Here's the next chapter of the Little Dinosaur Girl. And Sorry for the late post, I was lazy in writing the chapter.
Later that night, Gray-wearing his pajamas-was lying on his bed at the hotel, looking at the pictures that he saved in his camera. Zach was in the showers, still trying to get the smell of dino slobber off his body. Claire went out to have a private call, but not before she ordered room service for them. A service trolly has cooked food, some fruits, desserts, drinks, and snacks for the boys to enjoy. Gray was busy with his camera, looking at the pictures of dinosaurs, before changing it to reveal a picture of Zach, Claire, Owen, Val and him when they were at Winston's Steakhouse. Gray smiles at this before changing to the next pic which made him sad. It was a family day ski trip. It was the last time his family was ever happy. Gray knew something about his parents, he would see them grow farther apart, and barely talk with one another. Zach came out of the bathroom, all dressed in his nightwear, and wiping his hair with a towel to dry it off.
"Okay, got the dino slobber off my hair." Zach said as he grabbed one piece of grape from the fruit ball and ate it before sitting down on his own bed while Gray sits up and looks at his camera sadly.
"If Mom and Dad get divorced, will one of us be with Mom and the other with Dad?" Gray suddenly asked, causing Zach to look at his brother strangely.
"What? Why would you say that?" Zach asked his brother in confusion.
"Because they are." Gray answered sadly, sitting up.
The two boys were not aware that Claire was walking up to their room and was about to knock on their door, but stopped when she heard their conversation. Curious, Claire decided to eavesdrop and listen carefully to their conversation.
"No, they're not getting...They're not getting divorced." Zach said hesitantly.
"Look, you haven't been around long enough. They've always been that way. They get mail from two different lawyers." Gray said to his older brother.
"That doesn't mean anything." Zach said plainly.
"I googled it. They're divorce lawyers." Gray stated to Zach, causing Claire's eyes to widen in shock by this information.
"All right, whatever. You know what? It doesn't matter, okay? I'm gonna be gone in two years anyway. I mean, all my friends' parents are divorced." Zach said, trying to make his brother stop this conversation, before he noticed Gray was almost about to cry. "Hey, knock it off. You're gonna cry? Look. You're gonna get two of everything, right? You're gonna get two birthdays, two Thanksgivings, two…"
"I don't want two of everything." Gray whimpers sadly, sniffling a bit.
"Yeah, well, it's not up to you. All right? There's a point you have to grow up." Zach said to him before he took his phone and looked through his messages while Gray turned around to face the wall sadly.
The boys weren't aware that Claire listened through the whole conversation, feeling guilt, shock, sadness, and pity. She didn't know that her older sister was having a divorce with her husband? Claire was so busy with her work that she didn't realize until it was too late. Claire walked away from the door and stood at the corner of the hall before calling her sister. Speaking of her sister, Karen was sitting outside of the hall of a building, wiping her tears away after she and her husband filed the divorce papers. Suddenly, she got a call from her phone, she answered and saw that it was Claire. Sniffing a bit, Karen mustered enough strength to answer her call.
"Hello?" Karen said in an almost weak voice.
"Karen, I'm so sorry." Claire apologized, leaning on the wall.
Karen was confused as she sat up. "W-What are you talking about?"
Claire sighs a bit. "Gray and Zach...they knew about your divorce."
Karen was shocked by this. "Wh-What? How?" She asked worriedly.
"Gray found out...he saw your mail...Karen, I'm so sorry. If I only knew…"
"Claire, it's okay." Karen said as she formed a small smile on her face. "I-I tried my best to be a good mother and wife...but me and Scott...well, we lost our feelings for one another and...and we decided that we should split up...for good."
"What will happen to Zach and Gray?" Claire asked worriedly.
"They'll be fine," Karen assured, wiping her tears away. "Zach and Gray will stay with me on the weekdays and on the weekends, they will be with their dad."
"Karen…" Claire takes a deep breath and sighs. "If...if you need help, I promise I will do my best to support you and the boys."
Karen smiles at this, tearing up at her sister's words. "Thanks, Claire...I'm so happy to hear you say that." She said softly. "I guess that 'friend' of yours helped you open up."
Claire releases a sigh and chuckles softly at this while rolling her eyes. "Oh my god…" She mutters out with a smile. "Again, he is not my boyfriend."
"Maybe not, but someday." Karen said with a playful smile.
Claire scoffs with a smile. "Right, and that someday will be not today nor ever." She said, earning a small chuckle from her sister. "Do-Do you want me to tell the boys? You know, about your-"
"Yes, they have the right to know…" Karen said in a sad tone.
Claire nodded. "If everything's calmed down...I'll call you, okay? Don't worry."
Claire heard her sister gently laughing on the phone. "Now, you're using mom's lines." She said playfully.
Claire couldn't help but laugh back. "Touché, but I promise I'll call you after everything is settled with the boys."
"Okay, Claire. Love you." Karen said as she formed a smile on her face.
Claire smiles at this, it's been a long time since her sister said that to her. "Love you too, sis. Bye."
With that, Claire ends the call, she needs to be ready to tell her nephews about the news of their parents' divorce. She was about to walk over to the room when she noticed Owen, carrying a sleeping Val in his arms, was coming over to her. She was surprised to see him since he drove off to pick Val up at the paddock and take her home once Spinny and Steven were settled in with Ivy and Iris, and Ingrid as well.
"Owen? What are you doing here?" Claire asked in surprise.
"I came by to check on ya and the boys, wouldn't want you to feel awkward." Owen said with a grin, but stopped when he noticed Claire's sad expression. "Is there something wrong?"
Claire sighs a bit and nods. "Yes...my sister and her husband...they're getting divorce." She answered softly, surprising Owen. "And I need to tell the boys about it."
"...Do you need help? You know...in talking with them?" Owen offered.
Claire nodded her head. "Yeah, that would be nice." She said softly.
With that, they walk to Zach and Gray's hotel room, where Claire knocks at the door. They heard a faint 'Come in' from Zach before they both entered while Owen carried a sleeping Val in his arms. The boys looked up to them in surprise. Claire sighs again as she looks at the boys worriedly.
"Boys...we need to talk." Claire said worriedly and sadly.
Zach and Gray looked at each other, feeling something was wrong, they looked back at their aunt and nodded. Claire takes a deep breath before releasing it through her nose as she sits next to Gray. Owen sits with Zach on his bed while placing his sleeping niece down as her head rests on the pillow. Claire began the hard and somewhat painful explanation.
"Zach, Gray...your mom and dad...well…"
"They're divorce, aren't they?" Gray said sadly, hugging his legs.
"That's not-" Zach was cut off by his aunt.
"No, Zach, he's right." Claire said, shocking the oldest brother in the process.
"I knew it." Gray muttered out before jumping off the bed and ran out to the open balcony door.
"Gray!" Claire was about to stand up, but Owen stopped her.
"I'll talk to him." Owen said as he got up before walking towards Gray, followed by Zach, who wanted to know what Owen's going to say.
Gray was standing in front of the balcony, looking at Mona's lagoon. Tears were forming from his eyes, feeling the sadness taking over him. He didn't bother turning around when Owen stood next to his left side, leaning on the rail of the balcony and looking at Gray sadly. He knew what it was like to have to deal with this situation since he too experienced this when he was young.
"Gray, I know how are you feeling." Owen began, causing Gray to look at him in surprise.
"You do?" Gray asked softly.
Owen nodded as he began his story while looking at the night sky. "I understand the feeling of not having a complete family. You see, when I was young, my dad, Nathan Grady, lost his life from cancer when I was only ten years old. Leaving me and older brother without a dad."
"He did?" Zach asked, standing beside the other side of his brother.
"Yeah, he left too soon...the last time I saw him was on his death bed." Owen said sadly.
"How did...how did you cop with that?" Gray asked.
"It was hard, my mom took an extra job in a bake shop, since she has extra mouths to feed." Owen explains sadly as he remembered how his mom struggled to support him and his older brother.
"That's rough." Zach said sadly.
Owen nodded his head. "Yeah...it was. But we were lucky to have Oscar with us."
"Oscar?" Zach and Gray asked in unison.
"Val's dad and my older brother." Owen said with a smile. "Oscar took responsibility to be the man of the house when he was just thirteen. He helped mom with the chores, cooking, and me with my homework." Owen explains with a grin, making the boys laugh at this. "He even took small part time jobs as a Newspaper boy or mowing the lawns for the neighbors."
"Wow, he's so responsible." Gray said in awe.
"Yup, the best big brother I ever had…" Owen mutters the last part.
Hearing this Zach and Gray looked at Owen worriedly. "Wait, had?" Zach suddenly asked.
Owen sighs as he looks down at his hands sadly. "My brother, Oscar, and his wife...they both died in a car accident a few months ago."
"...I'm sorry for your loss." Zach apologizes with sympathy.
"Wait...so that means-" Gray was cut off when Owen nodded at him while looking at his hands sadly.
"Val lost her parents so soon...I was able to win her custody, thanks to Masrani." Owen looked at the sky. "My big bro was there for me when I needed it. Heck, he even made me his Best Man at his wedding. I was lucky to have him as my big brother." Owen explains sadly.
"And when he died...you took the role as Val's guardian." Zach said, understanding what Owen means.
"That's right, I did this for my brother, as a thank you for everything he did, for the sacrifice he made for me and for our mother. And that's why, I promised to take care of his little girl and raise her as if she was my own." Owen explains to the boys, looking at them seriously. "I know it would be rough for both of you boys to have parents being separated or gone. But no matter how hard the challenge you two face, you will face them together, as brothers, just like I have with my older brother."
Listening to his words of wisdom, the two Mitchell Brothers smiled at Owen, grateful for what he said to them. They understand how Owen has been through since childhood, and how his older brother did his best to take care of him and his mom. Now, it feels like Zach should take the role as the big brother, to take care of his younger brother and his parents being divorce, he has to be responsible now, it would be hard, but Zach will try his best.
"Thank you, Owen." Gray said softly with a grateful smile.
Owen smiles back. "No problem."
Claire stood from behind, smiling softly on how Owen was able to talk things through with her nephews. Though the happy moments were cut off when Zach said something that almost gave Claire a heart attack.
"So...how long have you and Aunt Claire been dating?" Zach asked Owen.
Claire's face brightened by this while Owen smirked at Zach's question. This was the part where Claire steps in and stands next to Zach, doing her best to stop her blushing while ignoring Owen's smug look.
"Woah! Woah! Stop it right there, Zach." Claire said, causing his nephews to look at her along with a smirking Owen. "Owen and I aren't...a thing." She said with hesitation.
"Come on, Claire. Your nephews were just asking, that's all." Owen said with a teasing smile.
"Oh, you're one to talk Mr. 'I wear boardshorts on a first date'!" Claire argued almost playfully.
Zach snorted his laugh and looked at Owen, "You wore boardshorts on a first date?!" He exclaims.
"Hey, it's hot in Central America!" Owen defended with a grin as he shot back playfully to Claire. "At least I didn't print out an itinerary for a night out."
"I am an organized person and you know that!" Now it was Claire's turn to defend herself.
"More like boring!" Owen exclaims jokingly.
As Owen and Claire have their playful arguments, Zach and Gray couldn't help but laugh at this, finding it funny to see their aunt and Owen having a playful argument, and it was cheering them up. Luckily, their little banter didn't wake the sleeping Val as she lightly snores in her sleep, dreaming of playing with her dino and hybrid friends...or apple pie. Yeah, probably apple pie.
"Hmmm~" Val hums in her sleep with a small and yet hungry smile as she mumbles lightly. "Apple pie~"
After Claire and Owen were able to talk with Zach and Gray, the brothers called their mom and dad in the morning and wanted to tell them that they understand and are ready to face the challenge of their new lives. Claire will be with them since they need help. Owen and Val will visit them and take them to breakfast at Jurassic World's Pancake Diner, and after they have breakfast, they'll go to the Gyrosphere, then go kayaking at Cretaceous Cruise, and then go to the Jurassic World Aviary where they can see the Dimorphodon and Pteranodon. And after that, they'll go to the Hybrid Enclosure to play with Ivy, Iris, Spinny, Steven, and Ingrid. Val was ready as she brought a blue ball with her, so she and the brothers can play with the hybrids and Ingrid. Owen took Val to the hotel as they were going to pick up Zach and Gray. They waited at the hall where the room was while Val was bouncing her ball up and down, giggling happily as she caught it. Then Owen's phone rang, indicating that Barry was contacting him. Owen answered and talked to Barry for a while to pass the time while Val played with her ball. Though the ball slipped from her hands when she bounced it so hard as it bounced through the hall of the hotel and Val had to chase after it. The ball soon rolled on the carpet floor before it was stopped when someone wearing a black boot stepped on it.
Val stopped at her tracks and looked at the person who stopped her ball from rolling. It was a man, about close to her uncle's age. He has black slightly-shaggy hair and green eyes, and is wearing a jean jacket with a white shirt under it, brown combat pants and black boots. He looks at the ball on his foot before looking over to Val with emotionless eyes. Most people would be intimidated by his look. However, Val wasn't. She simply stared at him with her wide and innocent eyes.
"Hello." Val greeted him innocently.
"..." The man stared at her blankly before glancing at her ball on his boot. He removed his boot off the ball before kicking it upwards and caught it with his right hand. Val was impressed by his trick before he tossed the ball to her, which she caught on the first try.
"Thanks, Mister!" Val said happily.
The man didn't respond as he stared at her with hidden suspicion in his eyes. As if he was observing her. However, their meeting came to a short when Owen was calling out to his niece. "Val? Val, where'd you go?"
Val turned her head away from the stranger as she called out to her uncle, but she turned back, the strange man was gone. It surprised her so much that she looked around for the stranger. Owen came down the hall to see his niece looking around. He went over to her and pats her head.
"Val, what did I say about wandering off?" Owen asked, holding Val's free hand while her arm was holding the ball.
"Sorry, Uncle Owen." Val apologized.
"Come on, Claire and the boys are waiting for us." Owen said as he led Val back to the hotel room.
After they meet with Claire and her nephews, they head out of the hotel and towards the Pancake Diner and have breakfast first. Gray and Zach enjoyed the soft pancakes, especially Val. The little girl loves strawberries on her pancakes with whip cream. After they have their fill, Owen takes them to the Gyrosphere. They have to wait for their turn. Gray was talking about some scientific fact while Zach was busy looking at some girls.
"Pregnant women and those who suffer from motion sickness should consult with a doctor before riding this ride." The man in the PA said
"Did you know the soft tissue is preserved because the iron in the dinosaur's blood generates free radicals, and those are highly reactive. So, the proteins and the cell membranes get all mixed up, and-and uh... act as a natural preservative. DNA can survive for a millennia that way." Gray explains while Owen shook his head with Val in his arms as she was still holding her ball.
"Gray, calm down, it's almost our turn." Claire said to her youngest nephew.
As they wait for their turn, Zach ignores them again as he flirts with a girl that was further in the row.
"See, now, even if the amber mines dry up, they'll still have bones to-" Gray was cut off when Zach muttered to him to shut up as the oldest boy was looking at some girls, trying to act all cool to impress them. Gray followed his brother's gaze and became somewhat annoyed. He has a long way to go to be a responsible big brother.
"What do you think's gonna happen from you just staring at them?" Gray asked loudly, causing the girls to giggle when they heard him, causing Zach to be embarrassed.
"Thanks, man." Zach mutters sarcastically.
"You're welcome." Gray said, not noticing the sarcasm in his brother's tone.
Owen snorts at Zach's attempt in impressing the girls. "Zach, you have a long way to go to impress a girl." He said.
Zach gave Owen a somewhat challenging look. "Oh, yeah? Let's see how you do it Mr. 'I wear boardshorts on a first date'." Zach challenged, remembering the nickname that his aunt used on Owen yesterday.
Owen smirks at the challenge. "Watch and learn, amateur, and let the master show you." He said smugly before he turned towards the giggling girls, who stopped and looked at him. At first, Zach thought that Owen was going to say a cheesy punchline, but instead, he gestured to his niece to look at the girls. Val did so and saw the girls were looking at her. The little girl smiles brightly before she gives them an adorable wave.
"Hi, pretty girls." Val greeted kindly.
The group of girls cooed at her and waved back and said kind words to Val saying 'Thank you, sweetie!' or 'You're so cute!' and so on. Zach stared at this with his jaw dropped as Val waves at the girls. They got into the Gyrosphere while they waved at Val before they drove away. Owen made a smug look and turned towards a jaw dropped Zach.
"And that's how ya do it." Owen said, patting Zach on the back before making him move to the arriving Gyrosphere. Zach and Gray get in the double seated Gyrosphere while Owen, Val, and Claire wait for a triple seated Gyrosphere.
"Have fun, boys." Claire said with a wave.
Gray waves back as the Gyrosphere's door closes before they drive off. Soon, their Gyrosphere came and took their seat. Val sits in the middle while Owen is sitting on the right and Claire is sitting at the left. They drove off and followed Zach and Gray's Gyrosphere. They explored through a clearing where they could see Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops grazing upon the field, enjoying the green that they ate. They drove through the field of herbivores. Gray awed at the dinosaurs around them as he took pictures at the up close and personal dinos.
"This is so cool!" Gray said inside the Gyrosphere.
As they explored through the field, Claire's phone began to ring. The Operation Manager picked up her phone, the one calling her was Vivian Krill. Vivian was trying to call Claire about a situation. However, due to the strong glass barrier, the signal was hard to reach, and Claire couldn't hear what Vivian was saying.
"Vivian? I can't hear you." Claire said through her phone. Vivian was trying to tell Claire about something. But Calire couldn't make it out. She only heard a dinosaur, the word escape, and area. "Vivian, I'm sorry, the signal is being jammed by the Gyrosphere. Look, if it's one of the herbivore dinosaurs loose again, send the ACU to the location. Contact me later then."
With that, Claire turns off her phone before sighing. "Is there a problem? Owen asked Claire.
"It was Vivian, she said that a dinosaur was on the loose, probably a Gallimimus near the gates again." Claire said. "But I'm not sure, I can't get any signals here."
"We're heading to the Cretaceous Cruise, you can get a better signal there." Owen suggested.
Owen drives the Gyrosphere to the Cretaceous Cruise, with the Gyrosphere of Zach and Gray following them. They reach their destination. They got out of their Gyrospheres and headed towards the kayaks. Gray and Zach got on the double seated kayak while Owen, Val, and Claire got on the triple seat kayak. Val sits in the front, Owen sits in the middle, and Claira is at the back. They paddled through the riverbank and towards the otherside. Though they weren't aware that a pair of yellow eyes was staring from the undergrowth.
Val was singing 'Row-Row-Row Your Boat' while Owen paddled to catch up with Zach and Gray. They were enjoying the beautiful scene of the river, seeing some herbivore dinosaurs coming over to get a drink of water. Gray was taking pictures, making sure not to use flash. Owen made sure that Val wasn't getting the dinosaur's attention, he doesn't want to have an Apatosaurus following them again. So far, it was them and the boys at the river alone since they were ahead of other kayakers. Suddenly, Claire's phone rang, which she answered.
"Hello?"
"Claire! Thank goodness I finally contacted you!" Vivian said in relief through the phone.
"Vivian? What's wrong?" Claire asked, worriedness in her tone.
"I try to call you! One of the Dilophosaurus has escaped from its paddock and it's at your location!"
Claire became pale by this as she heard this, a Dilophosaurus? Out of its paddock? This was bad! "What? How?!"
"No one knows how it got out! But it just did! Security cameras didn't find out what caused it."
"Owen! We have to leave!" Claire said in alarm, looking towards Owen.
"Why? What's happening?" Owen asked in confusion, turning towards her, as they and the boys' kayaks were near an undergrowth with leaning trees.
"A Dilophosaurus is out on the loose in the park and it's close to the Cretaceous Cruise!" Claire warned, causing Zach and Gray to look at their aunt in shock when they heard that. Val, on the other hand, was busy looking up on a leaning tree that was above them.
"What?" Gray asked in panic.
"A Dilopho-what?" Zach asked in confusion.
"Dilophosaurus, predator, sharp teeth, carnivorous, and extremely poisonous." Gray listed out about Dilophosaurus in fear.
"Wait, poisonous?!" Zach asked in shock and fear.
"They spit venom from their mouth and into its prey's eyes to blind it before attacking!" Gray explained to his now scared brother.
"We have to move before-" Owen suddenly cut off when something jumped off from the tree and landed on their boat, almost capsizing them. They were lucky to stay afloat until Owen and Claire saw what landed on them.
It was the Dilophosaurus.
They all froze at their spot, except for Val, she was busy looking at the Dilophosaurus curiously. They feared that if they provoked it. Zach and Gray stopped rowing as they stared at the Dilophosaurus, balancing on the kayak and right in front of Val. They fear if they moved, the Dilophosaurus would attack. But she didn't. The Dilophosaurus was looking at Val, chirping at her with wide eyes.
"Val...come to me slo-" Owen was cut off when the Dilophosaurus snapped at him with her frill spread out, showing bright orange and red scales, before releasing a long and spin-chilling hiss, warning Owen that she would spit venom at him. Owen backed off, but suddenly, Val boops the Dilophosaurus snout, causing her to seez her hissing.
"No! Bad Dilophosaurus! Bad!" Val scolded the dinosaur.
This shocked and surprised Owen, Claire, and the boys as the Dilophosaurus lowered her frill and head, making gentle noises like she was apologizing. Val smiles at the Dilophosaurus and patted its head gently.
"Good girl." Val said happily.
"...How does she do that?" Zach whispers out.
"Like Wu said, Val has a special connection with the dinosaurs." Owen said softly before looking at Val. "Val? Can you tell the Dilophosaurus to behave until ACU arrives, okay?"
Val looks at her uncle and smiles at him while doing an okay sign. She turned back to the Dilophosaurus and said to her, "Please sit down, we're going to take you home."
The Dilophosaurus chirped as she turned around, balancing on the kayak, before plopping down on the kayak in a sitting position. The kayak shook a bit by that, but were able to stay afloat. Everyone, minus Val, blinked in surprise by this, amazed how easily she tamed the Dilophosaurus with ease.
"Let's take her with us before she causes any panic." Owen said before he started rowing the kayak with Claire. Zach and Gray followed them as they rowed through the river.
Though they didn't notice that someone was watching them from the undergrowth, recording the whole thing with a special camera.
As the group was lucky to keep the Dilophosaurus hidden, Claire contacts Vivian about the situation and tells them to bring the ACU over to their location. But the problem is they can't bring the truck over since the area was somewhat sloppy. So they have no choice but to meet up at the Jurassic World Aviary. They reached their destination with no problem and waited outside at the back of Aviary. Gray was waiting impatiently as he paced around the floor while Zach sat on a crate, listening to music. Claire and Owen were waiting for the ACU to arrive, while keeping an eye on the Dilophosaurus, who was playing with Val. Speaking of which, Val was decorating the Dilophosaurus's face with flower stickers. Val was humming happily as she placed a daisy sticker on the Dilophosaurus's snout, making her chirp.
"La-la-la-la making Dahna super cute~!" Val sang happily as she placed a rose sticker between the Dilophosaurus named Dahna's lower jaw.
Owen heard this and smiled towards his niece. "Cute name for the Dilophosaurus, but must you cover her with stickers?" He asked jokingly.
"She likes it!" Val said happily, earning a chirp from Dahna the Dilophosaurus.
Owen rolled his eyes playfully before Claire received a call from the ACU, they were on their way. "Katashi and the rest of the ACU will be here soon." Claire said.
"Can they come here faster? Or maybe we can bring the Dilophosaurus with us and wait for them in the Aviary instead!" Gray suggested with pleading in his eyes.
"Gray, you know what would happen if people saw a Dilophosaurus in the Aviary?" Claire stated to her nephew.
Gray slump on the ground. "They will be in panic mode." He answered with a mumble.
"That's right." Claire said with a nod.
Suddenly, they heard a shriek from the back of the Aviary, surprising the group. "What was that?" Zach asked in shock.
"It's a Pteranodon." Owen said, looking at the Aviary. "Stella's probably giving one of them a check up."
"Stella?" Gray asked curiously.
"She's Jurassic World's dinosaur vet, she checks on any injured or sick dinosaurs." Owen said before going towards the back door. "Let's check it out first if Stella needs help."
"Are you sure? The ACU will be arriving soon." Claire stated to Owen.
"Don't worry, the room is right across the back. No tourists, just employees." Owen assured her.
Claire sighs a bit but agrees. "Fine, just one check and we have to go back, got it?"
"Got it!" Owen made a playful salute.
"Yes!" Gray cheered as Owen led the group to the back door.
Val keeps an eye on Dahna as they enter the back of the Aviary and walk through the halls. Dahna followed Val with no hesitation as they walked through the hall with no problem. They headed towards a room where they saw Stella, the Dinosaur vet or doctor, was checking on a sadetated Pteranodon.
"Hey, Stella!" Owen greeted her as they entered.
Stella looked up and almost dropped the thermometer when she saw a Dilophosaurus, whose face was covered in flower stickers, come in with them. She blinks as she wipes her eyes, thinking that she was hallucinating, but she wasn't. There was a young Dilophosaurus in the room.
"Uh…" Stella could only muster.
Owen notices this and smiles. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. Stella, this is Dahna, the escaped Dilophosaurus." He introduced the Dilophosaurus to the vet.
Stella adjusted her glasses and observed the Dilophosaurus, who was chirping at her innocently. "Fascinating, did your niece make her docile?" She asked.
Owen looked at her in surprise. "How'd you know?"
"Everyone was still talking about how she was able to tame Rexy." Stella said to them. "It's still being viewed on the internet."
"Wait, that was Val?!" Gray asked in shock as he looked at Val. "One of my friends showed me a video about her with Rexy! I thought it was just special effects, but was it real?"
"It's still being viewed? Damn, that must be a new record." Owen said in shock and surprise.
"Yeah, though his mom once commented saying that whoever left her there must have bad parenting skills." Gray said, remembering his friend's words before he realized that Owen was Val's uncle, and Owen wasn't too pleased to hear that. "No offense."
"None taken...I guess." Owen said in almost annoyance.
Stella laughs a bit. "Don't worry, Owen. I think you're doing your best in taking care of your niece." She said kindly.
Zach walked over to the sedated Pteranodon. "So, what's with the sleeping dino-bird?" He asked.
"Pteranodon, actually. Also, I was giving this one her check up, making sure she doesn't have any sickness." Stella said.
"Cool." Gray said, looking at the sedated Pteranodon.
"I back up you two." Stella said, warning them about the Pteranodon. "I just finished her check up and the sedation will wear off soon."
"Oh!" Zach and Gray quickly backed away from the Pteranodon, not wanting to get it angry.
"Don't worry, she's heavily restrained, right Stella?" Owen said to the vet.
Stella nodded. "Right, she won't be going anywhere." She said to them.
Val went over to the Pteranodon in restraints. She bends down to observe the flying reptile. She blocked out Gray's explanation to his brother that Pteranodons are not actually a dinosaur, but a pterosaur, a type of flying reptile. Dahna was behind Val, leaning over to get a better look of the Pteranodon. Speaking of which, the Pteranodon opened her eyes slowly, she was a little disoriented, but she was able to see Val and Dahna. Instinct told her to attack, but for some reason, seeing Val...she didn't want to attack. The Pteranodon allowed herself to relax when Val pats her head gently, giggling at the Pteranodon.
"You're pretty." Val said between giggles. The Pteranodon just stared at her calmly, as she allowed the little girl to pet her.
"What was that VaaaAAA-OH MY GOD!" Owen suddenly exclaims as he sees Val petting the Pteranodon happily with Dahna behind her.
"She's awake!?" Stella almost exclaims when she sees the Pteranodon was being petted by Val.
"Cool!" Gray said, taking pictures.
"Is-Is she going to attack us?" Zach asked nervously.
"I don't think so." Owen said, eyeing on the Pteranodon suspiciously. "I think...I think she's calmed down."
Val hums as she pats the Pteranodon's head happily. "I'm gonna call you Polly!" She said happily.
"Polly? Like, Polly wants a cracker?" Zach jokes to her.
Owen snorts his laughter. "Okay, that's funny and true."
Val giggled at this. "Yeah! And it's a pretty name!" She said happily.
The Pteranodon now named Polly simply blinks at her before she lifts her head and gently nuzzles Val with the side of her beak to nuzzle her happily, making the little girl giggle at this. Owen couldn't help but smile at this, finding it adorable to see his niece interacting with the Pteranodon name Polly. Stella was more amazed than anyone, she always remembered that Pteranodon and Dimorphodon can be sometimes troublesome, always flying in the air, squawking about. But it seems that Polly has taken a liking towards Val, and even allows the little girl to pet her.
"Your niece is full of surprises, isn't she?" Stella questions Owen with a smile.
"Oh, yeah, surprising kinda runs in the family." Owen said, smiling at the thought.
"Really? Like when Val was surprisingly in Rexy's paddock?" Stella asked with a teasing smile.
"Hey, hey, hey! We all agree that we shouldn't talk about that incident!" Owen said sternly.
Stella and Claire held their laughter while Val took out something from her bag. It was a pretzel and she showed it to Polly. "Here, something to eat."
Polly looked at the pretzel curiously before pecking it, taking little bits, before swallowing. Dahna eats the fallen piece from the ground, not wanting to waste food.
"Hey, can you help me guide Polly back to the other Pteranodons. She's fully checked and ready to take flight." Stella suggested.
"Are you sure? We don't want to disturbed your work." Claire said.
"No need, after all, it would be easy for me to take Polly there without her being dragged there." Stella said with a smile.
"Well, if you insist." Claire said.
Owen makes his way to Val and kneels beside her. "Val, can you calm Polly while I remove her restraints, okay?"
Val nodded. "Okie-dokie, Uncle Owen!" Val said happily as she patted Polly's beak. "Be good, Polly."
Polly stays still as she focuses on Val while Owen removes the Pteranodon's restraints. In doing so, he backed away and allowed Polly to stretch her wings wide with a loud roar, happy to be free from her restraints. Stella leads the group to a tunnel in the room, taking them to the inside of the enclosure. They reached a metal gate and there they saw the enclosure of the Aviary. Stella presses a button that opens the gate, allowing an opening for Polly to enter.
"Go on, go back to your friends." Val said kindly.
With that command, Polly went through the open gate and flew back in the Aviary with her friends and sisters. Gray took a lot of pictures of the Aviary before Stella closed the gate. Stella said her thanks to them before the ACU came to pick up Dahna. Val was sad that Dahna had to go, but she can visit her anytime she wants to. After giving Dahna a bag of cookies, the ACU took her back to her enclosure. And making sure that they sedate her back to her paddock so they can remove the stickers. Soon, the group headed towards the tourist hall of the Aviary, to see the other Pteranodons along with the Dimorphodons. Owen picks up his niece and puts her on his shoulders as they watch through the window to see the Pteranodons and Dimorphodons. Suddenly, Val saw Polly perched herself on a landing bar that was outside of the window. She squawks happily at the sight of Val. Val giggles and waved at Polly happily. Soon, a Dimorphodon glides over to Polly and perches beside her. The Dimorphodon squawks and looks at Val through the window, curious about the newcomer.
Val giggles and points at the Dimorphodon. "Look! It must be Polly's friend!"
"Well, would you look at that?" Owen said with a smile as he looked at his niece. "Do you want to name it here?"
Val nodded as she pointed at the Dimorphodon happily. "Her name is Dixie!"
Owen chuckled and shook his niece a bit, making her giggle. "That's a good name for her, Val." He complimented his niece with a smile.
Zach looked at the Pteranodon and Dimorphodon curiously while Gray took pictures of them. "At least they didn't try and kidnap her." He said.
Owen gave him a dry look. "Hardy-har-har, you're such a comedian." He said sarcastically while Claire held her laugh. "And let's not talk about any incidents?"
"Okay, okay, let's go visit the Hybrid Paddock before lunch. I'm sure Ivy and Iris would like to see you two again." Claire suggested.
"Yes!" Gray brought his fists to the air.
"Are you sure?" Zach asked with unsureness. "The last time we were there, they gave us a slobbery tongue bath."
Owen chuckles at this. "Yeah, they can be jokers sometimes, but I can assure you, they won't do it again...probably." He said.
Zach makes a blank look while Gray laughs at this before Owen leads them out. "Let's go!"
And with that, the group headed out to the hybrid paddock to meet up with Ivy and Iris. And Val was ready to play since she kept her ball in her bag, and also thinking of how she made new dino friends in the park. But as they left the Aviary, they weren't aware that they were being watched by the man. The man was the same one that Val bumped into early. He was recording the whole interaction through a hidden camera that was under his sunglasses. Later that night, the man went back to his hotel room, sitting in front of his desk, looking through the screen of a high tech looking laptop. Right in front of the screen was the dangerous man, Renaldo Mortem, who was getting valuable information from his top agent, Marco-who is the man that spied on Val, her uncle, and friends. He sent the proof to his boss, who was grinning like a mad man. Mortem laughed as the video shows Val talking with Dahan the Dilophosaurus.
"Excellent, Marco." Mortem praised with a grin. "In a few days, I will send a team to capture the asset and bring her to one of my islands for further research."
"Finding the proof you need was not an easy task." Marco said seriously with his eyes narrowed. "I have to pull some extra strings to get one Dilophosaurus out of its paddock."
"And a fine job you have done well." Mortem complimented with a smirk. "Play your part well, Marco. And your daughter might wake up early from her coma." He added with a smirk as he took out a small test tube with a glowing purple liquid inside, taunting it in front of Marco through the screen.
Marco clenches his fists together, narrowing his eyes at the antidote in Mortem's hand. Just a few more missions and he can see his daughter's beautiful eyes open again. With a sharp nod, Marco will continue his job.
"I will search through the area of the girl's home and send you its coordinates." Marco said to Mortem.
"Good, I will see you soon, Marco."
With that, Mortem signs off, Marco closes the laptop and releases a sigh as he looks up at the ceiling with sad and angry eyes with a hint of guilt and shame. He sits up and takes out the phone to look at the picture of him and his beloved daughter.
"I'm so sorry, Quinn…but daddy needs to do his job to save you." He whispers out before closing his phone and getting up from his seat and ready to scout through the area in the middle of the night.
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