A stream quietly gurgled as sunlight peeked through the trees of the woods around it. Fish lazily swam in the clear blue waters, catching sun rays on their scales occasionally. Their peace was soon disturbed when a large object floated from upstream, making the fish swim away in fright. The unknown object continued onward unbothered, then washed up on the rocky banks of the stream. The body of a baby T-rex lay there ever so still. So still that if one did not look closely, they wouldn't notice the small fall and rise of its side.
Dylan's back leg twitched and his eyes fluttered weakly as the warmth from the sun began to warm his body. Finally, copper brown eyes opened. They looked around their surroundings disorientedly, then immediately clenched shut as his stomach seemed to flip. He gagged, tossing his head to the side and throwing up water and what little remained in his stomach. Dylan groaned softly, ignoring the smell as he rested his head on the ground.
It took him a moment to register the pain throughout his body, and then another moment to remember why he was feeling pain.
Lying still, Dylan breathed slowly. He needed to find his family, but he didn't know where to begin. Everything smelled and looked different to him. The shock of the situation hit suddenly and tears gathered in his eyes. He wanted his mom. He wanted his siblings. And most of all, he wanted to go home. A dark voice at the back of his mind whispered, But you don't have a home to go back to anymore. You don't know if your family is even alive.
Dylan shook his head furiously, clenching his eyes hard. No. No! He did know that his family was alive. Mom said T-rex's were strong. All he had to do was be strong enough to find them.
The young T-rex dried his tears, standing up slowly. He looked at the woods, eyes filled with weary determination. He must be strong. He can't be scared.
Dylan pushed down the memory of the anguished cries of burning dinosaurs and the merciless crackling of the fire. He approached the edge of the woods, hesitating for a second then took a step inside.
Xxx
It took ten minutes for Dylan to finally admit that he didn't know where he was going after passing what he was sure was the same tree for the fourth time. He huffed in irritation, sitting down next to the tree. All the trees looked the same to him, and he was starting to get hungry. As if to agree with him, his stomach let out a quiet gurgle.
Dylan frowned, sniffing the air to see if there were anything he could eat around. Of course, there wasn't. Standing, Dylan wandered off in a random direction in search of prey.
His search was interrupted when he heard a deep bark sound in the distance. He paused, head tilting when a second bark sounded much closer in response to the first.
What was that?
Dylan stood up. His curiosity and his instincts were warring against each other. Should go see what made that noise or should he hide as his mother taught him?
His decision was made for him when he heard another call coming towards him on his right. Panicking, he looked around for somewhere to hide and spotted a rotten log overgrown with moss. Dylan quickly ran over and scrambled inside, forcing his body to stay still and calm his breathing.
The way the log was position made it so he couldn't see anything. So the sound of the foliage rustling, then soft grills and hisses made his heart pound in his ears.
Stay still, stay still, stay still.
The mantra continuously ran through Dylan's mind. Silence fell on the area and for a brief moment, Dylan mentally regretted hiding in the log. He didn't know what was outside. He didn't know if it was another carnivore or even if it was a bigger herbivore that could kill him. And that scared him.
He couldn't hold in his flinch as something heavy hopped onto the log, making the wood groan and some bits of dust fell around him. He could hear the thing above him sniffing the air. Sniffing for him. His body tensed when he saw a shadow fall over the entrance to the log.
A stout, fern green snout appeared into view, nostrils closing and opening with each sniff. The snout opened, showing a glimpse of robust teeth sharp enough to rip into his body like it was nothing.
Dylan wanted to move, but it felt like his body was frozen. His heart seemed as if it would explode from his chest with how fast it was beating. He was afraid that it was so loud that the creature would hear it and find him. His eyes clenched shut.
He wanted his mom. He wanted to be safe in his den with his siblings. He didn't want to die!
Just as he thought he would be discovered, another call sounded and the snout instantly disappeared. Two hind feet landed on the ground in front of the entrance, a single large, curved claw on both second toes. One of the large claws tapped the ground, then the feet swiftly ran from view. He could hear more hisses that faded as they seemingly went further away from him.
Dylan waited a minute to see if they would come back. When they didn't, his body collapsed and he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. Shaking lightly, he stumbled out of the log and looked around warily for any signs of the unknown creature. But he was alone.
"I thought I smelled something familiar, but it ended being something more...interesting." A female voice said behind him.
Dylan jumped, whirling around to see a large-to him anyway- bipedal, fern green dinosaur with long arms pulled to her chest tipped with sharp claws. Her large greenish-brown eyes watched him intently, making Dylan feel uncomfortable under her gaze.
His eyes were caught by the single, large claws on her second toes. His breath caught in his throat as he realized that this was the unknown creature.
He has been tricked.
Unknown to the young T-rex, this species of dinosaur was called a Dromaeosaurus. Though smaller than its relative, the velociraptor, it was just as dangerous.
The Dromaeosaurus slowly stalked closer, eyes trained on him still.
Dylan stepped back as she did, eyes darting around widely as more Dromaeosaurus came out of the foliage, surrounding him. He counted six in total.
"You look unfamiliar, child." She said, voice soft as if to calm him. "Lost from home?"
Dylan wasn't fooled. He knew he was easy pickings for any creature out there. So, he stood straighter. "N-No." He lied.
"Nice try, kid." One of the Dromaeosaurus, a male, said. "Lying isn't going to save you, especially since you're near Her territory."
"He's right." The female sweetly. "She doesn't like it when rival carnivores are near her territory."
"She?" Dylan questioned. He noticed one of the Dromaeosaurus shift on its feet, a look of hunger in its eyes. His legs tensed, ready to run.
"Someone you don't want to meet, child. We'll at least make your death painless."
Dylan swallowed at the female Dromaeosaurus' words. As if by some silent signal, all six of the Dromaeosaurus suddenly leaped at the young T-rex. He ducked and ran, dodging the snapping of teeth before going through one of their legs and escaping off further into the woods. He heard an enraged hiss of "After him!", then the sound of them running after him. He pushed his body to go faster.
The young T-rex panted heavily, ferns and branches slapping him in the face as he dashed through the woods to try and lose his pursuers. Heart hammering, he let out a call of distress as a last resort. If there was another carnivore nearby, maybe he could lure it towards the creatures chasing him.
Xxx
A gust of air disturbed a few leaves as a massive head reared up. A pair of yellow eyes narrowed as the head tilted slightly as if listening for something.
A beat of silence, then…
A faint call met its ears. The form turned and began stomping towards the direction of the call.
Xxx
Dylan's foot caught on a root and he let out a grunt when he hit the ground. He made to get up only for a foot to press down on his back, keeping him pinned.
"A good effort, child." The female Dromaeosaurus bared her fangs, voice mocking. "But not good enough."
The pack surrounded him again and Dylan laid still, resigned to his fate. He didn't have any strength left to struggle. The female opened her mouth and Dylan closed his eyes, waiting for the pain of sharp teeth.
Just as she was about to attack, a sudden roar tore through the air. The roar caused everything to go still and silent.
The pack of Dromaeosaurus instantly went on alert, heads tilted up to the air to scent it. The female hissed in agitation when she caught the scent of the one dinosaur she disliked the most.
Tsk. What rotten luck." She turned her attention to her pack. "Everybody, retreat!"
"What about him?" One asked. The female sneered down at the young T-rex.
"We'll try to come back for the rest of his corpse later."
With that answer, she removed her foot from his back, then she and the rest of the pack were gone. Dylan shakily got to his feet, eyes trained in the direction where he could hear the stomping footsteps approaching. His mind said to move, but his body wouldn't let him. It was tired and wanted to rest.
Louder and louder until he could feel the faint shakes of the ground, then the foliage parted, and a young adult T-rex came into view. It was the strangest T-rex he'd ever seen.
About the same size as his sisters, the T-rex was black with a grey underbelly. Its face was colored white in the resemblance of a skull, dark shadows making it seemed as if there were only eyeless voids looking at him while curved, white lines on its sides imitated ribs. Three rows of small, white spikes sat atop its neck; the middle row going down along its back and turning black while the two side rows stopped at the end of its neck.
The newcomer sniffed the air for a moment, then turned their attention to Dylan.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" They asked, voice crip and female.
Dylan blinked, stammering out a response. "Dylan. I-I'm looking for my family and ran into those-those…" He frowned when he realized he didn't know what to call the things that almost ate him.
"Dromaeosaurus." The female T-rex suppled, annoyed.
Dromaeosaurus. He had never heard of them before. The young T-rex filed the name away in his mind. He looked up, only to see his savior already walking away. He ran after her.
"Wait! Can you help me find my family?" He asked, struggling to keep up with her pace.
"Why would I leave my territory to help a hatchling search for his family?" She replied.
Dylan's legs stopped and he stared at her in shock. "B-but you saved me."
"That pack is a general annoyance. Saving you just happened to be the result."
"Fine!" He yelled, glaring at her and baring his teeth. She stopped and turned to look at him over her shoulder. "I don't need you! I'm strong enough to find them on my own!"
"I doubt it. You wouldn't make it two days without being killed, hatchling."
Dylan's eyes burned at her blunt words. He looked down and clenched his fingers. He knew he was small and that made him an easier target. His desperation to find his family outweighed his anger and pride.
"Please...Please, help me find my family." He sniffled, then promptly burst into tears. "I just want to go h-home!"
The female T-rex reared back a bit, uncomfortable at the sudden outburst. "H-hey. Kid, stop crying." But he kept on. Fearing he would attract another carnivore, she looked upwards, then let out a groan. "Fine." She conceded. "I will help you find your family if you stop crying. I don't feel like fighting today."
Dylan's tears slowed and he gazed up at her with hope in his eyes.
"You will?"
"Yes. Just stop crying." Facing forward, she resumed walking. Dylan ran after her with a small smile.
Xxx
Why was she helping the whelp? The question rang like a mantra in Malou's head as she entered into her territory. The problem was, she knew the reason, and it didn't settle with her.
T-rexes didn't help other T-rexes. The concepts of some forming packs weren't unheard of, but an adolescent or an adult T-rex would've just eaten the kid instead of helping him. Malou wasn't like that. Even as a last resort, cannabilism wasn't something she took lightly.
"So, uh, where are we going?" The kid, Dylan, asked.
"My nest." She replied curtly.
She paused when she heard the low tones of a growl from behind her. Looking behind her, she saw the kid hunched in on himself and looking embarrassed. Another growl came from him, or more precisely, his stomach.
She mentally sighed.
"Correction. We're going hunting, then we're going to my nest." Malou said, trying to hold back the desperation she felt about the situation.
She had a feeling that finding his family won't be so easy, but she had given him her word. And helping him also meant taking care of him. Her body sagged just a bit as she closed her eyes, then opened them.
"Um, okay." Dylan mumbled. He blinked and looked at her, eyes bright. "H-hey, I never got your name."
"Malou."
He made a face at her answer.
"That's a weird name."
She snorted, looking off to the side. "A weird dinosaur gave it to me."
Yeah. This day had started well, then she had somehow gained a hatchling to look after. What in the world had she gotten herself into?
