Chapter 7
Relieved

BANG

ZAP

"Number fifteen." Lima reported.

"Good." Bryan lowers his rifle. "I think that's all of them, let's get moving."

The human didn't even bother to take the scope off his rifle when he rallied the young dinosaurs and led them through the forest. He didn't have time to do so; the adults would die if he delayed his arrival any longer. In the meantime, Talia paced around where she stood. She heard the gunshots and knew what Bryan was up to. She knew he had outsmarted her and had used her tactics against her.

Since her reserves were divided into several groups and sent to different areas in the forest, there was no way they could come to their comrades' aid in time, given the fact that Lima possessed the same eyesight and sense of smell they did and Bryan's expert marksmanship. The two were a deadly sniper-spotter team, and Talia knew this. She just failed to account for Bryan's ability to adapt his tactics on the fly.

And now there was absolutely no one standing between the rescue party and the blockading forces. The Tyrannosaurus Rex bit her lips, reluctantly and helplessly awaiting the slaughter of her loyal followers. Back in the jungle, Bryan dismounts the M60 machine gun off Cera's back once again. This time he had connected several magazines worth of belts into a single belt of a thousand rounds which he wrapped around his shoulder and loaded the other end into the gun.

He had enough firepower to mow down a small gun armed army of humans; these dinosaurs were nothing more than cannon fodder at this point. Like Stallone's Rambo, the human bursts out from within the forest and unleashed a hail of machine gun fire on his foes. Unlike Rambo, he did not fire one handed or from the hip, nor did he expend his ammunition in one pull of the trigger.

Instead, he shouldered his weapon and fired in short but sustained bursts, mowing down several at a time while conserving ammunition at the same time. Standing on top of a raised portion of land within the forest, Talia watched as her men were brutally slaughtered by the gun armed human, who was going Rambo on his foes. Sneaking close wasn't an option for the predators either.

Anyone who managed to get close was quickly overwhelmed by the young dinosaurs and their smart tactics. Members of the besieged herd also noticed the action and they cheered their rescuers on, giving them moral support. It was here where Bryan showed his true colors as an efficient and cold blooded killer. When his machine gun finally ran dry, the human turned the gun into a massive bat, swatting anyone who dared to challenge him.

Predator after predator was thwacked in the face by Bryan's giant hunk of American made steel. Then, he drew his pistol. Once again, human ingenuity trumps brute force. As soon as Bryan drew his gun, the predators stood no chance of retaliation. All of them were shot down before they could get within striking distance of their claws. Talia, now having seen the human's capabilities, decides to focus her attention on him instead.

He was a threat to her very existence and she'd be much better off killing her arch nemesis than emotionally hurting a few young ones at the cost of her life. The Tyrannosaurus Rex diverts all of her followers blockading the adults, sending them straight into the fray just as Bryan finishes reloading yet another one thousand round belt into his M60 machine gun.

Oddly, the battle didn't start right away. A standoff began between the human and the massive force of Theropods, who were snarling in anger. Bryan shakes his head and smiles; he had just switched on a familiar tune. Before anyone knew what was going on, the song "Fortunate Son" played on full volume from Bryan's smartphone. He shoulders his M60 machine gun and mows down several of the predatory dinosaurs before they could react.

Those who survived the sudden burst of gunfire charged towards the human, aiming to use their superior numbers to overwhelm the lone fighter. Unfortunately for the predators, their plan was woefully antiquated against Bryan since he had technology on his side. One after the other, the predatory dinosaurs were cut down by machine gun fire. This was a rerun of the Dimetrodon Massacre, only this time the human was facing Theropods instead of lizards.

From a hundred and fifty, the blockading force had its numbers reduced down to just ten in their attempt to overwhelm the gun armed human. And that number quickly went down to just three. The three survivors, shocked that their comrades died for absolutely nothing, decided that enough was enough and made a run for the forest. Bryan wasn't having any of this, oh no. He raised his machine gun and gunned down the survivors in cold blood.

The young dinosaurs and their human companion continued their trek through the Great Valley. Now joined by a mute Stegosaurus hatchling by the name of Spike, they make their way through a rocky region dominated by high cliffs and boulders. By now they had arrived at the banks of a small stream which was connected to a waterfall. While they were still trekking westwards, the group's primary objective at the moment was to satisfy their hunger.

Green leaves were a rare sight ever since they left the cave entrance and if they don't find some soon, starvation would take its toll.

"Plants grow where there's lots of water…" Littlefoot tracks the stream's path with his head. "So if we follow the water, we're bound to find green food."

"Smartass." Bryan chuckles. "Who taught you that?"

"You did."

"Well… I never thought you'd bother to remember what I said, considering how young you were at the time."

"Guys." Cera groaned. "Can't we go find something to eat already?"

"Sure."

Without further ado, Littlefoot leads the young dinosaurs downstream in search of greenery. Bryan however, remains behind; he wanted to catch something meatier for a late afternoon snack. His small stock of Cassava roots, which were stored in his backpack, was starting to get to him. He was bored of tasting the same thing over and over again, and besides, he hadn't eaten meat in a while.

Just one fish should do.

The human grabs his bayonet and scans the stream for fishy movements below. He quickly spots a few but none of them were big enough to satisfy his hunger. Then, the big one came. It was a big fat trout looking fish, perfect for Bryan's protein needs. He uses his bayonet as a spear and put his spear fishing skills, which he had picked up ever since coming to the realm, to good use.

When Bryan cooked the fish, he nodded and gave a smile. All the patience and effort he threw into this little venture paid off. A satisfying meal was the reward and was it a satisfying meal indeed. Now with his stomach full, Bryan follows the trail left behind by the young dinosaurs and linked up with them in what appeared to be a depleted forest. Thanks to their keen eyesight, the young ones have spotted a young tree which was still full of leaves.

Issue was, they had no idea how to get to the leaves. Littlefoot wasn't tall enough yet and Cera lacked the brute force needed to down the tree.

"Step aside." Bryan draws his M7 Bayonet. "It's chop time."

The human climbs up the small tree and begins hacking away at the branches, using his bayonet as a machete. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to chop wood with but at least it was an effective chopper. Before long, the tree was completely bare and Bryan places his bayonet back in its scabbard before jumping off the branch. He lands into the pile of leaves below after doing a backflip.

Emerging from the pile, the human sits down underneath an adjacent tree and took a deep breath. His legs were sore from travelling nonstop for the past few days and he was relieved to be able to sit down for once.

"Ahh…" Bryan takes a sip of water from his canteen. "Feel good to finally be able to sit down."

"Here, dad." Littlefoot places a pile of leaves next to his adoptive father and sits down beside him. "You should eat some."

"Nah, I'm good."

"But you haven't eaten in a while."

"Littlefoot…" the human sighs. "Promise me not to freak out, alright?"

"Yeah." The youngling replied, clearly confused.

"Remember the time when you caught me by the river and I shouted at you?"

"You told me later that you were worried that belly draggers might come after me."

"That… Was a lie."

"What?"

"You see, when you were a youngling. I knew you'd probably run away or be frightened if I told you I ate meat."

"You mean…"

"I'm an omnivore and to survive, I need to eat both meat and greens. That's why you see me plucking berries and fruits from time to time as well as wander on the riverbanks."

Littlefoot was taken aback by the sudden revelation. All these years he spent with his adoptive father and never once has he realized that the human ate meat. First the news that he was actually adopted and now the secret that he ate meat, what other truths did the human know but didn't publicly reveal? The youngling didn't know what to say anymore. He just sat there, trying his best to process everything his adoptive father told him.

Meanwhile, Cera, Ducky, and Petrie were chatting amongst themselves. They had heard Bryan and Littlefoot's conversation, and though they couldn't hear every single word clearly, they did hear him say he ate meat. And that worried them. A meat eater among them? Definitely a recipe for disaster. All of them knew how dangerous predators were, and now they've just found out Littlefoot's adoptive father might be one of them.

Night was slowly creeping in, and the younglings knew predators were most active during the hours of darkness. Cera, fearing that Littlefoot might be a predator in disguise, leads the other young dinosaurs to her sleeping area while the young Apatosaurus wandered into his sleeping hole, alone. Bryan joins him in the hole not too long after.

"Something wrong?" he asked, having noticed the gloomy expression on Littlefoot's face.

"Did I do something wrong?" the youngling asked his adoptive father. "My friends seem to be avoiding me."

"I'm to blame, Littlefoot."

"Why?"

"Because I eat meat."

"I'm fine with that."

"Not them. Now they think you're some sort of predator who looks like a Sauropod."

"Because you eat meat?"

"Precisely."

"I don't blame you, dad."

Bryan smiled when he heard his adoptive son's words. Being rejected because of his dietary needs dealt a great blow to his morale and the human was glad that someone, namely his own adoptive son, still supported him and cared for him. He allows Littlefoot to lay his head on his lap while he gently strokes him on the forehead. Not too long later and the young Apatosaurus was fast asleep.

"Aww…" he chuckles. "Sweet dreams my little one."