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THE SCRIPTURES OF ODDCLAW

Three-and-Two: Blasting Zone

"A true knight is fuller of bravery in the midst, than in the beginning of danger."

Philip Sidney

Third Energy Anomaly Report - Subject Three

23-02-2033

Recorded by Dr. Andrea Dixon

Something incredible happened today. Four ships of unknown origin of another dimension entirely of our own crash-landed in this prehistoric world. It happened during one of the portal's greater exacerbations, following our previous calculations as noted with Subject Two (a.k.a the Voice). We made contact, discovering two people from clearly different universes, both human but wielding a staggering difference of technology on their vessels.

One calls himself Vyse, manning a schooner of an 18th-century design that was able to fly through propulsion engines. He's currently on a mission to rescue a friend who was taken hostage by a group of bandits.

The other is Samus Aran, a bounty hunter with space-faring gunship with her mission being to hunt down and destroy a mobile science lab manned by space pirates. Further details of these two are in Dr. Addison's reports following Week 56 of her Study of Velociraptors.

The T.E Portal appears to have maligned itself in breaching Space instead of Time, which was far from what we expected. As of yet I do not know how or why it activates, having only achieved this level of dimensional breach twice previously. Further measures will be taken, but our ratio calculations appear to be in the golden sequence range.

Third Energy Anomaly Report - Subject Three Addendum

24-02-2033

Recorded by Dr. Andrea Dixon

The two visitors have returned home with their missions complete. Samus, the bounty hunter, has kindly assisted us by salvaging what remained of the space pirates' science ship. Alien technology in our grasp, and with her help we managed to comprehend a great many details in reverse-engineering it to our will and making life much easier on the base.

The primary purpose of this however was to combine the space pirates' ship engines with our portal tech, allowing a protonic reversal of the previous dimensional tear through an alteration of hyperspace-based physics. By using the engines' failsafe of hyperspace-repulsion, any future anomalies can be sent back if our portal has brought them in which Samus confirmed was the case from her readings.

The very notion of us handling otherworldly technology is both frightening and awesome, of which it has greatly assisted the entire base in a number of ways besides powering our portal tech. The military division have taken the alien weapons and are currently trying to modify them to human hands, as well as strip the basic propulsion systems to implement aerial scouting craft for future surveillance, the science team have taken what remaining hard drives there were in order to greatly expand their computers' capacities, and lastly the kitchen staff took some of the culinary equipment to preserve and heat our food better.

Everything else became building materials, fortifying the base and kept in inventory for any future repairs. I still have yet to figure out how to realign the T.E. Portal to break through Time rather than Space, but with new machinery we might stand a better chance.

Field Research - Skyflower Retrieval

09-04-2034

Recorded by Dr. Kevin Izquierda

Our new ship has made a sweep over the Skylands to discover a previously-unknown plant flowering up amongst the high altitudes. Alpine plants are rare, and even moreso one in the prehistoric world due to our limited faculties. But since our new upgrades from scavenging an alien ship more than a year ago, we've managed to expand our potential for discovery and reconnaissance.

The new ship we call the Petrie, we drew a secret ballot and it won the most votes which admittedly was a surprise to me. But the ship is not manoeuverable enough to land within mountains so the task of retrieval still falls to mortal hands. I have taken Oddclaw with me, he insisted since he knows the land far better than any of us humans. He still has the official title of lab assistant, but I think it is more appropriate to call him our guide to the world.

Oddclaw never liked flying, as I have heard from Sergeant Holt on how he was very frightened on Vyse's ship back last year when the otherworldly visitors came. Is it still an extraterrestrial if they are just as human exactly like you? I digress, Oddclaw enjoys flying in our new ship much moreso and is even eager to join Dr. Addison in a field trip to the Birthlands later on this week for what she calls "mingling with the locals" as such.

We landed in the northern beach of the mountains, next to a wide lake of great long-necked beasts that surprisingly appears to be one giant estuary. Its placement between two oceans reminds me of Loch Ness, a strip of grand water meeting the sea at either end and well, of course, the long-necked beasts. I am eager to see what these flowers will contain for us to uncover.

"Are you alright?" asked Oddclaw.

"Yep!" cried Kevin. "D-don't worry about me, I'm just-UH-w-woah-needed to get out of the lab more often anyways."

"Do you like climbing?"

"Uhhhh...I, try."

"If you need me to climb and find things, I will help you."

"Sure, gracias Oddie."

Climbing the mountains was something that Izquierda had not done in years. Usually he would never think of doing such with his steel-bladed legs more built for going horizontal rather than vertical, but it was a mission he had to undertake. The raptor was prepared this time with a good length of rope in his beltpockets and another rope wrapped round his waist as a lifeline between him and Kevin, whilst two other soldiers climbed alongside them as escorts for protection. The skies were clear and pristine, the cliffs rugged and sturdy as fleeting shadows of pteranodons gleamed over the rock.

"Are those guys friendly?" asked a soldier.

"Yes," replied Oddie, "they are friends with me, they will not hurt us."

"What do they uh...normally eat?"

"Fish!"

"But then, why nest so high up from the sea?" inquired Kevin.

"I......I do not know, I should ask them. I cannot find any flowers here Kevin."

"It has to be here, our new ship found a reading of unknown plant life in these mountains and we have to find a sample!"

"How...um, why did you not get it with the ship?"

"Have you SEEN the size of it, you can't land it on a mountain!"

"Then...why not get a rope from the ship and climb down it from the air?"

The humans all looked at him as if he had asked them to start doing headspins on the edge of a cliff, with one soldier adding:

"You wanna try doing that yourself well be my guest."

"Yeah," said his teammate," maybe put some pants on for once too!"

"When I am at your base I do," retorted Odd, "but THIS is my home and I do not live with your clothes on!"

"Yeah you guys shouldn't complain," replied Kevin, "you're not the one underneath getting a face full of raptor sauchichon every time you climb up."

The soldiers sniggered cackling as they climbed up further, Kevin trying not to get too close to Oddclaw's swinging flaccid nakedness that came perilously close to scraping on the rocks with every scrabbling of his claws. They had climbed for at least an hour, and the scientist was tiring out despite no longer wearing his labcoat and in a rather sporty vest with practical breathable fibres against his skin. Despite his prodigious upper arm strength, he lacked the training of his comrades who clambered with ease even though the soldiers had to carry their armour and provisions on their back.

The wind picked up as they ascended, the air turning thin leaving a slight rasp in the back of their throats from the dust scattering across the mountainpeaks. The sun was blinding, booming thick rays upon their necks as the raptor leapt ahead making sure he had enough slack in his lifeline before doing so whilst occasionally tying a rope to a steel piton and jamming it into the more difficult-reaching areas. Once his friends passed it, they would untie and pass the rope back to him with piton and all for the next advancement. Still no sign of any flower, the next hour becoming much more arduous as they decided to take a break, refreshing themselves with food and water on a large rocky plateau.

"You said you climbed this before Odd?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Yes," replied the raptor between sandwich bites, "when I was going home."

"Damn...all by yourself?!"

"No, I had Moonclaw with me. I fought with the flyers but then we became friends."

"What are the flyers like?" asked Kevin rubbing the flesh part of his thighs with ointments.

"They are friendly. Too friendly, they like to push their beaks on you and put wings over your head."

"No sense of personal space?"

"No."

"To be honest, your tribe weren't any different Oddie."

"N-n-no, we are different! We do not act like that!"

"Hahaha, whatever you say."

"Well," began one soldier drinking soup from a thermos, "I never thought I'd see a dinosaur eating a jam sandwich."

"I like jam!" cried Oddclaw defensively.

"No no nothing WRONG with jam it's just yanno...unexpected."

"Why do you like it though?" asked the other soldier chewing roast meat inside his wholemeal sandwich.

"It tastes sweet," replied Odd, "but not TOO sweet. Chocolate is too sweet for me, my hands get shaking."

"Hahahaha, you got a sugar rush?!"

"Is...is that what you call it?"

"Yeah I guess! Damn now I want chocolate."

"I can make you some," offered the raptor.

"Wait, really?" replied the soup soldier.

"Yes, I am good at making chocolate, I just do not want to eat it."

"...wow, okay well this is new."

"You never knew?!" replied the wholemeal soldier. "Dino boy here makes great chocolate, Andrea swears by him and you know she loves chocolate."

"Woah...shit, alright I'm gonna ask for that once we get back."

The four finished up their small lunch break, sipping soup and eating sandwiches in the glorious sunlight. When high above the world, all they could smell was the sea and sky, none of the flora and fauna from below in all its concoctions of scents both sweet and foul as the soup-drinker said:

"God this place smells awful."

"That's the methane," replied Kevin, "what you expect in a land with animals the size of buildings?"

"Yeah but...they really have to smell that much?"

"You'd be surprised how much humans smell to an animal, you ever wanna be a dog in a shopping mall?"

"Ehhh, point taken."

"...Kevin."

Oddclaw turned towards the scientist resting on his laurels with silver legs gleaming in the mountain sun.

"I just thought of something. What if I ask the flyers to find your flowers?"

"Huh...you know, that never occurred to me...hahaha fuck we just wasted a good climb."

"Oh no, they do not like to go near the ground, this is a good place to find them, shall I ask them?"

"Sure, if they are friendly."

"HELLO!" He screeched in primal tongue towards the sky. "HELLOOOOO, YOU UP THERE! ODDCLAW HERE!"

Shimmering across the sky the pterodactyls hovered in circular motions, the clear vibrant wings of streaked leather flaps quivering in the breeze before closing in on the climbing party. Much to Oddclaw's surprise, there was a familiar face amongst the three flyers hovering just out of reach.

"OH, Oddclaw! I did not think to see you back here again!"

"S-s-stonesea?! Wha-hello again, I did not expect to see you, why are you out here?!"

"It was time for me to stretch my wings," said the prince in blue and yellow wings, "my family's guards are keeping check on me as you can see. Are these the hairless warmbloods I heard you speak of?"

"Yes, these two are our guards, and this is my friend Stonefeet."

"AH! I see!"

Hovering closer towards Kevin, Stonesea chirred and tapped his beak gently against the prosthetic limbs to hear them clang like steel. The scientist smirked at the shriek of surprise from the prince, waving at him and replying:

"You were right they don't have any personal space."

"I told you," replied Oddclaw.

"Well your sisters keep biting at my legs."

"Th-those are just my sisters, they are stupid not like the rest of my tribe."

"HAH! Ohhh I see, there's always the exception."

"Wow they really are stone feet!" cried the young prince.

"The hairless can heal broken bodies," explained Oddclaw, "they are clever with stones and make many things out of them."

"Really?! How wonderful, if only we could do such...do you think, they might be able to heal Suneater?"

"U-um...they...they might?"

"If they could it would help us, he is our strongest warrior and protected us when we needed it."

"I...I-i-i am sorry," said Oddclaw rubbing his hands together in bitter guilt. "I know that I caused-"

"Oh do not worry we are not mad at you!" squawked Stonesea. "It was a fight to the death, he accepted that. But since you did not kill him, it would be good if we could heal his wing."

"I would like that. But, we are here to find a flower that grows in the Skylands, can you help us?"

"Hmmmm...what does it look like?"

"Kevin," asked Odd in English, "can you show Stonesea your picture?"

"Stonesea?" he replied.

"OH, s-sorry that is Stonesea, he is the son of the leader of the flyers."

"Ohhhhh he's a prince is he? He wants to help us?"

"He will try, show him the picture."

The scientist did so, offering up a photograph taken from the ship of a zoomed-in snapshot of the flower in question. A glorious crimson stalk with amber patterns on the leaves, blending in perfectly with the environment somehow as Stonesea blinked slowly.

"I...but, you have it there!"

"It is fake," explained Oddclaw, "they need the real ones."

"They make a fake flower to find the real one? You have some odd friends but alright, I will look for it. Can you wait for a while?"

"Yes, we can."

"Then we shall be back soon!"

Fluttering up into the sky the raptor explained what they had just said as they took the time to chill, languishing in the highlands with a panoramic view of the entire northern side of the continent. Oddclaw and Kevin took a small nap, the raptor basking his scales in the sun whilst Izquierda let his muscles ease themselves. The two soldiers kept watch, gingerly eating their food to make it last as the soldier drinking soup muttered:

"This is some weird shit, Martin."

"You're telling me," said Martin with the wholemeal sandwich. "Benson, did you ever think in your entire life that we would be negotiating with fucking dinosaurs for science?"

"We trained dolphins in the military, how is this any weirder?"

"Cuz none of the dolphins learned English!"

"How the fuck did that never happen?!" ranted Benson shaking his thermos. "We literally got time travel, we're going BACK to figure out the fuck is going on with the anomalies back home, and we can't even teach a dolphin to speak!"

"I dunno!" shrugged Martin. "Shit's crazy man. But yanno what this, this right here, is the best fucking adventure."

"Wha-how?"

"We are LIVING with these creatures all around us, this shit's AMAZING! Sure getting back home may or may not even happen but we knew the risks signing up that we might end up trapped some other place for a while, we got this! But you and me are part of a special group of people that are privileged to be in this era with these awesome creatures, one of whom's even learnt to talk to us and is opening our mind about all these other things that in our time we would never have understood. I love it here Benson...I love everything about this place."

The soldier leaned back with a heartfelt sigh watching the sun shimmer its light across the infinite ocean, the longnecks still in their loch with rockwalls on each side trapping between salt and fresh water, and beyond that the villainous Firesea dredging up voluminous flumes of lava to pour into the sea as a blackened shore, with wide open plains of pure unspoilt life from the greatest triceratops to the smallest of hadrosaurs. The sounds of dozens of creatures shrieking and braying their calls throughout the world gave a sense of Eden to them, the closest they ever felt to finding paradise as Benson added:

"Man you really loved The Land Before Time as a kid didn't you?"

"God, yes," said Martin, "I watched every fucking movie."

"Okay now, not a lot of people would confess that."

"I was like eight when the fourteenth one came out Bens."

"There's FOURTEEN?!"

"Yeah!"

Benson had the look of a hangover on his face reeling from this.

"Holy fuck...ju-jesus whyyyy?"

"I dunno, people love it!"

"I-i don't think that's the reason Mart."

"Well I love it and that's all that matters!"

"I FOUND IT!"

Oddclaw roused himself at the shriek of Stonesea fluttering down to perch upon the cliff. In his beak was a small bouquet of the amber-dappled flowers.

"AAAH!" cried Izquierda. "Tha-that's it, that's what I been looking for thank you so much uh, Stonesea!"

"He says thank you!" translated Oddclaw. "You have helped me once again!"

"All in a day's flight!" chirruped the prince. "I am glad we could help, will we see you again soon?"

"I hope so yes, if you ever need my help then please, come see me at my home!"

"I shall! Farewell Oddclaw and Stonefeet!"

The flyers flapped away after leaving Kevin his flowers, the scientist scooping up some of the available dirt on the cliff and putting them into a clean dry container. They stood up to stretch as they gazed into the fearsome abyss of the land below now a dapple of brown and green. Two of the humans imagined a tumbleweed floating by in midair.

"Sooo uh," tittered Benson, "who wants to go back down first?"

Field Research - Translingual Studies of Herbivorous Tribes in the Birthlands

10-04-2034

Recorded by Dr. Jane Addison

Today I have decided to take Oddclaw along with me to speak with some herbivores in what they call "the Birthlands", a great wide savannah to the far west of our at the other end of the continent. Oddclaw has mentioned that he is able to speak to any dinosaur, which intrigued me to think there may be some sort of common language similar to when humans first started as a communal group before our nomadic ways.

I asked him how he could understand other tribes not even of his own but he says that most of the speech is universally understood through a mixture of sound and smell. He has become something of an unofficial translator for us and after the exceptional work translating his own tribe for us, I am most eager to see what truly goes on in the mind of the noble herbivore. The "Petrie", our new ship, has made progress much more substantial in every field from collecting new herbs and materials, to hunting more food and just general exploration of the environment around us. Who would have thought we would receive such a gift from visitors beyond this world more than a year ago, which I admit was something that absolutely none of us expected. I rather hope it doesn't happen again, I think personally we got off lucky from our first encounter.

"So then I walk up to him right and then this is when he says-"

"Don't ask ME, I'm just checking the water!"

"PFFFFTHAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"HOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO!"

"...huh," replied Jane nonplussed, "that...that was some joke I, jus-n-no, sorry no I don't, quite get it."

"PFFFT wh-what?!" cried Oddclaw with tears of mirth.

"I-i'm sorry I don't, I don't get what's funny!"

"IT...I-h-how, how do you not...that was very funny!"

"What's wrong?!" asked Firetail.

"She did not think it was funny!" screeched back the raptor.

"WH-WHAT?! That was my BEST!"

"Yeah!" added Plainslash. "Everybody round here laughs at that one!"

"I'm sorry!" stammered Jane. "I just, I-i don't-I come from a very different world you see."

"You sure do, what kinda world do YOU live in to not get that joke?!"

"Well, one without your species or anything like them! We have our own jokes too but I'm sure you wouldn't understand them."

"Iiiii dunnooooo..."

The long-clawed therizinosaurus scratched his chin and neck to contemplate.

"Oddclaw said he had odd friends but you're definitely the oddest friend we met, Warmvoice."

"Well, I have to admit I think you are rather strange too."

"You're not the only one," jibed Firetail gently headbutting his friend.

"Oh go shit on your tail," snarled back Slash.

"Heh, nice comeback idiot, that's the one thing I DON'T have."

"It was SUPPOSED to be insulting, but I guess you can't insult an idiot."

"HEY HEY, I'm not the one still trying to breed a three-horn!"

"SHE'LL NOTICE ME ONE DAY!" roared Plainslash stomping his feet. "YOU are gonna be eating your SHIT, when I pump her fulla my cock and we're gonna have a clutch and lotsa BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN!"

"Oho yeah beautiful alright," replied Firetail, "big stupid claws out front and big stupid head fulla horns, they'll fall over the moment they walk!"

"Iiiiii think that's enough for today."

Jane put a stop to their potential bickering as the tail-burnt stygimoloch looked over towards her scribbling in her notebook. The Birthlands were vibrant as always, the multitude of creatures great and small dominating the landscape with every smell and sound imaginable from cheerful hatchlings to cranky braying elders and brooding mothers with fresh eggs in the womb. Two bodyguards kept watch, different from the ones that accompanied Kevin up the mountain as they scanned the horizon for potential dangers. Firetail leaned in snuffling at the notebook as Oddclaw kept translating between human and dinosaur.

"Why you keep scratching stuff in that thin bark?"

"Um, this is so I remember it later, like when you put scratches in a tree."

"OH, right...huh, never saw anybody carry bark around with them."

"Warmbloods are weird," said Slash, "buuut I guess it was fun having you talk with us, we never met a hairless warmblood before!"

"I enjoyed it too," replied Addison, "thank you very much for your time and I greatly appreciate you coming to talk with us."

"Hey anything for Odd, he's good company...for a hunter."

"Yeah," added Firetail, "there's a waterbeak family out there that would have no children if it weren't for him. But we oughta go, see ya round Oddfriend."

"Take care!" waved Oddie. "It was wonderful to meet you again."

"Hahah, wonderful he says, like he wants to breed us."

"In your dreams," retorted Slash poking his friend with a claw, "you'd love that hunter cock up your vent."

"Pffft nawwwww whaaat, g-get OUTTA here you-wh-wh-what is your-noooo!"

Plainslash looked at his friend's strangely fidgety dismissal with a raised eyebrow of disbelief.

"...wait...wait what are you-o-oh...ohhhhh no you...you so do."

"WHA-N-NOO!" cried Firetail.

"You TOTALLY DO WANT HIM!" shrieked Slash.

"BU-I-DI-NOOO JEEZ HE'S NOT MY TYPE WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"Ohhhhh you wanna give that meateater all your meat dontcha stonehead?! Right up his mouth, and by mouth I mean his vent"

"SH-SHUT UP, YOU WAN' ME TO SHOVE YER HEAD IN THE FIRESEA HUH!?"

"Pffft you can try, meatlover!"

Jane never heard any of this as the herbivore brothers wandered off spewing familial insults to each other, leaving Oddclaw rather blushing with red cheeks as she smirked at him.

"You don't have to tell me," said Jane with hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," he replied relieved. "I...I am sorry they are-"

"Crass?"

"......is that a word?"

"Yes, it means rude."

"Then yes, I am sorry they are krassss."

"Hmhmhaha nooo it's fine Oddie, these aren't my people I don't expect them to be polite, this is your world after all."

"My tribe are poh-light!" he said sharply.

"No, of course!" she replied with hands up. "But I mean not EVERY tribe is like yours so you don't have to apologise for them."

"Yes...you are right, so, what would you like to do?"

"Let's head back to the ship and recoup."

Cleaning her coat of the grass seeds she walked back with her guards towards the sleek alien ship sitting on a roaming hill in the outskirts. Compared to the original ship it had been scavenged from, it was simply a wreck being hodgepodged together by human understanding with space pirate technology, despite an experienced hand having guided them in some ways to a fruitful construction. As its own vessel however, it was gorgeous, shaped like an albatross sculpted from deep indigo hues, with passenger capacity in the double digits along with a sizeable cargo hold. One of two ships scavenged and pieced together from the remains of the space pirates' Otomakas, it stuck out a bruised and broken thumb in the great long plains of the prehistoric wilderness.

The shrubs became more reedy and thin like razor blades the closer they got towards the desert on the eastern ridge, offering a wholesome view of the savannah as Jane smirked at the curious creatures sniffing around the landing site. Hatchlings mostly, but there some adolescents and adults of the same family that were most intrigued by the metallic beast.

"Everyone please move away!" cried Oddie. "It belongs to the hairless, please do not touch."

"Wh-what IS it?!"

"It don' look like any flyer I ever seen!"

"That is because it is a special home for the hairless," he replied, "now go, please, you might hurt yourself if you come near it."

The grumbling whine of small beasts and family members soon dissipated as Oddclaw shooed them all off, the humans heading inside by means of its cargo ramp dropping down to give them passage. The design of its interior made it even more clear that it was a far cry from the original, mangled steel forcefully smoothed out into more pleasing designs of an aerodynamic nature. Fine vaulted archways along its corridors gave access to a control room, a small kitchen, bathrooms with clean waste-disintegrating technology and lastly some sleeping quarters. Derived of its hyperspace technology and now entirely reliant on propulsion systems, the ship made a comfortable replacement of going by sea in a small boat as they reached the cockpit. A small cylindrical room of three seats similar to that of a Boeing 747, two people sat before the windshield.

"How's our status?" asked one of the guards.

"Nothing's broken," said the main pilot, "still as good as ever."

"Heeeck yeah," replied the co-pilot, "this thing's been purring nice an' easy."

"Ted, please no cat metaphors."

"What, why?"

"You know I hate cats."

"Why on earth do you hate cats?" asked Jane.

"You live with my mother long enough you'll know."

The two pilots swivelled in their seats towards Jane, the pilot a pale woman with curled blonde short hair and the co-pilot looking rather sallow with short black hair. Oddclaw gently waved but had the look on his face that said he forgot their names.

"You forgot our names didntcha?" said the co-pilot.

"Y-yes...I am sorry."

"She's Elaine, I'm Ted, nice to meetcha again."

"Yes. This ship is much nicer than Vyse had."

"You don't like flying?"

"No."

"First time?"

"...no I've been flying many times."

"Ooookay, hah, so uh you get what you wanted doc?"

"Yes," said Jane clicking off the AV recorder pinned to her chest, "it's fascinating to see how similar different dinosaurs are to each other."

"Like any new tribe," said Elaine rubbing her neck to ease her joints, "there's always similarities to other people."

"Yes but this isn't another group of humans, these are creatures that are diverse from each other with the only similarity being their scales."

"Are we ready to return home?"

"Yes please."

The ship soon departed after checking all of their functions, the pilots turning knobs and flicking switches with cool practiced dedication.

"You know," said Ted, "if you told me that we'd be flying an alien ship scrapped together from another alien ship, I'd say I told you so."

"Alright, I know, I owe you fifty dollars."

"Yesssss I knew my gambling would pay off."

"That's what every gambler says Ted. That's the problem, they all say that."

"Well you're fifty dollars short so who's laughing now?"

Cheekily grinning at each other, the vessel shuddered and hummed up to the sky in a vertical take off with the propulsion burning underneath. Creatures scattered in fright running back towards their homes and watering holes as the gleaming purple beast went roving towards the east. In the space of what would have taken almost four days for Oddclaw to cross, the small starship achieved the same distance in but two hours of flight at a comfortable speed with windows showing the landscapes fleeting past. From green to yellow, to black and green again, it was a sight that intrigued Oddclaw, now no longer feeling the wild winds that whipped his face whenever he had gone flying beforehand. Jane went and sat in the crew quarters opposite of Oddclaw, along with their two guards in their bunks alongside her.

"So, how's your family doing?" she asked him.

"They are good," he said nodding, "Barkclaw misses me but I am never away more than two days."

"I know. I hope I'm not being a bother, I don't want to pull you away from your family...again."

"They trust you now. My mother says that you had a good scent."

"Oh, well I'm glad to hear it. I must say..."

She stood up to walk over and sit herself down beside Oddclaw.

"I'm quite fascinated by the names you gave us when we're speaking with other creatures. You said you call me Warmvoice yes?"

"Yes, it was the...best I could think of, The Voice of the Warmbloods."

"Mmmm, I see, just that it makes me wonder, do you not have an alphabet?"

"No."

Oddclaw stroked his chin with lean black claws staring up towards the ridged ceiling.

"We learn words but each word has its own sound. There is no Ayy, Bee, Cee, it is just...words."

"I see...you know, miss Kerkorian might know something more about this since she's an expert on languages."

"Oh yes, she does she loves to read and write lann-gwah-ches."

"Hmhmhahaha!"

"Wh-what?"

"N-no sorry," she brushed the hair from her eyes in mid-giggle, "I-i was just remembering a joke."

"OH, did you understand the one Firetail told you?"

"N-no, no I was thinking of a human one."

"Tell me."

"...oh, o-okay."

Jane frantically dug into her memory from college years concerning a possible inoffensive joke that could be widely understood.

"What did one ocean say to the other ocean?"

"I...do not know, what?"

"Nothing, it just waved!"

Oddclaw blinked, his face not even cracking a grin as he shook his head slightly.

"I...I do not get it."

"Okay so, this is waving, you remember hiiii."

"Hellooo," he waved back at her waving.

"And what an ocean does, is make waves, when you see the water go up and down."

"Oh......ohhhhhhhhhh they are the same word."

"YES! Yes, you get it now?"

"Yes."

"Good!"

"That is not funny."

"Oh," she shrugged slapping her hands on her knees. "Well I'm a behavioural therapist, not a comedian."

"What is a, coh-mee-dee-an?"

"Ohhhh god."

She put her hands in her head feeling she had just gone into the rabbit hole without warning as she tried to explain her best to Oddclaw. Likewise Oddclaw tried to explain the joke from Firetail to her which she did not understand. In the end they decided that their worlds were much too apart to ever share a border with humour. Once they returned to the base, Dr. Addison decided it was time to finally commit to her other side project, one she had been wanting to perfect alongside miss Anna Kerkorian as they sat in the library.

"Now," began Jane, "I want to try and create a translator for your people's language."

"A tranzz-layter?" asked Oddie.

"It will be a machine that tells me what dinosaurs are saying, that way I can understand them without needing you."

"Oh! Can you make a machine that does that?"

"We'll try," said Anna, "normally translators back home work with human languages, we have never been able to perfect anything that crosses borders with species. Try as they might with dozens of so-called dog-speakers."

"I just want to make it," continued Addison, "so that we won't need you around as much and you can spend more time with your family, without us constantly pestering you for help."

"I would like that," said Oddclaw smiling, "thank you, you are very kind to think about my family."

"Now."

Kerkorian pulled up a book full of basic pictures with words above them, as well as an audio recorder in one hand she put on a nearby table.

"I remember that!" cried the raptor pointing at the book. "You showed me that book when you were teaching me!"

"Yes!" replied Addison. "And now it is time for YOU to teach US. I will say a word that miss Kerkorian gives me with a picture, then after I have said it, you tell me what the closest word to that is in your language."

"Alright. I will try."

"Good, now let's start with the basics, things in nature that you'll know. Stone."

"Stone."

"Tree."

"Tree."

"Ocean."

"Sea."

"River."

"Water."

This would continue for the next hour, with occasional stops to eat and drink as they covered most of the natural elements in Oddclaw's world with things that he assuredly had names for. English and Raptor would come one after the other patiently, but it was not until they reached colours that things became rather tricky.

"Red."

"...Blood."

"Green."

"Leaf."

"Yellow."

"Sand."

"Blue."

"Water."

"White."

"Bone."

"Black."

"...Deep."

"Orange."

"......no." The raptor shook his head coming up blank. "I...we have no word for that."

"Really?!" cried Jane.

"Well let's be fair," said Anna, "neither does English. We named it after the fruit, we USED to call that colour 'yellow-red' in old Middle English."

"I never knew that...huh, alright how about purple?"

Again the blank stare came from Oddclaw seeing the colour presented to him.

"No. No word for that either."

"Interesting...but, you DO recognise the colour don't you?"

"Yes, I have seen fruit like that, but we have no word for that."

"I see...well, it was bound to happen, let's see what else we can do."

Continuing on they went with Anna recording their words back and forth with Oddclaw sometimes stating when there was no equivalent. To the humans it sounded as if he were making the same guttural sounds in his throat repeatedly, but the more they heard him the more distinct they became. Sometimes long, sometimes short, most times a different pitch from the last as over the course of three hours, they covered nature and colours before moving to universal concepts.

"Birth."

"Birth."

"Family."

"Family."

"Death."

"AH, we have two words for that."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Well, one of them is for someone who has died at peace. The other word we use if someone died when fighting."

"Aaaaaaaaaah synonyms," said Kerkorian smiling, "we have those too, someone who died is just someone who has 'died', but when they were fighting we say they were 'killed'."

"Killlll-deh...yes. Yes, they either died or they killed."

"WERE killed, Oddie."

"Wurr...kill-deh, yes," he nodded correcting himself. "Which word do you want me to say?"

"The died at peace one," replied Anna, "it fits better. So, Death?"

"Died."

"Good! Right, I think it's time we called it a day."

"Yes please, my throat is sore."

"Hmhmhmhm."

She turned off the recorder and closed the book before they all drank up some more water. Jane headed off back to her room to work on her reports whilst miss Anna returned to her librarian duties with Oddclaw making his way back home courtesy of the scouting boats. A slower ride across the sea than that of their new ship, but it served them well for less essential journeys as he got off at the beach around sunset, waving goodbye to the humans before making his way back to the Hunter's Nest in the dark of night.

"I am home!"

"ODDIIIIIIE!"

Two sisters pounced on him instantly, nibbling at his cheeks and slobbering all over his face as he bit them back playfully.

"Didya bring us anything!?!"

"DIDYA DIDYA!?"

"G-AWGH wha-no g-get OFF no I did not bring you anything!"

"AWWWW BUT WHYYYY?!"

"Because I am not there to play, I am helping the hairless."

"Pffft that's booooring," chattered Leaf swiping up her head in a huff.

"Yeah Oddie," nattered Sand, "you couldn't get us a shiny?!"

"You have that one Warmvoice gave you!" he shouted back.

"Mmmmm...yeaaaaaah we dooooo."

"So why not go play with it then?"

"It doesn't DO anythiiiiing, it just goes up inside, it doesn't move around or anything like pinchies do!"

"Well maybe one of you should hold it and move it around inside then?"

"......SIS, SIS I GOT AN IDEA, THANKS ODDIE BYYYE!"

Heading off to launch at her sibling in a drive-by mauling, Sandrunner took off with a devious idea that Oddclaw could not care any less upon. He shuffled back into the main nesting grounds surrounded by his family, his mother smiling at him with a tender lick across his cheek before cuddling up against Eggfang who curled up beside her, sharing their body heat in the cool tropical night.

"How were your friends today?" asked Barren.

"Good!" he said. "We went to meet the flyers and they helped us find some flowers."

"Hah, flowers?! Are you losing your taste for meat now?"

"No, no it is not for eating, the hairless make things to heal themselves with from the flowers."

"Ohhhhh really? Well I must say these hairless are fascinating, when they're not torturing you."

"Mother."

He scowled with a glum look as she stared back listlessly.

"Please, they are my friends now, they are not the same hairless that took you and father away."

"She has her reasons Oddclaw," said Eggfang sitting up. "It was the first time we met anything like them, and it was a terrifying journey."

"I know, but these hairless are different, have they not proven their friendship to you?"

"Oh to me they have, I especially enjoy your friend Hairnose, the two of you seem close."

"I love him," he replied with hands pressed upon his chest, "he understands me."

"And we do not?" asked Barren. "Your own family?"

"You do! But he...he understands the other side of me, the side my father left behind."

"Hmmm."

She rolled herself onto her back languishing in her thoughts, her tail flickering slightly with a reluctant grin towards her son.

"I will say that since our meeting with them, you have become quite cheerful now. Not staring into the stars on a tree branch constantly asking about your own existence."

"I feel I can be myself, now that I understand myself."

"That is good...but, I do hope you can give me grandchildren at least."

"Hahaha, I-i will try mother."

"Why not with Moonclaw?" inquired Eggfang nudging his face. "The two of you seem right for each other."

"Sh-she...she does not want to."

"Have you asked her?"

"I have...but she does not want to breed."

"Why?" she asked cocking her long-toothed snout.

"I do not know," shrugged her brother listlessly, "ask her, she would not tell me."

"Hmmm...that is a shame."

"Where is she, do you know?"

"She is with Barkclaw, she said she was going to keep him company."

"Oh! Good, I will go see them and bring them back for sleep."

Heading off towards Barkclaw's usual post, the anthro traipsed through the forest between raptors nestling around their children teaching and playing with them. Fishclaw gave a cry of hello as his newborn children were rabidly devouring a large fish whilst Oddclaw greeted him back. The sounds of his brother could be heard easily within the darkened woods, halfway towards the dry mountain as he spotted the scar-faced raptor scraping along the bark of a tree, with Moonclaw watching focusedly as fireflies flickered past her grey skin.

"Deathcrawlers like rotting bark," explained Barkclaw.

"Really?" she asked.

"They like the smell. They eat the leaves that make the smell."

"Which ones, the flat ones or-"

"All of them, when leaves are rotting in dirt, they eat it with the dirt."

"Hmmm...do they only eat rotting leaves?"

"No, eat rotting flesh too. Crawl on those that died, then eat them."

"OH, look there's Oddclaw!"

"HMM?!"

Strolling carefully into the small clearing, Oddclaw smiled at his brother and friend before Barkclaw swiftly ran up to him with a sudden nuzzling lick, struggling to give the same back to him.

"Wha-h-hah, B-barkclaw hello!"

"I-i missed you!"

"I know."

"Y-y-you came back, again!"

"I promised I would, remember?! I always come back in two days."

"Yes, yes you promised!"

Every time he looked at his brother's face, Oddclaw felt a trembling of anger and sorrow creep through his heart. His brother was oblivious to this subtle scent but Moonclaw could tell with a rather pitying look as the brother continued:

"I told Moonclaw about deathcrawlers."

"Really now?" said Odd. "I hope you told her about sunwings too."

"Yes, and spotwings too."

"He told me more than I would ever know," said the female kindly with patient grin. "Are you going to sleep soon?"

"Yes, when I count the moonleaves."

"Oh, yes of course, well do not count me with them."

"No, you are not a moonleaf."

"Yes, good, hhhahahahaa...aaaaah."

She motioned Oddclaw over towards the side where they could talk in peace, leaving Barkclaw to count the fireflies that had sprung up to dance and shimmer around the sweet bark of certain trees.

"I hope my brother does not annoy you," said Oddclaw guiltily.

"Ohoh nooooo no of course not, he is just...rather ummm-"

"Focused on one thing and nothing else?"

"You said it, not me."

Grinding the side of her body against his, she gave a gleaming lick across his snout as he wrapped an arm around her neck to embrace. Her head slanted downwards across his shoulder as he felt her heartbeat against his chest.

"Mother pestered me about children again."

"Hmhmhaha, I am sorry," said Moonclaw.

"Why?" He pulled his head back to look at her. "That is not your fault."

"I feel that as a female friend she is expecting me to give you children, when Fishclaw has given her plenty!"

"I know, but she is just...an older female."

"I am an older female."

"Not as old as her!" he cried.

"HAH!" she cackled quietly to suppress her smirk. [i"Hhhmhmhmhohoho, you should be glad she did not hear that."

"Whatever she wants I do not care, I am my own hunter as are you."

"Right."

They turned towards Barkclaw still scratching and counting away, looking feverishly at the wispy bugs before turning back to make sure his math was right.

"You look after him like he was your son," said Moonclaw leaning in.

"Wh-wh-wha-did you, what are you saying?!"

"I am just saying that being the responsible older brother you are the best next thing to a father."

"No I am not. Fishclaw is the responsible older brother, he was the closest we had to a father."

"I see...hmmm that explains why he took so well to his new family."

"We were his practice children yes."

Oddclaw gave a smirk of childish bashfulness before she licked his snout giving him a blush on his cheeks.

"Thank you for not forcing me to breed with you," she said sincerely.

"Wh-why would I force you?" he asked with curious squint.

"Just, not every male is as kind as you, believe me."

"Ah...I see."

"It is a rare male who stays with a female that is not of the family."

"Well my family love you, Eggfang considers you her closest friend! outside of the family!"

"True...and I admit Eggfang is a wonderful friend, along with you."

"Time to sleep."

Barkclaw came up to them shaking the splinters out of his claws.

"Oh, that was fast," said Oddclaw.

"Six-and-one moonleaves, last night was twelve-and-two."

"Oh, noooo that is sad I hope they come back soon."

"I hope...so too."

The three headed back towards their nest and cuddled against their mother in a warm sleep. Oddclaw pulled himself close between his brother on the outermost part and Moonclaw in front of him as he sighed in pure bliss to be surrounded by such love with his mother in front of Barren. They were joined by the sister twins who slumped hard against Eggfang much to her growling distaste, before they scrabbled themselves into the pile with Fishclaw in his own separate nest being dogpiled by all six of his children along with his mate. Peace reigned beneath the stars as Oddclaw watched the lights of the universe glint upon his thoughts and the world below them.

I hope you found peace...Eyeclaw. Tell my father I...hope he is happy.

The raptor closed his eyes with arms wrapped round his brother and female friend. The tribe walked in dreams within their nests and so none of them would even notice a strange tearing flicker of light, from beyond the western valley.