The 'Lone Pup vs Spike Frill Bull' Scene . . .
Lone Pup began his life in my daughter's imagination. She was tired of Disney movies about benevolent herbivores-leaf eaters-she wanted a story about a real dinosaur: Tyrannosaurus Rex! I couldn't agree more! I had a great deal of fun with this novel and especially this scene. My favorite scenes are almost always about the characters and their idiosyncrasies; this is no different. It's a play on the classic conservative dad and his new world son. Lone Pup is trying to fit in while still trying to impress his dad and be his own dinosaur. In this scene Lone Pup is just old enough to set out with his parents and his older sister on his first cross country trek. When they run across a herd of spike frilled Styracosaurus, Lone Pup can't resist getting into the action. This isn't Lone Pup's first hunt; he helped some Troodonts bring down a troublesome mammal. He learned a lot from the Troodonts, including a victory dance that he's just dying to show his folks. Of course, first things first, the hundred and fifty pound Lone Pup needs to bring down a Spike Frill; but not just any Spike Frill. Lone Pup sets his sights on the ten ton alpha bull!
Lone Pup woke up to his sister nosing him. Blinking his eyes, he looked up at her, croaking, “It’s barely dawn. Leave me alone, I’m tired.”
“Wake up sleepyhead, we’re leaving; we’re going to catch up to the Spike-frills today and go hunting.” She nudged him again. “Come on, if you want to eat we need to go!”
He didn’t want to get up but his stomach thought otherwise. He got to his feet and drank from the stream. The cold water helped. Then his father barked. That was it. It was time to go. Lone Pup scampered over the stream, splashing noisily in the clear water and enjoying the feeling of the cold wetness on his skin. Taking his place in the middle of the clan, Lone Pup surveyed their course. The trail led northward in a long lazy curve to the east. On their left, to the west, pine forests covered the lumpy foothills. White-topped mountains rose high above the trees. The wind was from the mountains and even though the sun was already warm the wind was cool. It felt nice. Below and to the right, stretching eastward to the blue sea was the verdant green fern prairie. He could see the herds marching across the plain, all heading north to the distant band of mist that marked the river and their summer feeding grounds.
Of more immediate attention was a cloud of dust several miles ahead on the edge of the scarp. Strong Jaw shook his great head and said, “They are travelling slowly. I want to catch them at midday when the sun is high and they are tired. We will not let them rest or take water. If they are tired and thirsty they are more prone to mistakes. Our job is half done.”
“What kind of mistakes?”
“You will see, Lone Pup,” Father said and his voice was all serious. “The Spike-frills are almost as dangerous as the Three Horns. You have never seen us hunt a herd before. You will learn today.”
“I want to help; I want to be part of the hunt too,” Lone Pup insisted.
“You have a stout heart, lad!” Strong Jaw was pleased with his son’s enthusiasm, but he grunted at the youth, meaning there would be no argument. “When your size matches your heart then you may help hunt, not before.”
“But—”
“Do not argue with me Lone Pup!” Father snapped, and Lone Pup cringed. In a softer tone he told the youngster. “I know you want to help. I am proud that you are so eager. However, these Spike-frills are a heavy as me, and they’d like nothing better than to wear a young pup like you on their nose-horn. Why they’d parade around in front of your mother and me for days! You don’t want to put your mother through that do you?”
“No, I suppose not,” Lone Pup said, trying not to picture himself skewered on the nose-horn of the big Leaf Eaters. The very thought was embarrassing.
“Good, then pick up the pace. Right now the best way you can help is to keep up and work up a good appetite. The more meat you can eat the sooner you get to hunt!”
Lone Pup picked up his feet and loped along with his father. The track was firm, especially as they closed in on the Spike-frills. Despite the recent rains the water drained of the rocky heights to the fertile lands below, and the Leaf Eaters stomped all the water out of the thin soil. As the sun rose to the top of the sky it grew hot and Lone Pup’s tongue started to loll out as he trotted. He could see the rear of the herd now only a few hundred yards ahead. Already there were honks and grunts from the Leaf Eaters warning their fellows up front that they were being trailed.
“There is another stream up ahead,” Dark Back called from the front. “The Leaf Eaters will stop there to drink.”
“We must not let them,” Strong Jaw exclaimed. He barked three times, the call to move forward to the hunt. “Fan out and drive them over the stream! Keep them moving!” He glanced at Lone Pup and said, “Hang back behind us! Watch us, but watch yourself!”
Before Lone Pup could answer, Strong Jaw lowered his head and surged forward at a trot. A low bassoon bellow rumbled from his cavernous lungs. Lone Pup tried to keep up, but it was no use; he couldn’t believe the power of his father. The huge tyrannosaur bull sped forward—it was terrifying.
Lone Pup slowed to a trot, gasping for air. The adult tyrannosaurs moved on without him, fanning out in a line, closing on the Spike-frills, bellowing as they went. The honks and answering bellows from the Spike-frills sounded the alarm. Their voices were strident; they’d dealt with this all their lives and there was no reason to panic.
Lone Pup couldn’t see what was going on from his low vantage point. How was he going to learn anything if he couldn’t see anything? His father would ask him about the hunt, what was he going to say, “I’m too short, all I saw was legs, mud and people moving everywhere!” It was the truth, but it would not satisfy Strong Jaw. That was for sure!
He looked around for a better spot and saw a small outcropping of rock ahead and to his left. It was steep on this side, but sloped gradually from the direction of the herd. It was as tall as his father. That would work! The only problem was that it was very close to where the herd was now. Father told me to stay back and he meant it! I can’t stay here, though, I’ll miss everything. How am I supposed to learn how to hunt the Spike-frills? Father wants me to learn, so I have to get on top of those rocks.
Lone Pup sprinted ahead, only slowing when he got close to the adults so as not to be seen. That didn’t turn out to be a problem. The adults were striding back and forth, bellowing and growling, keeping the herd moving. Strong Jaw took the center with Mother Protector on the left. Fierce Heart and Dark Back drove the herd from the right. Beyond that, Lone Pup really couldn’t make any sense of what was going on. He had to get to the top of those rocks!
He snuck in behind his father, more concerned about Strong Jaw seeing him than of any danger from the Spike-frills. The ground trembled as his father stomped his feet. The sound from the tyrannosaurs and from hundreds of Leaf Eaters was deafening, but it helped Lone Pup. No one noticed him creep right under his father’s tail and before scampering up to the top. What looked like a pile of rocks from the back turned out to be a short ram of fern covered ground that climbed many times Lone Pup’s height before falling away at the end. That made it easy to get to the top and now he could see everything!
It was an awesome sight, and exciting, because Lone Pup was so high he could see things the same way his father saw them. From this vantage point it was plain to see what his parents were doing. The four Mighty Hunters drove the Spike-frills along the edge of the plateau. Mother Protector patrolled the forest edge, keeping the herd from seeking cover in the woods. On the right, Fierce Heart and Dark Back worked together to keep the herd moving. His father pushed the center where the largest males were. They wanted to turn and face the threat of the tyrannosaurs, but with his mother driving on one side and his sister and Dark Back on the other, the males couldn’t stop without getting cut off from the herd. The herd itself was complicating things. Had they been in the open on the plain they would have formed into a circle with the young and the females in the center surrounded by the adult males. Lone Pup could see how that would work; no one wanted to face that wall of frill and horn—even a Mighty Hunter! However, the herd instinctively wanted to put a barrier between themselves and the terrible tyrannosaurs. They saw the stream and they wanted the water between them and those teeth. It made perfect sense, and it was exactly what Strong Jaw wanted.
Lone Pup was so excited that he couldn’t just watch. He paced the small space on top of the outcropping, growling and barking, snapping his jaws, doing just what his parents were doing, imagining himself right there with them. It was working! The Spike-frills were breaking up. They were on the verge of panic.
The lead male saw this, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t stop the herd, and he couldn’t stop and face the Mighty Hunters without getting cut off. He therefore did the only thing he could do, he turned back and splashed across the water with the rest of the herd with the Mighty Hunters on his tail. Once across, the lead Spike-frill was able to stop the herd and deploy his males in the customary manner. They formed a circular wall, baying at the Mighty Hunters and tossing their enormous heads in anger. The herd settled down.
Lone Pup sighed with disappointment, they looked to be safe. What would his father do next? He waited, but it appeared that his father was not in a hurry to do anything at all. Indeed, Strong Jaw stopped in the middle of the stream and took a long, leisurely drink. His mother joined him, and then so did his sister and Dark Back. For all intents and purposes it looked like they were finished for the day. Lone Pup was mystified. Why did we run all this way just to stop now? I thought we were hunting.
Nothing happened. The tyrannosaurs began to patrol the perimeter of the herd, but they did nothing else. They didn’t threaten, bellow, stomp—nothing. Lone Pup, who stood on his rock, watched and waited. The sun beat down on him but still nothing happened. Neither side made any move. The herd was safe within the protective circle of the males, but the four tyrannosaurs kept them there. The day wore on and Lone Pup began to grow bored, hot and thirsty. The Spike-frills stopped their posturing, there was no more stomping or tossing their horns about, but there was nowhere for them to go. Lone Pup grew impatient for something, anything to happen. What are we doing just sitting here? It’s getting hotter and hotter. I’m hungry and now I’m getting thirsty—the water in that stream looks so nice and cool! Then it struck him. His parent’s lessons came back to him, lessons on hunting and survival. It would be madness to attack the ring, somebody would almost assuredly get hurt, and even a Mighty Hunter can’t hunt if he’s hurt. That’s it, wait for an opportunity. If I’m thirsty and bored, think how it is for the herd! I’m up here with a nice cool breeze, but they’re all packed together with four Mighty Hunters parading around them. They must be thirsty and scared—someone is bound to panic!
As if the herd was thinking the same thing the young and adolescent Leaf Eaters began to complain. The adults barked out orders to be quiet, but there was a general grumbling and shuffling going on within the herd. This didn’t escape Strong Jaw. He barked back at the Leaf Eaters and strutted over to the stream. With cruel, relish he settled himself into the cool waters, slaking his thirst. The adult Leaf Eaters knew his game and they bellowed angrily, again tossing their heads and stamping their feet, but they did nothing else. Strong Jaw replied with a derisive growl and relinquished his spot to Mother Protector. She repeated his display. Then Fierce Heart and finally Dark Back took their turns. Lone Pup was at first fascinated by the strategy of making the Leaf Eaters miserable, but he found himself becoming just as miserable—he really wanted to go down and get in the water too—it was so close!
The adult tyrannosaurs were now cool and full of vigor much to the chagrin of the trapped Leaf Eaters. There was nothing the Spike-frills could do. If they made for the water they were vulnerable, and if they retreated or fled they were vulnerable. They were safe only so long as they didn’t move and that was becoming increasingly impossible. Strong Jaw must have known this, because he began to stomp and bellow, deriding the Leaf Eaters for their cowardice, trying to make someone panic, break and run. The other adult tyrannosaurs followed his example. They wove back and forth across the Spike-frill formation, forcing the adults to constantly turn their heavily armored heads and follow them. They would feint attacks, trying to provoke a charge or flight, a break in the Spike-frill’s formation of lethal bone and horn. For a herd that was well fed, watered and rested it might prove a futile exercise. These Spike-frills were travelling, they hadn’t grazed well in days, and they were thirsty and they were hot. The tension grew within the herd; even Lone Pup could sense it. Their scent turned sharp; it was the scent of fear.
The herd milled about within the circle with increasing regularity. Some of the males charged out of the circle at the harrying tyrannosaurs, but none of the Mighty Hunters engaged them, and they only charged singly. Why don’t they all charge for the water; even we wouldn’t stop them. They didn’t, though Lone Pup couldn’t say why. Still, the thought brought his own thirst back to the forefront of his thoughts. The stream was empty. There was no one even close to it. My parents are busy and the Leaf Eaters aren’t going anywhere. All I need is a few moments and I can drink my fill; maybe I can get a quick splash or two in as well. It would sure feel good.
He couldn’t resist the temptation. Lone Pup ducked down as low as he could and crept down the little hill toward the muddy banks of the stream. Halfway down Lone Pup had second thoughts. Dad won’t like this; maybe if I just get a drink from one of the mud puddles—that’s not too far from here. When he reached the first mud puddle he dropped down and sniffed. Ugh, I’m not that thirsty! Besides, the stream is only another few strides. No one sees me. They’re all busy, why shouldn’t I get a drink of clean water? Lone Pup took a few more steps. He was there! Dropping his head, he drank deeply. Ah, that tasted so good! He glanced up. His family was still tormenting the poor Leaf Eaters. His drink hadn’t changed anything. This could go on all day! Oh how good a quick dip would feel! Two steps, I’ll hop in and hop out and then back up to the hill I go with no one the wiser.
Lone Pup couldn’t resist.
He eased himself further into the stream, hissing with delight. It felt wonderful, and for just a moment he forgot all about the hot day, their travels and the hunt. Something told him to look up. Something, someone was watching him. Lone Pup glanced up from the cool, clear water of the stream. Not thirty yards away was the leader of the Spike-frills, sixteen thousand pounds of thirsty, irritated and bad-tempered Leaf Eater. His little yellow eyes were locked on Lone Pup. The sight of the little tyrannosaur cooling himself in the stream while his herd roasted in the sun was driving him mad.
Again, Loan Pup couldn’t resist.
He stood in the water and shook. First, he splashed with one foot and then he splashed with the other, taunting the poor Spike-frill. The Leaf Eater brayed angrily, pawing the dry ground. His head tossed from side to side.
“I’m going to come and trample you, you little vermin!”
“You’re not going anywhere!” Lone Pup retorted, and then to drive the point in further he began to do the dance that the troodonts taught him. The Spike-frill looked at him in disbelief. “Come on in, the water feels so nice on my hot skin!”
“You little—I’ll drape you on my horn and wear you about as a decoration!”
“You’re not brave enough to come and get me; I’ll eat you! I am a Mighty Hunter!” he shouted, displaying his full array of very sharp but very tiny teeth.
That was too much for the Spike-frill. He charged.
Lone Pup yelped in sudden fright. He hadn’t counted on this. He leapt out of the water and straight back up the little hill to his vantage point. Lone Pup expected the Spike-frill to stop, but when he turned around the huge bull was thundering up after him, horn lowered, eyes red with fury.
“Die you little vermin!”
Lone Pup had nowhere to go. He leapt blindly, desperately up in the air to avoid the sharp horn. It swished through the air just missing him, but the frill struck him. He flipped high into the air, up and up, twisting and turning. He should be terrified, he knew, but for some reason the world slowed down. He saw everything as if it was upside down and then right-side up again, that was strange. He saw the herd. The circle was broken. The Leaf Eaters were stampeding, some for the water and some back down the trail. He saw his family moving in on the Leaf Eaters. Then he saw the blue, blue sky. He saw the forest. He saw the ground.
That was when Lone Pup realized he was falling.
Lone Pup felt a momentary twinge of fear because he thought he was pretty high in the air, and then plop! Lone Pup landed on something soft. Surprised, he got to his feet and looked down. Whatever it was, it was round and scaly, a dark grayish-green with yellow bands. He lifted his head. In front of his face were the ivory spikes from the Leaf Eater’s frill. They were as long as his tail. He’d landed on the Spike-frill’s back!
Lone Pup yelped, leaping from the mound of flesh and bone, scampering away, but strangely enough the Spike-frill didn’t come after him. Lone Pup stopped and looked at him. The leader’s eyes were glazed over and his tongue was sticking out. His huge head was at an odd angle. For a moment Lone Pup was at a loss to explain what happened, but then he noticed that the Spike-frill lay at the bottom of the small hill. He’d charged right over the top and fallen face first from a twenty foot plunge. All eight tons of the Spike-frill came to a crashing halt. His neck was broken. The leader of the Spike-frills was dead.
In his excitement, Lone Pup jumped up on top of the mountainous form of the dead Spike-frill and began to bellow. Picking up his feet and prancing around on the dead monster’s belly Lone Pup began his dance, and that is exactly what he was doing when he heard his name being called. He stopped and peered over his shoulder. Mom was looking at him, her eyes round with amazement.
“Lone Pup what in the world are you doing, how—?”
Fierce Heart appeared next to her. “What is it Mamma?” She followed her mother’s gaze and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Lone Pup standing over the enormous body of the styracosaurus. “Oh my, you’ve done it again; Dark Back come over here, you’ve got to see this!”
Dark Back poked his head around the corner of the rocks. “What’s so important, we’ve got a young bull over—what in the world?”
Lone Pup almost laughed at their expressions. It was so funny and he was so excited that he began to do his little dance again. “Look what I did, Mamma!” He laughed and bellowed, clawing at the Spike-frill’s back with his talons, though not having much effect. “Call everyone over, there’s enough for us all!”
“There is indeed,” she agreed, but then she shook her head. “Lone Pup, what is it that you’re doing?”
“I’m doing my victory dance,” he exclaimed.
“Your victory dance,” Mother Protector looked confused. She looked like she was about to say something but she stopped, started again and stopped. Finally, she turned away, and called Strong Jaw. “Dear, would you come here and see what your son is doing?”
“What is going on?” Strong Jaw demanded, obviously irritated. “We have a fine kill for dinner and you are all hanging about doing—what?” Strong Jaw’s enormous head appeared over everyone else. The huge mouth popped open and his eyes grew round and yellow.
“Look Father, look what I did!”
Strong Jaw looked at Lone Pup, at the Spike-frill and back at Lone Pup. Finally, he composed himself, and said, “Son what is it you’re doing on top of the bull—are ants crawling all over you?”
“It’s my victory dance! I’m happy; I’m proud. Look what I did!”
“That’s fine son,” Mother Protector told him. “We’re all very impressed—really, but that’s enough dancing.”
“Oh all right!” Lone Pup stopped and bellowed in an appropriate manner. “Can we eat now?”
“Of course son, that was very well done! We’re all proud of you.”
Lone Pup woke up to his sister nosing him. Blinking his eyes, he looked up at her, croaking, “It’s barely dawn. Leave me alone, I’m tired.”
“Wake up sleepyhead, we’re leaving; we’re going to catch up to the Spike-frills today and go hunting.” She nudged him again. “Come on, if you want to eat we need to go!”
He didn’t want to get up but his stomach thought otherwise. He got to his feet and drank from the stream. The cold water helped. Then his father barked. That was it. It was time to go. Lone Pup scampered over the stream, splashing noisily in the clear water and enjoying the feeling of the cold wetness on his skin. Taking his place in the middle of the clan, Lone Pup surveyed their course. The trail led northward in a long lazy curve to the east. On their left, to the west, pine forests covered the lumpy foothills. White-topped mountains rose high above the trees. The wind was from the mountains and even though the sun was already warm the wind was cool. It felt nice. Below and to the right, stretching eastward to the blue sea was the verdant green fern prairie. He could see the herds marching across the plain, all heading north to the distant band of mist that marked the river and their summer feeding grounds.
Of more immediate attention was a cloud of dust several miles ahead on the edge of the scarp. Strong Jaw shook his great head and said, “They are travelling slowly. I want to catch them at midday when the sun is high and they are tired. We will not let them rest or take water. If they are tired and thirsty they are more prone to mistakes. Our job is half done.”
“What kind of mistakes?”
“You will see, Lone Pup,” Father said and his voice was all serious. “The Spike-frills are almost as dangerous as the Three Horns. You have never seen us hunt a herd before. You will learn today.”
“I want to help; I want to be part of the hunt too,” Lone Pup insisted.
“You have a stout heart, lad!” Strong Jaw was pleased with his son’s enthusiasm, but he grunted at the youth, meaning there would be no argument. “When your size matches your heart then you may help hunt, not before.”
“But—”
“Do not argue with me Lone Pup!” Father snapped, and Lone Pup cringed. In a softer tone he told the youngster. “I know you want to help. I am proud that you are so eager. However, these Spike-frills are a heavy as me, and they’d like nothing better than to wear a young pup like you on their nose-horn. Why they’d parade around in front of your mother and me for days! You don’t want to put your mother through that do you?”
“No, I suppose not,” Lone Pup said, trying not to picture himself skewered on the nose-horn of the big Leaf Eaters. The very thought was embarrassing.
“Good, then pick up the pace. Right now the best way you can help is to keep up and work up a good appetite. The more meat you can eat the sooner you get to hunt!”
Lone Pup picked up his feet and loped along with his father. The track was firm, especially as they closed in on the Spike-frills. Despite the recent rains the water drained of the rocky heights to the fertile lands below, and the Leaf Eaters stomped all the water out of the thin soil. As the sun rose to the top of the sky it grew hot and Lone Pup’s tongue started to loll out as he trotted. He could see the rear of the herd now only a few hundred yards ahead. Already there were honks and grunts from the Leaf Eaters warning their fellows up front that they were being trailed.
“There is another stream up ahead,” Dark Back called from the front. “The Leaf Eaters will stop there to drink.”
“We must not let them,” Strong Jaw exclaimed. He barked three times, the call to move forward to the hunt. “Fan out and drive them over the stream! Keep them moving!” He glanced at Lone Pup and said, “Hang back behind us! Watch us, but watch yourself!”
Before Lone Pup could answer, Strong Jaw lowered his head and surged forward at a trot. A low bassoon bellow rumbled from his cavernous lungs. Lone Pup tried to keep up, but it was no use; he couldn’t believe the power of his father. The huge tyrannosaur bull sped forward—it was terrifying.
Lone Pup slowed to a trot, gasping for air. The adult tyrannosaurs moved on without him, fanning out in a line, closing on the Spike-frills, bellowing as they went. The honks and answering bellows from the Spike-frills sounded the alarm. Their voices were strident; they’d dealt with this all their lives and there was no reason to panic.
Lone Pup couldn’t see what was going on from his low vantage point. How was he going to learn anything if he couldn’t see anything? His father would ask him about the hunt, what was he going to say, “I’m too short, all I saw was legs, mud and people moving everywhere!” It was the truth, but it would not satisfy Strong Jaw. That was for sure!
He looked around for a better spot and saw a small outcropping of rock ahead and to his left. It was steep on this side, but sloped gradually from the direction of the herd. It was as tall as his father. That would work! The only problem was that it was very close to where the herd was now. Father told me to stay back and he meant it! I can’t stay here, though, I’ll miss everything. How am I supposed to learn how to hunt the Spike-frills? Father wants me to learn, so I have to get on top of those rocks.
Lone Pup sprinted ahead, only slowing when he got close to the adults so as not to be seen. That didn’t turn out to be a problem. The adults were striding back and forth, bellowing and growling, keeping the herd moving. Strong Jaw took the center with Mother Protector on the left. Fierce Heart and Dark Back drove the herd from the right. Beyond that, Lone Pup really couldn’t make any sense of what was going on. He had to get to the top of those rocks!
He snuck in behind his father, more concerned about Strong Jaw seeing him than of any danger from the Spike-frills. The ground trembled as his father stomped his feet. The sound from the tyrannosaurs and from hundreds of Leaf Eaters was deafening, but it helped Lone Pup. No one noticed him creep right under his father’s tail and before scampering up to the top. What looked like a pile of rocks from the back turned out to be a short ram of fern covered ground that climbed many times Lone Pup’s height before falling away at the end. That made it easy to get to the top and now he could see everything!
It was an awesome sight, and exciting, because Lone Pup was so high he could see things the same way his father saw them. From this vantage point it was plain to see what his parents were doing. The four Mighty Hunters drove the Spike-frills along the edge of the plateau. Mother Protector patrolled the forest edge, keeping the herd from seeking cover in the woods. On the right, Fierce Heart and Dark Back worked together to keep the herd moving. His father pushed the center where the largest males were. They wanted to turn and face the threat of the tyrannosaurs, but with his mother driving on one side and his sister and Dark Back on the other, the males couldn’t stop without getting cut off from the herd. The herd itself was complicating things. Had they been in the open on the plain they would have formed into a circle with the young and the females in the center surrounded by the adult males. Lone Pup could see how that would work; no one wanted to face that wall of frill and horn—even a Mighty Hunter! However, the herd instinctively wanted to put a barrier between themselves and the terrible tyrannosaurs. They saw the stream and they wanted the water between them and those teeth. It made perfect sense, and it was exactly what Strong Jaw wanted.
Lone Pup was so excited that he couldn’t just watch. He paced the small space on top of the outcropping, growling and barking, snapping his jaws, doing just what his parents were doing, imagining himself right there with them. It was working! The Spike-frills were breaking up. They were on the verge of panic.
The lead male saw this, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t stop the herd, and he couldn’t stop and face the Mighty Hunters without getting cut off. He therefore did the only thing he could do, he turned back and splashed across the water with the rest of the herd with the Mighty Hunters on his tail. Once across, the lead Spike-frill was able to stop the herd and deploy his males in the customary manner. They formed a circular wall, baying at the Mighty Hunters and tossing their enormous heads in anger. The herd settled down.
Lone Pup sighed with disappointment, they looked to be safe. What would his father do next? He waited, but it appeared that his father was not in a hurry to do anything at all. Indeed, Strong Jaw stopped in the middle of the stream and took a long, leisurely drink. His mother joined him, and then so did his sister and Dark Back. For all intents and purposes it looked like they were finished for the day. Lone Pup was mystified. Why did we run all this way just to stop now? I thought we were hunting.
Nothing happened. The tyrannosaurs began to patrol the perimeter of the herd, but they did nothing else. They didn’t threaten, bellow, stomp—nothing. Lone Pup, who stood on his rock, watched and waited. The sun beat down on him but still nothing happened. Neither side made any move. The herd was safe within the protective circle of the males, but the four tyrannosaurs kept them there. The day wore on and Lone Pup began to grow bored, hot and thirsty. The Spike-frills stopped their posturing, there was no more stomping or tossing their horns about, but there was nowhere for them to go. Lone Pup grew impatient for something, anything to happen. What are we doing just sitting here? It’s getting hotter and hotter. I’m hungry and now I’m getting thirsty—the water in that stream looks so nice and cool! Then it struck him. His parent’s lessons came back to him, lessons on hunting and survival. It would be madness to attack the ring, somebody would almost assuredly get hurt, and even a Mighty Hunter can’t hunt if he’s hurt. That’s it, wait for an opportunity. If I’m thirsty and bored, think how it is for the herd! I’m up here with a nice cool breeze, but they’re all packed together with four Mighty Hunters parading around them. They must be thirsty and scared—someone is bound to panic!
As if the herd was thinking the same thing the young and adolescent Leaf Eaters began to complain. The adults barked out orders to be quiet, but there was a general grumbling and shuffling going on within the herd. This didn’t escape Strong Jaw. He barked back at the Leaf Eaters and strutted over to the stream. With cruel, relish he settled himself into the cool waters, slaking his thirst. The adult Leaf Eaters knew his game and they bellowed angrily, again tossing their heads and stamping their feet, but they did nothing else. Strong Jaw replied with a derisive growl and relinquished his spot to Mother Protector. She repeated his display. Then Fierce Heart and finally Dark Back took their turns. Lone Pup was at first fascinated by the strategy of making the Leaf Eaters miserable, but he found himself becoming just as miserable—he really wanted to go down and get in the water too—it was so close!
The adult tyrannosaurs were now cool and full of vigor much to the chagrin of the trapped Leaf Eaters. There was nothing the Spike-frills could do. If they made for the water they were vulnerable, and if they retreated or fled they were vulnerable. They were safe only so long as they didn’t move and that was becoming increasingly impossible. Strong Jaw must have known this, because he began to stomp and bellow, deriding the Leaf Eaters for their cowardice, trying to make someone panic, break and run. The other adult tyrannosaurs followed his example. They wove back and forth across the Spike-frill formation, forcing the adults to constantly turn their heavily armored heads and follow them. They would feint attacks, trying to provoke a charge or flight, a break in the Spike-frill’s formation of lethal bone and horn. For a herd that was well fed, watered and rested it might prove a futile exercise. These Spike-frills were travelling, they hadn’t grazed well in days, and they were thirsty and they were hot. The tension grew within the herd; even Lone Pup could sense it. Their scent turned sharp; it was the scent of fear.
The herd milled about within the circle with increasing regularity. Some of the males charged out of the circle at the harrying tyrannosaurs, but none of the Mighty Hunters engaged them, and they only charged singly. Why don’t they all charge for the water; even we wouldn’t stop them. They didn’t, though Lone Pup couldn’t say why. Still, the thought brought his own thirst back to the forefront of his thoughts. The stream was empty. There was no one even close to it. My parents are busy and the Leaf Eaters aren’t going anywhere. All I need is a few moments and I can drink my fill; maybe I can get a quick splash or two in as well. It would sure feel good.
He couldn’t resist the temptation. Lone Pup ducked down as low as he could and crept down the little hill toward the muddy banks of the stream. Halfway down Lone Pup had second thoughts. Dad won’t like this; maybe if I just get a drink from one of the mud puddles—that’s not too far from here. When he reached the first mud puddle he dropped down and sniffed. Ugh, I’m not that thirsty! Besides, the stream is only another few strides. No one sees me. They’re all busy, why shouldn’t I get a drink of clean water? Lone Pup took a few more steps. He was there! Dropping his head, he drank deeply. Ah, that tasted so good! He glanced up. His family was still tormenting the poor Leaf Eaters. His drink hadn’t changed anything. This could go on all day! Oh how good a quick dip would feel! Two steps, I’ll hop in and hop out and then back up to the hill I go with no one the wiser.
Lone Pup couldn’t resist.
He eased himself further into the stream, hissing with delight. It felt wonderful, and for just a moment he forgot all about the hot day, their travels and the hunt. Something told him to look up. Something, someone was watching him. Lone Pup glanced up from the cool, clear water of the stream. Not thirty yards away was the leader of the Spike-frills, sixteen thousand pounds of thirsty, irritated and bad-tempered Leaf Eater. His little yellow eyes were locked on Lone Pup. The sight of the little tyrannosaur cooling himself in the stream while his herd roasted in the sun was driving him mad.
Again, Loan Pup couldn’t resist.
He stood in the water and shook. First, he splashed with one foot and then he splashed with the other, taunting the poor Spike-frill. The Leaf Eater brayed angrily, pawing the dry ground. His head tossed from side to side.
“I’m going to come and trample you, you little vermin!”
“You’re not going anywhere!” Lone Pup retorted, and then to drive the point in further he began to do the dance that the troodonts taught him. The Spike-frill looked at him in disbelief. “Come on in, the water feels so nice on my hot skin!”
“You little—I’ll drape you on my horn and wear you about as a decoration!”
“You’re not brave enough to come and get me; I’ll eat you! I am a Mighty Hunter!” he shouted, displaying his full array of very sharp but very tiny teeth.
That was too much for the Spike-frill. He charged.
Lone Pup yelped in sudden fright. He hadn’t counted on this. He leapt out of the water and straight back up the little hill to his vantage point. Lone Pup expected the Spike-frill to stop, but when he turned around the huge bull was thundering up after him, horn lowered, eyes red with fury.
“Die you little vermin!”
Lone Pup had nowhere to go. He leapt blindly, desperately up in the air to avoid the sharp horn. It swished through the air just missing him, but the frill struck him. He flipped high into the air, up and up, twisting and turning. He should be terrified, he knew, but for some reason the world slowed down. He saw everything as if it was upside down and then right-side up again, that was strange. He saw the herd. The circle was broken. The Leaf Eaters were stampeding, some for the water and some back down the trail. He saw his family moving in on the Leaf Eaters. Then he saw the blue, blue sky. He saw the forest. He saw the ground.
That was when Lone Pup realized he was falling.
Lone Pup felt a momentary twinge of fear because he thought he was pretty high in the air, and then plop! Lone Pup landed on something soft. Surprised, he got to his feet and looked down. Whatever it was, it was round and scaly, a dark grayish-green with yellow bands. He lifted his head. In front of his face were the ivory spikes from the Leaf Eater’s frill. They were as long as his tail. He’d landed on the Spike-frill’s back!
Lone Pup yelped, leaping from the mound of flesh and bone, scampering away, but strangely enough the Spike-frill didn’t come after him. Lone Pup stopped and looked at him. The leader’s eyes were glazed over and his tongue was sticking out. His huge head was at an odd angle. For a moment Lone Pup was at a loss to explain what happened, but then he noticed that the Spike-frill lay at the bottom of the small hill. He’d charged right over the top and fallen face first from a twenty foot plunge. All eight tons of the Spike-frill came to a crashing halt. His neck was broken. The leader of the Spike-frills was dead.
In his excitement, Lone Pup jumped up on top of the mountainous form of the dead Spike-frill and began to bellow. Picking up his feet and prancing around on the dead monster’s belly Lone Pup began his dance, and that is exactly what he was doing when he heard his name being called. He stopped and peered over his shoulder. Mom was looking at him, her eyes round with amazement.
“Lone Pup what in the world are you doing, how—?”
Fierce Heart appeared next to her. “What is it Mamma?” She followed her mother’s gaze and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Lone Pup standing over the enormous body of the styracosaurus. “Oh my, you’ve done it again; Dark Back come over here, you’ve got to see this!”
Dark Back poked his head around the corner of the rocks. “What’s so important, we’ve got a young bull over—what in the world?”
Lone Pup almost laughed at their expressions. It was so funny and he was so excited that he began to do his little dance again. “Look what I did, Mamma!” He laughed and bellowed, clawing at the Spike-frill’s back with his talons, though not having much effect. “Call everyone over, there’s enough for us all!”
“There is indeed,” she agreed, but then she shook her head. “Lone Pup, what is it that you’re doing?”
“I’m doing my victory dance,” he exclaimed.
“Your victory dance,” Mother Protector looked confused. She looked like she was about to say something but she stopped, started again and stopped. Finally, she turned away, and called Strong Jaw. “Dear, would you come here and see what your son is doing?”
“What is going on?” Strong Jaw demanded, obviously irritated. “We have a fine kill for dinner and you are all hanging about doing—what?” Strong Jaw’s enormous head appeared over everyone else. The huge mouth popped open and his eyes grew round and yellow.
“Look Father, look what I did!”
Strong Jaw looked at Lone Pup, at the Spike-frill and back at Lone Pup. Finally, he composed himself, and said, “Son what is it you’re doing on top of the bull—are ants crawling all over you?”
“It’s my victory dance! I’m happy; I’m proud. Look what I did!”
“That’s fine son,” Mother Protector told him. “We’re all very impressed—really, but that’s enough dancing.”
“Oh all right!” Lone Pup stopped and bellowed in an appropriate manner. “Can we eat now?”
“Of course son, that was very well done! We’re all proud of you.”
