Chapter 3

Something worth fighting for

The hot sun began to rise over the region of North Africa, it was the peak of the dry season and temperatures were soaring to dangerous levels. While the region was prone to seasonal droughts, this time the temperature was not only warmer but the dry spell seemed to last much longer. Already as the sun's rays began to beam down upon the region temperatures began to rise up rapidly. Already the environment had drastically changed where the rivers that were once deep and rushing had now shrunk to the size of mere streams ebbing out from deeper pools.

Right now Spiny, now fully grown was now sleeping soundly on what was once his personal favourite fishing spot. As the sunrise began to shine on his face he began to stir, after the cold of the night had kept him still and dormant the warmth of the morning sun shining upon him and his massive sail was helping to warm him up. Letting out a yawn he pushed himself up and grunted in annoyance to wake up to another day where his food supply had now disappeared. It was times like these which made him appreciative of the wet season's bounty in his adult years compared to his reckless youth. Already now being warmed up enough the heat was starting to become rather unbearable for him and he needed to find shade. Clearly the mere bodies of water in the remaining pools were far from satisfactory.

There were almost no fish to be seen apart from the few that buried themselves into the mud to wait out the drought along with a handful of crocodiles, unable to have escaped in time when the rivers dried up they began to dig tunnels or small caves in the walls of the banks to hibernate through the hardships. It was rather ironic really, the very lizards Spiny looked down upon during the wet season, now he was envious of them having an advantage over him in the dry season and being able to wait out or possibly outlive him under these circumstances. Looking around he just couldn't understand or believe how a tragedy fo this scale could befall his precious home and feeding ground. The land and waters where he felt invincible and unrivalled, now he was the one fighting for survival. Staring at the barren land for several more seconds he then turned away knowing it was time to move on, his instincts spurring him on.

Realising staying here and reminiscing on the past wouldn't bring the fish back but instead bring more suffering for him, Spiny realised it was time to move on as he headed back for the only shelter that would give him a chance at survival, the oasis. Hopefully he'd have better luck in finding food there. Despite being better adept for life in water, Spiny knew it would be foolish to limit himself to just fish for it would spell disaster for him and his kind, having learned from his mother before on how to survive during the droughts. He did as he always had, and yet this time around the droughts seemed far warmer and worse than ever, but that aside he knew he had to do something if he was to have any hope of survival.

Along the way there he noticed a herd of ouranosaurus out in the open digging for water or roots beneath the parched stream beds, and already in an instant they could see him standing out in the open as he approached them. Already having entered the oasis boundaries he had lost the element of surprise. There was an old saying beggars can't afford to be picky but in this case Spiny knew a pursuit would be pointless, he ma have been capable of short bursts of speed but no way could he have the stamina to match that of the ouranosaurus. With pained regret he was forced to take a pass on them as he moved on snorting in annoyance.

As he continued to traverse through the forest, even the swampy boggy grounds beneath his feet were starting to become more compact and dry under his claws, hinting how much badly the drought had impacted the forest itself now. As much as lack of finding enough food to get him through this drought was a concern to him, he also was worried about being forced into unfamiliar territory which he knew very well was in the domain of the region's other alpha predator. While he ruled the rivers and lakes, another dinosaur made the land its personal hunting ground, and while Spiny wasn't so foolish and reckless to look for trouble especially from the region's other apex, in the dry season however, the region became a hyper competitive environment and as the only saying goes beggars can't be choosers.

The sound of vicious roars could be heard from the other side of the forest, catching his ear as he sensed a potential opportunity for a kill as he carefully proceeded, making sure not to make as much noise as he could so not to give himself away. As he reached the edge he laid low and held still so not to make a sound, as he identified the source of the noise before him, a pair of male carcharodontosaurus squaring off with one another, circling and waiting for an opportunity to strike! With the dry season in its' peak, competition for the best hunting grounds was fierce! This world was a cruel one, eat or be eaten and dominating the land was the key to survival for these dinosaurs or any other apex of a region. Since each dino needed a minimum of 60 kilos of meat daily simply to survive along with 500 square kilometres of territory each, this was a fight neither could afford to lose.

They roared ferociously at each other hoping to intimidate their opposing rival, but to no avail as both dinosaurs were starving and desperate for food. In an instant the encounter between both predators turned violent as they resorted to brute force as they began to headbutt and bite at each other's face! Spiny narrowed his eyes seeing how their claws tore deep into the scales of their opponent, drawing blood with each swipe and grabbing at one another the first chance they got! One lashed out with its tail landing a swift blow to the side of the other that was coming in for a change! Thrown off balance, the defending carcharodontosaurus lunged towards the intruder and bit hard into his face, the razor sharp teeth cutting deep through his rival's head until he pulled away! Unable to take not anymore and realising he was on the losing side of the fight, the invading male had no choice but to beat a hasty retreat back to his own domain as the victor roared in triumph!

Back in the shadows of the forest, obscured from view Spiny knew very well how formidable the apex predator of the land was which was exactly why he tended to keep within the rivers and swamps to avoid unnecessary conflict….though unfortunately in this time around he had no choice but to venture out of his comfort zone and into new territory himself, and seeing how vicious the carcharodontosaurus were in defending their domain he knew he'd have to keep his guard up at all times. After having driven off the intruder, the carcharodontosaurus then turned around and headed into another section of the forest thankfully away from where Spiny was. As much as he wanted to move on, his instincts told him there may be an opportunity yet for him as he decided to shadow the carcharodontosaurus carefully from behind, given he still expended energy defending his territory this was still a chance he couldn't pass up despite coming with risks.

A little while later the same carcharodontosaurus began stalking the ouranosaurus herd that Spiny passed by earlier in the open, as he laid low waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. While they were fast, he himself was fast too and had a speed and stamina advantage that Spiny did not. He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips greedily at his prize as one of them began to stray closer to the forest and away from the watchful eyes of the herd. Seeing an appetising looking branch in the shadow of some trees, the hadrosaur came in closer, hunger overriding its senses of caution as it began to munch upon the nutrient rich greens which also retained much moisture as a source of water for them too in the dry season. He didn't take long to enjoy it though as looking ahead it saw the large carcharodontosaurus having locked eyes with it, having closed in enough distance and was within striking range! In alarm it let out a warning cry to the rest of the herd as it ran out with the predator on its tail!

In a panic the rest of the herd scattered across the dry barren land but despite that the predator remained focused on the sole target of his choice! Tried as it might the ouranosaurus couldn't shake its pursuer off, as the heat and lack of food slowly drained its stamina while the carcharodontosaurus remained in hot pursuit! Eventually as it slowed down the carcharodontosaurus was able to catch up and deliver a savage bite to its neck! It roared in pain as the serrated blade like teeth cut through its flesh like a hot knife through butter! Blood gushed out from the wounds as it cried in pain and began to crash down to the ground weakened! The predator, bided his time and waited patiently for the ouranosaurus to slowly weaken and bleed to death, a part of it taking in sadistic pleasure in watching his prey squirm in vain as it tried to crawl away, each step it took wasted more energy and brought it closer and closer to its demise…..

Eventually as it collapsed down and accepted its' fate, the carcharodontosaurus struck down, grabbing the helpless hadrosaur in his jaws and pulled back, tearing the wind pipe and slitting its throat causing it to bleed out and lose consciousness as its life ebbed away. With its first decent kill in a long time, the carcharodontosaurus began to greedily tear into his prey and savour each bite and chunk of flesh he swallowed down. Truly this was the best success he had in days and he wasn't going to let anything ruin this moment for him. However, on dinosaur planet a fresh kill doesn't always guarantee a meal. Hearing approaching foot steps, the carcharodontosaurus looked up and was caught by surprise to see Spiny having appeared from the forest and was now heading his way! He had been closely monitoring the hunt and chase and after careful thought decided that this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up on as he headed towards the carcharodontosaurus eying the prey in his jaws.

During prime times Spiny wouldn't even think of crossing out of his swampy homes or away from the river where his main favourite food supplies were, in fact usually he'd prefer to avoid wasting valuable energy or getting into fights with other apex predators, especially given his sail needed to be protected at all times for it was his most vulnerable weak spot. However, during the dry season when food was scarce and in critical supply and equally limited options, some prizes were worth fighting for and putting your life on the line.

The carnosaur held his ground locking eyes with the spinosaurus who didn't seem to halt or change his course, it was then he knew exactly what he had in mind. With prey so hard to come by, sharing food with a potential thief was the last thing on any carnivore's mind at this point. And yet, the carcharodontosaurus had already spent much of his energy in the chase at first and didn't have the strength to turn and flee with his catch, plus seeing another intruder in his domain was already more than he could take given the drought and lack of prey to come by! He maintained a tight grip on the ouranosaurus carcass as Spiny reached in and grabbed another part of it and began to yank it away! It was a game of tug of war between both apex carnivores but it was clear Spiny had both the size and strength advantage as after a few violent tugs, each one pulling the carcharodontosaurus with him, eventually he was able to wrestle the carcass away from him much to the carnosaur's anger!

Seeing a fight was inevitable now, Spiny dropped the carcass from his jaws and snarled at the angered carcharodontosaurus! Both dinosaurs growled at roared ferociously at one another trying to intimidate each other to retreat, while also trying to avoid the possibility of conflict if possible, but in the dry season now neither could afford to back down or they'd risk starvation. Eventually, catching the carcharodontosaurus off guard Spiny launched a surprised attack swinging out his arm with brute force and delivering a devastating wound to the carnosaur's side with his massive claws and upper body strength! Enraged by the bleeding would on his side the carcharodontosaurus retaliated in rage as he tried to aim for Spiny's weak spot! The sail! Spiny was quick to respond as he shifted his centre of gravity making the carcharodontosaurus miss his target but instead grabbed an equally vulnerable spot! His neck! Spiny roared in pain as he felt the carnosaur's serrated teeth slash further through his skin and causing blood to gush out!

The carcharodontosaurus then swung Spiny around 180 degrees with the intent of doing even more damage and make Spiny bleed out before pushing him against the sandy desert floor! Knowing he couldn't last longer like this, Spiny musters all his strength to shake off his attacker but not before the teeth bit further into him and dealing even more damage! He was in excruciating pain as a result of the damage he sustained, but with food in such short supply his survival instincts would allow him to turn tail and run, also knowing if he retreated he'd put himself at risk at falling prey to his attacker! Facing the carcharodontosaurus he let out a vicious roar that this battle was for keeps! Lunging forward he bit into the carcharodontosaurus' neck and held tightly using his massive fore arms while his claws dug deeper into his attacker's sides! The carcharodontosaurus growled as he thrashed about and was able to shake Spiny off before getting pinned down, also for the fact Spiny's teeth weren't too suited to biting into large dinosaurs, another weakness ofd his specialisation.

But unwilling to give up, with one more ounce of strength as the carcharodontosaurus charged in with the intent of knocking Spiny down, the spinosaurus swung his claw down delivering a critical strike to the carnosaur's head, landing a bullseye mark on his forehead and puncturing through the skull as the carnosaur crashed to the ground now lifeless and motionless! In triumph Spiny roared as he stood atop his defeated foe….but his victory would unfortunately be short lived, as the damage he sustained from the fight was already doing its work. As he turned back to the ournaosaurus carcass, walking towards it he soon felt the heat and his exhaustion combined with his bleeding wounds finally take their toll on him as he slumped and crashed down to the ground. Exhausted, drained of energy and his injuries….were finally doing him in….and yet, he had no regrets for deep down he kn ew there were good ways to go….and this may have been one of them. Though thankfully for him, fate had another plan in store for him.

Just when he believed his life was finally over, his journey was at last at its end….a strange metal object began to hover above him as he weakly opened his eyes at the sound of whirring above him. He was surprised to see a large metal cage suddenly drop around him! Had he been alert and at full strength he could have ran to avoid it, which was not the case now. Looking around to find himself trapped inside and unable to move anywhere, he wanted to thrash about and smash his way out of this trap, but couldn't bring himself to do so at the extent of his injuries as he roared out in pain and frustration! A second approaching shadow soon came and looking ahead a strange flying transport in the shape of a black jet was coming in from the sky!

As the flying transport landed before the cage, 2 humans stepped out from it, one being a tall man with blue spiked hair in a thick coat and the other being a slightly shorter man with brown short hair. "I must say, this spinosaurus is quite an impressive specimen. Wouldn't you agree Dr Ancient?" said Seth as he eyed the enormous dinosaur before them who was now breathing heavily and weakly.

"Indeed Seth. This is a very rare find." Dr Ancient agreed with a nod, knowing the greatness of spinosaurus back in his own time and already he could see since the species was nearing extinction at this point in time it was a perfect candidate to rescue. Stepping closer he looked with sympathy at Spiny, who was only able to open his eyes very so slightly in his weakened state, lacking the strength to fight after having exhausted his remaining energy against the carcharodontosaurus from earlier. And now after all his struggle now he ends up being prisoner to some tiny mammals, at this point he had given up and was ready to be put out of his misery….but to his surprise he felt Ancient gently patting him on the snout as he reached his hand through the bar on the cage.

"Looks like you're been through quite a lot…..you poor thing…." He said pitying the poor animal as blood continued to ooze out of his deep wounds. As if he hadn't suffered enough already from the drought and lack of food. He then smiled, "Don't worry big guy, your ordeals and troubles are now over. We promise to take good care of you." Ancient said kindly to Spiny, who closed his eyes and drifted off into a long rest as beams from the cage began to fire on him making him glow blue as he turned into that of a card. Picking up the card from the gaps in the cage bars Ancient smiled knowing the technology they developed for carding dinosaurs ought to help them recover much faster and make transport and containment that much easier, they just better make sure this card and the others don't come into contact with any other elements that may cause them to activate.

While Ancient smiled pleased to see they managed to save another dinosaur not just from future extinction but also from a life of hardship, Seth on the other hand frowned with disappointment. He could see something with Ancient couldn't that the dinosaurs were capable of so much potential and power, given how Spiny persevered and fought through all kinds of struggles to become strong only to be done in like this, then being taken away to some containment lab to be locked away for eternity in a world that may never accept them for what they truly are. Not only that they were the most powerful creatures the world had ever seen and to be wiped out in extinction like this was completely unfair and disrespectful to their species he felt.

He knew deep down with some improvements only he could give them, the dinosaurs would be able to survive any extinction event the world would throw their way and should they continue surpassing every challenge and growing stronger from each success, they would eventual evolve to become the world's ultimate lifeforms and even surpassing humanity itself! And yet he also knew in all their short sightedness and lack of vision both Cretacia and Ancient would never see nor support this, thus he knew he had to take matters into his own hands at some point.

And thus comes to the conclusion of Spiny's tale as he ends up being taken in by the Ancients when he needed it most. Also reminiscent of how Spiny often was the punching bag of the Alpha Gang being used and attacked the most throughout the anime but still being strong and tough enough to be okay next time around.

Also shows how he can be tough and resilient when he needs to be as shown here how he handled the carcharodontosaurus. Something to note by as the Ancients were here in Mid Cretaceous Africa they also carded a carcharodontosaurus and deltadromeus while here too.

I have something planned for each dino though what I have for Tank I don't feel is as good compared to the others, though if anyone has suggestions feel free to let me know.

Reply to reviews

tsukikami02

-Most carnivorous dinosaurs are likely to leave their homes and families to make territories of their own at a certain point either being driven away by parents or to avoid competition from them too. So likely Spiny at this point has already split from his family. Like Drew mentioned options are limited so I make do with what I have also.

King of the rivers actually and this chapter ends off with how he was founded and turned to a card, as will the final chapter of each dinosaur.

Glad you enjoy this.

Drew Luczyński

-Not sure what would happen in real life but looking at the series Mega Beasts I feel spinosaurus was quote formidable even if it was outdated at this point.

Yes that's right I used that as my main reference.

Agreed and kentrosaurus was a jurassic dinosaur too. Tricky to find the right dinos in the right time and environment.