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Sunrise in Vida, California was accompanied by a chorus of calls outside of the city walls from miles around. The telltale trumpeting bellows of hadrosaurs, the barking, chirping, and shrieking of smaller predators, and the occasional deep, throaty bellow of a large carnivore were the norm as people woke, and headed to their various jobs. The air was warm and slightly humid, tinged with the scent of brine. Summer was just around the corner. After a difficult winter, it was very welcome.

In the town's library, a hammock was hung between a pair of pillars on the top floor. On the ground nearby were stacks of books and various other things, like a pile of clothes, a hand-carved wooden staff, and a bundle of cloth close to the hammock. The fluttering of feathery wings broke the relative silence, and a small dinosaur landed on top of the hammock's occupant. The size and color of a raven, it pecked and kicked at the blanket where it knew someone's head was.

"It's too early," a voice grumbled from beneath the blanket. As if irritated, the dinosaur mimicked the sound of a slightly larger dinosaur. "Shut it." The girl wasn't a morning person, and the little dinosaur knew it. Finally, the ball of feathers sucked in a deep breath before letting out a loud, cacophonous roar.

Right next to her ear.

"GWAAH!"

Startled, Kyouko flipped out of her hammock, instinctively going for something to protect herself before scowling at the dinosaur.

"Why did I ever watch those movies with you around, Niji?" she asked.

The dinosaur preened his feathers, as if responding with, "Sorry, I can't hear you~!"

Kyouko sighed. She was up now. And the adrenaline in her system meant she wouldn't fall back asleep. The girl grabbed the small pouch of gold coins from her bag. "I'm sure the diner'll be open soon. Hope Sarah's been doing well." Niji hopped onto her shoulder. "After how you woke me up, I'm not letting you have any of my food."

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The Madagascar hissing cockroach. A large and docile species of cockroach, popular within exotic pet circles and recognized by the ability to hiss through a specialized respiratory opening. One was currently snuggled up inside of the chest pocket of a fifteen year old boy in Vida. His disheveled appearance would have been interpreted as advanced homelessness by the general population had he actually left his home frequently. Today, however, was a rare day in which the young Oliver Clive actually did step outside.

The teenage boy´s plan was to go just outside of the town´s perimeter to scout for beetles to add to his insect menagerie back at home. Despite the area being relatively safe, his worrywart tendencies resulted in Oliver gearing up as if it were a daylong trip. A couple of snacks, a journal, thick tube socks, the usual. Any insect acquisitions would be transported with glass jars and fed with whatever food he had brought along for the day. This would all happen after a much desired visit to the library.

The library. Full of people. His eyes strained with the thoughts of what he'd have to endure in order to stock up on the right books. Gawking and "good morning"-s and question after question. It was almost impossible to believe that the creatures responsible for such a cacophony of meaningless noise were convinced that insects were the real pests. Couldn't anyone else see insects were the holy grail of biology, the only living beings that were powerful enough to outlast those horrid dinosaurs?

His fists curled as he ascended the stairs to the top floor. He hoped she wouldn't be there. This would just be a routine visit to the library, no more, no less. A sputter messily left his clenched teeth, however upon seeing the girl and her dinosaur again. They were so close to the science section, or as Oliver called it, the ninety percent dino section.

He moved to the shelves with the trepidation of a prey animal and began browsing for anything that could help him with his current beetle obsession, maintaining intense bursts of eye contact with whatever that strange avian creature was. A small drop of sweat ran down his forehead as he surveyed its sharp teeth. And it's talons! Who knew what level of carnage that thing was capable of! And how would he escape if it were to go on a bloodthirsty rampage?

Oliver lingered from the dinosaur to the girl for a moment longer than what was socially acceptable. "G-good morning," he said, dragging a heavy tome out of a shelf like a robot.