HILDA AND THE JURASSIC FOREST
(A fan-fiction by Slogokonnor99)
Chapter 7: The nature of learning
Nightfall on the forest edge of Trolberg. The stars shone bright on the clear spring night, with only a few clouds blocking the light of the moon every now and then. A chill breeze blew among the grass and bushes of the prairie beyond uninterrupted until it began to circle around small hills on the ground. For a little cricket moving around them, they felt like a windy maze in the badlands, but for those that were sat on the mounds, the breeze wasn't much discomfort.
Atop each mound, peacefully watching out for danger and to the skies above occasionally, was a brooding Corythoraptor. The mounds around were their nests, built while the rain allowed the ground to be shaped into a nest much easier, and their clutches of eggs were spread around the border, within perfect reach of their parent's arm feathers to give shade or warmth.
Usually, back when these feathered dinosaurs brood, the environment around them was less forested, allowing them to keep a better eye on anything that could be a threat to their nests. Now, in these modern times, they were forced to nest closer to forested areas for protection, for in these prairies, new dangers loomed.
A broken branch soon caught everyone's attention, as they all looked towards the forest in unison. The instinct to protect their eggs was about to be challenged if whatever made that noise was another egg thief or predator; some prepared to either charge or flee as they stood up from their nests, particularly the ones closer to the forest, by the edge of the colony.
Leaves from some bushes began to move, and footsteps that sounded like something was approaching were soon heard after. The flight instinct triggered as soon as whatever was making noise emerged from the bushes, but in reality, it was just another Corythoraptor that was full and ready to retake its brooding duty.
These oviraptorids, despite how nervous they are, have an effective nesting strategy: aside from nesting together, they take turns to find food at night, for during the day, they stay on watch with no breaks. This comes with flaws, however, as while each individual can have a time to feed, that still meant their nest would become vulnerable, even if there are neighbors on watch.
This was one nighttime routine they'd have to do for the next few weeks until the eggs hatched, and with incubation already clocking on halfway, nights like these were about to become either more busy or relaxed, depending on the attitude of each brood. Now, with the new arrival returned to its nest, another brooding parent took its turn to feed alongside a few others.
These animals are omnivorous, settling on anything they could catch, but for their size, larger fruit and prey would have to suffice. At this time of the night, plenty of mammalian prey like shrews or large bugs like crickets came out to feed, and some seeds and berries that the diurnal herbivores hadn't consumed were there for the taking. Living near the food source for these Corythoraptors was a winning strategy, but they have also learned that their new Eden wasn't a safe paradise.
As it approached the forest edge, something stopped it in its tracks. It sensed there was something wrong, but it could certainly not spot it, partly because the thick vegetation camouflaged whatever was in there, but most importantly because the clouds caused the night to be particularly dark at times. The other Corythoraptors that were moving in to forage also stopped, each making chattering calls and looking around to try and spot or hear any abnormal movement.
Their nervousness was to be confirmed, for hidden from their view, something was stalking them, waiting for the perfect moment and one inexperienced or innocent individual to stray too far from the flock. The chattering dinosaurs kept their stance as they tried to spot what was hidden among the vegetation, their keen hearing having caught some branch being broken by something.
It's now a waiting game to see who makes the first move, as the nervous flock refused to enter the foliage, and the stalking beast behind the woods began to grow impatient. Its tongue licking the top of his snout as it desired fresh meat, and it soon centered its focus on a seemingly smaller individual amongst the flock. It now waited for that perfect opportunity, that sweet moment where it turned its back… And it soon happened.
A cloud soon covered the moon for just enough time to dim the light of the environment, and the Corythoraptors began to get nervous. While their night vision was good, their stalker's was better, and with the perfect cover, it finally pounced. The flock immediately scattered, a few sprinting towards the forest for shelter, while others ran back to the colony.
Being bigger, the predator closed the gap with its target in seconds, but its prey, being smaller, had the advantage of being nimble, and so as it tried to sink its teeth, the Corythoraptor dodged at the last second, losing a bunch of tail feathers in the process. A minor price to pay to live another night.
As the clouds gave way to the moonlight once more, the colony could spot what jumpscared them: a large canid, dark on fur; its eyes shone yellow, and it was almost as tall as the trees it had been concealed in. Without the advantage of cover, every animal in the vicinity now laid eyes on it, watching in case it made a sudden move; it's the price to pay for a failed hunt, for even for the most skillful, success… is never guaranteed.
For a large predator like him, however, this wasn't the end of the world. There's still a lot of forest, a lot of territory for it to move about, and with the night having only started, it was soon to seize another opportunity to gain a meal. And so, it retreated back into the dark vegetation, allowing the panicked Corythoraptors to drop their guard and finally seek food in peace… for now.
7:00 in the morning, and the alarm hadn't gone off yet. Steps could be heard outside the room, and the door slowly opened as they came to a stop.
"David! Wake up, son!" his dad hurried him "breakfast is ready!"
David certainly wasn't in that much of a hurry, as he lazily began to stir and stretch his arms, letting out a long yawn.
"What time is it again?" he dumbfoundedly asked, "It's almost 7:20!" his dad lied, and it certainly worked, as without even consulting his alarm clock, David got up and rushed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Once he finished, he rushed back to his room to prepare his backpack and change to his uniform, and then he quickly went to the kitchen to eat breakfast.
"David relax! It's not that late" her mom playfully stated as her son sat at the table, eager to eat his flakes with milk. "Sorry mom, dad rushed me as always" David replied, having finally noticed the time by looking at the clock in the kitchen, "Hey, it's best to be early to wherever you have to go!" his dad stated as he sat on the kitchen stool as well.
As the family ate breakfast, David soon remembered something important, and he quickly went to his room to pack a book he had borrowed from someone.
"Sorry, I almost forgot to pack something" he apologized as he came back to the table to finish his breakfast; once he did, he went to his room one final time to put on his backpack and prepared to leave for school.
"Don't forget: always look before crossing!" her mom told him as he went to give her and his dad a hug, "I always do that, mom" David replied, letting out a small giggle, and so he rushed to the door and started to make his way to school.
The whole city is now getting on the move as the morning routine started to swing: kiosk owners began to get ready for business, office workers began to drive or take the bus to go to work, and like David, many kids and teens were starting their daily commute towards the schools and colleges of Trolberg.
David had a moderate walking pace when walking towards his destination, neither rushed nor too slow, and there was certainly no rush for him; he knew he was early, and he could afford a couple of minutes out of track.
As he turned around a corner and kept en route to school, someone suddenly jumpscared him as he felt someone's weight on his back.
"Gotcha!" Frida said as David nearly screamed out loud from getting scared, "How is it that you always manage to get me?" David asked as he caught his breath from the scare, "You're easy to scare" Frida replied putting an arm on his shoulder "but hey, one day I bet you'll be able to scare me", "You bet" he playfully replied.
With a new companion on the trip, David continued his way to school, chatting with Frida about some homework along the way.
"I did manage to find an answer to the history question" Frida stated "but I must say: if Hilda actually wrote down that King Olaf Tryggvason had the advantage during the battle of Svolder, Ms. Hallgim is going to get triggered!", "Hey, we pretty much established history is not her forte" David argued "it's kinda like me and math, two things that don't get along well", "Only difference is that she at least is starting to get the hang of that" Frida replied, making David feel offended, "Hey! It's not my fault there are so many basic rules to remember when doing fractions!" he replied.
After a couple more blocks and a shared sandwich along the way, David and Frida finally arrived at school 10 minutes before the bell rings; once inside, the two headed for their lockers to get the books and notebooks ready for the first class of the day: biology.
"You're probably going to ace it today" Frida said as David closed his locker "reading that one book about evolution in the library will perhaps give you a clearer view", "I don't know" David replied "there's no test today, but I also don't want to show off like you and your badges", "Hey!" Frida nudged him as he laughed "I don't do that very often!", "No, but you still mention it every now and then when making groups for a badge activity" David added, causing Frida to roll her eyes.
As Frida closed her locker door, the two heard an unmistakable voice rushing through the halls.
"Excuse me! Coming through! Sorry!" Hilda said as she tried to avoid disturbing other classmates before finally arriving at her locker next to Frida's "did I arrive late?", "No, you're actually earlier than usual" David replied, "Phew, that's good to hear" she replied back as she caught her breath, opening her locker to take out her books "I thought I'd be late because of the path I took."
Before a conversation could start, the bell finally rang, and everyone began to head for their classrooms; the trio immediately headed for theirs, with Hilda almost forgetting her science book and quickly rejoining her friends afterwards.
The halls now ran silent, and it was the time of the day when the janitors and cafeteria chefs began their routine; outside, however, something was about to make their day different.
A few blocks away, in an alley, a small, feathered dinosaur, an Ubirajara, was returning from a successful hunt, having managed to catch a rat unaware, and was now settling in to eat its catch.
Suddenly, it heard something breathing, as if it was trying to catch the scent of something; it wasn't certainly a direct threat to the hunter, but in the urban jungle, watching your surroundings is essential.
The creature then began to eat its meal when something big came into view, and it wasn't alone; two stray dogs were now staring down at the small dinosaur, and they looked hungry.
Instinctively, the dinosaur raised its long shoulder feathers, a pair on each side, and it wagged its tail as it hissed at them; it was trying to appear bigger, the only defense it had, but against two larger animals than it, this could work for so long.
One of the dogs closed in, letting out a growl as it tried to move it out of its way to steal what it had caught, but the dinosaur certainly wasn't going to let its catch be stolen that easily.
It charged at the dog, causing it to stumble back, but it soon charged again, its peer joining in. Outnumbered, the dinosaur gave up its prize and moved aside, keeping a defensive stance in case they attacked, and now they began to eat the dead rat.
For the small dinosaur, it was back to the hunting grounds once again, and that involved a long walk through the streets, keeping a low profile as it certainly didn't like to catch attention. Finding another rat wasn't an easy task; the last one he managed to catch was in a large, white building with a bell that rang every hour or so, but now that people were around, its prey could be alerted or driven off quickly.
Still, having not eaten for 3 days, its hunger was enough to drive it towards the building again. It first sought an entrance around the fence that was surrounding the building, but the one it used last time was being guarded by a janitor who was cleaning the floor of a playground; if the hunter wanted to get in, it'll have to be sneaky.
"Alright class, open your books to chapter 4, page 43" Ms. Hallgrim ordered her students as she began to write the theme of the class on the chalkboard "today's lesson will be about the balance of an ecosystem." David cheered in his head while Hilda was preparing to take notes; after all, she didn't want to cause a debate like yesterday's history class.
"In every habitat, there is an established niche that every organism covers" Ms. Hallgrim began to explain "the plants and animals can share the same niche, but they can also become specialized in it. This is why the specialized organisms are always the ones that suffer the most when an abrupt change occurs to their habitat".
Hilda took a note of what Hallgrim had just said, and a mere thought came to her head as she wrote the main idea in her notebook: if by the time her house was accidentally destroyed, would the dinosaurs have become specialized? She would certainly think that some of the usual creatures she saw in the forest back when she roamed free through the woods would perhaps not have been doing well with the new creatures filling the niches...
"Hilda?" Ms. Hallgrim called her, interrupting her thoughts, "Oh, yes, Ms. Hallgrim?" she replied in a hurry, "I want you to tell me an example of the local food chain" she replied back "it must be with the creatures of the forest or the city".
Hilda saw this as an easy question; after all, she spent almost her entire life in the wilderness. "Well, there are the wild berries that would act as the base of the food chain" she stated to explain "then, you have the herbivores like the deer and rabbits, followed by foxes and lynxes as the secondary predators, and finally you have the wolves and bears as the apex predators".
"Well said, Hilda" Ms. Hallgrim congratulated her, for once. She then went to call another student to ask about a different example, and that was when she noticed the little dinosaur outside the window as it was making a break for the school. "David!" Hilda tried to whisper to him, but he was trying to write down the example she just mentioned.
"What's going on?" Frida whispered as she noticed Hilda trying to get David's attention in a hurry, "I think I just saw a dinosaur run towards the school!" Hilda whispered back, "That's ridiculous, Hilda" she argued "the fences are too big to let any small creature in", "Trust me! I saw one just run by the playground!" Hilda whispered back before someone interrupted at the classroom door.
"Pardon the interruption, Mrs. Hallgrim" an old man excused himself as he proceeded with his announcement "I'd just like to remind all of you students that after the break we'll all have a meeting with some TDW personnel who came in here to share some safety tips and tricks on the amphitheater", "Yes, I'm sure they were aware, Principal Magnusson" Ms. Hallgrim whispered out loud, "I'm afraid this is going to cancel the next 2 hours of studies, but this is something of much importance. Do not be late!" he ended his announcement and left to warn the other classrooms.
For many of the students, a thing like this meant that some tests were going to be skipped for the next day or week, as well as some homework assignments not being revised, or in the case of students like Frida, classes like algebra being skipped over. While all were either joyful, annoyed, or plain-out emotionless over the announcement, only one student was now beginning to worry even more: Hilda.
A few more minutes of biology class and some questions about the class towards Hilda, the break bell finally rang, and all the students left for the playground or the cafeteria; Hilda, however, quickly dragged David and Frida with her to explain what she had seen.
"Are you sure you saw a dinosaur running towards the school?" David asked, "I'm sure about it" Hilda replied, "and with the TDW coming here, imagine what would happen if they spot a dinosaur", "Oh cruddlesticks!" David replied in alarm "They could close down the school for a week!", "I'm still not sure if what Hilda saw is a dinosaur" Frida added "it could've just been a squirrel or a Vittra", "You better hope it's not the latter" David added "remember last time?".
"I'm 100% sure it was a dinosaur" Hilda affirmed "it was on two legs, it was feathered, and it even looked like a bird!", "Well, if it is a dinosaur, we best catch it and get it out of the school before the auditory talk" Frida stated, "I do not want to miss out on more algebra classes like today."
That comment made Hilda and David give her a look of doubt, but they nevertheless nodded in agreement. "Given it may be a small dinosaur, I'd suggest we perhaps try and catch it with a trap" Frida stated as she tried to come up with a plan "we could set up a lure and trap it with either a bag or a trash bin", "What if it fights back?" David asked, "Well… we'd have to give it some space perhaps?" she replied nervously "none of us have been this close to a dinosaur, except…"
Frida and David soon looked at Hilda, who soon understood why the look was towards her.
"OH, I'M NOT GRABBING THAT THING!" she almost yelled in panic, "Hilda, we just need you to restrain it for a second if it fights back" David replied "you have the most experience with creatures here", "But why not Frida? She's probably got a badge to prove she can handle a wild animal!" Hilda argued, "Would you believe me when I say I actually don't?" she replied.
"Ok, let's just settle this quickly" David hurried up "we only have half an hour to catch it, if we don't…", "We will" Frida replied "we can catch it before it causes problems!", "That's… highly optimistic, but yeah, I think we can!" Hilda added "let's get to it, team!".
As the sun reached the middle of the sky, on an open grassland close to a dense lake, it was time for a herd of deerfoxes to begin grazing on the humid vegetation. These ungulates with canid characteristics are one of many subspecies that live around the wilderness, with these ones being more adept for open areas as well as swampy terrain.
Their hooves were more like those of a waterbuck, perfect to walk across flooded plains and still good enough to outrun their usual predators. The herd also has pups who stuck next to their mothers as protection, their major disadvantage being the fact that they weren't good swimmers yet, as their tails still needed to shrink as they grew.
The herd began to move away from the forest edge and began to peacefully graze, a few, including the dominant male, kept watch for danger. The curious pups were eager to play with each other while their mothers fed under the midday sun, their blue and white fur being a bit of a giveaway in such a yellowish landscape.
Nevertheless, on the open grasslands they call home, animals like wolves are easy to spot, whether it's the usual Eurasian wolves hunting in packs or the more elusive red wolf that often is more successful in securing a meal. Now, however, there are new predators that they must contend with, and a few of these new hunters are putting pressure on the herds to find new ways to outsmart them.
From the forest edge, just under the cover of the thickest trees, lay one of them. A young female Nanuqsaurus, hungry, and stalking its prey from afar. This Tyrannosaur is the largest in the forests of Trolberg, and it's also one of the fastest new predators; its slender, less robust body is quite different from the more famous members of the family, yet it's just enough to allow it to keep up with this slender, fast prey animal.
However, like in most hunts, success will depend on knowing when to approach, how to do it, and selecting the ideal target. In this case, the cover of the forest is already a perfect start, but the deerfoxes were now grazing on open ground, and whilst their prey sticks out like a sore thumb, the Nanuqsaurus' colors didn't help it either.
Its best approach now was to stalk them from downwind, hoping her scent wasn't detected by their acute sense of smell or her steps being heard by their ears. The feet of a predator like Nanuqsaurus usually are covered in fleshy cushion pads, making them much more silent when stepping on a noisy terrain like dry grass or twigs; nevertheless, it's best to stay still at the slightest sign of the prey laying an eye on you.
And there's another factor the young female needed to consider: sentries. Songbirds and waterfowl usually hang around herds of deerfoxes, and they act as an extra pair of eyes when they feed alongside each other. This extra layer of defense, this partnership between species, often leads to the prey detecting the hunter in time, and unfortunately for the Nanuqsaurus, this was the case.
A small robin who flew towards the herd spotted it as it began to close in, prompting the herd to check their surroundings; the Nanuqsaurus laid still, hoping her minimal camouflage and the deerfoxes' vision would keep her presence minimal. Both were now at a standstill, waiting for one to make a move, one simple mistake to take advantage of.
And soon enough, the deerfoxes dropped their guard and continued grazing. It was a big mistake, or it would've had the Nanuqsaurus not rush in too early as they began to graze again.
Now the chase was on. The deerfoxes quickly packed together as they ran towards the lakeside, the mothers and pups sticking in the middle of the herd while the bulkier males covered the flanks with their massive antlers.
The Nanuqsaurus, however, already spotted a target. In the middle of the grouping, one small portion of the herd split up, most of them consisting of young, inexperienced individuals. The hunter began to sprint towards them, closing the gap quickly and prompting panic among the herbivores as they broke up and headed in different directions.
One of the young deerfoxes was now being chased by the Nanuqsaurus, the former having the advantage of stamina while the hunted had the superior speed. So long as it could sidestep and turn quicker, the young herbivore would live another day. Each turn it managed to dodge, every missed bite from the hunter, its chances of survival increased, and the Nanuqsaurus was also beginning to tire.
In the end, the deerfox spotted an opportunity and sprinted towards the water, splashing down and swimming further into it. The Nanuqsaurus, exhausted from the chase, simply came to a halt as its prey swam away from it.
It was another failed hunt for the polar bear lizard, and it had certainly taken a lot of energy. There was always the chance the prey would need to come back to land, but wasting time waiting for that to happen was something it could not afford. She needs to catch something to feed herself after a long week of failure after failure, but from every failed hunt comes a lesson to learn.
As the Nanuqsaurus left the lakeside in defeat and moved back towards the forest, the young deerfox swam back ashore once the coast was clear. The hunter may have failed, but next time, she may succeed… Hopefully.
Back in the school, David was gathering up some materials to attempt to build a trap while Frida and Hilda sought after clues as to where the dinosaur may be hidden.
"Is there anything that could attract a hungry dinosaur without causing chaos?" Hilda whispered as she dissimulated looking for a seat to eat, "Well, if we're being logical, the trash around the back may be the best bet" Frida whispered back "that could also attract flies and rats, and if it's a small carnivore we may be dealing with, it could be what it may be after."
Getting to the back of the cafeteria wasn't going to be easy. There are lots of eyes watching them, ready to question why they need to check out the trash, and the quickest path to it was directly through the school kitchen.
Hilda and Frida began to walk towards the serving area, trying to dodge looks from others while acting as naturally as possible; this was certainly easy for Frida, but Hilda's movements soon caught the attention of someone.
"You realize the door to the play yard is the other way?" a boy asked Frida, "I know, Trevor" she replied back, shooting an annoyed glare at him, "I was just saying, relax!" he replied "it's not like I'm going to rat you out on whatever you and your blue-haired friend are up to", "You better" Frida warned him, "Wait, you were actually planning something?" Trevor asked, and Frida realized she opened her mouth too much.
Outside the windows, a commotion was stirring, as some TDW members were beginning to walk towards the amphitheater; some of the younger students immediately surrounded them, eager to ask questions.
"What do you think they'll talk about?" Trevor asked, but by the time he did, Hilda and Frida were already gone, "Yeah, something tells me something wrong is going to happen" he said to himself before making his way outside to join the crowd.
Frida and Hilda soon scurried past the serving area and waited for someone to leave the kitchen door open; once they saw their chance, they quickly made their way through to the back of the school.
"How did he know we were up to something?!" Hilda asked while Frida began to search among the trash bags, careful not to get too dirty. "Well, Trevor has a bit of a tick when things are about to go wrong" she replied, "or at least most of the time, and from those instances, he's right in like… 1/10 of the time."
The two girls searched for any trace, be it a footprint, carcass, or even signs of rats, and soon enough, Hilda found a set of footprints.
"Told you I saw one" she stated as she showed Frida her finding, "Well, I'll give you that" she replied, "at least we know we're dealing with something small", "Yeah, now let's go and tell David" Frida replied, but before the two could move, they heard the kitchen door close.
"NONONONONO!" Frida panicked as she tried to force open the door, but it seemed that it was locked, "Okay, let's not panic" Hilda tried to calm her down "there has to be another way to get back from the halls from here…"
"There is none!" Frida replied "the only way back is through that hallway that leads to the front yard, but that means risking being spotted by someone and being told that we were outside doing something, and perhaps we will end up in detention, and we'll get a bad conduct grade and perhaps worse!"
Hilda then began to try and find a way out while her friend panicked and noticed that the hallway led into two directions.
"Frida? You said the only way back is the front yard" she asked "but, where does the other way lead to?"
"Another locked door" she replied, "Well, there's a small hope it could give us an exit" Hilda argued, trying to sound positive.
Once she composed her breath, Frida joined Hilda as she headed towards the crossroad, and to their luck, that door Frida mentioned was open.
"Well, that's certainly a stroke of luck" Hilda said out loud, "and where do you think this goes?" Frida asked, "I thought you'd knew" Hilda replied, "I only know where students are allowed to be" she replied.
The sound of the kitchen door opening suddenly jolted the pair, and they immediately hid behind the corner. The kitchen lady soon went out to throw some trash bags and stayed out there to listen to some music.
Without thinking it twice, Hilda and Frida booked it inside the open door as silently as they could; once inside, the task was to know what part of the school they were in.
"I have a feeling we could be in the corridor that leads to the amphitheater" Hilda whispered, careful not to attract any attention as she and Frida peeked around the corners, "I'm not sure" Frida whispered back "the hall towards it would have two drinking fountains; this one has none."
Suddenly, the duo heard footsteps, and they hid back around the corner. Hilda then tried to deduce what was coming based on the noise, and to her surprise, whoever it was, was relatively small.
"What is it?" Frida whispered, but Hilda raised a finger, silencing her as she risked taking a peek.
It turned out that what was coming their way was the creature they were looking for. It was small, as she had thought, with two pairs of long, golden feathers protruding from its shoulders, and as it looked at a trash bin, she noticed that, like Frida had suspected, it was attracted to what was inside.
"I think whatever we were searching is here too" Hilda whispered as silently as she could, and Frida too then took a peek just as the small creature was getting ready to leap towards the edge of the bin, where a cockroach was just leaving the inside.
The creature then leaped just as the bug took flight, catching it by its leg and slamming it against the ground, pinning it with its foot before tearing its head off.
"That's… gruesome" Hilda whispered.
As the creature ate, Frida kept looking around for any clues as to what part of the school they had ended up in, but with the view limited, she soon knew they had to explore around more.
"We may need to move" Frida warned Hilda, "If we move, we may scare the creature" Hilda argued, "Well, then grab it!" she replied.
Hilda was now nervous; the time she had encountered small dinosaurs the same size as that one didn't end much well, and while the place would already be alerted if something as big as that blue striped animal from last time was around, she was still hesitant.
To make matters worse, as soon as the dinosaur finished consuming its prey, it began to move away.
"Ok, great, it's gone" Frida stated, a bit annoyed "let's try to figure out where we are before someone spots us!"
Frida and Hilda wandered around for a few hallways until they finally reached familiar territory, ending up near the amphitheater. Once they took one more turn, however, the megaphone lit up, and the principal began to speak.
"Attention students, in 10 minutes the auditory with the Trolberg department of wildlife will begin. Do not arrive late!"
"Crap, we only have ten minutes!" Frida stated in panic "we better tell David if we are to try and catch that thing."
"I have a feeling we may not be able to" Hilda replied, nervous "ten minutes isn't going to be enough". "Not with that attitude!" Frida argued "now come on!"
While the duo returned to where they had left David, he was having a problem of his own. With all the limited material he had gathered, he still had no idea how big or what bait the animal would fall for.
"Oh cruddlesticks!" he said to himself as he heard the announcement. He had to come up with something before the girls returned, and to make things worse, he knew that Mrs. Hallgrim would also come to lock the door of the classroom. If she spotted him with all the junk, he'd get in trouble.
"David!" Frida's voice soon alerted him, and the pair then rushed inside "we found the animal, but it's in a remote hallway", "Ok, what the size?" he asked "and please tell me it's small enough to fit in a bucket", "Well… I don't think it'll fit in that small bucket particularly" Frida replied "but we know it eats bugs, so we need to find some bug that can't escape easily."
David then tossed some of the junk into the classroom locker, keeping only a couple of items before getting up. "Let's go!" David told the others as they left the classroom, unaware someone had just seen them leave.
With time running down, Frida and Hilda guided David as carefully and fast as they could; once in the area, they began to search for any clues.
"Where did you see the animal go when you were spying on it?" David asked, "It went to the left" Frida replied "straight ahead from where we're standing basically."
The trio marched forwards and then took a right turn, for the hallway led in that direction. Hilda then spotted some footprints left by the animal that led to a door, and the trio then realized where they were.
"This is the school warehouse" Frida deduced, "I didn't know it had one" Hilda replied.
As they carefully entered, the place was dark, and there were certainly no light switches by the wall next to the door. Frida then took out a small flashlight she had in her pocket and shone a path for the trio.
Looking around, they spotted a few things that, while new for Hilda, were nostalgic for Frida and David. "Isn't that the inflatable castle from that school fete from a couple of years back?" Frida whispered to David, "The one where you almost bounced out?" he joked, making Frida nudge him on the ribs with a chuckle.
"What about that broken soccer net?" David then pointed out silently as Hilda stumbled upon a goal arch, "Oh, that kick from that guy certainly did end it" Frida whispered back "it certainly needed to go." She added.
Hilda then signaled them to keep quiet as she heard something moving near a few boxes. David got a bag ready while Frida dimmed the light of the flashlight to not alert whatever was close.
Hilda was the first to approach, silently stepping closer towards the box pile, and once close, she signaled the others to join. Then, peeking behind a metal bar, they saw the creature trying to rip open a large mouse it just caught.
"I can't look" Hilda whispered as she turned away from the scene, while David was amazed by the animal.
"It's an Ubirajara" he whispered "see those shoulder feathers? That means it's a male", "Ok, how do we trap it?" Frida asked, "We can't do it now!" David argued "you never interact with an animal while it's eating its food. It'll perceive it as competition"
While David and Frida argued about how to approach the Ubirajara, Hilda noticed a large shadow from the entrance about to close the door; her reaction wasn't fast enough, however, as the noise of the door closing brought Hilda to her senses.
"WAIT!" she yelled, accidentally alerting the Ubirajara; Frida immediately made her move, lunging at the animal and trying her best to retain it without letting her arms be in range of a bite. Next, David, using a sock, wrapped it over the dinosaur's eyes, blinding it so it could calm down.
"Well… that animal handling badge is certainly in the bag next time!" Frida said to herself, only now paying attention to why Hilda had yelled.
"It's LOCKED!" Hilda said, frustrated "is there no window or something to use to get out?!"
David and Frida immediately searched for something, watching for the restrained Ubirajara in the latter's arms as it had now calmed down; unfortunately for them, the only window they could spot was a thin one at the very top of the wall.
They were trapped.
Minutes passed as the countdown to the talk began, and students soon began to enter the amphitheater. As principal Magnusson talked to the personnel who had come to give a talk, Mrs. Hallgrim began to take note of who was and wasn't there.
"Uh, Mrs. Hallgrim?" a boy asked her, "Yes?" she replied back, "is it really necessary to keep track of who isn't here", "Not really, but I do it mainly to see who's with the time" she replied, and then she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, I forgot to lock the door of the classroom!" she said out loud "would it be alright if you could close it for me?", "Sure!" he replied.
With that, Mrs. Hallgrim gave the keys to the boy, and he went on his way to lock the door, and he didn't take long to arrive at the classroom; when he did, however, he spotted Hilda, Frida, and David rush away from the classroom, and out of curiosity, he decided to follow, feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Carefully following without causing suspicion, he soon found himself in front of the school warehouse, watching them get inside with a small flashlight and a bag. What were they up to?
He didn't get the chance to ask them, as not a moment too soon, a new set of footsteps was heard. Trevor hid behind a corner, hoping for whoever was coming not to notice him. Maybe it was Mrs. Hallgrim looking for him; maybe it was the principal; to his partial relief, however, it was just the janitor, but he soon closed the door where Hilda and company were inside of.
Keeping a low profile, he saw the janitor leave and soon heard the door handle moving. They were trapped inside.
"Man, I knew something bad was going to happen" he said to himself. He then checked a clock on the wall.
There were only 5 minutes before the talk began.
He then took a choice and left the scene to lock the classroom door, as that was his priority. Once done, he returned with Mrs. Hallgrim, who was still taking notes of who was arriving.
"Mrs. Hallgrim!" the boy said "I locked the door as you asked!", "Good!" she replied "now, take a seat, talk's beginning in five minutes."
"I will in a minute!" he replied "I just need to use the bathroom first", "Don't take too long" she warned him; he then took off back out of the amphitheater, and off to the bathroom he went.
Back in the locked warehouse, Hilda, Frida, and David haven't managed to find a way to open the door, and they knew time was running out.
"What do you think Mrs. Hallgrim is going to do when she notices we're not in time?" David asked, trying to break the silence, "What do you think?" Frida replied, her voice one of frustration "if we're lucky, all we'll get is just a point less on our conduct in the report card."
"What about the dinosaur?" he replied, "Well, on that I don't know!" Frida replied "I doubt it knows how to leave without needing that door to be open."
Silence then reigned over the room, and soon Hilda broke it.
"I should've grabbed it while I had the chance" she said out loud, "What do you mean?" David asked, "Me and Hilda saw the creature earlier before we went back to get you" Frida replied "but Hilda hesitated, and so we had to get you."
"I don't blame you, to be honest" David replied, looking at Hilda "grabbing a dinosaur is nothing easy to talk about, especially…", "When you've encountered one already and nearly killed you?" Hilda interrupted him, leaving him and Frida speechless.
"What… do you exactly mean?" Frida asked; Hilda only sighed before she began to tell them about that encounter with the blue-striped creature. "One night, I was approached by some elves wanting help with some small dinosaurs, almost similar to the one you're carrying" Hilda began "but when I managed to help them, something else jumped into the scene."
David sat down next to Frida as Hilda continued her story. "It was certainly larger, it had a curved claw on its foot, and then… I tripped, and it took the chance to pin me down" she continued "its mouth was so close to my face… I felt its breath on my cheek…"
Hilda then wiped off a tear as she tried not to sob, and Frida placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, that moment has passed" she tried to comfort her, "I know, but I can't get close to something like that without thinking of that event" Hilda argued as she pointed at the Ubirajara, who was on alert. Something neither of the trio noticed.
"That's why I didn't want to grab it, and why I thought you two could help on that part" Hilda replied "and I'm sorry if I even got you into trouble for this."
David soon moved to her other side and placed his hand on the other shoulder. "Well, this wasn't something selfish of yours if I'm being honest" he replied "if anything, if you hadn't told us about it, we probably would've allowed it to be around, eventually making the TDW notice and shut the school down for a week."
"Well, not just that, but we definitely would've been angrier at you" Frida added, a bit ashamed of her opinion "if there's ever a case like this' we'll handle the creature", "or we could teach you how to properly get close to one" David proposed "obviously, little by little, without rushing."
Hilda sighed before wrapping her arms around her friends. "Thanks guys" she replied "although we certainly could do that once we get out of here and with Hallgrim perhaps calling our parents for having a dinosaur with us because she'd think we stowed it here and…"
Before she could continue, she heard the door of the warehouse open. The trio got up, and Frida and David made sure to be behind Hilda, hiding the Ubirajara behind them.
The door soon opened, and for a moment, the light from the outside blinded them.
"Mrs. Hallgrim, this isn't what it seems…" Hilda began to apologize, but she stopped when the trio noticed who had opened the door.
"TREVOR?!" they asked all in unison.
"Hi" he nervously replied "I… I saw you three enter here before the janitor locked the door. I'd say you were lucky I had that feeling something would be wrong" he added, giving a deadpan look to Frida, who simply frowned.
"Well, thanks for the help!" Hilda replied, "No problem" Trevor replied "now let's get to the amphitheater before someone actually sees us!", "Well…" David argued "we need to do something first."
Trevor looked at them weird, but followed along as Hilda and Frida guided him towards the door to the outside.
"Please tell me you're not locking me out here" Trevor stated nervously, "Relax, you're not the one who needs to go" Frida replied before she and David placed the Ubirajara down, slowly wrapping the sock off its eyes and then letting it go.
Immediately, the creature made a rush towards the front yard, and the quartet went back inside.
"How much time we got left?" David asked before he heard the bell ring. Time was up. "SHOOT! We better go!" Trevor replied.
The group made their way to the amphitheater as some stragglers too made a break for the door; just as they were about to reach it, Trevor peeled off into another hallway. Hilda wanted to stop him, for that was the wrong way, but time was short, and she didn't want to get in trouble.
Mrs. Hallgrim began to count the stragglers before the door on the east entrance closed, and the trio just made it inside.
"Well, would you look at that, right on time" she stated, and just before the left entrance closed, Trevor made it in. "I almost missed it" Trevor argued "sorry Mrs. Hallgrim", "It's ok you four" she replied "now, take a seat before the talk begins."
While the trio went up, Trevor sat a few rows lower, next to some other classmates. "Well, that was certainly close" Hilda stated "but…", "Such is the life of an adventurer?" David and Frida asked with a deadpan face, making Hilda lower her head. "It's ok, we're just playing around" Frida replied before she and David patted her back "it's a funny catchphrase."
Hilda giggled before the lights began to dim, and Principal Magnusson made his way to the center of the stage.
"Today we have some representatives of the Trolberg department of wildlife to talk to us about some important stuff" he started "I'd like to welcome rangers AlveSergeant, SarahSjöberg, and the elite ranger of the TDW, Gerald Olesen!"
Three TDW rangers then walked on the stage; the one in the middle then grabbed the microphone before speaking. He looked oddly similar to the guy who caught the Masiakasaurus before the bird parade.
"Greetings, Ahlberg Elementary School," the man in front stated "my name is Gerald Olesen, and today I've come to give you all a bit of a talk about something the TDW is offering to teach you kids how to deal with wild dinosaurs in a safe manner, for as you all know, there are now small creatures from millions of years ago that shouldn't be here that are now coexisting with us, and as our mission, we must contain as well as help prevent lethal encounters across Trolberg."
While David and Frida simply listened, Hilda, and surprisingly, Trevor, were taking notes, listening to what to do. For the two of them, seeing Hilda paying attention to the talk was a good start to help her overcome her fear, but the surprise of the talk was Trevor, for he was taking random notes rather than what preventions Gerald was stating.
The talk went on, and outside the school, the Ubirajara only turned to look back once before it escaped through the same gap in the fence, sprinting back into the urban jungle without looking back.
The forest beyond the wall was starting to change its melody, as the afternoon was beginning to roll around. The sunlight was penetrating through the thick canopy of the pine trees, and a few animals took the time to rest.
The herd of deerfoxes, having fed on the open during the morning, were now taking time to rest on the safety of the forest floor. A few adults, as always, kept watch while some still-active pups played around.
A light breeze soon began to flow, driving the wind against the noses of the adults, and the soft rattling of the leaves was distracting. The pups began to chase a random leaf falling from a branch, and some adults soon followed them.
The conditions were just perfect… for yet another ambush.
After failing its first attempt, the young female Nanuqsaurus began her stalk again, taking her steps carefully, for the forest floor was less kind than the open prairies. Approaching downwind once again, the hunter prevented its scent from being caught by the watching adults, and its feathered coat was better suited for this environment more than in the open.
However, there was a new disadvantage: the trees prevented a straight sprint towards the herd; this, however, was countered by the lesser room for maneuverability for the prey, and so if the Nanuqsaurus reached the right distance, a quick sprint would close the distance.
The pups, moving away from the herd, made a big group of adults move with them to watch out in case of attack, leaving only a few to watch over the sleepy herd.
With every inch forward, the chances of success were becoming higher until she reached a perfect distance to run towards the herd. This time, however, she waited for the perfect moment to strike, careful not to tackle too early.
The adults suddenly got scared as one of the deerfoxes tried to chase away a Corythoraptor that got too close. The animal was only after a fallen fruit from a bush, but the adults were certainly not taking any chances.
Yet that small distraction was enough for the Nanuqsaurus, for as the calm returned to the herd, the predator was already sprinting towards the herd.
The deerfoxes howled, alerting everyone, and failed to group up, given the trees prevented a mass gathering. Their only option now was to sidestep and turn around the trees until they reached the open prairie again in order to prolong the chase and tire their pursuer.
The Nanuqsaurus, once again, focused on one small group that was trying to flee deeper into the forest instead of attempting to flee towards the open. The individuals were mixed, a few adults and some juveniles, a fair game for the predator.
Suddenly, one of the adults made a mistake: in the moment the predator closed in, a male turned around, almost getting its tail bitten in the process.
The Nanuqsaurus now had the distance shortened now that the target had made a wrong turn, and the antlers of the male deerfox were not allowing it to maneuver easily among the trees. It was now only a matter of time until the predator managed to sink its jaws into its flesh.
The final nail in the coffin came when the deerfox placed one wrong foot, tripping over and giving the predator a wide room to pin and bite down on its neck until it stopped howling from pain.
There was no noise of celebration once the kill was made. Instead, the Nanuqsaurus held on even after the deerfox was dead. It finally let go to catch her breath after the chase, and without losing time, it gripped the catch on her jaws and took it away.
After a long week of failed attempts, she had finally made a catch, but this large prize wasn't for her alone.
A few miles from her, in some bushes, lay three perfectly still babies, waiting for the unmistakable noise of their mother. About a few minutes later, a few purring calls signaled to them that dinner was served.
The three youngsters rushed to their mother, who dropped the dead deerfox next to them. She immediately gave them a few chunks of meat after opening the flesh, and the trio fought over who would get the bigger piece.
For this first-time mother, every successful hunt will increase the chances of these small hunters reaching adulthood. If they survive their first year, their mother will teach them how to hunt until they're big enough to join her in the hunt.
The youngsters, having established their portions by a quick fight, ate their fill while their mother gorged on the rest of her kill. Today, the family had something to eat, but tomorrow, she would have to go through the same struggle all over again.
With the predator satisfied, the peace soon returned to the deerfox herd. It'll be inevitable that they'll lose more members than usual these days, but so long as they can raise the new litters to adulthood successfully, the losses will be reduced.
The duel between predator and prey is often decided by many factors; luck is just one of them. And as spring continues, many lives, new and old, will cease to exist, either by predators or of other causes.
The family soon also gathered together to rest, their mother keeping watch, and as the young rested, their mother looked at the foliage, exhausted from the hunt.
For this first-time mother, the struggles to raise her offspring were just beginning.