Paleontology. It's not an occupation that is extremely popular nowadays. However, it's always been what I wanted to do. Ever since I was young.

Since then I became obsessed with the flora and fauna of the past, read every book I could find, read every article, found every fact, collected figures and studied the subject furiously. It paid off well considering where I'm at now, I suppose.

I'm now one of the most known paleontologists in the modern world... although I suspect that part of my reputation may have some due credit to me being the niece of Alan Grant, a professor and world famous paleontologist. He and I have both written a book. His about the evolution of the dinosaurs and mine about the different types of creatures from different eras throughout the prehistoric time periods.

Only a few months ago I got my certifications for paleontology and already I'm out in the field helping my uncle dig up dinosaurs. It's great working with family because I didn't feel so alone when I started working in Montana with him. He made sure that my transitioning was as comfortable as possible. I really couldn't ask for a better uncle and co-worker...

"You alright there?" My best friend Dylan asked.

"Yeah," I giggled. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Just about how lucky I am," I replied fondly.

He chuckled and returned to the work at hand. We were excavating the skeleton of a Velociraptor. I was brushing away the few stray sands that were still on the pelvic bone of the creature.

"You know, I'd hate to meet a raptor on a dark Friday night. Aren't they like one of the most lethal dinosaurs from their age?" He asked, glancing up at me quickly.

"Yeah, I completely agree. It would be terrifying. Thankfully, a giant meteor crashed into the earth and prevented that, hey?" I laughed, pleased with my joke. He chuckled and shook his head. Dylan was never really a fan of my humour.

"Doctor Grant? We're ready to try again," I heard a voice say from across the dig.

"Hey, I'm going to go check this out, okay?" I said to Dylan while standing up and brushing myself off. He nodded distractedly and kept working.

Glancing one more time at the exhumed skeleton, I stepped out from under the cover and immediately felt the beating hot Montana sun on the back of my head.

During my short time working with my uncle, I had acquired a golden tan that covered most of my body except my torso and thighs. Before I came to the desert wasteland that I now call home, I was quite pale. Many of my friends constantly joked about how I was probably a vampire because of the paleness of my skin and because of how I spent most of my nights studying deep into the early hours of the morning.

I started jogging when I felt and heard the soft lead pellet enter the ground. I had wanted to see how the new technology worked.

I reached the area just in time for an image of a Velociraptor to pop up on the computer screen. Damn. I missed it.

"This new program is incredible. A few more years' development, and we won't even have to dig anymore," the guy working at the computer said.

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked, making my presence known to the group gathered around the computer.

My uncle turned around and grinned at me.

"It looks in good shape," I said, gesturing to the image on the screen.

"Yes, it looks about five maybe six feet high. I'm guessing about nine feet long," he reached up and accidentally touched the screen, making the image distort and flicker.

"What'd you do?" He asked the man.

"You touched it. Dr. Grant isn't machine compatible," Ellie said with a laugh.

"Hell, they've got it in for me," he answered.

The image corrected itself and Alan continued assessing the skeleton.

"Look at this," he said, turning to the group of volunteers behind him. "It's no wonder these guys learnt how to fly," the group chuckled, not seeing the similarities of the two types of skeletons.

"No seriously. He's right. Do you see the pubic bone, turned backwards, like a birds'?" I asked, backing him up.

"It's true. Dinosaurs have more in common with modern day birds than they do with reptiles," Alan continued, turning to face the group.

"Look at the vertebrae, full of air sacs and hollows, just like a birds' and even the word "raptor" means "bird of prey.""

"That doesn't look very scary. More like a six-foot turkey," we heard a kids voice from the back of the group call out.

I laughed after seeing Alan's reaction.

"Here we go." I chuckled, knowing what was about to happen.

"Okay then, imagine yourself in the Cretaceous period," he began, walking forward and bringing out his raptor claw that he had acquired back at the other smaller dig I had been working on with Dylan just a few minutes ago.

"You get your first look at this "six-foot turkey." He moves like a bird, lightly bobbing his head. You keep still because you think maybe his visual acuity is based on movement like a T-Rex and he'll lose you if you don't move," he shook his hand, imitating movement.

"But no," he paused, "not Velociraptor. You stare at him and he just stares right back," by this point all of the volunteers and workers were captivated by Alan's words.

"And that's when the attack comes," he raised his hands, bringing his two pointer fingers up side by side to show that raptors didn't hunt by themselves. "Not from the front, but from the side. From the other two raptors you didn't even know were there," he and I both smirked. Alan stood up straight.

"Because Velociraptors are pack hunters... they use coordinated attack patterns and he attacks you with this," he raised the claw to show the boy.

"A six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the middle toe," Alan placed the claw between his index and middle finger, showing him where the claw would have been located. "He doesn't bite your jugular like a lion, no. He slashes at you here or here," he said, raking the claw along different places of the kids' torso.

"Or maybe your belly. Spilling your intestines," he then smiled, crouching down again so that his eyes were level with the young boys'.

"The point is... you are alive when they start to eat you," He grins, satisfied with the reaction he had caused.

"So, you know, try to show a little respect next time."

The kid nods and hurries off. Alan turned and chuckled after seeing the look on Ellie's face.

"That kid is probably going to have nightmares now, Alan," I giggled.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. They've been dead for 65 million years."

"It's the power of the imagination," I responded, tapping the side of his head. He smiled down at me and patted my shoulder.

We started walking up the hill that separated us from the rest of the camp.

"You know, if you wanted to scare the kid you could have pulled a gun on him," Ellie laughed, pulling the brim of her bucket hat down to shield her face from the beating heat.

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe you want to have one of those," Alan replied, gesturing back towards the computer area.

"I don't think she wants that particular kid," I laughed, wiping a layer of sweat from my forehead.

"Exactly. I mean, a breed of child would be intriguing. What's so wrong with kids?"

"Oh Ellie... they're noisy, they're messy, they're expensive," Alan listed, trekking up the sand dune.

Ellie and I both laughed but I could see where he was coming from. Education is becoming more expensive and then there is the gifts for birthdays and holidays. Really, the list goes on.

"They smell," he added after a second.

"They do not smell!" Ellie laughed, shaking her head.

"Babies smell," he reasoned, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Before Ellie could answer, there was a loud rumbling coming from the sky.

"Is that a chopper?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the bright midday sun.

"Who are they? What could they want?" Alan asked just as the black machine came into view.

"I don't know but let's find out."    

Updated on the 12 of July, 2015.