(A PROLOGUE)

The day was mildly hot, only a few scattered clouds and a flickering wind.

Torau raised her head, shifting her gaze through the tall grass and into another pair of eyes. She nodded slightly and crept down the valley.

The herd of ceratopsian dinosaurs plodded along slowly, munching on the grass and tossing their frills and horns around in lazy jerks.

The predators, a trio of raptors, wound down the hillside, flicking their tails slightly in silent communication.

Fyorn, the raptor on her left, hissed quietly. He was poised, ready to pounce or retreat. He caught her eye and jerked his head to his left.

An elderly triceratops was grazing there, seemingly oblivious to any threat. His flesh would sustain the pack.

Torau chirped in reply. Yes, that one would do nicely. She flicked her tail, beckoning the other raptor forward next to her.

Her name was Dajoi, and she was the smallest of the three, as she was only a geca, or apprentice. She twitched her claws excitedly, as this was her first time hunting large prey. Her eyes slivered when she saw the elder trike.

Fyorn clicked his tongue softly, and Torau nodded. The group would separate and ambush from the sides. Torau gestured for Dajoi to follow her lead, and then turned and slipped into the tall grass, the geca on her heels.

Fyorn made his way to the other side of the herbivore. He stalked up a rocky stone ledge not far from the elder, his claws softly scrabbling on the rocks. From his higher view point, he could see the grasses quivering as the other two made their way towards the elder. He crouched down, waiting for the signal from Torau.

Dajoi crept alongside Torau, practically bouncing as she tried to edge forward. The tall grass ahead of them parted just enough for her to see the elder, a massive ceratopsian with long horns and stocky legs. Built for defense, not escape. She followed her training and scanned for weaknesses.

Fyorn caught Torau's eye and nodded slightly. Torau crouched next to Dajoi. "Get ready." she whispered to the geca, "as soon as I make a move, you and Fyorn will go in, and watch for the horns and legs."

Dajoi nodded in understanding, incredibly excited. She tossed her tail to the side and moved off farther to the right, away from the horns and intimidating frill.

Torau leapt out of the grass and roared, an echoing and startling sound for the herd of herbivores. The herd squealing and grunted, taking off in a crazed panic. The elder snorted and reared, trying to run and follow his herd.

Fyorn took his chance and leapt onto the elder's back, digging in his sickle shaped toe claws and grasping at the herbivore's shoulder blade with his front claws. Dajoi rushed to join him, clamoring awkwardly up the trike's tail in an effort to hang on while the elder bucked and shook.

Torau slammed into the trike's face, throwing him off course and spilling Dajoi onto the ground.

Thundering hoof-like feet slammed to the ground by her head and she yelped, rolling to get away. One paw came down on her tail and she cried out in pain, and another was swiftly coming down towards her head.

Talons grasped her shoulders and yanked her out from underneath the herbivore, and she heard Torau's battle cry, ramming the elder's chest with her head. Before Dajoi could speak to thank the warrior, the elder groaned and stomped off, running at a fast clip to reach his herd. Torau roared in pursuit and Dajoi followed, eager to redeem herself. She knew that if the elder was allowed to reach the herd, they would never be able to get close with a barricade of frills and horns the other ceratopsians would make.

But it was too late. The elder managed to shake Fyorn off his back and assimilate into the herd, the outer guards shaking their frills and grunting at the raptors. Dajoi thought it sounded a lot like laughing.

Torau sighed, lashing her tail and scanning the herd. "No way we'll get one of those now." She said softly. She glanced at Fyorn who was panting, and he nodded slightly.

Dajoi looked at her feet. "Sorry guys. I thought... I thought I knew what I was doing." She flicked her tail and winced. The tip seemed to be a little crooked.

Torau shook her head. "No, you did fine. This serves as a lesson; not every hunt will be a success. As an apprentice you will make mistakes, and even as a warrior. How you learn from them is what matters. Now, let's get back to camp."

. . . . . . . . . . .

By the time the evening patrol returned, the sky was dark and much of the camp was sleeping. She was deeply troubled by the failure of the hunt, and she was sure others in the council agreed with her that they needed to send more warriors out to hunt next time.

The other six raptors were perched on their respective tree stumps. Each stump was carved with a different symbol, representing the job of that raptor in the pack.

On top of the stump to her right, carved with the symbol for nature, sat Ezrik, the healer. His mottled green scales and dark olive plumage differed from his eyes, which were pure white. His neck was adorned with various items on a woven thread, giving every movement a soft tapping sound as the stones and shells bumped together. Ezrik was known for his pointedness and what some would call stubbornness, but he excelled at making life or death decisions, as he had done so many times before in his lifetime. He was currently sitting on his stump in a peaceful manner, playing absentmindedly with a purple shard of a stone that hung around his neck, tapping it lightly with his front claws.

Orkoa was next to Ezrik, standing elegantly on her stump and lashing her tail. She was the main Starspeaker, a sacred role that allowed the Starpack to communicate with the Terrapacks. She also played a role as the peacemaker within the pack. Her navy blue scales shimmered in the moonlight at she tilted her head up to look at the constellations overhead, orangish eyes glowing faintly.

Across from her sat Jorel, the delta, who was in charge of watches and patrols. Jorel was a dark red raptor with yellow eyes that were often hard and glaring. He was growling something to himself and clawing at the soft moss that had grown on his stump.

To Jorel's right was Drakin, the pack beta. He was in charge of overseeing almost everything from hunts to coups, he even oversaw how Jorel organized his patrols. Drakin also served as the alpha's bodygaurd, closest advisor, and lead warrior. He was a storm grey raptor with flakes of blue spiraling down his spine, and his eyes were a fierce blue-green. He was seated peacefully on his stump, but he kept flicking scornful gazes at Jorel.

Next was the alpha, named Ekion. He sat regal on his stump, waving his tail in a slow motion, as he was lost in thought. He was a dark grey with goldish stripes on his head, neck, and tail, with golden eyes. The alpha was in charge of everything, and he was the only other raptor who could communicate to Starpack. A soft silvery cord wound around his neck, holding a quartz shard to his chest, a gift from Ezrik.

Seated next to Ekion and her, was Poku. She was the smallest in the council ring, but she could be fierce when she needed to be. She was the pack messenger and scout, her role was to transfer messages to the other two packs in the area. She was highly trusted as a navigator as well, she knew better than anyone how to travel by the stars. Poku was laying daintily on the stump, her tail neatly curled over her talons, and her grey crest remaining unruffled. She seemed content to listen to the others' whisperings.

Lastly, between Ezrik and Poku was her stump. Her name was Wena, and she was in charge of the gecas of the pack. She chose their future positions and assigned them mentors when she considered them ready. She was a warm brown raptor with grey splotches on her neck and tail, and her eyes were a blazing green. She was mostly uncomfortable at the silent tension that hung in the air.

Ekion cleared his throat after a few minutes. "Alright... You all know that the topic of this summit is to discuss the famine plaguing not just us, but all three raptor packs of terra. Prey is short and tensions can be high if diplomacy isn't used. Be cautious around the other packs, but not arrogant. We've had peace for a long time, let's not break that as soon as trials hit."

Drakin nodded in agreement. "To avoid confrontation, be sure to keep your wits about you. Dont fight over prey."

Jorel growled softly. "But what about us? The prey we've been living off of won't sustain us forever. The gecas need to be trained faster, and more warriors need to be sent out for hunting!"

Ezrik shook his head. "No, the warriors must not exert themselves. If there was to be a conflict, we need powerful guards." He said in his warm voice. "Besides, with the Triceratops herds comes the Allosaurs. Two or three of those would wreak havoc on an unguarded camp."

Wena spoke up. "But surely we could spare more warriors than two on a hunting party, especially for big prey like the trikes."

Jorel nodded quickly. "I say-"

Drakin flicked his tail. "We cannot afford to risk the camp in turn for prey."

Ekion looked to Drakin. "Torau and Fyorn went after the trikes, right? And they weren't enough, even with Torau's geca."

Wena sighed. "The camp needs more warriors, but the gecas I have are a long ways off."

"So hurry it up." Jorel shrugged.

"Absolutely not!" Wena barked. "Each geca will be ready in their own time. You expect me to send chicks off to fight and hunt? No."

Ekion nodded in agreement. "Something must be done about our prey crisis, I agree. But there's no good in rushing the geca's training. They're the future, the life blood of the pack."

Poku rose up onto her feet. "Maybe... maybe we should try new hunting grounds." She suggested, softly but confidently.

Jorel shook his head. "We have. Between the three packs, we've exhausted all of the hunting grounds in terra!"

Poku nodded. "Exactly." She stood up a little straighter. "I propose we find new hunting grounds. Outside of terra."

The ring was hushed. All eyes were either on the alpha or on the raptor a half of his size.

Finally, Drakin huffed. "No, that's too dangerous."

"But it could work." Ekion said to him.

"My alpha, you can't be serious-"

"The raptors long before us did." The alpha pointed out. "They held land far beyond the reaches of terra."

Drakin blinked. "But even if you survive the journey over the mountains, who knows what lies on the other side."

Ekion nodded slowly after a moment. "Yes... you're right, Drakin. It's too big of a risk."

Poku dipped her head in a small nod, unfazed. She laid back down, continuing to silently observe the constant debating.

"Well, I still say that we need more hunters to go out." Wena said thoughtfully, to which Jorel nodded. Drakin glowered at the delta.

Orkoa hissed slightly and looked to Ekion. "My alpha!"

Ekion turned to the Starspeaker. "Yes Orkoa?"

Orkoa looked up to the sky dome. It was so clear tonight. "Starpack is listening."

The ring fell silent once again as everyone looked up. The clusters of stars hung over the summit.

Orkoa closed her eyes. The whispering in her ears was almost deafening, then it was gone. She opened her eyes, startled.

All eyes were on her. No one moved, hardly daring to breathe.

"Somethings not right!" Orkoa growled. The raptor glanced up at the night dome once more. "The sky seems to be shifting....and I can smell a storm."

The delta rolled his eyes. "Here she goes again." He hissed to Ezrik.

Orkoa snarled at him. "I am the Starspeaker, YOU cannot possibly know what I know! Something is coming!"

Jorel snapped at her from his perch. "Yeah, well, youre doing a lousy job of it, where was the warning for this famine?! Or for the strike of swamp fever, that swept through camp and killed so many of us, including our alphas mother?!"

"ENOUGH!!" Ekion roared, the alphas voice reverberating against the stone ledges and drawing attention to the meeting. Shining pairs of eyes and curious muzzles poked out of the dens.

The delta shrunk under the alpha raptors gaze. "I-I..."

Drakin lashed his tail. "Hold your tongue," he warned harshly, "or I'll bite you."

Jorel immediately slammed his jaws closed, dipping his head and developing a sudden interest in the moss under his claws. The deltas tail drooped.

Orkoa took a breath, snorting it out through her nostrils.

Ekion turned to face her, his amber eyes searching hers. "Has Starpack spoken with you? What did they say?"

Orkoa gulped and looked up, tail twitching. "Yes." She said softly.

The alpha didnt remove his gaze. "Well? What was said?"

Orkoa looked across the ring, painfully aware of the raptors listening in on the meeting. She met Ekions eyes and replied "They said the pack will suffer great loss. They said.....the helpless will be washed off of terra, the moon will illuminate truth as lie, a key will be murdered as an enemy, one will betray their ranks, and....that fire will burn away a great leader. Yes, the packs will suffer great loss."