Suddenly, an enormous black amphibian came crashing through the undergrowth. It looked like a gigantic salamander, some fifteen feet long. Its eyes were small, black and lidless, almost invisible amongst its head. Its mouth opened to reveal fearsome rows of teeth, perfect for slashing and cutting up prey. However, its body was oddly small compared to its formidable jaws and heavy, spade-shaped skull; its legs were small and rather puny, considering its massive bulk.
Drew and Cynthia looked at each other; they knew immediately what this was. This was Koolasuchus, one of the last survivors of a group of amphibians that predated the dinosaurs; a distant cousin of the Rhinesuchus back at the park. It had probably only just emerged from its winter hibernation.
The Koolasuchus' movements were clumsy; its belly dragged through the leaf litter and the width of its skull made it difficult for it to push through the tangle of dead ferns. Away from the water it was bewildered, out of place amongst the lithe, fast-moving dinosaurs nearby. It half-walked, half-slithered through the undergrowth. In this state, it was vulnerable… and not just to predators.
The Leaellynasaura chittered loudly at the giant amphibian, with one or two even making little mock charges at it. It almost seemed like a game to them, as if they knew the amphibian was no threat; it had neither the speed, nor the agility to hunt on land. The Koolasuchus largely ignored them and continued its slow, but determined hike towards the river.
Drew and Cynthia looked at each other, and Cynthia said, "So we follow it and see where it's headed?", to which Drew nodded and said "You just read my mind". Walking a short distance, they followed the Koolasuchus to the banks of the wide green river and watched as it stumbled over the pebbly beach, through a scrappy stand of horsetails and slipped into the lazy flow. Once it had entered the water, it was transformed from cumbersome landlubber to graceful predator, disappearing into the water.
The water was full of small invertebrates and algae, to which it owed its green colour, but Drew and Cynthia could make out several dark shapes swimming through the water; other Koolasuchus who had made the journey from the forest. Cynthia turned to Drew and asked, "How are we going to get this lot back through the portal? Use bait?". Drew smiled, "Leon told me that Koolasuchus hunted using a sensory system that picked up vibrations in the water; so that, if potential prey entered the water, it was ready to leap out of the darkness. We're going to use fish as bait, yes, but we're also going to be using this", presenting the sonar emitter that he had used on the Silurian mission, "Took me ages to get this working again. We're going to put the sonar emitter in the water, so it'll make vibrations that will attract more of them."
And, so they stood on a bend in the river, close to where the Koolasuchus were congregating. Cynthia emptied the bait bag into the water, whilst Drew threw in, and activated, the sonar device. The combined smell of fish and the vibrations in the water caused the nearby amphibians to approach it, both out of hunger and curiosity. When they had all gotten close enough, Drew activated the portal. The amphibians, transfixed at this glowing orb, swam through the portal, moving as if a single entity. As the last one went through, it flicked the sonar device away with its tail and it came flying out of the water, before hitting a rock at high speed. Drew approached to notice that the casing was cracked and sighed, "It's broken again. I'll have to get this to Darryl and see if he can fix it."
Walking out onto the river coast, Cynthia turned to Drew and asked, "So… what do we do next?" Drew's answer was cut off by a long, loud honking bellow echo through the air. Cynthia turned to Drew and said, "I suppose what we do next is follow the sound?" Drew smiled at her, "You just read my mind".
Meanwhile, back at the park, Jack was standing in Raptor Territory, watching the Utahraptors. In the six weeks since they had been brought back, Jack had spent a lot of time working with them. In particular, he'd spent a lot of time working with the alpha female, who he'd named Red. He looked at the nine predators napping in the sun; they had recently been fed.
Suddenly, he heard someone clearing their throat. He turned around to see Collete standing behind him. She looked pointedly at him, "Jack, you weren't answering your walkie-talkie." Jack shrugged and said, "I was busy", gesturing to the Utahraptors, "So, why are you here? Dropped in to visit?" Collete chuckled, "No, you're needed at the Mei long enclosure." Jack sighed; he knew he'd forgotten something. "Sure. I'm done with the Utahraptors anyway."
He and Collete arrived at the Mei long exhibit to find several other people there; Khatin, Yolanda, who was holding the juvenile Mei long (who they had named Xìngcún, after the Chinese word for "survivor") in a pet carrier, Will and Kaisumi Ishiara from the research division. After a brief greeting, their minds turned to the matter at hand.
Two adult Mei long, recently fed, were napping in the sun; this pair had been named Huángdì and Huánghòu. It turned out the Mei long had not been a pack, but a temporary association. Shortly after their arrival, squabbles had begun and the group had split into three pairs, each occupying a different territory. The only times the three groups interacted was when feeding… which had been key to Jack's plan.
Jack explained, "Right, every time we feed them, there's a hierarchy; one pair gets first pick of the carcass", he gestured to the two adult Mei long sleeping in the paddock, "with the other two pairs lower in the pecking order. We're introducing the juvenile to this pair first, because, if they take him in, he's less likely to be attacked by any of the others."
And, so the plan was in motion. Yolanda put the pet carrier down, opened it and Xìngcún gingerly walked into the enclosure, wobbling on unsteady legs. Jack turned to Collete, "If anything goes wrong, if we hear so much as a growl, we tranq the adults and get him out of there." Collete nodded.
After Xìngcún had walked a considerable distance, Huángdì and Huánghòu turned to look at him. They walked towards him and sniffed him eagerly; they could tell that he was of their kind, but not their kin. Jack and the others waited tensely; the next few minutes were crucial. The adults could, possibly attack, or even kill, Xìngcún. However, they were more curious than aggressive, their movements quiet and measured, as if not to frighten him, as they let out quiet, reassuring vocalisations. Eventually, curiosity satisfied, Huángdì and Huánghòu walked away. Xìngcún stayed rooted to the spot, as if uncertain as to what to do next. The adults stood still and turned to look at him, with Huángdì regarding him and cocking his head, as if indicating for him to follow them.
However, Xìngcún was apprehensive, as he looked around worriedly, as if waiting for a cue, before walking a few, uneasy steps. Suddenly, Huánghòu walked towards him, gently carried him in her jaws and put him on her back. He cheeped happily, as she nuzzled him with her scaly muzzle. All three dinosaurs briefly turned to look at the humans before disappearing into the bushes. The team all looked at each other, smiling ecstatically; their plan had worked on the first attempt. A lonely little dinosaur had found a new family.
Suddenly, they heard someone slowly clapping behind them. Everyone turned to see Nikolai standing with an official-looking man in a business suit, clearly not taking the heat well. Nikolai walked up to Jack and Collete, "Denham, Dubois, well done. I knew you could handle it." Jack and Collete looked at their new visitor, curiously; who was this guy? Nikolai gestured to the man, "This is Steven Woodward, from Novum, and he's here to do a safety audit for the park. Theodore is concerned that, given recent events, the park may not be entirely safe."
Woodward walked towards Jack and Collete, shook their hands eagerly, and said, "Please, just call me Steve. And, from what I've seen so far, you needn't worry. So… what just happened?" Jack smiled and said, "We were integrating a juvenile Mei long into our group; we found him orphaned in the Cretaceous. It worked on the first attempt; something that doesn't happen all that often."
Woodward smiled, "That's wonderful to hear. Now, Jack, I'd like to talk to you about these Mee long…" Will and Kaisumi cringed at the mispronunciation and Jack smiled, before gently correcting, "Actually, you pronounce it 'May'. Like the month."
Woodward nodded, "Got it. Anyways, whilst the enclosure looks secure, should there be any particular precautions with these animals?". Jack knew what Woodward was referring to; and to be honest, he was actually glad Woodward knew enough about animals to ask it. Woodward was asking whether the Mei long were "cage-breakers".
Every zookeeper knew that certain animals were more likely to get free of their enclosures than others. "Cage-breakers" spanned the animal kingdom, however there was one unifying factor; they tended to be active, intelligent, curious animals. Monkeys and raccoons were particularly notorious escapologists; their mobile, skilful hands were perfect for unlocking doors when a keeper wasn't looking. However, "cage-breakers" also included more dangerous animals. The notoriously aggressive (and surprisingly intelligent) honey badger was a natural "cage-breaker", as was the incredibly venomous black mamba. These highly curious and alert snakes were always getting out; they had a talent for it.
Jack counted himself lucky they'd never had the opportunity to see whether that applied to Mei long. Khatin stated, somewhat tactlessly, "Dromaeosaurs and troodonts were amongst the most intelligent of dinosaurs, so there is a possibility, yes". In response, Woodward's eyes widened and, salvaging the situation, Jack said, "I wouldn't worry; whilst they are intelligent, the door locks are electronic, so one couldn't simply undo the lock with its claws. The fences are also electrified, which means one of them couldn't climb out. However, we'll keep them under special watch". Woodward smiled, "Good, good. Enjoy the rest of your day", and he and Nikolai left.
Following the loud, honking bellow, Drew and Cynthia walked over a hill to find a herd of large ornithopods walking, single file, along the river bank. There was a similarity between them and the Iguanodon back at the park, with heavy back legs and smaller forearms; whilst they mostly walked on all four legs, they would occasionally walk on two. They were about the same size; the biggest was about twenty-five feet long. Their bodies were pale green with mottled black and white stomachs. However, their most distinctive feature was the large nasal bumps in front of their eyes; in the males, these were large, red and ornate-looking, combined with large red throat sacs, whilst the females had yellow, smaller, less elaborate-looking nasal bumps.
Drew knew immediately what this was, "Based on what Leon told me, this is Muttaburrasaurus, a relative of Iguanodon that's found here. We think that the nasal bumps could be inflated to produce sounds for communication or sexual display."
Following the Muttaburrasaurus to the edges of the forest, they saw the herd looking for podocarp and cycad fruit amongst the branches. Scampering amongst their feet were the Leaellynasaura, plucking podocarp and cycad fruit leftovers from the massive herbivores' meals.
"Two species for the price of one", Drew muttered, "This might be our easiest mission yet". He lifted the portal remote, pressed the button and… nothing happened. Drew tried again and again, but nothing happened. He heard Cynthia say, "Umm, Drew… We have a problem." Drew turned to her and said, "Yeah, I know, the portal isn't-". Suddenly, he trailed off as he noticed the herd of Muttuburrasaurus bellowing at something in the forest, as a large shape moved through the trees.
