They drifted to the nearest shore
then slept upon the sand.
They'd never seen this place before,
and set out to explore the land.
They saw a trail of footprints,
that they never before did see;
the toes were long and gnarly,
and there were only three.
But they dismissed thoughts from their minds,
they had to find a home,
and see if life was of their kind,
or if they were alone.
So when they went to find some food,
they saw an animal;
Its species to their minds was new,
and they didn't think at all.
Arthur found a stone to throw,
and sent it on its flight.
It hit the beast on its front toe,
and it called out in fright.
Then out from the jungle emerged
a pack of herbivores,
with an array of spikes and horns
belonging to dinosaurs!
But this simply couldn't be,
they'd been dead for years!
But then came reality,
and what was lying near.
They circled round the stranded pair,
blocking an escape,
protecting their small wounded friend
while the Denisons stood, mouths agape.
A girl emerged from behind a giant,
producing a bandage wrap.
She spoke to the injured, its state became
pliant,
and it calmed with a caring pat.
She sent the great beasts on their way,
then attempted talk;
the newcomers didn't know her language,
so she gestured them to walk.
They traveled several miles then,
grown sturdy from the sea,
then came upon a settlement:
a Dinosaur Hatchery.
They met a man named Alec, who
spoke a bit of English.
They communicated the best they could do,
then finally got the gist.
The land was Dinotopia,
of dinosaurs and men.
The girl they met was Silvia,
the dinosaurs their friends.
The hatchery was out of the way,
the smallest in the book.
They hitched a ride- they couldn't stay-
and went to the city Pooktook.
There they met a man named Crabb-
a liar, you can tell.
He took them to Volcaneum,
his labors he could sell.
Then Will and Arthur went their way,
and met Tok Timbu.
When they asked him where to go,
he told them what to do.
"Waterfall City you seek," he said;
"This is where you go.
You will need a guide to take you,
some stamina, and a boat."
The guide they got surprised them so;
she was the dinosaur,
the same that Arthur hurt, named Bix,
and her leg was still sore.
They set out on their journey
across the marshy ground.
They then went down a river,
and heard a singing sound.
The sound was from some hadrosaurs,
calling to their friends,
from a dwelling in the river,
to their distant kin.
Will and Arthur finally
glimpsed the city's edge.
They got their first impression
from a rocky ledge.
The city was magnificent;
a sanctuary to all.
To get there they would have to fly
over the treaturous falls.
Once they got to the main level,
they were welcomed guests.
They wandered a while, then registered,
then went for needed rest.
Then Bix suggested their studying;
they caught on just fine.
Their first teacher was Malik,
the Official Keeper of Time.
"Time is like a helix," he said;
"It moves on, but repeats.
Don't just think of time as numbers,
the whole earth has a heartbeat."
Then they went to the library,
Nallab and Enit the sages;
instead of books, they had scrolls,
'cause dinosaurs can't turn pages.
Then Will had to learn to write,
and learn the alphabet.
Arthur went to update scrolls,
and look through all the rest.
Nallab took Arthur around,
to show him all the sights.
They climbed a giant pyramid
that rose to tremendous heights.
On top of the pyramid,
There was a sizable tablet.
It held the "Code of Dinotopia,"
but was broken when men found it.
Good friends had Arthur and Nallab become,
so Arthur asked his age.
"One hundred twenty-seven," he said;
years enough to be a sage.
Arthur couldn't imagine how
people and dinosaurs coexist.
"Oh, it is possible," Nallab said,
"But only if you do imagine it."
A year and a half in Waterfall city,
but then they had to be leaving,
to pass through the Rainy Basin,
So Bix could go to a meeting....
They met some Tyrannosaurus
while in the foliage;
they gave them all of their captured fish
and left them in their rage.
They finally got to their destination,
some ruins in the forest;
Brokehorn-- a known Triceratops--
introduced each guest.
They were Habitat partners,
protecting land and skies;
the Aerial, Forest, Alpine, and Desert,
and other ones besides.
There was Freshwater and Savannah,
protected with human/dinosaur pairs.
The Beaches and Bays was also one,
with Dolphins, who couldn't be there.
When the ceremony was done,
the Partners' names were down;
so Will and Arthur continued their trek
to stay in the city Treetown.
They stayed in Treetown for a time,
living in the heights.
Then Will met up with Silvia again,
and his eyes were filled with lights.
A Dinosaur Olympics was held;
Will and Silvia got first prize.
They got to be Habitat Partners;
they both chose the Skies.
That means being Skybax riders,
training at a Canyon City center,
with Oolu as the instructer
with Lightwing, to train beginners.
It was real hard work at first;
the saddle hurt Will's neck.
Meanwhile, Arthur had a new adventure,
and undertook his trek.
Will was left alone with Bix
and Cirrus, his Skybax pet.
He asked Oolu when he'd be an apprentice;
he said he needed Cirrus's respect.
They had to take a difficult climb,
Silvia and Will.
But the effort was well worth it
for the respect it would instill.
They'd have to climb the Backbone Mount;
the summit was very high,
but at the peak there, it was built--
the Tentpole of the Sky.
They finally did reach it,
everything tiny below;
they were greeted by a man
by the name Levka Gambo.
"You will find your father again,"
he said with a mirthful smirk.
"But you will be reborn of the Sky;
he will be of the Earth."
"You will have to leave soon," he said,
pointing to the mountain's lee.
"But Breathe Deep, Fly High, and Seek Peace;
here comes a Sky Galley."
They floated on the currents,
but trouble soon came clear.
The air took them the wrong way;
the wind was acting weird.
There was nothing they could do to help,
so Will and Silvia lolled.
But they awoke with a start
with a splintering crash and a jolt.
But it turned out that they weren't far
from Dinotopia's metropolis;
they entered in the gaieties
of a parade in Sauropolis!
A woman approached Silvia and Will,
and surprised them with good news:
Arthur and Bix were back from below,
and glad to hang their shoes.
Back to Waterfall City,
the woman said Arthur had gone.
So Will and Silvia called for their Skybaxes,
and their respect was won.
Will met again with his dad,
and learned of his discovers,
but to be together made them glad,
each to see the other.
So Silvia and Will got apprenticeship,
and Arthur got his wish:
he got much closer with his son,
because of a ride on a ship.
The end; (to get the whole story, read Dinotopia,
by James Gurney.)
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