Daring dashed into the open door at breakneck speed, skidding on the ground and kicking the door closed behind her with her back legs. She leaned up against it as she panted, sweat dripping down her dust-covered face.
"What's going on?" asked a voice as Scootaround came out from around the corner, "I was trying to check out the toilet and then-"
"There's, there's..... THINGS out there!" Daring sputtered, motioning for Scootaround to help her keep the door shut. There were shrill shrieks that sounded like they belonged to some otherworldly monster as a pair of Raptors slammed their weight against the door. It held shut for the moment, but Daring had a feeling that the old wooden boards wouldn't hold for long.
"What are they?" Scootaround yelped. Almost immediately after a striped snout smashed through the boards on the very bottom of the wall to Daring's left. They could both see the rows of teeth as the creature opened it's mouth to snarl at them in frustration.
"Raptors of some kind," Daring said as she looked about frantically, "Guess not all the dinosaurs are dead after all."
The jail cells. That was the only place in this building that they could be safe from the raptors. With any luck, they could work a way to get out by punching through the roof shingles or...
SLAM!
The boards around the base of the wall became even further damaged, and the entire bulk of one of the striped raptors slid into the Sheriff's building. Scootaround shrieked in sudden terror, and Daring knew there was no time to waste. They were inside now.
"Into the cell!" shouted the pony, hurdling the frightened filly into the jail cell. Daring clicked the lock closed and began closing the door as the raptor regained its footing and charged at her, claws outstretched. The beast jumped into the air and scraped the ceiling, slamming itself into the bars of the cell and jamming them shut, with Daring and Scootaround inside.
"We're trapped!" Scootaround wailed in a state of panic. She was hyperventilating as she stared at the powerful jaws of the monster as they gnawed on the steel bars in frustration. The raptor could claw and bite the cell bars all it wanted, but it could not get to them there. The filly jumped once she had noticed the second snarling raptor as it entered through the hole in the wall made by the first.
The pair of beasts seemed to be working together. Pack hunters, Daring thought to herself, They coordinated this.
Indeed it appeared that way. Had the metal rods not afforded them temporary protection from the snarling carnivores, the two ponies would most certainly have been trapped together and had been easy prey. Daring didn't want to consider what would've happened, or what might happen if they failed to escape. It was clear the morbid reality of what the predators would do to them was reeling through Scootaround's mind. The filly was sweating and continued to stare at the raptors with widened eyes.
The yellowish green eyes of the raptor nearest them stared right back into hers. They weren't the cold, unfeeling eyes of reptiles. This was a darting, piercing gaze of an intelligent creature that had a plan. Even as the wheels in Daring's head turned as she considered how to get the two of them to safety, the wheels were turning in the head of the raptor as it considered a way to get to them.
It was then that the back raptor made a calling sound, a kind of cawing. It was deafening to hear up close, and a moment later it was answered by several others outside.
"Oh no," Daring murmured, "There are more of them out there."
"We'll never make it," squeaked Scootaround, "They'll catch us, and then they'll try to bite us or cut with those sharp claws. They'll try eating our-"
"Stop," said Daring, holding a hoof to the filly's mouth to stop her ranting.
"None of that's gonna happen, kid. We're going to be ok."
"But-"
"We're going to be okay," Daring assured her. She looked up at the ceiling above them inside the cramped cell. If she could boost Scootaround up...
"Hey," Daring said, "I need you to help me. Promise to calm down?"
"I-I-I," stuttered the frightened filly, her knees wobbling.
"We can do it,"
"Okay, what are we gonna do?"
"First," Daring began, recoiling as the pair of raptors took turns slamming up against the metal bars and denting them inwards, "First I need you to get up onto my back."
****
The pair of ponies clattered out onto the roof of the structure with a crash. Down below the raptors squealed in frustration at their prey potentially getting away from them. Wasting no time, Daring jumped from the roof of the building she was on to a nearby one, and Scootaround followed suit.
"Now that we're up here what are we gonna do?" asked Scootaround. Daring glanced about at her surroundings. Down over the side of the building was a group of about four snarling raptors bobbing their heads and looking right up at her.
"I'm working on it," Daring muttered. She backed away from the edge just as one of the raptors leaped up at her, claws raking the shingles on top of the roof where she had been moments before. The creature dug at the tiles in frustration, but they were coming loose and it had to let go.
They sure can jump Daring thought to herself. She was questioning the decision to bring the pair of them up here now if the raptors were able to get up onto the roof.
With a shriek Scootaround jumped back and Daring's head snapped up to see what was the matter. A large raptor was right in front of her, chasing the filly. It had been able to jump up and onto the roof from below and now was intent on getting the smaller of the two ponies.
Daring placed herself in front of Scootaround and kicked hard with her front hooves. The raptor dodged her attack and jumped into the air, sailing in an arc. Daring watched it as it drew nearer.
SLAM!
Another raptor had landed on the roof, this time right atop Daring herself, pinning the pony down. Daring cried out as it grasped her with sharp claws that dug at her skin below her coat. The thing's scaly face pressed in against hers. It opened its razor-sharp jaws and prepared to strike her, but a swift jab with a hoof to the neck sent the raptor's head back a bit. She then struck with her back legs at the ankles of the raptor, sending it sprawling back and right into the second raptor.
"We gotta get out of here!" Daring yelled. Both she and Scootaround got to their hooves and dashed towards the edge of the roof, jumping once again up and over to another building. They landed with a dull thump and took off running further. Behind her, Daring could hear the sound of claws clicking as the raptors ran across the roof and leaped onto the one they were on.
The claws. Daring had seen many creatures, and most of them she could handle with the exception of snakes. But those claws... something was wrong with them. They were retractable, over sized, and razor sharp. At any moment one could be poised to slash at her, and the result would bring a new definition to the word "gruesome".
"Dr. Do, over here!" shouted a voice. Daring could see Scootaround gaining distance ahead of her, and she saw that the filly had dashed into a hole in the top of the roof. No, not a hole, a hatch! Wasting no time, Daring descended the hatch into the building. She glanced up above her in time to see the orange and black face of a hissing raptor as it was about to stick its head down the hole to bite at her. She swung the wooden door closed in the creature's face and latched it.
The pair of ponies ran down the wooden stairs of the building. It was two stories, and the stairs leading tot he attic they had just come out of was in poor repair, and was missing some boards and some of the steps had broken over time.
They thundered into the bottom area, which appeared to be some kind of dining room. Daring noticed with a shock that the door was ajar. The raptors would have acess to this area from below! She had to get them both out of here quickly, unless...
There was a huge cabinet full of glassware and china that was taller than the door. Daring furrowed her eyebrows. This would do.
"Get on the other side, and fast," she said to Scootaround. The filly quickly complied and gulped. The two of them dug their hooves into the floor and pushed back. The china cabinet budged a bit, but it did not cover the door. Sighing, Daring pushed again with a little more oomph, hoping to make it budge faster. It slid another half meter, but stopped short.
"Another push!" Daring shouted, and threw her entire weight against the cabinet's side and gritting her teeth. The cabinet lurched to one side suddenly, and Daring cried out as it landed in front of the door with a loud crash, shattering all of the glass inside of it.
It blocked most of the door except for a small section at the top laying on its side, but Daring wasn't satisfied. She saw raptors on the other side, heard their frustrated snorts as they slammed up against the back of the cabinet, trying to enter the doorway.
The cabinet budged.
"That's not gonna stop them," Daring grimaced. She trotted around the room trying to find something to prop against the door. Something heavy. There were plates, an armchair, a table, and a piano. Daring moved the chair over by herself as Scootaround began trying to push the piano in futility.
"Come help me with this table!" Daring shouted. Together they moved the table over as well, propping it up on its side and blocking the door a little bit more. Daring then turned her attention to the piano. It had wheels on the bottom, so it would move easily if they both pushed it, but as far as stopping the raptors...
She had an idea.
"Help me move the piano next," Daring said. Scootaround got around behind the piano and pushed on it with her back. Daring joined her, and the large object wheeled over to the doorway. Daring tipped the end up a little bit, and Scootaround got the idea. Pushing the legs in, the two worked the piano up until it swayed, falling on its side with a great jarring chord and remaining there, against the cabinet, chair, and table.
Outside, the raptors shrieked and snarled in frustration. They were completely shut out and unable to reach the ponies that they knew were inside. They occasionally slammed their bodies against the pile of stuff blocking the door, but it wouldn't budge.
They were safe for the night in here.
Daring sighed in relief when the pile held, and sank down onto the floor. Her head hit the gritty wooden floorboards with a bang and she closed her eyes. She was incredibly tired. The day had worn her down, and now all she wanted to do was sleep. She didn't care about food, she didn't care about drinking water. They'd wait until tomorrow to do that, during the day when the raptors were asleep and they could get out of there.
She couldn't wait to get out of there.
"What are you gonna tell Dusty about all of that?" Scootaround yawned. Daring shrugged, her eyes still closed.
“I think it’s worth investigating. Dinosaurs supposedly died out millions of years ago. Plus, I’m surprised at their appearance.”
“Huh? What’s weird about it?”
“I’m not an expert, but he tiger stripes don’t make sense. Unless they live in the black forest, they shouldn’t have stripes like that.”
“Why?”
“Well, on a tiger the stripes are camouflage. The camouflage they have isn’t suited to sandy areas like this. They hide them in long grass, because the stripes look just like grass shadows to color blind animals. At least, that’s what I read.”
“Oh,” said Scootaround, looking confused nonetheless.
“Who knows, maybe they really do live in the forest. I’m not gonna worry about it though, time to get some shuteye.”
Truth be told, Daring was beginning to dread going to sleep a little more with each passing day. She had been experiencing nightmares of a horrific nature as of late, and they involved the pendant. Whatever it was about that thing creeped her out whenever she gazed at it directly. It was weird that her friend hadn’t mentioned the sensation at all. Daring tried to press it from her mind totally in hopes of having a pleasant rest. She needed to recharge.
The hissing and snarling trailed off as the raptors realized the futility of trying to break into the building. They sat outside, circling it and searching for a way to get in. They sat there all night long as the ponies slept within, their piercing eyes glaring at the junk piled in the doorway in the dark of the night. Finally with a resigned cawing sound the leader of the pack turned away. The alpha male had given up on these ponies, and soon the rest of the pack had, too. Daylight was coming, and there was better prey to the east on the edge of the forest.