The morning after the scientists discovered Fran's condition, the first big wrench since the raptors' escape was thrown at them. Sarah was woken in the early hours by the sound of retching from the bathroom. Half-drowsy, she cracked the door open to find Fran curled miserably over the toilet.

Fran's got morning sickness, she realized. It was far from an unanticipated development. Any woman in her condition could expect to grapple with it sooner or later, and this wasn't exactly a typical pregnancy to begin with.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Uhhhhnnn," Fran responded miserably. "Feel like trash, but I'll live. It's to be expected. Go back to sleep, Sarah."

The scientist was worried, but it wasn't like she could do anything. She followed Fran's advice, hoping her friend would feel better in the morning.

Sadly, it wasn't to be. Not only did Fran remain queasy, but a relapse of her dizziness from yesterday returned. She was in no shape to take to the field.

They held an impromptu meeting in the girls' room. "Look, we still have the tracker," Sarah said. "The raptors are only a few miles away and haven't moved. This is our chance! We should go!"

"N-No," Fran said, her voice forceful despite its tremulousness. She was resting in bed, her face beaded with sweat. Bells had trotted over and rested her chin on Fran's mattress, looking concerned and offering comfort. The head scientist reached out to stroke the German Shepherd's muzzle, seeming to take relief in her nearness. "Look at my condition, Sarah. If Flame gets ahold of you, this could be your future..." She shuddered with a sigh and rested her free hand on the gentle swell of her tummy that made a small hill under her blanket. "We can't afford to underestimate them. If we're going, it needs to be all of us."

Sarah swallowed. Fran had a point. She'd lucked out that the state Sunny had left her in wasn't permanent, but Flame was evidently different. She met Z and Nellis's eyes and nodded.

"Okay," she said. "But we can't forget about Blackthorne's deadline. If you're still sick tomorrow or if the raptors start to go on the move, the three of us need to pursue. Okay?"

After a moment's consideration, Fran nodded, still looking queasy. As her cohorts left her to rest (though Bells still stayed to give her companionship) Fran found herself reflecting that between today's insistence and taking charge of the situation yesterday, Sarah was really evolving into a leader. The meek, timid young woman she knew was transforming into a confident scientist who was definitely the second-in-command of their little group. As she drifted off to sleep, hoping her pregnancy wouldn't hobble her the following day, Fran found herself proud beyond measure of her subordinate's growth.

---

Nearby, the raptors were having tribulations of their own. They still had no clue how the humans were tracking them so efficiently, and what was worse was that the two lesser members of the pack were both acting up.

Without access to the lab's special machine to help him, Sunny was growing pent up and distracted and difficult for Flame and Bluebell to direct. What was worse was that Pinky was acting lethargic and moody, not always listening. While Flame had gotten her under control before, his usual methods were failing him, and Bluebell opined that this was a new development. The whole pack was keenly feeling both the tension of being pursued and the frustration of not being able to act on their wild impulses.

Thankfully, they were about to get a break.

Just a few miles near the pack's hiding place was a small campground. Though intensely scenic, it was not widely visited due to how remote it was. At the moment, however, it was occupied by a sorority from a nearby university for their summer outing. The group of girls ranged from recently-graduated seniors getting in one last hurrah before they began their professional careers to wide-eyed freshmen excited to finally join a sisterhood.

One of the newest additions was a young woman named Letra. She had just finished her freshman year and had been invited to join the sorority by a classmate at the end of the school year. It was quite unexpected. Letra was a shy, quiet, artistic sort who stayed meekly in the back of the class and had never really had a real friend in her life. She'd never thought about joining a sorority, but on being extended the offer, she'd excitedly taken them up on it, hoping that maybe this would help her make some friends.

Sadly, the poor lass didn't understand the whole situation. Jenna, the classmate who'd invited her, had been directed to find a victim for the sorority to haze and humiliate for their summer get-together. Letra had been Jenna's pick. The college girl didn't understand why she was really there.

"Hey, newbie!" Mercedes, the sorority chief and Jenna's girlfriend, pointed at her. "We're going to go hiking. Get all the tents set up, then head down to the stream a few miles that way." She nodded in the opposite direction. "Pick a flower called snipe's thistle. Chop chop!"

Letra blinked. She'd assumed this would be a fun camping adventure, but she was supposed to do everyone's work? She wasn't sure about this, especially as the other girls in the sorority giggled meanly about her. "Um... do I really have to do it for everyone?"

Mercedes's eyes narrowed. "You questioning me, new meat?" she said. "Do you really want to be here?"

Panic flooded Letra. She couldn't mess it up this quickly! "No, no!" she said, holding up her hands. "I'll do it, then I'll catch up!"

"Oh, no need," Jenna added, strolling over and lacing her fingers with Mercedes's. Her smile was piquant. "We'll come back soon enough." Another round of giggles sounded.

"A-Alright," Letra said. "Um... what's the thistle look like?"

"Snipe's thistle," Mercedes corrected. "Anyone who's not an idiot should recognize it right away. You're not an idiot, right new girl?"

"N-no!"

"Well then." Mercedes turned and strolled down the path, Jenna clinging to her arm and the rest of the group following her. "See you soon."

Little did Letra know that the sorority had no intention of coming back for her--or of letting her join to begin with. They'd booked rooms in the local lodge and would be enjoying their trip in comfort. What's more, the dozen-plus tents had all been rented and paid for under Letra's name, and their vehicles were all parked at the end of the trail and would take them to the lodge, and from there, home. Their mean-spirited prank was to take the quiet, shy girl, make her do pointless chores, and strand her in the wilderness with a heap of rented equipment and no way home.

As the sorority left Letra to her fate, Jenna smiled up at her girlfriend. "You're terrible," she said admiringly.

Mercedes smirked and kissed her. "Not to you," she replied.

Letra watched the other girls leave with uncertainty in her stomach. Convincing herself it was all fine, she set about setting up all the tents. It was hard work to set up over a dozen tents in summer heat all by herself, and by the end, she was worn out. Then, trying to ignore her tiredness, she followed Mercedes' instructions to the nearby stream. It wasn't easy going for her; Letra wasn't exactly a star athlete. She was small and slight, with a thin frame, a face full of freckles, oversized glasses, and a tangled mop of curly red hair.

After nearly an hour of hard hiking, she made it to the stream and startled looking for Mercedes's thistle. It wasn't there, of course. It didn't exist. There was no such thing as a snipe's thistle.

By the time she finally gave up, it was well into the afternoon. Letra was sunburned and tired and hungry and feeling sorry for herself. After she made her way back to the camp, her heart sunk when she saw that none of the other girls had returned.

I knew it, she thought sadly. She'd just wanted to make some friends, but had been bullied instead. As usual. Pulling out her cell, she considered phoning someone to come pick her up, but she had no service and had no idea how far she'd have to go to get any bars. Sighing, she decided to camp for the night and try it the following day.

After helping herself to some snacks she'd packed, Letra found a shady tree. Trying to get her mind off of how hurt she felt, she grabbed her sketchbook. She did pages and pages of drawings of the camp, the creaking trees, the clouds burning the skies. Once she even saw a mother deer and her fawns on the other side of the camp and had quickly sketched out their shadowed forms. Finally, with the light fading and a yawn clawing its way out of her chest, Letra rolled out her sleeping bag and did her best to go to sleep.

It was around midnight when the noise woke her--something scuffling around camp. Her first thought was that some of the girls had returned--but no, this was clearly something foraging about the camp. Wait, make that multiple somethings. She dug into her sleeping bag and hoped whatever creatures were investigating the camp would leave.

In a few minutes, she heard them draw closer, and then her heart hammered away as something began unzipping her tent. What creature could figure out that?

As the tent flap opened, the college girl's eyes widened. There, visible in the bright moonlight, were three creatures that were like giant lizards that held themselves like birds. Their eyes gleamed with intelligence and curiosity and their hides were pebbled different colors: blue, yellow, red.

"What are you?" she whispered, half filled with fear, half with awe.

The raptor pack surveyed their discovery with interest and eagerness. This was quite the lucky find! After spending so long on the run, they'd finally had a lucky break. Her scent reminded them of Fran and Sarah.

Yes, she would suit their needs just fine.