The Tyrant's Roar: Chapter 12

Chapter 12:  Battle Stations

As Aries and Celeste chased each other around the nest mound, Tytus rested.  His two months of daily hunting sapped some of his energy, and he lost some weight during that time because he gave a lot of his meat to Poppaea.

But within the two weeks since Aries and Celeste hatched, he regained some of his vigour.  Poppaea gained back much of her strength from nest duty and the extra food, and now she was hunting again.  The roles between the two Tyrannosaurus were reversed:  now Tytus was the nest-sitter and Poppaea provided the family with meat.  Soon however, Tytus will be hunting alongside his mate once again, with their offspring in tow.

And what a roller-coaster the past fortnight was!  Even though he missed Poppaea terribly while she was off hunting, Tytus was thrilled to spend time with their infant son and daughter.  They had grown up quickly since the time that they had hatched.  Both Aries and Celeste gained weight from the red meat that their parents fed them, and they already had basic control of their gross motor functions.  Almost always, they chirped for food, and they ate a lot!  Tytus always wondered how a tiny three-foot long tyrannosaur could eat (what seemed to him) at least twice its body weight!

Only a few days ago, his kids tried to walk and run, to great success.  They now scampered around the nest with much chirping and squealing, chasing each other for fun.  They fell several times, but Tytus always helped them to their feet.  And they were off and running again as if nothing had happened.

Even though they were only two weeks old, Aries and Celeste had already begun to develop their own personalities.  Aries was always poking his nose into things, and was the more energetic of the brood.  On the other hand, Celeste was more introverted, and didn’t show the same swagger and enthusiasm Aries did, especially around her father.  But when Poppaea returned with food, Celeste became very excited, and she became just as aggressive as Aries was during meals.

Despite Tytus and Poppaea being so thrilled to have two healthy children to care for and love, they were deeply saddened that the other three eggs didn’t hatch.  They felt that it would have been grander to have even more children, but the other eggs were duds.  The pair were lucky though, because most first-time matings were unsuccessful.  So goes the Circle of Life.

Tytus closed his eyes, remembering Poppaea taking the unfertilized eggs away when the kids were only a few days old, when he snapped them open again.

The impact tremors knocked Aries and Celeste off their feet.  They began to wail in fear as the clouds rolled in and the ground continued to shake.

Tytus barked at his kids to keep quiet so he can concentrate.  He cocked his head back and forth while he used his sensitive toe pads to feel the vibrations.  There was no scent, which worried Tytus even more, because whatever creature that was approaching the roost was coming from downwind to conceal itself.

Judging from the time between each foot step, Tytus determined that the creature was a heavy bipedal animal.  If it had been a quadruped, a pair of foot falls would have overlapped, and they would have occurred in quicker succession.  He also knew it wasn’t Poppaea returning; she had left only an hour ago, and hunting expeditions usually took longer.  Besides, she had a quicker gait, so the time that elapsed between each of her foot steps would have been shorter.  Whatever Tytus sensed was stalking him, as if he was the prey…

“Oh no!” thought Tytus in horror.  “It can’t be!”

But he wasn’t entirely sure.  After all, Hades hadn’t been sighted in months.  He thought that he and Poppaea drove Hades out of the valley long ago.  And they searched the valley for him, with no luck.  But what other large bipedal animal was closing in on the nest?

Tytus didn’t want to take a chance.  He had to hide Aries and Celeste from the impending threat.  The nest mound was no good, since it was in the middle of the clearing.  He hastily looked around for a decent place to hide his children.

Then Tytus saw the tree just across the clearing whose roots were partially above ground.  Those roots formed a sort of cage around the base of the trunk.  It would be a perfect refuge for Aries and Celeste to hide in.

Tytus scooped Aries and Celeste up in his trembling mouth and walked over to the tree’s roots.  He placed them next to the roots and nudged them inside.  Celeste went in willingly, but Aries didn’t.  Ever the curious and adventurous one, he side-stepped his dad, wanting to be a part of the action, even though he was still scared.  But Tytus grunted sharply at his son to go under the roots.  Aries looked up at him in shock.  His parents never grunted at him that harshly before.  He whimpered fearfully and bent over in a submissive pose.

Tytus knew he had spooked his son.  He lowered his massive head and, looking Aries right in the eye, purred softly to try and calm him down.  Aries did stop whimpering, but when he saw his dad’s fearful eyes, he got even more scared.  Aries realized that this was no game, that there wasn’t any time to be wasted, and that his father meant business.  Aries ran right through the roots and bunkered down with his sister. 

The footsteps were getting ever louder, and Tytus was getting more fearful by the second.  He may have been an impressive creature, but he never took on a larger carnivore alone before.  The last time he and Hades squared off was when Poppaea stood beside him.  But now he was alone, and that was what really got to him.  But Tytus knew he had to defend the nest at all costs.  It didn’t matter whether he was terrified or not; his life and his kids’ lives were at stake.  He would fight to the death if need be.

Tytus growled deeply, half-hoping that it would be enough to scare off the unseen stalker.  He knew it was hopeless though.  The real purpose of the loud growl was to gather himself and to make him feel braver.  Somehow, Tytus knew that this would be his defining battle, and getting into a combative state of mind was the only way he stood any chance.

Cocking his head back and forth, the great Tyrannosaurus kept track of the impending threat.  Now Tytus heard deep breaths among the audible footsteps, and this sent his heart racing.  It was the breathing of a mad and savage killer.

Suddenly, the breathing and the footsteps stopped.  Tytus was very surprised, and by now he was really freaking out.  He could feel the blood pounding in his head, and his muscles were taut with tension.  Then, as he swiveled his large head to try and find his unseen adversary, his head and throat went hot as they changed from a deep shade of green to a fiery red.

As the atmospheric pressure dropped, the wind picked up.  And with it came a ferocious scent.  The wind had changed direction, and Tytus’ nostrils confirmed his fears.  Tytus now knew exactly where the attack would come from.