Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter ten of "Running From Here." The dinosaurs return in this chapter. They won't be the same ones as before. I am happy to have finally gotten the Power Rangers on Isla Nublar. It was a long while in coming, but it was worth it. Stay tuned for chapter eleven.

XXXXX

Chapter 10: Now Here

Two Velociraptors wandered through a somewhat dense part of the rainforest on Isla Nublar. They came to a stop and clicked their talons on the ground twice. They looked around while purring softly. They resumed walking, their eyes narrowing a tiny bit. They spotted a stream coming into view through the undergrowth and emitted excited purrs as they moved their tails up and down three times. They picked up their pace a bit.

The Velociraptors stopped before the stream, their tails swinging from side to side twice. They bent down, placing their hands on the ground. They proceeded to drink water. The first Velociraptor flared its nostrils. It hit the second Velociraptor in the side with its tail. Its companion ceased its drinking and looked at it in irritation. It snapped its jaws at its neck. The other Velociraptor stopped drinking and growled warningly at it.

The Velociraptors shifted their attention back to the water. They resumed drinking while lowering their tails. They finished and pushed themselves upward. They stood taller before raising their heads high and letting out three loud roars each. They returned to their normal posture and clicked their talons on the ground once more.

Suddenly, the Power Rangers teleported into the scene. The Velociraptors glanced at them curiously as the visitors looked around. They blinked three times before emitting soft snorts. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack took three steps forward. They listened to the sounds of various prehistoric creatures, including a bellowing Triceratops and a squawking Pteranodon.

"Wow. This place is beautiful," Kim whispered gently as she curled her hand into a fist.

"This place reminds me of the Amazon rainforest. There are trees for miles. You encounter a clearing every now and then," Tommy said and cleared his throat.

"Those clearings can be quite big," Jason responded while cupping his chin in his hand.

"Herbivores can rest in those clearings, but there is a downside to that," Trini commented with a frown. "The carnivores can use the undergrowth around them to ambush their prey."

"Who knows how long it will take for us to reach the Jurassic Park survivors?" Billy added.

"Yeah," Zack agreed.

The Rangers spotted the Velociraptors and jumped in a bit of fright. They formed fighting stances as the duo tilted their heads somewhat as they let out quiet squeaks.

"Velociraptors!" Jason yelled alarmingly.

"Everyone, put your hands on your weapons!" Tommy ordered firmly. He placed his hand on Saba, as did his teammates with their Blade Blasters. "Prepare to draw them if they decide to attack!"

Zack nodded fast. "I'm with you, Tommy!"

Kim growled fiercely. "So are the rest of us!"

The Velociraptors turned their bodies toward the Rangers. They did not notice them tightening their grips on their weapons. The first Velociraptor chirped to its companion, who responded in kind. It shook its head as the second Velociraptor blinked twice. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack narrowed their eyes at them. The Velociraptors turned around and took off into the undergrowth, causing them to sigh in relief and remove their hands from their weapons.

"Thank God the Velociraptors decided to leave us alone," Trini said while putting her hand over her chest.

"I guess they were not hungry," Zack suggested as he dug the toe of his boot into the ground.

"Either that or they thought we would not taste very good," Billy pointed out and cupped his chin in his hand.

"Enough about that," Tommy said sternly. "We need to get going."

Jason nodded in agreement. "That's right."

Kim snorted. "Yep."

Billy pulled a device out of his belt. It happened to be small and blue. It was square-shaped and contained two end that stuck out diagonally. It had two triangular-shaped buttons just below a directional map. He pressed the first button once. He did the same with the second one, except twice. An arrow pointed north.

"The captives' energy is coming from this direction," Billy said as he pointed his finger north. "We need to head that way."

"All right, everyone. Follow me," Tommy said and held up a finger. He blinked three times. "Keep your eyes peeled. Prehistoric critters may be hunting us for a meal."

"Right," the others responded calmly.

The Rangers proceeded to walk northernly. They scanned their surroundings carefully. The bellowing of a Triceratops, the screeching of a Utahraptor, and the growling of a Tyrannosaurus could be heard. Kim came up beside Tommy, who glanced at her.

"I never thought we would end up on an island full of prehistoric animals, Tommy," Kim whispered.

"Me neither. I can understand why John, his grandchildren, and his friends did not tell us about the Jurassic Park incident. They did not want anyone to know that John had a hand in bringing dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures back to life," Tommy responded in a law but firm voice.

"The scientists thought they could stop the critters from breeding by making them all female. They should not have added frog DNA to fill in the holes. That allowed them to change sex in order to breed," Kim commented, chuckling in a nervous way.

"Life will find a way, no matter what humans do," Tommy said, his hand curling into a fist.

"The same goes for any sentient species with the concept of moral responsibility," Kim pointed out matter-of-factly.

"That's right," Tommy agreed. "While I understand John wanted to share what he created with the world, what he did was very dangerous. If any prehistoric species housed here got on the mainland, it would severely disrupt ecosystems. Many ecosystems have already been ravaged by nonnative species around the world."

"Many nonnative animals and plants were accidentally introduced. Others were deliberately brought over to provide a sense of familiarity, to get rid of snakes, etc. The European starling is a perfect example," Kim commented and moved her head from side to side. "Europeans wanted to remember their homeland, so the starling was brought over to North America. It spread quickly and took over many habitats belonging to native species."

"We see starlings all the time, especially at our city's zoo and aquarium. They are very beautiful birds, but they should not have been brought over to North America," Tommy said in much seriousness.

"It is impossible to eradicate them now," Kim said, shaking her head in disbelief. "They are in the millions."

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack picked up their pace. Zack turned to see broken eggshells scattered about. He became curious made his way over to them. He squatted down to pick up one.

"Wow. This is interesting," Zack said and shifted his attention toward his friends. "Hey, guys. Come here."

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, and Billy came over to the Black Ranger quickly. They saw him hold up the eggshells. He emitted a soft chuckle before suppressing a yawn.

"It seems like these eggs just recently hatched," Zack said while examining the eggshell. "I wonder what species they came from."

"I have no idea," Jason admitted, taking it from his teammate. He looked it over with much curiosity. "Maybe the eggs belonged to those two Velociraptors we saw a minute ago."

"I don't think so. They would have had their offspring with them. That is unless they hid them somewhere," Tommy admitted softly.

Kim touched her throat. "This is incredible. I never thought we'd see hatched eggs from prehistoric critters. I feel as if this is a dream and that I will wake up any minute now."

"You are not the only one who feels that way, Kim," Trini replied, a soft chuckle coming from her. "At least the animals do not have to worry about egg-eating mammals decimating their numbers. It is theorized as a reason why dinosaurs went extinct after the meteorite slammed into Earth."

"There are other theories such as a supernova exploding near Earth, continuous droughts, and increasing volcanic activity," Billy added.

"There is no doubt this island has volcanoes. It is likely they have been dormant for thousands of years," Jason murmured in some uncertainty.

Tommy waved his hand toward himself. "Come on, guys. We can't keep sticking around these eggs."

Jason gave the eggshell back to Zack, who put it down. Zack rose to his full height with a loud grunt. The entire group resumed walking. The sound of a roaring Tyrannosaurus echoed in the distance.