There is something missing from this world – the amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we could bring them back?
What if extinction…didn't have to be forever?
We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wildlife adventurer Nigel Marvin plunges into prehistory to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction.
His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present, and give them a second chance.
On his very first mission, he hopes to rescue one of the last of the dinosaurs from the most dramatic extinction ever!
Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary…Welcome, to Prehistoric Park!
XxXxX
It's a big day at Prehistoric Park. All across the park, the staff are racing to finish the first set of exhibits - enclosures that will hold everything from giant arthropods, to dinosaurs.
"Come on, lands," shouted the head keeper of the park, Robert Hamilton Arthur, "check everything - this will house a dangerous creature. A really dangerous one!"
If Nigel can make extinct animals feel at home anywhere, it's here.
Atop a hill far away from Bob's constructions, Nigel has a perfect view of the park, and is already comparing it to a map.
"The natural geography will help us contain the animals - we've got an ocean to the south, and to the north, there's a mountain range. With habitats ranging from savannah, to forests of the tropical, temperate, and coastal varieties, scrub, wetlands, desert, and even boreal tundra, we've got a perfect set of environments for keeping prehistoric animals.
All that they need now is the prehistoric animals themselves.
XxXxX
Nigel was now in a museum, filled with fossils and replicas of prehistoric creatures.
One day, the park hopes to breed prehistoric animals, especially those that can be returned to their habitats. For now, though, Nigel wants to bring back a few of each species and see how they get along in the twenty first century.
And he already knows what he wants to bring back first.
Nigel had come to a stop in front of a skeleton belonging to possibly the most recognizable of all dinosaurs.
The menaest and scariest of all: Tyrannosaurus rex.
XxXxX
Nigel's already figured out when and where he needs to go, as well as why he wants to start with such a daunting creature.
Standing in his den, Nigel was looking over a map of Earth circa the end of the Cretaceous.
"THe most widely accepted theory regarding the extinction of the dinosaurs is that a giant meteor slammed into the Earth here," he said, pointing to what would one day become the Gulf of Mexico (AN: NOT THE GULF OF AMERICA!). "This is a map of Earth at the end of the Cretaceous, and the meteor hit somewhere in Mexico. You can still see the crater today from space. At this time, masses of T. rex were founded all across the western half of North America, especially in what would one day become the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming. Parts of these states make up the Hell Creek Formation, one of the most famous assemblages of dinosaur fossils in the world. I talked it over with everyone, and this is where we'll do our first rescue - Hell Creek has one of the most complete ecosystems in the fossil record, with creatures ranging from dinosaurs to insects being known from its rocks. I should be able to get a T. rex here, but Bob's given me permission to bring back anything else I can catch. At least, within reason."
XxXxX
At the portal annex, the time portal was already active, and Nigel's jeep was surging toward the hole in time.
To rescue the last of the T. rex, Nigel will have to go back sixty six million years, to the very end of the Cretaceous - as close to the extinction as he dares.
XxXxX
On the other side of the portal, Nigel found himself on a lush, open set of plains. To the west lay a great forest, while to east were sparser trees that gave way to the sea. Mountains were visible in the distance, as was a smoking volcano.
Sixty six million years ago, Montana looks very different - the land is greener and wetter than it is today, as it rests on the receding edge of an interior sea. Additionally, there's very little grass here, for while it first showed up in the Early Cretaceous, ferns and cycads still hold dominion over the plains. Here, T. rex is king. Now, all Nigel needs to do is find one.
Nigel eventually comes to a stop some ways from a campsite - his men have already arrived and prepared a base for their rescue mission.
In a land filled with so many dangers, Nigel and his team know that the sooner they accomplish their mission, the better.
"I just hope we have a bit of luck here. This land is beautiful, but its too open for Tyrannosaurus. That forest, however, looks like a perfect habitat for T. rex. I'm gonna head over there and see if I can find one."
XxXxX
Tyrannosaurus rex was the largest carnivore to ever live in North America, growing up to forty feet long and weighing ten tons. Finding one shouldn't be too hard, right?
Nigel had been trudging through the connifer forest for some time, but so far, he hadn't even seen a hint of dinosaurs yet.
As for what he'll do when he finds one...he hasn't quite figured that out yet.
Eventually, Nigel gets a lucky break - something in the dirt catches his eye.
"Look at this," said Nigel as he lowered himself for a better look. "These are tracks - three toed ones, too. These are the archetypical theropod track - they're made by dinosaurs ranging from allosaurs, to tyrannosaurs, and of course birds. These are on the small end, so while they could be a juvenile tyrannosaur, it's more likely they were made by a different dinosaur. That's not a bad thing, though - tyrannosaurs went through an amazing variation of niches as they grew up, so if we follow these tracks, we might find not only whatever made them, but also a young T. rex."
It goes without saying that a young Tyrannosaurus will be easier to rescue than an adult.
A short bit of trekking finally yields fruit for Nigel: something is moving in the brush nearby, hopefully oblivious to Nigel's presence. Instantly, Nigel is on the alert, taking cover behind a tree.
"I'm not sure what htis could be - the footprints seem to match the size of an ostritch, but that's not necessarily a good thing - a predator that big would likely view a human like me as food."
Fortunately, Nigel doesn't have to wait long to find out what he's dealing with: emerging from the brush is modestly sized, feathery creature. At first glance, it appears to be an ostritch, but the tail and arms confirm it is a non-avian dinosaur, and one that seems to be the size of an elk. At set of stripes adorn the fluff on its back, while its neck is vibrant blue, and its eyes a striking yellow. Unfortunately for Nigel, it has clearly seen him.
"Well, what have we here," said the man in question, caution giving way to wonder. "Aren't you beautiful. I'd recognize this anywhere - it's an ornithomimosaur. The most famous of the group in the public eye is the largest variety, Gallimimus, which had a memorable scene in Jurassic Park, but I'm certain this is the namesake of the group, Ornithomimus. It looks just like an ostrich-"
Said dinosaur let out a mixture of a screech and a honk, surprising Nigel and causing him to retreat.
"Wow, you've got a strong set of lungs."
More movement cuts off any remarks from Nigel, who can only watch in joy as more of the ostritch dinosaurs emerge from the brush and, seemingly deciding that a human poses no threat to them, the flock begins to feed.
"Huh. Looks like an ostrich and behaves like one too.
They may not be tyrannosaurs, but the Ornithomimus are doomed to die with the giant predator…unless Nigel can save one.
"Now, with Tyrannosaurus being so big, I didn't bring any tranquilizers when I entered this forest," said Nigel as he started to take off one of his shoes. "I wouldn't have a team to drag it back, so my plan was to just bait it through the portal. Unfortunately, that means I can't just tranquilize one of these creatures and carry them home." Finding taking off his shoe, Nigel yanked off the sock. "However, there might be a work around - ostriches will calm down if you cover their heads with a sock, so I maybe I can apply that to save one of these creatures."
Of course, that requires him to catch one first.
Nigel's approach does not go unnoticed by the flock, and they scatter once he gets too close. Fortunately, one of the blue necked ones gets too close, and Nigel is able to tackle it and, after much difficulty, cover its head. The rest of the flock, meanwhile, disappears into the brush.
"Just like an ostrich," said Nigel as the creature began to calm. "I'm not certain, but with such a bright neck, this might be a male."
Suddenly, the flock returns and begins running past Nigel. Bewildered, he pulls the sock off his catch's head, causing him to panic again and flee with his group. One of them, a juvenile, clearly lags behind the rest.
After a moment of watching the group retreat, Nigel turns back toward where they came from…and quickly finds what spooked them.
It looks like the T. rex have found Nigel before Nigel could find them.
There were two rexes staring at Nigel - both had black dorsums and white underbellies, with the tails have alternating bands of black and white. Feathers covered the dorsum, but vanished before they reached the tail. Grey markings were also present on the legs and face, alongside vibrant blue markings just behind the eyes. The evidently hungry creatures, they seemed confused on how to react to Nigel, having never seen a mammal this large in their lives.
Nigel took a moment to smile nervously, then bolted. After gawking for a moment, the tyrannosaurs followed, their prey response triggered by his retreat. But before they can close the distance, Nigel reaches another set of thick brush.
Tyrannosaurus has the legs of a marathon runner, not a sprinter. Additionally, an animal so heavy can at best manage a power walk - running would pulverize the bones in its feet. For this pair, the chase is over.
Nigel sets down in the brush, waiting for the carnivores to lose interest. Eventually, the rexes retreat, allowing him to leave.
"I think," he huffs out, "that I've had enough adventure for today."
XxXxX
Hours later, Nigel returns to camp...only to find a surprise waiting for him.
While Nigel's been out all day looking for T. rex, his camp received an pair of guests.
Instead of preparing for the night, Nigel's men are all clustered around what appear to be moss covered rocks.
Then the rocks start moving. Slowly, they reveal themselves to be squat, heavily armored dinosaurs, with tails ending in a vaugely spear-tipped club.
Once again, Nigel is smiling. "Well, look at this - there's no doubt in my mind, these are Ankylosaurus. This is a dinosaur specialized in defense - their bodies are covered in armor, and you can even find some on their eyelids. These animals are built to face Tyrannosaurus and win - I'm certain those tails could easily break a rex's leg."
Nigel attempts to approach the herbivores, but one snorts and slams its tail against the ground, while the other sweeps its tail at him.
"Ah, sorry. You don't want me to get close."
Nigel is still smiling at the pair, but now the smile has a tinge of sadness. "I would love to have these at Prehistoric Park, but I'm not sure how to save them - this isn't an animal made for running, and with how cautious they are, I'm not sure that bait will work for luring them to the portal."
Nigel may want to save every species he can, but if he can't figure out a way to transport them to the present, then he'll have to let them go.
XxXxX
Nigel's first day has come and gone with any tyrannosaurs back at the park. At least there's no sign of the meteor yet. But it's coming, and that puts Nigel on a deadline.
XxXxX
The next day, Nigel wakes up to find that the camp has additional visitors.
Just as he finishes washing his face in a nearby stream, Nigel glances upwards, only to find a three horned face looking back at him.
More creatures in the final days of their existence.
"Well, what have we here?" asked Nigel, who was once again smiling. "There's no doubt in my mind, these are Triceratops, and there are a lot of them. THhre's at least...forty of them, which is quite a surprsie - Triceratops aren't known from large herds in the fossil record."
Taking a quick glance reveals another surprise. "Strange - I can see a few different color morphs, which is already a surprise, but I can also two different horn designs, which is especially odd because that's the main difference between the famous Triceratops horridus - which, despite its name, was quite a beauty - and the later Triceratops prorsus, which was the one who made it to the end of the Cretaceous."
A loud bellow alerts Nigel to another dinosaur gathering near the stream - this one is not a horned dinosaur, and in fact vaguely resembles Tyrannosaurus.. Vaguely.
"Ah, another big herbivore - this is Edmontosaurus annectens. It's been called many other names before - Walking with Dinosaurs called it Anatotitan - and its the biggest creature in this region. Sauropods are known from North America at this time - that would be Alamosaurus, and it was the largest animal to ever live on this continent - but they're from much further south. These Triceratops, and the Ankylosaurus we saw yesterday, they're grazers, only eating plants on the ground, but Edmontosaurus are brwosers, able to eat both ferns on the ground and branches from trees."
There are many other creatures milling about on the other side of the stream, which acts as the drainage point for a nearby lake into the sea. Smaller bipedal herbivores, clubless armored dinosaurs, even hornless ceratopsians are visible, using the larger creatures for cover, which Nigel is all too happy to observe.
"This is a brilliant sight, and not just because these animals are beautiful. Tyrannosaurus are hunters, and they need large prey to sustain themselves, so if we're seeing these creatures, that means the rexes are nearby, and might even come to us."
Of course, it'd probably be safer to rescue the T. rex before it finds the camp, and it isn't long before Nigel sets out to do just that.
XxXxX
Hours later, Nigel has made his way to another clearing, following a set of giant three-toed footprints. Hopefully, they'll lead him right to the rexes.
His faith is not misplaced - after just half an hour, the familiar feathered forms of the tyrannosaurs come into view beside another stream, tearing into the remains of a small ankylosaur.
"What a stunning and gruesome sight. That dinosaur they're eating, I think it's a Denversaurus. They're relatives of the Ankylosaurus we saw yesterday, and I saw a few of them in the mixed her earlier. They're a different breed of armored dinosaur called nodosaurs, and instead of clubs, they have sharp plates on their tails and shoulders. They're also much smaller, and as I can see right now, that makes them far more vulnerable to predation."
While the Denversaurus is by no means small, it's far from larger enough to adequately feed such large carnivores.
After eating all they can, the predators wander off, though not before looking somewhere in the distance and letting out a low bellow, which leaves Nigel feeling perplexed. Once they're gone, though, Nigel notices something else by the stream - something fuzzy and the size of a badger, which is just starting to crawl out of the water.
Without any hesitation, Nigel surges at the creature, just as a second emerges on to shoreline. After a short scuffle, he has both immobilized.
"I wasn't expecting to see these - they're Didelphodon. These creatures obviously aren't dinosaurs, they're mammals, and these are some of the biggest around. Now, if you've seen a dinosaur documentary, you'll have heard that mammals were stuck as being small insectivores until the extinction of the dinosaurs, but that's only half right. Yes, they remained small, but mammals diversified spectacularly even as they lay in the shadow of dinosaurs. Walking with Dinosaurs itself claimed that these creatures survived mainly as scavengers and nest raiders, but more complete fossils found after that program ended revealed that Didelphodon was actually something like a river otter."
This time, Nigel came prepared - he brought several pet carriers with him, as well as tranquilizers and traps to help catch small animals, and two men to help him carry his captures. Back at camp, several traps are already in place, hoping to grab the smaller fauna of Hell Creek. This is part of the reason it was agreed that he would rescue Tyrannosaurus first: not only would the park gain experience with megafauna, it would also have the opportunity to work with smaller animals, which despite seeming easier to care for, have their own set of issues to manage.
And it seems that Nigel will getting quite a few of those creatures here - just as Nigel manages to put the Didelphodon into carriers, the bushes come alive. Within moments, mammals are swarming over the nodosaur carcass - the tyrannosaurs may have eaten all they could, but there are still enough scraps of flesh left to entice the furry creatures into a frenzy. Soon, the carcass becomes a mass of fur, each creature trying to get its fill of flesh, hoping to outmuscle or outmaneuver its competition. All the while, Nigel tries to pry off individual creatures so that he can put them into carriers.
It's ten minutes before the mass disperses, the last shred of flesh picked clean from the corpse. Nigel has ended up capturing at least five of each species he saw tearing into the corpse, and with enough creatures to give him considerable back pains just from carrying them, decides it is time to head home. Just before he leaves, though, something catches his sight - a mound comprised of dirt and twigs. Hastily placing his smaller captures on the ground, Nigel starts digging through the pile, hellbent on finding something within.
"There's no way this pile occurred naturally - I'm certain it's not just a random pile of detritus, but a nest. We know what hadrosaur, ankylosaur, and ceratopsian nests look like, and this doesn't match any of them, so I think this is a tyrannosaur nest, and if I'm lucky, it has eggs inside."
Unfortunately, all that Nigel manages to dig out of the pile are a set of fragmented eggshells. Since the adult tyrannosaurs did not react to the presence of the nest, it is likely they knew this was the case. While its possible the eggs were devoured by nest raiders, the lack of damage consistent with burrowing indicates a far simpler solution: this is an old nest, and the eggs come from a previous breeding season.
Disheartened, Nigel returns to camp. He is now two days without any tyrannosaurs, only having tiny catches of mammals to show for his efforts. Worse still, the night sky is filled with shooting stars - heralds of the coming doom. While such a spectacle would be awe inspiring in any other scenario, seeing these meteorites only fills Nigel with dread - they are forebearers to a much larger meteor, and their presence merely emphasizes what he already knows: time is running out.
XxXxX
The next day, Nigel is in for a rude awakening - as the camp starts to come alive, a hiss turns his attention toward aset of foothills. There, standig atop the tallest of them, is a Tyrannosaurus. Nigel is almost certain that this is one of the two he saw before. Oddly, however, he can't find the other. As the carnivore begins to size up its prey, though, a snarl turns his attention to the east, where a second tyrannosaur has appeared. This isn't the one Nigel saw earlier - it has scars that weren't on the second of the pair. Two more snarls reveal a thrid and fourth Tyrannosaurus, much to the confusion of the first two.
It doesn't take long for Nigel to figure out what's going on.
"These Tyrannosaurus aren't pack hunting - I think they all just happened here by chance. Tyrannosaurus has amazing smell, sight, and hearing, so htey likely found the herbivores from several kilometers away. Now, though, they're all together, and they're not happy about it - we have fossils indicating that tyrannosaurs engaged in absolutely vicious combat with one-another, and it's highly likely they would've cannibalized eachother if they had the chance."
At this moment, though, hunger outweighs intraspecific competition, and after a tense moment, the tyrant reptiles descend upon the herds.
The herbivores have a mixed set of reactions - some flee, others try to fight. The majority of the adult Triceratops stand there ground, as do the large hadrosaurs and the Ankylosaurus pair. For the younger animals, and those less protected than the giant herbivores, flight is the only option. Some flee toward the forest, others seek shelter in the nearby lake - tyrannosaurs are accomplished swimmers, but trying to kill an animal in deep water would be exhausting, possibly too much to compensate with the calories acquired from the kill. Whatever choice the herbivores make, they have one advantage: the carnivores are not coordinating their efforts.
Well, not all of them.
The first tyrannosaur to arrive has set its sights on a subadult female Triceratops. With no time to turn and face him, she is forced to flee. As she passes by a small clump of trees, though, another tyrannosaur bursts out and bites into her back. This time, Nigel does recognize the Tyrannosaurus - this is the second one he saw earlier. Locking its jaws around the horned herbivore, it's clear that she's determined to make a kill. Unfortunately, they're blindsided when another Triceratops arrives and scores a glancing blow on their leg. The panicked cry the carnivore releases gives its prey time to escape, leaving the predator incredibly irate. Now, it needs to find a new target.
Within moments, its eyes zero in on a group of young herbivores, all of whom have clustered around the Ankylosaururs pair, who can no longer scare them off. It isn't long before a second pair of eyes focuses on them as well - the first Tyrannosaur has recognized its partner's plan of attack.
This might be Nigel's chance.
Acting quickly, Nigel sets up the time portal and sends the rest of the team through. Then, he takes off his coat, holds it in front of him, and starts shaking. "I might be able to get a whole variety of dinosaurs right now if I do things right - this group has a sub-adult Triceratops at its head, and if I can just get its attention and get it through the time portal, the rest of them might follow, and hopefully, so will the tyrannosaurs."
As the two predators draw closer, fear of imminent death overrides the ceratopsians distrsut of Nigel, and it charges forward, with Nigel hastily following it inside. The rest of the animals follow, including the Ankylosaurus, who are pushed forward by weight of numbers.
The uninjured Tyrannosaurus also thunders through the portal, only stopping on the other side in confusion at the change in surroudnings. The injured one, however, hesitates, and eventually breaks off the pursuit.
XxXxX
Prehistoric Park finally has its first dinosaurs, and while Nigel did manage to rescue a Tyrannosaurus, all eyes are on the first Triceratops through the portal.
Said Triceratops was heartily eating in an observation pen, surrounded by others of his kind, hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs of both variants, and other, smaller dinosaurs. Head Vet Suzanne, however, had other concerns - among those animals that Nigel had rescued was the wounded Triceratops, who had been rushed to surgery to receive treatment for her injuries.
"So," asked Bob, "any name ideas for this one?"
"Well, since I'm pretty sure he's a male, how about Theo?"
"After your son?"
"Why not."
XxXxX
It isn't long before Theo and the rest of his kind have been moved to the newly christened Triceratops Creek. Filled with ferns, cycads, and water plants for them to eat, its a perfect habitat for the ceratopsians. The other animals are swiftly moved into their own exhibits (including special enclosures for all the smaller fauna) and it isn't long before all of the new residents are settled in...
...All except one.
Within the main holding pens, the Tyrannosaurus has barely touched its food. Instead, its eyes are focused on the portal annex, a looking of longing in them.
Bob felt worried. "You think it doesn't like the food we gave 'em?"
"No," replied Suzanne. "First, he's male, and second, it looks like something's distracting him. Do you have any ideas, Nigel?"
"Well, when I was in the past, I saw him hunting with another Tyrannosaurus. I think that was his mate, and he's worried about her."
"...You're gonna go back and grab her, aren't you?"
Nigel just smiled nervously.
XxXxX
Returning to the Cretaceous, Nigel has a new goal: find the female Tyrannosaurus.
It isn't exactly hard - with the leg injury she received earlier, it doesn't take long to find her footprints, as one of her feet is clearly being dragged in the dirt. It isn't long before Nigel finds her, standing on a riverbank. The reason why soon becomes apparent - one of the Triceratops has drowned and is now floating downstream. NIgel watches the female for sometime, but eventually, she wanders off, though not before letting out a bellow just like the one she did the previous day. Confused, Nigel watches her leave, before turning his attention back to the carcass - if he can grab some meat from it, he might have a way to bait her into the present.
That is, if he can catch the carcass.
XxXxX
It's half an hour before the carcass finally comes to a stop. By this point, the shoreline of the Cretaceous seas are visible. Nigel has wasted precious time trying to acquire the bait, and worse still, he's been beaten to it.
The beached carcass has descended into a battleground - atop it are quartet of feathery dinosaurs, whose relations are made clear by the sickle claws on their feet. Surrounding them, meanwhile, are a group of leathery winged, long-necked hunters - pterosaurs. This variety is not normally a scavenging one, but the mountain of flesh is a prize worth fighting for. And with how many pterosaurs there are, the raptors are guaranteed to lose.
Of course, all is forgotten once Nigel's jeep drags the corpse into the present - the carnivores decide that following the corpse is better than fighting over nothing.
Just as Nigel prepares to try and find the female Tyrannosaurus again, though, a pained cry draws his attention back to the shoreline. There, lying on the beach is a giant lizard of some sort - a mosasaur. This one is already rather large, but seems to still be growing, though unfortunately, it is beached.
While this is a beautiful animal, and doomed to extinction alongside the dinosaurs, rescuing it now will cost Nigel precious time.
XxXxX
"What do you mean he rescued a mosasaur?" asked Bob. "We just barely got the aquatic tanks ready, I don't want to start with something that big!"
The marine keeper jsut gave Bob a sympathetic look.
The head keeper just sighed - the male Tyrannosaurus was still anxious over his mate, the Triceratops had started going into a rut shortly after being brought into the present, and now this.
He really hoped Nigel would be able to rescue that female rex.
XxXxX
Back in the past, Nigel had managed to get ahead of the female Tyrannosaurus, and was working on a solution for catching her - he set up the portal near a river, and started building a barricade opposite the side near the river.
"It's crude, but with her injury, the female rx isn't going to want move on uneven ground, so if I can make a path to corral her toward the portal, it shouldn't be too hard to get her to the present."
Before Nigel could say anything further, though, some started moving toward the portal - something big.
Two somethings, as it turned out - two big somethings with armored backs, long legs, long tails...and long necks.
Nigel just stared in shock. "You've got to be kidding me - those are Alamosaurus. How did they get so far North?"
Before Nigel could get an answer, smaller creatures suddenly surged up from behind one of the foothills in this set of plains - a flock of Ornithomimus. This time, they weren't alone - joining them were two groups of domeheaded dinosaurs and very gracile looking raptors, most likely troodontids. And behind them was the reason for their panicked run: the female Tyrannosaurus. This time, though, she had competition - overhead, the shapes of pterosaurs filled the air, but ones far bigger than those Nigel had seen fighting over the carcass.
Unwilling to be eaten, the smaller dinosaurs all surged toward the portal, as did the long necks, unwilling to take a chance with the Tyrannosaurus. It wasn't long before they reached the portal, much to Bob's shock when the giant sauropods plodded through. The pterosaurs were another surprise, though they soon learned to fear the power of tranquilizer darts...well, they would once they woke up.
But as the female rex approached the time portal, though, one Ornithomimus struggled to keep up. Nigel realized it was the juvenile he had seen earlier. Desperately, it tried to jump over the barricade, only for the female rex to crush it in her jaws, damaging the barricade as she did so.
For a moment, Nigel thought that she was going to eat the Ornithomimus, but instead, she dropped it to the ground and let out another bellow. Nigel's question as to the reason for the bellowing finally received its answer: emerging from a nearby patch of trees was a pair of smaller, more gracile Tyrannosaurus. It seemed that Nigel had unwittingly split a Tyrannosaurus family.
Nigel smiled once again - it looked like he would have a chance to reunite the family he'd accidentally split.
Then a hiss filled the air. Instantly, all eyes fell on the source - another tyrannosaur. Without warning, he charged at the juveniles and snapped at one. The female, enraged over the threat to her offspring, snapped back, and a fight soon broke out. Briefly, the two juveniles tried to intervene, only for one to be thrown into the other, knocking both out of the fight. The mother rex, however, seized her chance, and bit into her rival's neck. Crying out in pain, he tried to shake her off, but she held firm. Finally, in desperation, he charged forward, and managed to knock her into the remains of the barricade, sending her tumbling into the dirt. Without a sound, he snatched the Ornithomimus carcass and ran.
As the female slowly tried to stand while her offspring stared at her uncomfortably, a loud booming noise filled the air. All eyes turned to the sky, where a giant ball of fire was heading to the ground.
Nigel is out of time - the meteor has finally breached the atmosphere. When it makes impact, it will explode with a force beyond anything that nuclear weapons could achieve.
The quartet of creatures were only spared blindness by a distant volcano blocking the actual impact from sight. A growing feeling of panic washed over Nigel - the female Tyrannosaurus had righted herself, but she and her young looked poised to flee into the brush. If they did that now, he would not be able to catch them, and with only himself as bait, it was unlikely they would prioritize food over escape.
At that very moment, a bellow sounded from the other side of the time portal. Instantly, the Tyrannosaurs were staring at the portal.
As the bellow sounded again, Nigel realized he had one chance left. Holding out his hands, Nigel waved them as much as possible, trying to get the Tyrannosaurus family to look at him. Once he was certain they were watching, he fled into the portal.
Just before the blast wave hit, the trio followed him through.
XxXxX
After several vet sessions and hasty sorting of new arrivals, everyone finally seems to be settling in.
Bob, however, wants to test something out - while there are enough Triceratops to keep their rutting problems handled, he has another trick in mind.
The female members of the staff watched, amused, as Nigel and Bob charged at Theo with a tractor that had been modified to look like Triceratops. 'Boys', they thought.
XxXxX
At T. rex hill, the staff were now looking at the crown jewel of the park: the Tyrannosaurus family.
After a few stressful days, the adult tyrannosaurs were peacefully snoring in the shade, while the juveniles, bodies covered in striped feathers, were having fun.
"You sure this won't be too much of a challenge?" asked Nigel.
Bob shrugged. "We'll see."
XxXxX
In a meeting room, a group of well dressed men and women looked over a mission report. "So, the mission was a success?" asked a elderly englishman.
"Yes," affirmed a half-Chinese, half-American woman. "Our first rescue mission exceeded our expectations."
"I see," said another board member. "So, now that we know our efforts to rescue extinct species are not a fool's endeavor, what do we aim for next?"
"...How about something big, fuzzy, and tusky?"
"...No complaints."
XxXxX
Next time, Nigel sets his sights on the famous wooly mammoth!
(Shot of Nigel trying to comfort a mammoth that is having trouble standing)
While facing creatures familiar and different!
(shot of Nigel facing off against wolves, which transitions to him running away from a one-horned rhino)
It seems that achieving his dream will not be as easy as he thinks. All next time on Prehitoric Park: Mammoth Undertaking!
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AN: So,here we are.
When I was looking over the backstory plans I had for WtPK, I realized they would contradict what I showed in Returned From Extinction. So, I'm going to rewrite those events, bring them more in line with my vision of the previous story. Do not expect a one-to-one match up. Things will be different.
With that being said, Read and Review at your leisure, and edit the tropes page when possible. This is Flameal15k, signing off!