Monarchy's Plight

Chapter 1

Goon hid under the overhang of a large rock, peering up at the sky. He had only been there two days and he already knew this was not the tundra he used to call home. Some of the creatures here looked like stranger versions of themselves. Other creatures he had never even seen before. There was a screech from the sky and the shape of a swarm of unusual looking dimorphodons sped past. Goon had seen the swarm kill off plenty of large creatures to know he needed to stay away from them. He had faced something similar before, and he didn't ever want to go through that again.

The swarm was so large that as they flew past, they darkened the sun, casting an enormous shadow. Finally, the sun returned as the last dimorph disappeared into the distance. Goon waited. Even when it looked safe, more often than not, it wasn't. Here he was, the tyrant of the tundra, cowering under a rock. He didn't have a gang of carnos at his side. He was alone, and alone he was a coward. There was a moment of silence, only broken by the howling of the wind, and then the rock shadow grew, curling and contorting into the shape of a yutyrannus. Goon's shadow jerked its head away from the rock.

All clear.

Goon rushed down the rocky hill into nearby trees. He stopped to catch his breath. The sound of his stomach growling distracted him. He looked down at his shadow expectantly. The silhouette slithered across the ground, blending in with the shadows of the trees. It stopped short of the tree just in front of it. As Goon strained his eyes, he could see an ovis picking through the dead peaves for a snack. Goon grunted. The dimorphodons always picked off the big meals, so this would have to do.

"Thanks," he whispered to his shadow.

The shadow winked back a, 'You're welcome.'

~CL1