The dinosaur inhaled deeply, the faint scent pulling him forward like an invisible thread. His tail swayed slightly as he moved, each step deliberate, each breath measured. The cracked earth gave way to a narrow ravine, its walls sheer and jagged, casting deep shadows even in the harsh sunlight. The scent grew stronger here, mingling with something else—dampness. Moisture. His heart thudded against his ribs.

As he rounded a bend, the ravine opened into a small, hidden basin. The ground was softer here, the air cooler. And there, nestled against the base of a towering rock formation, was a shallow pool of water—miraculously untouched by the drought. But it wasn’t the water that made his breath catch. At the edge of the pool, hunched over and drinking, was a creature. Small, feathered, its body lean and agile. It lifted its head, revealing sharp, intelligent eyes. Not a dinosaur. Not quite. But something close. Something that shouldn’t exist.

The creature froze, sensing his presence. For a moment, they stared at each other across the water, two relics of a forgotten world. Then, with a flutter of wings, the creature darted into the shadows of the rocks, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. The dinosaur stood motionless, the weight of what he’d just seen settling over him like a storm. He wasn’t alone after all.