Chapter Seven - Act 1 - Gifts From Above
Rain was a fickle thing to deal with at times, storms even more so. While he knew his father wanted to be out there maintaining the longhorns, Nash had agreed with the others that staying inside was the best option. It was difficult to even hear the herd over the tremendous noise, made only worse by the thunder from high up. Though it was annoying having to stay inside, it did allow the three of them to be alone together, something that had become a rare experience these days. Reminiscing over more simpler times became a quick subject between Ramsey and Butch, though it soon became too much for him to bare. Quite frankly Nash felt things were better at the homestead, after spending his whole life roaming the lands it felt fresh to be in one place. The others didn't have the same opinions, but he could understand their point of view.
Still though, the homestead had enough quirks, not even including those that lived here. And while he wouldn't say it out loud, it was nice to have someone other than Butch stop most of the playful fights between him and his sister, he knew his father had to be at least thankful of that. As the storm grew stronger passing over, it seemed likely that it could possibly last all day and into the night, and with not much to do in the meantime it made sense that everyone sought the opportunity to rest until it was gone. Nash on the contrary remained fully awake, looking outside to see the torrential rain as the rushing sound of the river became more audible. It was usual for the river to intensify, and everyone made sure that it couldn't flood the surrounding lands for a case just like this one. How much rain the defenses could withstand was not something they wanted the answer to, and the possibility of a more sudden flood was a real threat.
Nash concluded that among other things was one of the reasons for him keeping watch from inside, he couldn't see if anyone from the other homesteads were doing the same, though he could probably guess who was the most likely to do so. Left to his own thoughts he thought more of the meeting earlier in the day, he still stood by his decision to allow an expedition, even if it felt hypocritical coming from someone who didn't mind staying put in a single place. The way he saw it, if his friends felt the expedition was needed then he wouldn't stop them from doing so, after all some of them hadn't even left the farm their whole lives, so perhaps they were in a similar but opposite situation to the one he was in. He had heard about Buck wanting to go out for some adventure, which only confirmed his beliefs.
Somehow through the midst of his train of thought, he thought he could sense something from beyond the basin. By the time he focused back on whatever it was, the sensation was gone as if it wasn't there to begin with. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks, there was no way to tell for sure, what it did do though was keep his focus to the outside. Only at that moment did he realise the rain had begun to slow down, and the worst of the storm was now passing. Nash anticipated a break in the cloud layer moving from the mountains were he to go out and look, and a part of him dared to do just that. Then again, it could've easily been a pause before an even worse part came about right when he went outside.
Eventually though, the rain had calmed to the point where he was more than sure that the storm was passing over, even seeing a clearing off to the southern side. Carefully he nudged his sister and father awake, and assured them that the storm was now passing over before stepping outside to see what things were like behind the mountains. Before looking, he noticed everyone else leaving their homesteads to take a look as well, and since their homes had some back-openings he assumed they too knew the storm was finally beginning to subside.
Instead, the sky above the mountains couldn't be any darker, and it became surprising how little thunder and lightning came from such a cloud formation. As the clouds twisted around, it seemed inevitable that it would become a column that would eventually touch down and reek havoc, but it never budged. A similar formation began to form within the part of the storm that had just gone by, until the two parts looked the same. He had seen many shapes of cloud before, but none like this one. Nash turned and asked his father if he had seen something like this before, however the lack of any acknowledgement of his question was all the answer needed.
"Poppa, what is that storm?" Nash looked over to listen in on Arlo's query, in case anyone near also had an answer. He know how reliant the apatosaurs were on the weather, making them the best bet of figuring out what was going on.
Fortunately, Henry seemed to have some idea of what it may be. "It might be a twister, but those don't normally happen here. We might have to evacuate the whole basin if it develops enough." The specific word Nash hadn't heard of before, but he could make a decent guess that it was certainly not something to be near.
As many started to question what would happen next, a deep rumbling roared from above, possibly higher up than the threatening storm. Many had began to head back into their respective homesteads, before a hint of a glow manifested from the formation closest to the mountains. With the glow becoming ever brighter, Nash could only assume something was about to blast through the clouds, some kind of object to fall from the sky and land directly on top of the mountains. Indeed something large did pierce through those clouds, and such object was surrounded by smoke and fire. It's speed was rather slow for an object of such size, and for a moment it almost seemed like it was slowing.
Many who were still outside stood in complete shock and awe as it became ever clearer that that object wasn't simply falling, more like it was trying to not hit the ground as if it were some bird trying to regain control of its wings. With its apparent size increasing, Nash finally headed back into the homestead with Ramsey and Butch in fear that it could end up crashing right on the farm in such short notice. The aggressive sounds became almost deafening, consuming all other sounds as it felt like it was directly on top of them, and the ground itself began to shake at such ferocious noise.
Despite all preparation for a quick end, nothing ever came about as the sounds of the object began to die down. In such confusion Nash went back out of the homestead much to his sibling's protest, and could not believe his eyes seeing the once-falling object now soaring back up into the clouds leaving nothing but a trail of smoke and debris that were now falling to the ground. When the object had fully disappeared into the clouds, the noise soon became an echo of what it once was a mere moment ago.
"Is it over?" He heard his sister whisper to their father as they both ventured from their homestead. Barely anything was displaced, save for any crops which looked as if there was gale-force winds blasted at them. Quickly they checked to see how the longhorns were doing, only to find them completely gone.
"Me 'n Ramsey will head on out to find those longhorn, you don't mind staying to help them?" Knowing the question was directed at him, he gave a nod before seeing them cross the bridge to return the herd back.
Watching everyone else slowly come out to see what had happened, Nash noticed that the storm was quickly dissipating, with the clouds breaking up allowing the sun to once more shine upon the land. Even the fiery smoke had dispersed enough for all to see the debris that were now raining down all over the place. Most that landed around the farm weren't that large, the size of a single boulder that would make up one of their homes was about as big as it ever got. Upon close examination some debris even looked like rock, just shinier and almost perfectly smooth save for any sharp edges. Most solid objects were rather light as well, and everyone felt the need to participate in collecting as much of the debris as possible, even with stuff still falling from the sky.
It was relatively easy in telling everyone else what happened as well as where his sister and father had gone off to, though found it better to contribute to finding everything that had fallen until his family came back with the herd. Upon searching outside the main farmland and within the tall grass, it became clear there were larger objects to be found, some being as large as Arlie and some so heavy that eventually all three Tyrannosaurs had to carry them over to where other pieces were being placed. Even with the large objects out of the way, there were likely smaller objects hidden within the grass, leaving many to realise the entire day might be spent just collecting all that had fallen within their territory.
Things became only more tedious when reviewing the things that had taken some time to fall. Flexible white sheets of some kind littered the place, each covered with a unique set of patterns that showed some kind of meaning but none that was known to anyone around. It became clear very quickly that there was a lot of these sheets, and they were just as scattered around if not more so due to the way they fell; similar to the way leaves would fall.
Out of nowhere, a pained scream sounded within the middle of the tall grass, coming from none other than Henry himself. Everyone rushed on by to try and help, but all that could be done was for the apatosaur to slowly limp to the nearest clearing. Eventually reaching such a place, Nash knew things weren't going to be easy, and he knew everyone else would reach that conclusion when they had a chance to see what had happened. Henry could only exclaim in shock when he too stared down on what was wrong. The more he thought about it, the more Nash knew Henry's initial reaction back within the tall grass was fitting, after all, he could only imagine what pain Henry was under with an object now clamped around his leg.
Will and his friends had seen many things along their adventures across the land, so many landscapes, such variety of weather phenomena, and an absurd amount of encounters along the way. Nothing of those could remotely compare to what took place right before their very eyes. They had seen everything from their safe distance, though even they thought at one point they would be the ones to get hit. Instead nothing came about their way, and they had watched that object right to the moment it shot back up through the clouds. With so much that happened in such little time, he wasn't surprised that no one had said anything, instead they were all observing the homesteaders and their current operations.
"What are they doing?" Spinos looked across to the homestead in disgust, it wasn't hard to see why he was so puzzled by their actions, given such unusual response to what happened. "Collecting stuff that came from that thing, that's what it looks like at least." Jack responded. It was indeed curious seeing what was going on down there, seeing all efforts to do collect the pieces and make sense of it all. As the adrenaline rush began to fade, even the five overlooking the basin began to question just what they saw.
There wasn't any clear option as of what it could be, and the only clues were down there being collected. In that moment Will caught an idea; perhaps this was just what they needed to get to them, and giving the alibi of merely passing by only to witness the object would be perfect for Clay and Spinos Jr. to have the chance to ask their questions along the way of helping figure out what exactly came from the clouds. A small collaborative effort with the opportunity to finish what had been desired by their friend was the closest thing to perfection possible.
"I think we should stay here." Clay said aloud at random, surprising the others including Will. Staying here seemed to go against the very idea he had momentarily found. "I'm sorry Clay, but going down there seems like the more sensible thing to do," Mary interjected, having a similar idea to Will's. "we could help them out, and while doing so you and Spinos Jr. can do what you wanted to do. Say we were just passing by when we saw that thing come down. I don't see the problem with doing that, waiting here for some time should be more complicated."
Though it felt like Mary had said what she needed to persuade Clay, the apatosaur saw a different perspective. "I think it's the other way around. Think about it, they've literally just had something from the sky come falling, nearly hitting them in the process, and now you want us to also make ourselves known when they're recovering from what happened? It's too much in one day, even for them, they would be a little too jumpy and alert to really have a conversation. However if we stay here, I think they may actually try to go for that little riddle I gave out."
Will had to mentally catch up on the conversation as soon as Mary spat "But what's that gotta do with-"
"That riddle wasn't meant to be told for fun, you know?" Clay interjected, "May I remind you I need to speak with one of them preferably alone. They can't go after something beyond the farm and protect it at the same time, which is why that riddle was meant to have at least a group of them go and see what it's about. It matters not if whom I need to converse with stays or not, merely the fact that I can talk to them in peace. I know it sounds a bit- okay maybe a big bit selfish, but this is also for Spinos Jr's sake too. Trust me, it's less complicated this way, for things to happen at a more even pace like this, than to have them on edge with the five... possibly six of us here."
Will noted the others, Spinos Jr. included, not saying a word. He couldn't tell whether or not Clay had been genuine with his words, though they easily came across that way, but it was still odd to see Clay act so coldly towards his friends as well as the ones they were currently observing. But one thing was clear to them, being Clay's desire to meet one of the homesteaders and talking with them alone was going to overrule most requests to go for any quicker way of doing things. That then, led to a question he and probably his peers were secretly asking; just who amongst the homesteaders was Clay trying to single out and talk to.
Frankly, the same question could be applied to Spinos Jr. as well, as their goals seemed to be in line. While Zerxes would make for a third contender for such queries, Will seemed to think otherwise, more that the dinosaur was merely supporting Clay much like they were. No, the focus was solely on Clay and his young-childhood friend. One of the homesteaders had influenced their lives in some way to have them want to speak to them, but without actually knowing any of them, Will knew he couldn't simply narrow it down.
It didn't stop him from trying though.
As the day past, their vantage point provided many opportunities. The most interesting, to Will at least, was just how much could be heard from where they were. He knew why it was possible to hear conversations from miles away - the fact that the homestead was inside a basin that could bounce noise around - and he had a suspicion that Clay had found this spot to be the perfect place for all of that sound to amplify towards. Still, it felt as though they were a quarter the distance to the nearest patch of farmland, which gave Will many conflicted feelings about the situation.
On one side, it made things easier to pinpoint who was saying what, to gather at least some information on who they were going to eventually meet up with. At the same time, the homesteaders were oblivious to the fact that they weren't alone, meaning that at least some of the conversations he could hear had to at least be somewhat private. To say he wasn't comfortable with eavesdropping was an understatement, hence the confliction behind it all. If there was any good light to it all, it was knowing that he was doing this so Mary and Jack didn't have to. All he would need to tell them was mere basics on who they were going to meet, there was no point giving them every word said from across the basin.
As if on queue, he glanced to his side to find Zerxes laying down beside him, also listening in. While at first surprised, he got up and looked at his surroundings. It made sense that the two were alone, he had heard that Zerxes preferred one-on-one interactions. Still, the sudden appearance had him on edge a little.
"I understand you're not into this sort of thing Will. It indeed feels wrong to know things about others that normally wouldn't be said if they knew there were others around. Still, you at least have to give credit to Clay where it's due, he's doing his best."
Zerxes had spoken so casually, as if the two had already been well acquainted, that it was almost startling for the triceratops. Not knowing for sure what to do next, be it letting the others know or simply walking away, he remained where his stood, waiting for any sign of comfort. At the very least, his acquaintance gave him that eventually. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable being near me, I should've at least given you a heads up on that. What I do want to say is, at least understand where Clay is coming from."
That seemed to do the trick for Will. There was something Zerxes was hiding, and he knew Zerxes was baiting him with that knowledge. Cautiously, Will sat back down to once again look upon the homestead which seemed so small compared to the mountains behind.
"It's not easy, seeing why Clay has an interest for a certain individual down there. He's not given any specifics I assume, and I guess if you knew why you'd also understand. Please know, this is regarding something very personal to him, he probably would've given you all the information if it was anything less than that."
Now it was Will's turn to put a focus on the conversation, "What I don't understand is, why do you and Spinos Jr. get that luxury?"
Not exactly expecting much to come from the dinosaur beside him, Zerxes instead huffed a brief breath of laughter. "Because he was a child when we were friends with him, it's easier for him to talk openly to someone they knew from their younger days. Granted, you three have probably known him for a good amount of years, but I guess he feels as though we can relate more to his... condition." Will paused his mindset at that, not knowing if Zerxes was referring to the infection on Clay's leg, or the current predicament over the homestead.
"You've been watching over long enough to knew at least a few of who's down there. Who do you think Clay is most likely wanting to talk to?" Will knew there was some other question underneath the one Zerxes had asked, and he eventually made sense of it. "I think you're asking me who he's least likely, rather than most."
Will took a turn to face Zerxes, who looked intrigued by the sudden turnaround. "Out of you three, I was assuming Mary would be the first to see how I think, and indeed I had expected her to be here instead of you. Even so, you are quite right, I know you don't have a clue since you haven't made sense of all of them down there, but I knew you'd at least remove the ones you have heard conversations from down there. I guess as a sort of reward for that little insight, I can tell you it's one of the apatosaurs, which I guess narrows it down by a lot huh? My point regardless, as much as Clay may come rub you the wrong way the closer he gets to this little goal of his, there's reason behind it."
Zerxes had gone silent, but continued looking at Will as if expecting an answer to some unspoken question. "I think I understand. What's to happen today?" He felt the current topic regarding the denizens of the Clawtooth Basin had been talked about enough for the time being, now he only wanted to know what exactly they were going to do for the day given how thrown off their former plans were.
"I believe Clay is waiting until the evening before he can say on what happens. He might be expecting them to find that riddle today for all I know. What I do know, is that he's going to make sure this goes smooth for you all. Who knows, he might even split this little group up to account for all possibilities. Not that I'm saying he would by the way, but it is an option he has." Before Will could say anything, Zerxes had walked off beyond view. What amazed Will was just how quiet Zerxes was at doing so. Possibly had experience, knowing him, Will thought.
No sooner had he set his focus back on Clawtooth again, did he hear someone call out his name. "There you are. How are things?" Jack asked as he and Mary came by, Will gave the usual response, before telling them the mere basic information of what he had heard. While doing so, Will payed close attention to the homestead, seeing that there were more outside now than before. While he was still agitated by the thought of spying on them, he hoped Zerxes was right about Clay.
A/N: And that's the end of act 1. Nothing too much to say here, aside from the reference to one of my prior stories as well as more characterisation. It will definitely take a while for me to get act 2 done, both since it's longer and there more stuff going on within the story, but I will get through with it.
Next Chapter: Mission Outbound