Chapter 1
Her early years were a mystery, as she did not know who brought her into the world. Seven years it took for her to find her origin, and when she did, it was encompassed in greatness. Her father, though he died before the day she broke through her shell, was deemed a hero for helping save her egg from an earthquake which destroyed the hatchery she was kept in. Her mother needed no introduction, as she was Bix, the greatest Ambassador to ever served Dinotopia. Yet after twenty-four summers, the somewhat young Protoceratops still felt empty. She was in line to become an Ambassador like her mother, but she wanted more than that. She wanted someone to be with, someone that would be there for her . . . a mate, someone that she'd know would love her.
'It'll come sooner or later . . . I know it,' Castra thought to herself as she made her way to the Aqua Stadium, where she enjoyed looking through the Dolphin Caverns at the frisky dolphins, occasionally with a human holding onto its dorsal fin. She began to ponder how the dolphins got there when she looked up and saw a little girl, no more than ten summers old, looking her over with curious intent. Castra slowly stepped back, almost as if she was surprised by the girl's presence.
"A beautiful sight, are they not?" asked the Protoceratops. The girl jumped back.
"You can talk?!?" she said clearly startled. Castra quietly rumbled as she tried to come up with an answer for the inquisitive child.
"Of course I can talk. Everybody can talk." she said, "but that depends on what you mean by talking, young one. If you mean talking as in being able to speak human languages, then I am one of the few saurians that can talk like that." The girl lowered her jaw, shocked that not only was the dinosaur talking to her . . . but that she was as intelligent as she was. Castra then asked the little girl for her name.
"My name is Cassandra Borland and I am ten years old. I am from London but the boat that my family and I were on sank in a big storm. The dolphins brought me here." Castra held her mouth open briefly, then addressed the girl herself.
"That's a lovely name Cassandra . . . sounds a lot like my name. I am Castra, the daughter of Ambassador Bix, and I am a Protoceratops." But the girl frowned upon hearing the name 'Cassandra' and she knew it.
"Please Castra . . . I don't like that name too much," said Cassandra, "My parents used to call me Cassie for short." Castra began to ponder again, but this time it was over her name. 'Castra . . . Cassie . . . they sound similar,' she thought, 'I think I like Cassie better than I do Castra . . . but how do I tell those I know that?' Then she heard someone calling for the young girl. It was someone she knew from the Haven of Muses, where the dolphinback quarters were located. They both turned to see the old teacher approaching.
"Well," she gasped, "if my eyes aren't deceiving me . . . a pair of Cassies looking back at me! Come along little one, it's time to head back." And then it stuck: Castra would want go by 'Cassie,' the name of the young Dolphinback who showed her another way to look at herself as she was about to begin a new odyssey in her young life.
Her early years were a mystery, as she did not know who brought her into the world. Seven years it took for her to find her origin, and when she did, it was encompassed in greatness. Her father, though he died before the day she broke through her shell, was deemed a hero for helping save her egg from an earthquake which destroyed the hatchery she was kept in. Her mother needed no introduction, as she was Bix, the greatest Ambassador to ever served Dinotopia. Yet after twenty-four summers, the somewhat young Protoceratops still felt empty. She was in line to become an Ambassador like her mother, but she wanted more than that. She wanted someone to be with, someone that would be there for her . . . a mate, someone that she'd know would love her.
'It'll come sooner or later . . . I know it,' Castra thought to herself as she made her way to the Aqua Stadium, where she enjoyed looking through the Dolphin Caverns at the frisky dolphins, occasionally with a human holding onto its dorsal fin. She began to ponder how the dolphins got there when she looked up and saw a little girl, no more than ten summers old, looking her over with curious intent. Castra slowly stepped back, almost as if she was surprised by the girl's presence.
"A beautiful sight, are they not?" asked the Protoceratops. The girl jumped back.
"You can talk?!?" she said clearly startled. Castra quietly rumbled as she tried to come up with an answer for the inquisitive child.
"Of course I can talk. Everybody can talk." she said, "but that depends on what you mean by talking, young one. If you mean talking as in being able to speak human languages, then I am one of the few saurians that can talk like that." The girl lowered her jaw, shocked that not only was the dinosaur talking to her . . . but that she was as intelligent as she was. Castra then asked the little girl for her name.
"My name is Cassandra Borland and I am ten years old. I am from London but the boat that my family and I were on sank in a big storm. The dolphins brought me here." Castra held her mouth open briefly, then addressed the girl herself.
"That's a lovely name Cassandra . . . sounds a lot like my name. I am Castra, the daughter of Ambassador Bix, and I am a Protoceratops." But the girl frowned upon hearing the name 'Cassandra' and she knew it.
"Please Castra . . . I don't like that name too much," said Cassandra, "My parents used to call me Cassie for short." Castra began to ponder again, but this time it was over her name. 'Castra . . . Cassie . . . they sound similar,' she thought, 'I think I like Cassie better than I do Castra . . . but how do I tell those I know that?' Then she heard someone calling for the young girl. It was someone she knew from the Haven of Muses, where the dolphinback quarters were located. They both turned to see the old teacher approaching.
"Well," she gasped, "if my eyes aren't deceiving me . . . a pair of Cassies looking back at me! Come along little one, it's time to head back." And then it stuck: Castra would want go by 'Cassie,' the name of the young Dolphinback who showed her another way to look at herself as she was about to begin a new odyssey in her young life.