Daniel was wandering through the park again. His circadian rhythm was undeterred by yesterday's activities. As always, he loved to walk early in the mornings. The quietness (as quiet as a valley filled with Residents can be) and the cool temperatures were quite relaxing. The walk itself helped in waking him up. In a matter of minutes, he was more alert than he was when he was preparing himself in his room.
His wanderings brought him to one of the many hills that bordered the main part of the park. While he did his best to not wander too far away from the hub, being inexperienced with the valley and his new schedule would warrant him to explore more and thus contribute to being late for the day, he could not help but enjoy the relative solitude of this area.
Looking over to one side, he noticed several dinosaurs sleeping all around the plains. Some of the large shapes moved slightly as they were dreaming or being roused from their slumber. The distant lake was still dark in the early morning rays. The Great Tree, where the Park's lemurs congregated, casted a shadowy outline in the distance.
As he scanned the hilly landscape, his eyes fell on a familiar form. Perched on one of the hilltops was a certain crimson pterosaur.
Pleased to see a familiar face, he ran over to the unsuspecting crested flyer. When he was just a few scant feet away, he greeted him.
"Hi Aeros."
Getting his attention, the winged denizen shifted his gaze onto the lone human. He shot him a quick smile. "Hello again."
"Enjoying another morning flight?"
Aeros nodded. "Indeed. I'm just resting before I go on my morning patrol. Can't be too complacent during these peaceful times. Some native could wander in this place and cause some havoc. And you? Enjoying your morning walk?"
"Oh yes. It helps me to wake up in the morning."
Both of them chuckled as they shared the same idea.
"How was your training yesterday?" Aeros inquired.
Daniel shrugged. "It wasn't too terrible. I just helped with feeding some of the carnivores here. It's hard work, but kind of fun at the same time. And I hardly consider certain things fun."
His morning companion cocked his head to one side, a smirk showing for just a moment. "Some parts of this place have an effect on individuals."
"The Residents here are...interesting characters," the agent commented.
The Pteranodon raised a brow ridge at the notion. "How so?"
"Well, I mean they're unique. Interesting. Like I never thought that Irwin guy could be such a jokester, or how much of a drill sergeant Nero could be," he said. His recollection of his meetings yesterday with the friendly crocodilian and the warlike ornithopod flashed in his mind. The conversations they gave him made him shudder a little, especially that second one.
"Wait until you meet the others," Aeros mused. "They will blow you away."
"I can imagine that," Daniel equally agreed.
"So, what are you learning today?"
The man's lips scrunched to one side as he contemplated what his trainer had told him the day before. His mind did not bring up anything useful at the moment. "Not quite sure. I guess it all depends on what Hazel has in mind. Onto another note, I have been noticing the other new recruits that arrived here around the time I did. Most of them are definitely gung-ho about this new program. It looks like they're well on their way towards their final exam and getting their partner."
Aeros contemplated that observation. "I have noticed a lot more interactions between us and you humans. It would look that way. You don't happen to have anyone in mind to pair with?"
Daniel thought for a moment before responding. "I haven't given too much thought."
Upon saying that, an idea struck him. It was a longshot, but he wanted to try it. He had heard stories of hazel riding on that one other pterosaur according to Nigel and other employees in the park. If Aeros would agree to it, they could get to know each other a little better. Plus, he could be considered ahead in this program they have going on.
In fact, during this whole conversation, he began to feel something inside him. It happened yesterday too, but he equated it to hunger pangs or anxiety for the training. Now, it came up again. For some apparent reason, it always seemed to be around Aeros. The best way he could describe it would be a sense of kinship. They could be a good team together. Plus, Aeros was a good guy to talk to. Remembering Nigel's advice from before, he needed to try something.
Bracing himself, he looked back at the pterosaur, who was deep in thought, and asked him.
"Hey uh, if you're about to head off to patrol, mind if I join you?"
The flyer snapped his head at him, an incredulous expression on his features. "Excuse me?"
"You know," Daniel took a step forward, "can I ride on you?"
Aeros thought about that for a moment. When he did, he shifted his body so he was looking directly at the human. The Pteranodon smirked. To Daniel, he thought he may have achieved his goal.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Aeros crouched and jumped up, his wings angled in a way that was directed at Daniel. A fast gust hit him, causing him to fall back. The impact on his rump surprised him, but not so much as the treatment he received. Looking back at Aeros, he saw him just hovering there, flapping his wings.
"Sorry Daniel," went the airborne Pteranodon, "but I don't just allow anybody to be my rider."
He quickly got back up, stunned and a little offended by that statement. "But I thought we're friends!"
"We may be friends, Daniel, but becoming my rider remains to be seen."
With that, Aeros took off towards the expanse of the valley, leaving the bewildered human behind.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That morning, after breakfast, Daniel met Hazel at the Employee Center. She had booked a small conference room there the day before just for the two of them. The reason? She wanted to give him a crash course in prehistory.
The room was fairly small, but it did fit at most two desk tables. The walls were bare, but according to Hazel, they were insulated and outfitted to the point where they were soundproof. The door was also secure as the users could lock it. To Daniel, it was equivalent to a normal study room in a college library.
Hazel's explanations of the different time periods and the extinction events were simple to follow. It was when she started to get to animal characteristics that things got a little more complicated. Specifically, when they got to the topic regarding dinosaurs.
Daniel had witnessed Hazel's full extent of her dinosaur expertise. No wonder she fit in so well in the park. And it was no wonder the Residents were so fond of her (well, most of them anyway). She explained about the two major groups of dinosaurs: Ornithischia and Saurischia and what they entailed. She explained the differences between each member of those groups, from carnivore to herbivore. She pointed out which of the creatures listed in her encyclopedia, which Daniel found out was from her personal collection, were in the park or where and when she experienced them.
She also explained information about the different creatures that were not listed in the book. Mainly, information that was given by the Residents of the park. One example being a legend of the Grey Skin and Yellow Skin Allosaurus, which Hazel explained was talking about encounters between two different species of Allosaurus, the lucasi and the fragilis. She brought up their meeting with Al and Alyssa from yesterday and told him they were Allosaurus fragilis.
She then went on to explain other facts regarding the creatures. Daniel's notes were already spanning 6 pages at that point. Two hours in and their lesson finally concluded. It was a tedious endeavor, but he could tell Hazel had a lot of fun doing it. In fact, she was enjoying it a little too much.
Hazel mentioned it was not every day she could teach someone all she knew about dinosaurs. The woman called it "a golden opportunity". She also mentioned their next lesson will be on dinosaur nomenclature, fossil discoveries, types of defense, the Carboniferous period (since the park housed the giant bugs) and then they would go on to prehistoric mammals. The tutoring sessions would go until the week before his final test or when Hazel sees she taught him everything he needed to know. Such sessions would also include her quizzing him on the topics, but not in written format; that's not her style.
After the literary teaching, their training switched to the hands-on portion. Hazel wanted him to meet her other friends since he was going to be in the park. She mentioned her friends are part of her extended family, so this meeting was what she called "required". Daniel didn't understand why they needed to go through with this, but seeing as it would be beneficial in the near future, park-related or mission-related, he went along with it.
The two of them utilized one of the park's jeeps. The trunk contained some supplies in case anything happened, from extra food if they were eating outside to medical supplies. But what got Daniel's attention was a strangely shaped leather mat just lying across the back seat. While it did have characteristics similar to that of a horse saddle, like reins and straps, it was the strangest saddle he had ever laid eyes on. Hazel told him he would see its proper use very soon.
As they drove alongside one of the forests that lined the main part of the valley, they passed by several dinosaurs just milling about their day. It had been a while since Daniel saw any of the Jurassic Park movies, but the actual feel of seeing them in person topped what was shown on the big screen.
"So when are you going to teach me how to fly?" he asked her during the drive.
Hazel, who was the one driving, gave him a quick glance before keeping her eyes back on the road. She had just turned the jeep to avoid a Pachyrhinosaurus family grazing. "What?"
"You know, on a Pterodactyl," he clarified.
"Okay first of all, they're not called that. You're probably calling out to the Pteranodons. Second of all, I can't exactly teach you how to fly."
Daniel frowned, now confused that his request was denied. "What? Why? You always fly on those things. You're the expert on it. You guys worked with them somehow so they could be comfortable around humans."
The woman let out a long sigh, which almost sounded like she was reacting to a child wanting something she couldn't give. "Oh Daniel, you've been here for a short period of time. There are only two Pteranodons in the park, Flia and Aeros. And we didn't work with them. It's a relationship we developed. We told them we meant no harm, we wanted to help, and we built it up from there."
The now annoyed employee flattened his lips and his eyes narrowed. He rested his head on his hand with the side of the jeep as support. "Right…still getting used to this whole 'relationship' and 'they can understand us' kind of thing. How do you control them when you fly?"
"We don't control them. We work together as a team. You got to know how to read the sky with them."
He then looked at the back seat, particularly at the leather mat situated there. "So that saddle you have doesn't have a feature for steering?"
Hazel shook her head. "Nope. It's just something to help you with holding onto them."
"Okay..." went the still confused rookie. "Has anyone else tried to ride them?"
"Oh yes, but those two are picky about their riders. In Flia's case, unless they're as small as a lemur, or someone she's very close to," she placed a hand on her heart and shot the recruit a smug smile, "like yours truly, she won't let anyone ride her. So far, I'm the only person qualified. Everyone else she just rebuffs."
Daniel shot her a surprised glance. No one else except Hazel and something smaller than her can ride this Flia? "Even the senior staff members?"
Hazel sighed. "Well they tried, just for the heck of it. Nigel tried once and ended up falling in the lake several times. Bob got motion sickness out of it and never wanted to do it again. Marcus doesn't like to fly without a seatbelt and Suzanne wasn't interested. Other than them, Flia's only settled on me."
"Why's that?"
"Because we've known each other for a long time. We've gone on many escapades and adventures together, up to the point where we know how we operate. She trusts me, and I trust her. We have an unbreakable bond."
"Then how did you two become partners?"
Hazel laughed, both out of slight embarrassment and amusement. "Well that was an interesting case. On my first solo adventure, we met each other by complete accident. I was tasked with rescuing a dinosaur herd at the time and it turns out she was part of a herd. It was on a whim but I convinced the leader I could help with the scouting. We had no idea our job at the time would turn into a lasting friendship. And this was before the program was even created."
"So they both met by chance. Great, that makes my chances better," Daniel deadpanned in his mind.
"Okay...what about Aeros? He doesn't, you know, have a partner?" he asked.
His apprehension faded when he saw his trainer shake her head. "Nope. He wouldn't tell us why."
"Then why is he listed on the Exceptions list?" Daniel inquired, remembering he took a peek at the list sometime after his meeting with Aeros. He was downtrodden when he found out why the Pteranodon rejected him. Seeing as he was on the list, he wanted to know the exact reason.
"My guess is he's not interested in allowing anyone to ride him. Or he could be waiting for someone he deems worthy. So if you're thinking of trying to be partners with him, don't worry, you've got a chance even though he's on there."
"Well, he and I have been talking for quite a bit," he pointed out. "We seem to be good friends, or getting there. He just won't let me ride him."
Hazel chuckled. "Like I said, he could be waiting for someone. Most of the Residents on that list have a reason to be on there, and they would state it if they are adamant about it (with the exceptions if they're already paired). Some of them are just temporarily placed there. Aeros happens to be an outlier. He said he had his reasons for wanting to be on the list. Now keep in mind, what I'm saying now is just a theory and it's out of my observations and supported by what you told me. He doesn't want any random person just waltzing up to him and asking to be his partner. Aeros wanted to make sure he had a say in the matter, so he would make his choice too. Anyway, the main point is, while he is listed as an Exception and has not outright decided to be permanently single, so to speak, you still have a chance with him."
Daniel, while appearing indifferent on the outside, relaxed in his gut. So he does have a chance with being paired with Aeros, even though it seems underhanded and a little manipulative. The reason why he'd rather choose the flyer was because he wasn't sure if any of the other Residents would be like him AKA he'd prefer not to start from the ground up with anyone. Besides, he did show some empathy towards him when Hazel's sister vomited on him before...
"Well he's sure keeping up with that status quo. I found that out this morning when he told me no."
Hazel chuckled again. "Remember, the new program specifies that both party members must choose each other. My advice? Get to know each other a little more."
The man pondered on that. He had some work cut out for him. "Whatever you say. I'm not sure why, but I feel something between me and Aeros. It's more than a friendship. Definitely not in a relationship sort of way because that would be weird."
Once again, the woman laughed.
He chose to ignore it. "But it's like a…I'm not sure how to explain it."
"Like a bond?" she answered.
That sounded about right. "Yes, something like that. I know he and I haven't known each other for too long, but if the circumstances are right, perhaps he can be my partner."
"Though I'm only doing this just to play along. Of all the Residents, I'd prefer to be paired with him. Having a partner that has wings has its advantages," he told himself.
"Maybe."
She shot him a smile again. "Let me know how things go between you and Aeros. If you two hit it off, then maybe Flia and I will teach you how to fly together."
Daniel let out a breath. So much for going the easy way and finding a loophole. Well, he sort of did in a way. At least he has a chance.
A few minutes later they finally reached the Socialization Fields. Looking around him, he could clearly see why this place was called that title. Residents, both big and small, carnivore and herbivore, and all the ones that were able to make the trip, congregated here. They all socialized, relaxed, played, and slept in this huge expanse. This was every dinosaur fan's dream come true, seeing creatures thought to have been extinct wandering around in the 21st century but in a setting much like their original homes. It would also have been the perfect backdrop for another Jurassic World movie.
Rather than continuing their journey by vehicle, Hazel decided to go the rest of the way by foot. It was for two reasons. First, they were in no rush and it would be best to take in the scenery, enjoy the moment as she put it. Second, she didn't want to mar the scenery with the sound of the jeep, even though driving through here was a normal occurrence throughout the day. Daniel figured she just didn't want to mess up the moment. If he thought about it, she probably drove here a lot and would rather just walk the whole way.
As they walked, he asked her more questions regarding Partner Recommendations. The one section he inquired about was the one about having a second partner. Hazel told him that can happen, but the candidate needed to have created an equally strong bond with another Resident. In Hazel's case, the only other Resident she is rather close to is an Iguanodon named Aladar. Thinking back to yesterday, she did mention that name to Nero during that conversation. The relationship they shared isn't just as best friends; they had been through a lot together just like she did with Flia. They went on adventures, they helped each other through tough times, they shared secrets with each other, they were practically close. She also said she was close to his mate, Neera, but she had more experiences with Aladar. According to Hazel, what she and Aladar have was more akin to a sibling bond. In other words, they're like brother/sister to each other. Not to leave out the mate, she considered her a sister-figure.
Hazel told Daniel having a second partner would be considered uncommon, but still supported. However, for a candidate that was just starting out, it was highly recommended they start with one partner first before moving on to get a second one.
The man had to watch himself as they made their way through the fields. A few times, they were crossing the vicinity of other dinosaurs, so they had to weave around them. Sometimes, Hazel would just duck under their tails or dance around large bodies, him following suit. He also had to keep an eye on where he stepped as there were baby dinosaurs and miniature dinosaurs (in the case of the Microceratus, they were already adults according to Hazel).
A normal person would have found a walk like this to be a little uncomfortable. But if they were a dinosaur fan or a longtime employee, like Hazel, this was just another day in the life in Prehistoric Park.
It wasn't long before Hazel found the group she was looking for. Gathered several feet in front of them was a group of misfit prehistoric creatures. Then again, being in these fields, they would all be considered misfits. There were two Iguanodons, an elderly Styracosaurus with scores of wrinkles, a towering Brachiosaurus, a diminutive ankylosaur, five lemurs on the blue Iguanodon's back, and Pteranodon a little smaller than Aeros except this one had a purple coloration and a paddle-shaped crest. Like the lemurs, she was perched on a dinosaur's back; in this case, the huge sauropod. Hazel waved and called out to them, grabbing their attention.
Blinking again, Daniel realized something. One of the photographs he took showed these same creatures! And in that photograph was Hazel! That photo was no ordinary photo, it was a family portrait! Now, he was given the privilege, or honor if it were in Hazel's case, of meeting more of her extended family.
"Hi guys!"
They all greeted her in their own way, with the lemurs being the only ones able to wave thanks to their hands. The woman ran up to them all and stopped just a few feet from them. A smile creased across her features.
"What's going on here? Did I miss anything cool?" she asked, her hands now on her hips.
The blue ornithopod shook his head. His voice was compassionate and warm. Daniel couldn't explain it, but he felt an air of righteousness coming from him. "Nah, you didn't miss anything. You're just in time."
"We're just trying to teach Url some new words," the female flyer added, flexing her large wings before resting them again.
"Oh? How's that going?" the human's eyes diverted to the smaller Ankylosaur, who was standing in front of the stout ceratopsian.
The Pteranodon cringed and gave a weak laugh. "It's…sub-par. We're working on it."
"Vah-ker!"
"No no no, Url!" went the horned dinosaur. Her voice sounded like that of an aged elder, like a wise, yet sassy, grandmother. Had it not been for the ankylosaur trying to speak, she would have been like an old woman with a small dog in Daniel's perspective. "Say it with me. Wa-ter."
"Wah…ker?" the armored one curiously barked.
"Wa-ter. Say 'Wah'," she said slowly.
"Wa?"
"Good," she nodded slowly. "Now say 'ter'."
Url cocked his head to one side. His tongue plopped out and he panted, almost as if he were some sort of prehistoric dog.
"Say it. Come on," his teacher urged him calmly.
The ankylosaur crouched and furrowed his eyes. A series of growls, like puppy growls, escaped his throat. His tail swished from side to side, but not so much as to hit anyone. Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to finally complete the word.
What came from his mouth only mounted the ceratopsian's frustration.
"Ker!"
The old one groaned and fell on her side, which was the equivalent of falling back and fainting. "Have mercy on me, Great Maker!"
Those around her laughed at the sight. Even Daniel, who had just arrived and was just piecing things together, found it amusing. While he did not outwardly laugh, he did snicker. He had to cover his mouth just to prevent himself from losing it.
It took another minute for them all to calm down. When they did, Hazel chose this time to speak.
"Well, while we're at it, I'd like you guys to meet someone. Everyone, this is Daniel," her hands gestured to the human male, he waved out of respect, "I'm training him for that new Rescue Program. And Daniel, meet my friends."
"Hello. It's great to finally meet you all. I heard a little about you, but never got to meet you properly," he greeted.
The slender Iguanodon to the side smirked. Her voice sounded silky and smooth. "Well, now you are. Hazel mentioned you yesterday. You did well on your first day."
The Asian scratched the back of his neck out of a nervous tick. He had no idea his trainer had already said something about him prior to this meeting. "Oh…heh. Thank you."
"Anyway, intros," Hazel continued with a clap of her hands. She started to gesture at each of them one at a time. "The blue Iguanodon there is Aladar, he's the leader of the Valley Herd."
The male alpha bowed his head out of respect and shot him a warm smile. "Nice to meet you."
"That's Hazel's other partner," Daniel thought. "Which means the one next to him is…"
"The female Iguanodon with him is his mate, Neera." Like her mate, she too bowed. For an ancient relic, she does look beautiful. She was slender but looked strong at the same time. No wonder Aladar was mates with her.
"The lemurs on Aladar's back are Aladar's adopted family; the older female is Plio, the younger one that looks like her is Suri," the youngest primate waved at him. The rest did the same as the introductions continued, "the one with the yellow fur is Zini, he's the brother of Plio, the elderly male is Yar, he's Plio and Zini's dad as well as Suri's grandpa, and the lemur with white fur is Aya, she's Zini's mate. They're the ones that raised Aladar when he was little. Well, except for Aya, we didn't meet her until much later."
Daniel blinked. "Wait, they raised him?"
"Yup," the yellow lemur clicked his tongue and gave him a finger-gun point. "Ever since he broke out of his egg."
The elderly female primate chuckled. The tone of voice she had sounded wise and protective, much like Daniel's own mother. "That is another story in itself. We could tell you about it, if you'd like."
"Heh, I'd like to hear about it sometime," he politely agreed. Aladar's origin story was something he wanted to hear about. Like a dinosaurian Tarzan. He made a note to ask either one of them about it later.
Hazel cleared her throat as she went on with the introductions. "Anyway, the elderly Styracosaurus here is Eema, the towering and majestic lady with her is Baylene, and the Ankylosaur here is Url. And finally, the Pteranodon female here is Flia. I told you about her on the way here. She's the sky scout for Aladar and Neera's herd. Well, I work with her too so that makes me one as well."
Said female Pteranodon chuckled. "We met. It was at that party Hazel and her companions hosted."
Daniel raised his head in understanding. This was Hazel's first partner. Not only had he seen her in one of those photographs, but she was present during that one party. In fact, he saw her and Aeros there. He wondered if those two were close friends, if not mates. He wouldn't be surprised, considering they were the only Pteranodons present in this whole park and in this time period.
The long-necked creature craned her great neck so her head could be closer to his level. The gigantic sauropod's neck arched in a way that made it look like a bridge. Up close, Daniel could see the wrinkles on the skin as well as the wisdom in those old eyes.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet Hazel's student," the elder responded. Unlike the smaller horned dinosaur, she had an air of nobility to her. She was like a grandmother, but more refined and graceful than the spunky, grittiness of her companion. The British accent she had was also a surprise.
"Mmhm! And my my!" went the Styracosaurus as she went a little closer to inspect every inch of him. Daniel could not help but blush as she did. "He is a good lookin' one! Now Hazel dear, I know you're just introducin' him to us out of respect and for him to get used to this place, but are you sure you aren't just doin' it cause you're both warmin' up to each other?"
Hazel gawked and stammered. Daniel did the same and they both eyed each other. Their faces flushed red just like before. Actually, it almost felt like it was heating up. Seriously, this again?
The now irritated human woman clenched her fists and told her off. "Eema! It's not like that! He and I…we aren't…you know!"
"Heeheehee! I'm just kiddin' kiddo," the elder went over to Hazel's side.
Hazel let out an annoyed groan and facepalmed. "First it's Irwin and now it's you!? Seriously!?"
If any of them gave any regard to that, they didn't give any indication of it. When Eema spoke to her, Hazel's face only reached a darker shade of red.
"Seriously though, you landed a good one. I kind of want to get to know him a little better myself sometime, if you don't mind."
"Eema!" she scolded. The Styracosaurus merely laughed and gave the two some space. The Asian woman was now giving off steam…metaphorically speaking.
Just when the two of them were about to suffer from even more embarrassment, Aladar had chosen to speak up to move on to another topic, much to the relief of the two romantically-assumed victims.
"So how are you liking this place?" Aladar asked Daniel. "Being fairly new here, I'm sure everything about the park seems quite a shock to you."
"Oh you have no idea," said a now recovered Daniel. "I mean, I'm literally talking to you all thanks to this thing in my ear. Not to mention you're all literally here. Then we have technology that enables Time Travel to be possible. I'm looking forward to going on rescue missions."
"Heh, yeah you've got a ways to go," Hazel told him, patting his shoulder, "but you'll get there."
"I don't suppose you're making this any easier for him?" Neera mused to the Asian woman.
The leader in-training chuckled. "I'm doing my best."
It was then that Hazel's face beamed. "Actually, now that I think about it, I think I'd like to demonstrate a taste of what Daniel here could accomplish when he passes his final test."
He glanced at her and then followed the direction of her gaze. When he did, he saw she was eyeing the female Pteranodon. "Flia? Care for a little exhibition flight?"
Daniel knew what this entailed. So that's why she brought that saddle. He watched as the flyer smirked and landed nimbly on the grass. She walked up to her on all fours, just towering above the petite woman by a large margin.
"With pleasure."
He got to see firsthand what his trainer does. He watched her position the saddle on Flia, which hung from her neck thanks to that one large rein. Hazel had adjusted it to make sure it was secure on her before she climbed on. The leather device just lay flat on her, like a secure blanket. However, it was the flight they did that took the cake.
He watched them soar in the sky, doing flips, dives, and sharp turns. Their aerial show spanned a good size of the area, but only where they could properly be seen. As they did their tricks, they attracted the attention of the other Residents present. They watched them in amazement and cheered as they successfully did each maneuver. Even some of the more dangerous tricks left them clamoring out of nervousness before they cheered when they made it.
Daniel had seen air shows, but not ones where a person could ride a literal creature. He wondered if he would be able to do something like this. He was already coming up with tricks in his mind. But even that was a long way as he still had a test to pass. If he and Aeros were paired up, they could match these two on every level.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
For the rest of the day into the early evening, Hazel decided to test Daniel on his stamina. Her choice of evaluation was much better than the alternative, sending him to Nero or someone named Sarge for some exercise. For this test, they were going to do some karate sparring.
They went to one of the recreation centers (which turned out to be the one Daniel always went to) and chose one of the rooms with the colorful puzzle mats. Again, this was the room Daniel used to practice. The two of them got into some workout clothes; Hazel wore a purple exercise tank and matching shorts while he wore a red T-shirt and black shorts. The two of them were barefoot, since that was traditional in martial arts.
The first thing they did was practice some forms together. Seeing as they studied the same type of martial art and they always performed them, this was more of a review for them. Since they were in the presence of another martial arts user, this was a real treat.
It was when they got to the sparring that things started to get interesting. Outfitted with pads and punching gloves, they sparred on the expanse of the room. They were quite equal in terms of skill, but each one of them had advantages and disadvantages. Hazel favored offense over defense while Daniel was more of the opposite. Each one of them landed good hits on each other when they found proper openings. Those left bruises, but none that would hurt them seriously.
At the moment, they had settled on doing a competition. A best 2 out of 3 match. The loser would need to tell the other something about themselves, just to make it fun. So far, it was a tie. Daniel had let her in on some mundane secrets (he liked seafood and had experience with riding a motorcycle). For Hazel, it was taking early morning walks, though he wondered why he had not seen her while he went out the other times. She was just about to reveal her second secret.
After the fourth round, Hazel was on the ground, gasping for air. "Wow…you're really good."
Daniel held a hand out and helped her up. "I told you, I practice every morning."
"So do I, but I guess I'm not as good as you are."
"No, you're good too. Try not to look for your opponent. Try to anticipate where they're going to be next. That'll help you in the long run."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Now, I think you owe me something about yourself," he said.
"Oh…right," she breathed deeply. "Um…before I came to Prehistoric Park, I didn't have too many friends. And after my dad died…my mom and I kind of drifted apart."
Daniel stopped. He felt something twinge inside him. The fact that a girl like her had very few friends struck home for him. While he was mostly happy growing up, he too didn't have too many friends. In fact, there were a few times when he was picked on at school, either because he was too scrawny or because he was a little too smart than others. And this was before he went to college. Being a prodigy made him a target for bullies.
He wondered if Hazel was in a similar situation when she was younger. As for her relationship with her mother, while that was hard to hear when they had a strain with each other, he could relate to it. The job he has needs to be kept secret from his family and most of the time, he would be gone for extended periods away from them.
Daniel looked despondent. "Oh...I'm...sorry to hear that."
Her lips tightened on one side. "It's alright. Things just happen."
The two of them decided to take a break and they sat against one wall. They sipped their water from their water bottles. The other thing they had in common was they refused to use plastic. Hazel's was a glass bottle with a purple silicone covering while Daniel's was a slightly larger bottle with a black cover. With their throats now eased with the cool, clear liquid, they continued on with their conversation.
"So you really didn't have too many friends?" Daniel inquired. He avoided asking her if she was bullied, thinking that it may be a touchy subject for her.
"I had a couple, but not many."
"What happened to them?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Things happened. Differing views of the world, personality clashes, or we just drifted apart. And I didn't know too many people that liked dinosaurs in the same caliber as me."
Well that explained part of it. She was just like him. She may have been picked on because of her likes.
"And your family?"
Hazel took another sip from her bottle. "Well, my sister and I got along, though we had a period of sporadic gaps in our relationship. We had our own lives to live I guess until this point. Then my mom and I, well, it wasn't too great for a long while. She was always away at work, barely had time for me and my sister when we were younger."
"Oh," was all he said.
"I did try to reach out to her a few times, but it was always at a bad time. She was always busy. Then for a while, I distanced myself from her. I didn't want anything to do with her."
He nodded at that. He and his family did fight a few times, but not at this level. This was a feud. He felt sorry she went through something like this. Families shouldn't fight. Growing up, this girl wanted her mother's love at a time when she needed it. Due to the circumstances, tension arose and they were at the breaking point. And this happened because of Jacob Veran's disappearance.
He was about to tell her how felt on the matter when she piped in. Her mood was slightly lifted.
"Then one Christmas, we decided to make amends, shortly after, she and my sister discovered this place, we got into an argument, then we all got stuck in the Late Cretaceous in Temporary Park, we patched things up, and we all made it back. They're now basically living here with me, well, my mom is still working things out in the states in regards to the house, but you get the picture. She's working here now."
Well at least they're on better terms. While he already knew about the mother and sister being here, at least he was now aware of how they arrived here. Still, if he had met her years before, he would have tried to help her. Maybe they could have been friends.
But now, here she was, opening herself to him. They may be trainer and trainee, but at the moment, he was someone she could open up to. He did have that effect on people at times. Sometimes, he thought it was his looks that allowed anyone to approach him. To Daniel, it was both a gift and a curse.
He's supposed to be getting close to her because he needed her to complete his mission. But after getting to know her a little bit, he couldn't help but empathize with her.
"Wow…that's a roller coaster of a family relationship," he commented.
"Heh, yeah. It's been crazy. But we're okay now. And when I arrived here, I wasn't alone anymore. I met my friends and they helped me back up. Now we're all one big family."
He shot her a small smile, happy that things went rather well despite the rocky origins. "Well that's good. It's good to have folks you can fall back on."
She looked over at him curiously. "What about you? Do you have any family to fall back on?"
"Here we go again," he told himself. "Well, as long as I don't go too in depth, it should be okay."
"I do, but it's been a while since we last spoke."
"What happened? If I may ask."
"Just…life in general. I'm making my way in the world. I do contact them every now and then, but I do get pulled away a lot."
Hazel blinked and took another sip of her water. "Yeah I get where you're coming from. It looks like we do have a few things in common, besides being interested in our jobs and liking karate and all that."
Daniel shot her a wolfish grin, an idea coming to him. "I could tell you more about me. If…you manage to beat me in one more round."
The woman dropped her bottle and shot up. Her second wind had returned. "You're on."
The two of them stood before each other in a defensive stance. They held their hands up in a ready position. Hazel had done the honors of starting the match before, so Daniel offered to do it this time.
They danced on their toes and circled each other. They did mock punches and kicks, trying to distract the other. It wasn't until Hazel made the first strike that it started to pick up. She did a series of punches and flat-handed strikes, all of which Daniel managed to divert or block. She then tried to get some distance with a spin kick, which Daniel dodged by jumping back.
He rolled forward and followed up with a few strikes of his own. Hazel blocked them and performed a low kick. The attack impacted his leg and he fell on his back. The landing temporarily took the breath out of him. Before Hazel could do an axe kick, he rolled backwards and recovered.
The man eyed Hazel and planned his next move. However, their conversation got to his head and he hesitated. Thinking quickly, he did the one thing he thought was right.
He followed up with some roundhouse kicks, which Hazel blocked with her arms. It was at the final kick that she found her chance. She grabbed onto his leg, maneuvered her feet in a quick motion, and made him lose balance. Once again, he was on his back. He could have done something to make her lose balance. He could have blocked the fist that was coming at his face. But instead, he did nothing.
The fist was a mere inch away from his skin. A tired grin creased on the woman's face. She straightened and gave him a helping hand.
As he started to remove his boxing gloves, he let her in on one of his secrets as promised.
"Before coming here…I didn't have a lot of friends either. We either drifted apart, split for certain reasons…or tragedy fell on them."
He looked at her and saw her go quiet. She looked away and frowned.
"Anyway, that's how life is," was all he said.
They went over to their respective bags and packed their belongings. As they did, Hazel glanced over at the man that was doing some post stretches.
"I think we've had enough training for today."
The two of them bid each other farewell and parted ways. The dojo was now dark and quiet as it was before anyone set foot in there.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Soon after showering and dressing into his pajamas, Daniel situated himself on his desk. His laptop was the only source of light in the room. His desk, which was once clean, was now strewn with the many photos from the folder on his dresser.
As he looked over them, he noted the identities of each of the Residents shown in there. Well, there were a few that he did not know about, either because he had not met them or he had forgotten who they were. With so many Residents in the roster, it was hard to keep track of the names. While they were interesting to look at, his mission took priority first.
Opening his mail app, he began to type his first report in a long while.
Director Rain,
Just checking in to let you know I'm still alive. I apologize for the delay in reports. Reason being is I haven't seen much of anything while I've been here but now they're starting to pick up.
As you already know, the park's Residents are now back and the sanctuary has come back to life, so to speak. I want to tell you what I have seen, but I'm afraid there's no good way of telling you through an email as that won't be enough in addition to the big possibility of you doubting my story. What I will do is I will record my findings via photos and video evidence and then send them all to you in one package once I have gotten a substantial amount.
You were right to suspect Nigel Marven. He was hiding something in this sanctuary, and it was much more than we bargained for. I'm not sure what his consequences will be of hiding such a big secret. The Residents here, they're much more than we thought they were. I am currently under the tutelage of his ward, Hazel Veran, which we both know is the daughter of the late Jacob Veran. In addition, it seems the whole family is in on it as Jacob's youngest child, Hanna, and his widow, Beth Silva, are now involved with the park as they have moved in.
Through passerby and my informal interviews with Hanna and Beth (courtesy of a scheduled phone call thanks to Nigel), I was able to glean they were assisting Nigel on a "safari trip" for the duration of two years. Nigel let Hanna's school and Beth's former job know of their absence due to that activity. Except for Hanna's former school, Beth ultimately lost her job as they were not pleased with her extended time away. Jacob's youngest is currently attending a homeschool and his widow is working as the park's Communications Manager.
Attached are some links I found regarding their former institutions.
Back to my current situation, since I am paired with Jacob's daughter, this is a great opportunity for me to learn more about the park in a more discrete manner. Hazel is quite close to certain individuals in the park and I'm sure there are more pieces of evidence she has on her person.
For now, I'll uphold the employee facade until I get substantial evidence. Expect another report soon.
Regards,
Agent Rimbauer
Satisfied at the content and the format, he submitted the message and closed his device for the night. He did not add anything major regarding the park for a reason; he wanted to wait until his first actual mission. While the training was already substantial for a report, he wanted to go through something big so he would have more to talk about. That way, Director Rain would have more to think on and further evidence of the goings-on here.
As he lulled to sleep, his mind went to the sparring session with Hazel. Her life had more to it than he thought. They had a lot of things in common. With his efforts, he was indeed getting close to her, which was required on his part. But she treated him as more than a rookie. She literally opened herself to him. And for a bit, he did too.
The same went for Aeros. While he rebuffed his advances to be partners with him, that was Daniel's fault. It was too early. Though they did connect and did share things in common too. He needed to play his cards right to get Aeros as a partner. Although, they are already friends...
"You're undercover. You don't have time to make friends, not unless they're needed to move things along," he reminded himself. "That girl and that Pteranodon are a means to an end. Nothing more. Pass your tests, do whatever they ask, go on a mission, then send your next report."
He switched to his side and closed his eyes. He needed to stay focused. Still...he wished things were different.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Elsewhere, in the Safari Cabin, Hazel was ready to clock out for the night. Showered and in her pajamas, she too was lying in her bed.
In her dark room, she thought about the events of the day. She moved forward with the program and introduced her friends to help him feel welcome in the park. That went rather well, although Eema nearly screwed things over when she teased them both. She scowled. They were just trainer and trainee; she was just being nice. And yet Eema was treating them as if they were blossoming lovebirds.
Although, as they sparred in the dojo, he does look rather attractive after a workout.
"No no, focus on your job. Remember the last time you were in a relationship?" a part of her mind reprimanded her.
She winced. That day. That restaurant. She didn't want to think about that. She promised she would never fall for that again.
Hazel shook that thought away. They're just acquaintances. Friends perhaps.
She went back to thinking about the summary of the day, trying to avoid that other thought. The program was a good idea from the get go. She couldn't wait to continue with the training. And maybe, just maybe, if he and Aeros do become partners, they'll be flying alongside her and Flia. They won't be the only flying pair in the Park anymore. Though that all depends on how Daniel fares in the coming days.
As she thought about the next thing he should learn, she found herself drifting off to sleep.
A.N. To reiterate on Aeros being on the Exceptions List for the Partner Program, he is technically considered an exception. However, like Hazel said, he is on there because he wants to make sure he has a say in being paired with someone, and this was his way of doing it. That being said, most of the individuals have their reasons for being on the list, but a number of them are merely temporary, like the ones with temporary injuries, aren't fully matured, or haven't been in the park for more than 3 weeks. Aeros is just one of the outliers in the Exceptions List. I would also like to put out there that any member of Hazel's Friend Circle as well as the Crew's partners are not viable options. Sorry guys. Now unless it's specifically stated in their descriptions on the Exceptions List saying they're thinking about it or subject to change, they are considered part of the Exceptions.