Prehistoric Detour

After walking for quite a while across the conifer and cycad forest, Parker, Amber, and Flap came upon a valley basin filled with ferns, shrubbery, cycads, and fruiting plants. Within the basin, other kinds of dinosaurs such as the Duck-billed Kritosaurus (Krit-o-sore-us) which were faded green in color with an orange streak running along the body, and a unique nasal crest on the dinosaur which has a reddish orange tone to it. (the smaller female tends to be browner in coloration with a brown nasal crest to match) were going about their day as well. There is also the crested Parasaurolophus (Pah-rah-sore-o-loe-fus), which are a teal color with purple markings and a skin flap on their elongated crest. (while the females within the herd were mostly brown and black in coloration with a slightly smaller crest). Further down in the basin stood an Ankylosaurus (An-kie-lo-sore-us), feeding on low-growing ferns. The armored dinosaur is a brown orange in color, with darker tones on the flanks, legs and head and lighter tones on the underbelly. Another feature of this armored dinosaur is its tail which ends in a large, rounded club. There are even the three-horned Triceratops (Tri-seh-rah-tops) browsing with the local dinosaurs. The individual males within the group of the horned dinosaurs have a vibrant metallic blue coloration, with a splash of black patterns across the dinosaurs' bodies while the females were a light brown color with a pattern of deep brown across their bodies. The sights and sounds of these remarkable dinosaurs were quite something for the two Paleo Pals and Amber to behold, but then something close by caught the three by surprise. It appeared to be a Leptoceratops (Lep-toe-ser-ah-tops) wearing a vermilion neckerchief on his neck, and his head stuck in the hole of a stone fruit tree. The hapless frilled dinosaur has a bright turquoise color with a tan-colored pattern on his eyes, neck, elbows, and knees, alongside a tan-colored underside. Sure enough, both Parker and Flap knew very well who it was.

"Looks like Boulder could use our help again," Parker sighed.

"Indeed," Flap added. "I guess we better head over and help him."

"Mind if I help as well?" Amber offered.

"I don't see why not," said Parker. "Though do be careful when we start pulling." 

Working together, Parker, Amber, and Flap pulled as hard as they could to get Boulder unstuck. After a bit of a struggle, the three were finally able to pull the frilled dinosaur out of the tree hole while several stone fruits fell to the ground. Upon seeing the fruit in front of him, Boulder happily took a bite out of one of the fallen stone fruits.

"Thanks a lot for all the help, guys," Boulder said happily. "If it weren't for you three, I would've been stuck in there for quite a while.'

"Don't mention it Boulder," Parker chuckled. "Though you should be careful next time you decide to ram into a tree for some food."

"I'll try to remember that" Boulder replied as he noticed little Amber. "Say, who is that funny-looking fella with you two?"

"We're calling her Amber for the time being due to her not being able to recall her name," Flap explained to the frilled dinosaur. "Though we're pretty sure she is female."

"That's okay Flap," Amber said with a giggle. "It is a pleasure to meet you, either way, good sir."

"Thank you," said Boulder. "Would any of you like some stone fruit? It is the least I can do after you three pulled me out."

"I don't see why not," Parker shrugged. "It's been a while since I had any stone fruit."

"And it would be nice to try something from a prehistoric world," Amber added. "So, I guess I would like one too please."

So, both Parker and Amber picked up a fruit and proceeded to eat it. Now as Amber bit into the fruit, the young lady could not help but be amazed by how the stone fruit tasted."

"My goodness," Amber gasped. "I had no idea this would taste so wonderful."

"Indeed," Boulder added while wagging his tail. "I've been eating it for so long, that I really can't recall when I first tried it."

"That coming from a dinosaur who rarely recalls much of anything," Flap joked which prompted everyone to laugh."

After enjoying the stone fruit, Parker proceeded to explain to Boulder about Amber's situation. How he found a young lady washed up on Saurus Shores, realizing that Amber appears to have lost her memory upon waking up. Doing a surprising amount of thinking, Boulder decided that he wanted to tag along as well.

"Could I join you three as well?" Boulder asked his friends. "I would like to help you the same way you three helped me out."

"That would be Jurassic Fantastic!" said Parker. "Just try not to ram into any more trees along the way."

"I'll try my best," said Boulder.

So, the three paleo friends and Amber proceeded on their tour across DinoIsle, finishing off with an adventure up the vast hills of the island. As they walked up one of the hills, the four passed by several more dinosaurs and other creatures going about their day. Such as the dome-headed and Spiky Pachycephalosaurus (Pak-ee-sef-ah-low-sore-us) feeding on a nearby tree fern. The thick-headed dinosaur has a yellowish coloration, with a brown underbelly and dome, as well as yellow-green markings across the body. There is even a small flock of the bird-like Ornithomimus (Or-nif-oh-mime-us) passing by, with the males having a bluish-grey coloration to their emu-like body feathers with a light blue for markings as well as on their wings and tail feathers. (The females were a duller grey with black markings and feathering) While up on a tree, a furry Opossum looks on from the safety of its branch. As the Paleo Pals head onward, they notice something off as Amber seems to be struggling to keep up.

"Are you alright Amber?" Parker asked the young girl.

"I'm a little exhausted," the young lady admitted. "We've walked for so long, I guess I'm starting to feel a little tired."

"Well, that's not good," Flap sighed. "Especially since we're almost done with the tour."

"I guess we can stop for a bit until you're ready to go on," Parker suggested.

Just then, Amber was caught by surprise as Boulder quickly placed her on his back.

"Boulder, what are you doing?" Amber wondered.

"I figure this way, you don't have to walk while we head for a resting place," Boulder explained.

"Why thank you Boulder," Amber smiled at the frilled dinosaur. "That is a kind gesture."

Soon enough, the Paleo Pals found a delightful place to rest and relax for a while until they could continue their journey. As they relaxed from their long adventure, the Paleo Pals and Amber had a terrific time with one another's company. But then out of nowhere, something began to stir in the bushes. Noticing the disturbance, the three dinosaurs and Amber looked on worriedly as the young lady began to fear what might be lurking within the bushes.

 "Parker…?" Amber nervously asked the little dinosaur. "Are there dinosaurs that eat meat as well on DinoIsle?"

"Yes, there are," Parker replied as he understood what the young was saying. "And it could be possible that we're stalked by some right now."

In an instant, a pair of deadly Atrociraptors (Ah-tross-e-rap-tor) jumped out of the bushes and snarled hungrily at the three dinosaurs and Amber. These deadly feathered hunters with sickle-shaped talon on each of their second toe are brownish yellow in coloration and are adorned with a dark brownish color to their striped markings, head feather crest, arm feathers, and tail feathers. Seeing how vicious the two raptors appear to be, Amber hid behind a nearby log in total fear. However, the Paleo Pals were more than prepared to take on the raptors and took on the defensive. With Parker using his tail, Flap snapping with this toothy beak, and Boulder charging at one of the feathered predators, the three friends proved more than a match for the Atrociraptors who decided to leave in search of easier prey. 

"That'll teach those feather weights something," Boulder said proudly.

"You do realize that I also have feathers, right?" Flap reminded his larger friend.

"Whoops, sorry about that little buddy," Boulder said as he realized his slight blunder.

"What happened to Amber," Parker wondered. "I hope she's okay."

"I saw her hide behind the log," Flap replied. "She might be there now."

Hoping to see if their new friend were all right, Parker went up to the log so he could check up on the young lady. There, the little dinosaur saw as Amber cried sadly at not being much help to the three dinosaurs.

What is the matter, Amber?" Parker wondered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry for not being able to help you with those raptors," said a downhearted Amber. "I wish I did."

"It's alright Amber," Parker assured the young lady. "The Atrociraptors are gone now, so there's no need to worry about it."

"You don't understand," Amber proceeded to say. "You three have been so willing to help with my current situation, yet I was not able to help you or your friends out in return. I…I just wish I were as fearless as you were with the raptors."

Hearing this, the little dinosaur quickly understood what Amber was saying. So, he decided to tell her something he knew was important.

"Actually," Parker proceeded to say. "We were just as scared of the raptors as you were."

"Really?" Amber asked in surprise.

"Indeed," the little dinosaur nodded. "True courage does not come from never being scared, it comes from understanding how afraid you are and yet being more than willing to face them no matter what. As far as I can tell, you certainly have a dinosaur's heart."

"You mean that?" Amber asked while Parker nodded.

"I do Amber," said Parker. "That I can assure you of."

Feeling a little better, Amber proceeded to join her new dinosaur friends so they could continue to the hollow tree. But just before they departed, something else began to stir from the bushes.

"I sure hope it's not the same raptors from before," Flap groaned with a slight annoyance.

Sure enough, the hidden creature walked out to reveal himself to be a sneaky, yet friendly Stenonychosaurus (Sten-on-e-ko-sore-us) named Dusk. Now across his body, Dusk's body feathers were a dark blue with a hint of faint light blue as well as dark dorsal stripes and a touch of yellow to his snout, hands, and feet. His feathered crest, wing feathers, and tail feathers are black in coloration. Another distinguishing feature is the black bow tie, that the feathered dinosaur wears on his neck.

"Hello everyone," Dusk greeted the group. "I hope I am not intruding.'

"Hi Dusk," Parker smiled in relief. "It's good to have you here with us."

"Though a little warning would've been nice," Flap added.

"I'll try to remember that" the feathered dinosaur chuckled when he noticed Amber. "Now, who might your new friend be?"

"I don't know my real name at the moment," the young lady admitted. "But right now, you call me Amber."

"Very well then," Dusk nodded. "I believe I shall."

Amber giggled for a moment until she noticed that Dusk the Stenonychosaurus appeared to be carrying something. It was a blue and purple duffle bag, which was sparking something within the young lady's mind.

"W…where did you get that?" Amber gestured to the bag.

"Oh, you mean this," Dusk quickly understood. "I found this not too long ago when I was looking for new material for my nest, why do you ask?"

"Would you mind if a have a closer look?" Amber asked the feathered dinosaur.

"Be my guest," Dusk replied as he offered the bag to the young lady.

As she examined the duffle bag closely, Amber quickly realized that this duffle bag might be hers. Once she unzipped the bag, the young lady dug around until she found what she might be looking for as she pulled out a small pink book with a heart-shaped locket on it.

"What is it, Amber?" Parker wondered curiously.

"I think…this is my diary," Amber suddenly realized. "I don't know how, but I can feel that this bag and the contents inside might belong to me."

"Are you certain about that?" Flap asked while he landed on Boulder's frill.

"I'm positive," Amber happily replied. "And I bet if I go through the diary, I might be able to find out more about who I am and where I might come from!"

 "That's Jurassic Fantastic to hear!" Parker smiled before looking towards Dusk. "You have been a lot of help this evening Dusk. Thank you for finding that for our friend."

"Don't mention it Parker," the feathered dinosaur chuckled.

Sure enough, the Paleo Pals and Amber departed from the hills and proceeded back down to Parker's hollow tree. There, for the time being, their adventure across the primeval world of DinoIsle has ended.