A.N. Hey guys, it's Darksage here with the next chapter in LNoW. Looks like we're getting down to the wire now. Things are getting good! As always, we don't own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, Walking with Dinosaurs BBC, Walking with Dinosaurs 2013, Dinosaur Revolution, and March of the Dinosaurs. We also don't own the music.

Soundtrack: Escape From the Temple by Per Kiilstofte (at 2:18)

"Wake up, you idiots! Get the intruders! After them!"

Terrence and Matilda watched in horror as a group of other tyrannosaurs bolted after their friends as soon as they escaped the forest. Their emotions were a mess, ranging from being shocked, being ashamed and angry at themselves, and being worried about the safety of those that snuck out here. Neither of them knew they were being followed. Neither of them knew why they were anyway.

Here they were, supposed to be out finding the lost Saber cubs, when instead they got reeled into this covert tyrannosaur meeting. Gorgon had gathered an army to prepare an invasion on the park, and it was all their fault.

And now, their friends were about to suffer for it. The two of them joined in the chase, not to take the intruders down, but to help them escape.

Things were going well for the first few minutes. The Twins had managed to shove a few unsuspecting tyrannosaurs off their feet, reducing the number by a little bit. Terrence had managed to tail slap one across the face after getting ahead of it. Matilda did the same, only instead of a tail slap, she bit one on the neck and threw it aside like a ragdoll.

Then, things went downhill after that. Matilda screamed when something had broadsided her, knocking her down. Terrence looked over at his sister; he was horrified when he saw Matilda, who was stronger than him, being pinned down by two burly Gorgosaurs...with Gorgon at the very top.

"You're not going anywhere," he hissed at the downed huntress.

"Matilda!" he cried out.

His twin tried to get up, but was only pushed down by three heavy feet. Matilda squirmed under the weight, all the while roaring in frustration. Her jaws managed to lock onto one Gorgosaur's foot that got too close. That one screamed as she bit down hard. She then lost her grip when the other two on her pressed down harder. The wounded Gorgosaur grimaced, but kept locking her down despite the pain.

"Let my sister go!" Terrence demanded, only to be met by a sneer from Gorgon.

"That depends on you, kid. You know, I thought you two could be of use to me and my army. We could have become the most feared predators in the land. You could have become what you were born to be!"

"Let her go, now!" he said again, now showing more of his teeth like a weapons rack on display.

"Oh, we may do that. It all depends on you. You can still save her, but you need to do something for me first."

"I'll never work for you, Gorgon!" he protested.

The blue predator was unfazed, despite his growing anger. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Go to your leader. Get that thing to meet with me so we can discuss how to move forward with this predicament. Do that, and we'll let your sister go. If you don't...well, we don't take kindly to traitors."

The other Gorgosaurs with him cackled; making Terrence want to tear them apart. He stole a glance at his sister, fearing for her safety.

"Get out of here, bro!" she called out to him, struggling under the weight of the tyrannosaurs. "Save yourself! I'll be okay!"

Terrence felt his feet move back. His body had moved on its own before he could control it. He wanted to stay and fight. He did not want to leave without the only direct link he had with his parents; his own sister. But she was right. If he fought them off now, he would only be killed on the spot.

He backed away, this time a little faster.

"I'll come back for you!" he turned tail and glanced back, "I promise!"

With that said, he bolted away, chasing after the small horde of tyrannosaurs that intended to kill the intruders he called friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everything was whizzing past the impromptu Prehistoric Park spy team, as Aladar and Patchi galloped as fast as they could from the undoubtedly numerous predators on their tails. Both Ceratopsian and Ornithopod were running at a fast clip, but the roaring and snarls behind them didn't give the duo any reason to slow down. All while this was happening, Hazel and Chris were busy clinging onto Aladar while Patchi and Alex led the way since they knew the area better; more specifically, Chris holding onto the still recovering Hazel while she attempted to clear her head of any nausea. As the young leader tried to hold down her sickness, Chris reached into his pack and pulled out a compacted rifle. The Rookie Keeper had to thank Ellis for letting him borrow his souped up Sci-fi gun. As Chris expanded the rifle, he made a note to ask how the engineer made it possible for the relatively small gun to practically fire lightning bolts.

"Veran, I want you to hang onto the back of my coat!" Chris yelled as he switched his seating position so that he was facing the pursuing carnivores.

"Why?" Hazel asked flabbergasted.

The Keeper merely smirked, "I'm going to do some target practice!"

Hazel complied and held onto his coat to steady him. Chris took aim and cocked the stun gun. After a few moments to aim, Chris began firing off shots. It was different than most guns he fired, the rifle having virtually no kickback for something so powerful. It was one of the reasons he wanted to borrow it, so he could get a feel for the rifle. Shooting at wild hungry predators was just a bonus.

Not all of his shots made their mark, but the sudden jolts of electricity made the pursuing carnivores to stumble and fall. Many of the tyrannosaurs were baffled by the humans' taming of lightning, but they pushed on, either driven by Gorgon's orders or revenge for their smote allies. Chris didn't have enough energy on the rifle to shoot all of the carnivores, but he made do with shooting the low hanging snow-filled branches to either distract or blind them when the snow got in their eyes.

"Chris, on the right they're starting to cluster! Shoot at the front's legs!" Hazel advised.

Taking the advice to heart, the Keeper zeroed in on the lead tyrannosaur's legs and fired. The shooting pain of electricity made the carnivore trip and fall. His sudden stumble made the others who were closely following behind to crash and pile up like a freeway accident. Many were groaning, but from the few bodies with limbs bending in directions joints never should bend, some of those guys weren't getting up any time soon.

As the two cheered at successfully creating more distance between them and their pursuers, Aladar, Patchi, and Alex were focused on escape. Any log or large snowdrift in the group's way, Patchi made short work of it as he literally plowed through each and every obstacle, giving Aladar and his passengers a clearer escape route. One particularly brittle log practically exploded and showered the group in snow and splinters.

"Ay Patchi! Why didn't you watch where you were going!?" Alex squawked as he fluttered his wings to steady himself in the Pachyrhinosaurus' crest hole perch. Patchi just continued to gallop ahead and plow through yet another snowdrift in his way.

"Not now, Alex!" the Alaskan leader grunted.

"Great, we're going to be a predators' early breakfast!" The prehistoric bird groused.

From the corner of his eye, Alex spotted a streak of brown zip to the side of their group. In another move, the blur's maw opened up to reveal a flash of serrated white teeth. In a split second, a Gorgosaur managed to flank the escaping group and was about to deal a fatal blow to the tunnel-visioned Patchi.

The Alexornis squawked in alarm. "AHH! I'm not ready to die!"

Before the carnivore could reach his target, a blue blur rushed in and saved their skins. Aladar noticed the approaching predator and galloped forward to slash at the side of the tyrannosaur's hide with his thumb spike. The carnivore yelped as he veered away from the painful wound he just received. It wasn't much, but Aladar gave his group just enough breathing room between them and their pursuers.

As Aladar and his two human passengers were basking in their success, a younger tyrannosaur shot forward with a surprising burst of speed. The lanky carnivore was lither than his heavier compatriots, which granted him more agility and advantages that the older predators could not do.

With a mighty leap, the young tyrannosaur pounced at the seafoam green Iguanodon and with a roar, eager to sink his teeth in his and his human passengers' flesh.

Alex squawked in terror again. "Ay yi yi! Watch out!"

Chris whipped his lightning gun at the lunging predator. "Holy shit!"

The arc of lightning shot the tyrannosaur out of the air. Aladar swerved out of the way as the young predator crashed back to the earth. As it slammed to the ground and convulsed a bit, the other carnivores ran either over or around the downed youngster, eager to continue their hunt.

"Veran, grab my radio on my left side!" Chris ordered as he checked the power gauge on the rifle. "Call Ellis and tell him to ready the Cannons!"

Hazel nodded. "Okay!"

The young woman cautiously turned and reached around Chris' waist for his radio as the Rookie Keeper warded off the carnivores with multiple shots. The bumpiness of the ride and not knowing specifically where Chris kept his radio, Hazel had to hazard a guess and blindly felt downward.

"Ah! Not the radio! That's NOT the radio!" the Keeper yelped as he jumped a bit. "At least buy me dinner first, Veran!"

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" Hazel cried as her face flushed red. She could guess what she accidentally copped a feel of.

After getting her head on straight, Hazel tried again, minding her hands this time. She found what she was looking for in Chris' left coat pocket and fiddled with the settings on the walkie. The young woman had to steady herself by gripping onto the back of Chris' jacket since Aladar's gallop didn't make for a smooth ride. After a few moments of searching for the right frequency, Hazel grinned when she found the Park's signal. The fact that she found it now should mean that they were relatively close to Temporary Park.

"Ellis! Come in, Ellis! This is Hazel and Chris!"

She unclicked the button. Several moments passed. Nothing. Hazel could vaguely hear a garbled response, but nothing that she could decipher. The young Leader pressed the button on the radio again after cycling through the frequencies again.

"Hazel to Ellis! Come in! Hazel to Ellis!"

Chris continued to fire away at the tyrannosaurs. At this point, the pursuing carnivores were flanking Aladar and Patchi from both sides and trying to sink their teeth into their hides. Luckily, the duo was just keeping out of range of their hungry maws.

"Hurry up Hazel!" Chris exclaimed as he dissuaded yet another youngster with a bolt of lightning.

"Patience is a virtue…" Hazel replied as she tried to hail the Park again.

Despite the situation, Chris couldn't help but reference his favorite Brendan Fraser line. "Not right now it isn't!"

After what seemed like ages, the radio finally crackled to life with a response.

"This is Ellis! What's going on? Where the heck are you guys?"

"We're just a few miles out from the park! We're being chased by some hungry tyrannosaurs!" Hazel shouted as she and Chris leaned away from a close snap of a carnivore's jaws on their right side. Aladar managed to buck at the right time to nail the guy with his foot. Hazel continued after that small victory. "Chris is doing his best with stunning them, but they keep coming! We need you to get the Cannons ready!"

Ellis cursed lightly in Tagalog before replying. "Shit...what's your ETA?"

Hazel took a few moments to mentally gauge the time and how far away they were from the Park before speaking up. "At this rate, I'd say about fifteen minutes, and that's if we keep running at this rate! WAH!"

A sudden jerk and Aladar started to slide. The Iguanodon yelped in surprise as he tried and failed to find traction and even footing over the unforeseen obstacle. Patchi had led them over a rather large frozen lake. Having grown up in these arctic conditions, the Pachyrhinosaurus was familiar with treading over the thick and slippery ice sheet. Aladar on the other hand was struggling to keep his limbs in check and to not sprawl all over the frozen water. His limb movements were a bit sporadic, but he was somehow keeping upright.

The same could not be said for his human passengers.

"Aladar, be careful!" Hazel shrieked as she tried to grip onto the Iguanodon's back. When Aladar entered the hazardous area, the girl nearly slipped off and crashed to the ground. Even Chris nearly took a tumble, but Hazel saved both of their lives when she had a near death grip on both Aladar's neck for support and the backside of Chris' jacket. The only casualty was that Hazel dropped her walkie-talkie. The young Asian woman watched helplessly as the radio skidded away across the ice and out of her reach. But they couldn't stop, they were quite literally running for their lives. Before she could even attempt to futilely reach for the radio, Chris pulled her back to secure her further on their mount's back, her safety clearly on the Keeper's thoughts.

"Keep lower to the ground! Slow down and take smaller strides!" Patchi advised, seeing the foreign dinosaur struggling with the unfamiliar terrain. Immediately taking heed, Aladar noticed swift improvements on his movement over the ice. The duo now had the equivalent of a brisk jog.

"Patchi, we need to pick up the pace! Those carnivores are coming at us at full speed!" Aladar shouted.

"That's what I'm counting on," the Ceratopsian grunted. "Take a look behind us!"

What Aladar saw put him slightly at ease. The savage horde of predators either were slipping and struggling to keep up, took a massive spill and crashed into ice and were either unconscious or dead, or even stopped dead in their tracks and tried to search for a safer way around the frozen lake. A large group of hefty adults tried to push up on each other to help get back on their feet, but then something terrible happened. A sudden crack pierced through the air, and the next second, groups of tyrannosaurs fell through the ice. Now fully panicked, the carnivores retreated to the safety of solid ground, only causing more cracks to form and more tyrannosaurs to fall into the weakened ice. The large group was whittled down to a handful as one by one, the ice opened underneath the carnivores like a cold, ravenous maw.

Unfortunately, the iced over lake was indiscriminate in its hunger. Huge cracks seemed to race towards the fleeing Iguanodon and Pachyrhinosaurus. The duo galloped as fast as they could, but the ice opened up underneath them. Luckily, they were close enough to the shore to break through in the shallows. The sudden drop nearly made Hazel fall off into the freezing water, but Chris snagged her jacket before she could fall any further.

"Hang on, Veran!" Chris grunted.

Hazel got back up and hangs onto Aladar's back. Aladar regained his footing after they recovered from breaking through the ice. Patchi slipped and fell on his stomach. He got up and stumbled a bit before breaking into a run with Aladar once they made it to the bank of the lake.

Aladar glanced at the Ceratopsian while they were running. "Patchi, you okay?"

"I'm fine! Keep moving!" Patchi shouted.

Several minutes passed and they finally saw the wooden barricades of Temporary Park. On top of the gates were a few humans scrambling about to get weapons. They saw the Cannons on the ground slowly moving to be recalibrated. Keepers on the ground furiously cleared off the ice and snow caked onto the White Noise Cannons.

"We're almost there!" Aladar cheered.

The duo was getting exhausted from out running the carnivores. Their muscles strained against their skin and screamed at them for a rest. Luckily, with the last ounce of energy, they broke through the invisible barrier made by the cannons and rushed to the confines of the Park. Once they made it to safety, the Keepers activated the White Noise Cannons and rushed in after the retreating dinosaurs. The perimeter defenses erupted to life and roared to in defiance. The few tyrannosaurs that kept up with Aladar and Patchi skidded to a halt just feet away from the defensive machines. They shook their heads in agony and roared in pain. Having enough, they stumbled away and back into the forest, most likely back to their army.

Both Aladar and Patchi turn around. Both panted as they struggled to recover their strength. A few moments passed and as they watched the predator retreat back into the forest. Aladar, Patchi, Hazel, and Chris all breathed a sigh of relief. They made it safely back home.

Aladar gasped, regaining his breath. "That was close…"

"Too close…" Hazel agreed.

More Keepers rushed out to meet them. They had weapons out and scanning the outside, making sure that the carnivores were indeed gone. As they protected the perimeter, both Aladar and Patchi's families came forth and greeted them, glad that they returned unscathed. With their safety assured, Chris and Hazel were taken to the infirmary to be assessed for injuries. Chris was mostly fine, but Hazel had to be checked to make sure she didn't have lasting injuries and that her fever was actually gone. Hazel was grateful for this. After the day she had, she needed the rest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several hours later…

Matilda was struggling to stay upright. It had been a while since Hazel and her friends ran off. She had to have faith that they escaped and were coming back for her rescue soon. But for now, she was left to the "tender mercies" of Gorgon and his goons. A few tyrannosaurs took turns to "guard" her and make sure she did not stir up trouble. In actuality, this was an excuse for the aggressive carnivores to torment and rough Matilda up for being "such a weakling".

"Back off you assholes!" Matilda roared. Her attempt to lunge at a faceless aggressor was intercepted by a throat-crushing bite of another tyrannosaur. Choking and straining to breathe, the teen Rex struggled and flailed about, trying to get free and regain the ability to take in breath. The tyrannosaur restraining Matilda held her down so that her snout was at the height of a lone Gorgosaurus guard.

"Hold 'er down!" the Gorgosaur ordered. Tensing his legs, the carnivore sprang forth. Both his and Matilda's skulls violently crashed into each other. Matilda could practically feel her teeth rattle from the harsh impact.

"Ow! Damn that smarts!" the Gorgosaur cried. The Teen Rex could take solace that the jerk was in as much pain as she was.

"Idiot, you don't headbutt the top of the skull," a Daspletosaur chastised. The tyrannosaur holding Matilda raised her up so that she was at eye level with the next tormentor. "You hit her in the top of the snout, like this!"

With another headbutt and the flick of his muzzle, pain exploded across Matilda's nose as she was physically hit out of the grip of her captor. The teen Rex felt like she blacked out for a moment before she stumbled and slammed to the ground. The damn jerk must have hit her hard since she could hear the ringing in her ears.

"HAHA! Look at her squirm!"

As the other tormentors were taunting and jeering at Matilda, someone out of the line of her sight said something to make her guard wander off. Straining her neck up, Matilda could see the smug face of Gorgon, giving her a look of false pity.

"It really is sad, seeing you like this," the blue predator said.

"Shut up, asshole…" Matilda grunted as she stumbled back onto her feet, glaring at him all the while.

"Come on, enough with that. You know it pains me to do this to you." Gorgon chastised. "Such wasted potential. But you really gave me no choice."

Matilda growled at him. "You won't win, blue gimp. My friends back at the park will lay a lot of pain on you."

The Gorgosaurus chuckled. "I'd like to see them try."

Matilda huffed and shook off a cramp in her neck.

"You can still change your mind. Join me. Do so, and I'll give you clemency." The carnivore leader offered. Gorgon genuinely did seem to mean his offer, but the teen Rex wasn't moved.

"Screw that, dumbass."

The Gorgosaur shrugged as he padded off. "Well, that was worth a try. I'll ask you again later."

"What do you want, Gorgon?" Matilda interrupted, making him pause his stride. "Why do you want to meet with Hazel?"

Gorgon curiously cocked a brow.

"Hazel?"

"The leader of the park," Matilda elaborated.

"Hazel...such an odd name." He mused. "Sounds like the name of a weakling."

"Answer the question!" The teen growled.

Gorgon relented. "Fine fine...I may be a ruthless tyrant, but I am not without a bit of fairness. I want to discuss with your 'Hazel' in regards to your release...and your park's surrender."

"Surrender? Ha! If there's something I do know about Hazel, it's that she never quits. She'll never agree to your deals. She'll see you punished for all of this!" Matilda devoutly proclaimed.

"We'll see." Gorgon said as he strode off again.

"Wait…" Matilda called after him. "Those wounds you have...how did you really get them?

"I encountered a couple of large toothed mammals not far from here. Two of which were youngsters. I was about to have my way at them when what I assumed to be their parents came along."

Matilda's eyes widened. 'He's talking about the Sabers.'

"One of them roughed me up. By the time I came to, they escaped." Gorgon answered. He then cocked his brow at the inquisitive teen. "That about cover it, hon?"

Matilda glared at him. "Yeah…"

Gorgon left after that. Planning the assault on the park no doubt. Matilda was relieved that the Sabers were okay. They were most likely back in the safety of the park. A little at the edge of the forest, the Teen Rex could see Gorgon talking to the tyrannosaur guards watching her. Off to the side, she could see the older feathered Rex Tundrous, watching the conversation in silence. Catching her gaze, Tundrous made his way forward to the injured teen.

"Why do you follow that guy?" Matilda grumbled.

Tundrous huffed as he collected his thoughts. "My family and I believed he could save us from this winter."

"He's a monster! He's going to kill my friends!" The teen quickly retorted.

Tundrous, while usually a visage of confidence to Matilda, was silent as he stewed in his thoughts. The teen could see that he was riddled with guilt and confusion. Matilda could tell he would do whatever it takes to make sure his family was safe, even compromising his personal thoughts of his situation.

Matilda spoke up, "I meant what I said. About the park."

Tundrous looks at her.

The teen took this as a sign to continue. "They took me and my brother in after our parents' died. They raised us, fed us, and protected us. They can do the same for you and your family."

The male shook his head, unconvinced. "It's unnatural. You can only survive on your instincts and being with your kind."

"Screw that! You don't have to do that to survive." Matilda barked. "Sometimes, help can come from the most unlikeliest of places. You may think it's unnatural, but my brother and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. They can help you if you let them."

"I am still unsure of your words, but something is telling me you are telling the truth." Tundrous relented, of only a little. "Let's say you are. Who would I need to speak to?"

The teen was elated. Finally, something was turning in her favor. "Talk to Hazel. Ask for her. And make sure you mention me."

The feathered male nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

With that said, Tundrous left before the other tyrannosaurs arrived to take over guard duty. He can hear them resume their taunting and attacking poor Matilda. As he strode back into the forest, hidden behind some foliage was Gorgon's girl Azura. The youngling wore a guilty expression and winced after every hit Matilda suffered. Tundrous huffed as he retreated into the forest to find his mate.

He needed to know both sides' morals before he could commit to either.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Both Tundrous and Sitka walked side by side as they trekked through the army's "camp". The male took his family to the side and told them what he planned to do. Their children were reeling from the Twins' revelation and were not in a good state of mind. The parents let their kids have their space so they can gather themselves. He and Sitka were searching for a specific group of individuals.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sitka spoke up, concern lacing her voice.

"I see no other way." Was Tundrous' curt reply.

His mate huffed in annoyance. "They won't listen to either of us. They'll just run."

"We have to try."

"I've never doubted you once," Sitka relented, "but if this does not work, don't say I warned you."

They stopped as they watched a group of Troodons up ahead. The little feathered carnivores were chattering among themselves, what the subject was Tundrous didn't really care. He scanned the mob of scavengers until one of their members stood out to him. One of them was bright blue, feathers well kept, and had a straighter posture than the other duller shaded bipeds. Judging from how submissive the others are around this one, Tundrous and Sitka assumed this one to be the leader.

Unspoken, Sitka flanked out to the right, getting into position. They both knew Troodons never really stuck around when large carnivores paid direct attention to them, so they had to plan out this encounter to even get close. Once the female Rex was in position, Tundrous sprung into action.

"You there! Blue one!"

With a squawk and shriek of surprise, the Troodons became alert when they saw the immense form of Tundrous approach them. The next second, the whole pack started to panic and run away. Most of the mob scattered and fled into the forest. That suited Tundrous just fine, they only needed the leader.

The blue Troodon was so focused on Tundrous that he didn't see Sitka emerge from the forest. With a gentle nudge, Sitka knocked over the blue Troodon. The little scavenger laid prone and as still as possible. He was completely at their mercy. Not that they had anything violent planned for the scavenger.

"If I were you, I'd stay and listen to him." Sitka said evenly, not as warm as she usually was, but not as threatening given the circumstances.

The Troodon whimpered, thoroughly convinced this was how he was going to die. Before he could start blubbering, a quick snarl from Sitka silenced him. He further cowered in terror when Tundrous made himself known.

"Please...don't hurt me…" the Troodon begged.

"We're not here to hurt you. We just want to talk," Tundrous started cordially. "What is your name?"

"It's Patch," the leader Troodon finally revealed before chuckling with doubt. "And right, that's rich. Coming from a couple of scary rexes. Then you're going to sweet-talk me before the main course."

"Calm down. We just need your help," the male Rex insisted.

Patch laughed, a bit panicked, not believing them. "Oh now they want my help! Ha! What kind of a world am I living in?"

"We know you've been going in and out of that mysterious place and never get caught. You must know your way around there," Tundrous said.

"Place? What place?"

"You know what we speak of. Look, we don't have much time. We need your cooperation," the Male Rex said in a clipped tone.

"Why should I help you? How do I know this isn't a trick?" Patch asked, unconvinced of their intentions.

Tundrous looked at his mate and then back at the Troodon. He gives Patch a grave look.

"Because the fate of all in this valley hinges on your decision," the male intoned.

With that said, the Troodon tensed up and listened in on what the rexes had to say.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rascal silently trudged through the park, his feet breaking the smooth, pristine surface of the snow. At least, as silently as he could be. Pressing through the snow always resulted in those crunching sounds. The only other sound that went off besides his snowy footfalls were the rumbles in his stomach.

The park's Resident Troodon had no idea what to think of the decision he made. He had already done a raid in the park's storage before. He knew how to get there. He knew how to get in. He was hungry, and he wanted food.

Except, two things bugged him. First, he was lazy. He much preferred it if the humans brought him the food, that way he did not have to go there himself. The only thing that counteracted that was he had specific cravings; he felt like eating something bony, like chicken or turkey. His day (or night, he had no idea what time of day it was because of this endless darkness), would have been ruined if they brought him something he had no interest in. So he had to get his lazy butt up and head to the food storage himself.

Then, there was the little nagging feeling in the back of his head. Something that was telling him not to go with it. He already had a few headaches from that last conversation he had with Patch and his pack. That already kept him from getting some good sleep. Then there was that little voice. He wanted to tell it to shut up!

Ever since that night, he could not think straight. His exhaustion had kept him mostly quiet, yet still cranky. He really needed the sleep and he did not feel like yelling his head off at anyone that disturbed him.

Rascal did not know what to think about what Patch and his pack told him. Respect the humans? Not once had he given them an ounce of it. Yet they kept giving regardless. His whole beliefs were being turned upside down thanks to them.

He was tired...and hungry. Perhaps some food will help ease his confusion.

The Troodon stopped abruptly after he turned a corner between two buildings. He found himself looking upon a familiar blue Troodon sniffing at the ground, moving slowly passed him without giving him a glance.

Rascal needed a break. He wanted something to eat. Now, he has to entertain this guy again.

"Goin' somewhere, little boy blue?" he asked, stepping out of the shadows of the two buildings.

The blue hunter whirled around, surprised. His features softened into relief when he looked upon the lithe Park Resident.

"Oh...it's just you."

"Might I ask what you're doin' back here, especially alone?" he continued, exhaustion apparent in his tone. "Where's your lady and the rest of your pack?"

"They're um...resting right now," Patch said quickly with hesitation. "I came here to find someone. Two if the circumstances play differently. Wait, what are you doing out here?"

Rascal found that response odd. He was clearly restless and agitated. Did this guy high on something?

"Eh, you know, just going to raid the food storage again," Rascal said, brushing off previous thoughts as he did not care too much about his story. "Wanted to get a midnight snack. Now what's this about finding someone? Here I thought you guys would rather stay hidden from everyone in the Park."

"That was your idea," the blue Troodon leader pointed out. "You suggested it. But now is different."

Rascal slowly walked past the Alaskan predator and gave him an uninterested glance. "Not sure what you're up to, but I'm too hungry to do any arguin'."

"Rascal, can you please help me?" he seemed to have asked in a begging manner.

The lazy Troodon shrugged and yawned loudly. Whatever this problem was, he did not want any part of it. He had enough problems for one week, especially with that most recent pseudo-attack from those tyrannosaurs. Rascal nearly got stomped on and almost lost his hearing when the Residents in that one tent he was forced to stay in went stir crazy. It was bad he could not stay in his private tent (due to energy concerns was what he heard from one human). It was worse he had to deal with staying with hundreds of other neighbors. He could barely move in there!

"Nah, too lazy," he replied with minimal amusement.

"Please Rascal!" The outburst caused the bright-colored predator to glance back, his irritation rising. At least, that wasn't until he noticed how desperate Patch was. "I need your help! Everyone in this valley is in danger!"

Rascal groaned. "Great, is it those huge feathered bozos again? The humans are just going to ward'em off. We'll be fine."

"It's worse than that! Rascal, you helped me once before. Please, help me again," he begged once again.

He turned and gave him a suspicious look. He figured he was not going to accept his answer. If anything, he would keep pestering him until he gave in. Rascal did not like that.

Then again, if Patch was acting this way, it was very serious. He pondered on what he meant about everyone in the valley being in danger. Patch was not much of a liar, even though they only knew each other for a short time. He could not help but think about that.

If Patch was telling the truth, then he was in trouble too. Sure his speed and quick thinking could get him out of most situations, but the wrong move or bad luck would result in him being in a predator's jaws.

"Why should I?" Rascal inquired, having a little bit of alarm.

The next thing that native said made him gawk. It almost like a wall of glacial ice had collided with him, freezing him in place.

"Because you are a friend to the pack."

Rascal stared at him, utterly bewildered. Friend? He did not have friends. He could not remember if he ever had any, especially before he was brought, or abducted as he would sometimes call it, to Prehistoric Park. In fact, he had no idea what to make of that word. He knew of pack members and acquaintances, but never a friend.

It was jarring, unnatural, and for some reason, he felt warm inside. He could not explain it. It was...different. Like "content" different. What was this feeling?

"Friend?" Rascal cocked a brow ridge, wanting to make sure he heard it right.

Patch nodded furiously. "Yes. Now will you help me?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Terrence paced in his enclosure. It was the hundredth lap he completed since he arrived. Going at that pace, he was sure he may be creating a hole with the tracks he was making.

After his escape from Gorgon's army, and reluctantly leaving his sister behind, the rex had trekked through one of the forest edges of the valley towards the back of the park. Nobody was there, so he managed to sneak back in without an issue. It was also good that the army did not follow him either, for he was far behind them. Any human or Resident that were in the main hub in that direction were freaking out about the attack of the other tyrannosaurs that were coming. Neither of them paid any mind to his arrival, or that he was alone.

All of the park were bunking together in the warming tents, or if they were human, they could be in one of the buildings as well. For Terrence, he chose to go back to his enclosure. He did not feel like being around anybody.

It was dark. As soon as the tyrannosaurs were warded off, it became quiet. That was what he needed.

Terrence felt uneasy and insecure. With Gorgon's demand hanging over his head, he did not know how to approach this. He knew he had to go to Hazel, but that meant having to fess up to his mistakes. She was there; he was also sure she heard everything. The male rex thought about what she thought of him. She probably viewed him as a traitor for all he knew. He and Matilda had pretty much doomed the whole park.

It was a difficult thing. Go to Hazel to save Matilda and risk their lives in the Park, or refuse to do so and try to save Matilda at the cost of his life. Either way, he was in trouble.

And was in even bigger trouble when a certain human interrupted his pacing.

"Back from your excursion?"

He stopped and quickly turned. He gasped when he saw an unamused Hazel glaring at him from behind the wooden fence. Her arms were crossed and her fingers were drumming her skin. Her black hair was freely flowing in winter's chill.

Terrence was happy she was okay. He also assumed Aladar, Patchi, and Chris were alright, otherwise she would be much madder than she was now. Did she already tell the whole park about him and his sister? About Gorgon? He hoped she did not already. But knowing Hazel, perhaps she did. Either way, he was in for it now.

"Uh...hi Hazel," he put up a happy façade. "How are you doing this um...nice night?"

"Can it, Terrence," she waved her hand dismissively and then put her hands on her hips. "I saw you. Aladar, Chris, Patchi, Alex, and I saw you and Matilda with those other tyrannosaurs. We pretty much heard everything."

Terrence frowned. She went straight to it. He gulped and prepared himself for the worst.

"Did you...did you already tell everyone?" he pensively inquired.

"Not yet. We plan to do that when we call for a unified park meeting in a bit. So far, everyone is recovering from that near attack the park just had. However, since you are curious, the only ones that are aware are the rest of the department heads, which like me, are not pleased at all."

Terrence sighed. "I can explain…"

Hazel made a most unnerving chuckle. Her smile reeked of sarcasm. "Do tell."

The male rex took a quick breath and proceeded to explain everything. All while Hazel watched silently. "Matilda and I...we met a few native rexes here. And we made friends with them. They taught us to hunt properly. It was the first time we ever got to do that, and we liked it! Matilda and I, we never got to experience our heritage before. No offense, we do like the park, but it was like we were missing a part of ourselves. And we wanted to get in touch with it. We didn't mean to sneak out."

The rex took in another breath, his stomach still filled with pent up anxiety as to what Hazel will do next.

"But now our mistake is costing everyone's lives here. Gorgon means to invade the park. And he's got a whole army too. My sister and I knew he was bad news from the start. We're sorry, we didn't mean to cause this mess."

He hoped that would be enough to soften the blow. Everything now off his chest, he felt his shoulders lighten a bit. Though his insides were still knotted from the apprehension that was to come. The park was in danger, and it was his and Matilda's fault. He understood why Hazel would be angry. And he knew she was not going to go easy on him.

"I know. Judging from that meeting, he's not a good character.," she said, surprising him on how calmly she was taking this. She shrugged and continued. "Look, you and your sister, and myself and the park messed up. We kept you from embracing what you two really are. And we're sorry for that. We should have known better."

Terrence went bug-eyed. He did not believe what she had just said. It was true, the park feared him and his sister going rogue after the park's first breakout. Mostly that was Matilda's fault. He understood why the humans and the herbivores would fear them. He understood why they did what they did to restrict them, but the park's relations got better. Hazel herself broke the wall that he and his sister had. Together, they took down Diablo and restored peace to the park. Not once did they attack anybody else.

But she did have another point to that. From their time with the native rexes, they learned more about their culture. The humans barely knew any of that. They were just relying on what they heard and saw on the media, as a human once told them before. The only opponent they had to practice their skills were on each other (and occasionally the toys the park made for them).

The park did care about them. They just had little insight on what they really needed. Maybe now that Hazel had a better understanding, things could get better for them all.

"So you're not going to punish us?" Terrence asked, hoping for the best answer.

Hazel's lax manner took a strict turn. A frown became an angry glare once again. "Oh, you think you're going to get off that easily? No, you two are in a lot of trouble. I will not deny that you and Matilda's actions have placed this park's safety in jeopardy, and I'm not happy about that."

She relaxed her arms and crossed them again. As angry as she was, this was no time to discuss that. "But that is going to have to wait as we have bigger problems to deal with. Now, onto the other matter. Where's your sister?"

Terrence grimaced. This whole talk had drawn his attention from what was really at stake. For a moment, he did not think about his sister. Now that she mentioned it, all worry resurfaced again. How long had it been since he was back in the park? He dreaded to think of what those horrible rogues were doing to her. He feared the worst should he go through with what was demanded of him.

But now Hazel was here, and he must do as he was told. For Matilda.

Noticing the rex's change of expression, Hazel's features turned into worry. "Terrence? What happened?"

As he told her Gorgon's message, he saw how upset she became. Her fingers rubbed her temples and she complained of wishing she slept more. While neither of them mentioned it, they both agreed that rest would have to wait.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hazel tightly straddled her legs as Aladar walked. The ditches and other forest obstacles made her more mindful of her balance on him. At least her fever was gone.

Even though she rode on Aladar dozens of times (and had gotten used to it), she wondered if the Park could make saddles for humans to use on Residents. Saddles would allow for better maneuverability and balance when riding. They would just have to remove the reins as there was no need for them with the language barrier down. Then again, it was mostly her that would ride on one. Well, her and perhaps her future team.

On the other hand, Aladar may not like that. And neither would the other Residents. A saddle would restrict their movements. Hazel could not blame them. They would rather be free of restraint. Flia had just gotten used to her saddle so she was the exception.

It was merely a thought.

After the chase earlier that day, Hazel was instructed to get to the infirmary to get some rest. The group had already agreed to not mention to anyone else of their discovery, as they had enough for one day. Before she left for the infirmary, Hazel wanted to break the news to Ellis and Daisy. They had a short meeting in Ellis' workshop. Chris was the one that led it and explained everything. He volunteered to do so. She would have done it, but after he saved her from falling onto the ice, she allowed him to do it.

And sure enough, Ellis and Daisy were not happy about it. Everyone agreed to set up a park meeting in twelve hours. They would need to inform the other staff members to prepare getting the Residents to the main hub as well as construct a makeshift podium to announce the dreaded news.

That, and everyone needed some rest.

The infirmary was devoid of any Resident, save for the Protoceratops sisters that were recently evacuated there and were sleeping in the nursery. The hospital beds had no occupants, making her the only one there.

The peace and quiet was good, but with the day's recent events, she wanted to get straight to work. Her sleep was only a mere five hours, but at least she was rested. And after taking her own temperature with a thermometer she picked up from the first aid station nearby, she found her fever had disappeared.

After she confronted Terrence about him and Matilda's mishap, she was pulled into yet another precarious situation. One that led to her calling for another meeting with Daisy, Ellis, and Chris back at Ellis' workshop. Gorgon held Matilda hostage and demanded to speak to the park leader, which was her for the most part. It had not been made official to the rest of the staff and they still regarded Chris as the park's leader.

Daisy and Ellis were against the idea. The head engineer said this was a trap. Gorgon may be trying to lure her out just to dispose of her without much issue. Hazel told him even if it was, he still had Matilda. Daisy suggested they all go, but Hazel denied it. She said it would be better if they stayed since the park needed them.

Chris volunteered to have a small team of armed employees accompany her. He would tell them to call her the leader even though it was unofficial. Hazel hoped his explanations would not cause any heated arguments. He also said he would instruct them to not tell anyone of the details of the meeting, as the park meeting later on would cover that.

The plans were well underway when they heard some loud thuds on the door. When Ellis opened it, he yelped with surprise and fell on his butt at who was there to greet him.

It was Aladar and Patchi.

Apparently, the two of them wanted to check up on the group as they saw how frantic they looked on their way to the workshop. It just so happened that they were listening in on the conversation too.

They wanted to come along. If this meeting would decide the fate of everyone in the valley, they wanted in on it. Their request was fully granted as it made the department heads feel a little better since Hazel was about to get some larger guards. Chris also said Terrence should come too as he may be able to help with mediating the situation.

And so, Hazel made her way to the edge of their part of the valley where Terrence predicted they would be. In her entourage were the two male alphas of the separate herds in the park, an overly upset male rex, and a group of ten armed employees riding on ATVs that were uneasy about the whole thing. The humans wore thick clothing layers under their coats; it was the best they could do for armor at the moment.

Sure enough, their guess was right. There was a lone brown-striped Gorgosaur there. Neither of them knew how long he had been waiting for them. The solitary hunter gestured to them to follow while the group maintained a significant distance. Hazel had instructed the employees to keep an eye around them; Ellis could be right if this was a trap.

Several minutes of cautious following later, they arrived. Instead of being out in the open, they were led into the forest in a different clearing where the tyrannosaurs had their last meeting. In fact, they were a bit of ways from where the army was stationed. This glade was much larger, being the size of a football field. There were more boulders than before. The trees seemed to be even more imposing here as their branches seemed to reach out into the space.

Despite it being a dark forest, the full moon above had illuminated the glade enough for the humans to put away their night vision goggles.

Up ahead, they saw the other party. Leading the group was Gorgon, who stood sneering at the very front. Backing him up were four other Gorgosaurs, one of which was the same blue Gorgosaurus female Hazel saw before. And standing in between the two burly male predators, beaten and exhausted with bruises and several scratches, was Matilda.

A snarl brought Hazel's attention to the male rex next to her. She could see he was angry. Hazel sympathized; she was angry too. But she specifically told him, and everyone else for that matter, not to engage the enemy. Doing so would jeopardize the situation.

When they stopped before them, Hazel's eyes fell upon the leading blue Gorgosaurus. He was smaller than an average Tyrannosaurus rex, but with a smaller size came increased speed. She knew he could be just as dangerous as his larger cousins. As she looked into those yellow eyes, she could sense a creeping malice in them. It was restrained, but it was prevalent.

Gorgon looked upon the group with surprise and interest. His eyes then fell on the lone Pachyrhinosaurus. Amusement filled his features.

"I remember you," he started.

"Hello again," Patchi pawed at the snow-covered ground, a cloud of air wafted up from a snort. "Ready to lose your other arm?"

"Is that your best at threatening me?" asked the unfazed predator.

"Oh I can be threatening, you monster!" the ceratopsian leaned back and was about to charge when Aladar had outstretched a hoof to block him.

"Easy Patchi!" he said, giving him a schooling look. "Remember why we're here."

The Alaskan horned warrior snorted and shook his head. He straightened himself and calmed, all while giving the blue predator an icy glare.

Gorgon nodded, satisfied by the result. "Well said, leaf-eater."

"I delivered your message," Terrence proclaimed. "Now let Matilda go!"

"Hold on," the Gorgosaurus leader slowly observed the humans. He gave them a sniff after taking a step forward. Hazel resisted the urge to vomit; his breath smelled like decay. The only reaction she gave was a little grimace.

Gorgon straightened and responded condescendingly. "So these are what humans are. Not as threatening as I was led to believe. Are you sure they really are dangerous, Terrence?"

That caused all of the humans to aim their shock guns at him, the newly added red pointers glitter onto the tyrannosaur's body. His dried bloody scratches and the red dots had given him a different hue. The guns sounded off as they were cocked and ready to fire. Hazel did not have a gun, but felt her hand instinctively fall on her dagger, despite the weapon being less than ideal for the situation.

It was not just the humans that went on the defensive. The Gorgosaurs did as well . They roared and snapped at the party, ready to take their heads off. Neither of them knew what the guns would do, but they did perceive it as a threat.

"Oh we can be, if you make us," Hazel replied with a hint of venom.

Gorgon silently signaled all of them to relax with a glare. On command, they backed down, but still let out soft growls. The employees, on the other hand, kept their guns locked on the blue hunter.

"Which one of you is the leader of this 'Temporary Park'?" asked Gorgon.

Hazel crossed her arms. "That would be me."

When his eyes fell on her again, he broke out into laughter. Once again, his hot stinking breath collided with their senses.

"You're the leader!? Hahahaha! This is the mighty leader these Twins spoke of!? You're a shrimp! Ah hahahahaha! "

Following him were the two other males, who guffawed just as loud as him. The only ones that did not laugh were the females that were present.

Hazel grit her teeth at his last remark. She hated it whenever she was called out for her size. She resisted any urge to stab that bastard and his underlings in the neck. As much as she wanted to make him choke on metal, they were here to get Matilda and listen to this mongrel's demands.

Moments passed and Gorgon fell into quiet chuckles. He then shot cold glares at the two others that laughed with him.

"Alright alright! Enough!" he commanded, the two males falling quiet.

"I got your message," the woman reiterated what was demanded of her. "I'm here. Now let...Matilda...go."

Said hunter huffed. "Okay, I don't turn back on my requests."

With one quick glance at the beaten rex, he swiped his head quickly, signaling her to go. Matilda limped to the other party as fast as she could. Looking over at her right leg, Hazel could see there was a sizable gash on it. The blood had dried, but each step caused the female rex to grimace. Not only were the tyrannosaurs mongrels, they were bloody insane!

They watched as Matilda rejoined her brother. The two siblings did a quick headbutt, which was then followed by a neck embrace. All the while, the huntress winced at each movement.

"You okay?" Terrence inquired as he looked at each of her injuries.

"I'm fine…" Matilda let out a labored breath. "I just need some rest."

Without saying another word, she turned and faced the opposing party. She became as serious as she could, all while ignoring the pain of her injuries. Hazel knew she would need immediate treatment.

Hazel schooled her features and brought her attention back to the predators. "Thank you. So...I'm here. What do you want?"

"Not so fast," Gorgon interjected. "This meeting is a bit too crowded. Let's go someplace a little...quieter. Leader to leader. Come with me so we can talk more privately."

"Oh great...he's that type," Hazel thought with a mix of annoyance and uneasiness.

"No way," Aladar stepped in with a stomp of his right hoof. "We are not leaving her alone."

"Back off, blue fry!" snarled one of the male Gorgosaurs. His teeth showed off bits of flesh and blood. He must have eaten before this meeting. "The boss demands it!"

Patchi roared angrily and pawed once more. "No, you back off you brown turd!"

Hazel swung one foot over and hung on one side. Aladar sensed this and was surprised by her landing on the snow. She groaned at the landing, but was not injured. Immediately, she got in front of her group and raised her hands up.

"Everyone, stop! Please!"

Surprisingly, Gorgon stepped up and supported the woman's command. Except instead of saying it to the Park ambassadors, he turned and did so to his subordinates.

"Stand down!" his command caused the others to back down reluctantly.

He turned towards Hazel and narrowed his eyes. To the woman, it was like a giant was staring down at an ant. Still, she kept her composure. She had to, for her friends and the park.

"This is no cause for conflict," he took a glance at both parties, replying with a calmer and oddly content tone. "Remember, we're just here to talk. All of you, play nicely."

Gorgon looked back at the tiny human. "Now 'Hazel', if you'll come with me…"

The sea-blue Iguanodon rushed up and got between him and the Asian. His features hardened into a determined expression.

"Where she goes, I go."

The alpha tyrannosaur sighed and rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "It would seem you are very hard of hearing."

"I'm a leader too," the ornithopod defended, trying to use a loophole.

Patchi took a step forward as well. "So am I!"

Gorgon chuckled at the amusing sight of the two herbivores trying to weasel their way into his meeting. "Well, that's cute. But I came here to speak to the leader of 'Temporary Park'. And if I heard it right, she is the leader," he gestured down at the lonely human female.

Hazel turned and gave them a reassuring glance. The two herd leaders softened and backed away, all while giving her worried looks.

"Guys, it's okay. I'll be fine."

"Relax, we'll just be over there," the Gorgosaurus adjusted his body to the side and then pointed his head over at a solitary, low rising boulder about two-hundred feet away. "You have my word that no harm will come to her. Now, let's be off, shall we?"

The walk was short, but having an ornery and power-hungry tyrannosaur walk close to you made things unsettling. Gorgon had opted to slow his walking pace to stick with the human. It was almost as if he were analyzing her with every step. He had never seen a human before, and Hazel was the first one he managed to get close to.

Hazel's hand once again fell on her dagger. This Gorgon was an oily character. He may have sounded sincere back there when he said no harm would come to her, but that did not prevent Hazel from feeling on edge. He had her all to himself. Her guard was yards behind her. This was Gorgon's chance to end her in one blow.

A waft of warm air blew from behind her. Her hair flew free for a moment. The breath was not welcoming against the cold. It stunk like death.

Gorgon was sniffing her from behind...and breathing on her. He was getting a taste of her scent.

Hazel walked a little faster. Her pace quickened to a brisk walk. Against a predator that was 2.5 tons and more than 30 feet long, this would be amusing to him. He was driving her like cattle.

She shook her head quickly. She had to keep her cool. He was trying to scare her. No, it was not just that. He was gauging how much of a threat she was to him.

"Don't run," she told herself, maintaining her pace. "That's what he wants. Don't give him that satisfaction."

Hazel looked ahead. The rock was thirty feet away. Just a little longer…

Another cloud of that disgusting stench blew from behind. He was sniffing her again. Only this time, he growled. Hazel knew he was doing it to scare her.

She schooled herself and ignored it. As she did, her grip on her dagger got tighter. It may be made of metal, but if she had herculean strength, she would have snapped the hilt. She wanted so much as to stab him in the face for getting too close. She was like a mouse to a giant, prehistoric, cat. A cat that stood on two legs, had scales, disgusting breath, and a nasty bite.

Her eyes darted around her surroundings. There were a few smaller boulders here and there. They would not provide much protection if she went on the wrong side. Some had small spaces for her to hide in. But Gorgon was taller, meaning more maneuverability. He could snatch her up by the head or foot.

The trees could provide some cover, but that meant having to deal with more obstacles that would slow her down like hidden ditches, rocks, and more.

There was a fallen log to her 2:00 position. It was hollow. She could use that to take cover, at least for a little bit. That could be useful.

A rush of blue to her right and she gasped. His head was low and his jaws were opening, revealing pillars of saliva. His yellow eye was once again on her. Through that giant maw, she thought she saw him smile a little. Whether it was by his devious smarts or her anxiety, she wondered if he knew to cover her exits.

"Keep it together, Hazel," she shakily reassured herself, "He's just toying with you."

A moment later, and the tyrannosaur had straightened himself. The predator sped up to the boulder, which was just a mere ten feet away. He stood at the side of the rock where the sharpest point was closest to him.

Hazel let out a breath. She survived this part of the battle. She read the hidden message he was giving and climbed the low incline. The boulder gave her a two-meter lift. Gorgon merely took a few steps back; all Hazel needed to do was to look up a little.

Regardless of the height increase, she was still a meter shorter than him. It was like she was a piece of snack on a silver plate.

She took one glance at her group. They were quite active judging by their bickering and glaring. She could not make out what they were saying, but she could hear their voices. She guessed the Gorgosaurs there were keeping up with the taunting, while Aladar could be playing the peacemaker. Patchi was not moving or talking at all; he must be trying to control himself from attacking them.

Hazel turned back to Gorgon. The quicker they can get with this meeting, the quicker they can leave. She and her group did not want to be here longer than they should.

"Okay, what do you want?" she once again asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Gorgon relaxed into a more informal demeanor, something that was off-kiltering to her. "Getting a good look at you, I know you eavesdropped on my meeting earlier. You know, it is rude to listen in on a private conversation."

"I know that. But if it involves the livelihoods of everyone here, then we're obligated to listen," Hazel responded, narrowing her eyes at the last sentence."

The Gorgosaur made a nod. "True. I would have done the same thing. You know what we mean to do. You know what is coming."

Hazel grit her teeth. "I wish I didn't. Before we move on, I need to ask one thing."

The hunter cocked his brow ridge at her. "Oh?"

"Temporary Park was attacked by a large group of Albertosaurus earlier during our stay. From what I recall, your army does not only include Gorgosaurs. You've got rexes in there too, and probably others of your kind. So tell me, did you send those Albertosaurus?"

Hazel needed to know. The Park needed to know. That was the first thing that came to her mind when she had that short meeting with Chris, Ellis, and Daisy. If this guy was leading an army of tyrannosaurs from nearby regions, then she wanted to know if those Albertosaurus from earlier were with him. The department heads and herself theorized he sent them out not only to follow Patchi's herd to where they could find more prey, but when they arrived in the valley, he could have sent them to scope out the perimeter of the park area. That attack they did before could have been a way to test out the Park defenses, at the cost of some members.

He may have pulled them back, wanting to control them from going crazy before the main attack. It would be like a madman controlling a lot of rabid hounds, holding onto them with leashes.

If that was the case, Gorgon would be more cunning than either of them expected. It was a slim chance though. The army she saw earlier was gathered more recently. Still, she needed to know.

Her answer turned in her favor when Gorgon growled his reply.

"Those buffoons?" he snorted. "I did not. They were reckless. They were a gathering of rogues that all had the same thing in mind. They not only kill to feed themselves. They kill for fun. They were all greedy. So we dealt with them the only way we knew. Those that did survive fled this valley. Those that did not helped us survive these cold days by filling our bellies."

Hazel said nothing. Though, she did want to breathe a sigh of relief. Those tyrannosaurs from earlier were an army of rogues that dogged after prey in the intent for both sport and sustenance. They were more like a plague than predators nature made.

Thinking of that, she could not help but think of Gorgon, and perhaps the rest of his army. That meeting they had earlier made him sound just like those Albertosaurs, only he was smarter, and had more supporters to boot. Hazel continued to glare at him.

"With them gone, we don't have much of an issue with getting to what we need," he continued with indifference, "Your 'park', on the other claw, has more than enough meat to sustain us for many months. Not sure if you are aware, but us predators need meat to survive. It's what keeps us going. Unlike leaf-eaters, which eat the disgusting green stuff that grows everywhere, we need flesh and blood to sustain us."

Hazel was not surprised. She could not fathom the number of times she was told this. She was already aware of the natural order.

The next thing Gorgon said made her blood boil.

"We don't want too much of a fight. So I'm going to ask you this now; surrender and allow all of us to get our fill. In return, we'll spare you and your underlings that followed you here. That is, if you cooperate."

Hazel clenched her fists. Now she wanted to stab him in the eyes. "You expect us to give up our lives just to sustain yours? You must be crazy to think that way! That's sickening!"

"It is what it is," Gorgon replied smugly. "We do what we must to live."

"I understand that," she narrowed her eyes again, "but we are not giving in."

The tyrannosaur sighed. Hazel watched him, waited for him to snap. From what she got from this guy, he wanted things to go smoothly for him and his army. He wanted her permission to get to the Park and for him and his army to have their way. He truly was disgusting. To her, he was like the equivalent of a gangster boss with malice on steroids.

Gorgon merely sighed. She did not see any hint of rage on him. There was a slight hint of irritation, like a gnat was biting at his scales that caused him an itch. He did not attack, but she was still unsettled by this.

"Seems like I'm not getting through to you. Let me tell you a story."

He turned to his left and began to slowly walk around the rock, all while his eyes stayed on her. Hazel did not move as he spoke, but she turned a little just to make sure her sights were on him.

"I had a mate once, many years ago. She was the mother of my only child, Azura, who is over there, by the way," he gestured back at the group for a moment. Hazel's gaze fell on them for a moment, specifically the younger blue Gorgosaurus. "She was a strong mate. We hunted together. We looked after each other. Nothing stood in our way."

Gorgon frowned, his tone taking a darker turn as he went through his story. "Until one cold season. We just had our meager fill. Azura was only a youngling then. We came across a small herd that stayed in a valley much like this one. They believed themselves to be safe there. Except there was only one way in, and that was also their way out. They were trapped. We had them all to ourselves. I told her we needed to hunt them all down, so that we could survive the cold."

The blue hunter growled. Hazel's hand fell on her dagger again as a result.

"But she did not fully agree with me. She said it was madness. There was no sense in overhunting when their numbers would be greater next season. We needed only the meager amount to survive; a few prey items from the herd at best. We fought about it, which caused her to leave. We hunted them all without her, leaving none alive. I did not see her for many days. Then, I found her outside the valley, frozen and lifeless."

When Gorgon finished his story, he stopped in front of her once more. This time, he stood a little taller than he did before. Once again, she was an ant to him.

"I care about my pack. I care about my family. I am doing what I must to help them survive."

Hazel felt sympathy for this creature. He had lost his mate over conflicting ideals. Azura had become motherless. They were trying to survive in a land that was always against them. Hazel knew what it was like to lose a loved one and having to carry on without them.

He also cared about the survival of his pack and family. They were going through tough times and he made a rough choice; either hunt the herd down or let them live. Hazel was in a similar situation with the park. She had to make hard decisions, like getting everyone to retreat and leave the ones that chose to fight off the Albertosaurus. And if they all managed to make it back to Prehistoric Park, she knew that more difficult situations would come.

But, Gorgon was willing to exploit each and every opportunity to survive, even if it meant creating more problems in the future. His mate was against that. She was more sensible, more aware, of the consequences. She was more aware of the natural order. And Gorgon would not listen to reason. Him exploiting that herd had cost him more than prey for the near future in that area.

Nature had a delicate balance. She thought back to her days back in high school, back to the short period in time she studied biology and ecosystems. The populations in those systems operated in a way that influenced how the order would turn out. If there was a disruption in one part of that system, the order would go into chaos.

Too many carnivores would mean smaller populations of herbivores, which would mean not enough food in the future. On the other hand, if there were too many herbivores, their populations would grow out of control, which would disrupt the landscape. There would be a reduction in vegetation, until the food would run out.

Carnivores, herbivores, omnivores and even decomposers all rely on each other to survive. Each one keeps the others in check. That balance was crucial for all of them.

"The Twin rexes mentioned you have a knack for helping others," Gorgon said, bringing her attention back from her thoughts. "So I ask you again. Help me and my pack. Let us feast on what we need. Do that, and we'll spare you, your underlings, and maybe a few of our choosing. We are alike, you and I. We both want what is best for our packs."

Hazel scowled at him. Once again, he was prodding her with sympathy and stinging persuasion. His words were laced with venom.

"I won't deny, that was a pretty sad story," she replied, trying to keep her emotions in control. "And it is pretty hard to be a leader. You will need to make some tough decisions at times, and they would sometimes be life or death to you and those around you. Sometimes, you may even have some opposition to your status and beliefs. I can sympathize with all of those."

She breathed slowly. The hardships she went through ran in her mind as she explained everything she had learned. There were good memories and bad ones, but all of them taught her lessons she would need in the future.

"But," she glared at him once again, "the answer is still no. There is a delicate balance in nature. Disrupting that balance would lead to chaos. You hunted that small herd down, but what of the next winter? I bet you and your pack were left with almost nothing in that valley. We will not stand by and allow our friends to be your prey."

Gorgon huffed. She watched as his expression fell into disarray. Gone was the calm demeanor he sported in the beginning. Now, she was glimpsing the rage of the predator she witnessed before, when he was denied what he wanted. Coming to the surface was the raging monster.

She pointed at him, determination clear on her features. "We are not alike. Our motives are as different as Night and Day."

Gorgon's eyes narrowed. His jaws opened slightly to reveal those razor teeth again. "Such a shame. Your noble decision has led to your demise."

Hazel was unafraid. She knew it would come to it. But, in a last ditch effort, she tried once again to turn it around.

"Gorgon, we don't have to fight each other. It doesn't have to be this way. We can help you."

"Oh you will," he replied in an ominous manner. "You will help by letting us feast on you. The only way to survive is to follow your instincts. Help is only another form of weakness."

"Don't do this, Gorgon. It will only end badly for you. We don't want to fight, but if it means defending our lives, then we will," she said gravely towards the undeterred predator.

Gorgon answered her with an angry snort. Once again, his disgusting breath stung her senses. No more words were exchanged between them as the two of them had reached the end of their meeting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The walk back was uneventful, a saving grace for Hazel as she watched Gorgon's movements. He did not harass her like before. Instead, he only glared at her as they strode side by side. He was angry, but he was restraining himself. She knew he was only doing it as he would have the chance to kill her later. Him sparing her and her group only meant he wanted to kill them all when they were together. It would seem even for a brutish warmonger, he had a hint of twisted honor to him.

When she returned, the bickering between both groups had silenced. Taking one look at them again, the woman noticed that both of the females that were present had stayed a bit more off to the side. They seemed submissive, almost as if they wanted nothing to do with this little verbal altercation that had taken place. It was something she found a little odd.

Hazel hauled herself back onto Aladar's back, the dinosaur lowered himself to allow her to ride on him. She patted him twice on the back as a silent form of thanks. She braced herself as he quickly readjusted himself to his normal height.

Both parties faced each other silently, except for Gorgon who summarized the result of the conversation.

"We have discussed, and we have decided. I offered the human female salvation in the form of their chance to surrender. She refused."

The Gorgosaurus snarled at his enemies. "Here I thought things could go easily. You will all die, but I am not without mercy."

Hazel remained quiet. Mercy in his world was twisted. Regardless, she listened as he proclaimed his decision on the near future.

"We will give you two sunrises. Fight or escape, it does not matter. You will all perish anyway."

He chuckled with amusement and malice. "Well, escape would not be an option. There is no other way out of this valley."

The leading tyrannosaur turned his back to them. He made a quick glance back at the mixed group of humans and dinosaurs. "Make your peace with your Maker. Let's move!"

With his command, the group of native carnosaurs evacuated the premises. Their thundering steps shook the ground a little, only for it to subside as they went towards the edge of the clearing. Minutes later, they were gone.

As soon as they left, the representatives of Temporary Park made their escape. They walked, or in the employees' case, drove, briskly back to the safety of the sanctuary. Some of them were taking quick glances behind and all around to make sure there was no ambush coming at them. When they left the treeline, they relaxed as the danger was behind them, for now.

Hazel thought back to the last words she and Gorgon exchanged. Neither of them were willing to back down. It had resulted in a standoff that would decide the fate of those in this valley. She felt uneasy inside. Hazel spoke for the Park; as their leader, she would never turn them over to death. She would never abandon them.

But, she could not help but feel a hint of guilt. She had also doomed everyone in the Park with her bravery. Would it be called that or foolishness? No, she did her best to try to convince Gorgon to not go through with his demand. She gave him an open door and he refused. Now the park must prepare for the onslaught of tyrannosaurs that were about to barge through its walls.

The question was, would everyone there be willing to fight? She knew some of them would go for it, but there were those that were not fighters. What had her ramblings led her to?

"You were very brave, Hazel," Aladar glanced back at her. Hazel's attention broke away from her thoughts as she looked upon that reassuring smile the Iguanodon gave her. "I'm proud of you. And I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you," she shot him a fleeting smile, "I did have some good teachers."

"So what happened back there?" asked Patchi.

Hazel frowned, letting out a sigh. "I'll explain when we get back."

She then brought her attention to the employees on their ATVs. Thank goodness all of the Park's ATVs had stealth exhaust before coming to this time. Otherwise, trying to call out to them would have been difficult over the noise. That and the Twins would have spotted Hazel's group before that espionage on Gorgon's plans and things would have not worked in their favor.

"Can one of you please radio Chris?" she asked the humans around her. "Ask to call a unified Park meeting."

One of them on her left acknowledged her and started radioing for the head keeper at the park. As he did that, the one nearest to her inquired about what had occurred.

"So what did that 'Gorgon' mean?" the employee, a young man in his thirties, questioned. "We're all in danger again...aren't we?"

He was then followed by the employee that was driving behind him. He was just as worried as his co-worker. "What are we going to do?"

Hazel gave them all a determined look before resigning herself to silence. She had no idea how to answer that. It was best when they were all together in that park meeting they will have. She knew what she said to Gorgon before. But will the Park fight? Hazel worried that she had made a grave mistake again.

If Gorgon was right, then there really was no other way out of the valley. The only real exit they had was the Time Poles, but they were still out of commission. Nigel had also not replied to her messages at all, giving her the assumption that the temporal distortion was interfering with the communication. They were trapped in this time until the Time Poles reactivated.

As they neared the Park, Hazel readied herself for the chaos that was about to ensue.

A.N. Just a quick note but Marc and I both wrote this chapter. He did the chase scene, Matilda's torture scene, and Tundrous and Sitka meeting with Patch. I did the rest of them. Stay tuned for the next chapter! :)