A combination of my three loves. Alternate Timelines, History and Paleontology.
A result of playing too much Rome Total War and reading About Dwarf Mammoths. The Tilos Mammoth for example, went extinct during 4000 BC, JUST before the rise of the first bronze age civilizations.
I thought it’d be hilarious if, on the isle of Crete, a surviving dwarf elephant was spotted by some Romans and a local auxiliary. Imagine growing up, hearing tales of your ancestors fighting Hannibal’s War Elephants, knowing that they are scary and hard to kill, only to find an adorably tiny version no bigger than your dog back home. Of course one Legionnaire would want to keep it as the Legion’s mascot.
Meanwhile, the Cretan Archer is legit confused how he had not seen this thing despite growing up there.
