Sharing is caring

Åra, Öre and Ära all had lived with each other since the Christmas times when they had met each other. At first Öre and Ära had only seeked shelter temporarily from the cold as the snow had slowly taken over the land. But as time had passed they had all three developed a band together. Of course Öre and Ära had known each other before. And it had been a slightly rocky start when they met Åra. But despite their size different Åra had accepted the big, grey and mute sucho quite quickly and it had been no issue trusting Öre. Now they spent most of their time together in the industrial warehouse or the town nearby whenever they needed to stock up on stuff. Neither of them were especially good hunters either. They had never grown up learning how to hunt and while their instincts existed it was at a quite basic level of hunting ability. Mostly they managed to get conserved food from the city. It held out for a long time and it was many times quite delicious. Then of course there was to some extent possible to go around and scavenge food.
This day was a rather warm day. Ära, the grey and big sucho was laying outside in the sun while Öre was laying beside him in the area where the warehouse casted down a big, rectangular shadow as it with ease held away the rays of sunlight.
“Did Åra say where she was going?” The grey raptor looked over at the grey sucho. He turned his neck so that he could look at her and tilted his head with a shake before gesturing with his nose towards the forest. Öre turned her head towards the shadowy, thick forest. “Ah.. Did she say what she was planning on doing?”
Once again the sucho shaked his head and gestured with his hands as much as he possibly could to really confirm that he did in fact not know anything about what she had planned. Öre stretched out her legs so that only her toes were hit by the sunlight.
“I do hope she returns soon.” The sucho nodded in silent agreement as he stretched himself out so that only his head was covered by the shadowy parts cast by the warehouse.

It took enough time for Ära to return so that the warehouse’s shadow moved far enough so that even Ära were mostly covered by the shadow. They could hear a muffled greeting as the even grey raptor walked around the corner. Both Öre and Ära moved their heads lazily but as they saw what she was carrying they both quickly sat upright.
“Wow!” Öre exclaimed as she jumped up onto her feet while Ära slowly made his way onto his feet in a much less agile way. The sucho stretched his arms into the air as if to say the same thing. “How did you catch that?” Öre said as both she and Ära hurried over to meet with Åra as she dragged the doe behind her. She let it go and puffed out her chest proudly at their surprised faces and Öre’s surprised words.
“Quite easily actually.” Åra liked to exaggerate her achievements. She had been lucky today and happened to walk up on the doe as it was in a vulnerable position. Hadn’t it been for that moment she would most likely have come home empty handed. Åra jumped up on a nearby rock. “I just did this.” She jumped off the rock. It wasn’t in a particularly stealthy way as she let out sounds showing how she quite obviously didn’t catch the doe. The two other dinosaurs still listened to what she said with amazement. Öre would let out occasional sounds of amazements as they.

“Wow.” Öre let out again and Ära nodded beside in agreement.
“So we don’t have to go into town in a few days. It’s so warm anyway. This is perfect.” Åra couldn’t stop nodding at her own achievement. She felt extremely proud not only because she was able to actually catch something so big but because the two other dinosaurs were in such amazement of her achievement as if they had never before experienced such amazing hunting skills as Åra had now showed them.

As they had been talking they had completely missed the fact that they were not alone. Not anymore. There were two other creatures nearby that with curious hunger looked over at them from their hiding spots. They weren’t actively trying to hide from the other dinosaurs. It was more like an added bonus. The route they had taken to end up in the place they were just now standing had just happened to provide a good place to watch and see what the situation looked like. The two dinosaurs were watching the two raptors and the sucho ㅡ but more importantly they were watching the food that one of the raptors had brought in. The feathery grey brindled Oviraptor with white on her back and red paint on her face and her arms looked over at the brown oviraptor with a white stomach, tabby and quills sticking out her back as well as a vine painted around her neck. They were both quite hungry. And it wasn’t as if the other raptors and the sucho looked extremely unfriendly or anything like it. And if they approached with caution they could probably be ready to bolt in case something happened. The raptors ahead of them either way looked fairly young. It was harder to discern the sucho’s age because regardless he was quite big.

It was Ära who noticed something first. Perhaps it was his height that gave him the advantage. He could see above the bushes. But he noticed the two oviraptors watching the three of them. He gestured to the others but it took them a moment before they realised what exactly he was gesturing about before they also started watching towards the oviraptors. That’s when the two oviraptors decided to shoot their shot at getting some free food.
“Hello there. I am Pokie ㅡ this is Lahna.” The grey brindle oviraptor gestured to the brown and white oviraptor standing slightly behind her to her left. “We didn’t mean to disturbe you, or scare you,” the last words were added more as an afterthought. Not only did the raptors look slightly terrified but the sucho was actively trying to hide between the two much smaller utahraptors as if that was even a possibility, “we just couldn’t help notice that you’ve got a awful lot of food for the three of you.” It wasn’t that much food for a sucho and two raptors. But at the same time the two oviraptors didn’t need that much of it.
“Now. We would just want to ask if it’s a possibility that you might share a bit.” The brown oviraptor spoke softly to the three of them. Having gauged their disposition as a more fearful one rather than aggressive she figured the best option was a more friendly and calming approach. Öre looked back at the doe before returning her gaze to the unfamiliar species of dinosaurs in front of the three of them. She had never met them, or any other like them before.
Ära looked between the two oviraptors and the two raptors as if he was still trying to gauge the situation. He didn’t want to trust the two unfamiliar faces until he knew if Öre or Åra trusted them. Preferring to do as they did rather than to do his own thing.

“We caught this doe.” Åra said more as a statement than a no. Her voice was slightly shaking but she was considered the stronger one of them.
“It would be a trade dear.” The brown oviraptor nodded calmly.
“We can tell you loads of interesting things.” The brindle gray raptor added. “It’s just that we are quite hungry. We haven't eaten much the past few days.”
“What things?” There was a certain skeptical tone in Åras voice as she spoke. But it was intriguing.
“So many things about the world around.” Pokie, the gray oviraptor, said as she realised that the intrigue was drawing in the two raptors. Clearly they were young and curious. As long as they kept a friendly face there was a chance that they could be convinced. Åra and Öre both looked back at Ära who gave them an unsure gaze. It told them that he would do what they wanted to do but he just didn’t want to decide anything at this moment for himself. Whatever they decided on doing, sharing or not sharing, he was for it.
“We can share.” Öre said with a last look at Åra who nodded. Ära also nodded now that the other two had decided on what they were supposed to do but he kept his distance by hiding behind his friends.
“See. I knew we could trust these three youngsters.” Lahna nodded as she looked at the gray oviraptor.
“Indeed. Such great, friendly dinosaurs we happened to find.” The compliments were clearly working as the two raptors and the sucho all started looking slightly more proudly at each other.
“I am Åra.” Åra’s chest was slightly more stuck out as she proudly introduced herself. “This is Ära,” she gestured to the grey sucho behind her, “he can’t speak but he’s the best. And this is Öre.” Öre and Ära both smiled as they were introduced.
“Åra caught it!” Öre happily added as Ära enthusiastically nodded behind her. Åra stretched herself a bit extra tall at the words.
“I am a really good hunter.” Once again both Öre and Ära nodded at her words. “But now when you get food. Can you tell us everything?”
All three of them looked with great anticipation at the two oviraptors.

“Absolutely.” Lahna said.
“It will take a while.” Pokie added.