Chapter 7

God knows how long I sat there but one thing's for sure, it was a very long time. By the time I got up, the sun was already high over the horizon. I started walking in the direction of the Great Valley once more, alone of course since Florence was gone and everyone else had decided to leave me behind. Even though I was finally on the move again, the thought of Florence never left me. No matter what I did, no matter what obstacle I had to overcome, she lingered on in my thoughts.

My head was no longer held up high and my face was pointed in the direction of the ground. Every so often I would stop, sit down, and cry as those horrific moments flashed over and over again in my head.

Under the scorching sun, Ramirez walked. He had just passed one of the landmarks which would take him to the Great Valley; a monolith which was shaped like a Sauropod. That being said, he was more an aimless wanderer than actual traveller. His head was hung low and he didn't seem too bothered with checking the area for predators. All he did was follow the sun and as it began setting on the western horizon. There were no divine beings to guide him along the way.

The only thing accompanying him on the long journey which provided some form of companionship was his trusty rifle. Slung on his shoulder, it gave him the feeling of security and a sense of fearlessness. Eventually the teenager came upon a tall rocky mountain which he proceeded to climb. It was a daunting task. Unlike mountains he had hiked up in the past, this one had no manmade path. Ramirez had to pull himself up using the rocks and he had to do so while carrying a heavy rifle and backpack.

With each step, Ramirez could feel he was getting closer to the Great Valley. Maybe this journey might be worth it after all, he thought, somehow managing to put the thought of Florence out of his mind in that brief period of time. It's definitely at the top of this peak, he could feel it. A sandstorm occurred when he reached the top, masking his view of the world below. This only gave him hope. The heavens must certainly be keeping the surprise until the very end.

Unfortunately for him, the Great Valley was not there to greet him when the sandstorm lifted. Right in front was not the lush greenery that Sir Ashley McClemont described but desolate wasteland. Among the whole lot of nothingness, a brownish tent stood out amongst the rocks and Ramirez immediately slides down the other side of the cliff to investigate. It was that of an older design, one not used ever since he was ten years old. Could this be an artifact from his grandfather's expedition?

Curiously he peeked inside the tent and found a decaying blanket along with a small diary. The owner's writings have faded slightly but he could still see the words clearly on the yellowed pages. This diary did not belong to his grandfather but to a member of the expedition who was apparently left behind. On the last entry, Ramirez found something extremely chilling. Blood had somehow been splashed onto the page the final entry was written along with the adjacent page.

To whoever finds this diary,

If you wish to continue onwards towards the Great Valley, I have no power or will to stop you. But I must warn you beforehand that there are many beasts more powerful than Utahdons. There is a new breed of dinosaurs which are smarter and more intelligent than our present nemesis. Based on those I and the rest of Sir Ashley's band of explorers have studied, we all conclude that these new Theropod dinosaurs have the knowhow to begin an advanced civilization, one which could wipe all of mankind off the face of North Cretaceous.

My colleagues have left me behind as per my request. The wounds suffered from the great battle we fought with the beasts during the ambush are simply too much for me to continue. Sir Ashley and the rest of the explorers have gone ahead to find the Great Valley. I might never know if the mythical valley exists or not but what I do know is that my days are numbered.

Fellow adventurer I plead with you. Tread carefully and be on the lookout for the beasts if you so choose to continue on.

Bergman Klaus
Chief Medical Officer of the McClemont Expedition

From the last entry, Ramirez deduced that his grandfather being attacked by a large pack of these more intelligent and advanced Theropods was a very real possibility; one which probably caused him to write the letter and send it back by carrier pigeon after he was mortally wounded in battle and left to die. It was the most logical explanation and the most plausible one since carrier pigeons sent by Ashley McClemont usually flew to the messenger stations and it was the messengers who would bring the letters back on horseback.

When the "Great Valley Letter" was sent home to the settlement, the pigeon flew directly to the leader's headquarters instead of flying to the messenger's post. Once again, that tiny glimmer of hope he found was dashed. He had come all this way and lost one of the few friends he had in a freak accident only to discover his grandfather might not have even discovered the mythical valley at all. Sure, Sir Ashley's body might not have been found but the diary of his Chief Medical Officer seems to suggest that his fellow humans at the settlement were right about him sending a fake letter.

That diary entry was the last thing I needed to see. My biggest glimmer of hope in the unrelenting darkness of the world I was thrown into after the death of my parents had been swept away by the currents. Now with Dr. Bergman Klaus' final diary entry serving to reinforce the belief of those in the settlement I once lived in, I felt like an idiot for undertaking what could only be described as a useless journey. All the sacrifices I made and that heroic bite Florence delivered…

All of it for NOTHING!

My legs gave way once I finished reading his diary and I began sobbing uncontrollably. So much I've lost yet I've gained nothing for it. At that point I was ready to accept my fate. I put my bags down and set my rifle aside. Then I pulled my revolver out.

The automatic ejector worked just like it did on every other occasion, kicking the cases out from the cylinder. Unlike previous occasions, these cases were still unfired and live. Ramirez takes one of the ejected cartridges from the tent floor and loads it into the cylinder of his revolver before snapping it shut. He puts the hammer on half-cock and spins the cylinder six times as there were six individual chambers in that cylinder. Once he did the six, he pulls the hammer back and places the gun against his forehead.

CLICK

Empty chamber on the first try. Ramirez had lucked out from death, but the teenager wasn't here to test his luck. He wanted to end his life and wanted to see how many times he would have to repeat the process before the hammer finally struck the cartridge and blew his brains out.

CLICK

Again, another empty chamber. Already feeling he had no purpose in life, the teenager was more than determined to end his life here and now. He spins the cylinder six more times and placed the muzzle against his head after pulling the hammer back.

"Stop!" A motherly voice shouted.

Surprised that someone was actually in the tent with him, Ramirez lowers his gun and opens his eyes. To his shock, a female Utahdon stood just outside the tent. She was a lot older than Florence or Elise and judging by her voice, a mother too. Well, a former mother would be a more precise way of describing her as he would find out soon enough.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asks gently as she entered the tent.

"Eliminating an unwanted being from the Earth." The teenager said gloomily.

"Now there, how can you be an unwanted creature?"

"My parents are dead, my friend Florence has drowned, and now I've just discovered the Great Valley might've been nothing more than a myth. I have no purpose in life! Not anymore! Just end me, please…"

Ramirez closed his eyes, fully expecting the motherly sounding Utahdon to grant him his final wish. What he got instead was an affectionate hug. It didn't feel like a hug a friend could give but one only mothers could. The hug reminded him of his late mother and that brought tears to his eyes. The female Utahdon pulled Ramirez closer to her and and nuzzled him on the cheek, just like she did to her kids when they were around.

"Point your gun towards the tent entrance." She said.

"Okay…" Though confused, Ramirez complies.

"Now fire."

BANG

"If I hadn't stopped you, you would've been dead."

The teenager was felt a sense of remorse when he heard the gun go off. Though he hadn't shot himself, he was unknowingly feeling the same feeling those who failed in their suicide attempts felt. He sat there, not saying anything as he loaded the remaining cartridges on the ground back into his revolver and holstered it.

"I'm Kate." The Utahdon introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"McClemont, Ramirez McClemont." He answers. "Just call me Ramirez."

"Pleased to meet you, Ramirez."

Ah, finally some good news. Before I met Kate, I never thought it would be possible for a Utahdon or human to ignore their parents' obsolete and racist teachings throughout their childhood. Once again I realized we could achieve great things if we chose to ignore the narrow minded beliefs of our forefathers. Kate gave me a new glimmer of hope; a new cause to live and fight for. I began to realize while Florence was gone, her spirit still lives on within me.

That flame of rebellion against antiquated teachings; against antiquated culture; against antiquated treatment of our equally intelligent counterparts. It lives on within me and it lives on within Kate. It's a good thing we met up with one another because she and I were on the verge of quitting. Her husband, who surprisingly was actually a human, had gone missing when he joined my grandfather's expedition, forcing her to raise her two little ones alone.

Both were killed when their pack was attacked by the same unidentified Theropod species mentioned in Dr. Bergman's book. The death of her children affected her greatly, eventually making her wander away from her pack. Just like me, she wandered and wandered aimlessly in the wildlands, somehow drawn in the direction of the Great Valley like I am.

And now here we are, resting in the same tent together. That night before we slept she told me she would adopt me to give me all the motherly love I missed out on when my own mother died while I was eight years old.

It was a night I would never forget; a night when man and sentient beast found common ground and chose to help one another.