Claire's eye twitched. She had never seen so many dinosaurs in one place. The stegoceratopses were completely diverse, varying in size, color, and shape. As shocked as she was to see them, they were even more surprised by her sudden appearance. A thousand unblinking eyes bore into her like light from a magnifying glass, and she felt even more exposed than before. Part of being a hybrid dinosaur was sticking out in a crowd, she supposed, but even in a crowd of her own species, she felt uneasy. At the very least, they weren't attacking her, so that was nice . . .
A burly, black stegoceratops with grey markings and a broken horn pushed through the crowd. When he saw Claire, his jaw dropped.
"She's here!"
Claire's eyes went wide.
"You talk! . . . Oh, of course you talk. Look, we don't want any trouble-"
She flinched as the black stegoceratops knelt down in a deep bow. The others did the same. Claire sat paralyzed on her rump, unsure of how to respond.
"Um . . . I was just trying to cross the bridge, but I fell on my- . . . on the ground . . . Why are you bowing?"
The black stegoceratops looked up at her with confusion.
"Well . . . You're our queen."
Claire blinked.
"Queen?"
The stegoceratops nodded.
"Yes, of course. You have the third horn."
He pointed to her face. Sure enough, she was the only dinosaur in the valley with a nose-horn. She placed her front foot over it self-consciously.
"Look, I just got lost. I really didn't mean to fall down here."
"Our scout saw you in the forest," a plum-colored stegoceratops piped up, "We expected you to come- to come looking for us, but we didn't expect such a- such a fantastic entrance. We knew you were capable of falling from the sky, but it's another thing to see it happen in real life- in person. We thank you for not riding a ball of fire. You are very- very, uh, kind to have thought of our safety."
Claire narrowed her eyes.
"Um . . ."
"We are humbled in your presence," the black stegoceratops whispered, "You are the most astounding creature we have ever seen."
Claire blinked.
"Um . . . Thank you . . ." she said, nearly blushing.
Owen hopped over to the black stegoceratops and adopted a casual stance.
"Hey, buddy. Since I'm kind of tagging along with your queen here, do you mind explaining to me what's going on?"
The black stegoceratops stood up and puffed out his chest proudly. The others joined him in reciting a supposedly rehearsed monologue.
"The queen of the stegoceratops shall be recognized by her people, for she has a third horn on her snout to signify her royalty. Having fallen from the sky on a ball of fire, she is divine, and may not be killed by any creature woman-born. She will lead her people to fight the army of trumpeting elephants, brought on by Flat-Sailed June. The queen carries in her the magical Lilylotusdrop, white flower of Tall Mountain, which we call Moly. She is bound to the earth and to her people. Should she attempt to escape her fate, the results will be disastrous."
Claire frowned in puzzlement.
"You want me to fight in a war with . . . elephants?"
The black stegoceratops nodded.
"T'was foretold that you'd bring us back to the surface. We've been living here in secret, but now you will lead us into a golden age of peace and prosperity."
Claire gulped.
"Are you sure I'm your queen? I only just got here."
The black stegoceratops cocked his head.
"You have the third horn."
"Yes . . ."
"There is a white flower inside of you."
"I've been eating a lot of vegetation lately . . ."
"And you're a stegoceratops."
Claire choked a little.
"Yes . . ." she wheezed in a barely-audible tone.
"Then you are our queen."
Claire bit her lip. She looked out at all of the beaming faces and felt her heart shrivel up into a tiny, pathetic raisin of an organ. Smiling falsely, she gulped and began to back away.
"Um . . . Can I just have a second to talk this over with my jerboa assistant?"
Owen frowned.
"Assis-"
She clamped her foot over his mouth.
"Is there somewhere private we can go?"
The black stegoceratops nodded.
"There is a cave over that ridge. It's not far."
Claire was already halfway up the hill.
***TSJWFEW***
"What are we going to do? I can't be a queen!"
Owen nodded.
"Mhm. Especially since you said you're a stegoceratops, which is not true. You shouldn't lie, Claire. It's just asking for trouble."
Claire paced back and forth.
"I know, I know. What choice do I have, though? They're expecting some sort of messiah, and if I disappoint them, I could be skewered like a half-baked shrimp."
Owen frowned in thought.
"Why would a half-baked shrimp be skewered? Wouldn't you want to cook it all the way through?"
Claire growled.
"Who cares? The point is, if something goes wrong, I'll be trampled. Simple as that."
Owen sighed uncertainly.
"I don't know, Claire. These people seem nice enough. Besides, if you have a third horn, you must be their queen."
"Not necessarily."
"I don't see any other three-horned stegoceratopses running around up there."
Claire sighed.
"Right . . . What should we tell them?"
Owen shrugged.
"That you need to be shown how to help them. If you go through with this whole elephant thing-"
"Oh, Owen! Surely, you don't expect me to fight in a war!"
He shuffled his feet shyly.
"I think we should try to help these guys. They're more than willing to accept you as one of their own. We can train them so that if it comes down to a war, we'll be ready."
"I can't fight."
"I think you can."
Claire tossed her head and started pacing again. She looked out the mouth of the cave and snorted in agitation.
"I don't want to have to go out there . . ."
"But you'll have to eventually."
"Yeah, I know. I have to go to the bathroom. Do you think they have a special place for . . . manure?"
Owen tilted his head.
"Dunno. I've just been pooping all over."
Claire's eyes went wide.
"Ew! Owen!"
"What? I'm a rodent!" he protested, "It comes out in pellets, so it's no big deal . . ."
Claire gagged.
"Ick! I'm leaving. You gonna tag along, assistant?"
Owen crossed his arms.
"Alright. I'll try to help you stay out of trouble."
He hopped onto her shoulder, and they trotted outside. As they marched across the field, the black stegoceratops came to greet them.
"Have you made your decision?" he asked.
"Um . . . We'll stay for a bit," Claire quavered.
"Excellent!" the stegoceratops said with a wide grin, "I'm Rock, by the way. Before you arrived, it was my job to keep everything in order."
Claire smiled uneasily.
"You can continue to lead the herd . . . colony . . . group if you want."
He shook his head.
"No, no. You know what's best for us. I'm just a regular dinosaur."
They passed a group of young stegoceratopses playing. They stopped to stare at Claire as she walked by.
"The green hatchlings are my niece and nephew," Rock declared proudly, "They're the youngest in the valley."
Claire hummed noncommittally. They continued to cross the field.
"That's Dirt," Rock said, pointing to the plum-colored stegoceratops, "He's our doctor."
Claire cocked her head.
"You have a doctor?"
Rock nodded.
"He knows about herbs."
Claire hummed.
"He's kind of messy, though. Shouldn't a doctor be sanitary?"
Rock smiled.
"You are very wise. We will find a new doctor."
Claire jolted.
"What? Oh, no. Don't do that. Just have him wash up or something."
"He is always dirty. That is why we call him Dirt."
Claire nodded.
"Okay. So, why do they call you 'Rock'?"
"Because it is my name."
Claire wasn't sure if he was joking or not. He continued walking, and she decided not to press him further.
"There's Boulder and Stone," Rock continued, pointing to two gray stegoceratopses, "They're my sons. Be careful around them. They like to tease, but they aren't good at detecting sensibilities."
"That's alright. I'm not offended easily."
Claire flicked Owen before he could comment.
"That's Tree. He thinks he's smart. That's Vine. He's a little shy. That's Bo. He has a temper, that one."
Claire pointed to a pale blue stegoceratops who was sitting alone on a tall cliff.
"Who's that?"
Rock winced uneasily.
"That's Sky. You don't have to meet him. He's different. We'll keep him out of your way."
"I'm sure he's nice," Claire mumbled.
Rock smiled.
"You are very kind."
"Thank you."
Rock continued his tour.
"There's Water and Cloud. Cloud is the oldest member of our tribe. She remembers the prophecies. You should talk to her sometime."
Claire gazed at the wrinkly, old albino. She certainly looked ancient enough to be an elder. The word "saggy" came to mind. It was likely that Water had been appointed as her caretaker. The dark blue stegoceratops was plucking dandelions for her to eat. Claire shrunk away when he frowned at her.
"There's Leaf and Root and Blossom and- Oh god. Turn around, turn around."
Claire blinked in confusion as a Rock shepherded her in the other direction. A plump, beige stegoceratops was waddling towards them very quickly. Rock pretended that he didn't see her.
"Run, run, run, run, run- Hi, Sandy!" he said brightly, turning around with a smile.
"Well, howdy!" Sandy said cheerfully, smiling at Claire, "Are you the queen?"
Before Claire could answer, Sandy reached out and pinched her front horn between two toes.
"Oh, of course you are! Look at me being all silly-willy. I never caught your name, dear. What is it?"
"Claire Dearing."
Sandy's eyes went wide.
"That's a long name."
Claire blinked.
"Is it? Oh! Um . . . It's two words . . ."
Sandy nodded.
"Yes, that makes more sense. Do I have to say the whole thing every time?"
Claire laughed.
"Of course not. Just call me Claire."
Sandy beamed.
"Did you hear that, Rock? She thinks I'm important enough to call her 'Claire'."
Before Rock could intervene, Sandy bumped up against Claire enthusiastically.
"Oh, we're going to be the best friends, you and I!"
Claire gave a pained smile.
"That's nice . . ."
Rock shoved Sandy to the side.
"You must forgive her. She's very outgoing. I'm sorry if she offended you."
Claire shook her head quickly.
"No, not at all."
Rock smiled sadly.
"You're probably used to being treated better than this . . ."
Owen burst into laughter.
"Are you kidding? No one's ever this nice to Claire."
She gave him a venomous glare, and he shrunk away, hiding behind her plate.
"Ignore my rat," she said calmly, "You've been very nice to me. Even so, I'd like to go home soon."
"After you help us win the war?" Sandy asked naïvely.
Claire rubbed her front foot awkwardly.
"Um . . ."
"Of course!" Owen piped up, "We'll do whatever you want!"
Claire swatted him to the ground and whispered to him furiously.
"Let me do the talking, rat!"
Owen crossed his arms.
"Jerboa."
"We'll do whatever we can to make your stay more comfortable," Rock said brightly, "I know you think we're uncivilized, but we have quite advanced technology."
"Yeah, we even have a windmill!" Sandy trilled.
Claire's face lit up.
"Oh, really?"
Rock pointed to a pile of stegoceratops manure with a pinwheel stuck on top. Claire's face fell.
"Oh."
"We're working out the electricity part," Rock explained, "All we need are lights and some wire."
Claire winced.
"I don't think . . . I mean . . . Wait. Where do you plan to get these things?"
Rock avoided making eye contact.
"We know it's wrong to steal, but sometimes we have no choice. It's hard living down here. We need more than what we have, and desperately. We swear, we've never been seen by humans."
Claire bit her lip.
"Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were trapped like this . . ."
Rock lowered his head.
"It's not your fault. We've been in hiding since 1482, or so I'm told. We were hoping that you'd deliver us from the underground. If you could find a place without humans . . ."
Claire bit her lower beak.
"That might be a hard thing to do . . ."
Rock sighed.
"That's what I was afraid of. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Claire frowned in thought. After a moment, she decided upon a solution.
"What if you were to be kept in a place where people could see you, but where you would also be safe?" she suggested, thinking back to the park.
"Oh, no! We could never do that!" Rock gasped, "I know that as a queen, you feel no fear, but you must understand that we would be terrified to encounter a human. They're the most frightening creatures on earth!"
Claire shrugged.
"Well, not all of them . . ."
Sandy was shivering.
"If I ever saw a human, I'd drop dead on the spot!"
Claire laughed nervously.
"Something tells me that that's not true . . ."
"We're lucky to have you here with us, Claire," Rock said sincerely, "Without you, we wouldn't be one hundred percent protected from the humans."
Claire gulped. Rock didn't seem to notice her discomfort.
"As long as you're here, no human will ever-"
"Errr . . ."
"-ever-"
"Um . . ."
"-ever-"
"Urk!"
"-ever find us," Rock finished.
Claire didn't move. Her eye was twitching like crazy, and she was sweating like no stegoceratops should have been biologically able to do. Owen looked up at her with an angry expression, though she wasn't sure what he was sour about. Maybe he was just fed up with her lies in general.
"Can I have a moment alone?" Claire asked shrilly, "I need to consult with my, uh, assistant."
Owen raised his eyebrow.
"Now, when you say 'consult' . . ."
Claire pushed him away before he could finish. Rock smiled at her warmly.
"Of course. I'll be sure to leave you alone. Sandy too, if she can manage . . ."
Sandy rolled her eyes before they both lumbered down the hill towards a small watering hole. Claire scooped up Owen and cantered in the opposite direction. He looked down at her from the top of her frill with a serious expression.
"Claire . . . You have to tell them."
"I know," she sighed, "I just don't want to freak them out. Let's ease them into it, okay?"
Owen nodded.
"Does this mean we'll be staying?"
"We'll see."
They pattered along in silence until Owen crawled down Claire's spine and sat on her tail. She could feel him leaning away, as if he was looking at something.
"What is it?"
Owen turned his head.
"Someone's following us. I think it's Rock's niece."
Claire looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was a dark green stegoceratops infant waddling along their trail. Claire turned back to the field and walked a little faster.
"If we ignore her, she'll go away."
She pretended not to see the child, but it got increasingly difficult as time went on. The kid was a fast waddler, and it wasn't long before she cut them off.
"Hi . . ." Claire said uncertainly.
"Hello."
The child looked up at her with bright, sparkling eyes. Claire blinked.
"Do you need something?"
"No."
Claire tilted her head slowly.
"Is there a reason you're following me?"
"I saw a butterfly today."
"Okay."
Claire turned to leave.
"Have you ever seen a butterfly?" the stegoceratops asked, cutting her off once again.
"Yeah," Claire replied curtly. Owen slid down her face and thumped his foot against her cheek.
"Don't be rude, Claire. She asked you a question."
"I answered."
"Yes, but you need to elaborate. What kind of butterflies did you see?"
"All kinds."
Owen gave her a sardonic look.
"You're really bad at this."
The child grinned up at Claire with whimsy.
"What's the outside like? Are there more butterflies?"
"Yeah," Claire muttered.
"I want to see the world, someday," the stegoceratops said wistfully, "Can you take me?"
Claire shook her head.
"Probably not. You have to stay with your family."
"My parents are dead."
Claire winced.
"Your uncle, I mean."
The child stared up at her with that same doe-eyed look.
"He's going to die, someday. He's never been outside. I want to see the world before I die."
Claire frowned.
"That's grim."
The child shrugged.
"That's reality."
Owen rubbed his chin.
"This girl's insightful. What's your name, kid?"
"Flower."
Owen smiled.
"That's a pretty name."
Claire turned her head sharply. Owen grabbed her horn for balance.
"Come on, Owen. We have to go."
He crossed his arms and frowned deeply.
"You're being rude. Flower wants to hang out."
Claire clenched her teeth.
"Yes, but Flower-"
She jolted.
"What's wrong?" Owen asked in panic.
"Cave. Now."
Owen was about to protest, but he saw that her hands were changing. He held on tightly to her face as she dashed across the field. Flower watched them run away. She lifted her tiny foot and waved slowly.
"Goodbye . . ."
***TSJWFEW***
Claire hobbled into the cave, unable to walk on two legs and too disproportionate to use four. She crawled along the stone like a hippo on stilts, then collapsed on her deflating stomach.
"Ow . . . Ow . . . Ow . . ."
Owen hugged her arm.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Claire shook her head.
"Just keep everyone away from the cave for now. I'll change back into a stegoceratops as soon as I can."
Owen kissed her hand.
"Alright. Do you need something to stress you out so that you can change?"
Claire finished shrinking.
"No. I can change into a stegoceratops on my own. It's just the changing back that I can't do."
Owen cocked his head.
"Why have you never changed willingly before?"
Claire snorted.
"Why would I want to? Go be a lookout."
Owen sighed and skittered over to the mouth of the cave. He hopped up on a small rock and stood on his hind legs, keeping watch like a meerkat. After a few whisker twitches, he snapped to attention.
"Flower's coming."
Claire groaned and moved deeper into the cave.
"Keep her busy. I'll try to change quietly."
Owen nodded and turned back to the field. Flower skipped over to him with a big smile.
"Hi. Where's the queen?"
Owen gulped.
"Um . . . She's kind of busy right now."
Flower tried to peek past him.
"Is she mad at me?"
Owen blinked in surprise.
"No, of course not! Why would she be mad at you?"
Flower sat down and hunched her shoulders.
"I don't think she likes me very much."
Owen bit his lip.
"Oh, don't say that, Flower. I'm sure she likes you."
Flower whimpered and lay down with her chin on her front feet. Owen slid down from his surveillance rock and tapped her on the beak with one claw.
"Hey. Wanna see something cool?"
He grabbed his tail and used it as a jumprope. Flower giggled as she watched him skipping merrily.
"You're funny!"
"I try," Owen said cheekily, "I don't think I introduced myself. My name's Owen. I'm a long-eared jerboa. Sort of."
Flower smiled.
"It's nice to meet you, Owen. Do you want to come see my bouncy ball?"
Owen grinned.
"I'd love to!"
They trotted away from the cave cheerfully. A few minutes later, Claire stepped out into the light as a stegoceratops.
"I'm back, Owen."
She looked around.
"Owen?"
She saw him disappear into the jungle with Flower. Her eyes narrowed.
"Goddamn it, Owen!"
***TSJWFEW***
Lowery sighed and rolled over. He was lying on the roof of a helicopter with Vivian, and they were bobbing up and down on the waves. The water splashed gently against the side of the chopper. Vivian dangled her feet over the tail of the aircraft, cooling her toes in the ocean. Lowery scratched his neck.
"We probably should have refueled before attempting to fly across the ocean."
There was a long pause.
"Yeah . . ." the helicopter said.
***TSJWFEW***
Claire wandered into a dark grove until she saw the light of a fire flickering against the mountainside. She jogged towards it, praying that the setting sun would provide enough light to guide her through the forest. She reached the rock face as the first stars began to appear. When she saw the silhouette of a jerboa dancing in the light, she growled and pushed into the clearing.
Owen was wearing a daisy crown and grass skirt. He held a Tiger Lily in one hand and a Snapdragon in the other. He danced around and sang a song as a gathering of stegoceratopses clapped along.
"And third, was the darkest one of all,
A rat-monkey-dog, and standing tall.
His love for the woman fiercely burned,
But the warmth that he felt was not-"
He spotted Claire.
"Oh, hi! I was just singing a song. No idea where I heard it. It's very strange-"
Claire swatted the flowers out of his hands.
"Where were you? I've been looking for you all evening!"
Owen flattened his ears against his back.
"I'm sorry, Claire. Flower was just showing me her toys, and before I knew it, she introduced me to everyone here. That's Olive, her brother, and there's Fern and Buttercup and-"
Claire snorted. Her breath made him fall backwards.
"I don't care, Owen! You left me all alone up there! You can't just do that!"
Owen gave a squeaking whimper.
"I'm sorry . . ."
Claire growled angrily.
"If you hadn't left, you wouldn't have to be sorry. Think, Owen. Think before you do things."
She turned away. Owen removed his daisy crown and handed it to Flower before following her.
"Claire, wait!"
It took him a long time to catch up to her. By the time he did, they were back at the cave. Owen panted heavily as he hopped up the loose rocks.
"Claire!"
She turned around.
"What?"
"I shouldn't have run off . . ."
Claire took a deep breath and let it out calmly.
"No. It wasn't your fault. I'm just a little stressed out. I'm glad you're making friends."
Owen kissed the ridge of her beak.
"You're still my most important friend. You know that, right?"
Claire nodded.
"I know. I think we should get some sleep. It's been a long day."
She yawned and lumbered into the cave. When she found a flat area, she brushed away the dust with her tail and lay down on her back. Owen climbed up her leg and spread himself out flat on her belly, humming contentedly.
"Mmm . . . It's like a heated water mattress."
Claire craned her neck to frown at him. He lifted his head and flicked his ears forward.
"What?" he asked cluelessly.
Claire rolled her eyes.
"Please don't comment on my weight or my hematite-textured skin."
Owen scoffed.
"Why is it that you can be honest about your size, but when I say the same thing, you freak out? Is that a girl thing?"
Claire laughed.
"You know, I think it might be."
After a second, Owen slid down her neck and climbed up her beak. He leaned forward and ran his hand over her snout slowly.
"I never noticed before . . ."
"Noticed what?"
"You have freckles."
Claire placed her front foot over her face shyly.
"Yeah . . . I usually cover them up. Is it noticeable when I'm a stegoceratops?"
Owen nodded.
"I like them. They're cute."
He scuttled up her neck once more and curled up on her slowly rising and falling belly. Claire smiled and stroked his ears. He closed his eyes and smiled.
"Owen?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."