The Tyrant's Roar: Chapter 3

Chapter 3:  Hunting

The canyon echoed with the Andesaurus’ bellows.  They were a few miles away from the Giganotosaurus pack, whose members were hiding behind several rocks.

But even before they could see the titanosaurs, the Giganotosaurus could smell them.  And one Andesaurus in particular had caught their attention.  It was an adult female, and she was in a bad way.  She was suffering from the mid-stages of a lung infection.  She was having trouble breathing, but she was still able move fairly quickly for an infected sauropod.

Hades ordered each pack-mate to a tactical position along each wall of the canyon so that they could surround the herd on the left and the right.  He was hoping to exploit the skittish nature of the Andesaurus to cause a stampede in order to separate their intended victim.

As the herd had nearly gone past the Giganotosaurus pack, Hades let out a loud bellow which spooked the herd.  As soon as that happened, all the hunters except Hades sprang out of their hiding places and raced into the herd of bellowing giants.

It was chaos inside the stampede.  The Giganotosaurus weaved through the herd like demons, snapping their jaws at the sauropods.  This terrified the Andesaurus, who started to bump into each other in order to avoid their pursuers.  But the sick female found it very difficult to keep up with the herd; the dust that was being kicked up by the stampede was making it very hard for her to breathe.  An older, larger female also collided with her, bruising her front leg and impairing her ability to walk quickly.

Not all was well with the Giganotosaurus either.  Despite their superior speed, there was very little room to manoeuvre through the stampeding Andesaurus.  As well, the youngest female Giganotosaurus got her bell rung as she tried to penetrate the wall of sauropods, and was out of action from the start.

Hades observed all this on the hill of the canyon.  Due to his weight and advanced age of 27 years, his legs couldn’t carry him as quickly as the others could.  Back in his day, he would run headlong into herds of titanosaurs and emerge without breathing hard.  Now, he was an ambush predator, relying on his size and brute strength to intimidate and overpower his victims.

Pretty soon Achilles and the remaining three females cornered the Andesaurus, and Hades moved down the hill.  It was his job to make sure his quarry doesn’t escape, and to get a good bite in when he could.  Thanks to his superior strength, his bite force outweighed those of his subordinates, especially when delivering the signature hatchet bite of carcharodontosaurids and allosaurids.

The sick Andesaurus was surrounded, with two females on her left, Achilles on a low ledge level to her back on the right, and another female hissing and spitting in front of her.  And when Hades let out a blood-curdling scream, she couldn’t help but think that the next few hours will be her last.  The Giganotosaurus didn’t intend to kill her right now, given her large size, but she will succumb to her lung infection soon.  Without the protection of her herd, she was doomed.