The 2nd Indoraptor

Chapter 24

So oml, it's three more days until I start 9th grade. Chapters will probably come out slower, so I'll try to get out new chapters quickly before I go. Is anyone else starting 9th this year?

--Ebony's POV--

I awoke to the sound of rain pounding outside the den. Blinking sleep from my eyes, I sat up and peered outside the den and stared. Rain pounded on the ground and mist twirled around the trees. You couldn't even see any farther because of the mist covering your view. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the peaceful rain and the quiet chirp of birds. I suddenly felt the ground tremble under me. 

Glancing down at a rain puddle on the grass, I watched as ripples spread out once there was another tremble. There's something coming. I slipped back into the den, pressing my spine against the wall. Feather was still peacefully asleep in his nest. I needed to wake him up. Moving closer to him, I prodded him with a claw and shook him. "Feather," I whispered.

Feather blinked open his eyes and yawned, saliva connecting to his fangs as he opened his jaws wide. "What is it?" He asked in a dreary voice.

"Something big is coming. We need to hide," I murmured, my heart pounding. 

"Damn, we lost their trail,"a familiar voice sounded outside the den, cutting through the pounding of rain. 

I grabbed Feather and scurried to the side of the den. It was more hollowed out there, more hidden, with roots and tiny vines hanging down. With the thick blanket of slight darkness, we'd be hidden. A growl rumbled through the roof of the den.

"Badger scent," I heard Killer's voice. "This den seems to have been owned by a badger," he pointed out.

"Do you smell them?" Cilo's voice asked. 

"No," Killer answered, his voice booming right outside the den. 

"Then check inside," Clio ordered.

"Alright, but I can only stick my head in there," Killer grumbled. 

I held back a gasp as the white snout of Killer appeared in the entrance. His jaws parted to taste the air, revealing another row of teeth in his mouth. The teeth looked straightened and a bit small, almost like velociraptor teeth. The teeth on the outside of his mouth were jagged and disproportionaI and stuck out like a stick in the mud. I gulped hard as his pupils looked straight ahead and then left and right. My whole body froze, almost like I had turned into stone. I forced myself to stop breathing, and I closed my eyes, hoping it would be over soon. I opened one eye, and then saw that he was gone. My heartbeat slowed, but I had to hold back a sigh of relief.

"Did you see them in there?" Cilo growled.

"No. Nothing," Killer growled. "We should keep searching. Perhaps the rain has washed away their scent."

"This den looks like it is about to collapse. Step on it, Killer. If they ever come here, they won't have a place for shelter," Cilo growled, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

I froze. We would be trapped! But I knew I couldn't run. I would be caught if I did. There was no exit, only an entrance. 

I heard a step above me, and instantly I crouched down, protectively trapping Feather under me. I forced my jaws to shut as a foot struck through, dirt filling the inside of the den along with it. Dirt fell on me and roots snapped. Soon, I was covered in dirt, mud, and grass. I pressed my face to the ground, my claws digging into the dirt.

"Fill it with water," Cilo suddenly barked, his sentence sounding like a twig snapping in a silent forest. 

"What? How? And why?" Killer growled, probably tired of being ordered around like a dog. 

"I want to destroy this den completely. If Ebony ever comes over here with Feather, I want him to know what we'll do if we find him in a den like this," Cilo growled.

I frowned. You're already doing it. I began to wonder how we would escape. Dirt had fallen on my wounds, and I knew that they would get infected. Lifting my head slightly, I saw a small worm digging through the wet dirt. A thought came to me. I can dig out once they go away! 

"Go to that stream and draw a line from the water all the way to here. It's not that far away," Cilo clicked.

I hated having to sit there as I heard claws dragging in the dirt, and the steady gurgle of water flowing closer and closer.

"This literally isn't even enough water to flood the de-"

"Yes there is!" Cilo snapped. "The stream's water will run through the line."

"Ok," Killer sighed. Suddenly, a small hole poked in the remaining roof above me, and suddenly got bigger. Rain leaked through, along with muddy stream water. It trickled down on my body and slithered down my sides like snakes. 

"Ok, whatever, lets go," Cilo growled.

I heard Killer and Cilo walking away, their footsteps fading away into the rain.

Water continuously poured on my back. I pushed dirt off of me and stood on all-fours, then shook myself to rid of the mud. 

Feather looked up at me. "We need to escape," he murmured. "We'll lose oxygen without an opening."

"I know. Help me dig out," I murmured, going over to the pile of dirt. I began to easily scrape out the dirt since it was wet. My claws were soon filled with dirt as I kept digging and digging along with Feather helping. The ground beneath me was getting wet. How was it filling up so quickly? 

"Ebony, this won't work," Feather whimpered, his feathers coated with mud. He walked over to the roof with the hole in it. "We can dig up through here."

"Good thinking," I praised the baby Avinychus. I began to churn the dirt above with my claws, and suddenly I heard the earth groan above me. I pushed Feather roughly. "Mov-" my sentence was cut off as mud and dirt covered me completely. I writhed in the pile, but the weight of dirt, mud, and water forced me to stay still. I couldn't breathe. I began to frantically dig at the dirt and mud, hoping to create a hole, but digging only made the pile crumble and fall, recovering the dug up spots. I'm not going to die. I can't.