Night Hunt

The night was cool and still, but the air trembled with unease and tension. New plants had been sprouting up across the island, and they were not little plants- tangled vines, growing unbelievably fast and making anything that ate it ill. Snapping plants with jaws and venom, plants that grew bigger and bigger as the days passed. It was a state of emergency, and rumors had flew fast. Rumors that said the cause of all this grief was a new dinosaur species- oviraptors, appearing out of nowhere and planting these seeds across the land. They had to be stopped. 

So the night pack stalked- the original trio of Comet, Silver, and Sirius. Nebula and Orion were kept back at the den, guarding the young eggs that were soon to hatch. The three eldest members took off into the night, traveling silently under the moonlight. The scent of a deer filled Comets nose, but he ignored it- that was not their target, tonight. There was one thing he was focused on, and that was making sure his family would be safe in the coming months.

Silver was the one who caught the scent first- a flick of his tail catching the attention of Sirius and Comet as they paused. The grey male sniffed the air, before nodding at the dirt. Faint but far from old footprints, much like a bird’s but much, much larger. Comet nudged against Silver, before trotting off in the direction they led.

By the time the prints became fresh, they were far from the den. They were near a large tree on the island- one famous for its unique fruits and being a great source of food. The scent was strong here- there were even a few scattered grey and white feathers around. They were close.

A flick of the tail from Sirius had all of the three ducking down. Ahead, a figure was scraping into the dirt, seemingly attempting to dig a hole. Good. They weren’t too late yet. Comet nodded at Sirius and Silver, and they began a tactic they had used many, many times before. Splitting up, Sirius and Silver slowly spread across the clearing to block off any escape options. And like that, the time had come to hunt.

With a terrifying screech Comet jumped from the bushes, charging at the grey and white oviraptor with bared teeth and spittle dripping from his jaws. With a shriek the oviraptor broke into a run, Comet’s teeth just barely missing its tail feathers. All part of the plan.

Sirius jumped out of the grass as the oviraptor approached, roaring loudly in its face. Quickly the panicked omnivore turned, only for Silver to appear and hiss loudly. With another shriek the oviraptor took off, running across the clearing and vanishing into the forest. Good. They always loved a chase.

Together the night pack ran together under the moonlight, the shadows hiding their forms as they followed the oviraptor through the forest. Everytime the omnivore tried to stop and rest, one of them sprang from the shadows and sent it running again. To it, it was life or death. To them, it was a game. And one they knew they would win.

Eventually, the oviraptor got sloppy. Comet lunged for its neck, and it was too tired to dodge. Grabbing its long neck in his jaws, Comet threw the thief down in one smooth motion. With a loud thud in landed in the dirt, and the trio moved in.

The oviraptor shook, clawing at the dirt as it stayed down. Good. Clearly it had some survival instincts. Up close, Comet could make out its appearance. A soft grey roan, with white patches of piebald splashed over its body. Strange, unnatural markings were painted on its torso- almost wing like.

“What-what do you want!” The oviraptor cried out, shrieking as Silver snapped near it in warning. “I-I didn't do anything! Please don't eat me!” The thief panted and shook, exhaustion coating every word. Clearly it had no energy left to run.

“Didn't do anything?” Sirius repeated in a shocked, furious tone of voice. “Didn't do anything?” Suddenly charging in, he snapped his teeth in front of the Oviraptors face, almost taking off its beak. “You dare say that, when your kind has been spreading poison and weed all over our island? All over our homes? Don’t try to play coy, we know what you were doing! Trying to plant your seeds, to destroy the tree!”

The oviraptor blinked owlishly up at him, seemingly having no words to answer as looked away. Comet snarled, moving in and headbutting it with his crest aggressively. “Don’t look away.” He snarled lowly. “Answer the question. After all, this run has resulted in us working up quite an appetite… and you're such easy prey, after all.”

The oviraptor let out a shriek of fear, words falling from its mouth far too fast to be understood by any one of them. In the jumble of words they were able to make out a few scattered words and phrases- “human building” “under” “gateway” “mission” “please don't hurt me” A snap of Silvers jaws to get it to slow down proved to be too much for the skittish oviraptor, and it suddenly slumped down- passed out.

Curious, Sirius nudged it with his nose, letting out a disappointed sound as it didn't move- out cold. “I thought it would last longer.” He sighed, shaking his head.

“At least we got some information.” Silver seemed to be thinking something over. “We now know that they are working together on some kind of mission. I doubt they are the ones in charge… too skittish. Merely grunts. Seems like the boss is located behind this… gateway.” 

Comet made a face. He hated human areas- they were full of trash, terrible scents, and weird objects. “Must be one no one has discovered yet.” He hummed.

“...Can we eat it?” Sirius was looking at the oviraptor again. He was hungry after all.

“...no, it may make you sick.” Fair enough.