Rusted Cage

Rime followed close behind her mate as they trailed through the once grand halls, left abandoned and forgotten by their creators along with the rest of their world. But tonight, the walls long dead were alive once more with the sound of laughter and stomping feet, trampling their way through the world in joyous partying that clashed with the outside world. It was a far cry from the alpha labs, despite the similarities; two abandoned buildings full of death and bones, left behind to rot in the dust and ash and bones. 

But at least the labs attempted to hide their secrets- test tubes and experiments tucked away, hidden deep underground. Here, in this section of the building, all of horrors were on full display. Animal corpses lined the walls, long hollowed out but still carrying the faint scent of rot and death. Even worse, they were posed in a mockery of life, fitted upon pedestals of fake plants and foliage. This section was of various mammals- Rime snuck a look towards Gloam, who was looking forward with a clenched jaw. All around them creatures chatted and danced and partied, ignoring the graveyard around them. Was there no dignity to be found here?

Things only got worse as they headed deeper into the museum. Displays slowly started changing from flesh to bone, as if rotting with age. Gloam stopped in place, bile filling her throat at the sight before her. The rumors were true.

This room was perhaps the grandest of them all, with a wide, swooping hall. And scattered all around? Bones. Sacred things, meant to be respected, instead hanging like puppets from strings. All across the room various bones and skeletons hung from the walls, some poses much like the corpses in various poses and some long collapsed into piles. Rime let out a low gasp of horror, while Gloam agitatedly growled. The pure disrespect the humans had- not only to create and abandon them in a hidden hell, but to treat the corpses of their ancestors as such. The two had grown up side by side, raised to have a deep respect for their ancestors and those that had come before them. But this? This was evil. And no one else seemed to notice it!

Stifley the two stalked their way through the revived halls, making their way deeper into the exhibits. They did not want to- every bone in Gloam’s body was screaming; to lash out, to run, to give them the rest they deserve. But the presence of Rime at her side was soothing ice to her rage- now was not the time to act rashly. But an unspoken question was what forced them to wander further, one that both dreaded but knew they must know.

And it was as they feared. A booming roar slipped from Gloams mouth, catching the attention of some of the bystanders. But she had no care for them as she pushed forward, making her way to the foot of the exhibit. Two skeletons she would recognize anywhere- a pair of acrocanthosaurus, posed together as if locked in eternal combat. Thick metal pillars held them up, keeping them locked in place even as the rest of the museum crumbled down. Robust railing locked them away from the rest of the museum, keeping them forever trapped.

“This is wrong.” Rime hissed, tail widely whipping behind her and almost knocking over a small passing carnivore. Venom and hate practically dripped from her words as she eyed the display. Those were the bones of their kin. While realistically Rime knew that these ancestors were even more ancient than the alpha labs, it mattered not; kin was kin, and the bones didn’t lie. “We need to free them.”

Gloam agreed, letting out a low rumble. “It is too far of a journey to bring them to the lab… but we can bury them outside.” It wasn’t the proper burial, but bones this old would be delicate, she knew from experience. Slowly the huge acrocanthosaurus walked over, gently bumping the metal grate with her nose. It was strong, despite its age. A more forceful push yielded the same results- nothing. “Seems this may be a bit of an issue.”

Rime stepped forward to join her mate in pushing and shoving against the metal grate, to no avail. The railing was too high for them to step over, and far too low for them to go under. The sound of metal banging and clanking filled the room as they continued to attack the grating, steadily drawing more and more of a crowd. Letting out a low growl of frustration, Gloam sunk her teeth into the metal and attempted to pull. However, all that resulted in was the taste of blood in her mouth, and the loss of a few teeth. 

The gathered crowd murmured softly to themselves as they observed the giant carnivores. Many within the crowd thought of it as a simple show, a test of strength- few knew the motion behind the act. However, one in the crowd did. A blue and white theropod watched with a knowing glint in her eyes. While Flurry had not been born in the alpha labs herself, her mother was; and Glory had passed down many stories. It was known to all those locked away just how much the acrocanthosaurus respected the fallen. While albertosaurus never took place in such rituals, they knew of them- and respected them the best they could. But Flurry could also see the steadily growing anger and despair in their eyes as they themselves took more damage than the railing. This would not do.

Stepping through the adoring crowd, Flurry was quick to slide into place next to the two acrocanthosaurus. “Hey!” Rime snarled once she noticed Flurry’s approach, a mix of anger and curiosity at the sheer brazenness of the albertosaurus. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” Gloam bared her teeth as well, backing up her mate.

Flurry smoothly dipped her head with a low murmur. “Here to help. I have heard tales of the labs, although I was not born there. These bones deserve rest. Please, allow me to prove my strength and free them.” 

The two acrocanthosaurus shared a look. The fact that it was an albertosaurus that asked… well, it didn’t put them at ease, but it was almost familiar- the two carnivorous species of the alpha labs coming together once more. The crowd silently watched, as if it were a mere play; three huge carnivores who were once locked away, who could bring this whole carnival down should a fight break out. 

“Just with the railing.” Rime finally gave in, not wanting to waste any more time; and if the other carnivores' efforts helped, all the better. She resumed pushing against the metal, spurred on by the groaning of metal. Gloam joined in, causing the clinking of metal to be all louder- but still, it didn’t budge. The foundation had only sunk deeper into the ground over the years. It needed to go up.

And that was where Flurry came in. She bit down on the metal with a low snarl, her powerful jaws slowly crushing it as her grip became tighter and tighter. While Gloam and Rime were bigger than her, there was one key difference between the jaws of an acrocathosaurus and an albertosaurus; their uses. Acrocathosaurus had evolved to hunt much larger prey, and their teeth were meant to cut and shear. But albertosaurus were different- they had a much shorter snout, and in this case, it allowed Flurry to get a much better grip on the metal. Blood filled her mouth as the metal dug in, but she didn’t loosen her grip- instead, she angled it upward, attempting to pull instead of push. 

With a slow creak, the metal slowly began to rise from the ground it has slowly sunk into, catching Gloams attention. She changed her angle, pushing upwards instead of forwards, Rime following in suit. Together the three pushed and heaved, steel cracking and creaking under their weight and power. The crowd watched, slowly becoming louder and louder in time with the bending metal. 

And eventually, it happened- a crack so loud the three could feel it in their teeth as something underground gave way. Suddenly, a huge amount of the resistance was gone, and the three were able to slowly pull the metal grate free, wincing at the horrid scraping sound it produced. The three backed up, laying the metal grate down on the ground. Gloam was the first to release it, letting out a low groan as she flexed her sore jaw. The metal was long rusted and worn away, uncomfortably reminiscent of the walls from which they came. Rime followed suit, but didn’t cast even a single glance back at the metal- instead, she strode forward, stepping over the now revealed holes in the floor and making her way to the skeletons. Rime followed- however, Flurry stayed back. The albertosaurus understood that this was not something meant for her to see, as she watched the two pay respect to the dead. Turning around, the theropod blinked in surprise at the crowd gathered- oh yeah. In the chaos, Flurry had almost forgotten about them, despite having been a member herself.

Walking forward to the crowd, Flurry cleared her throat. In the silence that had broken out, it rang loud of thunder. “Go on, clear out. Leave them to it.” She instructed, shaking her feathers out to appear larger. The bit of blood dripping down her mouth and the display of strength was enough to intimidate the gathered creatures to back away, returning to their duties as the air began to fill with the sound of gossip. Flurry shook her head slowly, before casting one look back at the acrocanthosaurus, and returning to join the festivals.