Karata (ARK Fanfic) ✔ DRAFT

Chapter 5 | The Mind of Battle

Her mother cooing at her, Myu laughing with her, Jan sharing a joke with her, Charcoal nuzzling her.

These memories and more blurred her vision. But then, an obelisk, glowing red, and an abrupt confidence.

Karata blinked the fear from her eyes and summoned her spear. 

The Spino bellowed, rearing up and clawing at the sky before bringing its paws down and roaring. Karata calmly wiped a fleck of spino spittle from her cheek.

Enraged that its intimidation tactics didn't work, the spino snarled and galloped forward.

Breath. Karata waited.

Breath.

The spino was almost upon her. 

Karata took one swift step forward to gain momentum. She flung her legs forward, skidding under the spino. Thrusting the spear upward, she sliced a long furrow in its belly before springing up and grabbing its tail.

Clambering up the scaly tail, she ran along its back. Leaping from its thigh to its shoulder, loosing an arrow at its sail on the way by. She pounced on its head -- but it whipped its head around and caught the edge of her shirt.

Hot, foul breath choked her as the spino lowered its head to toss her in the air and swallow her whole like the rex. 

Two furious screeches erupted in unison.

Charcoal clinging to the side of its head, emitting a sharp keening noise and burying his foot-claws in the spino's eye. 

The spino, screaming in pain, shaking its head to dislodge Charcoal.

Karata fell from its open jaws, the animalistic shrieks of pain and rage burning in her ears. She rose shakily and the world clicked back into combat mode.

Charcoal flipped himself backward off the spino, growling. They stood together, circling the spino warily.

Suddenly, Charcoal darted forward and body-slammed its side. The spino stumbled, teetered, overbalanced and collapsed. The raptor was there instantly, sinking his claws into its belly, shredding its flesh with his teeth.

Karata was moving too.

She ran for its neck, then ducked as Charcoal went flying over her. He landed heavily and then jumped upon the spino's jaws, keeping them forcefully closed.

Karata vaulted over its neck, slamming her spear forward and down. She landed on the opposite side and stared at the bloody spearpoint protruding from the back of its neck. The spear had gone all the way through its neck!

The spino shuddered once. 

Then it lay still.

"Karata!"

Jan's footsteps echoed in the silence. He rounded the corner. "Karata!"

He stopped dead, his jaw falling open.

"H -- did you -- wha?" Jan's eyes were wide as the moon.

"I -- I killed it. Charcoal and I. We killed it." Her words felt like raindrops falling, rippling in the stillness.

"I evacuated everyone and came back to help, but you . . . " He ran his hand over his face. "How did you do that?"

"I just -- Charcoal and I -- ugh." Karata took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts.

"Charcoal and I worked in perfect conjunction. Our quick wits is what saved us. See, I scratched its belly by sliding under it, then ran up its back to stab its neck, but it got me in its mouth, and then Charcoal clawed its eye, and then body-slammed it and tore at its belly, and then I speared its neck while Charcoal kept its jaws closed." Karata inhaled quickly, having explained everything in one breath.

Jan's eyes narrowed. "Really? You managed to pull that off?"

"Yeah?" Karata smiled weakly. "It must of been a low level.

"Hmm. Well, I guess this does explain why they were talking about -- " He broke off abruptly. "Never mind. Let's get you home; its getting dark, and this calls for celebration!"

Karata frowned, opening her mouth to ask who 'they' were and what they were talking about, but then thought the better of it. She hopped on Charcoal and followed Jan out of the school, past the remains of the wall, all the way home.

.               .               .

They burst into the camp. Fishwing landed near Charcoal, and Jan slid off immediately, dashing across the clearing.

Going to tell Ago. Karata sighed. She desperately hoped she wouldn't get in trouble. Now that she looked back, the whole event was rather odd though, suspicious even.

Charcoal whimpered and licked her hand. She laughed and rubbed his scales, scratching in between his eyes, which he liked. 

Karata sat cross-legged on the grass, drawing random patterns in a patch of dirt with a dusty twig. Charcoal crouched beside her, leaning against her side and nuzzling her.

Who were the 'they' Jan had been talking about? Whatever he was talking about, he must of wanted me to stay in the dark about it. Karata wondered. She hated not knowing, and she wanted to find out what he meant.

Perhaps it was something with that place he brought me to? In that instant she made a snap decision. She quickly sketched an explanation for her absence in the soil, then raced off on Charcoal.

She was a few hours away from the base, deep in the forest, when Charcoal stumbled.

Karata rolled off the raptor and bounded over the small hill. There was another disguised building!

"They must have little huts like these everywhere!" She thought aloud.

Just then, something creaked from inside. Voices murmured softly.

Putting each foot down with extreme care, Karata crept silently to the door and pressed her ear against.

"Yes, we have reports that she is in fact alive, saved by a Dancing Lightning."

"Hmm. That's annoying. Do you suppose there's any other way we could take her out? Perhaps a capture instead of a killing?"

"Captures are slightly more complicated, but then we could use her abilities to our advantages."

"Ah. How about someone she loves? Maybe --" The voices faded into a low hiss.

"Her mentor?" One of them exclaimed.

"Keep it down! Anyways, perhaps --" The voice quieted again.

But Karata had heard enough. Reeling, she crunched through the few leaves that littered the forest floor. Knowing that they would have heard her, she snatched at Charcoal's saddle and thundered home.

.                   .                   .

"Jan? Jan?!" She called. Where is he? Could he already be taken?

"Karata!" She whirled, relief melting the dread as she caught his green eyes. But . . .

"You better have a VERY good reason for why you thought it was appropriate or necessary or ALLOWED to just run off!" He stormed.

"I just wanted to know what you were talking about! And they were talking about me! And they have little camouflaged huts everywhere and --" 

"No! If I stop talking about something, that something is not meant for your ears! Do you know how WORRIED we've been?" He gestured furiously to the lake.

"We have searched the entire camp for you and we even had the ARGIE TEAM ready to look for you! We all though you had been abducted by the Jagged Flame, or worse, already executed!" 

Karata looked away, her eyes and cheeks burning with fury and resentment and shame.

His voice softened. "Go to your House. Ago and I will talk to you in the morning about the spino and about your latest stunt." 

Karata barely managed a nod, and raced to the Raptor House before Jan could see the tears fall.