Ch 8 - The Southern Hunter

We waited for a while before leaving our hiding

place at the top of that tree, for we knew that the Lanes

had made their campfire near where they had originally

stopped — the Doctor wouldn't have made much more

progress, surely. So, under the reflected light of the full

moon, we climbed down from the branches and headed

back along the path of the southeast bend, sometimes

running, sometimes walking, never really knowing what

to talk about. As we anticipated, past the bend's incline

was the faint glow of the modest campfire they had lit in

the sand. So as not to surprise the old man, from a

distance I already called his name, even if it meant he

became anxious; after all, such anxiety would be very

well justified. The two of them stood up when they heard

my call and saw our silhouettes approaching in the night.

— What happened? — asked Lane, — I thought

you were following the herd.

— We were, sir, — I replied. — But at some

point, they were attacked by theropods and we had to

retreat.

— Theropods? — he repeated, his incredulous

face lit up by flames.

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— Yes, Doctor; two of them, — I informed him,

and after hearing a brief account of what had occurred on

the beach, he said, turning to Keene:

— Well, Jacob, I hope you understand now that

the adventure ends here. — Keene gave him no answer

to this but lowered his eyes. Then it was Lucy's turn to

step forward:

— And what is our plan?

— The plan now is simply to get to the boat and

notify the authorities of any island we can reach, —

Lane concluded. Finally raising his eyes, Keene

questioned:

— Is this really necessary?

— I do hope you're joking, Jacob, — said the

Doctor, even more unbelieving now. — You didn't see

the animals? How big were they?

— About five, six meters, — replied the other.

Lane threw his arms up as if the size of the animals

justified his fears. Before he could go on, Keene

reasoned:

— But listen, Anthony, these creatures have

inhabited the islands for millions of years and have only

appeared now because the temperature has changed

because of us anyway; but they are even part of the local

culture. You can't blame them for being alive!

— And you can't risk the lives of the people who

own the local culture! — shouted Lane. Keene replied

with clear derision in his voice:

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— And what are you going to tell them, huh?

That one of the demons from folklore is actually a

dinosaur that survived and is now coming to take

revenge on everyone?

— No, Jacob, — Lane said, controlling his tone.

— I'll use the damned camera you have in your backpack

to show them the pictures of what we found.

— I'm afraid we didn't take pictures of the

predators, Doctor, — I said in a low tone, trying to ease

the tension.

— What? Why not? — asked Lane, throwing the

first question to me and the second to Keene.

— Oh, I don't know, — Jacob Keene sneered. —

Maybe because I was hanging from a branch trying not

to get eaten?

— OK, that's enough, both of you! — said Lucy,

no longer able to stand such lack of maturity. — Dr.

Keene, you and Kevin said that they are moving as if

following the flock, right? By now they must all be

crossing the sea to reach Alage. So let's take the

speedboat and go around the coast. We'll take pictures of

the creatures and go to any piece of civilization to show

them to someone. Sound good to y'all?

— Yes, it does to me, — agreed her father, still

sulking.

— As for you, Dr. Keene, — she continued in a

soft tone, — please understand that we don't want to risk

the lives of these animals...but human life is even more

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valuable. — Keene looked her steadily in the eyes and

maintained his sepulchral silence.

— Well, we already have a plan, then, Lane

concluded. — The next step is to get to the beach as

soon as possible. — And so we set off, as quickly as Dr.

Lane's legs would allow. Since Lucy and I were in the

middle again, and the silence between the two scientists

had already become painful, I tried to start a

conversation with her:

— You said that they must already be in the

ocean; do you then believe that all three species can

swim?

— That's the only plausible idea, I would say.

The first sighting may have been here, but as my father

and I have concluded, Ambungi is way too small to hold

all that population for long. The migration must also

serve to allow them to find more fresh food for the entire

flock.

— And these carnivores sometimes follow the

migration...

— Like wolves, — Lucy added.

— God, so you were right!

— About what?

— The carcass I found was in fact an old female

that had strayed from the pack to die, but these predators

found her before a natural cause did.

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— Well, I guess it doesn't matter much anymore

who was right, does it? We are all in a survival situation

now.

— And how can you be so calm? — Imitating

Lane's tone, she replied:

— Why, my boy, a little adrenaline doesn't hurt.

— I couldn't help but laugh at such a sense of humor

amid such a heavy atmosphere as we were in right now;

I wouldn't complain about having had a sister like that. It

was enough to cheer me up and we continued in this

more pleasant atmosphere, despite the cumulonimbuses

that were rising right and left. Also, I was still afraid of

what might be in the woods and looked into their

clearings as we walked on the sand. Our eyesight,

although not as powerful as some animals', can adapt to

the lack of light and make better use of all the available

illumination. Making use of this, we carefully walked

around the gentle curve to the point where we had

encountered the predators. I pointed to the tree where we

had sought shelter and to the shadows from which they

had come. The next step was already to reach the

original beach where our boat was anchored, which

alarmed me with the fear that we were wrong and the

animals were still there. I thought about pulling out my

pocket knife, but soon abandoned the idea — what

would a blade be next to the natural weapons of those

hunters?

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Upon reaching the beach, we saw that it was still

as bleak and desolate as before. The only difference was

that now the sand had the imprinted paw prints of the

animals that had passed there. The footprints of

theropods are, in general, very characteristic of this

group; especially when you consider that the name of the

order literally means "monster feet". There, on the soft

sand at the seashore, we found that this title was quite

appropriate for them, for both the footprints of

Deinocheirus and the predator, were what you would

expect from a monster — three sharp claw marks

pointing forward. Ironically, both predator and prey

belonged to this order, which consists mostly of

carnivorous animals, the genus Deinocheirus being one

of the exceptions, but certainly not the only one.

The scene as a whole was a world painted in

turquoise, bleak and abandoned; a world to be forgotten.

Fortunately, our speedboat was anchored out of the

herd's way; otherwise, it would have been smashed, no

doubt. In it we then made our way to Alage, gliding

through the waves, still with the melancholic tone that

the abandoned village of Ambungi had caused on us

once again. Keene took his place in the cockpit and our

journey resumed slowly, taking the path that skirted the

south of Alage. The village on this island was to the

north, which made me conclude that he did not want us

to be spotted by the natives, but I did not report my

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conclusions to anyone — there was already enough

discord in our group.

Alage was the smallest of the three islands and

also much more enclosed than the first. In any case, we

wouldn't dare follow the herd on foot now that they were

being followed by whatever those predators were.

Besides, the sand line on the beach was narrow and

poorly defined, which was the reason for the herd to be

crossing the island instead of going around it. We thus

decided that we would go around it, reaching the west

beach before they did. On the way, we heard our Captain

exclaim:

— Anthony! Nothing in sight yet! Shouldn't we

dock?

— Not until we find civilization, Jacob! —

replied Lane, unaware that Keene had deliberately

avoided civilization. From end to end, Alage would

measure perhaps half a mile, which we quickly rounded,

reaching the narrowest side of the island and anchored,

waiting for the animals. As I released the chain, I saw

Lane approaching the cabin while Keene was still

shouting orders as to where to release the anchor, even

though I was already doing so. When I finished my task

and returned to the cabin, I overheard their conversation

and hid behind the back seats to listen. The dialogue

started with Lane, who asked almost in a whisper:

— How much more fuel we've got?

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— We still have a few gallons left, — the other

replied, gritting his teeth.

— Are you sure there isn't a village or anything

on this island? Jacob, if we run out of fuel, we won't

even make it to Amge!

— Well, I hope we do, then! — growled Keene.

Lane stepped back and, sighing, shook his head in

frustration. I could make myself heard and tell the truth

right then, but that would mean admitting that I was

overhearing conversations, which Lane himself didn't

take kindly to. Still ducked, I walked back to the anchor

cable, stood up, and came into the cabin, dragging my

feet on the ship's floor to be noticed.

— Anchor released, Dr. Keene, — I announced

from the cabin door.

— Thank you, Kevin, — Lane replied, then

turned to Jacob Keene again. I took this as a polite

dismissal and went to take my place beside Lucy, who

was sitting in the bow. I sighed deeply, feeling all the

stress we had faced during those days.

— You can't take it anymore either, can you? —

she asked, her eyes fixed on the island.

— No... I'm about to collapse.

— Well…do it, — she said simply. I turned to

her, with a clear expression of not having understood her

advice. Lucy then explained:

— Cry. Give in to sleep. Give in to tiredness. It's

okay to give in sometimes, you know.

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— I can't sleep here or now; Keene or your father

may have some order for me. And how could I cry and

discourage our whole group?

— Kevin, any one of them can stand up and give

the world a reason to stay alive. You are my father's

ward, not his valet, and Keene only commands you

because you obey him. Now, lean against the cabin and

tell me — when was the last time you did something for

yourself? — I obeyed, leaning my back against the cabin

wall, a cold hard surface, but a surface nonetheless —

enough for my body to relax.

— Something for me? — I repeated, forcing my

memory to work. — My paints are a pleasure for me.

— And aren't they sold and the money given to

the University? — Lucy asked.

— They are. — I admitted.

— Then you only have the pleasure. A farmer in

Madagascar may take pleasure in growing and

harvesting vanilla, but the price paid to him compared to

the export price is ludicrous.

— Money is not so important to me, — I

answered proudly.

— I'm not talking about money, Kevin. I'm

talking about self-respect and fairness.

Thinking about this last consideration, maybe I

should agree with her on that too. Not about money, of

course, because money is a form of power and human

beings don't deserve to have any power, that's for sure. In

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my opinion, these men and women should be paid better,

but also the rich exporters should have far fewer

possessions, striking a good balance.

That was the last thing I remember thinking before I fell

into a deep sleep, which took hold of me. Lucy's trap had

worked, and asleep I continued for hours. I am sure of it

because I only awoke again with voices that screamed —

There he is! There he is!

I awoke with a start and saw the gloomy sky

above me — it was late afternoon and the weather was

setting up for rain. The shouting, which I now

recognized as Jacob Keene's voice, continued and I got

up to see what it was all about. A few dozen yards ahead,

large scythes were making way for the funebral gray

emerging from the dense jungle. The other three ran to

the bow, where I already was. As if using machetes, the

Leader appeared on the thin beach to which the

surrounding jungle was opening. Behind him came all

the smaller specimens of his species, plus his fellow

migrants. From this very genus came a small

probactrosaurus, probably still a baby, given how silly its

behavior was. As the large male Kaiaimunu approached

the sea, the infant jumped up between his feet, alarming

the Leader. The Deinocheirus raised his scythes and in

the next instant brought them down violently on the

probactrosaurus' back, making huge cuts in its flesh. The

small animal screamed in agony, crawling to the side,

bleeding profusely, and its attacker huffed and puffed at

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it, soon making his way into the sea. The whole flock

was right behind, and would not stop for the baby, which

was already lost. Guardians, females, and various sizes

of the little animal's own species — all passed by — and

entered the ocean without helping him. Swimming like

horses, the huge reptiles rowed with their legs and tails,

slowly making their way towards Amge. As soon as the

flock had left the beach, the baby seemed completely

abandoned, left to die from the hemorrhage. Then, out of

the jungle came the animals we had feared we might

encounter; two medium-sized theropods, emitting an

intermingling sound like an eagle's hiss. Using the large

claws of their hands and feet, they further opened the

wounds of the infant, which let out a hideous but short

roar — soon, the weak jaws of the predators tore the

pieces of flesh from their prey and it was all over. Keene,

who was watching with binoculars, merely commented:

— Good Lord... — With his eyes closed, Lane

asked:

— Jacob, please take some pictures of these

animals and get us out of here. There are some dark

clouds above us and...this is not the most beautiful scene

I have ever witnessed.

Holding the camera steady, Keene adjusted the

zoom for the photo and asked Lane:

— So what do you think these things are?

— That size and in this part of the world? —

considered the Doctor.

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— Excuse me, but aren't Deinocheirus from

Mongolia and Probactrosaurus from China? — chuckled

Jacob Keene.

— Yes, which shows that these genera have

spread to other parts of the world without our knowing

about it. For God's sake, Keene, you know how rare the

fossilization process is! — replied Lane, not realizing the

irony of the question.

— Australovenators, perhaps? — I ventured. The

two scientists abandoned their little feud; Keene even

dropped the camera, to look at me; a look of disbelief as

if I had said something absurd.

You could tell that the two of them had never

talked to flat-earthers…

— Kevin, — Lane began, choosing his words

carefully, while Keene turned again to admire the

dinosaurs. He continued:

— We don't have more than a few limb bones, a

piece of jaw, and a handful of ribs from that species.

— And a gastralium, — reminded Keene, facing

the beach.

— Thank you, Jacob, — Lane said dryly. — The

point is that we can't conclude anything with what we

currently have.

— But names have been given with much less

evidence, haven't they? — I insisted, with a tone of

curiosity, so as not to sound disrespectful.

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— Well, that's true, — answered my Master. —

During the Bone Wars, Marsh and Cope gave different

names to animals of the same species, just to have a

larger number. In the end, I think there were more

broken bones in the jaws of the quarrelsome diggers than

in their sample table, — he finished, laughing.

— Done, — interrupted Keene. — We have the

photos.

— Great, — Lane returned. — Take us to

civilization, Jacob, and I'll buy you a cup of coffee. —

Keene grunted at the offer but went to the cockpit and I

ran to the anchor chain. After lifting it, we were ready to

finally head for Amge, and we did so by closely

following the dinosaurs that were still in the water, but

already some of them were finishing the path of less than

a kilometer, especially with all the time advantage they

had had over us, while we lifted anchor, took pictures,

and argued endlessly. Already on the other beach, the

Leader was leaving the sea, entering the jungles of the

third island, roaring and cutting branches, twigs, and

vines in its path. The roar scared away some creatures in

the trees, bird-like animals of an intense bright red, like

blood, that glided from one tree to the next, instead of

flying. Lucy was the one of us who asked:

— And what is that, now?