Chapter 5

Choosing your path

Through a lush forest on the far borders of the open prairies, a family of carnotaurus were on the prowl for food. This time though it was 3 of them, a pair of adults and 1 adolescent male, Ace. As of now they were tracking a herd of saltasaurus that had recently moved through here with evidence clear with toppled tree trunks on the sides, several branches with parts torn off or along the game trail they were following along with the many footprints in the ground. Ace's father was a very experienced hunter and sniffing the air he snarled as he knew they were getting close to dinner. Looking ahead was a rather shallow stream, no doubt the herd they were following had stopped by to drink here not long ago as the tracks ended at the banks and continued on the other side.

Ace's parents sniffed the air, the scent growing stronger as they snarled or licked their lips ravenously as the opportunity for a kill was right before them. The 2 of them passed over the stream with ease, apart from being slightly cold it didn't bother them in the slightest…for Ace though it was an all too different story, as he found himself unable to move a step further as he backed away and gasped frantically. Just seeing the running water before him made him freeze in his tracks as though there were some massive monster lurking underneath ready to pull him down into its depths where he will never see the light of day again! A few years have passed since that traumatic incident Ace went through, and yet that memory of his brush with death and a near watery grave still edged deep in the young carnotaurus' mind.

It was because of that scarring memory which had taken away much of Ace's courage and bravado, along with the faith and hopes his parents initially had in him. While the strongest of their young at first for him to cower and to become so meek was of great annoyance to his parents especially during rain storms or trips to the water hole the difficulty in getting him to calm down or to keep him quiet as his cries in panic had often alerted any prey they had been stalking, so much as a dewdrop falling on Ace's head was enough to send him panicking. His siblings had all moved on long ago to find lives of their own, though Ace hadn't yet worked up the courage or the will to make his own way yet. For a while his parents had been understanding and merciful as a hatchlings, though now as an adolescent it was really getting on their nerves as they often had to slow down their hunts or suffer setbacks because of him panicking over even getting the slightest bit wet.

This time though, they had enough as they looked back seeing him cowering behind at the other side of the stream they snarled in frustration his way before moving on leaving him behind. Ace's fears continued to grow, of being abandoned when he needed help most of all, and yet the water rushing in front of him was like a huge wall that seemed impossible for him to surmount! Looking at the water and his leaving parents again and again as they seemed to disappear into the forest with each second, he then narrowed his eyes and stepped back a few feet. Mustering up all the strength he could, he surges forward with full speed as he leapt into the air and landed on the other side, stumbling a bit as he almost let his tail make contact with the water surface! Upon landing he checked himself to make sure he wasn't even the tiniest bit wet, worrying so much as a drop of water on his skin meant death was imminent! Taking a few breaths to calm himself down he hurried along to catch up with his parents who disregarded him as he caught up, and sensing the hostility from them both he remained behind a few feet away fearing that he may stir up their anger and also feeling some mild shame in himself for disappointing them.

A while later the family finally came upon what they were looking for, the saltasaurus herd which had stopped to browse, as the adults lifted up their heads to eat from the branches and leaves hanging above, the younger ones stuck to there shrubs or scraps the adults dropped on the ground. The hunters remained downwind where they couldn't be smelted or sensed by their prey, the plan was to take them by surprise and hopefully scatter them, in the confusion the vulnerable old, sick, injured or young would be exposed. An old plan but one that never failed before for the family…at least not till Ace came around, especially during the wet season where the slightest trinkles of water would make him screech in a panic then alert their quarry. Because of that, his parents glared and snarled fiercely at him, making him kneel down submissively at them, unwilling to face their wrath.

Made to stay put, his parents then split up in second directions in a pincer like formation as the herd continued to browse and forage for food. After getting into the perfect spot, the adult carnotauruses charged out roaring fiercely in the effort to surprise and scatter! While it did indeed startle the sauropods, this time the adults got together to form a defensive formation surrounding the ones that couldn't fight or defend themselves! Together their massive bodies and armoured bumps made a strong defence which stopped the predator pair in their tracks! it was a stand off as the carnotaurus were forced to hold back and circle around the herd, hoping for an opening or weak link but they could not find one as the adults held their formation covering all openings while roaring out in defence, while also readying their powerful tails to use in retaliation should the predators get close.

Meanwhile, as Ace held back observing the scenario unfold, his eyes caught sight of something more appetising, a smaller juvenile saltasaurus that had gotten isolated from the herd during feeding and was struggling to regroup with them. Seeing a chance to prove himself, he slipped away from the action and remained in the brush, stealthily creeping through the cover of the trees around the herd. Right at that moment he rushed out in full force, grabbing hold of the youngster's neck as it cried out in pain! The sound of the scream caught the attention of the other dinosaurs, as Ace snapped its' neck with a bite and sharp tug, as it dropped down dead and he stood above it roaring in triumph at his kill!

It was a painful loss for the herd, but with fresh meat lying on the ground now, the abelisaurs would now leave the rest of the herd alone, as they were forced to move on while Ace's parents ignored the rest of them and headed to where he and his prize was. As Ace waited eagerly hoping for praise or acknowledgement from his parents at last, they instead snarled viciously at him as he was started and forced to back away as they began to feast on his hard earned kill first. It was then as Ace looked on, began to realise in the real world now, being at the bottom of the family hierarchy and he always will be should he stay head always be last in line to feed. He could only stand back and wait for his parents to eat hoping they'd leave behind some scraps for him. A few hours later after his parents ate their fill they began to curl up and rest in the shade of the trees for the night as the sun began to set, at that time Ace finally saw his chance as he moved in to eat whatever leftovers his greedy parents left behind for him. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing, but at the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't go on like this…..

That night, as the family sleep soundly near the carcass of the Saltasaurus, Ace, unable to sleep since the fierce scolding he got from his parents, along with his hunger as well as his trauma of being abandoned by them. It was then he began to stir and stand up, as he eyed his parents and gave it long thought. For years now he had stuck to them like gum on a shoe, and now he was beginning to see how much it was burdening them and how selfish he had been in a way as well. How they raised him up and was doing nothing but hold them back now. Finding courage in himself, he decided now was his moment to finally give back to them their freedom, for as long as he stayed not only would he be tying them down but he'd always remain at the bottom of the pecking order in their family. Without a backwards glance, as he looked ahead to the prairie on the outside of the forest, he began to head in said direction away from the home he once knew. It was finally time to make his own way in the world, the hardest step in his new journey in which hopefully he would be able to overcome and escape his past.

And there goes Ace's story of his teenage time, as shown here how his hydrophobia has really gotten to him in his teenage years, and how much of a pain and hindrance it caused his parents even earning their complete scorn and near abandonment too. It's those factors which drove Ace to make his decision to leave at last much to his parents' relief. How will he survive and make his way in the world now? Stay tuned.

With how Ace was scolded by his parents is kinda like how some kids may eventually push their parents should they refuse to grow up or have their own lives in a way, now we see Ace being forced to make his choice at last.

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tsukikami02

From what I think I know, carnivore parents are usually just the mother but at times the father will be there too. For pack hunters having the whole pack care for the young, larger ones may be in pairs at max.

I can guess the males with their horns use them to maybe attract mates or scare rivals. Ace thankfully overcomes his fear of water for good eventually.

Will see how things go.

Drew Luczynski

Hope your day gets better. Also yeah maybe I can lose track of things that happened before so I need to refer back.