Apprehended

Having successfully passed the test of the short set and bad tempered creatures, the trio of Agatha, Drift and Haze progressed deeper into the jungle, unsure of where they were going, just following what resembled a path through the thick foliage. As they walked Haze felt silly, with all the commotion and dancing there had been no time for proper introductions. As the now scabby, (from his prior altercation with the thorny plants) adolescent looked over to the two larger females he gave a nervous smile. “Why are you guys down here?” He asked without studdering, feeling much more at ease with the larger pair after their eventful day. 

As he waited for the pair to respond to him he looked around at their surroundings. Cringing slightly as they passed under a prickly vine reaching down toward them. An all too recent reminder of the ones that had held him captive. Instinctually the younger male shifted closer to the protective figures of the females that had already been saved twice today. A motion he hoped went unnoticed after realising he had stepped so close to Agatha that her feathers brushed his side. 

“...”

Relieved to have made it past the euoplos without a hitch, Drift let out a deep sigh before stopping briefly to stretch the tension out of her body. She shook her right leg slightly before catching up to Agatha and Haze, who had not stopped with her. 

The young male asked why they were down there, and seeing as all they intended to do was find out what the source of the invasive plants in the island was, Drift and Agatha just looked at each other and nodded in agreement to let the young one know. They had no reason to lie or hide anything. 

“We came down here to get to the bottom of these new plants that have been appearing everywhere, we want to find out why and what their purpose is. They seem like they could become trouble, so we intend to stop them from spreading any further.” Agatha replied, as she was the better one to explain things of the two females. 

“If you want to, you are free to join our mission, young one.” Drift happily added as they passed under some vines. She couldn't help but notice that Haze had moved closer to Agatha, who he was walking next to, but decided not to say anything. He was young and likely scared, he did not need anyone pointing that out right now, he needed their support and to feel safe. 

Soon, the trio exited the tunnels into what appeared to be some sort of facility. This felt rather ominous and Drift in particular felt uneasy. While it did not look identical to the Alpha Labs, a similar vibe was definitely present. She felt uneasy, but refused to let it show. She had to stay strong and look confident, as to not make Haze feel scared. 

Agatha could immediately see how Drift tensed up slightly, and who could blame her? The Alpha Labs had been a terrifying experience for her, with Acros and dacens being her closest neighbours, both being rather hostile. 

It did not take long until the three carnivores were approached by yet another large beast, one they had never seen before and had no idea what it was, and it did not look amused by their presence. 

“...”

Haze was excited by the prospect of joining their quest, he’d never been part of such a thing and so the idea that the two older females were happy to take him along with them made him feel very special. Plus it seemed like a very noble cause, trying to save the islands he thought to himself. As he looked over to Drift, peering forward around Agatha’s fluffy chest he nodded smiling, “Yes please, I want to help!” He said excitedly, giving a little hop at the end of the sentence for effect. 

Before he could ask a barrage of questions regarding the plants, why they were concerned and what they intended to do, the large creature brought them to a dead stop. Haze looked up at the towering giant, its black and white feathering a dramatic sight against the greens and greys that surrounded him. Instinctually the younger scurried backward putting the two stronger females in front of him, this time stepping in closer to drift. His smaller form pushed up against her leg and she felt a light tremble through his body as the giant exhaled heavily through its nose. 

The large creature scowled down at them, assessing them with its red eyes. “And who might you be?” She asked in a stern and powerful tone. Her authority was clear in the way she carried herself. Haze was quite frightened at this point, the larger dinosaur stamped its front foot to indicate a subtle threat, Haze backed up a bit still in contact with Drift's side, almost clinging to her like a little child. 

“…”

The large female dinosaur was towering over the three carnivores. Drift gladly stood guard in front of Haze, who had taken shelter squeezed tight beside her. Due to her increased stress, her bioluminescence was pulsing much faster, in tact with her heartbeat. She wanted to stay strong and brave but for those who knew how bio worked, they could see right through her facade. 

“Are you the ones responsible for the plants taking over our homes!?” Agatha snorted angrily at the proud stranger,kicking her foot in the ground like a bull intending to charge. 

“You peasants do not scare me, and our business has nothing to do with outsiders like you three!” the large herbivore replied, angrily huffing at the trio. “Come with me to stand trial, or face the wrath of our queen.”

The three carnos looked at each other, it truly seemed like they had no choice but to listen to her orders if they wanted to make it out in one piece. Drift was starting to question what was worse, the Acros or these fellas. 

Sheepishly, the carnos started to move towards where the large dinosaur was nodding for them, Agatha and Drift made sure to keep themselves between her and Haze, to keep him safe. Or at least as safe as they realistically could. Who was this queen the authoritarian dinosaur had mentioned? What were her intentions? There were so many questions, but so few answers. 

The large, light gray Herbivore led the three carnivores to a dimly lit corridor. Some wires hanging from the roof sparked occasionally, and the electricity overall seemed to me in an unreliable state with flickering ceiling lights and occasional red warning lights blinking. 

“We do not fit well in these rooms. Bring me back things from the old days, man-made tools and the like. If you try to run away, we will not show mercy. Bring back enough things and the court may let you go. I will be waiting.” the herbivore demanded and pushed Agatha forward, with Drift and Haze quickly following her. 

They weren't exactly sure what they were looking for, but figured trying was worth a shot. Maybe if they got on their good side they would get some answers. 

“You may call me Agnus if you need to ask any questions, but do not bother me with nonsense.” the dark masked herbivore added as the Carno trio started walking down the spooky corridor. 

“…”

Haze’s smaller form trembled with each step as they pressed forward into the dimly lit building. Despite his overwhelming fear he was overwhelmingly grateful for the more mature Carnos and their defensive stance around him. Despite not really knowing them he felt safe and comfortable, no longer shy after all they had been through up to this point. Looking up at Drift’s bioluminescence a curiosity began to rise. He’d never seen anything quite like it and it wasn’t until they were in this poorly lit space that he’d had time to acknowledge it. 

Noticing him look at her Drift prompted him to speak with an expression of kindness and curiosity. “What is it, little one?” She asked gently. With a little gasp Haze quickly looked away feeling rude for staring but so mesmerised by the glowing colours. “You’re so pretty.” He said innocently as he continued to walk close to her side. Agatha smiled to herself and the three entered a larger room with many interesting objects strewn around. 

“What’s man-made?” He asked looking between the two females and then back out to the various things around them. After a brief explanation they set to work, making a pile of interesting things to return to Angus with. Haze’s pile consisted of a long cord with yellow and orange colours, a metal tray and some kind of trophy plaque. He was drawn to these items because they were shiny or bright. As he turned to see what the females had gathered he inspected their piles. 

“…”

Drift and Agatha themselves weren’t entirely sure what the intimidating herbivore meant with man-made either, but they did their best with gathering stuff they thought would please her.
“I’m not actually sure..” Drift mumbled as a reply to Haze’s question, not to be rude but because she was lost in thought. What did count? “Just grab whatever you find interesting, for now.”
Agatha located a small lab of sorts, where she gathered a bunch of different trays, some small tools such as tweezers and other stuff barely big enough for her to grab without accidentally swallowing it. Drift located a break room, fitted with a small kitchen corner, where she proceeded to gather some kitchen utensils, pots and pans as well as baking trays she found stored away in cupboards. She was also interested in grabbing the plates and glasses she found, but upon accidentally dropping and shattering a glass, she realised that they would be too fragile to safely transport to Agnus.

The trio of carnos eventually regrouped with all their findings to look over what they all had found so far, contemplating if it would be enough or not, as well as how to transport it all efficiently. Agatha spotted an empty plastic box, it was rather large and they could fit everything they had found inside of it. Drift let out a sigh of relief.
“At least that makes transporting these to her easier..” she nervously chuckled. “What do you guys think, should we get some more things or do you suppose this would be enough?”
Agatha thought for a bit before eventually replying to her friend.
“I can ask, unless you want to just risk it, so to speak.” she offered.

“Let’s try our luck.”  Drift smiled and started pulling the box, with Haze sticking close to her, helping by pushing it.
Agatha nodded and followed alongside them. Surely their efforts would be acknowledged at the least, even if what theft gathered had not been enough. At least she had hope that Agnus would be lenient, seeing as they had no idea what to look for.

“...”

As Haze helped by pushing the container with his head he thought about the things they had found, they were all so strange and definitely not natural. Maybe that's what man-made meant? He pondered this for a moment before deciding to tell the others what he had thought up, “Maybe man-made means things that nature can't make itself?” His statement was innocent and observatory, it did make sense though and everyone nodded in agreement.

As the trio returned to Agnus with their loot Haze became more shy again, ensuring one of the larger females was between him and the larger Iguanadon. Agnus examined the artifacts carefully, her face giving no hints to if she was pleased or dissatisfied with the items presented. Agnus’s breathing was audible, whether it was due to her size or frustration the trio were not sure. Everyone was tense, waiting for the Iggy to give them feedback on their offering, seconds stretched on until she finally spoke. “Very good.” She said plainly, presumably pleased with what they had sourced.

Agnus looked over the trio thoughtfully, “You have earnt your freedom this time, but don’t let me catch you creeping around here again!” Her words were stern and threatening, while she was happy with the work they had done she clearly didn’t like them nor did she want them stalking around her home.