Thud thud thud...
Massive footpads pressed down onto the deep green turf, bending the blades of grass beneath their weight.
Carlo consciously lightened his step, both to minimize the chance of attracting unwanted attention and to prevent leaving tell-tale footprints in the soft earth.
Thud.
The grass that had just been crushed by Carlo's weight struggled to spring back, only to be flattened again by another descending foot. This time, however, the surface area was smaller; some lucky blades of grass managed to escape the fate of being repeatedly trampled.
"Roar…" Boss, we need to rest.
Katyusha quickened her pace to pull alongside Carlo, letting out a low, huffing roar to signal him.
They were surrounded by an endless sea of green, though the terrain was far from friendly. Rolling green hills stretched out like undulating waves in every direction. Navigating this landscape was, for a human, like climbing an infinite flight of stairs – the further they went, the faster their stamina drained.
Carlo, who was about to scale the next ridge, heard Katyusha's call and halted. He glanced back at Giga Dad and the others. Though they were still following closely, their exhaustion was becoming apparent, it was written in the way Kafka was currently walking.
"Roar…" Let's stop for a moment then.
Katyusha looked visibly relieved at the permission. She dropped onto her belly where she stood. Giga Dad and the rest followed suit, settling down around Carlo to recover their strength.
Carlo surveyed the area, confirming they were situated in a basin-like depression. With the rolling hills shielding them on all sides, a human wouldn't easily stumble upon them by accident. Carlo slowly lowered himself into a crouch, ensuring the height of the hills was sufficient to mask his massive frame as well.
Among the five Giganotosaurus, only Carlo and Kafka remained upright. It seemed Kafka had not yet grown accustomed to having her "security" duties taken over by Carlo.
"Roar…" Boss, aren't you going to rest?
Kafka let out a soft huff, drawing Carlo's attention back from the vast horizon. Even in a crouch, his silhouette remained gargantuan. The warm midday sun illuminated the sides of his face; even without baring his shark-like teeth, he possessed an aura of primal, stern authority.
Perhaps cowed by this undeniable presence, or simply intimidated by Carlo's unreadable, solemn air, Kafka lowered her head slightly in a submissive gesture before he even looked her way.
However, she soon heard her leader's familiar, gentle tone.
"Roar…" I'm fine. You rest first.
Carlo responded with a soft roar of his own and resumed his watch. They weren't far from human installations; it was only right that he remain the sentry.
That said, Carlo hadn't slept for several days in his effort to protect his family. Even if his evolved body didn't feel physical fatigue, a sense of mental weariness still lingered in his chest.
In Carlo's view, his own tiredness wasn't the issue, Kafka was. She wasn't built for this kind of high-intensity, multi-day migration. Born with a biological clock naturally suited for the night, she was effectively forcing herself to stay awake and alter her circadian rhythm to keep pace with the group.
Maybe it's time to change the way we travel...
Carlo calmed his mind and entered a state of deep thought, his tail reflexively thumping the ground up and down.
Vroom vroom...
From beyond the slope to Carlo's left, the distant sound of car horns began to drift in. Carlo lightened his tread, stepping up the incline and slowly peeking his massive head over the ridge to look toward the source of the noise.
He saw a vast inland lake, but humans had built numerous production facilities around its shores. A highway cut across the landscape, separating the lakeside plains where the humans lived from the green hills, forcing Carlo's family to take a detour.
Currently, the highway was jammed with vehicles of all sizes. It seemed a facility, likely a toll booth, had stopped working. Impatient drivers leaned on their horns, creating a cacophony of urban noise that Carlo could hear clearly even from a kilometer away.
Carlo looked up to check the sun's position, then continued to observe the human settlement.
…
"All units, be advised: the entry and exit points for [Town Name] are blocked by a Nasutoceratops. Nearest unit please proceed to move the dinosaur."
Darius hadn't even warmed up the driver's seat of his official D.P.W. vehicle when the work order crackled over the radio. That wasn't the problem, though, the problem was that his superior, who was currently on the phone with him discussing a rendezvous point, had received the same transmission.
The air went silent for a moment before the voice on the other end broke the ice.
"Change of plans. We'll meet at the mission site."
"You got it."
It looked like the hunt for the Giganotosaurus would have to wait. Darius thought to himself that he was actually looking forward to a "reunion" with Carlo. If the creature still remembered him, it would be another massive academic breakthrough. Of course, all of that was predicated on the creature being near a large body of water; otherwise, he wouldn't dare get close.
Vrooom vroom...
Darius spun the steering wheel, pulling the Jeep out of the line for the gas station.
…
"Hey! Get this thing out of here, now!"
At the town's entrance, drivers were hopping out of their cars or leaning out of windows, giving the intern police officer sent to handle the crowd a massive headache. The officer looked back at the Nasutoceratops, which had decided to take a nap right in the middle of the road. He sighed and turned back to the crowd.
"Please, don't panic! We've already notified the professionals!"
"Why don't you just shoot the damn thing! You idiot!"
"Hey! I'm just an intern! Watch your mouth!"
The atmosphere turned volatile. The insulted intern looked hurt at first, but remembering his badge, he squared his shoulders.
Screeching brakes.
"That's a great idea... and how exactly do you plan to move several tons of dead weight? Are you all going to lift it together?"
The Jeep drifted into view and came to a halt. Darius stepped out, retorting to the annoying citizen on behalf of the intern.
Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Darius picked up a red flare and a bag of onion-flavored potato chips he'd picked up at a convenience store. He approached the slumbering giant.
First, he used the scent of the onion chips to rouse the creature. For a Nasutoceratops that had been wandering the human world unable to find its preferred forage, this was an easy lure.
Next, he cracked the flare. Overlapping the chips with the glowing red light, he shifted the dinosaur's attention to the flare, the flickering red light being much better at holding an animal's focus.
Step by step, he backed away, and the Nasutoceratops followed him away from the road. By the time they were a good distance away, the residents at the town gate hadn't made a sound; they were all standing there, frozen in shock.
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