Location: 18°29'1.59"N 92°24'29.42"W
Time since asteroid impact: 3 Years 4 months 2 weeks 1 day
Although they had made much progress up north, that wasn't to say things were exactly perfect. Many times over the coming days did things go south for Buck, Libby, Ida and their companions. One big occasion happened near an active volcano that wasn't marked down on the map, learning that the hard way. No one had been injured, but it could of easily ended up being different. As such, a level of distrust began to emerge between them all, and it was sort of expected. The group consisted of seven individuals, three of which were carnivores, and so far they had been traveling for weeks on end across terrain they hadn't physically encountered before, under conditions that would make anyone loose their mind.
By now, they arrived at a great expanse of tall grassland, as far as the eye can see. The grass in question was taller than Ethine, meaning that only Ida, Russel, Ramsey, and Nash could see above it, making the traversal of the area more difficult. Nonetheless, they found a suitable solution: by walking heavily on the grass, they could clear out a path for the others to see where everyone else was. As the journey through the grass went on, a growing sense of worry emerged. Russel glanced at those behind him, to see that they too were looking into the grass that hadn't been displaced. Like looking into the woods, he knew the curiosity of what might exactly be in the grass.
That was at least, before he tripped.
He had already fallen before he even knew what happened, and he as well as everyone else were startled by it. "Russel, are you all right?" Buck exclaimed, being the first to walk up to his side as the apatosaur got up. "I'm fine, just wasn't looking where I was going." Russel responded, before looking down to see that his foot had been badly grazed by whatever he had tripped over. Libby had been curious enough of what exactly he had tripped over, and tore through the grass that had a little bit of height to them.
The truth over what this place was exactly had hit them like bricks, they all knew right as they saw the remains of what could only be identified as a stegosaur that this grassland was extremely dangerous, and that whatever was in here would be able to kill on sight. Right as they decided to move through as quickly as possible, they both heard and saw a large raptor leap out from the overgrowth, striking the nearest thing it could find. Fortunately, it had missed, and was now visible for everyone to know where it would strike next. Ramsey and Nash encircled Buck and Libby for protection, while Ethine, Russel and Ida all dealt with the lone raptor.
"This isn't right." Russel panted as they continued their offense, "Normally they come in groups." He couldn't have been more ironic at that point, as up to six... seven more came out. This in turn made things many times more difficult for just three to go against, so Nash came in to help at the expense of there being only Ramsey protecting Libby and Buck. However it became clear that this wasn't all, as even more had entered. This left Ramsey no choice but to also help.
Libby and Buck dashed out of the grassland, coming out the way they had come in. It wasn't too distant of a run, and they knew they had to help while also keeping clear of the attackers. All they had near them were a pair of trees, as well as the hard-shelled-fruit that hung from them. These fruit in question were unique, as medium-sized spikes covered their shells. "You know what I'm thinking?" Libby turned to Buck asking, the latter of which looked up to the fruit, then back to where the confrontation was still taking place. He smiled, before nodding once.
Meanwhile back in the grassland, the onslaught had no signs of stopping. Ethine had the worst of it, with a couple of small scratch marks. Despite the raptors being severely injured, none wanted to back down. Ida heard a distant call from the direction they had come in and, upon glancing that way, had long enough time to see Buck and Libby using the trees for something. She didn't know what exactly they were planning, but guessed that it had something to do with their current situation. Making sure the raptors were between them and the trees, she smiled as soon enough, lumps of bristly plants soared through the air before landing straight onto the raptors, who were now screeching loudly from the new advantageous attack. One by one they fled the scene, leaving nothing but the group as well as some feathers that had come off of them.
"There, that should keep it steady until it heals by tomorrow." Ida said, finishing the makeshift bandage made from the tall grass that was now wrapped around Russel's foot. Nightfall had occurred a while back, and everyone apart from Ida and Russel were asleep by the campfire in the middle. A clear night for sure, with no clouds or haze to block the array of stars in the sky. No moon was visible, making the stars even more bright, the result being an overwhelming sensation of seeing the stars as well as the long-thin structure that swept right across it all.
"You didn't have to do this, you know." Russel responded, in some ways he was right, after all it was a minor scrape. On the other hand, it was slowing down his walking speed, and anything to make it heal faster would help. "We faced all of today, better have you prepared in case we have something similar happen tomorrow.", to which Russel scoffed at. "Those scavengers won't think twice about running away from us if there is a next time, Ida..."
The sound of crackling fire filled the air as the conversation seemed to die down. It wasn't really, they were both recollecting over the events of the day. Today had been a boost to their confidence of being able to get home in one piece, and they were getting really close to the exclusion zone. While the terrain was sure to get rougher, it didn't matter anymore to them.
"What's it like?" Russel asked out of the blue, Ida quickly turning to the other apatosaur to question what he meant. "To be a parent, I mean." He finished.
"Well..." Ida started, "It's difficult, really difficult. Stressful at times, managing those you have quite literally given life to, watching them grow, never at ease that they'll get the hang of it. Until one day, you realise they've all grown up, and you have to double check that you've been a good parent, and see that they're capable of handling themselves. This whole ordeal has messed with that, sometimes I just wish..."
Russel continued, "That the aster-... that Falltain never fell, that your family wasn't separated before you were able to see them fully complete their childhood, and that you would want for the others- Arlo and Verena, to be safe? I get how you feel. During the first year I was away from my family, I wondered how my parents felt raising us, and through my experiences growing up I've learnt the answers. It's always messy, and you can't be perfect at doing it. At least, that's how I felt with Buck trying to get him back to his home."
Slowly, the fire was burning itself out, becoming quieter. "How was he?" Ida asked.
"Buck? He's a good kid, I think we both taught each other things about ourselves that we never knew. He and Libby seem to work well together."
"When they're not fighting that is... you know, I think they like you as an uncle." Russel almost fell on his side upon hearing that. "W-wait, you're serious?"
Ida nodded. "If you wish to, you could stay with us."
The air went quiet, even the fire had but died out. "I mean... you, Buck, and Libby may be fine with me staying... I'm just... Arlo, Verena, and Henry may think otherwise." Russel said, laying his head down on the ground.
Ida thought for a moment. "We'll see."
Audio Message #32: Subject Members 4, 5, and 6 - aka Ida, Buck, and Libby - have traveled 832 miles (1,339 Km's). The surprise raptor attack ironically has given the team a needed boost in confidence, with not much ground left to cover, they have a good chance of making it to Clawtooth Mountain. As such, their ratings are all at 4.7 out of 5.
End of message.
A/N: N/A
Next chapter: Long Ways Down
Fun Facts: N/A
