A bright yellow eye. Its dark slit pupil looks at them. Clearly them. There is no one and nothing else here.

Ajax and Shaula stand in front of the forest they had just left. A wall of trees is at their back. Shaula looks at the eye of the creature.

Unsurprisingly, her vision has improved substantially through her power and even though the raptors are several metres away from the two of them, their actions can be discerned quite clearly.

Shaula can see the pupil constriction of the majestic animal before them. Eyeing a new piece of meat that came into its view, perhaps.

A white, feathered velociraptor. Standing at about seven feet in height on its hind legs. The silvery claws on both its fore legs and hind legs are sharp and long.

They looked like they’re capable of cutting through steel, let alone the bones of two humans.

The three other raptors turn around at the behaviour of their ally. They notice the new creatures in their line of sight.

Ajax feels an intensity. A fear in his heart. And yet...

The raptor who looked at them first is larger than the other three.

The other three raptors walk towards Ajax and Shaula slowly while the fourth raptor starts tearing off more meat from its prey.

Ajax can now get a better look at their catch without the three raptors’ bodies blocking it.

He sees... a dark violet, tortoise shell flipped over. A large shell about the size of a hippo’s torso. A head covered in defensive horns pokes out of the shell, with a sharp black beak like a snapping turtle.

A long, partially eaten tail covered in fur with a spiky end that looks kind of like a baseball bat covered in nails. At least to Shaula.

Unlike its head and the outside of its shell, its limbs and belly are covered in fur.

Tortoises back on their home world are not mammals... and yet, this dead one here has fur covered paws on its front and hind legs like a bear, four sharp claws on each paw.

Its head however does have features of turtles and tortoises, particularly the beak. Its eyes are closed.

Ajax and Shaula could see the torn apart belly of this creature, which appeared to be the soft part that the raptors had been cutting through to feast on its fresh meat. They notice blood on its front claws and beak.

Shaula observes small wounds on the bodies of these raptors as well, particularly on their sides and legs. The battle wasn’t entirely easy, it seems.

Copious amounts of red blood have poured from the belly of the tortoise onto the wild grass, as well as shredded bits of intestine.

It appears like these four raptors hunted this creature recently, perhaps killing it only a few minutes ago.

The three raptors walk slowly towards Ajax Shaula and the fourth raptor, having filled its jaws with the meat of the turtle walks behind them.

Ajax looks at the cruelty of nature with disgust and aversion. Shaula is less surprised at the spectacle but still defensive.

These are large creatures capable of killing them, were they different, weaker people.

At this point, Shaula isn’t truly fearful of them. So long as they don’t get her head, she can easily defeat them. Ajax too.

In fact, even if they get within range to use their jaws or claws, at this point both Ajax and Shaula have enough enhanced agility to avoid such attacks with ease.

These creatures are looking at the two of them. Their pupils are razor thin. Ajax understands this phenomenon in animals like cats to mean agitation, anger, preparation for battle.

“Shaula, let’s go...”

Ajax starts to back away but Shaula notices something. She holds him firmly in her grasp preventing him from leaving.

“Shaula! What are you doing!?”

“Just... hold on a minute.”

Shaula walks forward with Ajax still in hand. Ajax trusts her unconditionally, but still tries to pull back in a show of soft reluctance.

They stop walking after reaching a few feet away from the predators. Outside of bite range, but close enough that Shaula can see the details of their features even if she didn’t have enhanced vision.

Their layered, white feathers. Their yellow irises covering their entire eye. Pupils not exactly black but dark blue.

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The three raptors stop moving as Ajax and Shaula approach this distance. They do something else.

They lay on the ground on their sides and lean their jaw upward. Shaula can infer what these animals are doing. She could tell something like this would happen based on their subtle body language.

They’re... offering their necks.

The fourth raptor behind its three companions walks slightly closer to Ajax and Shaula. Shaula still doesn’t move. She doesn’t back down before it.

No fear.

It opens its jaw. A scattering of entrails, from the meat it had taken from the dead tortoise-like animal, falls on the ground before the two of them.

At the same time, it also lays down on its side, presenting its neck to the two of them.

“What... what are they doing, Shaula?”

“They seem to be... offering their necks. It’s something that animals sometimes do when... when they meet a dominant species and wish to show they mean no harm in order to avoid injury.”

“...it considers us a dominant species based on what? Physical strength? Intelligence?”

“Obviously strength, dumbass.”

“Ok, ok... so... how can it tell how strong we are? Are humans of this world particularly strong? Do these things just bow to any human?”

“No... I think it can tell something... about us. Does this kind of murder machine look like something that would present its neck to just any person? These things are definitely not domesticated either...”

“I guess not... huh? Wait, Shaula, don’t--”

Shaula absorbs a massive amount of energy from Ajax. Ajax feels a substantial bit of vitality leave his body.

In order to gain it back, Ajax starts to absorb energy from the air around him. Frost collects on his skin, as he tries to retrieve the siphoned energy through his surroundings.

Shaula lets go of Ajax’s hand, signalling him to be quiet with her index finger to her lips. She walks forward to the head of the pack. The larger one who presented the meat to the two of them.

It looks at her with its left eye, its head to the side on the ground. She walks over to it. She feels a bit brave, a bit brazen right now.

Now that Shaula has taken enough vitality from Ajax just now, she feels secure that she has enough reflex, agility and physical strength to avoid a jaw motion from this monster even at such a close distance.

She looks in the eye of this creature. It stares at her, clearly in fear. Shaula slowly moves her hand to touch the neck of this creature.

Keeping an eye out for any sudden movements, her right palm lands on its feathery neck. The feathers are soft and thick. Shaula can feel its trembling.

It is in deep fear towards her. It presented meat to the two of them and its neck. Normally, the dominant creature is not supposed to actually go for the neck but here is Shaula caressing it without a care.

How can it tell anything about us? What can it sense from us... Well, at least I can see... this guy is probably hunted on this world for its feathers. Such beautiful, soft feathers...

“You don’t have to be afraid...”

Shaula continues to rub the neck of this beast. Its skin under its feathers is fairly tough. This is an apex predator in this region. She feels it start to tremble less and less.

It finally closes its eyes to her, fully relaxed after about thirty seconds.

The creature makes the connection that Shaula is not a being that will kill it.

Shaula beckons Ajax forward with her left hand.

“Ajax, come over here!”

“...N-No, I’d rather--”

“Just get over here now!!”

Shaula yells to Ajax. She doesn’t consider the fact that her loud voice could trigger a fear response from the animal, but luckily for her, the animal has accepted her dominance without question.

“...Ok.”

Ajax slowly walks over. Even though its obvious to him that these creatures are showing deference to the two of them, they’re still monsters that can take out a chunk of his abdomen with a single bite.

Ajax takes Shaula’s left hand, her right hand still on the feathery neck of the creature. Shaula returns his vitality back to him. She no longer has fear that she absolutely needs so much excess.

She can still defend herself regardless.

The creature opens his eyes to look at Ajax with a snort. Not one of derision, rejection or amusement but as if it was just looking for a natural action to calm itself down.

Now, the second one of the pair will be testing it.

Shaula, still holding Ajax’s left hand, slowly moves it onto the neck of this majestic raptor.

Ajax, who remains fearful, feels excitement at touching the neck of a modern dinosaur. A type of creature he had read about many times as a young boy. Now, he has the privilege to touch one.

He sits there next to the standing Shaula, rubbing the soft feathers of this creature for a few seconds. A beautiful, soft, warm creature.

Then, the other raptors get back on their feet. Ajax and Shaula notice this, Ajax feeling some apprehension. The one they’re touching gets up as well.

Ajax and Shaula look at them, each of the raptors a foot taller than the two of them, the larger one about two feet taller.

Yet, the other three only behave towards them with curiosity, their fear slowly evaporating. They move their heads closer slowly towards the two of them.

“Uh... Shaula?”

“It’s alright... just... just enjoy this... no fear... forget everything that happened today. Just... look at these creatures.”

Shaula starts petting the other raptors. She isn’t so presumptuous as to ride on their backs, but right now, she can do at least this much.

The other raptors behave just as deferentially, in a docile manner. One might almost forget that these same creatures tore open the belly of the furred tortoise, just some distance away.

Ajax leads all four of them and Shaula back to their meal, giving consent to eat their prey. The raptors start eating the meat and bones of this animal. By the time they finish, the shell is left.

Shaula takes the large shell with her as a souvenir. A heavy shell, possibly about three hundred pounds. But it feels like little more than a cardboard box in her hands. She carries it with Ajax.

“You sure you want to take this with us?”

“Something like this is really fucking cool. Who knows, maybe we can sell it when we meet people. Even the dinosaurs couldn’t bite through it so it makes for a good shield as well, don’t you think?”

Ajax and Shaula spend a few hours walking with these creatures, carrying the shell with ease in their hands together.

They talk, they play, they even race these creatures. Ajax and Shaula almost lose to them but it simply can’t be considered a fair fight.

Forgetting the earlier part of their day, their pain, their weaknesses. A wonderful respite. They continue with the raptors in the direction they’ve been heading, not wishing to return to the forest.

The raptors follow them without issue.

They leave the raptors after the raptors discover another armoured turtle. Not wishing to see its demise, now seemed like the best time to leave.

They leave the raptors happy, with a bounce in their step, a warmth in their hearts. Perhaps they’ll meet again.

Soon after they leave the raptors, night falls.