Awakening in the Jungle 4

One by one Kaz watched her friends make their way into the jungle. Jai took off and circled lazily, stretching his wings and testing the air currents. Kaz took the water bottle from the ground and splashed water onto her face hoping that it would wake her up a bit, muttering under her breath..."All I ask is a couple of nights at home. Half the time when I am there I feel like a guest and have to ask Elayne where everything is..."

The sound of branches breaking cut off her mumbling and she turned to follow the path that Cyrrus and the others had taken. Putting on her best smile she knew that it would do no good to annoy her friends. It wasn't as if it was their fault.

Soon she could see what they could and she gasped at the sight of the skybax laying on the ground. She has seen harmed skybaxes before, Jai had had enough wounds to last a lifetime, but she never got used to it, to seeing one so majestic in the skies lying prone on the ground.

Running forward she gently worked her hands across the still form hoping to find nothing serious. Half to herself she talked as she continued: "No apparent breaks, minimal tissue damage..."

Tamith looked up at Kaz smiling. "Thank goodness! Can you please get help? You're the fastest around here."

Alkazra looked at her and nodded. "Okay," she said, "the caravan isn't to far away Jai and I will be back as soon as possible!" With that, she jumped of her skybax and took off.

Tamith looked from the unconscious bax to Cyrrus and said, "We can't stay out in the open like this, and we're sitting ducks to any predator out there. We have to try to lift her and find shelter in the trees."

"Yes," Cyrrus agreed, "but how? We may hurt more than help her in the process." They stood thoughtful for a few moments then Triforce provided them with an answer. They were to find some lianas, large leaves and small logs and make a primitive sick bed for the bax, then lift her carefully on to it and Tri would drag her to safety, or as relative as it could be. They quickly set to work and soon finished the task with the constant remainder of where they were by the roars in the distance. Stepping out of the clearing and into the foliage, they sat and waited.

Looking around, Tamith noticed some grasses that would bring their friend back to consciousness as well as ease her pain. Grinding them with stones, she dropped them into her bill and helped her swallow with some water. Slowly, Nimbus returned to consciousness.

"What happened?" Cyrrus asked when she was sure the bax was strong enough to answer.

Shaking her head from side to side, Nimbus looked around her. She was still in the Basin, but the skies had closed above her. Frantic, she tried to raise her wings to fly back but keened loudly as the pain in them sent flashes of white-hot fire through her limbs. Cyrrus looked at her again, and cocking her head to the side repeated her question of what happened and asked about where the skybax's rider was. "I breathe alone," the skybax muttered with reproach in her voice. Taken aback by the bax's somewhat hostile answer, the group waited for the rest of the story.

Shortly after Dawn Treader's hatchday, Swiftclaw's health began deteriorating rapidly. Greyback would not leave her side and tried to offer her encouragement, "You're going to get better." He could not bear the thought of losing his mate of many years and mumbled under his breath, "You have to get better. You just have to."

With Swiftclaw not able to care for her new hatchling daughter, and with Greyback tending to his mate, Whiptail willingly took over the care of his younger sibling, Dawn Treader. With Whiptail's devoted care, along with the assistance of other clan members and the hatchery workers, the young hatchling thrived.

One evening while Swiftclaw was sleeping fitfully, Greyback came to Dawn Treader's nest and, after visiting with his new daughter, spoke seriously to Whiptail, "Swiftclaw is not getting any better. The healer says he has tried Echinacea, Hydrastis, and Arctium but none of them have helped. Her only chance is the medicine made from the extract of the Calamite, which he doesn't have. He said that the horsetail tree is found mostly along convoy routes. You know our clan avoids those areas and the caravans, but your mother..."

Before Greyback could finish Whiptail interjected, "I'll go!" His voice rose with determination, "Whatever it takes, I'll find the horsetail tree and bring back the leaves for the medicine!!!"

Mathaira had been following the conversation closely. From her extended times with the Tyrannosaur clan, she had learned to read their body motions and voice inflections. She could pick up snatches of the conversation. She understood that both of them were concerned for Swiftclaw and she recognized the name of the horsetail tree (the leaves of which she had used before in preparing a medicinal paste). And she could not miss Whiptail's emphatic, "I'll go!"

Using her hands, Mathaira indicated Whiptail and then herself, and then said in a loud guttural voice, "I'LL GO TOO!"

She knew that she had been understood when Greyback pointed his clawed hand to his son and then to Mathaira and nodded his head in agreement.

Sighing as she noticed that despite her attempt at being bold, the struthi, triceratops and human would not leave her be. Nimbus raised her head again, resting her long beak on a nearby branch. Folding her wings against her body as best she could she began her story. "I was flying more messages out of the Basin, is my job you know. I know the entire basin, aerial view of course. But one part I don't remember seeing before. Was large kind of bare spot. No trees."

Tamith was listening intently, she and Triforce being habitat partners apprentices to the Forest Habitat could find this information invaluable. Cyrrus meanwhile was listening as well as trying to make sure the agitated bax was calming down so she wouldn't hurt herself.

"The ground," Nimbus continued, "was mud flats. But no vegetation at all grew. No insects buzzed. Was dead silent. It confused me." Nimbus cocked her head, remembering the initial shock of the dead part of the jungle. "Then it hit me. There were vents, deep below the ground. Sulfur vents, I think. But the sulfur isn't what kept area empty. With sulfur was carbon...carbon..." with this the skybax waved a clawed finger around, trying to get the word.

"Monoxide?" Cyrrus, the avid biologist offered.

"Ah, yes yes" the skybax agreed, bobbing her head. "Dangerous. No smell, no see. I flew through it, and while later I feel dizzy, sleepy. But bad sleep. Something in me says if I sleep..." at this Nimbus paused "I die." She continued, "So I tried to fly away, bad place, vents spew gas high into the air. Not long after my wings stopped working, muscles not respond. I fall from skies." Again she looked toward the canopy with yearning in her eyes. "Stay away from vents, deadly." Shifting her weight on the makeshift sick bed, Nimbus hissed with pain.

"Shhh, calm down. You're safe here...for the moment," Tamith soothed the bax. Triforce agreed and brandished her horns, which seemed to calm the skybax. Lowering her head again, she fell asleep, leaving Tamith, Tri, and Cyrrus in a rather difficult position, try to find the caravan and save themselves or deal with the skybax?

"Are you sure of what you saw?" Eric asked.

"I know who I had to fight! Rhaxx is dangerous and we have to pick up the pace. He destroys caravans and we can't risk that happening to us. The medicine we carry is too valuable," Azonthus was adamant. "We have to hurry."

"I know what you think, but we can't. We're moving as fast as possible."

"Then we have to double the guard. I won't let this caravan fall into Rhaxx's hands."

"Agreed," he consented.

Ibby came flying over at top speed. Almost crashing into Eric, she squawked a warning. "Partners and struthi gone! Not know where. Find them!"

"Oh great," Az mumbled. "Just what I need!" She grabbed some more arrows and put them in her quiver before going to search for Tamith, Triforce, and Cyrrus.

Wanting to be alone, Ibby took flight to the top of a very large ginkgo tree. The tiny winged creatures eyes gently scanned the surrounding area for anything with teeth. It seemed safe; she allowed her plumage to fluff out and tucked one foot underneath. That's when she saw something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head. About a thousand yards away, a small gray puff began to rise. Fire.

Hearing Ibby start screaming "Fire, Fire, fire!" Az quickly turned from the forest towards the distressed cries of the tiny bird.

Finding her, Az demanded, "Where is the fire?"

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" the bird continued to scream, flying around.

Realizing that the bird would be no help, Az ordered her to go find Eric and tell him about it. Then, climbing a tree, she was able to spot the fire. Ibby had been getting worked up over nothing. It was a campfire, somewhere to the west. Climbing down, she headed towards the fire.

When she got there, she was extremely surprised to find Tamith, Triforce, Cyrrus, and a skybax in a clearing. The Skybax was sleeping on a sort of stretcher that was being tied around Triforce's strong back. The fire that she had seen from a distance was in the middle of the clearing. A pot of boiling water was on it, waiting to clean out the skybax's wounds.

Triforce bellowed a call of greeting when she scented Azonthus in the area. Az stepped out of the damp, tropical jungle and walked over to her friends. "What happened? Is the Bax going to be OK?"

"She should," Cyrrus replied. "Now if only we could find the way back to the caravan!"

"Don't worry. It's not far. Follow me," the raptor said.

"Let me douse the fire first," Tamith said before following. The others waited until she was sure that the fire would not spark back to life and cause a forest fire. Soon, the small group had brought the injured skybax to the caravan.

Akiva decided she had spent enough time sulking, and that Azonthus had probably got the message. So she decided to go back and find the caravan. It took her about a day to find it. When she did she went to the back. Canopy nudged Azonthus and whispered, "Go apologize."

Azonthus looked up at Canopy then at Akiva and nodded. She walked over to her sister and said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you the other day. I was just in a bad mood." Akiva looked up and nodded.

Rhaxx silently followed the caravan for a day. The addition of an injured skybax would only help him when his clan attacked the caravan. Soon, he would make his move soon...

Raising her head Nimbus surveyed the group around her. She was settled in the back of a wagon being pulled by some ceratopsians. A human rode next to her.

"Good morning!" the human greeted her cheerfully. "My name is Alkazra. You doing ok?"

Lifting her wings slightly but grinding her beak as she did so, she spoke quietly. "Nimbus ok, but I can't fly." She lowered her head again and rested it on the bottom of the wagon.

Concern on her face, Kaz tried talking to the skybax again. She understood that flying, and the freedom that came with the air, meant much to them. The only thing that seemed to be more important to a skybax was their rider. And this skybax traveled alone. Convinced she could help the bax, being a rider herself, she soon got Nimbus into an animated conversation, the skybax sharing about her travels as a message runner but completely omitting any details about her rider, and Alkazra sharing about the caravan and those surrounding her. She noticed when she mentioned Jai, the bax looked quite curious. But when she talked about them as a team, the skybax became sullen and wouldn't talk. The only way to come over this was to find out about the bax's past, but how to do this, Kaz wasn't sure.

Tamith was happy to be back within the safety of the caravan. Now Triforce and she where back at their primary post of guard duty. On their way back, she had gathered some rare healing herbs and spices, as well as some seeds Bracken would be very happy about. Nimbus, the skybax they had found, was now recovering on one of the wagons. She would be well and ready to fly in no time, she hoped.

Triforce was a different case all together. She was growing uneasier by the minute, insisting that something was watching them. Scouts had been sent out to search, herself among them, and they found nothing. Still, Tri had insisted and warned the rest of the ceratopsian to keep eyes opened to anything, not just creatures over 15 feet with six inch teeth.

The other can sense it too. I think you should warn your human friends. There might be trouble, Triforce said.

Tamith looked around. The other ceratopsians did look restless. There was something out there the humans weren't sensing. Dinosaurs had a sixth sense on this sort of things and if Tri said so, she believed it. "I'll be right back," she said jumping down from her back. Walking back to find Eric, she noticed Azonthus walking along side of Canopy. She too had a worried expression, enough for a human to notice anyway.

"Az, can I talk to you for a sec," Tamith said walking up to her. Az nodded, "Sure, what's the problem?" Tamith proceeded to tell her what Triforce and the others of the guard where sensing. Azonthus looked thoughtful for a few minutes before replying . . .

Azonthus seemed hesitant to explain what was going on, but Tamith was a friend. If she couldn't trust someone like her, she couldn't trust anyone. "Triforce is right. We are being followed."

"By who?" Tamith was concerned.

"He's a human who came to the Basin. The Tyrannosaurs call him Rhaxx. He derives great joy from killing and destroying caravans. If we aren't careful, he could kill all of us."

Tamith was stunned. A human who did this? "What can Tri and I do to help?"

Az was pleased at her friends offer to help. "Listen to Triforce, and tell someone if anything is out of the ordinary. Rhaxx can be very cunning. Also, spread word of possible attack, but try not to let the skybax hear. It would only frustrate her that she can not help."

"Ok," smiling, Tamith ran back to Triforce.

Mathaira and Whiptail had set off at dawn three days ago. They had traveled beyond the Tyrannosaur clan territory and now approached the area of the Rainy Basin where the caravans traveled.

Up until now, they had encountered no one, but just this morning Whiptail's sharp senses had picked up the scent of another presence. It was one that was familiar to him from many years ago; a presence that he knew could be dangerous. Rhaax!

He, of course, could voice none of this to Mathaira, but she knew Whiptail well enough to sense his agitation. As Whiptail drew closer to Mathaira, his posture changed from that of a companionable friend to that of a Tyrannosaur ready to do battle.

As the day grew later, the pair could see the thinning of the jungle canopy overhead that indicated the presence of the convoy route. For some time now, Whiptail had seen a shadowy figure dart in and out of the trees and which seemed to be headed toward the convoy route. Rhaax, again! Whiptail maintained his watchful stance.

Mathaira and Whiptail had just reached the edge of the convoy route; along which grew the rare horsetail tree, and the two began harvesting the leaves. They looked up as they heard and then saw a group of saurians and humans approaching along the trail. A caravan...

Triforce stopped dead in her tracks and was quickly mimicked by the rest of the guard. Instinctively, all of them lowered their heads creating a sharp barrier between the rest of the caravan and the jungle ahead.

"What is it Tri?" Tamith asked nervously.

Carnivore, tyrannosaur I think... but something else too... human?

That took her by surprise. How very strange... could it be the Rhaxx Az had warned her about? Swallowing her fear she called out, "Breath deep, Seek Peace! We mean no harm, who are you?"

As the caravan's guards moved into a defensive position to protect the caravan, Whiptail did likewise for Mathaira. He put himself in front of her, raised his clawed hands in an attack position and bared his great, sharp teeth. Even though the odds were against him, he was still a formidable force to be reckoned with.

From her position behind Whiptail, Mathaira heard the familiar Dinotopian greeting and knew that this group meant them no harm. She stepped out from behind Whiptail to encounter a female human and a Triceratops at the forefront of the caravan. She then gave the customary greeting in return, "Breathe deep, seek peace. I am Mathaira, and my friend is Whiptail, son of Greyback the Fierce."

At this, Whiptail gave a low rumble and nodded his head in greeting.

"I am Tamith and my partner is Triforce," the human female said as she indicated the Triceratops standing next to her. "We travel with the caravan."

Mathaira explained, "I'm a traveling hatchery worker. I've been helping Whiptail's mother. She had a hard time laying her egg. The hatchling is ok now and my partners are with her. But now Swiftclaw isn't doing too well. We're going to take these horsetail leaves back and hope that the medicine made from them will help her..."

Feeling that he should share about the presence which he had felt and seen, Whiptail broke into Mathaira's explanation "RHAAX!" roared Whiptail and indicated the dense trees which surrounded the caravan route.

Understanding, Tamith said, "Rhaax?! He's here nearby?"

Knowing now that this was the reason for Whiptail's recent agitation, Mathaira said, "Since we've been in the area of the caravan route, Whiptail has sensed him, maybe even seen him. From what I heard from the Tyrannosaur clan, he can be dangerous."

"That's what I heard. I'd better go warn Azonthus and the others," Tamith replied, "You two should come with us. There is safety in numbers." And thinking of Rhaax, she hoped that this would be true.

"Follow me, I'll lead you to Az and Eric," Tamith said motioning for Mathaira and Whiptail to follow, "Tri, keep the guard on defense position, and watch for any movement, if you find any, sound the alarm."

Don't worry, Triforce said, nothing will get through us.

Tamith smiled back and led the new comers to Azonthus. "We must find Eric and anyone else you think must know, we have a big problem."

With her head resting in the bottom of the wagon, the skybax was shaken from her rest by a loud roaring. It sounded like "rax" or something around there, but made her shiver convulsively. It was one of them. Lifting her head she saw a few hundred yards away from the caravan the beast, with two humans. They better run. That was him; one of his kind had done it. One of them had taken Trinity from her. She watched as they started to walk off into the jungle. Suddenly not being able to hold back the frustration anymore, she called out after them.

"You!" she screamed, "It was one of you! You take her from me! Now Nimbus alone!" she wailed but suddenly stopped her keening. She noticed how loud she was being and was turning heads all around her. She couldn't be in the presence of her rider's killers. He was of the same specie, and that was relation enough. Rising with obvious pain and effort, Nimbus stood and spread her wings as she attempted to fly up beyond the canopy back to the sky-heavens.

As Mathaira and Whiptail followed Tamith to meet those she called Az and Eric, they heard a loud wailing from a nearby wagon and, moments later, rising with obvious pain and effort, a skybax stood and spread her wings as she attempted to fly.

Several members of the caravan shouted towards the obviously injured skybax, "Stop, Nimbus!" "You're too injured too fly yet!" "You'll only hurt yourself worse if you try to fly!"

Those who had understood Nimbus' words realized that it was Whiptail's presence that had caused her this distress, and now all heads turned towards him accusingly. Several saurian members of the caravan guard now surrounded Whiptail. Loyal to him and remembering the times he had offered his protection to her, Mathaira would not leave his side.

"Are we prisoners? Where are you taking us?" Mathaira asked the previously friendly Tamith, who had now grown solemn and silent. Refusing to answer, Tamith escorted Whiptail and Mathaira to meet Az and Eric, no longer as welcome guests but as prisoners.

As those in the caravan watched them pass, various questions ran through their minds: Was this Tyrannosaur from the clan who had killed Nimbus' rider? What this Tyrannosaur from Rhaax's clan sent to spy out the caravan only to betray them to the murderous Rhaax and his vile clan? What about the hatchery worker? They are supposed to be committed to life. What is she doing with this Tyrannosaur?

Whiptail and Mathaira were brought before Az and Eric, a female Velociraptor and a male human. Since Az spoke fluent Tyrannosaur, she directed the conversation, repeating her words in both the Tyrannosaur and Dinotopian languages, "I am Azonthus Sharpclaw and this is my friend Eric," she said by way of introduction. She then voiced the questions that had run through the minds of the others, "Are you from Rhaxx's clan? Did your clan kill Nimbus' rider? You will have a chance to tell your story, for that is the Dinotopian way."

With the caravan members grouped around to listen, Whiptail began his story, "Years ago, as a hatchling, I was captured by a clan of Allosaurs. It was Rhaax who rescued me." A collective gasp of surprise was given by those in the caravan.

"Rhaax became associated with our clan." At this, many of the caravan members, in particular the saurians, took on a battle posture.

"We called him 'Rhaax', meaning 'prankster' because he was always playing tricks on us. However, my father Greyback, the clan chief, soon saw Rhaax's true nature, for 'Rhaax' also means 'friend who cannot be trusted'. Even though he rescued me from the Allosaur clan, my father was never sure of Rhaax's motive for doing this."

"My father and his brother, Copperjaw, argued over the presence of Rhaax among the clan. Copperjaw's feelings for humans were that they should become one of them, like Rhaax, or else become the clan's next meal." Before this thought had time to settle fully upon the caravan members, Whiptail rushed to continue, "My father, however, had changed his views on humans due to the hatchery worker, Mathaira, who is now our friend."

Whiptail explained, "He saw how she and her saurian partner-friends worked together to help Swiftclaw in the laying of her first egg, which was me. He saw her care for me when I was a hatchling newly emerged from my eggshell. He was most impressed by the attitude of 'others first, self last', for it is not every hatchery worker, especially human, who would venture into the Rainy Basin to assist a Tyrannosaur clan."

Whiptail continued his story, "My father and Copperjaw weren't able to come to an agreement over Rhaax'x presence in the clan. And their attitudes towards humans had become too different. Copperjaw and those who felt as he did left for another part of the Basin, with Copperjaw setting himself up as new clan chief. Rhaax went with them. My father moved the remaining members of the clan, who felt as he did, to a part of the Rainy Basin where most humans don't travel, away from the caravan routes. We no longer stalk living prey but feed only on those saurians who have come to the Basin to die and we only feed after they are dead, as it customary."

Whiptail looked saddened, "This is how I know that our clan didn't kill your friend Nimbus' rider. Copperjaw's clan uses Rhaax to lure humans to them and then..." Whiptail couldn't finish. Thinking of something else, Whiptail hesitated and lowered his voice so that only Azonthus could hear and which she didn't translate, "Sometimes Copperjaw's clan doesn't kill the humans but keeps them as captives to use as slaves or for sport." Not wanting to think of this situation, Whiptail again raised his voice for all to hear and finished by proclaiming, "I know that Rhaax is dangerous and will do all that I can to offer my protection against him."

With that Whiptail sat on his haunches beside Mathaira and became quiet and reflective. Will I be judged by my species alone? Or will they see in me the same friendship and loyalty that Mathaira does?

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