The Dinosaur King Chapter 18 - Confrontation
Tristan, Sue, Anton, Fangtooth, and her family arrived at the edge of Dino Rock, hiding behind a hill.
"Sue, Fangtooth, you and your family find my mother and rally the Tyrannosaurs," said Tristan.
"And what about you?" Ruben asked.
"I'll look for Proximus," Tristan said.
"Then I'll come with you, Tristan," said Anton. "I'll take you where he is, there at the promontory of Dino Rock."
The Archaeopteryx points his right wing fingers to where the promontory is as he continues examining, "But I must remain hidden while I sneak you, your majesty."
"Thank you, Anton, it would be very appreciated," Tristan said as he was more grateful to Anton now compared to how he was in the past before turning to the others, "You know the plan, let's go!"
"Be careful, Tristan!" Fangtooth said as she, her family, and Sue went off.
The Group split up with Sue and the Giganotosaurs to rally the Tyrannosaurs together while Tristan and Anton go to confront Proximus.
Once the duo reached Dino Rock, they saw the same Raptors that Tristan met at the Dinosaur Graveyard guarding the entrance. Tristan and Anton can only cringe with disgust and fear that they have to face these guys again.
"This is not good, those raptors want to cage me and fatten me up for dinner," Anton said.
"At least, they'll know I'm not a rexling anymore," Tristan added.
"But they are dangerous in a pack, Tristan, but I can lure them away," Anton told them. "It's my sworn duty to protect his majesty."
"Very well, you can do, Feather Wings," Tristan replied using the nickname again, but this time not to mock him, but to encourage Anton.
. . . . .
The Raptors are restless and bored.
"I'm so Hungry!" Ryder groaned as he lay down against Emery, only to be shoved back up by him.
"Get off me, Ryder!" Emery yelled at him before turning his head towards Ryder. "The next time you do that again, I'm gonna RIP YOUR LEGS OFF!"
The Atrociraptor cowered in fear from Emery's Fury. But then, they heard a stomach growling from Bati.
"Pardon me," Bati chuckled.
"Ugh, what's taking Carrie so long?!" Torgan complained.
"They're talking with Victoria again, another persuasion to make her his queen again?" Oyuun said.
"I say, are you Raptors looking for me?!" a voice called out.
The Raptors looked up to see Anton flying about back and forth if he's mocking them.
"After that, Dino Bird!" Emery shouted as the Raptors chased Anton.
As Tristan watched Anton distracting them and letting him clear a path, he started to make his way up Dino Rock. Then Tristan stops when he sees Proximus on the promontory of Dino Rock with Carrie.
"VICTORIA!" roared the Scarred Tyrannosaurus as Tristan hid. Tristan then watched as his mother started heading up to Proximus. As she moves past the savage carnivores, they snap and peck at her heels. But she only glares disdainfully at them. She ascends Dino Rock and approaches Proximus.
"Yes, Proximus?" asked Victoria as the Scarred T. rex sadly sighed and spoke in a calm tone.
"Victoria, why must you put yourself through this? All you gotta do is be my Queen," Proximus said before changing to his tone, demanding why she is acting like this. "You're suffering from WHAT?! The memory of a life you once knew? a King you once loved?!"
Proximus sighed again as he calmed himself down before speaking, "I tried to make you understand what a True King can be."
"Proximus, A True King's Power is his Compassion, which you have shown none of that!" Victoria replied. Not wanting to hear this, Proximus changed the subject.
"Well, I held the true powers compared to the former one," Proximus said before he demanded. "Now, where is your hunting party? They're not doing their job?!"
"If you don't hunt, you won't eat at all!" Carrie added.
"Proximus, Carrie, there is no food. The herds have moved on and left the valley," said Victoria.
"No. You're just not looking hard enough," said Proximus angrily.
"You Liar, you must look harder or they'll be food for any of you!" Carrie shrieked angrily at Victoria.
"It's over. There is nothing left. We have only one choice. We must leave the Dinosauria Valley," said Victoria in disappointment and not caring for what Proximus or Carrie had said.
"We're not going anywhere," said Proximus angrily.
"Then you have sentenced us to death," Victoria shouted back.
"Then so be it," said Proximus, not caring for her words.
"He stays here, and nobody ever leaves," Carrie added.
"You can't do that," said Victoria, disgusted by his proclamation.
"I'm the king. I can do whatever I want," Proximus told her while baring his teeth in anger, because he is the King and he makes the rules. Tristan only cringed at this, knowing he was like this as rexling, and he thought if he didn't outgrow this attitude, he couldn't end up like his Uncle.
"If you were half the King Scotty was, you would nev-" said Victoria.
"I'M TEN TIMES THE KING SCOTTY WAS!" Proximus roared back at her.
"You are nothing compared to Scotty!" Victoria said in anger.
The Scarred Tyrannosaurus bellow roared and attacked her as the Tyranosaurs fought. The rest of the pack can only watch as their Queen fights with Proximus before he bites her in the neck and knocks her to the ground. Having had enough of this, Tristan appears on the left ledge of Dino Rock, roaring loudly.
Proximus gasped when he saw him and mistook Tristan for Scotty, and was understandably frightened as he said in fear, "Scotty? No. It can't be? You're dead."
"Get Away from My Mother!" Tristan roared out at Proximus as he walked down the ledge and ran over to his mother.
Victoria then awakens at her son's nudge, but also mistakes him for Scotty as Proximus did.
"Scott? Scotty?" Victoria asked as she slowly got up to face Tristan.
"No. It's me," said Tristan. Then Victoria got a better look at him. It was her long-lost son, whom she thought was dead, who had returned alive.
"Tristan? You're alive," said Victoria with delight. Then she became confused and said, "How can that be?"
"It doesn't matter; I'm here, Mother. I'm home," said Tristan as they nuzzled their snouts and necks.
During that time, Proximus and Carrie finally recognized Tristan.
"Tristan...?" Proximus asked in confusion.
"You're not Scotty! You're Tristan! You have a lot of nerve to come back here," Carrie snarled.
"Now, now, Carrie, let him handle this," Proximus told her as he approached Tristan.
"Tristan! I'm a little surprised to see you..." said Proximus. Then he looked up at the same three raptors above him with an angry look and said, "...alive".
On the word "alive'', Carrie, Emery, Ryder, Oyuun, Torgan, and Bati gulp audibly and slink into the shadows except for the other Savage Carnivores who snarled and glared at them.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," said Tristan angrily as he moved towards Proximus, as Victoria looked on with pride.
"Oh, Tristan, I can give you more than one. You must understand. The pressures of ruling a kingdom..." said Proximus, being apologetic while also being backed into a wall.
"...Are no longer yours. Step down, Proximus," said Tristan.
"Oh, oh, ye- Well, I would, heh, naturally, heh- however, there is one little problem. You see them?" said Proximus. Tristan looks up to see a horde of hungry savage carnivores above him staring down at him. "They think I'M king."
"Well, we don't," said a voice. Tristan and Proximus looked to see Sue, Fangtooth, and her family joining the other Tyrannosaurs who were with them, arriving to confront the Scarred Tyrannosaur
"Your reign is over, Tristan is the rightful king," said Sue.
"He deserves the throne. Not you, Proximus," Fangtooth said while baring her teeth. "If you want to get him, you have to get through us."
"All of us!" Sue replied before turning to the Tyrannosaurs. "Are you with me, Tyrannosaurs?!"
"It ends here, Proximus!" Leonardo shouted to the Scarred T. rex.
The Tyrannosaurs bellow roared in unison and agreement, they had had enough of Proximus and now they're siding with Tristan. As Asim and the Hakuna Matata Paradise appeared, joining them, circling Dino Rock.
"And he's not alone! He has his own army!" Asim added.
"That's right, we have the place surrounded!" Wingtip said as he landed next to the Spinosaur.
" If you refuse to leave, then we're gonna kick your tail!" yelled Enot.
"And send those 'Savages' back to where they belong with no worries," Derek added while baring his teeth.
"The choice is yours, Proximus. Either step down or fight," said Tristan.
"Oh, must it all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, to feel the shame of knowing I took the life of someone I love. Wouldn't you agree, Tristan?" asked Proximus.
"That's not gonna work, Proximus. I've put it behind me," said Tristan.
"Eh, but have they put it behind them? What about your faithful subjects know what you've done?" asked Proximus.
"Tristan, what is he talking about?" asked Sue.
"Ahh, so you haven't told them your little secret. Well, Tristan, now's your chance to confess and tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Scotty's death!" said Proximus with delight. Proximus's last sentence caused all the dinosaurs loyal to Tristan to concentrate on him.
Tristan steels himself for a moment, then takes a step forward and says, "I am, it was me."
The dinosaurs loyal to Tristan were shocked by what he said, and Victoria approached her son with much grief and said. "It's not true. Tell me it's not true,"
"It's true, I'm sorry," said Tristan regretfully.
"Tristan… I wouldn't have expected this even from you!" Rita said, unable to believe it.
"I can't believe it," Maurice lowered his head.
"You see! He admits it! MURDERER!" said Proximus as the sound of lightning crashed.
"No. It was an accident," said Tristan.
"If it weren't for you, Scotty, the king would still be alive. It's your fault he's dead. Do you deny it? You're the one to blame," said Proximus as he walked around and around Tristan while accusing him.
"No," said Tristan.
"Then...you're...guilty," said Proximus severely.
"No. I'm not a murderer," said Tristan
"We should believe a son who takes the life of a father, a king?" Proximus asked everyone, still walking around Xiron, as everyone looked unable to believe, "We should believe a son who takes the life of a king? A son who abandons his childhood friend, an old friend, and his mother?!"
As he continued, Proximus was backing up Tristan up the length of Dino Rock with the Savage Carnivores behind him and spoke to him, "Oh, Tristan, you're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to save you. And now EVERYONE...KNOWS...WHY!"
"No. I'm…" said Tristan while still scared.
"You're what? Say it! Are you the king?" Proximus glared.
"No. No, I'm…" Tristan stuttered
"Are you the king?!" Proximus demanded.
"No, I'm…!" Tristan stuttered as he was too close to the edge.
"You're what?! Say it!" Proximus roared.
"I…" Tristan tried to speak, only to be cut off.
"YOU WHAT?!" Proximus roared, demanding that Tristan answer his question.
"I'm... I'm nothing," Tristan whispered sadly, lowering his head.
"THEN BOW TO YOUR KING!" Proximus roared loudly, scaring him and forcing him to slip over the edge.
After his last sentence, Tristan slips over the edge and clings to the ledge with his strong legs and small arms, causing everyone to gasp in fear.
"Tristan!" Sue called out.
A lightning strike struck a dead tree below, igniting a fire that spread across other dead plants. Smoke was emitted from the fire, which began to get bigger as the other Dinosaurs and Prehistoric creatures got out of the way, as Tristan kept holding on to the ledge as Proximus approached him slowly.
As Tristan tries to climb back up, Proximus pretends to think like he has seen this scene before.
"Now this looks familiar. Hmm. Where have I seen this before? Let me think. Hmmm... hmmm. Oh yes, I remember. This is just the way your father, Scotty, looked before he died," said Tarkus. "I looked down, saw the fear in his eyes."
Then Proximus suddenly bites deep into Tristan's neck with his sharp teeth, sinking in, as he did to Scotty before, as Tristan roared in pain and Proximus picked him up and plopped him down in front of him and almost over the edge. Then he places his foot on him and leans close to him.
"And here's MY little secret:. . .," Proximus whispered into Tristan's ear. " I killed Scotty."
Tristan then had a quick memory flashback to that fateful instant. Realization filled his face, and he became angry.
. . . . .
In the Flashback, of his father falling to his Death while Proximus looked down evilly at him.
"Aaaaaaahh!" screamed Scotty as he fell to his death into the Stampede down below.
"Nooooooo!" screamed a young Tristan, watching his father hit the ground and getting trampled to death.
. . . . .
After the flashback, Tristan got enraged and screamed at the top of his lungs, "NOOOOOOO!"
Then he shook Proximus' leg off and grabbed his neck with his jaws, angry and hardly. This caused Proximus to back away, and Tristan used the momentum to pull himself back up Dino Rock.
"MURDERER!" Tristan yelled.
The dinosaurs then gasped in shock as Proximus was caught completely by surprise and was understandably very nervous and shaken.
"No, Tristan, please," said Proximus.
"MY FATHER, YOUR OWN BROTHER! HOW COULD YOU?!" Tristan snapped angrily.
Proximus was walking backwards, scared and called in cowardice, "First, he kills Scotty! And now he wants to kill me!"
"YOU KILLED THEM! Tell them the truth!" Tristan roared in rage.
"Don't believe his lies! " Proximus calling in denial.
"Proximus," Victoria said to him, making him turn to her as she asked him, "You told us you didn't get to the gorge in time?"
"That's true." Proximus nodded.
"Then how did you see the look in Scotty's eyes?!" she snapped angrily.
Proximus widened in horror, realizing he was going to be exposed. Then, an enraged Tristan pinned him to the floor.
"Tristan, please do this!" Proximus begged.
"Tell them the truth!" said Tristan,
"Truth? But the truth is in the eye of the beholder!" said Proximus, but was interrupted when Tristan pressed his right foot on his throat, preparing to choke him. "All right. All right. I did it".
"So they can hear you", Tristan demanded
Proximus roared grudgingly, but clearly. "I KILLED SCOTTY!"
The Scarred Tyrannosaurus then kicked and shoved Tristan off him as soon as the Tyrannosaurs, Tristan, and his army approached him with glares, ready to beat him up for what he did. But what is Proximus going to do now?