Rumble...
"Aunnng-roar—!"
The earth shuddered under the volcano's fury, a deafening roar rising in tandem with the planet's own mournful groan.
On Main Street, Rexy seized her moment. She lunged forward, her jaws clamping onto the throat of the Alpha Carcharodontosaurus from below, hoisting him until he stood nearly upright. She drove her head downward, forcing his cervical bones to emit a sickening, overstrained creak. Yet, his raw strength eclipsed hers; he would not be snuffed out so easily.
Rexy pivoted on the spot, using her entire body weight to whip him to the side. She released her grip, letting momentum hurl the predator into a nearby building.
Stone and glass shattered. The Alpha Carcharodontosaurus was a map of lacerations, but he merely shook his head to clear his blurring vision. With cold composure, he reset his stance to face the Queen once more.
Clatter...
The sound of sliding glass and debris echoed from the other side of the street. From the ruins of a gift shop, a Tyrannotitan emerged, stepping onto the asphalt.
The two Carcharodontosaurids locked eyes. These two titans, who had fought a bloody trail from the south of the island to the north, reached a silent accord.
"ROAR—!" x2
Both predators turned as one, unleashing a combined war cry at Rexy. But the Queen of Isla Nublar did not know the meaning of retreat. She roared back, a defiant challenge that shook the air.
When had she ever stepped down?
The air grew heavy and still. All three carnivores crouched low, coiled like springs, waiting for the killing blow. Rexy's gaze flickered between her two foes. She knew a coordinated assault would be her undoing; to wait was to die.
Rumble...
The volcano gave a timely boom. Rexy moved instantly, using the thunder to mask the sound of her powerful legs driving into the pavement. She charged straight for the Carcharodontosaurus... then veered sharply toward the Tyrannotitan!
A feint. Her precision was absolute, leaving the lunging Carcharodontosaurus to snap at empty air. Rexy dipped her head and clamped her serrated teeth onto the short arm of the Tyrannotitan as it tried to flank her!
"Roar—!"
The Tyrannotitan bellowed in agony. Rexy didn't let up; she swung her massive frame, using the base of her tail to shove away the Carcharodontosaurus as he tried to gut her from behind. She dragged the Tyrannotitan with her, using him as a living shield.
In their brief earlier exchange, she had realized the Tyrannotitan possessed incredibly dense osteoderms; except for its underbelly, it was almost impervious. The Carcharodontosaurus, meanwhile, was a berserker, a "maniac" who seemed oblivious to pain.
Thus, she committed her bone-crushing bite to the Tyrannotitan, determined to grind its skeleton to dust.
"Roar—!"
The Alpha Carcharodontosaurus lunged again, his teeth carving fresh bloody furrows into Rexy's flank. The Tyrannotitan thrashed, snapping its jaws in a desperate bid for Rexy's throat.
"Grrng..."
Rexy let out a low groan of pain. She spun the Tyrannotitan like a ragdoll and threw him bodily into the Alpha. The two collided in a heap of scales and fury. Rexy stumbled back, panting, putting distance between herself and the entangled pair.
Blood dripped steadily from her wounds. She glanced at her shredded flank and let out another thunderous roar. Thanks to the "perfect" coordination of the two allies, the Tyrannotitan now sported a mangled, dangling arm exactly like the Alpha's.
The two Carcharodontosaurids snarled at each other, seemingly cursing their "useless" teammate.
The stalemate resumed. Three titans, standing amidst the ruins, destined to fight until the final curtain.
…
Rumble...
The volcano convulsed again. This time, a Parasaurolophus and an Edmontosaurus collided. The Edmontosaurus used its superior height to press down on the Parasaurolophus, forcing the smaller hadrosaur backward.
Behind each stood their respective herds. This was a battle of alphas, a desperate struggle for a foothold in the few remaining pockets of safety.
"Aunnng—"
The Edmontosaurus bellowed, its forelimbs striking the Parasaurolophus and leaving mottled streaks of blood across its hide.
The Parasaurolophus leader didn't waver. He simply slid backward under the sheer force of the assault. Any other dinosaur might have conceded and retreated, but this leader had felt the power of Carlo.
Compared to the Giganotosaurus who had once sent him flying with a single blow, the Edmontosaurus's strength was nothing. If he could survive Carlo, he would not lead his kin into retreat over this.
"Aunnng—!"
Ignoring the pain, the Parasaurolophus lunged forward and clamped his beak onto the fleshy throat display of the Edmontosaurus. A hadrosaur's teeth, meant for grinding tough vegetation, were equally effective at crushing bone and sinew, even if his gape was small and his bite lacked the shear of a carnivore.
"Kukk... kukk..."
The Edmontosaurus struggled to breathe, coughing up spatters of blood.
Mimicking the hunting style he had once seen Carlo use, the Parasaurolophus leader jerked his head violently to the side. The momentum forced the Edmontosaurus off balance, sending it crashing down onto all fours.
The Parasaurolophus surged forward, pinning the rival to the ground and sounding a triumphant cry. The battle for the territory was over.
…
This place was becoming uninhabitable.
Carnotaurus Two made her way toward the Great Lake, her head darting left and right as she monitored the treeline. Her specialized scales shifted colors constantly, a stealth that attempted to stitch her form into the shadows of the forest.
Sun rises in the east, rain falls in the west; though they say there is no sun, the sun remains.
The Great Lake was as noisy and tranquil as ever. The active volcano seemed unable to touch this sanctuary; the disaster felt like a distant, trivial event that had merely left a few scars on the residents. But...
Why is there another Rex here?!
Carnotaurus Two looked into the distance and saw Carlo standing in a standoff with a Scientificus Tyrannosaurus.
This "Rexy-like" predator was even taller than the island's Queen, though she still looked small compared to Carlo's mountain-like bulk. Curiously, she showed no aggression. Instead, she held a fish, stolen from a disgruntled Baryonyx, in her mouth.
Splap.
She tossed the fish onto the grass at Carlo's feet and gave a low hoot, a peaceful invitation.
Carlo tilted his head, looking utterly perplexed. What confused him most was the strange sensation that he actually understood her intent.
He didn't accept the offering, but sensing no ill-will, he turned and lay back down between the stranger and his parents. Katyusha and Karl poked their massive heads out from behind Carlo's bulk, eyeing the Scientificus Tyrannosaurus with intense curiosity.
The "Rex" let out a sigh, an almost human sound of disappointment, and turned to wander away.
Carnotaurus Two exhaled in relief. She bypassed the lake and headed toward her old territory.
Carnotaurus One was still there, lying in eternal silence. Most of his skeleton had been reclaimed by the earth; only a weathered, grey-white fragment of his skull remained visible through the dirt.
Carnotaurus Two lay down beside him.
Years had passed. The scent of their life together had long since vanished, but the forest remained the same. The seasons cycled without end: spring calling forth new green, summer blooming in splendor, autumn yielding its harvest, and winter harboring its quiet rhymes. Time flowed on, as it always had.
The subtropical leaves rustled in the wind. A few stray leaves drifted down, landing on Carnotaurus Two's head.
She shook them off and glanced into the deep woods... did something just run past?
She sat up, alert. Her hide began to shift colors as she strained to hear the movement in the brush.
"Roar—"
Hello there.
A soft hoot sounded right beside her ear. Carnotaurus Two shivered violently. She turned her head with agonizing stiffness to find the Scientificus Tyrannosaurus, who had apparently wandered over during her nap.
"ROAR!—"
With a terrified shriek, Carnotaurus Two hit a full-speed "sprint-start" and vanished into the depths of the forest.