Of course, one of the dumbest things a person could do when he went to a zoo was to walk into an enclosure and try to ride an animal. And if the aforementioned animal was carnivorous, then in all likelihood that person wouldn't have come out of the cage alive.

And now, Jocelyne wasn't just about to climb on the back of an allosaurus, one of the most dangerous predators that ever existed, but the aforementioned allosaurus was also wild, unrestricted and capable of speaking, all at the same time. Although he had offered himself spontaneously, Jocelyne felt a lump forming in her throat as the animal bent to lift her up, bringing his head a few centimeters from the ground and thus making his teeth as big as a human finger very visible.

Trying to not think that what she was touching was a carnivorous dinosaur three times her height, Jocelyne pulled herself up and sat on Al's shoulders. back grew thick plumage which made the animal's skin rather soft. When Al stood up to her full height, Jocelyne felt the urge to grab the feathers to hold on and avoid falling, but she held back for fear of plucking one and angering the allosaurus.

Seeing her gesture of courage, the other members of the delegation began climbing onto the dinosaurs. Most of them obviously chose Martha or Teo, as the jumper and the streaked dinosaur seemed the most peaceful of them all. Chloe had the courage to propose to Pierce, who was very helpful and in order not to make her uncomfortable, he made her climb up to the top of her back, where the plates were wider and the woman could therefore sit down without being hurt. Jackson chose to go with Terence, while some other security members went with Matilda.

When all the humans were on their backs, the dinosaurs quietly walked towards Marsala. Although it was getting dark, they moved with confidence, since with them there were predators such as tyrannosaurs and allosaurs that saw us very well at night.

Humans, on the other hand, found it difficult to see in the dark. Fortunately, the security officers had brought torches and the dinosaurs had no objection to them being lit.

"Let's hope the journey wasn't too hard. We know the road is long" Pierce said, perhaps to break the ice.

Jocelyne shook her head. "We have not encountered any difficulties. Sometimes it was hot, but nothing more". Suddenly she thought of something. "Oh, and on our way here we got to witness your work. We have seen you making the earth fertile again. You are truly an industrious people"

Jocelyne hoped that like humans, dinosaurs were sensitive to flattery, and she was not disappointed. Even if they tried not to show it, it was clear that their companions were satisfied. "You flatter us, miss. We're just doing our duty" Pierce replied. "When our ancestors walked this land, they helped keep it as fertile as we are. They dug, cleaned, fertilized and seeded just like we are doing now. The only difference is that, inevitably, we are now intensifying this task, so that the plants return to grow here as soon as possible"

A careless person might have thought that the stegosaurus meant that dinosaurs had always been intelligent, and that they had always looked after the forest as guardians, but Jocelyne could read between the lines and was able to understand that what Pierce meant something quite different. Contrary to what people often thought, plants were not independent from animals: 90% of the plant world needed the help of animals to survive. The animals, during their life, dug and turned the earth to create burrows, fertilized it and spread the seeds with their excrement, weed it by eating, and when they died their bodies became nourishment for new forms of life. Not surprisingly, when the humans of Odaria had chased away most of the large animals in order to establish the colony, even low plants such as grass and ferns had ceased to grow despite not being cut down like trees.

Pierce, therefore, was simply referring to the fact that his ancestors had always helped to keep the forest stable, and that there was therefore no cause for pride in restoring that stability. As Jocelyne had suspected, the dinosaur culture seemed to be of a materialistic kind: they didn't have any big goals, they just wanted to get the forest back so they could go back to living as they always did. "Even if your ancestors did, your work is still a source of pride. You must be proud of it"

The dinosaurs seemed to swell their chests with pride. Jocelyne smiled thinking she was making good contact. "If it's not rude, may I ask you what those are?"

For some time now, Jocelyne had noticed that dinosaurs had things painted on their faces. They had a star drawn on their foreheads and lines on their cheeks.

"Oh, these serve to establish our role in the pack" Pierce explained.

"Establish your role in the pack?"

"Of course. Since there are so many of us, we can't always ask the pack leader what to do. Therefore he, in his wisdom, has decided to use these signs to make our position in the hierarchy known, so that everyone always knows who to obey or not. In my case, I am a fourth degree star"

"A fourth degree star... why are there four lines on your cheeks?"

"Exactly. It means that because of my strength, intelligence and courage I am recognized as superior to the third degree stars, which in turn are superior to the second degree stars, which are superior to the first degree ones"

"And how do you go up from one grade to another?"

"Based on the courage, strength and intelligence that you show you have in battle (but also in other contexts) the pack leader chooses whether or not to increase your rank. Among the stars, mine is the highest rank"

So it was a meritocratic system. "The highest rank? So there is no one above you?"

"Oh, no. Above me there are the moons, which are the members of the pack who are most trusted by the pack leader and command large legions of dinosaurs. And above them there is the sun, or the pack leader Sobek"

"Who are the moons?"

"There are currently five. They are the assault commander Buck, the Apache air commander, the scientist Carja, the adviser Old Li, and the commander of the Carnopo army. They are powerful figures who stand out for their strength, agility, strategic ability, wisdom and cunning"

"Can you tell me about them?"

"Of course. Buck is a tyrannosaurus, the strongest of the whole pack. He was the first to choose to serve the pack leader. He is the commander of the assault legion, the most powerful of all. Carnopo is a carnotaur and he too is very strong, but he is also intelligent; he is in control of the rest of the ground army. Apache is a quetzalcoatlus, the first giant pterosaur to join the pack, and controls all pterosaurs. Carja is a troodon whose intelligence surpasses that of all of us, and to whom the pack leader entrusts the pursuit of knowledge. Finally, Old Li is a very old and wise ankylosaurus, whose advice has often benefited the pack"

Jocelyne considered. Pierce wasn't kidding when he said they were prominent figures: these commanders looked really powerful. In a sense, the pack was structured like an army: a supreme commander at the top and then many others below, who in turn had followers, who had others and so on. It seemed to all intents and purposes an army... but this social structure probably also derived from the nature of the dinosaurs: in any herd, the strongest and most skilled commanded, while all the others obeyed. The only difference is that normally a herd did not have more than twenty individuals, in this case there were thousands: it was no wonder that Sobek had chosen to create distinctive signs to make everyone's hierarchical position known.

He decided that in addition to Sobek he should also talk to the dinosaurs who enjoyed his utmost trust in him. After all, it was important in negotiations to make friends with the people close to the commander, since they could influence him. "So... if it is possible to go up in rank, is it also possible to go down?"

"It's rare, but it's possible"

"Why is it rare?"

"Because just as to go up in rank you have to prove that you deserve it, to go down in rank you have to prove that you are not worthy of the position you hold. And when one of us finally manages to rise in rank, he works hard so that he can be defined as suitable for his role"

"I understand. And since you work hard to make yourself worthy of that role, you automatically become one and then you keep it"

"Exactly. For this reason, relegations are rare. However, sometimes they happen. An example is the present here Al"

"Al!?" Jocelyne exclaimed in surprise, and then addressed the allosaur directly. "Have you been demoted?"

As soon as he finished speaking he bit his tongue, realizing too late that his words could offend the dinosaur, but Al thankfully gave no sign of being angry and replied calmly, "Yes. Until recently, I too was a fourth degree star. Now I'm only second grade"

"Oh... I... I'm sorry" Jocelyne muttered, not knowing what to say in such a situation.

"You don't have to be sorry. I deserved it" the allosaur replied. "The only one who has to be blamed is me, so don't feel bad for me"

"May I ask why you were demoted?" the girl asked, unable to stop her curiosity.

"I betrayed the pack leader's trust" Al said with a hint of shame in his voice. "I disobeyed an order and put the safety of the pack at risk. I proved that I was not worthy of the role that was entrusted to me"

"Al was very close to the pack leader before that. Many of us thought he would become a moon too" Pierce interjected. "But then he broke the rules and endangered both the dinosaurs and the humans in the city. When the pack leader found out he was furious... he took away his role and rank and expelled him from his closest circle"

Jocelyne looked down at the allosaur's head and noticed that she had two scars under the two lines on her cheeks, scars undoubtedly left by huge claws. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she realized that to highlight her demotion the other two lines had been ripped off along with large pieces of leather.

'I guess dinosaurs don't take betrayal well, or even transgressions...' she thought as she swallowed, imagining how terrible it must be to receive such treatment. She wished their pack leader wasn't always so aggressive, or it would be impossible to make a good negotiation. "Tell me about your pack leader. What can you tell me about him? I confess I was fascinated by him" she said, hoping the dinosaurs would feel honored to hear their pack leader praised.

And indeed it was so. "He is the most powerful of all!" Pierce answered with a proud look. "No creature in the sky, on land and in the sea can counter it! He is the greatest, the strongest and the wisest of us all! He can defeat any predator with one shot and take down any herbivore with one kick! He tamed the fire and spawned weapons! Nothing and no one can defeat him!"

The other dinosaurs nodded vigorously and their lips seemed to curl into a smile; it was clear that they all thought the same. As Jocelyne had imagined, they felt a lot of respect for their leader. However, this information was not very helpful to him. "Um… thanks, but I already know these things. After all, it is impossible not to realize his strength, his greatness, or his power" she said trying to remain as flattering as possible. "I was hoping, well... for something a little more personal. How is he really, in short..."

Pierce fell silent and seemed to think about the question, but while he was mulling Al she preceded him and spoke for him: "The pack leader is very wise and just. For him, all members of the pack are equal and he evaluates us only based on our abilities. He loves and protects us all equally, and he feels a great deal of pain when one of us leaves this world to join our ancestors. Furthermore, he is humble and recognizes his limitations; he would expect that with his power of him to be arrogant and arrogant, he instead he tries to make sure that the pack takes as little risk as possible. He does not throw his head down in the battle and thinks well before acting, and is willing to ask and accept the advice of others. However, he also has a very steady hand: if he gives an order, he does not accept that someone transgresses it. His orders are absolute. Furthermore, he rarely gets angry, but if he incurs his anger at him, the true anger of him, then he will crush anyone who challenges him under his paws and will reserve him the worst punishment ever... as happened to that general of yours"

Jocelyne's eyes widened at that description. She wasn't the only one: many others, especially Chloe, were surprised. It was certainly not the description of an animal's character! What Al had described sounded like a lofty leader: a just, fair and wise individual, but at the same time firm and authoritarian. Such figures were rare among humans, let alone animals! Jocelyne had expected Sobek to have a more angry, wilder, or at least exotic and animalistic character, but that dinosaur seemed to be almost human. Perhaps Al had inflated the characteristics of his leader a little, but still there had to be some truth in them, and as evidence of this the other dinosaurs seemed to agree, nodding vigorously to the words of the allosaur.

Some fool might have believed that if Sobek's character had really been that then the negotiation might have been easier. In reality it was quite the opposite. If Sobek was so wise, but also so authoritarian, then it would have been impossible to persuade him easily. He would not have accepted a peace on terms he did not like. He would not have let himself be fooled by fine words and vain promises, focusing instead on results.

Jocelyne tried to console herself by thinking that Al had also described him as being open to her advice. She hoped that he was willing at least to listen to her and reflect on his words, and that he was not too prejudiced towards him. While she was thinking about it she had a doubt: "Excuse me, by human general you mean General Davies?"

"Um, yes. That guy really infuriated the pack leader with that gas weapon of his" Al replied. "Not that he didn't have the reasons. When he had him in his clutches the pack leader seemed willing to tear him to pieces, but then he held back and led him to trial, and then sentenced him to die at the hands of his own weapon"

"Trial? Do dinosaurs hold trials?" Jocelyne thought confused. "Wait… you mean he made him choke on poison gas?"

"Well... yes. His body is still where he died. Even though the gas has now dissipated, no one has gone to get it. Not that anyone cares about him, as far as we're concerned he can become rat food" Al replied.

Jocelyne instinctively put her hand to her throat imagining the trachea and esophagus being burned by the poisonous gas. Davies must have lived through a truly horrible death. Jocelyne would have much preferred to hang herself rather than die like that: it would have been much less painful. She made a mental note to do everything possible not to incur the wrath of the pack leader, or she did not dare to imagine what the consequences would be for her, for her nation and for the rest of the world. If their enemy could be so vengeful, then it was best for everyone to act with caution.

She decided it was time to ask the big question. "And what do you think of us? In short, about humans in general?"

Al seemed to shrug: "I can't probe the pack leader's mind, so I can't tell you what he really thinks. However, he has always told us that he doesn't hate all humans, only some categories of them"

Well, it was a milestone. If he didn't hate all humans then all Jocelyne had to do was not give him a reason to change his mind.

At that point they had already arrived in Cartago. The hole in the wall and the half-destroyed houses were very visible. The dinosaurs walked through the streets of the city which, like the outside, were teeming with dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Many of them turned their faces towards them and even began to follow them. Jackson and the rest of the escort were cautious, fearing an attack, but the dinosaurs didn't seem aggressive, just curious. As they walked on, Jocelyne noticed that many of them were fumbling with the human tools they had found in the buildings, as if trying to figure out what they were for. It was clear that they had some interest in human beings. How to blame them: humans were something completely different from anything dinosaurs knew, it was normal that they wanted to know more about them. Jocelyne even noticed a group of ornithomimus who seemed to have a lot of fun turning the light of a sign on and off.

Eventually they reached the central square. Or at least, in what had been the central square. All the fountains, decorations, trees and accessories had been demolished and grouped in the center of the square. In front of them there was a large bonfire, which illuminated the huge creature that was lying on the pile of rubble.

Jocelyne felt his heart skip a beat. She knew Sobek was big, but she didn't think he was that big. The videos and cameras did not do justice to her grandeur at all. The dancing light of the fire lit up her scales and made them glow gold and her eyes shone with a strange sinister glow. When these eyes fell on her, Jocelyne felt as if they were digging into her soul. She wondered if the one in front of her was a monstrous fairytale dragon and not a dinosaur.

Then Sobek opened his jaws wide, and the voice that emerged from them made the hearts of humans tremble: "Welcome, kind guests. Please come forward so that I can know you and welcome you in the right way; let it not be said in the world that my herd does not know the duties of hospitality!"