Chapter 1
From Adventurer to Father

FIVE YEARS AGO…

Deep in the mysterious beyond, a much younger Bryan moves through an oasis. He had just passed his nineteenth birthday and was in the realm for a little retreat. His XM16E1 was slung on his back as usual as he crouch walked through the foliage. A pack of Deinonychuses were prowling the area, searching for prey. They had actually smelled something but Bryan wasn't sure if they had smelled him or not.

He got more than what he bargained for when he came here. Originally the teenager thought he would be able to see dinosaurs from afar before spooking them when he got too close. Not in this case however. The Deinonychuses were hungry; having never ate for the past four days. The Alpha in particular, was craving after the juicy taste of meat, Apatosaurus meat to be precise.

One of the Deinonychuses suddenly turns its head at the bush Bryan was hiding behind and snarls, causing the male human to momentarily freeze in position. Fortunately, the Theropod fails to notice him and continues forward under the command of its Alpha. While he wasn't spotted, Bryan knew he couldn't just sneak past the pack of prehistoric killers. If he did, they would go after other dinosaurs and possibly him.

He had to eliminate them here and now. His gun was loaded, what else should he be waiting for? Bryan unslings the rifle from his back and shoulders it, wrapping his left hand around the handguard and his right on the pistol grip. He keeps his finger off the trigger for the time being as he selected his first victim.

The sights move from one Deinonychus to another, finally stopping at the Alpha. He was, afterall, the deadliest of the pack and that made him a priority target. Bryan places his finger on the trigger and applies pressure until he felt the "wall". He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes for a few seconds and opens them. The sights of the gun were squarely on the Alpha's head.

BANG

A clean crisp break on the trigger sends the deadly payload down range, striking the Alpha in the head and killing him instantly. Bryan felt his rifle gently and lightly recoil into his shoulder. It was a 5.56 caliber weapon after all.

Immediately after the Alpha's death, the surviving Deinonychuses stuck their heads in the air, hoping to sniff out their leader's killer. What they did not account for is an experienced human hunter with technology and stealth on his side. When they poked their heads up, they presented themselves as big fat targets, allowing Bryan to quickly down them with headshots.

None of the Theropods survived. Their bodies litter the oasis, a silent reminder of how ingenuity could beat brute force in times like these. Bryan gets up from his concealed position and advances towards the corpses. When he came to the center of the carnage, he was shocked by what he found.

A nest with broken egg shells. These poor little ones probably did not make it far, especially in predator territory. The teenager shook his head and sighed in pity. He was about to leave the area when he caught sight of a miracle. Despite all the carnage that has happened, there was a surviving egg in the nest. Since there was no mother around, Bryan figured he would take care of the egg and when the little one hatched, the hatchling as well.

He grabs the egg and moves it back to the concealed position before going prone, his eyes peeled for signs of predator activity. Just then, there was a cracking sound. The egg was starting to hatch. This was the first time Bryan had seen something hatch from an egg and he glares at the egg with great curiosity. A leg breaks free of the shell, followed by another, then another. Finally all four legs break free, quickly followed by a tail.

Before long, the hatchling was free from its "prison". Bryan takes a good look at the hatchling. He was a male Apatosaurus roughly the size of a basketball. The youngling squeaked innocently as he took in his first breath of air. The teenager pulls the hatchling closer to himself, providing him with warmth and companionship. Despite looking very different, somehow the Apatosaurus nuzzles him.

He must've mistaken Bryan for his mother. The male human gently strokes his "little one" before slinging his rifle over his back.

"Well…" he muttered to himself "Looks like I'm no longer visitor Bryan. I'm papa Bryan… Ahh, just when I thought I had no family left to fend for."

In a wooded area of the mysterious beyond, a Deinonychus hides behind a tree, panting and clearly terrified of something. Barely seconds ago he and his pack were discussing about their plans to attack the Great Valley by exploiting a secret entrance when several loud "bangs" rang through the area. All of his pack members were dead including his mate and Beta.

He was the Alpha, the one who was supposed to die first if the pack ever came under attack but he was now the sole survivor, a true disgrace to his kind. But that didn't matter to him. Right now, all he hoped for was that his would be able to escape whoever was stalking him through these woods. That however, was next to impossible. His stalker was Bryan, the human who had become a young Apatosaurus' father.

This human, like a small portion of humans visiting the realm, were expert hunters with plenty of experience under their belt. Not even predatory dinosaurs could escape their sights, especially one who was scared shitless. Oddly, Bryan did not have his rifle shouldered. He was hunting with his pistol, quite an unusual choice but not without reason. His XM16E1 had stovepiped and he didn't have time to clear his jam.

Since his main sidearm, a M1911A1 pistol, had a pretty hefty punch, the teenager figured he would just transition to his handgun and clear the jam on his rifle later. The Deinonychus dashes out from behind cover, hoping to make a run for the bushes but Bryan shoots him before he was able to. He stumbles over and falls onto his side, wounded and unable to move.

As he looked up, the Theropod saw the unmistakable sight of a human. So that's why he couldn't get away, the human was using technology against him. Bryan places his pistol underneath the chin of the Deinonychus.

"Where is the Great Valley?" he shouted. "TELL ME!"

"Okay okay!" the Theropod nervously squealed. "Follow the bright circle past the Great Rock which looks like a Longneck, and past the mountains that burn."

While most in the realm of dinosaurs would quickly understand what the Deinonychus meant, Bryan had little to no experience with local dialect. So far he has yet to touch on a topic where he and the ones he encountered used different words. Fortunately, Littlefoot had learnt to talk by now and he had actually picked up some of the local dialect. He translates the Theropod's words into human terms, allowing Bryan to understand better.

"Alright, so what I'm supposed to do…" Bryan clears the stovepipe on his rifle. "Is to trek westwards till I pass a Sauropod shaped monolith and volcanoes. Come on Littlefoot, let's get going shall we?"

"Okay daddy."

Before the hatchling left with his "father", he took one last glance at the Deinonychus. As he did, he received a nod from the Theropod. It was a sign of understanding on the predator's part. He knew the hatchling meant no harm, and the only reason he got hurt was because of the human's actions. The hatchling meant no harm to him and there was no reason to blame him.