Story 8: Through the Wormhole (Mere Second Draft)

Genre (s): Science Fiction/Adventure

Written When? 10th Grade

It wasn't long until PPMC unwrapped her arms from Dan and asked, "Huh?"

Dan asked the same thing.

PPMC's hands sauntered over to her windshield. She peered outside and gasped. "No way."

"PPMC," Dan said from his seat, "don't tell me we did it. Don't tell me we made it to the Jurassic Period."

"We did," PPMC said in a cheerful voice.

Gasping, Dan said, "No way! But how?"

PPMC turned to him and said, "The time machine must've fixed itself while I was getting the gauntlet off you. No need for words, Dan. This is definitely the Mesozoic Era."

"How can you be sure?" Dan asked.

"Listen," PPMC said. She pointed her left index finger up to her ceiling. "Listen carefully."

Dan did. He gasped when from outside, he heard the screech of a pterosaur.

An enormous, dark shadow soared over PPMC and headed towards one of the many forests that hid in the ancient valley.

Dan was amazed. He couldn't believe they actually did it. It was inconceivable. He said, "Pinch me, I must be dreaming," and gestured at PPMC. "PPMC, quick! Unstrap me! Unstrap me right now!"

"As you wish, Master," PPMC said. Her hands approached the young man, and she carefully removed the straps.

Once unstrapped, Dan jumped to his feet and asked, "PPMC, what does it look like out there? Are any sauropods in sight? Maybe an Apatosaurus or two? What about an Allosaurus?"

Knowing he was curious, PPMC sighed and grabbed his arm, helping him over to her windshield.

They peered outside to the valley.

Dan's mouth gaped open. "Holy smokes," he said, "that does not look like a Carboniferous coal swamp to me."

"Because it's not, Dan," PPMC said. "It's a Jurassic valley. Welcome to the true Jurassic World."

"Wow," Dan said, blushing. "I-I'm speechless. This is too good to be true. Whoo-hoo!" Turning away from the windshield, he excitedly jumped up and down. "We're here, we're here! We've made it to the Mesozoic Era!"

PPMC said, "Ah, kids," and handed Dan the PPMC Gauntlet. Her hands went over to the time machine's screen.

After putting the gauntlet on his forearm, Dan cheered and started to jog up and down PPMC's cockpit, singing, "Time traveling's lots of fun! Dan's got himself on the run! Left, right, left, right! What's the matter, PPMC?" He stopped and jogged in place.

PPMC said, "Hold on." Her hands turned to the excited, young man. "I have a bad feeling."

"Bad feeling?" Dan asked. He stopped jogging, and his smile vanished. "What are you talking about, PPMC? We're in the Mesozoic Era. Huh?" Then he, too, got a bad feeling. Ten seconds ago, he was excited about finally making it to the Mesozoic Era, and now, he had a pit in his stomach. Brown eyes widening, young Dan said, "Wait a minute."

PPMC followed him to her windshield again.

Dan leaned over the dashboard and pressed his palms up against the glass, peering outside to the meadow. He said, "Hm," and took his palms off the glass. "I'll be right back, PPMC."

"What?" PPMC asked. "Where're you going, Dan the Man?" She followed him out to her window-filled hallway.

Once inside it, Dan said, "I can see better from in here."

"Ah," said PPMC.

Dan once again pressed his palms up against the glass. His eyes caught something outside in the meadow. It was a cluster of something that wasn't grass. It almost looked like–never mind. Dan couldn't believe it, but he had to see it up close. Without taking his eyes off the cluster, he told PPMC, "PPMC, can you take me outside, please? That cluster over there does not look like grass."

"As you wish," PPMC said. "Here." She handed Dan his adventure backpack.

He thanked her and put its strap over his head.

PPMC's hands led him back to her cockpit, but Dan moved a bit slowly. Concerned, she stopped and turned to him, asking, "Are you all right, Dan?"

Dan had the palm of his right hand on her wall. He appeared to be more tired than usual. Nodding, he said, "I'm fine, PPMC. Don't worry. Just take me outside to the cluster."

"Very well," said PPMC. Once she and Dan approached her hatch, she unlocked it and gave it a push. The hatch swung open.

Before long, PPMC and Daniel Matton peered outside to the ancient, Mesozoic meadow. The air was warm, and it was a beautiful day.

Dan leaned out of the hatch and checked his surroundings. "Wow. This is beautiful. It reminds me of the Valley of Green." His eyes fell upon the cluster of white objects, and he pointed at them. "There! Come on, PPMC."

PPMC grabbed hold of him, and she carried him outside to the warm meadow, dropping him off.

Dan thanked her. While her hands readjusted, he went ahead and limped towards the cluster of white figures.

Behind, PPMC called, "Now, Dan, don't wander too far. Remember, we're in the dinosaur times, and I most certainly don't want you to be severed by an Allosaurus."

"Don't worry, PPMC," Dan called back. "I'm not going too far on this leg." He patted his injured thigh and flinched, but he kept moving forward. The closer the cluster came, the more nervous he grew. Gulping, he said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

PPMC's hands followed him from behind.

Before Dan knew it, he hovered over the unusual cluster. Shocked, he gasped.

The cluster, believe it or not, was a cluster of white flowers. They looked like any ordinary flower. The only difference was they were a bit larger than modern-day flowers.

Scared, Dan took a step back. "Oh no."

PPMC reached him, gasping. "You're trying to kill me." That was when she saw the flowers. "Oh." PPMC put her hands together. "What pretty flowers." Her hands approached the flowers, and she sniffed them.

Dan stood in his place, like a zombie.

PPMC gagged and coughed, saying, "But they don't smell good! Whoo-wee!" She waved her hand.

From his spot, Dan said, "PPMC, wait." He grabbed her hand and pulled it away from the flowers. "There has to be some kind of mistake. You see,–" He let go and leaned down, picking one of the flowers. Standing up, he held it to his face, "flowering plants didn't appear until the Cretaceous Period, 130 million years ago."

There was silence. PPMC broke it by saying, "Oh," in a nervous tone. "Ahem, now isn't this a coincidence?" She nervously rubbed her hands together. "Maybe paleontologists got the history of flowers wrong."

"No," Dan said. "No, they didn't. Flowers definitely appeared in the Cretaceous Period, not the Jurassic Period. PPMC,–" He tossed the flower to the ground, "I-I think your time machine dropped us off in the wrong time period."

"Impossible!" PPMC shouted. "Don't think that, Dan! Maybe paleontologists just got the history of flowers wrong!"

"Let's connect the dots," Dan said. "Ancestors of flowering plants first appeared between 245-202 million years ago from gymnosperms, but the first true flowering plant didn't appear until the Cretaceous Period, 130 million years ago, and these..." He picked another flower. "These look like true flowering plants to me. Let's find out where we are, PPMC."

He tossed the flower back into the cluster and turned on the PPMC Gauntlet, it saying, "Gauntlet activated." Dan brought it to his face, and the gauntlet said, "Welcome, Daniel Matton. You are currently in the Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period–" However, before it could tell him how many million years he and PPMC went forward to, it shut off randomly.

Dan gasped. "No!" He banged on the gauntlet's screen. "Come on, good, little gauntlet, how many million years back are PPMC and I?"

"Stay calm, Dan," said PPMC.

"No!" Dan shouted. He gave the gauntlet one last bang, but it didn't turn on. "PPMC,– " He turned to her hands, "do you not even realize what happened in the Cretaceous Period?"

"Now, Dan," PPMC said. "Here." She grabbed his shoulders and turned him towards the beautiful valley. "Does that look like the K-T Mass Extinction to you?"

"Well," Dan said, "no, but–"

"Exactly!" PPMC interrupted. "Don't you see? We were dropped off millions of years before it happened. Remember, Professor Chenoa programmed me to not go back to any mass extinctions or ice ages."

"True," Dan said with a nod, "but with the condition the time machine's in, you can never be sure, PPMC. What will determine if we are in the late Cretaceous Period or not are the organisms. If there's Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Alphadon, Ankylosaurus, Alamosaurus, and Quetzalcoatlus, then we're in the late, late Cretaceous Period. Trust me, I've done my research."

"I'm sure you have, Dan," PPMC said, "but I don't see any of those organisms around. Just calm down. I'm going inside to work on the time machine, and I want you to wait for me out here."

"Fine," Dan said with a huff. He plopped down on the ground and crossed his arms. "But if I carried off by a Quetzalcoatlus and fed to her babies, then don't come crying to me."

"You need to fix your attitude," PPMC said. "I will not allow this childish behavior. Wait out here, Dan, and don't leave unless I'm with you."

Dan scoffed, not answering her.

He turned his back to her, and PPMC growled. She pulled her hands back and disappeared inside her cockpit.

Dan sat alone in a so-called empty meadow. He twisted his head towards the invisible starship and sighed.

***

Not far from Dan and PPMC, soaring over one of the valley's many forests, was the pterosaur who flew over them. She was an enormous, yet beautiful creature who had a wingspan measuring about fifty feet, a ten-foot-long neck, and a very sharp and pointed beak. Her eyes were blue, her body was gray, and she had a gray, medium-sized, skull crest on top of her head. She was a pterosaur, yes, but which one?

As she soared, she peered down to the forest. Her nostrils, which were on top of her nose, picked up the scent of her breakfast. Screeching, she stooped down to the treetops and entered the forest, landing directly behind an unguarded nest. The second she landed, she brought her wings forward, and her claws dug into the Mesozoic soil. Her eyes landed on the nest, which had a total of six eggs in it. She crept towards it and stopped, starting to wait.

In the nest, very slowly, two of the eggs began to shake and crack.

The she-pterosaur continued to wait.

From one of the hatching eggs appeared a small, brown head and then a brown tail. Within thirty seconds, a baby dinosaur leaped out of the nest and landed on its two powerful hind legs. The dinosaur was a baby theropoda, or in other words, a carnivore. It was a cute, little thing that had yellow eyes, small, sharp teeth, scrawny arms, and was brown all over. It was only a few inches tall, and it weighed about three pounds. It trekked further away from the nest, unaware that the pterosaur was creeping up on it, and called out for its parents.

From the nest, a second baby theropoda hatched and leaped out of the nest, following its sibling. It also called out. The two babies were completely exposed.

That gave the pterosaur enough time to choose her pick. When she did, she stretched out her long neck and grabbed one of the baby carnivores in her beak.

It screeched.

Without wasting any time, the pterosaur swallowed it whole and grabbed the second baby. Before she could go for another one of the hatching eggs, a loud roar came from the forest, and the ground vibrated as something stomped towards the nest and pterosaur.

The pterosaur thought fast. Opening her wings, she jumped and flapped them, lifting into the sky.

Once hovering, the father, a fully grown theropoda, stomped out of the forest and roared at her. Sprinting towards her, he snapped at her, but the pterosaur dodged and flew through the treetops, leaving the upset father roaring from below. She shot across the sky, as fast as her wings could carry her, and headed towards the watering hole.

***

Back where Dan and PPMC were, PPMC was in her cockpit, working on her time machine, and Dan was resting on his front, sprawled out in the meadow. He set his cheek down on his left arm and played with an ant and stick. He really didn't feel all that well. He hoped PPMC could let him in soon so he could crawl into bed and take a nap.

Dan's face went pale. "Uh," he said, trying his best to keep his eyes open, but he couldn't. He closed them and buried his face in his arms. He wanted to go home.

After resting for a few minutes, Dan heard an animal cry not far from him. "Huh?" he asked, lifting his head. He gasped at what he saw.

Not far from him, digging into the meadow's soil, was a small, opossum-like mammal. Yes, finally, after millions of years, it was another mammal! It was a cute, little creature who had a pink nose, brown eyes, fangs, sharp claws, and was covered in gray fur. It dug around for a little bit longer and got up on its hind legs. It rubbed its nose and groomed itself like a modern-day hamster.

Dan watched it and asked, "Huh? Is that an Alphadon?" He froze. "Oh no."

After grooming itself, the opossum-like creature got down on all fours and scurried towards one of the forests.

Dan held his hand out to it and said, "Wait!" but the mammal kept scurrying. Dan growled and took a step forward, but he stopped and twisted his head, peering back at PPMC. "I'm sorry, PPMC." Turning on his heel, he chased after the opossum-like creature. He wanted to make sure that really and truly, it was an Alphadon. If it was, then that meant he and PPMC had been dropped off in the late, late Cretaceous Period.

Dan followed the creature and entered the forest, looking around. He felt like he was on the set of Jurassic Park. It was pretty amazing. All around him, plants, including flowers, were everywhere, but there were no dinosaurs in sight. Not yet, at least. Dan followed the opossum-like creature deeper into the forest. Every once in a while, he stopped and sniffed the flowers. He almost lost the creature a couple of times, but he managed to catch up with it.

Finally, the opossum-like creature came to a halt and dove into a burrow.

Dan gasped when he saw it had led him to the heart of the valley. "Whoa!" he said. He stood directly in front of a huge watering hole. All kinds of Cretaceous dinosaurs, including Cionodon, a duck-billed dinosaur, surrounded him.

Dan jumped when he heard a sound behind him. Turning, he saw a herd of Ankylosaurus approaching him. They called into the atmosphere and swished their powerful tails. They passed young Dan and headed towards the watering hole.

Both amazed and nervous, he said, "Ankylosaurus and Triceratops! Then that means,–" He gulped, "we are in the late, late Cretaceous Period. We're most likely between seventy million years ago and sixty-five million years ago, but..." He checked his surroundings. "This does not look the K-T Mass Extinction to me." Dan grinned and watched as the herd of Ankylosaurs stopped at the watering hole and started to drink, adding with, "This is so cool! Real dinosaurs! I'm looking at real dinosaurs!" He rubbed his eyes.

A group of Alphadon scurried by him and disappeared in another burrow.

Dan placed his hands on his hips and studied the area, nodding. He said, "Not too shabby, this place is." He watched as the herd of Ankylosaurus drank from the watering hole and heard a screech in the sky, peering up. High up, beyond the treetops, he saw pterosaurs flying and reached up to them. "Pterosaurs! But which ones are they? Hm?" He dropped his hand, and his eyes landed on a Triceratops that had approached the watering hole, away from the Ankylosauruses.

It shook its head and lowered it, starting to drink. All the dinosaurs seemed to get along really well.

Dan didn't know what to say. He was speechless. Twisting his head, his eyes landed on a rock that was behind and not far from the Triceratops. He smiled and headed towards it.

The Triceratops and Ankylosauruses continued to drink.

Dan dove behind the rock and peered out to the Triceratops. "A Triceratops! Perfect!" He took the strap of his book bag off his shoulder and laid the backpack on the soil. Quickly reaching into it, he pulled out his notebook and pen and focused ahead on the Triceratops. "All right, now don't move," he said. He flipped to a blank page of the notebook and started to sketch a picture of the Triceratops, smiling.

However, he lost his smile when the Triceratops stopped drinking. It lifted its head from the watering hole.

Dan said, "Perfect! Triceratops, stay in that position!" He continued his sketch.

Suddenly, the dinosaurs scattered. The Triceratops and Ankylosauruses took off at a run. Their huge feet stomped the ground, causing it to vibrate.

That caused Dan to draw a long line through his sketch. "No! My sketch! It's ruined!" he yelled. Groaning, he attempted to wipe off the line, but it only smeared.

From out of the blue, his gauntlet started to beep.

Dan peered down at it. He saw its back button blinking.

From the gauntlet, "Danger! Danger!" was heard.

Dan's ears caught the sound of a tree crashing into the valley's soil. Looking up, he asked, "What in the world–?" He slipped his notebook and pen into his bag and hopped onto the rock so he could survey the area. A sickening feeling invaded his body. "Oh no." Dan jumped at the sound of another tree crashing. He focused forward and held his breath.

From the forest, out stepped a twenty-foot tall, scary-looking, theropoda dinosaur. It had scrawny, brown arms, sharp talons, a powerful tail, an ugly face, and sword-like teeth. Its skin color was mostly green, although there was some brown on it.

It stomped towards Dan, and its foot broke a log into two pieces. It moved so fast that Dan was thrown off the rock.

He slammed down hard on his backpack and yelled.

The theropoda heard that. It growled and turned towards the rock. Bending its knees, it waited for a few seconds, and then it leaped into the air.

Dan got up and peeked over the top of the rock. When he didn't see the theropoda, he asked, "What? Where did it go?" He left the rock and reached for his backpack, but suddenly, the theropoda landed in front of him and knocked him off his feet.

Dan's head barely missed the rock. Recognizing the dinosaur, he quickly sat and pointed at it, screaming, "Tyrannosaurs Rex!"

The T-Rex leaned towards him, sniffed him, and growled.

Smiling hesitantly, Dan said, "Good morning."

The T-Rex roared in his face.

Dan smacked his hands over his ears. Removing them, he picked up his backpack and put it on. He climbed the rock, jumped from it, and started to run.

The dinosaur chased him, roaring.

Dan soon found himself sprinting through the forest. He jumped over a log and hid behind it. He lifted his shaking hand and punched the button of his gauntlet, yelling, "PPMC, get me out of here! There's a freaking T-Rex after me! PPMC!"

PPMC didn't answer.

The T-Rex broke the log.

Dan screamed. He jumped to his feet and sprinted ahead, with the T-Rex hot on his tail.

Eyes glowing, it leaped and blocked his path.

Dan fell back.

The T-Rex banged its tail on the ground. The force of the bang picked up Dan and sent him sliding up its tail. He stopped on its spine. The T-Rex twisted its head and roared.

Dan's head spun. Yelling, he covered his ears and waited to die. He was ready to die. Nothing could save him now. Not even PPMC. This was the end of Dan Matton. He was sure of it. He hid behind his arms, cowering, but suddenly, there came another roar.

Dan gasped. Oh no, not another T-Rex! Hold on, that roar sounded different. It came from the sky. Dropping his arms, Dan looked up, and his eyes widened.

Swooping down from the sky, coming towards the T-Rex, was the same enormous pterosaur that feasted on the baby carnivores. Her blue eyes glared, and she hissed at the T-Rex.

Both scared and amazed, Dan said, "A Quetzalcoatlus."

The pterosaur, indeed, was a Quetzalcoatlus, the largest pterosaur ever to soar across the Mesozoic skies. She head-butted the T-Rex in the chest.

It roared in pain and staggered backward.

Dan, who was caught right in the middle of the fight, yelled and closed his eyes. He fell from the T-Rex's back, screaming, "Ahhh!"

Frightened, the Quetzalcoatlus called to him.

Dan fell towards a tree and crashed into it. He bounced through its branches, yelling in pain, and fell to the ground. He smashed into the soil on his front. The force of the crash caused him to bounce off the soil and get flipped onto his back. He yelled, "Oof! Ow!" and landed on his back, his arm in a V-position. He was knocked unconscious.

The Quetzalcoatlus seemed to gasp. She flew towards Dan, but with its head, the T-Rex knocked her out of the sky, and she landed in a pile of leaves.

Roaring, it started to approach Dan.

Quickly standing, the Quetzalcoatlus screeched and opened her massive wings. She leaped into the sky and gave them a flap, shooting towards Dan. She got to him before the T-Rex did. Soon hovering in front of him, she cried out and opened her beak, biting the T-Rex on the shoulder.

It roared and lifted its talons, shooting them towards the Quetzalcoatlus, but she dodged them.

An insane fight started between the two prehistoric creatures.

The Quetzalcoatlus repeatedly smacked the T-Rex with her wings.

It kept trying to bite and scratch her, but she was too fast.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the Quetzalcoatlus, with her sharp beak, impaled the T-Rex in the right eye.

It roared and fell onto its side.

Next, the Quetzalcoatlus lifted her claws and scratched its ribcage.

The T-Rex roared again.

The Quetzalcoatlus kept clawing at it.

When it finally realized it was beaten, the T-Rex struggled to its feet, gave one last roar, and took off at a run, disappearing in the forest. It left a pool of blood behind from its impaled eye.

Soon, everything was quiet. Exhausted, the Quetzalcoatlus landed and brought her wings in front of her, digging into the soil. She took deep breaths. It was over. Finally over. That was the third Tyrannosaurus Rex she fought that day, and she hadn't even received a scratch.

When she caught her breath, she turned towards Dan, who was still unconscious, and crept towards him. Soon, her shadow hovered over the injured, young man, and she sniffed him, giving off a small whine. With her beak, she nudged his side, but Dan didn't wake.

Frightened, the Quetzalcoatlus nudged him again, but Dan still didn't move. For a second, the pterosaur feared he was dead, but she sighed when she saw Dan's chest bouncing up and down. He wasn't dead. He was just badly injured.

The Quetzalcoatlus didn't want to leave him. She wanted to stay with him until he woke up. Therefore, she crouched down next to him and opened her massive wings, pulling him into them. When she was sure Dan was comfortable, she sighed and rested her head on the ground.

***

Back where PPMC was, in the Cretaceous meadow, she was beyond angry. She was furious! Dan had disobeyed her again! Clenching her robotic fists, she said, "Oh, that Dan!" Her hands started to pace. "I clearly told him to not leave unless I'm with him, but does he listen? No!" Her hands started to throw a tantrum. "He goes off on his own when he's clearly injured and a little sick! Now I have to go out there and find him! This is the Precambrian Time all over again! Oh, futuristic seventeen-year-olds! What am I going to do with them? Hang on, Dan! I'm coming to get you!" Reaching up, she prepared to press some ceiling buttons, but she heard some roars outside.

PPMC gasped. "Oh snap!" she said. "Really?" Immediately, her hands hurried over to her cockpit's control panel, and she pressed one button on it. All of a sudden, just like in the Paleozoic Era, she turned invisible. If she turned invisible, then that must've meant life forms were nearby.

Outside, in the meadow, marching past the invisible starship, was a herd of Alamosaurus. Alamosaurus was the name of a long-necked dinosaur that roamed during the late Cretaceous Period. It grew to be about seventy-five feet long and forty or more feet tall. It was the last living species of sauropod dinosaurs that went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

They marched by PPMC, giving off friendly roars. A few of them shook their heads. The sight was amazing.

In the herd of Alamosauruses was a young Alamosaurus. It was much smaller than the others and was a curious, little dinosaur. It skipped through the meadow towards PPMC. Every once in a while, it stopped and sniffed some flowers. Afterward, it playfully lept into puddles of mud.

At the sight of the young dinosaur, PPMC said, "Aw," and brought her hands together. "Just look at that thing. It reminds me of Dan the Man when he's full of energy." She sighed, "Oh, Dan," and lowered her hands.

The young Alamosaurus heard her and seemed to ask, "Hm?" It peered through the starship and sniffed the air. It slowly started to approach the starship.

At the sight of it approaching, PPMC said, "Oh snap! Me and my big mouth!"

The dinosaur kept on approaching her.

However, just before it could hit PPMC, its mother called it home.

Stopping, the dinosaur peered back at her.

Its mother came within reach of it. With her neck, she nudged her baby away from PPMC and pushed her towards the herd.

The baby let out an adorable cry. Its mother let out a cry that wasn't as adorable. They were talking with one another. Soon, the two Alamosauruses rejoined the herd.

PPMC sighed with relief. She waited until the herd disappeared over a hill before she returned to work. She said, "All right, flying mode," and again reached for her ceiling buttons. She pressed a few, but it was the strangest thing. The buttons didn't turn on.

PPMC gasped and said, "Oh no!" She banged the buttons, trying to force them on, but none did. "This cannot be happening to me!" PPMC added with. Before she knew it, she thought of something. "You know what?" she asked. "I'll call him. I'll call Dan and tell him to come back."

Sauntering over to her control panel, one of PPMC's robotic fingers pressed a button in the center of it that called Dan's gauntlet. "Dan? Dan, do you read me? This is PPMC."

There was no answer.

Gasping, PPMC tried again. "Dan, do you read me? This is PPMC!"

That time, something did answer, but it wasn't Dan. Instead, it was a new robotic voice that said, "Connection to the PPMC Gauntlet failed. Communication with Daniel Matton is currently impossible."

"No!" PPMC shouted. She frustratingly punched the control panel. "Please work. Don't you see? Dan the Man's injured! I have to get him a doctor! I have to get him back to 17,016 as soon as possible!" She again tried to turn on her flying mode, but it didn't work. "No!" PPMC yelled again. She frustratingly punched her floor. "Curse that wormhole! Curse it! Curse it! Curse it!" Every time she yelled, "Curse it!" she punched her floor. "If only I wasn't a starship!" shouted the starship. "If only I could turn into a cyborg! Then Dan wouldn't be all alone out there! Argh! This stinks!" Frustrated, she yelled into the atmosphere.

***

PPMC was wrong. Dan wasn't alone in the valley. He was with the Quetzalcoatlus, but he was out for a good while.

The entire time he slept, the Quetzalcoatlus held him tightly in her wings. Every time another dinosaur or pterosaur started to approach her, she roared and scared them away. She wasn't going to let anybody mess with her unusual find.

Finally, when Dan did wake, he moaned and reached for his forehead. His eyes were still closed.

The Quetzalcoatlus heard him and seemed to gasp. Quickly, she unwrapped Dan and backed up from him, digging her thumbs into the ground.

Dan moaned some more. He coughed and reached for his aching chest.

In awe, the Quetzalcoatlus watched him.

Dan tried to stand, but he yelled and fell back onto the ground.

Nervous, the Quetzalcoatlus moved closer to him. She extended her long neck and tapped Dan's arm with her beak.

Feeling her, Dan asked, "PPMC, is that you?" He opened his eyes for the second time and turned his head, meeting eyes with the Quetzalcoatlus. Gasping, he stared at her.

She returned his stare.

There was an awkward silence between the two. Then, Dan screamed. He pointed at the pterosaur, shouting, "Quet-Quetzalcoatlus!"

Bewildered, she continued to stare at him.

Quickly standing, Dan tried to run away, but he couldn't–not on his injured leg. Immediately, he fell back down and landed on his back.

The Quetzalcoatlus started to approach him again.

Terrified, Dan crawled back as fast as he could. He stopped and held his hands out to the Quetzalcoatlus, begging, "Please, Quetzalcoatlus!" as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Spare me! I've been trying to get eaten by plenty of prehistoric creatures already!"

The Quetzalcoatlus didn't understand a word he spoke. She just kept approaching him.

"Please!" Dan begged. He was forced to stop crawling backward because he realized he had reached the edge of a ledge. Dan thought about jumping, but then he saw if he did that, he would crash into a rocky, rough river down below. Gasping, the teenager snapped his head back to the Quetzalcoatlus. More tears streamed down his cheeks. "Please," he begged.

The Quetzalcoatlus stopped in front of him. Curious, she sniffed him up and down.

Dan took deep breaths. He felt like his heart was about to come flying out of his chest. He waited for the Quetzalcoatlus to bite, but she didn't.

Instead, she purposely fell backward and landed on her bum. She sat in front of Dan and eyed him curiously. Like the Hylonomus in the Paleozoic Era, she liked this unusual being. She was fascinated by him. She waited patiently in front of him.

After a bit, Dan said, "Wait a minute," and sat up straighter. "Are you not going to attack me?"

Seeming to understand, the Quetzalcoatlus shook her head no.

"Really?" Dan asked.

She nodded.

"Oh wow," said Dan. "Thank you. Finally, there's not a prehistoric creature trying to eat me. Come here, girl." Carefully, he lifted his hand and moved it towards the Quetzalcoatlus's beak. He tried to pet her.

She saw that and jumped. Leaping to her feet, she retreated a few steps back from Dan.

He said, "It's all right," and lowered his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you. I was just leaving. Excuse me." Getting up, he limped forward and passed the pterosaur.

She didn't want to leave him, though. Immediately, she followed the young man, trying to stay as quiet as possible, but she failed.

Dan heard her and rolled his eyes, saying, "I know you're back there, Quetzalcoatlus."

Gasping, the Quetzalcoatlus turned and tried to hide behind a tree, but she was clearly visible.

Dan turned to her and waved his hands. "Shoo! Go on. I have my starship to return to. I'm sure you have a family you need to return to, too. Shoo!" He shook his head and turned, starting forward again.

The Quetzalcoatlus peered out to him and whimpered. Stepping out from behind the tree, she started to follow him again.

Sighing, Dan turned to her again.

She jumped. Her small tail wagged back and forth.

"What's your problem, Quetzalcoatlus?" Dan asked. "Leave me alone! I have to return to 17,016 before it's too late."

She moaned and lowered her head. Turning her back to Dan, she sat down and closed her eyes.

"Oh," Dan said, "don't look so saddened, but you don't understand."

She twisted her neck and looked at him.

"I have to return to my starship," Dan added. "I'm sure front in 17,016, Dad's worried like mad. I'm sorry, mate." He turned to walk away. "I have to go. Although,–" He turned his head and peered over his shoulder to the pterosaur, "I want to thank you for saving me from the T-Rex."

She nodded.

Feebly smiling, Dan said, "Goodbye," and started to limp away. However, thirty seconds into his walk, he stopped and turned back to the saddened pterosaur.

She had her puppy face turned on.

Dan couldn't walk away from that. He didn't want to leave her all alone and sad in the forest. Sighing, he peered up at the continuous trees. Rays from the setting sun scanned his back. He thought for a moment. Maybe PPMC wouldn't mind if he stayed with the pterosaur for a bit? After all, this was his trip, right?

Dan thought for a little bit longer. Finally, he made up his mind and shifted his entire body so that he faced the Quetzalcoatlus. He nodded and said, "All right, you win," limping towards her.

She gasped and jumped to her feet. Excited, she wagged her tail back and forth again.

Reaching her, Dan sat cross-legged in front of her and peered into her eyes. "My name is Dan," he feebly said. "Dan Matton, and I'm from the time period 17,016. I traveled here in a starship by going through a wormhole. Do you have a name?"

The Quetzalcoatlus, who peered into Dan's own eyes, shook her head.

"Really?" asked the teenager. "Then how about I name you?"

Immediately, the Quetzalcoatlus seemed to smile. She excitedly jumped up and down. It was like she was saying, "Yes, yes! Please do!"

Dan chuckled. "All right then," he said. "Hm." He turned on his thinking cap and reached for his chin. "How about..." he said. "Juliet?" He locked eyes with the pterosaur.

She stuck out her tongue and turned on a grossed-out face, seeming to say, "Ew! No!"

"Okay," Dan said with a small chuckle. "Then how about..." He thought harder. "Indigo?"

At that name, the pterosaur lowered her head and thought for a moment. Lifting her head, she again peered into Dan's eyes and shook her head no.

"Very well," said Dan. "Then how about..." He thought as hard as he could. He thought so hard that his head started to hurt. After a little more thinking, he thought of it. He thought of the perfect name!

Dan gasped. Turning on a hopeful face, he met the Quetzalcoatlus's eyes and moved his lips. "How about..." he repeated in a small voice. "Becca? How about I name you Becca?"

The pterosaur lowered her head. Meeting Dan's eyes, she seemed to smile and nodded.

Tears formed in the corners of Dan's own eyes. "Thank you," he said, rubbing them. "Thank you for letting me name you Becca. Becca was the name of my mother. Becca it is." Again, he held his hand out to the pterosaur.

She examined it.

Dan was just getting ready to pull back his hand when Becca extended her neck and placed her beak under his palm.

Gasping, Dan said, "Oh, Becca, thank you."

Becca took her beak away and snuffled. She peered down at Dan's injured leg and sniffed it. She smelled his blood.

"Oh," Dan said when he saw what Becca was interested in, "this." He reached for his leg. "This happened in the Paleozoic Era, the era before this one, the Mesozoic Era. I fell down a hill, and my leg's totally messed up from it." He struggled to his feet and fell forward, but Becca caught him on her beak.

She helped him stand, and Dan said, "Thank you, Becca. I'm sorry, but I don't feel good. Please,–" He looked Becca in the eyes, "can I stay with you tonight? It's just..." He shivered. "T-Rexes. I don't want to get attacked by another T-Rex. Please, Becca?"

Becca nodded. Of course, Dan could stay with her. She would take him to her nest. He'd be safe there. Opening her beak, she grabbed him by the back of his overcoat and started to lift him into the sky.

At the sight of the ground growing smaller, Dan gasped and asked, "Becca, what are you doing?"

Becca tossed him onto her head.

Dan grabbed hold of her crest and sobbed, "Becca!"

Becca lifted her massive wing. Reassuringly, she patted Dan's back. Afterward, she lowered her wing and dug her thumbs into the ground. She marched forward a few steps.

Dan squeezed his eyes shut. While Becca walked, he listened to the roars of dinosaurs and other pterosaurs and the chirps of early birds.

Since Becca knew Dan was scared, she tried her best to make him feel comfortable. She used the time to get to know him better.

Becca took Dan to a large pond.

He gasped when she slid him down onto her back and clonked him on the head. "Ow," Dan said, reaching for it.

Becca picked him up by the back of his overcoat. She set him down on the ground, on his bum, and sat in front of him, staring.

Dan returned the stare, taking deep breaths. Was Becca going to attack him?

No, she wasn't. She seemed to smile. Extending her neck, she sniffed him up and down.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Dan asked.

Becca stopped sniffing and grew excited. Getting up, she grabbed Dan's overcoat and playfully tossed him into the air.

Dan yelled. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he said, "I knew it! She's gonna eat me!"

Becca, however, didn't eat him. She caught him and tossed him up again, catching him for the second time.

Dan soon realized she was playing with him. She wasn't trying to eat him. She just wanted to be his friend. Dan chuckled and let her play with him.

The Quetzalcoatlus tossed him onto her back and slid him down her wing.

"Hey, Becca," said Dan as he landed, "you like me!"

Becca nodded. She tickled his neck with her beak.

Dan laughed. Becca was helping him regain his teenage spirit that he lost in the Paleozoic Era when he hurt his leg.

She wrapped her wings and body around him and tossed him and herself into the air.

As he fell, Dan continued to laugh.

Becca caught him and set him gently down on his feet.

Dan chuckled. Eyes sparkling, he took her beak and said, "Becca." Becca reminded him so much of his mother. When she was alive, she used to play with Dan exactly like the Quetzalcoatlus. The nostalgia was real.

A bit after Becca played with him, Dan sat down on a rock and drew his sketchbook, starting to sketch her.

Becca hovered over his shoulder and watched him. She followed every movement of Dan's pencil.

Dan drew and shaded in a beautiful, realistic picture of her and went to the top of the page. He wrote out: Becca, Quetzalcoatlus of the late Cretaceous Period.

Becca turned and left him for a bit. She scurried over to the pond, stuck her head in, and picked up a load of water. She then returned to Dan.

He stopped mid-way with his sketch and decided to call it a day. Closing the sketchbook, he put both it and his pencil into his bag, which hung freely from his neck. Smiling, he turned his head towards Becca and struggled to his feet. He hopped over to her and reached for her beak.

Becca seemed to smile. From out of nowhere, she blasted Dan in the face with the water she had picked up from the pond.

Dan coughed and said, "Aw come on, man!" when he saw he was dripping wet.

Becca seemed to laugh.

Smiling, Dan sprayed water into her own face.

Before long, the two friends started to play. They hurried through the forest. Becca picked up Dan and put him on the branch of a tree, where he was able to pick some of the first flowers.

He stuck them into a pocket of his bag, where he was sure they'd be safe. Suddenly, the branch he stood on broke under his feet. Dan yelled as he started to fall.

However, Becca caught him.

Dan thanked her, and Becca blushed. She next took him to a large field. There, they witnessed a stampede of Cionodon.

The duck-billed dinosaurs rushed through the field.

Dan sketched them, saying, "Wow! This is amazing!" And it was.

As the Cionodons stampeded, they roared into the sky.

Dan laughed. He put up his sketchbook and turned to Becca, who grabbed him and tossed him onto her head. Dan nervously peered down to the ground. He gasped when he saw that very slowly, Becca started to open her massive wings. "Becca, wait!" Dan yelled. He didn't want Becca to fly with him on her head. What if he fell, just like how he fell from the Pterodactyl in his dream he had front in 17,016 before he blasted off?

Dan was scared. He wasn't ready to fly. Not yet, at least. "Becca!" Dan yelled.

Becca soon realized he was scared and didn't want to fly. Sighing, she lowered her wings and dug her thumbs into the ground. Then, she stepped forward. The last place she took Dan to before her nest was a cliff at the edge of the valley that overlooked the ocean.

The two friends sat on it and peered out to the orange sunset.

Dan dangled his legs over the cliff. He peered down to the beach and saw a few other dinosaurs walking on it. His eyes sparkled, and he said, "Wow." He peered out to the ocean again and kept his eyes open for any Plesiosaurs, dinosaurs that he called the "beasts of the seas".

Becca soon approached him from behind and hovered over his shoulder.

Dan lifted his hand and rubbed her wing.

***

PPMC was growing really worried. Dan had still not returned, and her flying mode still failed to work. She tried her best to boot it up, but nothing happened.

Whimpering, PPMC asked, "Dan, where are you?" Her hands turned towards her time machine's screen. She gasped when once again, the button for the emergency time period appeared on it. "No!" PPMC yelled, banging the screen. "I refuse to go to the emergency time period! I can fix this on my own! Besides, even if I did decide to go to the emergency time period, I can't leave without Dan the Man."

The Mesozoic button on the time machine's screen flashed red, and a robotic voice came from it. "Extreme danger Extreme danger! Leave the Mesozoic Era as soon as possible! I repeat, leave the Mesozoic Era!"

"What? Why?" PPMC asked. She tapped the flashing button. "Talk to me, woman!"

The robotic voice kept on repeating, "Leave the Mesozoic Era!" over and over until finally, it cut off, and the button stopped flashing.

PPMC tensed up. She had a bad feeling. "Oh no," she said. She had to get Dan back as soon as possible. Turning her hands towards her hatch, PPMC yelled, "Dan!"