Arka's heart did this weird skip—like, one second it was beating normal, the next it was full panic mode. He barely dared to breathe, following Kiki's fixed stare. The little dino was frozen stiff, every feather on edge, locked in like a radar on something in the bushes.
"What the…" Arka narrowed his eyes, trying to make out whatever had him spooked.
And then—boom. He saw it.
Two glowing yellow eyes, staring straight through the shadows like they owned the place. Cold. Sharp. Predatory.
Arka's pulse hit the gas. "Dude… is that another raptor?" he whispered, his voice barely more than air.
Kiki gave this tiny nod, feathers rustling just slightly, like a twitch before something big goes down. Tension wrapped around them like a storm about to break.
"Okay, buddy," Arka muttered, jaw tight. "Time to go full ninja with that Camouflage Cloak."
Quick as a flicker, Arka draped the shimmering fabric over Kiki's back. The little guy practically vanished—blended into the jungle like he was never there. Total ghost mode. Arka took a deep breath and crept forward, every step slow, every movement careful.
The raptor paced, claws scratching the dirt, sniffing the air, clearly hunting. It was close. Too close.
Arka's brain was running on overdrive. Can't just charge in—we'll be dino chow in two seconds flat. Need a plan. Need an angle. He glanced at Kiki, who looked back with this fierce, fiery gleam like, let's do this.
"You down for some stealth ops, lil' guy?"
Kiki chirped—barely a sound—but his look said, hell yeah.
They moved together, inching around the edge of the clearing, hearts pounding like war drums. Arka swore the raptor could probably hear his heartbeat, it was so loud in his chest. Then, just as they were sliding into the perfect escape lane—
The raptor's head snapped.
It saw Kiki.
Time stopped. Like, movie-slow-mo kind of stopped.
"RUN!!" Arka yelled, adrenaline crashing into his system like a wave.
Kiki didn't need to be told twice. He shot forward like a rocket, cloak rippling as he tore through the undergrowth. The raptor roared and lunged, jaws clamping down—on nothing but air.
"Quick Dash! Now!" Arka barked, tearing after them.
Kiki hit top speed, a blur of motion and feathers. The raptor stumbled a second, caught off guard, and that was enough—barely. Arka raced behind them, the jungle a blur, his lungs burning, legs screaming.
"There!" Arka spotted a massive tree with a thick, low-hanging branch. "Climb! Go, go!"
Kiki scrambled up with cat-like reflexes. Arka was right behind, hands gripping bark, hoisting himself up with everything he had. They reached the branch just as the raptor skidded to a stop beneath them, huffing, snarling, furious.
"We're good. For now," Arka gasped, chest heaving. His whole body was humming with leftover fear and adrenaline. "But that thing's not giving up easy."
Kiki stared down at the beast, then back at Arka, something smart sparking in his eyes.
Arka scanned the clearing below. Think. Think. Something. Anything. Then he saw it—fallen branches, dry and crackly.
"Alright, here's what we do," he said, voice low and steady. "I chuck one over there, get it to turn. You stay ghosted. When I say go, we're out."
Kiki gave a tiny nod, full serious mode.
Arka picked up a stick, gripped it tight, and launched it into the bushes opposite them. Snap! The crack echoed like a gunshot. The raptor's head jerked toward the noise.
"Now, Kiki! GO!"
Kiki took off like a comet, streaking toward the distraction. The raptor fell for it—hook, line, and talon—barreling after him with a screech.
Arka didn't hesitate. He dropped from the tree and bolted, tearing through the jungle after them. "You got this, Kiki!" he shouted, not caring if the whole forest heard him.
Kiki was crushing it—feathers flying, zig-zagging between trees, blazing fast. He slipped through a tight gap between two boulders. The raptor wasn't so lucky—it crashed into them with a nasty crunch, snarling in pain and fury.
Arka caught up, breathless but grinning like a maniac. "Dude. You nailed that."
Kiki chirped, all puffed up with pride.
Arka laughed, ruffling his feathers. "You're like a tiny, fluffy speed demon. Love it."
They paused, catching their breath. The jungle was calm again, like it had just hit the reset button.
"Alright," Arka said, eyes scanning ahead. "No time to chill. Let's move before that overgrown chicken finds us again."
Kiki gave a firm nod. Let's go.
And just like that, the two vanished back into the green, ready for whatever wild, insane, heart-pounding thing was waiting next.