Commission drawn by  Petplayer976 >>Artist's Submission Here<<
Please share the link, not the image. Thank you.

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The hot wind whipped silty soil into his face as he furiously brushed it away from the skull. "Ohhh, this is a big fella! Goood cranium."

"The others are going to regret taking the week off."

He wiped the sweat from his brow as more of the bones came into view. "I haven't heard of these being found in such a late strata before. You might just make my career. After today, everybody will know the name Q. Archibald Brass the Third!"

The morning rode on, the sun peaked and began to stoop. The excited paleontologist began to feel as if the chalicotherium fossil was his friend. "Don't worry boy, it's been a few million years but you won't have to be trapped here any longer." He didn't realize he was growing larger, hairier over time, until his right arm started to feel heavy. He looked at it and saw thick claws growing from his fingers.

"Wha- what's going on??"
...

The next Monday morning the group of paleontologists started to trickle back in twos and threes.

"Hey!" One of them yelled. "What on earth is that thing?!"

The massive beast was busy gnawing away at a tree. "I'm no zoologist, but I think we're gonna be famous!"

(Disclaimer: I have very little understanding of what real paleontology is like. Or really anything mentioned above. Yeah.)