| Subject: A Second Young Rhamphorynhus Enters |
Author:
Defigo (Character: Col. David Wexler)
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Date Posted: 19:21:05 02/24/03 Mon
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Miles away in Pooktook, Colonel David Wexler had been moving all his metal working utensils and supplies from his open aired blacksmith's workshop into his house; the sky was growing darker. A patrol of skybax had been dispatched to warn the western seashore that another storm was coming, though this one a little less hazardous than the first. They of course, being on the ocean, would nevertheless be the first, as well as the hardest hit.
'The skybax unit had landed in Pooktook subsequent to traveling from Volcaneum, and after they had finished there they would warn the Romano Hatchery and surrounding area before returning home' David thought to himself as the riders dismounted temporarily to let their Quetzalcoatlus take a drink from a small freshwater pond near his workshop. He, although quite happy with his profession, did admire the majestic creatures and their elegant riders, so he quickly looked around to make sure everything was put away. Then he climbed on top of a large rock at the edge of the pond to watch the skbax take off again.
The Colonel was right in assuming that they would travel almost straight north, but did not have time to praise himslf, for the wingspan of the gargantuan creatures caused him to fall backwards off of the boulder and into he muddy shallows.
To his surprise a young Rhamphorynhcus (who later it is found is the brother of Storm Rider, the newborn Mathaira, the Lieutenant, and Rico had hatched-only she is of a different set of offspring) greeted him in the mud, and nudged her scaly nose against him. The creature was obviously starving, so David brought her into the house with him to give her something to eat, and to shelter her at least till the storm had passed over them. They went into the taupe colored doorway, and David set the young dinosaur, who was named Erythia, by the fire next to his saurian partner/business associate, a male Protoceratops named Aatlas. He then went in search of something for the three of them to eat.
This young Rhamphorynhcus was quite obviously not full grown yet, and probably needed something soft to gum on. But what? David had a brainflash and rushed into one of the bedrooms and took a wooden box out from under it. From it he took a half bar of chocolate that had been in his pocket when he was shipwrecked four summers earlier. It was probably no good as far as humans were concerned, but it was just what the saurian wanted.
During the night the squall was blowing over the town, but when it finally did pass the little one still could not sleep. David decided to tell her an ancient myth he had learned in the outside world to help put her to sleep, and Aatlas, who was to anxious for morning to come to sleep, gladly translated. Aatlas was gifted with the ability to easily pick up many dialects, as are many of his kind.
~
"In ancient Greece," started David, "there lived a very popular hero named Heracles (often known today as Hercules) who was very strong and rid the lands of many wild wolves and lions. Heracles' immortal father, Zeus, the king of the gods, told him one day that he had to atone for crimes he had done in past, and he sentenced him to perform 12 labors that an evil cousin of his would assign to him." He pasued to let Aatlas take a breath.
"He was successful on his first 10 labors, and this upset the goddess Hera, who like the cousin, also hated Heracles. So she told the evil cousin to order the hero to bring back to him three golden apples of immortaily from a tree that bore them in Hera's own secret garden of Hersperides (which was located far away near the very end of the earth). Heracles did not know that he, being mortal, could not pluck these apples from the tree without instantly dying, for only gods and goddesses were permitted to do so." By this time the Colonel was getting rather tired, but Erythia seemd very intrigued, so he continued.
"But luckily for him, on his way to the secret garden Heracles ran into a Titan named Prometheus. Prometheus was also serving out a punishment given to him by the god, Zeus. He was chained up on a mountain, and every hour a large eagle would swoop down and eat out his liver, and shortly after, becasue he was immortal, it would grow back. But then the next hour the poor giant had to suffer it all over again. Heracles felt sorry for him, and being as strong as he was, was able free him from his chains (and Zeus allowed this for he was proud of his son's great strength). Prometheus was very grateful. In exchange for his help, the Titan, who could look into the future, told him not to pick the apples himself, but rather to have another god pick them and then hand them to him so he could bring them back to Greece unharmed. Of course Heracles listened, and with the help of on of Prometheus' Titan siblings, was able to return to his cousin unharmed with his 11th labor complete."
~
David took a deep breath after finishing. He then looked down from his chair at Erythia, who was looking back at him. "The moral of the story..." He paused. "If you help a friend, or even a stranger, they will most gratefully help you back." As Aatlas translated the last sentence, the Colonel fell asleep. Erythia followed him shortly after, but never did she forget the significance of that moral.
The next day was July 6th, the day of the Dinotopiam Water Festival in Waterfall City, and David's workers (most of Scandinavian decent) had all gone on a retreat on his request. He had planned to just lounge around that day, but Erythia, whom he had grown much attached to, seemed very anxious to get going somewhere. Colonel Wexler was very adventerous, and he decided that after he had left instructions to a local resident of Pooktook to be given to his workers when they were to return and find him gone, he would go wherever Erythia led him. He packed a cart with food and water for him and Aatlas, who wanted to come along, and knew that on the way to their unknown destination the Rhamphorynhcus would find something she found suitable to eat.
Erythia, full of energy, was tied by a three yard long rope to the Muttaburrasaurus-pulled wagon so she could lead the way. Little did David know that she was leading them instinctively to her nest. Their path wold soon cross directly with Mathaira, Tamith, Rico and the others who were attending her newly born sibling, Storm Rider.
[I think this fits in with the story, and my idea is that some problem will come up with Storm Rider that the humans and dinos attending him cannot understand. Older sister Erythia can then maybe come to aid before other help arrives? And as for Heracles (Hercules) and the moral of his story, I think that it adds a little something, and that in the future we can put it to good use; if not those three paragraphs can simply be edited, right Az?
As for the Protoceratops, Aatlas, someone can play that role or it may be dropped all together. It needed to be created so that there could be a translator. Erythia hasn't said much yet, so we can either say that she can or can't talk, either way.]
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