Forsaken Heir

Prologue

Prologue:

Thick smoke billowed up into the starry night, tinted red by buildings that were now burning. Soldiers raced through the cobblestone streets to the defense of the city of Moran, however the shadows of the enemy were already ravaging through the once peaceful city causing terror within its habitats. Cries of fear from those fleeing from the flames and carnivores alike echoed through the night. Many sheltered within the few buildings that were not lit by the flames set by the Carno raiders hoping that they would not be next to be found by those terrifying creatures. 

Of these was a small Parasaurolophus. He snuggled up close to his mother in fear trying to find what little comfort there was as they hid in the pantry of their house. He could hear the crackling of flames destroying the only place he had known and the cries of battle mixed with the fear of those trying to get away from the ruthless hunters outside. Looking up he saw his mother in the soft light of the lantern keeping a watchful eye on the heavy wooden door that was bolted shut, ready to jump to defend her son if anyone should come in.

 That made him feel slightly more at ease as much as one could be in such a situation. However, he longed for the protection of his father, one of the most skilled soldiers in the city, but as ruler of Moran he had to lead troops to make the city safe. He also wondered if Garry, his older cousin, was safe. They had just quarreled that afternoon over some petty matter and Jerry hadn't made up with him. He hoped that he would be able to say sorry after this was over.

 Just then his thoughts were interrupted by his mother tensing as the noise of the front door of the house opening reached her ear. Very swiftly she turned and gently scooted Jerry along the floor with her nose and into one of the lower cupboards. She kissed him on the cheek.

 "I love you, always remember that," she whispered. 

Jerry knew there was something much more wrong with the sadness and worry in her voice but he had no time to react before she shut the cupboard door just enough to keep him hidden. Seconds later all he could hear was the pantry door being broken down with such force and a cry of anger from his mother accompanied by fearful growls he had never heard before. The lantern smashed to the ground then the noise subsided as the unexpected visitors left.  

Jerry was left cowering in the darkest corner of the cupboard to wonder if they had left and what had happened to his mother. He didn't dare leave his hiding place in case any carnivores waiting for him outside. He shut his eyes and silent tears slid down his face as he wished that this was all a nightmare that would disappear if he could just wake up. Unfortunately this was no dream and as he huddled in the cupboard he suddenly caught the choking smell of smoke that drifted through the crack where the door to his hiding spot was not completely shut. At first he ignored it thinking it was from the burning buildings outside however soon enough Jerry began to start coughing from lack of fresh air . He knew he had to get out.  

Cautiously he peaked his head out from his hiding place. He was immediately confronted by a thick wall of smoke and flames with intense heat.  The lamp that had had been broken when the hunters left had set the old wooden pantry alight and was slowly consuming it.  Slowly Jerry scooted around the flames as to avoid being burnt by the intense heat that was coming from the strong fire, however he soon realized that escape would be nearly impossible as the flames were now licking at the door frame and what was left of the broken pantry door, blocking the way.  In face of his demise Jerry has no other choice but to scream at the top of his lungs. As he cried out the hot smoke filled his lungs almost silencing his voice completely, leaving him helpless.

  Standing there it seems nothing more can be done. The heavy beams supporting the roof of the house groaned and creaked as they were charred by the flames. They suddenly gave way, collapsing heavily on the ground. Jerry looks up a second too late and despite trying to get clear of the beams, his arms are trapped under the hot, charred wood. The pain of his arms being burned was intense but brief as he soon gave into the smoke around him and passed out.  

This would have almost certainly would have sealed his fate if it hadn't been for Garry. 

As soon as the raid had started Garry was told by his father to hide in the basement of the city archive which was arguably one of the secure places in the city as it housed all records and history of the kingdom. Garry also had the advantage of knowing the place as he had spent a lot of his young life pouring over the books it contained within it's mazes of shelves, taking after his father who was a scholar and royal advisor to Jerry's father.

 As he hid in the secret cubby he had in the library, he had expected Jerry to come and hide there too, as it was one of there favorite places to play forts, but his little cousin never came. Rather worried for him and also feeling guilty for the fallout they had that afternoon, he began to feel uneasy. Finally he thought that he should go and quickly fetch him as he came to the conclusion that he was probably just too scared to come, being the younger of the two.  

He climbed out of one of the lower windows ,which did not prove hard for the young Parasaurolophus, and snuck out into the street unseen.  As soon as he was out he darted into the shadows for cover. He was horrified by what he saw. In his cubby he did not know the true extent of the raid and thought that his father was overacting about a few stray carnivores.  But now all he could see was fire and a lot of it. The night had started to shimmer with the glowing heat. 

Now for most they could have just run and hid but Garry fearful for his little cousin's life ran as fast as he could down the streets to find the house. As he skidded to a stop in front of the  royal residence his heart sank in terror as he saw the flames consuming the once  proud looking wooden house.

 But then he heard what he  thought was a muffed scream. As soon as that reached his ears he ran into the burning home with the hope that his cousin and aunt were still alive.  There was huge crash as he entered as the roof above began to collapse around him but bravely he fought on to get further into the house ignoring the hot coals beneath his feet and the smoke stinging his eyes.   With every step he screamed for Jerry hoping for a reply. 

 He finally got to the kitchen where the fire was at its peak and he had to be extra careful.  He located the stone water storage tank and a towel that was not as baldly burnt as the others and after wetting it in the tank he fashioned a piece over his nose to keep out smoke and threw the remainder  over his back to shield him from the searing heat.  

He continued further in but it was getting harder to see in the growing amount of smoke. As he walked away from the kitchen he glanced into the pantry that was very near being burnt beyond recognition apart from a small area at the back.  As Garry's eyes scanned the wreak he saw a small bundle lying limp that could be mistaken for a sack of potatoes under a fallen beam. 

But unless his eyes were mistaken that bundle moved. He rushed over calling Jerry's name scrambling over burning wood, pain forgotten in light of finding his cousin. As he got to Jerry he knew he would have to work quickly to get him out from under the now black log before the flames and smoke took both of them. 

Using a smaller beam and his own body weight he levered up the beam trapping Jerry and he swiftly maneuvered his younger cousin onto his back as best he could. Without wasting another second he charged out of the house as fast as he could, adrenaline giving him an extra boost of strength to get out.

 He stumbled out of the door into fresher air, coughing profusely before collapsing on the ground, exhausted, but he knew he had gotten Jerry out of the danger zone which was his only goal in that moment.  

Now in cleaner air Jerry woke for a minute, his eyes blurry and his hearing distorted. He saw figures move around him in a blur and faint voices yelling. He felt his body being lifted up gently before he passed out again. However this time he knew he was safe, there was no fear or fighting it.

 But when he awoke again after the nightmare reality of that night passed he knew nothing would be the same as before then again. In the place of his natural arms were cold, heavy, mechanical limbs and it was that day he woke that he realized his father had forsaken him as heir of the throne to go into the wild lands of the kingdom.  His world was completely changed in the course of one night.