Walking to the Future
watch?v=qj9qCA91NqA (Intro music)
We see a large grassy plain, similar to Africa, but filled with conifer trees and a few more mountains and canons nearby. The sun radiating in the background.
"Believe it or not, this savannah is not Africa, rather it is what was once Antarctica, 100 million years into the future. This is a far cry from the once snowy landscape it had when man ruled. Following the extinction of the giant insects and arthropods, caused by a chain reaction of continental shifts, volcanic activity, and droughts that depleted the atmosphere of the excess of oxygen, the climate has dried and superheated, causing many oceans, forests, and wetlands to disappear. Now the insect rulers of land and sky have been dethroned."
We see some dragonflies landing on something that looks like tree bark eating flies…which begins to move causing them to fly off, revealing a large Rhino –like animal with a curved horn on its nose and small spikes of its sides.
"But in their place, the climate changes have not only sprouted large grasslands, but life in a familiar yet radically different form, Giant Mammals."
Soon the beast is walking past a herd of orange and yellow gazelle, except the males have one long curved antler, almost like a one horned moose and about the size of them, grazing on the grasses.
"With the loss of many forests and lake predators to worry about, mammals have been given wide spaces and breathing room needed to expand their sizes, once more becoming the kings of land. Little does this herd of deer know, they are being watched by another such giant that has replaced the large ants and spiders as top dog….or rather cat." The narrator says as a thicket of branches and bushes, a pair of eyes slant, narrowing on the herd as we see a large paw come out quietly, a pair of razor sharp teeth grinding against each other before the jaw begins slowing opening, drool oozing of a small pair of incisors.
Soon we hear a large roar as a large male lion-like cat with stripes erupt from the thicket, the deer springing their heads up as they become alert to the carnivore strutting towards them at high speeds. They begin darting away in all directions. One gazelle, a smaller juvenile male, stumbles during the chaos. A moment of weakness not lost on this large predator, the cat focuses its gaze on the scrambling gazelle and charges. It soon rushes up to the deer, pouncing onto the mammals back and pinning its large paws onto its neck into the grass.
""A far more deadly killer has risen up the ranks in the food chain, making the arthropods before them look like little nats. This beast's main advantage doesn't lye with his size or claws, but a far more lethal weapon in his mouth….a pair of saber teeth that lunge for the jugular. One bite, and the king has his meal." The narrator says as a long pair of sabers come out of the cats mouth and stab into the deer's neck, it screeching in pain in a low tone as it soon grows limp.
Chapter 4: The Liger King
"Out in the warm Antarctic plains, mammals have finally been given their second wind following the extinction of mankind. Many of the species that have returned may look very familiar to you….just bigger."
We see the large Tiger-like Lion carrying half the gazelle he killed by the neck towards a thicket, blood oozing a trail into the grasslands behind him.
"And the biggest predator of them all, are the cats. In the past, there was no such thing as a Saber Tooth Tiger, but now that has changed with thanks to the African lions and the Siberian Tigers creating a beast even larger and more deadly than the Smilodon of the Ice Age, the Saber tooth Liger. At 12 feet long and 5 feet tall, this male is the apex of its cat brethren and has one advantage other than size than his ancestors, located in his mouth." He says as the cat's face is shown, soon his skull line even. "His sabers, unlike his smilodon ancestors, are unique in that his can retract into his gums. This allows him to keep them safe for when he needs to make a bite, allowing him to tear into his victims throats, and leaving him safe to retract them when he is chewing, thus allowing him to eat 85% of a carcass, rather than the 70% or lower that his ancestors did. And much Tigers, his tongue, also sports a pair of tiny fiber blades that he can rise to lick off thick fur and hide, allowing them to eat as much as possible. But this male isn't making this kill solely to satisfy his own hunger."
We see the Liger approach a pair of female Ligers, who do not sport manes, and a trio of cubs with them at a nearby thicket of tree's and tumbleweeds.
"Ligers, like their ancestors the lions, also form prides. But they are much smaller than their ancestors, usually consisting of only 3-4 females and their young, who get first dibs on all meals their parents bring home"
We see the male drop the carcass by the youngsters, who begin nibbling on it.
"This is Apollo, the alpha male of the pride. And this Liger king is a very attentive parent, he would never let his children go hungry. He has satisfied his own hunger and will watch over the as they enjoy the meal he has brought home, remaining vigilant for predators drawn to the blood, ensuring his bloodline stays preserved as is his duty."
We see some vultures eyeing from the tree's the cubs and carcass. The liger growls, scaring them off.
"Like Tigers, males and females hunt, to capitalize on as much prey available. It's especially important now at this time of year. The cubs were born a few weeks after rainy season ended. Being just weaned off of milk, they need over 2 kilos of meat a week till their ready to start hunting in a year. But with 8 months of drought coming in this superheated world, their chances of getting to that size will be very tough. Some cubs never make past 3 months in these times."
We soon see the camera view go above the landscape, showing off the continent, a large arid landscape with small clutches of greenery and waterways, surrounded by a few other smaller continents and little oceans.
"The extreme heat and volcanic activity brings constant hardships in this harsh world. Very few ocean's remain, and rains are getting rarer. As too are plentiful meals for the herbivores. With so few greenery each year, life is on edge."
We then see the grasslands, the Rhino-like animals grazing, or rather shaking his head into a small hole.
"One upside to being so large, is that they can retain large amounts of food and water in their gullet, so they do not need to go for many days. Especially this male Rhinosaurus. Despite the name, this is not a dinosaur. Rather this descendent of Rhino's is part of a special new class of animal called Reptile-Like Mammal. His thick skin has some scale's on it used to preserve water, further protected by the small bumps of spikes on his skin. But what makes him so interesting is his curved horn, not used for fighting but rather to make use of the limited resources seen to the naked eye. It is used for digging up roots and worms and shoving into his mouth to devour. Reptile-Like Mammals are usually omnivores, and the Rhinosaurus is no different."
As the beast begins chewing on the roots it dug up with its horn, a small grunt is heard nearby. The Rhino looks up startled, seeing another of his kind approach, bellowing at him.
"Still though, giants are rarely docile. This is rutting season, and with resources getting low this time of year so too are animals. Male's will compete violently for territory to impress females, and even without the spiked horns of their ancestors, Rhinosaurus full of testosterone are dangerous."
The males begin shaking their bodies back and forth, bellowing at each other to back off. Soon the intruding male charges. The resident Male side-headbutts the rival, staggering it a bit before it jumps a bit and tackles him, making him bellow in pain a bit.
"The spikes on their sides are usually meant for defense against Ligers, but even on each other they can be quite painful, even if not sharp enough to pierce their scaly skin. A tackling match is rarely fatal, but is not without risk, as our resident male has learned the hard way." He says as the Rhinosaurus wobbles away, bleeding a bit from his head as his stomach and sides look bruised.
"This male has lost his territory, and soon may lose his life, and not from the lack of his resources."
Soon a pair of Vultures begin encircling the beast from above.
We then return to the Liger den, only Apollo is shown walking slowly and wearily to his home.
"Back at the pridelands, things are about to go bad for Apollo's clan as well. He has just returned from fruitless hunt, and the timing couldn't be worse." He says as the females lay on their sides, breathing heavily. Out of all the cubs, only 1 doesn't lay down beside them, looking rather worried. Apollo walks up to the pride, sniffs them, then recoils and roars a bit in fright.
"His pride is dying." He says as we see bloodshot eyes on the Liger females and cubs, their bellies fur being yellow. "The females and cubs were stricken by Malaria, thanks in part to the surge in mosquitos biting from the wet season, and the cubs have already died. Apollo backs away a safe distant, having smelt their disease. His cub looks on wearily, whimpering as if pleading for his father's aide…..before she begins to hurl up her dinner from yesterday."
Apollo snarls at his cub, almost clawing at her making her recoil. He backs away ever slowly.
"Apollo knows she has been tainted. If she stays too close to him, she will infect him too. The King must sever his bond with his bloodline, if he is preserve his own future." He says as the cub lays down beside her exhausted mother as Apollo starts walking off into the Savanah.
"He abandons them, to their fate." Narrator says in somber tone.
We see the sun set that night, the cub and her clan laying in the thicket, dead.
3 Weeks Later….
"As you have probably read on the caption, 3 weeks have passed since Apollo lost his clan, and the results have begun to show on his tired body."
We see Apollo, a bit skinnier and his Mane smaller, as if shedding.
"Without the aide of the Lionesses our he is beginning to see the reality of being a King without a kingdom. He is barely making anymore kills in this dry season. His only chances for survival soon, is to find another pride to join or make a kill."
Apollo begins scouring the plains, sniffing around. Soon he winces as he hears a low grunt, out to his right near a dead tree, a pair of spiky scaled rodent animals with large claws and long snouts snarling at him while waiving those claws threating him as they slash the air.
"His odds are not very high for either. Some prey nearby are far too dangerous to take on, even if he was healthy. Like this pair of Pangylosaurs. They are another Reptile-Like Mammal descended from Pangolins. It's not just their spiky scales that repel bites from other predators, they have elongated claws that can rip and tear apart even a Liger.
The parent's begin approaching Apollo, who roars in defiance, but they do not back down.
'This time of year they have young burrowed nearby, and they do not take kindly to Apollo's presence. They are only vulnerable to their own kind and as baby's and won't let theirs become his next meal." He says as they begin charging at him, slashing away at the air as they do so.
"Apollo is forced to retreat from these plains, his saving grace being such heavily armed animals like the Pangylosaurs are usually slow." He says as Apollo quickly runs into the grassy plains, leading to the Pangylosaurs to return to grazing on near-dead treetops.
"But sadly not even these powerful creatures have any defense against the forces at work against them."
We see the savannah, many dead carcasses around, some animals like a Rhinosaurus, Zebra, Gazelles, and even a Liger laying with yellow stomachs shown, eyes watery and read but dead.
"A surge of diseases like Malaria and Lepresy have begun striking the continent. As the dry climate begins to experience prolonged rainy seasons, insects like mosquitos are on the rise, bringing viruses and parasites to the animals they bite, who have not had to experience this for millions of years due to being used to long dry seasons. Animals are dying off at a rate not seen since humans existed. With a mix of disease and harsh seasons, only the scavengers are thriving." He says as pairs of Vulture soon flies down devouring the carcasses as we see a Komodo Dragon begin eating the leg of a Zebra.
We then see a large lake on the savannah, many deer and water buffalo drinking the water, covered head to hoof in mud.
"Still, life plows on as best it can. Some animals have adapted to face these new challenges. Some animals have learned to use mud as a natural insect repellent." He says as a buffalo flaps its head, shaking some mud and swatting away mosquitos. Nearby a Liger, blood on its jaws dripping walks by on the other end of the lake, soon laying in mud. "And Apollo is no exception. He especially needs to do so now that he has finally made a kill after losing his pride a couple weeks ago. He also needs to quench his thirst, although this may be a bad time to do so. For however powerful a Liger is, a king often has a challenge to his rule, and there is an unseen one here at the watering hole."
Bubbles are shown in the middle of the lake as Apollo drinks on one end, the buffalo on the other. Slowly….they begin moving towards one side, a shadowy figure shown above the water from that angle. We then see a slanted eye.
Out of the water, a huge pair of jaws filled with jagged teeth snatch a Mud buffalo, it bellowing as we see a crocodilian clamp down on its neck before dragging it into the lake to the shock of the herd and startling Apollo.
"Crocodiles have continued to thrive for millions of years, and with their prey having grown to enormous sizes, so too did their descendants, and at 25 feet and 7 meters, Archosuchus is as big as crocodiles get."
We see a blood bubble pop form a red patch in the middle of the lake. Apollo snarls before walking off.
"Apollo may king on land, but not even he would dare stick around the waters for long after this challenger arrived."
Several months later…..
Apollo is shown patrolling the now dryer landscape, all the trees are dead, and the grass plains are grey and shorter than before, almost lawn size level.
"Months into the dry season go by. But it's not just the landscape that has been hit hard. It is evident by Apollo's malnourished state he has not been getting many meals. He has still not found a new pride." He says as we see a close up of Apollo's hind leg, sporting 3 claw marks with dry blood.
"And it appears he had a run in with a rival male, his limp will make it much more difficult to make a kill let alone impress a pride of females. Male Ligers usually leave their father's pride as juveniles, searching for females to make their own. This prevents inbreeding. Female Ligers may be a bit shorter than the males, but their no less aggressive. Apollo has been sniffing around for females, and he needs to find a meal for himself, and to appeal to them before his legacy dies with him."
Apollo is shown panting heavily as he limps, sniffing the ground in vain before walking off, a pair of vultures following him.
"And things are going from bad to worse. His weakened state hasn't been noticed by just the birds." He says as Apollo approaches some large rocks, hearing growling behind them before his hair's on his back go upright and he snarls. Out of the rock formation, a trio of large dog-like animals with yellow and black spots on them emerge.
"Cairyo's have evolved with the cats. These are descendants of wild dogs, only twice the size, and with a much more fearsome set of jaws. Normally they would not think of fighting an adult Liger unless their pack was twice the size, but they can smell Apollo's labors."
The wild dogs begin circling Apollo, he roars, making one get startled and jump back a little.
"Apollo may be weak, but he will not just let himself become a meal for dogs. His jaws are more lethal by far, and all he needs to do is unleash them on at least one to dissuade the others from attacking. It's all about who gets first bite in."
From behind, one Dog lunges, Apollo turns back and swipes at it with its paw, making it jump back. The one in front of him also attacks, but Apollo tries to bite it, making it yelp as it cowers and dodges. Apollo soon begins to wince as his sabers retract into his mouth and he pants.
"Apollo's condition is getting worse. His limp is draining his energy. If this keeps up for long, he will never make it out alive." He says as the dogs begin drawing closer. Suddenly their ears shoot up and they look off to the west of them, along with Apollo as he sniffs something.
"Then suddenly, something extraordinary happens. Another male Liger appears from out the blue." He says as a Liger looking like Apollo but slightly smaller and more heavily built comes charging in, roaring as he unleashes his sabers.
Soon the dogs charge at it, but the new Liger swats one away, making the second roll to the side as it bits the new ligers shoulder before he takes the opportunity to bite down on the dogs neck, it gasping for air as the dog yips and goes limp, dead. The sight of which makes the other two dogs whimper before running off. The liger drops the dog, before slowing going up to Apollo as he pants, snarling a bit.
"This male could have been trying to weed out rival dogs and Apollo. Ligers are cannabis, and don't just try to kill the young of defeated rivals." He says as the two Ligers snarl, before suddenly sniffing each other.
"But this is not a rival to Apollo, he can recognize him by his scent. This Liger is his brother." He says as the two soon nuzzle each others, even beginning to play. Apollo soon goes over to the carcass of the dog with his brother and begins eating.
"This is a rare occasion in this Antarctic continent. A male Liger allowing another male, usually a relative, partake in a feast with him is a sign of acceptance into a pride. Apollo has finally found a reprieve. He has gotten his much needed meal, and he has found a source of hope for finding a new family. If he is valuable enough to be saved by one of his siblings, he can perhaps find a new mate to forge his legacy again."
1 year later….
We see Apollo and his brother amongst a quartet of females, laying lazily on the once more lush grassy plains as the sun bears down on them.
"Apollo has gained a new pride with his brother. Although he not the top male anymore, he is not complaining as he has completed his goal, reforging his legacy." He says as a pair of cubs soon appear, nibbling on Apollo's ear and mane.
"But sadly what plagued Apollo's old family and pride was only a sneak preview of what was to come. Many species would suffer the same fate not just in Antarctica, but across several continents. Plagues have been running rampant, crippling many large species. Soon a massive extinction event will leave only the Ligers and a few Reptile-Like Mammals surviving in this dry world, along with another durable group."
We see the vultures again, one's head bloody as it dives into a Rhinosaurus calf carcass before a living adult shoes them off, they then perch on a dead tree.
"Many birds like the vultures have evolved antibodies against the plagues, and with prey plentiful for them, they will soon rise to become one of the most dominant species on the planet. Soon another era will dawn, the era….of the Giant Terror Birds."
We see an image of a giant ostrich-like bird with a blue head, red crest and curved sharp beak run through a forest, head-butting a small boar pig before biting its stomach and grabbing it, shaking it to death before dropping it, then screeching at the camera before pecking it, breaking the lense.
END