User blog:Soosieloo/Rallying Regina Rescues Ravenous Raptors Readily



Once upon a time on a lovely spring morning, Regina was outside her small wooden house dressed in an old comfy robe, hair in curlers, fuzzy slippers on her fat feet. She stood there absently, her delicate hands clasping the hot mug of strong coffee, steam wafting upwards to tickle her rather large, potato-like nose. The air was brisk, clinging to winter but not as cold as it had been all season. There was a change to its taste... a whisper and a wink, a humming and a hawing, a'stretching and a'straining of awakenings. She breathed deep and smelled the first stirrings of Spring.

"Won't be long now." she said to herself quietly. The thought of new flowers and buds excited her. Still it was too cold to be out in her natty robe, what if Rupert strolled by and saw her hair in this state! She ducked back inside her warm house and started to dress.



In short time, she emerged in all her finery. Well finery is a bit much, for Regina is not a fancy gal. No pomp nor poofery,  no ribbons nor bows, no lace nor silks and nary a jewel nor perfume for this wee lass. Practical and purposeful is her way. So out she ventured dressed in rugged denim and sturdy boots. Upon her nicely curled hair (her one vanity) she wore a garden hat (in case it rained!).



She thought to head for that bit of garden near the dino dens to see if any bulbs had started to poke out yet. Last summer they had planted a huge garden there to commemorate Frederick Flint Day. The great hero who single handedly repulsed the Great T-Rex Invasion of '93. Humming and skipping, she gaily went. The sun had risen higher and shone brightly, the chill of the morning was lessening by the minute. Down past the dell, along the Aviary, beside the bestiary she went.

"Oh what a find day! I hope the tulips have sprung!" she exclaimed into the quiet morning, not worrying about wakening the sleepy neighbors, for no one rightly chose to build their homes by the dinosaur pens. Why their constant croaking and crooning, bellowing and blowing, farting and fallumping, rattling and ratooting would wake even the dead. She did quiet herself however, for it was a bit scary. The dinos are so very big, so very huge, so very.... Well .... VERY!



Regina comforted herself in knowing that in winter the foulest of the beasts were in hibernation. There was nothing to fear at all. "Still, wouldn't hurt to be careful." she thought to herself. So sneakily like a rabbit she went, past the hatchery on past the butterflies, on past the dilos and corgis, on past the penguins and snowmen. Most were still in their caves, nests and dens. Sounds of snores, blurbs and mutters could be heard. The corgis were the only ones to stir and lift their heads, a sparkle in their brown eyes as she passed.



Ahead were the most scary and persnickety of the dinos.. The tigers, and skeletaurus and raptors. "Oh my, I shall be most quiet now, not even a hiccup shall be heard from me!" she thought. Carefully she went, past the cats, curled in a tangled ball onto of each other. Past the skeletaurus, a messy jumble of bones in the corner, and past the raptor...... !

Regina stopped moving and held herself very still. Her eyes stared at the large hole in the raptors habitat wall. Torn asunder were the heavy blocks and she could see that the cage was empty. "oh ..... no." Regina trembled and began to look around. On the pathway were large footprints in the mud. They led towards the frozen pond in an awkward loping stride.



In the distance she heard a clamor and a cranking. "Whatever shall I do??" Regina whispered. The sounds grew more desperate and now intertwined in the noise were bleats and barks of a most heart- rending nature. Now Regina was many things, all practical and perky, careful and coordinated, timid and tippytoed, but one thing she was not was unkind. Anyone could hear that whatever was making that sound was in trouble.



So she tucked her chin in and straightened her back and ran towards the to-do with nary a thought in her mind but to help. Across the muddy land she ran, the snow melt had turned the fields into slush and goo. The pond was ahead and she could see that the ice had thinned and cracked. The waterfall had unfrozen and begun to drip again. There, clinging to the thickest bit of ice was the Raptor. Its huge eyes looked to her in fear. Its long wicked claws had rent the ice edge into shreds but managed to keep a hold.



"What to do... what to do?!" Regina was frightened. The dino was large and covered with wicked scales and horns. It was always the one that scared her the most, with its mouth full of sharp teeth and long forked tongue. But as she stood by the pond edge and returned its gaze she couldn't turn her back on it.

"You better not eat me!" she called out to it and the raptor blinked its eyes in return. Regina ran to the trees near the edge of the pond and found a rather large branch that had fallen in a winter storm. It was very heavy for her but she pulled and pushed and pulled and pushed some more till it was at the waters edge. With one great shove she drove it onto the thin ice, one end towards the beastie, one end still on the land. She stood on this end, her considerable weight anchoring it firmly.



The raptor looked at her with huge reptilian eyes, then looked at the limb within its reach, then looked at her again. Slowly, one talon at a time, it released its chill grip on the ice and reached for the branch. The limb shivered and sunk into the ice, cracking it more. The raptor paused, then looked at Regina again and seemed to  make up its mind. Using both paws it began to pull itself along the branch back towards land. Regina stood still, not wanting to move or the limb might shift and sink into the icy water. The beast made it to where she stood and clambered onto the ground with an audible sigh of relief.

Even collapsed onto the ground it still towered over the fat girl. They regarded each other, Regina did not dare to move. Then slowly it leaned..... towards her. Its large mouth grinned, its large sharp teeth shone, its large eyes narrowed.... Regina closed her eyes tight, and wished she was anywhere else but there, but then she felt a warm wet tongue lick her face.



Startled she looked up into a huge smiling mouth and was promptly covered in wet sloppy kisses. Snorting like a banshee, it began to caper and dance on the ground. Stubby tail waggin, teeth a'smiling, tongue a'licking, it grinned at her and bleated.

"Oh my!  You are just a great big smelly red baby!" Regina exclaimed and reached up and gave it the biggest, tightest hug she could. She realized that it had broken out in order to enjoy the spring day like she had. Happily they walked back towards the habitat, her hand held its long taloned one tightly. Some other villagers had begun to arrive, they had heard the commotion and had sounded the alarm. Amazed they watched the two trundle back to the den and laughed when the great big beastie rolled over onto it back and presented to Regina its fat round belly to scratch.



"Well I never!" she retorted but happily began to give it a good scritching and a'scratching. From that day on the two were great friends and had many adventures.



The End