MonstrousMay 19. The Volcano

The parasaurolophus charged through the dense overgrowth, the raptor at its heels. Its mixture of bright and earthy green skin made it seem like the forest itself was part of the chase. But the raptor had set its sights. The chance of survival was minimal.

The blundering herbivore had blindly turned further into the forest instead of back towards its herd. It tripped, crashing to the ground. It let out a baleful call as the raptor pounced. And that was that. In the shade of the nearby mountain, the three of them sat in relative silence. Enormous bugs flew about, eager to scavenge.

Prisha observed from a safe distance (if there was such a thing), her atmospheric camouflage turned up to maximum. Her heart was heavy. She had been following this particular dinosaur for a month now. With its demise, she would need to wrap up her research and head back home, back to just a split second after she had left.

While the parasaurolophus' designation was a series of letters and numbers. But Prisha had been calling it Cecilia. She has a hard time separating that now. She took notes, attempting to force some scientific, cold and detached persona. But that wasn't her. She closed her eyes and tried not to listen to what had become of Cecilia at the raptor's teeth and claws.

The raptor eventually had its fill, lifting its splashed-red muzzle to look about. It turned and walked away, probably to alert others of its kill. Prisha moved from her hiding spot and stepped up to Cecilia. She knelt down and stroked its head softly, up its face and along its horn. She started to cry. She couldn't help it. She picked some nearby flowers and placed them against Cecilia's neck. She took a picture, the final in her collection on her subject.

Prisha stood and sighed. She said goodbye to Cecilia one last time. She started her trek up the nearby mountain. Her extraction from this time needed to be somewhere remote and desolate. She'd need to do a full body scan to make sure she hadn't picked up a hitchhiker. Accidentally bringing back even a single bug could be disastrous. She didn't look forward to the total quarantine and decontamination procedures. Air conditioning would be heavenly, however. And it would be a relief to eat something besides total nutrition pills.

As Prisha climbed, the vegetation gave way to black, porous rock. The sun was low and the enormous moon began to take up most of the sky. She dug in her pack and pulled out the return beacon. She drank it all in for just a moment longer. She would miss Cecilia and this moon. It was the same one back home, but not nearly as beautiful. 

Prisha dropped her camouflage, as it would interfere with the beacon. She moved to activate the device when the vegetation below her started to sway. Drenched in the white moonlight, three raptors stalked out of the treeline, Cecelia's killer leading the pack. Their eyes were trained on her, their nostrils flaring as they took in her scent. There was a pregnant pause as they regarded her.

She immediately began to run further up the mountain. The rocks clattered and crunched as the raptors began their pursuit. Prisha knew she needed to be stationary for the beacon to work. It was either turn it on and hope they didn't reach her, or use her camouflage and hope to get away. She chose the latter. 

Her body and clothes shimmered in a wave as everything about her became invisible. The raptors stopped and she did too. Her heart pounded. She covered her nose and mouth, trying to control her breath. They each dropped and lifted their heads, sniffing for her. 

The one that had killed Cecilia looked directly at her. It started to sprint, so she did too. There was no way she could outrun them. But she had to try. 

As they closed in on her, the earth began to shake violently. Prisha tripped and the return beacon flew from her hands, reappearing as it left her camouflage. The rocks had cut into her palms and knees. Blood trickled down and splattered onto the rock at her feet. 

The raptors were equally caught off guard, trying to stay upright. Prisha got up and moved to the beacon. It was her only chance now. 

It sounded like the entire planet had cracked in half. The mountain rumbled and it seemed like it was shaking the moon too. Prisha's heart sank as the beacon hopped about. 

It bounced up, again, and then blinked away in a bright blue light. It had gone home without her. 

The raptors began to run down, skittering across the rocks, tripping over themselves. Prisha looked up to see the mountain was spewing black smoke into the air. Bright orange light glowed at the summit, something like hot red blood pouring out over the top.