A.N. Hey guys! Here's the next chapter in TWoF. This one was a fun chapter to write. We don't own anything. Enjoy!
Soundtrack: The Drums of War by Rick Vanman
Despite the somber mood they found themselves in, the group went to work on getting what they needed. The corpse was large, but nowhere near large enough to feed eight Inostrancevia. As they tried to figure out how to make the offering more substantial (Daniel suggested checking the other fresh corpses to get what they needed), Espantos approached them. He looked more weary than previously. Hazel kept quiet, but she knew he must have been crying.
Once again, he surprised the group with his knowledge as a hunter. More specifically, he pointed out where he could find more meat to use for the offering, well, offerings in this case as they decided to make two meatballs instead of one. Espantos stomped on some bones to reveal the still moist marrow in them. They were amazed that Espantos thought to look there and wondered where he learned to find bone marrow. The Terror Bird stilled for a moment and in a rare moment, refused to elaborate further about his experiences. Neither of the group chose to pry further as they knew it was a sensitive topic.
Ellis brought them back to speed and proceeded on track with the plan. Hazel chose to comment about him. She was stuck between being impressed with the Terror Bird's knowledge on body anatomy and disturbed about this side of him. Espantos didn't answer that and trudged off, saying he will find something to eat to prepare for the meeting with the pack. Hazel winced, she hoped she wasn't being rude there. Ellis reassured her saying his partner seemed okay with it; if he wasn't, he'd let her know.
They made two sizable meatballs from the resources they found. Using the rope they had, they tied up the meat to be dragged behind Espantos (via his legs). Axel and Altus did not choose to partake in the position as the meat made them squeamish. While they continued on with their break, Ellis chose this time to do a bit of exploring. While not wanting to leave the group behind, he had another way of doing it.
Opening his bag, he retrieved one of his new toys that he got from the 21st century; a camera drone. The drone wasn't cheap, but he had enough of his savings (and some help from Marcus) to get one. He figured it could be useful in any mission as he could use it to do some recon scouting. Sure enough, that's what he used it for.
This got Hazel and Daniel interested and were amazed he even had this on hand. As he controlled the craft, they inquired what he was able to make out. The range of the drone was up to five miles. Peering through the camera headset, he was able to see everything the drone was seeing. Just a short distance from the Scutosaurus graveyard was a nearby canyon. That must be the canyon Loch spoke about. Judging from what he was saying, the canyon had numerous twists and turns and some blocked areas he could only describe as tunnels. He did see some caves, perhaps that's where the pack would go to have more shade from the sun.
He was able to find the pack in the canyon. They were resting close to the entrance of it. Confirming they are there, he controlled his drone to have it return to its master.
They arrived at the canyon close to sunset. The good news was the temperature was dipping lower to a more agreeable level. However, they were now approaching dangerous territory. The canyon itself was large and imposing. Two large rock formations spread out on either side, making the overall material. There were several rocks up top and pieces of rock on the sides that could fall off if disturbed. The passageway was large enough for them to go through.
Sure enough, they found the pack nearby. They were all resting, seeking shelter in the shade. Some were gnawing on some bones, trying to get whatever sustenance they could from them. They may be mammal-like reptiles, but for the moment, they were acting like dogs or a pack of lions.
As they cautiously approached, the gang were alerted to their presence. The synapsids jumped to their feet and rallied the others.
"Intruders!" one of them roared.
Like a pack of dogs, they charged at the misfit group, surrounding them. The humans, Espantos, and Axel held their ground, trying not to show any form of fear. Altus, on the other hand, was quick to become cowardly and took cover behind Axel. The purple Struthiomimus whimpered, saying he didn't want to die and this was a bad idea.
"Well lookie here, boys," one gang member licked his teeth. "We got ourselves some free meat."
"I'm kind of full right now fellas," another one said, "but I'm not opposed to saving them for later."
"Should we kill them now?" went another one.
Hazel put her hands up in a defensive position. "Whoa, hey! No killing here! We come in peace! We just want to talk."
To prove her point, the blue-clad woman went over to Espantos and untied one of the meatballs. With the rope still attached, she threw the chunk of meat at the predators in front of her. The synapsids gathered around the piece of meat, sniffing it. One of them took the initiative and tore away at it and was followed by a couple more.
One pack member showed distrust towards the misfit group. He was the largest of the group and sported many scars on his face. The alpha stood from his rocky perch and jumped down. He took a few steps forward to investigate them, all while some of his pack members fell behind to give him space.
"Judging by how the others are falling behind you, I take it you're the leader. Are you the one named Roark?" Hazel inquired.
"Well, the prey is smart," Roark confirmed in a deep, conniving tone. "Looks like my reputation is known to Foreigners."
"Perhaps, but we just asked around to find you and your…lot," the human answered. "We've come bearing a proposition for you all."
This intrigued the leading Inostrancevia. "A proposition? What kind of goods would your lot have for my gang? As you can see, we don't really need much, except something with flesh and bone to keep us going."
He then eyed the rest of the group, specifically the two-legged fast runners. "You offering up your tall friends there? You and the other ones like you won't provide enough meat for all of us, though if I put the order out, we can share."
"I call dibs on this one's lanky neck! It looks chewy!" the nearest one to Altus snarled and then laughed maniacally. Said Struthiomimus shrieked, which also caused Axel to take a few steps closer to the middle of their group.
"No! You can't eat me! I-I'm poisonous!" Altus cried out.
"Uh…poisonous?" the same gang member wondered. "The heck is that supposed to mean?"
"Ooh! That must be a new flavor! I want a taste!" said an excited comrade. This only frightened the Struthiomimus even more.
Hazel eyed the other pack members and Roark, her fight or flight feeling rising. "Nobody is eating anybody. We're here to let you and your gang in on an opportunity, this situation you're in being the case and point."
Roark stared at her for a brief moment and nodded. "Hm…alright kid. I'm a little interested in this opportunity of yours. What have you got?"
"Come with us to our home in the future. There, you won't go hungry because my people will always keep you maintained. You won't have to worry about looking for food and water and there's plenty of space to run around in. And you certainly won't need to worry about the harsh conditions either."
The Inostracevia leader burst into laughter. Hazel could see the roars of sharp teeth he sported. "Now this is hilarious! A home in the future? Hahahaha! That's absurd! You're offering me and my gang food and now you're going on about Tall Tales about a 'Paradise' when this world has been dying for generations."
He continued to guffaw, with the rest of his gang following suit. Hazel's eyes narrowed. Figures they wouldn't believe her. Still, she stood her ground, unchanged in her demeanor while the surrounding predators laughed at her so-called "fantasy".
Roark's softened until they were nothing more than little chuckles. He inhaled and sighed, still amused by the explanation. "Alright kid, you got us good. I never thought Foreigners would be this entertaining. Tell you what, your silly story and your offers of free meat put me in a good mood. You leave that other piece of meat with me and we'll let you and your buddies leave with your lives."
Hazel was about to try again to convince them when she found herself interrupted by none other than Espantos. He took a step forward and spoke to the gang. What Hazel found off-putting once again was he did it in a way that taunted them all. And this wasn't the fun yet annoying Espantos she came to know. This was a calculated intruder that had a purpose.
"I didn't realize that a group of six strangers had the mighty Roark shaken and scared."
That put a pause in the alpha predator. He snarled, focusing on the Terror Bird. "I ain't scared of anything, Stretch. I have a pack to take care of and I don't need obvious lies distracting me from that."
Espantos made a short crowing sound. "Then maybe your Flock needs a new Leader if you can't see the truth the Hazelnut is telling you."
Roark took a step forward, his claws unveiled for attack. "You asking to get killed, Foreigner? My Gang will devour you to your bones!"
Hazel gasped. The damn avian had gone too far! He was only making it worse! Intent on quelling the situation, she took her place next to the bird and placed a hand on his midsection as if to push him back.
"Espantos!" she gave him a glare and then made an apologetic gesture to the Inostrancevia leader. "I'm sorry about him. He doesn't know what—"
"Don't listen to her, listen to me," the Phorusrhacos interrupted. "Someone who is strong enough to lead."
"Espantos-!" Hazel firmly commanded but found herself being blocked by his tail feathers. The woman cried out when bits of the plumage made contact with her face. Daniel had to pull her aside as a result.
"How about it, big guy?" the Terror Bird challenged. "Play a little game with me for control of your Flock."
Roark, clearly amused by the arrogance from the bird, perked his head up in interest. "Okay 'Espantos', what are the stakes for this game?"
The feathered one made an uncharacteristic smirk on his beak. "We're playing the game of my people, 'Strike Tag'. One is the Hunter, the other is the Hunted. We're gonna alter the game a bit to make things more interesting. I'm going to navigate this canyon and reach the other side; you are going to do everything in your power to try to prevent me from reaching the end."
"'Prevent?' and what does that entail?"
He shrugged. "You can try to kill me if you feel so inclined."
His response caused the whole gang to whisper and cackle deviously. Roark also made a small laugh himself.
"I'm liking this more and more. Go on…"
"If you win or I don't exit the other side of the canyon by sunset," he continued, "we will give you this meatball, several fresh carcasses of meat AND offer up our own lives."
Except for Ellis, who knowingly stayed quiet, the whole rescue team went into an uproar. Hazel herself objected to the idea, her hand instinctively reaching for her dagger. Once again, Daniel placed his hand on hers. The look he gave her suggested she not do that and to let Espantos continue. Daniel did not fail her so far, so she obeyed. As for the two dinosaur runners, they kept protesting to the suicide idea their comrade made.
"But WHEN I win," he said, everyone going quiet, "you will have to come with us and offer up your leadership of your pack to me and my leaders."
Roark laughed once again, amused and confident at the outcome of this game being suggested. "I can't believe how cocky you are, tall boy! I know these lands! I know every nook and cranny of those canyons! Do you really think you can outrun me and make it to the other side before sunset?!" he challenged, stepping up to Espantos until they glared at each other eye to eye.
The avian was unmoved. Instead, he glanced at Ellis and back at the predator. "Fine, I'll bring my Super Awesome Best Friend Ellis with me to FURTHER weigh me down," he then learned down on his face. "Will that convince you, or do you need even MORE handicaps? You can just bow out and surrender if you're scared!"
Roark growled, ticked by the challenge and the cockiness of the intruder. "Game on, Foreigner!"
He and his pack stomped away, no doubt going into a private conversation with them before the game. As they stepped away, those that were left behind converged around Espantos, simply aghast and appalled that he bet their lives so carelessly on what seemed to be an on-the-fly challenge.
"Espantos, I can't believe you just did that," she said, still stunned by the fact the Terror Bird would bet their lives just for a race.
"Yeah dude, you bet our lives just to get them to come with us?" went an equally astonished Axel. "Like, are you nuts?"
Altus growled angrily, shaking his head like an angry bird. "I have a full life ahead of me, you know! I object to this challenge of yours. In fact, I'm more inclined to just leave this canyon and demand my safe return to the Park, your lives be damned!"
Daniel put his hands up, trying to calm the anxious runner. "Whoa! Relax, Altus. We're all going to go home in one piece. Don't worry, you have our word. Let's just hear him out first. There has to be a reason Espantos did what he did."
"Daniel's right," replied a calm Ellis. "I know my buddy. He always has a reason."
The Terror Bird blinked and took a few steps towards them, adamant in his stride. "Of course, I do. I did that just to goad them on. Strong pack hunters wouldn't care for charity from others and wouldn't listen to the Hazelnut's pleas, no matter how many times she explains the case."
That earned him a sound of protest from Hazel. That was usually how she would introduce the topic of bringing a potential rescue to the Park. Sure, they wouldn't believe her at first, but she would usually try again a different way to persuade them. After this first meeting, she felt she wasn't dealing with some run-on-the-mill predatory pack. She was dealing with a gang of thugs! And Espantos was upfront about calling her strategy useless. Still, she was doing her best.
Then again, this wouldn't be the first time she's dealt with unruly individuals like them.
"The only way to get a strong carnivore to do something you want is to play on their ego and to manipulate them into what they think you are. And then, when they think they have the upper hand, that is when you strike the hardest and defeat them," Espantos concluded his explanation.
Once again, Hazel was somewhat intimidated by this side of the Miocene hunter. The fact that Espantos was able to be this conniving and two-faced when planning to get what he wanted only served to astonish the human even more. She had no idea if he developed this mindset, whether it was from someone at the Park or instinctively or he got it from somewhere else, or if he always had it since the beginning.
She blinked, looked away for a minute and then responded, still recovering from the initial shock. "Uh…okay. I know I said this in a variant before, but I'll say it anyway. I'm both impressed and creeped out by this revelation right now. Not that there's anything wrong with it. It's outstanding! Just…well, neither of us knew you were like this."
Espantos shrugged. "Meh, I don't show it much."
The avian then gestured to Ellis by flapping one wing in his direction and then lowering himself. The human took that as a signal that he needed to mount him. After getting himself positioned on his back, Espantos straightened and walked up to the group until he was parallel to them.
"While we're 'Strike Tagging', the rest of you need to trail us from the tops of the canyon and make sure the rest of Roark's Gang do not interfere with the race."
Hazel eyed him, confused by the idea. "Wait what? You mean they're going to cheat? How do you know they will?"
He cocked his head and smirked. "Because that's exactly what I would do."
Again, he surprised them all. Not only was he a conniving hunter, he was a cheater when he needed to be!
Espantos turned his head until he was eyeing the waiting Ellis. "Super Awesome Best Friend Ellis, I want you to send up that flying drone thing so you can have a flying peek at the canyon and so you can plan which way to navigate."
"Uh, okay," he said. "You sure about this?"
"If we're going to win, you need to have that thing up. I suggest you hand the control of your toy to someone else. You're going to be busy with other things."
The engineer hesitated for a moment and replied. "Uh…sure thing."
He then proceeded to get his bag and open it. He retrieved the drone that was stuffed in his bag. He also retrieved the boxed controller with the two upright joysticks from within. Ellis eyed both Hazel and Daniel and chose to give it to the woman. However, the exchange was interrupted when the rookie member intercepted it.
"I'll take it. I've got experience with working with drones."
"Oh. Okay, you take it then," he handed the drone and the controller to the man.
"What exactly are you planning anyway?" Daniel inquired.
Ellis reached into his bag and pulled out his black and gray headset that only covered his eyes. He positioned it on his head without covering his eyes. "I'm going to keep my headset on during the race. Basically, I'll be Espantos' eyes in the sky. It would have been easier if we had Flia and Aeros with us, plus you two on their backs, but we'll need to settle for this route. You guys will need to control the drone in my stead. Meanwhile, I'll be busy hanging on and giving directions."
He turned his attention to the avian and chuckled. "You know buddy, I didn't think you would be this sneaky about cheating."
The Miocene predator smirked through his beak. "I would prefer to think of it as using what I have available to win."
"That's basically cheating," Axel was quick to answer.
The Terror Bird shrugged. "Tomato, tohmatoh."
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The two racers readied themselves at the mouth of the canyon, a fitting starting point for the race. A good number of the pack were not present, having gone on ahead to meet at the finish line. Some of them remained to watch the start of the competition. One of them stood on a lone rock that towered above those that were present; he served as the "flagger". The only ones not present were the rest of the rescue team.
While Hazel and Daniel were uneasy about the whole situation, it was the runners with them that were the most fidgety about it. Altus being the one to show it the most as he kept cowering behind Axel. While Axel was nervous, he didn't show it as much as his comrade. Altus just kept complaining about him being there and how he'd rather be gorging on leaves back at home.
After they disbanded their impromptu meeting, the group made sure to take note of their surroundings. Espantos pointed out a gradual incline on the outside of the canyon. It went in a zig-zag motion and was a little narrow, but it was no doubt possible for them to climb to the top. From there, the quartet could keep an eye on the race from above. Or in Espantos' grave warning, see if any of Roark's gang were up there waiting. They were already at the top, waiting for the race to begin. Daniel prepared the drone and sent it up, the device hovering loudly above them.
Ellis adjusted the VR headset. Upon turning it on, the darkness in his vision lit up, now showing the image of a vast canyon with many twists and turns. Sandy, desert stone spanned his device. Formations that he couldn't quite make out at a quick glance dotted the top of the canyon here and there. A vast opening was situated right below it, like the maw of a beast about to gobble it up if it jumped. Standing off to the left edge of the canyon were Hazel, Daniel, Axel, and Altus.
The drone hovered from side to side, due to Daniel trying to keep it steady. Ellis had a strange sense of vertigo from this. His arms wrapped around Espantos' neck, the large avian squawked and fidgeted on his feet. The man shuddered; this was by far the most awkward idea he's come across. It was as if he was having an out-of-body experience. His grasp on Espantos and the movement his partner made were the only indications that he was still on the ground.
Ellis put a hand on his mouth, the telltale sense of nausea pervading him.
"You better hang on and not get sick, Super Awesome Best Friend," he heard the Terror Bird crow at him.
The engineer grimaced, steeling himself from the urge. "Er...no promises, buddy."
"Alright, you know the rules!" a booming voice startled him. Ellis sat up straight, his hand on the horn and fork of the saddle. He figured the announcer was the Gorgonopsid that was serving as the "flagger".
"Tall Guy gets a head-start with Roark coming in from behind. The challenge ends when the Tall Guy reaches the end of the canyon, gets killed, or doesn't make it by sunset."
Ellis gulped. He hoped it was the first instance. He wasn't ready to die yet. He had a lot of things to do at home. He had shows to watch, video games to play, students to teach, things to fix, lots of napping and lazing he needed to catch up on, and a whole lot of things he was planning to do with his buddy Espantos. Granted this isn't as bad as that time they fought that army of tyrannosaurs, but this was still nerve wracking!
"Now are you ready?" said the announcer.
"No," Ellis thought.
"Yes," both the prehistoric racers replied, the human made a quiet groan. He had faith in Espantos, but he damn hoped this would work. He doesn't want to fall off his back, get crushed by anything, or get trampled to death. He's going in blind here!
"3…2…1…GO!"
Espantos darted forward, the engineer on him screamed at the sudden burst of speed. He felt himself get pushed back by the rush. He had to grip the horn tighter and leaned forward to regain his balance. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach dropped. Ellis went on a lot of roller coasters, this being the most similar. One ride he remembered going on was Space Mountain in Disney World in Orlando, which involved racing through a dark tunnel, where the riders can't see anything until they get to the end. Except now, his sights were on the video image above the canyon, which was now steadily moving in contrast to how fast he was going.
About five seconds in, he heard the sound of panting, growling, and a jaw snapping behind him. Roark was catching up to them in an entertaining frenzy.
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As soon as the race started, the racing aides at the canyon top kept pace with the racers. Daniel kept his attention on the drone as well as up ahead in case something did appear. The rookie had an earpiece attached to the radio on his belt (given to him by Ellis at the end of the meeting earlier) while Hazel and Axel stayed ahead, scouting for anything out of the ordinary. Hazel had her own earpiece as well, so that she could stay in the mix of the conversation and in case she and Axel spotted anything Daniel and Altus could not. Ellis was voicing out commands and updates on the route above, which Daniel replied hastily. Any changes in the terrain or any obstacle they can see up ahead, Daniel relayed in the radio, which was then directed to Espantos below.
"Careful, there's a sharp turn ahead. Make a hard left."
"Got it!" answered Ellis. "Espantos, there's a turn up ahead. Go left!"
Sure enough, there was a turn and the group followed along the edge. Hazel had to watch both the canyon top and at the bottom where the racers were. In her view, they looked like rodents or insects skittering along a prepared maze, leaving behind a dust trail. It looked like they were racing towards the end of the maze to get after the piece of food that would reward them for their effort. In this case, it was Espantos and Ellis serving as the food, and Roark was tailing after his prize. The lot of them were vying to get to the end to determine their fate.
As they made their way through the canyon, Hazel noticed she didn't see any other pack member near them. She guessed they took other routes to stay near them; this place was riddled with various passageways and crevices, where a predator could ambush any unsuspecting victim. But this was a race between Espantos/Ellis and Roark, so they're prohibited from interfering, right?
Hazel frowned. Espantos made it clear to allow Roark to do everything in his power to stop those two from reaching the end. Gorgonopsids are either pack hunters or solitary predators, depending on the individual and the situation. In this case, they're pack hunters. Espantos predicted he was going to cheat. He has the pack at his disposal. If anything, he probably gave the order to try and slow the duo down. Which was why Espantos asked the rest of them to trail them from up top to prevent that from happening...
No way. They're not going to cheat. Espantos is just being ridiculous. This is a race between the two, well technically, three of them. There shouldn't be any foul play.
Regardless, they needed to keep the two of them informed of the racing course above.
Hazel winced, the heat bearing down upon her as if she were in an oven set on self-clean. "Geez, this is probably the most complicated game of 'Telephone' ever. If we screw this up, those two will get eaten."
"Then we better not screw up," Axel added to that.
"Oh I hate this stress!" Altus complained nearby. His claws grasped the sides of his small head. "Why does everything have to be so stressful all the time!?"
Before anyone could reply to Altus' outburst, a snarl sounded from up ahead. Looking ahead, Hazel could clearly see a small group of Inostrancevia next to a rock. No, they weren't next to it. They were pushing their bodies against it! The woman gasped. She knew what they were trying to do.
"And once again, Espantos has given me the creeps," she offhandedly remarked. "Axel!"
"On it!" the Ornithomimus speed forward.
The runner delivered a swift kick to the side of the predator. The carnivore squirmed on the ground, reeling from the blow. It seemed to be in fair shape as it was able to get back up and chase them. The rest of the carnivores that were with it also gave chase. Both Axel and Hazel slowed to the back, intending to slow them down while the other two went ahead.
Daniel had his hands full as well, controlling the drone and hanging onto Altus. However, he shook his head when he noticed movement down below in the canyon. There were a couple of Inostrancevia posted up behind a canyon wall, ready to pounce on an unawares Espantos sprinting past them. Luckily, he had a laser pointer on his person. Setting the drone on autopilot, he reached into his pocket and took out the handheld object. Unbeknownst to the others, he brought the small device with him in case he needed to make signals or just point something out in general. However, it could also serve another purpose right now. Aiming it at one of the predator's below, he managed to blind it and create a small enough distraction to allow their team to push on ahead without issue. The ambush party lost their chance at an easy attack.
A feminine scream and a roar brought his attention behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Hazel and Axel surrounded by the predators they attacked earlier. They needed help. And the idea that Hazel was back there, practically alone...
"Altus, behind us!" he called out to the runner.
"What!? I am trying to preserve the two of us! Not offer ourselves for dinner!"
He slammed the side of the dinosaur, making him screech and growl angrily. "Just do it! Our friends are in trouble!"
"Oh you...ruffian! If I die-!" he complained but was then cut off by the human.
"You won't!"
With a groan, Altus turned tail and retreated back. The two of them worked to get the other predators away from Axel and Hazel. Their aid was successful, they continued on with their task of helping the others from above.
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Ellis likes amusement parks. He's a fan of the thrills and the exciting twists and turns each ride has to offer. He was a ride warrior and proud of it. If this game of tag on steroids were a ride, however, this would be his least favorite. Other than the constant threat of getting ripped or chomped on by a Gorgonopsid, there was the ordeal of hanging onto his friend while giving him directions. He didn't know what was literally up ahead as his sights were focused on the video feed he had on. He was placing his trust in his best friend to guide him should there be an obstacle...as well as his friends up at the top of the canyon.
Of course, hanging on for dear life with a glorified blindfold had its consequences. With his eyes figuratively in the drone's camera, he was having the most sickening out of body experience ever. With him not being able to see what's happening in front of him was making the engineer have an intense sense of vertigo from having movement not matching up to what his eyes are seeing. All he could do was direct Espantos while trusting the Terror bird to keep him safe while making sure he kept his nausea urges under control (which was extremely difficult at the moment).
Through all the jerking from the jumps and sharp turns, he could have sworn he felt and smelled the putrid breath of Roark near his back or legs, but he chose to ignore that and vehemently swore it was his imagination. However, he couldn't brush away the instances when he heard the distinct snarls and roars nearby. His friend's warning ringing in his mind, he deduced that it was the rest of the pack trying to make it difficult for them to win. The fact that neither of them landed a blow or succeeded meant that Espantos and the others were doing well with keeping them at bay.
From what he could see from the drone's eyes, it was nearing sunset and Espantos, while having a large lead, didn't seem close to the exit. They had been running through one of the many passages leading towards the end, this one having been the one his friends directed them to go for. It was a difficult route to take if one didn't have the stamina to overcome it, but not for anyone with strong legs and speed.
Ellis cursed. Through his sky bound view, he saw a few of Roark's goons shove a large boulder in the way of the exit. Their escape from the passageway was blocked.
"Espantos! The exit's been blocked!" Ellis warned, his hopes of getting out alive fading.
The Terror Bird skid to a halt. The man had to straddle the avian and grip the saddle's horn tightly as he did that. Ellis felt the Miocene predator make several turns, then stopping for a moment. The large feet below him drummed a few times.
He lifted his visor, his eyes adjusting to the new view of their surroundings. They were in the middle of the passageway, the large boulder up ahead by a couple hundred yards. The vertigo returned and Ellis had to hold his head steady. He gagged, holding his mouth with a hand to prevent the spray from escaping.
Roars sounded off behind them. Looking back, Ellis could see a small hoard of Inostrancevia coming up to them, Roark being in the lead. They will be at their position in a scant thirty seconds if they didn't do something now.
Espantos snorted and squawked. He looked over at the human, determination in his eyes. "Do you trust me?"
Was that even a question? Ellis nodded. "Uh...yeah! Have you ever failed us?"
"No," was all he said.
The Terror Bird peeled off to the right, his human partner screaming as he hung on for dear life. Looking ahead, Ellis noticed a small cave formation, his vertigo state having marred his vision to properly see it earlier. The cave was dark inside, so his vision was useless. He shut his eyes, trying to fight off the headache and nausea that built up. The echoing footfalls, the rock clatter, and the distinct cool in the air indicated they were now inside the cave.
"What's going on? Are you guys okay? What's happening?" he heard Hazel yell into the channel.
Ellis groaned and coughed, his stomach still churning. "Guys...we're in a dark cave...right now," he coughed again. "We're making our way to the other side. Roark is still hot on our tail. I'm letting Espantos take the reins. You guys do what you can to make sure the rest of the pack doesn't interfere."
"Got it! Be careful you two!" the leading human female acknowledged. The sounds of snarling and screeching sounded off from her end.
Ellis heard a bark and a snarl. He looked back, but forgot they were in a dark cave. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight. Shining the torch in that direction, he saw rocks, enclosing walls, and fast shapes. Those fast shapes had sharp teeth attached to long muzzles.
The man screamed. The carnivores were on their tail.
Thinking quickly, Ellis did what he could to slow them down. He stored his flashlight and opened his bag. Reaching in, he began chucking whatever he could find over at the predators. Ellis made a small cry as he felt his hands go over his prized electronics. The food and emergency supplies he could forgo, but he needed to do something to save the both of them.
Some of the items he threw did make their mark. The squeals and the groans plus the sound of bodies clattering were signs that his efforts weren't in vain. What's more, it seemed the weight he was removing from his bag was helping Espantos; he was gaining a bit more speed with each item taken out, even though it was miniscule.
What was quite astonishing about this endeavor, besides his efforts of slowing them down, was how Espantos was operating. It was near complete darkness in this cave. With the exception of a few cracks in the ceiling leading to the outside, Ellis couldn't make out anything that was in front of him. Espantos was in a league of his own; he was a hunter that relied on other senses besides sight. If anything, he was probably relying on his sense of touch and smell to guide him through the cave.
Whatever Espantos was doing, it was working. The swerves and sharp turns they were making were serving as a deterrent to the pack behind them. Some of them hit the obstacles the duo had avoided. Ellis clapped his friend's neck in delight.
Another roar brought the human's attention behind him. The cracks in the ceiling betrayed the form of Roark. He reached into his bag again and brought out the first object he felt. It was short and cylindrical. Ellis quickly took it out and started fumbling with it. He felt for the top of the object, feeling for the cap. Having found it, he worked to get the wrapping off before twisting the cap off. When he did, he turned it upside down to meet the rest of the cylinder.
Ellis drove it forward, hearing the scratching sound. Nothing. He rubbed it again. Still nothing.
"Damn it! Work already!"
A couple more times and still nothing. Espantos made another swerve. Ellis made a startled cry, adjusting himself so he could hang onto the saddle. A couple of his supplies had fallen out of his bag. He cursed again for not securing his backpack.
He readied the cylinder and the cap. He drove it forward, hoping it would work.
A bright light blinded him for a moment. His face turned into a grin. He had successfully ignited the flare.
"Yes!"
Ellis took aim and threw the flare. The small, red light sailed through the air and landed on the target; Roark's face. The Inostrancevia roared, the burn of the flame and the light having blinded him. The leading carnivore slowed, shaking his head from the sudden attack.
The human cheered. Then, he thought of something else. Feeling the top of his head, he retrieved the headset he used earlier. Frowning at the consequence of the idea, he shook it off as it was overridden by the drive to survive. He threw the headset right at Roark. The impact stunned the predator, long enough for the duo to gain more distance.
"Eat that Dog Fart!" he insulted.
With their opponent now further behind them, the duo cheered. The cave seemed to brighten as they kept running. When Ellis looked ahead, he saw they were at the end of the tunnel. The surroundings of the cave lit up, showing the closeness of the rock walls as well as how low it was. The ceiling was just a few feet higher than Espantos' head. Taking a deep breath, Ellis could smell the fresh air of the outside.
As they made it through the exit, they were beheld by their end goal; the end of the canyon. Waiting there was a misfit committee. Their friends, already worn down from fighting off the Gorgonopsids above, cheered as they came closer to them. The drone used to help in their endeavor was securely strapped onto Daniel's backpack, giving him some odd appendages on the back. The rest of the group consisted of the tense carnivorous gang, a number of them worse for wear.
Espantos sped up towards the group. He crowed as he circled around the large group before slowing to a stop, his back now to them. Coming out of the cave was an exhausted Roark, now sporting a small gash on his snout. Roark snarled as he slowed, glaring at the winner.
The Terror Bird cocked his head, his head feathers swaying with him. "Alright, Tooth Hunters," he eyed every single one of the carnivores, who were now joining their exhausted pack leader's side. "I clearly won, handicap and all. Clearly, neither of you can match my skill. You now have to listen to me AND the Hazelnut. Now come with us."
The Inostrancevia guffawed, despite his losing circumstance. "You really think we'd go along with your idea? Feh! My gang and I have a better idea in mind."
Each one of the hunters crouched and stalked slowly to them. The saurians present were fidgety once again, their human riders preparing themselves for the worst. The only one who did not show anxiety at all was the lone Phorusrhacos.
"You may have won this game, but we can't let word of your accomplishment reach the ears of anybody else. We're just gonna kill you to make sure this never leaves the canyon," Roark sneered maliciously.
Espantos sighed in a bored manner. "As expected. I would do the same too," he turned to the others behind him. "One of you better have enough stamina to set up an escape. We'll hold them off for a few seconds."
"Axel and I will go ahead," Hazel declared. Looking at them, they saw Axel fidgeting in his step and turning his back towards them. "Be careful you guys!"
"What!? No, why couldn't it be me! I don't want to fight!" Altus whined.
"Sorry Altus," Daniel urged the dinosaur onwards, "but we need to keep these guys away from them."
The two of them sped off, creating space between the site of the fight and where the portal will appear. A couple of the Gorgonopsids attempted to chase after them, but they were cut off by Espantos, who harassed them with pecks and kicks. Both Daniel and Ellis used their stun guns on the carnivores, the two of them made sure the weapons were set on the lowest setting. Neither of them wanted to seriously hurt the rescue targets. Ellis would have used his weapon during the race, but he had his drone visor he needed to keep an eye on, plus he was busy giving Espantos directions. Now, he was able to use his weapon with ease.
The Inostrancevia were indeed powerful animals. They were ambush hunters and were able to cause significant damage to their prey. However, like sabercats, they had poor stamina for prolonged fights. Unlike the prehistoric denizens on two legs, they could only last so long during a confrontation.
Daniel, Ellis, and even Espantos did well holding their own against the pack. Their attacks stunned them and caused enough damage to send them reeling. However, Altus was busy trying to run away from the Permian predators. He was running haphazardly around the fight, escaping from a few predators that chased down the poor fellow.
"AGH! Leave me alone, you toothy mongrels!" he cried in horror.
During his escape, one of his feet managed to slam against one Gorgonopsid's jaw. The accidental kick sent the predator reeling. The beast retreated off to the side of the fight, shaking off the pain at the bottom of its mouth. As it turned out, it also lost a few teeth in the process.
It didn't take very long for the fight to turn to a promising favor for the time travelers. The boys managed to keep the pack away from Hazel long enough for her to set up the Time Poles. In fact, with so much time to spare, she had also wrapped the meatball-rope around her hand as a way to further lure the predators. The bait would be dragged behind them, with her easily letting it go when needed. With the meatball prepared, she mounted the Ornithomimus, grasped the remote in her pocket, and activated it. The portal shimmered to life behind her, revealing the Holding Pens of Prehistoric Park.
"Guys! The portal's ready! Lure them over here!" she called out to them.
As soon as she said that, the boys stopped and made their way towards the temporal rip. The pack was taken aback by the sudden retreat, but they chased after their quarry nonetheless. The forms of Espantos, Altus, and their riders sped through the portal, with Hazel and Axel being the last to go through after they confirmed they made it safely. Following close behind them were Roark and his pack, all driven by a vengeful frenzy.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The sudden change in climate hit Hazel like a brick wall. Gone was the searing heat of the Permian. Now, she was met with an amiable, overcast climate that was akin to a warm, spring day. The breeze welcomed her with figurative open arms, body immediately cooling. Going through the portal and back home was like a breath of fresh air, literally. The air here was much more tolerant in contrast to the air in the Permian.
But now wasn't the time to appreciate the change in scenery. Behind them was a pack of Inostrancevia that were after their corpses. Despite winning that ridiculous competition, Roark and his posse weren't keen on following along with the terms of their defeat. However, if there was one thing Hazel knew she could rely on, it was the stomach of a hungry predator. The carrion meatballs Espantos recommended did the trick in getting the predators to follow them. She remembered him saying most apex predators did not consider the various places of the body that contained rare treats like bone marrow of all things.
Hazel made a mental note to get Espantos, and what she suspected Ellis, to open up more about the Terror Bird's past, but that wasn't important at the moment. It was keeping ahead of Roark and his group and not dying.
Luckily, Espantos, Altus, and Axel were more than enough to run circles around Roark's merry band of punks. Alerting the Keepers on site, they opened one of the many Holding Areas to let the three pairs of sprinters in with their bait ball. Promptly letting go of the rope with the meat wad, Hazel quickly leapt off Axel in order to open up the loading gate on the other side of the enclosure so that her and friends could escape the Inostrancevias' ravenous appetite.
Hazel struggled to move the latch of a particularly stuck door. She cursed under her breath. Of all the times for the door to be stuck, did it have to be now!?
"It's wedged in there pretty tight!" she strained under the pressure of moving the latch.
"Ooh faster human!" Altus shrieked. "I do not want to be eaten!"
Seeing her struggle, Ellis tossed a hammer from his toolbelt to Daniel, who caught the tool with ease.
"Daniel! Give this to Hazel," she heard him say. "Make sure she only taps the latch open. If she hits it with too much force it will warp the lock or break it entirely. I like Roark and all, but I don't think his pack will be as understanding while they run around trying to eat our friends."
Sure enough, Daniel rushed to her side. Looking back, she could see Espantos and Ellis putting themselves between Roark's posse. Altus was off to the side cowering while Axel, who was atypically brave for his species, tried to weigh the pros and cons of helping the duo or staying out of the way.
Roark and his posse of five followers burst into the enclosure and immediately went to tackle the meatball that was left unattended. Naturally, Roark was the first to tear into the meat with several other strong members of his pack, including Wasteland, whom he told to back off. They muscled their way in to get their share. However, two of Roark's weaker members, whom he declared their names as Ashfield and Dunes, were pushed and shoved off to the side by Roark and his older followers, denying the younger members access to the large piece of unique meat that they have seen in days. Miffed at being pushed aside, they let the pack savagely tear into the marrow covered meat and zeroed in on Espantos and Ellis.
The two Gorgonopsids lunged at the two, but Espantos stepped forth to peck and kick away the young therapsids.
"Too slow!" Espantos yelled, effectively delivering his kicks at them. The two carnivores yelped as they were kicked into the air. They rolled on the ground, a cloud of dirt kicked up. The young ones slowly got up, their heads shaking from the impact.
As the young predators suffered from the blows, both Daniel and Hazel succeeded in prying the stuck latch open. It wasn't too far out, but it was large enough for them to slip through. Neither of the predators got to them as the gate closed promptly. The whole group slowed, catching their breath. The saurians and lone Terror Bird panted, with the humans doubling over to grasp their knees. Despite how daring the rescue was, Hazel and her friends came out unscathed and successful.
"Phew! We did it!" she made an exhausted, but relieved remark. Her fist went up in the air tiredly as she panted heavily.
"That was close. Too close!" Daniel gasped heavily. "I can't believe all rescues are like this!"
Hazel chuckled, making a weak grin. Her eyes were set on the overexerted rookie next to her. His muscles were clearly defined through his outfit. The exhausted look he gave as well as his dampened hairstyle reflected how much effort he gave into this mission. Once again, her insides warmed from the sight of him. He looked like he returned from an intense workout.
"Most of them, yeah," Hazel replied, not denying the attraction that was surfacing again. "Nice job with the drone, and the fighting, of course."
"Same to you," he said. She felt her cheeks grow hot. Looking away, she did her best to try and hide it. Even though she revealed she was attracted to the rookie, she couldn't help but fall back into that habit.
The secret agent approached one of the nearby buildings. Spotting a crate, he went over and placed his things on it. When he did, he leaned against the wall of the building, his head resting on the concrete.
"Well, now that that is done," Altus let out a breath. He stepped towards Hazel, who was recovering from her breathing episode. The Struthiomimus stared down at her like a noble would a peasant, "I believe I am owed some rare fruits."
"Oh, right," she straightened. "I think I saw Bob around here when we escaped through the portal. He messaged me yesterday saying a cart is all ready for you. Go find him and he'll direct you to the prize."
Altus nodded, satisfied. "Very good. Now, I do hope we won't have to do this again. I've had quite enough excitement for the foreseeable future."
He gasped in surprise when he found a clawed arm draped around his shoulder. Despite them being similar in height, Axel was a scant few inches taller than the purple runner. Altus glared at the surprising action done by the easygoing dinosaur.
"Aw, lighten up, Altus. You gotta admit, that was kind of fun," the Park-raised Saurian commented.
The Struthiomimus scoffed, brushing the arm off. "Fun, you say. That was stressful," his reaction softened a little. "But…I suppose I am glad I got to stretch my legs."
Axel laughed. "See! Something good came out of it."
Altus huffed, still annoyed by the prospect of the whole adventure being fun. "If you'll excuse me, there is a cart waiting for me."
With that said, the haughty Saurian turned and ran towards where the portal was originally situated in hopes of locating Bob. Or in this case, his reward of rare fruits. His run was quite brisk; either he was eager to get away from the group or he really wanted his food. Either way, he was gone.
"I would say this was a success," Daniel remarked, "despite having to endure a desert worse than the Sahara and nearly getting shredded. A job well done, everyone."
He looked over at Espantos, who seemed to be staring off into space. "Especially you, Espantos."
The Terror Bird blinked. He shook his head from side to side, his attention going from one human to the next.
"Eh? What? What'd I do?" he questioned.
Hazel's eyes narrowed. "You're mostly the reason why this rescue was a success. You're the MvP, most valuable player."
Espantos gasped, his beak widening into a huge smile. He jumped and hopped in place, looking as if he were an excited schoolboy. "Player? Ooh! Are we playing a game? What game?"
The woman facepalmed, her male comrades chuckling at the outcome. Why wasn't she surprised? Here she was, having discovered the secret side of Espantos that nobody, except Ellis, even knew and now he reverted back to the way he was before. Was he playing innocent? Was he trying to annoy them on purpose? Or did he really forget? Either way, if she tried to explain things, there was a good chance she would be met by a confused impasse.
"You did great, buddy," Ellis said, patting the avian on his side. "I think somebody deserves a couple bacon packs tonight."
The Terror Bird gasped, hopping excitedly once again. "BACON! I love bacon. Especially when it's extra crispy, but I like it raw too. Ooh, will you have cockroaches there too? And crickets?"
The engineer winced and made a nervous smile. "Yeah, buddy, there will be those too. Now come on, it's time for some grub."
Espantos happily followed his partner back to his compound, where he knew his friend would prepare the well-deserved feast for him tonight.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The hunter stared at the two humans and the lone Ornithomimus. The lone male human had come up to the female and was doing his best to console her. The lone Saurian merely stood there, chuckling. The Terror Bird then eyed the human he came to call friend in front of him. The two of them walked in silence, with him keeping his pace the same as the smaller creature. He didn't want to run too far ahead of the human. His pace was that of a leisurely gait.
Espantos smiled. His insides warmed as he stared at those around him and his surroundings. He may be random at times, but what he did was on purpose. He wanted to bring about a sense of normalcy to them all…and perhaps to himself.
He breathed a sigh and uttered softly under his beak. It was so quiet that not even Ellis' attention was drawn.
Anything for my friends. No, my family.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As the group celebrated their accomplishment, they were alerted to the other employees warning them of the portal opening. Hazel quickly turned towards the direction of the portal and made her way towards it. This was odd. Who else could be arriving at this time?
Her eyes went wide. She immediately knew who was coming. Her meeting with her mentor from earlier rang clear in her mind.
One of the employees warned them to make their way to the top of the Holding Pens. Axel, not wanting to get mixed up in the mess, retreated towards his troupe's enclosure away from the area. Only Daniel remained with the woman. Heeding the warning, the two of them climbed the ladder until they stood on the platforms above. Grasping the handlebars, she watched as the portal shimmered to life below.
Suddenly, a torrent of water spilled through. The depth was about ankle deep, with several bits of dirt and debris mixed in. The stench of swamp infiltrated her senses, as if she were back in the Florida Everglades. None of the staff were caught in the flood as they safely got out of the way in time.
Rushing through the portal were none other than Hanna and Nigel as well as a few other volunteers that came with them. Except for the adventuring duo, the rest of their team had evacuated to either side of the Holding Pens area. Two jeeps had also come through the portal with a series of ropes and chains. Coming along behind the two vehicles was a predator. It was wrapped in said chains and ropes, but it was unconscious. The vehicles drove off to the side, with the comatose predator in tow. Trailing behind both Nigel and Hanna via a rope was a wad of meat, similar to what she and her team used in their rescue mission.
"Gang way!" the teen alerted.
The duo made it to one of the empty paddocks and swiftly opened it. A roar brought everyone's attention back to the portal. Crashing through the time rip was a quadrupedal crocodilian dinosaur with a square shaped sail and an enormous, and odd, paddle-like tail. It was a male, not quite fully grown, but covered in recent injuries, especially the markings of a recent bite on his sail; luckily not having a chunk torn from it. It was dark gray with whitish-gray spots on its back. Its tail was yellow and had black vertical stripes running alongside it. The underside was a mix of tan and beige. The eyes, behind the eyes, and a good portion of the snout was red, with a small, red crest jutting at the top. The sail on its back was dark gray, with yellow markings running throughout its exterior.
Her knowledge on the Mesozoic era kicked in, Hazel knew this was a Spinosaurus, however this was stranger than what current paleontologists had speculated. While she was iffy on the short hind legs, the male looked comfortable traversing the ground while on his talons' knuckles. She could overlook that strange way of locomotion. However, the insanely long paddle tail indicated a semi aquatic lifestyle.
Hazel just shook her head. She figured Spinosaurus would have been weird. If she didn't have the genuine article in front of her, she would have assumed the mysterious dinosaur would have had wings or breathed fire. Actually, she wasn't even aware Spinosaurus looked like this. The books she had on it showed it to be bipedal, like the one in Jurassic Park 3. As it turns out, her books were outdated on this dinosaur? She would need to do some research if there were any other discoveries she wasn't aware of, not just on the Spinosaurus. The dinosaur, while tired, tiredly ate the bait ball and then curled up in the corner of the paddock to regain some of his strength. The portal it came from had already closed, the water level already subsiding. Now, the Holding Pens ground was drenched with the swampy water, with debris to boot.
She looked over at the other predator. Its size was similar to the Spinosaurus, just a little smaller by a couple feet. It looked similar to an Allosaurus, making it a carnosaur. It had small eye crests, but they were longer and they spanned down to the snout. The jaw was a little thinner than an Allosaur's jaw. Much of the body was orange-brown, with gray-black markings over its face and in stripes all over its body. Considering the size and the fact that there was a Spinosaurus that came with it, this was probably a Carcharodontosaurus. Those two predators lived alongside each other. Fossil records showed they competed for the same resources. Hazel would need to confirm to make sure, but this was most likely a Carcharodontosaurus.
Shaking off the initial interest and the state of the Holding Pens, Hazel ran down to the panting Hanna and Nigel, leaving Daniel on the overlook. The two of them rested alongside the outer barrier that now held the super predator. Nearby them, the comatose predator was already having a small entourage of vets around it, checking its condition. When Hazel took a good look at her sister, she saw she was drenched from head to toe.
"Hanna!" Hazel ran to her younger sister.
"Oh, hi Ate!" she waved tiredly with a smile. "Look what we found!"
"Yes, I can see that," her elder sibling then scolded the teen. "Are you out of your mind!?"
The archer shrugged. Taking a glance at her back, she could see her quiver was down to five arrows and her bow was secured over her shoulder. "Not really. My mind's still here."
"Don't play dumb with me! I was told you were going on a field trip. You were still being trained to do rescues. Didn't you remember us telling you to not go for something outrageous!? A Spinosaurus is outrageous! We specifically asked you to go for something smaller! Not to mention you brought along a freaking Carcharodontosaurus!?"
Hanna raised her hands in defense. "Hey, I didn't agree to that. Besides," she pointed her thumb at the man next to her, "Nigel here liked my idea."
Hazel, still furious, glared at her mentor. The leader of Prehistoric Park stammered. Looking at both the innocent teen and her angry sister, he responded with an alibi. "I...well...she tagged along for the ride," he was met by an outburst from Hanna, "but I only gave her small tasks."
The woman stomped one of her feet and put her hands on her hips. "And yet here you are, with two super-predators! She's not ready for stuff like that!"
"I beg to differ. She did quite well on this expedition. I think she's more than ready to take on bigger potential rescues. Also, if I could recall, you too were in her place at one point. You rescued dangerous creatures when you were about her age. Don't be hypocritical."
The elder Veran sibling scoffed, her arms now crossed as she looked away from Nigel.
"Well she didn't tell me she was going for it, and without my approval too."
"Ate, I said I would go on a short expedition," Hanna explained, earning her sister's attention. "Really, I wanted to try my hand at a rescue, I just didn't say it was a Super Predator."
Hazel felt something in her snap. Her eyes widened and now more pissed than ever, she grabbed Hanna's arm and dragged her away. The poor teen cried as she was forced towards the direction of the Barracks. Hanna did her best to break away, but Hazel kept up her tirade to bring her sister along. This was a family problem, and as much as she was abhorrent of it before, times have now changed. Their mother needed to know about this.
"Ate stop! That really hurts!" Hanna cried as her sister dragged her away.
"Hey, not too hard!" Nigel hollered from behind them. "We're planning to do another rescue in the future!"
The woman jerked her head at the by-standing Park Leader. The rage on her face made him stagger. "I'm not done with you either!"
The two Veran siblings marched on to the Barracks. Their mother was still in the states and would not be back at the park for a while. This warranted a virtual call, and both of them knew they were in for a long night.
Post A.N. Whoo! That was a fun one. So not only did the mission in the Permian Era go well (and we get a bit more insight into Espantos' thinking), but Hanna and Nigel come back with some more additions to the park. But how did that happen? You'll soon find out in the next chapter. Stay tuned!