As the humans advanced toward the hill, the amphibian could not help but stare at them in confusion. It had never seen bipedal creatures before, and to it, these were strange monsters, whose role in the ecosystem was not yet certain. Were they giant plant eaters, only a danger if distrubed? Or were they ferocious carnivores, looking for an opportunity to tear him to pieces? At the moment, he wasn't sure which they were.

Nearby, others of his kind ambled swam through the river, occasionally basking in the were occasionally harassed by more carnivorous amphibians, but they were hardly at risk here - these predators were roughly the same size as the strange looking amphibians already in the water, and could be intimidated away with relative ease.

One of those predatory amphibians had the rotten luck to end up right in front of the newcomers. Briefly, they stared at it, making strange cries to each other, before swiftly running it down and wrestling it into submission.

Then, suddenly, a light appeared behind the bipeds, and a moment later, the amphibian had disappeared into it.

As the resting amphibian wondered what the creatures had done, a splash turned its attention upriver. What it saw made its blood run cold...well, colder than normal. There, diving into the water, were a group of long-snouted sail-backs. Relatives of the larger sail backed hunters, these predators were much more of a hazard to the amphibians in the water than their larger brethren - they could easily keep up with the water dwellers when on a chase beneath the waves.

The minute the amphibians noticed the synapsids' arrival, they darted down river, unintentionally putting them on a collision course with the humans, who were wading through the shallowest part of the river.

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The team watched as the Diplocaulus, Acheloma, and Secodontosaurus swam toward them, momentarily transfixed on their march. The wonder didn't last long, and within a few seconds, they already had the portal set up. Soon, the swimmers were in the safety of the present, and in the case of the synapsids, being viciously hosed down by the staff.

Once the last rescues were secure, the team resumed their trek toward the mountains, soon finding themselves walking over snow. Overhead, the storm grew ever closer, and thunder began to rumble.

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Back in the park, some of the older residents were looking over the newcomers.

A trio of Coelophysis watched as the Diplocaulus were herded into their new home. The early dinosaurs had seen large amphibians before, but never a leposondylid, and even now, they were trying to see what these fin-headed creatures were, and whether or not they were edible.

The fin-headed swimmers paid them no mind, barring an occasional glance to be sure that they were not trying to eat it. The slender hunters had no way of reaching the slimy predators, and for the most part, weren't hungry - curiosity was the sole motive here. Of course, the lepospondyls didn't know this, and most had already hidden themselves away from the reptilian predator. Most of htem, however, were still wondering where the synapsid hunters had gone.

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Near the park's coastline, the security team was trying to answer the same question.

The staff had been transporting a group of Secodontosaurus when a pair of Brachiosaurus had plodded in front of them, slamming their necks against each other. The giant herbivores were females, who had both stumbled on a particularly tasty set of trees, and were now locked in battle over who got to eat them. In the ensuring chaos, one of the sail backs had escaped the transport, and now the staff was trying to find it before it found itself in trouble.

The search was interrupted, however, when a loud splash filled the air. Turnign toward it, the team saw the retreating form of a shark's tail, as well as something sailing through the air, which soon landed in some shallow water. Hastily, the shape crawled onto land, revealing itself as the missing sail back...which promptly began getting into a shouting match with one of the Cosgriffius.

Hastily, the sail back was recaptured, whilst the team wondered just what had happened in the water.

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Earlier

The Kaibabvenator glided through the water, looking for something to sate its boredom. It had just finished eating a tuna, and now it wanted to find something else to hunt - not for food, but for fun.

Then a familiar smell came upon it - one of a sail-backed synapsid. Eager to snatch a meal, it swam toward the scent, until it found the long-snouted sail back.

At first, a sense of satisfaction filled the shark's mind, followed by horror - it recognized this kind of sail-back, and it was not prey!

Then, out of nowhere, a smaller modern shark darted toward the synapsid, eager for a meal.

A moment later, the water turned a muted shade of blue yellow, as a noxious fluid spread out around the sail back - a defensive musk, meant to deter predators.

While the smaller shark gagged and swam away, its prehistoric cousin responded by whacking the synapsid with its tail, sending it flying away. Good riddance!

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Back in the past, the team had come to a halt some distance up the hill. Here, a moderately thick layer of snow covered the ground. Despite the cold, there were several streams that flowed without a hint of ice, and around them were all kinds of animals.

Many Dimetrodon had gathered here, with members from at least four species drinking from the stream, occasionally snatching fish. Many other sail backs also roamed the area, occasonally getting into a fight with one another, or the large amphibians on the water's edge. Occasionally, a small shark would jump into the air, trying to avoid being hunted by a sail back.

The team grinned and readied the portal - perhaps they could rescue all of the beasts in front of them.

Suddenly, thunder cracked above them, accompanying a flash of lightning. Instead of a tree near the river, though, this one struk a bare trunk much further up the hill. The explosion that followed shattered the snowbank, which quickly began to slide down the hill...right toward the team.

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