Leafclaw: The End of an Era

Chapter 2

When Leafclaw awoke, it was dark.

Yawning, he stretched his feathered arms skyward, then blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from his eyes. Judging by the stars overhead, it had been dark for a few hours. He hadn't meant to sleep this long, but he felt quite rested, especially after his hunt, and decided it wasn't a bad thing.

The pectinodon preened for a few minutes before turning back to his surroundings. The trees whispered softly in a light breeze overhead, and the crickets had replaced the birds' song with their own chirping melody. Pterosaurs squawked in the distance, and if he listened very closely, Leafclaw could even hear a brachiosaurus cooing somewhere amongst the trees. The night air was cool, a refreshing change from the warm temperatures during the day, and Leafclaw relaxed as the light breeze ruffled his feathers.

Large predators rarely hunted in the thick jungle, but instead resided in the wetlands about a mile away. Leafclaw didn't go there too often, as it was difficult to stay hidden in the mostly open terrain. Besides, if the larger theropods didn't catch him, it would be the crocodiles instead.

Enjoying the tranquility of the night, Leafclaw fluffed his feathers and shifted to a more comfortable position on his rock. Deciding to stay out a little longer, the theropod shifted his attention to the sky. Millions of stars twinkled above, outstandingly bright against the inky blackness of the night sky. The moon blazed overhead, full and reflecting its silver brilliance onto the planet below. Leafclaw gazed into the heavens above as he did most nights. The stars always fascinated the small omnivore, and he often wondered what it would be like to actually touch one. Maybe they were burning hot, like the fires that sometimes spread across the dry lands in the west? Or were they ice cold, like the fronts that sometimes blew over the jungle in the winter?

With a sigh, Leafclaw focused on the stars once more, his golden orbs widening as they reflected the light from above.

"Urrelp!"

Leafclaw suddenly yelped in surprise. Instead of only a singular moon in the sky, there were now... two? He blinked, confused. How had he missed that the first time? Blowing a hard breath through his nostrils, Leafclaw stared up at the second moon. It was bright and silvery white in color, and it wasn't quite as big as the original, but close enough. A rim of white light encircled the spherical shape, but otherwise it appeared as if it had always been there.

The pectinodon squinted up at the new moon for a moment longer before retiring to the safety of his den for the night.

Overhead, the new moon suddenly vanished, disappearing into the folds of the Earth's shadow. Continuity washed over the land once more, and all creatures who had happened to witness the strange spectacle returned to their normal lives as if nothing were amiss.

Brachiosaurs shifted back to grazing from the treetops, parasaurs snuggled closer to their young, and in the open wetlands, the mighty tyrannosaurus rex let out a final bellow as he settled down for the night. Life continued on as it had been for a million years before.

Until it didn't.

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Leafclaw awoke early the next morning due to his late nap the day before.

Exiting the cave, he found it was still dark outstide, and the sun had just barely began it's climb into the sky. The first rays of morning light had barely peaked the horizon, and were almost imperceptible from the pectinodon's position in the jungle. Deciding to search for prey, Leafclaw took a sip from the stream, then set out on a hunt.

After a few hours, he was starving. The small meal he had eaten yesterday only held up for so long, and the sharp grasps of hunger were already gnawing at his stomach. Leafclaw had found a few early creatures scurrying around the jungle, but had been unsuccessful in catching them. Now, the sun was high enough that he could finally see it through the trees. A breeze rippled through the forest, and the scent of water and salt grass brushed across Leafclaw's nose. He turned to his left, stomach grumbling. That was the direction of the wetlands: a vast lake of water teeming with life- and predators. He could take a risk and go there, after all, his trek around the jungle had taken him quite close to the lake already. It would be a great opportunity for an easy, filling meal, but it would also paint a target on his back. Leafclaw was quite proficient and staying stealthy and quiet, but could he outrun a larger predator? Possibly not.

A jab of pain sliced through his stomach, and Leafclaw made up his mind. Spinning around, he headed south towards the wetlands.

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Upon arrival, Leafclaw spotted a herd of edmontosaurus drinking from the open lake. Already taking advantage of the cover they provided, he sped through their herd, dodging stomping limbs and clacking teeth. The edmontosaurus found him too small to be a threat, and he used their indifference towards him to make his way down the shoreline.

Despite being dangerous, the lake was quite the spectacle. Clear cerulean blue water lapped calmly against the white sand, which quickly faded into sweet, green grass mere yards from the shore. Palm trees and tropical plants thrived around the water's edge, and a three shelved waterfall flowed from an unknown river to the left. Rocks boarded either side of the cascading water, and a family of tyrannosaurus frolicked in its sparkling surf. Lazy crocodilians basked on small islands situated in the lake's center, while clusters of herbivores grazed on the opposite side. Wide winged pterosaurs swooped through the white dotted sky, completing the tropical paradise below.

Leafclaw, not immediately finding any prey, munched on a few plants along the shoreline. However, in doing so, he caught the scent of a lizard and followed it until he found the creature sleeping on a basking rock. Leafclaw pounced upon the unsuspecting lizard, and it quickly became his breakfast.

His hunger satisfied, Leafclaw made his way back to the water and washed his meal down with several mouthfuls. However, a short growl snapped the pectinodon's focus to the young tyrannosaur stalking him from the water.

Leafclaw swallowed. The tyrannosaur cocked its head and stepped closer. It was the same one who had been so busy with playing in the waterfall earlier. A quick glance across the water told Leafclaw that it's parents were now focused on chasing an interrupting croc away from their playground.

The young theropod rumbled curiously, then squatted, obviously with the intent to practice his hunting skills. Water dripped from his maw, trickling down into the water below. Leafclaw crouched and slowly backed away, never taking his eyes off of his hunter. While the tyrannosaur wasn't an adult, it was still about five times his size and posed a significant threat.

In a split second, the theropod lunged, and Leafclaw spun on his heel and took off down the beach, the pounding footsteps of his pursuer not far behind him.

Unfortunately, sand was not his ally in this chase, and it slipped uselessly under his clawed feet as Leafclaw skittered down the shore. The tyrannosaur had big feet and a long stride on his side, and the more Leafclaw ran the slower he seemed to go. The little dinosaur's heart slammed in his chest as the pounding footsteps behind him grew closer... and closer...

SNAP!

Leafclaw just barely managed to dodge out of the way as the juvenile rex made an attempt to snatch him up in its muscled jaws.

SNAP!

Teeth clapped shut over his head, and Leafclaw yelped in alarm as his head feathers were nearly caught in the crossfire. He roared a threat, but the tyrannosaur completely ignored him and continued to try and make the pectinodon into a meal.

Leafclaw's eyes frantically scanned the shore as he dodged another attack. Up ahead was a small upheaval of rocks that resided a few meters from the shore. Palm trees sprouted from its grassy top, and a few coconuts lay cracked on its jagged sides.

With his pursuer practically on top of his tail, Leafclaw figured he could find shelter in the rocks or get the tyrannosaur stuck on a few sharp edges. But before he could reach potential safety, a hot breath suddenly rattled through his feathers, and Leafclaw realized that he was too late.

"RAWW-"

Leafclaw tensed, fully prepared for the final blow that would end his life, when the dreaded pounding of feet behind him stopped dead in their tracks. Utterly confused, Leafclaw kept running until he saw why.

In the sky above, a massive glowing ball of pure fire was falling through the air, splitting clouds and leaving a sickening trail of black smoke in its wake.