Stalingrad's Backstory | Family Ties

School was out. Well, for the week-long break we had been given,at least.

I always enjoyed the return journey from school, admiring the views as I passed by. The only downside was the weight of my school bag. As if my posture wasn't bad enough, I had to carry two huge textbooks on Mesozoic fauna, my history textbook, my history work book and my sketchbook for my art lessons.

Teachers always gave us unnecessarily thick books or half a tree compressed into the form of a 'History of Mesozica'. They were also keen on giving out lengthy essays on dinosaur group behaviour.

My farm materialised on the horizon, our land stretching far behind in rolling patchworks of dappled greens and yellows. I could hear the gentle bellowing of the hadrosaurs grazing in the lower fields.

The rustic brown picket fence stretched in two jittery parallels leading all the way from the gate displaying my family's surname on a makeshift sign, to the step of our cosy farmhouse at the bottom of the path.

Even from my fair distance away, I spied my mother on the veranda steps, chatting to one of our neighbours, who I couldn't stand. I hope she's on her way soon. Stupid woman. Both women were constantly glanced back at me.

I could tell when I was being talked about.

"Hi Mum." I called down the path as I reached the hay barn opposing the house.

"Good day at school dear?" She asked as our neighbour scurried past me. I dwarfed her but still she sauntered past, her basket in the crook of her arm, like she owned me. We had some neighbours who were genuinely nice, kind people but, in my opinion,she was not one of them.

"Fine ... the usual."

"I'm just going to the herb garden." She said, vanishing through the back door. "The post's in the box. Came in by Archaeopteryx just after you left."

I rushed out to the decaying rust bucket that is our letter holder. I'm sure it would have been a fine silver when my dad first nailed it to the wall but now it was more brown than silver.

Sliding the letters through my hand, I sorted through them.

Junk. Bill. Bill. Junk. Bill. Bill. Junk. Bill.

And then, there is was.

A pamphlet for Partnering school. Not a letter of application but I was one step closer. They knew I was interested.

I dashed through the house, careful not to catch any of my mothers precious ornaments on my way to confront her.

"Look Mum, it's here! It's here!" I yelled excitably.

"What's here, Stal?" She replied, pursing her lips with her right hand firmly planted on her hip.

"The pamphlet for Partnering School?"

"Oh really?" My mother murmured sarcastically, continuing to tend to her garden.

"Yeah!" I added, fuelled by optimism. "Then I can go to Partnering School and then get my own Partner dinosaur and then I can become a Ranger or a Scientist or a Defender and then I can-"

"Stal, just stop." Mum interrupted.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Because I do not want off galavanting into the wilderness, like the rest of your fathers relations. Why could you not get a normal job?"

"But I want to go, Mum. I want to join the-".

"Stalingrad. No!". Her attitude changed immediately. Throwing down her gardening tools, she grabbed my shoulders, pulling me to meet her eye to eye. My mother was several inches shorter than me but still her icy glare made my body freeze. But when I thought she was about to scold me, tears filled her blue eyes and she sat down at the table, her head in her hands.

My mother had lost her usual immaculate appearance. Her bun was chaotic with numerous strands of blond hair falling out down her back.

After what seemed like an millennium, she finally spoke, in a quiet mousy tone.

"Stal, come here."

I did as she said and she hugged me, folding her arms around my middle as high as her tiny frame could reach. Feeling her tears soaking into my shirt, I joined her embrace.

My mother was a strong woman. She didn't cry about nothing. She spoke again, equally quiet as before.

"I ... I ... I just ... don't want to l-lose you. Like I lost your brother."

"But I don't want to be a def-"

"I don't want you in those mountains. After your father passes on, you'll take the farm when I am old and grey. Promise me you will, Stal?"

"I will." I responded. "Promise. I'm going hunting." I said, as I reached for my bow and slung my sheath onto my back.

"Feed the Tsintaosaurs on your way out please, hun. The farm hands have gone home early to beat sundown."

She pecked my cheek to say goodbye and I made my way out of the house and started my ascent of the steep hill leading to the woods.

I swapped my crisp navy blue school blazer for my leather jacket as I left via the front door. As I reached the front of the house, my mother once again demanded my attention.

"Don't forget!" She called through the window after me. "Your father will be back with your sister soon. Be back for then." Just as I thought I was out of earshot, she added, "And be careful in the woods. Watch your back!". With a tut, she disappeared back into our lowly farmhouse.

My sister stayed with our grandparents in one of the nearby cities. She attended a school for academically gifted children and at the age of fourteen was in her third year.

I had also applied but as usual I didn't make the cut. I was 'too distracted' and had a 'wandering mind' which I could 'influence' the other pupils with.

Hauling the sack up the hill over my shoulder was a hard slog. I never realised hay could be so heavy.

The hadrosaurs were already waiting at the paddock gates. It was already gone half past three. Their dinner was late.

When I did reach the fence, the whole herd was honking loudly, demanding the sack of hay behind me. I propped myself up on the second rung of the fence and evenly scattered the hay so that each Tsintaosaurus got a decent amount.

There had been Tsintaosaurus on the farm as long as both I and my father could remember. One of my ancestors set it up nine generations before my father.

It's my dream to be a Ranger but I suppose I'll end up being the eleventh generation.

With the Tsintaosaurus' silenced by food, I decided to head up to the woods while it was still light. There was a secluded glade further up the river from the farm. It was a haven for dinosaurs as well as my mammalian prey.

But I knew that I had to be careful. I wouldn't the only predator on the prowl.

My boots and the bottom of my trousers were soaked thanks to the heavy dew on the long grass which lined the hills around my home.

I covered the distance in just under ten minutes, the norm. I probably could have done it quicker if not for the slippery conditions and being tired from a particularly demanding day of school.

Upon hearing a rustle from the bushes straight ahead, I crouched low to the ground. I drew an arrow from my quiver and pulled it back, making the bow strings creak with pressure.

My shredded nerves began to play up and my hands shook uncontrollably. With a quick breath of composure, I let the arrow fly. It shot through the vegetation and my quarry gave out a shocked screech.

Before any bigger predators could be attracted to the distress sound, I dashed up to the bushes to collect my reward.

A Didelphodon. A particularly good size one as well.

After three quarters of an hour of hunting, my catches were three Alphadon and one Didelphodon. Not a lot for dusk surprisingly, when animals were likely to active at dawn and dusk.

Eventually I reached the lake.

Gentle bellowing from the banks of the water immediately told me there were dinosaurs present. Minding my step, I scrambled through the undergrowth reaching the cover of some ferns close to the watersedge.

As the daytime temperatures began to descend, fractured herds of mottled sauropods clung close to the tree line browsing on low shrubs and tall grasses alike.

Numerous hadrosaur species were scattered across the flood plain, grazing and socialising with in a cacophony of honks, growls and bellows.

A small group of Parasaurolophus drank quietly at the furthest edges of the water while couples of Ouranosaurus bathed in the warm evening pool.

The calm waters of the pond, reflected the scene onto the waters surface, making it seem like a portal to another distant dimension.

I shifted my weight off my sore leg, still looking out across the lake.

A twig splintered beneath my foot with a sudden sickening snap.

Crap.

I froze awaiting the reaction of the herbivorous dinosaurs. Nothing. But my relief was short lived.

A low growl rumbled from the reeds through my body to the right of me.

Trying to avoid any other stray twigs, I swivelled on my heels with my heart in my mouth.

I couldn't help but repress a shocked gasp.

There in front of me, glaring down the barrel of its long snout and propped up on its hind legs, stood a colossal sub-adult male Spinosaurus.

I could tell he was male by his distinctively redder colouration around his neck, legs and tail. Dad had taught me well.

I did my best to balance my glare between the Spinosaur and the ground so as not to provoke an attack as my father had told me. I could hear him on my head.

'Remember Stalingrad my son, never look a sharp tooth directly in the eyes. You must keep one eye on the dinosaur and the other on the ground. Looking straight at it will only aggravate it.'

From his time as a Defender, my dad always had gems of advice up his sleeve he would 'guarantee' would prove useful in the future. And today was that day.

While I had been reminiscing, the Spinosaur taken two striding steps forward. I stayed motionless. I knew perfectly well he could see me but if I showed I wasn't a threat, he was less likely to attack.

But still he advanced, his long legs gliding through the water and reeds with gentle ease.

I was utterly terrified to say the least. My heart drummed against my chest in a fast paced rhythm and I could feel sweat beneath my arms and running down my face.

The dinosaur closed in like a shark to bait, its body begins twisting and sliding behind its crocodile like head.

Chances are it won't attack. It won't attack. It won't attack.

Hot fishy breath blew across my face with the Spinosaurs nostrils inches from my face.

Then the sound of his heavy footsteps away from me set my heart at ease. He resumed his position as fisherman, crouched over the same patch of water I found him and while he was tackling a large fish, I made my escape.

My hearted pounded my ribcage with brisk but steady rhythms. My breathing was heavy and my hands shaking more than usual. Uncontrollably. I glared at my hand to try and make it stop. Only when my other hand was forced on top did it stop.

I have to tell Dad. But what will he say? Will he be angry? Frustrated that I nearly lost my life? Proud of my actions? Admiration at my maturity and probably my catch too.

I could already hear my Mums thoughts. Stalingrad! What the hell were you thinking?! You are never going into the those god forsaken woods again! I swear to Yessina if I catch you going up there again, I'll-'. Best I didn't tell her.

As I reached the hill which overlooked our land, I could see our Triceratops trundling down the drive, a carriage bouncing behind her.

I practically galloped down the slope and greeted my mother on the veranda brushing off my jacket and dumping my sack on the floor.

She looked at me and then at the sack with a equally disapproving look, as half an Alphadon peered out of the bag.

"Why must you kill those vermin, Stal?" She asked me through a smile of gritted teeth.

"You want meat on that table don't you?"

"But your father can trade and-"

I interrupted her. "And how much do you have to pay if I hunt them on our land?"

Our Triceratops, Magda, pulled up against the fence opposing the barn, the wheels on the cart squeaking as I did.

Magda was ancient. Even for an elderly 50 years old, she was still sprite full and active, pulling the cart or the plough almost everyday without fail or refusal. She was predominantly brown with darker shades over her eyes, the brim of her frill and along her stubby tail.

My dad unharnessed the Triceratops and led her to the barn with the temptation of hay, waving to us as he did. I returned his wave while my mother blew a kiss.

And then she arrived, skittering up the path with suitcase in hand and a parasol in the crook of her arm. In a flowing blue dress and a large straw sunhat, she embraced my mother immediately.

My sister was back. Fjord was home.

I stood awkwardly on the edge of their hug, kicking my heels.

My sister then launched herself at me, before grabbing me around the waist and squeezing as tight as she could.

"I've missed you, Stal, so much." She murmured to me with tearful sea blue eyes.

I replied tenderly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But you're home now and that's all that matters."