Awakening in the Jungle 5

Tamith's solemn expression changed to a little smile. She had enough experience with therapods to know some gestures of repentance and reproach to something. She didn't know what the rest where thinking, but she did know what she thought. She looked to the group around her to see what they thought about all this.

Sitting quietly with her wings folded, Nimbus sat at the far edge of the group listening to Whiptail. She sighed as the tyrannosaur finished his story. Those around her put hands on her shoulders and gave their condolences, though after hearing about how some humans were kept for "sport" by the other group of therapods, a few questioned if Trinity may be still alive. With her head down, she quietly told them that it wasn't possible. The harsh memory of that dreaded day in the Basin so many years ago still clung to her mind. No, she had found Trinity. But the life never returned to her body.

Hearing the quiet way in which the skybax related her story, and the immense sadness that filled her eyes as she ended her tale, the group around her knew that though this tyrannosaur may not have been of those who had taken her rider's life, Nimbus would still remain uneasy around Whiptail.

When he got to the part of his story about how Rhaxx helped lure humans, Nimbus suddenly lifted her head, her eyes ablaze. If this human had any part in Trinity's death…. Listening even more closely to the tyrannosaur's story, Nimbus felt at her neck for the small tear-shaped crystal on a thin silver chain. It was her last material remembrance of her lost rider. If Rhaxx had any part in Trinity's death, he would pay dearly.

After thinking for a while on what she had translated, Az declared, "I, for one, think that we should allow them to stay or go as they please. Whiptail's tribe is against Rhaxx and that would be useful to us if he decided to attack."

"And I agree," Eric spoke up.

Whiptail was moved by the support shown for him by those willing to accept him in spite of his species. However, he was saddened by the death of Nimbus' rider Trinity and understood why Nimbus would be uneasy around him. He decided that it would be best to keep his distance from her and he hoped to gradually win her trust as she observed his friendship with Mathaira and his interactions with the others.

Since Whiptail and Mathaira had not yet harvested the amount of horsetail leaves necessary for Swiftclaw's medicine, they decided to join the caravan for the time being, especially since the rare horsetail tree seemed to be found mostly along the convoy routes.

Whiptail, however, had another incentive to stay with the caravan: Rhaax! Since the split between Greyback and Copperjaw, Rhaax was now an enemy of the clan of Greyback. If Rhaax desired to seek vengeance upon the clan of Greyback, it would be likely that he would attack it's most prominent yet weakest members: Swiftclaw and Dawn Treader, wife and daughter of the clan chief and Whiptail's mother and sister! If Rhaax was in the area, Whiptail planned to get to Rhaax before Rhaax got to his family.

Having heard Basin rumors of the technique used by Copperjaw's clan of having Rhaax to lure humans to the clan, Whiptail suspected their involvement in Trinity's death. The fact that Nimbus found Trinity's body told him that the clan had not captured her for a meal, but rather kept her captive as a slave or for sport. The thought of this made the Tyrannosaur angry and he again vowed to offer his protection against Rhaax.

Kaz decided to take a quick look at the surroundings, now that is was a widely known fact something was out there and she just had this feeling... Quickly getting on Mirajai, they both set out. She hoped Nimbus accepted Whiptail, sure, a Tyrannosaur had killed her rider, but you couldn't blame the whole species for the faults of a group. Flying in wide circles around the perimeter proved fruitless, so she decided to head a bit farther. After a few minutes of flying, Jai cried out something. "What's is it Jai? Sense something.... oh my God..." Alkazra started. Allosaurs. A pack of them, 6 to be exact. And they seem to be heading in the direction of the caravan or too close for comfort. She tried to stay out of sight but was spotted. "Great! We can't go back because they'll follow us straight to the caravan, but we must warn them." Mirajai turned and flew back, but not to return to the convoy. Then, after a few minutes, began to call out in a way Alkazra had never heard him before. "Great thinking Jai!" she said, "I just hope someone understand you out there."

Nimbus heard it before anyone else. It was the cry of a skybax. Not the usual musical trilling that combined many different sounds at once, but a rough cry that was meant to be heard. It was urgent, and Nimbus recognized Jai's voice. Using the human speech her rider had taught her, Nimbus called out to the whole caravan. "Sssstop!! Rider Kazzz, Jaaii, they cooome back, been ssscouting, seeee alllosss! Waaarn, put up guaard, they neearby!!"

Everyone froze and suddenly the caravan was thrown into chaos. After a while, new guards had been positioned, and saurians and humans alike seemed to be on the alert. Kaz and Mirajai dropped out of the skies below the canopy. They started to shout the warning but noticed everyone was already prepared, as though they had known about it. Confused, Jai turned as another bax called out to him. He turned his head and told Alkazra it had been Nimbus. She walked up to the wounded skybax, who still looked edgy with rider and skybax together, but seemed happy that though injured, she had been of use to the caravan.

Motioning to Mirajai she gave him a slight smile. Understanding he turned and vaulted himself into the sky to continue the normal scouting routine that was their duty when with a convoy. Both Nimbus and Kaz watch him go, neither hiding the fact that they know why he was really sent away.

Turning back to Nimbus, Kaz leant against the stretcher and let a few moments pass. It was a tricky subject, but she planned to do the usual (not always sensible) thing: open her mouth, start talking and hope that at least some of the words were right.

"I've got to admit that Tyrannosaurs aren't my favorites either," she began, attempting a grin. "They were the first Dinos I ever saw." A small laugh accompanied the next sentence. "I don't know how I did it but I managed to find myself in the Basin before any city or other place! Not the most welcoming place on the island, but I always manage to find myself back here despite all those bad memories."

*Memories...*

Shifting her position slightly so her back was to the stretcher, Nimbus could only see her in profile now. Scrubbing her hands across her face and then through her hair she obliterated the tears that had threatened to form at the mention of 'bad memories'.

Looking off into the jungle she continued, "Loss is a strange thing isn't it? To me anyway, especially with memories. I have four years of solid memories and that's it. Before those four years..." Here she sighed deeply and squeezed her eyes shut. "...it's hazy. Bits here and there, not knowing what I really had or was. The worst part is not knowing about the people in my life before and then dreaming about them. I can't tell if the dreams are real or whether it's just my imagination trying to fill in the gaps." Abruptly she stuck her hands in her pockets and glared at her shoes. Her voice became tight. "It hurts. It hurts like hell. And it hurts every day, no matter how much I move on. I don't think it'll ever stop and maybe...maybe in some ways it shouldn't." The leaning had become a slump now that the sudden trickle of anger had gone and she tilted her head to look at the sky whispering: "At least we all have something real."

Nimbus was confused by this human's behavior. She seemed to understand why Nimbus refused to be open to others, was afraid of the rex, and why memories could be so strong and hold so much meaning. Reaching out a wing, she rested her clawed hand on Kaz's shoulder. Kaz seemed startled but when she turned and saw understanding in the bax's face, she knew she had made a difference. No further words were exchanged but Nimbus seemed happier now. She had made a companion, not only someone who understood her loss, but could share her joys. Resting her beak on Alkazra's shoulder, the two looked out on the jungle, both with a new perspective on the situation they were both in.

Kaz smiled and this time it didn't just stay on her lips, but touched her eyes and heart too. It always made a difference to know that you weren't alone.

Although a spell seemed to have fallen she knew that the peace had to be broken sooner or later and she'd rather it were by her speaking than by attack. Looking up to where Jai circled she exchanged a few hands signals with him. "I should really get back up there. If the allos have moved on we should be able to start moving again soon." She gave Nimbus a hug that appeared strange to all that had never been to the Canyon. "We can all move on then."

As Alkazra moved away from her to mount Jai who had just landed, Nimbus thought to herself about how often she and Trinity had done scouting missions. As the two took off again Nimbus was left on her own on the forest floor. The rest caravan wasn't too far and she heard the shouts of those preparing for the possible allosaur attack. Then she felt the small crystal bump against her neck and remembered that no, she wasn't alone. And now she had Kaz, a friend who shared loss, and a skybax rider. With renewed hope she turned to join the rest of the caravan. Then she stopped. With a smile of mischief Nimbus slowly spread her blue wings. Grinding her beak, she felt the muscles she hadn't used for a while stretch. When she had warmed them up, she gently began flapping. It hurt, and she was slow. But soon she felt no longer the pain that comes with a wound, but the good pain of stretching and of use. Now awkwardly running across the jungle floor, and flapping her wings, she took off the ground for about 10 feet and soared into the midst of the caravan. There were some screams and roars as she did so, but as soon as she folded her wings and everyone realized it was only Nimbus, there were shouts of congratulations on being near recovered from her injury. Smiling and getting back on the wagon she stayed on, she looked up at the canopy. She may not be able to fly up there yet, but she was getting there.

What little daylight was visible in the Rainy Basin soon waned and turned to dusk. Shadows and nighttime sounds surrounded the caravan. The guard was on alert and groups huddled together near small campfires, none venturing into the shadows of the dense forest. Save one...

Whiptail approached Azonthus and Eric, who had both expressed a desire for him to remain with the caravan, "It seems like Alkazra and Mirajai have drawn the Allosaurs away from the caravan. I'd like to scout the area to be sure that they have gone."

"You shouldn't go alone," Eric voiced his concern. "There are six Allos out there and only one of you. You'll be outnumbered."

Fearful for her friend, Mathaira said, "I agree with Eric. It's too dangerous."

"I'll be careful. It would be harder for me to be seen alone than if anyone else went with me," Whiptail reasoned. "Besides, I'm willing to take the risk. I would not ask anyone else to take that risk with me as I don't want anyone from the caravan getting hurt."

Her own warrior spirit recognized something in Whiptail that reminded her of when she was younger and untried. Azonthus, to the surprise of Mathaira and Eric, agreed, "I think that Whiptail is right. He knows the area and will be able to scout it easier if he goes alone."

At that decision, Whiptail melted into the shadows of the Rainy Basin to scout for Allosaurs and help protect the caravan.

Not because she didn't trust him or because she was fearful for him, but, again, because she recognized something familiar in Whiptail's spirit, Azonthus collected her bow and quiver full of arrows and discreetly took to the trees to follow Whiptail into the shadows of the Rainy Basin.

It took a good part of the night of traveling before Whiptail came upon a lone Allosaur, most likely sent from the pack of six to scout the area in search of caravans. Upon seeing Whiptail approach, the older, larger Allosaur turned on him, and recognizing his youth and inexperience, said tauntingly, "Tonight is your night to die," and took on a battle posture.

"I am ready," said Whiptail, likewise taking on a battle posture. "Tonight is as good as any." Azonthus, who observed quietly from a nearby tree thought Those are almost the same words I said to Rhaax. How this young Tyrannosaur reminds me of myself...But he's so untried, so inexperienced...

Typical of the species, the Allosaur charged Whiptail head on, all teeth and claws and loud roaring. Not knowing why but reacting instinctively, Whiptail quietly sidestepped into the shadows of the jungle and when the Allosaur was right next to him, Whiptail struck him in the shoulder with his claws. Seeing the large gash in his shoulder enraged the Allosaur even more and he advanced at Whiptail in a growling fury, taking a small nip out of Whiptail's side as Whiptail, reacting out of pure instinct, sidestepped into the jungle's shadows. From the shadows, Whiptail struck the Allosaur again, this time leaving a gash over his eyes. With his own blood dripping into his eyes, the Allosaur was blinded by both it and his own rage. He threw himself at Whiptail in a blind rage, while Whiptail stepped quietly into the shadows and struck the Allosaur on the neck with the full force of his head. Though not seriously hurt, the Allosaurs wind had been knocked out of him and he fell to the forest floor.

Not wanting to draw the attention of the remaining five Allosaurs and have them track him back to the caravan, Whiptail took an indirect trail back to the convoy route. Azonthus' warrior nature cautioned her not to approach Whiptail after his first battle, which would give him time to reflect upon the outcome of the battle. She hoped that he realized his true warrior spirit did not come from the fact that he won the battle but that he did not kill the Allosaur when he had the chance.

It was almost dawn when Azonthus arrived back in the caravan's camp and quietly joined Mathaira by the campfire. Mathaira, sensing that Azonthus had trailed Whiptail, discreetly asked, "Is he all right? Is Whiptail with you?"

At that moment, Whiptail emerged from the shadows of the jungle and into the clearing, Azonthus saying, "ShadowStriker is here. He will be fine."

As soon as Mathaira saw the gash on his side, she knew that he had been in his first battle. As was customary in Greyback's clan, male Tyrannosaurs took on a "battle name" after their first battle, which was usually bestowed by an older clan warrior. In the absence of his own clan's warrior, Azonthus, a warrior from another clan, another species, had the honor of bestowing his battle name upon him. In fact, as a high ranking warrior, it was an honor to him that she bestowed this name upon him.

"ShadowStriker," mused Mathaira as she approached him.

"Welcome, ShadowStriker," said Azonthus quietly, and as her eyes met his, they sensed a kindred warrior spirit.

Later that day Azonthus took the newly named ShadowStriker deeper into the tropical jungle. There, they trained for several hours. Azonthus taught the younger therapod many of the defense and attack methods that her brother had taught her many years ago.

Rhaxx had been waiting for an opportunity like this ever since he had been following the caravan. Now, the two threats to him were gone and he would be able to lure the caravan into a trap that he had set.

Rhaxx burst through the foliage onto the well-worn trail. "Tyrannosaurs.... attacked," he gasped, "my sister." He stood there, bent over, gasping for air.

Tamith and Triforce, who were closest to him, immediately knew that this had to be the human that Az had warned them about. Triforce lowered her deadly horns and drove Rhaxx back into the jungle.

Running as fast a she could, Tamith raced to the center of the caravan to find Eric. "Tri, go back to the guard, they may need you back there if there are Tyrannosaurs around. I'll get Eric."

And if there are any? Tamith sighed. That would be a lot of trouble because there was only so much the guard could do. A pack of Rexes would be very hard to scare off indeed. "Lets hope not."

With that Triforce return to her position while Tamith hurried on. She found Eric next to Canopy talking to other members of the caravan. When he saw the urgency in her face, he excused himself and walked up to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Rhaxx," she replied solemnly, "He appeared from behind the bushes saying something about his sister and Tyrannosaurs... I had to be some sort of trap, from what Az and ShadowStriker said. He'll try something more direct next time, I think." He considered what she said a few moments looking rather worried.

"Speaking of Azonthus and ShadowStriker, where are they? They've been out a long time and they're the only therapods we've got," he sighed and looked at the rest of the caravan before continuing, "Go back to the guard and keep you eyes very open, I'll warn the rest of the caravan not to trust anything coming from the jungle. All we can do for now is wait and hope nothing happens."

Nodding nervously, she turned and raced back to the guard. Eric looked after her for a few moments then turned to the new task at hand. With a caravan so large, they would all have to give the guard a hand in being watchful. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong...

Akiva was running ahead of the caravan, scouting for any movement in the jungle ahead of the caravan. Scanning for movements that could indicate an ambush. Azonthus would be proud with her little sister if she did her duty well. Little sister... I'm not a child anymore, I am a strong and useful member of my clan and I will show it.

She'd heard it. The name Rhaax. That's what everyone had been muttering under their breath for the past few hours. But everyone had been avoiding telling her anything. Why? It was like she was the weak link here. She hadn't been in the wagon anymore, she'd been walking, helping re-stretch her muscles. Now she needed to know what was going on. Nimbus saw Tamith, one of those who had originally found her and helped her out of the clearing she had fallen into. Tamith was running toward the guard and Nimbus then recognized Triforce, on alert and horns directed at the jungle. Nimbus saw the huge throng of people and knew being as big as she was, she wasn't going to walk through it quickly. Taking a chance, she spread her wings and launched herself into the air. Soaring no more than 15 feet above everyone's heads, she landed next to Tamith who was surprised at the sudden appearance of the bax.

"Whatssss going on? Everyone talk, ssssay "Rhaaaaxxxx" but no one talkss to Nimbusss. Why? What not I done?" Tamith seemed kind of unwilling to answer and turned to find Azonthus. The raptor was nowhere in sight so Tamith turned back to the skybax who stood before her.

"They didn't want to upset you. They knew you'd be angry or upset or something if you found we might be attacked and you were…well...injured and wouldn't be able to help at all." She looked up at the skybax, readying herself for an outburst of indignation. But the bax merely nodded to herself.

"Ok, but I fly now. Sssort of." Someone in the guard shouted for help on something and Tamith excused herself from Nimbus' presence and went to help.

Not able to help, was she? That's why no one talked to her about this? She'd show them, she was of use, she'd made so many trips through the Basin, possibly knew it better than anyone here. After all, being a messenger for among others, a raptor clan in the Basin, you had to know where you were going. Walking back to the middle of the caravan, Nimbus looked up at the sky she saw through the trees and smiled to herself. She'd show them, she could help.

Looking down, Kaz smiled as she noticed Nimbus's movements. She noticed the way she was now walking and then taking slight flights, determined to prove herself to the others in the group. "I just hope that her pride doesn't lead to a fall. It seems that she has the makings of being just as stubborn as you."

Jai squawked an indignant response which roughly translated to: "you're hardly one to talk." This comment was accompanied by a sharp change in direction that challenged the balance training that Kaz had received in the Canyon.

"You're real funny you know." Kaz muttered back with a wry smile as she adjusted her position slightly. Even from their vantage point they could see nothing unusual in the forest. The treetops blanketed the majority of the land in an unbroken green that seemed to mock them now they knew they were looking for real danger.

The convoy was still, barely, moving cautiously and there was a lot of activity around where Tamith and Eric walked. She supposed that Rhaax was the main topic of conversation and she couldn't blame them. If he was half as dangerous as they said...

After a strenuous training session amidst the jungle foliage of the Rainy Basin, Azonthus and ShadowStriker decided that it was time to head back towards the caravan.

Azonthus voiced her concern, "Even though the guards are stationed around the caravan, we shouldn't leave them for too long. I feel uneasy with Rhaax nearby. I've fought him and I know that he fights dirty. The others might not understand his tactics."

"I know what you mean," ShadowStriker replied, "When he was part of our Clan we quickly realized that he couldn't be trusted."

After traveling for some time, the two therapods looked up through an opening in the trees toward the sky-heavens and spotted a skybax and rider who appeared to be scouting the forest with a sense of urgency. Azonthus' sharp eyes detected immediately who it was, "Alkazra and Mirajai! Something may have happened to the caravan! We'd better get back quickly!"

Under his breath, ShadowStriker murmured quietly, "Mathaira is there..."

Azonthus and ShadowStriker both increased their pace, unsure of what they would find upon their return to the caravan.

The group had continued on for some time now, at least two hours, but progress had been slow due to the caution being employed by all involved.

The encounter with Rhaxx had put them all on their guard, especially since everyone was sure that it would not be the last that they saw of him. His reputation among those who knew the Basin didn't allow anyone to feel at ease for more than a few moments and as a consequence nerves were beginning to become frayed. Though many of those in the convoy had made the trip through the Basin before this would certainly be remembered as one of the tensest.

Flying above the rest of the convoy Kaz and Jai doubled back yet again to check the immediate area. It was essential that they not only scouted ahead, but that they also checked the path that the convoy had taken. With so many large saurians involved it was very difficult not to leave tracks that could easily be followed.

"Nothing obvious yet."

Jai just snorted lightly at this statement and Kaz couldn't blame him. It was about the fifth time she'd said it since the last time they'd made a wide circle around the group.

"Hang-on...look there."

Pressing her hand onto his shoulder she quickly indicated where she had seen the movement. It was about twenty minutes right of the group.

Holding up her hand she motioned for the group to stop as Jai called to gain their attention.

[Top] [Back] [Next]