The dinosaur settled into the dust beside the abandoned nest, his massive frame casting a long shadow as the sun bled into the horizon. He curled his tail around himself, the thick muscle acting as both pillow and shield. His yellow eyes remained open, scanning the darkness as the temperature plummeted. The wasteland nights were cruel, but he had endured worse.

Hours passed in silence. The stars, countless and cold, watched over the barren world. Then—movement. A whisper of sound, too light to be the wind. His head snapped up, nostrils flaring. There, between two jagged rocks, a small shape darted. Too fast to see clearly, but unmistakably alive. His claws flexed into the earth, ready to lunge or flee.

The shape paused, silhouetted against the moonlight. A creature no taller than his knee, covered in patchy feathers with eyes that gleamed like polished stones. It tilted its head, studying him with an intelligence that sent a shiver down his spine. Then it chirped—a sound like cracking ice—and vanished into the night.

The dinosaur exhaled, his breath fogging in the cold air. That creature was no bird. It was something else. Something that shouldn’t exist. And yet, here it was. The wind carried its scent to him again: musk and iron and something achingly familiar. He had to know more. But for now, he would wait. Dawn would bring answers—or more questions.