dinohigh, no humans allowed!

The massive auditorium of Dino High was alive with chaos. Voices overlapped into a deafening cacophony, punctuated by the occasional crash as some overexcited juvenile sent a piece of the polished marble architecture crumbling to the ground. The smell of freshly buffed floors mixed with the faint musk of aggression. Above it all, the ominous symbol of Dino High hung on a vast banner—an unidentified archosaur skull surrounded by a wreath of other extinct skulls. No one remembered what that first species was, but its empty eye sockets seemed to stare down judgmentally at the crowd below.
Anon stood on the edge of the chaos, doing his best to look invisible.
He tugged at the collar of his crisp white shirt and adjusted his tie—a shade of blood-red he could've sworn was chosen deliberately to provoke him. His fingers brushed against the meteor fragment amulet around his neck, the only reason he was allowed to be here at all. It felt like a brand, marking him as an intruder in their sacred halls.
Just don't draw attention to yourself.
It was a mantra he repeated over and over in his head, even as his analytical mind cataloged the scene before him. Groups of dinosaurs and their reptilian relatives milled about, each exuding the kind of arrogance only a juvenile apex predator could muster.
At the center of the raised podium stood the former principal, a towering Tarbosaurus whose mere presence silenced the crowd in uneven waves. His body, scarred from countless battles, radiated authority even as he stepped aside from his old role. He glanced down at the tablet in his claws, scanning the assignments with an air of disinterest, though his predatory eyes gleamed whenever the chaos peaked.
"Welcome, fledglings, to another year at Dino High," his voice boomed, amplified by unseen speakers. "The best, the brightest, and the most vicious among you are here because you deserve to be—or because your parents threw enough resources at us to make you less of a disgrace." A ripple of laughter, scattered and nervous, passed through the crowd.
"This year," the Tarbosaur continued, "your teams will be your families, your allies, and, in some cases, your undoing. Teamwork at Dino High is not optional—it's survival. The wild eats the weak, and only the strong stand tall. Or did you all think this was a daycare?"
The amphitheater roared with approval, tails slamming the ground and crests flaring. Anon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Teenagers. All of them.
The Tarbosaur leaned forward, his predatory grin spreading wide. "Let's see which of you will tear each other apart before you've even made it out of the first week. Team assignments are as follows. If you don't like it..." The Tarbosaurus bared his teeth in a sharp grin. "Fight me about it."
A roar of approval erupted from the crowd.
Anon grimaced. Yeah, because forming alliances through brute force and intimidation is such a brilliant strategy. He kept his thoughts buried, his face neutral.
This was a room full of teenage sociopaths with chips on their shoulders the size of meteor craters. Just stay out of it, play nice, and—
"Would you shut your stupid mouth for once, Pipe Head?!" shouted a fiery voice.
"You shut your mouth, Horn Head!"
Anon's eyes flicked to the group. A Triceratops girl was in the middle of jabbing her finger into the chest of a taller Parasaurolophus girl, who looked down her nose with the kind of disdain only the wealthy could muster.
"I'll have you know, Horn Head," Para said, her crest amplifying her voice like a megaphone, "that I could buy and sell you. If you even had anything worth buying!"
Trike shoved her back with a snarl. "Try it, Crest! You'd break a nail before you even lifted a claw!"
"You couldn't even afford to mess me up," Para shot back with a smirk.
"You better keep that little pipe of yours shut before I—"
A loud crash interrupted them. Anon's eyes flicked to the source. A Stegosaurus girl stood frozen, her spiked tail swaying nervously as a nearby table lay shattered behind her.
"Oh no! Sorry! I—uh—I didn't mean—uh—too close!" Stega stammered, her words spilling out in broken English. She clutched her hands together as her face flushed a deep red. "Don't stand so close! Dangerous! Dangerous! Tail sharp! Tail—oh no, they look! Everyone looking! Everyone laugh!" Her voice dropped into a frantic mumble. "Oh no, oh no, they think stupid girl..."
"¡Ay, por Dios! Cálmate, idiota!" snapped a new voice.
Anon turned to see an Ankylosaurus girl approaching. Her heavy frame swayed with confidence, her thick body and hips emphasizing her already curvy figure. She rolled her shoulders as her club tail swung behind her with a low, ominous whoosh.
"You better back up, lámina," Anky said, pointing a claw at Stega. "You're gonna stab somebody with that thing! If you swing that tail at us one more time..." Her voice dropped, her Spanish accent thickening. "Te voy a romper la cabeza, pendeja."
"What that mean?!" Stega squeaked, stepping back. "What she say?! She call me stupid?!"
"Maybe," Anky said with a smirk. "What you gonna do, huh? Cry about it?"
Stega looked like she might actually cry; some chuckles from the crowd erupted, the ex-principal and the others still focused on team announcements and getting into their places.
"Ankylosaur, shut your big-ass mouth!" Trike screamed. "Stay outta this, Chubbo," Trike growled, pointing a finger at her. "Ain't nobody talkin' to you!"
"Who you callin' Chubbo, mija?" Armored Tank shot back, stepping closer. "I'll squash you flat like a cockroach if you try me."
"Don't bother, darling," Para interjected, her voice dripping with faux sympathy. "She can't help it. Poor thing's just not made for high society environments like this."
"Oh, shut up, Pipe Cleaner!" Trike snapped, turning her fury toward the Parasaurolophus. "Ain't nobody askin' you to chime in with that big ol' airhorn on your head."
Anon watched the scene unfold with amusement and a tad bit of irritation. This is supposed to be the cream of the crop? They can't even make it five minutes without clawing each other's eyes out.
"You all act like hatchlings," Para scoffed, flipping her hair dramatically. Her horn blew a "hmph" noise, like an annoyed trumpet.
"Oh, you wanna butt heads?!" Trike snarled, stepping back into her face. She lowered her head, pointing her horns at her, and moved her legs into a charge stance.
Anky snapped, bashing her tail next to Trike. "I'll crush your skinny little head right here for being so loud!"
Para rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a haughty sigh. "Would you two plebeians stop embarrassing yourselves? Some of us have standards." She tilted her head, her vocal crest glowing faintly as if preparing to amplify her disdain. "Honestly, it's like being trapped in a zoo."
Stega tried sneaking away but just bumped into more people and toppled over.
Anon sighed inwardly. And this is my competition? Great. Hormonal wrecks, all of them.
Fuckin' hell, they're loud. He could feel the tension rolling off them in waves, and it was only a matter of time before it escalated into a full-blown brawl. The last thing he needed was to get caught in the crossfire. Still, his eyes darted between them, analyzing. He could leave now, but he'd miss out on a miniature kaiju fight, and if there's one thing in his life he loved, it was dinos fighting. Anyway, it wasn't that bad—he hadn't been spotted yet. So far, so good! He smiled to himself.
"LISTEN UP, YOU LITTLE HELLIONS!"
The Tarbosaur's voice boomed, silencing even the most unruly youths and getting the attention of everyone with a cough. "Ahem." He continued, with order now restored.
The Tarbosaurus reached the bottom of the first list. He paused, his lip curling into a scowl. "Team 57. Triceratops. Parasaurolophus. Ankylosaurus. Stegosaurus..." He squinted at the final name, his snout wrinkling in disgust.
The four girls stiffened, their previous bickering forgotten as they turned to glare at each other. And then the principal continued, with another shocking reveal.
"...And the human."
The room fell silent. Then came the murmurs and whispers. As everyone looked around, trying to spot this so-called human that had entered Dino High, they thought it was a joke at first. Haha, very funny, Principal, you got us. Anon was about to find someplace to hide, but then some jerk pointed him out—a punky raptor girl.
"Blyat, he's over here," she said.
Thousands of eyes turned toward Anon, their gazes heavy with contempt. The four girls looked at him as if he were a cockroach that had just crawled out of their food.
"What's that?" he heard one murmur.
"Is that a... human?" "No way. They let those in here now? What, were they running out of applicants?" "Filthy animal. How did it even get in?"
Anon's face remained impassive, but his hands clenched at his sides. Stay cool. Don't give them anything to use against you.
"What?!" Trike's voice cut through the noise. "You put me with that thing?!" She pointed at him angrily.
"Disgusting," Para muttered, crossing her arms. She groaned. "I'm filing a complaint."
"¡Ay, Dios mío!" Anky muttered. "I'm gonna kill him. ¡Lo juro! This is bullshit!"
Stega looked like she might faint. "Human?! No! No! Too dangerous! He smell weird!"
Anon felt their eyes boring into him. He shrugged, forcing a smirk. "Guess I'm the lucky one," he said dryly.
Inside, his stomach churned. Day one, and I'm already dead. Everyone complained.
The Tarbosaurus' voice boomed again, interrupting the chaos. "SHUT UP, YOU PREENING IDIOTS! I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED THE ASSIGNMENTS! LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH BEFORE I REMEMBER WHY I RETIRED."