A/N: Welcome back everyone! You seem to really love this concept, so here's another chapter! I've gotten a fair amount of concern regarding Ace and her ability to stay with Izuku. Sorry, but she likely won't be coming to UA with him.
HOWEVER!!! That does not mean that she won't come back to her favorite human. ;) Just sit back and wait. One way or another, Ace will make her return to Izuku's side.

FANART: As stated in the last chapter, we've got a bunch! Huge thanks to Hiddenappreciation who has been continually supplying me with epic fanart for this story (including the cover!!) and keeping me motivated!

The following all come from the amazing artist, Hiddenappreciation! There's more, but those are chapter-specific (my discord sometimes gets idea dumps from me, so join up if you're interested!)

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/725587208647606315/859991696803495956/Untitled121_20210630195834.png

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/725587208647606315/859593198723792926/Untitled131_20210629173153.png

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/725587208647606315/859239151889940480/Untitled130_20210628180138.png

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/725587208647606315/858209402146521108/Untitled126_20210625214805.png

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/725587208647606315/855145285650481202/Untitled112_20210617105947.png

From Chaos and Coffee (which is one of the best usernames I've ever seen, ngl):
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/855267084736528434/858272771058827264/Intsinct_Cover.JPG

Local Trash Fire drew this incredible scene (which was the runner-up in the cover art contest I held on my discord to choose Instinct's cover image)
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/855267084736528434/855700751955001374/1624084204710.png

And Jstage drew this for the contest as well!
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/855267084736528434/855335349014364160/Instinct.jpg

Remember that fanart can be sent to [email protected] and to my discord channel! :3 Love you all, and remember to drink some water! :D

~~~

Year: 236?, Location: Isla Sorna

Izuku yelped a tad too loudly as his bare calloused foot slipped hard on the exposed root of a tree.

On some instinct he dare not question, he rolled to his right, barely registering the burrs that bit into the exposed flesh of his arm. Claws met the ground right where he'd been moments before. He locked terrified eyes with the creature before him and instantly all fatigue left him as a fresh wave of adrenaline flooded his system.

He was suddenly on his feet again, aching muscles protesting loudly as his exhausted body made a mad dash in his original direction. The trees around here weren't easy to climb when wet, and it was just his luck that it'd rained the night before.

He was banking on his sense of direction being accurate. He veered left, hearing one of them cry out as they slipped on the slick foliage that littered the ground. His legs pumped faster as he felt their hot breath on the back of his neck. He was so close.

Suddenly, he saw his freedom up ahead. A large gorge opened its gaping maw, a swift ravine running at its base. Izuku ignored everything he'd ever been taught and pushed his legs as fast as he could and jumped.

For a moment, he feared he'd made a mistake. His stomach dropped and his heart pounded in his ears as he realized that the closest ground was several hundred feet below him. Then, he hit the edge hard, grappling blindly for a handhold. His trembling fingers wrapped around a cluster of roots with a vice grip he wasn't sure he'd been capable of before as he poured the last of his nonexistent energy into pulling himself up onto the small ledge he'd discovered on accident a week ago.

An accident that had now saved his life.

He finally looked back at the edge he'd jumped from. The velociraptors paced the edge, hissing in displeasure as they eyed him hungrily. Izuku took a deep breath and finally let himself relax. They couldn't reach him, here. The alpha of the pack—a pure black raptor that Izuku had taken to calling Void—cried out in rage before turning around and leaving, the rest of the raptors following suit.

Izuku's eyes snapped open to the familiar darkness of a cavern. The soft breathing of his packmate had his shoulders relaxing as the phantom ache in his legs receded into a bad memory. He was curled up against Ace, as was their usual sleeping habit.

There was a fierce storm raging outside, and Izuku took a moment to wonder what had awoken him. A particularly loud clap of thunder had Ace startling awake beneath him as well, raising her head in alarmed curiosity. It was pouring buckets outside, but the cave was set on an incline, so they were thankfully dry. The storms on this island were something else—powerful and terrifying; but he found an entrancing beauty in it nonetheless.

Izuku refocused his mind as he tried to think of what could've woken them up. There wasn't any movement by the mouth of the cave, sans the rain, so it wasn't an animal or a predator. He chirped questioningly at Ace, who gave the raptor equivalent of a shrug.

Then he heard it—in the moment the wind died down for a split moment, the sound reached his ears with shocking clarity.

It was an odd sound, very out of place. It was like a rumbling roar or growl, but it didn't sound like any creature on the island that he'd encountered before. Yet it sounded distinctly familiar, and it was bothering him that he couldn't place how.

He approached the mouth of the cave on silent bare feet, cautiously glancing around. He was about to give up and bunker back down with Ace when a flash of lightning illuminated something he never thought he'd see again—an airplane. It was flying far too low, and smoke was coming out from one of the engines. He winced. They must've been struck by lightning and was making a forced emergency landing.

They were heading for the Spinosaurus' territory.

Izuku stared in shock. This was his first sight of anything human that hadn't been abandoned for decades since he'd landed on this island. The fact that living breathing humans were on that plane made his heart lurch.

Izuku tried not to think of home often. He missed his mother terribly. Hell, he even missed Kacchan, the abusive dick he was. Despite how content he'd made himself on this island... how much of a home it'd become, he still longed for people. "Ace... those are people. Humans like me." He explained softly as his packmate quietly padded up beside him, gaze drifting towards the plane soaring through the storm. She tilted her head curiously, watching as the metal monstrosity crashed into the forest with a sound louder than the thunder.

He fought the urge to run out and help them. It was too dangerous, right now. That sound was sure to attract the attention of all nearby predators who would assuredly come to investigate. The humans would be gone by morning. He kicked himself for the bubbling hope that burned in his chest. They might've had a chance of survival if it'd been anyone else's territory, but Spiny was definitely going to tear them to shreds. Besides, he tended to chase people in the direction of Pearl's territory, so that would all but ensure that any unlucky survivors would meet a painful and brutal end.

But come daylight, Izuku and Ace might be able to gather supplies. As it was, going out there in this kind of storm was suicide. If it was a calm night, that'd be far different, but Izuku couldn't risk getting sick. If he got a fever, he'd be dead. No matter what, he had to look out for himself and Ace first.

But if any these people had someone at home who cared, then perhaps they'd send someone to come looking. Maybe he could escape this island. His heart twisted painfully with a mixture of excitement and grief at the thought. He'd never bothered to ask himself what he'd do, should the opportunity actually arise. Did he want to go back to his old life? He was, to an extent, happy here. With Ace he surely didn't need anything more... and he'd adapted shockingly well to this life.

Surely... this was all he needed... right? So then why did he long for more? Why did he long for the long days of sitting in a classroom and chasing after hopeless dreams? How could he possibly miss the abusive dick that had once been his packmat—friend?

He looked over at Ace, who'd nudged his arm with a questioning trill. She chirped in a manner that Izuku understood to mean 'pack' and glanced off in the direction of the plane.

"Hmm... not quite." He corrected, before chirping the word for 'raptor'. The sound indicated the species, rather than a specific pack. "Human" He stated aloud after the chirp. Ace's eyes lit up in realization.

She repeated the chirp, creating a new influx to the middle of the sound. Her equivalent of making up a word that wasn't in the raptor's vocabulary. Izuku repeated the sound with a nod.

Ace trilled sadly, tilting her head. She was asking if he was sad. Izuku responded with a sad trill of his own, followed by a few chirps that meant 'nest' and 'lost'.

It was a strange way that the two had of communicating. Neither could fully understand the others' tongue, but they understood enough to close the language barrier through gestures and expressions.

Ace understood that he was homesick. He could see it in her eyes, too. She missed her old pack just like he missed his old life. She'd once tried returning to her pack, and they'd been ready to tentatively accept her back in, but once they saw Izuku, they chased her back out again.

He'd tried to tell her that she could return to them, but she'd hissed at him and planted her claws in the dirt. The fact that she had chosen him over her own pack had warmed his heart, but...

But now, Izuku was conflicted. If he really had the chance to go home... would he? The answer should've been a simple yes, but he found himself hesitating. There were many reasons why he hesitated. For one, he was actually somewhat happy on the island. He'd found a place where he could be himself, and his analyst habit had made him a powerful predator in his own right. Even before he'd found Ace, he'd been starting to scratch out his own territory—an incredible feat considering the fact that he had no natural claws or fangs of his own.

But his main hesitation stemmed from Ace. She was so important to him. He couldn't just leave her behind. But he knew, logically, that this was her world. The world of humanity was full of cars and heroes and villains and machines... no forests and nothing to hunt... a world full of noise and color that was so unlike this prehistoric place he now lived. Ace could never be happy, there. Not to mention the fact that people would take her from him. And he couldn't explain human society to her, either. Hell, he could hardly understand human society, himself!

The moment she found someone threatening him, she'd kill them. And then she'd be labeled too dangerous and killed. No, Izuku could never return to human society with Ace by his side. But honestly, the thought of cars and lights and villains and even heroes didn't appeal to him like they used to. He couldn't picture himself living in those conditions anymore.

He liked the silent starlit nights, falling asleep to the calls of the nocturnal world. He slept far too lightly to get any proper rest in an environment like a human settlement, and he was sure the processed foods wouldn't be too great after years of raw meat and strange fruit he didn't fully recognize.

But it was undeniable that he missed human contact. He missed his mother's warm hugs and being able to hold a full conversation with smiles that held blunted teeth. He missed seeing all the incredible Quirks that people had, and analyzing things because it was fun—not because he might die if he missed a detail.

He was tired of running around an island with the fear of death in his veins. He knew that the constant stress wasn't doing him any favors, and though the thought of mainstream heroics didn't hold the same golden hued glow it used to, he still had that deep-seeded desire to help people.

He... didn't know what he wanted anymore. He felt like he couldn't be happy in either world. Seeing the airplane brought with it a whole slew of questions and insecurities that he'd been shoving down since he landed on the island, and he now knew that they wouldn't just go away.

Ace chirped sharply, grabbing Izuku's attention. She sent him a reprimanding look, like she knew his mind was going places it shouldn't be going, and he held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry." He apologized with a smirk as he came back to himself. Ace shook her head and moved it in an arc. She then made a chuffing sound and nudged him towards their nest.

Izuku chuckled and let her herd him back into their bed of leaves and foliage as they curled back up again. He gave her a look and a series of chuffs and purrs that he'd learned indicated a deep care for someone. It was their way of saying 'I love you' or the closest they had, anyways. Ace seemed to purr as she repeated the phrase back to him.

The morning came both too quickly and too slowly for him. He hardly slept, too concerned about the plane that'd crashed upon his island and the possibility of survivors. His mind wouldn't stop throwing around the question of what he'd do if presented with an opportunity to go back to that world.

The air was cold and wet, laden with the post-storm humidity that he'd grown used to over the years. A fine misty layer coated the island as Izuku yawned and stretched. He chirped a good morning to Ace, who yawned as well, showing off insanely sharp white teeth.

He chuckled fondly and scratched her under the chin. Ace hated mornings. Izuku thought it was cute. She hissed in displeasure before he hit the sweet spot that made her purr. She snorted and pulled her head away, pouting. Izuku growled gently, adding in a couple of chirps and trills to convey his impatience.

Ace tilted her head, making a high-pitched whine that was interrupted by a couple of chuffs and chirps. She wanted to know if he was going to investigate the plane from earlier.

"Yeah." He nodded. "They could have resources we can use." He explained, adding in raptor noises intermittently in his speech.

Ace snorted and shook her head like a wet dog, but stood up from their nest anyhow. She stretched and gave Izuku a look he understood well.

Izuku smiled as he clamored onto his packmate's back, and they took off at a speed that made him want to whoop in excitement. Ace gracefully ran over gnarled roots and wove between tangled trees.

They slowed down upon reaching the edge of the Spinosaurus' territory, sacrificing speed in the name of stealth. Izuku quieted his breathing as the two of them stalked their way through the thicker areas of the jungle, keeping a sharp ear out for any predators.

It wasn't long before they reached the wreckage of the plane. The crash was bad. Trees were bowled over and one of the wings of the aircraft had been torn off. Izuku carefully approached the wreckage while Ace snooped around the perimeter.

It was obvious that the Spinosaurus had already attacked the plane in the night. It was opened from the middle like a tin can; the claw marks were a clear indication of the perpetrator. The blood was mostly washed away by the rain, but some of the splatter had clung to the inside of the wreckage. He cautiously snuck inside, taking a moment to blink at how strange the carpeted interior of the aircraft felt against his bare feet.

The flickering lights above him kept drawing his attention, and the high-pitched hum of the backup emergency power made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Everything felt so unnatural to him. The enclosed space, the artificial smell of everything, the soft fabrics and bright colors and... it sent his instincts on edge.

He startled when he saw the first person—a woman who looked rather well-off and had obviously perished in the initial crash... lucky her. He took in how strange everything looked. Her clothes, the watch on her wrist, the sparkle of her earrings... everything was so impractical and the sickeningly sweet smell of perfume mixed with other frilly smells made his nose hurt. The lifeless gleam of her eyes bore accusingly into his soul, like she could feel him judging her and her impracticality in the afterlife.

He shook his head and studied the other bodies. There weren't many. This aircraft was small, able to fit no more than twenty passengers. It was one of those planes that flew out of the airports built in the middle of nowhere, which meant they weren't going far... that meant that Izuku was likely very close to some kind of human civilization. He scoffed at the thought. It didn't matter how close he was, there was no way he could handle the aquatic predators that surrounded the island.

Even still, seeing the clothing of the passengers and their luggage was strange and foreign to him. The smells were both familiar and cloyingly sickening, and he found himself growing increasingly restless in such an enclosed space.

Izuku decided to hurry it up, ignoring how wrong it felt to sort through the belongings of the dead—not like they'd need it anymore. He found a pocketknife on one man, and snatched it without a thought. Sharp durable metal could help him make more weapons. He would have to be careful not to let it dull.

He stole the shoe laces of the other two men who'd died on impact—he could use that to secure things to trees or help conceal entrances to his nests. He snatched a flask off one of the men, nose scrunching at the sharp smell of alcohol. He'd need to dump that out later, but a way to carry water with him would be invaluable—even if he'd have to scruff the flask up to remove the shine.

He almost forgot to check the cockpit, but he was so glad he did. He found an actual first-aid kit. This alone made the risk of the search worth it. With the precious supplies held within, it could keep him and Ace alive for months longer than without. It even had antibiotics!

Izuku decided that he'd spent long enough in one location, and went to make his way back to the outside, where the air was actually breathable.

He froze when he saw something sticking out of the first woman's purse. It was a cell phone. He picked up the device and watched enraptured as the screen lit up. For a moment he marveled at the tiny multicolored pinpricks of light that formed words, images, and even the time—something he'd embarrassingly admit that he forgot existed beyond 'morning, afternoon, night'. Could he maybe call his mother? Let her know he was alive?

No, there wasn't a signal. He cursed, nearly pocketing the device before thinking better of it. He couldn't unlock it, and there was no way to ensure it could be silenced completely. Even a soft vibration could alert a predator to his location. The risk wasn't worth it, so he left it in the bag.

He had stayed long enough, anyhow. The longer he spent in the human deathtrap, the higher the chances of meeting with a very angry and highly territorial Spiny. Yeah, no, he wasn't going to risk that.

Izuku silently climbed down from the wreckage, sneezing a bit to readjust after the accosting scents of humanity. He'd never noticed how much stink they had on them—detergent, chemicals, perfumes... it was horrible! He could already feel a small headache pounding away at his skull, and took a nice deep breath of the forest around him.

"Maybe it really is best if I stay here." He muttered to himself as Ace trotted up. She chirped questioningly and glanced off in a specific direction, flaring her nostrils. Izuku frowned before scenting the air, noting that the smell of detergent and blood lingered in that direction. "Survivors." He realized. Ace chirped in affirmation.

His heart stuttered a bit at the realization. He locked eyes with his packmate and nodded. He wasn't going to let them die if there was a choice. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung himself onto Ace's back.

They took off at a relatively sedate pace. Izuku idly noted that his sense of smell must've been stronger than he thought if he could follow a trail like this. The coppery scent of blood hovered beneath the cloying headache-inducing scent of detergent, and he noticed droplets of red hiding amongst the foliage here and there. Tiny footprints indicated that the small group—no more than four, if he was reading their shoeprints right—had been tailed by the compies as well.

Izuku winced when they passed a territory marker—the scent of raptor urine accosted his nostrils, warning him that they were passing over a territorial border. It was odd, but he could tell by scent whose pack it was.

There were three packs of raptors that held territories on the island. Ace's old pack was headed by an alpha male that Izuku named Red. Red had a stripe down his side like Ace, but it was in the aforementioned color, hence the name. Red was an aggressive and highly territorial raptor, and his pack wasn't the biggest, but it was the most creative. They were smart but they refused to trespass into the territory of other predators. Among the three packs, they were the most reasonable.

Pearl was the alpha female of the second, and largest pack, standing at nearly 30 raptors strong. They held the territory in the middle of the island, where the old research center had been. For something that'd been built over three centuries ago, it was in shockingly good shape. Izuku assumed someone had come by and fixed it up at some point, but he couldn't fathom who or why. Either way, it wasn't his concern. They were powerful and resourceful, and their numbers made them strong enough to brave the territories of other predators. He once watched them take down a young T-Rex. Pearl was his least favorite of the raptors.

Finally, Void was the alpha of the third and final pack. Izuku wasn't sure if Void was a male or female, but they were completely black in coloration. Void's pack was the smallest, consisting of only six raptors, but they were the most aggressive pack he'd ever seen. They would attack damn near anything that moved, and had chased Izuku into the territory of other predators on several occasions, despite the danger to themselves.

He knew, from the scent markers, that they were entering Pearl's territory. He chirped reassuringly at Ace, keeping a sharp ear out for the telltale sounds of nearby predators.

Izuku couldn't help but snort a bit as the trail led them through the paths of least resistance—opening the small group of survivors to further attacks. It would've been smarter if—

He and Ace froze. The high-pitched chirp of the compsognathus accosted his ears, and the wind shifted to carry the heavy scent of blood to him. Seemed like one of the survivors had been taken out. He was tempted to head in that direction, but the scent trail drifted East.

Curiosity was no excuse for stupidity. They continued following the trail. He fingered a small tin that he kept on his person. He'd salvaged it from an old overturned truck of some kind, and repurposed it to hold T-Rex urine—something that'd cover the scent of damn near anything. He kept it just in case he needed to hide his own scent trail, or frighten off the smaller predators in the case of an injury.

If he found any living survivors, he'd need to use the whole damn can to cover their scent. Anything in this jungle would instantly identify them as something that didn't belong, and nothing on the island liked Outsiders. Anything that didn't belong was prey.

Izuku had once fallen into that category—still did, according to a few packs—but these days he was as much part of the island as the raptor he rode. He was an oddity, but he lived by their rules. He was one of them. He belonged on the island.

Now, smelling the cloying scent of humanity, he could understand that innate want—that need to remove what didn't belong. He felt much the same, and if he hadn't grown up among humans, he would probably be chomping at the bit to chase them further into Pearl's territory.

But the human side of him wanted to reach out and help them. And dousing any survivors in the urine of one of the strongest predators would hide them from the prying noses of the island.

Izuku noted a few places where the survivors had stopped to rest. The scent became a lot stronger, and the blood droplets became more numerable and noticeable. A few pieces of trash—granola wrappers or water bottles—were tossed about here and there. He snorted and rolled his eyes. These people had no idea how to be discreet. They would never survive here on their own. He was tempted to take the empty water bottles, but they were one of those cheap ones that crinkled whenever they were touched. No, the value of carrying a liquid with him did not outweigh the risk of stealth and evasion.

Despite the survivors' horrendous attempts of covering a trail—partway through, they'd tried to brush over their footsteps, likely realizing that something was following them—Izuku was mildly impressed with how far they managed to get.

It was nearly noon by the time he stumbled across a half-made camp. The blood splattered around and the supplies that'd been hastily abandoned painted a very clear picture for Izuku, as he carefully climbed off Ace's back. He clicked a few times to let her know to search the perimeter while he investigated what remained of the camp. There could be something valuable, after all, and one of Izuku's self-imposed survival rules was never waste an opportunity or resource. It'd saved his skin more than once.

The claw marks on the ground indicated a raptor attack, and the charred remains of the camp fire told him that Pearl had waited a little bit to attack—likely until they'd lowered their guards. She was sneaky, that way. She could plan and wait and trick and act. Izuku recalled one time when she chased him up into a tree, and then made a big show of being frustrated and left. He climbed down after he thought she'd gone, only to find that she'd been waiting for him. She had tricked him, and it was that moment that he realized just how smart raptors were.

This group hadn't stood a chance. He winced when he saw a severed arm that'd been torn from the body that was nowhere to be seen. In fact, there weren't any corpses around. Izuku wondered if perhaps someone had survived after all.

He cautiously scented the air, wary of any other raptors still stalking the camp. Smelling nothing, he padded his way on silent feet over towards the backpacks that'd been abandoned near the fire. They were filled with things that were useless to him—computers and technological doohickeys that looked like support items. He dumped the contents out onto the ground before stuffing what he wanted to keep back in.

Notebooks, pencils, clothing and a blanket. He could survive the winter much easier with these. He held up a t-shirt and cringed at the smell. He hastily scrubbed it into the dirt, making sure to shake it out afterwards. He sniffed it again. Better. Not perfect, but it no longer smelled so much like human. After a few hours, it'd adjust to his scent.

He slipped the shirt on, reveling in the softness that graced his abused skin. It'd been many seasons since he'd had something that could cover his torso, and it was strangely relieving to have his back covered from the harsh sunlight.

He turned his attention back towards the backpack's contents. He shoved a flashlight in, noting that it'd be a good distraction tool if he ran into a motion hunter like the T-Rex. He discarded the socks—his feet were calloused enough that walking around barefoot was normal for him, and he found he could climb easier with bare feet than shoes.

He grinned when he came across another first-aid kit. What luck! This was an amazing find. Not one but two medical kits!? He quickly shoved it into the pack, vowing to riffle through it later. He shoved a few granola bars and a half empty water bottle into the bag as well, pursing his lips when he came across a few items he didn't recognize. Whatever, he had what he needed. He zipped the pack up, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He turned to call over Ace, when he heard a startled yelp.

The rustling of the foliage was the only warning he got as something stumbled and fell, petrified. It took him a moment to understand what he was seeing.

A human. An honest to god human being was sitting—alive—before him. She had been startled from her hiding spot by Ace, it seemed, and she had gone deathly pale. A set of claw marks bled sluggishly from her left arm, and a pair of broken goggles sat atop pink hair. She wore a tank top and some kind of overalls, and refused to look away from Ace, who chirped curiously.

She was silent, either too afraid to make even a whisper of noise or movement, or too smart to. Likely the former. Izuku wondered if she was the only survivor of the group.

Izuku chirped with a sharp whistle, and the girl quickly glanced behind her. Her golden cross-haired eyes widened as she took in the sight of a fellow human. Ace trilled questioningly, and Izuku shook his head, chirping again as he chuffed irritably. Ace huffed as she left the girl and trotted over to Izuku's side.

The pink-haired survivor stared at him in shock, mouth opening and closing as she tried to process what she was seeing. Izuku chuckled a little, amused despite himself. He'd forgotten just how expressionate humans were, from their eyes and eyebrows to the subtle movements of their mouth and bodies.

He realized abruptly that he'd been quiet for a longer than was polite. God, he was hopeless with social interactions before his prehistoric isolation. He was a lost cause with it now. "Uh... Hi." He greeted lamely, feeling his face heat up a bit. He belatedly realized that she may not even be Japanese. He could be anywhere in the world, and the only other human language he could speak with any fluency was English.

"I-is that raptor going to eat me?" She asked in a hushed whispery tone. Izuku couldn't help but grin when he realized that she'd spoken in Japanese. He felt a little bad when she flinched, and he belatedly realized she might think he was grinning in response to her question.

"No." He quickly reassured, adding a comforting chirp. "She won't eat you. She's my pack. This is Ace." He scratched her under her chin, causing the raptor to purr.

"Wh-who are you? Where are we? Why... how are there dinosaurs here?!" She likely didn't realize how loud her voice was getting, and Izuku quickly placed a hand over her mouth, listening intensely for a moment. She stiffened beneath his touch, and he reveled in the novelty of touching skin rather than scales for the first time in years. She was warm.

"You're too loud." He pulled his hand away. "I'll answer your questions later. For now, we should head back to the nest." He scented the air, nose crinkling as he picked up her scent—oil and metal. Better than perfume, at least. It was probably how she'd survived—her scent wouldn't even stick out much in the Compound—that is, the abandoned facility in Pearl's territory. "Hold still." He instructed, and she listened instantly. He carefully pulled out the container of urine and poured it over her head, making sure to get her shoulders and back. She crinkled her nose and gagged a bit at the scent, but didn't complain.

"Do I want to know what that was?" She whispered in disgust.

"T-Rex urine." He chirped back, repeating it in Japanese when he noted her confused expression. He really needed to work on separating Japanese from Raptor, if he was going to spend any real time around another human. "It'll cover your scent." He turned his attention back to Ace and patted the girl's shoulder, chirping the word for 'pack', followed by a soft chuffing noise. Ace chirped back in affirmation.

He knew Ace wouldn't let this strange girl ride her—new pack member or otherwise—so he settled the pack across his shoulder and motioned for the girl to follow.

"I guess... that makes sense." The girl responded as she fell into step after him. He couldn't help but note the way leaves crunched loudly beneath her boots, or the way she occasionally tripped and stumbled over slippery roots. She was loud in comparison to himself or Ace. It made him frown. They'd have to work on that. "So you're Ace?" She questioned the raptor, who chuffed in recognition of her name.

"She doesn't fully understand Japanese yet. She knows quite a bit, but she isn't fluent." Ace sent him a mildly offended glare. "Don't look at me like that." He made a whistle-growl of irritation. "It's true, and you know it." He ignored the sarcastic chuff of his packmate that he'd long ago realized was a fond insult that she used for him.

"So... dinosaurs?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"This place was a pre-Quirk research facility." He explained, concentrating on making sure that it was Japanese that flowed from his mouth and not the guttural sounds of raptor. "I don't understand all of it, but they took DNA from mosquitoes that'd been stuck in amber, and filled in the missing slots with modern animals like lizards." He hummed. "It's probably why they aren't accurate to the fossils."

Ace tilted her head at the unfamiliar terms, but the girl was grinning. "That's incredible!" She whispered. "I'm an inventor, you see. I don't delve into biology much—I'm more of a support item kind of gal—but the fact that pre-Quirk researchers did this is incredible! Stupid, but incredible."

Izuku let out a chuff of amusement as they crossed the border of Pearl's territory. He relaxed a bit as he spoke up. "We can speak a little more freely here." He told her. "This territory is safe."

"Territory?" She frowned as she took in his steady near-silent gait, and the way he didn't even wince as he casually walked across burrs and sharp rocks with bare feet. "How long have you been here? Is it just you?"

He noted that she still spoke quietly, and grinned. Perhaps this girl would pick up survival quickly enough. "It's just me. Oh, sorry! Midoriya Izuku is my name. You can call me Izuku, since it's shorter. As for how long... uh... what year is it?"

The pink haired girl winced at that. "2364. How did you end up here? You are from Japan right?"

"Yeah, I'm from Musutafu. I got hit by a villain's Quirk while watching a hero fight. I've been here for about three years, then."

The girl choked at that. "T-three years?" She whispered out in shock.

"Yep." He chuckled a little. "Think I'm doin' pretty well, all things considered. If you stick with me, you've got a fairly good chance of survival. Besides, our pack could use a third member."

"Sounds like a plan to me." She decided after a moment. "Hatsume Mei, at your service—call me Mei. I'm an inventor and the future head of Hatsume Industries! I'm aiming for UA's Support Course next year." She gained a little spring in her step as she spoke, visibly keeping herself from speaking too loudly. "And since it's shorter, I'll just call you Izu."

"UA, huh?" He let his gaze drift up towards the skies that he could see peaking out between branches. "I always wanted to go there... Being a hero was my dream, but I'm Quirkless, so nobody ever believed in me."

"Izu, if you can survive here for three years alone—"

Ace made an offended sound.

"Sorry, rephrase. If you can survive here for three years, befriend a raptor and survive without any human help, then heroics shouldn't be an issue for you." She crossed her arms. "Because I've seen a lot of villains, but nothing's ever scared me more than that... was that a spinosaurus?"

"Yeah. You guys had terrible luck crash landing in his territory." Izuku winced. "Thing is... I don't know if I want to go back." He admitted. He repeated himself again when she gave him a confused look, because apparently he had been speaking only partially in Japanese. "Quirkless people aren't... we aren't treated well. Here, I'm just... me. My worth is in my skills, not how I was born."

"I think you could do it." Mei encouraged. "Whatever you decide..." She hesitated. "If you choose to come back to society, I'll stand beside you."

He was oddly touched by her words. "We're here." He smiled as he parted some camouflage he'd created to hide the entrance of the cavern. Mei entered, covering her nose a bit. Oh, yeah, they still had their kill from yesterday in there.

Ace wasted no time in heading towards the carcass and digging in. Izuku realized abruptly that he had no real way to feed the girl. He certainly didn't want to force her to eat raw meat like him.

Ace came back over and dropped some raw meat at Izuku's feet with a reprimanding chirp that he knew meant 'eat now, or I'll make you eat'. With a sigh he picked it up and casually bit into it, making Mei turn green.

"Is that... raw?"

"Not really any way to cook meat out here." Izuku shrugged. "I think I found some granola bars in the packs, though. And some army rations. You can eat those, since I don't think your stomach can handle this." He casually brushed off some insects that were trying to intrude on his meal.

She leveled him a rather judgmental look, which he didn't blame her for. "You're a strange one, Izu."

He laughed a bit. "Come on, let's see what I've managed to pilfer."