The fire had started miles to the south, due to a lightning storm. Fires were not uncommon in these forests, but this was bigger than normal. Since the rains were late, the vegetation was tinder-dry, and warm southerly mists brought the fire north. A firestorm started amongst the conifers and floating pieces of vegetation spawned a thousand smaller fires throughout the forest. Soon, a 100km stretch of forest was aflame; the understorey was completely incinerated and columns of fire leapt through the canopy.
The dinosaurs had picked up the scent of smoke long before the fire reached them; however, many still perished. Those that fled in the wrong direction, or those to slow to outrun the advancing flames were doomed. Fires this size were rare, but when they occurred, they could wipe out whole generations of animals.
Jack, Alice and Adrian stood, paralysed, at the roaring inferno. "Run!", Alice screamed, as the three adventurers took off, trying to outrun the advancing flames. Escaping the forest, they ran out into the open scrub. Stopping to catch their breath, they turned to look at the inferno; whilst small fires had started on the scrub, the sparse vegetation had meant that the fires had quickly burnt themselves out.
"Well, that was a close shave!", Jack said, looking at his fellow teammates. Alice said, "Yeah. So, what's the plan?". Jack shrugged and said, "I guess we look for more animals." And, so, they hiked out into the scrub, away from the burning forest.
After about two hours of hiking, they came to an area of open scrub. As they entered, they saw a small group of juvenile Diplodocus, browsing on the ferns. They recognised them instantaneously; Adrian said, "I think they're the same ones we met in the ravine. Wonder what they're doing out here". Jack commented, "They must have been driven out of the forest by the fire; probably a lot of things were. They're in perfect position for us to bring them back…"
Suddenly, the ground began to quake; both the humans and the young sauropods went rigid. For a few minutes, all was quiet… then, suddenly, a low, trumpeting hoot, like an elephant, echoed through the air, deafening both the humans and the Diplodocus. Both groups turned to see a herd of gigantic sauropods enter the. From their appearance, it was clear that these were not Diplodocus; there were many differences. The first, and most obvious, difference is that their front legs were much longer than their back ones, giving them sloping backs and a slightly front-heavy appearance. They were much taller than the Diplodocus, too, due to their sloping backs; the largest individuals' head was almost thirty feet off the ground. They had leathery grey skin, with pale bellies. On each individual's head was a little bump. On the top part of the neck, and the end of the tail, there were small spines, like an iguana.
Again, they didn't need the book to know what they were. They knew they were Brachiosaurus. "They're magnificent", Alice said, quietly, as so not to disturb the giants. Jack, grinning, turned to his sister and said, "We are SO having them in the park". As the giants moved closer into view, all creatures nearby had gone silent. With an almost stately walk, the Brachiosaurus walked over to a knot of araucaria and began feeding. Jack, quietly, crept up to the herd and pressed the button on the portal remote. The herd stared, transfixed at this glowing orb, and, one by one, walked slowly through the portal. When the last one had gone through, Jack closed the portal.
Meanwhile, back at the park, Kyle and Nikolai had managed to track the Apatosaurus; well, they hadn't been hard to find. Using food and recordings of their calls, the Apatosaurus were being herded towards Mesozoic Safaris, their new home. Four Park Jeeps followed the herd, corralling in the herd; every time one strayed, the Jeeps would herd it back to its compatriots.
As the gigantic herd walked through the park, all nearby humans paused and stared in reverence at these giants. True, they had seen many interesting and weird prehistoric creatures, but there was no creature as truly magnificent as them. These gigantic dinosaurs made even the most impressive of the previous creatures they had previously seen and cared for look tiny and ineffectual by comparison.
Other creatures had formed their own opinions of the Apatosaurus; some very different to those of the humans. As the giants ploughed through everything in their path, about thirty sleek, bipedal shapes sprinted out of their way, moving as if a single entity. They were instantly recognisable; the escapee Coelophysis had finally been found. Kyle smiled, lifted his communicator and said "Our escapee Coelophysis have done a runner; they're headed towards their paddock. Herd them in when they get there, would you?." Kyle smiled; two birds with one stone.
Back in Colorado, the juvenile Diplodocus were still browsing on the ferns, after the Brachiosaurus had left. They were milling about, almost expectantly; as if they were waiting for something to arrive. Jack turned to Adrian and said "Wonder what they're waiting for?" Adrian and Alice both shrugged; the juvenile Diplodocus knew something was coming, but they didn't know what. After about thirty minutes, a long, low hooting cry moved through the air, and the ground began to rumble again. Jack, Alice and Adrian turned to the distance and saw several large, grey creatures moving towards them. They knew what they were immediately; they were adult Diplodocus. This was what the juveniles had been waiting for. They walked in the clearing, one by one, regarding the juveniles; the juveniles wanted to be accepted by the adults, for the purposes of protection. The sauropods all looked at each other, tensely.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Jack crept up to the herd and pressed the button on the portal remote. All of the Diplodocus stared, transfixed at this glowing orb, and, adult and juvenile alike, walked slowly through the portal. When the last one had gone through, Jack closed the portal, smiled at his compatriots and went, "Let's go home"
