I am a goat.
Since the day I was born, I have lived a life of absolute luxury. I never had to worry about food or finding a mate; my former servants, the hairless monkeys, handled everything for me.
So, what was the catch?
Looking at the two unknown creatures in front of it—one large, one small—both currently pretending to be invisible, the goat had been bleating in a panicked frenzy for over ten minutes. Its throat was parched, and it was on the verge of a mental breakdown. It had only one thought left:
Just make it quick.
…
Carlo had followed his father to learn how to hunt. It wasn't for any noble reason; he was just curious.
His derpy father, Debby, had given him an appreciative nod when he saw him following, as if to say: That's my boy!
But now, Carlo had been crawling along the ground behind his father for ten minutes. He really wanted to ask: Do you realize that goat can see you?
The tourists in the viewing log were having a blast, snapping photos like paparazzi. They didn't care if the hunting method was absurd; as far as they were concerned, they were getting their money's worth.
"Hahaha, look at them! Two little mounds of scales, so cute!"
"Oh man, look at that goat's face. I'm dying."
"Do these two goofs really think the goat can't see them?"
People were slandering the dinosaurs, but the dinosaurs didn't care. There were plenty of other humans ready to argue with the hecklers anyway, after all, humans love nothing more than bickering with their own kind.
Suddenly, something clicked inside Carlo. His aura shifted instantly. His breathing became incredibly slow and shallow, as if he had ceased to be a living thing.
As he moved forward again, his footsteps made no sound. It was as if he belonged to the earth itself.
In front of him, Debby noticed the silence beside him. He tilted his head slightly, and seeing that his son was still following perfectly, he felt a flicker of confusion.
Strange. He was right there a second ago, but I couldn't hear him at all. Whatever, back to the lesson.
Another minute passed. Debby was practically nose-to-nose with the goat now; the animal could feel the hot dragon-breath on its face.
Debby tilted his head toward Carlo: Your turn, kid.
Carlo locked his eyes on the goat. The hunting genes etched into his marrow roared to life. Unlike his mother's regal, crushing pressure, Carlo's gaze was that of a stalking leopard, relentless and lethal.
Carlo lunged. Thanks to his uncanny body control, he latched onto the goat's neck mid-air. But perhaps he used too much force, or perhaps the goat's body was simply too fragile, he ended up flipping right over the goat's head.
Yet, he didn't let go.
The result was Carlo performing a 180-degree horizontal flip using the goat's neck as a pivot. At the apex of the turn, his sheer momentum caused his upper and lower jaws to scrape along the goat's throat before finally snapping shut.
(Imagine a pair of scissors sliding across a wooden table as they cut; they move further away as they close.)
Though the goat's body had absorbed some of the impact, Carlo still went flying. He landed on his side, but he ignored the dizzying ringing in his head. Instinct was screaming at him to pounce again...
Kill the prey.
Carlo scrambled up... no, he didn't exactly "stand." He retracted the leg touching the ground, gave a slight kick-flip, and immediately resumed his prowl.
He leaped again.
This time, his power was perfectly calibrated. He landed half a meter behind the goat's neck. One quick lunge was all it would take to tear its throat open.
He opened his mouth, aiming for the lower throat. He intended to clamp down until the life left the beast!
But just as he was about to bite, he stopped. Not out of sudden compassion, but because...
The goat was already dead.
A ring of jagged lacerations encircled the goat's neck, and blood was gushing out. The ground was stained crimson, and the actual wound was becoming a blur of red.
Only now did Carlo notice the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. He felt a sudden sense of bewilderment. He licked the sides of his jaw and felt small, razor-sharp teeth.
Wait? I have teeth? Since when?
Unlike a T. rex or an Indominus rex, whose teeth are always on display, Carlo's teeth were hidden behind thick, fleshy lips in a relaxed state. This was why he hadn't even realized he'd grown them.
If I remember correctly, I'm only three days old. Is... is this normal? Am I some kind of freak?
Searching through his mental database, he could only think of one type of dinosaur born with teeth, but those looked like bobblehead dolls, definitely "deformed" by any standard.
(The famously abstract ARK dinosaur hatchlings.)
Unlike the confused Carlo, Debby was looking at his son with unbridled pride.
Attaboy! Definitely takes after me!
The tourists in the log were equally electrified. This raw, primal kill made their blood pump. Since Jurassic World opened, they had never featured live hunts or dinosaur combat, mostly to avoid public backlash, as it was seen as "animal cruelty" or "dinosaur cockfighting."
Wait? Isn't the Primeval Ecological Zone just a different kind of colosseum? Nonsense! That's called 'Nature's Art'! It's 'Ecological Realism'!
A three-day-old "infant" hunting a goat was technically impossible in the dinosaur world. But aside from Dr. Wu's team, no one knew Carlo was only three days old; his sheer size misled everyone.
Oh, and for the record, Debby also knew Carlo was only three days old… he just forgot.
Carlo lowered his head to taste the blood again.
Hmm, a bit sweet, but too irony. Not as good as Mom's milk. Figures, I'm still a baby.
He bit down on the goat's neck and dragged it toward Debby. He looked up and let out two chirpy growls, as if presenting a trophy, and gestured that they should take the food back to Caroline.
Debby agreed, his eyes shining with even more pride.
So thoughtful! Definitely takes after me!
Debby lowered his head, nudged Carlo's small noggin, then picked up the goat in his jaws. He gave Carlo a muffled, encouraging rumble and turned back toward the forest.
Carlo trotted after him. The large and small figures disappeared into the deep woods.
…
[Giganotosaurus Exhibit Official: The hatchling's first hunt! A massive success! Let us praise the apex predator of the future! (Video)]
[The person running this account is definitely a Giga-stan.]
[Gee, I wonder why they work for the exhibit?]
[Lol, 'Giga-stan' is an understatement. This is a religion.]
…
[Currently Discoverable Traits.]
[Name: Carlo (Giganotosaurus)]
[Clumsy Stealth: While in a stealth state, your movements will not disturb the foliage, and your breathing will be silent. However, your scent remains, and you can still be detected by other forms of observation.]
AN: I've always thought the stealth animation for the Giga in the original ARK was pretty cool. This trait is unique to our protagonist; it won't evolve into some supernatural ability or superpower battle!