A commotion had begun at the cynodont burrow. The adults had responded too late and one of the babies was dead; however, they were still barking and hissing at the Coelophysis that had grabbed it. Curiously, however, the Coelophysis appeared to be uncaring, stepping forward and back with an almost casual indifference at the barking cynodonts in front of it, dancing like a cobra to a pipe. Eventually, the coelophysis got too close and the adults chased it out.
However, this had been the opportunity they were looking for. The other two Coelophysis, with lightning speed, used the distraction to lunge at the remaining two babies, left defenceless at the burrow's entrance, successfully grabbing one and swallowing it whole. However, the decoy came running back, with the cynodont pair in hot pursuit. With lightning reflexes, the nearest Coelophysis lunged forward and ran off with the last pup in its jaws. The three dinosaurs retreated into the bushes. vicious brawl ensued, with the pup's squeal of pain being drowned out by the Coelophysis' hoarse squawks as they violently squabbled over their prize. The adults looked at the destroyed burrow; none of their babies had survived. For them it was a blow; their kind bore few young and, in an uncertain world, a high rate of survival was important. They would have to leave the burrow and find another one.
Thankfully they wouldn't have to go far. Drew grabbed the remote and aimed the portal right in front of the burrow. The cynodonts stared at the glowing orb, dumbfounded, and went to investigate it, going through the portal, into the present day. "Think they'll be alright?", Adrian asked. Drew nodded; they couldn't save the babies but, at least, the adults would have a new life in the present.
After that, the duo suddenly heard the sound of a roar. The source was in a clearing; they saw the Postosuchus from earlier roaring at another Postosuchus; a potential rival. The two giant creatures continued sizing each other up, using roaring, stamping and mock swipes in order to get the other to back down. Physical combat was a last resort; for any predator, a major injury was a death knell. "Why isn't she attacking?", Drew said as he tried to get a better look.
"I think I see the reason, buddy", Adrian said as he pointed to her leg, in which a large, gaping wound was eminent; it looked like the sort of wound that a Placerias tusk would inflict, "That looks like a tusk wound. Probably from a failed hunt."
The wound ended up being what defeated her. The Postosuchus backed off, surrendering her territory to the interloper. While the loser limped off, the male roared in celebration at his victory. Drew saw this as an opportunity and activated the portal. The male saw the bright light, staring mesmerised at it, and went towards it to investigate. After he slowly walked in, Drew and Adrian packed up and went after the female, but not before noticing the sky. Dark clouds were blocking out the sun, almost oppressively.
At the park, the Peteinosaurus was still perched on the crane over the Dunkleosteus tank, blissfully unaware of the danger that its current situation posed. Kyle and Nikolai looked at the small pterosaur whilst formulating a plan. Kyle suggested, "How about I lure it over while you jump it?". Nikolai gave him a look, "Jumping would be too risky; a better plan would be to net it." Nikolai pulled out a net, revealing he had one on hand. Kyle reluctantly conceded to this alteration.
With the plan set into action, Kyle put out some mealworms for the pterosaur to eat. The flying reptile, from the top of the gigantic crane, scented the new treat and flew down to investigate. The instant it had alighted on the ground, Nikolai readied the net and crept towards the pterosaur. Once he had got as close as he could, he threw the net over the pterosaur, using his own weight to prevent its escape. The pterosaur hissed and squawked indignantly at this sudden development before Nikolai put it in an animal carrier. At last they were all taken care of.
Kyle sighed before taking out his walkie-talkie. Once again, he'd been made to look like a chump; Nikolai's plan had worked. "OK, we're all good. The last Peteinosaurus has been caught; we're sending it over to you now.", he said over the intercom, trying to speak over the Peteinosaurus' harsh, indignant squawks.
Jack's voice on the other end replied, "Great news, boss. We need you guys over here 'cos we've got… about 3 more new species; and that's just from Late Triassic Arizona." Kyle sighed to himself. Would he ever win?
Meanwhile, the sky began to darken as the Postosuchus continued on limping along. She could easily notice the tiny dinosaurs eagerly following her around, waiting for her to weaken. Eventually her injury, septic and several days old, caused her to stumble and she collapsed on the ground. Her attempts to get up failed; applying weight to her injured leg was becoming very difficult. The Coelophysis sat in the bushes, crouched like gargoyles, looking at the crippled predator with eyes shining with anticipation. They weren't the only eager hunters at the scene; a group of Liliensternus walked out from the bushes and began to advance towards the dying predator, drool hanging off their bacteria-laden jaws. However, all the scavengers were hesitant; the Postosuchus was still powerful and her jaws could still tear any one of them apart.
Drew and Adrian watched the growing spectacle from the clearing; if they wanted to save the female, they needed to act quick. "There's too many to get through", Drew told Adrian, "We need a new plan. Any ideas?" Adrian thought for a bit before having an idea. "Can I suggest something? We should try scaring them off. It worked with the first Coelophysis."
Drew nodded, and the plan came into motion. Grabbing an air horn, he squeezed the button and a loud noise came out, startling all the dinosaurs. He repeated the process a few more times before the Coelophysis ran into the bushes. But the bigger Liliensternus did not retreat, instead roaring in anger at what they took as a challenge and charged towards Drew. He aimed the portal remote and the dinosaurs tore through the glowing red light, into the present.
With the dinosaurs gone, the duo turned back to the dying carnivore. "Well, I can say this; we can't pick her up", Adrian told him, "She's far too heavy." Drew nodded and said, "I agree. I'll call for some assistance. I'm positive Linda has something to move large animals." As he said this, Drew got out the communicator.
To be continued
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