I want to clarify a fact. The species Yaz's donor was from was known as Troodon until 2017. The campers were on the island in 2015 and 2016. I chose to use the modern name because I thought it would be more scientific.

The van had just crossed into Colorado as the sun started to set. Darius was looking over the map. He leaned in closer and still couldn't find what they were looking for.

"Brooklynn's map is a no-go for finding campsites," he notified the others.

"Maybe I could look one up?" Sammy suggested. She smacked Ben's hand away before he could attempt to get her phone.

"We've been over this, Ben. I'm not getting rid of my phone until we have made contact with Yaz."

"Sammy, cell phones are traceable! That's why I ditched mine," Ben whined.

"Well, if payphones still existed, I would use them but they don't. You're going to have to deal with me keeping this for now."

Sammy opened the GPS app and zoomed in on their area. "There's a campsite about two and a half miles from here. It's got great reviews."

She held up a hand to shush Ben before he opened his mouth. "The review also mentions there's a separate campsite for hunters to practice using their gear. I'm not going to trust either of you with a weapon until I see how well you can use one."

When they arrived at the campsite, it was deserted. There was a sign warning campers that they were risking their own lives if they camped there. When they noticed the sign, it made them uneasy.

"They probably put that up after what happened at Big Rock," Darius mentioned.

"Makes sense. The state couldn't be bothered to spend money on making campsites secure when it's easier to put up a sign. Wonder whose fancy mansion is being built using the money they saved," Ben remarked sarcastically.

"Money, the evilest necessity in the world. We should all go back to barter and trade," Sammy remarked as they unloaded the van.

They quickly started to set up camp. Sammy set up the tent while Darius got a fire going. Ben was planting proximity stakes in the ground.

Attached to the stakes were IR/Night Vision cameras. If anything came near the campsite, an alert would signal on the handheld monitor that came with them. A quick check on the cameras would let them know if they should stay put or run for it.

As they roasted hot dogs for dinner, Darius remarked how it brought back memories. The others nodded in consensus. Unconsciously, they all stroked their pendants.

They slept through the night and the proximity alarms never went off. In the morning, Sammy set up a target range for the trio to practice on. They were using a couple of knickknacks from Ben's van as targets.

"Now, watch me closely. I'm going to show you how to use a crossbow. The key is to make sure that all the parts are working smoothly together."

The boys watched in fascination as Sammy expertly loaded the recurve crossbow while explaining the parts of the weapon. She then demonstrated the proper stance to use.

"Remember, you need to make sure to slide the bolt back into the barrel until it is firmly seated against the bowstring. Only then do you flick the safety off. When you're aiming make sure to use the scope so you hit your actual target."

"Once you are certain you're going to hit the target, place your finger on the trigger, and squeeze the trigger as you exhale. Be sure not to jerk the crossbow as you squeeze the trigger. If you do, that will mess up the trajectory, ensuring you don't hit your target."

Sammy demonstrated her mastery as she fired five bolts and they all struck their target. She then did the same with the pistol crossbow and the bolts burrowed into their targets.

"Now, the key difference between the two crossbows is weight and distance. You need to use both hands to fire a recurve crossbow. However, the pistol crossbow can be used with one hand."

"The recurve crossbow has more power and speed behind it. The pistol one can go further than the recurve because the bolts for it are lighter. Now, show me what you can do."

It didn't take long for Sammy to realize that the boys were hopeless with crossbows. They kept making mistakes when loading the weapon after repeated demonstrations. Darius didn't have the strength to fire the weapon correctly.

Ben couldn't properly use the scope. Sammy told them to put the weapons away. It was time to see how well they did with spears.

"Okay, these hunting spears are a little different than the one you used on Toro. For one thing, you can disassemble them," Sammy said. She demonstrated how the shaft and spear point could be pulled apart.

"These spears are made from carbon fiberglass making them lightweight and the point is reinforced steel. You can easily conceal these by using the shaft as a walking stick and hiding the point in a pocket."

Unsurprisingly, Ben was excellent at using the hunting spears. He hit every target. He could even use it as a defense weapon, despite the fact it wasn't designed for that.

Again, Darius didn't do too well. He didn't hit any targets. His throws were okay, but he didn't put enough power behind them.

After watching him suffer for fifteen minutes, Sammy told him to stop. "Darius, I know with a lot of practice you could get better. But we don't have the luxury of time here. So, we're going to see if you can use the bolas or the slings naturally."

Darius muttered something under his breath. Probably about Sammy being unfair. He had never used weapons like these before. He was used to the DPW gear anyway.

Darius didn't do too well with bolas. Somehow, he even tied himself up. However, it was different with the sling.

The sling didn't require as much strength to pull back. With a smaller projectile, it was easier for him to aim at the targets. He managed to hit all the targets.

"Yes! I'm great at this. I just need to make sure I don't run out of stones."

"We can probably find some good ones when we reach Kenji's place," Ben remarked. He then suggested they do a quick jog in the body armor. They needed to know how the weight would affect their running capabilities.

The body armor was a mix of SWAT teams and military armor. The SWAT gear consisted of leg guards that went from the ankles to the knees. The armor for the arms started at the wrist and ended at the elbow.

Then of course there were the SWAT helmets that were bullet-resistant and thick enough to stop most dinosaur bites. As for the military gear, it consisted of armor for the thighs, shoulders, and neck. Along with that were the bullet-resistant vests.

(Fun fact, nothing is truly bulletproof. The best you can get is bullet resistant which slows the bullet down so the impact has less force.)

Most of the armor was designed to be worn over a person's clothes. To keep whoever was hunting them from realizing they had armor, the trio wore theirs under their clothes.

It was problematic running with the armor on. Despite being in shape, Sammy struggled with the running. Her natural body type made it harder for the armor to evenly distribute the weight.

Darius had it easier, but his stamina needed improvement. He was used to sprinting out of the way of dinosaurs or dashing to get his DPW gear. Long distance running was harder.

Ben, who had taken up jogging as his main exercise, was doing great. While his speed had reduced it was only by a little amount. His stamina was excellent.

An hour later they were back on the road. The trio had taken most of their armor off but left the vests on. Sammy was in the back of the van trying to call Yaz again, while Darius had the job of distracting Ben from thinking about Bumpy.

"Hey, how do you think those Atrociraptors found us? Besides the distance, the fact we were in the van most of the time means our scent wasn't really attached to the land." Darius inquired.

Ben didn't reply to the question. He kept tapping the steering wheel. He could stop thinking about how they shouldn't have left Bumpy behind.

I know that Bumpy can handle herself, but I promised to come back for her. We should have gone back after we finished our business in Waco. Why didn't I insist on that? Ben thought to himself.

He reached into his jacket pocket and fingered Bumpy's pendant. He wished now that they had tried to find something that would have fit around her neck. He would have forced Bumpy to wear her pendant if it kept her safe.

His thoughts were interrupted when sirens filled the air. "Is the highway police force after us?"

"Now, it's DPW transport convoy. They need to clear the road so they can get the dinosaurs to a sanctuary without trouble," Darius explained.

Sammy came up front to watch as the trailers passed by. "Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Gallimimus. Reminds me of us when we're trying to make friends with the herbivores."

As the herbivores convey moved on a tank came down the road. Behind it were three trailers and another tank behind them. "Looks like my old boss was right. They are bringing in the military for carnivore convoys."

The group watched as the first transport filled with two Elaphrosaurus. The second transport had a juvenile Baryonyx inside it. Darius froze as the last transport passed by carrying One-Eye.

His mind flashed back to the night Brooklynn died. The blood on the road and the horrified look on the DPW driver's face as he knelt next to it. The roar of the Allosaurs as it moved in to attack again.

The memory was disrupted as he was splashed with a bottle of water. He sputtered and glared at Ben who was holding the bottle.

"Was that necessary?" he demanded.

Ben pointed at Sammy saying it was her idea. She smacked the back of Ben's head before apologizing to Darius. "You weren't responding and it was the only thing I could think of that might work."

"You know what? I think I'll ride in the back of the van. I'm sure you've been wanting a chance to sit in the front passenger seat, Sammy. You can have it until we reach Kenji's," Darius snapped at her.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and shoved past the girl. He slammed the door shut. Sammy shot a questioning look at Ben.

"That Allosaurus that just passed us was the one he's been hunting."

"You mean the one…"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I thought he would be happy to know it's captured. But he looked very angry."

"Leave it be, Ben. He needs time to process his memories and feelings about that dinosaur."

It took another day to reach Kenji's place. They had stopped to practice with their weapons and jog around lunch. They ended up sleeping at another deserted campsite.

Darius was still miffed the next morning about having water thrown on him. To keep the peace, Sammy was the navigator so Ben only needed to talk to her.

When they reached the address, the trio wondered if they were in the right place. Kenji wasn't super rich anymore, but he had enough money for a decent home. None of them could believe he chose a rusty, derelict, cramped trailer to live in.

Next to the trailer was an extremely dirty old car. There was a huge dent on one side of the car. Judging by the size, it was probably made by a dinosaur.

Darius noticed an external water system on the edge of the trailer. There was a sewer hose as well. He refocused his attention towards the small generator that was providing the power to the trailer.

"Don't most trailers have internal generators and water tanks?" Sammy asked curiously.

Ben nodded and looked at the trailer again. "This one is extremely beat up. I'm guessing the internal systems were damaged. It costs a fraction to get external items than trying to fix the internal ones."

Sammy then asked Darius why his adoptive brother was living like this. "Surely your family could have given enough money to get a better trailer."

"I haven't talked to Kenji since Brooklynn's death," Darius admitted. "I haven't been in touch with my family for a while. It's hard to be around them right now."

Ben and Sammy gave him sympathetic looks. He looked away from them. He shouldn't have said anything. He didn't want their pity.

They went up to the trailer and knocked on the door. They received no response. They knocked again and still no one answered.

They were starting to wonder if they had the right place when a familiar voice spoke from behind them. "Try knocking again. I heard third times the charm oof!"

Instinctively, Sammy had used her capoeira skills to knock Kenji off his feet. "Sorry, Kenji! You scared us!"

He grunted and promised to remember to announce himself next time. He greeted Ben and Sammy while ignoring Darius. He led the others into his home making sure the door smacked Darius's face.

Sammy opened the door to welcome him in, but Darius shook his head. "I'll come in once he's calmer." Sammy respected his wishes and closed the door.

Kenji was showing Ben the new sticker swag for his new business as a rock climbing instructor. "They have my slogan and they glow in the dark! Once I get a stable income I can advertise online or in the town."

"What town? We didn't pass any towns on our way here," Sammy questioned. "I don't recall seeing any towns close on our map."

"Well, that's because the closest town is forty miles away. It's a bit of a drive, but it's worth it to get fresh vegetables."

Ben sighed and told Kenji to pay attention. They had something to chat to him about. Something that affected the whole camp family.

Kenji's eyes narrowed as he stomped over to his bed. "If you're here to tell me to mend my relationship with Darius then…"

Sammy quickly waved her hands. "No, this isn't about your problems with Darius. It's worse than that, actually."

Ben quickly told Kenji about the threat and how they were being hunted. Kenji scoffed at Ben. "You got an email from a crazy conspiracist. Come on, Ben. You're being trolled."

"Excuse me, does this sound like someone trolling me?" Ben demanded as he thrust the threatening email into Kenji's hands.

"My ranch was attacked by a trio of Atrociraptors. Do you believe I would pawn a family heirloom to get enough cash to buy weapons at an illegal market if I didn't think that threat was real?"

Kenji had to acknowledge they were right about that. "But why would anyone target Brooklynn? It doesn't make sense."

Ben talked about the time Brooklynn visited him on his college campus. About her trying to break out as an investigative reporter. "Right before she left, she told me she was going to investigate the dinosaur underworld."

Sammy then admitted something else. "She stayed with me for a week right after my parents left me behind. She was receiving a lot of late night calls."

"I don't know from who, but I once heard her talking to someone she called Dino Gal. She told this person to be extra cautious moving forward. Dino Gal might have been a code name for a source."

While Kenji was trying to make sense of this new information, Darius quietly crept in. He hid behind Ben not wanting to anger his adoptive brother further.

Just then the trailer began to shake. A box of swag fell to the floor. Darius lost his balance and painfully landed on his butt.

Ben managed to stay upright and walked over to the window. He was soon joined by Sammy and Darius. To their astonishment, a herd of lux Parasaurolophus passed right by the trailer.

One of the dinosaurs was accidentally shoved into the trailer. Kenji didn't even react as he was very used to this. After a few minutes, the entire herd had passed by.

Kenji noticed Darius and glared at him. "Who invited you inside?"

"No one. I just wanted to ask if I could look at the map to figure out where our next campsite will be."

That's when Sammy smacked herself. She had forgotten to show Kenji Brooklynn's map. Handing it over, she asked if he knew why Brooklynn would circle this address.

He paled as he realized what address she'd circled. "I don't know why she would want to know about this place. It's the halfway house my Dad's living in."

The others were shocked to learn this. Brooklynn had been part of the reason Daniel Kon had been put in jail. Why would she visit the guy knowing he had tried to kill her?

"Can you ask your dad about why Brooklyn visited him? It might give us an idea of who is hunting us," Darius asked very softly.

Kenji said he would never talk to his dad again. He was in a good place and wasn't going to risk his mental health for that slimeball. Declaring that he needed some air, he walked out of the trailer heading for the woods.

Outside the trailer the consensus was that the conversation could have gone better. "Maybe we should just leave the body armor and a weapon here for him. He'll have protection and we can get Yaz," Darius suggested.

Ben pointed out that it would be foolish to leave Kenji alone. There was safety in numbers. He glanced at Sammy who was reaching for his keys and danced out of the way.

"I know you're eager to pick up Yaz, Sammy. But you can't use my van unless I'm driving it. I don't have insurance for an alternate driver."

Sammy muttered fine and went to the van. A few seconds later, she tossed out two sets of body armor, the bolas, and Darius's sleeping bag out of the back. "There, we're ready now."

Darius couldn't believe it. They were ditching him! His friends wanted him to convince Kenji to help them.

The brother who hated him with all his guts at the moment. The one who hadn't forgiven him for not being there the night Brooklynn died. Why in the hell did they think it was a good idea to leave him here?

In his state of shock, he didn't realize that the van had already driven off. He was effectively stranded unless he talked to Kenji. Why did the universe despise him so much?

After storing armor and bolas in the trailer, Darius went in search of his brother. There was a well worn trail that sloped into a small vale. The herd was grazing near a small basin at the foot of a giant waterfall.

Halfway up the waterfall cliffs was Kenji. He was moving at a remarkable pace. No wonder he was a rock climbing instructor.

Darius grimaced as he started putting on the climbing gear. Heights were an issue with him. He didn't hate them, he just was afraid he would fall from them and break his neck.

Carefully, he started climbing up. Only to slide back down to start. He had several false starts before he managed to climb a third of the way up.

Kenji could hear Darius making his way up the cliff. The kid was very noisy as he climbed. One of the reasons he decided to learn rock climbing was so he could get some space from Darius.

Sure, they were brothers but Kenji felt like he was suffocating sometimes with Darius always around. Brandon had told him that was a normal feeling for a big brother. He had also mentioned that little brothers would always try to tag along no matter how much you told them no.

He never understood the latter part until right now. Darius was determined to talk to him. He wanted to punch the cliff when he heard Darius calling for help saying he was going to die.

Kenji repelled down and helped Darius find a ledge to stand on. "Would you please stop screaming? You could cause rocks to dislodge."

"Okay, I'll stop screaming. Can we talk somewhere else, please?" Darius pleaded. A sheen of sweat covered his body.

"Then meet me at the top, Dig Boy. FYI, the ropes have been secured so you're not going to fall." Kenji ignored Darius's pleas and returned to his ascent.

About ten minutes later, he was at the top of the cliff. Sitting on a log, he stared at the herd. He recalled how he tried to show Brooklynn the beauty of the herd when they lit up around sunset.

She didn't even look because she was too busy on her phone. He felt like he had no choice but to break up with her. She wasn't there for him when he needed her.

He couldn't stand being priority number two again. He got enough of it from his dad all his life. He didn't want his girlfriend to act like that towards him.

Fingering his helmet, he wondered if Brooklynn would have still been alive if he hadn't broken up with her. Those were the thoughts that plagued him at night. It was easier to blame Darius than confront his own demons.

He was brought out of his reflections when Darius finally made it to the top. "I'm never doing that again. There better be a path back down because I refuse to climb down."

The dark skinned boy turned his head back to the ground and paused. He saw the herd light up. "This is incredible. Are they why you climb here?"

"No, it's legal to climb here. As long as it doesn't disturb the environment. Not everything has to do with dinosaurs."

Darius kept his mouth shut. Should he apologize on Brooklynn's behalf to Kenji? Would doing so hurt him more?

Kenji looked his brother in the eye. "Did Brooklynn visit you before she died? Why weren't you with her that night?"

Darius admitted that Brooklynn stayed with him for a few weeks after the breakup. She needed someone to talk to her. Help her find a way to fix what she had broken.

He tried to tell Kenji why he hadn't shown up. The words wouldn't come out. He looked away in shame.

The brothers were quiet for several minutes. Kenji got up from the log and put his helmet back on. "There's a trail going down about ten paces that way. Keep on it and you'll be back at my trailer in thirty minutes."

Checking his gear, Kenji got ready to climb down. "We better get a good night's sleep if we're going to talk to my dad tomorrow. I'll have dinner ready by the time you get back."

"See you there, Frill."

As Darius headed down the path, he hoped that this was a good omen. The camp family could use one. He chuckled at the thought, recalling a different good omen from Isle Nublar.

Half human Bumpy was extremely frightened as she continued to bellow. Well, as well as an estimated eleven-year-old could. Ben started to walk toward her but stopped.

He knew the girl was Bumpy and needed help. At the same time, he couldn't get himself to look at a naked prepubescent girl. Kenji and Darius were acting the same way.

Still feeling panicky, Yaz knew they needed to take care of Bumpy first if they wanted the boys to help them. Shakily, Yaz got to her feet and looked at Sammy and Brooklynn.

"Sammy, see if you calm Bumpy down and bring her inside the fence. Brooklynn, check under the beds. I think there are few of Roxy's clothes that are not too badly damaged there."

"I'm going to gather some palm leaves, Boys, can you get me some bark and vines? We can make Bumpy an outfit with all the material."

Yaz's clear and calm directions helped the others focus and not think about their problem right now. Everyone went to gather their supplies as Sammy tried to calm their friend down.

Ten minutes later, they all returned to the camp. The top part of Roxy's top and the lower part of the shorts were in good condition. The vines were strong, and the bark was smooth.

Using her new claws, Yaz poked holes in the material. She then twisted the palm leaves together to form a bodice. Using the vines, she tied the leaves with the top and shorts.

The result was a low back, thin strapped, sheath dress. The red blended into the green with the bottom part of the dress being brown. She then went to work making simple sandals out of the bark and remaining vines.

Once the clothes were done, Sammy and Brooklynn helped Bumpy put them on. Bumpy comprehended that the clothing was for protection. If her human herd mates wore these materials, then it made sense she had to.

Now that it was okay to look, the boys were able to talk to the girls. Bumpy looked at her clothes in fascination. She hardly noticed her herd mates panicking.

"Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. What in the nine realms of hell happened to us?!" Kenji demanded. "How is this even possible?"

"I bet it has to do with that experimental gas. What were the letters on it? Oh, yeah, EHDH-G! I think that acronym stands for experimental human dinosaur hybrid gas," Brooklynn said as her crest produced a happy noise.

Brooklynn looked at the ground sheepishly. She needed to be careful when she spoke. She needed to gain control before her crest drew in predators.

"How exactly does a gas make a human half-dinosaur? Why is Bumpy half-human?" Ben asked.

"We need to take another look at the canisters. Probably the presentation as well," Darius suggested.

It was harder this time to pull out the case and open it. Darius, Yaz, and Ben's fingers had changed too much to open it. Kenji couldn't grab a canister because his horns might puncture the metal.

Sammy was still trying to figure out how to talk with her new bill, so that left Brooklynn the only one who could read and explain things to them. Curious, Bumpy crawled over to Brooklynn to see what she was looking at.

Brooklynn looked at the proposal thoroughly, but she didn't see anything different than before. In desperation, she looked through the envelope again to see if she missed anything. Surprisingly, there was something she hadn't seen the first time.

It was an index card. Written on it was a project name, file, and what she assumed was a password. Dr. Wu didn't seem to be the type of person who would need to write these things down. Whatever the reason, she was glad to see it.

"Project Hybrid Soldier. File numbers 93 to 25. Password, dov-zaob," Brooklynn read out loud. The password was strange, but hey, she had chosen stranger ones.

"That's it? How does this help us figure out what's wrong with usssssssssss!" Kenji yelped as he fell over. He had moved his head too fast and the additional weight had caused him to lose his balance.

Ben helped Kenji up and cursed. His thumb spikes had gotten caught in Kenji's shirt. He tried to gently remove his spikes, but they were in too deep.

It took several minutes to get them free. "What are these things? How are these helpful for anyone?"

"Iguanodon's thumb spikes helped them grab food or defend themselves from predators," Darius explained. Everyone looked at Dino Nerd incredulously.

"That was the scientific name on this canister. Hehe." Darius didn't like the way they were looking at him so he quickly told them what type of dinosaur they got their traits from.

"Brooklynn's crest shape means she's part Corythosaurus. As I said, Ben's traits are those of an Iguanodon. Judging by my changes, I think I'm part Oryctodromeus."

"The number of horns on you Kenji indicated your part Stryacosaurus. Sammy's attitude and duckbill line up with being part Maiasaura. Yaz's legs and feathers mean she's part Stenonychosaurus. I don't understand how Bumpy became part human."

"Bu…Bu…Bumpy," the preteen said. The kids jumped back in astonishment. They had not anticipated Bumpy actually being able to talk.

Very slowly, Bumpy stood up and held her arms out for balance. She nearly tilted over but managed to stay standing. "My Bumpy. My na…name Bumpy. My name is Bumpy."

Bumpy seemed pleased with herself. She had spoken the same language as her human herd mates. Still, why was she suddenly so human-like? "Bumby…is dino…dino…dinosaur. Bad human…called me an ankylosaurus."

Ben stepped cautiously towards her. "That's right. Do you understand what you are saying?"

Bumpy looked at her "daddy" and paused. "Human words…appear in my…head. Bumpy knows what words mean."

Tired of standing, she carefully sat down on the ground. Bumpy tilted her head at the campers. One by one she pronounced their names. It took a few tries but she eventually got them.

"My herd. Camp fam…family herd."

This was starting to be too much for the kids. They had never expected to become part dinosaur. Nor did they expect a dinosaur to suddenly understand the English language.

They needed answers and unfortunately, there was only one place that had the answer. Brimford's letter had mentioned a secret lab inside the Visitor Center on Main Street. The territory of Rexy the T-rex.

Bumpy watched her herd, what was the word, bicker? Yes, they were bickering about how they would get to the human habitat undetected. She was worried they would select those dim tunnels again.

It was scary being underground, and those, what were those words? Oh, security gates made it hard to get around. She tried to recall what the other plant eaters said about the area.

She remembered seeing a flute tooth, the humans called them Rhabdodon when she was being taken to the wild. It had whistled about a strange back door in the funny roofed building on Main Street.

She had not encountered the creature since. She did wonder if the Rhabdodon was alive. She hoped it was.

"Hidden do...door," she said. The humans stopped arguing and looked at her. "Flu…flute tooth said he was taken from…the building with a strange roof. He said…door faced the jungle."

Darius was puzzled because Jurassic World had no Rhabdodon. He even told Bumpy that. Her memory might have been flawed.

"Flute tooth was real. I am not lying."

Ben insisted that they at least scope out the Visitors Center to be certain if there was a door there or not. That still left the problem with Rexy. How would they avoid her?

It would be a long walk, but they could go around Main Street and approach the Visitors Center from the back. Only one person would have to check to see if the door was there or not.

They would need to be quick about it. They needed to be sure that Rexy wasn't around when they looked. They awkwardly left camp and started heading toward Main Street.

They ran into trouble almost at once. Yaz and Ben tripped on their new feet. Kenji kept falling on his face because he couldn't adjust to the weight he was carrying.

They made it a few feet further when Brooklyn's crest started tooting. Darius reached out to quiet her, and he fell over. He had tripped on his own tail.

They made it about a mile from camp when Bumpy sat down. She wasn't used to walking on two legs. She wanted to crawl on fours.

Clearly, they wouldn't be getting to Main Street today. Not until they adjusted to their new bodies. It would be best to turn back and go home.

They had only trudged back a few feet when Bumpy went still. She couldn't see or hear anything with her senses. Something instinctual told her to pause.

Ben noticed her stiffen. Bumpy sensed something wasn't right. He harshly whispered they should stay put. The others stopped and listened cautiously.

Out of a nearby bush, four dinosaurs jumped out and landed near the kids. They looked similar to the Velociraptor, with a few differences. These were larger and they had long arms with gripping hands, and a rigid tail to help maintain balance.

The pack started to circle them while growling. All of them were eyeballing Sammy. That's when one darted forward and swiped at her belly with its claws.

Kenji shoved Sammy away and thrust his head forward. The dinosaur roared and limped back. The frill horns had pierced the right arm of the dino.

Another tried attacking Sammy but was intercepted by Yaz. She used her new claws to catch the creature's. It was a battle of wills as Yaz pushed back with all her strength.

The last two dinosaurs launched an attack. Bumpy quickly swung her tail, catching one in the stomach. The other came after her exposed body, but Ben drove one of his thumb spikes into the predator's eyes.

Darius swung his tail along with Brooklynn. They grazed the dinosaurs who tried to slash their throats. In a panic, Brooklynn let out a loud blart from her head crest.

The sound made the four animals nervous. They sniffed the air before looking at one another. After chortling to each other, the four dinosaurs left. The campers didn't wait and ran back towards their camp.

"Keep a look out for more Deinonychus. Their pack hunters and are like wolves when it comes down to getting food. There could be more out there," Darius cautioned the group.

They made it back to camp without any further run-ins with the Deinonychus. The group was exhausted and dehydrated after the long run.

Making their way to the stream, they used their hands to scoop up the water to drink. Except for Bumpy, who leaned down to drink normally and fell into the stream. The kids got splashed and laughed at her surprised expression.

Ben showed his friend how to get the water in her mouth. It took a few tries, but she managed to do it right. She wandered away and started to squat.

Brooklynn rushed over. "No, humans don't do that in front of one another! Go over to those bushes to do your business. I'll be over there with some toilet paper."

Bumpy was puzzled as to why she couldn't relieve herself as normal. Did it really matter if someone saw her? Though puzzled, she did as Brooklynn asked.

Brooklyn spent the next fifteen minutes teaching the dino/girl how to use hygiene products. She ignored Bumpy grumbling about unnecessary complications. Then she realized, there were two items of clothing they hadn't given Bumpy that she would undoubtedly require.

"Yaz, Sammy, I could use your help with our new girlfriend. She needs to be taught about the female form."

The girls realized what Brooklynn meant. Excusing themselves, the girls started picking up more leaves, vines, and a spare headband of Dave's that was lying around. The boys knew better than to ask what was going on.

Another ten minutes passed before Bumpy left the bushes followed by the girls. She was waddling around and the top of the dress was a bit higher than before. (They made her some underwear and a small bra for the little bit of bust she had).

"Humans are strange creatures," Bumpy said. "I'm hungry. Can humans eat grass?"

The campers shook their heads. Though if they were part dinosaur now, did that mean they were only able to eat what their donor ate? Their donors save Yaz were all herbivores. Yaz's donor was an omnivore.

"Who cares about what we can or can't eat? We need answers about our condition! Including if this is going to be permanent!" Kenji exclaimed.

"Worse, what if we turn completely into dinosaurs? Will we lose our human intelligence and become feral? Who will take care of Bumpy then?" Ben said anxiously.

"I can take care of myself," Bumpy said indigently. She lost her balance and fell on her armored back. She flailed about trying to get up.

Sammy helped her up and guided her over to a grassy area to sit. Through broken speech, she told Bumpy if she needed any help, she was willing to give it. Sammy walked away trying to talk properly.

Darius requested everyone to calm down. They would go to the Visitors Center in two days. When asked why, he pointed out that they didn't make it because they hadn't adjusted to their new bodies yet.

"It's essential to learn how to keep our normal routine without creating a ruckus. We were lucky to escape those Deinonychus. Next time we might not be so lucky."

He gestured to Sammy, who was practicing hard to speak properly. They should be doing something similar. For example, Brooklynn needed to figure out how to consciously use her head crest.

Each one of the campers was given specific exercises to help gain control over their bodies. For Kenji, he needed to practice walking with the additional weight on his head. After that, he needed to adjust to his new strength level.

Yaz was going to practice using the claws on her hands and feet. She decided to practice on a nearby tree. Once she got the hang of using those, she could try running again.

Darius was also going to practice with his claws, only to dig. By learning to dig he would also be able to learn to control his tail. Nearby, Ben was using his thumb spikes to write the English alphabet on the ground.

"This is the letter A. Can you say A?"

"ah, ah, a!" Bumpy said proudly. It seemed she knew what words meant, but not how to spell or read them. It was strange to see an eleven-year-old so focused on letters.

"This is the letter B. Your name and mine start with this letter. Can you try saying b?"

"B, be, bee," Bumpy said before pointing to a bee's nest in a nearby tree. She was confused. "The letter b is also the name of a bug?"

"Not exactly. Some words sound like letters but are written with silent letters. We'll get to that later," Brooklynn said as she walked over. Her head crest remained silent except for the last sentence.

Bumpy looked even more confused than before. Why would there be letters in a word if you didn't say them? "If the letters are silent, why do you need them?"

Brooklynn laughed and said that's just how language was written. Her crest went off as she spoke. "Hey Ben, if you don't mind, can I join you?"

"You want to teach Bumpy the alphabet? Why?"

"Because I can practice control over my crest while helping her learn how to say the letters."

Thinking it over, Ben nodded. Being Bumpy's teacher was harder than it looked. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Two days passed and the camp family gained control over their new limbs. Brooklynn's head crest didn't make a sound every time she spoke. Ben could pick up items without snagging his thumb spikes on wood.

Darius was able to use his fingers normally again. Kenji was finally able to move without falling over. Sammy could speak again and Yaz could run without catching her claws on tree roots.

Bumpy not only knew the alphabet, but she had also learned to write her and her herd members' names in sloppy handwriting. She also learned how to count to ten. Her reading skills were still basic so Ben had helped her recognize important words.

Words such as caution, danger, and exit. Brooklynn had also taught her about graphic symbols. The dino/human hybrid knew the symbols for electricity, medical assistance, and toxicity.

Once again, the camp family headed out towards Main Street. Nothing was going to stop them this time. They would get into the Visitors Center and find out what was going on with them.