The Annual Performance of Courtship

A palpable sense of excitement filled the air as the two groups marched alongside each other down the incline. They were headed out of the grassy hillsides and into the jungle for the day, but not along any of their usual routes. This particular path was actually overgrown, having not been tread on since the year before.

Normally, Flint would be ecstatic to see somewhere new. However, the purpose of today’s visit made the location they were going to pretty intimidating. He sent an uncertain look over to the other group, where Clover was, in an attempt to catch her eye. She was too busy talking to the other females to notice his efforts though. He sighed and turned to look ahead again. The trees were already thinning ahead which meant they were getting close. With a gulp, he glanced over to Clover again and was flooded with relief when he saw her looking at him. She gave him a reassuring smile before a tree passed between them and he lost sight of her for a bit.

The trees fell away behind the two groups as they emerged into a wide clearing. Flint watched as the other males in front of him veered toward the left, where the ground continued to slope downward to a shallow ravine. Glancing toward Clover, he saw her give him an encouraging nod before she turned and followed the other females up a small incline to the right.

Sucking in a big breath, Flint slowly released it as he followed the other males down the slope. He could now see that the females were lining up along the ravine walls and it took him mere seconds to pick Clover out from the others. She beamed at him, clearly heady from the excitement in the air, and he mustered a weak smile in response before focusing on those around him so he didn’t run into them.

The male Styracosauruses loosely lined up in rows before the group of onlooking females. Flint saw a bit of pushing as those most eager to prove themselves placed themselves as close to the ravine walls as possible. However, the competition was short-lived and soon, silence hung over the two groups as both prepared themselves for what was to come.

One by one, each male Styracosaurus began to wail until there was a chorus of voices singing as one. Then, just as they began, each one let their voice fade until there was another brief silence. Next, the row of males closest to the females stepped forward, lowered their heads so their beaks touched the ground, before slowing raising their heads back up. Most of the front row preened, and each row after had a few that wished to show off.

Flint merely acted out his display in the practiced motions he’d been shown. As much fun as it had been to initially learn the courtship ritual, having to practice over and over had made it kind boring. Now, nerves alone made him just want to get through the necessities and get on with the day. Thankfully, Clover looked more than happy with his efforts, as mundane as they seemed to be. The fact that her eyes stayed on him alone made him feel like maybe he was doing something right.

After each male had displayed their frills, and preening skills in some cases, another brief pause initiated. This one was not nearly as calm as the ones before though. The excitement in the air had begun to churn and roil as other emotions slipped into the mix.

Flint restlessly shifted his weight from one side to the other as he waited for the next, and final, phase of the ritual to begin. He heard the Styracosaurus behind him snort impatiently. Although he echoed the feeling, he knew that it wouldn’t be too much longer and stayed quiet himself. Just as he thought, he heard the stomping begin a few seconds later. Even though he couldn’t see the front row’s feet, he knew that they had finally begun the final part of the courtship.

When it came time for him to stomp along with the others in his row, Flint did his best to keep time with them. He caught himself staring at the ground, as if that would help him hit it any better, and he looked up to see Clover still beaming down at him. While he may doubt his own abilities, he didn’t doubt her devotion. She had promised him the outcome of today, and he had foolishly doubted it at first. He didn’t any longer.

Before the stomping even faded, females began to eagerly clamber down the ravine walls toward certain males. Pairs began to form, and as they did, each happily trilled together. Flint didn’t have to wait long for Clover to appear. In fact, it seemed like he had just started looking around and then there she was. The other Styracosaurus around them seemed to fade away, and for a moment it was just them.

Flint smiled sheepishly at her and Clover just sighed in exasperation and playfully shook her head. Trotting up to him, she nudged his beak with her own as she caught his gaze. They shared a knowing look and then together they raised their heads and trilled.

As the group dispersed, and each pair began to walk off together, Flint finally felt the weight lift from his chest. Today had gone as he had hoped, but now…well, now he didn’t really know what to expect. Thankfully, he had Clover for that. As if she could read his thoughts, she turned to look at him and smiled. He returned the smile and continued to follow her back up the incline toward the hills.

They had nearly made it out of the clearing when he remembered that he wanted to look around. Flint gasped and halted, drawing Clover’s attention and concern as he turned to look back toward the ravine. Curiosity tugged at him, but so did responsibility. Meeting Clover’s worried gaze, he considered telling her, but decided not to after thinking it was just too silly. With a dismissive shake of his head, he turned back toward the hill and started walking again. Clover hesitated for only a second, looking back once in confusion before finally hurrying to catch up.