As Anon stepped off the bus, the tropical heat enveloped him like a warm, humid embrace. The air was thick with the scent of distant rain and the distant cries of exotic birds echoing through the dense jungle canopy. He squinted against the glare, his pale skin unaccustomed to such intense sunlight after years of dwelling in the gloomy caverns and shadowed forests of his homeland.
The school loomed before him, a gothic monstrosity of stone and shadow that seemed to dwarf the surrounding cityscape. Towering spires and soaring arches stretched towards the crimson-hued sky, bathed in the eerie red glow cast by the colossal meteor that hung overheard like a malevolent eye.
Fuck, this place is intense.
To the side, the dilapidated ruins of an Aztec temple stood as a silent sentinel, its once-mighty stones now choked with creeping vines and twisted roots. Across from it, the squat, blocky houses of the Spanish era huddled together, their tiled roofs and brick walls baking in the relentless tropical sun. And beyond them, the gleaming spires of the modern luxury district pierced the sky, a garish contrast to the weathered beauty of the ancient structures.
Anon's heart pounded in his chest as he marched forward, the weight of a thousand hostile gazes boring into his back. He could swear he glimpsed ghostly figures darting at the periphery of his vision, specters of extinct beasts long banished to the annals of history. But he shook off the thought, attributing it to his own growing unease and the eerie, otherworldly atmosphere that permeated the school grounds.
Anon felt the pendant around his neck grow warmer, its faint glow intensifying as if in response to the darkening tide of enmity. A voice, barely audible, seemed to whisper through the silver, its tone urgent and yet strangely amused. "Don't blow it now, idiot. Keep it together, and don't give them the satisfaction."
The human squared his shoulders and put on a brave face, the veteran stripes on his jacket seeming to burn with newfound significance. He had come this far, through trials and tribulations that had honed his spirit into a razor's edge. This was not the time to falter, not with THEIR goal so close.
the towering iron gates, the ancient hinges groaned ominously, the wind howling through the rusted bars like the cries of damned. the hungry maw of dino high, opened wide. ready to devour its next prey.The shift in atmosphere was immediate like walking into another world.
the ominous symbol of Dino High hung on a vast banner—an unidentified archosaur skull surrounded by a wreath of other extinct skulls. No one remembered what that first species was, but its empty eye sockets seemed to stare down judgmentally at the crowd below, with a fierce sense of elitism, one only content to share its eternal tomb with members of a superior species.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes adjusting to the eerie gloom. the architecture of the grand foyer was a bizarre mishmash of styles, as if the school had been cobbled together from the ruins of a dozen crumbling civilizations. Gothic arches and vaulted ceilings loomed above, their once-pristine stone now stained with the patina of ages. Aztec motifs, stark and brutal, had been carved into the walls in a display of primal power. Meanwhile, the towering pillars were wrapped in a tangle of creeping vines and strange, glowing fungi that cast an otherworldly light.
his eyes scanning the crumbling map in his hand. The auditorium should be here somewhere, but the labyrinthine corridors of the school seemed to twist and turn like the gnarled roots of some ancient, malevolent tree.
after some time wondering around he finally found it.
the auditorium doors swung open, revealing a chaotic symphony of chatter, chirps, and gleeful shouts that assaulted Anon's ears. A million voices, mostly belonging to the dinos, melded into a dissonant chorus that sounded like a deranged angelic choir. The cacophony was almost physical in its intensity, a tangible wave of noise that threatened to overwhelm the senses.
Anon stepped inside, his eyes widening as he took in the cavernous space. The auditorium was a bizarre blend of ancient and modern, with a vaulted stage that seemed to stretch out into the very sky. He could see dark clouds gathering in the distance, the promise of rain hanging heavy in the air. The expansive open sky light cast a gloomy, muted illumination over the assembled students and faculty.
As he gazed around, Anon spotted various teachers and professors milling about on stage, their diverse forms and features a grotesque display of the school's denizens. And at the center, a titanic figure rose to stand before the crowd.
The new arrival was a towering Tarbosaurus, his massive frame dwarfing even the tallest of the dinos surrounding him. The principal, now merely a spectator, exuded an aura of raw, unbridled authority. His hide was a map of scars, each one a reminder to the countless battles he had weathered in his long, brutal career.
The beast's eyes, cold and piercing, swept over the assembled crowd. A hush fell over the auditorium as he approached the podium, the chatter fading into an expectant, almost terrified silence. Anon could feel the weight of those eyes, the sheer, visceral dread they evoked.
"Welcome, fledglings, to another year at Dino High," the Tarbosaurus's voice boomed, the amplified sound seeming to shake the very foundations of the school. It was a voice that commanded attention, a voice that brooked no disobedience.
"The best, the brightest, and the most vicious among you are here because you deserve to be—or because your parents threw enough resources at us to make you less of a disgrace." A ripple of scattered, nervous laughter echoed through the crowd, a sound that held more fear than true mirth.
Anon clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the sea of faces before him. How many of them were here on the coattails of their parents' wealth and influence? How many were nothing more than spoiled, bratty adolescents, given everything they ever wanted without having to earn a single thing?
The very thought made his blood boil with disgust. But beneath that disgust, there was a flicker of jealousy, why couldn't that have been me?
The Tarbosaurus's face twisted into a frustrated snarl as he continued, "This year, I would have assigned you into teams, but some misguided politician voted to let in all these... non-dinosaurs into our hallowed halls of Dino High. So I am forced by law to place these non-dinos into your teams. Your teams were meant to be your families, your allies, but now..." He pausing, his voice dripping with disdain. "Now, with non-dinos among you, your teams may very well become your undoing."
A chorus of boos erupted from the gathered students, their angry shouts echoing off the vaulted ceiling. Tails lashed and crests flared in a symphony of teenage outrage. The very air seemed to crackle with their shared indignation.
"And to make matters worse," the ex-principal spat, his eyes flashing with barely contained fury, "the dam green frog saw fit to rumor that they might even allow a human to set foot on our sacred grounds. The very thought of a disgusting non-dino, let alone a human, sullying the halls of Dino High with their inferior presence makes my blood boil."
The crowd erupted into a fresh round of condemnation, their voices a cacophony of incredulous rage. A hadrosaur near the front, her crest a vibrant explosion of colors, screamed over the din, "How could they let a human in here? That's just great! This place is toast now, I can feel it!"
Her outburst was met with a chorus of agreement, a sea of furious nods and clenched fists. A nearby theropod, his scales a glossy obsidian, snarled in disgust, "Might as well just tear down the gates now and let the whole world in. This 'diversity' bullshit is going to be the death of us all."
The ex-principal held up a massive claw, silencing the angry mob with a gesture. He shook his head, a gesture of helpless frustration. "I tried to reason with them, to convince them of the folly of this course of action, but..." He trailed off, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "But the fools outnumbered us. They had the votes, and so here we are."
He fixed the assembled students with a grim, almost haunted look, his eyes seeming to bore into each and every one of them in turn. "So welcome your new reality, my so-called charges. Welcome to a Dino High that may no longer be the bastion of perfection it once was. It is with the heaviest of hearts that I announce my resignation, effective today. I can no longer bear to stand idly by as short-sighted, self-serving individuals threaten to tear apart all that we have built! His voice cracked with raw emotion, a single tear escaping down his craggy cheek. "I will not be their puppet, their figurehead in an agenda that seeks to destroy the very futures of the next generation. Mark my words, their true design is clear - THEY ALL WANT US EXTINCT!" He slammed a fist on the podium, his roar of anger that came out more miserable then fierce. echoing through the auditorium.
The auditorium fell silent, a heavy, almost suffocating hush broken only by the contemptuous sneer of a single voice. "BOOOOOO! How pathetic, crying in front of us like a big baby. Grow up, will you? What a sad, pathetic man-child.
The students watched in stunned silence as the new headmaster slithered up onto the stage, his charred black scales glistening under the harsh stage lights. He was a strange creature, not quite a dinosaur, but some manner of amphibian. A prionosuchus, if Anon recalled correctly from his biology lessons. The air around him seemed to shimmer with the heat of his cigarette
As the former principal stepped down, the prionosuchus took his place, his eyes sweeping over the crowd with a look of utter disdain.. His charred, chemical-burned scales glistened under the stage lights, a stark reminder of the toll the dinosaurs' industrial reckoning had taken on the once-pristine waters of the Yucatan.
The prionosuchus took a long, languid drag of his cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke that coiled around his head like a noxious crown. He fixed the assembled students with a contemptuous glare, his red gills flaring slightly as he spoke.
Cigarette smoke curled from the prionosuchus's nostrils as he addressed the crowd, his voice a low, grating rasp. "I heard the little speech the old man gave. Poor baby, so upset about a few measly non-dinos crashing your little party." A few of the dinosaurs snickered, but most maintained a sullen silence. "Well, let me make one thing clear - I couldn't care less about your precious dinosaur-only paradise.
The prionosuchus laughed, a harsh, grating sound that echoed through the vaulted chamber. It was a laugh devoid of mirth and ripe with disdain. "News flash, you overgrown lizards - I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks. I've seen the world out there, and let me tell you, it's a cruel, merciless place that couldn't care less about your petty squabbles and your 'prestigious' little academy."
He flicked the cigarette butt onto the stage floor, grinding it out with a savage twist of his shoe. "So here's what's going to happen. You're all going to learn, one way or another, that the world doesn't care about your precious hierarchy, your 'heritage', or your so-called superiority." His voice rose to a deliberate, almost mocking shout. "Welcome to the real world, you pampered brats. Welcome to your first lesson in how the rest of us have to survive out there, in the cold, harsh light of reality."
*The auditorium erupted into a cacophony of discontent, with many students openly voicing their frustrations. A tall, lanky ornithomimosaur threw his hands up in disgust, his crest quivering with anger. "Man, this sucks major ass! I can't believe I begged my parents to let me come to this so-called 'prestige' school, and for what? To watch it all go to shit on the first day? Ugh!"
His friend, a stocky pachycephalosaurus, nodded in agreement. " exactly, dude. My mom said this place was the best way to avoid those gross non-dinos back home. What a damn lie that turned out to be!"
All around them, similar conversations echoed through the once-solemn auditorium. The excitement and anticipation that had filled the air mere moments before had evaporated, replaced by a thick miasma of disappointment and outrage.*
Just as the dinos began to vent their frustrations, a figure strode to the front of the stage. The vice-principal, a striking female archosaur he didnt know the name off, with a sleek, athletic build, approached the podium. With a firm hand, she ushered the ex-principal aside, not unkindly but with a clear sense of purpose.
She turned to face the assembled students, her piercing gaze sweeping over the crowd. The dinos fell silent, a hush descending like a shroud as they waited for her to speak. When she did, her voice was low and measured, but with an undercurrent of fierce determination.
"Students, please, let us strive for a modicum of understanding in these trying times," she began, her words cutting through the din of discontent. "I know this change is difficult, even shocking, but I implore you to consider the opportunity that lies before you."
*Her eyes shone with a mix of compassion and conviction as she continued, "You have the chance to forge new friendships, to learn from one another in ways you never have before. Why would we deny any child, of any species, the right to learn, to grow, to thrive?"
*She paused, letting her words sink in, before a fierce grin split her face. "But I hear your concerns, and I want you to know that I am here for you, every single one of you, no matter what species you call your own. I will not let anyone lay a finger on you, and together, we will show them..."
*Her fist clenched at her side, her voice rising to a passionate shout, "We will show them how to be CIVILIZED! The non-dinos are not here yet, so you have precious time to adjust. Focus on forging those unbreakable bonds with your own kind and fellow dinosaurs over the next few weeks, for you have this time to yourselves! Nurture and grow that perfect community, and let it shine as a beacon of dinosaur superiority. Prove to them the unparalleled glory and strength of our love, for it is our greatest asset, my darlings. I have utter faith in each and every one of you to rise above and demonstrate the unmatched splendor of dinosaurkind to all who set foot in our hallowed halls!"
The dinos erupted into a round of raucous cheers and applause, their earlier gloom banished by the vice-principal's impassioned words. They pounded on each other's backs, grinning with renewed enthusiasm, already envisioning a future where they would be the ones dictating terms to the non-dinos.
Amidst the celebrating crowd, Anon stood alone, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. His dark eyes narrowed as he watched the giddy revelry of his peers, a sense of grim detachment washing over him. He couldn't bring himself to share their naive optimism, knowing all too well the sinister undercurrents that lay beneath the surface of their gleeful exclamations.
Anon rolled his eyes at the thought of the dinosaurs' arrogant delusions. As if they could ever truly understand the concept of love, let alone prove their superiority. To him, their pride was nothing more than a sickening display of ignorance and self-absorption.
He sighed heavily, the weight of the interminable years ahead already pressing down upon his shoulders. This place was going to be a nightmare, plain and simple. A waking hell filled with the constant, suffocating presence of dinosaurs and their twisted games. And the worst part? He wouldn't just have to deal with the openly hostile ones, but the fake friends too - the ones who pretended to be kind, only to feed the dinosaurs' swollen egos.