Drew and Cynthia watched as the Muttuburrasaurus became more agitated, stamping and bellowing at whatever in the bushes that had spooked them. The Leaellynasaura moved to underneath the Muttuburrasaurus, coming closer to the more intimidating targets for protection from the predator. Suddenly, the bushes went quiet; it was as if the predator had never been there. The herd briefly relaxed…

When, suddenly, a large theropod burst out of the bushes, moving so fast it was practically a blur and tore towards the herd. The Leaellynasaura took off into the forest, taking the opportunity afforded by the theropod being distracted by the larger prey. The Muttuburrasaurus all took off in the same direction, moving as if a single entity, with the theropod in hot pursuit. As the herd stampeded towards them, Drew and Cynthia looked in horror, with Cynthia turning to Drew and asking, "Aren't you going to set up the portal?" Drew turned to her and yelled, "It's not working! It isn't goddamn working!" As he said those words, his eyes widened at what he'd just said.

They decided to run, sprinting away from the stampeding herd to the edge of the river and watched the spectacle. The theropod snapped at the edge of the herd, like a sheepdog, in order to weed out weaker individuals. However, the chase was taking its toll and it was visibly panting. Eventually, it stopped, tired, as the herd stampeded away from it.

Now, Drew and Cynthia could get a better look at it. There was a vague resemblance between it and the Allosaurus back at the park; however, it was smaller, at only about twenty feet long, and was more streamlined and lightly built. Its arms were long and well-muscled, with three-fingered hands and a large, hook-like thumb claw. Its head was longer, shallower and had a more pointed muzzle than the Allosaurus. It was coloured a tannish green, with a greyish underbelly, and tan stripes; perfect for forest camouflage.

Drew and Cynthia looked at each other; this could have only been Australovenator, the top predator of the area. The theropod, its ambush failed, snarled in disappointment, before walking back into the forest, disappearing silently into the trees. The Muttuburrasaurus herd could be seen downriver, calmer now after their narrow escape, peacefully browsing at the trees.

Drew and Cynthia looked at each other; what was the plan now? Drew said, "We head to the herd, downriver." As they walked, they found the time had passed rapidly; by the time they had followed the herd downriver, the sun was already setting. They decided to set up camp; it would be dangerous going around the forest in the dark. Soon, they were sitting by a roaring fire; despite the fact that winter had, supposedly, passed, the night was still freezing cold.

As they sat by the forest's edge, by the sleeping Muttuburrasaurus herd, they could discern unseen creatures running through the undergrowth; from the looks of it, these were mostly Leaellynasaura. In the bushes, they also heard the Leaellynasaura's distinctive warbling vocalisations. Several small mammals scuttled round the fire; they looked like a cross between a coati and a platypus. At one point, there was a brief alarm when what appeared to be an Australovenator moved close to camp; however, it stayed on the edge of the forest, its powerful-looking, bipedal silhouette and glowing yellow eyes reflected in the fire's glow. In the sky the Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights, were shining, illuminating the forest below in a verdant greenish-yellow glow. It looked almost mystical.

Cynthia snapped out of her awe and turned to Drew, "You said the portal wasn't working. Do you have any idea why?" Drew shrugged and said, "Who knows? I use it; I don't claim to understand it. Maybe it just does this." Cynthia briefly contemplated this answer and asked, curiously, "So… why didn't you bring the rest of the team?" In response to this, Drew shrugged and said, "I didn't think I needed them." Cynthia raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I just thought you didn't want them complicating things."

Drew looked at her curiously, "What do you mean by that?"

Cynthia raised her eyebrow superciliously and chuckled, "Well, Jack's been a liability for a while; well, he lost the communicator on the Oxford Clay mission and damn near got Alice killed. And it's not just him, I mean, Leon's little scheme with the allosaurs, how crazy is that? It's not if he'll get eaten, it's when. He just doesn't seem to understand how ridiculous, impractical and idiotic his ideas are."

Drew gave her a flabbergasted look, "That doesn't mean I don't trust them. Jack did very well on the last couple of missions; he co-ordinated both the Colorado mission and the Ornithocheirus mission impeccably. Also, Leon is one of my oldest friends; he believes his plan with the allosaurs will work and I trust him on it. They've never let me down; when it comes to the crunch, they're always there."

Cynthia waited until the end of his statement to say, almost wistfully, "You know, you can be so insightful when it comes to others, but you don't really know yourself. You're your own blind spot." In response to this, Drew chuckled, "Oh no, I know exactly what I'm like. I just can't stop myself."

Cynthia shrugged, "I suppose that's why you need us." She and Drew looked into each other's eyes, instantaneously regretting and relishing this moment… before Cynthia leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Suddenly, her eyes widened, she smiled bashfully at Drew, and said, awkwardly, "How 'bout we turn in now?"

Meanwhile, back at the park, with Xingcun having been successfully "adopted", Jack was now returning to the Utahraptor pen. The nine predators were in their individual holding areas, awaiting their physicals, pacing up and down irritably and hissing at the air. Jack walked up to the one containing Red, the alpha female; he'd spent most of his time with the Utahraptors working with her. If the alpha accepted him, he reasoned, the rest of the pack would. Jack gently reached his hand in and put it on Red's snout. Her snarls began to quiet, as she gradually calmed down. Jack smiled at the large Utahraptor, who cocked her head curiously at him. The two briefly regarded each other.

Suddenly, he heard a slow clapping behind him and he turned to see Collete Dubois standing behind him. Jack raised his eyebrow and asked her, "What are you doing here?" Collete shrugged and said, "Dropped in to visit. How well are you doing with the Utahraptors?" Jack smiled, "Good. I've started to form a connection with Red; that'll make it easier to bond with the rest of the pack."

Collete walked down the walkway to stand next to Jack. Looking around, Jack reflected, "Amazing on how things change." Collete looked, confused, "What do you mean?". Jack looked around and said, "When we started, did you foresee what was going to happen? One of our colleagues training allosaurs as protectors and us getting an orphaned dinosaur a new family? That's the thing I've realised; the best things in life are the things you never see coming. Like…"

He directed this last remark at Collete. Smiling, Collete raised her eyebrow and asked, "Like what?" Jack smiled, "Like you and me; I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be talking like this before." Collete looked curiously and asked "Why not?" Jack opened his mouth to say something before suddenly realising himself and saying "Never mind." At this, Red let out an amused squawk. Jack's eyes darted around the room, before turning to Collete, "Listen, when our shifts are over… would you like to meet up at the park bar for a drink? Just as friends, mind you." Collete briefly considered and smiled, "I'd love to."

Suddenly, Jack and Collete's communicators whirred into life, "Can anyone hear me?". Jack and Collete looked at each other, both silently cursing this interruption of an intimate moment, and picked them up almost synchronously, with Jack saying, "This is Jack; what do you want. Nikolai crackled in, "I need you to come to the China section urgently. There's an emergency." Jack and Collete looked at each other, and Collete said, "What kind of emergency, Captain?" Nikolai replied, almost casually, "Well, the Borealosaurus have escaped; so, it's a big emergency."