Shafts of sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, casting a few patches of light on the ground and bringing a touch of warmth to the dim environment.
"Aok?"
"Aok!"
The soft chirps of Velociraptors echoed through the trees. For once, Echo and Delta weren't bickering.
Winter was fast approaching, and the raptors needed to find a relatively warm place to nest. Fortunately, they had stumbled upon an abandoned school bus. It sat in the middle of nowhere, providing them with a natural, insulated shelter.
But that wasn't the point. The point was that Delta had somehow managed to scavenge a strange little square box from who-knows-where.
"Bzzzt... bzzzt..."
The constant static coming from the little box successfully captured Echo's attention. She joined Delta, and together they circled the object several times.
"Aok!"
Oh no!
Echo suddenly remembered something and let out a chirp much louder than her usual conversational tone.
"Aok?" What is it?
"Aok!" Boss is out hunting! We have to finish the nest before she gets back!
Delta chirped in inquiry, but upon hearing Echo's response, she instantly grew tense.
"Aok?!" W-what do we do?!
Clearly, both raptors had forgotten the task Blue had assigned them. They were often like this, distracted by interesting novelties and forgetting their less-than-urgent duties.
In the past, Charlie was always the one to remind them.
"Aok!" Quick... you go find branches, I'll look for some large leaves to cover things.
The abandoned school bus was snapped in half across its middle. Echo took the lead and headed toward the break in the frame. Delta dropped the radio she had been carrying, her prized find, unintentionally knocking the dial and changing the channel.
"This is the D.P.W. Prehistoric Wildlife Department. All residents in [Location] please stay indoors immediately! Medium Threat Level!"
The voice of a strange human startled Delta. With her leg not yet fully recovered, she instinctively leaped backward to retreat, only to slam right into Echo, who had turned around to investigate the noise at the breach.
If Delta's leg hadn't been fractured, she might have controlled her momentum, but now...
Rustle… Thud… Rustle… Thud…
The two Velociraptors tumbled out of the bus, eventually coming to a stop amidst Echo's shrieks and Delta's pained whimpers.
"Whimper..."
Shaking her head in a daze, Delta lifted her face from the dirt, only to see a pair of double-vision raptor feet standing before her.
But these feet... didn't look like Echo's.
Tap, tap...
As her vision cleared, Delta noticed the claw on the inner toe of the dinosaur in front of her tapping rhythmically against the hard ground.
That was the Boss's habit...
Delta realized it instantly, her heart tightening. She slowly looked up, trailing her gaze upward.
Blue stood there, looking down at the mess Delta had made. Her facial expression was as expressive and gentle as ever, but the small animal clamped in her jaws spoiled the "gentle" image in Delta's eyes.
Drip...
Blood from the small animal's wounds slid down Blue's lower jaw and hit the ground, splashing into a tiny red flower. A few stray droplets landed right on Delta's cheek.
"Aok..." Boss... you know... my body hasn't fully recovered yet...
Delta felt that if she didn't start defending herself now, she might be the next thing in Blue's mouth.
"Emergency broadcast! Maximum Threat Level! Residents have discovered giant footprints at the border of Montana and Idaho. Suspected to be a massive Giganotosaurus individual."
"This creature is extremely dangerous. If you are unfortunate enough to encounter it, please maintain a distance of at least one kilometer while calling the authorities..."
The broadcast rang out again, interrupting Delta's "last will and testament."
…
Ever since dinosaurs entered the human world, various organizations had sprouted up like mushrooms after rain.
Some were talk-show circuits dedicated to Q&A programs about whether dinosaurs "deserved" to live in this world; others were radical animal rights activists marching in the streets in the name of the dinosaurs.
The U.S. government seemed completely indifferent to these prehistoric creatures, leaving a mess for everyone else to clean up.
But organizations truly dedicated to protection, like the official Primeval Ecological Zone team, were a minority. For now... the D.P.W. could perhaps be counted as one?
"Guys, talk to you later. I've arrived at the interview location."
"Good luck, Darius."
"You've got this."
Darius stepped out of a taxi and hung up the conference call with the rest of the "Nublar Six." He looked at the unfinished D.P.W. branch office before him and gave a helpless smile.
Ding-ling~
A bell chimed as Darius pushed open the glass doors; the dust protectors hadn't even been fully peeled off yet. He stepped inside to find the place empty; not a single employee was in sight.
Unpacked interior fixtures and a heap of interesting-looking trinkets filled the lobby, giving it a bit of life. Darius walked to the front desk and tapped twice on the counter. Getting no response, he turned to examine the pictures hanging on the walls.
A few were professional photographs, but most were children's drawings and some... very abstract pieces.
Can someone tell me why there's a painting of Ultraman fighting Godzilla here?
It was clear that the founder of the D.P.W. was a very "interesting" individual.
Ding-ling~
The door bell chimed again. Darius turned to see a man just as abstract as the lobby.
A custom-tailored formal suit made him look meticulous, but the white cowboy hat on his head shattered that vibe. The skin on his hands and face was quite clean, yet his thick beard added a touch of ruggedness.
Noticing he had a guest, the man suddenly seemed to remember something important he'd forgotten. He slapped his forehead, strode over to Darius, and shook his hand.
"I'm Dudley Cabrera. You should know who I am, so I won't bore you with the details."
"Uh, hello?"
Seeing the man looked like he had more to say, Darius gave a simple greeting and waited for the follow-up.
"We are currently short-handed. As a new organization, we really need an opportunity to make a name for ourselves... I'm glad we could invite a true expert. Mr. Darius."
Having survived nearly a year on an island full of dinosaurs and returning unscathed, the Camp Cretaceous six had long since become legends.
"Thanks for the compliment. Let's get straight to the point then. Which dinosaur do you need me to track?"
Darius didn't want these beautiful prehistoric creatures dying because of conflicts with humans, so he didn't beat around the bush. Dudley blinked, then smiled.
"A Giganotosaurus."
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