Soundtrack: Freya's Spell by James Newton Howard
The Residents of Prehistoric Park have experienced quite a number of crises in the past after moving to the 21st century. Whether it was escaping a Fireball, a couple of breakouts, some fights, or a financial crisis, even though most of them have no idea what that is, they managed to pull through. A blizzard was something that they would consider as something that was testing their will to live.
Temporary Park was chaotic, and that was putting it mildly. Back and forth, keepers hurriedly led Residents into tents and igloos, all to help them escape the storm that was upon them. The Residents, both guests and current, were all rushing into the shelters. Their cries of panic sounded all about. The central hub was more crowded than it was before.
For the department heads, this sort of situation was classified as a worst case scenario, probably just as bad as when the Albertosaurus attacked. They all issued orders to the staff. Ellis had to get his engineers to get all the vehicles indoors and make sure the generators were running properly. Daisy (with Kerato and Hanna's help) was accounting for all the sick Residents in one of the tents. As for Chris, who was acting as the proxy leader of the park, had each and every keeper get all the Residents indoors as well as have them make sure the Residents that were in their indoor enclosures were inside.
Things were running smoothly until word got out that there were still a number of Residents in the outskirts. Employees had to get to those Residents and herd them towards the main hub. It was not very long before the tents and igloos became flooded with even more Residents.
With each minute that passed, the storm gradually grew worse. The winds picked up, the snow pelted against both hides and skin, and those that were not used to such conditions were losing feeling in their limbs from the cold. Some Residents were collapsing from the big freeze, but were then supported by their comrades to safety.
Survival was what drove them on, and that was the only thing Aladar needed to motivate everyone. He and his herd came from a much warmer climate. No one had experienced a disaster like this before. The freezing cold meant certain death. He urged his herd into the tents and igloos, away from winter's unforgiving blasts. The snow and ice that fell from the sky felt like sharp needles on his scales. Every cold wind was like a ghostly blanket of death. He himself was suffering, but his well-being was the least of his worries.
"Get inside all of the shelters!" he hollered after nudging some Struthiomimus and Stygimolochs into an igloos with his muzzle. "Help anyone you see out here! No one gets left behind!"
For several minutes, he kept at it. He led his herd into shelters, even helping some downed members with some nudges. All of them were grateful for his bravery and determination to ensure their safety. Their gratitude acknowledged minor bits of relief.
He took one last look at the front of the hub for any stragglers. Aladar nodded when he saw none, save for the Pachyrhinosaurus herd members still out there along with the humans that were doing their jobs. He went to them to get them indoors, only to get replies that they still needed to get their friends first or they had something to do.
When he finished his checking, he went to the next priority in his mind; his own family. Aladar rushed to the enclosure where Irwin and the lemurs were. The warmth of the enclosure was a relief to his scales, and it was more relieving to see his adoptive family safely inside. They were quite worried about how he and everyone else were faring in the weather. Neither of them went outside the whole day.
Satisfied his lemur family was safe, Aladar rushed back out in the unforgiving landscape, driven to find his mate and children.
He rushed through nearly the whole hub perimeter for any sign of a slender purple and pink female or a hint of any youngling that looked like him or their mother. All he found were humans and some straggler Residents, but no sign of his family.
"Neera! Neera! Where are you!?" he skid to a stop near one of the tents and called out for his love.
Neither a bellow nor the voice of his mate reached his ears. Anxiety rose in him at the thought of what could have happened to her and their children.
One frantic turn around and he looked upon the hulking tent. A thought crossed his mind; one where they may have taken shelter already. It was the only logical answer. They always stuck close to the herd, even the children. They were not that rebellious as far as he knew.
He went to one of the openings, all while dodging any human he passed. He approached the nearest human there, a young female who was directing young Struthiomimus, Styracosaurus, and Stygimolochs into the tent.
"Excuse me, miss!" he called out to her after sliding to a stop just a few feet from her.
The woman gasped and turned to him. Aladar had seen many humans in his stay in Prehistoric Park, but he had never seen this human before. She must be new. Her skin was as dark as the earth and her hair, which was tied into a low bun, was as black as night. Her attire was a basic brown coat, puffed up with warm layers, black winter gloves, thick denim jeans, and gray fluffy snow boots.
She straightened herself out, looking upon him like a child would to an adult. "Oh, you're Aladar!"
Her voice sounded quite young, at least to Aladar's ears. She must be new, probably close to Hazel's sister's age. "Yeah, that's me. Have you seen Neera and my family?"
"Neera?" she inquired, her eyes glancing at the ground for a moment before she lit up in realization. "Oh right! Your mate! I think I did see her and some young Iguanodons evacuate in this tent. The kids were huddling close to Martha. Neera is purple and pink I believe? If she is, then she's definitely inside."
Aladar made a quick smile at her, his heart jumping at the notion his family was inside. "Great!"
His smile had quickly turned into a bit of a puzzled frown almost immediately. "Uh sorry, I don't know your name."
"Oh it's Kwame!" she answered quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm one of the new keepers."
Aladar nodded before rushing in, but not before saying something that made the woman shiver with satisfaction. "Kwame, thanks! Keep up the good work!"
The stark contrast in the tent to the outside was astounding. For one thing, the temperature was much more tolerable, as warm as a summer day. Normally it would be a little cooler, but thanks to everyone's body heat, the tent was made into a sauna. It was a safe haven inside the tent, even though the tarp that surrounded it looked flimsy. Any tear in the walls would put everybody in danger to the outside.
The other thing was the space. There were Residents everywhere. The igloos outside that provided shelter for small to medium-sized Residents did help with alleviating some space in the tents. Still, Aladar had to take care in maneuvering around anybody lest he risk injury to both him and them. This included any human employees that were running about.
Aladar regretted choosing the wrong paths as he went along. He would sometimes come up to a wall of ceratopsians and have to turn around to find another way. Or have to go through a tight squeeze in between herd members when there was nowhere else to go. He even had to make sure not to step on any limbs either, especially any tails belonging to sauropods.
The only thing that did help him was the technique he used back in his very first migration, when the herd arrived at the lake after their trek through the desert. Eema, being an elder and weakened from extended dehydration, was having trouble getting through a stampede of thirsty dinosaurs. Aladar had come to her aid in time and pushed and shoved herd members away to allow for some space. It was a useful technique, and one that helped him now as he moved around all of the Residents.
"Neera!" he called for his mate after going under a Titanosaur's tail.
He jumped over a couple of sleeping teenage Iguanodons in just a few leaps. The only reactions he got were some stirs or moans from his calls and movements.
"Neera! Kids!"
"Aladar!"
His heart leaped again. That sweet sounding voice that was smooth as silk. He quickly turned, a smile creased his face as he looked upon the welcoming sight of his mate and children. Neera had been lying down, her front hooves crossed and her tail slightly curled in front of her. Beside her was Martha, who was holding their children in a warm embrace that relaxed them.
His body moved before his mind could process it. He ran to his family, first nuzzling his children affectionately, and then embracing his mate by craning his neck over hers, which she happily returned.
"Oh I'm so glad you're safe," he said with relief.
"We all hurried in as soon as we saw the storm coming," said Neera as she reared back to look at him, her yellow eyes staring at him. "Martha was the one who advised me to start getting everyone inside. And thankfully, our kids were close by."
"Storms like this are commonplace where I'm from," Martha rumbled, bringing the alpha's attention to the hulking mammoth, "but I knew they would not bode well for mostly everyone here."
"Martha, I really don't know how to thank you."
She chuckled lightly, perhaps due to exhaustion from helping to get everyone indoors. "Think nothing of it. I only did what I thought was right."
"Aladar, what about the rest of the herd?" Neera worriedly inquired, thinking of her responsibility as well. "I informed as many as I could when Martha warned me."
"Chris and the others informed the other humans to get them to shelter. I only heard this in passing, but the valley is pretty much empty. Everyone's been accounted for."
The fuschia female sighed and smiled at him. "Thank goodness."
"Aladar!"
The both alphas turned upwards to see a frantic Flia land clumsily. Her normally clean purple and brown skin were dotted with pieces of ice and snow. Her body shook furiously as she trembled from the outside cold. Flia shivered as if she were a newly hatched youngling who awoke in a freezing world. She went on all fours and took a careless gait towards the leaders, who stared at her with concern.
"Flia, what's wrong?" Aladar inquired.
His face lit up with worry once more as his sky scout reported to him news that made his stomach fall.
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While Aladar was motivated to keep his herd and his friends safe by getting them indoors, he was not the only one to do so. Patchi had experienced storms like this. Blizzards were just another way of life in this land. His hulking girth and will to live kept him alive. However with what happened to him and his herd, he did not want to take any chances with staying outside.
Truth be told, the tents were quite accommodating. They were better than any cave he took shelter in. He was glad they were up to keep everyone out of the cold.
Like the Valley Herd alphas, Patchi too worried about his family. After getting as many of his herd members indoors, he proceeded to get his mate and children to safety. Thankfully he managed to get them to the nearest tent shelter when he saw the storm coming. And from what he remembered, he did see a human female named Beth tag along with his mate and helped them with getting everyone indoors, something he was grateful for. They had helped him with getting the majority of the herd into the tents before he volunteered to work on the stragglers. Since meeting them, the humans were quite a big help. The Pachyrhinosaurus leader regretted trying to push them out in the beginning.
Patchi was not too worried about his brother, Scowler. He saw him getting other herd members into the tents before getting into one himself. Though he could not say the same for his friend Alex. He had not seen him since earlier that day since he went off to get a snack. The Alexornis was known to go off on his own every now and then, but not often. Usually he would stick by Patchi's side. The fact that Alex was not with him now or in a tent from this cold was odd. Patchi hoped the bird was smart enough to get out of this storm.
The alpha was about to join with his family ahead of him when his eyes wandered over to his left. Immediately his sights were set on the blue-green Iguanodon he met earlier and a large pterosaur. Patchi had seen this large pterosaur go around the valley since their arrival. In fact, he would sometimes see Alex interact with her. Patchi did not formally meet her yet, but he did hear she was good friends with the leaders of that other herd.
The distress they exhibited was concerning for him. True, he was not exactly friends with them, however they did help him in the past in their own ways. Aladar gave him support when he was having trouble with his leadership and this female flyer was present when the Albertosaurus attacked. He felt he owed them both for saving him.
It was when he saw them turn to leave that he darted after them. The Residents that were in the way impeded his attempts to get close to them. Only when he saw their shapes disappear through the tent flaps before the humans closed them did he figure out where they went.
He turned to look where his family was. He was happy they were safe; that was one worry out of the way. Now he wanted to see if he could help these two.
Patchi darted outside before the humans knew what really went down. His scales were bombarded by winter's breath. He shivered at the stark temperature contrast. The ceratopsian needed to keep moving if he was to stay warm.
The snow and ice reduced his visibility and their footprints, Aladar's to be exact, were quickly disappearing. Using his sense of smell, he proceeded to track down the duo in the storm.
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Flia was freezing, that much she knew. But at least she knew she was still alive; her exhales and shivering told her that.
If there was one thing she learned from staying in prehistoric Alaska and from being around Aeros, it was unless you are in a warm shelter, you need to keep moving to stay alive. Being from the coast in a warmer continent, she could understand why this place was a death trap for her kind...and why Aeros told her why they fled south when the cold started hitting. The strong winds and freezing cold nearly turned her into a Popsicle. She could barely feel her feet and wings.
Right now, she was not worried about staying warm. Not long after her argument with Hazel, she decided to go for a quick flight around the valley to clear her head. Of course she did as Diablo asked and went to Alex to have him keep an eye on Hazel. Thankfully she didn't need to do any odd displays to get him to do that. Such actions would be embarrassing. That was when she saw the storm coming as well as the Residents evacuating indoors.
Flia may be a scout, but that did not mean she could help everyone else. The Pteranodon directed everybody indoors, from dinosaurs to mammals. She also made a quick stop to check on Aeros, who was huddled up in one of the tents. Every flap of her wings strained her body more in the freezing wind. She wanted to curl up into a ball and try to conserve her heat.
She wanted to flee into a shelter. She wanted to get away from this storm. She wanted a hearty meal to help maintain her strength. But right now, her immediate concerns were on a certain Park leader with whom she was close to. She had to make sure she was safe, even though she refused to see anyone. The least she could do was see to that.
But she was nowhere to be found.
Flia was distraught. The flyer looked everywhere, even going towards the outskirts where she saw her last, hoping she was just out in the open and making her way back. Only...she was not. She avoided telling the other keepers as that would cause more chaos; the humans learning that their leader, whether on break or not, was missing would be catastrophic with the already strained Park body.
So she went to the first individual she thought of who saw her last. Aladar. She thought he would have a good idea of her whereabouts, since she technically left him behind after the woman. Unfortunately, the alpha male was just as clueless as she was as he left not long after. Not only that, but neither Alex or Flit were nowhere to be found, meaning they may still be out there looking for her, they were lost, or Diablo did not get to either of them in time.
So they did the only other logical thing in this situation; seek out those who Hazel also came in contact with. They asked around for where those humans were. Thankfully, they were directed back outside after receiving word they were about to take shelter in the barracks.
The trek to the barracks was short, just a few minutes of travel. They found them gathered outside discussing their next courses of action. An unfazed Kerato and a freezing Espantos were with them. The Elasmotherium was doing just fine in the cold, but the poor Terror Bird was jogging in place as if he were standing on hot coals. The hypercarnivore then rushed under Kerato and squatted, something the Wooly Rhino found annoying.
It was when they approached the small group that they finally got their attention.
"Aladar! Flia! Is everything alright?" Daisy asked in a near shout over the whistling wind.
Flia shuddered from the cold. She clumsily landed onto Aladar and wrapped her wings over herself in an attempt to stay warm. "H-have e-either of y-you s-seen H-H-Hazel?"
The engineer shook his head. "No. We haven't seen the crazed Boss lady since her tussle with Chris here. Actually, we thought she was with you guys!"
"Or helping to direct everyone indoors!" added Hanna. "Is she with my mom?"
Aladar shivered profusely. The Pteranodon half squawked, half gasped as she dug her talons onto the herd leader to prevent herself from falling. The herd leader groaned in response to her clinging. "I did see your mother earlier. She's in one of the tents. But we don't have a clue where Hazel is. We assumed you would have an idea since you have those human ways to communicate."
The younger Veran sibling held her head with her hands and paced around, moaning anxiously. "Oh no! No no no no she's gone missing! Oh Mom is going to flip! I'm going to flip!"
Flia sympathized with her there. When they said they had not seen Hazel, she felt her stomach drop deeper. If neither of them had contacted her or seen her, then she was still out here in the harsh Alaskan winter, freezing to death. Knowing her, the human was probably too stubborn to return back to the park after the whole conflict earlier. Pride must have been dominant in her mind to prevent her from thinking logically. And that only worried her more.
"Calm down, Veran-lite!" Chris ordered, causing her to stay still. He then looked over at the duo in a serious manner. "You two were the last ones with her. Where did you last see her? Was she doing anything before you left her?"
"Sh-She did s-say sh-she was going t-to help get wo-wood for the p-p-p-park," Flia answered as best as she could in the cold. "Out in th-the edge of here."
"Close to the park borders?"
"Yes..."
Aladar nodded. "Thank you. I'll go ahead and find her. The rest of you get to shelter," he briskly looked over at Flia, who was stroking her beak with her winged fingers to try to keep it warm. "Flia, you head inside too."
The Pteranodon shook her head madly. Hazel being out here alone was one thing, but her leader telling her to leave everything to him was worse. She was worried about her, and she was not leaving until her friend was safe. "N-n-n-NO! I'm staying!"
"Flia, you can't last for much longer out here! You'll freeze!" the alpha argued.
"So will you!"
"You'll lose your wings in this cold. You can barely fly out here."
Flia shook her head again. Her determination motivated her like coal to an engine. "I don't care! Hazel i-is m-m-my friend! I w-w-won't rest until she is safe!"
"And neither will we!"
The arguing prehistoric denizens looked over at the humans with surprise. Specifically, they looked at the youngest Veran, who was gripping her bow and had already slung her quiver over her shoulder. The both of them guessed she had retrieved them from the building behind them as she must have stashed them away near her.
"We're coming with you!" she told them both, earning a couple of shocked expressions from her peers around her.
"Thank you but it's dangerous out here," he kindly put down the girl's request. "I would feel a little better if you all stayed inside."
"That wasn't an offer!" Hanna retorted, making Aladar (and secretly Flia) stagger a little at how much motivation this young human had. Then again, Hazel is the same way. "I know Ate Hazel has been harsh and upsetting as of late, but she's still my sister!"
Ellis crossed his arms, frowning at the teenager. "Hey, no one asked you to be our spokesperson," he then looked at the two herd members with sympathy in a laid back fashion, "but piggybacking off her words, she does have a point. We may not see eye to eye with her, but we all contributed to this rift we made."
"We all feel bad about it," said Daisy. "We want to make amends. So we're going to help."
"Plus, the more individuals in the search, the better our chances of finding her," the engineer added.
A huff brought Aladar and Flia's attention to an overly reluctant Chris. He had been trying to avoid making eye contact with the both of them on the matter. From what Flia was sensing, he may be trying to control his pride on the situation; something he was failing at. To the Pteranodon, he may be attempting to pull a Scorpio on all of them. It was a small bit of humor in an already tense situation.
"I hate to say it," Chris deadpanned, "but I've got a few words to say to her too. And I won't be able to get this burden off my shoulders unless we find her alive. I've been doing my best as a leader in this emergency situation, but I can see why Veran's been having a hard time. You need to make sure everyone is inside, make sure all the supplies are prepped for probably a long night, you need to make sure the generators are always running, AND you need to make sure that everyone is doing everything up to par. I have to tell you, it's hard. I can understand why Veran was pissed at us, particularly me, earlier. What I want to do right now is try to make things right."
The flyer wanted to laugh. It seems someone was swallowing their pride, or trying to. And it was good that these humans wanted to join in the search. Knowing Aladar, he will not turn them down. When she gazed over at the partners present, she began to make inferences on them. Flia knew they would want to come along. Kerato would fare well in this weather, being from an age where it was almost always winter. He would also not want to leave Daisy's side either. Espantos, though he was from a warmer climate and would suffer out here, most likely had the same mindset as Flia where he would do anything to protect his friends.
She was then met by Aladar, who stared at her with almost certainty of her decision.
"Flia, are you sure about this?"
The female Pteranodon briskly nodded. "Hazel is a p-p-part of our f-f-f-family. No one gets left behind."
Aladar smiled. That was the dogma that was taught to the herd and his friends. It was something that Flia lived with. Her leader was happy with that answer.
He then looked over at Espantos, who was still cowering under Kerato's massive girth for warmth. "Espantos? You coming with us too?"
The Terror Bird sneezed, the wooly rhino's fur wafting for a moment, though mostly everyone would think it was due to the cold winds. "The Hazelnut m-m-may h-h-h-have been mean lately, but she is s-s-still my friend. And my friend n-n-n-needs help."
"Well that settles it," said Aladar. "Let's move out."
"WAIT!"
The sound of the newcomer attracted everyone's attention. They all turned towards the source of the voice. Their eyes widened when they looked upon the form of a certain Alaskan Pachyrhinosaurus alpha skid to a halt before them. His gasps and huffs were small clouds in the brisk, winter air. It was clear he had been running for some time to get to them.
"Patchi?" Aladar was the first to speak. "What are you doing here?"
"Yeah aren't you supposed to be with your herd?" Chris added.
"My...herd is fine," Patchi gasped, regaining his composure. "But I couldn't help but get concerned when I saw these two rush out in the open," he said, gesturing his frilled head to the lone Iguanodon and Pteranodon, "I figured whatever was going on was bad and you needed some help."
Ellis chuckled awkwardly. "Uh no offense dude, but this is a matter that mostly deals with everyone in this group. You don't really need to worry about this."
"Begging your pardon, but this guy knows what's going on. I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation. Your buddy's been having a hard time as a leader. Being one myself, I know what it's like to lead a herd; to have to make decisions that would decide the fate of everyone AND have to deal with the consequences in the end. It's not easy."
Flia stared at him, astonished. Ellis did have a point. Patchi had no reason to get involved in something like this. This was something that mostly involved Hazel's closest friends and her future team. So why go through all this trouble just to help out some strangers? This was something that intrigued her.
"Hey we really appreciate-" the engineer said but was then interrupted with a quick smack to his arm. His little grimace had brought his attention to a slightly fuming Daisy, who quietly scolded him to be silent.
"I heard a few things about that scuffle earlier," replied Patchi who was unfazed by the amusing interruption. "That girl's having a hard time. She needs help. But she's not going to get that kind of help unless we all know she's okay. I know this valley inside and out. You guys helped me and my herd. Now let me help you."
He then glanced at Aladar, making a small smirk.
"Plus, I owe this guy a favor after helping me out before."
The sky scout only continued to stare at him, this time a bit impressed. Patchi is a leader; like Aladar, he knows the merits and the hardships of being one, along with the burdens one must bear. He was in a tough situation himself, and then he was helped out of it. Hazel was going through the same sort of thing. And his defense about knowing this valley would be advantageous in their search. It would be foolish to turn him down.
The humans, Kerato, and Espantos looked at each other, silently agreeing to the offer. Neither of them were familiar with Patchi, but with the situation at hand, they were going to need all the help they could get. Anything to ensure Hazel's safety.
"Thanks Patchi," Aladar said before turning to everyone with a determined expression. "Everybody, let's go!"
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Hazel shivered as another unforgiving chill blasted through her. Her hands gripped the handle of the ax in a death-hold. Her face became numb as it was the only part of her that was not covered.
After her argument with her friends, she trudged off into the woods, hoping to take a walk to get her mind off things. Her mentioning that she was going to get some firewood was not technically a lie as she planned to do that later, but during her solo trek, she happened to come across something that mildly increased her ire; a recently abandoned ATV with a flatbed and an axe.
Hazel really wanted to smack whoever left these here. Everyone was supposed to be upholding the park's security during this winter and what did she find? They were all goofing off! The only reasons why she was not too furious at the moment were the flatbed already had some lumber chopped up and the fact that she now had something to work on. If she had to make a guess as to why these things were abandoned, it would be they must have left them when they heard about Chris' competition.
The woman winced, a low hiss coming from her throat. She hated that man. Even the bare mention or thought of his name was enough to make her blood boil. He called her out on her leadership and practically insulted her AND her dad. He was an idiot. No, that guy, Daisy, Ellis, practically all the employees were idiots. And in a way, Diablo too.
Seriously, what was so wrong with what she said? They were all shirking their chores while the park was in a bad situation. They needed to get back to work! But she's got to deal with all these incompetent staff members!
Then there were Diablo's words. And the fact that her friends agreed with him. Was he really right? Was she so incapable of dealing with adversity? Were all those issues involving her in the past because she hated it when things didn't go her way? That can't be right.
The only thing that was preventing her from going insane was the work she has cut out for her. There was a medium-sized tree that had already fallen, given the ax marks at its base. It was the best she could do, given that the larger trees were giving her a hard time. She was starting to regret ever judging the staff members for not working fast enough to get the lumber. She was also not used to handling an ax; it was a bit too heavy for her. Just by cutting the fallen tree was exhausting.
"Stupid Chris," she muttered as she hacked away at the wood, the banging sounds echoing in the forest. With each swing, she kept on cursing those who made her life difficult. "Stupid staff. Stupid Diablo. Stupid stupid stupid!"
"First I get stripped of being a scout before, and now it's about being a bad leader. What's next!? Ugh I wish Bob didn't choose that idiot. No, I wish NIGEL didn't approve of that asshole!"
On and on, she kept on hacking at the log. Getting enough lumber fast enough was going to take a while. She still had the radio on her. But after those incidents earlier, she did not want to listen to anyone else's voice for a while. She switched the radio off out of spite. A smart decision would be to keep it on so she would be up to date on any instances that occur. Hazel planned on turning it back on, but only if she was in dire need of help.
Not that she needed any right now anyway. And after what happened, she figured nobody would want anything to do with her. That was fine, she would rather be alone.
Oh and then the storm came. Just great... If the weather were a physical being, she would have thrown this ax at its face out of anger.
Hazel could get back to the park, but she at least wanted to get some work done before heading in. "This last tree and that was it" was what she told herself. Though, she was not looking forward to heading back to see all the staff.
She shuddered terribly as another gust wafted at her. The wind had picked up, this time nearly making her lose her footing from being blown away. Had it not been for the cover of the trees, she would be tumbling away like some helpless leaf. That wind howled over the trees like some ghastly animal out on the prowl. Snow on the ground blew up in small clouds on her left. Her face had lost all feeling from the cold.
Hazel gripped the ax again and held it up for another swing. "Okay, just this tree and that's it."
The woman hacked at one of the nearby trees, cutting deeper and deeper into the bark. Her progress quickened with each swing. The tree was large, but not much bigger than the fallen log that was already now finished. The only difference being the girth was slightly thicker. One would say it was about the same size as a medium oak. She was counted lucky on this one. This was already being worked on before she arrived there. One logical guess would be the staff members present were working on this tree before they abandoned the site. The chipped bark was about halfway in.
A few swings in and it was about to topple over. Though it expended much of her energy to do so.
"Just one more..." CRACK! "There!"
The creaking and moaning of the tree gave way to the desired result. The aged tree toppled over. An exhausted smile creased her face...but only for a moment.
Her smile turned into a scream of horror as the tree fell towards her direction. She dropped her ax and tried to outrun it. The rocks and mounds around had impeded her escape, making her only run along the fall range of the tree. Eventually, when she reached a small clearing, she made a break towards the right, only for her escape to be short lived. She felt her right foot hit something hard before she too fell over. Her chest ached with the ground impact. Hazel tried to scramble to her feet, only to be brought down by the forceful weight of the bark.
Hazel screamed in pain, her back aching from the tree that fell on her. It was like a box of heavy equipment had fallen on her. Had it not been for the layers she wore and the slightly diminutive size of the tree compared to the others, the impact would have been worse. The one thing she was grateful for was she did not hear a snap indicating her back had broken.
The woman tried to scramble out. Her gloved hands clawed at the snow and dirt. Then, her vision went dark as something heavy hit her on the back of the head.
She exhaled and fell limp. The last thing she saw before her world fell away was the snow billowing in the wind. And for a moment, she thought she heard two people exclaim in shock.
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Aladar shivered, his whole body shuddering as the cold winds blew. Despite his large size, which should have provided him some kind of warmth, he was not adapted for subzero temperatures. Poor Flia had to dig her talons into his scales just to anchor herself from the winds and from his shivering. In doing so, he had to contend with the sharp pin pricks that would most likely ache for a while.
His whole back got beaten down by the relentless snow and ice. It was like little bits of fire were hitting him, only they were not. He could barely see through all the snow and ice and wind; only barely making out certain shapes such as Kerato's furry girth ahead of him and the smaller humans that flanked him. He shuddered under his breath, the cloud he produced were his indications he was still alive.
Hazel was out here. He knew it. The problem was he was having a hard time picking up her scent. With all this wintery mess about, he could not pinpoint her smell. The only things he could faintly pick up were the scents of those around him...and his own.
But that did not stop him from trying.
Neither he or Flia had encountered a storm like this before. This was perhaps just as bad as the times when they escaped the Fireballs. They never adapted to something like this. But they needed to stay strong. For their friends and Hazel.
Before they had left, the humans in the group had retreated to the barracks. Chris mentioned they needed to get survival supplies in case they were left stranded outside. Hanna had volunteered to gather supplies for her sister, saying something about going into her room. The humans were also given some special eyewear from Ellis when they got outside; they were thick clear rectangles that had green lights at the top. According to Ellis, they were called Nightvision Goggles, which would allow them to see in the dark. He and a few other engineers had made them about two weeks ago.
Aladar hoped they would be able to retreat back to the park before the storm peaked, but if it really came to it, seeking shelter outside the park would have to be an alternative. He just hoped if it did come to that, they would not encounter any bloodthirsty predators or freeze to death.
"Hazel!" he called out her name, only to receive no answer.
"Ate Hazel!" cried Hanna.
"Boss lady!" Ellis went next.
"Hazel!" said Daisy.
"Hazelnut!" exclaimed Espantos, who was doing his best not to make a shiver in his voice. "If you're playing Hide and Seek, you're really good at it!" he said before letting out a loud sneeze.
"Hazel! Where are you!?" Aladar went again.
Just like before, there was no answer from the young human. If he was worried before, he was in a worse state now.
He turned to Kerato and Patchi, who were now standing just off to his right. Out of the whole group, they were the ones most capable of lasting longer out here as they were raised in these conditions.
"Kerato. Patchi. Did either of you get her scent?"
The wooly rhino shook his head, huffing out a cloud. "Sorry blue guy. I may have grown up in something like this, but I can't get a good whiff of her."
"Neither can I. You sure she's out here?" followed an equally downtrodden Patchi.
Flia shivered again. "She h-h-has to b-b-b-be."
The alpha Iguanodon shivered as well, shaking a few ice pricks off. "No one saw her back at the park. We can only assume she's still in this area."
Taking another look at Patchi, he noticed Chris get to his side. A quick hand gestures and the ceratopsian lowered himself to allow the human to climb onto his back. The logical reason for doing that would be he was tired of walking and needed a ride.
"Hey Veran!" yelled the novice keeper. "You out here!? Where the frick are you!?"
Patchi turned to look at the human on his back, his face showing a bit of annoyance. "Hey it's Chris right? I may not have been there when the fight happened, but did you really have to put her down like that?"
"Oh boy, not this," Aladar inwardly sighed in disappointment. Now was not the time to argue about this.
"Oh fuck, are we really going to get into this now!?" the Seattle denizen retorted with a frustrated gaze.
"I'm serious! From what I heard, that was REALLY uncalled for! You didn't have to drive her over the edge! It's not easy being a leader you know!"
"Look you can berate me about how much of an ass I was later," he told him off, making some effort to put aside that problem for a bit. "Right now, we need to find Veran."
"You know, if you just put yourself in her place, maybe you'll see what kind of hardships she has to deal with."
"I said knock it off!"
As they were arguing, Aladar could have sworn he heard something in the wind. It was almost like a call of some sort. He felt his heart leap, wondering if that was Hazel. His stomach churned at the thought of her coming towards them. He listened carefully, trying to discern the exact pitch and direction.
"Quiet!" he yelled at the arguing duo, silencing them. "I hear something!"
Everyone fell quiet at the behest of the alpha. They turned their heads up and looked around, trying to listen in as well. It was there, Aladar was sure of it.
Then, it came again. It was definitely someone. No, two individuals. One with a slightly squeaky tone and the other in a robust accent. Their calling became louder and louder until finally, Aladar had to look up to actually see the sources of the calling.
"Oi! ¡Mis amigos!" hollered the black and red feathered Alexornis that hovered just barely above Aladar's head. He had to back up just to get his full form. "We've been looking for you like everywhere!"
Beside the small avian was a pterosaur that was slightly larger than him. Both the wings and the elongated tail gave the yellow flyer a distinct size difference. Like his companion, the Rhamphorhynchus was shivering horribly as they both fought to stay aloft in the wind breeze. It would seem that Diablo kept his promise when he said he would ask this pterosaur to look out for Hazel.
"Alex! Flit!" Flia called out their names in astonishment.
"Alex! There you are!" Patchi exclaimed at the appearance of his best friend. "Where've you been!?"
"Oh you know, just out getting some grubs when that crested señorita," he glanced over at the freezing Flia for a moment, "asked me to keep an eye on that other señorita, Hazel. Then this snaggle-toothed flyer met up with me who had that same goal-"
The Jurassic flyer squawked in offense. "What'd you say about me, scuzzball?"
"¡Nada!" Alex pretended to be indignant.
"You called me snaggle-toothed!"
"I did not!" the bird cawed in protest.
"I heard you!" the small pterosaur butt his head against the crest of the Alexornis, which did not seem to hurt him one bit.
"Well if others weren't making fun of your piss-colored body, then they're probably making fun of the alignment of your teeth!" Alex jabbed, pushing the Jurassic denizen further back.
"Alright enough!" Aladar quickly quelled the fight before it got unnecessary. "Do either of you know where Hazel is?"
"She's still in the forest over there," the Cretaceous avian looked back towards his left. "But that's why we came! She was cutting some trees then she got stuck under one."
Oh no. Aladar was stunned. Horror filled his mind. Every horrid vision raced in his thoughts on what would happen if he were not able to get to her in time. She was hurt, cold, and possibly dying. If he lost her because he could not help her, he would never forgive himself. He would not let that happen! Not on his watch!
"WHAT!?" the female Pteranodon screeched horribly. Aladar winced at the closeness of such a pitch. "And you couldn't warn her!?"
"¡Lo siento, señorita! We just got there when it happened!"
Suddenly, the wind picked up. The cold frosts that besieged them before had increased tenfold, turning the falling snow into a wild barrage. Aladar cowered and shivered before the wrath of the winter blasts. He felt Flia fall onto his back and grip onto his hide for dear life like a spider pricking skin. She screamed in freezing agony. The humans and Terror Bird screamed as well, cowering around either Aladar or Kerato for warmth.
"AGH! REALLY COLD! MR. FURRY BRITCHES HELP ME!" he heard Espanto cry out.
One quick look and he saw the Terror Bird hide under the Elasmotherium again, accidentally causing Ellis to get knocked off when he hit the furry hide. The poor engineer was moaning on the ground from the sudden impact. As for Chris, he just bent over and remained on Patchi as he tried to retain his body heat. The only one who had mild discomfort was Kerato.
Aladar shuddered. So this was what Martha meant when she said mostly everyone here would not handle the storm. His whole body had lost all feeling. He was on the verge of collapsing in an effort to remain warm. He was losing his strength to stand with each passing second.
No, he couldn't fall here. He wouldn't allow it. Hazel was out here. He needed to find her.
If this small group had it bad, then Alex and Flit had it worse. The poor flyers were much lighter than they were. The wind had blown them away like helpless leaves. Aladar only had to look up just to see what had happened to them.
They went screaming in horror as they were tossed around in all directions, mostly because they were trying to regain their flight balance but were failing miserably. He watched them do hapless somersaults, spins, and radical turns. In a twisted sort of way, he was blessed to not have wings.
"¡AGH AYUDAME!" Alex pleaded.
"I'M GOING TO BE SICK! SOMEBODY HELP!" Flit went next.
The wild winds above had taken a sharp turn when a downdraft had forced the Alexornis and Rhamphorhynchus back down, only to be caught in the gust again. This time, they were headed towards the small group. Aladar watched as Patchi turned and faced the small flyers, planting his feet into the ground as if to station himself.
"Both of you, get to me!" he told them both.
The two of them flapped madly to try to get to the ceratopsian. Aladar could see that he was trying to use his frill as a means to stop them from blowing away, like a small barrier. It worked when Alex collided on the intact part of the frill, just inches away from the horns. Chris had promptly brought the bird to safety by bringing him inside his coat.
Flit, unfortunately, was not so lucky. He missed Patchi's frill by several inches and was once again caught up in the drastic tumble above.
"Flit!" Flia cried out. She opened her wings and attempted to fly up to catch him, only to be stopped by his retort.
"Hey d-don't worry about me! Go find that kid! I'll head on back!"
"No! We're not leaving you here!" Aladar rebuked, despite the situation.
"This is no time for arguments! You're wasting time! Go and find her!"
The small group watched worriedly as Flit was blown in all directions. That was until he regained his flight posture and was struggling on back towards the park. As much as they wanted to help him, he did have a point. Hazel was still out here. Flit, while small and easily prone to large gusts, could find his way back.
Reluctantly, they kept on going.
For Aladar, each moment that passed outside was torture. His lungs filled with cold air, which felt irritating to him. He coughed every few minutes, each one worse than the last. His walking gait slowed and his feet felt like rocks. He felt like he was walking on pegs. His vision started to blur; he had to shake himself just to prevent himself from succumbing to unconsciousness.
The alpha kept calling out her name. Every time he did, his throat stung from the cold. His calls were becoming more like croaks.
"Hazel!" he coughed hoarsely. "Hazel!"
"Guys, the storm is really picking up!" Ellis pointed out.
"We are not giving up, Ellis!" Hanna protested. "Not until we find my sister!"
"Hold on!" said Patchi, making everyone stop in their tracks.
The ceratopsian lifted his nose. He sniffed the air profusely.
"I think I've got something!" he remarked, making Aladar's heart jump. Hope inside him was renewed at the thought of his friend being close by. "Alex, do you recognize this place?"
Everyone looked over to Chris. He grimaced as the lump in his chest moved. He quickly unzipped his coat and allowed the sharp-beaked head of Alex to peak out.
Aladar looked to where the avian was looking at. The wind died down for a moment to reveal that they were at a forest edge.
"It looks familiar, si," he acknowledged.
The blue-green Iguanodon agreed with the bird. His face creased into a small smile. He was right, this area did seem familiar. The positions of the trees, the placements of the small dead plants, everything was familiar.
"¡Si! ¡Si! This is the place where I last saw her!"
"What the?" said a dumbfounded Ellis. "How do you know? It looks like a regular edge of a forest!"
"I recognize markers, señor. Markers that you are not aware of."
Out of the whole group, Aladar was the first to run into the woods. His undeniable urge to see this through was overpowering. His friend's life was in danger.
From his peripheral vision, he saw a spot of black and red zoom over him. One look up and he saw Alex flying again.
"¿Are you estúpido? You can't just barge off into some unknown place, not without guidance!"
"Sorry!" he apologized. "I'm just anxious is all! Lead the way, Alex!"
As expected from a small bird, Alex was fast on his wings. The wind and the snow made it difficult just to keep an eye on him. Aladar had to stay very close just to keep him in his sights. But that was proving to be difficult. His gait had slowed to more of a slow run due to his limbs being frozen. Still, he did his best to keep up with the bird; jumping over logs and ditches, bypassing trees or going around them did not stop him. On his back, Flia held on tightly as if she were an autumn leaf that was about to fall off a branch. Every step, jump, and sharp turn he made increased the chances of Flia slipping off. He hoped she would hang on.
Behind him, he could hear the others keeping pace with the Iguanodon. Patchi and Espantos had no trouble with catching up. The only one lagging behind was Kerato. The Elasmotherium was losing his temper due to all the trees being in the way. There would be a crash and wood splintering every few seconds. Daisy had to act as his eyes and issue directions to prevent him from colliding into any obstacles. Kerato had come from frozen plains where forests were scarce, at least that was what Aladar heard some time ago. Forests like this would be irritating to him.
Though, the outbursts that Kerato were making in the back were amusing. Aladar wanted to laugh despite the delicate situation they were all in.
"Hey Alex! Are you sure you know where she is or are you just getting us even more lost?" he jabbed at the bird, when really he said it as a joke.
Alex squawked in offense. "Oi! Don't you test me! If you really care about your friend, you will let me do my job!"
"Heh, sorry! I was just messing with you," he lightly chuckled.
"Seriously Aladar?" Flia grunted, digging her claws deeper into his scales, making him wince a little. "At this moment?"
"Just wanted to have a little laugh, that's all."
Both flyers snorted. He did have a chuckle. It was a good distraction from any depressing thoughts.
It had been a few minutes in when something promising came up. Aladar had picked up Hazel's scent. Her individual scent. It was not in the air, but rather on a bush and a couple tree trunks. Perhaps she was hitting them out of anger. Whatever the case, she was close. It was a small ray of hope.
Above him, Alex was recanting some nonsense, though after close inspection, he was just making observations.
"Fallen log, upturned rock, frozen piece of poop, another log, mossy rock, tree that was broken, another tree that was broken, freaky thing that two-leggeds ride on...AH THERE SHE IS!"
Aladar gasped. He bounded to where the avian was going. He froze when he looked upon the horrifying sight. For a moment, he thought his heart stopped beating.
"Oh no. Please no," his thoughts exploded in sorrow.
Hazel lay still under a fallen tree. The snow that was billowing had partially covered her. Only the top of her head and some parts of her coat were visible.
Aladar went to her side. Flia had shakily dismounted from her ride, flanking the human on the other side. The Iguanodon used a hoof to try to get her up, only for her to fall again. The Pteranodon female placed a wing over the woman's face in an effort to determine whether she was breathing or not. A whimper escaped her throat when she could not feel anything. She cursed herself when she said she was too cold to feel her breaths.
"We shouldn't have let her go," the distraught Flia began to erupt in a flurry of grief. "We should have stopped her! It's all our fault!"
"Flia! Stop! That's not going to make things better!" Aladar did his best to calm her, which took some effort. In reality, he was internally beating himself for doing the same. But he needed to be strong. Maybe the humans can see if she's still alive. She has to be.
Everyone else had arrived moments later. Chris dismounted from Patchi and braced his body against the tree, all while telling Flia to move out of the way.
"Daisy, Kerato, give us a hand!" he ordered.
Sure enough, both he and Aladar were flanked by the novice vet and the hulking wooly rhinoceros. Kerato gingerly slid his seven-foot horn under the gap of the tree where it still connected to the stump. Sensing the disparate balance of two humans on his right and the Elasmotherium on his left, Aladar moved over to the right to have the humans in the middle.
Using a hoof to lift the log, along with Kerato using his horn, they managed to lift the log high enough for Chris and Daisy to slide Haze out from underneath. The log was not that heavy, at least to the Iguanodon. Unfortunately, humans were more feeble than him, making them more susceptible to worse damage.
After letting the log fall, he went over to Hazel to check on her, immediately being joined by Flia, who was gasping with every step she took in the snow. They watched as they did a quick investigation on her by checking every portion of her back for any broken bones. Daisy , on the other hand, was removing a glove and sliding one of Hazel's sleeves off to check her wrist.
"Knocked out. She's barely breathing," the proxy leader said. "Must be from that branch," he glanced at the fallen tree branch that was originally on the woman's neck.
"She has a pulse, but it's faint," Daisy shivered as she quickly slid her glove back on.
Aladar sighed. At least he knew she was still alive. And Flia's upset tirade had begun to ease with the slightly better news.
"Hey Aladar! Help me out with this ATV!"
Sure enough, the ornithopod noticed the ATV and the wooden cart that was attached to it, along with the human engineer that was digging around the wheels. Being in Prehistoric Park for a while, he got a good handle on human terminology and objects. Ellis had been using his hands to dig some snow out of the way, along with a handheld pointed object to prick around the wheels, perhaps to break any ice that developed. He had already smeared as much snow off the vehicle as he could, as indicated by the swipe marks on the seat and the exterior.
"What do you need me to do?"
Ellis grunted and slowly got back up, letting out hapless breaths. "This thing's lodged pretty tight," he gestured at the trapped vehicle. "Must be from the snow. Help me lift it up on both sides."
The process went by quickly. He and Ellis pushed the vehicle up on both sides, just to get it loosed up from the earth. It was pretty easy for Aladar, given his size and strength. The only thing he found grating was the squeaking of the ATV when they did the procedure. The cart, which was filled with chopped wood, did not need that treatment.
"Thanks," he told Aladar, who nodded in return. He then turned his attention to everyone else. At the same time, he quickly wrapped his arm around Espantos' neck to hold him still after he was pacing around them all in a circle in an effort to keep them all warm. The Terror Bird had stopped for a moment to jog in place beside the engineer in an effort to check on him. The Miocene predator calmed himself, but shivered profusely.
"We need to take cover. If we're going to head back, we should do it now. The storm's bad enough as it is," he remarked at the increasing winds and snow.
"In this weather?" Chris scoffed. "We might as well call ourselves Prehistoric Alaska's newest brand of popsicles. We need to camp for the night."
"Hey everyone, I think I've got something to help us out," said Patchi, who alerted everyone.
All that were present looked over at the lone ceratopsian, who was standing off to the side just looking out in the distance. He turned around and gave them a smirk.
"You do?" inquired a suspicious Chris.
"I've gotten another good look at this place," he began to explain as he observed the perimeter they were in, especially the trees and rocks. "I used to come here with my brother and Juniper back when we were kids. We used to hang out at some caves nearby to escape the cold."
"A cave?" Flia lit up with hope.
"Yeah!" Patchi nodded. "We're near the mountain wall. All along this place are some caves. We can use them to escape the storm. Assuming neither of them got covered up, which I doubt they did, we should be able to wait out the storms in one of them."
Aladar beamed. Finally, another ray of hope to help in this cold time. "Great! Lead the way!"
It took several minutes for them all to get to their destination; a nearby cave just big enough to fit up to seven Pachyrhinosaurus packed together. Like Patchi said, the cave was situated within a mountain. This was one of the edges of the valley. The mountain itself was getting hard to see due to the severe weather.
Chris had taken to himself to drive the ATV with the flatbed. Daisy and Hanna stayed in the flatbed to not only make sure the lumber did not fall off, but also to keep an eye on the unconscious Hazel during the bumpy ride. They had to cushion her head with their bags just to make it a bit more comfortable for her. They also had to get her onto a blue and purple sleeping bag that they had just unraveled from one of the backpacks. It was quite a task as the ride was bumpy.
The ceiling was just tall enough to allow both Aladar and Kerato to walk through. The cave was spacious with not a lot of rocks to impede their sizes. The back of the cave was far enough back to allow all of them to go further in, just far enough to be away from the cold. The other good news was there were no other creatures inside after Alex confirmed it with a quick sweep of the cave; a little comforting gesture given that they may be taking shelter in other caves.
Aladar wanted to laugh. The cave was dark but dry. The only difference was it was also cold. The last time he was in something like this, he and his companions were escaping from a rainstorm on their way to the Nesting Grounds. Being in this cave brought back some memories of his first journey; being surrounded by friends, rekindling hope during a harrowing time...and the sacrifice of a hero.
He was brought back to reality when he found Chris parking the ATV in the far back and the girls carried Hazel while using the sleeping bag as a stretcher onto the cold ground. Aladar quickly went to her side. He lost friends in the past because he could not do anything. He was not going to let that happen again. The Iguanodon lowered himself to allow Flia to dismount, which she did shakily. The two of them were now flanking the girls on both sides.
"Her pulse is slow," Daisy remarked, checking Hazel's wrist again with her glove removed. "She's deathly cold."
The Grecian woman looked over at Chris and Ellis, who were working to get the lumber off of the cart. "Ellis and Chris, we need a fire."
"I'm on it!" Chris answered, making his way over to the girls with a handful of wood. "Ellis, take over with unpacking!"
Aladar watched in amazement at how fast the human set up the wood. He arranged two large pieces of bark with a few smaller chopped portions into a circular pile. He then grabbed two things from his pocket; a black stone of some sort and a survival knife which he had handy on him. A few strokes of the knife on the rock created small sparks that spread onto the wood. In no time at all, small flames were dancing on the lumber.
Aladar admired the handiwork for just a few moments before returning his attention back to Hazel. The miniscule flames gradually ate away at the wood, providing some heat that would become much more welcoming later. He inched himself closer to the unconscious woman until he was up against her side. His scales felt her face and he wanted to recoil; she was cold as ice.
"She needs a proper bed," Daisy uttered. She gestured to Hanna to come with her to meet with the other two humans. The leading engineer and keeper stopped with their unloading. "We need to get some moss and leaves; things to cushion the sleeping bag she'll be on."
"Okay," said Chris, who then started issuing orders. "Ellis, Hanna, Patchi, Kerato, I'll need your help."
He gazed over at those who were left in the cave. "Espantos, you're on guard duty. The rest of you, do what you can to keep Veran warm."
"Aye aye Chrissy!" the Terror Bird saluted with a foot.
"It's Chris, you idiot!" he hollered.
The selected foraging group immediately departed the cave, leaving the other four and Hazel remaining. Espantos sat at the entrance of the cave, his neck crouched closer to his body as he kept watch towards the darkness.
Aladar looked down at the helpless small body. Her usual tan complexion had taken a paler hue now that they were by some light. Her breathing was slow but discordant, with shivers mixed in. In her unconsciousness, she was freezing.
He did not like seeing her like this. It pained him to see his best friend in this state. Now he knew how she felt when he was helplessly lying in that infirmary after that second Fireball back then. He felt helpless. He did not know anything about the human body. He did not know how to survive in the cold.
But there was one thing he could do.
"Daisy, Flia and I will keep her warm. Go and warm yourself," he told the vet, who was kneeling near him.
The woman did not argue against that. She sat near the growing fire and stretched her hands forward. She shivered as she tried to stay warm.
Aladar glanced over at Flia. The two of them silently watched each other. Neither of them needed to say anything as they knew what to do.
His sky scout lowered herself until she was almost lying down. She draped her left wing over the sleeping human, acting like a blanket. The Iguanodon lifted his right hoof up and gently laid it over the flyer's wing.
They stayed like that, sharing their warmth with her. It was all they could do to help her as they waited for everyone to return.
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Sabrina sniffed the air. A frustrated growl escaped her throat. The scent was fading again.
The huntress knew this valley was prone to freak storms. She should not be surprised by this. She and Cesar got a good heads up when a couple of keepers approached them after they had their brief yet argumentative encounter with Sarge.
She did not know how much longer she was going to last out in this storm. Her body was on the brink of freezing solid. Where she was from, cold days were much warmer than this. Any more time spent outside in this weather could mean certain death. Not even the trees of the forest she was in were offering much protection.
But if there was one thing that was truly gnawing at her insides, it was the fact that her cubs were missing.
Sabrina winced. Her CUBS! She never thought she would be thinking that now. When the cubs found out about their heritage, they made a break for it into the forest. They stayed well enough away from the park. However, when the storm hit, they were quick to discover they were not in any of the shelters in the park. Their scents led away from the hub.
If the Saber could maul herself to death for letting the cubs go, she would. Neither of them informed any keeper of the situation as they did not want to worsen the already delicate situation. But César, unfortunately, was vying for that option.
"Sabrina! Let's turn back! The storm is getting worse!" César told her, only getting a furious roar from the huntress.
"NO! We are not going back until we find them!"
"I know you're upset, but if we stay out here any longer, we'll freeze to death! We can barely find any trace of them in this storm! Let's wait until it dies down!"
"Are you mad!?" she bared her teeth at him, making her mate stand on edge. "They are lost out here! The reason why we're out here looking for them is because of our mistake of not telling them the truth! We have to find them!"
"If you go through with that, you'll die!" the hunter rebuked.
"That doesn't matter! Their lives are more important! If you're going to go back and give up, then be my guest! I'm going to stay and find them!"
César snorted. He knew full well that when she made a goal, she would not tear away from it. There was no talking her out of this one.
He let out a low submissive growl. "They're my kids too. But we can't go on like this."
The male Saber turned around and ran, back towards the park. His action led Sabrina to roar in frustration.
"Coward! How dare you give up!? And you call yourself their father!"
César stopped to glance at her, his expression indifferent at the jab. "Who says I was giving up?"
Sabrina stared at him in confusion.
"We can't find out kids as just the two of us. I'm going back for help. I don't care if it makes things worse in the park."
With that said, César bolted away. The snow clouds he left behind in his wake lingered for seconds before settling. He was gone in an instant.
The huntress shook her head. She did not care if they needed help right now. What mattered most was the safety of her children. With each second she spent thinking about the last few moments of her mate leaving, Tai and Sable's trail was getting cold.
Sabrina took off in the other direction, sniffing the ground in every nook and cranny. When she finally got their scent again, she followed it like a bloodhound on a hunt.
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Sable stumbled, a fallen branch impeding her gait. Her face met the cold snow. A nudge lifted her up, helping him back onto her feet. She smiled slightly as the form of her brother nudged her forward.
After finding out the truth of their family, the Twins had run off into the wilderness, intent on trying to get as far away from them as possible. With the lessons they were taught, they now had an idea on how to survive outside the park boundaries. Most of which relied on instincts and skills they were given.
Then the storm came. They were already cold before, but the blizzard was maddening. On and on, they traveled to find shelter to escape. But along the way, they had their own conflicts to face; ones regarding their family.
"Sable, we can't stay here," Tai shuddered, shaking more snow off his fur. "We need to go back.
The female cub stamped her paws angrily. "I don't want to! Not back to them! Not back to...her!"
"I know! But it's too dangerous for us out here! Let's just go and find a keeper, or another Resident! They'll help us!"
Sable fought to avoid that. They grew up knowing Suzanne as their mother. She raised them, fed them, kept them safe. She was there when they needed her most. Now that they both knew the truth, neither of them knew what to think. The whole park kept this secret from them.
But Tai was right. The storm was getting bad. If they could avoid getting in contact with their "parents", at least that would make her feel better.
They turned around and ran back. It was a good thing their most recent tracks were not covered yet. But they needed to hurry as the snow was quickly covering their trail.
They were about to get to a clearing they passed before when they were stopped in their tracks. The cubs gasped and backed away quickly as two scaly, beastly feet slowly came towards them. The twins looked up and stared at the horrifying stranger.
A blue tyrannosaur.
Tai and Sable whimpered. This creature looked almost like Terrence and Matilda back at the park. It was almost the exact same size as the Rex twins, but they could not tell very well since they just knew it as big and scary. The teeth were sharp, just as sharp as their parents' claws. To the predator, they were just two midnight snacks ready for the picking.
"Well well well...what do we have here?" the creature, apparently male, made a toothy grin at them.
The Twins were about to turn and run when they found two more creatures like him flanking them on both sides. The terrified felines bunched close to each other, both for warmth and out of fear. The hot breath of the tyrannosaurs rained on them, and they were not comforting. The smell of blood and decaying flesh filled their nostrils.
The one on their left, a brown-scaled predator that was leaner than the blue one, sniffed at them before speaking.
"Huh, I've seen small furry things but not these before," she said.
The one on the right, who had darker brown scales, added to the female's observation. He licked his teeth and cackled. "Boss, I'm a little hungry. Think they'll make for a good snack?"
The Twins cried in fear. They huddled close, trying to drown out the laughing of the two brown tyrannosaurs that were inspecting them as a prospective meal.
The next they heard astonished them.
"Quiet! If either of you touch them, I'll personally rip out your throats."
With the silence of the two tyrannosaurs, the Twins opened their eyes. They were shocked when they found the blue predator growling at the two flanking him. The lackeys shut their maws and backed away, intimidated by this stranger.
He looked down at the cubs, taking on an almost apologetic gaze. "Sorry about them. They're just hungry. Me personally, I would rather get to know the two of you. What are your names?"
"T-T-T-Tai. And this is Sable, my sister," Tai introduced, gesturing his head to his sister while doing so.
"Hm, strange names," said the stranger, cocking a brow. "Where are you from?"
The male cub answered quickly. "The hub in the valley. Temporary Park."
Sable felt a pang in her insides. Why did that feel wrong? This one predator actually saved them from being eaten by the other two with him. He also is trying to get to know the two of them. So why was she getting a bad feeling out of this meeting?
The towering carnivore nodded, seemingly interested. "Interesting. Well, you two don't look like you can last much longer out here. Why don't you come with us and we'll get you out of the cold? We know a cave nearby."
Tai and Sable looked at each other. At first, they were unsure about what to think of this. Yet this blue stranger is offering shelter to them. Could they trust him? He seemed okay enough. And neither of them wanted to stay out here any longer. It was also a better alternative than going back to the park and risking seeing César and Sabrina.
The two of them gulped and followed after the behemoths. They had to jog just to keep up with their large gaits. The tree predators surrounded them, like bodyguards would to a queen bee.
They had protection. This was a good feeling. But why did it feel like something was wrong?
"So...children, how about you tell me more about this 'Temporary Park'?" the blue one asked them.
Sable was the first to answer, telling the three stories of the temporary home they were living in this strange time, including the harrowing discovery they made of their family. Their protector listened intently, interested in every answer they gave, all the while making a toothy grin. Was it out of sympathy...or something else?
