A Man and his Raptor

          Clouds black and heavy with rain loomed dangerously over the fields. Joe scratched his beard thoughtfully . He hoped the rain wouldn't destroy his newly planted bean fields. He guffawed at the irony. Two weeks of hoping and praying for rain, and now this? It just didn't seem fair, is all.

A loud squelching noise interrupted his train of thought. He got up slowly from his rocking chair and looked down over the porch railing, squinting in the twilight. A large black creature was lying down there, wriggling as if in terrible pain. It was covered in black scales, reptilian, almost. Joe walked carefully down the porch steps, and over to the creature.

"Hey there, you alright?" said Joe softly. The creature lifted its head and stared at Joe. He took two steps back in shock at what he saw. The creature looked like tiny dinosaur, a raptor, like something out of Jurassic Park. Joe reached behind his back and touched the grip of his Colt 45.

A reptilian head stared at him, its yellow eyes narrow and slit, the black pupils analyzing him thoughtfully. It had two arms with long sharp claws that it was resting on the ground, and two legs tucked underneath its body. There was a long black spike protruding through its left arm. It was eyeing him cautiously, as if waiting to see what he would do.

"What happened to you?" said Joe, pointing at the arm. The head turned down to stare at the arm. Its eyes softened, and it whimpered. Damn, I wonder if this thing is more intelligent than a dog, wondered Joe. His mind raced frantically. Should he help the poor raptor? Or try and put it out of its misery? Joe took a step forward and raised his arms cautiously. The raptor looked nervous about that, but did not show any threatening expression. Joe decided. He needed to help this raptor.

"You can trust me," said Joe. "I only want to help you." He took another step forward and knelt down by the raptor. Slowly, he reached out his hand and grasped the arm that was pierced through with the spike. It appeared to be some sort of crossbow bolt, and vicious one at that. The arrow head had razors facing inwards and outwards. Someone had tried to subdue the poor creature, but had missed the heart. The raptor whimpered as he touched the wound, and turned its body upwards to face Joe. Its eyes pleaded for help. The raptor turning over was a good omen. It was showing him vulnerability.

"I'm going to pick you up now and carry you into my garage." Bending over, Joe grunted as he took hold of the raptor's body. Definitely as heavy as a calf, maybe more so. He walked slowly into his cluttered garage and placed the raptor on a work table, taking care not to bump its left arm. He turned on a small work lamp, and turned it to face the wound. The raptor's eyes darted around the garage, the black pupils taking in everything.

"Yeah, I know. The place is a mess, I'll be honest. Ever since Mary passed away, I really haven't cleaned it at all." Joe reached up and opened a cabinet above the desk. There were a few wire clippers in there. Grabbing one, he reached down and placed the sharp shears on the metal bolt. He set his jaw. This was going to be the hard part. He placed his hand on the raptor's snout and looked it directly in the eyes.

"This is going to hurt, a lot. Are you ready?" The raptor nodded. Ignoring this startlingly sentient gesture, Joe turned to the task at hand. With a strong grip, he snapped the metal bolt in half, and slowly began to draw the other half from the wound. The raptor wriggled and squirmed, deeply scoring the metal countertop with its claws. Gulping hard, he only imagined what those claws could do to flesh and bone.

Finally, it was done. The raptor sat on its haunches in his living room, slowly wagging its tail. The living room was small and cozy, sparingly decorated with a bear rug, some chairs, and a few carved knick knacks here and there. It didn't seem to mind the large bandage on its arm. It had found the old dog bed and seemed to like it. Joe stared into the deep abyss of the fridge, trying to figure out what in the world to feed the raptor. Fortunately, there was a very large steak left over from last night, still raw. His son had been unable to come over for dinner. Seems divine providence now, thought Joe.