[Trade] Immovable Object vs Unstoppable Force

The woods at night belonged to the Acro twins, this was an unspoken understanding between the residents of the forest and had been the case ever since they had emerged into adolescence. They were truly towering beasts now, equally imposing and perfectly in sync. They weren't even adults yet and the ground still shook with every step, clearing the way for their nightly walk through the section of forest they had claimed as their own. As they moved, small creatures scurried into the undergrowth, cutting off their nocturnal foraging to run for safety. An Acro was already a threat, but a pair of Acros in complete harmony with each other was practically undefeatable. The twins weren't megalomaniacal with this power however, they just wanted their own expansive territory and had no interest in launching large scale wars against the other solo theropods that ruled the island in their own domains.

They patrolled their territory in an odd formation, a Y-shaped branching patrol where each twin took a side and walked together to scan their surroundings. Whiteout was on the right for this night's patrol and it was him that spotted the intruder first.

"Brother..." he breathed softly. Blackout immediately turned to his right and followed his twin's gaze into the trees. Watching them from a distance was another Acrosanthusaurus, she had the pre-adult feathering they did but somehow she looked even bigger than the already unusually large twins. She was completely still and watching them, judging by the faint glint of moonlight that let the twins locate her eyes under the heavily crested feathery brow.

The air in the woods suddenly grew heavy with tension. The twins had noticed the other Acro, and she had noticed them too. Her red eyes gleamed from the murk of the forest, the only thing that stood out on her appearance. The rest of her dark navy body was blending into the dark, and her mottled back was only helping her to disguise amongst the trees. She didn't move, just stayed stock still in the darkness, watching the twins with a blank expression. Her feathers barely ruffled in the weak summer breeze that was gently courting the leaves around her. She was alert, ready to move but remained like a statue. The twins could only watch her in return, not wanting to make the first move and start the fight. They worked better as a team on the defensive, and launching themselves into a fight for no reason was a recipe for disaster. They were also keenly aware that the high contrast patterns on their own bodies made it far easier for her to see them than for them to see her. She, visually at least, had the advantage in this stand-off. Unsure of their next moves, the twins waited to take their cue from whatever the female decided to do.

It seemed her plan was to stay still long enough for the twins to leave her alone, considering this was their territory she would be waiting a long time. She seemed to recognise this and finally made the first move after a tense fifteen minutes of waiting, turning sideways and walking parallel to them. The twins followed, keeping their distance but following her every movement. She stopped, eyeing them carefully before moving again and watching them follow her. It was a threat, she thought, they were waiting for a chance to attack. This made her come to a halt again, and she looked between them both before turning towards them. To their surprise, she started to approach, cautiously but not slowing down as she got closer.

“Approaching us?”

“How brave-”

“-or foolish.”

They moved closer together, flattening their sides to each other and forming their typical two-headed monster phalanx. They stripped their teeth in their synchronous growl but the female didn't stop. She lowered her head and rumbled in response, still getting closer. It was a very clear warning, back down or we fight. The twins were confident in their ability in a two vs one fight and stood their ground, their growls crescendoing into full-chested roars that sent the birds scattering from the treetops.

The female charged, ducking below Whiteout's open jaws and headbutting him hard from below. As he reeled back his brother clamped down on the back of her neck and came away with a mouthful of feathers instead of flesh. Her entire back was flared and puffed out crested feathers and made her true silhouette difficult to define. While Whiteout found his feet again, Blackout swiped with his tail to give them some breathing room. If they allowed the other Acro into close quarters she could easily throw her weight around and use their close teamwork to her advantage. Her first attempt at this was shoulder-checking Blackout while lunging to snap at Whiteout's side. Both twins leaned back to avoid her and her pearly white teeth closed just inches from Whiteout's skin. With an opening, the twins returned to form and Whiteout retaliated with a swipe of his tail while Blackout rammed into her hip. The tail just about avoided the Acro's face but the full force of Blackout colliding with her sent her back end spinning out and forcing her to plant her feet into the earth to stop from falling over. With Blackout close by she took the opportunity to strike, ultimately throwing herself off-balance but letting her sink her teeth into the Acro's belly and dragging him down with her. He landed heavily on top of her, knocking the wind out of her but the position let her strike again with her claws, rabbit kicking at his stomach and chest while she had access. Blackout tore his flesh from her jaws and struck back by righting himself and belly-flopping hard on her leg, grounding her while Whiteout charged in for the kill. A brief glimpse of panic showed in the female's eyes but her expression hardened into neutrality once more as she focused on the charging Acro. He lunged, aiming for her neck to deliver a clean kill and she managed to kick off Blackout's sturdy body and made his twin's teeth meet the dirt instead. With Whiteout stunned and Blackout still processing what had just happened, she took her chance to throw her full weight into the Acro that pinned her down. With a final snap of her jaws she tore a strip from his face and began to run while he roared in pain.

Both twins pulled themselves upright just in time to watch her feathered tail vanish into the dark. The heavy sound of her footfalls began to grow quieter and quieter until they could only hear their own breathing. The woods grew still once more as they fought to catch their breath and address their wounds. They looked at each other, exhausted and bleeding, but alive and the only Acros in the area once more.

"We won?"

"Certainly so."