Owen groaned, carrying heavy groceries under his arms and approached his house. To his neighbors, the house was uncharacteristically enormous. The building took up nearly an entire block of space and there wasn’t enough room for other houses to squeeze in next to his. The backyard itself was so vast and well kept that it would’ve been sinful just to disturb it with another home. This had not made Owen very popular for his neighbors, but it was a necessity. After all, the house wasn’t just his home, but home to…the pack.

Gritting his teeth he used his foot to open the door and kicked it open.

“I’m home!” He called. There was no response at first…and the house was dark. A chill ran down his spine. “Ya’ll?! Don’t do this! I’m carrying groceries and if even one egg breaks, I’m making every one of you do laps! You hear me!?” Still no answer. He moved cautiously and carefully to the kitchen to set down the bags, praying that all was well and that nothing had happened to the pack…and that nothing would happen to him. Finally, he set down the last bag and took a single step back.

“RAAAAH!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Owen screamed as he felt a huge mass come screaming out of the shadows and tackle him to the ground. Long sharp claws dug into his shirt and he felt a long reptilian tail slap around his legs as the figure now stood over him. Snake like eyes stared down at him and sharp teeth were bared.

“DAMN IT CHARLIE!!” The figure was a girl, with short green hair tied back in a pair of small tails on her head. She beamed and started laughing happily as she sat on top of Owen, her tail waving back and forth under her dress. Her feet were not human girl feet but rather the feet of raptors, with three large claws and one of the tree was retractable and longer than the others. She had savage claws for hands, but in truth she wasn’t all that dangerous to Owen. She’d never use them on him. She was the youngest of the Raptor Pack.

“I got you good that time, Owen!”

“You’re lucky I wasn’t carrying anything!”

“That’s why I waited. The best predators wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.”

“You need to really stop seeing ME as the prey.” Owen growled. “Now get off, I need to get supper started.”

“Maybe you ARE supper.” Another voice said gruffly. Owen turned around to see two more of the pack behind him. Delta and Echo. Delta had a savage sneer on her face and long teal green hair. She was just wearing a button down shirt and a pleated skirt, and her sharp teeth were bared. Next to her was Echo. Echo had longer reddish brown curly hair and brown scales unlike her sisters. She had a gash along the side of her face from a fight she’d had when she was young. She was wearing a pink t-shirt and tight torn green pants. She had a nervous look on her face, but didn’t say anything. She’d been like this ever since she’d gotten that scar…timid and nervous about stepping out of her comfort zone.

“Delta, don’t be mean!” Charlie pouted.

“We’re predators, Charlie! It’s not mean, it’s nature!” Delta countered.

“But Delta,…”

“No, it’s true, Echo! Owen knows it too. That’s why he always finds reasons to leave right? He never wants to be around us so we’re always alone…it’s cause you’re scared of us, right!?”

“That’s not true, Delta.” Owen argued. “It just takes a lot to feed the four of you, so I need to go and work and buy food for you. It’s not because I’m sca-”

“HORSE SHIT!” Delta let out a predatory shriek and launched herself at Owen, grabbing him and shoving him against a wall.

“DELTA!” Charlie squealed.

“Tell us the truth, Owen…you’re afraid of us! That’s why you’re gone all the time! You just want us to go away, don’t you?” Owen groaned. Delta was always so aggressive…but Owen knew why. He was used to this behavior from her by now.

“Delta, calm down…deep breaths.” Owen whispered softly.

“Don’t talk down to me! I’m the apex predator here! You’re just food Owen! Wanna see how it feels to be food!?” She snapped.

“That’s enough.”

Every raptor stopped and spun around to see the new figure in the doorway. With short cut blue hair, wearing tight daisy dukes, a white shirt under a navy blue vest, she had navy scales and a fierceness in her eyes. Owen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her.

“Blue, thank goodness.” He moaned. Blue marched to Delta and grabbed her shoulder forcefully.

“Put him down, Delta.” Delta snarled at her, but Blue glared that menacing stare that turned blood cold.

“B-but Blue!”

“That’s an order!” Blue barked. Delta groaned and instantly released Owen, stepping back and bowing. “Now apologize to the Alpha.”

“He’s not our-”

“NOW, DELTA!” Blue snapped. Delta turned immediately to Owen and bowed.

“I’m sorry, Owen.” Owen just held his hand up and she backed up, blushing from embarrassment. Blue nodded at her and then turned to the other girls.

“You should all be ashamed! Charlie, we practice hunting tactics in the yard! Not on the Alpha. Shame on you!”

“S-sorry Blue…”

“And Echo, stop simpering in the corner. Step up! You’re a soldier. Start acting like it.”

“Right, yes ma’am.” Echo squeaked.

“And as for you, Delta. Get your attitude squared away!” She snapped. Delta nodded in response, looking genuinely remorseful.

“Yes ma’am.” Delta answered.

“Now all of you! To the yard for 5 laps around the perimeter! DOUBLE TIME!” Every raptor girl spun around and sprinted for the back door to begin their lap, like trained military personnel. She sighed and then looked back at Owen with a smile. “Welcome home, Alpha.”

“You can just call me Owen, Blue…you know that.”

“Proper procedure is to address you by your rank, correct?” Blue asked, standing at parade rest, her feet spread slightly and her hands behind her back.

“At ease, Blue.” Owen rolled his eyes. “Just chill out. What’s wrong with you today?”

“Why wouldn’t I be upset!? We’re having an inspection today, and the girls need to be in tip top condition to impress!” She cried.

“What inspection?” She walked past Owen and grabbed a letter she’d opened up from the counter and extended it to Owen who opened it and read over the form. Sure enough, it was a letter formally announcing that Captain Mark Grayson, the Naval officer who had commissioned this raptor project, would be arriving to inspect the homestead and the general condition of the raptors. Owen groaned in disbelief as he read that he would arrive between 1930 hours and 2000 hours (translated that’s 7:30 PM and 8:00 PM).

“I imagine that means he’ll want to join us for dinner?” Owen asked.

“Considering his time of arrival, I would assume that, sir.”

“Then I’ve got a lot of cooking to do in a short amount of time. Can you get the girls cleaned up and properly dressed for me?”

“Affirmative. After their run we’ll hit the showers and then be in our class A’s in time for the Captain’s arrival.”

“I don’t think class A’s are necessary…I’d just like the four of you wearing something nice.” Blue blinked a moment and then blushed, rubbing the back of her head.

“Um…Owen we don’t have any real nice clothes other than our class A uniforms.” Owen’s eyes widened as he realized that she was right and looked at his feet.

“Well…then this weekend I’ll take you four out to get some nicer clothes…not that what you’re wearing isn’t nice…but you shouldn’t have to put on your class A’s for every nice occasion.” Blue beamed and gave a respectful bow.

“I’ll let the girls know.” Blue replied turning to leave. Owen smiled and turned back to the stove to begin cooking.

“Oh, one more thing!” Blue gasped, turning back to Owen, who glanced up surprised. Blue smiled sheepishly and fiddled with her claw like fingers. “Er…permission to speak freely?”

“Blue, you girls can ALWAYS speak freely. You don’t have to ask.”

“Of course…um…I just wanted to say, from myself and the others, that no matter what happens tonight during the inspection…we’re honored to have worked with you. We wouldn’t want anyone else as our Alpha.” She said proudly. Owen frowned at this and looked back at the stove.

“I appreciate that, Blue.”

“Are you okay, sir?”

“It’s a personal thing. Don’t worry about it. Go get the girls ready please?”

“Yes sir!” Blue turned and ran outside to give her orders, leaving Owen lost in aggravated thought.

Two years ago when the Interspecies Exchange Bill had taken off in Japan, America had not been far behind in adopting it themselves. The question remained, however: Could extraspecies personnel be adapted for any occupation in the United States, including military service? After all, the Bill forbade the extra species to harm humans, and vice versa. Would it work? Could it work? So a test study was allowed. The United States Navy funded and commissioned the exchange of four lizardmen raptor variant sisters into the United States, under the condition that they were trained and raised by a former officer like former Lieutenant Owen Grady. He’d been staying with them for almost a month now, and their growth as operators was spectacular. Their raptor predatory instincts made them highly affective in tracking and take down tactics…but Owen had a misgiving that he hadn’t voiced to anyone…a misgiving that he feared the Navy wouldn’t want to hear.

“They aren’t weapons…they’re girls.” He growled softly to himself.

The truth was that Owen felt guilty every time he ran the girls through drills or exercises. He felt ashamed they only had a few spare changes of clothes that weren’t PT gear or their class A’s. He was annoyed that Blue always addressed him and the other girls in such a military fashion. The Navy was turning these girls into soldiers…when the point of the Bill was to help them integrate into society. Even a soldier has the right to be a person outside of the military. He was grateful that the Navy had given these girls a chance to be a part of American life…but in his soul, he wanted them to actually experience American life…not just the military life. Perhaps that was something he could bring up with Captain Grayson tonight. As he fired up the stove and pulled out the meat for dinner, he looked outside and saw Blue issuing her orders to get the girls inside and showered and he felt his frown slowly shift to a smile. He hadn’t expected it when he first met the girls but…he’d started to really care about them…like a family.

He would put his best forward tonight…he wanted to keep the girls with him as long as he could. But then a thought occurred to him that caused his whole body to tense up. In all of his training sessions and drills with the girls…never once had he taught them the finer points of dinner manners…and he’d seen the way the girls could eat.

“…I’m in deep trouble.”