Soundtrack: Fearless by Gargantuan Music
**Note: the song Ready As I'll Ever Be (Frostudio Chambersonic version) will work here too**
Hazel cringed as the crowd before them panicked the moment the recording stopped. For many in the park, that recording was basically the precursor to Doomsday. Loved ones huddled together out of fear; even the younglings cowered underneath their parents for safety. The humans, who were all sitting up at the front safely away from the thundering girths of their larger neighbors, clamored amongst each other and towards the stage.
The stage was something to be desired as it was only made up of several crates that made up the "floor". A few smaller crates were organized in the back to serve as steps. A few lights had to be situated around the stage and around the audience gathering space. With the equipment they had, it was the best the engineers could do. There were also two giant speakers on both sides of the stage. It was thanks to them that Chris was able to project the tyrannosaur recording to everyone with Hazel's phone (being that she was the closest one to the conversation and hers was of better quality). Prior to the recording, Chris had done an admirable job at explaining the grave situation.
Due to the circumstances of the leadership situation, Chris opted to be the one to lead the meeting. It would complicate things if the park suddenly saw Hazel back in charge. The thing they wanted was for the meeting to go as smooth as it can be. The leadership was a separate issue altogether. Hazel was not a fan of it, but it was for the best. Her reinstatement as the park leader could wait a little longer.
The whole park was told everything on what was about to happen. Before that, however, the department heads, as well as any individual that was spying on the tyrannosaurs earlier, agreed on not mentioning the Twin Rexes' involvement. It was Chris' idea. Doing so would strain relations within the park and cause unnecessary in-fighting. It was best to keep quiet about it. After all, the Twins have already been through enough. The only one who was hesitant about letting them off easy was Patchi, but he eventually agreed after much persuasion.
While Hazel had already spoken to Terrence about him and his sister's punishment, she did agree with that notion. They were young. Everything they did was out of getting in touch with their heritage. This was a mistake on their part and she knew they were reeling from it. When this is all over, she hoped they would learn from this.
Contrary to the conditions beset by the blizzard, the weather was fair. The clouds above had covered the moon and stars, once again blanketing the land in wintery darkness. It was cold, but not as bad as before. Nevertheless, the Residents that were used to warmer conditions had to brave the freezing temperatures for this meeting.
Minus Hanna, who was sitting with her mother in the front of the audience, the only other individuals to stand present with the department heads (including Hazel) were Aladar, Patchi, Flia, Kerato, Espantos, and the Protoceratops sisters (they were insistent in wanting to get a better view of their guardian in speaking with the crowd). They all put on a brave face as they stared at the whole panicking park.
Most of the reactions came from the part of the invasion, however there was some panic over the Twin rexes being involved in this. It took Chris (and the alphas present) to calm the mass about it. Terrence and Matilda defended the park and were against Gorgon. They had to get that straight with everyone. The result came in disgruntled agreement before getting back to the more pressing matter.
"Everybody, calm down!" Chris yelled into the megaphone. "We'll figure out a way through this!"
"The predators are going to break through the barriers!" a female Parasaurolophus shrieked.
"It's the end for us!" a male Struthiomimus ran around in circles around an equally frightened Styracosaurus.
"We're all going to die!" a female Borealosaurus reared her head back and let out a terrified bellow.
A now hyperactive Diplodocus did the same. "We have to get out of here!"
"This was a bad idea from the get-go!" blurted a hysterical employee off to the side. "I should have just stayed behind!"
Chris raised his free hand up and shouted once again in the megaphone. "People! People! Get ahold of yourselves! We're going to figure something out! Nobody is going to die!"
"Chris, what do we do?" asked one of the workers up front.
A female staff member wearing a thick white ski coat, overalls, and boots grabbed the sides of her head. "Please tell me Nigel stowed away some guns for us! We need to kill these things!"
"We're still figuring something out!" went the proxy leader. "Right now, we just need to hold out until the Time Poles are operational again!"
"Which is when!? When can we leave!? When can we go home!?" went another employee that shouted louder than the rest. "I've had enough of this godforsaken time period!"
"This isn't the time to panic! Right now, we need to uphold safety protocols!"
"What good is that going to do!? We're just delaying the inevitable for those monsters out there! By the time the Time Poles activate again, we'll all be dead!" went another hysterical staff member.
One of the male Iguanodons near the front looked around frantically; his face filled with fear. "We have to leave! We have to hide!"
He was then followed by another female Pachyrhinosaurus. Whether she was part of Aladar and Neera's herd or Patchi and Juniper's herd was beyond her. "The forests! They're big enough to hide us! We can hide out there!"
She quickly looked over at Aladar after he let out a bellow of objection at them. "You do that and they'll pick us off! We need to stick together!"
"And do what!?" rebuked another female Styracosaurus, this time in the other direction of the one that just spoke. "Your 'stand together' idea worked last time, but that was ONE predator!"
A loud roar from the back quieted the mass. The assembly wore expressions of fear at the subject of that notion. Hazel could not help but stand on edge as the single large red predator glared at all of them. His teeth showed like polished daggers.
The one thing that could be appreciated from this action was the outburst quieting the rambunctious crowd. Now at least they could hear over each other.
"Uh, no offense Diablo!" that female ceratopsian quickly responded to clear up the growing hostility.
Thankfully, the predator took it as he made a quick nod. Something that was a big change on the normally temperamental carnivore.
"Watch your words there, leaf-eater," he warned with a growl. "I'm still a little sore from that."
"Well, back to the situation, is there another way out of this valley!?" one employee said as all attention once again fell on Chris.
The head keeper shook his head. "From what we can tell, there isn't any."
"He's right!" one of the Pachyrhinosaurus agreed at the front. Looking over, the woman could see that if was one of the natives in this time judging from his coloration. "The only way out of this valley is where we came in!"
"We can climb the mountains!" that same worker suggested quickly.
"They're too steep for us to climb, and not all of us can make it! We'll never escape in time before they attack!"
Chris rolled his eyes and lifted his free hand up for a moment while wiggling his thumb. "Yeah, and not all of us have opposable thumbs!"
"So what do we do!?"
The young man looked back at all the department heads, including an equally resolute Hazel. Neither of them said a word, but they all shared the same thought. Escape was not an option. There was only one thing to do and it was going to be a complicated one. Each one of them knew this was probably not going to go well, but they had no choice.
Chris nodded and stared back at the audience. He cleared his throat and put the megaphone close to his mouth again.
"The only thing we can do," he raised a fist. "We're going to fight back!"
Silence pervaded the area. Everyone stared at him in disbelief and confusion. It was the only logical thing they could do. If not run away, they must defend themselves. Gorgon and his army were going to have their way in the form of a slaughter. As sugar-coated as he thought his words were, him and his followers were still just as bad as the Albertosaurus. If they did not fight, they will die.
The silence was broken when all broke out in protest. The Residents shook their heads and objected to the idea. The humans gave him a thumbs down or pointed at him while shouting upsets. Chris' face was crestfallen.
"But we can't fight an army like that!" a female Iguanodon in the front rebuked, bringing her children under her with the sweeps of her hooves.
One of the female employees turned her back and proceeded to retreat from the meeting. "That's it! We're all DOOMED!"
The next few minutes were filled with shameful cowardice and chaos. The crowd merely kept making their objections while Chris tried to reason with them. The idea of hiding in the woods was constantly being thrown out. Then there was an idea of giving the tyrannosaurs all the meat they had in their storage, which was quickly denied as they had a limited supply and would move onto "fresher" meat once they ran out. A more edited idea was to do that and escape the valley while they were busy, which would be ineffective due to the size of the army and the huge number of individuals that would move.
Hazel could see Chris stumbling. His words were just being blocked out by more outrage. She saw him fall quiet and look on with helplessness. Aladar, Patchi, and even their mates tried to calm the mass, which resulted in them being overpowered.
Enough was enough. No one was going to listen to them. Something had to be done.
Hazel would call it a gut instinct. Something pushed her to go forward. She did not know if this was logical, but she was already at her breaking point in terms of how the park was reacting. She tapped Chris on the shoulder, bringing his attention to her. The woman pointed at the megaphone, signaling what she wanted.
"You got something in mind?" he slightly yelled while giving her a suspicious look.
"Maybe. Do you trust me?"
Chris did not react to that, but merely went onto mentioning the futility of the idea. "You know, they're probably not going to listen to you."
Hazel responded with a confident smirk. "We'll see about that. Now hold that in front of me."
Following her request, he placed the megaphone in front of her. Once he did, Hazel put both of her index and middle fingers into her mouth while curling her lips in. She did this once before, back during her first adventure alone. Memories of that time came back. She did it to stop an argument. Now, she was doing it again.
A loud screeching whistle escaped from her mouth. The sound was so shrill that everyone present stopped and grimaced. Those that had hands placed them on their ears. Those that did not were forced to suffer through such audible torture. The awful ringing that was amplified by the speakers was worse that it could be.
After a few seconds, Hazel stopped. It was the only idea that came to her in regards to getting their attention. She felt bad that it pained them, but at least she got their attention. Though she did not notice it, she could have sworn they were all starting to look a little brighter, physically. There must have been a bit of a power surge to make them brighter and allow her to see their forms. Or Ellis must have done something to make them all clearer.
Brushing off any momentary guilt, she began to say what she needed to say.
"What the heck are you all doing!?" she scolded them. "You're wasting your time freaking out about this when we should be working on a solution! I get that you're all scared, but whining about it won't get any of us anywhere!"
"Get off the stage, Veran!" one of the employees jeered at her. Her face turned into disgust. "Chris is the park leader right now! You've got no right to be giving out orders!"
She was about to give him a ruthless hearing when she felt a tap on her arm. Looking over, she saw Chris gesturing to her to give the megaphone. She complied and he began to speak.
"If I were you, I'd shut your mouth and listen to her. Before any of you give out any backlash over Veran's performance recently, give her a chance to speak first. If you don't want to listen, then leave. Just don't come crying to us when Gorgon and his army serve you up for dinner."
With that said and done, the complaints turned into murmurs. The man gave the speaking device back to Hazel before retreating back to where the other department heads were. She continued to stare at him in disbelief. The fact that he was supporting her was enough to turn her view on him upside down. Several months ago, they did not see eye to eye. Earlier during their stay here, they were at each other's throats. Now, it became more of an agreeable cooperation.
That time in the cave had brought about some good to their dynamics. They both mellowed out and turned to cooperating with each other. And the fact that Chris allowed her to speak was a surprise. She did not think he would be so quick to allow her to take over.
Chris Sinclair did change. And she did too.
"Thanks," she nodded at him before returning to the audience. "Before we get to the topic at hand, I have a few things to say."
She took in a breath and made herself as composed as possible. "Everyone, I've been an asshole, and I'm really, really sorry about that. And I mean it."
Hazel glanced over at her future team as well as her other friends. They both watched her, waited for her on what she had to say. They were resolute and intent; exactly what the audience should be. She took a glance at her sister and her mother, who were at the very front. They too had that same expression. The woman was unsure of what to make on her mother. It had been a while since they interacted. Nevertheless, she continued forward.
"I thought when Nigel gave me this role, I had every hope I could lead this park like he would. And starting off, I had some less than savory bridges created. And I lost sight of the basic principles I was taught. I did the best I could with the amount of work that needed to be done. I tried to make things run as smoothly as possible. But things...got worse obviously. I tried to do it all by myself because I didn't have faith in anybody. I tried not to make the same mistakes of certain individuals that brought me down in the past. So much so that I became one of them, figuratively speaking."
She swallowed and continued her calm tirade. "But, thanks to some help from my friends, I came back to my senses. A lot of things I did were wrong. Nothing is perfect. Being a leader doesn't exactly mean you need to do everything yourself. It doesn't mean you have all the authority. Leaders need support from others; they need individuals that can give advice, take over when things get overwhelming, and a lot of other stuff. And I learned that the hard way. I know a number of you were raised in a world completely different than the one in the 21st century. I'm not arguing against your beliefs. I'm just saying, sometimes leaders need a helping hand. There's no such thing as being perfect, which was something I also had to learn."
"So yeah, I messed up. I'm very sorry for that. My 'team' and I discussed things and we promised to start working together, without the hostility. So I'm just asking all of you, will you give this woman another chance?"
Once again, the crowd broke into whispers. Some were nodding their heads while others did the exact opposite. A number of the opposition came from the staff. Hazel understood that. The backlash mostly came from the staff because they were the targets of her frustration. And she also understood that not many had recovered from her abuse earlier.
Hazel knew that they would not accept her so easily. Putting her as the leader again was a complicated one. Not everyone trusts her. That was okay. She needed to prove herself to gain their trust again. And she hoped that her team would help her too.
She saw most of the individuals in the crowd nod. Hazel took that as a prompt for her to continue.
"Thank you," she said, moving on to the next subject. "Now back to the main problem. I'm just going to say this once and I ask you to please forgive me for this."
Hazel took a deep breath. Her once composed features gave way to full blown anger and disappointment.
"You guys are acting like a bunch of babies! I mean yeah, I get it. You're scared right now. I'm scared too. But I'm not standing around, freaking out about this disaster or losing it on how I'm going to die! I mean, if you think back to a few minutes ago, were you guys hearing yourselves?"
No one in the crowd objected. They all stared at her, each other, or the ground, ashamed at their actions. Satisfied that they were now aware, she continued with her tirade.
"I don't blame you all. This is a scary time. But I am very, very disappointed in what I'm seeing. Here you all are, just giving up. That's the only thing I can say to describe this."
Hazel shook her head. She spoke once more with such resolve and confidence. "What happened to the herd that crossed countless deserts to get to their homeland? The herd that braved the endless nights and bitter cold just to see the sun again? What about the herd that stood up to predators multiple times when they were backed into a corner!?"
She saw them, looking crestfallen again. She knew she hit some nerves. There were herds that overcame such troubles, and yet they were proving to be more cowards than individuals that fought to live. The ones that overcome the odds were acting like disappointments. They needed help. They needed hope.
"Now I can't blame you for feeling this fear. All of you are thinking the same thing...are we going to make it out of this? A number of you are going to say no. Know what I'm going to say? That's a load of bull!"
The sting of her outburst shook the crowd. They shuddered at such harshness. Yet at the same time, they could not help but feel like something was uplifting them. Her words were not only hard, they were somehow supportive. They all listened to her, eager to know what else she had to say.
Hazel raised her free hand, moving it as she spoke. First it was towards the crowd, with pointing and gesturing, and then to her heart. With each word she spoke, something inside her brightened, like a flame getting bigger. "Things are looking bleak right now, but I'm not here complaining. In fact, I'm ready. I'm ready for whatever comes. 'That's stupid, Hazel. How can you be ready for this? What are you ready for?' What's my answer? I'm ready to die. I'm ready to die because I will not let an army of bullies come here and take what they want. I would rather die fighting for freedom, fighting for life, fighting for what's right, rather than stepping aside and allowing them to have at it. And I'll do this alone if I have to."
"You're not alone, Hazel!"
She gasped and looked down, towards the humans in front. Her eyes fell on one of the employees that wore a heavy, blue winter coat. The man, with a thick black beard and snow goggles, raised his hand up.
Hazel was stunned that she would receive such support after what she had done to them before. The humans went from one, to twenty, to all of them. They were all supporting her with words of encouragement. And it was not just them either. They were followed by the rest of the crowd.
"Yeah, we're with you!" said one Styracosaurus male.
"We'll stand with you!" went one female Iguanodon.
Moments later, nearly the whole crowd joined in. Hazel felt her eyes sting. Bringing a finger up to her right eye, she wiped away what was actually a tear. She had gotten through to them. She felt elated as there were many to support the cause. It was what she would call a momentous sight.
Then, her insides began to churn again. Only this time, it made her adrenaline rush. It was not out of fear or anger. This time, it was out of excitement. Her words had inspired not only the Park to fight, but her as well. Something inside her was telling her to keep going. Some little voice was pushing for her to rally them.
Hazel obeyed that call.
She pointed to the outside of the park, back to where they were, and then to the outside again. "That army is expecting to come here and pick us all off. They're expecting all of us to run away, like how cowards would. We won't do that. We're going to run, yes, but we are going to run to THEM!"
The park erupted in cheers. A smile beamed across her face.
"If they think they came here looking for an easy meal, then we are sure as HELL gonna make them work for it!" she shouted with all her might.
"We will show those hunters out there that we will not go silent without a fight! Residents, my friends, my family. I ask you to fight, not only for your lives, but for each other."
Hazel looked at every one of them, pride filling up her heart on this park's army. The trials and tribulations they all went through led to this. A number used to be natural enemies or bystanders to each other, wedged by the fear of being eaten or killed out of defense. Now, they were much more.
"Carnivores, Herbivores, that doesn't matter now! We are ONE HERD! And we WON'T die here in the dark of night! WE WILL SURVIVE TO SEE THE DAY AGAIN! NOW ARE WE JUST GOING TO LET THESE A-HOLES PUSH US AROUND? OR ARE WE GOING TO SHOW THEM WHAT WE CAN DO?"
The crowd erupted tenfold. Cheers and bellows went up in the air. The humans clapped and raised their fists up as they lent their support. Some of the smaller dinosaurs just jumped in pure excitement. The lemurs, while temporarily outside in their thermals, all chittered and vocalized as they jumped happily from one Resident to the next. The only ones that seemed to have remained quiet or stationary were the sauropods along with a few other members of the park. They were not as enthused as the rest. Hazel knew they were not quick to turn to defending the park. She had to accept it; they would have to work with what numbers they have.
Hazel smiled at the result. The park has been rallied. Hope has been rekindled, despite the odds that were against them. The tyrannosaurs may have numbers on their side, but the par has diversity. They never fought a diverse army like this, and neither have them faced against humans before. By working together and coming up with strategies, they should even the odds.
One quick glance over to her sister and mother had caused Hazel's eyes to widen. It was not her sister cheering that shocked her. It was her mother. She was clapping and smiling...for her. Hazel did not interact with her mother for most of their stay, but seeing this, she believed she had turned over a new leaf. The park had changed her outlook; both on the Residents and on her eldest child.
Hazel felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Seeing her mother support her was enough to get her to rally them once more.
"WHAT ARE WE!?" she called out into the megaphone.
"ONE HERD!" they all replied.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU?" Hazel knowingly countered, wanting to rally them again.
"ONE HERD!" they went again.
"I STILL DIDN'T GET THAT! ONE MORE TIME!"
"ONE...HERD!" the park let out in a series of cheers and bellows.
Her smile became a grin. The immense feelings inside burst out as they could no longer be contained. She looked over at her team, her friends. The department heads clapped and cheered for her, save for Chris who only gave her a thumb's up. When her eyes fell on the prehistoric denizens with them, she saw them all vocalizing their approval. The one who roared the loudest was Aladar, who was then matched by the screeching of the now hovering Flia.
This moment, though brief, had brought everyone together again.
When she looked forward again, a twinkling had caught her eye. Looking to her left, she saw what seemed to be a light peeking over the valley mountains. Hazel squinted, blinded by the ray. She covered her eye with her left hand after switching the megaphone to the other hand. When she did, she noticed that her glove now had a single stripe of light.
It finally hit her. She looked back at the crowd, which was still cheering for the cause. She now knew why she could see them more clearly, why everything seemed brighter. It was not the lights Ellis and the engineers put up.
It was the coming dawn.
The sun rose slowly. As it did, a few rays shone on her form, illuminating her in the darkness at an angle. The crowd kept on cheering for their savior. While that was welcome, Hazel felt a new sense of dread creep up her spine.
"We will give you two sunrises. Fight or escape, it does not matter. You will all perish anyway."
Gorgon's words echoed in her mind. The fleeting dawn that would give hope to most was now an omen of what was to come. Time was now their enemy. The winter was ebbing away, giving way to the coming of spring. But the war would come sooner than that. Rather than new life, destruction will come.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A few hours later…
Rascal peeked his head out of the automated doorway. There was still no one left in sight. Good, that was how he wanted it. He turned his head and gestured to his compatriot to follow.
Patch had urged for him to help him look for two individuals. He did not mention what they looked like, only that they were important. The park's nuisance tried to get him to describe those individuals. Unfortunately, it seemed Patch had lost his "dinosaurian train of thought" when they passed by the food storage.
The blue Troodon was very hungry. That was made prevalent by the loud rumbling in his gut. Rascal rolled his eyes. He figured the reason why the lost predator was having trouble was because he was hungry. So, just to get things going, he helped him get into the warehouse...again. The two of them dined on the rations there, even when the "loud booming voice in the roof" had ordered everyone to report to the main hub for a meeting.
Patch jumped and scrambled under one of the tables, shaking for dear life. Rascal had to tell him that humans came up with that special "doohickey" to call for someone or a number of people for important stuff. Whatever they were going on about did not affect them.
The alpha hunter relaxed, but as he ate his gathered turkey, he could not help but mention the voice sounding urgent.
In short, they missed out on whatever important thing those humans were getting on about that day.
As soon as everything was quiet (and they had their fill), the two of them set off on their search. Patch then had a revelation on one of the individuals he had to look for. The orange predator cocked a brow when he uttered the name "Terrence". Terrence? Why would this guy want to look for one of the Twin Rexes? Rascal did not have anything against the rex; despite the apparent peace in most of the Residents, his instincts drove him to avoid the Twin terrors. Big carnivores with big jaws equaled danger in his book.
Whatever the case was, patch was adamant in finding the male rex. Rascal shrugged. He just wanted to get this fetch quest over with. He led the native Troodon through the park until they got to the Rex enclosure.
They hid behind one corner of a nearby building. The two of them peeked over, seeing not just Terrence sleeping on his belly, but a female rex as well. Only, the female looked like she had gotten roughed up recently. She was covered in bruises and white bandages in parts of her body.
Now what the heck happened to these two?
"Alright, there he is," Rascal whispered. "Just chillin' out there with his sister."
"Sister?" Patch inquired a little louder than him. "That's odd...those other rexes asked me to tell him his sister was okay, and that they wanted to meet with him about her and some other stuff."
The park Troodon snapped his head at the azure speedster below him. "What the? Other rexes? What'chu gettin' at?"
"I'm saying if that is really his sister, and she looks fine from where I'm standing, I don't think I need to go talk to him."
The brightly colored predator groaned. "You mean to tell me that we went all this way to find this guy for nothing!?"
Patch quickly got in front of the now irritated Rascal. He lifted his clawed hands up to calm him. "Wait wait, hold on. They also told me they wanted to speak to someone else. Someone going by the name of…" he shook his head and held it with his hands for a moment, "oh what's the name...Hazel?"
The reluctant guide gawked. His eyes went bug-eyed. "What!? Oh...please just kill me…"
"What?" the Alaskan denizen cocked his head.
"Couldn't it have been someone more fun? Like that red horned crackpot or that ornery horned mammal? Why did it have to be her?"
"I don't know, they really wanted to talk to this Hazel. They told me she was the leader of this place. Why, are you scared of her?"
Rascal stammered, completely flabbergasted by the gall of that statement. "Pfft, what? Scared? Haha! No, I'm not scared of her. She's just a thorn in my rear is all. Always nagging, yelling her head off, among other things. You sure you heard them right?"
Patch nodded adamantly. "Yup, they want to meet her."
The mafia-esque predator facepalmed, something he picked up from watching the humans for a long time. "Fine...I'll lead you to her, but after that, you're on your own."
His "partner" smiled, sighing with relief. "Oh, thank you Rascal."
The park's nuisance rolled his eyes, trying not to take that comment seriously. "Whatever, now let's get moving before someone catches us here."
"Oh? Why's that? Are you guys off to some secret date I'm not aware of?"
The two Troodons jumped and whirled around. They shuddered at the stranger that was now glaring down at them a mere two feet away. It was a young dark-haired woman wearing a blue coat, her foot tapping lightly in agitation and her arms were crossed. The fact that she snuck up on them and heard their conversation made this all the more tense. Rascal groaned again, for he knew who this was.
"Oh great…" he took a quick glance at his blue partner, in an almost pleading manner. "Please kill me now."
"Rascal, what is the meaning of this?"
He let out a low hiss and started speaking in his usual snarky manner. "Hello there, brat. Fancy meeting you this late."
"Cut the crap, Rascal," Hazel dismissed aggressively. "What are you doing?"
"Just out for a walk, brat," he half-lied at the annoying girl. "If you don't mind, you're putin' a damper on a quiet night."
"Uh huh, right. Doing what? Spying on the rexes? Or are you planning another food heist?"
Rascal froze. How the heck did she know about that!? He schooled himself to hide the truth in the matter.
"Food heist?" he nervously cackled. "What are you gettin' at?"
The unamused Hazel continued on her scolding. "I just watched the security footage, Rascal. Very clever, tricking the guards and leading a pack of other Troodons into the park's food storage."
"Oh right…" Rascal thought disdainfully. "Forgot about that."
"AND," she gestured her head to the confused Patch that seemed beside himself in the matter, "doing so again today!"
Rascal huffed and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I saw you and your little friends break into the warehouse. You stole a bunch of food items! And today, you took it upon yourself to freely feed on the same food we've been saving for the rest of our stay here! That food is for everyone in the park!"
"We were hungry!"
Hazel continued to glare at him. "Well what you weren't aware of was the consequence of such a venture. Because of you, the park is now suffering through a bit of a shortage. We're all now surviving on rations! And in case you don't know what that means, everyone is going to have less than the normal amount of food given to them, well maybe except for a number of specialised eaters, but you get the point! You sir, are in BIG trouble! And to make things worse, the park is about to be under attack by an army of predators any day now; everyone needs all the energy they can get!"
The human sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers, her growing frustration became more prevalent by the moment. "First it's those predators, then the Rex Twins, that blue bastard Gorgon, and now you? Is everything here just made to drive me over the edge?"
A quick movement in his peripheral vision had caused Rascal to look over at his companion. He saw him gesturing his head, and his eyes, towards the human. Rascal got the gist of it; he did not want to do that. It was not his style and doing so would annoy him to no end. He shook his head, denying the whole idea.
In return, Patch kept doing it again, this time more forcefully. He could see him using his claws to point him towards her, as if in a commanding state. Every time Rascal denied it, he only got those horrid stares from the blue Troodon. It was as if he would be given a worse day if he did not go through with it.
Rascal shook his head again. Instead of another silent argument from Patch, he got a whispered gesture from him. "Do it" was what he was trying to say.
The Troodon lost it. He was too tired to do any more arguing and he did not want to get into another fight either. He just wanted to be back in his tent, sleeping his food off.
Then there was that feeling in his gut again. It told him to do it. It told him he needed to. Rascal could not fight it, for he knew if he did not go through with it, it would haunt him for perhaps the rest of his life.
Steeling himself, he said the one thing he never thought he would say.
"Hey brat?"
Hazel stopped. She looked at him, still annoyed yet listening to him. "What?"
"I'm…" he hesitantly said. He hissed at the single utter of the word that came through his throat, "sorry…"
The woman gawked, completely taken aback by the sudden wording. "Wait, come again?"
Rascal made an annoying hiss again. "I'm...sorry...for that."
She said nothing for a minute, still trying to process what had just happened. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to get some words out. Rascal just wanted to run and eat a bunch of leaves for doing this stunt. The mere mention of the word made him want to hit himself.
"C-can you please say that again?" she asked him for confirmation.
"I'm not saying it again!" Rascal exploded, making the woman jump out of shock.
"Guy can't have some fun around here…" he huffed. "The moment everybody gets to stretch their legs, we're hammered on by rules. You know, I really hate it whenever yous guys constantly look over my back. I can't do anything on my own! I can't do what I want!"
Rascal inhaled, his features softening. "But...I guess our visit here wasn't so bad...got to make some new acquaintances. They kinda made me...think about myself for a bit. Don't get me wrong, yous guys are still annoying. Sometimes I still want to rip your heads off just to shut you up. But sometimes, I guess...you're not so bad."
Hazel scratched her head down to the back of her neck. Her face still bore that of bewilderment. "Uh...I'm still trying to wrap my head around you just apologizing right now. Who are you and what have you done with Rascal?"
Angered by that comment, the Troodon stomped and let out a startling screech, but not so loud as to sound agonized. "Listen here, brat. This is the only, and I mean only, time you get to hear that from me. I don't get all cute and cuddly around anybody. In fact, I never do. And I probably never will again. So whatever you've got planned for me, just get it over with so I can leave. This whole thing is getting me sleepy. But if I find out that you tell anybody about this, I will bite your throat while you sleep."
Hazel held her hands up in pure defense as she tried to calm the already irritated predator. "Okay...I'm still trying to figure out what to do with you. I'm still pretty pissed at you right now. But...it sounds like you learned something about your mistake. I don't know how much of that is credible, but judging by how you went off at me, I guess it's a good start," she sighed and then continued in slight hesitation, "Okay Rascal, you're still not off the hook. You did cause a food crisis, so you're still in trouble. But...assuming we all make it out of here alive, I'll keep your apology in mind."
Rascal groaned. While he was not a big fan of that answer, at least it was something. Seriously, he just wanted this thing to be over with. Whatever punishment the girl had planned, he did not care. He just wanted her off his case.
"Fine, whatever. At least I said it."
He felt a soft nudge on his left. Looking over, he saw Patch smiling at him. Rascal rolled his eyes. He did not know what was more annoying; making this guy happy or just being in front of the brat. Still...he could not explain it, but he felt a little lighter inside, even though it was miniscule.
"Well done," said Patch, "You're finally showing some humility there."
Hazel gasped and facepalmed. "Whoa! Uh, sorry I kind of forgot you were there."
She cleared her throat and schooled herself to take on a more reasonable approach to the bystander. "My name is Hazel, I'm the leader of this place."
Said Troodon's eyes went wide. His jaw fell agape, showing the tiny sharp teeth that would allow him to tear away at flesh. "Wait, you're Hazel!? Oh good! I thought we were going to have to go across this valley to find you."
Hazel cocked a brow. "Why? Who are you?"
"My name is Patch. I'm a friend of Rascal," he cordially introduced.
The brighter colored carnivore hissed again in annoyance. He coughed in between words as he tried to say them under his breath. "*cough* Not really *cough*."
Despite the rude comment, neither the human nor the Alaskan denizen paid any mind to it.
"I came here on behalf of...well, let's just say the ones who sent me have dire need of speaking to you."
Hazel's eyes narrowed at the unusual request. "What do you mean? Who wants to meet with me?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hazel really wanted to go to bed. Today was just one meeting after another. She really wanted a break. At least a night to herself would suffice. Well...technically she couldn't tell if it was night or not because of the screwed up hours caused by the near-ending winter.
After the sun had risen earlier, she had given the proclamation that the invasion would start after the sun rose twice. Because that was the first sunrise of that winter, time was now of the essence. The light of day was fleeting too; by the park's estimate, the daylight would only last for about five and a half hours before it became night again.
The park quickly got to work, regardless of the time of day. Both Hazel and Chris ordered employees to get to work on reinforcing the walls, which included checking for kinks, adding more layers, and creating more spikes. Hanna volunteered to create an archery group that would serve as backup in addition to the shock gun wielders, something that the leaders were welcome to. Ellis went off to check on the status of the Cannons, which he determined were holding out for as long as they could.
Well, to be exact, he said they would hold out for a little longer. But because of the lack of solar power and the overall energy supply running low, it was only a matter of time before they clock out for good. By his estimates, they would probably lose power during the invasion. This meant the park really needed to get to work.
As for Daisy, she got to work with organizing the evacuations for those who could not fight. Hazel was present for that. The Residents that could not fight were the elderly, the sick, and the younglings. Even her friends Eema, Baylene, Url, and their new companions Forrest and Ilana were among them. The only place they could evacuate to would be the caves. Juniper had mentioned back then there were multiple caverns along the mountain walls. With the park going to be smack dab in the middle of the warzone, the caves were the only place the non-fighters could evacuate to. This also included much of the sauropods since they were not much into fighting unless they needed to defend themselves. The exceptions were Charles and Yin, since they were the only ones brave enough to join.
It was not just the humans that were busy. Nero and Scowler were gung-ho about training others to fight and they quickly gathered up many suitable Residents for sparring sessions. The two of them ended up working hand in hand...er, hoof and hoof, on getting them in shape. Even a number of humans who wanted to train in combat joined in.
About an hour into the hustle and bustle, the department heads established a meeting with all the herd leaders inside one of the warming tents. The park decided to fight back so they needed a plan. Chris had used several rocks, sticks, boxes, and other items lying about to represent the valley layout. So far, the plan they have was simple and ill-developed. Charging the army head-on would spell a quick disaster as Patchi's experience reminded them. And while the Residents may be better in seeing in the dark, the humans would have a harder time. They would need to rely on their night vision goggles. That and the other staff members were not so peachy keen on riding out into battle. They all wanted to stay within the safety of the walls or fight from a distance.
Ellis came up with a promising idea to create catapults with boulders as ammo. He said he saw enough movies and read enough information about them to come up with some quick blueprints. The catapults would be stationed within the park walls and outside of it. Some large Residents would need to help with bringing in boulders from around the forests and mountains for ammo.
It was a good start.
The meeting lasted for two hours before they broke off to formulate more ideas and to give out orders for teams to retrieve/prepare the materials in the preliminary plan. That was good for Hazel. She needed a bit of a break.
When she was about to get a quick snack at the cafe, she found that the meat and fruit supply were lower than usual when she noticed staff members only taking a portioned amount of the foods from the counters. The sight reminded her of the food shortage. Grabbing an energy bar from one counter, she set out to go to the building that contained all of the security camera screens.
Sure enough, that was when she learned of the food heist led by Rascal himself. The employees that were stationed there had dug up the footage and showed it to her. They even found the current footage that showed Rascal and another Troodon leaving the warehouse and going towards the rexes. The confrontation with those mischiefs surprisingly ended on a good note...one that Hazel was still trying to make sense of. Rascal was still in trouble. But his punishment would have to wait. And she had a sneaking suspicion Patch and his pack may want to stay in Prehistoric Park. She would have to revisit that later.
Which then brought Hazel to what was happening now. Patch told her a couple of rexes wanted to speak with her. She immediately thought they were more followers of Gorgon that wanted to have at her. She declined at first, taking this as a ploy to get her out in the open. The Troodon insisted and then mentioned something that made her think. "They said they were friends with someone named Matilda and she told them to speak to you."
Matilda was already back in the park, but Hazel wanted to confirm this. She and the Troodons went to the rexes and woke them. After filling them in, she got her confirmation. The rexes that wanted to speak to her were the ones they first met. And the one that called for her was Tundrous.
The name rang a bell. That was the Alaskan rex that was against Gorgon's idea of attacking! So, he and his family were calling her out to see if what Matilda and Terrence said about the park was true. Hazel saw this as an opportunity. If she could prove to them that the park could help them, then those rexes may be able to aid them in this fight. There may be a way to turn this war in their favor.
The Twins trusted them. Hazel was not at that level, but if they viewed the Twins as allies, then this alliance was something to consider. The woman quickly set out to meet these level-headed predators.
Before going out to meet with these rexes, Hazel prepared herself an entourage for the meeting. The first thing she did was go to the Rex Twins. She sympathized with them for being tired, but after mentioning the Alaskan rexes, they agreed to come with her. Their presence would dull down any suspicion and hostility that would arise from misunderstandings. Then she turned to the Troodons that were with her. She invited them to this meeting as well; Patch was the one that was sent by these rexes and Rascal joining in would help the Twins in providing a carnivore's perspective of the park. She just hoped his review would be a decent one.
After that, she went to speak to Neera and Juniper about coming with her. Due to the stress of the previous days, Hazel thought it was best for Aladar and Patchi to get some rest. They deserved it after what happened recently. Thankfully, their mates were happy to come along. It was good because having leading representatives of the largest herds in the valley could help in proving the park's case.
It was also by chance that Flia was in the vicinity with the female alphas. She had been resting with Aeros in one of the tents that she overheard her friend's conversation with the alphas. Naturally, she wanted in on it. Hazel welcomed the company.
There was another reason why she went to the female alphas. Any of the other leading Residents were either too busy to help her due to reinforcing the construction (Kerato, Charles, Yin, Oddie and Thena, etc.) or they were too skittish about the whole thing. Martha wanted to stay and console a frightened Mikiya and the adult Sabers were spending some quality bonding time with their cubs. Hazel understood that; if things did go south, this may be the last time they could be together as a family. The last Resident few Residents she approached were Espantos and the Dilophosaurus, but they were too busy gorging on some saved foods from the warehouse just to uphold their constitution for the upcoming battle.
Finally, she radioed a command out to the staff that accompanied her on her last outing to meet her in the cafe. The meeting with the team did not last long as she explained the specifics of her request. They were all going out to meet with a couple of natives that wish to speak with her. Of course, there were questions. Hazel had no choice but to explain everything. Any doubts and uproars were calmed when she explained they were friends with the Rex Twins AND that they would be accompanied by a few Residents.
Thirty minutes later, the small party went out to the eastern forest edge, where Patch said they would be. With winter's darkness once again on them, the land was covered in an eerie shadow. The clouds above still lingered, partially covering the sky. Looking up, Hazel could barely make out the stars. The moon, though partially covered, still gave off its gentle glow. Still, Hazel and the other staff with her relied on their night vision goggles to see.
The woman was quite used to riding on Aladar, so being on Neera was no problem. Though, she could not recall the last time she rode on the alpha female. If anything, this was probably her first time riding on her. In contrast to her mate's stature, she was slimmer and her back spines were not as prevalent, not that it was an issue or anything. Regardless, Hazel still hung on tightly, just in case something did happen.
The only other individual to share their ride on the female Iguanodon was Flia. Hazel could hear the quiet shivers from the Pteranodon. Taking a quick glance back, she could see her hugging herself, small clouds of air escaping her beak. They were glad there was no blizzard happening right now, otherwise Flia would be in a worse state. But at least she was holding up pretty well despite the cold. If anything, the conditions right now were identical to those of the first snow day in the park.
To their left, Hazel could see Juniper walking silently. Next to her were the Rex Twins and a couple of staff members on ATVs. On the left were the two Troodons and the rest of the staff that came with Hazel at the last meeting. If any creature in this time saw this group, they would see them as the most peculiar entourage.
But they were all taking shelter or just simply avoiding the area at the moment. Right now, it was just them.
When they stopped in front of the forest edge, Patch told the group to wait there. His reason was to retrieve the rexes from within the forest. It turned out the deal was he would go and find them once everything was prepared. The Rex Twins gave him the okay, trusting their new companions of this plan. The rest of the group cautiously agreed with them. The Troodon disappeared into the darkness in an instant.
Hazel looked up again. Her eyes were filled with awe when she saw rays of lights glittering in undulating waves. Pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow snaked through the sky in colorful ribbons. One of the employees alerted the others and soon, everyone was looking up.
The woman removed her goggles, wanting to get the full experience of the light show. She knew what these were but never saw them before. Memories of a time so innocent came back to her. It was a time when everyone was happy. She was a blossoming teenager while her sister was still a child. Her mother was not as strict and spent a lot more time with her girls. And...her father was still alive. Before he died, her father promised to take his family to Alaska after his trip was done. They were planning on visiting Juneau before making their way further inland. Had it been a different time range, they would have had the opportunity to see these lights.
But no. Things didn't turn out that way. Hazel was here, watching the lights without one of the most important people in her life. She felt sadness creep up on her. She felt her eyes become wet with tears.
She wished her father was here now.
"Looks like the sky is at it again," Juniper offhandedly chuckled.
"Wow...I've never seen something so...wondrous," said Flia in awe. "Hazel, what are those things shining above us?"
Hazel blinked away her tears, returning to the present. In addition, she wiped them away with her sleeve before glancing back at the curious Flia. "Aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights. They're a phenomenon that occurs in areas close to or at the North Pole, er...I mean the northernmost part of our world, and areas at and around the South Pole, the southernmost part of our world. The ones down south are Aurora australis, otherwise known as the Southern Lights."
"Okay…" said the Pteranodon, who was still trying to wrap her crested head around that terminology. "What causes them?"
"That's hard to explain. Let's just say it's because pieces of the sun strike a layer of air miles above our heads," she replied. Hazel was average in physics, as in, she was not much of an expert, but she knew how the lights are caused. They happen because charged particles from the sun strike atoms in Earth's atmosphere, thus causing electrons to move in a higher energy state. When they drop to a lower state, they release a photon.
Flia cocked her head as she curiously looked back up at the sky. "Do you think I can touch them?"
The woman chuckled. "Probably not. I would advise against it too. They're way too far up for you to touch."
While that was the case at the moment, Hazel hoped it would dissuade her friend from trying that stunt. The lights were a result of solar activity. They could be way too high up in the atmosphere for most aerodynamic creatures to make and there may be other dangers around them. It was better to just watch them from below rather than try to go up and meet them.
Thankfully, her ruse worked as the flyer dropped the subject.
The sound of heavy, muffled footfalls brought the group's attention forward. The sound of two heavy footsteps turned into four. They braced themselves for the worst.
Zipping out of the shadows was a familiar form. Patch. His light footfalls caused small crunches in the snow. He stopped next to an over-apprehensive Rascal, gasping for air from the run he did. He gave them all a reassuring nod before turning to meet the visitors.
Following the smaller predator came the visitors the Troodon spoke of; two massive feathered Tyrannosaurus rexes. For many in the group, this was the first time they laid their eyes on an adult Tyrannosaurus, two in fact. Hazel only saw them from a distance, but seeing them up close was confirmation enough of just how big they were. The skeletons of them in her time, along with the books and documentaries she saw, showed how large and fearsome they could be. To see two of them up close was both awe-inspiring and nerve-wracking. In as much as a few years, the Rex Twins would become like these forty foot goliaths.
Out of defensive instinct, the humans raised their shock guns. The cocking of the weapons made the predators falter.
"Wait, hold on!" Terrence stopped them, getting in front of the group to create a wall between both sides. "Don't attack!"
Hesitation now in effect, the Rex Twins approached the new rexes. When the two of them stopped before the adults, they were greeted in a way that was akin to children meeting their family.
"Terrence, I'm happy to see you made it back," the large male rumbled with relief.
"Yeah...wasn't easy running through this forest though. Too many trees, you know," he replied.
"And Matilda! You've made it back too. We're glad you're okay, but you are definitely worse for wear," the female adult followed, concern clear in her voice.
"Yeah blame Gorgon and his goons," she winced from the injuries. "Gorgon let me go after his 'request' was granted. Our friend, the leader of the park, had a meeting with him just earlier today."
Her brother made a light chuckle. " Let's just say the meeting didn't go very well."
"I did hear about that," Tundrous said. He glanced over at the frightened Patch, who then made a run behind Neera; more specifically, behind one of her legs. He then proceeded to analyze the rest of the group. Hazel, while still wary of the two rexes, kept herself composed. "So it is true. Strange, two-legged beings exist. It seems you two were telling the truth."
His mate strode forward a little to get a better look at them all. "Not only that, but there are herbivores too. You said you live with them?"
"Yeah," Matilda answered. "They're our neighbors...and friends."
With that said, the adult male stepped forward a few steps, with his mate backing away to give him space. "I am Tundrous. The female with me is my mate, Sitka. I can assure you all, we are the only rexes that came here. No one followed us. We have no intention of harming either of you."
With that greeting, everyone in the group relaxed. From where she was, Hazel felt Neera stand a little taller.
"Hey, where are Aurora and Borealis?" Terrence inquired as he looked around in all directions. "Aren't they always with you?"
Sitka turned to the young rex. "Our children are waiting in a nearby cave. We told them to stay until we deem this 'situation' safe. At the moment, Gorgon believes we are doing a patrol of this area."
Tundrous did another sweep of the group, scanning all of the individuals. "Which one of you is the one called 'Hazel'?"
The person in question raised her hand. So far, things seemed to be going well. Hazel felt there was nothing to fear with these rexes.
"That's me," she lowered her hand. The adult's eyes fell on her. "I have to say, this is by far the second meeting I've had with native tyrannosaurs. I am hoping that this will not end terribly, and that neither of you has as bad a personality as Gorgon."
"You can rest easy," the male replied, "we are not like him."
Acknowledging the statement, Hazel pressed on with the subject at hand. "So, why have you sought me out? Don't tell me you're here to persuade us to surrender?"
Tundrous shook his head. "Far from it. My mate and I heard that you stood up to Gorgon, choosing death over salvation."
The budding leader wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but knew that doing so may not play in their favor. Instead she chose the honest approach. "Salvation? I would call it permission to commit a mass homicide which would leave me with a guilty conscience."
"Why did you do it?" he asked. "You saw the army, you saw how ruthless they can be. You met Gorgon and had a glimpse of the worst of him. Why did you not back down?"
"I have a lot to say about that, so I'll give you the short version," she took a moment to glance at everyone with her before returning her gaze to him. "I care about everyone in Temporary Park, including the refugees we took in. I have friends and family. Why would I step aside? What would you do if it were you, if Gorgon were after your family?"
Tundrous growled softly, contemplating the question. He and his mate shared a thoughtful glance as a result.
"Would you step aside?" Hazel added, seeing as she is getting to them.
The male warrior snorted. "Life in this place is cruel. The warm days do not last long. The cold days are the worst. Food can be scarce. The cold can take one's life if one does not seek shelter in time. One must rely on their instincts to survive. My mate and I have done our best to teach our children just that. We teach them to hunt, to track, to fight. No matter what happens to us, our children must survive."
"Our choice is like yours," his mate added. "Our children are the future, and Tundrous and I would lay down our lives just for them to live."
Hazel smirked, satisfied at the response. "Good answer."
It was then that both rexes laid their attention on the lone female Iguanodon. Hazel felt the alpha tense up at the sudden attention. She gently stroked her side, calming her.
"You, slender female," Tundrous called out. "How long have you lived with these beings?"
Neera struggled to get an answer out but then found her voice after the woman's reassurance. "Honestly, I've lost track. But I would say a few seasons."
"How did you come by them?"
"I met Hazel during one of my migrations. Flia did as well, as she is part of my herd," she responded, gesturing at the flyer on her back, who lifted a wing as a result of her identification. "My herd was making its way to our former Nesting Grounds when she came along. She helped us get there safely. Not long after, she and another like her helped us escape from another disaster. Since then, she and everyone at the park have looked after us. They are our friends, and in a way, part of our herd."
Tundrous made a nod, accepting the answer. His eyes then fell on the lone ceratopsian female. Like Neera, she too tensed up.
"Horned female, how long have you been with these...beings?"
"We don't live with them, but they offered us a place in their home a while back," she bravely answered. "That decision is up for discussion. However, we've stayed with them for this cold season. During this short time together, they've proven to be our allies. They and the others that live with them protected us."
"I see," his eyes then fell on the bright-colored Troodon. Rascal bared his teeth, despite the apparent peace of the conversation. The rexes were unaffected by the display. With their size and power, they had nothing to fear from a single small predator, especially from one strayed from its pack.
"You're not like the other Troodons we've encountered. I am willing to guess you are not from here either. Do you live with these beings?"
"Yeah, I guess you can put it that way," Rascal replied with a scoff.
"What do you think of them?" Tundrous inquired.
"Honestly? The ones I've encountered are annoying," he said, earning some disapproving looks from the humans present. "They talk too much, they nag too much, they celebrate too much, and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't think of."
The male rex's eyes widened a little, intrigued by the response. "Really?"
Hazel glared at the Park's nuisance. If she had a tranquilizer gun, she would have used it on him. He was screwing up this meeting! She wanted to hit herself too. She should have known bringing Rascal was a bad idea!
She was about to retort and defend the park's reputation when Rascal said something that caught her off guard...again.
"But...they're not so bad. I mean, they do look after me and feed me and all, even though they hate it whenever they yell at me for messing around with them. I could tell you stories."
Hazel cleared her throat, bringing their attention back to her. While she did accept Rascal's answer, she wanted to bring the meeting back onto a good note. "Rascal has a bit of a history with the park. He mostly doesn't get along with a lot of people. But most of what he said is true. We look after everybody. We make sure everyone is fed. The park welcomes all, no matter if they are carnivore, herbivore, insectivore, omnivore, you name it. My superior back at home is fixing things up to make life in the park more amiable."
Sitka stepped forward, curious at the last bit of the woman's explanation. "Your superior? You're not the leader?"
"His name is Nigel," she answered. "He's my mentor. He sent me to Temporary Park as its leader as a sort of 'final test' for me. He chose me to take his place, and it all depends on how I fare here. So yes, I'm the leader of Temporary Park, and the soon-to-be leader of Prehistoric Park, assuming I do things right here."
One of the employees there coughed and replied under his breath. "And if we get out of here alive…"
Hazel glared at the person who spoke, who turned out to be someone off to her left. "We will…," she said, doing so in a slightly hushed tone.
"I think we've heard enough."
The male's response brought the group's attention back on the rexes. They watched as both Tundrous and Sitka turned to reconvene amongst themselves. They did so in whispers. Even Hazel could not make out what they were saying. There were nods and shaking of heads. Along with that, they were gesturing their heads both to the group and behind them.
Hazel watched their internal conversation go on. She could only guess what they were discussing. Should they trust them? Are they worth their time? Are they better than Gorgon? Is what they say just another way of them being "foolish" in their eyes? Are they better off as prey? The questions went on.
One thing was certain. She hoped they would see their perspective. She wanted them to believe them. Their trust could help the Park survive. If they did not get that…
The conversation ended after several minutes. In reality, it was actually two minutes long. The tension in the air just made it longer. The two rexes turned their attention back towards the entourage.
"My mate and I wanted to confirm if Matilda's words about you were true," Tundrous announced. "From what we heard, all doubts we had are now aside. If Terrence and Matilda trust you, then we shall as well."
Hazel let out a sigh of relief. Their efforts had paid off. While their army may or may not have a chance against Gorgon's forces, at least they have two native rexes on their side.
"Our family looked up to Gorgon at times when food was scarce," Sitka explained. "He led us to prey and helped us survive."
"But after hearing of your meeting with him, as well as seeing the Twins stand up to him-" Tundrous said and was then cut off by his mate's interjection.
"And saw how cruel he was," she snarled.
"We now have a different view," the male chuckled. "Besides, neither of us liked him anyway."
.
"Since we now see how noble this 'park' is," Sitka said, " we want to help you."
While everyone was happy to hear that, everyone thought the same thing. Hazel, being the primary spokesperson, voiced that concern.
"Help us? How?"
"Gorgon's army is too great," the feathered male warrior rumbled. "Their numbers far exceed yours. If you choose to fight, you will only get yourselves killed. They will show no mercy."
Hazel did not like the sound of that. Gorgon's army was bigger than theirs. Right now, it seems like they will win by numbers. That was not a good sign for them.
"If you want to survive, you must escape," Sitka urged. "The only way out of this valley is how you came in. My mate and I can deter Gorgon and his army, drawing his attention long enough for all of you to escape. It'll be difficult, but we'll figure out something."
Hazel looked at Flia, then at Neera, Juniper, and finally, everyone else. At everyone she looked at, they all had the same expression. Determination. Resolve. A hint of stubbornness. Only this time, those qualities were of a good nature. They were all fighting for what was right. They were fighting for their lives, all of them. No discussion was needed.
They have each other's support. And with her friends to back her up, Hazel announced the park's decision.
"Thanks, but we've already made our decision. We're still going to fight."
Caught off guard by the response, the rexes stared at them in disbelief.
"I understand you being noble to your word," Tundrous started, "but you must see how foolish this is!"
"Foolish or not, we're tired of running," Juniper supported, one of her hooves stamping on the snow; a clear testament on her stubborn will. As she spoke, she reminded everyone of the trials her family went through in the prior months. "Me and my herd especially. We're tired of being pushed around and watching others die to save us."
"My friends are my family," said Flia, who outstretched her wings and placed one of them on her heart. Her voice did not quaver in the cold. Her sheer determination kept her going through the cold. "If any of them die and I survive, I would never live with myself knowing I could have helped them."
"Predators would think of individuals like us as weaklings," said an equally resolute Neera. "But we are strong. We have others that support us. Even if we die, it'll be because we fought for what we believed in."
Following the prehistoric denizens were the humans that were with them. Hazel said nothing as they all made their testimonies. She was too amazed by the courage they were displaying. She could not believe these were the same people she was berating weeks ago on their performance on the jobs.
"Those guys have never faced us before!" said one man
"Never underestimate us humans!" said another.
"You mean the whole park!" corrected a lone woman to that person's left.
All of the armed employees cheered and raised their weapons in agreement. Hazel smirked, wanting to laugh even. They were acting like soldiers now.
Turning her attention back to the tyrannosaurs, she lifted a hand up and shrugged. "Well, you heard them."
Such a hardy display of stubbornness and resolve impressed the two rexes. The two of them smiled as well and nodded.
"I think I speak for my mate and our children when I say, we admire you," acknowledged Tundrous. "Despite the odds that are placed against you, you choose to rise to the challenge. Our family has a saying; when you are facing death, face it without fear."
"Gorgon's way helped us," said Sitka, "but if what you're saying is the truth, then following you is clearly the better choice to ensure our children's future."
Hazel was satisfied with the response. She was satisfied with the whole meeting. Things were definitely looking up now.
The meeting wore on for another hour. As they spoke, they discussed how to tackle Gorgon's army. The two rexes mentioned that while they were under Gorgon's influence, they spotted several other members that were not as enthused about this hunting spree. Their reason being they are not supportive of attacking unknown creatures for survival or the fact that Gorgon's ways did not agree with them. Tundrous and Sitka said they could try to reach out to those individuals and coax them into considering the park.
It was a sound idea. If Tundrous and Sitka are willing to defect, then there may be others as well. This could cause a significant dent in Gorgon's, and by extent his army's, morale.
It was also then and there that the foundations of a new plan emerged. Hazel felt the ideas coming to her and voiced them out. They were preliminary, but they just might work. When their discussion was done, both groups parted ways, with the adult rexes heading back to where their children were while the others returned to the park.
With the ideas now set, Hazel, Flia, Neera, and Juniper made their way back to the tent where the department heads and the other leaders were meeting. The tent sounded off with the formation of a plan of attack.