The Den

When my awareness returned to me I realised I was no longer in that dark, misty abyss, nor was I nothing more than a cumulation of my perceptions. Instead, I could feel my new form curled up, trapped in a barrier of some sort. I could feel the steady pulse of my heartbeat resonating, the vigorous flow of blood in my veins extending outwards into my various extremities. A strange feeling, somewhat akin to claustrophobia, blossomed in the back of my mind, urging me to escape my confinement.

And so, I pushed, flexing an appendage I only just became aware I possessed. My legs kicked out, pressing against the soft, leathery barrier that surrounded me. I kicked again and again, putting in more effort each time until I felt a claw on one of my feet retract inwards with the motion, tearing into the barrier and releasing me from my durance. I poured out from the barrier with a muted slurp, the relatively cold air rushing to embrace my soaked down. I could vividly feel the sudden chill draw out the last embers of my strength from my very bones. Exhausted from the exertion, I exhaled, allowing the reprieve of slumber to claim my thoughts. As the darkness once again enveloped me, a line of small texts floated up in the corner of my vision.

Welcome

It read.

…

Time passed quickly and once again I came into a state of awakeness. Not knowing how long I had slept, I woke widening my jaw in a yawn and stretching out my spine and legs to receive small, satisfying pops in return for my efforts. In the dim light that leaked into the earthen chamber that I resided in, I could make out the faint outline of several other figures lying around me. I blinked, my vision clearing slightly as I tilted my head to examine one of my new neighbours. A creature not much bigger than myself lay just a few inches away from me. It was curled up in a ball of matted feathers, its four limbs tucked snuggly into its torso and a somewhat stiff tail that ended in a feathery tuft extending out from its hindquarters.

Processing Visual Feedback

A line of text read as it floated up in the corner of my vision

Identifying

Utahraptor ostrommaysorum - Hatchling

‘Oh’, I thought surprised before quickly turning to another figure nearby.

Processing Visual Feedback

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Identifying

Utahraptor ostrommaysorum - Hatchling

Sliding my gaze across all nine identical figures lying around me, the discarded eggshells and the carpet of twigs on the floor, I was quick to conclude that I was in a nest of some sort.

I pushed against the floor, my new legs lifting me off the floor as I toddled a few steps forward only to stumble back down the next moment. I tried again, flapping my feathered forearms in a losing bid to maintain my balance. Moments later, I once again found myself splayed out on the floor, this time tripping over the tail of one of my many still slumbering siblings.

The commotion stirred the nest, but only a handful of hatchlings reacted significantly with the individual that I tripped over only momentarily opening their eyes before immediately returning to sleep. Just as I let out a breath of relief, I froze, suddenly noticing the eye in the wall observing me with a hint of curiosity. A behemoth of a creature curled around us with muted black-brown feathers blending the outline of its figure perfectly with the surrounding earth. I stared, watching with a hint of fear and wonder as it gently exhaled, its massive form over twenty times my shrinking subtly with the motion.

Hello, the creature called softly, a deep guttural purr escaping her throat.

Mother? I chirped back, tilting my head curiously to the side.

…

I sat beside mother, silently watching as a few of my siblings stumbled around the nest, still struggling to find their footing. It was an uneventful wait with mother barely reacting to the other hatchlings’ antics, but eventually, everyone had a firm grasp on how to walk in a straight line without stumbling over every few steps. Still, though, I was somewhat bored. Though, I too lethargic for even the thought of exploring our little den to be more than a passing thought in my mind. My discomfort was only worsened by the faint pangs of hunger that began to bedevil me.

Turning to face mother, a small chirp escaped my mouth as I called out to her. She turned slightly to gaze at me before turning back to face my siblings. Seemingly deciding on what to do next, she suddenly shifted, lifting her great bulk off the ground and inevitably disturbing the entire nest.

I and my siblings watched baffled as mother crawled out of the nest without so much as a purr. Confused, I hurriedly stood to my feet and followed only for her to turn around and gently nudge me back into the nest with a reprimanding grunt. So, I sat at the mouth of the den watching as mother turned back towards the outside world before raising her head, her streamlined snout pointing to the heavens. She took several deep sniffs before suddenly slinking off the next moment, her lithe, but massive figure almost immediately melting into the foliage that surrounded the den’s exit.

Seeing her disappear like that, I waited confused at the mouth of the den, a few of my siblings joining me where I sat. One chirped to me where I sat and I chirped back despite not understanding what they were trying to convey across. Several minutes quickly went by as we waited, but minutes turned to hours, and soon the outside world started to turn dark. I was still confused. ‘Where did mother go?’ I thought to myself in doubt. The faint hunger pangs had long grown during our wait and I could now feel a tiny monster seemingly trying to gnaw at me from the inside out.

I chirped in frustration before deciding to…

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- to investigate mother’s disappearance and probably try to find something to sate my hunger.

Or

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- to stave off my hunger and frustration as I awaited mother's return.