Jurassic Wildflower (A Jurassic World AU)

Chapter five

"The key," said Rose, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she glared at the five raptors. "Is to make them think you're as dangerous as they are. They're scared of almost nothing, so you need to be scared of nothing as well."

Anna watched from the balcony far above, her hands gripping the railing between her and the twenty-foot drop to the leaf-mulch ground below. She swallowed hard as Pyro snarled and snapped his jaws at Rose's outstretched hand.

Luke placed his hand on her shoulder. "She knows what they're doing," he said.

"The moment they think I'm going to back down," Rose called, taking a step backwards. Pyro growled at the other four raptors, and they advanced, claws flexing. "They'll try to surround me," she whipped around to look at Lynx, who was trying to circle around behind her. "Back up, go on," she said to the Velociraptor, who begrudgingly retraced her steps back into Rose's line of sight.

She took a step towards the raptors, and they took a collective step back. "Good," she said, taking another step and watching them back away another pace. "Good," she glanced up at the balcony. "Luke, throw them a couple of mice."

Luke nodded and reached into the small bucket he was carrying. Anna realized with a lurch in her stomach that it was full of dead mice. He threw one for each raptor, then Rose called out again. "I should be able to turn my back to them and not have them try to attack me."

She turned away from the five raptors and Anna saw all five of them immediately prepare to pounce. It was the smallest of the five – Possibly Tora or Draco, Anna thought – who jumped first. As soon as her feet left the ground Rose whipped around and raised her arm, where a thick sleeve of leather covered her entire forearm. The raptor sank her claws and teeth into the sleeve and Rose swung her arm sideways, flinging the small dinosaur away from her.

Anna winced as the raptor scrambled to her feet, shaking her scaly head and ruffling her thin coat of feathers. "Tora," Rose hissed at the raptor. "Back. Off." She turned her glare on Pyro, and the red-feathered raptor growled at Tora as she rejoined the line of raptors in front of Rose.

Slowly, Rose turned her back to the raptors again, taking a few steps towards the arena's exit. Lynx and Libra both crouched, ready to spring, but this time Pyro snarled at them. Lynx looked down at the smaller, feathered raptor and growled back, her long tail swishing, until Pyro lashed his claws at her, leaving a thin trail of blood on her long, scaly neck.

"Whoa," Rose said, spinning around again and darting between the two raptors before Pyro could leap at Lynx. "You've taught her a lesson, Pyro, let her go." Pyro snarled and bared his teeth, but didn't attack.

Anna watched as Rose ordered four of the five raptors into a sectioned-off area of the arena, leaving Libra standing in the middle. "Anna," Rose called. "Come down here."

"Are- are you sure?" Anna called back.

"Of course I'm sure," Rose retorted. "I don't talk simply to hear my own voice, unlike some people." She shot a meaningful look at Luke, who grinned.

"Why should I be silent when my voice is so beautiful?" He said, striking a majestic pose with his hands on his hips.

Anna smiled, feeling a little more at ease.

Luke looked at her and tilted his head towards the arena's entrance. "Go on, Rose'll keep you safe," he said. "And I'll stay right here with a tranq gun just in case."

Anna took a deep breath. "Ok."

She descended the stairs outside the arena and walked around to the barred door, opening it just enough for her to get through and closing it firmly behind her. Libra, her white-grey scales gleaming in the weak sunlight, fixed her serpentine eyes on Anna as she approached Rose's side.