Project Sorna

Thirty-five

                                     *Hisssss *

                                    Sure enough, tracks led to the jagged land of the cove. The infant's scent was easily recognized by the male. A salty taste was everywhere in his mouth and nostrils. There was a hint of sand in the air that belonged to the beach.  Seaweed was brought up by the tide. Much more than normal tide.

                                    He stumbled on what looked to the naked eye a tiny crystallized poop. Unusual find for a proud new parent in the middle of seaweed. It's wavering smell was barely fresh.

                                   Here. She's here...

                                   Then again, with all the seaweed in his trail....

                                  Don't make me search every inch of this stuff for my daughter....

                                 There was always something to be ashamed of for him. From his time of being an infant himself to looking out for his soon-to-hatch eggs, nothing would fill his void of loneliness. One side of him was a powerful hunter of the island. Another remained a sorry excuse of a creature-in his eyes.

                                 THUMP went his body weight onto the sand. A third side of him became just simply clumsy, yet persistent to the highest level. He was one for a wandering mind.

                                 But something went with the wind.

                                Chirps. Chirps that belonged to no other than his beautiful baby girl, an auburn and black new-born.

                                Standing up on two, the father raptor scoped out his daughter running for joy in his direction. Wanting to scoop her up like any relieved parent, his feet launched him forward.

                                 Little did he pay attention to the sly scorpion.

                                She wanted to hop her way into his safety. But she lacked dodging from attacks. Running, running, running, all the way to home stretch until she was impaled.

                               The father stopped right then-seeing the creature wrestling the little one. Possibilities were that she caught her first meal. He looked again-a sight of horror it was.

                              *SCREEEEEEEEEEECH*

                              He snapped at the scorpion with his own teeth. Wasn't the best move he made in a while to defend his offspring after that fight. His neck towered and threw the two a distance. Deadly claws slashed so hard at the arachnid it lost the battle and fatally lost his tail defense. It's tail had severed through the inside of the baby velociraptor.

                            A single talon smashed the arachnid. No satisfying squish came from the kill, in which the father wanted out of in sheer anger.

                           Too late for his daughter. On a bed of grass she laid, a body skewered into two disheartening pieces. He stood there silently. All of a sudden, the void in his heart seized any remaining adrenalin and turned it to shock from the realization that she was never getting up again.

                          Empty. Traumatized. Baffled. There wasn't enough to describe his cold shock at the moment. An infant raptor was dead all because of him. He decided there was no second chance he deserved.

                           Choices revolved in his head. Stay with her body a while longer to reminisce these feelings-or go back and make everything right.

-------------------------------------------

                          With every heavy steps, he forced himself to face the sheltered eggs. Something told him to leave them alone and say his goodbyes already. But that was another thing he got from his father...always go with your gut in the wild. No turning back from the scene.

                         Nothing would comprehend his pain in doing such a thing. The raptor was simply out of hopes for the future, looking upon his children. At least he mentioned their names. At least they'd make a future for themselves somewhere else. Not in this cruel world.

                       It took a moment for him to take control.

                      Here we go. I'll miss you.

                     Each egg that was crushed under his foot was followed by another, the build of his foot easing the shell pieces. Another. Another. Soon the sound was sickening enough to make him quit at the last one. No exceptions. It was done within minutes.