Soundtrack: Forgiveness by Shane Walsh
Hazel hurried through the bridges that led to her mentor's office. The news she was bringing him was dire. Her footsteps echoed through the forest as she traversed the wooden planks. The bridges and intermittent stops in between did provide barriers for anyone crossing from a fifty foot drop, but one misstep may spell a bad day for anyone.
It had been a few days since the second mass breakout in the park. Keepers were busily rebuilding each and every enclosure that Diablo had broken. While they were still unfinished, they managed to put up temporary barriers to prevent them from escaping. Construction went on nonstop since the whole fiasco. Hammers hitting nails into wood, saws cutting away, ropes being lifted, and machines rumbling to life permeated through the park. The animals found that annoying, but they had to be tolerant of them if they wanted their homes rebuilt.
Among all of the buildings in the park, the Bug House received the most attention. Keepers worked to rebuild the giant hole that was created during the stampede and to clean up the ashes of their jungle home. The damaged plants and terrain were replaced with new ones and the keepers that had electrician experience worked with repairing the system that imitated the Carboniferous environment.
The bugs still remained in the tent that Marcus set up while their home was being rebuilt. The only difference was that they were moved to a temporary room within the Bug House. The insects found the temporary living quarters a bit crowded, but like the other Residents that waited for the completion of their homes, they tolerated it.
The Valley sector suffered the least amount of damage in the park, considering that was where the chaos was centered. Unlike the main hub of Prehistoric Park, there was no need for any workmen to go there. Nature was the only thing that could repair the trampled vegetation and wash away the blood spills.
Suzanne and her vets were constantly looking after Residents that received serious injuries from the breakout. The surgery building saw many visitors each day, ranging from small to large. Her team worked to replace bandages, apply antibiotics to their wounds, or even monitor the status of any broken bones. It was a miracle that no one died in the breakout.
Only three enclosures survived the frenzy days ago. The first being Rascal's habitat. His place had no sign of damage nor did the Troodon himself obtain wounds. Everyone found that a relief, but not to the carnivore himself. He had missed out on his chance to roam the park at his own leisure…and to cause trouble himself.
The second enclosure that was left untouched belonged to Espantos. Somehow, the trail left by the stampede that Diablo herded was a considerable distance away from the Terror Bird's home. While the keepers where scratching their heads at some theories as to why it was so, those that knew the Terror Bird at a more intimate level, like Marcus and Hazel, knew that Diablo did not want the simple-minded carnivore to run around like crazy every day, even though he always somehow bypassed the security that was put around his home.
Finally, there was the Microraptor Aviary. The trees that surrounded that enclosure, and by extension Nigel's workplace, were unharmed by the chaos of days ago. The only answer to that being the trail of the breakout never reached the area. One could only guess that destroying the forest home would be too much work for the Carnotaur and there really were no creatures for him that he deemed worth imparting into the rampage. Broken bridges and viewpoints would be troublesome for anyone looking to make meetings with Nigel in his office.
Hazel was stopped in her tracks by a call from behind. She had made it to one of the connecting tower points within the forest. Turning her head, she was not very surprised to see a certain female Microraptor gliding towards her. The little winged dinosaur landed nimbly on one of the many ropes that attached the bridge's walls. Her wings quickly folded against her body once she got her footing.
"Hi Hazel," Breezy greeted.
"Hey Breezy," Hazel returned the welcome. "You're pretty far from your enclosure. Practicing how far you can glide I'm guessing?"
"Well, um, yes," the Microraptor shifted in her position, albeit having an expression that showed slight worry. "I was."
"What's the matter? Wings getting tired?" one of her eyebrows went up after seeing the dinosaur frown.
Breezy shook her head promptly. "No, my wings are fine. It's just…what are you doing heading over to Nigel's place?"
"Oh, um I wanted to talk to Nigel about something. It's concerning one of the Residents. I'm not sure if you know him, but it's Nero," Hazel simply replied, putting her hands on her hips.
"You mean the one that broke your ribs and arm?" she noted. The feathered pseudo-avian glanced at the arm cast Hazel still bore from that argument she heard about a while ago. Being part of the network that spread the news around Prehistoric Park had its perks, like being the first to know about it. She too was concerned for her when that happened, and was happy when she found the human up and walking again. "And the one that caused the breakout?"
Hazel nodded. "Yeah. Most of the herd members in the valley are very unhappy with what he did days ago. He endangered the lives of everyone here. They pretty much want him banished. You're not going to believe the demands I got today from some of them about pushing that guy through time portal, or even feeding him to the monster that tried to kill them all. The herd alphas say otherwise too. I'm here to talk to Nigel about that."
"Oh, now?" Breezy slightly exclaimed. The girl noticed her lower jaw start to quiver. "Um, could you at least come back later? He's a bit busy at the moment."
The girl eyed her with heightened suspicion. Breezy was never the secretive type. She always revealed everything to anyone she encountered. Her hesitance was something that Hazel could not ignore.
"Breezy, what's going on?" Hazel asked her, not buying the excuse she was giving.
"Oh, nothing's wrong Hazel. Nigel's just busy is all. He's working on some huge project and he doesn't wish to be bothered at the moment," the Microraptor told her that alibi.
In truth, Breezy knew what was going on. Being so close to his office meant that she and her guild could get the latest news for Prehistoric Park. When she and her guild overheard the park creator and his head engineer talk about the possibility of the park shutting down, they felt absolutely horrified. None of them understood what finances were, but listening more to their meetings gave them the gist that their home was in danger. And from what she just heard today, resolving the problem was not going well. She just did not want Hazel to be involved in an argument like that. Her home being in danger not once, but twice in one month would be simply too much for her.
"Hmm…really now," Hazel narrowed her eyes. "And what is this 'project' that Nigel's working on that's getting him all worked up? Maybe I can help him on it."
"Oh um, it's a big project. Something you don't need to get yourself involved with," she lied.
"You know, Nigel's been pretty secretive towards me lately. He's hiding something and I want to know what it is," Hazel strictly demanded. "You live so close to his den. You and the rest of your Guild always get the rundown on anything related to Prehistoric Park. So you should know what's going on. So tell me Breezy…"
The human got up close to the dinosaur's face. Making eye contact and schooling her features into slight anger was one thing she hoped that would reveal all the secrets. She could also sense the fear coming from the Microraptor. Her trembling and nervous laughter were dead giveaways after all.
"What is Nigel hiding?"
Breezy gulped then let out a regretful sigh. Closing her eyes for a moment, she formed what to tell the girl in her mind. Hazel asked for it, and she was about to reap the consequences. Nigel already said that no one should know about the crisis the park was about to face. But she could not say no to her.
"Oh alright…Marcus and Nigel have been working to resolve some kind of crisis. Something about…oh what was it called…" she rubbed her head as she tried to remember the exact word. She and her guild may have been in the present for years, but the terminology was something neither of them could get ahold of to this day. "Finances I think."
Hazel shook her head in disbelief. Her jaw dropped at the mention of the Park having money problems. It sounded hard to believe too; this place had never had any monetary issues. So why were they having it now? And right after a mass breakout no less?
"A financial crisis!?" she blurted out. Her arms went halfway up in a posture that looked like she was about to grab ahold of the dinosaur bird.
Breezy nervously nodded. "Yes. Marcus kept mentioning that if Nigel did not do anything to resolve it, then the Park would shut down. My Guild and I don't know much about human affairs, but what we did hear from a few days ago is that the park shutting down means no home for us. And neither of us want to think of the consequences of that happening."
The Park having a financial crisis was a complete first. Hazel already knew the park was supported by some secret organization that was in charge of protecting endangered animals. The S.A.G.E.S as she recalled. They were the ones that contributed everything the park needed to operate, money included.
"And he never bothered to tell me this…why?" the human softly spoke while gritting her teeth. She did her best to hold her fury at bay. Nigel withholding that piece of information not only make her concerned for everyone's lives in the park, but it also made her worry about her future. She did have a home with her sister…and her mother, but she did not want to resort to that. Not after the crap she went through after her father died.
Breezy shook her head and halfway outstretched her wings in an "I don't know" gesture. "I think Nigel just didn't want you to worry. I think he was afraid that you would react the way you are right now."
It was at that moment that Breezy found that saying that was a big mistake. Hazel's nerve now popping from her head, metaphorically speaking, she reared her head back and shouted to the heavens in rage.
"NIGEL!"
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At the same time…
Nigel's Den
Nigel immediately perked his head up at the sound of that scream. His office being next to a Microraptor Aviary meant that all sorts of sounds would be around him. He was surrounded by nature after all. Birds, bugs, the dinosaur birds screeching, and the occasional bellows of the other Residents from far away were quite normal in that area. However, that sound did not belong to any prehistoric creature in the park.
"What was that?" he wondered. "That wasn't one of the Microraptors, was it?"
Marcus, who was pacing around his boss' office, could not help but wonder the same thing. "I don't know. Maybe that Terror Bird of ours' broke out again?"
The park creator shook his head and rolled his eyes. "The other keepers can handle him. That bloke breaking out is a normal thing. You should know that."
For the past hour, both zoologist and head engineer had been conversing about the current problem the Park was facing. With the repairs to the enclosures now underway, the finances were taking a heavy toll on the budget. Diablo's rampage had worsened their monetary problems. Marcus and Nigel have worked diligently on finding solutions to resolve the huge drop in the budget. But with each possible option came dead ends.
"My God...we just moved from the boiling pan and into the fire," Nigel groaned as he shifted through the various papers that were on his desk.
The papers were of Marcus' calculations on the damages done from the breakout and of economic trends in the near future. Tables and graphs littered most of the pages on the status of the budget should the park request any more supplies. Any person who could read the trends easily or were trained in a business faction would see the status as something similar to a recession.
This was the worry that Marcus was afraid of. Because of the large amount of Residents that were rescued within a short period of time, the park was eating up its budget faster than expected. It was only a matter of time before everything in their stocks runs out. A portion of their money was in the form of CDs, but even those would do little to save the finances unless something was done.
"Nigel, I hope you've been thinking of a solution to our financial crisis," Marcus questioned his employer. It had been weeks since he last asked that question. Of course, he expected him to not have a solution at all for this problem.
"Of course I have Marcus. I haven't forgotten," Nigel replied without making eye contact.
The engineer turned towards the right side of the office. Over the tops of the trees, he could make out keepers milling about in all directions. Vehicles carrying wooden poles for fences along with needed equipment roved through the landscape. He could even make out one or two herd members veering out of the way of the incoming workmen.
To him, it was a sad situation. Nigel and Hazel had just rescued the large group of animals. Saving them from something major like a meteor strike and then having to send them back was not only a waste, but also heartbreaking. He was starting to get to know them, Hazel's friends especially.
But his heart was also on the park too. Which was why he was willing to do whatever it took to save this place.
"Jesus, look at all this damage. That's thousands of money down the drain thanks to that red dickhead! And don't get me started on the repair expenses..." Marcus groaned, referring to Diablo's desire for revenge leading to this mess.
The time explorer got up from his seat abruptly. Marching towards his employee, he kept his emotions at bay. They made eye contact with each other; Marcus' concerned expression meeting Nigel's equally worried but schooled features.
"I'm sure you know why I'm here. And it's not just to show you the costs the park needs to pay for all this."
"Let me guess, you're here to convince me to release some of our Residents to relieve some of the financial burden," he responded quickly.
The twenty-five year old crossed his arms. He resisted the urge to raise his tone at his boss. Doing so would not only get him in trouble, but most likely fired. "Well do you have a better idea? If so, I'm listening."
"I'm working on it," was the response he got.
Marcus snuffed at him. "You can't keep this "everything's fine and dandy" facade going forever. This thing is already biting us in our asses and everyone's going to find out about it sooner or later."
An eyebrow went up on his employer's appearance. Clearly he was not taking the requests he was being offered. There was no way he would allow any of his Residents, his extended family to be precise, to be sold out to something like this. "Well what's your suggestion?"
"There is another solution," Marcus started. "But you're not going to like it. I'm sure you're familiar with the Jurassic Park series."
Of course Nigel knew about that series. Pretty much everyone in the park had seen those movies. Other than the theme of keeping dinosaurs within enclosures much like Prehistoric Park, and the fact that there were always breakouts, there was one thing they had in common. The creator, or contributors, of those parks were aiming for their creations to become attractions.
Jurassic Park, or the more recent Jurassic World from that one movie, sought to please the public by showing off their products of science. Bringing dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures back from extinction was an impossible feat in itself. Advanced science and cloning basically made that happen. They even altered their genetic structure so that they could control them…and make them in their own images.
Everyone knew that John Hammond in the series wished to make everyone happy. Allowing thousands upon thousands of people to witness creatures brought back from the distant past for their own entertainment more than education. Even organizations that wished to use the animals for their own gain like military purposes was something he frowned upon.
Zoos were allowed to get that type of attention, but not his sanctuary. Those were the reasons why he could not bear to reveal this place to the outside world. The thought of all the Residents having to go through constant attention by the paparazzi was something he could not stand. They have their own lives. Being interrupted by overexcited humans wanting to see them in their natural habitats would interfere with their lives. Then there was the matter of the organization his park coincides with. While they do their part in contributing money to support this place, they were in the dark on his mission to rescue prehistoric creatures. Nigel knew the movies all too well; he did not want those consequences to become his own.
"If you're thinking I'm going to reveal this park to the public and turn this place into the next Jurassic World movie, then you're out of your mind," he huffed at him. "There is no way I am doing that. Just within a short period of time, we have found that our Residents and every single other prehistoric creature in our books, is sentient. We now have a way to talk to them. Do you think they would want to be seen by millions of people every day? Do you think they would appreciate all of that attention? Companies call it business, but I call it overcrowding. It's great for zoos, but this is a sanctuary. And then there is the matter of the government, and maybe the environmentalists. So I am not going through with that."
Marcus took a step back and let out an irritated hiss. He put his right hand on his forehead, slowly sliding it down until he had his first two fingers on his nose ridge. The anger within him was really going off the roof now. Nigel was like a stick in the mud when it came to this sort of situation.
"Come on boss! We're running out of time!" he yelled at him, raising his hands for a moment before pacing around the office. He took care not to trip on any pieces of equipment lying around or any important books the guy liked to stack on the floor. "You should have something by now. As much as I don't want to see our Residents go or reveal this place to everybody, we need something to keep this place going! Otherwise-"
A squishing sound interrupted the man's tirade. Marcus fell silent as he slowly looked down at his feet. His right foot was forward, meaning that was the one that stepped on said object. Marcus wanted to puke on the spot. Sticking right out of the edges was something soft, brown with a little bit of white in the interior edges, and was a little smelly.
Marcus dared not to lift his shoe up. He already knew what it was. Nigel's office was situated in a forest that was primarily ruled by small dinosaurs that could glide from treetop to treetop. They loved to frequent around this place because he always gave them some sort of attention. . Marcus knew Nigel loved to keep his pets close to him, like his favorite parrot, but they were all in his living quarters in the other side of the park. This meant that the Microraptors were the perpetrators for this new mess.
And to make this situation worse for the senior worker, his boss was stifling a laugh with his mouth. He could clearly hear the snickers that Nigel was failing to retain.
"God geez! If nothing is done, then this park is going to become shit, like this piece of shit!" he ranted in disgust. Quickly grabbing one of the spare tissues he always kept in his pocket, he hesitantly lifted his foot up and began to rub the fecal matter off. "Damn it…this is disgusting! I wish you could have asked Hazel to toilet train these folks! Oh man...these are my favorite shoes too."
A minute passed and the waste was finally off of the shoe…for the most part. Throwing the ball of tissue into the nearest garbage can in the leftmost corner of the office signaled the end of the arduous task. It was also at this moment that Marcus wished he brought some hand sanitizer with him. The dark-haired man hastily grabbed for another tissue in his pocket and wrapped it around his dirtied hand.
That plan was interrupted when he spotted Nigel grab something from one of his desk drawers. His eyes lit up in submission when he noted the small bottle of cleansing liquid he apparently kept in his work area. The zoologist rushed over to the ailing employee and handed the little bottle of salvation to him. The tissue that was once wrapped around his hand was promptly thrown in the trash receptacle. Marcus pressed the nozzle five times until his hands were slathered with the alcoholic gel.
"And don't get me started with how much crap is in the valley after that breakout fiasco!" he complained as he wiped the liquid all over his hands. "Ever since you guys rescued that new herd, we've had more shit than we can count! It's basically everywhere! This place has been turned into a-"
He was cut mid-sentence when his mouth was covered by one of Nigel's hands. The curse word he was about to utter became nothing more than a mumble. If it weren't for Nigel restraining his strength, it would have been a slap.
Marcus peered over at his boss and noticed his eyes become steely. They were unmoving and stared at a particular section on the floor; the place where the feces was. Staring at it made it look like he was trying to melt the nasty sight with his own vision.
"Shit…" the park creator muttered.
Releasing the engineer from that restraint led to the man pacing around his own office. He put a hand on his forehead and rubbed his temples. Marcus had seen Nigel do this before, but that was only when he was deep in thought on a big idea. Unfortunately, he had no idea where he was going with this. All he was muttering about was that same curse word over and over again.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..."
"Uh boss? That's more than enough curse words," Marcus tried to make his employer stop his pacing with those incessant curses. "I know this is bad, but I think you're-"
"Quiet! I'm thinking... shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..." Once again, he was interrupted. Why does he always keep getting interrupted by this guy?
Nigel kept at this for another minute or so. To Marcus, it felt like longer. His ears felt like they were going to burst after listening to the man mumble that same cuss word. He did not even bother to clean up the small speck of crap that the engineer stepped on. The Filipino was in the dark on what was happening.
That was…until Nigel broke out of this trance. The man stopped just next to his desk and turned abruptly to him. He bore the biggest grin that Marcus had seen before he left with Hazel to rescue the herd weeks ago.
"Marcus you're a genius!" he hollered. He nearly jumped at that surprise revelation. His heart nearly skipped a beat too.
"Wait, what? What did I do?" Marcus asked his boss, straightening himself and fixing a few books that cluttered behind him.
"Don't you see!? The answer to our problem has been staring at us in the face!" he said, gesturing a hand at the confused genius.
Said genius could not help but lift an eyebrow at him. "And that is?"
"Marcus, think about it. What are the primary uses of manure?" Nigel inquired in a tone that was the equivalent of a spokesperson in an episode of Jeopardy.
Marcus just stared at him blankly, but replied nonetheless. Wanting to know what was going through this man's mind, he played along. "Um let's see...fertilizer, great source of fiber for some products, energy..."
The time traveler clapped his hands once, signaling the correct answer. "Good! And what kinds of animals do people get manure from?"
"Herbivorous animals. Mostly cows. Boss, where are you going with this?"
"Right! How many herbivores do we have in the park?" Nigel asked, this time waving his hands to make Marcus continue on with the topic.
"Two-hundred plus," was the reply. Marcus pursed his lips in confusion. Seeing the questioning gaze on the engineer's face made Nigel move forward on his game of 20 questions. However, he did really need to go much further when he noticed that same face light up in realization.
"Those guys make a LOT of that because they only eat plants."
The vested man nodded. He took a few steps closer until he was up to the guy's face again. The engineer was getting a little bit unnerved by his employer's odd behavior. But if Nigel had a way to solve this financial crisis, then he was willing to sacrifice his tendency to run from his insane boss and listen. "Farmers can get the money they need by selling crops and managing livestock. But they also sell manure. They can make up to $40,000 per year off of that single business. That's on only one type of animal, but on various species..."
The engineer knew what he was going at. There were various businesses around the world that supported agriculture and farming. Manure was one of the things they sold. And because the world was at the cusp of using more renewable resources than nonrenewable, those businesses would surely be growing.
"That's more than enough money to support the park..." Marcus concluded. It did not really take much for him to do the math in his head, being a prodigy from a well-known business school and all. The park would not only have enough money to last them for years to come, but also more than enough supplements for more rescues. The valley could support multiple herds! "Our problems are solved!"
Nigel placed a hand on the man's shoulder. His grip tightened a little as he congratulated him with a gentle squeeze. "I'm so glad I hired you."
"But boss," he frowned a little. "What about this place being a secret? What if they start asking questions?"
His answer came in the form of a headshake. "No, they would not know at all. They'll just think we're some conservation organization that's contributing to the Green Earth cause. Besides, the crap our large vegetarian Residents make are so similar to cows. We're safe."
Marcus sighed in relief. He was right; it would be nearly impossible to determine what animal the scat came from. They'd have to do all sorts of DNA testing. For all they would know, the crap would come from the elephants. If Nigel said not to worry, then he should not at all.
"Now I want you to come up with a list of every single prospective company that is willing to work with us. Get their numbers and names," the leader of Prehistoric Park commanded.
"On it boss!" he replied with a salute. Turning around, he sprinted down the bridge that led away from the tree-house office. Finally, after many weeks of thinking the end of the Park was coming, a solution was now within their reach. Marcus could finally breathe again.
As he ran down the bridge in his ecstatic state of mind, he bypassed yet another well-known employee of the Park. The familiar grey hoodie and short black hair were clear indications that it was Hazel.
The girl looked like she wanted to stop him. Her mouth even opened at the ready to let a word out. However, he had no time to talk to her at the moment. He had an assignment to do. "Sorry Hazel! Can't talk! Got some work to do!"
Hazel watched as the man left her behind. Questions ran through her head as to what sort of assignment he was referring to. Her curiosity only lasted a second when she decided to brush it off. Marching straight towards her mentor's office, she schooled her features so as to not appear overly pissed off.
"Nigel!" she hollered out to him, making him jump from his desk.
"Oh hello Hazel!" he greeted after scattering the papers away from his desk space. "What can I do for you?"
"I just heard something really interesting from Breezy a while ago," she told him, slamming her hands on his desk. "She told me that you and Marcus were working on something. Something related to a financial crisis!"
Hazel's rise in her voice prompted the park keeper to stand up to face her. He had already dealt with an overly worried Marcus. He could not believe he was now dealing with a furious Hazel…for the second time this month. His happy mood slipping away, he thought of every response he could to ease her growing fury.
"Oh…so you heard about that. Well not to worry Hazel. We've got the problem solved," he told her.
"Solved? How? And why didn't you tell me about this!?" she demanded forcefully.
"Well first off, it's all thanks to our Residents; specifically the herbivorous ones, including your herd. Let's just say…their excrement is vital to the Park," Nigel answered. He then let out a sigh as he moved towards the more concerning portion of his reasoning for keeping it a secret. "As for your second question, I did not want you to know because you already had a lot on your plate; caring for the Residents, recovering from your injuries, and upholding relations. But believe me when I tell you that other than the lives of the Residents along with everyone's jobs here, you were the primary driving force for me. This place is your home, and to lose it would mean breaking your heart. That was something I did not wish to see."
Hazel was stunned. Nigel's explanation was in no doubt similar to her own situation weeks before, when she concealed her knowledge about the Fireball from the herd. She only kept it a secret because she wanted to preserve her relations to the herd. The fact that her mentor was doing the same thing appalled her. The girl was torn from being furious at him for keeping this vital information from her, or grateful that there was someone who was trying to protect her. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got.
After her father died, there were few people she considered her family. Prehistoric Park was all she had left for her. Suzanne, Bob, Marcus, and everyone here filled that empty hole in her heart. Nigel was the only person she considered a father figure. He was close enough to it; always looking out for her.
"Nigel…" she took in a breath and shook her head in amusement. She recalled the words Aladar told her on the day he woke up from his weeks of slumber. "You should really work on rletting others in on your plans. I know it all worked out in the end, but it might have been resolved quicker if we had multiple people working on this. Thanks for caring about my wellbeing, but still. I could have helped."
The man gave her a smirk. "Well enough about that. You wanted to see me about something?"
Hazel's eyes lit up in recognition. She did come here to talk to him about something. This talk about a financial crisis distracted her from her true purpose on coming. "Oh right, I've come to talk to you about Nero."
Nigel clasped his hands behind his back. His eyes furrowed in concern. After the breakout, Suzanne and the vets had been working diligently on tending to the multiple injuries the ornithopod received. Like before, they scheduled him to be sedated for a few days before releasing him back to the Valley. No one wanted to risk their own safety with an irate Iguanodon trying to harm those aiding him. "That bloke? How is he? He's not hurting the vets I hope."
Relief fell over him with his student shaking her head in disagreement. "No no. He's fine. He's sedated for now. Suzanne and the vets are still tending to his injuries. Going to take a while before he's fully recovered. Diablo's done a number on him. And the Elasmotherium dislocating his shoulder is a real nasty piece of work."
He had heard about that incident from some of the other keepers. The Elasmotherium in the park had the mentality equal to modern day rhinos. Why he was attacking the other Residents was beyond anyone. But a most likely guess would be he viewed everyone as a potential foe because of his bad eyesight.
The first to know about the event was Hazel herself. Neera was the one who told her what happened, and thus spread it to Nigel. News of how Nero defended the herd from a rampaging prehistoric rhino quickly spread amongst the staff members. The Iguanodon's change of heart left everyone stunned. No one expected him to stick up for the innocent in something like that.
"Anyway, Aladar and Neera have told me the herd's...not too keen with keeping him around for much longer. After what happened a few days ago, they view the guy as a danger to everybody. Too uncontrollable and untrustworthy they told me. They want him banished, most preferably into another time," Hazel mentioned with a frown. Nigel could sense her insecurity about the herd wanting the green ornithischian sent away. Why she started worrying over the one dinosaur that hurt her weeks ago was confounding. However, sending one of their Residents away was something Nigel himself would not agree with. Nero may be a danger to others, but his selfless act of defending bystanders was something he could not overlook.
"I see...what do the herd alphas say about this?"
"Well, they're thinking otherwise. He did save a small portion of the herd from getting turned into barbecue kabobs by that Elasmotherium. He did feel guilty for releasing Diablo too. Those small acts indicate that he wants to make up for his mistakes," Hazel replied. She pursed her lips as she thought more on the subject matter. "He has the capacity to be good, and... I can't believe I'm saying this after what he did to me weeks ago, I agree with them."
"We could place him in a solitary enclosure. He'll be able to live in peace and we won't have to take him to another time period," the head park keeper suggested.
"I was thinking that too, but he's a herd animal," Hazel argued, showing her reluctance on letting Nero go. "He can't survive without being around others. Sure he's the type that doesn't appreciate being around anyone, but he needs company nonetheless. Being an outsider's no fun you know."
Nigel nodded at that. If Nero was placed in a separate enclosure, he would be able to live in peace. However, this would be like Martha all over again. Years ago, when he first rescued Martha from the Ice Age, she was having trouble adjusting to life in the Park. Nigel had to continuously go back to that time period just to get her acclimated. But with every try, she showed no signs of progress.
It was then that after some research, he and his senior colleagues concluded that she was suffering from loneliness. Mammoths were herd animals. They depended on social interactions for survival. Though bulls were adapted to live in small groups or on their own, females and young were much like modern day elephants.
Introducing her to their elephant herd was easy; getting accepted by them was hard. All of the elephants viewed her as an outsider, save for the matriarch's calf. It took a breakout caused by Rascal the Troodon to get Martha to where she was now.
Nero being separated from his herd was not the best idea. He may reject those that are looking out for him, but Hazel was right. He was a herd animal. Herds depend on each other for survival, and for protection. The Park may provide with the necessities to live, but not much of the comfort that a whole herd could offer. In short, Nero would be a prisoner, and that was something neither of them wanted.
"There has to be another way," Nigel spoke softly, pondering on the situation. He stared down at his desk and eyed the papers, zoning out. "Like you said, Nero has the potential to be good. He just needs to learn how. His herd views him as a danger, and it would certainly take more than persuasion from Aladar and Neera to get him accepted again. Judging from what you're saying, he needs to earn everyone's trust. Perhaps if he worked for it…"
It was then that an idea struck him. There was something Nero could do to get everyone in the Park to change their views on him. It would be hard work, but it was a surefire way to get where he needs to be. Getting the herd alphas' approval is easy. The problem is getting Nero to agree with the terms.
"I've got an idea," he eyed Hazel with optimism.
The girl's eyes widened. A smile creased across her face. "Really!? Well what is it!? Anything's better than what I was thinking!"
"Well my idea needs to be discussed with one of the alphas, preferably both of them. Where are Aladar and Neera?" he asked the young woman.
"Neera's tending to the herd at the moment," Hazel immediately answered. "But Aladar is headed to the Titanosaur grounds. He wanted find Baylene and thank Yin for helping to calm the stampede from a few days ago."
"Alright, we'll find Aladar first. Then we can make our way to the Valley sector," Nigel said, walking towards the roofed bridge that led out of his office.
The girl followed suit, but she could not help but wonder what kind of idea her mentor had. But whatever it was, he was sure that it would work in getting Nero to change his ways. Hazel stayed close to the man, intent on helping with her temporary job as a translator and solving Nero's problem.
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The next day…
Vet's Surgery
Today was a much better day than a few days ago. Progress on repairs was coming along smoothly. Keepers worked diligently on getting every single enclosure repaired. Some of them were even headed towards specific areas to feed the Residents. It was high noon, and everyone was hungry.
The park was bustling with activity. Humans going to and fro to reach their destinations. Vehicles drove off carrying loads of equipment, like before. More herd members from before found the courage to return to the main hub of the park after the breakout fiasco, all thanks to some reassurance from their leaders. But they were hesitant in visiting the home of a certain vicious carnivore that bore a grudge to them. As such, they veered away from it.
While everyone was going on with their daily business, two companions were on their way to the Vet's Surgery building with a different agenda in mind. One that involved a recently inducted patient that put everyone on edge.
"Hazel, are you sure this plan is going to work?" a certain blue-green dinosaur asked.
"Positive. It's the best alternative solution. Banishing him is a complete no, like what we discussed yesterday," his companion replied.
The day before, Hazel and Nigel spoke with Aladar, then later on Neera, about their idea on what to do with Nero. While the young keepers fully agreed with what her mentor had planned for the troublemaker, the herd alphas were a bit hesitant. They were not so in tune with how things were done in this time period, all because they had not been here for long. Both of them did not like Nero for selling out everyone's safety during the breakout, but they could not help but feel pity for him when he saved a portion of the herd from the Elasmotherium. As such, they were completely hesitant in banishing him due to his selfless act.
Hazel and Nigel had to fully explain their plan to the herd alphas, which took longer than expected. There was much argument on the matter, including the safety of everyone in the park. They reassured them that Nero would be under control and would be under constant supervision. If he decided to lash out, then his punishment would be extended, just like with the Rex twins.
Eventually, Aladar and Neera relented. Once they got the full details on Nero's punishment, they could not help but agree. He had the potential to change; an opportunity is what he needs. And this opportunity, as mentioned by Hazel, was the perfect one. The herd, on the other hand, may not be so agreeable with what they had planned for the branded traitor. Whatever mandate the alphas gave out, the rest of the herd heeded, but this one was something that would result in much reluctance. Aladar and Neera knew that, but it was something they would have to deal with.
"But what if he says no? You and I both know that Nero's a pretty hard case," Aladar questioned next, walking very closely to the determined human.
"Don't worry, he'll agree with us. There's no escape out of this one," was the reply he got.
The Iguanodon let out a sigh and put on an optimistic face. "Alright, I trust you. But if this goes wrong, then you better have a backup plan."
Eventually, they reached their destination. The complex for the larger animals seemed fairly empty. It was around lunchtime after all. Only a few vets remained to work on their duties while their colleagues were out to eat. Other than a few scattered pieces of equipment within the building, it was not messy.
Aladar could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia overcome him. The last time he was here, he had woken up from a deep slumber after receiving intense burns from the second Fireball in his time. The humans did a fantastic job with healing him, though he would have to live with the darkened skin on his back for the rest of his days. It was a good trade off though; if it were not for them, he would have died of those burns.
Like before, he could not help but admire the appearance of the complex. It was unlike any cave he had ever been in. The polished floor, the slabs of shining metal on the roof, the straight, yet ridged, textures on the walls, and the contraptions that were scattered about in the vicinity. There were so many wonders about this time that he vowed to ask Hazel more about it later.
He was pulled away from his trance when he caught sight of a certain green herbivore that lay just before them. Oddly enough, it was the same spot he was in when he first awoke in this world. There were three veterinarians that worked around him at the moment. All of which were moving some medical equipment away in a hurry. All three of them were men and wore those green scrubs outfits that he saw before. One of which had blonde hair while the other two had brown.
They paid no mind to the incoming dinosaur and young keeper. Their stressed out expressions indicated they wanted to leave as soon as possible. And it was not hard to see why. Lying nearby them, inspecting the tightly wrapped bandages on his back, was a fully conscious Nero. His right foreleg was also wrapped in the same white substance, the same area that was affected by the Elasmotherium from before. It lay stretched out before him, making so that he could not bend it.
Once they saw Hazel and heard her telling them to take a break, they promptly followed that suggestion. It was not long before they scurried out of the vicinity once the equipment was out of the way.
"Well, looks like someone's recovering nicely," Hazel remarked, pulling the herbivore's attention away from the humans' handiwork.
Nero glanced over at them and gave them a warning snort. "What do you want?"
"Nothing major Nero. We just want to talk," Aladar said, stopping just next to his human companion. Both of them kept their distance from the wounded warrior. Even in his state, they knew he was still able to cause harm.
The emerald creature gave them a cold gaze before looking away from his two unwelcome visitors. "Well I'm not in the mood for it. If it's about me breaking that Carnotaur out, then I want no part of it."
"Oh I think you do," Hazel coldly remarked. She folded her arms and leaned slightly to one side, but not before flexing her still casted arm to relieve some muscle tension.
"Buzz off!" he threatened, his voice echoing within the building. Neither of them was fazed by the outburst. "I've had enough of accepting deals with anybody! Go back to "looking after the Residents" or "chatting with the neighbors". I've got my own business to attend to..."
"Come on Nero. We don't need to tell you as to why we're here," his superior simply remarked.
Nero let out a condescending chuckle. When he made eye contact, they could see a hint of amusement on the situation. "Oh let me guess…you're going to banish me?"
Aladar and Hazel eyed each other. They were not falling for that snarky remark. Both of them smirked, which unnerved Nero slightly. He had released their enemy upon them. He almost caused the deaths of everyone in the valley. He should be banished for that action. So why were they smiling? When they gazed back at him, he was met with an unexpected phrase.
"No," they said at the same time.
Nero shook his head in disbelief. He was too stunned to speak out his mind. "No?"
"Nope. We don't do that here," the human said quickly.
"Plus, you did help in saving some herd members from that Big Guy. For that, I'm grateful," the male alpha mentioned, nodding at his mention of the gratitude.
"But you did bust Diablo out of his compound and contributed in the near-destruction of Prehistoric Park," Hazel's expression changed into a frown. The same determined look he gave her from their last argument several days ago shown again. "So you're still in trouble. Aladar and I here have come up with the perfect punishment for you."
"Well? Out with it! You're boring me with your speeches," Nero demanded. His tone of voice made it obvious that he did not want them to linger any longer. Their very presence irritated him to no end. He felt like a child being scolded by their parents.
The human blinked and gave him a smug face, one that was unbecoming of a human her age. "Alright…for your previous actions of bullying the herd in the past, endangering the lives of others, and almost causing the destruction of Prehistoric Park, you will be subject to an entire year of community service."
"Community service? What is that? Some kind of food?" He spat out at her but not without emphasizing his confusion.
He had no idea what this community service was. However, he could tell that it was a human custom. From how this girl was putting it, it sounded like a form of punishment that humans would do in this time. What they were supposed to do, he had no idea. But whatever they had in store for him, he did not like at all.
"No. You're going to be helping all of the keepers here with their jobs, where you will be supervised at all times. You'll do this by helping bring in any heavy equipment, bring food to the other residents, help look after them, and maintain the cleanliness of each and every enclosure here," she explained in full detail.
Nero could not believe what he was hearing. He was going to work in this place? And he was going to be watched by the very creatures that he learned to hate? This was beyond being punished; this was an utter humiliation. He felt his soul become utterly disgraced. The green dinosaur thought about how his idol Kron would see him if he were still alive. He may be laughing his hide off if he were here.
"You both must be enjoying this…" he cursed internally.
"You're going to make me be everyone's assistant while your kind babysits me!? You do that, and I will pulverize you!" Nero threatened. His intent to turn the human before him into a bloody stain permeated his mind. He tried to get up, but was met with searing pain on his back. Slowly getting himself back down, he vowed to get back at Hazel and Aladar for the situation he was in.
"I'd watch your words there, Nero. You're kind of in hot water at the moment," Aladar warned. He may have been smiling at him, but he was containing his desire to step in front of his best friend and defend her should this discussion go too far. "Saying all of that will make things worse."
"He's right. But if you don't like the punishment we're giving you, then there is an alternative option," Hazel agreed. Her uplifting tone of voice piqued their accused's curiosity.
"Oh what's that? Starving me to death?" he chuckled evilly. In truth, he wanted to know what other option there was for him. Considering the state he was in, and the circumstances of being out casted from the herd, he was in no condition to argue against his superior's rule. He was already in trouble. Though he did not show it, he felt guilty for what he had done days ago.
"It's community service…or rooming with Espantos for that same time period," the Asian started. She paused to build on the dramatic effect, something that Aladar found a bit amusing. "Espantos is our resident Terror Bird, or to be specific, our Phorusrhacos. He's…got quite a unique personality. I'm not sure if you've already met the guy."
The day before, Hazel thought of a way to persuade Nero to agree with their terms. Getting him to live with Espantos was a clever, but devious, incentive to get what they wanted. They had already encountered the zany Terror Bird on a number of occasions. His wild and unpredictable personality would drive anyone insane if they decided to spend a day with him. While they did not wish to put that upon Nero as a punishment, they hoped it would push him in the right direction.
Nero snuffed at them. "What is he? Some little kid I have to babysit?"
His response came from the human shaking her head. "Not quite. Let's just say…he's worse than a pack of Velociraptors nipping at your tail every day. You need to keep him under control, as he tends to break out a lot, clean up after him, and keep him entertained. In short, you'll be his roommate."
"Did somebody say roommate?" a mysterious yet upbeat voice sounded from behind them.
Aladar and Hazel screamed when they noticed the unexpected visitor to be none other than Espantos. The dimwitted bird had been standing behind them for who knows how long. That blank expression and that huge smile creeped them out immensely. Seriously, how was he able to do that? Both dinosaur and human sidestepped away from the crazy carnivore.
If they had noticed Nero when they reacted, they would have seen his face contort in disgust. Neither of them knew it, but he had encountered this simpleton before. It was on the day he helped Diablo escape, when he was unwillingly pulled in to a game of tag. Nero curved his free hoof close to him, ready to stab the bird should he get too close.
"Espantos!" Hazel angrily spat.
"HAZEL-"
"Don't even think about it...," she deadpanned, not wanting to be pulled in that game again.
Nero quietly groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not him again..."
"Hello Espantos," Aladar shot him a polite smile, though he was still recovering from his jump scare. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Didn't expect to see you here. We were just talking about you."
"Oh I heard!" the Miocene predator screamed with delight then looked at the lone human. "So is it true Hazelnut? Am I going to get a roommate?"
It was at that moment that Hazel could not help but smile; deviously in fact. While she did not expect Espantos to appear in the Vet's Surgery, or even be here during lunchtime, it was perfect timing. His appearance made their chances of Nero going with the suggested punishment that much easier. Now he was able to see his alternative form of punishment in person. As such, Hazel could not pass this opportunity up.
"Well, maybe. He was thinking about looking for a new living space," Hazel started, much to Aladar's surprise and Nero's distaste. "The other Residents weren't exactly peachy keen on getting him as one, so we were thinking about asking you."
"Oh sure! I'm more than willing to make a few adjustments to my home! I love having people over!" Espantos squawked happily. "So who's staying with me?"
Looking at the human girl, his answer came in the form of her pointing a free thumb at the incapacitated dinosaur. Once he made eye contact with Nero, the Terror Bird let out the loudest gasp similar to that of a child's. His smile faded in an instant.
"I know you!" he jumped in excitement, happy to see his old playmate again. "You're the Meanie-Greenie from before! Mr. Knee-Rows!"
Nero gritted his teeth. He really hated that nickname. His day just went from bad to worse when this bird decided to pop in at the wrong time. The two creatures he hated were already punishing him. Encountering Espantos again made him want to ram his head against a tree a million times. The forest-green dinosaur would rather knock himself out rather than deal with any shenanigans from this guy.
"It's Nero you idiotic moron!" he corrected with a yell. Nero expected the hyper-carnivore to back away in fear. Instead, he stood there as if that threat went in one ear and out the other.
To those who were witnessing the ear-splitting meet and greet, they were more amused by the sight rather than concerned about any shenanigans that would occur. Seeing Nero get annoyed by Espantos was actually hilarious. Both of them did their best to stifle their giggles, but it was proving to be harder than they thought.
Out of the two, Aladar was the most contained. He had the urge to laugh out loud, but he did not want to give away his mask of leadership by falling for something this funny. Doing so would make him look like a fool. Hazel was not doing so well. Her left hand was over her mouth and looked like her body was jumping. Quiet snickers could be easily heard even if she was covering her mouth.
Eventually, the girl managed to get a hold of herself. "Oh, so you know each other already?"
"Sure do! This is the guy that fought with A-Ladder here some time ago. Then we played tag on the day when everyone in the Park decided to join in. It was scary...but fun! Meanie-Greenie here ditched out on me before the big party started..." Espantos explained in simple-minded terms. He seemed to be fully recovered from the breakout incident, unlike everyone else that was still a bit shaken up by it. Hazel and Aladar were not too surprised, though calling the breakout a "game of tag" and "big party" was so like him.
Nero slammed his free hoof on the pavement. All eyes fell on the furious dinosaur. "Say Meanie-Greenie one more time and I'm going to rearrange that ridiculously long neck of yours!"
"Oh you can fix my neck!?" the ten foot tall bird gasped again. That beak formed into the biggest smile he had made since before the breakout. "Great! I've got a little crick at the back that I've been trying to get! I'd really appreciate it if someone could get that little knob. Oh hey, are you good at massaging?"
He continued to blab away about complete nonsense for the next few minutes. The incapacitated green one turned to his apparent superiors. Both of them had smug faces; no doubt they were enjoying the moment. The look he gave them was a pleading one, and both of them knew he never does that. His gruff exterior may hide every sign of weakness in his form, but his voice would say otherwise.
"You can't make me do this," he begged for them to take him, or the intruder, away. Anywhere was better than being in this temporary prison for him.
"Yes we can," Aladar told him with a nod. He then leaned over to his underling and whispered to him. What he was saying was not for Espantos to hear, as it would be insulting. "Be thankful that the humans aren't subjecting you to something worse. You could have been sent away. But we're showing you mercy."
"So Meanie-Greenie-" Espantos started, apparently oblivious to whatever the two Iguanodons were talking about. He had finished talking about random things when he decided to turn his potential roommate.
"Um, it's Nero," the human corrected offhandedly.
"Oh right. Mr. Knee-Rows, you really want to move in with me?" the Terror Bird asked again.
The sea-green Iguanodon and the human knew that Nero had every mind to tell him no. He did not want to stay with an idiot like him. He may die of annoyance before his punishment's period had ended. In fact, he could just kill Espantos when no one was looking, but judging by how he acted at this moment, killing him would prove to be difficult. He may appear to be an idiot, but he was still a carnivore.
All his life, Aladar learned that carnivores were not to be taken lightly. He may have lived on an island, but the stories Yar and the elder lemurs told about monsters across the sea echoed in his mind. Anything with sharp teeth and claws were considered dangerous.
That was, until he came to this time. Thanks to Hazel, he found that not all carnivores were dangerous. This creature, while he had claws on his feet, lacked the trademark sharp teeth of the carnivores he knew. All this birdbrain had was an oversized beak that could easily break bones with a single swipe. But his terrifying exterior was outclassed by the mind of a child. As a result, Aladar had nothing to fear. Though he was worried about Nero being with this avian for an extended period of time.
"He's thinking about it," Hazel replied, beating Nero to it. "See, he...wants to learn how to be polite. He tends to live on his own so we came up with the idea that he could stay with one of the Residents to get some lessons in. He could stay in the valley...but he wants to be closer to those he wants to get to know more. Should he decide to stay with you, you think you could teach him?"
"Yeah I sure can! This is going to be AWESOME! We're going to play games, roll in the dirt, make sand castles, play tag, make friendship bracelets, read Twilight fanfictions, watch videos on Youtube by Markiplier, or if you prefer Pewdiepie then that's okay too," Espantos cheered. His running around the trio in circles indicated his over-excitement. He was so fast that neither of them could keep track of his movements. Their heads kept turning to the spots where they thought he was, but only found air.
Though neither of the dinosaurs knew what he was speaking of, Hazel could not help but gawk. How could this guy know about half the things he was talking about? Twilight fanfictions? Youtube? Heck, how he even knew about Markiplier or Pewdiepie was confounding. She was a fan of those guys. Maybe Breezy or one of the other Microraptors caught her watching one of their videos on her phone some time ago. Whatever the case, Espantos continued to confound those around him.
"Ooh I know! You could help me with the Gossip Network me and Breezy's friends do every day! Ooh ooh! I know! You could help me with-"
The Terror Bird stopped in his tracks when the male alpha decided to end his overjoyed tirade. He stood in his way and used one of his hooves to hold him in place. Espantos was basically walking in one spot with an oversized foot in his face. Once again, Hazel could not help but giggle.
"Okay Espantos," Aladar started. He then began to nudge the bird towards the exit of the large building with his head. Coming to help him was his human companion. She used both of her hands to aid with the pushing. The Miocene predator could not fight the force at all as he was being led to the door. "I think he gets it. He needs some time to think though. We'll let you know what his final decision is when he gets to it."
"Now don't you have some 'news' to give to the Residents at this time? I'm sure they're dying to hear about the daily report," Hazel supported.
Espantos once again gasped. He was too caught up in the excitement that he got distracted by his real reason on passing by the area. His next stop was Bruno's tribe at this time. "Oh right! I completely forgot about that. Thanks!"
Once they reached the large opening to the outside, the dinosaur and human let go of the Terror Bird. Espantos gave them one last look before running off to the right. He disappeared around the corner of the building before they could even get a good look at him. "Bye Hazelnut! Bye A-Ladder!"
The duo returned to the accused scarred one, who was sighing in relief when the annoying bird left. He looked like he went through enough torture for the day. Because of that, they wanted to get this meeting over with as quickly as possible. But not before they got one answer out of him.
"Now that all of the distractions are out of the way," Hazel said smugly. She put her hands on her hips. "I'm sure you now know Espantos on a more…intimate level. He loves to make friends after all. So…what will it be? Community service…or a year of Goodness 101 with our resident Terror Bird?"
Nero groaned and slammed his head on the floor. He was at a position where he could look up at his judges from where he was. Hitting his chin on the floor was the Iguanodon equivalent of a person burying their face at an object. The answer he gave them was one that they were pleased to hear.
"Ugh, anything's better than being with that nimrod...when do I start?"