Arlo gulped. “Rustlers?” he asked.

Butch walked ahead and found a dead longhorn in the tumbleweed. “We gotta move,” said Butch. “Hya!”

The T. rexes took off, running swiftly and quietly. Spot and Arlo followed as they tracked the prints until the prints disappeared over the top of a small hill. When they got closer to the edge, the T. rexes crawled on their bellies to get a view of the herd a short distance away. The dinosaurs quietly watched the scene below.

Arlo crouched down, too. There—below the big blue sky—was the herd, quietly grazing in the tall grass. It seemed very peaceful.

“I don’t see any rustlers,” whispered Arlo, wondering where the thieves could be.

“They’re out there,” said Butch, inching forward. He turned to Arlo and squinted, sizing him up. “I got a job for you.”

“I’m not really good at…jobs,” Arlo responded timidly.

Butch pointed out to the right of the herd. “I need you to keep on the dodge and sidle up the lob lolly past them hornheads, just hootin’ and hollerin’ to score off them rustlers. We’ll cut dirt and get the bulge on ’em.”

“What?” Arlo asked, blank-faced.

“He just wants you to get on that rock and scream,” Ramsey said, clarifying. She pointed to a large rock in the field near the longhorns.

“They’ll come right at you,” added Butch. “You hold your ground. Don’t move.”

“ Don’t move?” asked Arlo nervously. “What if they have claws and big teeth?”

“ Don’t overthink it,” Butch said. Then he pushed Arlo right out into the field!

With Spot on his back, Arlo nervously looked around. He glanced at the T. rexes, and Butch nodded, encouraging Arlo to go on.

Arlo took a deep breath and tried to get over his fear. He moved slowly, creeping through the grass. When he turned back, the T. rexes were gone! He panted as he anxiously continued toward the large rock.

Once he reached it, he carefully climbed up to the top. Trembling, his legs shook and his knees knocked into each other as he tried to muster up some courage. He took another deep breath and, finally, opened his mouth to roar. A low, strained whimper came out. Spot watched as he tried again. But Arlo’s “roar” came out like a strangled whisper.

Taking matters into his own hands, Spot chomped down on Arlo’s leg and Arlo let out a piercing scream!

In an instant, Arlo saw the tall grass quiver and move. He could hear something coming toward them rapidly, but he couldn’t see what it was. His mouth went dry and he could barely breathe. Once again, Arlo was terrified.

Three of the thieves appeared: they were nasty-looking Raptors. Each had a mouth full of big pointy teeth and a sharp, curved talon on each foot. Arlo turned to see another one—even bigger than the others—coming right at him. He froze in fear.

“What are you up to, boy?” asked one.

“N-n-n-nothing,” Arlo said.

The female Raptor cackled. “Nothin’? What’s your name?” she asked.

“Uh…Ah-ah-Arl-Arlo.”

“Well, ah-ah-ah-Arlo, you don’t look like you’re doin’ nothing. What’s he look like he’s doing to you, Lurleane?” asked the big Raptor.

“Oh, come on, Bubbha, ask me! Ask me what I think they’re doin’,” said the other male Raptor.

“Pervis, shut your mouth!” Bubbha said.

“Looks like he’s trespassin’,” Lurleane snarled.

“And what do we do with trespassers? Tell ’em, Earl,” Bubbha said with a growl.

“We kill ’em!” Earl exclaimed.

In an instant, Earl lunged at Arlo. Arlo closed his eyes, sure he was a goner. But then Butch leaped out of the grass and grabbed the Raptor midair! The other Raptors jumped and bounced, and Nash swiped at them. The Raptors and T. rexes battled. Arlo was right in the middle of the chaotic brawl!

Pervis landed on a rock in front of Arlo and jumped at him. “I GOT YA!” he yelled, standing right over Arlo.

BOOM!

Butch head-butted Pervis and he went flying. Pervis landed with a thud, right in the middle of the herd. The noise stirred the longhorns up and they began to stampede. They trampled right over Pervis and were headed toward Arlo.

Arlo was petrified, but Spot barked and hopped onto his back, snapping him out of it. Arlo took off running.

Ramsey dashed toward the stampede and called to her brother. “Nash! The herd! Hya!”

“Giddyup! Come on now! Giddyup! Hya!” Nash shouted, following close behind.

Then Ramsey noticed a Raptor right behind Nash. “Watch out!” she screamed.

The giant Raptor jumped onto Nash and they began to fight. Nash got in a few good punches, but Bubbha managed to peg him down. Bubbha held up his claws, ready to strike, when Ramsey charged into the fight—nailing him with an impressive tail whip. THUMP!

The Raptor went flying.

Meanwhile, Arlo ran from the stampeding herd, getting tossed around along the way. Spot barked as Arlo ran behind a boulder. Arlo caught his breath, but Spot continued to bark and growl.

Just then, Lurleane landed on a nearby boulder. Arlo ducked for cover, trying to stay hidden. She sniffed around, looking for someone to fight. All of a sudden, Spot jumped out, growling at her and egging her on. But Arlo grabbed him back, hoping she wouldn’t find them.

“Come on out—Momma wants to play with you,” Lurleane said creepily. “I know you’re there. I can SMELL ya.”

Without warning, Butch charged in with Pervis on his back, and Lurleane joined in the attack on Butch. Arlo tried to get out of the way, but he got whacked by Butch’s tail in the scuffle.

The Raptors pinned Butch to the ground right in front of Arlo. “Nab his tail!” Butch yelled, but Arlo was scared stiff. Spot nudged him, growling, and Arlo knew he had to help. Without giving it another thought, Arlo ran straight at Pervis, screaming like a crazed dinosaur.

Arlo head-butted the Raptor clear across the field! He couldn’t believe he had actually done it. He smiled proudly, but the feeling quickly faded as soon as Lurleane slinked toward him.

“I’m going to love ending you,” she said with a terrible growl. She lunged at Arlo. But before she could reach him, Butch snatched her up by the tail. Butch roared as he hurled her off into the distance. Then he chased the other Raptors away, biting their blue-feathered tails as they ran.

It had been quite a battle, and the T. rexes celebrated their victory with a hearty roar. Then Ramsey looked over to Arlo and nudged him. It was obvious that she wanted Arlo to roar, too! After all, Arlo had helped defeat them. He let out the loudest roar he could muster.

Nash ran up. “Come on, we gotta drive this herd outta here,” he said, nipping at one of the longhorns. “Hya! Come on now!”

Arlo and Spot couldn’t believe it, but they’d survived. They shared a glance and proudly tagged along with the T. rexes and the herd as they moved the longhorns on to safer pastures.

The friends galloped with the T. rexes into the sunset. Even though they were exhausted, they breathed a sigh of relief.

For the first time in a long time, Arlo had reasons to be confident. He’d finished a job. He’d survived.

He’d participated in the rescue of the longhorns in a big way. Loping across the plains, he couldn’t help but think that he’d be home soon.

He could feel it.