The group scattered, weaving between the trees as the titanic dinosaur pursued them. It soon became clear that they would not be able to outrun him, for every step he took closed the gap significantly. By this point, he was really just playing around with them, yet there was no choice but to keep pressing on. Lily tripped, and Claire nudged her upright. The jaws of the monster snapped inches from the tips of their tails.

"MAMA!"

"KEEP RUNNING!"

There was a sharp cry from the clearing they abandoned. Claire realized that they had left Blue behind. The monster felt no urge to finish her off, apparently. Why was she calling out, then?

Claire yelped in surprise as a yellow figure flew over their heads. It landed in front of them, letting out a mighty roar.

"Elkay!" Claire cheered.

She gave an affirmative snort.

"Yeah, I didn't expect me to be in this story either, but there was a change of plans. I'm here to serve as your Deus Ex Machina, so step aside and let me-"

She made a squeaking sound when the beast's foot landed near her. Slowly, she looked up at his grinning face.

"Um . . . He's bigger than I was expecting."

Claire gulped.

"Can you fight him?"

Elkay gave a noncommittal hum.

"I can try."

She paused, then snaked through the monster's legs and attacked him from the side. He swung around as she chewed his back. Unfortunately, he chomped down on one of her extended wings and threw her to the ground.

"OH, FUCK!"

Claire gasped in horror as the demon snapped her neck and tossed her to the side. He roared, and the chase began anew.

The group stumbled along blindly, disoriented in the dark forest, until another shape joined them. Charlie sprinted alongside Claire, nearly out of breath.

"The others are with Blue."

"Charlie, this is kind of a bad time!"

"You don't understand. I'm proposing we split up and meet in the clearing."

"We won't be able to shake this guy."

"Not if we stick together."

Claire glanced at the raptor as they ran, taking in her words. After careful consideration, she nodded.

"Get the others to safety."

"Claire-"

"If it goes after me, you have to promise to let it happen."

Charlie's raptor-lip quivered. She sniffed and nuzzled her, taking care not to be trod upon in their race.

"I never had a mother. I want you to know that you're the best I could have hoped for."

Claire smiled and gave her a nudge. Then, she turned back to the never-ending woods.

"EVERYONE, SPLIT UP!" she cried.

They did. For a moment, the demon did not know who to go after. Claire looked over her shoulder, and her heart lifted as she speculated that he may stand there without attacking any of them. But then he went after Lily.

"NO!"

Claire changed her path, charging towards the monster. She skewered his leg with her front horns as he made a lunge for her daughter. He didn't appear to feel the pain, but he noticed her standing at his feet. Before she could react, he clamped his jaws around her body. His mouth was big enough that she was a chew toy by comparison. And he did chew her. The pain was enough to make her see spots. She could hear Lily screaming, but the monster flung her to the ground, and everything was muted by an unsteady ringing. She felt the warm, moist breath of the dinosaur on her shoulder.

"You're too easy to kill. Give me a challenge, please."

Claire was breathing heavily. She couldn't bring herself to look at the beast.

"Come on. Get up. Get up, or I'll kill your daughter."

Claire stood. Lily looked at her with worry.

"Run . . ." Claire croaked.

The demon laughed.

"No use in telling her to flee. Sooner or later, I always find my prey."

Claire shook her head.

"Not if I kill you."

He chuckled.

"Yes, because you're so good at that. Tell me, is her soul weighing on your conscience? She's in my realm now. You sent her to her doom."

Claire glowered at Lily.

"Run! Run, goddamn it!"

She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you, Mama."

The monster turned to face her.

"You've raised a stupid little girl."

Claire gnashed her teeth.

"Lily, go find your father. I mean it."

She whimpered.

"Mama . . ."

"If you love me, you will run away."

Lily turned with tears trickling down her cheeks and scampered into the forest. The demon turned back to Claire.

"I will kill her once you're dead."

Claire stamped her foot and snorted.

"I'd better not die, then."

The carnotaurus smirked.

"You're confident. I can see why Ellie was so keen to save you."

"Save me?" Claire echoed.

"Oh, yes. For a decade, she's been training herself to use magic without losing control, that she may assist you when the time came to tell this story. Unfortunately for her, I proposed an ultimatum, and the terms did not work in her favor. I get to keep my winnings, and what's more, I'm going to take everything she was working to protect . . . including you."

Claire swallowed.

"I don't understand."

"Simple," he said, "I'm not playing fair. Ellie is. She has to, or she'll relapse. Evil always wins, because it has no restraint. The nice guy finishes last, as they say . . ."

Claire nodded.

"Maybe, but I think you'll find that good people don't mind losing, because losing isn't the same as failure. If a person does what's right, the larger victory belongs to them."

The dinosaur lowered his head so that their eyes could meet.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're going to die."

She stared him down defiantly.

"We'll see."

Her confidence melted away when he started cackling hysterically.

"Oh, that's precious! Look here, I have godly powers, and you're just a pudgy little dinosaur. No, you're less than that. You're a human."

His eyes began to glow with cinnamon light, and Claire felt herself changing.

"What are you gonna do without your horns, puny woman?" he taunted.

Claire stood on two feet, balling her hands into fists.

"I don't need horns to fight you."

He laughed.

"And I suppose you're going to fight me with kindness and respect?"

"No."

"Then you're going to die a martyr?"

"No."

"What are you planning, Claire Dearing?"

She took a deep breath.

"You said that you're evil, right?"

"Of course."

"Who does that? Evil people don't know they're evil. That's why they can hurt others without feeling remorse."

"Ah, but I know my actions are malevolent. Those who are strong enough to crush their competitors will always come out on top. Survival of the fittest."

Claire shook her head.

"You obviously don't understand that phrase. The fittest are not always the strongest, the biggest, the most violent . . . they're the animals who know how to survive. I think you'll find that friendship, love, family- any kind of social behavior, really- is what makes a species strong."

The dinosaur snorted.

"Again, let me remind you that your sense of community isn't going to stop me from killing you."

Claire closed her eyes.

"I don't expect it to. But there's something you should know. You call yourself evil because you believe that it's important to rise above others. I have a hard time calling myself good because I know that I've made mistakes. I've . . . I've hurt people. Tonight, I killed one of my own. But . . . I did it to save my daughter. That doesn't erase my guilt, but I promise you that I'd do the same thing a million times over if it meant that my baby girl would be safe. That's why I'm not evil. 'Evil' is a word that humans assigned to anything they considered harmful. You may think that evil is necessary, but if that were the case, we wouldn't have invented the word to begin with. There is a reason why we consider things 'evil'. Through the years, we've learned that selfish, violent actions can only get us so far. You can choose to be cynical, pretending that your aggressive ways make you superior to the majority of sentient creatures, but the fundamental truth is that we need each other, and if we follow the path of 'evil', we'll end up alone. Claw your way to the top, and you'll be the ruler of an empty world. Stick with others, and you'll be-"

"Richer than the richest kings? Oh, please. You simply don't want to admit that I'm ahead of the curve."

Claire shook her head.

"No. You're just an asshole."

He roared, preparing to swallow her whole, but she reached down, grabbed her shoe, and flung it at his face. The heel became embedded in his eye. While he struggled to remove it, she grabbed her other shoe and took aim. By the time she threw it, he had changed position. It got stuck in his throat, and he began to choke.

"I wasn't aiming for that, but I'll take it."

She shrieked in surprise as the monster burst into flames. He fell to the ground, and his scaly body dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the fire . . . which was beginning to spread! Claire turned around and sprinted barefoot through the forest, heading for the clearing where the others were (hopefully) waiting.

"LILY! OWEN! CHARLIE!"

Claire gasped as a raptor hopped out of the woods.

"Delta! Oh my god! You scared me!"

She chirruped in confusion.

"You're human again . . ."

Claire nodded.

"Unfortunately. But that's not important right now. There's a fire."

Delta nodded.

"I'll gather the others."

She scampered into the woods, returning with Barry, Charlie, Lily, Liam, and Owen, who was carrying Echo. Claire frowned.

"Where's Blue?"

Owen's eyes went wide.

"Claire, you're-"

"I know. The monster changed me, but he's dead now. Where's Blue?"

"We're not bringing her with us," Owen said grimly.

"Why not?"

"She tried to kill you, Claire."

He had a point. Still, Claire didn't feel comfortable with his decision.

"There's a fire. It's spreading fast. I don't think she's strong enough to escape it."

Owen nodded.

"She'll die, then."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"You're just going to let that happen?"

Owen frowned.

"Yes, Claire. She had her chance to join us and chose to sabotage our relationship. She's on her own now."

Claire shook her head in disbelief.

"You can't be serious."

"I am. We can't bring her back with us. This is the only way."

Claire turned to the raptors.

"And you're all okay with this?"

Echo looked down.

"I don't feel safe when she's around."

Delta nodded with regret.

"It's best to let nature take its course."

Claire was shocked. She turned to Charlie.

"And what about you?"

Her throat quivered as she gave a not-quite-chirp.

"Blue used to be my friend, but lately, she's been using me to get to Owen. I don't like being manipulated. She's not my Beta, and she's not my sister. From now on, I'm listening to my dad."

Claire bit her lip.

"I . . . I don't want to leave her behind."

Owen sighed.

"Claire, she doesn't deserve a second chance."

The flickering glow of the forest fire was beginning to illuminate the trees. Claire took a deep breath.

"Right. Everyone, get to safety. I'm going back for Blue."

Owen glared at her.

"No. You're coming with us."

She started jogging towards the clearing.

"I'll be out of the forest by the time the fire reaches this area. We'll talk about Blue once everyone is safe."

"But Claire-"

"Just shut up and listen to me!"

She left before he had a chance to stop her. As the fire's light grew brighter, Claire's heart rate accelerated. She gazed up at the trees, wondering if she'd be able to recognize them from this angle. They were dancing with orange. She was running out of time. Desperate, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"BLUE!"

There was a sound. It was shrill and pathetic, and Claire didn't know whether or not the raptor was making it. Still, it was better than nothing. She changed direction, and was relieved to find Blue lying at the end of a red trail.

"Blue! I'm here to rescue you."

The dinosaur lifted her head hopefully.

"Owen changed his mind?"

So he hadn't even bothered to lie to her. Well, she was less likely to resist if she thought that Owen was waiting.

"Yes. Let me carry you."

Blue closed her eyes and went limp. She knew she had no choice. Claire hoisted her up on her shoulders.

"Alright. Let's go."

She could smell smoke. Flames were jumping from bough to bough. The heat was approaching them, and they were downwind.

"We need to hurry," Claire said, half to herself.

"Can you run faster?" Blue asked.

"Not anymore."

It was getting warm. Her eyes and nose were starting to sting. She blinked away the tears and struggled to stop herself from coughing.

"We can make it. We can make it."

"Can we?"

Claire's lip trembled.

"We have to."

The fire was beginning to outrun them. Claire felt urgency welling up in her chest. At this rate, she would have no choice but to leave the raptor behind. Clearly, Blue could also sense that this was the case.

"Run! . . . Run! . . ." she pleaded.

Claire stumbled. The extra weight made it easy for her to topple over. She could feel twigs and pebbles digging into her palms. Blue had landed in front of her. She was crying.

"Please, please . . ."

Claire reached out and touched her snout.

"I'm not leaving you."

They both screamed when a burning tree toppled over, sending sparks into their eyes.

"HURRY!"

Claire lifted her once more, but found that the smoke was beginning to make it difficult to breathe. She could certainly escape if she left Blue behind, but she couldn't bear to have another life on her conscience. It was possible that she wouldn't have a choice . . .

And then, a miracle! Lily leapt through the flames with Liam on her back. She scooped Blue off of her mother's shoulders with her horns.

"Lily!"

"Dad is furious. He doesn't understand. We have to make it back alive to prove that we're right."

Liam hopped down, dancing over hot embers.

"For the record, I think this is a stupid idea."

Another tree fell, cuing them to leave. They thundered through the now blazing wood, desperate to escape the hell that was consuming the world around them. Liam took the lead, guiding them through the inferno. He was much too agile for them to keep up, however, and Lily gave a fearful trumpet.

"Liam! Slow down!"

"How about you move faster?"

Claire grunted as she stumbled across the very sharp forest floor. She was having trouble keeping up with Lily, and the fire was everywhere.

"Lily, baby, don't run off! We can't lose each other!"

"We're close! I can smell fresh air!"

A blackened tree began to growl. Claire gasped.

"LILY!"

Her daughter disappeared behind a wall of fire as the tree fell. Claire screamed at the top of her lungs, darting back and forth to find a way through. Impossible. She fell to her knees and started sobbing.

"Lily! . . . Lily! . . ."

She wept for a while, screaming periodically with a helpless desperation, then felt someone pull her to her feet forcefully. Owen tugged on her hand.

"We have to go. Now."

Claire sniffed.

"But Lily-"

"She's safe. Hurry."

She followed him through the blaze. They emerged near a river, where the foliage was harder to ignite. Lily was waiting on the other side. Claire crossed the stream, stepping quickly across wet stones, and gave her daughter a hug.

"Lily!"

"Blue's safe, Momma. She's with Charlie and the others."

Claire pressed her forehead against Lily's chest.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god . . . I thought I'd lost you."

Lily shook her head.

"Ellie saved me."

"Ellie?!" Claire marveled.

"Yes, and . . . and she took Liam back to her world."

Claire sighed.

"Right. We'd better get out of here. It won't take long for the fire to spread, and Blue needs medical attention."

Lily gulped.

"Are we walking home?"

Claire took a shaky breath.

"We're not even in the same state . . ."

They were blinded by a beam of light that shone down from the sky. A massive airship-helicopter was hovering above them. Claire shielded her eyes, but lowered her hand when a familiar voice rang out from a megaphone.

"Need a lift?"

Claire gasped.

"Mr. Masrani?"

"The one and only. I'm here to take you home. The others are already inside."

A ladder dropped from the ship, and they began to climb. Claire went after Lily to make sure she wouldn't fall. When they were safely inside, she did up her seatbelt. Oddly enough (or perhaps not), a white tiger was piloting the plane.

"Oh . . . You're not tiny anymore," Claire mumbled.

He nodded.

"Yes, we did a Bollywood thing . . . Ah, never mind. That's a story for another day. Let's get you home."

The ship turned around, soaring above the treetops. Claire looked out at the scene below them and saw a team of mercenaries fighting a pack of large dinosaurs. The latter had just about won the battle, it seemed. Nearby, two spinosaurs were staring at each other silently. One was being restrained by a full body brace, and the other was free. Claire squinted, thinking she recognized the dinosaur being held prisoner, but Lily exhaled quietly and laid her head in her lap. Claire smiled and stroked her snout.

"Mama . . ." Lily whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for running away."

Claire rested her cheek on her daughter's frill.

"Shhh, it's okay. We're going home now. We're going home."

Lily smiled and closed her eyes. She fell asleep within a matter of seconds. It wasn't long before Claire did the same.