Chapter 95: The true essence of hunting

Sobek watched closely as the humans dragged some crates ashore and established a base camp. He had no reason to be afraid: thanks to [Ambush] not even a thermal sensor could detect him. He noticed that humans weren't alone. Among them were some individuals with red hair who were undoubtedly Neanderthals. "I guess they recruited them to guide them... after all these lands are almost unexplored from their point of view. A wise move considering how dangerous this place is" he thought. His eyes fell on Ian Malcolm and his companions. He still couldn't bring himself to have met people so familiar to him. God had really played a good trick on him. "Next time we'll meet, I don't care if she'll send me to Hell or something like that, I'll at least scream at her a little!" However, strange people aside, what he truly wanted to know was their offensive potential. He counted one hundred men and at least double the number of weapons. Fortunately, there were no missile launchers or bazookas: they were all weapons designed to not raze a piece of forest to the ground. The maximum available was a few machine guns. After all, it would have been foolish for humans to defend themselves with something explosive. Lighting a fuse in a forest rich in oxygen and fuel meant creating a wall of fire that would devour everything and everyone, humans including. Finally some of them began to enter the forest. Sobek counted no more than twenty men. With his current strength he could easily defeat them, but that wasn't the plan. Protected by [Ambush] he set out in pursuit, although virtually none of the humans noticed. He just had to wait for the right opportunity. ********** "So, are you a hunter?" Roland asked one of the Neanderthals, obviously using Nick's translation. Tsu'tey looked at him sideways. He was a tall Neanderthal with a massive build and a very angular face. He was considered a skilled hunter among his people and was highly respected. "Yes, I'm a hunter" "I like it. I hunt too. I'm known to be very good at this job" Roland said with a smile. If there was one thing Roland was good at besides hunting, it was currying favor with people. Tsu'tey did not like khel'valart much: he thought them too contemptuous of danger and too weak in build. Of all of them, Roland was the one he disliked the least since he too was quite handsome. Knowing that he was also a hunter made Tsu'tey much more sympathetic towards him. "Do you also hunt for your tribe?" "Not really. Depends on who pays me" Roland replied. "But whatever animal you want, I can bring it to you. No matter how high the risk is" "You must be very good at following leads and stalking then" "I once waited for a t-rex for eight hours hiding in a tree full of mosquitoes without moving a single muscle" "Mh. Not bad. But I once caught seven thorians (NOTE: in the language of the Neanderthals, the triceratops) with a single trap. I had to wait four days for this" "Is this a challenge by chance? Well, know that I once challenged a giganotosaurus face to face, completely alone and with only two shots available" Nick sighed as he racked his brains to be able to correctly translate the dialogue between the two. Being an interpreter was exhausting at times, especially as the two hunters had no qualms about using complicated words. But at least Roland was currying favor with Tsu'tey, which could only be flattering to them: even if she was only a guide, he'd rather have a friendly one than a hostile one. The group got closer and found huge circular footprints stamped into the ground. Sarah knelt to look at them better. She knew what kind of animal had left such footprints. "Traces of alamosaurs. There must be a large herd of them nearby" Alamosaurs were some of the last sauropods to appear on Earth and even by dinosaur standards they were huge: about 30 meters long and nearly 11 meters high, they were literally giants among giants. Few species surpassed them in size. After Nick translated the woman's words to Tsu'tey, he nodded: "You are not wrong. Franknar periodically pass this way. They make a round trip that lasts months. You are lucky, you came at the right time. And from the footprints, I'd say they shouldn't be far away" he said, and then made a slight bow to Neytiri: "Good job, my lady" "Maybe, if you spent less time chatting and more time looking at the ground, you would have seen them first" was the annoyed response of the young apprentice. She didn't mean to be rude, but they'd been going into the forest for hours now and still hadn't found anything... nothing much interesting, at least. Neytiri had begged Mo'at to let her accompany the khel'valart because she hoped she might see some of the gigantic beasts hunters used to face. Though she already knew them from tapestries and illustrations and stories, she had never seen one of them alive. Even when hunters were able to kill one, they would not bring it whole to the tribe as it was too heavy to carry, thus preferring to tear it apart and carry small pieces at a time, then returning several times to the carcass hoping some large predator wasn't already come there to feast on it. In short, Neytiri hoped to be able to see one of those animals while it was still alive and whole. It was said that when they stood they were so tall they could touch the treetops, but she wanted to see it for herself. "We should hurry" Sarah said. "They are slow, but they could distance us" A pack of alamosaurs could clear a territory of all its vegetation in just a few hours; they were therefore a nomadic species that made long marches to give the trees time to regrow. They were constantly on the go looking for food. Even if they couldn't be defined as sprinters, they weren't even as slow as people normally used to imagine them. If they had enough advantage, they might have eluded the humans. Roland, as an expert hunter, knew that they were the perfect prey for a giant predator capable of taking down a mamenchisaurus. Not even a t-rex would have dared to attack an adult alamosaur, but an animal capable of hunting sauropods would not have missed such a great opportunity. "Did you hear the lady? Let's hurry!" "Hey, alpha male, watch your mouth. 'The lady' has a name" Ian exclaimed peevishly at Roland's rude comment, but was stopped by Sarah before he could say any more. The group set off again. Tsu'tey was able to notice the tiniest traces left by the alamosaurs (however tiny the traces left by herbivores 30 meters long could be) and so they went further and further into the thick forest. Very soon, it was possible to hear distant cries similar to trumpets or snouts, which everyone knew belonged to sauropods. Nick walked over to Roland. "I still think it's crazy" he whispered. "Why? You scientists will have your sensational discovery and I will have my trophy" Roland murmured. "Besides, I'm not going to kill it, 'World first'. A rare predator is worth too much to miss" "You don't even know what that animal is like. How do you plan to capture it?" Nick asked. Roland raised an eyebrow: "Why do you care so much?" "Because as much as you piss me off I don't want to take you home in a coffin, assuming that there will be something left of you to bury. Attacking an unknown animal is insane. You could be the one who became hunted" Nick said tightly. Roland emitted a half smile, a cross between amused and discouraged, then replied: "I want to tell you something, 'World first': those guys who go hunting only what they already know they can catch it aren't hunters. They are opportunists who only care about grabbing. They are none other than pathetic sons of dads who aim only for profit. They already know what to do, where to stand, how long to wait, where to strike... tsk. A hunter, a true hunter, first of all seeks the challenge". Roland clapped Nick on the shoulder. "This animal is a challenge for me, the best challenge I ever found. How to hunt it is my business. And if I will be the one who became hunted... well, I will accept my fate. In any case, it will be a success for me. The perfect hunt, regardless of who will be the winner. This is the true essence of hunting". Nick was about to reply, but Tsu'tey suddenly reached down and whispered, "Shut up! There is something ahead of us!" The group fell silent instantly. Roland put on the rifle his men had imitated. They advanced slowly and paying attention to any noise. In the silence, they could clearly hear a continuous rumbling, as if a gigantic beast were snoring. After a rapid walk they came in a place where the trees opened creating a large clearing and a majestic creature with an immense sail on its back rested.