Three months later
"Three months have passed since the eggs were laid. With so many unguarded nests, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet for carnivores."
A Cathartesaura plods past.
"Some of the nests have an unlikely guardian. A Cathartesaura. These medium-sized sauropods stick around here to graze on the low-lying vegetation, so they don't compete with the larger, high-browsing Argentinosaurus. They're distant relatives of Jurassic icons like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, now confined to South America."
A Unenlagiine approaches Freya's nest and nibbles on one of the eggs.
"Uh-oh. The nursery's got an unwelcome guest. A Unenlagiine. Distantly related to the famous Velociraptor, with a feathered coat and a sickle-shaped claw on her second toe."
Another Cathartesaura scares her off with a bellow, leaving a hole in the egg."
"A passing Cathartesaura is this nest's first lucky break, but it won't be their last. The Unenlagiine punctured a hole in the shell of one of the eggs, but surprisingly, the baby is unharmed, and he's the first of his clutch to hatch."
The baby Argentinosaurus breaks through his shell.
"Incredible to think this little guy, called Thor, will one day weigh as much as 12 African elephants and grow as long as three school buses, but for now, he's no bigger than a cat. Instinctively, he crawls back to his nest. The outside world can wait just one more day."
Meanwhile, a Mapusaurus is guarding her three hatchlings.
"In a glade not far away, another family, another sort of life. But this time, the parents stick around. These are Mapusaurus. Hard to imagine predators as caring parents."
A male Mapusaurus arrives on the scene. The mother stands between him and the hatchlings.
"Unlike Argentinosaurus, this mother fiercely guards her young. Nobody enters without clearance. Not even Dad."
The male lets out a low-frequency rumble, reassuring his mate that it's him.
"Only when he submissively growls do things calm down. Can't be too careful. Other males would gladly kill the young."
The babies approach their father.
"This is their next generation. Two females and a male."
Later that day, the parents are asleep while the young explore around the nest and begin hunting insects.
"While their parents have a nap, their toddlers explore the wonders of their new world. Chasing bugs is fun."
The male hatchling eyes a dragonfly.
"Someday, this little guy, Loki, will graduate to bigger prey. His enthusiasm is part of his charm."
He leaps at the dragonfly, but it flies out of his reach.
"But sometimes, it's also a pitfall."
Back at the Argentinosaurus nursery, thousands of babies have hatched.
"The Argentinosaurus nesting ground is teeming with new life. All hatched within the last 24 hours. Everyone's antsy because tonight is the night."
The sun begins to set, and the hatchlings instinctively head for the forest.
"On some unseen cue, a living convoy of thousands of hatchlings heads for the hills. Instinct propels them to the forest, but death lurks in the trees. Thor needs to stick close to the others. His best shot; play the numbers. There are many more baby Argentinosaurus than stomachs on the prowl."
Several Unenlagiines ambush the hatchlings, and a Skorpiovenator does the same.
"As well as the Unenlagiines, there is also Skorpiovenator. Hatchlings are his snack of choice tonight."
The panicking hatchlings are picked off one by one by the predators, but there are only so many that they can stomach, and at least a few, including Thor, make it to dawn.
The next morning, while many of the hatchlings fall victim to predators, some, including Thor, have made it through the night.
"Thor makes it through the night, but he and the other survivors aren't out of the woods yet."
A Skorpiovenator spots them, but the ground begins to rumble. A herd of adult Argentinosaurus. Intimidated by their immense size, the predator retreats
"Once again, luck is on his side. Thor and his siblings have no way of knowing that in the next few decades, they will also grow to such gigantic proportions. But for now, their best bet is to hide in the forest, for the next few years. The adults don't have time for babysitting, at least for now."
The babies start eating the ferns growing between the trees.
"The hatchlings start their lifelong obsession with eating. The trick is to put on as much weight as possible until they are adults."
The Mapusaurus pair appear again, with their young following closely.
"Loki's parents are taking him and his two sisters on a hunting trip. They're teaching them how to catch their own prey."
Thor and two other hatchlings hide in the opposite side of the clearing, while the stay put.
"Thor and two other hatchlings are in the opposite side of the clearing, out of danger at the moment. The rest of them are not. Their fate lies on that curious little bug-chaser, Loki"
Loki spots the hatchlings, alerting his parents. They turn around and approach them, picking them off one by one.
"Thor is beginning to grasp what the future holds for him."
Just as the Mapusaurus family begin to leave, Loki spots the surviving hatchlings.
"His first encounter with Loki. And quite possibly, his last."
Suddenly, a dragonfly zips past. distracting the baby Mapusaurus.
"Loki's attention span is pathetic."
Thor and the survivors retreat to the forest.
"Thor's on a role. In his first day of life, he's survived four brushes with death. He might as well get used to it, because the next 20 years or so will be the most dangerous of his life."
