The rain outside of the cliff cave was barely audible to Dhakon as he growled and turned in his sleep.

"For the last time, we have everything under control!" Xezrun hissed, his glowing orange tail lashing.

The alpha's mindscape was in turmoil, a backdrop of dark colors swirling and clashing together like the waves on the coast. The two raptors stood facing one another in what seemed to be a never-ending confrontation.

'No, we don't! More raptors left while I- we- were patrolling the caves. Who knows where they've wandered off to! And everyone must thing I'm a fool! Maybe I am, for following you and your ambitions!'

Xezrun laughed cruelly. "Just some gecas who most likely didn't make it out of the canyons. We have no reason to think the others will blame you."

Dhakon shivered at the thought of slipping on the rocks and free falling towards a painful death.

Xezrun rolled his eyes. "Why do you do this to yourself? You're free of their rebellion. A smaller, loyal pack is far better than any larger but more distrustful one."

Dhakon sighed. He glanced at the spirit, baring his fangs. 'This is my pack. I've grown up with them, hunted with them...'

"And now you're leading them. You cannot afford to look weak. Not if we want both of our dreams to come to fruition."

'What is your plan, anyway?? And the power you promised me??' Dhakon demanded.

Xezrun chuckled. "It's all there, don't worry, my dear Dhakon. You're stronger, faster, and of course you have access to all of my knowledge and invaluable advice..."

The alpha rolled his eyes. 'Great.' He sneered. 'But I would really love to know what you're planning. After all, I don't appreciate a voice in my head who keeps secrets.'

Xezrun snarled. "Star blasted fool! I am not a voice, and I am no ordinary raptor either!"

Pain seared through Dhakon, and he howled at the hot torture. He couldn't begin to describe the pain ripping through his body. Almost like his veins were attempting to tear themselves out of his muscles. Almost as though his eyes were melting into his brain. Almost like he couldn't breath-

As soon as the pain began, it ceased, and Dhakon collapsed.

Xezrun sighed and began to pace. "I promised you I would help you protect your pack... From what's coming..."

Dhakon groaned, his dream body immobile except for his eyes, which he fixed on the phantom. 'What... Do you mean... 'from what's coming'...?'

Xezrun glanced down at him, and Dhakon saw a flash of worry- and possibly even fear- in his eyes. "Starpack... has given a prophecy. Of what, I'm not sure. But I have a feeling that your pack is in danger."

. . . . . . . . . . .

The alpha kept tossing and growling in his sleep, but that wasn't the reason why she was awake.

The stars were so bright overhead, they nearly blinded her as they pulsed above. Were they supposed to do that? Or maybe that wasn't quite it either. Maybe she was awake because of the soft but captivating vibrations inside her skull.

The other young chick, her twin Taroz, slept next to her and the egg was nestled by Jeka. She wished her twin was awake so she'd have someone to talk to. And she'd make sure to ask if she could hear the murmers too.

But even her twin was asleep, and of course no one else would willingly listen to her, especially not about the things she kept seeing and the voices she kept hearing.

She stood and padded over to a pool of water, taking a drink. In the reflection, she could see white shadows leaping around the watery cavern, shimmering eyes and feathery movements. She glanced around, wondering why the shadows only showed themselves through the water underneath her claws.

She didn't really see a need to fear them though. They didn't seem like they were monsters. Maybe they were angels.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of claws ticking towards her. She turned to see Yojid, an older warrior and the pack's delta, curiously scanning the young chick.

"Halix, what are you doing up?" She asked, bending her neck to touch her nose to the chicks forehead.

She flicked her tail. "I couldn't sleep." Only a half truth.

Yojid sighed and sat down next to her. She glanced over at Dhakon, who was growling low in his sleep. Her tail curled around Halix protectively. She didn't trust him. No, there was something off about him.

"You shouldn't wander around here alone. You could fall, or..." The delta trailed off.

Halix glanced up at her. "I miss the marshes. There's no cliffs there. I miss everyone being happy too. What happened?"

Yojid blinked. "Well... it's just hard now... With Traov gone." She looked sadly out at the thundering rain.

"I know they weren't happy, that's why they left."

"What? Who... Who left?"

"Uflen and Gosl. They left before the patrol got back from the caves. They wouldn't stay..." Halix sighed leaning into the older warrior. She felt sick and she didn't know why.

Yojid flicked her tail uneasily. Uflen and Gosl were young warriors, barely graduated. They were strong and clever too, the pack needed their support. "Halix, go back to sleep with your sister now, I need to go and find them."

The chick shook her head fervently. "No! You need to stay here! There's big teeth out there!"

Big teeth? The delta frowned at the childish term, but a creepy feeling tickled up her ruff. Although she ignored the chicks protest and entered into the storm, the uneasiness followed her. She could only hope the chick would listen to her and stay within the safety of the cavern.

The wind itself almost wiped her off of the narrow trail, but she crouched low and forced herself up the cliff side. The rain battered her scales and made the rock under her feet slick, but she managed to claw her way out of the canyons.

She sighed, knowing she would never be able to sight tracks or find a scent in this storm. Where could the two have gone, especially in such a violent downpour?

She struggled against the wind towards a nearby grove of trees. The branches lashed over her head but they provided enough shelter for her to catch her breath. She couldn't find any scents though, the bark just smelled of bitter soil and dank rain. The two hadn't passed through here.

Maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks, or her nerves, but she swore she saw something moving in the rain a rex length away. It wasn't particularly large, but it didn't look raptor sized. She edged farther out of the tree cover, dilating her eyes to make out the figures identity.

The swirling rain made seeing details incredibly difficult, but she swore she saw two protruding horns over the creatures eyes as he turned to look at her.

Yojid swallowed hard and tried backing into the tree grove, but the young carnotaurus had already spotted her. He charged with a deafening roar that shook the rain as it fell. She leapt out of the way of the gnashing jaws and darted out into the storm. If she could conceal her scent, she could lose the bigger predator.

She growled in frustration. Carnos never ventured into the swamps. Halix was right about how horrible it was to be away from them, she missed the swamps too. The memory of Halix stirred her back into action. The carno couldn't find the pack in the cavern or they would be trapped and slaughtered.

She roared to draw the carno to her and charged away from the chasms. She only hoped she could outrun him. Looking back however, the delta wished she had never drawn attention to herself.

As the carnotaurus gave chase, the land only got harder to navigate. Rain swallowed the delta up to her neck in places that should have been hunting fields. As she swam across a deeper section, she turned to see where the carnotaurus was. To her surprise, he seemed to have given up in favor of watching the water grow deeper around them.

She felt the water churn under her claws and horror struck through her nerves. The water around her stomach surged up with the long slender jaws of a sarcosuchus. She threw herself to the side, feeling the daggerish teeth scrape her tail.

She barely made out the carno's roar as he fled over the clashing of jaws around her. There were three of them, and they were all lunging for her. She twisted and kicked furiously away from the crocodilians.

Teeth grazed her flank and she roared, striking out with her curved claw and hitting soft flesh. Blood rose through the furious water, and one of the sarcosuchuses fell back, bleeding from an empty eye socket and wailing angrily.

Crazed by the mixing blood and her fatigue, the other two lunged forward, jaws open wide, teeth on display.

A muffled roar cut through the rain and she could barely see a few figures dashing towards her.

Heavy claws landed on her back and she was pushed under into the muddy water. She squirmed under the weight, her lungs screaming for access to the air a raptor length or more above.

The jaws closed over her tail and she opened her mouth to scream, bubbles trickling to the surface through the churning mud. Teeth dug into her scales, splintering bone and sending waves of nauseating pain coursing through her body.

The weight was violently pulled off and she could numbly feel herself being lifted up through the water. Air rushed into her lungs as her head throbbed into darkness.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Yojid opened her eyes to a bright, sunlit field. No, a marsh! She smiled happily, she was home!

She padded through the familiar marshlands, her claws sinking into the warm marsh mud like they always had.

She wagged her tail as she passed by her friends and packmates, acknowledging them with a nod. She passed by a stump where Traov and Kowa, the starspeaker, were chatting peacefully. Their orange eyes met hers and they smiled.

A moment of hesitation split the happiness. Traov didn't have orange eyes.

She fell through the ground, spinning down a waterfall, chills piercing her body as she slammed into the churning water. She opened her eyes, the fall was over. She was seated in the healers den at camp. Traov was at her feet, dead. His blood covered the floor and his head was twisted to smile eerily at her.

She backed up and found herself in a fire. Orange shapes twirled around her, cackling as they snatched at her feathers and tail. She felt as though she was suffocating, dizzily watching the smoke collect before her in an all-too-familiar shape.

Halix stood before her and the delta had only a moment to wonder why she had materialized. As quickly as she had appeared she disintegrated back into dust in the warriors talons.

She sat up, head ringing. Groaning, she opened her eyes.

She was in a forest clearing filled with rocks, positioned and stacked to stay above the water. The branches overhead were fortified with extra leaves and twigs, much like a large bird's nest, sheltering the area from the driving rain.

Most interesting were the raptors scattered around the area. There were so many arrays of colors and patterns it looked like a small summit, and most of them were adorned with scars and furs.

She shifted to look closer and pain shot up her body. She yelped and bit her tongue in surprise. Her flank was shredded and crusted with blood, and her tail-

She froze in horror. Her tail was torn off, reduced to a stump crudely bandaged and bloody. Jagged gashes extended from the twisted end and still oozed blood.

She couldn't shut her eyes fast enough and she hurled into the water below, losing consciousness.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Yojid awoke several hours later, the clearing dark and empty. She lay still, staring at where her tail should have been. She realized that she had been moved, she was laying on a pile of furs and not in a pool of blood.

She glanced beside her and noticed the strange raptors curled up on the stone, sleeping. She blinked, they really looked nothing alike, and she didn't recognize any of them. She began to feel anxious again. Where was she? She couldn't help but feel like she was in enemy territory.

She tried to stand and was thrown forwards by her own weight. She yelped as she tumbled to the ground, trembling with fear. If she couldn't stand, how would she hunt? How would she fight? What was the use of a delta who couldn't even walk?

As tears slipped down her cheeks, she became aware of two of the raptors making their way over to her.

The one looked almost like a southpack raptor, but not quite. His feathers were much darker, like an eastpack. The other was nearly pitch black with green eyes. She had never seen a raptor look like that.

"Hey there, take it easy." The first one said gently. "You're pretty banged up."

Yojid sighed. "I know..." She glanced up at the two, questions swimming through her mind. "Where... What... What pack is this? Southpack?"

The two exchanged looks and one of the other raptors close to her chuckled, opening her eyes to look at Yojid. "This ain't no pack, hun."

The delta blinked. "You're rouges?" She asked in disbelief. These raptors were surprisingly organized and well fed for rouges.

The raptor chuckled. "Yes, we're rouges. But you... You're a pack raptor." More of a statement than a question.

Yojid nodded. "Eastpack."

The first raptor seemed to flinch slightly at this, but he covered it up so well she almost believed she had imagined it. "Eastpack, huh? Why are you so far from the marshes?"

The third raptor tilted her head. "Na, ain't Eastpack the mountain one?"

He shook his head. "No, they live in the marshes along the eastern border mountains."

Yojid spoke up. "The rain forced us out, so our alpha led us to the canyons for shelter." She slid herself into a sitting position, growling softly at the pain.

The second raptor, the pitch black one, slipped away. She came back a few moments later with a fur and gently hung it on Yojid's shoulders, who nodded in thanks.

"Well, I'm Lero." The first raptor offered. "And this is Azun." He gestured with his muzzle to the second raptor.

"Vumra." The third raptor said, rolling over and stretching.

"Yojid. I'm... I was Eastpacks delta." She sighed sadly.

"Well hun, here, you're just a raptor. A pack raptor maybe, but don't dwell on your positions here. You just focus on gettin' better." Vumbra shrugged, but there was a hint of sympathy in the gruff rouge's eye.

Lero nodded. "Don't worry, you'll be back on your feet in no time!" He smiled slightly.

She smiled back, although she didn't feel quite as optimistic.