art by me
Username: Pesagus
Name: Río Caldwell
Gender: Male
Prompt response: The hot midday sun beats down on the sandy desert area, and Río is outside in the ring with two of his raptors. His small home is several yards away, and next to it is a little pool of water barely more than a puddle. On the other side of the ring, another several yards away, is his stable. Inside his stable lies the sleeping raptor, Peqo, his favorite. In another stall there are 4 compies, and in the next stall over is his minmi, Mini. In a smaller stall are 2 aquilops’ and running around outside is his dilong, Rudy. Rudy is more like a dog than anything else, and he’s been trained quite well. And Mini is like a pony... Kind of. She’s rideable, and the weight and size of one, but very different in appearance.
Río only names his dinos once they’re fully tamed. His raptor, Peqo, was the first to become tame, followed by Rudy and then Mini. While Rudy and Mini have roles, Peqo is more like a best friend to Río. It can be quite lonely out here, but he doesn’t mind because he has his dinos.
Río faces the two raptors in the ring, holding a couple dead mice in one gloved hand, the other hand extended out towards the two. He takes a couple small steps towards them, then tosses them each a mouse. He continues the process, occasionally pulling more mice from his bulging pockets. The raptors nervously shuffle about, enjoying the mice but not the close proximity to Río. One raptor gives a low growl, and Río backs off a little bit. “Okay, okay. Point taken. We’ll give you a break.” He says, walking towards one of the gates to the ring. The way he built it, there is a fenced in path that leads to his stables, and depending on which dino he has out, he can adjust the gate so it leads right to their stall. The raptors are big enough to each have their own stall, and it can be difficult to separate them.
He goes for the less wild female first, shooing her through the gate. He quickly closes the gate behind her and hops the fence, leaving the male alone for a moment. He runs into the stable and watches as the female lies down in her stall. He closes her gate and adjusts the gate to line up with the male’s stall. He starts running back and nearly trips over Rudy. He gives his head a quick pat before hopping the fence again and opening the gate up. He repeats the process as with the female. It can be quite the process, but he’s used to it.
He leans back against the fence, and Rudy chirps at him, sitting on his foot. “Hey bud.” He says, stroking his feathery head. He hears Peqo stir in his stall and jogs up to it, staring adoringly down at him.
Peqo does not look good. His scales are discolored, his limbs weak and unable to support his weight. His eyes are glossy and distant. Río refuses to acknowledge the illness. He can’t handle it, so if he just tells himself it’s not there, it won’t be there. “Hey Peqo, you pretty boy.” He greets, opening the stall to go inside and talk to him. He strokes his scales softly and starts rambling about the other raptors and how the training is going, and Peqo appears quite attentive. He lifts his head and blinks at Río, and he just keeps talking. Deep down, he knows he’s losing Peqo, but he can’t come to terms with it. It’s not happening.
He stands up and stretches. “I’m going to go inside and get some lunch.” He states, not bothering to open the stall and just jumping over the door. Rudy jogs behind him as he approaches his home. He pulls the door open and lets Rudy in, heading straight for the cupboards.
After a quick lunch of pizza rolls, he sits back in his chair, stroking the feathery Rudy mindlessly. His mind is in a thousand different places: how in the world he's going to tame those feisty raptors, what he's going to do with the little compies, and daydreaming about going on a ride with Mini. Currently, Peqo is the last thing on his mind. That is, until he hears a loud screech. He bolts up, his first thought being Peqo. He races outside, starting to worry about Mini and then his other raptors. It only takes a couple moments for him to reach the stable, and he checks Peqo's stall first. The raptor lies fast asleep, the rise and fall of his chest the only sign of life. Río sighs with relief, walking from stall to stall to check on the dinos. He finally reaches the stall with the compies. One is standing apart from the rest, pacing and appears quite agitated. He must've been the yeller.
Río slowly starts walking back through the stable, and as he passes Peqo's stall, he peeks inside for a moment, "Hey bud." He says, and keeps walking.
Wait.
Río stops dead in his tracks, a realization hitting him. Was Peqo even breathing? Rudy chirps at him, tilting his head. Río doesn't acknowledge him, turning quickly and sprinting back to Peqo's stall. "Peqo?" He says in a panicked tone. He looks down at the raptor whose chest is no longer rising and falling. He throws the stall door open and falls to his knees at the dino's side. "No.. No, no, no." He whispers, wrapping his arms around him. Finally he realizes, all this time he's been lying to himself. Peqo's been ill, and he couldn't deal with it so he refused to see it, and now his beloved raptor is gone.
The tears finally start pouring down his face. "This is my fault, all my fault.. I'm so sorry." He weeps, standing up slowly. Rudy runs up to him and chirps, but all Río can do is stand, tears falling down his face. He takes one last glance at his best friend, lying alone and motionless in the soft bedding, before, overcome with grief, he begins the slow trek back to his home.
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