Sobek knew that funerals were always a traumatic experience. It was no coincidence that during wars there was a tendency to get rid of the bodies immediately, without too many soldiers being able to see them: the sight of the corpses reminded them how easy it was to lose one's life in battle. Generally during wars the fallen did not have a public funeral, unless they were of high rank or had performed heroic deeds, and could therefore serve as a propaganda tool to inspire other soldiers.

Sobek had no intention of using death as an incentive; from his point of view, a funeral was a tribute to his companions who were no longer there and that he had to remain. In his speech about him, Sobek had made no mention of the ongoing war: he had only listed the qualities of the dead dinosaurs, and then had greeted them in a dignified manner. Even though he wasn't much, he felt he owed at least a few words to those who sacrificed themselves for the cause of the dinosaurs.

He had been surprised to see how many dinosaurs had actually joined the commemoration; the feeling of cohesion of a pack was really strong. Sobek hadn't had big greetings in mind: he'd just asked the dinosaurs to sing, each on their own. It didn't have to be a simple song: each dinosaur had to think about the fallen brothers and vocalize those emotions he felt.

Singing was a perfect medium for expressing one's feelings, especially those that words couldn't actually explain. No preparation, no symphony: all the dinosaurs had simply let themselves be carried away by the emotions that aroused their bodies in the pit. The song had flowed from their throats spontaneously, with no machinations behind it.

Sobek was amazed when the music that was created turned out to be beautiful. It was really true that the notes, regardless of how they were expressed, always found their place if it was the heart that played. What was initially a cacophony was quickly harmonized, incorporating all the voices of all the dinosaurs and forming a single music.

When it was all over, Sobek finally wanted to say a few words. As pack leader, it was his duty to say goodbye to his companions. He was certainly not the prayer of a funeral, but he was convinced that he had delivered a good speech. After the bodies were finally buried, Sobek had stayed there, near the pit, waiting for all the dinosaurs to leave. When finally even the most reluctant left the tomb, he too Sobek finally left, not before having grazed with his paws the earth under which the fallen dinosaurs lay.

Once back in the city, he had decided not to give any order all night, so that the dinosaurs could mourn the dead for good. And then, he too needed to be alone for a while.

It was only when the sun began to rise again that Sobek summoned the dinosaurs back. He had no intention of waiting any longer: the dead had been buried, but they still demanded justice.

"Bring general Davies here"

*******

"Thank you... again" Dariela murmured as she hauled a kilo of freshly supplied food from the food dispenser dinosaur.

"Forget about it. It's a pleasure to help you" Abe replied, also with his arms full of food. Indeed, judging by the quantity, he had even more.

After the funeral, the dinosaurs had led the humans back to their enclosures. However, a few things had changed. People had mingled during the service and now new faces could be seen in the square, while others were missing. Malcolm, Ellie and Alexander were among them: after they found each other, they had been separated from Abe and taken elsewhere.

Afraid of being alone, Abe had sought out Dariela and rejoined her just in time. The woman had remained at the side of her troop and was happy (or at least, she had hinted at a smile) to see her big man again. When they returned to the corral, Abe had decided to move permanently among the soldiers, since now he no longer had to worry about Ellie and Alexander.

He was shocked to see how shocked those poor men actually were. Of the five soldiers in the troop, three were no more than twenty years old, the other two were not thirty. Many of them visibly trembled and struggled to eat, and one of them even seemed to have lost the will to live and had to be fed. They were also terrified of falling asleep, because sleep brought nightmares. Surely those poor souls would suffer from PTSD or other mental disorders for many years to come.

Dariela was the only one left sane, or so she tried to show herself. Abe was sure she wasn't too well too. However, he wasn't a psychologist and he didn't want to risk exposing trauma at the wrong time, so he didn't ask her anything. He just helped her.

Dariela had her work cut out to keep her troop alive: she had to calm them down, put them to sleep, make sure none of them attempted suicide and, of course, she had to go every day to get enough food from the dispensing dinosaurs.

As she and Abe were walking back with the food, however, a large allosaurus entered the enclosure and approached the soldiers. People dodged the passage of the great predator, moving at least ten meters away. The allosaurus did not deign to look at them: it aimed at the soldiers.

If he got too close, someone in the troop would have a heart attack. Dariela knew it and she did not wait: she threw the food on the ground and sprinted forward. "Wait!" Abe yelled at her, but the soldier was much faster than him and she was intent on intercepting the allosaurus. Almost leaping, she stepped in front of his path.

The giant theropod looked surprised by the scene, but he recovered quickly: "Excuse me, I have to confer with the soldiers" he said.

A drop of sweat ran down Dariela's forehead. "You can report to me. I am a soldier" she replied.

"Uh... okay, if you prefer this..." the allosaurus replied, then composing himself: "The pack leader is sending me to call you. He wants to know if you want to attend the trial"

"The trial?" Dariela raised an eyebrow. "Whose trial?"

"The trial of your boss, of course. Right now he is being brought to trial to answer for his crimes. If you want to see it one last time, this is the moment" the allosaurus replied.

Dariela felt her heart skip a beat. She had never liked Davies: she didn't know him and in the short time she had interacted with him she hadn't had a good impression of him. Still, it would have been better to at least know if he was dead or alive… although given the fury the dinosaurs showed when they captured him, it was likely that the verdict would be quartering.

She looked at her companions. None of them would have been able to watch the scene. They already had enough trauma on them. "I'll come. The others don't want to" she told to the allosaurus.

"Are you sure? You didn't confront them..." the dinosaur tried to object.

"I know their thinking. I'm the only one coming" the woman replied.

"And I". Dariela whirled around as soon as she heard Abe's voice. As soon as she saw him a few steps behind her, with one hand raised as if he wanted to offer himself, she didn't spare him a fiery look. But Abe wasn't intimidated.

The allosaurus looked confused. "You aren't a soldier" he pointed out.

"No, but I'm a friend of this woman. And I want to assist" Abe replied.

"Well… the pack leader didn't say anything about it. I assume it's worth the same" the allosaurus murmured. "Follow me. I'll take you to the pack leader"

The two walked behind the allosaurus, out of the square and along the streets, up to the central square. On the way Dariela grabbed Abe's wrist and squeezed it like a vise, so that her blood stopped circulating in her muscles. "Why are you doing this?" she hissed.

"I have my reasons"

"Would you be kind enough to share with me what they are?"

"Knowing what fate will have those who challenge these creatures, for example. Or learn more about them. Or again, better frame their pack leader and identify a possible point of contact that I will be able to exploit. And finally…" Abe looked into her eyes. "I don't want you to take unnecessary risks. I'll make sure you don't do anything stupid"

Dariela narrowed her eyes in anger. "I'm a sergeant. I have my self-control"

"I don't doubt it, but you're not in the mental condition to use it well" Abe replied with a serious look. "Don't be tough on me, Dariela: you too were on the battlefield like your troop. Another massacre is the last thing you need to see now if you want to maintain self-control. So you will forgive me if I want to make sure that there is someone with you to hold you back in case your self-control will be temporary forgotten"