Off to one side, I saw a set of dark eyes staring at me from around knee level. A Compy, yet it didn’t move closer and it stayed quiet. Its head moved closer to the ground when I glanced in its direction. After carefully looking, I spotted a few more, but all of them stayed silent and hidden as best as they could in the shadows of ferns. None of them moved as I kept traveling, my grip loose on my spear.

So, this was what happened when you leveled up. If you were big enough, small things tried not to be noticed.

I counted seven of them, but if my level scared them off, then they had to be much lower level than me. Part of me wondered if I was now known as the Compy Slayer among them, since I’d taken out so many of them on my journey through the jungle. I pushed those thoughts away as I kept moving, leaving the Compys behind. That voice in the back of my head wondered how sweet they would taste. I shoved it away with all of my force of will. The fight would take too much time, and I had just eaten enough, damn it.

[You have gained a Fortitude skill point.]

The notification startled me, and I jerked slightly. Not listening to that voice had earned me a skill point in Fortitude. Last time I’d resisted the urge, it had been Willpower. The question rested on the tip of my tongue, to ask Noseen about the difference, but I kept quiet. The Compys weren't enough to silence an area this big, and I didn’t want to advertise my presence.

I had to be getting closer to the next mark, and I curved in a little back towards the path. The hair rose on the back of my neck, and I slowed down. This was different from the Compys. Whatever was watching me now was hungry. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew.

I readied myself, then something about my chest height launched itself at me from behind a fern. Immediately, I dropped the rope and aimed my spear. It impaled itself on the tip, as another creature attacked from the side. I ducked down as it went flying over my head and I yanked my spear out of the first beast’s chest. The creature tried to scramble backward, but it stumbled and then dropped to the ground, dead.

[You have gained experience from combat with a Coelophysis.]

The second creature that had flown over my head crashed into a fern, and it took the thing a moment to jump back to its feet. I used that time to use Insight.

[Coelophysis, Level 10, Starving.]

The starving tag drew my attention, and I realized I could literally see its bones poking out. It moved slowly and tried to launch itself at me again. Too slow. This time I was ready, and stabbed at its chest deliberately.

The spear tip sliced into it easily, but its weight pushed me back. I yanked my spear out as it crashed down in front of me.

[You have gained experience from combat with a Coelophysis.]

“Too weak to survive,” whispered Noseen. “Pity.”

For once, something I’d killed didn't look appetizing. Now that I had a better look at them, they looked like Compys, but bigger. They stood at chest height, rather than topping out at my knees, and were mostly green. Bright red appeared at the top of their head between the eyes. Their narrow mouths were filled with sharp teeth. The tail was long, about the same length at the rest of the body combined, and much thinner, almost like a whip. Both of the creatures were dead, but they looked like only skin and bones, and didn’t look worth devouring.

“Is there anything to even save on them?” I asked with a frown, before trying to hear if anything else was around. Nothing reached me.

“Just the hearts.”

I didn’t want to slow down and butcher the creatures, time continued to worry me. My stomach grumbled, and I wanted to growl at it. I reminded myself that I needed to eat to refresh my energy after each fight.

"Noseen, what’s the difference between Fortitude and Willpower?" I asked, as I moved the sled away from the two dead creatures.

“Fortitude is for outside influences while Willpower is from inside influences.”

That gave me something to think about as I went back with a small sigh and cut into the first chest. It didn’t take long to find the heart. It was smaller than I thought it would be, given that the creature was twice as tall as a Compy, plus longer. Still, cutting into the carcass was nothing. It didn't resist my knife at all, as the muscle was that thin.

The hearts tasted like apples, slightly sour apples that lingered in the back of my mouth. Even taking sips of water didn't help.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

[You have devoured a Coelophysis and gained insight into Heightened Senses.]

I quickly moved to the other one to find the same thing. The body was all skin and bones.

This heart had more of a sour taste, but it wasn’t unpleasant, it just lingered strangely.

[You have devoured a Coelophysis and gained major insight into Heightened Senses.]

[Heightened Senses has improved. Heightened Senses: You have increased senses of vision, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Your sense of smell has increased and unlocked the ability to track your prey by a scent trail. You have gained the ability to understand whether something is prey.]

That last line drew my attention, but I couldn’t give it my complete focus. Instead, I suddenly sensed the Compys slowly surrounding me. Somehow, I knew they were there, and that this was the same group as before. Unlocking this ability had changed everything. Part of me wondered if this was what I had been feeling before when I’d noticed the Compys, just stronger, much stronger. That would mean the system recognized progress you had made on your own. In the background, the sounds from the scavengers reached me, even with the distance. The smell of death rose from the carcasses, but they still didn't look like anything I wanted to eat. Plus, my stomach was happy with the hearts, for now.

The Compys waited far enough away for me not to see them, even though I knew they were there. Given the sparseness of the remainder of my kill, I didn't care. Eat or be eaten, they could have the rest of these poor creatures.

I kept my spear in one hand and carefully picked up the rope to continue. As soon as I moved away from the two bodies, the Compys quietly swarmed the creatures. I chuckled to myself and kept going. A clean-up crew was a good thing, it meant that nothing would track me from the carcasses, since nothing would be left but bones.

I expected the sounds and movement of the jungle to pick up again now that the two dinos were dead, but they didn’t. Instead, the silence grew heavier. It caused me to slow down each of my movements, trying to figure out what my senses were telling me. Everything smelled of death and rotting meat. The breeze, no matter what direction it came from, was the same. This was more than that, though. I paused near a fallen log, trying to wrap my mind around what was going on. The hair on the back of my neck still stood up. I waited silently next to the fallen tree trunk. The fern next to me provided additional cover, but I kept the rope in my hand and the sled stayed up. I did not want the crystal to start grounding here, it would draw too much attention with the humming.

My eyes kept flickering up toward the sky and the sun's journey across it. Everything inside me warned me not to move, even as my anxiety increased with the passing minutes.

Then I heard the first thud. Then another.

Something big moved through the trees up ahead, though not in my direction. I stayed put, only catching a glimpse before freezing.

Whatever this was, it was big. Bigger than the shuttle.

I only caught sight of part of its head, but it towered over the underbrush. It had to be a Carnitor, or something in the same group of predators. A large horn sat on the center of its head, and jagged teeth filled its mouth. This wasn’t a scavenger, it was a predator, and a dangerous one at that.

I waited until it passed by the tree trunk, and for several more moments, before I continued on my way. Each footstep made me flinch, but I kept going. My path crossed the Carnitor’s, and its feet were bigger than the sled. I moved faster than before, getting across its trail as quickly as I could and back into the undergrowth on the other side.

My heart pounded in my chest, but it wasn’t in panic. It was more like I needed to keep moving, and had to stay focused. The giant dinosaurs weren’t interested in me, at least not yet. My level was still too low, and it wasn’t like I’d be more than a crunchy snack. I kept my spear out as I moved forward. I curved my path back toward the east, hoping I’d find my next marked tree, or even the shuttle itself. Though, I wasn’t sure how far I’d curved around the scavengers, or how much further I had to go.

I focused on a more south-easterly direction. For now, I just needed to remain calm and collected, paying attention to my surroundings. I’d find the shuttle and John, and he’d be ok. He had to be.

That feeling of needing to freeze came back, and I quickly glanced around, looking for a place to hide. The best I could find was between the roots of a large tree. I hurried over, yanking the cloak off the crystal and putting it around my shoulders. The mud was dry, and it flaked off in patches. I kept as close to the roots as I dared, working to keep the sled up so it wouldn’t ground. Nothing moved, but the feeling remained, and I waited for several moments.

I couldn’t just sit here. Panic, and the need to move, rushed through me.

Silently, I yanked on the sled and continued forward, keeping my ears and eyes peeled. Something off to my far right drew my attention, and I took several steps to my left. I needed more distance between whatever that was and me.

I froze as a giant head rose over the nearby ferns, glancing around. A spike jutted from the tip of its nose.

[Carnitor, Level 20.]

I was dead. This was it.

My fingers tightened around my spear, and I tried to get air into my chest. Its head turned toward the east, away from me, showing off deep red stripes with green scales. A low growl came from the creature, which vibrated my feet.

A roar came through the trees, as another Carnitor stomped into view. The loud noise shook the trees and the jungle went silent.

The first Carnitor roared back, mouth open wide, turning its body to face the intruder.

Maybe I wouldn't die if I got the heck out of here as soon as possible. After all, the rabbit could escape while the wolves fought. I didn’t really like thinking of myself as the rabbit, but in this case, the analogy worked.

I very slowly took a step away from the scene, heading to my left. This was not something I needed to get involved in at all. In fact, the farther away I got, the better.

The newcomer had deep blue stripes down its back, and it looked slightly smaller. I couldn’t look away as it roared again, flashing its large teeth. Its tail moved back and forth behind it, knocking into ferns and clearing swaths of underbrush.

[Carnitor, Level 19.]

The closer creature whipped its tail through the air and I ducked down, trying to make myself smaller. I yanked on the rope behind me, keeping as low as possible and hiding behind ferns.

The ground trembled as both of them charged.

Now was the time to flee. I picked up my pace and raced through the undergrowth, not letting go of the sled. At the moment, I didn’t care about being quiet. The noise from those two fighting would cover any noise I generated, and distance was the most important thing. Lots and lots of distance.

Roaring echoed through the trees as I tried to get as far away as possible. The trees behind me shook as something slammed nearby, but I didn’t dare turn to look.

Must move faster!