Shouldn't they be Dead?

It was a foot.

When the dust cleared, Gregory saw that the foot was attached to a body. The body extended upwards into a thick and muscular torso, from which dangled long arms tipped with three claws.

As Gregory scrambled to rise, another foot joined the first and smashed into the ground a few feet before his face. The creature roared – Gregory had seen it many a time in books; that body, those arms, the neck that formed a crocodile-like head. He had often wondered how funny the creature would be to see, a dinosaur with a crocodile head – how he had wanted to see it...

The crocodile-like jaws parted, and a deep, unearthly growl which this world had perhaps never heard the last sixty-five million years – rumbled out.

Things weren't funny anymore. Gregory started to flee, but the creature was faster. Its left foot smashed into the ground beside him, in some distant part of his mind, Gregory noticed that his head did not even reach the knee of the creature. How could he even stand before such a thing?

But he didn't have to stand before... as another foot landed on his other side, he was soon standing between its legs. And then the left foot lifted and landed ahead, followed by the right... its tail swung over his head... it had started to run, run directly towards Ben, who, for the first time in his life, stood frozen in fear…

A brilliant blue shape whizzed out of the tree and struck the creature's face. The Baryonyx, which meant 'giant claw' owing to the claw on its thumb, roared and batted at the little annoyance... which, however, was too fast. It scrambled up the larger dinosaur's head and clawed at its neck. It barely made a scratch but the furious Baryonyx turned around and batted at it, crashing into a nearby tree. The Microraptor chirped victoriously, and although Gregory might have hit his head too hard, he was almost sure that he heard words –

"RUN!"

"Did the Microraptor… did you just speak?" It couldn't be... unless a Microraptor was like a prehistoric parrot...

"No, it's the Easter Bunny speaking through me. RUN!"

Gregory stumbled, and took a step backwards… the Baryonyx slashed at the Microraptor, but he managed to glide away and landed on a branch nearby. It would almost have been funny had he not been in a near-death situation. Some distant part of his mind realized – if dinosaurs, then why not talking dinosaurs – when the Microraptor screeched again.

"I learnt English because I thought you humans understand… so why don't you RUN?"

Gregory turned and started to run, but a grunt alerted him to Ben, who lay on the ground, his leg trapped between two roots. Ben looked up and scowled –

"I don't need your help."

Wordlessly, Gregory grabbed the roots and held them apart. But Ben refused to move his foot.

"I can free myself. You can go."

"Oh... for God's sake..." he stopped. The tail of the Baryonyx swung over his head, as it stumbled... trying to free himself of the little blue pest, who continued chirping insults.

That crocodile head does not suit you at all... a pig would have done you justice... oh wait, but it would have been an insult to the pig...

When you were born, did people think you were a backwards turtle, with a stumpy tail for a face?

The insults made no sense, but they didn't have to... the Baryonyx became more annoyed with each little jibe. Gregory ducked below the tail as the creature crashed into a tree, causing a shower of leaves and branches.

And in its roar, Gregory started recognizing words as well...

"The Feathered... the Feathered shall win... we have found the semisaur he'd been looking for." Or at least, Gregory assumed he was saying Feathered because no other word came close. Personally, he also agreed. The Microraptor couldn't keep up its attack for long.

Suddenly, Gregory was aware of a tugging sensation on his sleeve. He turned and saw a tall, lanky boy with a serious face.

The tall, lanky boy. Who had kicked a soccer ball at him when he had been creeping up on the Microraptor.

"You!"

"Yeah, um. Hi. Sorry again, for hitting you in the stomach," said the boy, adjusting his glasses. "Michael can't keep this up for long." The glasses slipped down the boy's nose, and he shoved them up again. "Come on."

But Ben hadn't moved and remained huddled up in the distance. Gregory waved his hands, trying to get his attention, but the once-confident class bully barely saw him.

"Oh for Alroshyte's sake," mumbled the boy, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Oh for Alroshyte's sake, I wish that Fiona would come..."

"Who's Fiona?" he asked. What's an Alroshyte?

But he didn't answer and looked over at the distant grove of trees hopefully. The trees weren't very high, and Gregory suddenly noticed that they were shaking, their tops moving like something huge was moving through them.

And then... a shape burst from the trees.

This creature was even bigger than the Baryonyx, but its arms smaller and with two stubby fingers. Legs muscular. A row of tiny feathers ran along its spine, starting from its head and all across its body and till its tail, where it erupted into gauzy green plumage. The creature stepped out of the forest, roaring to the winds, and announcing its return to the world it once ruled.

"Don't worry, she's on our side," murmured the boy in glasses.

The Tyrannosaurus – because the tyrant king lizard was what this new dinosaur was – spared no time, and hurled itself at the Baryonyx, clamping its jaws around its neck. The Baryonyx lashed back with its claws, causing the T-rex to let go. For a few seconds, the two dinosaurs stood there, the Baryonyx' neck badly scarred from the bite of its opponent. The T-rex had gone mostly unharmed, with only a few cuts down its neck.

The Baryonyx roared – no words this time, just a cry of pure rage – and attacked again. But the T-rex was faster and the crocodile-jaws snapped a few feet from its face... in return, it butted the Baryonyx in its flank, sending him stumbling into the ledge of rock beside, and causing a shower of pebbles and stones upon Ben.

Ben.

Gregory had been so wrapped up in the battle of the prehistoric beasts that he had forgotten the tiny human being caught up in the middle. Something a hero would have never done.

But what could he do?

Whatever a hero would have, murmured a soft voice in his head. That's what you want to be, don't you?

A hero would have rushed in headlong, between the legs of the snapping dinosaurs, and rescued Ben. But even in his head, the idea seemed stupid. And there were a hundred ways it could go wrong.

A hero wouldn't have cared. He would have just done it.

Gregory looked at the legs of the dinosaurs. The Baryonyx was bleeding from various cuts on its body. The T-rex, too, had a bloodied arm. If he rushed in, they might see him as an appetiser, or crush him or kill him just for the sake of it... and if he died, it wouldn't really help Ben, would it?

Again, a hero wouldn't have cared. Don't you want to be one?

But Ben...

Just do it.

He took off, surprising himself. Ducking between the legs of the T-rex, he hit the ground beside Ben. Ben, who had gone whiter than a sheet. Who didn't even seem to notice Gregory till he shook his arm roughly.

The class bully's eyes cleared. And then narrowed. He jerked his arms free.

"Get off. I could have saved myself."

Gregory didn't argue but started running, Ben following close behind. They needed to put some distance between themselves and the dinosaurs… that was all…

"Look out!"

Gregory turned. The Baryonyx had uprooted a tree, which it held in its jaws, and which it flung at the Tyrannosaurus. The Tyrannosaurus ducked and the tree came flying over its head… Gregory watched as its shadow fell over them. He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped on all fours… waiting for the tree to crush him. The sounds around him intensified… his head was paining so maybe he had already been crushed…

After many long seconds, he opened his eyes.

Ben was staring at him open-mouthed. He pointed at Gregory's head and sputtered, but no words came out. He tried again.

"Tree… on your head…"

That sounded weird because how… but then he realized how heavy his head and neck felt. He shook it and the tree crashed to the ground beside him.

Had he really been holding a tree on his head?

But there was no time to find out. Ben had already started running off, and after a moment, he followed. Once the roars of the battling dinosaurs had faded into the distance, he touched his head.

Just in time to feel something sharp and bony disappear into his skull.