Chapter 9
Croco took in the sights of Waterfall City, occasionally asking someone about the city or about what they were doing. Most of them were pretty friendly, except for an older man who ran an antique shop. He told Croco that he was well in his second century of life on Dinotopia and wanted to find a way off the island. Croco was shocked to find someone who wanted to leave.
"Why would you want to leave?" he asked. The man scratched his head while trying to come up with something to tell Croco.
"Cause...the only purpose of us skinnies are to serve the scalies," he told him. Then, he took off the hat he was wearing. "Oh, sorry to be so rude as to not introduce myself. Name's Steven Crabb, and my father, my son and I have been trying for years to find a way off this cursed island." Croco stepped off the wagon
"Nice to meet you...my name is Croco Hallaway and I just landed here three months ago. So have you found a way to leave yet?" Steven laughed at that comment.
"Can't Croco," he told him, "The seas are unnavigable and even then, there's a reef system surrounding the island that'll take down any ship that tries to sail over it." Croco smiled as he saw an opportunity to put his good spirit to work.
"Well if you can't leave, then you might as well make the best of your life here," he told him. "I wanted to be a fighter pilot but now I'm stuck here, so I'm gonna become a Skybax rider instead because I want to be able to fly again." Steven balked at the idea of anyone from the outside world being able to fly, but he told him about the plane and the accident as well as the fact that landing on Dinotopia was the greatest thing to have ever happened to him. Steven started laughing hysterically.
"Landing here...the greatest thing to have ever happened to you?!?" he said between his laughter, "I feel sorry for you, young dolphinback!" Brock insisted that they part ways, and Croco climbed back into the wagon. But he had a parting word for the crusty Steven.
"If you're so unhappy about being here, there's always a hungry tyrannosaur in the Basin that'll change that!" Steven cursed at him while Riojay was laughing. However, Croco received a scolding from both Mira and Nobby and the laughter stopped immediately. They continued making their way through the city when the triceratops turned back to her passengers.
"The library is straight ahead," she announced. Nobby then found a place to park the wagon while Brock undid her from her chains. She bellowed in relief as the six of them started towards the steps of the library. Once inside, Croco began looking around and noticied there wasn't a single book.
"Hey, where are the books?" he asked, pulling a scroll off of a shelf.
"You're holding one," Brock told him. Croco gave him a look of cynicism as he explained further. "The saurians always found it easier to read from scrolls as they didn't have to bother flipping through pages. Makes some sense, doesn't it." He turned around to find that Croco had ran off. Brock called him many times before he found Croco engaged in a conversation about the outside world with a Troodon. He looked up to see Brock and Nobby standing by him.
"So, where's the registry?" he asked the troodon as Mira, Kaala and Riojay arrived.
"Right this way if you follow me." The troodon led them down a long corridor and in front of a desk. "There you are Croco. Sign there and we'll send you on your way." A pause. "By the way, my name is Kado and I'm the head librarian here. Our old one, named Enit, was very similar to your friend over there...the deinonychus." Croco took the quill pen and looked over the registry carefully. He found Bernard Edwards, who landed in 1943 but found no one else he recognized. It took some coaxing but he finally signed his name:
--- Joseph Hallaway - April 17th, 1997
There was a brief moment of applause as Kado took the quill.
"Very well Croco!" he said, "We shall see you to your quarters and get you a saurian partner to help you with your studies! I will leave you to say goodbye to your friends here." Kado left the area as Mira was the first to embrace Croco.
"Good luck with your studies," she said, "If you ever need to write to us, use this instead of the normal footprint alphabet." She handed him a letter guide. "It's called the Chandaran Transistional Alphabet and is common in our region. Based on the saurian alphabet, but more like that of the outside world so it will be easy. Breathe deep, seek peace Croco." Next in line was Kaala.
"I hope I get to see you again sometime," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I know I will Kaala," he told her. "After all, you really live up to your name...you're as sweet as they come." Kaala then called for Riojay, who came bounding in and pounced on Croco. He landed with a hard thud but wasn't hurt as the deinonychus got off of him.
"I will miss you Croco," Riojay said, nuzzling him. "We have lots of fun...together."
"I know we did Rio...too bad I couldn't help you guys out with those raptors back there." Riojay told Croco that it wasn't his fight.
"Us Basin raptors don't need human to help. I'll be waiting to hear from you Croco!" Then Brock came up to him.
"Croco," he said, "it was nice to have you around. I've never had the honor of having a freshly found dolphinback living in my home and all the things you told me about the outside world...well, you're free from that. I'm gonna miss you, and I love you like my very own son." He gave Croco a big hug and wished him luck on his journey. But Nobby, who was the only one left, was nowhere to be found. Croco waited until she finally came in.
"Nobby," he said, "where have you been?"
"I was doing some hard thinking," she told him. "I heard that conversation with that man and I know you still long to return to your world, but life in Dinotopia will be much better than if you had every possession you wanted from the outside world. All people care about over there is themselves...another dolphinback told me that about a hundred or so years ago."
"Couldn't agree more." Nobby sighed as she tried to find the words to say.
"Young man...what I'm about to tell you will probably stay with you for the rest of your days here." She thought long and hard. "When you washed ashore, the pain and suffering that the outside world had inflicted on you was washed away by the sea. You're a new person...reborn from the sea and ready for a new beginning. I will miss you dearly Croco...you have become the son I never had." The old triceratops felt a tear trickle down her face as Croco reached to embrace her.
"Thank you," he said, "Without you, I would still be lost and trying to find myself. You have become like a second mother to me, although you walk on four legs and have horns. I will miss you a lot as well...I love you...Nobella!" Croco broke down and started crying as he gave her a kiss on one of her enormous horns. Nobby returned the favor and gave him a saurian hug, making sure not to crush him. Then Brock gathered his family and they proceeded towards the door. But before they walked out, Nobby turned and bellowed loudly while standing on her back legs, then came crashing back down.
"Breathe deep, seek peace! I will miss you all!" Croco shouted. Kado was already at his side as he waved to them.
"They tend to forget that this is still a library," he said. "But I can understand long, emotional goodbyes." He then led Croco into a back room.
"So are you ready to begin?" he asked. Croco thought about it deeply, the memory of Nobby's words still lingering in his mind. Then he turned back to Kado.
"Yes I am," he said firmly. Kado laughed and led him back into the streets.
"Then come with me," he said, gripping his hand, "your quest begins now Croco Hallaway....."
Croco took in the sights of Waterfall City, occasionally asking someone about the city or about what they were doing. Most of them were pretty friendly, except for an older man who ran an antique shop. He told Croco that he was well in his second century of life on Dinotopia and wanted to find a way off the island. Croco was shocked to find someone who wanted to leave.
"Why would you want to leave?" he asked. The man scratched his head while trying to come up with something to tell Croco.
"Cause...the only purpose of us skinnies are to serve the scalies," he told him. Then, he took off the hat he was wearing. "Oh, sorry to be so rude as to not introduce myself. Name's Steven Crabb, and my father, my son and I have been trying for years to find a way off this cursed island." Croco stepped off the wagon
"Nice to meet you...my name is Croco Hallaway and I just landed here three months ago. So have you found a way to leave yet?" Steven laughed at that comment.
"Can't Croco," he told him, "The seas are unnavigable and even then, there's a reef system surrounding the island that'll take down any ship that tries to sail over it." Croco smiled as he saw an opportunity to put his good spirit to work.
"Well if you can't leave, then you might as well make the best of your life here," he told him. "I wanted to be a fighter pilot but now I'm stuck here, so I'm gonna become a Skybax rider instead because I want to be able to fly again." Steven balked at the idea of anyone from the outside world being able to fly, but he told him about the plane and the accident as well as the fact that landing on Dinotopia was the greatest thing to have ever happened to him. Steven started laughing hysterically.
"Landing here...the greatest thing to have ever happened to you?!?" he said between his laughter, "I feel sorry for you, young dolphinback!" Brock insisted that they part ways, and Croco climbed back into the wagon. But he had a parting word for the crusty Steven.
"If you're so unhappy about being here, there's always a hungry tyrannosaur in the Basin that'll change that!" Steven cursed at him while Riojay was laughing. However, Croco received a scolding from both Mira and Nobby and the laughter stopped immediately. They continued making their way through the city when the triceratops turned back to her passengers.
"The library is straight ahead," she announced. Nobby then found a place to park the wagon while Brock undid her from her chains. She bellowed in relief as the six of them started towards the steps of the library. Once inside, Croco began looking around and noticied there wasn't a single book.
"Hey, where are the books?" he asked, pulling a scroll off of a shelf.
"You're holding one," Brock told him. Croco gave him a look of cynicism as he explained further. "The saurians always found it easier to read from scrolls as they didn't have to bother flipping through pages. Makes some sense, doesn't it." He turned around to find that Croco had ran off. Brock called him many times before he found Croco engaged in a conversation about the outside world with a Troodon. He looked up to see Brock and Nobby standing by him.
"So, where's the registry?" he asked the troodon as Mira, Kaala and Riojay arrived.
"Right this way if you follow me." The troodon led them down a long corridor and in front of a desk. "There you are Croco. Sign there and we'll send you on your way." A pause. "By the way, my name is Kado and I'm the head librarian here. Our old one, named Enit, was very similar to your friend over there...the deinonychus." Croco took the quill pen and looked over the registry carefully. He found Bernard Edwards, who landed in 1943 but found no one else he recognized. It took some coaxing but he finally signed his name:
--- Joseph Hallaway - April 17th, 1997
There was a brief moment of applause as Kado took the quill.
"Very well Croco!" he said, "We shall see you to your quarters and get you a saurian partner to help you with your studies! I will leave you to say goodbye to your friends here." Kado left the area as Mira was the first to embrace Croco.
"Good luck with your studies," she said, "If you ever need to write to us, use this instead of the normal footprint alphabet." She handed him a letter guide. "It's called the Chandaran Transistional Alphabet and is common in our region. Based on the saurian alphabet, but more like that of the outside world so it will be easy. Breathe deep, seek peace Croco." Next in line was Kaala.
"I hope I get to see you again sometime," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I know I will Kaala," he told her. "After all, you really live up to your name...you're as sweet as they come." Kaala then called for Riojay, who came bounding in and pounced on Croco. He landed with a hard thud but wasn't hurt as the deinonychus got off of him.
"I will miss you Croco," Riojay said, nuzzling him. "We have lots of fun...together."
"I know we did Rio...too bad I couldn't help you guys out with those raptors back there." Riojay told Croco that it wasn't his fight.
"Us Basin raptors don't need human to help. I'll be waiting to hear from you Croco!" Then Brock came up to him.
"Croco," he said, "it was nice to have you around. I've never had the honor of having a freshly found dolphinback living in my home and all the things you told me about the outside world...well, you're free from that. I'm gonna miss you, and I love you like my very own son." He gave Croco a big hug and wished him luck on his journey. But Nobby, who was the only one left, was nowhere to be found. Croco waited until she finally came in.
"Nobby," he said, "where have you been?"
"I was doing some hard thinking," she told him. "I heard that conversation with that man and I know you still long to return to your world, but life in Dinotopia will be much better than if you had every possession you wanted from the outside world. All people care about over there is themselves...another dolphinback told me that about a hundred or so years ago."
"Couldn't agree more." Nobby sighed as she tried to find the words to say.
"Young man...what I'm about to tell you will probably stay with you for the rest of your days here." She thought long and hard. "When you washed ashore, the pain and suffering that the outside world had inflicted on you was washed away by the sea. You're a new person...reborn from the sea and ready for a new beginning. I will miss you dearly Croco...you have become the son I never had." The old triceratops felt a tear trickle down her face as Croco reached to embrace her.
"Thank you," he said, "Without you, I would still be lost and trying to find myself. You have become like a second mother to me, although you walk on four legs and have horns. I will miss you a lot as well...I love you...Nobella!" Croco broke down and started crying as he gave her a kiss on one of her enormous horns. Nobby returned the favor and gave him a saurian hug, making sure not to crush him. Then Brock gathered his family and they proceeded towards the door. But before they walked out, Nobby turned and bellowed loudly while standing on her back legs, then came crashing back down.
"Breathe deep, seek peace! I will miss you all!" Croco shouted. Kado was already at his side as he waved to them.
"They tend to forget that this is still a library," he said. "But I can understand long, emotional goodbyes." He then led Croco into a back room.
"So are you ready to begin?" he asked. Croco thought about it deeply, the memory of Nobby's words still lingering in his mind. Then he turned back to Kado.
"Yes I am," he said firmly. Kado laughed and led him back into the streets.
"Then come with me," he said, gripping his hand, "your quest begins now Croco Hallaway....."