The only thing that had given Falchion a moment's warning was the high-pitched screech from near the console, followed by a series of rapid-fire "EEP"s like a baby chick.

Springing to his talons and crossing the RC in just three strides, he ended up running straight into an unusually excited Ripper, who had apparently attempted to rush over to him instead.

"Ripper, what the flock's gotten into you?!" the Skarmory cried out in a mix of alarm and amusement, picking himself up. "You're not usually this... excited."

Ripper, who had ended up sprawled on the floor with ruddy feathers everywhere, managed to get to his feet as well, breathing rapidly and noisily. "Not when I am surrounded by creatures that shouldn't have evolved until millions of years after my time, no. But the fact that the Saurian dev team has been keeping up with the latest research for the sake of authenticity-"

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Suta. She had been visiting the two maniraptorans, in her human disguise, when the outburst had happened. "What's a dev team, and why are you two on the floor?"

"He wasn't watching where he was going," Ripper replied in his usual deadpan tone. "But I suppose it was my fault, too. I was indeed a little over-enthusiastic."

"A lot," added Falchion, cocking his head. "So, what's this about a dev team doing research? Since when was that even a thing?"

There was silence for a moment, but the two of them could tell that Ripper had become visibly disappointed.

"You've never heard of Saurian?"

"What's that?" asked Suta. "I know it refers to lizards, but-"

"Reptiles, in the broadest sense," Falchion corrected her. "I mean, we all are, but birds are technically very specialized reptiles..."

"Back on topic," said Ripper, "Saurian is an upcoming computer game that supposedly recreates the Hell Creek ecosystem as accurately as possible. No time-traveling humans, no volcanoes and tar pits, nothing but what's known to science."

Another moment of silence later, Suta spoke up again. "So... You're gonna have to play as a Big Jaw?"

"A Tyrannosaurus? Yes, that's one option among several different genera," replied Ripper. "And plenty of others will be featured in the game as well. Including, I hope, a newly discovered member of my kin."

Falchion and Suta looked at each other.

"Okay, what? Didn't they already find one of those?" the Skarmory asked, cocking his head.

"Yes, and that is a playable genus. But there is another. And it's bigger."

"Tell me more!"

Ripper nodded, before leading them towards the console. The others read the article on the screen with wide eyes.

"How big are we talking here?" asked Suta.

Ripper's smile showed every one of his jagged teeth. "Big enough to eat you for breakfast."

The disguised tyrannosaur felt her jaw drop. "T-that big?! But a forty-foot-long Fast Biter isn't-"

"Scientifically plausible?" asked Falchion, eyeing her slyly. "Or are you just worried that you're no longer the apex predator around here?"

Suta glared at him, but Ripper cut in before she could retaliate.

"Don't worry. At your adult size, you will have nothing to fear. I cannot say the same for juvenile Big Jaws, though."

"So... Jurassic Park Velociraptor-sized?" asked Falchion.

"Correct. And big enough to kill a juvenile tyrannosaur if it wanted to. They probably hunted the same prey, after all, albeit in different ways."

Suta punched her palm, glaring at nothing in particular. "Well, those things should be lucky I'm almost fully grown! I'll show 'em who's top of the food chain any day!" She grinned and snorted, the effect slightly dampered by her temporarily flat-topped teeth.

"You'll get your chance, Suta," said Falchion. "When you play the game, that is."

She looked at him, surprised. "When?"

"Look, tell you what: Once this Saurian game's released to the public, I'll do everything I can to get my talons on it."

"We will," Ripper added.

"Then we can get together to play it!" said Falchion. "Think about it, dinosaurs playing a dinosaur game! How cool is that?"

Suta beamed at them both. "You two are awesome, you know that?"

"Indeed so," Ripper replied, smiling again. "And yes, it would certainly be 'cool', in Falchion's parlance. Just like taking a walk in the woods, 65 million years ago. For real, this time."

----------

So yeah, Saurian. An upcoming survival game where you get to play as a scientifically accurate dinosaur in the Cretceous Hell Creek biome. I've been following the development of this game for quite a while now, and as a palaeo-nerd myself, I can't help but be excited for it! Partly because the devs of this game pride themselves on accuracy, and they've thoroughly researched every aspect of Hell Creek and its prehistoric inhabitants known to date. Suffice it to say, if you want to know what it's like to be a real, live T. rex, play this game when it comes out!

Incidentally, the announcement posts for the blog of this game were also how I learned of the new raptor genus discussed in the ficlet. Say hello to Dakotaraptor, a five-meter deinonychosaur with a fantastic name that was officially announced to science earlier today! Notable features include a 16-centimeter killing claw on the second toe, and quill nobs on a bone from the forearm (making this the largest known winged dinosaur to date). So yeah, we now know that JP-sized raptors lived alongside T. rex, and it's awesome to see that Saurian will hopefully include this amazing discovery in what's shaping up to be a fantastic game so far!

Read more about Dakotaraptor here: http://www.krank.ie/category/sci/nat/dakotaraptor-giant-raptor-hell-creek/