Dilophosaurus Harry

There had been a time when the dilophosaur had felt appropriately small. When her frill had been bigger than her head. When she had relied more on her venom than her size to catch her prey. Now, fully grown, she took solace in the fact that she was evidently one of the larger predators on the island. But this creature – it positively dwarfed her. She imaged it was at least a tree’s length taller than she was, and standing there in it’s shadow, she felt like a hatchling fresh out of her shell. But even despite the overwhelming size of her opponent, the dilophosaur remained rooted in place, posture erect, tail thrashing defiantly.

This was her territory, and she had meant it when she said she wouldn’t give it up without a fight. Tense and patient, she waited for the creature to attack, expecting it to charge her with sluggish power of a falling bolder. When instead the pale beast lowered its self to the forest floor, a blatantly well-meaning gesture of respect, and announced that it meant her no harm – that it was only after the armored ones, rather than herself – the dilophosaur was both surprised, and more than a little relieved.

Instantly she relaxed, her fear of retaliation dissipating.

“How much has the island changed?” she parroted after a long minute. It was such an unexpected question, and from such a friendly creature. She had no idea how to answer it – or where to even begin. Part of her wanted to blurt the entirety of her wisdom at the lumbering behemoth. Regale the other with the island’s full history. In the end she simply snarled.

The Indominus tilted her head to the side and studied the small dinosaur. She hadn’t seen others like her around the island, but she could smell the venom the little one possessed. She blinked an took a moment to look around the area and see if she could identify other sounds. The tyrant lizard responsible for some of her injuries lurked somewhere on the island and she rather liked the idea of staying away from the other for as long as possible.

She lifted herself up slightly, her body still low to the ground, and listened to what the other had to say.

She intimately knew that the beings responsible for separating them on the large island had left. She had witnessed the last throngs of them leaving from the large pad near her paddock. The Indominus had seen the barriers while she had found the first armored one during her excursion through the park. The spherical thing had given her more trouble than it was worth, the two occupants having escaped while she was trying to crush it in her jaws. The tooth she had lost had regrown itself in no time at all.

The white dinosaur rose up to her full height and turned her head in the direction from which she had come. She had not known the true course she had taken, but she knew that she was further south from when she had began. The large cone object, which she had heard people refer to as a volcano, was barely seen in the distance and she knew she was far from where she had begun.

“I come from the island’s widest point. I paid the flying ones a visit and they were thankful to find a way out of their paddock,” she offered by way of explanation. “I am partially the cause of why the food-givers took their leave so quickly.”

Some odd part of her wanted to feel guilty for what had happened. Then, she remembered that each part of her life had directly been influenced by the food-givers. They were too frightened of her to let her roam. They had somehow made her sister sick and she had to put her sister out of her pain. A growl rumbled through her at the memories and she lowered herself back to her previous stance.

“You?” the dilophosaur honked in stunned disbelief. “You drove the food-givers away? But – But HOW? I mean, I don’t doubt that you did it. You have a very . . . imposing . . . appearance. And the food-givers are cowardly, weak-bodied animals. But HOW did you frighten them off? Didn’t they try to – to restrain you with their nets and their chains? Force you to sleep by stabbing you with their awful needles?”

The dilophosaur shook her crested head, trying to picture the scene. The last time, there had been a storm. The burning fences had stopped sparking, and she and the other inhabitants on the island had been left to roam freely. Curious by nature, she had always wondered how and why the fences had randomly gone dead all those years ago. Now she stood in the shadow of the towering giant, snout curled into a silent snarl, wondering if one of the island’s original inhabitants manufactured a rebellion as well.

Lost in thought, she let out a startled hoot as the creature rose back to it’s full, impressive height.

“How do I kill?” she repeated, tilting her head. “Well my jaws are not very strong, and although I am a fast runner, I can not run for any lengthy amount of time. So I do not like to chase my prey. Instead, I rely on tactics of ambush.”

Without warning, the dilophosaur flared her colorful frill, snapped her neck back, and spat a steaming glob of venom at the nearest tree – coating a small portion of the branch with the repulsive, smelly foam. Strait away, the leaves began to sizzle and blacken.

The dilophosaur relaxed her frill and gave a proud snort. Her venom had gotten stronger since she’d started hunting on her own again. Before, it had been nothing more than a mild irritant to those it struck. Dulled down by the foul-tasting medicines the food givers fed her. Now, it singed the skin of her prey, blinded their eyes, numbed their muscles to such an extent that they could never out-run her.

(tyrantlizardqveen liked for a starter)

The fat man’s arm had been too big and heavy for the young dilophosaur to carry comfortably in her jaws. So she had remained by the jeep, picking at the yellow, rain-soaked nylon and the tender meat just beneath it until something else had draw her attention away from the oozing meal.

Off in the distance, below the metallic clamor of the raindrops on the jeep, there came a kind of subtle, steady shaking. Thump. Thump. Thump. The dilophosaur had listened to it, growing more and more anxious, until finally the jeep had started dancing in time with the approaching tremors.

Now, the dilophosaur’s eyes were firmly trained on the tree-line just beyond the steep gulley, straining to catch a glimpse of the monster beyond it. The giant. The goliath with the tiny, piercing eyes and the mouth full of massive teeth.

What was it? Why was it there? Had it come to investigate the scene, followed the scent of fresh blood all the way to the gully? There was only one way to find out.

Alert with a mix of buzzing fear and curiosity, the dilophosaur moved quickly and quietly to the edge of the hill. There, she stretched her crested head to the canopy, and let out a single, ghostly hoot.

“Who are you?”

Dark, moody, and raining - the perfect cover as she traipsed through the forest, the fresh new smells wafting over her, eyes dilated with adrenaline, deeply inhaling the freedom into her lungs. Finally Those pathetic bipedal mammals wouldn’t contain her any longer, and she wanted more food, the suited lawyer a mere snack; however, she was in luck. The irresistible scent of torn flesh engulfed her senses and she emerged through the thick tree-line, happening across a muddied vehicle, however, it soon became apparent that someone had gotten to it first.

A small creature, barely the height of her ankle was hooting from the small hill of which the Jeep sat upon. It looked like a predator, and smelled like one too, though it’s small stature did nothing to intimidate her. Curling her lips back, she snarled from deep within her chest, thick teeth bared. All of this was new to her, and this was her gut reaction.

The dilophosaur stared at the enormous creature, tilting her head curiously. By the bright glare of the jeep's headlights, she could see that, although the creature was massive in size (far larger than any of her full-grown sisters), it moved rather sluggishly. She was fairly confident she could outrun it, if she had to. But just then she was less concerned with fleeing, and more concerned with playing. The night's storm had already brought with it an abundance of new and exciting opportunities. She wanted to know just how much she could learn before the burning fences started to spark and sizzle again. 

She wanted to see just how much fun things could get.

Hopping gracefully onto the rain-slick hood of the jeep, the dilophosaur yawned wide, releasing another, distinctive hoot.

She took a half-step closer and sniffed at the intruder, hopeful – but the scent was all wrong. The intruder stank of chemicals and soaps. Something about it brought to mind metal instruments and pain – and the hazy, drug-riddled recollection of reassuring caresses and soft speech.

While the pathogens found in the venom of Asset #34 (nicknamed Harry by the Jurassic World staff members) had been rendered “clean” thanks to a special diet and the use of InGen antibiotics – it still had the capacity to cause severe disorientation in those that came in contact with it.

Presently, Harry craned her crested head to the forest canopy, and let out a series of short, whooping trills. The spray of her venom had missed her target by mere inches, but from what Harry could see, the smell alone appeared to be subduing the human just as well as blindness would have.

With her long legs bent and her neck curled back into the shape of an S, Harry sank quickly to her launches, and snarled. In her head, a pair of instinctual voices were quarreling. The first warned her that harming this human – this strangely familiar human – might just be a mistake. But the second voice, far louder and firmer in it’s command, drowned out the more sensible words with it’s simple message.

Strike. Strike now. Strike and eat.

Confused and alarmed, the dilophosaur forgot about it’s attack, and began growling defensively. Now, the human's face was distorting and elongating into something all too familiar. Glaring dumbly at the narrow pair of jaws – at the rows of fierce, sharp teeth lining the gums of the wide mouth – the dilophosaur let out a low, feeble growl.

How? How was such a thing even possible? The human had physically transform its self into a velociraptor.

The dilophosaur tilted her head, trying to comprehend. Was it a trick? An optical illusion? Or some kind of hallucination? She sniffed the air, smelled the same sent as before. Perhaps the human had never really been a human to begin with. Perhaps it had been a velociraptor all along. Perhaps the raptor had learned to mask its sent, and camouflage its self somehow. Maybe it owned a skill similar to that of the Indominous-rex. After all, the Indominous-rex was able to rapidly change the color of it's skin to match the contrast and texture of it's surroundings. Doing this, it could become nearly invisible when out in the jungle.

In fact, many dinosaurs around the island could blend in with their environment, to some degree. Even Harry had the ability to shift the tone of the pigment in her crests and frill. Why, then, should a raptor not be able to somehow learn to imitate a human – both in voice and appearance?

Before the dilophosaur could fully process what had happened, the raptor began chirping and clicking at her. Speaking to the dilophosaur in that familiar, reptilian tongue.

(indominxswrecks liked for a starter from a dilophosaurus)

The dilophosaur stilled in her spot by the stream. The birds had scattered, and she could hear the jumbled sound of twigs and branches cracking and falling to the forest floor. Something was coming. Something big.

A bolt of fear surged through her, and turned swiftly to anger. She let out a savage hiss. The food-givers had fled. For the second time in her life, she had been left to fend for herself. She had survived the previous abandonment, even managed to steer clear of the tawny-queen and the roving packs of clawed hunters. Lived long enough to be re-captured and set loose a second time. But now the food-givers had populated the island with fiercer, more impossible beasts. It wasn’t fair.  

With seething anger she whirled around and flared her frill, claws curling. “The food-givers are gone, and I claim this place as MINE!” she howled into the seemingly empty jungle. “This is MY territory! Do you hear me, whoever you are? I’ve earned it! I was born of the first batch! I was here in the beginning! If you want this place you’ll have to FIGHT ME for it!”

The Indominus had tracked the movements of the remaining ankylosaurs, eager for the continued taste of their blood on her jaws. She stepped on fallen twigs and branches as she followed the sounds of the stream. Different scents assaulted her and she reveled in the overpowering scent of fear.

The hiss stopped her for a moment and she lurked in the large green trees that populated the forest. She growled in response to the hiss, the sound rumbling outward from her position in the trees. She blinked and looked at the other dinosaur, moving closer to the stream while maintaining her cover in the trees. This was the longest she had been out of her paddock and the absence of the humans had returned the island to a more natural state.

She stepped out of the shelter provided by the trees and chuffed at the small dinosaur as she felt the sun against her white scales. “You have great spirit, little one. You’ve no need to fear me intruding into your territory.” she responded, lowering herself down to the other’s size while maintaining a safe distance. “All I request is that I be free to feast on the armored ones.” She tilted her head to the side and looked the other over with a red eye.

There had been a time when the dilophosaur had felt appropriately small. When her frill had been bigger than her head. When she had relied more on her venom than her size to catch her prey. Now, fully grown, she took solace in the fact that she was evidently one of the larger predators on the island. But this creature – it positively dwarfed her. She imaged it was at least a tree’s length taller than she was, and standing there in it’s shadow, she felt like a hatchling fresh out of her shell. But even despite the overwhelming size of her opponent, the dilophosaur remained rooted in place, posture erect, tail thrashing defiantly.

This was her territory, and she had meant it when she said she wouldn't give it up without a fight. Tense and patient, she waited for the creature to attack, expecting it to charge her with sluggish power of a falling bolder. When instead the pale beast lowered its self to the forest floor, a blatantly well-meaning gesture of respect, and announced that it meant her no harm – that it was only after the armored ones, rather than herself – the dilophosaur was both surprised, and more than a little relieved.

Instantly she relaxed, her fear of retaliation dissipating.

"How much has the island changed?" she parroted after a long minute. It was such an unexpected question, and from such a friendly creature. She had no idea how to answer it – or where to even begin. Part of her wanted to blurt the entirety of her wisdom at the lumbering behemoth. Regale the other with the island's full history. In the end she simply snarled.

Harry felt a slight tug on the leash, and sprang instantly up. Without warning she sprinted on ahead, long legs stretching and bending in an easy gait as she rushed excitedly down the dry dirt road. Soon she came to a fork in the path, decorated by a multi-directional traffic sign. The left arrows pointed the way to the Primary Maintenance Lodge and Control Center, while the right arrows pointed into the park – listing such attractions as the T-Rex Kingdom and the Hammond Creation Lab. Wasting no time, Harry proceeded right, practically dragging the little human along with her. Following her ears, she continued along the pathway until she could more clearly hear the sounds of people. The closer she got, the more she noticed the host of alluring smells. The salty spray of the ocean, the algae-tinged water of the Mosasaur lagoon. Charred meat, cut fruit, fresh spices. Plastic. Sweat. Warm metal. All of it made the air dense and tantalizing. Eventually Harry emerged onto the main street of Jurassic World. All around her were throngs of people, marching this way and that in an endless procession. Several of them stopped to stare at the random dilophosaur (though none who were brave enough to fully approach). One or two even let out gasps of surprise. The rest remained oblivious, scurrying in and out of the surrounding giftshops and attraction-buildings, muttering happily amongst themselves as they went. Overhead, the monorail rocketed past on it’s magnetic track, brakes sending up a whistling screech as it slid into place outside the Pachy Arena. Startled, Harry gave an agitated hiss. Just then the intercom rang to life on the loud speakers – “Attention Jurassic World Guests! The next showing of ‘Life in the Clouds - A Pterosaur’s Story’ begins in five minutes at the Jurassic World IMAX cinema! Tickets are available at the kiosk now!” Overwhelmed, Harry began to thrash her tail and stamp her feet. It was all too much for her to take in.

Jess was glad no one got close. Especially right now as Harry was completely over whelmed with the environment. Hurging the dilophosaur to a quite corner as she knelt to her level. 

“Harry, Harry.” She said gently reaching out to sooth the dino. Watching for any signs that the carnivore would spit. “Shhh, it’s alright, easy.” Jess continued. Her tone calm and soothing. Hoping to ease that building tension before it was let loose on unsuspecting guests. 

While she found it comforting, in the end, the human's efforts simply weren't enough to calm her down completely.

Panicked, she considered her options. She wanted to spit, but she knew what the response would be. The humans would surround her, poke and sting her with their long needles, and then the haze would overtake her, and she would be carried, weak and humiliated, back to her paddock until the drowsiness wore off. No, better to avoid spitting and keep her dignity.

Apart from the pair of flaming red crests that topped her bird-like head, the dilophosaurus was built on the basic carnivore pattern. Ten-foot-tall body. Dappled in jungle greens and browns – with a heavy tail, strong hind limbs, and a long, curving neck. An ambush predator by nature, she was a true advocate of sneaking up, crouching down, and pouncing (or, in her case, spitting). Using slow, stealthy movements, the dilophosaur padded into the empty ferry station, snorting and sniffing, bobbing it’s ugly head. Taking in the fear-laced scent of new prey. Inside the lights shined dimly, backlit by the flood of daylight from the open exit, and it was difficult to see at first. Squinting, the dilophosaur could make out a lone figure standing, huddled in on it’s self toward the back wall – hazy and small in the sun. Stalking closer, she saw that it was a relatively small-sized human. Surprising, considering most of the humans had abandoned the island. All at once the dilophosaur let out a single, scathing hiss, and spread her frill. Something smacked wetly against the scuffed tile floor of the ferry station, a foot or two away from the human’s leg. A dripping glob of foamy, black venom.

Avani could not believe what her eyes were seeing. As the dilophosaurus revealed itself from hiding in the bushes. Although she may not have been an expert on the terrestrial dinosaurs, everyone knew that this breed of dinosaurs was extremely dangerous because of its highly poisonous venom. 

Sometimes the young woman wished to be a carnivore trainer, instead of training and studying the marine reptiles. Because now she found herself once again face to face to another dinosaurs that could possibly rip her body to pieces in just a matter of time. 

Would she make a run for it? Or would she stay and simply wish for the creature to just go away? But before the young woman could even consider her options, the other already spit it’s liquid venom, foaming on the ground not far away from her own two feet.

Below the dim and hazy lights of the ferry station, the dilophosaur stood, still as a statue, watching the human with wary patience. Likewise, the human stared defiantly back at her. Several feet away, the steaming splash of black venom was already starting to curdle on the floor.

With a quiet snort, the dilophosaur bobbed it’s head, and began to pace slowly forward.

The human had reacted with startling calm to her threatening display. Did it not understand what she was? Did it not understand that it was in danger? Or was it’s unexpected courage the result of a challenge? A feeble attempt at establishing dominance?

She took a half-step closer and sniffed at the intruder, hopeful – but the scent was all wrong. The intruder stank of chemicals and soaps. Something about it brought to mind metal instruments and pain – and the hazy, drug-riddled recollection of reassuring caresses and soft speech.

While the pathogens found in the venom of Asset #34 (nicknamed Harry by the Jurassic World staff members) had been rendered “clean” thanks to a special diet and the use of InGen antibiotics – it still had the capacity to cause severe disorientation in those that came in contact with it.

Presently, Harry craned her crested head to the forest canopy, and let out a series of short, whooping trills. The spray of her venom had missed her target by mere inches, but from what Harry could see, the smell alone appeared to be subduing the human just as well as blindness would have.

With her long legs bent and her neck curled back into the shape of an S, Harry sank quickly to her launches, and snarled. In her head, a pair of instinctual voices were quarreling. The first warned her that harming this human – this strangely familiar human – might just be a mistake. But the second voice, far louder and firmer in it’s command, drowned out the more sensible words with it’s simple message.

Strike. Strike now. Strike and eat.

(starter for skyeraedraws)

The lean dilophosaurus waded through the murky water of the bog with easy speed. Pausing by a small garden of moldy lillypads, she curved her crested head back over her shoulder to check on her companion – and gave a loud honk of annoyance. 

Harry crinkled her snout and gave a confused snarl.

“You’re so graceful in the sky.” she commented, bobbing her long, crested head in the direction of her struggling companion. “I don’t understand. How can a bit of mud be giving you this much trouble? Oh – here. Let me –“

Stalking over, she positioned herself in front of the other creature’s legs, and began scooping clawfulls of thick, algae-covered mud out of the way.

In the laborious silence, the mosquitoes came to dance around the lonely pair of travelers in a swarming, buzzing ballet.

When at last the path was clear, the dilophosaur let out a quick hoot, rigid tail swaying slightly, and straitened.

“There. You should be able to carry on now. Come on.”

Pushing clumps of damp and stringy lillypads aside, Harry continued toward the edge of the swamp, leaving a trail of murky bubbles in her wake.