Chapter 12

Chapter 12 A New Bond The years have flown by. Dinosaurs have come and gone. Storm is now an adult. Measuring forty-five feet and tipping the scales at seventeen thousand pounds, he is among the largest tyrannosaurs that have ever walked the earth. The scar on his snout from the raptor all those years ago remains as if he received it yesterday. No dinosaur dares to challenge Storm. Yet, Storm does not challenge any other dinosaur. That is, until he meets Blue-Eye. Spring has just begun when Storm saw her. A large, but slender tyrannosaur, Blue-Eye is a strong and intelligent dinosaur. She gets her name from her one blue eye. Most tyrannosaurs have two brown eyes, but she has one brown and one blue. Spring is the mating season for Tyrannosaurus and Storm decides to make a move. He approaches her with his head down. This shows respect and submission. Blue-Eye sees that Storms intent is not to fight and gives him a chance. She inspects him to make sure he is fit. The scar on his snout shows that he has fought other dinosaurs and won. His large size also shows strength. But the key is what she sees in his eyes. By his eyes alone does she see the depth of his intelligence and wisdom. The moment of peace is broken by a loud roar. Another male tyrannosaur enters the clearing. Storm notices something immediately. The telltale bite marks on his neck shows that this is the same rex that Storm battled years ago when he was younger. The rival recognizes Storm by the scar on his nose and suddenly becomes angry. Blue-Eye can tell what’s about to happen and steps back. The two males begin to circle each other, sizing each other up. Storm is larger, but the other male is faster. This battle will come down to the same thing the one that took place years ago did, experience. Using his speed, the rival lunges forward, but quickly sidesteps and slashes Storm’s shoulder. He does not get away in time though and Storm headbutts him in the flank, breaking two ribs. Storm then attacks again, but this time, he goes low and bites the other rex on the lower leg. The rival male roars in pain and bites down on Storm’s back. This causes Storm to release his grasp, but as he does, he brings his head up and smashes it against the other rex’s lower jaw. A shoving match that lasts for fifteen minutes ensues. In the end, thanks to his size, Storm pushes the rival away. The smaller rex finally backs down. As he moves off, Blue-Eye approaches Storm. She touches his nose with her own and it has a profound effect on him. The last time he touched another tyrannosaur’s nose, it was on the night his parents died. A few weeks have gone by and Storm now has a family. Kind of. He is currently watching over a clutch of seven eggs while Blue-Eye is at a creek quenching her thirst. When she returns, Storm gets up. Someone needs to stay with the eggs while the other hunts. They touch noses and Storm moves on. He has only walked half a mile when he finds suitable prey. A small group of hadrosaurs is feeding at the edge of the forest facing away from him. Storm selects a target, an animal with a swollen leg, and moves into position. He watches the herd for a few minutes, then attacks. The injured hadrosaur is unable to run very fast and Storm catches up quickly. The battle, if one would even call it a battle, is over before it started. Storm eats his fill in order to make the carcass lighter before dragging it back to his mate. Four more months pass and the eggs hatch. All of them. Four females and three males. Storm looks down on the tiny feathered dinosaurs. It’s not long before they are trying to explore the nesting area. After a few days, Storm and Blue-Eye take the chicks to the lake. Storm begins to teach them everything he knows about fishing. Before long, the young are catching fish on their own. Storm will teach them everything his parents taught him, and then some.