Doctor Who_ The Last Dodo - Jacqueline Rayner [69]
Had she been less scared, she might have realised the difference between the gentle, soothing noises these creatures made and the harsh, cruel cries of the death‐dealers. But fear had consumed her now.
One creature said: There’s no need to be scared.
The other creature said: We’re not going to hurt you.
The first said: I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about what’s happened. But at least we can save you.
He lifted a small, square device that was like nothing she had ever seen before, and held it before her… And suddenly she was in the same place, but it was different, so different. She was no longer being held, she was back on the ground, and she stumbled backwards in shock as some of the trees flashed out of existence and others shot up in the air, instantaneously tall. She had an impression of creatures like the leaf‐animals lying down on the sands, with dark, flat objects covering their eyes, or raising containers of brightly coloured water to their minuscule fleshy beaks. Beyond them were bizarre structures, wider than a hundred trees smooth and flat and shooting high into the sky, with tall creatures walking out of holes in their bases.
And then, in an instant, it all changed again.
The fleshy creatures had gone. So had the flat structures, and the too‐tall trees. Now the trees looked even shorter than before…
This was all too much for her to take. Somewhere inside she felt relief that she was free from the clutches of the frightening creatures, but she was still suffering from the shock of seeing her fellows killed, and the exhaustion of the chase. Temporarily safe she may have been, but she was still alone, and still scared.
There were bushes nearby, not ones that she remembered, but that hardly mattered. She backed into them, hiding herself from the outside world. For a while she held herself upright, alert for any threat, then gradually she sank down to the floor and, finally, her eyes shut. Tired and alone, she slept.
When she awoke, she was no longer tired.
And she was no longer alone.
She pushed her way out of the bushes, her tiny wings flapping in delight. They had returned! Escaped, somehow! Then she stopped, puzzled. They were of her kind, but they were not her own people, they were strangers.
Slower, but still cautiously happy, she carried on towards them. She got a few curious glances, but they seemed pleased to meet her, greeting her as a new friend. One in particular gave an enthusiastic squawk of welcome, and she returned it with gusto. She was not yet ready to consider a new mate, but maybe one day… Maybe one day she would even have a baby again. There were no signs of the grunting things – her baby could grow up in safety.
But the most important thing was, she was no longer alone.
The last dodo waddled forwards, towards the future.
THE ISPYDER BOOK OF EARTH CREATURES
HUMAN
Homo sapiens
Location: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia
The human is a bipedal mammal that walks upright. It is mainly hairless with only a few patches of hair, the main one being on its head. Its smooth skin ranges from a pale pinky‐white to a deep black. The male human is on average taller and heavier than the female. It is the only species on Earth to voluntarily clothe itself.
As of publication, the human is still abundant on Earth.
ISpyder points value: 2
THE ISPYDER BOOK OF EARTH CREATURES
Creature Points
Subtotal 9000001
Dodo 800
Megatherium 500
Paradise parrot 500
Velociraptor 250
Mountain gorilla 500
Aye‐aye 900
Siberian tiger 600
Kakapo 900
Indefatigable Galapagos mouse 1500
Stegosaurus 500
Triceratops 550
Diplodocus 600
Ankylosaurus 650
Dimetrodon 600
Passenger pigeon 100
Thylacine 250
Black rhinoceros 300
Mervin the missing link 23500
Tau duck 5
Dong tao chicken 4
Red‐eared slider 40
Chinese three‐striped box turtle 350
Forest dragonfly 150
Phorusrhacos 450
Steller’s sea cow 1000
Sabre