Like most birds, dinosaurs weren't cold or warm blooded but are instead something in between; they rely on their environment, movement, and most likely- size to regulate their body heat.

This was something which Thariel found out during her many hours of doom scrolling through short videos on Fiktik.

Therapods as a whole were pretty large thus they, especially predators, run the risk of overheating pretty quickly when exerting themselves during hunts. This is why T-Rexes were eventually found out to be ambush predators rather than chasers.

Which is to say, these guys can't be warm-blooded, it is simply impossible given how gigantic they all are.

In an otherwise impossible twist, should a T-Rex somehow manage to live in a cold environment and say, has an access to a constant source of heat then instead of ambushing, they'd be able to actively chase prey.

Thariel couldn't help but recall this theory as the feathered dinosaur behind her gave chase.

Then she decided that the dinosaurs that Earth's archeologists knew were completely different from the ones here so that tidbit was completely useless.

And whether or not this particular species has perfectly adapted to this environment didn't matter. It will run out of gas at some point.

It will either be that its own feathers would overheat it or that its body runs out of the heat said feathers are actively retaining.

Either way, it would end the chase in Thariel's favor. That is, if she herself could keep warm in this frozen hellscape.

Thariel veered towards the direction of fist-sized ice balls hanging from the branches of a group of trees in the distance.

She hopes she successfully crawls under one of these this time around.

She has since learned that the T-Rex preferred to avoid them rather than ram against them like all the other obstacles. She didn't know why this is but it was useful in buying her time regardless.

She got near and... Thariel leapt, she grunted when pain coursed through her chest but went on to begin crawling.

Thariel ducked under the frozen orbs and began to slowly move towards the center of the tree. Her careful movements were purposefully done with the knowledge that the feathered biped chasing after her wouldn't be able go here.

She looked back when she was deep enough and locked gazes with the giant eyes of the predator peering through the space between the lowest orbs and the ground.

Thariel shivered and swiftly snapped her head forward.

There is something in those eyes that causes primal fear to bloom within her.

She soon reached the center of the tree and there is thankfully enough space for her to fit in.

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Thariel got to work and took herbs and spices from her satchel to swiftly make an item that'll keep her warm.

Kobold scales, firevein moss, and toast wood tossed inside a bottle and ignited together created a type of light source that while hot enough to warm her hands, wouldn't actually cook her skin.

Tossing in a few ember cap spores in the bottle further added to its longevity and will make it so that the toast wood will keep burning unless she chooses to kill the fire.

After adding a tie of rope around its neck to be used as a handle, Thariel huddled next to the bottle to give herself some much needed warmth.

She had time. Thariel turned her focus outward.

The T-Rex outside had decided to sit around the tree to wait for her, which begged the question of why? It clearly wasn't for food by this point.

She wasn't even worth that much calories! Was that prick just doing this out of a sadistic need?!

Grumbling slightly, Thariel pulled her arms closer to herself and leaned her chin against her knees. The bottle would keep her warm at least.

Eventually, the stupid dinosaur chose to leave and curious as to where it was going, Thariel waited for it to gain distance before crawling out of the tree and following its deep footprints.

With its size, it would have taken hours for the snow to bury something like this.

Thariel soon got to see the gigantic therapod stand in front of a geothermic vein, gathering excess heat with its body curled into itself like it was a sun bathing lizard.

So this is how these guys survive the cold. Interesting.

According to Thariel's senses, the vein didn't waft off that much heat but if there are hundreds of these things out here then that explains why the snow easily melts during the morning hours.

Maybe the veins also become hotter during the day?

Why these veins are active during the day but not on nights was lost to her however. Or even why these things no longer existed by the time of canon.

Actually, a lot about this place is lost to her. She didn't know half of the things here like she should have.

This place is as wonderous as it was when she learned about Tainted Orchids' lore for the first time and if she could dive into a rabbit hole of videos explaining this winter wonderland she would.

Thariel left the dinosaur- which she dubbed Thostasaurus, named after the embering toast wood in her bottle. - and went back to searching for the shrine.

Now back on the prowl, Thariel stalked the snowscape with the finesse of a 2 week old infant.

The deep snow proved to be quite the obstacle to her goals and with regular boots meant for rain than snow, her feet basically sunk with every step she took.

Pulling it back out was another matter entirely and more often than not, she almost fell face first into the soft layer of snow before she caught herself.

How the hell did she manage to run earlier?

Thariel stood underneath a tree and thought about it; she didn't have problems with moving while being chased by that T-Rex so what changed? The lack of an apex predator lighting a fire under her bum?

Most likely not, but she did use [Strong Arm] to boost her running speed earlier.

A quick test proved the guess as true and with that figured out, Thariel went back to treading across the jurassic-winter-wonderland she found herself in.

Now that she didn't have anything else to take her attention, Thariel actually got a good look at the land which housed most of Amori Falls's ecosystem and she couldn't help but think that it looked quite beautiful.

A thick padding of snow covered the ground, burying grasses and other kinds of plants beneath it until the only thing left visible were the upper parts of their stalks. A quick dig also confirmed that yes, most of the underbrush is underneath the snow.

This plantlessness of the land only enhanced the beauty and with nothing left to cover her line of sight, Thariel could see even the farthest tree growing out of the snowy ground across all distances.

Some are so far they looked nothing more than dots to even her enhanced eyesight while the closest had details Thariel hadn't been able to notice before. Mainly? Nests.

There are oval bird nests hanging from the trees, they lacked entrances and are perfectly sealed away from the harsh environment.

Others had weird lumps of growth across their branches. Whether or not these belonged to wasps or some species of termite, Thariel wasn't sure.

She also didn't want to find out. She heard that termites were capable of spitting acid and those are regular ones from earth! Imagine what the termites here can do.

Thariel stopped in front of a tree.

This one had the same ice orbs hanging from its branches as the tree she hid in to escape the Thostasaurus.

She reached for one of the orbs, curious as for why the therapod avoided these things.

Putting one directly under sunlight... No, there are hives of bioluminescent insects up in the cavern ceiling.

Well guess she found the answer to her year long question of what the birds here ate.

How come she's never noticed this before? Even back in the game?

Anyways, going back to the ice orbs; putting one under direct insect light got Thariel to see a green liquid sloshing inside the orb.

Something tubular with a sharp tip cast shadows over this liquid, darkening some parts of it inside the orb.

A quick inspection later and Thariel concluded that these must be seeds. Shaped like a tube and with a needle-like extension on both ends but a seed nevertheless.

How sinister. No wonder the Thostasaurus avoided these.

If one of these orbs popped and released their seeds onto her when she was crawling away from the dinosaur earlier, would she have died?

And assuming she survives, how painful would removing one of these out of her be? What about hundreds?