Jack stepped outside the cave. The sun was still rising, and the camp was bathed in shadow. Three campfires fought back the darkness, illuminating the silhouettes of the tall trees. He noticed Thrasher first, drinking deeply from the pond beside a team of gatherers working to boil water for the morning shift. Marcus was beside the dinosaur, cleaning his shirt in the water. He had clearly just finished showering. Marcus was fit, not as well muscled as Jack or Haden, but he seemed to be in the prime of his life. Jack tried to remember how old their tribe chief was, and settled between thirty and thirty-five. Marcus noticed Jack and waved him over.
“Good morning Chief.” Jack said as he fought back a yawn. Marcus nodded to him. Jack could see that his eyes were a bit red and he looked tired.
“Good morning. How is Gordon?” Marcus asked as he put his damp shirt back on. Jack shook his head.
“I sat with him for a bit this morning. Made sure he got his water. But he isn’t doing well. I think we may need to find a doctor or ask the aliens for help.”
Gordon was seemingly stable now, but he was unable to move or speak very much. Jack had spent the last few hours of the night sitting beside him as Gordon slept. Lottie had done her best to keep him comfortable and hydrated, but they were just not able to do more for him. Marcus chewed his lip as he thought before he caught himself and stopped.
“I know. I am worried for him. I feel powerless to do anything at the moment. I think the alien supply drops will have medication or maybe just the knowledge of what we need to do, but I have no idea when they will start to appear. We may see one today, we may not see one for a week or more.” He shook his head. Jack could see the frustration and worry on his face. It was clear he hadn’t slept well.
“Well, he is stable at least. If we keep him hydrated Lottie thinks we can keep him alive until he heals naturally or something better presents itself. The worry was that his lungs or heart would be paralyzed or damaged, but he seems to be breathing ok.” Jack tried to stay positive. But he was worried as well. Gordon was one of his oldest friends. He was like an older brother that Jack looked up to for most of his life. And despite the two sometimes butting heads over some issues, Jack felt like he could call Gordon part of his family.
“I wanted to talk to you in private.” Marcus changed the conversation, leading both Jack and Thrasher to the side of the pond, away from the waterfall and the rest of the tribe. Jack followed, curious more than nervous. It was always worrying when a teacher or authority figure wanted to pull him aside, usually because he hadn’t been paying attention or had done something stupid. But this conversation felt different and he was pretty sure he wasn’t in trouble. Once they got to the far campfire Marcus relieved the night guard and sent them off to get some rest. Then the two of them sat.
“Have you ever fought someone before?”
Jack had to think. He had been in a few fights, but they were children's arguments and tantrums. Mavis and Gordon had once dragged him to a ren faire, which he had been bored with until they had given him a foam sword. They spent a good hour or two playing with the weapons, and Jack had thought he was pretty good with a sword. At least compared to Mavis and the others at the fair. He wasn’t delusional enough to think he could beat anyone with real experience. The only real fight he had been in was in high school. The neighborhood bully, Nathaniel Greer, had tormented Jack throughout middle school. But when Jack was sixteen, he hit a big growth spurt and filled out. That year when Nate had come to bully him and Mavis, Jack had pushed back for the first time. They ended up fighting, and Jack had managed to break Nate’s arm in two places before the teachers broke it up.
Jack didn’t consider himself a violent person. He thought about how to answer Marcus’s question. He let the silence draw out longer than he had intended to, he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to have the rest of the conversation. Marcus seemed to understand, and didn’t push for an answer. He gave Jack all the time he needed to think.
“I had a few fights in high school, but nothing ever real or serious. I played hockey all through high school and college but our games never devolved into violence or anything. I can body-check people pretty good, but that's about it.”
Marcus nodded. That seemed to be the answer he expected.
“We may have to fight and kill other people.” He said calmly. His tone was neutral. Jack felt his stomach drop. Thinking about it was uncomfortable but he knew his tribe leader was right.
“Yeah, I don’t particularly want to. But if it's us or them, I’ll fight for us.” Jack pushed down the uncomfortable feelings. He would protect the tribe, his new family. If that meant killing other people, he would do it and deal with the consequences for his mental health later.
“So will I. You won’t be alone in whatever comes. But the old saying is the way to go. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” Marcus put a hand on Jack’s shoulder. The motion was fatherly, and Jack returned the gesture with a nod and a forced smile.
“Good saying.” Jack said. He looked away from Marcus. He scanned the treeline, half expecting to see the sabertooth again.
“Well, I promise we will do everything we can to avoid any fighting, but it will help if I have people like you that I can rely on to not hesitate in the moment. I want to see how you do leading the hunter team over the next few days. If things go well, I am considering making you the second in command until Gordon is recovered. Jade doesn’t want the job, and it is looking more and more like it will be a position of leadership during fights. Either that or some sort of council member representing the warriors. We don’t have enough people to have a permanent standing army. It will probably just be the hunters.” Marcus shook his head.
Jack thought about the offer. He had wanted to be in charge, but he had started to realize that he didn’t have the right temperament to be in charge of everything. If he accepted it though, he would have to seriously think about how to fight others. He only hesitated for a moment.
“I would like that. I want to help as much as possible. If this is how I do it, then that's what I'll do. I’ll be the war counselor or the second in command. Whatever is needed.” He looked Marcus in the eyes, and the older man smiled.
“Good. This is something I want to test you on a bit first. Each of the council members was tested before we settled on giving them the responsibility. You are just the only one who will know it's a test. Mattock will be leading a second team of hunters, so the first group will be yours. Do well and I will make you the official war counselor.” Marcus shook Jack’s hand, and Jack smiled.
“I can do that.”
A few minutes later the rest of the hunting team started to gather beside them. They shared a water bottle, and by the time the sun rose everyone but Mattock was there.
A second hunting team had been formed with some of the people who had not wanted to be builders anymore and were willing to give hunting a try. Mattock was taking that group out to teach them the basics. Lottie, Clara, Soren, Haden, Jack, and Marcus gathered beside Thrasher, who was enjoying a small breakfast of reeds. They all had fresh spears and full bellies. If they could find more food to bring back it would be great, but today's expedition was not about hunting. Today they would be trying to tame a new dinosaur.
“Ok everyone. Today the goal is to find a lone Stegosaurus or Triceratops that we can add to our tribe. The first question is should we bring Thrasher?” Marcus asked.
Soren and Clara both nodded.
“Absolutely. If the dinos think we are part of a big herd of herbivores they will probably be more at ease around us. Right now we are a new dangerous smell in the jungle. Walking with him should help mitigate that.” Soren said.
Haden pet the big Parasoaurolophus.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen any Parasours mixing with the other herbivores. I don’t think it will have much impact. Other than moving loudly through the jungle. Thrasher is great, but he isn’t quiet.”
“I think Miles wanted to see if Thrasher could help knock over and move some of the trees around the camp.” Jack said, gesturing to where the building team was hard at work with two of the stone axes.
Marcus nodded, looking between the workers and the dinosaur.
“I think you all have good points. At the end of the day, we just don’t know how the other dinos will react to him. I would rather leave him here in case a predator attacks us. He can hit pretty hard if he gets some momentum, and with most of our hunters gone that security is needed here.” He gave Thrasher some scratches, and sent him to help out the building team. The dinosaur trumpeted and walked to a tree. He leaned up against it and started to scratch his hip. A few seconds later the tree started to crack and fall causing the workers to scatter and laugh at the dinosaur.
Clara shrugged.
“So, shall we go? We may have a ways to walk before we find any lone dinos. The loners get picked off quick here.” She said, and they all nodded.
Jack led the way with Clara on his left and Haden on his right. Marcus was behind Clara, and Lottie was behind Haden. Soren brought up the rear, and they moved in a diamond formation through the woods. It only took a few dozen steps to reach the treeline, and they pushed through it heading southwest, down the river and away from the cliff.
They quickly encountered signs of life. Large piles of dino shit sat in steamy piles in the sun. They were tinted green and full of the fibrous leaves. The breeze was very faint, so the smell sat heavy in the area. Jack waved at his nose and checked for tracks. A few dozen large herbivores had been through here, and it wasn’t difficult to find a few clean tracks to examine. They reminded Jack of elephant footprints, large and mostly circular, with clear indents for the toes.
“These are from some type of Triceratops. Maybe two dozen of them?” Clara said, gesturing to the ferns around them that had been heavily chewed on.
“I agree. This group probably wandered in from the clearings to get out of the sun, or maybe bed down somewhere less crowded. This is probably a large herd of females with one male.” Lottie said.
“Do ya think if we tame the male, all the females will come along with him?” Clara mused.
“Probably most of them will. I think it would depend on how much we let them roam from the camp. These are massive wild animals, not cows. They won’t stay in nice little pens. But having a friendly herd living on the outside of our camp would do wonders for our safety.” Soren said, and Marcus nodded.
“We could have them nest close to our walls, or in a stable. Then we raise the babies and domesticate them the old-fashioned way.” Jack said. The women both cooed at the idea of little baby triceratops running around the camp. Haden and Jack also smiled at the idea. Jack was suddenly struck by the fact that their children would grow up around dinosaurs. Gordon’s children would have pet velociraptors and ride baby triceratops around.
They traveled further south than ever before, passing over another creek. Looking upstream they could see another waterfall that was slightly taller than the one the tribe had settled under. The valley started to wind east with the curve of the river, which put the group even further from the cliffs. After thirty minutes of travel, during which they encountered and avoided a small pack of raptors, they reached the river.
It seemed much wider now than when Jack had seen it from the clifftop and on the map. A large patch of tall reeds and cattails covered the far bank, and Jack could see several shapes moving between their cover. He shuddered at the idea of being grabbed by one of the giant crocodiles and being pulled into the reeds and mud. There would be no escape from that, no matter how strong he was. Even if the crocs were the only danger there, which he doubted.
The side of the river they were on was clear of vegetation for approximately fifty feet. Large footprints of dozens of different dinosaur species all mixed into an incomprehensible blend in the mud. This was clearly where many of the large herbivores came to drink daily. The predators knew it as well. Two hundred feet up the river a crocodile nearly thirty feet long was sunbathing in the open. Another was floating lazily in the water, its large eyes watching the hunters, daring them to come get a drink.
The water had a dark green tint. It was flowing slowly, and plenty of algae grew along its banks. The color made it difficult to determine how deep it was, though looking downriver it seemed to increase in speed as the color turned more clear and more rocks jutted out of the water. Small rapids formed around them. Jack wished he could have gone rafting, the day was hot and he had always enjoyed riding the river with his father during the summer.
A fish that had to be five feet long jumped from the water to catch a dragonfly the size of Jack’s head out of the air. He blinked in surprise.
“Even the fish are giant. There goes my plan of laying some nets out. Something that size could tear through anything I know how to make.” Haden said with a whistle. Jack looked over at him.
“You a fisherman?” He asked, and Haden shrugged.
“Recreationaly. I used to go up to Minnesota for lake fishing with my old man. I tried fly fishing but it wasn’t for me. I prefer to stay on the boat or dock. Wading into the water was always cold. I wouldn’t risk it here, and I doubt those thin lines I used back then would work for these fish.” Haden looked like he was going to continue, but Lottie cut him off when one of the massive dragonflies buzzed into her face. She shouted in surprise and swiped out at it, only for the creature to zip away.
“Fuck!” She shouted, grabbing her spear and waving it hopelessly at the speedy insect. Jack kept his eye on the crocodile in the water, it was slowly moving towards them at the sound of the shout. Its form dipped below the water's surface and vanished. He gestured for the hunters to all step back, and they did.
“I fucking hate bugs.” Lottie exclaimed.
“The mosquitos around the camp are going to become a problem.” Marcus said, swatting at some of the many smaller bugs. They were just as numerous, and Jack had done his best to keep them off his exposed neck and arms. When they were walking it hadn’t been an issue, but whenever they stayed still their presence became extremely annoying.
“Mavis was going to try domesticating the little flock of compy around the camp. They are extremely dumb, but they are decent at keeping the bugs down. That or we try and find some of those frogs she mentioned. They are supposed to be three or four feet tall. If we have problems with the larger bugs they are probably going to be needed.” Haden said. Jack remembered he had spent yesterday resting his leg, and had probably had Mavis talk his ear off.
“Should we look around for a frog?” Clara asked, looking at Marcus. He shook his head.
“Not today. Maybe next time. I want to aim for something to help us fight if the Alien’s meddling causes any problems. We don’t know when the drops will start, and we need to be ready for them. Let's keep looking for a lone one or a small herd.”
The group started to trek down the river, away from the sunbathing crocodile. The river increased in speed and depth. It narrowed slightly, and more and more rocks started to jut out of the water. The rapids grew larger as the river sped up, and after a mile of walking, they could hear the sound of a small waterfall. The group followed the muddy path left by the herbivores. They kept a lookout on the sides of the trail, searching for any predators or branching paths that a smaller herd may have taken.
They passed a herd of twenty Parasours who gave them little mind. The group had much more vibrant colors than Thrasher did, a mix of reds, greens, and yellows. They were also larger by a half foot. Jack guessed these were the fully grown females, and Thrasher was still a year or two away from reaching their height.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
There were no babies with them, and the youngest looked to be around half the size of the adults. The group took a second to watch the peaceful herbivores. Lottie spoke up.
“I think they might be in their mating season. That's what the bright colors could mean.” She speculated.
“Don’t most animals get more aggressive during their mating seasons?” Soren asked.
“Sometimes. The males usually do. But it depends on the species, and who knows about dinosaurs.” Lottie answered.
“Does that mean we are in this world’s equivalent of spring?” Marcus asked.
“That would be nice, but who knows? We might be close enough to the equator to not get a true winter.” Clara said.
“It's getting close to noon, let's keep moving.” Haden said, eyeing the woods.
“It’s certainly hot enough here, I would guess we are in an area that won’t see a bad winter.” Soren said as the group started to move. Marcus looked thoughtful, but Jack had his doubts.
“We have seen giant sloths and saber tooth tigers here. I'm no paleontologist, but I thought they needed colder climates. Also with these mountains, we are probably pretty high above sea level. We might get some snow.” He said. Causing Marcus to nod.
“We need to prepare as if winter is coming. That way we can be ready, or pleasantly surprised.” He said.
Soren pointed at a set of tracks that led off the trail and called them all over.
“I think these are Trikes. A bit smaller than the ones near camp, but I would guess there are only three or four of them.”
The hunters quickly moved to the side of the trail to examine the tracks. Jack was still unsure how anyone could tell the difference between the trikes and stegos, let alone any of the other herbivores. He could only reliably pick out the parasaur and brontosaurus footprints. The Parasaur had webbed feet, and the Bronto was just huge.
Still, the footprints that Soren had found looked a bit off to Jack. They were definitely smaller than a full-grown trike, they had the four large toes, and a heavy footpad, but there was also a back toe that lightly touched the mud. He couldn’t remember if triceratops had that or not.
“This is our best lead for a small herd. I say we check it out.” Clara said.
No one could come up with any reason not to, so they all started down the new trail. Haden went first, with Jack behind him. The ladies were in the middle, with Soren and Marcus in the back. Haden and Jack took turns stabbing the bushes ahead of them, but other than some regular-sized bugs they didn’t find anything. They moved quietly, eventually reaching a small clearing. A tree had fallen over, letting the sun shine down. It had let the grass grow to knee height.
Three dinosaurs stood in the clearing. They were similar to triceratops but had a few key differences. They had much paler skin than the trikes they had seen, closer to a birch tree than the rutty browns and reds of the river valley trikes. They each had one large horn on their nose, and a large head crest. The crest looked sharp, and had four horns jutting up from it on both sides, each one was at least a foot long. The largest horn on its nose was closer to three feet. They had sharp beak-like mouths that were good at biting through the hearty fern leaves that grew at the edge of the clearing. They seemed to ignore the grass, which had let it grow. Each one was around twelve feet long, and only six or seven feet tall, much smaller than a Triceratops. Jack had no idea what they were.
Clara stepped on a twig, and the three dinosaurs all turned to look at the group of hunters. No one moved, they kept their spears aimed up, and watched right back. After a tense moment, the dinosaurs decided they weren’t a threat, and went back to grazing, but they were clearly agitated by the humans' presence. Jack noticed the one at the far end of the clearing was trying to reach for some of the fruit that dangled from one of the trees, but it wasn’t tall enough to reach them.
“Any idea what these are?” Lottie asked, her voice a bit nervous.
Instead of responding, Marcus lifted his wrist and activated the identification function of the bracelet.
Species: Styracosaurus Parksi
Sex: Female
Age: 6 Years
Approximate Weight: 5,000lb
Approximate Length: 16’1”
Approximate Height: 7’
Styracosaurus are smaller than their cousins, the Triceratops. They reach full maturity at five years of age, and max out at close to three tons. Because of their smaller size, they are easily preyed upon by t-rex and other superpredators and tend to have much narrower ranges, and do not migrate.
Due to this, they have more specialized diets. Their mouths have evolved to crush the hard shells of the nuts and berries they prefer. They can also eat some of the hardy ferns of the wetlands, though will not eat grass or reeds.
Estimated Uses for Tribe:
Their smaller size and weight make them more maneuverable than their larger cousins.
Their central horn is a devastating weapon, capable of killing anything they gore, especially if they can charge and build up speed.
High carry capacity.
Prime species for ranching and domestication. They reach full size in two years and provide large quantities of meat. Without instincts to migrate, they will be satisfied in pens and barns.
Cavalry and mounted travel.
“Styracosaurus. From the looks of it, these three are fully grown.” Marcus said after reading off the entry. He quickly identified the other two dinos in the clearing, another female, and a male. The male was the one at the far side of the clearing, trying and failing to get the fruit from the tree.
“Should we go for them? Or try our luck with a trike?” Soren asked. The group examined the dinos. They reminded Jack of Rhinos, but the horns on their noses and crest were much longer.
“Not as big as a trike. We wouldn’t be able to compete with rexes or anything that big. But they would make for great mounts, and we will need something to farm eventually. Having these guys would be good for that. Two females means eggs, and they are all fully grown so we don’t have to wait. We could tame the male and bring them all back.” Haden said.
“We should keep in mind these are much rarer than regular trikes. This is the first time we have seen them, but there are dozens of trikes in each of the larger clearings. I say we go for them.” Clara said.
Marcus nodded, and started to edge his way around the clearing. Lottie and Clara followed him, and they tried to act as non-threatening as they could. The closest Styracosaurus huffed at them, its tail started to swing back and forth. The other two made a low groaning noise, and Marcus backed off, putting a tree between him and the dinosaurs.
“They seem a bit irate. Any idea how to calm them down?” He asked.
Just as he poked his head out from behind the tree, one of the female Styracosaurus bellowed at him and swung its tail towards him. It was probably meant to be a warning to back off, but Marcus didn’t see it coming. He brought his arm up to shield his face, and the tail slammed into him before it bounced off the tree. Marcus was sent stumbling back with a sharp gasp of pain. The Styracosaurus let out another groan of displeasure before moving to the far side of the clearing and continuing to eat.
“Marcus! You ok?” Jack and Haden shouted at the same time. Soren pulled them both back from the clearing, while Lottie and Clara moved to check on Marcus. Only a few seconds passed before they could hear him moaning in pain. Not a great sign, but it meant he was alive. Jack couldn’t see Marcus, but he listened to Lottie as she reached him.
“You are going to be ok. Let me see your arm.”
Another groan of pain was the answer they could hear, and Jack saw Clara holding her spear poking around the tree. She made eye contact with Jack and Haden, then gave them a thumbs up. They both sighed in relief. Soren was watching the jungle for other threats.
“Your arm is broken. I’m going to try and set the bone, but it's going to hurt a lot. We need to get away from the dinos or we will just risk agitating them more.” Lottie said. “Jack! Can you come here and help me move him?” She called out.
By now the Styracosaurus were all huffing in annoyance. Jack moved quickly, staying well out of range of their tails by pushing through the ferns. He reached Marcus, with Haden and Soren behind him. He was lying on the ground, and his right arm was badly broken. It was already turning blue, and Jack could see it bent unnaturally halfway up his forearm. He was gritting his teeth, and holding back tears. It was clear he was in a ton of pain. Jack reached down to help move him, but Marcus waved him off. He reached out his left hand, the hand with the bracelet. He unclenched his jaw and took a shuddering breath.
“Jack. You and Clara figure out how to tame that male. Haden, Lottie, drag me away and fix my arm. Soren, keep watch.” Marcus said as Jack took the bracelet from him.
Jack looked into his eyes, and saw that his chief was serious. He nodded and moved out of the way.
“Do what he says. We can make this quick. I have an idea to get them to calm down. We can’t afford to come home with an injury and nothing to show for it.” Jack said in his best leader voice. He tried to remain calm, but he was starting to feel the pressure of the situation. He had found it easy to follow Marcus’s lead, and when he had offered him some responsibility as a leader of the warriors it had been everything Jack had wanted. But his dream of leading suddenly felt a lot heavier. He would still do his best.
“Are you sure Marcus?” Lottie asked, clearly worried. She glanced at Jack as Marcus nodded.
“What's your plan?” Clara asked. Haden pulled Marcus onto his feet, supporting him under his shoulder.
“The male has been trying to get to those fruits. The encyclopedia thing said they have specialized diets. I think if we climb the tree and gather the fruits, we can calm them down enough to let the tame work.” He explained. Lottie looked over to the tree, where the fruits were still hanging.
“Ok. But be careful. We will head back to the main trail. We will come check on you once we have done everything we can with Marcus.” She said.
Jack and Clara watched as the group helped Marcus move away. Leaving them alone beside the clearing. Marcus was tough, but that was a bad break. That arm would be unusable for a long time. With Gordon recovering, and Marcus down an arm, he would have to step up. He turned to Clara.
“Ready?” He asked.
“I’m not much of a climber.” She said, and the two began to move towards the fruit tree.
“I was a monkey as a kid. It's been a few years since I indulged in it though.” Jack said. They could see the Styracosaurus, despite having just attacked them they seemed at ease. One of the females was still giving him the stink eye, but the male was completely focused on food. The other female was watching Marcus and the others hobble away.
They reached the base of the tree from the far side of the clearing. The male gave them a strange look, but he had a mouth full of the ferns and they were keeping their distance. Jack wasn’t sure how good their sight was. He remembered something about Rhinos being near-sighted, and aggressive because of it. If that was the case, the alien encyclopedia was lacking.
He put his club down, and studied the tree. It had tall branches, but he figured if he jumped he could reach the lowest one. He turned to Clara.
“I can lift you, or you can give me a boost.” He said. Clara looked up at the branches.
“Give me a lift, I may not be used to climbing, but once I get that first branch I think I can pretty easily get higher. I have good balance, and I’m probably a good fifty pounds lighter than you.” She explained.
Jack nodded and moved his hands out in front of him. Clara put her spear down and stepped back. She took a running start, jumped into his hands, and he tossed her up with all his might. She was much lighter than he had expected, and overshot the first branch. She yelped, but managed to snag the branch on her way down.
“You ok?” Jack asked. The Styracosaurus was now watching her, having been alerted by her shout. The male looked curious, but the females looked annoyed. Jack hid himself behind the tree, determined not to make the same mistake as Marcus.
“Yeah. I'm good.” She did a pullup and grabbed the next branch. Once she had her feet, she started climbing higher. She reached for one of the ripe fruits, plucking it and dropping it down for Jack to catch. He missed the first one, and it splattered on the ground beside him. He was still focused on the dino’s, and hadn’t been paying attention to her once she started her climb.
“Try catching one.” She stage whispered to him. He rolled his eyes but managed to catch the next one. He collected five of the fruits, which looked like yellow apples upon closer examination. He looked up at Clara, still in the tree. She shrugged at him.
“Want more? I’ll stay up here while you try. I don’t want to agitate them when you do your thing.” She asked.
He stepped away from the tree and took a breath.
“Stay up there. If this backfires I don’t think there is anything to be done but let me try and scramble up after you.” He gripped each of the fruits in his hands, then slowly started to approach the Styracosaurus with his hands outstretched. The green alien bracelet dangled from his wrist, and he made note of the charm order.
The male Styracosaurus grunted at him, which he wasn’t sure was a good sign. He slowly moved forward, and when he got within five feet it snorted. He stopped. It’s body language tense. Jack was sure if he took another step the dinosaur would charge. He bent down and put three of the fruits on the ground, then slowly backed up. He made sure not to turn his back to it.
The male eyed him cautiously, and slowly approached the food. It sniffed them, then made a short bellowing sound and started to eat. The females started to approach, and Jack knew he would need to be quick. He approached again, and waved the fruits in front of its nose. The massive horn jutted out at him like a spear, but the dinosaur was entranced by the food. It lifted its head and swallowed the fruit it had grabbed. Then reached for the one in his hand. When it took one, he reached his hand out and gently touched its horn.
“Tame.” He said, and the alien device hummed with green light. It enveloped Jack in an instant, then spread out to cover the dinosaur. Moments later it was done. He could feel the emotions of the big beast clearly. It was still hungry, and it was happy to have a larger herd. One of the females pushed it aside to eat one of the fruits on the ground, and the third bellowed at Jack. He took a step back, but the male turned to bellow at the female. Jack didn’t speak dinosaur, but he got the sense his new buddy just vouched for him.
The grumpy female seemed to eye Jack up and down, then went back to ignoring him in favor of trying to snag the last fruit from the ground. Jack fed the last one in his hand to the male, then noticed the bracelet had produced a screen.
Congratulations
You have successfully bonded with a dinosaur
Species: Styracosaurus Parksi
Sex: Male
Age: 6 Years, 2 Months
Please name the dinosaur to finalize the bonding process.
“I’ll name you. . . Mike.” He said, and the screen vanished. Mike took the final fruit from his hand, and Jack could feel the happiness through their bond. He hadn't felt this with Thrasher, but he wasn’t the one who had tamed him, Marcus had. Though Thrasher still took commands from Jack, or anyone else in the tribe. He guessed Mike would be the same.
“It worked. But you should grab a few more to keep the females happy.” He called out to Clara. She dropped down from the tree a few seconds later, her shirt full of fruits.
“Good work.” She said, and gently reached out to pet Mike. The females eyed her again, but seemed to follow Mike’s lead.
“He is a big friendly guy. It's the ladies we need to be wary of. Especially that one. She was the one who hit Marcus, and I think she is just a particularly grumpy lady.” Jack said. Once the fruit he had provided was gone, all three dinos turned their attention to Clara’s armfuls of the fruit. She started to feed the females, who seemed more than happy to eat out of her hand. Though the one still gave Jack the stink eye.
“Maybe she just doesn't like men.” Clara said, rubbing the dino under its crest.
“So it would seem. Shall we go join the others?” Jack said, taking one of the fruits for himself. He wasn’t sure if humans could eat these, but the dinos loved them, so planting some would be helpful.
Clara started to walk around the Styracosaurus, leading them with the fruit.
“Come on Mike, let's go find our friends and go home. You guys will be nice and safe.” She said encouragingly. The dinos started to turn around, their big tails nearly pushed Jack over. There wasn’t force behind them, but they turned faster than he thought they could, and they were still big. He caught himself and patted Mike on his side. Then he reached up for one of the horns on his crest. Using it as a handhold he was able to pull himself up onto Mike’s back and ride out of the clearing. He could tell that Mike didn’t mind at all, and was more than happy to be ridden.
A few moments later they rejoined with the others. Marcus was leaning against a tree, his arm was swollen, but no longer bent in the wrong direction. He seemed to have passed out, and Lottie was looking nervous. Haden and Soren both nodded at Jack and Clara as they emerged from the woods with the dinos.
“I take it that things went well?” Soren asked. And Clara nodded.
“Yep. Meet Mike, and his two cranky wives. The one is Cera, and this extra grumpy one is Karren.” Clara proclaimed, which caused a round of chuckles. Though Karren seemed to like her new name, grumbling at them in the friendliest seeming manner so far.
“How is Marcus?” Jack asked as the others came to give the new dinos pets.
“He passed out. Probably a good thing he did. I had to set his arm, and I don’t have anything to numb the pain. Let's try and get him onto Mike and get back to camp.” Lottie said. She sounded like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Jack hopped off Mike, and pulled Lottie into a hug. She stiffened, then returned it.
“It's going to be ok. He is alive, and he will heal with time. You did good.” He did his best to sound reassuring. Like his father always had been to him. She nodded, and he felt a few tears roll down her cheeks.
“I don’t think I want to be the tribe doctor. I’m not so good at helping people.” She said.
“You did the best you could. Don’t beat yourself up. Let's get home, then we can all rest.” He said.
Soren and Haden helped Marcus up, and he slowly came to. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. He briefly opened his eyes, smiling as he saw the dinos. He climbed onto Mike’s neck with Soren’s help, he was able to sit on his neck, under his crest. It made for very good protection, and with Soren on Mike’s back holding Macrus’s shoulders it was surprisingly easy to keep him steady. Mike barely noticed the extra weight, his neck muscles extremely strong to support his large horn and tall crest.
They made their way quickly home, following the same path they had taken. They passed by a few more small herds of Parasaurs, and one mixed herd of Mayasaur and Hadrosaurs. They spotted a few Gallimimus, and another small herd of Pachycephalosaurus. Nothing messed with them as they traveled, and they made it home before dark.