DRAGONRAPTOR
Dark Fantasy Adventure by Killy KilimanjaroThe story is planned to span 25 episodes, each with 10 chapters. It begins with a death, and a mystery. The dinosaurs of a coastal jungle live in fear of an unknown killer, at the same time a family of winged velociraptors appears on the scene, gathering together before the pack's young teenagers embark on a quest to become powerful apex predators . . .
Season 1: Vision Quest
Episode 1
Stormlight
A calm sea whispered on a storm-lashed planet. Beyond the atmosphere tiny moons kept the shining rings in orbit. From a small cove at the edge of a tropical landmass, one moon became a deep red eclipse.
A lone Bakunawa sea dragon floated near the surface. Its deep blue mass flowed like an ocean current, and its silver-lined scales reflected the glimmer of the ice rings that shone brightly upon the waves. The dragon leapt out of the water, opening wide jaws that seemed to swallow the background moon and then plunged back into the deep.
All life in the reef hid, and the waters became still. A second passed, and the Bakunawa was carved in half. The ocean cried in panic.
The flapping of shorebirds and pterosaurs swarmed the floating debris. Teeth fought with beaks for tiny scraps of the dragon’s exposed body. As the shoals broke the carcass into pieces, more and more small groups of scavengers formed to fight over clumps of flesh.
The smell of the meat reached far inland, where pterosaurs glided down from the cliffs and treetops to join the feast.
Anurognathus flocks swooped above the rushing streams with the ocean waves in distant sight. When they descended to a few feet above the waters, running talons gave chase.
A young velociraptor rushed out from the underbrush and pursued the largest glider. He was seven feet long from snout to tail-tip, covered in azure and silver cloud-patterned feathers. His eyes were large in proportion to his short face, and crests above his eyes expanded into wing-like tufts between which emerged a long, iridescent mane of very fine feathers. This was Kyeran of the Starglacier pack.
Kyeran listened for the sound of talons to his left and his right. Red and golden blurs of similarly-sized raptors flanked the pterosaurs’ flight. The stream waters slowly gained width and speed. Turbulent rapids were born from merging streams and sharpened rocks. Kyeran increased his splashing strides to aerial jumps from perch to foothold. Then the waterfall’s edge came into view.
Kyeran opened his arms to reveal long, sharp hobby-like wings and rose into the sky.
Winged Velociraptor / juvenile
Height: 0.95 m Weight: 10 kg
Length: 2.13 m Activity: Crepuscular
Encephalzation Quotient: 1:30
Color Phase: Arctic Cerulean
Color Phase: Arctic Cerulean
Nest: Starglacier Pack (seasonal nomads)
Illustration by Nathan Smith a.k.a. Killy Kilimanjaro, coloring completed 10/17/2011
Chapter Two: Winged Velociraptors
Lightning struck the air beside him. The yellow raptor rushed ahead, chasing larger pterosaurs that were now joining the flock. These pterosaurs were nearly the size of the young raptors themselves, with wings stretched between three fingers rather than along one, as usual. Huge, jagged teeth snarled at their pursuers.
The red raptor followed behind the other two. Kyeran shifted to the opposite side of the yellow one as she charged the atmosphere with the electricity, suddenly discouraging the large pterosaurs from attacking. As they disappeared towards the shore, she landed and perched on a shaky branch overhanging a shallow cliff. Red thunderbolt stripes clashed against a brass feather coat that lightened down her side, and deep mint-green highlights of her mane rolled like thunderclouds.
“I love chasing wyverns!” She screamed.
“Kaminariko!” Kyeran called. Catching up to her, Kyeran was visibly smaller and lighter even though he was the same age.
“Wow, that’s a lot of them,” Kyeran observed as separate flocks gathered into one.
“They’re all headed towards the sea.” “Why don’t we find out why?”
“Kyeran! Kaminariko!” The third raptor called as he perched. This one was larger and several years older than the blue and yellow raptors. He was a dark red color with black and violet flame-shaped stripes down his back.
“That’s enough playing around,” he said. “Aneirain and Keitaluah should have completed their scouting by now.”
“Sore about not being able catch me again, Akhikaji?” Kaminariko teased. “I bet I can scatter that wyvern flock and make it back to the rendezvous place before you even find them.”
“If you’re that quick, why don’t you lead the attack on the Therizodactylus?”
Kaminariko smiled as she and Kyeran followed Akhikaji down to the forest floor.
Several miles downstream the river opened into a shallow estuary, transitioning the habitat from dense jungle to mangrove beaches. After the steep cliffs the elevation sank gradually into the ocean, as the river from the falls spread into an archipelago of marshy groves.
This was ideal spawning ground for fish, and the wyverns knew this well. Small pterosaurs would skim the water to snare tiny swimmers and larger ones lay in wait for both them and bigger fish. The winged velociraptors hunted everyone.
A long, curved neck lifted its tiny crested head out of the water. The titanosaur then lifted its massive bulk from the channel. Its body slowed the flow of water slightly, as the beast waded upstream as it browsed on overhanging vines and leaves.
A small herd of five Therizodactylus walked along the inland-facing margin of the wetlands. Three adults, one subadult, and one small chick. The scythe-claws of the adults were each a foot long, and sliced thick branches from trees down for easy chewing.
These were a thick jungle species, blotched in ratite-like green and brown feathers that mimicked the shadows and vegetation to break up their shapes against the wood and leaves. They moved slowly, but with more agility than larger, pot-bellied relatives. Here at the forest’s edge, their size gave them awa
Just above them, a turquoise-green raptor with a red and aqua mane twitched his head to their every movement. He was considerably smaller than Kyeran, about five feet long, and dark racing stripes lined his sides, vertically lightening into a yellow-white underside.
He saw a flash of silver as a fifth raptor signaled him from a distance. This one was between the green raptor and Kyeran’s size, with cold blue ice-patterns that darkened his feathers. His mane was a yellowed white and light blue at the tips. The green raptor circled around the scythe-handed dinosaurs to join his companion.
“Keitaluah,” the silver one called, motioning for the smaller raptor to come close.
“Aneirain,” what is it?” he asked.
“Spinosuchus.” The silver one answered.
The two smaller raptors tracked a great blood-red sail slice through the water. Tiny compsognathids hunting insects by the riverside scattered as the fin passed by. The creature swam downstream, heading towards the delta mouth.
Aneirain and Keitaluah followed closely behind, gliding from the trees. Wherever a large predator was going, there was a good opportunity to scavenge, particularly if their three larger pack members joined them soon.
The widening waters were awash wish floating debris of the slain Bakunawa, and the immense flock of birds and pterosaurs was already thinning.
A giant crocodilian head snapped at the wyverns and grabbed the last large chunk of dragon flesh. The fully emerged Spinosuchus was over fifty feet long, agile but powerfully built. It swallowed the emu-sized meat whole with several fish-smelling gulps, then turned towards the hidden raptors and charged.
A web of thunderbolts then struck the beach just inches in front of the Spinosuchus, halting its advance.
Chapter Three: Band of the Five Elements
The Spinosuchus dodged the lightning to see the raptor Kaminariko hiss at him, electrifying her feathers into quill-like spikes that fanned out into a prickly threat display.
Three raptors.
Spinosuchus roared back, trying to find a way around Kaminariko’s shock attacks. She was the largest and obviously most dangerous of these three. The smallest was the green raptor.
He stepped to the side, hoping to expose a clear strike at Keitaluah. He could grab at least the weakest of the raptors while the strongest were distracted.
A blazing fireball impacted the ground between the Spinosuchus and Keitaluah, and the red raptor Akhikaji appeared in the crater’s place. Kyeran then appeared behind the other four, placing himself in slightly higher ground to prepare for an aerial attack if battle ensued.
Five raptors now, against a carnivore ten times their size. Millions of years ago, a team this small may have retreated or scattered against a still more obviously intimidating opponent.
Things had changed. These young raptors were of a new genus, with terrifying new abilities and strategies, and every creature in this world knew it.
Spinosuchus stepped back.
“If you’re looking for the Bakunawa, it’s gone.” He advised the pack.
“A Bakunawa?”
“Slaughtered and broken to pieces upon the skeleton shoals.” Spinosuchus told. “Your species is nomadic – you wouldn’t yet be aware, but prey in these waters has become scarce.”
“Why?” Akhikaji asked.
“No-one knows.” Spinosuchus said as it retreated. “Likely it’s also whatever killed the Bakunawa.”
“Well, that answers one mystery.” Kaminariko said. “Wyverns must have picked apart the dead dragon while we were chasing them.”
“You wanted to have fun chasing them,” Kyeran said. “I just wanted the wyverns to chase away any rukhs before we swooped down on them.”
“Rukhs scare you, Kyeran?” Keitaluah asked curiously.
“They make me feel . . . uneasy. It doesn’t exactly help that my siblings rival them in wingspan, so when their shadows appear from the sky . . .”
“Anerain, what are you up to?” Kaminariko wondered.
“I found dragon pearls!” he said. The silver raptor reached into the water with his snout and brought up an egg-shaped orb. It was black with golden-brown blotched patterns, covered in unusually tough scutes. Aneirain dropped the orb against the exposed tips of large swamp rocks before cracking its defense with his jaws.
“Hey, I’m hungry too!” Kyeran declared. He joined Anerain just as Kaminariko pushed her brother aside to pick up a particularly shiny egg.
“Kaminariko!” He hissed. “Stop grabbing my dibs on every scrap of food we come upon!”
“Is that a challenge?” the golden raptor hissed.
Kyeran watched with anticipation. Aneirain hissed back, and Kaminariko charged. She knocked him to the side, then bumping Kyeran, who slipped and fell on his knees into the shallow water.
Kyeran rolled up, making huge splashes. He stood and mock-charged Kaminariko with a loud screech.
Kaminariko distracted, Aneirain blasted her with ice, which she half-deflected with lightning.
“You twins knock it off!” Akhikaji roared at the gold and silver raptors. “At this rate we’ll never bring down a Therizodactylus before nightfall.”
“The Spinosuchus is still around,” Keitaluah reminded him.
Akhikaji listened and watched the movements in the distance where the spinosuchus had moved on. “It’s not stalking us,” he concluded. He then approached Kyeran’s side and fished the stream for a shiny pearl of his own.
“Eating dragon eggs is fun . . . I like to eat the little ones,” Keitaluah sang.
“What did I say about breaking out into little kiddie songs?” Kyeran asked menacingly.
Keitaluah’s eyes widened as Kyeran turned and bared his fangs at the smaller turquoise raptor.
“Big Brother . . . he’s going to SHAKE ME!” Keitaluah screamed at Akhikaji as he ran from Kyeran.
Keitaluah scampered up vines, knocking the leaves off bromeliads and fruit off their stems. The canopy exploded in a burst of leaves and small animals as Kyeran gained on his victim. The azure raptor caught up to Keitaluah quickly and, with a hard bite to the shoulder, slammed and pinned him to the ground.
Keitaluah manipulated the earth on his back to smear Kyeran’s face with mud. Kyeran let go for a moment, allowing Talhulah to escape.
Kyeran unleashed a breath weapon of wind, slamming Keitaluah against a tree.
Akhikaji roared as he caught up to them.
“Whoa, Kyeran blasted you good,” Aneirain said.
“Did you two even scout for the Therizodactylus as you were supposed to?” Kyeran asked the smaller raptors.
“We did.” Aneirain answered. “There’s a small herd just above the floodplain.”
“Show us.”
Chapter Four: Therizodactylus
Aneirain led the raptors to the Therizodactylus herd. It was now late in the day, and prey animals became more wary during these hours.
A scattered flock of mihirungs trampled through the brush, keeping well clear of the scythe-fingered dinosaurs. Smaller than them were the first of a large othneilia herd coming to graze in the undergrowth.
The five-raptor nakama surrounded the herd in the trees above. The raptors were each very lightweight, and the large branches were barely rustled by their feet. Keitaluah’s coloring rendered him almost completely invisible among the bright leaves and flowers, and the others appeared as little more than a prism of sunset colors between the trees.
“The chick is only a bit bigger than Akhikaji,” Keitaluah observed. “We can grab that one easily.”
“We’re supposed to bring one down for all of our packs tonight,” Kaminariko said. “We need an adult this time.”
“Just stay clear of those claws,” Aneirain suggested. “That’s the trick. Should we chase them into the glade?”
“They’ll have more room to swipe at us in a clearing,” Kyeran pointed out. “Although, if we get one alone, our numbers will offset that advantage.”
“This time we can’t wait for nightfall.” Akhikaji said. “Kaminariko, I remember saying that you should lead the attack. What do you think?”
“Aneirain, Kyeran, come with me.” She replied. “Akhikaji, stay here. Keitaluah, you’re the fastest of us. When I give you the signal, rush out and startle the herd. See if you can get one to follow you, or break them up any way you can.”
Three raptors bird-hopped away to higher ground. Keitaluah opened his wings and glided down in front of the Therizodactylus herd.
The scythe-handed chick clawed through the trunk of a strangler fig to get at the fruit. One pod rolled on the ground, catching the chick’s attention. Keitaluah then jumped out in front of it, challenging the therizodactylus for the meal.
The chick was almost twice his size. Rearing up, it towered above the young raptor and swiped at him with its claws.
Keitaluah was fast. The green raptor dodged the blow and screeched mockingly at the young therizodactylus.
This drew the adults’ attention. Suddenly, the herd became nervous.
Keitaluah watched as a large adult charged at him, ripping shards off of thick trees as it came at him.
A blaze of setting sunlight emerged from the horizon, and lost in the glare Akhikaji hovered for a moment, then fell with wings swept back and talons spread, upon the back of the subadult therizodactylus.
His killing talons stabbed deep into its shoulder, and the teenager screamed with attempts to rake at the dark red raptor with his claws.
The chick looked back to see the horrific assault on its sibling, and tried to run back to its herd. Keitaluah chased the slow bird, and hissed as he positioned himself between the child and adult that had come to help.
The herd was now divided: Keitaluah against two, Akhikaji against three.
The largest of the therizodactylus herdwatched the raptors' movements closely, and from their size and attack patterns, judged the threat they posed.
“No . . . not that species.” He panicked. He bellowed loudly for the herd to retreat to open ground and continue the defense away from the forest shadows.
Keitaluah dodged a swipe from the adult’s giant claws, and glided above the herd to join his older brother in the attack.
Kaminariko rushed in to take his place, circling and hissing at the two therizodactylus.
Keitaluah jumped onto the side of Akhikaji’s prey. The victims roared and reared back, attempting to slam the larger raptor between his back and a giant trunk. Akhikaji shifted his position to the side opposite of his little brother, and the impact bruised the dinosaur’s shoulderblades.
Kaminariko dodged another swipe, and Aneirain suddenly appeared beside her to threaten the adult and chick isolated together.
The subadult down, Keitaluah and Akhikaji turned their attention to the two adults facing them. One was larger than the other, and bellowed a deep rumbling noise as an attempt to scare the raptors.
A high-pitched raptorial screech came from above, and a flash of blue alerted the herd to a fifth raptor.
The largest adult turned, with his back towards the glade, to face the four raptors on the ground. Kaminariko’s mane feathers raised up in excitement and she joined the red and green raptors in a mock-charge.
The therizodactylus retreated to the clearing, where he could have ample room to swing at the predators.
Exactly where they had wanted him to go.
The largest raptor, Akhikaji, ran out first to challenge the giant therizodactylus. Another loud bellowing was met with a cold hiss and stare. And another aerial assault.
Kyeran swooped down into battle. He landed at the base of the therizodactylus’ neck and tore with his talons. The prey arched its head back and reached for Kyeran, leaving his torso open to attack.
Akhikaji, Kaminariko, Aneirain, and Keitaluah jumped with full force onto his sides and belly.
The four surviving therizodactylus watched as the raptors swarmed over their leader. Intervening now would be futile.
The force of the young raptors’ blows, kicks, and slashes backed the huge bird onto a ledge, overlooking a forty-foot drop over steep riverbanks.
He looked down, and realized the raptors’ plan. His only chance now was to move back to more stable ground. His thick coat of feathers had shielded his vulnerable innards from precise gashes. If he could escape, he could recover.
The Therizodactylus stomped hard, thrashing the two smaller raptors. Kyeran let go to give Akhikaji and Kaminariko room to re-maneuver.
Akhikaji jumped down, then flipped into the air and slashed at his victim’s belly. Therizodactylus toppled over, and Akhikaji used his weight to knock him over his center of gravity and over the cliff, along with Kaminariko.
Kaminariko held tight with her talons to the dinosaur’s body as it tumbled, then released her talons just seconds before impact.
Therizodactylus struggled and called out in pain. Kaminariko circled it, her killing talons at level with her victim’s eyes. The giant bird grunted and locked eyes with her.
Kaminariko saw an opening – a large gash on the therizodactylus’ neck. If she could cut through it, the prey would fall.
She charged, just as the bird stumbled onto its feet and pinned her body underneath his with his heavy knuckles.
With his free hand, the therizodactylus aimed its scythe-fingers at her for a killing strike.
CRASH!
A flash of blue lightning struck the ground near the therizodactylus, diverting its attention to the azure cloud-patterned velociraptor right above.
Kaminariko seized her moment and wriggled out of the Therizodactylus’ grasp.
Kyeran slashed at their prey from above, attacking its shoulders, widening the gashes left by Akhikaji’s attack earlier on. The pain caused the Therizinosaur to swipe at its back, trying to shake him off. He forgot about Kaminariko in a lethal second.
The brass-striped raptor launched herself from the ground, dodging a swipe at Kyeran that instead cut a lightning-struck tree in half, and slashed his throat.
With a last whistle-cry in the darkening skies, the great scythe-handed bird fell.
Chapter Five: Siblings
Akhikaji caught up first. As the leader of the five, he finished the kill by severing the Therizodactylus’ spine from the base of the neck and roared in the pack’s triumph.
The green and silver raptors came running to join them.
Kaminariko looked out towards the raptor eyries, several miles away in the great river gorges.
“We can signal Susanoo-sama from here,” she said.
Kaminariko arose into the sky and lit up the clouds with her lightning, then expanded the light into a prismatic display of dancing colors.
Her lights were soon met with a thundering aurora from the pack, seen by every creature for miles around.
Hidden beneath the waves of the shallow ocean, a pair of enormous red eyes appeared to watch the lights, then once again vanished.
Kyeran’s head rose as he sensed a familiar elemental signature in the surrounding glade. He wandered away from the carcass, leaving the other four as sentinels waiting for the pack.
A small raptor stood in a patch of orchids. She was still covered in the downy, light-shaded feathers of a young chick, though her vivid colors were appearing. Her mane was almost indistinguishable from the round tufts of feathers insulating the rest of her body, apart from a dark blue hue, set apart by violet stripes on her face, sides, and tail.
“Yuka?”
Aneirain heard the name and came to Kyeran’s side, followed by Akhikaji.
“Kyeran, isn’t this your older brother’s chick?” Akhikaji asked.
“Sapphiroth’s back,” Kyeran whispered.
An elder raptor, in white, silver, and blue feathers scorched in red and golden flame patterns arose into the sky, followed by several adult raptors to the place where the lights had marked.
“Kaminariko,” he declared, “so it has begun.”
A huge rukh-shaped shadow appeared over Kaminariko. She and Keita looked up – only to see a pair of enormous talons descending.
“Yuka, what are you doing so far from the pack?” Aneirain asked the tiny raptor chick.
“I was afraid Kyeran-sama would go missing.”
“So we came to look for nii-nii and aniki-kun.” Another raptor said as she emerged from the undergrowth. This one was a similar color phase to Aneirain, with more green-tinted patterns than her brother’s icy blue.
“Rin-chan and I were playing sneak up on the big raptor kids.” Yuka explained.
“Yuka’s father said we should sneak up on you since we can’t hunt big prey yet.” Rin revealed.
“Sneak-up or set-up?” Kyeran wondered.
“Leading me right to you,” thundered a voice from above. “Little brother.”
“Sapphiroth.” Akhikaji snarled.
“I’ll admit, Kyeran, he certainly circles you like a rukh.” Aneirain observed.
Kyeran’s older brother glided down from what color was left in the sky. A sparkling dark blue phase, Sapphiroth’s mane was a blood-indigo and his talons larger than dragon fangs.
Suddenly, the therizodactylus head dropped in front of Kyeran.
“Will you stop that?” Kyeran shouted at the clouds.
“Be not a chick, little brother.” Sapphiroth declared. “I’m sure Kaminariko wants fearless raptors for her harem, not jumpy little kids who scream at the first sign of trouble.”
Kaminariko and Keitaluah remained shaken near the headless carcass.
Then, a small flock of winged velociraptors headed towards them. The rest of the pack members gathered around the Therizodactylus, waiting for their leader to arrive.
The elder blue and silver raptor was the last to land, and approached Kaminariko slowly.
Kaminariko bowed her head. “Susanoo-sama,”
“Kaminariko-chan, are you injured?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then you are ready. We will begin the vision quest ceremony later, when the rest of your group returns. Go and prepare.”
“You didn’t come back just to watch the ceremony, Sapphiroth.” Kyeran challenged. “What’s the real reason you’re here, and where is Starblazer?”
“Why would I know?”
“When she last spoke to me, she said you and she had a mission – something that would protect the packs, a threat far away from us that still had to be faced. Then she said then that I should find my own way to compete for Kaminariko. So why return now?”
“That was before you broke the rules, little brother.” Sapphiroth roared. “The honored traditions of all apex predators.”
“Just what honored rule have I broken, Sapphiroth?”
“You used an elemental attack against a prey animal.”
Oh . . . Kyeran realized. He lowered his head a bit.
“That’s not fair, Sapphiroth.” Akhikaji intervened. “Kyeran was only protecting Kaminariko, he didn’t use it to hunt.”
“Yet afterwards the Therizodactylus was brought down much easier. Kyeran’s attack then did help in making the kill.”
Sapphiroth very slightly softened his tone. “Kyeran, we have these rules and traditions so that we can learn our place and role to play in this chaotic world. When hard times hit, you must remember what and who you are. Kaminariko is a talon-crazy little thunderbird, but even she is not so quick to forget our ways of life.”
“Can you not sense the fear surrounding us?” Sapphiroth concluded. “After Keitaluah’s family was lost in the journey north, the same threat we faced has now followed us and the seasonal prey to the skeleton shoals.”
Keitaluah looked very upset at Sapphiroth’s words.
“So you came back . . . to save what’s left of our pack?”
“You disobeyed our ways, and the very hint of my presence nearly scared you into submission. You are not yet ready to face this harsh world without a pack. Stay with us, Kyeran. We could use your help.”
Kyeran suddenly looked very unsure of himself.
“Keitaluah!”
Akhikaji found his brother him curled up in a small nest between branches.
“When the dragon attacked . . . mother thought our small family could stop it. And we should have. We’ve fought dragons before. Why couldn’t we stop it?”
“Unktehila are a lot more dangerous than any other dragon. They have a special hatred for birds of prey, ever since our ancestors . . .”
Akhikaji realized this wasn’t helping.
“You remember why we joined the Starglacier pack, right?”
“To find a new family. It is in a large pack that we can challenge the greatest dragons, and find our true place in the world again.”
“If Kaminariko were to choose one of us, with her we could build a new pack. To belong to our own family again.”
“That’s why we’re leaving on this journey?”
“Well, no, not yet. Kaminariko’s choosing won’t begin until after we’ve each completed our vision quests. We’ll first have to prove our worth as apex predators in the world. Since you’re the youngest of us, you and I can travel together for some time. Eventually, we’ll have to disperse onto quests of our own but how we go about it is up to us."
Kaminariko emerged from a pool at the bottom of a large cataract. She swam in a form similar to a diving waterbird using a crocodile’s long tail. As she climbed onto the shallows, the surface of the cold ripples broke against her talons. Looking up, the eyries of Susanoo’s Starglacier pack were a hive of round nests built from the overhanging vegetation along plunging valley walls.
She looked downstream to see Aneirain and Rin playing on a sandbar.
“Nee-nee,” Rin called out, “Come play with us,” the little raptor screeched.
Kaminariko smiled back at them, then turned away to climb up the winding stepped rocks up to the raptor nests.
She was approached by the Starglacier pack’s leader.
“Kaminariko-chan! Akhikaji and Kyeran are on their way.” He said. “You should hurry to be first to the gathering nests.”
“Susanoo-sama, shouldn’t my own pack leader be at the head of my ceremony?”
“Yes, she should. I’m afraid that Sapphiroth was the only one to travel here from another group.”
“Amaterasu-sama’s group is missing, too?” Kaminariko was taken by surprise. “That makes so many among our packs.”
“I don’t think it’s that simple. We gathered the raptors of your age group to set out with you on this journey, but we draw too much attention in large numbers. When you return, we will try to gather all the families again.”
Kaminariko cooed as she headed off.
“I messed up. I was nearly killed by the Therizodactylus.” She confessed. “I thought I could finish the kill on my own . . .”
“Harder lessons than that are yet to come.”
“Kaminariko!” Susanoo called, “the group you have created with Akhikaji is already strongly bonded. Although the journey will soon separate you, you will remain always connected. Whereas Akhikaji led before, as the oldest, you will be the new leader of your group. As the new leader, remember your team is your family. Oh . . . and don’t ever neglect to stop and play.”
Sapphiroth perched, watching the waves of the sea grow slowly more violent. Aside him perched a second adult raptor, and Yuka between them.
“Kyeran!” Sapphiroth sensed his brother’s approach from behind, fearful but determined.
Kyeran was, in Sapphiroth’s shadow, a kestrel against a sea-eagle.
“If you want something, don’t hold back,” Sapphiroth advised.
“Sapphiroth,” Kyeran whistled, “what if we fought, and I proved to you . . .”
Sapphiroth cut him off. “If we fought . . . only Soragekiryu could save you from me.”
“If you already feel like challenging me, then perhaps you should go. Learn yourself what more than dragons awaits.”
Chapter Six: Vision Quest
I am ready, Kyeran reassured himself. He approached the raptor eyries. The night sky had risen now. Kiryu’s dark and light bands of snowball rings glimmered like a rippling current in a dark ocean.
The raptor eyries were a patchwork village of nests built from sticks and jungle leaves in the trees, logs and rock gardens on the ground, roots overhanging the valley, and hollow caverns between rocks and tree cavities.
Winding branch and leaf-trails led the eagle-sized velociraptors in shifting angles towards a central meeting place that had been expanded and repaired over decades each time a pack returned to this hunting camp.
The Therizodactylus carcass was now little more than large stalagmite ribs and scattered claws. Rin and Yuka were playing with some of the smaller bones, and Susanoo had laid the giant scythe-fingers out in a ritual pattern.
All the members of the three packs accounted for sat around the site, wings folded and perched or pacing slowly.
Kaminariko glided down, feathers sparkling with an electric aura. Aneirain, Kyeran, Akhikaji, and Keitaluah appears on both sides of her.
Susanoo flew up to face them, and roared to quiet the pack. He then spoke to the five young raptors alone.
“Long ago, each of you entered the ranks of our hunting pack when you chose your names. The time has come for the next step in your journey.”
“You have grown strong, but at some point strength and character must be tested. The hunt of the Therizodactylus, though true a deadly prey, was only your first tiny step. Right now our families are scattered and many lost, their fates sadly unknown to us. We are about to be further divided, but in time we will find each other again. The next gathering of our packs will be five years from now, when we return to the Starglacier peak.”
“Kaminariko, Akhikaji, Kyeran, Aneirain, and Keitaluah.”
“Through our dispersal shall begin your vision quests. This is a ritual for all young members of our kind before a girl’s choosing of a boy can begin. Within this five years time, you each must at some length claim and rule a territory by yourselves. This may sound easy, but you will have to succeed in this task alone. And remaining an apex predator is not the same as becoming one.”
“This journey will test you and every angle of your strength, ability, and endurance. You may find yourself facing the spirits at many points along the way, and you will at journey’s end come face to face with your own spirit.”
“I would prefer the chance to speak with each of you, but as has been tradition the pack can no longer help you. As soon as you leave the eyries tonight, you are on your own.”
“We can only now wait for your return.”
Chapter Seven: Gone Missing
Kyeran patched together his nest with his talons. “I don’t like this. Starblazer goes missing, a Bakunawa is chomped up, and suddenly Sapphiroth shows up again.”
“Who’s Starblazer?”
“Kyeran’s older sister. She went missing not long ago, after joining Sapphiroth for a time.”
“You think your brother has something to do with all this?” Kaminariko asked.
“He told me that the same threat that attacked the northern migrations has followed us here, but I wasn’t with them then –”
“The Unktehila?” Akhikaji gasped.
“Unktehila?”
“A pair of dragons getting ready to spawn. They seemed relentless is trying to exterminate our packs along the shores . . . we thought we’d lost them.”
“So the packs scattered . . .” Kaminariko thought back to Susanoo’s explanation.
“Sapphiroth came following them.”
“Which means Susanoo-sama must know. You think they’re planning a counterattack?” Aneirain wondered.
“What makes you so sure it’s the Unktehila?” Keitaluah asked. “Wouldn’t the dragons have attacked by now?”
“Remember what the Spinosuchus said? That prey in this area has become scarce lately.”
“Prey has almost never been scarce here. Even the combined hunger of our three great packs shouldn’t be able to change that.”
“Unktehila, though . . . that would explain quite a bit.”
“Akhikaji,” Kyeran asked hesitantly, “is Starblazer dead?”
“I never saw,” Akhikaji answered.
“She did share Sapphiroth’s passion for dragon-hunting. Perhaps she’s leading a separate attack . . . I should have asked Susanoo-sama.”
“You want to go find Starblazer, Kyeran?” Aneirain asked.
“Not just Starblazer. The three great packs . . . all of them. Don’t you want to find them too, Aneirain? And a girl for you to compete for?”
“Well, that doesn’t come until later, but . . . I admit, I’m getting curious now.”
“Akhikaji? Keitaluah?”
The two brothers cooed in agreement.
“Then it’s unaminous!” Kaminariko declared. “I say we begin by tracking down the other packs.”
“That’s not our task, though.” Aneirain spoke up. “Sapphiroth came back to deal with them . . . and Susanoo-sama told us we can’t rejoin the packs right now.”
“Actually,” Kaminariko clarified, “he said the packs can no longer help us. He never said we couldn’t help them.”
Chapter Eight: Dragon of the Skeleton Shoals
A tiny raptor’s eyes opened as she was blasted by a cold, violent wind. The air currents carried a scent of rain, and clouds thundered in the distance.
Yuka stretched inside a nest of molting downy feathers and soft leaves inside a tree cavity, holed out by large birds that had long since raised and fledged their own chicks.
She chirped, then stepped outside to look around. Rin glided down from her nest above and nuzzled her with her snout.
“Yuka-chama, are you frightened?”
She gave a small squeak.
“Are the big kids gone?”
“They’re not far yet, but they’re moving.”
“Can’t sleepy.” Yuka said after a while.
“Come on, then. There’s somewhere I want to go.”
“Where?”
Rin had already run ahead of her down to the valley floor, jump-flying across the stream banks.
Yuka followed her, pushing herself to keep up with Rin’s speed. The two little raptors flew silently through the night breeze like screech owls. At last, they came to the mangrove swamps of the river delta. In the glade, a wide view of Kiryu’s night sky was unclouded by the canopy.
A brilliant icy blue planet stood out among the stars.
“How come some stars don’t twinkle?” Rin asked.
“I don’t know,” Yuka guessed. “Maybe there are different types.”
They were silent for a few moments. Yuka suddenly got a feeling that something was watching them.
“Rin . . .where was it you wanted to go?”
“Oh . . . Aneirain told me about a place he found dragon eggs.” She sounded excited again.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Why not?”
“Dragons . . .”
“Will often leave their eggs alone for a long time. If the older kids were able to get them, why can’t we? An adventure?”
“Okay,” Yuka agreed. “At least let’s find this place.”
“They shine in the water if you can see them at a good angle.”
As they followed the jungle rivers to the estuary, a large herd of Othneilia came to graze. About three feet tall and six feet long, each small dinosaur was patterned with dark and light blotches to disguise themselves against the plants and shadows.
Rin and Yuka glided from tree to tree, watching the small movements of the herd. As they reached close enough to the shore to hear the waves, they noticed fewer and fewer animals were moving at all.
Yuka landed on the ground. She sniffed the air, and even her thin sense of smell picked up traces of the Bakunawa’s blood.
Rin crawled on a mangrove branch about fifteen feet away. In the shallow water she could make out the remains of an eggshell, armored with tough scutes. It must have been dark in color, but everything looked black at the forest floor.
“Yuka, I found them.” Rin whispered.
“Yuka?”
Several long moments of nothing.
“Rin, come over here,” Yuka finally whispered back.
“Therizodactylus . . .”
Rin jumped to Yuka’s side and hissed at the larger animal.
The child Therizodactylus was easily six times Rin’s size, and even larger to Yuka. His claws were tiny for his species, yet could easily impale the tiny raptors if he was so motivated.
He found Rin’s threat display amusing, and turned to watch Yuka, who was trying to approach curiously, but constantly cut off by the older chick.
The crushing of logs and leaf litter sounded the approach of a larger therizodactylus, one of the survivors of Kaminariko’s hunt. The othneilia dispersed to give the scythe-handed dinosaurs their space.
She called to the youngster. “Don’t play with predatory children,”
The child Therizodactylus turned his head. “They’re just little baby raptors.”
“Which means there are more dangerous raptors close by.”
The two other therizodactylus from their herd further scattered the othneilia as they came for water.
Often, at this time, cave swiftlets would emerge from their colonies to swarm and devour the biting night insects. This night, the young raptors noticed the absence of both creatures.
The wind suddenly intensified. Rin, Yuka, and all of the dinosaurs could sense the surging waves reaching further inland. Tropical storms, in this region, were not unusual, and the animals instinctively moved towards higher ground, past the swampland barriers.
The buried skeletons of coastal victims were uncovered by the waves, and washed into the rivers.
Herds came together for protection. The Therizodactylus family reunited as its four survivors followed the trees back to their nest.
“Yuka . . .” Rin noticed the younger raptor staring into the water. She wasn’t moving.
Giant red and green eyes stared back, and all Yuka could feel was the cold sweat running down her spine. Or was it beginning to rain?
The young Therizodactylus screamed as the leviathan’s head and neck rose like a snaking mountain above the dinosaurs.
The dark crimson head was reminiscent of the giant tyrannosaurs that were etched as nightmares in the raptors’ genetic memory. The teeth were the size and shape of cave fangs, for crushing dragon bones. The Unktehila took only seconds to scan amongst the growing typhoon for its victims. Then it roared as a volcano just before an explosion.
That was all any creature could hear.
Chapter Nine: Hypernova
The earth shook from the Unktehila’s voice.
The othneilia herd ran. Hundreds, then thousands of creatures fled from their refuges away from the great beast.
The baby raptors scrambled to jump away from the running herds as they bumped and shoved each other into the mud.
The dragon’s head came down upon them, and another Therizodactylus fell to another powerful carnvivore. The scythe-handed bird’s body disappeared beneath the swamp and down to the Unktehila’s submerged nest.
With an arch of its neck, the Unktehila turned back to the little raptors, then was distracted by the elemental presence of a much larger threat.
“At last . . . I’ve got you!” Sapphiroth challenged. The great azure raptor fired a breath weapon of blazing white energy at the Unktehila’s heart. The dragon cried out, then in retaliation blasted Sapphiroth with a fireball.
Two blazing streams of fire deflected the dragon’s breath.
“Akhikaji!”
“Run, now!” The red raptor commanded.
Rin and Yuka grasped onto a tree trunk with their talons, folding their wings around the branches like tiny hoatzin chicks. As they climbed, they stopped to watch more raptors from their packs join in the counterattack.
The wind blew with torrential ferocity, lashing the chicks’ feathers and made it hard to breathe. A few years older, and their legs would have been able to tighten their grasp on perches, and lungs and muscles grown powerful enough to combat high turbulence.
Rin grasped as hard as she could, and let herself be carried to a small nest overlooking the sea battle. The smaller raptor tried the same, but was carried off by a strong gust.
“Yuka!”
She was lost among the stars.
A large wyvern stared Rin down – she’d landed in its cliff nest. The skin-winged dragon reached for her – and was nearly struck down with a lightning bolt.
Kaminariko hovered just over the cliff, with Aneirain scaling the rocks with his talons. Kaminariko watched for the Unktehila to notice them, while Aneirain grabbed Rin in his mouth and flew off to hide her.
Kaminariko let out a battle-cry and charged at the great dragon.
A shooting star of ice and wind appeared, headed straight for Yuka. At its head was a mouthful of teeth.
Yuka was scared stiff, trying only to remain aloft in the strong wind. She couldn’t fly away. She closed her eyes, and waited to be swallowed.
Instead, a familiar pair of silver eyes met hers as the fangs grabbed her gently and maneuvered through the air, dodging the dragon’s attacks.
“Kyeran-sama!”
“Hold on tight, Yuka.”
The Unktehila reached into the sky for the raptors. Kyeran thrust himself above the great dragon’s head. Then, tucking in his wings, Kyeran slashed at its eyes as he swooped down the cliff-face.
His talons glanced off its head armor, and Kyeran divebombed to escape its bite.
A stream of light and wind hit the Unktehila, and Sapphiroth took over the battle.
Kyeran found a small nook unclaimed by pterosaurs and perched for a moment, pretending to leave Yuka there.
Kyeran watched the Unktehila. If it had seen him, it was still distracted by fighting his brother. Kyeran then flew straight up and into the trees. Quickly finding an old hollow cavity, he dropped Yuka into the nest.
“Stay here,” he said, before rejoining the battle. Keitaluah, Aneirain, and Kaminariko were flying around the Unktehila, attempting to distract it from the larger raptors’ maneuvers.
Another Unktehila head then appeared, from the same body as the first. It was not of physical form, but a trick of light gathered from the swirling elemental forces in battle. The Unktehila then grew two more heads, then again it doubled - to form an eight-headed serpent that struck at the raptor pack with the crashing of wind and thunder.
When Kyeran and Akhikaji joined them, Kaminariko’s plan suddenly altered.
“Kyeran, cover me. I’m going head-on full force!”
“Kaminariko, no!”
The Unktehila saw the attack coming. Kaminariko formed a massive thunderball as her breath weapon and dove for the dragon. The Unktehila opened its mouth wide to swallow her whole. When right in front of its maw, Kaminariko maneuvered to its side and fired the lightning into its throat. The great dragon fell backwards, stunned by the blast.
That was too close, Kyeran turned to attack the dragon from behind. He and Aneirain, from opposite sides, aimed icy breath weapons at the massive waves breaking against the Unktehila’s coils. The water froze, paralyzing the half-submerged dragon in an ice flow.
Susanoo then fired a huge swirling sphere of energy and fired it at the Unktehila. The impact sounded like an island collapsing into the sea, and a tsunami formed from the instantly displaced water.
The raptor pack circled the epicenter of the battle, waiting for the sense of danger to dissipate.
Kyeran tried to look at Sapphiroth, hoping he had redeemed himself in some small amount by protecting Yuka.
He saw only relief from his brother, and no indication of his thoughts.
Then the waters imploded.
An earth-shattering roar became the leviathan – Unktehila had risen again.
The winged velociraptors scattered in every direction, then attacked again.
A prismatic web of elemental attacks was all Yuka and Rin could see from their hiding places as the battle resumed.
The Unktehila breathed a fireball at a group of intersecting raptors, shot with a sonic wave that blasted through their skeletons.
Susanoo and several others fell into the water.
Rin squeaked in fear.
Aneirain was exhausted. He flew low in front of the Unktehila, trying to draw its attention for some time.
Keitaluah joined him.
The Unktehila arched its head to dive for the young raptors, then go for the birds still in the water.
Kaminariko extended her talons and dove for the dragon’s eyes, charging her feet with electricity.
Akhikaji lifted himself from the waves and engulfed himself in flames.
Kyeran, still flying above the Unktehila, thought back to Sapphiroth’s words: If we fought, only Soragekiryu’s power could protect you from me.
“Soragekiryu, huh?” Kyeran whispered. He ascended high into the clouds, gathering the energy of the typhoon. Using all of his reserve energy, Kyeran formed a breath weapon with the same ferocity as Susanoo’s. One last effort to end the battle and secure his honor.
“HYPERNOVA!”
Kyeran shouted the word in his mind, for his voice had escaped with the blast. The Unktehila turned, distracted enough to forget the other raptors. Kyeran never saw the counterattack that came.
Chapter Ten: Stormlight (part 1)
The hypernova’s recoil ripped him to pieces. Kyeran fell through the prismatic nebula that followed the swirling energy and sonic booms, until the stormlight dissipated and all that was left was Kiryu’s shimmering night sky.
He tried to lift his wings and fly, but suddenly found them very heavy. He felt wet all around, and cut off from any senses he could usually rely on – the sight of the land and sea, the sound of his pack, even the traces of elemental energy that surrounded powerful creatures.
It meant the Unktehila and the raptor pack was long gone.
Wherever Kyeran now was, he was alone.
DRAGONRAPTOR: The STORY and UNIVERSE thus far . . .
DRAGONRAPTOR is the story of the adventures of the inhabitants of Kiryu, a ringed planet in an alternate star system that is dominated by archosaurs. The titular creatures, winged velociraptors of a yet unrevealed species, are based on the “Hai-ryu”, the dragon-bird, the highest level of dragon in Japanese mythology.
The main protagonist of the story is Kyeran, who visually resembles an azure-colored Microraptor scaled up to the size of a Golden Eagle (at least in wingspan). In age, Kyeran is about the equivalent of a human 16 year old. Kyeran lives in a nomadic pack that resembles a prehistoric band society including his parents, an older sister and brother, and several extended family members.
The “Band of Five Elements” refers to the nakama (close friend group) of Kyeran (wind), Kaminariko (lightning), Akhikaji (fire), Keitaluah (earth), and Aneirain (water). They are all of the same relative age group (Akhikaji is the oldest and Keitaluah the youngest, separated by a few years).
The story is actually a series of mysteries within a mystery, with most (if not all) episodes having their own question and answer arcs that will eventually all tie together into one dominant mystery.
Questions and Answers in Episode 1: Stormlight
Question Chapters: Kiryu, Winged Velociraptors, Band of the Five elements, Therizodactylus
Answer Chapters: Siblings, Vision Quest, Gone Missing, Dragon of the Skeleton Shoals, Hypernova
Transitional Chapter: Stormlight (part 1)
Q: What is the mysterious predator causing disappearances and prey scarcity?
A: Unktehila, the ancient enemy of the winged velociraptors. It is suggested that both groups of predators have been tracking each other across their migrations.
Q: Why are the very dangerous Therizodactylus prey animals terrified of small eagle-sized Velociraptors?
A: The Spinosuchus as well was deterred from attacking the young raptors as soon as there was a good number of them. There’s something unique about these raptors – and it’s not just flight. Their packs were the only creatures to challenge the gargantuan Unktehila dragon.
Q: Where have the missing Winged Velociraptor pack members disappeared to?
A: At least a couple have fallen to the Unktehila dragons, but Sapphiroth returned, and there were a few other guesses as to their plan or whereabouts. Some of them will make an appearance later.
Keys to the Series
Soragekiryu – remember this name. That’s all I’m going to say for now.
Kyeran’s Hypernova attack – there is no way a raptor his age should be able to produce that amount of energy.
Cast of Raptor Characters (In Order of Appearance)
Kyeran “little dark star”
Kaminariko “child of thunder”
Akhikaji “bright fireblaze”
Aneirain "war rain"
Keitaluah “jumping water”, Akhikaji's younger brother
Yuka "night"
Susanoo "storm deity"; Kyeran's pack leader
Rin "cold"; Kaminariko and Aneirain's younger sister
Sapphiroth, Kyeran's older brother
Starblazer (mentioned only, missing); Kyeran's older sister
Amaterasu "sun deity" (mentioned only, location unknown); Kaminariko's pack leader
Japanese Suffixes and Honorifics in Dragonraptor
Chan: A cute variant of “San”, often used with younger individuals or girls. Kaminariko’s name is often followed by this suffix, excluding her immediate group of friends, in which she actually has the highest rank (Akhikaji is sometimes the leader only by being slightly older).
Nii-Nii: A cute name for “big brother”, the usual term is “Niisan” or “Niichan”. Rin uses this with Aneirain.
Nee-Nee: The female variant of “Nii-Nii”, and a cute name for older sister. Rin uses this for Kaminariko.
Aniki-kun: “Aniki” is another variant of “big brother”, “kun” is a suffix used for male friends and relatives. Rin refers to Kyeran by this, as he is a close friend of her own big brother and plays a similar role to her.
Sama: Very high respect. Yuka’s father Sapphiroth is a very powerful apex predator and is likely given this title by many creatures. Yuka even uses this honorific with Starblazer and Kyeran, her father’s siblings. Yuka is the only raptor who uses this title for Kyeran.
Chama: A cute variant of "Chan", used for young children and cute animals. Rin and Yuka will often use this honorific for each other.
SPECIES GUIDE TO EPISODE 1: STORMLIGHT
Winged Velociraptors (New Species): Deinonychus-like raptors with wings the size of large eagles, shaped like hobbies (highly-maneuverable falcons). Feathered completely from head to tail to ankle, only the taloned feet are bare scales. Legs support a second, smaller pair of wings useful for soaring and maneuverability. Tail also supports a wide fan of primary feathers.
Bakunawa: The closest thing to a whale on Kiryu. A dragon of Philippine legends, said to be an underworld deity and a cause of eclipses. In many stories, the Bakunawa will rise out of the sea to swallow the moons.
Pterosaurs: Winged reptiles that are commonly believed to be dinosaurs (they did evolve alongside and live with dinosaurs on Earth) but are really their own group. Many species exist on Kiryu, though the only one mentioned by name is Anurognathus, a small arboreal genus.
Wyverns: A type of dragon evolved from a branch of pterosaurs on Kiryu. The closest thing to a western-style dragon on Kiryu. The large ones in this episode are about the same size as the teenage velociraptors – larger species are rarer.
Mokele Mbembe: A semi-aquatic sauropod dinosaur inspired by the legendary creature of the African Congo River. In this story, it resembles the titanosaur Argentinosaurus, a very large sauropod dinosaur that lived during the middle Cretaceous on Earth.
Therizodactylus: Kiryu name for Therizinosaurus, a group of dinosaurs evolved from a branch of raptors into large herbivores with scythe-shaped hand claws. While "Therizinosaurus" means "scythe lizard", Therizodactylus translates to mean "scythe-finger", which is more likely how Kiryu creatures would label them.
Spinosuchus: The Kiryu name for a Spinosaurus, which is largely believed to be primarily a fish-eater. This family of dinosaurs may have been more effective at being crocodile-like predators than crocodilians themselves.
Rukhs: One variations of the name for 'rocs', immensely large carnivorous birds. On Kiryu, this is the name for teratorns, which were essentially very large condors (only mentioned so far).
Mihirungs: A group of many varieties of large, flightless birds that on Earth evolved in prehistoric Australia. Their closest relatives are waterfowl, and most were likely herbivores or omnivores.
Othnielia: A small ornithiscian dinosaur, similar in shape to tiny pacycephalosaurs or protoceratopsians and distantly related to both, but a far more vulnerable prey animal.
Unktehila: The largest (in length) and most powerful dragon of Kiryu, and the ancient enemy of the winged velociraptors. In various Native American mythologies, the Unktehila were the enemies of the Thunderbirds and the causes of mysterious deaths and disappearances.
"Stormlight", the first episode of the DRAGONRAPTOR story, was inspired by the Native American legend "Thunderbird and Whale", in which the Thunderbird(s) (either a single enitity or species) attack and quell the rampage of a gigantic whale-monster who is depleting the region of its food sources. Also, the illusory eight heads that the Unktehila produces at the climax of the battle against the Starglacier pack's leader, Susanoo, pays homage to the Japanese legend of the storm god Susanoo-wo vanquishing the eight-headed dragon known as the Yamata-no-Orochi.
"Stormlight", the first episode of the DRAGONRAPTOR story, was inspired by the Native American legend "Thunderbird and Whale", in which the Thunderbird(s) (either a single enitity or species) attack and quell the rampage of a gigantic whale-monster who is depleting the region of its food sources. Also, the illusory eight heads that the Unktehila produces at the climax of the battle against the Starglacier pack's leader, Susanoo, pays homage to the Japanese legend of the storm god Susanoo-wo vanquishing the eight-headed dragon known as the Yamata-no-Orochi.
