Secret of a T-Rex: Mysterious Footprints

By Thomas Hund and Joshua Allen

The story begins as an earthquake shakes a mountain, sending tons of rocks and boulders downward into a tranquil forest. From the rubble, a fossilized dinosaur egg appears, sparking interest among seven, unalike forest creatures. Lightning strikes the object and it magically becomes real. Soon a Tyrannosaurus rex hatches, and the lives of those forest inhabitants would forever be changed.

Its been documented that wild animals often protect and parent an abandoned baby animal, even if the baby is strangely unlike them. Thats what happens when Toby T-rex meets his new, loving family. These extraordinary creatures help Toby learn the ways of the forest, even though an ever-present human threat hampers their incredible secret. And adding a bit of intrigue to the story, theres another T-rex on the scene. Friend or foe?

Always alert for danger, always on the move, this family of friends is unaware that their destiny has an astonishing twist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: May 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781480846647

Thomas Hund

Thomas Hund is a retired middle school teacher and coach who lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has written several children’s stories and often spends time reading them to elementary school children. Learn more at thomashundbooks.com.

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Copyright © 2017 Thomas Hund.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-4663-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4664-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017905994

Archway Publishing rev. date: 5/9/2017

Contents

1 Lightning Strikes

2 Not Your Everyday Hatchling

3 What Is Toby?

4 Darcy’s Trickery

5 Discovery

6 Uninvited Guests

7 Forest Secret

8 Lost and Then Found

9 Looking for Honey

10 Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

11 Footprints

12 Routine Flight

13 Bear Tracks

14 With Just a Little Luck

15 Separation

16 Hide and Seek

17 Can It Get Any worse?

18 Perilous Decisions

19 Rendezvous

20 Destiny’s Twist

1

Lightning Strikes

T he mountain began to shake. A bad-tempered earthquake rumbled like thunder. Boulders raced down the mountain. A landslide sent several forest animals on a frenzied search for cover. Then just like that—it became quiet.

In an open area surrounded by trees, Tobias Toad was the first forest creature to bravely venture out from hiding. He slowly hopped about inspecting his cluttered habitat. Boulders were everywhere. Strangely sitting in the middle of the area was a small, egg-shaped object.

My, my, my, croaked Tobias as he studied the object. What is it? It’s bigger than a chicken egg. And it’s bigger than one of Darcy Duck’s eggs.

Actually, it’s similar in size to an ostrich egg, quacked Darcy as she and the other forest animals appeared. Then she tapped the object with her beak and said, Smooth, well-shaped, and good coloring, but it’s clearly not a real egg. It’s too hard.

I’m sure it’s just a tiny rock that came from the mountain, said Myrna Muskrat. That landslide made a real rocky mess everywhere you look.

Levi Lynx warily approached the object. He pawed, sniffed, and licked it. I agree; it’s not an egg, he said with a light growl. But it’s not a rock either.

Willis Weasel had a stick in his mouth. He lightly struck the object. Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, he said. He laughed after dropping the stick. Maybe it’s something magical … something eerily mysterious.

Nonsense! bellowed Bertha Bear as she lumbered up to the object. With her huge paw, she carefully rolled the object over to examine it. There’s nothing magical about it. But perhaps it was made by a human, she said.

If that’s so, then maybe it will explode, cautioned Scully Squirrel. Humans are good at making tricky, dangerous gadgets that harm animals.

And I say again that it’s just an egg-shaped rock that nature has made, said Myrna.

Scully chuckled. Or it’s from outer space. Here come the aliens!

Be serious! scolded Myrna. This isn’t a joke.

I’m sure we’ll all have a good laugh later, said Bertha. But for now, we need to treat this thingamajig cautiously.

The seven animals agreed, using their own particular voices. They understood each other extraordinarily well, while to a human, their articulations were heard as growls, squeaks, snarls, croaks, or quacks.

After the animals had spent a few minutes cautiously studying the object, the sky darkened. Lightning and loud claps of thunder overwhelmed the forest. Rain pelted the animals as they ran for cover.

Now do you believe me? shouted Willis. Something magical is happening! First there was an earthquake, then a landslide, and now a storm! What’s next?

A dangerous lightning bolt was next. It struck the object, causing a loud explosion. All the animals had to cover their eyes. Smoke and dust filled the air. When the air cleared, the object had a colorful, pulsating glow to it: purple and blue, green and yellow, and all different shades of red.

Tobias croaked excitedly, Look! The thing! It—it looks like it’s going to explode! It’s alive!

As the animals began to shelter themselves from the impending danger, the colorful presentation diminished. The peculiar object calmed down and surprisingly, looked like an egg.

Bertha cautiously inched toward it and sniffed it, saying, It’s warm—very warm. And it—it actually must be a real egg. It has to be.

I’ll be the judge of that, quacked Darcy. After all, I’m an egg layer, and I’ll know if it’s real. She cautiously studied it and then