Field Report - Cooperative Rescue with Subject Six

14-08-2036

Recorded by Sgt. Jeremy Holt

Our scouting mission with Subject Six ("Sam and Max") was successful.  We planned our basic mission parameters into two objectives.  First, obtain and interrogate high-ranking members within the mercenary group of unknown origin.  Second, recover the captive hostage from which the distress signal originated from that we confirmed came from the Skylands' direction.  Oddclaw assisted as guide whilst Sam and Max lead the charge in investigating with help of their extraordinary all-terrain vehicle they call a DeSoto.

We discovered a tower of Asian origin in the Barren Plains that was well-guarded, but through a deceptive Trojan tactic we managed to infiltrate and capture the leader for information.  Unbeknownst to us however he planted a bug in Sam's hat which would impede our progress later on.  We stopped briefly in the Birthlands to sleep and hunt whilst Oddclaw prepared us a transport across the Lake of the Longnecks, during which Sam became increasingly confrontational and aggressive.

After climbing the Skylands in a record time, we encountered another subordinate of our target who tried to cause a landslide to crush us, but through a systematic teamwork we subdued the minion and discovered that their leader was someone who came from the Media Dimension, a strange reality within another world that exists somewhere entirely within television airwaves.

Unfortunately the subordinate had a trap planned and blew up his escape vehicle to send us down into the caves below the Skylands, whilst he managed to escape with Max back to his master.  The cave was covered in strange markings and runes of some ancient human cult, as well as a silver sphere locked in its own shrine that disturbed us.  We did not touch it, but it was here that we discovered Sam had been bugged by an odd device that "infects" him with hatred, some sort of psychochemical warfare that forced us to fight and subdue the dog detective.  Once we managed to extract it cleanly from him, he recovered back to his normal self and we headed on to the master's lair.

The enemy was a grotesque beast who calls himself Mooshoo Pork, with plans to establish a new base here whilst making an eventual conquest of his own home dimension.  His hostage, a humanoid gecko by the name of Gex, was the one who sent the distress signal through the fact his consciousness was being scattered through several televisions to create a bizarre golem as Mooshoo's personal bodyguard.  We managed to defeat it, recovering Gex and reuploading his consciousness back into his physical body before Sam and Max could take both hostage and hostage-taker back to their world for pending trial.

Field Research - Salvage Retrieval

18-08-2036

Recorded by Dr. Kevin Izquierda

The former base of Mooshoo Pork was a surprisingly uninteresting find if only for its pitiful size.  The glut of TVs and audiovisual equipment mean that we can only expand on either our media resources or surveillance equipment, though a large gathering of sheet metal can always be handy for smaller repairs.  Other than that, the highly-corrosive acid will need to be dealt with by other means even after our previous visitors did their best to seal it up.  Thankfully, our robotic friends from Angel Island actually know several measures in recycling the toxic waste, such as ash-binding recycling or pyrolysis.

Oddclaw suggested dumping all the acid into the Firesea, but that was not advisable due to the possible threat of toxic gases emitting from the aftermath, so we eventually settled on pyrolysis by means of an ultra-high temperature electrical arc within an inert environment.  We cannot risk moving the waste to our lab for such, so instead we formed a metallic sarcophagus of sorts out of Mooshoo's lab parts and sealed the waste into a vacuum formed by some of the robots utilising excessive anti-air pressure tactics.

Whilst attempting our vacuum pyrolysis we did encounter an unusual object that Sam and Max noted as "the harbinger of hatred", a small rusted tool that we advised no one to touch bare-handed.  Despite having a non-corrosive surface itself, it was contaminated but it refused to be damaged by any means we were able to utilise in breaking down metals.  So Oddclaw's suggestion of tossing it into a volcano to melt at extreme high temperatures became fruitful for this.

However, despite Sgt. Holt's report, we found no trace of this silver sphere or ruins indicated in his writing, something that both Oddclaw and Sam have verified seeing.  However in Sam's case he may be unreliable as a witness due to the fact he was mentally impaired by Mooshoo's "hate injection".  Regardless, the cleanup operation of Mooshoo's base has been successful thus far.  The only thing I am worried about is concerning Dr. Dixon's report on Subject Six's temporal energy output.

Third Energy Anomaly Report - Subject Six Addendum

18-08-2036

Recorded by Dr. Andrea Dixon

Having better studied the feedback of the Third Energy Gate's energy output, I am troubled by the fact that Subject Six ("Sam and Max") did not provide an adequate enough spike of spatial distortion to compare with our recent results.  The outpost in the desert was formed by other means, apparently some sort of "media dimensional archetypal ray", so that had no effect on the Gate's output.  Even the laboratory beneath the Skylands was pathetically small, smaller even than the Mujoe base's entry point showed.

Subject Sixven did profess that they were not sucked in via anomaly and rather that they came of their own volition which again would not have affected the Gate's output.  I fear there is something that still remains in this world that should not be, something that still persists beyond the Skylands of which I have informed Major-General Brightman.  My evidence for this is thus:

- Subject Two, also known as "The Voice", was our lowest level of Gate output at 5 TEFs (Third Energy Fluctuations), the same level as that of Subject One.

- Subject Three ("The Pirates") hit up to 30 TEFs due to having four vessels arriving of various sizes from two origin points.

- Subject Four ("Knight and Bomber") escalated to 54 TEFs with the presence of a medium-sized underground base.

- Subject Five ("The Island") was our highest-recorded fluctuation hitting up to 358 TEFs for an entire land mass' appearance.

Subject Six ("Sam and Max") should only have reached no more than 20 TEFs in the form of a small laboratory, but on the day of our scan we detected something that spiked up to 250 TEFs.  Whatever it is must still be out there, perhaps even beyond this continent and far across the other side of this planet.  I can only surmise that, due to the correlations our Gate has to the perigee of the moon, the anomaly must arrive somewhere upon the side of the planet that the moon is currently closest towards.  We have made suggestions to perhaps explore the moon itself during the next perigee, what with the Petrie being capable of short space flight but Major-General Brightman is cautious.  We cannot afford to lose this spacecraft so he is currently planning some standard tests for its suitability.

        "They built a cave?!" asked Alpha.

        "Yes," replied Oddclaw, "one that goes around the Jaws of the Earth so now we can travel beyond if needed."

        "Well that does open up our hunting grounds if needed to travel further.  Are there any starbeasts left?"

        "No, the hairless have cleaned the remains of their presence so it is safe for us."

        "That is good."  Alpha nodded in satisfaction from his throne-like mound of warm stone within his family's rocky sanctum.  "I must admit I am impressed by how you have taken to your new role as Tribevoice."

        "I am honoured to be such, Alpha," the raptor bowed into full submissive stance splaying out on the floor, "to keep our home safe against greater threats is all I wish for besides my own children."

        "Hmhmhm, that is good.  Your family's stories of the stonebeasts' island were wonderful to listen to.  Was there something else you wished to tell me?"

        "Yes."  Oddclaw stood back up with humble bow.  "I have managed to teach the hairless of our language, and they shall arrive soon to speak with you."

        "Really?!" gasped the leader.  "How did you manage that?"

        "Stonevoice had learnt how to speak our language much faster than them, and so he and I worked together to teach them fully."

        "Hmhhahaha, who would have thought that the hairless would ever manage to understand us like this?!  But I suppose if anyone would bridge our tribes it would be the son of Oddscar."

        "Yes..."  Oddclaw tried to suppress the slight bitterness in his throat.  "I will wait for them to arrive and bring them to you."

        "Thank you Oddclaw.  You may leave."

With a nod of respect the anthro left his leader's grounds and headed towards the beach near the Roaring Caves that had become the standard entry point for the humans to come near.  The Petrie soon landed with three armed guards, Thomas, Andrea and Jane exiting the craft, all of whom had the collars for translating speech round their necks.

        "Hellooooo!" greeted Addison with a cheerful wave.

        "Hello Warmvoice!" replied Oddclaw in his tribal tongue before hugging the therapist.  "How are you?"

        "Good thank you!  Nice to be outside the lab for a change, how are you?!"

        "I am well thank you!  The language-stones are working!"

        "They certainly are, took a bloody long time to process every word but now you don't have to hang around translating for us anymore."

        "I hope you don't start forgetting English," said Brightman half-joking.

        "I will still speak your language when I am at your home," said the raptor diplomatically.  "I only ask that you give my tribe the same respect."

        "Of course, that's why we came here.  Now, Jane you are certain these things work?"

        "You can understand him can't you?" said Andrea with hand on her hip.  "I mean I can understand him easily, this thing's pretty fantastic all things considered."

        "I'm just excited we can finally understand the minds of prehistoria," said Jane almost struggling to not clap her hands with excitement, "from their actual mouths and hearing their ways, actually Oddclaw, do ALL dinosaurs share the same language?"

        "Yes," replied the raptor, "there are some things that one tribe will say that another tribe will not understand, but most of our language we all understand."

        "So there are dialects and perhaps slang terms but for the most part it's universal...fascinating."

They started walking towards the Hunter's Nest as scouts and guards detected Oddclaw's presence as he gave them subtle nods indicating no need for alarm.  The seething grounds of lively beasts gave a cacophony of sounds and smells to the humans that for the most part they were not used to.  Thomas and Andrea sneered in mutual disgust from the shrieking squawks they now fully understood, along with the stench of blood, musk, manure and urine.

        "Well this was an experience my nose regrets," said Andrea wrinkling her nostrils, "now I know why I never came here before now."

        "You get used to it," pronounced Jane stepping forth proudly unfazed like an adventurer to uncharted worlds, "just try to ignore it and eventually your nose will let it be."

        "You used to work in a zoo Jane, you have an unfair advantage."

        "Oh come on you've lived near farms, you're from Alabama!"

        "I lived in Bayou La Batre, the only farms we had there were full of shrimp!"

        "You realise I can still hear you?" asked Oddclaw.  "As can everyone else here."

        "OH bugger sorry," said Jane bashfully, "have to remember we can't speak freely now with these."

        "You can, if you behave.  Let us meet the alpha first."

The humans approached the alpha, keeping a safe distance as the mightiest raptors stood brazenly tall in defiant show of strength to tower their heads over the newcomers.  The alpha spoke to them from his stone seat in courteous greeting.

        "Welcome hairless, I hope you are well."

        "We are well thank you," replied Thomas with a calm bow and hands at his sides, "I hope you are doing fine on this day."

        "I am indeed...hmmm, you speak our language well, I am impressed."

        "It was most enlightening to comprehend, alpha.  We have come simply as a diplomatic visit regarding the stability of this world."

        "Oddclaw has spoken to me of the starbeasts that come every one-and-a-half-cycles yes.  He has told me many startling things, but I must stress that my duties only extend to our territory."

        "Of course," said Thomas with hands clasped in another bow, "I had no intention of asking you to overreach your boundaries, your tribe is first and foremost important to protect as leader.  I am here to explain that, despite our differences as people from two opposite worlds, we will do everything we can to defend your home from otherworldly threats."

        "I see."

Alpha moved off his seat and walked towards Brightman calmly.  The soldiers became slightly tense but Thomas bade them a silent hand gesture to be still and not antagonise them as Alpha sniffed the human's face.  A surprising air of stoic peace radiated from Thomas that brimmed with confidence, much to the raptor leader's approval.

        "You are worthy of being the alpha of the hairless, I can tell."

        "It was not a position I asked for," said Brightman gently.

        "No...I did not ask for this either, I find the best leaders are those who do not wish to become one."

        "Hah, is that so?"

        "Those who crave power are the ones who are most tainted by it."

        "We have a saying like that in human culture too.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

        "Hmmm...odd but I understand it.  I have not been fully introduced to your females behind you, are they your mates?"

        "Hmhmhm, no not at all," he replied amidst the silent look of shock between the ladies, "this is doctor Jane Addison who is our therapist, and doctor Andrea Dixon our chief third energy physicist."

        "Hmmmm...a mind-healer and a coldfire-gatherer," said Alpha repeating the words their collars translated, "I admit those are not skills we possess in our tribe."

        "Our tribe has different requirements as I am sure yours have in turn."

        "Indeed, hairless alpha."

        "Oddclaw."

The anthro turned to see Moonclaw behind him, fretting with nervous claws twitching as an air of panic rose around her scent.

        "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

        "Of course," he replied, "is something wrong?"

        "I...I need to tell you something.  Alone."

        "That's fine with us," said Jane smiling much to Moonclaw's shock.

        "A-ah!  You...you speak our language now?!"

        "Oh yes, Oddclaw helped us with that but don't worry, if you two need privacy you can go and talk, we'll just be here with your leader discussing other things."

        "A-a-alright...thank you Warmvoice."

        "I will be back soon," replied Oddclaw to the women.

Following Moonclaw into the forest deep, he said nothing until she stopped down along the shoreline where they could watch the quiet lake.  Light shone in a mirror image as they headed further east out of the hearing range of other raptors with Moonclaw turning evermore frustrated and upset by her scent.

        "Are you alright?" he asked with a hand at her shoulder.  "Did...did something happen?"

        "No I...I need to tell you.  About me."

She stopped before turning towards him, feeling somewhat small and timid by her submissive stance despite standing over Oddie by almost a foot.

        "I know that...you desire me to want to be your mate."

        "Yes," he said nodding.

        "And...you have been so patient with me and it is one of the things I admire about you.  I have not known another male who would...who would stand by me when I was not ready to give them a family."

        "I do want a family, but I want YOU to have one as well Moonclaw."

        "So why...why do you not find another mate?"

        "Because I love you.  I think you are a wonderful hunter, my heart swells being around you, you are fun, you are friends with my family, even Barkclaw loves you and I am so thankful to you for how you are patient with him."

        "Well...I-i-i..."  The grey raptor tensed her feet and sneered with bitter rasp in her throat.  "I do not...deserve your family, or any family."

        "Why?"

        "...because of what...happened to my own family."  She gazed towards the north trying to a black tip on the horizon.  "I was the oldest of my siblings, thirty cycles ago we lived at what is now called the Death Nest.  But when our tribe was around we called it the Mother's Nest."

        "Really?" asked Oddclaw sitting down on a stump.

        "It used to be one mountain, tall and deep where we lived inside full of warmth like we were still in a mother's womb.  It was beautiful, with each family having its own cave and no one dared try to attack us within our homes of deep stone and below the earth itself was a fire that kept us warm day and night.  There was also a forest everywhere around us, the Sunmoon Trees spanned much greater along the coast than when you first saw them with me.  It was beautiful, there were so many beasts to hunt, and in the centre of it all was the Mother's Nest.  But then came one day that...something happened."

Moonclaw struggled to focus herself into speaking further as Oddclaw reached out to touch her thigh carefully.  His hand stroked along her warm middle-aged creases as he replied:

        "You do not have to tell me."

        "But I must," she insisted with her head turned towards him, "I must...not, for your sake but for MINE so I know finally if you...i-if you truly..."

        "Truly what?"

She said nothing.  Staring back towards the north with the sun on her face as her red eyes shone a sweet bitter tear.

        "The mountain tore itself apart one day.  Without warning, there came a great roar from the earth beneath, and the caves began to fall where some of us became trapped.  You have seen the bones of my tribe when we passed through."

        "...yes," murmured Oddclaw rubbing his arm uncomfortably, "I did not want to say-"

        "The mountain was much greater than when you saw it.  Some of it has sunk beneath the earth including what used to be my family's home.  Father was outside guarding, I heard him scream but never saw him...my mother...she was...she was crushed within the stone falling from above that trapped me with my brothers and sisters.  The others...they met either the same fate or became wholly consumed by the fire down below when the earth cracked itself."

        "That is horrible," gasped Odd, "I...I am sorry I had no...I never would have thought something like that would happen to you, I understand now why you would not want a family-"

        "No.  That...that is not the reason."  Her scent turned even more torrid with a shameful fear.  "We were trapped for days and nights, trying to find our way out, clawing at the stone but we were only hatchlings.  Most of us.  We had water still, dripping through the cave as we felt the fire pass us, safe within our home but fearing it would be the very place we would die, without food that is.  My brothers and sisters kept on hoping that father would come rescue us, that he was trying to claw his way through but I knew he was already dead.  And knowing that...knowing...th-th-that no one was coming to rescue us......I lost myself."

Moonclaw sat herself down in the rushes by the water's edge, staring at her own reflection.  Her eyes burned into her soul as Oddclaw sat closer fearing she would fall in.

        "I had convinced myself, when day and night lost all meaning that the only one who would help me escape was myself, and I tried every day to tear apart the stone that trapped us.  But I was selfish.  I was so weak and hungry.  I-i-i needed to keep my strength...up, and I needed to keep clawing through the stone but I could not on just water alone s-so I waited until...u-until they were all asleep."

        "No," whispered Oddclaw fearfully, "you...y-you did not-"

        "My youngest brother was first...he died in the night, I had him sleep next to me and none of them ever knew.  He would not move, so thin and so...s-so fresh I could not...I-i-i could not waste it, I thought to myself 'he has died, i-it is not...it is not wrong to survive if he gave his life for his older sister' and when they all were sent asleep, I...I......I had his th-throat in my jaws and I can t-t-taste...I could taste his blood and I could not stop."

        "M-moonclaw, no-"

        "I made sure he would not scream before I ate his flesh.  I stripped...his young tender skin and devoured everything, e-even licked up his blood until he was dry...h-h-he was so sweet, after so many nights he...he was s-so...so-h-hhohhhh..."

She broke down finally into her sorrow, weeping with a gasping sob as she clenched her eyes with stinging water.

        "When I had finished, I pushed his bones into a hole we made.  We thought we could escape but it only went down, so it became our place to relieve ourselves...it also became where I would hide the remains I could not...eat."

        "I...that is awful what happened but if...if your brother died already then I could not blame you, trapped in a cave for so long but-"

        "And if I had killed him?"  She turned her head slowly with a grim sneer of hatred.  "Would you blame me still?"

        "......Moonclaw...please tell me..."  But his heart began to sink, knowing the truth was worse as she continued talking.

        "I was overcome by hunger.  I started to claw further through the stone, convincing myself I needed only one more day, just one more night and I would be free, they would forgive me when we were all free...but there was always one more stone in my way, and I would exhaust myself.  I needed food to keep fighting, to stay alive so I...I, killed the weakest of those left."

        "S-stop," whimpered Odd clutching his head in his hands, "please, Moonclaw I do not want to hear-"

        "I DID NOT WANT IT EITHER!" she shrieked in rigid snarl as she advanced upon him before forcing him against a tree.  "Do you THINK that I wanted to enjoy the taste, th-the sweet blood of my own brothers and sisters that slipped down my throat, their flesh that I...I-i-i...I needed it, I needed MORE, I needed it to survive, I did not want to taste it but th-they were...they...s-s-so soft...so warm and every meat I have had since h-has NEVER tasted as good, as that of my own family and I can never forget it!  I am trapped with that horrible knowledge in my mind forever, I have TRIED f-for so long to forget, I tried, but nothing ever helped me forget, NOTHING helped me rid the taste of their blood and the looks in their eyes when they saw me in their final moments, no matter how, h-h-hard I tried to make it swift and painless for them b-but they knew...they always knew before I killed them."

Her eyes scorned with a ferocious hatred into Oddclaw's own but he sensed it was not towards him.  She backed off slowly before slumping down into the dirt and started to weep within the grass, cold blades flecking against her scales.

        "Did...d-did you.....all of them?" asked Oddclaw in fear.

        "All but...one.  She...sh-she discovered me the day the stones collapsed and we found ourselves free...as the light of day shone down upon our cave where she saw me eating her brother.  Her face would haunt me...whenever I sleep I can see her face sometimes in my dreams.  She ran screaming from our home and I chased her.  I was so desperate to survive, at any cost that...that I killed her outside the mountain.  I was not thinking, I was still hungry...I was h-hungry...I could not think, I could not stop e-eating, even when I was f-free I was, h-hunger inside me it...h-h-hhhhhh..."

The raptor curled herself up as mewling cries came from her throat, whimpering with her eyes averted from looking at Oddclaw's shocked and terrified expression.  Conflict stirred within his heart as he tried to make sense of what he felt as he asked:

        "Was that what the Sunmoon hunters meant, about you?"

        "They knew," she said blankly staring at the water, "the small hunters saw me and what I had become as a beast with no loyalty or tribe.  I was so frightened of myself once...once I had filled my stomach of what it wanted.  I tried to search for anyone of my tribe left but I...I was the only survivor.  My...my brothers and sisters, we were the only ones left and I destroyed their f-future because I was selfish and hungry never thinking how much they had starved too."

        "I...I do not know what to say."

        "I know what you will say."  Moonclaw slowly lifted herself up facing away from him.  "You will never speak to me again, you will find a mate that is worth it, one who is not a cruel devourer that is so pathetic she c-cannot even commit to it!"

        "Commit to it?" he asked with head askew.

        "Wh-what...hhhahahaha, ha ha ha, wh-what sort of beast cannot even want to hunt more of the prey it once desired the most hmm?!  What...sort of beast is so PATHETIC such as me that she would rather die with a hollow womb than a full stomach ever again all because she's afraid?!"

        "You are afraid?  Of...your hunger?"

        "YES!" she cried howling with rage.  "I AM AFRAID!  I am afraid of myself, I cannot trust myself, wh-what if the day we have children my hunger will return, if my children do not live to see their own father, I AM A MURDERER!  I am no better than your brother who tried to throw you into the sea because of HIS selfishness!"

        "THAT IS NOT TRUE!" he shouted.

        "YES IT IS ODDCLAW, ACCEPT IT!" ranted Moon standing up ferociously to face him with raw baring teeth.  "ACCEPT THAT I AM A WORTHLESS BEAST WHO YOU SHOULD BANISH LIKE SUNSCREECH!  I DO NOT DESERVE YOUR FAMILY-"

        "SHUT UP!"

His piercing shriek echoed across the lake where even some of the raptors past their earshot perked up confused.  Oddclaw grabbed at her head and pulled her close until their snouts touched to feel each other's breath.

        "You, are BETTER than Sunscreech was."

        "Wh-what?!  H-how...can you even say-"

        "Listen to me.  I KNOW you are better than him, do you know why?  Because I am here, and he is not.  Look at my family."  She peered past him towards the large nesting grounds in the distance.  "They are happy because I have returned and we banished Sunscreech for what he did.  You help my brother Barkclaw when I am not here, you are kind and patient with him as I have said."

        "Th-that is just politeness, that means nothing!"

        "Was it politeness when you stopped me from killing Suneater?"  Oddclaw let go of her head and stood back with arms spread as if challenging her.  "I wanted to kill him, when I despised the flyers and called them skyflesh and filthy things because of my brother infecting me with his hatred and twisted cruelty.  But you stopped me.  YOU helped me see things right, you stopped me so we could both heal their alpha and now the flyers are stronger than ever, I am now friends with their future alpha!  Would a cruel pathetic beast have done that, and stopped me from such kindness?!"

        "I-i...do not...know," she whimpered with fidgeting claws.

        "You rescued the eggs of waterbeaks with me, how can a beast that hungers for its own hatchlings even THINK of doing that?!"

        "I thought that was stupid!"

        "But you still did it, with me and Plainslash and Firetail, you did not have to!  You are older now, you are wiser!  Was it wrong of you back when you were young, yes, that can never be forgiven, but you are BETTER now.  You are stronger Moonclaw, you will not fall to that temptation."

        "HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" she argued defiant with snarling tears.  "H-how...do you know that I will not give myself to that hunger again?!"

        "Because you already have a family."

Oddclaw stepped forwards and pulled her into an embrace forcefully, despite her head rearing back confused.

        "Wh-what...wh-what are you doing?!"

        "You have my mother...and me, and my brothers and sisters."  His eyes closed clutching Moonclaw tighter.  "You kept my brother safe back on the island of the stonebeasts, if you were such a selfish beast you would not have done that."

        "I...n-no...I would not-"

        "I cannot judge nor forgive you for what you did when you were young and foolish...but in the days and nights I have known you, you are a strong, kind and good hunter that I want to be with.  And if you still think you are weak, even after everything you have done, then..."  He pulled himself back to stare into her eyes.  "I am here to keep you strong, not just as a mate but also as your friend, Moonclaw."

        "You...y-you still...want to be my mate?"

        "I do.  I understand why you are frightened to start a family, but I will prove to you, somehow beyond this day that you are strong enough to be a good mother and you are not selfish anymore.  I promise you."

        "I......h-how can you still want me?"

        "Because I do, and that is my choice.  But whatever you want should be YOUR choice too, not what your fear chooses you to."

She could not say anything after this.  Her eyes flinched into a weeping sob as she slumped to the dirt with gasping howls of shock and grief.  Oddclaw sat down beside her with hand round her neck, pulling her closely to rock back and forth until she had calmed herself, the raptors and the humans at the nest just barely hearing her from afar but not saying anything.  After a long tear-stained absence of words between them, the raptors stood up and went back silently towards the nesting grounds.

        "Are you alright?" asked Jane to Moonclaw.

        "I am fine...I am sorry."

        "Sorry, for what?"

        "N-nothing...you speak our language well, I am impressed."

        "Ohhh it's nothing really.  Have you met Andrea, she's our chief physicist."

        "How do you do?" replied Dixon offering a handshake by instinct to which Moonclaw sniffed at.

        "I am...well, upset but that is none of your concern, sorry I am-"

        "It's fine, we all have our bad days.  So you helped Oddclaw get back home right?"

        "Yes, I met him not far from your shining mountain."

        "Hm, well glad he was in safe hands, Brightman told me you often study the moon."

        "Yes, that was...hm," she took a deep breath to swallow her tears, "my family said I always strove to touch the moon."

        "Well for one thing I have to thank you," said Andrea politely in a bow, "because of you we figured out how important the moon's cycle was to our own research."

        "Really?  I helped you?"

        "Thanks to you telling Brightman about the moon always coming close every four-hundred-eleven days."

        "That...that is a great number of days, is that the same as one-and-a-half cycles?"

        "It sure is, you know I bet I could use someone as smart as you in my lab."

        "Hmhmhm, I am already trying to be a part of THIS tribe thank you."

Oddclaw smiled watching Andrea bring up various topics concerning the stars and lunar orbit much to Moonclaw's increasing intrigue as she started to slip back to her usual self.

Third Energy Anomaly Report - Subject Seven (Eventual)

26-09-2037

Recorded by Dr. Andrea Dixon

After establishing our pattern for anomalies emerging into our world, it has now been approximately 411 days since the arrival of Subject Six ("Sam and Max").  Our long-range scanners are keeping a constant sweep, whilst Oddclaw has instructed his tribe to notify him immediately of unusual creatures not of this world.  The only problem we can anticipate is that of travellers beyond this dimension who have the power to come and go freely, but with our current technology the best we can do is anticipate the anomalies we know will be coming after our Gate fluctuates to another supermoon.

Thankfully, there have been no reports of any extradimensional beings since Subject Six's departure allowing us to focus on the eventual arrival of Subject Seven.  Unfortunately, whatever arrival that shall be will come during the monsoon season.

A dark and stormy night came upon the raptors' nest, the brittle rain of warm droplets salivating from leaves and thickening onto their heads as they retreated into the forest.  The hatchlings that had been born during the dry season were terrified of the howling gusts and slashing rain amidst a deep trembling boom of thunder.  The night became wrought with tension in the sky as lightning flashed briefly to illuminate the tribe of raptors keeping children close amidst frail whimperings.  Their nests filled up and carried their egg shell remains down to the waters of the lake.

        "M-mommyyyy?!"

        "Shhhh it will be alright!" said Shadetooth nuzzling her clutch.

        "I'm scared!"

        "Just stay here with us," said Fishclaw calmly, "we will be safe under the many trees."

        "C-can we fight it dad, maybe if we show we're not afraid it'll go away!"

        "We can prove that by staying in the forest here."

Amongst the gathering hunters was Oddclaw's family, sitting down hunkered close to each other to keep warm as Leafrunner and Sandrunner ran around in circles trying to lap at the water that fell from the sky giggling like simpletons.  Barkclaw suffered the worst, cradling himself back and forth when his ears popped from the deep murmur of thunder despite Oddclaw's efforts to still his panic as he started putting together something made out of plants.

        "A-AAAH, NNNNGH!"

        "Barkclaw it is alright, just please calm yourself!"

        "S-SKY, FIRE H-HURTS!"

        "We are all suffering here," said Barren huffing water from her dripping snout, "if we can sit here quietly then so can you."

        "No, skyfire, t-too loud, TOO LOUD!"

        "It cannot be that loud, I am fine as are the rest of us so stop DOING that!"

        "Alright, hold still."

Oddclaw presented two bundles of moss attached to a length of vine that went in a circle, gently placing it over Barkclaw's snout like a bridle to place the moss at his earholes before tightening the vine so they would not slip.  He started to cease his rocking frenzy to calm himself, hearing the sounds of thunder turn dull and muffled against the mossy lumps as Barkclaw sighed with relief in nuzzling his brother.

        "A-aah...aaaaah th-th-thank you."

        "Is that better?"

        "Y-yes, not...it is not loud anymore."

        "Good."

        "What is that thing on his head?" asked Eggfang sitting beneath a raised log in the mud.

        "I have seen the hairless use these," replied Odd, "they protect your hearing from loud noises."

        "They dull their senses on purpose?!  That is absurd, what beast would do that to cause a greater chance of being ambushed?!"

        "They do not wear them when they hunt Eggfang."

        "But they still must protect themselves at home!"

        "Maybe they're just stupid!" shouted Sand leaping at a branch ripe with water.  "They're silly beasts anyway!"

        "Not so silly they cannot fight!"

        "I never seen them fight!" retorted Leaf licking across the bark of a wet tree.  "They're all cowards anyway!"

        "They slashed you!" countered Moonclaw.  "They used their fire on you and you two ran away to get your brother to protect you!"

        "SH-SHUT UP you can eat my shit you old fart!"

        "BE QUIET!" barked Oddclaw standing up.  "Do not talk to my mate like that or I will throw you into the lake!"

        "Why are you taking HER side?!"

        "Because she is right, you two fought and lost again a single hairless you could not even kill!"

        "Hih wuz kuvvrd un STUUN!" whined Sand as she clenched her jaws to hang her body from a branch.  "Ut wzzn't uh fhrr fght-A-AAAAH!"

The branch snapped from her weight as she fell back down to the ground, hitting her rump into a puddle of mud as Leaf started laughing.

        "HHHAHAHAHAHA, youhuhuu look like you shit yourself!"

        "SHUT UP LEAF!"

        "Oh what, you gonna shit yourself even harder-G-GAAAGH!"

The mud-bottomed sister leapt on top of Leaf to slap her hindquarters on her head, grinding her cloaca lewdly against her sister's snout.

        "GU-AAAGHBLUH-G-GET OFF SAND!"

        "Either shut up or EAT UP, which is it sis?!"

        "AAAAGH, MOTHERRR!"

        "STOP IT AT ONCE!"  Barren stormed over to shove Sand off from her sister before biting down on her neck.  "You are NOT hatchlings, your nephews and nieces are being more mature than you and this is NOT how we act in this family!"

        "But she started iiiiit!"

        "Fine then."  The mother pulled her towards the lake much to her screaming protest and Leafrunner sniggering in watching.  "If you will act like a hatchling I will treat you like a hatchling."

        "WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

        "Cleaning your FILTHY body!"

        "N-NOOOO NOOO LEMME GO!"

        "STOP, FIDGETING SANDRUNNER!"

        "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO CLEAN ME IT'S RAINING!"

        "Hatchlings always get cleaned by mother!"

        "GET, OFF OF MEEEEE!"

Humiliating herself in front of the tribe, the sisters shrieked and squabbled furiously in her mother's grasp much to the embarrassed awkward looks of Fishclaw's children who tried to turn their heads in ignoring her.  One or two of them started giggling more as a sign of nervousness than humour as one daughter asked:

        "Am I gonna be like that dad?"

        "Nohoho never," said Fishclaw chuckling, "you are a good daughter Earthfang."

        "I don't like the skyfire.  Why does it come?"

        "Well, uncle Oddclaw told me that it happens when the sky gets very hot, and is very full of rain.  If the sky is cold, we only get rain, but when the sky is hot, some of the rain gets hot and turns into fire."

        "Wowwwwww..how does water turn into fire?!"

        "When it is a hot day, some of the water turns dry and goes up in the sky to become wind."

        "Ooooooh..."

The other hatchlings listened on Fishclaw's basic grasp of meteorology as Moonclaw smiled seeing the wide adoring eyes of the growing children on their father.  A bit of sadness leaked in her heart as she turned towards Oddie who sat beside her to plant her head in his lap.  He said nothing as he stroked her head, sighing as she breathed in his musk and started to lull herself to sleep.  Barkclaw in turn managed to finally sleep with the moss silencing the thunderous skies, the mute splashing of Sandrunner's muted screams being swallowed up by the piercing sparks of lightning that struck across the land.  Sometimes a tree would burn, set aflame like a beacon against the dark as raptors would run and hide into damper darker places whilst their leader and his guard made certain to keep everyone contained in the forest and out of the open plains.

Barren would come back eventually, sopping wet with her daughter in tow looking frustrated and shameful as Leafrunner did her best not to laugh.  The family circled around each other to keep warm sharing their body heat and sheltering beneath the canopy.  The mother looked over towards her anthro son stroking his mate as she scooted closer to him.

        "There is always next cycle," she said sympathetically nuzzling them.

        "Yes," murmured Moonclaw.  "I just...want to sleep now."

        "Alright.  But just so you know, I was once the least fertile female in this tribe and look at my family now.  You will have yours one day but all I can tell you is how happy I am to see you two have mated finally.  You look so perfect together."

        "Mmhmm."

        "Thank you mother," replied Oddclaw softly as Barren moved back to give them some room.

The storm shuddered throughout the leaves as spritzing droplets scattered on their skin amidst the sound of buffeting winds and crackling sparks that lit up the sky and all below.  Oddclaw drifted off to sleep, holding Moonclaw close as the night faded from his hearing into a lukewarm darkness.  He only had the pleasure for a few hours when he heard a cold voice whispering to him.

        "Oddclaw."

His eyes opened to see Dronin standing behind him with small streams of water billowing off his hat.

        "I have encountered a starbeast."

        "What?" he gasped quiet.

        "Two of them.  Fighting upon the dry mountain."

        "Fighting, why?"

        "What is happening?" murmured Moon with leery eye.

        "Stonevoice has found two starbeasts, I have to-"

        "N-no...please, do not leave me."

        "I must deal with this.  Will you come with me?"

        "I wish we did not have to move but nnnngh...alright."

They both crept off from their sleeping family to follow Dronin through the forest.  Lightning shafted between the trees scattering white against black as they sluggishly trudged their way through slick matted bark and sullen muddy dips.  The raptors yawned with aching eyes as the fierce lightning bolts would disorient them with the mantisbot keeping a close step to them.

        "Please watch your step."

        "I am TRYING," murmured Moonclaw.

        "I am sorry to have woken you but-"

        "No it is fine...nnnnngh...it is bad enough to have to listen to your mother patronise me-"

        "She is not patronising you," retorted Oddclaw, "she is trying to give you hope to not give up on having children after the first breeding."

        "I would not mind, if there had BEEN a first breeding."

        "Do you want to tell her the truth?!"  He turned towards her with eyes sullen and bitter.  "I am only keeping up this lie for your sake so you have no right to complain!"

        "For MY sake?!" she snapped raising her head above his to drop water on his skull.  "I am older than you, I am not some frail beast for you to care for!"

        "Then stop WHINING, if you want to be part of my family that is your choice but I am trying to make this easy for you!"

        "If I wanted to make this easy I would not have chosen you for a mate!"

        "If you want to leave our tribe, no one is stopping you Moonclaw."

        "Do you WANT me to leave?!"

        "No, I want you to stay but I will not have you insult my mother who is trying to help you with the lie that we BOTH told her."

He squared up against the female, snarling deep in his chest with a flair of dominance as his muscles pulsed with twitching tail whilst she in turn sneered with teeth larger than his.  The two remained unflinching in a mutual standoff as the sky above continued to breach its darkened thunderous bellow as a warning to beasts of this land.  Dronin eventually interfered with a steady hand between their chests.

        "I do not wish to intrude but-"

        "WHAT?!" barked both of them.

        "We have an urgent task to attend to, perhaps you would do well to unleash your anger upon the starbeasts fighting in our world at this moment."

        "...fine."  Oddclaw stepped back in understanding.  "What are these beasts?"

        "They are warmbloods the size of you, they fight with long stones and speak the language of the hairless."

        "Let us go."

Moonclaw headed out front now more incensed by her fury quelling itself in her heart, the sight of the Dry Mountain not especially reassuring to the three as a dark jutting stone hill that reached up towards the shattering clouded sky.  Briefly they could see the smallest flashes of light at the top of it, moving back and forth as they approached the mountain.

        "RAAAAAAAARGH!"

The clashing spear struck against steel upon a rain-slick precipice.  Scattered bolts threatened to come down upon their heads as two beasts locked their staffs in combat with creaking strength, before forcing each other away as claws went scraping against the rock.  One of them stood in a red knightly cloak emblazoned with a coat of arms upon its front, a helm of crimson with wings covering her head.

        "ENOUGH!" she cried.  "LET ME HELP YOU!"

        "NOOO!" shrieked her male opponent.  "I TOLD YOU, THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO BY MYSELF, WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN?!"

        "Because I know that feeling, I've walked that same path and I do not want you to walk it alone."

        "YOU DUNNO ANYTHING!  NOW GET OUTTA MY WAY!"

        "NO!"

The male clasped his spear tighter until his furred brown knuckles became a ghostly white.  His helm of auburn like a rose chestnut sleek with the porous rain that streaked down upon his turquoise cloak.

        "Don't...m-make me do this."

        "I am not making you do anything," she replied, "please, I implore you cease this pointless quest-"

        "POINTLESS?!" he cried.  "YOU'RE ONE TO TALK SPENDING FIVE YEARS CHASIN' AFTER A GUY THAT CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!"

        "THAT IS WHY I MUST STOP YOU!  I know the heartache that comes at the end, whatever your dreams have told you, you must not listen to such bewitching piety-"

        "SHUT UP!"

He lunged forwards with shivering spear, viciously thrusting towards the female who dodged lithely to strike her polearm aside.  The battle recommenced as the blue-cloak swung with a double-slash towards the crimson helm as she dodged the first sweep of his spear, the second one being countered as she ducked and swung towards his legs.  The male jumped high with incredulous speed, launching into the sky as he raised his spear which started to emit a fiendish glow of static from the thundering sky.  Hurling it down towards the red-cloaked beast, he watched his adversary leap just as high as him to avoid the bolted strike as the spear exploded with a piercing shockwave across the mountain stone.

She landed awaiting to see him recover his spear, and the moment he did she rushed to try and wallop across his face with the staff length itself.  The male slammed his arm against to block her move and punched her in the snout, stunning her briefly before kicking against her front to push her back and pull out his spear with one yank.  Almost instantly he rushed with a stabbing force, the red-cloak hopping above the thrusting pole to plant her large clawed grey feet upon its stave and kick the male hard across the face.

        "GHNNNGH!"

He fell back from the strength of her foot, skidding half on his side across the rock as she stood with his spear beneath her toes.

        "Now, enough of this," she ordered, "we are strangers in a strange land and the last thing we must do is fight each other."

        "I...do not want...to f-fight you."

        "Then stop this madness and cast away this dream that has bound you!"

        "N-no...I...can't...not, NOW!"

The male shot his hand out in an open grasp, the spear suddenly trembling below the woman's feet as she yelped from having it yanked powerfully out from beneath and sending her falling to the floor.  The blue-cloaked foe snatched his staff and gripped it tight, twitching his head slightly with a deep grimace of tightly-wound muscle as he seethed with pain.  Digging wretched stabs in his mind as he stepped towards her.

        "I...t-told you not to get in my WAAAY!"

The moment he raised his spear something attacked him from his side barrelling him over in a blur of pebbled scale.  The red-cloak saw a hand reach out to her of three claws in a strangely familiar fashion.

        "Quickly, we are here to help!"

She saw the earnest eyes of a reptile glinting green in the midst of a constant downpour, taking his hand and pulling herself up to find a more feral beastly version of the same reptile pinning the blue-cloak hard with jaws on his neck.

        "STOP!" she cried.  "S-STOP DO NOT HURT HIM!"

        "What?!"  Oddclaw turned to her.  "H-he is trying to kill you!"

        "HE IS MY STUDENT, I DON'T WANT HIM HURT!"

        "MOONCLAW STOP!" he shouted to her.  "STOP, HE IS NOT AN ENEMY!"

        "Huh?!  A-AAAGH!"

The grey-scaled raptor looked up confused by this, her jaws releasing briefly from the cloaked neck as the male foreigner whacked Moonclaw's face with the blunt end of his staff before kicking her back hard with both feet in her chest.  He rolled himself up on his feet and took a brazen charge towards Oddclaw and the woman, but then a flash of silver and jade came between them to clash a sword sharply upon his spear.  The chrome face of Dronin shimmered in the light of the raucous storm with a threatening hum of static they all felt.

        "Relinquish your blade, or else," threatened the robot.

        "WH-what...wh-what are you!?"

        "A conduit of pure steel.  Within the next forty seconds I predict I shall be struck and so you shall be electrocuted alongside me."

        "Y-y-you're...y-you're crazy!"

        "And you shall cease to be, unless you surrender now."

The cloaked man quivered with his spear frantically grinding against the clean metal katana that shone like moonlight at the dawn as he turned frantic.  With long-sleeved hands of twisting clawed fingers he pushed himself away and hastily rushed towards the edge of the mountain breach.  Before anyone could stop him he soon disappeared into the trees with a grand suicidal leap of arms wide open and his spear pointing down.  The four of them rushed to the edge as Dronin swiftly chased after him in a means to escape the tempting brunt of electrical fury he attracted.

        "Are you alright?" said Oddclaw to the red-robed female.

        "I...am fine thank you," she said a little shocked with head bowed towards the forest.  "Are you the people of this land?"

        "I am Oddclaw, of the Hunter's Nest.  This is Moonclaw my mate, and the row-bot that chased after your stoo-dint is Stonevoice."

        "That is a...rather unusual partnership.  I suggest we leave this mountaintop however before lightning strikes."

        "Yes, there is a cave below we can stay in."

Making their way down the mountainside he led the newcomer into the cave of the Dry Mountain.  The warmth of the surprisingly arid rock in the midst of a sweltering forest surprised her as she felt relief from the water finally drying off her cloak, whilst both raptors noticed her exceptionally thin tail with a yellow ribbon at its end.

        "Are you from another world?" asked the anthro.

        "Would it frighten you if I was?" she replied calmly to sit herself on a large stone.

        "No.  You are not the first one to have come here."

        "Really?  Is that a common occurrence?"

        "Once a year.  Who are you?  Why was your stoo-dint trying to kill you?"

        "I...I wish I could tell you.  As for myself that I can answer at least."

She pulled off her helm to reveal her hair as white as snow, drifting to the sides of her neck and ending at the shoulders.  Her eyes were a cold mint green as the only colour upon her face, a pale snout resembling a rodent's.

        "My name is Freya.  I am a dragoon knight of His Highness of the Kingdom of Burmecia."