Only two days had past since his run in with Tarikahn, but already Godzilla’s wounds were fully healed. He looked practically good as new as he rose up from his resting place and extended his dorsal fins, soaking up the sun. Godzilla had once again duped the humans by laying low. The Chinese military was probably still searching the forest with aircraft, more than likely they never even thought to search the river for him. It was a foolish mistake, and for a race that seemed so advanced, it seemed like an odd one to make. He couldn’t count on that kind of luck again.

Godzilla moved swiftly and stealthily, staying low and avoiding every sign of human civilization. He could travel faster without them on his heels, so he decided that it would better to hide than to fight. It wasn’t something he liked to do… just thinking of the human war machines made him want to tear his claws into something and go wild. But if he could find solitude, perhaps he wouldn’t have to deal with the humans anymore at all.

A warm, stinging wind blew over the flatlands and against Godzilla’s face. It felt abrasive… it was carrying something. Sand, he judged. Normal soil wouldn’t carry in the breeze like that. Godzilla was approaching a desert. Not just any desert, but the Gobi desert.

As midday came and the sun beat down, Godzilla entered the desert. The firm ground he had once traversed now became less dense, soft and hot, sliding about as if it were nothing but water. Godzilla hissed, lowering his dorsal fins. The sun’s ray had baked the sands, and everything in them, and now they sought to burn Godzilla as well. His dark green skin soaked up the sun and burned him. It was getting bright too, almost too bright to see. Godzilla squinted, trying to get a clear view at the horizon.

But the horizon was anything but. The dancing heat formed mirages, creating the illusion of distant lakes. Godzilla licked his dry, chapped lips and groaned. He had only been moving through the desert for a few hours, but already it was taking it’s toll on him. Godzilla knew the water was just a mirage, but… it was so irresistible! He fought down the urge to run for it, he needed to reserve his energy, so that he could endure the murderous desert.

The wind picked up, and Godzilla recoiled. Carried in the air, the sand was painful, it cut like a mist of daggers. The wind began to blow harder and harder, churning and growing more powerful. Godzilla shut his eyes and dropped to the ground, laying on his belly and pressing himself against the sandy earth. The sandstorm passed over him, it swallowed up the entire desert. The howling wind became the only audible sound, and the sand blocked out the sun. Everything became dark, and the flow of time seemed to cease altogether.

A softer, more gentle breeze blew across Godzilla’s face, waking him from his uncomfortable slumber. Godzilla opened his eyes, and realized that the sand had built up around him, and was up to his mouth and covering his hands, feet, and tail. Godzilla lifted himself up, the sand cascading off him like golden water.

Godzilla breathed in, and felt that his throat was raw, and his lips were dry. He wondered, how long had he been laying there in the sand? Seconds, minutes, hours, days? He couldn’t tell. But what he did know was that no matter how long it’d been, he needed to get out of the desert. There wasn’t so much as a single drop of water here, and already he could feel the effects of mild dehydration. He knew that if he stayed much longer, he would perish in the staggering heat…

Godzilla looked around, but it was no use. The storm had shifted the sands, changing the dunes and modifying the lay of the land. No recognizable “landmarks” remained. No matter, there was no use in going back the way he’d came anyway. The humans were probably still looking for him back there, if he could endure a journey through the desert, maybe he could throw them off his trail for a little longer.

With a grunt, he pushed himself to keep moving. The wind, softened now, kept blowing, tossing sand through the air and whistling quietly. As Godzilla walked by, nothing else moved, not even slightly. The sense of vast emptiness was overwhelming. It felt as though there wasn’t another living in the whole world… it magnified Godzilla’s sense of aloneness. It was… painful.

As he walked through the desolate plain, his only companions were his own, lonely thoughts. Solemnly, he pondered. Why was he alone? If he tried hard enough, he could remember seeing others like him… so why weren’t they around? Why was he the only Godzilla? Where did the others go? Were they still alive at all? He wished he knew…

The sun continued it’s climb into the sky, growing brighter and brighter with every passing minute. There were no clouds to blot out the suns searing rays, not here. It’s heat was intense and inescapable. Godzilla panted, the heat exuded from his breath blurring the air. He glanced up at the horizon again, seeing the dancing lights, the mocking illusion of an oasis. How badly he wanted to sprint towards it and dive right in… but he knew better. There was no water there, and there was no use in wasting energy to rush into an oasis that didn’t exist. He turned his glance away, and kept walking.

Hours passed, and still no sign of life, or escape. Still, there was nothing but sand. Godzilla thought he could make out a plateau or steppe in the distance, but nothing promising. Still no water, still no cover, still a wasteland. Perhaps even more so now, because all around the dunes, Godzilla was beginning to notice sun-bleached bones in the sand.

In fact, there were a lot of bones, even whole skeletons… and some of them were large enough to have belonged to beasts Godzilla’s size. He halted at one of the larger ones, and crouched down to inspect it. He looked over the skeleton, noticing it’s features. Very saurian… they were almost like him, in some ways. The skull of the long-dead creature was long, and it’s jaws were lined with sharp teeth, though some were missing. No doubt these bones had been here for ages. Godzilla looked up, seeing more skeletons like this one. They all seemed quite old.

As Godzilla stood up, one skeleton in particular caught his eye. It was another giant, dinosaur-like skeleton, the same kind as the one he had just looked at. But this one didn’t seem so old. This one looked recent. Very recent. There was shriveled, dried hide still clinging to parts of ribcage, and the bones were discolored with blood that had dried up perhaps only a few days ago.

Turning his head, Godzilla looked around a second time. He looked harder this time, noticing minute details in the skeletons. He began to see more and more fresh skeletons, some so fresh there was even still meat on them. Godzilla stood up, slowly raising his spines. This was no dinosaur graveyard, that was now clear. This was the site of something much more grizzly…

Then, something moved. At first he had thought it was just another corpse… but then it stood up. As Godzilla turned to face it, a low, grumbling snarl slowly filled the air like muted thunder. A dusty green form rose up from the sand, glowering at Godzilla. It’s eyes were golden orbs with pitch black diamonds in their centers, fixed on Godzilla, full of anger.

As Godzilla stood poised to defend himself, the monster licked it’s scaly lips with gnawing hunger. After it had hatched from it’s egg weeks ago, it needed food to survive in the cruel desert. It turned on it’s siblings, fighting and devouring it’s brothers and sisters. Now it’s food supply was depleted, it had no more family to feed on… but now Godzilla had stumbled into it’s territory, and it could feed again.

Godzilla watched the cannibal monster as it stood up, stiffening it’s spine into a horizontal position and wagging it’s long tail back and forth. The beast’s head was large and angular, and a row of small, bony knobs stuck out from it’s skull plate. Protruding from the closed jaws like unsheathed daggers were it’s teeth, a faded off-white color, bright in the intense sunlight. The carnivorous kaiju, and each of the ravaged corpses that were once it’s brethren, would be (by the humans, of course) named “Gorosaurus”.

Godzilla dug his feet into the sand best he could, not sure how steady he would be in such soft terrain, and let out a challenging roar to the giant dinosaur. The bloodthirsty theropod wasted no time in accepting; the second Godzilla’s roar came to a close, Gorosaurus was at it’s feet and charging towards him.

Saliva flew as the monster’s jaws opened, revealing the kaiju’s full array of serrated fangs. The long, powerful jaws found their target, clamping down on Godzilla’s shoulder. The force of the attack shoved Godzilla back, and totally off balance. His feet slipped out from underneath him in the loose sand, and the two monsters hit the ground.

Despite the fall, Gorosaurus’ grip was unfaltering, and the vicious reptile was sinking it’s teeth in deeper and deeper into Godzilla’s flesh. Godzilla reached up with his arms, which were considerably longer than those of his assailant, and dug his claws into the back of Gorosaurus’ neck. Instinctively, Gorosaurus released and jerked back it’s head to protect it’s neck. Now with it’s throat exposed, Godzilla lunged out with his own jaws and went for the jugular. Godzilla’s teeth pierced the monster’s skin, and Godzilla shook his head wildly, tearing at the dinosaur’s throat. Gorosaurus bellowed, wide eyed in surprise, and feebly raked it’s claws across Godzilla’s chest, leaving little more than scratches.

Gorosaurus gave an ornery snort, spread it’s legs, and planted it’s feet down in the sand to either side of Godzilla. He lurched upwards, head and tail low, Godzilla still latched onto his throat. Then, suddenly, and with great force, Gorosaurus lifted it’s head skyward. Godzilla was lifted clear off the ground, sent flying over Gorosaurus’ back, and then crashing down into the dunes. Great clouds of sand wafted about Godzilla as Gorosaurus turned around, shaking his head and pawing at the ground with one of his three-toed feet. Godzilla lifted his head, wobbling slightly, and rose to his feet. His foe was a lot stronger than he had suspected.

As Godzilla stood up, Gorosaurus dashed towards him with speed that seemed impossible for a monster of it’s weight. It lowered it’s head like a battering ram, and slammed it’s bony skull into Godzilla’s stomach. Godzilla screeched and flew backwards, landing on his side and sliding a short distance in the sand. Gorosaurus brought his tail down on the sand, tilted his head towards the sky, and uttered a thunderous roar.

It was an unrelenting monster, Godzilla couldn’t deny that. But luckily, it was also a stupid one. Once again, it presented Godzilla with an easy target. Godzilla sprawled out on all fours, dug one of his hands into the sand, and then pushed forward into a ferocious sprint towards his gloating foe. Godzilla leapt into the air, claws at the ready, and struck the monster’s chest with all his weight.

Gorosaurus fell over, landing on his back and shaking the ground. Godzilla crouched down, narrowing his eyes and hissing, ready to attack the instant Gorosaurus stood up. But instead of foolishly jumping to it’s feet to be knocked back down again, Gorosaurus slapped his tail right into Godzilla’s face. The blow turned Godzilla’s head, and Gorosaurus seized the opportunity to jump back to it’s feet. Still crouched, Godzilla looked up at Gorosaurus as it loomed over him.

Gorosaurus’ jaws opened wide, and the ravenous maw descended on Godzilla. Godzilla’s fins flashed blue, and Godzilla closed his eyes and released. A flurry of nuclear energy exploded out from his outstretched jaws, and clashed with Gorosaurus’ face. Intense heat flooded the monster’s mouth and nostrils, singing flesh and forcing back the dinosaur’s attack.

Gorosaurus stumbled backwards, smoke billowing from it’s mouth and nostrils like a medieval dragon. Godzilla sprung towards the stunned monster, pulled back his right arm, and then lashed forward with it. Godzilla’s claws ripped through the flesh on Gorosaurus’ chest, knocking him three steps back. Godzilla landed on his feet, spun around, and swept his tail towards Gorosaurus’ feet to knock him over once more- but Gorosaurus lifted his right foot, avoiding the tail, and dug his left foot deep into the sand. Godzilla’s tail hit Gorosaurus’ left ankle and stopped in mid-swipe. Gorosaurus’ right foot came down full force and pinned Godzilla’s tail to the ground.

Gorosaurus turned his head, only to have Gorosaurus lunge towards it with his toothy jaws. Godzilla ducked, dodging the strike. He swung his left hand at the monster’s head, shoving Gorosaurus’ head away, and at the same time, pulling his tail out from underneath Gorosaurus’ foot. Godzilla quickly backed off, kicking up clouds of sand as he scrambled away from Gorosaurus.

He would have to strategize this time. This monster didn’t seem to smart, but it wasn’t a complete idiot, either. It knew how to defend itself, that was for sure. And it definitely knew how to blitz, too. But Godzilla could use that against it…

Gorosaurus bellowed, lowered it’s head, and thrust it’s cranium out towards Godzilla. Godzilla jumped left, rushed towards his foe, and tackled into his legs. Gorosaurus let out a bewildered growl as his feet were knocked out from underneath him. He suddenly fell forward, and landed on his belly. Godzilla scrambled onto his fallen enemies back, planting one foot on Gorosaurus’ spine, and lunging for his neck.

With a reptilian hiss, Gorosaurus rolled out from under Godzilla. Godzilla cursed the missed opportunity to inflict more damage, but pressed his assault. As Gorosaurus began to get up, Godzilla tackled him again, slamming all his weight into Gorosaurus’ side. The green-gray menace hit the ground a short distance away and snarled, annoyed. Godzilla bowed his head, a faint blue aura generating around his fins.

Gorosaurus lay on his side, arms tucked against his chest, eyes shut. Godzilla clenched and unclenched his three-fingered fists and watched. Minutes passed, and the monster did not budge. Godzilla snorted loudly, and waited, then stomped his foot loudly and braced himself, expecting Gorosaurus to pop up and attack him. But he did not move. Godzilla took a wary step back, and kept his eyes on the monster. This smelled of trap.

So, rather than moving closer and setting himself up for an ambush, Godzilla decided he test out just how alive Gorosaurus was. Blue energy surged through his spines, and he fired a stream of burning nuclear energy at Gorosaurus. In an explosion of burning sand and blue flame, Gorosaurus sprang into the air and bellowed in astonishment, swinging his tail manically. Godzilla let out an amused roar, and charged his foe head on.

Gorosaurus met Godzilla’s charge with open jaws, clamping down on the monster king’s arm. Gorosaurus pulled Godzilla by the arm, using his own momentum against him, and threw him aside. Godzilla tumbled head over heel and landed on his back in a cloud of dust, dizzy and confused. Maybe this creature wasn’t as dumb as he had thought.

Gorosaurus pawed at the sand with his foot like a monstrous saurian bull, and prepared for another head-butt. Godzilla wobbled to his feet, everything around him seeming to wiggle around in a most disorienting manner. Godzilla staggered back, shook his head, and opened his eyes wide to see Gorosaurus two feet in front of him. Godzilla snarled as Gorosaurus’ battering-ram head hit his chest, and extended his arms, hooking his claws behind two bony ridges at the back of Gorosaurus’ head. He lifted his feet off the ground and pulled with all the strength in his arms, bringing Gorosaurus’ head down. The sudden shift in weight tore Gorosaurus’ feet away from the ground, and flipped the giant monster in the air, slamming him onto his back with a colossal thud.

Gorosaurus lay on his back for a moment, stunned, then lifted his head. Peering over his belly, Gorosaurus looked up at Godzilla as he approached, and then shoved his head back down against the sand. He arced his spine, lifted his hips, then pushed outwards with his legs, hurling himself upwards and then landing on his feet.

Gorosaurus leapt into the air, moving his upper body farther away than his lower body in mid-jump, and thrusting out towards Godzilla’s chest with both feet in a savage kangaroo kick. Completely caught off guard and hit with the full force of Gorosaurus’ most devastating attack, Godzilla flew backwards with a low grunt, and hit the ground hard, sliding away a short distance in the sand. Gorosaurus boomed proudly as his foe lay on his backside in a world of hurt, and slowly advanced.

Godzilla breathed heavily, his chest heaving. His regenerative cells were working as fast as they could, but he knew that Gorosaurus’ last attack had done it’s job all too well. He felt weak, and lightheaded, drawing in short and painful breaths at uneven intervals. Surely one of his lungs had been damaged, though how badly he could not tell. But he could not stay down, his only option was to keep fighting the best he could.

With a little more effort than usually required, Godzilla got to his feet, and stood up as Gorosaurus neared. A long strand of viscous saliva dangled from the monster’s lower lip, and it’s eyes glared intensely at Godzilla’s heaving chest. It knew it’s attack had been effective, and it knew that it would have it’s chance to feed very soon.

Godzilla stood his ground as Gorosaurus grew nearer and nearer, and tensed the muscles in his legs. Godzilla knew his foe was not of great intelligence. Perhaps it contained a little bit of animal cunning, but that was all. Godzilla, on the other hand, was a clever beast. He possessed intelligence that seemed unfitting for such a prehistoric looking beast, and now he would use that advantage to fend off Gorosaurus.

As Gorosaurus came within range, Godzilla tried to recall the details of Gorosaurus’ attacks, the precise poses he had struck, the exact movements he had made… and then, he replicated them. Godzilla jumped vertically into the sky, leaned his torso back, away from Gorosaurus. He quickly slammed his tail down to the ground to slow his descent, and then kicked with both feet. Gorosaurus didn’t even have time to blink. Godzilla had used his own attack against him, and it worked. The blow struck Gorosaurus in the face, turning his head and ushering a horrific crack from his neck. The monster fell to the ground on it’s side, tiny arms twitching.

Godzilla landed, though not as gracefully as his foe had when had used the attack. He crouched down, his ankles sore from the sudden impact. He gasped for air, his sides burning as if on fire. Godzilla clutched his chest with one hand and wheezed, fighting to breath. He looked down at Gorosaurus; the monster moved no more. Godzilla drew one more labored breath, shuddered, and then collapsed. The wind howled loudly as a sandstorm approached, and the two monsters laid silently in the dunes.