Shadows and Hope: An Indoraptor Story ✓

Reunion in the Grove

What does one do when they have lost themselves, I ask you, dear reader? What would you do when you were uncertain about whether to press on, when the world seemed ready to turn its back, and the shadows of your murky soul threatened to surface? What, my dear reader, would you do then? Answer me that

No longer could I trust myself. "Ripper, stop," growled Red's voice, and I looked up, finding the colossal dinosaur glaring down at me with eyes as red as blood. Blood seemed to be a recurring theme here, I thought, flicking my tail in annoyance. "What?" I replied curtly.

"You're daydreaming again; we should get moving," Red said, rising from the sand and shaking it off him in a smooth, sinuous motion. I stood as well, feeling the oppressive heat and the sorrow that had gripped me a few days ago return tenfold. I bit my lip and trudged on.

Red was right by my side, and soon, we reached a grove of large, dark yet lush trees. "There should be enough prey here. I'll catch some, and you find a place for us to spend the night," he said.

I looked up at the sky; dark clouds were creeping in from the north, and I sighed. Once again, it was going to rain, as if the heavens themselves wept.

I quickly found a shaded spot where a massive palm tree stood. Its fronds cast shifting shadows over the finely grained sand that danced with the gentle southern breeze. As I approached, a crystal-clear pool sparkled in welcome, and I bent down to drink.

But agony, as sharp as the knives humans shot from the water, pierced through me. I howled in pain, my claws frantically scraping around. I refused to sit or stand on anything, panicked by the searing sensation.

"Move!" I hissed to myself. Finally, I grasped onto something and flung it back into the water. It splashed violently, and I stared as ripples spread across the surface. From the depths emerged a massive, black crocodile.

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"What's this old fossil doing here?" the creature growled, snapping its crooked jaws dangerously close to me. I snarled and lashed out with my tail. "I'm just passing through; I have no intention of taking your water. Please, let me drink," I pleaded, my tongue stinging from where I had bitten it.

Tch, now you're begging? my inner voice scoffed. Patience, I told myself. I blocked out my inner doubts and focused on the crocodile, who had lowered its head slightly. "You should be dead," it muttered.

"I've heard that before," I commented, looking away from it. "Well, if you're alone, you can drink from here, but don't tell me you have a more dangerous companion with you?"

I didn't answer, for in that very moment, Red's footsteps approached the oasis.

With a sudden lurch, chaos erupted. Red had grabbed the prey he had found, and his fangs sank into the struggling creature. The crocodile, in its defensive fury, fought back fiercely. Soon, the water around them turned a gruesome shade of red, splashing onto me. I stepped back, realizing the futility of intervening in this senseless battle. They were bound to tear each other apart sooner or later.

But just as the heart-wrenching howl reverberated through the grove, time seemed to freeze. Emerging from the dark depths of the forest, someone I never thought I would see again, someone I had long given up hope of ever encountering, appeared before me.

"Blue!"