After getting back from the fire, the team is all too willing to take a break. Some time is allocated to wash off the soot, while the keepers are busy examining the new arrivals for signs of sickness.
As the team wipe off the last of the soot from their faces, Suzanne is already busy taking care of the female Postosuchus, who is now peacefully sleeping.
"She's rather sick, but I'm confident that she'll make a full recovery. We got her early enough that, while the infection is still severe, it's reversible."
It looks like this female will be getting a second chance at life.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
With most of the new residents being settled in, Nigel and his team want to make one last journey back to the forest, albeit a little later than when they left.
"IF we go now, we might find some more dinosaurs."
Though exhausted, the team goes through the portal. As the portal closes, though, they find themselves with a stowaway - the female Coelophysis that followed Tristan and Michelle. While the duo recaptures the small dinosaur, the rest of the team examines their surroundings.
Despite the flames, the landscape has transformed overnight, revitalized by the rain water. Lush ferns have emerged, as have new saplings, which the younger recruits hastily begin to collect. Nearby, several Coelophysis had gathered to drink, with the park's female among them, while a Postosuchus moved in to challenge them.
All of that, however, was forgotten as something big began to make its way down the edge of the river.
Emerging form the ferns was the gigantic shape of a prosauropod. This one was like the one at the park, but different. Behind the herbivore were more of its kind, along with several prosauropods that looked like the one in the park. Their presence managed to put off the rauisuchian, and some bellowing was all it took to force the theropods to retreat.
Already, the group knew what they were staring at - the larger herbivores were Plateosaurus, though the smaller ones were a species the group could not determine. Nevertheless, these were excellent rescue targets, and ones the group were not about to let go free. Hastily, they erected the portal device, and readied it for the approaching herd. Rather hilariously, it was the rauisuchian who entered the portal, followed by the theropods, and only after the last of the coelophysoids had retreated did the prosauropods march through the portal.
As the last of the plant eaters marched through the portal, though, the group found themselves facing one last surprise: at the tail end of the herd was a green and yellow theropod with a red crest, which resembled a Dilophosaurus, but smaller in appearance. Behind it were other predators, similar to it in appearance, but without the crest, and also noticeably smaller than the predator in front of them.
Sean was the first to react to their presence. "Is that a Liliensternus?"
"Yes," replied Elise, "but considering who came before them, I am not surprised. What's really bugging me are those other dinosaurs. They look like Gojirasaurus."
"Oh, so you aren't surprised by a temporally and geographically displaced dinosaur, but one that is possibly dubious catches you off guard?"
"...Point taken."
While the group talked, the theropods made their way into the portal, unwilling to let their prey go free.
XXXXXXXXXXX
With the last of the new arrivals in the park, things are settling down once more. The Postosuchus is recovering, the amphibians are in their own ponds, and the various dinosaurs are exploring their new homes.
Next time, the team goes back to rescue one of the first dinosaurs known from North America...
(Shot of the team facing off against what appears to be a carnosaur)
...but faces some trouble from above
(Shot of what appears to be a large pterosaur attacking the team)
While Bob and Pamela attempt to make the new arrivals right at home.
(Shot of Pamela putting a log in front of some Tawa).
At the moment, however, all is well in Prehistoric Park...well, maybe that's not true...
XXXXXXX
Tristan and Michelle watched as the female Coelophysis returned to her exhibit, where she began taking a dust bath.
The sight of this brought back memories of what Michelle had been told about the early days of the park. "Did Bob dig the fence posts deep enough for these guys?"
"He did. After what happened with Phil, he's taking no chances."
"I see...well, then, could I ask you a quest-"
A loud beeping noise interrupted Michelle's attempt to question her leader. Confused, the two examined their packs, until Tristan pulled out the source of the noise - the portal detector.
"Why is this thing beeping? The portals are all offline-"
Before he could finish that sentence, a golden light appeared in front of the duo, but just outside of the fence, catching the attention of both them and every dinosaur in the exhibit. A moment later, the orb transformed into what appeared to be a mass of glass shards. Out of the odd mass came a Coelophysis….specifically, the same one Tristan had seen disappear into the light. It promptly ran until it tripped a fell over. Once it right itself, the dinosaur calmed down.
As the dinosaurs began to interact with the newcomer, Tristan and Michelle continued to observe the light, with Tristan even taking a picture. The sound of something crashing through the ground alerted them to the arrival of several of the park's natives...who were carrying a set of six black pillars.
The duo looked at each other, then at the natives, before making a wordless gesture to the stone carriers and beginning to walk back to their tree houses.
XXXXX
Five minutes later, inside the treehouse.
"Okay, spill."
"What do you mean by that, Michelle?"
"What the hell was that?"
"I can't tell you right now."
"Then when can you?!"
"...When we are both no longer virgins," answered Tristan, sarcasm dripping off his voice.
...So why was Michelle turning bright red, even as she stared at him in anger/annoyance?
Then she put her hands on the bottom of her shirt and started to pull up.
"I DON'T MEAN NOW!"
Despite still being angry at her friend, Michelle seemed to be relived at his statement. "Then is there anything you can tell me about what we saw?"
"Is there anyone else in here?"
"No, I checked."
"Well, then all that I can tell you is that they are naturally occurring magnetic time portals and that my dad asked me not to tell anyone about them."
"And how long have you know about them?"
"That he knows? Since I was fifteen."
"And how long in truth?"
"...Ten."
"You've known about this for ten years?"
"Yes."
"...One last question: does anyone else know?"
"Well, aside from me, my dad, and apparently the natives, only my mom knows about this. My dad said he'd tell more people, but only if he got some help with studying them. private, public, military, anything. And before you say 'isn't he rich enough to do it himself', part of this is making sure that he has good help."
"...Okay. Well, enjoy the rest of the day."
"I will," sighed Tristan. A moment later, a nearby printer activated and produced an image of the weird portal. Taking it, Tristan then opened up his field guide in progress and secured the photo to the book. Upon noticing that Michelle was trying to peek at the book, he handed it to her. Examining it, Michelle found a drawing of the portal on the opposite page...as well as some very detailed notes...
XXXXXXXX
AN: Here's the (somewhat incomplete) list of rescues:
(Please note, many, many, many animals ran into the portal to escape the fire. Also, unknown animals represent species I either made up or exist but are not officially described at the moment)
Coelophysis (43 males, 47 females)
Postosuchus( 6 males, 11 females)
Unknown early Ornithischian (Will be henceforth referred to as Pecaridontosaurus cinniculatus, the 'fluffy peccary toothed reptile'): 11 males, 13 females
Unknown Cynodont (name is Chinleotherium arizonensis): four males, seven females, three pups of unknown gender
Unknown North American prosauropod (Chinleosaurus grandis): 15 males, 23 females
Plateosaurus engelhardti: 23 males, 29 females
Vivaron: 7 males, 9 females
Drepanosaurus: 17 males, 19 females
Koskinodon: 16 males, 27 females
Smilosuchus: 11 males, 19 females
Redondasaurus: 8 males, 10 females
Placerias: 50 males, 61 females
Desmatosuchus: 43 males, 74 females
Effigia: 10 males, 13 females
Peteinosaurus: 4 females, 4 males
Liliensternus: 1 female
Poposaurus: 1 female
Giant unknown pterosaur (Utahdactylus giganteus): 5 males, 7 females
MORE TO BE ADDED LATER - CHINLE HAD SO MANY GOOD CREATURES TO RESCUE!
Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!