Ark - Survivors Lost In Time - Exodus

Day Six

I sat up suddenly realizing it was light out and I had not been woken for a watch, with Cradix gone the night should have been divided into three shifts, but Kabr had never woken me for mine. Kabr was curled up in my bed against me, I glared at the sleeping man, just because I had fallen asleep on his shoulder was not an invitation into my bed. Skull was nowhere to be seen, and Cradix's been lay empty and undisturbed.

He had not returned, my spirits fell, I needed to go and find him. I stood tightened my tunic and stepped out the door, a snore from my left startled me, it was Cradix leaning against the wall of the house fast asleep. My face grew hot and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"You jerk," I yelled, I kicked him in the ass, he jumped to his feet startled. Holding his back side, he turned on me.

"What was that for?" He shouted, he glared at me.

"You were gone, who knows where and I was worried sick," I screamed.

"Yeah looked like it," He said nodding to the house where Kabr still slept.

"That," I huffed, "I fell asleep crying on his shoulder, worried about you and he took it the wrong way," I growled.

"Yeah sure," Cradix growled rubbing his back side. He nodded to the meadow where our animals were kept. "I brought you a present you ungrateful brat," He growled, "Although I might keep him if you are going to be mean to me," I looked over at the gold and green leathery wings of a large male pteranodon, his green eyes turned to me and it screeched happily.

I think the sound that came out of me must have sounded exactly like the flyer because Cradix laughed, I hugged him happily and went to the pteranodon. I stroked his long beak and inspected every spot and stripe on his wings and back. "Does he have a name?" I squeaked peaking over his shoulder at Cradix.

"No," He laughed, "He is yours to name, yours to ride and yours to train as you see fit." I ran back to him, hugged him tight, and ran inside to pull the saddle from my locker.

I fit the saddle to the pteranodon and tightened the straps where needed. Last before I climbed onto his back I touched my beacon to his binding us together. "Are you ready..." I stared into his eyes, "Thunderstar," I said, he screeched happily flapping his wings, I climbed up into the saddle and strapped my legs in, the last thing I wanted was to fall off of him and see my death rushing up to meet me. "Up," I said, Thunderstar jumped into the air and beat his wings, I took him on a few laps of the valley and skimmed the cliff face and the lake, before taking him back to the base.

"I am glad you like him hun," Cradix said affectionately. "Meet Stoic," He said waving to the white Argentavis standing near a feeding trough, it screeched and went back to eating.

"He is beautiful," I said from Thunderstar's back, "I am assuming that this is where you were all night?"

"Yes well that and I built up our supplies of metal and stone," He said scratching the back of his head, his cheek flushed. "Oh and here I made these for everyone," He said handing me a spy glass and a compass, I pocketed them and smiled at him.

"Well I am going to go do some surveying of my own, I will be back before nightfall," I called to him as I pulled Thunderstar into the sky.

"I will see you when you get back then." He called.

I steered Thunderstar to the north, and flew along the beach, stopping a few times to get some food for Thunderstar and myself. We continued down river and along the base of Far's Peak, I was looking for my own Argentavis now, while Thunderstar would be my speed mount I needed someone who would be able to help me with our resource gathering and going on building jobs for other tribes. I let Thunderstar hover for a moment while I used my spy glass to scout out the argentavis flying around below. I found one I found particularly appealing and dove on her with Thunderstar, I let them duke it out for a moment while I jumped from his back to a rock, I shot the argy with my tranquilizer arrows until she fell from the sky. I whistled for Thunderstar, he flew to me and landed behind me. I took some of the food I had gathered for him and offered it to the dosing argy, she ate it greedily, I bound her to me and that was that. She was gorgeous standing there in the mid-morning light, all orange with white tips, she ruffled her feathers and squawked, nuzzling her beak against my side.

"Good girl Firewing," I whispered, stroking her soft feathered head. I gathered supplies, hide and fiber to build a primitive saddle for her.

Together the three of us explored the area around the Hidden Valley, going as far as heading across the bay to Dead Island and terrorized the carnivores that live there. I managed to tame my own raptor and bring him back to the mainland with the help of Firewing. We named here Sunstone, she was orange and white with green feathers.

It was my turn to return to the base triumphantly, and what a return it was, the gate was completed as well as a watch tower, the third story of the house was almost completed, Cradix had been busy, he and Kabr were sitting around the cook fire laughing and joking. I surveyed the area for skull and could not find him in at the main structure it was then that I noticed a separate fire with a saber cat, his raptor, his own doed, and a handful of other dinos that he had not had the night before. I gently dropped Sunstone to the ground, landed Firewing and whistled for Thunderstar to do the same. Cradix and Kabr came to inspect my prizes.

"She is beautiful," Kabr said stroking Firewing's beak. "As is your raptor, we will have to have a race sometime soon." He laughed, I smiled and nodded.

"That would be fun," I said, "I need to build her a saddle still, and when I have trained her up a bit we will do that."

I jumped from Firewing's back and joined my tribemates, "What is will Skull?"

"I am not sure actually, he left camp when I got back this morning and came back with all of his new pets, he has not said much since, just established himself over there." Cradix said, crossing his large arms over his chest and glaring at the man by his own private fire.

"Cradix is really upset with him," Kabr whispered in my ear, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Why?" I asked, gently shifting out from under his grasp.

"He attacked Morty, in broad daylight, in front of Mejo," I think my mouth must have been hanging open, because Kabr corrected himself, "Attacked might not be the right word but Morty died from it, we still are not sure what exactly happened, but there is going to be an inquiry."

"The Admins?" Kabr nodded, an inquiry was never good, it was a time that the Admins of all the factions met in a neutral location with their seconds taking control of their factions while they are gone, the things they discussed often effected the wellbeing of every living thing on the Ark, it is said that during these times they even communicate with the Hosts.

"There must be more to it than just an accident, if there will be an inquiry." Kabr shrugged.

"Stop whispering you two, and go to bed, I am taking first watch," Cradix growled at us, his eyes on Kabr, I cannot be sure but they looked grey and not their soft steel blue, what had angered him, was it Skull or had Kabr done something I was unaware of. I made sure my new pets had food and went to bed, when Kabr tried to crawl in with me I shoved him to the floor and silently pointed to his own bed, I turned my back on him, I could hear his breath catching as he huffed angrily and stumbled to his own bed.