Men & Monsters

Prologue

His ears were filled with the buzz of insects as they darted about overhead, coupled with the rustling brush when he crept through the shadows. Slender, three-toed feet gently pressed down into the mud, accompanied by a loud wet squish. That's when Rex could feel his parents' angry gaze pierce through him. Stupid mud. It couldn't be helped now, he thought, as he continued forward, careful to stay on the grass and moss. The pitter pat of rain filled the young creature's ears as waterfalls tumbled from the forest canopy, splashing muck all over him as he passed by. Rex couldn't understand why his parents would be so harsh about him making a little noise; there was plenty of it happening all around.

The forest was rich with greens and browns, having soothed the young dinosaur's spirits for the whole duration of the hunt. It was like he was in an entirely different world. He had grown so accustomed to golden brown prairies and the dryness of it all. This, he thought, was something he could get used to. With a wide grin lining his elongated snout, he shuffled into a bush. From inside the cluster of emerald-colored leaves, Rex shivered as the cool, misty air formed small speckles of dew on his coat of down.

He smiled and closed his eyes, nearly falling asleep when a pair of toothy jaws gently nibbled at his tail. The brush quickly consumed the young tyrannosaur's tail, trading it for his small head as he peered out. It was his father, towering over him with those stern eyes of his. From the thick fog enveloping the forest, an even larger beast appeared at his side. It was Rex's mother, who seemed just as firm and commanding as her mate. Despite their forever toothy grins, Rex knew they weren't pleased. His large eyes blinked once and he cocked his head with a squeak.

"Yes Mother? Yes Father?"

"Listen to me Son; I want you to follow your father. Watch what he does, his every movement. I would show you myself but...well, your father needs the practice himself." She spoke with a low, feminine voice, one that rumbled Rex to his core. Still, as he inched out from the bush, he nodded meekly.

"Yes, Mother." The larger beast looked to her husband with a demanding stare.

"Don't let him wander on his own. Not for one second. There are as many dangerous things here as there are in the prairies." She hissed. The father simply nodded before he and his son watched her walk off. Her long, drawn-out strides didn't count up very high before the mist enveloped her, and in moments she was out of sight. In a long, lazy show of movement, just like his companion, Rex's father looked down at him.

"Are you ready, my boy?" He asked in a soft tone. As Rex observed, he gazed at the long, wicked scars lining the left side of his father's face as they twisted and contorted to his lipless snout with his words. Following a wide grin the young dinosaur nodded. "Very good, now follow me." His nostrils flared loudly as the tyrannosaur started down a worn path, at a pace Rex found exhausting to keep up with. Trotting along, the young critter found his breath slowly escaping him. Thankfully, the soft down covering his body continued to catch the moisture in the air, trapping cool droplets of water in his feathery coat. As he looked up, he remembered that his father lacked down of any kind, then he took a moment to wonder how he kept cool in this place.

With blink after rapid blink, the eager tyrannosaurus looked all around them, once again admiring this new world. He only wished he could see all of it, as fog ate up most of the forest. Some trees seemed to come from nothingness while others seemed to evaporate altogether, and the mist continued to grow thicker and thicker, it seemed. Normally the strange cloud would frighten him down to his bones, but with a grin he looked up at his father, who scanned the forest diligently both with his eyes and his nose. So long as he was around, Rex thought, he would be safe. No one or thing could take on his dad.

Suddenly a new smell entered the air. The tyrannosaurs flared their nostrils together as they tried to make it out, but with each passing moment, new fragrances and scents surrounded them. They could smell smoke in the distance, but couldn't hear the roar of a forest fire or feel its intense heat in the air. Pine was perhaps the most overwhelming smell, however, and without a single pine tree in sight.