Primal Saga Volume 1: The Queen of Silence

Chapter 8: Dino Dominion

The metal doors of the animal containment building clattered together as Victor shut them behind us -locking us in with whatever lives inside these walls.

From what I can tell, the building is shaped like a crescent, with animal stalls that lining the wall to our right. The stalls released into a kind of open dirt courtyard on the inside of the curve of the building. The courtyard connects to the other paddocks through a gate.

A choir of grunts and bellows echoed from within the building which gave me a sense of unease. The encounter I had with Vertigo flooded my mind causing my legs to shake.

Students chatted amongst themselves as they shoveled dung out of some of the animal stalls. Then all of a sudden one of them began waving at me.

"Donnie! Hey! Over here," called a girl wearing a blue jumpsuit with red bangs, her brown hair tied up behind her head like peacock feathers. 

"Hey Aila," I sheepishly said in response.

"Head up down there," said a voice from above us just before a green bale of ferns and grass thudded on the ground. I looked up to see a catwalk that extended out from what I assumed was the hey loft. "Ah, Donnie," said Bernie who was wearing overalls and was leaning against the catwalk railing peering down at me and uncle Victor. "We've been expecting you. Your ride is just about saddled up and ready to go."

"Wait! Ride?"

"Yeah, you will be taking Cookie out for a ride this lovely evening. Don't worry, your uncle will be with you and you will be staying in the school pastures. Cookie is pretty docile, but she can be pretty lazy so you will need to work her a bit. She is in stall four. Aila will give you a hand with her. As for you Victor, Cream is in stall two. Have fun out there you two. Oh! And be careful with my babies!"

"Thanks, Bernie," Victor said.

I walked over to stall four which was more or less a large metal door with an open window covered by metal bars. I peered inside to see a dracocephale standing in the middle of the stall with a bridle over its face which had two braided cords which to either side of the stall - holding the draco in place. On the animal's back was an odd-looking saddle that had a handlebar where the reins rested as well as two headlights positioned near the shoulders of the draco.

Aila came alongside me and began unlocking the gate.

"Wait, do I have to get in there?"

Aila raised an eyebrow at my question. "Well, you are going to have to. How else are you going to get on her back?"

"I don't think I can."

Alia's expression showed that she wasn't amused by my lack of cooperation.

"What? I said. "You were very supportive of me when we were climbing the rock wall. Why are you being impatient with me now?"

"Because with the rock wall at least you actually got on the wall," Aila said. "Plus, there was no turning back because you were strapped in. I wasn't going to let you quit until you hit the top. Just step into the stall. I promise she won't hurt you. We will take it one step at a time."

I peered into the stall at the dracocephale which never even acknowledging me as it idle in silence. The animal stood on its hind legs balanced by its long sturdy tail which stretched to the back of the stall. The tail swayed back and forward on occasion.

"Ok, when we enter: stay to the left side, remain calm, keep a safe distance from the tail," Aila instructed. "No, no, come here. You don't need to be against the wall. Right about where I am is good," she said pulling me closer to the draco. "Now walk with me. We are just going to let her know you're here."