Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Relief After four months, the drought finally breaks. Storm clouds begin to gather and it rains for three solid days. Once the downpour is over, the landscape is transformed. Rivers swell, lakes flood their shores, and vegetation flourishes. The herbivores begin to return. Storm’s territory becomes flooded with prey. Storm is currently watching a herd of Corythosaurus. He has not eaten a good sized meal in weeks. These twenty-five foot long herbivores are the perfect size. With intelligence unrivalled in the large theropod world, Storm works out which animal he will attack. A large female is feeding away from the rest of the herd and Storm notices that her leg is bleeding. It’s the law of the jungle. Only the strong survive. Storm unknowingly helps to enforce that law. The female hadrosaur has moved farther from the others when Storm attacks. He does not go straight for her. Instead, he gets between her and the herd and roars. This sends the other hadrosaurs running and he has successfully separated the Corythosaurus from her herd. The duck-bill bellows at Storm and tries to run past him. But he is too fast and keeps cutting her off. She turns to swing her tail at Storm but he dodges it. Storm knows a battle could be dangerous. Even though she is injured, this hadrosaur is still able to defend herself. She charges forward again and Storm sidesteps. He then lunges for her uninjured leg. The bite goes home and he cuts a large tendon in her leg. With both legs essentially disabled, the Corythosaurus is crippled and can no longer stand. She falls to the ground and Storm grabs her throat. After a few minutes, her breathing stops. Storm has just finished eating when another dinosaur approaches. It’s a juvenile rex. He’s about the same size as Storm, but not nearly as experienced. Unlike Storm, this juvenile had a pretty easy life and is what one might call “spoiled.” Storm warns the intruder with a growl, but the other rex continues to approach. Storm decides that this punk needs to be taught a lesson. The two young tyrannosaurs roar back and forth for a few minutes, each trying to intimidate the other. Neither back down. Storm uses his experience and makes a series of mock charges. The intruder has no idea how to handle this. After the fifth charge, the rival finally takes the bait and attacks. Storm saw it coming a mile away and is ready. He gets out of the way and slashes the other tyrannosaur’s leg. The intruder roars in pain, but does get a shot in. He lunges at Storm and slashes the base of his tail. Because the rival is next to his tail, Storm swings it and smacks the other rex across the face with it, breaking a few of it’s teeth. The intruder shakes his head to try and regain his focus. Storm takes advantage of his distraction and grabs him by the back of the neck. Storm does not intend to kill the other rex, but wants to send a clear message. He throws him across the forest floor like a ragdoll. As the intruder painfully gets up, Storm gives one final roar. The rival rex turns tail and runs at full speed. Message received. Two weeks have passed since Storm drove off the other young rex. It’s time for the Coelacanth to come to local streams and lakes to spawn. Storm knows this is the perfect chance to get a good meal and heads toward the lake. He has it all to himself. Storm heads for a good spot and crouches down. It’s not long before a four foot long fish swims close enough. He lunges forward and the fish is in his jaws. Storm drags it away from the lake and begins to feed on it. Once finished, he heads back and catches a second and then a third. As he is feeding on a fourth, Storm hears a loud splash. He looks up to see a Deinosuchus entering the water. At first, Storm is worried that the thirty-six foot alligator might head for him. But the Deinosuchus is more interested in the Coelacanth migration. The giant reptile effortlessly glides through the water and snatches up numerous fish. Storm is impressed by the alligator’s skill. He continues to watch for another hour. His curiosity is endless. Finally, after catching one more Coelacanth, Storm moves off to find a good spot to sleep. Life is good right now and Storm intends to take full advantage of that.