(Hello everyone, here's chapter 4. Hope you all enjoy.)
The Pteranodon flies over a volcanic-ash and rock landscape filled with withered trees, gorges and bone yards; the wastelands. He flies toward a dormant volcano, spewing smoke and ash into the sky.
Within one of its caverns near a hot rock-lava bed, the sounds of snarling, growling, and bone crunching filled the air, a group of raptors feasted on a Parasaurolophus carcass. They had stouter- boxy heads and orange coloring with black strips; Atrociraptors.
The raptors were all getting their fill from the carcass, snarling and snapping at each other. In the back ground sneaking in, a smaller green-dino with an orange-brown horizontal strip; a Coelophysis, was trying to get a morsal from the carcass under the kafuffle.
He sneaks in closer, but one of the atrociraptor males spots him. He snaps and snarls at him making him retreat to his regret. He then spots a bone with meat on it seemingly laying unnoticed in the frenzy, much to his excitement. He rushes over to claim it, but then is met with a toe-clawed foot standing on top of the piece; an atrociraptor looks down on him.
"Oh! Fraid there's no meat left for you, Jackal." The male atrociraptor said mockingly.
"B-But Panthera, I saw it fair and square. And there's hardly enough on it to satisfy you." Jackal said trying to make an excuse.
"Then maybe I can add something extra to what I already claimed is mine." Panthera said menacingly implying to Jackal snarling.
Jackal submissively backed off taking the hint, while panthera carried away the meaty bone. A small piece falls off, Jackal takes it but it provides only temporary filling to his discouragement.
Two other atrociraptor males were feeding at the carcass, one of them being brownish red with white markings on the body. The other a normally colored individual was trying to get at the spot where the other was feeding.
"Hey! Back off!" "Move it!" "I was here first!" The two raptors said squabbling, snarling about to engage with each other teeth and claws baring.
"Tiger, Red! Knock it off. What are you hatchlings? Be grateful that we came across this meal in this damm dry, barren, lava-filled, scrap littered wastelands!" A female atrociraptor with a sickly white- light black striped body and red blood, black pupil slit eyes rants snorting heavily. All the others were chagrined about her rant.
"I hope this isn't a bad time… Ghost, atrociraptors." The male Pteranodon says as he flies low and lands on a ledge above the carcass.
"Pterano, what are you doing this far into the wastelands? Looking for leftovers?" Ghost asks as she approaches.
"No, but I'd be happy to ea…" "Forget it! There're already enough mouths here to feed." Ghost replies bitterly jumping on top of the carcass. Then she and the other atrociraptors notice Jackal feasting away on the carcass.
"Not to mention pesky potlicker's too." Ghost says as she jumps down and scares away Jackal snarling and nearly biting him.
"Even Coelophysis have to get a morsal too you know." Jackal says whimpering.
"Then I suppose that you and Drakhan are already aware of what's happening in the Sirona lands." Pterano says.
"Aware?" "Aware of what?" Jackal and Ghost say curiously.
"Yes, Pterano…What is it that I need to be aware of exactly?" A voice says from above looking down on a ledge, which a cloud of steam shows the silhouette and eventual form of a giant theropod dinosaurian with spines and a hump on its back with rough stripe patterning; the Giganotosaur, Drakhan. He walks around a bend towards them.
"Lord Drakhan…You know, I was just on my way to alert you that… right off course." Jackal says but with a close stomp and a low growl Drakhan silences him as he backs away. The atrociraptors also back away respectfully submissive as he approaches.
"Well…?" Drakhan asks impatiently.
"Zeon and Shadow fang are attempting to assemble the new primordian's." Pterano says a bit intimidated at first.
"What?" "The primordians?" Jackal and Ghost said perplexed.
"Hahahahah…really? You'd expect me to believe that they are gathering of what is merely a legend." Drakhan says doubting him.
"B-but it's true, I've heard it with my own…" Pterano says trying to convince.
"The primordian's are nothing more than a hatchling's story. It isn't possible for a story of a group that has died out hundreds of years ago to exist." Drakhan says still unconvinced.
"Well, they do now." Another voice says coming from the entrance, it was Toro the carnotaurus.
"Toro, what a surprise…" Drakhan says noticing him.
"I saw it for myself, that story is alive and breathing. And Zeon himself happens to be one of them." Toro said as he walked into the cavern.
"Zeon?!" "The prince of the Sirona lands is?" Drakhan and Jackal say perplexed.
"Not only that, but the velociraptor siblings of Faris are also chosen to a part. And the man-cub Sora is with them as well." Toro explains.
"Sora!" Drakhan's anger raised along with a slam of his tail that shakes the ground, making everyone on edge. Ghost in particular felt tensed when Toro mention the velociraptors.
"Tell me was the man-cub chosen as well?" "No, from what I could see he was just merely providing assistance with them." Toro replied a bit on edge when Drakhan asked irritably.
"But what does a man-cub have anything to do with the primordian's?" "Yeah, aren't they supposed to be saurian's anyway in the stories." Panthera and Tiger said.
"You fool's. The man-cub being amongst them means exactly what Toro and Pterano said. It's no longer a story. And just like in those stories, the primordian's were the most powerful group of dinosaurs in all the lands." Drakhan explained.
"Which would mean trouble for us atrociraptors, and all the other outlanders since they protect the so-called circle of life." Ghost explained.
"From what I gathered when I overheard, Zeon was supposed to represent the primordian of fire." "And those velociraptor siblings of Faris were chosen to be the primordian's of lightning." Pterano and Toro explained to Drakhan.
"So wouldn't that mean there're 3 primordian elements for them to find?" Jackal asks.
"Yes, and if they succeed in figuring out their powers and winning the trust of the Sirona lands. It will be almost next to impossible for any creature wastelander or beyond to take whatever they want." Toro says as Drakhan bellows out irritably sounding out the cavern putting everyone on edge.
"Damm! I've spent my life taken whatever I please without much challenge regardless of laws. I've even gotten my revenge on Faris and brought down the mighty king Theo himself…" Drakhan frustratedly says.
"Oh yes, lord Drakhan, after all it was you alone who managed to kill Theo the great and that velociraptor Faris for stealing what was yours. Even earning yourself some worthy battle scars which I do say…" Jackal says about a bite mark from the tail midsection and a scar on the right-upper jaw section of Drakhan. Only to earn a scornful growl from Drakhan making him shut up and kneel submissivly.
"And yet, even now their spawn and that lowly man-cub continue to be a torment to my presence no matter how far they are. Especially now with that prince Zeon and those velociraptor siblings are, are…" "Primordian's." Pterano says as Drakhans holds with his anger growing.
"Primordian's! I alone have the power and strength to control such pristine hunting grounds, I am the one who has taken the blood of man and made it my own. The Sirona lands. And, that man-cub, will be mine!" Drakhan angrily says as his tail slams on the grounds causing the cavern to shake and rumble putting everyone on edge.
"What will you have us do then?" Ghost asks.
"Oh, oh, we could take down all the animals in the Sirona lands." "Mmm. I like the sound of that idea." "Yeah, we'll have ourselves a big feast." Panthera, Tiger, and Red said.
"No…! Or rather yes, we'll strike the Sirona lands. But our target won't be the whole herds, it'll be Queen Nymeria herself." Drakhan stated.
"What?! You want to go after Queen Nymeria?" Pterano said surprised.
"By disposing the queen before the primordian's are even ready. We will strike a crippling blow to the Sirona lands, crushing the rexes reign and whatever hope there is for them or anyone." Drakhan explained as he stomps his foot crushing a small rock.
"Wow, lord Drakhan, only someone as powerful as you can come up with such a brilliant idea." Jackal said getting elated.
"Yes, an idea that me and my pack will gladly follow behind." Ghost saying liking it as well.
"Count me and my flock as well, hohoho, this will be grand." Pterano says as well.
"Finally, a time where the strong will take whatever they may please." Toro says agreeing to the idea too, while Drakhan walks over to a ledge overlooking the others.
"Wastelander's arise, for by moon's rise the Sirona lands will sound with the alarms of the fallen, and by next sun's rise… all will feel the bite of our rule…! Hahahaha." Drakhan says laughing cynically as the many in the cavern roar out to his plan.
Meanwhile in the Sirona lands, at a large pond right by a small waterfall; a small group of dino's with long broad snouts and crocodile-like backs and underbellies; Baryonyx's were fishing on its shore catching the fish that swam by.
Then two of them saw a large sabertoothed salmon, they both rushed in to grab the fish. But the fish slipped past the snapping jaws and claws poised to get away, that is till it got jumped and snapped up by a female Baryonyx waiting in its path in the water. She lifts it out of the water and brings the fish to the shore, where she rips it in half and swallows the tail end whole. All the while the other two watched a bit amazed by how she caught the fish.
"Hey Crystal." "Still quite the accomplished fisherman aren't you." Sora and Shadow fang say catching her attention walking alongside the others toward her.
"Well, it helps when you developed the skills like I have shadow fang." Crystal says to Shadow fang.
When Zeon approaches, the other Baryonx's were surprised and bow their heads respectively for the prince.
"It's alright, at ease. Go about your daily business as usual." Zeon says letting them go back to their fishing as they were.
"So, what brings you all here?" Crystal asks.
"Well…" Adar says as Sora brings out the glowing gourd and a crystal from it, a deep blue luminous spirit appears in the form of water then a Baryonyx head as it gets absorbed by Crystal with her eyes lit up blue. After the moment, Crystal shakes her head dumbfounded by what happened.
"The reactions keep on coming." Jinbei said to Sora.
"Um, what was that about?" Crystal asked perplexed.
"We have to talk." Zeon says to her.
Later on, the group encounter Blade the therizinosaur who was eating away at a tree that had some ripened fruit. They approached; Sora walked up to him.
"Hey Blade, we want…" "Just a moment Sora." Blade said to Sora as he was eyeing a particular piece of fruit batch that was hanging on a branch just above him. Blade lifted his right claws and with one swipe cuts the branch along with the fruit away. One specific fruit fell right to where Sora was and he caught it. Blade lowered his head to Sora.
"If you would." Blade implies to Sora who throws the fruit as Blades catches it and swallows it down.
"Mmmm. Delicious, perfectly ripe and sweet as a fruit should." Blades says savoring the taste.
"Glad, you enjoyed it." Katuri says sarcastically with a mashed fruit on her face.
"Ha, if only you were an herbivore sister." Adar says with a slight smug chuckle while Jinbei leaps from Shadow-fangs back and onto Katuri neck and head.
"Well, it be a waste of a perfectly good piece of fruit." Jinbei says licking and eating the fruit piece only to earn an irritable snarl from Katuri making him skittish and jump back with the fruit to Shadow-fang.
"Now to what do I own the pleasure of all this attention?" Blade asks which Sora opens the gourd with the crystals, then a purple luminous spirit appears in the from of twin peaks and then a therizinosaur head as it gets absorbed by Blade as his eyes lit up purple. Blade stares dumbfounded for a moment then shakes his head.
"I wasn't expecting that today." Blade says still a bit surprised.
"If its all the same, we all weren't expecting any of this to happen at all." Shadow-fang stated.
"And it's the reason behind your new found attention." Zeon stated.
Later, the group including Blade comes onto an open field from a small hilltop. On the field, a large theropod with two red crests, spines on its back, and dark blueish-grey skin; an Allosaurus, was fighting against a sub-adult sturmbeast bull, circling and testing each other.
"Looks like Harmond is biting off more than he can chew…" "Again, you mean." Adar and Crystal said.
"Well, that's no surprise considering him." Shadow-fang stated as they observe from the hill top, while the two combatants engage through teeth and horns colliding.
While watching, Sora catches something on the corner of his eye. "Hey, you see that?" "See what Sora?" Katuri asked Sora. Through his pov, he focuses on the subject which turns out to be three compies that is caught up in the middle of the fight.
"Those compies are gonna get stomped!" "Wait, compies what do you…?" Crystal asked when Sora starts running towards the fight.
"Hey Sora!" "Sora!" "Brother!" Jinbei, Zeon, and Adar exclaimed when they see Sora going straight into the fight as the compies jumped around avoiding the giant hooves and feet of John and the sturmbeest as the two clashed.
As Harmond roared at the bull, his attention was quickly drawn to Sora running towards them but then right back at the sturmbeest as it took a swing with its horns which he swung himself around avoiding the attack.
"Sora…what in saurian hells are you doing!?" Harmond said completely surprised but trying to keep his mind in the fight.
"Don't mind me!" Sora said as he kept running focused on the compies, the three kept jumping and running until coming together. Then Harmond got tackled and lifted partly into the air as the three compies could only look up and squeal to their fright about to get crushed.
Sora dived and rolled grabbing the three compies out of the way before Harmond came crashing onto the ground. Rolling for a bit till on his back, "I got you." Sora said looking at the compies still squeaking in shock.
Then he hears and looks at the still angry bellows and snorts of the sturmbeest pawning at the ground at him, as Sora crouched back up ready to move with compies on hand. Harmond stood in between Sora and the sturmbeest roaring fiercely at it, but the sturmbeest was ready to charge again.
Zeon then came rushing in and roared ferociously at the sturmbeest getting its attention, followed by Crystal, Adar, Katuri, Shadow-fang, and Blade who stood together forming a half circle around the sturmbeest. Outnumbered and threatened, the sturmbeest snorted and bellowed as it retreated running across the field and into the shrubs.
Sora sighed in relief and put the compies down back on the ground as they look up at him. "Alright, you three be more careful from now on." Sora said to them as the compies chirped and squeaked to him, then start to run off as the others approach.
"Maybe you should take your own advice you know." Jinbei says next to him while Sora looked tempered about it.
"Sora!" Zeon said coming over to him along with the others frowning, then stepping back.
"Seriously!" "That was incredibly reckless what you just did Sora." Crystal and Blade said a bit huffed by what happened.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. But at least those compies didn't end up like squashed fruit." Sora said chagrined about their worries.
"What are we going to do with you little brother" Adar said with a snorty sigh, "Once again, you did something brave but foolish." Shadow-fang stated.
"Foolish…? Galli-brained is more like it. Unbelievable, you put yourself at risk just so you could prevent those compies from being…" Harmond huffishly said.
"Wait, you knew about the compies?" Sora asked curiously considering he thought he was the only one that noticed.
"Harmond, you didn't happen to fight that sturmbeest…" "Just so you could protect those compies from being stomped on, did you?" Blade and Zeon said curiously leaving Harmond taken aback for a bit.
"Oh please, it was nothing but a coincidence that they were there when we fought. Luckily for them." Harmond said denying those claims with a heavy snort. Then Sora notices the gourd glowing within.
"And even if I was, it would be just because I pitied those little lizards for being so…" Harmond was saying when Sora approached and opened the gourd.
Through one of the crystals, a light bluish-grey luminous spirit appears and takes the form of wind then an allosaurus head getting absorbed by Harmond whose eyes lit up grey as the group watched. After a moment, Harmond shook his completely dumbfounded by what just occurred.
"It looks like we found them all." Sora says noticing that all the crystals in the gourd looked dimmer and darker.
"Ah, found what? Does someone want to tell me what is going on here exactly?" Harmond asked perplexed by what happened as Zeon, Sora, Jinbei, and Shadow-fang looked at each other smiley with what they know.
The group, now including Harmond was gathered in the field by a large tree and rock. "Alright, now that all of us here. It's about time I explained to you what's been happening." Zeon said standing in front of the group along with Katuri and Adar.
"You mean like what was with the spirity figures that appeared from those crystals?" "And why did I feel some sort of… connection when they pass through us?" Crystal and Blade asked still perplexed.
"More to the point, what exactly is happening with us and why are you beating your tails around the bush about this?" Harmond asked a bit annoyed and suspicious about this.
"That is because Harmond, you along with Blade and Crystal have been chosen to become the next primordian's. Protectors of the Sirona lands and defenders of the circle of life." Zeon said leaving the group stunned.
while Jinbei whistled at the moment of their reactions, "And there it is." He said to their reactions.
"Well fluff my feathers and call me a primate." Blade said astonished by the notion.
"Ahem, I happen to be one." Jinbei said huffed.
"No offense, Jinbei." Blade replied.
"Ha! Okay, now you're just pulling our tails. The primordian's? Did you smell some yellow fruit or have a rock fall on your head?" Harmond said skeptically bitter at the notion with Zeon.
"It's the truth Harmond. You have been chosen as well as I have." Zeon said, "You, chosen?" Harmond asked.
"You bet your spines he was." Jinbei told Harmond, "It was Buge who told us that it was the primordians time to…" Sora said.
"Buge told you? That explains a lot. That old monkey has been living in that tree for a little too long." Harmond said a bit tauntingly.
"Harmond, you know Buge is a well-respected mijuzi here in the Sirona lands. Even if he is a little confusing at times, he wouldn't say anything untrue." Zeon says a bit defensively
"Besides Harmond, don't you think that all of this is amazing?" Sora asks looking up to him.
"If by amazing you mean amazingly ridiculous. Everyone knows that the primordian's are a hatchling and a cub's story." Harmond stated still doubtful.
"It does sound rather unbelievable when mention it that way. It is a story." Crystal also said casting a bit of doubt.
"Like my mother used to say, "You live long enough, you'll see and hear everything even the unimaginable."" Blade said remarking the saying
"Even I had a hard time believing it at first." Adar said whispering to Katuri.
"Then, how would you explain the spirity figures as you so put it appearing as your kin? As well as taking the forms of the elements that make the circle of life that have been passed on to you so it seems." Shadow-fang stated to Harmond while lying on the large rock, Harmond was silent for a moment for in thought.
"And I suppose those spirity figures chose you three as well?" Harmond asked Sora, Katuri, and Adar.
"Um, yes and no. I wasn't chosen, only Katuri and Adar were picked to be the next primordians." Sora said to Harmond feeling a bit dejected by the thought.
"Alright, if all of this is true. Then what exactly were we chosen to be as primordians?" Harmond asked still skeptical but slowly accepting the idea.
"Me and Adar were chosen to be the primordian's of lightning." Katuri explained.
"I was chosen to be the primordian of fire. Which means that as with the stories, Crystal is to be the primordian of water, Blade the primordian of earth, and you Harmond are chosen to be the primordian of the wind." Zeon explained to them.
"Hmm, given that I'm a Baryonyx it only seems natural that I would be associated with water." "I would say that it is dinomite to be given such an honor." Crystal and Blade said feeling a bit of pride for this.
"The same could be said for us as well." "Yeah." Adar and Katuri said in agreement, then the whole group looked to Harmond.
After a sighing breath, "Fine, I guess it would be an honor for me to be a part of this warrior's team." Harmond says a bit hesitantly but agreeing to the idea.
"Then were all in agreement then. From this point forward, we are the new primordian's." Zeon says a bit delighted and proud by the notion along with the others.
"Hey Sora, you, okay?" Jinbei asked noticing Sora looked a bit down.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine Jinbei." Sora says reassuring Jinbei but he was still not sure by it. And he wasn't the only one, Shadow-fang also looked to Sora noticing his expression and tone too. Then he and the group heard a screech from above, flying over head was Chill the haast's eagle.
"Chill." "Zeon, have you and Sora found the rest of the primordian's?" Chill asked Zeon landing next to the group.
"Yes, we have Chill. And their all right here." Zeon says looking back to the others.
"I'm glad your search was successful. Queen Nymeria wants you bring them back over to Duma cliffs, she and Buge has something to discuss with you and them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off on a hunt." Chill says as he takes off into the sky.
"Thank you, and good hunting Chill." Zeon says as he watches him take off.
"I wonder what does Nymeria want with us?" "I'm not sure, but probably has something to do with us being primordian's now." Crystal and Blade said perplexed by the message.
"More than likely, it is Blade." Shadow-fang stated.
"Well, whatever the matter is, let's not keep my mother waiting on us." Zeon says as he leads the group back.
"Maybe there will be a gathering, a celebration for the new protectors and the one's who have found them." Jinbei says imagining it.
"Sure, when they bring about the celebration about the furball who brought about the new defenders of the circle of life. I'll be there." Harmond say's sarcastically much to Jinbei's dismay. All the while Sora was in his thoughts.
Back in the wastelands, all seemed quiet. But down a narrow gorge, the ground seemed to shook and the small rocks and sticks jumped as foot stomps can be heard drawing closer. From behind a corner, Jackal along with other Coelophysis in a pack were running seemingly frantic.
"How did I get myself involved into this?" Jackal asked himself on the run. "Maybe because you failed to deliver news to Drakhan like you were meant to…?" Another Coelophysis said running beside him much to Jackal's irritation.
Then they hear a bellow behind them and then from above to their fright a large bolder being hurled right at them. Jackal and the others instantly scattered avoiding becoming crushed as the bolder lands, the pack then groups back together as they keep running.
From above, Pterano and a small flock were closely monitoring Jackal, his pack, and three large figures chasing them on two legs.
"Hmm, you three know what to do." "Got it Pterano." A Pteranodon says as he and two others dived and swooped down on the three large figures, biting and scraping them with their talons seemingly making them more agitated.
Pterano flew in just a little lower above Jackal, "Jackal, don't run too far ahead of them. Otherwise, they'll lose you." Pterano said to him.
"Oh sure, easy for you to say when you can fly. We had to be the ones to attack and lure them from the ground." Jackal says when again they hear a roar and a large rock-like foot comes stomping on two of the Coelophysis. Then keeps coming for the rest.
"Well, it is rather unfortunate that you weren't blessed." Pterano says pitying them as he flies above.
"Oooh, that leathery winged…" Jackal says spitefully when he hears the figures bellow again and keeps running frantically along with the others.
"Everything is going according to Drakhan's plan…Soon the Sirona lands and every creature there, will feel the bite and wrath of the wastelands. Hahahaha." Pterano laughs cynically as he watched from above with his flock the Coelophysis pack bringing ever closer the three large rock-biped creatures to the border of the Sirona lands up ahead as one stomps its foot on the ground.
(What are these creatures that Jackal and Pterano are luring to the Sirona lands? And will the Sirona lands be protected for what is about to happen? Stick around and find out in the next chapter.)