DaPPA: Two Worlds, One Family

by Darksage95

Hazel, her sister Hanna, Chris, Daisy, and Ellis are now the park's newest mentors. Not long after their return from Temporary Park, they meet Daniel Rimbauer, a rookie eager to be part of their team. Smart, daring, athletic, and compassionate, he soon proves to be a critical asset. But all is not as it seems, for Daniel has his own agenda, one that may put the park in danger.

20. To the Skies

A.N. Hey guys. Darksage and Marc here with the next chapter for TWoF. We're getting to the tail end of the Rescue Arc and this is the start of it. Now, a couple of things before we leave you to it. One, we've been a bit busy with some things irl that require our attention, so we may be delayed in terms of updates. Two, there is a certain character mentioned here in this chapter. We don't own that character. Actually, we don't own anything. Other than that, enjoy the chapter!

It's been a few days since the Pleistocene rescue. With the hubbub of newcomers, the Park has been a center of excitement. Staff have been rushing about getting the new enclosures ready for the new Residents as well as current Residents wanting to get a better view of their new neighbors, though the newest ones were told to remain in the infirmary to conclude their last checkups as well as become a bit more acclimated to their new surroundings before moving. Suzanne and her team had a rather interesting time trying to get the current Residents to not approach the new neighbors until preparations were complete. They had to settle on seeing them from a distance for the time being.

Manju the bull mammoth had a patient streak on him, but the same could not be said for his Elasmotherium acquaintance Akari. Like her male counterpart, Kerato, she was short in temper and urged to get a move on out of her temporary setting. The vets had to place her in one of the Holding Pens because she had broken some rather expensive equipment in her impatient tirade.

The case with Saeros and his herd was an interesting one. Hailing from the same environment as Kerato, it was easy to create a similar enclosure to the wooly rhino. The only differences were it was far bigger for them to allow much roaming, had several mats of hay for them to rest on, and of course, plenty of troughs situated for them for their food and water. The staff planned on putting in some habitat-accommodating trees to copy the conditions of the Pleistocene, however they made sure to not make it too clustered, since their large horns and the growing forests were part of the reason why they went extinct in the first place. For now, they were adapting well to their new setting.

Sobek was well on the mend and had just recently been transferred to the infirmary. His newly constructed enclosure: Spinosaur Marsh was well on the way to being completed. The builders were making sure the right vegetation was in place and were making sure it was of comparable size for one such as him. His injuries were superficial, though that injury in his sail will take longer to heal due to the severity of it. Just like before, Hanna had been spending quite a bit of time around him. Her suspension was still in effect, not that there was any issue to it considering there weren't any planned rescues for her at the moment. Her being around Sobek was an uplifting compensation. It tickled Hazel to see her sibling bonding with the new Resident.

The Carcharodontosaurus, in which Hazel discovered was named Hunts-Many-Trails, or Trails as Sobek called her, was also on the mend. She was still in a coma and her injuries were quite significant. Suzanne told her the process was going well. The carnosaur was being monitored around the clock for any minute changes. The moment she wakes up, they would need to spring to action to calm her. Waking up in a new time and being medically incapacitated would be a shock to anybody.

The Permian Residents had their enclosures ready for them and were moved post-haste. Loch was moved to his own private section in Deinosuchus Dip, which would open to the connecting enclosure via a sliding gate. In contrast to the connecting enclosures, Loch's was rather small, but of a comfortable depth for him. He had several banks for him to rest on. The water was fresh, fresher than in the Permian. A boardwalk ran parallel to his enclosure, yet was high enough to be out of his reach, not that he had any mind to try anyway.

Roark and his pack were trickier than their amphibious neighbor. They had to have a literal armed escort, including some volunteering carnivores that kept their eyes on them, when they were being transferred to their enclosure: Gorgonops Sands. He and his pack were prone to backstabbing as Hazel and her friends found out the hard way. However, after Nigel encountered them, he believed they would mellow out to the ways of the park. For now, they were settling nicely in their new desert-like enclosure. As nicely as an ill-tempered Gorgonopsid can be.

Hazel has yet to check up on the Marine Residents, but from what she heard from Chris, things were going well for them, especially the new baby Muraenosaurus. Even more significant was the state of Tethys. She was very close to her due date and was showing signs of it. She was becoming more agitated and always remained a good distance away from the other swimming Residents. Sedna, being the new mother she was, was one of the first to sense the new behavior. Marine-assigned vets were stationed there to monitor her condition. The new baby was due any day now, and the Park anxiously awaited the newest addition to the roster.

The Brachiosaurus are doing well in their new surroundings, especially around their new long-necked neighbors. Baylene was in high spirits. To be surrounded by her own species again had renewed a long-buried vigor in her. It pleased Hazel, and by extension her friend circle, to see the elder sauropod in such a happy state. She had not seen Baylene like this since she first started mingling with Yin and her herd. Much of the newcomers looked to her for guidance as age also came with wisdom. It wasn't just the Borealosaurus either. The other Jurassic sauropods were glad about the newcomers. Brachiosaurus were commonplace in the Late Jurassic so to them, it was a welcome addition. Each of the groups took turns to teach the newcomers about their new surroundings. At one time, Hazel heard they were trying to eat the hay-thatched roofs of the smaller facilities. That gave Bob a run for his money and the Brachiosaurus had to be taught the do's and don'ts of the valley.

The same could be said about the Dryosaurus. While they were getting used to the valley at their own pace, they thought it was okay to sneak into the other enclosures to try out the vegetation they contained. Some of them, like Tsuki and Conan, the Stegosaurus couple, didn't mind their intrusion since they gave them a wide berth. Plus they were accustomed to being in the presence of the Jurassic giants. Others, they learned the hard way as they were rudely chased out by the enclosures' Residents, as they horridly found out when they wandered into Diablo and Lilith's habitat. They had to be given a lecture about invading others' private spaces.

Speaking of Lilith, she too was growing accustomed to the new surroundings. The honeymoon may be over for her and Diablo, but the two are inseparable. Diablo had been on guard around her, chasing away anyone that approached them, even if it was a staff member. Suzanne speculated it could be due to instinct where the males would watch over their mates to make sure no rivals came for them, something that was nonexistent right now. However, the head veterinarian had another suspicion. Judging by how Lilith was isolating herself in the nearby woods and acting just as defensive as Diablo, she could be brooding, or nearing that period. In other words, she could be pregnant. The staff are planning a stealth mission to inspect the enclosure for any sign of said prediction, a job easier said than done when two Rex-sized Carnotaurs were always on guard.

Hazel mused at the notion. If there were baby Carnotaurs running around the park, she imagined how horrified her lemur friends may be, or even members of the herd. That would take some getting used to on their part. Speaking of hatchlings, the eggs from Bruno's Tribe seem to be faring well. The last inspection from the vets revealed no anomalies whatsoever. However, getting to the eggs was just as much a challenge as trying to sneak into the Carnotaur Quarry. It was only a matter of time before they hatched.

Finally, there were the Dracorex Knights. While they were still getting used to their surroundings, it was the attention they were getting that shocked them. As it turns out, their reputation as the Wandering Horns spanned even time as many members of the Valley Herd were familiar with them. And they were around two hundred years prior to the herd's time period. The Herd's most headstrong warriors were the ones that were the most enthusiastic, especially Sarge, and surprisingly, Nero.

Sarge, being the tough warrior that he was, knew all about their tales. It was Lethe that broke the news to him, and the one that relayed the story to Hazel herself. As soon as he heard of their arrival, he came rushing up to them and struck up numerous conversations with them. One could only guess what they were, but Hazel didn't need to pry further since he was being a classic fanboy. From the expressions she got from the Dracorexes, they were quite tickled with the attention. The next time she came across them, they told her they would inquire the herds if they could serve as their guard the next time they migrated, which Hazel knew was coming soon. She was sure the herds wouldn't mind. Heck, in a way, it gave the Dracorexes something to do. Their prerogative was to defend herds from danger. They were basically back in the game.

As for Nero, he was also enthusiastic about the Wandering Horns, just not on the same level as Sarge. Whenever the Wandering Horns got some time alone and away from others, he would approach them to converse about battle strategies and clarify their tales. At least, that's what Hazel gathered from Lancelot when she asked him. The leading Pachycephalosaur also informed her the Iguanodon showed a lot of appreciation for them, though was instructed to not tell anyone else lest he be subjected to an ambush by said herd member. Hazel couldn't help but smile at that. She was glad Nero was socializing again.

Right now, the Park was once again abuzz with action. This time, it was on yet another final exam for one of the rookies; Anneli Olofsson. The long awaited exam was taking place in one portion of the bordering forests. The decided exam format was something that was nostalgic in the Crew's eyes. A Bell Test in the Forest. The obstacle course was nearly identical, with the contraptions placed in different spots. It was Anneli herself that was doing it and not with a group. The only key difference was the chasers; the Troodons. The Crew requested the test not be as intense as how they had theirs previously since this was only one person doing it. The goal was simple; get to the bell in the middle of the forest (there were flag markers that directed Anneli to its location) before time runs out while avoiding the predators after her. The Park would have asked the Velociraptors if they could assist, but with them being new additions and them still going through trust-building, they were bypassed. The Dilophosaurs were too big for a single person to deal with. As such, the Troodons were the best choice.

The audience was stationed on the outskirts of the forest. The bleachers were moved there to allow the humans to sit. Positioned in front of the seats were multiple screens showing camera footage of the test. The engineers set up drones and cameras all around the obstacle course so they could get all the action. Even more screens were set up around the bleachers for the larger Residents to view. Hazel was in front of one of them. She was watching the test quietly when the one watching next to her erupted again.

"Get up! Get up! They're right there!"

Hazel let out a groan, a hand on her left ear. Broken Jaw was cheering for the rookie. No surprise there. A soft nudge brought her attention to her right. She looked up in the schooling gaze of Flia, a gesture that signaled her to mind her manners. Hazel gave her an apologetic look before proceeding to watch the test. As much as she looked forward to seeing the test, she wished she chose a better spot. Broken Jaw shrieked at one point during the spectacle that almost made her and everyone else's ears pop. As a result, the spectators around him took a few steps away due to the discomfort. Not that Broken Jaw minded since he never noticed. He was too ingrained into the exam. Nevertheless, Hazel wanted to have a good vantage point of the exam, and finding a good spot meant muscling in for a better view.

The girl clad in yellow and brown in the screen was running on one of the large logs over a large ditch. She had obtained scratches all over her arms and legs from the chase. Behind her were two navy blue Troodons, their claws extended for an attack. She slipped and fell, her hand grasping an outlying branch at the last second.

The crowd clamored and gasped. Hazel merely narrowed her eyes in silence.

The Troodons leaned over the edge of the log, their jaws open to reveal their small, yet sharp, teeth. Anneli flailed as she tried to grab ahold of something that could get her away from them. She started with a branch next to her. She grabbed it, but it fell away and she nearly lost her grip on the one she was on. The rookie then tried to get a vine to her left after switching her hands. Her arm proved too short and it was situated too far from her. The Troodons above her started to snap their jaws at her shoulders, where they would hoist her up and "finish the job". Anneli wore body armor under her attire, so any attacks from the Troodons would be superficial.

The drone then flew to above the attacking predators and the hanging human. Its lenses revealed the log at the bottom as well as the Troodons and the woman hanging on the edge. The spectators gasped when they saw Anneli disappear from view as one of the jaws narrowly missed her.

"What the? Where'd she go?" went someone from the audience.

"She didn't fall, did she?" one of the Parasaurolophus from behind Hazel analyzed the screen, trying to find a trace of her.

"No, I didn't see her," said a Struthiomimus.

"I didn't hear a splat," rumbled one of the Alaskan tyrannosaurs closest to the screen.

"Eh, probably because there's so much green there. It's obvious she fell off. Wouldn't be surprised if she broke a limb, or her back," said one of the spectators in the back in a nonchalant manner. Judging from the sound of it, Hazel deduced it was one of the other tyrannosaurs present. It didn't sound like the Alaskan rex family nor the Twins. It sounded much older than a lot of them.

A gasp went off throughout the mass. This was then followed by a loud smack, a dinosaurian exclamation in the form of a shriek, and then a clearly audible "Dude shut up!".

This caused Broken Jaw to roar and turn towards the audience. His angry eyes scanned the mass to find the source of the comment.

"Who said that!?" he growled through his misaligned jaw. His bottom jaw switched from side to side.

No answer came. Everyone stared at him quietly, most of them becoming nervous about being on the receiving end of the Jurassic predator.

"I'll rip your head off for saying that!" the Yellow-skin Allosaurus threatened.

"Chill BJ!" Flit, who had just landed on top of his head, rasped hurriedly. "That guy, whoever it was, didn't mean it! We're all friends here! No need to attack!"

"Not now Flit!" the Allosaur retorted, preparing to shake off the tiny pterosaur.

"Yes now!" he pecked the hunter at the top of one of the eye ridges, causing mild discomfort in the form of a groan. "Don't blow off. Remember those super-long sessions you went through? You don't want to go through those again!"

Broken Jaw made a disgruntled growl. Flit then followed with a reassuring tone. "Besides, I'm sure Anneli's okay. No way the folks here would let that happen."

Hazel let out a sigh. It would seem even after all this time, Broken Jaw still needed some work on his temper. She eyed the screen to find any changes to the situation. The Troodons were still looking over the edge of the log, down to the moderately high grassy ravine. When the camera moved slightly, she saw something move at the edge of the log.

The woman made a light smack on Broken Jaw's leg. The alerted Allosaur hissed in reply and eyed the tiny human. Flia wrapped a wing around Hazel, her protective instincts coming in. The leader-in-training felt the warmth of the thin membrane softly touch her form. Flia made a soft warning crow under her breath; Hazel didn't need to look up to know she was giving Broken Jaw a warning sign. She suppressed the feeling of smiling. Hazel pointed a thumb at the screen.

"You may want to take a look at the screen."

The predator hesitantly complied and turned towards the screen. His eyes widened when he spotted a tiny being run out from inside the log at the other side of the ravine. Broken Jaw, despite having trouble forming it due to his handicap, made a beaming, toothy, grin.

"She's okay!" he exclaimed in relief.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause when the camera moved to follow Anneli's movement. She grasped her arm as she ran, a clear indication she sustained some sort of injury when she climbed inside the log from underneath and crawled her way out.

The exam continued on for several minutes. Hazel had checked her clock on her phone and saw it had been twenty minutes since the heart-stopping incident with the log. Anneli was doing well with the course. She traversed the obstacles in the trees with slight difficulty, especially when she nearly slipped off from that rope vine during that one swing. The Troodons were still hot on her trail and she was doing well with dodging them all. There was one part where she was about to lose her grip on a handlebar over the forest below, but she managed to hang on and grab a rope near her. She swung over and regained her footing on the ground.

However, it was close to the end of it that it got really intense. Anneli dropped her guard and didn't expect the Troodons to jump her from the side. She was down to her red flag. At the end, she had to make a mad dash for the bell, which was just a few yards ahead. Anneli had to jump at the last second, with Rascal of all individuals literally about to land on her. The rookie landed with a thud, with Rascal ripping off the flag.

He gloated about how victorious he was in his stunt, only to find when he was approached by some staff members that were stationed nearby that Anneli still won. The bell was in her hand the moment he jumped on her and when she knocked over that bell pole. Needless to say, Rascal exploded with every curse imaginable in his language. Patch and his pack literally had to reel him in from that.

The mass audience cheered for the victorious rookie, and even more so when she emerged from the forest where they all met her. Hazel and Flia moved out of the way in time so the rookie could get her greetings. Anneli was surrounded by keepers and Residents alike, all giving her their form of congratulations. The two sky scouts didn't want to be caught in the mix. Anneli wasn't one of Hazel's students, but she was glad she passed her test.

When the Troodons emerged from the forest, with a reluctant Rascal following behind them, they came up to her and congratulated her on her victory. The majority of them apologized for any difficulties they caused her. Patch had informed her they were instructed to come after her as if she was prey, but were also told not to severely harm her. In short, he didn't want any hard feelings between them.

Broken Jaw had appeared and gave the Troodons a warning growl upon his approach. The small pack backed away nervously in response. Anneli put a hand on his snout and gave him a silent, scolding look. The Allosaur appeared submissive as a result. Hazel then saw her stroke his snout gently before surprising him with a hug on said snout. Broken Jaw didn't object to it. Hazel found Flit and Caius approach the duo and prance around them happily, with the human acknowledging them with a giggle and gentle strokes on their heads.

While Hazel hadn't kept up with Anneli's interactions with Broken Jaw in a while, she could clearly see they were very close. If she could take a gander, that was a sign they were now partners. She would need to confirm it, but she was very sure that's what it was. And if her eyes weren't mistaken, the Jurassic Trio now became the Jurassic Quartet.

Seeing Anneli being surrounded by her new friends, Hazel felt a familiar sense of nostalgia. Not too long ago, she was in that position. She was a lone human, alone in a time period that wasn't her own on a mission meant to aid her in carrying on a legacy. Risky as it was, her peers in the Park had faith she would succeed. She did not expect to form strong friendships. And now she too was surrounded by those same friends.

Hazel stroked Flia's side, which caused the Pteranodon to glance at her in surprise.

"Hazel? Everything alright?" she asked the human.

She gazed up at her best friend and partner, a smile clear on her features. "I'm great Flia."

The two of them shared a comforting gaze before they were suddenly brought back to the gathered crowd. Anneli had exclaimed in shock when she was suddenly drenched in yellow liquid. Ellis and another person whom Hazel was not familiar with had dumped the contents of a liquid vat over the poor woman. The ground suddenly became soaked with the colored liquid. Broken Jaw, Flit, and Caius became wet as well and growled in unison at the young engineer. Even from a distance, Hazel could see Ellis was explaining that was a tradition among American athletes when they secure a victory in a spot. In short, he was congratulating her.

Anneli, slightly angered and now showing a look of mischief, grabbed a soda can from someone's hand and started chasing after the man with the open container. Broken Jaw assisted by attempting to block Ellis' escape. Hazel and Flia could only laugh at the torture he was about to go through.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The outskirts of Mujaji's Sisterhood Savannah…

The next day, after Suzanne officiated Manju be discharged from the infirmary, Hazel saw fit to lead the mammoth to his new living space. She had previously spoken to Martha and Mujaji about the new pachyderm's arrival. Martha was the most interested of the two and hurried over to meet the new male. Sure enough, from the first interaction between the two megafauna, she could clearly see the beginnings of an interest between the two. However, being in the elephant family, Martha made it so Manju could not get her easily. Martha clearly wasn't fully in an amorous mood…yet. The interest in their conversation could be based on them meeting another of the same species. If things do go well between the two of them…well, the Park will need to accommodate a mammoth calf.

Mujaji followed shortly afterward and after the brief introductions, she went on with explaining some "tidbits" regarding her species and life in the Park. The living culture between mammoths and modern day elephants aren't all that different, save for the climate. Manju was told there was a male elephant herd living in the park and so opted to meet them. He preferred to go solo, but wouldn't mind being part of a "bachelor group" every now and again.

Hazel took this opportunity to pull Daniel into the mix. After he finished assisting Bob with laying out new hay beds for the Megaloceros herd (they had practically eaten the beds when it was meant for them to lay on), Daniel left to follow Hazel and the pachyderms. This was also a good opportunity for Hazel as she barely visits this part of the Park.

Marching across the plains of Prehistoric Park's Savannah was the odd entourage of pachyderm females leading a new ancient Mammoth and two human keepers. Mujaji led the group with practiced grace and confidence, followed by Martha who matched her matriarch's strut. Mikiya was happily frolicking among the group, eager to get to the group's destination. And Hazel and Daniel were following up from the rear, keeping the new Resident Manju company.

The young calf was kept on a relatively shorter leash since her stowaway to Cretaceous period Alaska. Mikiya's mom had practically forbidden her from running off by herself until she was 10-years old; and unfortunately for the little calf, the saying "elephants never forget" was an actual trait that many elephants had. Regardless, considering the circumstances, Mikiya was let off relatively easily.

Mujaji let out a rumble to alert her companions. "It is not far now my friends."

"This is too far out," Daniel commented as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Yeah, I agree," Hazel said as she fanned herself to keep cool, "Since I don't go here often, I'm not too familiar with this part of the park."

Mikiya wandered up to the human pair, over hearing the two speaking. "Mama doesn't really travel to this area. She only leads some Sisters here one spring season every two years for a party or something." The calf childishly huffed under her breath. " Mama and Auntie Martha still won't tell me what happens when the Sisterhood visits there."

Before Hazel and Daniel could deduce what Mikiya said about the Sisterhood's "parties", Manju groaned in discomfort.

"Great Spirits! How can any-creature live under this burning sun!" the male Mammoth rumbled.

Martha only glanced back at the male, "Do not worry Manju, one gets used to the sun after a while." She looked forward again to focus on their destination. "Remind me sometime later to get Suzanne and Sarah to give you a haircut."

Manju only glanced at Hazel and Daniel with confusion, "What are 'haircuts'?"

Before the two humans could respond, Mujaji called the group to a stop at the base of a hill. The Matriarch elephant turned to her companions, a serious look on the normally easygoing female pachyderm.

"Listen to my words, young Hazel. Young Daniel," Mujaji gave her calf a stern look. "That goes double for you, Ndama (1)."

"Since neither of you are not familiar or barely go here, this is important. From this point on, stay behind me or beside dada Martha. Don't make direct eye contact with these unruly creatures, and they will probably leave you be." The Matriarch shifted her focus to Manju, who was looking at her curiously. "Manju, you bring up the rear of the group and stay quiet until we get to the leader of the group. Do NOT stop and talk with anyone until the leader has spoken to you first."

Hazel just arched a brow, "Oh dear…this one. The few times I've been here, I'm always with a few other employees. Alright, we'll stay close."

"Have we come here at a bad time? Are they…dangerous right now?" Daniel asked in concern.

Martha simply shook her head. "Not necessarily. They can just… be rather reckless. And not to worry, this should be an…appropriate time."

The Matriarch of the Sisterhood gave a wave of her trunk to her friends. "Come along now, and stay close."

As the group made their way up the hill, they were greeted with a sight overlooking an arid dusty area with deadened acacia trees dotting the surroundings and a large watering hole. Surrounding the body of water was a multitude of elephants, meandering around the lake. Each of them were slightly larger than most of the Sisterhood elephants and had longer and sharper ivory tusks. Hazel would have assumed this was Mujaji's Sisterhood, if it wasn't for the commotion from a large group of pachyderms beside the water.

The group was gathered loosely around two sizable individuals who were circling each other, seemingly waiting in anticipation. In a flash, their standoff was broken as they began rushing towards each other.

*BAARRAAAAGGG!*

*RRROOOAAANNN!*

After blaring their trunks at each other, the two elephants violently crashed their tusks together and began struggling against each other's herculean strength; even going so far as to hit each other with their muscular trunks in an attempt to give them an edge. The surrounding group gave off an excited, masculine cheer.

"YEAH! Fuck 'em up Dubani!"

"HAHAHA! That little calf's got NOTHIN' on Tambo!"

"I got my snack foods on the line here, kid! GIVE 'EM HELL!"

Daniel was the first to break out of his stupor, "What the hell is this! They weren't like this last time! They were…quieter!"

"Meet Prehistoric Park's male elephant herd," Martha dully said. She then eyed Hazel and Daniel with an exhausted look. "And the few times you may have encountered them were probably when they were…digesting. These creatures can be unpredictable at times."

Mujaji picked up where the Ice Age pachyderm left off, "These bulls are unfortunately the typical specimen of the males of our species." The Matriarch huffed as she passively observed the dueling males. "It seems we have arrived on the bulls' monthly 'Quarrel Matches'."

"I know a little about bull elephant behavior, but why are they doing this?" Daniel said as he winced at seeing one of the males slamming his trunk on his opponent's eye. "Is it for territory? Food? Or it's most likely mating, if I can recall? I've heard the newer staff would have trouble working with them."

The Matriarch shook her head, "No. Quite simply, they do it for fun."

The next moment, the larger bull elephant Tambo managed to overpower his younger opponent and slammed Dubani to the unforgiving ground with a twist of his head. As Dubani was groaning on the floor, Tambo stood over his defeated foe. The rest of the bulls cheered and jeered at the outcome of the fight.

"YEAH!/NO!"

A male in the crowd cried out in despair, "I just lost all of my snack foods!"

The victorious Tambo slightly leaned down to the young bull, "That sensation you are feeling… It is called 'shame'."

Tambo haughtily taunted as his trunk puffed a cloud of dust from the arid ground into Dubani's face. The younger male simply groaned in defeat. With the spectacle done, the bull elephants wandered away from the fight area; either to drink from the lake, eat leaves from the sparse trees, or horse around with the other males. Their behavior reminded Hazel and Daniel of rowdy college party boys, with their disregard for safety and "alpha male testosterone" mentality.

Hazel gazed down at the unruly elephants with some hesitation. She knew bull elephants were usually solitary and aggressive, but she didn't think they were so shallow to act like arrogant college kids. And they caught them at their "normal" times. One of the many changes of her perceptions of animals was thanks to her innate ability to understand all wildlife via augmented brain and modern day wildlife translator. Hazel leaned toward Manju with concern for the new Resident.

"Um… are you positive that this is where you want to live, Manju?" the woman whispered.

"I'm sure Miss Veran," Manju watched as he saw a pair of bulls shooting water from their trunks to each other's faces. The scene made him smile, "In fact, it actually feels pretty familiar. I've been in a few bull herds myself."

"Come now my friends, we mustn't dally any longer," Mujaji gestured with her trunk, "I would rather keep my interaction with the bulls to a minimum."

The group made their way down to the water hole with a purpose. Mujaji took the lead and had a stoic mien on her face as she and her companions reached the group of testosterone filled bulls. As the group passed by various males, it had gotten very awkward for the two humans really fast.

"Lookie here! It's Mujaji! How you doin' girl?"

"Hey baby! Like what you see, Mama-sita!"

"We got ladies here, boys! You know what to do."

"Aw! Does that mean we have to say 'excuse me' every time we belch and break wind?"

Hazel and Daniel were gagging as they passed the elephant that said that the horrid smell was a clear indication of the bull not following his own promise.

Their pachyderm friends, both past and present, were unperturbed by the many bulls' attempts at "wooing" the females. However, Manju did let out a rumble of irritation at a comment directed at Martha and the size of her behind. As the group continued on, the bull that won the fight ambled up.

"Lady Mujaji! Salamu (Greetings)!" The victorious bull rumbled.

The elephant matriarch huffed. "Hello Tambo…"

"I see you came just in time for our little sparring sessions. Did you see the tail end of my fight, Milady?" Tambo flirted with a smirk.

To Hazel's surprise, Mujaji openly rolled her eyes.

"You managed to beat a young bull that is barely experienced in combat. Bravo." The Matriarch unflinchingly droned.

"Come now Mujaji, I clearly have the strength and skill to back up my boasts," the male narcissistically said, propping his view of himself up. He turned to Mujaji's second, Martha. "How about you Martha baby? Wanna hook up with the strongest male in the herd?"

The Mammoth was unphased. "I'd sooner charge headlong into human hunters than to even imagine coupling with you."

"Really now. No need to be so rude. Don't you have to set a good example for the youngins?" Tambo tried to get in good graces with the two pachyderms by patting little Mikiya on the head.

Before he could even reach the shying away calf, Mujaji swiped it away with her own trunk. The Matriarch then gripped the arrogant male's ear and pulled him away from her daughter. With a tug, Tambo stumbled away as Mujaji put herself between the amorous bull and the group. With a curl of her trunk, the Matriarch glared at intrusive male.

"You will NOT touch a hair on my calf," Mujaji warned. "Keep your trunk to yourself, Tambo or else I WILL gore you and leave you leaking in the sand."

A low rumble shook through Tambo's chest. Like all males, Mujaji knew they hated getting emasculated, especially by a female like herself. Before Tambo could get a word out edgewise, Mujaji calmly glanced behind him and spoke up.

"You must keep a tighter leash on your brothers, My Love."

Approaching the group was probably the largest bull elephant Hazel has ever seen. Standing at almost 15 feet tall and adorning a pair of the largest tusks she's seen, this elephant looked more akin to what the young leader assumed a Columbian Mammoth to be if Hazel didn't know the Park's roster by heart. The bull Bush Elephant pushed passed the smaller males of the herd with a rumble and the ones who saw him scurry out of his path, his mere presence demanding submission; and honestly Hazel would back off too if she saw this behemoth striding his way towards her. Comparing the bull to Mujaji, Hazel could tell that the pachyderm looked a fair bit older and worn than the relatively younger Matriarch; he wasn't ancient, but definitely had a few years on him. However, that his age didn't seem to slow him down at all, nor did it make him less intimidating. The bull let out a low, threatening rumble that Hazel could literally feel reverberating through her bones as he trudged up to their little group.

"Salamu Mujaji." The bull elephant rumbled in a deep voice that while sounding intimidating, held a warmth as he talked the Elephant Matriarch.

"Zulu My Love! Salamu." Mujaji formally greeted what was clearly her mate. She delicately wrapped her trunk around Zulu's own in a loving embrace. Releasing from the embrace, Mujaji turned back to the now mute Tambo. "Zulu dear, young Tambo and I were having such and "engaging" conversation about his little skirmish with little Dubani. He claims to be the strongest male in the Fraternity and to be man enough to want to mate with me, My Love."

"Did he now?" Zulu rumbled with an eyebrow raised in the younger bull's direction.

"I-I didn't mean the strongest Zulu, s-sir." Tambo quickly said in nervousness. "That title solely belongs to you, sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I-I think I left my snacks in the lake!"

Hazel and her friends have never seen a multi-ton herbivore run so fast. They heard a low chuckle from Zulu at what his mere presence invoked in his underlings. Now acknowledging the humans and Mammoths, Zulu's stoic nature and towering stature made for an intimidating sight. To Hazel, Mujaji felt motherly and had warmth in her voice. Zulu felt no nonsense and, from what little he spoke, stone cold.

"Everyone, this is My Beloved, Zulu." Mujaji introduced. "Beloved, this is Hazel, Daniel, and Manju."

"Salamu. I am Zulu of the Elephant Fraternity." The large male greeted. He turned to Martha and gave a nod. "Martha, it is good to see you are well."

"Thank you, Zulu." Martha said.

"And this is our daughter, Mikiya," Mujaji continued as she grumbled with a slight scowl. "She would have been a respectable young lady by now if she didn't stowaway to the past for 2 years."

Zulu approached the little calf, who was trying to stick close to her mother's side and remain unnoticed. Elephant females in the wild always lived in herds while the males were usually solitary. As a result, most calves have never even met their birth fathers. As far as Mikiya was concerned, this was a stranger to her that just so happens to know her mother. The massive bull and the little calf eyed each other. Neither made a move before Zulu unfurled his trunk and hidden beneath his chin was the most out of place thing Hazel didn't expect to see a wild animal to have.

"You ever had cereal, Ndama?" He playfully questioned his sired calf as he presented a box of Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. Mikiya merely shook her head as she gave the colorful box an interested look.

"Stealing from the humans again, My Love?" Mujaji asked as she rolled her eyes.

"They have the best treats, Mujaji." With a flex of his trunk, the pilfered box and bag inside burst open with a sudden pop, which he then offered to his daughter. Mikiya, ever the curious one, approached and stuffed her trunk into the red box and pulled out what looked like brown grains with little colorful shapes mixed with it. Stuffing a trunkful into her mouth, sugary goodness exploded into her mouth all at once that mixed with the admittedly tasty brown pellet food.

"This is delicious! Way better than bananas!" Mikiya trumpeted.

"Do not go eating that all the time. It will rot out your teeth, Little One." Zulu chuckled as he let go of the cereal box and watch Mikiya scoop up her new snack. At least Hazel knew where Mikiya got her perchance for mischief from.

Hazel was the first to approach and gave a slight bow.

"Hello, Zulu. I'm Hazel and we have a request, if that's not too much trouble."

"Hmm… Hazel Veran. It is nice to formally meet you, young one. Mujaji told me much about you when you were in the "Ice Land" past." Zulu greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"We have rescued a bull Mammoth and we were hoping that you would accept him into your fraternity." Daniel followed up. He did flinch a bit when Zulu's stoic gaze swept to him. Zulu then gave a glance to Manju, who stood straighter and kept calm.

"Is that so?" Making his way around the humans, picking up a stick with his trunk along the way, Zulu trudged around Manju and scrutinized the Mammoth's form. "Back straight, eyes forward, head raised." Zulu ordered as he swiped the stick in his trunk onto Manju's body parts, causing him to slightly flinch from the small, yet sharp stings. It honestly reminded Hazel of how tv portrayed nuns in Sunday school disciplining students. "Tell me boy, you any good in a fight?"

"I fought off my fair share of predators and human hunters, sir." Manju answered, already showing his respect to the older bull.

"Poachers are in the past as well?" Zulu absently asked before scoffing. "Some things never change."

That got Hazel's attention. As far as she knew, all the elephants were protected and monitored by Prehistoric Park and had to deal very little with outside humans. The way Zulu spoke was as if he had a prior negative experience with humans.

"You seem to be healthy and fit enough to join. But looks are not everything." Tossing the stick over his shoulder, Zulu pushed Manju back a bit and let off a threatening rumble. "Fight me right now, boy. I only accept bulls that can scrap in my herd."

"Woah, woah, wait! We just wanted Manju to have a place to stay, not have him fight to the death." Daniel protested.

"And he shall stay if he proves himself. I do not like freeloaders in my herd." Zulu shot back. "Besides, if he is skilled enough it will not be to the death."

"And if he isn't?" Daniel morbidly asked.

"Then you will probably have to find another Mammoth from the past."

Before Hazel and Daniel could protest, Mujaji merely sighed as she led the humans and her group off to the side.

"Please do not break the boy, Zulu. The humans are sensitive to that kind of thing."

Zulu openly chuckled. "Anything for you, My Love."

"Come along Mikiya. Your Father has is going break in a new bull for his herd." The mother elephant gestured for her daughter.

"Good luck Manju! Hopefully my Sire doesn't kick your butt too hard." Little Mikiya said as she followed her mother, all the while still munching on her new snack.

"Well, didn't expect to be fighting another bull on my first day here." Manju said to himself.

Overhearing, Martha approached to offer some encouraging words. "Don't worry Manju. Impress Zulu enough and he'll be more than happy to let you into his herd."

"Anything else I should know about this match?" the male Mammoth asked.

"It's remarkably similar to how our kind carried out quarrels as well. Fight him like how you would fight any other Mammoth and you'll be fine." Martha revealed. "Watch out for trunk grapples on your fur. It's easy to grab and Zulu will not have the same difficulties since our modern counterparts are hairless."

"Watch out for grapples, got it."

"Good luck, Manju" Martha sashayed away as she rejoined Mujaji and the others off to the side.

Seeing that Zulu and Manju were squaring up got the other bull elephants to curiously watch as well. As soon as it was revealed that Manju was a hopeful initiate to their Fraternity, the male pachyderms went nuts and started to cheer for the upcoming battle. Even though they were interested and excited for the new blood that might join their ranks, a majority of the crowd cheered for their older leading bull Zulu. This was not how Hazel wanted to integrate Manju to the 21st century. Despite her thoughts on how barbaric this was, Manju, Martha, and the others didn't appear phased at the prospect of a literal death match about to happen. The young leader had to remind herself that different animals had different behaviors and that their instincts are not so easily forgotten. Many animals were territorial and had to respond to threats appropriately, whether they be predators, intruders, or others of their species. This meant that the rescued Residents were no different. The instinct to fight was ingrained in every living thing, humans included.

'We just pretend we're above it all," Hazel mused to herself.

"What are the rules of this fight, Zulu?" Manju asked.

"Well, I suppose a 10 second pin to the ground will suffice." Zulu mused. "Any more than that and it will probably get lethal."

Both combatants took positions in the middle of the loose circle of watchers witnessing their fight. The tension was like a spring wound ever so tightly. Zulu's foot inching forward in the dirt caused Manju to flinch, his nerves getting to him. The Mammoth could have sworn he saw the modern pachyderm smirk in amusement. To have some semblance of control in the buildup, Manju started to slowly make his way to the right to try to circle the bull elephant. Zulu copied Manju and began to circle as well. It reminded Hazel of two ancient warriors squaring up to each other in a duel of honor. In a snap, both ancient and modern pachyderm charged forward and crashed their tusks into each other with the force of two colliding trucks.

Cheers erupted from the sudden bout of violence from the other bull elephants, again betting on who would win the fight and come out victorious; even Mikiya was cheering at the violent showdown happening before her very eyes as she tossed cereal in the air like confetti. Manju's curved tusks had a difficult time locking with Zulu's impressively long ivory spears, but that didn't prevent them from headbutting each other or lashing out with their trunks.

As this was happening, Hazel and Daniel could only wince as they watched the heavy hits slam into the other, the force easily strong enough to shatter a human's body into paste. Even though Manju was a younger bull, Zulu's experience more than made up for it as he planted his feet and charged while their tusks were locked, forcing Manju to stumble back and accidentally break a tree that was behind him; the only thing breaking was Manju's stride. The Mammoth tore out a branch and tried to bludgeon the bull Elephant's head, Zulu caught the improvised weapon with his trunk and the two struggled for control of it.

"Where did you find such a lovely mate, Mujaji?" Hazel couldn't help the slight sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Well, when you find the one, little Hazel, you take the good AND bad parts of your partner in stride." The Matriarch Elephant said with mirth. "To answer your question, I met Zulu, 4 maybe 5 years ago? He was one of the elephants that wandered in from the wilds and decided to stay within the area of the Park."

"I thought Prehistoric Park kept a close eye on all of the Residents' population numbers." Daniel commented as he watched Zulu basically headlock poor Manju with his trunk.

"It was during the early days of the Park before even the first Residents called this place home. From what he has told me, Zulu was a Circus Elephant who was treated… less than kindly before he was transported to some sanctuary to the south." Mujaji solemnly revealed. "Zulu claimed to have been held captive and broke himself out of the cage he was in and ran off into the Savannah, drifting from one bachelor herd to the next, dodging hunters who wanted his tusks, until he wandered into Prehistoric Park." The Matriarch was clearly reminiscing as her tone lightened. "He was rather dashing for a bull, fighting the others to gain all the females' attention. Of course, I did not fall for his acts, but that just seemed to make me more desirable for him. I could tell right away he was not born in the wild when he asked for me to run away with him to start a family. He looked me straight in the eye and asked 'Wanna come with me?'"

"What did you say, Momma?" Mikiya asked, enthralled with the origins of how her parents met.

"I told him… 'No'," Mujaji flatly stated, causing almost everyone to face fault. "I then asked him, 'Wanna stay with me?' and he said 'Yeah!'. Ever since then, Zulu has been leading the Fraternity and protecting his brothers from less than savory elements outside of Prehistoric Park. Overall, I think he's done a good job."

As if to emphasize her point, Zulu slammed Manju into the ground, dirt and dust kicking up from the impact, before the large bull elephant pressed one of his feet onto the Mammoth's downed body into a pin. Instead of trying to force his way up, Manju's trunk snagged a jagged rock that had gotten unearthed from the ground and jammed the point into Zulu's leg. Trumpeting from the sudden pain, Zulu merely stomped to reassert his pin on Manju, his massive feet practically grinding Manju into the dust. The bulls watching cheered as they counted down from 10.

"… 4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

At the end of the countdown, the raucous cheer exploded even louder as Zulu swiftly stepped off the prone Mammoth. Zulu let Manju get up on his own, but to the bull Mammoth's surprise, the other male elephants all crowded around him and congratulated Manju for facing their leader head on. Mujaji greeted Zulu's approach and gave him a hug before he turned toward the rest of the group.

"The young bull has spirit. I'll take him." Zulu gruffly said, a smile cracking on his face.

"We can't leave him here if he's going to be in danger," Hazel responded, still concerned about the violence displayed.

"Nonsense, young one. Manju will be fine." Zulu countered. "Young bull is going to fit in just fine around here."

A sudden loud impact sounded behind them causing the group to see Manju seemingly headbutted one of the elephant bulls, causing the elephant to collapse on the ground. Instead of outrage, the other Elephants' cheering renewed as they all led him to the water hole to celebrate the new "badass" amongst them.

"See, what did I tell you?" Zulu chuckled.

Sighing, Hazel, Daniel, and Mujaji spent the rest of the visit hashing out the details of the uniqueness of Manju's situation and the specific needs that he'll require now that he is living in the Present.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel grabbed a hold of the slippery, scaly, creature. Having just been defrosted, the fish was at the right temperature for it to seem fresh. The man had passed by the food storage house and requested a large bucket of them before heading over to the border between the Elephant Herd Grounds and the Valley Grounds. It was there that he met Aeros, who was waiting for his requested meal.

The Pteranodon wanted to try something a little different. He could have fished in the valley's waterways or towards the coast, or even the sea itself. But he requested to try a fish he never tried, Daniel's choice of course. Being that the fish in surplus at the moment was trout, he opted for that choice. They were all a good size, with the largest being about 10 inches. The rest could be held with a single palm.

Aeros had already devoured half the bucket. The silvery rainbow fish lay face down on the bucket floor, their unblinking eyes stared into nothing. Bits of dried blood streaked the ends of their gills and other openings. Handling the fish was making the agent crave for some fish of his own, even though he already had dinner.

The red Pteranodon reared his head back and opened his beak ajar. The slippery prey slid down his slender throat as he took a single gulp of it. "I'm not sure what's so special about this time's fish," he shook his head to get a few flies out of his beaked face. Daniel had to wave his hands around every now and then to shoo the insects from the aquatic prize. "They all taste the same."

"Well...fish are fish I suppose," Daniel absently commented. "Unless you put spices on them or cook them a certain way."

"See, that's another thing I'll never understand," went the slightly appalled Aeros. "Why do you humans mutilate already perfectly good fish? It's much better to eat them raw."

The man gave him a deadpanned look. "Says the guy that got food poisoning from eating a spoiled crab."

Aeros gasped in offense. "Now that was an accident, Daniel. Flia and I were wanting to eat something different that day and we came across that bounty."

"And you two got sick because of it."

The flyer scoffed. "Well...they tasted bitter, I'll have you know. Strange, I don't usually get sick from eating dead things."

"You got a bad picking then," Daniel threw him another fish, which Aeros caught easily in the air. "For your information, we do eat raw fish…some of us do. It just needs to be prepared properly otherwise we'll get sick," he cracked his neck and flexed his arms, having now straightened himself. "At least the two of you had a nice date...before it went south with the sickness."

The Cretaceous denizen squawked in surprise then sputtered his reply. "Date? Well uh...I mean...Flia and I...we're not...well not at the moment I mean..."

"Come on, Aeros," he gave his now redder-than-normal partner a sly look, "It's a date. There's no other way to cover it up."

The male pterosaur cleared his throat in an effort to look eloquent to save face. "It was a friendly outing. We merely spoke about some of our past experiences. That's all. I even showed her a few tricks I knew of."

"That's a date."

"Bah I don't care what you say," he waved his wing in a dismissive manner. "We aren't mates...yet..."

Daniel chuckled. "'Yet' he says."

"Well she keeps shutting down my advances! I don't know what I'm doing wrong! I'm only doing what my sire before me advised when I was younger," he huffed.

"Did she say anything beforehand about it? Expectations maybe?"

He blinked at him, silent for a moment. "I...well...now that you said it, perhaps she did. She said if I am to be her's, I need to earn it."

"Ah that sounds familiar, don'tcha think?" Daniel mused, his damp hands now on his dirtied shirt.

"That was different, Daniel!" he pointed a wing at him before folding it. "This is a female we are talking about."

"Seems like the same concept. She could be waiting for something. Just keep trying and keep in mind what she likes and dislikes," the man replied, amused that he was told something similar not too long ago regarding the red Pteranodon.

"Fine fine..." Aeros blinked a few times and then gave him a knowing smirk through his beak. "Speaking of females, what about you and Hazel?"

Daniel stopped as he was about to grab another fish. The flyer reiterated his question. "How are things between the two of you? Have you...claimed her yet?"

This took the rookie off-guard, embarrassment now clear on his features. "Aeros!"

"Well are you?"

He narrowed his eyes and made an angered growl. "As a matter of fact...no," he looked away, trying not to meet his partner's eyes. "Though I...nevermind."

The next comment set him off. "So you haven't ridden her yet."

In retaliation, Daniel threw the fish he had in his hand at the unsuspecting Pteranodon. The pterosaur shrieked in surprise when the cold piece of prey met his red hide for a brief, painful moment. His face slightly stinging, his eyes fell on the dead fish on the grass before returning to the off-put human. Aeros quickly recovered from the reaction with an entertained smirk.

"No...we did not," replied the human.

"Case and point," Aeros smugly remarked. "You better get moving then, before someone else comes in."

Daniel folded his arms. "That won't happen. She's already got an interest in me. I've seen the way she looks at me."

"Right right, but how long are you going to put this off? If you keep delaying proving yourself to her, she'll just move on to someone else."

Daniel blinked. He glanced at Aeros for a moment before delving into his own thoughts. Of all the times to bring this up, why did it have to be now? He didn't want to think about this. His original plan was to take things as they come. But...he couldn't help but admit Aeros has a point. If things keep going the way they are, Hazel just might change her mind about him, and not in a good way. The memories of the Eocene rescue came rushing back to him. The argument they had and the emotions that arose, during and after it, were tumultuous like the waves caused by the hunger-driven Tethys.

In the inner portions of his soul, his other self, the one that was all about completing his true duty, was screaming at him to stop. This was a fruitless endeavor. He knew full well what his conscience was trying to tell him. He pushed those thoughts aside. For once, he didn't want to listen to them. An opportunity, a second chance, was practically within his reach, and he was being given the choice to grab it. He ignored his logical side.

"Hey, I did tell her, okay?" he responded, his guard up. "And that's just what I've been doing! She just..." he looked away despondently, "after the whole boat incident, she's shut me down. She told me I needed to show her that I can be someone she would want to be around. But I've been trying to show her, in the little things. Flia told me. Anyway, she's the one delaying, not me."

"Hm...it seems we are both on the same rock, as you humans would say," replied Aeros.

"Same page, but you're close," the human corrected.

The Pteranodon gave him a contemplated look. "You said you humans do a custom called a date, correct? Perhaps we need to use that right now. The two of us with our two females."

Daniel eyed him, knowing what he was referring to. "A double date?"

"There is such a thing?" the flyer raised his eyes in acknowledgement. "Very well, yes, all four of us."

Daniel gave him no response. Seeing that the Filipino was trapped in contemplation regarding the topic, he pressed on with it. "Look, we'll be there to help each other out. If it flies, it flies. If it doesn't, then at least we tried. We will try again with them. Though heh...I have no issue with mine. Flia and I are the only ones of our kind right now. You on the other hand..."

The man glared at him in warning. "Aeros, shut up."

"Fine fine," he took it in amusement. "I believe she is in her abode now. Go talk to her. See if she is willing to go with it."

Once again, he was presented with more good points. Though Aeros did not have to mention that little detail about him and Flia being the only Pteranodons there and him remarking the lower chances Daniel has should things go wrong.

This was Daniel's second chance. If nothing was done, it was going to slip from his fingers. To let that go would mean an emptiness he fully realized would surface. Once again, his logical side, his duty-driven side, resurfaced.

"Remember what you came here for," his conscience jabbed. "She's an associate that's a part of this secret facility you're supposed to be investigating. This is a waste of time."

He ignored it. He didn't want to hear any of it.

"Do you want to feel that pain again?" his mind screamed again.

He shut his eyes, trying to drown out those thoughts with the sounds of nature around him.

"No," he told himself. He balled one of his fists before relaxing. He felt his heart become heavier and then lighter when he told himself the next phrase. He knew what was coming may be a mistake. It also went by another saying; a leap of faith. "But this time will be different. What's life without a little risk?"

Daniel sighed, consigned to the risk he was now taking. "Alright," he eyed his Pteranodon companion. "When did you become my wingman?"

Aeros stared at him, incredulous at the phrase. "What do you mean?"

"Don't try to cover it up. That's what this whole conversation's been about."

The flyer raised an eye ridge. "No, I mean, what is a wingman?"

The man sighed. He proceeded to explain what a wingman was as well as planned out his strategy to approach the Park's leader-to-be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hazel flipped through the papers set before her. One after another, she reviewed the contents of them, noting all the main ideas of each one. Where once the low-rise table was bare with only a couple of large, pictured books, now it was littered with the papers of the Park's observations. Nigel had given her a stack to look over. "I need to go over some other things. Can you look over these?" was what he told her. It was a menial task, but in Hazel's mind, it was additional training. Though she had already done this sort of thing back when they were in Temporary Park.

It wasn't a large stack of papers. They talked about Park maintenance that needed attention to, items they are in need of, how much food was in storage, and other requests and statuses. There were also notes regarding the new Residents of the Park. Introducing them into Park life was either simple, or difficult, as the raptors and the Troodons were the prime example. They crossed paths again and they very nearly exchanged talons after they insisted they were better than the other; one of the Velociraptors had insulted Rascal and therefore instigated the fight. One of the Alaskan tyrannosaurs and a few keepers happened to be close by and chose to intervene. The Troodons and the raptors had to be escorted back to their enclosures, with the two troublemakers taken to the Holding Pens to await their punishment.

"We're going to need the Park's equivalent of a therapy sit-down if this keeps up," she thought.

Hazel flipped through the stack until she came to the portion that was marked by an oversized manila folder. Upon opening it, she let out a sigh. They were details about the upcoming migration. Nigel left a note for her asking her to review the migration route. She needed to be aware of the flora and fauna in the route as well as the general direction, should the GPS break for some reason. She also needed to know the risks of the migration, such as the possibility of some stray poachers. Nigel already implemented a plan should they come across poachers; avoid them. Travel at night. Do what you can to scare them away, as long as they don't see the Residents.

Hazel mused at the last part. She didn't have a plan for it, but it sounded like a fun thing to consider. Having hundreds of Residents where the majority were larger than the average human would make that task easy. She had a lot of ideas for that.

However, that was a what-if scenario. She brought out the oversized map Nigel had provided for her. It was already marked with the travel route they would take. It avoided any nearby settlements as well as commercial roads (including tourist roads). That shouldn't be an issue. There was also a notice regarding the stopover for the herds. Nigel had chosen a place for them to rest and had spoken to her in passing about it. He had provided a list of terms for her to review, "just in case" he said in the note above the terminology paper. Hazel frowned. She had to study a new language now...but at least they're simple terms. Nigel told her she didn't need to be perfect, but it would "help out nonetheless".

Hanna sat over on her left on the sofa, her nose in a novel she pulled from her private collection. What novel it was, Hazel had no idea as it was covered by a light blue book sock. Nigel didn't have any big rescues planned as of late, so he was giving Hanna small assignments here and there. The younger Veran was in a slightly chipper mood due to her constant visits to Sobek as well as the fact that her suspension was almost up. For now, she was taking a break from her "Park Studies".

As for the rest of the Crew, they prepared dinner for the night. Daisy was preparing some fresh vegetables for a Greek stew. Chris was busy cooking some marinated meat on the grill, with a full pot of rice still cooking right next to him. Ellis was rushing about trying to get a full-fledged sushi meal prepared (a request from both Hazel and Flia as the female Pteranodon wanted to try it). The engineer read up on some recipes and books on how to prepare sashimi. Before he got his hands dirty in the kitchen, he commented on how he hoped it would go well. "This is the third time for me. Nobody's gotten sick with my cooking," he said. Well, that was heartening, Hazel thought. She will try it tonight; he is taking all the precautionary measures after all. The sushi rice had been prepared earlier in the day; all he needed to do was to get the other ingredients ready.

Espantos and Kerato were outside the main landing while keeping an eye on the Protoceratops sisters as they played. As for Flia, she was busy preening her wings to make sure no parasites were on her. As a pterosaur, it was imperative for her to make sure her body (and her wings) were in pristine condition as any parasite would hinder her flight patterns.

Hazel was so focused on the familial scene that she did not notice the guest that arrived from behind her.

"Ah hey rookie!" Chris greeted, startling Hazel. She quickly whirled and was now face to face with Daniel. He had a red T-shirt and long brown shorts on with sneakers. He had decided to go casual for the day. She distinctly picked up the faint scent of spice and linen from where she sat; he had just cleaned himself.

Everyone else in the cabin greeted the newcomer. Hazel felt herself heat up, her cheeks now blushing furiously.

"Oh. Hi Daniel," she greeted, trying to retain some class. "I uh...didn't know you were coming."

He waved at her with a smile. She felt her gut leap for a moment. Hazel wanted to punch herself for almost overreacting.

"Hi. I just wanted to stop by and well, say hello."

Her eyes scanned from left to right as she was starting to feel a little insecure. She was not prepared for something like this. Why was he here? Did he have a question about the Park? Did he and Aeros have a tiff? Did he need help with something? Why was he approaching her now!?

"Oh...hi?" she replied, quite unsure.

Hazel immediately stood up, her hands pressing all over her body as she worked to get rid of any creases on her clothes. She didn't want him to see her look lazy. She was really unprepared for his arrival!

"Hello," he chuckled, apparently not minding her lazy getup. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

The woman shook her head. "No. I'm just…looking through notes," she absentmindedly moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "What's going on?"

"Well…I just came here to…" he started. She could see him fidget a little, his eyes scanning his surroundings. "Well, I came here to..."

Hazel felt her stomach leap again. She tried to control her emotions as the man struggled to get the words out. Is this what she thought it was? Is trying to ask her out? He's doing it now!? She was not expecting this at all, and so soon too!

She did her best to control her emotions. If this was what she thought it was, she needs to accept it in a cordial manner. Even now, she couldn't remember the proper etiquette when it came to being asked out. It's been years since her last one.

"Yeah?" she generously goaded him to aid him in his train of thought.

"Well I wanted to know if...if you wanted to...it's been a while since we..." he sputtered. She could see in his eyes he was looking distracted.

"Yes?" she tried again.

"Oh dear, he's struggling. What's gotten into him? As knowledgeable as he was, he shouldn't be having this much trouble with trying to ask that single question. Come on already! Say it! Please!" she could hear her thoughts screaming in her mind. She kept face, trying to conceal her emotions.

Daniel gulped. "Sorry, I'm just having trouble trying to say it, what with the good-smelling food in the air," he chuckled nervously, which caused her to chuckle in return. He then leaned forward and whispered in her ear. His soft voice sent her butterflies inside into a frenzy. "Is there someplace we can talk in private?"

A light tap was heard over in the stove and grill side of the kitchen. This was followed by a groan and the sound of a spatula being laid down firmly on the counter. The duo looked over and saw a slightly annoyed Chris wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Dude, if you came here to stammer, you're doing a pretty good job. If you've got something you want to say, then out with it!"

*SMACK*

"Ow!" he recoiled in pain. Daisy had come up to him with a wooden spoon she had grabbed from the kitchen island and smacked him on the shoulder. The head keeper-in-training massaged the part of his shoulder that was slapped by the wooden utensil.

"Chris! Gamóto! Poú eínai oi trópoi sou? (God damn it! Where are your manners?)" Daisy scolded.

Hazel gave Chris a scolding glare when he looked over in her direction. He raised his hands up apologetically and turned to resume his cooking. Daisy cursed something in Greek and returned the wooden spoon to its rotating carousel before she went back to cutting vegetables. Hazel cleared her throat, getting Daniel's attention again.

"Follow me," she told him discreetly.

She led him outside of the cabin, passed their partners that were resting nearby. She then guided him to around the corner of the cabin where they were about a foot away from the window. The sun was nearly gone from the horizon, the sky already taking on a darker orange and purple. Scanning her surroundings to make sure they were alone, she then resumed the topic in question.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

Daniel cleared his throat and took a breath. "Well um...I was wondering if you would...well...like to hang out."

Hazel went bug-eyed. Her heart dropped into her stomach like a rock. She could feel her adrenaline rush like a flock of Gallimimus fleeing from a predator. This was it, the thing she was anxiously awaiting, at least one part of it.

Had he proven himself to her? Did he meet all her expectations? She tried to summarize in her head her thoughts on him. He has aided her with small things here and there, mainly Park duties. That's helpful, but what has he really done for her?

She thought for a moment. The Permian rescue. He stopped her from doing something stupid when that old Scutosaurus lay dying. He came to her aid when she was surrounded by those Gorgonopsids.

What else? What else? The Pleistocene! He did accompany her out in the open plains when they were trying to find a trace of the Megaloceros but instead came across a bull mammoth and a female Elasmotherium. He stopped her not once, but twice during that rescue. He volunteered to speak to the two megafauna and he stopped her from going out to try and rescue the Megaloceros when those prehistoric humans and their wolves were there.

But that wasn't the only thing that happened. There was something during that time that stood out above the others. When she tripped and fell, he came back for her. He helped her get to safety. He took over the most difficult part of the rescue when she could not.

He has already proven his chivalry. "But is he worthy?" she asked herself.

"He has proven himself in those chivalrous acts. He has shown me he can put others before himself. For that, I am satisfied. But...I feel like there is something missing. Can he be a person I can rely on? Someone I can go to for when everything goes dark?"

Daniel still has yet to show that to her. But he came all this way to ask her out. That is chivalry, gentlemanly even. Hazel can't turn him down again. She knew he was trying; that something she appreciated. She still wants to know if that expectation can be met. And there is one good way to see that.

"You mean...just the two of us? On a date?" she asked, trying to see if what he meant was correct.

He shrugged at that and made a lighthearted smile. "Well I wouldn't really say the two of us. Aeros will come along."

"What? Aeros is coming?" she inquired, definitely confused. "Uh…how can it be a date when we're going to have a third wheel? I'm a little confused…"

The sound of soft footfalls on grass brought their attention to the cabin corner behind Daniel. Looking over, they spotted a certain purple pterosaur peek around towards them, interest clear in her features.

"Did someone just mention Aeros?" she said.

"Ah Flia, since you took it upon yourself to listen in on the conversation," Daniel said, hiding his shock, "I'm sure you'd be interested in coming with us."

The Pteranodon smiled at that and cleared her throat. "Apologies for the intrusion," she eyed the clearly glaring Hazel, "but I couldn't help but notice something was off. Protective instinct, you should call it."

"Or just plain stalking," went the leader-to-be.

"Now Hazel, I'm just making sure you're alright. Well if we're all going somewhere, it's imperative I make sure you are kept safe."

The man smirked at that. "That won't be an issue as all four of us would be there."

"So you're talking about a double date?" asked the skeptical woman.

He then took on an air of uncertainty. He eyed away from her as well as scratched the back of his neck as he replied. "Yes well…you can call it a date. But really, I was wondering if you had any rescue plans in mind. Then perhaps it could be a date. Maybe…"

"You want a rescue mission to be a date? That's a very odd suggestion. Normally dates consist of doing something relaxing or fun, like dinner at a nice place, a trip to the city, a movie night, a dance, or something. Well, some of those options aren't liable for…obvious reasons."

Daniel chuckled lightly. "Well, considering the nearest town is 4 hours away, I wasn't exactly spoilt for choice…"

"Well, that's true…but really he could have gone with a nice walk on the beach or a movie night or a dinner together. Things that could be done here at the Park. Or with a few strings pulled with Nigel and the staff, a trip elsewhere. Though…I do like going on rescues…it would certainly be an unusual date…" she contemplated in her thoughts.

Before she could think more on that, the sound of giggles brought her attention back to the corner. Her expression took on a more irritated one as she spotted her younger sister and everyone else from the cabin peeking at them. Hanna had led the group and was leaning out from the bottom. Ellis and Chris both had their hands dirty with food particles and their brightly colored aprons now had splatters on them. Daisy appeared more pensive about being there, her hands clearly wet and part of her clothing was drenched from water; no doubt she was doing a bit of cleaning.

"Oh she's not busy! Ate, you should definitely go!" Hanna outright urged her, much to her sister's displeasure.

"What part of private conversation do you not understand!?" Hazel ranted at the small group. This undoubtedly caused the unexpected visitors to stagger in surprise.

Save for Flia, the group either whistled absently (as was Chris' case), nervously chuckled, or stammered uncontrollably as they hurriedly thought of appropriate responses.

"Hehe…I'll get back to reading my book…" Hanna slunk away back into the abode. Following her was the rest of the group.

"Yeah uh…we got some cooking to do!" Ellis announced, rushing back inside with Chris and Daisy following.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose while shutting her eyes. "Honestly I'm going to set the Troodons or the raptors on them…"

Flia was about to follow after them to leave the two be when she was suddenly stopped by Hazel. "Not you Flia. You're fine…I guess." With Hazel's calm notion, the flyer nodded and approached cautiously until she was practically standing over the two of them.

Hazel sighed and righted herself. "Anyway, now that you mention it, I did have something in mind. I've been putting it off for a while because we were all…pretty busy."

"Oh? What do you have in mind?" asked the inquisitive Daniel.

"I had a rescue idea where we could try and find an Ornitho-" she coughed suddenly as she realized the mistake she was about to make, "sorry, Tropeognathus. Heh, still trying to get used to that change. One or a couple of them."

He eyed her in question. "Tropeognathus?"

"Yeah, a giant pterosaur."

The man went bug-eyed at the giant leap she was apparently making for the park. "A pterosaur? Wait, we're rescuing pterosaurs?"

"Oh now this is interesting," commented the now ecstatic Flia. Her beak now took on a smug grin.

Hazel blinked and smirked at her. "You heard right. Pterosaurs. You, Aeros, and Flit won't be the only ones here."

"Ah now that is a welcome change. Having the skies to yourself is good, but it does get a bit bothersome after a while when it's just you. I miss seeing others," the Pteranodon wistfully mentioned.

"Well, Flia seems to like the idea," Hazel confirmed her suspicions.

"Right," Daniel cleared his throat, getting the attention back to him. "Well, anyway, it's up to you if you want to go for it. I understand if you'd rather put it off for a while considering we've just recently been on a rescue and seeing all those papers, you've got some things to go over."

"Sure."

"Yes I can see you're busy, so it's fine we can hold off on that-"

"Yes."

"Anyway, I just wanted to know if you were interested in a double date but I can clearly see that's not the-"

Hazel, slightly peeved that she was being overshadowed by the man's courteous apprehension, decided to end his tirade. She grabbed him on the upper arms and held him firmly. He suddenly stopped as they stared into each other's eyes. She resisted every urge to buckle upon seeing those soft, compassionate windows of his. The woman smirked and she repeated her answer.

"Daniel. I said yes."

His eyes widened. She released him. He took in a quick breath and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Oh. Okay. Heh, alright. So we're good then. Cool. Awesome. I'll uh…I'll let Aeros know."

"Yeah. I'll run it by Nigel later tonight," she added.

Flia made a soft huff. "Really Daniel, you need to get a hold of yourself. You ask a simple question and you get an answer. That's it. There's no more to it than that."

The Filipino gave her a deadpanned look. "Hey, Flia. This is a human custom we're doing here. It's not some mundane thing you do every day."

"Fine fine," she waved dismissively. "But still, it's a matter of a question-answer deal. Though it could have been better executed-"

Having had enough of her friend's insensitivity, Hazel made it very clear to Flia how annoyed she was. "FLIA!"

"Okay!" the flyer raised her wings in an apologetic manner. "I'm just saying my thoughts, that's all. Daniel, I am thrilled to go on this venture. Please be sure to give Aeros my regards."

Having said that, the Pteranodon gave them a respected bow and made her leave. They watched her as she rounded the corner, making sure not a single speck of her crest or wings were in view. Hazel guessed that she would be returning to her preening as dinner was not prepared yet. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief at their regained solitude. They hoped no one would be disturbing their conversation again.

"Alright. Great. I'll um…go let Aeros know then," Daniel acknowledged with his arms now relaxing.

Hazel nodded. She took a quick sniff, smelling barbecue in the air. She closed her eyes and silently savored the eventual taste of the food that would soon be consumed. "Do you want to stay for dinner? It's almost done."

The man raised his hands in apologetic denial. "No no, it's alright. I already ate, but thank you. So I'll see you when it does get approved?"

"Tomorrow morning. Nigel already pre-approved it. I just need to run it by him again."

The two of them continued to converse on the plan as they walked back inside the cabin, Daniel gently urging Hazel on and then walking side by side with her. The smell of barbecue, cooked vegetables and spices and rice filled the main room of the cabin. Already, Hazel could feel her mouth watering. She wished Daniel could stay a little longer to have dinner with them, but she couldn't stop him. That was his choice. They bypassed the others who were rushing to set the table until they finally stood on the entrance that Daniel came from.

"Okay then, I'll be seeing you tomorrow," he backed away with his hands formed in pistol motions.

Hazel watched as he left the premises, not realizing that she had been smiling the whole time, nor that Chris had gone to rush after him. She heard someone clear their throat. Turning, she found herself staring at a very smug Hanna, her book draped under her arm.

"What?" she glared at the grinning teenager.

"Somebody's going on a date…" she replied in a sing-songy tone and giggled. The elder Veran balled a fist. She looked around and saw the others stare at her with equally pleased expressions.

"Shut up…" she told her off.

"But it is," Hanna replied.

"Are you going to wear a nice dress during the rescue?" Ellis jabbed with sarcasm.

Hazel blinked at him then gave him an equally seething glare. "Do you want to wear a tuxedo on your next rescue? I can wax your hair and give you a combover."

"Hey I'm just kidding!"

The two budding leaders continued to chide about how to prepare each other for their future dates, much to the group's amusement. Ellis did not have a significant other to begin with. He kept complaining about being stuffed into a suit and wearing ties.

Outside, however, was a different story. Chris had followed Daniel outside, his arms still very clearly wet after haphazardly washing them while he was about to depart. He managed to make it to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The rookie stopped, his attention now at the panting keeper.

"Dan, wait," he said.

"What?" went the rookie.

Chris shook his head. "Nothing, just wanted to say 'smooth moves on asking Veran out'", he said with a chuckle.

Daniel blinked uneasily. "Uh…sure. Thank you?"

"Yeah real smooth," he took in a breath. His expression then took on a more serious tone. "Anyway, I just wanted to relay a message. I still remember what happened with the boat incident. I get that you and Veran have made up and you're working to set things right. However, I just want to leave you with a warning," he leaned in close, too close for Daniel's comfort.

"I know you're trying to set something up. I get it's with good intentions and all that shit. But know this, if you ever hurt Veran again," he pointed his thumb over in the direction of the cabin. More specifically, towards where they could see Kerato's back sticking out and some of Espantos' feathers next to him, "I'll send Kerato to crush you and have Espantos eat your bones."

The rookie's eyes went wide. The new apparent threat that loomed over him seemed almost tangible with Chris present before him. The keeper, having been serious in one moment, took on a lighter expression in a blink of an eye. He placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder and gave him a friendly squeeze.

"Hey, no pressure," he then waved at him before retreating back towards the cabin. "Have a good night!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel stared at the retreating form of Chris Sinclair. This was supposed to be a simple visit to ask a simple question. Yes, he did slip up a little, given that it had been ages since he had gone on a date at all. In other words, he was out of practice. But he had surely forgotten about the part where he would be dealing with Hazel's family, both immediate and extended.

He could take on Chris. He didn't scare him. He's faced worse than him. But having to deal with an ornery Elasmotherium (he hadn't forgotten his antics during the Pleistocene rescue) and a hyperactive Terror Bird (he also had not forgotten the dark side of that avian) would not bode well for him.

Great. He had one step out of the way. Now he had the next…the rescue. He needed to think of how to turn an ordinary mission into a romantic outing. They needed the right food, the right supplies, and a plan. He had a lot to think about tonight.

His thoughts retreated to the threat the man placed on him. "Close-knit family…this Crew…"

Daniel retreated towards where he would find Aeros. He did his best to brush aside those final words. He needed to remain optimistic for this to work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As planned, Hazel and Daniel, along with their partners, prepared for their trek into the Early Cretaceous. The time period was 127 million years ago, right when the continents were still splitting apart and the oceans of the 21st were forming. The location was set for prehistoric Brazil, where the most recent Tropeognathus fossils were found. Hazel had given Nigel the notification the previous night. Since the Park did not have too many pterosaurs, he was very agreeable to the idea. The Park was also ready for some pterosaurs too as the borders also spanned a good distance over the coast, just big enough for pterosaurs to fly around and hunt over the sea. And with the oceanic Residents not being big enough to take down a pterosaur (plus the general good neighbor rules), it was obvious the coast would be perfect for them.

Hazel and Daniel planned for a venture that would last for up to a week, though they need to be prepared for it to last longer. Flia and Aeros had informed them that pterosaurs either stay in one place or migrate, so they had to expect the first few days to come up fruitless. The sky was their domain so their freedom knew no bounds. That being said, if they were to find a Tropeognathus, they had to fly over the coast until they found one, and that would take a while.

While they were going to be on the coast, Hazel couldn't help but feel her apprehension. There was still the chance they may have to go over the open ocean. Hazel hoped it wouldn't have to go that route. The oceans had all sorts of giant marine reptiles that could see pterosaurs, or even humans, as mid-sized snacks. Hazel prayed they would find a Tropeognathus and not have to travel over an ocean to find one. That's why just in case, she packed some fish in a small cooler that was strapped to Flia's saddle. She could feed her friend some fish while they were in the air so they wouldn't have to skim the ocean surface. Ten should be enough. If they run out, she'd just need to make sure Flia doesn't try to go fishing while they're over the open ocean. Hazel shuddered. She hoped it didn't have to be that way.

As soon as they were ready, the portal opened up for them. Hazel and Daniel mounted their partners and they flew into the temporal rip. Gone were the lush green fields and mountains of Prehistoric Park. A cool sea breeze greeted them as they flew over an overcast rocky coast. The portal behind them closed; they now beheld the cliffs of ancient Brazil. The ocean slapped against the rocks, churning sea foam. The sea was a blue-ish gray, with waves upon waves of white.

The weather was a little cool, considering it was windy and overcast. Hazel came prepared for this. It was a little last minute, but one of the staff was giving away some of her clothing to "make space in her closet". One of them happened to be a purple and blue short-sleeved surfer bodysuit. Thinking that they would most likely be getting wet (since they will be combing the ancient coast for a large pterosaur), she couldn't pass up the opportunity. The bodysuit was already cleaned and ready to use. Hazel had to admit, this was her first time using one of these. It was in her size too.

The bodysuit was very comfortable. In addition to the new attire, she also wore her blue aqua shoes. In case the weather turned on them, she also packed a spare change of clothes fitting for the climate, including a jacket just in case.

As for Daniel, he wore a red athletic T-shirt and shorts with his usual sneakers. He also packed a spare change of clothes for the same reason as Hazel's.

All around, there were pterosaurs of all shapes and sizes flying about. They were going so quickly or some were barely noticeable in the sky that Hazel couldn't quickly discern what they were. One thing was certain; neither of them were their rescue target.

Hazel gave out the game plan. They would travel along the coast until they came across any giant pterosaurs. Finding a Tropeognathus was fair game. They could flock to where another pterosaur colony was or they could strike out solo. And it didn't quite help that Flia and Aeros never came across one before.

So they flew along the coast, their eye on the craggy rocks or shoreline for any sign of a giant pterosaur.

Every time they needed to rest, they chose a good flat cliff face to set up camp. Aeros and Flia would then go out to the sea to fish. Hazel worried for their safety as there were giant marine reptiles out and about. However, Daniel reassured her they were experienced with this sort of thing and should not worry too much. Still, she had her eye on the sea, just in case, both for their safety as well as her impending anxiety.

It was also at that time that Daniel decided to start up conversations with her. Like Hazel, he too brought some fish for Aeros, but he also brought some pre packed meals for them. She then realized why he asked her to pack the other supplies; he wanted to prepare special meals for them. Hazel was surprised when she found he decided to do something different; bento boxes. This brought a smile to her face. She hadn't had bento box meals in a while. He joked with her, saying since they were making sushi the previous night, he got inspired to make sushi for themselves. It seemed fitting, since they were out on the coast and all.

Hazel's bento box had all sorts of food in there, all specially made by the chefs in the bistro, according to Daniel. He must have pulled some special tips for them to get them to make this. Well, should she be surprised at all? This was also a date for them. Her bento box contained fresh sushi (kept cold due to the ice pack and ice cubes in his cooler, and they weren't raw either, he didn't want to take the chance since they were going to be on this rescue for a week), two giant rolls of tamagoyaki, a few sausage octopi, and a few pieces of vegetables stuffed in to fill in the gaps. He packed enough for a week, making his bag bulging with the boxes. Besides a few of the small essentials, the only big item he had on him was his sleeping bag, which hung outside his bag.

It wasn't just the meals either. The two of them struck up conversations. They were of amiable topics, from their childhood to their favorite things, and some regarding their opinions on the world. Hazel admitted she was not too up to speed regarding the world's current affairs (with large scuffles happening between neighboring countries, political issues happening with the world leaders, and other such conflicts), but it was with good reason. She didn't want to concern herself with them. She found while she was in high school that paying attention to things like that would only cause stress. One particular event that she only recalled for a brief second before pushing it aside caused her to lose sleep for a couple days. She learned to leave things be; if they didn't concern her in any large way, it wasn't worth worrying about. Though, she had to learn it the hard way. After a few visits to the counselor too. However...if the day came when it concerned Prehistoric Park and its Residents...she hoped she would be ready when that happened. She's more mature now and is more knowledgeable. She made that clear to Daniel, and he understood, quickly changing the topic to something else.

One day turned into two. While they did come across signs of life in the form of small dinosaurs flocking the coast or a few medium-sized pterosaurs, none of them were a Tropeognathus. Despite having to hug the coast, Hazel was happy to be in the Mesozoic era. This was her element. Here, her knowledge was vast. She didn't need to study too much this time. Just a quick review from her books and she was ready to go. They had no trouble with the locals since they were always on the coast and had aerial partners to look for them. Well...except for that one time a pack of small carnivores managed to raid their coolers and get some of the fish they had. It was a mess to clean up. It was a miracle their own food storage was fine.

By the time they reached day three, their supplies were starting to run low. The group had to make a quick stop back in Prehistoric Park to restock. Sure, they could have gone the next few days with the supplies they had, but Daniel made it clear that it was "better to be safe about it". Thankfully, all it took was a quick message to Nigel to get some fresh supplies ready. The leftover fish had already gone bad so they underestimated the timeframe for it. As a result, it had to be thrown out (she had to make sure Flia and Aeros weren't looking). For the time being, they traveled light. Flia and Aeros gave the idea to go fishing for them and to store the fish in the coolers instead of running back to the Park, something Hazel had to reluctantly agree to. For now, they didn't need to worry about bringing fish since they always had a constant supply on the coast.

It was by the time they reached day five (or was it seven or eight? Hazel was starting to lose track) that they came across something promising. They came across a small family of little pterosaurs darting around a beach that morning. Their appearance scared them so Hazel had to pull some "diplomacy" to get them to come out of hiding in the forest. It was rather easy. Once they were out in the open, she let out her inquiries regarding a Tropeognathus or a pterosaur colony. The green-colored flyers didn't know anything about a Tropeognathus, but they knew of a colony of large pterosaurs similar in size to Flia and Aeros living nearby. Since they mostly stick in the forest and only come out to the beach every now and then, they didn't know of any large pterosaurs. Though if they did see a big one, they'd immediately run and hide, hence why they did so with Flia and Aeros. They thanked them for the info and went on their way, the small pterosaurs quickly retreating to the forest to find other things to eat.

Sure enough, they came across a pterosaur colony. The huge red paddle crests and sizes, plus the location they were in, gave away their identity as Tapejara. The cries they gave off were rather disconcerting as they rang in the humans' ears. They kept their distance and hovered a good distance above the ones on the rocks, close to where the others were flying in the sky. Besides those features, which Hazel found unsurprising, it was their size that intrigued her. They were about the size of Flia and Aeros. Fossil records showed them to be a little smaller than the ones here. In her mind, these must be a different species.

"Geez, they're really being vocal!" Hazel hollered over their calls.

"I wouldn't be surprised!" Aeros turned his head slightly to look up at the sky and then on the cliff faces. "I've seen individuals like them on my travels! Judging by how things are right now, we may be in the middle of their mating season!"

"How do you know that?" his rider inquired.

"See those big ones on the rocks with the big crests? Those boys are calling out to the females flying about. My guess is they're trying to show each other up; whoever's bigger and louder will get the girl!"

"Humph!" Flia huffed. "So flamboyant, these ones. We're a little more dignified than that…"

"Hazel! Do you know what we're looking at here?" asked Daniel.

Sure enough, Hazel was quick to answer that. Her knowledge of the Mesozoic era kicked into overdrive. "It's a colony of Tapejara!" I'd recognize that sort of crest anywhere! And I think Aeros is right! This is the mating season for them!" she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Flia saw it too and the two of them veered out of the way as a female came climbing the altitude above them. "Let's find someplace to land! Preferably away from any of these guys!"

Adhering to Hazel's advice, the two Pteranodons scoured the cliffs for a safe place to land. This came with difficulty as the males below were trying to nip at them every time they tried to land so they had to settle for a spot well away from them. As far as they could tell, they were just intruders in their space. The spot was cleared of any Tapejara, yet still close enough to the colony. As soon as they landed, the humans dismounted to stretch their legs while the flyers stretched their wings.

"I don't suppose we can try and ask them if they saw a big pterosaur around?" he asked over the vocalizing male Tapejara.

"Agh with the sort of welcome we got, that's easier said than done," Hazel winced as she flexed her arms. Her joints made significant cracking sounds, which was followed by a feeling of relief. "Let's just rest for now then resume our search later, maybe later in the afternoon when they settle down."

"How do you know they'll do that?"

The woman shrugged. "They need to rest sometime. It's just a guess."

"Rest…" Flia flopped on the rocks, the supplies that were tied to her sides clattered as she did so. The female madea relieved expression. "Mm…that sounds good right now…"

Hazel interlocked her fingers and flexed them outwards. Like with her joints, they made cracking sounds. Once she did the act, she relaxed and stared at her group. "Alright then. We'll take a break."

Well, that's what they thought. A slight gust of wind and a cackle brought their attention around. The group widened their eyes when they saw the largest Tapejara waltz up to them on all fours. Judging by his size, which he dwarfed Flia and Aeros by a scant foot, as well as his large crest, this one was a chip above the others. Almost immediately, the Pteranodons hurried to the humans' sides, eager to protect them should a danger rise. Hazel found herself being slightly pushed back by one of Flia's wings. She did not fall, but she nearly lost her footing due to an outcropping rock.

"Oi oi! ¿Qué están haciendo los idiotas? ¡Este es mi lugar! ¡Afuera! ¡Afuera! (What are you idiots doing? This is my spot! Out! Out!)" the male Tapejara squawked angrily at them.

Said large pterosaur shook his red-paddled head and crouched. He unfurled his wings, showing off his large size. "Pequeños estúpidos. ¡Esto es mío! ¡Abandonar! (Stupid little ones. This is mine! Leave!)"

Despite the interests of those around her, Hazel pushed her way from her safety zone and marched up to the male. Her hand was instinctively on her side where her dagger was. Her years of studying Spanish kicked in and she pleaded her and her friends' case. "Lo siento señor. ¡No quisimos entrometernos en su espacio! ¡Solo necesitábamos un lugar para descansar! (We didn't mean to intrude in your space! We just needed someplace to rest!)," she quickly swallowed and then finished her defense in English. "Please forgive us!"

The pterosaur reared his head back and cocked his crested head. "Oh so the little one can speak my language? Que linda…bleh! I don't care! Get out!" he stomped forward angrily and nearly caused Hazel to fall on her back.

Immediately, Flia rushed up to the male and stood toe to toe with him. "Hey!" she growled angrily. "No one tells my friend off like that! Back off, Paddle-Face!"

Surprisingly, the Tapejara took on an air of interest…which then took on a disgusting feel to the females present. "Ho ho! Spicy senorita! Perdóname. I did not see you there. Forgive me but you are eh…caliente. If we weren't different species, maybe we could ah…go someplace more private? Your back is looking extra fine today."

The Pteranodon shrieked in disgusted offense at his approach. "What!? Oh you disgusting-"

That was when she found herself being nudged back by a red wing. Looking over, she saw that Aeros had stepped up to her defense. "Hey wings off the lady, freak!"

The bull Tapejara was appalled by the sudden opposition he was faced with. The two males stood before each other, glaring. The male Tapejara may be a foot taller than the Late Cretaceous denizen, but that did not stop Aeros from standing his ground.

"Oi oi no touching here, estupido. I'm not touching your mate there, though she is looking extra crispy in my eyes, hehehe…you know, if I weren't so inclined, I could push you all into the blowhole below and have her all to myself."

Flia yelped in complete rage at that remark. "As if the Maker would allow that to happen!"

He sweetly gestured to the ticked female flyer. "Now now my sweet chica. Why don't you stay over there and let the men talk this over. Be a good flower and wait for me," he pointed to another part of the cliff with his black wing.

"Nobody's touching anybody!" the red Pteranodon spread his wings to make himself look bigger than the Brazilian Resident. He then squawked at him in intimidation.

The two of them were about to get into a fight when the flock nearby started cawing in alarm. Hazel, who was too distracted by the spectacle that was about to occur, found herself getting pushed down towards the rock face by none other than Daniel. She was about to object when he yelled for her to cover her head.

At the same time, the other pterosaurs around them were taking off in a big fright, save for the ones that were not originally from there. The big Tapejara that antagonized them freaked out and took off flying as he cried out "monstruo gigante" multiple times. Hazel had the courage to look up. She was terrified when she saw a giant shadow literally flying over them. The colony of Tapejara all flew away to give the creature a large berth. The cliff around them became a swarm of black wings and red crests before quickly settling down.

It was only when it finally passed further ahead that Hazel got a better view of it. It was very large, nearly the same scale as a Quetzalcoatlus but not as large. It had a dark gray hide, which was covered in numerous wrinkles. Unlike the other pterosaurs, this one lacked a head crest. Instead, its elongated beak was adorned by two small semicircle paddles at the end of it. It almost looked like a misshapen spoon. Much like the rest of its body, its face was covered in marks and wrinkles, a sign of its age.

Hazel gasped. The large creature angled its wings and gently landed on a rocky outcrop. The Tapejara around it squawked warily before returning to their business. The shape and general appearance were all tell-tale signs of a certain pterosaur that Hazel had heard about in books and media. Their search had ended.

It was a Tropeognathus.