The Terror of Alberta

By The Vengeful Rex

Chapter 1: The Birth of a Legend

Within a swamp, in what is now the Horseshoe Canyon, a nest housed four eggs. These eggs belonged to a pack of Albertosaurus--and the day of birth has arrived. The mother, whose name was Albera, looked as she heard a tiny crack in one of the eggs. Albera looked at the egg as more cracks began to appear, before the baby's head emerged. His name was Albus, and he was special. Albus looked up at his mother with his emerald-green eyes, as she gently helped him out of the eggshell. Her son's green feathers were messy and soaked, and he shook his head as the other eggs began to crack.

This next egg, housed Albus's brother--Albor. He was a deep blue, like the ocean. After that, the next two hatched, Albora, and Albani. They were both female, and Albora had a coat of red feathers, with yellow on the skull. Albani had white and orange-brown feathers. The ground began to tremble, as a scarred, alpha-male Albertosaurus approached Albera, Albus, Albor, Albora, and Albani. This was the father, the leader of the pack--Albos. He was covered in brown scales and feathers, and had deep scars on his skull--put there by an alpha-Gorgosaurus.

Albera helped the chicks crawl out of the cracked eggshells of the eggs from which they hatched. Next, Albos bellowed to the pack, signalling that it was time to set out in search of food. He summoned Albera and two of the infantry to his side, and ordered the rest of the pack to guard the babies.

The alpha-Albertosaurus sniffed the air, honing in on the scent of a herd of Parasaurolophus. He and his three followed the smell, lurking through the trees. Their eyes scanned their ranks, looking for a vulnerable individual--and they did find one. Lagging thirty feet behind the rest of the group was an old hadrosaur, with an arthritic leg. Albos quietly cooed to the two infantry Albertosaurs, who charged at the Parasaurolophus. They caught the herbivore off-guard, embedding their teeth in her hind legs. Albus charged out of the trees and clamped down on her neck, snapping it. He threw the corpse to the ground, when a hiss caught his attention.

From the river emerged a large Deinosuchus, an old male who longed for a meal. Albos charged without hesitation, ramming the crocodilian and grabbing his front right leg, flipping him over onto his back. The Albertosaurus bit down on his throat, ending the life of the Deinosuchus. He, Albera, and the two infantry returned to the nesting grounds.

Albus saw his father approaching, dragging a dead Parasaurolophus in his jaws. He dropped it to the ground, and the four infant Albertosaurus began to eat. As Albus consumed his first meal, he had no idea of the long, arduous journey that lay ahead of him.