Fun fact, while Senegal indeed has lions, they are not found in the area where the Nublar group was. They live in the northern part of open plains, not the jungle.
Three weeks ago.
In a penthouse in Dubai, a young woman named Soyona Santos stared out the window at the streets below. She had just learned that the DPW was being shut down. Her operatives had failed in their missions to protect her interests and carry out a hit.
Jensen had already been eliminated by the one-eyed Allosaurus. This was a fitting end for a man who failed to prioritize her interests. She could easily replace the man without any trouble.
Nevertheless, her Atrociraptor trainer was another story. The woman had done very well in turning the pack into an elite killing force. Despite this, they still failed to kill the remaining members of the Nublar Six.
The handler had also mentioned a secret about them. Yet, what she was told was so incredulous, that Soyona had difficulty believing it was true. Especially because medical records revealed that the handler had suffered minor brain damage.
The handler had told her that the Nublar Six could transform into a hybrid state. A hybrid soldier who was half human and half dinosaur would be very profitable. Yet, when she had looked into the matter personally, she didn't find evidence to support the claim.
She needed to capture a member of the Nublar group to find out for herself. That's when she hit a snag. The remaining members of the Nublar Six had vanished without a trace.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something glittering. Careful to avoid moving her head, she turned her gaze upward.
Someone was in the penthouse across the street. The residence wouldn't be opening for another month. That meant someone was squatting there.
If the person was trying to claim the penthouse for themselves through this method, they were going to be disappointed. Squatter rights didn't exist in the UAE. There was no reason for a squatter to be there.
Unless there was another reason this person chose to live there for now. After all, the penthouse did have a good view of her own. A perfect perch to observe the woman's actions.
Soyona was very intrigued by this. "Has someone finally tracked me down? Well, in that case, I better draw them in. After all, I need to know how they found me so I can eliminate them."
Present time
Brooklynn was squatting in the penthouse across the street. She had been observing the Broker's apartment for three weeks now. Getting rid of her escort had been easier than she had imagined.
Upon arriving in Dubai a month ago, she and Nelson had accidentally stumbled into a dinosaur fight ring when looking for the hotel. They'd gone into a store to get directions but no one was there. Confused, they looked for the employees.
That's when they found a partially open trapdoor in the back room. Curiosity had gotten the better of them and the two followed the steps down. When they reached the bottom, they were quick to hide.
That's when they say a group of men betting on a fight between two Compys. Several scared ones were trapped in chicken cages on the other side of the cellar. Brooklynn had filmed the event for five minutes before they managed to escape unseen.
After a week of collecting evidence, Nelson was sure it would be enough to convince Ernest to start global chapters. Brooklynn had manipulated Nelson into returning to the States to show Ernest their discovery. She promised to investigate the matter further.
Now free of the DLN, Brooklynn was able to focus on identifying the Broker. She was almost ready to plan a break-in when she got a notification from Dark Jurassic. Putting down her binoculars, she fished her phone out.
When she read the notification, her heart stopped for a moment. There was a message for her from Ben! How did he know she was alive?!
That's when she remembered the video one of the DLN members made the night she had been initiated into the inner circle. She must have been caught in the background when that video was uploaded. Brooklynn couldn't believe she had been that careless.
"What do I do? What do I do?" Brooklynn muttered to herself. She didn't know what Ben would do if she didn't reply. She couldn't afford to have her cover blown when she was this close to getting the Broker!
Biting her lip, she typed a short reply. "Iggy, I can't talk right now. I'm busy planning a murder mystery dinner for some friends. I want to keep it a secret until my plans are finished. I'll contact you later, Crest out!"
She silently prayed that Ben would understand her coded message and drop his investigation. Brooklynn wouldn't allow her friends to be harmed because of her actions. She'd better check in with Ronnie to see if she could run interference with her friends.
In Senegal, the group was taking a short break to collect themselves after the Brachiosaurus incident. While the others tried to figure out what spooked the dinosaurs, Ben was looking at Brooklynn's phone.
"Come on, respond already. Please contact me," he whispered.
The next second the phone pinged with a notification. It startled Ben so much he nearly dropped the phone. Ignoring the others, he read the notification.
Seeing the response confirmed Brooklynn was indeed alive. The content of the message was clear. She was pretending to be dead to continue her investigation into the dinosaur smuggling ring.
She was asking him to keep quiet about it for now. She was close to something important and didn't want anyone to jeopardize her undercover status. All he could do was wait for her to contact him again.
As he tried to put the phone away, something hit the bottom of the boat. A few seconds later, the bottom of the boat was hit again. The wood started splintering.
The other came closer to see if they could help when a hippo surfaced between the boats. It bellowed angrily and stretched its jaws as wide as they would go. It was going to chomp the boat in half!
Kenji brazenly grabbed the quarterstaff and struck the animal on the nose. That was a big mistake. The hippo reared back and dropped his whole weight on the boat, breaking it into pieces.
Ben, Kenji, and Yaz were thrown into the river. They surfaced quickly and were trying to get away. The animal began thrashing its weight around.
"Get out of the shallows! You need to retreat now!" Darius shouted as Sammy piloted the boat further down the river to get out of the hippo's territory.
"Keep slapping the water as you retreat! Let it know you're leaving!" Zanya hollered as well. "Don't go inland! It will become even more territorial if it thinks you stealing its food!"
The three young adults followed the instructions shouted out to them. The hippo was still pursuing them as they swam away. Zayna used the oar to slap the water hard as she urged Sammy to keep going towards deeper water.
After ten minutes, the hippo lost interest and headed back the way it came. Once they were at a safe distance, Darius, Sammy, and Zanya pulled the trio into the boat. Kenji was still clutching the quarterstaff.
"What were you thinking, Kenji?! Did you believe striking a raging hippo would solve the situation?" Yaz demanded to know.
"I was trying to protect us! A giant behemoth was coming straight at us! I thought I could injure it!"
"Kenji, hippos can burn easily, but their hide is extremely thick. You're strike probably just felt like a bee sting. No wonder it got more agitated," Darius explained.
"Um, guys? I hate to interrupt, but the boat's taking on water," Ben pointed out. They looked down and saw water was starting to flow into the boat.
"There's too much weight on the boat. If we don't lighten the load, the boat will sink," Zayna explained as she started bailing water.
Darius took stock and realized that it would be impossible to continue their journey if they threw something off the boat. These last few supplies were all they had to sustain the group as long as they were on the river.
"Zayna, is there any place nearby we can get another boat?"
"There is! But I don't know if we can make it there before the boat sinks."
"We're going to have to try. We can't risk having anyone swimming in the river with that hippo around."
By sheer luck, the group made it to the riverside restaurant run by Zayna's uncle. The place was usually very busy with tons of customers. Now, there was no one in sight.
The group was very uneasy as they started loading some of the supplies on a second boat. Zayna walked a few feet away to call her Baba.
"Baba, it's Zayna. My group and I arrived at uncle's restaurant but no one is here. Do you know if he's gone on vacation?"
"It is the off-season so he might have. Perhaps, he's gone to the city to purchase supplies to make his restaurant safe from the dinosaurs. A member of my group mentioned there have been numerous sightings of carnivores heading towards the river to drink."
"Understood Baba. We'll resupply and be back on the river in a few minutes."
"Do you need my help? I can drive over and…"
"No, Baba! We need to find out the source of the dinosaurs. It's the only way to ensure that they stop appearing. We'll be careful, I promise."
A minute later, Zayna hung up the phone. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the group. "Alright, I've talked with my Baba."
"What did he say? Does he know why this place is deserted?" Yaz asked.
"He says my uncle might have gone to a bigger city to purchase items to make the area safer from dinosaurs. A friend of his says there have been sightings of several carnivores heading to the river to drink."
The Nublar group looked at one another with a worried expression. On Nublar and Mantah Corp island, the watering hole had been a neutral ground for all dinosaurs. Predators and prey had been able to safely drink and rest without worrying about one another.
However, this was a river with both prehistoric and modern animals actively establishing territory. They would be in great danger if they lingered too long along the riverbank.
Darius started issuing orders. "Sammy and Zayna, gather as much food as you can from the bar. Ben, check for extra supplies for the boats."
"Yaz, I need you to keep watch while Kenji and I finish transferring everything to the new boat. Be quick and quiet. We leave in five minutes."
Everyone nodded as they hurried to carry out their assignments. Zayna ignored the alcohol and started shoving cold juice bottles into her basket. Sammy was searching for roasted peanuts when she stumbled across a gory sight.
It was the dead body of Sullivan. His chest had a big bite mark on it. Judging by the color of the blood, he'd been only dead for two hours top.
Sammy was too shocked to scream. She took a few steps away from the body. Zanya looked at Sammy in concern.
The teenager took a step closer. Sammy held her hand up to stop her. She slowly shook her head and then pointed to the boats.
Zayna had a feeling about what Sammy was hiding from her. She power walked away not wanting to confirm her suspicions. Ben joined her as he slowly carried a set of extra oars and some flashlights beside her.
Yaz was scanning both the river and the sky. She didn't see any disturbances on the river to indicate danger. A cacophony of bird cries caught her attention. She looked up to see several flocks trying to get away from a Pteranodon.
"Go, go, go!" she called out as the flying reptile started to swoop down. Suddenly, something grabbed it from below and pulled it to the ground. By now, Sammy was rushing towards the boat.
Stepping out of the jungle was another Suchomimus. Fresh blood covered its teeth. Despite killing the Pteranodon, it started chasing after Sammy.
"NO! SAMMY!" Yaz screamed. Her cries caught the attention of the dinosaur. It started coming after her.
Yaz booked it towards the boats. Suddenly the water erupted as the angry hippo returned. It bellowed a challenge and charged her.
Yaz dove out of the way as the hippo opened its massive jaws. When it closed them, it had the tip of Suchomimus's jaw inside. Both creatures started thrashing about in rage.
Yaz scooted out of the way as the animals broke apart. Both of them bellowed at each other. This time, the Suchomimus charged the hippo.
The hippo responded by swinging its head back and forth. It landed a hit and unbalanced the dinosaur. The Suchomimus stumbled back and regained its balance.
As the fighting intensified, the others tried to get to Yaz, but couldn't find a clear path. Kenji grabbed a flashlight and was halfway out of the boat when the dinosaur's tail smacked him in the face.
He crumbled to the boat floor and lost conciseness. Darius was torn between checking on his adoptive brother or trying to get to Yaz. The choice was made for him when the hippo was shoved up against the boat sending it into the river.
The others also had to retreat to avoid having their boat smashed. With the fight going on, no one could get close to Yaz.
Yaz waved her arms to get their attention, then pointed further down the river. She ran in place and pointed again. The message was clear.
She was going to make a run for it and meet them further down the river. They didn't want to leave Yaz, but they had no choice. They couldn't get to her.
In Dubai, Brooklynn was getting ready to make her move. She needed to get inside the penthouse across the street. That was the only way to confirm that the lady living there was the Broker.
Ronnie was on the phone with Brooklynn. "Brooklynn, you have a lot of evidence already. Don't you think it's enough to take to the authorities, already?"
"No, it's not enough," Brooklynn replied in a clipped tone. "I need to prove the woman I've been watching is the Broker. Without concrete evidence, she slip away and the smuggling ring will go deeper underground."
"Do you even know what to look for to prove your theory?"
"Documents, videos, recordings. Anything that will implicate her as the leader of the ring. I've been keeping track of her schedule. Today, she leaves the apartment for one hour to get lunch downtown."
"Are you sure she's not going to deviate from her schedule?"
"I'm positive she'll stick to her routine. It's not as if she knows she's being watched."
"Okay, then how are you going to get into the building, let alone the penthouse?"
"I have a plan for that. Don't worry so much, Ronnie. I'll be in and out of the penthouse before she comes back," Brooklynn assured the woman.
She pretended to be a meal delivery girl. Once inside, she kept her head down and stood at an angle. This would assist in making it harder to identify on camera.
She rode the elevator up to the penthouse. She had scouted the building beforehand. There was an emergency staircase to get out of the penthouse if there was a fire.
Opening the door would trigger an alarm that alerts the entire building to a potential issue. If she wanted to avoid being detected, the elevator was the way to go. She would only use the emergency exit if she had no other choice.
The doors opened and she called out to anyone in the apartment. There was no perfect response. Entering the penthouse, she began her search.
She searched the areas closest to her. She checked the trashcans before moving on to a shelf of books. Nothing incriminating there.
She searched under the furniture and found nothing. She headed over to the "studio" area. Brooklynn had observed the woman painting at least twice a day.
She started to look through the finished canvas. She hoped one of the paintings might give her a clue to some important evidence. Brooklynn even checked the backs of the canvases to see if anything was concealed on them.
She was only halfway through the paintings when she heard the sound of the elevator. Brooklynn knew that the woman should be still out for a bit longer. She needed to hide somewhere.
No, she didn't have any knowledge of the rooms down the hall. She might end up trapping herself in a room. No, this called for hiding in plain sight.
When Soyona walked inside her penthouse, she was not expecting to see a delivery girl trying to speak Arabic. "May, I ask what you're doing in my penthouse?"
"I brought your order. You did order food, correct?"
"No, I didn't. What floor are you supposed to be on?"
"This is the 53rd floor, isn't it? Are you saying that the entrance way and lobby aren't considered floor one?"
Soyona said it wasn't. The floor she wanted was the one below her. The delivery girl started to walk towards the elevator.
"Wait, is something wrong with your arm?" Soyona asked as she stopped the delivery girl. She began inspecting the artificial arm.
Brooklynn did her best to stay calm. "I was born with a deformed arm. I had surgery a few months ago to remove it. I'm just getting used to my prosthetic."
"Well, I would love to paint a portrait of you."
Brooklynn started to protest only for Soyona to insist on her staying. "It won't take very long for me to paint you. You'll be on your way soon enough."
"What about my delivery?"
"I'll explain to my downstairs neighbor the reason for the delay. She's a very reasonable woman. Please, sit down."
With no other options, Brooklynn took a seat. She was handed a vase filled with fresh-cut flowers. The young woman did her best to smile while keeping her heart rate in check.
Getting out of this situation just got a lot harder.
In Senegal, the sun was rapidly descending as Yaz struggled to get through the thick jungle foliage. She had done her best to stay close to the riverbank, but she had been forced away from it when she had come across several fallen trees.
Now she was trying to get back to the river bank. With the sunlight fading she was getting turned around. If she didn't find the river bank soon, she would have to find a place to shelter for the night.
As she stumbled through the underbrush, she strained to hear the sound of the river. Instead, all she heard were the noises of animals trying to settle down for the night. Yaz walked through the brush a bit longer before tripping over a stone she couldn't see.
"Okay, it's official. I can't see where I'm going. Okay, think Yaz. Where should I rest for the night?"
On Nublar, they had chosen to live in a tree house to get away from the dinosaurs. It was also to avoid being covered in insects at night. So, she needed to find a tree to stay in.
A tree was a good start but where in the tree should she sleep? The higher branches would keep her out of the reach of most animals, but the chance of falling was greater. The lower branches would make her an easier target.
It would have to be in the middle. Ideally, wide enough to lay down, but in a position where she was close to the trunk to steady herself. Hopefully, there would be enough leaf coverage to avoid being spotted by a passing predator.
She looked for a tree that would fit her needs. The first few trees didn't have any low branches to pull herself up. The next set of trees wasn't sturdy enough to handle her weight.
Walking a bit further, she found a sturdy fig tree. Getting into it would be a challenge. She stood on her tippy-toes and stretched her hand as high as it would go.
Once she felt the bark under her fingers, she pulled herself up. She climbed a few more feet before she found a wide branch to let her stretch her legs out. She settled on the branch, her back up against the trunk.
Yaz pulled her jacket tightly around her body. Her body shuddered as she worried how she was going to make it through the night. "Please, let me make it through the night."
Back on the river, the two boats idled in the middle of it. They were scanning the riverbank for signs of Yaz. So far, they had found nothing.
Sammy was struggling to keep her panic down. She desperately wanted to get into the jungle to look. However, Auntie's words about the nocturnal dangers along the riverbank kept her in the boat.
"Where are you, Yaz? Zayana, are you certain this is the only section of the river that's flat enough to emerge from?"
Zayana nodded. "This is the only area with a wide enough bank for someone to get into a boat. As you saw before, the foliage and mango trees make it too hard for a human to emerge safely."
"Then, why isn't she here? Yaz would keep within distance of the river to see where are boats are," Ben asked.
"We don't know what's happening deeper in the jungle. She could have been forced to leave the river. Maybe she got disoriented at some point?" Darius suggested.
"Hey, this is Yaz we're talking about. It's almost impossible for her to get lost," Kenji protested.
"Darius might be right. The jungle has a way of messing with your sense of direction. I've lived along this river all my life and I still get lost sometimes."
"What should we do now?" Sammy asked quietly.
"We need to find a safe place to anchor for the night. Leopards and hyenas are not the only creatures to worry about when you're on the river. Hippos and crocodiles are known to bump into boats at night to get food."
"Where's the safest place then? Do we stay out in the middle of the river or go closer to shore?" Darius queried.
Zayna gave Darius an angry scowl. Every time he asked her something, she felt it was in a condescending tone. He wasn't the smartest person in the world and she would prove it.
"We need to find a spot that has shallow and calm water, near the riverbank. We can't get too close to the shore because of the nighttime dangers. Once we've anchored, we should tie the tarps up to give us some protection from the elements."
"Then that's what we'll do. Lead the way, Zayana."
Back in Dubai, Brooklynn was perspiring very badly. She had blamed it on the heat despite the penthouse having a great AC system. She needed to get out of the apartment.
"How rude of me, I forgot to ask for your name, didn't I?" Soyona said.
"My name is Sydney."
"Hmm, that's an interesting name. Named after the opera house by any chance?"
"My parents hate opera. They just liked vacationing in Sydney."
"That sounds fascinating. Where are you from then?"
"Scotland, I live in Glasgow. After my surgery, I decided to travel the world. I'm doing deliveries to earn some extra cash to use in my travels."
Keep it together Brooklynn. Don't let on you are anxious. You can do this.
"So, you haven't told me your name? I feel I should apologize properly for entering the wrong apartment."
"Soyona, my dear."
"Then, I apologize Soyona for accidentally entering your apartment." Brooklynn's eyes slid back toward the canvases. If Soyona thought she was interested in the art, she might not suspect her real reason for being here.
"Do you have an interest in art, Sydney?" Soyona asked curiously.
"You have a lot of canvases so I was wondering if you're a professional artist."
The corners of the woman's face turned up. "As much as I love painting, this is just a hobby I like to indulge in." Ducking back behind her canvas, the woman smirked.
"I'm in the business of acquisitions for an elite clientele. I collect and authenticate rare antiques for them. My finder's fee is quite a lot so I make very good money."
Soyona looked up from her painting and then at Brooklynn. Her gaze went back and forth. "Ah, that's what the painting is missing. I think one of my antiques would make the perfect background."
The woman pressed a button on her cuff. There was the sound of a door clicking open. Brooklynn's heart started racing as the footfalls of a familiar animal came nearer.
From the shadows of the hallway, a red female Atrociraptor emerged. The dinosaur hissed before making her way over to Soyona. The woman didn't even flinch as the raptor caressed its head against her waist.
"She is a remarkable animal. She's very helpful and loyal. That's the most significant trait I admire."
Brooklynn was frozen in place as Red posed right next to her. The Atrociraptor growled softly. It took of whiff of Brooklynn's scent and looked puzzled by it.
"True loyalty is rather difficult to find these days. So many people will change their loyalty because of money or petty reasons. Even trained animals can turn on their masters."
She dipped her paintbrush into a red can of paint. She started creating broad strokes. "In animals, you need to breed loyalty, which I must say, can be rather difficult."
"Even Owen Grady who managed to earn the loyalty of his raptor pack, had his pack loyalty usurped by a hybrid. Still, when it mattered the most, he was able to reclaim their loyalty."
She looked up from her painting and bore her eyes into Brooklynn's. "Do you know why Red is so loyal to me? It isn't because I trained her with a whistle or a laser. Nor is it because of a maternal bond."
"No, Red is loyal to me because of the genetics I used in creating her. Pure Atrociraptor DNA combined with selective breeding has created the perfect animal. Wouldn't you agree, Brooklynn?"
Brooklynn's eyes widened and her heart rate spiked significantly. She forced herself to stay put. She didn't want to initiate Red's prey drive.
Soyona's smile grew at what she was witnessing. "You have impressed me, Brooklynn. No one has pursued me, let alone tracked me down, like you have. Still, I can't have you interfering with my business anymore."
Wiping her hands clean, she aimed her laser at Brooklynn's heart. Red crouched down, ready to pounce. "Any last words?"
The young woman took a deep breath. She opened her mouth and blew hard. A loud sound resonated around the room startling both Soyona and Red.
She sprang off the stool and raced towards the elevator. She sensed Red behind her and pivoted, throwing the vase of flowers at the dinosaur. The vase shattered on impact with Red's skull.
The Atrociraptor screeched as a piece of the vase cut deeply just below her left eye. Not wasting a second, Brooklynn dashed for the elevator doors. She almost reached them when she was pinned to the ground.
Despite the weight, a surge of adrenaline allowed Brooklynn to roll over. She flung her arms around her head to protect it. Red's jaws were half an inch from her fake arm cover.
Soyona strolled over and bent down a little. "You are rather resourceful, aren't you? How did you make that sound?"
Brooklynn stayed silent. She wouldn't give the woman the satisfaction she coveted. The Broker's eyes narrowed again.
"Well, if you won't answer my question, then I'm sure Red can get the answer from you. Let's see how well you resist without your prosthetic arm."
The Broker snapped her fingers. Red latched her jaws around the cover and started pulling it. Brooklynn quickly freed her real arm from the cover to avoid any damage to it.
"STOP!" Soyona yelled as she double-snapped her fingers. Red dropped the fake arm awaiting further orders.
Soyona couldn't stop staring at Brooklynn's left arm. Her mind was trying to comprehend how the Corythosaurus arm was perfectly attached to the human stump. It didn't look like it had been grafted on at all.
Brooklynn let out another loud blast. The Broker and raptor flinched away. She dove into the elevator.
Before the two could recover the doors had closed and Brooklynn was gone. Red looked at Soyona for instructions. The woman snapped her fingers three times and pointed to the hall.
As Red retreated, Soyona took a deep breath. What she had just witnessed was a scientific miracle. To think her handler had been telling the truth was a sobering shock.
Soyona needed answers and she was going to get them. No doubt, the young woman would go back into hiding. She required a way to lure Brooklynn back here and capture her.
In the elevator, Brooklynn was trying to regain her breath control. This was seriously bad! Not only did she confirm the Broker's identity, but now the woman knew her secret!
The only reason she wasn't chasing her down was because too many questions would arise if anyone saw Red. She had to find a way to warn the others. Even the foolish DLN needed to know they had to stay out of this.
Pulling her phone out, she quickly typed a text to Ernest saying the trail had gone cold and she would contact him again once she had a lead. She then blocked his number.
Next, she sent an urgent message to Ben. "My plans have changed. One of the guests learned what I planned to do. Have to come up with something better. Don't contact me, I'll contact you when I'm finished."
After sending the message, she deleted her account on Dark Jurassic. She then sent a hurried email telling Ronnie that she was going radio silent. She gave her a stern warning not to look for her.
When the elevator reached the tenth floor, Brooklynn got out before sending it the rest of the way down. Keeping her back turned from the camera, she hustled down the stairs and out the back door.
Once out, she removed her SIM card from her phone and smashed it. For good measure, she threw the phone into a dumpster.
She didn't dare go back to her hiding place. Soyona was probably sending an agent of hers there to wait for her. Good thing, that all of her evidence had been backed up to a secure Cloud account under an assumed name.
What do I do now? The Broker isn't going to let me walk free for long. She's going to go after my friends now that she knows our secret.
Think, Brooklynn! There's got to be something you can do to keep them safe! You owe them your loyalty after what you put them through.
Wait? Loyalty? Maybe that's the answer.
In Senegal, Yaz was jolted awake. She scanned the area. It wasn't her dream that woke her, but a sense that something wasn't right.
The jungle was quieter than it should be. She could still hear the insects chirping. The grass and leaves were rustling in the wind.
What she wasn't hearing was any of the other nocturnal creatures. She should be hearing the quick padding of the African Civet. The whubu-wububu-wubu of the African Wood Owl. There was no vocalization from the African fat-tailed geckos.
Something was going on and she needed to identify what it was. If only she had her hybrid form's night vision! But she was too high up to even think about transforming.
Maybe she didn't need to transform completely. Ben had theorized once that an extremely tiny amount of the pill could possibly transform one part of the body. It was worth a try.
Very carefully, she opened her pendant. Using her thumbnail, she picked off a tiny sliver of the capsule. Closing the pendent, she crushed the sliver between her fingers.
Yaz then swiped the tips of her fingers on her eyelids, as well as below them. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. She then slowly blinked.
Her vision was now sharper. She could make out several shapes in the distance. The night vision was decent but not on the same level if she was in her hybrid state.
What she saw was making her blood chill. A leopard was scurrying up the tree! She slowly started edging away from the trunk.
Any sudden movements could set off its hunting instincts. Yet, it appeared the animal wasn't interested in her. It was climbing as high as it could.
She felt the ground shaking and peered into the darkness again. She saw one of the distant shapes moving rapidly towards her. It was the Majungasaurus!
"This is bad," Yaz whispered to herself. "Really bad."