The 2nd Indoraptor

Chapter 53

Feather's POV:

I watched as a smile crept on Killer's face. It wasn't like a happy smile. It was pure evil. He ripped the tail from his chest, not caring that blood came gushing out. He lifted it up, then brought it down. I couldn't watch. I could only close my eyes and listen to the sounds of flesh being ripped and torn. I'm a coward. I barely did anything in this battle. No.. this wasn't even a battle at all. It was torture. 

The sounds finally stopped, and I opened my eyes again. I couldn't even see Union's green scales anymore. All I could see was shades of dark red. I could hear him groaning and wheezing. He was going to die soon.

"This isn't even fun anymore. I think I'll just leave you to bleed out," Killer growled. He glanced up at the sky, his nostrils twitching. "Well... it'll be dark soon. I'm going to go out and find a nice place to sleep," he mumbled, as if nothing had even happened. It was like he'd just finished eating a meal, instead of brutally torturing Union.

"Oh, and Feather," Killer growled. "I think you've grown weak since we last met. Is that because Ebony wasn't here?" He questioned, blinking. "Consider yourselves lucky. I'd honestly want to kill you both at the same time. But since your friend wasn't here, I'm leaving you alive. Next time we meet, it'll be a fight to the death. Impress me, please." And with that, he walked off into the forest.

I lay there for a few seconds, feeling like reality was trying to push me into the ground and keep me there. I got up and walked over to Union, who was still breathing. Though it seemed wheezy, like Ebony's breathing sometimes.

"I..I'm sorry, Union," I muttered, sitting right next to his head. "You're dying..."

"It's ok," his voice came out weak and barely audible. "I'm going to die. But I injured him at least. He will be-" he suddenly cut off with a cough. Blood spewed from his mouth and landed on the grass. "He will be weak next time you meet. I hope you and Ebony can kill him. Then this will all be over."

I nodded silently. Hopefully. But Ebony is weak too. "Hey.. I'm sorry for not helping you. Or.. well... it seemed like me helping you led to your death. I'm sorry. If only-"

"You did help, though. It may have cost me, but you cut his eye. Remember, any wound you can put on him will ultimately lead to your victory next time," Union muttered, his breathing ragged.

"But it cost you your life. And you were our only hope! You got some good damage on him. I really thought you would kill him. But luck was on his side, it seemed," I grumbled. We both lay in silence for a few minutes, until Union shifted his head.

"Hey... Feather," he rasped. He was getting weaker. "I need to tell you something."

"Hm? What is it?" I asked, leaning closer.

Union looked as though he didn't want to speak. "I... think it's a good thing I'm going to die," he muttered.

I gasped. "What? Don't say that! It's not good that you're-"

"You don't understand. I never told you this but..." he cut off as a hard cough wrecked his body. "After I killed Killer, I was supposed to kill you, as well as Ebony," he muttered. "I thought I'd actually win. But now... I regret wanting to kill you. You're not like Killer. You're nice. You have empathy. You tried to help me."

He was supposed to kill me? I shuddered at the thought. I didn't really have anything to say, or do. So all I could do was gently rub my talons on the top of his head, hoping he would calmly pass over. But I didn't want him to go.

"I thought you two were just like Killer. But I was wrong," Union mumbled. He went silent again. For a few moments, it was just silent, except for the sound of his ragged breath. His eyes began to close.

"Hey, stay awake!" I pleaded. "Don't sleep, please."

Union blinked, staring at me. But it was clear he was going to die any second now. His eyes were dull, and he was barely even breathing. I rested my head on top of his, and after a while, I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up. Sunlight pierced through the leaves of the trees, dappling the ground with soft yellow dots. Union was still here. I expected to see him awake, and talking to me. But his eyes were closed, and his chest was still. No longer rising or falling. Sadness washed over me. Goodbye, Union.

As I got up, I heard something behind me. I whipped around, expecting to see Killer, but to my surprise, it was Ebony. His orange eyes were dull as he stared at Union's body.

"He's... dead?" Ebony questioned. His body loosened slightly. "I'm sorry I stayed behind. Maybe if I had helped you..."

"No, it's fine," I spoke, lifting my chin. "We're the only hope to taking Killer down. I hope you understand how much of a help Union was. Killer should be weak, I think it's our best priority to track him down now and finish it."

Ebony glanced at me. "I'm not sure you understand. Killer has never been weak. No matter how much you injure him, it's like he doesn't even feel a thing."

"So you're saying we should allow him to rest and let his wounds heal?! We should track him down now! He's injured. He's bleeding a lot. I know we can kill him if we try," I growled, lashing my tail. Anger bubbled up inside me, and everything came out all at once. "You've grown soft, Ebony. Are you afraid you're going to die? Because you haven't found that girl yet?" I roared, my claws ripping at the grass.

Ebony looked taken aback. He turned away for a second, then glanced back at me. "I think you're right. I have grown soft. So maybe you should go alone and kill him yourself. I'll go back to the house and wait for that girl." He turned away, his black scales looking slightly gray as the sunlight beamed down on him.

I fumbled with my talons for a second. "W-wait! Ebony I didn't mean that. I'm sorry! Come back, please. We have to stick together," I whined, stepping closer.

The weak Indoraptor stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at me, then rushed over and pushed his snout against mine. "Please don't try to kill him. I can't lose you, not like I lost Fear and Cilo. You're like a son to me," he rasped, his eyes closed. 

I stayed silent, suddenly feeling grief wash over me. Ebony had been through a lot. He had lost Fear and Cilo, and thought his only human friend was dead. He had been caged up for a few years and had been tortured. I have no right to call him soft. "I'm sorry, Ebony."

"It's going to be ok. I want to stop worrying about Killer. How about we just let the humans handle him?" Ebony suggested. He pulled back, his claws ripping at the grass anxiously. "It seems like dinosaurs can't get the job done," he muttered, glancing over to Union's body.

"Are we going to bury him?" I asked. "He deserves it."

"Yes," Ebony responded. "We should start now. But first, I think we should clean his body," he said. He pointed to some moss that clung to the roots of a tree. "Grab that moss. I know there's a creek close by, so dip it in the water and hurry back here. I'll start digging the hole."

Let me know if there are any spelling mistakes, I kind of finished this one quickly. Sorry for killing off Union early, but it needed to happen for the plot.