The Tyrant's Roar: Chapter 6

Sorry for being away for so long, I had a lot of homework to catch up on and was feeling really stressed.  Anyway, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 6:  Journey

For the first time in his life, Hades was alone.  He couldn’t turn to anyone; his parents were long dead, and his own cousin would not tolerate him anymore.

Giganotosaurus were social creatures, to a degree.  They worked together to bring down large game, and nested in a given area.  But like lions, there was a strict and brutal hierarchy.  The alpha male got the best of everything, and was generally a loner.  The younger, bachelor bucks formed their own subgroup and were only tolerated by the alpha as long as they stayed out of his way.  The females and juveniles made up the rest of the pack, and also stayed away from the alpha.

But even by Giganotosaurus standards, Hades was a vicious tyrant.  Instead of keeping to himself, Hades actively antagonized the other members of his pack.  He would actively displace Achilles and the females from their own roosts just because he could.  He would bite his fellow predators for no good reason, and hog all the kills for himself.  Even when the pack took down or scavenged a large sauropod that could have fed them for days, Hades kept his subordinates away from the kill so that he could gorge himself alone.

And yet, Hades missed his pack dearly.  He missed abusing his subordinates and watching them stand back while he enjoyed the pleasures of his greedy lifestyle.  But now, battered and nearly broken, he limped across the arid scrubland.  And in his current state, there was little hope for him.  Giganotosaurus who were expelled from their own pack were generally old bucks, and when alone, they couldn’t catch their own prey.  Titanosaurs required a whole team to be brought down, and iguanodonts were too fast for an old, lone male Giganotosaurus.

Carrion was essentially Hades’ only option, but the likelihood of finding a large enough meal was minimal.  The titanosaur herds had already passed through his old territory, and Achilles had conveyed a very clear message:  permanent exile.  Outside the pack’s domain was foreign territory, where Hades didn’t know where the herds gathered.  And with the heavy bleeding and his fractured jaws, Hades’ window was closing fast.

But luck was on his side.  The scent of a dead Andesaurus was on the breeze, and it was nearby.  Hades perked up at the sweet and intoxicating smell of carrion.  The pain in his neck, throat, and ankle seemed to numb as he drooled uncontrollably.

Hades limped quickly towards the rotting corpse.  If he could reach it, then the meat could sustain him long enough for his wounds to heal.  All he could think about was gorging himself on the scrumptious and enticing flesh.

He finally reached the dead Andesaurus, panting heavily.  Strangely, there weren’t any scavengers on the carcass, but it wouldn’t have mattered.  Given Hades’ horrific appearance, no carnivore in the region other than a Giganotosaurus would dare challenge him.  His gums and snout were mangled, some teeth were missing or broken, his eyes had a crazed look, and his neck was still dripping with blood.  It looked like Hades had gone through hell and back.

Hades limped straight towards the rotting flesh, ravaged by hunger and madness.  He bit down on a tasty looking cut of meat, but immediately let go; his jaws still hurt terribly after being fractured in his fight with Achilles.  He had to choose a softer portion, as the flesh along the Andesaurus’ back was very tough and course.

Hades moved over to the belly of the corpse, and gently bit down, just to be sure that it was soft enough for his sore mouth.  It was, and he gingerly ripped a portion off to swallow.  This continued for a few more minutes, ginger bite after ginger bite, until he could not take it anymore.  His mouth hurt too much, and he had to rest.  So Hades lay down and dozed off, thankful for the sustenance, but still drained from Achilles humiliating him a few days ago.

For the next couple of days, Hades followed the same routine:  eat and rest.  He regained much of his strength, and his neck and facial wounds healed.  His fractured jaws needed more time to heal, but Hades got used to the pain.  At least he was able to feed.

Unfortunately, the routine didn’t last long enough.  When Hades was about to nod off one day, he sensed the ground shaking with his lower jaw.  He stood up, and on the horizon was a group of five Giganotosaurus.  Achilles was leading his pack straight towards him.  If the pack caught up with Hades, they would surely kill him.  Hades had to get out of there at all costs, because now that Achilles was leader, he was enemy number one.

Hades grabbed a piece of Andesaurus liver and immediately set off.  He had no idea where he was going, he just needed to get away from the oncoming pack.  He thought of the shame he had to live with for the final few years of his life:  pack-less, childless, scarred, and alone.

But luck was on his side again.  In the most despairing moment, the scent of recently-killed hadrosaur filled his nostrils.  It was coming from a cave at the foot of the approaching mountain range.  He hurried as fast as he could to escape his former pack and seek out the fresh meat.

He walked quickly through the cave, not paying attention to his surroundings.  All he could think about was getting away, and getting to eat.  Soon, he stepped out of the exit and saw the beauty of the new land before him.

Lush, rolling grasslands covered the land, with beautiful forests at the foot of the mountains.  Hades could see a large lake in the distance, with cool glistening water.  And near the foot of a nearby hill was the body of the hadrosaur that caught his olfactory senses.  As he hurried towards the kill, covering great distance with each stride, he let out a roar of vicious and maddening glee.

But two heads had perked up a few metres away from the kill.  Hades had foolishly failed to realize that there were other predators in this valley, and he was about to confront the king and queen, whether he liked it or not.  

I'm still very busy with homework, so I believe we'll have to wait before chapter 7 comes out.