CHAPTER 45: AN ARROW OF RESCUE

The jungle air was thick with tension. The shadows pressed in, and every rustle of leaves felt like a warning. John moved cautiously, heart pounding in his chest. Then—footsteps. Not his.

They were close.

A sudden scrape tore through the fabric of his shirt—and his skin.

"Ahh!" John cried out, a sharp pain lancing across his back. He instinctively dropped and rolled, landing hard on the ground, dry leaves crunching beneath him. Dirt smeared his palms as he scrambled to his feet, heart racing.

He turned just in time to see his attacker.

It was unlike anything he'd seen before—a bizarre little dinosaur, no taller than his waist. Its leathery skin shimmered faintly under the moonlight, its small clawed hands twitching with agitation. Strangely, wings jutted out from the sides of its head like some odd evolutionary joke. Its long, whip-like tail curled behind it, lashing in anger. Most chilling of all were its eyes—glinting with pure, unfiltered rage.

"How dare you disturb my sleep?" it snarled, its voice unnervingly clear and intelligent.

John froze. He had no weapon, no plan. "I—I didn't mean to!" he stammered. "I was just throwing my annoying friend out!"

The creature blinked, momentarily startled. "You… you can hear me? You understand me? Since when can humans do that?"

John hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Not all humans. Just me. I can understand all monsters and dinosaurs," he said, rising slowly, hands raised to show he meant no harm.

The creature's snarl deepened. "Oh? So you can chat with my kind? How nice. But will that fill my stomach? Will it feed me?" it snapped—and then lunged.

John didn't have time to move. His limbs locked in place, eyes wide in panic.

But something else moved.

With a shriek and a spray of dirt, the fatty insect burst from underground like a missile. It clamped its oversized jaws onto the dinosaur's leg. "You jerk!" it shouted.

The dinosaur screamed, thrashing wildly. It tried to shake the insect off, slamming its tail against the ground, but the insect held fast for a few seconds before it was finally flung aside. It landed with a grunt, curling up dazed on the ground.

The creature's head snapped back toward John, rage doubling. It launched forward, teeth bared.

And then—thwack!

An enormous arrow—far larger than any normal weapon—whistled through the air and slammed into the dinosaur's back. The impact knocked it off its feet. It hit the ground with a gasp, its breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts. Pain etched itself across its face, its furious eyes dimming with agony.

John stood rooted in place, trembling. The arrow had struck mere feet from where he stood. One miscalculation and it would've been him on the ground, not the beast.

Before he could process it, a large, calloused hand rested on his shoulder.

He spun around.

An old man stood behind him—tall, broad-shouldered, and powerful despite his age. His face was deeply lined, sun-worn and rugged, but his eyes were sharp, bright, and calculating. His gray beard bristled like wiry moss, and a massive hunting bow was slung across his back.

"This isn't a place for kids," the man said, his voice low and gruff. "What are you doing out here so late?"

John tried to steady his breath. "I got lost," he said quickly, the words tumbling out.

The old man didn't respond right away. Instead, he knelt beside the fallen creature, studying it with an expert eye. "You're lucky," he muttered. "This one's a Velociraptor. They don't usually travel alone. There's always a pack—three at the very least. But this one's alone..."

He looked up, eyes narrowing at John.

"To save your life, I used a poisoned arrow. It'll die unless it chooses to enter my Neuro Core and accept me as its master."

He placed a firm hand on the Velociraptor's head.

The raptor, even in pain, let out a deep growl and snapped at the man's hand, teeth narrowly missing.

The old man sighed. "Stubborn."

He rose to his feet, brushing dirt from his pants. His tone was calm, almost tired. "Too bad. It had one chance."

He turned, walking away into the shadows without another word.

Behind him, the Velociraptor lay gasping, the poison already working its way through its body. And John stood in the silence that followed, heart still hammering, unsure what had just changed—but certain something had.