"Closed?!" Desmond exclaimed in surprise and annoyance. "What do you mean it's closed?"
"So sorry, Desmond, but it says here that the palace will be closed for the day, due to some unexpected issues." Dylan pointed at a sign, put on the front gates of the Buckingham Palace.
"A pity really…" Dawkins said. "The interior of the palace is quite impressive. I was almost certain that it would've been your favorite landmark to visit, Desmond."
"Huuu..." Desmond sighed in disappointment, then looked up at the palace. "Well… At least… I got to see the palace. Even if it's just behind the gates."
Dylan looked at Desmond with a sad face, then looked to his left, when a thought occurred to him.
"… Hey, Desmond." He tapped him on the shoulder. "There's a natural history museum nearby. If you want, we could go there."
"Great idea, Dylan." Dawkins noted. "Desmond, I'm sure you'll like it."
"… Well… I haven't been to a natural history museum before." Desmond thought for a bit then gave Dylan and Dawkins a smile. "Sure, that sounds good. Let's go check it out."
"Well, at least it's full of cool animals." Delgado said.
"The museum is a few blocks that way." Dylan pointed at the distance. "Not too far."
The dogs then headed towards the museum and not after much time they reached the museum's entrance. But before they entered, Dylan turned to Delgado and D.J.
"Listen up you two." Dylan said with a stern tone. "You know what's inside this museum, right?"
"Uhhh…" Delgado pondered. "… Bones…?"
"Fossils, but yes." Dylan nodded. "I don't want to see you chewing or nibbling on them, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Delgado sighed as he dropped his ears. D.J. put a paw on his back and rubbed him in an attempt to cheer him up.
They entered into the museum, and immediately, Desmond's eye widened in awe as he saw a giant skeleton of a prehistoric animal hung to the ceiling.
"Is that a whale…?" Desmond asked, his eyes still glowed to the massive skeleton above him.
"Hehe. Seems like one, huh?" Dylan said, humored. "But that's actually a Mosasaurus."
"A what-saurus?" Desmond turned his attention towards Dylan, puzzled. "Is it a dinosaur then?"
"It's Mosasaurus, and yes, it is a dinosaur." He nodded. "A very impressive one at that."
"Didn't dinosaurs walk only on land?" Desmond rubbed his head. "This one looks like it swam in the water."
Dylan looked at Desmond confused. "There are aquatic dinosaurs too, not only terrestrial, Desmond. Don't you know that?"
"… No, I've only watched a few movies about dinosaurs and in them, all the dinosaurs walked on land." Desmond said then thought for a bit. "Does that mean that there are aerial dinosaurs too?"
"Uh-huh, there are." Dylan confirmed. "You ever heard of Pterosaurs?"
"No." Desmond said, a bit embarrassed.
Dylan bumped him on the side. "Hey! Don't worry, I don't expect you to know everything about them."
"Here, come with me." Dylan twitched his head towards a staircase leading to a second floor.
"Dawkins, I'll go show some of the dinosaurs to Desmond. I can count on you to keep an eye on Delgado and D.J., right?" Dylan said to his brother as he and Desmond were climbing the stairs.
"Sure. Delgado wanted to go see the big cats anyway." Dawkins told him.
"Come on, come on!" Delgado was pulling Dawkins by his tail in haste. "I wanna go see the cheetah!"
"Okay, okay! Stop pulling my tail, you're going to rip it off." Dawkins told his younger brother in annoyance.
D.J. giggled slightly, amused by Delgado's impatience.
Dylan and Desmond then continued to climb the stairs. When they reached the top, Dylan paused for a moment, pondering on a thought as he looked to his left then right.
Where was it…? He thought then remembered. "Ah, yeah, yeah. This way, Desmond."
Dylan, followed by Desmond, walked into a nearby room where there were a dozen skeletons of pterosaurs displayed.
"Oh, wow!" Desmond exclaimed, surprised. "They all look really cool."
"Yeah, they do look cool, but we didn't come here for them." Dylan specified as he sat on the floor.
"Then… What?" Desmond asked, puzzled.
Dylan raised his head up, gesturing for Desmond to look above him. Desmond looked up and saw the skeleton of a giant pterosaur hung to the ceiling of the room, which made him jolt slightly in shock.
"JEEZ…! That's… That's one big pterosaur…" Desmond exclaimed, surprised by the skeleton's size.
"Hehe!" Dylan chuckled from Desmond's reaction. "This is what we came to see."
"It's called a Quetzalcoatlus." Dylan told him.
"A big guy, Huh?" Desmond looked at it more closely. "Qetza… How did you call it… Qetza… Clus…?"
"Quetzalcoatlus." Dylan repeated. "Got it now?"
"Quetzalocus…" Desmond struggled out in saying the name.
"Repeat after me!" Dylan turned to him. "Que…"
"Que…" Desmond began repeating after him.
"… Tzal…"
"… Tzal…"
"… Coa…" Dylan started giggling from the funny faces Desmond made as he was repeating after him.
"… Coa…"
"… Tlus." Dylan finished.
"… Tlus."
"Now say it." Dylan told him as Desmond looked at him, a bit nervous. "Come on, I'm not going to laugh if say it wrong."
"Quetzal… C-Coatlus… Quetzalcoatlus!" Desmond finally said the name correctly.
"There you go!" Dylan smiled then patted him on the back. "Wasn't that hard, was it?"
"Dolly can't even say half the name without twisting her tongue." Dylan giggled.
"So, what can you tell me about it?" Desmond pointed at the skeleton with interest.
"Well, it is one of the largest flying animals to have ever lived. And I'm sure you've noticed its huge wingspan, right?" Dylan said.
"Yeah. It still creeps me out a little." Desmond shivered.
"It's ten meters in length, but it's estimated that it could also reach twelve meters. Its body length is six meters which makes him as big as a light aircraft."
"Very impressive!" Desmond exclaimed, then looked at the creature's neck. "I have a question, why is its neck so long? It resembles a Giraffe's."
"Could be for intimidation purposes as it makes him very tall. It could be to see danger from far as well, with that neck he could probably see predators coming from a kilometer away." Dylan shrugged his shoulders.
"Sounds like you're not sure yourself, huh?" Desmond smirked.
"Well, I can't know everything." Dylan smirked back.
"Alright, if you're done admiring him, we can move on to another dinosaur." He looked at Desmond. "I think the next one you know well enough."
"Oh?" Desmond rose an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what could that dinosaur be?"
"Follow me and you'll see." Dylan told him as he went out of the room towards another one, with Desmond following right behind him.
"ROAR! ROAR! Haha!" Delgado was shouting towards a model of a cheetah as he was stumping on the floor. "Hey, bro, you think I can beat him in a race?"
"Highly unlikely." Dawkins answered him with indifference. "The cheetah can reach speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour, Delgado. A Dalmatian's top speed is 60 kilometers per hour. As you can see, the cheetah is twice as fast as us."
Delgado frowned at his older brother in annoyance and scoff off to another model of an animal.
"Aww, come on, Delgado, I'm just stating facts." Dawkins followed him.
"You know you're still the cheetah in our family, right?" He rubbed Delgado on the head then gave him a small smile.
Delgado couldn't help but smirk a little from his brother's statement.
"Maybe after you grow up, you'll get to be the fastest Dalmatian in the world."
"Fast enough to beat a cheetah?!" Delgado began wagging his tail.
"Well… Umm…" Dawkins made an awkward face then looked left and right, trying to find something that would change the subject.
"H-Hey, look at that!" Dawkins pointed towards a large skeleton of a mammal.
Delgado looked at the skeleton and jumped in awe. "Oh, wow! What's that thing?!"
D.J. was sitting in front of the same skeleton Dawkins pointed to and was foot-tapping on the ground, listening to his music. Delgado ran next to him, followed by Dawkins, and gazed at the massive skeleton.
"Ah! Paraceratherium transouralicum. The biggest mammal to have walked the Earth." Dawkins looked at it as well. "A fine choice, D.J."
Delgado turned to D.J. and tapped him by the shoulder. "Try saying that three times faster… Paraceretiom, Persererium, Tranzulium… Hehehe!"
D.J. let out a small giggle when he saw the funny expressions his brother was making as he tried saying the name.
"If you're done butchering its name, Delgado…" Dawkins sat next to his younger brothers and lowered his head to their level. "Would you like to guess who this big guy's related to?"
D.J. smirked and nudge Delgado by the side, getting his attention. Delgado looked at his brother who was pointing to a model of an African elephant, tipping him off.
"Thanks, bro." Delgado murmured out, then confidently answered to his older brother. "It's the elephant of course!"
"Hehe… Wrong." Dawkins grinned at him. "Aaah, how I knew you'd say that."
He then turned to his other brother. "D.J. I appreciate you trying to help him out, but I want Delgado to try and guess himself."
D.J. quickly jolted his head to the other side, blushing a little from embarrassment.
"What do you mean 'wrong'?" Delgado frowned, confused. "Look at it, it looks like an elephant."
"Yes, I know it could seem that way." Dawkins giggled. "That's why I was so sure you'd get it wrong, but actually…"
Dawkins gestured with his paw towards the Paraceratherium, then he slowly began to move his paw across the room. "You'll be surprised to hear that he's related to that big guy over there."
Dawkins's paw stopped towards a model of a White rhinoceros.
"A rhino?!" Delgado exclaimed in surprise. D.J. broadened his eyebrows in surprise as well.
"You're telling me that this Parazeritirum's the great-great-great-great-a million times great, great-granddad of the rhino?!" Delgado exclaimed in disbelieve.
"Not an ancestor, Delgado. He's from the same family tree as the rhinoceros." Dawkins patted him on the head. "Got it? He's just from the same family."
"And what's that family?" Delgado rose an eyebrow, intrigued.
"The Rhinocerotoidea." Dawkins answered him. "More specifically the Hyracodontidae, though that family tree is extinct."
"Oh! Why are these names so long and hard to pronounce?!" Delgado began stomping on the floor, flustered. "How do you even remember them?"
"Well… It's not that hard, you just need to practice saying them more."
"Oh, yeah. Easy for you to say, Mister Big brain." Delgado chuckled to himself as he said that.
"… ?!... Oh, you…" Dawkins smirked a little as he rubbed his forehead. He then looked over to his other brother. "Hey, where did D.J. go?"
"Ta-da~!" Dylan exclaimed, gesturing with his paw towards the skeleton of a giant carnivorous dinosaur.
"Ahh! The T-rex!" Desmond recognized the large creature. "King of the dinosaurs."
"Who doesn't know the Tyrannosaurus rex, ah?" Dylan laughed out. "He's one of the most famous dinosaurs, after all."
"You don't have to tell me anything about him." Desmond started to circle the big skeleton. "I already know everything there is to know."
"Like?" Dylan sat down.
"Well… I know that if you stay still, without moving a muscle…" Desmond froze in place to emphasize. "The T-rex can't see you, even if you're right in front of him."
Dylan gave a quizzical expression and began giggling. "Really, Desmond?"
"What?" Desmond walked up to him. "I saw that once in a movie."
Desmond started scratching the ground, slightly abashed. "Am… Am I wrong?"
"Well, you aren't right." Dylan said. "If the T-rex couldn't see anything that didn't move in front of him, don't you think he'd bump into every tree, or trip onto every rock he came across?"
"… I guess so." Desmond stroked the side of his head.
"In actuality, the T-rex had excellent vision, Desmond."
"I see… So, you're saying that if this guy was alive, standing frozen right in front of him would be a death wish?"
"Pretty much, yes."
Desmond turned his attention to the maw of the giant carnivore and took a close look at it. As he did, he noticed the huge serrated teeth the creature had which made the fur on his body stand in unease. "… How big are those fangs?"
"Around 30 centimeters."
"Oh-ho~!" Desmond nervously murmured.
"Though, I'd be more wary of his bite force." Dylan grinned at Desmond, showing off his canine fangs.
"The Rex's jaws could deliver an amazing six and a half tons of pressure when it snapped down on its prey." Dylan started slowly approaching Desmond, snarling in an attempt to frighten him, when he suddenly felt something biting his tail, making Dylan jump in shock.
"AAH!" he yelled out, Dylan then turned his head to see what was munching on his tail. It was D.J. pulling his tail and chuckling as he did.
"What the… D.J. what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Dawkins and Delgado?"
D.J. let go of Dylan's tail and shook his head in disagreement, he then walked up to the Tyrannosaurus' skeleton and sat down.
"D.J.! D.J.! Where are you?" Dawkins and Delgado were yelling as they went onto the second floor.
"Here guys!" Dylan yelled out to them. "D.J.'s over here."
"Ah! Thank dog, I didn't lose him." Dawkins told himself as he and Delgado entered the room, Dylan, Desmond, and D.J. were in.
"Ah! The Tyrannosaurus. Of course, you'd come here." Dawkins walked up to him and sat down. "Always checking your favorite dinosaur out?"
"What can I say, I have a soft spot for the king." Dylan looked at the giant carnivore's skeleton.
"Hey, Desmond. Whatcha looking at?" Delgado walked up to him.
"… Ah? Oh, I was just observing its feet." Desmond told him, still looking at the Tyrannosaur's feet.
"… Why?" Delgado frowned in confusion.
"Just a funny thought…" He replied to Delgado, nonchalantly. "The T-rex's feet resemble those of birds a lot."
Delgado took a good look at the huge creature's feet and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they do… But aren't dinos just a bunch of overgrown lizards?"
"Desmond's in the right direction, actually, Delgado." Dylan appeared behind his younger brother. "Dinosaurs are closely related to birds."
Desmond rose an ear. "Really…? How very interesting."
"There've also been discovered dinosaurs with feathers too." Dawkins said. "There's the theory that the Tyrannosaurus had feathers as well."
"You don't say…" Desmond looked back at the Tyrannosaur and pondered on a thought. He grew a smile as the idea of these giant creatures that roamed the planet emerged in his mind, sparking an interest in them. "Hey! Are there any bookstores around here?"
"Yeah, there is one near the entrance of the museum." Dawkins answered him. "Why are you asking?"
"I want to check something out." Desmond walked next to him and Dylan.
"Well, I think it's time to move on to our next destination." Dylan said, then turned to Desmond. "Or do you want to stay a bit longer, Desmond?"
"… What's the time?" Desmond turned to Dawkins.
Dawkins pulled out the tablet he had from his backpack and looked at the time. "5:23 pm."
"Then I'll just leave it for another time." Desmond began walking out the room. "Come on, to landmark No. 2!"
"Alright then." Dylan and Dawkins stood up and went out the room as well. Dylan turned to his younger brother to call them when he heard Delgado, whose back was turned on him, making strange noises with his mouth "What are you doing, Delgado?"
Delgado jolted as he heard his older brother call him out. "Nothing!"
"Well, come on. We're leaving… D.J. you too."
"Coming!" Delgado spurted out and ran towards his brother along with D.J.
They then walked down the staircase to the first floor, but before they exited the building, Desmond stopped by the bookstore.
"Hey, Dylan. Look what I got." Desmond walked out of the bookstore and walked up to the group of dogs. He then pulled out a book out of his backpack.
"Nice, 'Giants of the Past'. I have the same book back home." Dylan noted. "You could have just asked me, I would've given it to you."
"What! Really? Then why did I bought it then?" Desmond frowned slightly. "Ahhh, Whatever! It's better off if I had my own copy of the book."
"Does that mean you're interested in prehistoric creatures, then?" Dylan asked, eagerly.
"It's your fault, Dylan." Desmond put the book back in his backpack. "You sparked the interest for the prehistoric world in me."
Dylan giggled then put a paw around Desmond. "Glad to hear that. Being the only one captivated by these magnificent animals can get a bit lonely."
As they exited the museum, Dylan noticed Delgado chewing on something in his mouth. "Delgado… What do you have in your mouth?"
Delgado began sweating as he tried to hide whatever he had in his mouth. "N-Nothing, Dylan! I've got nothing!"
"Delgado." Dylan said sternly. "Spit what you've got out, right now!"
Delgado contemplated for a little then slowly let a finger-bone he had in his mouth slide out on the ground. "… Sorry~…"
"Delgado!" Dylan yelled out, angered.
"Sorry! Sorry! But I couldn't help it." Delgado's ears dropped down as he made a nervous smile.
"Come on! We're returning that bone, right now!" He pulled Delgado by his collar back into the museum. "I hope we don't have any problems regarding this…"
After a while, Dylan and Delgado came out of the museum. "Why did you even take it you know it's pretty much just a rock."
"… Well… even if you say that I can't help it, you know?" Delgado pleaded.
Dylan just rubbed his forehead in tiredness. "… Whatever. Just don't let me see you doing it again. I'm serious this time!"
"Well?" Dawkins asked, a bit worried.
"Thankfully, I managed to return the bone without anybody noticing." Dylan looked back at Delgado.
"Okay, let's get back on track." Dylan turned his attention at Desmond. "Where do you want to go next?"
Desmond smiled as he knew that the next place they were going was the one he was waiting for eagerly. "Big Ben!"
All of the dogs looked at him with hesitant faces.
"What?" Desmond asked confused.
"Dawkins…?" Dylan turned to his younger brother.
"Oh no, Dylan! You're the tour guide, you tell him." Dawkins left Dylan's side.
"What? Tell me what?" Desmond asked again, even more confused.
"… Mmm~... You're probably not going to like this." Dylan looked to the side nervously.
Hey, everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for the reviews and the likes on my story, it really makes me happy to see you guys enjoying my work. Happy holiday! And Happy New Year!