The map turned out to be a lifesaver. Originally the tribe had planned to move south along the cliff until the slope was shallow enough to traverse. They could see from the other side of the valley that the cliffs slowly got shorter as the river moved away from the mountains. In theory, the cliffs they were on would do the same, but upon examining the map they learned that they were on a bit of a mesa. The cliffs curled back around to the east. They would have to navigate at least twenty miles along the cliff top and the jungle to maybe find a way down. Alternatively, they could travel half a mile north where there was a canyon offshoot from the main cliff that had a well worn game trail. It was a much shallower slope, and the game trail was wide enough to let even something the size of a t-rex walk easily along it.
“So. The question is, do we want to try and set up alongside the cliff face, maybe near or below one of the waterfalls, or closer to the river? According to the map, the valley is about eight miles across at any given point. So we will have plenty of space to expand without worrying about flooding as long as we build on the higher ground.” Miles said, pointing out a few spots within a mile of the river that were largely flat. The map did not show the herds of herbivores wandering through the valley, but being on the top of the cliff was a unique opportunity to examine all of the areas they liked from above.
The area’s that Miles had pointed out were each already claimed by a single Bronto and its herd of smaller herbivores. They moved in large roaming circles, constantly grazing and keeping the ever-growing vegetation back. A group of nesting mothers had dug out large divots in the soil near the center of the large clearings. As the tribe watched one of the closer clearings, Skye pointed out five large shapes bursting from the trees and rushing toward the straggling members of the herd. They were hard to make out from a distance, but Jack was positive they were carnivores. They were bipedal, and had large heads and small arms. At least one horn on their heads, though Jack couldn’t be sure. They were a reddish gray color, and as tall as the Stegos they were hunting. The predators let out a roar, causing the straggling herbivores to realize they had been separated from the herd, and the Bronto’s might would not be saving them. The Stego swiped its tail, but was too slow, and the five carnivores closed in and ripped the herbivore apart.
Jack was happy he wasn’t close enough to see any more details. They would have to be careful about the packs of carnivores. But that was just as true if they stayed on the top of the cliff. The predators started to drag the dead Stego into the woods, but the Bronto didn’t even seem to notice, happily grazing on the taller trees.
“I personally would like the cliff at our back. If we are near one of the waterfalls we could even take showers. It would be easier to build up fortifications, and honestly, I don’t want to worry about getting stepped on in the middle of the night by a Brontosaurus by accident.” Mavis spoke up, directing the map to show several spots along the cliff face that could be good. Each of them would require a lot of work to level out, move boulders and stones that had fallen down the cliff and had less space to work with, but would be safer.
“If we decide to go with a cliff base, we would need to climb the cliff again and make sure there are no boulders near the top that could be easily pushed off the side. If we were ever to be in a conflict with other people, that would be the first thing I would try.” Jack said. He didn’t like the idea of killing other people, but he had a feeling this world of brutal survival and blood would not be peaceful. Conflict with another group of humans was inevitable, and he did not want to worry about being crushed in the middle of the night.
Gordon and Marcus exchanged looks but didn’t speak up. Haden examined the points Mavis had pointed out.
“I think we will need to be near water. The map shows small caves behind these waterfalls, those should probably be our first picks if they are empty. They look pretty small, but having a safe dry place just for storage could be huge.” Haden said, zooming the map into one of the small caves. It was the size of an average living room and covered in stalagmites.
“We need to be cautious around the waterfalls. Water falling from these heights would be both extremely loud, and if the rain causes the flow of the creak to pick up they could hurt whoever they landed on.” Mattock said.
Everyone examined the map, then turned to Marcus. He looked up from the map to watch the Brontos.
“I want one of those. But I have a feeling that it will be extremely difficult and dangerous to trap one or earn its trust. Maybe if we gave it a ton of food and were very careful, but I think that will be a very long-term project. Until we have one tamed, those clearings are not suitable for long-term habitation. Our huts would be stomped flat, and our fires would likely cause stampedes.” He pointed to the closest Bronto, from the same herd that had lost the Stego to the pack of carnivores. The Bronto had stood on its back legs to push against one of the taller trees and reach some untouched vegetation. When it was done eating, it crashed back down onto all fours. Its massive legs crushed a poor Parasaurolophus that had gotten too close. The dinosaur was turned to paste instantly. The entire tribe was silent for a long minute, watching the Bronto wipe gore off its foot while taking another bite of the foliage.
“Sooooooo. Cliff base it is.” Skye said, and everyone nodded.
They searched both sides of the valley for good cliffside locations, there were several contenders on both sides, but actually crossing the river would pose too much of a risk. There were a few places where the river had large islands or sand bars that could in theory make the river crossable. But once Mavis pulled up the encyclopedia and searched for aquatic threats no one wanted to risk it. The far side of the valley was also dominated by wetlands, so the amount of buildable space would be even more limited.
“I say we make our way down the canyon and move south along the cliff face. We can vet each spot as we come across them.” Jack said.
Gordon nodded in agreement.
“We can’t get too comfortable here. There is a storm somewhere behind us, and I think we should get through the canyon well before it hits. I don’t want to deal with trying to climb down in the mud, or waiting up here for it to dry. If we can find one of the caves and clear it out, we can keep the fires from going out of the rain, and keep our clothes dry.”
The leadership group all agreed and started to rouse the tribe into movement. Most people complained, asking for a longer break while they could enjoy the view and the breeze. Jack explained the need to get moving over and over, but it wasn’t until another rumble of thunder sounded and Thrasher started to worry that people actually started moving.
Finding the entrance to the canyon was easy, they only had to follow the cliff north for a mile. The canyon jutted east from the main river valley. The stone was a dull red color, which stood out from the bleak gray of the taller cliffs. The canyon was layered, with each layer being slightly darker colored. The layers formed natural steps up the canyon, which had been worn away by centuries of dinosaurs using it as a game trail. A series of smaller waterfalls cascaded down the end of the canyon, forming small pools on each step. The bottom of the canyon was a muddy mess of large footprints and stagnant water. Algae covered the rocks nearest the water, ensuring that any attempts to climb from the pools would be futile. Fortunately, the natural path was wide and shallow enough for the tribe to slowly move down as a group. The largest hurdle came from the five to seven-foot drops between each of the canyon's layers. They found dozens of different types of claw marks along the wall as they scrambled down. Most of them seemed to be from smaller dinosaurs like the velociraptor that would need to scramble up the ledge, but there were several that were quite long and higher up on the walls.
Thrasher did not like going down the canyon, and it took Lottie and Marcus to encourage and lead the big dinosaur through each of the drops. No one could ride him, and that slowed things down as the injured had to be lowered down. Jack spent most of his time in the canyon catching people from the drops. Even a small misstep here could result in a twisted ankle or worse. All injuries had to be avoided.
About three-quarters of their way down the canyon, the path started to get muddy. Every dinosaur that had come this way had stopped at the watering hole to drink and had then tracked mud up the path. It slowed things down further, but no one slipped. Mavis had Jack come over to help her examine some of the mud along one of the pools. He started by searching the water. It wasn’t large enough to sustain any of the massive predators they had read about living in the river, but that didn’t mean it was safe. Fortunately, his instincts proved unnecessary, and the pool was empty. Mavis rolled up her sleeves and kneeled beside the mud. She stuck a hand into it and started to dig.
“Ummm. What are you looking for?” Jack asked, taking the moment to watch the tribe finish climbing down the latest drop.
“I am trying to figure out if there is any clay here. It would be super nice if we found some, but I am not sure where to find any. I was hoping that this mud may have some mixed in.” She explained, and quickly reached the bottom of the mud. Water and mud started to fill her hole immediately.
“I think the Tribe is ready to move on. It doesn’t look like there is any clay here. But we should keep it in mind. I know mud bricks are a thing. We can come back here if we don’t find any clay along the river.” He offered her a hand up, and she took it. Both of them were already filthy, and Jack suspected he would get a lot more mud on him as they finished the final leg of their climb.
Mavis stopped halfway through her step and looked at the wall beside them. It was very steep but had a small ledge about eight feet above the pool. On the wall at Mavis’s head height, was a massive paw print. She pulled on Jack’s sleeve.
“Look at this. It's huge. Way bigger than a lion. But it's definitely some sort of cat.” The excitement of discovery was clear on her face, but Jack’s eyes shot to the top of the ledge scanning for whatever made the prints. Another pair of paw prints were stamped in dry mud just below the ledge, but no tiger was watching them.
“Some sort of Saber Tooth Tiger? We found the Giant Ground Sloth in the encyclopedia so we know that some ice age creatures are here as well. We will need to warn everyone that there is one in the area. And we need to remember to look up.” Jack was very glad to not have to fight off a tiger in a muddy canyon. But he doubted he would be so lucky as to never come across one. He tugged Mavis’s hand and led her back to the group.
“Go tell Marcus and Mattock about the tiger. We should probably double the night watch going forward.”
She nodded and ran off. Jack watched her as she went. He couldn’t help a smile from tugging at his lips. He had dragged her on a thousand hikes before, but she had never been so excited about the discovery of nature like she was now. He wished they had a safe place to return to, but he realized that he could see them all finding some happiness in this world.
The Tribe made it to the bottom of the canyon with only one twisted ankle. They did a head count and then walked down the canyon to its exit. A pack of velociraptors was waiting at the narrowest point, but they ran as soon as they saw the number of humans moving together, and the makeshift torches at the front of the group. Thrasher let out a bellow of discontent at the raptors that echoed up the canyon and made everyone chuckle. It sounded like a herd of Parasaurolophus were laughing at the fleeing predators.
They exited the canyon into much lighter woods. The trees were similar, but there was less undergrowth and far fewer impassable thickets. They walked with the cliff on their left, making decent time down the canyon. It took half an hour for them to reach the bottom of the waterfall they had taken their original break at, and the threat of the storm was getting worse with each minute. The thunder was getting louder, and each time they came across a group of herbivores the dinosaurs were huddling together under the trees.
The exception to the rule was the Parasaurolophus. They all seemed excited about the coming storm. They started to make long trumpeting calls across the valley. The sounds blended together and echoed off the walls to create a unique melody. Apparently Marcus could feel Thrasher’s excitement at the storm, and didn’t stop him from joining the call of his brethren.
The tribe universally agreed that the current spot would be terrible for building a home. The ground was uneven, rocky, and covered in algae. The nearest trees were at least a thousand feet down the hill, and the water was falling too hard for them to safely bathe. There was no pool under the waterfall, only hard rocks and several streams that made a muddy mess before trickling down the valley. The waterfall was also extremely loud to stand around.
They continued moving along the cliff. Avoiding the larger clearings where they had seen the Brontos earlier. The river valley was much flatter than the jungle had been, and with the reduced density of the woods, the tribe was able to move much faster. They reached the second waterfall that had looked promising and found it much more to their liking.
The waterfall poured into a large lagoon right out of a postcard. Large lily pads rested on the flat water away from the falls, and the water was a clear blue. The ground wasn’t perfectly flat, but it was less rocky and the tree line came right up to the cliff. Lottie took a step up to the edge of the lagoon, but Thrasher stepped forward and nudged her back to the tribe with his long neck. He glared at the water and made a low grunt.
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Marcus, Jack, Gordon, and Soren all stepped forward, spears raised. They stopped beside Thrasher and Marcus pet his head. They watched the surface of the water carefully. Everything seemed fine, and Jack was starting to question Thrasher’s judgment of the pool. Clara joined the men at the front with a large rock.
“Shall we test what's in there?” She asked, and after sharing a look they all nodded.
Clara tossed the stone into the water about five feet from the shore. Immediately a thirty-foot-long Crocodile burst from the mud at the bottom of the clear pool and snapped towards Clara. The tribe screamed, but the hunters were ready. As it lunged Soren and Gordon interposed their spears, planting them against their feet and letting the crocodile impale itself. The spears snapped against its bony jaws and continued towards them. They were only saved by Thrasher and Jack slamming into its head with their full force. Marcus went for an eye, but missed his stab by a few inches, only leaving a small cut. Clara could smell the Crocodile's rancid breath as its jaws closed inches from her head. Lottie pulled her back and helped her regain her footing. Mattock had been on watch at the back of the tribe, but he quickly tossed his spear into the creature's side, well away from its face and the other members of the tribe, and started to run toward it.
The Crocodile hissed loudly and turned to snap at Jack, only for Thrasher to bellow loudly and step between everyone and the threat. The Crocodile, having missed its opening attack and feeling the pain of multiple attacks, decided to slip back into the water to fight another day. Thrasher stood guard near the lagoon, not letting anyone else get near enough to be snapped up.
“Everyone ok?” Marcus asked, and the hunters responded with a chorus of yes. Clara seemed a bit jittery, but she nodded that she was fine.
“I think we should try the next spot. If that one is worse, we can come back here and go fishing for Crocodiles.” Gordon said.
Jack shook his head.
“That thing was massive, I don’t think we could get it out of the water. It would be quite the fight to actually kill that thing, and there could easily be more in there.” He gestured to where the lagoon flowed and met the trees. It certainly was large enough for multiple dino-crocks to live comfortably.
“It would be doable, but risky. Let's keep it in mind.” Mattock said.
“I think that was a Sarcosuchus.” Mavis piped in. “You know how they used to say that crocodiles are basically dinosaurs. Well, that's their ancestor. I think we will see a lot more of them around the river and any large bodies of water. But they aren’t the only type of Crocodile around here.”
Jack recalled the name on the list of aquatic threats they had pulled up earlier that day, but like most dinosaur names he only really knew the ones from the Jurassic Park movies off the top of his head. Mavis and Gordon were the dinosaur kids.
“Let's not waste any time here then.” Marcus said as he started leading Thrasher around the lagoon.
“Maybe we will come back and check the cave another day. I think this was the larger of the ones we looked at on the map. But I agree with Jack. This lagoon is too dangerous to camp beside until we have a way to kill those things reliably.”
At their leader’s words, the tribe started moving again. They had to stop to make new torches and keep the fires lit, but that didn’t take long and they continued their journey. Mattock took the lead this time with Jack and Mavis, and they made a game out of trying to identify each type of dinosaur track they came across. Jack found it impossible to determine the difference between a Stegosaurus and a Triceratops footprint, but the other two were able to figure it out without too much difficulty. The only one he could identify regularly was the Parasaurolophus, and that was only because they had webbed feet. They found more Triceratops footprints than any others and changed directions to hug the cliff more as they noticed a herd of the three-horned dinosaurs huddled under some of the thicker trees. They gave the grumpy herbivores their space and reached their final destination just as the rain started to trickle around them.
The cave behind this waterfall was much easier to see as the waterfall was both shorter and had less water flow than the previous ones they had passed. The cave wasn’t huge, clearly carved out by the small pool of water that caught the waterfall. Unlike with the lagoon, this pool was crystal clear and constantly overflowed into a stream headed for the river. The ground was slightly elevated from the rest of the forest, but there were many small trees within two hundred feet of the cliff. The ground was littered with small rocks, and two large boulders made a windbreak near the cave opening. The pool was about twenty feet across, nowhere large enough for a full-grown Sarcosuchus to fit in it.
As soon as Thrasher saw it, he climbed into the pool and paddled around in circles, making happy noises as the storm started to fall over them.
“Alright, everyone. Gather as much dry wood as you can and pile it up just inside the cave. I know the rain is starting so we need to move quickly. Torch holders, keep your fires lit. Hunters, I want half of you to do a thorough clear of the cave and kill anything you find inside. We don’t need some bug biting someone in the middle of the night.” Marcus called out and started organizing people.
Jack, Mattock, Gordon, Haden, Lottie, Clara, Soren, and Mavis with the alien artifact entered the cave with spears drawn. Mavis held a torch to provide light for the others, but it wasn’t needed. The pool of water reflected light into the cave, and it wasn’t deep enough to grow fully dark. The cave floor was mostly flat, and it was clear that the water had once been much higher. There were no stalagmites or rough stones on the floor, though there was plenty of sand and dirt.
Jack had feared they would stumble across some giant Cave Bear or the Saber Tooth Tiger he had found evidence of beforehand. Instead, they found three massive Centipedes with dirty brown carapaces. They were each between eight or nine feet long, and they seemed threatened by the group of humans that had dared to intrude on them. All three of them reared back, and Lottie screamed and took a step back. Giant insects were apparently a new phobia for her, but no one blamed her for her fear.
Mavis activated the alien artifact, but Jack didn't have time to read over her shoulder. His focus was fully on the insects.
“Um. They are called Arthropleura. They are venomous, so don’t let yourself get bit. Their blood is also highly acidic. So be careful.” Mavis backed away, but didn’t leave.
Jack shared a glance with Gordon and Soren and they all cracked a smile. Jack let out a bellow of pure caveman excitement as he leaped forward and smashed the first Arhtopleura’s head into the wall with a heavy crack. Its brains exploded against the wall, painting it green with strange blood. The other hunters moved at the same time, dashing at the creatures and stabbing out with their spears. Gordon and Soren took the closest of the two surviving creatures, while Mattock and Clara attacked the other. Haden was too slow on his injured leg, and Lottie had taken a step back in fear. Seeing one of them die easily helped her conquer her fear and she started to move forward.
Gordon’s spear glanced off the hard chitinous shell, but Soren connected one of the leg joints and stabbed in. The Arthropleura let out an alien screech and tried to bite Gordon. It pushed away his spear and stuck out much faster than expected. It bit Gordon’s forearm as he tried to pull back, delivering its venom and causing Gordon to scream out in pain. Soren stabbed it again, pushing it off Gordon as Haden pulled him back. Jack stepped into his place and brought his club down. The Arthrupluera tried to skitter away, but it was so large that he managed to connect his blow and crush a section of his mid-body. The chitin shell was tough, but Jack’s club managed to break through it.
Clara and Mattock had more luck, Clara’s spear lanced into its softer belly, skewering it in place and holding its jaws back. The spear started to dissolve as it was exposed to the acidic blood, and the creature struggling was going to free it quickly. Mattock didn’t give it a chance, stabbing it in the face with three powerful thrusts. The acid ruined his spear, but the creature died.
The final Arhtroplura hissed in pain from the back wall. Gordon stepped to the cave entrance, where Mavis was examining his wound. The remaining hunters gathered up to corner the beast, and all stabbed forward at once, putting it out of its misery.
“You okay Gordon?” Jack asked, quickly turning to join his friend.
Gordon nodded. The bite mark on his forearm wasn’t huge, but he had clearly been poisoned. He looked worried but wasn’t panicking.
“It's numb, so that's something. I don’t think it's good though.” He said. Examining his arm. Jack turned to Mavis, but she was reading through the encyclopedia and not paying attention to him. Lottie joined them and took a look at Gordon’s wound.
“Well, let's start by clearing it. That's a good first step no matter what we do. I’ll get you settled while Mavis reads. Jack, will you help Matt get the bodies outside and wash the blood away?” She asked. Her tone was upbeat, and it helped Jack keep calm despite not knowing if his friend would be ok.
Jack took a breath. He clapped Gordon on the shoulder and the two men gave stoic nods.
“I’ll be fine. This will probably suck but I’ll make it through. Go help the others.” Gordon gave Jack a smile, then helped guide Mavis away. She was still reading and nearly tripped, causing Gordon to roll his eyes as he caught her.
Jack returned to Mattock, Soren, Haden, and Clara, who were examining the bug that Jack had brained at the start of the fight.
“Well. This one still has most of its blood I think. Should we try to save it? It ate through my spear in just a few seconds, so it's probably pretty handy to have around.” Soren asked.
“Worth experimenting for sure. Let's get them all outside the cave, but let's keep this one head up, so we don’t lose all the blood.” Mattock said as he gestured for Jack to grab the other end of it and they lifted. The thing was surprisingly heavy, and it took all four of them to drag the first corpse outside the cave and into the rain. As soon as they emerged the tribe gasped at the giant insect, and they soon had it laid beside one of the large boulders. Two trips later and the bodies were gone. Jack and Clara got into the water and started splashing at the blood. It was horribly inefficient and made a mess, but no one had been able to think of a better way to remove it.
Thirty minutes later the entire tribe of sixty-eight was crowded into the cave. Only Thrasher stayed outside, seemingly overjoyed with the downpour. They huddled together and took turns drying off by the fire at the entrance to the cave. They had to be very careful to not let smoke fill the cave and suffocate everyone, but the entrance was wide enough that it wasn’t a problem if the fire was near it.
Everyone was damp, but no one was soaked. Many people took the time to sleep, and the rest all just stared into the downpour. Jack had gone to check on Gordon, but had been shooed away by Lottie and Mavis. From what he could tell he would be ok, but was absolutely forbidden from any sort of work until he was recovered. Lottie sat beside him and they chatted, but the conversation was lost to the murmurs of the cave and the roaring of water.
Instead, Jack found himself sitting beside Haden, Skye, and Marcus. Skye handed Jack a small bundle of berries that had been wrapped in leaves for a makeshift bag. He dug in greedily, not having realized how hungry he was until that point.
“Thank you.” He said in return.
Skye smiled and kissed Haden on the cheek.
“Thank you for keeping this big lug safe. He told me about how the last two fights went, and I am very glad we joined up with you rather than that other tribe.”
Jack blushed slightly. He hadn’t really thought of himself as a fighter, but he had to admit that he was enjoying it. The rush of fighting and winning was wonderful, but the dread he felt in his stomach when other people had been hurt put a large damper on his willingness to run out and fight everything he could.
Haden laughed.
“We need to get you some giant carnivore you can ride. Can you imagine seeing you with a big ass club on the back of a T-rex or something? Absolutely terrifying.”
“I would be unnecessary at that point. The rex is more than scary enough on its own. I want one of those big-horned guys we saw from the cliff. Big enough to make a difference, but small enough that I could reach the ground with my club. Also, no one would hear me coming from a mile away. T-Rex isn't great with being quiet.” Jack replied.
Syke shook her head.
“Men these days only think about who has the biggest club.” She said with a chuckle.
Haden opened his mouth, but didn’t bother to defend himself. Jack just laughed.
They chatted about nothing for a few hours, just filling the air with their voices as they felt truly safe for the first time. The wind and water outside would have been awful to be caught out in, and even Thrasher decided to step into the cave, curling up in the pool of water beside the entrance, with just his head resting on the stone and receiving pets from Ms Margert and her small group of high schoolers. The cave was warm, safe, and dry. People naturally started to process their emotions, and everyone let them. Some cried, some just stared into the rain, some pretended to sleep. Jade and Marcus were the only ones moving around, as they made sure everyone got to drink their fill of the fresh rainwater.
Jack took the time to cry silently. His parents wouldn’t be coming back. He had never been particularly close with his extended family, and he was an only child. Most of his close friends were already beside him. Overall he had been lucky. He had no wife or kids that were missing, no girlfriend trapped halfway across the world to grieve for. Jack watched the tribe grieve. This was his family now. Even the big puppy in the shape of a dinosaur. He could protect them, so he would. He spent some time remembering his parents. Crying at the memories and vowing once more to never forget their smiling faces.
The rain eventually let up into a drizzle. Night had fallen at some point, and Jack took the night crew outside to clear up space for the tribe to sleep more comfortably. They set up a simple watch and made another fire outside the cave. The roaring of the waterfall made casual chats a bit difficult, but none of the sleeping people could hear them for the same reason, so everyone just spoke a bit louder.
The night seemed quiet. None of the bugs that had been harassing the tribe on their journeys were around, and the woods were thin enough that he was confident no super-predators could sneak up on them. The stars were bright, and the moon was large in the sky, providing plenty of light. People relaxed, no one had the energy to spend moving rocks or cutting trees, so they mostly just talked and kept watch.
Jack suddenly caught a flash of yellow in the woods and grabbed a torch. He raised it up to extend the firelight down the hill, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes gazed back at him. They watched, perfectly still for what seemed like hours. Jack adjusted his grip on the club, and the others on guard noticed, grabbing their spears and torches from the fire. The eyes started to creep backward, and Jack threw his torch. The light illuminated a large gray-tan-furred cat with black stripes and massive fangs. The Saber Tooth Tiger vanished in a flash, escaping the light and returning to the shadowed woods.
The damp ground put Jack’s torch out quickly. But the night watch spent the rest of the evening much more on edge. Eventually, Soren took over for Jack leading the morning watch, and after passing a warning about the Sabertooth, Jack went to sleep beside Mavis. He knew the next day he would have to go hunting. There were many mouths to feed.