A/N:- Oh. My. God. I am so sorry that this took so long, but I had many computer problems and then the original chapter - which was fifty thousand times better than this - was erased and I need to get back into the swing of Prehistoric Park writing.
I, KingdomHeartsNerd, own nothing; Prehistoric Park, and all related materials, belong to Impossible Pictures; the only thing I own are the OC workers and the names that I have given to unnamed people in the show.
There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we can bring them back? What if extinction didn't have to be forever? We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wild life adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into pre-history to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance.
This time, Nigel and an unwilling Bob, go back 280 million years to rescue a predatory synapsid genus that flourished during the Permian period and find that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.
Welcome to the ultimate wild life sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park.
During Nigel's last adventure, he managed to rescue several species of extinct animals - ranging from a forty foot Sarchosuchus to a fully grown Pteranodon. This time, however, he wants to go back two hundred and eighty millions years, to a time before Dinosaurs ruled the Earth...
"The creature I'm going back for is this," said Nigel, as he turned to Bob and Suzanne. "A Dimetrodon. Maybe not one fully grown," he added, seeing Bob's horrified face. "But certainly one of them. For this I'm going back to Bromacker, in Germany. Two hundred and eighty millions years ago. There are no dinosaurs around - they haven't come into existence yet - but Dimetrodons are just as dangerous. And, there's more."
"More?" asked Bob, who looked ready to faint.
"Yes, Bob, more," laughed Nigel. "You're coming too."
"What?" Bob's eyes bulged and he slumped into a chair. "Nigel!"
"It's the perfect opportunity. Susanne has been, so it's only fair that you come this time."
And that, it seems, is the end of that.
Nigel shut the door behind Bob, who had, reluctantly, climbed into the jeep. Clambering in himself, Nigel waved to Susanne, who laughed, and then slammed his foot down onto the pedal, lurching the car into life. The Time Portal glowed and glistened in the hot autumn sun; shimmering brightly, it gave it's usual whir as the jeep thundered through it.
At this point in time, our distant ancestors rule the land. But, they're not related to Dinosaurs - their descendants will be of a very different kind.
The Time Portal roared into life, the jeep emerging through it. Nigel slammed his foot on the break and the car skidded to a halt. Above them, the sun beat down like a heart; constant and never ending, it was the hottest period of the year - and both Nigel and Bob could feel it.
"Reptiles," said Nigel to Bob. "Have now spread all across the globe; they rule supreme and there is nothing to challenge them yet. Over there," Nigel pointed to some strange sail backed creatures that were basking in the sun. "Edaphosaurus. They're basking in the morning sun. They are three metres long, as big as hippos, and vegetarians. As long as we don't bother them, they won't bother us."
"Good," said Bob. "I'll sit here - in the car. Where it's safe and I can't get eaten."
Nigel laughed, leaping up out of the jeep. "For Edaphosaurus, life in their Permian home is a constant battle with the elements. The climate swings between seasonal extremes. From burning summers - like now - to freezing winters. A new species of plant has evolved, able to withstand this cold, dry atmosphere - they are primitive conifers."
While not a dinosaur - or a Dimetrodon - an idea has struck Nigel.
"Since you don't want to hunt a Dimetrodon with me, why don't you take some cuttings off that tree, so that we can grow our own back at the park; it's safe and you have a clear view of everywhere... just in case something comes along. You can tie the jeep to the tree so that we don't lose it."
"That's a good idea, Nigel," agreed Bob. "We're often feeding the animals on modern day food, some of which may not agree with them."
"Exactly - at least the cuttings of this tree will provide some form of familiarity for the Dimetrodons; it may calm them down. I'll see you later then?"
"See you, Nigel."
While Bob thinks of a way to keep cuttings of a primitive conifer alive, Nigel is off to go hunting - and, for once, he can outrun anything that tries to eat him!
"Edaphosaurus," said Nigel to the camera as he trudged along a steep hill; below, in the valley, Bob was tying the jeep to a tree. "Are, as I said, as big as hippos. Those giants sails on their backs - the same as Dimetrodon - are used for heating. They're sluggish in this early autumn morning chill, but they'll soon warm up. They're related to us, albeit distantly. As mammal like reptiles, it's down to them that we have our own way of controlling body temperature."
But Edaphosaurus aren't the only sailbacks, and now their biggest enemy is one of their own kind. And, Nigel has an idea for the herd.
Nigel, spotting the Dimetrodon, pressed himself back against another tree as he followed the gaze of the Dimetrodon to the Edaphosaurus. "Bob," he said into the walkie talkie.
"Yeah, Nigel?"
"Set up the Time Portal. I want to be able to head back without any trouble; there's a very big Dimetrodon here - and if we have to run, we don't want to waste time."
"Will do, Nigel."
Moments later, Nigel saw the familiar glistening light of the Time Portal flare into life.
"Thanks, Bob," said Nigel, putting the walkie talkie back into his pocket. "That is Dimetrodon; it's a vicious carnivore structurally similar to Edaphosaurus - the same sail and everything. One big difference, however, is this thing has very sharp teeth, is the largest reptile on earth and can run rather quick. Normally, she'd attack the big ones. Let's see what she does today. Normally, I'd try and get her back to the park now... but I'm going to watch and wait this time as it will give me a way to learn about attack patterns and formulate a plan to bring one back to the present and the safety of the park."
The Dimetrodon charged, racing towards the herd.
"There! This is only a mock charge though; a tactic to disperse the group and expose the young and the vulnerable. And look, the Edaphosaurus - all the sails have flushed with blood; it's an eyespot, to lure the Dimetrodon's attention away from their heads. Unfortunately, Dimetrodon can see through the disguise; she's off again, look!"
Nigel was right.
The Dimetrodon charged for the herd, which scattered, racing down the valley towards Bob, the jeep and the Time Portal. While they flee, the Dimetrodon chooses her target; a youngster.
It charges again, catching up to the wailing youngster with ease. Grabbing it by the head, it bites down, crushing the neck and immobilising its victim. For now, at least, she has food.
"The Dimetrodon has a killer edge to go along with her sheer size and power. Blimey, this will be a real specimen for the park. I'd better warn Bob. Bob, come in, over!"
"What is it Nigel?"
"Get in the jeep - there's a whole herd of Edaphosaurus heading your way!"
"Nigel!"
Nigel heard the door of the jeep slam, heard Bob cry out in shock and heard the familiar whirring of the Time Portal.
"How many are there, Nigel?"
"A herd of thirty at least! You can go back with them, if you want - see them into the park!"
"Nigel!"
Nigel merely laughed, putting down the walkie talkie again and watching the Dimetrodon. "She's like the Edaphosaurus. As a mammal like reptile, she's evolved specialised teeth. The incisors tear off chunks of flesh, serrated canines cut and slice, just like our teeth. We inherited them."
The young Edaphosaurus didn't stand a chance and this is a vital kill for the Dimetrodon. Before she lays, she needs to eat enough to last her seven months. To increase the chances off her offspring surviving, she's evolved a basic type of parental care; guarding her eggs.
"Look, look!" cried Nigel. "There's more now; males this time - highly aggressive, willing to fight to the death for food. The female knows better than to guard her kill. There'll be nothing left and she knows it; Dimetrodon eat ninety percent of a carcass and modern day lions only eat seventy percent. They'll throw out the rubbish, dung, for example, and then eat the rest."
Nigel scrambled to his feet, following after the female Dimetrodon.
"The Dimetrodon we saw before," said Nigel, rounding a tree and stopping dead in his tracks. "She's over there - she's built a nest of wood and earth; down below is a burrow, in which the eggs lay. And look, her first challenge. Over there, it's a Seymouria - an egg-stealing Reptiliomorph, a carnivorous amphibian. It'll be a great addition to Prehistoric Park. Unfortunately for him, he's too small to make a frontal attack on the eggs. He'll bide his time... just until the mother turns her back."
The mother Dimetrodon must constantly monitor the nests attention; temperature control is vital for reptiles even before they hatch. The mother piles on more earth if the babies are too cold, and will remove a layer if they're too warm. Otherwise, the babies will die. For now though, Nigel needs to return to Prehistoric Park, where Bob and Susanne are settling in Nigel's new arrivals.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" said Nigel, arriving back in the park and looking down at the herd of Edaphosaurus in their new exhibit to the north of the park. "I would have brought back a youngster, but it got eaten - we'll just have to wait until the next time they breed."
"They're... very big, Nigel," said Susanne. "I thought you said babies."
"I did," agreed Nigel. "But I couldn't resist these; I told Bob to open the Time Portal just in time. The Dimetrodon charged and spooked the herd, which fled in the exact direction I hoped they would. Namely, Bob."
"Using me as bait, Nigel!" scolded Bob. "They could have eaten me!"
"Unlikely, Bob," Nigel assured him. "These are vegetarians. A salad lunch would look more appetising to them than you would. This exhibit is great Bob; shrubbery, large hills, perfect. I've got to get back."
"Alright, Nigel," said Susanne, clambering down the ladder. "See you soon. Take care."
Nigel adjusts the date on the Time Portal and steps through, emerging back into the past again.
"There's another herd of Edaphosaurus, though I won't rescue these. They're lazing in the shade, guarding their sails from the sun, to avoid overheating. It's been a full seven months since we were last here and the Dimetrodon eggs should be hatching very soon. I have a plan, but it is very risky. Wait, what's that?"
Nigel scrambled forward, just in time. The Seymouria was digging into the sand and one very large Dimetrodon was approaching. This could be what Nigel has been waiting for. Readying the Time Portal, Nigel lunges into action.
Grabbing the Seymouria, Nigel threw it through the Time Portal just in time. The male Dimetrodon charged after it; lured and attracted by the scent of an easy meal, it vanished through the portal, leaving Nigel, fortunately, alive.
"That must have been the father - it's the only reason he would be close to the nest. Males tend to avoid the nests unless it is in their territory. If an outsider laid eggs in his territory, he'd eat them whole. As he didn't, it implies he was the father of this clutch of eggs. Look!"
Suddenly, Nigel noticed it. "It's a female, not the mother. She's digging on the front of the mound. If she takes over the mound, she'll kill the incubating young already inside."
Nigel knew that now was his moment. Scrambling forward, he stuck two small Time Portal rods into the land behind the mound and repeated the same on both sides.
"The front is going to be difficult. There's not just her, but the returning mother too. She may be weak, but she won't give up her next without a fight; look, she's charging!"
The two females met in combat, teeth biting, feet slashing, bodies crashing.
"It's a battle neither can afford to lose," said Nigel to the camera. "One has eggs, the other wants to lay. It's a pick of the draw here. Fortunately, I can settle down the for the night and watch the fight. The Portal rods in front are smaller, just big enough to surround the nest, but not big enough for anything else to get in or out, except for the babies."
Nigel watched as the two females fought throughout the night; behind him, the camera caught everything, allowing Nigel to gently slip into sleep.
The next morning, only one female remained at the mound. The resident mother.
"She's done it," said Nigel, rubbing his eyes as he awoke. "She's managed to wrestle off her rival, but at a cost - she's badly injured her eye, look. She won't be able to keep this vigil up much longer; fortunately, there's noises coming from the nest. The eggs are safe and ready to hatch. Now's my chance."
He scrambled forward quickly, placing the other two pieces of the Time Portal rods into the ground in front of the nest and activated them.
"The mother won't stay," said Nigel, watching as the mother got to her feet. "Her maternal bond is severed; her instinct now is to save herself and find food. If I want her too, now's my chance. But, this is going to be a very big risk."
What Nigel is about to do is tantamount to suicide. The mother will want food - and Nigel is a very easy target.
He placed two other Time Portal rods, full sized this time, into the ground in front of him, then picked up a large rock nearby and threw it at the mother. The Dimetrodon turned, growling. Then, teeth bared, jaw snapping, she charged for Nigel.
Nigel slammed his hand onto the button in his hand, the Time Portal flaring into life. The mother, not seeing the Portal and seeing only Nigel's blurry form, thundered through to the safety of the Twenty First Century. As her tail disappeared through the portal, it shut behind her.
"The nest!" Nigel sprinted to the nest just in time to activate the small Time Portals. As he did, the five babies emerged from the nest. "Got it!"
Small, with sails and tiny teeth, their first instinct is to run; fortunately for them, they will run somewhere very safe. Prehistoric Park.
"One, two, three - gosh, they're belting through there. And just in time. Look over there - in the distance are adults; cannibals - one of each. And it seems I'm the target."
Now, Nigel is the one in trouble. He's going to have to run or become a morning snack for the Dimetrodon.
Nigel scooped up the small Portals, turned and ran; back down the hill, right towards the valley. Dashing through the herd of Edaphosaurus, he scrambled to the jeep - which was still tied to the small tree.
After seven months, the jeep had seized up. But, finally, as the Dimetrodon neared, ready to feast, it spluttered into life. The sound of the engine made the Dimetrodon stop, rearing themselves to charge. Nigel revved the engine and put his foot down, hard, onto the pedal; the jeep rattled forward, pulling the tree from the ground with it.
"Come on!" hissed Nigel, adjusting the gear stick to allow more revs of the engine. Finally, speed came to the jeep and it raced towards the time Portal, dragging the tree with it. Slamming his hand onto the button, the Time Portal roared into life. Nigel swerved the jeep, racing through the portal with the tree being pulled after it.
The two Dimetrodon followed and the portal snapped shut behind them.
"I got a bit more than I expected," Nigel admitted to Bob as the two stood on the metal gratings above the holding pens. Four adult Dimetrodon ran around in one pen, the five babies in the other.
"What do we do with them?" asked Susanne, arriving. "I assume we cannot put the babies with the adults?"
"You're right," Nigel replied. "The adults are cannibalistic; they'll eat their offspring, the weak ones, to allow the strong in the species survive."
"And the tree?" inquired Susanne.
"I'm not sure what it's called, but it's a type of Prehistoric Conifer; it comes from the same place as the Dimetrodon, so once we've discovered how to make the tree give off seeds, we can plant them in the Dimetrodon paddocks. and what of the Seymouria - the little egg thief."
"Inside," replied Susanne. "He's in one of the interior cages; it's got a three tonne metal bottom that he cannot dig out of and he's well fed, so he's happy."
"Well done, Susanne."
It's been two weeks since Nigel's trip back in time and Bob is releasing the new Dimetrodon into their new paddock.
The four Dimetrodon stood around, staring and waiting. Suddenly, a giant slab of meat crashed down onto the ground, allowing the four to dig hungrily in, chunks of flesh flying everywhere.
"Well done, Bob," said Nigel, watching them from behind the wooden fence. "They look magnificent. I've given them all names; Blanche and George for the first pair, the one that had children, and Rose and Charlie for the other pair."
"Good names," said Bob.
"What of the other ones?"
"They're in a smaller paddock of their own at the other end of the park. Perfectly happy."
"Good. For now, everything is peaceful. How long can that last?"
"Probably not long," replied Susanne.
Next Time, Nigel sets the Time Portal on random and finds several twenty five tonne fishes, a marine crocodyliform that "drinks" salt water and something very big and very dangerous.
Creatures caught this chapter:
9 Dimetrodon Limbatus: 2 Adult Males, 2 Adult Females, 3 Newborn Males, 2 Newborn Females.
40 Edaphosaurus pogonias: 20 Male, 20 Female
1 Seymouria sanjuanensis: 1 Male
To Be Continued.