t h e R E D (Mabs)

[★ j a n i z z l e]

The day was at its peak, and normally she'd be asleep. Oblitium really was more of a night owl. Young, strong, and a small carnivore, darkness hid her well. But she wasn't exactly obvious hopping discreetly from the branch she had been sleeping on to the ground ten feet below. A twinge of pain in her scarred hind leg caused her to wince, but the raptor shook it off and started forward. As always, she began limping but in just a few yards the creature was moving fluidly and gracefully. Dappled hide seemed to mesh and blend with the pattern of shadow on the forest floor. Her alert, vivid eyes scanned the forest, hoping to see one of the smaller, easier to catch animals of the rainforest. She was outside her pack territory, and she knew it, but hey. She just wanted to get some frickin peace and quiet.

Brushing aside some fronds with her snout, the female sniffed. There were many scents around her. Was that the faint smell of a Microraptor? And of course, the scent of fish (still very faint) coming from the river. And many other scents as well. Oblita let her jaws hang open, a quiet hiss escaping her as she crouched beneath a fern, letting the soft fronds brush her back and sides. Hmm. The tiny raptor inched forward, using her front limbs to hold herself up. A dragonfly flew tantalizingly close to her snout and without thinking, Oblitium snapped at it, annoyed. Back to business. The tiny raptor then flitted, with the speed of a bird, to leap up upon a fallen tree, and from there to a boulder. She gave a soft murr sound and blinked before slinking down the side of the stone, letting herself slide and land on the forest floor with a soft thump.

[rabidmaggot93]

The massive carnivore pushed the vegetation aside with his snout, each step shaking the ground. His eyes narrowed slightly as his vision swept the forest floor. He'd eaten just recently, so he wasn't hunting, just sweeping his territory. A soft rumble bubbled from his lips as he crunched a fallen long beneath his talons, stepping over the obstacle as if it wasn't there. He took in all the scents around him, but one thing in particular caught Emile's attention, and he stomped off in that direction.

After a small interval he came across what he assumed was a young Velociraptor - and away from its mother or pack none the less. He wasn't going to kill her or anything, so he stepped out into the small clearing, looking down. He was more curious as to why she was away from the adults, who would act as her protection and providers until she could really hunt for herself.

"Aren't you too young to be away from your pack?" Emile asked, though his tone wasn't unfriendly. He half expected her to flee, though his posture wasn't unfriendly either.

[★ j a n i z z l e]

Oblita smiled to herself, taking a deep breath. But soon, that sense of freedom turned to panic. The scent of a much, much larger carnivore was drifting closer. A carnivore type that this young raptor knew well. She scanned all around, frozen, thinking a mile a minute while her heart pounded in her chest. Her vivid eyes saw him approach - he was so much larger than Oblita, even larger than much of the prey she and her pack hunted. But... He spoke? And he did not seem angry or hungry at all.

"My pack will not miss me; I haven't been gone long. Not like I have anybody to miss me."

Her words carried sadness and also, some bitterness. She ended the sentences with a sharp and very scornful hiss, shaking her head. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods," and she quickly added, out of respect, "if I may ask, sir?"
Her stiff, slender tail gave a faint wave as the small raptor shifted her weight to hide her twisted and scarred leg, so as to avoid questions. Oblita was still very touchy about the subject and did not want to be reminded of what was taken from her.

{First post on my iPod!}

[rabidmaggot93]

(That was great for being on your Ipod! )

Emile listened to her words - it was a her, he knew from the voice, but her tone surprised the adult. Maybe it was just because it wasn't what he expected from a raptor - a natural pack based creature, but he didn't push it. Instead he gave a small cock of his large head.

"I am sure someone must miss you... though i do not know your name, Miss, i apologize. My name is Emile." He spoke, and a sudden itch flared to life on his jaw. He grunted, twisting his head to scratch at it with his rather small arms, and it quickly subsided. He smiled at her next question - it wasn't always obvious, the fact that where he went, he considered it his. His territory was large, as it had to be to feed himself. As it was, there where very few to attempt to take it from him, at-least none who where a match.
"This section of the forest is part of my territory. A lot of the island is, actually, i need a large space to hunt in. As it is, though, a lot of the prey has migrated into land i do not own, and while i could simply come and take it, i do not plan to so long as i can still catch it in my own." The rex replied with a soft smile, or as much of a smile as a Dinosaur can manage.
"Please, call me Emile. Sir does not befit me; it is a term i have heard humans use, however." A low rumble rolled past his lips at the memory, before he looked down to her.

"I do not suppose you where here when the humans ruled over us, where you?"

[★ j a n i z z l e]

She shook her narrow head, clicking her front claws together in thought. "Not a soul, Emile. My name is Oblitium, but most call me Oblita. My parents are dead and my siblings have left." She wouldn't mention that she was pretty much forced to be the leader, the alpha female; it was something most would be proud of, but not she, not under the circumstances. She watched him scratch, the creature at least ten times bigger than herself. He seemed an honorable dinosaur, by the way he spoke and acted; it was a true pity he wasn't one of Oblita's species. Some of her own pack members would thieve in a heartbeat. Had they no shame? But of course, Oblita would do anything for her pack, so it would all come down to dire need...

The next question caught her off guard. "Humans? I've heard my parents and packmates speak of it, but it was long before my time." A faraway look crept into her bright eyes at the mention of humans; she remembered herself being young, just a mere hatchling, curled up beside her mother and father, and siblings. She had gnawed on her father's tail feathers as he told the story of the humans. They seemed cruel and foolish to Oblita. "From what I know, 'tis a good thing I missed that time." She stuck her nose in the air and gave a quiet snort, scorning the humans and their downfall. What did they expect? Dinosaurs, like herself and Emile, were clever and powerful. "My father used to speak of the ruins they left behind, though I've never seen them myself."

[rabidmaggot93]

Emile frowned, before he dipped his head in respect. An odd gesture for such a large animal, but it was senscire.
"I apologize." He frowned "Oblitium. It is a very beautiful name." He smiled down at her, before he shifted his weight, cracking a branch under his foot as he adjusted it. He looked at her, before he nodded wholeheartedly.

"I am one of those the humans brought back first... I did not know my parents either, if i had any at all. I was kept in a cage or experimented on, they did not leave me alone. But the night came - i am sure your parents spoke of it - when we broke out and took back our freedom. I was among them that night, and it was glorious." He laughed, shaking his head. "While i am glad those days are long gone, i fear that humans will one day return."

He paused slightly, taking in a deep breath of air. He distinctly smelled another large carnivore, and his lips rolled back over his teeth. This was his land. He glanced to the small raptor.

"Oblita, i advise you take cover, if not for long. There is one who seeks to claim my territory, and he has my scent. I do not wish for you to be caught in the middle."

Not seconds after he spoke, a large dinosaur burst into the clearing, eliciting a roar from Emile that shook the ground. Every muscle was tensed, every single fiber in his being screaming fight. He wasn't passed his prime, and this young male - he noted it was an Allosaur, a large one however - sought to take his territory. But he wouldn't let that happen.

((Could you play the Allosaur, Jan? :3 If you don't mind, i'm sure Ob will enjoy the show ))