Onwards, the team trudged. The desire to reach the tarpits, as well as the animals near it, was too great to dissuade them, even in this heat. They would reach the oils filled holes in the ground or die trying!

...Okay, maybe not die, but the thought was the same.

As they continued to advance, though, they witnessed strange movement from a nearby set of trees - a small oasis of the large plants in the otherwise unblemished prairie. Though initially impossible to discern, the shapes soon came into focus, revealing them to be ground sloths. Specifically, ones just like the one that had stumbled through the portal - Paramylodon. Right now, most were trying to pull branches down from the trees, though a few had taken to rooting.

The team did not need any discussion about rescuing these creatures - already, they knew how to rescue them, and rescue them they would.

Thus, carefully, they advanced toward the beasts, holding out potatoes, of all things. At first, the sloths were uninterested in them, but when the smell of the potatoes reached their nostrils, the large herbivores attention was soon affixed on the humans. Intrigued by the tubers, the xenathrans began to advance forward, trying to snatch the edible plants. As the team readied up the portal, the giant sloths began to pick up speed, much to the surprise of them team, who had not expected them to move as fast as their closest equivalents in locomotion, the anteaters. Hastily throwing the bait through the portal, the team watched as, one by one, the giant herbivores vanished into the present.

As the last sloth (a juvenile) vanished into the future, the team deactivated the portal and prepared to move on. A sudden growl, however, brought the team to a halt. Turning to face it, the team found themselves staring at a lion, of all things. Nearby, more were already on the prowl. Other than the one growling at them, though, the pride seemed to be ignoring them, instead focusing on a herd of long necked herbivores in the distance. Even the one who had accosted them soon lost interest, and joined its pride mates in pursuing the herbivores.

The team stared at the beasts a while longer, then began to follow them. With luck, not only would they be able to rescue the cats, but also the camels they were hunting.

XXXXX

Back at the park, the pachycephalosaurs were once again foraging. The new arrivals had rendered their exhibit somewhat more cramped, forcing the staff to corral them into a temporary exhibit nearby the ones used by the larger herbivores. Already, the bone heads were trying to establish dominance again - the newcomers were all trying to challenge the local chief for control. So far, they were not winning. At all.

As the most recent challenger limped off in defeat, though, a newcomer emerged from the undergrowth. At first glance, he looked similar to a Dracorex. But then the differences came into view - this one had horns...and a frill on its head. A few moments later, seven more similar creatures emerged, all looking at the rest of the group. For a moment, the first horned one stared at the leader of the bonehead herd, sizing him up.

Then, somewhat surprisingly, both animals backed down, unwilling to fight each other. Besides, their appearances were so different that it was clear neither would be a threat to the other's dominance.

With the current crisis averted, the two herds went back to foraging, allowing the newcomers to intermix without issue.

XXXXX

Some distance away, the park's ankylosaurs were going about their daily lives, oblivious to the presence of the horned boneheads. Most of them were settling in well, though the nodosaurs were somewhat uncomfortable with how few in number their kind were compared to the ankylosaurs. There was a sense of loneliness, though in time, it would pass, especially once the park went back for more of their kind. Still, the more than three to one variation in species hurt, even if the herbivores would not (and could not) admit it.

The sudden roar of a tyrannosaur, however, put all of them on the defensive. As they tried to find the source of the threat, though, a trailer rolled passed them, with familiar growls coming out of it. Unknown to the dinosuars, the park still needed to give Jane a few vaccinations, hence they had been forced to restrain her for transport. Evidently, she was not happy with this.

As the armored herbivores watched the trailer roll away, they began to return to grazing. Nearby, a female Diplodocus had just ambled off from her herd, and was taking the chance to browse nearby the ankylosaurs, while the park's Ophiacodon, who had been removed from their pen due to a need to remove a termite nest and had been more or less dumped here, began to search for rats and other critters to devour, though they took care to avoid attacking any scutelings they found, lest the parnets pummel them into paste.

As the ancient creatures calmed down, though, a newcomer began to walk toward them. At first, it appeared to be a Diplodocus, but as it came closer, it became obvious the creature was something else entirely - a club adorned its tail, whilst its body was armored, and its head looked like an ankylosaur's. Stranger still, it was joined by several armored and club tailed animals that resembled Ophiacodon.

The resident herbivores and carnivores paid them no mind - feeding was too important now.

XXXXX

Back in the past, the team had over taken the cats and reached the Camelops herd. To the surprise of the group, however, they were joined by American llamas and, surprisingly, the shrub ox, Euceratherium. Though caught off guard by this, the team did not complain, and instead began working to coax the herbivores toward the hastily assembled portal, using whatever plants they had.

At first, they had no luck, but then the wind changed, and the herbivores suddenly found themselves downwind of the cats. Knowing better than to stick around, the herbivores began to move away - straight toward the portal. As the herbivores began to enter the glowing light, the carnivores pressed forward, eventually following them into the future.

Victorious, the team closed down the portal, then froze as the familiar trumpet of an elephant filled their ears. Nearby, a group of trunked herbivores was visible...and not to far away from them, vultures circled over something big.

The team shared a titanic grin - they had found the tarpit.

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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!