Thump. Thump. Thump.
The rhythmic, heavy pounding of footsteps was relentless. Massive footpads slammed into the earth, kicking up plumes of choking dust.
The Diplodocus herd began to shift, desperate to distance themselves from Carlo's location. They moved in pairs or groups of three, following their leader in a frantic, wide-stepping march toward the outer perimeter.
Seeing the Diplodocus approaching, Mom and Dad prepared to lung out from the forest.
"ROAAAR—!!"
Carlo let out another thunderous cry. It caused the Diplodocus to quicken their pace, but it made Mom and Dad freeze in their tracks.
The Diplodocus couldn't understand the command, but Mom and Dad heard it loud and clear: Carlo was telling them to stay put. Though confused, their trust in him won out, and they remained hidden as instructed.
The lead Diplodocus broke through the tree line and reached the open plain. Then came the second, the third...
Now!
Carlo roared once more. Mom and Dad, already coiled like overwrought springs, shot forward like arrows from a bow. However, they didn't go in for the kill immediately; instead, they maintained a strategically safe distance, using their sheer presence to intimidate the herd.
The Diplodocus on the far left saw Dad erupting from the foliage. Panic flared in its chest, but it fought to stay calm, signaling frantically to its companion in the middle.
Turn right! Quick, turn right!
The middle Diplodocus had its attention fixed forward, oblivious to the threat on the right, but it trusted its kin. Fine! Turning right!
It shifted its gait, craning its long neck to look right, only to find the massive, terrified face of its right-hand companion inches away.
Turn left! Turn left now! the companion on the right signaled urgently.
...?
Left? But... okay.
The middle Diplodocus swung its head back to the left, only to slam right back into the face of the left-hand companion.
TURN RIGHT! TURN RIGHT NOW!!!
The middle one was utterly bewildered. But the two on the flanks, desperate to get away from Mom and Dad, had no time for coordination. They squeezed the poor middle "unlucky soul" until it could barely breathe.
The herd's momentum slowed as those in the rear began slamming into those in front, creating a massive reptilian pile-up.
Rustle, rustle...
Carlo lunged from the woods behind Mom. He exchanged a few raspy barks with his parents before tearing off after the Diplodocus that had managed to break through the initial bottleneck. His throat felt like it was on fire after all that shouting.
Seeing the predators finally reveal themselves, the Diplodocus still trapped in the cluster signaled frantically to their rear companions, huddling even tighter.
Thud-thud... thud-thud...
Five Diplodocus had made it past the line, slightly more than Carlo had anticipated, but not a dealbreaker.
One of the escapees was the first to realize something was wrong. The air around it felt too fresh; it hadn't breathed air this clean since the march began. It turned its head back.
Holy crap! My family turned into three giant lizards!
It tried to signal the companions ahead, calling for them to huddle up, but it was too late. The companion to its right slowed down abruptly, falling behind the rest.
Carlo had picked a relatively young target.
He lunged, jaws locking onto the creature's right hind leg. The sheer momentum of the massive herbivore yanked Carlo forward, causing him to stumble and hit the ground. Yet, he didn't let go, allowing himself to be dragged along the dirt as the Diplodocus struggled forward.
The poor creature watched its speed dwindle, watching its kin drift further... and further... and further away.
She came to a halt.
Carlo sensed the change and immediately released his grip. Leaving deep, bleeding wounds on her leg, he circled rapidly to the right. Mom and Dad, arriving a beat later, moved into position at her left-rear and left-front, effectively trapping her in a lethal triangular formation.
In the next instant, a whip-like tail lashed out with a crack of displaced air! It whistled past Carlo, missing him by a hair and striking the earth a meter away, sending dirt flying. She lashed out again at Mom and Dad, trying to beat them back.
A cornered beast's struggle.
Seeing her desperate defiance, Carlo decided to sacrifice his vocal cords one more time.
"ROAAAR—!!"
He let out an aggressive, commanding roar. Though raspy, it successfully drew her focus. The young Diplodocus lacked combat experience, and she was essentially a "hothouse flower" raised in safety. She thrashed her tail menacingly at Carlo, but because she didn't understand her own reach, she didn't dare fully commit her strength, fearing she would exhaust herself.
A moment later, a flare of agony erupted from her left front limb, followed by her right hind leg.
Dad used his wide, powerful jaws to tear at her thick hide. Mom moved to the spot where Carlo had already opened a wound, aiming to expand the bleeding area.
Carlo took the opportunity to search for a fatal weakness. The neck? No, the dorsal spines made it a difficult bite. The belly? No, tearing through that level of thick, hanging hide was too tall an order.
The beleaguered Diplodocus began to thrash violently. She reared up, her front legs lifting a meter off the ground before slamming down with bone-shaking force. Then, using that momentum, she kicked out with her hind legs.
Mom and Dad were thrown back by the force, sliding sideways into the dirt.
Seeing this, Carlo threw caution to the wind. He charged and clamped his jaws onto her tail.
The Diplodocus, who had been about to whip Mom and Dad again, felt a blinding pain shoot up her spine. She let out a mournful wail.
"Aunnn—"
She yanked her tail with all her might, trying to wrench it free from Carlo's mouth. The tail thrashed left and right between his teeth, blood beginning to drip slowly from his snout. Some was the herbivore's; some was Carlo's.
It had to be said: those ossified spines along the Diplodocus's spine were incredibly effective. When a predator tries to bite down on them, they puncture the mouth. Animal instinct usually forbids an organism from continuing an action that causes self-harm. Trying to deal damage across those spines was like trying to swallow a porcupine.
Dad had scrambled back to his feet and entered Carlo's field of vision. He roared at the Diplodocus to draw her attention, but she was now entirely focused on her mangled tail. Seizing the opening, Dad lunged and began tearing at her left shoulder, drawing fresh cries of agony.
With one final, desperate yank, she pulled her tail free.
With a sickening squelch, her tail whipped out of Carlo's mouth, spraying blood. Carlo's jaws snapped shut with a resounding crack, the delayed sting of the spines finally registering in his gums.
A wave of dizziness washed over him. Carlo closed his eyes and shook his head violently, forcing himself to stay conscious.
When he opened his eyes again, the blood-slicked, whip-like tail was already whistling toward him, carrying a lethal momentum. Carlo squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself to tank the hit.
CRACK!
STRETCH—
The tail struck his hide with immense force. It didn't just bruise; it literally unzipped his skin. The wound opened like a blooming flower—shredded skin pulled wide, revealing the pulsing vessels beneath the raw muscle.
Yet, Carlo felt no pain.
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