Flames wafted from the creature and the pungent scent of charred flesh drifted over the battle zone. Dawson considered whether the damaged tissue might weaken the creature or drive it into uncontrollable rage.
The T-Rex roared again. It took a step forward, hesitated, looking around, then it charged towards a marine laying behind a fallen three.
Realizing he was the target, the marine scrambled to his feet and ran towards the Japanese defensive line. The Tyrannosaurus chased him, swiftly motoring its massive legs, closing the distance in a few colossal steps.
Dawson anticipated a shot to crack from the enemy line, but everyone remained frozen, awestruck, watching the futile escape.
The T-Rex reached the fleeing marine; it shot its massive head downward and snatched the man from the ground. He screamed and kicked in vain. Its maw engulfed the marine’s upper torso and clamped down on his abdomen with sharp teeth. Legs dangled, kicking, from the dinosaur’s mouth, reminiscent of a cat holding a live mouse. Blood oozed from the puncture wounds, like juice running from a rare steak.
Cries of pain emitted from the cavernous mouth, tempered by the creature’s hold, but the muffled screams were even more ominous.
Death couldn’t terminate the Raider’s suffering fast enough.
The carnivore shook its prey like a rag doll, and the fleeting screams for help abated. Pausing in the middle of the combat zone, the Tyrannosaurus chomped on its victim, savoring the fare. Grinding its molars, the creature meant to crush the man’s bones and swallow him whole. It sucked part of the man down, and the limp lower torso followed. Soon, only a leg hung from the creature’s mouth. The T-Rex tilted its head back. Another swallow, and the remainder of the man disappeared, while a bulge moved down the creature’s throat.
The carnivore glanced around the battlefield with predatory eyes. Its yellow orbs seemed to be searching for the next victim. But the process was more than mere selection of a meal. Scanning the options, the predator seemed to be gauging which person was most likely to run. The beast enjoyed the hunt, savored the pursuit of its prey.
Another quarry presented itself soon enough. The eyes locked on a target.
The Japanese defensive line lay before the creature, and a soldier was crouched behind a barrel in a forward position. He rose and broke towards the side of the garrison where the Raptors had fed upon a few of his comrades.
Within a moment, the Tyrannosaurus was in pursuit. It stalked after the soldier with lumbering steps, almost giving the man a slight lead before delivering the death knell.
The soldier bolted past the scout car. And Dawson froze while the T-Rex ran by his position, focused on the enemy soldier. Frightened into panic, the soldier’s eyes were opened wide, registering terror. He trundled along emitting an indiscernible plea, like a baby running home to his mother.
Approaching the gaggle of Raptors, the break in tranquility abruptly ended.
Running headlong towards the carnivores, the soldier upset the balance. He halted. The closest Raptor sprung on him, as the thundering steps of the Tyrannosaurus shook the pack hunters off balance.
The smaller dinosaur knocked the soldier to the ground. It wielded its sickle-shaped claws and cranked a rear leg into the man’s abdomen. Flesh tore open, and the scent of blood floated through the air. The creature fed ravenously on the soldier’s intestines, as he screamed in bloody agony. Other pack hunters vied for space near the open viscera, while a few settled for the meaty appendages.
Compsognathus and Procompsognathus dinosaurs plied between the Raptors and fed upon the soldier’s remains, tearing off scraps of meat and nipping at each other.
The wild feeding frenzy kept the dinosaurs from noticing that the ground had ceased trembling. While they feasted upon the carcass, the Tyrannosaurus peered down at them, almost mystified by the absurdity.
It reared its head back, then let out a fierce roar. A bellow of warning and contempt, it thrust its head downward and sounded off in the creatures’ faces.
A Raptor looked up with blood smeared on its maw. It sneered at the Tyrannosaur, as flames whisked into the dull night sky from the creature’s enormous back. The Raptor had a poised stance, as though it meant for the pack to take the king down.
The others looked up at the towering beast. And the leader clicked an instruction to the others, and they spread out, flanking the Tyrannosaurus like trained soldiers.
Scraping the ground with sharp claws, the Raptors signaled a return warning to the Tyrannosaurus, offering it a chance to depart. The T-Rex eyed them, scanning from side to side, as though measuring their resolve and sizing up the pack’s advantage.
While the T-Rex glanced to the right, a Raptor on the left darted at the creature’s haunch. It ran up the meaty leg and propped itself on the large dinosaur’s rib section, digging its claws into the thick hide. Flames wavered through the Raptor’s hind legs and swooshed around its tail. Biting savagely into the creature’s neck, the Raptor thumped its tail, attempting to douse the fire spreading onto its skin.
The Tyrannosaur spun around, trying to shake the Raptor from its back. It careened its head, stretching its neck in futility to reach the aggressor on its back.
More clicking from the central Raptor, and others charged the mighty predator. Jumping at the T-Rex from both sides, and piling on from the rear, the pack assailed the creature. They bit and chomped madly at its hide, tearing off strips of protective skin. Some of the bands of meat were singed and peeled off like pork simmering in a slow cooker.
Straining, the Tyrannosaur managed to get a grip on a Raptor. It locked the smaller dinosaur in its jaws, clamping them tight, until the creature’s neck snapped. Then, it hurled the smaller dinosaur through the air. It sailed limply from the fracas, unable to breathe or fight its massive adversary.
The Raptor crashed into the garrison and plowed through the thatch wall. Pieces of split bamboo and clumps of thatch swung back and forth, then the side of the building settled into the stillness of a black hole.
Vanquished, the Raptor didn’t arise to fight again. It died miserably but not in vain.
Others elevated their resolve to tackle the beast, rather than shy away from the conflict. Raptors assaulted the Tyrannosaurus in unison. A couple latched onto the massive tail, sinking their jaws into the dense hide. The tail swung back and forth, as the behemoth sought to shake them loose. Still, they hung on and continued biting the massive appendage.
Some Raptors continued to assail the creature’s back, scaling the haunches and expansive midsection, and clawing and biting to stay on the dinosaur. The T-Rex bucked and writhed to shake them loose, but to no avail.