The female Allosaurus rested in the shade of a large, dead tree, taking refuge from the burning heat of the relentless sun. The sky was cloudless, intensifying the heat as it superheated the dried ground of the parchy plains. She sat in the tree's shade and panted; it was midday, and energy had to be reduced to prevent overheating.
It was the dry season and three months since any rain. During the dry season, food and water were scarce for all animals, including Allosaurus. The large herbivores she preyed on were clustered around a few, widely distributed watering holes, drawn to them by the need for both food and water; this drew predators to the same spots, leading to increased competition. She had resorted to scavenging in order to survive; feeding on the corpses of animals that had died due to lack of food and water. Suddenly, in the corner of her eyes, she saw a gleaming light. That was new. Three small figures emerged from the light before it disappeared. That was new, too. She'd better go investigate.
Drew Luczynski was sitting in his office, waiting. Standing or sitting near him were Leon Gilbertson, Adrian Sky and Jack and Alice Denham, all bored. Leon was calmly flipping through the journal, Jack was looking at the celling (for no discernible reason) and tapping his feet impatiently, Alice was looking at her watch, whilst Adrian was looking out of the window. Suddenly, a voice sarcastically noted, "Well, I'm glad to see you intended to go without me". They turned to see Cynthia walking towards them, a smug expression on her face. "Where were you?", an puzzled Jack asked, "You were supposed to be here five minutes ago". In response, she rolled her eyes and replied, "I had some business at the Coelophysis pen; that's why I was late. Sue me. Anyway, what are we going after?"
Drew looked at her suspiciously and cleared his throat, ""The Late Jurassic was the age of giants; it was the time where dinosaurs really got big," Drew explained, flicking through pages of the file. "The best fossils of the time have been found in a place in North America called the Morrison Formation, which happens to be one of the richest fossil sites in the world." He briefly paused and continued, "Theodore and I couldn't decide on which location we wanted to go to, Colorado or Wyoming, so we just picked both. For this mission, we are splitting the team; Cynthia and Leon are coming with me", he gestured to them, "to Wyoming, 155 million years ago, in the dry season. Whereas you three", he gestured to Jack, Alice and Adrian, "are going to Colorado, 152 million years ago, during the wet season". He then proceeded to hand them a small journal and a remote. "As you know, you use the journal to identify any animals you see and, of course, you have a portal remote. Anyway, I would love to stay and chat with you three but we have to prepare. Be careful and remember; no species left behind."
At the portal site, an employee entered the first time period and location and the portal flared to life at the push of a button. Shortly after, the portal opened again. Jack put the portal remote in his pocket and secured it. He turned to Alice, who both gave him a thumbs-up. Jack returned their gestures and smiled at them and they went through the gleaming portal.
Afterwards, it was the Wyoming team's turn. After the portal's location and time had been entered. Drew put the portal remote in his pocket and, after making sure the remote was secured , he turned to Leon and Cynthia, who nodded at him. He nodded in turn, and they entered through the portal.
After the blinding light from the portal dimmed down, the first thing that hit the three adventurers was the heat; other eras had been hot, but this was almost oppressive. They looked around and saw what had, evidently, once been a forest of cycads and conifer trees; however, pretty much all of the trees were leafless, denuded by the lack of water. The sky was cloudless and the ground superheated by the glare of a pitiless sun. Cynthia looked around, muttering "So where should we start?". "Look for a watering hole. Watering holes are like candy stores to animals in a drought", Leon replied. "OK, where's the nearest waterhole?", Cynthia asked, annoyed. Drew rolled his eyes and said, "Cool it, guys; arguing isn't going to solve anything." He breathed out. Sometimes, he wondered about the team he'd assembled.
In Colorado, conversely, the first thing that hit the team was the humidity. It was, somewhat paradoxically, a new experience; other eras had been hot, but none had been truly humid. They looked around to see where they had emerged and the sight was breath-taking. They had emerged in the centre of a dense forest, dominated by redwood trees, some so tall, they almost stretched into the sky and, underneath the trees, there was a dense blanket of ferns. In the air, they could hear the calls of pterosaurs and, in the undergrowth, they could hear the squeals and hisses of dinosaurs. The trio looked around, awestruck. This was unlike any time they had ever been to; this made even the most verdant of the previous landscapes they had visited look like a desolate wasteland. "It's beautiful", Alice said, almost lost for words at the beauty of their surroundings, "It's just so beautiful". Jack, overawed, said to Adrian and Alice, "When you signed up, was this what you were expecting?". In response to this, Alice nodded in affirmative and Adrian said, "Yeah"
Suddenly, a low squawk snapped them out of their reverie. They turned to see something standing on the fallen trunk of a tree. It was a theropod dinosaur, some ten feet long. There was a similarity in appearance to the Coelophysis back at the park; like them, it stood bipedally on two large, muscular legs, whilst its arms were short and ended in three-fingered hands, with its body being counterbalanced by a long tail. However, its neck was shorter than the Coelophysis and its muzzle was shorter and deeper. Its body was covered in downy black-and-white feather. On the back of the head and across the shoulders, the feathers were longer and narrower, forming quills. However, it was the head that was holding everyone's attention. On the throat, there were blue wattles and a fleshy crest adorned the snout, with blue markings around its eyes. From its size and appearance, they surmised that it was an Ornitholestes; a common theropod of the time.
The dinosaur regarded them with a look of curiosity, before jumping nimbly from the tree trunk and landing gracefully on the ground. After it had landed, it sniffed the air uncertainly, and scampered past them into the undergrowth, barely regarding them as it walked past with a purpose visible from its stride. "Wonder where he's going?", Jack said, to which Adrian shrugged and said, "Let's follow him and see".
After a few minutes, they had tracked the Ornitholestes to a large clearing. The forest floor in the clearing was almost devoid of plants; a thick layer of mud almost blanketed the ground, only covered by a thin layer of redwood leaves. It was almost like a blotch on the verdant forest surrounding it. As they entered, they saw the Ornitholestes, lurking in the shadows, as if waiting for something.
Suddenly, in the middle of the patch, the thin layer of redwood leaves on the ground on top of the silt began to move. At first it was in only one tiny spot, but soon several other areas were twitching, as if something was trying to erupt from below the Earth, The Ornitholestes' eyes narrowed in cold anticipation and Jack, Alice and Adrian stared with bated breath.
To be continued.
