The dinosaur settled onto the rocky outcrop, his thick hide scraping against the stone as he curled into a resting position. The sun, now a burning ember on the horizon, painted the sky in shades of orange and red. He watched as the heat waves shimmered over the barren land, distorting the distant glimmer he had spotted earlier.

As twilight deepened, the temperature dropped rapidly. His breath formed faint clouds in the cooling air, a reminder of the life still clinging within him. The stars began to emerge, their cold light offering a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of the day. He tilted his head back, his slit pupils dilating to take in the constellations—patterns he had memorized over countless lonely nights.

A distant howl echoed across the wastes, sending a shiver down his spine. Not another dinosaur, but something else—something that had survived the extinction. The sound was alien, yet it stirred something primal in him. Prey? Predator? He couldn't be sure. His claws flexed against the rock, his muscles tensing as he weighed the risks of moving toward the glimmer in the dark.

By the time the moon rose, a pale guardian in the sky, the air was cool enough to move without the sun's torment. He stood, his joints creaking, and took one last look at the glimmer in the distance. It was time to move.