The Lost World: Jurassic Kratts

Urgent Matters

After the encounter with the Stegosaurus herd and the Mamenchisaurus, Malcolm, Sarah, Nick, Eddie, Martin, Chris, Laura and Amber were all strolling along a wide sauropod trail in the forest, walking among towering redwood trees. The Kratt Brothers led the way alongside Tiger Claw and Amber, the three newcomers and the paleontologist brought up the center while the ranger guarded the rear, a wooden staff in hand. The other raptors followed not far behind.
"These images are incredible. Legendary."said Nick as he took pictures of the raptors against the natural scenery. The twins and Clawjumper came in full view to sniff the cameras curiously, much to the cameraman's delight, taking this chance to take closeup shots. "Guys shoot their whole lives and never get stuff half this good. You could give me the Pulitzer right now today please." Here, the photographer pulled out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth. "Competition's over, close the entries, I'd like to thank everybody who lost." Nick had almost had it lit when a flash of metallic gray zoomed past his face, severing the cigarette in half and causing him, Malcolm and Eddie to jump back in fright. Looking to his right, the startled photographer saw a wicked looking throwing axe imbedded in a nearby tree before looking for the culprit. He presently saw Laura staring hard in his direction, with another projectile held in readiness should the photographer pull out another stick.
  "Mm-mm-mm..." she hummed sternly, wagging her free finger.
"Hey, don't light that! Dinosaurs can pick up scents from miles away. The last thing we wanna do is to frighten the pack."said Sarah, catching up to Nick, who continued to stare wide eyed at the ranger as she collected her axe, muttering something in her second language.
"Oh. Guess we forgot to mention that Laura's a good shot with Hunga Munga throwing axes,"
Nick was about to comment to that when he felt a soft nudge behind him. He looked to see Amber staring at him with a pleading look in her golden eyes.
"No smoking please. I do not like the smell of smoke."she said.
"Alright, I get the memo."replied the photographer gently, putting away his packet of cigarettes as he patted her head. "Time for me to quit anyway,"
"So, how much further until he hit death row?"asked Malcolm sarcastically from his place in the back of the group, casting wary glances at his raptorial escorts.
"Oh lighten up, Ian."said Sarah. "I'm sure they're just as eager to meet you as you them. As it turns out, Velociraptors are shy and secretive animals. And very misunderstood. Kinda like wolves."
The mathematician wasn't swayed. "Yeah. Only difference is that wolves and humans had evolved side by side over the last hundreds of thousands of years and they have learned to fear us. Humans and raptors? They're separated by ummm.... millions of years. So what's gonna stop them from tearing us to pieces?"
  "Well, for starters, raptors are not the mindless killing machines some people think they are."said Chris. Even from their place in the lead, he and Martin had been listening long enough. "The Velociraptors back in Jurassic Park were the result of the stresses of a captive lifestyle and negative reinforcement."
"How raptors react to humans depends largely on their prior experience with people."added Martin. "Raptors lacking any negative experience of humans will show little fear of people."continued the younger Kratt.
"Like these guys?"asked Nick, gesturing to Kipanga and Patchy at play, chasing each other in and around the trees.
"You got it."answered Sarah, thumbs up in approval. "Being born and raised in the wild, and having no human contact."
"The adults were more skittish of us at first considering that we were the first people they've encountered in four years."said Chris, recalling those early days of encountering the pack. "And their previous experiences with people were not really the best,"
"Took some time, but we were able to gain their trust."added Martin. "Right, guys?"
At that moment, the young raptors darted past the human party, reaching the forest's edge.
"We're here!"hollered the Kratt Brothers simultaneously as they and Amber raced alongside the fast and agile carnivores.
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,"mumbled the mathematician half to himself as everyone else followed their saurian escorts. Emerging from the forest's leafy veils, the team had entered a wide, sunlit clearing ringed by towering forest giants and lush ferns, both of which concealed a large, rocky cave within the foliage. Several boulders rested in the center of the glade, absorbing the sun's rays filtering down from the trees, and littered about on the forest floor were dry bones, some of which were riddled with bite marks, others broken into pieces.
"Nice place they got."remarked Nick, sightseeing around the lair while snapping photos.
"Yeah, at least for a temporary den sight."said Chris. "From what we've learned so far, raptors are usually nomadic hunters. They rarely stay in one place for very long. They're usually traveling within their territory, unless if they have–"
"Hey. Where is everybody?"asked Martin as he looked around the empty clearing.
"That's funny. They were just here a while ago."answered an equally puzzled Chris.
Suddenly a faint rustling was heard from the nearby ferns behind them. The Kratt Brothers exchanged knowing glances upon hearing that disturbance, both cracking smiles. They then motioned for the rest of the group to be silent.
"Well. I guess nobody's home."shrugged Martin, all smiles. The three other gentlemen looked on in confusion, whereas the paleontologist and the ranger exchanged knowing glances.
"Where could they have gone?"asked Chris, pretending to look in different directions as the ferns and bushes continued to rustle, this time much closer.
"Oh well! Since they're not here, looks like we have to get going then." The Kratt in blue had hardly finished that sentence when several figures sprang from the undergrowth, pouncing upon their 'unsuspecting' victims.
"No! They got us!" Martin playfully cried as he and Chris slumped to the ground, tackled by eight baby Velociraptors, each just a few weeks of age and no bigger than puppies.
"Goodbye, cruel world!"screamed the younger Kratt dramatically before he fell flat on his back, tongue sticking out, arms and legs splaying out as he played dead. But he was shortly revived as the infant raptors continued their onslaught, licking and nipping wherever they could, wagging their tails for all the world like little, scaly puppy dogs.
"No, stop it!"cried the Kratt in green, doubling over in laughter.
"You know that tickles!"chuckled his brother, holding one baby in his hands as it licked his face. Amber soon joined the fun, relentlessly licking and nuzzling her caretakers' faces, as well as barrel rolling on the forest floor beside them.
"Looks therapeutic."said Nick as he and Eddie cracked smiles at this joyful scene while Sarah and Laura muffled their giggles. Malcolm just stared blankly.
"Fruit cakes."he muttered, shaking his head.
  Deciding that the younglings had had their fun, Malaika and the other female raptors gently nudged them away from the downed creature adventurers.
"Thanks girls."panted Martin as he and Chris rose back on their feet, both winded from laughing so hard.
  Makucha and Slasher promptly took over for the Kratts, seating themselves on the ground as they patiently allowed the youngsters to crawl all over them as if they were stones, or to play with their  swishing tails in the same manner a kitten would play with a piece of string. The green male even allowed the little snout of one individual to tap at his snaggletooth. The female raptors promptly joined the hatchlings in play as Tiger Claw oversaw everything from his place splayed out full length upon a convenient rock as he sunned himself, absentmindedly swaying his tail to keep out reach of the snapping jaws of a rambunctious infant.
"They're all so... peaceful."remarked Eddie, surprised by his own choice of words.
"One of the beauties of the creature world."said Laura rather philosophically, leaning on her staff. "Nature's not always red in tooth and claw. There are quiet moments, moments of peace between the battles. Wise men say that a lion's work hours are only when he's hungry; once he's satisfied, then predator and prey live peacefully together."
"And how can we expect any less from the prehistoric world?"added Sarah as she crouched down to pet one of the babies, who purred on contact before chewing on her fingers.
Chris then playfully elbowed his brother, saying: "Time to get back in with the pack." Both brothers then reached out to touch Amber while pressing the paw print button on their signature Creature Power vests.
"Activate!"
  The others shielded their eyes as two bright lights flooded into the den, engulfing the pair until where Martin and Chris once stood, two more raptors, green and blue in color, went to join the pack.
"Whoah."murmured Nick, awed by the sudden transformation.
"I'll be damned."added Eddie.
The paleontologist and the African ranger beamed knowing smiles. If the mathematician was surprised or amazed, he didn't show it. As Martin and Amber engaged the energetic hatchlings in play, Chris ambled his way over to Tiger Claw. "So, where are all the adults, TC?"asked the green theropod.
  As if to answer that question, the eldest arose to his feet before lifting his head high, uttering a barking call that echoed across the forest. The other juveniles took up the call, joined by Amber and the Raptor Brothers. Even the little infants tried to imitate their older siblings, producing short chirps and squeaks.
For a brief moment, the jungle was silent.... until a chorus of bloodcurdling shrieks echoed somewhere among the trees, sending chills crawling up the newcomers' spines. Without further warning, more than half a dozen fast moving silhouettes darted out of the forest's green depths, revealing a squadron of adult Velociraptors, nine or ten in all, led by a scarred individual.
"The pack, they're back!"hollered the blue theropod with the same level of excitement as one would rejoice at the return of some old friends.
"With dinner!" Raptor Chris pointed to where the hatchlings all raced up to the grown raptors who had slabs of meat clenched in her jaws especially for them. Nuzzles and face rubbing were exchanged between the adolescents and their parents, especially among the females while the young males chest-butted their elders. The two Wild Kratts and the ranger looked upon the familiar scene with adoration, which was highly reminiscent of the clans of African wild dogs greeting their pups after the hunt. For Sarah, this was living proof of everything she believed for many years in her line of work. To the three newcomers, Dr. Malcolm especially, who were so used to the idea of carnivorous dinosaurs being mindless killing-machines, this was a new and alien sight to behold; the savage predators turned gentle parents.
Once the babies were greedily gobbling down the chunks of meat reserved for them alone, it didn't take very long for the adults to notice the unexpected guests in their midst. Almost before anyone could react, Malcolm, Nick and Eddie found themselves completely surrounded by a pack of hissing, snarling Velociraptors, all with their teeth bared, claws at the ready should these strange newcomers pose a threat to them or their young.
"Jesus Christ,"whispered the photographer, heart racing in terror.
"Sometimes, 'I told you so' just doesn't cut it."remarked Malcolm lightheartedly in spite of the perilous situation they found themselves in. From the outskirts of the raptorial ring, Sarah and Laura held back while the two Raptor Brothers pushed their way through the ranks to be close enough insure the safety of their teammates, yet far enough as not to interfere.
"Get down on your knees and bow. Show them that you're not a threat."advised the green raptor, voice barely above a whisper. "Be calm and submissive."
"Easy now, no sudden moves."whispered Martin who gestured with his clawed hands.
"Psst! And don't make eye contact!"warned Sarah.
  After a moment of hesitation, the three slowly did as they were told, without making any sudden moves. The moment they touched the ground, they tightly shut their eyes, half expecting to feel razor sharp teeth and claws tear into their flesh. One by one, the trio forced them open. To their surprise, not a single dinosaur moved a step forward, some of them even tilting their scaly heads curiously.
But soon enough, the theropods all made way for one particular individual, the leader of the pack, who slowly walked forward, fixing the trio with a steely gaze. He greatly resembled an older version of Tiger Claw in his coloration and the dark stripes running along his back, the only thing setting him apart from his offspring being his left eye, which had a gray film over it while his right eye was green like his son's. His hide was also riddled with the battle scars that came about from a lifetime of hunting and fighting, the latter undoubtedly for leadership over his pack. His flanks and sides were marked with what seemed to be old bullet wounds.
  Malcolm, Nick and Eddie all sat as still as stone under the dominant male's hard gaze. The carnivore's hot breath assaulted each of their faces as he sniffed deeply, taking in their scents. But the moment he got to Eddie, the Velociraptor's eyes widened as he jolted back, giving the tech expert a distrustful glare as deep growls rumbled from the back of his throat. This sudden action startled Eddie in turn as he pulled out his Linstradt rifle from over his shoulder, pointing it at the snarling theropod. But this only seemed to further anger the alpha as he screeched furiously, exposing his rows of sharp teeth. Behind him, the other grown raptors took up the angry chorus as they prepared to close in on the intruders, whom they now deemed hazardous.
"Put the gun away. You're making him nervous."warned the blue raptor.
"He's making me nervous!"retorted a frightened Eddie quietly as the lead raptor continued to glare down on him, tail swishing, toe claws clicking on the ground, ready to pounce at any moment.
"Just do as he says!"whispered Malcolm sharply behind him.
"Dammit, just do it, Eddie!"added Nick before both he and the mathematician were silenced by the hissing of a nearby raptor. Eddie refused to yield.
"Put the gun down now!"thundered everyone simultaneously.
Reluctantly, the petrified technician dropped his firearm. But the alpha wasn't satisfied; the fierce reptile pointed to the gun with his snout before he made a quick, sideways jerk with his head.
Seeing Eddie's puzzled expression, Chris translated. "He wants you to throw it away,"
"Are you kidding m–" Eddie was cut short by an elbow from Nick who nodded. Heaving a sigh, the tech expert once again took the Lindstradt rifle in his shaking hands, throwing it as far as he could into the nearby foliage. Upon seeing the thunder-stick fly into the ferns, the battle hardened dinosaur was able to lower his guard a little as his growls ceased. The other raptors seemed to be relaxing as well.
"See? We're friendly."chuckled Eddie while Nick gave an innocent smile. The alpha did not appear to be amused.
"Fruitcakes."murmured Malcolm, taking the dominant male's mistrustful stare as a bad sign.
   At that point, the two Raptor Brothers slowly and cautiously approached the pack leader, bowing their heads submissively as they softly spoke to him in the raptorial tongue, made up of trills, rumbles and squawks followed by gestures and body posturing. They were also joined by Tiger Claw, Malaika and an older female who greatly resembled the gray sister, likely their mother. The dominant male appeared to be giving them his undivided attention. As this conversation continued, the crouching trio remained as they were, too nervous to move should the Velociraptors judge them and attack them. Compared to the juveniles, these adults seemed to be a much tougher crowd to please.
"I wonder what they're saying,"whispered the photographer to his comrades.
"Chris is telling Bwana Wa Kuwinda that Eddie's thunder-stick is only for self defense and that he meant no disrespect."whispered a feminine robotic voice from behind. Looking over their shoulders, the men's eyes were greeted by the amber orbs of the Wild Kratts' raptor ambassador.
"Bwana Wa Kuwinda?"wondered Eddie out loud.
"Must be Swahili."muttered Malcolm.
"Hmm. If I remember my Swahili lessons correctly, it means 'Master Of The Hunt'."the cameraman guessed. He then chuckled as he added, "Real badass name if I heard one."
"Seems appropriate."mused the mathematician under his breath as Eddie nodded.
"Correct." nodded Amber. "But we dub him Bwana for short." Using her snout, she then pointed out the gray raptor at Bwana's side. "The female next to him is Zuri, the beta of the pack and his mate, the mother of Slasher, Malaika and Tiger Claw."
"What are they saying now?"asked the technician.
"They're saying that you only desire to learn the ways of the pack."
"Sounds about right,"whispered Nick.
  After what felt like an eternity, conversation among the theropods ended as Martin and Chris took their leave to stand aside. Amber slowly backed away as Bwana Wa Kuwinda once again stood before the three newcomers, staring down upon them judgmatically, his face unreadable to the humans. A moment of silence... until the formidable hunter bobbed his head, giving off a gruff snort before he turned around, slowly walking away to rest under the shade of a convenient tree. As though by some silent command, the other Velociraptors dispersed, each to do their own thing, though a handful stayed behind to sniff and circle the trio to satisfy their curiosity.
Before too long, Malcolm, Eddie and Nick were approached by Sarah, Laura and the Kratt Brothers, who were still in their raptor forms. The teenage raptors soon joined in.
"You did it! You guys are in!"said Chris cheerfully as Martin beamed an infectious raptorial grin from his place at his brother's side, his thumb claws up in approval.
"D-does that mean–"stammered the tech expert, eyes never leaving one inquisitive individual who sniffed at his shirt collar.
"Mm-hmm."hummed Martin as he nodded. "You guys can get up now,"
"Welcome to the pack."confirmed the African ranger with a tip of her hat.
"Congratulations, boys."commended the paleontologist, now cradling a baby raptor in her arms.
As they rose back to their feet, the trio released breaths they didn't know they were holding.
"Now that was a close one!"remarked Nick.
"No kidding!"panted Eddie who placed a hand on his rapidly beating heart. "I coulda sworn for a second or two, that I was gonna die from fright before that head honcho could even lay a claw on me!"
"If you ask me, meeting carnivorous dinosaurs is just the sort of thing one should only do once in their entire–" but the mathematician found himself cut off by joyful raptorial squawks as Martin and Chris zipped right past him.
"C'mon! We'll show you around!"hollered Martin.
"And introduce you to everyone here!"added Chris.
"Let's go!"giggled Amber, followed by the other young theropods. The rest of the team shrugged before they soon obliged, tagging along, moving right into the midst of the pack to be better acquainted with their strange new saurian neighbors.
Watching the party go, Malcolm heaved a sigh. These people were gonna be the death of him one of these days.
**** Two Hours Later...****
"Well that was a rather interesting first day,"mused Eddie as they all walked along the forest trail. He and the rest of the team had left the raptor's den and were now heading to the Wild Kratts' home base just a mile off, the two Kratts in question, once again in human form, in the lead.
"Yeah, we filmed a herd of Stegosauruses before pissing them off, met a friendly gang of raptors and umm..." here the photographer turned to the dinosaur expert inquiringly, "a Mamenchisaurus?"
"Mm-hmm."replied Sarah. "You got it."
"And now we're one with the pack. All in just one day."
"Or maybe they just decided to give us the welcome wagon before they eat us. You know, like the guests of honor at the feast, that sort of thing," retorted the mathematician skeptically from his place by the back.
"Oh c'mon. I think you're overreacting just a teensy bit."retorted Martin with a chuckle as he rested his hand on Malcolm's right shoulder. "They really have no interest in eating anybody."
"Besides,"assured the younger Kratt, also placing a hand on the scientist's other shoulder. "They're just as scared of us as we are of them, and just so long as we don't harm or threaten them in any way, we'll get along just great."
Malcolm then cleared his throat. "Are you done?"
"Oh. Sorry!"came the simultaneous reply as both Kratt Brothers sheepishly retracted their arms off the scientist's shoulders, earning some muffled chuckles from the others.
Malcolm soon turned his attention to the newest member of the Wild Kratts team, whom he did not recognize. "So.. umm. Mrs. Wilkinson,"
"Call me Laura."
"So, Laura. What is it that you do over in Kenya?"
"I was a wildlife ranger for Tsavo East National Park, where I protected animals, rhinos and elephants especially, from poachers."she replied.
"You were?"
"I had an inescapable desire to see the rest of the world, a world much bigger than the African savannah, and after meeting Martin and Chris several months back, how could I say no? To not only be able to experience new places, but also meet more creatures I've never seen before and make more new friends is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've been an official member of the Wild Kratts team ever since."
"How long have you been in Africa?"asked Nick who was just as curious as the mathematician.
"All my life."came the answer. "My father was a game warden and my mother a zoologist. So it was scarcely surprising that I was deeply fascinated by the African bush since I was a little girl, and I learned all I know about the bush from them and from my Uncle Muldoon."
That last statement seemed to cause the mathematician to freeze in sudden realization. "Wait a minute. Did you say that your uncle was Muldoon? As in Robert Muldoon?"
"Mm-hmm."Laura nodded.
"Who's Muldoon?"asked Eddie and Nick simultaneously.
"Only the best game warden in all of Kenya. Maybe even all of Africa."answered Laura with pride, before she took on a distant look. "Though he left a few years back to work for some strange amusement park in Costa Rica. He never returned."
"And did you ever find out about what happened to him?"inquired the mathematician delicately, knowing all to well about the answer.
"We believed that he was involved in a work related accident, until the Wild Kratts team told us otherwise. And you."
Malcolm raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Me?"
"Your interview was not limited to only the United States, Dr. Malcolm; your message was heard from around the world, even in Africa."
"Well, it's good to know that the entire world thinks I'm insane,"he remarked sarcastically, remembering the backlash and the humiliation that followed his confession.
The ranger then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Surely the truth may sound outlandish and far fetched to some, but you told it anyway, even when the odds were stacked against you; you're an honorable man and that's something I find very admirable." She then gave the scientist a hearty punch on his shoulder.
"Ouch!" Malcolm shouted, rubbing his bruised shoulder. "That hurt."he whined. The ranger giggled, as did Sarah and the two creature adventurers.
"You big baby."The redhead playfully taunted. "That's just how she shows her affection." This smart remark earned the paleontologist a playful jab on her own shoulder. "Oww!"
  Nick then chose that moment to butt in. "I really hate to be the pain in the ass to ask this, but if it wasn't a work accident, then how did your uncle die?"
"Nick!"scolded the paleontologist, thwacking the back of his head.
"Oww!"
Nick promptly felt a nudge on his side. He turned to the source to find Malcolm sending him a look of disapproval. Even he wasn't that insensitive. A long pause. "Muldoon was killed by a gang of Velociraptors."answered the Kratt in blue quietly with a frown, head slightly bowed.
  The tech expert and the photographer froze upon that chilling revelation. "Wait."said the puzzled technician. "Her uncle was killed by a raptor?"
"On this island?"asked Nick.
"No. It was a different one 80 miles north of here,"replied the mathematician. The creature adventurers nodded in confirmation. "Isla Nublar."
"It's a long story."added Chris.
"One full of mutilation and death might I add."said Malcolm grimly, earning an eye roll from his girlfriend.
"Oh, I think we definitely wanna hear it,"said the cameraman, eager to hear another horror story.
"Mm-hmm." Eddie nodded, although not as enthusiastically as Nick; he didn't seem to be overfond of horror stories. So Malcolm and the Kratt Brothers recounted their experiences from Isla Nublar all those years ago, leaving no detail untouched, of the discovery of the century, of close encounters with creatures that time had left behind, and the grisly tragedies that came as a result.
"So lemme get this straight: Hammond spent five years building an amusement park full of dinosaurs."inquired Eddie once they had finished their tale.
"Yup."answered the Kratt in green as he and Martin nodded.
"And everything started going south when the power went out, allowing the dinosaurs to run rampant and kill people."said the photographer, reviewing the facts and piecing the puzzle together.
"You got it,"replied Malcolm.
"Boy were we beyond lucky we got out of that jam in one piece,"remarked Chris before Martin added with a fist pump: "Thanks to our Dino Powers!" The pair then exchanged high fives.
In that moment, a certain young Velociraptor playfully pounced upon the unsuspecting Kratts from behind, causing them to crash onto their stomachs, laughing.
"Resistance is futile!"Amber yelled playfully.
"And you also mentioned that Amber here was originally born in their lab and decided to followed you guys home."said Nick, gesturing to the dinosaur, now sitting upon her two 'victims'.
"Yup. She's been a part of the team ever since."replied Chris with a smile as the raptor licked his cheek while he was still immobilized.
"Thanks to her, we were able to learn a lot more about raptor behavior than we ever thought possible, and dispelled a ton of myths along the way."added the older Kratt, patting her head.
"We're also here to learn more about raptors in their natural habitat, so that when that day comes, Amber will be living free and in the wild."
"Now that's one hell of a story,"remarked the tech expert.
Nick heaved a sigh as he briefly looked up beyond the forest canopy, to the sky. "At least that Mr. Muldoon guy died as he lived. Being a total badass. Woulda liked to meet the guy."
"He was a good friend of ours." Martin said solemnly. Chris nodded, remembering all the times he, his brother and the game keeper stopped poachers together in the untamed wilds of the Dark Continent and shared many wild adventures.
"And you guys have no hard feelings against raptors after what they did?"Eddie asked.
The ranger shook her head. "I bear no grudge against Amber or her kind."–Here she stroked under the Velociraptor's chin– "It's like the old saying: 'sometimes you get the leopard, sometimes the leopard gets you.' And knowing my uncle, he would have preferred to go out with a bang."
"Besides, there are no bad guys in the creature world."said Chris almost philosophically, hand on his chin. "We still have a hard time understanding that sometimes, but that's just how nature works."
"Hold it. I get how Isla Nublar was built to be an amusement park full of dinosaurs, but what about this place?"
"The answers to those questions will be revealed once we get to our headquarters–"but the blonde ranger never got to finish when the two Kratts announced: "We're here!"
  The team was momentarily blinded by the sun's rays as they left the leafy curtains of the jungle behind them. Adjusting to the light, the spectacle that greeted their eyes was wide open grassy glade completely devoid of trees. Parked in the center of the field was a gigantic, teal colored turtlelike vessel. The Tortuga HQ. Upon seeing the giant turtle ship, the new trio froze on the spot, mouths agape as they approached the strange vessel.
"Now that's something you don't see everyday." Eddie remarked, completely awed. Nick and Malcolm exchanged glances before a wide grin formed on the former's features.
"This is so cool!"he said.
"I know, right?!"replied Sarah from his side, an excited grin on her face.
"Here we are! Home sweet home."heralded the Kratt in blue before he corrected: "Or umm.. home sweet turtle that is," Just then, a wide ramp lowered itself from the turtle's left side.
"Aviva! Koki! Jimmy! We're back!"called the two creature adventurers as they made their way up the ramp. The main opening soon parted, revealing the rest of the Wild Kratts team, with Aviva in the lead, undoubtedly expecting a certain Kratt in green as she raced up to his open arms. Still embracing his girlfriend, Chris laughed as he spun her around before locking his lips with hers. She was more than happy to oblige, returning the kiss. Soon, much to the pair's slight disappointment, the need for air forced them to part, but they still touched foreheads. For a moment, they were oblivious to either the fangirlish squeals of the girls or the mischievous claps and whistles from the guys (even Malcolm couldn't help but smirk..), their eyes solely focused on each other.
"Great to see you're still in one piece, Cariño."joked the inventor as she tapped his nose, earning an amused eye roll from the creature adventurer.
"Very funny, Aviva." Aviva giggled.
"How did it go?"
"Oh, you know, running with the pack, scared some Stegos. The usual. But look who we met in the woods!"
"We brought company!" Martin announced to the rest of the group. All eyes soon fell upon the three new arrivals standing at the edge of the ramp.
"Eddie!"gasped Aviva and Koki excitedly. Without further warning, the tech expert found himself enveloped in the arms of the two girls, squeezing the air out of him like an anaconda constricting his prey.
"It's so good to see you!"
"How ya been?"
"Umm.. ladies?"gagged Eddie from his place within the bearhug. "Choking, not breathing!"
The technical duo's eyes widened as they immediately released their hold. "Sorry,"they apologized sheepishly.
"My cracked ribs and I are happy to see you girls too."said the older technician as he caught his breath. "How are my star students doing?"
  From the sidelines of the reunion, Nick shrugged as he feigned offense. "What? No hug for me?"
"Alright, Nick!" The Greenpeace photographer turned his attention to the new voice to find Jimmy Z approaching him. Nick smiled upon seeing his longtime friend.
"Whaddup, JZ?" he greeted as the two exchanged fist bumps and high fives.
"Here for another rematch of Halo 3?"challenged the redhead gamer with a smirk, joystick controller in hand.
"Oho, you're on! I'll take you on anywhere, anytime!"commented the cameraman with a smirk of his own before they stared at one another eye to eye competitively. The pair then burst into good natured laughs.
"How's it going, Eddmister?"said JZ, addressing the technician with a wave.
"It's going good, Jimmy Z." Eddie responded with a chuckle at his given nickname. The pizza eating pilot preceded to high five the technician.
From the sidelines, Malcolm looked on blankly as greetings were being exchanged among his team and the Wild Kratts crew. He had half expected a team made up of bunch of random strangers who were specialized in their particular fields. But the group here before him all seemed to be old friends and colleagues. No wonder Hammond called all of these lunatics together, he thought before voicing out his thoughts.
"You all know each other?"
"Mm-hmm."nodded Koki.
"Eddie was our technology teacher back in college."said Aviva, smiling at the memories.
"And Nick here's my old community college buddy."commented Jimmy Z, his left arm draped over said old community college buddy's shoulder before the pair exchanged a fist bump.
Chris then motioned for everyone to come inside the Tortuga HQ with a wave of his right hand as his left was wrapped around Aviva's waist. "Come on in everybody!"
"We have so much to catch up on."chirped the inventor.
"I'll go prepare the snacks!"yelled Jimmy as he raced inside. A flash of orange followed the redhead into the kitchen in that instant.
"Oh boy oh boy, snacks!"
With that invitation, the three newcomers followed their hosts inside the terrapin vessel. It was only a matter of time before everyone entered the main room, a vast circular space decorated by various plants and full of state-of-the-art technology including a massive computer screen, a round teleporter, and a circular platform just to name a few.
"Wow."breathed Nick as he, Eddie and Malcolm took in their surroundings.
"Amazing. Absolutely amazing." added the old school tech expert, undoubtedly impressed with his students' handiwork. His was the pride of a teacher surpassed by his pupils, and in a technological sense, he was like a child in a candy shop.
"Pretty impressive."commented the mathematician, looking around the HQ's interior. Boy, Kelly would be so psyched if she were here, he thought. Tuning out of his thoughts, he presently heard conversation exchanged between the two inventors.
"So did you really make this headpiece?"Eddie inquired as he patted Amber's head, particularly where the flat, gray mechanical pad rested at the crown. The Velociraptor in question was seated on a specially designed pet bed, her elongated tail wagging side to side.
"Mm-hmm." Aviva nodded with pride. "I made it for Amber as a Hatch-day present the first year she was with us. I call it the Creature Thought Translator."
"Hatch-day?"
"Kinda like her birthday."
  "Aviva made me this hat so that I may talk– GECKO!" Here the raptor's head suddenly darted towards the glass sunroof where her sharp eyes caught sight of a colorful Tokay gecko crawling along the glass. Five seconds passed before she turned her attention back to the inventors. "Aviva is good and smart."
"Aww. Thanks, sweetie."cooed the inventor as she scratched behind the theropod's ear slits. As Amber purred in bliss, Aviva once again addressed the older technician. "The CTT has been modified to read the brainwaves of the animal who wears it. See, the brainwaves are then transmitted here; the monitor then translates the thoughts into English using the digital voice."
  To say that Eddie was amazed would be a great understatement. "Incredible. How long did it take to develop?"
"About nine months, three weeks, and two hours by my calculations,"
"Cool."said Nick, darting in. "What does this button do?"
Before Aviva could answer, the photographer was already playing and experimenting with the button, flickering it like a radio, much to Amber's slight displeasure as she cast him a blank stare, orange skin slowly turning several shades darker.
"Please do not touch – no es un juguete– I use this 'ere hat– kore wa kimitsu kikidesu–" Nick's merriment soon came to an end when the annoyed raptor nudged his hand away. "I would be most happy if you stop."
"So that's what it does. Sorry, Amber."said the cameraman apologetically upon seeing the slight deadpanned stares of the inventors and dinosaur who turned bright red in warning. Needless to say, his curiosity was now satisfied.
   Eventually, Jimmy walked out of the kitchen with a plate full of freshly baked brownies for everyone. After a half hour of snacks, FAQs and idle chitchat, everyone was seated around the circular round table, giving the Kratt Brothers their undivided attention as they stood before the main computer panel. Seeing all eyes on him and his brother, Chris began:
"We wanna thank you all for coming. It really means a lot. But I'm afraid that we didn't call you here for just a little reunion. We have some very serious matters in our hands."
  "I'll say."retorted Malcolm. "When we got that SOS message, we were thinking something happened to you or to Sarah. But seeing that you guys are fine... well, relatively speaking, this seems to have been a waste of our time."
"Ian!"scolded Sarah, her voice barely above a whisper as she lightly thwacked the back of his head.
"We are fine, but the island won't be for very long."said the Kratt in green.
"What're you– what're you talking about?" Now the mathematician was puzzled.
"Now, let's talk turkey here." Hardly had Chris finished that sentence when– "Gobblegobblegobble! Gobblegobblegobble!" Martin did his best turkey impression before he clutched his stomach, laughing to his heart's content. But his laughing fit was short lived upon seeing the blank stares of the team and the deadpan look given by Chris who folded his arms.
"What? That's a joke. I do that." Only Sarah, Amber and Laura giggled, the latter causing the older Kratt's cheeks to flush. Clearing his throat, Martin regained his composure. "All jokes aside, this is a dire creature emergency. We've received secret intel from Wild Kratts kids Lex and Tim that InGen is now accelerating their plans to come down here and ransack the island."
The younger Kratt continued gravely: "To make matters worse, Koki has recently intercepted a message from Ludlow, confirming that he has established a partnership with Donita, Zach, and Gourmand."
Upon mention of the new head of InGen, the mathematician could hardly suppress a scowl before raising an eyebrow in confusion at the three unfamiliar names. Looking around at the others, he could tell that they were just as confused. "Who are they?"
"They're a trio of baddies who you don't wanna know."answered Koki from her place by the database. Several professional keystrokes later, three separate files appeared on the  main screen, all labeled Villains. The computer whizz clicked on the first profile, revealing a middle aged woman who had maroon hair and golden eyes that rested on a face covered in makeup. Lots of makeup.
"There's Donita Donata. A.k.a Madam Crazy Clothes."stated Martin. "Turns animals into living fashion accessories, courtesy of her pose beams which put creatures in suspended animation."
"Cruella De Vil much?"remarked the mathematician half to himself. Nick and Sarah, however, caught onto his reference and snorted in laughter while Martin tried his hardest not to laugh himself. Fortunately he was able to regain control upon receiving an elbow from his brother. The moment the photographer caught his breath, his eyes were then drawn to a photograph of a muscular blonde man next to the infamous fashionista.
"Wait. Who's blondie over there?"
"That's Dabio. Donita's brawny henchman,"answered Chris.
"Who's all brawn and no brain."remarked the Tortuga technician. "He fails at even the simplest of tasks."
The next profile uploaded was that of a burly looking chef with an outrageously bulbous nose.
"Gaston Gourmand. Illegal endangered species chef."
"Try fat overgrown bastard,"snarked Nick, earning a snicker from the paleontologist.
Closing Gourmand's tabs, Koki directed the mouse to click on the last profile which, unlike the others, was labeled in bold warning signs. It opened to reveal a pale, scrawny man dressed in black from head to toe.
"And lastly, we have Zach Varmitech. The robotics inventor who doesn't like animals."concluded the Kratt in blue, blue eyes narrowed.
"And a major thorn on our side,"hissed Aviva.
From her place on her mat, Amber's scaly hide flushed brilliant bright red as she narrowed her eyes in a glare, deep growls rumbling from her throat.
"Looks like a member of the Adams family."remarked Nick before turning to the mathematician."Are you by any chance related to this guy? You both seem to have a thing for black."At this both Kratt Brothers broke into laughter, promptly joined by the others. Even Amber gurgled a guttural raptorial laugh. Malcolm only cocked a questioning eye.
"Hold on, I remember that guy."said the seasoned tech expert, recognizing the pale face and haughty look. "He was another one of my tech students. Seemed very promising at first, but that oversized ego of his was always driving me crazy. And although I've never been acquainted with that Gourmand guy or Donita lady, I can already see that they're both bad news."
"What are they planning to do here?"asked Nick.
A long pause. Glances were exchanged between the members of the Wild Kratts team before Chris finally stepped up. Aviva's hand grasped his own hand in a comforting squeeze. He smiled at the gesture as he brought the hand to his lips. The Kratt in green heaved a deep sigh as he began, but not before feeling Martin's hand upon his right shoulder as his brother cast him a reassuring smile.
"InGen had been on the brink of Chapter 11 ever since the accident in Jurassic Park, and there were those in the company who wanted to exploit Site B's resources to break them out of bankruptcy, most likely another amusement park or something.
"They've actually been planning it for years. Mr. Hammond had been able able to stop them up until now. But a few weeks ago, a British family on a yacht cruise had somehow stumbled upon the island, and their eight-year old daughter was attacked. Exact identity of the perpetrator unknown. She's fine, but the board had used the incident to take control of InGen from Hammond. And– they thought that they were better off without us. And just like that, they ended our funding."
"They let you guys go?" A nod answered Malcolm's question.
"Yeah, that and we may have violated a couple of contracts and broke a few rules,"said the Kratt in blue, rubbing the back of his head, "especially in telling about Amber to the rest of the world."
"The point still stands. We no longer have their support."the younger Kratt stated. "And now it's only a matter of time before this lost world is found and pillaged."
"So that's how old man Hammond turned from capitalist to naturalist in only four years."murmured Malcolm half to himself. "That's something."
   For the longest time, not a word was said. "So any idea as to when these three hoodlums will show up here?" asked the cameraman, folding his arms, glaring up at the computer panel of baddies; he disliked these characters already.
"That's the problem, Nick: we have absolutely no idea when they'll come."replied Martin worriedly.
"And we're really unsure in the slightest about what they're all up to as we speak."added Aviva, shrugging slightly. "Whatever it is, InGen won't tell us."
"Whatever it is, it can't be good."said Laura darkly, blue eyes as hard as ice, her hand clenched on one of her antlered throwing axes as she set the blade on the table. The three newcomers wisely inched away in a cold sweat as soon as their eyes spotted the projectile weapon.
"Remind me never to piss her off."whispered Nick. Malcolm and Eddie nodded in mutual agreement.
  "But whenever they come, one thing's for certain:"stated Chris with a voice of determination, "we'll have to put our research expedition on hold and start Operation: Save Isla Sorna."
"Then it's a good thing we came prepared,"announced the Greenpeace photographer, rising from his seat. "Hammond told me that those people might show up. I figured we'd be done by the time they got started. But in case they weren't, he did send a backup plan."
"What backup plan?"wondered Sarah.
In answer, he pulled out a power wrench from his pack. "Me."
"I might also have some equipment back in our base camp."the field technician piped up. "Not much due to some inconvenient timing, but I believe it could be beneficial."
"No worries, Eddie. Every little bit helps."reassured Koki.
Aviva added, "Sorry about that. We'll figure something out about the rest of the equipment eventually."
"Awesome. We'll need all the help we can get."stated Chris with a confident smile.
"Are you with us, guys?!"shouted Martin cheerfully, pumping a fist upwards.
The answers were almost instantaneous.
"Ndiyo." Laura nodded with a tip of her hat.
"Did you have to ask? Count me in!"exclaimed Nick excitedly as he slammed his fist onto the table. "I'm down if you're down!"
Eddie shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
"You bet!"answered Sarah cheerfully.
Malcolm was lost in thought before he felt the weight of ten sets of eyes (Amber included..) awaiting his answer.
"What do you say, Ian?"asked Chris.
A long pause.
"Thanks but no thanks."he finally answered. "This umm.. this isn't my fight. In fact, the only reason I'm here is to get you all outta this godforsaken place."
"What?"exclaimed Eddie in disbelief.
"You can't be serious."said Nick. From behind, the mathematician could also see the deflated looks of the Wild Kratts team, especially the bros.
"Any of you wanna join me, now's your last chance. If you're staying, I'd be more than happy to deliver a letter to your wives or loved ones. Give you a chance to say goodbye to them." Malcolm sarcastically said, but with a slight hint of fear in his voice.
   "Whoah, whoah. Back up." The next thing he knew, the mathematician was now starring eye to eye with Koki's hardened brown ones. "Dr. Malcolm, have you forgotten who it was who spoke out on your behalf back in that studio?"
  Upon mention of the studio, the mathematician instantly remembered the day he unveiled Jurassic Park to the world. In the midst of the public outcries and criticism (not to mention the never ending questions from the press..), the Kratt Brothers literally came crashing in unannounced and uninvited, accompanied by their raptor friend to prove the truth to his claims.
"Who helped to clear your name when no one else believed you, and now you're walking out on us? I don't think so. Not right now!"
Aviva quickly interceded before her friend could build up more steam. "Okay. Thank you, Koki. I will take over. What I believe Koki's trying to say is that we helped you in your hour of need."
The two creature adventurers joined in, with Martin saying: "Now we need you to return the favor and help us."
"Every creature, every living thing that lives on this island, is in grave danger."added Chris seriously. "And if we are to ensure this island's continued existence, we need public opinion and a complete record of those animals living free and in the wild."
Another long pause.
"Hmm. No. Don't get me wrong; I appreciate everything you guys have done, but umm.. no. This whole research expedition thing? Bupkis. A scientific impossibility. Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle; whatever you study, you also change."
"You know what? I'll risk it." the redheaded paleontologist butted in with a bored tone. "I'm sick of scratching around in rock and bone and making guesses, deductions about the nurturing habits of animals that have been dead for sixty-five million years. Right or wrong, we're ridiculed because we can't prove anything, we can only make assumptions based on how modern day animals behave. It's frustrating, man. Then you show up and fill my head with stories for four years–"
"Stories of mutilation and death! Weren't you paying attention?"
"Oh please, we're not a bunch of wide-eyed grad students,"
"Besides, we've worked around predators for many years."interjected the Kratt in green reassuringly. "We'll be just fine."
"Yeah. The list is endless!"exclaimed Martin before he began to count off each one with his fingers. "Lions, hyenas, jackals, crocodiles, dholes, Komodo dragons, leopards, Tasmanian devils, cheetahs, tigers, wolves, bears, mouse lemurs–"
"You."finished the paleontologist, causing the Wild Kratts team to roar in laughter. Malcolm rolled his eyes, unamused.
"These are nothing like the animals you've encountered on your adventures."he reasoned.
This did not seem to dissuade them in the least. "They're obsessively territorial, and those territories are all in the interior of the island."stated the Kratt in blue, pulling up a map of the island with his Creaturepod.
"The only other place they'll hunt is along the game trails."added Chris, pointing out said places. "If we stay on the outer rim and off the game trails, we'll be fi–"
"They go wherever there's food! They have legs, you know, and on these legs they're known to walk."Malcolm retorted sarcastically, frantically gesturing with his hands.
"Could you make that a little more condescending?"deadpanned the paleontologist.
"Even run, on occasion."
"You know, I'm not sure I can listen to you right now without wanting to hit you."
"Hit me on the way home. I'm taking you out of here."
"Hey."this time Sarah was angry, eyes as hard as jade. "What is this? I've barely heard from you for three weeks, now you charge in here on a white horse– you don't usually care what continent I'm on. What do you think you're doing?"
"You are deeply disturbed. Someone who loves you travels five thousand miles to tell you your life is in danger and you're actually suspicious."
"Awwww!"cooed Koki, Aviva, and Laura in the background. The other guys simply rolled their eyes in amusement, except for the Kratt Bros who exchanged glances as they muffling their chuckles.
A hint of red adorned Sarah's cheeks. "You love me?"
"You don't have any money, there must be some reason I'm hanging around."he replied with a shrug.
"Why didn't you ever say so, dunderhead?" She then preceded to playfully ruffle his dark hair.
"I did. In the hospital. In Costa Rica."
"You were on painkillers. You said it to the anesthesiologist."
Malcolm's face reddened in embarrassment as laughter from everyone echoed across the walls of the Tortuga HQ. They're definitely not gonna let me live this one down, he thought, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well, I–I meant it for you. Sarah, please. You've seen the place, you've drawn your conclusions, now let's go."
Touched as she was at her paranoid boyfriend's confession, the redhead was far from swayed. "We've barely just scratched the surface. We're trying to change a hundred years of entrenched dogma. Dinosaurs were characterized very early on as vicious lizards."
"Creatures that lived and died under the law of fang and claw,"added Martin rather dramatically with a flashlight.
"Guided by instinct; unthinking, unfeeling, cold-blooded beasts who lived in a world of unimaginable violence,"chimed Chris in the same tone.
"Come to think of it, they're actually not far from the truth."retorted the mathematician thoughtfully.
   Sarah went on. "There's a great deal of resistance to the idea of them being nurturing parents. Robert Burke calls T-rex a rogue who would abandoned its young at the earliest opportunity. I know we can prove otherwise."
"Look. The point still stands: I'm not letting you go on some suicide mission with,"here the mathematician spared the two creature adventurers a blank stare, "a bunch of looney–"
"Uh-oh!"cried the Tortuga computer whizz.
"What's wrong, Koki?"asked Aviva. Everyone's eyes were now on the technician who picked up troubling signs from the database, which revealed a GPS image of a northern section of the island.
"I'm picking up a potential forest fire several miles away along the northeastern coast–"
"Our base camp!"cried Eddie.
**** Man, this has gotta be my longest chapter ever written so far! While not exactly action packed, there's just so much to feature; meeting the entire pack of wild Velociraptors, once again seeing the Wild Kratts team, and establishing what's on stake with this creature mission...
BTW, the new Jurassic World trailer, TOTALLY INSANE!!! IT'S OVER 9,000!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just dying to see it!
Stay tuned for more updates, and don't forget to comment!