And now for a special preview on what's coming soon…
Hazel parted the dry shrubbery before her. The tiny thorns on the branches barely pierced her skin, but they were not enough to cause much damage. Small, ancient leaves kissed her skin like small fiery sparks, the result of being under the sun for a long time. While those were bothersome, the human was more concerned with what was ahead of her.
The landscape she looked upon looked like something out of a survival show. Barely any vegetation was around, save for a few trees and shrubs that were adapted to the harsh desert environment. Hills dotted each portion of the perimeter like a natural barrier. There were so many small rocks on the ground that even one misstep could lead to a bad day in the infirmary. Only a few insects flew around the landscape, which was more of a deathtrap to anyone else who was not from the area.
But the most notable feature was that of a single large pond off of the corner of Hazel's eye. While it looked shallow, it did provide enough water that could last for a whole season, depending on the weather. The dirt was clearly seen from the surface while mud holes dotted parts of the shore. Hazel knew from seeing so many TV shows that stepping in those would result in getting stuck. The sun would bake the mud, turning it into something similar to cement. Animals from modern day Africa had to face this sort of problem many times during migrations; the fight against dehydration. Yet they also had to face the risks of the watering hole, like the possibility of nearby predators.
The Asian looked all around the gathering site. A myriad of animals stayed close to the watering hole while a few chose to go to the few vegetation in the area. With so little resources, there was no doubt that these were migratory animals. Large sauropods with speckled hides of white, red, and gray resembling a spiderweb fashion gracefully meandered towards the only source of water. Their tails whipped in the wind like stiff wires. Hazel had done her homework on these sort of creatures even before she went to the park. It was not difficult to see that they were members of the family Diplodocidae. Their long necks, narrow skulls, and whip-like tails were all easy giveaways.
Close to them were creatures that were four-legged giants about the size of elephants. The plates on their backs along with their spiked tails were easy indications of a Stegosaurus. While the Stegosaur family had numerous members, most of which were in the Jurassic period, these gray-hued animals were the largest of their species, and very populous in North America. Their skin was olive-toned with faint dark grey stripes running vertically on their backs. Their plates were lined black on the edges while they faded into a near transparent olive in the middle. Those bony armor plates were just as Hazel pictured it from her books; small from the head, then getting bigger as they go along the back, then receding down to the tail in a perpendicular pattern.
While those were the creatures that were gathered around the watering hole, there was no sign of any predator in the vicinity. No large three-toed footprints, no skeletons of dead animals, not even any sign of dung. It was almost as if it was too quiet…
"Oh Sweet Maker…" a voice sounded from behind the human. Hazel only had to look back for a second to see that it was only her travelling companion Flia. The large pterosaur rolled her shoulders in a quick movement, causing uncomfortable popping sounds to break the silence. The flight they took towards this place had exhausted her, and it was not very surprising either. Flying around with a bag filled with more than enough supplies for a routine rescue mission would weigh down anybody. The Pteranodon had not been going at her usual speed and had to flap her wings harder just to stay aloft.
Hazel was about to apologize about bringing so many supplies again when she heard something different come from her best friend's beak. "I've never seen any creatures this large before. Are you sure we are in the correct time period? It feels like we've come to an entirely different world."
"Oh we're in the right place alright," the girl smirked. "Also, if you've never seen creatures this big, then what about Baylene, Yin and her Flock?"
Flia scoffed, taking that into slight offense. "I mean large creatures OTHER than them. What are those large creatures that look like our titanic companions?"
Hazel narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing each and every feature of the drinking and grazing sauropods. From her knowledge on the Diplodocidae family, nearly all of the members were similar in appearance to each other. Trying to determine what they were just from observing them was difficult. However, Hazel had clues on the creatures and of the time period that helped her to an extent. They were somewhere in the southwestern United States, during the Late Jurassic period. The sauropods she was looking at looked like the famous Diplodocus, except they were much longer than them and lacked the distinct vertebrate spines that ran along their backs. She would need to do a bit of research on them when they get back to Prehistoric Park, but she was pretty sure of their identity.
"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, we're looking at a herd of Supersaurus. Translated to "super lizard", these are among the largest creatures to ever walk the planet in this time. Like Baylene and Yin, along with her Flock, they hail from the same evolutionary line known as the sauropods," Hazel guessed to the best of her ability.
"Alright, then what of those beings with the odd things on their back?" Flia gestured to the Stegosaurus that were near the immense long necks.
"Stegosaurus," she continued her impromptu explanation of the Jurassic dinosaurs before them. "They're a unique type of dinosaur in this time that are characterized by the plates along their back and the spines on their tails. They're like the Triceratops, the Pachyrhinosaurus, the Styracosaurus, and Url back in the Park when it comes to being armored. And these guys are the largest of their species."
"Incredible…now I see what you meant when you said 'Time of the Titans'…" Flia could only gape at the sight of the giant creatures at the watering hole.
The girl giggled at the sudden thought that came to her. Thinking of the best Alan Grant impression, she announced her introduction to the time period they were in. "Welcome to the Jurassic Period."
"Well, with all the formalities aside, we should be focusing at the situation at hand. Like why are we here? We should be searching for this so called 'Allosaurus' from the air. It would be much easier to find them."
"Well Flia," she replied while ignoring that other reaction and scanning the area for any other signs of their targeted creature. "It would take a while to find it in the air. They could be anywhere. So I thought it would be easier to stay in one place and scope it out."
"How is that a good idea? That does not sound very productive…" the Pteranodon mentioned with a large amount of doubt.
"Simple. With such a large amount of herbivores in the area gathering in this place for some salvation from the desert, they'll no doubt attract a lot of attention. And I'm sure you remember the herd's previous migrations too. Where there are herbivores, there are always carnivores nearby," Hazel simply explained.
Flia exploded with such ferocity that caused the human to quickly turn. "Are you saying that my herd is no better than these creatures here!?"
"No that's not what I meant! I'm simply stating the facts!" she defended with a slight wave of her hands, thus letting go of the bushes she held onto. The branches shook a little, even causing some leaves to fall to the ground. "Those Velociraptors last year trailed us all the time when the herd was migrating to the Nesting Grounds. I'm sure you've noticed. Then I'm really not sure if the herd encountered any large predators in whatever feeding grounds they were at that were NOT the Nesting Grounds. It's really obvious! Large clusters of herbivores would no doubt attract carnivores."
The sky scout brought her wing up to her forehead, her fingers created a little smack that was near inaudible. To both of them, it looked like the equivalent of a face palm, except it was more of a wing palm. Her eyes were closed for a moment before she returned to her normal stature.
"Alright, you bring up a point. So is that why we're here?"
Hazel nodded and then turned to part the bushes once more. "Yup. All we need to do is check the place out. The predators would no doubt be just as tired as these guys, so they would like to come in for a drink too."
"We could do that. Observe the situation, then come in at the right time," the pterosaur offhandedly remarked.
"You know what?" Hazel cocked an eyebrow and released the branches of the bushes, allowing them to sway in the wind again. "I've got a better idea. We could just ask!"
The sky scout watched in complete bewilderment as her best friend rushed around the vegetation towards the partial Sanctuary and deathtrap. Her beak fell open and thoughts of the human getting harmed by the strange herbivores flooded her mind. The dust the kicked up from the girl's footsteps wafted in the air before settling back down. Rocks clattered as she passed by. Flia had no idea why her friend was acting this way, but her best guess would be the excitement of going on another mission.
"Hazel! Are you crazy!? Get back here!" she ordered. Going around the bushes, she found the perfect opening to take off. Jumping off and gliding on what little wind was in the air, she did her best to follow after the overexcited human, all the while avoided getting caught by the local vegetation below.
Eager to make her mark, Hazel quickly made her way to the prehistoric creatures at the water-hole. Most of the dinosaurs gave her questioning looks and whispered amongst their friends, perplexed at seeing their first human, while others grunted aggressively to ward off the human anomaly visiting their drinking spot. Hazel made sure to give a particular female Stegosaurus guarding her children a wide berth when her tail swung back and forth a little too fast for the young woman's liking. When the young adventurer came to the drinking hole, the only dinosaur that wasn't completely bothered by her presence was one of the colossal sauropods. He towered over most of the creatures present, even among the other Diplodociades. His large and healthy stature tipped Hazel off that this individual was the alpha of the herd of sauropods here; or at the very least a close friend to the leader. He was currently craning his neck down to take long sips from the refreshing water of the desert.
When Hazel was close enough, she cupped her hands over her mouth and called out to the titanic herbivore. "Excuse me sir? I would like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind?"
Not expecting company, the male herbivore gasped and then proceeded to sputter and cough out water that went down the wrong pipe. He grunted and shifted his focus in the direction of the young woman.
With her experience with both Baylene and Yin, Hazel had come to the conclusion that all sauropods had a type of nobility-like quality to them; since both Brachiosaur and Borealosaur females had an air of grace and sophistication to them. So she expected that this male would have the same or similar poise and composure with a sophisticated tone—
"Whoa, what's your bag dude?! I thought I told ya hodads to not be a total spaz when I'm in my mellow! You chicks know how majorly hacked I get when I freak out. So hang loose and keep it groovy, you dig?"
Or she could be totally wrong.
Instead of an eloquent and cultured voice that Hazel expected, the sauropod's speech was more akin to an unrefined hippie from the 1960s. The young girl didn't have anything against hippies in general, but the reveal of a sauropod that wasn't the epitome of grace threw her off a bit.
"Oh, um… uh…" Hazel's mind was trying to catch up to the situation at hand from the unexpected culture of the Jurassic herbivore. Thankfully, the male looked down at the miniscule human in surprise and leaned in closer to observe Hazel.
"Check it out, a mini-dudette!" the male proclaimed, practically face to face with the young adventurer. "I've been trollin' round the Salt Plains all my life and I've never seen sumthin' as twitchin' as you babe."
Noting the peculiar tidbit of the male sauropod's dialect, Hazel quickly recovered and adjusted herself to the odd behavior before responding. "Hello sir, my name is Hazel. I'm a human that traveled from the future."
"That sounds radical man!" the male exclaimed as he straightened himself up. "Name's Hendrix, Future Babe. I'm the head honcho of my Supersaurus brothers and sisters."
"Nice to meet you Hendrix. And this," Hazel introduced the pterosaur companion waddling up to meet them, "is my partner, Flia the Pteranodon."
Gasping for breath from the heavy burden on her saddle, Flia huffed out, "Nice to meet you Hendrix…"
The Supersaurus nodded his head in understanding. "Oh! You mean you foxes are goin' steady… I dig."
It took Hazel a few moments to decipher Hendrix's 60's lingo, and when she did her face flushed in embarrassment. "NO HENDRIX! Me and Flia aren't a couple or romantically involved in any way. Besides, we're both females and two separate species."
The hippie-esque Supersaurus shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "Hey, don't sweat it you two. Ol' Hendrix is the grooviest Daddy-o on the Salt Plains! This Supersaurbrother ain't judgin' who wants to do the hanky panky with who."
The flight duo had to get the promiscuous implications that the sauropod was saying out of their heads before Hazel attempted steer the conversation back to less deviant thoughts.
"ANYWAYS! Hendrix, the reason me and my strictly platonic friend came over was to ask if you've seen any Allosauruses in the area, and if so where they were."
Before Hendrix could reply to the young Asian's query, a young feminine voice tore the alpha male's attention away.
"Lil' dipstick, you're harshin' on my mellow! Make tracks ankle biter!" The young voice shrieked in displeasure.
Hazel and Flia turned their eyes towards the disturbance along with Hendrix. Several yards out was a juvenile female Supersaurus. She had the same grey and red marking decorating her body like the other sauropods and was a little over the size of an adult Clydesdale horse. She was agitated and shifting from side to side to get away from her hidden source of her discomfort.
"Hendrix, who is that?" Hazel asked as the youngling sauropod berated the still obscured figure in front of her.
"That, Future Babe, is my lil' flower child, Woodstock. My pride and joy." Hendrix proclaimed. "And by the looks of things, my Baby girl is tangled up with the local heat."
Before the human girl could question what the sauropod meant by that, another young voice was heard in front of Woodstock.
"Look out Supersaurus! I'm gonna get ya!"
When Woodstock shifted to the side, Hazel and Flia saw an adorable juvenile Allosaurus jumping and nipping at the sauropod girl. The young theropod was practically an infant if its small size was anything to go by; he barely reached Hazel waistline. His scales displayed a vibrant yellow and green striped motif, a partial camouflage perfect for an ambush hunter. His playful nature was causing the Supersaurus flower child to groan in displeasure and slight fear.
"DADDY, HELP ME!" Woodstock cried out to her father as she shifted away from the source of her annoyance, only to be intercepted by the Allosaurus again.
"Baby girl, what have I told you before? If some predatory skuzz is being a drag?" Hendrix wearily sighed as he left his rhetorical question open ended for his daughter to finish, having already reminded her multiple times in the past.
Woodstock turned her back to the overly playful predator, her tail swishing back and forth to gain momentum as she finished her father's personal quote he lived by. "Then I should send him packin'!"
With her tail swinging like a pendulum, the young Allosaurus was entranced by the herbivore's appendage. The lazy swishing tail turned lethal as Woodstock violently lashed out. Hendrix's daughter's whip-snapping appendage traveled at sonic-boom levels of speed at the end of her tail. Her whip-like tail made a resounding 'crack' as it made contact with the baby theropod's face. The Jurassic herbivore's natural weapon exploded against the infant carnivore's face; easily shattering his snout and lower portions of his jaw. The young Allosaur barely had enough time to yelp in pain from his broken jaw before he was sent flying. He landed a few yards away and ceased to move. Woodstock huffed as she made her way towards her father.
"Oh my God…" The human woman whispered as her eyes were still locked on the juvenile theropod's broken form.
Hazel was horrified at the sheer brutality that the young Supersaurus inflicted on the harmless baby carnivore. Flia looked as if she was going to throw up, for she too thought that the attack was unnecessary. Hendrix just nodded, proud that his youngling managed to take down one of the savage predators that hounded them.
"Most excellent Baby girl! You sure showed that skuzzy Allo a thing or two!" Hendrix bellowed out to his daughter with pride evident in his voice.
"Thanks Daddy!" Woodstock happily piped to her father.
'That poor Allosaurus! Is it dead? I don't see it moving!' Hazel internally screamed as she felt slight disgust that Hendrix encouraged this brutal behavior.
"Was that attack really necessary?!" Flia cried out to the leader Supersaurus. Hendrix merely raised an eye-ridge.
"If a skuzz bag predator is messin' with my lil' Woodstock, then they should be lucky it ain't me giving those monsters a pounding." The father sauropod rumbled threateningly, showing how serious he was in the safety of his little girl.
It was times like these that made Hazel cringe. She easily forgot that the Mesozoic denizens of the past did not have the same luxuries as the present had. In the wild, you had to be the meanest to get on top and survive. So Woodstock killing an infant before it could cause harm in the future was acceptable Hendrix's eyes. The leader Supersaurus calmed down and resumed his relaxed tone.
"Baby girl, these two righteous babes here are Hazel and Flia, they're soul mates or sumthin' like that. They traveled from the future." Hendrix introduced, completely missing the stutters and outrage from the two travelers. "Future Babe, Flyer Babe, meet my Baby girl, Woodstock."
The young Jurassic herbivore bounded up to the two visitors excitedly. "Woah dude! Are you guys really from the future? That's outta sight and totally bitchin' man!"
Hendrix scowled as he nudged his daughter with his foreleg, causing Woodstock to stumble a bit.
"Language Baby girl." Woodstock's father chastised.
"Sorry Ol' Man…" The young sauropod said downtrodden.
Before Hazel and Flia could continue their conversation, one of Hendrix's herd members made a warning groan and proceed to lumber away from the water-hole. This was followed by the primal roar of a predator; it's call being heard throughout the area. The other residents of the water-hole moved away as well, particularly away from the Allosaur's prone form.
"Uh oh. Looks like the 'Boss Bitch' is comin' down from her castle to find her skuzzy spawn." Hendrix shifted his sights downward to Hazel and Flia. "You chicks might wanna book before she gets here. Come on Baby girl, let's cut out." The father Supersaurus nudged his daughter along to get away from the coming danger.
"Aw! I wanted to know more about the future!" The juvenile sauropod whined as her father prodded her along. Looking over her shoulder, Woodstock spoke out one last time to the Prehistoric Park explorers. "Later Hazel! Later Flia! If the skuzz of the water-hole doesn't pick you guys for some gut waddin', we should totally hook up later. See ya future ladies!"
As the water-hole residents moved a distance away from the area, Flia and Hazel were the only two creatures left at the drinking spot. Hazel snapped out of her stupor and immediately ran to assist the maimed juvenile Allosaurus. Just as she was a few feet away, Hazel felt the talons of her partner clamp on her backpack's shoulder straps. The young woman's feet swiftly left the ground as she was now dangling in Flia's grasp.
"FLIA! What are you doing!?"
"Saving your life Hazel!" The pterosaur yelled back as she flew further away from the Allosaur's inert body.
"But that little Allosaur is going to die if we don't do anything!" Hazel shrieked into the wind. "The wound that Hendrix's daughter inflicted could be fatal!"
"Yeah well, I don't think that youngling's mom is going to be in a listening mood." Flia said as she gestured behind her. Hazel twisted her body in Flia's talons and saw what had the flyer so worried.
Standing at 16-feet tall was a full grown adult Allosaurus female moving through the desert brush towards the watering hole. The Jurassic carnivore had a sandy yellow and rust-red color scheme that fitted the arid surroundings. She was currently swerving her head back and forth in search of something. Hazel could presume that this female was the juvenile's mother.
"Any-creature near the scene of a mutilated youngling and caught by the worried mother is just asking for trouble." Flia sagely remarked. "I can imagine that the results won't be pretty if you were anywhere near that youngling. Especially for a carnivore."
The human explorer sagged slightly in her friend's grasp. "But… we could help…"
"Not at the cost of your life Hazel." Flia swiftly responded. "Don't worry. I'm sure there will be other opportunities."
The girl took in a sharp breath before gazing back at where the fallen infant predator was. Like before, the creature lay inert, unmoving. A puddle of blood formed around the youngling's head at a gradual pace. Hazel feared that it may now be too late to save the poor thing, as it may have already died from blood loss and its injury.
The appearance of the large female Allosaurus walking out of the arid vegetation made the blood in the girl's body run cold. Flia's warning of being caught by a ferocious mother with an injured infant once again returned to her thoughts. Had the Pteranodon not taken her away from there in time, she would have surely faced her doom, even with her ability of Prehistoric Speak.
Hazel could do nothing but watch the forms of the adult and infant predators become obscured from increasing distance and the raised elevations.
"I'm so sorry…" she tearfully whispered in the winds. Hazel shut her eyes tight, wanting to burn that horrible image of death from her mind.
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Pain. That was all he could feel as he lay on the desert soil. The rocks that baked under the unrelenting sun stung the gaping wound he had received just moments before. The best way to describe the type of agony he was in would be getting bitten on the face by millions of fire ants, except on broken skin. The youngling could barely move his head, but only by the slightest bit. Lifting his head up only caused his newly shattered lower jaw to dangle like a vine on a tree.
Not only was he in so much suffering, but his keen senses caught another familiar scent in the air. The undisputable metallic and rusty scent of an animal's blood was what he smelled. There was a lot of it, meaning the animal was bleeding profusely. His heart skipped a beat when he opened his eyes, just to see the blood he was smelling was his own.
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps rumbled to his ears. The ground shook a little, indicating the arrival of a larger creature. But was it friend or foe? The Allosaurus may be a youngling, but even he knew that predators would be attracted to a fresh kill by the scent of blood. The child lay still and breathed sporadically, fearing that a larger predator was coming to eat him.
His heart relaxed when the figure of another of his species loomed over him. The creature looked much like him, save for the sandy hide color and the different markings on her face. The scent he picked up was that of his own kind, and this one he knew all too well. It was his mother.
"Mommy... help... please…" he begged to his parent for any form of salvation in a lisp. His new injury prevented him from speaking properly. It was as if he were speaking in a different tongue that only he could understand. But that did not matter; he needed his mother's help.
If there was one creature that could help him in any way, it was his mother. She gave him protection the moment he hatched out of his egg, and food to nourish him as he grew up. He eagerly waited for her to answer, or even to get into action to help him.
Unfortunately, he did not receive any form of support from her. When he lifted his head up to look at her, she merely backed away and gasped. The sight of his dangling lower jaw frightened his mother. He did his best to ignore the stinging agony that shot up his head when he moved by shutting his eyes tightly for a moment, but that was nothing compared to what was coming next. The youngling could only watch in horror as his mother took a few steps back from him.
"Mommy?" he called for her. Tears began to sting his eyes as he finally found that he would not get the help he needed. Things only got worse when he heard something that his mother would never say to him.
"Child, if there is one thing you should know, it is life is cruel and will not spare any creature," she told him, eyeing his hanging lower jaw. "Especially with injuries like yours."
The look she gave him was not that of a caring, protective mother. Instead, it was that of a giant peering down on an inferior, something she would give to any other creature that was not her own kind. "Your ailment is weakness. And I will not dote on you and tolerate this weakness. If you want to overcome your feebleness, then my final lesson to you, broken jawed child, is to survive."
The child's heart sunk, and his tears fell like a waterfall. His only form of protection and source of love turned her back and walked away from him. He was being left alone to survive...or to die. Worse yet was he had no knowledge on how to hunt, or what kind of dangers to look out for. He had no way to tell which creatures were friend or foe, or even how to find water. And with his new handicap...he had no idea how to defend himself.
"Mommy?" he croaked at the receding form of his mother. If she heard him, she gave back no answer.
"Mommy!?" once again, he called, this time louder.
No answer. The female predator reached the edge of the nearby vegetation and plowed through. Her whole body disappeared from view within a matter of moments.
"Please come back! MOMMY!"
Moments silence passed. No movement of the bushes and not even the sounds of any nearby herbivores could relieve the youngling of his suffering. As he gazed around, he found that all of the creatures in the area had left the vicinity. Not even a faint roar from miles around sounded. He was all alone.
It was at that moment something within him snapped. For the first time in his life, he had no one else to rely on. No one was there to help him. No longer did he see the world as a plaything for his form of recreation. Now, he saw the world as an enemy that could kill him without a thought.
His mother's final words stung his heart like the claw of a vicious predator. Survival was the only way to get by in the world...and to overcome his weakness. This new handicap was now a part of him, and he had to live with it for the rest of his days. If he was to survive, he needed to be strong.
The youngling gazed over at the side, over at his own shadow. His jaw hung below like a sore thumb. His eyes became steely, and he uttered to the world his promise.
"If my mother cannot help me, then no one can," he uttered as he watched his own shadow follow his movements. His jaw moved like a swaying branch in the wind.
As the youngling looked around for any place away from the spot where he was abandoned, his eyes fell on a lone bare tree up on a hill. The vegetation barely had enough greenery to shield out the sun's rays fully, but it did provide enough shade from the heat. It was a considerable distance from the watering hole, but it did provide a good vantage point for any creature coming in for a drink.
Using whatever strength he had left, the predator slowly hoisted himself up, albeit shaky. Thankfully, that young Supersaurus did not take away his ability to walk. However, his head still hurt like hell. Slowly, but steadily, he made his way towards the hill.
His small journey felt like hours, but he finally made it. The hill was a bit steep for a youngling like him, but it was something he had to get used to. He was gasping for breath by the time he reached the top of the hill. As he set himself down under the shade of the tree, he gazed upon his hunting ground.
In the Jurassic carnivore's heart, he knew that hardships were coming his way. He would have to survive with the liability from his new handicap. He would not be able to eat properly for a long time. But the good news was that his new vantage point allowed him to gauge out prey to take down. He also noticed that the watering hole was surrounded by patches of greenery, most of which were a bit high or obscured for any other animal to investigate closely. The perfect places for an ambush.
He may be crippled now, but at least nature was giving him a chance to prove himself.
A warrior's journey had begun. But little did he know that many more surprises were coming his way. This was the beginning of a tale that would span even time.
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Meanwhile... Several miles north from the Watering Hole
Meat.
That was the word that struck the senses of another Jurassic carnivore. The scent was unmistakable. The metallic odor of blood coupled with bits of aged flesh were enough to send the predator's mind on high alert. Judging from the musty scent in the air, the prey must have been dead for quite some time. It was strong too, meaning that it was very close.
An easy catch…
The female had been wandering this part of the desert for a couple days. Her name was Alyssa, and she was an Allosaurus. Many creatures in these lands feared her along with her kind. But unlike the Allosaurus in the southern regions, her hide was a dark grey with black vertical stripes along her back. The rounded bony crests above her eyes were a deep shade of red, indicating her sexual maturity.
In her lifetime, Alyssa had seen many creatures, but never before had she ventured to the southern plains before, as her mother taught her. She was told of another part of her species that she only knew of as the "Yellow Skins". The predator was taught to avoid them at all costs, for they were more savage and reckless in mind than her kind, the "Grey Skins". Her mother emphasized to her and her siblings to never venture to the south, for they would encounter them. For whatever reasons they were, she took them to heart.
One last step and she was finally at the edge of the loosely dense forest. Before her was a dirt covered spring, something rarely seen in these parts. Skeletons of dead dinosaurs littered the shores, their bones stripped of their meat from long ago. Even the remains of a dead herbivore lay just in the middle of the shore, no doubt it was trying to get a drink before it realized it was too late. Alyssa had never been here before, but she could not resist the scent of meat from an easy catch. Following her nose, she caught sight of what drew her in over at her left.
A carcass of a young Stegosaurus that was half buried in the mud at the shore. No doubt this creature died of exhaustion while it tried to escape from the earth's clutches. Her predatory mind told her that it must have accidentally wandered in to get a drink, only get itself stuck.
While she was taught in the past to never venture to springs like these, her hunger overwhelmed her sense of judgement. She had not eaten for days. Failed hunts had driven Alyssa to near insanity and resorted to finding easier prey to curb her hunger.
"At least it's better than nothing…" Alyssa told herself as she made her way towards the free carcass.
The trip to the large mound of meat went off without a problem. She did not get stuck as she had remained on the dry part of the shore. The rocks were not large enough to make her trip over. Better yet, there were no other predators to compete with. It was all hers.
At least, her trip there would have been perfect if some unknown voice had caused her to stop.
"Leave…" the voice, apparently an older male with a raspy tone told her. "Go away…"
Her predatory eyes brought her to an Allosaurus, apparently one that was her senior by many years, lying next to the dead Stegosaurus. From far away, she thought that was some large, abnormal growth from its leg. The stench of carrion filled the air, and the familiar smell of her own species mingled with it.
The male looked just like her, except there were a few differences that caught her off guard. His hide was not of the dark grey like hers, but rather a light earthen tan. At first, she feared it was a Yellow Skin, but after close investigation, she found it was just another of her kind that was covered in dried mud. This one had been trying to get his fill for the day, but had gotten stuck in the earth's clutches. Already, the male was reeking of the stench of decay, and by the looks of it, he had been there for many days. Starvation, dehydration, and exhaustion were taking its toll on him.
"Leave...if you value your life…" he coughed out before resting his head back in the mud. His eyes closed, never to open again. Every ounce of his strength was gone.
"Quiet. I'm hungry," Alyssa huffed and passed him by. Water splashed softly as her feet made contact with the warm, mud-filled puddles. "I haven't eaten in days. And besides…"
"No pool of death will stop me from getting what I need," she said when she stood before the corpse and tore away a large chunk of meat. Like butter, it came off without much obstruction. All she had to do was pull it away with her gifted primeval strength.
Alyssa swallowed her prize, gulping down the meaty sustenance. The hunger pangs in her stomach slightly ebbed away. The meat and blood were dry, not really satisfying her taste expectations, but she accepted the meal nonetheless. If she was going to ease her intense hunger, she would have to remain there for quite some time. At least, until she gets chased out by another predator.
Again, she gorged on the dry feast. This time, she attempted to go for a larger strip of meat. The Jurassic carnivore anchored her feet into the ground and pulled. The flesh did not budge though. Alyssa grabbed onto a larger portion of it again and heaved, this time using her powerful legs to step back to help her in the attempt. But as she struggled against sun-dried carcass, something caused her to stop.
Alyssa released the meat, only to peer over at her feet. While one seemed to be partially in a puddle, her other foot was submerged in the thick mud. The Allosaurus tried to get her buried foot out of the mud, only to find that it would not budge. Horror and dread flooded her mind she as realized what kind of predicament she got herself into.
"Oh no…" she gasped. Again, Alyssa tried to pull herself free. The movements of her other foot desperately stomped in the mud, creating frantic splashes. In the Allosaurus' desperate attempts to get herself out of the ensnaring mud hole, Alyssa accidentally worsened her situation. Her free foot had inadvertently ended up in another wet portion of mud that was just as bad as the other one. Both of the Allosaurus' feet were now firmly rooted in the muck, fastening Alyssa into the earth against her will.
"No no no no no NO!" Alyssa cried. The grey carnivore used her upper body strength to pull herself free, only to find that she was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud the more she struggled.
"Somebody! Anybody! Help me!" she hollered out, her voice drifted throughout the arid surroundings. She hoped that some creature, whether it was a member of her kind or not, would at least have the heart to get her out of this mess. It was a futile attempt, for not many predators venture to this part of the desert. And even they would most likely not want to help someone like her.
Alyssa kept calling out, only to be answered with silence to her plea.
"Please! I'm stuck! Someone get me out of here! I can't go out like this!"
Her eyes now stung. Tears fell down, dripping onto the patches of water. Her own drive to get food for herself had caused her to walk into a trap. And she ignored the warnings that old timer had given her. Alyssa's foolishness had driven her to her own doom.
She desperately searched around the shore for any nearby dry patches for her to try to get to. Unfortunately, the nearest spot of firm land was too far for her to reach. Even if she managed to get one of her feet out of the mud, it would only fall back into another portion of the death water. Alyssa could not find any means to aid herself, but as she looked around, she found something completely unexpected.
Another creature was hiding amongst the trees on one of the hills near the shore. Her keen predatory eyes discerned the being as one of her own kind. The figure was smaller than her, and the eye crests were a dull red, signifying immaturity. The broad musculature and musky scent the being was giving off indicated it to be a young male in his teens.
"You there! Please help me! I can't get out!" she pleaded to him.
The young male shifted in his position. He looked at her with wariness that could match that of a skittish herbivore. No reply escaped his maw. Even from Alyssa's trapped vantage point, she could see that he was making short breaths. Her better sense of judgement told her that he was nervous about approaching the stagnant pool.
"Please I'm begging you! I won't eat you, I just need someone to help me escape!" Alyssa sobbed, tears now streaming from her eyes at an even faster rate.
Finally, she got a reply. But it was something she did not want to see. The teenaged male shook his head fearfully and quickly turned for a hasty retreat. He was a youngster that had his whole life ahead of him, and risking his own neck to save a complete stranger was not on his list of priorities.
Her heart shattered into a million pieces as her only hope of escape disappeared into the jungle. Alyssa had known this would happen, her heart told her anyway. The world she lived in was cruel. To survive, one had to be strong. They had to observe their environment and quickly decipher their surroundings to make the right decisions to survive. The only thing that kept her alive was her instinct. Now, it was her instinct that drove her to her death.
Alyssa reared up her head to the sky, desperately screaming in the hope that anyone nearby would help free her from the muck...or swiftly end her to prevent suffering of a slow demise.
"HELP ME!"
Darksage: And cut! There we go, the first look into the next sequel. Got you there, didn't we?
Marc: You think we revealed a little too much?
Darksage: No, we revealed just enough. I'm sure you guys are pretty surprised right? Not only are we going to cross over with The Ballad of Big Al, but we are also including Dinosaur Revolution!
Marc: Now I know what you guys are thinking; those stories happened 5 million years apart from each other and happened on different continents! We're aware of that. But we want to stick to being as scientifically accurate as we can.
Darksage: So we're going to be changing some of the genus in the story along with the ages of each one. Also, the story will take place in North America rather than Portugal. For example, instead of seeing Miragaia and Dinheirosaurus, you'll be seeing Stegosaurus and Supersaurus. We apologize for the inconvenience…
Marc: Anyway, we wanted to give you guys a first look on what's coming. It's already under works at the moment.
Darksage: We appreciate your patience. Hope you guys enjoyed it and see you on the next issue!
Marc: Later!
