Turtle felt the beams of light on his face from the setting sun. The kits never knew that Nightfall would threaten them like this. It was like what the voices in their head were saying. The sun was retreating before them. Turtle soon saw the sun vanish completely as the group would start grouping together. Turtle looked around as he noticed he had paused soon. His family and the herd of Edmontosaurus were gone. Something was coming. It was huge with a huge feathered body. Long steak knife like teeth and huge jaws with tiny arms, it soon leaped out at Turtle turned to a pair of gaping jaws as the predator snapped its jaws at Turtle as he moved his head away as the jaws missed a mere mouse length from his face as Turtle turned and ran. The huge predator saw the kit run as it soon centered in on Turtle who was running as fast as his legs could carry him. The predator began its pursuit after Turtle as its huge feet came thundering down. It soon got close as it snapped its jaws at Turtle as Turtle changed direction quickly dodging the attack. The other cats soon heard the growls of the predator as Turtle was thundering toward them with a predator on his back. Tiger's leap raised his head as he knew danger was quickly approaching them.

"Turtle's in trouble as a big predator is coming. Scatter!" Tiger's leap shouted as the cats and the Edmontosaurus began to scatter. With the Edmontosaurus running on their hind legs, they were able to flee faster as the cats were desperately weaving among the legs of the huge tree sized monsters. Turtle was slowly catching up as the animals began hopping over a log as they knew it could trip up the predator if the light was the predator's weakness. The cats soon hopped over the log as Turtle was rapidly approaching it. Turtle soon saw the cats leap over the log as he knew it was his chance. He looked back as the predator was rapidly approaching in on him. Turtle soon leaped up as his paws touched the log as he leaped further over. Pieces of bark from the tree got caught up in his paws as he kicked it free. Turtle made it over as their savior, the light soon shined its protective rays in the eyes of the huge predator. The predator was blinded as its eyes squinted as it couldn't see. It soon tripped on the log as it fell down unable to see well. It soon opened its eyes as it was on the ground and saw Turtle and its prey scatter.

It was clear the first night of autumn lasted just a moment and the danger faded with the dawn. Turtle soon came to the Sparrow's cry safety as Spider soon came to him. Leaf and Moth hung back as Sparrow's cry looked over Turtle.

"Turtle we were scared for you. Thank the monsters you're not wounded." Sparrow's cry mewed as she was relieved. Turtle was thankful for being back in the safety of his family. However the nights to come would steal a little bit more light than the last until 24 hour night will consume the land. Turtle turned to Sparrow's cry as he wanted to know what was going on.

"I've never seen the night and is it normal?" Turtle asked as he was wondering if it was normal. Turtle was under Sparrow Cry's legs as he was frightened by what he saw.

"Yes the night time here when it does come is frightening to all of us. Predators stalk us in the night and we feel helpless against them since they are so big. We know there is only one way out of this." Sparrow's cry mewed as she told the kit that she was no stranger of the dark. She had traveled this route before as she knew what was going to happen something the kits didn't know of.

"What is it?" Leaf asked wondering if there was a solution to escaping the darkness. Sparrow's cry soon spoke.

"It is a long march south to find the sun." Sparrow's cry mewed as they soon turned as they began to feed on the ferns. With the days to come, the plants will die as food will become scarce.

The sun and moon began to come and go as two months would go by as the days were short and the nights were long. The cats knew they needed to hide among the Edmontosaurus knowing that their size can deter any predators with their sheer size but as the kits grow they continued to get more restless as the journey would come. A day before the great journey would begin. The competition for food was going to get even tougher.

Turtle was feeding with his siblings on the dry ferns as there were no nutrients on them. The cats knew that competition for the remaining food was going to get even tougher. Turtle soon looked up as he heard bellowing out. It was clear the Edmontosaurus males were sounding out a warning. But for what? Turtle soon headed to Tiger's leap as Tiger's leap prepared for a fight. The cats soon got together as their job was to protect the kits. Soon a huge monster with a huge head dress on its head. A large mass was on its nose as it was above its beak, the head dress was adorned with three horns in the center as the frill as pair of horns on the top of the frill with other small bumps around the outside. It was clear the frill was short but this monster was a plant eater as the males were brightly colored as the female monsters were dark gray. They came in all ages from kits to fully grown individuals. The herd was the size of a few hundred members as they were here in force. This was a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus. The length of 8 foxes and weighing as much as 6,000 mice, they were aggressive head bangers. One of the male Pachyrhinosaurus rammed into a tree as it wanted some food. Some of dying leaves fell down as the hungry herbivore soon began shifting through the vegetation. Another male Pachyrhinosaurus arrived as the two males were beginning to get aggressive for the remaining food.

The two males rammed their heads together with a loud bang but they weren't affected that much as they rammed each other again wanting to get the food. The brains inside of these herbivores were no larger than a crow's but their reinforced skulls made excellent battering rams. Soon the first male turned away seeing how he can't win. The second male began to feed on the fallen vegetation as the first male turned as he went to seek out other sources of food. It soon turned to Sparrow's cry and her kits as they were feeding on the dried ferns. The huge herbivore came along as the cats knew they were unable to do anything about it.

"Kits come along we got to find other sources of food." She mewed as she guided the kits away from the ferns. The Pachyrhinosaurus lowered its head as it began to feed from the dried ferns. Turtle knew for the first time in his life that he was hungry.

The same could be said for Patch. Stenonychosaurus were built to survive the dark polar winter but they had to make the most of leaf-fall before some of the smaller prey hide away to hibernate and Patch hadn't mastered the subtle art of hunting yet. The mammal soon kicked dirt on Patch's snout as it soon scampered out of its burrow. Patch soon gave chase. He wanted to pay attention as his big eyes were going to catch this mammal and he would be able to satisfy his hunger for now. The dying the forest served as open cover which made tracking prey easier. The Stenonychosaurus was built for high speed pursuit. Like a bird of prey, his eyes could see the prey in slow motion. Patch continued chasing the mammal but the mammal had another trick up its sleeve. It soon saw a large tree up ahead. It soon raced to tree as Patch was determined to catch this prey. The mammal soon climbed up the tree as Patch saw another opportunity slip by him as he jumped up to try to catch it but his claws weren't made for grip the bark as he ended up slipping down. The mammal scampered up the tree safely as Patch had to spend another moment without food. Patch retreated the tree as he would stay hungry.

Turtle was wandering around the dying forest as he was looking for any last scrap of nourishment that he could find. He soon sniffed the ferns as there was not even a single leaf of green was in the forest. He looked the forest as not even the trees had any green plants. Soon a breaking sound was heard as Turtle continued to patrol around looking for the cracking sound. Soon he came to a fallen tree as it a giant monster was feeding from the tree. It was the Nodosaur as it was taking to eating the tree. Turtle walked to Nodosaur.

"Oh what brings you here?" The Nodosaur asked as he soon ripped off the piece of the wood. Turtle was wondering what he was eating.

"What you munching on? Isn't everything dead and rotting in this forest?" Turtle asked him as he was wondering what he was eating. The Nodosaur soon swallowed the chunk of wood as the wood was rotten enough to be easily ingested.

"Rotton wood." The Nodosaur spoke. He soon bit into the log as he tore out another chunk of the log.

"Wood? Wouldn't you be eating leaves?" Turtle asked him as he didn't want to hop onto the logs since the log might give in and collapse.

"The leaves are dead but the grubs inside are a source of protein to keep me going through the Leaf-bare." The Nodosaur responded as he took another chunk of the log as he ate it. "Try some." The Nodosaur soon began eating the grubs as he knew they were a source of protein. Turtle soon took a chunk of the wood as he tore out a large chunk of the log. He took a bite of it as the wood tasted foul. He soon saw the wiggling grubs inside as he pushed his head into the log taking out the grub as he ate it. Turtle gagged as the grubs had a weird taste to them. Turtle soon turned to the Nodosaur.

"Will you be heading south with us when the time comes?" Turtle asked the Nodosaur as it was eating more of the rotten wood. The Nodosaur bowed his head in sorrow as he soon spoke.

"I will sadly not be heading south with you and your friends. I'm too cumbersome and heavy for such a strenuous expedition. I will remain here at the pole to endure the ravages of the cold Leaf-bare." The Nodosaur responded as he wasn't built for such a long migration. "Make the most of what's around until the sun returns. I wish you luck that you will make it." Turtle nodded as he knew the log wasn't built for him as it was a far cry from the diet of leaves and soft plants he had fed on all Greenleaf. He soon turned and padded back as he left the armored Nodosaur to feed alone.

The sun began to set on the final night as Turtle was with his family and the group of cats. They were padding along as they knew that the time to leave would soon be upon them. Water's stream, a mid-aged she-cat nudged Turtle as it was time to head into the center. The lush Greenleaf playground was nothing more than a distant memory. With each night stretching longer than the last, it was the predators that were getting the upper hand. The adult Edmontosaurus corral their young and the cats, using their own bodies as the last line of defense against the night stalkers that terrorize the forest in the darkness they know are out there. Turtle knew he was living in a world of fear. After his encounter with a predator, nothing would entice him to venture beyond the herd's protection. A male Pachyrhinosaurus soon rammed himself into a tree as it soon caused several leaves to fall. Seeing how nothing was heading to him, he soon left. A scrap of food was left in the open. Turtle and young female Edmontosaurus soon wandered out into the open as they smelled the food. Turtle looked up seeing mammals scurrying among in the branches as well as the squeaks of the creatures. Fear was holding Turtle back but for the female Edmontosaurus, the compulsion to eat was more than she could bear. She looked around as she saw nothing approaching but it was a trap. She lowered he head as she began to eat the vegetation that was left in the open. The male Pachyrhinosaurus sensed a predator was coming and was prepared to flee. Turtle soon scampered back to the herd's protection as he turned to the juvenile female Edmontosaurus to warn her of approaching danger.

"Look out!" Turtle shouted but the young herbivore didn't hear him but she looked up seeing a pair of gaping jaws coming to her. She turned to run but the predator was hot on its heels. The predator soon grabbed the young herbivore by the neck as it picked it up before flinging it around snapping the young Edmontosaurus' neck. The animal went limp as the predator walked off with its next victim.

Nanuqsaurus as the cats called it was the top predator of the north pole. The length of ten foxes and weighing as much as 6,000 mice. It was the consummate nocturnal killer. The young Edmontosaurus never stood a chance. For Turtle and the others, daytime can't come too soon. Starvation and the predators have turned their Greenleaf paradise into a Leaf-bare killing field.

Their only hope: Exodus.

[A/N]: Introducing more characters to this as more species as the migration south would begin soon. As with any story there are some creative changes. Here's a few I'm willing to list:

It is unknown if we have Nodosaur remains in the Colville River. If there were the species would be unknown.

The top predator Nanuqsaurus is a 50% bigger than its actual size since all we have of this species is a single lower jaw fragment. We don't know if the species belongs to a sub adult still growing or an adult. More study would need to be determined.

The Edmontosaurus in this story would be called Ugrunaaluk meaning "Ancient Grazer" however we only found juvenile specimens as the species is considered a dubious synonym so until more evidence is found, the species would be referred to as Edmontosaurus.

Stenonychosaurus could be dubious for other predators whom we only found teeth to so we don't know for certain what they are.

So that is all for now. Will come back to it when we get some reviews rolling.