Clawen ♡ Second Time's the Charm

Chapter 10: Beautiful, Strong Women

"Oh, my God. What is that?"

A large dark mass greeted Claire and Owen as they finally arrived at the valley, still without a sign of the two lost boys. Owen furrowed his brow and, as the Jeep neared the unmoving shape, he realized that it was a fallen Apatasaurus. Claire's gasp implied that she too could see the dinosaur clearly.

Owen stopped the Jeep a distance away and grabbed a hold of his rifle. He opened the car door and quickly scanned the valley. Claire followed him out, but he turned to her.

"Stay in the car," he said quietly. Claire stared at him as if he were crazy.

"No. If you're out here, then I can be, too," she retorted. Owen sighed and glared at her.

"That wasn't a suggestion. Get in the damn car," he said, knowing that it was dangerous to be wandering around in the open and not wanting to risk her life. Whatever was responsible for injuring this dinosaur could still be nearby, and Owen had a feeling that he knew exactly what that was. Claire did, too, but neither of them mentioned it. It was too obvious. The Indominus had been here.

"Do not speak to me like that. I am going out there regardless of what you say," Claire snapped stubbornly. She held Owen's gaze, neither of them blinking until Owen finally lowered his eyes on defeat.

"Fine. And I'm sorry. But stay close to me," he gave in reluctantly. Claire nodded and followed him toward the Apatasaurus.

A somber mood descended on them as they walked past the seeping wounds on the dinosaur's body. Pools of blood had formed on the ground, and crows had already began to feast on top of her. The Apatasaurus let out a soft moan in agony as she struggled on the brink of death.

Owen approached her head and knelt down beside her, placing his hands on her neck and motioning for Claire to come beside him. She sank onto the grass hesitantly and found herself staring into the dinosaur's eyes.

Claire saw the fading twinkle of her eyes, each thick fold and small creasing of her skin, stretching across her body like rivers. She saw the labored breaths, the way her throat expanded and contracted, the way she opened her mouth to release each breath as if she could kiss the air. Claire watched as the Apatasaurus responded to Owen's gentle touch and soothing voice.

And that's when she realized what she had been doing wrong all her life. These animals weren't mere assets, park attractions that supported the park financially. They weren't just numbers on a spread sheet, statistics that were printed from a computer. They weren't just the projects of the park scientists.

They could breathe. They were aware. They were alive.

Claire felt tears of both sorrow and shame rolling down her cheeks. I've been so blind all these years! She didn't even bother to wipe her face, letting her tear drops drip onto the grass. Owen glanced at her while running his hands over the Apatasaurus's head.

He reached out and took her hand. She tensed for a second as he brought it onto the dinosaur's skin but decided for once to trust him. Claire touched the thick, scaly skin cautiously; she had never been this close to a dinosaur. Owen sensed her hesitation and enveloped her small hand with his. 

Suddenly, the Apatasaurus raised her head from the ground with a moan. Claire flinched and drew back sharply, her fingers gripping Owen's arm. Owen shared an alarmed look with her before placing his hands on the dinosaur's neck to steer it back down onto the ground. The Apatasaurus stared directly at Claire, who trembled as she began stroking the bumpy skin once again.

"Can we help her?" Claire whispered tearfully to Owen. Her heart hurt for this beautiful beast, cursed to die a painfully slow death. Owen longed to tell her that it would all be fine, that they could save this dinosaur. But it was too late and he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. He shook his head, wincing inwardly when she began to sob harder.

Both of them continued to comfort the dying creature until its eyes closed for the final time. The Apatasaurus let out one last exhausted heave, and then it was gone. Just like the two workers that had been murdered by the Indominus.

Claire covered her face with her hands and swiped at the streams of tears. Owen turned to her and studied her wet face for a moment. Somehow, he understood that her heart had been touched by this fallen beast.

Claire opened her eyes and caught him staring at her. Immediately, she hid her face out of shame. Great. I bet I look great in front of him. Puffy eyes, red nose, and wet cheeks. What a great impression I'm giving him.

"Stop staring at me like that." Her voice was muffled. Owen tilted his head to one side.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm some stupid little girl having a meltdown."

Owen blinked a few times at her words. Is that what she thinks of herself? "Believe me, I would never think of you like that. Ever."

"All beautiful strong women have meltdowns once in a while," he said. Claire stared at him, her heart pounding.

"But not all beautiful, strong women like you have handsome, strong men like me to comfort them when they're crying," Owen finished cheekily, trying to lift the mood. Claire let out a shaky laugh when she heard this.

"That's probably the truest thing you've said today," she whispered. The words flew easily out of her mouth before she could stop them, making her blush as soon as she said it. Owen smiled.

They rested together on the grass for a second, hand-in-hand. Then, a large crow landed on top of the dead Apatasaurus's neck and released a few loud caws.

Claire and Owen shared a look of mutual understanding, the crow dragging them back to reality. Save all this 'stuff' for later, Claire. Your nephews are still in danger.

"We should go back to the Jeep," Claire asserted. Owen nodded, and they returned to the Jeep and drove through the valley.

Unfortunately, even with two sets of vigilant eyes, no signs of the boys were found. Claire sucked in a cold breath of air as Owen steered the Jeep into the forest. She couldn't rid herself of the memory of the Indominus emerging unseen from the trees. What are we to do if she's out here? What if she's watching us right now, right this moment?

Then, Claire heard a strange noise coming from deeper in the forest. Heart pounding, she squinted and tried to identify the source of the sound. Please, please, let it be my nephews. Or at least a sign of them. Any sign. Any sign is better than no sign, right?

Wrong. Owen steered the Jeep closer to the sounds, and Claire let out a strangled shriek when she realized what lay before them. Smashed glass, bent metal, torn plastic, broken machinery. It reeked of death.

A gyrosphere.
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