Survival in the Land of Beasts

By Ron Rasband

One-armed, intrepid father, Torq Grka, leads his beloved family in their fight for life. His equally brave wife, Yuby, are parents to strong children, who with heroic village friends, contend with the challenges of those times. Uniquely courageous 11-year-old son, Torq, and their even more stubborn and fearless 10 year-old daughter, Sheeny, are faced with perilous challenges. These heroes and heroines overcome their greatest fears and unite in love, support, and endurance their quest for survival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350925951

Book preview

Epigraph

Science believes that humans and dinosaurs did not live at the same time. Fossil research has evolved over the years and has proven some of these long-held ideas wrong. Just imagine the implications if dinosaurs and humans did coexist. This story comes from ancient legends that tell of the Grka family’s adventures in these mysterious prehistoric times.

WHY AM I ALWAYS IN TROUBLE? Every one of my eleven years has been trouble, Torq Grka angrily whispered to himself. He was racing along the narrow jungle trail, trying to get home before sunset. This was the latest he’d been in many moons. Yes, sir, this was going to be even worse!

Raptor crap! Raptor crap! he yelled. Torq’s mind filled with his mother’s dreaded lecture on consequences.

Sneaking outside the village to find those secret treats was a bad idea, but now he was breaking his father’s number one, most-important rule—be home before sunset. The sun was already gone and he was stuck outside the village border near the smelly, boiling pools surrounding his home.

What was that horrible sound echoing above the pounding of his feet? Torq tried to ignore it. Hanging vines ripped through his black curly hair and sliced deep into his brown skin. He whispered first, then repeated loudly, Push harder, push harder; you’re the son of Kroc Grka. You’re faster than this!

Torq stopped. The strange, ugly screeching intensified. Penetrating deep into his eardrums, it was full of fear and panic. There! Just off the path, a baby creature hid, crumpled, curled up in the bushes.

He approached carefully. It looked like an infant Quetzalcoatlus, the kind with the extra-long, sharp beak. Hunting for prey, the giant sky monsters occasionally flew menacingly above his village. Since the whole tribe hid at the first sign of danger, he had never seen one this close. It was already as long as his spread arms. And that beak, that scary, pointed beak, was longer than Torq’s foot. The Quetzal raised its head and began to thrash dangerously, protecting itself from would-be predators.

Cautiously, Torq moved closer to the creature. Besides the beak, the most striking thing about the baby was its big yellow eyes. They were filled with fright, pleading for help. Then he saw why. Its left wing was broken like a stick, completely crushed beneath its body. Cringing, Torq sensed the horrendous pain himself.

As was his nature, Torq quickly became engrossed in studying the battered creature. Unfortunately, his curiosity always outweighed his good judgment. His overstimulated mind recalled how many times he had gotten in trouble with his mother, his father, or the elders, just because he spent too much time somewhere exciting or asked too many dumb questions. Mother’s annoyingly loving voice filled his head: Curiosity is going to kill you one day, or You better be home before sunset, or I might kill you myself—if one of those hungry beasts doesn’t get you first.

Picturing her worried frown and angry eyes, knowing she had good reason considering his father’s terrible boyhood injury, Torq ignored his desire to help the hurting baby. He turned and started running even harder back home.

Suddenly, he heard a much louder noise—a roar, a deafening sound he hadn’t heard before. Then the wind began to swirl around him, strong like the great storm that had circled through the village and destroyed most everything five seasons ago. It was a hot, stinky wind. The trees swayed violently as if they were going to break in half.

What was the awful stench on the wind? Then it hit him. Monster stink! The one unmistakable odor he feared most of all. He understood. The baby sky monster’s mother was coming!

Oh, no. Why did I stop? I could be home already! he wished out loud.

Horrified, Torq looked up through the leafy canopy. The dimming sky disappeared directly above him as everything darkened. A huge shadow blocked what little light remained. Not knowing what to do, he froze with fear.

The treetops opened and the mother Quetzal’s huge beak shot straight down to the infant. As fast as the beak had entered the jungle, it stopped abruptly and with amazing gentleness opened and scooped up the baby. Then, making sure it was secure, she slowly lifted the injured creature off the ground.

That eye! As the baby ascended through the jungle canopy, the mother’s gigantic yellow eye moved toward Torq. He watched the circular black pupil shrink, focusing on him. It was probably only a second, but the stare seemed to last forever.

With lightning speed and thunderous cracking, the tree trunks next to Torq broke in half. The mother’s huge claw slammed through the jungle, aimed directly at him. The curved talons violently wrapped around him. The knifelike claws barely missed penetrating his flesh. The hard, rough skin was almost as dangerous, scraping his arms raw.

The monster’s wings flapped furiously, destroying more trees, then magically lifted the two of them off the jungle floor. Her grip tightened around Torq, squeezing his ribs and stealing his breath. The pressure increased and he could neither inhale or exhale. He caught sight of the hurt baby cradled in its mother’s beak as flying leaves slammed into his face. Then the sky appeared as the strange trio cleared the treetops. Glancing around, he thought he saw the village pools glowing through the trees. He was in the air. Flying!

Shocked, his fuzzy mind wondered, How did this happen? I was only outside the village border for a short time. I’ll never see my mom again. I bet she is preparing my favorite dinner, smoked triceratops brains. Even my extremely annoying sister, Sheeny, who fights me over the last bite, will miss me. My brave father cannot go through another tragedy. I’ll never see my home, the pools surrounding my village, the morning steam forming those scary monster shapes in the sky, my fearless band of friends. Then, as he was completely starved of oxygen, Torq’s world turned to total blackness. His long black hair and muscular legs dangled limply from the claw as the flying Quetzal rose even higher into the sky.

Slam! Crunch! Ouch! Groggy but awake, Torq blinked to clear his vision. He could feel air reenter his nose and lungs. Lying flat on his tummy and taking a deep breath, he again smelled something terrible. Cautiously, he turned his head both ways. Shrieks echoed around him. In one direction, he saw the darkening night sky and scattered stars surrounded by a pitch-black, strangely shaped border. In the other direction, fading light filtered into the murky grayness and revealed dark, shadowy shapes moving about.

Completely conscious now, Torq realized what those mysterious shapes were—the giant sky monster! She was surrounded by her babies, all wildly flapping their wings. Those deafening screams were the same as the baby Quetzal’s cry on the jungle trail, but magnified tenfold.

Where am I? A cave? Then he whispered to himself, Be quiet.

The astonishing size of the Quetzalcoatlus startled Torq. The huge shadows it cast on the wet rock walls made it look even larger. Mesmerized, he watched the rescued baby being lowered gently into the nest next to its siblings.

The horrible smell grew worse. In the gloom, he strained to see better, searching for the source of the putrid odor. Then he saw the gruesome truth all around him. Partially eaten carcasses of various creatures were scattered everywhere, bones dripping with gore. Torq’s hands, arms, and face were wet. Blood! It must be the blood of whatever they were eating! Sickening! He puked his guts out. But he did it quietly.

One thought came immediately. He scream-whispered, I’m dinner! I’m the next piece of food to be torn to shreds by those sharp beaks!

Torq turned his head toward the starry sky just five arm lengths away. He knew he had one fleeting chance to escape. It must be decisive and fast—like right now. He quickly rolled his aching body over and over, at least five times, toward the mouth of the cave. He was out! Only with the last roll did he wonder what awaited him outside the cave.

The answer came that very moment with the horrifying feeling of free-falling. He was in the air, free from the hideous nest, but his body immediately started tumbling downward. He fought with all his strength to gain control so he could face downward and see below. Quickly discovering the secret, he maneuvered his arms and legs to guide his direction.

He could barely see through the darkness where he was, on the highest cliff in the valley, many village lengths away from home. He recognized the deep lake below, surrounded by stones—big, jagged ones! Squinting, he saw the rippling water. Torq moved his right arm and right leg slightly, angling his body away from the rocks and toward the water. As he plummeted, somehow he managed to turn himself upright. It must have been instinct. His only chance for survival was to hit the water feetfirst.

Slam! Splash! Torq hit his watery target so hard it felt like the boulders he had tried to avoid. Instantly he was engulfed in water, black and cold! Down he went, deep, nearly touching the bottom. He slowed and came to a stop. Time stood still as he became weightless, floating in the depths. Choking, he fought with all his might to hold his breath. Water flooded into his nose and throat. Sensing imminent death, his brain silently screamed, I need air!

Torq responded with all his remaining energy, first stretching his arms toward the surface. Next should be his powerful legs. His legs were the fastest of all the eleven-year-olds in the village, but there was no reaction. His legs were limp!

He had no time to think about why his legs were not helping. He mustered even more strength and dug his hands and arms upward into the water. Momentum slowed as his arms ached with fatigue, but he kept going, kept swimming. His failing right arm broke the water surface first and shot up into the air. Torq’s head followed, mouth wide open. He coughed and spit water out of his nose and lungs, then sucked deep for fresh air. Relief! Breathing, something he never thought much about, became his only need.

He sank again, but only a few feet, as his rejuvenated arms pulled him back up for more precious air. Torq wiped the water from his eyes and scanned the surface. Despite almost complete darkness, he sensed which direction to swim.

There! The big rocks piled high against the black cliff face loomed only a short distance to the left. He turned and splashed hard, arm after arm. Touching the rocks, he got both hands onto dry ground and struggled to pull himself out of the water.

One huge problem: My legs, my super strong legs. Why won’t they move?! Torq rolled over, took another deep gulp of air, and looked at the familiar sky above him. He saw the same stars that had fascinated him every night of his eleven years. Instinctively, he examined the sky, looking for the stars, patterns, and shapes his father had shown him. He easily found his favorite one, the spear-throwing warrior with the crazy, long, shaggy hair. They called him Chaurus. Torq was tired, more exhausted than he had ever been. His eyelids closed, his heart slowed, and he slipped off into deep sleep.

2

Warm sunshine touched his face. Half asleep and half awake, Torq gradually gained enough strength to lift his eyelids. Light shot through his eyes to the center of his skull. It hurt terribly. The starlight had been replaced by the brightness of the sun. I’m alive! I should be dead!

As Torq’s head cleared, he remembered what had happened. He had escaped certain death! That dreadful cave, the gigantic sky monster, the screaming, hungry babies waiting for food—all of those images rushed into his mind. He would have been their next piece of meat.

It was quiet and peaceful beside the lake compared to the havoc of the night before. Then the silence was suddenly broken by rustling trees. He looked to the right toward the jungle. Yes, the sound was coming from the thick trees. His heart raced and his breath quickened as scary thoughts of other predators entered his mind.

Then he heard it. Voices. Humans! His own kind. He lifted his battered head and shoulders to see into the trees.

A tall human figure appeared, silhouetted against the bright morning sun. The human raised his arms, signaling to his trailing companions. Then Torq saw it! The half-length stub of a left arm raised to the sky.

Dad! It was his father! His father, Kroc, had found him!

Torq! Torq! Son! You’re safe! Your mother will praise the Great One. You’re hurt. Where are you hurt?

Torq couldn’t answer. His voice frozen, the only response he could muster was tears. He was almost a man, almost ready for the coming-of-age ceremonies in his twelfth year. Never mind; the tears came anyway, streaking down his dirty cheeks. Then he thought, This is the last time I’ll ever cry, no matter what.

Kroc looked in horror at his son’s battered, damaged body. Torq’s face was pale, like death. Black-and-blue bruises covered a good part of it. A huge cut split his forehead wide open; it was still seeping blood through the developing scab. His neck, chest, and arms were scraped deep to the second layer of skin. Kroc thought he could see the white color of a bare rib bone protruding through torn skin.

Torq’s legs lay limply on the ground. Kroc wondered what ordeal his son had survived. Shivering with concern,