Nathan peered out from between the foliage. The lumbering herd of whatsitcalled was making their way slowly down the very road they'd been following to get back to the helicopter.
"They're completely in the way." Oliver grumbled. Caleb gripped his shoulders as she tracked the animals with her eyes, the green of her irises matching the plants around her perfectly.
"No, this is perfect." Nathan argued.
"I fail to see how." Robbie grumbled. Her usual joking demeanor had been completely erased, replaced by the occasional sarcastic comment and general silence. It worried Nate more than he'd care to admit out loud.
"They're moving in the same direction we want to go, right?" Nate explained. "So we'll just slip into the herd and move along with them. They'll give us protection."
There was a time when Oliver would have been the one thinking up these ideas, scheming and planning. Oliver was the one they all looked to. Now it had changed and for some reason Nathan was the one in charge. It made him marvel how in times of stress or emergency, the roles that people filled and their attitudes could shift and change.
"What do you guys think?" He offered.
Oliver and Caleb nodded. Robbie squeezed his hand. They hadn't stopped holding hands the entire time they'd been moving. They'd walked almost the entire night, only stopping to rest once the forest began to lighten from black to dark green as dawn broke. They'd rested for a few hours and then headed out again. After the night they'd had, though, four hours of sleep hadn't done much, and they were all feeling the exhaustion.
"C'mon, then." Nathan said. He tugged Robbie along with him and cautiously approached the something-tops.
"Why can't we just walk alongside them?" Robbie whispered.
"Tactics, woman, tactics!" Nathan joked. "We'll be safer if we're surrounded by them."
"We could also be crushed." Robbie pointed out.
"I doubt they'll do that." Nathan reassured her. Seeing as their presence hadn't startled the horned herbivores, he led Robbie through the herd until they were in the center of the group. A minute later, Oliver and Caleb followed, sneaking in to walk alongside their friends.
"Fuck, that was nerve-wracking." Caleb said. She looked around, suddenly panicked. "These are herbivores, right? Plant-eaters, vegetarians, all that shit?"
Usually calm and collected, Caleb had become nothing but a bundle of nerves since last night. Everyone was convinced that a shadow was another raptor lying in wait, but Caleb was as paranoid as the other three put together. They were all going to need massive amounts of therapy after this.
"Yeah; I'm no expert, but these look a lot like those three-horned guys. The Triceratops." Nathan said. "Blue would often…" He trailed off. Blue had often shared bits of information about dinosaurs with him as she read. He swallowed down the dry lump in his throat. Robbie sensed his distress and laid her head on his shoulder comfortingly.
They walked along with the creatures, their heart rates slowly lowering to a normal level as they observed the peaceful activities of the dinosaurs.
None of them noticed the plants behind the herd that were moved by something other than wind. Neither of them saw the flash of claws and eyes. Not one of them looked back and saw stripes that were not made by sunlight passing through the trees.
Instead, they looked forwards, towards the helicopter pad and rescue. They just had to last one more night, and the copter would arrive and take them all back home. Just one more night, and it would all be over.
As they moved along the road, they passed by other groups of dinosaurs, and even an immense clearing, complete with a pond. They saw a T-Rex stalking through the trees, but fortunately he was a great distance away and not paying them any mind. Miniscule, colorful dinosaurs that must have numbered several dozen perched on a group of rocks, cooing at them as they passed. Robbie pressed closer to Nathan, not liking the sheer number of the creatures despite their small size.
Slowly, they began to embrace the wonder around them. There were plenty of people who'd seen majestic waterfalls, certainly; but how many of them could say that they had seen a long-necked dinosaur as tall as a skyscraper bathing in said waterfall? And while the frilled dinosaur that hissed at them like some kind of rattlesnake was definitely startling, it was an experience that no one alive had ever witnessed.
"This is fantastic." Robbie breathed, watching a group of thin, long-legged dinosaurs flock like birds along the gently sloping hills. They wheeled and banked in perfect unison, their yellow-gold hides almost gleaming in the late afternoon sun.
"It is." Nathan agreed. He watched Robbie's face as she observed the creatures, her eyes lighting up for the first time since the ghastly horrors of the night before. She looked happy, and peaceful, and like her old self again.
Oliver and Caleb had managed to scramble on top of a particularly large female in the herd, despite the animal's initial protests, and were lounging together, watching a small herd of herbivores with colorful plates on their backs. Nathan and Robbie were sitting on their own steed, having followed their friends' lead. Oliver and Caleb were completely turned away from Nathan and Robbie.
Well, there was no time like the present.
Nathan turned towards Robbie, using the hand that wasn't holding hers to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. Before she could say anything, he kissed her.
Robbie's mouth opened, perhaps on a gasp, and she swiped her tongue over his lips. Nathan hadn't been expecting her to advance things, but he wasn't one to ignore an invitation like that. He opened his mouth, complying with her wish, and they slid their tongues together.
He didn't realize how much time had passed with them like that until Oliver shouted at them.
"Hey! You guys need help breaking the suction?"
They broke apart guiltily to see the faces of their friends contorted with laughter. Caleb was clutching Oliver's chest, giggling into his shirt, while he braced himself along the back of the Tri-whatever for support. Nathan glared at them. Robbie surprised him by simply smiling and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Can I ask why now?" She asked him quietly. "After all these years?"
"I was always scared you'd reject me." Nathan admitted. "But we don't have much to lose now."
"Just our lives." Robbie said, her voice a mixture of bitter and dull.
Nathan held her a little tighter. "We're going to get out of here." He said. "I promise."
"With your genius tactics?" Robbie teased.
"That's my girl." Nathan said, glad to see some of the old Robbie returning.
The herd was beginning to settle down for the night, and the group slid off the backs of their animals in order to curl up in the middle of the herd. The body heat meant that despite the lack of blankets they were quite comfortable, and they crowded together, resting against the back of the creatures, to watch the sunset.
And once again, none of them noticed the shadows that moved on their own, flowing around them in the night. Watching. Waiting.
There was a Firefly quote in there for you Browncoats! I love that series and even though it's not my favorite television series of all time, it has some of the absolute best quotes. Joss Whedon is a brilliant writer. So I sneak in references and/or quotes in nearly every story that I write.
By the by, did anyone recognize all the dino cameos? I didn't name any of them because this is from the point of view of Nathan and Co, and they don't know the names of the dinosaurs. If you can name all of the dinosaurs from the films that I mentioned, I will be much impressed!