- Heidi -

Finally it settles down and stands there with its tail towards us, breathing hard.

Dar'ax saunters back towards it with his sword ready, then casually climbs up its tail and sits down on its back like that Civil War soldier again. He takes hold of the control stick he's just fashioned, and the raptor jerks mightily as he pushes and pulls on it. No wonder – the other end of that simple contraption is lodged in its insides.

It goes on for a good while, and I get bored and sit down on the ground.

Then I shake my head at how weird it is. Bored? From seeing an alien caveman taming and breaking in a damn dinosaur? Yep, this planet has totally turned my life upside down, and now I guess I'm becoming used to all the crazy space stuff that goes on here.

It must be an hour or more before the raptor seems to get it, and it looks like Dar'ax can make it go forwards and backwards and turn to the sides at will. Then a half hour later he's having it run fast around the clearing while he stands up on its back. My heart swells with pride.

My boyfriend just tamed a freaking raptor.

Boyfriend? Yes, of course. Right now, I decide that he is. I'm not going to analyze that thought any further, so I just bask in that happy thought.

Dar'ax and the raptor come trotting towards me and I instinctively back off at having that huge prehistoric predator coming right for me. But Dar'ax has the sense to halt a good few yards from me.

He jumps down and turns his back to the new steed, but it makes no move to attack him as he comes over to me. “Now Heidi will ride.”

I just smile and shake my head, not getting up. That thing may be tamer now than two hours ago, but it still scares me to death. Gerk is an honest freaking T. Rex, and something about his sheer size is very slightly reassuring in a totally horrifying way. And by now, I'm not scared witless of riding him, just really nervous. But these raptor things have a sneaky look in their eyes and they creep me out.

“Yeah, no.”

He puts his hands on his hips. “It's Heidi's rekh. What is its name?”

Oh hell no, he's not dragging me in with psychological tricks. “I don't know. Seriously. Hey, have your fun with your new pet. I'm very impressed. Really. You rock. But leave me out of this. I'll just watch.”

He frowns. “Heidi speaks her strange language again. But rekh and Dar'ax don't understand.”

“Heidi not ride. Is danger rekh. It make Heidi killed.”

He juts his chin out thoughtfully. “A rekh is dangerous, certainly. But this one isn't. Heidi ride.”

The raptor looks passive enough right now. But we just saw that it's capable of extremely violent moves. What if I lose control of it? Which I definitely will?

“Heidi very afraid of rekh. Also never liked to ride. Rode horse once. Fell off while horse standing still. Land on ground, many laugh. Heidi not good rider. Is too heavy in the back.” I point to my butt.

“'Horse' is rekh?”

“No, no. Horse is much less dangerous than rekh. Is nice, cute animal. Is Small. Rekh is Big and very very dangerous.” I brighten as I think of an argument that has to work. “Bite Heidi in half, no more can ride Dar'ax to nice scream in ear.”

Dar'ax scratches his chin and looks over at the raptor. “It would be a huge pity of Heidi could no longer ride Dar'ax. But if Heidi can't ride a little rekh like this, then Dar'ax must think a woman is not brave and must be kept like a little baby.”

Scheisse, he's good. Now he's using some kind of feminist argument against me. And it's softening me up, too. One problem with being one of only six women on the whole planet is that we represent all womankind, and I don't want to let our side down.

“Women just as brave as men to ride Big,” I counter. “Only Heidi not. Scarred from terrible experience falling off pony while standing still. Knees dirty with mud, other kids laugh.”

He's looking at me with concern. “Heidi had terrible experience?”

I immediately get a guilty conscience from exaggerating my stupid story. It actually wasn't that bad at all when I slid off the little pony back when I was fifteen, certainly nothing that scarred me. And I have to keep in mind that Dar'ax, who's had actually terrible experiences, might get the wrong idea.

“Well, no. Maybe not terrible. And not scarred. Not fun only. Not fun experience riding horse. So you see, I can't ride the rekh. Other women could. Easily. Only me not.”

Now he's frowning for real. “Dar'ax not like if Heidi is only woman who's not brave.”

Scheisse again. I've talked myself into a corner. But that raptor has the coldest eyes ever, and I know for a fact it's planning to eat me.

Still, what would it be like if I went back to the girls riding a freaking raptor all alone? I'd play it all cool and they'd lose their shit and-

My breath catches in my throat as the raptor suddenly turns its head, and now it's definitely looking right at me. I can practically see the dinner menu in its mind: Earth College Girl wrapped in a Thin Sweaty Skin, served Live, accompanied by Long Unkempt Hair, Useless Linguistics Credits, Huge Rump and Delightful Screams.

“Uh-huh,” I mumble. “Well, deal with it.”

Dar'ax stands over me for three heartbeats, and this time I'm not meeting his fiery eyes.

Then he picks me up like I'm a rag doll, calmly places me over his shoulder in a style that's just too clichéd for words where cavemen are concerned and carries me over to the raptor.

“Hey! Put me the fuck down, you prehistoric monster!” I'm hammering my fists on his hard back, but of course the effect is zero. “No no no, I don't want to get on the raptor! It'll murder me! Let me go and I'll ride you instead right now, soooo good you won't believe it! Nooo I don't want to be dinner it will hate me it will think my rump is too big aaaaeeeiiiii!”

It doesn't work. He lifts me up and dumps me onto the raptor's back, and then thankfully he jumps up to sit right behind me.

I straddle the raptor stiffly, breathing hard, tears of fear stinging my eyes and the predator's rank smell filling my nose. It feels very alive under me, far too much so, far less steady than Gerk. I never thought I'd miss that freaking T. Rex, but now I totally do.

Dar'ax places my hand on the control stick. “This is very simple. Push forward.”

He pushes my hand and the stick forwards, and I squeal as the raptor walks two jerky paces.

“Pull back.”

He does, and the raptor stops so quickly I have to steady myself on its neck.

“To the sides.”

He gets it walking again, and indeed the dino does obey the stick and turns to the side he pushes it.

He lets go of my hand. “Now Heidi.”

Okay. If I'd known he'd be here riding too, I wouldn't have been so scared.

The stick has a stiff feel to it, and at the same time it's vague about what I'm doing. But the raptor does obey me too, taking a few steps forwards and stopping when I want it to. It moves around much more than Gerk ever did, and I can feel the motion of its huge muscles in my butt and thighs. This thing feels very different from Gerk, much less secure and much less comfortable, and it still creeps me the hell out with its long neck and the head with the beady little eyes.

“Okay, it works,” I say and lift myself up, trying to swing one leg back over the raptor's back in preparation for climbing down. “And women are brave after all. But now I think it's time for lunch. No really, I insist.”

Dar'ax firmly pushes me back down and puts my hand on the stick again. “Heidi ride fast.”

He pushes my hand forward on the stick and holds it there, and the raptor jerks into motion. And yeah, now we're riding fast. The raptor moves with hard bounces, and the air rushes past my face. The edge of the jungle is approaching, and I try to pull the stick back, but Dar'ax prevents it.

“Go to the side,” he says into my ear, and I push the stick to the left.

And sure enough, the raptor turns pretty sharply and banks like a motorcycle in a tight curve. And I'm controlling it. I'm in charge of this huge and lethal and unbelievably powerful creature.

I push the stick further forwards and the raptor speeds up even more. “Oh my fuck!”

The ground passes beneath us like a green blur. The raptor moves with a majestic ease, and when it's going this fast, the movements of its body somehow even out and it becomes a much smoother ride. I'm quickly gaining confidence in my control of this creature. It's alive and deadly, but it also obeys quickly. It obeys me.

Watching Dar'ax tame this thing was cool. But riding it this fast? This is the biggest thrill I've ever had. Better than skiing down a steep hill in the Alps. Better than sex with anyone other than Dar'ax. Better than getting an A on a tough exam. Better than seeing my brother's face when I bring him a Kinder surprise egg.

The only thing that comes close is me and dad on his motorcycle at insane speeds, me clinging to his back and feeling his total control. Now I'm going much slower, of course, but the feeling is much the same. Reckless speed, danger, huge power, still so safe because he's there ... shit, if he could see me now ...

The wind from the speed is bringing tears to my eyes. Or maybe it's something else.

I sniffle and slow down a fraction so I can take off my glasses and wipe my eyes. Yes, definitely something else.

But whatever. I'm controlling this menacing creature that reeks of death and danger. I'd never have thought I could feel this good on this planet. I usually feel so helpless and vulnerable. But this? I'm totally mastering this, and I feel fucking invincible.

I make the raptor zigzag wildly. “Woohooo!”

I can't keep it down. I'm ecstatic.

Dar'ax forced me to do this, and now I'm deeply grateful that he did. How did he know how much I needed it? Sure, Dad would totally love seeing me now. But Dar'ax is seeing it, from right behind me.

“This is fun,” I yell to him and replace the glasses on my face. “Very fast rekh!”

He doesn't reply, and I half-turn my head. “I said, very fast!”

Still silence.

I look behind me. The spot behind me on the raptor's back is empty.

Then I see him. He's at the edge of the clearing, a quarter mile away, standing there with his hands on his hips and the white flash of a big grin on his face.

I've been riding this raptor all this time.

All by myself.