//------------------------------// // 15 - The Elements of Chaos // Story: The Lost Ponies: Jurassic Park // by CompactDisc //------------------------------// Howard King had not stopped running since making his escape from Tembo and Ludlow. He was amazed that nobody had seen him leave. He surmised that Ludlow was far too wrapped up in impressing the unsightly Griffon beasts, and Tembo was exhausted from the past few days’ events. Nonetheless, King knew he wasn’t always the most subtle of souls and figured he’d easily be noticed – and likely stopped – from running away. He panted hard as the rain-soaked jungle lashed and whipped his face, his jacket offering no protection from the elements. King knew that escaping into the wilds of Isla Sorna was, in many ways, a foolish move; fleeing from the relative safety of the InGen team left him extremely exposed and vulnerable to the dangers of the island. But he could stand it no longer. Surrounding himself with those awful characters only reminded him of the death of Baselton, and – though he had kept very quiet about the whole thing – wandering aimlessly under Dodgson’s alleged leadership and Tembo’s actual leadership had driven him to a breaking point. And so, presented with an opportunity to forge his own path, he ran. With any luck, he might bump into the ponies, and the three of them could formulate an escape plan. King finally stopped, slowing from a run to a jog to a halt. The jungle was dark and he hadn’t dared stop but his body told him otherwise. His legs burned and he felt sick; to that end he sought shelter in the hollowed base of a particularly large tree. Only then, finding himself able to properly collect his thoughts did he realise just how scared he was. That, and how little time he’d actually had to be able to process the events he’d been through since arriving on the infernal shores of the island. It had been a maddening, adrenaline-fuelled rush, and one that he had come to loathe. He just wanted to go home. To get away from the horror. Why he ever accepted Dodgson’s invitation to try and re-ignite BioSyn’s genetic engineering program, he would never know. King was no fool: he knew that money meant very little in the long run, so why Dodgson’s enticing financial offer had hooked him all those weeks ago would forever remain a mystery to him. In a moment of weakness he cried out, cursing loudly. The catharsis of screeching helped release some of his inner tension; with that he felt his shoulders relax and his core sag. Placing his head in his arms he did what he could to keep himself from cracking and sobbing uncontrollably. He sat there in silence, the surprisingly loud sounds of the night-time jungle filling his senses. He didn’t look up but he could hear the hammering rain splashing off of the tall canopy and thrumming the ground hard. He heard the shrubbery and ferns brushing and swaying in the wind. He could make out the distant dinosaur hoots and cries. But King remained motionless; he felt numb to it all. Numb, and so very tired. ... ... ... King awoke with a start, his head jolting upwards and his vision blurred. He had no idea when or for how long he’d been asleep but the very fact that he’d allowed himself to drift off without keeping vigilant made him greatly uneasy. As he came around he coughed deeply, blinking slowly to refocus his tired eyes. The sight that lay before him was altogether much the same; the hollowed-out tree trunk, the sodden underbrush, the driving rain, and the dark, foreboding jungle stretching out ahead of him. He sighed – at least when he was asleep, he wasn’t aware that he was still stuck on Isla Sorna. But now he was awake, and all-too aware. With a yawn, King stretched, crawling out of the hollow. He rubbed his eyes vigorously as he felt the rain soak through his hair; there was a certain soothing element to it. Slowly he stood, totally unsure as to the best course of action. Stay in the tree or cover ground? King knew that by moving at night he’d be much more vulnerable to the various beasts that could easily hide in amongst the trees and the shrubs, but equally staying in the hollow all night did not appeal at all. What if something happened upon me by chance? What then? The idea of being trapped in that small space with the jaws of a vicious dinosaur blocking his escape made him shudder. And so – possibly against his better judgement, he still wasn’t quite sure – King pressed on, searching, hoping, to find a more suitable hiding spot. King was slow as he pushed through the damp brush, stopping periodically in a mostly vain attempt to listen for any nearby creatures. He thought the rain had eased up somewhat but it was near impossible to tell exactly – either way, it was still loud, and he was unable to hear any potential threats. To that end, he felt immediately tense and the pressure of his situation led him to move ever quicker and stop less. He was hawkish; his eyes wide, his heart beginning to beat stronger. He felt as if every sound he made carried for miles and every movement betrayed any sense of quiet concealment. He yelped as he heard the bushes adjacent to him sway violently, hoping against hope that there wasn’t a predator darting towards him – and the shock made him begin to trot very intently and very quickly. Immediately he began to panic, a paranoia setting in that something was following him and he began to openly run, eyes scanning the trees nearby for somewhere, anywhere, to lay low and hide. But the jungle just looked all the same. There were no defining features to any of it. So King did the only thing he could blindly think to do: he kept running. It didn’t take long for his body to dictate he slow down and he did so, but only when he felt more comfortable that he wasn’t being chased. He continued moving but at a walking speed and after some time he was grabbed by a new alluring sound: running water. Fresh, cold, running water. King realised how thirsty he’d become. He’d barely eaten, drank, or slept in far too long, and the idea of fresh water was a pull so strong he could no longer ignore it. Heading in the direction of the sound he emerged onto a small clearing. The stream cut through it, straight ahead, and without thinking he moved speedily towards it. Suddenly King felt his ankle twist painfully and he fell, hitting the ground hard. It all happened very quickly but he could hear a horrifying crunch and then an immediate wetness under his chest; at the same time he heard a yelp and a loud nasal honk of something next to him. Panic immediately flooded his nerve centres yet again and he desperately scrabbled away from whatever was going on, spinning round to see a creature of sorts quickly leaping to its own feet. He sat no less than five feet from the animal – close enough to be able to make out its features in the dark – and though he was no dinosaur expert he knew that a skull like that belonged to a Pachycephalosaurus. Lamely, terrified, he stared as the dinosaur got to its feet all too quickly and darted to the opposite side of the clearing where it stayed, staring back at him. It was a strange moment – oddly peaceful, almost – but the adrenaline pumped ever harder as he realised he had tripped over the sleeping animal. Somehow he’d not seen it; somehow it hadn’t heard him. Then he looked down at his chest, and his blood ran cold. He’d tripped over the dome-head, alright, straight onto its clutch of eggs. King barely had time to register quite what was happening when he felt something slam into his chest with immeasurable force. He went flying, tumbling across the clearing and he let out a scream but the sharp, incredible pain that danced across his midsection soon put an end to that. Before he could collect himself that same horrible, blunt force exploded into him again – his back, this time – and he thought he could hear his bones snapping. Finally his skidding and tumbling came to a halt and he lay on the ground in a dishevelled, broken heap. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to wring that fuckwit Dodgson by his neck; but most of all he wanted to go home. He didn’t want any of this. He just wanted to be at home. He croaked labouredly as he watched the mother Pachycephalosaurus make her final charge at him. * * * * “What is it, Angel dear?” Fluttershy trotted determinedly towards her ever-demanding charge; Angel Bunny had hopped into the room with her and stood impatiently by the door, tapping his foot. “Is somepony hungry?” Angel wordlessly gestured to the clock on the wall. Fluttershy thought it strange that it was ticking backwards, and seemed to repeat the number five multiple times, but instinctively she knew that whatever time it was, Angel was due a good meal. “Come along now, sweetie,” she cooed, trotting into the kitchen. “We’ll get you some food.” But as she trotted into her kitchen it began to rain – inside – which she thought rather odd. Glancing out of the window Fluttershy could see that it was a bright sunny day, which made the sudden and rather heavy downpour all the more stranger. Bizarrely, her kitchen remained bone-dry but her own coat and mane were soaked through. “Hmm... Well, I’ll look at the roofing later.” Braving the odd elements Fluttershy continued to prepare Angel’s food when suddenly she was blindsided by a splitting headache and a deep, powerful nausea; she was just quick enough to grab the work surface lest she keel over and collapse on the floor. “Come on Fluttershy,” came Twilight’s voice from the other room. “I’ll – I’ll be with you s-shortly,” she breathed back, fighting the pain. It swirled around in her very core, coming and going, but she could feel herself fighting it off. For now, anyway. Fluttershy did find it odd that this strange headache she was suffering with brought with it a primitive, maternal sense of dread... “Fluttershy!” Twilight was shouting now. Why she was so impatient, Fluttershy didn’t know. Couldn’t Twilight wait for her to sort Angel’s food first? “Flutters, for God’s sake wake up please.” Harding cried. She sounded almost – desperate... “Will you wait, please?!” Fluttershy had to go and see to her friends. She trotted into the other room – having found her hooves once more – only to find Lewis Dodgson stood in the centre of the room, staring blankly at her. She jumped when she saw him, yelping and taking a step back. “How did you get in my home—” She was cut off as Dodgson screamed so very loudly. But it wasn’t a scream. He opened his mouth, and Fluttershy was deafened by a Tyrannosaurus roar— Fluttershy came round gasping violently for air. It was dark and she couldn’t properly see – partly due to the closeness of the night, partly owing to a residual throb left over from her previous headaches – but she knew she was awake. She didn’t rightly know where she was but she could hear the determined thrum of rainfall and some distant, agitated voices. She felt her head being supported by somepony, and she was aware she was lying down, but where— “Oh Celestia,” Twilight said, immediately pulling Fluttershy into a gentle hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Fluttershy was still a little distant but she thought she could feel Twilight crying. “Welcome back,” Harding said. She was holding a jacket above the ponies. “We were worried about you.” She ran her hand through Fluttershy’s mane as Twilight let go of her. “I—” Fluttershy went to speak but was stopped in her tracks by another powerful wave of nausea; this time it finally spilled over. Acting quickly she leant over and was violently sick. She could faintly feel Twilight’s supporting hoof on her back. When the nausea had passed, Fluttershy turned back. “We...” She croaked, feeling physically drained. “We’re still on the island, aren’t we?” “I’m afraid so.” Harding spoke gravely. “’Shy, do you... Do you remember what happened before you passed out?” “I... Don’t remember too much at the moment.” Harding looked to Twilight. “She’s really spent.” “Yeah. I’ve never seen anypony – let alone Fluttershy – like this before.” Twilight looked back at Fluttershy, noting just how drained she looked. This was beyond simple physical exhaustion, for sure: she was exhibiting some pretty strong signs of magical exhaustion. Twilight knew it from academic study and she understood just how dangerous it could be. She also understood that it affected different ponies in different ways. She knew she’d experienced it teleporting the pair of them out of harm’s way two days ago – she was weak then, for sure, but Twilight had been able to pick herself back up reasonably quickly. Fluttershy, however, seemed absolutely knocked out from her experience. “She’ll be okay, though.” Twilight gently stroked her forehead, wondering whether her words were more for Harding’s benefit or her own. “Oh, my....” Suddenly it all came rushing back. Of course Fluttershy could recall the botched mission to Isla Sorna and the days that had elapsed but recalling quite why she’d passed out was a struggle. But there it was. The Tyrannosaur attack. Her mind’s eye had recreated the scene for her; she replayed it back to front, inside-out. The massive predators, the destruction of the mobile lab, the magical link with the beasts... The deaths of Eddie Carr and Lewis Dodgson... Fluttershy did what she could to hold back the tears, but it was of little use. Wordlessly, she summoned what energy she could and pulled Twilight and Harding into a hug as she let out the chaotic emotions inside. Not for the first time since unceremoniously arriving on the shores of Isla Sorna Fluttershy found herself broken yet again, at a real, critical low-point; she wept. But despite this, despite everything, deep inside there remained a faint glimmer of hope – so long as she had her friends by her side. And that she did. Harding was the first to untangle herself. “Girls,” she said. “Flutters. So glad you’re alright. And you, Twilight.” She sighed heavily. “This is pretty messed up right now but let’s just try and look after each other. Here, I’m gonna tie my jacket to these trees... It’s not much but it’s more shelter than we currently have right now.” She stood, fully focussing on the task at hand. Twilight moved to assist Harding, noting her deflated and downtrodden nature. This was unlike Harding; the woman had been nothing but headstrong and determined since Twilight had met her and yet here, finally, she seemed to be quietly breaking down in front of everypony’s eyes. As they worked, Twilight found a moment where she placed a hoof on Harding’s shoulders, seeming to catch her off-guard. “We’ll be okay, I know we will. So long as we have each other.” Twilight was speaking in little more than a whisper, but her words seemed to have stuck – Harding finally looked up at her and away from Fluttershy and the small shelter. Only then did Twilight finally see how exhausted she was. Her eyes were heavy-set, bloodshot, betraying more than just a little concern. “Thank you,” Harding replied in kind, her own hand squeezing Twilight’s shoulder. “I really appreciate you guys being here.” Their tender moment was somewhat interrupted as distant voices erupted into yelling – Thorne, Malcolm and Levine appeared to have also snapped, barking aggressively at one another. Twilight twitched; it did not go unnoticed by Harding. “Sorry,” she offered as coolly as possible. “But arguing like that now is about as far from helpful as anypony could possibly be.” “All too aware, Twilight.” Harding sighed deeply. “But you and I know that there’s little we can say to any of those apes right now. I’ll talk with Ian later about it, but really they need to just get it out—” With some urgency the nearby foliage crashed, startling the trio; they relaxed upon seeing Malcolm pull himself through the bushes. He stared emptily at Twilight and Harding – themselves staring back – and then he turned his attention to Fluttershy, before clenching his fists and running a hand through his sodden hair. “I – I can’t,” he stammered aloud to nobody in particular. “I cannot do this and I cannot stand either of those – those – those complete lunatics back there. Argh!” Malcolm set himself down heavily on a fallen tree near the group. “Speak of the devil,” Harding offered wryly as she and Twilight continued to create the small shelter. “Is – ah – Miss Fluttershy going to be okay?” “She’ll be alright, Doctor Malcolm.” Twilight finished tightening the jacket on a nearby tree trunk; Fluttershy was now out of the rain. With that, Twilight moved towards Malcolm, noting that Harding was checking her over. “She’s just experienced a very powerful bout of magic.” “Magic?” He furrowed his brow. “On Earth?” Twilight nodded. “Uh... How, exactly, did Fluttershy exploit magic? I didn’t think that was possible for your kind here, not least the non-Unicorns—” “All ponies use magic. We Unicorns do it actively but Earth Ponies and Pegasi do it passively. And my friends and I have a particularly strong bond with magic.” Twilight paused, marvelling at how quickly she’d been able to shrug everything off and fall back into theory and academia. Once a student, always a student, she mused, raising her eyebrows. She glanced over to see Harding cock her head – evidently her own interest had been piqued by Twilight’s words. “I suppose that’s why we’re the Elements of Harmony. We can use our own magic very powerfully sometimes.” Malcolm was clearly hooked on her every word, any semblance of his previous frustrations having ebbed away. She could see how tired he looked, sure, but his eyes and his features were hawkish, wide. He was drinking in the science of Equestrian magic, and Twilight found her stride in the discussion. “Fluttershy’s the Element of Kindness—” “Yes, yes, I’ve heard about your particular elemental representation—” “Me too.” Harding, satisfied that Fluttershy was stable and warm, had worked her way into the conversation. “Right. So she’s exceptionally talented at instilling kindness and warmth in those around her. I’m the Element of Magic, so I try and use magic in ways not usually done – like, for friendship. We’re the Elements of Harmony, after all...” She let out a chuckle, taking an introspective moment to reflect on her friends and her home. Of more peaceful times... Twilight quickly drew a short breath, finding her inner focus and avoiding a mental collapse. Now is not the time to be consumed by these things, not yet. “So – as I was saying. We’re all elements of something. But we’ve also got our own little talents and quirks. You both already know Fluttershy is an animal carer? Well—” Once again did the shouting match of Thorne and Levine echo out; but as quickly as they began to hurl slurs at one another it died off. With a snort, Twilight continued. “...Well, her natural ability to understand the needs and wants of animals crosses over with her Element. Quite a lot, actually. She’s empathetic to the point of being able to magically connect with her animal friends. And of course she’s the sweetest, kindest pony I’ve ever met so she’ll always resolve any problems she can.” “Right, right...” Malcolm was nodding slowly, his eyes widening and narrowing. “So she – uh – she controls magic to make the connections, or...?” “Not really. It’s part of that passive magical control. She’s able to just tap into the surrounding magic – in part thanks to her Element, of course – and magically connect to her animal charges. I’m able to tap into the magic of friendship in a passive way – thanks to my Element – but Unicorns are active spellcasters. So we can actively manipulate magic to, oh I dunno, pick up a broom and sweep up, or reorganise messy shelves.” Harding was amazed. “That’s incredible. We’ll come visit you when we get home, and you need to show us your magic. Ian and I would love to see it.” “Absolutely we would,” Malcolm agreed. “That’s nothing short of miraculous. But it – uh....” He paused again, trying to make sense of his thoughts. “So that’s how your magic works. But from what I understand of Equestrians, you can’t use magic here on Earth.” “I thought so, too... until we did use it.” “We?” “Yeah...” Twilight sighed again, looking up at Fluttershy resting. “We’ve both used magic on the island here. I didn’t want to tell you because we’ve all had so much more to worry about, and Fluttershy and I weren’t hurt when it happened...” She drew a heavy breath. Malcolm implored. “You must tell us what happened.” Twilight took a moment before going to speak. “I teleported us away from a large, angry carnivore – that’s how we escaped from – Dodgson...” She trailed off as his name hung heavily in the air. “And Flutters innately connected with the Rexes.” Harding wasn’t asking a question so much as making a statement. “I think so,” Twilight replied. “I... think so.” The implication of that hung even heavier than the mention of Dodgson. Nopony spoke for a little while, the sounds of the jungle ringing out in the night. It had since stopped raining and despite being soaked through, the party remained sat down next to Fluttershy. Nearby, Thorne and Levine could be heard chatting about something – likely something to do with the wrecked RV, Twilight thought – but thankfully they seemed to have stopped arguing. Malcolm was the first to break the silence. “Twilight...” He began slowly, deeply massaging his temple. “I don’t – I don’t know if I can stomach the Rexes again.” “But we have to, Ian.” Twilight spoke with absolute conviction and Malcolm immediately picked up on that; their eyes met and he saw a real, pure, genuine concern in her features. “We need to resolve the Tyrannosaur’s issues, for Fluttershy. She needs this.” “Yes – I know, but it’s more than that. This goes against every fiber of my being. Academic or otherwise. May I explain?” “Well—” “We’ve already run into a family of Rexes once, and survived.” Malcolm had evidently let his mind run away with him; he spoke quickly, pointedly. “We were lucky, absolutely. Any more exposure to the Rexes will only tip the scales in favour of chaos. We humans are a species that a Tyrannosaurus was never supposed to see – indeed, this is true of ponykind I’m sure. Here, in the wild, the more we come into contact with it, the more chance we run of creating imbalance. These – these genetic monsters must already see us as prey items. The raptors, the Carnotaurs, the Rexes. Why else would they hunt us so doggedly? Any more time and we’ll only reinforce that feeling. And there’s clearly something going on here, with InGen’s involvement. Do we want to be the reason that these animals learn that humanity and ponykind are suitable, easy prey? Especially if InGen are planning to use these dinosaurs for something, elsewhere?” “I’m...not sure I’m quite following you—” “—And also, I’ve – uh – seen this before.” Malcolm was getting short of breath. His speech was quicker and his eyes wider. He turned to face Twilight. “On Isla Nublar.” Distantly he could feel Harding’s hand squeeze his leg in gentle support. “You know what happened there, of course. We all know how that ended. I can’t go through that again. I have no shame in saying that I am petrified of Tyrannosaurs. I just – I can’t do it again.” After a moment of silence, Twilight spoke again. “We’ll rescue that Tyrannosaur chick, Ian. I believe in you, I know you can do it.” She smiled warmly; at first he seemed stone-cold to the idea but Harding echoed her sentiments and slowly she saw him begin to come round. She could, once again, feel the magic of friendship beginning to work. “Together, we can do this. And we’ll find out exactly what’s going on with InGen. Of course it’ll be tough, and the enormous dinosaurs are terrifying... But we can do this, together.” Malcolm looked down at his hand; subconsciously he’d gripped Harding’s hand tight. Then he looked towards Twilight, keeping a tight hold of Harding. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps we can—” “No.” The group turned; Levine and Thorne had come into the clearing. Levine was sheepish and small, keeping out of the way. Thorne, however, stood tall, staring wildly at the ponies and scientists before him. “We are sure-as-hell not rescuing any dinosaur from anyone.” There was a tense stalemate, only broken as Harding slowly rose to her feet. “Jack—” “Don’t ‘Jack’ me, Sarah. You or anyone.” He spoke hotly, sharply. “I am about to tell you all how it is, and you’re all going to listen.” He snorted. “Before, this was a dangerous expedition. Then we allowed Dodgson to be introduced to our sphere, and now, because of that, two people are dead. Two people are dead, and our only defence from prehistoric monsters has been destroyed. ‘But Jack, what about the SUV?’” I hear you ask.” He shot daggers at Levine before continuing his tirade. “The SUV will offer fuck-all protection from a dinosaur. You saw those Rexes. Nothing’s stopping those. Raptors could easily jump in and kill us. And Christ-knows whatever else. So—” “I think we’ve heard enough,” Malcolm said forcefully, finding his own feet. “I think—” “You may think to sit down before I make you,” Thorne boomed, stunning everyone. His eyes flared. “So, as I was saying. We are so far up shit creek without so much as a paddle. And you all want to make this a thousand times worse by following two of the biggest, most infamous hunters planet Earth has ever seen and rescue their baby?! Do you not hear how ridiculous those words sound? It’s – it’s—” he gesticulated wildly – “complete and utter lunacy—” “How dare you?!” came a voice from behind, and all parties turned to see Fluttershy standing – clearly fatigued and uneasy on her hooves, but standing upright nonetheless. As she spoke she glowered, moving menacingly towards Thorne with wide, cutting eyes. “How dare you have the gall to swear and shout at your friends? To try and tear us apart because you don’t agree with the right thing to do?” Without thinking her brow lowered as she reached the man. “I understand that we are all scared but this is not the way to deal with that issue. At. All.” With a flap of her wings she pulled herself to Thorne’s height, her forehooves resting upon his shoulders, eyes inches from eyes. She was staring most intensely at him. “We need to reunite the dinosaur family because we need to look after all creatures, clones or not. They still feel as you do. So we will help them. But don’t you ever, ever try and make anypony feel terrible about a choice because you’re scared of it, and don’t you ever shy away from helping your friends. Do you understand me?” The group watched in sheer dumbstruck silence as Thorne remained frozen in position, clearly unable to find any words or any response to the unexpected confrontation. “That’s what I thought.” With a heave and a snort Fluttershy gracelessly fell back to all-fours before collapsing back under the makeshift shelter; immediately Twilight and Harding had come to her aid again. After an uneasily lengthy passage of time Malcolm sat down, cracking a wry smile. “Doc, you’ve just felt the full force of the Element of Kindness using magic against you.” He chuckled. “And what a show, too. Maybe – ah – maybe take a seat.” He patted the log next to him, and wordlessly Thorne sat, Levine in tow. “Gentlemen. I made a very strong argument not to follow these creatures.” The wise-cracking Malcolm had gone; he pressed on with grave concern. “But Fluttershy and Twilight are right. Clones, monsters, whatever. They are still alive, and they require help from us. Left alone, who knows what InGen will do with their chick. And – and – as much as I am against interfering with nature’s pre-existing plan, I am even more against cruelty to animalia – and so too should you be.” Malcolm looked up into the murky jungle as he allowed a pause. “Perhaps we should consider bringing the SUV over and gathering ourselves soon. Fluttershy’s weak but will be fine, and I’m sick of sitting here on this log." * * * * The rain had been hammering away since sundown; the jungle sodden and the air thick and hot. The usual distant calls that echoed across the treetops were silenced – instead, the persistent and loud drumming and splashing from the skies created its own soundscape. That, and the determined honking from the little Tyrannosaur chick below them in the clearing. A tense atmosphere was brewing with the distressing sounds and persistent rainfall, something that did not go unnoticed by Ludlow, Tembo, and their royal Griffon entourage. The four conscious souls had been laying in wait for quite some time now and the Tsar grew ever restless, much to the concern of Ludlow. Chatter had been hushed and minimal, Ludlow’s attempts to defuse the tension being met with rebuffal from both Tsar Gavrel and Grigorii. Characteristically, Tembo remained silent and vigil, staring intently into the marshy opening that spread before them. It was Tsar Gavrel who broke Tembo from his spell. “Please, Hunter,” he offered quietly. “I am interested to know your take on this somewhat stale situation. We have been waiting now for hours, and have yet to see anything even closely resembling a super-predator.” “You have my word that you will get what you came for,” Ludlow began with a start, before Tembo interrupted him in knowing fashion. “My take is fairly straightforward, Your Highness.” His focus returned to the clearing. “Firstly, I know that Mr Ludlow here is correct, and you will get what you came here for. But we must all understand that you will get a sighting of this mysterious ‘super-predator’ on its own terms. If I’m honest, I imagine said creature has been in close proximity to us this whole time. Likely it is eyeing us up as we speak.” Tembo smirked to himself as he saw both the Griffons intensely scanning the dark foliage. “I digress. You might be wondering why the animal has yet to appear and attack the baby Tyrannosaur?” “The smell,” Grigorii uttered before the Tsar could reply. “The baby smells like its parents.” “Correct. And Tyrannosaurs are social animals. Where there is baby, there is mother. She is absolutely tracking her young, and likely has crossed the sizeable island relatively quickly for an eight ton monster herself. With respect, Your Highness, we must be patient.” Tembo paused. “With that said, I feel we won’t have much longer to wait.” Tsar Gavrel had listened closely to Tembo, attentively drinking in his wizened nature. “Excellent,” he replied contentedly. “Then we shall wait.”