A wandering Bald eagle soared the cloudless sky, surveying its home range somewhere in the Badlands of Montana while herds of mule deer and elk grazed peacefully on the open prairie. Elsewhere, the local mountain lion was on the prowl, gracefully traversing the rocky hills in search of his next meal. The landscape was dominated by labyrinthine canyons, rocky outcrops and dried gullies as far as the eye can see. With the exception of a few scattered conifer trees and shrubs, very little vegetation grew here. For the creatures that called this seemingly inhospitable place home, it was just business as usual.
But perched upon a relatively small plateau was something that was not a natural part of the scenery: it appeared to be a giant, mechanical turtle. In the midst of the red clay of the Badlands, its teal colored carapace stood out like a polar bear in the Australian Outback. Not far from the turtle ship was a portable net standing some seven feet off the ground and stretching almost thirty feet from one end of the goal to the other. The plateau was bustling with activity on either side of the net as two different teams competed against one another in a game of volleyball.
On one side of the playing field was Chris, Aviva and Jimmy Z, the Kratt in green hopping in a Kangaroo Power Suit. Martin, Koki and Amber played on the opposite end, the older creature adventurer donning Tiger Powers. The young Velociraptor utilized her speed and agility to intercept the oncoming ball, repelling the projectile with her claws and tail.
The ball was tossed vigorously as the players kept it off the ground for as long as possible, neither side backing down. At the height of the game, when the tension at its most intense, time seemed to slow down as the green roo and the blue tiger simultaneously launched themselves from the opposite ends of the net, both of them poised to strike.
Martin struck first, claws outstretched, and sent the ball slamming to the ground with his enhanced strength.
Unfortunately, the blue tiger underestimated the force of his blow, which caused the volleyball to bounce and roll over the edge of the plateau.
"OH NO! AGHHHH!"they all screamed simultaneously. Even Amber's skin turned yellow, her eyes widened in horror as they watched the ball bounce out of sight, down to the valley below.
A moment of silence.
Martin heaved a sigh, ears lowered and tail dragging on the ground. "I'll get it." The blue tiger was just about to prepare himself for the climb down when Amber raced past him, effortlessly leaping from the rock clefts with the speed and agility of a mountain goat, making her way down into the valley below.
"Amber, wait! Come back!" Chris called out. But the young raptor paid the Kratt in green little heed as she raced off in the direction taken by the bouncing ball.
"Don't worry, dude. She'll be back."said Martin, placing a paw on his brother's shoulder. "Besides, she won't wander far."
"I'm not worried that she'll get lost," the younger Kratt dismissed. "I'm worried that someone will see her."
"Who's gonna be out here anyway?"asked the Tortuga pilot skeptically. "The nearest town is more than ten miles away."
"Jimmy's got a point. We're in the middle of nowhere." said Koki in agreement. In the midst of the desolate wilderness, the only sound that could be heard was the screeching of a passing hawk soaring overhead.
Aviva placed a gentle hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Chris. She'll be fine."
Convinced by his team, Chris allowed himself to be at ease after taking a deep breath. "I guess you guys are right."
"Have I ever not been right?"asked the older Kratt, arms crossed in confidence. In that moment, Chris, Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy Z all exchanged knowing glances before they all broke down laughing. "Don't answer that!"
Suddenly, the silence of the Badlands was broken by a woman's scream coming from somewhere down the valley.
All laughter ceased as everyone now exchanged worried glances. It was as if the world had proven them wrong.
"Uh oh!"cried the Kratt Brothers simultaneously.
No more was said as they all made their way down the plateau and raced frantically in the direction the screaming came from. "Let's go!"
With Martin leading the way with his tiger's sense of smell, the team sprinted in the direction taken by the runaway Velociraptor. They soon arrived at the bottom of a dried up riverbed where they found the young dinosaur standing just inches away from a terrified blonde woman who had her back against the rocky wall.
Amber tilted her head in confusion. Why was the lady so distraught? She had only wanted to say hello and she had never encountered another human being before other than her family. Many questions ran through her mind. Why is she shaking? Is she cold? The young raptor slowly moved her head closer before rising slightly higher, gently touching the human's neck and shoulders in a comforting gesture. But this only served to petrify the blonde even more as she hang her head down, a strangled whimper escaping her throat, too terrified to scream should it provoke the beast into tearing her to pieces.
Luckily for the cornered lady, the Wild Kratts team stepped in to intervene before things get too far out of hand. After he and his brother deactivated back to their proper forms, Martin called out to the young raptor.
"Amber! Come here, girl!"
At the sound of Martin's voice, Amber's head perked up before dashing over to her caretakers, wagging her tail in excitement. Her friskiness ceased upon noticing the technician's hard stare.
"Amber, how many times have we gotta tell you not to go running off like that?" Koki questioned sternly. The young dinosaur lowered herself submissively, casting her the apologetic look of a dog who had unknowingly displeased his master and begged for forgiveness.
Upon seeing the raptor's saddened expression, the technician's glare softened. "Oh, it's hard to stay mad at you." She then reached out to caress the apologetic reptile. Amber purred on contact. "Just be careful the next time around."
"Yeah, you really had us worried there."added Martin, scratching her chin.
"Found the ball!" Jimmy announced somewhere in the background.
As the older Kratt and computer whizz fussed over the Velociraptor, Chris and Aviva focused their attention to the woman who remained motionless, just as though she turned to stone. "Are you alright, ma'am?"asked the Kratt in green.
"¿Estás bien señora?"repeated Aviva in Spanish.
After what felt like an eternity, the blonde found the voice to respond. "I– I'm alright." She lifted her head up, revealing blue eyes and a very familiar face. "Hold on a minute. Chris? Aviva?"
The couple reeled back, stunned to say the very least. "Ellie?" Aviva asked.
"Dr. Sattler?"questioned Chris.
The woman they had rescued was none other than Dr. Ellie Sattler.
Aviva was the first to recover from her shock, now beaming a bright smile. "Ellie!" Almost before she caught her breath, the paleobotanist felt herself wrapped in the inventor's tight embrace. "It's so good to see you!"
Sliding down the escarpment, Martin, Jimmy and Koki immediately joined in, the technician making a beeline for Ellie and Aviva, adding to the group hug. "Ellie! How you been, girl?"
"Koki! It's so good to see you guys too!"the paleobotanist replied with a beaming smile.
The three boys hung to the sides until they too were pulled into the group hug.
"I just can't believe you're all here!"cried the paleobotanist in excitement. "What brings you guys here?"
"Oh you know, just going wherever the creature trail takes us." Martin replied nonchalantly.
"We just happened to be camped nearby,"added Koki.
"Wait."said Chris thoughtfully, gesturing towards Ellie. "If you're here, then that means–"
"Ellie!"
All eyes turned to the direction whence the new voice had come from. Before too long, a man in dusty outdoors clothing and a brim hat slid down the dried gully towards them, or more specifically, towards Ellie.
"Ellie, are you alright?"the man inquired, concern evident in his blue eyes.
"I'm fine, Alan."the paleobotanist replied, all smiles, her azure eyes beaming with excitement. "Look who I just ran into,"
At that moment, Alan became aware of the surrounding audience. His eyes widened in recognition.
"Alan!" Almost before he got his bearings, Dr. Alan Grant found himself being tackled as the two Kratt Brothers pulled him in a tight bear hug. The paleontologist accepted the hug, albeit rather stiffly. But he smiled nonetheless.
"Martin! Chris! What a pleasant surprise!"
"How goes it Dr. AG?"greeted the Tortuga pilot, giving the paleontologist a fist bump once he was free from the brothers' crushing embrace.
"Dr. AG?" Ellie repeated incredulously, stifling a giggle.
"Don't ask." Koki replied as she and Aviva chuckled.
In an instant, the paleobotanist remembered something. "Wait a minute."she said with a concerned look. "Where's the raptor?"
Grant was puzzled. "Raptor?" His answer came in the form of hot, snorting breaths behind his neck. Spinning around at 360 degrees, he came face to face with a scaly, pointed face sniffing at him curiously, causing the bone digger to jump out of his skin. Ellie gasped in fright.
"Holy–What in God's name is going on?!"
The Wild Kratts team stood to the sides awkwardly. "Oh right!" the older Kratt interjected. "Alan, Ellie, this is Amber. Amber, meet Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler, dino duo extraordinaire." The way Martin handled the introductions, he may as well have been introducing a very old friend instead of a ravenous prehistoric predator. To the duo's surprise, Amber showed no outward display of aggression, but rather tilted her head, sniffing inquisitively.
"Amber?"he paleobotanist questioned incredulously.
"Are you crazy?!"the bone digger snapped. The raptor proceeded to get close, too close for Alan's liking. "Back! Stay back!" He attempted to shoo the beast by swinging his arm from side to side, armed with the only thing readily at his disposal: a fossilized raptor claw.
"No, don't! She's harmless!" Martin protested.
Amber jumped back, more surprised than frightened at the man's outburst as she cocked her head. Her golden eyes widened as she caught a glimpse at the curved object in his hand. As Alan continued to swing, so the young dinosaur's curiosity grew as she kept the claw in her line of sight, her head following the movement.
The claw was just like her own. Where did he get that?
Eventually Grant ceased his movement, intrigued by the creature's curiosity as it sniffed the claw in his grasp. Those head movements. They were very birdlike. Many questions flooded the paleontologist's mind, his initial fear gone: where did this raptor come from? And how was she so docile? As Ellie made her greetings to Amber, the scientist in him soon found himself asking more academic questions: what was her metabolism? How fast can she run? What was her intelligence level?
"Is everything alright Dr. Grant?"came a young voice, interrupting Alan's train of thought. All eyes turned to the top of the ravine to reveal a number of boys and girls, the eldest no older than preteens, all donned in outdoor clothing and backpacks.
"Children, here's some very nice people we'd like to–" However, Ellie never got to finish introductions when the oldest boy said, "Martin? Chris? Is that you?"
"The Wild Kratts are here!" the youngest chirped.
It wasn't long before they all slid down the escarpment to greet their idols. The Wild Kratts team for their part beamed positively, as they recognized this particular group of children.
"Gavin! Aidan! Ronan! Nolan! Jenny!" Unknown to the Wild Kratts kids, Martin motioned for Amber to move behind him to avoid detection. "It's good to see you all again!"
"What're you guys doing here?"asked Chris, understanding the signals; he wasted no time in moving to his brother's side to cover for the raptor.
"Oh, we're here for the Summer Junior Paleontologist program." Gavin answered.
"We're learning so much about paleontology!"added Ronan.
"And dinosaurs!" Nolan chirped.
"I think I might become a paleontologist when I grow up!"said Jenny cheerfully.
"Are you here for the digs too?"asked Aidan.
All eyes turned back to the paleontological pair. "I thought you said that Alan 'wasn't too fond of kids'."said Aviva slyly, arms folded.
"About that..." Alan began, sheepishly rubbing his shoulder. "After the park, Ellie and I decided to open up a summer program for kids and young adults to teach and educate the next generation of paleontologists."
Martin was quick to voice his opinion. "I think that's a great idea!"
Chris nodded in agreement. "Me too."
"Your adventures had left a huge impact on Alan." Ellie said with a smile. "He says you guys have really inspired him."
"To answer your question, kids, we didn't know about Alan's–"the younger Kratt felt a hard nudge from his girlfriend's elbow, "I mean, Dr. Grant's program until just now."
"Yeah, we just happened to be passing by, looking for umm..." stammered Martin, fumbling for an excuse, "... for lizards! Like that six-lined racerunner over there!" All eyes turned to the direction the Kratt in blue pointed, and sure enough there was a striped lizard basking on a rock.
Unfortunately, the racerunner had not gone unnoticed by Amber's sharp eyes either. Triggered by some unstoppable urge, the young raptor sprang out from behind her caretakers to chase after the lizard.
"Sweetie, no!"cried Aviva as she, Koki, and Jimmy tried to pull her back into hiding, the pilot tugging at the dinosaur's tail while the girls halted her advance. Thanks to the Wild Kratts tech crew's efforts, the the racerunner managed to escape. But it was too late; Amber's cover had been blown.
Reactions were mixed to say the least. Grant pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering curses, while Ellie smiled nervously; the Kratt Brothers had sheepish grins whereas Aviva, Koki and Jimmy Z wore mortified expressions on their faces. The children were completely wide eyed; shock or fear, it was impossible to tell.
But one thing was for certain: the cat– or raptor, was out of the bag. The lizard long forgotten, the raptor in question was tilting her head, sniffing curiously, intrigued by these little hairless creatures standing before her.
"Busted..." JZ said halfheartedly.
Aviva sighed. "Ay yi yi,"
"Oh boy. Let the screaming commence." Koki mumbled. But the screaming never came.
To say that the Wild Kratts kids were amazed would be a grave understatement.
"Wow!"
"A living Velociraptor!"
"That's so cool!"
The Wild Kratts team was speechless to say the very least; this was certainly not the kind of reaction they were expecting.
**** Several Hours Later...****
Along the dry riverbed, the children were exploring the fossil quarry for pieces and fragments of the prehistoric past, assisted by the Wild Kratts team. Not far away, the activities were supervised under the watchful eyes of the paleontological duo.
"Ms. Ellie! I think I found a fossilized leaf!" Jenny announced, catching Ellie's attention as she ran up to the paleobotanist, carrying a flat slab of stone in hand.
"Nice work, Jenny!" Ellie praised. "Someday you might be a paleobotanist too," The girl positively beamed as she handed Ellie the rock, which measured eight inches across and covered by darkened impressions, as though the shapes were ironed into the very stone. The seasoned scientist began to analyze the fossil in depth. "Probably a ginkgo leaf. You can tell from the fanlike shape."
"How did it get that way?"
"This is what is called a compression fossil. These plant fossils are two-dimensional imprints of plants that have been transformed during the fossilization process and smashed into a flat impression of the plant they once were. Almost like a stamp. These fossils often retain some organic matter and they provide important information concerning the external morpholog especially the planar structure of organisms. In plants, the cuticle is often preserved, providing cellular information of the plant."
The young girl was amazed to say the very least as she once again held the fossil in fascination. "Wow,"
Suddenly, hot blasts of air assaulted the back of the girl's neck. Jenny looked over her shoulder where her green eyes were greeted by a pair of golden orbs staring right back.
The girl smiled. "Hi, Amber. Wanna see what I found?"
To Alan and Ellie's surprise, Amber was gentle and affectionate with the children to whom she had taken an immediate liking, a far cry from the ruthless, calculating, and cold hearted beasts that stalked them relentlessly in the recent past, and still haunted their dreams. And the kids, for their part, showed not even the slightest trace of fear of the seemingly frightening predator in their midst. The team of eccentric creature adventurers had obviously had a hand in teaching them the respect for all living things no matter how fierce or scary.
"I found a tooth!"called Gavin, holding out a nine-inch fang.
"Awesome!"said the Kratt Brothers.
"Cool." Jimmy commented.
"Increíble."murmured Aviva.
"Look at the size of that thing!" Koki remarked.
"Judging from the shape of the tooth, this has to be from a theropod dinosaur, a meat-eater."said Chris.
The tooth's discoverer was ecstatic to say the very least. "Cool!"
"And by the looks of it, it's gotta be a big one."the older Kratt commented.
"Does that mean we'll find another dinosaur around here?"asked Ronan, addressing .
"Possibly, but unlikely." the seasoned paleontologist replied honestly as he analyzed the tooth. "Like sharks or alligators, dinosaur teeth were constantly replaced throughout their lifetime, so this could have fallen out while the animal was alive."
As Amber looked at the massive serrated tooth, her curiosity grew. Not long ago she had rummaged through the team's collection of various animal teeth discarded in natural causes, but none were quite like this one. What sort of animal has teeth like that?
"So can you tell what dinosaur that tooth belongs to?" Aiden asked.
"I bet it's a T-rex!" Nolan chimed.
Unknown to everyone else, Martin and Chris chuckled as they exchanged sly glances, for Martin had an identical tooth hidden somewhere in his backpack. Aviva, Koki and Jimmy Z knew the answer as well and kept silent.
Grant smiled. "Most carnivores like the Velociraptor typically have flat, blade like teeth, similar to a steak knife for cutting meat. This tooth, however, is thick and rounded, more like a killer banana." the children couldn't help but laugh at the comparison. The paleontologist went on. "This tooth is designed to pierce flesh and crush bone. And the rock in this area is over 65 million years old. Late Cretaceous."
"And around here, there's only one meat-eater with teeth this big." Ellie concluded.
"Tyrannosaurus rex..." said the Kratt Brothers simultaneously.
"I knew it! It was a T-rex!" Little Nolan exclaimed triumphantly.
Rising from the rock he was sitting on, Dr. Grant motioned with his hand saying, "This way, kids."
The group walked in single file as they followed the veteran paleontologist further down the riverbed, his steely blue eyes focused along the rocky walls.
"How are fossils made anyway?" Jimmy asked.
"Good question, Jimmy." Grant replied over his shoulder, delighted to have a good topic for a lecture. "Fossils are formed in a number of different ways, but most are formed when a plant or animal dies in a watery environment and is buried in mud and silt. Soft tissues quickly decompose leaving the hard bones or shells behind. Over time sediment builds over the top and hardens into rock."
"So what you're saying is that dinosaur bones are technically copies made of rock?" the pilot questioned, mulling over what they had been told.
"That's right, Jimmy."the computer whizz replied. "The calcium in the bones is replaced during fossilization,"
"That is correct." Ellie nodded in confirmation. "But they can still tell you about the animal that left them."
Alan continued, "And it's not just bones: footprints, skin impressions, egg shells, feathers, teeth. Even fossilized dung. Well ladies and gentlemen, here we are."
Finally, the procession stopped before a stony wall, where imbedded within rock face were the skeletal remains of a large duckbill dinosaur.
"Increíble." murmured Aviva.
"Wicked.." added Jimmy Z.
"Whoa..." said the Kratt Brothers. "A hadrosaur!"
"Wow,"the junior paleontologists were no less amazed by the fossil bones which easily measured thirty-feet from bill to tail.
Grant nodded. "Edmontosaurus. We sometimes call these the cows of the Cretaceous, they're everywhere."
No one could be sure how long they stood there, gazing up at the bones in awe and fascination; the wide eyed children looked up, imagining what the owner of these ancient remains would have been like in life; waves of nostalgia swept over the Wild Kratts team as they remembered the awe and wonder of seeing these larger than life creatures in the flesh. But none were more spellbound than Amber. As she looked up at the long gone colossus, there was something about these bones that was strange yet eerily familiar, like a memory from some bygone age. But overall, they were so unlike anything she had ever seen before. How did she feel a connection to long dead bones of a creature that was so much like her, yet so vastly different? Who was she, and where–
"Where did Amber come from?" Gavin asked, breaking the silent spell.
"Yeah." Jenny adder. "Aren't Velociraptors 'sposed to be extinct?"
At this the adults all exchanged glances. Amber tilted her head, seemingly demanding an explanation of the unfamiliar word. She didn't smell bad, did she?
"It's a long story,"said Chris warily, rubbing his neck. How were they supposed to tell the kids without being hounded by InGen?
"And one we can tell once we're back at the museum," Alan quickly interjected. He then turned his attention to the Wild Kratts team. "You all come too."
**** Surprise! Sorry for the very long hiatus, I was so caught up in my other stories, not to mention it took a while to come up with a solid idea for this chapter. But luckily I couldn't stay away from this story too long.
Here, we also meet some surprise guests in this chapter, namely Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler. Personally I believe that Alan's time with the Kratt Brothers would further hasten his acceptance of children that we've seen at the end of the first movie. And that's where the WK kids came in. Of all people, it's children who are the most deeply fascinated by dinosaurs and as I know, some of us never truly outgrow that prehistoric love..
The good news is that the hard part is over and I have a very clear idea where the story's gonna pick up from here. From here on out it'll be crystal clear, but don't expect me to update right away. (Other stories...) In case it wasn't very clear, this is mostly a story of self discovery as Amber is learning not only what, but also who she is, and the WK team are along for the ride..
In the next chapter we'll be exploring the natural history of the dinosaurs and Amber's origins are brought into light..
Until then, I'll see y'all on the creature trail!
