Plan in Motion
#36 of Out of the Shadows: AnthroLover's Version
Part 36, now for your enjoyment.
Yu could feel his heart racing. Leaves kicked up into the air as he zipped by. He wouldn't stop for anything. Nothing could make him stop. He wasn't being chased by anyone physically. He was being driven by horror and realization. He felt the muscles in his legs start burning, as if he was using up too much of their energy to run. He looked behind him. He could not see anyone chasing after him, but he kept feeling this sensation that someone was. He had to reach the cave. He had to try and warn Littlefoot. Things had taken a turn for the worse. Yu knew that Chomper could be very influential, but he didn't realize just how influential.
How could this have happened? This wasn't supposed to happen! No, not this! Yu's mind was plagued with several different emotions, including anger, fear, and confusion. He just kept on running. He had no idea where the cave was now that he thought about it, but he believed that risking getting there was better than not trying anything at all. "I have to get there in time..." He told himself.
His throat was starting to get dry now. He hadn't had a drink of water in a while, and all this extra running was making him feel dehydrated. He started to slow down a little, despite the danger. He finally came to a full stop up against a tree near a clearing. He looked out ahead, and could see the other side of the valley, and a cave-like structure. He gave a small smile. It had to be the others! "Almost...there..." He whispered, and started to drag his weakened body forward, tail dragging along the ground and body hunched forward.
Rex had watched, almost coldly, as Yu ran forward. Chomper stood beside him, looking down at him in an almost loving manner. Chomper seemed proud, like a father, that Rex had chosen to come for him. The dracovol's appearance had changed, and that's what startled Yu into dashing off. Rex was larger, now about the same size as Chomper. He still walked upright, but his claws were a lot longer and sharper, and he had long sharp spike sticking out of his back. His wings were now ripped and torn but he could still somehow fly. He had two sharp teeth protruding downwards like sabreteeth, and two others pointing upwards, like tusks. One of his eyes had a red glow to it.
Chomper didn't know why his appearance changed like that. But considering how Rex's former life was a dragon, perhaps this was sort of a fusion of the two, part dragon and part dinosaur. He merely shrugged. He found himself resting his head on the back of Rex's neck, inbetween two of the sharp spikes. The anthro dinosaur did nothing to push Chomper away. In fact, he almost seemed to welcome it. Rex did need the assurance that he would still have friends.
"So, are you ready?" Chomper asked as he pulled himself away from Rex.
"Couldn't be more ready." Rex answered back, his voice sounded almost robotic and lifeless.
The other snarled with satisfaction. "Good..."
"Hey! Boss!" A voice rang out, almost startling the two sharpteeth. From behind ran Dil, Ichy riding on her back. Beside them was Loc, who was holding a knocked out Gorjak. "We captured Gorjak fo-Hey! What's he doing here!" Ichy demanded, pointing a finger at the dracovol. "I thought you told us he was with them rotten little animals!" Well technically they weren't really little anymore.
Chomper turned around and slowly walked towards the group that had just presented themselves, brushing his flank and tail against Rex's side in doing so. "Not anymore."
Dil's weak eyes widened with shock. "Not anymore...? You mean he's one of us now?" She turned her head towards the general direction of Loc. Though she could hardly see it, he gave a shrug and shook his head.
Loc stepped forth. "Are you sure this is wise, General Chomper?" He never took his eyes off of Rex, despite the shocking new look. "How can we be certain he'd do what you told him to do and pull off whatever task you have?"
As a response, Rex whirled around. He opened his mouth at a whopping 90 degrees, much like that of pythons and anacondas, and rushed forward towards Loc. The red carnotaurus had little time to react when the gaping mouth clamped down only a milimeter from his head. He recoiled back, alarmed by this sudden response. Rex felt his own mouth curl into a terrible smile.
"Not only will I pull it off, I'll chew it up and spit it out!" He responded in a growly demonic voice.
Loc gulped, putting one of his feet behind him. "If you put it that way..." Loc wasn't sure if he liked the new Rex. "Chomper, what do you plan to do with him?"
"Oh, isn't it obvious? I'm recruiting him for a very special mission." The blue carnotaurus flexed out his hand claws, stretching out the muscle. "He's going to locate the cave that my dear old friend Littlefoot his hiding in." He said those words with heavy sarcasm. "Then he's going to lure him to me..." He looked towards the dracovol, the torn wings twitching a little. "Isn't that right, flamebreath?"
Rex gave a single nod, his bright red eye looking in the direction of his new master.
Upon hearing the word 'flamebreath', Loc stifled a gasp. "Flamebreath! You can't use that in a war!" He protested, shaking visibly. "I thought there was a law against it, or something!"
Dil and Ichy looked at each other, confused as to what was going on. Ichy got off of Dil's armored back and perched himself on the snout of Loc. He lowered his head, lightly pressing the back of his smooth black beak between the dinosaur's eyes. "Hey, Loc. Just what is a flamebreath...?" Loc shook his head almost violently, and Ichy had to take flight. "Hey, watch it, pal!"
"A flamebreath...according to legend, is something...something like a dinosaur, only it isn't a dinosaur. They have sharp talons and huge wings...they got spikes and horns... They usually gigantic and tenacious. They have an appetite for blood and flesh, and are relentess in their hunts. They can breath flames from their mouth, and survive intense heat. Some say they can live inside smoking mountains. They say that their scales are fireproof." Loc said slowy and carefully, the look of fear in his wide eyes still present.
Dil and Ichy said nothing. Their mouths dropped in horror, and they slowly turned their heads, looking at each other straight in the eyes. Such a creature sounded almost impossible to exist, and yet one was standing before them: Rex. This creature of mass destruction sounded like something out of a horror story, something that could bring about apocalypse. If there truly was a law that banned using them in a war, they could clearly see the reason why.
Chomper didn't have much time for this. He turned his head towards Rex, giving him a sideways glance. "You ready to go now?"
Rex smiled evilly. "Oh yes, I am..."
"Good. Go!"
Littlefoot was pacing around nervously just outside of the cave. Everyone else was inside, but he was still outside. He wasn't sure why he hadn't gone back inside. Maybe it was because he was too scared. Maybe he felt compelled to stay outside. Whatever the reason, he couldn't bring himself to go back inside.
His thought were interrupted when something seemed to burst along the ground, and a green figure, battered and bruised, collapsed down in front of him. As Littlefoot approached the near prone figure, he gasped.
"Yu! What happened to you!" Littlefoot used his tail to lift Yu onto his feet.
The raptor strugged to stand on his wobbly legs. He brushed himself off slowly and looked up at the towering longneck. Ignoring any feeling of shock about this new size, Yu chatted nervously, "I-I-It's Rex! I think he...I think...he..."
Littlefoot looked at the sickleclaw intently, voice laced with worry. "What happened to Rex?"
"Chomper forced him to switch sides!"
While Littlefoot's head snapped back, both from the shock of it all, and anger that Yu would accuse Rex of such a thing, a figure stepped from the bushes. The familiar straight body, the straight legs, the kind face, all were revealed as the figure walked towards them. His expression was that of hurt.
"Why Yu...how could you say such a thing?" He said in an unnaturally sweet voice.