Chapter 1

Life in the lost world

It's the mid cretaceous period and dinosaurs are more widespread across the planet Earth more than ever, reaching every corner of the globe and having adapted to a variety of habitats and challenges the world presented before them. One place however, was rather unique and special, a land that was rather untouched or even unnoticed by many even until Rex's time, even being dubbed the lost world or the land that time forgot. For many decades Africa was a forgotten land but discoveries through history revealed Africa harboured many unique and spectacular species of dinosaurs not found anywhere else on Earth. Including a certain species that captured the imagination of many palaeontologists and was so unique and adapted to its' region that it was able to exploit its' habitat with little to no fear of competition thus enabling it to stand above almost all would be rivals during optimal times as well as being the largest known theropod dinosaur of all.

The story begins in a certain region of North Africa, where the land had 2 drastically different appearances depending on the seasons, dry and wet. During the dry season Africa was often a dry sunbaked desert with a few scattered oasis providing emergency shelters to a host of many prehistoric creatures not just dinosaurs. Today though, was in the middle of the wet season, so the region often had very large swelled rivers coursing towards the sea from the lush swamps that were home to a certain dinosaur. In a dense swamp forest encircled by the dusty deserts outside its boundaries, it was a refuge for many species that may have travelled across the desert looking for food, such as Ouranosaurus as they grazed on the marsh plants peacefully together in their herd.

Though they also provided the hunting grounds for one of the region's biggest predators, though for the time being said predator wasn't on the hunt for the plant eaters who continued with daily business as usual. As one of them passed over a 3 toed theropod footprint which had a puddle of water in it.

Further away from the open reaches of the forest where the ground was much boggier and waterlogged with mud, in a certain hidden grove deep in the marsh, a nest mound made out of dead leaves, swamp twigs and mud lay not too far from a moderately sized pool of water in the middle of the swampy forest. A mother dinosaur had laid her eggs here months ago and now after a long while her investments and efforts were about to pay off as the sounds of chirping could be heard from within it. Rustling and movement could also be heard as the hatchlings struggled hard inside to break free from their shells and push away at the nest material covering over them.

As their shells cracked the smell of their embryo fluid began to leak out and already it carried a strong scent on the wind, which was picked up by a large black and green striped abelisaurid which followed the scent and found the nest, eying it closely before approaching cautiously. Despite appearances, this dinosaur was not the mother of the nest, but instead an opportunist, as he licked its lips and hissed ravenously before closing in on the nest, jaws wide open and drooling with saliva ready to make snacks out of the newborn hatchlings inside like they were cookies in a jar! Inside the nest where it would provide little protection against the scavenger's jaws, their first glimpse of daylight along with the first face they'd ever laid their eyes on would be their last….

The Rugops was about to break into the nest and ravenously devour its newfound breakfast, it then froze as the wind carried the scent of something large and approaching. It looked around nervously as it tried to make sense of what it was feeling, but eying the large body of water the nest sat at, it stepped back nervously as a large yellow and black coloured sail emerged from the water, connected to the back of a huge carnivorous dinosaur with razor sharp claws and a crocodile shaped head! The mother spinosaurus snarled furiously towards the nest raider as she lunged towards him with her fangs bared and claws flashed!

Responding quickly, the rugops quickly retreated into the underbrush avoiding the mother's jaws calming shut on him as she let out a fierce roar to warn him never to come back and as a warning to any other would be scavengers or predators that would be within range. The threat alleviated, she turned her attention to the nest and smelled it closely, sensing the movement of the babies inside and their cries of help to their mother. In dinosaurs, especially between mother and hatchlings, smell was important as it helped form a bond that was crucial for their early survival. After checking it a few moments, the mother gently used her huge claws to tear down the walls of the nest, revealing inside several baby spinosaurus hatchlings having emerged from their shells and then stumbling out rather clumsily onto the swamp banks.

The first of which to emerge, was light grey with a purplish back and a blue hued sail on his back which was still rather short but would grow as he aged. This was Spiny, being the first of his clutch to hatch already make it out of his shell and into the world he was starting to become his mother's favourite as she lowered her snout down to where he was and sniffed him closely, checking to make sure he wasn't hurt or weak in any way before inspecting the others as they tumbled out of the nest and on the muddy ground. As Spiny took in the sights and smells of the wonderful world he came into, he chirped with enthusiasm and happiness knowing full well he was going to love it here.

As the mother eyed her hatchlings with joy as they scurried about and began fighting amongst one another with little nips and tucks, she also had some concerns of her own. They were still and vulnerable, thus they had to learn fast. Luckily for them, being an experienced mother herself she chose the perfect location to nest for this grove had everything the little carnivores needed to learn the skills they needed to survive. Starting with the nearby pools around the nest, where the only permanent residents in them surrounding their homes all year around were usually small primitive fishes and frogs congregating in the only water that would be available for them for miles during the dry season. To them though, they were now trapped and at the mercy to a brood of newly born tiny killers who took to the water quickly like….fish to water.

Armed with sharp teeth and claws, along with specialised adaptations for life in the water, the hatchlings were already well equipped to make short work of the little prey that tried desperately to hide or swim away, be it small frogs, underwater invertebrates or fish. As the babies took to the water they spread along the shallower areas where they began to work on their leg and arm muscles to control their swimming, Spiny though, was able to get a feel of his own body functions a little faster than the others as it wasn't long before he dove underwater and began to hunt for his first meal underneath the reeds or leaf litter in the water. While some followed his example and began pursuing underwater insects, even fighting over the same prey as 2 of them tugged and pulled at a frog they both caught, others either played and splashed about in the water or went back on dry land to nuzzle closely to their mother.

As mom watched them lovingly, Spiny popped his head out of the water snapping up at a dragonfly passing over him, snapping it up with ease before diving back in and before long caught a small fish in his jaws before swallowing it whole and letting out a bark in satisfaction. Truly this was the life and nothing could get better for them here for it was paradise. Though little did the young ones know, that they would soon learn the hard way that once in a while, even in a sanctuary, terror lurked within the shadows of the light only waiting until the right moment to strike.

(Hours later)

That evening, the mother spinosaurus hid her young within the marshy swamp while she went out to go fishing at the river outside the forest. As much as she didn't want to leave her babies behind given a few incidents that occurred during her absence in the past, she had no choice given it was a season for a certain fish that migrated up the rivers this time of year only and hunger drove her on. Thus she planned on not only satisfying herself she also planned to bring back some leftovers for her hatchlings. On top of that she felt confident enough in her chosen location for them too, finding it secure with enough hiding places and free from any kind of danger….or so she thought.

Unfortunately for the spinosaurus family, she wasn't the only predator on the prowl for deep in the brush, the Rugops from earlier this morning had returned having marked the scent of the nest and the hatchlings. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air eying his targets, this wasn't just for food, it was also a matter of eliminating the competition and potential future threats to his own survival. Sniffing the air and not catching a whiff of the mother spinosaurus' scent, he eyed the young hatchlings as they stayed within the nest boundaries marked by their mother, which was also underneath some thick tree roots in the marsh making it impossible to get at them to his frustration, as he laid low to ensure the wind wouldn't give away his position while also waiting for the right moment to make his move.

Oblivious to the danger lying in wait, the hatchlings waited for her though it didn't take long for boredom or curiousity to override their senses of self preservation or caution. Soon one of the young spinos, having heard the howl of an ouranosaurus further in the distance, piqued his interest as they began to venture out of the roots of the tree as he followed the direction of the sound. Not long after him, another sibling followed having seen some bubbles popping at the water nearby and taking interest decided to follow. One by one they began to leave the safety of the nest boundaries as they spread out and scattered about the marsh either hunting for small insects or fish, or wrestling about with each other.

Spiny however, being the oldest and most obedient of the lot, remained where he was as he let out a mild yawn and began to dose off for quiet nap, having had quite a tiring day. Truly this was the greatest life a dino like him could have and nothing could make it better or even ruin it if that were possible. Sadly for him, he was going to have a rude awakening not just from his nap but also from his hopeless ideal.

One of his siblings stranded a little too far from the group and feeling rather adventurous decided to explore farther off from the nest boundaries and into the darker part of the forest. As she eagerly chased a small fly which landed on what appeared to be a dark scaly tree trunk, her attention was so fixated on her prey that she didn't realise she was about to become food herself as the rugops lunged down and grabbed her in his jaws causing her to screech in pain as his bite crushed the life out of her body!

SCREECH!

The cry put the other hatchlings on alert and woke Spiny up, as he scurried to peek his head out he got the shock of his life to see one of his siblings dead in the jaws of the Rugops! As blood dripped down from the predator's teeth and onto the marsh floor, the other hatchlings sensed danger and in a panic began to scatter in fear which overrode all their senses! The Rugops swallowed his prey whole as he began to make easy pickings out of the spinosaurus hatchlings as they tried but were sadly unable out run the abelisaur's speed as he rushed around, splashing through the puddles of water and then snapping up baby after baby!

Spiny could only widen his eyes and watch in horror as his paradise was turned upside down on him! As he heard the sound of another of his siblings crying out, he shook his head and screeched out to her! As she and one remaining hatchling saw him from the hiding spot, they made run for cover! As the Rugops swallowed down his next catch, he noticed the 2 remaining hatchlings making a run for the roots again! Narrowing his eyes he roared out and rushed towards them, his teeth bared ready to snap them up!

Thankfully the hatchlings were bale to reunite with Spiny under the cover of the roots as the Rugops ended up snapping at the entrance of the hiding hole! The 3 spin-sauropod hatchlings huddled together getting as far back as they could while the Rugops remained relentless as he was ravenous! He head butted the tree a few times causing it to shake but it still wouldn't budge as it held firmly, though underneath the tiny spinosaurs could feel their roof shaking violently as they continued crying out for help from where they were. The Rugops then used his front toe claws to try and rake at the tree but only managed to crated some large scratches in it. Eventually snorting in annoyance he lowered his head and tried to force it inside through the gap in the roots as the 3 babies froze in fear at their predator's snapping jaws and drooling saliva! What's worse, the siblings could only watch helplessly like trapped rats as the Rugops seemed to edge closer and closer to them with each passing second!

They closed their eyes and got back as far as they could as they found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place…..though little did they know, the same was to be said by the very predator they were trying to hide from. As the rugops was so fixated on his cornered prey, he wasn't in top predator mode, as his hunting senses were completely focused on what was in front of his eyes his other senses were blinded to the danger approaching him from behind! With the force of what felt like a sledgehammer with sharp bladed edges at its head smash into its side the rugops roared out in pain as it was sent flying with tremendous force and into a nearby tree! As it slumped down and weakly got up, having 3 puncture marks on its side, it widened its eyes and stumbled back to see the mother spinosaurs, having returned from her fishing trip, was towering over him and roaring furiously at him!

Now the tables were turned, the rugops now was the hunted! In his weakened state he knew standing his ground to fight was out of the question, and decided to beat a hasty retreat into the marsh through there trees where she wouldn't be able to follow! Unfortunately, the damage had been done and now the mother was unwilling to let the scavenger escape after having killed off her offspring a she snarled and chased after him! With her massive strides the mother spinosaurus was able to catch up easily with the injured rugops and in an instant with her long snout she seized the intruder in her huge jaws, raising him high as she began to bite down into him! He roared in pain as her conical teeth began to grip hard into his flesh but that was just the beginning, soon after she grabbed his head and legs with her massive arms, armed with huge claws like that of meathooks!

She dug her claws deep into the flesh of the rugops causing him to roar in agony and pain as massive levels of blood poured out of his wounds as he felt himself shredded too pieces! Spiny and his siblings looked out of the roots in fear and worry as they saw how badly their mother was mangling their attacker! After thrashing about with the abelisaur in her jaws, the mother spino soon pulled her jaws back as her teeth began tearing further into the rugops causing excruciating pain and massive blood loss before dropping him to the ground and using her massive foot, stomped hard on the chest of the Rugops, crushing its ribs and ending its life as she roared out in triumph as well as in sadness upon the loss of her hatchlings.

After killing the attacker, she sniffed around hoping to catch a sign that there were survivors around, but a for a while there no response even after she let out a few calls but they went unanswered. She lowered her head and let out a low hiss as a sign of sadness believing she had failed badly, months of dedication wasted…..She was about to turn and leave, when some chirps were called back to her catching her ear as she looked back. Spiny and his remaining siblings, having been stunned by fear initially by their mother's violent actions, soon got over it as they realised they were being saved by her. As they came out of the cover one by one, she made her way to where they were and sniffed them all closely before licking them each with love and relief as they jumped up and down happy to see her again and feeling safe in her giant shadow.

Looking back and seeing her remaining offspring which were less than half the amount she started with earlier today, the loss was a huge setback for the mother dinosaur….but at least it wasn't a disaster, especially since Spiny was still there amongst the survivors. It was then, looking at the carcass of the dead rugops, she knew this grove wasn't safe anymore for them and it won't be long before more predators are drawn to here. Deciding wait was best for her young ones, she began to lead them away to find another place to settle, giving them a few growls and urging them to follow her, which they did so obediently.

As Spiny and his remaining siblings followed their mother out of the sheltered marsh to find a new home, it was then the young spinosaurus learned that the world wasn't as peaceful and perfect as he first thought, and that there was no doubt the sinister hiding amongst the beauty. He knew he had to learn fast or else his lucky day today may be his last and only one.

Hey there readers, I decided to take a small break from the Fossil League and dive into a new story, a crossover between Dinosaur King and Walking with Dinosaurs, where I do a small documentary on each of the D Team and Alpha Gang dinosaurs before they were carded by Dr Z and Dr Ancient. I plan to do 3 chapters for each of the 6 dinosaurs depicting their moment of birth, adolescence and then adulthood, starting with Spiny given he is a mid cretaceous dinosaur and likely the Ancients may have started from earlier periods to the next when carding dinosaurs in their Noah Ark Project.

This story depicts Spiny's birth being something of a trouble in paradise from his first few moments and a near brush with death and believe me he will have his fair share of challenges presented before him in the years to come. Hope you enjoyed this eventhough it will be rather short but I might alternate between Fossil League and this story here and there depending on my mood. Hope you may enjoy this short mini series.

For the swampy layout you can use Planet Dinosaur as a reference to the dense marsh or the region where Spiny hatched and grew up. Plus given Spiny often obeyed the Alpha Gang without question despite it getting him into trouble it's part of his personality which I assume is to be obedient.