Ch 27 - The Dry Lowland

— Well, what is it anyway? — Alexander

Boseman's voice sounded authoritative. Back in the

comfort of the ranch, we had crossed the miles back at

the maximum speed the airboat allowed us. Frost had

been the first to run into the house, as if the animals had

followed us; Keene being second in cowardice. As soon

as we were all inside the dwelling, Jacob immediately

locked the door, his gesture being immediately noticed

by Alma, who told him:

— Why, lad, nothing will try to get in through the

door, — to which he replied:

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— You do not want to know what we have seen,

ma'am. — I don't think, though, that he saw anything,

curled up on the floor, as he was, while he rocked his

body, whimpering. Boseman arrived after a few hours,

saying he had finished taking care of his animals, as he

called them. He seemed surprised to see Frost and

Keene's expression, inquiring them:

— But what was that? Did you see a spirit?

— Don't be ridiculous, — Jacob exclaimed. —

Spirits are fictitious. In fact, the thing we saw must have

been too, but it had pretty realistic teeth. — Saying these

words, he and Frost shivered slightly. It was good to see

that something united the two of them, even if it was

unbridled fear. Alexander then sat down next to his wife,

taking the machete from his waistband and laying it on

the wood stove beside him. Now he asked me what it

was that we had seen.

— Steppesaurus. The largest genus of

Eupelicosaurus discovered to date, this being a group

distantly related to the archosaurs we call Dinosauria,

you see...

— Spare the pompous jargon, young man, just

tell me what is this monster that has invaded my

property!

— Well, it's a voracious predator, that's what it is.

They seem to have a timid nature, since that one

distanced itself from you, rather than attacking.

Eventually, though, they will come to your ranch. It

seems that the water source in that area has dried up and

even their prey — Diplocaulus magnicornis — has

sought refuge underground, producing a thick layer of

mucus to protect its sensitive skin. This means that they

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will have to enter your artificial lake and hunt your

animals. Mr Boseman, those creatures reach over five

meters and run really well; I advise you to leave the

property immediately!

Alexander stared at my eyes for a long time.

Finally, he let out a forced laugh, which soon became

scratchy like his usual voice.

— Surrendering? Is that your suggestion? — he

shouted. — I would never leave my property because of

a lizard; I still have my machete! — threatened the old

man, brandishing his weapon.

— Maybe they are right, Alexander, — Alma

admonished, already reaching into her coat pocket.

Before she pulled out another candy, however, Boseman

stood up, still wielding his rusty blade, and slammed the

door on his way out.

— He has just the right temperament for dealing

with predators. — Keene sneered.

— Please, try to understand it, — Alma asked,

perhaps not realizing that her hands were already

distributing the coconut sweets to the hands stretched out

in readiness. — He's a good man, you know —

extremely hardworking, absolutely honest...it just seems

like too big a sacrifice for us to leave this house. It's...all

we have.

— I do understand, Mrs. Boseman, — Lucy said

tenderly, — but unfortunately, there's no other way. We

can't fight such powerful animals, and we can't live with

them either. If you can only convince him of that.

— If I can only move an old alligator from the

lake where it has lived its whole life? Yes, I can try.

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— Kevin and I will scout the area and try to

figure out a way to deal with the animals, — Lucy

announced. — You'll have to stay, Mr. Frost.

— Me? But why?

— Because this genus has longer limbs than most

eupelicosaurs, — I tried to explain nicely. — It would

reach you...easily.

Frederick looked slightly offended, but his inner

relief at not having to deal with the creatures was visible,

which probably counterbalanced his feeling of anger.

— I ask you to stay, as well, Dr. Keene, — she

added.

Jacob looked indifferent, chewing his truffle with

gusto, unmoved by what Lucy had said.

— Mrs. Boseman, is it possible that you could

lend us one of your wooden canoes? — asked our leader.

— Our airboat didn't prove very useful among the

cypress trees.

— Why, of course! There are a few more of them

at the back of the ranch; Alexander rents them out for

anyone who wants to paddle among the alligators, you

know? Unfortunately, we lost a few canoes because of

that... — she finished with a sigh.

— Thank you; we will leave immediately. —

With a signal from Lucy, I stood up, leaving the

comfortable Boseman dwelling. The house, all made of

wood, kept the bark of the logs on the outside, giving the

building an aged tone. This, added to the scenery of dead

trees and a swamp infested with predators, provided the

perfect atmosphere for our suicidal plan. As we went

around the cabin, we found five old dugout canoes

stacked carelessly, with their respective oars in a separate

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pile. Rummaging through it, you could see the damage

some of them had suffered — deformation of the walls

caused by something large crashing into them.

— Which ones shall we choose? — I asked.

— Well ... not this one; it has a huge hole in the

bow; this one has a small crack right in the center.

Exposed to the sun and humidity, it will soon crack in

half. Ah, this one! And this other one, too. — Pushing

the light craft towards me, she joked:

— We will survive the trip, at least.

Cautiously, we put our canoes into the water,

keeping a watchful eye on the water around us. We then

grabbed the oars and slowly, making as little vibration as

possible, began to move, maintaining a palpable silence.

— Wait, children! — shouted a voice behind us.

When we looked to check its source, we saw Alma

Boseman standing on the shore; in her hands a large

plastic bag.

— I've prepared something for you to carry

along! — she shouted. Before her calls attracted all the

alligators in the area, I paddled back and thanked her in a

whisper, encouraging her to imitate me. In the same act,

I received the package she had given us and paddled

again.

— Careful not to overturn the canoes! — she

shouted one last time. Even if we attracted a predator, we

had to leave her behind, so we paddled faster, trying to

leave the area around the ranch soon. Within moments,

Alma's voice was a low rumble and soon ceased; we

hoped it was because she realized we could no longer

hear her. The pond around us was eerily silent again, as

usual, and we saw the shadows in the water once more.

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— We should have left in the morning, — I

commented. — Reptiles are more lethargic in the early

hours of the day when they are exposed to the sun's rays

for warmth.

— Do you think they will attack? — Lucy asked,

without a trace of fear in her voice.

— I don't think they would. These animals are

used to being fed by a man who throws wild boar shreds

out of one of these canoes. Besides, it seems to me that

none of these alligators could grow to a threatening size;

Boseman turns them into shoes first.

— What about the slammings we suffered on the

way to the area where we found the Steppesaurus?

— It's an encouragement for Boseman to throw

food into the water; I have seen crocodiles do the same.

As for the missing canoes, I'm not surprised that

happens, considering the conditions in which he leaves

them.

— Those poor tourists must have sunk and the

animals simply took advantage of the available meat. —

Whenever Lucy said things like this, it sounded to me

like a balanced version of what Jacob Keene would say.

Indeed, the animals crashed into the walls of the boats,

whose walls rose no more than 20 centimeters above the

water, but none of them would have been heavy enough

to cause the impact damage we saw in Alexander's

canoe.

— Do you think...he was attacked by a

Steppesaurus in the swamp? — I asked Lucy.

— I think his first encounter with the animals

was a little more complicated than he told us.

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— But how? He spotted the first creature on land,

at the edge of the property.

— Kevin...if I am right, he spotted it beyond the

property boundary.

Our paddling was now beginning to become

more vigorous, as we gained confidence in being close to

those animals. Fortunately, this happened, as we still had

to go through a few more miles of swamp, before we

docked in the outlying area. It would still take us an hour

at good speed, which meant not going back to the ranch

that night and trying to rest on the

Steppesaurus-dominated shore.

When we came ashore, after all, we no longer

even had the company of the alligators, as the animals

feared the mighty Eupelicosaurs. Our gestures were

precise, but accelerated — we had to bring the canoes

onto dry land without making noise, and at the same

time, we had to immediately find a place to spend the

night. We peered over the vegetation, trying to spot the

sail that denounced the presence of those predators, but

there was nothing and silence reigned. We then crossed

the top of the hill, with the dry lake bed again in our

view. Raising her eyes to a huge cypress tree growing

nearby, Lucy asked:

— Can you set a base up there?

— If there are some strong branches.

And without explaining what she would do, Lucy

set off in the direction the first Steppesaurus had come

from, stretching her legs out to cross the vegetation that

covered the area. The level of courage she displayed

was almost disturbing at times.

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Still thinking about the difference between

bravery and lack of self-love, I looked at what was at my

disposal — a frail old tree and a few fallen branches. I

sighed in dismay, wondering what I would do with so

little.

⬫⬫⬫

Lucy Lane was walking determinedly through

that treacherous terrain. Soon she should find some

evidence, the smallest thing at least, and...another root in

the way? This was already the second time she had

tripped over the intertwined roots of the low vegetation

and ended up falling face-first on the sod. At least Kevin

was not there to see the comical scene that was now

being repeated. It was the right decision to leave him

building the camp, as Kevin doesn't understand how far

human cruelty can go. He would find out in the future,

though; she should just wait for the right moment to

come. Now, however, there was one more species whose

extinction could be prevented and perhaps one more

bandit to expose, thus letting her have a little fun in the

process. A few more steps and she reached another bend

in the lake, which snaked its way through the area. This

bend was deeper and, to top it off, still sustained life.

Before Lucy's incredulous eyes, a small group of

huge creatures spread out over the area of the bed,

drinking from the few remaining ponds. From where she

stood, only her eyes were visible, as her whole body was

covered up, in the best way the animals had taught her.

Lucy was also thankful that she was wearing jeans at this

moment. Any other type of clothing would hinder her

movements, and with the stumpy legs of those predators,

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she might need to be able to run. But for now, those

creatures were simply what they were — animals. No

feelings, no hatred; even killing was caused by natural

forces. In this respect the animals were far superior to

some humans, ironically being the ones to teach that

final lesson to such people, before ending their chances

of learning anything else. — Focus! — she said to

herself in thought. Those animals were certainly

wonderful, but there was work to be done. Walking back

across the field, she was now crawling, moving away

from the pack and heading in the opposite direction. The

bend in the lake she had seen was to the left, and that

was the direction she was heading to now, skirting the

dry shore. If the lake was deepening in that direction, it

was possible that the cause of its dryness was also on

that side. Praying that the animals were only on the lake

bed, she crossed the meadow to the next bend; this one

angled down and ended suddenly, about a kilometer from

her current position. Wondering how she would get there

without being devoured, Lucy also sighed.

⬫⬫⬫

The base I had built in the tree resembled a large

swing, with its seat made of solid twigs and branches,

suspended over the strongest branches of the old cypress.

Sitting on the base, I busied myself with preparing a

rope, in case we needed to take refuge on the swing. I

then piled heaps of grass around me and took care to

strip the grass of its outer layer, exposing the tough fiber.

By laying several of them side by side, it was possible to

bend the rows, braid them, connect another just before

the first twist, and follow this process until I had a rope

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in hand. All this work would take hours, but Lucy was

doing something much riskier at the moment; which

convinced me not to complain about what I was assigned

to do. This was also a perfect opportunity to think, and

that is what I would do, taking care not to lose track of

reality, or a Steppesaurus would attack me from behind

and I would meet the same end the Diplocaulus did.

Lucy would find only a rope covered in blood and a

swing in the tree. Poetic, but unnecessary. I wouldn't be

exposed for much longer and the chances of me being

attacked would be...

— Hey!

— Ah! — My cry of astonishment was brief, but

loud enough to attract the predators. Lucy's unexpected

arrival occurred just when I was lost in thought, exactly

as I had feared.

— Chill! — she said, trying to calm me down,

but it was already too late. In a panic, I climbed the tree

as fast as I could, ordering her to do the same. If I had

already tied the fiber rope, it wouldn't be so scary to

make that move, but I made the mistake of disconnecting

myself from reality and now I would pay for it.

Already on the suspended swing, I could breathe.

In the distance, we could see some sails moving toward

the hill. Fortunately, the animals did not understand

where we had gone, or they could not bend their cervical

spines so far up to see us. We held our breath,

unconsciously fearing that even this would be enough to

attract animals that could never reach us on the branches.

Then two large specimens appeared at the foot of the

hill, one of them with a piece of its sail missing, in a

shape similar to the jaw of the species. We heard the

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same low, hissing sound coming from deep within their

throats, frustrated that they could find nothing. We then

watched the huge sails return to the dry bed, where they

dug furiously, digging out their helpless prey.

— We have to do something soon, — I

whispered in a tone of urgency. Or this place will suffer a

serious ecological imbalance.

— What do you mean?

— They are preying on animals that take refuge

because of the drought, but look around — it's not the

dry season. It is not natural for this behavior to happen

now. If they devour the entire shoal of Diplocaulus,

hunger may change the behavior of the species

and...from being timid predators, they may become

active, advancing against the alligator farm, as they have

already started to do.

— Or worse...they could make their way to the

ranch.

Just the idea that huge predators could threaten

an old couple was enough to increase my panic. At least

the animals had fed and were crossing the overgrown

field, going past the twisted trunks again. From behind

our tree, we then heard a swaying sound, the same kind

the animals did, but more cautiously. Turning carefully

so as not to fall, Lucy leaned against the trunk and

identified the source of the sound.

— But it's...

⬫⬫⬫

He had waited until Kevin and Lucy had left the

ranch and the old folks had gone to bed to make the next

move. Boseman had been immensely helpful to his plan,

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especially in taking Sicarius with him this time. Ordered

to stay home? Why, that's a good one! The audacity of

this generation...Anyway, there he was, having taken the

only canoe left in the lodge. Of course, there were others

— others that would not make it to the other shore, so

pitiful was their condition. Now, going up the hill, he

would soon catch up with the animals. And to think that

that stuck-up little girl had tried to stop him from being

here! Indeed, the last name suited her well. Now, where

to start?

— Doctor Keene? Doctor! — he heard from

somewhere nearby. Unable to clearly identify the source,

he looked carefully everywhere, but could not find its

source.

— Up here, Doctor! — Looking up at the tree a

few meters away, Keene saw something like a wooden

structure resting on the branches and...Lucy and Kevin?

— But what are you doing up there? — he asked,

surprised. In response, a long greenish rope unfurled

before him. Jacob Keene noticed that it was made of

plant fiber, with several loose ends. Did they really

expect him to climb that?

— Hurry, Doctor! — Turning toward the lake

bed, Keene realized that the same screams that were

trying to save his life would be responsible for his death

if he didn't climb immediately.

A few meters ahead, the Steppesaurus came

swiftly towards him, moving with incredible dexterity

for beings of that size. Ignoring all his instincts and the

disgust he felt at the quality of the rope, Keene clung to

the twisted fiber, lifting his weight seconds before a jaw

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reached the place previously occupied by his feet in the

air.

— For God's sake, pull! — he shouted

uncontrollably. Lucy and I had hastily made a loop and

tied the rope around a branch within our reach. Now, the

strength of the branch, the strength of the rope, and even

our tenacity; all these things were factors that would

determine the biomedical doctor's future. Finally

hoisting the man to a safe height, we tensioned the rope

so that it would not give way to the weight, and Keene

himself also clung to the branch to steady himself.

Looking down, the three of us finally revealed ourselves

to the animals, who now knew of our existence in the

area. There was no room for Jacob in the swing, so he

had to remain firmly attached to the trunk in order not to

fall. Eventually, the animals realized that there would be

no point in waiting for us to come down — there was

much more accessible prey on the lake bed. As we

watched the sails turn once more toward the shallows,

Keene, still securely attached to the log, asked, trying to

disguise his trembling voice:

— So...have you found anything?

— Not yet, Doctor, — Lucy admitted, — but we

know where to find it — at the end of the dry lake bed.

— With a still somewhat dismayed expression, Keene

dipped his hand into his pants pocket, pulling out a strip

of polypropylene that had been folded like paper.

Unrolling the item before Lucy, he handed it to her, so

that she could study it. Taking it in her hands, Lucy

could not believe her eyes.

— But it's a...

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— A detailed map, — Keene added. — I

arranged for it to be printed out in resin before we got

here, but I'm afraid I haven't learned to interpret these

little things yet.

In different colors, the document showed the

topography of the region, including the lake in front of

us, whose maximum depth, according to the code, was

four meters. Such a large quantity of water had

disappeared long past the dry season, making everything

even more frightening. Then, without explaining the

reason, Lucy turned the map upside down and read it

like this, reversing the current position of the lake in

relation to the hill. I thought about saying something to

her, but the look in her eyes told me to trust the plan and

keep silent. Rolling up the resin strip before handing it

back, Lucy said:

— Thank you, Dr Keene; your map was very

helpful.

— Excellent. Now...what do we do to get down

from here? — At this point, I could criticize all his lack

of planning and insight, but I decided that this was not

the moment.

— It won't be long before it gets dark, — I

commented. — Climb that branch that anchored your

rope and tie it around you; there isn't enough time to

build another swing like ours. — Pulling his weight over

the large branch, Keene leaned his back on the tree and

tied himself around it, clinging to the trunk.

— That's too uncomfortable! — he exclaimed

childishly.

— Why, Doctor, — Lucy said with a touch of

irony, — you've become far too accustomed to always

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having a silk bed. — The British man grunted at the

remark, perhaps remembering that when he left the

ranch, he had also allowed Frost to have the bed to

himself. Since we had a more spacious base, we simply

leaned back against the trunk of the tree, hoping that the

branches would not snap during the night. Darkness then

came, covering that land with its blanket of stars — the

perfect sight to rest. Around us, crickets made

themselves heard; their sound being mixed with the

constant low roars of the Steppesaurus. Even the noise of

these animals was no longer so threatening; at least not

when we were safe, as was the case at that moment. My

eyes closed heavily and I am sure Lucy slept soundly

too, considering how much else she did while I just

braided vegetable fibers.

When I woke up the next day, Lucy gently

touched my arm and did so until I was fully awake.

— What is it? — I asked, still disoriented.

— Shhh, keep it down. I don't want Jacob to

wake up.

— Don't tell me we're starting another expedition

without him? — But she was already climbing down the

trunk, cautiously looking at the ground around the roots

to make sure we were alone. I sighed once more, this

time wondering what Jacob would say when he found us

again, but as I thought this, I was also already making

the complex turn between the swing frame and the

cypress trunk, taking one last look at Keene. The

biomedical doctor had his head dropped to one side and

his eyes were surrounded by deep dark circles, showing

that his night had been longer than mine. Of course, it

was not easy for him to sleep surrounded by predators,

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even after so many months working with Anthony Lane.

With one last leap, I landed on my feet on a thicket of

grass, which absorbed the sound of my fall. Following

Lucy, I then turned back to the pond on the Boseman

farm, which was just behind the hill we were on. At this

point, there was no noise coming from the eupelicosaur

area, and no sign that Keene was following us; he was

probably as unconscious as the animals themselves.

Getting into our small canoes, we paddled to the middle

of the artificial lagoon, just where others had previously

disappeared.

— What's the plan? — I asked.

— We are going to reach the other side of the

lake plain. If we can't cross it, we will go around it.

— And how do you know how to get there?

— Keene's map. The topography shows a raised

area that extends from the other side of the lake and

reaches the main ranch road.

— My goodness...so that's why you turned the

map upside down — to make Keene think that was the

right position! — Agreeing, Lucy added:

— Don't you think it's strange that Keene

troubled himself to print a map? He doesn't even know

how to interpret codes! No, there's a lot he wants to hide

from us, and I'm going to find out what it is.

Lucy's look was one of determination, perhaps

with a hint of revenge, but for no reason. After all, why

would she want to take revenge on Jacob?

Without the map in hand, all we could do was go

around the large expanse of land that held the lake like a

huge basin. The alligators were still bumping into our

canoes, but the gesture seemed almost gentle, now that

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we no longer feared them. The distance was enormous

and we could not measure it, but at least we had a boat

that could pass between the trees this time, soon leading

us through the muddy swamp. Observing the waters we

were now crossing, I was glad that they were stagnant

and tannin-filled; otherwise, we might still see the

wreckage of the Bosemans' rented canoes, whose

paddlers met their end along with their boats. For the

same reason, I was glad that Lucy did not possess the

sonar here that she possessed at Hluleka, or we would

see the macabre outlines of overturned canoes, still in the

last position that the crocodilians left them.

Hours passed before we could reach the other

shore, and we did so knowing that it was the only safe

way to reach the bottom of the lagoon. Now, finally

climbing the wall that would take us to the end of the

inner lake, we felt that all the effort and all the fatigue in

our arms had been worth it. The slope was steep and

covered with boulders that broke loose as we anchored

onto them, almost bringing us back to the base of the

hill. My hands burned with the pain caused by paddling

for a long time, but I dug them into the mud that made

up the side of the hill, which Lucy had also been doing,

even before me. Finally, we reached the top and sat

down on it, trying to catch our breath. In the distance, we

could see the other hill, where we had spent the night,

and above it, a greenish dot — the tree that had sheltered

us while we slept. Looking down at the depression in the

ground far below, Lucy smiled, excited. We were in

deplorable conditions and locks of hair covered our

faces, but nothing could stop us from solving this

mystery now.

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Slowly, we anchored ourselves to the hillside,

this time descending the steep wall that ended at the

bottom of the dry riverbed. Somewhere nearby, huge

predators, five meters or more in length, were searching

for prey, but we still descended, without thinking about

what would happen. The drop to the ground was much

greater on this side, as the height of the hill and the depth

of the lake added up to about ten meters. Having to

resort also to our feet now to hold on, we wedged our

shoes into the mud wall, already showing signs of

physical fatigue. If we were exhausted, we would have

to walk back across the meadow, and none of us would

survive such an undertaking. Finally, we were a few

meters from the bottom. All around us, we could now

see the land stretching out and then rising a kilometer

from us, where it would curve to form the rest of the

lake. We dropped to the ground, allowing ourselves to sit

down in the mud, and observed the surroundings — the

same macabre silence dominated this area as well. The

walls that formed the banks were solidly dried up, as if

the entire region was going through a severe drought. I

could see no reasonable cause for such a phenomenon,

which made me terribly discouraged, especially

considering that we would have to climb the whole hill

once again.

— Hey, what's that? — asked Lucy.

I didn't even have the strength to turn around, but

when I did, my spirits grew strong again. At the other

end of the bank, a cannon-shaped mechanism connected

to a hose of large circumference, while the other nozzle

of the cannon led the hose out of the lake and further up

the hillside.

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— It's a...pond pump, — I recognized.

— So that's it, — said Lucy, her eyes smiling

with the resolution of the crime.

⬫⬫⬫

The night had been terrible. As Keene's eyes

opened with difficulty, fighting the urge to simply close

them again, he could still feel the pain coursing down his

spine. He was not made to sleep tied to trees, his

physical constitution required a comfortable bed with

silk sheets, like the one that had been his bed the other

night. Now Frost slept in it, sprawled out on the

comfortable feather mattress. But anyways, there was no

time for resentment; it was time to start another day of

expedition. Feeling the heat of the sun burning his face,

Keene thought that perhaps it was past time to start the

expedition day.

— Kevin? Are you awake yet? — he asked

without turning toward the swing set. — Lucy? — he

insisted. Turning the body carefully, Keene found that

the structure was empty. — But where did the Lanes go?

— he grumbled to himself. All around, there was no sign

that the Steppesaurus were around; there were no ripples

in the vegetation, nor any individuals feeding in the dry

bed. Using the rope that was still attached to the branch,

Keene made sure to pull the knot and slipped down on it.

— Strange, — he thought, looking around one last time.

— Where do these animals go when they're not trying to

kill me?

⬫⬫⬫

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Sicarius sniffed something nearby. He had always

served the hunting purpose for which his master had

prepared him. Now that team of clowns would be busy,

studying the creatures, while he could see the animals

more closely. Alexander Boseman found himself within

the large basin of the inner lake, having arrived here via

an isthmus connecting the main road to this shore.

Recalling his plan, he thought of himself as a genius.

How could anyone suspect that there was a patch of land

on the other side of the basin? His planning was simply

brilliant, no doubt about it. Now he was in the fenced

area to the northeast of the lake. Here, the clay walls

formed a perfect blockade against the heat that scorched

the rest of the swamp. He didn't understand much about

this new creature, but if he knew one thing about lizards,

it was that they rest in the shade when the heat

intensifies. In this cooler part of the basin, the animals

must seek refuge somewhere, but where? The

undergrowth was mostly parched, but still tall, reaching

up to a man's waist. No problem, that's what hunting

dogs are for. Burrowing through the grass that outlined

the clay wall, the Rottweiler wagged what was left of his

tail. Alexander followed behind, leaving a few meters

between himself and the dog, as he feared he would run

into something without having time to escape.

Sometimes all he used to guide himself through the dry

grass was Sicarius' constant barking and the ripples he

made in the vegetation. The barks were louder now, and

the animal jumped to indicate that it had found

something important. Raising his hand to the handle of

his machete, he asked suspiciously:

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— What did you find there, boy? Did you find

one of them?

As he drew closer, his hand sweated and his

breathing quickened, as he remembered the last attack he

had witnessed. Gathering his courage, he drew his blade

from its sheath and struck the stems of grass blocking his

front, clearing his field of vision. Emboldened, he

charged again into the parched wilderness and continued

on, until he was right in front of the point where Sicarius

was barking.

— All right, let's see what you got.

With enormous disappointment, Boseman found

the dog at the foothill of a mud mound, something like a

dirt basin — the perfect miniature of the terrain in which

he found himself. Contained within the walls were large

yellowish eggs, each the size of an orange. Cheerful, the

animal turned from the nest to its owner and back to the

nest, beginning to break the eggs with its fangs and lick

their insides. Furious, Boseman exclaimed:

— Sicarius, no! Those are not alligator eggs, you

stupid animal!

His hand reached out to pull the animal away

from the nest, but before he could reach it, the dog was

picked off by powerful jaws that sprang up from the

grass ahead. A huge Steppesaurus grabbed Sicarius by

the middle of the trunk and began to press down.

Boseman watched in horror, seeing his hunting animal

become prey so easily. His legs refused to run, no matter

how much his mind urged him to do so, and the

whimpers of pain made his heart ache, but it was too

late. With one last imposition of force, the reptile closed

its jaws again. Terrified, Boseman finally found the

384

strength to run, returning to the wall he had come down.

His limbs still tingled, but he had to keep running.

Behind him, the sound of the Steppesaurus speeding up

could already be heard. The huge predator had

exterminated its prey, and now it would chase this one

away from its young. With a slim advantage, Boseman

reached the clay wall and began to climb it as fast as

possible. Sticking his hands into the clay, he felt the

entire wall destabilize. — For God's sake, don't

collapse! — he cried out internally, not realizing that he

was also externalizing these words. When he got some

traction, he looked back and saw the beast roaring at the

foot of the slope. The being had a macabre and even

deformed appearance, as if it was missing a piece of its

sail.