You are in the forested plains of Europe, 234 million years ago.

The air was thick and humid, tasting of salt and ancient vegetation, a stark contrast to the modern, chilly English afternoon you had left behind. Before you, stumbling over red, Triassic rock on a small island, was a creature roughly the size of a large dog—a Thecodontosaurus.

Its skin was a dull, textured gray-green, surprisingly delicate-looking, contrasting with its long, muscular tail that acted as a rudder. It stopped, lifting its slender, flexible neck, and looked directly at you with large, dark eyes. There was no roar—only the quiet, dry tearing sound of serrated teeth ripping leaves from a low-hanging branch.