Darcy awoke with a powerful headache. She kept her eyes closed as she strained to sit up. She gingerly touched the spot where she was feeling the pain and pulled her hand back immediately. She wondered what had happened. She had vague memories of being on a ship and then a storm, but it was all blank after that.

She felt something cold and soft in her hands. Although her eyes were closed, it didn't take a genius to know she was laying on soft dirt covered in short grasses. She managed to sit up all the way and opened her eyes. Her vision was a blur, but she could make out the green grass that covered the ground. And then she saw dark blue and recognized it as the ocean that she must have been swept away in. She let out a moan as she gripped at the grass tightly, trying to remember how she ended up here to begin with.

The air around her was calm, although mildly windy once in a while. She could still smell the ocean air, but it was intermingled by the smell of the trees that were all around her. She was vaguely aware of the sound of water running, possibly a river. The sounds of birds chirping filled her mind. Darcy had never seen these kinds of foliage before. The plants and the trees seemed so foreign to her. And yet, despite the strangeness of the immediate area, she could sense that there was also a calmness of this place, something she hadn't felt in years.

And it frightened her.

Then her hand grazed something soft and almost furry. Her eyes widened at the sudden touch. She glanced over at what she had touched. And what she saw nearly made her scream.

It was a small creature, none of which the likes she had seen before. It stood on two legs and was covered in feathers, which reminded her of a bird. But the thing's eyes were wide and red-colored and its mouth was open, showing rows of sharp teeth. And it wasn't alone. All around it, other animals of the same species were approaching the area, making sounds that almost resemble a bird's chirp.

Darcy scrambled to get up to her feet, trying to get away from the strange beasts. She tripped and fell into the ground. The creatures approached her, chirping several times. When one of them got too close, Darcy defended herself by slamming her foot into the creature's body and knocked it into the ground.

"Get away from me, you horrid beasts!" Darcy yelled at them, as if they understood her words.

The creatures still standing tilted their heads in curiosity. The one that Darcy just kicked was back on its feet. It lifted up its arms, which both ended in a single claw, almost like a vicious hook, and let out a louder call. The other creatures immediately raised their claws and Darcy feared the worse and let out a scream.

Just then, there was the sound of heavy footsteps headed her way. Darcy didn't have time to look back. Whoever had heard her scream had arrived onto the scene. It was a man she had never met before. He held what looked to be an old sword. He ran past Darcy and waved the sword at the creatures that were approaching her.

"Back! Get back, you bloody monsters!" The man shouted, keeping the sharp tip of the blade pointed against the creatures.

The animals took a few steps back, but they didn't run off. They chirped again, almost like they were confused. The man waved the sword close to them, nearly striking one in the process. But the creatures still came. It was like they had no fear of man or didn't understand what the man was trying to do.

"I said back!" The man struck forward with the sword. The blade narrowly missed one of the creatures and struck into the ground, centimeters away from another animal's foot.

The creatures seemed to get the message. Screeching loudly, they immediately turned and ran off.

Darcy stared in astonishment as the strange creatures took off, disappearing into the thick foliage. She slowly picked herself up off the ground and turned her head towards the man who came to her rescue. Although the man still had a glare facing towards where the creatures had taken off, she still felt compelled to approach him. What skill and courage this man must have to face such a terrible threat and drive it away...

The man lowered his arm so that the sword rested harmlessly at his side. He turned his head over and saw Darcy approaching him. "Are you all right?" He asked in a gentle tone.

"Yes...I am." Darcy said. "Thank you..."

The man put away his sword, sliding it into a sheath he had strapped around his waist. "May I ask what a fair young lass like yourself is doing out here, all alone?"

Darcy shifted her posture uneasily at the question. She bit her lip, not wanting to think about the events that lead to her getting on that doomed ship. "..I just got here..."

The man's expression changed to that of surprise. "You mean you shipwrecked here?" A nod from the girl answered his question. "Oh I'm so sorry that happened to you." In an attempt to comfort the young girl, the man asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Darcy shrugged her shoulders. "I...I don't know, sir."

There was a moment of silence. Darcy still remained surprised by this man's sudden appearance. But how he was able to arrive so quickly didn't matter anymore. He had managed to save her and she was grateful for that.

"My name is Elijah." The man said, placing a hand on his chest to indicate himself. He then motioned towards the girl. "And who might you be...?"

Darcy hesitated slightly before she gave her answer. "It's...Darcy."

"Darcy, is it?" Elijah smiled softly. Darcy nodded her head. "Such a nice name for a girl like yourself..." Elijah said to himself.

"So what were you doing out here, anyway? Did I...interrupt anything?"

Elijah chuckled lightheartedly. "Why no, you haven't. I was just on my way to Black Fish Tavern when I heard your screams."

"Black Fish Tavern? You mean...there are people here?"

"Well yes..." Elijah suddenly scowled softly. "If you can call most of the people on this forsaken island 'people'..." Elijah quickly cleared his throat. "Sorry about that... I..haven't quite gotten used to this place. I'm not from around here, either."

The girl was confused by Elijah's sudden change in voice in his statement. What did he mean by what he had said? From the way he was talking, it was almost as if he was implying that the people of this island were all...abnormal. And that couldn't be right...could it?

So this island was inhabited... That was a relief to Darcy. She was worried that she was stuck on some uninhabited island with no chance of getting off. Seeing this man did calm her fears of being alone, but until he had confirmed that there were, in fact, other people on the island, she was worried he was the only person. As soon as she got the chance, she could ask someone on the island where the docks were. Surely these people had a mode of transportation if someone like Elijah could get to the island...

Elijah didn't dwell on the subject too long. "Anyway, I should be on my way. I want to get to Black Fish Tavern before nightfall."

Darcy looked up at the sky. The sun was still high overhead. "It is going to take you that long to reach it?"

"I...don't really know. It just depends on how many more creatures we would run into..." Elijah said.

Darcy took a step back. "We? Creatures?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I should have asked you first." He said apologetically. "Would you like to come with me to Black Fish Tavern? It's...probably not a place for you, but it's safer than out here with those monsters."

Darcy felt a little relieved that Elijah had basically offered to take her to a safer area, but the thought of there being other strange beasts on this island, like the ones she had already encountered, was unsettling to her. She began to wonder how the locals dealt with such things.

"You're saying there's more of..those things..?" Darcy asked.

Elijah frowned and nodded his head. "I'm afraid so. And those were just weaklings I fought off. There's some monsters here that could swallow you alive if they wished."

Darcy gulped and rubbed her throat as she imagined seeing such an enormous creature barreling towards her. "And..what were those things?"

"The people here call them dinosaurs. I call them dragons. There's no difference."

"Dragons..." Darcy repeated under her breath. She had thought they were only a myth, created for fantasy stories. She felt unsettled at the thought of dragons being a reality. What a nightmarish thought that was...

She decided not to dwell on this subject anymore. She took a look around the area again. "So, where are we, exactly? You seem to know your way around here... So where am I?"

"The name of the island or the name of the forest we are currently in?"

"Both..I suppose."

"Well, the island's name, as the locals call it, is Dinotopia." Elijah said, his voice slightly tinged by anger as he said the name 'Dinotopia'. "And the forest we are in is Blackwood Flats."

Darcy nodded her head as she took in this new information. Dinotopia...that sounded like a variant of that other strange name the man had given her: dinosaur. If the island was as infested with these monsters as Elijah had hinted, then the inhabitants of this island chose the name well. "And how are you going to get to Black Fish Tavern?"

Elijah pointed to the sandbank where the waves from the sea splashed. "I just follow that bank to Jubila River, then cross that river, and then I continue to follow the shoreline. Black Fish Tavern isn't far from there. It isn't too hard to find. The only other place there is Spiker."

Darcy nodded her head again. "Sounds easy enough to remember."

"So...do you want to come with me?" Elijah asked.

Darcy said, "No..not now. I...want to get something to eat first." She heard her stomach growl. She remembered the bird calls from earlier. "I'll probably go hunting. My father taught me how."

Elijah nodded his head. "Well, my advice for you is to stick to the river over there." He pointed to the river that Darcy hadn't noticed until now. "It might be easier for you to find something that way. Oh and another thing..."

"What is it?" Darcy asked.

"...don't let yourself be seen when you hunt."

"What...?" Darcy was confused. "Why not?"

"Just...don't let yourself be seen..okay?" Elijah said again. "Anyway, I must get going. I wish you the best of luck."