Chapter Four - Act 1 - Mission Inbound
He couldn't agree more with Libby that the day was pretty interesting. Both herding a group of longhorns as well as being given the opportunity to herd them more often was definitely worth the stacking of corn into the silo that he and his sister were currently doing. Still though, it was enough to kick-start a long trail of thoughts, eventually landing on the subject of the adventures his brother and poppa went on.
While he already knew what went down from both of them, one key aspect he couldn't help but envy was the first hand experience the two had. Of course those journeys were dangerous, but they were also new and some place different from where he was living. The berry trips were getting longer after all, so maybe one day he could go out far enough from home to make the journey back be some what equivalent.
Speaking of which, he had noticed that it was getting rather late for the group to come back. He did catch word that one or two would go out to search if they were not back by sunset, and that they would have to look to see if there's any need to extend the amount of time away from home. That alone was enough to more or less confirm that the trips were only going to get longer, but how long would it last? They didn't need every single berry, just different varieties, and there will definitely be a hard limit. Maybe I'll go on the next one, he thought.
As if on queue, the sounds of cheering could be heard from not too far away, and he recognised the voices immediately. From what he gathered, Libby had also heard it as she began heading in that general direction, and he was surprised she didn't see him daydreaming. He decided to greet them back and see what they had brought with them on their journey. Upon arrival, he was surprised as to how much they managed to carry, almost feeling sorry for them having that burden, from how quickly they unloaded the supplies it was easy to see that they couldn't handle the weight much longer.
"Hey Buck!" He looked over to where Mike had called him, seeing the supersaurus walking over to him. "How did it go?" Buck asked, he could already gather that the journey back must've had a lot of trouble but wanted to hear on anything else that may have happened.
Seeing Mike smile provided some answers before he even said anything, "Ben took us further south than before, I think we decided to head back once we reached a wide mountain range. Looks like we'll be taking a new route from now on, so I'd recommend joining that one if you're looking for... adventure." It was no secret between Buck and Mike that they each had an interest in exploring, less so carrying stuff around, but to them it was a temporary cost.
"Thanks Mike, it's good to have you all back." He smiled back, which Mike had noticed. "I heard from Libby that you lot also had some fun while we were out." While Buck didn't exactly enjoy what happened, it was something he could definitely laugh at now that it was in the past. "Oh it actually happened today, so you see..." Buck recalled all the details of the former part of the day, occasionally getting the chance to see what everyone else was doing. From what he saw, Henry Ida and Ramsey were now taking care of the longhorns while everyone else sorted out the berries, placing most in the newly cleared land while handing out the rest for everyone to eat.
Already joining them, Buck continued on with the prior events while also selecting the good berries. That was a task Buck noticed had become more common with each trip, it seemed with such journeys becoming longer it was more and more likely that some of the fruit picked out at the start had already ripened, and were starting to look and smell bad. Worse still, some had become spoiled to the point where fluffy mold had started to form, in which they would have to get rid of both the fruit as well as any neighboring fruit that may have come in contact.
This alone made things difficult when planning the next trip, since it had to be one that could be done in less than two days. One fix that was to be discussed was the idea of not collecting anything until they were at their furthest point, then collect as they headed back. It seemed good from everyone who had heard it, but they wanted the others to come back before applying it. For Buck this meant that the trip would be twice as long, but also the beginning of the end. Any further extensions would require the more agile to continue, or make something that could allow them to move quicker.
Still, he couldn't be more excited about the possibility.
With the sun starting to set, it wasn't long before all the collected berries were either planted, thrown away or eaten. Most probably wouldn't make it past winter, but some were bound to, allowing for a more plentiful spring and summer. Too lost in his thoughts, Buck was soon brought back to reality when he collided with Ben, who had been looking the other way. "I'm sorry B-" Buck quickly spoke, however Ben raised a hand to which the apatosaur stopped mid sentence.
"Don't worry about it," Ben lowered his had as he continued in a calm manner, "it's not exactly a secret that you've been wanting to go on one of these." Buck opened his mouth ajar to interject when he saw Ben about to raise his hand again. "Buck... me and Arlie have noticed you only doing this either when a group leaves or returns, I know Arlie can sometimes make some big assumptions but for this it's not that hard to see that you clearly have an interest in going out beyond the Clawtooth basin."
"I just feel like I can help, you know- perhaps whip a tree or two to get some fruit faster, and also for the adventure." Buck did hate to admit it, but he reasoned that it would be easier saying it now than when on the trip.
Ben started to respond with a slightly elongated sigh, "Okay first, I'm sure you heard what happened when Arlie tried doing that, I don't think I've seen that many snakes fall from a tree in my life. Second, the trips aren't exactly going on any route that's... 'adventurous', though since the next one will likely take a new path we could end up at some interesting places. Still, there's very little room for danger on these trips."
"Look I don't want danger. I want to see new things, new experiences, something that isn't..." Buck glanced around the surrounding landscape, "this. I can do any job you want if it means me being able to see more than those mountains." Having had his head hung low, he raised up to see Ben's reaction, only to find no immediate giveaway as to the dryosaur's decision.
Taking longer than what Buck was hoping for, Ben finally gave an answer. "You know, when everyone is discussing about who the next group should be, I've noticed that no one directly asks to be part of it. I'm sure there's nothing to say that you can do that, but that doesn't mean there's anything saying you can't." Ben turned around and left before Buck had a chance to say anything, not that there was really anything he needed from Ben. He knew that Ben was giving him the all clear, but he also knew what he would have to do at the next meeting. While there was indeed no rule against speaking up, the fact that no one did made it feel like a rule anyways. An opportunity was now given, and he wasn't going to ignore it.
Night quickly fell upon the basin, the landscape surrounding the area allowing the darkness to arrive sooner than if there was just a flat horizon. While there was still enough residual light to see the ground clearly, it was obvious it was going to become true night very soon. Buck looked out to see the stars that were only now starting to shine, and pondered how far such specks of light were. Surely there was more to those lights than just being in the sky. Wondering if they were anything like the sun that allowed the day to shine, Buck became curious as to whether those stars were places just like home, but with views unlike any other. While it was an amazing possibility, it seemed that such a journey would be too cold for anything to get to such places, that is if the mountains had anything to say about reaching high.
Everyone else had gone to their individual homesteads, much to Buck's surprise. Having looked through the telescope he created back when his poppa was still missing, he placed it beside the homestead, before entering to join the others for the night.
For what was meant to be an immediate discussion on what to do next, it took quite a while for the 'discussion' to actually happen. The blame was mostly on Clay feeling the need for a more private spot, even though Will and what seemed to be everyone else agreeing they were already in such a place. Will had actually wondered if Clay was postponing such that they would have to wait until the next morning, as the sun had started to produce the cascade of colours across the sky that indicated nightfall would not be too long from now. Furthermore, the area they were walking in felt familiar in a way that was more concerning than hopeful, he knew who lived not to far from where they were.
"I believe here is far enough for now, we don't want to go too far." Clay said as they all stopped walking. Will knew Clay was misdirecting, as he noticed that while Mary and Jack also looked as if they knew, they hadn't said anything yet about their location. His main interest was split between just what Clay was thinking as well as what Zerxes discussed with Jack, perhaps later would be a more reasonable time to ask, Will thought.
If there was a time for Clay to start explaining just what was going on, now was the time in Will's opinion. "I think you all know what this is about." Clay added, prompting Mary to respond. "The homesteaders, I take it you feel like enough time has passed to do something?"
Clay turned to face Mary. "Too much time, actually, too much time has passed. I thought they would've at least done some level of travel to where I told them but instead they've gone out for more berries. Zerxes knows about our situation already so I can skip to our problem of getting to the homestead without them thinking of us as hostiles..."
While Clay was thinking, Jack stepped forward. "I still think we're over complicating this. It would be simpler if we just tell them what you want to do, and that we're not there to do anything drastic." Admittedly, Will thought that was indeed the way things should be, and never understood why the homesteaders would think of them as trespassers that should immediately leave. If he recalled right, the last flooding event caused a lot of strangers to enter the homestead land, and the homesteaders had accepted them in while the flooding was ongoing.
"Well there's one issue with that idea, Jack," Zerxes stepped up, a surprise for Will considering he thought Clay would be the one to answer. "Clay has a favour to give back to an old friend of his- not me before you ask. This friend also has an issue with the homesteaders, notably the usage of the river. However this friend is someone that the homesteaders will definitely not like to see on their land, and since we're associated with them-"
"That still over complicates it, just have it so that we go to them first, and then once we leave this friend can come along. There's no need for us to be associated with them." Mary interrupted.
Jack made a cautious approach to Mary. "Uh Mary, I think Clay wants to at least be with his friend just so this friend isn't singled out to the tyrannosaurs." both Zerxes and Clay nodded in agreement. "That's why we're in this situation. On one side this friend will make the homesteaders listen to us more. But on the other side we can be there to make Clay's friend less threatening." That last word seemed to strike a nerve in Will's friends, as they suddenly perked up and both looked at Zerxes.
"Just what do you mean 'threatening', who exactly is this other friend anyways?" Jack had asked, though Will had a worrying suspicion as to who it was.
Zerxes started to respond. "I believe you've heard of Spinos-"
"Colour me surprised Clay, I should've known you were taking us here for a reason." Mary interrupted, Will looked over to see that Zerxes had more of a dissapointed look, glancing over to his companion who bore a look of annoyance. No one said anything for a while, and the moment was completely ruined by the sheer awkwardness that was now bestowed upon them.
Finally, Zerxes began once more. "Clay, I think you should explain this, seeing how the stegosaur won't allow me to speak." Will had to repeat that sentence in hid mind to understand what he heard was right, looking over to Jack it seemed he too didn't believe Zerxes would have the confidence to say that.
Will had a funny feeling Clay didn't want things to get heated up, as he soon interjected. "I guess you're right. Anyways, what Zerxes was going to say was that he and I had a conversation not too long ago, and that he had heard of a large rumor that's been spreading around lately. Word has it that Spinos has actually been killed back during the last flooding event after going off a waterfall near the river when it flowed the other way." Clay seemed to give enough time for them all to grasp the news.
Spinos was notorious for holding territories near rivers, making it exceptionally difficult for those like them to find much water unless it were a lake. Even with the fixed territory near the Clawtooth Range, it wasn't easy for anyone passing by to find anything worthwhile without being driven away by the spinosaur, so the fact that he was no longer around meant that both the land was much easier to walk across as well as the possibility of more residences nearer to the mountain range.
"But your friend-" Mary had started, before Zerxes interrupted her off. "You mean Spinos' son? Yeah he's still alive." In a matter of seconds Will's river of thought eroded away, leaving nothing but a chaotic mess of questions and confusion. Desperately he looked over at both Jack and Mary, to find they too were having a similar reaction with their mouths agape. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that again. You're saying Spinos has a so- and you're friends with them!?" Jack's voice had that tone that just screamed for answers. Will knew the two who were in on it would explain it eventually, at least he hoped they would.
Clay sighed, stretching a leg due to standing for some time. "Yes- well, it's complicated," he sat down, and spoke while everyone else did the same. "childhood friends yes, but it's been a long time since I've last met up with him. We used to hang out in secret from both of our families, so I couldn't just go near him before now in the event his father saw me coming. But now I don't have to worry about that anymore, so at the very least it would be nice to see how he's doing."
Will glanced to see how everyone else felt. He knew Zerxes would be more neutral about it, and so focused more on Jack and Mary, who looked confused and concerned respectively. Mary looked upwards, "But doesn't... doesn't Spinos' son have a sorta hatred for Apatosaurs?", Clay meanwhile shifted his attention more towards the stegosaur.
"I'm working on that bit. Mostly it comes down to me letting him know before he thinks I'm... someone else," Will noted the sudden change in tone, and began to wonder if Clay was talking about someone specific or was just concerned with the possibility of things going south. "since we're not too far away, we should be able to meet up with him during the night. You lot rest while I deal with him. I know Zerxes finds it difficult to sleep so he'll be the one to wake you lot up if things go wrong. Should things go well, hopefully we can get back to that homestead near the afternoon tomorrow. Does that sound good?"
Will thought for the most part the plan seemed sound enough, whether or not the others thought the same was for now only guesswork. Before anyone had a chance to speak, Will decided to see how Zerxes felt about the whole plan, and found that he looked surprisingly pleased with it. He knew he didn't have any idea of knowing what Zerxes was thinking in general, but he reassured himself that Clay and his friend probably had previous ideas beforehand.
Jack cleared his throat to speak up, "It seems good, it's just- I'm not sure, I feel like there's still something missing or off about this." Things were silent after that, Will thought about how long this would last, and was about to voice his opinion on the matter. However, someone else beat him to it.
"I think I know what's going on here," Zerxes exclaimed. Will had a funny feeling he didn't mean for it to sound as loud, as his voice was much lower when continuing. "it's been a while since Clay gave out that riddle, and since then there's not exactly been much progress. In just one day you four have gone from that to a straightforward plan to finish what you wanted, and the sudden change is causing you all to have doubts on whether this progress is in any way meaningful. Your instinct is telling you that something wrong will happen that'll put you right back to square one, and that same instinct is blinding you from seeing how clear the path ahead of you is."
Once more did the atmosphere become quiet, this time however there was no thickness to it- waiting for someone to say something to being normality. No, the air was much clearer, and allowed them all to think. He had to admit Zerxes was right on the very basis of it, and from what he could see everyone else had that same thought process. "Thank you Zerxes, if it weren't for you we might've not gone through with this." Will chimed in, apparently bringing everyone else back to reality.
A surprising chuckle came from Zerxes' direction. "No seriously, the path to Spinos Jr. is right there..." Zerxes pointed towards a clearing through the forest. "And before you ask, yes that's his name as far as we know. Clay doesn't exactly remember his friend's name having not seem him since childhood, but that's all the more reason for you to seem him. It'll be up to Spinos Jr. whether or not he wants his proper name known to the rest of us." Will could agree on that, if the spinosaur wasn't keen on his name being known then it was for the best that they weren't to push such boundaries.
Clay was the first to get up and walk off, while everyone else stayed where they were. It seemed Clay noticed fairly quickly, and Jack was the one to reassure him. "If you think about it Clay, we might as well give you a head start and follow after some time, you know..." Clay seemed to get the idea of what Jack was saying, before heading off.
Before anyone could say a word, Zerxes came forth. "I know what you three are up to, and while I know he would be unimpressed with you three eavesdropping on their conversation tonight..." Zerxes released a large sigh, "I won't stop you three from doing so."
A/N: There's not too much to note here other than the introduction of a new character. Spinos Jr. will have a pretty big role in this story, probably more so than the trio we've seen so far. As you can see, I've begun to develop Buck's character a bit more in this one, and I aim to do the same for the others, at least to a varying degree.
Next Chapter: Doubtful Destinies