cerhadivision | Isla Sorna

Isla Sorna

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bluebetabitch

When you spend a long time building something with your own two hands, it becomes difficult to wrap your mind around the idea of the work being done. Owen grew up around that kind of mindset, and knows very well how it feels to be in the same grip. But he doesn't mind. That's the thing about having a family: it expands, and the world around it needs to expand with it. Little by little, the house came up around them, and they settled into it, and he's never really stopped working this little world of his over like an ever-evolving project that he loves with his whole heart.

They're settled here. Officially. No one can deny it, and even though Owen still has dreams sometimes about InGen -- or anyone -- hunting them down to rip the girls, or even the boys, out of his hands, those fears evaporate every morning. The girls get along as well as any sisters do, and even the squabbling has died down in recent months; the boys have adapted beautifully, and although Chi and Psi still exhibit behavior that looks odd alongside the girls from time to time, they no longer struggle to meet expectations that were completely alien to them for most of their lives.

And then there's Blue and Omega.

The difference in Blue between her youth on Isla Nublar, and the young womanhood that quite clearly blossomed in the Santa Lucia Mountains of central California, is not only noticeable, but striking. Always the one he could rely on over the others, Blue has managed to develop into a creature that is both an extension of his right arm and yet still a highly independent person who no longer looks to him quite so often for cues; she still values her space and her privacy, but those withdrawals from the pack just to brood and sulk have all but disappeared. And while Blue's temper will always strike fear into the hearts of her siblings -- adopted or otherwise -- she's learned to balance it with patience, a trait that would always thwart her more than any other. Until now. Owen always wanted Blue to learn that balance between animal instinct and human rationality, and he knew she'd get there in her own way sooner or later. Now, it seems she has, and it's a beautiful thing to see.

Then, as if her own transformation wasn't enough, she'd somehow managed to turn her mate into an entirely different person.

If Blue's maturation is impressive, Omega's has been nothing short of miraculous. All right... Owen is a professional behaviorist; he knows there's no such thing as miracles, only hard work and dedication. Only this time it wasn't his. It was Blue's time, effort, and uncharacteristic affection that turned a furious, hateful killing machine into something that could be now what he might have been then, before InGen had their way. Omega lives in the house now. He eats when they do. He joins the family in their gatherings, as long as Blue is with him, and although his temper is still zero to 60 when roused, these days it's much harder to set him off than it used to be, even if that wouldn't be saying much. He prefers his mate and solitude over anything else, but his violently aggressive tendencies have been all but curbed for the sake of keeping Blue happy.

For obvious reasons, Owen has kept a close eye on them both from day one, and even from the very beginning Omega has treated Blue like the center of the universe. Owen himself has salvaged his share of abused, wild animals -- it's literally part of the job -- but he knows without question that no one could have done this but her. And her success is absolutely indisputable.

Case in point: today, Omega's dislike for interacting with unfamiliar people had outweighed his desire to be with Blue as often as possible, and instead of throwing a tantrum he simply hadn't gone with her down the mountain.

For Barry, it was supplies; Echo wanted clothes; Blue was only interested in procuring necessary parts for her nearly-restored 1979 Pontiac Phoenix Firebird, a task built upon very specific requirements and one which she would never entrust to any of her siblings. The day is very nice for a sojourn into the city, considering the length of the drive: blue skies and a mild breeze, not quite so far into spring that the air is anything more than comfortably warm. Psi is helping Delta collect chili peppers and the new experimental plums. Chi fell asleep in the grass up the hill. Charlie is giving Owen a hand with replacing some worn poles along the stone steps leading down to the boys' den, when they hear the familiar sound of the Jeep rolling up the long hill that serves as their driveway.

Only, it sounds like it's coming up fast.

Owen and Charlie look at each other, and immediately drop what they're doing to meet the car just as Barry rolls up, screeching to a stop and diving out of the driver's side to rush around to the passenger door. He looks frantic. And he's helping Echo out of the car. She looks like she's about to pitch right off her feet.

"Owen!" Barry calls out urgently, eyes widening immediately as Owen rushes to them. "Owen!" He has to wrap an arm around Echo's back to keep her standing. And then, to Owen's surprise and dread, Barry yells again. "Omega!"

Owen doesn't actually know where Omega has been this whole time. But suddenly he's there next to him, clearly as alarmed at being summoned as Owen was to hear it, and Owen can practically feel the tension in the male raptor's body triple because they both realized the same thing: that Blue is not with them.

"They took her," Barry says, breathless, and the bottom falls out of Owen's stomach.

Echo tries to rouse herself, flopping a little, mumbling in groggy frustration as she tries to shake off whatever is wrong with her and help explain. But Barry keeps his hold on her and barrels right through it.

"It was InGen. They had an entire strike force, Owen, the streets are chaos now. They used non-lethals. Tranquilizers. Echo took a direct hit, but they left her behind. All of them were focused on Blue." He looks at both of them, Owen and then Omega, panicked and desperate. "They came for her."

The weather was gorgeous a minute ago. Now the entire world is ice. Owen's heart has stopped, his breath is gone. Delta and the boys come running up, but he barely notices them. Beside him is Omega, frozen; then suddenly the raptor whirls to him, eyes wide, and the fury -- the fear -- in them is apocalyptic.

Omega doesn't say a word, but Owen immediately finds his voice. "Go get her."

The male raptor is gone like a bolt of lightning. Owen turns and strides quickly to a hidden cache beneath the porch. He pulls out two assault rifles and a hell of a lot of ammo as Charlie shrieks behind him, "Why aren't we going with him?!"

"Because we're going to follow him." Owen tosses a rifle to Barry, and gestures sharply for everyone to get into the car, including the still-dizzy Echo. "After Isla Nublar, Omega found us in less than a week on nothing but Blue's scent and pure instinct. This time he knows where he's going. We'd only slow him down." The motor is still running. Almost before every door is shut, Owen jerks the Jeep into gear. His last words are almost a growl to himself. "With any luck, all we'll have to do is clean up."

The Jeep screeches in reverse, turns, and roars off down the mountain.

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Blue gazed at the farmhouse and surrounding outbuildings with avid eyes, instinctively committing each and every one to memory. When the truck rolled to a stop and she automatically opened the door, a myriad of scents and sounds washed over her, assaulting her senses so swiftly she had to pause just to process them all.

First and foremost was the scent of prey. The very air was saturated with it, and it was all she could do not to keep from purring in hungry anticipation. But she forced back the teeth, getting a firm grip on her animal instincts, and slipped out of the truck to follow along behind Owen with Omega close beside her.

They fell in with the others and Dr. Gwen, and the arrival of the dogs had all seven raptors involuntarily tensing, but then a ringing voice barked out orders, halting the canines' advance. Blue looked towards the house, getting her first glimpse of her Alpha's father.

Blue blinked. The resemblance was uncanny, and Blue felt she was looking at a preview of what Owen would look like some thirty or forty years from now. Then Owen went through the group, making introductions, and Blue stiffened when she felt the Captain's hard eyes turn her way. They moved on before she became unnerved enough to lift her lip and she let out a covert breath of relief.

Then Owen was directing them to fetch their belongings, and she thankfully returned to the truck to pull out her duffel, slinging it over a shoulder as she somewhat demurely followed her Alpha into the house, her mate close on her heels and the rest of their siblings keeping instinctively close.

Blue stepped further inside, letting Dr. Gwen come in behind all of them, the doctor stepping up to Owen's father with an extended hand and a friendly smile. "Hello, Captain Grady," Blue heard her say. "I'm Doctor Gwen Carruthers, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Thank you for allowing us to visit, these kids have been nothing but excited the entire trip."

There are four rooms inside the big house that conceivably function as guest rooms, as Owen understands it. One is a legitimate guest room, and will belong to himself and Gwen, of course (although there is a part of him that almost expects his father to forbid him from sleeping in the same room as his girlfriend). There's a study with a wide floor (big enough for several sleeping bags, or a couple mattresses laid side by side), and an upstairs living room with a large sectional couch containing a foldout bed. And then, of course, there is the basement bedroom that belonged to Owen while he was growing up.

Owen had informed both the girls and the boys that Blue would get first pick of wherever she wanted to sleep. Doesn't matter if it's in the middle of the kitchen -- he'll make a case for it to his father if that's what Blue wants to do. The dogs escort them up into the house, like herding young calves who better learn not to wander where they're not allowed to be. He's just giving the raptors the layout of where they're going to be staying when he hears Gwen speak up behind him, directly to his father.

That is... a little nerve-wracking. Owen had warned Gwen that the Captain could be a tough guy to swallow, and definitely didn't sugarcoat his opinions, especially in his own home. And his first marriage left a bad taste in his mouth about the readiness of women to jump on a nice uniform and solid assets without much regard for the man possessing them. Owen has been very clear about his feelings for Gwen and how well it's going and how long he's known her, but his father always, always prefers to draw his own conclusions.

So. Owen holds his breath a little.

But Captain Grady doesn't refuse the hand, although he eyes the doctor carefully as he shakes it, never one to disguise his appraisal of another person's character. "Nobody better be expecting any hotel service. What do they call you?"

Blue knew--as all of them did--that the doc was hardly a pushover, and the beta raptor saw that her handshake with the Captain intimated as such. Gwen's calm smile remained as she replied in the same warm tone of voice, "Doctor Gwen. Or just Gwen, depending in the situation. And we'll all be glad to earn our keep, Captain." That said, the doc stepped back and picked up her medical bag again, giving the girls a gentle smile and urging them to move further on into the house.

Blue ended up in what had to be the living room, standing uncomfortably in the middle of it, almost afraid of bumping into anything or knocking something over. The feel of this house wasn't at all welcoming, but Owen had told them that his father seldom bothered with visitors. Judging from the first five minutes in his presence, Blue could definitely understand why.

The others drifted in shortly after and Blue moved over to one of the windows, gazing out over the grounds, wondering if she had to actually bunk down in the house. Maybe Owen would let her sleep out in the barn--there had to be a hayloft, right?

Omega stays close to Blue, but so far has about the same amount of interest in their surroundings as he did when he was only hearing about it. The house is certainly an improvement over the CERHA Division facility, but compared to the house back on Big Sur, it certainly doesn't carry much... warmth. What a strange concept. Then again, Omega can tell that a place like this is comfortable to the person who owns it, and he can appreciate that very well.

And if nothing else, this territory will be incredibly fun to explore. He's already feeling claustrophobic without the endless sky over his head.

Nearby, Doctor Gwen has a very brief introduction with Captain Grady, and Omega can sense just a little bit of tension edge its way through Owen's body. Humans are ridiculous. Why should he care whether or not his father gets along with his mate? It's not going to stop them from being together, or at least it shouldn't. There is a depth of interaction here that is completely beyond him, and his patience is rather considerably worn down for everyone and everything that is not Blue.

She won't want to be shut up in here the entire time, because unfamiliar surroundings and a warden will make her uneasy about coming and going as she pleases. Omega looks back toward father and son Grady. "Can we sleep outside?"

Nearly identical raised eyebrows answer him. Before Owen can say anything, the Captain asks, "Are you gonna upset my animals?"

"Not unless they upset me first," Omega answers, quite honest.

Captain Grady's eyebrow turns critical, and Owen sighs. "He won't cause any trouble, Dad," Owen says, which almost offends Omega a little bit. "They sleep outside a lot when it's warm."

"I don't care where you sleep," Captain Grady informs Omega, not cold but very blunt, "as long as you don't get in the way, make a mess, or harass the animals. Got it?"

"Deal," Omega mildly replies.

Watching the conversation between Owen's father and Omega, Gwen suddenly felt a rush of warm pride towards the beta hybrid standing at the tall male's side. Blue had done an amazing job of integrating her mate into the pack and by association, other humans as well. It wasn't surprising that neither of the eldest raptors wanted to bunk down in the house; they spent as much time outdoors as they did indoors, if not more, back at home in California.

It also wasn't too surprising that after receiving permission, the two eldest raptors slipped outside and headed off to explore their new nesting site, leaving Owen, Gwen and the rest of the pack to sort out their own sleeping spaces. The three girls claimed the upstairs living room, Echo and Charlie playing 'paper-rock-scissors' for the foldout bed.

Gwen helped the boys get settled in the study, thankful that she'd brought two large air mattresses, still stowed away in the Tahoe. Even if Blue and Omega did opt to return to the house to sleep, there would still be more than enough room. Provided...

She caught Owen a moment in the hallway, asking softly, "Your dad all right with us bunking in together, babe?" Shaking her head, she chuckled wryly. "I can always throw in with the girls, if need be."

Owen watches Blue and Omega leave, because he's fine with them sleeping where they please, but he really wants to make sure that Blue is okay before he leaves them to their own devices. There will be an ice-breaking period around here, for everyone. Owen is fully convinced of his girls' ability to charm his grumpy father, but Blue is in a more fragile place. She might not be able to warm up so easily.

But giving her a moment to herself seems more prudent than hounding her at the moment. Instead he chaperones the sleeping arrangements, making sure that the girls actually settle on where they're each going to set up camp as opposed to squabbling about it at midnight. Everyone also gets a refresher on picking up after themselves, and how everything better be in exactly the same place when they go home, Charlie.

He's just heading out to grab some of the luggage when he runs into Gwen, and he immediately grins at the question.

"Let's just see if he notices." If his dad did pull rank about it, Owen is positive that it would only be to fuck with him. He tugs Gwen closer and leans in for a kiss, taking advantage of a safe opportunity while they still have it. "Thanks."

Gwen returned it with no less enthusiasm that she always did, although she did give Owen's chest a bit of a thump, mildly admonishing for playing that sort of stunt on his patron. But, well, Owen and his dad. Their dynamic would be an interesting observation in anthropology, that was for sure.

"You're welcome." Stepping away to toss her duffel gently in the guest room's door, she returned to head back down the stairs with him. "Do you think he'd mind my med bag sitting out of the way in the kitchen? It sort of needs to be in a general area, easily reachable." Which was why she kept it in the kitchen back at home.

Owen doesn't know a whole lot about what Gwen's father was like, other than a few anecdotes here and there, but he figures at least some of it will seem familiar from the perspective of a military family. His dad's personality just adds a certain flavor to it.

"He won't mind it being there. He'll mind if you don't ask." He checks briefly in on the boys as they pass by; Psi is testing the air mattress, while Chi is brimming with energy to get back out of the house. They might as well, as long as they remember the rules.

"Just so you know, it's going well so far," he informs her, knowing that very few people could possibly tell. "Either my memories are completely exaggerated, or he's dialing back a little for them. Or maybe he's just mellowed with age." What a weird concept.

"Of course I'll ask," she chuckled, sticking her head in the study for her own visual on the boys. She laughed outright seeing Psi jouncing a little on the air mattress. "I don't think they've ever played with one of those before." Following Owen back down the hallway, she nodded to his observation about his father.

"I think the kids will do all right. As long as Blue and Omega are allowed to wander in and out, although I think they'll stay out more than in." Which was probably a blessing in disguise, really. "I think Blue might need the extra space, at least for the first few days."

"Bet we won't be going home with the same number of those we brought up here," he comments as they move on.

And he nods as well, in regards to Blue. "That's my best guess, yeah. I don't know if anyone will settle in right away and she might have some trouble for a bit. But there's a lot of space to be had out here. It's a big difference from the island or the west coast, and it should distract her, one way or the other."

After slipping silently out of the house proper, Blue with Omega close by, drifted out of the main yard and paused near Owen's truck to just...look. She'd never before been in a place like this; everything was so new and different. The same scents as before washed over her--prey--but she kept her focus on simply observing, and began to automatically compartmentalize what she saw.

Horses, sheep, goats, chickens--all animals she was familiar with, but had never really interacted with before. Smell of oil in machinery, diesel and gasoline. Scent of pines from far away, flowers and other plants closer, near the house. Smell of dust, sweat, leather... Out of the corner of her eye, Blue spied two lanky-looking men, presumably workers here on the Captain's farm; one was leading a black and white horse, the other carrying what she figured was a saddle. She returned their stare with no hint of self-consciousness, but neither did she miss the slight change of their path as they veered somewhat away.

Hmm...

Nevertheless, there was still much more exploring to do. The barn wasn't far away, the hayloft open and inviting. And if they were going to sleep up there, then it was definitely time to do a little exploring, right? A very slight smile curved a corner of her mouth then Blue set off at a brisk walk, aiming unerringly for the building's wide open doors.

Omega certainly hadn't failed to notice the buffet wandering around the property, and it makes his teeth ache to know that he can't catch and kill something even if he wanted to. Then again, it wouldn't be a challenge of any kind, and that does take a lot of the fun out of it. There's bound to be things worth chasing in those distant trees.

Not caring much about the layout of the farm itself, he's just dying to explore elsewhere; they've only just touched down at their destination and already Omega is ready to leave, to run off toward those mountains and see how long it takes to reach them. Maybe the sky would swallow him. Standing beside the truck with Blue, he's captivated by the landscape around them, letting the wind breeze past them from the miles of grass, the scent of everything new mixing with the scent of his mate to create an aroma he could chase without ever touching the ground.

But Blue heads in the other direction and he promptly follows. She still has to decide where she'd like to sleep, after all, because that's exactly where he'll be. The barn ahead of them smells like cow and hay and sawdust. Omega considers suggesting that they just sleep out on the hill under the stars.

Blue wanted to see everything. Touch everything. Run her hands over the rough textures of weathered boards, breathe the grasses waving beneath that wide open sky. She managed the first, pausing just inside the barn, one hand on the roughened wooden door. It was dim within, and smelled of bovine and sawdust; she bit back a sneeze.

Hmmm...

She turned eyes to her mate, standing beside her looking unimpressed. She had to stifle a smirk. "Where should we sleep? There's a hayloft up there, might be warmer than anywhere else." She sniffed again. "It does smell a lot like cow in here, though." Which wasn't exactly the best thing to wake up to in the middle of the night when one was hungry.

Rather than answer immediately, Omega does stroll inside and take a very thorough look around. It's large, and the cows are on the opposite end of the barn; the wide doors both on the ground and into the hayloft do create a decent airflow, so even though the smell is noticeable, it's not smothering. And the hayloft itself is above the main doors, so they have the privacy of hearing someone come in well before anyone might be able to see them.

"It's fine," he concludes, glancing sideways at her. "We're not gonna find anything as good as our tree out here, anyway."

Still, he looks back out into the yard, and at the fields beyond, and the trees and the mountains beyond that, and after a moment or two he regards his mate again with the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

"But we don't have to decide right now, do we?"

Blue simply watched her mate investigate inside the barn, an odd little smile on her face, and shrugged to his query. No, they'd definitely not find anywhere to nest as perfect as their tree back on the California bluff.

Owen's pragmatism suggested that they settle their duffels in the hayloft, make sure everything was prepared before moving on to something else, but Omega's apparent enthusiasm to burst all over this particular valley was almost tangible.

"I don't guess, no."

She shoved her hands in the pockets of her cutoffs and leaned a shoulder against the edge of the big wooden door. "What you wanna do instead?"

For a harsh instant, she is so unbelievably irresistible that all context completely flies out the window of his own head, and he might have tackled her into the nearest pile of hay if he didn't come to his senses a second later. But he still comes back to her with that smirk growing across his face, and leans against the inside of the door with his arm against the frame.

Omega has never had duffels before. He's barely even had supplies. Hell, he's never traveled with more than the clothes on his back until now, and he feels nothing tying him here, to the barn or the house or even the farm itself. His only tether rests with Blue, and he'll go where she does.

Of course, he's been coaxing her to run away with him since the day they met. Why stop now?

"Anything." He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head briefly toward the fields. "Let's see what this place is hiding."

It was still more than enough to arrest her breath, watching her mate...prowl as he did. There was not a day that passed in which she didn't find him incredibly appealing, regardless of his moods. Which, granted, had been conceivably smooth of late, although Blue felt that she was the grouch most of the time.

Nevertheless, her breath did catch in her throat as Omega sauntered up to lean against the door himself, and she watched the thoughts play over his face--readable as a book, at least to her--and her return grin was just as coquettish, almost sly. Blue took a step forward, bringing them tantalizingly close, and placed five fingertips to Omega's chest before she rose up on her tiptoes to capture his mouth for a heated, albeit frustratingly brief, kiss.

"I like the sound of that," she breathed hotly across his lips. Then blue eyes sparkled and she grinned outright. "--race you!" And quick as a flash, she whirled and took off for the wide open fields, long dark hair flying out behind her.

Electricity spiders outwards from those five delicate points of contact, and that kiss might as well be a bolt of lightning for how hard it strikes him. Everything between them weighs more now, everything is more significant, and even the smallest caress is lethal because Omega can't answer them the way he really wants to.

But it's also been a long damn time since he could run, and now he's finally getting that chance.

Just like last night, when he'd gone racing after her across an open field, terrorizing a small herd of cows, a split second after she darts away Omega immediately gives chase. Lucky for her that she's not his prey, because with the sky urging him on and the wind in the grass beneath his feet, he'd run her down in an instant; but together they urge each other faster, and Omega laughs as the mountains rise higher and the trees loom at the edge of the landscape.

There was nothing for miles around to slow them down. The grass seemed to stretch on forever, with the trees, as tall as they were, still just a dark fringe at the edge of the horizon, with the purple mountains clawing high above their tops. Blue tossed her head, sensing her mate close behind, and kicked it up a notch, feeling adrenaline flood her system and her vision sharpened to almost needle-like focus.

Omega's laughter rang in her ears and Blue had to smile; hearing his amused outbursts never failed to thrill her. She leapt a small depression as if it weren't even there, landing perfectly and streaking off again. But she'd been cooped up indoors for nearly two months; it was disappointingly soon when she felt her muscles begin to protest and she forced herself to slow down, then more, a trotting jog, and finally halted altogether, only to collapse with breathless laughter in the field of waving wildflowers and fragrant grass, the setting sun coating the entire landscape in shades of soft orange and gold.

Propelled by such energy, Omega almost doesn't notice when his mate starts to lag behind; he would swear if asked that he could run straight to the top of those mountains, and a lunatic urge grips him to snatch her hand and just take her with him. But he hits the brakes when it's clear she isn't going any farther, grinning at her delight and the sight of his beautiful mate rolling around in the grass.

He flops down next to her, the two of them sending up a burst of scents from the earth, strong and so different from their mountain back home. The mountains and the trees are still there, way off and beckoning, but glittering blue eyes are captivated by the female hybrid laughing happily in streaks of sunlight.

Still laughing, Blue rolled over to flop across Omega's chest, eyes sparkling with too-long forgotten merriment. "...that was fun," she huffed, blowing stray hair out of her eyes. "...although I'm not really in shape anymore, ugh." She flopped back over to lie beside him, head pillowed on his shoulders.

Gazing up at the darkening sky, Blue automatically began to count the stars, twinkling into view overhead. "It just goes on and on," she mused quietly, waving one hand from horizon to horizon. "I thought the sky back home was big. But Owen wasn't kidding when he called this place 'Big Sky Country'."

Sitting up on her elbows, she craned her head to look over at the trees, still a good distance away. "You think we should go so far so soon? Owen'll be looking for us before long."

He smirks at the top of her head. "We'll fix that."

The view would be better with her in it, but having her warmth against his side and the slight weight of her head on his shoulder is almost as good. Omega is so busy just enjoying their closeness that he almost doesn't hear what she says. In fact, it would have been easy up until right this second to forget that they left anything or anyone behind them at all.

Naturally, his tone may suggest as much. "Why did he bring us out here?" Omega folds his arms under his head. "We do this all the time."

"At home, yeah." Where they knew their mountain inside and out, backwards and forwards. Here, there were so many unknowns that it was hard to imagine them all. But, on the other hand, sussing out territory was part of their instinctual make up, which was why Blue's eyes again turned towards the deepening line of trees across the field.

"Well, he did say something about wanting all of us to at least eat together once while we were here." She tilted her head to smirk over at her mate. "You were snoring during that conversation, so you probably missed it." Although the thought of sitting down and trying to actually have a meal with her siblings, her mate, his siblings, Owen, the doc, and Owen's dad sort of terrified her right now.

"...maybe later in the week would be better, though."

Omega doesn't bother arguing with that because she's almost certainly right. He doesn't even roll his eyes when she brings up a family meal, mostly because he doubts very much that will actually happen on the first night here. Five minutes in the presence of her Alpha's father and even Omega can see that he isn't the only one less than keen on the idea.

"You'll hear him if he calls," Omega points out, ignoring the fact that she very well may not if they get as far away from the farm as he's hoping to go. But it's open fields, and the wind carries, and Owen has a very sharp whistle meant specifically to catch the attention of distant raptor hybrids. So, Omega is prepared to insist a little. "Let's see what's in the trees. Then we can go back, if you want."

To be perfectly honest, Blue didn't need much more convincing. She was itching to explore those tantalizing woods herself, which was why she grinned fiendishly, rolled up to her feet, shook the grass and dandelion fluff out of her hair, and started skipping her way towards the trees, giggling at her mate doing the same.

And as it turned out, the woods began a bit further than Blue first realized; the clear mountain air was so sharp it bent distances, making things seem closer than they actually were. When she was close enough to actually touch the first needles, the farm was just a small dot in the middle of the prairie, nearly swallowed by the mountains beyond it.

Oh, well.

The sun had fully set by now, and the night was coming alive with the evening chorus of insects and other nocturnal creatures. The moon was just a sliver, but it and the starlight provided enough for raptor-hybrids to see by well enough. The pines were thick, a carpet of old needles covering the forest's floor, but their scent was heavenly and Blue breathed it in, almost ghosting through the staggered trunks.

A brown and white flash suddenly caught her eye and she trilled sharply in alert--a deer bounded just in front of her, and her hungry stomach bolted her straight into action. The uneven tree trunks made following it challenging, but if she and her mate couldn't take it down, no one could.

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