Chapter 13:
Author Note: HEYO!..Shoutout in the next chapter's author note to whoever gets the reference I just made. Anywho, how's everyone doing? As you can see I am back with another chapter and ooh boy this is where the fun begins.
SEASON 3 BABY! OH YEAH! Things are going to be CRAZY.
That being said I do need to address a couple things first namely in regards to a few of the reviews I got on Chapter 12…
First: (GUEST) There is nothing odd or creepy about Brooklynn POTENTIALLY being interested in Darius as you got the ages wrong…Ages are as follows…Darius Age 12…Brooklynn Age 13…Ben and Sammy 14…Yaz and Kenji 16…Naruto as of this chapter 17.
Second: (Venom1000Ninja)
1. Technically he wouldn't really need to do much given he is his father's sole heir.
2. Not likely as remember Chapter 1, Dr Wu was the one to accidentally inject Naruto with the DNA and was his doctor following said incident. It also is not in Dr Wu's character to attempt to abduct Naruto. Additionally No idea where you got the idea he had Indominus DNA in him as I never stated that. I CAN assure you though that THIS season is going to be when A LOT of stuff regarding Naruto is going to be revealed.
3. No idea where you are making that conclusion from.
Anyway with that said let's begin the chapter shall we.
(Isla Nublar)
As the sun shined brightly in another picturesque clear sky day on the island the sound of laughter could be heard. The source of said laughter originating from the only humans currently residing on the island. Though in this instance that was a bit incorrect given how they were in the process of leaving said island finally.
The method of their exodus? None other than a makeshift raft cobbled together and made up of a number of bamboo poles, several blue plastic barrels, a pair of tires from one of the park trucks, and a sail made of a large piece of scavenged canvas bearing the Jurassic World logo on it. In addition the whole thing was being held together by vines. Riding on said raft were the campers all sporting wide grins at finally leaving the island.
Kenji and Sammy were at the rear of the raft energetically splashing each other with sea water as Isla Nublar grew further and further away. Ben and Darius were sitting next to the mast of the sail making sure it was secure and maneuverable. Naruto was lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his neck. Next to the blonde Yaz gave him a look before shaking her head in amusement at his relaxed state to which he just gave her a wink with a sly smile. Rolling her eyes Yaz went back to tightening the vines that fastened the cooler containing their supplies to the raft.
However, just as she finished Brooklynn came over to look at them before giving them a bit of a tug, making sure they were as tight as possible. Said action got a raised eyebrow look from Yaz and a snort from Naruto.
"I can't believe we're finally leaving the island!" Sammy says suddenly with a wide happy smile. "I mean it feels like it's been ages since the Indominus broke out" she adds with a thoughtful look.
"Yeah, how long has it been?" Kenji asks scratching at the beginnings of stubble on his face before grinning thinking it made him look mature.
Seeing this Naruto just snorted in amusement "Well before your little accident with the shower water erased the chalkboard we were using to keep track of the days we had reached about a month and a half" the blonde remarks with a pointed look at the asian teen getting some chuckles from the others. "That being said, given your facial hair growth…if it can be called that. Darius's afro growth, and Brooklynn's roots showing…Still surprised you're a natural brunette. I would say it's been maybe two or three months?" the blonde adds looking at each teen as he mentions them.
Much like he had stated each of them had some slight variations to their appearance. Kenji with his small amount of facial hair, Darius's trimmed hair being a bit more poofy on the top, and Brooklynn's natural brunette hair peeking through as her roots showed. Taking a quick look at the others Naruto took note of how Sammy, Ben, and Yaz hadn't really changed much in appearance.
As the campers stared back at Isla Nublar while finally getting further and further away from it Darius had a bit of a smile on his face "Goodbye Jurassic World" the teen remarks sounding almost somber as he did. While the island had been one near death experience after another, the teen was still going to miss it.
However as he said this the group noticed Bumpy come running out of the treeline before stopping at the water's edge. The ankylosaur began letting out loud somber sounding bellows as she paced back and forth along the coastline staring at them.
Seeing this Ben gained a heartbroken look on his face as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes "Goodbye Bumpy" the teen remarks his voice quivering a bit as he bids his companion and friend farewell. While he knew there was no way to take the herbivore with them it still broke his heart to leave her behind.
The teen's somber moment however was suddenly rudely interrupted by a loud yell of "SEE YA NEVER, STUPID DINO ISLAND!" with the source of said yell unsurprisingly being from Kenji. "YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD EAT US!? NO WAY! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD STOMP ON US? THINK AGAIN!" the teen adds before lurching forward from a sap to the back.
"YEAH! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD CRUSH OUR SPIRITS? IMPOSSIBLE!" Sammy yells joining Kenji in a celebratory yell before the two share a high five.
Seeing this Ben couldn't help but brighten up, the energetic enthusiasm from two fellow campers almost being infectious. "To be fair, the island did crush my spirit…But then, I defeated Toro" the teen remarks before getting a groan of annoyance from Yaz and Naruto.
"Ugh not again" was the trackstar's response as she facepalmed.
"Ben, I swear to god, if you tells us that story, or mention it one more time, I am kicking you overboard and you can be our new rudder" Naruto remarks with a blank look on his face showing just how unamused he was to be hearing the story of the former scaredy-cat's feat of defeating Toro. Sure it was cool and impressive the first few times he told the story but the blonde was really starting to regret letting Ben tell the tale in the first place with how often he brought it up.
Hearing this Ben just gulps nervously before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly "Um right…sorry. Bumpy likes it when I tell her though" he says in his defense.
Naruto goes to open his mouth to say something in response but is interrupted by a large wave passing under the raft causing everyone to lurch a bit. Turning back to look in the direction they were sailing the blonde gained a perturbed look on his face "Well…shit" he remarks as heading right for the teens and their means of escape was a rapidly gaining in height wave.
"Everyone secure the vines" Brooklynn yells snapping out of her own shocked state at seeing the large wave as she starts pulling on the vines to tighten them.
"How?" Yaz asks as it wasn't like they had many options.
"I don't pull on them, just do something!" Brooklynn yells back as she tightly grips the vine in her hand to not only try and tighten it even more but also hold on as the raft starts rocking back and forth heavily from the waves getting stronger.
As she did this the others hunkered down near the back of the raft and held onto the vines holding the coolers containing the supplies."You said you had raft experience!" Yaz fires back at the social media star who had said just that shortly before they departed the island.
"I said I had SOME raft experience" Brooklynn counters back as the campers all hold onto the rocking raft tightly.
Hearing this Yaz just rolls her eyes in annoyance "Oh great so only SOME of us will die" she jokes grimly at the situation.
"Look it is what it is. The wind's strong we can just power over the wave before it crests" Darius yells as he holds on for dear life like the others.
Hearing this Naruto lets out a sigh from his spot kneeling next to Yaz. The blonde had one hand tightly gripping one of the vines holding the raft together. His other hand was wrapped around the waist of the girl securing her to him as it grabbed another vine. "Yeah that's not gonna work Darius!" the blonde calls out.
"What why!" was the shout back from the dinosaur fan.
"Well there's the fact we're about to lose the sail" Narutp remarks diverting their attention to the scrap of cloth just in time to see it get ripped away from the mast by a gust of wind. "And there's the fact the wave is already cresting" he adds, causing them to turn their attention to the now twenty foot tall wave barrel down on them as it had just crested. As the raft begins to climb up the wave Naruto lets out a chuckle "Ladies, Gentlemen,…Kenji, it's been fun" he jokes morbidly before they all let out a collective scream as the wave crashes down on them shattering the raft and sending them into the ocean.
(Isla Nublar)
As the sky turned dark and cloudy and the dinosaurs meandered about their daily lives the group of campers, their clothes completely soaked, trudged through the jungle back to camp in total silence. They admittedly weren't in the highest of spirits given the most recent failure attempt at escaping the island. Knocking some seawater loose from his left ear, Naruto sighed at the drop in morale. The blonde definitely took note of how Yaz and Brooklynn were subtly glaring at each other in annoyance from the corners of their eyes.
However the blonde was broken from his observations by the loud shouting of "Bumpy! We're back Bumpy!" from Ben as the teen called out for his ankylosaurs companion. Just as the campers reached the outskirts of camp the teen heard a rustling behind him and turned to see Bumpy emerging from the foliage. The herbivore bounds over to the teen knocking him over and getting a laugh from him as she rests her armored head against his chest. "Sorry Bumps, missed you too" the teen says gently rubbing her head.
"Alright everyone gather round, camp meeting!" Naruto suddenly calls out as the group reaches the bottom of their base. Said base having gotten a few upgrades since the whole Mitch and Tiff incident. They had gathered more broken wood and made a solid raised treehouse-style base with multiple ladders being the main way to access it. The only other means of reaching the top of the main level of their camp being a makeshift slide cobbled together outta scrap wood, with tarps covering it to make it slippery enough to slide down.
As the campers begin climbing the ladders Kenji lets out a groan "Ugh another one?" he asks in annoyance and fatigue before lazily sliding himself backwards up the slide. Seeing this Ben gives Bumpy a reassuring pat before heading over to the base as well.
Having gathered around a scavenged table, Naruto stood in front of the chalkboard they had previously been using to keep track of the days since they were left behind. "Alright so raft escape attempt number one was…" he says trailing off a bit.
"Wet, Bad, and didn't work?" Yaz remarks with a raised eyebrow and her arms crossed over her chest. The response getting a deadpan look from Naruto to which she just shrugs as it was the truth.
"It wasn't a total disaster…and on the plus side there is still no sign of Compies around camp?" Darius buts in offering a positive outlook to the situation. None of them were injured in the attempt, and they hadn't seen any of the pesky little dinosaurs around the camp in like two weeks.
Hearing the latter point caused Naruto to narrow his eyes a bit as it was odd for the compies, to suddenly stop lingering around camp. Not to mention all of the other strange instances of behavior he had seen from other dinosaurs during his various scavenging runs. Most notable was at times the herbivores were being more aggressive than normal. Not to mention how some of the dinosaurs had seemingly vanished or died off. "I can't recall the last time I saw a Metriacanthosaurus, Coelurus, or Mamenchisaurus" Naruto thinks as it was definitely strange. Mamenchisaurus in particular was a very alarming dinosaur to have died off in his mind as there was still plenty of grazing available on the island. Not to mention their sheer size made potential threats all but negligible given how Rexy was the only thing that posed a threat to them. 'They could have taken a hit to their population from the Indominus during its rampage. But even then there was still a decent number of them alive before the Mitch and Tiff thing' he adds in thought.
Naruto was snapped outta his thoughts however upon Sammy joining the conversation "Darius, we lost the raft, and almost drowned" she remarks pointing out just how badly their most recent escape attempt had gone. "How is that not a disaster?" the girl asks wondering what could qualify as a disaster if not that.
"...We didn't get eaten by dinosaurs?" was Darius's response as he shrugged with a nervous look on his face.
"It doesn't matter as we're out of options now" Brooklynn remarks suddenly with a shake of her head. Getting up from the scavenged couch she was sitting on next to Kenji, the girl grabs a piece of chalk lying on the table and walks over to the chalkboard. She spins it around to reveal several drawings depicting their various escape ideas. "We tried kayaks…" Brooklynn remarks pointing to said drawing of kayaks on the ocean with one of them being in the jaws of a shark. The image got a wince from Naruto as the group had gotten lucky that they decided to do a test run with an empty kayak. "Gyrospheres, followed by more Gyrospheres…" Brooklynn continues as she crosses out the drawings depicting gyrospheres on the ocean floor. "Oh and let's not forget Yaz's bad 'Find a Helicopter and learn to fly it ourselves' idea" she adds sarcastically while crossing out the image of a crashed and on fire helicopter. The remark got a narrowed look from Yaz given it was a poorly-veiled jab at her.
"Honestly that one could have worked had it not been for the fact the only helicopter on the island was my dad's" Naruto remarks offhandedly before looking at his makeshift sword resting up against the wall. It was a pretty simple and basic looking sword that consisted of a single piece of rectangular metal with a wooden handle at the end. He had scavenged the lone piece of metal that made up the blade from the ruins of his dad's helicopter. Then using a small sledgehammer he had found near what was apparently the paddock of the Indominus, and the heat from a campfire he had slowly pounded the metal into the shape of the sword. It wasn't an easy process and more than once the blonde had thought he broke the piece of metal but after roughly a week and a half he had finished. Then after carving out a makeshift wooden handle and securely fastening it to the blade, the end result was a just over two-foot long sword that while not aesthetically pleasing got the job done. Especially after he had taken another week to slowly sharpen the blade using some rocks. Looking at his weapon Naruto raised an eyebrow 'Huh never realized it before but it kinda looks like one of those blades used by the big orcs in the second Lord of the Rings movie' he thinks to himself in realization of what his blade looked like. Naruto then idly noted how he apparently had made the right choice to leave the weapon behind at camp for their latest escape attempt, as had he not, it likely would have ended up at the bottom of the ocean.
Ignoring what Naruto had said in her defense Yaz rolls her eyes once more at Brooklynn before scoffing "Oh and what about Brooklynn's even worse plan of 'Let's go back into the tunnels and look for a phone' idea?" the girl remarks as she stands up from the chair she had been sitting on. Walks over to Brooklyn, snatches the chalk out of the girl's hand and crosses out the drawing depicting the campers running from a tunnel hatch with two carnivore's emerging from said hatch. As an added insult towards the social media star, Yaz also crosses out the stick figure that resembles said girl with said girl scoffing.
Seeing this and the impending argument that was likely going to happen Naruto got between the girls "Alright think people, what haven't we tried yet?" he asks the group in an attempt to prevent the two girl's from fighting.
"Just gonna pitch this one more time…" Kenji begins to say before being cut off by a loud groan from Naruto, Yaz, Darius, and Brooklynn.
"Kenji we're not building a human catapult" Naruto remarks while pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration with the asian teen having suggested it yet again.
"But how do we know it can't be done if we've never tried?" Kenji counters with a grin on his face.
"I think your idea sounds fun at least" Sammy whispers to the teen with a smile that he returns.
"Ah thanks Sammy, and I always appreciate your optimism" Kenji remarks to the girl, getting a slight giggle from her before the two share a laugh.
Naruto's eye visibly twitches at his before he grins wickedly "Alright Kenji we can try your idea" he says surprising not only the others but Kenji himself. "However on the condition that YOU will be the first one to test to see if it works" he adds with his grin growing a bit as Kenji's smile vanishes and he gains a wide eyed look. "Though do keep in mind should it not work you would find yourself in the middle of the shark infested ocean. With said sharks apparently being pretty hungry given how the whole 'Kayak escape' attempt went" the blonde finishes getting a chuckle from Yaz as Kenji's face goes ghostly white in terror.
The asian teen audibly gulps hearing this "So um…let's put the human catapult idea on the backburner right guys?" he says with a nervous chuckle getting another chuckle from Yaz and Naruto with Broklynn and Darius snickering.
"I still think our best bet is a raft of some kind" Darius remarks after he stops snickering at Kenji. "If we had a better sail we should be able to power through the waves" he adds as in his opinion if they had a better sail it wouldn't have blown away.
Hearing the teen's remark Yaz shakes her head "Not to be a downer but there is a big flaw with that idea…it took us WEEKS to scavenge enough usable fabric for the sail we had" she points out.
"Besides, even if we do find a sail, what's to stop another crazy big wave from wrecking the next raft?" Brooklynn remarks with a valid point. A bigger, better sail was worthless if the raft attached to it could be destroyed by a wave.
"There has to be a fix, every problem has a fix" Darius counters, trying to be optimistic about the situation.
Naruto cupped his chin in thought as he listened to what the others were saying. Yaz and Brooklynn both had a point as a bigger sail would not only take longer to scavenge material for, but would also be useless if the raft wasn't sturdy enough. Yet Darius also had a point that they needed to stay positive. Looking to the side the blonde spotted leaning against the railing of the platform looking towards where Bumpy was resting. "Ben, what's your take on all this?" the teen asks the boy. However after not receiving a response he says "Ben!" louder trying to get his attention.
"Yo jungle boy! What do you think?" Kenji yells at the teen snapping him outta his thoughts.
Turning to face the others Ben has a confused look on his face "Oh uh what you said?" he remarks seemingly agreeing with Kenji.
"Really? You think a human catapult is the best idea?" Yaz asks with a raised eyebrow, a little surprised that the teen was agreeing with Kenji's idea.
Hearing what he was seemingly agreeing with Ben's eyes widened "Oh! No, that's a horrible and ridiculous idea" he says, causing Kenji's eye to twitch a bit in annoyance. "Darius is right, a raft is the best option we have" the jungle teen adds, clarifying what he was agreeing to.
"Thank you!" Darius states loudly thankful that the teen was agreeing with him over Kenji's crazy idea.
"Well since there are no other options it looks like we're sticking with the raft plan" Naruto remarks with a nod of his head as that was only the best chance they had.
"Where are we going to scavenge more material for a sail though?" Brooklynn asks as that was the biggest obstacle to their escape. Actually making the raft and gathering the materials to do so was simple, the sail however…not so much.
The social media star's question was met with silence for an answer showing that none of the group had an answer to it. However that silence was soon broken by Kenji "It's a shame we can't just go up to Lookout Point and hang glide all the way to Costa Rica" the teen remarks with a shrug.
"Wait what?" Darius asks in confusion having never heard of the place before.
"Ugh stupid!" Naruto remarks with a facepalm catching the attention of the others. "Lookout point is on top of one of the mountains on the western side of the island. It has a gondola up to it, and at the top has hang gliders and binocular stations" the teen says with a sigh explaining just what it was.
"Wait, hang gliders? As in things made of material DESIGNED to catch the wind?" Brooklynn asks with wide eyes.
"Yep" was the blonde's response.
"...WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS WEEKS AGO!" The girl yells back at him throwing her arms up in the air
"I forgot about it" Naruto admits sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck.
"Um, how could you have forgotten about it Naruto?" Sammy asks with a curious look on her face as it seemed like something the blonde wouldn't forget given how helpful it could be.
"Mainly because I haven't been up there since before the Indominus broke out…and I have been preoccupied with other things" the blonde admits nervously with a slight chuckle. He was really hoping that the questioning stopped there as he wasn't ready to tell the just WHAT he had been preoccupied with yet.
Hearing this the others just deadpan at the blonde before cheering up at the prospect of just what finding the hang gliders would mean. "Hey! We could use the hang gliders as a sail!" Kenji says with a wide grin and look of realization on his face.
The remark gets a snort from Yaz and a deadpanned look from Brooklynn and a facepalm from Darius "...Right, so let's get headed out to Lookout point, as if we leave now we should be back before nightfall" Naruto says to the group declaring their objective and getting nods from them all. As they begin making their way back down to the ground Darius takes note of Ben having turned his attention back to Bumpy with an uncertain look on the teen's face.
(Couple hours later)
Exiting from the jungle once again the campers find themselves standing in front of a gondola station with the wire track for said gondolas heading up to a tall mountain with misty clouds circling around the summit "Welcome to lookout point…which technically is actually way up there" Kenji remarks suddenly to the others.
"...Yes Kenji we can see that" Brooklynn remarks with a deadpan look on her face at the asian teen's introduction of the place. Her comment getting a snort of amusement from Darius.
"So uh how are we supposed to get up there?" Darius asks, looking at the mountain and the gondola scaling it.
"Well given that the power is out again, we are probably going to have to hike up to the summit" Naruto states as he looks between the mountain and the gondola station. "Yep really starting to regret the whole geothermal plan debacle a while back." the blonde thinks to himself briefly reflecting the incident that led to any and all power on the island being knocked out on the island once and for all.
Hearing this Kenji lets out a groan "Ugh that means it's probably going to be like a one to five day trek" he laments in annoyance at the prospect of having to hike up the mountain.
Yaz scoffs at the teen's remark as she stretches twisting her back side to side while alternating which arm she had over her jest "Please that will take me an hour, maybe two tops" the trackstar comments with a smirk on her face.
"An hour or more? What's wrong Yaz you slowing down or something?" Naruto teases the girl with a wink causing her to fume at him "I mean I could probably make it to the top in like thirty to forty five minutes at most" he adds giving her a playful nudge and chuckling as he ducks under the swipe she took at his back.
"Great, we'll meet you at the top!" Brooklynn calls out, gaining their attention. Turning to look at said girl they find her standing on the sky gondola platform next to a control panel before she presses a button. With a whirring sound the machinery groans to life and the lift starts cycling the gondolas along its track up towards the mountain.
"Solar powered, what are the odds?" Kenji remarks with a raised eyebrow at the incredibly lucky turn of events for the group.
"Apparently in our favor for once" Naruto replies with a slight twitching to his eyebrow. The blonde wouldn't say it aloud but he was rather annoyed that the sky gondola/lookout point of all places was seemingly the sole place on the island that ran via solar power. Especially when there were SO many places that would have benefited more from it or at the very least a solar powered backup power source.
However the blonde was broken from his mental annoyance at poor placement of vital resources by Kenji's sudden shout of "Last one there's, the last one there!" as he ran towards the gondolas. Hearing this Sammy quickly followed after him the two getting into one of the spherical pods of transportation up the mountain. As the glass doors of the gondola close they jokingly make faces at Yaz as she reaches the platform with Naruto right behind her.
The trackstar gives Brooklynn an uneasy look "Brooklynn" she remarks feeling awkward given the tension still between them as a result of the spat back at camp.
"I guess we're going to ride together" Brooklynn remarks, feeling awkward herself at the situation.
"Yep, looks like it" Yasmina remarks with a forced smile on her face. Beside her Naruto just shakes his head at the awkwardness between the two before the trio enter a gondola as it stops at the station. After they take inside the doors close behind them and they begin their ascent of the mountain.
As the gondola leaves Darius looks at the next one arriving before turning back to Ben who was behind him. "Looks like its you and me this time Ben" the teen remarks with a smile on his face.
"Actually Darius, you go on ahead. I think I'm gonna stay behind with Bumpy" Ben remarks as he gestures over his shoulder to behind him where said herbivore was casually grazing on some nearby ferns.
Hearing this Darius raises an eyebrow "Uh, are you sure?" he asks his fellow former camper.
"Yeah go on ahead I'll be fine" Ben remarks waving Darius off. The former germaphobe then proceeds to walk towards Bumpy and affectionately rub her head getting a low bellow from the herbivore before the two walk off.
Watching this Darius gains a concerned look on his face. He remembered how heartbroken Ben looked when they attempted to leave the island earlier. Not to mention how distracted he seemed back at the camp meeting. The dino enthusiast had a hunch that something was going on with his friend and he needed to figure out what was wrong. With his mind made up Darius reaches behind him and pulls the toy dino walkie talkie clipped to the back of his belt. Activating the walkie-talkie the teen says "Kenji, tell Naruto that you guys should go on ahead and get the hang glider without us…I think something is bothering Ben" he says into the device.
After a moment a crackle is heard from it "What?" Kenji is heard saying in response to the question from his own walkie-talkie.
"I said…" Darius begins to repeat what he said only to be interrupted by Kenji asking "What?" again as Sammy could be heard laughing in the background.
Rolling his eyes Darius just sighs "Never mind" he says before shutting off the communication device and reclipping it back to his belt. The teen then quickly follows after Ben and Bumpy before proceeding to wrap his arm around the back of the teen's shoulder.
Seeing this Ben raises an eyebrow "I thought you were going up with the others?" he asks in confusion regarding Darius's sudden change of mind.
"Nah they got it covered. I mean it's a simple supply run and besides Naruto is with them" Darius responds quickly thinking up an excuse to explain him not going with the others. The teen was hoping Ben would buy the excuse as he didn't want it to seem like he was snooping on the former scaredy cat. "Besides, what could go wrong?" he adds, trying to further sell his excuse to Ben.
(Naruto, Brooklynn, Yaz, Kenji, Sammy)
Unknown to Darius his remark seemed to have jinxed the others as the gondola Sammy and Kenji rode in shook back and forth along the cable it rode. As it did this the two teens were screaming from within the hanging pod…or so it would seem as their screaming soon shifted to laughter given THEY were the ones making the gondola swing back and forth. The two were achieving this by taking turns pushing on either side of the gondola.
Sharing a laugh the two ceased their amusement and sat down on the bench within the ride "Kenji, I gotta say you're one of my favorite people to hang out with" Sammy says suddenly to the teen.
Hearing this Kenji's eyes widen a bit in shock "Oh um thank you" he says in response, sincerely touched by her words.
"Yep right up there with Yaz, Brooklynn, Darius, Ben, Bumpy, and Naruto" Sammy adds with a chuckle as she lists the names of the others.
Hearing this Kenji deflates a little bit thinking maybe he mistook what she meant with the initial remark."So like Top 6?" he asks with an unsure look.
Sammy taps her chin in thought for a moment "Meh more like Top three as you're more fun to hang out with than the other guys, but not as fun to hang out with as Yaz and Brooklynn" she says with a nod of her head.
This clarification causes the teen's mood to noticeably brighten again "Sweet" Kenji remarks with a wide grin before the two stand back up and resume rocking the gondola side to side, laughing all the while.
The atmosphere in the gondola behind them however was essentially the total opposite as Yaz, Brooklynn, and Naruto all sat in silence. The blonde of the trio was leaning back into the seat as he sat next to Yaz resting his eyes a bit. While the two girls were looking anywhere but at each other. Yaz began to fidget a bit, patting her thighs before stretching her arms back and accidentally wrapping her left arm over the blonde's shoulders. Noticing this the girl blushes slightly "Sorry" she quietly remarks moving her arm.
"So" Brooklynn suddenly remarks while trying to break the atmosphere of awkwardness permeating the interior of the gondola. "What do you like to do for fun back home?" she asks Yaz.
"I um don't have a lot of time for fun" Yaz responds rubbing the back of her neck and looking out the side of the pod. "I'm always competing or training-" she continues to explain before being cut off.
"Right right, totally relate" Brooklynn remarks butting in a bit and cutting Yaz off.
Hearing this Yaz raises a skeptical brow as she looks at Brooklynn. "Oh so you know what it's like to spend five hours in the gym every day?" she asks in a slightly hostile tone of voice given her annoyance at Brooklynn seemingly downplaying all the hard work she has to do being an athlete.
Brooklynn scoffs a bit at this "I wish my job only took five hours a day!" she remarks with a slight tone of annoyance to her voice as well.
Yaz rolls her eyes at this before letting out a sigh "Yeah I'm sure it's so hard to get paid to go see all sorts of cool places, and record videos on your smartphone" she snaps back with a fake sounding sympathetic tone in her voice.
Brooklynn narrows her eyes at this before grinning a bit "As a matter of fact it actually is. Have you ever tried to hold your phone steady while trying to climb a glacier?" she asks the athletic girl.
"No I was too busy running four-and-a-half-minute miles with training weights weighing me down" Yaz counters with a smirk of own.
"Oh you should definitely try it, I mean it's especially fun when trying to appease sponsors and…" Brooklynn begins to say.
However she is cut off by Yaz who snorts "Mmm been there" she says with a roll of her eyes.
Brooklynn ignores the remark and continues on "Sacrificing a normal childhood just to maintain good numbers" she finishes with a strained smirk on her face.
"Oh yeah same here" Yaz remarks cheerfully with a fake grin plastered on her face.
"Wow!" Brooklynn says with a fake-sounding tone to her voice "We just have…so much in common" she says through grit teeth trying with all her might to restrain herself from lashing out at Yaz.
"Yep" Yaz remarks with a very strained smile on her face "So…nice" she says through grit teeth of her own.
The two girls fall back into silence at this before turning to look at Naruto as he lets out a sigh. Getting up from his seat the blonde walks over to the side of the gondola where the door is and cups his chin in thought as he taps the glass.
"Um Naruto…what are you doing?" Yaz asks him with a questioning look on her face.
Tapping on the glass a few more times before answering Naruto just hums in thought "Wondering if I would be able to force the door open, and debating on whether jumping to the ground would injure, kill, or do nothing at all to me" was his response as he resumed tapping along the seam of the doors.
Hearing this from the blonde, both girls gain an annoyed look on their faces. Turning to each other they share a look and silent nod before they each deliver a light kick to his butt. The result of said action being Naruto pushed into the glass and squished up against it. Letting out a low groan of pain he remarks "...I should have got in a different gondola" with a sigh as he slid down the glass to the floor. Behind him the two teen girls shared a smirk before they resumed riding in silence. All the while still listening to Kenji and Sammy cheer as they continued rocking the other gondola back and forth.
(Ben, Bumpy, Darius)
As the armored herbivore munched on a bush of ferns, Ben walked up beside her and dropped a pile of palm fronds down on the ground. As he did this Darius walked up behind the teen watching Ben start weaving the fronds together "Ben! How's it going?" he asks abruptly.
"Fine?" Ben replies with a raised eyebrow looking over his shoulder at Darius in confusion. Turning his attention back to the palm fronds he resumed weaving them together. "I'm just making a 'Bumpy Sled' so she can carry the hang glider when the others come back with it. I figured we might as well be useful since we're down here" he adds with a shrug. Standing back up the teen begins walking over to a nearby berry bush and starts gathering some of the fruit.
"Ah a 'Bumpy Sled' of course!" Darius remarks in an over exaggerated manner before following after his fellow teen. "Besides the 'Bumpy Sled', how's it going?" he asks with a wide grin that fades a bit "Like going-going?" Darius adds nervously.
Seeing the look on Darius's face, Ben quirks a brow as the other is acting oddly. "Why are you asking me how I'm doing?" he asks, suspicious of Darius's motives. However as the former scaredy cat soon thinks of a reason as to why Darius was making these inquiries "Wait did Kenji put you up to this?" Standing up Ben sports an angry snarling look on his face as he looks around the area "Kenji! If you're pranking me again, oh you will regret it!" he yells loudly looking all around for any sign of the asian teen.
"Whoa whoa whoa! No one's pranking you!" Darius says quickly with wide eyes as he tries to calm Ben down. "You saw Kenji go up on the gondola…jeez high strung much?" the teen adds with a bit of a wince. Letting out a sigh Darius figures it's a good idea to just be honest with Ben "I just thought that something was bothering you earlier and I wanted to check on you." he says revealing the reason for his probing questions.
Hearing this Ben calms down before letting out a sigh and shaking his head "It's nothing…I'll be fine" he says dismissively of the topic before walking over to Bumpy and setting some of the berries he downed next to the herbivore.
Darius's eyes widen a bit at this remark before he points at Ben "There it is…" he remarks mysteriously. Hearing this remark Ben turns to look at Darius in confusion. Seeing the confusion on the other teen's face Darius clarifies "You said you would 'Be fine' which therefore means that you are 'not fine' right now" he says in a whispery tone of realization.
Ben shakes his head at this while sucking his teeth at his slipup. However before he says anything the sound of leaves rustling nearby causes him to go on alert "Did you hear that?" he asks Darius, narrowing his eyes a bit as he looks out into the foggy jungle for any potential threats. After a few tense moments of silence and not seeing anything he slowly picks up the palm fronds he had been working with "We should move out just to be safe" he whispers to Darius.
With a silent nod of agreement the two teens and one armored herbivore carefully leave the area "But don't think you're getting out of telling me what's wrong" Darius whispers to Ben causing the other teen to roll his eyes.
As the trio left they had unknowingly made a wise decision as moments later the terrifying form of the red and black colored Ceratosaurus emerged from within the thick fog of the jungle. The hungry carnivore's gaze was directed directly at the departing group. However just as it went to charge and attack it failed to notice the blur of movement from its side. With a shriek-like growl another dinosaur slammed into it before sinking its teeth into the Ceratosaurus's neck sending the two to the ground. The bushes shook for a moment as a low pain filled growl filled the air before a sickening crunch cut it off and another loud shriek-like roar was heard.
Unaware of all this Ben, Darius, and Bumpy continued leaving the area, the two teens only turning to look over their shoulders briefly in the direction of the sound. However the thick foliage of the jungle coupled with the heavy fog prevented them from seeing anything. Despite not being able to see any potential threats the trio picked up their pace a bit just to be sure.
(Lookout Point)
At the top of the mountain Kenji and Sammy's gondola reached the landing platform. The pod stopped for a moment before the doors slid open and the two teens quickly exited it. Kenji and Sammy proceed to run to the edge of the landing and stand next to a binocular stand gazing out at the view of trees, and ocean down below. Grinning as he turned to look at Sammy Kenji remarks "Pretty cool huh?" just as the gondola carrying Naruto, Yaz, and Brooklynn arrives.
As the trio step out they collectively stare at their fellow campers lounging over by the railing. Yaz crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow "Sure we'll go get the hang gliders. You guys feel free to relax over there and check out the view" she calls out to them in a sarcastic tone.
"Sounds good!" Kenji calls back with a grin and thumbs up.
"Ah thanks Yaz, that's super nice of you" Sammy says innocently with a wide smile on her face before she turns around and begins looking through the binocular stand.
In response to these responses Yaz forces a strained smile on her face as she grits her teeth. "Well that backfired" Naruto remarks with a deadpan look on his face as he walks up beside the athlete.
Hoping to seemingly score some 'brownie points' Brooklynn gets an idea "Yaz why don't you hang back here. I unboxed hang gliding in Mozambique so it's probably for the best that I be the one to get them. Afterall I have more experience with them." the girl remarks gesturing towards the pair of lage hang gliders sitting on the grind near the edge of the mountain.
Her eyebrow twitching at the remark Yaz forces a smile "That's okay, those hang gliders look pretty big, so it's probably best for me the athlete to do the heavy lifting" she says before she brushes past Brooklynn and begins walking towards the hang gliders.
"No really please I insist" Brooklynn counters walking after and passing the girl.
Seeing this Naruto sighs yet again "Nope not getting in the middle this time" he says to himself before seeing a large storage locker and waking over to it. The blonde figured that maybe there could be some more supplies they could use inside. "Or maybe some medicine to get rid of all the headaches the majority of the group are giving me today" he thinks to himself having grown increasingly annoyed by the bickering between Yaz and Brooklynn…as well as Kenji and Sammy slacking off.
Speaking of the latter two Kenji was looking through the binocular stand when he heard Sammy sigh "You know, when you look past all the 'Imminent death lurking around every corner' thing this place really is a paradise" she says with a small smile while gazing out at the view.
(Darius, Ben, Bumpy)
"You're insecure about your headband?" Darius asks as he watches Ben use some vines to secure several branches together making the frame of the 'Bumpy Sled'.
"No" was the teen's one word response as he continued his work.
Thinking for a moment Darius tapped his fingers along the toy triceratops walkie talkie in his right hand "You're out of hand sanitizer?" he asks, thinking of another potential reason for the fun Ben is seemingly in.
"Ha! Never" Ben remarks with a snorting laugh, amused by the very notion that he would ever run out of hand sanitizer. Hardened survivalist he may have become but the teen still made sure he had a supply of the cleaning liquid on him at all times.
Darius deadpanned hearing this as he had to admit to himself it was a stupid guess. However after a moment of thought he thinks of another possible reason "You have a phobia of some sort?...Oh Acrophobia!" he says listing a possible phobia.
"Given how I have climbed the tall trees here going to have to say no" Ben remarks with a roll of his eyes at the question given how Darius himself had seen Ben climb said trees.
"What about Autophobia?" Darius asks, listing another phobia that he thinks Ben could be suffering from.
"And that is what?" Ben asks with a raised eyebrow having never heard of the term.
"I think it's the fear of being alone?" Darius replies unsure if he had gotten the definition of the phobia right. The teen had only heard about it briefly when reading about the prior incidents involving dinosaurs such as Jurassic Park, and later the "Kirby Incident" back in 2001. Apparently from what he remembered Lex Murphy had developed a brief case of Autophobia following the Jurassic Park incident due to her experiences…namely when Donald Gennaro abandoned the girl and her brother during Rexy's breakout.
Ben scoffs a bit hearing this "Isn't everybody afraid of being alone?" he counters to Darius's guess.
"...Oh yeah" Darius remarks quietly with a slight wince as the other teen had a point there. However with a shake of his head he focuses on Ben "Well, whatever the issue you're going through is, I'm sure I can help" he says trying to be optimistic.
Having had enough of Darius's probing questions Ben stands up and looks at his fellow camper with an annoyed expression on his face "NO YOU CAN'T!" he snaps startling Darius a bit with his outburst. "Not every problem has a solution" he says before turning around and starting to walk towards Bumpy where she was grazing.
"Yes it does" Darius counters though his response is a near whisper.
"Not this one" Ben states firmly shutting down Darius's counterpoint.
Undeterred by this Darius follows after his friend "Well if you tell me what it is, then I'm sure that all of us as a group can figure out a solution to the problem" he says wanting to reassure Ben that the others are there to help him as well. After a moment he thinks of another possible guess as to what the problem could be "You're worried about carbon emissions?" he asks.
Hearing the question Ben just grits his teeth as his face scrunches up in anger. Stopping in place he turns to face Darius "I don't want to leave Bumpy again! That's my problem" he yells at the teen, fed up with the probing questions.
Hearing this Darius's eyes widen in shock at the revelation and he gives the grazing herbivore a side look. "Oh well um…Well you don't have to leave Bumpy. We can just build a bigger raft" he says sheepishly, offering an optimistic outlook.
Ben just shakes his head at the suggestion "Darius we went through this when we decided to build the first raft. Bumpy will never fit on a raft, and even if she could we are talking about days if not potentially weeks that we could be afloat in the ocean. Then there is taking into account the amount of food we would need to bring JUST to make sure she is fed. It's just not feasible" he says countering Darius's suggestion with the realism of their scenario. Looking down sadly as he watches Bumpy continue to munch on a fern bush the teen sighs "She has to stay here…There's just no other way" he adds with a shake of his head.
Both teens let out a sad sigh at this before Ben reaches down and begins running his hand atop Bumpy's armored head "When we got back to camp and I saw her…" he begins to say as he continues petting her with Bumpy leaning into the touch slightly as she eats. "I realized that it was a mistake to leave her. She has always been there for me, and then…I just abandoned her?" he remarks, his voice cracking a bit with sadness. With a shake of his head Ben sighs "I just…I just can't do that again" he says sadly.
As if sensing the sadness of Ben, Bumpy ceases her grazing and looks at him before letting out a low comforting bellow. The herbivore then gently presses her head to his chest, surprising him for a moment before he wraps his arms around it and hugs her.
Darius watches the heartwarming scene between teen and dinosaur for a moment before sighing "Ben, she'll be okay without you" he says trying to reason with the teen. Though if Darius was being honest with himself that was an extremely optimistic thought at best. Ben had a point Bumpy would be alone and vulnerable as a result if she didn't end up finding a herd of other Ankylosaurus. Then even if she did it didn't mean she was out of danger given all the predators on the island, not to mention any other potential threats like natural disasters or diseases.
Letting out a sigh Ben pulls back from his embrace of Bumpy "Of Course she will, she's a survivor" he says softly with a proud smile on his face as he looks at Bumpy and the dinosaur stares back at him. "It's just that I don't know if I'll be okay with leaving her" The teen adds sadly with tears welling up in his eyes. Hugging Bumpy one more time before wiping his eyes Ben looks at his fellow teen "I appreciate what you're trying to do Darius. But some things…just can't be fixed" he remarks with a sigh. Hearing this Darius opens his mouth to counter the teen's point…But the words fail in his throat as he can't think of anything to counter it with. So instead he shares a somber look with Ben.
(Lookout Point)
Upon reaching the hang gliders Brooklynn gave Yaz a smirk over her shoulder before she attempted to lift the glider. However with a grunt of exertion the pink haired girl was only able to lift the glider a few inches off the ground before losing her grip. Seeing this Yaz just smirked cockily before cracking her knuckles and bending down. Getting a firm grip on the glider the athletic girl attempted to lift the glider. Yet just like with Brooklynn she only managed to get it a few inches off the ground.
Narrowing her eyes at this Yasmina looks down underneath the glider wing to see a padlock and chain wrapped around the frame of the hang glider and connected to the ground securing it firmly in place.
Seeing the lock Brooklynn smirks "Relax, I can so totally pick that lock" she says pulling a bobby pin outta her hair and getting to work at picking the lock.
Yaz rolls her eyes at this "That will take forever, all we need is a rock to smash the lock" she says before standing up and walking away from the glider to look for one. Hearing this Brooklynn just rolls her eyes before resuming trying to unlock the lock.
As Yaz looks around the area for a rock she spots Naruto off to the side in a strange looking suit "Uh Naruto…what's with the suit?" she asks the blonde with a raised eyebrow.
Turning around the blonde grins at her and raises his arms up showing that there was a fabric-membrane between them and the sides of his legs "It's a wingsuit" he says only to see the confused look on the girl's face. "It's like a hang glider but a suit and allows you to glide through the air?" Naruto remarks explaining what the suit was.
"...I know what a wing suit is" Yaz remarks with a deadpan look "I meant why are you wearing it?" she adds, clarifying what she was referring to.
Hearing this Naruto chuckles "Well I found it in that supply locker over there and decided to try it on" he answers while rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess my dad gave the go ahead for them to be tested as a thrill ride for the park after all" he adds. The blonde remembered his father mentioning an idea he had for a new attraction involving the wingsuits but it needed some tweaks and testing before it could get the green light to be added.
"...Right, well I am going to keep looking for a rock to prove my point to Brooklynn so have fun" The girl remarks before resuming her search for said item.
Watching her walk off for a moment Naruto feels a slight shiver go up his spine "Not sure I want to delve any deeper into that remark" he thinks to himself. He knew she wasn't going to injure Brooklynn with the rock so it should be fine…well more like he hoped she wouldn't. With that thought in mind the blonde went back to inspecting the wingsuit.
Walking away from the blonde Yaz began idly looking over various rocks on the ground picking several up to see if they would work. Ultimately though most of them seemed a bit on the smaller side. Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted some black rocks that were of a larger size. The sight caused her to grin in triumph before it was quickly replaced with a look of dread.
Meanwhile Sammy was looking through the binocular stand with a grin on her face as next to her Kenji goofed off trying to get in the way of her vision. Giggling at this Sammy turned the binoculars to look in a different direction "Wow I can see everything…Trees…Trees…More trees..A pair of Triceratops, wow um, I guess they are a lot like the cows back home" she says listing everything she could see though the latter made her blush a bit. Turning the binoculars away from the 'busy' pair of dinosaurs she resumed her gazing "Yet more trees…jungle…the beach…" she says before gasping with wide eyes at what she just saw "Kenji! Look at this quick!" the girl nearly yells before pulling him over and making him look through the binoculars. The sight the two could see through the viewing device resulted in them both sharing a look of disbelief on their faces.
It was at this moment that Brooklynn managed to finally pick the lock grounding the hang glider. Letting out a cheer "Oh yeah!" she remarks standing up and while twirling the padlock around her finger walks over to where Yaz was squatting down by some rocks. "So much for taking forever" the girl boasts with a smile proud of having proved Yaz wrong. However after a moment of waiting for Yaz's response and not getting any Brooklynn's smile falls "Yaz?" she asks, wondering what was going on with the athletic girl.
Looking over her shoulder with a scared look Yaz says three words that form a pit of dread in Brooklynn's stomach "These aren't rocks" while turning around to show the large black oval-shaped object in her hands "They're eggs".
Hearing this, Brooklynn gasps and quickly looks towards the gondola station in hopes that they had a quick exit available to them. However her hopes were seemingly dashed as she spotted one of the pods starting its descent. Turning back to the nest in front of her the girl gulps "If there's eggs, then there is bound to be…" she begins to say before a screech is heard and a Dimorphodon lands on the nest protectively guarding the other eggs that lay within.
Seeing this the two girls freeze in place as a tense staredown forms between humans and flying reptile. Yaz takes note of how the prehistoric flying reptile's gaze was solely locked on the egg currently in her grasp. So with great care the teen begins very slowly and gently setting the egg on the ground before standing up. Taking a hesitant step back the girl eyes Brooklynn out of the corner of her eye "Back to the gondolas" she says quietly before the two make a break for it.
Running back to the landing station Brooklynn yells "WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" as loud as she could to alert the others of the immediate need to flee the area. The sudden shout is successful in catching the attention of Naruto, Kenji, and Sammy who turn just in time to see the two girls starting to run up the stairs to the platform.
However just as they were about to reach the top the Dimorphodon landed in front of them with a screech causing them to let out a yell and stop in place. Seeing this Kenji and Sammy gained scared looks as they back away towards the safety railing of the platform and Naruto curses. "Shit if there's one there's bound to be…" he starts to say before another screech is heard from behind Kenji and Sammy.
Looking behind them the two teens let out a gasp as another Dimorphodon flies up over the railing before perching on the side of the gondola station and crawling down at them baring its teeth and screeching at them. "Nice creepy bird thing" Kenji says quietly trying to calm the creature so it doesn't attack, though his efforts seem for naught as it slowly starts advancing on them.
"Quick we need to knock them out before-" Naruto begins to say only to be cut off by the need to cover his ears in pain. An action that was mirrored by the others as a result of the Dimorphodons repeatedly letting out an incredibly loud and shrill screech.
"Why is it doing that!" Yaz yells as she covers her own ears to try and block out the screeches. The girl not noticing the multitude of shadows passing over her and Brooklynn. However Brooklynn does and upon looking up into the sky she gains a horrified look on her face.
"It's a distress call! They're calling for backup!" Naruto yells with a wince due to the sound and notices the massive flock of Dimorphodons rapidly flying towards them. The teen's eyes widened in alarm at this as there was no way they could fight off the swarm given the sheer numbers it possessed. "Quickly back to the gondolas!" he yells out to the others before running as best he could in the wingsuit towards Yaz and Brooklynn to try and help them.
As if the blonde's words were a match it set off a veritable explosion of movement for the group. Kenji and Sammy lept to the side to avoid a lunge attack from the Dimorphodon in front of them. The two made a mad dash for the gondolas with Sammy buying them a bit more time as a result of throwing a nearby lounge chair at the flying reptile, dazing it momentarily. The two teens made it to the gondola and looked on with nervous and frantic expressions as the pod of safety slowly approached them "Oh come on already!" Kenji pleaded as the pod got closer and closer.
Turning around the two teens saw the Dimorphodon shaking off its dazed state before it lunged at them once more. Letting out a yelp Kenji and Sammy fell backwards and instead of falling down the side of the mountain they luckily landed inside the safety of the gondola as it had just arrived and the automatic doors opened. However they weren't safe just yet as the Dimorphodon managed to wedge its head in between the closing doors screeching and scratching at the pod as it tried to get at the two humans. "Get lost already!" Kenji roars out with a yell as he kicks the flying reptile in the head, dislodging it from between the doors allowing them to shut. The flying reptile let out another screech before it lunged at the pod once more only to slam into the protective glass and slide down it. Seeing this Kenji and Sammy let out a sigh of relief as their pod slowly began making its descent down the mountain. While they had managed to escape the two teens hoped the others would manage to as well.
As Kenji and Sammy were safely on their way back down to the bottom of the mountain Brooklyn and Yaz slowly backed up from the pair of advancing Dimorphodons in front of them. The two girls were getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff and the hang gliders. While off to the side Naruto was backing away from a trio of the flying reptiles himself. Picking up a rock the blonde chucked it at the pair of Dimorphodons on the girls "Use the Hang Glider!" he calls out to the two.
Looking behind them the girls look between the hundreds of feet drop and the hang glider. "No other choice" Brooklynn remarks with a gulp.
Nodding her head in agreement Yaz looks towards Naruto "What about you!?" she calls out to the blonde.
"I got my own way down, now go!" Naruto yells back to her before running to the cliff by where he was and jumping off. The trio of Dimorphodons taking flight right after him.
Seeing this Brooklynn and Yaz quickly secure themselves into the harness of the hang glider and with a yell jump off the edge of the platform with it. From the gondola Sammy and Kenji watch the two girls plummet towards the ground with terrified looks on their faces. However instead of splattering against the side of the mountain Brooklynn and Yasmina managed to right the hang glider and soar up into the sky with it.
Upon opening their eyes and noticing that they hadn't ended up a smear down the side of the mountain Yaz, and Brooklynn exhaled a collective sigh of relief before chuckling a bit. For a moment the two girls took in the amazing sight as they soared through the air. However their brief moment of peace was abruptly ruined as the screeching from a multitude of Dimorphodons rapidly gaining on them from behind brought them back to reality. Unknowingly to the two girls, down below them Ben and Darius seeing the numerous shadows passing over them looked up and gained shocked looks.
Looking back over her shoulder Brooklynn saw the swarm of flying reptiles rapidly gaining on them "We gotta speed up!" she states frantically pushing the steering bar in a desperate attempt to make the glider go faster.
"How!? It's not like there's a gas pedal or anything on this thing" Yaz counters in frustration while looking all around as the Dimorphodons catch up to them.
"Lean left!" Brooklynn shouts as she notices several of the flying reptiles dive on them. Acting fast both girls shifted their weight to the left while pressing down on the hand-bar of the glider . The action resulted in the glider turning left, and proved to be just in time as several of the Dimorphodons died past the girls.
"Incoming! Lean right!" Yaz calls out after spotting another group of the flying reptiles diving towards them. Turning again the two girls narrowly avoided the flying reptiles, though it was a bit closer than they would have preferred. Looking around at the swarm Yaz knew it was only a matter of time before one or more of the Dimorphodons collided with them. However she spotted something that could potentially help them "Quick head for the clouds!" Yaz shouted pointing towards said weather formations. Acting fast the two girls steered towards the clouds and entered them with the Dimorphodons letting out screeches as they lost sight of their prey.
As the two girls flew through thick clouds they kept their eyes and ears peeled for the Dimorphodons. Yet they heard or saw no signs of the flying reptiles resulting in them sharing a chuckle at having evaded their pursuers. Seeing the coast was clear they steered out of the cloud and back into the clear skies.
As she took a look behind them and saw no sign of the Dimorphodon swarm Brooklynn let out a laugh "I think we lost them!" she exclaimed with a smile which Yaz shared. The track star then went for a high-five which Brooklynn awkwardly returned. Though she was happy that they had seemingly gotten over whatever issues they were having with each other.
However the moment of joy was quickly shattered by a lone Dimorphodon slamming into the top of the hang glider and puncturing through the fabric with its head. The angry flying reptile snapped at them with its jaws to which the two girls narrowly avoided. However they had a larger issue at hand as the resulting damage to the glider had caused it to lose some aerodynamics resulting in the pair starting to lose altitude rather rapidly. Letting out panicked yells all the pair could do was hold on for their lives as the ground rapidly grew closer and closer. All the while trying to avoid the deadly jaws of the flying reptile as it continues to try and sink its teeth into them.
From down on the ground Darius and Ben watch the aerial scene play out with panicked looks on their faces before they race after the two girls. Keeping their eyes glued to the rapidly descending glider they run after it and watch as it crashes into the treetops just ahead of them. Darius's eyes widened in shock and fear at this "Yaz! Brooklynn!" he calls out to the two girls hoping they weren't injured or worse from the landing.
"Darius watch out!" Ben calls out to the teen suddenly as he notices an incoming threat. Acting fast the teen tackles Darius to the ground just in time as a Dimorphodon nearly sinks its jaws into the top of Darius's head as it dives on him. Rolling to a stop the boys look on in fear as the flying reptile loops back around and lets out a screech as it dives on them once more.
However the flying reptiles attack came to a sudden and brutal stop as it met the business end of Bumpy. The armored dinosaur had rushed over and swung her club-like tail at the Dimorphodon in defense of the two teens. This action upon impact with the small flying reptile had resulted in a very quick sound of many bones shattering before they along with the animal in which they resided virtually exploded into a burst of blood flesh. The force behind Bumpy's swing combined with the bone club at the end of it being so great that it exploded the fragile body of the flying reptile.
Seeing the threat defeated Bumpy lets out a triumphant bellow as Ben and Darius look on with wide eyes. "Way to go Bumps! You showed him who was boss" Ben suddenly calls out with a wide grin, proud of his partner. Hearing this compliment the armored dinosaur let out an excited bellow and seemingly preened at the complement.
Beside him Darius swallowed a bit of vomit that had worked its way up at the graphic and brutal demise of the Dimorphodon "It's like that bird all over again" the teen thinks to himself remembering seeing a bird inadvertently get smacked by a baseball bat at a game his dad took him to. Though admittedly this was worse given how the bird exploded into feathers…the flying reptile had exploded into blood and viscera.
"Wow that was very impressive" a voice suddenly said while being accompanied by slow clapping. The two boys quickly turned around to see the source of the sounds, their eyes widening at the sight of Brooklynn and Yaz climbing down outta a tree. While tangled up in the branches of said tree was the twisted and broken form of the hang glider. "I mean still not as impressive as Yaz and I literally flying away from danger, but…still impressive" the pink haired girl remarks with a grin before sharing a laugh with Yaz.
Yaz's eyes then widen as she remembers something "Has anyone seen Naruto!?" she asks in worry for the blonde. However before anyone could respond to her inquiry the sounds of tree branches snapping and crashing, followed closely by groaning could be heard. Their eyes widening in alarm at the groaning the trio plus one herbivore quickly rushed in the direction said noises originated from.
(Naruto, Moments Earlier)
Jumping off the side of the mountain, Naruto spread his arms and legs out as the wingsuit fully deployed and the blond began gliding. "Really glad Owen taught me how to use one of these things" Naruto remarks remembering how the man had instructed him on wingsuits as part of his survival training. The blonde skimmed over the treetops as he raced down the side of the mountain, his winged pursuers following close behind.
Weaving in and out of some treetops the blonde hoped to give the Dimorphodons the slip. Yet his attempt was meaningless as they still chased after him "Damned things just won't take the hint" Naruto cursed. Getting an idea the blonde angled his body so that he glided up towards the sky. Higher and higher the blonde ascended until his momentum ceased and he hung there in midair for a moment. Just as he began to fall back towards the ground Naruto flipped over and angled himself in a dive. The blonde brought his arms to his sides and his legs together to be more aerodynamic and quickly began picking up a large amount of speed. Twisting his body to the side he rolled to avoid the jaws and claws of the trio of Dimorphodons as he whizzed by them.
Faster and faster the ground and treetops grew closer to the blonde before at the last possible moment he extended his arms and legs resuming his glide. "WOOHOO!" Naruto cheered with a wide grin as he raced down the side of the mountain at high speed, his hair whipping in the wind. Looking back over his shoulder the blonde noticed the three Dimorphodons still high up in the sky screeching at each other. "Heh better luck next time" the blonde quips before turning his attention back in front of him.
As he continued to rapidly glide away from Lookout Point the blonde took notice of Yaz and Brooklynn crash into a tree with the hang glider. "That's not good" Naruto remarked before noticing how he was getting closer to the ground "Crap better pull the parachute" he realized before reaching up to the front of the wingsuit to pull said release handle…only to find it lacking one. Patting all over the chest of the wingsuit thinking he missed the handle the blonde came to a troubling realization "...There's no parachute…WHY IS THERE NO PARACHUTE ATTACHED!" He yells as that seemed like a very poor design choice to not have a parachute built in to the suit.
Looking ahead the blonde saw the treetops getting closer and closer "...This is gonna hurt" Naruto muttered before bringing his arms up to shield his face as he made contact with the treetops. The front of the wingsuit caught on a branch sending him flipping end over end through branches, and leaves. Branches snapped, and scratched his flesh as his violent landing continued. Finally the blonde's crash came to an abrupt stop as a tree branch broke and skewed the section of the wingsuit between his legs. The abrupt stop resulted in him smacking his back against the side of the tree as he now hung upside down from said branch. Letting out a few pained groans Naruto just hung there for a moment in a daze.
"...It came from over here…Oh shit! Naruto, are you okay!?" Yaz is heard saying before she notices the blonde hanging from the tree. Rushing over he looks up at the blonde just as the others arrive.
"Yep" was Naruto's one word response as he wheezed a bit trying to recover from getting the wind knocked out of him. The blonde then winced "...No parachute in the suit" he wheezes out explaining to the others how he wound up in his current predicament.
"Oh I love it when we're all alive!" Sammy is heard yelling in joy as she and Kenji run over to the group having caught up to them after exiting the gondola. The rancher girl proceeded to give each member of the group a hug minus Naruto given his current state.
"Yeah! Take that Dino Island!" Kenji yells in agreement before seeing Naruto "How's it hanging Naruto!" he jokes with a grin.
Naruto's eye painfully twitches at the remark "Will…hurt…you…Kenji" the blonde wheezes out with a pained glare as he sways back and forth a bit.
Darius's eyes widen a bit as he realizes something "We did it guys! The hang glider may be a little torn but we can fix that easily. Next stop, bigger raft and homeward bound!" he says in excitement thinking back to the brief look he got at the hang glider before they rushed over to see what the crashing sound was.
Hearing this Sammy's eyes widened in remembrance "BOAT!" the girl suddenly yelled excitedly drawing all attention to her. "Guys we saw Mitch and Tiff's boat!" she adds the statement gaining shocked looks from everyone but Kenji.
"It's stuck on some rocks not far offshore, we can swim to it no prob!" Kenji adds with a wide grin on his face.
The revelation resulted in Yaz, Darius, Brooklynn, and Ben letting out an excited cheer. However just then the snapping of a tree branch was heard and Naruto fell to the ground at the feet of the group "Woo…hoo" he wheezed out before Yaz helped him to his feet. Gingerly the blonde unzipped the now ruined wingsuit and with help from the girl stepped outta it. To his surprise Yaz then draped his arm over her shoulder and helped him stand "Thanks" he said in response to the action.
"Don't mention it" Yaz replied with a lopsided smile before they and the others began following after Kenji and Sammy, the two leading them in the direction of where they saw the boat.
After a good twenty minutes of walking the campers reached the beach and all of them grinned in excitement as roughly a hundred feet offshore stuck up against some rocks was none other than Mitch and Tiff's yacht.
Darius turned around to look at Ben and Bumpy with a wide grin "Ben, that boat is big enough to fit Bumpy!" he states in joy for his friend.
Seeing this Ben can't help but grin sheepishly "Heh I guess it is and this solves the problem" the teen remarks before giving Bumpy a affectionate rub on the head.
The finding of the boat brightened the spirits of the group as they decided to take a moment to relax. Sammy and Kenji were off to the side joking around about their escape from the Dimorphodon.
Yaz helped Naruto sit down on the ground just before the beach started. The two just sat there in silence for a moment before Brooklynn sat down next to the athletic girl "So tell me about your track meets, what are those like?" she asks figuratively, extending an olive branch to the girl.
"Track meets? What you think I run laps in a conference room?" Yaz teases with a raised eyebrow and a wry grin on her face while next to her Naruto snorts in amusement.
Brooklynn just rolls her eyes at this before smiling goodnaturedly "Come on! Can't I at least get a few points for trying?" she jokes with a chuckle of her own.
Hearing this Naruto grins a bit "She has a point Yaz" he remarks with a slight nudge to the trackstar's side getting a laugh from the two girls. The blonde turned his attention back to the ticket to their escape from the island and smiled "Things are finally looking up, and it looks like all the danger is behind us now" the blonde thinks to himself optimistically.
(Jungle)
In the misty dense foliage the carcass of the Ceratosaurus was jolting back and forth on the forest floor as its killer dragged it away. The sound of heavy-panting breathing could be heard as the killer dragged its prey deeper into the jungle before a loud screeching roar was heard.
End Chapter 13
Ending Author Note: Oh boy here we go! Things are going to get CRAZY from here on out.
Once again I ask that nobody spoil what's coming in the story, via the review section. Other than that not much else to say so be sure to Favorite, Follow, and Leave a review with your thoughts.