The rain continued to pour upon the island for three more days before finally relenting, going from downpour to a sprinkling. Not only that, a heavy fog had settled in the lowlands and the mountains. The jungles and forests had heated up from the cooling temperatures of the soggy past days, bringing life to a maximum. Of course, in those three days, Harry got to learn about his 'savior' from when that abomination attacked him. Apparently, she was his Godfather's cousin, one of three sisters in the Black Family. Her full name was Bellatrix Stella Black, the youngest of the three. She also arrived here on the island the day before her arranged and forced marriage to LeStrange.
Turns out, the LeStrange family suffered from magical genocide due to the Black Family magic taking out its wrath upon that family. Though, it was later found out that the LeStranges had breached the contract the night before Bella's disappearance. The would-be groom had spent the night going out into the non-magical world in his death eater garb and violating women who couldn't defend themselves. He, his brother and the rest of his immediate family all melted before the head of the Black Family and the rest of the family too.
Sirius still remembered the look of unholy anger on the faces of the LeStrange head of house as he melted away into a flesh colored puddle. Though, he would have been punished by his Mother afterwards for something he hadn't done if the Magic also hadn't struck down the Sirius's parents and the Black Sisters Parents as well. Sirius had been shocked to learn that both parents violated ancient oaths of loyalty to the House of Black by forcing their children to marry those who would destroy the Black Magic line.
Bellatrix, or Bella as she preferred, lived here ever since. Harry had to do some mental calculations and realized she had been here four years longer than he had been alive. Nineteen years on Isla Cráneo, while he had spent thirteen to fourteen on Isla Sorna. He had to admit that she looked very beautiful and healthy for living on this magic infused island. She seemed uninterested in him until he started asking about her, which led to the conversation in which both learned about what had happened from both ends.
However, both have accepted that they'll both be hunted by the natives. Harry had decided to follow the smell of the massive simian who had his mother, until Bella commented on the creature known as Kong.
"King Kong is the one who has your mother," She had stated, pulling her top on after washing it in a hot spring at the back of her cave, "the last of his kind. The ones that the natives have are an abominable variation of the secondary species, they too are called Kong. They stand around thirty feet on two legs but only twenty-five on all fours, looking more like great apes than the King himself. The abominations stand five feet taller in height in standing and on all fours, dark magic is infused into their very bones."
Harry frowned, "but who would be the predators of them?"
"You are," Bellatrix said, giving him a look, "your form was the species that hunted the Abominable Kongs, until the natives and their "Honored Demigods" hunted them into extinction. Thankfully, they can only reproduce in mass graveyards. The necromancy that helps them live only emanates from there, so thankfully, there is only one place that those monsters can breed."
Harry had felt a bit safer at that, as that meant the population was kept in check by environmental factors when the species that hunted them was extinct. He shifted into his preferred body as he greeted the rising sun with a mighty roar, shaking the rock beneath himself. Bella shifted, glowering at him before rolling her eyes. He snorted, leading the way down the mountain as he sniffed the air to get an idea of what would be on the menu.
Lily groaned as she used another spell on her hair to straighten it out, having been thankful that Kong had taken them to a cave with a hot spring for her to bathe in. Though, she had to admit, this island having multiple hot springs in one place would mean its was volcanic. However, all the studies before they came to the island had proven without a doubt that it was not so. Unlike Isla Nublar, which had a volcano that was going to have to be forced to sleep with magic, Isla Cráneo didn't have one.
Though, the amount of magic everywhere was suffocating if she hadn't realized that being one that used magic kept her from a horrific death. As in, any non-magical that came to the island would suffocate and drown in their own blood as magic tried to find a way to give the person a way to adapt to the intensely primeval magic. She also learned that her animagus form was now some form of Skull Island Deer species, one that had not been seen for a long time if Kong's shocked gaze at her transformation was anything to go by.
How many species had passed away while humanity built and created? Lily wasn't sure of that, as Isla Cráneo had been hidden by powerful magics. Humans didn't even realize that there had been an island there until magicals had spotted it, and suddenly, myths and legends of the island started to appear. She sighed before yelping as Kong picked her up in his gigantic hand, squirming to get into a better position before Kong froze. The air seemed to chill slightly before a squawking shriek filled the air as a massive Pterosaur landed in front of them. Its mud red skin wrapped body, arms that were wings and powerful back legs gave off the image of a dangerous threat.
It shrieked again, its long, straight beaked maw revealing several rows of sharp teeth inside the mouth. Its trident headcrest gave it a very good threatening display as it beat its wings, making them look like they were one fire. Kong sneered at the animal in disgust, putting Lily back onto the ground before rising up to his full near fifty feet. He beat his chest, pounding thumps that vibrated the leaves on the trees as Kong bellowed his challenge. This Pterosaur, Lily decided to call it Rodan after the fictional kaiju Pterosaur movie monster, howled and launched itself at Kong.
Bodies collide as Kong grapples with the massive flying reptile, Rodan using its beak to try and peak the simian's eyes out. Kong punched the reptile in the chest, ending the grapple as Rodan fell to the ground. It was quick to push itself up, beating its wings to disorient the massive King of Isla Cráneo. Kong gritted his teeth as he tried to grab a wing but missed, as Rodan took to the air. The massive pterosaur circled Kong several times as Kong growled in frustration. Then it dived, beak closed as it skewered Kong's shoulder as it passed.
Kong cried out as he stumbled backwards from the sudden assault, gripping the red line that oozed blood. Shaking his head, Lily watched Kong grab a tree that stuck upwards like a blade out of the ground. Using his other hand, Kong stripped it of all the branches and leaves. A makeshift weapon in his hands, Kong took aim at the flying monster. Rodan must have not seen him do this as it taunted him by exposing its chest in a show of blatant disrespect, giving Kong the opening he needed. With his mighty strength, King Kong hurled the tree spear like a javelin.
Rodan's screams as he was impaled by the spear was ear shattering, the massive reptile crashing into the ground that threw up dirt and trees. Lily looked at the corpse in shock before turning to see Kong roar in triumph, beating his chest in a powerful display. However, in several minutes, more of Rodan's species flew over. They were smaller, unlike the massive Pterosaur, meaning he must have been very old or had tons of magic inside his body. Either way, the cycle of Isla Cráneo was renewed as the smaller but still giant Pterosaurs began to feast on the elder animal.
Lily was picked up by Kong once more and as a sign of gratitude to the island's king, she used a few spells that any witch should know to heal cuts, bruises or any other injuries little children would have. Kong grunted as his skin and fur repaired itself but left a scar, a reminder of his battle with the massive Pterosaur called Rodan.
Bella walked alongside the young Harry Potter, the silence between them was comfortable. Both in their preferred forms, they made their way through the lowlands towards where the largest and slowest of rivers on Isla Cráneo wound its way from top to the bottom of the island. Along the way, they caught two of the plentiful hadrosaurs that lived in the lowlands for a filling breakfast. As the pair walked along the river, Bella felt a bit flushed from being in close proximity to a male after so long.
To be entirely honest to herself, she missed being around the rougher gender. Being alone on Isla Cráneo taught her that she needed someone else to help her, but being a predator and the only one at that didn't help things. She remembered laughing and playing with her cousin Sirius, practicing spells with her siblings. Taunting and wiping the floor with her even younger cousin, Regulus Black, even doing a prank or two with Sirius's best friends at Hogwarts. Those memories made her heart clench in her chest, making her treasure them even more.
That was until she had found Harry in his Spinosaurid form and the connection was there, the need for male companionship had flooded her mind until she forced it down with her occlumency shields. That finally removed the flood as she looked into those feelings and realized that she was starved for companionship. This young man, for that was what he was, treated her with respect. Unlike her would-be husband, who saw her as nothing more than a piece of meat or a trophy to show off. That had been the ultimate insult to her, something she hated down to her core.
She was pleased with this one but even as they walked together, her senses went off as her body camouflaged itself. The smell was something that made any wary predator nervous, the smell of the creature the natives dubbed "Skullcrawlers".
"Its a land Mosasaur," Harry hissed, looking at the predator with a keen eye, "looks like a very old bull."
Bella frowned, Land Mosasaur? What was he talking about? The skullcrawler was at the riverbed, lapping up the slowly flowing waters with its long trident forked tongue. It had multiple scars that dulled the vibrant blue hues that the species were known to have, now a dull gray coloration. She growled softly before several roars filed the air, as three green dinosaurs came hopping towards the larger Skullcrawler. She watched as the theropods called Gorosaurus surrounded the Skullcrawler, growling and eyeing up the old bull.
The Gorosaurus was an interesting resident of the island, known as the Thundering Kangaroo Reptile, it lived up to its name. Its ancestor would later be discovered to the Allosaurus, unlike the abundance of Tyrannosaur related specimens on Isla Cráneo. The predators were mostly located in the jungles and lowlands surrounding the river that crossed the entirety of the island. Over sixty feet in length, three-fifths made up by the animal's tail, it was one of the longest allosaurs alive.
Heavily built legs, these theropods were seen hopping around like the Australian Kangaroo. Huge heads that had the shape of a spear, filled with sharp bone crushing teeth. While their arms were not the largest on the island, they fit the predator perfectly as they could hold objects against their chests. These predators were the marsupials of the island and their strength lay in their agility and speed.
The Skullcrawler bull ignored them, continuing to drink before one of the Gorosaurus lept at him. Its tail lashed out, sending the midair assailant into the river with a splash as the bull turned to the two other Gorosaurs. It snarled before another one of the jumping dinosaurs tried to attack it, only to get pulled off its feet by the foot of the Skullcrawler slapping it away. The last one roared before charging, getting as close as it could before doing something that was the main attack of its kind.
It leaned back on its long tail, legs pulled tightly against its chest before they struck. Like lightning, the legs struck the face of the skullcrawler with a powerful blow. The skull headed animal shrieked as its boney covering shattered under the force of the kick, as the other two Gorosaurs were behind the bull. Two jaws snapped around the limbs of the Skullcrawler, pulling its limbs straight before they were ripped off. The last Gorosaur snorted before roaring with its fellows as they got their food and a good fight.
Harry nodded, seemingly impressed with the Gorosaurs as he grunted, "Impressive, I wonder why something like that evolved into them? Questions for later I guess."
Bella looked at the larger dinosaur in confusion before sighing, that wasn't something she was going to understand until he explained it to her.
James looked in amusement as Sirius looked at the massive crates that had been airdropped to the company's location via plane. Sirius's brain tried to rationalize how they got here due to the helicopters not being able to reach them this far inland, it was rather hilarious. Sure, Lily had dragged them into the modern age but Sirius, having grown up a Pureblood, still had moments that showed how clueless he was to modern invitations.
"B-but," He spluttered as one of the Squibs smirked at Sirius, finding this just as amusing, "The planes are so high up."
"Yes," The squib nodded, "they have multiple parachutes. Helps slow down the crates that carry our amphibious vehicles to transverse the river, our eyes in the sky have made it clear that the river leads through a marshland then a swamp jungle before going into a mountain range. We don't want to cross that on foot as that's just asking for us to be attacked."
Sirius finally gave up trying to rationalize the crate dropping and turned to help get the vehicles out. The vehicles would allow for up to ten people to travel comfortably with cargo and supplies, they could transverse both land and water with ease. He was ushered aboard one with Sirius before everything that could be loaded was, the pair of wizards felt the vehicle rumble to life before the armada set off down the river.
"Shall we sing something?" Sirius asked, to which James slapped the back of his head.
"No," James shook his head, "we are not singing sea shanties."
Sirius pouted at that, as the armada traveled leisurely down the river. They saw many animals that were pretty common until they hit the marshes, then things changed. The creatures became more bird-like, James noticed, bodies adapted to fitting the life of the marsh. He was looking at the smaller animals before he noticed the water was vibrating in a rhythmic sort of way. Frowning he looked up and his mouth fell open, the shock and awe of what he was looking at not registering as Sirius was throwing some stones into the water.
James grabbed the back of Sirius's head and turned to face in the direction he was looking, also getting Sirius to look in shocked awe. Standing above them at one hundred and ten feet plus tall, a massive sauropod walked calmly alongside the armada. It was looking down at them as it, large blue eyes seeing them as it let out a powerful cry. A greeting of sorts before it lifted its head once more into the sky, heading for the gigantic trees further back that towered over everything.
The sauropod would be later named as Titanonaught, the last living member of the Brachiosaurus family. At ninety feet at the shoulder, the tallest living reptile on Isla Cráneo or even on Planet Earth. At a length of one hundred and forty-three feet, the sauropod also came with some very odd adaptation that made it a danger to theropods that tried to attack it. Its long tail, covered in bone spines could skewer a carnivore if they got unlucky enough to be struck. A spiked carapace covered its back to keep any Venatosaurs from leaping onto its back, these defenses the main armor point of this animal.
Its powerful front legs have huge talons that would allow for the animal to dig into the mud to eat the roots of plants, as the back legs could hold it up for a small length of time. As James watched, the Titanonaught reared back to pull at the tree tops. It went back onto all fours, the ground shook as did the water. This was the most awe inspiring moment he had ever had on this island, it was something like a child discovering something truly amazing for the first time.
"I can now see why a man with so much money wanted to create a park," James said to Sirius, looking at the scene like he was looking into the past itself, "to see scenes like this, straight out of our Earth's past."