This choice: The female leader quieted the crowd. • Go Back...Chapter #6Introductions to the herd’s leader by: Unknown A mighty honk-like roar silenced the crowd. Starlet, you slowly turned towards the figure which was standing out between the stegosauruses.
“Can somebody explain to me what all this fuss is about?” a female, who seemingly had lived a life, asked grudgingly. When nobody replied, the spike-tailess started slowly approaching the center of the crowd - everybody who was in her way, unconditionally and without objection made a way for her. She walked with surprising grace, and after a while you catch yourself staring at her swaying saggy belly - indication of multiple passed egg clutches.
When the elderly female came all the way to Carl, she gave him a look and snorted. “Carl?” she addressed your giant friend with a mixed tone and continued: “Can you explain yourself?”
Carl gulped, “I…”
“That is because of me.” you spoke up. The massive alder spike-tail turned at you and you froze as she stared at you with her ocean deep eyes. Even though you were scared you found a bit of bravery to continue speaking: “Sorry for the hangout, Carl just wanted to introduce myself to your herd…”
“Introduce yourself? Why so?” the dinosaur woman said with excitement.
All of sudden a smaller younger female stegosaurus emerged from the crowd, followed by Diana, next to the elder one. “Because he got lost. He needs a temporary herd before he finds a way to get home.” the parasaur girl spoke for you.
The elder stegosaurusess lifted one of her scaly eyebrow and turned at younger female next to her, “Is that true, darling?” in which the spike-tail girl nodded in response. The old woman looked back at you, “Another non-spike-tail in my herd… I can tolerate another grazer, however, you…” she stretched her neck towards you with a menacing expression on her face, “... you don't seem like a grazer at all. If I heard correctly, there was something mentioned about mammals. I don’t need to guess that you were talking about you. And to be real, one of the three things I hate the most are little critters which destroy everything we beget…”
“Mom! Stop!” the young female yipped, “Look at him! He is a cutie, not a vermin.”
Before the old woman could say anything, the honk-crest interrupted her: “With all due respect, I must agree with your hatchling, that this bug-sized creature is not a threat to this herd. And I believe that Carl has enough sense not to bring him here if he was.” Diana said, and even if she was serious, you had the feeling that there was something in her second sentence in which even she didn’t believe.
“Flyers of a feather flock together. As I see.” Elder female glanced at the honk-crest.
“I promise that I won’t make any trouble, miss!” you said.
“You better not,” the stegosaurusess replied, “By the way, since this is suppose to be a introduction to the herd, I would like to know who are you.”
“I’m Jack. Jack Garrod the Human.” you introduced yourself and as a courtesy, you added: “May I know who I'm honored with?”
The elder female spike-tail lifted her front feet in a sort of gesture and said: “My call-sound is Karen. I’m a leader of this herd.” Karen put down her feet, “And since you’re applying for a place in my herd, share with me your scent!”
You felt how Carl lowered his neck and you slided down on his snout. It was a small height, but was still not a soft landing as you fell on your rump on the dirty ground. You looked back at Carl who whispered, “Don’t worry!” trying to calm you down.
Well, you tried to stay calm, however, you weren’t sure that you’re capable of it as in the next moment you met up face to face with Karen’s humungus snout. This was the second time when a dinosaur was about to sniff you, however, this time you were even more scared than the first time. Looking into the dark depths of the stegosaurus’s nostrils, you closed your eyes and let the herd leader take in your smell. Eyes closed, you felt her slowly shifting slow warm blasts and cold suctions of air as the eldery giantess made sure to sniff you from all sides.
It took almost a minute before Karen stopped sniffing you. You wouldn’t realise if you weren’t all of sudden you were blasted by a strong snort and flipped onto your back with a surprised yell.
By reflex, you brace yourself with your hands and look at Karen, who put on a mischievous smile and amusedly said: “Truly a fragile creature. Well…” the herd leader lifted up her head, “...You’re truly no danger for my herd. In fact: I think who could be put into danger is you, little human.” The female spike-tail then turned at your behemoth, who was still startled from what she did to you, “Carl, since you brought Jack to us, I'm appointing you to as his warden!”
Carl woke up from the previous shock and bowed down, “Of course!”
“Excellent!” Karen said and turned her tail towards you two, “Keep an eye on him, Carl! The last thing I want is that our new herd member gets eaten or squished by accident.” The herd leader then turned at her daughter and prompted her: “Let’s go, darling, it's time to get some rest!”
The crowd slowly dispersed. And when you thought that only you and Carl stayed, you both heard: “What an old grumpy shell-for-breeder.” Together with your new appointed protector, you looked to her left. Diana glanced at your surprised faces before she looked away, and embarrassed, she apologized: “Sorry for my language.”
“No problem… whatever that meant.” Carl said.
“I think I know very well what that meant.” you replied, almost in a whisper.
Carl looked at you with a worried look, “Jack, are you okay?”
“Yeah.” you told him back, “Just a little bit freaked out.”
“I’m sorry.” the young male said, “At least it went that way…”
“Yep,” the tribal parasaurolophus replied and continued: “It could be worse, she could mark him.”
“Mark me?” you yipped, “You don’t mean like…?”
“I don’t understand?!” Carl interrupted with his loud thought, “Karen wasn’t like that when we accepted you in our herd, Diana.”
“That is because Jack is a mammal. Don’t forget that Karen was mother for many dozens Great Moons and of many hatchlings, and you just brought something which she connects with the hard part of her Maternity.”
“Oh.” Carl signed in realization.
“By the way, thank you that you stand up for us before.” you smiled at Diana.
“Happy to help!” she replied with a happy gesture of her front feet.
Down on the ground, you felt as the air got colder and when you gazed up at the dinosaur titans, you saw as their silutes got more orange-ish and darker with the rest of the landscape.
“It's getting late.” Carl noted and Diana nodded in reply. The both prehistoric behemoth looked down at you. “I will take you Jack to my sleep spot.”
Carl wanted to pick you up with his beak, however, before he did, Diana broke the silence: “I know that this was a rough day for both of you, but…” she stopped for a moment when Carl looked at her, “Could I help you pick Jack up?” Carl stayed silent before he looked at you, waiting for your reply.
“I think you can.” you said, “But please: Be careful!”
“I will try.” Diana said and the female honk-crest brought her hooved right front leg towards you - gently touching the ground next to you. She then slowly mowed her ‘hand’ to you, and then she grabbed by carefully pinning you between bases of her two finders. “You good?” she asked and you gave her thumbs up. With care you were lifted from the ground and then placed back on Carl’s backs.
“Thanks Diana.” Carl noded.
The female parasaurolophus smiled and mimicked the thumb up gesture with her front feet which made you giggle a little. “Good night boys!” she said before you two gave her your good night and splitted apart.
***
The Carl’s Sleep spot was a rather cozy place, well at least for a dinosaur. It was a bed made of leaves and moss under an old crooked pine three, which made a natural roof with its branches and Circulated by boulders which were also overgrown by moss.
Your colossal friend snuggle you between his shoulder and his neck to protect you from the cold night and the things which could lurke in the dark. It was sort of like sleeping with a teddy bear except that this teddy bear was a real living animal which was more than thousand times larger than you and didn’t smell like washing powder, however, you felt safe. After a wild and stressful day of being transported into land of Mesozoic beasts, after being almost eaten in the morning by your new found buddy and after being in peril of the alpha female stegosaurus, you found sign of relief as Carl wished you “Good night, Jack.” with his kind voice. “Good night, Carl.” you replied and lulled by ste spike-tail’s calm breath and soft scales, you fell into your slumber, until:  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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