HILDA AND THE JURASSIC FOREST
(A fan-fiction by Slogokonnor99)
Chapter 2: Creatures from the forest
As the day ended, Hilda decided to try and make some cucumber sandwiches for herself and sat down in the living room while the herd of crested creatures left for the safety of the forest; her mum, on the other hand, was still trying to contain her fear given her findings just some hours ago. -Hilda- she finally spoke -is it alright if we have a talk?-, Hilda leapt off the couch she was on and sat down on the one nearest to her mom, -Listen, I know… we just saw those things in the open, and they were wonderful, but… I'm starting to feel worried about how many of them there could be-, -What do you mean, mum?- Hilda asked in reply -those things looked to be friendly-, -I know, but you've seen the news last night. I would dare to say that if we weren't careful, those things would've attacked us anyway-. -I don't think that would've happened- Hilda tried to calm her -besides, those were different from what the news showed, you heard they were called "monsters", but are they really?-, -Well, at least they aren't trolls!- her mom joked; to which Hilda laughed as well, -But in all seriousness, Hilda- her mom continued –I've started to think that we should move to the city-, -But… why?- Hilda asked, -I don't want to risk any chances, Hilda- she replied -If this was about something like trolls or those elves that keep bothering us I would at least be more patient, but this is just more dangerous!-, -But mom…- Hilda continued, –Listen, I know I'm probably overreacting- she replied –but we both don't know anything about these creatures, they could be as dangerous as trolls or as tame as woffs, but if those things keep on appearing, maybe at some point they'll reveal their true colors-.
Frustrated, Hilda left for her room and closed the door; she was angry at the fact that the one place she called home was now at risk of being left behind just because of the presence of new creatures. -I hate this- she ranted while the deerfox jumped to her side on the bed -I've been living in the wilderness all my life, and with new things appearing she grows worried?-, -To be fair, she does have a reason to worry- Alfur stated as he popped out of Hilda's ear -You barely saw those things for one day, if we count from last night's encounter that is, but besides the existence of those four creatures we don't know anything about them-, -Then I guess we'll figure it out- she replied, but immediately felt tired as she said that, -If you want to do that I can help you- Alfur suggested -but I feel like we should start tomorrow-, -I think you're right- Hilda replied as she yawned -do you have a place to sleep?-, -Well, I… I sleep inside your cuckoo clock- Alfur replied –your house was actually built on top of mine, so I had to find a way to coexist with you-. –So you're telling me you've been living here all this time?!- Hilda asked in shock, -Well… yes?- Alfur nervously replied, hoping Hilda didn't lash out at him; instead, she only sighed, being too tired to even ask for his background. –I hope you can explain to me about this tomorrow- she stated before tucking herself in bed –Goodnight Alfur-, -Goodnight… Hilda- Alfur replied as he opened the cuckoo clock and went inside.
Outside, the moon was beginning to shine on the plains below, and for the creatures of the night, it was time to do their daily routines. From out of a small burrow at the edge of a forest, a small, almost feathery animal popped its head up to watch out for danger; once the coast was clear, it came out of the hole with two youngsters on toe, they were also covered in feathers and all three sported a brown and white pattern with yellow stripes. The two youngsters were the only survivors from her clutch of seven, and now that they were big enough to follow her, they could finally go all together to look for food. The elves soon spotted the trio approaching them, and not wanting to have another situation like yesterday, they all bolted for their homes; as the family reached the edge of their town however, they spotted something of their interest: wild berries. The adult approached the tiny bush, making sure the fruit wasn't from a poisonous plant, and once it determined it was safe to eat, she made a call, to which the youngsters raced to her side and started to nibble the berries. -They're not after us?- one elf asked confused as he peered through the window and saw the family eating from the bush -why?, -I have no idea- his wife replied in a low voice -but we shouldn't try to go out-. One of the youngsters heard their voices and slowly approached to their house; the couple tried to hide behind some furniture as the animal peered through the small window, they could only peek and see the massive eyeball that was covering the entire window, but soon they caught a break when a loud call made the curious animal run back with its mother. The other young one hid behind her mother as the curious one joined its twin; the mother then erected the feathers on her body to appear larger and puffy as it tried to find where the noise was coming from. Eventually, the two youngsters retreated back to the burrow while their mother slowly backed up, looking in all directions before making a break for the safety of the hole.
Minutes passed before the maker of the noise showed itself: the same creature that "attacked" Hilda last night was back. All the elves stood silent once again as they prayed for that animal to not step on their houses, but they became even more worried when the animal climbed onto the roof of the house of the "giant". Once there, the animal let out another loud call, right next to Hilda's window, waking her up in shock; she and the deerfox immediately rushed to hide beneath the bed and peeked to see if the animal was preparing to burst through the window, however, the animal continued calling, the tone being long and depressive, as if it was looking for someone. –IS THAT…!- Alfur stated in panic as he was also awaken by the call; Hilda simply nodded frantically and hid her head beneath the bed once again. The animal let out one last call before giving up for the night; it then simply sat down and placed its head next to its right arm. –I think it fell asleep- Alfur noted, -Are you sure?- Hilda asked nervously, I'll go check out- he replied –if it wakes up don't leave your hiding spot-; Alfur then dropped off the stand the cuckoo clock was standing and approached the window, he then tried to open it as silently as possible and closed it with the same delicacy. The animal was huge for his perspective, but Alfur was keen on seeing if it was really asleep, or if it was playing; he went round it and tried to find its head, but its nostrils were tucked in below the right arm, -Dang- he whispered –maybe I could check its eyes-. With that said, Alfur climbed the neck of the animal and tried to inspect the exposed side of the face, but while he was doing so Hilda had left her hiding spot and approached the window; Alfur signaled her to fall back, but given his size it was difficult for Hilda to make up what he was saying.
–You want me to go out?- she asked confused, -No! stay inside!- Alfur tried to reply, -Are you sure?- Hilda asked, -Yes!- Alfur shouted. Hilda then proceeded to slowly open the window and exit her room; Alfur couldn't do nothing but face-palm. –I thought you called me outside- she whispered, -I was telling you to stay inside- Alfur whispered back, -I could barely hear you from the window!- she replied, nearly raising up her voice; -We should probably head back inside- Alfur proposed as both of them heard the creature growl and move its head to the other side, -Yeah, we definitely should- Hilda agreed. With that said, Alfur hopped on Hilda's hand and she placed him on her ear; she then carefully moved around the creature and was about to open the window when the creature moved its tail and she accidentally stepped on it, waking up the animal instantly. -Just… don't… move- Alfur tried to suggest, but both were too scared to even move; however, the creature just hissed at them and jumped off the roof, running back into the forest where it came from. -Well… that was a bit unexpected- Hilda comically stated, but given they were still shaking and sweating, the joke flew over and it was ignored.
The next morning, Hilda woke up and prepared to explore the wilderness once again, but this time, her mother had other ideas. -Oh, I see you're ready to go out!- she stated, -Yep! you know I'm always ready for adventure, mom!- she cheerfully replied, -Well, that's the spirit- her mom continued -by the way, did you hear those noises yesterday?-, -What noises?- she nervously replied, -Oh, I thought you heard them too- her mom replied to her statement -anyway, we're going to visit Trolberg today, so I hope you keep that excitement…-, -WHAT?!- Hilda interrupted her- WHY?-, - I feel like staying out here for too long may have been a bit prejudicial for you- she replied -besides, I feel like you may need to make friends eventually-, -But I like it here- Hilda tried to argue -I don't want to abandon this place-, -Oh!- her mother suddenly realized what her daughter assumed -do you think we're going to move today?-, Hilda only nodded in confusion as that was actually what she thought was the reason. -Oh don't worry Hilda- her mother tried to calm her down -we're only going there so you can visit the city-; Hilda let out a sigh of relief, which calmed her mom down, -How long will be in the city?- Hilda then asked -I kinda wanted to visit the waterfall to draw some wild flowers I saw the other day-, -Oh, we won't take that long- her mother lied –besides, I also need to do some groceries for the week-. Her mom soon went outside to turn on the car while Hilda tried to convince her deerfox to stay, -We won't take long, Twig, I promise- she stated, and the fluffy animal rubbed its head next to her cheek; afterwards, Hilda went to join her mother in the car, with Alfur hidden on her ear, and set off to Trolberg.
-I assume we'll go to the market first when we get there?- Hilda asked, -Yes, I've made a list of things we'll need to make food for the weekend- her mom replied as she handed the list to Hilda, -Why are we buying lots of snacks?- she asked, -I thought we could have a movie night when we get back- her mom replied –it's been weeks since we had one-. -What are we going to watch?- she continued to ask, but before her mom could answer she slammed the brakes as she saw a massive leg stomp the road in front of her. –What the…- her mom spoke as she recovered from the shock, in front of them stood a giant, like the one they saw yesterday, and as her mom tried to drive around it, it let out a massive bellow. –Wasn't that the same giant we saw yesterday near the forest edge?- Hilda broke the silence as her mom kept driving forwards, -I think it was- she replied –but how did it got there that fast-; her question was soon answered as both of them felt the earth tremble, and when they looked left, they saw a large herd of giants moving about. –That one has a red neck- Alfur stated as he saw one stretch its neck and look at them. The gigantic animal bellowed, raising its neck and showing a series of spikes below its neck; this in turn, attracted the attention of two other ones. As the car left the scene, the two other longnecks approached the red neck longneck, who in turn tried to show off as a way to flirt them; but his attempt is then put short when another longneck appeared. This one, with a much brighter neck and seemingly older than the one flirting the two other ones, and he quickly gained their attention, but the other longneck bellowed and raised on its hind legs. The other longneck quickly responded by raising itself on its hindlegs too, as if trying to warn the other to back down, but the contender refused to back down; before a fight could begin however, gunshots were heard, and the longnecks started to move back into the forest.
Hilda and her mom wondered why gunshots were made, but as they reached the gates of the city, their question was answered: a lot of people in brown uniforms were guarding the entrance; other cars were stuck in a jam in front of them, and they both knew this would take a while. -Why are they shooting the longnecks?- Hilda asked, -They're not trying to kill them- her mom replied -they're just trying to drive them away-, -It doesn't seem like- she replied back. Almost ten minutes passed before the two finally got inside the city; and as Hilda expected, it was all squared buildings, some made of wood, others from concrete, and they were all in different colors. -The market shouldn't be too far in the center of town- her mom stated, -What's that place?- Hilda stated as she pointed out an open field with a building in the center, -That's a school- her mom replied -I used to study there-, -Is that basically the place you went to as a small girl?- she asked, -Pretty much- she replied -You'd find it interesting if you went there-, -Maybe- she lied. As they drove past blocks and blocks of buildings, they soon arrived at the center, which was a small plaza with a tower in the middle. -Why the bell tower?- Hilda asked as she and her mom passed by, -Well, history says that this was the first defense mechanism against trolls since the town was created- her mom replied -the townsfolk also believe it's a sign of luck-, -I feel like that might be a sign of exaggeration- Hilda argued -it just looks like a bell tower, and that's it-.
After two more blocks, the two finally arrived at the supermarket; her mom quickly tried to find a place to park before she and her daughter went off inside. –Alright- her mom spoke as the two left the car parked –let's get some food, shall we?-, -Can we also get some other stuff?- Hilda asked –I do need some new color pencils-. –Sure, I don't see why not- her mom replied. Hilda quickly ran with excitement towards the supermarket door, and once inside, she quickly went into the school materials aisle, -Oh sweet!- she said to herself as she gave a glance to the end of the aisle –there's the color pencils I need!-; Hilda quickly made her way to grab the pencil box, but before she could reach it she heard a couple of voices from the other side of the shelf she was looking at. –You heard about the herd of Apatosaurus that came to close to the wall earlier?- a boy stated –those things were massive!-, -I can surely agree- a girl replied to him –although I'm thankful they didn't try to burst through; imagine the trouble those things would cause!-, -I assume by "Apatosaurus" they mean the longnecks we saw earlier and yesterday- Alfur whispered to Hilda, -I guess so- she silently replied and continued to eavesdrop into their conversation. –I'm beginning to worry about the Sparrow scouts field trip now that you say that- the girl spoke –with all of those dinosaurs out there, it is surely dangerous-, -You don't say- the boy agreed –but I do want to see one of those animals close and personal one day-, -Oh, you surely won't- Hilda silently stated. The two kids soon began to move away and Hilda took the color box and left to find her mom, she meanwhile had already picked up everything on the list and was heading for the checkout; -Oh, I see you found a new color box- her mom stated, -Yeah- she replied –but I also heard some kids talking about those longnecks that we saw earlier-, -Hilda, you know very well you shouldn't eavesdrop into other people's conversations- her mom complained, -Sorry, I was just about to grab the box when I heard about it- she apologized, -It's ok then- her mom understood –well, let's pay for the things and head home, shall we?-.
Back at the house, the deerfox was beginning to get bored of being alone, and soon it began to find a way to go outside and frolic around. At first, it attempted to open the windows with its antlers, but that proved to be ineffective as they were locked; it then tried to exit through the chimney, but that ended up being a disastrous idea, as it ended up being covered in dust, its last option now was the window in Hilda's room, and so it ran up the stairs and into her room to try one final attempt, and this time it was successful. Outside there wasn't that much activity: the elves were doing their daily chores, and the herd of crested animals was once again grazing at the edge of the forest; the deerfox jumped down the roof and began to rub itself on the ground to try and clean off the dust from the chimney. -Aw c'mon!- an elf complained as the chimney dust was laid next to his house -I just cleaned my garden!-, -Oh don't blame the giant's mascot- his wife replied to him -it's such a sight to see-, -On that I can agree- her husband complemented -at least that thing won't try to eat us-. The deerfox soon stopped rolling as it, along with the other elves, heard a loud bellow; on the forest edge, the crested animals moved away from their pasture zone and into the open as a pair of young Apatosaurus emerged from the trees. -Oh god, the longnecks are back!- one elf yelled as the others quickly ran for the safety of their homes; the giants soon stopped and began to below once again, it was as if they were looking for someone. The deerfox also tried to head for cover, seeing their size was enough for it to run away, but unlike the elves, it was having more trouble getting back into its house; meanwhile, the chorus of the Apatosaurus continued, and after a few minutes, a reply came, but not from who they were expecting: out of the woods now came a large bipedal animal, it had stripes on its sides and sharp teeth on its mouth; it was without a doubt, a carnivore.
The deerfox, now panicking after seeing the predator in the distance, tried desperately to find a way inside the house; meanwhile, the two Apatosaurus closed ranks, keeping each other as close as possible, while the carnivore closed in to test them both. -Oh crickey!- one elf stated as he peered through his window, the two longnecks soon began to slowly back up, as the predator was getting closer, and in a last effort to deter it, one of them reared up on its hind legs to appear bigger, which made it stop; meanwhile, the deerfox made it back up the roof and bolted for the window, once there, it could do nothing but to watch the drama that was about to ensue. A brief calm settled between predator and prey before one of them made the next move; the carnivore, now weary of how its prey could fight back, tried to circle around them both, but as it did so, one of the Apatosaurus turned around to face it, positioning its tail close to the other's neck. Now, both animals were protecting each other from all angles, and the predator was once again left to think of a strategy; another moment of silence and tension ensued, with both sides at stalemate, but as the predator was about to leave, a familiar sound alerted the longnecks: the sound of a car approaching. The deerfox peered out of the window and saw the car approaching the house, and its instinctive reaction to bark with happiness alerted the Apatosaurus; with a distraction settled, the predator took its chance, and bolted towards them both, causing one of the Apatosaurus to panic and break ranks.
-HOLY SH!- Hilda's mother shouted as she quickly pressed the breaks at the sight of the two Apatosaurus running directly towards the house, -Mom! We got to get Twig out of there!- Hilda yelled at her mom, but she was rather petrified on the spot. The two Apatosaurs soon spotted the house and tried to go around it, but only one of them did so, as the other stood its ground once again. Inside the house it felt like a massive earthquake, as the other Apatosaurus ran next to the wall; objects were flying everywhere and Twig tried to get below Hilda's bed for safety. Outside, the other Apatosaurus once again stood on its hind legs, challenging its hunter to charge at him, but it waited until it gave up to bite its front leg; the Apatosaurus bellowed in pain, as it tried to make its hunter release its leg. -I'm going after Twig- Hilda stated in desperation as she opened the door, which finally caused her mom to react, -HILDA, NO!- she yelled in panic as she tried to go after her. The predator soon let go of its leg and aimed for its side, tearing a small chunk of flesh from near its back; and its prey, now with a wounded leg and a scar on its back, once again attempted to make an escape. Meanwhile, as the hunter and hunted drama went on, Hilda managed to reach the door of the house without being trampled, -TWIG!- she yelled for his deerfox friend to come out as the duel of giants once again began to make the walls tremble; outside, her mom tried to catch up, but a near hit from the Apatosaurus' tail halted her advance. For now, she could do no more than scream for her daughter to come out quickly.
-TWIG!- Hilda yelled once more as the walls began to show signs of breaking, and at long last, her deerfox answered; but the barks from his friend turned out to come from the upper level of the house. -Hilda, we got to hurry!- Alfur stated in panic –the whole house is going to fall down!-; Hilda bolted for her bedroom, as she knew her deerfox would most likely be hiding under the bed, outside, the Apatosaurus managed to land a hit with his other front leg and made the predator fall back long enough to change position once again, this in turn gave Hilda's mom a chance to get inside the house and get her daughter out. –Twig!- Hilda yelled as she reached her bedroom, and Twig quickly rushed to her side in a dime, -Hilda, we got to go!- her mom stated as she caught up with her. Suddenly, a loud bellow made everyone motionless: outside, a much larger Apatosaurus was marching towards the house; both Hilda and her mum now had seconds to leave before the rampaging herbivore reached their position. The hunter now faced a tough choice: does it try to finish its prey, or try and leave quickly as well; regardless of the decision, chances were both results would end up with it failing the hunt, either from injury or size inferiority, and so, with the animal in sight, the predator slowly stepped back. Hilda and her mom managed to exit the house just as the larger Apatosaurus reached the small one, and rearing on its hind legs, it managed to scare away the predator; but when it decided to give way to its weight, it did so with a tremendous amount of strength it crushed the house under its feet.
Hilda's mom could only watch as the Apatosaurus accidentally destroyed her father's legacy, but while the damage was material, at least she was glad her daughter was safe; the same could not be said for the latter however, as her mother turned to see her, she was already beginning to sob. –Our house- she cried –it's… it's gone-, -There was nothing we could've done- her mother tried to sympathize as Hilda hugged her for comfort; meanwhile, the adult Apatosaurus tried to make the smaller one move, but its leg injury made the task painful, with no danger near however, the adult could afford to wait for the young one to recover. A few hours later, when the sun was setting once again, and the two Apatosaurus moved back into the safety of the forest, Hilda and her mom approached what remained of the house and tried to salvage what they could. –Oh my, what happened- said Woodman as he had brought more wood for the night, -some dinosaur trampled the use- Hilda's mom replied, -Oh, yet another reminder that humans are not the ones in control- Woodman whispered, -What?- Hilda asked, -Nothing- Woodman quickly replied –ignore that, I'll just leave the wood here for a fire, if you plan on camping for the night-, –No- Hilda replied with a depressed tone –I think we'll just move to the city-. In her head, Hilda knew this was probably good for her mom, but even she didn't know how to react to the moment; soon, both she and her mom saved enough stuff that survived the fight and placed it in the bonnet, and after giving a glance to the old house for one last time, Hilda joined her mom on the way to Trolberg.
Hours later, the family of small, feathered dinosaurs emerged from their burrow once again and approached the destroyed house, but unlike last night, there was a much eerie feeling in the scenery; as one of the young ones followed its mother to the same bush to feed, the other peered through the window of an elf house, but inside, the sight was horrific: the bodies of the couple were nothing more but pure squished guts; in every house, barely anyone stood, all of them either died from the conflict or had successfully escaped and moved away immediately. –You damn beasts!- an elf yelled as he threw a pebble at the young dinosaur –this has been our home all our lives, and you come in and claim it as your own!-; the young one scrambled back to her mother's side as she and the other youngster moved along in search of another bush while the elf grabbed its bags and left. The creature that startled Hilda a night ago now made its appearance; closing in to examine the house, it made the small family to rush for cover. It tried to look for a perch to once again sing its sonnet, and to hopefully locate a partner; but in this new, larger environment, such chances were slim. Meanwhile, few hours before midnight, Hilda and her mom reached the city; without a home, however, they both were forced to sleep in the car for the night. -Mom?- Hilda asked -will we have to live here forever now?-, -I'm not so sure- her mom replied as she covered her with a warm blanket -but so long as we have each other, everything will be alright-. Soon after, her daughter fell asleep, and she was left to look at the starry sky through the window of the car, only to wonder if things could only get better from here
Hopefully, they will.