Dino, the long-necked dinosaur, Tex, the triceratops, and Andy, the duck-billed dinosaur, were three little friends from a lush valley with a wide river winding its way down from the mountains topped with eternal snow. Since they were very young, they had shared nests by the riverbank, lovingly watched over by their parents in the safe surroundings where they could roam freely and play all day long.
Although Dino, Tex, and Andy were growing steadily, they were still much smaller than their parents – who each day ate more than the three little dinosaurs weighed combined. That’s why they were often reminded not to run between the legs of the big ones during games of tag. But they had fun and practiced every day to become big, strong dinosaurs. They gathered food and kept watch for one another – always close to the herd.
Dino was the only one who could reach the ripe fruits at the top of the bushes and toss them down to his friends. Tex was great at digging up big roots from the ground, and Andy would swim and dive for fresh river plants. Everything was peaceful. No predator dinosaurs threatened them, and the elders only told stories of more dangerous times no one could quite imagine anymore.
But one day, everything changed.
The white snow on the mountains turned black and melted away. Fire burst from the earth, smoke rolled into the valley, and stones filled the sky. The ground grew hot and trembled beneath their feet.
Dino shouted:
“Come on, Tex and Andy! We have to get out of the valley!”
Tex offered to help:
“I can push us through the mountain pass!”
But Dino warned:
“No, Tex! The red, flowing rock is hot!”
Andy insisted:
“We need to follow the river – now!”
They decided to follow the river – away from the disaster. In haste, they separated from the herd and ran out under the wide, open sky. For the first time, they stepped onto the plains, a place they had only heard about in the old stories. There were dangers here: giant crocodiles in the river, flying reptiles in the sky, and poisonous creatures lurking underground.
But the three little dinosaurs knew they had to cross the plains to reach the herd’s old home: the forest on the island.
The plains were green and hilly. They couldn’t see far, but the mountains on the horizon told them they were going the right way – away from danger. They hid in the tall grass and only ran short distances at a time.
Sometimes the earth shook. A giant predator dinosaur stormed past, but they were covered in river mud, so it couldn’t smell them. They took turns keeping watch at the mud holes and always stayed alert for crocodiles.
When flying reptiles appeared and cast shadows over the sun, they darted into hiding under bushes.
“We have to follow the stars away from the mountains,” said Dino.
“And we should run from bush to bush during the day – so the predators don’t see us,” added Andy.
Tex, always brave, volunteered to be the first to go into the mud holes and dig for roots – but only after they had stomped around together to scare off the snakes.
After many challenges, they finally reached the beach. And there – like a dream – the whole herd was waiting for them!
The big long-necked dinosaurs lifted the smaller triceratopses onto their backs and waded out to the island, while the duck-billed dinosaurs swam alongside. There were no crocodiles, and no predator dinosaurs or flying reptiles could find them out there.
And there – far from danger – they lived happily together.
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