Hybrids: An Indoraptor Story ✓

Prey

||𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏8𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎||

~ TWO DAYS EARLIER ~

Breaking into Trader Joes wasn't the greatest moment of Ripper's life. But he was still grateful; accompanying me on a journey into madness was nothing short of exciting. It made him happy. Then again, he needed to see the fun side of life. I knew it had been ages since he last laughed.

Or purred.

Or, did anything remotely close to it.

Although, we had to agree, human meat tasted far better than the frozen, dull sacks of cow chunks and pig skin overrunning the meat aisle in the human store.

We also understood why the dogs gave up on hunting us -- the smell here was disturbing, even for a hybrid. The fruit stands made us sneer, the sugary spices forced our nostrils to quake, and our throats burned up at the overwhelming flavors that all mammals lavished. And we didn't dare take a step into whatever monstrosities the humans cooked up in the isle of 'lotion' -- our palettes couldn't take this much abuse. Still, we took our share, remaining fruitful in our conquest to live.

However long that may be.

But this was a good start, I thought with a toothy grin. I was sure Ripper thought the same; he'd watch me nibble on bones and play around with the peculiarities of the human food chain -- tomatoes, apples, cookies, even the weird curved yellow fruit called bananas. Often I'd mention Blink's story of the meat freezer, and wondered how it'd feel to get locked up in there for a day. And Ripper would listen intently.

Amused, slightly. But, nevertheless, interested.

After ruining the store, we snuck through the back vent and trotted, side by side, toward our destination: The Mendocino National Forest, a place overrun with jagged rock faces, secrete wetlands, tall redwood trees, and hidden creeks. But it bridged the cities surrounding it together: Chico, San Francisco, even Berkely. It was the most important stop on our travels, and no sooner had they reached it did my nostrils flare up with excitement. Ripper did the same: there was a freshness here unlike any other. And, without the pollutant scent of human nature, the winds were clear, cold, and guiding, giving us both a fair chance to finally sniff out who we were looking for. Moreover, who I was looking for.

Click's scent was here. So was Indy's. And, much to my surprise, so was Wu's. But I didn't bring it up.

Me and Ripper spent time parading around the forest, studying its highs and lows, and salivating over the richness of prey. There were dinosaurs here, too, some escapees of Lockwood Mansion now building lives away from sight and sound, and some growing proud herds that humanity couldn't counter. Nature really did have a stand-in here, we would think, our hearts bursting in amazement and wonder.

Night fell quick on our special day. We curled up into one another's embrace, lulling away to the soft thumps of our heartbeats against our scales. It felt comforting to be beside another, as Ripper soon realized, and he rumbled with happiness. I did the same; the stars watching proudly from above as two misunderstood creatures found peace. No human dangers, no loud noises or tormentous threats, no mourning or grief -- just us. It was everything and more to the world, and to us.

Ripper may have found comfort here. But being beside another male reminded me of Blink yet again. Because we shared a time like this, too, listening to each other's breaths and stargazing at the rolling world above. Nuzzling one another as we wished the world away. It almost brought me to the brink of tears.

I still missed him. It wasn't fair that he couldn't see this.

And then came morning; Ripper and I decided to spend the day searching for feistier prey to savor. I would hunt near the meadows, he would scour the forests beyond it. We'd meet at sundown to compare our catches (or try for another if we failed at all), before leaving the following morning for Click. Wishing each other good luck, we parted ways.