she leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the café's display, her breath fogging up the surface. Her eyes wandered over the menu, specifically to the item that caught her attention: Theobroma Cacao, a drink so rich and decadent it could make anyone forget their worries. The cozy warmth of the place contrasted with the storm brewing outside, and she allowed herself a brief moment of peace, imagining the smooth taste of bitter cocoa mixed with birch beer.
But the peace shattered with a harsh voice from the back of the shop.
"Hey! What the fuck is a trigger doing in here?" The owner shouted from behind the counter. He was a leathery old dino, his tail flicking with irritation as he glared at her. "Better not be stealing anything. God, why do they always pick my store to rob?"
Her face flushed with embarrassment, and her horns tipped downward slightly. Trigger. no matter how hard they tried to escape their reputation. She felt the weight of the insult settle in her chest, but she wasn't surprised. She had dealt with it all her life, people assuming the worst simply because she was a triceratops. No matter how polite or refined she acted, the assumption was always the same.
The voice came from a lanky ceratosaur behind the counter, wiping a glass with an old rag that looked like it hadn't seen soap in weeks. His yellow eyes glared at her, the frills around his neck flaring slightly in irritation.
She felt her stomach twist. Of course, this would happen. Everywhere she went, she was greeted with suspicion. It didn't matter how carefully she dressed, how polished she looked. The stereotype was all that mattered. Ceratopsians were criminals in their eyes, thieves and gangsters, and she could feel the weight of that reputation like a boulder strapped to her back.
"I'm not here to steal," she said quietly, straightening herself and pulling back from the glass, her heart sinking at the thought of not being able to taste that divine Birchwood beer and cocoa.
The shopkeeper sneered. "That's what they all say. Don't think you're fooling me. Why don't you get out of here before you cause trouble?"
Her tail twitched, the muscles in her neck stiffening as she fought back the urge to say something, anything. She wasn't like that, she reminded herself. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her anger. Instead, she sighed, turning away from the counter
With her head lowered, she left the store without buying anything, stepping back into the cold, rainy air. The cobblestone streets were slick with water, and her boots splashed against the ground.
Underneath the dim orange glow of the heat lamps that lined the academy streets, the young Triceratops girl wrapped her coat tighter around herself. She could still feel the sting of the café owner's harsh words echoing in her mind as the cold wind whipped her hair into her face. Trigger. The insult cut deeper than the rain seeping into her clothes.
Why do they always see us this way? she thought bitterly, as her tail flicked in agitation. The stigma surrounding her kind was relentless. Her species had clawed their way up from their past, from the accusations of theft and crime that had followed them for centuries. Her mother had worked tirelessly to own their factories, to be a respectable name in society, to ensure that their family no longer had to deal with the sneers and assumptions of the past. But none of that mattered, it seemed. The moment people saw her horns and her frills, they immediately thought she was just like the rest of them. A thief. A criminal.
She cast one last longing glance back at the café, the rich scent of cocoa and birch beer still lingering in her senses. But now, that smell only reminded her of rejection. She clenched her teeth, suppressing the heat of frustration rising in her chest. There was no point in staying there any longer. The moment had passed. She needed to focus on her first day at Dino High.
Her driver, standing by the car, glanced at her worriedly as she approached. His expression softened, but he didn't ask about what had happened in the café. He knew better. "Madame," he said softly, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain. "We should hurry. The crowd near the entrance is getting restless."
She nodded silently, falling into step beside him as they made their way toward the gates. The rain pelted the cobblestones beneath their feet, turning the ground slick and treacherous. She could hear the distant murmurs and shouts of the protest ahead, and with every step closer, the noise grew louder. It wasn't hard to guess what was going on. She'd heard rumors about it for weeks now—non-dinos being admitted to Dino High had sparked outrage among many of the students' families.
As they neared the gates, the sight of the gathered parents made her stomach churn. Several of them were waving signs, their faces twisted in anger. "Keep them out!" one sign read. "Dino High is for dinos!" another proclaimed. The crowd was a sea of scales and feathers, all united in their shared outrage.
Her heart sank further. She'd heard about the gangs, the violence that had been erupting in the city. Dino-centric gangs had started to form, groups of students taking it upon themselves to "defend" the school from outsiders, from the non-dinos. And now, it seemed, even the parents were getting involved.
The driver shielded her with the umbrella, but it did little to block out the tense atmosphere. They passed by several angry parents who didn't even bother to hide their disgust at her presence. She kept her head down, refusing to meet their eyes. She was used to it by now—the whispering, the sneers. But it didn't make it any easier to bear.
As they reached the entrance, her eyes caught sight of the teachers standing near the gates, desperately trying to calm the situation. The principal, an archosaur with frills around his neck that fluttered anxiously, stood at the forefront, trying to address the parents' concerns. His amphibian-like appearance gave him an almost alien quality, his long snout twitching as he spoke. Next to him stood the vice principal, a stoic-looking parasaur who was trying to maintain order.
"This is outrageous!" a mother shouted, her brow horns quivering in anger. "These non-dinos are a threat to our children! And now you're just letting them walk in?"
"I assure you," the principal was saying, his voice strained over the din of the crowd, "Dino High will remain a safe place for all students. The recent incidents of violence have been unfortunate, but they are isolated. We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of your children."
The parents were not convinced. "It's the non-dinos!" one of them shouted. "My daughter was attacked last week, and it was because of them!"
The vice principal raised a hand, trying to restore calm. "We understand your concerns, and we are addressing the issues—"
But the crowd wasn't listening anymore. The shouting grew louder, more heated, and the young Triceratops girl felt a wave of unease wash over her. This was bad. The tension in the air was thick, and it was only a matter of time before things escalated.
She pulled her coat tighter, glancing around at the other students arriving. Despite the chaos at the entrance, some of the more prominent families were making their way inside, seemingly unbothered by the protests. Her eyes landed on a group of students just ahead of her. A parasaur entered through the gates, her red meteor fragment necklace glowing faintly in the dim light. The girl moved with an air of confidence, her gaze cool and focused as she ignored the commotion around her.
Next was a stegosaur, her polearm resting casually over her shoulder as she walked through the crowd. she, too, wore a necklace with a fragment of the meteor, the same crimson glow emanating from the stone. Behind her, a pterodactyl girl entered, her sharp eyes scanning the area as if assessing any threats. She had the same necklace as the others, the same glow.
The Triceratops girl watched them, a sense of curiosity gnawing at her. They all have the red necklace... She had seen those necklaces before, she had one too, symbols of power,potential Saurastars—dinosaurs who were destined to rise above the rest and lead their species. Each of these girls had that aura, that undeniable presence that marked them as future leaders. It wasn't just their necklaces; it was the way they carried themselves, the confidence that seemed to radiate from them.
But then, something strange happened.
As she stepped closer to the school entrance, she saw a bus pull up at the curb. The door swung open, and a human boy stepped off, his posture straight and confident, but there was something off about him. His clothes were expensive, clearly designer, and he carried himself with the air of someone who came from money, but his walk... it wasn't right. It wasn't the walk of someone who had lived a safe, comfortable life.
No, his steps were too careful, too calculated, like he was always prepared to move at a moment's notice. There was a tension in his shoulders, a sharpness in his eyes that suggested he was used to watching his back.
He glanced in her direction, his gaze briefly meeting hers. There was something cold in his expression, something distant and unreadable. He didn't look at her with hostility, but he didn't acknowledge her as an equal either. It was like he saw her, recognized her, and then dismissed her in the same breath.
That was strange enough on its own, but what unsettled her even more was the feeling she got when she looked at him. It was the same feeling she had when she looked at the parasaur, the stegosaur, and the pterodactyl. That aura. That presence.
She frowned, her heart skipping a beat. Wait... could he...
Her gut twisted as she realized what she was thinking.
Could a human be a Saurastar?