The Lost World: Jurassic Kratts

Into The Dragon's Lair

Not a word was spoken among the team as they raced through the forest trail, guided by Amber, Malaika and Kipanga. Chris and Martin raced not far behind the three she raptors, aided by their Raptor Power suits, yet still slow enough for Malcolm, Sarah, Nick, and Eddie to follow. Kelly rode upon the blue raptor's back to save her the trouble of tagging along with the adults. Under better circumstances, she would have found the ride to be more exhilarating than any horseback riding. The group could only stare grimy ahead, wondering what they're about to find.
   Nearing the den site, they could hear the pack long before they could see them within the dense undergrowth. Mournful shrieks and spine-chilling cries tore through the still air, echoing across the forest. To the inexperienced ear, those eerie wails could easily have been interpreted as the savage hunting call of some strange, primeval killer. But to the creature adventurers, they were the bereft lamentations of highly intelligent and sentient beings who had lost one of their own. The five theropods immediately quickened their pace, leaving the others little choice but to do likewise in spite of their burning lungs.
  But as they finally arrived at their destination, nothing could prepare them for the tragedy that awaited them.
"Oh my God."said Sarah, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Oh no!"cried the Kratts.
"What the hell?"questioned Malcolm.
As they deactivated their Creature Power Suits, the Kratt Brothers looked around in complete horror at what they found: the den site looked like a war zone; the clearing was a rutted, muddy mess, and dozens of metallic parts and pieces littered the forest floor. And laying on the ground, in a pool of his own blood, was Bwana Wa Kuwinda, his breathing shallow, bleeding from various injuries. Surrounding their fallen leader, heads hanging low, were a number of the pack. But a careful headcount revealed that several members were missing and of the rest, few were unscathed, covered in bruises and minor flesh wounds. Malaika shrieked in alarm as she immediately raced to her father's side, her concern very evident in her blue eyes.
"Oh no," murmured Nick.
Suddenly the roar of an engine rumbled somewhere in the jungle's green depths, startling the disheartened raptors out of their trance. Some of them snarled and growled as they readied their claws for yet another intruder. As the vehicle pulled into the edge of the clearing, the raptors dropped their guard, seeing it was only the Createrra VX, which they knew to be harmless. Disembarking from the all-terrain vehicle were Aviva, Koki, Laura, and Jimmy Z. Their shock was no less than that of the Kratt Bros.
"Chris!"cried Aviva, running straight for the Kratt in green, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Chris did likewise.
"Aviva! What happened?"he asked once they parted.
"I don't know!"she replied, visibly shaken up; the thunderous cracks had undoubtedly sparked painful memories from the past. "We were on our way to the den when we heard those gunshots! ¡Fue horrible!"
First aid kit in hand, Koki rushed to aid the injured pack leader while JZ hung back by the Createrra. Sarah joined in as well, having prior experience with veterinary sciences as well as her father being a vet. Laura was about to assist the technician and paleontologist when she spotted something that glimmered from the corner of her eye. Crouching to the ground, she picked up several golden metallic casings of cylindrical shape. ".300 caliber cartridges."said the seasoned tracker after a thorough inspection of the rejected shells. "Whoever fired those shots must've used bolt action rifles. Winchester Magnums perhaps."
"These are powerful enough to take down a moose." Eddie commented, analyzing the used up shells from Laura's hand.
"Aviva. I need you to do a full head count of the pack."requested the Kratt in green urgently.
"Si, Cariño."answered the inventor.
"Laura, see if you can find any more clues around the den site."
The African ranger nodded. "Ndiyo."
"Martin.You try to gather as much information as you can."
   "You got it, bro."said the older Kratt with a salute before reactivating his CPS. "So Zuri, what happened here?"asked the blue theropod, addressing the alpha's mate. The gray she-raptor wasted no time in recalling the details of the attack through a series of vocalizations and body postures.
  As his brother interviewed the beta, Chris' attention was aroused by menacing growls. He turned to find Amber baring her teeth, her scaly skin burning bright red in obvious anger.
"What is it, Amber?"asked the Kratt in green. The young theropod's golden eyes never left the scattered mechanical parts strewn all over the den. Judging from the series of bites and claw marks on their silvery hides, it seemed that these machines had met their match in the form of angry Velociraptors.
Chris looked closely at the shattered remains of the mangled robots, recognizing the metal work. The smoking gun came when he picked up a piece with a familiar crimson red insignia. The Kratt in green could hardly suppress a scowl as he threw the red V on the ground. "Zach."he growled.
But something was off; these were not the remains of the evil inventor's usual minions. These robots had the overall features that resembled those of a theropod dinosaur, most notably a Velociraptor. The metallic jaws of a decapitated machine were stained a bright crimson. In a brief moment of anger, the Kratt in green kicked the severed head, sending it flying among the ferns.
"What are those?"asked Malcolm, looking down upon the lifeless robots.
"Robo-raptors."the creature adventure hissed, remembering the time years ago when Zach had captured Amber, hardly more than a year old at the time, for another of his hair-brained inventions. To save her, he and the team had to battle an entire army of the robotic dinosaurs, that proved to be far smarter and deadlier than the average Zachbot.
"We've seen them before."
"Zach Vermin-tech." snarled Amber, remembering the incident all too well. Of all their enemies, the young raptor despised the evil inventor the most. Chris gently stroked the angry theropod to calm her down. Slowly but surely, her growls ceased and the fiery red scales slowly melted back to their original orange color.
Nearly finished with the investigation, the Kratt Brothers soon turned their attention to the fallen raptor. By his side, the Tortuga technician was running a quick medical scan as Sarah did her best to patch up Bwana's injuries. Zuri nuzzled her wounded mate while Malaika nudged her father's sides gently in an attempt to help him back on his feet. Tiger Claw stood to the side solemnly.
"Will he be okay?"asked Martin almost pleadingly.
Before long, the results were in.
Koki shook her head sadly. "It's not good; serious lacerations, bullet wounds, several broken ribs, one punctured lung and internal bleeding. By my calculations, he has only a few minutes left."
The once proud leader of the pack was mortally wounded, his life slowly ebbing away with each shallow breath.
"I–I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do."murmured Sarah, wiping away a few tears from her eyes. The paleontologist took the terrible scarred head on her knees, wrapping her arms round the torn neck. Bwana made no objections as continued to draw in more shallow breaths. As if understanding the gravity of her mate's falling condition, Zuri gently nuzzled the alpha's bloodied snout, her eyes closed. The downed male's green orbs slowly drooped shut as he returned the affectionate gesture with what little strength remained in him, savoring their final moments together.
The dying Velociraptor then wearily raised his head, weakly calling to his eldest offspring. Upon being summoned, Tiger Claw slowly approached his ailing father to hear what he had to say. The dominant male could only warble so quietly that the striped youngster had to lean in to better listen.
Not long after, Tiger Claw jolted his head back, his green eyes widened before he cawed reluctantly, shaking his head almost pleadingly. This was not the young and proud heir to the throne, but a frightened and grief-stricken hatchling who felt unworthy of taking his father's place.
"What–what's going on?"asked the tech expert, watching the exchange.
"Bwana is making Tiger Claw the new leader,"replied Amber sadly. If raptors could shed tears, her eyes would have been watering.
Bwana was adamant. The pack needed a leader.
"The pack needs him."
The young raptor's eyes took on a new look of resolution and determination as he nodded firmly. He won't let his father down.
Knowing that whatever remained of his pack had been entrusted in good hands, Bwana Wa Kuwinda drew in one final breath as he closed his eyes for one last time. Then stillness claimed him. The leader of the pack, the Master of the Hunt, was no more.
At last, the pack could hold back no more. Gathered around their deceased leader, the Velociraptors threw back their heads in spine-chilling howls, causing the jungle to echo with their cries. Only Tiger Claw maintained his composure, bowing his head sadly. He had to be strong for his pack, as like his father before him, they now looked to him for leadership and guidance. In a sympathetic gesture, Amber rubbed her head gently against the striped youngster's side. For a while, Tiger Claw stood as still as stone, making no acknowledgment of the soft touch until he craned his neck over her's in a tight embrace. The female's amber eyes flew wide open in surprise before she closed them once more, returning the gesture.
  Once they could howl no more, the theropods took turns gently nudging Bwana's lifeless body, bidding him farewell in their own way.
Along the sidelines, the expedition crew looked on sadly, not a word spoken among them. These certainly weren't the ruthless and blood-thirsty beasts described by early naturalists and paleontologists who had only fossilized bones to look upon; these were not unthinking, unfeeling monsters by any means, that much was clear by the way they mourned their leader's untimely death and the tender care they gave his body. Even Malcolm could no longer turn a blind eye on that reality as he absentmindedly patted Kelly's back as the twelve-year old buried herself against his black coat, now drenched with tears.
  Koki bowed her head in a moment of silence whereas Jimmy Z lowered his hat as he sobbed uncontrollably at the tragic scene. Laura lowered her hat to her chest, unashamed of the tears running down her face. To the African ranger, stricken though she was, this was scarcely anything new; she had seen elephants mourning their dead in much the same way, a few of which were the victims of poaching. Perhaps like the higher mammals, raptors too had an understanding of death and felt loss.
  Aviva buried her face in Chris' shoulder, weeping quietly. The Kratt in green placed his hands on the smalls of her back, rubbing and patting her comfortingly all the while trying not to cry himself. Martin, however, allowed his tears to fall freely. Even though they had lost many creature friends over the years, each new loss was more stinging than the last.
  "Chris. I've finished the headcount."said the inventor once she found her voice again. "We're missing Slasher, Makucha, Patchy, Clawjumper, six or seven others." Her voice broke as she also reported: "All the hatchlings have been taken too." Even after so many years, it pained Aviva to think of the level of cruelty some people had to separate parents from their children, no matter the species.
"It was an ambush."informed the older Kratt, his voice barely above a whisper. "The pack was just minding its own business when some shooting stars rained from the sky,"
"Shooting stars?"asked a confused Kelly.
"They probably mean flares."replied Eddie grimly, picking up the remains of a burnt out military flare. "Woulda spooked the animals, causing a lot of confusion and chaos."
Martin nodded before he went on. "Then twenty Robo-raptors attacked, along with several men armed with thunder and lightning sticks." This tidbit of information told the team that the intruders were armed with guns and electric prods. "Most of the pack had been rounded up and caged when the Master of the Hunt sprang into action, taking out a good number of Robo-raptors. But that's when the hunters shot him, and– and the rest of the Robo-raptors, they– they moved in to— finish the job."
"The bastards."fumed the cameraman, balling his fists. "Wait till I give them a piece of my mind,"
"How could somebody be so cruel?"asked Kelly, both saddened and appalled.
"Hapa! Nimepata njia!" In that moment, Laura called out from the very edge of the clearing, summoning the team's attention. "I found the trail!"
Everyone rushed over to where the ranger stooped to the forest floor, pointing out a trail of tire tracks that left deep marks into the ground like a great scar. Any trees or foliage in or along the path had been sawed and cut down. It didn't take a master tracker to know where the perpetrators had gone. They now had a lead.
"How the hell did we miss that?"wondered the tech expert out loud.
Martin and Chris knew that their grieving would have to wait. They had a pack to save, along with many of the other inhabitants who called this island home.
"What're we waiting for?"asked Martin rhetorically, toe claws clicking, his raptorial tail slowly twitching from side to side.
"That's it. No more Mr. Nice Kratt."proclaimed the Kratt in green, pulling up his sleeves as he looked over the broken trail taken by the kidnappers with a narrowed gaze.
"Payback time, bitches!"exclaimed Nick, his camera replaced by a crowbar, eager to punish those that had wronged the pack and turned this island upside down.
"Don't worry, TC,"the Kratt in blue reassured Tiger Claw, placing a clawed hand on the dinosaur's striped shoulder, "we'll get the others back."
"That's a promise."added Chris.
"We won't let you down."proclaimed Sarah, placing a gentle hand upon his snout.
The young leader nodded in understanding before his features took on a look of determination as he uttered a distinctive barking call, rallying the other raptors. In a heartbeat, the pack stood before their new leader, eagerly awaiting his commands, several of them lowering their heads in submission. From the sidelines, the paleontologist and the Wild Kratts watched with pride and listened attentively as Tiger Claw spoke to his brethren, head and tail held high in the same manner his father would have done. The new leader was immediately met with a chorus of squawks and shrieks, tails wagging, heads bobbing up and down in agreement.
  Amber also lent her voice to the din, screeching in excitement. "To the Creature Rescue!"
  Sarah and the Wild Kratts team were overjoyed to say the very least.
"Wha–what's going on?"asked the mathematician cluelessly. Nick and Eddie were equally oblivious. Martin and Chris simply exchanged knowing glances, which caused Malcolm to grow nervous.
**** Elsewhere...****
Sweat-soaked and overheated from a good day's hunt, Dieter Stark guzzled water from a canteen over his head to cool himself off when a high pitched warble caught his attention. Looking down, the man caught sight of a tiny lizardlike animal, dark green with brown stripes along its back. Only about a foot tall, it stood on its hind legs, balancing on its elongated tail. Walking upright, the inquisitive little creature hopped over to investigate the puddle near the human's foot.
The animal's presence immediately caught the attention of the chief dinosaur expert who bent over to observe the minuscule biped. "Oh my God! Compsognathus triassicus! Found by Fraas in Bavaria, 1913 I think."said Burke.
"Is it dangerous?"asked Stark.
"Nah. I don't think so. Compys have always been presumed to be scavengers, like jackals, feeding on dead or wounded animals."
The compy in question sniffed Dieter's boot, lapping at the drops of water on his toe.
"It gives me the creeps. It's like it's not scared."
"Probably because there haven't been any visitors to this island. It has no reason to fear man."
With a cruel smile, Dieter slowly pulled the steel cattle prod from the loop in his belt before touching it to the compy's back. In that instant, the electric shock cracked over the animal's form and sent it scampering back into the bushes, wailing.
"Now it does."he said without remorse.
"Burke! Come here!"called Roland Tembo somewhere in the surrounding forest. Leaving Dieter to his devices, Burke hurried over to the direction Roland's voice came, carrying his large book. He promptly came across the outdoorsman who was down on the ground with Ajay Sidhu, staring at an enormous, very deep three-toed track.
"You recognize this trackway?"the big game hunter inquired.
  "I'm afraid I do."the paleontologist replied softly as he flipped to a particular page in his field journal and turned it around, displaying a photograph of a fossilized footprint that matched the set imprinted into the mud. There was also a large, lifelike drawing of the animal that made it. An animal so large that the page had to be folded out twice to reveal it all.
"Tyrannosaurus rex."
Next to the Great White hunter, Ajay, who was a seasoned tracker, studied the predator's trail that went sideways, bisecting the game trail. "He sprang from the foliage. Picked off a calf–that's this smaller set of tracks that disappears. Then carried it back into the bush. That way."
Roland nodded as he brandished his weapon of choice: an antique elephant gun, double barreled .600 Nitro Express. Nearly a hundred years old, its rosewood stock was worn buttery smooth, but nicked and scarred by two lifetimes of hunting campaigns. Cape buffalo were delicately engraved along its silver breech. The barrels were twenty-four inches long, topped with ivory bead foresight at the business end. Roland scooped up the firearm, broke the breech before pulling two rounds of ammunition from his shirt pocket. Four inches long and three-quarters of an inch in diameter, these were the largest full metal jacket cartridges ever made. He slipped one into each barrel and they landed with a resonant metallic WHUMP.
Now fully prepared for the challenge ahead, the two outdoorsmen head into the bush. In that moment, an armored jeep pulled into the edge of the forest. Its occupant, the head of InGen, stepped out to greet them.
"Ah, Roland! Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
"To collect my fee, Mr. Ludlow. To collect my fee."he answered, hardly paying the businessman any mind as he and his companion walked on until they were swallowed by the forest's green depths.
Deep under the jungle's thick canopy, the two hunters stalked in the direction taken by their quarry. Ajay took a step into the brush, but at a ninety degree angle away from the direction in which the animals tracks led.
"Ajay."
The tracker turned as his friend pointed in the direction in which the footprints led.
"I'm no tracker, but even I can read this spoor."
"Do you wish to go where the animal has been, or where the animal is?"replied Sidhu.
Roland smiled as he followed his trusty companion who set off in his chosen direction. For half an hour, the pair made their way through the jungle's thick foliage until they came into a small clearing, where an enormous cave was carved into a nearby rocky wall.
  Roland pulled up a handful of grass and released it into the breeze which brought the clump floating back between his legs. They were downwind from the mouth of the cave.
  He proceeded, cautiously, silently toward the cave, Ajay following close behind him. Scattered around the floor were the remains of various herbivorous dinosaurs,including the partially eaten leg of a creature, old and crawling with white maggots and flies.
The hunters continued on, each wearing a bandanna over their faces to block out the putrid stench of rotting flesh in the air. Closer to the cave, they passed the skull of a large hadrosaur, some of the flesh and green skin still attached to the bone. It, too, is covered in a cloud of flies. Still the two continued on, ascending a short rise that led into the cave. From the inside, they could hear an odd, very high-pitched squeaking sound bouncing off the stone walls. Not quite the thundering roar they had expected.
Crawling now, Roland and Ajay scaled a four-foot circular rampart of dried mud, and peered into the dragon's lair. It was flattened inside, about ten feet in diameter and completely encircled by earthen walls.
  Standing in the center of the nest was a young tyrannosaur, about four and a half feet long. More slenderly built than its gargantuan parents, the baby T-rex had a large head in proportion to its body with equally enlarged eyes. It squeaked repeatedly as it tore awkwardly at the remains of a chuck of animal flesh from a newly slain ceratopsian, biting decisively with tiny, razor sharp teeth.
  The cave itself was a foul boneyard; animal bones and carcasses littered the floor, attracting swarms of flies that buzzed in the captive air.
   "It's the Rex nest."whispered Tembo, observing the nest's occupant from a good distance. "Infant's probably only a couple of weeks old. Never left the nest." The baby tyrannosaur heard the whispers from the outskirts of the nest and looked up, cocking its head in curiosity at the sight of these strange creatures. The big game hunter turned to look behind them, surveying for any signs of the youngster's parents. The coast was clear. For now at least.
"Offspring that young. Parents won't leave him alone for too long."
  "Make your blind here, wait for the buck to return."said Ajay.
The hunter shook his head. "No. No, if the nest is upwind, so are we. When he comes back, he's gonna know we're here without us even having a chance. The trick is... to get him....  to come where we want him." The baby Rex quickly lost interest before it continued to feed upon the carcass, completely oblivious as the Great White hunter looked down upon it, thinking.
**** This was a very hard chapter to write mainly because I hate tragedies! *sniff* But I felt that it was an important addition being that we the audience are more able to connect to these animals more than we have in the entire JP trilogy, and I also wanted to show Velociraptors in a whole different light aside from the deadly killing machines of  pop culture. There's more to them than just teeth and claws.
In other news, I'm so psyched about the latest JW trailer! I don't believe I've ever been this excited about an upcoming movie since JW1 or TJB. Can't wait!
Stay tuned for more updates!