I was four years old the first time my father took me to the South Gate to watch the Exploratory Teams leave Viadon. It was exciting for me, watching as they were allowed to venture out into the unknown, to see the monsters that we were all told about as children. Of course, we knew those monsters were real. We would see them lurking near The Fence periodically, but only the Exploratory Teams were granted the ability to see them outside.

What I didn't know back then was that out of twenty Exploratory Teams, only ten would be able to graduate on their Testing Day and become Elitist Teams. The Guardian Elitists are the top tier of our military, known as the Guardians, and even they still struggle against the threats from outside. Only the strongest of teams can stand against the giants, and using the toughest and harshest training available, only ten teams will pass, qualified to defend our people.

Exploratory teams are made up of five people: two Warriors, a Veterinarian, a Tech Specialist, and a Medic. Veterinarians are in control of the team's animal operations. While each member carries enough sleep darts to knock out a relatively small Carnotaurus, the Vets carry enough to take out even the largest of Tyrannosaurs. The Warriors and Veterinarian carry rifles, while the other two carry smaller guns for use in emergencies. Warriors are trained to give the Vets the time they need to put the animals to sleep, using their mostly non-lethal weapons to distract and contain. The Warriors are pretty self-sufficient on their own but with an unlimited amount of threats, the Medic still has an essential part to play. In case of an emergency, they are equipped with a large number of medical supplies, including some portable equipment from our hospitals. Just in training alone, our Medic has saved our lives more times than I can count.

Tech Specialists are the only members of the Exploratory Teams that have been allowed to go beyond the Fence before the Testing Day. Over the thousands of years that our home city of Viadon has been standing, we humans have successfully placed tracking devices in hundreds of dinosaurs surrounding the city. The fifth member of our team carries a tracking device that will alert us of any tracked dinosaur that wanders nearby while we are outside, and to that end, the Techies are required to have field experience using the device. The Tech Specialists are also responsible for placing trackers inside of any target creature that is not already tagged, all while recording data and acting as the computer brain of our operation.

My team is the top-ranked in our class, and today is our Testing Day. In just a few hours we will be leaving Viadon in a rover to participate in a twenty-four-hour long competition to place tracking devices into as many dinosaurs as possible. Teams will be awarded points that are determined by a species' size and diet. This task itself is difficult, the competition and time limit only serving to make things more stressful for the graduating teams. It's not just a test though, our lives really will be at risk outside of The Fence. It isn't unheard of for teams to return with losses, or to not return at all. However, today is my turn, and my first task is to track down my team...

Today is Team Five's Testing Day, an important milestone in our training. So of course, it took me thirty minutes to wake up and get out of bed today, though I was still able to rush through preparing, resulting in my arriving four minutes late instead of the usual ten. Alaric, our team's leader and second warrior to myself, is probably cursing my name already. By the time I reach the deployment field, my team is already in place, our rover and packs already prepared to leave.

"You were supposed to be here 5 minutes ago, Alexandria." Alaric snaps, glaring at me with cold eyes. I roll my own eyes in response, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference. Our leader loves to arrive half an hour before anyone else, guaranteeing that we will still be early.

"We're the only team here Hunts, you can calm down. Besides, I think that Lexa had the right idea. We could have all used an extra 15 minutes of sleep, this is going to be a long and difficult day." Axia, Team Five's tech specialist and second-in-command, retorts calmly while reading something on a clipboard.

"Let's not argue today, guys. We have to focus on doing our jobs." Our medic, Quincy, chimes in quietly from his seat on the hood of the rover. "There are only a few minutes before all of the other teams and our Elite Mentors arrive, there is no time for us to fight."

Axia nods to Quincy, walking over to me and handing me her clipboard. "Q is right Lexa. On that note, I need you to double-check your gear and make sure you aren't missing anything before we head out."

I sit down beside my pack with the board and begin to flip through it, making sure my med-kit, ammo, rations, and other bits of gear are all accounted for. Everyone in our group carries the essentials, but each specialist has its unique items as well. Axia, as our technology genius, carries a suite of advanced machinery; from our digital map to the scanners which can help detect heat signatures of nearby dinosaurs without trackers.

Quincy, the medic for Team Five, carries medical supplies advancing beyond basic first aid, and is even supplied with a foam spray that can heal superficial wounds in a matter of minutes. If it doesn't require a hospital unit, then he can heal it in the field. Our veterinarian, Oliver, holds different types of medications for the animals outside of the city, prepared in case we come across an injured or sick beast. He is also responsible for keeping a record of the trackers and helping Axia with implanting them into the targets.

Alaric and I are fully stocked with an assortment of weaponry and ammunition types, in an attempt to account for the many types of predators and other threats outside of the city. Smoke grenades, noise grenades, different types of tranquilizer darts, and even a small amount of lethal ammo meant for emergencies. Oliver is responsible for trying to tranquilize dinosaurs while we Warriors keep them busy, but it's good to have them ourselves in case he's unable to get a good shot. We also carry large knives, and a small number of other useful tools in case we get into a bind.

"Other teams are starting to arrive." Quincy exhales a nervous breath as he attempts to calm himself down for our test.

"We'll be okay, don't worry," I reassure him with a small grin. "I'm a bit anxious as well, but I'm ready. We're all ready." I turn in place to see other teams streaming onto the massive field and towards their rovers.

A buzzer rings out across the now noisy field, causing all of the trainees to quiet down and move towards a large balcony set into the side of the Guardian Academy. Axia produces a tablet from her pack and we all gather around it to see better, the screen displaying a camera feed of an older lady walking calmy outside to a set of microphones.

"Good morning to you, our Elitists in Training. Today is your Training Day, the final stop in your journey under the hallowed roof of our grand Guardian Academy." Rose Hunts, the current Chieftess, stands looking out into the crowd of 100 trainees. "You have the congratulation of myself, the approval of your Mentors and other instructors, and the admiration of the good citizens of Viadon. As is tradition, before you may leave to begin the final step of your training, we will remind you of all that you are here for."

"As you all know, over two-thousand years ago, humanity was on the verge of extinction. In a bid to prevent this, a man by the name of Damian Hunts gathered together every survivor he could find to begin building our amazing city." She paused, a screen behind her slowly scrolling a list of names, the original colonists that built Viadon. "They built the Fence, they constructed our city, and they laid down the laws that we live by today. Those rules state that to preserve the population, of both our great city and humanity, only the elite of our fighters are allowed to leave Viadon. Today, you will be tested to prove that you have what it takes to be one of these Elitists."

Again, she pauses, the screen behind her fading out before a giant timer showing twenty-minutes appears. "When I finish, this timer will begin its countdown and you will be dismissed to your rovers to prepare for departure. In five minutes, your team's Tech Specialists will be given access to the full tracking system and you'll be able to see your assigned departure area. You will have the remaining fifteen minutes to assess the available targets and move to your departure gate." Chieftess Hunts stops a final time, a grave look in her eyes.

"The threats outside of the Fence are far more dangerous than the ones you faced in training, and many of them will be much larger. Do not try and take on more than your team can handle. Even though only half of you will become Elitists, we do not wish to lose a single Guardian out there. Be safe, be careful, and good luck." With that, the Chieftess of Viadon turned and made her way off of the balcony, and the massive timer began to tick down.

Once the countdown begins, every EIT rushes back to their rover to prepare. As all of Team 5 reaches our Rover towards the back of the field, closer to the gate, Axia gains access to the tracking system. Alaric and Oliver hope that we are assigned a territory near the Southern Tyrannosaur Family Unit, or S.T.F.U. for short. It's mating season and Tyrannosaurs typically do their business roughly 20 miles south of the gate. The young from last season will have grown by now and will be in the best condition for implanting trackers.

While this tactic will be able to net us extra points, Axia is the only one of us that has any real field experience, and a Tyrannosaur might be aiming too high for our first track. Personally, I'm hoping we get an area near Carnotaurs and larger herbivores. We trained with real Carnos in training, and I'm quite confident we can handle that.

"We're heading west of the South Gate, 30 miles into the mountains," Axia explains as we all settle into our seats. "It's a 50-mile ride between here and there... No wonder we have 24 hours."

"At least we don't have to be back in exactly 24 hours, we just can't be back before." Quincy pipes, hoping to make us feel better about the fact that our area will take us an hour and fifteen minutes to reach.

"It's just not fair. I'm sure others were placed closer than that. They'll be tracking Dinos before we even get halfway there." Oliver complains, clearly not pleased.

"Well we have no choice; things aren't always fair." I turn around in the passenger seat to get a good look at the map, already noticing several red dots appearing on the screen. "That's our area, right?" Axia replies with a nod, "What are those?"

"It seems most of the predators in the area are Raptors." She says, her eyes glancing between Alaric and me for a few moments before back down to the tablet. "There are several groups of Pteranodons higher into the mountains. Those will be nice targets, one shot down with a tranq."

"We'll have to stay up high if we come across any Utah Raptors," Oliver warns, his eyes also glancing over the map. "They are fast and we won't be able to get past them on foot. It'll be a matter of tranquilizing them before they can eat us." He has been trained in animal behavior despite having no field experience, but it's best to trust his word.

"Alright, we can talk through a plan on the way. Others are starting to head to the gate." Alaric tells us as he starts up the rover. "We'll go directly West from the gate, yes?"

"Correct. I'll let you know where exactly once we're out." Axia replies, her fingers quickly moving over the map to look more closely.

While the others focus on where we are going and how to get there, I watch closely as familiar places begin to come into view. My family lives near the Southern Gate, and it's been four years since I have been this close to home. I'm hoping they'll be there to see us off this morning, even if I'll only get a moment to see them. It's only fitting they be there since they're the ones who inspired me to become an Elitist in the first place.

Within the next few minutes, the Southern Gate comes into view, along with hundreds of Viadon's civilians waiting to watch as we depart. As we approach the gate, other Rovers are already waiting patiently for the gate to open. Once the 20-minute countdown hits zero, the Defense Guardians will begin to open the gate and we can leave.

Alaric stops our Rover behind the other teams and turns back to look at Axia, "Does it seem like we'll have any issues on the way?"

"We'll be heading straight through up the side of a mountain. It's not too steep, so the rover shouldn't have any issues. However, there are several Tyrannosaurs in the area. It seems some of them are still on their way to the Mating Grounds." Axia replies, a frown prominently on her face.

"Too bad we can't hunt outside of our territory." Oliver sighs, leaning closely over Axia's shoulder to look at the map.

"We need to avoid them. We can't have any delays on our way. We only have 24 hours, and as you said earlier everyone else will be hunting before we reach our hunting grounds." I remind him, tearing my eyes away from the crowd of people around us. My parents were nowhere to be seen, but I don't want to let that bother me right now. "How much longer do we have?"

"2 minutes before the gate opens," Quincy replies shakily, a deep breath escaping him.

"We'll be okay. If we direct a bit North, we can avoid the Tyrannosaurs. We know they're turning South already. Our Rover shouldn't attract it as long as we stay at least a mile away." Alaric states, "Right, Oliver?"

"Correct." His friend confirms with a nod.

It gets quiet between us after that, all of us preparing mentally for the upcoming task. I do not doubt that our team will pass this test, even if it isn't in the first place. We're top of our class with some of the smartest people that I've ever met. Q, while a bit skittish, is constantly praised as the best young medic that Viadon has ever seen. Axia, Oliver, and Alaric all know so much about the predators outside. We're ready.

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud buzzer, and my eyes snap up to look at the gate. "It's time." I breathe out, watching closely as the gate begins to slowly open. Ahead of the Rovers in front, I can see Defensive Guardians making their way to the outside perimeter in order to protect the opening in The Fence.

Once the Rovers begin to move, Alaric follows closely behind. Our 24-hour time period has begun, and now that we're outside, we are officially on our own. No one will come to look for us until we are 5 hours late to return, and usually, the Elitists sent to retrieve lost teams go home empty-handed.

"Start heading West here, through those trees. Nothing, not even herbivorous, is showing on the radar closely." Axia commands, looking away from her tablet and out through the front windshield of the Rover. "We should have a smooth ride, guys."

"I can't believe we're actually outside of the fence," Quincy says, his past nervousness seemingly fading into excitement and wonder. "Maybe we'll get a chance to see something on the way." I grin in agreement, my stomach fluttering with the thought of seeing a dinosaur close up in its actual natural habitat.

"Well, we may be in luck." Oliver agrees, still watching the map over Axia's shoulder, "There's a herd of Herbivores about 5 miles before we hit the base of the mountains. We should be able to see them."

I look back and sure enough, white dots beeped all over the area close to the mountains. "Don't check to see what all's there. We won't be able to hunt them anyway, might as well be surprised by the ones who won't hurt us." I say, receiving an excited nod from our Techie.

"We'll reach them in about 15 minutes. We shouldn't get too close, but we will be able to see them without diverting our route." Axia then says, "The Tyrannosaurs have moved South enough that we shouldn't even need to move North."

"Makes things even easier, then," Alaric says, clearly pleased with how things are going so far. I have to agree. We only worked with Ankylosaurs and Carnotaurs in training, so seeing something besides those is exciting, even if they aren't Carnivores.

While the others discuss what we might find when we reach the Herd, I search my pack one more time just to be sure. While I know I've already done a check, I can't help but feel unprepared for what's to come. I'm excited, but I also feel like I have a bottomless pit sitting in my stomach. Sleep Darts, check. Rope for climbing, check. All weapons are safely stowed in the back until we go to abandon our Rover... I have everything.

"Lexa?" A quiet voice pipes from behind me, and I turn to see Quincy peeking at me from behind my seat. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, why?" I reply, keeping my voice low as not to disturb the others' conversation.

"You're quiet and haven't heard a single thing we've said in the last 5 minutes."

"I'm... just making sure I have everything." I sigh before rezipping the bag and turning sideways in my seat to see everyone. "What do you all think will be our first Track?" I ask aloud, giving a playful grin to my teammates.

"Axia mentioned Utah Raptors were in our area. I'm hoping we'll get to see some." Alaric replies quickly, "It should be mating season for all carnivores, right? We should be able to get at least one."

"Yeah, there was a pretty large group. We may be heading into their nesting grounds." Axia confirms, her fingers sliding over the map and back to our assigned hunting area. "Just remember that Raptors are much faster than we could ever hope to be on foot. It'll be difficult to put them to sleep without having the high ground."

"We are in a forest, Axia," Oliver says matter-of-factly, his arms crossing over his chest. "We have plenty of trees to climb. No problem."

"We won't know the terrain until we get there," I remind him, raising an eyebrow at him, "It could be straight mountainous."

"Well, no. Oliver is right, even if it is straight mountains, we'll have trees. Even if they are scarce." Axia shrugs lightly, looking between Oliver and me.

"Told you." Our Veterinarian retorts, giving me a prideful look.

"Either way, Utah Raptors may be a bit too difficult for us to start with. Wouldn't you guys rather try the Pteranodons first?" Quincy chimes, clearly trying to divert the conversation from turning hostile.

"You're such a baby, Quincy Wincey, wouldn't you rather get our hands dirty?" Alaric's voice sounds scarily close to a real child as he mocks Quincy, immediately earning a glare from both me and Axia.

"Q is right, Alaric. We know they'll be an easy target, and we have less a chance of being attacked." I defend, a frown forming deeply on my face. "You should stop picking on him. One day he may decide not to save your life." I add, my voice is sharper than before.

"Hey, now... I wouldn't do that." Quincy then says, "It's okay, Lexa."

"It's actually not though," I say, "You've done so much for us. You'd think our leader would have a bit more respect. Especially after the last Carnotaur run."

"That last run was not my fault, Alexandria, and you know it." Alaric's voice turns sour and he gives me a prominent frown, "It's also not my fault that Quincy acts like a child in dangerous situations."

"He saved your life whether it was your fault or not. You were the one crying and begging not to become dinosaur lunch." I snap back, though now my lips begin to curve upwards. I wouldn't mention it aloud, but poor Oliver almost got Alaric munched on. Oliver took a wrong turn while evading, and Alaric, being the daring and brave leader he is, stood directly between him and a charging Carno. It not only got him thrown 20 feet but also got him a broken shin. Q managed to pull him to safety just before the dinosaur got him again though, so all ended well.

"Can we just not talk about this?" Oliver lets out a defeated sigh as I start to chuckle.

"It's alright Ollie, w-" Axia begins, though is quickly interrupted.

"How many times have I specifically asked you not to call me that?" He rolls his eyes, now seemingly annoyed.

"I was going to say that we all learned a valuable lesson in that experience, so it's okay." She finishes off, a laugh also escaping her.

Just as I'm about to agree, a thundering sound erupts throughout our Rover, and I can physically feel the shake as if it came from beneath us. I instinctively grab onto a handle, my eyes widening in slight confusion. "Axia?" I say, quickly looking towards her.

"We're getting close to the Herd... What do you think is there?" She answers, her eyes scanning the map. "No predators within sight. We're okay." She then assures.

"The Alamosaurus is the biggest herbivore around that stays relatively close to Viadon, do you think we'll see them?" Oliver asks, the frustration from our last conversation being replaced with curiosity.

"Maybe we'll see some Parasaurolophus!" Quincy chimes, pure excitement radiating from his being.

"Guys..." I say quietly, my eyes widening as the shaking grows louder and more persistent. I lean closer to the windshield, my breath hitching in my throat as the trees around us begin to move as well.

"We're right next to them... In a moment we'll hit a clearing and we'll be able to see them." Axia then says, her eyes trained in front of us as well.

Suddenly everything turns bright, and for a moment I see nothing until a medium bird-like creature emerges from the trees. A Struthiomimus! A real one! Then, a large foot comes into view and another thunderous boom erupts. "It's a..."

"Alamosaurus..." Oliver answers for me, his face pressed stark against the side of the Rover to peek out of the small holes. I can hear the happiness in his voice, even though my eyes never leave the wondrous beings' traveling beside us. More and more dinosaurs begin to appear, easily catching up to us as Alaric slows down the vehicle in order to get a good look himself.

"A Parasaur!" Quincy erupts, lodging half of his body between the front seats to get a better view. Evidently, he switched with Axia to be in the middle.

I look where he's pointing to see a beautiful light brown creature with a bright blue and yellow crest on top of its head, running directly beside the front of our Rover. "It's gorgeous..." I breathe, my body relaxing into the seat as I take in all of the other animals too. Kosmoceratops with bright blue head shields run a bit further away from us, giving us a perfect view of their entire family. Even tiny Stegoceras run bravely under the feet of the giant Alamosaurus'. It's so much more surreal to see in person.

"...Once we hit those trees ahead, we'll have to move a bit more South to get a good path up the mountainside. I wish we could stay here forever." Axia says aloud, her voice disappointed as she looks at the tablet.

It doesn't take much longer before every single herbivore fades out of sight behind trees, and we quickly verge farther away. My heart still pounds hard in my chest while Axia and Quincy rave about how amazing it was to see the dinosaurs that close. We have seen pictures, but those don't do them justice. Any doubts that I had before have long gone. I know we can do this; we have to if we want to continue having experiences like that.