"Darius," his dad whispers, gently shaking him awake. "Come on, D-man. I got something to show you!"
Darius sleepily opens his eyes, smiling. It was nighttime and it was dark; he couldn't see his fathers face. But he could picture it just by listening to his soft voice. He gets up and sleepily follows his father out of his room and downstairs.
"New dino facts," his father says, grinning as he shows him the computer. "This lab is full of them!"
"Lab?" Darius asks in confusion, staring at the computer. He looks around. They were suddenly in Doctor Wu's lab. "Why are we here?"
He turns around to face his father. The lights flicker, and Darius gasps. Half of his father's face was turning to sand and crumbling. "You're prone to learning about dinos," he says as his face slowly turns to sand. "It's what you do. Dinos are more important than your friends and family…"
"No!" Darius cries, reaching for his father. He wraps his arms around him in a futile attempt to save him. "No, dinosaurs aren't more important than you! No!"
His father turns to sand and becomes quicksand, slowly sucking Darius under. The young boy screams, flailing for anything to grab. He slowly gets pulled under and the suffocating feeling of being buried in sand overtakes him.
Darius gasps for air as he falls onto a dirt ledge. The quicksand is replaced by the ravine. His head snaps to attention when he hears a scream and a shrill dino cry, followed by a sickening crack. He attempts to sit up, but is held down by vines that did not used to be there. He hears a thump above him and looks up to see Kenji's upper body hang over the ledge. The alpha males head was horribly twisted and blood began to drip down his face and hair. Darius spits, trying to get his friends blood out of his mouth.
Darius untangles himself from the vines and climbs up the side of the ravine. Even though it was useless, he still shakes his friend and cries out to him. Kenji's eyes remain still and lifeless, though.
The young boy pants, looking around the battlefield. His friends laid in scary pools of blood. Yasmina was missing her whole right leg and stared lifelessly at the sky. Darius presses his forehead against hers, pleading for her to come back. Ben had long claw marks across his torso, and blood dripped from his mouth.
Sammy was lying on her stomach. She could've been asleep if it weren't for the large chunk of her lower back missing.
Brooklynn was sitting on her knees. She seemed unharmed until Darius looked at her face. Her left eye had been clawed out and blood was gushing down her face. "Brooklynn!" Darius exclaims, holding her shoulders. "Come on, let's get that bleeding to stop."
He takes off his shirt to use in some way. Brooklynn's eyes dart up to meet his. "You disappeared."
"I…" Darius starts to try to explain. He can't even remember why he was in the lab in the first place.
"You left us," Brooklynn pants. "You left us! How could you?!"
"I didn't mean to!" Darius cries.
"We came here to save you!" she shouts. "Look what happened! You killed the whole team! You cared more about the dinosaurs than us! You left us!"
"I don't care more about dinosaurs!" Darius exclaims. "I won't leave you! I won't let you die! Trust me!"
"Why should I trust you?!" Brooklynn shouts, shoving him back. "It's your fault that they're dead! You killed them!"
"I didn't try to…" Darius sobs.
"I never should've trusted you with my life," Brooklynn whispers darkly.
"No, no! You can trust me, I'll keep you safe! No matter what it takes!" Darius cries out, reaching out to hug her.
Cold, wet jaws close around his head and twist his neck.
Darius jerks his head to the side and cries out. "Oww," he groans, holding his neck.
"What are you trying to do there, dude?" Brooklynn asks, immediately coming to his side. It was still dark out. "Trying to break your neck?"
Darius sighs. "It's fine."
"Looked like you were having quite the dream there," Brooklynn says. "Twitching and whimpering. What was going on?"
Darius stiffens. "Nothing, it's fine."
"You sure?" Brooklynn asks. "You don't want to talk about it?"
"I'm cool," Darius shrugs coldly and turns over. He could still hear her harsh words. "It's just a dream, it's just a dream…" But the fear of losing his friends due to his mistakes still grips him tightly. "I cannot leave them. I can't let them die. You can trust me, Brooklynn, even if you don't right now."
Brooklynn lays down and scootches closer to Darius. He rolls a bit farther onto his stomach, not really wanting to cuddle. Dejected, Brooklynn rolls over to face Kenji, who was drooling.
The sun comes up and Kenji yawns. Brooklynn watches him contemplate his options before singing at the top of his lungs: "WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP INSIDE! I CAN'T WAKE UP!"
"WAKE ME UP INSIDE!" Yasmina shouts, startling Ben and Sammy awake.
Kenji starts laughing as Yasmina continues the song. "That is one of my favorite songs," she explains, mumbling as she lays back down.
"And now that that's done, it's time to start the day," Darius sighs, sitting up.
After breakfast, the group heads down to the ground. Blue takes the Indoraptors out to practicing hunting while the kids take baths and wash their clothes again. Blue brings the Indoraptor hatchlings back and heads out on her own. The campers practice their old tricks, but want to work on a new one: Rescue.
"We might need Blue to help with that one," Darius sighs. "They might not be big enough to help, though."
"Well, what are we gonna do?" Brooklynn shrugs.
"Hang out here," Darius shrugs back. "Make videos, I guess, in your case."
"What are you going to do, nerd out about the Indos?" Brooklynn asks teasingly, bumping his shoulder with hers.
This comment triggers panic and anger inside Darius. "I'm going to keep watch, Superstar," he says, venom trying to seep through his voice.
"Want me to sit with you?" Brooklynn offers, following him.
"It'd be a boring video," Darius says, dismissing her coldly.
Brooklynn stops walking and backs away, confused by Darius's cold behavior. He heads over to a tree and sits down. Anger was building up. "Dinosaurs aren't everything to me," he seethes. "Why does everyone act like this? I'm not going to just leave them and let them die! I can do this."
For two hours, Darius sits there, anxiously keeping an eye out for predators. The others laugh and have fun with the Indoraptors, but Darius finds it impossible to relax. His eyes dart around, paranoid that something would pop out. Tension and fear ran throughout his body and his muscles ached from holding the same position for hours on end.
Ben notices his friends alertness and walks over to him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Darius shrugs.
"Come on, I know that look," Ben chuckles, sitting down next to him. "I've worn it enough to know. You're paranoid and anxious."
"I'm not paranoid at all," Darius huffs. Mocha snaps a twig next to him, making him jump.
"Right," Ben smirks.
"We haven't had to deal with a predator coming here since the I-rex broke out," Darius explains. "With all the ruckus we make, it's only a matter of time until something big decides to check us out."
"And you're gonna stop them how?" Ben frowns.
"I…" Darius sighs. "I'd stop them somehow."
Ben wraps his arm around Darius's shoulder. Darius returns the motion, gripping Ben's upper arm tightly in fear. Ben could almost read his mind. "If I can't save all of them, maybe I could at least save Ben." The blonde camper lets Darius hold him protectively; he was making Darius feel more secure than vice versa.
Commotion arises at the camp. "No, no, no! Shh…" Yasmina shouts, restraining herself from cursing. "Sheep!" she finally shouts.
"What's wrong?" Darius asks as he and Ben stand up and head over to the rest of the group. On the ground laid plastic and paper torn apart by Rima, Toothless, and Indigo. The guilty parties sit there ashamed, watching Yasmina get frustrated.
"What is all this—oh lawd," Sammy says, gasping as she sees the destruction.
Brooklynn sighs and covers her face with her hands.
"What the heck did they get into?" Kenji asks, coming to stand next to Darius.
"There goes all our feminine supplies," Sammy sighs, gesturing to all the plastic and paper.
"Oof," Kenji winces. "Uhh, we have time to get more for you gals before you're on your time of the month, right?"
Brooklynn bursts into tears. "Why does this always happen to me?! Yaz got hers at the condos and we had packed supplies when you got yours, Sammy. But everytime I start out I just…" She sobs, frustrated and emotional. The boys watch in concern.
Sammy searches through the wreckage for anything salvageable. "Here's two untouched pads," she says, offering them to her sniffling friend. "We can go to the genetics lab and find more."
Brooklynn takes the pads, trying to recover from her little outburst.
"How do you use those?" Darius asks, staring at the plastic squares Sammy gave her.
"Stick them to your underwear to catch the blood," Sammy shrugs.
"The rest is unsalvageable," Yasmina says, kicking a small, paper tube over to the boys. "Don't wanna use it if it has dino salvia on it." She glares at the guilty dinos.
Darius picks up what Yasmina had kicked and examines it. "How do you use this?"
"That's a tampon," Yasmina smirks. She explains its use and anticipates his reaction.
The boys stare in shock and disgust at the girls. "I have so many jokes running through my head right now," Kenji whispers. "None of them are appropriate to say in polite company."
"That doesn't sound sanitary," Ben shudders. "Or fun… at all… That sounds very painful."
"Who on Earth thought that was a good idea?!" Darius exclaims, quickly dropping it.
The girls start laughing. "It's unused, silly!" Yasmina laughs.
"These things should be illegal," Darius shakes his head. "You girls never cease to amaze and shock me." This only makes them laugh harder. "There is so much I don't know about you guys," Darius says. "I swear, girls are from another planet. Your bodies are so weird!"
Yasmina and Sammy fall over, wheezing. Brooklynn is half laughing, half crying. "This is better than my brother's reaction," she sighs. "When he found out, he just gave me this scared stare and avoided me for the rest of the week."
"I wouldn't avoid you, I just feel sorry for you," Darius chuckles nervously, sending the girls into another fit of giggles.
The next day progresses in a similar fashion, with Darius coldly avoiding Brooklynn and anxiously keeping a look out for predators. Brooklynn was confused and hurt by his actions, and had no clue why he was treating her the way he was. It didn't help that she was emotional and in pain.
The third day after the second in command test, Sammy declared Yasmina's ankle healed enough to walk. The Texan unwraps the athletes ankle and the group applauds. "Now I can finally get back to running!" Yasmina grins. "I've probably lost a bit of muscle just sitting around and not walking."
She moves to sprint and Sammy grabs her arm. "No running just yet," she says. "Your muscles might be tender and growing slowly. Let's work on walking and get you used to that."
"Walking is fine," Yasmina whines. "I want to run!"
"No," Sammy says firmly, slinging Yasmina's arm over her shoulder.
"I don't think I need to be supported," Trackstar raises an eyebrow.
"You misunderstand," Sammy says, "I'm not supporting you. I'm just making sure you don't bolt."
"I'm offended that you would think that," Yasmina sniffs. The group chuckles. Sammy stays with Yasmina as the athlete walks around the camp. She wouldn't admit it, but her ankle did feel tender and strange. Sammy confined her to the camp; Yasmina was only allowed to walk a little bit to get her ankle accustomed to weight. With a defiant look, Yasmina tries to run away, only to be caught by Kenji. The alpha male clumsily picks her up and carries her back to the ladder. Her only response was a look of disdain.
"Brooklynn, you wanna go to the lab with me on Torni?" Sammy asks, stroking the almost full grown Triceratops.
"Sure," Brooklynn says, climbing up onto the herbivore. Her pants were stained red, as they had yet to retrieve more feminie products.
The sight of blood makes Darius's heart stop. "Maybe that's not a good idea, with Marijuana and the Baryonyx trio taking up residence there and all."
"It'll be fine," Sammy says. "We didn't go yesterday or the day before that. We'll be careful about it."
Darius winces, still not comfortable letting them go out of his sight.
"I'll pack my rifle just in case," Sammy notices his hesitation and retrieves her weapon. Darius relents reluctantly.
As Sammy and Brooklynn plod off, Darius resumes his vigilant watch. Kenji sighs, gets up from his spot and strides over to stand in front of Darius. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm cool," Darius nods.
"No, you're not," Kenji sighs, sitting next to him. "You've been tense the past three days."
"I'm keeping watch, what's wrong with that?" Darius shrugs.
"Ben talked to me yesterday," Kenji says. "And I know why you don't want the girls to go off on their own."
"I'm fine, Kenji," Darius says quickly. "You and Ben are reading too deeply into—"
"So you're not scared that a dino would come by and eat us all and it would be your fault?" Kenji interrupts.
Darius bristles. "No," he states. "I'm just keeping an eye for you guys like a good leader should. There's no fear here. Just caution."
"Right," Kenji sighs, knowing that Darius was lying. "Well, do yourself a favor and let me take over the watch."
"I can take the watch just fine," Darius hisses.
"I'm not saying you can't protect us," Kenji says. "I'm saying you're stressed and anxious. You need a break."
"I'm fine," Darius growls.
Kenji lowers his voice. "Darius, you need a break. This has nothing to do with your abilities as a leader. Let me take over as watchdog and have fun with the others. Just be a kid. It's not fair that we can relax and you have to be the adult all the time. Stop worrying and stressing and just enjoy time with the others."
"I don't need a break," Darius insists.
"Well, you're not spending time with the rest of us," Kenji says. "You're ignoring your friends. Why don't you focus on having fun with the others for the day and leave the watching to me. You chose me as second in command. Do you think I wouldn't be able to do a good job protecting us?"
Darius bites his lip.
"Hey, Yaz!" Kenji calls out. "Darius will play with you guys!"
"I'll do what?" Darius says as Kenji helps him to his feet and drags him over to Yasmina and Ben.
"Yeah, come join us," Ben grins, knowing what Kenji was doing. "We need three players for… what's the game called again?"
"Moose Master," Yasmina grins. "A fun, crazy game my family got a while ago. It's a staple at our house. I made the cards out of bark."
"Good," Kenji grins. "Well, have fun with these two. I'm going to go stand watch." He strides over to Darius's tree and grips his rifle like a security guard.
Darius internally sighs, knowing he couldn't escape this one. Instead, he sits down and listens as Yasmina explains the rules of the game.
"How do you do it, Sammy?" Brooklynn asks as the lumber along.
"Do what?" Sammy frowns in confusion.
"Keep up your friendships," Brooklynn sighs. "How do you keep everybody happy and never have fights?"
Sammy laughs. "Okay, how do you keep the peace most of the time with anyone other than Yaz?" Brooklynn rephrases.
"Uhh… I don't know?" Sammy shrugs. "I just try to be nice and respectful to everyone."
"That's what I try to do, too," Brooklynn whines. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong! Darius seems so angry at me, and I have no idea what I did!"
"Maybe he's just stressed in general about something and it's coming out as anger," Sammy suggests.
"But it's directly aimed at me," the pinkette protests. "I don't see him giving you the cold shoulder."
The girls are quiet. "I guess maybe he is stressed," Brooklynn sighs. "He has been pretty tense and alert lately. And he picked Kenji over Yaz. I don't get it." She thinks for a moment. "Well, Yaz isn't exactly better. He's gotta point about her not taking charge, but I still feel like she would be better than a narcissist."
Sammy growls, finally fed up with hearing this. "Would you stop downing Kenji for five seconds?! You are always so negative about him! He really doesn't deserve the hate and crap you give him! Have you not been paying attention? Kenji may have been a slacker and a narc back when we first met him, but he's grown a lot since then! Besides, downing him wouldn't help him become more others focused!"
Brooklynn purses her lips, not knowing what to say.
Sammy bites her lip, trying to decide how much to say. She had promised Kenji she wouldn't say anything to Brooklynn, but the pinkette's behavior was becoming unbearable for the Texan. "Why do you always tear him down?"
Brooklynn crosses her arms defensively. "I wouldn't say I tear him down; more like I put him back in his place. Try to stop the cycle of toxic masculinity. Knock him down a peg and humble him."
Sammy rolls her eyes. "And has he ever been toxic towards you? Has he ever hurt you or put you down for being a girl? When has he ever done that?"
Brooklynn looks at the passing bushes, not knowing what to answer. "Well, he… he thinks he's better than us because he's rich."
"That's not sexist," Sammy protests. "He treated everyone like that! Honestly, he rubbed it in Darius and Ben's faces more than the rest of us. Besides," Sammy sighs. "I promised him I wouldn't say anything," she growls under her breath.
"What did he make you promise not to say?" Brooklynn asks, suspicious.
"He's really frustrated that he can't…" Samy sighs. "He's frustrated that he can't be a good guy. He's always being teared down and roasted. Kenji wants to be the hero because he cares about us and likes us. He doesn't think we're weak if we let him help us. He's more of a gentleman than you would like to admit. You only see the bad in him. There's a lot more positives in him than you see."
Brooklynn sighs. "Sammy, you like to see the good in people. And… Kenji does have some good to him. But he's super cocky and arrogant. He needs to be knocked down a peg."
"Do you have friends?" Sammy asks as they slide off Tornado's back. "Real friends back at home?"
Brooklynn stutters. "Uhh… well, I uh… uh… not really?"
"You tellin' me that you're not friends with all those Youtubers you 'hang out with?'" Sammy grills.
"No…" Brooklynn grits her teeth. "We're all friends with each other for the image."
"So you're pretending that your life is together for your followers?" Sammy asks as they walk into the genetics lab. "What? You don't tell your followers all your flaws. Why do you pretend to be something your not?"
Brooklynn's cheeks flush. "Why would I want people to know my flaws and problems? I don't want people to judge me."
"And why would Kenji be any different?" Sammy snaps. "Most guys don't like to talk about their flaws. They want to be the tough, strong protectors. And there's nothing wrong with that. I've heard many that say when a guy is pretending to be all that and a bag of chips, he usually doesn't feel that way. I've talked to a lot of guys in my school; they pretend to have a big ego because they don't have a big ego. Just like you pretend to have the perfect life, so do boys pretend to be everything they want to be. They don't want to open up because they'll get burned. They feel like they're weak if they open up and will get made fun of. But if they're the tough guys who have no insecurities, girls distrust them and treat them like crap. Is there any way for boys to win?"
Brooklynn looks down at the metal floor as they walk. "I guess not."
"If you had to live without one, which would you pick?" Sammy asks. "Would love live without love, or would you live without respect?"
"If I had to choose, I'd pick respect," Brooklynn says. "Life without love would be horrible. Life without respect wouldn't be fun, but I'd prefer to be loved."
"That's not how a lot of guys viewed it," Sammy says. "A lot of guys would prefer respect over love. And girls often don't give it to them."
Brooklynn murmurs, "Shouldn't they earn respect?"
"Should you earn your love?" Sammy asks. "Or would you want someone to give you unconditional love that doesn't change no matter what you do? If you want unconditional love, why shouldn't guys want unconditional respect? Now, if he's abusing you, that's a different situation. But with your friends, why shouldn't you give them respect? You would want Kenji and Darius to give you unconditional love, right? Why shouldn't they want unconditional respect from you?"
"I guess it's kinda hypocritical," Brooklynn murmurs.
"There are so many hypocrites out in the world," Sammy states. "Imagine if the roles were reversed. Imagine if you were put down and seen as weak if you cried and were emotional, but when you tried to be tough, you were considered strange and weird. Imagine if men demanded that you respect them, but when you asked for love, they scoffed and called you toxic. Imagine if every single sitcom portrayed you as stupid and weak and incapable, and the men were portrayed as strong and heroic and competent. What would you think?"
"It wouldn't be fair," Brooklynn says. "There'd be double standards."
"So why is it okay to put men down like that?" Sammy asks. "Why is it oppressive when men are strong, but funny when they're stupid? Why are they considered unmanly when they cry or are emotional, but considered toxic and oppressive when they're strong and tough? Why are they told that they have to earn respect when we expect love immediately and unconditionally? It's not fair to them, and it's not equality."
Brooklynn holds her arms across her chest as Sammy raids the girls bathroom for supplies. "Do you love Darius? Do you care for Kenji and Ben?"
"Yes," Brooklynn nods quickly.
"Would you want them to grow up in an oppressive world?" Sammy asks. "Do you want them to grow up in a world where they're considered stupid and incompetent? Do you want them to be treated fairly and like they matter? What if they were forced to choose between being weak and wussy or oppressive and toxic because those are the only two options society gives them?"
"Sounds like Ben," Brooklynn says quietly.
"Maybe because that's how he feels," Sammy suggests. "Just like how you want men to stop putting down women, we need to stop putting down men. Yeah, there are some bad men out there who are sexist and criminal, but there are bad women out there, too. Imagine if you were judged and put down for something a few women you don't even know did. That's what we're doing to guys. We're stereotyping them as bad guys and treating them like criminals. We should judge someone on who they are, not what they are."
Brooklynn crosses her arms and blinks back tears.
"Maybe, next time you see a guy inflating himself and bragging, compliment him," Sammy says, putting her hand on Brooklynn's shoulder. "Instead of getting annoyed, see it as a red flag that they want validation. Maybe once you help build them up, they won't feel the need to build themselves up by being annoying. Treat others how you would want to be treated."
The two leave the lab and climb back onto Tornado. Brooklynn breaks the silence. "Do you think that's why Darius is mad at me? Because I've disrespected him?"
"I mean, maybe," Sammy shrugs. "He does try to act like he's fine. Put up a heroic face, if you know what I mean."
"I don't know what I did," Brooklynn sighs. "I thought I was respecting him, but… maybe I was tearing him down without realizing it."
"Try validating him," Sammy suggests. "If he feels like you don't respect him, try to express that. Maybe boost his ego a bit. If he's acting this way because he feels like he's not respectable, play into his strengths. Remind him that he's a good guy and that he matters. Show him that you look up to him."
"Maybe let him show off his knowledge of dinosaurs?" Brooklynn smiles. "Since that's kinda his strength."
"That might work," Sammy says. "Make sure he knows that you trust his leadership. There's a lot you could do."
Brooklynn nods. "Thanks, Sammy." She gives her a hug from behind. "And I'll try to stop hurting Kenji."
"Mr. Kon, there is someone here who wants to see you, Sir," the secretary says over the phone.
Kenji's father sighs. "Send them in." He sits down in his office chair, staring at his most recent text with his girlfriend. "Apparently devoting time to find my son is unacceptable to you, Candy. If so, good riddance with you. You probably only dated me for my money."
A dashing young man in his late twenties is escorted in by Mr. Kon's secretary. The young man moves to give him a handshake. "Mr. Kon, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Mr. Kon sighs. "Sir, if you want to make a business deal, we're currently—"
"Oh, I'm not here for a business deal," the young man interrupts. "I'm here because I heard about what happened on the island. I heard about what happened to your son and the others."
Kenji's father sighs. "Yes, and you're here because?"
"I would like to assist in getting the campers off the island," he says. "The way I see it is that they haven't broken the record yet."
"The record?" Mr. Kon queries.
"The record of living the longest on a Jurassic island," the young man explains. "Twelve year old Eric Kirby survived eight weeks on Isla Sorna before being rescued. As long as they haven't gone past that eight week precedent, there's no reason that they couldn't survive. It's been done before. I'd be willing to help in any way possible."
Mr. Kon smiles and offers a handshake. "What's your name, son?"
"Eric Kirby," the young man smiles.
"Hey, Darius," Brooklynn says, sliding over to sit by him.
Darius internally grimaces.
"What are you doing?" she asks, looking at the small book in his hands. "Wow," she breathes. "Those are good drawings."
"Yaz drew them," Darius says indifferently.
"Oops," Brooklynn grimaces. "Oh, well, did you write down the facts?"
"Yes," Darius shrugs.
"What's that one?" she points to a scary looking predator.
"Carcharodontosaurus," Darius grumbles.
"Is it a predator?" Brooklynn asks.
"Yes," he growls.
"How much did it weigh?" Brooklynn asks.
"6-8 tons," Darius sighs.
"No, come on, it had to have weighed more than that," she chuckles, trying to let him correct her and go on about the predator.
Instead, it has the opposite effect. "Why don't you tell me, then if you're so smart?" Darius retorts sarcastically, teeth gritted together.
"I, I'm not the dino expert," Brooklynn stutters. "You are. They're… they're kind of your whole life."
This unintentionally sets off an explosion. "Of course! That's all I'm good for! Fun dino trivia!" Darius shouts. "I have absolutely no value other than that! I'm just here for your entertainment, aren't I?"
Brooklynn stares at him in shock. The other campers freeze and watch in confusion as Darius rants. "Maybe you should take over as leader since you're clearly so much more intelligent and capable!"
"N-n-no," the pinkette stutters. "I-I never said that."
"Oh, of course, you don't want that responsibility, huh?" Darius growls. "But clearly I'm not a good leader, so who will do it?! I have nothing to contribute other than being your past time and adorable little brother!"
Darius's words seemed very out of context to everyone except Brooklynn and Sammy. "I've made him feel disrespected," Brooklynn wails. "He thinks he's nothing. Oh Lord, what have I done?"
In sadness and guilt, Brooklynn starts to cry. Her tears feel like acid to his skin, and her sobs sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Darius. "Oh, shoot, I've made her cry," he clenches his fists, mad at himself. "Great, here come the waterworks," he says, sounding much colder than he felt. He raises his hand and clenches his fist, about to smack himself. To the others, it looked like he would hit Brooklynn.
As the pseudo leader, Kenji steps in. "Woah, woah, woah! Hold on, let's just calm down here. Back off, Darius, she wasn't saying any of that. There's no need to yell at her. You're overreacting."
Darius turns his attention to Kenji. "I'm overreacting? How about you, Mister crying-over-not-being-eaten?"
Kenji winces.
"You're not any better! You overreact to a lot of things! Might I remind you that you attacked Yasmina over a simple comment!" he shoves Kenji back in rage.
The alpha male takes a deep breath, trying not to lash out.
"Okay, just back off, Kenji," Yasmina says, stepping up to defend Darius. "Clearly Brooklynn said something to bother him, even if it didn't sound that way to us. Maybe if our usually bright and happy friend here is bothered, we should take it seriously."
"I didn't try to!" Brooklynn wails.
"Yaz, stay out of this!" Kenji orders.
"Why are you allowed to be a part of it, then?!" Yasmina snaps.
"Both of you, stay out of this!" Darius shouts, pushing them away from him. "This has nothing to do with either of you!"
"Let's not shout, guys," Sammy says, timidly getting up. "This can be solved. Shouting isn't going to do it."
Unfortunately, the others couldn't hear her over their own shouting. The Indoraptor hatchlings cover their ears and whimper, unsure why their human parents were so angry. Bumpy and Tornado moan from underneath the shelter. Blue purrs in concern as she hears their ruckus.
Finally fed up with the yelling—and seeing as Sammy's approach didn't work—Ben jumps to his feet and yells, "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"
The group stops mid-yelling and stares at him. Ben continues. "This is getting us nowhere! We are not going to be able to solve anything like this!" He points at Darius. "Darius, go take a walk! Go cool down and clear your head! Yaz, head down with him to keep an eye out, but don't talk! Let him vent, but don't say anything. Brooklynn, head up onto the roof with Sammy to calm down. Kenji, sit."
The alpha male sits down immediately. Darius growls in frustration and heads down the slide. Sammy helps Brooklynn up to the roof. Yasmina gives Ben an encouraging thumbs up before following Darius down the slide. Ben takes a deep breath and smiles. "Crisis averted," he thinks to himself.
Out in the woods, Darius shoves a leafy branch out of his way. Yasmina follows along, watching as he sits down on a broken tree frustratedly. She sits down next to him. "If you want to punch something, you can punch my shoulder if you want."
Darius looks up at her, still fuming. "No, why would I do that?"
"Just a suggestion," Yasmina shrugs. "If you wanna let out your rage."
"It's just so frustrating to deal with girls sometimes!" Darius exclaims. "Especially Brooklynn! I don't get her! I love her, but she is so hard to understand! She's always questioning me and interrogating me! It's…" he sighs. "I've been getting more and more frustrated and…" he growls. "The more frustrated I get, the harder it is to put into words!"
He sits there, panting and fuming. Yasmina sits quietly with him as he calms down.
Back at the camp, Brooklynn lets Sammy hug her. "I don't know what I did wrong," she sobs. "I tried to fix the problem, but I made it worse."
"I… I don't know," Sammy sighs. "Maybe it would be better to talk to him about it."
Brooklynn nods and the two climb down from the roof. Kenji and Ben are quietly sitting with the Indoraptors. Instead of leaving the camp, Sammy guides Brooklynn to sit by Kenji. "What did Brooklynn do wrong?" she asks. "Did she say something that triggered Darius?"
Kenji shrugs in confusion. "I don't know. It sounds like somethings been going on for a while and his pent up feelings finally exploded."
"If you were in Darius's position, what do you think it was?" Sammy asks.
Kenji thinks for a moment. "In this moment, you probably came off as critical of his knowledge of dinosaurs."
"How?" Brooklynn asks. "I was trying to let him show off his knowledge."
"Instead of letting him show off his knowledge, you questioned him," Kenji says. "He told you how much the dino weighed, and then you told him that wasn't right. Still doesn't warrant that kind of response, but generally responses like that are caused by a buildup of feelings."
"I… what?" Brooklynn asks in confusion.
"Actually, looking back, that's probably it," Kenji says, putting his finger to his mouth. "I can remember several instances where you would ask him something, he'd answer, and then you'd come up with your own idea. That probably bothered him."
"I…" Brooklynn murmurs, her lower lip trembling. "I didn't know."
"From a guy to a girl, what would you say she should do in this situation?" Sammy asks.
"Probably show him more respect," Kenji says.
"How?!" Brooklynn exclaims. "I thought I was showing love and respect to Darius. What did I do wrong!"
"In the instances I just listed, you weren't showing respect," Kenji says, a bit confused. "You were showing the opposite of it."
"How?" Brooklynn pleads.
Kenji looks at Ben in confusion. Ben shrugs, just as confused as him. "Wait… you seriously don't know where you went wrong?" Kenji asks.
"What did I do?" Brooklynn murmurs.
"You kept questioning his opinions and ideas," Kenji explains. "Even with dinosaurs, it seemed like he couldn't be right. If you wanna show him respect, show it. Show him that you look up to him and trust him. That would mean trusting his decisions and actions, admiring and listening to him when he talks. Show him that he matters."
"Another thing would be to treat him like he's your leader," Ben butts in. "He gets frustrated when we don't listen to him or belittle him. He wants to be respected as the leader and treated like such. I don't think he likes it when we call him adorable. He wants to be treated like a man."
"Do you think he thinks I don't trust him?" Brooklynn asks.
"Well, when you question his decisions and opinions, it does seem that way," Kenji shrugs.
"Far from it!" Brooklynn chuckles bitterly. "I ask him so many questions because I trust his judgment. I'm scared of what I don't know, which is why I go to him!"
"Well, I don't think he sees it that way," Kenji says.
"I need to go apologize," Brooklynn says, shaking her head and heading down the slide. She finds Darius and Yasmina sitting on a log. "Darius," she says quietly, holding her left arm. Yasmina stands up and walks away, giving them privacy. Her and the others stand behind a tree yards away, just to keep an ear on the events.
Darius slowly looks up at her. The two stare at each other awkwardly. "I…" the pinkette starts out, unsure what to say. "I… I hate the unknown. I feel more secure when I've learned something about my situation or whatever is going on. That's… that's why I've been so… so talkative. I just want to know… know… know more about dinosaurs. The jungle. The plan. Whatever I can to ease my nervousness. That's…"
She sits down next to Darius. "That's why I came to you. Because you knew so much about dinosaurs. Because you were our leader and made amazing decisions. I… I came to you because I… you made me feel secure and safe."
Darius turns his head to look at her. "I'm sorry if I came off as critical or anything," Brooklynn apologizes. "I really do respect your judgement and knowledge. I didn't know that I was hurting you."
"I'm sorry for yelling," he says. "I shouldn't have; it was wrong. I'm sorry if I seemed even angrier when you cried. I was made at myself for making you cry."
Brooklynn nods.
"I… you…" Darius sputters. "I guess the constant questioning just… it felt personal. It didn't feel like you wanted to know about dinosaurs. It felt like you were criticizing me or one upping me. I felt like I had to prove myself."
She lowers her eyes, ashamed.
"I didn't know how to tell you," Darius admits. "I didn't want to tell you. I… I just internalized all of it."
"You don't have to internalize it," Brooklynn whimpers. "You could've told me. I would've understood and tried to fix the problem."
"I already felt judged for my abilities as a leader," he says. "I didn't want to open up and come off as weak and emotional and sensitive."
He looks over at Brooklynn to see tears running down her face. "Oh, no, I've made her cry again," he thinks worriedly.
Brooklynn embraces him in a tearful hug. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was doing."
Darius hugs her back.
"I do trust you," Brooklynn sniffs. "Greatly. I thought I was expressing that, but I guess not. What would you want me to do?"
"Just…" he sighs. "Trust that I wouldn't steer you wrong. If I tell you to do something in battle, trust that I have my reasons. Trust that I'm doing everything to keep you and the others safe. I'm not saying that I don't want to hear your opinion, just not as much of it. There comes a point where we've crossed over from expressing your opinion to… nagging."
"So shut up," Brooklynn chuckles, pulling back.
"That's not what I'm saying," Darius shakes his head. "Just… if you ask me my opinion, and I give it to you, don't go telling me I'm wrong. If you don't like what I tell you, why do you ask in the first place?"
Brooklynn nods. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to do that. I really do respect you, Darius. You're an amazing leader. I wouldn't have anyone else."
The two hug again. Darius tries to hide his tears of happiness and relief while Brooklynn's flow freely. They find comfort in their embrace, finally having realized their issue and resolving to work through it. The others smile at each other, happy that their friends were bridging their differences.
"I'm sorry," Brooklynn whispers one last time.
"Thank you," Darius whispers back, smiling.