Chapter 47: Teaching and learning

When they reached the river bank, Jocelyne immediately ran to get her feet wet; she took off her shoes and stockings and let the waves cover her up to her ankles. As soon as the magnificent sensation of freshness reached her legs, she couldn't suppress a groan of satisfaction. If it hadn't been that she didn't have any spare parts, she would have taken off her clothes too and washed them from top to bottom. She had been wearing them for three days now and they were covered in leaves, drool, sweat, sand, dirt and even dead insects. If she would have had an alternative she wouldn't have hesitated to tear them off and burn them. She cupped her hands and took some water which she carried to her mouth. The river water was less good and harsher than the dew, but it was nice to be able to drink a large amount of water all at once. Then she took some more water and threw it on her hair. She didn't know in what state her head was and when she saw the dry leaves and dead insects falling from it along with the water she concluded that she prefer to not know. She had a great desire to take a bath, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that the current wasn't something to joke with, and above all that in the water lived creatures that was better to keep away from her. "So, what did we come here for?" she asked the spinosaurus. Sobek snorted. "You, for nothing. I have to fish, so leave me alone!" he screamed in his mind. Then he dived into the river up to his knees and rested his snout on the surface of the water, waiting for a propitious prey. Jocelyne looked at him curiously, but she didn't say a word. She would have liked to get closer to get a closer look, but she knew that where the water touched the spinosaur's knees she would have sank. So she stood looking at him from afar; she kept her feet soaked for at least twenty minutes, then she got out of the water, put on her shoes and sat down on a log. The whole time she remained silent, so much so that from time to time Sobek glanced to make sure she was still there. "Mh. Apparently she has understood that the hunt takes place in silence" he thought. It takes him at least an hour to find satisfactory prey. [Prey identified: Mastodonsaurus giganteus, mastodonsauridae. Experience: 10,000 points] The mastodonsaurus was a gigantic amphibian from the Early Triassic period, more than 4 meters long. For Sobek, however, it was only a small snack. The animal quickly landed in his jaws; Sobek pulled it out of the water and dragged it ashore, where he finished it off with his claws. Jocelyne's eyes twinkled, "So that's how it's done..." she murmured as she watched the spinosaurus devour the amphibian. Sobek didn't like those words. "I have a very bad feeling..." While he ate, he noticed that the young girl had started looking for something along the shore: she was taking the broken branches and observing them and then throwing them away. "What is she doing?" he thought confused. Eventually Jocelyne found what she was looking for: a trunk about the length of her arm, neatly cut in two, the inside of which was chipped and sharp. At that point she begins to tie the two pieces of her arms using some vines. She tied them only to her forearm, so as to allow herself full mobility, making them protrude far beyond her hands. With precision she made very strong knots and carefully checked that the vines couldn't untie. If that behavior seemed bizarre, the next one surprise Sobek even more: Jocelyne took out the piece of meat she had taken from the carcharodontosaurus and tied it to a vine, then took the two ends of the vine in her hands and held it out. The final result was this: a piece of meat suspended between two trunks tied to the girl's arms. Two trunks that had the shape of... "... jaws? Wait... did she create a trap by imitating my jaws?" Sobek thought, finally understanding. Now he was genuinely surprised. "Well... I can't say it's not brilliant. That trap could actually work. All she needs now is timing: if she will close those fake jaws in the instant a fish goes to eat the bait, she will take it" Sobek was amazed. Was that little girl really some kind of prodigy? It didn't seem normal to him that she was that smart. If he had had the gift of speaking he would have almost complimented her. Unfortunately, Jocelyne would have soon discovered that intelligence wasn't enough to catch live preys. While Sobek was still intent on finishing eating the mastodonsaurus, the little girl plunged into the shallow water up to her knees and waited there. Just as the spinosaurus she rested the ends of her fake jaws on the surface of the water, then she stretched out the bait and waited. The fishes didn't need much time to come. As soon as one of them tried to taste the meat Jocelyne closed her fake jaws. But the fish ran away without any effort. Jocelyne tried again several times, but couldn't get a single hit. "Maybe it's because they are small?" she thought, looking at the small size of the little fishes that swam in the shallow water. "Yes, with these fake jaws I will never be able to catch such small animals. I need bigger fishes if I want to be successful. But how can I do it? Those swim in high water..." At that point an idea occurred to her: in fact, not far away there were some rocks protruding from the water, and they were wide and flat enough for her to stand on them. "Yes! So I will be in the high water, but at the same time I won't be in the water! I'll just have to keep my balance!" she thought running towards the rocks. Meanwhile, Sobek, who had finished eating, was watching her with a tired look. "As I expected, she gets into trouble. I think I will soon have to save her from the current..." he thought as he went back to fishing, pretending he didn't notice her. Jumping from rock to rock, Jocelyne quickly reached the last rock and leaned slightly. The water there was at least two meters high, so she had to be very careful. However, she also noticed that there were numerous fishes. She couldn't see them clearly as they were underwater, but their shadow was visible from the outside as well. "Ok... let's do it!" she thought, dipping her fake jaws again and preparing the bait. As she had imagined, in a short time numerous fishes shadows appeared below her. She closed her fake jaws again, but once again the fishes escaped. On the first attempt she blamed the inexperience, on the second the bad luck, on the third she was decidedly more discouraged. "Why?" she thought as the fish slipped out of her hands for the umpteenth time. "What am I doing wrong?" She tried to look at the spinosaurus, trying to catch some of its techniques that she hadn't noticed before, but she found nothing. She tried to think and finally came to a conclusion. "I'm too slow to catch a single fish. Fishes are fast after all. However, if there were many fishes, then they couldn't escape quickly... they would push each other and end up being trapped. Yes, it can work! I just need to find a group of fishes!" She sharpened her eyes and looked around, and after a while she spotted a large shadow moving placidly near a rock not far from her. The young girl immediately jumped onto the rock. "If I can't catch a fish now, I don't know what else I'll do!" she thought confidently looking out to the water. Sobek's instincts kicked in, warning him that something was wrong. He quickly turned her head to where he had left the kid, and when he realized what was about to happen his eyes widened in panic. "Shit!" "This time I got you!" Jocelyne exclaimed plunging her fake jaws into the water, expecting to hit the slippery skin of a fish, but what she touched were extremely hard scales that almost hurt her from the backlash. A second later the surface of the water exploded and a huge mouth full of teeth came out at full speed towards her. Jocelyne screamed at the sight of the creature's jaws, but Sobek was quicker: with a kick he pushed it away from the rock. The animal rolled on itself for a few meters and ended up in the shallow water, where it was finally recognizable: a huge crocodile at least twelve meters long with an incredibly elongated head similar to that of a pelican. [Prey identified: Stomatosuchus inermis, stomatosuchidae. Experience: 30,000 points] "Well, at least that will give me skill points!" Sobek thought trying to look at the good side of the situation. Stomatosuchus was a prehistoric crocodile that lived on Earth more than 100 million years ago. The shape of its mouth was due to the fact that it fed mainly on small fish that it collected as if it were a pelican. It had probably only attacked Jocelyne because she had bothered it. Even if it wasn't certainly a killer like the deinosuchus or the sarcosuchus, the stomatosuchus still remained a crocodile and so it was dangerous. However, Sobek was now a far more lethal predator. With [Deadly claws] at level 4/5, there was no way the stomatosuchus posed a real threat to him. The crocodile blew at him, trying to intimidate him, but Sobek wasn't sure scared and hit it in the left side with his claws. The crocodile's skin and muscles ripped as if they were made of plastic, and a gush of blood quickly colored the water red. After that blow, the stomatosuchus was already unable to move. Its paws had been torn apart and the loss of blood was rapidly weakening it. Two more blows were enough for Sobek to put an end to the animal's suffering. The calm returned to the river. With a yank, Sobek dragged the carcass to shore. The huge body of the stomatosuchus made a thud as it dropped to the ground. "It can't be called an apex predator, but I assume it will earn me at least 4 or 5 skill points..." Sobek thought, then he looked at the girl. Jocelyne was basically frozen on the rock without moving a single muscle. Her face wore an expression of terror as she stared at the crocodile carcass and it looked like she had just looked the death in the face. Well, she actually did after all. Again. Sobek without too many preambles took her and put her back on the shore. "You fool!" he screamed in his mind. "First rule of hunting: never attack a prey unless you are completely sure it is a prey! Damn, are humans really that clueless?" Jocelyne looked at him trembling from head to toe. She was young and knew nothing about animals, but she understood the spinosaurus was angry. "I... I'm sorry..." "ENOUGH!" Sobek couldn't hold back anymore: he opened his jaws wide and let out a roar, messing her hair and making her almost tip over. "You really are a headache! Shut that mouth and be quiet!". Seriously, he couldn't take it anymore; that little girl was a constant source of trouble and hearing her speak was really annoying. However, he quickly realized he had made a mistake. Jocelyne didn't shut up, but in return her eyes filled with tears and she began to sob. "Oh, no, don't start crying..." Sobek thought uncomfortably. For his animal self, crying was a weakness and he was almost tempted to make fun of the child, but that shred of humanity still in his possession held him back from doing so. And then, something strange happened. Jocelyne looked up at him and looked him straight in the eye, but in her pupils surrounded by tears Sobek found no fear at all; on the contrary, what he saw was a whirlwind of emotions ranging from suppressed anger to utter despondency. "I AM SORRY!" then the young girl screamed, frightening some birds. "SORRY IF I'M NOT AS GOOD AS YOU, OK? I'M TRYING!" Sobek was surprised by that reaction. "Maybe I exaggerated?" he thought. "She may be a nuisance, but she is still a child..." But Jocelyne didn't seem willing to stop. "I'm trying, ok? I'm trying to be useful! I'm trying to understand how to survive here! I don't have your claws! I don't have your teeth! I can't hunt and I can't fish, and I can't defend myself! AND THIS IS NOT MY PLACE!" The young girl seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating, but still between the sobs she found the strength to continue: "Maybe this life is normal for you, but it's not for me! I wasn't born in this forest! I don't know anything about how to survive! And I don't know how much twelve years are for a dinosaur, but for me they are nothing! I'm just a little kid! I've always been told I'm very mature and intelligent for my age, but that doesn't matter here! It isn't enough for me to understand how to make a bed or how to make fishing tools to be able to survive! Here literally everything is trying to kill me and I don't know how to defend myself! The only thing that keeps me alive is you, and I'm TERRIFIED! " Jocelyne's voice was now so high it was starting to hit Sobek's sensitive eardrums. "I don't know why you are helping me, I don't know why you protect me, I don't even know your name, I don't even know if you have a name! I have no guarantee that you will protect me again tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow! If you go, or die, or leave me alone, my life is OVER! And that scares me! The thought that you're my only lifeline scares me! S-So sorry if I t-tried to l-learn something! I-I was hoping I c-could figure out h-how to survive by on my own w-watching you! S-Sorry if I t-try to s-stay alive!" The young girl could say no more: she curled up on the ground and buried her face between her knees, crying bitterly. Sobek let out a snort at seeing her in that state. "It seems I've really forgotten what it means to be human..." he reflected. Only then did he remember how extraordinarily fragile humans were. Jocelyne was just a child. A little girl who had been kidnapped by criminals and almost forced to marry one of them. This would already have traumatized an adult, let alone such a young child. But she was now experiencing an even worse situation. Nature was a ruthless killer. Any lifeform hunted or was hunted. Even the most harmless creatures could be dangerous adversaries. And Jocelyne didn't know how to survive alone: she couldn't hunt, she couldn't fish, she couldn't follow the trails, she couldn't even distinguish edible fruits from poisonous ones. Though she had excellent observation's skills and good inventiveness, these abilities were useless against the merciless forces of nature. The only thing that kept Jocelyne alive was Sobek. From the point of view of the spinosaurus, this could only be good for her. But from Jocelyne's point of view, it was terrifying. Entrusting her life to a stranger, a creature she couldn't even understand or to whom she couldn't speak, was a frightening prospect. Knowing that her existence was at the complete mercy of another being was terrifying. What if this being one day will die? Or what if it will decide to not protect her anymore? The unknown of tomorrow was something far more hideous and frightening than any criminal or predatory dinosaur. That was the big difference between humans and animals. The animals lived their lives well aware that they could die at any moment. Thanks to this they had great mental strength and even in the most desperate moments were able to think clearly and not panic. And those animals that didn't have a strong mind... they were quickly eliminated by the selective forces of nature. Humans, on the other hand, lived their lives under the illusion that death was something distant. Even the oldest among them were constantly convinced that there would certainly be a tomorrow or a day after tomorrow, let alone children. The instant this illusion ceased to exist, humans found themselves living with the knowledge that death could reach them at any moment. While the animals were used to that feeling, humans immediately went into complete panic and despair as soon as they realized how fragile they were and how there was actually no guarantee that they could see another day. It was a feeling enough terrifying to shock even the bravest ones. Sobek felt a little guilty. Even though he was no longer human he still had some empathy, which allowed him to understand that he was wrong to behave like this towards the child. "Maybe I should hug her?" he thought seeing that she didn't stop crying. "No .. even if I could do it, I don't think that's what she needs now" Jocelyne was scared, frightened, terrified and probably traumatized. Perhaps if one of her parents had hugged her it would have worked, but certainly a hug from an unknown creature would have done nothing. Besides, physical contact would only have temporarily solved the problem. A hug could make her forget the worries, but in a short time they would have returned. Eventually the spinosaurus came up to her and nudged her with his muzzle, being very careful not to overdo the force. Though she was still crying, Jocelyne raised her head. "What... What's now?" The spinosaurus of course didn't answer. In compensation, however, he approached with his muzzle the two fake jaws that she had made. Jocelyne looked at them, then looked at the animal: "Do... Do you want me to use them?" The spinosaurus let out a snort and stared at her with his deep eyes. It almost seemed as if he was saying to her: "Come on, try again" Jocelyne wiped her tears and got to her feet. Her legs were still trembling, but despite this she didn't falter and took the fake jaws. "And now?" The spinosaurus nudged her, prompting her to return to the rocks. Jocelyne walked over to where she had been a few minutes ago, but this time the spinosaurus followed her. When they reached the last rock, the spinosaurus got behind her, far enough away not to be visible to the fishes, and then let out a slight snort, as if to entice her to try. Jocelyne was hesitant. The river water now seemed much darker and more menacing than before. She couldn't look at her without imagining another crocodile emerging and grabbing her, dragging her to the bottom... She felt a soft hiss behind her. The spinosaurus had approached. His muzzle was now almost attached to her back. His presence calmed the little girl a little. "I understand... if something happens, you are here..." She was about to dip her fake jaws in when another snort stopped her. Jocelyne looked at the spinosaurus, who obviously didn't say anything to her, but it was clear from his eyes that he was disapproving. He seemed to be saying: "Think before act" Jocelyne looked at the water again, this time with much more attention. This was how she was able to notice a tiny snake swimming just below her. "I can't be rushed... I have to be patient..." She waited for the snake to leave, then checked again for strange movements, and finally dipped her fake jaws. Soon numerous fishes began to approach, and Jocelyne prepared to catch one. But once again the spinosaurus stopped her with a snort. From his gaze, Jocelyne had no doubts what he was saying to her: "Wait" "Wait what? The right moment?" the young girl thought. "And what could be the right time?" She didn't understand, but she decided it was better to listen to the one who knew more than her, so she waited. It was then that she noticed something interesting: one of the fish came very close to the jaws, but at the last moment it drew back. The same scene was repeated at least four more times. The fishes weren't stupid. They felt that this was a trap. Jocelyne realized that if she tried to catch one now that they were ready to flee at any moment, she would surely have failed. So she kept her nerve. The fishes kept approaching and running away continuously, then some of them gathered courage and swam towards the bait. Jocelyne, however, didn't move. The fish bit the bait and then promptly escaped, expecting some kind of trap to snap. But Jocelyne remained motionless. After standing still for several tens of minutes in that position, her body began to ache, but she didn't think even for a moment of abandoning her position. And it finally happened. The fishes stopped escaping and began to eat the bait calmly, no longer worrying that it might be a trap. At that moment Jocelyne knew it was time to strike; she didn't know hows he knew, it was like some kind of instinct, but she could sense that now was the right time. She quickly closed her fake jaws on the unsuspecting fishes and she clearly felt that something was trapped under there; with a yank she pulled her trap out of the water, and inside it a large trout was wriggling furiously. "Got it... I got it!" Jocelyne exclaimed as her eyes sparkled. Very quickly she returned to shore and let go of the trout, which died of asphyxiation shortly thereafter. Every muscle in her arms and back ached, but she felt euphoric like few times in her life. She had succeeded. She had caught prey! For the first time, she got herself dinner! Jocelyne stroked the trout's slippery skin, admiring the sunlight reflecting off the scales, almost not believing it was real. Then she looked at the spinosaurus with a smile. "Thank you... for your teaching" "No problem" Sobek thought with satisfaction. Despite everything, he had to admit that seeing her so happy warmed his heart. ************ Towards evening the two set off to return to the clearing. Sobek had already consumed the carcass of the stomatosuchus and Jocelyne had chopped the trout into pieces and ate the softer parts. The young girl hadn't tried to fish again and hadn't bothered him yet, remaining quiet and allowing him to catch two more large fishes. Now that they both had full bellies they could go back. Seeing such an imposing dinosaur walking through the forest side by side with such a small girl was a sight that defied all imagination. The two of them went on in silence for a while, then Jocelyne chose to break the ice. "I think I'll stay in the tree tomorrow" she said. "Yes, well... I reflected and I realized that for you I am just a burden. I don't mind accompanying you, but you also need to eat and... I don't make things easier for you. You can't think about yourself and me at the same time. Just... when you're done hunting, would you like to teach me something else? We can go back to the river, or you can teach me how to catch mice, or maybe which fruits are good and which aren't... No, you probably don't know this last part" Jocelyne laughed realizing that she had just asked a carnivorous dinosaur to explain to her which fruits were edible, and she laughed even more when she realized that she was talking to an animal that couldn't answer her and that probably didn't understand anything she just said. "I'm really going crazy" she murmured. "I'm sorry if I keep bothering you... but I feel I could go mad if I don't talk to someone. So... thanks at least for being a good listener" "Until you get back in trouble, we'll get along" Sobek thought. "Maybe I should give you a name? Do you have a name?" Jocelyne asked. "I don't even know what animal you are... it would help me to identify you with a word. At least in my mind you will stop being just 'the dinosaur' or some other nickname" Sobek rolled his eyes. "I have a name already, but that's okay. If that helps you, I can live with that. Just don't call me Fuffi" he thought. Jocelyne stared at the dinosaur, wondering what the best name was for him. Several names came to her mind, but none of them seemed appropriate; they were names for dogs, cats or canaries, not dinosaurs. Then, remembering how the spinosaurus had fished with extreme skill, he had an illumination: "Right! Since you are practically the king of the river, I'll call you Sobek!" The young girl wasn't prepared for what happens next: the spinosaurus stopped abruptly and turned its huge head towards her, staring at her with wide eyes. "Uh... do you like it?" she murmured unsure how to react. Unbeknownst to her, a storm was underway in the spinosaurus' head. "WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN!?"