Snap.
The Carnotaurus opened her jaws wide, snapping at the air in front of her.
Carlo felt a surge of tension. The moment he noticed her movement, he executed a sliding step, pulling back to create some distance.
It was a feint.
The Carnotaurus was testing Carlo's reaction speed, gathering intel to refine her next offensive strategy. Carlo realized he had been a bit too reactive; in terms of psychological fortitude, he was no match for the trial-and-error veteran that was Carnotaurus Two.
He pivoted his strategy. He would maintain his current distance and wait to clearly see her move before responding.
Carnotaurus Two moved toward the Ornithomimus carcass. She hoisted her right leg high and suddenly pivoted into a sprint, the force of her right leg driving her forward with the crushing momentum of a heavy-duty truck.
Carlo performed another sliding step to the right to dodge.
He didn't understand what she was doing. She had already gauged his reaction speed, so why commit to such a telegraphed, obvious charge?
Her braking point would be a glaring opening. He had to seize this chance.
He spun around quickly, but the Carnotaurus was already right on top of him! She had only used that right leg for a momentary burst; she never intended to ram him!
Was she just playing for the element of surprise?
Carlo had no time to ponder her motives. He tried to slide away again, but suddenly found he couldn't move.
A massive foot had clamped down on his left foot. Though it didn't cause him any real pain, it turned him into a sitting duck.
You can do that?!
Carlo's sliding dodge had two distinct traits. One, he moved the foot in the direction of the dodge before moving the other, and two, his feet never left the ground.
With her two feints, Carnotaurus Two had successfully identified Carlo's habits and exploited them.
Powerful! Absolutely powerful!
Because he was mid-slide, Carlo couldn't even maintain his balance, giving the Carnotaurus a golden opportunity. He was about to be overwhelmed by the "Big Sister" of another species.
Carnotaurus Two lunged, her jaws snapping toward Carlo's neck. Though her head was short, it provided exceptional bite force.
And so!
-100
Carnotaurus Two felt something was wrong. The opponent's defense was absurdly high; her teeth couldn't even penetrate his skin.
She had to change tactics immediately!
She released her grip, intending to strike at Carlo's neck from the side and use brute force to bowl him over. But that gave Carlo the opening he needed.
Without the downward pressure, Carlo quickly retracted his outer foot, re-stabilizing his center of gravity. Then, he lunged into her chest.
He wasn't trying to act cute.
The Carnotaurus had pinned his foot to restrict his movement, a clever move, but it also meant her own center of gravity... wasn't exactly stable, was it?
Perhaps she was confident in her own mass, thinking her weight alone would prevent Carlo from exerting force against her foot. But now, care to guess... why it didn't hurt me?
Because Carlo had driven himself into her chest, she could no longer reach his neck. She lowered her body further, putting all her weight onto Carlo's left foot to try and shove him out from under her.
That was exactly the chance Carlo was waiting for! Since her center of gravity had dropped to the same height as his, from this moment on, it was a fair fight between two creatures of the same size class!
Carlo's left foot pushed back, disrupting her balance, while his body shoved her upward and to the side with all his might.
The Carnotaurus realized the danger, but it was too late.
"Roar—Awooh?!"
THUD.
Dust billowed. The Carnotaurus flipped onto her side and hit the ground, letting out a confused, startled shriek.
Flipped on her side, Carnotaurus Two had her soft underbelly exposed right in front of Carlo. Any dinosaur could have gone for a lethal, deep strike right then.
Carlo didn't go for the kill. Instead, he planted one foot on Carnotaurus Two's body and let out an ambiguous roar of victory.
"ROAR—!!!"
Battle is great!
Carlo didn't know why the information in his head told him he had to roar at the sky after winning, but... it felt incredibly cringy.
He lifted his foot from Carnotaurus Two, gave his body a shake, and turned to walk away.
Huh? You're not going to kill me?
Seeing him leave, Carnotaurus Two cautiously lifted her head for a peek.
Really? No killing? After I was that vicious?
She was baffled.
Indeed, Carnotaurus Two's strikes had been fast, accurate, and ruthless, but she hadn't even shaved off one percent of Carlo's health. All Carlo could think about now was:
It's in the bag! Everything is in the bag!
Besides, Carlo hadn't forgotten that he was the one who went looking for trouble. Life was hard enough for her as it was... and here he was, bullying her... Heavens, I'm so kindhearted!
Knowing the Carnotaurus was too weak, he had specifically come over to be her sparring partner.
I, Carlo, am truly too kind!
Now say "Thank you, Carlo."
Carnotaurus Two stood up rather disheveled, shaking the dust off her hide. Then, she noticed her prey was still lying there, completely untouched.
Wait, seriously?
Now Carnotaurus Two was genuinely stunned.
What was the point of that?! You didn't want the food, you didn't want the territory... why the hell did you fight me?!
Is fighting just your hobby?!
Are you insane?!
She picked up her prey and watched the direction Carlo had vanished in. She had many choice words she wanted to share with him. If Carlo had come back at that moment, she would have offered a very "warm" greeting to his ancestors.
Carlo had a great time today.
Grant, however, was not having a great time.
He had nearly been scared to death. Even as a paleontologist, he couldn't comprehend why Carlo would go out of his way to provoke a predator larger than himself for no reason.
He's out of his mind!
It's not like you're starving. Why pick a fight with her?!
Do you have a death wish?
He finally understood why female employee described the fellow as "doing whatever he wants."
Well, she wasn't wrong.
"Whew…"
Grant let out a long sigh of relief. The Primeval Ecological Zone had basically stabilized, aside from the Dilophosauruses and their inexplicable "fishing" activities.
Perhaps in just a few more days, he could leave.
If he saw these creatures again, it would only be through videos on the website. Maybe saying goodbye like this was for the best.
Especially that damn Velociraptor… He never wanted to see it again for as long as he lived.
At the thought of being rid of that Raptor, a smile finally appeared on Grant's face.
But the smile on Carlo's face vanished.
Because a massive silhouette was blocking his path home.
It was Dad.
Dun-dun-duuun! (Sound effect)
Question: What do you do when you're caught by your parents after sneaking out to "do a good deed"?
"Roar."
Dad let out a soft huff, questioning Carlo.
How much food is left?
"Um."
"Huh?"
"Oh!!!"
There's a chance!
Carlo's brain worked at light-speed, arriving at an answer instantly.
Dad thought he had gone out to find food!
Never change, Dad!
I love you, man!
———————
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