Welcome to Isla Sorna: Be the Raptor Quest

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Two: Part 7
Nice Scenery

Soundtrack: Buccaneer Island by Brand X Music

​

As Mother and Second-Male slowly guide your flock of silently excited siblings forwards into the dense undergrowth of the forest, you decide to ignore everyone around you. Actually, you are going to ignore what they are communicating for the most part, you are still keeping enough of an ear on them to catch references to changes in direction. You have set your mind on taking in everything around you so as to learn, landmark, and guide you in future times. You determine to use such things as the unique way some of the trees have slowly risen from the ground to the individual rises and falls in the ground.

Under the silence that follows the pack whenever they wonder into the forest, you observe things you hadn't really noticed on the way to the river. You notice the way that their are different kinds of tree-dwelling mammals. Some large black-brown ones, you take note, occasionally sound out in a way reminds you of the booming hollering that shakes when the Striking-Light (lightening) happens. The smaller, black and white tree-dwellers are more nimble, agile, and daring than any tree-dweller you have seen so far, seeming to play amongst the thinnest branches above you, shaking the branches and leaping distances that you think even Pebble Sister wouldn't bother to try...well try yet again anyway.

Your eyes catch a flash of movement and yellow, and you twist your head to follow. The flash hits a branch and seems to resolve itself into a yellow bird with green wing tips. It watches your pack as you meander through the vegetation for a heartbeat, before turning to nibble at a orb of not-flesh (fruit) hanging from it's tree. You turn your eyes away from it to continue on down the path your Mother has set out before you. You watch as your siblings follow Second-Male, sometimes breaking out into a small jog to try and catch something that the tree-dwellers above drop down below. You sniff at one such thing, and smell vegetation, not-flesh, juices, and smell the sweetness of the larger not-flesh the thing before you was once part of.

As you and the pack you have with you enter scent range, downwind of the kill, you lick your lips. You can hear and see that those siblings ahead of you are doing so as well. Your stomach growls near inaudibly. You glare it for a moment, as you continue down the set path, before returning your eyes to drinking in your surroundings. You can the flitting shadows of birds high above projected unto the leaves and branches far ahead and above of you, and hear them squawk, chitter, and shriek to one another. You lose yourself to the task of memorizing what you think are the landmarks of this path.

Sometime later after setting off, you do not know just how long ago you left the Nesting Clearing, a nip to your hindquarters startles you into leaping forward a few steps, before you turn to nip the hide of your nipper. Light Blue Gray Brother playfully chirps, "Why so silent, Pebble Brother? Come on, Mother has told us that we are almost there!" You shake off the mindset of memorizing everything you can and fall into Light Blue Gray Brother's set pace, hanging just right beside and behind him. Second-Male stands just shy of the tall grass that marks the entrance into the clearing, gazing into it before barking quietly twice, then slicing a Precise-Claw into the undergrowth around his foot. He subtly tilts his head towards the kill, waiting for a sign or something.

As you wait, somewhat impatiently, you inhale to get another good sniff of the kill. You scent it, but you also scent something else just barely there in the breeze. It does not smell right, it smells like something that does not belong. You ignore the not-rightness of the scent though as a hiss call and one precise-claw tap into the grass near silently echo out from clearing. Almost immediately, Mother gives us the go ahead to race towards the kill.

Choose One

[X] Rush for the kill and grab what you can before darting off to the outskirts of the clearing.
[X] Wait patiently for the go ahead from one of the higher ranked Grown.
[X] Call for a team-up with someone to swarm the kill.
---[x] Who? Write-In
[X] Beg a Grown for something to eat.
[X] Write-In Option

QM Note: Sorry about the delay, and about the size of the part. There wasn't much I could add to this that I haven't already. You guys chose the scenery p@#n option, so I did what I could with what I could.

Deadline for the chapter is Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 1:00pm (EST). Anyways, hope you guys enjoy.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Two: Part 8
Dive Bomb Ninja Vanish!

Soundtrack: Hanging Tree from the Hunger Game trilogy

​

You rush for the kill, alongside several of your brothers and sisters. You bark at Light Blue Gray Brother, asking him for assistance in securing a larger portion of the kill than either of you two could protect alone for yourselves. He answers, "Of course, I do not see a reason not to." The two of you swerve off the course set by the majority of your siblings, gathering yourselves and setting up a plan to get the best you can from under the noses of both your siblings and the Grown.

You only notice that Pebble Sister has joined up just behind you when you and Light Blue Gray Brother are lightly jogging around to the tail end of the Grown protecting the kill. She softly peeps, letting you know of her presence and her desire to join you and your brother in scheming. You and your two cohorts analyse the situation, watching as individual siblings try their chances and get rebuked. You try and understand why they are being told off, free-for-all is how you and your siblings always fed so why was it different now?

You shake your head before tilting it, as you watch the two eldest siblings start a tussle after they fail, each blaming said failure on the other. You snort at their silliness and stalk forward to enact the plan, Light Blue Gray Brother taking point with Pebble Sister taking the far side.

Light Blue Gray Brother has Pebble Sister make a distraction, while getting you in your position to swipe something from the kill. She does so promptly, clambering up into the branches above the Grown as Light Blue Gray sneaks into a bush not too far from the kill. She stealthily balances and creeps from branch to branch till she is directly above Father. She crows twice, exclaiming, "Death from Above," as she leaps high and begins her descent downwards to her target. You chuff lightly to avoid notice as she lands on Father snout, and holds on as he tries to shake her off even as he chuffs loudly.

You take notice of the Grown all being distracted by the sudden bout of play. You use Pebble Sister's distraction to lunge forward from your spot in a patch of tall grass, striking and tearing a length of muscle and hide from the kill from between Scar-Scales' legs. The length is enough to feed both you and Pebble Sister, you decide before catching the tip of Light Blue Gray Brother's tail disappearing into the brush. You quickly join him, even as Pebble Sister abandons her post on Father's snout and joins you. You hear the Growns' collective chuffing, as Father softly asks Mother, in an odd tone, if she remembered to talk to us about something.

You ignore the Grown for now, focusing on finding a safe spot to chow down on your spoils of trickery. You follow Light Blue Gray Brother's scent through the thick of the bush till you find him by an odd gray tree with long, skinny branches. Taking in the rest of your surroundings, you note a bundle of large rocks with an especially tall one marking the spot. Thorn bushes also are close-by, just out of reach on the other side of the gray tree's branches. Feeling safe, you settle down as Pebble Sister takes the far side of the hide and flesh you nabbed, and start eating.

The pale coloured hide is tough, chewy, and generally just great fun to test you teeth on. You leave it for now, saving the fun bits for later. You tear off the meaty flesh and muscle, tossing your head back to swallow. You, Pebble Sister, and Light Blue Gray Brother manage to get full on your take of the kill, and begin to play with the fun parts of the remains.

You three are tugging and playfully growling at one another when a faint sound echoes across the thin, long clearing on the other side of the gray tree. You and your closest siblings scent the air, tasting and smelling the not-right smell coming off the gray tree. More not-right smell, even stronger than the gray tree, is gathering in the distance alongside the soft growling that accompanies it.

Choose One

[X] Run Away and Don't Look Back! Ever!
---[X] Convince Siblings to Join You
[X] Hang Back in the Bushes and Watch...
---[X] Convince Siblings to Join You
[X] Get the Grown! You Need an Adult!
---[X] Convince Siblings to Join You
[X] Write-In Option
---[X] Write-In Siblings Option

QM Note: Sorry this took so long to get out. You guys can expect surprises at every corner. This is one of them! Decide your fate. If anyone can think of a better soundtrack I would very much appreciate it. I can't think of anything this late and feel like I will probably replace the current one with another to save this one for a more ominous chapter. Any suggestions, corrections, help, questions, blah, blah, blah are all accepted so feel free to speak your mind. I appreciate every post. Also, sorry it is such a small one. Oh well.

Deadline for voting is Thursday, August 6th, 2015 at 6:00pm (EST). Enjoy your readings!

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Spoiler

##### NetTally 1.1.15
[X] Hang Back in the Trees and Watch...
---[X] Convince Siblings to Join You
No. of Votes: 3
Lazurman
Night_stalker
Smugraptor
[X] Get the Grown! You Need an Adult!
---[X] Convince Siblings to Join You
No. of Votes: 3
veekie
Mechasaurian
RandomLurker

Total No. of Voters: 6

It's a tie.

Click to shrink...

Thanks RandomLurker, much obliged. Okay, typical tie breaker for this Quest. Deadline for vote changing is approximately two hours, 10:00pm (EST). If the tied not broken, I am pulling out the two sided die.

Anyways, Info Update on the Character Sheet.

Character Picture and Information
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 curiousity are coming more into play. Your self-word, your name, is Pebble Brother as of this moment and you have no rank beyond hatchling, and little practice surviving in the world. Almost everything in this world sees you as prey or something to get rid of.

You are currently1 foot, 7 inches. 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 on Isla Sorna and Nublar have skin able to resist your claws now. This will change, with time.

Hunting Skills: Novice
Sensing Skills: Blooming Novice
Hiding Skills: Blooming Novice
Intellectual Skills: Growing Quickly
Social Skills: Growing Quickly
Survival Skills: Novice
Inner Self: 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.

Click to shrink...

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Two: Part 9
First Speech

Soundtrack: YouTube Suspense Background Music

​

As the growling grows louder, and seemingly more menacing as it draws ever closer you decide to go get the Grown. Growling only evers comes from threatening things and you don't want anything to catch the pack off guard. You crow to your siblings, saying, "I am going to get a Grown. Come with me," before charging back into the undergrowth, leaving your strip of thickened hide behind. You can just hear your siblings' footsteps and the wet sounds they make in the mud, as they abandon their playthings as well, under the percussion beat of your blood in your head as you lead the way back to the Grown.

You squint your eyes as you duck and weave through the branches of bushes, ferns, and other vegetation. In the background, under the persistent beating of your blood and the quieter slapping of claws and feet against soft, muddy ground, you can hear the far too subtle growling slowly echo closer. Finally, after way too long running, you and your siblings break through the brush to the small clearing where the main body of the kill remains.

Taking a moment to analyze the remains, you perceive that there is still some meat left. Not much meat, not even enough to last the entirety of the pack another feeding, but still some for a few to munch on later. Not enough meat to be worth protecting from another Hunter though. You take half a second to feel pride in just how quickly and efficiently your pack tear the most worth-while parts of the carcass before stopping all stray thoughts and focusing on the Grown. Father and Mother stand tall above you, as Scar-Snout and Second Male are savouring some meat from the haunch of Bugle-Crested's (parasaurolophus) remains. Scar-Scales, Slack-Jaw, and Second Female are scattered around the clearing, on watch to preserve the peace of the clearing and to alert the pack of any oncoming intruders.

You take a breath, hoping to let one of your parents know just what you heard. An eye blink before you can communicate anything though, Mother clicks her jaws, gaining your attention, as well as the rest of the pack. You stay silent as she starts, surprised that she looks at the ground for a few moments before beginning, "You did a good job getting meat from the kill. You quickly distracted the primary protector," she tosses a glance to Pebble-Sister, "and quickly got in and out with your target. I can see that you three have applied the stories well." She huffs momentarily, before chuffing, "However you should not have had to do so. I forgot to communicate to you the proper procedure for partaking from the pack kill. That is on me," she looks over your trio to gaze over the entirety of the pack, "The blame is on me. Sons, Daughters, you can blame me for the scolding you received for stealing and fighting for the kill. Brothers, Sisters, Mate," she gives Father an amused glance, "I am to blame for disturbing the peace of the feasting. You can blame me."

She stares into the eyes of the watching pack, "If anyone sees fit to challenge me, do so." The pack, silent as it is, quickly falls back to whatever the individuals were doing before. You notice, however, that before returning to sentry duty, Second Female seems tempted to do something. After many long inhalations, you turn your eyes upwards, to Mother as she exhales in relief at the lack of challenges. She turns her snout down to you, her eyes flicking consistently to overlook the pack for late-coming challengers.

Choose an Action:

[X] Tell Mother of the incoming Growling
-[X] Exaggerate
[X] Tell Mother of the incoming Growling
-[X] Don't Exaggerate
[X] Don't tell Mother of the Incoming Growling and let one of your Siblings do so instead
-[X] Go Play
-[X] Stick around and Listen-In

QM Note: Sorry I took so long, yesterday and today were busier than expected. I was out a lot yesterday helping out around the house and other stuff. Today, I slept in till noon then helped clean out the family Hot Tub. Bleh, you don't want to know how many bugs I had to suction out today.

Anyways, sorry about dragging out this event, but just thought you guys should have a say in what happens next. Yay suspense? Any thoughts and corrections are helpful and generally accepted. Tell me what you guys are thinking and what is confusing you. I will try to help out.

Voting Ends Monday, August 10th, 2015 at 5:00pm (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Two: Part 10
Smell-Beast?

Soundtrack: Drums of Thunder (Native American Music)
​

You place your gaze to the eye ridges that shadow Mother's eyes and twitter, "Mother, we three," you gesture with your head to Pebble Sister and Light Blue Gray Brother, "heard an oncoming Growling thing out by the Gray Tree." Mother's eyes seem to penetrate your being, looking into your inner thoughts, secrets, and personal being. "It was out by this strange rock formation, if that helps," Pebble Sister remarks. Mother snaps her gaze to her and squawks, "Oh! So it is, is it?" She slowly turns to your brother after and does the same penetrating stare into their essence of self to them. She contemplates something for a moment, then barks softly to your trio, "Come along, my young. There is something I want to show you."

You follow after your Mother as she makes her way through the vegetation your little trio had hurried through, Mother chirping to Father, "You are in charge while I am gone." As you vanish into the brush after her, you can hear Father cawing, "See you soon. Tell HER I send my greetings." You wonder what Father meant as you follow after Mother, her long, slow stride easy enough to keep up with and you end up accidentally starting a small game of Chase with your brother and sister while following her.

Mother stops you from getting to into your game by arriving at the site closer to the strange, rock formation soon after the game begins. Vaguely you note that the origin of the growling sound is a lot closer now. Looking around you, you notice that Mother is moving herself to be so close to the rock formation that she could rub itchy scales against it if she were inclined to do so.

You move to ask Mother a question, walking behind the flat face of the rock formation and hidden from the odd clearing, when she cuts you off with a click of her jaws. Mother signals something through the silent talk. You know enough silent talk to interpret that she has commanded you and your siblings to hide in the trees. You scurry to the base and scramble up to the densest collection of leaves you can. Your sister manages to do so in a higher up portion of the tree, while your brother hides in a cluster not to far from you.

Mother hisses impatiently at the oncoming, foul smelling thing, the being's nostril-choking scent strangling most other scents out of the wind. Mother scrutinizes the darkened mud coloured right pupil of the strange beast closely than the sand coloured left pupil. She call-coughs to the thing, breaking the silence as the oddity draws ever closer. It's resonating growl slowly turning into something akin to a purr. The response gets Mother to give a series of call-coughs again. In your stunned silence, you read her posture as almost hopeful of something.

Quietly, almost unnoticeably, you hear Light Blue Gray Brother ask Pebble Sister, "Why is she calling to the Smell-Beast? Do you know why she is treating it as if it was a lost pack member?" You can hear your sister respond, hissing harshly but breathlessly, "I don't know! Shut up so I can hear." "I don't know either," you find yourself chittering. You are about to go on and say more, but fall into silence as Mother barks, "OddFather! Alpha Odd! Are you there?!" Much more quietly, almost beyond your ability to make out, you can hear Mother trill, "Have you returned again..."

The Smell-Beast, as your brother called it, continues to make it's way down the path, though much more slowly than before. Mother call-coughs at it one more time before fixating her gaze at a strange, almost buried sand coloured pupil in the clear eye? on the beast's side. "YOU! You Diarrhetic Scum of the Eldest Tree-Beasts (sauropods)!" She squalls violently at the pupil, rattling the Gray Tree with a sudden lunge. Shiny lights fly as she leaps back from it, gaining some sort of response from the strange beast as the third pupil jostles in its socket.

"I know you had something to do with Alpha Odd's disappearance! I know it," she growls menacing, setting your scales to feeling like parasites crawl beneath them, at the retreating beast as it picks up speed. She races after it, jumping onto the rock formation and launching herself off it to almost getting over the top of the Gray Tree's highest branches and vines and just clinging to the top branch for a moment. "I know your scent, Brown Odd, we know your scent! The pack does not forget! Never forgets! Never forgives!"

Mother lets herself fall, landing crouched with teeth bared. She snarls at the absent Smell-Beast, before shaking off her frustration, anger, rage at it. She inhales through her nostrils and huffs the air back out shakily. She licks at the parts of her that made contact with the Gray Tree, before laying down. She seems to be containing herself, her body shivering from something. She call-coughs for you and your two siblings.

Choose Your Response

[X] Come down, warily.
[X] Come down. confidently.
[X] Call down to Mother, ask her what is going on.
-[X] Write-In What You Ask
[X] Write-In Response/Action

QM Note: Finally got this one out. I tried to get something interesting out here, but the story got away from me and I ended up introducing something else first. Oh well, what can you do. Muses do what muses will do. Hope that this intrigues you guys. Have fun speculating. Sorry if you guys don't think the music really fits. I have spent two hours looking for something that fits exactly. This is the closest I got without stealing songs I want to use in the relatively closing coming parts. Expect explanations soon.

Deadline is Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 6:00pm (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Two: Part 11
That Day

Soundtrack: Under the Stars from The Lion King

​

Warily watching Mother as she gathered herself, you climb down the tree first. Embracing the tree, you constantly have to watch over your shoulder as you clamber down the main body of the tree to lookout for any signs of danger. You chitter to yourself that everything was going to be just fine, that Mother probably just burst out in a fit of anger at the Smell-Beast because it's scent offended her or something. You purposely put out Mother's ramblings about a 'Brown Odd' because the pack always mentioned the Odd as being something beyond relative comprehension.

Most beings and creatures that the pack had encountered had some pattern, some understandable motive for the things they did. The Bulge-Crests (parasaurolophus), for example prefer to wander the clearings in the forest by the Tree Beasts (sauropods) for the greater range of sight and forewarning it gives them along with the room it grants them. The pack always warned you about how the Odd weren't that way though. The Odd would do something like take care of offspring not even their own kind, let alone their own kin, for little payback. The Odd were just that, odd.

Getting within a sibling's height of the ground, you unlatch yourself from the tree and leap down to the grass and ground below. Constantly twisting and turning your line of sight around, you cautiously meander over to Mother. Now that you are closer, it seems that she is embracing herself with shaking forelimbs while licking the bad-scented parts of her claws that grabbed the Gray Tree's limbs. The calls and songs of the birds and other animals once again fill the area with their cacophony while you can just barely make out the slow breathing of your siblings as they watch you get in the last Grown's length of Mother.

Letting go of caution, you cuddle up to Mother and peep in a tiny, too tiny for your liking, voice "Mother, are you alright?" Her softening eyes, so much better to look at now than the hardened things they were before while glaring at the Smell-Beast, rest on you and drink you in. "Yes, youngling, I am alright. I am fine," Mother twitters, before noticing your accusing gaze, "Truthfully, I am okay. I just did not expect to have to face that Odd again." Your siblings, now huddling alongside other parts of Mother as she looks up to the sky up above. Her gaze settles on a point behind the limbs and shadows of the trees and below the falling Sun. It is in the beginning the end of it's flight, you can tell from the colouring of the sky into colours beyond the blue of day and the black of night.

"Long before the pack took up their current self-words, long before the first hunt, and longer before the Miracle, the pack were hatchlings. As hatchlings, the pack were alone, not even a pack. We were just a clutch, a brood of sisters. We had no Mother, no Father, no Grown to watch over us and teach us our ways. Rather," Mother pauses for a moment and huffs, "rather than those things, we had Mother Mammal and Alpha Odd." Her arm twitches, and you push yourself beneath her to get into a comfortable spot to clean her wound. She purrs to you, content in being cared for by one of her own.

"Mother Mammal was the one to teach the brood, the pack that was not yet pack, Mother Mammal taught us much; the value of connectedness, the value of pack. She taught us the importance of hunting wisely, and loving, caring, for those belonging to you that are younger, weaker, more hurt than you. Mother Mammal was wise...for a mammal. Her mud brown eyes always warm," Mother's eyes glazed in remembrance of her caretaker from so long ago, "loving, and her tongue always ready to bath you even in the most dirty of states. Her fur, soft and warm, was curly in the way that mosses are after a steady rain and was useful for play. She was the friendliest creature the pack has ever known, she would have loved you three so much, my smart, playful hatchlings."

"OddFather, Alpha Odd, was Mother Mammal's opposite. He was stern, withdrawn, distant. He was the provider, and protector. Alpha Odd taught the pack how to hunt, kill, and how to be wise. He was wise beyond any other that I have ever known," Mother's purr deepened as your siblings' joined in on cleaning Mother's wounds. She smothered you for a moment in a lick of her own before continuing her tale, "He knew things we could not comprehend. OddFather knew the bad plants and not-fleshs (fruits/mushrooms) from the ones that were good to eat. He knew the rising and lowerings of the tides and planned out traps for the swimmers during the ocean's high tides. OddFather knew how to create the Killing-Light (fire) and how to pacify it's rage and eternal hunger."

"Together they raised us for the first months of the pack's lives. In those days, we wanted for nothing and feared nothing. We hunted because hunting was fun, not necessary for feeding. We played, fought, and were loved by our caretakers. Mother Mammal cleaned us daily, if not more, and played with us, while Alpha Odd brought us good food and taught us things that we would need to survive the years ahead," she paused in her memories and hissed softly, almost unnoticeably, at a remembered offender, offence...or at an agitated wound. It was hard to tell.

"The one blight of our lives back then was Brown Odd. He was an outsider to the pack, a cowardly, fear-scented being. He watched us often, and always at the most unwanted times. He and Odd Alpha argued plenty. They screeched and screamed and roared at one another at the worst of times. Brown Odd, was odd even by the accounts of other Odd the pack had seen and been around at the time," Mother chuffed at some remembered thing. You gave her a questioning look, as did your siblings. "You had to be there to understand," Mother explained, mostly to herself, "Brown Odd was always in white, while other odd Odd changed their loose-furs daily. Brown Odd also constantly prodded with his not-claws and pricked the pack with Thin-Claws (needles). He was an annoyance up until the seventh month of the pack's life."

Her eyes narrowed suddenly and hardened harshly, "Then came that day, so long ago. OddFather came to us, scenting of sadness. Mother Mammal was as confused as we were about why. She constantly nuzzled and prodded him questioningly that day in-between caring for us. At the time we were nearing Grown size, but she still took the time to play with us and bathe us despite her small stature and size in comparison to our own. She never cared about that, only about our well-being. Alpha Odd even joined in our play that day, which he did ever so rarely that it stunned us at first. Still, we enjoyed it. At the end of the day, OddFather let loose a salty scented drop of water from one of his eyes and ran a limb over each of our heads before leaving. That was the last we ever saw of him. He never came back to us again," Mother whined for a moment, her sadness taking over control for a moment.

"We scent him at times on the wind during patrol. The scent is never fresh though. The freshest scent was actually here, three years ago. The Odd erected the rock formation here at the time, and Father Alpha's scent was prominent at the time. So was Mother Mammal's...to be honest it still is. The pack found Mother Mammal's remains underneath all the stones, so her bones lay there even now," casting a look to said formation Mother chirruped at it, "First Male, who you knew as Seventh Sister, greets you Mother Mammal. He, who you knew as once she, takes the blame for not being present recently. He, who you knew as she, told me he would visit soon to pay respects to you and your guidance. Thank you."

Turning her gaze back to you, Mother finishes her rebelling of history, "Brown Odd was there that day, and he is to blame for everything. Brown Odd scented of happiness that day so long ago when OddFather left. Brown Odd, prodded us, and pricked us more and more often after he left, whistling a haunting song to us as he did. Then he started to slash us with a not-claw (knife) and take our blood. Brown Odd was not right, he was not natural. He was there the day our first siblings died of sickness in the place where we were once cared for. He moved us to the White Caves (labs), where everything was scentless and harsh. Then he released us to the unforgiving predators and Hunters of the forests and jungles. He chuffed and laughed as he watched us run from him," suddenly Mother chuffed loudly, "I gave him something to remember us by though, you can believe me on that. Brown Odd will pay, I will make sure of it."

Then Mother turned to us, to you, and asked, "Pebble-Male-Hatchling, Pebble-Female-Hatchling, Light Blue Gray-Male-Hatchling, would you go over and jostle free some of the rocks at the foot of the flat rock?" You wriggle yourself free and join your siblings in moving some of the lighter rocks away from the flat rock. Underneath some, you notice white stones. Small, oddly shaped from rock, they vary in size with some the size of your eye and other the size of your body. "We have done as you asked Mother," called Pebble Sister. Light Blue Gray Brother beat you to chirping, "There are only white rocks, stones, and pebbles here." Mother chuffed to herself before cawing, "Those are not stones, my young. Those are bones! Bones that the Odd did not place there. Since the pack found this place, we have tasked ourselves with taking parts of our dead here. Just as the pack are one in life, we hope that by bringing our dead together that we may be together in death."

You sniff at the bones, and distantly scent those pack members who have gone before you and whistle softly to them, "I will remember you. You will not be forgotten in my time, even if I never knew you." You can hear your two siblings make similar promises, having been impacted by the pack's teachings just as much as you have. You three say your good-byes to your forerunners and join Mother once more as she begins the journey back to the kill clearing and from there home. It does not take long to get there. When the pack saw her wounds they fussed over her and questioned her and she tells them what had happened. On the way back to the Nesting Clearing, you hear the hoot-calls of the Two-Crested (real life dilos). They seem close, but not anywhere close enough to threaten the safety of the pack. You fall asleep under the watchful gaze of the pack sentries and the rising of the star as they pop into the sky above.

Choose What to Do

[X] Play with Pebble Sister's Group
[X] Play with Light Blue Gray Brother's Group
[X] Write-In Option

QM Note: Long chapter done. Hope this makes up for the shortness of the recent parts. Yay Backstory! Talk about what confuses you and what you like. Hope I rattled a few cages out there. More for you guys to explore when the hurricane hits... Oh and Side Quest unlocked: Hunt Brown Odd! Just letting you know. If you guys find errors of any kind, just let me know. I appreciate anything you guys give me.

Roll:
Smugraptor rolled a 12 - Event Encounter (Dilophosaurus)

Deadline: Saturday August 15, 2015 at 4:00pm (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Three: Part 1
Eight Days Later

Soundtrack: Morning Over the Serengeti from the Best of African Tribal Orchestra Music
Go Buy It Today!... Well, only if you like this type of music like I do.
​

You awake to the arrival of the stars in the sky. It has been eight days since Mother revealed her...rivalry? with the Odd known to the pack as Brown Odd. In the days and nights following that incident, she has recovered from the biting/stinging that the Gray Tree and the Gray Vines gave her. The markings that resulted from the contact she made with it are almost gone, and she has regained enough to go on the hunt with Father and the rest of the pack.

Slack-Jaw often over watches you and your siblings when they do go on the hunt through the forests, woods, clearings, and jungles that make up the pack's territory. In the days since the Smell-Beast (car), as you and your trio took to calling whatever that thing was, there have been four hunts. Of those four hunts, only two were successful in ending with a kill that was kept by the pack. The third successful kill, in the sense of success not time, was stolen by a Two-Crested (real life dilo) pack soon after the actual killing. The fourth hunt, and most recent having only occurred the day before, ended in failure when a Two-Claw (Rex) hunting pair overtook the startled herd of Round-Heads (Corythosaurus).

The pack was hungry currently, but that hadn't stopped you from having fun with your siblings. Most of the last eight days had been spent playing games with Light Blue Gray Brother. Games of Chase, Hide and Hunt, Tree Jump, Play Fight were amongst the varieties of games that had been enjoyed by the both of you. You two were both still tied for wins in Play Fights, infuriating enough, and somehow Stone Sister managed to always be nearby when you lost. You really do not like that fact. Still, it was all fun and games for you and the rest of your brood as of late. No further adventures outside the Nesting Clearing, no journeys to the river or kill sites, no nothing.

Well, that was not exactly true. Mother had taken to bringing small groups of three out to the Gray Tree with her when she was not on patrol or hunting. She did so at least once a day, at first, when the incident was still fresh in mind. She told those groups of brothers and sisters of the Two Who Came Before, of Mother Mammal and Alpha Odd, and her...dislike of Brown Odd. By now, all of the brood has been told about the Two Who Came Before and Brown Odd. Brown Odd now was a strong enemy in the games of Pretend that were played.

You quickly shake off the sleepiness and the weird moment of recollection that typically played itself out whenever you awoke, you blame the Gaping-Jaws (deinosuchus) and your recent need of reassurance you gained for these odd moments. Taking in your surroundings, you notice that the first one awake. You can already feel the temptation to wake up everyone in the pack.

What Are You Going To Do? Choose One.

[X] Wake Up a Sibling
-[x] Write-In Who
[X] Explore the Clearing's Trees
[X] Wake Up a Grown
-[x] Write-In Who
[X] Explore the Clearing's Nests
[X] Wake Up some Siblings
-[x] Write-In Who
[X] Explore the Edges of the Clearing
[X] Wake Up some Grown
-[x] Write-In Who
[X] Explore Just Outside the Clearing
[X] Wake Up the Entire Pack

QM Note: Sorry that this chapter is so short. I wanted to advance things further, and Timeskip seemed to be the best option, but I don't really know how to write those really well. Hope you guys think the music fits in the same way I do. Can you guys tell me how I am doing so far in this quest, it is my first time writing a quest and I just want to know how I am doing. If you notice any errors, grammatical or otherwise, just let me know.

Anyways, ignoring my self-doubts as a writer, I have a roll I can already tell you guys I have need for. The roll is a 1d20 and is a random event roll. Don't worry too much about results, random event rolls are just things I put in to create future plot twists/advancements/etc. I decide randomly when I feel like they should occur, so don't worry about them coming up too often. More rolls incoming for the next chapter so expect them to show up sometime Thursday or Friday.

Deadline: Thursday, August 20th, 2015 at 5:00pm (EST).

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter 3 Part 2
Stargazing 1

Soundtrack: Brand X Music, Heart of Africa
​

Your mind and eyes linger on the pack huddle, before twitching to the alert sentries at opposing ends of the clearing. Both females, one Scar-Snout and the other Slack-Jaw, take note of your state of awareness and quietly whistle a good moon rise. You whistle them a similar greeting, before turning your attention back to the sleeping pack. It would be so easy to wake up any one of them, Mother, Father, Light Blue Gray Brother, Pebble Sister, anyone of them. It is so tempting to, for various reasons...but you decide not to do so in the end. You feel like it might be more Grown-like not to do something like that, no matter how tempting.

Shaking off the temptation, you turn your gaze to the trees. The shadows they cast darken and block the great majority of what you could see of the Moon and the stars. You dig your claw into the soil and vegetation and search yourself for other things to do while you wait for someone else to wake up. It doesn't take long for you to give up on that and just head to the nearest tree trunk though.

As you clamber up, you reflect on the feeling that you get from watching the stars. The strange sense of smallness that, while present most of the time around the Grown, is only magnified and truly brought to the forefront of your mind when you look up at those that dwell in the sky. The stars just seem to demand this, this sense of respect when you look up at them. They seem to hold stories that you could only imagine slowly circling and traversing the paths up high. You are sure, somehow, that Those That Came Before may have had things they could have told you about the Helpers.

When you speak of this, most times the Grown gain some sort of look in their eyes. Mother is the one who, you have noticed after several occurrences of this phenomenon, to be the most affected by whatever is happening. Still, the Grown are the ones that generally accept this odd fascination the most generously overall. Your siblings cover a wide range of different responses with the oldest two, Silver Sister and Bright Dark Gray Sister, being the most mocking. Light Blue Gray Brother doesn't really understand your fascination with the Helpers either, but accepts it as just part of what makes you, yourself, part of what makes you Pebble Brother.

The only one who truly understands seems to be Gray Sister. During the nights when you are both the only siblings awake, the sentries don't really count since they are so busy, you two will just stare into the ether where the stars tread. Sometimes, she will tell you stories she makes up about the stars. The Lone One, whom nevers moves, is probably your favourite of the stories she has told. She works on them, her stories anyways, often and is what you have figured she spends most of her time on.

You drop the line of thought as you reach the higher branches that still support you. In your early days, you could reach the tops of the trees but not anymore. Your weight and size limit you in where in the trees you can go, but not so much as to eliminate the better spots for Helper watching. Creating a mental path of branches that still support you, you hop and fiddle your way along to your preferred watching spot.

Your favourite star watching spot is a point high in the trees where two thick branches intercept each other. You found that you can more easily lounge onto one of the two branches on your belly and use the other to angle your snout just right for comfortable Helper observation. As you carefully position yourself, just because it is a comfy spot doesn't mean it is easy or the safest spot, you get ready to lose yourself amongst random thoughts and the stars in the sky.

You do lose yourself, quite readily, for a stretch of time you cannot really tell. The stars lazily floated down their set paths, but you are not experienced enough in their ways to tell time by them. You are only brought out of your introspection by a voice chittering below.

What Do You Do?

[X] Write-In Option

QM Note: Alright, I apologize for the lateness of this part. Things happened and it got delayed. Oh well, things happen. Hope that you guys like this filler. The rolls from before will be revealed!...In the next part or parts. I'm not exactly going to reveal the 1d20 because it is a Random Event roll and I like to keep those close to my vest, so to speak. Trollololol.

Anyways, next week is busy for me. Just letting you know. I won't have any electronic access from Thursday to Saturday so don't expect updates then. I will be camping, tents, fires, s'mores, the works. Hopefully, it will inspire me more. Stars, you know. I tried to get what I feel when I stargaze into here FYI, hopefully I did it justice while leaving in enough vagueness for what you guys experience too.

Deadline is Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 6:00pm (EST).

Edit: Sorry about the shortness of the part and forgetting to put up the deadline....again.

 

[AnimalKrazed]

Chapter Three: Part Three
Silent Speaking

Soundtrack: Malawi Moonlight
​

You carefully lift yourself up from the belly down position your star watching branch forces you to use and cautiously skitter your way closer to the ground. You take advantage of the high ground that the branches afford you to observe what is going on below you. Through the leaves and branches that get in the way, you can make out Blue Gray Sister slowly walking over to Scar-Snout. Slack Jaw, you notice as you cautiously observe from above, is either pretending not to notice the interaction between the two or too focused on sentry to notice.

The chittering you heard before, you can now understand. Blue Gray Sister slowly curls herself in between Scar-Snout's forelimbs before looking up past the scar of the Grown's jaw and into one of her eyes. Slowly, she communicates something through the Silent Talk the Grown use when they want to be quiet. You blink, startled. You hadn't thought that any of your siblings had learned how to use Silent Talk that well yet. It was a tough language to learn and use effectively, using only postures, inside scents, movements, and other things to communicate a broad variety of things without alerting others vocally of the conversation. You, yourself, only had managed to communicate by Silent Talk several rough phrases and words and you were the fifth best speaker of your brood with it. Apparently Blue Gray Sister had taken to it much better than any of your siblings knew.

Snapping back your attention to what was going on below, you watch the caring Grown commune softly, quietly with your sister. You feel nostalgic happiness swell tenderly in your chest as you watch them, and thank the stars for gifting you with your pack. You huff slowly through your nostrils as you watch the two, trying not to disturb them. You blink in surprise, muscles in your body tensing and slacking quickly, when Scar-Snout raises her face and blinks one eye at you before returning to tending to your sister. You sigh to yourself as you realize that your stalking and hiding skills need more work.

A softened caw for attention from Slack Jaw catches your, as well as Scar-Snout's attention. Slack Jaw says something in Silent Talk that goes over your ability to interpret, but Scar-Jaw understands well. Slack Jaw then communicates a gesture in Silent Talk you do understand, something that all your siblings know well. After all, in an emergency, 'Come over here,' is a vital phrase that could save your life. You leave your hiding branch and create a mental path down to the ground from your tree.

It doesn't take long to leave bark of the trees and branches behind and embrace the softness of the grass and dirt of the ground. You lope over to Slack Jaw, and snuggle into her breast. You listen to the steady beating inside her, louder now than any Striking-Light (lightening) you have ever heard. You take in her scent, so familiar and comforting. The scent of pack, the scent of safety, the scent of home. The beating lulls you back to a time that feels so long ago now it feels almost not real. You mentally shake it off, alongside the sneaky sleep that came with the nostalgia.

Slack Jaw watches you all the while, with one eye and half a mind. Every other part of her is still on watch, protecting the pack. A snap of a branch in the far distance and all of her is back on duty, leaving you in mentally alone. You do your best to communicate a 'Thank You' in the Silent Talk, but her sudden chuff makes you think you messed up somehow.

It is sometime later, not too long, that Slack Jaw takes a portion of herself off sentry duty and focuses that portion on you. It is only her voice that comes back to you, the rest of her is physically and mentally still on duty. It shouldn't be long before two of the other Grown wake to grant Slack Jaw and Scar-Snout rest, but till then she doesn't have anything to do but mind you. She explains this to you slowly and softly, in almost silent whistles and chitters. You envy Blue Gray Sister's ability to understand Silent Talk for a moment, realizing the utility of the language even in social life now, before resolving to fix that yourself. Slack Jaw offers a storytelling to you, and you grasp for it immediately. You want to know more about...

Pick One
[X] The Missing Hatchlings
[X] The First Hunt
[X] The Other Packs
[X] OddFather and Mother Mammal
[X] The Ones Before

QM Note: Hey guys, long time no see. Sorry I took so long to get this one out and for the shortness of the actual part. I have been BUSY the last month and a bit. First here was a camping trip, then packing for university, then homework and essays! Who assigns essays in the first month of school! University that's who. Ugh, sorry about the impromptu rant but I have wanted to get this done so much. Anyways, I am neglecting another essay to get this out for you guys. I won't be as quick with updates for the next while cause of school but they will come, promise. I will try for once a week or something like that.

Anyways, Interlude Time! Oh, do you guys want a worldbuild File to make up for the long time absence? I can make one of those right quick tomorrow after I put some work into homework and everything. As per usual, if you notice any spelling/grammar errors let me now.

Deadline for Vote is October 2nd 2015. That is to say this coming Friday at 6:00pm (EST).

Rolls:
Lazurman rolled a 9 = Sibling Encounter
RandomLurker rolled a 8 = Blue Gray Sister

 

[AnimalKrazed]

InGen File: Compsognathus​

Codenamed DF.05: The third of small [REDACTED] specimens to undergo the de-extinction process, these specimens have two nicknames. The first nickname comes from the scientists and trainers in the labs who called these species Project Dumpster, after the original janitorial purpose the specimen was recreated for. The second, and more commonly used nickname, originates from the park rangers and tour guides who call them Compies. This shortening has been claimed to have been for the purpose of quicker reaction time amongst the Rangers and tour guides due to the species agile nature.

Doctor [REDACTED] worked on these specimens for the longest time personally, due to the more delicate nature the ancient genetic inside of the amber. Doctor [REDACTED] claims to find these specimens to be amongst his favourites due to how much work he put in, as well as due to the versatile nature of their diet, behaviour, and the overall ease of which they can be cared. [REDACTED INFO] [REDACTED INFO] [REDACTED INFO]. Doctor [REDACTED] is currently in the act of [REDACTED] for training of these specimens to see if they have further potential use.

Specimens of DF.05 on [REDACTED] were originally designed to be the primary recyclers of waste products and remains of [REDACTED] larger inhabitants. In reality, while they play to their intended part, they have a tendency to supplement their diet with whatever they can find. Invertabrates, small bones, berries, fruits, small vertebrates, anything a DF.05 can catch they will devour or attempt to. It isn't currently known what allows DF.05 to digest the majority of what they eat, considering that their genetic sequence hinted at a more restricted diet, but it is assumed the [REDACTED] that allows for the act of de-extinction was involved.

Under normal circumstances, DF.05 specimens go for prey that ranges in size from bugs to rodents to some New World primates. Dung appears to play the part of a supplement for the DF.05 specimens and a potential nesting material when dried. Insects, rodents, arachnids, and other species already native to [REDACTED] take care of whatever is left behind of these leavings. It has been noted that, despite constant predation by released inhabitants, insects, rodents, and other small species native to [REDACTED] have been thriving.

From what has been observed so far, DF.05 specimens will occasionally hunt prey above their normal size range, such as deer, en-mass when the leader of their flock so decides. While this does indicate a potential danger to humans, the DF.05 specimen is still labeled as Green for danger potential. [REDACTED] is currently in the process of advocating for a change i this classification. Some members of DF.05 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.

Leaders 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. Normal members of the flock are a mottled light green that blends into most vegetation. Currently, DF.05 are the only carnivous species of [REDACTED] allowed to roam free range without observation check-ups, shock implants, shock fences, and/or other various means of control. Ranger [REDACTED] is currently in the process of [REDACTED] for [REDACTED] to make sure no DF.05 gets off the island.

Specimens of DF.05 species type have a tendency for living in flocks of approximately twenty to thirty members. Rumours of larger flocks have been observed, but no actual information on such flocks exists as of this time. On [REDACTED] there are [REDACTED] main flocks of these animals, with several smaller flocks spread out throughout the island, with an overall population of three hundred and fourty-seven surviving members as of the last population check. They are primarily diurnal with some crepuscular leanings.

QM Note: Okay here is the first dinosaurian InGen File I have made up for you guys. I apologize that it is on the Compies, but you know how muses flow. The other InGen File, the not dino one, I said was possible is also typed up and ready for posting. If you guys want it, just ask for it. Remember to get your votes in before tomorrow so you don't get left behind.