The two Ceratosaurus circled Carlo, observing the strange creature beside him.
They had never seen a human before. Had it not been for the Primeval Ecological Zone, their paths likely would have never crossed with humanity in their entire lives.
Ceratosaurus One sized up the little thing with curiosity. If they weren't at the Great Lake, it would have been tempted to take a bite just to see how it tasted.
Seeing the Ceratosaurus leaning in to sniff him, Bob averted his gaze, eyes squeezed shut as he held his breath. Sweat poured down his face in buckets.
"Roar…"What is this?
Ceratosaurus One lifted its head, let out a low growl, and questioned Ceratosaurus Two.
"Roar…"No idea, but it doesn't look edible.
Ceratosaurus Two responded. After all, this seemed to be a toy belonging to their dinosaur friend.
Upon learning the thing wasn't food, Ceratosaurus One felt a pang of disappointment, turned, and stalked off. Ceratosaurus Two had wanted to observe a bit longer, but seeing Ceratosaurus One leave, it followed suit.
Noticing that both dinosaurs had vanished from his field of vision, Bob was overjoyed. He scrambled up from the grass and let out a triumphant laugh.
"Haha! Fate is on my side!"
He turned around, intending to get his bearings.
Then, he saw Carlo, sitting quietly on the ground, staring right at him.
In an instant, all the wind left his sails.
Carlo looked at Bob, who had slumped back onto the ground to resume questioning his life choices. The dinosaur began to wonder how he could make this fellow a bit more cheerful, a bit more proactive.
Gurgle...
Bob's stomach let out a protest of hunger.
Carlo suddenly had a deviou—er, wonderful, idea.
He stood up and turned to walk away. After three steps, he whipped his head back! He caught Bob in a mid-sprint starting stance.
He walked back and, seeing that Bob wasn't being particularly cooperative, "genuinely" helped him sit back down.
Then he turned again. This time he walked several paces before snapping his head back!
Bob hadn't moved.
He turned back, walked even further, and snapped his head around again!
Bob's body jerked; he wobbled unsteadily for a moment, but he maintained his seated position.
Carlo straightened his head once more and slowly faded from Bob's line of sight.
Bob stood up from the ground, shaking out his damp clothes.
What is even happening...
He began to survey his surroundings, realizing that there were many herbivores nearby.
Why is it like this?
Is this... the Great Lake? Why did he bring me to the Great Lake?
Bob was puzzled. Though his knowledge was limited, he knew that dinosaurs didn't fight here. If that was the case, was staying here actually safer?
…
A wandering Dilophosaurus stood before the carcass of Miss Diplodocus, lost in thought.
He had just eaten two Compsognathus and three nests of eggs to fill a stomach that had been empty for five days. Then, he turned a corner and stumbled upon a whole Diplodocus corpse.
Seriously, bro?
Thump, thump...
Heavy footsteps echoed. Carlo emerged from the forest and noticed the stranger in front of the carcass.
"Hiss..."
The wandering Dilophosaurus paled with fright at the newcomer's arrival. He unfurled his neck frills, vibrating them violently in an attempt to signal that he was not to be messed with.
Carlo was speechless. This Miss Diplodocus corpse was certainly popular; it was turning into some kind of international diplomatic hub.
Ignoring the spazzing Dilophosaurus, Carlo tore a chunk of meat from the Diplodocus's belly, preparing to take it with him.
"Hiss..."
The little Dilophosaurus comrade was still on high alert. Carlo thought of something fun.
Slap!
A strip of bloody meat was flicked out by Carlo, landing squarely on the Dilophosaurus's face and blocking his vision.
The creature's warning hisses stopped abruptly.
What is this obscuring my vis—my right eye?
Oh, it's the delectable Diplodocus.
Wait, no.
The Dilophosaurus shook the meat off his face, only to find that Carlo had already vanished.
Ummm...
Thanks for the tip, big guy!
Without hesitation, the Dilophosaurus snatched up the meat and bolted. He wasn't hungry now, but that didn't stop him from taking a "to-go" order to hide for later, right?
…
Bob stood by the lakeshore, looking at a Parasaurolophus drinking nearby.
"Hey buddy? Pal? Can I pet you?"
"Your crest is fucking beautiful, man."
Bob's favorite dinosaur was the Parasaurolophus because they were the most peaceful and caused the least trouble. If every dinosaur in the park were like them, his workload would be drastically reduced.
He really didn't understand it. They were the same species, yet they always found reasons to hurt their own kind. Whether it was for mating or fighting for leadership, they always loved leaving themselves and their companions covered in scars.
The Parasaurolophus had it right; just a shake of the crest and you knew who the right mate was or who was qualified to be the boss.
Suddenly, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Man, I'm in deep shit right now. What am I even thinking?"
That said, after escaping the grind of work, looking at these dinosaurs again felt different. It was like the feeling of being annoyed by taking care of a cat, yet still loving cats.
Being able to just watch them without having to care for them… that was the best feeling.
"Hell, maybe I should just live here."
Noticing the Parasaurolophus seemed unwilling to let him touch it, Bob retreated dejectedly. He sat back down on the grass from before.
Just then, Carlo returned from the distance and stopped in front of Bob.
For some reason, Bob's mindset had relaxed significantly; he didn't play "wooden statue" like he did before.
He looked at Carlo, and Carlo looked at him.
Plop.
Carlo dropped the meat in his mouth in front of Bob.
Bob's expression shifted to one of deep suspicion. His gaze darted back and forth between Carlo and the pile of raw meat.
Finally, he pointed at himself tentatively.
"For me?"
"Roar!"
Carlo looked up and let out a brisk, cheerful roar toward the sky.
Bob froze entirely. Looking at the hunk of raw flesh, he forced a strained smile.
"Heh... hehe, it's fine... I'm not hungry."
Gurgle...
His stomach betrayed him again, making his expression even more awkward.
Seeing the man's predicament, Carlo found it highly entertaining. Especially the way the guy forced a smile when he clearly didn't want to; it was hilarious.
Carlo pressed the side of his head to the ground and, in one swift motion, gulped the meat down himself.
A drop or two of blood splattered onto Bob's face. He wiped it with his sleeve, but finding it only made the smear worse, he just gave up.
Carlo sat back down across from him again. They stared at each other, falling back into silence.
Carlo was having a great time. Even though he hadn't really "done" anything, as long as there was a human, or another dinosaur, to keep him company in his antics, he was happy.
Bob seemed to find the sitting a bit agonizing. After confirming the creature wouldn't hurt him, he gradually started to get a bit bolder.
"Sigh, seriously... why did they have to make me train the newbie?"
He looked at Carlo again and began to mutter to himself.
"Buddy, do you have any idea how legendary you are? Your popularity on the site is about to overtake the entire Gyrosphere Valley."
"There are so many people with too much money in your ecological livestream. They literally camp in your chat room every day just to watch you act a fool."
"By the way, why do you have to kick every squirrel on the side of the road? Are you just that bored?"
Fortunately, Carlo couldn't understand the man's accented English. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been just the squirrels getting kicked.
Bob was silent for a moment longer, before finally summoning the courage to speak:
"Buddy... can I pet you?"
"If I get to pet a mega-celebrity like you, my life's officially complete."
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