The herd munched happily beside the lake they normally inhabited. Several of the group drank water, while Beth and Bessie, Brumhilda's daughters, watched over the soon to be hatching eggs, nestled on the far shore.
Odd thing was, most in Terra Nova thought brachiosaurus were all gray. What Laura had discovered is that they had bright patches under their skin, each as different as a leopard's spots. It made them easy for her to identity.
Brumhilda sported green and blue splotches. Her daughters had similar ones with a streak of red, probably something they got from their father. Bola had brown and green mixed. The others had varied markings of similar shades.
Bola nudged her making a sound she knew meant, 'come and see'. He wouldn't leave her alone until she followed him. She'd learned that lesson the hard way a few weeks ago. Rising from behind the tall dark green grass, she skirted the lake and wondered why he had headed into edge of the forest. Normally they didn't due to predators.
Half of him extended out and Laura had to work past the heavy foliage to see what concerned him. Using his head he uncovered something and made a noise she'd never heard before. It sounded mournful.
"Oh, my god," she murmured, kneeling down to examine the body. It had been partially stripped by scavengers looking for a quick meal, yet the curve of the skull was unmistakable and something which shouldn't be a part of this time period. Behind it lay a smaller shape, just as dead as its mother.
"You poor things."
The dinosaur poked its head under a huge yellow flower and ducked out, a slight scratch on his nose dripping blood.
"What the..?" Laura carefully lifted the plant and stared at her find. Despite looking like it hadn't eaten in a few days, the young cub seemed to be still alive, and from what it did to Bola, a bit feisty.
"Okay, little one, how did you get here?" She sat back and pulled off her pack, taking a shirt out. Luckily the cub had used up all its energy on Bola and didn't fight her. Gently she secured the baby, before putting her pack back on.
"Now I need to get back to Terra Nova." The sabre cat needed to eat or it might not survive much longer and she had nothing to feed it.
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"Do you think Dr. Horton made other vampires?" Zoe asked Maddy when she stopped to pick her younger sister up from school. She had to admit the six year old looked cute in her brown shorts and matching top.
Maddy sighed, wishing her sister would stop talking about undead creatures that did not exist. "There are no such things." She wanted to get home and change. Mark was coming by later and she wanted to pick the perfect outfit for their after dinner dessert date.
"Maybe they hide their teeth like he does."
"Zoe," How could she explain so Zoe would understand. "If Dr. Horton was a vampire he couldn't be out in the sun. They turn to dust or so legend says."
"Maybe he found a way so he wouldn't."
They stopped outside their yellow house. "Vampires don't exist, Zoe. Okay?"
"What's this about vampires?" their father asked as he joined them. He gave them both a warm smile. Maddy wondered what he'd been doing since his clothes were covered in dust.
"Zoe thinks Dr. Horton is a vampire," Maddy explained.
"Really?" He scooped us his youngest and she giggled. "What makes you say that?"
"One of her friend's told her that." Her annoyance about the whole thing stemmed from her worship of her science idol. Plus a nagging feeling something wasn't right because he couldn't answer some of her questions.
"Well, if there are vampires, I'll protect you from them. Deal?"
Zoe nodded.
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Why Bola had allowed Laura to ride him, she had no idea. Her balancing act on his back proved tricky between her pack and the dying cub tucked next to her chest, while her other hand managed to hold onto the brachiosaurus' smooth neck.
When Terra Nova came into sight, Laura sighed in relief. Faint voices reached her ears and Bola slowed, stretching his neck so she could climb down, only she couldn't and protect the cub.
"Now how did you manage that?" Commander Taylor asked, staring up at her.
"I have no idea. I need some help here. Can someone take this?" She handed the baby down and one of the soldiers took it. "Be careful."
"What is that?"
"A sabre cat cub." She slid down and managed not to twist her ankle. It had been further than she thought. Good thing she'd climbed up in a tree earlier when she mounted.
"A sabre cat?" Taylor looked surprised. "It's not supposed to be here."
"Yeah, I know." She took the animal to make certain it still lived. "I'm going over to the infirmary. I know it needs to eat, but I want to make certain there are no other injuries and I want to make sure the scratch on Bola's nose doesn't get infected."
Hearing his name, Bola gingerly stretched his head over the top railing. He huffed at her.
"You stay put and don't cause any trouble," she warned him.
"Now wait just a moment," Taylor began.
"If this cub is to live, I need to get it help right now." Laura hurried away, knowing she'd probably get read the riot act later. She didn't care.
Later she'd figure out how it could be here. Shepushed open the infirmary doors and yelled, "I need a doctor!"