The Gardens: Twilight Dip
#2 of The Gardens
Hey there kids it's time for the Dinosaur Jamorbee! Are you ready?
Everett groaned and put his head in his paws as the young human boy sitting in the seat in front of the Dog clapped his hands and started singing along to the infectious song blasting through the speakers of the tram. This tram circled around the entirety of the island and stopped at all of the major attractions. The Jurassic Overlook restaurant, where he and Sam were getting dinner, was the next stop. The Dog's phone buzzed in the pocket of his black dress pants. He adjusted the collar of his open dark green dress shirt and pulled his phone out.
"Hello?" Everett began, "This is Everett Conely speaking."
"Don't you ever check who's calling before you answer your phone?" Trinh chuckled, "God you're so weird sometimes Everett."
"You couldn't wait until after the date to call me?" Everett rolled his eyes, "You're such a girl."
Trinh scoffed.
"Says the guy who acted like a total puppy when I forced that sexy underwear on you," Trinh chuckled, "I think those tight baby blue briefs with the little white dog bones on them are going to be a big hit tonight."
Everett whined.
"It's not like he's going to see them," The Dog whispered, "It's just dinner Trinh. It's not a hookup."
"Ohh I get it," Trinh chuckled, "You're not even going to let him see you with them on. You're just going to skip that stage and get totally naked."
"Yeah I'm hanging up now," Everett shook his head, "Bye."
Everett huffed and ended the call. He looked out the window, a smile creeping on his face as he saw the sun slowly dipping behind the mountain at the center of the island. He loved this view, the way the light of the setting sun reflected on the water made the whole scene look like an artist's wet dream. The male Bat sitting beside him tapped him on the shoulder and cleared his throat.
"Pardon me for asking," The Bat began, "But are you Everett? Everett Conely?"
Everett blinked and looked over the guy sitting beside him. He was about the same height as the Dog, and was dressed in a plaid button up shirt and khakis.
"Yeah you are," The Bat chuckled and held out a hand, "I'm Charlie. I'm a journalist."
Everett smiled politely.
"Oh cool," Everett replied, "How did you know my name?"
"I'm writing a story on you," Charlie replied, "About your rescue."
The smile left Everett's face.
"I was hoping I could interview you," Charlie chuckled, "Get a sense of what it was like for you to be out there."
The Jack Russel Terrier sighed. He was trying to put what had happened to him in the back of his mind in spite of the fact that talking about it would probably do him a world of good. The Dog resigned himself to the interview, after all, he reasoned, how painful could it be?
"Well sure," Everett put his paws in his lap, "Interview away."
Charlie beamed and pulled out a notepad and a pen. There was already a couple of pages filled to the brim with notes.
"I already saw the tape of you out there," Charlie chuckled, "Were you scared?"
"Uh yeah," Everett scoffed, "What kind of dumb question is that? Of course I was scared."
"I just figured I'd ask," Charlie grumbled, "OK, let's change the subject. How are things with you and Sam going? You two seemed to get pretty close out there in the jungle. Is there something there?"
Everett growled.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Everett began, "It's none of your business."
Charlie paused for a moment and scribbled something down.
"So there is something there?" Charlie looked up from his pad of paper, "Or am I mistaken."
Everett got up from his seat and roughly moved past the Bat. Charlie stood up, his winged arms outstretched.
"Come on," Charlie began as Everett moved up the tram, "Don't be like that. I'm just trying to tell the story people want to hear."
Everett ignored the Bat and stood in front of the exit. The tram slowly rolled to a stop in front of the large, log-cabinesque restaurant. The light-grey doors slid open silently and a quiet female voice reminded everyone where they were and what the next stop was. Everett briskly got off the tram and walked ahead of the large group of people and Furs who got off behind him. His date was standing beside the door in a white tank top and a pair of shorts. Sam's eyes went wide as he saw the Dog approaching, and a grin formed on his face.
"You dressed up this nice for me?" Sam chuckled, "Wow, you look amazing."
Everett blushed and looked down.
"I didn't do this," Everett chuckled, "That's what girl best friends are for."
"Well send my compliments to her after our date," Sam smiled, "She's got a very good eye."
"She'll be beyond pleased to hear that you think that," Everett looked over the human's outfit, "I feel pretty overdressed now though."
Sam scoffed and put an arm around the Dog.
"I would have, but I have my reasons," Sam chuckled as he started to walk the Jack Russell Terrier through the door and up the stairs into the restaurant, "One's serious and one's cheeky. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Serious first," Everett smiled, "Then if I get too bummed out the other news will cheer me up."
"Well, serious news is that I don't own any nice clothes," The human chuckled, "I haven't ever really needed any before."
"Ok," Everett replied as he and Sam stopped behind the short line of people in front of the door, "What's the cheeky news?"
Sam flexed, showing off his muscular arms and torso.
"I didn't want to hide these puppies from you," Sam smirked, "I'd thought you'd like to see them."
Everett rolled his eyes.
"Seriously?" Everett smirked, "Maybe I wanted to leave those puppies to my imagination."
"Not seriously," Sam put his arms down and stuck out his tongue, "I told you I was being cheeky."
The Dog's eyes went wide as they rounded the corner and saw a Raptor working the front counter of the restaurant. It was a little taller than Sam, and had blue-gray scales with red feathers running down the ridges on top of its head. Around its neck was a radio collar adorned with a bright red light which flashed every couple of seconds.
"What's that?" Everett asked, only stepping forward in the line after Sam urged him on, "Why is there a dinosaur working here?"
Sam chuckled.
"It's a long story," Sam began, "It's for a research project."
The Dinosaur opened its mouth, showing off its shiny white, razor sharp teeth. Sam shuddered.
"It seems a little dangerous," The Dog stood a little closer to Sam, "I've seen what those things can do to their food."
"Come on, trust me," Sam chuckled and walked the two of them in front of the counter the Raptor stood behind, "You'll get an explanation soon enough."
The Raptor piqued up as it looked over Sam and Everett.
"Sam!" A female voice began, "How are you tonight? Who's your friend?"
Everett stared, trying to find out how the Raptor talked without moving its mouth. Sam chuckled and waved at the Raptor.
"Hey Randi," Sam chuckled, "This is Everett, he's a bit new to this."
Everett chuckled and shook his head.
"I think I've actually been here longer than he has," Everett chuckled, "I'm sorry if my, uh, confusion, comes across as rude."
The Raptor shook her head.
"Of course not," She replied, "I'm sure your server would be happy to answer any questions you may have."
"Is Teal working tonight?" Sam asked, "I'd like Everett to meet him."
"He's on the balcony tonight," Randi looked down at a computer monitor in the black, stone counter, "There's one open table in his section. Just head out there. You can't miss it."
"Thanks Randi," Sam waved, "Have a good night."
"You too!" Randi called out as Everett and Sam walked towards the glass door that led to the balcony, "Enjoy your meal!"
The view from the balcony was gorgeous. The balcony was low, and overlooked a small clearing. The ground was covered with small ferns and shrubs. Amongst the plants wandered a herd of Kentrosaurus. Everett smiled and sat down at their table, which was right next to the short, glass, safety barrier.
"What do you think?" Sam asked, "Pretty cool right?"
"Yeah," Everett watched the dinosaurs eating and cavorting about, "They seem much nicer than the ones I ran into."
"They're grooming this herd to be the next attraction," Sam chuckled, "There's a park over by Papua New Guinea who wants to add some kind of Stegosaur to their collection."
"I almost ended up working there," Everett looked back at Sam, "I liked this place better though. It seemed to have more of a community."
"Maybe if we have another date you can introduce me to that community," Sam replied, "I kinda live off by myself. I don't really get out too much."
Sam beamed and practically jumped out of his chair as a dark turquoise Raptor walked out onto the balcony. The two exchanged a hug, the Raptor's hands held awkwardly to avoid hurting Sam with his long, sharp claws. Teal was about half a foot shorter than Sam and about 15 feet long from the tip of his tail to his snout. The Raptor poked his head over Sam's shoulder and laughed.
"Hello," A male voice began, "I wasn't aware Sam had brought company tonight. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
Everett chuckled and shook his head.
"Not at all," Everett replied, "My name's Everett."
The Raptor's eyes widened. He broke the hug with Sam and moved closer to the Dog.
"Is this who you were telling me about Sam?" The Raptor got uncomfortably close and started looking over the very startled Dog, "Hmm, I like him. I think he is a good fit for you."
Everett chuckled nervously and looked up at Sam. The Raptor stepped back and stood beside the table.
"I found out how they talk without moving their mouths," Everett began as Sam took his seat again, "Speakers on the side of the collars."
The speaker on the side of the Raptor's neck emitted a hearty laugh.
"Where are my manners," The server began, "My name is Teal, and I will be your server tonight. Can I get you guys started with something to drink?"
"What about menus?" Everett asked, "You didn't bring any out."
Sam pressed a button on his side of the table. Machinery whirred to life inside of the table and projected a holographic blue menu. Everett did the same on his side and chuckled.
"Wow," Everett idly ran his finger through the hologram, "I wasn't aware how scientific this place was."
Teal nodded and posed proudly.
"All of the wondrous technological marvels you see here tonight, including myself, have been paid for by Doctor Alice Hudson," Teal began, "She's the reason I have my voice."
"Give us a few moments Teal," Sam began, "When do you go on break?"
Teal shrugged.
"Soon," Teal replied, "Why do you ask?"
"Everett had some questions about you," Sam smiled, "It would be nice to have you explain this all to him."
"Sure," Teal began, "I'd be more than happy to. I'll give you to some time to look over the menu and what not."
The Raptor bowed his head and walked away from the table. Everett chuckled and watched him walk away, awestruck by what he had just saw.
"Isn't the future wild?" Sam chuckled, "I could never have imagined things like Teal being around in my lifetime."
"Me either," Everett looked down at the dinosaurs below, "Hell, that could be said for any of this."
A large dinosaur, the same species as the one that chased Everett and Sam earlier in the week came into the clearing. The patrons of the restaurant oohed and ahhed, snapping pictures of the large carnivore with their phones. Everett shuddered and looked away.
"How is this safe?" Everett asked, "What's keeping that big scary bastard out there from reaching up here for an easy snack?"
Sam shrugged.
"They know better than to come too close," Sam began, "They get quite a nasty shock if they try."
"That's good at least," The Jack Russell Terrier turned his head in time to see the carnivore creep back into the thicker brush that fringed the clearing, "What kind of dinosaur is Teal? He doesn't look like anything I've seen on exhibit here."
Sam put up his hand.
"Teal will explain everything," Sam looked over his menu, "What are you getting for dinner? It's seafood night."
"Probably a burger," Everett replied, "I'm not a big fish eater."
"Why not a salmon burger?" Sam offered, "Those aren't too bad."
Everett screwed up his face.
"The only things that belong on burgers are four legged land animals," Everett replied, "Not slimy fish."
Sam laughed.
"What about the Stegosaurus burger?" Sam asked, "I've heard that's pretty good."
The park was able to generate a small surplus of animals for human consumption. Stegosaurus meat was one of the more popular products. It tasted a bit like a turkey burger but was far more robust. Everett shrugged.
"They're amazing, that's totally what I'm getting," Everett went into the beer and wine list on his holographic menu, "What about you? I do hope you aren't getting a slimy fish burger."
"Snow Crab Pasta Parmesan," Sam put his menu away, "With a glass of rosè."
"I'm getting a beer," Everett did the same with his menu, "I'm not a big wine drinker."
"I'll change that," Sam chuckled, "You've just never had the right kind before."
Teal came over as soon as he saw that Everett and Sam put their menus away. The pair placed their order, and sat back in their chairs, looking over the clearing below. Sam chuckled and looked over the Dog sitting across from him.
"You might just be the cutest guy I've ever dated," Sam sighed wistfully.
"You're just saying that," Everett chuckled, "I'm sure you've been with lots of guys."
"Sure," Sam chuckled, "But I only date the very cute ones."
"That's a compliment I guess," Everett made room in front of him as he saw Teal crossing across the balcony with their drinks, "Isn't that hard for you to hold?"
The Raptor shrugged and set the drinks down on the table carefully.
"I figured it out," Teal replied, "I won't be able to join you guys for a while, a wave of people just came in."
Sam nodded.
"We've got all the time in the world," Sam smiled, "Go take care of it Teal."
The Raptor bowed his head and trotted off of the balcony. Everett reached forward and sipped his beer.
"So I bet you have lots of good stories," Everett began, idly twirling the amber liquid in his glass, "One for each of those guys."
Sam nearly choked on his sip of wine, but maintained his cool.
"Those normally aren't the stories I'm asked to tell when I'm on a date," Sam chuckled, "Normally they want to hear me talk about one of my daring rescues."
"They can't have been as exciting as mine," Everett laughed, "After all, you didn't take any of them on dates afterwards."
"True," Sam smirked, "Tell you what, I'll tell you my most interesting sex story, then you tell me yours."
The Dog thought for a moment, took another sip of his beer, and nodded.
"I think I might win," Everett chuckled, "But go ahead, I want to hear this."
"Ok," Sam put his hands on the table, "I was 21 years old and living in Wyoming, working search and rescue up in the mountains. I had some free time and decided to go mountain climbing. As I was going up, I ran into this Golden Retriever, coming down. We shared words, found out about each other's sexual preferences, and, well, screwed right in the middle of the trail."
"Cute, but I still win," Everett smirked, "I was 18, and at Disneyland for the first time."
"No," Sam gasped, "You hooked up at Disneyland?"
Everett rolled his eyes.
"Can I tell the story?" The Dog chuckled and waited for Sam to close his mouth to continue, "Anyway, I got my picture taken with the guy in the Pluto costume, who actually turned out to look a lot like him without it on. During the picture, he grabbed my ass. Me, being horny and young, told him to meet me in the bathroom."
Everett took another drink of his beer.
"You had sex with Pluto?" Sam laughed, "At Disneyland?"
"Yep," Everett smirked, "Right on the changing table in the Mickey's Toontown bathroom."
"How?" Sam's jaw dropped, "Those bathrooms have got to be stuffed with people."
"He had a friend close it down for an hour," Everett began, "We had the whole place to ourselves."
"You are one kinky, kinky bastard," Sam laughed, "That sounds like a story you'd never tell your grandkids."
"You got that right," Everett replied, "On both counts."
Sam chuckled and took a drink of his wine.
"You definitely won," Sam smirked, "Got any more stories like that."
"Well, no," Everett chuckled, "I haven't had that much, you know, sex. All the rest are super boring."
"Maybe we could spice it up?" Sam winked, "We could always sneak back into the research area. Danger is one hell of an aphrodisiac."
Everett laughed.
"I'm sorry," Everett grinned, "But when that giant ass dinosaur was chasing us, the last thing I wanted to do was have sex."
"There are always safer options," Sam shrugged, "We could break into the Triceratops paddock."
"Tell you what," Everett laughed, "My mom sent me some novelty dinosaur sheets. Why don't we start with that and work our way up to the Triceratops paddock."
"Sounds like a plan," Sam winked, "How does tonight sound?"
Everett tensed up and shook his head. Sam cleared his throat and finished off his wine.
"You aren't just doing this to get in my pants are you?" Everett couldn't keep a whine from escaping his lips, "Because if you are, I think I'm going to pay for my drink and leave."
"Everett," Sam reached across the table and took the Dog's paw in his hand, "If that was all I wanted from you I would have told you. I wouldn't lead you on."
Everett nodded and squeezed Sam's hand.
"Ok Sam," The Jack Russel Terrier replied, "I'm glad."
"Have you been burned one too many times?" Sam shook his head and scoffed, "I'm sorry, that's a really personal question."
"No more personal than telling you about the most interesting sex I've ever had," Everett laughed, "But, yeah, I have been."
"Well I wouldn't have asked you to dinner if I only wanted to have sex with you," Sam began, "Like I said, I only date the special ones."
Everett smiled and opened his mouth, only to be cut off by the arrival of Teal with the food. Awkwardly, he bent down to place the plates on the table. The Raptor looked over the table, quickly noticing the empty glasses.
"You guys want refills?" Teal asked.
Sam looked at Everett and nodded.
"Alright," Teal continued, "I'll be able to go on break after I get them. You guys still want me to sit with you?"
"Of course!" Everett began, "I've got loads of questions to ask you."
The Raptor nodded and trotted back into the restaurant to get the couple their drinks. The pair started to dig in and barely managed to make a dent on the very sizeable portions before Teal returned. He set down the drinks, and then stole a chair from a neighboring table with his jaws.
"Ok," Teal sat down on the chair, his tail awkwardly jutting out the hole in the back, "What did you want to know Everett?"
Everett wiped his mouth.
"Well," The Dog chuckled, "What exactly are you?"
"I was created as the result of an experiment in a facility much like this off the coast of Cyprus," Teal stated slowly, "Using probability and genetics, scientists were hypothesizing potential organisms that had not been discovered by paleontologists yet. In one of their simulations, they discovered and created my species, Calludiraptor novicius."
"They just, created you?" Everett's jaw dropped, "Out of thin air?"
Teal laughed again.
"No," Teal began, "They used existing DNA from other, closely related dinosaurs, and tweaked a few things to fit their probability model. I think the base for my DNA was a Deinonychus."
"What made them decide to, you know," Everett pointed at the radio collar, "Couldn't they have done that with some other creature?"
"Not at all," Teal replied, "Dr. Alice Hudson quickly discovered that we were smarter than any dinosaur they had studied up to this point and started testing this technology out on us. It sends electromagnetic signals, effectively changing the wiring in our brain to make us more docile and allow us to use portions of our brains that, otherwise, would be devoted to hunting."
"That's," Everett replied, "That's incredible. So what experiment are you a part of now?"
"Integration," Teal put his clawed hands on the table, "Dr. Alice Hudson wants to see if we can successfully be a part of society. Out of the eight of us selected for this experiment, I am the most successful. Which means that I'm going to be moving into the hotel in the near future, tomorrow actually."
Sam, who was chowing down on his meal while this conversation was going on, held up his finger and downed the large amount of food in his mouth with a swig of wine. He held back a belch and wiped his lips with a napkin.
"Speaking of that," Sam began, "Do you need help moving? If I have free time, I'd be more than happy to help you out."
Teal nodded.
"I'd very much appreciate that," Teal replied, "That would let Dr. Hudson have more time to work on her newest experiment."
"What's that?" Everett asked.
Teal looked up at the restaurant, grimaced a little, and hurriedly got up from his chair. In his hurry, his powerful tail threw the chair off of the balcony. Teal growled with frustration and looked down at Everett.
"I'm sorry, but my manager needs me," Teal bowed his head, "It was a pleasure to meet you Everett. I sincerely hope we speak again."
The Raptor ran into the restaurant before Everett could speak, nearly bowling over a table as he did so. The Dog chuckled and shook his head.
"That's amazing," Everett began, "I can't believe I got to talk to a Dinosaur."
Sam nodded and gestured at the Dog's food.
"You'd better eat that," Sam looked over the balcony at the forest, "It's almost night."
Everett shrugged.
"Why is that a big deal?" Everett asked, "A moonlit dinner would be totally romantic."
"Yes," Sam sipped his wine, "If nocturnal parasitic wasps the size of chickens are part of your idea of romance."
Everett blanched and looked down at his plate. Without a moment's hesitation he started wolfing down his food. The human smirked and watched the scene in front of him, barely able to stifle his laughter.
"You know I'm just kidding about the wasp thing right?" Sam smirked, "I was just saying that so we left before these guys closed."
Everett looked up from his food, swallowed, and laughed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"That was an amazing meal," Everett began as he and Sam walked out of the restaurant, "Thank you for taking me."
"It was," Sam smiled, "Thank you for agreeing to go with me."
The Dog sighed happily and looked over at the tram station. The tram, the last one for the night, was there, glowing brightly in the florescent lights that surrounded the station. Everett looked up at Sam and smiled.
"Well," Everett began, "That's my train."
"Nonsense," Sam replied, "I can give you a ride home."
"Really?" The Dog raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't aware they let anyone except security and maintenance drive on the island."
"Come on pup," Sam chuckled and held up three fingers, "Security, maintenance, and the search and rescue guy. Let's go, it's just a short walk from here."
"That would be awesome!" Everett's tail started wagging as the pair started walking down a gradual incline, "I haven't been on a car ride in forever! We can cruise around a little right?"
Sam laughed and put his arm around the Dog.
"You're really damn cute when you're excited," Sam walked up to his white Jeep, "We can drive around for a bit. There's a place I wanted to go with you anyways."
"Ok," Everett jumped into the passenger seat, "Let's go!"
Sam opened the door and slowly got into his seat. He started the car, shifted into first, and slowly started driving down the dirt road that led from the restaurant. The road was totally empty, and once the pair were out of sight of the restaurant, almost completely dark. Sam turned on his headlights and chuckled.
"This is actually perfect timing," Sam began, "By the time I get to where we're going, the moon will be up. It's actually a blue moon tonight, fun fact, if you will."
"I've never actually been on these roads," Everett looked out the window, "You can get anywhere in the park on these right?"
"Yep," Sam came to a fork in the road and took the one that snaked in the opposite direction from the hotel, "There's even a couple of roads up in the research area."
"Isn't my place that way?" Everett pointed at the other road before it disappeared behind some thick foliage, "This road will take us to the-,"
"That's correct, this road goes to the research zone," Sam looked over at the Dog, "But don't worry, that's not where we're going."
"Where are we going then?" The Jack Russel Terrier whined as the fence separating the park from the research area loomed ominously on his side of the car, "I really don't want to go back in there Sam."
"We aren't," Sam began, "Even though there are some absolutely beautiful spots in there. We're going to a little place just south of the southwest gate. It's totally safe."
"There's nothing up here right?" Everett asked, "Nothing, well, dangerous at least."
"Unless something broke out of its enclosure," Sam shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about it though, they'd put out an alert on the smart watch."
"Which you are-," Everett's eyes went wide as he looked over at Sam's bare wrists, "Where's your watch?"
"In the glovebox with my phone," Sam chuckled, "I wasn't going to bring that obnoxious thing on a date. It would have been rude of me."
"But what if something is out here with us?" Everett asked, "Isn't that important to know?"
Sam scoffed and turned away from the fence.
"There's nothing out here," Sam replied, "There aren't any enclosures near here."
Sam slowed down and turned into a small turn out on the side of the road. A few feet down from the Jeep was a small pool, dimly lit by the rising moon. The human turned off the car and got out.
"Let's go for a swim," Sam began, "What do you say?"
"I don't know," Everett rubbed his arm, "What if there's something else in there?"
"There shouldn't be anything in there," Sam chuckled, "It was planned to house Ambulocetus, but the gardens never got the funding to finish it."
"What would I wear?" Everett blushed hard and stammered as Sam threw his tank top into the car, "Are you serious?"
Sam chuckled and flexed, a smirk forming on his face as the Dog drunk in the sight of his toned body and looked down at his feet embarrassed.
"Yes," Sam pulled off his shorts and tossed them and his underwear into the car as well, "Now, I'm going swimming whether you're coming in or not."
Everett blushed hard as he watched Sam's naked back walk into the water. The light of the moon only accented the arousing sight of the rippling muscles in his back and the human's firm taut buttocks. Everett bit his lip, waited for Sam's waist to disappear under the trembling surface of the water, and quickly stripped. Sheepishly, he hid his underwear under his pants and walked down to the surface of the water, his paws firmly clasped over his package.
"It's not too cold is it?" Everett teased the surface of the water with a toe, "Feels alright to me."
Everett slowly walked into the water, his body tense with nervousness and embarrassment. He relaxed more and more as his body slowly was covered by the warm water of the pool. Sam smiled and lazily paddled around the Dog on his back. The Human chuckled and lightly splashed the back of Everett's head and neck.
"Hey," The Dog turned to face Sam, "Watch it pal."
Sam stopped paddling around and stood up.
"Or what?" Sam stepped forward, his gleaming, muscular chest emerging from the water, "What are you gonna do pup?"
"Well," Everett thought for a moment and smirked, "I won't kiss you if you splash me again."
Sam chuckled.
"Kissing huh?" Sam returned the Dog's confident smirk, "Lucky for me there's other things for us to do besides kissing."
Everett laughed and rolled his eyes.
"Kissing is good with me," Sam smiled, "I don't want to take things too fast."
"You got me naked on the first date," Everett replied, "That's pretty fast."
"You can't blame me," Sam chuckled, "It's always a good idea to take your dates someplace wet for your first date. That way you can tell what they look like under their makeup."
"How many guys have you dated who wore make up?" Everett asked, "That's actually a thing you know."
"Stranger things have happened," Sam shrugged, "Come on, we had our dinner served to us by a talking dinosaur. That's pretty damn out of the ordinary if you ask me."
"Touché," The Jack Russell Terrier replied, "That's very true."
"So," Sam moved a step closer to Everett, "About that kiss..."
Everett blushed hard, but didn't move away as Sam closed the distance between them. The human's strong arms pulled the smaller Dog close, holding him tightly to Sam's firm body. One of Sam's hands gently stroked the bottom of Everett's muzzle, lifting it up slightly. The Jack Russell Terrier looked into Sam's eyes and smiled, letting his eyes close and his inhibitions go.
Sam leaned down, bringing his lips down to brush against the Dog's. Everett's tail started to wag as Sam repeated the motion, over and over again, lingering a little longer each time. The human's hands rubbed over the Dog's torso, caressing the Dog they tenderly kissed. After a couple minutes of kissing, Sam broke away and chuckled.
"Sorry," Sam began, "I'm sure you were wanting to make out."
Everett shrugged.
"I'd prefer to do that later," Everett smiled and nuzzled into Sam's neck, "Maybe on top of my Triceratops bedsheets."
"Sounds good to me," Sam rubbed Everett's back, "Is that a promise?"
"I think so," Everett gave Sam a quick kiss, "Thanks for bringing me out here."
"I bet you feel silly now don't you," Sam nuzzled the Dog's cheek, "There was nothing to worry about."
Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw something move beside his Jeep. He looked over Everett's shoulder, trying to make out what it was.
"You were right," Everett chuckled, "I guess I've just got to start listening to you."
"Shh," Sam looked intently at the Jeep, "Be quiet for a second."
"What?" Everett turned around, "What is it?"
The creature walked in front of the jeep. It looked like a large raptor of some kind.
"Teal!?" Everett said loudly, "Is that you?"
The dinosaur looked up, it's bright red eyes fixated on the two in the pool. The creature chirped and walked forward slowly, its posture low and threatening. It stood at the water's edge and hissed. The Raptor was black, aside from the eyes and serrated white teeth. It was taller than the Jeep, and probably a good bit taller than Sam.
"That's not Teal," Sam reached out and held Everett close, "I don't know what that is."
"What do we do?" Everett asked, his nervous eyes tracking the dinosaur as it stalked around the water's edge, its freakishly bright eyes not letting Sam and Everett out of their sight, "Run?"
Sam thought for a moment and nodded.
"Let it get around the other side," Sam began, "You go underwater and swim towards the Jeep. I'll distract it."
"What then?" Everett whined, "How will you get back into the Jeep?"
"I've got an idea," Sam bent down and kissed the Dog again.
The human looked up and saw the large raptor standing behind him on the shore. He motioned for the Dog to go, and turned away from him. Sam started splashing, sending bursts of water in the raptor's direction. The dinosaur hissed and jumped forward angrily, it jumped back just as quick and ran off. Everett managed to make it into the Jeep and turn it on.
He panted and turned on the headlights before slumping back in the driver's seat and catching his breath. Out his slightly open window, he heard rustling in the tall grass outside. With a whine, he reached to the side and shakily rolled up the window. He peeked over the dashboard, holding his breath, and looked around. Sam was slowly making his way back to his Jeep, his eyes sweeping the foliage surrounding the pool.
Suddenly, the raptor jumped onto the hood of the car and screeched. Everett screamed and pressed his back into the seat, his eyes wide with terror. Sam hurled a rock at the dinosaur and struck it on the back of the head. It shook off the hit and jumped off the front of the car. Sam was standing in ankle deep water, another rock in his hands ready to throw. The creature hissed and advanced forward. With a whine, Everett managed to overcome his fear induced paralysis and honk the horn.
The dinosaur stopped in its tracks. Slowly, it turned to face Everett and the Jeep. Sam took the opportunity to sneak around it and run into the passenger seat of the car. The raptor took no notice and cocked its head. Everett honked again, hoping to scare it off.
Honk
The dinosaur had perfectly replicated the sound.
Honk Honk
Sam opened up the dashboard and pulled out his watch. It hadn't gone off all night. This creature wasn't being tracked by the park's security. The dinosaur reared its head back and screamed out into the night.
"We've got to get out of here," Sam shook Everett's arm, "Come on drive!"
Everett tried to drive out of there, but killed the engine. The creature screeched again as the Dog restarted the car. Sam practically threw Everett out of the way and jumped into the driver's seat. He peeled away from the pool and the creature and sped off down the road towards the hotel. Everett looked back at the pool in time to see three more raptors take their place beside the one that had attacked them. With a whine, ducked his head back and gripped the seat with his paws.
"What the hell were those things?" Everett asked, "What were they doing all the way out here?"
"I don't know," Sam sighed, "They didn't show up on the watch."
"What?!" Everett replied, "What do you mean? I thought that it showed anything dangerous. That was definitely dangerous."
"It didn't show up," Sam stated, "Look, I'm going to take you home, and then I'm going to report this."
Everett nodded.
"Want to spend the night?" The Dog stammered, "Not for that of course. I might have nightmares tonight. It would be nice to have you there to wake up to."
"Not tonight pup," Sam began, "I might have my work cut out for me tonight."
Everett fell silent as he contemplated what that meant.
"No," Everett's jaw dropped, "You are not going out there tonight."
"I have to Everett," Sam replied, "What if someone's kid turns up missing? I don't want to run away from my responsibility. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
The lights from the hotel and gardens became visible.
"You can still stay," Everett whined and rubbed his arm, "I'd understand if you had to leave."
Sam shook his head.
"Next time," Sam began, "I'll stay the night next time."
Everett looked over at the human, tears starting to pool at the bottom of his eyes.
"Can you promise that there will be a next time?" The Dog's voice broke and tears started to flow down his face, "I'm scared for you Sam. I don't want you to die."
Sam stopped the Jeep. They were at the gate into the stretch of cobblestone that ultimately led to glass doors of Everett's home. The human reached over and tenderly held Everett's paw.
"I promise," Sam looked into the Dog's eyes, "I'll get in contact with you tomorrow. I can get your phone number from one of the security guys."
Everett nodded.
"Now," Sam reached down and started to dress himself, "We've got to get dressed."
The Dog followed suit, woodenly pulling on his clothes. At this point, he was too freaked out to care that he and the crazy attractive male beside him were naked. Sam sighed and looked back to the road.
"So," Sam took a deep breath, "I'm happy you care about what happens to me."
"Yeah," Everett nodded and put on his shirt, "This was the best night I've had since I came here. I'm not going to let those freaky bastards ruin it."
Sam chuckled.
"You ready to go?" Sam asked.
"Sure," Everett laid his tie on the dash, "I'm ready."
Sam pressed some buttons on his watch and opened the gate.
"You aren't going to forget that right?" Sam asked as he slowly rolled forward.
"It's collateral," Everett smirked, "So you have to bring it back to me tomorrow."
The human chuckled and shook his head.
"You don't need collateral pup," Sam smiled and looked over the Dog, "I'll be there."
The human stopped in front of the main door to the hotel. Everett looked up at the human and smiled.
"Good night," Everett began, "Stay safe."
Sam leaned in and kissed the Dog softly.
"I will," Sam replied, "Sleep well."
The Dog walked out of the car and lingered on the curb. He watched, forlorn, as Sam drove away into the night. The doorman, a tall bull Moose, held open the door.
"Hello Everett," The doorman began, "Having a nice night?"
Everett nodded and walked in.
"Do me a favor Chris," Everett sighed, "If the man driving that Jeep comes back, tell him my room number."
The moose nodded.
"Will do," Chris replied, "Do you want me to say anything else to him?"
Everett smiled and shook his head.
"No," The Dog began, "He'll understand."