Leptoconops is a midge, a pesky bloodsucker that plagued even the dinosaurs. Ask T’s mother, who had just gotten them to leave her alone after rolling in the mud and shaking them off for hours. Normally, T would be the target due to being smaller, thus less agile, and more likely to succumb should he have been swarmed. However, because of the maternal Tyrannosaur’s tail being as badly damaged as it was, the midges had found what amounted to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

  After getting free of the nuisances, the mother and son continued their journey in search of a new home. Again, they traveled for days; however, this time, T was different. He was stronger, faster, and also larger, which caused the dinosaur to take longer strides than usual. Needless to say, our terrifying Tyrannosaur was starting to find his place in the world after helping his mother slay the Hermitaur for nourishment.

  T stopped and looked yonder. His tail swooshed a little, as T.rex tails are rigid and not as maneuverable as tails from other species, but what was the yonder in question? It was a paradise for the two-dinosaur family. The trees were tall enough to provide ample cover for ambushes, but sparse enough that a T.rex could run through them, no problem. The river flowing from it was a deep blue and could provide a fantastic water supply for the dinosaurs. Finally, there did not seem to be any of those behemoths anywhere. The young Tyrannosaur sped up, but for every four steps he took, his mother took one big lunge. Noticing that she wasn’t able to keep up, he slowed his pace. There was strength in numbers, after all. He walked up to her, watching her as she slumped to the ground. Not having any clue as to what was going on, as he hadn’t experienced anything like this before. The maternal dinosaur’s breathing slowed and slowed, causing T to worry. He knew what he had to do; he went hunting, using what he had learned from his mother to catch and kill a small mammal. He brought it up to her and dropped it. Surely even the smallest morsel of nourishment will perk her right up. He looked at her, nudged the carcass closer, and.

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  Nothing…

  T ran around, circling his mother, trying to play. He bit her snout, then ran behind her and tugged on her tail. He looked up from the tail and back to her.

  Nothing…

  The young Tyrannosaur walked up to her and nudged her snout with his. He lay down next to her for a while, wrapping his tail around her as best as he could, like she had done to him for years. He still had no clue what was going on. All he could do was put his head on hers as she left the earth, and her son along with it.

  The mother dinosaur had contracted an ancient form of malaria that had plagued prehistoric creatures for millions of years, which led the now-teenage dinosaur to realize just how cruel nature could be.

  There was now only one Tyrannosaur, and he was on his own.