Uncharacteristically Contemplative

Randolph awoke in the middle of the night to find Rebecca gone.

Normally, that wouldn’t have alarmed him. Him and his clutchmates were closer than their cousin Saika’s feathers, but they all needed their space from time to time, though Roxanne was more prone to it than the elder two.

But Rebecca hadn’t wandered off for a rambling walk in the woods lining their territory, she’d gone out, alone, into the depths of the Atlantian jungle. And Rebecca was a natural troublemaker; Randolph was certain she’d make someone angry and get herself hurt if left to her own devices.

So, being careful not to wake Roxanne—he didn’t need her worrying, too—he set out to find her.

Despite being in Atlantis for weeks, Randolph never got used to the bio-dome. Out in the plains, seeing the sky was a given, but here the canopy was tied so tightly together that he rarely caught a glimpse of it. And he knew that this sky wasn’t even real.

Their Papa had gone to Atlantis, and Vanim before him—though at the time, they didn’t know about the dome. Everyone had been wrapped up in the thrill, the mystery of where the oviraptors had come from. And now that Randolph knew the answer, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Roxanne clearly wanted to leave as soon as they could, but Rebecca was still as confident as ever about their excursions into the city. He felt like their luck could only last so long…

He sighed. If he got lost in his own head, he’d have no chance of finding Rebecca.

He tried to focus on his environment. He carefully picked his way through the underbrush, keeping an eye out for roots he could trip over and pitcher plants he could slip into. He had no idea how the euoplos could live this way.

Then, suddenly, the foliage grew less dense. The land opened up, revealing an old stone fence, overgrown with ivy and kudzu. His eyes traced the strange remnant of humanity, and saw the spot where it opened. A bit hesitant, but deathly curious, Randolph went inside.

On the other side of the fence, the land was surprisingly open, with few trees and shorter shrubs than elsewhere in the jungle. Nearby was a wide pond with clear waters, and…

And a white cryo, staring into its depths.

“There you are,” Randolph breathed, voice warm with relief. He walked over, glancing at the pond as he passed. The pond was bordered by an irregular line of stones, and several large, colorful koi fish swam serenely within. “What are you doing out here?”

As he sat next to her, he saw her face was uncharacteristically contemplative. Which wasn’t to say that Rebecca was stupid, she just didn’t use her head all the time. She was a dinosaur of action. It was irritating, but also a relief. She was bold and self-assured, unlike Randolph.

Without looking up from the water, she asked, “Do you think we’re actually accomplishing anything here?”

Randolph blinked. Yes, she was being very strange. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard what everyone’s saying in the city. About the invasion. Even with Papa’s help, if we find him to begin with, what are we going to do?”

“Do you want to stop them?”

“I don’t want our home to turn into a jungle!” And Randolph saw another emotion he rarely saw on his sister’s face: fear. And he couldn’t blame her.

“I don’t either, but that doesn’t mean we have to be the ones to stop them. There are plenty of other dinosaurs who can do that. I bet an acro could eat an iguanodon for lunch.”

“But what about Papa? What if he’s still here somewhere?” She was the biggest out of the three of them, but now, she sounded smaller than a hatchling. She’d always loved their papa, more than Randolph or Roxanne. Randolph cared about him, of course, because they were family. But he had no illusions about the fact that their papa had never been the best one.

“Papa is smart,” Randolph said. “If we’re able to get out of here, he will, too.” He wasn’t sure if he even believed that, but if a little lying was what it took to ease Rebecca’s worries, he would do it.

She watched the koi fish swim in the pond, sending ripples through the calm water.

“I bet Roxanne wants to go home,” she said.

Randolph allowed himself to smile. “Yeah, I bet.” He knew that from the moment they arrived.

“Let’s go back and tell her we’re leaving. She’ll be happy.”

“And cranky. She was asleep when I left.”

Rebecca frowned, and looked back at the pond. Fast as lightning, she threw her head into the water and came back up with a dripping, flailing fish in her jaws.

“Going to bribe her with food?”

Rebecca threw her head back and swallowed the fish. “That one was for me!” she laughed, back to her old self again. “But there’s still plenty of fish here. She’d love to eat one. Later.”

Now that Randolph thought about it, he was hungry, too… And those fish were so plump and juicy-looking…

He waded into the water and waited patiently for a fish to swim up to him. With Rebecca’s wild attacks on the other side of the pond, it didn’t take long. As a startled fish swam away from her, he shot his head into the water and snapped it up between his teeth, throwing his head back and letting it slide smoothly down his throat. The flesh was rich and warm, in contrast to the cold water that was now coating his scales.

By the time he was done savoring the taste, Rebecca was at it again—and he was able to catch a second one. Despite their vast differences, they could work very well as a team, even acting on instinct alone.

Randolph would save some fish for Roxanne, of course, but for now, he was happy to spend some time with his older sister.