"Lower... lower... OK, perfect. Great work, everyone."
The ship's crane hummed as it slowly lowered the final shipping container onto the grass. A group of humans, some young, some middle-aged, stepped forward to unlatch the container walls before quickly retreating to a safe distance.
"Aunnng—"
With a triumphant, trumpeting bray, a Parasaurolophus emerged into the light, bolting straight toward the vast green meadow. It paused atop a hill, scanning the horizon and calling out to locate its kin.
"That's the last of them. Good work, guys. We actually did it."
The young man standing on the grass radiated a natural confidence that marked him as the leader of the group. This was Lockwood's private island, the sanctuary he had originally intended for the dinosaurs. The team from the Primeval Ecological Zone had successfully completed the transport.
"Boss, we still can't get a hold of Lockwood."
"I see."
A muscular man with a scholarly air reported to the official, showing him a phone screen displaying a string of "Unanswered" calls. The Official thought for a moment, then looked at his team cheering on the meadow.
"Let's head back... Everyone is exhausted. As for Lockwood... I'll find another way to reach him."
The muscular scholar tucked his phone away and nodded toward the crew. "I'll get them back on the boat."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
As the team boarded the vessel, the official took one last look at the land. It was a place without cages, without fences. Perhaps this was the only way these creatures could truly live in peace.
A breeze brushed past his face. Clouds drifted across the sky, allowing beams of warm sunlight to pierce through and illuminate the earth.
In the open plains, Triceratops settled in to establish new nesting grounds. An Edmontosaurus leader scaled a ridge, letting out a call to the long line of its herd following behind. A group of Brachiosaurus discovered a freshwater lake and waded in. A Baryonyx found its own secluded pond and settled under the shade of the trees, watching fish leap from the water as its companions gave chase. In the deep woods, an Albertosaurus vanished into the shadows, already stalking its next meal.
Long live the Primeval.
The young Official smiled with satisfaction, but then blinked in surprise. The Parasaurolophus hadn't left; it remained on the hillside, watching him.
"Hello, and goodbye," he whispered with a wave. The animal couldn't understand him, of course, but the sentiment felt right.
"Aunnng—"
The bray echoed through the valley. The lone Parasaurolophus turned its gaze back toward the heart of the island and walked forward.
Man and dinosaur, walking in opposite directions. It was the best of endings, and the worst.
Drip...
The Parasaurolophus stopped, sensing movement in the grass nearby.
Drip...
Water droplets splashed onto the green blades, shattering into a fine mist. Within a massive footprint left in the mud, the water's surface rippled. A heavy tail swept across the ground, churning the standing water and systematically smoothing the edges of the depression until the track was gone.
"Hrrr…"
Giga Mom forced herself up. Her body swayed unsteadily as she moved to the next giant footprint, continuing the task of erasing her family's trail.
The weather was fickle. After the torrential downpour of the previous night, a light, misty rain had begun to fall again. But for her, this was a blessing. The softened soil made it easier to mask Carlo's tracks. Driven by pure iron will, she repeated the tedious motion over and over.
Would this keep Carlo and the others from being tracked? How much time would it buy them? She didn't know. This was simply all she had left to give.
She lifted her head with great effort. The dense jungle loomed ahead, a terrain she once navigated with ease now felt like an impassable abyss.
The jungle is just ahead. I think... I'll stop here.
One final footprint of Carlo's remained on the path. Giga Mom didn't wipe it away immediately. Instead, she stepped forward and placed her own foot directly inside his. The contrast was stark. She tilted her head, looking both puzzled and profoundly proud.
With a final sweep, she erased the last mark. Without looking back at the jungle, she climbed a nearby hill.
RUMBLE—
Lightning arced across the sky. The sudden thunder made her heart seize instinctively. Giga Mom looked up at the heavens and opened her jaws.
"Roar... cough, cough..."
How long had it been since she had last truly roared? Through countless stormy nights, she had been the shield for her children. Carlo, Katyusha, Karl, Kafka... she had tucked them all beneath her.
She drew herself up to her full height, twisted her torso, and slammed her tail into the ground, sending a spray of muddy water into the air!
Come on. One more time. The last time.
Lightning, fire, lava, none of it had made her flinch. What was illness? What was death?
"ROOOAR—!"
RUMBLE—
The long, piercing howl tore through the sky, synchronized with a flash of lightning that illuminated the predator's unyielding silhouette. Atop the ridge, she looked gargantuan, her razor-sharp "shark teeth" gleaming with the majesty of a true apex hunter.
On this last rainy night, she had protected her children once more, however small the gesture.
Rain fell across Carlo's face as he moved through the forest. He navigated the dense foliage without snapping a single branch, his massive form gliding through the green sea like a phantom.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked back. The rest of the Giganotosaurus family, sensing his hesitation, stopped as well, waiting for him. Carlo stared into the distance for a long moment, then turned back and continued the trek south with his family.
…
"Come on, girl. Time to get out."
Owen opened the transport cage. Delta hopped out with an unsteady gait, sniffing the air before limping toward the treeline. Her leg was wrapped in bandages applied by Zia; perhaps this time, her fracture would heal more quickly.
"Welcome home," Owen called out. He then raised his arms, showing off his half-finished log cabin to Claire and Maisie.
"Cool!"
Fortunately, Maisie hadn't been spoiled by her life in the manor. She looked genuinely excited about the prospect of a hands-on adventure, though Owen wondered how long that enthusiasm would last.
"I'll go help you organize the Airstream..."
Claire knew that a man living alone rarely bothered with domestic details. Since the cabin was still a work in progress, they would be living in the trailer for a while, and she knew Owen's idea of "organized" was usually a disaster.
"I'd appreciate the…"
"ROOOAR—"
A thunderous roar erupted from a distant peak, cutting him off. The sound was the kind that awakened a primal, ancestral fear in the human heart.
Claire moved closer to Owen, and Maisie ducked behind them. Delta looked up from the forest edge, her posture shifting into a defensive crouch as she glared toward the horizon.
A "King of Feathers" stood atop a mountain peak, surveying his new domain.
"Looks like we've got some new neighbors."
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