To the Victors

The trek through the jungle had been a long and hard one- and they were not nearly done yet. Snowshoe halted outside the compound, nervously worrying about her claws. The amnesiac had slowly been recovering more and more of her memories on the way over, and what she found… were not the happiest, to put it lightly. Part of her wanted to simply turn tail, fleeing back the way they had come. But it was far too late for that now. 

At her side, Flurry looked down at the pointed oviraptor in concern. The longer that had been traveling through the jungle, the more quiet the oviraptor had become. While she had still been accomplishing her mission in guiding them through the dome, something was… not quite right. As they went on, passing multiple guards, things became more and more intense. Flury shared a look with Bassoon, the tapejara landing on her shoulder. “All clear.” He chirped. “It seems we have to knock in order to get in. The wall goes all around.”

“Is that correct?” Flurry looked to Snowshoe, only to notice the oviraptor distracted. She nudged against the omnivore, then again, harder, when she got no response.

“Is it- oh! Yes!” Snowshoe shook herself out of her daze before timidly approaching the gate again, hesitation in every step. Quickly, she knocked on the metal, before stepping back. For a while, nothing happened. The three traded looks, growing more and more nervous as the silence stretched on.

It happened fast. The gate opened much faster than anything ever should be able to, warriors almost materialing out of the jungle around them with weapons pointed. Bassoon squeaked, leaping into the air, but a loud roar made him stumble and crash back onto the ground.

The three looked on in fear as a large figure pushed their way through the gate. Grey and quadruped, an array of scars covered its front. Large, powerful forelegs possessed a pair of wicked spikes. A brown and white gradient covered the face and back, and a jagged scar on the cheek made the huge herbivore seem even more displeased than usual.

“Ah. Scout.” A deep voice growled out. “We were expecting you. I see the rumors were true. You have broken our rules, and brought outsiders into our home.” Snowshoe ducked, words failing her as shame overtook her. Flurry hissed, stepping forward in an attempt to speak, but a quick hit from one of the warriors knocked her into the dirt. “And now, you must face the trial. Guards! Bring them to the arena.”

The arena was… a bit less impressive than Bassoon thought it would be. The trio were shoved into a large pit that must have been some kind of storage, the only way out blocked by two large herbivores- iguanodons, Snowshoe had explained. Along the top of the pit spectators had gathered to watch, ranging from oviraptors to the stony gaurds and several iguanodons. “Explain again what’s going on?” The tapejara questioned the oviraptor again. 

Snowshoe was hiding herself behind Flurry in order to escape the jeers of the crowd, looking miserable. “The court… they love entertainment. There’s not much else to do here.” She muttered. “This is our- my- punishment. To be entertainment for them.”

“Entertainment?” Flurry asked sharply. “Is it… dangerous?” She looked around the arena, taking in the faint scent of blood that sent off warning bells. 

“Usually? Yes.” Snowshoe responded grimly. “If we survive, we may be in their favor- they love champions.”

Before the two outsiders could come up with any response, a loud cheer ran out as an iguanodon stepped into the middle of the arena. This one was feathered, covered in brown and white and speckled in black streaks. “Welcome everyone!” She cheered, met with replies of “Sela! Sela” from the crowd. Well. Guess that was her name. “Today, we have gathered three intruders- including one of our own, turning traitor.” She pointed at Snowshoe, loud boos echoing as the oviraptor crouched down. “Today, we will determine their fate. The champion from the court has been chosen for this fight- please welcome Guerilla!” The same herbivore that had greeted them at the door made his way into the arena, glaring at them. Flurry gulped. Despite being the second largest carnivore on the island, even she was outclassed by this huge creature. 

“And the game of choice…” Sela trailed off. “Is jousting!” The crowd cheered and Snowshoe gasped. “The two sides will clash, attempting to shove the other. The first one to fall to the ground loses! In the case of the intruders, any one of them being knocked over will end in their loss.” Flurry hissed. That was hardly fair- Bassoon and Snowshoe were half their size! They could be pushed over by a soft push of Guerilla’s tail!

“You two- stay behind me.” Flurry was quick to instruct, placing herself between the two smaller creatures and the iguanodon. The two narrowed their eyes at each other, just waiting for the signal. “Fight!”

The two huge dinosaurs met in the middle, the loud sound of muscle meeting muscle echoing across the arena, echoed by the chants of the crowd. Flurry roared in pain as a thumb spike stuck itself into her side, but she refused to budge. Quickly she wrapped her teeth around the other's neck, pushing as hard as she could. Guerilla grunted but refused to budge, quickly rearing onto his hind legs. Flurry wobbled, barely managing to catch herself. She was outmatched- but she had to keep going.

Snowshoe turned to Bassoon as they watched. No words passed between them- they knew what they had to do. Flurry couldn't beat the herbivore alone. 

Flurry grunted, closing her eyes as she wobbled again. This was it- she was about to fail them all. Who knew what would happen to them afterwards…

With a loud shriek Bassoon swooped at the head of Guerilla while Snowshoe threw herself at his feet, sinking her beak into his legs. The iguanodon huffed in pain, stepping back and shaking his head as wings slapped him in the face. Flurry spotted her opening, and took it- with a roar she threw herself forward, sinking her teeth not into Guerilla’s neck, but the arm opposite to what Snowshoe was attacking.

With a bellow Guerilla collapsed, the combined weight and confusion being too much. He collapsed into the dirt- sending a dust cloud into the air. Instantly, the cheers paused. An eerie silence fell across the arena. The trio gazed up at the crowd nervously- their reaction would determine their fate.

Sela cleared her throat, looking quite shocked herself. “The winners, everyone!” And with a roar the crowd surged back to life, the ones that had once been jeering now screaming in approval. 

“I get why you hate this place now.” Bassoon muttered. Guerilla groaned from underneath them. Snowshoe sighed. Yeah.