by Saxon Andrew
Harvey took the cutter and pulled the ring out. He turned it until it stopped and held the cutter over his head. He activated the blade and it extended twenty two feet over his head. His smile was immediate. Jenak said, “I would make a mark on my cutter for the various lengths I used the most. I suspect you might want a mark for the length you’d need to use it to hang from the wall.”
Harvey motioned one of the Indians over from the clearing, “Gather everyone and meet me in the bow room.”
“What’s going on?”
“We’re going to have another pocket sewn into out suits.”
The Indian ran away and Harvey looked at Jenak, “I believe I saw some cutters with three foot long handles.”
“Those are used for heavy duty cuts.”
“We could reach down and jam those handles in the cliff wall and just stand on them. We could hold on to the edge of the wall with our camogloves, which won’t be seen like the hooks. We could crouch down to avoid being seen if an enemy approaches and still have our standard cutters to use as weapons. We won’t have to carry the hooks and rope, which will lighten our load.”
Jenak smiled, “I think we are going to work well together.”
Harvey held out his hand, “Welcome to the Scouts.”
Chapter Nine
Andy climbed the tower the Romans had built inside the walls to see if he could see the Scouts as they left. He was barely able to see the top of the cliffs and he lost view of them quickly. He looked at Arashi standing next to him in the tower and sighed, “I hope they’re going to be alright.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Arashi saw Anna out of the corner of his eye when he turned to respond to Andy. Andy saw his expression and turned to see what he was looking at; he saw Anna standing in the middle of the area between the two walls. She was standing as tall as possible on her hind legs and was sniffing the air as she turned a circle. She was very quiet and that wasn’t like her. Arashi said, “Something has her spooked.” Andy nodded and suddenly saw Anna turn toward the north and sniff the air. She suddenly roared and dropped to all fours and ran at full speed toward the cave entrance.
Andy whipped around and looked north of the compound and saw the forest a half a mile away was moving. Something was coming their way and it was coming fast. Andy looked down at the ground and yelled, “EVERYONE GET TO THE CAVE!!!” Andy looked north again and the entire underbrush looked like it was alive with dinosaurs running at high speed. What was frightening was that even the carnivores were running and ignoring the large herbivores running with them. The Romans were withdrawing in formation and Andy yelled, “MAXUS, MAKE A RUN FOR THE CAVE!!! NOW!!!” Maxus heard Andy and saw his fear. He yelled and everyone in the clearing sprinted up the slope toward the cave entrance.
The last ten Romans made the cave entrance as hundreds of Raptors and Allosaurus running with them sprinted past the opening to the compound. It looked like a sea of dinosaurs was washing by the entrance. Andy and Arashi looked back to the north and heard a roar unlike anything they had heard. It was at least three quarters of mile away and it was loud. They watched as the tops of giant trees were swaying and whatever was moving them was getting closer. Andy looked at Arashi, “It’s too late to run.” Andy and Arashi crouched down behind the thatched wall on the tower and heard a roar that was enormous. They peeked over the wall and saw something was moving about six hundred yards north of the compound and it was coming their way fast. Ten terrified Raptors turned into the compound until Andy blew his whistle. The Raptors turned and sprinted out of the opening and ran south. The roar that greeted the whistle was deafening. Andy and Arashi put their hands over their ears and peeked over the wall. The tower was twenty feet off the ground.
The dinosaur approaching the compound was at least ten feet taller than the tower and Andy saw it was a killer. It made an Allosaurus look tiny in comparison. It was at least sixty feet long with a long powerful neck that supported a head with a long snout full of serrated teeth; the teeth had to be at least ten inches long. It had four rows of hard ridges running from the head to the end of its tail. It ran on its two hind legs and used its front arms to push smaller trees out of its way. It was much larger than a Tyrannosaurus and probably massed more than fifty percent more than the weight of a T-Rex. Andy knew he had never seen anything like it in all of the books he had read about dinosaurs. It was colored several different shades of green and the area on top of its long snout was red. Its eyes were in two large ridges on top of its head. The mouth was big enough to swallow a Raptor whole.
It was gaining on the fleeing herds of dinosaurs and would have caught them except for the thick forest that slowed it down.
Arashi looked at Andy, “We need a taller wall.”
“Be quiet and stay down.”
• • •
The giant arrived at the entrance to the compound and stopped to stare at the strange structure. Andy saw it raise its head and turn its massive head toward the tower. It suddenly heard the roars of the fleeing dinosaurs and, after a slight pause; it turned and continued its pursuit. Arashi blew out a breath and fell to the floor of the tower. Andy watched it run south and said, “Don’t get comfortable; we have to go after it.”
Arashi looked up at Andy, “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“That thing can destroy our compound and represents a huge danger to all of us. It can be on us faster than we could react. We have to go and kill it.”
“Why didn’t you just kill it here? It stood there waiting for you to introduce yourself.”
“Arrows won’t do it; its hide is thicker than the arrows.”
“Don’t tell me we’re going to have to take it down with cutters.”
Maxus came running out of the cave and Andy yelled, “Go get your bow and come back.”
“Why?”
“We have to go hunting. Make sure you have your whistle.”
“Andy, you can’t be serious about this?”
“Arashi, if that thing comes back and we’re forced to kill it here, how long do you think it would stink up the place as it decomposes? It we kill it in the entrance, we won’t be able to get out. We have to go after it in the forest.”
Maxus ran down the slope and met Andy and Arashi as they climbed down from the tower. “Now what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to have to go after that last carnivore and kill it.”
“Oh, well lead the way.”
Arashi looked at Maxus, “By chance, did you get a look at it?” Maxus looked at Arashi and shook his head. Arashi saw Andy look at him and he said, “OK, just checking.”
Andy said, “We need to hurry.” Andy ran out of the compound with Arashi and Maxus following him. Maxus looked down at the tracks in the ground and his eyes went wide. He looked at Arashi who tilted his head and shook it. Maxus ran faster and caught up to Andy, “Uhhh, what exactly are we chasing?”
“I don’t know; I’ve never seen anything like it in all my studies.”
“Did it make these tracks?”
“It did.”
Suddenly they heard an ear splitting roar ahead of them and the scream of an Allosaurus that was cut short. Arashi and Maxus stopped in their tracks. Andy ran about ten yards and stopped, “Come on; we have to do this.”
Maxus started shaking his head, “Andy, this thing has to be at least eighty feet long.”
Arashi said, “It’s more like a hundred to a hundred and twenty feet.”
Maxus looked at Arashi with a stunned expression and turned to Andy, “Is he being honest?”
“No.” Maxus breathed a sigh of relief until Andy said, “It’s longer than that.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Just come with me; if it can’t be done, we’ll back out.”
Andy turned and Arashi and Maxus decided they couldn’t allow him to go on alone. They ran for about a half a mile and then the noise of something eating was heard. The three slowed and moved out of the path made by the monst
er and moved forward through the brush. Maxus kept looking around for Raptors and Arashi said, “Don’t worry; they all ran away from that thing.” The feeding sounds grew louder and they turned a curve and saw it. Maxus’ mouth fell open and he began shaking his head. The giant predator had actually killed two Allosaurus and was eating both of them. It had killed one with one bite and then chased down the second one. It dragged the second one back to the first and began devouring both of them.
Andy motioned Arashi and Magus over to him and they both shook their head. He walked over to them and said, “We can do this.”
“Andy, you’re insane. An arrow won’t do anything to that monster.”
Andy looked over the top of the underbrush and crouched back down. “Here’s how we’re going to do it. Maxus and I will each hide behind a tree on each side of this trail. We’ll extend our cutters to maximum length and wait for it to chase Arashi.”
“Say what.”
“Arashi, you are going to blow your whistle and fire an arrow into that beast and then turn and run. When it comes after you, we’ll be waiting here to cut off its legs as it passes. Just make sure you don’t slow down.”
“Why is that?”
“Once its legs are gone it is going to come crashing down. You should be fine if you don’t stop running. Just make sure you keep blowing your whistle.”
“For God’s sake why?”
“We want to make sure the other dinosaurs know who killed it.”
“Why don’t you let it chase you and I’ll cut off a leg?”
“You’re faster than I am. Besides, if Linnae learns I played bait with this thing she’ll kill all three of us.”
“Why would she harm us?”
“For allowing the leader of our community to do something this stupid.”
Arashi nodded, “Then you know it’s stupid to do this?”
Andy looked at Arashi and blew out a breath, “Look; this thing is going to settle into this area. Would you rather take it on now or wait for it to come to our community at a time of its choosing?”
Andy stared at them and Arashi shook his head, “Do you honestly think we can do this?”
“It won’t work if it is on the hunt. We won’t find a better place to ambush this thing that right here.” Andy paused, “We can’t hear these whistles; but you know how far away the dinosaurs respond when we blow them. I’ve got to believe that if you hit it with an arrow and start blowing your whistle, it will come after you. Then it’s up to us to take it down.”
Maxus listened to the monster feeding and said, “Which one of us is going to cross the path?”
Andy said, “I’ll go.”
Maxus shook his head, “No, Linnae would hit me in the head if I let you do that. Darn it!” Maxus peeked over the top of the fern they were hiding behind and when the giant lowered its head to feed he ran quickly across the ten yard clearing. He leaned against the tree and looked back at Andy and Arashi and they nodded. He peeked out at the monster and could only shake his head.
Andy looked at Arashi and said, “You should move about twenty yards up the path to start your run.”
Arashi looked at Andy, “It’s been good knowing you.”
Andy shook his head, “You stand a better chance of getting out of this than we do.”
“How can you say that?”
“All you have to do is run between the two giant trees to the right of the path and it won’t be able to follow. If we miss…”
Arashi looked around and saw there was no place to run. He realized Andy was taking the biggest risk. “Get ready to make this happen.” Arashi looked across the path at Maxus and held his thumb up. Maxus nodded and activated the cutter keeping the blade hidden by the tree’s trunk he was behind. Andy activated his cutter and Arashi ran up the path and then stepped out into the center. He notched an arrow and decided a shot to the jaw should do it. He put his whistle in his mouth, fired the arrow and then blew the whistle. He turned and sprinted up the path as he was deafened by a roar. Andy and Maxus winced at the noise and Andy made a mental note to never go after this creature again without earplugs.
The giant carnivore was hit in the face with the four bladed arrow and the pain was incredible. It whipped its head around and saw the tiny creature running away. It made an incredible noise for a creature so small. The predator pawed at the arrow sticking out of its jaw as it turned and ran after the tiny animal that caused it pain. Andy watched the giant come running at him at an incredible speed and, as it drew even with the tree, he stepped put and swung the cutter head high into the giant theropod’s leg. Maxus hit the other leg at the same moment and the giant fell forward. It crashed into the path and slid for twenty yards screaming its pain. It almost hit Arashi as it fell forward and it snapped its jaws barely missing the Japanese Archer. Arashi felt the breath of the creature blow his skull cap off his head.
Andy sprinted forward and arrived at the giant’s long neck as it rolled from side to side as it struggled to lift itself with its front legs. Andy jumped off the path next to a tree as the massive body rolled toward him. The tree stopped it inches from him and Andy sprinted out when the creature rolled away and continued to run along the giant’s long body.
Andy raised the cutter over his head as he arrived at the giant’s neck and blew the whistle as hard as possible as he swung the cutter into the monster’s neck. The cutter cut into the monster and cut a deep slice all the way through the top of the neck to the ground. It severed the vertebra and wind pipe and the deafening roar instantly stopped. Andy continued to blow the whistle as Maxus ran up on the other side of the downed dinosaur and completed the cut that Andy had started, as the neck fell away from the body. The body continued to spasm for another ten minutes before it grew still. The three archers moved to the creatures head and Arashi shook his head, “Now that is a cork in this path.” Andy tilted his head and nodded. The giant carnivore filled the path from one side to the other.
Maxus and Arashi walked closer and stared at the dead giant’s head. Maxus said, “I could sure use this head.” Arashi and Andy looked at him like he was crazy. Maxus said, “Hey, we could stick it up on a pike and it would probably scare away most dinosaurs.”
Andy pursed his lips together and nodded, “Let’s see if we can drag it back.”
Arashi shook his head, “That thing has to weigh a ton.”
Maxus smiled, “We won’t know unless we try.” Magus took his cutter and severed the huge head from the piece of neck that was still attached. They went behind the head and rolled it over. Arashi said, “Do you really think we can roll this thing?” Andy and Maxus shrugged and they started rolling it up the path. After two rolls, Andy looked at Arashi, “Go and get some help. We’ll make sure nothing comes to take it.”
Arashi turned and ran back toward the community. Andy heard noises in the forest beyond the carnivore’s dead body but he blew his whistle and the noises disappeared. By the time Arashi returned with twenty warriors, the sky was starting to fill with Pteranodons circling overhead. The warriors arrived pulling a large flat piece of wood. They took one look at the giant monster and their mouths fell open. Their appreciation of their leaders took a giant leap forward. They rolled the head on the sled and began pulling it back toward the community.
Progress was slow until twenty more warriors were called in and they eventually pulled the head to the entrance of the compound. The Romans used ropes to pull the giant head up on the wall and tie it down. The community had come out of the cave to witness what was being done and they were stunned at the size of the head being hoisted. Linnae walked up next to Andy and said, “Just how big was the body that head was on?” Andy shrugged. One of the Romans who helped drag the head yelled, “This thing was more than a hundred and fifty feet long.”
Andy winced. Linnae put her head back and put her hands on her hips, “Just how did you go about acquiring this head?”
Arashi was telling the Samurai how they killed the giant carnivore and Linna
e heard him. She looked at Andy, “You chased after this thing?”
“Listen, Linnae. We had to kill it before it came back to attack the community.”
The Romans rushed over and lifted Andy, Maxus and Arashi off their feet and cheered them as they carried them around the compound. Andy tried to keep Linnae in his sight but lost her as the community joined in. The last thing he saw was her getting angry…very angry.
• • •
Andy was finally put down and he went searching for Linnae. He finally found her in the archery room firing arrows into the smallest target. Andy walked in and watched her. Her skill with a bow was incredible. She hit the bullseye with almost every shot. She pulled an arrow back and said as she released it, “I know you had a good reason for going after that thing.” She notched another arrow and released it; it hit an arrow and deflected out of the bull’s eye. “I know that you saw it as a real danger to us and if it came back here on the hunt, it would have caused massive damage.” Linnae lowered her bow and looked at Andy, “Arashi told me how you killed it; that was a great plan. But did you for a moment consider what would have happened to us if you were killed?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
“And?”
“The Community would have fallen apart if I died a few months back.” Andy paused and looked Linnae in the eyes, “But now there are others that have the community’s respect and it will survive my loss.”
“You’re wrong.”
“No…I’m not. You would become our next leader and you’d do just as good a job as I can.”
Linnae’s eyes went wide, “Now I know you’re wrong.”
“Linnae, you haven’t noticed how everyone comes to you for advice on everything from how to choose a mate to the right way to fire an arrow. Whenever you speak, everyone listens. If something happened to you, Joshua would take your place. Then Maxus; then Arashi, then Reif. People have stepped forward and provided the leadership we need to survive. If I didn’t go after that monster, it could destroy everything we’ve built in a matter of moments and many would have died if it attacked while we were out in the open. There’s no way we would have been able to get to its legs if it was in a killing frenzy. It had to be taken down in the forest where we could get at it. It was worth the risk.”