BOOM!
The ground shuddered. The commotion from the rioting Dreadnoughtus sent ripples of panic across almost the entire oasis.
Yet, the culprit was merely an individual that stood slightly taller than the rest, bearing no obvious physical distinction from his peers.
He was just an ordinary member of the herd, but after being repeatedly rejected by the females because he couldn't display enough dominance, self-doubt had consumed him. Over time, it festered, accumulated, and finally exploded.
He wasn't weak; he was simply inferior to the White King, and he lacked the courage to challenge the alpha. Ultimately, his internal struggle devolved into madness, driving him to vent his rage by ramming and tail-whipping his less powerful kin.
For these slow, titanic creatures, the only thing more terrifying than being ambushed by predators was taking a fall.
Carlo knew this all too well. He didn't rush in blindly. Instead, with a slow, deliberate stride, he "inadvertently" strolled right into the path of the rampaging Dreadnoughtus.
"Aunnng!"
The crazed Dreadnoughtus didn't flinch upon seeing Carlo. If anything, it grew visibly excited. It seemed to believe that taking down a predator would be the ultimate display of might to the rest of the herd, a perfect way to reclaim its lost confidence.
Carlo didn't reply to the challenge. He didn't even turn to face the beast head-on. He simply stood broadside across the path, waiting for the mad sauropod's next move.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The Dreadnoughtus quickened its pace, its colossal feet kicking up plumes of dust from the compacted earth. It closed the distance, rearing up on its hind legs directly beside Carlo's flank!
The titanic silhouette rose like a mountain ascending from the plain. Its thick neck and massive head blotted out the scorching sun, plunging Carlo into a sudden, deep shadow.
"Aunnng——"
It let out a high-pitched cry, a premature declaration of victory.
THOOM!
WHOOSH!
An invisible shockwave seemed to ripple outward in a circle, and the immense, dull impact immediately drew the attention of every dinosaur in the vicinity.
The stamp connected. Yet, Carlo remained standing.
To put it more accurately, he wasn't just standing, it looked as though the sauropod had simply rested both its massive forelimbs onto some immovable platform, giving the illusion that it was merely leaning on him.
CRACK!
The unfortunate earth bearing the brunt of this pressure seemed to register the titanic force a second too late. Spiderweb-like fractures radiated outward from beneath Carlo's feet. As for the ground at the epicenter of those cracks? It had visibly sunk.
The air fell instantly silent. As the sound of the fracturing earth ceased, the entire area plunged into an absolute dead calm.
Even the White King froze in his tracks. Like the surrounding spectator sauropods, he realized one undeniable truth clearly—this predator, though much smaller than them, had absorbed the full-force stomp of a powerful Dreadnoughtus. And he had done it with utter ease.
"Aunnng?"
The view from up here sure is pretty... wait, no.
The Dreadnoughtus, still bipedal, finally snapped out of its daze. It let out a bewildered groan toward the sky, seemingly unable to comprehend why its front feet hadn't hit the ground.
Lowering its once-lofty head, it locked eyes with Carlo, who was still standing broadside, calmly sizing it up.
I admit I was a bit too loud just now. Can we talk about this?
THUMP.
The suffocating silence shattered. Carlo moved.
He lowered his body slightly. Though a massive portion of the Dreadnoughtus's body weight was leaning on him, it caused nothing more than a slight sluggishness in his movements.
Planting his massive footpads firmly into the dirt, Carlo began to drive forward, pushing against the giant sauropod. The Dreadnoughtus, which had just felt its body sink slightly, was forced to pitch backward even further.
"Aunnng!"
No, no, no, stop!
Terrified, the Dreadnoughtus bellowed. Its forelimbs slid harmlessly off Carlo's back, losing all leverage to crush him. Meanwhile, Carlo's flank was now pressed firmly against its underbelly, driving it backward with immense, inexorable force.
The sauropod's short hind legs tried desperately to match Carlo's stride, but it was an exercise in futility.
CRASH!
Left foot tripping over its right, the Dreadnoughtus lost its balance entirely. A moment later, the living mountain collapsed, generating a deafening, earth-shaking roar.
"Aunnng..."
Accompanied by the sickening crunch of overtaxed bones, the fallen Dreadnoughtus let out a weak, breathless groan.
It didn't die immediately, but it had completely lost the capacity to survive. In the past, its herd members might have left it some food, leaving it to fate. But now? It would most likely lie here indefinitely until it starved to death.
Huh? Am I supposed to place one foot on the sauropod right now? And let out a triumphant victor's roar?
For some reason, a strange inkling flickered in Carlo's mind, as if this was exactly what he was biologically programmed to do.
Stepping forward, he placed his right foot onto the slowly heaving belly of the defeated Dreadnoughtus.
Like... like this?
Ah, wait. No, no.
Feeling the collective gaze of the surrounding herd burning into him, Carlo suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness. He hastily retracted his foot.
Next time... I'll try it next time when I'm alone.
"Aunnng..."
Having snapped out of its frenzied state, the crippled Dreadnoughtus continued to groan weakly. It sounded like a plea, but Carlo couldn't tell if it was begging for a quick death or clinging to life.
After all, it looked miserable, and given what it had done, staying alive would only mean more suffering.
"Roar…"
Carlo let out a soft rumble toward it, signaling that he wouldn't kill it, even though the herbivore couldn't possibly understand him.
He had only wandered over to investigate the commotion, not to hunt out of actual hunger. Dealing with this troublemaker was just a casual detour. The rest was up to the sauropods to sort out themselves.
After a moment of deliberation, Carlo made his decision. Just as he was about to head back, he felt a massive shadow loom over him once more.
Halting midway, he turned back around, only to see the White King rearing up on his hind legs in the exact same manner as the crazed sauropod had moments before.
THOOM!
SPLAT!
The White King's colossal weight came crashing down onto the fallen, crazed Dreadnoughtus. The impact generated a horrific boom, causing the broken body beneath him to rupture instantly under the immense pressure.
Squirt...
Blood sprayed through the air. Carlo felt a localized warmth on his flank and face; he had evidently been splattered by the blast radius.
"Aunnng——!!!"
The white sovereign let out a booming roar of triumph. He lowered his head to look at Carlo, bringing his eyes roughly level with the predator's gaze.
"Roar—"
Carlo offered a low rumble in response, then turned and walked away.
Hmm... Miss Diplodocus never made that gesture before. Wonder what it means. I'll have to keep an eye out next time.
The Dreadnoughtus herd silently watched Carlo depart. They seemed to be growing accustomed to his presence.
The white king stared down at the carcass before him. After a long silence, as if wanting to say or do something, he ultimately let out nothing more than a heavy, resonant sigh.
"Aunnng—"
He bellowed once more, calling to his herd, preparing to lead them toward the clearings on the far side of the oasis.
…
"Aunnng?"
Big brother, are we really just leaving like this?
"Aunnng—"
Yes, let's leave it at that. Brother, promise me you won't interfere too much with the herd's internal affairs.
"Aunnng?"
Alright. But things like this are bound to happen again, right? Do we still ignore it then?
The two independent Dreadnoughtus waded back into the artificial lake where they usually bathed. Facing Dread Two's question, Dread One remained quiet for a short while. Watching the White King leading the herd from a distance, he merely offered a vague reply:
We'll see when the time comes.
Though living apart from the main herd, these detached sauropods never seemed to truly sever their ties with their kin.
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