The Bull Tyrannosaurus Rex thundered its way through the dense foliage of the Cretaceous forest. In such a dimly-lit jungle, with repetitive formations and displays of ferns and cycads, it seemed easy to get lost. However, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, named Maximus, guided by his incredible sense of smell and memory, knew exactly the fastest route that would lead him to the plains, where there was sure to be food waiting for him.
Soon, he arrived at the edge of the forest, where an opening in the foliage allowed him a panoramic view of the fern plains in front of him, thanks to his binocular vision. He studied the massive array of herbivores in front of him, choosing how he was going to go about this.
Furthest from him, a herd of Brachiosaurus gorged themselves on the fresh leaves of towering conifer trees. Family groups of Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus grazed at their feet, while the middle of the plains was dominated by huge herds of crested Parasaurolophus and duck-billed Edmontosaurus, with flocks of Ornithomimus browsing alongside them. The Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus had sentries on the alert, watching out for predators while near the edge of the forest, Triceratops and Torosaurus were browsing peacefully as well.
Perfect, thought Maximus. If he could just move around to another area of the forest away from where the horned dinosaurs were browsing, he had a clear opening to the duckbills at the centre of the forest. But would he be fast enough to catch them? Maximus considered and weighed his options, and eventually chose a spot where he could lay an ambush. It was much closer to the horned dinosaurs than he'd liked, but it was also much nearer to the duckbills and out of the line of sight of the sentries; a gamble which he was willing to take.
The herbivores continued grazing peacefully, oblivious to the danger they were in. One of the Triceratops suddenly detected a change in the scent of the wind and began to rumble nervously, something which its fellow herd members caught on as well. However, before the Triceratops were certain of the danger, Maximus the T-Rex charged out of his hiding place, giving off a massive, earth-shaking roar.
Rumbles, bellows and squawks of panic immediately pierced the silence as the herbivores reeled from the shock. The Stegosaurs and Ankylosaurs bellowed and swung their weaponised tails. The Triceratops and Torosaurus gathered to form a protective phalanx of horns and frills in front of their young. But Maximus didn't care for them; he made a beeline straight for the scattering duckbills. As the Ornithomimus desperately tried to manoeuvre amidst the stampeding duckbills, one of them tripped and fell. As it stood up, it saw the wide open jaws of the T-Rex and…that was the end of the poor Ornithomimus as Maximus chomped on him and swallowed him whole in a few seconds. But that was only an appetiser.
Bellowing, Maximus gave chase after the duckbills and locked onto a target: a huge, strong male Edmontosaurus, the leader of the herd. Usually Tyrannosaurs would go for the weakest members of the herd, but Maximus was different; he enjoyed a challenge, even from prey. As he closed in on the Edmontosaurus, the duckbill swung his tail at him like a warrior swinging a war hammer. However, Maximus was experienced enough to know that duckbills would try this in order to stun a predator long enough for them to escape. Lifting his head, Maximus caught the tail in his jaws and clamped down with enough force to shatter bone. The Edmontosaurus bellowed in pain, and Maximus took the opportunity to throw its head back, severing the tail with it.
Without its tail to help it balance, the Edmontosaurus crashed to the ground painfully, before trying in vain to get off the ground. Maximus towered over the Edmontosaurus, who stared at the T-Rex in utmost terror. With shocking speed, the Tyrannosaurus Rex lunged and bit down with full force on the duckbill's neck, crushing and pulverizing it instantly. As the Edmontosaurus gave once last feeble groan before its head slumped motionless to the ground, Maximus roared triumphantly, declaring his kill and his dominance as the apex predator of the region. (Of course, he could also enjoy his feast.)
Several days later, Maximus was once again following the immense power of his olfactory senses in order to find food. Drool dropped from his jaws as he picked up the scent of a familiar prey. His thundering footsteps suddenly ceased as he started to move more cautiously, trying not to alert the prey to his presence. He soon rounded a clearing and, through an opening in the grove of conifers, found his target.
A pair of huge Triceratops males was locking horns as they fought for the access to the harem of females that were watching from a distance. At first, the older male, the former leader of the herd, gained the upper hand as he continued to push his younger rival backwards. However, soon the effort began to take its toll on the old male. The newbie, though, was strong and in his prime, and with a few grunts, snorts and further shoving and pushing, the young male struck a blow with his horn on the old male's frill, just above the eye. The victor was clear. The new leader of the herd went to join his females, while the defeated old male walked away to nurse his wounded pride.
As the wounded Triceratops stooped his head down to browse among the ferns, his nose caught a whiff of approaching danger. Quickly, he raised his head, but he barely had time to react before Maximus grabbed his right horn in his massive jaws. There was a sickening crunch as Maximus broke off the horn. Desperately, the Triceratops attempted to lunge at the Tyrannosaurus Rex with his remaining horn, but Maximus was too quick for him, sidestepping to avoid the charge. Turning, Maximus swung his tail like a giant war club, slamming the old male square in the jaw. Stunned by the blow, the Triceratops backed off, attempting to clear its head. Seizing the opportunity, Maximus lunged and bit down on its neck, crushing its windpipe instantly. He could now enjoy his feast of Triceratops steaks.
Even by T-Rex standards, Maximus is a very large and strong male. Having taken kingship of this land three years ago, Maximus has established a reputation for himself as an incredibly formidable and skilled hunter, having much greater success kill rates than the average T-Rex thanks to his immense strength and exemplary intelligence. Countless Ornithomimus, Parasaurolophus and Edmontosaurus have fallen victim to him, and many a Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Torosaurus and Stegosaurus hath lost their fight with him. (Which is no trivial feat, considering how often Triceratops and Ankylosaurus emerge victorious against combat matches with T-Rexes).
Despite being a merciless and domineering apex predator, Maximus is loved and respected by the members of his T-Rex clan, due to his strong leadership and kindness and patience towards them. Other predators, such as Velociraptors, Allosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus have generally given Maximus and his clan of T-Rexes a wide berth, with the exception of certain brave but foolish individuals who dared to challenge Maximus and ended up being meat chops for him and his clan members. But soon, one of Tyrannosaurus Rex's oldest and most hated competitors will return to challenge the Tyrannosaurs once more…
WHICH will be covered in the next chapter