Welcome to Isla Sorna: Be the Raptor Quest

[AnimalKrazed]

Welcome to Jurassic Park! The Quest.
Also known as 'JP Quest: SurVival' and 'No SV, You are the Dinosaur'​

Hello all, and welcome to Jurassic Park Quest: SurVival (JP Quest: SV for short). Please remember to keep OOC knowledge in your brains and out of IC votes at all times. Be aware of potential consequences of your votes, and watch out for traps set be yours truly. Random encounters do happen randomly, so be wary. How long would you and your fellow SV goers last as a dinosaur stranded on Jurassic Park? Find out here... Enjoy!

Choose a Species: The voters are to choose a species from the following. Your species carries with it certain advantages and disadvantages throughout the quest. During the course of this quest, the entirety of participants will vote for differing options based on what they desire our dino to do. Please try to keep votes logical for a dino to do, no crack votes please. Voters also get to pick Name, Gender, and Personality. Personality paths have been preselected, though further development is in your hands. Your Background will be developed by your choices as you start off at hatching. Choose wisely, your choice now will affect your chances of survival and future choices. Don't worry about choosing on of the older generations of dinosaurs though, just remember that Nature finds a Way.

Spoiler: Carnivores:

[X] Tyranosaurus Rex: The Tyranosaurus Rex was initially created by InGen as the primary attraction to the park. While the discovery that the find was a tyranosaur was extremely uplifting and promising for the future of the park, the question of what to graft to the genetic sequence puzzled the scientists. It was eventually decided that DNA of frogs and the secretary bird would be grafted alongside some DNA from tigers would be added when the first generation of tyranosaur came out mute. The roars that resulted satisfied John greatly and reinforced the 'unusually' hollow bones the first gen had. The unexpected addition of stripes to the scale hide of the resulting tyranosaurs made them more pleasing to the eye than the bland grey hides they had before. They were kept in a paddock far enough away from the staff facilities that both the staff and the animals are comfortable before their release across the island.

[X] Deinonychus: On Isla Sorna, no dinosaur is more feared than the raptors. While the early gens of this species were dully coloured and had a tendency to become hyper-aggressive in times of high stress, these features were removed in the later gens created by InGen. The specimens currently on Isla Nublar are slated for relocation to permanent paddocks on Isla Sorna away from the park. John, due to pressure from lawyers and investors from InGen, has decided to keep the raptors on Isla Nublar until after the meeting to be held with the advisors against the advice of the animal's keepers. Multiple specimens of varying gens were kept on Isla Sorna in multiple paddocks spread across Isla Sorna according to the contained specimens generation and the friendliness of the each paddocks contained specimens. They were released into the wilds shortly after reaching adult sizes.

If you want to play as a raptor, please select one pack of Deinychus to enter into. This vote will not effect the overall vote of Deinonychus.

-[X] Dull Back Pack (1st gen - 4th gen) (Classic JP Raptors) ... Honey, I lied, there is hora!
-[X] Dapple Back Pack ( 5th gen - 9th gen) (JP 3 Raptors))
-[X] Bright Back Pack (10th gen - 12th gen) (Self-styled Raptors) ... Cause why not?

[X] Dilophosaurus: The Dilophosaurus is a relatively new animal to InGen, with the first gen being housed in paddocks on Isla Nublar while additional animals of the second, third, and fourth generations are being made on Isla Sorna to serve as backups for the first gen in case of mistakes and failures in the genetic code of the first generation resulting in fatal or unattractive flaws. Due to the full appearance of the majority of Isla Nublar's animals, the second and third generations of Dilophosaurus were made in such a way so as to add more colour to the park. Dilophosaurus is a species that has caused the scientists of InGen much grief in its reconstruction due to the abnormalities that are present in their current specimens, such traits as the extendable frill and the ability to project venom. Success in removing these traits has only recently been succeeded with the fourth generation though these specimens are noted to be larger and fiercer than previous generations. All Dilophosaurus specimens are kept in a series of large paddocks with twenty in each paddock before release into the wild, except the first generation which currently resides on Isla Nublar, on the southern part of Isla Sorna, by Good Point.

Select one pack of Dilophosaurus to enter, if you want to play as one. This vote will not effect the overall vote of Dilophosaurus.

-[X] Rainwash Pack (2nd gen) The classic JP Dilos)
-[X] Bright Pack (3rd gen) bright camouflage Dilos
-[X] Spotted Pack (4th gen) (Book Dilos)

[X] Baryonyx: The Baryonyx is the first piscivorous animal saved from extinction in Jurassic Park. Baryonyx inhabited a paddock that covers the entirety of a section of river east of the worker's village before their release into the wild. They have genetic sequences of frogs, raccoons, and crocodiles added to their damaged genetic sequence in the hopes of providing the animal the appropriate appearance and skills needed to fish for themselves from the river. So far, this has been successful as demonstrated by the the three generations of animals present on Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna. Isla Sorna has a population of nine Baryonyx while Isla Nublar has a population of four.

[X] Carnotaurus: The Carnotaurus were made by InGen and have had multiple generations made across the span of InGen's time working in genetics. The latest generations were created by grafting a chameleon's genetic sequence to the known Carnotaurus sequence to make them seem more 'realisitic' due to concerns from in-the-know investors. Due to the genetic grafting, these Carnotaurus have become more ambush predators than the cheetahs of yesterday the previous models were.

The earlier generations of Carnotaurus actually were more realistic than the later gens, unknown to the InGen scientists and investors of the time. The early gens of Carnotaurus were created by splicing the DNA of emus, cassowaries, and frogs into their damaged segments of DNA. This subspecies of Carnotaurus are kept separated from each other in paddocks, far from one another due to the obvious differences they show from each other as well as the aggression they display when placed in paddocks nearby one another.

The early gen Carnotaurus were kept in a vast paddock in the Meadow that reaches into some of the jungle around it before release into the wild. They currently have a population of thirteen on Isla Sorna. The later generation of Carnotaurus were kept in a large paddock surrounded by Redwood jungle in the south western area of Isla Sorna and have a population of twelve.

If you want to play as a Carnotaurus, please select one generation of the below to play as. This vote will not effect the overall vote of Carnotaurus.

-[X] Early Generation (IRL Carnotaurus)
-[X] Later Generation (Game/Book Carnotaurus)

[X] Compsognathus: The Compies of Isla Sorna were originally designed to be the primary recycler of waste products and remains of the inhabitants. In reality, while they played to their intended part, they had a tendency to supplement their diet with whatever they could find. It isn't currently known what allows Compies to digest the majority of what they eat, considering that their genetic sequence hinted at a more restricted diet, but it is assumed the grafting that allows for the act of de-extinction was involved. From what has been observed so far, these creatures will occasionally hunt their own prey en-mass when the alpha of their flock so decides. Some members of this species have been observed climbing trees to gain better vantage points to look out for predators. Communication amongst members of their flock has been observed indicating social intelligence. Alphas can be told apart from the rest of their flock by their larger size and the faint darker green stripes that hang across their backs. Currently, Compies are the only carnivous species of dinosaur allowed to roam free range throughout the island.

Spoiler: Herbivores:

[X] Protoceratops: One of the first dinosaurs to be actually saved from extinction, protoceratops proved to be the hardest to resurrect simply for the fact that such an act had never been done before. As of now, it is doing quite well with one population of approximately sixty members of various generations inhabiting the San Fernando Mountain Range while another population of varying generations reaching about fifty members inhabits the coasts of Crown Bay. Those keepers that have been overseeing the two populations of Protoceratops have noted that both populations prefer tougher plants and will dig for roots and grubs throughout the day.

If you decide to enter the game as a Protoceratops, please enter which herd you want to enter. This vote will not effect the overall vote of Protoceratops.

-[X] Mountain Herd Nuh-uh, you didn't say the magic word.
-[X] Coastal Herd

[X] Hadrosaur: Hadrosaurs make up the bulk of Jurassic Park's animals throughout the islands. These animals are allowed freerange throughout the various herbivorous paddocks, with one or two exceptions, so as to keep grass height levels and vegetation to tolerable levels for the rest of Jurassic Park's inhabitants. Various hadrosaurs have been modified to eat various vegetation so as to sustain the populations currently on the island.

If chosen, a 6 sided die will be rolled and you will become whatever is rolled.

-[1] Parasaurolophus (one secret weapon / one 'weakness')
-[2] Corythosaur (one secret weapon / one 'weakness')
-[3] Iguanadon (one secret weapon / one 'weakness')
-[4] Maiasaur (one secret weapon / one 'weakness')
-[5] Edmontosaur (one secret weapon / one 'weakness')
-[6] Lambeosaurus (one secret weapon / one 'weakness')

[X] Pachycepalosaur: There are about thirty some Pachys inhabiting the island of Isla Sorna. They are one of the hardiest of the islands inhabitants, able to thrive in the jungles, forests, and clearings of Isla Sorna. However, they are a species that has a habit of inflicting unconsciousness unto themselves when they bash heads to often. Though this behaviour was thought to be male-only behaviour, it is currently unknown why they will do so as females. They are based in a two paddocks, one in the Meadow and one in the jungles of Magdelena Tip And have an overall population of thirty-three animals.

[X] Triceratops: Intended to be one of the main attractions in Jurassic Park, this animal has proven to have too bad a temper to allow visitors to get as close to them as originally intended. Oddly, some of the animals have a tendency to grow small quills from their backs down to their hindquarters while others do not. It isn't currently known why, though some scientists are working on isolating the sequence that grows them and eliminating it. These animals are highly temperamental, to such a degree that hadrosaurs are not allowed into their paddock. The quilled animals are isolated from the smooth incase the quills are a sign of ill health. These animals have been noted to eat the corpses of the Compies that die due to injury in their enclosures as well as small mammals, insects, and most plants in their paddocks. The quill paddock is located by the Deep Channel with a population of forty-five. The smooth paddock is located by Open Point and has a population of thirty-seven animals.

If you select Triceratops, please chose one of the below. This vote will not effect the overall vote of Triceratops.

-[X] Quill Back (IRL Triceratops) .... They sure have changed, haven't they?
-[X] Smooth Back (movie Triceratops). Good old classics,.

[X] Galliminus: A dinosaur on the island that shows an inclination for flocking, these animals are primarily herbivores while supplementing their diet with insects and small mammals as they need to. Currently roaming freerange throughout the island, the main flock carries approximately one hundred and twenty individuals that migrate throughout the island to devour what they need. They have been noted to be primary distributionists for many of the fruit bearing plants of their islands.

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

Author's Note: I may have gone overboard with all the potential selections and votes... Oops! It wasn't like this at first, I swear. I just got a little too into all the research and dinosaurs canon to the Jurassic Park franchise. Oh well, at least the results will be interesting. Anyways, you guys will get three death free-bees before the fourth death which will kill you if you don't reach old age and die that way. No invisitext for anyone just yet, that is for later. Sorry about how much this quest seems to take up of the quest idea thread. I lied, plenty of hora to be had. They make quests that much more fun no? Hope you had fun hunting.

Important Note: Voting Closes Saturday, 1:00pm (EST)

Also, I don't own either the Jurassic Park Franchise or any of the music soundtracks that show up in this Quest. Just getting this Disclaimer out of the way now.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Map of Isla Sorna: Site B
Out of Character Knowledge
Great Hill Pack Territory - Sierra San Fernando area (Longest stretch of hill east half of island)
Bay Pack Territory - Sierra San Fernando internal beach area. (Home of Big Sister, Little Stone and her mate)
Great Rock Pack Territory - Punto Alto area. (Northeasternmost part of island, ignoring red road and highest peak/lab area)
TallGrass Pack Territory - La Pradera area (mid-plains section of Isla Sorna. Lives in two thirds not cut off by human fence)
Southern Pack Territory - La Blanco area (southern mountain/forest area)

Spoiler: Maps

Geographic Map​

Please ignore the locations of movie events. Those will be decided by the QM later on. This map is so that the QM and readers can have better mental images of their landscapes while in character.

Goals:
Vengeance on the Small Mammals (rats) - LESSENED WITH AGE & LACK OF ACTION
Find OddFather?: Unlockability ?????

Major Events Ongoing:
???????

Major Events Past:
The Miracle
The Great Dying
????????
Lost Innocence
????????

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Family Name: Pebble Brother
Public Name: N/A
True Name: ???????N/A???????

Character Picture and Information

Character Picture as of Last Update: N/A
Information:
The protagonist has some knowledge of the world, stories from the pack having provided where instinct failed, providing names for the more important objects in his life. Natural intellect and curiosity are coming more into play. Your self-word, your name , is Pebble Brother as of this moment and you have no rank beyond hatchling. You possess little practice surviving in the world, beyond the games you play and what few successful rodent hunts you go on. Almost everything in this world sees you as prey or something to get rid of.

You are currently 2 feet, 5 inches tall and 3 feet 8 inches long from snout to tail tip. You are the same shade of gray as most stereotypical stone, allowing you to blend in well with most environments. During maturity, your hide will slowly shed away the gray scales and trade them in for shades of red with dark stripes. Your eyes are the same yellow/green shade as most hatchlings and females of your kind and shares the same brown/red blood vessels in your eyes with them. Your eyes will eventually become the lime green shade of males upon your maturity. Your claws are sharp, capable of doing damage to most native wildlife on the island. Only resurrected species have skin able to resist your claws now. This will change, with time.

Hunting Skills: Novice
Sensing Skills: Experienced Novice
Hiding Skills: Experienced Novice
Intellectual Skills: Initiate
Social Skills: Experienced Novice
Survival Skills: Experienced Novice
Instinct: Prominent For now

Species Ability: Pack Loyalty Your pack stands by you in all things.
Species Disadvantage: Bloodrush Blood for Blood, Arm for an Arm. VENGANCE! in all things.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Indexs' Index

InGen Files:
MF.01 | DF.05, DF.19 | AF.02, AF.04

Omakes:
AnimalKrazed: H-H-Hadrosaur Kill! |

Fanart:
Hatchling by AnimalKrazed

Spoiler: Pack Member Index:

The Grown:

Mother - Alpha (Silver Gray coloration with lime green eyes and red-brown veins visible. She is very motherly and a captivating story-teller. Has a caring disposition for Father. Maintains a no-raptor-left-behind philosophy. Mother has a rivalry?/hatred of an Odd known has the Brown Odd. It is not yet known if the rest of the pack has this same dislike for it/him/her.)

Father - Alpha (Red-Brown coloration with lime green eyes and red-brown veins visible. Somewhat distant, but skilled finishing-hunter and protector. Third largest raptor in the pack, and is unusually large for a male due to his genderbent nature. Has caring disposition for Mother. Maintains a no-raptor-left-behind philosophy. Father is a thinker, and probably the closest thing to a philosopher the pack has. He is predisposed to deep, thought-provoking insight.)

Second-Male - Beta (Red-Burnt Orange coloration with lime green eyes that have visible red-brown veins. Very playful, as a young adult male raptor and quite willing to watch over his younger siblings and relatives. He can be quite scary when forced to be. He is one of Mother's first hatchlings and is currently attempting to court Second Female.)

Second-Female - Beta (Pebble Gray coloration with more pebbled textured scales than the other pack members. Has Bright Green eyes. She has a no-nonsense attitude and tolerates Second-Male's sillier antics most of the time. She appears to prefer spending time in the company of the rest of the pack then with Second-Male. She is a skilled ambusher and stalker, and enjoys watching hatchlings/your siblings play their games.)

Scar-Snout - Gamma (Boulder Gray coloration, and Amber eyes, with a scar over to her from Second-Male that crosses the length of her snout. The scar manages to go over one nostril and ends on her bottom jaw, after crossing the length of her snout. She is an expert stalker-hunter and ambusher. Enjoys her position in the pack and jealously defends it. Has a playful rivalry with Second-Male and play/fights with Scars-Scales often.)

Scars-Scales - Delta (Boulder Gray coloration and Amber eyes with many scars, for which she is named, marking her back, snout, and sides. An expert tackling-hunter and solo-hunter, she does well both on her own and in pack hunting. She prefers to play sentry for the pack during Brightest Light and enjoys soaking in the waters by the water-sands and Long Waters in the territory)

Slack-Jaw - Delta (Boulder Gray coloration, Amber eyes, with a off-Center jaw for which she is named. It is currently unknown to you how she got this injury. An expert stalker-hunter, ambusher and solo-hunter, she often partners up with Scars-Scales. Often helping your less-well off siblings with food and activities, she has a very caring nature.)

Your Siblings:

Silver Sister: (Top ranked among your siblings, rivals Bright, Dark Gray Sister in all things. Is the largest of your siblings, and the most aggressive. Aims to be just like Mother one day and inherit pack. Hatched first among your clutch)

Bright, Dark Gray Sister: (Second top ranked among your siblings, aims to take first position from Silver Sister. Is the second largest of your siblings. Rivals Silver Sister at every turn, the brains to Silver Sister's brawn. Hatched second among your clutch)

Stone Sister: (One of the three siblings to hatch before you did and ranked just above you at third, she is the strongest sibling in your clutch, or at least you claim she is. She is your fighting rival, and matches your brains with muscle and brain. Loves play-fighting)

Pebble Sister: (Your second recurring companion and partner, PS is the pouncer and climber in your clutch. She likes to occasionally ambush the Grown from above and dive-pounce them by surprise, sometimes at the most in-opportune moments)

Light Blue Gray Brother: (Your most recurring companion and partner, LBGB is the speed to your brains. Your rivals through and through and he doesn't like being told what to do by you. Most of the time, you two get along though, so long as you respect his boundries)

Gray Sister: (The loner of your clutch, GS likes to watch the world roll by. She seems to be as smart as Dull, Dark Gray Brother, but is always watching you and your siblings. Comes off as a little creepy at times, but always a great storyteller)

Dull, Dark Gray Brother: (The laziest of your siblings in your clutch, DDGB often dozes his days away. Despite his lazy nature, he often outmatches even you in the brains department. Is the most introspective raptor you have ever known... Best napping partner around though)

Blue-Gray Sister: (Mid-tier, BGS wants to rank higher and is play-fighting all the time to try and get better skills and attain that goal. Often partners up with Stone Sister)

Stone Brother: (Content with his lower tier position, SB likes to join Pebble Sister in her Tree Jump games. About the same size as you, he likes the challenges Pebble Sister presents. Sometimes partners up with you in play)

Boulder Gray Sister: (Often a companion to Light Gray Brother, BGS just doesn't care about the jockeying of position. She likes to just be the energic mammal to the lazy reptiles that's your brother Light Gray Brother and Dull, Dark Gray Brother. Has an optimist view of the world)

Light Gray Brother: (One of the lowest ranked among your siblings, LGB Is the smallest of your clutch and is most commonly found napping by Dull, Dark Gray Brother. However in speed games, LGB ranks highest. The day you and your siblings were allowed to first hunt Mammals, he literally ran one over and killed it by stomping it to death. Has second name, Scar-Leg)

Spoiler: Not Pack Member Index:

Little Stone - Alpha (Apparently has Pebble Gray scales like you do. Offspring of Second-Female, and mated to unknown male. Does not care too much for jockeying of position in pack. Territory to the south of your pack, by the Bay)

Unknown Male - Alpha (Unknown coloration. Mates to Little Stone. Territory to the south of your pack territory by the shore of the Bay.)

Spoiler: Terminology Index:

Beak-Frill: Protoceratops.

Big Splash: A game you and three other hatchlings came up with where the one who makes the biggest splash wins.

Breath-Hold: A competition to see which raptor hatchling can hold their breath the longest... It's not a long game.

Broods: A name coined for groups of hatchlings and yearlings.

Bugle-Crested: Parasaurolophus.

Chase Game: A raptorian edition of tag. Feels a lot more chaotic then the normal human version.

Clutch: A name used by siblings to refer to the entirety of their group of hatchlings.

Dry-time: The name given to the Dry Season.

Flesh Clod: Toads and Frogs

Frilled Rattler: Jurassic Park movie canon Dilphosaurus

Gaping Jaws: Deinosuchus

Great Dying: The name coined for the mass die-off of the young your pack had in the broods before yours.

Great Hunters: Mega Fauna type predators

Hide and Hunt: The raptorian version of Hide and Seek and Manhunt.

Hidden-Jaws: Early Generation Carnotaurus

Hunt game: A raptorian game that feels sort of like Tag, Hide and Seek, and Manhunt all got put into a blender and were puréed together.

Imimoya: A Southern Pack word. Closest human equivalent would be spirits. Imimoya are entities of nature, and can be either good or bad natured. Imimoya are capable of blending into whatever piece of nature that they encompass (ex: large darkly coloured Raptorian imimoya vanishes into shadows/shade/darkness = Soft Light umoya).
*Special Note: Imimoya is plural. Singular form of Imimoya is Umoya. However Pebble Brother (that is to say you) do not know this and so will not make this distinction until notified by another in story.

Jade-Hunters: Compsognathus.

Killing Light: Fire.

Long-Jaws: Baryonyx.

Miracle: The name used to describe the event were the females of your pack first laid fertile eggs without males to fertilize them, then the moment where on of them became male.

Nest: The sleeping/brooding place of most carnivorous species. The size of the nest varies depending on the size of the user.

Not-Flesh: Fruit and Vegetables and mushrooms

Odd: Humans. This species has been noted to come in a variety of colours, including black, brown, and white.

Play/Fight: Raptorian game of playful fighting...

Precise-Claws: Raptors.

precise claw: The killing claw/toe of a raptor.

Third: Gamma

Thorn Hand: Iguanodon

Three-Horn: Triceratops

Tree Beast: Sauropod

Tree Jump: Raptorian game that is sort of like Double Dog Dare mixed with Long Jump and Hopscotch... Sort of...

Two-Claws: T. Rex

Two-Crested: The Dilophosaurus species as displayed in the JP book.

Second: Beta Position

Self-Words: The word used to describe names among raptors your pack.

Striders: Galliminus

Striking Light: Lightning and Thunder

Unseen Jaws: Later Generation Carnotaurus

Water-Chase: It is the Chase game... But played in water. Not that difficult to figure out.

Wet-time: The Wet Season

QM Note: If your looking for a Chapter Index look at the Threadmarks.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter 1:1
Life Starts Small

Soundtrack: Hatching Baby Raptor
​

From the depths of unawareness, you awake to the sound of something beating ever so softly. Slowly, you open your eyes to look at the interplay of light and shadow flicker across the All-You-Have-Ever-Known You hear something slowly leak its way into your All-You-Have-Ever-Known from the Outside. It's a familiar huffing-purr. Something inside compels you to respond, to make a sound back to the being from the Outside. It compels you to respond to this being you know you have heard before, even in the depths of your unawareness. You wait, unsure and unused to the oddness of your awareness, your being, all the while faintly hearing others around you follow that compulsion, hearing them trill, purr, huff, and hiss to make themselves known to Mother, yes that sounds about right. You let out the first sound you have ever made, a healthy hiss. Mother makes a huffing purr of contentment at our chorus of sounds.

Mother purrs to us for a time, familiarizing us with her voice, with her. The chorus of voices around you chirp, trill, purr to one another as we keep each other company through the tension that builds throughout this dark-cold. Mother protects, guards us from the bite of the dark-cold with the warmth of her size. She is surrounded by some of the Others. We, the small, do not know what the Others are, only that they are like Mother. They are like her in sound; purring, trilling, chirping, hissing like Mother does. Mother hisses at them, snapping something-('her jaws,' something softly trills inside you)-when the Others' sounds get too close or too excited, and they hiss-shriek back in reply.

Finally, the first trills of warmth from the warm-light shine through the thin walls of All-You-Have-Ever-Known. Mother purrs encouragement to us, her small hatchlings, to break out and greet the day. Pondering what Mother could mean by hatchlings, and softly contemplating what a day is, you hear one of the small do something to the All-They-Have-Ever-Known. Cracking, splitting, and crumbling resound from where they are, all the while Mother purrs to them small comforts. Mother trill-purrs her excitement as that member of the small manages to get away from their All-They-Have-Ever-Known to the Outside.

Others of the small around you do the same, using whatever they can to break free. You do the same, lunging your-('your snout,' the inside sound chirps), yes that sounds right, your snout at the part of the All-You-Have-Ever-Known in front of you. This makes a loud snapping sound as you injure the All-You-Have-Ever-Known. You lunge again at the All-You-Have-Ever-Known, shaking it and yourself as everything wobbles. This shaking pushes your-('your arms,' the unknowable sound purrs)-arms uncomfortably between yourself and the All-You-Have-Ever-Known. You lash out with-('your claws,' something inside you hisses)-your front claws and chip away more of the All-You-Have-Ever-Known. Bright light enters though the cracks you have made, and Mother purrs as another one of the small makes it out to her.

You hiss angrily, and strike out at the All-You-Have-Ever-Known separating you from Mother with claw and snout before being blinded by the brightness of the light. You hiss-scream your frustration and pain, before you hear Mother purr to you. Blinking, you look towards where the shadow of Mother should have been and see the loving being who has protected you for as long as you have been. She rubs her scaled face against, still huff-purring and you rub your entire self against her. You huffingly purr to her in content, before looking around you at the brilliant world that surrounds you.

You take in the sounds of things-('birds,' something trills)-birds flying through the things-('trees,' the inside sound chirps)-the trees. You stumble forth from your All-You-Have-Ever-Known and inspect the green and yellows of the-('grass,' the unknowable sound purrs)-grass and the prey on them. You lunge at a large, brilliant green prey and trip over your own-('feet,' the silent sound huffs)-feet and face-plant into the soft mound of Mother's nest. Looking behind you, you can see that your the third of the small to have made it out of the All-You/They-Have-Ever-Known. Your fellow two small ones are also exploring the clearing of grass that Mother has nested in. They chase the small prey, running with the feet and-('legs,' the inner sound chirps)-legs after them. They often miss, but they are having fun and are learning. When they do catch one of the small prey, like the brilliant green prey you failed to catch earlier, they make a satisfying crunching sound. You look elsewhere in the clearing, spying furry prey and feathered prey dotted here and there throughout the clearing. As you survey the clearing, you decide to...

Choose Two.

[X] Join your fellow small ones in trying to catch the small, crunchy prey.
[X] Try to get your fellow small ones to play/fight with you.
[X] Try to catch the furry prey.
[X] Try to catch the feathered prey.
[X] Snuggle with Mother.
[X] Write-In option.

GM Note: Voting for the first chapter lasts till Tuesday June 16th, 1:00pm (EST). The picture for your current self will be up on the main page soon. Please let me know if spot any grammar mistakes I may have made, I tried to get them all but some probs made it through the cracks of my attention. Hope you guys enjoy, have a great read.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter 1:2
Lucky First-Timers​

Soundtrack: Fireflies Instrumental
​

Deciding that you want to join your fellow small ones in hunting the small, crunchy prey, you move forwards to join them. Before you can get more than two steps, Mother gently picked you up in her jaws as you automatically lay limp. You can see her sharp-('fangs,' the unknown sound barks)-fangs, as she lifts you up and slowly, gently places you back in the middle of her nest. She holds you down for a moment with her arms, before cleaning of the fluids you hadn't noticed covering you. You whine-hiss in complaint as she tenderly laps the red liquids-('blood,' the invisible thing caws)-off your scales, removing the scents of the All-You-Have-Ever-Known and replacing it with the scent of the fluids-('saliva,' the unseeable being purrs)-saliva in her jaws.

After her-('tongue,' something trills)-tongue has masked the scents of blood and new life, Mother purrs softly, 'Go, learn/play/hunt with your siblings,' her voice compels you as she nudges you towards your fellow small ones. As you internally wonder what she meant by siblings, you pad over to a big, yellow/brown, small prey. It notices you, and starts to expand large, transparent thingies-('wings,' the inside voice huffs)-wings and begins to flap them. You hold it down with one of your forelimbs and attempt to bite into the small prey's head. The hard casing of the small prey protects it from the sharp fangs of your jaws though. You try to bite into other bits of the small prey, but nothing gives way. Disappointed by the lack of crunchy meat, you decide to toss it around for a bit instead.

After a time, having growing bored of the hard, yellow/brown, small prey, you let it go and move on to other, easier prey. Taking in the available small prey, you observe a pitch black small prey with its transparent wings already out. You take in the lack of hard casing, and decide to stalk in closer to have better chances of catching this, likely, faster prey. Sneaking through the grass, you get within a nest's distance of the black small prey before one of your siblings scares your small prey. Fortunately, your sibling scared your small prey in your direction. Taking a chance, you leap for the small prey. You manage to grip one of its wings in your mouth and shake to rip it off. The black, smal prey, now flightless, tries to scurry away. You pin it down with a leg and kill it with a claw strike to the head. You rip into the black, small prey meat with vigour and enjoy the juicy meat it provides. You only leave the transparent wings behind when your down.

Feeling almost full, you suddenly take notice of a brilliant, large, blue small prey fluttering its way across the field. You charge outright at it as it flutters your way. You jump and inpale the big, blue small prey as soon as your within pouncing range. You manage to land on top of the prey, pinning it. You decide to finish off this prey by lowering your head and killing it with a final bite. You enjoy what flesh is to be had, however little there maybe in the case of this small prey, and finish the meal off with the blue wings of the creature. Licking your lips and looking around, you notice that your one of your fellow small ones, 'siblings Mother called them,' you think to yourself as the connection is finally made, is resting in the nest by Mother. You look around and notice that the other sibling is still hunting the small prey, now stalking it carefully from the taller grass rather than charging it head on like they did before.

You look between the two, trying to decide whether you try to convince the hunting sibling to join you in taking down a furry prey or join the resting sibling in snuggling with Mother in the nest. You decide to test one of the furry prey, to figure out how dangerous it is. You screech a battle-cry, and charge the furry prey head on to scare it into action. The furry prey, now that you are closer to it, has large ears and has been cautiously observing you since you and your siblings started to hunt in the tall grass clearing around the nest. It rises form its four-leg feeding stance to a two-leg stance that makes it a little taller than you and hisses a warning with sharp teeth bared. Coming to an immediate stop, you turn tail and race back to the nest convinced that the furry prey is too much to take on for now.

As you make it make within a Mother's length of the nest, you slow your pace and steady your breathing rate. You slowly, calmly, stride back into the nest and join your sibling in resting and snuggling alongside Mother. You look over to your older sibling, from your position in front of Mother, to see that that have taken Mother's back as their's. Looking for another place where you could rest beside, or on top of, Mother. Finally deciding to lay beside Mother, you dig into the soft dirt with your leg claws-('feet,' your inner voice huffs)-feet a couple times, then nestle into the resting place you made by her. You lean into Mother's warmth and close your-('eyes,' the inside sound purrs)-eyes before unawareness grabs you.

You awake to the sound of Mother cawing harshly to something. You immediately awake and take in the various signs of incoming Others, all of them about the same size as Mother. The Others carry scents similar to Mother, but different enough to cause concern and caution to arise from the murky depths of your inners. You look around, seeing nothing but your siblings, and sense the Others surrounding the clearing. Panicked by the sudden presence of intruders, you choose to...

Choose One.

[X] Posture threateningly, and hiss.
[X] Kaw for your siblings and rally them.
[X] Hide behind Mother.
[X] Run for the tall grass and hide there.
[X] Run for the mounds behind Mother and hide in one of them.
[X] Write-In Option (Under 50 Words Please)

QM Note: Okay, finally managed to figure out how to get this out. Sorry it took so long guys. Quick question, do you guys have any preferences for what the males of the Dull-Back pack look like? Do you want them to look like small versions of the females, or something a little fancier. If you want somethig fancier, please suggest but remember nothing to fancy. Something akin to Blue's design from JW would fit the bill for a male Dull-Back. I could give suggestions if people decide that the male Dull-Backs should have brighter colours than the females. Sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way, I'm just used to visual sexual dimorphism in bird species and figured it was probably used by dinosaurs too. That and male Dull-Back raptors weren't shown in the film if you don't count the brown/black striped raptors of Lost World: Jurassic Park as males for the females in the first movie.

Anyways, while this chapter was a bit of a pain to get out (mainly cause I had to figure out how to work the rolls in) it was definitely worth it. I like it and I hope that you guys like it too. As always, if you guys notice spelling/grammar errors point them out to me. Editing is always appreciated.

Edit: Oh, and voting ends Saturday, June 20th 2015, at 12:00 noon (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter 1:3
Hunters; Large and Small
Soundtrack: High-Wire Stunts
​

You can feel your mind split in indecision between going into a threat display, while calling for your siblings to join you in said threat display, and a hasty retreat into the tall grass to hide. Mother is curling herself around you and her siblings, covering you as she hisses at the invaders. It's only when the intruders are revealed to be jade green coloured hunters, large enough that you are easy enough prey for them to hunt down and devour, that your indecision between flight or fight resolves itself to flight.

Figuring that there are too many of you and your siblings for Mother to defend all at once, you decide that getting out of sight, and hopefully away from the minds and jaws of the oncoming Jade-hunters, you rush for the tall grass. Fleeing through Mother's legs as she uncurls herself and stands tall, escalating to scream-hissing at the three Jade-hunters that enter into the clearing in front of her, you chuff-call for some of your siblings to join in the tall grass. You hear some of them join you in your retreat into the tall grass, but you can't tell if everyone of them has followed you. The number of feet softly pattering against the grass suggests that five have joined you though.

You burst from the smaller patches of the tall grass that surround Mother's nest, and the dirt mounds around her nest, towards the thicker patchs of tall grass that engulf the rest of the clearing. Two of the siblings that followed you separate and disappear into the tall grass away from your trio as they enter the tall grass. Safety in numbers may apply when your in the open, but when your trying to hide, numbers are a hindrance. You shake in fright a little as the sounds of Mother screaming her fury at the Jade-hunters for daring to intrude her nesting site and the reply of eerie chirping that seems to echo from the entirety of the jungle around the clearing.

You are accompanied by the two siblings, that didn't leave you, one a slightly heftier male with a dull, dark gray coloration and the other a more slightly male with a light blue-gray tone to their hide. You and your partners slowly make your way through the tall grass, moving in time with the gusts of wind on an attempt to avoid drawing attention to yourselves. You make it to what you assume is a good spot; far enough from the nest to not be easily spotted by the Jade-hunters, but not so far as to be impossible for Mother to find. You huddle up against your pair of companions, for warmth and comfort. You can feel the impulse to shiver. You don't though, shivering of any kind would be enough to wiggle the grass around you and give away your position to the Jade-hunters. You feel a whine begin to build in the back of your throat, but you hold it in. You hear, feel, the steps of the Jade-hunters as some enter the clearing out of sight from Mother, even as she engages the Jade-hunters in front of her.

You listen to the righteous anger Mother displays and lets loose on the intruders. Squealing resounds from one, then all three of the Jade-hunters that were distracting Mother as the rest of the Jade-hunter pack try to find and kill/steal/devour your siblings/your family/yourself. You stop to sense your further surroundings, taking in the sounds of Mother's battle against the Jade-hunters, and the squeals of the maimed Jade-hunters that Mother has left in her wake as she deals with the other invaders. The squeak of what you assume is something dying in the jaws of another resound from the other side of the clearing, all the while thuds of larger beings making their way t-.

You squeal in surprise when a Jade-hunter picks you up in their jaws. You manage to twist yourself free of it's jaws just before it can crush or maim you in a serious manner. Wincing from the scratches that cross your back, you scream-hiss and posture yourself in a threat display. Your partners are quick to join you in your posturing and screeching of death threats.
The sounds of the majority of the Jade-hunters screeching a retreat order barely reach you.
The Jade-hunter cocks its head at you, as if curious for moment, before lunging and snapping at you, you just manage to leap back and away from it. Your two partners take advantage of the brief opening that the would-be predator has given them and target what they feel are weak points. One, the smaller, light blue-gray male, pounces onto the Jade-hunters face and gets a piercing claw into position to puncture the nostrils while clawing for grip around the eyes. Your other companion, the heavier dull, dark gray male, tackles the Jade-hunter's side, knocking it over and begins leaving large slashes with his claws. As the larger opponent is toppling, the blue-gray male, adjusts the grip his piercing claws have in the Jade-hunter's nostrils to push off it's face and land away from the snapping jaws of your angered opponent. You hear one of the larger beings from earlier leap from the edge of the clearing and see them land right on top of the Jade-hunter you and yours were fighting. A large piercing claw impales the doomed would-be predator right though the eye.

Backing up, you and your companions hiss anxiously at the larger beings as you try to gaze past the bright-light shadowing the larger being. It's silhouette makes it look just like Mother, but your sense of smell easily conveys to you that this isn't her. It looks at you curiously, cocking it's head to the side as it leans down closer to observe you and your two companions. You shuffle away from the large predator as it smoothly ducks down to snap at a Jade-Hunter that you hadn't even noticed was positioned to snatch your blue-gray companion, as it turns tail and abandons the failed hunt.

From around the clearing you can hear the few remnants of the Jade-hunter hunting party being ruthlessly killed in various ways by other large beings, you look around to see if you can observe some of the carnage but the tall grass blocks out everything. Looking back at the large being in front of you, you note that is again watching you, waiting for you to do something. You let out a chuff-call so that you can take account of the locations and number of your siblings. You hear all nine of the voices that you know have hatched, which is a relief. As the tension of potential death is lifted off your shoulders, you gaze deep into the eyes of this larger being and decide to...

Choose One

[X] Hiss and posture in threat display at this potential threat
[X] Put yourself between this larger being and your companions
[X] Chirp at what you assume is Mother's pack member
[X] Go and seek Mother
[X] Ignore the large being and play with your two companions
[X] Write-In Option

QM: Alright this part is done. This part was fun, first fight scene. I think I did well for the amount of action in the fight scene and the soundtrack pick. It's my first action scene and I didn't know if I put enough detail in it to avoid ticking off the Mods so I mentioned as little gore as I could. I can draw a quick sketch of you and your companions if you would like. Oh, if anone finds grammar error and stuff like that please let me know so I can fix it.

Anyways, fan art and omakes are acceptable in case anyway wants to do those. Just thought to mention that now. Beyond all that, the rolls were as follows:
Night-Stalker - Retreat Party Number
Smugraptor - How many escape unharmed
EVA-Saiyajin - First Companion
Oh I Am Slain - Second Companion
Glitchrrr36 - Protagonist Injury Severity

Voting ends Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 6:00pm (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter 1:4
Tag, Your It
Soundtrack: We Are One from the Lion King 2

​

Having tired yourself of gazing into the eyes of the larger being, you decide to just leave it alone and go seek out Mother. The larger being looks like Mother, smells similar enough to Mother, and acts enough like Mother to be assumed to be one of Mother's pack, so you assume it is and as such that it is relatively safe. You twist and turn your head around in the tall grass, attempting to get a glimpse of Mother. Unable to see anything beyond the tall grass, you huff to yourself and look back at your two companions. The dull, dark grey male is lazing about, seemingly uninterested in everything around it beyond sleep. The smaller, bright blue-Gray male, however, is looking around for Mother, much like you are.

Noticing that your gaze is on him, the smaller male looks at you curiously while cocking his head. Slowly, he bobs and chirps at you. You blink, surprised, then bob your head in turn. The blue-gray male bops you with his snout in a playful manner before running in the direction of the nest for a Mother's length, then turns around and looks at you as if asking why you aren't chasing him. Deciding to play, you chase him in a game of pursuit towards the nest. You manage to speed up enough to briefly nip the tip of his tail. He manages to swiftly turn and almost nip you back, only missing you due to your foresight allowing you to dodge by a quill.

You manage to get a Mother's length and a half away from your playful sibling before he manages to catch up and nibble you in turn. You and your more brightly coloured comrade's entertaining game of prey-chase and pursuit eventually devolves into a match of play-fighting as you get closer to Mother and the nest. Flopping from pinning him on his back to him pinning you on your side, you and your playful sibling end up rolling into Mother. Immediately, both you and your blue-gray sibling straighten yourselves by untangling yourselves from each other and look up to Mother.

Mother herself is currently looking back the way you came, at the larger being that you were with earlier. Apparently, the larger being took it upon themself to carry the slightly larger napping sibling you left behind. Chirping at this larger being, you watch as it rests your sibling into the nest before lowering its head to Mother. Mother trills to it and rubs her snout alongside the larger being's for a moment before turning back to the nest. You blink in surprise as the body of one of the Jade-hunters lays limply across one of the sides of the nest, partially torn into already. You and your more active sibling carefully climb across the nest and the three remaining unbroken All-They-Have-Ever-Knowns, to reach the body.

As soon as you reach the body, you leap on top of it. Your sibling wanders over to look the creature in its not-right eyes. You pierce the hide of the creature a few times, and examine the lack of response. You lunge and tear into the arm of the limp opponent. It continues to not respond to your quite vicious attack, if you say so yourself. Bored of being ignored, you turn your attention away from the offensive thing and twist your gaze towards Mother. She is looking down at the three remaining All-They-Have-Ever-Knowns and speaks soft-nothings to them. Slowly, you notice, one of the All-They-Have-Ever-Knowns crack. Unsure of what to do, you...

Choose Two

[X] Decide to curl up by Mother and rest.
[X] Munch on the unresponsive Jade-hunter.
[X] Wander up to the hatching All-They-Have-Ever-Knowns.
[X] Reinitiate play with your more active sibling.
[X] Look around for your other siblings.
[X] Examine the other larger beings in the clearing.
[X] Write-In Option

QM: Voting ends Saturday June 27, 2015 at 1:00pm (EST). Sorry for all the delays, I've had a busy week.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter 1:5
Nom Nom Nom
Soundtrack: Suggestions Appreciated
​

A great variety of choices and ideas for what you can do flood your mind. Temptations to play, investigate, snuggle, and more shout and fight for attention in your metaphorical mind's ears. Your mind struggles to comprehend and sort out the differing variables of each choice from the others so that you can begin to decide on what you want to do next, when something softly growls its own desires and needs from behind you.

Your confused by the sound, trying to figure out where, what, and how the sound originated from. You swivel your head from side to side to try and find th source of the growling, having heard it somewhere behind you, when it resounds again from somewhere around your back. You notice this time that with the growl, an odd, ticklish feeling from your lower body accompanies the sound. You curve your neck into an awkward shape so that your snout is directed at the point from your lower body where the growling and tickling comes from. The growling comes again, with the tickling feeling and you cock your head in confusion. You have no idea what is making the sound, nothing is there to make the sound then you, and you know you aren't making the sound on purpose.

Pondering on the possibilities of what is making the sound and feeling, you reflect on past experiences. Only aggressors have made the growling sound in your past, the jade-hunters are the most prominent example of such. The tickling feeling reminds you of the sensation of grass brushing your sides as your hunting the small, crunchy prey through it, of the hard grass softly digging and pressing into your lower body as you laid down against it to hide from the Jade-Hunters. Slowly putting together your experiences, you decide the growling sound from your lower body means it's trying to tell you something, the ticklish feeling being something inside you doing something.

You panick, the something in your lower body is growling and doing something. You are about chirp and squeal for your Mother's attention, when the insight hits you-('you hunger,' the unseen huffs)-your hungry for more prey. The tantalizing smell of the Jade-Hunter's remains, alongside the new revelation of the growl/tickle in your lower body meaning food, is too much to resist and you manage to tear loose a chunk of warm flesh from the not-live body of your once enemy. As you throw your head back and swallow the chunk, the not-there voice inside you guides you to a specific spot inside the body/meat. You eye the dull purple glob of meat, cocking your head this way and that in curiosity. You sniff it and smell the sharpness of the blood, slowly pooling out of the now opened body, and another strange smell you can't quite identify. However, the strange scent is oddly enticing so you snatch the purple glob of meat from the inside. You enjoy the taste of the glob, so you cock your head backwards and throw your snout forwards to get as much of the flesh into your jaws as possible. You continue doing so until the vast majority of it is inside your jaws, only closing your jaws on the flopping meat chunk then. Surprisingly, the flesh glob pops when you dig your fangs into it, and you find the taste of the fluids inside to be good.

You can feel your stomach swell from the mass of the content you've eaten. Feeling satisfaction, but still seeking more, you strip off a second chunk of meat from the lower body of the Jade-Hunter and devour that. Your forced to back off, immediately after to give the oncoming horde, consisting of three of your siblings, access to the body/meat where they immediately start fighting each other for their portion of the meat. The swell of your belly feels even better now that your observing the fierce competition for, what you assume the unseen calls are telling your siblings are, the best remaining bits of the body. You flick your tongue over your bloodied fangs, closing your eyes and enjoying the taste and feel of the personal cleansing. You watch your siblings squabble over their parts of the bodies, both the one you consumed from, and the other bodies that litter other parts of the clearing for a time before tiring of that.

Returning to the trench in the nest you slept in before the Jade-Hunter attack, you nestle yourself inbetween Mother and her large being and observe the larger beings in the clearing. They number six, not including Mother. Most are coloured the same as your siblings, all slightly differing shades of gray. Mother is the largest of them, and is the brightest with an almost shiny gray hue to her scales. The large being that rubbed her snout before is a dull gray-red colour, with dark stripes starting to cross the length of his back, now that you have taken the time to scent them you can detect the small hints of your gender in him. He is only one of your piercing claws smaller than him. They are leaning against one another, snuggling, as they watch another of your siblings burst their snouts out of their All-They-Have-Ever-Known.

Further away in the clearing, curled around some of the dirt mounds, more larger beings lie. The closest one is also the second largest being, compared to Mother. She, her scent tells you she is a she, is a gray that reminds you of the small occasional pebbles that dot the area around Mother's nest. By her is a smaller, male, who is almost all gray. He is only starting to develop his red scales, and doesn't yet have the stripes that your inner guide knows signal maturity. The last three nests are all close together, with near identical larger beings in them. The only visible tell-tales to seperate them are faint scars that mark the snout, sides, and back of the furthest, the scars across the second furthest one's nostrils, and the closest identical one's slightly misaligned jaw. All three of them are the same dull gray of your larger sibling that accompanied you during the Jade-Hunter attack.

Having observed all seven of the large beings in the clearing, you decide that they are all somewhat friendly. Not one is being aggressive at them moment, and all of them are displaying signs of vulnerability to you and your siblings. The three near-identicals are sleeping, the-('Seconds,' the inside voice hisses)-Seconds, you label the closest sleeping duo. Mother and Father are right beside each other watching their young. Your inner voice communicates that they are the Firsts of your extended family's group. Feeling safe, full, content, you fall into peaceful slumber.

Choose Your Interlude
[X] The First Hunt Just read the label
[X] The First Years Just read the label
[X] The Miracle Girls = Boys????
[X] The Great Dying Bwahahahahahhahahah

QM Note: Second Apologies for taking so long to get this one out. I've had plenty of things get in the way IRL so there was nothing I could do about it. Anyways, if you guys have suggestions for soundtracks for this chapter, please spoiler them. This lowers the problems others might have with reading through pages and just makes the pages more pleasant to look at. As you can guess from descriptions in this chapter, and invistext hints from earlier, I have settled on the JP:LW raptor appearance for males in the Dull-Back Pack gens.

So, in case anyone is wondering just what you ate from the compy, well you got the most nutrious part of a fresh corpse... Yep, you guessed it, you guys just ate a liver. Ya, you guys. Hope that I included enough adorable moments to match the gross-out-factor of eating a bleh body part for you.

Rolls for this Part:
Night-Stalker - Survivors per Pack/Gen
Smugraptor - Which Pack/Gen Yours Is

Voting Ends Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 8:00pm (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter One: Interlude One
The Miracle

Soundtrack: Transformation from Brother Bear
​

You awoke to the sound of Mother clicking. You don't know why, but the clicking she makes demands your attention. Judging from the lack of hissing, snapping, and chirping, your siblings have similar responses. Huffing through your nose, you clear your mind of the murkiness that sleep brought with it and focus on Mother. Your siblings are slowly gathering around her, all twelve of them. Your youngest siblings are the smallest, and closest to her. As one of the oldest, first to hatch, you can feel a protectiveness already swelling for each of your siblings. From the oldest, a large, bright/dark gray female, to whom you assume is the youngest, a fragile looking pebble gray female, you feel the desire to guard and protect. You know that this feeling is mutually spreading from Mother and her pack to you, her hatchlings.

Mother has been encouraging the protect/pack feeling since the day you hatched. After the Jade-Hunters failed to hunt us, Mother has been teaching us how to communicate with words. She explained things to us slowly, going over things again and again. Slowly you and your siblings managed to make the connections between Mother's variety of sounds and the objects she introduced. The small, crunchy prey became bugs, the feathered prey became birds, and the furry prey became the mammals. Mother described what the different kinds of large prey looked like and gave us their names. Mother described our kind and told us our kind's name, Precise Claws. Mother taught you the words for day and night, stone and dirt. With each passing day your siblings word list grew. Mother taught the numbers of her kind and the names of the prey her pack hunted. The world around you quickly expanded beyond the clearing with the stories she and her pack would tell.

It has only been three nights since you and your siblings hatched. You can already tell that you are quickly growing, from the regurgitated flesh that the pack brought for Mother and your siblings. You and your siblings aren't quite ready for the vigorous activity involved in digesting fresh prey just yet. Your stomach reminds of how harsh that lesson felt to you time from time when you think about it. While the flesh glob was easy enough to digest, the strips of meat you pulled off were not so quick to go away. You were eventually 'convinced' by Mother to let them go. It's something you and your siblings, all of whom tried to digest fresh meat, are determined not to let anyone bring up again. Every hatchling has agreed to mob the one who does. Somehow you can tell they will still do it because of the fun to be had by the Grown in playing with you and your siblings.

Refocusing on Mother, who has been looking at you for your attention for a moment now, you find a spot to curl up alongside your smaller, light blue-gray brother. You and he have been near constant companions since the Jade-Hunter attack, playing and fighting with each other often since then. You rest your head on his leg, and he rests his snout on the tip of your tail. You yawn away the last of the sleep from your mind before Mother speaks again.

"My hatchlings," Mother calls, "I have regaled you with stories of recent hunts and taught you much. Now, I teach you again. Now, I teach you of events in our past times. We," Mother quickly eyes her quietly listening pack members, pointing them out to us, "remember the harsh times and the lessons learned from the dry times, just as much as we teach you the lessons we learned in the wet times. We, who have endured and survived the lonely times, rejoice in the company all hatchlings bring. We have raised you and will continue to raise you as our own." She nuzzles the closest sibling to her, who lovingly chirps back to her. "Times have not always been so kind to us, nor do we think they will always be so kind to us," Mother exhales slowly through her nostrils, sadly recounting something she doesn't tell us. The sad feeling resonants through the rest of the Grown of your pack, confusing you and your siblings.

As quickly as Mother was saddened, she rebounds from it. "There was a time, five times cycles ago that brought great sadness to the pack. We were younger than, only just becoming grown and coming into our own as grown. The Odd continued to patrol the gray vines as they still do now, and not much was different. The pack hunted the Tree-Dwelling Mammals, the Beak-Frills (protoceratops), and all other prey we found, and we guarded our territory. We no longer climbed trees as hatchlings are want to and remained dirt-bound as we assumed Grown are supposed to," Mother reminded us, "the sky was still blue, and mists obscured the terrain every morning. Much is the same now as it was then."

Mother paused to let the information sink in. This was the earliest past time she or any of the pack had told us about so far. Whenever we asked about the ones who came before them, they would look saddened and distract us with a hunting story. You and your siblings didn't know anything about the far past times of Mother and the pack. They really only told you and your siblings of hunting stories and only of ones in the last times cycle. "However," Mother continues her story, "in those times we had no males, and no other pack. We only had each other, we only had our pack. There were no Grown before us, so we had only each other to learn from. We did not known what males were in those times. We saw male birds, male bugs, and male mammals, but no males of ours." Mother stopped for a moment, to let the incrediblity of her statement sink in. It was hard for you to understand, what it would be like to live a life without brothers, without males around. It was harder for you to comprehend what it would be like to be female.

"As Grown, the pack began to seek males without knowing what males of our kind were like. We wanted hatchlings, we sought for new life in our pack. We wanted to teach and share the lessons and stories we had learned through our hard times and rejoice in our good times. We wanted to share," Mother pauses as some memory takes her. Father, the red, darkly striped male you remember from your first day, lovingly chuffs sweet nothings to her as he comforts her. She huffs out her sadness and emotional exhaustion, and returns to her story, "We, as a pack, searched throughout our territory for males. We called for brothers of our kind to find us and laid down scent trails to our nesting ground for them to follow as our instincts guided us to. None came. Not one male answered our calls, not one male was found in our territory, not one male followed our trails. We were alone in our territory."

Mother's eyes sharpened in this moment, her past determination shining through to the now time, "The pack would not be so easily discouraged. We went beyond our scent markers and sought males from other territories. We found packs of our kind when we went beyond our territory into the heights of the Great Rock where some of the Beak-Frills (protoceratops) climbed and gathered and in the place where the Great Clearing blends with the Great Trees. We even found our kind further to the southeast where the gray vines sink into the ocean," Mother paused for a moment in rememberance of the great journey they had gone on. "In all these places, we found younger members of our kind. In all those places, we found no males. So with much weight on our backs, we returned to our territory in the north and refreshed our scent markers." Mother almost silently to herself for a moment. Father reminds her of his presence, nudging his snout into her neck and cawing, "I'm here. I'm not going to leave you. We are not then, but here. Dont forget me." Mother lovingly nips him in reply, huffing, "I won't. I can't, you aren't going to let me," to him. He chuffs lightly. One of the pack, Second-Female, barks, "Continue the story! You have time for connecting later."

Mother glares at Second-Female for a moment, before exhaling softly and continuing, "We thought ourselves to be the first of the Great Hill pack when we were hatchlings, all alone with no Grown to protect us when we needed emotion uplifting in the harsh times, but the days after our failure to find males, our failure to find mates, were when we thought we would be the last of our pack. Our stories, our lessons all gathered so eagerly to be shared with our young, our hatchlings, would so sadly begin and end with us. There would be no future for our pack beyond us, no sharing between Mother and young. Just as we were the Beginning of our pack, we would be the End."

"One day though, during the dry time two years ago, things changed. I felt the urge to make a larger nest come from inside me. Instincts is rarely wrong, so I did as it guided me to. I gathered dirt, pebbles, leaves, grass, and the fluff of lesser prey to soften my nest. I cared for it as my instincts would have me. Through it all, I watched as all my sisters, but one, were slowly guided to do the same. And so the first eggs of the pack were laid." We do not know how we laid eggs, we had no male to give them life. But our instincts had us care for these eggs all the same, and so we did. We hoped, asking those that came before to watch over us and grant us, to grant our pack, a future." Mother continued, her tone lighter than the heavier tune her vocalizations carried before, "They did. Despite all the odds against our pack, our eggs carried new life in them."

Before any of us could ask how the eggs could have carried new life, carried hatchlings in them without a male, Mother carried on with her story, "We don't know how, even now, those eggs carried new life but they did. Our pack didn't care then, and don't care now why those eggs carried new life. We are only grateful they did," Mother paused and looked to Father. He nodded an affirmation to some unvocalized question, before nuzzling your heftier, dull, dark gray brother. "As we raised those eggs, and then hatchlings, our sister who hadn't laid changed. She was the Second of the pack at the time. Her scales slowly were shed away and new, red and black ones took their place. Her scent changed, becoming more different then our own. Her insides were wrecked with pain for a time, so much so that she was unable to leave for hunts or patrol. She was unable to care for herself, and at more than one point wished to die so as to end her pain," as Mother hissed those words, her eyes hardened. She turned her gaze to match each of ours, before barking, "Pack doesn't let pack down. Pack doesn't let pack die. The pack is our future, and each and every part of it is special." She gazed down on us, judging us for a moment, "Do you understand?" You did, and you know your siblings did too. Alone, one Precise Claw is vulnerable and open to the wrongs of the world. In a pack, Precise Claws can do whatever they set themselves to.

Seeming to find what she sought in our eyes, Mother huffed happily to herself. The Grown of the pack seemed satisfied by the understanding we showed and Scar Snout silently asked Mother to continue her story. Mother, content in the pack, worked to finish her story, "It was for a full wet time that our sister was laid low by her pain, even as the pack cared for her and our young. By the end of that time, our hatchlings had grown from your size to a size where their eyes would match a Grown's shoulders. Our sister," Mother barked, "had been laid low by her pains as she had been hadn't changed in size, but almost everything else about her had. Her scent was heavier, and her hide red and black. Her eyes had a more green sheen than ours. Her habits and behaviours, while subtle, were different than before to. As our sister exercised her tired muscles and regained her strength in the many days after, the pack tried to figure out what had happened to our sister. We had some of the pack journey to the other packs and see if others had undergone their sister's change, while the others in the pack cared for their sister and the hatchlings that had survived their first wet time. Those journeying sisters found that only one pack had such a thing happen to them, that pack carrying members slightly older than ours. They didn't know what had happened to their sister, but didn't contact other packs in worry of showing what might be a weakness."

"Our journeying, tired sisters returned without knowledge or story of what had happened to our beloved sister. It wouldn't be until a year after our sister recovered that we figured out what had changed in our sister. One of the hatchlings that survived to that time had begun to shed their gray scales for red ones, when our pack sisters felt the urge to mate again. We had only begun to lay down the scent trails and call out mating calls when we noticed that our changed sister reacted to them. It intrigued us, so we investigated this happening for a long time. At the end, we managed to figure out that our changed sister was now a brother. And so The Miracle had come upon our pack and blessed us with our young and the promise of many more to come."

Choose One of Each:

[X] Timeskip
-[x] One Month
-[x] Two Months
-[x] To Hurricane Clarissa 3 months
Options for what occurs in Timeskip will be made available after vote finishes.

[X] Second Interlude
-[x] The First Years
-[x] The First Hunt
-[x] The Great Dying

QM Note: Hey everyone, answering the question everyone is going to ask. I borrowed a little something from a plausible genetic filler source, the Komodo dragon, for this chapter. Komodo dragons, several other birds, reptiles, and other vertebrates, all have the potential in them to carry out virgin births using differently structured male/female chromosomes that scientists have taken to calling W&Z chromosomes. The structure of these chromosomes allows creatures such as those select birds and Komodo dragons to reproduce asexually and give birth to male and female young. Tada! While not known to be able to do this back in the 80's and 90's, it is known in scientific and animal lover communities today. This allows me to use Komodo DNA for filler in Raptors and so give them this ability.

Anyways, this was a long chapter. Tell me how I did, it was harder than I thought to have a character tell a story while writing a story. Bleh, Storynception! Grammar critics are always welcome. Happy Canada Day!

Voting ends Friday July 3rd, 2015 at 6:00pm (EST).