Chapter 2
When the little girl got back to her home, which was a little more than a mile from the shore in the city of Neopylos, her father was waiting for her. But he didn't look too happy with his daughter.
"Kaala," he said sternly, "how many times have I told you and Riojay not to go down by the water by yourself?"
"But Daddy," she pleaded, "Rio and I found a dolphinback on the beach! And he's still alive!" Kaala's father dropped the cup he had in his hand.
"Really?" he asked. Kaala nodded as she mounted Riojay again. He ran back into the house, where his wife and triceratops were waiting. When they came out, Kaala was ready and couldn't wait to show her parents the young man she had found. Riojay couldn't wait either, as Kaala had to do everything in her power to keep him from taking off towards the sea. She rubbed his neck as her parents brought out the family's trusty triceratops named Nobella, but they called her "Nobby" for short. As soon as Nobby was ready, Kaala led them to the beach.
When they got to where Croco was lying, Nobby looked him over with a curious interest.
"Never seen a dolphinback like this one before," Nobby said, "But then again...I haven't seen one in about sixty years." Kaala's mother, a younger looking woman, also looked him over.
"He's unconscious," she said. Then she turned to her husband. "Brock, how are we going to get him home?"
"I don't know," he said, scratching his head. "Mira, I wish there was an easy way to go about this...I mean, look at him. He's in pretty bad shape, as he looks like he must've been in the water for at least a day or so. And with those deep cuts on him, he's pretty lucky he didn't get picked off by the sharks." Brock and Mira discussed how they were going to transport Croco back to their home. They knew they weren't just going to leave him on the beach while they did something else to take him back, that was already made up. Just then, Riojay nudged Brock's arm but it didn't get his attention. He nudged him again, this time a little harder. Brock turned around to him.
"All right Riojay...what's the big idea?" he asked. Kaala stepped in.
"We should take him home on Nobby's back!" she said.
"That's what we're trying to do." Mira replied as she prepared a special saddle for Croco to ride in.
"We'll nurse him back to health and then when he's ready, we can show him around before taking him to Waterfall City. Besides, I'm sure Nobby wouldn't mind..."
"Of course not," the old triceratops said. Brock and Mira, with a little help from Riojay, lifted Croco onto her back as Kaala jumped on board Riojay. Then they made their way back to their home in Neopylos.
When Croco woke up, he immediately realized that he wasn't on the beach anymore. Trying to figure out where he was, he looked around the room and was amazed at what he saw. The room was rather small, but it had a bookshelf with many books on it. On the other side he saw a picture of what appeared to be a giant reptile, possibly a dinosaur. 'I know what that is,' he thought aloud, 'that is a brachiosaurus.' Underneath the picture was a caption in some kind of a weird language that used footprints as letters. Croco couldn't make it out, but was still curious about what it said. Just then, Brock entered the room.
"I see our friend here is awake," he announced, and Croco jumped back. "You're lucky to be alive, you know that."
"I...I know that," he said. "My two companions are dead and I'd be among them if it weren't for the dolphins and your little girl." As Brock and Croco introduced themselves to each other, Riojay entered the room. Croco shuddered at the very presence of the deinonychus, and was quite frightened.
"What...what is that?!?" he said. He saw the claws. "No...you're not gonna eat...me...NO! Get away!" Brock was surprised by his episode.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, "He's..."
"Get that raptor away from me!" he shouted. Kaala entered the room, shocked to find that the dolphinback was awake, but more so that he was afraid of Riojay.
"It's OK!" she shouted, "Riojay won't eat you." Croco turned to her with eyes as wide as saucers.
"You mean that...that raptor is your pet?!?"
"Riojay's not a velociraptor, if that's what you think he is. He's a deinonychus, and he's my friend. In fact, 'riojay' in the deinonychus language means 'friend.'" Riojay nuzzled her face as they approached Croco. He extended his hand towards Riojay, and he allowed him to stroke his neck and head. Croco was surprised, but his feelings towards the raptor-like Riojay softened as his companion approached him.
"My name's Kaala and I am nine. What's your name?"
"I'm Joey Hallaway, but everybody I know calls me Croco. You're nine, eh? Well that makes you exactly ten years younger than I am." Kaala was confused a little bit.
"Ten summers," Brock said correcting him, "Here we measure age by how many summers one has lived through. When were you born?"
"October 24th, 1978," he told him. Kaala was shocked.
"You were born on the day of the Festival of Air Creatures!" she shouted, "You're gonna be a flyer, I know it!" Meanwhile, Brock was figuring out Croco's age.
"According to my estimate," he told him, "you would be nineteen summers old. Am I correct?" Croco counted it on his fingers, then nodded. Brock turned to his daughter.
"Kaala," he said quietly, "don't give our friend too much right now. He's still a little confused about our way of life and I'm pretty sure he'd like to learn when he's feeling better. Besides, it's not for another nine months." He left the room and Kaala jumped on Croco's lap.
"Croco," she asked sweetly, "what kind of a name is that?" He went on to tell the story about his grandfather's adventures in World War II, and when he was finished, Brock, who had left the room to help Mira fix supper, entered to check on Kaala and Croco. Kaala, with her long, flowing brown hair, ran and jumped into her father's arms when she saw him.
"Daddy!" She was like a schoolgirl who couldn't wait for her turn in show-and-tell. "Croco told me about how his grandfather helped beat the Germans in World War II and that he was flying a mechanical bird when it crashed and the dolphins..." Croco looked around...and he knew he was in a place that he never knew about. He figured that explained how Riojay got there too. He followed Brock out of the room and into the kitchen.
"Brock, can I ask you something real quick?" He nodded. "Just...where exactly are we?"
"We're in the town of Neopylos." Croco shook his head.
"No, no...I meant this island. What island is this? I don't remember there ever being an island with...dinosaurs on it." Mira turned around and saw Croco. She smiled as she was cutting up carrots for the meal.
"You're on Dinotopia, dear," she said, "and I am Mira, Brock's husband." This left Croco speechless. He didn't know what to think...what to say. Just the very name "Dinotopia" conjured up many images of tyrannosaurs and herds of triceratops in his head. As Croco stood there, he caught a glimpse of Nobby in front of the doorway.
"Is that...what I think it is?" he said, awe stricken by the presence of the horned beast. Brock opened his mouth to say something, but Nobby cut him off.
"My name is Nobella and I am a triceratops. The family here calls me Nobby." When Croco heard that, he fainted from the shock. Nobby started to shake her head at the exact moment Croco hit the floor.
"Dolphinbacks," she said sadly, "they're all the same...no matter where they come from. Help me carry him into the living room." Brock and Nobby helped get Croco off the kitchen floor and into the next room.
"Well hopefully he'll wake up soon...dinner will be done shortly," Brock told his reptilian companion and like that, they went back into the kitchen.
When the little girl got back to her home, which was a little more than a mile from the shore in the city of Neopylos, her father was waiting for her. But he didn't look too happy with his daughter.
"Kaala," he said sternly, "how many times have I told you and Riojay not to go down by the water by yourself?"
"But Daddy," she pleaded, "Rio and I found a dolphinback on the beach! And he's still alive!" Kaala's father dropped the cup he had in his hand.
"Really?" he asked. Kaala nodded as she mounted Riojay again. He ran back into the house, where his wife and triceratops were waiting. When they came out, Kaala was ready and couldn't wait to show her parents the young man she had found. Riojay couldn't wait either, as Kaala had to do everything in her power to keep him from taking off towards the sea. She rubbed his neck as her parents brought out the family's trusty triceratops named Nobella, but they called her "Nobby" for short. As soon as Nobby was ready, Kaala led them to the beach.
When they got to where Croco was lying, Nobby looked him over with a curious interest.
"Never seen a dolphinback like this one before," Nobby said, "But then again...I haven't seen one in about sixty years." Kaala's mother, a younger looking woman, also looked him over.
"He's unconscious," she said. Then she turned to her husband. "Brock, how are we going to get him home?"
"I don't know," he said, scratching his head. "Mira, I wish there was an easy way to go about this...I mean, look at him. He's in pretty bad shape, as he looks like he must've been in the water for at least a day or so. And with those deep cuts on him, he's pretty lucky he didn't get picked off by the sharks." Brock and Mira discussed how they were going to transport Croco back to their home. They knew they weren't just going to leave him on the beach while they did something else to take him back, that was already made up. Just then, Riojay nudged Brock's arm but it didn't get his attention. He nudged him again, this time a little harder. Brock turned around to him.
"All right Riojay...what's the big idea?" he asked. Kaala stepped in.
"We should take him home on Nobby's back!" she said.
"That's what we're trying to do." Mira replied as she prepared a special saddle for Croco to ride in.
"We'll nurse him back to health and then when he's ready, we can show him around before taking him to Waterfall City. Besides, I'm sure Nobby wouldn't mind..."
"Of course not," the old triceratops said. Brock and Mira, with a little help from Riojay, lifted Croco onto her back as Kaala jumped on board Riojay. Then they made their way back to their home in Neopylos.
When Croco woke up, he immediately realized that he wasn't on the beach anymore. Trying to figure out where he was, he looked around the room and was amazed at what he saw. The room was rather small, but it had a bookshelf with many books on it. On the other side he saw a picture of what appeared to be a giant reptile, possibly a dinosaur. 'I know what that is,' he thought aloud, 'that is a brachiosaurus.' Underneath the picture was a caption in some kind of a weird language that used footprints as letters. Croco couldn't make it out, but was still curious about what it said. Just then, Brock entered the room.
"I see our friend here is awake," he announced, and Croco jumped back. "You're lucky to be alive, you know that."
"I...I know that," he said. "My two companions are dead and I'd be among them if it weren't for the dolphins and your little girl." As Brock and Croco introduced themselves to each other, Riojay entered the room. Croco shuddered at the very presence of the deinonychus, and was quite frightened.
"What...what is that?!?" he said. He saw the claws. "No...you're not gonna eat...me...NO! Get away!" Brock was surprised by his episode.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, "He's..."
"Get that raptor away from me!" he shouted. Kaala entered the room, shocked to find that the dolphinback was awake, but more so that he was afraid of Riojay.
"It's OK!" she shouted, "Riojay won't eat you." Croco turned to her with eyes as wide as saucers.
"You mean that...that raptor is your pet?!?"
"Riojay's not a velociraptor, if that's what you think he is. He's a deinonychus, and he's my friend. In fact, 'riojay' in the deinonychus language means 'friend.'" Riojay nuzzled her face as they approached Croco. He extended his hand towards Riojay, and he allowed him to stroke his neck and head. Croco was surprised, but his feelings towards the raptor-like Riojay softened as his companion approached him.
"My name's Kaala and I am nine. What's your name?"
"I'm Joey Hallaway, but everybody I know calls me Croco. You're nine, eh? Well that makes you exactly ten years younger than I am." Kaala was confused a little bit.
"Ten summers," Brock said correcting him, "Here we measure age by how many summers one has lived through. When were you born?"
"October 24th, 1978," he told him. Kaala was shocked.
"You were born on the day of the Festival of Air Creatures!" she shouted, "You're gonna be a flyer, I know it!" Meanwhile, Brock was figuring out Croco's age.
"According to my estimate," he told him, "you would be nineteen summers old. Am I correct?" Croco counted it on his fingers, then nodded. Brock turned to his daughter.
"Kaala," he said quietly, "don't give our friend too much right now. He's still a little confused about our way of life and I'm pretty sure he'd like to learn when he's feeling better. Besides, it's not for another nine months." He left the room and Kaala jumped on Croco's lap.
"Croco," she asked sweetly, "what kind of a name is that?" He went on to tell the story about his grandfather's adventures in World War II, and when he was finished, Brock, who had left the room to help Mira fix supper, entered to check on Kaala and Croco. Kaala, with her long, flowing brown hair, ran and jumped into her father's arms when she saw him.
"Daddy!" She was like a schoolgirl who couldn't wait for her turn in show-and-tell. "Croco told me about how his grandfather helped beat the Germans in World War II and that he was flying a mechanical bird when it crashed and the dolphins..." Croco looked around...and he knew he was in a place that he never knew about. He figured that explained how Riojay got there too. He followed Brock out of the room and into the kitchen.
"Brock, can I ask you something real quick?" He nodded. "Just...where exactly are we?"
"We're in the town of Neopylos." Croco shook his head.
"No, no...I meant this island. What island is this? I don't remember there ever being an island with...dinosaurs on it." Mira turned around and saw Croco. She smiled as she was cutting up carrots for the meal.
"You're on Dinotopia, dear," she said, "and I am Mira, Brock's husband." This left Croco speechless. He didn't know what to think...what to say. Just the very name "Dinotopia" conjured up many images of tyrannosaurs and herds of triceratops in his head. As Croco stood there, he caught a glimpse of Nobby in front of the doorway.
"Is that...what I think it is?" he said, awe stricken by the presence of the horned beast. Brock opened his mouth to say something, but Nobby cut him off.
"My name is Nobella and I am a triceratops. The family here calls me Nobby." When Croco heard that, he fainted from the shock. Nobby started to shake her head at the exact moment Croco hit the floor.
"Dolphinbacks," she said sadly, "they're all the same...no matter where they come from. Help me carry him into the living room." Brock and Nobby helped get Croco off the kitchen floor and into the next room.
"Well hopefully he'll wake up soon...dinner will be done shortly," Brock told his reptilian companion and like that, they went back into the kitchen.