Dinosaurs on Earth

Chapter 5-1751

Shieila was walking back from the meeting. "Mother," Shieila asked, "how do you do the ankylosaurus dance?"
"I'll show you on Sagemho, when we get back to our ha'te clearing." Mother answered. They walked past Mircenl's ha'te, and her older sister Misenya's. Shieila excitedly glanced over her shoulder, looking at a cloud. The cloud seemed to be a face looking at her. Her excitement died. Then, slowly, the cloud changed to be a face with a glowing warm smile, protecting her from the devil Mrou'hou. Letting her enjoy the warm Spring day. Showing her the blessing of the clouds to keep the day of the ankylosaurus dance sacred. Shieila laughed with delight, and spun. Mother smiled.  They passed Hickory's ha'te, and then Father's. People who had been in the middle of doing something were going back to doing that. Shieila and Mother turned right, passed Mother's ha'te, and stopped in a clearing. Mother mounted Sagemho, and told Shieila "This is the ankylosaurus dance." Shieila watched intently as Mother signaled to Sagemho. Sagemho reared, and as Mother leaned slightly forward, Sagemho went down, and turned around. Mother brought her hand over her head in a very distinct motion that no one would mistake for Mother just swatting away a fly. She leaned against Sagemho's back, and laid down completely. Then, Mother rolled off Sagemho. Mother then swept her legs up over onto Sagemho's back, and pulled herself up. She brought her left leg over onto Sagemho's left side. Sagemho galloped forward 5 strides, and had Sagemho do a rear turn. Sagemho galloped 5 strides that way and did a leap turn. Sagemho reared up again, but Mother placed her feet on the ground and kept her hands on Sagemho's shoulders. The two went back down, and repeated it, but on Mother's hands and Sagemho's front feet. Sagemho seemed to support Mother in this move, as Mother had supported Sagemho in their previous move. Mother dismounted, and put her hands over her head, then touched the ground. Shieila was amazed. Sagemho had never done the ankylosaurus dance before- yet Mother had told Sagemho what to do without a word, and it had appeared completely effortless. "Do you want to try it?" Mother asked.
"Yes, please!" Shieila answered. She mounted Sagemho, and tried to remember the first move. Was it... Rear? "Rear," Mother said. Shieila gave Sagemho the signal to rear- tapping Shieila's toes against Sagemho's underside. As Shieila reared, Mother called "turn!" Sagemho turned, and remembered the next: "Hand over head!" Shieila did so, and Mother called "Lean, lay, roll," Shieila leaned, and summoning her balance training, she laid. "Roll!" Mother called. Shieila took a deep breath. The ground looked hard and uninviting. Shieila braced herself, and rolled over. She swung her legs up over Sagemho, and tried to pull herself up. She couldn't. How had Mother done it? Shieila placed her hands on the ground and gave her a boost up. Shieila pulled her left leg where it should be, and galloped forward 5 strides, and- what turn was it? "Rear turn," Mother called. Shieila gave Sagemho the signal of a rear, an a light turning signal. In the air, Shieila pulled the right rein. Sagemho turned in the air, and galloped 5 strides that way. "Leap turn!" Mother called. This time, Shieila tapped Sagemho's underbelly with her heels, and pulled the left rein. "Back feet, then hands!" Mother called. Shieila reared, and swang her feet back onto the ground. Shieila placed her feet around Sagemho again, and landed. The two leaned forward slightly, a little bit more, and then they went back down. Shieila dismounted, reached to the sky, and touched the ground. "Good!" Mother exclaimed.
"Ood!" Called a voice from inside Father's ha'e. "Ood ood!"
"Shamlei!" Shieila exclaimed. Shamlei was Shieila's new baby sister who was about 2 seasons old. Shamlei was almost walking now, and Sagemho's older sister Selman would be her lek'duw, or learning dinosaur. The learning dinosaur would stay with Shamlei until she was 8-14 seasons old, keeping her from eating poisonous berries, or falling, or getting lost, and if Shamlei did happen to trip and fall on a sharp rock placed by Mrou'hou, Selman would pick Shamlei up, and after alerting another dinosaur or human, she would slowly carry Shamlei home. "Sadho!" Shamlei called, crawling out of Father's ha'te followed by Father. "Seyia! Eyo Seyia!"
"Hello Shamlei! Would you like to see the ankylosaurus dance?"Shieila asked.
"Yes Seyia! Sow me uh akisoas dace! Peas?"
"Sure." Shieila demonstrated the ankylosaurus dance to a very excited Shamlei. "Wow Seyia! Ood Seyia!" Shamlei exclaimed.
"I'll show you again," Shieila said
"Yesiyesiyes!"

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Hasley walked over to Shieila. "Hello. I am having a sword lesson for all the girls and women." He announced.
"Should Shamlei come?" Mother asked.
"Sure. Center plaza. Be there by topsun." Hasley ran off.
"Himoson! We're going to Hasley's sword lessons!" Mother called. "Shamlei too. Where's Shimal?"
"Shimal's with the stegosauruses. Do you want me to go get her? I've got Shiengey right here."
"No, that's fine. We just have to be there by topsun."
"Alright. See you when you get back."
"See you." Shieila mounted Sagemho, and started walking with Mother. As they arrived, they saw Shimal feeding her favorite dinosaur, a stegosaurus called Soryum.
"Shimal! We have sword lessons with Hasley." Shieila called.
"Shi- Cool! Let's go." Shimal mounted Soryum, and galloped off towards the direction of the center plaza. Shieila laughed and urged Sagemho on after her. Mother ran after them, telling them to stop at the Kosmoceratops pasture so she could ride Sarc at the sword lessons. As they arrived, Hasley began the introduction.
"Alright. In basic sword lessons, you will learn 4 simple moves. The swipe, the jab, the-" suddenly, Hasley stopped.
"Why'd he stop?" Shimal asked.
"Shhh," Shieila said, "listen." There was a voice yelling something, and a figure on the horizon.
"The wind is blowing it away from us. The sound." Shimal decided.
"Definatel-" Shieila cut off as he voice yelled something again.
"There's a what?" Shieila whispered, repeating the voice. The wind changed direction.
"Tyrannosaurus Rex!" Shieila recognized the Zil'Marou's Healer, Hensonia. As she came closer, Shieila realized she was riding a triceratops.
"Children," Mother's tone was brisk. "Onto Sarc. He's the fastest of them. The dinosaurs are fine."
"No, Mother, please!" Shimal and Shieila said in unison.
"I'll be fine on my own-"
"We can handle our dinosaurs-"
"Okay, but hurry!" Sarc took off, with Mother holding onto him, and Shamei holding onto Mother desperately asking "What a tyasoa wes? Why we go ha'te? Hasso not finsed wit his tin. What a tyasoa wes?"
"Go!" Shieila told Shimal.