章 8: Chapter 8: The Second Pack
Six weeks had passed since the first hatch.
The forest clearing was different now. The grass in the center had been trampled down by constant movement. The pond still sat quietly on one side, but the area around it was churned with tracks from claws and tails. The tree line had been thickened with cut branches and brush, making it harder to see in from outside.
The five original Utahraptors stood near the nest site. Fully grown, they were each nearly two meters long from snout to tail. Their legs were powerful, tails balanced perfectly as they moved. Feathers along their arms and tails were clean and well-kept. Their eyes were sharp, constantly shifting to track movement in the trees.
In the past weeks, they had grown into capable hunters. I had taken them deep into the forest on a near-daily basis. They had brought down deer, wild goats, and more boars than I could count. Their coordination had improved—flanking prey without hesitation, holding position until the moment to strike. They responded instantly to signals through the Beastmaster's Ring.
The System had been clear about the timing. Today, the seven new hatchlings would emerge. The extra numbers would double my pack. With twelve raptors under my control, I could field them as two hunting units or one overwhelming force.
I stood near the nest, the incubator cube in front of me. The display showed:
[Hatchling Status: Incubation – 3 minutes until first emergence]
The five older raptors had gathered in a loose semicircle around me, their heads tilted slightly as they watched. They knew something was happening. Their tails moved slowly, and they sniffed the air, picking up the faint scent from the eggs.
When the timer reached one minute, the cube unfolded smoothly. The mounts inside held seven eggs, smaller than the older raptors had been when I last saw them at this stage, but with the same dappled brown and gray shells.
The first movement came from the second egg on the left—small rocking, then a faint sound from within. A crack formed, spreading until a fragment of shell fell away. The tip of a snout pushed through.
I stayed silent, as I had before. The bond formed best when I did not interfere.
One after another, the shells began to break. The sounds of tapping and scraping filled the small space between the older raptors and me. The first hatchling slipped free entirely, landing on the soft leaves of the nest.
[Utahraptor Hatchling – Bond Established]
The awareness settled in immediately. A new thread in the pack's presence connected to me. The other six followed in short order, each breaking through and pushing into the open.
By the end, all seven were out, unsteady on their legs, damp feathers clinging close.
[Pack Status: Utahraptor Hatchlings – Bonded (7/7)]— Total Pack Count: 12— Juveniles: 5— Hatchlings: 7
The older raptors stepped closer, lowering their heads to sniff the hatchlings. There was no aggression, only curiosity. One of the larger raptors circled behind them, checking their scent again before moving back to its place.
The hatchlings stayed close together, their movements small and unsteady. A few chirped softly, turning their heads toward the older raptors but keeping their eyes on me.
I watched the interaction carefully. Raptors could be territorial, but the bond through the Beastmaster's Ring overrode that instinct, binding them all under my authority. The older ones accepted the newcomers without challenge.
Twelve now. The number stayed in my mind. Twelve predators, all trained to respond to me. Enough to control a large area of forest without difficulty. Enough to overwhelm a band of armed men before they had time to form a defense.
My thoughts turned to the village. It was small—less than fifty people, most of them fishers. No standing guard, no walls, no trained fighters beyond a few men who might have seen combat years ago. In raw power, I could take it easily.
But taking it was not the same as ruling it.
If I simply walked into the village with the pack at my back and declared myself in charge, the people would obey out of fear. Fear would keep them quiet for a while, but it would not build the kind of place I wanted. I wanted loyalty, not just submission.
A kingdom could not survive on force alone. It needed a foundation—people willing to stay, to work, to defend the land alongside me because they saw it as theirs. That kind of bond could not be forced overnight.
The question was how to start.
If I revealed the raptors too early, I would lose the advantage of surprise. If I waited too long, opportunities to secure the village might slip away. And if I brought them in before the hatchlings grew, I would risk them in a fight they were not ready for.
For now, the decision could wait. The village was not going anywhere. I could watch it, plan, and act when the time was right.
The older raptors stepped back slightly, forming a loose guard circle around the nest. The hatchlings shifted, some settling in the leaves, others standing and testing their legs. The faint sounds of the forest filled the air—birds calling in the distance, wind moving through the trees.
I looked over them all, twelve sets of eyes ready to follow my signal. The next phase was here. I had the beginnings of an army.
But today would be for letting the hatchlings settle and begin learning from the older pack. Tomorrow, training for all twelve would begin.
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