Chapter Text
There was a constant low rumble that resonated through the air on the island, the persistent beat of the animals and the guests; life working as only it could. It was ever-present, and Owen reveled in it, especially late at night. It was already dark as he drove on his bike down the dusty side road, the stars dotted the crystal-clear sky and although there was a chilled breeze blowing over him, the heartbeat of the island and the company of the heavens kept him well-contented.
The bike roared and rattled beneath him as he drove, dust and dirt being kicked up in his wake as he neared one of the scientific centers located within the restricted zone of the island. There would be no concern of any bumbling guests or wandering eyes out here, just the trees and the occasional indifferent employee; it was probably Owen's favorite place in the world aside from his home.
He unwillingly began to ease off the throttle and slow to a gradual stop in front of the building, his bones still shook from the motorcycle as he began his hesitant trek inside. He vaguely knew where to go, as he had been there the previous week, though the sterile, colorless halls and glass windows all looked the same to him so it was a few minutes' worth of wandering around and pretending he knew where he was going before he found his destination.
Owen stepped in, a child-like level of excitement buzzed through him as he already saw what he was there for across the room in a small enclosure.
The previous week, the Velociraptors he had been summoned to analyze and train, were finally born. He had only had mere moments with them to allow them to imprint before they had to be whisked away for checkups and very careful first-week monitoring. His heart had been so full watching the tiny claws poking out of the eggs, the small group, all various colors and shapes and sizes, all looked up at him with big, innocent eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. He had picked one up, brightly colored, an orangey/yellow, and petted her tiny nose. He melted when she began to nuzzle in return and the others followed suit, some more eagerly than others.
He remembers seeing the scrutinizing gazes of the scientists through the glass, and recalls Barry and Claire looking borderline terrified that he had decided to snuggle up with the hatchlings and let them hop around on him.
They were taken to be sure they were stable, and the last week had seemed so meaningless now that Owen had something tangible to look forward to. He hadn't done much of anything other than sit in his camper and wait for the call. Which he did not necessarily accomplish; he had been the one to call Wu and ask if they were ready, seeing as though it had been exactly a week and 3 hours since they hatched, to which Wu responded with a hesitant affirmative.
So, there he stood, finally getting to greet his new partners. His brow furrowed in confusion, "Hey doc," Owen called over to Doctor Wu who was stood nearby, "Where's the rest? There's only three." He pointed out, confused, crouching down and standing on his tip-toes to make sure he hadn't missed the rest; as there had been 8 before.
Wu looked at him with amused bewilderment, "I am sorry, Mr. Grady. We were hoping for at least a 50% survival rate, but such is the nature of science. That's why we couldn't let you take them right away, we knew it would happen. But don't worry, there's another clutch on the way." He said, terrifyingly calm and unfazed.
Owen stared at him for a few long moments in disbelief, "The others..." He looked at the three tiny toddling raptors playing in the pen, "They died?" He felt choked up as he pushed the word out; anger and protectiveness bubbling up in his chest. He didn't quite understand why as he had only been with them a brief moment, but it felt so right, and to hear more than half of them were gone was breaking his heart.
Again, Wu answered him with a casual yes, and returned to the screen he had been studying, seemingly no worries or care, nor regard for the lives he started and ended in a weeks' time. Owen tried to be understanding, tried to not place the blame as it was nearly impossible to do so; but it was hard, and he settled for glaring icy daggers at Wu.
Regardless of the ever-growing pain in his heart, Owen made his way to the door of the pen, which was little more than a 7 by 7-foot glass room with an electronic lock much too excessive for three, week-old babies. They had no toys or foliage, no blankets, or anything to entertain them or make them at home; Owen was no Velociraptor expert (in fact he had to do most of his research on them as soon as he was offered this position) but he had many dogs in his life and took in a hurt lizard once, and it's not hard to make a space more comfortable, nor is it to tell when an animal is unhappy or unsettled.
The three tiny raptors, other than occasionally snapping or chirping at each other, aimlessly walked the perimeter of their room, pupils dilated harshly from the bright white lab lights. Owen pushed his trepidations away and allowed his previous excitement to take their space in his mind. He eagerly opened the door to step in, receiving a chorus of hisses and clicks as he did so.
Now that he was closer, Owen could see them much clearer. He immediately spots the smallest one was the orange one that first approached him the previous week; she was a little darker now but still a brilliant auburn color that perfectly complimented her sunshiney eyes. She looked at him the same way he looked at her. After a minute, and their fussing died down, the small orangey one stepped past her bigger sister, the forest colored one with black tiger stripes, and up to Owen.
His heart beat happily at the sight of her too-big feet tumbling over themselves and up to him, she chirped, and growled, warning Owen not to move as she took another step closer to sniff his pantleg. He knew the absolute worse she could do was maybe snap off a finger if she really applied herself, but Owen was smart, not to mention larger and faster and knew how to give the baby space to learn before he intervened. A few of the scientist outside the enclosure had stopped to watch, completely enthralled as the tiny reptile began to recognize Owen, chirping energetically and nuzzling his pantleg.
"Hey there sweetheart." Owen cooed as he slowly sat down on the floor. The little raptor jumped back at first, but then into his lap and got close to his face; for a moment, he was worried she might be trying to bite him where she knew it would hurt. Although her soft noises and little taps betrayed any intimidation factor she may have had.
While he was busying admiring the golden speckles in her eyes, Owen hadn't noticed the other smaller one (bigger than the first, not as big as the striped sibling) begin to approach: this one was much more curious, her skin was a subtle, pale teal with some darker markings along her flank and back. There were brighter teal markings under her eyes that made her look like she was sporting some 80's fashion makeup. She looked at him quizzically, watching the orange one carefully and obviously surveying the situation with the utmost anxious curiosity. Unlike the other two, her eyes were wide and caught the light so they shone like tiny suns staring excitedly at the world.
Perhaps foolishly, Owen reached out to give her a pet; she snapped at him and was just fast enough to just barely scrape a tiny tooth on his finger. Owen saw the collective flinch from the surveying group of people outside and went to scold the small reptile as he knew he had to assert dominance and confidence on top of allowing them to imprint. But before he could, the golden girl in his lap let out a hiss, lowering her head and leaping from his lap. Her clumsy claws slipped on the floor and she unceremoniously fell onto her belly. The incident was a fleeting moment, as she gained her footing and lowered herself back into an angry posture, pointing a few choice clicks and chitters at her sister.
Apparently, the point had been made, and the teal one huffed in mild annoyance and returned to trotting around the room, obviously not as thrilled about their alpha's presence, preferring to tolerate him for now.
Owen could not believe it and let out an audible laugh as he looked down at the little ray of sunshine at his side, who had returned to nuzzling his pants; more than likely trying to exchange scents. He had heard of big predators (lions, tigers, bears) becoming attached to humans, it was actually fairly common place: but never would he have thought a dinosaur could share the same trait, let alone at only a week old. They had barely spent any time together, he was completely new to them and they were new to themselves. It was spectacular and it filled Owen's heart to where he felt it might burst.
To his left, another little snout was tentatively sniffing him. The largest of the three, green with dark tiger stripes, seemed considerably more apprehensive than the others. She sniffed him from a foot or so away, stretching her neck out as far as she could as to not have to step any closer, she would twitch or step back anytime Owen moved, showing off her tiny teeth and lowering her head defensively.
Owen decided it was best to let her decide on her own time how to approach him, and instead began playing with the excitable orange one, having her spin in little circles by following his hand movement, and feeding her little strips of dried meat he had brought as snacks.
As soon as Owen had food out, suddenly the hesitant teal one was right next to him, her head lowered, but playfully this time, eyes alight with intrigue and most likely hunger. She squeaked and chirped happily, bouncing around Owen like an excited puppy; and although Owen was much too smart to ever think of viewing these girls as mere house pets, it made his chest alight with happiness to begin tossing little treats to them and watch them jump for them or chase them along the ground.
After a few minutes of feeding the two smaller raptors, the striped one finally seemed to have lowered her guard, and carefully walked up to Owen looking expectant but skeptical. She had a certain air to her, a careful dignity and a defensive wall she was trying desperately to maintain, Owen could see it in her eyes and in her posture; she did not want to let Owen in, and Owen was prepared to allow her all the time in the world to feel comfortable.
Something in the striped raptor changed in the next moment as she locked eyes with her new alpha. Owen wanted so desperately to tell her it was alright, that she didn't have to force it, to tell her everything was alright. He didn't know why, but suddenly these little carnivores were his whole world and nothing else mattered except making sure his girls were happy and comfortable with the situation.
My girls. Owen mused within his thoughts, chest heavy with emotions as the last one finally approached him and took the offering of jerky. He could cry. His time as a SEAL, his awards and accomplishments, they all felt like nothing compared to this: the patter of tiny claws on the hard floor, their happy chirps and adorable munching sounds as they enjoyed their snack.
He locked eyes with his little golden girl trilling happily once again in his lap, the shining stars that were her eyes were so bright and excited, and dare he say, happy. He could swear she was smiling at him. He cooed gently at her and ran his finger gently under her chin, "Echo." He mused, and she quirked her head and chittered happily in response to the name.
Laughing softly, Owen turned to the still warry teal one now ferociously eating the jerky out of the bag, "You're definitely a Delta." He chuckled when the raptor lifted her head with the empty bag perched on top of it.
"And you," He bopped the green one on the snout and she looked at him incredulously, "You'll be Charlie." She seemed indifferent, but he could have sworn she gave him a little nod.
Wu and a few of the other scientists had about an hour's worth of rules for him to listen to, about a thousand pounds worth of special supplies and medicines he may need for the babies, and more than a few words of warning. Owen didn't care much about the logistics, he couldn't keep his eyes of his girls the whole time they were talking; all three were lined up so neatly just inside the glass, watching and waiting for Owen with eager expressions. He would occasionally nod when he heard his name, but otherwise his mind was buzzing with excitement; to begin their training, to get to know them, to learn what they liked to do- he had never wanted kids but being a raptor dad was causing his heart to overflow with happiness.
He had to remind himself a few times that this was a job, and he would tell himself to try not to get attached, that these were dinosaurs that should not technically exist. That once they got bigger they would be a real threat and could very possibly kill him if desired. He looked at the girls, his girls; Echo's eyes caught his immediately, her expression was alight, she was smiling (in the best way a raptor could), and suddenly Owen had not a care in the world.