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Whiteclaw (5 days after)

"You're a Utahraptor," I guessed, lifting my snout from the cool crisp water of a nearby lake, "I thought you guys existed millions of years back." Drexel nodded his huge head and flicked his tail towards an answering.

"My kind was dying towards the end of this era. I could be the last one still alive you know." I felt a cool breeze suddenly give way towards us, fluttering into my soul like a ghost. I shivered and spoke back.

"I think we can all say that," I swallowed, feeling the cold trickle down my esophagus, "Especially since this happened."

"Not everyone knows what this is," Drexel backed up from the water after his long drink, then swallowed like I did, "Not even you."

"I guess that's true, I don't know what's going on," I breathed, flexing my toe claws. I've been with Drexel ever since he found me in the snow 3 days ago. We didn't really cooperate with each other well since we fought days before, but eventually our trust began to rain upon us and click together. The winter wasn't gone from the earth yet. The cold still held us like icy palms, gripping so tightly, that it may never let go, and being cold-blooded was like hell. I saw some creatures, I think called mammals, scavenging the area, looking for food and water, but they seemed perfectly fine in the cold for some reason. Perhaps it was the strange fuzz on their bodies. Like Drexel's feathers?

"How are you not freezing?" I trembled as I walked alongside him a few minutes afterwards, "It's cold!"

"Feathers," Drexel grinned, lifting up his arm. There was this strange sagging skin below it, until I realized that they were feathery parts that hung to the earth, "But then again, they are for show. Not for heat. I'm just as cold as you are Whiteclaw,"

"Then how are you so fine and not reacting to-" I shuddered as another cold breeze blasted into my face, "Jeez!"

"Because I don't overreact like you unless I'm in trouble." Great. On the search for my remaining clanmates, we following the hot stream nearby Drexel's den around the forest as a trail back and forth, but despite all odds, even leaving the trail, we never found another living soul besides those strange mammals. I've eaten mammals before, they taste awful with their furry selves! But we had to adapt eventually. The last thing we ate was the, now 3 day old meat from when Drexel found me. And every slither of meat was slipped right off its bones and ribs. I discarded the bones after seeing Drexel gnaw on it in a meaty desperation, and hid them behind these rocks alongside a small hill just so it could decompose properly. But it didn't. There was no bugs, no other dinosaurs, nothing. It was so quiet and dead. Too quiet in fact. Was life non-existent too? It was later on in the darkness of the day when me and Drexel sat alongside the hot spring, burning our bodies in the cold. I could easily decipher the times of the day only by my sleep. Whenever I was sleepy, I knew that it was night. And I used to awaken when the sun struck my face before the incident. Now I just guess whenever the energy inside snaps me up. The heat really did help against the cold, and though I had no idea where the hot spring even came from, it was worth it to be living near one. Eventually, I yawned a bit, then stood up to stretch my muscles and claws. And jaws, don't forget jaws. Drexel looked up at me in confusion.

"Where you going?" He asked, looking up at my left, and gone eye. I shrugged.

"I gotta keep looking. They're out there, I know it."

"Don't believe in your friends to much Whiteclaw. You could jinx it."

"I have to Drexel," I countered, "They're all the family I have left. And I'll see if there's any dinosaurs out there, or anything to eat at all."

"Alright," Drexel sighed, "Don't kill yourself now." And I was off. I didn't really take the scenic route since the river of heat ran through the forest into a small little valley. Speaking of which, the hotspring did have some spots that were still covered in ice, so I had to keep an eye out on which way to go, cause the ice-covered areas could look just like a hump of snow, camouflaged like myself in this wilderness. I stumbled along, using my large tail and pubis bone as balance, feeling the cool snowflakes stick upon my body, then took a chance to climb one of those dead trees. Staring out into the blistering wind and snow, I sniffed the air. I had to find something, like fresh dung or meat or life in anyway. But I just caught the cold into my nostrils. But then, as I was climbing down the stump, I caught a scent. A strong and fresh one in fact. A scent of blood. I stared out into the forest in complete surprise. Was it actually blood? I inhaled the air again. I wasn't imagining. Slowly, I felt the air with my nose, and let it guide me to wherever the base of the smell was coming from. I began my walk, then turned it into a trot, but I was moving a little ways off from the river. Its gotta be something, I thought, I know it. Finally, the scent dodged left. So now I had to remember that the river was behind me, and I stumbled down hill, sinking that memory to the back of my head. I was going and going, praying that something was there in the darkness of the storm, until.....I hit a dead end. What?! But it ended right here! I spun around from the way I came and marched back a few steps where the scent supposed to be. Then looked up. Nothing would be there. I glanced down at the white snow that covered up....wait. Snow covers up things. It's a blanket, it covers up things! Like how Drexel found me, I was covered up! I sank my snout into the snow and dug with my claws, until I hit something smooth and meaty. Flesh! I got so overjoyed with myself, I yanked out the piece of meat. But at the same time, I was wrong. As I pulled it out, the meat turned into a claw, and then a face and tail. And my heart bursted with surprise and terror.

"Oh no."

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"Whiteclaw!" Drexel saw me struggling to haul in the figure from the cold and stood up, "You actually found something?! WOW!"

"Not something," I muffled with sorrow in my heart, "Someone else!"

"Jeez he's still alive. Who is that?"

"Amberclaw," I swallowed, "Here, help me out please." I lowered the dinosaur onto the ground, then pushed with Drexel towards the hot spring, splashing the carnivore into the hot water. I joined in seconds later, using my jaws to grab it's back skin, making sure that he didn't drown. Slowly, the color from Amberclaw's face and body rushed in, swallowing in the heat and discarding the cold from its whits. Suddenly, Amberclaw let out a gasp, and started thrashing wildly.

"Let go of me!"

"Wait!" I cried out, accidently dropping my friend to the ground. Amberclaw thrusted out from underwater with another choking gasp, splashing all over, until he calmed down, staring at us.

"Whiteclaw...wha-"

"It's alright, you're good," I reassured to him, then pulled myself out of the water, red liquid dripping from my underside and tail. Amberclaw followed, limping painfully to where we were. We stared at each other silently for a bit, recognizing faces and features, until Amberclaw finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Drexel."

"You're a Utah-"

"I know," He groaned.

"I thought you guys were-"

"I know!" Drexel frowned, then sighed, "I can't take this." Then Amberclaw turned to me.

"Me and Brownclaw thought you were dead! You went missing just like the others!"

"Well, I almost died, but Drexel......found me in the snow. Thought I was dead myself." Then I thought, "Where is Brownclaw by the way?" Amberclaw's face went pale, and his drooped his head sadly.

"No....he's not, he can't be..." I felt like I just got punched in the chest. Amberclaw nodded, looking back up at me.

"He froze up the day you left," Amberclaw swallowed, "The cave got too cold for us. I rushed out knowing that if I'd stay I'd end up like him."

"He's dead?!" I clicked back loudly. The world felt like a buzz around me, spinning around me wildly. I felt suddenly sick.

"Whiteclaw....I'm sorry," He croaked. I closed my eyes, holding my head together, and floated the fact out of my ears.

"It's fine," I balled my claws into a fist and swung my tail, "you're safe, and everything else is okay."

"Yeah, I guess," he moaned. Silence.

"I'm gonna go and rest for now." He muttered, moving like a blur into the den. I stood outside, staring straight out into the trees and white forest. He's gone. Both of my brothers are gone. And I abandoned them both when they needed me. Pure anger slid into my soul, and I spun around with speed, thrusted my tail up, and slammed it down onto the nearest ice, cracking it in one violent movement. The ground shook hard on strike.

"Damn it!" I roared, hearing the ice snap like a bone. A sudden burst of steam thundered out from the impact, and the water around it flew up like a small tsunami, splashing upon the other ice, melting it down. I breathed hard, feeling the rage throw me all over like a ragdoll, until the coolness of the wind calmed me down a bit. At that point, I was on the verge of crying, but I held myself together firmly, struggling to hold on. If I can. What more could fear and life take from me? What more could I do that results in the deaths of my friends and family?! I was making a mistake that I couldn't even recognize, and it was coming for me next if I'm not careful. Everything that has happened since impact has taken something from me. It's only a matter of when,......when all is taken forever.