“I know, and the Stegoceras aren’t much better. They love butting heads with those thick skulls and could easily break a few bones,” Seth said.
“Understood,” Rogue said, readying herself to run.
Now that the time had arrived, she found herself nervous but excited. Her heart beat faster, and her muscles tensed in anticipation. At a hand signal from Ric, the hunt began.
Brittany and the rest dashed onto the field with Rogue close on their heels. She reached her target and grabbed two eggs before sprinting back. Her legs pumped as she navigated the uneven ground, her bounty clutched to her chest. The shells were warm to the touch, the texture rough and uneven.
With no adults to block the way, it was a clear run. She reached the safety of the forest without mishap and dropped to her haunches. With a grin, she placed her eggs next to her backpack and prepared for a second try.
Brittany and her friends had also scored, and their triumphant attitudes were catching. With adrenalin fizzing through her veins, Rogue went back for more. Each time, Seth stuck close to her side like a watchdog.
After her fourth run, Rogue paused to catch her breath. The sun was high in the sky and rained heat upon the earth below. Sweat pooled beneath her armpits, but she hardly noticed. The hunt was a lot more fun than she’d thought it would be, and all thoughts of karma and foul play were forgotten.
With a grin, she surveyed the field. David was on his way back with two eggs while Aret juggled three. As the girl dodged a pile of rocks, an adult spotted her and bugled a warning cry. Immediately, the stakes rose as two more Parksosarus stormed in to protect their nests.
“Watch it, Aret,” Brittany cried in a low voice, waving her hands to distract the Parksosaurus. They swerved toward her, and Aret was able to reach the forest without trouble.
She flashed Rogue and Seth a challenging grin. “What’s wrong? Are you scared?”
Without waiting for an answer, Aret dashed into the fray once more. Brittany had hunkered down behind a scraggly bush while David, Aret, and Paul plundered more nests. Sandi was nowhere to be seen.
With her blood boiling, Rogue threw herself onto the field. This time, she was determined to outdo the rest. Scared, my ass.
With her initial target blocked by an angry adult, she picked another nest. This one was a lot riskier. It edged onto the Stegoceras’ territory, where several of the beasts patrolled.
Suddenly, a rock hurtled past her and hit a nearby Stegoceras. It whirled around and spotted her nearby. Instantly, it charged. With a cry, she threw herself to the side. It missed her by mere inches, its thick skull brushing past her arm. Seth hung back, his crossbow ready to fire. He shot off a bolt, but it glanced harmlessly off the beast’s head.
Trumpeting its rage, the Stegoceras rallied the rest of its kind. People went flying in all directions, and Rogue heard someone cry out in pain. She scrambled to her feet and looked for Seth. He was dodging one of the beasts, too far away to be of any help.
At the same time, several other things went wrong. A second rock sailed through the air and hit a Zuni on its head. The creature snorted with anger and stormed at Jamie who was unlucky enough to be nearby.
Brittany yelled, “Mom, watch out!”
Jamie’s head swiveled on her neck as she looked for the source of the danger. She failed to spot the Zuniceratops, and it hit her full-on in the back. She went flying through the air before crashing to the ground.
Immediately, Olivia and Ric rushed to her side. A guard shot the Zuniceratops with an arrow, and the beast veered away. Brittany ran to her mother while David and Aret dodged angry dinos in a frantic race to safety.
A loud snort alerted Rogue to her own predicament. She whirled in time to see a Stegoceras charge. This time she was too slow, and it hit her a glancing blow on the hip. Pain lanced through her body, and she rolled across the earth head over feet.
Rogue slammed into a rock, and the breath left her lungs in a rush. Disoriented, she lifted her head and blinked. Her eyes were full of dirt, and her vision hazy. She could see well enough to know that everything had gone to hell, though.
Fully-grown Triceratops rampaged across the field ahead of a couple of Lambeosaurus. Ric shouted at everyone to retreat while the guards attempted to divert the tide of death. People ran to safety, but many more were injured. Some had to be carried, including Jamie.
With a grunt, Rogue levered herself off the ground. She had to get away, but her head spun, and her side ached. Where’s the damned forest?
“Rogue!” Suddenly, Seth was there. He grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the tree line. Each step sent a stab of pain through her hip, but she kept going. To stop meant being trampled, and she did not relish the prospect.
Dodging dinos, rocks, nests, and bushes, they reached the forest in the nick of time. Behind them, the once peaceful nesting grounds had turned into a whirling maelstrom of panicking beasts.
The noise was incredible. Trumpeting cries pierced Rogue’s eardrums, and the earth trembled beneath her feet. Seth paused to grab her backpack and stuffed the eggs she’d stolen inside. Then he dragged her deeper into the forest before the stampeding herds could crash through the trees.
With Ric shouting directions, everyone made for the relative safety of a small clearing deeper within the forest. Once there, he called a halt. It was time to do a damage report, but one thing was for sure: The hunt was over.
Chapter 9
Rogue sat at the table with her head hanging low. She stared at her knotted fists while Ric ranted
