Happy Veterans Day everyone! Here's the next chapter to TWoF. Just a little good news to put in there...I got a new PC! Wasn't cheap but it was well worth it ^.^. We don't own anything!

Soundtrack: Wildheart by Two Steps from Hell

It has been a week since the start of Daniel's flight training. Already, he's gotten better with maintaining balance on Aeros. He was already able to stay on during slow turns and dives. However, there still remained the issue of sharp turning. Try as he might, he just couldn't stay on properly. That only made the rookie even more frustrated.

Hazel and Flia made sure to stay with the boys as the training went on. Aeros stopped his pranking antics, although he defended he wanted to test Daniel his own way. While he did well to maintain his patience, they all could tell he was nearing his limit.

Right now, they were running by the basics again. Hazel emphasized that Daniel needed to shift his weight when doing a sharp turn, much like on a bicycle. Unfortunately, the trainee just wasn't getting it. They used the expanse of the valley for their training course, however for today, they chose to just use half of it so they could be fairly close to the main hub in case something went wrong.

Still flying very close to the ground, the four of them went through their training regime. It had been over 15 minutes, which was a new record for Daniel. Though, that was because it was mostly a warm-up first and had not gotten to doing sharp turns yet.

"Bank left," Hazel said.

The two pterosaurs shifted to the left a little. Their riders shifted their weight with them. When Flia righted herself, her friend followed. The boys saw this and leveled.

"Bank right," the woman called out.

Just like before they coordinated to go to the right.

"Very good," said the experienced scout.

This time, it was Flia that spoke next. "Let's do a slow climb."

The two pterosaurs climbed in the air with great flaps of their wings. It was at a leveled incline so it wasn't too terrible for Daniel to handle. Right when they reached about 100 feet, Flia stopped, causing Aeros to do the same.

"Now let's do a slow descent."

At the pterosaur's command, they descended towards the ground. The incline was at the opposite angle of the climb. It was slow, but it was fairly easy. These slow inclines were similar to being on a plane.

It was at Flia's last suggestion that broke their streak.

"Let's turn towards the Park."

Right as the two pterosaurs made a sharp turn towards home, Hazel could see Daniel struggling. He was trying to shift his weight like how he was told, but that only delayed the inevitable. He strained at the feel of gravity and started leaning towards the side. Daniel's grip failed and he slid off Aeros' back, landing on his side with a grunt.

"Whoa!" Aeros made a sharp brake and straightened. He hovered close to him and landed softly, watching him rub his head. "Hold up, he's fallen."

This prompted Flia to stop and turn. Hazel frowned and rubbed her forehead. Her advice just wasn't working. She had no idea how else to tell him to do that. They quickly landed and made their way to the downed human. Hazel offered a supporting hand and helped him up.

"You alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah...I think so," he made a groggy response. "How could you have learned this so quickly?"

The Asian shrugged. "I guess it came a little easier for me. But you've gotten better."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "It's those sharp turns. They always get me."

"Hey you've improved on that. It's just a matter of balance and focus. Remember, it's just like being on a bike."

"Alright, alright. Give me a minute and I'll be good to go," he said in a brisk and gruff manner. While it sounded rude to Hazel, she could tell he was really frustrated at his failures.

Before she could offer some helpful advice, the static of their radios got their attention. Coming from the speaker was none other than the voice of Bob Arthur.

"Bob to Hazel."

Hazel got the radio from her side and pressed the button.

"This is Hazel. Go ahead," she said.

"Diablo's acting up again. He's even worse than yesterday and the day before," he sounded very urgent.

Hazel's eyes went wide. The mention of Diablo also got Flia's undivided attention. Diablo was upset again? What happened this time? Was he going back to his old ways? But he helped with defending the park! She thought he was over what happened before!

Then her mind thought back to a piece of news she heard about two days ago. Diablo had been acting cranky and demanded solitude. She did hear of a commotion happening in his enclosure where he was banging his head against a boulder. A vet went by and was told he was "having a bad day".

They thought he needed a good walk around the park to help clear his head of whatever was upsetting him. Hazel didn't check up on him after that day. The Park figured he was just cranky.

Usually, Diablo would be left alone if he was cranky as he would eventually calm down. However, from what Bob was saying, he was being destructive...again. The Carnotaurus had mellowed out since being in the park, and although he started the second breakout, he hasn't done anything to cause trouble. In fact, he helped with defending Temporary Park during that war with Gorgon's army. So why was he acting up again?

"What do you mean? He's still cranky? Letting him out didn't help? Did you try talking to him?" she asked into the radio.

"I mean he's gotten even more irritable," Bob responded. "Just a simple drive by him and that set him off! And we tried, but he just demanded we keep him in his enclosure. 'For our own good' he kept saying. Every time we try to figure out what's going on, he keeps pushing us away. Neither of us want to spar with him either. The other carnivores offered to help, but he kept beating them up and kicking them out. Kept saying neither of them can help."

Hazel furrowed her brows. This wasn't good. At the same time, something was off about it. Why would Diablo push everyone away when he's being destructive? This warranted an investigation.

"Diablo's been asking for you," he mentioned next. "I suggest you hurry back here."

She nodded. It was time they got to the bottom of this. "I'm on my way."

Turning the radio off and clipping it at her side, she turned her attention to the boys. Concern was etched on her features. Looking over at Flia, she noticed she too was worried. They had a history with Diablo; their origins weren't quite the best. In fact, they were former enemies.

During Hazel's first solo trip into the past, she decided to save him when he was falling in that canyon. At the time, she believed he had a right to live. If she sent him to another period in that era, he would have terrorized the innocents there. So she figured bringing him to the present would be best as the Park would better manage him.

It was an on the fly decision, but whether it was right or wrong was unknown at the time. He caused trouble shortly after his arrival, but after that, it looked like he lost interest. At least, that's what they thought.

"What was that about?" inquired Daniel.

Hazel rubbed the side of her forehead, feeling a little headache coming on. "It would seem Diablo is acting up again. Sorry Daniel, it looks like we'll need to extend the break for a bit. I need to check on this. If Flia and I aren't back within an hour, we'll call it a day."

Neither of them had any argument against that. Daniel nodded and Aeros just cocked his head to the side for a moment.

"Alright...seems good," the man agreed.

"I could go for a break," said Aeros. "Gives me a chance to get something to eat."

With that done, the girls left to make for Diablo's enclosure, leaving the two rookie sky scouts to their devices for the time being. Hazel worried about what was going on with the Carnotaur. If he was reverting back to his old ways, the valley may be in danger again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Carnotaurus Quarry…

The Park had paid witness to Diablo's antics of destruction. In the past, it was due to his rage over his displacement and the loss of his mate. In Temporary Park, he used that output in hunting prey as well as warding off the Park's enemies in that war. This time, however, it was a completely different story.

The Carnotaurus roared furiously as he ran around the front of his enclosure, pushing back the gathered armed humans. As they backed away, the carnivore went over to the nearest tree and started banging his head on it. It toppled over after several hits, the bark and leaves spraying all over. Branches, bark, and even pieces of rock were all over the place. Dirt was kicked up at all the tracks he left behind. He had even attempted to break out, only to be pushed by the pain in his leg.

With his destructive antics returned, Bob instructed one of the keepers to sedate the predator and to put a Perimeter Collar back on. They did it that morning, with him waking back up later that afternoon. The Perimeter Collars were a form of security the Park used for the Residents to prevent future breakouts. However, after the events of Temporary Park and the creation of the Socialization Fields, they were no longer needed for that purpose. However, they would only be used on Residents that were unruly, especially if they were on "Time Out". In this case, it was necessary to put the Collar back on, for everyone's safety as well as Diablo's. Though, with the tantrum he was pulling, it looks to be causing more harm than good.

When Hazel and Flia arrived, they arrived at an enclosure that looked as if a tornado tore through the place. Hazel turned towards the keepers that were still there and waved her hands in a "push back" motion.

"Everybody, get back! We'll handle this!" she told them all.

The employees present gave the enclosure a wide berth, their guns still aimed at the ornery carnivore. With that taken care of, Hazel turned her attention to Diablo. Lifting her hands up in a peaceful gesture, she called out to him.

"Diablo! I'm here! What's going on? Why are you acting like this?"

Diablo snapped his head and roared at the two of them. Both human and Pteranodon gasped and took a few steps back. Flia growled and went into a defensive stance. It looked as if he were about to charge at the barrier and try to break through. However, that didn't happen. His eyes went wide and he relaxed when he recognized them. Blinking, he slowly strode forward until he was just mere inches from the bars.

Seeing him in a slightly better state of mind, Hazel called out to him again. "What in the frigging hey is going on?"

He sighed and eyed them like a predator would on prey. "It's about time you showed up."

That jab brought about some ire in the leader-in-training. Squinting, she jabbed at him back. "Well, sorry for being late."

"Yes we were in the middle of a training session when you called," Flia deadpanned.

"Oh that's right...you're training that new human. I take it he's still struggling with flying? And here I thought you humans achieved flight," Diablo remarked in an uninterested manner.

"He's getting there," Hazel defended her trainee. "A little bit more training and he's good to go. Now, I'll ask again, what is going on? I know you're a guy that's ornery at times and I know you can be destructive, but not at this level."

Diablo snorted and looked away. "It's something that I'm going through. I can't help it."

The woman blew a piece of hair from her forehead and crossed her arms. "What? Is it angst?"

The Carnotaurus glared at her. "Very funny, human. No, it's not. It's more...complicated than that."

She raised a brow. "Okay…"

"It's something...that my kind goes through," he said in a rather exhausted and strained tone, as if he were trying to resist something. "The males of my species go through certain changes during periods in their lives. We get more aggressive, more irritable, our senses are heightened more so than usual. Anything we come across, we attack, and we can't help it. Sometimes, those of us that are inexperienced tend to lose control, we end up hurting others in the process."

"That would explain why you're trying to push everybody away. You're trying to protect them," Flia realized.

"That's…correct. I loathe to say this…" he took in a breath and said very slowly, "but I need…your help."

Both pterosaur and human gawked. Never in their whole time living in the park did they hear their former enemy utter those words. What has happened to this guy? Diablo wasn't the type to ask for help. He seemed to be the type of individual that would do things himself and would rather die in the process than accept help from anyone. Now he's asking for assistance? To them, it's like everything they knew about him was flipped inside out.

"Okay...that's new," Hazel said hesitantly, still in shock. "You never really ask us for help. Or ask anyone for help for that matter."

"Why should we help you?" Flia protested. "I thought you hated us."

Diablo snorted in a tiresome way. "That's not the issue right now, flyer!" He then became more resigned. "Though...if you really are wondering, my drive for revenge has become...tiring. I've lost my taste for it."

The two of them gawked, not speaking for the better of about 30 seconds. Their former enemy really has lost his taste in vengeance, at least on them. Maybe he really has changed since that breakout. Who was this guy and what happened to the Diablo they came to know?

Hazel let out a long whistle. "Wow…now that's a new one."

He growled at them and scowled. "Don't think this means we're friends! I still have a disdain for you and your herd. If any of you do anything to strike my ire, I will come after you."

Flia stammered. She tried to get the proper words out considering she just came out of her stumped stupor. It was only after a few seconds that she finally got some words out. "Uh…duly noted."

She then whispered over in Hazel's direction. "Wait until everyone hears about this."

Hazel resisted the urge to snicker. Doing so would annoy Diablo and put them in a worse situation than they're in now.

The Asian cleared her throat and put on a more professional demeanor. Her tone sounded sincere and clear-cut. "Okay before we move forward...I know we haven't seen eye to eye most of the time. I know you still hold a bit of a grudge on us too. But, you're still a denizen of this place, and we never turn our backs on each other. So we'll help you, as long as you let us."

Hazel never thought she'd be saying that to her former enemy. The whole time she knew him, he had a massive chip on his shoulder for her and her friends' involvement in his mate's death. Then that was made worse by his chance at getting at the herd for a free feast and then him being pulled from his time. He was rescued from falling into that canyon, but he didn't take his new surroundings too well at first. The whole time she knew him, he was out for their heads. But as time went on, he seemed to have dulled in his furious outbursts.

While they never got along in the past and have only just begun to be content around each other, Hazel still kept her guard up…just in case. However, what she said was true. He was still a denizen of Prehistoric Park and nobody gets left behind, not even former enemies.

Diablo nodded and let out another snort.

"Alright, now let's get back to the issue," she declared. "You say you've become more aggressive, more irritable, and your senses are heightened. Is there anything else you want to mention?"

The Carnotaur rolled his eyes and sneered. "I know you to be intelligent, but I didn't perceive you to be blind."

That insult made one of her nerves tick, but Hazel controlled her emotions. They were here to help and he wasn't after any of them. She let that insult go and kept her patience.

"Have you noticed my body?" he rumbled and gestured towards his back. "Anything strike you as different?"

With their arrival and behind on the other side of the bars, Hazel and Flia didn't notice anything strikingly different with Diablo. However, upon closer inspection, and when the sun went behind some clouds, did they finally notice something different. His hide had taken a slightly brighter shade of red. Waves of bright orange streaks were all over his back and his legs. The markings shone as if they were glistening. Much of the front of his muzzle began to turn bright orange as well. One could say that some artist had painted him in his sleep. However, this was not some prank somebody pulled.

Hazel had heard that there were creatures that could change color, either for camouflage, intimidation, climate related, or due to changes in their environment, but that would take weeks, months, or even years depending on the creature. Human faces can change color but only under certain circumstances; certain illnesses, crying, sunburns, and other factors, just not out of their own will. Diablo's change happened in a short period of time, almost immediately. He looked like a literal walking flame.

"Huh...you're getting a bit of orange on you," she noted. "I didn't know you guys changed color."

"We do," he said, "but not all the time. And the colors you see are only on the males of my species. This only happens when adult males enter a certain phase in our lives and it's every once in a while."

The Pteranodon next to her eyed him curiously. "What's with this new appearance? Surely it must have a purpose."

"It does. It's a way for males to intimidate each other in ritual combat. The older we are, the brighter our colors. We must fight each other so that we can get what we want."

It was at that moment that Hazel began to piece together the puzzle. Everything Diablo said were clues regarding what was happening to him. She read books and watched enough media to get a handle on certain animal behaviors. Sometimes, they would got through certain changes because of their body clocks or because of a certain event. Diablo's mention of ritual combat pointed to establishing dominance. The colors he had were for intimidation. Not to mention he has gotten more aggressive, and from the direction of their conversation, he was highly irritable.

"Wait a minute. Increased aggression, highly irritable, color changes and need to fight, ritual combat against other males?" She listed down the possibilities. Then, the answer hit her like a brick wall. She face palmed and made an outburst. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!"

Flia quickly turned towards her partner, now very concerned. "What? What is it?"

The human looked at her and was in a state of utter disbelief. "Diablo is in his own version of the Rut!"

The Pteranodon blinked, her mind running blank on the alien word. "The Rut? What's that?"

Hazel calmed and took a moment to control herself. She knew the concept would be new to them. It also most likely was mentioned in a different manner, just like how Diablo referred to it. "Okay...um...you know the elephants?"

"Yes, I'm aware of them."

"Well, male elephants go through certain periods in their lives when their testosterone levels are higher than usual. That version is called Musth. For other creatures with horns or tusks, it's called the Rut," she started to explain. "They get irritable, more aggressive, and attack anything in their path. It's just like what Diablo is going through."

Flia squinted at her, not understanding the concept of testosterone as well as what she was referring to. "I'm still not getting it."

"Well, this only happens every once in a while. When an elephant, or in this case a Carnotaur like Diablo, is in the Rut or Musth, everyone around them is in danger. They get like this because it's a normal bodily thing they go through. They can't control it. But judging from what Diablo said about ritual combat against other males and the requirement to intimidate them, I think he's in his own version of it."

After that extensive explanation, she saw that Flia was still giving her a blank stare. Even after her detailed answer, she still did not understand. Hazel rolled her eyes and summed it all up in just a few words.

"He's in his own mating season!" she flat out said it.

Flia squawked in surprise, finally understanding it. "What!?"

"That's right," she placed her index finger and thumb on her chin, pondering the situation. "But this is a rather strange case. Male elephants tend to go through Musth periodically. From the time Diablo has spent here, he's never been in this phase. It's probably just a once in a while thing. And there's no evidence that elephants in Musth are linked to a female's reproductive cycle. In the case of the Rut, that happens when males are in the need to mate and females are in Heat. It's a seasonal thing so it's possible that's what this is. But this is Diablo we're dealing with. "

A growl from Diablo made them turn their attention to the Carnotaur. He was snarling at them rather menacingly. He was shaking his head and was on the verge of losing it. "Are you just standing there talking or are you going to help me?"

"Hey calm down!" hollered the young female. "We're discussing something here!"

"Then hurry! Your long discussion is beginning to annoy me! I'm not sure how much longer I can control myself!"

Judging from the looks of it, when Diablo is in Musth or Rut, he goes into a rage state where he can't control himself fully. Earlier, Hazel had trouble trying to get his attention, he barely gave them a glance. If this is what a Carnotaur in the influence of the Rut is like, then this is a real problem. Any other creature in the park that was going through it, they could handle. But Diablo was a different story. Even now, he is having trouble containing the primal rage that was building up in him. No wonder he was trying to get everybody to stay away from him. And the longer they remained here, the more precarious the situation. This is unlike anything the Park has dealt with.

Hazel grimaced. This was going to be a tough situation, but she was not going to back down from it.

"Okay I have another question," she went, getting the ornery bull dinosaur's attention again. "Are those colors you've got also there to attract females?"

Diablo growled and let out another strained snort. "Yes. They are. The brighter they are, the more appealing to a female's eyes."

She nodded. Theory proven. Diablo is in the influence of the Rut. It may or may not be like a male elephant's Musth, but it has similarities. She thought for a moment and came up with two solutions. One of them was the easiest, but would have to be counted as a temporary solution. The other was more practical, but difficult. She wasn't sure how Flia would take them, but she needed to voice them out.

"Okay, I've got two ideas," she said, lowering her voice and turning to Flia. The Pteranodon gave her undivided attention. "One, we can lock up Diablo in a secure location where he can carry out his aggression without causing real harm to anyone. The Holding Pens should work, but I doubt they'll be able to hold if he was able to cause this much destruction, and setting up a more secure pen will take time."

"That seems like a good idea but it does have that downside," Flia pondered on that. "What's the other idea?"

Hazel inhaled and exhaled slowly. Here it goes…

"Well...we can go back in time...and find him a mate."

The sky scout growled and let out an irked screech. "You can't be serious."

Hazel frowned and let her arms rest. Her expression gave off one of pity and sympathy. "Come on Flia...he helped us before. He helped defend Temporary Park during that war. He saved our lives. And he's no longer going after anybody, not out of his own will anyway. Locking him up may help with the issue, but have you seen this guy? He's been living alone here. When we met, he had a mate. When she died, he was really torn up about it. We have to help."

Her partner huffed. The scars of their encounters still affected her. "But we didn't kill her."

"I know, we didn't. But perhaps doing this for him will ease that grudge he has on us. If we do this, he won't be as upset with the park with what happened before."

The flyer groaned. "Can't we just ask one of the other carnivores to hold him should he go out of control?"

She disagreed with a shake of her head. "We could, but that would solve one issue. What about him being alone? Flia, he's grumpy because he doesn't have a mate. I'm still cautious around him, but I don't want him to spend the rest of his life alone. I think after everything that's happened, we owe him."

Flia fell silent. She went back to the Carnotaur, who was looking away from them. From there, they could see the look in his eyes. He was tired and it seemed like he was trying to keep himself from going into a rage. It looked like he was ready to tip from being in control to becoming angry in an instant. But through that, there was a hint of sadness. While his outlook on the denizens in the valley has changed, he had no one to relate to, not completely anyway. He was the only one of his kind, kind of like a few other denizens she knew of.

He missed his mate. Whether he has fully moved on from her was anyone's guess. He was grieving for a long time. Something needed to be done.

Flia took a deep breath and exhaled. Looking over at the expectant human, she gave her answer. "Alright. We'll find him a mate."

Hazel gave her a small smile and pet her on the wing. "Thanks Flia."

Her attention was back at the Carnotaurus. She took a few steps forward and called out to him in a louder voice. "Diablo, Flia and I are going to find a mate for you."

He raised his head. That announcement had called him from whatever trance he was in, if only temporarily. "That's...perhaps the most pleasing thing I've heard in a long time. Please tell me you're not bluffing."

"No joke. We're doing it. But before we go, there are a couple of things we need to know. First, what are females like when they're in Heat?"

Diablo growled. Hazel knew being there longer than they should would annoy him, but they needed more information on how to find a female if they were to help him. "Like males, they too change in appearance. Their backs take on a black color, as black as night. And like males, they too become more aggressive."

"Got it. Second, is there anything else we need to know? When we first met, that female with you was red. I assume all Carnotaurs of your species are red too?"

He glared at her and shook his head again. "No. Xenaya hatched in that color. All of my kind come in different shades, just like you humans and most of the creatures you've come to know. Although, other than finding a female by color, they also tend to be smaller than males, as you have seen before. Their horns tend to be smaller than a male's and curve upward. I'm sure you noticed when you met her last time."

Hazel blinked. Xenaya. So that was her name. That's one of the most unique names she's ever heard. At that moment, she felt pity once again. She wondered what it would have been like if their first encounter had been different. She wouldn't have had to die if there was a way to reach out to her. She also wondered what she was like in life. She was important to Diablo, and he loved her.

Remembering back to their first encounter in the cave, Hazel could barely make out any exact details. It was dark at the time, but she was able to decipher their forms. "Unfortunately, I didn't get a good look at the time, but thank you for that info," she replied, skirting from the fact that they were also busy with trying to escape from them during that encounter. "Finally, do females also go in Heat at the same time as males do when they're in the influence of the Rut?"

"Generally, yes," he replied, although he showed a hint of confusion when she mentioned the word "Rut".

"Got it, that's all I need to know," she turned to walk away but then glanced back at him to tell him one last thing. "We're going to head out now. Um...try not to cause too much trouble while we're away."

Diablo growled and made a sneer. "Knowing me and the state I'm in, that would be impossible."

Hazel gulped. "Right…just try not to, please."

Having said that, the two of them made their exit, leaving the in-heat carnivore in peace. As they passed by the hesitant keepers, who were slowly inching back towards the enclosure, Hazel went to one of them that was armed with a tranquilizer gun. "You there! Please let any other keeper with a tranquilizer gun know about this situation. I don't care if it's you or anyone else, but that guy needs to be sedated. Keep him under for as long as possible until we come back with a female."

The man, who had brown spiky hair, acknowledged. "Got it!" he left and started to look for others that were armed to make a plan.

Satisfied that order was out, she turned her attention to the rest that were present. "The rest of you, stay tuned for further instructions. I'll inform Nigel of the situation and we'll send you an update. For now, just go back to your usual business."

Having given out her order, the other employees turned to leave. The only exceptions were a few who decided to stay behind in case Diablo acted up again. That was fine, having a few guards around to keep an eye on things would help. It won't be long before any vet or even Nigel would come to check things out. They would also need to send a notice out to the Residents to let them know to stay away from Diablo for the time being.

They can work on that. For now, they had another issue to deal with. As the two of them walked away from the enclosure towards the direction of Nigel's office, while hearing Diablo groan and roar from his Rut influence, Hazel couldn't help but reminisce about times' past. She turned to her best friend and asked her a simple question.

"Flia, when was the last time we went on a rescue mission?"

Flia scrunched her brows and cocked her head up. "Hm...would Aeros' rescue count?"

The human shrugged. "I guess that does. But I mean to go back in time for a rescue."

"Oh, in that case, it was that rescue with Al," she remembered. "That was over a year ago I think."

Hazel let out a breath. It has been a while since the Park did a proper rescue. "Exactly. I'm not sure about you, but I'm excited to go back to one."

A screech from above halted the two's advance. It was a cry that the park was familiar with, but only on certain individuals, specifically those with wings. They looked up and they were astonished to see a large pterosaur fly above them. A laugh came from the creature and it did a corkscrew.

Aeros flying around was one thing, but it was what was on his back that made them gasp. The man riding him was literally cheering when the flyer righted himself. They sped along, doing more curves and turns without any slip-up.

Hazel gawked. "Daniel!? He's flying! And he didn't fall off!"

The equally aghast Flia turned to the young adventurer. They shared a knowing glance. The Pteranodon female snorted and turned her back to her, her wings spread apart.

"We need to go up there," she said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Earlier…

It had been about 30 minutes since Hazel and Flia left on that errand. That was as good a break as any in Daniel's perspective. That gave him ample time to eat his packed lunch, which he stored away in Old Gotama's grove behind a cluster of ferns. Lunch consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple, a granola bar, and a banana.

Daniel had chosen an area underneath several branches, which provided some good shade from the heat. It being the afternoon, the day was already hot. When he was flying, the breeze provided some relief, especially during the maneuvers. Now, with him not being on the wind's back, it was quite hot.

Hearing a screech, the man looked up to see Aeros descending towards the cliff. Landing softly on all fours, he strode towards the lone human under the shade. Daniel put his lunch bag away and stood up to meet him.

Aeros grimaced and curved his head down towards the leg strap on his left. His beak stroked the rein and he moved it under the leather to make an up and down motion to do a quick scratch.

"Agh, how does Flia deal with this thing?" He brought his head back up. "My legs are itching."

Daniel let out a breath. "Oh, that's probably my fault. I think they may be too tight."

With that being said, he went over to the distressed pterosaur. The heat of the sun was now on his back. Already, he was beginning to feel warm. Inspecting the straps, he fiddled around with the buckles until they were about two holes looser than before. The relieved sigh from Aeros indicated the achievement of the task. When that was done, he returned to his place under the shade.

"The girls are still not back yet?" the male Cretaceous denizen inquired.

The human shook his head. "Nope."

He made a low rumble in his throat. "Then something is wrong."

"It hasn't been an hour yet," Daniel said, "but if this keeps up, we may have to call it for the day," he sighed. "And I was just getting the hang of it."

The human may have improved with balancing on Aeros, but it was with those hard turns that he ended up failing. Hazel was doing her best to teach him, even emphasizing he leaned with Aeros. However, try as he might, Daniel was not quite getting it. The girl had patience, he'll give her that. Though he figured it was only a matter of time before she too would call it. As with the bruises he obtained, he may have gotten bad ones before, but they were already beginning to turn purple at this point. He already found it uncomfortable to lie down and turn his body. Ice packs and heat compresses would help with the injuries, but not with the frustration that was building up.

How was Hazel able to master this so quickly? From what he was told, she never fell on the ground before. And this was all without a saddle too! That didn't come until later! Did it just come naturally to her? At this moment, he's not quite sure if he'll be able to catch up to her.

What the heck was he doing? Pass or fail at this, at least he was qualified to go on rescues now. At the moment, he was just "passing the time" until he could go on his first rescue mission. Though, this way of killing time was proving to be quite difficult. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take these accumulating flight failures. In fact, he was considering just storming up to Nigel and inquiring about his rescue plans.

As he pondered, he failed to notice Aeros staring at him. The skeptic and contemplative look betrayed an inspection he made.

"Daniel, every time we did those turns, what do you think went wrong?"

The man rubbed the back of his head. "Uh...not quite sure. I think I didn't have a good grip?"

He frowned at that. His eyes opened a little and he spoke once again. "Hm...I'm not sure that's the case. I may not be in your position when in the air, but I can feel what's happening on my back. If you'll permit me to explain."

Daniel waved his hand before letting it rest on his side. Taking that as a signal, Aeros began to explain.

"Your weight is in the wrong area when we make those sharp turns. It's always at the front. While I believe that is correct in most situations, when I'm making sharp turns, I'm leaning a little forward and driving my weight down on the side where I want to lean. I keep my balance that way. Maybe if you try it, it may work."

Daniel felt something in him snap. That sudden realization was like he was driving towards a brick wall. Of course! Why hadn't he seen it before!? Hazel was telling him to lean with Aeros, to work with him. She was already giving him the answer. He just wasn't applying it correctly!

If a cyclist was riding and they needed to make a sharp turn, they needed to push forward a little and then push on their outside foot. That would drive their weight down on the bottom pedal and thus stay centered. If they went downhill, they needed to keep their weight back and centered. All of this while looking forward. It's the same concept here! The thought astonished Daniel; when Hazel meant this was like riding a bike, she really meant it. He couldn't believe it was that simple.

This whole time, his mind was stuck on riding a living creature. Maybe if he applied it towards bicycle physics and imagined he were riding a real bike…

He took out his phone and checked the time. It was 1:47 pm. Still no sign of the girls. Finalizing his decision, he went up to Aeros until he was just in front of him.

"Hey Aeros. How about we do one more try?"

He raised a brow ridge. "Really? Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Well, since the girls still aren't back yet, maybe we should try looking for them? And I want to test out your advice."

Aeros thought about that for a moment. He let out a breath and turned his back to the human, his wings outstretched. "One last try, and then that's it. We both need our rest."

Daniel mounted his partner and situated himself just like Hazel taught him. When they approached the cliffside, Aeros folded his wings and dove down. The rookie felt that familiar feel of gravity on his gut, that free falling sensation hit him as they fell. Daniel leaned forward and gripped the strap. Right before they were at the ground, Aeros spread his wings and leaned upward, their direction leveling.

As a warm up, they did a few soft turns around the majority of that part of the valley. Those that were on the ground watched as they did their maneuvers. Daniel could only imagine them conversing on whether he would fail this one next or if he would do a better job.

The red Pteranodon glanced on his back, at the human. "Alright, first sharp turn. You ready?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "Let's do it."

"Remember, lean forward and put your weight on the side where I'm turning. Make sure it goes down."

"Okay, just like a bike," he gripped his strap tightly again. "Do it!"

Aeros leaned sharply to the left. Daniel felt the weight shifting hard towards that direction. He quickly followed the steps; he leaned forward and put his weight on the side and then downward. Just like a cyclist would do. As an instinctual move, he felt his leg moving along as if he were on a bike. He never saw Hazel do that, but it was due to him being used to that movement. As an added precaution, he tried to move his left arm a little and perform that motion.

The turn was quite straining. He was beginning to tire on the grip, but he stayed firm. Any mess-up and that was it.

It was only a few seconds later when he felt that weight shift straight. Daniel groaned and then relaxed. That was a lot more strenuous than he thought it would be.

That was when he realized it. He was still on Aeros!

Daniel gasped. Looking around, he saw his surroundings still moving past him, but his body remained on the back of the pterosaur. He had done it.

"Whoa! I did it! I actually did it!"

Aeros laughed triumphantly. "That's the way! Let's do a few more!"

The duo performed a few more sharp turns. Just like before, Daniel did the steps. Lean forward, to the side, and downward. As they did, he made sure to try not to move his limbs too much to the point where he looked awkward. However, he moved them just a little bit where he could still maintain balance. The maneuver worked as he still stayed on his partner.

Daniel cheered at that last turn. He raised a fist up before doing a quick clap. Though that resulted in almost making him fall. His hands quickly grabbed onto the strap in time. While he did not notice it, his cheering was attracting spectators below, who were cheering for him as well.

"Alright, let's add a few more things," Aeros told him. "I'm going to go up and do a nosedive."

Oh good, a challenge. Daniel liked the sound of that. Now that he could do sharp turns, there was nothing that could deter him now.

"Okay Aeros. I'm ready when you are."

The two of them climbed the altitude. The human glanced off to the side to see the world below getting smaller and smaller. He may have flown on airplanes and helicopters before, but being on a pterosaur without any seat belt would be considered nerve wracking. He felt the pressure on his back, like some weight was pushing him down as they went up.

They stopped when they were at a few hundred feet. Daniel didn't have time to admire the view when Aeros dove downwards, his wings now folded. The human hung on and leaned with Aeros, his stomach falling again. The world around them got bigger and bigger. Daniel's hands were at the point where they were about to let go of the strap, but he willed them not to. His vision became obstructed by the wind and he had to squint.

"I'm going to do a spin!" the flyer called out to him. "Let's see if you can handle that!"

"Okay!"

Aeros shifted to the side and turned. Daniel saw the world before him going in circles. Remembering the maneuver, he leaned forward, hung on, and shifted his weight with his partner. That feel of freefalling had returned. He had never done this maneuver before, even as an agent. Not once had he experienced a crash landing, but this was as close to one as any.

Before they hit the ground, Aeros pulled himself up and spread his wings. The shifting stopped.

Daniel cheered again. "Whoo!"

"Well done Daniel!" the Pteranodon remarked. "You've finally got it!"

The human pat Aeros on the base of the neck. "Thanks! I couldn't have done it without you and the girls though."

Aeros glanced back to shoot him a smile. "Speaking of which, I see them up ahead."

Looking ahead on the right side of Aeros' head, Daniel saw their trainers walking past an enclosure. That very enclosure contained a large red carnivore with body spikes and horns on its head. The Carnotaur roared and was making aggressive displays towards the people that were around the enclosure, all of which were taking a few steps back or were armed with stun guns.

Daniel heard a few stories about the Carnotaur, courtesy of Nigel, a few employees he asked, and of course, Hazel. They were former enemies and he caused the second breakout in the park. He had a grudge on everyone in the valley for the longest time. One of which was his circumstances for being brought to the park; Hazel had "saved him" from falling in a canyon, which at the same time, her herd friends prevented him from eating them. The other reason was more clear-cut; he lost his mate.

While he wasn't formally introduced to Diablo, as that time when he saw him first it was during one of his nap times, he couldn't help but pity the carnivore. He went through a lot, especially with losing a loved one. Daniel could sympathize. He knew what that was like. The loss affected the Carnotaur so much that he was driven to madness. From what he was told, Hazel and her friends were witness to that tragedy, but it was a touchy subject at the time that they merely avoided it. He wanted to know what really happened so he planned on asking again later at a better time.

According to what he heard, Diablo had mellowed out. Though his snappy tendencies remained. Whatever the problem was earlier, it sounded serious. Daniel wondered if there was any way they could help him. Perhaps he should discuss with Nigel some ideas later.

"Let's show them what you learned," Aeros suggested.

Daniel smirked. Diablo wasn't their issue at the moment. Doing another corkscrew, they showed off once again over the spectators below, all while Daniel cheered. This got everyone's attention as the spectators cheered for them. Aeros also decided to do a few more tricks like flips and somersaults, things that Daniel found he had no trouble with.

One area they did visit was the vicinity of Nigel's office. When they flew over that forested space, they saw him come out of his gazebo and look up from the wooden bridge. Shooting him a wave, they took off towards another direction, leaving the park leader astonished. Had they turned around, they would have seen him watching them proudly.

As they flew through the park, they got the attention of other well-known employees. In this case, when they got the attention of the Rey brothers and Bob Arthur, who were on their way to help with fixing a few broken lights near some other enclosures.

"Hey is that Daniel? On Aeros?" he heard Ellis exclaim.

They did another sharp turn over them. Daniel gave them a quick wave as they turned away from the small group.

"Holy shit, he didn't fall off!" he heard Marcus cheer.

"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle," Bob went, "He's done it!"

"Dude! You just got your wings!" the younger Rey sibling jumped and raised a fist. "Yeah baby!"

They went at this for several more minutes, showing off to the entirety of the park. While they managed to get the attention of several Residents, they succeeded in alerting some of the more well-known denizens. One group included Hazel's friend circle, who were grazing in their reserved area of the valley. One greeting from them and they were vocalizing in joy. Heck, Aeros thought it would be cool to fly around Baylene's head for the fun of it, which made the poor old woman a little dizzy.

The next groups they flew over were the other herds. Like the others, they too watched in amazement and cried out happily at the accomplishment. Even the wandering carnivores were quite appeased by the sight. There was one moment where he saw the Allosaurus, Broken Jaw, try to catch up to them when they flew closer to the ground. On his back was that other new recruit, Anneli. Her test was coming up very soon. If all goes well, she would be the second recruit to have taken the test in the Park's history. In the race between flyer and Jurassic carnivore, those in the sky had them beat.

As they flew on, they heard a screech sound off from their left. Looking over, they saw Flia, with her partner Hazel, flying in sync beside them. Their faces were plastered with pride.

"Hey! We saw you two do some tricks in the air!" Hazel hollered over the wind. "Daniel, you didn't even fall off!"

"Yeah!" he replied. "My problem was how I was handling it before. You were right! It is like riding a bike! I couldn't have done it without you and Aeros here!"

She beamed at him. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!"

"Yes, congratulations, Daniel. Now, how about you show us if you can handle other aerial techniques?" Flia challenged.

Daniel felt proud of himself. He could finally say he was in the same league as Jacob's daughter. Now he could easily keep up with her. The four of them did tricks together; from somersaults, single corkscrews and dives, to flying in a horizontal helix fashion, which Daniel equated to it being like swimming in a wave. They also did a series of sharp turns together, which from the ground looked like a downward spiral.

Now that he knew how to maneuver himself while on Aeros, Daniel was quite capable of hanging on and doing those tricks. They weren't a chore anymore for him. Now, he considered this as fun.

Fun. That was a word he hadn't thought of in a long time. It was always about work and duty. When was the last time he took it easy? He was so caught up with impressing his superiors and getting things done that he didn't really find time to enjoy the moments around him. Having fun on the job meant distracting him from his real objectives, which had the chance of leading him to failure.

But how could he not tear himself away from this? Being up in the air, seeing the world get smaller below, the feeling of free falling, doing tricks, basically things that no other human has done. He felt like he was king of the world.

Then there was Hazel. As she did those tricks on Flia, her ebony hair, which was tied back in a ponytail with that free-flowing feather clip, flowed in the wind. Her smile was as bright as the sun. The teasing she made at him made him want to laugh. He felt warm, though he couldn't tell if it was more of the temperature, the thrill of flying, or from her.

In the sky, at that moment, he felt free.

Several minutes in and the girls directed them towards one of the cliff sides. They landed, with the two Pteranodons now standing side by side. When Daniel dismounted, he was assaulted by a gleeful Hazel, who gave him a tight hug. He immediately felt his stomach jump and flutter at the sudden action.

"I'm so happy for you!" Hazel giggled.

The embrace prompted him to return the gesture. Grasping her, he took in the feel of the smaller body against his. For a woman with a small stature, she was quite strong. Her skin was so smooth, like silk. The smell of her hair went to his senses; she smelled like the sun with a hint of citrus. Orange? Grapefruit? He wasn't sure, but it must be a good shampoo.

Her height was at the right size for him to rest his head against hers. He felt his left hand move up to touch her head. She was close to him and he was making her crazy. He did his best to keep his emotions under control, but with her this close, he was finding it hard to maintain himself.

That moment ended when she quickly pulled herself from him. A nervous expression crossed her features. "Sorry, I got a little carried away there."

He shrugged, though he felt that light feeling in his gut fade away. "That's alright. I...kind of liked it."

Daniel wanted to punch himself. "Way to go. So much for being professional."

He saw her blush at that comment. Clapping her hands, she went into a more business-professional demeanor. "Well, congrats again, you two. You've officially completed flight training. Now, nothing can stand in your way."

The man smiled at that. He heard a series of footfalls come up next to him. Looking over, he saw Aeros had taken his place next to his partner. "Thank you," the flyer bowed his head in respect. "We had a couple of good teachers."

Flia had done the same with Hazel by going next to her. One wing draped over the smaller human like a blanket. "I knew you both could do it. It was just a matter of teamwork and knowing the basics. Nothing to it."

The woman cleared her throat and folded her hands behind her back. "Well, now that that's done, how are you two feeling? Do you feel like you can go on a mission together now that you can fly?"

The two boys looked at each other and shared a knowing glance. They both nodded and gazed back at the girls.

"Yes. Definitely," Daniel said.

"I believe so," Aeros went next.

Hazel nodded in affirmation. "Good. Because we've got a rescue to do. As soon as this is run by Nigel, we make for the Late Cretaceous."

Those words made the Asian's stomach churn. This whole time training with Aeros, he had forgotten all about his assignment. He remembered he needed to record evidence here in the park and he planned on doing that on a rescue. His stomach fell and his positive outlook took on a shade of grey.

But the whole experience with flying. That was something he would never forget. He loved that feeling, soaring through the sky like he was a bird. Flying in a vehicle was one thing, but this was completely new. It was the most natural way he could get when it came to flying. Aeros, his new friend, had helped him. Hazel and Flia had helped him too.

Reality was calling to him. He had a job to do. For the first time ever, he was questioning himself.

And there we go! The ending of the training arc and the start of the rescue arc. We have the setting for the first rescue. Looks like Diablo got bit by the love bug...really hard. As mentioned in a previous post in Deviantart, we will follow along with how creatures appeared in certain media, in this case, Carnotaurs from Disney's Dinosaur. However, for DaPPA, we also want to add that they can come in different shades (for some variation). The idea of Diablo and Carnotaurs going through this behavior was actually Marc's idea, though the color change in males was my idea. This isn't quite a spoiler, but we want to show the "darker side" of nature, where nothing is all butterflies and flowers. That will be revealed in the next chapter. We kind of adjusted the idea of the Rut for the Carnotaur species here, but it was for the sake of the story.

Also, I'd like to think the horned Residents go through the Rut too besides the elephants and Kerato (though he's like that all the time xD), like the ceratopsians. The term Rut is alien to them, hence why Flia was unaware of the meaning. It took Hazel explaining the term to help her out. So during the mating season, there would be lots of Ruts going around. With the Valley Herd, the Rutting tends to take place well away from the Park Hub (the occasional incidents closer to the hub do keep the staff on their toes). The Park has guidelines for the employees in regards to safety during the mating season so the danger is minimized, unless someone gets too close but nobody's gotten seriously hurt.

Daniel finally has his wings. Seems like the Red Bull helped. Lol, I only jest. I did ride a pterosaur contraption in a museum once; I can see how the concepts of riding a bike applies (though I had the luxury of straps to keep me in place). It was one of those 3D rides, but it was still fun. Not to mention sparks may be flying between Daniel and Hazel. Maybe...

Finally, I think it's time I reveal the next (maybe final, haven't decided yet) hint to the mystery dinosaur that will be revealed in the first rescue. Here goes...

**Part of this dinosaur's name relates to a secret, yet popular location known to many people. Said location can only be accessed by "certain" individuals.**

Alright, that's about it from us for now. See you in the next chapter :).