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THE SCRIPTURES OF ODDCLAW

Three: Across the World

"I come from no country, from no city, no tribe. I am the son of the road...all tongues and all prayers belong to me. But I belong to none of them."

Amin Maalouf

The first thing he noticed when he stopped running was the creeping light of dawn behind his back as morning had soon risen. He had not stopped running since he last saw Jeremy and said his goodbyes, making tracks towards the black mountain on the west horizon. The shining mountain of the humans stood behind him captured in the sun glistening like fool's gold. Oddclaw soon realised that he was on the edge of a long coast that sliced outwards from the continent. He could see some bumpy shapes in front of him, too solid to be sand dunes as the sun's light slithered across the sand behind him. The smell of the sea brought back treacherous memories, but he shook them off on hearing the much calmer ebb and flow which started to soothe him like a lullaby whilst shifting the belt of his holster to set comfortably against his left thigh.

The rock formations were large and full of holes, sprouting from the sandy shore like broken teeth, pockmarked and riddled with decay as creatures scuttled back and forth between crevices. Lizards, rodents and bugs with the odd shellfish had made their nests here, a strange little community almost isolated from the rest of the world as the raptor decided to hide himself in amongst them. He was sure Jeremy would find a way to keep the humans delayed and buy him time but he couldn't be too careful. That and he was rather exhausted after having run himself ragged all night and the only comfort he had was the smooth cool sand on his feet. Sighing with relief, Oddclaw curled himself up onto a smooth flat rock hidden within the shade of the large stone reef. Tide pools dotted the landscape with curious little things such as crabs and whatnot which left plenty of small food for him to eat as he rested himself.

"Are you lost?"

A voice woke him up two hours later, coming from above the large broken stone teeth. He turned his head up to almost gasp with joy at seeing someone the same species as him, after the long three years of hairless mammals as he noted the scent as female and being older than him. Dark blood-red eyes and a body of ashen grey with black striped marks along her face.

"Um...y-y-yes, I am, is this your territory?"

"And what if it is?"

"Then I am sorry to intrude, please forgive me, I did not realise...I am far from home and I do not know where I am."

"Hmmmmm...I did not see you pass this way, or smell you in fact."

"I came from the shining mountain, from the east."

"Really?"

"I escaped from there, the hairless warmbloods, they took me into their home for...I do not know how long, it may be...u-u-um maybe two cycles at least."

Struggling with math made it even more difficult when having to return back to his kind's arithmetic, his face contorting into a rather confused expression that made her laugh.

"Hhhmhmhmhahaha, you are an odd hunter are you not?"

"Um, y-yes that is what they call me. The One With Odd Claws."

"Hah, is that so?"

She leapt down the rock facade with skilful agility, catching her claws within the cragged worn holes whilst hopping from point to point before landing firmly in front of him. Her pale colours were striking to him, as well as an odd tint of burning ash that permeated her scent as she glared at him with full ruby eyes. He had almost completely forgotten the fact he was the smallest raptor in existence as she almost towered over him at a prominent 7 feet, his head just past her shoulder.

"Hmmmmmm you are indeed odd. You smell like a warmblood, yet you are a hunter. You say the hairless took you?"

"Yes."

"And why are you not dead?"

"I...I was found on the shore by them, I fell into the sea."

"The sea?" her voice drifted above the calm lapping of the shore. "From where?"

"The Roaring Caves, not far from my home, my brother he...he lured me there to kill me."

"...I see. I am sorry you suffered that, though I do not know where these Roaring Caves are."

Empathy smouldered from her scent as he continued to explain.

"The hairless fed me, let me rest in their home but they would not let me leave because they...they wanted to return back to their home."

"Home? The mountain is not their home?"

"It is another home," he rubbed his eyes with a yawning weariness, "but not the home they were born in. They taught me how to speak like them, and how they live and see things but then I escaped because one of them...my friend...he helped me escape."

"Why did he help you escape?"

"He said that I should not have to wait for them to find their home before I can return home."

"How kind of him."

She looked up towards the east, the shining mountain a prominent pale white sparkling along the end of the shore.

"I do see the hairless leave the mountain, sometimes it makes odd sounds as if the mountain itself were crying out to its young. They also hunt across the sea."

"They hunt across...the sea?" he asked confused.

"In shining rocks," said the female factually, "but ones that can float, make an awful sound like a beast that ate its rotting son."

"HHHAH! Hhhhahahaha, oh I know those things, I have seen them, they are awful! I hate the noise they make...what do your tribe call you, I am sorry I did not ask."

"I am The One Who Claws At The Moon. I must admit I was feeling rather lonely so it is good to see a fellow hunter."

"I feel the same. I have not seen a hunter in cycles, I...I was afraid I would forget what we looked like."

"Hmhmhahaha, awwwww...such a sweet male."

She smiled and grabbed a small lick across his snout, causing him to blush as he stood up and asked:

"D-do you know where the Hunter's Nest is?"

"Do you mean my home?"

"No, my home...is your home called that too?"

"Hahaha, yes...have you never travelled beyond your home?"

"No," he shook his head from a human habit, "only as far as the Roaring Caves out towards the east."

"Hmm...as I said I do not know that place, what else is near your home?"

"The Jaws of the Earth are to the west...and the Skylands are north of us-"

"AH, I know that place!"

"You-you do?!"

He almost exploded with excitement, bouncing up and down happily as she chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"The Skylands I have seen from the other side of the Death Nest. If you are brave enough then I will show you the way."

"Even if I was fearful, I have nowhere else to go."

"Then I shall come with you. I would hate to see such a young hunter die out amongst the plains."

"You would hunt with me?! Thank you, thank you so much!"

"We do not have to leave now, there are some stonefish if you want to eat."

"I...would not mind eating yes, but I will gladly leave as soon as you like."

"Alright, we shall eat."

Taking Oddclaw round towards her favourite spots along the cragged beach, they hopped on the rocks carefully avoiding the sharpest points as their claws scuffed across the stones. Creatures were just rousing from their sleep, at least some of them, but they were safe inside their moist little nests unlike the nocturnal beasts who were scrabbling to get someplace safe before the raptors would eat them.

He gladly feasted on raw lizards and shellfish, the taste somehow much more plain than the roasted meat he had eaten with the humans which made him somewhat nostalgic. That was the first thing he was going to miss as he sat on the highest rock basking in the sun with Moonclaw. No sign of humans still which set him at ease as he laid back to savour the sweet rays of the prehistoric sun glistening upon his chest, warming his body from head to toe as well as relishing the full freedom of his slack 8-inch member without any clothes on at last. It was a wondrous feeling as he sighed and took a brief nap.

"How old are you Oddclaw?"

He sat up hearing her question, the female laying on her side to relish the sun alongside him.

"I do not know. When I was taken, I was twenty-four cycles, but in that place I could not tell how long time had passed. I could not see the sun or the moon always and I am...confused."

"Hmmm...that seems right, I would guess you to be around thirty cycles now."

"What about you Moonclaw? How old are you?"

"Forty-six cycles ago I was born."

Oddclaw blinked in astonishment but tried to suppress his surprise without appearing rude.

"...oh, really??"

"Hmhmhm, am I too old for your company?"

"No! Not at all I...I never thought you were...it is just you look so young, and fertile."

"HMHAHAHA! Are you serious?!"

"I-i am, I-i-i thought you had been born as long ago as me!"

"Hhhhahahahahaa, ohohohhhh you sweet dear hatchling."

She sat up and dragged her tongue along the ridge of his eye with a chirr of sweetness.

"You are the first to ever mistake my age."

"It was an honest mistake."

"Hm...yes, I can tell, even if I am old enough to be your mother."

"Oh that is not true, my mother is much older than you!"

"Really? She did not birth you when she was young?"

"She was born sixty cycles ago."

"Oh, goodness," she reared her head back with slight disbelief, "well, that is not too old when she had you, but later than usual when in a tribe. Was she an outsider?"

"Yes, she was, she...was the least-fertile female."

"Ahhhh I see. Well I hope she welcomes you home."

"I only hope my family are still there."

He thumbed his claws with nervousness, twitching with fidgeting fingers as she moved her head close to his.

"I am sure they are. Are you ready to leave?"

"I am ready when you are."

"Then let us go. The sun can follow us still."

"Where are the Skylands?"

"There."

She gestured nodding towards the southwest beyond the ocean.

"First we pass through the Sunmoon Trees, then through the Death Nest, across the Barren Plains and then we reach the Lake of the Longnecks after crossing the Birthlands. Let us hope the lake has dried out enough that our passage through will let us head to the Skylands and then we shall reach your home...wherever that may be, I do not know what is beyond those mountains."

"You know this land well?"

"I have lived here all my life, do not worry Oddclaw. I promise you shall not die alone."

"I...th-thank you."

He was not sure if her choice of words were either fitting or simply truthful, but regardless he followed her as soon as she was up and running with Moonclaw leaping from the rock and heading straight towards the great black mountain to the west. Before that however was a jungle, a sweltering pristine paradise of tropical temperament with trees that Oddclaw had never seen nor smelt before. The ones on this beach were different to that of home, being much more soft and bendy with large hanging fronds and strange hairy fruits that he struggled to open. He considered shooting them open with his shotgun, but then remembered Jeremy's warning concerning his limited ammunition.

The sweltering habitat was lush with verdant shades, a wondrous explosion of green that almost overwhelmed him by how long it had been since he had witnessed such pure nature from around him. The taste of fresh salty dew from the sea air, the cool feeling of palm leaves brushing across his skin, the thickening scent chlorophyll in his nostrils giving a healthy vitalising freshness.

"You seem happy."

"I have not known this scent in cycles...hhhhaaaaaah..."

"Hmhmhmhm, truly you are a hatchling."

"You would be just as happy if you had been in a cave for cycles."

"That is true," she looked up through the tree canopies as sunlight dappled her face, "though it is not a scent I am close to."

"I noticed from your markings," he turned his head to focus on them moreso. "Are you from the mountain?"

"Yes...hm, I did not think you would notice."

"Your markings do not match the land here, but a mountain it would fit."

"Indeed...I will have to keep my senses sharp around you."

Smiling without teeth, Oddclaw grinned at such praise as they headed further through the jungle. The moon had long disappeared to the west, and the sun was painting a fresh palette onto the environment as the world began to seethe with new life. Squawking shrieks and bellows rumbled through the trees as creatures stirred which made Oddclaw nervous. The scents of this jungle were new to him, beasts he did not recognise from the smallest skittering lizard to the largest trembling dragonflies almost half the height of him, swooping past with thick buzzing moans like spirits of the forest.

"Do you live at the shore?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "I enjoy being alone there."

"But the hairless have never hunted you?"

"They never come that way, there is nothing there for them. They always hunt on their floating rocks in other places, I have smelt the food they bring back with them. Meat and leaves."

"They do eat both yes. They never eat eggs though."

"Really?"

"They told me back in their old home they do, but they...said they did not want to disturb our cycles, hunt only what was needed."

"Well...that is good, they respect the land, and I am glad to see they are not some wretched egg thieves!"

"Speaking of hunting," asked Oddclaw, "what sort of beasts hunt here?"

"There are some hunters," said Moonclaw, "be wary of them crossing our path. There is not too much prey here, at least nothing great, some winged beasts."

"Skyflesh?"

"No, little winged beasts."

"Are these hunters clever?"

"They are smaller than us," she gave a pitying smile, "but they cannot fly, which means they can only hide well."

"Why are you here then?"

"I have to hunt...I like to hunt the hunters, it keeps me sharp."

"You hunt...other hunters?"

"Not us, the Sunmoon hunters."

"I hunt other beasts, but I have never hunted another hunter."

"Well this will be your first."

"Why?"

"Because they are watching us."

He felt it suddenly, a dozen eyes now upon him from every single direction he could see. Rustling in the bushes as they slowed their pace but did not stop entirely.

"Are you ready?" murmured Moonclaw.

"I am."

"Tell me. How big is the pack and what are they doing?"

"You must know."

"I want to make certain that you do."

"...six hunters. Three are heading south, three are north, moving round us."

"Good. When I tell you, turn and strike behind you."

"What?!"

"Do you trust me?"

She gave a look of playful sincerity but her scent made it clear that she was deadly serious.

"I do. I have no one else to trust."

"That is good. Ready? ......now."

He turned with ruthless force, striking out with slashing claws as he felt the cracking punch of his fist straight into a creature's face, the shriek of upset causing the rest of their plan of attack to fall apart. Moonclaw ducked and swerved to her left, lunging a bite towards one of the attacking predators to snatch at its neck and twist it violently apart in her jaws before the rest revealed themselves. They were like smaller pale raptors with striking green features and exceptionally slim heads almost resembling that of a bird with sharp large eyes and pale bellies which palaeontologists would have called a Troodon. Much more surprisingly, they were coated in furry fluff along their limbs, back and neck giving the impression that they were featherd, along with being much smaller than even Oddclaw himself at a height of 3-4 feet, despite having exceptionally long tails.

"You are not welcome here!" shrieked one of them.

"Why?" replied Moonclaw. "Because you cannot evade me?"

"You are nothing but a wretched scrape of a mountain hunter's womb!"

"And what about you? You are so small you cannot even fill one of my eggs."

"YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO LEAVE!"

"Oh be quiet small fang, it is not your fault I can barely feel you inside my vent."

"ARRGH KILL HER! BOTH OF THEM!"

Moonclaw braced herself into a venomous posture, head down low and waiting for the first one to strike before lunging to overwhelm one of the small hunters whilst two went for Oddclaw. He dodged with a leaping jump-kick, cracking a hefty blow to one of their heads whilst the other ran straight underneath to bite at his other foot. Dragging him down, he gasped and stretched himself forwards to grab at the beast's throat, strangling viciously until it released him.

Quickly getting back up, he swiped his tail at the other hunter he kicked to make sure it kept away from him as he focused on the leg-biter who swiped at him. It suddenly leapt from a crouching stance to grapple onto his chest and rake its claws horribly on his chest before he jammed one of his thumbs straight into its eye, piercing its retina with a hefty pop as white and red spilt down his knuckles. The creature shrieked with horrifying agony and tried to lunge at his throat with desperation, but Oddclaw was stronger in keeping its head away before suddenly twisting its neck, violently snapping it with a brittle cracking sound. The one behind him tried to attack, but he swung the dead troodon by the throat like a bat and slammed its carcass into its friend to send them flying into a tree.

Moonclaw had greater reflexes despite her age and size in being barely ever scraped or bit by the hunters of Sunmoon Jungle. Three of them went straight for her as she swerved her body low almost into lying down to dodge two of them coming from each side, before springing straight towards the one in front of her. This was evidently the leader, a stronger faster beast who rushed back and round to circle behind her with shocking speed. The female clawed one of her feet down upon a nearby troodon before biting at the other one, raking the thin razor-scythe claw across its body to tear and peel away the flesh covering its ribs as it spasmed with anguish. The leader leapt upon her back, digging his claws straight into her flesh and mauling at the back of her neck whilst she bucked and flailed like a maddening steed. She could not reach him but instead focused on tearing into the other hunter that bit at her legs in a frantic attempt to take her down.

The leader of the pack tried to bite into her skull, but felt the hammering thud of Oddclaw's fist strike into his jaw and send him reeling to roll across the ground, the flesh of Moonclaw still caught between his teeth.

"Thank you!" she cried.

"Be careful, I hear his pack coming again!"

"Ohhh wonderful, he brought his friends!"

Just as he heard, there came four more creatures out of the undergrowth shrieking with frenzied lust, piling onto the female to gnash and ravage her scaled skin ruthlessly. She rolled as fast as possible to throw two of them off, but one unlucky beast became crushed underneath her bulk as she grinded her spine deep into its chest with a cracking of bone that snapped and popped. Twisting back onto her feet, she swung her tail harshly forwards like a viper's strike to smack one of them across the head stunning the hunter briefly, whilst another tried to come from the opposite direction. She hopped as high as she could, timing her jump easily before crushing down upon the troodon who felt his entire body collapse into the earth as a singular crunch, beneath her flexing thick ashen-grey feet.

The two hunters that remained circled round her fast as they could like sharks in the sea to try and confuse Moonclaw but she kept steady and unflinching whilst they readied to make their move. One of them started to slow their pace hoping she wouldn't notice, carefully widening the distance between it and the other troodon in order to blindside her. But she had noticed all too well as she felt one of them stop behind her, keeping focus on the one in front. She scratched her feet deep into the dirt as if ready to run straight ahead but the moment the one behind made its attack, she kicked a cloud of dust hard behind her to send the hunter into a coughing fit, snarling from the earthy dust that wrapped round its snout as Moonclaw grinned at the hunter in front of her. It rushed in surprise attack, but she swung her body fast to crack her tail straight across its head and bite hard into the blinded foe that was behind her, severing its spine just below the skull with such monstrous force that its head almost came off before dangling by a few brittle threads against her jaw. Then there came another four beasts that wasted no time in just suddenly assaulting her, piling on top of the raptor with exceptional fury.

Three more creatures had come meanwhile from the jungle to fight Oddclaw, who backflipped out of harm's way before seeing one of them rush straight towards him. In a split-second he made a second backflip on the spot, somersaulting fast from the momentum of his previous leap to doublekick the hunter straight upwards in the jaw.

Desperately, another hunter skirted round him and flew towards his leg, but missed and ended up biting his cock instead. Crying out from the pain as teeth dug into his foreskin, he stomped hard on its body and throat to force it to release by a screeching wheeze before booting it straight back into the fern bushes. The two hunters that remained to attack him tried to make a pincer formation, switching their places from side to side in an attempt to confuse him until he surprised them by cartwheeling forwards, falling into a tumbling roll and stretching out finally to shank his claws deep into one of their throats, whilst slashing the other's violently like a dagger into a bloodied stream. As soon as he got back up, Oddclaw was stopped in his tracks from helping her by the leader of the group, the brazen 4-foot troodon with vengeful eyes who snarled:

"I will let you live IF you run."

"I can tell you the same."

"This filth is not your friend, she is OUR enemy."

"Then that makes me YOUR enemy as well, small fang."

"Do you know her well?"

"I know her and not you."

"Then I warn you now...as a hunter, do not trust her. She is a rabid cruel beast who knows no loyalty and has no tribe!"

"And I should trust the one who tore at my body instead?!"

"We were mistaken. Leave, and we shall not follow you. Stay, and die with her."

Moonclaw was struggling with four beasts upon her, pinning her by their combined weight as they clawed and raked across her sides and head making scratches with their bitter little claws in a desperate attempt to eviscerate her. She kept on her belly as they ripped into her back, covering her most vital organs as the troodon turned to smile at their work.

"The mountain hunter shall be dealt with."

"No."

Cli-click.

"I deal with you instead."

BANG.

Whatever remained of the troodon's head after exploding from a single shell, had now scattered across the ferns into several dozen pieces of skull fragments and ripped sinew along with a cloud of blood that painted itself on Oddclaw's stomach. The body of the headless beast struggled to stand before the smoking gun, but the spasm of nerve failures soon caught up with the rest of his system as he slumped into violent fits which frightened the rest of his pack in ceasing their assault, before he pointed the shotgun at them next.

"You can die on her body or you shall leave and let us pass through. Your choice."

They carefully detached their teeth and claws from the flesh of Moonclaw and rushed swiftly back into the undergrowth as Oddclaw holstered his gun. It was the first he had seen of the weapon's true power which briefly terrified him to see such a vivid burst of gore, something he had only ever seen in the humans' movies but not for himself. The hot blood dripped slightly off his cock in tapering droplets, festooning his foreskin with a shining crimson as Moonclaw gasped at his show of strength.

"That...wh-wh-what was THAT?!"

"The fire of the hairless. They taught me how to wield it."

"Wha-...f-f-fire?! You, you can control it?!"

"In this one I can."

He showed the weapon carefully as Moonclaw sniffed it, still faint with the trace of smoke and burning that gave her a rather wistful look. The raptor looked at him with a strange glance in her eyes almost in awe and bewilderment.

"Hhhohhh...they...how can that-"

"Hmm?"

"I-it's...nothing, I am simply amazed at such...s-such strength, his head just came apart like a-a-an egg!"

"It is very dangerous," said Oddclaw holstering his weapon. "But I know how to wield it, though I cannot use it always."

"Why, because it is so strong?"

"Yes. The fire will run out each time I use it so I must be cautious."

"I see...hmhmha, you are full of surprises!"

Her voice took a sweet chirruping tone as she turned round to stroke her tail along his cheek.

"You walk and smell like a hairless now you wield their fire, are you sure you are not just one wearing a hunter's skin?"

"I would know if I was," he replied shivering from her touch, "b-but th-that small-winged hunter said something about you."

"Ahhh yes," she chirrupped turning round to stroke her tail along his cheek, "the rabid beast with no loyalty or tribe."

"Yes."

"Well do not fear. He was right."

"What?"

"I am rabid, and I have no loyalty...but only because I have not found one deserving of it."

She smiled thinly with a slow lick across his eye that made him smirk nervously.

"And, wh-what about your tribe?"

"He was right on that too. But that is not a bad thing surely?"

"I...no, it is not. But, please, I hope you do not lie to me of anything."

"I have no reason to Oddclaw. Do not fear. They despise me because they are not good enough to survive my claws, speaking of which..."

They glanced towards the remains of the leader as well as the other troodons they had slaughtered. A nod of approval between them as they decided to eat, tearing into the flesh and stripping as much of the meat from the smaller bones as they could. It was a strange sensation for Oddclaw to feel again, the blood smearing across his lips as he tugged and flensed the scaled skin to savour the richest red within. Moonclaw had most of the food with Oddclaw only eating two of them due to his smaller stature. Once they were full, they headed on towards the deep black mountain.

It was not the pitch black colour or the height that intimidated Oddclaw the most about the Death Nest. It was the stench of constant fire unseen that permeated the air as the jungle stopped dead just short of its thick tenebrous soil. The boundary between life and death was palpable as he felt his feet instantly change from soft loamy earth to thick concrete that was harsh on his soles.

"You...you actually lived here?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Moonclaw. "This...was my home, or rather still is at this point."

"I...wh-why do I smell fire but cannot see it?"

"This mountain was burst with a great fire. It does not do so anymore, so we are safe."

"But...what about your tribe?"

"Let us go."

She walked ahead of him as they began scaling the slope in front of them. The layers of cooled thick lava floe formed a natural stair as they ascended towards the actual mountain itself. Looming before them with cold indifference, the sky seemed to darken the closer he came to it despite still being the morning as the sun remained high above. Yet he could feel the strange clouded atmosphere conjugate around the peak as his claws clacked against the cold lava spill. The further he travelled towards the volcanic husk, the stronger the smell of fire became until they could almost feel it against their skin as black burning flakes. The jungle behind them felt like another world of joyous wealth compared to this desiccated peak.

The higher they climbed the worse the air became as the ash thickened against their nostrils which caused Oddclaw to cough and gasp. But the raptor in front of him kept her breathing stable, almost embracing the dark wretched earth with steady pace. Oddclaw could feel the ash coating on his back as he shuddered and tried to clean himself.

"If you try to clean yourself," said Moonclaw without turning, "the ash will spread. You can only clean it with water."

"Wha...what is ash, you mean these dry leaves?"

"They are not leaves. The mountain's flesh has been devoured by its own fire, and so it now scatters across the winds, upon you and I."

"Why...does it not reach the trees?"

"This mountain is...special, the wind here keeps the ash swirling around itself in a cycle that shall never cease."

"It...I-i-it is...I...I-i cannot breathe."

"Do not be frightened, let your body embrace it and the ash will fade."

After an arduous climb for a long twenty minutes, they soon reached base of the volcano. A monstrous crevasse had split the peak in two, shattering it through the middle which now formed a passage that seemed to descend into the earth. The stench of fire he could taste in his mouth as the light disappeared beyond him but then he felt another taste. Something danced across his face in a sickly waltz as he struggled to think what it was whilst smacking his lips.

"Can you still see me?" asked Moonclaw.

"Yes...what is that smell?"

"The fire is strong still, it can smell odd."

"It...no it, smells like something else."

"Keep your eyes on me hatchling. Whatever you do, do NOT take your eyes off of me."

He shifted his focus back to her and tried his best to ignore the thick pulchritudinous odour that seethed from the walls of the Death Nest. She beckoned him onwards as he watched her body carefully making sure he would not lose sight. He understood why she insisted as the male saw branching paths composed of smooth magma tubes. She entered one on the right and he followed in as he heard the warnings of the Sunmoon hunter echo back in his mind.

"M-m-moonclaw?"

"Yes? Can you still see me?"

"Yes, but...why are you taking me into this cave?"

"It is the fastest path through the mountain...unless you would rather climb through the sharp stones outside."

"I...I am just...afraid."

"I know. I am here, you said you trust me."

"I......yes. I do."

Remembering this strengthened his faith as he took a deep breath and headed forwards keeping Moonclaw's scent in front of him. The passage turned and twisted in ways that caused them to climb and crawl through vents which to Oddclaw was little problem, but for the feral female this made quite a struggle with her larger bulk yet she managed from pure memory. It was almost too easy for her to slip through the tighter sections where claws scraped thickly against igneous rock. Eventually they moved downwards into a large cavern that felt opal-shaped like a melting pot. Several passages led out into a network of invisible dead ends, along with a large pool of water that came filtering in from all directions of sweet trickling rivulets.

"Are you alright?" asked the female.

"I am fine...what...what is this place?"

"This...I would call it my home now, but...it is rather empty."

"You...you live here?"

"Is it still a home if you do not live here, but rather...hide away from the beasts?"

Through his senses he could just make out her features as his eyes widened, taking in the faintest shots of light through the underreach to peer on her features. The scent of sadness trickled through her face briefly but he said nothing.

"Do you want to rest?" she asked.

"No, I am fine."

"No one can disturb us here. Beyond this is the Barren Plains, once we reach it there is no coming back."

"I just want to return to my family. Nothing will stop me."

"...good. Drink, the water will help you for the plains."

They drank up as much as they could, with Oddclaw noting that it was exceptionally delicious and full of minerals that gave him sudden zest. He became almost addicted to its nutritious strength, having to stop himself and it was only then that he remembered something Jeremy had given him. He brought out a bottle from his belt pouch and filled it up whilst Moonclaw looked at him curious.

"What is that?"

"My friend the hairless gave me this to carry water with you."

"Oh!" She sniffed at the bottle recognising a clear aquatic scent. "That is good, that will help in the plains."

"I can share the water with you, if you need it."

"I am fine, do not fear. I will ask if I need it."

After they drank, she continued on to another passage but Oddclaw noticed something from the corner of his eye in the deepest dark of another tunnel. Bodies. Skeletons. Faces like his own buried into the walls now consumed by the aged floe of magma.

"M-...Moonclaw, the...why are there bodies here?"

"The mountain took their lives," she said simply. "You will not join them, and neither will I."

"Oh."

"Come, let us go, the Barren Plains are just past this cave."

Passing through the last of the mountain's chambers soon rewarded them with the expansive desert beyond the peak. It was now nearing just past noon according to the sun's position as they clambered their way out and scaled down the undulating steppes into the Barren Plains. The flatlands of searing heat and cracked earth made it a hellish place for non-reptiles, but for those like raptors it was still a harsh landscape. Not a single trace of plant life could be seen as they walked into the arid wastes, the scent of wispy sands trailing in the dusted winds.

"Hhhhohhhh," gasped Oddclaw, "this...is the Barren Plains?"

"Yes," said Moonclaw cocking her head, "why else did you think it was called that?"

"I...I just, never realised how...barren it was."

"Hmhmhm...you have never been here?"

"No. But, my mother is from here."

"Really!? ...what tribe was she with?"

"Well, she is a hunter like me. Well, not LIKE me, not like this body, more like you."

"Yes, of course."

They took their first steps into the desert as the female went ahead, her charge following to feel the scorching heat smother round his feet like a hot blanket. The anthro asked:

"Did you know the tribe that lived in these plains?"

"I knew OF them," she replied looking back at him, "but I never met them. It is a very wide plain, the sun and moon will pass us three-and-one times before we reach the Lake of the Longnecks."

"Really? These plains are that big?"

"Yes, did your mother not tell you about them?"

"I never asked. She...did not tell me much of her family."

"I see. She must have a good reason."

"Will we find shade?"

"I remember where there is some, do not fear. Just follow me."

Timid as he was at the prospect of entering such a wretched land, he had been more fearful of Moonclaw having some ulterior motive before realising that if she wanted to dispose of him, she had every chance in the darkness behind them instead of wasting her time beneath the abhorrent arid sun. With paranoia shook from his mind, his claws felt an ache of warmth to the point of uncomfortable as he stepped from the black igneous and onto the crackling dirt.

His neck already hurt from the roasting blaze after thirty minutes of walking straight, following Moonclaw close as possible amidst the swirling haze of the horizon in front of them. The land danced in front of them as the heat turned fierce the further they walked and if it wasn't for the grace of their thick scaly soles they would have felt the stinging smoulder against their skin. Sharp rocks littered the sandscape both great and small as they took care to avoid the deadly creatures that somehow lived within this place. One such beast was the black chitinous insect with large pincers and a wicked sting on the end of its tail which Oddclaw had never seen.

"What is that?"

"Deathtails." She raised her tail in a stiff warning to both him and them. "Do not approach them, they are vicious and their tails can kill you swiftly."

"Oh. Do you travel through these plains often?"

"Enough to remember where it is safe, thankfully."

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why travel through these plains, back and forth?"

"There is nothing else for me back in the Death Nest, so why not travel and explore?"

The raptor found this philosophy to be rather refreshing, smiling at her as they kept onwards. Hours would pass as the sun faded past them, the sky turning from blue to a misted red as Oddclaw resisted the urge to drink. He had never felt this thirsty in his life, gasping as his feet became sluggish with his head now swimming. The dried bones and bleached husks of those before them gave a constant reminder of failure around them as scorpions and burrowing creatures skittered across the wastes. Sometimes there was a large hill they had to cross over, the sloped incline making it harsher on their feet as Oddclaw winced and crawled forwards best as he could.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"I...I am fine..."

"Drink some water."

"N-no...need to save it. You could do it without drinking, so can I."

"I am used to this place, you are not."

"When we get...to...shade, I will drink."

She said nothing more sensing his stubbornness as they reached the top of the hill before skating down the other side with frantic claws. The little food they could find and eat came in the form of foolish little lizards and naked mammals that were too slow to hide, devouring them on the spot to keep their strength. It was around late afternoon that they finally found some shelter in the form of a large rocky mount that made a perfect overhang. Oddclaw drank up some water as promised, trying not to be greedy as he offered some to Moonclaw by carefully closing her teeth round the top and tipping it into her mouth.

"We can travel by night if you prefer," said the female.

"I rested well at the shore," replied Oddclaw, "it is your choice."

"Alright. Night can feel frozen in the plains, without company it can be...difficult."

"Then I am glad I have you. Let us rest then until night, I can make fire to keep us safe."

"It would be nice to not feel frozen. Alright then."

The first night on the open wastes gave Oddclaw the most perfect view of the stars shining down, a myriad of soft white crystals that scattered across the sky. He felt somehow there were more of them than before, but it was perhaps the fact he was in such an expansive place that nothing could interrupt his view. When cold began to sink in, he gathered some twigs from a nearby bush and piled them into a small circle of rocks, before striking two stones together and setting a spark alight. Fire began to glint, much to Moonclaw's surprise and wonder as the warmth fed into her skin.

"Ohhhhhh...what a lovely feeling. How did you learn that?"

"The hairless, my friend taught me how to make fire without need of this."

He patted his shotgun as she smirked.

"Hhhmhmhmhm, you make quite the travel companion Oddclaw."

"And I am thankful that you came with me. I cannot wait to see my brother again."

"The one who tried to kill you?"

"No, no my other brother. Barkclaw is my good brother, Sunscreech is the one who tried to kill me."

"What is your family like?"

She sat up against the rock as Oddclaw joined her, slumping down onto the sand.

"My mother is kind but stern. She worries too much, I think because her previous mates have disappeared leaving her, and now I have disappeared too...I hope she is alright."

"We will see your family soon. It may take some time but we will get there. And the rest of your family?"

"My two sisters, Sandrunner and Leafrunner are so stupid."

"HAHAHA!" she cackled, "that's not nice!"

"It is true! They play stupid games and tease me about being their 'little brother' even though we were born the same day. But they care about me, they can be kind...they care about my family. They never tease Barkclaw, they know he is sensitive, but they are wonderful hunters when they focus. I also have an older sister, Eggfang, she is kinder than mother and the one in charge when mother is away."

"And your brothers?"

Oddclaw took a moment to lean back and sigh gazing up towards the stars. His heart began hurting as she smelt his pain.

"Fishclaw and Sunscreech came from a different father. Fishclaw is good, he is a wonderful hunter of the waters and has his own family now who are good to us. Sunscreech......he despises me."

He wrapped his claws within each other as a conflict of rage built within.

"He despises me because my father was...a hero to my tribe, but his father was not. He is jealous of me, but I am not responsible for what my father did and what his father could not do!"

"Of course not. So he takes his rage out on you?"

"Yes! I know he hates me because I look like my father but...I only want to make the tribe happy."

"What will you do when you meet him again?"

"......they will know what he did to me."

His eyes turned towards her with bitter focus.

"I will not forgive him."

"Will you kill him?"

"......that is up to the tribe, I will not kill him by my own will but if I have to I will kill him. I cannot trust him near my family...near Barkclaw."

"You speak of Barkclaw often...is he your dearest brother?"

"Yes. Always. He is...different but I love him. He can be difficult, but I love how he sees things, he always tells me about how many spotwings or sunwings there are and he can tell me when they come back and when they leave down to the cycle! He is wonderful, he is shy but so clever and yet none of the females want him. We mate with each other when he needs it, I always let him mate me so he can feel safe. ...I love him. I love him more than I can love any female."

"That...that is wonderful."

She scooted herself closer to him as the fire flickered from her deep red eyes.

"You care for your brother so much I can feel his love in your heart. I know he will be happy to see you again."

"I hope...he can forgive me for leaving him."

"What?! But that was not your fault!"

"I broke a promise to him, that I would never leave him. Even if it was not my choice, I hope...I hope I can tell him the truth and he believes me."

"Why would he not believe you?"

"His...his mind can turn obsessive."

He clasped his hands as his shoulders slumped, the bare chest glowing in the fire's light.

"Once an idea is trapped within it is difficult to pull it free. And if he does not forgive me, then I will do everything I can to make him happy again. That is all I want."

"......do you want to sleep?"

"No."

"I know you want to return home but we must pace ourselves. A small rest will save you a day's exhaustion."

"You...you are right, let us rest. Thank you Moonclaw."

She curled up against him to savour the warmth of another body as Oddclaw did the same, wrapping his arms round the grey raptor with the taint of ash to her scent. The fire burned on smouldering to itself as a beacon of warning to all those in the barren wastes. Oddclaw felt exuberant with the best sleep he had since his escape from the human facility that he struggled to calm himself. He only focused on his family with joy for their eventual reunion, ignoring whatever hatred would be left for Sunscreech. He would battle that monster when he came to it and not in his dreams ever again.