Scent of Prey

**Scent of Prey** is the sixth episode of *Primal* and the sixth episode of the first season. It takes place immediately after the previous episode.

## Synopsis

Spear tries to heal Fang while evading the scavengers of the primordial world.

## Plot

After slaughtering the Ape-men who captured him, Spear mourns over Fang, who seems to have been killed by the Ape-men's late champion. However, he soon discovers that the tyrannosaur is still alive, if severely injured. As Spear fetches a water sack from nearby, his attention is drawn to some vultures scavenging on the remains of the Ape-men. After shooing them away, Spear returns to Fang's side, giving her some water before using the rest to make clay for her wounds; this is uncomfortable for Fang, but it seems to be working.

As Spear continues working on Fang's injuries, the vultures return in greater numbers. Realizing that the arena is no longer safe, Spear attempts to move Fang, but she proves far too heavy for even his great strength. Fortunately, Spear gets the idea to fashion a makeshift stretcher for Fang using bamboo sticks and vines lying around the arena; he even makes a new spear after finding a sharp stone and a spare stick. With considerable effort, he manages to push Fang onto the stretcher and lift it enough to drag it.

Later on, Spear is forced to stop as his hands are covered in blisters. As the sun begins to set, he hears a creature's calls from the woods, which turns out to be a wild dog. He creates some fires to form a defensive perimeter whilst they rest for the night; the dog watches them, but makes no effort to attack. The next morning, Spear creates a harness to add to the stretcher, allowing him to pull Fang far more easily; however, an ever-growing number of dogs are following in his wake.

Spear spots a small cave to shelter him and Fang for the night as the dogs continue to watch them. Spear is awoken by several small flesh-eating insects crawling on his face; realizing that they are attracted to the defenseless Fang, he proceeds to attack them. He has little success at first - their shells are covered in flesh-cutting spikes and too durable for his spear to pierce - but soon discovers that they're both vulnerable and helpless after being flipped onto their backs. After killing the bugs, he cooks them over a fire, feeding some to Fang and eating others himself.

The following morning, Spear goes to collect more water; smelling the wild dogs nearby, he blocks the cave entrance with several large boulders to protect Fang. The tyrannosaur awakens in the evening to the sounds of numerous dogs around the cave, attempting to find a way in until Spear returns and fights through them on his way back inside. Seeing the numerous scratches covering Spear's body, Fang struggles to her feet; however, Spear convinces her to stay down and recover her strength while he fends off the scavengers. Noticing a few insect carcasses lying around, he gets another idea: by threading his fingers through their legs, he can use their durable spiked shells as makeshift knuckledusters.

Thus armed, Spear climbs out of the blocked cave entrance to find hundreds of wild dogs waiting for him. His improvised weapons prove to be incredibly useful against the attackers, but their sheer numbers begin to overwhelm him. Suddenly, the rocks in front of the cave are sent flying as Fang literally bursts onto the scene, fully recovered and ready to help Spear. With her added strength and ferocity, the wild dogs are sent fleeing for their lives, leaving Spear and Fang to roar triumphantly.

## Characters

* Spear
* Fang
* Cave Beetles
* Wild Dogs

## Trivia

* This episode was originally called *Scent of Death* in its pitch animatic.
* The scene when Spear guards Fang during nighttime, while hearing the sounds of canines, references the 2009 film *Avatar*.
* The cave-dwelling insects which attack Spear and Fang are fictitious, but resemble an enigmatic group of primitive arthropods of the Cambrian-Triassic: The Euthycarcinoidea. In the Silurian era, these arthropods were among the first animals to leave the ocean to live on the land, millions of years before vertebrates. While there are species with spiky exoskeletons, none have jaws like in the show.

## References

1. ↑ "Scent of Prey Pitch Animatic". (Video) *Adult Swim*.

 "Sea of Despair" • "Shadow of Fate" • "Dawn of Man" • "The Red Mist" • "The Primal Theory" • "Vidarr" • "The Colossaeus, Part I" • "The Colossaeus, Part II" • "The Colossaeus, Part III" • "Echoes of Eternity"