What does a Giganotosaurus actually look like?
Katyusha didn't know. She had never seen what she herself looked like... strictly speaking, she probably didn't even grasp the concept of a Giganotosaurus as a distinct biological species.
To most humans, the image burned into memory was a creature defined by a massively oversized head. At the very least, it should look like Carlo (though, of course, not quite that gargantuan).
So, what on earth were these two things across the water?
"ROAR—"
The Giga family unleashed a booming roar toward the two Northern Gigas on the opposite bank. Initially, because they emitted a similar pheromone signature, they attempted to communicate. Unfortunately, the dialogue was a complete failure.
"Roar—"
The Northern Gigas bellowed back with low, threatening rumbles, aggressively marking the boundaries of their domain.
Katyusha took a brief, measuring glance at the two beasts across the river. She immediately decided to lead her family back along the waterway. They had plenty of territory already; picking a fight was entirely unnecessary.
The Northern Giga on the right possessed remarkably coarse scales, a slightly narrower skull, and a mandible that looked as though it were missing its masseter muscles. The overall first impression it gave was that it was a bit gaunt.
The one on the left fared somewhat better. Although it was slightly smaller than its companion, its densely packed, rippling musculature suggested a creature with immense future potential.
Katyusha cast a side-eye at Kafka, who was a full size larger than herself, making a quiet comparison in her mind.
Yeah... our family's dino is still way more impressive.
"Roar—"
Katyusha let out another soft rumble and took a deliberate step back. Seeing this, the agitated Northern Gigas across the river settled down slightly. After all, they weren't particularly keen on sacrificing their sunbathing time just to stage a brawl.
Tranquility returned to the riverbank, but it was short-lived.
Rustle, rustle...
"Aok—"
On the northwestern tract of land flanking the crossroads of the river, three Mapusaurus burst from the jungle, roaring aggressively!
The commotion caused by the Southern and Northern Gigas had been far too loud, successfully drawing in a wholly unexpected group of apex predators.
The Mapusaurs simply couldn't ignore the roaring of foreign dinosaurs on their turf, especially right at the borders of their territory. With a complete language barrier between them, who knew if these newcomers were looking to expand their borders?
The standoff instantly turned tense and volatile once more. No one was willing to back down.
Driven by the deeply ingrained instinct of rival theropod species to clash upon meeting, they all wanted to test each other's mettle. It was the only way to establish exactly how their respective species would coexist from now on.
Whether they would view each other with contempt or respect, with hyper-vigilance or relaxed indifference, was a dynamic often decided by a single clash.
Yet, one had to admit that BioSyn's design was brilliant. Utilizing an artificial river channel eight meters deep to segment the apex predators was incredibly effective at preventing outright warfare and keeping conflicts to a minimum. Furthermore, it also...
Heavy water churning.
A slender, elongated dark shadow materialized within the depths! An irregular dorsal sail breached and sliced through the calm surface, kicking up two wakes of white spray!
Was that a... Spinosaurus?!
"Aeng—"
The cry of the Spinosaurus was vastly different from the other apex predators present, carrying a strange, hollow quality, almost as if it were trying to signal that it posed very little threat.
He didn't need to worry about his territory being encroached upon. The dinosaurs lined up along the banks certainly had no desire to live in the river. So, why had he come over?
Well... honestly, I have no idea. I just thought they were being too loud.
The riverbank fell deathly quiet once more, save for the rhythmic flow of the water and the wind whispering through the canopy. The apex predators along the shore looked at one another, then glanced repeatedly at the Spinosaurus, who was casually bobbing his head out of the water.
Look, we're all technically old compatriots from Argentina. How about we just call it a day?
"Roar—"
Ultimately, with the Mapusaurs taking the lead, the giants along the bank turned around and began retreating toward the safety of the forest.
There's a Spino in the water. No fight today, folks.
After all, everyone present could swim to some degree. Crossing the river to have a scrap wouldn't have been entirely out of the question under normal circumstances; it would be dangerous, but they wouldn't just be helplessly crushed.
But now that a Spinosaurus was lurking in the channel, how was crossing any different from seeking an early grave?
As the silhouettes of the Mapusaurs dissolved into the jungle, the two Northern Gigas cast one final look in the direction of the Giga family before turning to vanish into the dense foliage as well.
"Roar—"
Let's head back.
Katyusha huffed a low command, steering her family away. The territory ahead was far too hazardous; further exploration could wait for another day.
"Aeng?"
Why is everyone leaving?
The Spinosaurus scanned his surroundings. Finding that all the dinosaurs had vanished, he felt a sudden wave of boredom. Submerging back into the deep channel, he went back to scouting for his next meal.
Heavy exhalation.
On the northeastern bank of the crossroads, a stretch of land no dinosaur was currently paying attention to.
Rexy let out a massive, shuddering sigh of relief, carefully pulling back a foot she had nearly extended to go join the commotion.
Where the hell did I just stumble into?
At her absolute peak, she could handle two fellow carcharodontosaurid apex predators at once and successfully make it out of a brutal brawl alive. But this... there were at least two of them on every single side over there!!!
She backstepped slowly, softening her tread to avoid snapping any dry twigs that might betray her position. She firmly resolved to keep her head down and play it safe, unless God miraculously saw fit to grant her a companion of her own kind.
Flesh bumping flesh.
The stealthily retreating Rexy suddenly felt a localized burst of warmth. She instantly held her breath.
Oh, no! Another dinosaur!
"Aunnng-roar—"
Driven almost entirely by survival instinct, she whipped around mid-step. Her tail lashed out, tracing a massive, sweeping arc through the air while she unleashed a fiercely defensive roar to deter an immediate ambush.
The entire sequence was executed flawlessly in one fluid motion! And what met her eyes was...
A thoroughly bewildered member of her own species, slowly turning its head.
The fellow Tyrannosaurus rex, having felt itself bump into something, had merely tilted its head in mild curiosity to check. Only after spotting Rexy did it fully pivot its massive frame, lowering into a combat stance.
This guy looked a bit green. A bit dim-witted, even.
Rexy froze for a moment at the sight of her own kind. When was the last time she had seen another T-rex? Right... it seemed to have been inside a cage, and she had been facing off against a Scientificus Tyrannosaurus back then.
"Roar—"
Team up?
Tyrannosaurs were fiercely territorial creatures that almost always demanded solitary domains. But given the sheer absurdity of the current situation, dreaming of private territory was a luxury; trying to hold a solo claim here was a fast track to becoming a carcass. Thus, she actively extended an alliance request.
"Roar—"
Team up.
The bull T-rex responded to Rexy's invitation, though he didn't immediately drop his guarded posture.
In tyrannosaur society, even if members of the same species intended to travel together, a physical clash was mandatory to gauge each other's strength. However, there was one notable exception to this rule.
Rexy acutely picked up on a subtle shift. The pheromones laced within the bull's responding roar... he was a male!
She took the initiative to disengage from her combat stance, taking two slow, deliberate steps forward. The bull T-rex initially retreated a couple of paces, visibly confused by her intentions.
But then, Rexy reached out and gently nudged her highly sensitive snout against his equally sensitive cheek.
The bull finally understood.
Clap, clap, clap...
A volley of enthusiastic applause erupted. A silver-haired Ian Malcolm raised his hands in acknowledgment, returning the gratitude of the crowd while simultaneously spotting Ramsay standing amid the gathering.
Unlike Dr. Grant, who was still perpetually stressing over research grants, Malcolm was making a very comfortable living at BioSyn writing academic papers and delivering high-profile lectures.
Though, the cost of raising five kids was certainly astronomical...
Ramsay didn't disrupt Malcolm as the senior mathematician remained swarmed by eager young scientists clamoring for autographs. He simply waited with patient composure.
Why would the Head of Communications and right-hand to the CEO be looking for him?
Malcolm didn't know, but he had a distinct, sinking feeling that something deeply troubling was about to unfold.
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