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boredkaiju · 1 month ago

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Jaggy: Hard to Explain

(Author's note: wrote this late last year. Never really uploaded any of my writing here. Might post more later, though if folks enjoy reading it here.) ------------------------------------------

Long ago when the world was young, the land and sky was ruled by creatures called “dinosaurs.” These reptilian behemoths wandered the earth, exploring it’s many wonders and terrors long before the race of man spread over the earth to do the same. Among these creatures were gentle plant eaters and vicious carnivores, each doing everything they could to survive in a world that left little room for a peaceful existence.

On a certain day, in the plains between a certain mountain range and valley, there lived a herd of such creatures. Amid these plains lay a massive dinosaur. Its body was covered in dull blue scales that absorbed the sun’s rays. Its huge, roundish body lay on its side, and a massive neck -- as long as its entire body -- sprung from it. This creature was dead, the recent prize of a small pack of vicious beasts. The four beasts were bipedal and hunched; birdlike in shape, but covered in grey scales. In the place of wings were strong arms with vicious claws. Even still, they were nowhere near the size of the behemoth on which they dined, each being barely as big as one of it’s cedar-like legs. The tops of their heads were adorned with two large, prominent ridges protruding from each side of their long snouts, stretching to the back of the skull. These creatures were “dilophosaurs,” cunning and bold pack hunters.

They dined in silence, cheerfully enjoying the fruit of the day’s labors.It was tradition for hunters to eat their fill before dragging the rest back to their pack. There was no time to speak to one another when all this perfectly good meat would go to waste if they left it. Worse still, the flying things might be attracted to the smell of blood and steal some of the food. Wanting to avoid this, the quartet of dilophosaurs kept a close eye on the sky. The flying things were more active than normal today.

One of the dilophosaurs looked up, chewing thoughtfully. He remained idle in his gaze for several moments. Another noticed and looked over at him. “Hey, quit cloud gazing, Laka, unless you want us to take your portion.” The others chuckled slightly. They quite liked this idea.

Laka, without averting his eyes or acknowledging his companion’s question, said “What you suppose they’re up to? Ain’t circling over our heads any.” His gaze followed one of the flying things overhead. 'Pteradons,' they were called. Scaled creatures with wings of leather; larger than a dilophosaur, with vicious beaks and a prominent point on the back of their skulls. Most land dwellers simply called them (and creatures like them) 'flying things'. They flew over a nearby valley at the base of the mountains, perching somewhere hidden beyond the treeline. Laka spotted a plume of dust that was moving toward them; it was presumably coming up from the nearby valley.

The oldest of the dilophosaurs, Raak, looked over his shoulder. “Oh yeah, you wouldn't know yet. Haven’t finished your first year out here, right?” He briefly interrupted himself to tear off a small bit of red meat, chomping it between his next words. “Big migration every year in the valley.”

Laka crooked his head at him, eyes lighting with curiosity. "What migrates this time of year? Gotta be something tough if we’re not taking advantage of it."

Shaking his head idly, Raak sighed. He muttered to himself briefly. “What was it… Hat-oh something… no, that’s not quite…” With a grunt, he said “Hadrosaurs, I think they’re called. Pretty gamy. All muscle, not a lot fat.”

One of the other dilophosaurs, named Simak, looked up from his meal with a smug grin. “’Cept the little ones. Nice and tender. Easy catches, too. Hadrosaurs are all pretty slow. Get one that lags behind enough ‘n you can just -- youch! Hey, what was that for!?”

Raak had dealt him a heavy punch to the back of the head. While Simak rubbed the sore spot, Raak snapped severely at him. “Quit messing with him. He’ll get in bad trouble if he takes you too seriously.” Turning to a now somewhat startled Laka, he offered a stern warning. “Look. There’s a reason we don’t hunt those, especially during migration. The flying things try to pull it off ‘cuz they got wings. Doesn't matter how fast we are, we're still stuck to the ground. Can't get out of reach as fast as them."

“What? That sounds like coward talk to me!” Laka was indignant.

Raak let out a frustrated groan. He just wanted to eat. Laka was still at that age where he felt the need to prove himself and Raak was in no mood to deal with it today. “Use your brain. Hadrosaurs travel in a massive group. Five of them would be on us the instant we so much as sneeze in their direction. Not to mention they’re twice our size. Now how about you shuddup and let me eat?” The fourth dilophosaur, named Tarv, lifted a hand in the air and waved to something in the distance. “Hey, Jaggy! You’re late this year; going to watch the migration again?"

Strolling through the plains was a theropod, larger than the dilophosaurs. His body was of similar shape to theirs; bipedal and bird-like. His legs were large, lean, and well-toned, showing he was a creature built for speed and power. His scales were an earthy red color, and he had two small spikes jutting up from his brow above each eye. Most prominent was his large, boxy snout. He gave a small wave back. “Got tied up, just hoping I didn’t miss anything.”

Raak groaned. "Oh good, that freak is visiting again..." He said it to himself, mostly, but he did not really care if the other dilophosaurs heard.

Laka stared at the stranger briefly before turning to Raak. "... Who's that guy? And how come he's going to hunt those things if they're so dangerous?"

Letting out a growl, Raak’s patience was worn thin. He was hungry. He did not want to deal with more questions right now. He quickly came up with an excuse to get rid of Laka for a bit. “Why not go with him and see? I don’t know, it’ll be a learning experience or something. Now let me eat in peace.” He plunged his face into the guts of the game, chomping angrily.

Laka, emboldened by his elder’s command, hopped-to and sprinted toward the interloper. “Hey! You!” He shouted, doing his best to act confident.

Jaggy’s gaze followed Laka with idle curiosity. He stopped walking only when Laka came to a screeching halt in front of him.

The dilophosaur puffed out his chest and pointed up at him. "I'm going with you. I wanna know how you get away with hunting down those things."

Jaggy stared at him without expression. He crooked his head slightly, the only sign that he heard what Laka said. He did not seem particularly impressed with Laka's display of confidence.

It was at this moment Laka realized just how much smaller he was than the allosaurus. He was standing in the great beast’s shadow, just below half his height. He tried to keep his confident face up, but he instinctively started shrinking back and shifting uneasily. His eyes darted away briefly as he struggled to maintain eye contact. "I mean... uh... if you wouldn't mind that..."

Jaggy shrugged. “Sure.” With that, the allosaurus casually walked around Laka and resumed his path. His footsteps were heavy and loud, leaving noticeable indents in the earth with each step.

Slightly stunned and embarrassed, Laka watched as he walked off. He glanced over to his pack mates. They were too busy with their meal to pay him or Jaggy any mind.

Jaggy, without stopping, looked back over his shoulder. “You coming?” His voice was calm and friendly.

Laka’s muscles stiffened as he snapped back to reality. "R-right behind you!" he shouted, quickly following after Jaggy.

Once Laka caught up, Jaggy said “Haven’t met you yet. Seen you with Raak’s crew lately. What happened to Yark?”

The dilophosaur was taken aback. Was he really on such friendly terms he would know about other pack members? It was surreal hearing the names of his kindred spoken by an outsider like this. “Uh… Yark fell off a cliff. Broke his legs. Ain’t going anywhere for a while. I was supposed to join my own hunting pack next season but the boss told me to take Yark’s spot ‘till he’s better.”

Jaggy's brow furrowed. “Oh… I see.”

Yet another surprise. He did not say much, but Laka could see the sadness in his face. Who cared what happened to someone from a different herd? After a long silence, Laka cleared his throat. “I’m, uh, Laka, by the way.”

The allosaurs’s sad countenance vanished. He gave a friendly nod. “Jaggy.” He said.

Together they made their way to the valley.

The overlook to the valley had vivid green grass and was strewn with blue flowers. They swayed idly in the breeze, accompanied by scattered stalks of yellow grains. The base of a mountain range ascended in a steep slope to the bottom of the valley, forming it’s far wall. On the opposite end was a ledge, which curved down at a gentler angle. Jhe two walls met in the middle at a flat bottom. The ground there formed a thin path that snaked its way through the valley, through which flowed a gentle stream.

Grass covered the hills, and dozens of large moss-coated rocks jutted up at odd angles throughout the valley. Massive trees in the valley formed a canopy, covering much of the interior from view overhead. A gap between the trees gave a clear, if brief, view down to the bottom.

Flying things congregated in the treetops, and others stood vigil on the ledges either side of the valley. All, with eyes black as night, stared down into the uncovered part of the valley. At least until Jaggy and Laka arrived. The instant Jaggy's heavy footfalls could be heard, they stared toward the jungle. As the noise grew louder some flew to the far side of the valley, where the base of the mountains were. What few remained followed soon after when Jaggy burst through the foliage and came into view. His appearence made them scatter in a panic.

Jaggy stretched and took in the sights. He admired the blue flowers and stared for a few moments at the mountains. He was enamored by the way the golden sunbeams scattered across the mountain range, and the heavy contrast given by the cool shadows cast over the valley. It was a lovely sight. He walked to the ledge and stood, surveying the scene.

Laka, trotting after him, found his gaze immediately drawn to the flying things. There were dozens of them, each about as big as himself (not counting their enormous wing span), some even bigger. Their cold eyes sent a chill through his spine. He arched his back and bared his claws, ready to fight or flee as the situation demanded. He would have run already, but Jaggy’s presence made him slightly more confident.

Without looking at Laka, Jaggy said “Settle down. Makes ‘em feel tough if you act afraid.”

Laka’s face went slightly red. “I-I’m not afraid!” he insisted.

“Good,” Jaggy grinned, “Then act like it. Come on, relax. Smile. Take in the scenery. Act like you own the place.” With that, he took a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh, sitting on the cool grass.

Laka did his best to relax, but he did not sit. “… What's the plan here, anyway?” Jaggy's demeanor was not that of a hunter. When the hadrosaurs came by, they would clearly see him sitting out in the open. There would be no way for him to get the drop on them.

With an idle chuckle Jaggy joked “Oh, I’m just bird watching. No need to be in a hurry, it would be a shame to waste a day as lovely as this.”

Before Laka could press him for a better answer, the hadrosaurs came into view. Just one at first. It slowly poked its head from under the safety of the foliage. All Laka could make out at first was it’s head, illuminated in the sun. It was long and flat across the top, and rounded at the front. The creature’s scales were a sandy brown color. It looked with some hesitation at the flying things, who returned his gaze with hungry stares. It looked to the other side of the valley, his eyes meeting Jaggy’s. After some hesitation, the hadrosaur retreated back to the shade.

Jaggy's eyes scanned the flying things as he mentally counted out how many there were. He counted six on the mountain’s ledges and an additional six along the treetops; twelve in total.

Laka watched as the hadrosaur disappeared into the shadows. He sat and crossed his arms. “They’re gonna have to come out at some point. When they do there’s not gonna be much they can do. The flying things’ll get their pick of the litter. Man… wish I had wings, it’d make hunting a lot easier.” His gaze wandered to Jaggy, who didn’t appear to be listening. “So what, you come out here just to watch the show or something? Heard you allosaurs are sadistic buggers…” Laka felt a tinge of guilt for saying this, but not enough to apologize. It wasn’t like he was any better. He had a hunter’s curiosity, wanting to see the flying things in action and learn how they hunt. Going over possibilities in his mind, he concluded they would likely be focusing solely on the infants. Easiest to pick up and carry away without a prolonged fight. He wondered if the hadrosaurs would even be able to defend themselves from an aerial attack like that.

Eventually, one of the hadrosaurs stepped out into the light. It was an adult male, the same one who peered out moments ago. He was shortly followed by one, then two, then several more of his kind. Their bodies were all squat, wide, and boxy, with large and heavy hind legs. Their arms, though smaller than their legs, were still powerful and tree-like. Their tails started at a wide base that tapered hastily to a point near the end. They walked on all fours, although clearly able to stand on two legs should the need arise. With blunt teeth and no claws, the only thing that looked somewhat threatening about them was their muscles and numbers.

Jaggy only glanced down at them for brief intervals; his eyes stayed on the flying things most of the time. “Pay attention, Laka. What do you notice about the flying things so far? I want to hear your assessment.”

Laka had nearly forgotten about them. He looked up and was surprised to see they hadn’t moved an inch. Their eyes were staring down at the mass of creatures ferrying below them, but they were sitting still on their perches. “Uh… well, they’re not doing anything.”

“And why do you suppose that is?”

Laka looked down, studying the hadrosaurs and their movements. “Looks like… well, it looks like only adult males are walking by right now. Lots of them so far.”

Jaggy cracked a grin and nodded. “That’s right. Hadrosaurs place their strongest males at the front and back of the herd to fend off more powerful threats. The rest of the herd is all mixed together. The formation works fine in most environments, but in a tight canyon like this it leaves the center more vulnerable."

Laka nodded. “So the flying things are waiting for the women and children, then?” “That’s right. Now look, there. What do you make of those ones?” He pointed out several flying things that were more lively than their compatriots. They were fidgeting and swaying, heads darting attentively across the herd as they bounced on their heels.

Grinning confidently, Laka said “Those must be the strongest of their hunters. They’ve got their wits about them and are ready to pounce right when the perfect moment comes.”

Jaggy shook his head and chuckled. “Those are the youngest and newest hunters. Look, see how the elder ones are sitting still? They’re calm, watching and conserving energy. They already know they’ll have to wait for the middle of the pack before they have a chance at snagging anything. No point wasting energy by bouncing around like that.” Laka slumped his shoulders, a bit disappointed in himself. “O-oh, I see…”

Patting him on the back, Jaggy said “Don’t be upset, now. Can’t learn anything new if you know everything already, right?”

Laka grunted and nodded. “I suppose.” He perked up and sat straight when he noticed smaller hadrosaurs come into view. The front ranks were nearly past, the females and the young now starting their trek through the open space. Males were still mixed in among them, but they were weaker than the men in front and back of the herd. He stood up and grinned with morbid excitement.

The females were only slightly smaller than the males, but enough that it was noticeable. Walking close to their mothers was the young; some were no bigger than their parent’s heads, others were grown to half the size of their elders. The older children appeared to be helping watch the young ones.

One of the younger flying things took off, then two more followed. They immediately started circling overhead, ready to swoop down at any moment. Jaggy, seeing this, calmly got to his feet and watched. His eyes stared with purpose at their flight pattern, then the herd to deduce if any hadrosaurs would look worth going for. Next he looked at the older flying things, still watching the hadrosaurs from their perches. He continued in this pattern over the course of several minutes.

Laka’s eyes were entirely on the herd. He felt he understood what was going on; Jaggy was competing with the flying things. Once one of the herd was vulnerable, there would be mere seconds to pounce on it before the flying things got to it first. The hadrosaurs would not know weather to focus on Jaggy or the pteradons, making a clean getaway more doable. He was excited at the idea. He took several steps forward, eager to jump into the fray, himself.

Jaggy grabbed him by the tail and dragged him back up to the ledge, like a father corralling his child. He spoke with a gentle but firm tone, a teacher kindly correcting his student’s behavior. "Don’t get jumpy. Keep your eyes on the flying things. You just watch and learn, got it?” Laka swallowed, feeling somewhat intimidated despite Jaggy’s tone. He realized he was acting just like the young, overly eager flying things. Heeding Jaggy’s advice, he turned his attention to them rather than the herd, making himself content to simply watch events unfold.

It was strange to watch them circle. The hadrosaurs below were growing noticeably nervous as they passed by, many attempting to quicken their pace. Those who rushed were only halted when they found themselves unable to get past the mass of their kindred ahead of them.

Jaggy’s muscles tensed when his eyes fell upon an infant hadrosaur atop its mother’s back. It awkwardly slipped and fell, crying as it landed. The mother turned around to pick up her child, but this small window of time was the perfect opportunity to attack. Finally the tension broke, one of the pterodons dove! It bared it’s claws, dark eyes locked on its prey.

Laka's gaze followed it's flight path, quickly locating it's target. He wanted to lunge into the action, but heeded Jaggy’s words, managing to hold himself back to let the allosaur work. Laka couldn’t fathom what Jaggy planned at this juncture; with his mass, it was hard to imagine he could run fast enough to intercept the prey before the pterodon got to it first. How could Jaggy possibly catch the hadrosaur in time? Simply put: he didn’t. Before Laka knew what was happening, Jaggy kicked hard against the earth and bounded into the sky. The force of his jump sent pebbles flying and left a small dent in the ground where he once stood.

Laka’s jaw dropped as he watched the allosaur leap through the air. It was unheard of for a beast of this size to be so dextrous, he would not have believed it if he didn’t see it with his own eyes. Laka could only watch in shock and confusion as the giant hunter soared overhead, one clawed foot extended toward the pterodon.

The flying thing barreled toward it’s prey. It was risky to aim for one so close to it’s mother, but she would not be able to react in time, anyway. “The first kill”, he thought, “I’ll be getting the first kill today!” This was the last thought to cross his mind before Jaggy crashed into him mid-air, expertly striking the pterodon with his foot. It was a merciful death, so quick he didn’t even notice that three-thousand pounds of muscle and sinew had careened into the side of his body.

Jaggy’s momentum carried both of them towards the valley wall. The allosaur landed with his full weight on the creature, and the earth shook with a mighty crash. Nearby hadrosaurs scattered in fright. Without pausing, Jaggy used his momentum to carry another jump, this time lunging for one of the pterodons that still circled overhead.

Unlike it’s companion, this flying thing had time to react. Jaggy was soaring toward him with his jaw’s parted, hundreds of vicious points seeking him out. The pteradon tried to fly higher, get out of reach, but he wasn’t fast enough. The allosaur’s powerful jaws closed around him like a vice, forever ending his time in the sky. Jaggy fell to the earth once more, shaking the ground and creating a large plume of dust.

The final pterodon was frozen with shock. He stared at the dust cloud below, trying to decide if what he saw was real. Had shock not overidden his instincts, he would have the good sense to flee. Unfortunately for him these few seconds of fear stole his only chance to escape. He was snapped back into reality when he saw his companion emerge from the cloud and careen toward him. His companion was not flying away, however; the allosaur had thrown him. The two collided in the air. The last living member of the trio was knocked to the earth, his life ending atop the rocks below.

As the dust settled, Jaggy stood amid the clearing breathing heavily. The hadrosaurs stared with fright at him. Mothers pulled their children close, fathers and brothers stepped forward to defend them. If he turned on them next, however, they knew they would be helpless to stop him. He briefly scanned the ridge overhead. The remaining flying things had not moved from their perches, all eyes fixed on him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, turning his attention to his slain quarry. Acting as though the remaining pterodons were not a threat worth watching, he calmly collected each slain flying thing and placed it on his back. With all three in tow he walked back up the slope, tossing the pile of winged meat to the side before returning to his seat beside Laka.

He gave one final look at the flying things. Silent. Expressionless. Without words he communicated with them, told them that the next one to circle would join the meat pile beside him.

There was a heavy silence before things got moving again. One of the hadrosaur men on the safe side of the clearing let out a low, trumpeting noise. It stirred everyone to their senses. One mother finally dared to cross the clearing, keeping her children close. She glanced between the perched flying things and Jaggy as she made her way across, fearful for any movement. The pterodon’s heads followed her movements, but they did not budge. Another hadrosaur followed, then another, until the whole herd was moving again.

Jaggy did not look down at them. His gaze stayed fixed firmly on the flying things. Without looking down at Laka he said “You’re staring.”

Laka didn’t even notice, but he had indeed been staring at Jaggy. He closed his mouth and turned his eyes to the scene before him. There was a lot he wanted to ask. Of the hundred things swirling in his head, the only one that managed to come out was “Are you crazy? All that extra effort just for a few flying things… there’s hardly any meat on their bones!”

Jaggy shrugged and grunted apathetically. This was his only response.

“Why not get a hadrosaur, though? I mean, you had a chance to, and --” Jaggy finally turned to look at Laka. The movement was not threatening, but it made the dilophosaur jump a bit. Jaggy’s gaze hadn’t moved from the flying things until now. He had the slight hint of a smile on his face. “Everyone’s got different preferences. Maybe I just like the way they taste? Besides, it’s a shame to let meat go to waste – even if it isn’t your favorite.”

Laka could tell Jaggy was lying. He didn’t know how he knew, but he could feel it in his gut. Before he could contemplate weather it was worth it to attempt pressing the matter, a small voice rose from the valley.

“Jaggy? Jaggy, that is you! I knew you’d be here!” It was a young hadrosaur. She broke from her herd and ran up the hill with a massive grin on her face.

Laka stood, hunched his back, and barred his claws. His hunter’s instincts took over. He was not considering that the thing running towards them knew Jaggy by name. He merely registered something moving toward them, and that usually meant a fight. Better, it might mean meat.

Jaggy noticed this and immediately lifted his tail in front of Laka to block him from trying anything. He called out to the young hadrosaur with a friendly tone. “Where's your mother?”

The hadrosaur’s smile gave way to surprise when she noticed Laka. She took a few hesitant steps back. "O-oh, uh... she was further ahead with my brother. I got separated."

Jaggy gave Laka a glance, wordlessly warning him not to try anything. He then looked back at the hadrosaur. "Better catch up with her. She'll be worried sick."

Dissapointment washed over the young hadrosaur. After hesitating a few moments she turned to rejoin her heard, but paused briefly and looked over her shoulder. “It’s just… it’s good to see you again. Thank you for helping us. I’m sorry everyone’s still scared of you.” With that, she walked down the embankment and vanished into the crowd. Those who saw this interaction stared at her with bewilderment and concern.

Laka stared in stunned silence, processing what just happened. A plant eater openly chatting with a meat eater? It was unheard of. Plant eaters and meat eaters didn’t speak to one another. It made no sense. Didn’t she realize what Jaggy was? He dearly wanted to ask him about it, but couldn’t find the words.

Thankfully he did not need to as Jaggy sensed his confusion. “I get it. An easy meal just tried to walk straight up to me. Coulda ate good tonight. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I wouldn’t eat a hadrosaur or something. But some of these ones are... family.” He glanced at the bewildered Laka sheepishly. "It's... hard to explain. Long story. I doubt you have time for it right now."

Laka stared at Jaggy for a time. He did not know what more he could say. Eventually the two returned their gaze to the hadrosaurs and watched in silence.

As the last hadrosaurs vanished into the canopy, Jaggy hefted himself up. The remaining flying things had left some time ago, the elders leaving long before the younger ones. They gave up on hunting some time ago with Jaggy keeping watch. "I'm gonna head home.” He piled two of the flying things on his back. “You can have that last one. My treat” He said, turning to leave.

Laka stared down at the dead pterodon. He sneered, disgusted. “What? Raak’ll be annoyed if I bring back one of those.”

Jaggy was already walking away. He looked back over his shoulder, not stopping. “Yep. But he’ll be angrier if you come back with nothing.” He vanished into the treeline without another word. The heavy thump of his footsteps slowly faded.

Raka stared at the flying thing. Pathetic. Hardly any meat at all, he thought.

Raak and the others were in the process of dragging their kill through the plains when Laka caught up to them. They ate some of the jucy parts of the massive creature already, but the rest would be for the herd back home. The task of dragging the huge beast was difficult, but not impossible for seasoned hunters.

Raak looked up, dropping the creature’s tail from his mouth. “There you are! How'd it go?” His eyes narrowed, fixed on the flying thing that Laka was carrying on his back. He did not give Laka a chance to reply. “Seriously? You don’t expect us to eat that, do you?”

Laka shuffled nervously and looked down, fidgeting with his claws. “Uh… well… I suppose…” he gulped and worked up the nerve to look Raak in the eyes. “I-it’s a shame to let meat go to waste... ?”

Raak stared at him with a slight scowel. “Whatever… just toss it on top of the giant and help us drag this thing home.”

Laka was surprised Raak didn’t push back more. He expected him to make him leave the pterodon behind.

As Laka placed the pterodon atop the larger kill, Raak apathetically remarked “So, learn anything new?”

Laka thought very carefully about what to say. He considered what he learned about hadrosaur pack formations or the way flying things hunt. Then he considered how Raak was still in a bad mood. He looked over his shoulder and grunted. “Well… I guess I learned that Jaggy guy is a freak.” He was a bit worried he may have said the wrong thing when Raak stared quietly at him for several seconds without saying anything.

Raak broke the tension with an approving chuckle. He gave Laka a firm smack on the back. “Well. Grab a leg. Let’s get home.”

Laka grinned, happy to have gotten some small approval from Raak. All things considered, Laka felt like he learned a lot. But Raak probably knew all of it already; he was a well-seasoned hunter many years his senior. Raak did not need a hunting lesson from his inferior. The one thing Laka could not wrap his head around was how Jaggy could call plant eaters ‘family’. Stranger still how a plant eater was so eager to approach him; such a thing was completely unheard of. There was a story behind it that he was yet to hear, and he was surprised to find himself wanting to speak to Jaggy again someday. Perhaps he could ask him next time. If there was a next time.

The End.

-------------------------------- Author's note: This is the first of several planned stories (the second is mostly finished, will upload soon!) As a personal thing I always like to pair my stories with different songs. I like to think of it as an "end credits theme." For this one I chose it's namesake, "Hard to Explain", by the Strokes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkS1TJcXUm4 I've also posted more of my literature on DeviantArt, you can find my full library there! https://www.deviantart.com/boredkaiju/gallery/74673699/literature I'll be posting an index with links to each story in this series as it goes on, as well, once the second story is up. :)

#dinosaur #dino #story #writing #literature #short_story #allosaurus #dilophosaurus #jurrasic #triassic #theropod #scalie #primordial #prehistoric #fantasy #reptile #lizard

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ffxivtranslations · 5 months ago

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Thoughts Unspoken

My direct translation of Haurchefant's unsent letter from "Thoughts Unspoken". There are some things in the Eng localisation that aren't in the Jpn, so I thought I should retranslate it for completeness. The original localisation is here for comparison: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2016/short_stories/#sidestory_08

親愛なる友へ

お前は、変わらず元気にしているだろうか？

ドラゴン族による皇都再襲撃の予測……それを受けて、お前やアルフィノ殿が西へ旅立ってから数日が過ぎた。今どこにいるかもわからないお前に、この手紙が届くとも、届けようとも思っていない。つまりは、書き記しただけの独り言だ。

それでも、遠くの空を見ては旅の無事を願う想いを、一度くらいは吐き出さずにいられない。

万が一、これがお前の目に触れるようなことがあったら、まあ、そういうものだと思ってひとつ頼む。

To my dearest friend,

Are you doing well?

A few days ago, after hearing the prediction of the dragons attacking the capital again, you and Alphinaud travelled to the West. I don’t know where you are now, nor do I intend to try to send this letter. In other words, I’m just writing this down for myself.

Nevertheless, I feel compelled to at least once express my feelings of looking to the distant sky and praying for your safe journey.

In the unlikely event that you ever read this, well, please just think of this letter as that.

さて。お前は、イシュガルドに招かれて幸せだっただろうか？

それとも、仕方なく逃げ延びた先で、また誰かの戦いに巻き込まれることになり、うんざりしているのだろうか。たとえそうであったとしても、お前は戦い抜いてしまうのだろうと、容易に想像がついて苦笑している。

Now then. Are you happy that you were invited to Ishgard?

Or are you fed up that after you finally made your escape, you once again got embroiled in someone else’s war? Even if that was the case, I’m bitterly smiling while easily imagining that you would still fight to the very end.

私はといえば、お前がイシュガルドに来てくれたことを、心から嬉しく思い、感謝するばかりだ。それは、お前の実に逞しくイイ冒険者ぶりを、近くで見られる機会が増えたという喜びでもあるのだが……何よりも、頼れる友と同じものを目指し、ともに戦えるのだ。心躍らないわけがない！

As for me, I am so very happy from the bottom of my heart and extremely grateful that you came to Ishgard. That is to say, of course I am delighted that my chances to see your really strong splendid adventuring up close have increased, but also… More than anything, to share a goal with my dependable friend and to fight by their side. There’s no way I couldn’t be excited about this!

お前たちが、ウルダハから逃げ延びて、雪��家に転がり込んできた日。「暁」が灯火を消さんとしていたように、私もまた、お前という友を燻らせてはならないと思った。そこで、どうにかお前たちをイシュガルドに招き入れることができないか、フォルタン伯爵に……父に直訴に行ったのだ。

The day that you two escaped from Ul’dah and came to stay at the House of Snow.

I thought that in the same way that I couldn't let the light of the "Dawn" go out, I couldn’t let your flame be dampened either, my friend. So that was when I went and directly appealed to Count Fortemps... my father, if there wasn't a way to invite you into Ishgard.

……白状すると、私は父のことが苦手だ。恨んでいるわけではない。母にしたって、正しい人であったが故に、己の立場に��えきれなくなり、私を置いて失踪しただけのこと。父は母のことも、私のことも、愛してくれていたと思う。ただ、それを互いに上手く伝えあえず……私は、フォルタン家に仕える騎士としてしか、あの人と話ができずにいたのだ。

… I must confess that I am not good at dealing with my father.

I don’t mean that I hate him. Even with regards to my mother, even though he tried to do right by her, but she was unable to stand her situation and simply just left me with him and disappeared. I do believe that he loved my mother and loves me too. It’s just… neither of us are very good at communicating this to each other… For me, I was unable to talk to him except from the position of being a knight of House Fortemps.

お前のことを頼みにいったとき、当初、父の返事は渋かった。

それまで開拓団への支援などには積極的だった父でも、指名手配中の人物を受け入れるのには、家を預かる者として懸念があったらしい。

諦められずに懇願する私に、父はそこまで固執する理由は何なのかと問うた。私は、お前との思い出を心のままに語った。それは量としては乏しくとも、ひとつひとつが私にとってかけがえのない、驚きと輝きに満ちたものだ。故に、我が友がどのような人であるか、そして私が友を救いたいと願う気持ちを伝えるには、それが一番だと考えた。

思えば、父とあれほど長く話したことはなかったかもしれない。語り切った私をしばし見つめていた父は、ふと目元を緩め、「明日まで考えさせてほしい」と言った。

そしてその翌日、正式に後見人になると、返事を寄越してくださったのだ。

When I went to ask him to help you, at first, his answer was quite harsh.

Even though he had been very positive when it came to supporting the Reclamation Corps, it seemed the idea of harbouring wanted fugitives was quite a worry for the head of the household. In response to my insistent pleading, he asked me why I wasn’t giving up. I simply told him straight from my heart my memories of you and I. Though they may be meagre in number, each one of them is irreplaceable, overflowing with surprise and shining light! I thought therefore, that this was the best way to explain to him just who you, my dear friend, is- and also how much my desire to save you was. Now that I think of it, this was probably the longest conversation I ever had with my father. When I had said all that I could, he suddenly smiled warmly and said “Let me think on this unto the morrow”. Then the next day, he sent word to me that he would officially become your guardian.

以降のことは、お前も知るところだろう。

おかげさまで、私は以前よりも、本家に顔を出��のが少しばかり楽しみになった。

とはいえお前は大概不在で、また七面倒な役目を背負ってどこかへ旅立っていると聞くたび、私はお前を祖国のいさかいに巻き込んでしまっただけなのではないかと思ったりもする。それについては、文句があったら、いつか酌でもしながら聞くとしよう。

The rest, I trust you already know.

Thanks to you, unlike before, I now actually look forward to visiting Fortemps Manor. However, you aren’t there very much, and each time I hear you are off fighting some great trouble, I sometimes think I have done nothing but get you involved in the troubles of my homeland. If you have complaints about that you are welcome to tell me them over a drink sometime.

それでも、友よ。

私は、一片の疑いもなく、信じてしまうのだ。

いかなる困難も、決してお前を挫かせることはできまい。

それは今回の旅だけではなく、この先、お前がどこを目指したとしても変わらない。

ひとりで越えられない壁があったとしても、お前が進もうとする限り、必ず誰かが手を差し伸べるだろう。私が今、そうしたいと願っているようにだ。

そしてその困難の先には、必ず新しい景色が待っている。

それを見つけたときにはきっと、大いに、笑ってほしい。

お前の旅路が、最良のものであるよう……

無事を祈っている。

―― オルシュファン・グレイストーン

Nonetheless, my friend.

I, without a trace of doubt in my heart, trust in you.

No matter what troubles come, they will never dampen your spirits.

Not just on your current journey, but in the future, no matter what you try to do. Even if there is a wall you can’t climb by yourself, as long as you keep trying, there will be someone to lend you a hand. Just as I, right now, am praying to do.

And on the other side of those troubles, certainly there will be a new day waiting for you.

And when you find it, I want you to do so with a huge smile on your face.

I pray that your journey will always be a good one.

Haurchefant Greystone.

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