Chapter 3: Fight or Flight Part 1

Day 2

The Western Approach


We hiked north, parallel to the beach, until the trees thinned out to a clearing. Several boulders dotted the field, causing us to weave a path across. Cutting through the open space was a flowing river, with one direction going out to sea and the other flowing over a series of waterfalls up the hill.

"The water pools at an area upstream. It's a prime water hole for herds in the area." Joe pointed out. "It's also prime hunting grounds, so stay sharp."

I tightened my grip on Trailblazer's lead. "Hunting grounds for what?"

"Oh, all sorts of things. Some smaller carnivores might pick off stragglers, or maybe a larger one may wander in for a drink, only to catch an easy meal. Don't worry though, most do their hunting in the small hours of the morning. We should be fine." Joe said, dismissing my growing concern.

We continued upriver for a while until we reached a cliff where the water poured down from. Just near the base of the waterfall were several creatures that had stopped for a drink. First creature I saw was gliding smoothly across the surface of the water. It was a bird, yet it had rather stubby wings. It had a long neck compared to its narrow body with a beak filled with teeth. It dipped under the water and emerged with a fish caught in its mouth.

Joe turned his attention to the bird. "Would you look at that, a Hesperornis. They aren't very common, given their place in the food chain." He made his way towards the cliff face. "I'm going to look for a path up and around. See if you can find any large eggs." With that, he dashed into the tree line with a speed i didn't expect from someone his age.

I led Trailblazer to the water for a drink. I unhooked my waterskin from my belt and gulped down its contents. As I bent down to refill it I glanced at some of the other creatures here. There were a few parasaurs, but a few I didn't recognize. The first was a small, four-legged lizard. It was very stout, with its legs being rather low to the ground, a short tail, and a flat muzzle. It seemed to be socializing with others of its kind.

I wondered around the pool looking for a nest. "Not sure if raiding a random nest is a good idea..." I muttered to myself. I mean really, what self-respecting parent would stand by and let their nest be plundered? As I climbed over some more rocks, a loud chitter passed through the air. At first I thought that I had just knocked some pebbles loose, but all the dinos around the pool lifted their heads on alert. I looked about for whatever the source was, but saw no new arrival. I waited quietly, and sure enough, I heard it again. This time, however, the nearby dinos turned and dispersed from the water, leaving only Trailblazer and I.

I tensed up and began backing towards Trailblazer. "Hey Joe?" I called out. "Tell me that's you." I had a sinking feeling in my gut that Joe was nowhere near. "I know I'm a funny guy and all, but this joke's kinda unnecessary." I made my way through the rocks. It was eerily quiet, other than the dull roar of the waterfall. I chuckled nervously. "In fact, you could say it's H2Overkill-"

My joke was cut off as a large stinger pierces the air inches in front of me. I recoil back several steps as a large insect climbs over the rock I was circling. It had four sets of legs, a flat body, and a pair of intimidating pincers at its front. What really drew my eye was its coiled tail with a stinger at the tip. The thing was the size of a dinner table and made a loud clacking sound as it moved.

Shit.

I backed up quickly only to bump into another boulder. The scorpion scuttled towards me at terrifying speed. It raised its tail and tried to spear me again. I ducked to the side and stinger scraped across the rock. I lost my footing on the uneven stones and tumbled to the ground. I tried to scramble away but it clamped a pincer over my bad ankle.

"AAAHH fuck!" I screamed in pain as the wound reopened. I struggled against the vice but the pain was excruciating. I watched, terrified, as its tail raised once again. I curled up and braced myself. It wouldn't miss this time.

A whirring sound cut through as a bundle of stones roped together sailed at the insect. The ropes tangled themselves around the tail making it unable to strike. The scorpion turned to its new assailants only for an arrow to impact its eye. With a pained chitter, the insect released my leg. Now without an effective killing method, it fled into the tree line.

I clutched my bleeding ankle and looked to my savior. Joe stood at the top of the waterfall with an arrow cocked in his bow. After he was satisfied the scorpion had left, he looked at me. "You really are an unlucky fella, aren't you?" He put down his bow and pulled out a rope. After tying it around a nearby rock, he tossed the rest over the cliff. He shimmied down the rope and ran over to me. I sat up against a rock as he came over.

"Alright, let's see what the damage is." He pulled of my old bandages and winced. "Oh boy. Before this would have healed nicely, but now it'll probably leave a nasty scar." He opened his satchel and pulled out some fresh bandages and a red fluid in a bottle. He picked up a small stick and held it to me. "You may want to bite this." He instructed.

I didn't like where this was going. "Why?"

His answer was to pour the red liquid into the wound. I screamed in pain as a burning feeling courses through my leg. "Don't be such a baby, you're lucky it didn't sting you." He rubs it in and I scream louder, startling birds out of nearby trees. By the time he's done wrapping the new bandage, my throat is sore. He ties off the knot and let's me catch my breath. "Damn, boy. Let's hope that didn't scare off every dang dino around." He hands me my waterskin.

I greedily gulp down its contents before speaking. "A little warning next time. Ya know, before you rub liquid fire on me?"

Joe just smiled and held up the bottle. "Medical brew. Best healing salve this side of the island." He stood up. "In fact, you should be able to walk still."

Using the rock as support, I shakily rose to my feet. I tried putting pressure on my leg to find it was only mildly sore. I looked at Joe in shock. "How is that possible?"

Joe smiled again. "Homemade recipe. You won't find that anywhere else. I'm a doctor by trade, you know."

"You could have fooled me. You seem better with a bow."

Joe waved that off. "I just know what makes dinos tick and aim accordingly. Beyond that, it's really just luck." He whistled into the trees and Trailblazer came trotting out from his hiding place. "Come on, we've got a ways to walk still."

I glared at our companion as it approached. "Some help you were." Trailblazer merely snorted and walked beside me. I leaned on him for support while we followed Joe around the cliff.


We set up within one of the many clusters of boulders by the riverbed. We were still a ways off from the water hole, but Joe said that getting any closer would be risky. "Any closer and we'll be in Scale territory." I asked him what a Scale was. He shook his head. "Boy, I hope you never find out."

We were next to a valley that cut through the hill. A frequently traveled path for dinos. With any luck, a phiomia will pass through. Joe was on lookout while I sat next to Trailblazer. I absentmindedly watched the water in the stream. Across the stream, one of the four-legged creatures was walking about. I watched it quietly when I noticed the bushes behind it moving. I sat up when a dilo poked its head out, eyes trained on the stout lizard. I picked up a stick and hurled it across the river where it landed between the two. The dilo yelped, breaking its element of surprise. The four-legged one noticed it and scurried away before the dilo could strike. The dilo hissed at me then retreated back into the foliage.

Joe watched curiously. "Why'd you do that?"

"What do you mean?"

He gestured across the river. "You saved the lystro. Why?"

"The thing was just minding its own business. It didn't deserve what would have happened."

Joe turned back to watching to lake. "Deserved or not, that's the natural order. The strong survive and the weak..." He trailed off. A dull rumble echoed through the valley. A herd of large, four-legged dinos were walking through. These were more bulky and heavy-set; by far the largest thing yet. It's head was built like a large shield, with spikes lining the ridge and three more sticking out from the face. They lumbered towards the watering hole and spread out to drink. Joe sighed and put down his bow. He reached into his satchel and pulled out the book and several stencils. He flipped through it until he found a page with a half-drawn picture of the creatures in front of us. I squinted to read the label on it.

"Triceratops?"

Joe grunted in response without looking up. He began sketching the beasts intently.

I got up to get a better look at the drawing. What he had already was exceptionally detailed right down to the texture of the skin. To the side of it were notes and diagrams listing information on its behavior and speculation on its usefulness for domestication. "What's this for?"

Joe jumped a little and snapped the book closed. "It's impolite to read over someone's shoulder." I raised my hands in apology and he sighed. "One could consider it a project of mine. One that's taken a very long time to put together." He seemed content to leave it there so I didn't push further.

I began thinking about the past day. While I could wrap my head around most of what Joe told me, a few questions still surfaced in my mind. "Joe?"

He didn't look up from his book, but grunted in acknowledgement.

"Do you... Know what happened to me?" I tentatively asked. "The way you've been explaining things... It's almost seems practiced. Like you've said this all before."

Joe was silent for a while. So long in fact that I thought he hadn't heard me. I opened my mouth to repeat myself when he turned back to me. He suddenly seemed very tired. "You're right. I have said these things before. Many times." His tone turned serious. "You are not the first person to wash up on these shores."

I was really confused. "And they all...?"

"No one ever has any memory of their past. They wake up, meet the island, and join the fight for survival. You're lucky I found you when I did. Some people never make it off the beach." He leaned back against the rock. "Some people group with others to brave the islands dangers. They settle down, make a tribe, and live their lives. Others strike out alone, trying to find their own way to get from day to day."

"How did you get here then?" I asked. "You act like you've been here forever."

He was silent for a while. "It wasn't too different from your situation, really. It just happened a long, long while ago."

"So did you find others to live with? I mean you've mentioned a town, why not live there?"

He considered his words for a bit. "Some people are... Not everyone agrees with each other on how people should live together. These disagreements are why there's more than one tribe on the island. And in a world like this, politics can be... bloody."

I was dumbfounded. "Why? Fighting would just make the island even more dangerous."

"That's just it. So much about this island doesn't make sense. Therefore many people try to make their own sense of it, and live accordingly." His face darkened a bit. "Some people thrive in this chaos." He turned back to me. "Some of the most dangerous beasts on the island look just like us."

I shivered at that. "So what kind of person are you?"

He thought about that for a second. "Boy, I'm just an old man who has seen too much of this island." He looked back towards the lake and perked up. "Hey, look alive! We got something." He pointed at something walking out of the valley.

I looked over to see two fat, four-legged mammals wander into the clearing. They were short, only about a meter and a half and just as wide. It had a short trunk with two small tusks on either side. They sniffed the ground as they walked, likely looking for food.

"Alright, here we go." Joe pulled out another bundle of stones to throw. He leaned back but paused. He looked to me. "Why don't you give it a go? They won't notice unless the bola actually gets one of them." He handed me the bola.

It was kinda exciting. This thing was pretty effective at stopping the scorpion, who knew what it would do to a phiomia. I twirled the ropes in my hand a few times to get it spinning before letting it fly at the unsuspecting pigs. My aim was awful though and it hooked around a bush snapping the branches.

"Maybe you're more of an up-close-and-personal kind of hunter." Joe said, handing me another bola. I wound up again only for Joe to suddenly yank me down from the rock.

"What-" He clamped a hand over my mouth and lifted a finger to his lips to shush me. I nodded quietly and he removed his hand. He turned and pointed to a spot in the tree line.

I slowly peaked over the rock to see a new creature approaching from the tree line. It reminded me of a dilo, only much larger; just shy of a parasaur in size. It had a large claw on each foot and crept forward on powerful legs. It had patches of feathers on its elbows and head, as well as the tip of its tail. Strangely enough, it's feathers were bright orange. Despite its obvious attempts at stealth, it stuck out like a sore thumb against the green foliage.

"Raptor." Joe breathed. "There's never just one."

Trailblazer crept up to us nervously. He looked ready to bolt at any second. I reached over and scratched his neck to keep him calm. He settled a bit, but was obviously still tense. I kept watching the raptor, but Joe was eyeing the tree line. Probably looking for others.

The predator gradually stalked towards the phiomia. As it closed in, however, a twig snapped beneath its feet. The raptor froze, looking down at his error. The phiomias turned and noticed him instantly. One let out a squeal and ran towards the triceratops. Suddenly, the bushes came alive as several more raptors burst from the forest. Trailblazer recoiled in fear and made a move to run. I yanked hard on his lead and placed a hand over his muzzle to keep him quiet. The group raced past their frozen pack mate and pursued the phiomia. The lead one caught up quickly and began harassing the slower pig. The fleeing creature turned away only to become caught amidst some boulders. It turned to back out only for the lizard to pounce upon it, tearing into it with its claw. The pig squealed in pain and thrashed, throwing off its attacker. It's efforts were in vain, however, as the rest of the pack descended on the wounded creature. With frightening efficiency, they tore into their prey, ripping it apart. Within seconds, the phiomia lay still. The pack then began to gorge themselves on their fresh kill.

I looked back towards the orange-feathered raptor. He hadn't moved since he alerted the phiomias. After the pack had feasted for a while, he crept over to try and get a share. The raptor who made the kill noticed his approach and snarled. The orange-feathered one recoiled from what I guessed was their leader. The orange one made another attempt only for the alpha to turn and snap at him. The rest of the pack stopped eating to watch the exchange. The leader snarled and grunted at the orange one, denying him a share of the meal. The orange one grunted in defiance only to back off quickly as the rest of the pack moved to defend the alpha. The noise attracted the attention of several triceratops. Seeing the threatening actions, they moved to defend their pack. The large beasts grunted and raked their feet across the ground, threatening to charge. The raptors took the hint and broke up, heading into the woods. The orange one made a move to follow, but the alpha barked at it again, making it clear it shouldn't follow. The raptor waited until the pack had disappeared before moving. It looked around, unsure of what to do. The triceratops grunted at it, indicating it could not stay. It turned away from the lake and began to walk downstream.

My heartbeat spiked. It was going to walk right past us. Joe lowered himself to the ground and motioned for me to do the same. We lied flat on the ground and waited. Trailblazer tensed up and tried to stand. I held fast to its lead, but it struggled against me. I held on and waited for the predator to pass. The lizard walked passed the rock into view and stopped. All three of us froze. I didn't even dare to breathe. It sniffed the air for a moment before turning towards us. Trailblazer finally lost it and shot up. It stood at its full height and let out a loud cry of alarm. The raptor recoils and jumps back. Joe hopped up and began yelling at the lizard while flailing his arms about, trying to add to the scare. The raptor yelps in surprise before turning and darting into the woods.

Trailblazer is flailing in a wild panic. I reach up and stroke its neck, trying to calm it again. "Hey, hey! It's ok, it's gone. You're alright." Trailblazer was having none of it and made to run off. My arm was wrapped in his lead and he ended up pulling me with him. He weaved and dodged around boulders as he dragged me downstream. I struggled to keep up, but the creature was quickly outpacing me. One wrong step and he would be dragging me across the ground. Over our footsteps I could hear a dull roar. I looked ahead and saw that the waterfall was coming up. And Trailblazer wasn't slowing down.

Shit.

Trailblazer was running blindly. I yanked on the lead. "Hey! Stop! Slow down! Just... Wait a second! Goddammit LISTEN to me!" I lifted my free hand to my mouth and tried to imitate the whistle Joe used. At first I just made a flat tone. I flexed my tongue and made it slightly more noticeable. Trailblazer slowed down and looked at me. I reached out and grabbed ahold of his straps to pull him to a stop. We skidded to a halt just steps away from the cliff.

Once we were stopped I collapsed on the ground to catch my breath. My chest was on fire. We had easily just sprinted at least half a kilometer. I crawled over to the river and took a good, long drink. The water was cool and felt good running down my parched throat. I splashed some on my face and washed the sweat and dirt away. I unraveled the lead from my arm, revealing a bad case of rope burn crisscrossing my wrist. My gaze fell on my implant and I figured now would be a good time to check my stats. I leaned back against a rock lifted my arm. The implant sparked to life and light danced across my eyes again. I still had the urge to blink or flinch, but I forced the instinct down. I silently read off my stats.

Health: 73.5 / 110; Slowly increasing.

Stamina: 15.3 / 110; Also increasing.

Oxygen: 88.7 / 100; This actually seemed to fluctuate with my breathing.

Food: 54.1 / 100; I guess I was kinda hungry...

Water: 99.8 / 100; I just drank water.

Weight: 4.8 / 100; I didn't actually know what unit of measurement this was. I guess my clothes, the one stone, a bola, my hatchet, and my waterskin... Amount to 4.8 whatevers. Ha, 'whatevers,' the new scientific measurement.

Melee Damage: 105%; I guess I've been working out?

Movement Speed: 110%; If someone asks me to give 110% on something, man will I have a joke ready.

Fortitude: 0.0; A stellar improvement there.

Crafting Speed: 100%; I guess I'm not an 'arts and crafts' kind of guy.

I put my arm down and blinked away spots in my vision. Trailblazer lied down next to me and I rested my arm over him. I closed my eyes to get a quick rest while waiting for Joe.

Several minutes later I opened my eyes at the sound of footsteps. Joe stood over me with an amused look on his face. "Enjoy the trip?"

"Oh you bet." I said, practically oozing sarcasm. "I'm the best dino whisperer this island's ever seen."

He chuckled. "What'd you do? Smack into a rock and become a human anchor?"

"I did the little whistle thing. You know, the thing you do to make him listen to you."

Joe's eyebrows shot up. "You used a command whistle? On Trailblazer?"

"Yeah. Is that bad? I mean if I hadn't we would have gone clear off that ledge."

He smiled. "No, no, I'm just impressed. First off, dinos only listen when you gain their trust or loyalty. Meaning you must have made a really good impression with Trailblazer here. Secondly, there's around nine different command whistles. How did you know which one was stop?"

I paused. I had totally guessed. I posed dramatically. "I guess I'm just that good with handling dinos."

"Boy. You're full of shit."

We both laughed pretty hard at that. Joe walked along the cliff and motioned for us to follow. We stood up and fell in behind him as we took the path back down the cliff. It occurred to me that we didn't finish our hunt.

"Hey, we never killed a phiomia. Why are we heading back?"

"Oh we weren't out to kill a phiomia, just get phiomia meat." He pulled up his implant and a chunk of raw meat appeared in his hand. "Those raptors left quite a bit behind."

I gagged a little. "Are we actually going to eat that?"

Joe looked at me like I had offended him. "What kind of wasteful man would that make me if I didn't? You can always find uses for things on the island. If it can be helped, you should never leave something behind." He walked over to Trailblazer and pulled up his implant. A small beam formed between his implant and Trailblazer. The meat in his hand disappeared into the beam.

"What did you just do?"

"We aren't the only ones with implants. Dinos have them as well. They aren't external and manageable, like ours, but are internal and are linked to bodily processes. However, we can use the interface in our own implants to access the inventory of a dino, provided they don't resist." He put down his arm and walked on. "I find that food keeps longer when stored in the compressed space of a dino. Probably because it's linked to their digestive system. Many dinos can eat directly from their inventory."

As we walked I tried the same thing. I positioned my implant between myself and Trailblazer and activated it. To my surprise, I could actually see Trailblazer's inventory and stats, most of which were higher than mine. It held a good portion of meat as well as several bushels of berries. Some other miscellaneous items littered its inventory: extra bolas and arrows, a spare hatchet and waterskin, and even a heavy-looking chunk of wood with wrappings on its handle. I pulled the last item from its inventory and it materialized in my hand.

Joe glanced back. "That there is a club. Much more fit for rendering your target crippled or unconscious rather than actually killing it. I picked it up on my last trip to town." He shrugged. "I'm not much of a fighter myself, and I don't quite trust Mira with it. You can hang on to it if you want."

"Thanks." I examined the weapon. While it was little more than a think piece of wood with plant fiber wrappings for a handle, it had some weight to it. I swung it a few times to get a feel for it. I aimed for a low hanging tree branch and smashed clean through it. There was definitely some power behind it.

Joe turned at the sound. "Hey, don't go making too much of a mess. Some things track prey by following marks made by them. Wouldn't want something following us now, would we?"

I nodded in agreement. I'd rather avoid that kind of trouble. As we made our way back downstream, I had more time to think, and more things started bugging me. I considered picking up our earlier conversation. "So you said everyone on the island washed up at some point or another, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"So what about you? How long have you been here?"

Joe lowered his head a bit. "Boy, I've been here forty-two years."

I actually stopped walking. "Forty-two years!? Living in this constant state of eat-or-be-eaten? How are you... How can you keep it up? Especially if you're doing it alone?"

He stopped walking. "... I won't sugar coat it. It's not easy. As hard as some may try, no one person can survive this island in solitude. This island can break the strongest of us; if not physically then mentally. If you don't have someone else to put you back together, then..." He trailed off. He turned to me, his face and tone the most serious I've ever seen him. "Let me ask you a question. Why do you survive?"

I looked at him questioningly. "I'm not sure I understand..."

He took a step towards me. "Why do you survive? Why do you struggle to keep going in a life that's so unforgiving?"

"I don't wanna die."

He took another step. "No, that's not good enough. You can't just fear death. You need a reason to want to live; a reason to fight for." He put a hand on my shoulder. "What is your reason?"

I didn't have an answer to that. "I-I don't know..."

He squeezed my shoulder and his tone turned softer. "Find one. Find what YOU want life to be. The reason to live is everything; never let that go."

He turned and grabbed ahold of Trailblazer's lead and began walking again. I stood there and let his words sink in. Did I have a reason to be here? I jogged to catch up. "So... What's YOUR reason?"

He let out a hollow laugh. "I just want to see a better world than this." He waved his hand to end the subject. "Come on, it's getting dark. Mira will have a fit if we're late."


We arrived back at the hut as the sun was setting. Joe took Trailblazer to around back to unload the spoils of our hunt into the preserving box. As he was moving the contents, he spoke up. "I've been thinking. When we go into town tomorrow, you should stay there." He shut the lid and turned to me. "The people are ok, and there's always a way to earn a meal."

"So... What? We're saying goodbye?"

"There's a reason I live alone. It's nothing against you, I actually rather like you, it's just that I need to work alone."

I can't say I was surprised to hear this. I mean Joe kinda just took me in out of generosity. I figured that I would outstay my welcome eventually. I'm was just disappointed that I was leaving so soon. "I guess I can respect that. Should I know anything about this town?"

"Not much. You work, you earn food. It's that simple." His brow furrowed in thought. "However... You will need a name if you're going to move out. You been thinking of any?"

To be honest I really hadn't given it much thought. Personal identity wasn't my first priority really. "Well... No, not really."

"Hm..." He scratched his beard in thought. "Your funny, and decently friendly... You strike me as an 'f' name kind of guy..." He mumbled his thoughts. "Felix? Nah... You don't seem like the sly type... Fred? Nah, that makes you sound too young..." He snapped his fingers. "Got it! How what do you think of Francis?"

I felt like most people put more effort into naming their pets than that. I tried the name out. "Francis... Francis... Sorta rolls off the tongue... Yeah alright. Francis works."

Joe clapped his hands together. "Great! Now you're all set. Go see what Mira has picked up. She always grabs more berries than she needs. They're no meat omelette, but they'll tie you over for the night." Joe took Trailblazer around the hut to tie him off.

I walked up to the entrance of the hut to find Mira sitting at the table. I was about to say hi when I heard her talking to someone. "No, you can't have any more black berries. You already ate too many."

I tilted my head in confusion. An imaginary friend maybe? "Hey Mira. Whatcha up to?"

She practically jumped out of her skin. She turned around and glared at me. "Nothing! What are YOU up to?" Her response was really quick and defensive.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not much." I leaned to try to see behind her. She leaned with me. "We just got back."

Her eyes widened a bit. "So... Pops is here?" She patted the table behind her, searching for something.

I leaned the other way. She leaned with me. "Yeah, he is... So did you get anything to eat? Joe said there might be extra berries.

Her hand found an empty basket. She flipped it over and placed it over something behind her. "Uh... Well... You see..." Noises from the basket cut her off.

"Whatcha got there?"

She sat down wrapped her arms around the basket. "None of your business!" A defiant pout crossed her face.

I walk over to the table and examined the other baskets. They were all empty except for one which only had the black berries in it. Mira kept giving me the stink eye and clutching her overturned basket. I picked up a small black berry and popped it in my mouth. A bitter taste flooded over my tongue that left a very numb feeling in its wake. I suddenly felt kinda tired. I shook my head and the feeling passed. Then I remembered Mira had called them "sleepy-time" berries. It's probably best not to eat more.

Joe came around the corner then and took in the situation. "Mira? Didn't you go collect narco berries?"

Mira tensed at the sound of his voice. She turned around and stammered. "I-I did. I got a lot of berries! But- but then-" she took her arms off the basket and raised them to look menacing. "This big, ugly dino came stomping in a-and-" She was cut off again as the basket moved behind her and a light cry came from under it. Mira froze, then threw her arms back over the basket. "Don't look!"

Joe bent down to her level. "Mira, the little guy probably can't breathe in there." He gestured to the basket. "Why don't you just let him out for us?"

Mira kept her gaze in the floor, but slowly lifted the basket, revealing a small monkey underneath. The little mammal jumped in surprise at the new arrivals and darted behind Mira.

Joe sighed. "Mira, what have I said about bringing things into the house? And please don't tell me you spent all day with it rather than your chores?"

Mira grabbed ahold of the monkey. "I did go get berries! I did! But then I saw him and he was looking for berries too and I had a lot of them already so I gave some to him and then he started following me around and picking berries with me and he's really fluffy and cute and I-I..." Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "It gets really l-lonely... when you're g-gone all day. A-and he wanted to be my friend." She met Joe's gaze. "I-I'm sorry! Please d-don't take him away..."

Joe cupped Mira's cheek and wiped away her tears. "Hey, hey. It's ok pumpkin." His tone was gentle and soothing. "I didn't even realize I was gone for so long. I assumed since you were growing up that you could handle being by yourself." He smiled and hugged pulled her into a hug. "I guess I forgot how alone this island can make one feel. And for that I am very sorry."

She returned the hug and cried into his shoulder. After she got her tears out of her system, she looked up at him. "So... d-does that mean...?"

Joe chuckled. "Yes, you can keep him."

Mira squealed with delight and held the little monkey close. It was probably the single cutest thing she's done yet. The small mammal squirmed in her grasp.

"Hey, if he couldn't breathe before, he definitely can't now." I chimed sarcastically.

She shot me a look but loosened her hug. "Shut up... You... Dumb person!"

A chuckled at the improvised insult. "Francis. You can call me Francis."

She smiled deviously. "Nope! Imma call you Frank!"

I glared back at her. She stuck her tongue out.

Rude. But adorable.

Joe laughed at the exchange and stood up. "Keep in mind, he's YOUR responsibility. You have to feed and play with him regularly. And make sure you clean up after him. Mesopithecus are notoriously filthy pets."

Mira nodded. "Got it!"

"So you got a name for the little berry picker or what?" I asked.

"Well... He's brown... What about Brownie?" Her eyes lit up at her own idea. "Yeah, I like that!"

Jeeze... Both of them are terrible at naming things...

Joe chuckled. "Alright then. However, it seems that we need something else to trade with now that narco berries are out of the question." Mira looked away sheepishly. "So it seems we'll have to get something else to sell." He scratched his beard. "Insect shells go for a good price I suppose... We can go collect some tomorrow morning before going into town." He noticed me pale at the thought of more insects. "We'll hunt small ones. Ants, dragonflies, and the like; nothing like what you saw today."

I sighed in relief. Yeah, let's not have a repeat of earlier.

"For now, let's rest up. There's some leftovers from this morning in the box if you want something to eat. We've got a lot to do tomorrow, so get a good nights sleep."

After chewing down on some cold omelette, we said out good nights and retreated to our respective rooms. I kicked off my shoes and flopped onto the thatch mattress. I lay in bed, mentally preparing for tomorrow. I had a name. I soon would have to meet new people, so I repeated it several times in my head to get it locked in. Until then though, I really needed sleep. I closed my eyes and was out like a light.


Meanwhile...

A man looked around his camp. They set up by the watering hole to rest after today's hunt. It was a good haul today; they bagged an entire herd of trikes. The slow herbivores never stood a chance. He carved a chunk of meat off of a nearby carcass and impaled it with his spear. He stabbed the other end into the ground and tilted it over the fire to cook. He turned to the carcass and whistled. Out of the shadows emerged several canine creatures, all descending upon the body.

The man smirked as they tore into the flesh. He turned to his compatriot. "Hyeanodons; voracious little creatures, aren't they?"

The other man grunted in agreement, currently stuffing his face with meat. He tore off a fatty chunk and tossed it into the fire. The flames burned brighter for a moment, illuminating the men's features. They were clad in a patchwork of leather armor, made from multiple different hides. Several teeth adorned the necklaces they wore; both dinosaur and human. Their armor was stained red from the bloodbath just hours earlier.

The first man turned to walk into the shadows. "I'm gonna go take a leak. Make sure the mounts get a share as well." The second man grunted again before swallowing. He cupped his hands over his mouth and let out a loud whistle. All around them snarls and barks could be heard as unseen animals gorged themselves on their fresh kills.

The first man walked towards a bush while unbuckling his pants. As he reached it, however, his foot caught on something under the bush. He reached down and untangled a bola from his shoe. "Strange... We don't use bolas to hunt for meat..." He unhooked a torch from his belt, picked up a small rock, and sparked them together to light it. He inspected the bush. "Broken branches... Fresh too. Today possibly..." He held the bola to his nose and inhaled deeply. A grin spread across his face. "That's a new scent~" His excitement grew; so much that a small giggle escaped his lips. He whistled into the darkness and another hyaenodon crept up to him. The man bent down and dangled the bundle of stones in front of the creature. "You smell that?" The mammal sniffed it for a moment before snapping its jaws at it. The man yanked it back out of reach and another burst of laughter escaped from him. "No, you stupid animal!" He kicked the creature to the ground. His manic grin spread from ear to ear as he bent down to whisper to the creature. "That's the smell..." His tone now far from sane. "OF A NEW HUNT~!" He stood up and strode towards the camp. He couldn't contain himself and went into a laughing fit. The sound was amplified as the hyenas added their giggles to the noise. The night air echoed with the sounds of blood and laughter.


A/N

Hey editor? How many words was that?

Edit: About 6570

Ow my hands...

Speaking of... Can I get a show of hands? How many of you think Mira is a precious little cinnamon bun? One... two... three... Only 3 of you?

Oh wait.

That's how many readers I have.

...

In other news! Ooooooooh! Look at all those new things! New dinos! Realistic distance between landmarks! The concept of inter-species fighting! THOSE aren't in the game! That's because I'm trying to write the story as if ARK is a finished game. I'm going to be drawing from ALL the revealed content from the devs. However, that's no garuntee that all the announced dinos or even all the released dinos will make an appearance in this story. I'll try to stay true to a lot of the game mechanics and content, but there will be several things that I will have to make assumptions about in order to make the story flow easier.

I think my favorite thing to write are the dino visuals and behaviors. It's so much more fun to think of the dinos as animals with emotions and behaviors rather than "hostile dino," "passive dino," and "personal-space-issues dino."

As always, try to have a good laugh today.

-TheSurvivingComedian