Birds

Seffe knew that strange things were happening on Isla Kera.

It made Swavelli nervous, but a lot of things made Swavelli nervous. She was the sort that liked to have the perfect answer to everything, and all of the recent unexpected events agitated her. Even without saying it outright, Seffe could see it in the pinch of her brow and the twitching of her claws, and Seffe didn’t want her panicking any more than she already was. So Seffe stuck to the shore, away from all of the aggressive plant growth and new faces. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun.

Hundreds of gulls had congregated in the shallows, peppering the water with tiny white clouds. They squawked to a near-deafening degree.

Seffe’s tail wriggled with excitement.

He burst off of the sand and ran right into the middle of them, his long claws kicking up splashes of water. The gulls took to the air with startled and indignant calls. They shot up into the air just like the bursts of seafoam, sending up a white flurry, like rain falling in reverse.

Seffe let out a thrilled trill as he ran all the way down the beach. The sound was nearly lost in the cacophony of birds, but that just meant he needed to shout louder! It was so loud that it took Seffe a moment to realize that someone was calling back to him. He blinked, and peered through the curtain of birds. If he squinted hard enough, he could see spots of brown and black between the flapping white wings.

The mysterious stranger seemed to realized he’d been spotted, and jumped as he ran. Seffe laughed and did the same.

The pair ran through the flock of shorebirds together, mimicking each other’s noises and gestures. Seffe began to wish that the upside-down shower of birds went on forever, otherwise their fun would have to end—then again, he’d finally get a chance to see his new friend’s face!

As the last of the birds took to the sky, his new friend came into view. It took Seffe a moment to realize just what it was he was looking at. The stranger was his size, and coated in feathers like him, but his snout was too short and his wings cartoonishly large by comparison.

“You’re an oviraptor!”

The oviraptor grinned, still running and keeping pace with Seffe. But he didn’t say a word. With a sharp trill, the oviraptor swerved to the right, curving inland, and scrambled up the rocks leading away from the beach.

Seffe watched the stranger go. A part of him wanted to call out or follow after the oviraptor, but he’d heard of the newcomers’ reputation. They were the distrusting, sneaky sort… And if that one had exposed himself willingly, it must have been for a reason.

Now with a goal in mind outside of simply having fun, Seffe wandered back to the cove, waiting for the birds to gather again.

#

If Swavelli knew what he was up to, he was sure she’d worry all her scales off. Here he was, trying to coax out one of the very oviraptors that had been causing such a stir. But she didn’t have to worry. Seffe could handle it himself.

Even after their disruptive performance, the shorebirds eventually returned, trying to find their partners and nests that they’d been chased away from. All Seffe had to do was lie still and wait, which was admittedly rather hard for the hyperactive utahraptor.

It wasn’t long until he’d caught one by its delicate white wing, and had a present ready for his new friend.

Seffe climbed up the rocks where the oviraptor had disappeared before, making his way onto rocky ground; the sight line was disrupted by rocks that pierced the sky and strange little plants growing through the cracks. He sniffed the air, but all he could smell was the sea and the bloody bird in his mouth.

So Seffe set the bird down. And waited. He kept himself busy with preening, but made sure to keep an eye on his surroundings, in case his friend showed up and surprised him.

In the end, he didn’t have to worry. The oviraptor stepped out from cover without making any attempt to sneak up on him.

“It’s you!” Seffe said warmly, sweeping his feathered tail over the ground. “I’ve been waiting.”

The oviraptor acknowledged him with a nod, casting glances at the gull.

“You can have it.” Seffe nudged it towards him. “Chasing them is a lot of fun, but eating them is good too, isn’t it?”

“It is,” the oviraptor agreed; it was the first time Seffe had heard him speak. His voice was as soft as his feathered coat, but as clear as the stripes on his crest.

“I never caught your name. Mine’s Seffe.”

“Tiainen.”

“Tiainen,” Seffe repeated. “It’s nice to officially meet you. Maybe I’ll see you around again?”

Tiainen took up the gull in his jaws and started to climb back up the rocks. “Maybe you will.”