Extinctus

“I can’t reach it,” CeCe cried out. The Hyaenodon continued to circle the strange human. It was waiting for re-enforcements from the pack before moving in for the kill. It walked slowly as it circled CeCe from a safe distance. The beast growled in deep guttural tones as it tried to get CeCe to turn and run which would expose the big man’s back to a swift lunge from the hideous killer. “We’ll come down and help you!” shouted Eric. He knew his friend was in big trouble. CeCe’s life was on the line. He moved down the tree to a lower branch, so he could drop from the security of the tree and help his friend. “No, you stay in the tree,” answered CeCe. “There is no need for us all to die here today,” he forcefully said. The pack did not come. The lone Hyaenodon let out a loud scream that terrified the humans. It was trying to call the pack for re-enforcements. But the pack did not come. Tak and Eric lost sight of Creo and Arcto in the confusion. They assumed the two super beasts were battling with the rest of the pack. They could hear loud growls and bellowing screams coming from the other side of the clearing. If these sounds were any sign, both Creo and Arcto were fighting for their lives just a few hundred yards away. Tak and Eric knew CeCe was on his own. There was nothing they could do but watch the event unfold in front of them while they looked on from the safety of the towering tree. CeCe stood tall and waited for the large beast to attack. He was no match for the super predator, but he had to fight. It was fight or die. The Hyaenodon cried out one last time for reinforcements. CeCe flailed his arms in the air to try and intimidate the brute. He needed to look as large as possible to try and intimidate the predator. The attacking Hyaenodon, finally realizing the pack was not coming, closed in on CeCe. It bared its sharp long fangs at the big man, growled, and then charged. It moved surprisingly fast for a large carnivore as it lunged for CeCe. The Hyaenodon catapulted itself through the air with one giant lunge, an attempt to knock the human to the ground upon impact. The brave football player braced himself for a quick death. He clinched his big hands to strike at the primitive killer and screamed at the attacking carnivore as he jumped to meet the lunging beast head on. At that same instant, a large figure swooped in from the tree top canopy and landed on the back of the attacking Hyaenodon. CeCe, Eric, and Tak watched in amazement as the hairy Gigantipithecus they nicknamed Squatch landed on the lunging Hyaenodons back. The enraged ape-beast let out a blood curdling scream as his immense weight knocked the carnivorous Hyaenodon to the ground. The Hyaenodon, in a futile attempt to shake off the giant ape, violently convulsed while snapping its powerful jaws. The gruesome beast growled and howled as the ape gained advantage by securing one powerful arm around the pack hunters’ neck. The Hyaenodon tried to roll its body in a last-minute effort to dislodge the giant ape, but the immense weight of the hominid pinned the flailing brute to the forest floor. Squatch then secured his arms around the carnivore’s muscular neck to apply the final death grip. His long fingernails penetrated the Creodont’s thick skin, and blood started to flow from the slicing wounds. The massive ape then sank his powerful fangs into the neck of the writhing predator as he pulled back with all his strength on the throat of the beast. Within moments, the three humans heard the unmistakable sound of the Hyaenodons neck snap and the carnivore’s body went limp as the last vestiges of life slipped from it. The Hyaenodon was dead—it died as it had lived—violently. The giant primate beat his chest with both fists, then let out a hideous scream–a scream meant to warn other creatures to stay away. The beastly Gigantipithecus, Pith, had just saved CeCe’s life.