[REPOST] Pushing the limits

A pale, narrow snout pushed through the savannah grass first, exposing the dark green “eyes” that decorated its sides. After a quick flare of the nostrils, the rest of the head slowly emerged, followed by a long, dark green neck.

The adolescent Suchomimus paused to take a look around, making sure there was no one else within sight or hearing distance, before he stepped out into the open.

 Feeling secure with the knowledge that he had the beach to himself, Nile eagerly strode toward the beckoning waves. After a few steps in, he leaned forward, allowing his own weight to carry him down into the water.

For a moment, he savored the feel of the waves lapping at his sun-warmed sides and back. Then, with a gulp of air, he submerged himself. After a quick blink, a whole new world opened up before him.

The ground sloped gently downward toward a colorful array of coral. Even though the reef promised new discoveries, Nile had already explored quite a few around the new island. He wanted to do something different. He didn’t know exactly what yet, but he was sure he would know once he saw it.

Nile kept to the outside of the reef until the ocean floor sloped downward again. He followed it as it spilled down into a seaweed strewn valley. Within moments, the swaying towers swallowed him, limiting his view of the world around him. He didn’t think of the dangers that may be lurking just out of sight though. Instead, he entertained the thought of him being what was feared in these waters. He imagined himself fully grown, scarred from many battles, lurking amongst these weeds like a legendary sea monster.

Too distracted with his own musings, he didn’t notice the other dinosaur until it was right in his face. One moment, Nile was drifting along between rows of sea weed, seemingly alone. The next, a flat-billed, narrowed-necked, flipper thing was floating right in front him.

He did his best to backpedal, but he was far less agile than the stranger. While he floundered, and instinctively tried not to gasp for air, the aquatic dinosaur twisted and dipped in curious circles in front of him. It seemed to be both concerned and amused by all of his limbs moving at once.

Unfortunately, Nile’s movements caused the nearby seaweed strands to tangle around his legs and tail. The more he thrashed, the tighter they seemed to get. Now, not only was he surprised, but he was panicking from the possibility of being trapped down here. What had been dangerously alluring was now downright frightening.

The pressure on his legs and tail suddenly eased. Nile was too relieved to see how it had occurred, he just pushed and pulled at the water until he broke the surface of it.

After sucking in a quick gasp of air, he quickly made his way back toward the beach.

It wasn’t until after he had collapsed in the shallows, and caught his breath again, that Nile noticed the narrow bill peeking above the waves a short distance away. When it noticed him looking, it ducked underwater. Instead of moving away, though, it moved closer. It just remained underwater.

Nile watched it for a few moments before finally resigning himself to interact with it. It was hanging around for a reason, after all. Perhaps it needed help. Or it wanted to be eaten. The latter would be preferred, but he’d yet to encounter prey that actually wanted to be prey. Somehow, he just knew this wasn’t going to be the first time it happened either.

As soon as Nile pulled himself around to face the other dinosaur, he regretted it. The stranger seemed absolutely thrilled to finally be acknowledged ‘properly’. It zipped around in a quick loop, and then made two more quick loops, going a bit farther out to sea each time.

Nile sighed as he dug his claws into the ocean floor. He didn’t think he’d get a meal out of this, but perhaps he’d finally find a nice, solitary spot to call his own. Somewhere off shore might be necessary at this point, he thought as he started after the aquatic dinosaur. It zipped ahead, heading straight for the valley of sea weed again.

As Nile followed the stranger, he considered just how much he had underestimated the popularity of the new island. He’d thought that very few would want to risk the tunnels, and a whole new terrain. Instead, it almost seemed like there were just as many dinosaurs here as there had been on the other island. Possibly more, he thought as he focused on the new one’s back.

Thankfully, the pair stayed on the outside of the seaweed “forest” and instead made their way around it.

Nile was beginning to grow wary of where exactly the flat-bill was leading him when they rounded the last strands of underwater foliage and emerged into what seemed to be the bottom of the valley.

Sunlight lanced through the open water and illuminated the submerged remains of some sort of building. It kind of resembled buildings Nile had seen along the coastline before, and yet, it looked different too. Unique, somehow…. Special even.

While Nile took the time to process just what it was he was looking at, his guide had done nothing but proudly loop in front of their destination over and over again. After a couple minutes of staring, the Suchomimus finally drug his eyes away from the wreckage and focused back on the other dinosaur.

He briskly nodded to them as he passed by, assuming that they would leave now that they had shown him the way here. However, his enthusiastic chaperone turned and darted ahead of him, once again displaying just how agile they really were. They hovered near a crevice, inspecting it for a moment before moving on.

Nile didn’t want to get so close. Not yet. He drifted a few feet away from the walls, slowly rising back toward the surface. The remains seemed to stretch all the way to the top, and beyond, from what he could see. He was tempted to go all the way up, but an open tunnel drew his attention and held it.

He could see light coming from the other side of the tunnel. It wasn’t sunlight though. It was a harsh, deep red that cast sharp shadows against the unnatural walls.

Nile cautiously drifted forward, using his tail to propel him along. The red light grew brighter as he neared the curve in the tunnel. Once he rounded it, he could see the source of the light.

An orb as big as a bonehead’s dome illuminated the whole tunnel from the center of the ceiling. Nile took a marvel to marvel at it before he moved along.

Though the red light had been harsh, Nile found he preferred it to the darkness that lay beyond. He followed the tunnel by touch more than sight, unable to see much more than a general shape of the walls around him.

After a few moments, he realized that he hadn’t heard or felt his guide since he entered the tunnel. Apparently, there were some places even they wouldn’t go, he thought with apprehension.

When the faint glimmer of sunlight appeared ahead, Nile couldn’t help but feel weak with relief. He had no idea how long he had been in the tunnel, he had no way to measure time, but he was tired of swimming and starting to getting hungry.

He faintly realized that the walls around him seemed to be marked with symbols and lines, but he didn’t slow down or stop to study them. They meant nothing to him after all. They were no doubt made for and by whomever had made the building. He only wanted to get out.

What he had thought was “out” really wasn’t though.

Nile broke the surface of the water felt his relief melt away as he gaped at the towering walls that stretched overhead. There were cracks in it, just enough to let in the sunlight that had fooled him, but they were too far away. No water or ledge was even close to them. He was inside the building. Or buildings. Whatever it was…

A splash at his shoulder drew Nile’s gaze down from the ceiling, and to the familiar face of the flat-bill he’d followed down here. They didn’t look as proud, or playful, as they had outside. In fact, they looked as wary as he felt. Their gaze nervously glanced around, drawing Nile’s attention to a set of concrete ledges nearby.

When Nile made to move toward the ledges, the flat-bill ducked underwater and disappeared from sight again. He hesitated when they did, wondering if that meant danger was definitely ahead. However, his muscles were aching too much to consider going back through the tunnel. He needed to rest. He had risk it.

After pulling himself out of the water, Nile took a moment to catch his breath and look around.

The smooth stone platforms he laid on seemed to have been part of a raised path before. His gaze followed the trail of rumble where he lay, up a jumbled incline, and landed on a ledge a short distance above him. Some dinosaurs would be able to make the climb to it, but not all, he thought hopefully.

Nile allowed himself another moment of rest before he pushed himself to his feet again. His muscles protested as he did, and he did his best to ignore them. When that didn’t work, he promised himself a nice, long rest up on the raised path, where no one would be able to get him. Promises didn’t ease the pain, but they gave him something to imagine as he pushed and pulled himself over the rumble, to the “ledge”.

Nile crawled over the edge and collapsed on the smooth stone path. He panted, finding it far harder to catch his breath than before.

When he finally did, he raised his head enough to peer ahead, and found the path stretching on toward the yet another tunnel. Like the last, lights glowed from the tunnel, but they weren’t the same harsh red as before. These dotted the ceiling in a frequent line of bright, white rectangles. Illuminating the pale grey stone walls as they curved out of sight.

Though the sight seemed much more inviting than any other up to this point, he was far too tired to go on.

Nile curled up right there on the path, the crumbled edge only meters away, and began to drift off. The gentle lap of the water below soon lulled him completely to sleep.