A.N. Hey guys. Darksage and Marc-Ello here with the next chapter in TWoF. Just want to let you guys know, but we have been pretty busy as of late with real life stuff. So our rate of posting chapters will be lengthened a bit. However, that doesn't mean we are giving up on DaPPA. So if we do not post anything on time in the near future, it's because we're taking care of some things.

Hazel awoke to the sounds of soft breathing and waves crashing. Her hand twitched, feeling the soft fabric of the sleeping bag she was on. Slowly opening her eyes, she found she was looking up at gray streaks marring a turquoise blue. Hints of yellow were on the grayish white balls, signifying morning.

She took a quick glance at her chest. Her sleeping bag had partially covered her body. Her attire showed some creases, meaning she had been moving around in her sleep. Closing her eyes again, she tried to recall if she had any dreams. No thought or memory came up.

Hazel turned over to her side. She slowly moved to another part of the sleeping bag. Instead of fabric, her fingers touched something solid, yet soft. She moved them again. They were warm. A twitch from them and they interlocked with hers. The scent of sea mist and faint spice came at her.

Her eyes snapped open. Instead of looking out into the ocean, she found a man sleeping next to her. Her breathing had gone ragged for a moment and then relaxed.

"Oh. That's right," she blushed.

Hazel snuggled closer to him, with Daniel surprisingly responding by holding her close. The feel of his heartbeat pumped on her skin faintly. She made a tiny sound as her insides went aflutter. The woman's left hand once again felt the familiar adrenaline rush.

"Good morning," he said tiredly.

"Morning dear," she responded in kind. She gasped when she caught herself on that phrase. "Oh sorry. Is it okay if I-"

"I think considering the circumstances, that's fine."

The leader-to-be chuckled lightly. "Okay phew. Good heh."

She felt him move his head. Sensing what it was, she moved slightly so she could look at him. His warm gaze met hers and she felt herself heat up even more.

"I did call you 'baby girl' last night. If you're okay with that."

"You did?" she felt herself blush. "Well um...I've never been called that."

"I've been called 'Baby Doll', 'Cutie Pie', and 'Baby' before. But that's a new one," she commented to herself.

"Unless you don't like it then that's fine," he suggested calmly.

"No no. I like it," she responded with a smile.

Daniel acknowledged it with a kiss on her forehead. Hazel couldn't help but giggle. They had a moment of relishing their embrace before Hazel sat up. She outstretched her arms and interlocked them, a crack sounding off from her knuckles and wrists as she rolled and moved them. She then felt for her phone right next to her in the sleeping bag. Grabbing it, she held it up to use it as a mirror. The darkened, reflective screen showed a woman with unkempt hair. Strands of hair lifted as a breeze wafted passed. There were tangles and knots in parts of her hair. One part of it seemed quite flat in contrast to the other.

"Ah shit," she said with spirit dampened, "my hair's a mess."

The man sat up and hugged her. Hazel moved her face a little so her cheek would softly rub him affectionately.

"No. It actually looks good."

"Aw thank you...but I can't travel like this. Must be the salt in the air. Or the breeze."

Daniel placed his hand on her left cheek and slowly turned her to him. "Well regardless, you look good."

Hazel beamed at him. The two of them leaned in, their lips about to touch, when they heard wing beats off to the side. They looked over and found their Pteranodon partners land before them. The two flyers glanced at each other oddly. Actually, they looked a little excited with a pep in their step, er...wing.

Regardless of this new mood, Hazel and Daniel couldn't help but give them disappointed looks as their private moment was interrupted. Shrugging off their ruined moment, they made their way to their friends.

"Ah, it seems they're finally awake. You both overslept," Flia greeted smugly.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Good morning to you too. We need all the rest we can get."

"Eh you can say it that way," Aeros responded with a chuckle and a wink. "We know what happened last night."

The two humans gawked and glanced at each other, their privacy clearly invaded without their knowledge. They didn't get "down to it". God they're not ready for that, and it was a good thing they had the good sense to maintain control last night. They merely reveled in each other's company, so to speak.

"Uh...no you don't," she tried to deny it.

Flia smirked. "Yes we do. Don't worry, we didn't linger. We knew to give you both space."

Despite hearing that comforting testament, Hazel was still miffed their privacy was still invaded. As a result, she strode up, balled a fist, and punched the female pterosaur on the side. The female gasped and groaned, almost falling against Aeros. The male Pteranodon had caught her on time before they both fell on the rocks.

"Hey! Take it easy!" Daniel pulled Hazel back and hugged her to calm her down. Her breath was ragged and seethed with stoked rage.

"Ow!" Flia complaint with another grunt. "That hurt!"

"You spied on us!"

"Not intentionally!"

"Alright enough!" the man declared and then turned to his new girlfriend. "Calm down, okay?"

Hazel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her anger dying down, she composed herself until she was of a better mind. "Sorry," she turned her attention to Flia. "I didn't mean to hit that hard..."

Flia made another groan, one wing on her side. "Well if it will calm you down, Aeros and I had our own business to attend to."

The Asian raised a brow. "Business?"

Their answer was subtle, but still straightforward. The two Pteranodons gave each other a sly glance before snuggling their crested heads together. The affectionate reactions they gave and happy expressions gave away one conclusion, and that made Hazel squeal in excitement.

"Oh my gosh! You two are together!?" she beamed happily.

"It would appear so, yes," Aeros confirmed, giving Flia an affectionate nuzzle with the side of his beak.

Daniel laughed and gave Aeros a playful slap on the side, a hit that only startled the red Pteranodon. "Ah ha nice Aeros! I'm proud of you, buddy."

"Me too! Wait'll the others hear about this back at home," the giddy woman announced.

"We'll handle the news regarding the two of us," Flia reassured them, "but we'll leave the news of you two to yourselves."

"Yeah okay," went Hazel, glad that her friend was being sensible in that regard. "Did you guys eat yet? Where are Windsor, Zephyr and Amaya?"

"We already did," said Aeros. "And those three are getting their own food. They'll be ready to go shortly. So I suggest you both get something to eat."

The man gave his love a knowing glance. "I have egg sandwiches."

"You do?" Hazel inquired with suspicion.

"One has sharp cheddar cheese, mustard, and sriracha."

Hazel smiled and kissed him on the cheek. A smile formed on his handsome face.

"You know me so well."

The two of them had their breakfast while their partners went to the Early Cretaceous denizens to make their preparations. The egg sandwich was basically a scrambled egg with a generous amount of sharp cheddar cheese and the sauces Hazel liked. It was tangy, cheesy, and spicy, just the way she preferred it if it were scrambled and not an omelet or sunny-side up. Hazel also had an apple, which was a crispy, yet soft red delicious. Hazel was quite pleased with the breakfast, but more so about how thoughtful Daniel was the whole time they were here in this time period.

Once breakfast was done, they went straight to packing their supplies. It didn't take more than fifteen minutes. They also put on sunscreen, which was part of the routine anyway. They met Flia and Aeros over at the top of the slope, where they took them to another part of the cliff where they met up with Zephyr and Amaya. The two of them asked what they did the night before. Embarrassed again, Hazel was about to yell at them for delving into private topics when Daniel stepped in. He told them they rested well, simple as that. The Tapejara had their doubts and giggled, with Windsor reeling them back by telling them to "leave the humans be".

The elder Tropeognathus gave them the rundown. Once they leave, they won't stop until they get to the other side. "The wind was good and will surely carry them", he emphasized. They'll follow the usual V-formation they've been doing and he will continue as navigator. There will be absolutely no fishing, no matter how hard the urge. Hazel then let them know they would handle the food issue; if anyone needed something to eat, they only needed to go to either her or Daniel.

With any luck, they'll be able to get to the other side by late afternoon. As she looked out to the ocean, Hazel felt her gut churning. Sure, they were practically island hopping all the way from South America to North America and that was a bit stressful, but at least they had places to stop. Now, there wouldn't be any. It would be the big ocean blue for miles around. Her insides churned inside out, giving her a bit of nausea. She wanted to faint there, until she felt someone grasp her hand tightly.

When she looked to see who did that, she saw Daniel giving her a supportive gaze. He didn't need to say anything. Hazel knew what he was telling her.

Everything was going to be okay.

She smiled in return. She steeled her insides and braved the sensations. With the plan in place, the group took their places on the cliff face. Windsor took off first, followed by Zephyr and Amaya, who flanked him on both sides. Flia and Aeros went last, with their riders in tow. They left the continent of North America behind. Ahead was nothing but the young Atlantic.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been three hours since they left North America. Hazel hung onto her saddle reins tightly, her eyes constantly scanning the sea below. They did pass by other pterosaur making their flight in the same direction, only for them to break off formation later. Below on the water surface, Hazel spotted some marine reptiles swimming, but none too dangerous. Plesiosaurs and pliosaurs they saw were much too small to be threats. She also spotted a shark or two.

Hazel shuddered. Sharks have been around since before the dinosaurs. She's seen sharks before, but in aquariums and, in a few instances, out in the wild (where she was safely away from them).

The ocean was unpredictable. It never stayed the same. Parts were quiet and slow, but others were wild. Waves broke above the surface, sea foam forming from when they crashed. Shapes of white immediately faded, their sea mosaic being nothing more than a memory. The sea was beautiful, but dangerous. Blue, gray, and hints of green due to the little seaweed for miles around.

It was partly cloudy with no betrayal of storm clouds coming towards them. However, there were storm clouds off to their right. Hazel could see the lightning and faintly hear thunder. They were dark, with streams of gray falling. Hazel could clearly see that it was a bad storm. Thankfully, the wind was blowing behind them. There was no way the storm would get to them. Still, she couldn't help but dwell on how bad it would be if they were caught in something like that.

"Hazel, I'm hungry. Can you pass me a fish?"

"Huh? Oh!" Hazel broke out of her trance. She was a little lightheaded from staring out at the storm, but quickly recovered. "Sorry."

"You okay?" asked the concerned Flia, who noticed the spaced out look Hazel had before.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm okay. Right, fish."

Her hand fell to the cooler that was strapped to Flia's side. Using some crawling and careful moving, she was able to unzip the cooler. She shivered when she had touched a number of the ice cubes and when her skin felt the cold scales. Gripping the slippery dead creature, she crawled ahead and stretched to put the fish into her friend's beak. Flia snapped her beak multiple times before swallowing.

"Thanks," she told her.

"Anytime."

Suddenly, a series of caws sounded from behind them. Looking over, Hazel could clearly see three moving V's coming towards them. They weren't as large as any of the pterosaurs in their group, being about the size of human children. However, their wingspans made up for their lack in size.

They looked similar in appearance to Windsor with a few differences other than the size. They sported light brown feathered downs with orangish-brown heads. They sported the same paddle crests on the beak, but they were smaller to match their stature. Like Windsor, they lacked any sign of a head crest. Hazel's mind screamed Uktenadactylus. These three were getting a little too close to them very quickly...and they did not look friendly.

"Oh shit. I think they're after the fish!" Hazel quickly moved over to the cooler and sipped it shut.

Unfortunately, she underestimated the amount of time she had. They had arrived on her and Flia sooner than she expected. The small flock started getting at the cooler as well as attacking the girls. One of them bit into the cooler and worked to rip it off while two of them kept Hazel and Flia occupied.

"Ow! Hey stop!" Flia shrieked as her body was being bombarded by pecks and wing slaps. "Leave us alone!"

"Rah assholes! Go away!" Hazel unsheathed her dagger and started swiping at them while keeping her balance on the saddle. She was used to fighting opponents from the air, but not opponents in the air.

With the disturbance occurring with Hazel and Flia, the rest of the Flock quickly took notice. The ones most concerned were Aeros and Daniel.

"Hazel! Hold on, we're coming!" Daniel hollered.

The Uktenadactylus that was getting at the cooler used his beak to rip it open, zipper and all like a terrier on a stuffed toy. The strap on the cooler as well as the rope that held it steady on the saddle had been ripped apart. The resulting action had also caused Flia to lose balance and tip over to the side, with Hazel falling with her. She felt her body lift up from Flia's saddle. The woman sheathed her dagger and grabbed for the reins. Gripping the reins tightly, she did her best to remain on the saddle. The fish that fell out of the cooler caused the smaller pterosaurs to fly after them.

The two Uktenadactylus that attacked Hazel and Flia were suddenly knocked out of the air by Aeros. As a result, those two fell unconscious. Fate was left to them on whether they would survive or drown.

Drowning was no issue for Hazel. She was perfectly capable of swimming. Her real problem was getting out in time before some large creature saw her and Flia as lunch. And that only made Hazel scream even more.

"Fuck! Flia!" Hazel screamed.

"Hold on!"

Flia did a quick turn in the air and dove after the slippery prey that fell from their pack.

"I'm going to save what I can!"

"No, don't! Leave them! Don't go to the water!"

But her warning went unheard. Flia rose and dove, her beak snapping at the fish that were in the air. Below them, the sea got ever closer. Where they were once nearly a hundred feet in the air, now they were nearing the surface. Flia failed to get the majority, but she did get four in one swoop, despite Hazel's constant protests.

The cooler fell into the ocean and the remaining pterosaur bully that flew parallel to them reaped at the spoils inside. Flia angled herself upwards until they were a good twenty feet above the water.

Hazel was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a sudden burst from the water surface caused her and Flia to gasp in horror. A giant shape had appeared and swallowed the nearby Uktenadactylus and the cooler in one bite.

"Holy-!" she was about to curse when the water below them broke. A giant shape similar to the other one appeared. Its maw was wide open with sharp teeth.

"Fuck!"

With a flap of her wings and spin outside the jaw, the girls barely dodged the beast. The giant jaws shut, spraying bits of water and saliva on both sides, drenching those that were unfortunate to be in the path. While they were preserved from meeting the sharp teeth, Flia's quick movement had caused the unprepared Hazel to slip off the saddle and dangle from one of the reins by one hand. This also caused Flia to lose balance and swerve off to the side.

"Hazel!" Flia shrieked, the sudden weight on the side hurting her slightly.

The female Pteranodon did her best to fly straight, but due to Hazel's weight on one side, she was going off tangent. Her awkward flight pattern was also getting them far too close to the water surface.

"Agh! Help! Flia, I can't get up!" screamed the dangling Hazel.

She shrieked again when she felt something wet touch her foot. Looking down, she saw her foot nearly submerged into the ocean. If nothing was done, they would fall into the ocean and become easy prey for the sea monsters. The sickening gut feeling returned and overcame Hazel's very being. They were about to become a marine reptile's two course to-go meal.

"Hazel, pull yourself up and I'll swing you over!"

Hazel did as she was told but to no avail. Her bag was practically weighing her down. Not only that, but there wasn't a good spot for her to get a foothold on. Hazel was panicking at a level she never had experienced before.

"I'm trying!" she cried, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

Flia swerved again due to Hazel's rigid movements. The woman bobbed on the surface, drenching both of her legs. Hazel just continued to scream. Her fear of the open ocean was now in full effect.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel's heart stopped when he saw Hazel fall from her saddle. Just her dangling from the side, Flia leaning so far off that she was going in that direction, and the fact that they were just skimming the top of the water surface was horrifying enough. Hazel was afraid of the open ocean. This whole time, she was fighting off that fear as best as she could. He tried to get her to call off and go home, but stubborn as she was, she stayed to help Windsor on his migration. He regretted not being more forefront about it.

Now, his own lover may very well meet her end. The monster, the Pliosaur it looked like, was nearly 80 feet long, though he couldn't be sure as part of its body was still submerged and the white sea foam cloaked its true size. Its top was dark blue with grey splotches on the underside, colors that would give it camouflage in the sea. The teeth were spaced out and interlocked in the missing gaps, much like a crocodile. Only this was much more dangerous than a run on the mill crocodile.

"We need to get to them now!" Daniel gripped the sides of Aeros tighter, a signal that he wanted his partner to hurry.

Aeros zoomed ahead without argument. Zipping on their flanks were both Zephyr and Amaya, who dove down to the Pliosaur. The two Tapejara flanked the beast and started to peck at its hide while keeping up with its swimming speed. The marine reptile reared its oversized head to let out a roar of annoyance. Its head swished from side to side, its jaw snapping at air as it tried to nab at the pterosaurs that annoyed it. The Tapejara were too quick for it; when the creature bit in the air, they flew to another side of the body to attack.

As Daniel and Aeros flew to stay in line with the desperate girls, Windsor had arrived and glided above them. He then slowed to get behind Flia before diving down. Leveling off, he was then nearly below Flia, his back nearly touching the water surface. He was just about a foot away from the small feet of Hazel.

"Windsor!" Daniel heard Hazel cry out as she noticed the giant shape below them.

"Don't worry kid, I'm here to help!" the old flyer told them.

Getting an idea, the man urged Aeros to flank the girls on the left side.

"Aeros, get me a little closer so I can get on Flia."

"Right!"

The red Pteranodon carried out the action, which attracted the attention of a shocked Flia.

"What are you doing!?" she hollered out at the boys.

"Saving your lives!" Aeros was the first to answer. "Flia, Daniel is going to walk over you. When he does, I want you to put your weight on me. Don't worry, I'll catch you."

Another roar sounded off behind them, followed by a series of loud slaps, splashes, and caws. Looking over, they found the Pliosaur had broken away from the Tapejara couple's distraction. It had done a barrel roll while slapping the surface with its flippers, making the pterosaurs fly out of the way from its wild appendages. The creature had resumed its chase.

Seeing the situation now even more dire, Flia nodded her head. "Alright, I trust you. Daniel, do it now!"

Aeros flew close enough for the human on his back to board the female. With Daniel's added weight, Flia had sunk lower by a foot or so and struggled to remain aloft with the surprising new weight. Daniel had nearly fallen off when he quickly crouched to maintain balance. She was preserved when Aeros had flown under her and supported her weight. This caused the two of them to rise back to their original altitude.

Staying low and using his arms and legs, Daniel was able to crawl over Flia's back before sliding over to her other wing. Looking over, he saw Hazel dangling right below him by the rein. He reached out for her hand.

"Baby girl, grab my hand!"

Hazel used whatever strength she had to reach for him. She grabbed at him, but slipped. Her small hand was wet, whether by the seawater or sweat, he didn't know. She tried again. This time, he used his other hand to secure hers. Using his strength, he lifted her up.

"Windsor! I've got her!" Daniel called to the elder pterosaur.

On that cue, the Tropeognathus moved forward until he was parallel with Flia. With a small flap, he rose a bit until Hazel's feet were touching his back. Daniel began to let Hazel down gently with the new support now in place.

"Okay, Windsor is in position! Get to his back!"

He let go of her small, gentle hand. The woman dropped with a grunt on the pterosaur's wing. Windsor let out a strained screech with Hazel's added weight before regaining his balance with a brief uplift. Hazel quickly monkey-crawled on his back until she was directly below his nape. Her arms then draped around his spindly neck for support.

Seeing his chance, Daniel moved off Flia and dropped onto Windsor. Again, the pterosaur let out a screech and, for a brief moment, splashed on the ocean surface. The seawater sprayed onto the human's clothes, but that was the least of their worries. Daniel positioned himself until he was next to Hazel, his arm draping over her form. The splashing behind them and the roaring waves could only point to the Pliosaur coming ever closer.

"Go go go!" Daniel shouted.

Aeros flapped madly to gain altitude. His sudden action and Daniel's cue prompted Flia to do the same. Windsor, being much bigger than the two Pteranodons, did a sharp turn towards the left. The Pliosaur's giant jaws had broken the surface and snapped right next to him, missing the wing membrane by an inch. With a series of flaps, Windsor lifted himself on the wind to join the Pteranodon couple. Flanking alongside them were Zephyr and Amaya, having caught up to the group and recovered from their planned assault. They quickly reformed the V-formation, with Aeros in the lead and Windsor all the way in the back left.

"Whoo! Bravo! Bravo! That is teamwork, eh?" Zephyr cheered. His mate agreed with a smirk.

"Yes mi amor, teamwork."

"We sure showed him! Ha! We need to do this more often!"

Flia shuddered at that notion. Her tone then became angry. "Ew...that was too close...if those bullies didn't come at us, this would have never happened!"

"They got what was coming for them," Aeros quelled her anger as he glanced over his shoulder. "No use dwelling on the past."

Her anger singed, she deflated and huffed. "Ugh I suppose you're right."

"Are you okay?" he inquired his new mate.

"I will be," she nearly grumbled, "after a good night's sleep. What about the other two?"

They glanced over to see the two humans on Windsor's back. The elderly pterosaur didn't do the same as he was too focused on flying. Though, if they could guess, he was feeling rather unsure of himself since he has two unknown creatures riding on him. Daniel was hugging Hazel, her back trembling meant she was crying softly in his arms.

"They'll be fine," the red flyer informed Hazel's partner.

Wanting to make sure, Flia slowed her flight and flanked Windsor, eyeing the crying Hazel with concern.

"Hazel, do you want to return on me?"

The woman didn't give a worded response, save for a brief gasp and a sob.

Daniel stroked her back and gave Flia an acknowledged look. "It's okay. I'll keep an eye on her."

The Cretaceous pterosaur blinked. Movement from the front made her look at Aeros. He gave her a nod and a reassuring smile. She sighed and retreated back to her position. It was uneventful for the rest of the flight. The stormy clouds they witnessed earlier were now so far off in the distance that the sky had a near perfect clear day. There were a few gusts here and there, but nothing the group couldn't handle.

By late afternoon, they made landfall on the first island they saw; an island that was no doubt part of what would soon become Europe. It had a mini forest and was surrounded by white sand on the shore. They chose this splotch of land as a good spot to rest. All was quiet that night, with the crying Hazel having fallen asleep not long after they arrived. For the whole night, Daniel held her close, watching over her as she slept until he too fell into slumber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, after resting on the island, the group continued onwards through the other islands until they got to the mainland. The area they arrived in was filled with vegetation and had many rocky glades splotched in various parts of the landmass. Some of them had ponds here and there. Hazel had offhandedly said that this place would one day become Spain.

They found a green glade with rocky patches and a lake nearby. Seeing its promise, they decided to use this area to rest. While Windsor, Zephyr, and Amaya left to go fishing, the others remained behind. It was at this time that two certain individuals had voiced their concerns to the victims of yesterday.

"I'd feel a lot better if you and Flia went back home."

"No way. We're not leaving you two on this," Hazel adamantly replied.

"Baby girl, you were almost eaten!" Daniel rebuked with worry.

"But I'm okay now, thanks to you and everybody!" she waved her hands at him and then to the rest around her.

Daniel rushed up to hug her, with the woman returning it. Hazel raised her arms, attempting to push him away, but found them falling on his sides and interlocking on his back.

"I admire your conviction to continue. But I can't risk you endangering yourself for the rest of the way. Aeros and I will take care of the rest. You two have been through enough."

Hazel face palmed and pinched the bridge of her nose, her face looking down before eyeing her new boyfriend. "I'm not sure how many times I need to say this. We made a promise to see this through and we're keeping it. Another couple of days and we'll be there. We can do this!"

"Hazel is right, it's not much further now. I'm prepared for it," Flia seconded, earning a prideful smirk from the woman.

That was when Aeros decided to step in as well. "You say Hazel is right, but so is Daniel," he then gently slapped Flia on the back with his winged appendage. "Love-wing, you've been through much. It's time to rest."

The female gave him a suspicious glare. "Love-wing?"

Aeros caught himself and stammered a response. "Oh uh...well...Daniel gave his mate a name. Why can't I?"

She gave him a playful smirk, which was also hiding her slight irritation. "We'll talk more on that later," she then took on a more serious tone. "Hazel and I are staying."

"I was the one that suggested we accompany Windsor. I intend to see it through," the Asian said. She unsheathed her dagger and waved its blade up. It was a miracle this thing had not fallen into the ocean back when they were attacked yesterday. She had secured it just before they had lost balance.

"I can defend myself."

Meeting her gaze, Daniel could see he was not going to get anywhere with this argument. He expected this sort of thing. Hazel was not one to back down unless it was appropriate. He rubbed his temples and smiled, accepting defeat. However, that didn't mean his worry inside was abated. He told himself he will have to keep a closer watch on her.

"Well...can't say I tried. Fine, but you're not participating in any more action for the duration of the trip."

Hazel responded with a grumble. "Fine..."

"That goes for you too," Aeros said, eyeing an appalled Flia.

"Agh! Excuse me!?"

"We can continue with this argument if you'd like," he responded haughtily," I have enough stamina for it."

Flia growled. She stamped one of her wings and voiced out her response, which unfortunately came out incomplete until she finally said something coherent. "Uh...why...you...oh alright. Fine. But I expect you to perform at your best. And it better be attractive in my eyes!"

Aeros chuckled. "Flia, anything I do is attractive to you."

His reply came in the form of a grumble.

Flia was about to retort when her eyes went wide. Her crested head pointed towards a particular portion of the surrounding forest, with the others looking in that direction.

"What's that?"

However, none of them saw anything.

"What did you see?" Hazel asked, trying to make out anything from beyond the bushes and other vegetation, only to see nothing.

"I don't know. But it was fast."

*rustle*

Daniel quickly turned around, the sound coming from behind him. Through the foliage, he saw something bigger than him zip through before it too disappeared. He froze, recognizing the stance the creature took. It was only a brief moment, but he'd recognize that bipedal stance anywhere.

"Hazel, get on Flia, now," he told her cautiously.

"Why? What's going on?" she voiced her inquiry.

He firmly, but gently, grabbed her on the shoulder with his other hand on her back and pushed towards Flia, his gaze still locked on that part of the forest. "We're moving. Now!"

Hazel didn't argue any further. She climbed onto Flia's back and the two of them took off from the rock they were on. Daniel and Aeros did the same and flew so that they had the girls in their sights. Once they were well above the rocky glade, they saw a group of 13 or so white, yellow, and black shapes moving through the trees.

"They're raptors!" Daniel voiced out his guess. "But I've never seen raptors this big before!"

While most raptors he came across were small, about the size of a human child, these were the biggest ones he'd ever come across, fossil or otherwise. They were nearly his height, with a few being over by a scant few inches if he had to guess. However, their length and body mass were another matter. They were about the size of polar bears, with their tails bypassing the modern day carnivore by quite a lot. They were fast, as they zipped through the trees like colorful motorcycles. Their coloration was white, with yellow markings on their backs and black stripes spanning the rest of their body. Their signature foot claws hung out, ready to deliver killing blows should they have the chance.

It was by then that Hazel managed to deduce what they were. Bipedal and fast.

"They're not just any raptors. They're Utahraptors."

He eyed her curiously on the mention of that name. "Utahraptors? Shouldn't they be in Utah then?"

She shook her head. "North America and Europe were fairly close to each other as we've seen firsthand. As such, it's no surprise they'd be found here too. We should let the others know we need to move to a different spot."

"I see them," Aeros said, "They're just up ahead."

Sure enough, the group made their way towards the three forms that were circling above what seemed to be another open rocky glade. This area was much like the one they were in, except it was bigger and had more rocks. The jaggedness and flat surfaces of the rocks made it look like any predator could make an ambush anywhere and then chase after the prey. There were sparsely-leaved trees dotting the area as well as a number of small ponds, making it a good place for a herd to refresh themselves.

However, it was what was residing in the place that intrigued the group. These ones were much like the Iguanodons they encountered back in North America, however there were a lot of key differences. These ones were bigger and had more body mass. Their hides were a lime-green with hints of dirty yellow and black stripes on their backs. Much like their North American cousins, these ones were mainly quadrupedal and going bipedal if they were running or rearing back for a better vantage point or to reach something that was far above the ground.

The herd here was oblivious to the coming danger.

Once the small group met up with the trio of Early Cretaceous pterosaurs, they found that they were admiring the giants below after their brief fishing trip.

"I have never seen giants up close before. Oh it is good you spotted these, mi amor," said an awestruck Amaya.

"But of course," the male clacked his beak against hers in affection, "anything for you."

"Can we go now?" said an unamused and bored Windsor. "I'd very much like to rest."

"Preferably not around here," Aeros managed to say as they caught up to the trio.

The pterosaurs all reformed their formation as they continued to circle above the glade.

"Oh! You're here! Do you want to see them too? We can remain for a little longer," Zephyr offered.

"Not this time," the red Pteranodon said quickly. "There's a raptor pack coming."

"Oh shit...they're here..." Hazel breathed in horror.

Hazel had her eye on a specific rock on the side of the glade. Once they got closer, they saw that a small, lithe form had perched itself on the blanched boulder. On both sides of the rock were two more raptors like the small one. Grazing obviously nearby was a giant bull.

"They're here for the herd," Hazel said.

"Oh no...we can't just leave them like this. We need to at least warn them!" Flia couldn't help but cry out in concern.

"You two hang back with the others. Aeros and I will handle it," Daniel offered with a salute. The two males flew on ahead, leaving the girls with the Early Cretaceous denizens.

Daniel and Aeros had quickly planned out their process. The man initially considered attempting to rescue this herd, but didn't want to risk any backlash for pulling it off without Hazel's input. If they were going to rescue them for the park, he thought his girlfriend would let him know. Also, he understood that raptors were just like any other living creature; they were doing what they must to survive.

This herd was not on their rescue list, but they didn't want to leave them without at least giving them a warning of the danger. That would give them a fighting chance and eliminate any sort of guilt that would stem from inaction.

Daniel brought his right hand up to his mouth and used his thumb and index finger to create a loud whistle. This caused the herd to look up at the circling pterosaur and human.

"Hey! There's a raptor pack here! You're all in danger!" he warned them.

The herd, more specifically the ones that were closest to them, looked up at the duo. Most of them were staring at them curiously, as they had never seen the likes of them before. The others merely went on to ignore them. However, there was much talk amongst the herd as to why these strangers were there. Daniel really wanted to face palm since they didn't immediately heed that warning.

"What? Raptors?" said a female within the group.

"What are you talking about? I don't see any!" went another female.

"They're just a couple of weirdos trying to psyche us out," said a disgruntled male. "No doubt they want us to make space for them. Find your own spot, freaks!"

"We're not here to steal your grazing space!" Aeros protested, making another circle in the opposite direction. "You're all in danger! You need to leave, now!"

"Wait, they may be serious. What if there are raptors here?" a male surprisingly considered to the rest of the group.

One of the other males snorted. "If there are, then we need to leave."

"Nonsense! I didn't see any on the way here and I don't smell any now!" an older male rebuked, practically spitting on the ground in protest. "Buzz off, wing-heads!"

"No, we're serious! You're all in danger!" Daniel let out a frustrated shout and gesticulated with an arm.

"Run!"

The new voice came from one edge of the herd. A few of the herd members quickly parted and started making startled sounds as this lone bull came running through the group.

"Raptors! They're here!" he announced in a fright.

Just then, streaks of white, yellow, and black came rushing towards this part of the herd. The raspy screech they emitted was enough to bring the herd into a panicked frenzy. Iguanodons fled from left to right. Individuals, both young and old, were practically running in all directions; quite a few of them were unfortunate enough to ram into each other in their efforts to flee. This caused them to fall to the ground with their legs sprawling. Dust kicked up in the air as they attempted to get back up.

The rest of the herd bellowed and issued their own warnings of the danger. Raptors came from all sides of the glade and were going in one direction. They scattered, but only for tactical reasons. They were zeroing in on their prey. Certain herd members were working to get the youngsters towards a safe area. Some raptors thought going after the younglings was a good idea, until they got tossed aside or stabbed by the adults.

While Daniel and Aeros flew above to get their warnings across, Hazel and Flia hung back with the others to watch the situation before them. Hazel couldn't help but smile at Daniel's conviction to have Hazel be spared the hard work. While she was fine doing it herself with Flia, it was admirable. At least he volunteered, and that was a good sign to her. She hoped this kind gesture they were giving would help them get to safety.

"Great Being, I love it when he cocks his head like that..." Flia slightly swooned when Aeros did another sharp turn.

Hazel rolled her eyes and playfully slapped Flia on the side, surprising her. "Easy Flia. We'll have our time with our boys later."

Once the boys did their job circling the area, they returned back to the small group. They reformed their formation and flew away from the glade. Neither of them had any idea what transpired next. Did the herd safely make it away from them? Did one of them fall? Windsor wouldn't let them remain any longer so they had to hurry along. One thing was for sure, at least they gave that herd a chance. They all hoped they made it out alright.

However, for Hazel and Flia, all they thought of was how noble and valiant their mates were. The trip had taken a rocky turn earlier, but was now looking up.