Aurora worried herself the day her husband set out to visit the City of Nova for the first time, a newly rebuilt utopia east of the Great Settlement. She knew of his fascination with the futuristic technology that came after their own time, a technology he had once sparked the birth of, in a past life. It was one of his greatest prides, one of his main interests, one that had previously spiraled him into uncontrollable fanaticism, driving him to become a distant and unresponsive piece of the family. Although not physical, the pain it would cause over the years would come to hurt Aurora deeply in her soul.
It didn't help her concerns any further when he began spending days away in Nova, far from his family with little to no contact with them whatsoever. This felt all too familiar to her, and it stung. It was just like in their past life when he would spend days away from home to present his grand invention all across the world, or when he was informed of the Genesis mission and would disconnect from her and everyone to focus on preparations. Her husband's fanaticism was something that had always challenged her and their young for so long, and with the end of his burden as the earth's savior, she thought he had finally gone through a change of heart, but then she was given a reason to doubt him once more.
However to her surprise, after nearly a month of this happening, she would be greeted on her own doorstep in the Great settlement, by a woman and a man clad in armor she knew too well by now. Akin to the new suit of armor her husband had dragged home from space, the two greeted her in the name of her very husband, and soon enough, she would find herself sitting in seats of luxury in the back of a TEK chopper accompanied by her daughter and her son.
They were all bewildered, the woman, who was the pilot of the aircraft claimed that they had been sent by Aurora's husband to pick her and their kids up and bring them to Nova as he had something he wished to show them. When asked about it, the woman and her co-pilot answered that they knew nothing of what had gone down and that they were only paid to escort them safely to the city. By their exchanges of glances, however, the blonde-haired lady could tell that they knew. "Oh Locke, what could you possibly have done now?" Aurora thought to herself, as they ascended beyond the clouds.
All three of them were taken aback when they made landfall within the city, their gazes all captivated by the shiny, sleek, and highly advanced environment around them. It was as if the boundaries between the biological and technological had been erased! The TEK society had found a way to dynamically rebuild their city, so as to not erase nature from its vicinity as it had been done countless times over in the past. Wildlife roamed beyond the city walls, in the same plains and fields where machines graced the environment, peacefully co-existing in one environment.
Greeted by the family man at their arrival, he would repeat exactly their thoughts, all giddy and clearly very excited to be in the presence of these technological marvels. He had always been like this, and despite her concerns and worry, Aurora smiled and giggled at her husband's rambling and reactions to all that way around him. Despite having been here on and off for a month, he had clearly not talked himself done about its wonders. He was still the nerd she had met in college.
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The rest of the family was able to experience quite the sightseeing as he led them through the city streets that were densely populated with the Federation's civilian life. People in clothing and attire they had never seen before, using tools and accessories that were so beyond them it felt as if they were walking amidst an alien civilization. Their walk would end by an open field between the city's large buildings, and that is where they were shown what the man of the house had been doing for the past few weeks.
In the middle of the grassy field, rested a sizeable aircraft with an immense wingspan, a streamlined design that somewhat resembled that of commercial planes from their time in the twenty-first century. With immense pride, he introduced 'Athena', their sky-soaring mobile home. For a moment, confusion hit the woman, and it took her a short second before she was able to recall conversations they had had a couple of months ago.
He had asked his family what they could do to spend more time alongside one another, something he could do to perhaps take back the lost time he had spent without them in the past, and in the end, he had settled on their mutual wishes to travel and experience new places, and see new sights. Aurora realized at that moment, that her husband had truly changed for the better. She cried from happiness that day.
After days of moving their belongings from their small home in the Great settlement, to the jet, they would bid their farewells to friends and familiar faces, before Athena took flight and set out for distant horizons, one faithful night.
And so here they were. Many moons into their excursion, their jet home rested in a distant meadow, surrounded by alps and towering mountains. A change of scenery from the landscapes back home in their native region.
With the main entrance open wide, sunlight spilled into the first hallway of Athena, where on a bench sat Maya, trying on a new pair of hiking boots they had bought from a vendor in a nearby survivor settlement, not far from the meadow they resided in at the moment. It was a bright and beautiful day outside, the sun stood high upon the milky-blue sky above, dotted with large, dramatic, and fluffy clouds all over the horizon. The distant stomping and howling of sauropods in the fields around them echoed throughout the valley, and occasionally they would hear the screech of a Quetzalcoatlus bouncing from mountain to mountain, carried a far distance.
Footsteps approached the entry hallway from the main corridor and as the door slid to the side, Aurora waltzed through it, almost tripping on the extremely thin and easily avoidable sill. Maya watched as her mother clumsily made her way into the room, wearing a set of clothing that resembled something a law enforcer would be wearing. The girl raised an eyebrow as she tied her shoelaces, before looking up at her ma.
"Maya tell me, how does my butt look in these pants?"
"Jesus, Mom! Can you not?" She immediately responded, shaking her head slightly and holding back a giggle. "What are you even wearing? That looks like it's going to get reaaaally hot out there in the sun."
Aurora twisted and turned in her rather over-the-top outfit, trying to get a good look at her hind before settling for a reflection in the metal-lined walls surrounding them. She smiled and turned to her daughter. "I... Got no idea honestly!" She said, with a stupidly confident tone in her voice. "Your father had it made for me the other week and said it would be the ideal clothes to go out exploring in when headed farther away from Athena. But I guess you're right, the black and gray colors aren't really ideal for this kind of weather-"
Maya's eyebrows remained raised and the corners of her mouth twisted up into a smirk as she watched her mother spin around, before coming to a halt in the trickling sunshine coming in through the open door, where her naturally deep blue eyes would be caught in the golden light. "But I do look good in it, right?"
"Yeah Mom, you do," She reluctantly replied and stood up from her seat, equipped, clothed, and ready for the trip into the wild ahead of them.
The two of them exchanged one quick embrace, holding each other in one another's arms, and Aurora leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I love you, Maya."
"I love you too, ma."
"Can you two hurry up!?" A third voice broke through, shouted from beyond Athena's walls. Poking her head out through the doorway, letting her ponytail hang as she peered down the steps leading to the grassy ground below, Maya frowned slightly as her eyes met her brother's. "You guys always take so long to get ready, I've been out here for nearly an hour already!"
"Shush, you're exaggerating!" Maya yelled in response, yet acknowledged that he was to some degree right. "We're coming down now!"
And with that, two more sets of shoes touched down on the ground below Athena, and the three began to make their way through the tall grass toward a treeline not far away. There was light chatter between the three for a moment before Aurora suddenly began to inspect her accessories and equipment. "What's wrong, Mom?" Maya asked, confused.
"Ah, I just want to make sure I brought everything. Aaaand It looks like I have! Got the tranquilizers, our knives, uhhh-" Mumbling in response, Aurora proceeded to grab onto a holster that rested at her hip, patting it firmly and smiling confidently to her kids. "And the TEK pistol."
Maya's frown returned for a split second before she slowly turned her head to face her mother. "Are you sure you should be using that?"
"Well yeah, of course! How else am I going to keep you two safe if anything happens to us? Your dad taught me how to fire and reload it!"
"...And you almost shot him in the chest with it..." Maya then noted, monotone.
"I'm not that much of a klutz, am I?"
"Only sometimes." - She chuckled, smiling softly at her mom as they continued on their way.
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Maya swung a machete through the air, cutting away at the thicket as they made their way toward the sound of running water splashing against rocks and shoreline. A river perhaps? Any clearing in the woods would be ideal for their outing and would provide them with a landmark to follow on their way back home. A quarter of an hour must've passed already, as they carefully made their way through the greenery, praying that they wouldn't meet any wildlife before they had gotten to a safer area where their view wouldn't be endlessly obstructed by flora.
"So why are you the one taking us out to do this, Mom? Wasn't Dad supposed to do this with us?" Eric pried, still confused that it had been his mom who had joined the two teens and not their father, an obviously more seasoned survivor.
"Well yeah, he was, but I figured this could be a chance for the three of us to do something new and exciting that we haven't done before! At first, he didn't want me to, but I insisted enough to eventually convince him,"
"An immovable force meets an unstoppable object. I'm surprised you won, ma!" Maya giggled to herself in between sharp exhales, as she kept hacking and slashing at the thick branches in their way.
"Just because your father is potentially the strongest man on earth, it doesn't mean I'm entirely useless. Who was it that kept us all safe on our first day on the ARK?"
"You, of course, but do you have any experience in domesticating wildlife? Like any at all?"
"Don't doubt me, young lady, when you were running around with the crusader and his secret agent friend, I was at home in the settlement doing everything from taking care of your brother, helping the others tame the animals they had brought in, and getting to know people!" -Aurora exclaimed contently -"I'm more experienced than I look."
"Alright, alright." Maya nodded, as she slashed through one large cluster of branches debris, letting it fall to the ground and revealing that they had arrived at the source of the noises that had been slowly approaching. Running water it was indeed, the gravelly shoreline of a river that ran down the mountains. It clashed against large rocks that found themselves in the water, and fallen tree trunks stuck to the bottom.
It was beautiful out there, almost a bit serene, the trees quietly rustling in the wind as the sun shone down on them after having emerged from the shadowy woods. This seemed like the perfect place to start looking for what they had come for.
"This is the place he mentioned?"
"Should be," The girl replied. "Dad said he had seen some Deinonychus nesting near the river, though exactly where I don't really know. We'll have to keep our guard up."
"Ah okay," Eric nodded slowly, before walking toward the river. A set of airborne reptiles took flight overhead and carried with them sustenance acquired from the river that teemed with smaller aquatic life, such as coelacanths and sabertooth salmon.
Aurora and Maya ended up huddled closer to one another, where they stood nearer to the treeline, scouting the area for potential predators, but besides the occasional jumping fish and the peaceful pteranodons swooping down for a mouthful, they couldn't catch winds for anything.
"What made you choose the Deinonychus? Couldn't you just go for any ordinary raptor?"
"Well, from what I've heard, they're very nimble and fast, so they would make for great mounts! I've actually seen some people riding them back in the great settlement, they aren't that big either so we won't have trouble bringing one with us on Athena."
"Right, but any other small creature could make for good traveling companions though," Aurora pressed.
"True, but I wanted my first ever tame to be something unique! Something cool, even if it means I'll risk my life to meet one. Besides, I desperately need a ride if I'm going back to visit Johnson... last time I traveled around with him was SO so tiring 'cause we always had to walk everywhere..."
"Fair enough," –Aurora replied, before she turned to face Maya directly, now certain their surroundings were relatively safe–"So first, you should decide how you want to go about domesticating a creature. I'm not sure how your father would do it, but most survivors would try to trap the creature they want, and break it."
"Which means?"
"Breaking a creature means forcing your will on it until it becomes obedient! It's a bit of a rough way, but it worked for many in the great settlement. Another way could be trying to befriend it, gaining its trust, but since it's a carnivore you want... That's likely out of the question. Unless you want your hand bit off, hehe.
"The last thing I can think of is trying to steal an egg that hasn't hatched yet. As a mother myself, it sounds rough to steal another mother's child, but it's the safest and most secure way to get a tame, because you'll get to raise it as your own."
"Urgh, but that'll take too long. How long does it take to raise a dinosaur anyway?"
"No clue! But are you in any hurry? When are you headed to see the crusader again?"
Maya rested her index finger on her lips as she pondered for a moment, slightly furrowing her brows a bit as she hummed to herself. That question was one she couldn't easily answer. "Well, I guess I'm not really in any hurry, I just want to get a mount before I go see him again, whenever that is."
"Exactly! You've got some time on your hands then. I think getting an egg would be the best option, besides, your father said they were nesting here, no?"
"Heh, yeah, I guess.." Maya concluded the conversation, letting out a faint sigh of reluctance as she realized her mother had already decided for her how they would be acquiring her new travel companion.
"Hey guys, look at this!" Eric hissed at the two as if trying to conceal his voice by not shouting from the river's edge. Both of the girls swung around in the gravel, the ground beneath them crunching in response as they turned around to look over at the young boy. "Look at this little guy...!"
At the shore, the boy sat crouched down on the ground, drops of water splattering onto his trousers without thoroughly soaking them. His arms were outstretched toward a peculiar little creature that splashed around in the water in front of him. Well, they couldn't be entirely sure it was a creature he was interacting with, but with the thrashing about, it had to be something live hiding beneath the water's surface. A fish, perhaps? The other two made their way toward Eric, Maya parting her lips about to tell him to be careful, but deciding against it seeing as no threat appeared even after seconds had passed.
"What is that...?" Aurora softly asked as she loomed over her son. The creature continued to splash around, before the water all of a sudden calmed down. Eric twisted and turned, trying to look through the small waves to see if he could spot the little thing he had seen, until out of the blue, a small otter jumped out of the depths, landing right in front of the boy again.
"Oi!" -He gasped, lifting his arm in front of his face as his shirt was soaked by the oncoming water. -"Heyyy!" The otter squeaked at him gleefully, almost smiling with not only its maw but its large eyes. He might've been frustrated that his shirt had been soaked but wasn't able to get angry with the absolutely adorable little creature. The other two remained glaring over his shoulder as he gently ran his hand down the back of the animal's body, through its wet fur, as it returned the same enthusiasm to the boy. It gripped onto his arm with small paws, pulling itself onto him and running across before positioning itself on his shoulders, wrapped around the back of his neck.
"The lil' guy loves me!" Eric said, smiling. He let the otter sit on his shoulders, where it squeaked and returned positive reactions to the three survivors, paying no mind to the boy's shirt that was soaking even further now from the dripping water.
"I think I want to keep him. Can I?"
"I mean... Why not? I don't think any of us would mind some more company in the house?" Aurora followed up, looking at Maya for confirmation.
The trees seemed to rustle more and more now, almost a bit too vigorously, but for the three survivors, it was hard to tell with the sound of the river drowning almost all other background noise in the area. At first, they would remain deaf to the increasing rustling sounds, as they eagerly got acquainted with the new little companion. Laughs were shared as they softly prodded at the otter, with it doing the same, crawling across the three and quietly growling and squealing while doing so.
But then they heard it. – A loud rustle. As if something had just bolted through the thicket that surrounded them, branches shook wildly and leaves began falling from the trees. Unmistakingly, there had to be something there, and all three had a hunch of what it could be. The otter ill-reacted to this occurrence as well, hiding behind Eric's back as the rustling continued, coming only to calm in between fast movements.
The three's postures and demeanors changed in the blink of an eye, Maya standing hunched with one foot in front of the other, both her hands on the scabbard, while Aurora had begun pulling at different pieces of her equipment, fumbling as she reached for the TEK firearm. Completely still they stood, trying to not make any sudden movements that may agitate the entity that hid in the shadows.
"What is that...?" Eric whispered, his voice shaking as he stepped back toward the river.
"Get ready," Maya interrupted the sound of her voice followed by a 'schwing' that dragged on for an uncomfortably long time, as she slowly unsheathed her katana and held it firmly in front of her.
The rustling continued for what felt like an eternity whilst the trio stood completely still, the only noise being made was the spooked squealing coming from their new furry companion. But then it stopped, and not only for a mere few seconds this time, it stopped altogether. Once more, all they could hear was the running river, its water splashing against debris in the water, and the distant howl of some sort of reptile or mammal, and for a moment tension eased as the three exchanged glares, hoping the threat had left them alone.
That sense of ease was short-lived as from the thicket, emerged something they had expected to show itself sooner or later, especially in the area they had made their way to. A snout was the first to poke out of the bush, followed by a gaping jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth the length of small screws. Two deep, yellow eyes reflected the sunlight from above as they came into view in the dark and slowly came out into direct sunlight. Sharp little irises stared at the three with vicious intent, as the creature revealed itself fully. The Deinonychus stood tall and mighty before them, exceeding the height of the two women by a tad bit, its feathers only adding to it.
Colorful feathers, warm browns to golden yellows ran down its entire body, and its arms almost looked like wings that would let the raptor take flight had it wished to. Her fangs were bare, one could tell it was a female from the size and how it had approached the survivors, and she seemed to be going in cautiously in a protective manner. There had to be young nearby, if not a nest full of eggs, something along those lines. After all, they had walked right into a nesting ground.
The creature growled as the ground beneath it shifted and crunched under its claws digging into the dirt and gravel, it shook and ruffled its feathers whilst it maintained perfect eye contact with the three survivors, – And then, feathers stood up on her body, her posture changed completely as her jaw was left hanging further agape. Arms and claws outstretched, she prepared to launch herself at the humans who had disturbed the nesting grounds. Maya reacted swiftly with vigor.
The girl shouted as she slid herself in front of her mother and brother, her katana gripped tightly in both her hands as she embraced for the incoming attack. "Out of the way!" she shouted to the others, just as the Deinonychus shrieked and threw its weight toward her, lunging in her direction as with her Katana, she caught its gaping mouth before it could bite down on her. She groaned, using all her strength to hold off the agitated raptor as Eric and Aurora spread to one another's side of the girl.
Wrestling the strength of the Deinonychus, she sent a kick to its chest, her leg barely avoiding the grasp and slashes of its large claws. The reptile reacted and let go of her katana, which gave Maya the perfect opportunity to deliver a blow to it. One bold swing and a scar was left on the creature's side, stretching down its underbelly with droplets of blood seeping from it. It whimpered in pain at the successful slash to its chest, but this only seemed to send the dinosaur ballistic.
"One sec, sweetie!"–Aurora called out in between grunts of struggle–"I've got the gun!"
As the woman was finally able to unholster the rather ridiculously large pistol, she held it firmly in both of her hands, and her finger tried to find its way onto the trigger as she took aim toward the beast that was attacking her daughter. Deep breaths, she thought to herself, drawing out the moment longer than she should've had, as her girl struggled and physically fought against the Deinonychus.
"MOM LOOK OUT!" A third voice suddenly screamed, followed by the terrified squealing of a much smaller mammal. First, she looked at her son, who stood there tensed up holding onto his new companion, but then she turned around to see what had caused him to raise his voice so suddenly, besides the fact that Maya was going toe-to-toe with a carnivorous reptile. It all happened so fast, but it felt like time slowed down as she turned to face the bushes again, only to see a pair of eyes blinking back at her with two sets of eyelids. She yelped as yet another raptor lunged out of the bushes, and this one didn't miss. It had hidden in the dark and waited the perfect time to strike, and as Aurora backed up against the forest, its target had been decided upon.
It pounced her successfully, digging its claws into her clothes, ripping through the upper layer of nylon, and revealing the protective material beneath, some kind of hardened fabric with a hexagon pattern etched into its form. The riot armor that her husband had custom-made for her sure worked, the creature failed to penetrate it with its claws, but that wasn't their greatest worry at that moment, because she had a heavy bloodthirsty dinosaur holding her down whilst her head and face were completely unprotected. With pistol in one hand, she was forced to use the other to push the creature's face away as it prepared to bite down on her frontal lobe.
"Mom!" Maya yelled, panicked. In a fit caused by rushing adrenaline, the girl lunged with her katana, managing to drive it into the shoulder of the female Deinonychus that was attacking her. The creature winced, hell, it shrieked and this, flailing about with the sharp blade stuck deep inside of it, something that gave Maya the opportunity to follow through with a move she had previously seen her dad use many times over. She cast herself on the neck of the reptile, holding her arms around it and with her body weight dragging the both of them to the muddy ground beneath their feet. "D-Dad makes this look EASY!" -She followed up with, in between grunting as she held the creature down to the ground, keeping its head and snapping jaw away from her.
"What do I do, what do I do?!?" the younger boy's voice peeped as he watched both his mother and older sister down on the ground, wrestling against beasts that very much rivaled them both in size and especially in strength. In his arms, he still held his small otter buddy, whose face was hidden in the boy's chest as the commotion went on.
Tension rose quickly as the strength of the two girls faltered, Maya struggling to hold the female Deinonychus down whilst Aurora had to crawl and kick to get away from the male one. A loud buzzing noise tuned in as she finally managed to aim the pistol toward the raptor despite having to endure incoming slashes and clawing. The pistol lit up, the blue lights growing brighter and brighter as she held down on the trigger, charging it up for what would certainly end up a devastating blast.
SWISH!
At a high velocity, a projectile flew into the scene and penetrated the head of the raptor that Maya was holding down, killing it in one hit. The creature writhed and squirmed as life faded from its body rather gruesomely fast, and Maya stared down with horror at the arrow that could've hit her had she been only a few inches closer to its impact area. Quickly, she jolted around and grabbed the handle of her katana with one hand, pulling the blade out of the dinosaur's corpse, before running in Eric's direction to make sure her younger brother would not stay unprotected for much longer, but as she did so, another gust of wind flew past her following an arrow.
Another loud swish cut through the air, with the second arrow going right through the neck of the raptor that held Aurora down in the dirt, the sharp tip poking out of the other side. The three of them were stunned, and the woman struggled to regain her breath where she lay almost hyperventilating on the ground. The pistol she had aimed up at the raptor's throat was lowered, and she let her arm fall to her side, as did the dying body of her assailant.
Eric and his sister exchanged looks that screamed "What the hell just happened?", as they now stood surrounded by two dead animals, and their mother who remained on the ground, frozen in pure shock.
After she started to get back to her senses, Aurora was able to compose herself again, taking one deep breath before jolting up into a sitting position. Her hair was messy and dirty, covered in debris from the ground, leaves, pebbles, and such. The equipment she had been given was torn up, although not enough to show any major signs of damage and injury, as the trusty undersuit worked it's job to protect the wearer from sharp objects very well.
The two kids ran to their mother, both throwing themselves to the ground and hugging onto their mother. Through her blonde hair that laid plastered across her face, she let out a soft giggle as the two embraced her, both babbling on in worried manners. "I'm alright, I'm alright," She repeated, probably one too many times. Whilst they faced away from it, Aurora, where she sat, had a perfect view of the sender of those arrows.
A makeshift compound bow made up of scrap metal pieces, likely some of the ancient TEK that lay strewn around all of Earth now, drawn with a large arrow pointing in the direction of the three. The woman who wielded it was dark-skinned, with plenty of tattoos running down her body, covering even her face that hid behind bangs. She was fit, very fit, one could tell by how muscular she looked despite her smaller size, even at a distance. Her shape stood out from between the bushes and trees that surrounded her, all the way over on the other side of the river.
The two women made eye contact, Aurora tensing up and her smirk fading as she saw the emotionless expression of the archer that had potentially saved their lives. Soon enough, the other two sets of eyes were turned to her, and for a moment they all locked eye contact. Seeing the woman's eyes from such a distance was hard enough as it was, especially because of how distracting her ornaments were. She looked as if she was from a completely different world, but technically, with how the survivor race comes from all across human history, she very much is.
And then, she lowered her weapon. Her hands were still on the weapon and the arrow, but her body language suggested she had let her own guard down. Relieved that she was not out to harm them, the other three breathed calmer. They watched on as, without a word whatsoever, the stranger turned around and stepped into the forest again, disappearing into the thicket as quietly as she had arrived, but following her departure was... More people.
Family? Her tribe, perhaps? Whoever they were, they were surely allies of the tattooed woman. Various silhouettes followed after, Maya, Eric, and Aurora catching only small glimpses of them as they passed the opening in the thicket.
Many figures, tall and short, passed by. One of them came to a stop, however, exactly where the woman had stood with her drawn bow. A young boy, clad in metal armor that shone when it came in contact with direct sunlight, blooming brightness. His blonde hair was nearly as fair and pale as his skin was, which was extraordinarily bright in hue, besides from the slightly darker scars that crossed his cheek. His dark eyes peered out at the three, who still rested awkwardly on the ground, covered in sweat, dirt, and blood from the dead raptors.
Another moment went by. Complete silence. Nothing but the water rushing by in the river. Then he waved his hand to them, a gentle greeting from a distance. A greeting from another point in history. He didn't smile, he didn't say a word as the woman hadn't. Just the wave of a hand, acknowledging the three.
The receiving end could barely react to it, none of the three really knew how to respond, at best, Maya was able to deliver a somewhat forced but still genuine smile to the boy. He lowered his hand and remained standing there, just blinking as he glared over to them before he disappeared alongside the last of his fellow tribesmen and women.
And just like that, the figures had passed as soon and suddenly as they had appeared. The tattooed woman and her fellow survivors continued on their way through the wooded area, perhaps through the rest of the region, who knew where they were headed. A random encounter such as this wasn't all too extraordinary for survivors who dared step foot into the wilds, but admittedly, the three were relieved the persons they had met carried no ill intentions.
"Who were those people?"–Eric whispered–"and why did they help us?"
"Some people can be selfless, not many, mind you, but there are good survivors out there, just trying to get by." His mother responded as she tried to get herself off the ground, reaching and holding Maya's outstretched arm to support her. On her way up, she snatched the TEK pistol from the ground, wiping it of dirt and mud on her torn-up riot gear.
"Good thing they weren't out to harm us, I guess,"–Maya followed up with–"all the talk about settlements and raider groups getting cockier makes meeting new people really uncomfortable."
"True."
Eric was twisting and turning in place, trying to find the otter he had befriended, who he had lost track of when he swiftly moved to his mother's side, but little did he know his furry companion was hiding right behind his back, and quite literally so. The otter was clutching onto the back of his shirt, only letting go now that the scene had quieted down, and it made its way up onto his shoulder again. Eric giggled, slightly startled but happy to see he hadn't lost the lil' guy just yet.
They could breathe calmly for a moment, thinking the threat had passed, at least for now. Were they to search for the nests of the Deinonychus that had attacked them, they knew they would run into many more, but hoped that the next time they would be more prepared. Little did they know, that next time would come sooner, rather than later, for suddenly – The bushes rustled again. Once more, the treeline moved, although not as vigorously as it had done earlier.
"More of these!?" Eric exclaimed as he stepped back toward the running water, as far away from the treeline as he could get. He passed the two dead raptors as he did so.
Maya, once more, with a bloodied sword held her weapon in front of her, falling into a battle-stance as her mother put both of her hands on the handle of her TEK pistol, aiming it at the rustling leaves and branches. The two would not hesitate and were ready to deal with the threat as soon as they could catch a view of it. And then it emerged before them.
From the bushes emerged yet another Deinonychus, but this one... This one was not like the previous two. Smaller in stature, its height matched that of Eric's unlike the former that had stood even taller than Maya and her mother. This one could impossibly be an adult, no, it was an adolescent, a child that had come looking for its parents. From the edge of the forest, it peered over at the three beat-up-looking survivors, where they stood with blood splatters on their clothes between the cold bodies of its parents. Its head twisted and turned around, as its eyes wandered from one dead raptor to another, seeing the large arrows that had impaled and taken the life of its parents.
Maya, her face in a tense expression, scrunched her nose and brows for a moment before she realized what she was looking at. Her expression eased up, and her posture changed as she stood up again. From behind, she was eyed by her mother and brother as she gently held her katana's sleek blade between her index finger and thumb, before running the sword through her hand in a soft but controlled manner. Her hand picked up the fresh, dripping blood from the blade, removing most of it from the silver before she cast and splashed it onto the ground below. The girl then wiped her hand on her pants, staining it but paying no mind, cleaning away the excess grime from her hands, before pushing her sword back into its scabbard.
"Mom, put down the gun,"
"Why? No?! I can't do that, what if it tries to get at us?"
"Can you at least lower it, and not aim directly at it? I want to try something..."
Aurora let out a brief sigh, as the pistol's barrel was pointed to the ground, away from the adolescent deinonychus. "Alright girlie, but if that thing even tries to get at you, I'll show it not to mess with my kids!"
Maya nodded slowly but hesitantly, as her eyes darted from her mother's to the curious raptor's. It still stood there, as if waiting for the survivors to make some sort of move before making its own, only tilting its head from side to side as it inspected the survivors from a distance. By now, the girl thought the youngling would have ran off, seeing the three humans standing amongst the corpses of its parents, but strangely enough, it didn't.
The ground beneath her snapped and crunched as she took one small step in the direction of the creature, something it seemed to react to as it raised its head into the air and looked directly at her with two piercing yellow eyes. The girl hunched over a notch, trying to imitate the height of the adolescent Deinonychus. Maya had no experience in domesticating wild dinosaurs, but her instincts spoke to her, something nudging her to attempt her best to appear as friendly as she could so as to eliminate any sense of threat she might've given off.
"Hey there..." Maya spoke softly, as she slowly raised her hand in the direction of the raptor. That was when it first reacted, displaying unease as the girl came closer and closer to it, nearing arm's length. It hissed at her, backing up and brushing its tail against the thicket, as if ready to kick the ground and flee into the greenery it had come from any moment now. It was hard to read their emotions, but it was as if the realization had now hit the young Deinonychus, that their parents lay dead surrounded by survivors who carried all sorts of dangerous tools with them- Of course, it couldn't know for sure that it had been the trio that had ended it's kin, that intelligent the creature was not, but it could certainly come to the realization that danger was afoot.
This was exactly what Maya had concerned herself about at that very moment, that the Deinonychus may connect the dots and view the three as murderers, bloodthirsty killers, bipedal demons who sought to end wildlife in the area. But they weren't. Maya didn't know how she could excuse the death of its parents, nor explain how the acts of violence from their end were merely self-defense. It was all a natural course of nature, something beyond the control and decision of both the tree survivors, and the mature raptors who had only attacked out of fear that their young would be hurt, or perhaps even for as little as getting their daily calorie intake.
"Hey-hey, no-"
Soft-spoken and beneath her own breath, Maya tried to calm the creature down, both her arms outstretched toward the creature's snout. She knew what dangers could have come with this, but she did not hesitate. She wanted to show them that she could be trusted. They wriggled and dramatically swayed their head around just to keep the young girl's hands off of it, but eventually, they could no longer escape her touch unless the creature backed up a few steps. Maya's subtle palms slowly and softly wrapped themselves around the creature's skull, one caressing the top of its snout whilst the other carefully found its way beneath its jaw, away from the dagger-like teeth.
Slow and gentle strokes across its face, its cheeks, and the top of its head. Maya wanted to let it know that she wouldn't hurt it and that she had no ill intentions whatsoever. Her palms got clammy as the seconds went by, growing more and more nervous, afraid that the adolescent raptor might snap back at her and cause her to lose a hand. But with time, it grew to be comfortable with her touch. The tension in the reptile's body shrunk before disappearing completely as it leaned its head into her hands, a soft rumble coming from deep in its throat, a sound of comfort and calm.
Their eyes were locked on one another for another few seconds before scaly eyelids covered one pair of them. Maya smiled, first softly, but then she fought to hold back a grin of relief and happiness. As she had already done with her hands, with slow and careful movements, she touched her forehead against that of the Deinonychus', her bangs gently brushing against the scales on the top of its head.
From a distance, it was almost a bit of a surreal sight. Something straight out of those kids' movies back in the twenty-first century. Aurora holstered her TEK pistol, a quiet click following as the firearm attached to the belt around her waist. She was completely covered in mud and debris from the ground, but despite how beat up she felt and looked, she couldn't help but feel immense pride wash over her, drowning out the minor pains she experienced after having been wrestled to the ground by a wild beast that wanted her head.
Seeing her daughter interact in such a way with a wildly different living being was magical for her as a mother in this new world, and made her so unbelievably proud of Maya.
Aurora's arm wrapped around Eric's shoulder, and she planted a gentle kiss on the top of his head as they stood there, carefully watching Maya and her newfound friend from a distance, the boy holding onto his own furry companion like a teddy bear in his arms.
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Through the grassy fields, the three returned accompanied by two more souls, unlikely new friends. The end of the day neared, the sun was beginning to set and the skies dressed themselves in a rose-golden hue. Gently through their hair the wind blew and brushed against them, as they strolled toward the large craft that rested in the middle of the green field of vegetation, and an abundance of different-colored flowers to go around.
Laughs and giggles, smiles and happiness. A fulfilling day was had by the Terranova family, both teenagers pleased with their new companions. In his arms, Eric still held tightly onto his otter, whilst Maya walked by the side of her new friend the Deinonychus. Their mother had asked time and time again since leaving the river in the woods, "Do you have a name for them yet?" But to no avail. The two didn't know, but names these tames would get sooner or later.
For half a year they traveled the world, settled down, and spent quality time in every part of the planet they touched down on. They had seen tropical beaches where the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, the remains of once-great cities and landmarks. Visited many ARKs, each harboring their own unique worlds, life, and flora. The sights they had seen were something many would go their entire lives and never experience. But what they valued most apart from the experience, was the growth their relationship had had in such short amounts of time.
Away from immediate duty and with the freedom to do anything on their own time, the four were able to form a bond, unlike anything they had in the past. No longer did Maya and Eric go from day to day wondering if their father would come home, and Aurora was liberated from her work in The Great Settlement- Even if it was voluntary work. Together they spent their days by one another's side, standing unified against all obstacles headed their way. That was something all four of them valued more than anything. The family finally felt...
Whole.
As the survivors and their companions approached Athena, the door that they had left open had been closed and the retractable staircase tucked away. The three remained standing outdoors giggling and chattering whilst the otter Eric had picked up was starting to get acquainted with the much larger adolescent Deinonychus. Surprisingly enough, the two hit it off rather well for being prey and predator in the wild. From her mother's thick, lush blonde hair, Maya picked small pieces of sticks and leaves, giggling at how much of a mess she looked like. Their gleeful interactions were soon interrupted however, as a loud buzzing noise was emitted from above, coming from Athena's entrance that they stood right beneath.
The retractable staircase emerged from beneath the door, the tek metal that it was made up of gently landing on the ground right by their feet. Smiles grew across their faces as they quieted down, and the door slid to the side as footsteps approached from the hallway within.
Wearing an ingredients-stained, black apron, and rolled-up sleeves, the man emerged and halted in his tracks right at the door's threshold. In his hand he tumbled a piece of cloth, wiping his palms with it, and his head tilted down as he looked at Aurora and the kids. His eyes were met by hers, sparkling and glowing under the sunset sky.
"Hi, love!", Aurora greeted, with an awkward but joyful smile on her face.