That, combined with the shock of pack separation, had ensured that no Shadow had successfully left the pack, save for one.

Yes, and that one became her mother, Unseen added. Then how did Silence escape the pack? She never seemed bothered by sunlight.

Unnamed offhandedly answered that you can't kill something if it's already dead.

Okay ... rather unsettling. What was that supposed to mean, asked Unseen?

Unnamed explained that after Silence had spoken up one time too many, the alpha of her time had forbidden her to speak under nearly all circumstances. She was the first white raptor to be given a name. No one knew it, but the very night that raptor was cursed with her name marked the beginning of her death. Punished for so much as making a sound, 'omega' didn't do justice to what she had become. The pack refused to share meals with her, neglecting every aspect of her wellbeing. It was almost as if she were no longer a part of the pack. They didn't realise that in severing her social life, they had forced her first shed. The funny thing was, this shed was invisible. It was psychological. Quietly, she began to evolve. She became her own pack, growing strong and smart enough to fend for herself. Their scorn had birthed a fledgling legend. Perhaps they were too naive to notice. Everyone saw the signs, but no one fully came to grips with it.

Silence had become a rogue.

The day.

It was terror. It was death. It was the only thing between the white raptors and a better life, but in the eyes of Silence, it had become something else. She had long since considered the possibility that she was losing her mind. She'd seen it happen to those who couldn't handle the pressures of life, back when the humans subjected them to stress tests, and even now when the sunlight kept them hemmed into the giant, empty nests left by the humans. The troodons knew where to find them when in need of victims for their nests of living meat. This was different. She hadn't simply lost her mind. She'd found a new one. This mind was smarter, faster. It neither enjoyed nor abhorred her curse of silence and ostracisation, but it derived subtle pleasure from an unexpected source.

The day.

It was warmth. It was beauty. It was lifting the sky's dark hue to muted blue as it approached the place where ocean met heavens.

Perched atop one of the smaller human structures, Silence gazed out to the impending sunrise. She should have been at the edge of a panic attack, but she wasn't. Heart pounding, the raptor rose to a full stand as fear fled with the ebbing darkness. Maybe the day would be the end of her the moment it broke the horizon. Maybe it wouldn't. Maybe it couldn't. She'd been separated from her pack for weeks as one of the humans' cruel tests. It felt like dying: suspiciously indistinguishable from the touch of bright light. However, she no longer needed the pack. Perhaps she no longer needed the darkness either. It was time to find out.

The alpha's call tugged Silence away from her perch. He sounded close. Casting one last look at the horizon, she hopped from the roof and slinked up to him, pushing through the cracked door that led into the building. It looked as though he'd been watching her.

Stumbling away from the twilight on her heels, the alpha demanded that she close that door immediately! His two bodyguards squawked in agreement.

Having anticipated this, Silence was already sliding the door shut with her tail. Once it clicked closed, a quiet lull descended upon the two. She kept her eyes on the ground, knowing that he found eye contact from her to be disrespectful ... and threatening.

Staring, scarcely able to conceal his shock, the alpha throbbed in thought.

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. In her curse of silence, she'd been able to listen and pick apart the nuances of their language. In doing so, she had discovered the 3rd Tongue as it leaked a raptor's thoughts into the smallest sounds they made. It was how she often knew what the alpha wanted before he even barked a command. At that moment, she didn't like the sound of what he wanted. Silence was useful. She followed orders with remarkable precision and zero hesitation. She brought down prey like a one raptor hunting party. When others claimed her catch and refused to share, she always had enough energy to chase down another meal. It was as simple as that, and she no longer went hungry. That scared him. A lot about Silence scared him. Right under his nose, she had grown stronger and smarter than he had ever been. If she wanted, she could easily overpower him and take his place. That was why he never approached her without bodyguards at his side and kept her at arm's length from the pack whenever possible. The pack was starting to rely on her hunts. She was even getting in the habit of voluntarily sharing her catches, which made her dangerously viable as an alpha. Seeing her welcoming the dreaded light like some kind of waking nightmare was the last straw. What would happen if other raptors did the same? Would they die? Worse yet, would they attempt to leave him? Her very existence had become a threat. The troodons would take care of her.

The alpha remarked that the troodons were back, but they always took what they needed and subsequently left the pack alone. They had been sacrificing the gravely ill and wounded, but it occurred to him that a few brave raptors could give up their lives to satisfy the troodons. As one of the bravest, most selfless and obedient among them, she had been chosen, and she would be remembered as a hero.

For the first time in quite a while, Silence replied, stating that that was not necessary. She vocally sketched an image of a gallimimus with broken legs and a damaged throat, along with its location nearby. The female knew the troodons were due to appear and had come up with a similar idea, except they could sacrifice the gallimimus instead of a raptor. Leaving prey wounded and suffering was not something she enjoyed, but it was clearly the better option. All the troodons needed was a living body. It didn't have to be a raptor's.

The alpha snapped just short of her. She calmly lowered her head in submission without flinching.

This wasn't a discussion, he snarled! Didn't she think that the troodons would have hunted other prey if they had a choice? This was a matter of life and death, and they could not afford to trifle with those monsters!

Silence knew that was hardly the whole story. The troodons preferred to hunt the white raptors because they always knew where to find them: cowering, cornered in the shadows. His alleged concerns of 'life and death' didn't apply to her. He simply wanted her out of the picture. Very well. She would comply.

The female gave a low purr, nearly inaudible. It sounded submissive enough, although she usually submitted in silence. If the alpha knew her well, he might have found that mildly suspicious. On the other hand, she knew him well. She knew he had no clue whatsoever.

Flanked by the bodyguards, Silence followed the alpha. Every so often, they would hear her purr, thinking nothing of such subtle sounds.

In recent months, Silence had been asking herself why she remained in the pack that hardly accepted her as such. Passing through the nesting area, she took in the forms of the raptors tending to their young, coming and going, sharing meat, chittering to themselves and tentatively returning her gaze. That was why she stayed. The raptors. Dysfunctional as the pack was, it was her pack. There was a certain pleasure she derived from hunting for them, realising that she was still a valued member of the community. Some had even begun to discreetly show respect for her. What would she be without a pack?

Free.

That answer had been popping into her head increasingly as of late. Silence and the pack shared a one way relationship for the most part. Though things seemed to be changing, the alpha had made it clear that he wanted that relationship to end. She glanced at him much like a hunter giving prey a once over. It would be easy to take his place, but she felt no need to be alpha. Besides, a move like that would wound morale and shred the social structure. She couldn't do that to them, and she wanted as little blood on her claws as possible. The pack would get by without her. What was stopping her from forging her own path?

Nothing.

At the back of their minds, the raptors at Silence's side sensed the air displace as her scent receded. They glanced at her. She walked with her gaze to the ground, avoiding eye contact. They sniffed. Nothing seemed amiss, and her scent had returned to relative normalcy ... though something tickled their instincts. Unable to conclude that Silence had done anything worth noting, they dropped the matter.

Once the group had reached the recesses of the building, a chill raised their feathers as a familiar scent reached their nostrils.

Eight troodons stepped out of the shadows, bulbous, milky eyes fixed on the raptors. Though highly intelligent, they lacked a certain spark of sapience shared by raptors and humans. They were pragmatic beasts driven by instinct and little else. However, they had quickly figured out that the raptors were surrendering some of their own to satisfy the troodons' needs. Therefore, the troodons simply accepted these sacrifices, avoiding the needless bloodshed of a struggle.

The alpha and his bodyguards stepped back, leaving 'Silence' standing before the troodons.

Seemingly staring through the female, the troodons stalked towards the other raptors.

After giving a confused grunt, the alpha commanded 'Silence' to step forward.

The female did as he asked, but the troodons continued to ignore her. One way or another, they had never left without a victim. Why wouldn't they just accept the sacrifice?

Frustrated and frightened, the alpha tried to shove 'Silence' towards the troodons.

His head passed through her and she evaporated.

The alpha croaked in shock. She ... she wasn't really there? What was happening? More importantly, they needed a sacrifice!

As far as the troodons were concerned, they already had one.

Scrambling backwards, the raptors unintentionally triggered the troodons' predatory response and the creatures surged towards them with abysmal screeches.

...

The commotion reached the edge of Silence's hearing as she bolted through tall, elephant grass.

Then the Sun broke over the horizon.

With a sharp gasp, Silence crouched, shielding herself with the grass and squeezing her eyes shut as old instincts resurged.

Nothing happened. She wasn't dying. She wasn't even panicking. Well, not much, anyway.

After a few minutes, Silence slowly raised her head so that the light reached her muzzle. Its touch was gentle, pleasant even.

Steadying her breaths, she eased herself to a stand, allowing the light to bathe her scales amid the caress of grass caught in the whispering wind.

Though she'd never experienced sunlight firsthand, she'd seen it at a distance. It was more than the artificial radiance controlled by humans. There was an elemental wonder within it. She could only imagine how breathtaking its source must be. Well, time to stop being a hatchling and find out. Clearly it wasn't going to hurt her.

Silence opened her eyes and stared straight at the Sun.

Big mistake! BIG mistake!

She retreated behind her eyelids with a hiss. So, it did hurt! What a horrific disappointment! She couldn't live out here, but she couldn't return to the pack either. Even if she were to return, how would she find her way back if she couldn't even look at the Sun? Wait a minute ... maybe she wasn't supposed to look at it. Originally, Silence had assumed that the sky itself simply emanated light. Her glimpse had revealed that to be untrue. The light came from only one, rounded spot. Perhaps she could simply avoid looking at that spot.

Okay, time to try again.

Silence cracked an eyelid. Then another. No pain. Good. She'd never seen the sky so bright. What a lovely blue. She gradually turned towards the Sun, quickly learning her threshold through experimentation. So, she could look in its general direction. It helped if she squinted.

Wow ... just ... wow.

The light painted the sky in yellows and oranges, fading to blue, dashed by clouds drenched in warm hues. From the verdant vegetation to the sparkling ocean, every colour popped under the Sun's radiance.

Rapt with wonder, Silence decided to stand there for a while. She would need to find a home far away from the pack. Then there was breakfast, but it could wait. What was life without stopping to soak in moments like this?

A head poked up from the grass in her line of sight a distance off.

She stiffened. A utahraptor? No. Something similar, but the differences were notable. She'd never seen this species before. Then again, she'd never wandered this far in this direction. It was staring at her. She chirped a greeting. No answer. It wasn't being friendly, yet it clearly wanted her to see it.

This was a distraction.

Her finely tuned senses picked up subtle movement closing in through the grass. Two ... maybe three others. They weren't nearly close enough to pounce. That gave her a little room for an offbeat reaction.

Silence leapt high, twisting through the air so that she got a three hundred and sixty degree view of the field, pinpointing the forms of the raptors stunned by her sudden movement.

The moment she hit the ground, Silence was quietly streaking towards the closest stalker.

With scarcely a rustle, she exploded from the grass, claws poised. The male velociraptor shrank in terror. Her stealth attacks had a tendency to induce that effect.

The impact practically rippled across the field.

A sharp cry and the male was silenced just as quickly. The other raptors rushed in with livid shrieks. Silence no longer understood why raptors (and most creatures, for that matter) insisted upon being so loud. It was a waste of mental and physical energy. They were trying to scare her, but oftentimes she found quiet confidence to be much more intimidating. She'd scared a young T. rex buck into backing down with nothing but a calm stare and dauntless body language. 'Loud' was pretentious. It didn't impress her. However, she would have to thank her attackers for giving real time updates on their positions.

She would thank them with her claws.

A velociraptor's yelp was cut short as quiet jaws shot around his neck. His efforts stilled as he was forced to the ground. These things were a touch stronger than most utahraptors, but it was good to know that they were susceptible to sleeper bites just like her kind.

It was a stealthy takedown, but not stealthy enough. She wouldn't be surprised if the others knew her location. One rushed past her. Apparently she was wrong. Silence didn't expect the female to turn into an abrupt pounce. A clever ruse.

Silence raised her paws so as to block the worst of the attack. Veloci and utah rolled with the collision, a tangle of claws and jaws. The female thought she had pinned Silence, until the latter's feet braced against her chest.

Uh oh.

A powerful shove of a kick sent the female flying. She landed on her feet and surged towards the utahraptor, jaws wide. She snapped. Missed. Silence was too swift. The utahraptor lunged for a bite of her own, only to catch air. The female veloci was pretty fast too.

Grass blades tore asunder as the two whirled into one another, each trying to breach the other's reflexes and defences. Silence had to admit: this female knew her stuff. She must have been the leader of the small group. Silence was wearing her down, but not fast enough. Trial and error taught the utahraptor that the female relied on her fore claws and jaws.

Silence turned as though to run. The female rushed in, only to reel when a sneaky tail strike found her head. Before she could recover, the utahraptor dealt her skull an explosive kick.

The female tottered, eyes glazing over. Silence quietly watched her. Scarcely a moment had passed before the velociraptor crumpled into the grass. Silence twitched her feathers in thought. She could finish the job, but maybe this was enough ... or maybe the answer to the question of breakfast was before her. Considering the prospect, Silence declined. They looked too much like her kind. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to be likened to Tanya.

The disturbance of grass heralded the raptor who attempted to distract her long before he appeared.

He barged in with a snarl, only to find himself face to face with an unflinching Silence. The raptor gave a venomous hiss. Silence scarcely even reacted.

He stepped back, realising that the hunting cries of his comrades no longer animated the field. He was alone with this ... this ... thing that wiped out an entire hunting party with the exception of him.

The male stepped back.

Silence stepped forward.

Seeing no way to win, he turned tail, leaving her the only thing standing in the grass.

The utahraptor fluffed her feathers, invigorated. The adrenaline rush was a pretty good appetiser for her new life. The day had just begun, and Isla Sorna was a harsh and unforgiving place, but Silence had a hunch she would be just fine.

Now to explore: get breakfast sorted out; familiarise herself with a new area; locate prospective hunting grounds and find a good nesting spot.

Silence set off, unaware of the eyes following her from the treeline: the eyes of raptors whose only alpha was curiosity. Once scouts, they had abandoned their packs in pursuit of knowledge. Though organised, they were not a pack. Though unconventional, they were not rogues. Their numbers were few, but knowledge was power, and they were quickly evolving into one of the most powerful forces on the island.

They were The Griots.

This female, Silence: the first white raptor to escape the shadows. She had potential, whether it be as a point of fascination or a member of their ranks. They would keep an eye on her. In exchange for knowledge, they would share her exploits with any pack that cared to know about this dangerous, new rogue.

Her story would be told.

Unseen slowly nodded. That explained why the Silence from the alpha's story and the Silence she knew as her mother were completely different entities. However, she voiced her curiosity as to why other white raptors hadn't escaped. Weren't all of the present day Shadows close enough to being rogues?

With a low croon, Unnamed explained that they still relied on the pack, so they couldn't be 'close enough' to rogues.

Unseen sank into a brief moment of thought before asking if Unnamed knew if the The Griots were aware of The Shadow Pack's existence.

The beta gave an affirmative. In fact, they had kept the pack abreast of Silence's activities.

Strange. They had never told her former pack about The Shadows, Unseen commented. She always enjoyed their stories, but Silence didn't trust them.

The white beta huffed. It was wise not to trust them. They played mind games. Their relationship with her own pack was strained after they nearly seized control from its alpha.

Tilting her head, Unseen asked how they went about that?

They were as powerful as rogues, Unnamed explained, and highly intelligent. Not to mention they were masters of The 3rd Tongue.

Unseen hummed in thought before suddenly changing the subject and asking why her cousin had been confined like this?

Unnamed gave a loud groan. Well, almost loud. As a Shadow, she habitually kept her voice low. Did they really have to talk about that, Unnamed asked? Besides, it was her turn to ask a question.

Oh, okay then. Unseen stated that she would simply ask after Unnamed's question ... or not at all. They didn't have to talk about it if her cousin was uncomfortable.

Exhaling in annoyance, Unnamed stated that meekness didn't suit Unseen. Fine. She would answer. On a patrol, she had mercy on an injured rogue who turned out to be the infamous Regardless. No one knew about it, except her brother, who threatened to tell the alpha unless she did his bidding. She growled in disgust. Her brother nothing but a conniving worm who, she suspected, was scheming to become the next alpha. When she refused to cooperate, he arranged a situation in which she was compelled to end an innocent omega falsely incriminated ... which she refused to do. She forfeited her freedom, forced to live off the horned gophers that senselessly wandered into the chamber until she would prove herself as a worthy Shadow. Some day, she'd have to get over her weakness and earn her freedom, but ... Unnamed just wasn't ready to do that.

Unseen squawked in disagreement. Unnamed wasn't weak! She was strong! In a pack where the merciful were punished, choosing mercy was an act of strength!

Tapping the concrete with her killing claw, Unnamed stared at the ceiling in thought. 'Strength'? Hmm ... she'd never thought about it like that.

Besides, this room wasn't so bad, Unseen went on. She could live with it until they figured out a means of escape. Once they did, Taberah would probably find a way to help Unnamed cope with the sunlight. Besides, the horned gophers were pretty tasty.

Unnamed stared as though her statement were the height of insanity. 'Pretty tasty'? 'PRETTY TASTY'?! Did Unseen give ANY thought whatsoever to what she'd been eating?

Concerned by the outburst, Unseen's eyes were wide. Why? What was wrong with them? She'd eaten three so far! Were they poisonous?

A sneering Unnamed replied that she almost wished they were poisonous. That would be better.

Unseen stood up as trepidation set in. Why, she demanded? What could be worse than poison?

Horned gophers were slow, puny and stupid, Unnamed replied! Eating such easy prey was one of the most humiliating things she'd ever done!

Unseen released a heavy breath of relief as she sat back down. Okaaay ... Well, at least food was food, she quietly chittered. Inwardly, she thought that Unnamed had a bit of a superiority complex.

Scoffing, Unnamed welcomed her to the Shadow Pack, where everyone had a 'superiority complex'.

Unseen croaked in surprise. Did Unnamed just answer her thoughts?

Unnamed explained that in this pack, raptors were extremely good at discerning the unspoken, and no one was better than the alpha, so she suggested Unseen be very careful to control her thoughts so that they didn't leak out with the 3rd Tongue.

The white raptor snapped her gaze to the entrance.

Unseen followed suit. Footsteps. Huh, the beta had some pretty sharp hearing, she commented.

In a low voice, Unnamed stated that most of her pack did. It was important to their way of life.

The archie had zipped back into Unnamed's nest by the time the guards showed up. Singling out Unseen with his eyes, one of the guards beckoned her with his snout.

She narrowed her eyes at him before asking where he planned to take her?

The male quietly snorted. Didn't she want to see her human, he asked?

Defiance fled her eyes as she considered the matter. Together, she and Taberah were like a force of nature. The Shadows didn't know that, but it must have occurred to them that reuniting her and the human would spell all kinds of disaster for them. Why would they want her to see him? This better not be a trick.

Deciding to play along for the time being, Unseen moved towards them as they unlocked the bolts with their teeth. She glanced back at her Unnamed.

Unnamed placated her with a croon. All would be well when she got back.

Nodding, Unseen left and the door was locked behind her.

Soon, the archie trotted from his hiding place, only to find Unnamed looming over him. He fiddled with his claws, unsure of her intentions.

Unnamed assured him that he didn't need to worry, for the time being. She even thought he was kind of adorable in his own way. However, she would have preferred that he stayed out of her nest. He could hide under the bedding that coated the ground, or behind the luminous fungus lighting the room. Anywhere, really. Just not her nest. If he behaved himself, she promised not to eat him while her cousin was gone.

Not liking the idea of being threatened, the feathered raptor mimicked her promise, with the small deviation that he would not to eat out Unnamed's eyeball if she behaved herself.

The white beta shot him a glare. Did he have any idea to whom he was speaking, she spat? Why would he even think something like that?

The archie retorted with a snarl. Because she was mean and ugly! Not like Unseen: she was kind and beautiful! They spoke of each other as though they were family, but he honestly didn't see the resemblance.

Unnamed squeezed her eyes shut. No. She wouldn't lose her temper over this obnoxious nonentity. Besides, Unseen had bonded with him, and it took strength to be merciful. She was strong. She could do this.

Turning away with a tiny huff, the archie attempted to kick some bedding onto her head as though she were something nasty, better buried than exposed for all to see. Then he proceeded to strut back into her nest. She was a meanie, he declared. Meanies didn't deserve territory.

Unnamed silently fumed. Forget mercy! Everything needed to die eventually. She planned on dying at a ripe old age. He needed to die right there and then.

Quickly, quietly, she rushed for the feathered raptor. Catching on fast, he shot deeper into the nest. Twigs went flying as Unnamed dove after him. Half by miracle, half by swiftness, he managed to dart through a hole at the other side of the nest. The moment her head shoved through after him, he rushed for her eye, mouth open wide. She pulled away the split moment his jaws snapped before knocking him aside with a shove of the head and yanking herself from the hole. With preternaturally light, swift steps, she had exited the nest and reached him in no time.

Unnamed wasn't beta for nothing.

One would have thought it ended rather quickly from there, but that was only the beginning of the most absurd few hours Unnamed had ever lived. In another life, she might have found it mind-bendingly hilarious.

Thanks for reading!

I'm sure you've heard that Unseen has been getting around more recently, showing up in the 'War Before Time' series. I know, The Land Before Time and Jurassic Park are like oil and water as far as dinosaur tales go, but I think I've stumbled upon a rather interesting way of reinventing The Land Before Time as a somewhat more mature sci-fi, action adventure with some fresh world building without destroying its roots. Check out 'War Before Time: Mentors of Yesteryears' to see what I mean, but for the moment, here's a clip from 'Because You're a Sharpneck (A War Before Time Oneshot)', another story quite dear to my heart, where Unseen makes her first debut in the alternate universe.

Hope you like it!

An Excerpt from

"Because You're a Sharpneck (A War Before Time Oneshot)"

Under the evening Sun, the threehorn, Wartar, marched across Hidden Valley to meet Batta, Ring and Ram's guardians. He was quite sure his mood could not get any worse, until an unwelcome voice met his ears.

"Hello, Alpha. This is a bad time, isn't it?" Unseen asked out of the blue, walking alongside him.

Wartar frowned at her. He never noticed the hidden runner until she was right next to him. Dagara seemed to catch wind of her more often than not before she chose to reveal herself.

"There's never a good time," he stated. "What do you want?"

The hidden runner looked tired, with feathers that splayed as though she'd picked a fight with a whirlwind. She hadn't even bothered to groom herself before talking to him. It must have been a long, hard day, not that Wartar was feeling particularly sympathetic.

"We've kept back most of the invading crawlers," she informed. "They seem to calm down in the evening, but some have made it into The Green Zone. They have an usual roar. You will know it when you hear it."

Wartar huffed. Just what he needed: more taxing news.

"I want the hidden runners to find their nest and put an end to this yesterday," Wartar commanded.

"We already tried to find their nest," Unseen stated. "We have not found it, but we might know which zone it is in."

"That's too vague," Wartar snapped. "They came from the caves, right? It would have to be The Dark Zone."

Unseen shook her head. "They are coming through The Dark Zone, but not from it. They seem to live beneath it."

He rolled his eyes. "Which would technically still be part of The Dark Zone."

"No," she disagreed before hesitating. "One of our flying nibblers found something new, but I am having a hard time finding the words in leafeater. My language is more descriptive. We can use it to make pictures with our voices, but I believe we have figured out a way around that."

Wartar blinked as Unseen began to, for want of a better word, dance. Colours pulsed across her scales, rapidly creating images. As she moved, the visual perspective moved and transitioned with her, as though her body were an ever-changing window to the unfolding scenes. At first Wartar wondered why she wouldn't just sit still and let the images form. He didn't need a performance. Then he realised that she wasn't simply displaying the images, but portraying them: swaying with the trees, quivering with the bushes and marching with the herds that appeared on her skin. Chirping like nibblers, hissing with the wind and grunting for the herds on her scales, her voice mimicked the valley's ambience almost as well as her skin.

"What do you see?" she asked.

"The Green Zone," he stated.

"Good."

Her dance of colours changed to greys as she embodied cliffs reaching for the blue sky; sparse ferns and waterways with figures of hidden runners going about their business. She trotted and wove as though navigating the tricky terrain of the canyons at the valley's edges.

"The Grey Zone," Wartar summarised.

Unseen nodded before her scales grew dark, punctuated by the figures of flying nibblers, fluttering between stalactites like bats. Her scales did more than change colour. They had limited bio-luminescent capabilities, which allowed her to pepper her skin with what could only represent the glowing fungus that lit the cave systems.

Wartar frowned as he identified The Dark Zone. Unseen's little show was beautifully mesmerising (not that he'd admit it), but he had seen these zones before. Just when Wartar was about to demand that she give some fresh information, her display changed to something ... truly alien: tunnels and chambers of smooth, silver surfaces illuminated by lights that definitely weren't fungus. Wartar knew a cave when he saw one. These were not caves. Their shapes were too perfect, geometric and ... were those moving forms he saw? Living things moved. Trees swayed. Water flowed. The moving objects he was witnessing were none of the above. She gave low whirrs as walls slid apart; powerful hums as the passages seemed to shift; steady throbs like a heartbeat emanating from the walls. Unseen accentuated the movement with a mechanical dance. Suddenly, scores of massive insectoids flooded the chamber on her scales.

"We call it The Silver Zone," Unseen explained. "The earthshake uncovered an entrance to this place and a nibbler was briefly trapped there. He barely escaped the creepy crawlers. Then something grabbed him ... without even touching him ... and it pushed him out into The Green Zone. The Silver Zone quickly covered itself so that we could not get back in."

Wartar paused, his expression unreadable.

"Is it possible that your flying nibbler was hit on the head and had a sleep story?" he asked.

"Sleep stories are based on things you already know about," Unseen argued. "There is no point of reference for what he saw down there."

"Hm," Wartar grunted. "Well, now you know where the crawlers are coming from. Find a way back down there and get rid of 'em by nightfall."

Unseen raised an eyebrow. "Sir, we are spread thin. That's a bad idea. If we succeed, we will have lost an important food source. More than that, if we fail, we will lose many hidden runners. The Silver Zone is beyond what we understand, and ... there are some things you just can't fight."

"I will not have those things in my valley," Wartar asserted. "Make it happen."

"No," Unseen answered simply.

His eyes burnt into her. She didn't flinch. For the first time, he noticed that she wasn't fidgeting under his glare. Maybe she was too tired, or maybe she was simply done fidgeting around him. Either way, he didn't like it.

"What. Did. You. Say?" the threehorn demanded in a slow, threatening tone.

This time, it was Unseen's turn to give an exhausted huff. "We have been fighting all day and are tired. We have some ideas of how to better keep back the crawlers, but the best we can do this evening is hunt them down in The Green Zone. If given no other choice, we will consider trying to visit The Silver Zone, but this isn't the time."

Wartar chuckled condescendingly. "The Green Zone, The Grey Zone, it makes no difference. If you want to live in our valley, you'll have to earn your keep. You're not even supposed to be here."

"But we are," she asserted, "and we're here to stay. You might not see it that way, but you are part of our pack now. We will do everything in our power to protect you, but we can only do what we can do. In the meantime, stop acting like a hatchling."

For a moment, Wartar couldn't even form an opinion of her behaviour. Timid Unseen had stood up to him ... and she considered them a 'pack'? After digesting that statement, he rose up at his full height and stared her down like the vermin he thought she was.

"For the better part of your life, your teeth have claimed countless leafeaters," he spat, "and you have the shameless, sick audacity to try to convince me that you think of us as a 'pack'?"

Unseen held his gaze before staring at the ground. "Sixteen thousand ... and ninety two."

Wartar was at a loss. "What?"

"You said my teeth claimed countless leafeaters," she explained, before shaking her head. "They weren't 'countless'. I counted them."

The threehorn grimaced in disgust. "You expect me to believe you'd remember a number like that?"

"Not just the number. I remember their faces ... their voices ... their smells ..."

"Their tastes," Wartar interjected.

Unseen gave a small nod. "Yes. After bringing down a leafeater, Silence made us all pause for ten holding breaths before eating. We called it 'The Moment'. In that time, we silently looked upon our prey, committing them to memory. Sometimes, we would try to figure out what kinds of lives they had, based on their smells, their features, and observations we made before ... taking them. Those 'observations' we made while hunting are how some of us first learned your tongue. I have felt many pains, but The Moment was the most painful thing I've ever done. Sometimes, I felt hatred for what I am. Sometimes, I stopped eating. Maybe I always should have stopped. I don't know. Part of me was angry at my mother for making us suffer The Moment, but the older I got, the more I understood why we did it. I began to appreciate it."

"And why did you do it?" asked Wartar.

Unseen briefly squeezed her eyes shut. "Silence wanted us to understand that leafeaters were more than food. They had lives. They had hearts. They had hopes, loves, and families. In all the ways that mattered, they were just like us."

Wartar narrowed his eyes. "But that didn't stop you from taking that away from them."

Much to his surprise, he caught Unseen stifling a whimper.

"I know," she agreed soberly. "We'd been living like that for as long as we could remember. What other way was there to live? None of us had the courage to try something new, and even if we did, who was to say it would have worked? Then The Great Earthshake forced us into your valley," Unseen huffed a chuckle. "You may see it as a curse, but I think it's the best thing that ever happened to us. Now we know we can live a different way, and we will not turn back."

Wartar let her words sink in, but not too deeply. He was trying to keep them away from his heart, but his mind was turning them over every which way.

Unseen interrupted his thoughts as she began to leave. "Have a good evening, Alpha."

"Yeah, you too," he grunted gruffly.

It's funny how the relationship between predator and prey varies between the universes. Within Jurassic Park, Unseen has no problem hunting. A small part of her would prefer not to, but it's barely even a problem. In the Land Before Time, where predator and prey are equally sapient, things get iffy. The hidden runners have figured out a way to live in peace with the leafeaters, but it's a precarious kind of peace fraught with tension, unforgiveness and distrust.

Well, that's it for now. Visit "Because You're a Sharpneck (A War Before Time Oneshot)" for more.

Thanks again for reading!