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Surrounded by dirt and foliage, Kansha observed the sauropod's sluggish, yet calculated movements. A gust of wind ruffled the crown of feathers on top of her head, making her squawk in surprise. A few metres away, the other raptors began to berate her for potentially alerting the larger dinosaur to their presence. She inwardly cringed at the realisation that she was setting a terrible example for the younger members of her squad. There was no way she'd be able to tame any more war-sauropods and secure her clan's territory if everybody saw her as an inept leader. The success of a raptor team depended on one thing and one thing alone; cooperation. When you were alone in the callous and unforgiving wilderness, nature itself became your enemy. Without anyone to back you up, you could die within hours or even minutes, of predation, disease, or even a simple misstep.

"Zakar, is this the right one?" Kansha motioned towards her mate, who stood just inches away from her.

"Yes, he's the exact one your father mentioned. Not too young, not too old, and perfectly fit to defend our borders." Zakar said, preening some of the feathers on his wing. He nuzzled Kansha's forehead and whispered something that she couldn't make out.

"Yikes! If the others know about this, we're screwed--" she blurted out, only to be interrupted by the sauropod's thundering footsteps. It was most likely a diplodocid, judging by its whip-like tail and long, straightened neck. Sunlight filtered in through massive conifer trees projected a mottled pattern onto its brownish-green scales and highlighted the brightly coloured display plumes sticking out of its neck. Its immense bulk was supported by pillar-like legs, which were relatively short when compared to the rest of its body.

There was little that could be heard in the forest, save for the sauropod's movements and the distant sound of running water. Kansha deduced that it probably wasn't interested in any of the plants, and had instead come here for a drink.

"Our target's making its way towards the waterhole." she announced. "There's a clearing coming up. Ready all your gear. We're going to prepare an ambush."

There was one thing you needed to keep in mind when capturing an animal literally thousands of times heavier than you, and that was to stay calm no matter what happened. Perhaps more importantly, one had to be weary of the fact that herbivores could be just as, if not even more lethal than carnivores. Kansha, despite her somewhat unusual approach to leadership, still stressed the importance of strategy over raw power. Raptors weren't naturally built for strength and speed, after all, but rather were adept ambush predators. While they were some of the only dinosaurs to have evolved proper sapience, the concept of working together in a team or 'pack' was relatively new to them.

"In position, everyone!" Kansha ordered, with Zakar echoing her words. She took an arrow out of the quiver strapped around her back, and motioned for her mate to hand her a bow. The projectile was tipped with a sleep-inducing solution made from ground-up herbs. It'd take more than a few of them to knock their quarry unconscious.

"We have the nets ready." Zakar said. "By the looks of it, we're going to have to call the other troops in order to haul him back home. I don't think our cart is sturdy enough."

"You're right. I hadn't anticipated our target to be this big, but I guess it is for the better." Kansha said, pulling the bowstring back. Aiming at the sauropod's flank, she let loose the arrow, only for it to bounce off a tree stump and fall into an adjacent stream. Several more raptors took aim. One shot hit the behemoth in its leg, causing it to stagger backwards. Its bellows reverberated throughout the forest, scattering flocks of birds and shaking leaves off branches.

Then, the tremors began.

Before he could warn his mate, Zakar was knocked off his feet and fell into a bush, thorns grazing the skin beneath his plumage. He cried out something incoherent as the thuds grew more frequent.

"Zakar? Where are you?" Kansha said, keeping a tight grip on her bow.

"O-over here!" he stammered, trying and failing to pull himself free.

Kansha rushed over to him and hauled him out of the bush, taking care not to cause any more injuries. Slightly dazed, he shook his head from side to side. Everything around him was blurry, yet he could still make out the sauropod in his peripheral vision. It remained still, raising its head in the direction of the trees at the very right of the clearing.

With her sights finally set on her prey, there was nothing left to do except deal one decisive blow. It had already been weakened by one of the raptors' arrows, making her job all the more easier. She let out a growl of anticipation and charged forward. Rallying her sisters to follow her, she burst out of the clearing.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

Three or more silhouettes darted out of the undergrowth. At first, Kansha assumed they might've been more sauropods, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

She recoiled at the realisation that she'd incidentally crossed into another clan's hunting territory. Except that said territory didn't belong to other raptors.

It belonged to carcharodontosaurs -- large, mostly featherless theropods with serrated teeth.

Her troop wouldn't last long at all here.

Not unless she made a break for it.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

"Everyone, put down your weapons and nets-"

Zakar's speech was cut off by a rampaging carcharodontosaur. The larger theropod would've trampled him if not for his heightened reflexes. He joined Kansha and the others at the very edge of the clearing, and was just about to run towards the exit when--

There would be no escape for anyone now. Not for the sauropod, and not for the raptors. She and her sisters now surrounded the entire perimeter of the clearing.

Without any regard for her own safety, she went in for the kill.

--one of the carcharodontosaurs recklessly lunged at the sauropod. Shocked by the display of brutality, Kansha shouted for the other theropod to stop.

"Kansha, no!" Zakar said. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

The sauropod let out a long cry of agony as two more carcharodontosaurs wrestled it to the ground. For a moment, its assailants stopped in their tracks, raising their heads towards the horizon. For once, Kansha decided to listen to her common sense and stay put. No matter what happened now, she was going to keep the hell away from it.

"That wasn't a scream of pain." she said. "It was a call for help."

Against her better judgement, she continued to pin down her prey, while her sisters retreated into the forest.

It wasn't until she noticed the herd approaching that she realised her mistake.

Kansha had never been in a proper earthquake before, but this came pretty damn close. Quite possibly hundreds of sauropods rushed across the clearing, knocking over trees and a few unlucky carcharodontosaurs in their wake. She and her troop had taken shelter in the trees, using the sickle claws on their feet to anchor themselves to the wood. It was safe to say that she'd come home empty-handed now, but nothing could quite compare to the spectacle of seeing the stampede move across the forest, not even the feeling of having captured a new war sauropod.

"I'm amazed we even got out of there alive." Zakar said, setting aside his net.

"I think we're forgetting to thank someone." Kansha said. "He's not our target anymore, though what's for sure is that he's got family and friends too."

She waved at the wounded sauropod, who'd thankfully been able to pull himself up despite his injuries. He spent a good few seconds looking at Kansha. Before he walked away, he quickly flashed her a smile.

"Here's to a prosperous future for our clan, eh?" she said to Zakar, before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Indeed." he said. "Although, next time, you'd better listen to your instincts for once!"