Don't go chasing waterfalls

Water was something Nightingale had always been drawn to since she was tiny hatchling. The smell, the taste, the feeling; it all felt natural to her. Even though she was not an aquatic species. It still had some sort of soft spot within her heart and soul. Perhaps it was linked with Atlanteans in general or she may have just quite a unique dinosaur roaming the world.

Rumors had been spreading throughout the islands about Atlanteans going something with the dinosaurs. Including Nightingale. It seemed kind of frightening but nothing she could not handle because it was something out of her own control.

When it came to water though, Nightingale loved discovering its sources; whether it was the ocean to a simple pond within the forests or open fields.

Her mission today was to go waterfall hunting. She had not really come across many throughout her life, so far. As an adult now, she feels she has more sense of direction in terms of her long term memory. Her short term memory was awful when she was younger and could barely get by daily. There were more struggles to her life than not.

As Nightingale made her way to the middle of the isle. The landscape was full of green; trees of all types, ferns, bushes of many varieties including some carrying berries and moss. The sky above shown fairly bright with clouds shifting in an unstable way, throughout various breezes that sometimes would hit Nightingale’s body. At first, it took her by surprise but after a second and third time, it hardly bothered her.

The animals nearby were chirping and chittering all over the place. Any direction Nightingale would peer, would hear the livelihood and its melodies. A soft giggle of amusement yet contentment escaped her maw as her red orbs blinked slowly. She was taking in the scenery. It was rather lovely.

Water filled her nostrils after a few minutes more of walking. Her nose began to lead the way now. She depended greatly on her nose for things. The water began to grow louder. At first, the whooshing noise was light, then as she crept closer it grew louder and louder. Into an almost roaring sound. Something she had not heard before.

It kind of scared her because of the the sound becoming so intense but, also, quite intrigued by it.

“What the...” she posed the question to herself, under her breath. Pausing in her stride as she looked around, being sure there were no threats.

There was nothing.

Where was this water though?

Nightingale continued forth and eventually found a large pond with a waterfall. It was so high up! She almost tipped and lost her balance looking to see where the top was.

The misting from the waterfall was hardly felt until she decided to move closer. There was no hesitation for her now. Even though she was to some extent, on alert too. A mix of both was a good thing to do. Especially in this type of area. Who knows what type of aquatic life truly dwelled within the pond. That kind of gave her a spook at the idea of what animals truly lived in there.

She shifted her skull to look at the glistening water. It was calm and clear; the color was a soft blue almost identical to the sky. It contrasted quite well with the green around her. There were hardly any ripples indicating life underneath.

A hesitant but soft smile tugged at the edge of her snout before she heard something beyond the waterfall. That changed her demeanor instantly.

Scree! …Scree! ……SCREEEE!

Her eyes grew wide as it was very brief. The sound was familiar to her, bats? It had to be bats.

Little did she know it was not bats though. It was most likely tapejaras. She had not encountered this species yet or before.

Shadows of things flying were beyond the waterfall. Very thick and faint dark colors from the blues of the waterfall.

Nightingale glanced around her. She wanted to be sure no one was going to follow her. The other creatures seemed to be minding their own businesses and decided to press forward. Lowering her body, slightly with caution. Her red eyes glistening against the waterfall’s natural light from the outside as her body stepped through the waterfall. The warm water was not as bad as she thought it was going to be.

She shivered for a moment, once her body made it through the waterfall. Shaking her body from head to tail, as her tail continued to sway happily. Part of her was excited to see what was going to be found and another part of her was not a fan of the dark.

It was, in fact, fairly dark behind the waterfall. One could barely see a few paces in front of them.

Nightingale was brave. Or at least, much more brave in her adulthood compared to hatchling hood. She has learned to accept things that may become dangerous and figure out ways to bypass them or work through them.

In this case, Nightingale wanted to walk through this waterfall and see what was truly behind it. A sense of adventure gave her a thrill.

After a few minutes of self-talking, she wanted to hype herself up to distract herself from anything scary going forward. She made it this fair. There was no turning back.

Nightingale shook her entire body once more. Releasing any tension of being scared as best as she could but also trying to toss the remnants of water from the waterfall on her body.

“Alright, let’s go,” Nightingale whispered to herself, as she then let out a deep sigh.

Even though it took a bit for Nightingale’s eyes to adjust to the darkness, up ahead there was a light source. It was faint but became more bright when she walked closer to it. Her curiosity struck her more as she crept closer. Each step she took within this narrow path in the cave, felt cold to her toes and gave her chills.

Those weird flying dinosaurs must have been up to something unless there was something else going on. Nightingale allowed various thoughts to roam her mind as she cautiously walked forward. The light was almost too bright within the darkness of the path. Her eyes could not help but squint a little.

The area where the light source was coming from… was a room of some kind. There were various bookshelves, desks and other items that Nightingale had never seen before. A lot of the items had moss or other vines growing around them but still indicated they were being used in some fashion. Her eyes grew wide with fear but a lump in her throat felt curious. Her body swallowed the lump as it slid down into her stomach.

“What the hell is this place..” she whispered softly to herself; red eyes glistened from the lighting within the room. Her demeanor shifted slightly as her body adjusted into an almost defensive stance.

After a few moments of looking around, she noticed where the light source was coming from. There was a small hole in the ceiling at the far end. It created the beam of light from the sun which showed it had to have been made by humans. But why? What is going on here? So many various thoughts filled Nightingale’s brain. It made her freeze in her steps at the entry point of the room.

Nightingale continued to scan the room. She took an inhale as it stung her nostrils, there was an odd scent within this room. A shiver was felt throughout her body as she wanted to leave. Something was wanting her to leave but her curiosity wanted her to stay.

In the distance she heard those flying things screeching. Perhaps it was a signal for her to leave…