Penumbra discovered the true impact of the camps on a foggy morning. She had been allowed to roam, which was unusual, but welcomed. Slowly, with a stride more suited for an elderly dinosaur, she dragged herself across a plowed field. The quiet of morning was broken by a white bird, which flitted to and fro in the pale sky. Penumbra watched it dive, and a spark was ignited in her tired eyes. Before the life she knew now, there had been a time when she wanted nothing more than to fly. And couldn't she still try for it? It was early, she was alone, she was free . . .
. . . but not quite.
She flitted her plates as fast as she could manage, but when she turned to look over her shoulder, they were barely moving. She tried to flap them in a strong burst, but they simply wiggled like a butterfly's wings at rest. It was then that she realized a horrid truth: the camps had taken away her ability to fly. Oh, they didn't need to clip her like the adults, though a drunken soldier had sliced her shoulder yesterday. All they needed to do was deprive her of food, water, and hope. And now she would be forever earthbound.
Penumbra hadn't cried much at the camps, or at least not as much as she expected; she was too busy staying alive to shed a tear. But this was enough to break her. The thought of never flying triggered a fit of sobbing that she could not fight. She limped back to her quarters as quickly as she could manage, hoping to avoid the sky she would no longer conquer. To her surprise, her mother was waiting for her. This was puzzling, but when she turned, Penumbra realized why she wasn't working at the moment. A significant chunk of her frill was missing on the left side, and the edge was caked with dry blood. Penumbra rushed over and wrapped herself around her mother's leg.
"Mama . . ."
"It's okay. It'll grow back."
Penumbra whimpered and leaned against her mother. They both sat down. Penumbra buried her face in her mother's shoulder as she curled her tail around her body. They shivered in the cold humidity of their prison.
The hopelessness was beginning to set in for good. The possibility of emancipation was seeming less and less plausible. This could very well be the end of . . . well, everything: Penumbra's freedom, a safe existence, the stegoceratops race in general . . . It would be over in a matter of years.
With this thought, however, Penumbra felt her hope reignite. If this truly was the most dire moment of the Stegoceratops' history, it would be the perfect time for the Queen to liberate them. Penumbra would even fight against the elephants from the prophecy, if it came to that. All she wanted was a chance to be free.
"Mama, the Queen will save us. She'll come here and set us free, won't she?"
A bell rang outside. As Penumbra's mother thought up a response, more stegoceratopses began to trickle into the room.
"I hope so, sweetheart. There's always a chance . . ."
"And I'll make sure not to give up until she's here. I know she's coming, Mama. I just know it! I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'll live to see her."
"I know, Penny. You don't have to worry. As long as I'm here, I'll protect you. You'll live to see her, I promise."
"You will, too, Mama."
"Just as long as we keep believing."
Another stegoceratops, a red male, had been listening to their conversation. He seemed hesitant to butt in, at first, but seeing the hope in Penumbra's eyes, he leaned close to them and whispered.
"You won't have to wait for the Queen. Tomorrow, something interesting will occur. We'll discuss this when the sunlight has vanished entirely."
Penumbra's mother nodded, then picked up her daughter by the scruff of the neck and placed her on their bed. Penumbra peered at the red stegoceratops, who avoided her gaze, then frowned in confusion.
"What's he talking about, Momma?"
Her mother licked her cheek, then tucked her in.
"An opportunity, Penumbra. There may be hope for us yet."
