The pursuit of the strange creature soon came to an end, as it was too slow to escape the humans. It only took Nigel and Tristan a moment to capture the animal, and once they did, they began to examine it.

It was clearly a mammal, as it was covered in hair, yet its legs were relatively weak and unable to support it. It's head, meanwhile, looked like a crocodiles.

Already, Tristan knew what he was dealing with.

"We're looking at an early whale. Georgiacetus, most likely."

Nigel could only nod at this. "This creature is a descendent of Ambulocetus. The most recent research suggests that this animal led to modern whales, as well as our target. I didn't think he'd still be alive at this point, or that he could move on land. Though he is rather clumsy on the earth."

The sudden crushing of the leaf litter alerted the duo to more strange shapes. It seemed a whole group of early whales had been hiding here, all now headed for the safety of the water.

The humans, however, were easily able to catch them, and a few moments later, all of the mammals had been diverted to the safety of the present.

With a grunt, Lucas hoisted the meat over the fence. A moment later, the Carnufex tore into it, occasionally snapping at each other, utterly ignorant of the human's presence. Seizing the opportunity, Lucas quickly opened the gates, entered the exhibit, and began cleaning.

For relatively small animals, the crocodilian relatives produced a surprising amount of waste. It didn't stink too much, which was a plus, but it was still messy. Many a keeper had refused to go into the pen to clean up the mess, though the fact said pen had a large group of carnivorous crocodilians inside may have also been a motivating factor. Lucas, however, could care less about the danger. A job was a job, even if it stunk.

As he finished up cleaning the feces, though, a hissing noise caused him to tense up. Turning around, Lucas found himself staring at one of the Carnufex - specifically, the one that had been injured in the fight between it and the proterosuchids. Though its wounds had begun to heal, the creature was still wasn't in top shape. Of course, it didn't need to be completely well to be a threat to a human.

For a moment, Lucas was unsure what to do. The reptile had already fed, so food wouldn't bait it away. Perhaps a toy would distract it?

seeing no other immediately effective options, Lucas took out what resembled a piece of rope. Overall, it was nothing special, just a dog toy. Lucas was just hoping the colorful design of the toy would distract the predator. One he was sure the predator saw it, he waved the toy around, watching carefully as the carnivore's eyes tracked the technicolor object.

He was just about to throw it when the carnivore bit down on one of the ends and started pulling.

Surprised, Lucas was about to let go of the distraction, before remembering exactly what he was holding - this was a tug-of-war toy. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. For a moment, he relaxed his grip, before suddenly tugging back, pulling the crocodilian forward slightly. Soon the two were locked in battle, each trying to pull the rope-like object away from the other. This lasted for a few minutes, before Lucas decided to give the crocodilian the victory and let go of the toy. Victorious, the predator trudged away and began shaking its prize.

Somewhat winded, Lucas finished up his cleaning and left the exhibit, silently glad that the rest of the crocodilians had been too full to try and approach him. That tug-of-war had been rather nerve wracking...and also surprisingly fun. Perhaps he should do it again?

XXXXXXX

Some distance away, a giant stirred.

Opening up his eyes, Atahualpa slowly stood up, taking in his surroundings. The familiar image of his forest home came into focus. Shaking off his feelings of exhaustion, the giant carnivore began to move, looking for water to quench his thirst.

Finding the stream within his new home, the carnivore began to drink, occasionally stopping to look for rivals.

Part of him was happy about it. Yet another, however, was uncomfortable.

Giganotosaurs were, for the most part, solitary carnivores, only seeking out others of their kind to breed. Pair bonds, however, were strong, and it was not uncommon for females to mate several times with the same males. yet in all his days at the park, the male Giganotosaurus had yet to see another of his kind. He had seen other large carnivores, including the park's only other large carnosaur, Finn, but that hadn't done much to comfort him. He desired to see more of his own.

He was, quite simply, lonely.

In some ways, this was beneficial - he had his territory entirely to himself, with no one to challenge him. Yet his own biological directives conflicted heavily with this. He was a male in his prime, fit, active, and sexually mature, yet he had not reproduced. In nature, reproduction was the highest calling of all animals, to pass on their genes to the next generation. Right now, Atahualpa was missing out on his chance.

He would remain in his prime for many years, but once that passed, reproduction would become more difficult. The biological clock on male animals ticked more slowly than those of females, but it still set a limit on the time they had to breed. Pass the best time, and age would begin to take its toll. Muscles and bones would weaken, making breeding more difficult. Metabolism changes would make it less likely for a male to defeat rival suitors.