Author's Note:

A while back I read a comment written by an author of an ARK fanfic, explaining that because ARK has no storyline it's hard to write for.That comment made me wonder if I could overcome that obstacle, and manage to create a story of my own based entirely on things in the game.With that, I have decided to try my hand at my first ever Fanfiction.

I will say right away that things will happen in this story that cannot happen in the game, including long-lasting injuries, taming without knockouts, intelligent animals with unique personalities, and an Island that is much larger in the narrative than in game (Though its Geography will remain mostly identical).I also intend to give the Obelisks a purpose, far beyond the simple character transfer stations they are now.However, none of these things will feel out of place in the ARK universe.

Most importantly, I cannot promise consistent updates to the site.I absolutely intend to finish this story completely, however I am at a point in my life where major changes are taking place, as well as school and a full-time job (Not to mention I have ADHD, which makes it hard to stay on any task for long periods of time).That being said, I make the promise to update whenever I can, and I will try to respond to questions and reviews in quick notes at the end of each section.

OK, enough with the boring disclaimer!Time to get to the story!

Act One: The Awakening

Chapter 1

Liam's sluggish mind was aware of a rhythmic pounding nearby, and he struggled to think of what it could be. From behind the shelter of his eyelids, he could feel the comforting warmth of the sun's rays on his skin, and he found it difficult to shake off the feelings of grogginess. However, he was slowly becoming aware of an annoying itchy feeling all over his back and legs, and he struggled to open his eyes against the harsh light of midday. He sat up in a daze and looked around, taking in the veritable Tropical Paradise surrounding him. He was tempted to lay right back down on the beach, and slowly closed his eyes…

A BEACH?!Liam suddenly registered what he had seen, and he took in his new surroundings in shock. He was sitting on a small strip of sand that was partially sheltered by large cliffs. Behind him lay what appeared to be an Ocean, though he couldn't be sure of that. Far off in the water, he could make out a distant landmass, possibly an island. He raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the sun, then recoiled in shock at the sight of it. Imbedded in his skin, just below his left wrist, was a piece of metal shaped like a diamond. It glowed blue at its center, and surprisingly didn't hurt despite being buried in his flesh.

An… implant?! Liam thought to himself. Who would do something like this to me?I'm just…

That's when Liam realized something horrifying. He couldn't remember ANYTHING! He desperately tried to recall an important detail of his life, but he couldn't even remember where he came from! My name is Liam.I know that.My last name is….. He couldn't even think of that. His entire life seemed to be an empty space in his mind. He struggled to his feet, looking around in a panic for any sign of another person. Not a soul in sight in either direction, just a few large birds flying out over the water.

OK Liam, calm down.You need to settle down and focus. He gave himself a quick checkup for injuries, but he was unmarked. Not a single scar or bruise could be found, which seemed wrong to him. He was wearing a pair of plain white shorts with tattered cuffs, and his pale white arms and legs seemed much more muscled than they should have been. He looked like a track star, and that bothered him to no end. I've never been fit!I always spent my time…. He yelled in frustration at his lack of memory. Nothing about his circumstances made any sense, and it hurt his head trying to think of where he should be.

A strange honking cry answered his yell. He looked around in confusion, following the sound to its source at the top of the cliffs. The edge was lined with small shrubs, one of which was shaking violently. Suddenly the bush collapsed, and a large head looked down at Liam. It was, quite possibly, the strangest looking animal he had ever seen. It had a long head like a horse, but the similarities stopped there. It had a wide flat mouth like a duck bill, and seemed to have a long horn extending out from the back of its head. The rest of its body was hidden behind the bushes, but the size of the head told Liam it had to be enormous. As he watched the newcomer, it let out another honk, then drew back out of sight.

That thing looked familiar Liam thought to himself. Something I read about maybe?A memory seemed to be trying to surface, but the void in his head remained. He shook the thought aside, and decided to explore the area a bit. He turned right and headed up the beach, his head on a swivel for any sign of life. He walked for a fair distance, until the sand took a left around the base of the cliff. He rounded the corner and froze in shock. There, munching on the berries under a torn-up bush, was a dinosaur. A real live dinosaur, not twenty feet in front of him. The name of the creature came to him out of nowhere. A Triceratops! He thought dumbfounded. The big green dinosaur was bigger than a pickup truck, and was very heavy set with four short muscular legs. Its huge bony head sported two long white horns, with a third smaller one growing straight up from the top of his snout. The animal glanced over at Liam with a bored expression, then resumed eating its berry stash.

Various bellowing and honking sounds finally drew his attention further up the beach, and the sight lying before him was one of absolute wonder. The curve in the beach led to a small cove lined with trees, and at its deepest point was the mouth of a river. Lining the beach and the tree line were dozens of dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Some of their names he knew, including the Brontosaurus with its long neck towering above a body the size of a gymnasium, or the Ankylosaurs with their boney shells on their backs and their huge clubbed tails. Others were a mystery to him, including a group of Ostrich dinosaurs running around the feet of the enormous Brontos. A few of the duck billed dinos wandered around with a herd of Triceratops, tearing up bushes to eat the clusters of berries at its base. If this doesn't prove I'm nowhere near home, nothing will.Liam thought to himself, still trying to absorb the sight. A land of dinosaurs existed somewhere in the world. His mind was still a blank, but he still knew that this shouldn't be possible ANYWHERE. There were even flying dinosaurs filling the sky, huge bat-winged creatures with long beaks and a long horn growing off the backs of their heads. They were as large as a car, yet flew with all the grace of a Hawk.

Liam slowly came to an unfortunate realization. A place like was unheard of to him, and he figured that anyone else from… well any other people out there would think the same thing. Which meant that the only rescue he could expect would be from whoever put him here in the first place. That meant he might be here for a long time, and thus he needed to find a way to live here until he could either find other people, or find a way to escape. That said, he would need to try and find shelter of some kind in this place. He would also need a way to defend himself, because he had a sinking feeling that not every dinosaur in this land was a plant eater. I will survive this place!I WILL make it home!Wherever that is anyway…

The first Triceratops he had seen was slowly ambling toward him now, heading for some more berry bushes. A slight edge of hunger became known to Liam as he watched the dinos eat, and he began to wonder if the berries under these bushes were safe for him. The three horned dino reached a bush and lowered his head, sticking a horn under one of the shrubs next to Liam. With a slight grunt, it ripped the entire bush out of the ground, revealing the underground hoard of colorful berries beneath. Since when do berries grow under the dirt?!Liam looked closer at the colorful pile, then realized something else. There were 5 different kinds of berries under the same bush colored Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, and White. Be looked behind him at one of the other shrubs on the beach and sat down next to it, digging away the sand at it's base. Sure enough, be began to uncover a large cluster of multi-colored berries, and picked a few off to test. The blue ones were by far the sweetest, while the yellow and red ones had a nice sharp flavor. His hunger began to ebb slightly as he ate, and now he reached for a group of the black berries and popped one in his mouth.

Instantly, he regretted that decision. It held a horrible bitter taste, and immediately his vision became foggy. He struggled to vomit it back up, but he was starting to lose focus of his surroundings. He tried standing up, but his legs gave way, depositing him on his back on the sandy shore. Despite his best efforts, he slowly drifted into unconsciousness…..