OWEN WAS NAVIGATING THROUGH the crowds of hysteric vacationers, trying very hard not to run anyone over as he maneuvered through them. It was then that Claire's phone began to ring, and she answered.

You, sitting right behind her, leaned forward in an attempt to eavesdrop, but you couldn't make out words. The person was speaking too quietly, paired with the natural static of the phone and the outside noise.

"Hoskins wants to use the velociraptors," her voice was barely a whisper.

Your heart dropped, mind racing back to Foxtrot.

"That bitch!" Owen sneered, jerking the vehicle down a dirt road that branched away, deeper into the forest. The sudden movement made you crush Gray between you and Zach.

You knew this path; it led to the Raptor Paddock, the one that had Owen's girls. Hoskins had taken you to visit it a few times in the past. This time, though, your mind was far more occupied with whether or not Foxtrot would be waiting there for you.

"You shouldn't say bitch," Gray piped, fiddling with his fingers in his lap.

You huffed a faint laugh, but you were much too stressed from the velociraptor situation. What would happen if Hoskins introduced Foxtrot to the girls? He may be larger, but they outnumber him. What happens if they don't accept him? What happens if they kill him?

You felt physically ill at the thought. Foxtrot had become more than a mere pet to you; he was genuinely a piece of you. Like a child, or a best friend. He was the most intelligent animal you'd ever seen, and you could always see his thoughts through his eyes. He was as expressive as a prehistoric reptile could be, and affectionate, too. Like a scarily intelligent dog that stood 6 feet tall and could crush your head in one bite.

"You okay?" Zach whispered over Gray's head, which made the younger Mitchell swivel to look at you, too.

"Oh, yeah," you shrugged. Zach reached over the back of the seat to pull you and Gray closer to him. "Just worried about a man-sized killing machine of an animal."

"What?" Claire blurted.

Owen met your eyes through the mirror, and you saw him cast a glare toward Zach and Gray. But he chose to remain silent, and you knew that was hard for him. He had never liked the idea of you and boys. But you'd grown incredibly close to these two through the multiple near-death experiences in the past day.

"I have a velociraptor too," you leaned your head into Gray's curly hair. It was soft, "His name is Foxtrot."

"You mean, her?" Claire corrected.

"No, him. He's a male, one Hoskins had specifically modified and enhanced. My assumption is that he plans on breeding Foxtrot. Probably to Blue, since they're the two most... domesticated of them."

"You have a raptor?" Gray repeated quietly, "you just got even cooler."

"Hoskins? Breeding raptors?" Owen's voice was tense. You could almost hear his teeth grinding. "I'm going to kill this man."

The sun had already sunk far below the horizon by the time the vehicle found the paddock. Soldiers and workers were swarming the area, each going in different directions.

"Stay in the car," Claire ordered.

You only stayed long enough to watch Owen punch Hoskins in the jaw, and his face reddened even more as they yelled at each other. When they started toward the raptor cages, you jumped out. The boys followed you.

"Whoa," Gray gasped as he saw the velociraptors being restrained. "What are their names?"

As Owen introduced him to the girls, you scanned the clearing in search of your raptor. You spotted a lone cage, its bars trembling and rocking from the creature within. You left the boys to approach the cage, seeing Foxtrot's large, yellow eye staring back at you. His pupil was merely a slit, and he was angry--and scared. You cooed softly to him, reaching out to stroke his skin. He stopped fighting, closing his eyes against your touch. It felt like you had a piece of you back.

"He put up a hell of a fight," Hoskins said, coming to stand next to you. "He learned about the door on the catwalk, and that he could jump it. Escaped through the door when the soldiers filed in. Took four tranqs to get him down."

"He's a fighter," you said curtly, your eyes never leaving him. "Release him."

"You sure you got him under control?"

"Release him."

Hoskins nodded, signaling for a soldier to press the release button. As the cage gave way, Foxtrot snarled, whipping around. He took in the sight of dozens of soldiers, all ready to shoot him.

But you waved your hands to calm the tension, "Foxtrot, hey. Look at me; you're safe. We're safe."

He met your eyes, claws flexing. You could see him calculating, thinking. You tilted your head, and he mimicked. His curved claw tapped the dirt as he slowly, methodically, moved toward you. He was testing you. He was searching for fear, for weakness.

You stood still, eyes narrowed. You maintained eye contact as you repeated his name. The commotion had drawn the boys, and Claire, to the sight, and you could hear Owen starting to yell in protest.

"She's just a fucking kid, get her out--"

Foxtrot honed in on him, lunging forward to pounce on him, but you jumped in the way, making the raptor skid to a stop. He was face-to-face with you now, hissing and snarling. You maintained your stance, refusing to budge. After several long moments, Foxtrot relaxed.

He lowered his head to bump it against yours, and you exhaled a sigh of relief. You hugged him, noticing the collar and camera attached to his head.

"That was so badass," Zach said from somewhere behind you.

You turned to find them gaping, especially Owen. A mixture of envy and disbelief fluttered on his face, "How?"

"Owen, you had four. I only had one," you patted Foxtrot's neck. "He had no one else. No socialization. All he had was me."

"This doesn't mean you're going on the recon," Owen crossed his arms.

"Then who the hell is going to lead Foxtrot?" you argued, "He's not a damn dog; he won't just listen to anyone."

"Well, he'll have to start."

"Fuck you," you caught him off guard, "I'm not a child anymore. Can't you tell? I hang out with boys, I pay my own fucking bills, I do what I want--I even have a fucking raptor and you won't trust me? Still? How is this even fair, Owen? You left me, alone, for months at a time, but you still won't treat me like an adult? Should I charge you for child negligence then?"

"Y/n," you had never heard this tone of voice from him before. It was low and stern--and angry, very, very angry. "You aren't going, and that's final."

You reached into your pocket, pulling out the clicker Hoskins had given back to you. You shoved it at Owen, which elicited a very angry chorus of barks and growls from Foxtrot as he acknowledged your relinquish of control. He paced beside you, hissing at Owen, but you reached out your hand to calm him.

Foxtrot tucked his head into your arms, and you kissed his head. You whispered to him, despite knowing he couldn't understand you, "Don't die. And don't let dumbass over here die, either. We'll see each other again, we have to."

Then you stepped back, sending a glare to Owen, and then marched toward the van Claire was standing beside. You were still fuming as you boarded the back of the van, hardly listening to Claire as she spoke to the three of you. Your eyes were still glued to Foxtrot and Owen, but the boys brought you back to reality as they each grabbed one of your hands.

Gray made you wince; he had your injured arm. Claire had properly bandaged it and given you some pain meds, but it was still throbbing. He noticed your expression and let go, but you grabbed his hand again.

As Gray nestled against you, your anger faded away. At least you could be here, with them, making them feel safe. The sting of thoughts of Liam and Rift and Lizbeth clouded your mind again, making your eyes water with the worry.

Zach rested his cheek against your head, dragging you out of those thoughts. Claire slammed the van doors shut, locking you guys in, but not before handing you a tablet. She was begrudging about it, and told you not to let Gray see.

You turned it on, linking it to Foxtrot's head camera. He was already navigating the jungle terrain expertly, and you were admiring how at-home it felt for him when Blue snapped at him. Foxtrot hissed and snapped back, but remained at her level.

He turned his head, and you glimpsed Owen. He was riding a motorcycle in the center of the pack, and you knew he definitely felt like the main character. But you found it a bit impractical to ride a motorcycle through a jungle.

"Your brother's a badass too," Zach mumbled over your shoulder. Gray bobbed his head in agreement as the three of you watched, focused closely on the screen.

"It just runs in our family," you said.

The velociraptors veered to the left, entering a clearing. As Foxtrot surveyed the area, you glimpsed soldiers beginning to fan out over the area, readying weapons of all kinds. They were positioned behind fallen logs and other debris.

The velociraptors neared the edge of the clearing, staring intensely at a wall made of hanging vines. The faint sounds of heavy footsteps made the surrounding flora tremble, and Foxtrot hissed, retreating a step.

Then the monster melted from the jungle, as if it were made of it. This elicited a sharp gasp from Gray, "Camouflage."

Claire had identified it as the indominus rex; a hybrid dinosaur created for the park to revive the thrill. Of what, though? You had no idea.

It lowered its head, locked on the raptors. It began to click and bark, imitating raptor calls. Your heart sank as the other velociraptors began to turn to face the soldiers blankly. Your heart sank further as Foxtrot followed suit, only to turn back to the indominus and hiss.

He growled and snarled as he backed away, which caused the indominus to roar and attempt once more to somehow persuade him. Foxtrot snapped his jaws, spun around, and darted into the jungle foliage.

Gunfire sounded faintly from Foxtrot's camera, but you dropped the tablet to try to watch Claire's. The tiny van window offered a small view of it, and you watched as the velociraptors were picking the soldiers off, one by one. You saw from Charlie's camera that she had come face-to-face with Owen, and you held your breath, only to flinch when she exploded.

Claire heard your stifled gasp and slammed the window shut. You cursed, desperate to see if Owen was okay. But Gray's pulling on your shirt gained your attention.

"Y/n, Y/n, look!" he was pointing at the discarded tablet.

You scrambled to grab it in time to see Foxtrot being confronted by Echo, one of the more aggressive of Owen's raptors. Your breath caught in your throat once more as you watched intensely.

Foxtrot and Echo circled each other. Then Echo lunged at him, aimed at his neck, but he slashed her face with his claws. He barreled into her, throwing her to the ground, before trying to bite her neck. She rolled to her feet, avoiding his teeth, and latched onto his tail. He shrieked, throwing her off, and she growled. Echo shoved him again before vanishing into the jungle foliage once more.

You took a breath, grateful she had left Foxtrot--

Something hit the van. The doors swung open, and a soldier was standing there. His face was full of panic, "Go! They're coming!"

Echo pounced on him, slamming his face into the floor of the van. Gray screamed, Claire floored the gas pedal, but Echo had noticed the retreating van.

Gray desperately clung to you, crying, but you had to push him off as Echo was gaining. Zach was already on his feet, pulling an electrocution prod from the wall. He fumbled to turn it on, and just in time as Echo leaped, closing the distance between her and the van.

You grabbed hold of the prod with Zach, and together you drove it into her chest. The force shoved her out of the van, but not before her tail knocked you to the floor and out of the van.

"Y/n!" Zach screamed, but Claire didn't stop the van.

You tumbled across the coarse gravel, pain erupting from every part of you--but especially from your bite wound on your arm. You could feel the hot blood seeping through the bandages; it had been reopened.

You groaned, trying to scramble to your feet as Echo regained her composure. The velociraptor shook herself, then flared her claws and lowered herself into a hunting stance. She hissed, her throat reverberating to create the noise. The hairs on the back of your neck and arms stood on end as you stepped back, cradling your arm.

There wasn't much you could do in this situation; you had no weapon, an injured arm, alone, and pitted against a killing machine of a dinosaur. Your vision blurred with tears, but you refused to accept your fate. This couldn't be how you died, it just couldn't.

An orange blur slammed into Echo's side, throwing her to the ground.

Foxtrot snarled, snapping his jaws. Echo began circling you, but Foxtrot followed every movement she made, meticulously keeping himself positioned between you and her. Your fear dissolved; you knew Foxtrot could overpower Echo, you saw it happen.

Even then, you knew Foxtrot would die for you, if it came to it.

Echo lunged, but Foxtrot headbutted her. She shook her head, hissing, when a loud roar shook the trees. It made the raptors snap their heads toward the source, and Echo snapped at Foxtrot before darting into the jungle. Further down the road, you glimpsed Delta vanish into the undergrowth, as well. It made you realize how close it could have been if Delta had joined the scuffle.

You turned to look down the other end of the road, where the van had vanished too long ago. You had one hell of a walk, and you began trudging as Foxtrot stayed close to your side, sniffing at your wounds. You pushed his head away, and he snorted.

He circled you, sniffing at the cuts on your legs. Then he did something remarkable; he crouched down in front of you, waiting. It only took a moment for it to click into your head of what he wanted, but you were hesitant.

You took a deep breath as you carefully climbed onto his back. You tried to position yourself comfortably, but you only had his neck to keep you in place, and his scales didn't feel very good against skin. Before you were ready, Foxtrot stood, and suddenly you felt very high off the ground.

You didn't have time to protest as he darted down the road with incredible speed. You wrapped your arms as tightly as you could around his neck, squeezing your knees against his back to try to stay in place. His scales chafed against your skin, and rubbed painfully against your bandage. You squeezed your eyes shut.

Despite how terrifying this moment was, it was also equally the most amazing thing you had ever accomplished; you were the first person to ever ride a velociraptor. A creature widely feared for how successful a predator they were.

This was something Owen would probably never accomplish, something that only you could be proud of. Your bond with this velociraptor, it was incredible. It was something no other could ever have, or take away from you.

Your mind drifted back to the indominus, the raptor pack, your friends, and Owen. What was going to happen? Did Liam and Rift evacuate safely? What if they can't kill the indominus? Will they even be able to evacuate afterwards?

You tried to rid yourself of these thoughts; you had to take things one step at a time. And right now, that first step is catching up to Claire and the boys and hoping that they're still alive.