Lessons for Both

The savannah was a dry, arid place. Little food was available to those who lived there- herbivores, forced to consume mostly dried grasses and carnivores, always chasing the swift herbivores that lived in the area. Sometimes, they would grow lucky and other creatures would wander into the grasslands- creatures not used to the blazing heat of the sun, the lack of shade. Those creatures were weak- and many never escaped before a predator found them. Some carnivores formed uneasy alliances in order to take advantage of these situations. 

Such a situation was formed between Leos and Strike. The yellow carnotaurus and blue tropeognathus had encountered each other many times before, often in a contest over a recent or long dead kill. Strike was a much smaller and more fragile creature than Leos- but was infinitely more swift. Eventually, the two of them had worked out a deal of sorts. Strike would fly ahead and scan the horizon for meals, fresh or stale- and Leos would take over, either taking down the possible prey or claiming the kill someone else had made. It was a good system- both of them were more well fed than they had ever been before. Even better, some kind of strange event was taking place, causing strange plants to throw across the island. However, the harsh conditions of the savannah were too much for the exotics plants to bear, so many creatures sought refuge in the grasslands. Which meant more food for them.

Leos stirred from his spot beneath one of the few trees in the area as Strike landed on his back, grunting lowly as a hooked beak tugged at his feathers. “What?” He snapped, raising his horned head to peer at his unashamed disturber. 

Strike clacked his beak in that weird laugh of his, nipping at Leos again. “You’ll want to see this.” He croaked, stepping back in time to dodge the snapping teeth that attempted to give their own return nip (which would have been much more painful.) “I spotted one of those new dinosaurs close by. You know. The… oviraptor?” The name was one that caught Leos’s interest- rumor had it that these were the creatures responsible for the plants spreading across the islands. He had yet to encounter one, but it was said they tasted like chicken…

Leos abruptly stood up, shaking Strike off of his feathers. The tropeognathus squawked, but took to the air. “Lead the way.” Leos growled, a sinister note to his voice. The two took off into the ocean of grass, intentions deadly. 

Not far away, Rock Dove pecked at the ground in frustration. His mother had taken him to the dried grass biome to attempt to teach him how to find food on his own, but it wasn’t going well. She had wandered away somewhere, but he was confident she was still nearby- Rock Dove just felt no reason to wander after her at the moment. Yeah…

Letting out a huff, the oviraptor let himself collapse into the dirt, rolling around a bit. Well, regardless, the dust felt nice on his feathers (although he knew it would be a pain to wash out later). Glaring at the grass, Rock Dove cursed this area for being so hard to find food in. How did anything find food here?

A shadow passed above his head, causing the oviraptor to squint. What was that? There were no trees around anywhere nearby and no clouds in the sky- so what could be making them? Some kind of bird glided in the air above him, circling. Rock Dove watched. Was it him, or was it getting closer…

The sound of dried grass snapping behind him caused Rock Dove to flinch, jumping back and shrieking in horror. Rising from the bushes with a frustrated hiss was a carnotaurus, scruffy yellow feathers spotted with brown marks that gave him great camouflage. And his eyes were focused right on the oviraptor. Rock Dove knew what he had to do, shouting again before taking into a sprint.

Instantly, Leos took chase. Rock Dove panted as he ran. One good thing was the area they were in was wide and open, with little to trip over. However, that was more of an advantage for the carnivore than him. Still, Rock Dove was able to stay ahead. Huh, thats weird. It's almost like he was confident he couldn't escape… why?

Looking up, Rock Dove noticed the bird shadow again- except now it was close enough he could tell just what it was. A blue tropeognathus swooped by, barely missing Rock Doves wing as he attempted to dive and send the oviraptor crashing into the dirt. Screeching again, Rock Dove made a turn just in time to avoid it. 

Strike crashed into the dirt, barely managing to slow his decent enough to not hurt. Yellow eyes turned to the fleeing oviraptor in anger. Oh, he was not escaping them. Leos reached down, allowing Strike to cling to his head before flinging him into the air in one smooth motion. Their plan was working- the juvenile oviraptor was tiring, slowing down while they still had plenty of stamina. It would not be long now.

And long was soon. Tired, Rock Dove missed the half collapsed tree ahead of him while craning his head back to look at the two carnivores. With the loudest cry yet he tripped, collapsing into the ground.

Leos chuckled, Strike letting out his loud laugh. The hunt was over. Slowly Leos stepped forward, standing over the small oviraptor. Rock Dove trembled as Leos gave a toothy grin, opening his mouth to speak or boast-

And mother was there. Mary bellowed, her thudding footsteps having gone unnoticed in the chase. The huge parasaur lunged, pushing away the adolescent carnotaurus while kicking out with her sharp hooves. Leos shrieked as a sharp hoof dug into his side, pulling away. While he had half a mind to respond with his own attack, the pink parasaur was huge- she could easily shrug off any injury and respond with blows Leos could not. Strike cawed in panic, taking off into the air as all sense of loyalty dissolved. Every man for himself! Leos was quick to follow, the pair running off as Mary let out a final bellow.

“Mother…” Rock Dove muttered, a gentle beak quickly helping to nudge him up. Soft words of encouragement and apology were muttered to the oviraptor as the pair made their exit- perhaps this place was far too much for two who lived in the misty forest. Mary made up her mind then and there- it was time they solved this plant issue…