[Gift] Get ready to rumble!

Are you not entertained?

“These warriors aren’t keen to let anyone pass through their jungle, but perhaps you can sway them. Only those worthy- who demonstrate interesting or entertaining abilities- may enter, and they seem interested in witnessing the skills of other dinosaurs! Perhaps if you can impress them by showing off a skill- such as acrobatic maneuvers or hunting prowess- they’ll grant you safe passage. Showcase a special skill of your dinosaur’s to the warriors!”

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Aria 3305

Kowa 5324

Ghost 4650

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Nigel 6405

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Word Count : 2,273

Aria, Kowa, and Ghost made their way through the forest, the branches growing more and more crowded the deeper they went. The Oviraptors, though very hesitant and worried, were swayed enough by the trio's offerings to let them through and point them in the right direction. Unfortunately the oviraptors had failed to mention that the plants they had grown were rather… violent. At first, all was normal in the jungle. The plants were wild and seemed to catch on their feet far more than usual, but they weren’t wild like the ones deeper in. These ones opened like delicate flowers, but the inside of their petals were lined with rows of very sharp and very needle-like fangs, like some sort of hybrid between a flower and a shark.

A vine laced with thorns slammed down in front of them, embedding itself into the dirt like it was water. Kowa reacted the quickest, not missing a beat as she leapt over it with ease. Aria and Ghost were not so lucky as they were trailing behind. The plant loomed over them, almost as if it was sizing them up, despite it dwarfing them in comparison easily. Ghost shoved Aria forward, still transfixed on the strange amalgamation. “Go… go go go!” He shrieked, elbowing her hard in the side to get her to finally move. The great beast snapped at their heels with its bud, but it was just barely too short to reach them. It retreated back, pulling its thorny vines close, as if it was just another part of the scenery. Ghost cast a glance behind him to watch its movements. The jungle seemed almost possessed, the Oviraptors had said they planted things to aid them but blood-thirsty flora was not one of his guesses.

He crashed into Aria while he wasn’t looking. Ghost whipped his head around, opening his mouth to question them but was quickly answered by the strange animal standing before them. It had raised its very club-like tail defensively, a very angry display compared to what the Oviraptors had presented. It had brown countershading, its back darker than its unders, and wore reddish pauldrons encrusted with spikes. “Halt before the defenders of this dome!” he cried. “State your purpose, or leave this place! I assure you I am armed, and if you intend to do me harm you would be wise to reconsider.” He swung his tail down to the ground and it gave a heavy, resounding thud, very much backing up his statement. If they had thought the plants were bad, this new dinosaur was giving it a run for its money. Kowa looked back at Aria and Ghost nervously, rubbing her claws together with a pleading look in her eyes. Before Ghost could cut her off, Aria stood up straight and moved in front of Kowa, speaking in a voice that introduced them to every surrounding creature within 100 yards. “We three are the uh hunters of outside the dome! We too are warriors and we- ah forget it, I’m Aria, and that's Kowa and that's Ghost. We came here because the Oviraptors pointed us here, but they conveniently forgot to tell us that the plants here had a taste for meat and also that you guys existed. We just want to know what's going on, if you just point us where we could go to find more answers that would be appreciated.” She rambled, pointing to them each in turn as she spoke. The dinosaur blinked, seemingly caught off guard by her rather forward approach. Nonetheless, he straightened his tail again and regarded them with narrowed eyes. “Well Aria, Kowa, and Ghost you will find no passage here! You are not worthy to tread the paths of Atlantis, you are amateurs. Leave, I will not ask you again.” Kowa shuffled backwards, unnerved by growing tension Aria seemed oblivious to. “But we came all this way! We even got past those plants I was-” Ghost shoved her hard in her side to get Aria to stop talking before she made the situation worse. “You say we are not worthy, yet you have not laid eyes on our travels to know as such. We come for answers, not a brawl, and yet you judge on the merest signs of discourse. At least grant us the opportunity to prove that we are not all that meets the eye.”

The stranger paused to consider Ghosts offer. For a moment it appeared that he was going to reject it, but with a resounding thud of its clubbed tail he announced “Then so be it! Prove your worth, or be gone by sunrise, those are your choices.” With that, he turned and disappeared into the brush without so much as a backward glance. “They didn’t even tell us their name…” Aria muttered as Kowa let out her breath she didn’t know she was holding. Ghost sighed, watching the dinosaur leave. “A name is only a title, there will be others.” Aria raised her eyebrows skeptically, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Kowa shifted her weight uneasily from one foot to another, watching the others banter before softly clearing her throat to get their attention. “Just wondering, since uh we only have until tomorrow that is… what are we going to do to impress the dinosaur?” She asked apprehensively. Aria and Ghost looked at eachother, silent worry exchanged between the two. Neither had any ideas, and the mere thought of going back out into the wild jungle was more risk than reward, even for Aria. “We'll… We'll figure it out, don't worry!” She said slowly, as if trying to convince herself as she was saying it. Kowa didn’t look convinced, but didn't say more as Ghost beckoned them to follow.

They wandered the darkening jungle, the crickets chirping quieting with every passing hour. Ghost and Aria quietly exchanged ideas, each one worse than the last, while Kowa followed quietly behind. She was practically stepping on their tails, every sound a blaring alarm bell of danger hiding in the tall shadows. They couldn't find anywhere safe, and they weren't going wait around like sitting ducks. The biggest problem however, was coming up with something to prove themselves. Hunting was their forte, but all the animals in the “dome” (as the dinosaur called it) were larger and more brave than any the cryolophosaurus had seen. They'd be hard pressed to take down the things that lived here. On the other claw, they didn't know what plants were good or poisonous. They were obligate carnivores after all, fruits were the most plant they ever ate. They had to think of something though, showing up empty clawed wasn't an option after they had come so far. They were running out of time fast.

“What if we put down the carnivorous plant?” “Are you kidding?! That thing nearly killed us! We'd have better luck finding one of those dinosaurs that's friendly than taking down that thing. We should just find the biggest fruit and give it to them, nobody would haul a massive plant around the jungle, it'd save them so much hassle!” “And what are we to do if it is harmful? They live here, a wrong move means the end of our journey.” “Alright wise guy, let's see you come up with a better idea that won't get one of us injured.” Kowa stayed quiet. She wasn't smart in the way they were, they just told her what to do and she did it. It wasn't that she was unintelligent, she knew more bugs than any dinosaur around, she just wasn't like them. She watched a couple of macaws dance in the air briefly before descending back into the treetops. Kowa stared transfixed at the place the birds disappeared, an idea forming in her head. “What if… what if we didn’t hunt anything? He just said ‘prove yourself’ right? He never specified how.” Kowa interjected, still staring at the sky. Aria and Ghost glanced at each other uncertainly. “What are you proposing?” “We play a game! I can teach you some, we have all night, and we only have to impress them enough to let us pass.” Kowa spoke excitedly. It wasn't a bad idea and meant that none of them would get injured. Ghost nodded slowly. It was the best they had. “Let's do it.”

The dinosaur was patiently waiting for them as the sun just made it over the horizon. Kowa seemed to be in bright spirits, hopping along like the crickets in the evening. Ghost looked worse for wear, but still steady and with a renown determination, confident that this game would be their ticket through. Aria was… sort of there, physically at least. She looked extremely tired, holding her head low to the ground, but at least she had shown up at all. The stranger looked at them with a raised brow. “I believe your friend claimed you warriors, but you have nothing to show for your strength?” Kowa nodded delightfully. “We wanted to show you that we are, but not in the way you might expect. We may have pointed teeth and claws, but we also have smarts and wits!” She pulled out a clawful of beetle husks, half of the painted white and the other half their usual black sheen. “...you want to play a game.” The dinosaur said flatly at the sight of the small things. Kowa nodded, the Euoplo raising a brow. “We'll teach you how to play.  If we win, you and your friends to let us through. If you win, we'll leave and won't come back. Best out of three.” The stranger thought for a moment. The odds were stacked against him, but very few things in life were ever fair. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he the underdog came out triumphant. “I will accept these terms. Prepare yourselves inexperienced ones.”

The rules were set, and the board was drawn. The game proposed was “checkers”, a human game Kowa had been introduced to. It involved two different colored game pieces, 12 pieces each. They could move diagonally, but not forward and backwards. The goal, to collect all of your opponents pieces. They were each to take a turn against the stranger, so that he could fully grasp the ropes. Aria went first, her tired state causing her to make silly mistakes. She lost 4 pieces in just one turn, leaving her other pieces out in the open. Despite her futz, she did manage to take 6 of his beetles before losing the rest of hers in one fell swoop. Ghost was the next, much more put together and with renewed determination. He was far more strategic than Aria, and they traded pieces almost the entire game. In the end, they both had 4 beetles left, Ghosts strewn about the board whereas the strangers were formed in a diamond. Ghost purposefully left one out in the open, letting the Euoplo take it willingly. He immediately took the beetle out with another and was able to skip over another, taking 2 out at the same time. Only a few turns later, the stranger had lost another one and only had one left. But the match was as good as over at that point, Ghost had three beetles left that surrounded the dinosaurs, effectively cornering them. The score was 1 to 1, Kowa was the last one left. She hadn't expected the stranger to get so good in a short amount of time, but he took her by surprise. He had learned from Ghost, avoiding her traps expertly and preserving his beetles when he could. Kowa was losing, she was down five when he was only down three, but what he realize was that she had a beetle one tile away from the other side. He took another one of her pieces, a twinge of pride evident on his face. It vanished when she moved her beetle to his side of the board, turning it into a king. She swept the board with her king, taking all of his pieces easily as he fumbled to keep up.

“I believe thats game.” Kowa said, trying her best to keep her voice level as she took his last beetle. He didn't say anything at first, staring at the board with an almost empty look to his eyes. He suddenly burst out laughing. It was a deep rumbling laugh that you could feel moving the earth. He nodded approvingly, picking up his discarded beetles with something akin to awe before refocusing on Kowa. “Well done strategist! You have proven yourself in a game of wits, and we shall allow you to freely pass.” Kowa beamed with joy, glancing back to where Ghost and Aria were watching. Aria clapped tired, but excitedly for Kowa while Ghost gave her an approving thumbs up. “However” the dinosaur spoke up, “I warn you to be careful. Should you need our assistance, we will aid you, but we will not fight all your battles for you.” “Oh that's alright! We just came to figure out what's happening, we'll be careful.” Kowa promised, her legs aching from residual adrenaline as she stood up. “Thank you for letting us pass, we will be forever grateful.” Ghost avowed, bowing his head slightly. “What's your name anyways? Now that we're friends, can't just keep calling you ‘stranger’.” Aria added. The dinosaur thought for a moment before divulging. “I am Nigel, and we are Euoplocephalus, the defenders of the dome. Follow, I will take you to the others so that they may help you find what you are looking for.”