The Indoraptor and A Girl ✔️

7 🦕

The sound of my footsteps on the metal steps was the only thing sound echoing in the wide room other than my breathing. It hid in the shadows, perfectly out of sight, so it strikes its prey with perfect precision.

I took a turn around the brick wall to catch the sight of the metal bars at the end of the long corridor, with darkness being in its hold. A vibrant red line sat on the ground, a clear warning not to get too close or else.

My footsteps click on the stone floor, and I halted my movements on top of the red line, my eyes staring right into the pitch-black darkness. A moving scaly surface reflects the light on the ceiling far from where I stood, only for a fraction of a second. Puffs of air were the only sound that escaped from inside the cage, followed by the clicking of strong claws on the concrete floor. A rather chilling sound from within the dark.

"Archer," I spoke softly. Moments later, as expected, a black arm with its fingers with claws over fifteen centimeters, stretched out of the dark in my direction. It gently clawed the air, waiting for me to come closer and grasp onto me.

To any other human here, seeing this would be their worst nightmare. To stand a meter or so from claws that would turn anyone into a bloody mess would send them away, screaming. But I saw it as a part of something beautiful.

My hand right, that leaned by my side, raised to touch the long claws. The fingers curled and pulled me closer to the bars. The claws skimmed over my arm as puffs of air moved my loose hair to fly around. The hand then retreated back to the dark cage, but the puffs of air continued.

"I'm here," My hand moved inside the cage in search of a snout. "Now, where are you?" I move my hand to the source of the puffs but find nothing there as they ceased or went away. "Are you playing hide and seek with me, Archer?" A gurgling noise came from the dark, confirming my assumption. His understanding of human language always amazes me. "Alright, I'm coming in to find you."

I walk around the cage toward the door. Once I make sure to unlock it, I quickly enter since Archer had tried a couple of times to escape during my entries. Most of the times there is a worker walking by that triggers him. Only a small amount of light from the corridor reached the cage, making it very hard to see beyond a meter or so.

I am tempted to use my phone lantern, but he would be mad at it as I would've ruined the game. He really enjoys to play hide and seek, and doesn't like it when I cheat. The only thing I could that helps me locate him was his raptor foot claw that would repeatedly tap the floor after some time, and his scales grazing each other as they flinched. Even with those markers, he is still very elusive.

My feet slowly move forward into the darkness, careful not to step on anything... unpleasant. His cage is cleaned once a week since he needs to be sedated heavily. Some days I offer to clean it when the bones start to build up and it becomes too unsanitary.

"Archer, how about this; if I find you under one minute, you'll have to let me check over you, but, if can hide longer, I'll give you extra food today," A gurgling noise comes from the other side of the cage as a 'yes.'

Such a smart boy he is.

I walk over to where the sound came from, but the only thing I touch is the metal bar.

Dang it, how does he move so silently

CLICK CLICK

His claw touched the ground to the right, behind me. 

How did he even get over there?

Fifty seconds.

I slowly turn around and walk in the direction of his claw clicking the floor. It moves further away from me the closer I get. I take two steps and feel a small breeze touch my skin. I take a leap forward but my hands only grasp empty space.

Forty seconds.

"Archer, come on, you know I'll give you extra food nonetheless, so will you please let me find you already. I need to check on you," I plead. Should've thought twice before making a bet.

Thirty seconds.

I knew I shouldn't have suggested hide and seek. If he loses, he'll get a little too agitated to work with, so I need to let him win, just this once. Not like he wins most of the hide and seek games we play.

Twenty seconds.

My eyes close as a form to get his attentio. Archer loved to see weakness in his preys. Although his twitching would lessen, he would in turn become more still. I extend my hands forward and walk in the direction I think he is most likely to be.

Ten seconds.

I prepared my body for any imminent jump or collision I could suffer. Similar to the one person who was unfortunate enough to walk inside the cage, thinking it was clean. All the while I was inside, soundly asleep. Archer stalked his prey from the dark, analyzing every weakness they had before striking. A deadly beast.

And different from the unfortunate soul, instead of mauling me to death then proceeding to eat my limbs, Archer either pushed me on the ground – which was followed by licking my face – or made me stumble on his tail and fall on the ground.

Either way, I ended on the floor. Neither my butt or back came out unscathed.

Three.

Two.

One.

His hot breath hits the back of my neck as a small growling forms inside his throat. His snout nudges the back of my head as he begins to sniff me. It moves from the back of my head to the side, then infront my face. Oh, God. Not this.

As predicted, he licks me right on my face.

"Ew, Archer," I open my eyes to push his face away and proceed to clean the sticky saliva. "What do I tell you every time you lick me? No," I am now at the back of the cage, so the light passes over his body, giving me a small glimpse of his dangerous teeth as he gurgled, proud to have won the game.

Such a silly boy.

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