[Part 2] New Mystery

Several days and nights had passed since they managed to contain that strange Oviraptor. Neither of them expected that she would exhaust them both physically and mentally, and consequently, emotionally. They felt tired and irritated, even with the occasional help this curious Pterosaur offered as a way to unravel the mystery surrounding this whole situation with this dinosaur with its white, ethereal feathers. It would have been easy to simply hunt it like any other prey, but they felt they shouldn't; something far beyond instinct was preventing them, as if its mere presence was constantly cursing them, pushing them to take no action.

 

And with both Albertosaurus being equally proud, neither wanted to admit that keeping this little dinosaur alive was causing them headaches, fatigue, and even nightmares at night. Instead, it was something that was reflected in both of their moods. The sigh of relief when they managed to trap her in a rock formation was audible, and with the flying reptile watching over her, they were finally able to take a break. Between boulders and the dusty hillside that crumbled with each step they took, the sound seemed to come back to life, so much so that Calisto decided to contribute to it.

 

—“What do you think we really found that day at the lake?”— She asks, looking back at the rock formation they left behind.

 

—“If there is something, I really don't want to know. But I also don't want to let her roam free.”— Her feathers seemed to puff up a little in a shiver. Had those pitch-black eyes really affected her that much? Calisto's expression seemed to form something resembling a smile.

 

—“I don't see the humor in it.”— She gives him a disapproving nod in response.

 

—“And I'm not going to apologize for it either. But look at it this way... Doesn't it remind you of all the dangerous times we went through growing up? You know, the multiple incidents with dinosaurs much bigger than us?”— As she reminisced, she seemed a little more animated.

 

—“Remember? I don't know if I'm understanding your point in comparing this to being nearly devoured.”— She still didn't see what was really funny about it. She'd apparently gotten too distracted trying to come up with an explanation when Calisto nudged her with her snout.

 

—“I mean, it's almost outrageous that something so much smaller than us have us on the ropes and even without sleep. And yes, I know perfectly well when something affects you.”— Artemisa just gives her a defeated look.

 

—“I know... If I'm honest, I can't stop thinking that there's something much bigger going on right now. There's something that gives me a bad feeling.”— She takes a deep breath. —"But I'm not going to let this go. I want to know what's going on, and I want to chase that answer.”— Calisto nudges her again, this time more playfully.

 

—“Well, look at it this way, it's the most interesting thing that's happened to us since that Styracosaurus that smelled like death. We can't always be hunters... right? What do you think?”— Artemisa just shook her head, but seemed to agree. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad for adding a little more excitement to their lives. Once the large predators grew, it was hard to find any challenges beyond securing a good meal or keeping other carnivores at bay from time to time.

 

Ultimately, resolving their restless thoughts by simply talking about it a little not only calmed them down but also took on this new goal of figuring out what was really going on. Of course, a break from so much mysticism wouldn’t hurt either before deciding what they would do the next day. That rocky terrain was already behind them, and they entered a forest of dead trees. Everything was withered and brown, but they could camouflage themselves well there if the situation required it. More than anything, they needed a good rest after all the continuous stress caused by such small prey. They both looked for and settled in a clearing that seemed comfortable enough for them. Artemisa would be on vigil all night and Calisto would sleep a little.

 

The silence among the Albertosaurus is comfortable. As the sun sets, the night brings with it the chirping of insects and various small creatures emerging from their hiding places to feed, along with the breeze that makes the dry branches rustle. Artemisa looks at the small insects, remembering the times when they used to notice them, with the inevitable futile attempts to hunt them. She moves Calisto and she raises her head; she's probably been listening to the insects too.

 

—“And to think we can now take down long necks…”— Calisto recalls. The dry, old trees always reminded her of Shunosaurus. Maybe it was because of their height, the texture of their trunks, and perhaps because of the sharp branches they had at the ends.

 

—“So? It doesn't matter. You were never very good at hunting insects.”— And almost immediately, Artemisa didn't miss the opportunity to bring that up.

 

—“Oh, great. Are you never going to forget that?”— She received a sound clearly indicating a refusal.

 

Another silence. Although this time it didn't last long as the chorus of crickets was interrupted by the guttural sounds resembling the laughter of giants. They spent the night reminiscing and laughing together among the various creatures that used to be worthy rivals to their skills in the past, or at least to one of them. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating everything with a faint blue glow; the atmosphere no longer felt so dense overall. Artemisa stood up and approached the dead trees, grasping large, dry branches in her jaws to tear them off and carry them back to the small place they were sharing to spend the night. She repeated this process a few more times, and Calisto joined in to help her build a nest. The result wasn't perfect; they didn't have much attention to detail, much less to decorating well, so much so that even a pigeon's nest was much more presentable. But they don't care; they're nomads and are far more fascinated by practicality than by appearance, or at least that's the excuse they'll give if asked. They snuggle up next to each other, grooming each other, removing parasites and any other unwanted inhabitant they might be carrying and still be within reach. The rest of the night was peaceful, spending time and pampering each other. At dawn, the two returned to the spot where they had left the Oviraptor. And luckily, she was still there. Their guardian, the pterosaur who had also taken an interest in this mystery, was keeping a watchful eye, curled up, his head tucked under one wing, while a purring noise came from him. Myrlo, without a doubt, was an exceptional watchman. They decided to be merciful to him and allowed him to sleep. It wouldn't be strange if he, too, was somewhat intrigued but frightened by this whole new situation, just like them. Hours later, when the sun had returned to its place in the blue sky, everyone was already energized and ready to unravel the appearance of these new marauders.