Guardian | Camp Cretaceous

Salvation

"It can't be," Yasmina whispered. "Is it?"

Brooklynn couldn't help but gape at the tendrils of smoke twisting above the treetops. "I see it too."

She quickly glanced at Azriel and noticed the cautious look he exchanged with Yasmina. While the others muttered in disbelief, the couple seemed to have an entire conversation through their eyes. An argument, if their intense stares were any indication, but when Azriel's mouth tightened, Brooklynn realised Yasmina had won whatever it was over; it surprised Brooklynn, because in the month they'd been together, she had never once seen them argue.

"Let's go find them," said Darius. "It's time to go home!"

Without hesitation, everyone slid down and bolted into the forest, Darius leading the charge. Cruella lifted her head, but stopped when Azriel clicked his teeth together, causing the dinosaur to grumble and settle down. It was probably for the best—terrifying their rescuers wouldn't do them any favours. Brooklynn only hoped they'd have the chance to say goodbye before leaving, but with her focus locked on getting the hell out off this godforsaken island, she couldn't feel too guilty about leaving the dinosaur behind just yet.

After nearly an hour of running, Brooklynn realised it was much farther than it had seemed. She gulped down air whenever they paused for Azriel—who, quite infuriatingly, didn't even look half-tired—to scale a tree and confirm the group were still on the right path. Glancing at Yasmina, who also showed no signs of exhaustion, Brooklynn felt her brow twitching. But she shook it off before speaking.

"So," Brooklynn began carefully, "what was that about?"

Yasmina glanced over, lifting a brow. "What was what about?"

Taking a deep breath—partly because she needed air—Brooklynn muttered, "You know... the argument."

Yasmina looked puzzled. "Argument? What are you talking about?"

"You were basically screaming at each other," Brooklynn scoffed. "With your eyes."

Yasmina didn't get the chance to respond because Azriel dropped from the branch, turning their attention. "The fire's been snuffed out," he said, causing a gasp to rip from Brooklynn's throat.

"What if they left?" Sammy looked close to tears. "What if the people who came to save us gave up, and we missed our chance?" However, before a shadow of dismay could shroud over them, Azriel placed his hand on Sammy's shoulder.

"Next time, let me finish," Azriel said with that familiar, comforting smile of his. "We're downwind. I can still smell the smoke, so even if they left camp, it wasn't too long ago. We just need to find it, and I can track them."

He was a skilled tracker—his successful hunts over the past month were proof enough of that.

Naturally, a bone-chilling growl shattered the brief relief. Azriel swiftly pulled out his bow and notched an arrow, motioning for everyone to form a tight circle. Brooklynn bit back a whimper as she felt Yasmina tap the side of her thigh. Only then did she realise she was standing farther away from the group than was probably safe.

"Could be a really big Compy, right?" Kenji gasped. "Darius, didn't you say they were creepo skylarks?"

The dino-kid whispered back, "I said they were crepuscular."

Thundering footsteps erupted from behind Darius. Before Brooklynn could even blink, Azriel pulled back the bowstring, spun around, and released an arrow into the bushes. A pained yelp followed, but it was quickly drowned out by a deafening roar that made Brooklynn's teeth chatter. A one-horned carnivore crashed through the foliage, an arrow jutting from its meaty thigh. It would have reached Darius if Azriel hadn't yanked him aside, barking at them to run in a string of very creative French.