The thick canopy of the jungle blocked the light from the scorching sun, casting the dense growth below into shadow. Even late in the morning, the depths of the island were shrouded from the view of Blue as she gracefully prowled between the trees. She was once again on the hunt for food but this time it was different. For the first time in her life Blue was alone. No Charlie. No Delta. No Echo.

Even without her allies Blue was a formidable oppenent, but she knew too well that her posistion in the food chain was now considerably lower. Hunting larger creatures was almost out of the question. For now, she figured, scavenging food would have to suffice. With that decision in mind she attempted to catch a scent. A small gust of wind whispered as it rustled the leaves of the plants that surrounded the raptor. The air of the jungle was dense and humid. As it filled Blue's lungs she found what she was looking for. It was faint, a quiet call to the raptor, but her impressive sense of smell was honed to listen. Snout raised high, she discovered the direction and burst speedily into a run still sniffing the scent like a hound. On the wind was the smell of newly shed blood. It was a delicious, sllightly metallic smell that the once Beta was all too familiar with. Even so, no matter how many times Blue experienced it, she was always pleased by the beckoning addictiveness that accompanied the strong odour. She craved it.

The promise of a meal increased her determination and she picked up the pace into a full sprint. Blurred images of plants zoomed past her and cold air flowed around her. Jumping over and darting under any obsticles, the agile reptile was hindered by nothing. Even the thickest of fallen trunks wasn't daunting or challenging thanks to the trance-like bloodlust that Blue had been thrown into. Fueled by adrenaline and determination, she glided through the forest with ease.

The raptor suddenly came to a halt and raised her head to find the scent again. This time it was much stronger. She was able to predict the location rather than just the direction. The source was near. Blue was barely able to contain her anticipation. However, without her siblings to help her she decided to take caution. Whatever had killed its prey and caused the smell was most likely still feasting. Silently, she crept through the tall grass which covered the ground like a green carpet. Ever so slowly, the scent grew stronger and stonger.

Through the many blades of grass lay a creature with large, webbed wings and a long, pointed snout. It was still and lifeless. No predator was in sight, however, nothing stood proudly celebrating its victory and nothing was sinking its teeth into flesh. It was only Blue and her prize. She opened her mouth into something resembling a sadistic, insane grin with eyes wide open in exitement and shining, razor teeth glistening in the daylight.

The mysterious creature had very little flesh on it, but as the velociraptor enjoyed her meal she was content. Once again, she tasted the salty sweetness of blood, the chewy freshness of raw meat. It was fantastic. It filled her belly with a comfortable warmth, quite unlike that of the sapping heat she felt around her.

Now, with finding food out of the way, Blue finally had time to think. Normally such a feast would be shared with her siblings. They were close since birth - unpartable to the end. Her family had violently perished protecting the Alpha in battle against an unsettling, unnatural beast. It was unlike anything Blue had observed before. Large and menacing, as sly as it was vicious, as merciless as it was effective. Despite the monster's perfection, they were victorious - but it was at a great cost. All of the raptors were slaughtered other than Blue who had finally enacted lawful revenge for the bloodshed, albeit with some assistance. Dinosaurs who would normally be competetors fought a common enemy.

Pondering alone, Blue felt something she hadn't ever before. An emotion of some sort, an empty feeling. She missed her brethren very much. Only a day had passed since she had run off into the forest after a dismissive shake of the Alpha's head, but already it felt like an eternity. All of her life she had the company and compassion of her loyal family. Without them there was a void that was left unfilled. Without them, Blue was lost. She didn't know what to do.

With that realisation Blue began to panic. There was nowhere clear to go and nothing obvious to do. Without help, she probably wouldn't last long. Her luck would run out eventually, there's only so many times food can be found unprotected and ripe for the taking. What would the Alpha do if he got seperated?

Suddenly, the cunning raptor had an epiphany. Her eyes widened once again. The Alpha had survived the onslaught. He must be somewhere, possibly looking for her. Her loyalty was still with him. It was her duty, she figured, to return to him. Being the leader he would naturally know what to do next.

The plan was genius as far as Blue was concerned. She nodded her head in agreement with herself as she proudly pieced together the jigsaw in her mind. Gleefully she burst into life from her deep daydream and darted off. The search had begun.

With swift speed Blue scaled a tall hill, eventually finding herself on the edge of the forest standing atop a steep cliff. From there, she overlooked most of the island. Several large buildings interupted the horizon. Above them, the sun began its slow descent. Loudly, Blue called. Her voice echoed around the jungle as it was carried into the distance. She didn't expect the return that came. It wasn't the Alpha calling back but instead a deep, continuous roar which lasted several seconds, shaking the ground. Thunderous steps grew louder as they approached the cliff. The raptor, now humbled, cowered from the advance of the footsteps which caused leaves to fall from trees. She leaped into the cover of the ferns and bushes, ducking low and hiding from sight. The thudding increased in volume

From the depths of the wild growth it suddenly emerged. So large it broke up the canopy as it advanced was a tyrannosaurus rex. Its name, "tyrannical lizard king", is an understatement of the horror it struck into Blue's heart with its deathening roar. It took a deep breath in and sniffed the air before quickly exhaling and darted its gaze in Blue's direction. The huge lizard closely inspected the plants around its prey, attempting to find the animal that dared draw its attention.

The velociraptor was now completely filled with a terror that ate away at her insides, causing heavy, frantic breathing. The ferns were no longer a safe hiding place, but attempting to run would also lead to a gruesome demise. It was a situation without a good ending. Once again, Blue was reminded just how lowly she was in the animal kingdom alone.

A black slit embedded in the fiery orange eyes of the T-rex focused. It stared into the similar eyes that Blue possessed, but hers were wide with fear rather than the mindless joy of the hunt. The monumental jaws of the predator creaked open to reveal a row of thick, sharp fangs that lined the mouth. Once again the hunter let out a dreadfull roar and snapped its mouth fully open in preperation to devour the raptor whole.

Blue backed away before letting out a roar of her own. It was a lot lighter than the T-rex's collosal voice, more like a screech, and it was completely pathetic in comparison. Few prey dares stand up to the tyrannosaurus but the defiant raptor refused to go out without a fight. That was assuming it would be a "fight" at all and not a single, felling snap at the underdog.

The rex was not put off by this display. Still wearing the evil smile, still showing the knife shaped teeth that lay embedded in its gums, it advanced lowering its head to meet the velociraptor's level. Blue continued to back away slowly, step by step, until a final step met no ground. Looking behind, she saw a lethal drop down the cliff. There was no more ground to give. She was trapped between the long fall and the advancing tyrannosaurus rex.

Panic striken, Blue frantically searched for an escape. Her hunter was now straight ahead of her, enraged and hungered. It madly released yet another roar before breaking into a complete sprint on course to the raptor. Blue waited until her opponent was a small distance away before swiftly darting to the side. The tyrannosaurus attempted a turn in pursuit, but the velocity disagreed with this motion. Stumbling, it slipped off of the edge, falling far. In a final bone chilling cry the rex hit the ground with a deep, loud thud launching dust high into the air on impact.

As her beating heart slowed down, Blue stood still and silent. Worry was quickly replaced by triumph which calmed her as she embraced it. 'Clever girl' she congratulated herself in her mind. Looking once again into the distance, the sun was now completeing its journey. The final beams of light darkened as night crawled in, and the island was plunged into shadow. Heat slowly faded away to be replaced by a chill hanging in the air. The sounds of insects died down leaving an empty silence. Between the trees a murky blackness fell cloaking anything in the forest's depths. Blue took it all in. It was her first night alone. The eerie solitude caused a shiver to run up her spine.

The darkness didn't worry Blue, often it was more help than hinderance. Simply being alone was truely what had her unsettled. In fact, the loneliness scared her. Not in the life threatening way that was just experienced with the rex, this fear was far worse. It was as if she was now unarmed. Once a predator, the raptor had now become prey following its isolation.

Dark storm clouds gathered overhead. The rumbling of thunder broke the numbing silence that surrounded Blue. She shook her head returning from yet another day dream. Something cold and wet fell onto her head. In a moment, a cascade of heavy rain bombarded the ground ferociously. Seeking shelter from the almighty downfall, the velociraptor began running once again. Instead of cool wind it was a freezing, biting chill that met Blue as she picked up tremendous speed.

Past several thick trees was an old, derelict structure containing several vehicles adorned with the words "Jurassic Park" and a logo of a skeletal figure. Under this musky roof, the exhausted dinosaur was away from the cold rain. Thouroughly, Blue went from object to object, closely inspecting and studying them. The inside of the green vehicles was torn and battered, and they held nothing of interest within. A shelf displayed several items: flashlights, tools, old parts and other debris and rubbish. On the floor was littered all sorts of useless, long broken parts that seemed to resemble the underside of the vehicles. A doorway (which lacked any door) led into the pitch black depths of the ancient ruins.

Blue would have been satisfied staying put in the entrance, laying down for the night and gaining well earned rest. Something within, however, drew her curiosity into the dark. For whatever reason, a sixth sense ordered her to delve through the forgotten place, even though she somehow knew it was forgotten for good reason...