Ch. 1: The Portal by the Trees

Gregor, age sixteen, ran through a dark tunnel. He was being chased, by strange monsters that resembled nothing he had ever encountered before. They were horse-sized, with long necks, and feathers all over and evil looking teeth. Worst of all, Gregor could not find a sword or anything to really fight them with.

Gregor continued to run as fast as he could, his breath becoming more labored by the second. He continued to run, until he came upon… rats. Huge rats, like those of the Underland. All of them grinned evilly at Gregor, who gasped and ran into the strange creatures, who were hissing. He was trapped.

One of the strange creatures, a nicer-looking one with more feathers but big hooked claws on its feet, winked at him and beckoned. He nodded, leapt into the air, and landed on the creature's back in between two of its back spikes. And they ran towards freedom, but not before…

And as something came out of the air and attacked Gregor, he woke up.

---

Gregor had been having these dreams a lot lately. Ever since leaving the Underland, he hand not had a good dream. They were all nightmares. That's three and a half years of nightmares.

At first, they had been about him falling. Well, that was understandable enough. Ares was dead. Not one could catch him.

Then, when he was about fourteen and a half, they were just about rats. Running him through. That had been pleasant… not. Ares was often in those dreams, being killed. Over, and over, and over again, Ares was killed.

Finally, less than a year from now (the day after Gregor's sixteenth birthday) they had these strange creatures in them. Like dinosaurs, except not like any dinosaurs Gregor knew about from school. He always pondered what they were when he woke up, especially the one who rescues him. Maybe he'll find out some day.

Gregor walked down the stairs of their Virginia Farmhouse. He looked around the kitchen, his mom was making waffles out of the leftover pancake mix from yesterday.

"Hey Mom," Gregor grinned at her and sat down at the table. He rubbed his eyes and sat back.

"Hello Gregor. Did you have another nightmare?" she asked calmly, putting a waffle on his plate.

"Yeah, but I keep telling you guys that they're not a big deal now," Gregor sighed. His Mom sighed in turn, shrugging and walking away. Lizzie ran down and laughed. She was eleven now, but in the seventh grade (skipped another one!) Gregor winked at her as Boots followed. No, not Boots anymore- she had outgrown that name a year ago, now being nearly seven. She was Maggie.

"Hey Maggie, how's it going?" Gregor laughed.

"Gregor, today Lizzie and I are going to go play in the park. What are you going to do?" Maggie laughed.

"Just walk around. You guys have fun," Gregor nodded.

---

Gregor walked out to the forest. He was tired; these nightmares didn't really leave him rested. Luckily, when he turned thirteen he was allowed to have coffee in the morning- a blessing!

He walked over to a pond, filled with water and a couple of ducks. Maggie had always loved to play with the ducks. Gregor talked to them now.

"So, do any of you guys know how Luxa's doing?" Gregor murmured. One of the ducks quaked at him, hopping next to him on the ground.

"Yeah, I know. You guys don't go down into the Underland. That's too bad. Well…" Gregor sighed. He put his hands on his face, and as he slid them up into his messy hair he leaned back down against the earth.

"My life sucks, ducks," Gregor sighed, "my life sucks."

---

Gregor walked through the forest, kicking rocks as he went. Luxa… he thought about her longingly. He hadn't dated since he went to the Underland, although his friends at school thought it weird. He also wasn't really social, he only had two friends. He did well in school to please his parents, but… life just wasn't worth living any more.

Gregor tried not to think about Luxa at all, but today it just wasn't working. He groaned loudly and sat on a rock. But then the rock moved from underneath him, and Gregor fell to the hard ground.

"Ow!" Gregor gasped, then looked down where the rock had broken off from, expecting to find a lot of beetles or something. But it was a hole…

Gregor looked at the hole in surprise, and then looked around. It was like a gift from God, even though in Virginia he'd end up in the Uncharted Lands in the Underland… but who cared??? Gregor looked around one last time for anyone in his family, then jumped into the hole.

It was a long ride, as usual, down the tunnel. He grinned and closed his eyes, waiting for the land to arrive. It did soon enough, and Gregor opened his eyes.

A large creature, like the nice one in his dream, looked down at him. Gregor gaped at him.

"Who… who are you?" Gregor gasped, getting up quickly. The creature smirked.

"I am Rapess, at your service," the creature bowed, it had a feminine voice. The creature had a large skull, and spikes down its back. It had feathers covering the top of its head, its arms, tip of its tales and its legs. It looked big enough for humans to ride on them, but small enough to run through cities like a human. It looked like an Utahraptor from the Dinosaur Age to Gregor.

"And who are you?" Rapess continued. Gregor murmured, "I'm Gregor. I've been in the Underland before, though, but with the human Underlanders…"

Rapesses nodded, "Well, welcome. Welcome to the Evolved Dinosaur section of this here Underland."