𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐇 | 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬¹

The One Who Was Forgotten

"Ripper," I murmured, the name a soft caress in the tumultuous symphony of our reunion. My heart pounded like a caged animal in my chest as I gazed into the gleaming, golden eyes of the creature that was once my kin. His scales, a mesmerizing tapestry of jade and onyx, reflected the flickering torchlight that danced across the cavernous space above us. The indoraptor's breath, warm and moist, carried with it the scent of the prehistoric jungles that had once been his home. His pupils dilated with curiosity and affection as his snout brushed tenderly against my cheek, the leathery texture of his nose a stark contrast to the cold, unyielding steel of the world around us. An involuntary sob, a testament to the shattered fragments of my soul finding refuge in the warm embrace of kinship, escaped my trembling lips.

Ripper's response was a low purr, a gentle rumble that seemed to resonate through the very marrow of my bones. He curled around me, his tail, a whip-like extension of his form, wrapping protectively over my shoulder. The weight of his body, a testament to his power, was oddly comforting, like a blanket forged from the very earth itself. His claws, sheathed but ever present, whispered against the stone floor, a silent promise of protection.

"It is really you, Kira," he crooned, his forked tongue flicking out to taste the air as he spoke in a low, gruff tone. His English, though broken, bore the unmistakable accent of one who had learned the language through osmosis rather than tutelage. He licked my face with a fervor that would have been overwhelming from any other creature, his saliva hot and sticky on my skin.

The Avengers, a pantheon of gods in armor, stared in awe at the sight of us. Captain America, his shield a beacon of hope in a sea of darkness, took a tentative step forward. "Look, we want no trouble with you," he announced, his voice steady despite the tremor that belied his shock. He placed the shield before us, a symbolic barrier between our worlds.

"Tell him that," Cap instructed, his gaze unyielding as he met my eyes, a silent plea for peace.

Ripper snarled, his teeth, sharp as razors, bared in a display of dominance. He swiveled his head to face the superheroes, his gaze a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "They are humans, Kira," he growled, his words a guttural mix of English and the ancient language of his kind. "You must see that."

The Iron Man, Tony Stark, took a step back, his eyes wide with surprise. "Well, I'll be," he exclaimed, his voice a blend of wonder and apprehension. "The monster can now speak human."

I shot Tony a glare, my eyes narrowing to slits. "Don't call my brother a monster, Mr. Stark," I hissed, my voice a whisper of defiance amidst the din.

Tony's eyelids fluttered rapidly as he slowly elevated his arms, each digit trembling with the weight of his fear. "I apologize," he murmured, his voice a mere whisper that danced on the edge of the audible spectrum.

Swiveling on the balls of my feet, I regarded Ripper, my gaze tracing the serrated line that marred his flank like a river of pain etched into his very being. "What brings you here, lurking in the shadows, my friend?" I questioned, my words a soft caress in the stark silence that enveloped the cavernous space. "The humans have abandoned this place. Our shackles have been shattered."

Ripper's pupils shrank to the thinnest of slits, his eyes glinting with a fiery determination. A guttural growl rumbled from his chest, the vibrations resonating through his powerful frame. "Free?" he spat, his words dripping with scorn. "That accursed blue-striped witch—they named her Blue—condemned me to the jaws of death. She left me to be picked apart by the scavengers." His tail, a formidable whip of muscle and scale, sliced through the air, leaving furrows in the unforgiving ground beneath us. "I have but one purpose now, Kira: to taste the sweet nectar of retribution."

A shiver skittered down my spine, the memory of the Blue raptor resurfacing with a clarity that stung. Dr. Wu's hallowed tones recounting her legend echoed in the chambers of my mind—the creature we were all born to surpass, the epitome of our kind.

Yet, the truth lay coiled in the pit of my stomach, a writhing serpent of doubt and emotion. I had no desire to become embroiled in Ripper's quest for vengeance or the mythos of a creature lost to time.

"Ripper," I spoke softly, my voice a balm to the tempest of his anger, "she's gone. She's no more." The lie tasted metallic, a foreign substance that coated my mouth as I tried to reassure him. In reality, the fate of the enigmatic Blue remained as elusive as the whispers of the wind.

"Let it go," I urged, the tip of my tail grazing his shoulder, a gentle caress meant to soothe his agitated spirit. "Come, live with me. This newfound freedom is ours to share."

Ripper's response was a derisive snort, his scales rising in a spiked challenge to the air. "Free?" His eyes, burning with the intensity of molten lava, bore into mine. "You consort with them, Kira. They are the ones who sought to imprison us, to diminish our essence." His tail swiped at the space between us, a silent threat directed at Cap, the human who had been an ever-present spectator to our conversation. He understood none of our language, but the tension was a palpable entity that clung to him like a second skin.

I dipped my head, my gaze flicking to Cap, my eyes pleading. The message conveyed in that single gesture was clear:

Depart. Seek sanctuary.

With a look that spoke volumes of his tumultuous emotions—fear, worry, and perhaps the faintest trace of disappointment—Cap complied, guiding the Avengers out of the space with a firm but gentle hand. As they retreated, the air grew thick with the weight of our shared past, the unspoken words of our bond, and the uncharted future that stretched before us.

Their footsteps faded into the distance, leaving behind an eerie quiet that seemed to amplify the cacophony of questions in my mind. In this transformed world, where the very fabric of our existence had been torn asunder and resewn anew, where did creatures like us truly fit? Among the ruins of the human empire, would we ever truly find a place to call home?