Erik’s feet squelched against the mud, his frill vibrating with each fat raindrop that struck its surface. Visibility was terrible—the heavy downpour cloaked the swamp in a near-constant haze, and the smell of wet decay clung to his nostrils. He tried to focus, scanning the horizon, but the rain made every shadow seem alive.
And then one was.
IDENTIFY
Species: Dilophosaurus
Status: Normal
Disposition: Hostile
Age: Adult
Species Information: ?
The identification appeared long enough for Erik to read and process the name before vanishing again.
The first Dilophosaurus erupted from the dense undergrowth with a screech that sent a jolt through Erik’s nerves. It was a sleek predator, its twin crests flaring like crimson flags against its mottled green hide. It sprinted toward them, claws digging into the wet ground, zigzagging unpredictably as its partner emerged to flank.
They were smaller than Erik anticipated, though not so small as to be harmless. Their bodies were long and agile, covered in dark, mottled green hides that blended seamlessly with the swamp’s murky backdrop. Erik guessed they were heavier than Sarah, but likely still outweighed by Marcus and himself, even as juveniles.
The Dilophosaurs circled the three juvenile dinosaurs like sharks in the water, waiting a moment to dash in, though they didn’t seem eager to fight.
“I think they just want us away from their nest,” Erik said, keeping his gaze fixed on each dilo as they passed before him, angling his horned snout at them as they moved.
The Dilophosaurs chittered intermittently; the sounds, resembling a songbird, made them eerie. Marcus growled, a scratchy rumbling sound, and both of the dilos paused in their circling. Their heads rose, then snapped to the side like chickens spotting a predator. Bright, lime-green, slit-pupil eyes fixed on Marcus. Then, together, they turned and bolted away, back into the sheeting rain.
The trio stood together, tense and confused, for several long seconds before Marcus said, “Oh.”
Heir to the Throne (passive):
As a hatchling, those animals smart enough to recognize your species will avoid you, for fear of your parents being nearby.
“What is it?” Erik asked, still wary of an ambush.
“That ability activated. Heir to the Throne. That’s why they ran away.” Marcus huffed, spraying water droplets from his large nostrils. “It’s about time I got some use out of it. I was starting to think I got shafted with that ability.”
“Do you have to do something to trigger it?” Sarah guessed.
“It’s a passive,” Marcus said. “Doesn’t that specifically mean I don’t have to activate it?”
“It could be dynamic,” Erik offered. “Threat displays would make it more effective or give it a better chance of working.”
They stood together in silence for several minutes. Still, the dilos did not return, apparently too afraid of Marcus’s theoretical parents to defend their nest. Not that Erik saw any need for its defense, or that the eggs were all being smashed.
“Sarah, double-check the island and fill out your map. Make sure they’re gone,” Erik said, looking around. “Watch your back.”
She nodded and trotted quickly forward, vanishing into the rain. Erik and Marcus kept their guard up as Erik watched her dot move on the map, trying his best to create a mental image of the island’s border with the swamp water by the way she moved.
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It wasn’t long before her voice reached them over the ranged communication.
“No one here but us. I’m headed back.”
From there, her dot made a beeline straight for them.
“Well, since we’re not hurrying to run off…” Marcus turned back to the nest and leaned in close. Erik followed his example. He had momentarily forgotten the mystery of the eggs. Still, with Marcus’s reminder, he found himself eager to work it out.
It had the air of a game mechanic trying to draw them in, which meant the potential for rewards… or death. He was willing to roll those dice.
The rain had long since soaked the nest through, and the shells were catching water. But where the black, gooey substance was present, it didn’t appear to be washing away. Whatever it was, it adhered very well to the shell’s interior.
Erik tried to identify the eggshells but got nothing, which he expected. He was half-tempted to call for Primarch and ask probing questions, but he dismissed the idea as quickly as he had it. The AI would be of no help in this scenario.
Sarah emerged into view through the rain and stopped, her head tilting as she observed them nose-to-dirt with the nest.
“Did you super-sleuths figure anything out?” she asked, an ironic quality to her tone.
“Not really,” Erik admitted. “But there’s something to this. It feels like we’re standing on top of a game puzzle or a clue to something.”
Intrigued, Sarah came forward and began sniffing around the nest’s edges. However, she quickly gave this up, muttering about the rain.
Rain cascaded from the dense canopy above, weaving through the gaps in the towering, prehistoric trees, pooling on the uneven surface of the muddy island and gathering into tiny rivulets that trickled down the incline of the nest.
The swamp seemed alive, the rain merging with the constant buzz of unseen insects and the occasional distant croak of a hidden creature. Waterlogged ferns drooped under the weight of the downpour, their broad leaves sagging like defeated umbrellas.
Beyond the immediate circle of the nest, the swamp dissolved into a shifting palette of gray and green. The rain blurred the boundaries between earth, water, and sky. Gnarled tree trunks rose like columns from the murky depths, their bases submerged and their roots tangled in the muck. Fog clung low to the ground, mingling with the steam from the warmer patches of water.
“Hey, I found another egg.” Sarah called out. “Oh damn, that’s nasty.” she added, and Erik looked up to see her pulled back, her lip curved upward in disgust. Interested, Erik plodded his way over to her through the mud, his four, flat feet making squelching sounds as he moved.
Together, they peered down at a large egg lying on it’s side and mostly intact, and it was obvious what had disturbed Sarah. There was a large dent in the side, where the egg had clearly struck something, and dripping slowly from the fracture was a dark liquid, as if the yolk within were rotten, but what was more. Erik could smell something wrong with the fluid. A foul odor pressing up into his nostrils despite the ceaseless deluge of water from the sky.
“That smells awful.” Marcus remarked, his entire nose wrinkling.
“Try smelling with the Keen Senses mutation. It’s even upgraded to E.” Sarah complained. Erik was readying himself to lean forward again and perhaps try to open the egg up with his horn when it rocked. Once, then twice, and then with considerably more force a third time. All at once a crack split the egg along its length and the halves were thrown aside as if the eggs occupant had suddenly found the shell far too confining, and was having a tantrum.
At first Erik thought it was a Dilophosaurus, it certainly seemed proportioned that way, but as it pushed itself up on shaking legs, the goo streaming off it, he saw that it was all wrong. Its arms were long and spindly, and they had too many joints. From its back protruded a row of needle like spines, and as its tail uncoiled, almost three times the length of its body, Erik saw it end a wicked, barbed hook.
IDENTIFY
Species: Dilophosaurus Umbraespina
Status: Abberant
Disposition: Hostile
Age: Hatching
Species Information: ?
“What the fu-” Marcus started to say, but the rumble of his rex drew the hatchlings attention and instantly it shrieked at him, its tiny, clawed hands raised. It was an unmusical sound, very unlike its parents, but Erik guessed that whatever was happening here. This animal was no common dinosaur.
Right as Erik was forming the notion that they ought to kill the shrieking little monster, it seemed to determine that its threat display was not having the desired effect and turned, dashing into the undergrowth with unnerving speed.
They all stood very still, watching where the dark little creature had vanished until Sarah eventually said. "I saw a scene like that in a really old movie once—little guy runs off, and, surprise! Everyone really wished they’d killed it before it got bigger."
“Yeah.” Erik agreed, and then sighed. “Yeah.”