Jaw-rassic Park (Jawbones)

    Berri Forest was incredibly tame compared to the rest of Plant's wilderness. It was the perfect place for a vicious Cultiraptor like Jawbones to find easy prey. Massive claws left deep prints in the fertile ground of the woods as Jawbones trekked through the wild. A makeshift satchel made of a patchwork of plants and leather hide was strapped around her torso, filled to the brim with the filling fruits she'd pried from the branches.

    While Jawbones prefered the more vicious wilds of the Saiba Wastes, as Berri Forest was quite close to Tuffle territory, the wilds had been growing... much more chaotic than usual. Aside from the increase in hunters, that war, or whatever the bipeds called it these days, had been stirring up again. If those massive airships that passed by not long ago were any indicator, it was wise not to be in the area for whatever was going on. This place was fairly peaceful, as long as she was safe to avoid the Tuffles in the area...

    Jawbones was heading back to her camp when a sudden, powerful scent invaded her senses. The raptor instantly halted her approach, ducking low to blend in with the greenery as her energy was suppressed to nearly nothing. She could detect two beings right at her camp. One had a manageably large power, but the sheer strength of the other made the raptor's head hurt. The Tuffles hadn't found her, had they!? All of her food was kept stashed away there- she couldn't afford to go hungry during hunting season.

    Cautiously scaling one of the massive trees and carefully trekking closer, Jawbones' red eyes bore down onto the two odd beings that were neither Saiyan nor Tuffle she spotted waltzing around in her territory. If the two demons had a keen eye, they'd spot large, reptilian footprints scattered through the camp...

    If Jawbones could not beat them in a game of strength, the monster had the element of surprise and terror on her side still to protect her territory.

    "hhHSSSSSssSSssSS--" A bone-chilling hiss resounded from above. Jawbones flipped upside down from where she was perched, hopping down from the trees with her needle-like teeth bared and dripping with acidic saliva. Her talons dug into the earth with her landing, matching the existing footprints scattered throughout the camp. A lone Cultiraptor, a species that was supposed to be a pack hunter, would be a very strange sight- let alone one wearing an odd backpack. The beast craned her head and narrowed her eyes. As she towered over the two and cast an ominous shadow, the raptor let her power surge back as she took a threatening step forward. "You." The monster spoke aloud. "Leave."

Jawbones briefly uses Ki Scents to detect Zriracha and Zerori, and Ki Camouflage to suppress her power level to 1. She un-suppresses to let it increase to 5,000 it when she appears to the two demons!

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Total Word Count: 453

    Ah, it was good to know that she hadn't lost her touch at intimidation. A wry smile crept across the raptor's face in response to the smaller demon's terror. She couldn't help but to let out a thoroughly entertained, warbly laugh in response to the young one toppling right over. However, the taller demon was unphased by the raptor's intimidation. Jawbones began to prepare to launch a bolt of acid to fix that...

    However, instead of fighting back or running in terror like the majority of those who encountered the Cultiraptor did, Zriracha spoke back- and quite politely, too? "..." Jawbones furrowed her brows, staring down the demonic duo. She walked around them in a circle, silently judging and observing for a few moments...

    Fighting the two would certainly exert a lot of energy, and Jawbones knew it was impossible to win in a test of raw strength. It was the smartest to try and talk her way out of this. "Yes, this is my territory," She craned her neck down, positioning her head only a foot away from the two. "Are you two two-leggers here to hunt me or take my food?" She growled, taking another menacing step forwards. The ground beneath her massive talons cracked slightly as she stood tall, looming and casting a massive shadow over Zriracha and Zerori.

    The small one brought her attention to Jawbones' satchel. "I did," The beast answered with a low grunt. She reached inside it with her fangs, prying out a large fish, which she promptly devoured in one gulp. "Useful for storing my prey. You bipeds use similar tools, don't you?" The monstrous raptor picked some meat free from her long teeth, idly speaking like a person and carrying a parcel like a person like it was just a normal fact of life. There was a small, yet sly smile evident on the beast's face. Seeing the initial reactions to her intellect was always amusing.

Total Word Count: 777 (+324)

    Jawbones's skeptical stare lingered even as the taller demon assured that they weren't here to fight or steal from the Cultiraptor, but instead to investigate. "Investigate what?" She hissed, narrowing her eyes again. These two weren't informants for the Tuffles that were trying to recapture her, were they?... Still, for now they were not a threat. Should they prove to be dangerous, she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

    Jawbones shifted her attention away from the duo briefly to trot to the unlit firepit. Using one of her legs to readjust the logs, before using some of her own acidic spit as kindling. One swift swipe from the large spines on her forearms caused enough friction to light the campfire.

    Zriracha commented on never seeing Jawbones' kind before, which only earned a low grunt from the beast. At the mention of her name, though, the raptor spoke again. "No, I didn't name myself. Most pack hunters and other flocking species do have names for each other. It makes things easier to collaborate." Granted, they were fairly simple names that were impossible for all but their kind to understand, but names nonetheless. Jawbones couldn't remember the name her pack gave her- only what her Tuffle captors called her during experimentation... After a few silent moments of being lost in thought, she shook her head to bring herself back to. "My name is Jawbones. And what are you two bipeds called, I suppose?"

    This whole situation felt... strangely surreal, still. "...Normally when I cross paths with two-leggers, they're either fleeing in fear or trying to hunt me." Casual conversation was something she'd only done one or two other times with a few outliers. "Why are you different?" Until she opened her mouth to speak their language, Jawbones surely looked like any other wild beast, even with the odd satchel. Part of the raptor was still suspicious that this whole thing was some elaborate trick, and she refused to be lulled into what could be a false sense of security.

Total Word Count: 1,117 (+340)

    Jawbones tilted her head and growled, puzzled at the odd language the two demons were using. What was a mortal supposed to be? She didn't have long to ponder before the smaller Oni cautiously began to approach. The beast let out a low hiss, the barbs on her tail spiking up. Just because she didn't think either of them were a threat, that didn't mean Jawbones thought of them as a welcome presence.

    At the mention of hunting, though, the raptor just snorted. "Hunting for survival is something I have no issue with. Do I look like a plant-eater to you?" She flashed her fangs again before sliding her tail into her bag, using the spikes on it to grab and pull out a meaty slab from of one of her past kills. "To leave even a crumb of a kill unused is disrespectful to the dead. I've killed plenty to keep my stomach filled." She explained, swallowing the lump of meat whole. Jawbones had killed plenty of other Saiba-creatures to fill her stomach, after all.

    "...Yet, the two-leggers slaughter both predator and prey alike in the name of power." A venomous hiss filled the raptor's raspy voice. If a beast was lucky, their body would be intact for nearby scavengers to feast upon before they began to rot away. Most saiyans and tuffles seemed to favor completely dusting their prey, though. "And still, they call US the monsters." Plant's wildlife were vicious. The hunters killed and ate without discrimination... And yet, even the most monstrous of beasts couldn't create weapons of war, or ravage entire landscapes like the warring factions of Plant had. The Cultiraptor's claws clenched, leaving deep scratches in the earth beneath her.

    "Your scents, though, are... different, from the small ones and the tailed ones." What had they called themselves? Demons? If this demon species was comprised of fellow hunters, Jawbones could give them some respect. "Surely even the cesspit you make your home sound like it was couldn't be much worse than things are here." Though their home sounded unpleasant, why would they flee from one hellhole to another? Jawbones growled, running a claw across her face. Why did having sapience have to be so exhausting all of the time?

Total Word Count: 1,492 (+375)