Genre (s): Short Story/Historical Fiction

Written When? 8th Grade

Prologue

I was born into the world as a reptile, but not exactly a dinosaur. My name is Messummer. My brothers and sisters died before they could hatch. Therefore, I was an only child. I lived in the Valley of Green with my mother and was two years old. I was a Pteranodon.

Pteranodons are actually a pretty wicked species. We grow to be about six feet tall at the hips, with a wingspan ranging from twenty-five to thirty-three long, and the adult Pteranodon weighs about fifty-five pounds. All Pteranodons have a crest on the tops of their heads, a short tail, and no teeth. We are carnivores, and we eat mostly fish.

Since I was only two, I was still growing, so I had not yet reached my adult height. My wingspan was sixteen feet. Although, I have to admit, I was one of the best flyers in the Valley of Green. I learned when I was very young, and I practiced every single day. I was even more skilled than my mother, Laurasia. Well, Mum didn't really fly that much anymore since the death of my father, who died when I was six weeks old. No one knows the cause of his death; we just know that he flew to the outskirts of the valley and never returned. Some dinosaurs claimed a Tyrannosaurs Rex ate him. Others say that either the Earth swallowed him during an earthquake or a volcanic eruption incinerated him. The mystery remains. I'll admit that I sometimes wish I knew my father, but I doubt I ever will.

Dinosaurs in the Valley of Green lived in peace. We were safe from–brace yourself–continental drift, Tyrannosaurus Rex, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Our Earth was a fragile place. It was nothing like the Earth the trilobites and tetrapods lived in during the Cambrian and Devonian Periods. While it was safer, it still shared its dangers.

Nevertheless, all dinosaurs in the valley felt our world was perfect and that nothing would go wrong. However, we spoke too soon. What the Valley of Green didn't know was that the reign of the dinosaurs was nearing its end, and only the luckiest organisms would survive the mass extinction.

***

Mom and I lived at the top of the tallest, oldest rock tower in the entire valley. Mum told me the rocks we lived on dated back to the Ordovician Period, so they were very old.

I personally really liked the tower we lived on, only because from up there, we could see the entire valley. The view was absolutely gorgeous. There were many other rock towers that surrounded ours, but they're not as big. All towers in the valley surrounded a river with rushing water and arches. The river flowed down a long way until it finally emptied out into the watering hole, where most dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and reptiles went to drink.

Usually, I was the first one to wake up in the nest, but that day, I overslept. When I finally woke up, the sun had already drifted halfway across the sky. Our nest was located inside the tower, in a large, cool cave. Most Pteranodons slept and hatched their young in caves like that. Up there, we didn't have to worry about Gallimimus robbing our eggs. Therefore, it was one of the safest places to hatch young'uns.

It took a while for sleep to leave me, but when it did, I stared out the mouth of the cave to the beautiful day. The sky was blue, and other Pteranodons were out on their midday flight.

I twisted my neck to find Mum grooming her wings. Clearing my throat, I said, "Ahem. Hello, Mom." Standing, I brought my wings in front of my breast, and my claws gripped the rocky surface of the cave. I hobbled over to Mother, who looked up from grooming herself.

"Oh, Messummer, you're finally up. That's the latest you've ever slept," she said.

I stopped in front of her and chuckled, lowering my head. "Well, Mum, Nutmeg and I had a series of intense races yesterday that took us to the watering hole and beyond, so I was pretty wiped out last night."

Nutmeg's the name of my best friend. She wasn't a Pteranodon; she was an Ankylosaurus. She lived down in the valley near the watering hole with her mother. We had known each other since we were tiny.

In our cave, there was a moment of silence between Mother and I, but then she asked, "Say, Messummer, did you know that the Great Flying Race is today?"

I gasped. "What?" I shouted, and the cave shook. "It is?"

The Great Flying Race was a tradition in the Valley of Green. Every nine months, Pteranodons and other Pterosaurs participated in an enormous flying race that declared who would be crowned Flying Champion for the next nine months. I had never done it before, but I always wanted to. In fact, Mum promised me that when I was old enough, she would let me race. I thought I was.

Excitement bubbling inside of me, I brought my paws together and started to beg. "Mom, can I please participate? I think I'm old enough now." I wobbled and put my paws back on the ground to keep balance.

Mom looked like she was thinking. The thing about her was that because I was the only hatchling to survive, she was a little overprotective. It was difficult to convince her to let me participate in certain activities, such as the Great Flying Race.

She simply told me, "I'm not sure, Messummer," and I had to beg harder.

"Please, Mother? I'll make you proud. Nutmeg even told me that she would like to see me race in the Great Flying Race, and I don't want to break her heart."

Mother sighed and tiptoed over to me. She examined me up and down while I waited for her answer. She tickled me under the wing with her beak.

I chuckled and lifted my wing high above my head. It hit the ceiling of the cave. Lowering it, I said, "Mom, stop sniffing me! Well, can I fly in the Great Flying Race or not?"

Mother took a step back and was silent for a few minutes. She then said, "Well, if you really want to do it, then I'll let you."

"Yahoo!" I yelled, and I jumped with excitement. "All aboard the victory volcano! Thank you, Mother! I'll head down to the watering hole right now!"

The race started at the watering hole and ended at the den of two Triceratops.

I couldn't wait to fly down into the valley and spread the news to Nutmeg. She would be blown away. Hurrying to the edge of the cave's mouth, I found myself peering down to the river, but before I could open my wings and let myself drop, Mom called to me.

"Messummer. Be sure not to do anything too risky, and I'll be down there soon to watch."

I thanked her one last time and opened my massive wings. I allowed the wind to massage them and peeked back to see Mother waving goodbye to me. Smiling, I marched forward and stepped off the edge of the cliff.

I free-fell in the direction of the river, and my cave grew smaller and smaller. Just before I could hit the water, I caught myself. Before long, I glided on the air currents. Below me was the river, and behind me was the rock tower Mother and I lived on.

I started to flap my wings, and I saw my reflection on the surface of the water. I roared at it and twirled in midair, dodging other rocks and towers.

I passed a meadow that was considered the "Resting Spot" for life. Basically, it meant it was the graveyard of all organisms in the Valley of Green. We called it the Glowbeak Meadow, because most of the creatures buried were either Pterosaurs or birds. There were very few dinosaurs and mammals.

After passing the meadow, I saw I flew towards my favorite arch. It hovered over the river and was about 300 ft. tall. I always loved flying through arches, especially that one. Whenever I saw one, I asked myself, "Hm, what if it's a portal? What if, when I fly through it, I find myself in the Silurian Period?"

The Silurian Period is defined as the third period of the Paleozoic Era, after the Ordovician. It was a time when the first land plants and monstrous insects appeared. I always had an urge to learn about the first insects and land plants, so why not travel to the Silurian Period?

I was so into my daydream that I didn't realize I had avoided the arch and now flew over a thousand feet above it. The thing that really made me snap out of my doze was a cloud. I flew into one and was knocked off balance, due to the wind behind it.

Quickly regaining it, I saw I had stumbled into a blanket of clouds. My portal was still all the way down. I shouted, "Oh no!" after realizing my mistake. "My portal!" I prepared to stoop, but another cloud threw me back. Closing my eyes, I flapped my wings harder and tried to get out of the blanket, but it was difficult. The air currents kept pulling me back towards the clouds.

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I was just about to fly out when all of sudden, a third cloud hammered me and knocked me out of the sky. I started to fall, and I screeched, twisting and turning as I fell closer to the ground. My fall, at least, took me out of the blanket of clouds, but then, I saw gravity was pulling me towards another rock tower.

Shouting, I flapped my wings, so I wouldn't crash, but they didn't listen to me. I flapped harder and closed my eyes, hoping. I dodged the tower right at the last second, and soon, I flew normally. I sighed and opened my eyes, shaking out my head. Whew, that was a close call.

I followed the river. I could tell I was getting closer and closer to the watering hole. No, no, let me take that back. I was getting closer to the starting line of the Great Flying Race.

***

I've made it! I'm here! Wow, this place sure is busy.

I had been flying for at least a half hour, and my wings ached. I floated over the watering hole.

Dinosaurs were everywhere. Most were there for the race, but others, such as a Triceratops I saw by the flowing river, just wanted a drink. The valley's water came from the four large waterfalls that surrounded the watering hole. We were under a canopy of trees.

I searched for Nutmeg but didn't see her. Where was she? Well, I guessed I had to go down and survey the area. I began to descend towards the ground and held out my legs. When I landed, I immediately put my paws on the ground to keep balance.

I twisted my head in every direction and called for my friend. "Nutmeg, Nutmeg, where are you?" It was odd. I was sure she would be down there. I marched forward, with my paws still digging into the soil, but I stopped when I saw the participants of the flying race.

There were a total of five participants. All of them were either Pteranodons or Quetzalcoatlus (Kett-zal-coe-at-luss). They stretched out their wings to prepare. It did not take me long to realize I was the youngest Pterosaur participant. The rest were adults. They hovered over me like Brachiosauruses. Compared to them, I was a mammal.

I found my own little space to warm up in.

All the Pterosaurs around me snickered, especially the Quetzalcoatluses.

There was one Pteranodon that didn't laugh. She looked like she enjoyed my presence.

To loosen up my body, I stretched out my wings. That was when I was approached by a Quetzalcoatlus.

He laughed and said, "You can't be serious, right? Who sends a little Pteranodon to race in the Great Flying Race? This is a man's job, sister!"

I slightly glared, but I kept my cool and continued to stretch.

He continued to tease me. "You can't even fly on those scrawny wings! I can't wait to watch you stumble into a volcano during the race."

"That's enough, Gondwana," a voice said from out of nowhere.

Gondwana and I turned.

I saw that we faced the commentator of the race.

He was a Pteranodon, and he said to Gondwana, "Let's allow her to warm up. Be gone with you."

"Easy, Fargo," Gondwana said. He started to traverse forward, with his paws on the ground. "It's a big race today, and somebody has to win." He leaned to me and whispered into my ear, "Get ready to lose, sister."

Then he left, and I sighed. Afterwards, I turned to see Fargo staring at me and said, "Oh, thank you, sir. I was getting sick of him."

"No problem," he said. "But, young Pteranodon, the age requirement for this race is three. It's too difficult for a Pterosaur as young as you."

I had to find a way to convince him that I could do the race. I told him, "Sir, I'm two years old. My name is Messummer, and I'm a skilled flier. I fly great distances every day, since my cave is far away. Sir, please, I can do this."

He looked into my eyes.

For the second time, I turned on the "baby" face.

He asked me, "Do you not even realize what you're getting yourself into, Messummer? The Great Flying Race is treacherous. It's not suitable for a small Pteranodon."

I rocked my head up and down, to tell him I understood. "I do, sir, and I'm ready. Just give me a chance, and if I break a wing, then I won't come back until I'm five. Please, sir."

I'm guessing he saw the desperation in my eyes because he said, "Hm, well, young Messummer,–" He cut off and spent a couple of minutes studying me like I was his pray. Then he said, "I guess it's suitable for you. So,–"

I could feel a smile creeping on my face.

Fargo nodded. He pointed at me and finished with, "The youngster's in!"

There were cheers, but Gondwana laughed meanly.

I ignored him and noticed that a crowd was starting to gather around us. I started to feel a ball of apprehension in my stomach as a zephyr blew my fur.

It wasn't long until Fargo yelled, "Pterosaurs, take your positions!"

Wait, it's already time?

I wasn't expecting that. Mom wasn't there, and I had no idea where Nutmeg was.

The other Pterosaurs gathered at the starting line.

I carefully joined them. It was time. I turned my head to find the female Pteranodon smiling at me.

All of us peered forward to the trees, with our paws on the ground, and waited.

Excited cheers rose from the audience.

I shook my tail. Come on, Messummer, show them what you're made of. Win this race for Nutmeg and my parents.

Fargo was heard again. He spoke in a rather hoarse voice, "On your marks, get set..."

All of us opened our enormous wings.

I had to duck under my neighbor's wing.

"Go!" Fargo yelled. He roared into the atmosphere.

Immediately, the Pterosaurs took off.

Gondwana was first. He prepared for flight, but other Pterosaurs got their wings caught up in his, and they all fell with a thump.

Only a few managed to avoid the fall. I was one of those few. That was my chance.

I sprinted forward and flapped my wings, giving the cry of the Pteranodon. "Roooarrrr!" I lifted into the sky. Officially, the Great Flying Race had begun!

***

The first obstacle of the race was the Closed Woods. They were located at the end of the watering hole. The wood was called that because the trees were really close to each other, and it felt like they were closing in on you. The whole point of the obstacle was to test Pterosaurs–to see if they were claustrophobic. If one was, most likely they would go on strike and get caught up in the vines that swung from the tree branches, because they couldn't stand the tight space.

I wasn't claustrophobic, so I zoomed by the trees and vines without much difficulty.

Gondwana was right on my tail. Like me, he was desperate to win the race.

My eyes caught two trees in front of me, with a narrow space between them, but I could easily fly in between them because of my small size. Now Gondwana... Well... Good luck. I folded my wings to my sides and passed through the two trees like a grain of sand. Once on the other side, I opened them back up and stopped to watch Gondwana.

He tried to mimic me, but his beak ended up stabbing the branch. It was not long until he was stuck to the trunk.

I laughed and turned away, yelling, "So long, sucker!" Yes, I was in first place!

When I got out of the Closed Woods, the next obstacle course was known as the Molted Geysers. It's called that because the geysers were really old (they dated back to the time of Rodinia, the first supercontinent on Earth), and they were starting to break apart. The geysers were active, though, despite their old age. That was what made the obstacle a challenge. Unless someone wanted to get incinerated, they had to be extra careful around the rocks.

I got through the obstacle by watching the eruption patterns. I flew through them when they were quiet.

Gondwana actually managed to free himself from the tree trunk, and he was right behind me. He tried mimicking me, but that didn't work out so well. A geyser erupted–he went flying 1000 ft. up in the air, and fell back down toasted.

I kind of felt bad, but at the same time, I was glad he was gone. I didn't like him. Now that he was out of my way, I could win the race.

I flapped my wings and shot forward like an Archaeopteryx (ahr-kee-op-tuh-riks), the earliest known bird from the Jurassic Period, the period before the Cretaceous Period, my period. I flew for another ten minutes, on a hot rocky landscape, and then, I barely saw it! The Triceratops' den!

I'm going to make it! I only have about six more miles to fly! This is amazing!

I cheered and flew straight up, starting to dance. I was going to be the youngest Pterosaur ever to win the Great Flying Race! Stooping back down, I hovered for a few more minutes and peeked back to the Molted Geysers. I jumped when another one erupted and didn't waste any time. I kept on flying. Progressively, the finish line was getting closer and closer. I couldn't help but to whoop from excitement.

My happy hour was ruined, though, by a sudden sound that appeared to be muffled. It sounded a bit like a roar.

Stopping my flight path, I hovered and carefully examined the area. Where did that sound come from? It wasn't from in front of me; it appeared to be coming from above and behind me.

Suddenly, nervousness overtook my soul. Something was about to happen, but what? The sound grew louder and louder.

Is it another Quetzalcoatlus? Another Pteranodon?

Slowly, I shifted my body, so that I faced the geysers again, and looked into the sky. A large object flew towards the horizon.

It was a meteor! I should've known! It flew down from the atmosphere, covered in flames, and soared over me. The sky started to shake, and the sound hurt my eardrums. Now, I had seen meteors before, because we had plenty of meteor showers during our era, but I had never, in my entire life, seen a meteor the size of that one! It was the size of a mountain. If not, bigger. It disappeared on the horizon.

For a second, everything became peaceful again.

After a few moments, I thought it was a coincidence, and I was seeing things. I believed my brain was a blur from the Molted Geysers, so I decided to fly on.

Not even ten seconds into flight, the sky screamed, and I was thrown back and out of it, due to an enormous shock wave. Clouds of dust and smoke poisoned the atmosphere, and the sun disappeared behind them.

I yelled as I fell out of the shaking sky and landed hard on the ground. Immediately, I stood up and tried to recover. That was when the ground started to shake, and I gasped. Looking down to my feet, the ground split open, and the geysers erupted like crazy.

I tried flying, but I hurt my wing during my fall, and I couldn't lift off the ground without yelling, "Ow!" I jumped over splitting land and screamed as rock towers shot up and blocked my path. The geysers gave off pieces of debris. I ducked under them, trying to get out of the earthquake.

The meteor had struck Earth!

More ground split open. Deep inside the Earth's crust, I saw a river of lava.

Volcanoes to my left erupted, and lava spewed out of them, as more smoke invaded the sky. There was a forest to my right. All of its trees crashed to the ground. The den of the Triceratops fell on top of them.

I was right in the middle of the chaos.

I attempted to fly again, but it hurt too much. I almost fell into the lava river, but I managed to catch myself before I could. Fearfully, I looked around and yelled. I flapped my good wing and lifted off the ground, flying one-winged, but the sky shook too much, and I fell again. I was going to die. I just knew it. Already the two Triceratops were dead, and I was sure that many other dinosaurs were dead as well.

This was the start of the K-T Mass Extinction that occurred 65 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period. All dinosaurs were going to die. The only organisms that perhaps survived the phenomenon were the birds and mammals, despite how small and light-weight they were. With creatures like me, we had no chance of survival.

My name is Messummer, and this is the last time I'm going to speak to you.

Rocks fell from the rock towers the earthquake birthed, and I entered a long and uncomfortable sleep.