If there was one universal truth in the prehistoric world, it was this—you snooze, you lose.
Kerl learned that lesson real fast when he saw other predators eyeing his freshly downed T. rex.
«Ah, hell nah» he thought. «i did not just risk my tiny raptor life for some oversized freeloaders to swoop in and take my FREAKIN DINNER.»
A mix of carnivores closed in—dromeosaurs, smaller theropods, even a scavenger or two. Some were circling, waiting for an opening. Others? They were bold enough to start creeping forward.
Kerl wasn't about to let them take his kill.
With a flick of his tail, he grabbed a rope-like vine he had prepped earlier and hurled it.
Direct hit.
It snared one of the smaller predators—some feathered theropod that had clearly been eyeing a chunk of T. rex steak. The poor thing tripped, screeching as it hit the dirt hard.
Immediately, another dino turned on it. Opportunistic piece of shit.
And just like that—chaos.
Some of the scavengers turned on each other, interpreting the fall as a sign of weakness. The fight escalated as more dinos joined the free-for-all, biting and clawing for dominance.
«Perfect.» kerl thought
But it wasn't enough.
A few smart ones ignored the fight and kept moving toward the meat.
Kerl clicked his claws against the ground, signaling his raptors. «Alright, Plan B.»
His tail whipped through the air. Rocks.
He flung them with practiced ease. Not just randomly—strategically.
One stone cracked against the head of a hungry carnivore, making it stumble into another. That one turned with a snarl, thinking it was under attack.
More infighting.
But some dinosaurs weren't fooled.
A pair of mid-sized theropods—bigger than him, but not as massive as the T. rex.
They lunged towards him.
Kerl barely dodged, rolling sideways as razor-sharp teeth snapped where his head had been.
«Shit!»
No more distractions. They wanted the meat.
Kerl screeched, and his pack moved as one.
They swarmed.
His raptors leapt, slashing and biting. One chomped onto a theropod's tail while another went for its side.
Kerl, meanwhile, focused on the second attacker.
Using his size to his advantage, he dashed underneath it, slicing at its legs with his claws. The dino roared, stumbling as pain shot through its limbs.
That was all Kerl needed.
He jumped onto its back, digging his claws in.
It thrashed, trying to throw him off, but his pack was already overwhelming its partner.
A few more coordinated strikes later, and the intruders were forced to retreat.
Kerl huffed. «Damn freeloaders.»
His pack had held their ground. The T. rex kill was still theirs.
But time was running out. More predators were coming. «i gotta leave. where are my team?»
And his raptors? Still bickering over meat.
"Oh, for the love of— GOD!!"
Calling them wasn't working. Of course, it wasn't.
Maybe he needed to sound more like a raptor.
Practice time.
He puffed out his chest, raised his head, and went for it.
"UOURKH!"
Silence.
A few raptors gave him side-eyes.
Okay, maybe that wasn't quite right.
He tried again. "QUAAACK!"
More side-eyes.
One of them actually tilted its head in confusion.
Kerl clenched his long raptor jaw «Alright, one more time…»
He focused. Dug deep. Channeled his inner raptor.
"SKREEEEE—"
That did it.
His pack snapped to attention, their instincts reacting before their brains could.
The distress call worked.
Kerl was momentarily stunned. «Huh. That actually did something?»
No time to process. They needed to go.
His raptors grabbed what they could of the T. rex and bolted.
---
Once they were far enough, Kerl finally let himself breathe.
The deep, dense jungle stretched endlessly around them. Lush green leaves swayed with the wind, and golden sunlight broke through the canopy in dazzling patterns.
He had to admit… it was beautiful.
It was moments like this that made him appreciate the raw, untamed beauty of the world before humans.
Not that it changed the fact he was still stuck in a raptor's body.
And if he wanted to survive, he needed to do more than just run and fight.
He needed to communicate.
As they continued their journey, something weird started happening. Memories that weren't his own kept creeping into his mind. Instincts. Urges. The leftover thoughts of whatever raptor body he was inhabiting.
Useful.
It made him move more naturally, his posture adjusting without thought. Even the way he flicked his tail or made certain noises… it all started making sense.
«With time, i could master this.»
And he'd need to.
he also needed to be fluent in raptornese, if he wanted to be a leader- he have to know how to communicate
The next step was expanding the pack.
Kerl rallied his group and began searching for more velociraptors.
But soon, a new problem presented itself—
They were thirsty.
His raptors had eaten, but they hadn't drunk a single drop of water.
Kerl sighed. «Great, i gotta find prehistoric hydration...»
Splitting off from the group for a moment, he started exploring.
East of the forest, he found berries. Small, plump, deep red in color. Probably edible. Probably poisonous. Who the hell knew?
Nearby, some weird prehistoric plants caught his eye. Ferns, cycads, and something that looked like a mix between a cactus and a pinecone.
Useless for now, but he gathered them anyway, stuffing them into a makeshift pouch he had crafted.
«Maybe I can use these to bait prey later.»
Then, he found it.
A river.
Before he could even react, his pack rushed forward, plunging their heads into the water and drinking furiously.
Kerl was about to do the same when—
A deep, trumpeting sound shook the air.
His instincts screamed DANGER, but his brain went—
«Wait, was that a— are humans here?»
He turned.
Towering Brachiosaurus loomed over the trees, their long necks swaying like massive, living flutes.
Kerl stared.
They were huge.
Majestic, even.
Because looking at these gigantic prehistoric titans, the only thing his brain could process was—
"Damn. Those are some big-ass dinosaurs."
For a moment, he relaxed, watching the gentle giants sip from the same river.
After finally getting some time to relax— The sky darkened. and they had to find some shelter
His first day here was almost over.
He thought back on everything that had happened—the fights, the running, the discoveries. It was a lot.
But no time for reminiscing.
If they wanted a safe place to sleep, they needed to move.
Kerl led the pack up the mountains.
The logic was simple—big dinosaurs don't climb mountains.
Velociraptors, on the other hand? Super mobile.
Perfect shelter.
Or so he thought.
Because he forgot.
The first thing he had eaten in this era— the very thing that crashed to his time machine, had nested here.
Quetzalcoatlus. The biggest entity to live high above the ground
And they were here.
A dark shape loomed above. Then another.
Giant, prehistoric birds of death.
Kerl erde, had never ran so fast before.
His pack followed without hesitation, bolting straight back into the jungle.
Kerl gritted his teeth. «WHY is everything in this era tryin to kill me?!»
Ducking under an enormous trunk, he finally found a good hiding spot.
Annoyed but exhausted, he collapsed.
His pack curled up around him, settling down for the night.
Never in a million years did Kerl think he'd ever be cuddling with raptors.
Yet here he was.
before he fell to slumber, he swore to himself.
"I... it's all that damn junk's fault."