Author's Note 1: Hey everybody. Sorry for the typo on the last one (I was busy with another fanfic. Got myself mixed up). Anyways, our hero's adventure begins. Desmond (I finally remembered) is about to start his journey shortly by the next day...
Chapter 2
The next morning, Desmond and his brothers woke up. Desmond was about to fix up in the bathroom, until the had a visit from a Archaeopsittacus, one of the birds used in the Messenger Office. The bird perched on the window sill. "Is this the residence of Desmond Tammersfield?" it asked.
Desmond walked over to the bird, still a bit dreary. "Yes, this is and I'm the client of that name."
"Excellent. Well, I have message from Round Table Hall. Would you like to here it?" the Postal Bird asked.
"Yes, could you please..."
The dinosaur siblings walked over to the Archaeopsittacus. The bird cleared its throat and began to speak, "'This is a message for Desmond, Swiperclaw and Blake. From yesterday's expedition, there have been somenewly discovered artifacts and scripts. These findings are relatively unknown to the counciland have not been found in the City Archives. We need your expertise of the identity of these new findings. Thank you. From Elder Sims.'"
"Well Desmond, it seems that this is the start of a grand adventure!" said Swiperclaw.
"Yeah. I can't wait to see these artifacts!" exclaimed the eager-eyed Blake.
"Excuse me? Can you relay a message back to Elder Sims?" Desmond asked the parrot.
"Of course, Mr. Tammersfield."
"Alright. 'I'verecieved the news, sir. I'll be there as soon as possible.' That's all."
"Yes, sir. Message being sent." The bird left the perch and flew back to the hall. The three left their room and rushed through the living room. They were stopped by their mom and dad who were eating breakfast at the table.
"What's going on here, boys?" Jade asked.
"Yes. What seems to be the rush?" Obsidian asked.
"We just got word that the expedition has brought back some sort of artifacts and scrolls. They've called for our services immediately." Desmond explained.
"Alright, just be careful. The last thing we need is for you slipping into one of the canals catching hypothermia."
"That, or accidently becoming Mosasaur chow." Swiperclaw said.
"Don't worry mom. We'll be careful," Desmond said.
"Yeah. Besides, is this the kind of face that would worry you?" cooed Blake. Everyone remained silent. "Oh thanks a lot!" he shouted.
"Well, we better go. Right Desmond?" Swiperclaw said, trying to change the subject before the Borogovia started ranting.
"Right. Let's go!" Desmond put took his coat and ran out the door. Their parents continued their business. The boys ran out of the apartment building and high-tailed it (in Blake and Swiperclaw's case, that's literal) to the other side of town. As soon as they arrived, the council had been assembled, the trio seat's still saved.
"It's good to see you Mr. Tammersfield," Elder Sims greeted.
"Likewise, sir. Could you show me these artifacts you reported on the message?" They walked to the round table.
"They came from a small part of the excavation site in the Rainy Basin. The excavators had problems trying to translate the runes on the items and aren't sure of their origins. Our tops scholars and best translators arecan't evendecipher its textand classify the items," Elder Sims explained.
"Why have you summoned us, sir? It's doubtful we could do any better," Blake growled.
"Word has it that you three are able to translate a better number of languages despite your youthful ages."
"I guess word here really travels fast," Swiperclaw snarled.
They walked up to the items and were indeed astonished by their discovery. "Here they are," the elder said.
"Well, these are surprising items, and look. There appears to be some sort of prints," Swiperclaw announced.
"I can't read it," Blake said.
"Wait, I know this print. It appears to be the Chandaran alphabet," Desmond said as he held up a tablet.
"Really? Well, I guess we know when it might be from. Now if we only knew of someone who could read the text..."
"Well, we're in luck, sir," a familiar voice said. They turned around and saw Cara leaning on the doorway. "It just so happens that Desmond here can read the Chandarian scriptures."
"Well, this is great!" Blake said.
"Yes, I nearly forgot. Please read it, Desmond," growled the Deinonychus.
"Alright. It says, 'To whom this tablet is read by, your journey as a hero begins to end a villain's quest. You must defeat the forces that wish to carry out a death sentence on Dinotopia. You must become the protector of this island with help from other comrades that aid you in your journey. You are our only hope, hero.'"
"What was that about, Desmond," Cara asked.
"I don't know. It almost sounded like a prophesy."
"Well, there's also something else. This item also has the same marking as the tablet." Blake said as he passed it to Desmond."
"Whoa. I've heard of these. It's called a sword. An ancient weapon used by warriors in the past." he said. "The inscriptions say, 'If you can read this message, then you are the chosen one. This sword that you shall weildwill help guide you on your journey to save this island from the foes who set out to destroy it. Your legend, chosen one, has just begun. You are the only one that can stop the chaos."
"Wow. That was the craziest thing I ever heard!" Cara said.
"Yeah. This is the preposterous," Blake said.
"Honestly, I have to agreewith you, but..." Desmond said before he started thinking.
"But what? This is nothing more than a rusty old wall piece. What more is there?" Cara said.
"Well, think about. This text was written in Chandarian. A dead language. No one else could read it but me. Don't you find it a little strange?"
"No. Not really."
"I mean think about it. You have these carvings warning about a sinister evil that is ready to emerge. Then you have a weapon that seems to hold the continuation of the prophesy. Last but not least,the dead language thousands of years oldand only I can read it. Coincidence? I think not"
"You know, I believe you're right," Swiperclaw said. "Maybe, it's not just a little fairy tale. You know what? We should check this out. What do you say, Elder Sims?"
"Well, I'm not sure. Though Desmond has a good point, I don't know if it's just a hoax either. But then again, it wouldn't hurt to make sure."
"Elder Sims?" Cara said.
"I propose that Desmond, accompanied by his saurian life partners and Cara, prepare an expedition to the unknown."
"Are you sure we should do this?" spoke a Stegosaurus named Tartius.
"Yes. Perhaps this was nothing more than a salvaged tale," the Parasaurolophus named Bellocious stated. The whole council started to bicker. Everyone was torn between what should be done. A few of the members even started talking to themselves about matters not concerning the discussing under the bickering.
Then, Elder Sims started to blow a horn that emanated through the entire room. "Please. How about we let Desmond speak. After all, this is his choice." The council immediately settled down and laid on their resting couches and sat in their chairs.
Desmond stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Yes, hi it's great to see you all. As you nowknow, my friends and I have agreed to go on this journey of discovery to see how true this old relic really is. I have my doubts too, but that doesn't mean we should let that theory stop our path. With your unanimous decision, we would like to travel the lands. Just to at least check if everything is running smoothly."
"The lad's right," Elder Merced quoted. "To tell you the truth, we should allow him to go. We did it with Arthur Denison."
"That was because what he had was a full synopsis, actual facts and heknew the risks!" exclaimed Professor Finch Qivok, head dean at the university. "All we have are afew naivekids going after a dust covered rune with a primitive weapon. There is no point in going out there, especially with the Tyrannosaurus prowling the Rainy Basin. They'll get killed."
"Who said they were going alone?" Elder Merced said. "To accompany them, they will take a Dacentrurus and a Saichania as their bodyguards. Those two are old friends of mine and know the area better than anyone else."
Qivoc glared at Elder Merced and again at Desmond. Silence had filled the room as she thought. She reluctantly acquiesced. "Fine. You have my permission."
Elder Sims walked up to the round table and said, "All in favor of this expedition?"
"Aye!" everyone said.
Elder Sims looked back at Desmond. "Well, are you all still up for the challenge?"
"You can count on us, sir," Desmond said.
"Don't worry. If Desmond acting crazy, I'll be there," Cara said.
"This shall be an extraordinary trip. I'll be there to chronicle and decipher the other languages," Swiperclaw said.
"I shall go with them. After all, I also know some saurian languages too, as well as a few of the locales," said Blake.
"Then it's settled. When do you want to start?" Elder Sims asked.
"Today. As soon as possible, Elder Sims," Desmond said.
"Very well. Your escorts slash fellow travelers will be with you by the afternoon at the entrance."
"Thank you," Cara said.
"Breathe deep,"
"Seek peace," Blake, Cara, Desmond and Swiperclaw said in unison. The four left the building and were still anxious to start their journey.
"Well," Cara said, "I'll go get the supplies. Who else wants to come?"
"I will," said Blake.
"Alright. Swiperclaw and I will talk to mom and dad," Desmond insisted. They parted ways, with Cara and Blake going East, while Desmond and Swiperclaw going back home on the West side of town. They entered their room where Mr. And Mrs. Tammersfield still waited. As soon as they entered, Desmond greeted his parents. "Hey mom, hi dad."
"Desmond, Swiperclaw, you're back," Jade said.
"What happened to Blake?" Obsidian asked.
"Oh, nothing. He went to get some supplies." Desmond said.
"Why is that?" Obsidian asked.
"No reason, except that we're going to the Rainy Basin..." Swiperclaw said.
"What?" Jade yelled. "Are you serious!"
"Well, yeah," Desmond said.
"How long are you gonna be out?" Obsidian said.
"Uh... a week, probably two."
"Good luck. Don't get eaten," Obsidian said before he went back reading his paper.
"Wait a minute. You're going to let the children go to a land filled with carnivores?"
"It's okay, mom. You see, this artifact was found and it was in a dead language that only I could understand. It prophesied that I would save Dinotopia!" Desmond explained. Silence fell through the room and was then broken by Jade.
"You're joking! You can't actually think–," she said.
"I know. That's the main reason why we're going. To see if this is true."
"But--?"
"Let them go, dear," Obsidian said.
"Wha–?" gasped Jade.
"I have no objections to this exploration. If our kids really want to go, then we should abide by it."
"No! They're going out there alone!"
"No we're not," Swiperclaw said. "In fact, Cara's coming with us. As well as a Dacentrurus and a Saichania."
"Cara's going to be in danger, too!" Jade said.
"Calm down," Obsidian said. "If you heard, they're being accompanied by a Dacentrurus and a Saichania. They're alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Everything's fine." With that, Jade hugged Obsidian. While not looking, Obsidian started talking in lip. "Go on now, I got her busy. Get back soon, boys."
"Don't worry, we will," Desmond lipped back. The boy and his raptor quickly slipped out the door and went to the entrance on the other side of town. As soon as they got their, Cara and Blake were packed with bags of items. With them, was the stegosaur, Dacentrurus and the ankylosaur, Saichania.
"What took you two so long?" Cara shouted. "We've been waiting for over 20 minutes!"
"Sorry. Mom was a bit broken up, but I think she'll be alright," Desmond said.
"So, are these the two?" the Saichania asked.
"Yes," Blake answered, "The human is Desmond and the Deinonychus is Swiperclaw."
"Ah, so you're Desmond. Elder Merced told me a lot about you," the Dacentrurus said. "I am Spiketail."
"And I'm Armorback. It is a pleasure." the Saichania said.
"Likewise. Thank you for accompanying us," Swiperclaw said.
"Don't worry about it," answered Armorback. "Elder Merced is an old friend of ours."
"That's right," Spiketail said. "Plus, we're also interested in this old artifact."
"We'll, time's a wasting. Now, where was it you wanted to go?"
"The last expedition was here, in between Raptortown and Palace of Kings," Desmond explained. "Do you think we could get there?"
"Of course," Armorback replied. "But you must remember that the Palace of Kings is heavily guarded by more than Tyrannosaurs."
"Yes. In the old scrolls, aclan of Giganotosaurus, along with other carnivores; also live in that area. Luckily, I'm sure that the others told the clan about our arrival," Swiperclaw said. "We should be able to get there with no trouble from them."
"That's correct. Also, I speak their language," Blake added. "I'll be able to know whether it is okay or not."
"Are you sure you still want to proceed?" Spiketail asked.
"Of coarse," Cara blatantly said. "The sooner we finish with this ridiculous goose chase, the better."
"Alright. Let's go." The group of six left the city. Yet, something was still nagging at Desmond. Could this be true, that he is the hero on the stone? His start of discovery was beginning to unfold.
Definitions
Archaeopsittacus: A small, early ancestor of parrots from the Oligocene epoch. It had a hooked bill and a strange foot design oftwo front toesand two back toes, similar to the features in today's parrots.
Messenger Office: A post office in Waterfall City or any other town and settlement. The creatures used here are small birds and small flying reptiles. They've been trained to memorize messages as well as travel to various destinations. They're also able to speak a broad range of dialects that meet customer's needs.
Elder Sims: A knowledgeable elder that currently lives in Waterfall City. He is the head of the Round Table Council and shares his wisdom with business associates and friends alike.
Mosasaur: A group of marine reptiles that are relatives of snakes. These carnivores range from about 6 feet long to a whooping 50 feet in some species. They have four, paddle shaped limbs that allow them to steer in the water and a long tail that they use to navigate by swishing it side by side. These are tenacious predators that first evolved in the Jurassic period and then dominated the seas till the end of the Cretaceous.
Chandaran alphabet: An ancient version of footprint language that was used thousands of years ago when Dinotopia was split in four different empires. It is very rare to find anyone able to decipher these letters.
Stegosaurus: A large herbivore from North America during the Jurassic. This creature is well known for its large, diamond shaped plates on its back. These may have been used to control the dinosaur's body temperature, or be used for sexual display. There are also four sharp spikes (in one species, there is eight) on its tail that is used to deter the deadly carnivores that which to challenge it. It has a toothless beak with teeth at the back used to help grind its low-growing food. Among many of the dinosaurs, it was lacking in the intelligence department. It grew to 39 feet.
Parasaurolophus: A species of duckbilled dinosaur with an impressive crest. This tube-shaped appendage was used to emanate mating calls and warnings. Like many other duckbills, it had a battery full of teeth. It grew to over 30 feet.
Arthur Denison: A Dolphinback that washed up on the Northern bay back in the Late 1800's. He and his son made a diary about their adventures, but unfortunately, the book was lost after Arthur saved the island from the shady Lee Crabb. He was among one of the first people to lead an expedition to the World Beneath, a legendary underground where machines, sunstone and treasures can be found.
Tyrannosaurus: A deadly carnivore and the second largest in the world. Its name means "tyrant lizard," and it has certainly lived up to that role. 40 banana shaped teeth are in this monster's jaws and it has the strongest bite of any animal, past or present. It could reach top speeds of at least 20 mph. Though it may appear to be in the class of carnosaurs (filled with most of the large predators), it is actually in the coelurosaur groups (due to the arrangement of its foot bones). It also had small, yet strong arms tipped with two fingers that were used to help hoist this predator off the ground. It grew to at least 47 feet long and 15 feet high.
Rainy Basin: A large patch of jungle that covers the center of the island. Even though there are many different kinds of carnivorous creatures that made residence in this land, there are also many settlements, too. The only way to go from one settlement to another is by traveling by armored sauropod buses that carry with them fish, but even that won't stop some of the large carnivores at times (at least 1 in 5 get attacked).
Dacentrurus: Another species of stegosaur, this herbivore 21 feet long. Its spines mostly covered the tail while its back was covered in plates which is how it earned its name, "pointed tail." This species is known from Europe.
Saichania: A 21 foot long ankylosaur, this creature was a heavily armored tank. It was so heavily armored, that even its eyelids were plated. Aside from its back, these creatures, and others like it; had a club-like tail that it used to strike at its enemies. It stumbled around the landscape, feeding on low growing shoots and ferns. Its name means "beautiful" due to its preserved, thick armor.
Raptortown: A settlement in the rainy basin filled with many kinds of dromaeosaurs and troodonts.
Palace of Kings: An ancient temple guarded by many kinds of carnivorous dinosaurs. It is where treasure of ancient times was stored and the humans that emerged from the cave left it to these creatures for safe keeping.
Giganotosaurus: A large carnivorous dinosaur from South America, ranking the largest carnivore to walk the Earth. It had long, sharp teeth and deadly claws. It used these weapons as a way to have its prey die of blood loss and exhaustion, before it delivered the finishing blow. Its name means "Giant Southern Lizard.It was 49 feet long.
