Atlas (15 days after)

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My nostrils flared a bit as I tried to sniff out some scents that could keep me awake and occupied for the time being. I did catch some interesting scents, besides the salted strong fragrance from the ocean. I caught the bittersweet odor of sap from afar on a dying plump acacia tree, then felt a sour aroma of algae spring in my nose. A cool clear crisp wind was another one I smelled out before the smoke-filled air above me. Each scent was different and unique in a new way, and perhaps challenged my own nose into helping me become a better hunter.

I thumped my tail on the ground, feeling each vibration like a drum in my underbelly and hummed a little old song I remembered from my childhood.

Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum-Dum, Dum, Dum: My tail went.

Hm, hm, hm, hmmmm.....hm, hm, hmm...: came from my throat.

I heard constant snores and dreaming mummers from the other carnivores and sighed. Thankfully I wasn't tired like them. So I could enjoy a little peace for a while.

Sounds were another thing I was picking up besides my sense of smell. The sounds were quiet and quick often times. There were splashing sounds, thunderous sounds, and sudden sounds I've never heard off. I heard a strange noise, like the ground itself was ripping apart.

And it was.

A huge crack slit its way through the ocean onto the beach, flowing quick and subtle through the earth. I watched in curiosity as the crack twisted and turned towards me, then stopped short below my jaw. I stared at the crack, like a mini trench in the ground, trying to understand what it meant. That's when it happened. A huge roar from underground screamed to the surface in huge vibrations. The ground jolted forwards hard, making me shift forwards and back, like an elastic band. The rocks nearby me bounced forwards, slid backwards, then bounced back and forth, side and side and back again constantly. And just like that, it stopped. I didn't realize that I was holding my breath, and let out a big exhale of terror. What was that? An earthquake? After the ground settled back down, I stood up to my jelly-like legs, rocked but okay from the quake.

"What happened?" A voice wondered. The Sinraptor, Apen was awake.

"An earthquake I think," I guessed.

"Yeah, I felt that in my sleep, went right through me," He sleepily moaned, "But its good that I'm awake. You could rest now, you're shift's done."

"It was two hours already?"

"I think so," Apen muttered, "Or perhaps I ended you early."

"No need Apen," I shook my head, turning back to the skies the nature, everything, "I think I'm actually fine for now. I could do a couple more hours. You need more sleep than me."

"Huh," He grinned, "you're younger than me though. Oh well, whatever suites you." He padded on back to the warm spot on the ground, curled up in a circular ball and fell asleep. I turned back to the view of the world around me in awe and breathed in as much fresh air as possible. But I cut off halfway.

The sudden sound of thunderous water moving away entered my ears from a distance. The blue ocean was being strangely dragged back to the horizon in the distance, like some sea monster was tugging at it to pull it over his body like a blanket. I grew confused and worried, and decided to check out whatever was going on. Slowly, I stomped over to the cliffside, then stared out to the horizon. The wind was beginning to strangely howl towards me, and I squinted my eyes from the burning heated atmosphere to see properly. The water was moving backwards. Eventually, it reached the point where I could no longer see it, and all that remained was a freshly laid and smooth desert of ocean sand. Something strangely tall on the horizon lifted, moved, and did all sorts of things life-like, but as it did grew evermore bigger and bigger. Eventually it began to swirl and move, until it looked like a wave. A giant rocking wave....

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