Carlo paid no mind to the Diplodocus's posturing. He strode forward, practically inviting the titan to lash out at him.
Crack—!
The Diplodocus did not disappoint, delivering a stinging whip across Carlo's flank. He didn't flinch. He simply stood his ground, staring the herbivore down with cold, calculating eyes.
Crack—!Crack—!
[Holy shit, we've got a masochist Giga over here.]
The comment suddenly flashed across the Primeval Ecological Livestream.
[Suspected BDSM content? Reported. Lol]
The Diplodocus on the perimeter lashed out several more times until its tail began to grow sluggish with fatigue. Seeing that its opponent remained utterly unfazed, a primal chill of terror began to seep into its heart.
Herbivorous dinosaurs rely on defensive formations largely because they provide a hard counter to predators, allowing them to repel attackers through collective strength. If that deterrent ceases to function, what is the point of the formation?
Seeing the attacks stop, Carlo pushed his luck and closed the distance further.
"Aunnng—!"
That single cry from the lead Diplodocus sent a wave of panic surging through the herd.
Crack—!
It lashed out again, but the strike lacked the conviction of the previous ones. Carlo brushed it off and kept coming.
"Aunnng!"
I'm so sorry, Giga-kun! I didn't mean to whip you, I swear! Look, can we still be friends?
Friends? Friends taste good.
Carlo's jaws clamped onto the Diplodocus's flank. His razor-sharp, shark-like teeth raked across the thick hide, leaving a series of jagged Gnashed wounds that welled with blood.
"Aunnng —!"
Bellowing in agony, the Diplodocus finally lost its nerve. The defensive line shattered as it bolted.
Carlo was elated. He had been hesitant to kill it right there in the grove; if he turned the feeding ground into a slaughterhouse, the other Diplodocus might never return to eat. If the prey died out in the wilderness, however, it wouldn't matter.
Once the first individual broke rank, the rest followed suit in a chaotic exodus. The ground groaned and trembled under the weight of the massive herbivores colliding with one another in their rush to escape.
Carlo ignored the rest of them. He sauntered leisurely behind the original adult he had bitten, waiting for it to clear the immediate area.
The Diplodocus felt a searing, burning pain in its abdomen. It knew Carlo was tailing it, but it had no choice but to run. Its only weapon had failed; stopping to fight was a death sentence. Its only hope was that the Giga lacked the stamina for a long pursuit.
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
The Diplodocus spotted a river to its right. It considered veering toward the water, perhaps this beast was afraid of getting wet?
Carlo wasn't afraid of water, but he wasn't about to give it the chance. He lunged forward, cutting off the herbivore's right-hand turn.
"Roar!"
Hey, hey, hey! Where do you think you're going? If you die over there, Mom and Dad might not find your body. Get back on track.
Finding its path blocked, the Diplodocus veered left instead.
There we go. Good girl.
Carlo felt quite satisfied. This Diplodocus was a quick learner, a prime material for a "dumb-butt" protege.
Once they reached a suitable spot, Carlo stopped playing. He lunged from the left, clamping his jaws onto the herbivore's chest cavity before it could react. As the Diplodocus slowed down, crippled by pain, Carlo reared up and slammed his right foot onto the creature's "shoulder," the junction where the forelimb meets the torso.
He locked his teeth into the flesh and heaved with his leg.
Skkrllshh...
Carlo tumbled sideways onto the grass, a massive hunk of meat still gripped in his mouth. He had used this exact move on Miss Diplodocus before, but now that he was taller and stronger, his reach and leverage had increased significantly. This time, he tore away a much larger section of the chest, killing the animal almost instantly, unlike Miss Diplodocus, who had lingered in a long, agonizing struggle.
Carlo pinned the meat to the ground with his foot, tore it into manageable strips, and swallowed. As he looked up, he noticed deep gouges on the Diplodocus's forelimb from his claws. He looked down at his own feet.
He couldn't quite figure out the mechanics of it, but he had undeniably dealt massive damage with his kick.
Wait, am I actually that OP?
Carlo was indeed "OP," evidenced by the fact that the livestream chat had absolutely exploded. The audience hadn't expected him to pull off a solo hunt against a Diplodocus so easily, considering he had previously needed his parents' help.
[Before adulthood: I sleep. After adulthood: REAL SHIT.]
[Wait, seriously? He can do that?]
[Congrats to the Giganotosaurus for maintaining a 100% win rate.]
[Are we sure he's even the same species as his parents?!]
After finishing the scrap of meat, Carlo approached the main carcass. He gripped the belly and began to thrash his head from side to side, attempting to skin the kill.
Suddenly, he paused.
He was living by the Great Lake now. Would it be bad manners to bring a butchered corpse back there? He liked having other dinosaurs around him; it would be a shame to scare them all off.
Fine. I guess I'll just have to make the commute when I'm hungry.
After a few more bites, he headed to the river to rinse his mouth. He washed away the scent of blood to avoid spooking the Great Lake residents before starting his journey back.
Come to think of it, did I ever teach Mom and Dad how to properly butcher a kill?Ah, they're smart. They'll figure it out.
As he walked, a familiar scent suddenly tickled his nostrils.
Mom?Did Mom visit the Great Lake?
For a moment, Carlo was overjoyed. He broke into a light jog toward his temporary home. Strangely, he noticed that the herbivores usually lounging on his side of the shore had all migrated to the opposite bank.
Carlo looked around, but there was no sign of his mother. His excitement faded into a mild disappointment. Why would she come all this way, leave her scent, and then leave without seeing him?
A faint, metallic scent of blood caught his attention.
He turned his head and saw a massive slab of Diplodocus meat hanging from the fork of the tree where he had slept yesterday. It was a piece he had butchered from Miss Diplodocus weeks ago.
Carlo froze, then let out a sound that was half-huff, half-chuckle.
It turned out Mom was worried he'd fail his first "solo mission" and had come to deliver takeout.
Carlo didn't reject the gesture. He gulped down the meat in one go. While it wasn't as fresh as the kill he just made, the flavor was surprisingly good. Was it because it was dry-aged?
Maybe. But now Carlo had to go rinse his mouth a second time, or nothing would dare come near him at the lake. He took a longer detour to a downstream tributary to avoid polluting the Great Lake with blood.
The lightning had stopped, but the oppressive dark clouds still hung heavy overhead.
Why won't it just rain already?
Bad weather ruins the mood, even for a dinosaur. The stifling atmosphere made him lose interest in playing with the others.
Oh, right. Where were those Simosuchus from this morning? I don't see any burrows around here...
Returning to the lake, Carlo scanned the area, using his sense of smell to probe the lingering scents in the air.
Wait... this smell?!
"Blegh—!"
Carlo mimicked a vomiting motion, though nothing came up.
Is someone laying eggs right now?!
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