“Muy grande!”
“I know right?!”
After observing what they could at the ruins and the fossils that remained near by, Carlos took a lot of pictures and brought his research back to the vet center. Normally, Tracker would have loved to spend that time with Carlos exploring the remains but Rex insisted on showing the pup all around the vast wilderness. The pups trekked through where they could. Rex had shown him a few things like a trio of Pachycephalosaurus headbutting one another and a large nest of Stegosaurus eggs which they observed with caution. Now the pair stood near the largest waterfall in the Dino Wilds, at least according to Rex. They stood toward a jagged cliff face just under it. Tracker minded his step and eyed Rex with slight worry. His wheels balancing precariously on the edge. The dino pup smirking and raising an eyebrow towards him.
“Wanna bet I can jump all the way down?” Rex barked at him.
Tracker looked down. He could see a massive watering hole below. He knew Rex had his dino claw so he’d probably be fine. However, he couldn’t help but look at the large and heavy looking wheels behind him. If Rex’s claw missed it’s mark and fallen in..
“Ten cuidado Rex. I don’t want you too…”
“Roar Roar Roar! Geronimo!”
Without any hesitation, Rex had leaped off the ledge and towards the water below. Tracker barked in concern and jumped off with him.
“REEEEEX! Whoa!!!!”
“Ruff ruff! Dino Claw!”
The pup activated his pack and his blue claw gripped the closest thing it could. Suspending him over the massive pool with a few feet to spare. Tracker quickly barked for his cables and swung along the pool. He enjoyed a bit of airtime before feeling one of his cable grips coming undone.
“Tracker!” Rex cried out.
Tracker felt himself go flying and was ready to fall face first into the pool. Instead of the cold wet water, Tracker felt himself land on something large and scaly. He opened his eyes and was met with a massive pair of eyes himself. He was perched on a dinosaurs snout. It’s massive head pulled up from the surface of the water. The creature looking like some sort of duck and gazed at Tracker curiously.
“Muchas gracias! Thank you for the soft landing!”
It bellowed out a friendly roar towards him. Rex used his claw to swing down and hopped toward the edge of the watering hole.
“She says no problem!”
“What kind of dinosaur is she?”
“Shes a Hadrosaurus! Or Hadrosaur for short! Did you know that translates to bulky lizard?”
The dinosaur snorted loudly. Bellowing a mixture of water and mucus all over Tracker that sent the pup flying back toward the bank. Rex bit his lip and called out to the Dino.
“Sorry Betty! I wasn’t saying you were big! I meant…”
Betty the hadrosaur had sneered and quickly ducked her head under water. Tracker stood up and tilted his head in with concern.
“Oi oi oi! Did I do something wrong?”
“No...It was my fault. Betty didn’t take too kindly to that definition.”
“Estoy todo sucio! Yuck! I might need a bath…”
“That’s what the waterfall is for! Better leave your gear though!”
“Ohhh uhhh..alright.”
Tracker admittedly was little embarrassed to dress down in front of Rex. Not that clothing really matter much among pups. The jungle pup left his gear neatly in a pile and quickly jumped a few rocks towards the bottoms of the falls. They roared loudly and Tracker had to tuck his sensitive ears as he stood under the falling water. The current felt nice along his back and neck. He leaned his head to one side. Allowing the current to press to the back of his ears. The pup couldn’t help but kick a leg in satisfaction.
“Dios mío. Perfecto!” He cooed.
“Feels great right?”
Tracker jumped, so caught up in the falls he hadn’t noticed Rex had joined him. His front paws keeping him up right as the water poured over him. He opened his mouth and gargled before spitting it out. Getting a laugh out of Tracker.
“Adorable…”
“What was that?” Rex asked over the roar of the falls.
“Nada” Tracker shot back, looking away.
Rex couldn’t help but marvel at the pup. Besides catching him kicking his leg, Rex found Tracker’s whole posture very cute. His stomach turned at that thought.
“Cute? Did I just think he was...cute?”
The jungle pup could feel his friend’s gaze at him. He looked back at him and held back another giggle. The Dino pup’s heavy coat had water logged. The dense fur completely covering his eyes and snout.
“Tonto! You look...silly”
The Dino pup snapped out of his thoughts and smiled gleefully at him
“Oh yeah?”
Without warning, Rex aggressively shook the water off himself. It flung and struck the jungle pup. He yelped and burst out laughing at the friendly attack.
After a turbulent day of play, the pups eventually went back to the vet center, though Tracker noticed a few missing people. Taylor had advised the boys that Carlos and her mother had gone back to the ruins to observe something they had both noticed. In the meantime, the trio set up a small camp fire outside. After having some dinner and introducing Tracker to Benny, their Brachiosaurus friend. It was close to bed time. While Rex put out the fire, Tracker seemed antsy. Pacing slightly in place, as if anticipating his friends return.
“Something wrong Tracker?”
“Oi, no problema. I was just hoping that Carlos and Doctor Turbot are well and...will return back soon...”
He pointed to some of their equipment by the jeep.
“We were suppose to camp out for the night. Carlos usually sets up our place to sleep. The dark...makes me a little nervous.”
“You could always share space in Rex’s pup house!” Taylor suggested.
Rex smiled at his friend and gave him a friendly nudge.
“Yeah! Come on bud, I won’t let ya sleep alone.”
Taylor had to double check a few of the Dinos in their care before calling it a night. In the meantime, Rex showed Tracker his pup house. It was pretty big despite Rex being the only occupant.
“Whoa, That’s a lot of space.”
“Mmmm hmm, sometimes I let a few of the baby Dinos settle in here when their parents are being seen by Doctor Turbot. “
“Awww Que amable.”
“Little babies get a little scared being away from their parents, especially if they have to stay the night.”
“Si I understand. The dark also makes makes me muy nervioso.”
“Yeah? Is there a reason why? It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”
Tracker settled into Rex’s pup house and fiddled with his paws. His ears twitched at the thought of the dark and he tried to explain it as best as he could to Rex.
“Well, it’s not that I’m afraid of what’s in the dark. It’s more like the dark itself. I’ve been scared of it since I was pequeño.”
“When you were small?” Rex seemed to slowly catch on to the way his friend talked.
“Yup yup. I guess you can call it a phobia? It’s not a very rational fear.”
Rex looked puzzled at the word. Not something he had heard before. As Tracker thought of how to best explain his fear, he couldn’t help but turn his snout towards the back end of his friend. Looking at his massive wheels and rack that held Rex upright, he was curious at the mechanism of it all. Rex perked up at his gaze, seeming to grasp at what Tracker had meant.
“Ohhhhh!, That’s kind of like how I use to be afraid of Dinosaurs!”
The Chihuahua raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Whoa! You? Afraid of Dinosaurs?”
“Yup yup, Also…” He grinned. “You can ask about them you know.”
He pointed towards he back and the jungle pup began to stammer an apology.
“Oi, Lo siento! I didn’t mean too…”
“It’s all good. It was a while ago since I’ve got them.”
“What happened?”
Rex bent down, posing dramatically in front of Tracker.
“There I was, all by myself. Just a few days old. No other pup or human in sight. When I heard this awful sound coming towards me.”
Rex stepped towards Tracker. Letting his paws thump hard on the dirt as he approached him. Tracker held his breath.
“A dinosaur I have never seen before come stomping towards me. It’s eyes bright green! It mouth huge! Teeth incredibly big!”
Rex let his jaw drop and showed off his sharp canines.
“It roared at me. Just then it leaned in and…”
Tracker pulled his ears down in fear.
“Oi Oi oi! It didn’t!”
Rex’s serious expression changed. A big goofy smile planted on his face.
“Then it licked me.”
Tracker let out a small a sign of relief. Feeling his legs give out as he relaxed.
“Gracias a dios. You were just joking.”
“Yup yup. Nothing caused me to be this way. Far as Dr. Turbot can observed, I was just born like this.”
Tracker watched as Rex sat and undid the strap that held his wheels in place. The pup pulled himself forward, Letting his butt and legs drag behind him.
“Funny thing is, My hips kind of work. Even my tail wags!” He demonstrated, bending forward in a downward dog position and letting his fluffy tail wiggle. Getting a chuckle out of Tracker.
“Hehehe you look like Wally when you do that.”
“Who’s Wally?”
“He’s a walrus in Adventure Bay.”
“Ohhh, and Walrus’s they gooo…”
Rex began to make a garbled sound from his snout. Tracker laughing harder at the act.
“Not even close Rex.”
“Can you blame me? I’ve never seen one in real life!”
“Well, if you happened to be out in Adventure Bay sometime. Let me know! I’d love to show you the jungle as well!”
“Neat!”
Rex crawled forward, Tracker moving himself to one side to ensure he had room. Rex had to wiggle his uncooperative legs in without sitting on them. As he sat next to his friend, Tracker noticed how toned Rex’s hind legs were compared to his back ones. He even noticed how cracked and dry his paw pads looked.
“Oi, Doesn’t that hurt?”
“Ehh they do get a little raw sometimes. My front paws do all the heavy lifting with me and my wheels being pulled.”
“Si, I noticed. You’re...very strong.”
Rex took the compliment in stride. Up till Tracker took one of his paws and placed it against his own.
“¿Si eso esta bien? Would it be be okay if I tried something?”
“A..Alright…”
Rex watched as Tracker licked one of his own paws before placing it face down against Rex’s. The pup gently pressed down and began to move it in a circle. Rex flinched at the sensation. The feeling was pleasant against his dry paw pads. His instincts took over and Rex felt his head lean against one side of the pup house as Tracker worked, the Dino pup’s tongue lazily flopping out his mouth in satisfaction.
“Wooooow.”
“That feel better?”
“Ohhhh yeah.”
“Carlos does this for me sometimes. It helps keep them clean and relaxed after a long day. Though he uses a cloth and water. Not saliva.”
Tracker began to work the other paw for a while the Dino pup enjoyed every moment of it before lifting his head up.
“Thanks! No other pup has done that for me before….”
“Heheh it was nothing.” Tracker beamed back. “My paws aren’t as sensitive as yours. My ears though, that’s a different story.”
“They’re hard to miss!” Rex bit his lip at his own observation. “Wait, I didn’t mean…”
“Hahahah it’s all good. "I'm all ears! Soy todo oídos.”
Rex leaned a paw up curiously. The jungle pup stared at him.
“Do you mind if I…”
Tracker felt his snout go red. He was happy Rex couldn’t see his blush in the dark.
“Oh, Go ahead.”
Tracker tilted his head, letting Rex press his paw to one of his ears. Rex could feel how thin it was. It twitched and fluttered with every gentle pet Rex gave. The jungle pup couldn’t help but lean into his new friend.
“That feel ok?”
“Que rico” Tracker sung out.
“Hehe, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Rex continued to pet his friends ear as Tracker hummed a quiet tune from his snout. They didn’t say anything for while. Just enjoying each other’s company. Neither pup noticed each other tails wagging happily. This feeling Rex was experiencing was foreign to him. It wasn’t like he wasn’t friendly to other pups, but he was being incredibly sweet to Tracker especially. He didn’t really understand why. Tracker took it all in stride. He dug his wet nose against Rex’s neck. Getting a surprise yelp from him.
“Lo siento!”
“No no! It’s fine, Really...That just...reminded me of something.”
The pair turned their gazes from one another, Tracker feeling especially awkward. After a while, Rex spoke.
“There really was a dinosaur by the way...when I was little…”
“Was there?”
“Yeah…”
He somberly looked at his paws.
“I don’t remember much about where I came from. Who my family or what I was even doing in the Dino Wilds. I remember...hearing the sounds of the creatures around me. I couldn’t run away. I was so scared...then it came.”
Tracker slowly leaned into his friend. Being sure not to scare him.
“It was the first time I had ever seen a dinosaur. I don’t remember exactly what kind she was but I do remember her having really big green eyes. I thought for sure she would try and eat me up till she leaned in and nuzzled me.”
“Precioso”
“She took me out of there and left me near a campsite. Just so happened that Doctor Turbot had just began her own exploration there. Got my own wheels then and the rest is history. From that point forward, I wasn’t afraid of Dinosaurs.”
“That’s amazing. I wonder what happened to her?”
“Not sure, I haven’t seen any Dinos out here that’s come close what she looked like. It was a while ago anyhow. I just worry that…”
“That the fossils at the ruins could be her.”
Rex stammered a little before smiling weakly.
“Good call, you’re very perceptive.”
“I try my best” Tracker joked. “Con toda seriedad Rex. It’s possible that the fossils could be a different dinosaur.”
Rex looked up out towards the stars.
“True, I do hope she is still around. Somewhere.”
Rex stood up on his front paws and eyed the sky hopefully.
“I’d be sooo interested in what she’d have to say. Maybe even give me some idea of where I came from! That’d be soo cool!”
“Muy chulo. Very cool.”
Tracker looked up towards him. His heart swelled for starry look Rex gave towards the dark night. He felt like he could admire and listen to his friend for hours, only for a quiet yawn to escape his maw.
“Guess it is time for bed huh?” Rex asked.
“Si, guess I was more tired than expected.”
As Tracker laid his head between his paws, he felt Rex lean close towards him. Resting one of his front legs against his back. Tracker leaned in close, their noses practically touching.
“Hey Tracker….”
“Si?” The pup asked, his eyes getting heavy.
“Thanks for listening.”
“No problem… My ears are great for that.”
With that, the pair drifted quietly to sleep.
Tracker was the first to wake up the following morning. He felt another flutter in his chest as he eyed Rex’s calm face as he slept. Tracker really really wanted to lick his nose but was concerned he might be overstepping his boundaries. Tracker thought a few things at that moment. One thought had really bothered him.
“Am I...falling for him too fast?”
Before he could ponder further, a loud horn blared towards the vet center. The pair jumped in fright and stepped out of the pup house to see a familiar sight. The Paw Patroller made it’s way towards the vet center. Despite just being woken up, Rex leaped forward and began to run in circles. His back legs dragging dirt and dust in the air. It was quite the sight to see.
“Tracker! Look! The Pups are here! Heck, I need my wheels.”
“And maybe another bath?” Tracker giggled, pointing towards his friends dirt covered legs and tail.
“That can wait! Let’s go see our friends!”
Tracker watched as Rex slipped back into his wheel set and sped off towards the Paw Patroller. Tracker was happy the rest of his friends could make it, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. His one on one time with Rex was done but Tracker reassured himself that this was a good thing. Spending some time with others can help him settled down, make up his mind about whether he was falling for this pup far too fast.
Unbeknownst to him, Rex had already come to the conclusion that what he had felt for Tracker was something else. Something beyond friendship and he needed some advice from a few friendly faces on what to do next.
Unbeknownst to the pair, Doctor Tammy Turbot was quickly making her way back to the vet center, eager to let her daughter and the others know of the discovery she and Carlos made last night. As she happily drove through the dense wildness, Carlos entered the ruins for the first time, and terror gripped him at what he saw.
