|
Leviathans Re-Written (Act I)
By Vader
Ten years after the Prologue . . .
ACT I - PART A: RUSSELL
Dr. Paul Russell sat in his camouflage tent. He peered out through a small opening in the canvas, and beyond was a clearing and a stretched out nesting site. Miasaurs and Iguanodons sat on their nests, which looked like small craters. There were at least one hundred of these crater-like crevices in the ground, and the result made the place look a massive meteor shower took place here. But in reality, it was all rows and rows of nests, sheltering the eggs that lay in them.
Russell was a man of about thirty and was muscular. He had sleek, black hair and was quite good-looking. He wore a dirty white lab coat and boots that were sprayed with mud. He adjusted his reading glasses, disturbing a trickle of sweat on his eyebrow. Clearing his throat for just a moment, he looked away from the nests to a clip board on which he was taking explicitly detailed notes on.
His tent was set up on the brink of a large, humidity-filled, Brazilian forest. The forest broke in the middle to leave a large open space for this site. And it was perfect - for Russell's research and everyone else's. It contained a few small benches, a light-wait carry case with files in it, and a cooler to retrieve refreshing drinks.
His time spent in this place was what everyone on earth dreamed of. Boys and girls have always been fascinated by the "extinct" creatures called dinosaurs that once roamed the earth. Grown men and women are attracted to them because since they are so fascinating and you can use your imagination about what they were like in every aspect, dinosaurs have that same pull and as regular myths and legends and can give you a craving for more. And that was what Russell loved. Something so great, so fantastic, so imaginative, can actually inspire you to want to learn. Nothing else that he knew of could make a person want that, accept for the search for God.
He drew his attention back to the Miasaurs. Their name meant "mother-lizard" and it fit them well. Colored in a grey color with a few dull orange blotches, they were so careful and gentle with their young - whether they were hatched or unhatched. An example of this extreme love and care drew his attention when a mother Miasaur suddenly trumpeted aloud. It was so loud, it almost startled Russell. He looked down to see what the commotion was about as other mias looked over at her. Her egg had hatched, revealing a goo-soaked newborn baby. The mother nuzzled it and cuddled with it to make it feel warm . . . cozy . . . secure. Russell smiled. "Hmm. Wow," he whispered, further taking notes.
Some of the notes he was taking people already new. After all, they were behavioral charts put on order to examine any patterns in the dinosaurs' traits. Although everyone knew the mias were fantastic mothers, what Russell just saw with the newborn baby just made him want to write it for himself, even though his boss would probably give him a long lecture about only taking notes on unusual things. But, he was thorough man and his personal opinion was that he should write specific occurrences and interesting examples about traits already known.
Suddenly, the mia hooted and lowed again. Russell quickly peered out once more. The bushes shook on the edge of the nesting grounds. Two five-foot tall tan-covered, dark-brown- striped, dark-red-blotched animals with a mane of feathers came bounding out. Velociraptors. Their muscles flexed and bulged, preparing to jump at lightning speed with low purrs, as the mother mia instinctively circles herself around here squeaking infant to form a strong barrier of protection.
The two predators both attacked the mother in unity, one landing on her back and the other on her neck, shrieking and hissing. They chewed, clawed and ripped her flesh. The razor sharp toe of the alpha male dug into her side as the mother mia hollered.
She dropped to the ground and rolled over on her back, laying on the raptor as is it howled in pain. The female raptor continued to gnaw on her neck with ferocity. Then, from the other side of the nesting grounds, another mia - a larger male - came up and whacked the raptor with his head. The hard punch knocked the predator away from its prey.
The alpha male raptor continued to scream as the mia rolled over and over some more. It scratched at her side, but the mother didn't stop. The female raptor realized she could not win against a full grown, sturdy, mia male. So she went to the newborn mia baby and begin to run off into the foliage.
At that, before the raptor could even begin to eat the baby, the other mia angrily bellowed and got off the alpha. She whipped her tail around and got the female raptor just in time, before she could run away, swiftly taking back her young as the raptor slammed against the ground. The male mia stomped its feet on the female raptor as the mother mia tucked her young close to her, affectionately showing her heart-warming love, nuzzling it. The two badly beaten and defeated raptors ran away, back into the mask and concealment of the greenery. "Good job, mias," Russell breathed with a smile and took a few more notes.
As the doctor was in the middle of writing a sentence, Russell's radio crackled. "Russell, you there?" a man asked. Russell quickly put down his clip board and picked up the radio and pressed a button.
"I'm here, Rick," Russell replied.
"You've got to come see this," Rick came back, "I've made an awesome discovery!" Replying with an affirmation, Russell flipped off the radio and quickly went to take his truck to the location his friend was currently at.
ACT I - PART B: PANGAEGA
Russell pulled his jeep up to the side of a tree where he saw a figure standing and waiting. His jeep had mud splattered all over it and was obviously a well worn vehicle. He adjusted his mirror, which had just been slapped by the branch of a tree, and then got out to walk over to Rick Leavesden, a man that had lived in England as a child but had picked up a noticeable American accent while living in the U.S. for a long time.
"Hurry and come see this!" Rick yelled. Excitedness was all over his face with a wide smile. He jumped onto a branch and pulled himself up further so that his whole body was concealed behind the leaves. Russell shrugged and ran over to follow him, following the same motion.
Once up in the tree, Rick pointed to a branch that divided into two, which carried atop it a large nest. It looked like a giant version of a bird's nest - twigs, branches, and grass surrounding five oval shaped eggs. Rick quickly took out his tape measurer and spread it to the length of the nest. "Two feet wide!" he smiled. "We are witnessing adaption here, Paul!"
Russell's breath was taken away. "We certainly are! It's amazing to me that the dinosaur made its nest up here," Russell nodded. "We are in raptor territory, correct?"
"That's right."
"Well I doubt those beasts would leave their nest alone for too long. We shouldn't really . Did you take photos?"
"You bet I did. A full role!"
"Don't overdo it. Come on. We want to get out of here before they return." By now, after years of behavioral study, the local researches knew well enough to keep away as best possible from the places of security for the offspring of the dinosaurs.
The two scientists carefully climbed down the tree so as to not shake up the nest. They landed on their feet in the dirt, kicking up a small spray of the moist ground. Russell got into his jeep and Rick got into his both closing their doors. "Ah, buggah! My window's cracked! Got to get that fixed," Rick exclaimed, realizing and taking note of what had happened to his car. Russell smiled at the expression from England he used. Sometimes, several years in another culture don't change a thing.
They both started their engines and drove out of the jungle. Just before the tree with the nest in it was out of sight, in Russell's rearview mirror, something whisked by. In a split second, he whirled his head around to look. He thought he saw a flash of something returning to the nest, but he couldn't be sure. If it was heading for the nest, it was most likely the parents.
The vehicles whirred out onto a clearing that ended at a dirt road. They went through the open field of grass as the hadrosaurs standing by a watering hole looked up curiously several feet away. If this passing-by of the jeeps was a first-time occurrence, the animals would have scattered. But they had gotten use to the occasional vehicles roaming through that area.
Once on the road, Russell and Rick were surrounded in mist and foliage again, where it was dark and dense. Large leaves smacked against their windshields as they drove. They heard the howls of monkeys in the distance, the song of birds, and the high-pitched croaking of the tree frogs. It was another fine morning teaming with life. So fresh, so new, so revitalizing. Russell inhaled a deep breath, taking it all in. Yes, he loved this place, more than anywhere else in the world.
They exited to an small circular area of the jungle that wasn't quite as dense as the rest. A gleaming waterfall, rushing with a loud, bold sound, fell to form a peaceful, relaxing river, where small dinosaurs were taking sips of the refreshing water, replenishing their bodies. Higher up on the falls, where there were a few rocky ledges, pteranadons nested their young, feeding them recently-caught fish. Across the river and ahead of Russell and Rick's vehicles were several man- made buildings surrounding it. People swarmed around a huge dome-shaped tower, the center of all the scientific activity. Long, thin, rectangular towers also stood around, picking up signals from far off. There was a two story building, housing all the people that lived there. A hospital for both man and animal was also built. All these people were co-existing with the peaceful dinosaurs nearby, seeming to be almost a lost, inconceivable paradise. It had been named "Pangaea", after the single, massive continent the earth first had in its beginnings, before it had broken up into separated continents. And the name suited this place well, for it seemed like it required a trip back in time to come here, when really, it was only a patch of jungle in Brazil that spanned some miles, but was small enough to be hidden in the most remote corners of the country.
The entrance to all this was at a large gate required a pass key to open. Russell and Rick reached out to use their's and the doors opened for them. They drove their jeeps across the wooden bridge that was built over the river as the dinosaurs casually lifted their heads up from drinking to take a gander and the returning scientists.
They parked the jeeps next to the large dome in the center, exiting them in a hurry. They rushed up to the metallic doors, pulled them open, and entered. Inside there were several lab stations sprawled out everywhere. In the back of the building was a mammoth library overflowing with the knowledge of all different species of plants and animals. It was a scientist's perfect and professional paradise - it was the only way Russell could describe it. A stout, plump man with a mustache approached the two men. "Ahh! Gentlemen, welcome back to the city. You had a good expedition I hope," the man smiled, shaking their hands.
"You won't believe what we found! It's going to give us a fantastic funding from Dr. Drakon!" Rick smiled.
"We went into the velociraptor territory the morning. In a tree, we found a nest with five eggs inside! Velociraptor eggs! We are actually seeing adaption right before our eyes, Mr. Lintino. We already know their mannerisms and their appearance are as birds. But for just the first time, we are seeing them behave like the birds in a degree we never expected," Russell continued.
"Oh my goodness! We are doing great! Dr. Drakon is going to be quite pleased with your boys' findings," Mr. Lintino replied. "However, I have even more news!"
"What's that?" Rick asked.
"I just got off the phone with Dr. Drakon! Lately, as you know, the dinosaurs have been trying to leave the scientific study area of our city Pangaea, heading towards the surrounding local villages. We have to keep these animals and our research of them a secret. And of course we can't let anyone outside of our boundaries be hurt or killed. We have been having to resort to use of guns to stop the herds from roaming away, but doing this is directly contradicting our-" suddenly Lintino was cut off from the Pangaea watch station outside of the dome.
"Alert, alert!" the watch manager announced over the speakers. "Brachiosaurs migrating south! All able to help are strongly needed for support! Meet at Pangonia watch station!" Russell hated it. He simply hated it. He felt incredibly guilty when he was forced to use guns of these beautiful creatures. But he knew that for now, it was the only way. The animals had to be kept in the designated area for research. Without any more words or questions of what they were going to do, most men in the dome left, including Russell, Rick, and Lintino.
Tell me what you think....
1/9/02 4:55:34 PM
(Updated: 1/9/02 5:25:58 PM)
Comment on this fan fiction!
|
|
|
