"Pack leader!" Buck exclaimed as soon as he saw him. "I have completed the task entrusted to me""Well done, my friend. I am pleased" Sobek answered observing the tyrannosaurs. He was satisfied: of all dinosaurs, tyrannosaurs were some of the most dangerous ones, so having a group on his side was important.The newcomers looked intimidated. How to blame them: Sobek was almost three times their length and almost twice their height. A single paw from him would have been enough to kill one of them. Before their arrival mny of them had doubts about Sobek's legitimacy as pack leader, even if Buck say so. After all, it was hard for them to believe that there could be an animal stronger than a T-Rex. In their view, Sobek must have been a dinosaur only slightly more powerful than Buck: strong, but not so strong as to be considered invincible. But now they realized how wrong their thinking was. Sobek towered over them like a house, and every single inch of his body, from his ra
For a dinosaur, the basic rule was survival. So if a danger came knocking on its door there were only two options: fight or escape. Surrender wasn't even contemplated, because it would have meant being eaten.That is why Buck had no doubt that he needed to go to war. Sobek had shown him what was happening and assured him that the humans would never stop. Escaping was therefore not an option, which left only fighting.Buck trusted Sobek. If he had said to go to war, he would have done it. However, he was also afraid. Sobek had repeatedly warned him about humans and now he found that concern was well founded. Was it really possible to fight against such creatures? The instinct of self-preservation clashed strongly with the reason that instead reaffirmed the need to face them.Suddenly Sobek spoke. "You know, despite my powers and my strength, I will never have the greatest of treasures"Carnopo and Buck were quite confused by those words. They remained sile
After that conversation, Sobek ordered his five companions to not say anything to the other dinosaurs, partly because he didn't want to create panic, partly because it was important that the image of the strong leader wasn't affected. None of the others had any objections: they all saw the importance of keeping silence until the preparations were completed.Now the relationship between the five was very different. Sobek hadn't just made them trust him; he had created a much stronger bond. It wasn't friendship: such a thing wasn't admissible in the hierarchy of the pack. But it was undoubtedly something strong, which united them in the common cause.From that day on, things changed a lot.Carnopo had taken control of the recruiting dinosaurs backed by Al. The two together had begun to coordinate the search for new members of the pack making it faster and more efficient. Now that they understood the challenge awaited them in the future, they both knew it was imper
The quetzalcoatlus, whom Sobek had chosen to name Apache in honor of the famous American military helicopter, maintained his word. From the first day of his departure countless pterosaurs began to arrive at the lake.Sobek had sent Apache to recruit mostly giant-sized flying reptiles, but the quetzalcoatlus hadn't disdained recruiting all the other pterosaurs it encountered as well. So every day Sobek saw pteranodon, dimorphodon, tropeognathus, ornitocheirus, tapejara, aerotitan, batrachognathus, anurognathus and countless other species arriving. And with so many pterosaurs came even more dinosaurs: by now Sobek could count more than thirty thousand creatures under him. The rate at which the herd increased in size accelerated every day, and Sobek couldn't help but be pleased with that.As for the giant flying reptiles, Sobek had to wait a while for that. However, some of them soon made their appearance. The first to arrive was an Arambourgiania, about three days after
"If you'll continue like that, you will consume it with your eyes"Neytiri turned her head and saw her teacher Mo'at enter the door. She jumped to her feet: as an apprentice she should have welcomed her teacher with honor. "Forgive me, master, I was...""... lost in your thoughts, I know. You are lost in your thoughts every day now". Mo'at smiled. "Far from me to criticize your devotion, but you shouldn't let you get distracted by material things. Honoring the entities that rule this world is important, but so are your obligations. You are my apprentice and as such you have homework. You can't stay all the day staring at that tapestry"Neytiri could not help but bow her head blushing like a child scolded by her mother. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at what Mo'at was pointing to: it was a canvas featuring the image of a giant reptile with a sail.After returning from her journey out of the city with the khel'valarts, Neytiri devoted her body and
Obviously, all of it was just a brilliant staging devised by Sobek.The hatzegopteryx that claimed to have come by order of the Lightning Lord was actually called Cobra, in honor of the military helicopter with the same name. He was one of the newest arrivals in his pack. He had been recruited by Apaches during his assignment and had arrived with a small flock of pterosaurs. His size was such that the other pterosaurs had looked like cleaner fishes around a great white shark. Given his greatness, Sobek had chosen him as the most suitable for that little play.Sobek had no qualms about using every weapon in his power. Things like morality and respect for the adversary were trifles when talking about a war. Wars, real wars, were won only by the one who was willing to do anything to get the most resources and the most efficient weapons. Morality in warfare was nothing but an illusion, a pathetic invention. There was no honor or respect among soldiers: just like in nature,
"S... Sorry?" Neytiri asked without thinking, not understanding her words.Sobek felt like laughing. The Neanderthal's reaction was too funny. "It's been a while since our last meeting, at least by the standards of you humans. Yet I see no sign of that time passing over you. Someone of my High Brothers has surely blessed you with lasting beauty"Ancient societies put gods and superstition into everything; even the tiniest event was considered a deity's work. So if Sobek wanted to play the part well he had to stick to that line.Neytiri felt a tinge of pride deep in her heart, but it was quickly (indeed, instantly) clouded by the fear she felt for the giant creature in front of her. And also the confusion: the Great King of the Forest was very different than when he first saw him, yet there was no doubt that it was the same as he had mentioned their first meeting perfectly. With a courage that not even she thought she had, she found the strength to ask: "Forgive
Neytiri hadn't been away from the Neanderthal city for more than half an hour. However, as might be expected, that short period of time had been enough for the population to formulate the most disparate and imaginative hypotheses.If there was one thing every human species possessed it was imagination, and Neanderthals were no exception. Obviously, as soon as a new event arose, the gossip flourished at a speed that made the sound pale.There were those who thought that Neytiri was some sort of chosen one, and that the Great King of the Forest had summoned her to give her a mission. Others thought that Neytiri would be blessed by the Great King of the Forest and bring a new era to the Neanderthal people. The most mentally ill, finally, even thought that Neytiri would even be taken in marriage by the Great King of the Forest and that she would generate her offspring (biology is practically unknown).The Manas and the soldiers stationed in the palace, however, were