She caught it!

Also, it appears The Fluffening is well underway, though still a work in progress.
Skye is about six months old by now, and about the size of an adult Velociraptor mongoliensis.
She may be a bit old for her first very own kill like she is for her first feathers, but assuming she's had
neither plumage nor scales on most of her, she would have had limited independence in thermoregulation
before, and couldn't have spent long stretches of time without being cuddled up to her parents.

Local squirrel population is not pleased with this development.
In Soviet Russia whatever part of America they are residing in right now, baby bird sometimes hunts you.

posted to: deviantart - tumblr

Face cuddles
June 2019

posted with more commentary to:
deviantart
my sketchblog/Patreon: picture 1, picture 2, picture 3 (the one with the commentary)

Preening practice
July 2019

Blue didn't have to learn how to groom feathers growing up, but maybe there's
enough instinct related to it buried in her DNA that it doesn't take long for her and Skye to get the hang of it.
Maintaining their plumage would have been a frequent and important part of their Mesozoic ancestors' routine, after all.

Skye's feathering is still baby down at this point, mostly to be left alone, with gentle combing and arranging being
more practice for the eventual contour feathers than necessary yet. Once she starts getting those, she can probably get most of her
pin feather sheaths cleared away herself when they're ready to unfurl (and until they are they shouldn't be fiddled with anyway),
but she could use someone opening for her the ones she can't reach. That part of feather maintenance they have both probably
had a bit of practice with already, considering...

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Teach me that!
July 2019

Indo picking off wax sheaths from his freshly moulted quills, and Skye wondering how the heck is he doing that.

Those big and uneven piscivore teeth that he has look like they might be pretty useless at grooming,
but at least for anything that ridiculously long claws don't get too much in the way at, opposable thumbs are quite handy.

There's a difference between opposable thumbs capable of securely grasping an object in one limb,
and opposable thumbs capable of not only that, but also the pinching-motion "true" opposition required for more precision.
Some non-human animals do have the former, including some maniraptoran dinosaurs (a few of the extinct ones with hands,
and most birds with their feet), but the latter is generally thought to be unique to humans. I don't recall that there is actually
any clear indication in canon that the Indoraptor prototype's thumbs necessarily work the same way as a human's do,
though one of the creatures on the ingredient list for cloning an Indoraptor being human is an interesting idea to me.
In any case, I drew him here capable of true opposition.

Though this one may be anatomically impossible for her, Skye probably picks up the occasional weird indoraptorhabit by watching
and copying him, as babies tend to do with their parents. I doubt she can walk on all fours very well, and she doesn't need to,
but maybe she stands like that sometimes (or with her hands close to the ground if not supporting her weight) just because dad does, too.

posted to: deviantart

Talon Salon
July 2019

Wild birds don't actively do anything to trim (and in the case of birds of prey, sharpen) their claws, since they're
active enough in general that claws get trimmed by use. Raptors in JP/W have often been housed in pretty limited space,
though, including the ones that actually got to be outdoors, which could give more reason for deliberate claw maintenance.

Maybe even out of captivity, some kept up the habit of having the occasional scratchy-scratch,
since they just learned it's a thing you do. Though now unnecessary as grooming,
maybe soothing to sometimes indulge in, as grooming activities tend to be.

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Nothing here but us rocks
July 2019

Two groups of hunters pass by each other - unknown to one, as the other would rather not have to deal with their kind at this time.

posted with more commentary to: deviantart

Huddle
September 2019

Necessary because still no feathers on these two? Maybe not, but maybe necessary for a different purpose.

For this rainstorm the family found an actual cave to take shelter in, with a nice, insulating moss floor and everything.
The location isn't great, but the neighbors are unlikely to disturb them in this weather.

posted to: my sketchblog/Patreon

Spring Activities
May 2020

Ladybug season!

posted to: deviantart

Cozy ground hawks
September 2019

Raptor fluff with an incoming further increase of fluff.
Look who's got pin feathers!

posted to: deviantart

Billing and cooing
September 2019

There they go rubbing their faces together again. Or, this would be just before the rubbing, with Indo asking for permission
to put his snout under Blue's to do some head to jaw touching. Not the most touching they've done or the first time
they've done this particular touching, but that's the cool thing - not only can physical contact be really nice to have,
but you get to decide any time that you don't want it right now, and when in doubt you can even ask to find out.

posted to: deviantart - my sketchblog/Patreon