A Raptor Story (Part One: A Friendship Builds)
A thick atmosphere of smoke hovered above Sorio's head as he sat by himself at a table for two at a local tavern. The light brown substance in his cup bubbled as he took sips of it to maintain his amusement. He was use to being alone, but tonight was different, tonight someone would join him. As the door to the tavern opened, releasing some of the lamp smoke from the room, Sorio looked up from his drink and spotted the person that was to accompany him.
The mysterious figure, swathed in a dark layered and flowing cloak, made its way towards the table. Upon closer examination Sorio could make out the subtle shade of midnight blue, that he had mistaken for black, as the figure moved closer and took a seat at the table. He could feel the pressure of the figure's stare through the veil it hid behind. Finally Sorio mustered up the courage to speak. In the deepest voice he could make he asked, "Did you bring the goods?"
Instead of answering the question, the figure reached into the mysterious cloak and pulled out a large pale perfectly smooth egg. Sorio reached into his pocket and extracted a leather pouch filled with gold and set it on the table. "You can count it, its all there." declared Sorio confidently. With its free hand the figure picked up the bag and shook out a few of the gold pieces onto the table. It picked up one piece and held it up to the veil ,as the dim light glinted faintly off the coin. After careful inspection of the coin it returned them to the pouch and placed it in his cloak.
Now that the price was paid, the figure stretched out its arm and handed the egg to its new owner. As Sorio took the egg into his hands he could feel the warmth radiating from it. He ran his fingers over the flawless surface, staring at it in awe. When he looked, the mysterious seller had already left as quietly as they had arrived. He surveyed the room with his eyes and couldn't spot any traces that the figure had come or gone. For a moment he worried about the authenticity of his purchase but was convinced he had what he wanted.
Sorio returned his attention to his purchase and pressed his cheek against the soothing surface. He finished the last of his drink and tucked the egg into his cloak. The old chair let out a shrill creak as he got up from the table and made his way to the door. He took a breath of fresh air as he emerged from the bar and joined the others in the crowded streets of Rome. Careful not to damage the egg or draw attention to what he was hiding, he walked cautiously to his private chariot and gave the driver the command to return to his home as the sun began to set in the distance.
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A romantic fire delicately lit Sorio's private quarters as he entered into it and took the egg out from its hiding place. He became worried as he noticed that the egg was losing some warmth from the trip, the last thing he wanted was for it to never even get a chance to live. He stood by the fire and set the egg down on a few blankets so that it could warm up. As he stared at the egg by the fire he felt that this tactic was simply not enough. He quickly disrobed and sat by the fire while embracing the egg against his warm naked body. It was a strange sensation but he felt motherly, he was determined to do whatever it took for his new friend to hatch. The heat from the fire beat gently upon his skin as he cuddled with the egg. The warmth the egg once had was now returning, he put the egg up to his lips and felt the heat from the egg on them as he gave it a gentle kiss goodnight.
For days on end he babied the egg, making sure it was always as warm as possible; he would spend as little time as possible away from it. One night as he lay asleep by the fire, he was awoken by a small pinch on his index finger. His sleep clouded eyes took a moment to focus on what was in front of him in the dim light. Staring back at him was a beautiful baby raptor head, with brightly curious slit-pupilled eyes that evaluated his every expression as he looked down upon it. The raptor chick let out a gurgly growl and then rubbed its damp snout on his bare belly. The warm goo that coated the hatchling stuck to his belly as the raptor continued to wiggle its way out of the shell. He ran his hand atop the fragile head and down the spine while the sticky goo collected on his hands. With his hand in this position he carefully broke away the remnants of the egg and cupped the fragile prehistoric reptile in his sticky hands.
The baby raptor looked into him with its brilliant yellow eyes as it watched its owner smiling down at it for the first time. At that moment the two beings made a connection that could never be severed, from then on the newly hatched raptor would always look up to and admire its keeper. Sorio brought the adorable creature closer to his face and kissed it gently on the snout. The quickly-drying goo from the egg stuck to his lips, leaving a bridge of sticky fluid between the two until he set it on his chest and the attachment thinned out and broke. Out of curiosity he licked his lips and was greeted by a mildly salty taste that he savored as he continued to pet his new friend. The raptor chick began to lick his fingers, its vibrant red tongue gently tickling his skin as it enthusiastically worked its way up his hand. As he gazed down upon it he continued to smile uncontrollably, as the raptor looked up at him and returned the facial expression with its own childish gap-jawed grin.
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Over the next few weeks it became increasingly hard to hide his new friend as it continued to eat and grow rapidly. The Raptor was also getting curious just like any child would; it was fascinated by the room's window and the view beyond it. Sorio knew he would have to allow it to venture outside eventually, he couldn't keep it locked up in this room forever. It needed to be taken outside to enjoy the environment that it naturally desired, but he had to know he controlled it. The last thing he needed was for it to return to roam freely as it desired and kill innocent victims across the countryside.
He spent some time trying to think of a name appropriate for the delightful creature, but he had yet to determine the raptor's sex. This morning it laid its head over his lap as he ran his fingers over its head, down the spine, and across the length of the tail. He brought his hand back up along the raptor's underside and it rolled over to enjoy a belly rub. As he ran his hand back and forth across the sleek and finely scaled belly, it let out a gentle murrr of delight while the tail slapped recklessly against the bedcovers. He moved his hand down to its vent and massaged it gently, not trying to penetrate but rather stimulate. The raptor was enjoying the experience and let out a suggestive growl, so he gently ran his finger over the vent as a perfectly pink penis slowly emerged from within. It was a male. He continued to stroke the genitalia until he felt the moist organ throb under his fingers, but no liquid came out. His friend was still too young to mate but clearly enjoyed the experience and responded with a growl of pleasure.
Sorio gazed intensely into the loving eyes of his friend while he tried to let the name come to him. The raptor could sense what was going on and wanted to help. It tried to speak but could only manage to let out a raspy "Raaah! Raaah!". Sorio smiled in delight as the sound suggested a perfect name for his friend: Raja. He hugged Raja's neck and kissed his snout. "I love you Raja." he whispered into Raja's ear slit.The raptor looked back as if he already knew his name and what his owner was trying to express. Although Raja couldn't tell his master, he showed that he felt the same way, running his wet tongue down Sorio's cheek and across his lips.
They began to make this love-play a morning ritual and continued to grow closer emotionally. Raja seemed to take to his name quickly, but there was only one way to test it for sure. It was time to go outside. Sorio took him out into to his large private gardens. Raja stayed close to him as he absorbed this new open world. Raja sniffed at the curious green natural carpet that lined the ground, the blades of grass gently tickling his snout. He dug his claws into a nearby tree trunk, clearly enjoying the sensation as he scratched and clawed deep into the bark and wood. His senses were busy drinking in the new stimuli when suddenly Sorio called for his attention by yelling "Raja fetch!" as he launched a stick into the air.
In an instant the raptor began an instinctive pursuit of the target and with a leap from its powerful hind legs it grasped the stick in its jaws, gracefully landing back on the earth. Raja stood still for a moment as he basked in the glory of his accomplishment until he heard his owner calling his name again. He rushed to his owner in a graceful two-legged sprint to show him what he had done. As Raja approached he leapt into the air again and came crashing down on Sorio. Raja ended up straddling Sorio's belly and tried to put the stick into his owner's mouth. A warm string of drool dripped down on Sorio as he reached up and took the stick from Raja's mouth. Sorio rewarded his friend with a "Good boy." and a rub on the snout as he recovered from the tackle.
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Sorio continued to train Raja in his garden and within days he could get him to sit, roll over, leap, and even play dead upon command. The two loved the time that they spent together, they would sit atop a small hill and cuddle as they watched the sun set after a long day of play. This was Raja's favorite part of the day, he often wondered what it would be like to mate with his owner in such a romantic setting.
It was during one such sunset when things took a turn for the worst. As the friends stared up at the beautiful sight they were suddenly seized from behind by a small squad of soldiers. Neither of the two had heard them approach due to the trance that their daydreaming had led them into.
A messenger began to read him his warrant, "You are being charged with possession of a lethal and uncontrollable animal. The law requires immediate confiscation of said creature and a sentence on enslavement for the owner." The armed men surrounded the two fugitives and drew their weapons. Sorio had to act fast; If Raja attacked them they would kill them both on the spot. He quickly murmured the command for Raja to play dead while putting his own hands over his head and falling to his knees. The soldiers were relieved that the dangerous creature they had feared seemed harmless, it appeared to have collapsed under the pressure of capture. They began to talk amongst themselves to make up a nice story that glorified them and their struggle to capture the beast as they drug the raptor's body to the cage awaiting it.
As he sat tethered to Raja's cage he reached through the bars and ran his hands down Raja's gullet one last time as he continued to ponder why or how he was caught. "It could have been anyone really." he thought as he began to regret being so reckless by bringing Raja outside. His political enemies were probably jumping for joy as they got word of his arrest. Or maybe it was one of his slaves; the informer might even gain freedom for this.
In his mind, he knew he had no one to blame but himself as he looked down into the frightened yellow eyes of his friend. As Raja looked back up at his master he felt his sorrow and knew that this was likely the last moments they would spend together. They moved as close as they could together; Raja stuck his head between the bars and they shared one last long kiss. A lone tear collected in Raja's eye as it slowly left his eye, rolled down his snout, and fell onto Sorio's lips. The intense moment went unnoticed by the guards who were preoccupied elaborating their story of the dramatic capture.
To be continued (soon, I promise).
Special thanks to my friend Blindsight for helping me shape the story and iron out all the errors. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to look over my stories in such a thorough manner and hope that one day I could help you as much as you've helped me.