Chapter 86: Tyrannosaurus rex

Tyrannosaurus rex had such haughty name for a reason. Through millions of years of relentless evolution, it had reached a level that no other creature in the world could compare. It was the killer par excellence, the absolute pinnacle of the food chain. While there were larger carnivorous dinosaurs, such as the giganotosaurus, the t-rex was on a far superior level in all aspects. It possessed the best sense of smell in the animal world, surpassed only by a few vultures. Its eyesight matched, if not surpassed, those of eagles, and its hearing could sense movement miles away. Its bite was among the most powerful ever, capable of crushing a car effortlessly, and was surpassed only by the megalodon and the purussaurus. Its hind legs contained rows and rows of muscles and tendons that allowed for a fast run and its feathers made it more aerodynamic, favoring very quick sprints and runs. Its front legs, however small, were equipped with very strong hooked claws capable of holding prey. Finally, the tyrannosaurus possessed one of the largest brains in the animal world, which allowed it to quickly process information and provide quick and accurate answers. All these deadly weapons made it the perfect predator. Every muscle, tendon, bone and nerve in its body was designed to hunt and kill. Despite this, like many other dinosaurs, tyrannosaurs were by no means as solitary as someone might think. In fact, many of their preys were too dangerous to be hunted alone. A triceratops, for example, could easily kill a t-rex by charging it. Or an ankylosaurus could kill it with its mighty club tail. Or a sauropod could have stomped on it. Consequently, the tyrannosaurs had kept the same evolutionary device adopted by the other carnivorous dinosaurs: they lived in packs and hunted in pairs. The situation had two advantages. The first, of course, was that a couple had more chances in hunting. The second was that living in a herd it was easier to find a partner: the territory of the tyrannosaurs was tens, even hundreds of kilometers wide, consequently living alone they would hardly have crossed the path of another tyrannosaurus. By living in a herd, however, not only did they have a better chance of finding a female, but the large number of individuals was more traceable, so it would have been easier to come across another herd and therefore other partners. Tyrannosaurs generally lived in herds of eight to twenty individuals: they chose a place and made it their refuge. After that, a different couple went hunting every day and brought food. As in any society, tyrannosaurs also had a leader. Since they lived in packs, they needed an alpha. Among the dinosaurs there were no gender distinctions or anything like that: only the strongest had to be in charge. Anyone could become the leader, provided he defeated the previous one. The leader was absolute: if he wanted to go right, everyone went right; if he wanted to go for a drink, everyone went for a drink. As long as he was the strongest, no one would contest his will. It was to be expected that the herd would be held more by females than males, since they were larger and therefore more dangerous; however, this was not always the case. This is due to the difference in hormonal characterization: females often did not have much interest in commanding, provided of course that they were left alone and the young were not touched. The males, on the other hand, were much more competitive: due to the high levels of testosterone, they tended to fight often. Generally, therefore, the females preferred to leave the command post to the males and let them slaughter each other. After all, unlike human societies, the tyrannosaurs didn't care much who was the boss: it was just the one who decided the territory and the times of the meals. Otherwise the tyrannosaurs could do what they wanted: they were free to do literally anything, except of course hurt their comrades. Seen from a human point of view, the society of tyrannosaurs could be seen as more 'pure' and 'wild': the individual was supremely free and had to bow his head only to force. Near the lake where Sobek had settled there was a very large territory belonging to a herd of tyrannosaurs composed of twenty-five individuals. The latter had begun to notice a decrease in the number of preys, and they had not taken long to understand why. With their superfine sense of smell they had perceived a new smell in the easternmost part of their territory. They also found footprints undoubtedly belonging to a carnivore. They were much larger than theirs, which made him realize their opponent was bigger. Most tyrannosaurs had cunningly avoided this area, since attacking a larger predator was a risk they preferred not to take; however, hotheads existed in every pack. "Here". A slight growl emerged from the mouth of a tyrannosaurus. Although he was twelve meters long from head to tail, the bright colors of his feathers suggested that he had just become an adult. Behind him came a second tyrannosaurus. The two were very similar in appearance. They were brothers. Generally the couples who went hunting were composed of two partners. However, it was not uncommon for a tyrannosaurus to enlist the help of family members, such as a parent or sibling, before finding a mate. "It's close" the other tyrannosaurus snarled, sniffing the air. The two were obviously looking for the mysterious predator that had made their hunt leaner. Animated by the recklessness that distinguishes young people, they were convinced they could beat it, even if they had never seen it. "Three hundred and fifty steps ahead of us" Tyrannosaurs, of course, had their own language. Communication was common in all animals living in herds. Obviously it was not an articulate language like the human one: it was based on verses, smells and sensations, which put together however allowed us to understand each other perfectly. This not only allowed them to coordinate attacks, but also to understand each other: it was not a language of less than human value. "I on the right, you on the left" the other tyrannosaurus proposed starting to formulate a plan. "You attract it, I attack" The strategy of the tyrannosaurs was always one, simple but effective: one distracted the opponent, the other attacked him from behind. "All right. I'll distract it as much as possible" the other tyrannosaurus nodded. "Good luck, brother" Another peculiarity: the tyrannosaurs didn't use names. Unlike humans, they didn't need to identify with a word. Unless a human called them a certain way, and then learned to associate with that name, the animals didn't think they were giving themselves a name. The young tyrannosaurus headed for the source of the smell. He knew that his opponent would be a dangerous enemy, but he was calm and cold-blooded: he didn't fear death. The vibrations he felt through the ground were a sign of something very big approaching. The young tyrannosaurus began to feel a little intimidated, but when the mysterious enemy finally came to light, his courage faltered. He knew it was big, but he didn't know it was that big! It was more than twice his length and a third taller than him. It had deadly claws and razor-sharp teeth, and a giant sail loomed over its back. The young tyrannosaurus felt the urge to flee, but resisted. He knew his brother was hiding in the trees. He roared at his opponent. Its enemy roared in turn; the sound of its voice made the branches of the trees tremble. 'Supreme predator' was the only thing the young tyrannosaurus could think of when he heard its roar. Were they really able to beat it? While he was in the midst of his second thoughts and began to think about yelling at his brother to escape, however, his sibling appeared from behind the creature and jumped on its neck, forcing it to lower itself with his weight, and bit it with all the force he could. had. There was a 'crack'. For the tyrannosaurus it was like biting a stone. The animal felt many of his teeth crack and snap. Blood began to ooze from his own mouth. Their opponent's skin was harder than rocks! The tyrannosaurus panicked and barely looked up, meeting the eyes of his enemy. His opponent was staring at him with an amused look, as if it considered his attempt to hit it ridiculous. The t-rex tried to back off, wanting to escape, but the other dinosaur was quicker. Its jaws lowered and closed on his neck, just as he had tried to do against it. Unlike it, however, the tyrannosaurus felt his bones crack dangerously and his muscles rip under the immense pressure. "Brother, run!" he roared in the direction of the other tyrannosaurus, who was immobilized and unable to decide what to do. "We can't beat it! Run and..." With a snap the neck was broken. The lifeless body of the tyrannosaurus lost all strength and closed its eyes forever. The other dinosaur dropped him to the ground and roared triumphantly over his dead body. The other tyrannosaurus backed away, not having the courage to turn around and find the side of the beast. Now more than ever he knew that theirs had been a mistake: they should never have challenged that monster! It was too much stronger than them! Suddenly, however, the creature looked at him and opened its mouth: "I advise you to not follow his advice. I'm faster than you" The tyrannosaurus froze in place, shocked. Did that strange being just speak their language? The creature rose to all its immense height: "Now answer me. Do you want to live or do you prefer to follow your brother?"