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Whiteclaw (21 days after)

Is it even possible to get hurt while practicing hunting? I had no clue. But based off of Blackclaw's standards, I might have to reinterpret my thoughts on true 'practice'. Drexel looked injured as well, so it must've been a really....really difficult....wait this doesn't make sense.

Is it even possible to be hurt in an easy practice with no prey in sight? And I haven't seen a mouse in days....

Nevermind that.

I settled Blackclaw down on a nearby rock, allowing him to sleep in some peculiar dream of his, then turned back to Drexel, who limped awkwardly into Three-Toed Caverns.

"That must've been on tough mouse eh?" I played. Drexel's eyes widened, and I saw his breathing strangely increase. He almost seemed choked on his spoken words.

"Oh yeah. Gave me some little scratches."

"Little?"

"I mean uh..." He glanced at me swallowing once, then shifted his tail over passed my face, "Some of them...were...uh....my fault. I slipped." I raised an eye.

That still doesn't make sense.

I knew I didn't see anything when they both found each other. So I had to just agree with whatever story Drexel spoke of. Besides, he was older than me. He wouldn't lie....

Right?

"I going to see if there's any more water left," Drexel trembled, staring at Blackclaw, "A-At Shadow's Pond."

"I don't think there is any Drexel," I sighed to the Utahraptor, "And even if there was, wouldn't it be acidic by now?"

"Let me just go check Whiteclaw," Drexel growled. I blinked at his threatening growl, then watched him move around a bit in the shadows of the cave, then break into the open atmosphere with a cloudy roof above his head.

What was his problem? He's never acted like this before.

Like he's hiding something. Or playing something off. I knew that a mouse couldn't deliver a blow to Drexel's vertebrae without him knowing about it, or even since mice don't have teeth that big. If something attacked him, wouldn't he tell me?

Though there was a proven point, that Blackclaw did do some dumb things, like jumping into trees, that I believed. But the story just doesn't make complete sense to my ears. Sounds so make believed and such.

Suddenly, I felt my side shake, and I turned my head in surprise, observing my brother weakly rise up again. His scales twitched as they awoken once again, and a small knot on Blackclaw's underbelly opened out a bit as he moved. He stumbled upwards to his feet, but before he could topple over, I caught him, transferring my weight upon his shoulders.

"Woah, hey, easy," I hissed, "You just got up." Blackclaw's eyes rolled around once, fixing themselves upon the textures of the cave, before settling onto me.

"What happened?" He grumbled, rubbing his bruise, "I feel really dead."

"I was about to ask you the same thing," I clicked back, then pushed him upwards to his wobbly joints, until he maintained control. The black Deinonychus mumbled over some unheard words before speaking.

"I hit a tree," He groaned, "I freaking hit a tree."

Well that's not helpful.

"Yeah I heard that," I muttered, "But anything else?"

Suddenly, his eyes popped open, and his heart began to race. As I glanced into his eyes, they began to fade into a light blackened color, like Shadow's own eyes. It was strange how they seemed similar all of a sudden.