by Dan Thomas
“Great, then let’s go. Pez was crafting some metal spikes to reinforce the perimeter. I think he’s going to want some help, so we don’t have loads of time.” Chopsticks led his group of dinos toward the shrub door.
“And you didn’t think to mention this earlier?” Max asked as he walked after him, telling the dinos to follow on, which they did.
“Nope, because you would have gone trotting back to base and not had the enjoyment of seeing our little children spreading their wings and going on their first hunt together.” Chopsticks walked up the slope and out into the jungle, ushering his group of eleven out into the wide world. Max stepped out around the dinos, his group following close behind. The Coelophysis paused, looking around at the outside, curious about every sound and movement.
“Isn’t this all very interesting?” Chopsticks crouched down and stroked two of the dinos.
“There are usually some smaller herbivores toward the edge of the tree line, why don’t we head that way?” Max suggested. “We don’t want to take on anything too big or too ferocious.”
“These little guys know how to handle themselves.” Chopsticks spoke with the deluded pride of a parent who thought their child was better than his peers.
“We should start slowly. You don’t want them to get hurt, do you?” Max leveled a questioning look at Chopsticks, making him fully aware that if anything happened to them because he thought they could take down a big beastie, it would all be his fault.
“Small herbivore it is.” Chopsticks pushed the hidden door closed, and then strode off into the jungle, his group of dinos trotting after him, chattering happily like kids on a field trip.
“Okay, guys, let’s follow the others.” Max gave the mental command but the dinos didn’t move; they just stood still looking up at him expectantly. “Great.”
He began to walk slowly away from them, asking once again for the group to follow. They seemed to get the idea this time and ran toward him. Max turned on his heel and ran after Chopsticks, a little unnerved by the small dinos gathered around his feet.
“Quiet.” Chopsticks shot a look at Max.
“Right, stealthy,” Max glanced back at his group, trying to communicate that they needed to be covert. They seemed to get the idea, stopping their chirps and lowering their heads.
They broke onto a small trail, Max and Chopsticks both pulled out spears as they stalked along the track, the two groups of dinos spread out behind them, barely disturbing the vegetation as they moved on either side of the trail. Max kept glancing over his shoulder to check if they were all there. He could see how slightly different camouflage would make them almost invisible in the jungle.
Chopsticks held up a hand. “Whoa, Whoa.”
Max stopped beside him. He glanced over his shoulder at his group of dinos, calling them over. They moved through the undergrowth to stop to his left, just off of the trail. He could just about see them in between the green hues.
Chopsticks bent low to the ground, running his hand over the dirt. “Looks like there’s a small herd of boneheads wandering about. I think they’re fairly spread out. One of them went it alone, this way.”
Max sniffed the air. There was a musty smell lingering close to the ground. “Yeah, I can smell it. Sounds like an easy first target. Let’s go get it.”
Chopsticks held up his hand. “Wait, if we can smell it...let me try something.” He crouched down and beckoned over his group of little dinos. He held up his finger, waving in front of them before pointing it down at the tracks. “What’s this? What’s this?” He repeated a couple of times. While the rest stared at him blankly, two of the eleven dinos stepped over, inquisitive. One sniffed his finger while the other nosed the ground. “Yes.” Chopsticks hissed gleefully. “Now find it. Follow...uh...track?”
The Coelophysis raised its head to look up at Chopsticks. It gave out a little chirp before turning back to the ground and scraping at the leaf litter beneath its feet.
Chopsticks shrugged. “Well, it was worth a try. Maybe with a bit more training, they could manage. All right, lead the way, Murf.”
Max studied the set of tracks. The prints were as clear on the damp mud and dead leaves as they could be, and Max could just about make out individual prints, but wouldn’t have been able to tell what dino had left them. Max picked the track that appeared to be the freshest and began to follow it, aided by his heightened sense of smell. He called the Coelophysis to join him but told them to remain hidden in the undergrowth.
Max smiled as he stalked the trail, it was a good feeling to finally see Murf’s progress.
With spears out, Max and Chopsticks followed the tracks along the small trail, breaking off down an even smaller, less used trail. Max did a good job of staying quiet as they moved, only disturbing the undergrowth and debris on the ground a little, but he was still loud compared to Chopsticks, who moved like a ghost, passing through the jungle like a gentle breeze while they kept the little dinos close and quiet.
“Hold up,” Chopsticks hissed, crouching low. “There it is.”
Max followed where Chopsticks pointed. A little farther along the trail was a slim-bodied dinosaur walking away from them on two legs. It had a long tail suspended from a body a little shorter than Max’s waist, and a thick neck. As it turned its head to look at something deeper in the jungle, Max could clearly see the thick dome of bone covering the top of its skull.
“That’s a Pachy, right?” Max whispered.
“Close. A Stegoceras, like we’ve got back at base. Pachycephalosaurus is a thicker build and a higher Tier. This is the perfect first test. They’re Tier-twos, so shouldn’t be too dangerous, but they’ll be a challenge.”
Max looked over at the two groups of Coelophysis waiting patiently within the thickets on either side of the game trail. “Oh, yeah, I see it now. What’s the game plan?”
Chopsticks scratched his chin as he watched the Stegoceras meandering away from them. “Here’s what I’m thinking; I’ll send my group ahead. Hopefully, it won’t see them. You bring your pack up behind it, so it’s trapped if it tries to run.”
Max nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Chopsticks gave the command, and half of the Coelophysis moved away from them. Keeping a fair distance from the path, they stalked their way up toward the bonehead. If Max didn’t know that they were there, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to see them moving through the jungle.
Chopsticks inhaled sharply as the bonehead raised its head again, looking into the jungle where the dinos were. It paused for a few seconds, before carrying on its way.
Chopsticks let out his breath. “Okay, send yours up.”
Max looked to his group, which had been standing staring intently at the Stegoceras. As he brought his attention to them, their heads snapped to look at him expectantly.
Over the mental link, Max told them to stay quiet, communicating as best he could that they had to stay hidden in the bushes as they were stalking the creature. He then sent them on their way. The Coelophysis all eagerly scurried through the undergrowth toward the unsuspecting bonehead, catching up quickly, and with Max’s guidance following close behind.
As the little dinos kept pace with the Stegoceras, Max and Chopsticks carefully moved up the trail to catch up a little, not wanting to be too far away from the action and lose sight of their pack.
“Ready?” Max crouched down, peering around the trunk of a tree.
“I think so. Let’s see what these babies can do,” Chopsticks whispered beside him.
Max turned his attention to the dino a few yards down the path, still blissfully unaware.
A loud chorus of piercing screeches made the Stegoceras jump, but it couldn’t react fast enough.
Eleven little bodies leaped out of the bush. Three of them managed to jump high enough to latch themselves onto the bonehead’s back and shoulder, biting into the beast with their piranha teeth.
The wild dino let out a barking noise, trying to turn away from the re
st of the pack, impeded by the dinos biting at its legs, some grabbing onto it with their strong forelimbs, digging their claws into the creature’s scales.
As the Stegoceras turned, it shook itself violently, sending one of the smaller dinos on its back tumbling off into the jungle. With its larger mass, the bonehead pushed forward, kicking off some more of the Coelophysis as it tried to flee down the trail toward Chopsticks and Max, picking up speed as it ran. A handful of the swarm had managed to cling on, continuously ripping into the wild dino with teeth and claws.
“Now, Max!” Chopsticks yelled.
Max could see his group of dinos poking their heads up through the undergrowth to watch what was unfolding. “Get it!” Max called out.
He watched a bustle of movement as his Coelophysis leaped into action, bursting onto the trail in front of the charging Stegoceras. His elation sank as he realized that only some of his pack had moved, the rest watching from the sidelines.
“Come on,” Max grunted as he tried to urge them into action.
The Stegoceras hit the five dinos that blocked its path. Squeals and distressed chirps filled the air as the bonehead trampled over the first couple of the group as they tried to grab onto it.
“No!” Chopsticks yelled, stepping out from cover, spear raised.
Before he could throw it, the bonehead’s legs went from under it, and its wiry body hit the ground as a few of the Coelophysis clung onto its legs.
As it crashed to the ground, the rest of Max’s group rushed out of the bushes, springing onto the downed dinosaur. The bonehead scrambled to get up, kicking its legs out, it flicked its head to try and roll onto its front, but couldn’t push itself up with the weight of the attackers.
It didn’t get a second try.
Within seconds, the gnawing swarm of Coelophysis dispatched the Stegoceras, which, after a few last twitches lay still, its gray scales bloodied and torn.
Chopsticks lowered his spear, turning to Max with a grin on his face. “See, I told you they were ferocious.”
“I gotta agree with you there,” Max watched as the now mixed pack gathered around their kill, chewing into the carcass. “But there was a moment there when you thought they weren’t going to.”
“Pff, no there wasn’t.” Chopsticks waved him away. “I simply didn’t want to let their prey escape them. Didn’t want them to be disappointed.”
“Right.” Max chuckled at his friend. “I’m just glad they weren’t able to catch me before. I certainly didn’t want to end up like that bonehead. These things are vicious.”
“I know,” Chopsticks said with pride. “I say let’s go find another one to hunt.”
“I thought you said Pez needed help?”
“Pez can wait just a little longer, our secret weapon needs a little more practice, don’t you think?” Chopsticks wiggled his eyebrows at Max.
Max sighed. He knew they needed to get back, but he could rarely resist helping Chopsticks out when his projects were so much more interesting than digging in spikes.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Max said in a low voice as he told his dinos to split in half, having them walk on either side of him.
“Glad to hear it. You’ll be having a harder time with them because you haven’t got any of the bonding levels I do, but you’re doing great,” Chopsticks encouraged, stepping over a thick root. “And just in time, because there’s another Stegoceras up ahead.” Chopsticks stopped and crouched behind a thick bush with wide leaves and bright red flowers. In front of them was a small clearing, where the bonehead stood grazing on the Tarn Berries, the Staple plant for Dexterity, that grew in the pool of light filtering through the gap in the canopy. “We need to split up again. I’ll go right and you go left. Then we pounce.”
“Okay.” Max could feel the excitement radiating off Chopsticks. “Ready.” He raised his eyes and gave the command, and the dinos huddled together and as a unit moved around the edge of the clearing.
This bonehead was a little larger than the last one, but Chopsticks seemed confident enough.
“I’m sure you little guys will be fine.” Max could begin to see why Chopsticks enjoyed wandering the wilderness with a pack of little minions to help fend off the dangers of the jungle. Max had seen firsthand what a large pack of adult Coelophysis could do, despite their size, and only being Tier-one animals. He’d be interested in seeing what Chopsticks would achieve with them but fully doubted Ticket and Pez would feel the same way.
A few feet to Max’s right, Chopsticks’ face appeared like freshly ripe fruit in among the large vegetation and Max stifled a giggle as the Stegoceras scanned the jungle, clearly sensing danger.
Max quickly told his group to spread out, encircling as much of the clearing as they could. He glanced back over at Chopsticks, who nodded.
“Go!” Max hissed. With the same eagerness, and newfound confidence, all twenty-two dinos burst out into the clearing, their narrow faces zeroed in on their prey. Max and Chopsticks were close behind,
“Oh, shit!” Chopsticks’ voice rang out and all the dinos startled, freezing in their tracks as they looked to him. Including the raptor who had broken cover, primed to pounce.
The Stegoceras reacted first, bolting out of the clearing and crashing through the jungle.
The raptor’s slitted eyes fixated on the players and the group of small dinosaurs. It slowly straightened up from where it had crouched to attack.
“That’s a big Deinonychus. Back up slowly,” Chopsticks hissed just loud enough for Max to hear.
Max took a step back while giving the eleven dinos just in front of him the command to retreat. The dinos stayed exactly where they were, their narrow heads swinging from side to side as they watched the big raptor.
“They’re not listening.” Max tried once more to get them to move. Three of them obeyed, reluctantly turning around to follow Max as he backed up through the undergrowth. “What do I do?”
“Tell them again.” Chopsticks’ eyes flicked up as he told his group to go and hide. With Max having control of the dinos, Chopsticks wouldn’t be able to tell them what to do, and with him already commanding a sizable group, it wouldn’t be easy for him to take over the mental link. Immediately, eleven little Coelophysis scattered, running into the jungle.
“Chopsticks.” Max watched in horror as the raptor stepped forward, its large feet splayed out, the huge killing claw on each foot held off of the ground. Max ordered them again to move, to no avail.
The feathers down the raptor’s neck shivered as it let out a guttural growl. It lowered its head as it approached the small dinos, which looked on in wonder, oblivious to the imminent danger.
As the three behaving Coelophysis reached the safety of the jungle, Max slowly raised his spear over his shoulder, pulling his arm back.
Chopsticks flew through the air past him, smashing his fist into the raptor’s snout. The creature staggered backward from the blow with a screech.
Chopsticks turned back around, grabbing a dino under each arm. “Run!”
Max finally came to life and dashed forward to scoop up two dinos as well, turning to run, hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet in hot pursuit. “Now what?”
“Run!” Chopsticks, clinging on to the two dinos, rushed for the trail they had come down, his gaggle of obedient dinos tailgating. Max followed close behind, with his string of dinos finally deciding to stay close.
As Max glanced over his shoulder, he saw the raptor chasing them, its head low as it snaked through the undergrowth, its jaws snapping as it tried to capture a small snack to replace the large meal he’d just lost.
“We’re not going to make it!” Max yelled above the startled chattering of the Coelophysis who only now understood the danger of the situation.
“I’m not losing any of them!” Chopsticks slowed down and let Max and the pack pass him. “Get them home.”
“What are you going to do?” Max asked as Chopsticks slowed
even more.
“We need a distraction so you can all get back to the creche.” Chopsticks sounded like he knew what he was doing.
“Why don’t I help?” Did Max want to be back at the dino creche on his own with all the little dinos who would be wondering where their daddy was?
“Just get them all back safely. If I die, I’ll just respawn at the base.”
“What about those two?” Max pointed to the two dinos Chopsticks still held under his arms.
“Argh.” Chopsticks leaned down. “Follow Uncle Max.” He dropped the two dinos on the ground but instead of running toward Max, they immediately turned and ran at the raptor. “Nooooo!”
The two dinos leaped high at the raptor. Not expecting the attack, it flinched away, allowing them to land on its back, biting in with their tiny sharp teeth. Unable to inflict much damage, they simply enraged the Deinonychus raptor, which dropped and rolled in the undergrowth.
Max saw his chance. Dropping the dinos he was carrying, he grabbed his spear. “Get them all to follow you.”
“Dinner!” Chopsticks called.
The two dinos who were still snapping at the raptor threw their heads back and looked toward Chopsticks.
“Dinner!”
The Coelophysis leaped away from where they were grappling with the writhing raptor, rushing toward Chopsticks. The raptor was still rolling around on its back as Max ran forward.
As he came close to the raptor, he slowed, shifting his stance and raising his spear, but he lost his balance as a number of his group of dinos tangled around his feet, wanting to be involved in whatever was happening.
He staggered as he lunged forward off-balance, the tip of his spear just grazing the Deinonychus’ flesh.
The raptor thrashed its feet out as it rolled upright, and opened its wide jaws, roaring its anger.
Max held his spear in two hands like a quarterstaff, as he had when he sparred with Ticket. He leaped forward, bringing the end down hard, and rapped the dinosaur on the snout. It blinked as if unsure what had happened. Max repeated the action only harder.