EPISODE 44: LOST IN HUNTER’S GROVE
CHARACTERS
Dink
Amber
Scat
Flapper
Shyler
Crusty
Pearl
Forest
Avemi (OC)
Tyrannor
Scratcher
Hunters (OCs)
Flapper, his girlfriend Avemi, and Scat had been stranded in Hunter’s Grove. Scat had gone with Avemi into Hunter’s Grove to get honeyfruit. They had barely escaped Tyrannor. They and Flapper, who had rescued them, had gotten bruised in their escape. Neither Avemi nor Flapper was fit to fly. “At least Tyrannor is on the other side of that river. He won’t be getting to us anytime soon.” Flapper said hopefully.
Meanwhile, Dink, Amber, and Shyler were really worried about Scat, Flapper, and Avemi. “Flapper’s not back yet.” Dink said.
“Maybe Tyrannor got them all.” Shyler said sadly.
“Oh, I hope not Shyler!” Amber said.
“Maybe they’re still alive, but maybe Flapper can’t bring them back for some reason.” Dink speculated.
Sometime later, they met with Crusty, who agreed that they should go into Hunter’s Grove to find Flapper, Avemi, and Scat. Their friends Pearl and Forest had also agreed to tag along and help.
“I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to go into Hunter’s Grove, but I guess if you’re all with me, then I’ll be a lot safer.” Pearl remarked.
Meanwhile, Flapper, Avemi, and Scat heard something up ahead of them. “What is it?” Avemi whispered.
“Probably a Hunter! We’re doomed!” Scat moaned, talking louder than either Flapper or Avemi wanted him to.
“Quiet!” Flapper snapped softly at Scat.
“Scat is that you?” came a voice.
“Scratcher?” Scat gasped.
“A Hunter!” Avemi cried in alarm.’
“Not to worry Avemi, Scratcher here is a nice Hunter.” Flapper said.
“Yeah, Scratcher is Scat’s friends.”
“What are you doing here, Scratcher?” Flapper asked.
“I came here to get honeyfruit. Since I look like a Hunter, the Hunters here haven’t bothered me.”
“You are a Hunter!” Avemi snapped.
“Don’t worry Avemi; Scratcher only eats plants.” Scat assured her.
“That’s a relief!” Avemi sighed.
“Hey Scratcher, if you came here, could you help us find our way out of here? We’re a little lost.” Flapper said.
“Unfortunately, I got lost after I found some honeyfruit. Perhaps you or your friend could fly up into the trees and find us a way out of here.”
“Nope, Avemi and I hurt our wings getting away from Tyrannor.”
“Who’s Tyrannor?”
“He’s the meanest Hunter around. He lives right here in Hunter’s Grove.” Flapper replied.
“Then I think it’s best if we avoid him.”
The four of them walked together, looking for a way out of Hunter’s Grove and back to Green Meadow. After two hours, Scratcher said, “I could have sworn that we passed that bush twice already.”
“Flapper get us lost!” Scat grumbled.
“I’m not lost; I just don’t know where we are.” Flapper replied defensively.
“Lost.” Avemi said, agreeing with Scat.
“Ok, we’re lost.”
“At least we’ve avoided Hunters.” Avemi said.
Meanwhile, the others continued to look for them. “Oh, I hope they’re all right.” Shyler said.
“I hope so too.” Crusty said.
They suddenly heard something up ahead of them. “What was that?” Dink cried.
“Not so loud. If it’s a Hunter, we don’t want them to know we’re here!” Crusty whispered.
Several Halszkaraptors came into sight. They were only the size of a mallard duck; however, despite their small size, they had sharp fangs in their mouths, which could tear off dinosaur flesh, making them still dangerous. The group quickly hid behind some bushes. The raptors walked past, not seeing the children and Crusty. When they were almost out of sight, Pearl, forgetting herself, said “Glad they’re gone. That was close.” Alas, she’d spoken too soon! The Halszkaraptors heard them and turned around and snarled.
“Run!” Crusty yelled. The group ran.
Meanwhile, Scratcher, Avemi, Flapper, and Scat also heard something up ahead of them. The group quickly hid. Two Hunters came into sight. They only spotted Scratcher, who, being taller than the others, hadn’t been able to hide as well as the other three. The Hunters mistook Scratcher for a Hunter.
“Hello there, are you lost?” one of them said to him.
“Yes, I am. Could you please show me a way out of Hunter’s Grove?”
“Sure, come with us.” said another Hunter.
Scratcher went with them while Flapper, Avemi, and Scat followed some distance behind. “Do you think that Scratcher will be all right?” Scat asked.
“I hope so. I also hope he can keep them distracted enough so that they don’t notice us.” Flapper replied.
“Where are you from and what is your name?” one of the Hunters asked Scratcher.
“I’m Scratcher and I’m from Talltree Hills.”
“I’m Clawer and I’m from Hunter’s Grove.” one of them said.
“Glad to meet you.” Scratcher replied.
“I’m Grabber.” said another one of the Hunters.
“Glad to meet you too.”
“Why did you come this way, Scratcher?” Clawer asked.
Scratcher wasn’t sure what they would think if he had come here for honeyfruit, since he was a Hunter. “I was exploring.” he lied.
“You should try to not get lost when you go exploring.” Grabber laughed.
“I’ll remember that next time.”
Meanwhile, Crusty, Dink, Shyler, Amber, Pearl, and Forest had found the footprints of Scat, Flapper, Avemi, and Tyrannor. “Looks like Tyrannor found them.” Crusty remarked.
“Oh poor Scat, Flapper, and Avemi!” Shyler moaned.
“Now, we don’t know anything for certain yet. So far, the footprints keep going, which would indicate that he hasn’t caught them yet.” This made the children feel better.
Eventually, they came to a river. “Strange, it appears that there was only one set of footprints here. Tyrannor appears to have come to the river and turned around.” Crusty said.
“Does that mean that Tyrannor got them?” Amber asked.
“It think that it would seem that Flapper and Avemi flew and took Scat with them and Tyrannor couldn’t follow them across the water, given that the footprints of Tyrannor head to the water and then turn around.”
“Let’s try and find a way to cross the river so that we can find them.” Dink said.
“Let’s hope we can find a way to cross. If Tyrannor, as big as he is, couldn’t find a way across, then what hope do we have of getting across?” Forest asked.
“I can swim, and I can take you across, one by one, except Shyler and Pearl. I think I can handle them both at once.” Crusty replied.
Meanwhile, about 300 feet away, Tyrannor spotted the group. He may have lost the two pterosaurs and the dinosaur but this lot would feed him even better than they would have. As Crusty took Shyler and Pearl across the water, he charged at the group.
“Oh no, it’s Tyrannor!” Amber cried.
“Over here you big bully!” Forest yelled. He threw rocks at the Tyrannosaurus, one of which conked him right between the eyes. Tyrannor turned away from Amber and Dink and ran toward Forest instead.
“Forest, no!” Amber yelled.
“Run you two! I’ll distract him!”
Amber and Dink ran, hoping that Forest wouldn’t get himself killed. Tyrannor, meanwhile, chased after Forest. As Forest ran, an idea formed in his mind. About 400 feet ahead of him was a big log resting by the river. If he could get to it, he could paddle it away across the water and get away from Tyrannor. It was also big enough to fit Amber and Dink on it as well, meaning that they could all escape together.
“Guys, you get to that log! I have an idea!” he called to Dink and Amber, pointing at the log. The two ran to the log and jumped onto it. Forrest got to it a few seconds later and immediately pushed off from shore. Tyrannor lunged at them to attack but luckily they got out of the way just in time and his jaw snapped at thin air. “That was close!” Forest sighed in relief, wiping his brows.
“Let’s go find Crusty, Pearl, and Shyler.” Dink said.
Meanwhile, Scratcher was getting nervous. He kept worrying that his new friends would find Scat, Avemi, and Flapper and eat them. Clawer and Grabber were friendly, but they still were regular Hunters, not vegetarians like himself. Suddenly Clawer halted and sniffed the air “What’s going on?” Scratcher asked.
“I smell plant eaters.” he replied.
“Me too.” Grabber said.
Scratcher sniffed the air and could smell Flapper, Avemi, and Scat as well. They had clearly been careless and wandered too close to the three Hunters. “Yeah I smell them.” he said. “I think they’re over here.” he lied. He wanted to lead them away from his friends so that they wouldn’t eat them.
“Where’s Scratcher going?” Flapper whispered to Scat.
“Not sure.” Scat whispered back.
“Wait, I hear something this way.” Grabber said, halting. He began to head the other way, toward Flapper, Scat, and Avemi. Flapper and Avemi tried to fly off with Scat but were unable to get more than a few feet off of the ground before the injuries to their wings caused them to come crashing down to the ground.
“Well, what do we have here?” said Clawer, staring at the three.
“Nothing, we’re just lost.” Flapper said nervously.
“And I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten all day.” Grabber said.
“Me neither.” Clawer said.
Since Flapper and Avemi were unable to fly, they and Scat took off on foot. “Come on Scratcher, they’re getting away!” Grabber said, beckoning for Scratcher to follow him and Clawer. Scratcher went with them, not to hunt his friends, but so that he could have a chance at saving them. Plus, he liked Grabber and Clawer and didn’t think they’d like him anymore if they knew he only ate plants.
Meanwhile, Dink, Amber, Forest, Pearl, Shyler, and Crusty still hadn’t located Scat, Flapper, and Avemi. “Where could they be?” Forest said.
“Over here!” cried Dink.
“You found them!” Pearl cried excitedly.
‘No, I didn’t. I found footprints. However, there is another set of footprints that joins theirs; it looks like a Hunter’s.”
“Oh no!” Shyler moaned.
“Now wait a minute, their footprints continued on, which seems to indicate that they walked with the Hunter instead of them being eaten by the Hunter.” Crusty said.
They followed the footprints of Flapper, Avemi, Scat, and Scratcher for some distance. Eventually, they saw that the Hunter had broken off and joined what looked like two other Hunters. The Hunters had stayed away from Flapper, Avemi, and Scat for some time, but, eventually, it looked like the Hunters had spotted them and given chase. “I still don’t get it. Why didn’t the Hunter eat them earlier when he or she had the chance?” Forest wondered aloud.
“I don’t know, but I think that Flapper, Scat, and Avemi are in trouble.” Dink said.
Meanwhile, Clawer and Grabber had cornered Flapper, Avemi, and Scat. “Look Scratcher, we caught them!” Grabber cried enthusiastically.
“That’s great.” Scratcher replied unenthusiastically.
“Which one do you want to eat?” Clawer said to Scratcher.
Scratcher sighed, then said “None.”
“You’re not hungry?” Grabber asked.
“Not exactly.”
“Picky eater?” Clawer asked.
Scratcher sighed deeply. He liked these guys and had hoped to avoid telling them the truth about his diet. But if he wanted to try and save Scat and his friends, he would have to come clean. “I only eat plants. And they’re my friends. Please don’t eat them.”
Grabber and Clawer stared at him silently for a few seconds then burst out laughing. “Nice one Scratcher!” Clawer laughed.
“I’m serious!’ Scratcher said.
“Wait, you really are a plant eater and are friends with these plant eaters?” Grabber gasped.
“Yes, I am.”
The two laughed and Scratcher hung his head, tears in his eyes. “Come on guys, let’s leave!” Scratcher said to Avemi, Scat, and Flapper. Before they could attempt to leave, however, they heard a loud roar. “Knock it off you two!’ he snapped. They shook their heads, indicating that it wasn’t them.
They all looked behind them and saw Tyrannor standing there, snarling. He was a threat to all of them, even the three Hunters. “Run!” Scratcher cried.
Grabber, Clawer, Scratcher, Scat, Avemi, and Flapper all from Tyrannor, who pursued after them. Dink, Shyler, Pearl, Forest, Amber, and Crusty, meanwhile, heard something running toward them. “What is that?” Crusty asked. He soon found out as Flapper, Scat, Avemi, and Scratcher ran into him.
“What are you doing with that Hunter?” Forest asked Scat, Avemi, and Flapper.
“That’s’ Scratcher. He eats plants.” Flapper said.
“Then who are they?” Dink asked, pointing at Clawer and Grabber.
“Never mind that. Tyrannor is coming!” Scratcher replied.
ROOOOOAR! Tyrannor stomped toward them, snarling, his maw dripping. Scratcher ran toward the Tyrannosaurus. “What are you doing Scratcher?” Scat called after him.
Scratcher ran up and bit Tyrannor in the leg. The t-rex cried out in pain. “You guys run! I’ll lead him away!” Scratcher fled and Tyrannor ran after him, bellowing in fury.
“We can’t just let Tyrannor eat him.” Grabber said to Clawer.
“How could we possibly help? He’s a lot bigger than us.” Clawer lamented.
“We can help.” Scat said.
“Why would you help a Hunter?” Grabber asked.
“Scratcher’s our friend. And we’re going to have to work together to save him.” Dink said.
“Ok, what’s your plan on how to save him?” Clawer asked.
A short time later, Tyrannor had cornered Scratcher. Before Tyrannor attack him, however, he suddenly cried out in pain. He turned around angrily to see that Grabber and Clawer had bitten him in the tail. He took off after them, leaving Scratcher alone. The two Hunters jumped over a large tangle of vines that Pearl, Shyler, Flapper, Avemi, Dink, Amber, Forest, and Crusty had been holding. Tyrannor, however, didn’t see them and tripped over them. It took all their strength but they managed not to be pulled down with him, though the vines had snapped by the force of the impact. Tyrannor fell to the ground with a loud crash, for he had been running fast enough that he was unable to regain his balance after coming into contact with the vines. Thus, the group had the opportunity to flee and get away before Tyrannor could get back up. Tyrannor, not seeing them anywhere, went to go look for him. Luckily, they had ran across a stream and were able to cause him to lose their scent, upon which point he gave up and decided to go hunt something else.
They soon found Scratcher. “You guys helped saved me.” Scratcher said to Cruncher and Grabber.
“Yes, you’re still our friend, even if you do eat plants.” Grabber said.
“Yes, though we still eat meat, we can hang around with you and your friends whenever you want.” Cruncher said.
Cruncher and Grabber helped the group find their way out of Hunter’s Grove and back to the borders of Green Meadow. “Thanks guys.” Dink said.
“No problem.” Grabber replied.
“I gotta get home, my mom is probably worried by now.” Scratcher said.
“Hope to see you again soon.” Cruncher said.
And so they’d gotten out of Hunter’s Grove and Scratcher had made some new friends.
