You know whatâs delicious?
Food, in general. Iâm gonna go find me some. Whoâs with me?
A soft growl of agreement came from behind Andy. Feathers raised on the back of Archimedesâ neck pressed down.
He spins around, grabbing his chest in surprise. Then cautiously, âOh hey, didnât see ya there.â
The raptor jumped back in surprise himself, letting out a âpeepâ-like noise. Archimedes bobbed his head excitedly in greeting, feathery tail gently fanning a stack of papers. The small and young raptor jumped excitedly, too, four-foot-tall fluffball chirping at the man.
âOh, you arenât like the other raptors Iâve met, are you,â he asked, voice gentle and friendly. Andy figured from the size and the way it was acting, it just might be a⌠a baby? Patting around himself, searching his pockets, he found the little treat bag a friend had given him. The smile remained on his face, but he used caution as he presented the meaty little morsel to the raptor. âHere ya go, little guy. Ya hungry?â
The young raptor sniffed the treat and then the hand, distinguishing between the two, then nipped at the treat. A pleased trill ran through the raptorâs throat before he ripped the treat from between the manâs fingers and playfully devoured it.
He had been a little nervous about the feeding. So easy to lose a finger feeding an unknown animal. But the reaction of the raptor made him chuckle. âYouâre kinda cute. But also a little scary. And your feathers are pretty damn cool. And⌠Iâm talking to a baby raptor that probably doesnât understand me.â
âMmmmrowrrrrrre!â Archimedes growled and chirped repeatedly, trying to get the word right. Of course, it probably sounded like a conventional roar-chirp to the man. The raptor then proceeded to leap upon the table nearby, to the filing cabinet, and then nudges Andy in the face.
He watched the little raptor hopping up and gave a chuckle when he was nudged. Another treat was offered as he smiled âYou want some more? You gotta promise not to bite me though.â
The raptor chirruped, bobbing atop the filing cabinet and beating his arms like wings. Archimedes was hungry.
âHmmmmâŚâ he mused, watching the little guy go a little nutso over the food. Babies -and he was sure this was a baby- always needed lots of food because they were growing. âDo you want to see about finding some real food?â
Looking him over, Andy continued âWe could walk or⌠youâre pretty little. I could carry you if you want.â
The raptor delighted in the idea of more food. Archimedes pounced, making sure the killing claw didnât hit the man; he wasnât the food in this case. He landed, heavily feathered arms flopping over the manâs right shoulder. Enthusiastic chirps came from Archie, who pulled himself atop Andyâs shoulder and craned his neck to look him square in the eyes. He squeaked to make sure he knew where to go.
âThis has got to be one of the absolute coolest things ever,â Andy laughed, looking up at the dino. âIâm not too familiar with around here, so you gotta point me in the right direction, okay fella?â
Archie chirped, leaning forward and to the right, pointing like a bloodhound toward the staff food court. It was strange, knowing he could eat among the staff. There was a lot of good stuff at the food court, to the knowledge of the raptor. There was the white meat, the brown meat, the hot meat, the sticky meat, the stringy meat, the red meat, the lumpy-but-good meat, the round meat, the loggy meat, the chunk meat⌠There was a lot of meat.
Andy headed where the raptor pointed to, luckily not really running into anyone. Though, honestly, he wished he could get a picture of this! Soon he found a doorway leading to a food court. It was pretty quiet, but there was food set out in warmers buffet style at one end. With a big grin, he exclaimed âJackpot!â
Archimedes screeched with joy, beating his arms as Andy moved toward the buffet row. The raptor preened himself in the meantime, growling as some feathers fell to the floor.
Blowing one of the feathers off his face, Andy picked up a plate to fill. He did take a moment to pick up a piece of chicken and hold it up to the little raptor. âHow about this?â
The small raptor perched on Andy's shoulder leaned forward toward the chicken piece, sniffing cautiously before letting out a small screech and sinking his teeth into the tiny morsel.
