Maggie opened her eyes in a squint and looked around the area she now ended up. Wherever the location was, the temperature seemed to be a lot warmer. She no longer felt goosebumps or the insides of her skin crawl.

The walls around them felt rough and warm when touching the walls from the side of her body. The patches of snow scattered on the ground, where Ruth also laid restless. A bright light shined down on them from above the ceiling where the hole they made had occurred.

“Where are we now?” Maggie inquired.

Ruth soon woke up, got up, and shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know, but how do we get out of here?”

“I’m not sure, but if we don’t escape soon and find the others about our predicament...”

“Maggie...?”

“Do they even know where we are? Will we be stuck here and die alone?!”

“Maggie, please calm down!” Ruth interjected. “Why don’t we have a walk around? I'm sure we’ll find a way out of here...”

The two placed their hands on the walls as they walked along down the path. As they searched for a way out, the duo came across a bright aqua light out from the corner of their eyes. Ruth and Maggie noticed a significant gap in the wall where the brilliant glow derived. They couldn’t control their bodies as they propelled themselves forward toward the light.

In the center of the new room, an orb floated on top of the podium. Maggie and Ruth leaned over and tapped on it. The sphere spun and created a projector that depicted another Orso Looba.

The bear appeared to have wrinkles on his face and a fancy-looking crown on its head. He didn’t have a natural color palette like other bears, as the projection made it into another color.

“Greetings,” The voice spoke. “I’d like to inform the remaining survivors of what’s going on and hopefully right what I’ve wronged.”

“Hey, do you recognize him?” Maggie whispered. Ruth shook his head in uncertainty.

“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Cornelius.” The voice continued.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Ruth covered his mouth and stepped back. “No way, I’ve heard that name before... is that you, Grandpa?”

“Wait. What?” Maggie turned to Ruth, her mouth gaped. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, but why—?”

“Listen closely inhabitants; I only have time to say this once.” Cornelius continued. “On second thought, I’ll showcase to you what had happened in the past.” The elder bear activated a trajectory screen large enough to cover the room like a planetarium, without having to strain one’s eyes too much.

.-.-.-.

“I was on an expedition with my fellow men as we went off to scavenge some food, water, and other supplies and minerals for back home once we had finished.

‘Hey sir, how long will we be doing this for?’ One of my troopers asked.

‘Yeah, some of us are getting tired.’ Another added.

‘Not until we get everything needed in preparation.’ I replied with confidence. ‘I promised I’d bring the stuff necessary for this...’

‘Well, we don’t think you’re wrong, but—”

‘I don’t wish to let my son down. What’s wrong with—?”

‘Nothing sir, but—

“An explosion occurred, catching us all off guard.

‘What was that sound?’ A novice ranked trooper named Bob questioned.

‘I think it came from over there...’ I pointed in a direction.

“My keen sense told me it was somewhere in that direction; the others could sense something as well.

‘Should we investigate?’ Bob inquired.

‘One team will explore the area with caution, and the other team will continue to search for supplies. Just in case, have your weapons handy, and be careful.’

“A small group I was in headed over to the bushes to where the source could be. I peeked through them and discovered some black marks on the ground. There, some unusual creatures took the form of more humanoid figures than with white coats and gray uniforms on them.

“They seemed to be unsure of their surroundings. I wondered if the creatures could be friendly, so I stepped forward to greet them to the best of my capabilities.

‘Greetings, young ones. I’m the leader of my tribe. And who might you be?’

‘Um, not sure.’ One humanoid replied.

‘What am I doing here again?’ Another pondered with uncertainty.

‘You mean you can’t recall?’ I asked.

‘No, sorry...’

‘Do you at least know where you came from?’ I questioned.

“Before the humanoids could answer or try to conjure up an answer, I heard my other group call for me, saying that they had gotten more grub with the help of some dinosaurs. I complimented the troopers on a job well done, while the human-like creatures seemed in awe.

‘Dinosaurs are here? Are you serious?’

“That was when I thought up an idea. ‘Say, how would you like to come with us to our village?’

‘Are you sure about that?’ One human pondered. ‘We had only just—'

‘Yeah, he has a point. That doesn’t seem like a good idea.’ Bob added.

‘I’m sure; these guys can be our guests of honor.’ I looked over at the humans. ‘So, what do you say?’

“The people had thought hard and long about the decision. But eventually, they accepted the offer. ‘Sure thing, we’ll take you up on that generous offer.’

‘Great, now follow me.’