ENGH 377 Project 2

You are a mother Hypsilophodon raising your chicks in a dangerous environment, full of predators and other hazards. Your objective is for you and your mate to keep them - and yourselves - alive. You have many potential outcomes. Each ending will give you the opportunity to proceed to the credits or to begin again. Some stories are longer than others, so take the chance to explore! [[Begin your journey]]

Peck! Your nest resounds with tapping sounds, chicks ramming their beaks into the shells of their eggs. Again. And again. Crack! With a screech of satisfaction, your first chick splits her eggshell and tumbles onto the dirt. Exhausted from hatching, she flops against a nearby egg to rest. You supervise the hatching process closely. Over the next few hours, seven of your eight eggs have hatched. One isn’t showing any signs of progress. You haven’t heard tapping for a while now. You settle down and observe your surroundings. Your nest is one of a large grouping of other Hysilophodon in a valley. The valley is bordered on one side by a forest, and on the other, a river. Between you and the river, a herd of Diplodocus are feasting on cycads. Every now and then, a thirsty member of your herd weaves among the behemoths to get a drink. The Diplodocus pay you no mind in their munching. After taking stock of what's going around you, you return your attention to the egg. [[Sit on it and see what happens.]]

You and your mate take turns keeping watch. This prevents you from being surprised by a raptor ambush. You wake your mate at the first sign of trouble and get your family moving. The other nesting Hypsilophodons scatter. [[Head into the forest!]]

You sleep, too soundly, and you and your mate are caught off guard by a raptor ambush! You manage to escape, but two of your chicks are caught and eaten. The other nesting Hypsilophodons scatter. [[Head for the river!]]

You and your mate take your chicks toward the river. There is not much cover, but you have a guaranteed source of water. You find a pile of stripped cycads left behind by the Diplodocus. It’s a meager shelter, but it’s enough for your chicks to hide. The following day, you and your mate lead the chicks toward a clump of ferns to forage. You keep a wary eye for predators as the chicks feed. They’re constantly hungry, their growing bodies demanding energy. After a while, your bellies are full, and you move on down the riverbank. You catch up with the Diplodocus who had been in the valley, traveling on migration. They take no notice as you walk with them, relaxing your vigilance now that you’re protected. Up ahead lies a flat, open patch of sandy ground, and beyond it lies a hill. Faint chirps and squawks reach your ears. It’s your herd! [[Cross the sandbar directly to get to the herd fast.]] [[Go around to stick to the plants and stay near cover.]]

You and your mate take your chicks into the forest, where the thick undergrowth hides you from the raptors. You need to find shelter. A nearby burrow looks promising. However, you can smell that another animal’s been here recently. [[Check to see if it’s empty.]] [[Try to find a hollow tree]] instead.

Your mate investigates the burrow. He enters slowly, sniffing the air and looking around cautiously. Suddenly, a roar fills the air. The burrow shakes and your mate shrieks in terror. You have no time to react as a hulking beast charges out of the burrow. You have been killed. [[Begin your journey]] again. [[Credits]]

You and your mate take the chicks deeper into the forest, away from the burrow. After several minutes of running, you manage to find a fallen log that’s rotted away inside. You and your brood hunker down to wait out the night. The following day, you and your chicks are still shaken, but determined. [[Try to track down your herd.]]

You call out to catch the herd’s attention and run over the sandbar. However, when you get midway, your feet catch in something sticky. Looking around you see that your mate and chicks are also getting stuck. You panic and kick your feet, trying to get free, but your struggles only trap you further. Your family has stumbled across a patch of quicksand. You have died. [[Begin your journey]] again. [[Credits]]

You lead your family around the sandbar, keeping inside the fringe of the plants to avoid being seen. Three of your chicks don’t stay with you, and they dart across the sandbar. Their tiny feet sink into the ground. They shriek in alarm and you cry out, but you don’t dare venture out on what you now know is a patch of quicksand. After standing by and watching helplessly for some time, you have to leave to follow the Diplodocus herd. Once the Diplodocus crest the hill, you see the Hypsilophodon herd. [[Join them!]] [[Stay with the Diplodocus.]]

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You and your mate guide the chicks in the direction of the valley, hoping to link up with the rest of the herd. You keep a wary eye out for predators but can’t resist the urge to forage as you go. The chicks are constantly hungry, their growing bodies demanding energy. When you get to the valley, you hesitate at the edge. [[Go ahead.]] [[Wait and watch first.]]

You walk into the open, your chicks trailing behind you. There are no dinosaurs in sight, but you keep moving into the open, hoping to find tracks or scent. Leaving cover was a mistake. The earth shakes under pounding footsteps. You look up to see an Allosaurus bearing down on you. He had been trailing the Diplodocus herd, and now he’s found food. You and your family run. In the mad rush to escape, your mate trips on a branch and stumbles. There’s no time for him to get back up, and the Allosaurus closes in for the kill. You lead your chicks away from the carnage. After some time, you realize that there are Hypsilophodon footprints mixed with the Diplodocus. You speed up, and soon the Diplodocus herd comes into view. They take no notice of you as they continue on their migration. The Diplodocus crests a hill, and you see your herd ahead. Relieved, you and your chicks reunite with your herd and follow the Diplodocus migration in safety. You made it, but it’s a bittersweet success. You lost your mate, and without him, your chances of being able to protect your young to adulthood have gotten much slimmer. [[Begin your journey]] again. [[Credits]]

You wait and observe. Soon, the earth shakes under pounding footsteps. An Allosaurus stalks into view. He sniffs the air, but the stale scent of the abandoned nests hides your fresh scent, and he passes without finding you. You and your mate lead the chicks toward the river and pick up the trail of the Diplodocus herd. After some time, you realize that there are Hypsilophodon footprints mixed with the Diplodocus. You speed up, and soon the Diplodocus herd comes into view. They take no notice of you as they continue on their migration. The Diplodocus crest a hill, and you see your herd ahead. Relieved, you and your chicks reunite with your herd and follow the Diplodocus migration in safety. Congratulations! You and your family have survived! [[Begin your journey]] again. [[Credits]]

You keep the egg, settling yourself delicately onto your belly to keep it warm. Your diligence is rewarded by the hatching of your last chick. It's smaller than the others, but so far it's doing all right. A week later, you and your mate are exhausted from constantly caring for your little ones, but you've managed to keep them all well-fed. They're strong enough that they'll soon be ready to leave the nest. Until now, the presence of the Diplodocus herd has warded off predators. The herd moved on this afternoon, having stripped the nearby cycads of greenery. Your mate returns from yet another round of foraging and drops a mouthful of ferns for the chicks. Night will be falling soon. Your chicks lie down in a sleepy pile. [[Stay awake and keep watch.]] [[Get a night’s rest.]]

You rejoin your herd, and they move back into the forest, where large predators won’t fit between the trees and there is plenty of food. With the security of numbers, you and your family can finally feel safe again. You made it! Even though you've lost some of your chicks, now that you're back with your herd, the chances of your remaining ones making it to adulthood are high. [[Begin your journey]] again. [[Credits]]

You stay with the Diplodocus herd, thinking that you’re safe with the behemoths around. Your herd heads into the forest, where larger creatures like the Diplodocus can’t go. Moving on with the herd, you eat the ferns that the behemoths don’t touch. Some time later, there’s a disturbance on the fringe of the Diplodocus heard. You hear roaring and bellowing, then a rumble like thunder and the earth shaking beneath your feet. An Allosaurus attack has started a stampede. You panic and bolt, trying to avoid the massive feet around you. You and your mate use your long legs to swiftly dodge and duck to safety, but your tiny chicks aren’t so lucky. You have lost them. You and your mate have failed this year, but next breeding season you can try again. [[Begin your journey]] again. [[Credits]]