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Shadow (6 days after)

I didn't feel anything for hours. Or perhaps it was minutes. I could feel my own weight, but not my body exactly. Or it's the other way around. I couldn't move was the official problem. I could push the energy inside to my muscles. For some reason it wasn't physically possible. And I eventually stopped trying. Then, as I laid there in the darkness, a light came alive from inside. And my muscle feelings lifted. But so did the pain. Being only close to adulthood, it was strange enough to have never hunted or fought with creatures my size and bigger, unlike Thunder, my father. So when I felt the pain from my last fight come back alive, I wanted to wail out to the heavens for an eternity. I couldn't explain the pain, sort of like fire burning me from the inside out, or a nauseous feeling that rang my head like a bell. I wasn't quite certain which one hurt more, since they were oddly the same. Eventually, the feeling raced through me to the tip of my tail, which was when I was able to function for the first time. The first thing I noticed was that my breathing was really slow, painful slow. My eyelids felt heavy as I strained to open them, and when I did, a light came to my pupils. Was it truly the sun? Unfortunately no....it was fire. But it wasn't like the fire I've seen before, not at all, this one was contained permanently. It emitted heat equally around its roots, melting the permafrost that covered its rainforest sand. It danced as if in a ballet, capturing every flick from the toxic air. I stared at it in wonder, opening my eyelids a bit more, until I saw it clearly without a type of blur. I blinked a few times, seeing the orange flame wave in all directions in the air, then groaned. Something poked me. Then again. I felt a piercing pain strike me hard once again and winced, squeezing my eyes shut. What, or who was poking me? I wanted to crush my jaws in the pain that roared from my chest and back, when suddenly, it ceased in a warm and cool feeling. What was going on? Then I felt foot stomps. And there appeared a greenish, brownish paw. It wasn't clawed like mine, nor was it flat like a long-necks. It was a herbivore's. My eyes went up slowly, embracing the picture of a huge thorned Three-Horn, glancing down at me. A hot breath of steam exited its nostrils as she stared at me. There was another one behind me, two others in fact, two males, and one Triceratop youngling. And behind them was the longneck and its youngling. And they just stared. The she-dino looked at me, back at her group, then whispered something under here breath. They spoke in grunts and groans, little roars from their pointed beaks. I couldn't understand what they were saying, though I wish that I could. They seemed to be having a conversation of their own. But about me? Suddenly through the conversation, a triceratops busted through the crowd, running straight at me! All the other triceratops cried out either in terror or glory, yet I went into total shock, and quickly tried to jerk to my feet. Then I heard a rip, and a splash of blood stained the earth and my claws. Pain boiled over my head like the weight of the world, and I began to stumble once again. What did I do? I wanted to scream, but screaming wouldn't help me anyways. The Triceratops lunged, knocking me down like a rock to the earth. The ground shook violently as he pinned me to my back, exposing my underside to its most vulnerable point. I tried to swipe him with my tail, but one of his four legs was on my tail, two planted on the ground, and one deep in my belly. Its breathing was harsh and deep, and its eyes were locked on me in pure hatred. But why? I strained to get him off, but his weight and power overcame me. And for the first time, I felt completely useless.

"Don't hurt me!" I choked, "Please....I didn't do any-" Then a sharp pain sank back into my chest. I saw its horn suddenly begin digging into my flesh like a knife. I never felt anything as worse and brutal as that. I let out a roar of pain as the light before my eyes went red, and stars twinkled on my pupil. With the thought of dying once more, I felt my tears begin to return to my eyes as a last resort. That's when something odd happened. The long-neck let out a cry of anger, thundered down towards us, then slammed its foot into the earth. I felt my body rumble, catching the attention of the Triceratops. A few more grunts and wheezes emitted from both of their mouths, until finally, in frightening fear, he released, slipping his horn from my body. I saw my blood stain its horn, eyes wide in how deep it got. Then, I doubled over in pain, gasping endlessly as I gripped my chest, now with two holes bleeding out. The agony was beyond approach, and I felt like I needed to die at that point. I felt spasms of electricity snap through my veins like liquid metal, and the tears finally swept down my face. It hurts so much! My mind howled, and I'm just a kid...! I shuddered violently again, holding on to my own flesh, hide and scales to never let go as the pain increased. The Triceratops that attacked me then got bodied by the other female one angrily. The female looked older, and I saw her face of wisdom, and also great power over the others. Her horns were bent not like theirs, and a bit old and useless, but she looked healthy. She ordered for something to the others as she stumbled over to me, and two Triceratops lumbered slowly away into the dead forest. I gritted my teeth, squeezing my eyes hard to make the unbearable pain disappear, but despite my tries, it only continued on. The Triceratops was now over me, glancing at me as if trying to decide what to do with me. For me, I felt the deepest fear rise up into my skull, and panic unlike anything else. But then, she spoke. At first I heard a grunting sound like usual, grunts, clicks, honks. I shook my head.