A.N. A little early Halloween present for you all. Here's the next chapter for Book 5. Also, I made a tiny little edit to the previous chapter (nothing big, just wanted to clear up any time confusion). We don't own anything. :)
Soundtrack: The Dinosaur March by Paul Leonard-Morgan/Flight of the Silverbird by Two Steps from Hell
That night, Hazel and her Crew had a celebratory dinner at their Cabin to commemorate Daniel's "graduation". They invited their newest member and his partner for dinner, but the two declined as they would much rather get acquainted with each other for the next day. It was a shame they chose not to attend, but that was alright. If anything, Daniel could just be having his own dinner with Aeros someplace and they're exchanging stories. "Bonding Time" as Ellis amusingly put it.
The dinner was also to celebrate Hazel's first victory as a mentor in the Rescue Program. She did well with helping Daniel to achieve his goal of becoming qualified to go on rescues. Now before she could bring him on one, he'll need to learn how to fly with his partner first. That won't happen until the next morning.
For now, it was time to relax and enjoy the spoils. Already in their pajamas, the Crew were sitting at the dining table, their partners outside under a lighted area, which was just a few feet from them. The doors leading to them remained opened while the others were closed.
Dinner consisted of barbecue skewers Chris grilled, white rice, pita chips and hummus, and assorted fruits. Their partners had different food items; Kerato had a pile of sedge grass and an assortment of other dry grasses (the park had a surplus from their greenhouse, which was tended to by the botanists), Espantos had a medium-sized pile of raw beef, the Protoceratops sisters each had bowls of cut cycad leaves, and Flia had a pile of raw fish.
The night was cool and dark, since the dining and living area of the cabin faced towards the rest of the valley and away from the Park Hub. If anyone were to go out, they would need a flashlight. The Crew had exchanged stories for a bit, mostly about jokes and antics around the park as well as past memories. However, they were so engrossed with the meal that they were focused on eating.
Besides the dining sounds their friends made outside, Hazel chose this opportunity to catch up on other things with her extended family.
"So sis," she looked over at her sister, "what are you doing over there?"
Hanna, who sat at the far end of the table right next to Chris, was reading another one of her sibling's books from her collection. Right next to her half-eaten plate was her Macbook laptop. "Researching," she said after taking a quick glance at her.
Hazel raised a brow. "And that is?"
"Early Cretaceous biology. It's an assignment Nigel gave me."
"Oh really? Well that's good you're learning about the time periods."
"Yeah, he wants me to be familiar with that time. He's going to train me in doing rescues so he wants me to research this place since we'll be going to it."
She couldn't help but crack a smile. She remembered when she was in Hanna's shoes. There were times when Nigel would ask her to do some research before they went on an expedition. And this was before she met Flia and the rest of her friends. It was basically a homework assignment, but she wasn't exactly labeled an intern. Hanna's situation was more of an educational approach, but every now and then, Nigel would ask her to do certain tasks around the park and would require Hanna to note down anything new she learned.
"That's good," Hazel acknowledged. "Any ideas on a rescue?" She hoped it wouldn't be that one creature she wanted to get the last time this subject was brought up.
Her sister replied rather quickly. "Not sure," she then grabbed her glass of water and took a sip. "Nigel says we'll do a rescue as soon as he's done working with the other recruits on their training, or something like that. We'll leave when he's done, whenever that is."
"Aw, well it's good he's doing that," Hazel directed her attention to the rest of her team. "What's the update on the other rookies?"
Chris took a bite of his barbecue, which still remained on a skewer. "I'm taking them to the British Isles in the middle of the Late Jurassic. I wanted them to see what the coast is like and to know that swimming in those waters is not a good idea unless they come prepared," he said.
"Chris, please don't talk with your mouth full. It's not polite," Daisy pointed out.
The man frowned and put his skewer down. "Sorry."
Hazel wanted to giggle. They may be adults, well almost in Hanna's case and the little ceratopsians were still children, but they were all still children inside at times. "What time will you be heading out?"
"Eh, tomorrow morning."
She knew Chris had everything under control. The last few ventures into the past went off without an issue. The escorts with them kept them safe and he emphasized safety precautions. And the rookies all came back with interesting facts they learned. So far, everything was going well.
"Rookies on my end are doing fine too," Ellis chimed in. "Though that Anneli lady is getting pretty darn close to her final exam. Not to mention she won't stop talking about Broken Jaw and whatever they did the night before."
This sparked the woman's curiosity. "And that is?"
"She rode on BJ as he ran through the park to get some exercise in. Man, those two are pretty close. It's like they're a couple now."
Everyone, including those outside, giggled. The fact that the two of them were rather close and interacting with each other was quite pleasing. From what Ellis is saying, it sounds like they're so close, they're inseparable. Hazel was glad Broken Jaw has opened up and was moving on from his romantic issues and is focusing on being around his friends, the few he has anyway. But with Anneli there, he's got someone else to lean on and can really enjoy life. He didn't have too much of that before he came to the Park.
"We're all close too, a big family," the Grecian woman mentioned.
Flia chuckled in agreement. "Yes, let's not forget that."
"My team is doing rather well too," the vet mentioned next, "though our last trip into the Pleistocene was more exciting than expected."
"What happened?" Ellis asked, concerned.
"Well, we were caught in the middle of a hunt in the middle of our session. We were in the middle of a stampede of deer with giant antlers. They were being chased by a grey Saber of some sort."
"Oh. Deer with giant antlers?" Hazel offhandedly commented.
Hazel may be educated in paleontology and is quite an expert when it came to the Mesozoic era. However, when it came to the other time periods, her knowledge is a little varied. She's not ignorant though; she's aware of most things about those time periods like the climate conditions and the types of creatures that lived there, but identifying those creatures is either a hit or miss.
Every person has their strong suits and their weak points. One of her weak points happened to be her speed at identifying the exact names of certain non-dinosaurian creatures. Not to be confused with misinterpreting what they are, it's just properly naming them. Nigel told her her weakness of not being quick to identify certain creatures is nothing to be upset over, he has his weak points too, like that one time he couldn't immediately identify that Incisovisaurus he encountered in prehistoric China when he rescued Yin and her Flock.
Nigel took her to a couple of time periods during the Cenozoic era for educational purposes, but that was about it. Hazel knew of a number of megafauna off the top of her head, but the rest she would need to reference her library for. Fortunately, for those few times, Nigel was there to help her. However, if she were to ever go to the Cenozoic again, she may need to bring a guidebook just in case.
The same went if it were in the Paleozoic era, except her knowledge in identifying creatures there was slightly better than the Cenozoic. She would still need to bring a guidebook if it ever came to it. Regardless, the Mesozoic era would always be her forte.
Hazel may not be as paleo-savvy with megafauna as Nigel or anyone else, but she knew what Daisy was referring to. She read articles about giant deer with huge racks. It was known commonly as the Irish Elk, but it also went by a different name.
"You guys must have run into a herd of Megaloceros. Though I'm not quite sure about the Saber, there are a number of species. Dinofelis maybe?" she assumed on that last creature. It was also a good thing she remembered that name.
"It could be," Daisy said, "but seeing those giant deer was fantastic! Though Kerato was chasing them in all directions just to get them away from me."
The Elasmotherium grunted in response to that yet did not make another reply. His focus was on his grasses still.
"I think I'd like to rescue some for the Park. But maybe a little later, as soon as most of my team passes their tests."
Hazel thought on that. If Daisy were about to head back to the Pleistocene again, or some other time period close to it, she and Daniel could benefit from such a venture. It would help Hazel with being more in tune with the Cenozoic era and it would give Daniel a tour of it/some additional training at the same time.
"Well, let me know when you're about to head out. I think Daniel would benefit from a rescue like that too, as soon as I take him on one," she mused.
Chris took a sip of his drink, which was a cup of mango iced tea. "You have a rescue in mind?"
"I have a list of potential rescues we could try, but one step at a time," Hazel said. She had created a list of potential rescues she could refer to Nigel about, but with Daniel's training at the time, that was priority first. Now with the Crew planning their own rescues, it may be a good idea to tag along with them. "He's got to learn how to fly with Aeros first."
"Alright I guess that makes sense," said the keeper.
"I'm guessing you and Flia are feeling pretty good about that, not being the only ones to be in the air," Ellis playfully said.
Flia had perked her head up at the mention of her name. Rearing her head back and allowing the fish to go down, she swallowed it and answered. "Well, that is true. I'm glad I won't be the only one. Aeros has the makings of a scout and he already does morning patrols to keep an eye on things. Plus it is good to have a flying companion that is like me."
"Right right, there's that," the engineer said. "But with two boys in the air and with you two girls, it won't be long before you guys are making out on the wing."
Hazel, who had been taking a sip of her water, had unceremoniously spat it in a spray, thankfully away from the table. Flia shrieked in surprise and became quite defensive at the same time.
"Excuse me!?" the leader cried in protest after she wiped her mouth of the mess.
The now entertained Ellis grinned and laughed. "Oh come on! I can't believe you haven't noticed! Well, we already know Flia and Aeros are seeing where things go and aren't quite a thing...yet, but come on! You guys would make power couples!"
Hazel slammed her fists at the table and stood up in anger. "Ellis!"
"Aeros and I aren't...you know...it's what you said!" Flia squawked in anger as well and then calmed. "We're seeing how things go. At the moment, I'm pleased to be the one leading, so to speak."
"Hey I'm just saying," Ellis eased them in an apologetic manner. His attention then returned to the still protesting human. "By the way, Dan has been ogling you since day one.
That only served to make Hazel's face turn red. And it was made worse when Chris added into the conversation.
"Not to mention he tends to stick close to you and he smiles at the littlest things you do."
Hazel gawked. Not again with this! "What!? Me and...him!? No no no! I'm just training him, that's all!" she defended. "And he does all that because he's having fun on the job."
Ellis laughed again and then used his index and middle fingers to do up and down motions. "Right...having 'fun'."
She really felt like smacking him on the head for that. When she was thinking on how to go about it, her sister chimed in to calm the tension.
"Come on Ate, maybe you should give it a try. He doesn't seem so bad, and platonically speaking, he is kind of cute."
Hazel went rigid. She may be against the idea of trying things out with Daniel at the moment, and while she was reluctant to admit it again, he was attractive. But could they really be good together? There shouldn't be anything wrong with a trainer and a rookie going out. They're basically two employees in the park. Plus she has seen couples among the staff roster. There shouldn't be anything wrong if it were her and Daniel.
As she thought on it, the memory of her last relationship came to mind. Hazel winced when she recalled that restaurant and what happened at the time. She felt a stab in her heart when bits and pieces of the events played through in her mind.
Daniel couldn't be like the last one. At least from what she's noticed of him. However, she still had a say in the matter and it was her choice.
"Look, I've been in a number of relationships before and none of them were good," she said, her face taking on a look of disgust. "Especially that last one..."
However it was at this time her sister decided to come in all innocent and carefree about it. "Oh are you talking about that one time when it was-"
Hazel grit her teeth and pointed at her. "Nope!" she cried out, cutting off her sister. The younger sibling frowned and slunk back on her chair like a scolded child. "Don't you dare go there!"
The atmosphere at the dining room became rather quiet. Everyone was unsure of how to proceed with Hazel's temper now flared. They wisely kept out of her way as none of them wanted to speak up about it. One thing was for sure, the subject about what happened before seemed like a touchy one to the adventurer.
The woman softened and sat back down. "Look, he and I are just employees and I'm his trainer. If things happen, then okay. But I'll be the judge of that."
"Whatever you say," Chris replied.
The rest of the night was spent in relative silence. Her mind still roiled on the idea that everyone around her was saying she and Daniel would make a good couple. Right now, she was getting rather annoyed about it. Here she was, doing her best to live up to Nigel's and her father's expectations while living her best life with her extended family and they're trying to play matchmaker! It was...disconcerting.
Still, Daniel has a compassionate side to him. She saw that in the dojo when they sparred. And it has certainly been some time since that...incident before. Maybe she should try to get to know him more? Like she told the group at dinner, she'll be the judge of it.
"Wait and see what happens," she told herself.
Hazel got ready for the night soon after dinner. She set those thoughts aside for now. Whatever happens, happens. For now, she's got another set of training to host tomorrow.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Daniel let out a sleepy yawn. The earthy terrain going below his vehicle slightly helped in waking him up, but he was still tired. Hazel told him and Aeros to meet them at the grove in the mountainside, which she said was called "Old Gotama's Grove", named after the Iguanodon skeleton on the wall.
Before he received his Communicator, Daniel had no idea there was a story about that skeleton. He and Aeros spent much of the night last night getting to know each other, with Daniel inquiring about parts of the park. He just happened to ask about that grove. While Aeros had not been in the park for long, he had heard things about that place.
It was a sacred site according to most of the denizens in the valley. There was a legend about that dinosaur being a leader himself and he helped his herd to get to this place. Through his kindness and compassion, he led them through a golden age, as they all put it. The legend further mentioned he kept watch over this valley after his passing, and because he was still there on the wall, he guarded this place over millions of years.
Daniel was interested in legends, but he didn't see how a fossil could have maintained its shape on that wall for millions of years, no doubt still being exposed like that. With the books he read on fossil excavation, it was impossible for uncovered fossils to last that long. And yet, the proof was right there.
There was another reason Hazel chose that place for their training; it offered a perfect spot for takeoff.
It took a while for Daniel to make it up the road. With his flashlight in hand, he had to watch for knolls and other obstacles in the pathway. The Kevlar armor he wore slightly hindered his speed, but not so much to make him go in a lumbering gait. It was Hazel's suggestion to ask him to use it, seeing as it was his first time flying on a pterosaur and there are bound to be hiccups here and there. When he parted some large leaves in front of him, he saw the sereneness of the grove.
Daniel had been here before. It was when he followed those two wandering cheetahs and that elephant up here. This was where he found that safe with the classified content. He could only guess that Nigel hoped the guardian of this place would keep his files safe. Apparently not from a secret agent.
When he looked out at the edge of the cliff, he saw what Hazel meant. The sky was turning brighter and he could make out the main hub of the park as well as the distant forms of sleeping dinosaurs close to it. The grove was pretty high up, making it a perfect place to practice flying.
When his eyes scanned the cliff, they caught sight of a red pterosaur preening his right wing.
Deciding to start things off, he greeted him.
"Morning," he said, approaching the grooming flyer.
The pterosaur lifted his head up and found the human right next him, waving. "Morning Daniel," he greeted, relaxing his wings, "Did you sleep well?"
"As well as I could, but I'm still a little sleepy," he let out another yawn.
"Well this flight should help with that," Aeros said.
Daniel flexed his arms and began to do some warm-up exercises. "Yeah maybe," he said, crossing one arm and locking it against him with the other. "I don't know about you, but I'm really excited for this."
"Well this is my first time where a human will be riding on me," he replied, his partner still performing those human exercises. "Please tell me you didn't eat too much last night."
The human stopped and glared at him. "Hey!"
The pterosaur laughed and pat him on the back, the feel of those tiny appendages felt strange on him. "Relax, I'm kidding. Carrying you will be easy."
Daniel huffed and went on to do a few lunges. "So you have any idea on what we'll do for training?"
"No idea. The girls are…how do you humans say it…calling the shots? Ladies first as they always say."
He switched to his other leg. "I guess we'll have to see what happens then. You know, I've been in aircraft before, but nothing like this."
Aeros quirked his head to the side at the mention of the new word. "Aircraft?"
Daniel stopped, realizing his naivety on the matter. Straightening himself, he started to explain the concept of human flight. "We humans can't fly on our own. We use vehicles like the ones on the ground, like the one I used to get here. We have vehicles that allow us to fly, not by ourselves though."
His eyes narrowed, intrigued by the matter. "Interesting. Your world intrigues me by the day."
"The park has hanger. Have you seen the helicopter?"
Aeros shook his head. He most likely had no idea what a helicopter was.
The man thought for a moment. If this guy had just arrived from another time, it would probably be best if he were shown the vehicle so he wouldn't be caught off guard in the air should it ever cross his path. "Hm…maybe I should show you sometime. I've flown one before, but it's not easy."
It was true, he had flown one before on one of his other missions. He was engaging in a dogfight against a criminal that was making off with rare plant toxins. His impromptu partner at the time taught him how to fly a helicopter and while he didn't do so well at first, his teaching helped. It was like he was born to fly.
That was the other reason why he wanted to be partnered with Aeros. While it wasn't a helicopter, he had experience in the air.
"Well, considering you have flown before, perhaps this will be a cinch to you," Aeros commented.
Daniel chuckled. "Here's hoping."
"You've really come far since your first day here. You should be proud," the flyer flexed his wings.
The man smiled and gazed out at the beautiful expanse of the valley. "It has been a journey."
As he looked out, he saw a V shape coming towards the grove. At first, he thought it was a large bird until he saw that definitive crest atop its head. The two of them moved off to the side and allowed the new arrivals to land on the cliff. Small gusts went up from the flap of those wings as the purple pterosaur landed. Her ward dismounted; in her arms was a large leather covering with belts and straps.
"Morning boys!" the purple-clad human greeted.
They both returned the greeting. Following the woman was her partner.
"Aeros, good morning to you," went the female Pteranodon.
Aeros' eyes went wide and he gave her a polite bow. "And you as well. Looking lovely as ever."
The flirtatious comment caused the receiver to give him a playful scowl. "Now now, we're here to train, not to play. Although we do have ways to make things fun."
Hazel balled her free hand and scolded her partner. "Flia!"
She lightly laughed. "I'm kidding, Hazel."
The Asian righted herself and proceeded on with the session. "Anyway, welcome to flight training. You're going to need this."
Hazel gave Daniel the leather covering, which turned out to be what Flia had on her back. The feel of the cloth and the leather plus the straps clicking together gave him an excited feeling. He had gotten his own saddle.
"You had another one on you this whole time?" he inquired.
"That's actually a backup," she explained. "I asked Bob to make another one in case mine broke, but I'm giving you my spare. It's yours now."
The man was happy with that. He was now the only other human to own such an item as well as the only other human to be able to fly. There were two Pteranodons in the valley. He felt rather privileged, but he knew to not let that get to his head. He had experiences where that caused him to mess up.
As he inspected each and every inch of the saddle, he failed to notice Aeros' expression. Before, he was upbeat and ready to take on the challenge. Now, he looked a little less content and unsure of how to go about with this new item.
"Alright, before we start, did you guys eat something before then?" Hazel asked.
"I went fishing earlier," Aeros answered.
"Just had a quick breakfast sandwich I threw in the microwave," Daniel replied.
Hazel beamed and clapped her hands. "Excellent! Let's get to it."
The first part of the session went for about 30 minutes. Hazel taught Daniel how to secure the saddle on Aeros, much to the pterosaur's distress. Flia reassured him that it was a little uncomfortable at first but he will get used to it. The woman showed him how to secure the straps, emphasizing to not make them too tight on Aeros otherwise the leather would grate his skin. "Not too tight, but not too loose," was what she told him.
It took him a while to get it ready on Aeros. However, upon seeing Hazel do it on Flia, she had done that within a matter of minutes. She did it in lightning speed! Daniel would need to work to catch up to her.
By the time that part of the session was done, the valley was covered in gray while the sky lit up in orange and light blue. The rays of the sun shone through the clouds above.
"Okay, next thing we'll go over is positioning," Hazel said. "Daniel, you've seen how I operate on Flia's saddle. You need to lie on your stomach and grasp the reins. Hug the reins close to you for better control."
"Control?" he questioned.
"Of your body. Flying on a giant pterosaur requires immense coordination and trust. The both of you need to coordinate on where you need to go."
"So we need to tell each other if we need to go a certain way?" went Aeros.
It was Flia who answered that. "You can, yes. But there will be situations where you may not have time for that. If that happens, you both need to be ready for a sudden change in flight pattern."
Daniel was beginning to understand the basics. The mention that he and Aeros needed to work together in the air was heavily emphasized. It was all about teamwork and reading the sky. There would be gusts and sudden drops, meaning that he would need to be prepared for those.
Hazel told him when she started flying on Flia years ago, she did so without a saddle. The female pterosaur giggled when she mentioned the human falling off of her a couple of times, but she quickly got the hang of it. The fact that she did so in a short time span and without a saddle was mind-boggling. It wasn't until much later that she received her saddle, and it turned out it was a prop in a TV mini-series called Dinotopia. She also explained the concept from the media had taught her how to operate on Flia. He never heard of it until Hazel mentioned it.
There was one thing he was having trouble comprehending. Wanting to get answers, he voiced it out.
"If we've only got this single leather strap to hang onto, how do I keep myself from losing balance?"
"Oh that's easy," she waved dismissively. "When your partner moves, lean with them. When they go right, lean right. When they go left, lean left. And so forth. Remember, that rein isn't used for steering."
"So it's like riding a bike?"
She snapped her fingers and pointed at him in a positive fashion. "Exactly like riding a bike. Remember, you both work together when you're in the air. He does most of the moving so you need to move with him."
He let out a quick breath. "Okay...I think I can do that."
The two females giggled.
"Oh we'll see," Flia told him. "We'll fly low since you're just starting."
Her attention then went on to Aeros. "Aeros, go easy on the human."
"Oh I will," he replied as she prepared for takeoff.
Both Hazel and Daniel mounted their partners. Hazel quickly got situated, but Daniel was a little hesitant in his movements. He had to go on his stomach and keep his arms close while gripping the rein. He worried the large crest would poke him, but was reassured by Hazel it shouldn't.
With Aeros' head blocking the way, he had to look over at the sides of it just to see what was in front of him. In fact, the bottom left and bottom right as well as his rear served as his blind spots. He would need to adjust to the new orientation.
With Daniel now in place, their trainers took off and hovered in front of the cliff. Flia's wings gently blew little gusts in their direction. The man steeled himself and held tightly on the strap. His stomach already had the building apprehension.
"Okay you heard what they said. Go easy on me," he informed his partner.
"You'll be fine..." Aeros glanced back and gave him a devilish look. That made the feel in his stomach drop. "Maybe."
"Maybe!?"
"Hang on!"
Aeros took off into a dive, carrying the now screaming human with him. The base of the mountain quickly came to him and it looked like he was going to crash. The pterosaur leveled and glided over the area, but in a pace that was too quick for the human to adjust to. He hung onto the strap so tightly that it started to dig into his skin.
The male Pteranodon made sharp turns and flips in the air. Daniel had difficulty with orienting himself on the saddle. He did his best to remember the basics Hazel told him about body control. Unfortunately, with how Aeros was going about it, he couldn't keep himself under control.
It was when they flew over the large lake in the part of the valley where the herds slept that Aeros made another sharp turn. His orientation now off, Daniel found himself losing his grip on the strap and falling. He screamed and collided with the water surface. The incident had awoken the nearby herd members, most of which were not too happy with the disturbance.
The water was cold and stung his skin. He swam up and gasped for air. His body now shivered in the cold temperature. While he wasn't happy he landed in the water and that his partner played a dirty trick on him, he was glad on a couple of things. First, Hazel advised he left his cellphone for the training session as he would most likely fall. Second, she informed him if he were to ever fall in the lake, which he did, he wouldn't have to worry about it short-circuiting. What he had was a newer version of the Park's Communicators and thus was waterproof.
He looked up and saw the guffawing Aeros hovering a few feet above the lake. Daniel did nothing but scowl at him.
"You awake now?" Aeros mused with a wink.
"Haha! Very funny!" his partner jabbed.
"What? I just wanted to help you out."
Daniel answered that in a louder voice to express his frustration. "You call dumping me into a freezing lake in the wee hours of the morning helping!?"
"Actually it's dawn," the Pteranodon replied unfazed. "It's not that early."
"It's 7 in the frigging morning!"
One moment later, the girls arrived. Flia hovered a few feet from both the swimming human and the hovering male flyer. The female pterosaur glared at him like a parent would to an unruly child. The same went for the human woman on her back.
"Aeros! We said go easy!" Flia growled.
"Yeah!" Hazel accused. "What the heck are you doing!? He's still a rookie, you know!"
"Hahaha! I'm just having some fun!" he childishly defended.
"Yes, a little too much fun," Daniel responded with a spoonful of sarcasm. "Now Aeros, could you be so kind and get me out of the water?"
The rest of the day was spent on the flight training, which had its fair share of good moments and failures...mostly failures. While Daniel did improve on balancing on Aeros, his longest was only 3 minutes before a sharp turn made him roll down a hill. He learned how to balance himself when speeding up and slowing down, but it was the turns, both sharp and normal, that he was having issues with.
Now he understood why he was asked to wear his Kevlar. Although Hazel should have mentioned to put in other armor bits too. It was surprising she is able to flawlessly stay on Flia without any armor. It was like she was a prodigy! Any other person would have kept their armor on if they were flying.
Then again, he was a prodigy too. If she could do it, so could he.
His attempts came with more failures. He fell on his side in the middle of the Socialization Fields, surrounded by gawking Residents (which came with the unfortunate development of a couple of tyrannosaurs laughing nearby). Another time, he fell in the middle of the Ornithomimus pond, where he was also laughed at by the dinosaurs that were living there. The next few times after that were around the valley's large lake where Hazel and Flia made it clear to keep the training in that vicinity.
However, Aeros once again played a prank by shooting off towards the park hub. He was having way too much fun with this. Either that or he was challenging him to see how far he could keep up. He was acting like an untamed horse, one that could talk and could fly.
Rather than landing in an enclosure, Daniel was fortunate to land in a cart full of hay. It was being driven by a jeep in the front. It's drivers? Marcus and Ellis Rey. They were helping Bob with filling the jeep's gas tank and were asked to drive it to him when Daniel came falling in.
The ruckus got the men's attention and they found the agent on his back, his body covered in pieces of hay. At least his landing was soft.
When Daniel got up, he found the Reys looking up at him from behind the cart.
"Hey! You alright?" Marcus asked.
He massaged his back and his head. He tried to maintain his footing on the loose hay, using the sides of the cart as support. "Urgh…define alright."
An amused Ellis chimed in next. "Having fun flying?"
"On a giant turkey, yes," Daniel sarcastically remarked, slowly moving towards the exit of the cart, which was now opened thanks to Marcus.
The head engineer laughed. "Well you're doing pretty good so far. I wouldn't be able to last long if I were doing it."
He was helped off the cart with Ellis helping him with removing the bits of hay. Marcus entrusted his brother with him while he went to check on something nearby. As Daniel adjusted himself and made sure his back and head did not hurt anymore, Ellis retrieved a bag from the back of the jeep. He opened it and showed a blue and silver can to the rookie.
Daniel's eyes went wide when he saw the familiar outline of two red steers along with a familiar name in large red lettering. It was a large can of Red Bull.
"Here, drink this. It'll give you wings," he offered.
Whether it was for a joke or just to help, it still made Daniel annoyed. "What the!? I can't drink this! Also, that's just what the commercials say to get people to buy this stuff!"
"Eh, it's for luck. Besides, it'll help you with the training."
Daniel hesitated for a moment but then snatched the drink from his hand. Popping the can, he chugged down the contents. It wouldn't give him literal wings, but it would give him a boost for the rest of the day. Ellis may be a jokester, but at least he was being helpful.
The training went for several more attempts until it was cut at 2:00 pm. Daniel's body ached due to the falls he endured. As much as he wanted to rest, he found himself in the recreation center doing some workouts because of the effects of the drink. He needed some way to burn off that excess energy. Sadly, the efforts came with the expected aches and pains.
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It had been 3 days since the start of Daniel's flight training. He was showing progress as he was able to stay for longer periods of time on Aeros. When it came to making sharp turns, however, that was his bane. Flia had given the male Pteranodon a good scolding for his pranking antics, the male quickly apologizing and saying he wanted to have a little fun. Plus, he was testing to see how far Daniel could go on his back. That did not please the female pterosaur and she pecked him for that.
Hazel decided to give the training a break. 3 days was enough time for them to recover, especially for poor Daniel as he was suffering from the strains of training. While she was disappointed Daniel did not fare very well with flying, she was reassured by her peers that he will catch on. She just needed to be patient with him. Besides, not everybody can fly properly on a giant pterosaur within a few days.
She spent much of the day assisting around the park and then a little bit with her sister to help her with her studying. After relaxing in the cabin, Hazel got a text from Chris to meet her at the Marine section of the park. She wondered what he meant by that as he was still tutoring his group at this time. Maybe he needed her help on something. Whatever it was, she needed some exercise anyway.
Hazel only visited the new section of the park a couple of times before. It was established during their time in Temporary Park. With Daniel's training and the other jobs she helped around in, plus being exhausted at the end of the day, she couldn't find a good time to pay another visit to that area.
She knew she was going to get wet. Dressing up in her favorite blue tankini and wearing her normal attire over it, she left the cabin to go find Flia. Thankfully, she was over at the Great Tree chatting with the lemurs so she didn't have to go very far. Hazel requested if they could go to the Marine section and wanted to fly rather than drive there. Flia agreed as she wanted to go do some fishing there anyway.
Driving to the Marine section would entail having to drive around the cliffs southward and going around towards the east. With the park boundaries extended, the Residents could easily access the shore along that route. While they are certainly allowed to go to the nearby beach, most of them would rather stay around the park. They're not quite used to the new areas.
The trip to the beach didn't take very long. Due to the amount of distance between the main park and the marine portion, separate facilities needed to be built for anyone working there. Separate living spaces, an infirmary, storage facilities, a separate café, a vehicle storage, a separate recreation center, an Employee Center, and any other needed utilities the employees needed were there, just at a smaller frequency than over at the main park. Those buildings were set up along the river that was on the way to the shore. Just like with the rest of the park, this was a protected area so no outsiders were there. However, that didn't stop the native wildlife. The facilities may be guarded, but employees still needed to stay alert. Though it did help that the occasional Resident would wander there and help with keeping an eye on the place.
The area they flew over was jungle-like and marshy. That soon turned into tropical shoreline as they soared over the expanse of the marine facility. Hazel had been to the beach here before on separate occasions. A couple of times, her friends were with her when they wanted to spend the day there. The beach was private and beautiful. Hazel wondered if they should take a trip there again sometime when things weren't too hectic. That relaxation spot was right next to the marine portion of the park.
The beach was quite nice. It had white sand and had rocky walls that nearly encompassed it like a barrier that was broken through. The area looked almost like an elongated crescent moon if one were in the air. The reserved coastline spanned a few miles outward and down the coast, with large gaps that bordered it and the next towns. Further out of the shore were a set of small islands that contained a lot of greenery, plants that were adapted to such a setting. The whole marine portion of the park was marked by a line of white buoys and floating buoy lights. The barriers were invisible, just like in the main park. They operated in the same way as the park boundaries, preventing Residents from going too far.
There were only a few enclosures set up. Each of them had its own small boat for employees to use when going over them. Those enclosures were also connected by wooden boardwalks with rope fences. Under the boardwalks were a set of wooden barricades that served as the separating walls. Parts of the enclosures served as gateways to allow Residents in and out of the area. Finally, just like the main park, there was a Socialization Area the Residents could go to, provided they behaved. Along the boardwalks were wooden areas that had sturdy huts. Those were not only resting areas for the employees, but also separate storage facilities.
If it weren't for the fact this whole place was meant to be a sanctuary, anyone coming here would think it was some tropical resort.
They landed on the beach, right next to one of the boardwalks that connected to two enclosures. They looked around and saw a few employees milling about with tools in their hands or gear to help them with inspecting the areas, but no sign of Chris. Hazel took it upon herself to ask around, but all she got was Chris was not seen since that morning.
"Where the heck is he?" Hazel took her place next to Flia.
The purple pterosaur shrugged. "I'm not sure. Are you sure he told you to meet him here?"
"That's what the message said."
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of them. A portal had activated right over at the enclosure on the left towards the deeper part of the enclosure. Hazel mounted Flia again and they flew over to see what was coming. Their eyes went wide when they saw an ocean similar to the one here, but the water was a little darker. A white boat was sailing through the portal, which had several humans milling about. Swimming along the sides of the vehicle were several creatures that looked like dolphins.
The creatures had light brown undersides but their backs were dark greyish-blue with mottled stripes. Their large eyes were not like the eyes of normal dolphins or whales. Their tail flukes were also vertical rather than horizontal like today's marine mammals. Their mouths were also a little too narrow to be like that of dolphins or porpoises.
Hazel read about those creatures. If Chris mentioned he was taking his group to the Late Jurassic seas in the UK, they most likely were Opthalmosaurus. They were the right size and it was the right time period. Although there were other ichthyosaurs that lived in that time and could have swum to that area. She would need to confirm later but she was sure they were Opthalmosaurus.
They weren't the only ones that came through the portal though. Following the marine dolphin-like creatures were a group of plesiosaurs. Four of them were close to 20 feet in length but two of them were smaller, measuring at around 7 feet, neck included. The larger ones were blue; two of them were navy blue and grey like the deep ocean while the other two were light blue with bluish-green underbellies. The darker ones may be males while the other two were females. Although, one of the larger ones seemed a little rounder than the rest.
The smaller ones were a mix of sandy brown with dark spots all over. Like the larger ones, their teeth looked like little needles.
Hazel had trouble identifying them for a bit, but she managed to identify the larger ones. Judging by the eel-like appearance of their necks and their heads, they were most likely Muraenosaurus. As for the smaller ones, they could be Cryptoclidus but she could be wrong. She'd need to do a bit of research just to make sure.
If there was another thing that got Hazel's attention, it was the captain of the ship. Chris turned back and issued out his orders to two people that were in the stern of the ship.
"That's it guys! Keep it coming! Asami, Amanda, you two better be watching if you'll be working in this area!"
One of the girls, Hazel had no idea who, replied. "On it!"
As soon as the portal and the arrivals appeared, the portal dissipated. Beyond it where it only had the rest of the marine park. Hazel and Flia moved closer towards the shore to allow the newcomers to spread out. The boat, on the other hand, closed in toward the boardwalk and docked there. Its passengers dismounted rather quickly. The last one to arrive was none other than Chris Sinclair.
The two of them landed on the boardwalk just a good distance away from the team and approached them. The majority were amazed at Flia's appearance but were then ushered in by Chris, who told them to either watch how things are done or to help the other employees that were rushing in with whatever they needed.
"Someone call the vets! One of the Muraenosaurus is heavily pregnant! Her name is Sedna and she needs a checkup!" he yelled into his radio. "Also, somebody better keep a visual on the Cryptoclidus kids. We don't want them to wander off too far. They're known to be little troublemakers. The same goes for the Opthalmosaurus, although they're not as bad as the little guys."
With the creatures now identified and the reason for why one of the plesiosaurs was so large was answered, Hazel could fully focus on the other issue at hand. She stormed up to Chris and balled her fists.
"Chris! This is what you came to show me?" she asked in an upset manner.
"Oh hey, you're here," he greeted, ignoring her upstart. "Yeah this is it. We got some new rescues."
"Are you nuts!? Your team isn't qualified yet to do rescue missions!"
He waved his hand slowly in a way to reassure her. "Relax, I did most of the work. I just showed them the ropes. I just asked them to do little stuff. Hands-on training requires us to show them how it's done, right?"
That stopped her tirade. Thinking about it, he did have a point. If their new program involved being more hands-on, that meant showing the recruits how it's done. There must have been a reason why Chris would allow himself to do an impromptu rescue.
"Alright, you have a point. Did anyone get hurt?"
"Not that I know of."
Satisfied, Hazel went on to her next question. "Fine…so what happened?"
"Well it was supposed to be a study session. Then we saw these guys swimming for their lives towards the shallows. They were being chased by a Liopleurodon of all things. So I decided to step in and save them."
Again, he made a good point. Chris couldn't stand by and do nothing while their lives were on the line. That wouldn't look good at all. Besides, had she been in his place, she may have done the same thing.
"Besides, the rookies had a good time, except for one of them. He got seasick," he added.
She sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Well at least it went well."
It was then that Flia managed to catch up to the conversing humans. Taking her place behind Hazel, she watched the marine creatures swimming in their new home.
"I must say, I haven't seen water beings in a long time. I've encountered a few up close. Thankfully I wasn't gobbled up. They are quite amazing to look at as long as they don't eat me."
Hazel turned and gently stroked Flia's neck, which caused her to purr. "Heh, relax Flia. They won't eat you. You're much too large for these guys."
Right as they calmed down, the two small plesiosaurs swam alongside the boardwalk. Neither of them noticed they were being watched by two humans and a Pteranodon. If anything, they were more focused on each other. The one on the left had a darker complexion to her while the other one was lighter and had more spots on her head.
"Blimey Jetsam! This place is rockin'! It looks much better than that beach we left," said the one on the left. This was definitely a child and she had a British accent too. To Hazel, they sounded like well-behaved school children. Although this one sounded like he had a hint of mischief to him.
"I agree, dear sister. It is quite peaceful. I could get used to this. Look, there is even a rocky cliff we can relax on," the one on the right said; her mannerisms were similar to her sibling, but it sounded like she was a little more refined. "I wish mum were here, she would have loved it."
"I know, but we're alive. She would have wanted us to be happy," the sister said and gently nudged her sibling on the head.
"That's true Flotsam. Let's check out that cliff!" she suggested.
With that, the siblings swum towards the rocky wall that contained sets of large rocks for them to rest on. Happy that the new arrivals were adjusting to their new surroundings, the small group made their way towards the beach. When they did, they found the Muraenosaurus group there, who were all surrounded by employees and one vet as they were checking up on them, especially the one named Sedna.
It was when that very plesiosaur noticed Chris that she started to speak to him in a refined noble tone, similar to that of Baylene only much younger. She sounded like a queen to Hazel's ears. "Thank you for saving us."
"Not a problem," he smiled at her. "We couldn't just leave you there at the mercy of that thing."
"I thought it to be a jab when you told us you could take us somewhere safe. This seems like a good place to raise our young. I hope there is enough food available," she told him with slight concern.
"Don't worry, there's plenty to go around," Chris replied.
Afterwards, Hazel and Flia introduced themselves as friends of Chris and longtime denizens of the park. They answered any questions they had, including where they were, what time they were in, and where everyone else came from. They were also briefly introduced to the Ophthalmosaurus pod. They may not be like dolphins in most aspects, but they were still like them in mannerisms. The way they spoke sounded as if they were speaking as if they were underwater.
Hazel found this too fun to pass up. She wanted to get to know them better. Plus, it had been a while since she went swimming. She undressed into her bathing suit and went swimming with them. Flia had chosen to go fishing around the area as this meet and greet made her hungry.
The woman had done a lot of things ever since she stayed in Prehistoric Park, but this was one of the most exhilarating. One of the ichthyosaurs was kind enough to allow her to hitch a ride and swim with him. She hadn't swum with a dolphin since she was 7 years old, back when her family visited that one aquatic park in Florida. Hazel had to wrap one arm around his body and hold onto the dorsal fin at the same time.
This area was the best spot for marine Residents. There were sets of corals dotted around the shallows and going off towards the deep end was a coral reef. The park Residents and the new arrivals knew better than to disturb those corals. Plus, anyone that was trained in diving needed to wear the usual gear to explore that area.
To Hazel, it was like she was flying through the water. And the new arrivals swimming around her made things a lot cooler.
As she swam with the marine Residents, her thoughts went back to Daniel. It was about time they went on a rescue of their own, but they needed to get the flight training done first. Heck, he may even enjoy this part of the park as he most likely hasn't been here yet. Perhaps he would like this area too.
With the relaxing atmosphere she was in, she allowed herself to think more about him, specifically on what he would look like if he were swimming. Those tight muscles, his hair totally wet, that suntanned body, and that gentle face going through the surf. Hazel gave into those thoughts and they made her smile.
"Alright…he is kind of…cute."