Allo Attack Part 7

Walking into the healers, C'xoila was surprised to see Fer'dri sitting next to an injured Utahraptor. "Fer'dri!" C'xoila cried as he entered the healers. "Me thought you's dead!"

"No, MistReaver rescued me from Azonthus," Fer'dri said. When he glanced at Charanix, he saw Azonthus draped over the ceratopsians back. "What are you doing? She's a traitor! She was going to betray you to the Allosaurs."

"No, she frien. Not mean ta hurt anyone…" C'xoila said, choking.

MistReaver, who had up to this point lain silent resting looked for the Deinonych she had saved. Seeing a similar looking Deinonych pulling an injured Azonthus off Charanix she yelled, "No! What are you doing! She shouldn't be here!" The Utahraptor was sitting up and very distraught and began coughing again.

Malachy, the Troodon healer, rushed into the room. Gently pushing Mist back into the round bed he urged her to calm down. "Please, lady, you must stay calm! If you start getting worked up your lungs will start bleeding again."

Slowly, the coughing stopped and Mist was able to talk again, "Don't you realize!? She had betrayed you!" MistReaver suffered another coughing fit. "She doesn't deserve to be helped!" She growled with vehemence.

"No!" cried C'xoila, "Ya got it wrong! Was trick by allos! Herak made look like she traitor! "

Before MistReaver could reply, Malachy directed C'xoila to place Azonthus in one of the beds. Once he had checked her head wound, the healer declared, "It is only a concussion. She should be fine in a few weeks if she gets plenty of rest."

"I can't believe you believe her!" interrupted MistReaver.

"Not her. Herak say she friend," retorted C'xoila.

"Ha!" laughed the Utahraptor, "You believed your enemy? Over what your own eyes could see? You are a foolish raptor!"

C'xoila shuddered at the echoing of Herak's words.

Mist glared at the deinonych. He was so similar to the younger one she has nearly lost her life to save from the wretched Azonthus. And now this raptor dare bring her back? Outraged, she growled at him again.

"You don't listen do you? She is a traitor! She wanted to kill you…kill him," she said motioning to Fer'dri, who was looking somewhat confused as he gazed at his brother.

"She speaks the truth, C'xoila," he said. "Az was ready to kill me. She would have easily tried to kill you as well."

With a grim smile of satisfaction, MistReaver lay back on her round bed, breathing evenly. Everyone turned back to the bed, C'xoila still trying to convince the others of Az's true motives. "You so bitter." he said looking at the dark raptor. "Speak with anger."

"I have all reasons to be angry!! And I speak the truth!" MistReaver roared. Malachy quieted her instantly as she started coughing. "This blood I shed was because of her! The life I barely cling to was nearly lost because of her treachery! And you dare question why I am angry?" she spat. Curling in on herself, Mist quieted down. "Was friend once. Knew her when she was in the Basin. Never like this, never would let anyone she cared about down." She sighed deeply. "But time changes us all." With a pained look she gazed at the prone red raptor on the table. "Some for the worse I suppose." The whole room seemed solemn now, C'xoila no longer seemed to want to engage in his heated discussion with the utahraptor, and the others in the room left looking reflective. With a great sadness now, instead of anger, Mist lowered her head again and gazed at the floor, as Malachy turned his attention back to settling Azonthus down for her long recovery.

Saar was pacing around the main room of the library. Herak had left the night before to make sure that the velociraptor had hidden the deinonych properly. He hadn't come back yet.

Now another day was drawing to a close and the Allos were wondering what to do without their leader. Herak had ordered them for so long that they didn't know what to do with themselves with out him.

Darkwing had scouted the city without success. Saar had sent him out a second time to carry a message to all the allosaurs in the city: return to the library. Now that all were here, they were trying to figure out what to do.

Saar stopped pacing and looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, as if finally coming to a decision, calmly looked each of the saurians present in the eye. An eerie silence filled the room. "I will take leadership of the clan," she declared.

There was an instant uproar. Who was she to say that Herak wouldn't return? He had only been gone for a day.

"Let me make myself clear!" she roared. The angry growlings and mutterings gradually died down. "If Herak dose not return by the end of a third sunrise, I will assume command."

Many of the allos were for Herak, but an equal amount was against her. The pack deliberated late into the night and finally emerged with a decision; if Herak did not return by a third sunrise, Saar would become the new leader of the allosaurs.

Azonthus lay in the infirmary unmoving. It had been two days since C'xoila had brought her there. Malachy was puzzled that she had not awakened the previous day. Her injury was not serious enough to induce a coma or even an extended period of unconsciousness. She should have woken up yesterday…

Azonthus was in a green field. The feel of the bow in her clawed hand was familiar, natural. She could feel the strength and tenseness of the string as she pulled it back. Exhaling as she released the arrow sent it on a straight path to the center of the target.

"Good. Now you can remove the blindfold," Battleblood praised.

Removing the blindfold, Az saw her arrow quivering in the center of an inch wide circle that had been painted on a tree.

"When you take in your surroundings, feel the equipment in your hands, you can breath deep and find your target. Always find the still place in you before you shoot. Then you are unstoppable."

Az flushed with pride that she had hit the target so accurately without even seeing it. She didn't know how long she spent in the presence of her brother, but she was happy. He had always been there to train and teach her. It was like the days before the hunters had attacked, had ruined and destroyed everything precious and dear to her.

"I'm sorry," Malachy said, "but I think she no longer has the will to live. I believe that she may have retreated to a happier time in her mind. It is a common mental defense against emotional pain. All we can do is wait..."

Atero, who had been scouting out the city on Talon's back, realized that there were very few left, at least outside. By the wind of mouth he found out what had happened two nights ago between Herak, Azonthus, and C'xoila. He hurried over to where Malachy was treating Azonthus, and found what he didn't want to find; bad news.

Malachy explained how Azonthus may have had no more will to live, and may have taken her life solely into her mind.

Atero's eyebrows furrowed as he put his face into his hand and started to mutter, "...No more will to live, where have I heard that before...yes, the healers...Treetown...Malachy, I think I know how to help."

"I may know how to help," Atero said when Malachy explained Azonthus' condition.

"Okay, how?" Malachy replied.

"When I was in Treetown, I heard one of the healers talking about a salve that would awaken a human or a saurian, like Azonthus, that had no will to live; that simply did not want to live his or her real, natural life. I went over to ask them how it was made, and it is Longevus salve with waters of the Polongo, Longevus leaves gathered by a friend, and scents from an activity that the real life would give him or her. One of Az's is hunting in the Rainy Basin, so I would imagine to add something that smelled like either prey, her brother, Two-Talon, or the Basin itself. But I must go now, before the allosaurs regroup." He set off out of the building, then stopped at the door and asked, "Malachy, I assume all Mistreaver's and Azonthus' wounds are healed?"

"All but the emotional ones, which I cannot help," he replied, and at this, Atero left.

Atero had no trouble getting out of the city or into the Basin. Two-Talon gave Atero some of his blood, which Azonthus knew only too well.

"Thank you, Two-Talon," Atero said as he mounted his skybax partner's saddle.

"You are much welcome, Atero," Two-Talon replied.

Getting out of the Basin Atero ran into trouble. A group of Allosaurs had retreated back to the Basin, and caught Atero and Talon on the way out. The skybax had a hard time trying to lose them with Atero fussing with ropes trying to trick the Allosaurs into not rampaging back towards the City. But they finally lost the carnosaurs, and headed back to the City.

"Atero," Malachy said when he entered the Healer's building, "I'm glad you're back. C'xoila gathered the leaves and the water, and Azonthus' bow and cape."

"Thank you, C'xoila," Atero said gratefully.

"Yous welcome," C'xoila replied.

Atero went to work with the salve, and had it prepared quickly. "Now, as I remember, the salve is applied in the front of the neck and above the eyes. Malachy, could you help?" Malachy lifted up Azonthus' head, and Atero applied the salve. "Now, it's not immediate, it takes from hours to a day, as I remember the healers telling me, so all we can do is wait."

A few hours later, Azonthus started stirring. "Don't disturb her yet," Atero said. "When she opens her eyes, then we know she's okay. She has come back from her mind's comfort, and is now probably dreaming about C'xoila attacking her." C'xoila let out a cry of pain when he heard this. "She'll wake up when she's ready."

Three more hours passed, and Azonthus finally opened her eyes. "'Z-z-zonthus? 'Zonthus, you okay?" C'xoila stammered as she sat up on the bed.

"Yes, yes, I'm all right..." she said sadly.

"'Zonthus, me sorry! Me very sorry! Me never mean to hurt yous!" C'xoila exclaimed.

"It's okay, C'xoila. Right now I would like to rest," Azonthus finished.

"Thank you, Atero," Malachy said. "You may have saved her life."

"You are welcome, but I must go. There are people waiting for me at the library. Breath deep."

"Seek peace," Malachy finished. Goodbye, Atero, may our paths cross again."

Atero left with Talon to check with his friends at the Library. He told them that the Allosaurs looked like they were gone, but to keep on a look out. "Jantos, take everyone to Sauropolis with the Galley, and find Nalab. He probably went to Sauropolis to get help. Now that I know you're all safe, I can go check back on Az and not feel guilty, bye!" he finished as he mounted Talon's saddle and took off toward the healer's building.

Just after Atero came back, Azonthus came fully awake. She was confused about her surroundings, but she definitely recognized her friend MistReaver in the bed next to her and C'xoila napping in a chair. "Hey? What happened?" she asked.

"You nearly killed me and two other raptors, that's what!" Mist growled from her nestbed.

Azonthus was confused. Nearly killed one of her friends? She would never do that if she could help it. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything like that."

"Yes you did," she growled, the hatred clear in her voice. "You are a traitor and a liar. How could you ever side with allosaurs?"

"Hey!" Atero came back. "She's not like that. I've known Az for a long time and she would never side with killers. Why don't you just leave her alone?"

Az sat quietly and tried to recall what had happened while Mist and Atero argued. She was horrified when her memory came back full force. "NO! You don't understand! Please you have to listen to me." The two would not listen to her.

"You don't understand!!!! SHE NEARLY KILLED ME!!" MistReaver roared as Atero was about to start again on how Az would never do such a thing.

"Um, how about no? Listen, raptor, I have known Az longer than you have." At this Mist got very frustrated and despite her injury launched herself at the unsuspecting Atero and flattened him against the ground. With her full weight on him, he couldn't move. Her sickle claws flexed very near his ribs as she thrust her snout in his face and growled in frustration.

"You not know her longer than I. I lived in the Basin all my life. I am a warrior, and you dare not oppose me. I am not a violent raptor by nature, but when someone speaks wrongly against me, when my life was in danger, and when I nearly died to save another, I get a little annoyed." At this she stepped off Atero, leaving him out of breath, and still on the floor. She slowly walked back to her nestbed, with a reproachful glare at Azonthus, and settled herself down again while everyone in the room just stared, unable to think of anything to say.

"Maybe not, but I still know her better than you do. If you truly think she is a traitor, and you are strong enough to attack me, why don't you just kill her? You don't truly think she's a traitor, do you?" Atero laughed "I even know you better than you do."

At this Mist's eyes silted. She snarled with her upper lip raising to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Slowly she raised herself to her haunches and jumped off her bed to land right in front of Atero. Staggering slightly as she landed, she grabbed the young skybax rider by the shirt and pulled him to his feet. Her eyes seemed glazed over as she stared at Atero, an icy stare that made the skybax apprentice shiver despite himself.

"Just because she is a traitor doesn't necessarily mean I am in the right to kill her. It would be a loss to her friends, family, and yes, even me. She was a friend a one time, and though she tried to kill me I am not one to kill over the mistake of one. If she had truly killed Fer'dri, it would be different. But killing is never the answer to anything." With this she turned to face Azonthus who was still watching the two of them, not knowing how to interrupt. "Her knowledge of how she almost killed both of us is torture enough. Anguish of the mind is stronger then pain of the flesh." With this Mist let go of Atero and stepped back a few feet, her eyes still keenly fixed on him as he stumbled after being released.

"She isn't a traitor. You know it, I know it. Everyone in this room knows it. If you aren't in the right to attack her for siding with the Allosaurs, which, may I remind you, she did not, what makes you in the right to attack me for saying I've known her longer than you have?" He paused. "She had her reasons. I can't read your mind, but by your actions, I have to say that you don't. Lets leave it at that."

MistReaver jumped at him, but seeing this, he rolled under her and sprinted out the door. "What makes you in the right?" he asked simply as he leapt onto Talon's saddle and took off.

Talon cocked his head to look at Atero, giving him a "What was that all about?" look.

"MistReaver is being angry towards Azonthus and attacking me. I know she won't try and attack Az; I'm just waiting for her to calm down."

When Atero arrived at the roof of the Great Library and informed those there that the Allosaurs looked like they were gone but to keep on a lookout, a collective sigh of relief was given. Mathaira heard part of the conversation between Atero and the Sky Galley pilot, "Jantos, take everyone to Sauropolis with the Galley..." As the two finished their conversation, the group watched as Atero mounted Talon's saddle and took off toward another area of Waterfall City.

While the others made their plans, the three hatchery workers were busy discussing plans of their own: During their time on the roof, they had used this time to contemplate and discuss among themselves relocating their homes to Bonabba rather than the Romano hatchery, where they were currently based. They felt that by working out of the Bonabba hatchery rather than the Romano hatchery that they would be in a more centralized part of the island to provide their services, due to the fact that they were traveling hatchery workers and their need to journey to various parts of Dinotopia in their line of work.

It was agreed between the partner-friends that they would make the move to Bonabba, set up their pod home and travel from there to Greyback's clan in the Rainy Basin in answer to the scroll he had sent to them during the height of the Allosaur attack on Waterfall City.

Mathaira approached Jantos, "We won't be traveling with the rest of you to Sauropolis, but will be headed to Bonabba and then into the Rainy Basin."

Graciously, Jantos offered, "Gotta git ta Saurop'lis 'n find Nallab, but I will take ya in the Galley as close to Bonabba as I can."

"Thank you," Mathaira voiced her gratitude.

With that, the entire group began making preparations for the Galley's takeoff. As they did their part to help, Mathaira, Maia, and Thistlebud anticipated the move to their new home and their trip to the Rainy Basin. In spite of the unpleasant situation which had brought them together with those in the Sky Galley, each of the hatchery workers silently each gave thanks for the new friends that they had made in Waterfall City and hoped that they would meet with them again.

Azonthus had been quiet long enough. When Atero left, she started to explain what had happened. The fight between MistReaver and Atero had wakened C'xoila, so Az wouldn't have to explain herself twice.

"Please, don't interrupt me. I have to get through this and if you interrupt me, I won't be able to," Azonthus said.

The two larger raptors agreed.

Her head was pounding and she wasn't even sure of what she would say. Ignoring the headache Azonthus continued. "MistReaver, I am not a traitor. I switched sides to save C'xoila, not to kill him." Mist looked incredulously at her onetime friend. It was obvious that Az was lying. "No, I'm not lying," she then proceeded to relate all that had happened from the time she had left the healers that Boojinko was at to the fight with C'xoila. "C'xoila attacking me is the last thing I remember. He'll have to fill in what happened afterward." The sick velociraptor put her claws to her head. Her head was throbbing right behind her eyes and she could hardly see.

Though MistReaver seemed ready to believe her, she just couldn't. She had seen Az with the bound Fer'dri and Herak. When the allo had attacked her, the raptor had done nothing to save her Basin friend. How could Az say that she was not a traitor?

Malachy walked in, carrying a cup of thick pinkish liquid. "That's quite enough arguing. I'll not have my patients getting themselves worked up when they need to be resting." After checking her eyes and seeing that her pupils were still different sizes, he handed Azonthus the glass and ordered her to drink.

She complied and took the liquid. It was a sickeningly sweet and the taste stayed in her mouth, but she didn't have to worry about a bad taste for long. Before Az had even finished drinking the concoction she fell back in the bed, sound asleep.

Malachy had left, and C'xoila had gone with him to check on something. MistReaver had relaxed now that her onetime friend was no longer awake to insist that she was not a traitor. It puzzled her about Az's motives. Az had switched to save C'xoila's life, but had ended up almost getting his brother killed in the process. Was she so desperate to save one life that she lost site of other lives? She closed her eyes in contemplation.

"No!" The scream made Mist look over at Azonthus. The velociraptor was apparently talking in her sleep. "They don't trust me. It's not my fault. I didn't want it to happen like this." The raptor stopped, as if listening to someone. "I know I harmed an innocent person. He didn't do anything to deserve what I did to him, but I needed to end the Allos rampage. They were destroying the city!"

MistReaver didn't want to listen to her friends dream, but she couldn't help herself. C'xoila re-entered the room and she motioned for him to be silent.

"I understand. Perhaps I should return to the Basin. All that I have done is only worthy of a Basin predator, not a civilized raptor."

Then, Azonthus was quiet for several minutes. Her friends watched her in silence. "She was telling the truth," MistReaver whispered. "She really was trying to save you and the city."

C'xoila nodded. "Me know," he whispered back.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Azonthus was screaming. Tossing and turning, her speech soon turned to crazed mumblings. It was obvious to her friends that her dream had turned to a nightmare. "You can't have him!" she yelled, and then growing softer and softer, she repeated, "No…no…no…no." Tossing around she almost fell out of the nestbed.

"Wake up," C'xoila started shaking her. MistReaver got up and walked to the other side of the bed and joined in C'xoila's efforts to awaken the distressed raptor.

Azonthus' eyes flew open and she bolted upright. Placing a claw to her head, she tried to ease the pain of the headache that seemed to be pounding her brain to mush. Though her friends tried to talk to her she merely lay back down and buried her head under the pillow, ignoring their pleadings for the time.

Mist was distressed to see her friend in such anguish. She had been right, Az had her reasons for what she did. She still was the raptor she knew from the Basin. But she wouldn't answer her pleas to talk to her.

"Come on Az! Please!" the dark raptor begged. She shook Azonthus and finally gave up. She turned to C'xoila on the other side of the bed who sadly shook his head. Her jaw trembled as MistReaver sat back and watched her friend lying with her head buried in the bedding.

Closing her eyes and turning away, Mist sighed heavily and waited for what only one could hope would be Az's recovery from the shock of nearly killing her friends.

Those in the healer's building looked on with little hope. Azonthus refused to turn to the pleadings of C'xoila and MistReaver. Fer'dri sat in the back of the room, wanting to help but unsure of what to do. Charanix shook his massive head sadly, while Aravis rested a hand on his back. Neither she nor Kael had that much experience with Basin raptors, and could only look on sadly as their friend refused to face reality.

C'xoila went to put a hand on Azonthus to shake her out of her misery. Suddenly her head snapped up and her eyes were ablaze. She snapped viciously as the deinonych's hand, and only C'xoila's reflexes kept him from receiving a nasty gash. Shocked, he stumbled back from the nest bed where the velo lay. Malachy rushed foreword and pushing MistReaver aside, craned his long neck to look at Az. She half rose snarling, and suddenly stopped. The fire left her eyes and she slumped back into the bed. She started to speak, and her voice was choked.

"I can't stay here, I'm too dangerous." Turning her head to look at all in the room, she continued. "I nearly killed you...and you..." and stiffling a cry she turned to C'xoila. "I'm sorry, I had no idea what happened. But it's not safe for saurians to be around me anymore. I'm not a civilized raptor, and can't stay here." With a deep sadness in her eyes, Azonthus ignored the cries of those in the room. She jumped to the floor and sprinted out the door.

Mist vaulted over the nestbed to follow the distressed raptor outside, followed closely by C'xoila and Fer'dri. Reaching the outside, the three of them looked around not seeing any sign of Azonthus. Leaping to the rooftops, Mist caught site of the smaller, much faster raptor making her way to the other side of the falls. Looking back down at the expectant faces on the ground, the dark utah simply shook her head. Kael and Aravis walked out of the healers, followed by Char and a worried Malachy.

"She's not coming back, is she?" someone asked. The dull roar of the falls was all that was heard as the silence answered the obvious question. Azonthus couldn't trust herself, and had returned to the Basin. No one could change that, and all they could hope was she'd sort things out for herself. But it was obvious she wouldn't return.

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