Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Peace At Last

Although the memory of Lunar is still fresh in Synca’s mind, he feels as though he’s finally found peace. It’s been several months since he’s fled Canada and he hasn’t seen Scarface since. Synca is getting used to Montana. The majority of herbivores in this area are larger than Synca is used to. While exploring, he finds something that peaks his interest. He hides in a grove of trees and watches for the animals to appear. The ground begins to shake. Synca’s eyes go wide. It’s the biggest thing he’s ever seen.

The Alamosaurus is huge. All ninety tons of it. The alpha male is soon followed by a mixture of females and juveniles. There are no animals smaller than an elephant in this herd. Synca knows he has no chance at bringing down one of them. The more he knows about the residents of his new home, the better. He just wants to observe them. The titans begin to spread out and feed on the treetops. Those that can’t reach that high, wait patiently for the adults to drop some branches for them. One tree in particular is of extreme interest to the herd. At the top, a full one hundred and sixty feet up, is a bunch of fruit. The delicacy is enticing. Synca can easily see that the fruit is too high. Then, one of the adults decides it wants a little treat. She moves toward the towering tree. She looks up at the top and almost shrugs her shoulders. The female rears up on her back legs. Synca notices she’s still too short. But the Alamosaurus wasn’t trying to reach the fruit that way. Without warning, she comes crashing down. Her massive feet slam into the tree and it collapses beneath her bulk. She casually walks over to the fruit and takes a bite. The female then allows the juveniles to come in and share the spoils. If Synca could grin, he would. With that, he yawns, and decides it’s time for a nap.

When Synca wakes up, he soon realizes he’d slept longer than he planned to. The morning sun is beginning to paint the sky orange. He slept all afternoon and then through the night! He shakes his head in disapproval at himself. Then, he gets up and moves on. Time to get some breakfast. Synca finds a nearby stream and takes a drink. While drinking, he notices some fresh water clams. This is a tasty morsel he’s only had once or twice before. Synca reaches down and grabs a large one. He carries the clam over to a medium sized tree. He knows exactly what to do. He finds a good branch and tries to use it to pry open the clamshell. The branch breaks after he exerts too much force. He needs something stronger. Then, Synca sees exactly what he needs. A thin, but clearly strong rock wedged in the ground. He does the same thing with the rock and the shell reluctantly opens up. Synca happily feeds on the contents of the shell. Once he’s done, he goes back to the steam. He grabs as many clams as he can carry in his jaws and goes back to work. After an hour, he’s opened and eaten over a dozen and a half clams. As he’s eating the last one, he notices something hard and smooth in his mouth. He maneuvers it with his tongue, then spits it out. Synca examines the shiny object. It’s a pearl. He can even see his reflection in it. Synca then yawns happily and moves on. He decides it’s time for a little walk.

Synca looks up to see the sun high in the sky. It's noon. A cool breeze blows and cools his skin. It’s a beautiful day. Synca is about to go back to the stream, but then he sees something. He enters a nearby forest and finds a nest sitting in a small clearing. A tall rock face stands a few yards away. A number of eggs sit inside the nest, but only one appears healthy. Synca’s not sure who the eggs belong too, but based on their size and shape, he can take a good guess. While looking the nest over, the ground begins to shake. Synca looks to the edge of the clearing and watches as two enormous bodies reveal themselves. Mommy and Daddy have returned.

Kano and Longtooth were out hunting when the smelled an intruder in their territory. The immediately returned to their nest to intercept whoever it was. When they say a Nanotyrannus looking over their nest, they weren’t too pleased. Kano roars loudly and charges at Synca. Synca knows he has no chance against the enraged father, but something inside him doesn’t want to run. Instead, he rolls over submissively onto his back. Kano stops short absolutely perplexed. This is a first for him. He looks to Longtooth who’s also confused, then back to Synca. Synca slowly gets up and lowers his head in respect. He means them no harm. Kano nods approvingly, then gives a low growl. Synca obeys and leaves the nesting area. Before he goes, he takes one more look at the nest. He doesn’t know it yet, but that one healthy egg will end up having a far greater influence on his life then he’ll ever realize.