The air was thick with humidity, the dense jungle and vegetation of Isla Nublar reclaiming what had once belonged to it. Vines coiled around the remains of deactivated electric fences and ferns sprouted through the cracks of the abandoned paths. Every step Clarie Dearing and Owen Grady took through the overgrowth felt heavy, their shoes sinking slightly into the damp earth. “We shouldn’t be here..” Claire muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the brush and trees. The eerie quiet of the jungle, broken only by the occasional gust of wind and the distant call of birds, pressed down on her like a weight. Owen, only a few paces ahead, brushed aside a low-hanging branch, replying with a simple “Relax.” Despite his somewhat uncautious tone, his hand rested instinctively on the rifle slung over his shoulder. “Nothing’s out here anymore. At least, nothing big.”

The remains of Jurassic Park loomed faintly in the distance, its once-proud gates now crumbling monuments to hubris. As they trudged forward, the foliage parted a bit, revealing the outlines of the old visitor center in the misty horizon. Suddenly, the underbrush to their right shook with movement, alerting the two humans as the air filled with the sound of snapping branches. Both Claire and Owen froze, their heartbeats spiking as they turned toward the abrupt disturbance. A shadow emerged from the greenery, low to the ground but massive in presence. The dinosaur, one that was unlike anything they had encountered before, moved slowly, steps deliberate as it focused entirely on the ground; sniffing at the dirt and shifting through the vegetation.

Owen raised a hand to signal Claire to stay behind him, whispering to himself with confusion, and intrigue, “That’s…..new.” Claire spoke up after a few seconds of staring, her voice tense and boarding on panicked, “What the hell is that?” Her voice must've been louder than she thought as the previously unaware—or unconcerned—hybrid lifted its head, pausing as its sharp gaze met theirs.