"Roar…"
Carlo let out a low huff, but it failed to stir even a ripple on the nocturnal Main Street.
Rexy was a master of the night hunt. Having scouted the area in advance, Carlo knew well that tonight was the local lady's time to stalk the shadows.
He gripped the Edmontosaurus carcass he had prepared earlier, tearing off a single leg as a "toll" for the local sovereign before tossing the rest into the lagoon.
Splash... Swish…
This wasn't Carlo's first time feeding the Mosasaurus. The Mosasaurus was now practically like Pavlov's dog; the moment she heard Carlo's roar, she would swim over.
She clamped her jaws onto the Edmontosaurus, diving deep. Her massive tail swept across the surface, kicking up a spray of white water.
Carlo watched the surface settle into a calm mirror, wondering if feeding her every five days was a bit too frequent. She seemed a little rounder than before.
Let's change it to every seven days.
BANG!
Suddenly, a thunderous crack echoed from the distance. A faint red glow illuminated the forest as a bright sphere of fire rose slowly into the air.
Is that... a flare?!
Carlo spun around instantly, heading back toward the Primeval Ecological Zone. As far as he knew, his young neighbors didn't have flares. If they hadn't found some by sheer luck, then things were about to get complicated.
BANG!
Seconds later, another red flash burst. Carlo realized then that the flares weren't being shot into the sky; they were being aimed... at some animal that wasn't particularly tall.
…
Ceratosaurus Two had been patrolling her territory when she stumbled upon a strange campsite. Just as she was about to investigate, she noticed the lights go out, followed by several unfamiliar scents intruding into the area.
Instinct told her something was wrong. She tracked the scents and found a group of "two-legged beasts," but as she moved to drive them off, she was attacked by the flares.
The world exploded in light. Her eyes, adapted for night vision, couldn't handle the violent red glare, forcing her to retreat in a daze.
"Thank goodness you're all okay."
Standing before Darius and his group were three adults. One of them, a young woman with blonde hair, looked incredibly worried as she checked the kids for injuries.
"Are you... alright?"
The man next to her, wearing the same style of expedition gear, seemed surprised by the children's presence, asking about their condition.
Finally, Brooklynn asked the question they were all thinking: "Who are you?"
The blonde woman, having confirmed they weren't hurt, put her hands on her hips and replied with a half-joke, "After what just happened, I think you should call us your 'saviors.'"
Seeing the group too stunned to respond, she offered, "Do you want to stay here, or come with us?"
The kids didn't need to be told twice; they scrambled to get up and follow.
But in the next heartbeat, a violent tremor shook the ground, knocking everyone back down. Even the adults, who had been standing firm, were startled by the sudden upheaval and crouched low to maintain their balance.
"What's happening?" the blonde woman whispered.
"I don't know, but it's something big," the man beside her replied.
"Giganotosaurus," Darius said quickly, reacting to the heavy thuds and looking toward the source of the sound.
Carlo did not disappoint. Accompanied by the sound of snapping branches, he stepped into the clearing before them.
The group thought they were already looking up at a steep angle, yet they realized they could still only see the creature's torso. Carlo lowered his massive frame, staring at the three newcomers. His heavy, hot breath huffed in their ears.
These people don't smell of blood, and they don't have any excess scents. Their scent-masking is well-handled.
Rescue team? No, the clothes don't look right.
Standing at the back of the group was a silent, muscular man in a vest. He was the one who had fired the flare to drive off Ceratosaurus Two. At this moment, his flare gun was already reloaded. He began to slowly raise his arm, trying not to alert the predator.
Darius's attention was fixed on Carlo. This was his first time encountering him outside the Great Lake. Noticing the shift in Carlo's gaze, Darius followed his line of sight and saw the man's subtle movement.
"No, no, no, no!"
Darius leaped up and threw himself in front of the man, pushing his arm, which had already reached a sixty-degree angle, back down.
Carlo straightened his body. He stopped scrutinizing these "invaders" and turned to leave.
If they're just here to pick up the kids, then it doesn't matter.
Only when the footsteps had completely faded did the group find the strength to breathe. Darius turned to the blonde woman and joked weakly, "Does this mean we're even now?"
Pfft.
Except for the man with the flare gun, everyone burst into a fit of nervous laughter.
…
"Hah!"
The silent, muscular man swung a Scimitar-like machete through the undergrowth, hacking a path for the group.
"I'm Mitch, and this is my wife, Tiff. We're eco-tourists," the man in the expedition gear explained to Darius and the others. Walking beside him, Tiff added:
"But that's just a fancy way of saying we travel the world to photograph rare animals."
Seeing the kids listening intently, the two continued their story.
"Snapping photos of lions and tigers is fine, but..."
"How could we pass up photos of dinosaurs in the wild? Right, honey?"
"You're absolutely right."
Darius stepped forward. "When we activated the emergency beacon, we hoped someone would receive our signal. I can't believe it actually worked."
Tiff realized something and rested her left hand on Mitch's shoulder. "Oh right, the signal. Honey, remember? We got the signal as soon as we got off the boat."
Mitch was still thinking when he was startled by a shout from the man clearing the path ahead. He took the opportunity to explain:
"That's our guide, Hap. Highly recommended. He knows cameras and the outdoors like the back of his hand. He just... doesn't talk much."
He then called out to the man leading the way: "We're almost there, right, Hap?"
Hap didn't answer. He simply repeated the rhythmic hacking motion, clearing the way for the group. Mitch looked at Darius and the others, shrugging helplessly as if to say: See? That's just how he is.
"Our camp isn't very big, so I hope you can make do for a bit. When the boat returns in two days, we'll take you off the island."
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