The Change
As the years rolled by, life shifted in ways Joseph couldn’t have imagined in his younger days. The wild nights and carefree rides across the plains slowly became memories, tucked away in the quiet corners of his mind. Marriage, family, and the responsibilities of the ranch settled upon him like the soft dust that accumulated after a long day’s ride. The transition wasn’t abrupt; it came gradually, like the changing of the seasons. One day he was laughing in town with Vust, the next he found himself sitting at his father’s desk, tallying up expenses and wondering how to keep the ranch thriving.
It wasn’t long after his father passed that Joseph met Lila, a woman as beautiful as she was strong. She had hair the color of sun-bleached wheat and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, always watching, always understanding. Lila had grown up on a neighboring ranch, and though she had seen her fair share of hardship, there was a quiet determination in her that drew Joseph in from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Their courtship wasn’t some whirlwind romance full of grand gestures and declarations of love. It was simpler than that. They spent long evenings talking under the stars, her laughter mingling with the soft lowing of the dinosaurs in the distance. She understood him in ways that surprised him, knowing the ranch life as well as he did, but bringing a warmth and light that he hadn’t realized he’d needed.
When they married, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Their wedding was small, held on the ranch with close family and friends, the wide Avalerian sky their ceiling, and the distant calls of the dinosaurs their music. The day was beautiful, but what came after was even better. Life with Lila was steady, like the rhythm of the ranch itself. They worked side by side, raising the dinosaurs and tending to the land, their lives intertwined not just by love but by the hard work that defined their days.
After his father passed, Joseph officially took over the ranch, a legacy that had been passed down through the Smitthy family for generations. The ranch had been his father’s pride, and Joseph intended to honor that by running it with the same care and dedication. Under Joseph’s watchful eye, the ranch didn’t just survive—it thrived. The dinosaurs roamed free, grazing on the rich, fertile land that stretched for miles. From the moment the first sun broke the horizon to when the second one dipped below the sky, Joseph worked tirelessly to ensure the ranch was a success.
The creatures he raised were not just animals—they were partners in the work of the land. The Ankylosaurus, with its massive, spiked tail and armored body, became Joseph’s favorite for the hard labor of plowing the fields. They were slow, methodical beasts, but their strength was unmatched, and they could turn even the most stubborn soil into fertile ground. The Stegosaurus, with its distinctive back plates, made for excellent pack animals, able to carry heavy loads across the expansive fields. But it was his prized Triceratops herd that truly set his ranch apart. Their sturdy frames, adorned with three sharp horns and a bony frill that shielded their necks, made them perfect for work, but also majestic to behold. Traders and farmers from all over Avaleris would come to see his herd, marveling at their size, strength, and impeccable care.
Lila bore him three children, two daughters and a son, and with their arrival, Joseph’s life shifted yet again. His rambunctious spirit, once untamed, softened in the face of fatherhood. He adored his children, watching them grow, their laughter filling the house and the fields. His oldest daughter, Evie, was a spitting image of Lila—strong-willed, independent, and already showing signs of being a natural rancher. His younger daughter, Maria, was softer, more inclined to spend her days drawing the creatures that roamed their land than working alongside them. His son, little Jack, was the wild one, full of energy and curiosity. Joseph saw his younger self in Jack’s eyes, and while it made him proud, it also made him worry.
Though the ranch took up most of his time, Joseph still found moments to reminisce about his youth. Every now and then, he’d ride into town with Lila and the kids, tipping his hat to old friends, smiling as the children gawked at the world outside the ranch. But those rides were different now. Where once he had entered town with the carefree swagger of a young man, now he came with the quiet pride of a family man and a respected rancher. The weight of the world had settled on his shoulders, but it was a weight he carried gladly.
Yet, as Joseph’s life grew more settled, the world around him seemed to shift in unsettling ways. The once-clear skies above Avaleris, dotted with the ever-blinking lights of the Stations, seemed more distant, the twinkling of the stars less comforting than before. There was a heaviness in the air, a tension that Joseph couldn’t quite place. The traders who passed through brought strange stories, whispers of shapeshifters lurking in the wilderness, creatures that could mimic the form of men but moved with a savage, animalistic grace. At first, Joseph dismissed the rumors. Avaleris was vast, and the wilderness beyond the ranches and cities had always been wild. It wasn’t uncommon to hear tales of strange beasts or shadowy figures haunting the more remote areas.
But then, the disappearances began.
It started with livestock—dinosaurs vanishing from the far-off paddocks, their tracks leading off into the hills, only to disappear without a trace. The first few incidents didn’t raise much alarm. Avaleris was home to all manner of predators, and losing an animal or two was part of the ranching life. But then, people began to go missing. Ranch hands, traders, even a few travelers who had camped too far from the safety of the city walls. Each disappearance was quiet, almost unnoticed at first, but the frequency increased, and the fear among the locals grew.
Joseph tried to push the unease from his mind, focusing on the ranch and his family. He had enough to worry about without chasing shadows. Lila noticed the change in him, though. She saw the way his eyes lingered on the horizon a little longer than before, the way his hands tightened on the reins as he rode the perimeter of their land. “What’s on your mind, Joe?” she’d ask in that soft, knowing voice of hers.
“Nothing that ain’t always been there,” he’d reply, but they both knew it wasn’t true.
The ranch remained a sanctuary, a place where Joseph could lose himself in the rhythm of the land, but the world outside its borders felt increasingly distant, as if something dark and unseen was creeping ever closer. The peace that had once defined Avaleris seemed fragile now, as though one wrong step could shatter it forever.