Men & Monsters

Sunrise on the Grassland

Morning came swiftly for those on the prairie. The sun hadn't even reached the horizon when dinosaurs quickly went about their business, hoping to avoid the scorching afternoon heat. Herbivores were the most active it seemed, chewing on dew-ridden grass before most of the predators would awaken, and scavengers were beginning to retreat and sleep for the day. It was all rather quiet and lazy, as many of the beasts were still groggy.

One could watch the land glow in a golden hue once the sun began to crawl up over the horizon. Its warming kiss sent tingles down the spines of those up and around, when they all turned toward the budding sun. Interesting, one might think, that such a simple event brought both carnivores and herbivores together as they watched the orange sphere inch toward greatness. This happened every single morning, and it was certainly a spectacle to behold. From the long-necked brachiosaurs and sluggish stegosaurs to the early morning predators big and small, the world stopped for but a few moments each day for this.

Among those who stood watching the sunrise was Rust. Pale with age, and bags sagging beneath his eyes, the elderly acrocanthosaurus took in a chilled gulp of air before sighing softly. Something caught the corner of his eye, cautiously coming closer into view until he turned his head. It was a dryosaur, shaken from her encounter with Thorn the evening before, and yet still off on her own. She broke her gaze away from the sun and looked to Rust, her hands shaking as they held one another, when she nervously gulped. Breakfast was served, the great carnivore thought to himself. But he didn't budge.

Honoring the age-old tradition, Rust set aside his instincts and hunger when he bowed his head to the small herbivore. The dryosaur, smiling politely back at him, bowed right back, when they both looked to the sun again. That which gave so much to them. It was a sight that Rust had never grown tired of.

Like a precise clock, the sun had made it halfway past the horizon, and then nature returned to its place. The balance of life ruled once more. The dryosaur let out a frightened chirp before scurrying off to her herd as Rust snapped his jaws at her. Brushing off his failure, he turned, walking down a path worn through the grass until he stumbled upon another large carnivore. Tall grass shuffled softly as the tyrannosaurus shifted himself in his slumber, followed by a gentle snore.

Rust cocked his head slowly as he watched Rex, waiting for him to get up on his own. But dreams had too great a hold on the tyrant dinosaur. The feathery down he had as a youngster had all but vanished, replaced with thick black stripes along his snout all the way to the tip of his tail. Even in slumber, one couldn't help but notice the muscle packed onto his form, a far cry from the gangly little fellow from years ago. With a nudge from his snout, Rust beckoned for Rex to awaken.

"Wake up lad. The herds are all on the move. Wake up!" The young tyrannosaur only responded with a number of inaudible grumbles and a relaxed sigh, however. Narrowing his eyes, Rust smirked and gave a defeated grunt. So much for breakfast.

While he stood and waited for Rex to wake up, Rust heard a high-pitched wail pierce the morning air when something darted past his head. He turned, unsure if an insect could make such a painful sound when he heard a soft thump just beside him. Joints cracked and popped when he took a few steps back and looked down on the creature. To him, it looked like a tiny dead pterosaur, from the way it landed on its back. That wasn't typical pterosaur behavior, Rust thought, even if they continued to surprise him with every encounter. He looked up to the sky, but there wasn't even a flock of the flying reptiles in sight. When he looked back to the creature, however, he felt himself slouch as he groaned.

"Enough with the performance Messenger. Get up." The large dinosaur lowered his form and nudged the rhamphorhynchus with the tip of his narrow snout. With that, the tiny pterosaur began to pant loudly as his chest rose up and down rapidly. Then in a flash of movement, he was back onto all fours, meeting eyes with Rust when he swallowed the lump in his throat.