The Virals

Chapter 12

Through crusty, drooping eyes, Black Talon watched as the sun began to rise, signalling that it was time to get ready.

He shut his eyes. This was it. He was leaving the place where his pack had been hunting for years before he came along, the place that had been the closest thing to a home he could ever have. His cave was always his favourite area- he had lost count of the times it had sheltered him before he had joined on that fateful day one year ago. Before he joined, the crystals in the cave had, at first, kept the loneliness away. His young mind had been fascinated by their beauty, and it distracted him for a while. But then, he grew a bit. Beauty had no meaning to him anymore. When he met the pack, the concept of beauty came back to him. Friendship was beautiful. To him, it had been the most beautiful thing in the world. Love, trust, warmth, comfort. Now it was all gone, and he was forgetting what it was like. He was forgetting the love, the trust, the warmth, the comfort, and it scared him. He didn't want to forget any of it.

He didn't want to forget beauty again.

He opened his eyes. It didn't matter much. It was Life, and Life was cruel and without mercy. It wanted him to suffer. He knew it wouldn't let him rest. He was going to pay for that one year of pure happiness that he had experienced. Of course he was. Life was getting so horrible that it was starting to get predictable for him. Wake up, suffer, sleep. Wake up, suffer, sleep. Repeat. Over and over and over again.

'Wake up,' He growled under his breath, and shoved Sharp Claw with his foot, taking out some of his locked-up emotions on the young raptor.

Sharp Claw opened his eyes and got up, with narrowed eyes. Fuzzy began to stir, scratching at his face.

'That hurt...' Sharp Claw commented, staring at Black Talon in disapproval.

'We're leaving,' He replied, ignoring his hurt reaction. 'Wake the others up now.'

Sharp Claw sighed, and gently nudged Midnight and Leafie with his snout. The two herbivores stretched out their legs and yawned, then opened their eyes.

'Hello,' Sharp Claw smiled, even though they would not be able to understand him. Midnight licked the tip of his snout, while Leafie affectionately nudged him. 'We need to go now, to the safe place. Come on, now, let's go...' He whispered to them carefully, and slowly raised himself up, beaming at them.

Black Talon snorted in annoyance and left. 'Hurry up, before I leave you behind.'

'Coming!' Sharp Claw padded after the older raptor, while Fuzzy clutched on to his back, and the two herbivores scurried from behind him.

---

They entered the brightening forest. Black Talon sniffed the air- he couldn't smell any Virals that posed a threat. There was a herd of viral Triceratops to the East, and a lone viral Tyrannosaurus a mile south to them, but not anything viral up to the north, which was the direction they were going in.

Leafie suddenly ran forwards, and joined Black Talon, staring up at him with curious eyes.

Black Talon merely ignored him.

But this did not discourage the young Pachycephalosaurus. He didn't stop staring at his face (presumably at his facial scars), acting as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever witnessed.

Black Talon felt something very uncomfortable grow in his chest.

'Can you get him to stop looking at me like that?' He didn't turn to look at Sharp Claw as he mumbled the question- he kept looking onwards, as if looking back would not allow him to leave.