Hunting Archaeopteryx

HUNTING ARCHAEOPTERYX
(Domestic Dinosaur Series #1)
Pen and Ink -- Color version coming soon (I hope)
[link] for more on this series

“I call him Klaus – he’s third generation. His mother was the first archaeopteryx I flew, and his grandmother belonged to my dad. I’ve been training him and his sister Lavi up to hunt. They’ve both got the knack, which is, you know... it’s kind of a relief. Because some of them just aren’t born with the instincts you need, and there’s not much you can do about that.

“These guys will bring down small game by themselves. They’ll take birds, small pterosaurs, insects... what, what’s so weird about that? Oh... well, out here on the fringes, the insects aren’t just little bugs that you swat. Klaus brought me back a dragonfly as long as your arm yesterday. You can sell the wings, the exoskeleton, and the meat is pretty tasty in a stew... what? Don’t laugh! It really is!

“Anyway, a good hunting archaeopteryx will spot bigger game for you, too. That’s what we’re working on right now. He’s off and on when it comes to spotting... but he’s doing great. He’s only three, so he’s got plenty of good years ahead of him. It’s very rewarding, training hunting archys. I don’t think of it like having a pet at all. He’s still pretty close to how they are in the wild. It’s a partnership. We work together, we hunt together... I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”