Zenu, The Blue Velociraptor: A Story of Courage

By RJ West

 

"Zenu, The Blue Velociraptor" introduces us to Zenu, a young velociraptor who is beginning his journey into adulthood. He lives with his father, mother and two siblings in the village of Osgolia, in the region called Chigolia (modern-day Mongolia). The story takes place over 75 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period (late-C

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Book Publishing Solutions
• Release date: Feb 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9781963949292

Book preview

ZENU

THE BLUE VELOCIRAPTOR

RJ West

Copyright © 2023 RJ West

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE ZENU, THE FIRSTBORN, HIS CURIOUS NAME, AND THE VELKIANOUS

CHAPTER TWO THE OTHER LIZADROUS OF CHIGOLIA

CHAPTER THREE THE TERRORSKULL

CHAPTER FOUR OSGOLIA

CHAPTER FIVE DOCTUAS RAPTUAS

CHAPTER SIX ZENU’S FAMILY

CHAPTER SEVEN ZENU’S QUIRKS

CHAPTER EIGHT NERVOUS MORNING

CHAPTER NINE VESHKLEVIN, THE CRETACEOUS SCHOOL OF HUNTING

CHAPTER TEN READING OUT LOUD

CHAPTER ELEVEN LEARNING THE CRAFT

CHAPTER TWELVE CLASH WITH SLASH

CHAPTER THIRTEEN STORMY THOUGHTS

CHAPTER FOURTEEN MORE SCHOOL

CHAPTER FIFTEEN KASNIA’S PROPOSITION

CHAPTER SIXTEEN KASNIA’S FLIGHT

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN KARDRIA’S NEST

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN SCHOOL, SCHOOL, SCHOOL

CHAPTER NINETEEN LESSONS FROM KARDRIA & TSAGO

CHAPTER TWENTY YESHKLEVIN ENDS

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE THE TREEROCK FIELD

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO THE GAME OF TREEROCK

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE GAMEON

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR KASNIA’S LITTLE ADVENTURE

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE EXPEDITION TO THE CAVE OF ASHZVOLIA

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX SOMETHING LARGE THIS WAY COMES

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN TO THE HALF

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT BACK TO THE VILLAGE

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE BACK AT NEST

CHAPTER THIRTY HUNT, TERROR & CLAW

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE OSMAL & SON

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO THE MEETING OF DOCTUAS RAPTUAS

CHAPTER ONE

ZENU, THE FIRSTBORN, HIS CURIOUS NAME, AND THE VELKIANOUS

Over 75 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period (late-Campania and early-Maastrichtian ages of the Cretaceous period), the world was relatively warm. It had no ice, though there was more than likely snowfall in parts of the world. It had various ecosystems and was as beautiful as beautiful can be!

There were drylands with shrubbery, rainforests and forests of conifers with many types of plants and flowers that stretched from the North Pole to the South Pole. It was at this juncture on earth when large and small dinosaurs, or as was known to them as Lizadrous, roamed the earth—both by land and sea.

This is a story concerning a Lizadrous on the small end of the size spectrum: this odd-shaped, green-feathered Lizadrous with a large inner-claw on each foot is commonly known today as the Velociraptor. However, their ancient name is the Velkianous, or colloquially, by other Lizadrous in the region, as the SharpClaw.

More particularly, this is a story concerning a young Velkianous who was on the small end of even their size spectrum. His name was Zenu. Ordinary in appearance with feathers and the legendary large inner-claw on each foot, Zenu did have a notable feature no other Velkianous had.

While the vast majority of them had green feathers (albeit each did vary in green hues), Zenu’s feathers had various hues of blue lined from tail to beak, with some green feathers on his inner neck and on the end of his jawline.

Zenu was born and raised in the village of Osgolia, in the region known as Chigolia. He was born to wonderful parents—Mogo and Osmal—who were understandably surprised, but fell in love with his unique blue coloring, as they did with the little one in their midst. For this reason, Osmal named her firstborn child, out-of-the-blue, as Zenu.

Not one single Velkianous known throughout their history bore that name. Velkianous were traditionally named after family members—such as grandparents or great-grandparents—who had died; this was done not only to keep their name alive, but also their existence alive and remembered.

Each name also had its origin in Ancient-Kjhlvelkian—the language of earliest record that probably developed through the original of all original language and storytelling: music, dance and pictographs. Ancient-Kjhlvelkian can be distinguished by its complexity in pronunciation and definition, for each word and phrase not only has a deep-meaning, but a mystical force, or an unearthly energy that resonants within one’s soul.

At the age in which Zenu lived, the Velkianous spoke a shorter, more simple and distant form of Ancient-Kjhlvelkian, which was simply called Modern-Velkian. Many Velkianous did try their very best to keep some of the most important words and phrases from Ancient-Kjhlvelkian alive and in use, especially those related to the spiritual realm, time and the ethereal.

In the spiritual realm, you have Ashvela, who is the foremost Diety/Goddess of the Velkianous (and Colvelkians); however, she is more commonly referred to as the LifeSender. Adonaizko is the Diety/God of the Velkianous (and Colvelkians) and husband to Ashvela; though he is not worshiped universally, he is revered and celebrated as the LifeHealer and an example of a loving father and husband.

Ashzoyim is the word for the heavens consisting of Aeretz, which is the home of the living, and Aszeoyim, which is the continual progression of life after death. Ashva refers to the spiritual matter of the physical matter, also known as the soul, or spirit.

Concerning the order of time, the Velkianous did not have years, months, days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Instead, time was measured in Adiels. An Adiel refers to a moment in time—unspecified in length, for to the Velkianous, moments are not meant to be missed, nor discarded to the measurement of time.

A Velkianous is to never miss a moment; or allow a specified period of time to interfere in the moment; or with a moment, for all moments, for good or for bad, are precious to the existence of one’s Ashva; or one could use the Ancient-Kjhlvelkian phrase, Ashva estv adiel estv Neashmah, which roughly translates to: the souls journey is measured moment by moment until alleviated enlightenment

While this type of living, moment to moment, could lead to some confusion as to when a certain event is to begin or end, that is merely for the fool to wring their claws over. For most Velkianous are in-tune with the flow of energy of the moment.

There have been fools who have tried their very best to conjure up a system of time. But, they have never succeeded. A system of time was viewed by the majority of the Velkianous as a means of control and a hindrance to the serendipitous.

The closest measurement to the reckoning of time that the Velkianous employed was to be found in the ethereal, in following the cycles of the Lundiel (the moon), called Lundielkhods. The Lundielkhods were basically the eight phases of the Lundiel cycle as viewed in the night sky. This was merely done in an effort to prepare for temperature changes and hunting patterns—nothing more, nothing less. The Lundiel is more often called by the younger generations as the DarkLighter.

The Ashdiel (the sun) was also still common-parlance in Zenu’s age, but it was slowly being replaced by LightSender. Its obvious ancient value is that the word, Ashdiel is derived from Ashvela and demonstrates one of her many ways that She sends energy and life to all living Tanishkas, which is an Ancient-Kjhlvelkian word that refers to every living organisms, including the Lizadrous.

The Vlundiels (the stars) are the GemStones to Zenu’s generation. They are cherished for their beautiful formations in the darkness. Many songs and poems concern the Vlundiels. Some believe when any Tanishka dies, a Vlundiel is added to the sky in their honor. The more beautiful and kind one is in this life, so increases the intensity of light and beauty of the Vlundiel that is created.

Tradition is important. Keeping old names, words and phrases is important. But, come to think of it, did there not have to be a first of every name, a first of every tradition? Tradition is built on tradition after all; and progress halts when unnecessary tradition encumbers. This was true for the Velkianous, as with all established societies.

Every name had to have a beginning, even Ancient-Kjhlvelkian had its origin roots. Maybe there would be a line of Zenu’s to come. A name for the ages! Maybe Zenu was meant to be extraordinary. Maybe Zenu’s mother chose it out-of-the-blue knowing that even though Zenu was small for a Velkianous, there were big things to come from her firstborn.

So, Zenu it was! And to the village of Osgolia—and the wider Velkianous population of Chigolia—that Zenu belonged to, after stirring some bewilderment and even questioning at first, his name soon became accepted, even amongst the most staunch traditionalists.

Zenu was born in Cretaceous Mongolia, which consisted of mainly shrubland; though dense rainforests, plateaus, rocky ridges, valleys, rivers and lakes made their mark on the beauty throughout the region.

Because of the relatively dry climate of Cretaceous Mongolia, plant life was less abundant, and so, the Lizadrous did not grow to the size of their contemporaries in Cretaceous North America, such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus and amongst other iconic Lizadrous.

These are just a few examples of the Lizadrous that lived in North America during the Cretaceous period. There were many more species of Lizadrous that existed during this age, each with its own unique characteristics and adaptations.

The unique ecosystem of Cretaceous Mongolia produced its own unique set of Lizadrous. The Velkianous were defined by their high intelligence, craftiness, slenderness, bipedalism and green feathers. This indicates that they were more closely related to modern birds than previously thought. They were part of a group of theropods closely related to modern birds. They shared many anatomical features with birds, including a wishbone and similar skeletal structures.

As previously noted their most notable feature was a large inner-claw on each foot. They likely used their sharp claws and intelligence to hunt in packs, working together to take down prey.

While the Hollywood portrayal of Velkianous often shows them as being quite large, in reality, they were quite small. The larger versions were actually a different dromeosaurid called Deinonychus.

Velkianous were actually about the size of a turkey. An adult Velkianous, known as a Velkian, had an average length (from head to tail) between 20 claws (4’11) and 5 claws tall (1’7) at the hips; they weighed between 33 to 40 rocks, or simply 33 to 40 pounds. Child Velkianous were known as Velos (boys) and Velas (girls), or when speaking to a mixed group, Veloas.

Like many other Lizadrous, the Velkianous became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, likely due to the catastrophic event that caused the mass extinction. There is much that the fossil record suggests about the Velkianous; however, there is much more it does not show, and that is where our imagination fills the gap.

CHAPTER TWO

THE OTHER LIZADROUS OF CHIGOLIA

Oviraptor were close relative to the Velkianous and were called Colvelkians. Colloquially, or descriptively, they were known as HornBeaks. However, in deference to their familial ties, the Velkianous used the formal Colvelkians. The Velkianous referred to no other Lizadrous in the formal; only the descriptive colloquial manner.

The Colvelkians were also bird-like, but more colorful than the Velkianous. On occasion, the Velkianous would meet with the Colvelkians should territory or hunting become a heated issue, or just to learn survival methods and exchange philosophical and spiritual ideas with each other, as they shared a common tongue and many of the same spiritual beliefs.

Colvelkians were idealistic and strict in their ways, especially in matters of spirituality, leading to many cast-aways, who had difficulties with the high-demand Colvelkian communities; these Colvelkians sought to take refuge in Velkianous villages. Osgolia was the most accepting. At any given Adiel there were 15-20 Colvelkians living in Osgolia. They could not permanent stay in Osgolia. They would live with a family for until they were ready to return to their own community with their immediate family.

The Protoceratops were known to the Velkianous as HornedFace. It was a small and herbivorous Lizadrous that walked on four legs, had a big frill, a bony extension of the head that covered the neck and had a beak. Though hornless, it may look to some as a small Triceratops. The Velkianous hunted the HornedFace for its tender meat. However, the Velkianous utilized every part of the HornedFace, such as its bones, which were either transformed into tools or used in the construction of their nests.

Another Lizadrous hunted by the Velkianous was the Shuvuuia, or ThinRunner, which was a small and lightly built Lizadrous with long and slender jaws and minute teeth. Their hind limbs were long, slender, and short-toed, which made them fast. The forelimbs were unusually short and powerfully constructed. The ThinRunner was sought after by the Velkianous for its meat, as well as its highly nutritional organs.

Velkianous also believed that eating the hind limbs would bolster their speed, though this was never proven. It did, however, provide for a good nest-tale like, Veloxanstra: Messenger of Light. Veloxanstra was said to have only consumed ThinRunners’ limbs and that her speed was unmatched by any Velkianous, ThinRunner and any other Lizadrous. Legend has it that Veloxanstra brought the messages of light, warmth, comfort and also warnings from Ashvela and other realms to all the villages of Chigolia. Think of her as the ancient Greek god, Hermes. 

Incidentally, variations of this mysterious legend’s name were used by her descendants with ultimate pride—especially if they turned out to be fast by Velkianous’ standards; the unlucky ones, who did not live up to the name…well, they unfortunately felt shame that was for the most part self-inflicted. After all, who could live up to a legend, even if it may have been mythical.

The Therizinosaurus, or StrangeWalker, were colorful and walked gangly. They were very tall to the Velkianous, probably three of them standing on top of each other maybe could reach their height! They primarily left each other alone. Velkianous may have hunted the StrangeWalker anciently.

There was a myth, however, that permeated throughout the ages, which was to say that if you ate the flesh of a StrangeWalker, you too would start to walk gangly and grow disproportionate limbs. This myth was most probably started by the StrangeWalkers out of self-preservation.

The Zanabazar, or RedTop, were the largest bird-like carnivore in Chigolia. Like the Velkianous, it was feathered but had a near-black body color and a red crown. They were not agile or swift like the Velkianous, but they did have a size and strength advantage.

They were