Salvador - Trygg the Dinosaur

Trygg The Dinosaur
Copyright 2019 by Paula Louise Salvador

Illustrations copyright 2019 by John Bindon

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law .

Tellwell Talent
www.tellwell.ca

www.tryggthedinosaur.com

ISBN
978-0-2288-0116-0 (Hardcover)
978-0-2288-0115-3 (Paperback)
978-0-2288-0117-7 (eBook)

For Portia

CHAPTER ONE

H e had to get out. There was no more room for him inside his egg. The top of the shell had a small crack, so he pushed his snout against it and made a large enough opening to finally poke his head free. He stopped to catch his breath, but his feathers were wet, and the air made him shiver. As soon as possible, he needed to get into the sun to warm up. He quickly smashed the bottom of the egg by scratching at it with his back claws, then he wiggled all the way out. What a relief it was to uncurl his legs and stretch out his tail.

Dark green eggs, just like his, filled the nest. So far, he was the only little dinosaur to hatch. But maybe there were others beyond the wall of his nest. He had to take a look. By reaching high with his hands, he was able to hook his fingers into the dried mud of the rim. His arms were so skinny he could see the shape of his bones under the skin, but he found the strength to pull himself up. His legs wobbled a bit, then they settled, and he stood for the very first time.

Anybody there? he called out.

No one answered.

He was alone. And he was surrounded by water. His nest sat on an island in the middle of a shallow lake. At least it had been built on top of a mound of earth, so it seemed safe. All was quiet except for the rippling of the small waves.

His hard work had tired him out, so he sat down in the nest. He was about to fall asleep when he felt the island tremble slightly. It was enough to cause one of the other eggs to slip toward him. He put his mouth around the eggs pointed end, making sure the sharp tips of his teeth didnt break through the shell. Then he gently settled it back in the damp ground at his feet. But why was his nest moving like that?

Using his tail for balance, he eased up and peeked over the top of the nest. A rush of cold air hit him in the face just as cawing broke out in the trees overhead. Flocks of birds darted from branch to branch, making loud warning calls. And the ground started to shake so much that he struggled to stay standing.

At the edge of the island, a group of animals leapt out of the shallows. At first, he thought that they were like the birds above him, except they looked too big to be able to fly. Besides, they moved by running with their heads stuck out in front of them. Instead of wings, they had long arms and hands with three fingersand they had claws.

They were just like him.

The pack swarmed past. A reddish-brown one at the end skidded to a stop. He towered over the nest, and slobber dribbled from his small pointed teeth. Hey, little Trodon! he called out, but when he got no reaction, he shook his head in frustration. Im talkin to YOU! he said with a growl. You see any other Trodons alive in that ring of dirt? The dinosaur glanced nervously over his shoulder. Youre gonna have to move fast, kid, he shouted, then he turned to flee. Mudslide comin through!

On the other side of the lake, the surrounding cliff quivered. A chunk of dark grey earth slid off the slope and gushed through the water. Barely ahead of the mud, another Trodon was running, kicking water into the air. He jumped onto the sand just before the sludge buried the shore behind him. The animal lurched forward then pulled up short. He was huge, bigger than the whole nest.

The little Trodon stretched both arms out. Take me with you!

The big Trodon leaned over, but instead of lifting him up, he placed a long clawed finger on his small head and pushed him roughly down, right on top of the closest egg.

Hey! the little dinosaur sputtered from the mess of smashed shell and sticky yolk. Thats no way to help a friend.

The big Trodon fixed his fierce yellow eyes on him, quickly sizing him up. I got no time for friends, he yelled as he sprinted off the island. His deep voice carried back over the water. Youre on your own, runt.

The little Trodon knew that he had to save himself. A mass of clay, stones and broken sticks was rising fast around him. He planted one foot in the base of his nest, then he hooked the strongest toe claw of his other foot into the rim. He pushed off and jumped out just before the mud surged over the edge and buried all the other eggs.

Run! he cried. But where?

CHAPTER TWO

A lta slumped in her nest, all by herself. Around her on the plain, as far as she could see, Hypacrosaur parents plodded through the waves of heat trying to find plants to feed their families. Dust swirled everywhere, stinging her eyes. And the sweet smell of the water from the lake far below made it impossible to forget how thirsty she was.

Some of the other nests contained eggs that hadnt hatched yet, but most were crammed full of baby dinosaurs squawking for food. The lucky ones were in the shade under the tall evergreen trees. The rest, like Alta, lay exposed to the sun.

Alta was a bit older than the young duckbill dinosaurs beside her. Her back was already long and ridged, and she was proud of how powerful her tail was becoming. It was her rear legs that caused her problems. They had grown to a good length, but she still wasnt able to walk on them. They just wouldnt support her weight, especially because she was big for her age. Her front legs were shorter and finer, and even they were starting to get strong. But that didnt help her right now. Not one leaf was left in her nest, and she hadnt seen her parents since yesterday.

Alta had tried several times to get someone to notice her, but the crest bump on her head wasnt developed enough yet to make much noise. Even so, she tried again, forcing out as much air as she could.

The mother in the closest nest finally heard her squeaks. You must be hungry, she said as she plucked up some palm fronds with her bill. She smiled then gave them to Alta. It didnt matter that she had twenty-five babies of her own to feed. All babies were precious.

Alta chewed away, using every row of her flat teeth to grind the plants. Thats good. Thats just so good! she mumbled with her mouth full.

When she had eaten the last leaf, she settled against the inside of her nest. All that was missing now was her parents. If only she could see their faces, or maybe just hear their voices, especially at night, in the dark.