Artorias X Romulus - (Courtship)

Artorias X Romulus - (Courtship)

Writing by: Lil Monster

Da gallery: https://www.deviantart.com/xxinsanenightmarexx/gallery

Word count: 1,000+

the loud sound of stomping and crunching feet against the cracked sandy landscape followed by towering shadows as the sun beat harshly down on the island, bellows from the bellies of beasts that towered over everything in their path… a shunosaurus herd that was on the way to the courting grounds with many adults having been here before many of times along with new additions who would be experiencing the season for the first time. This herd was made mostly of females who would travel towards the courting grounds each year In search of a partner to rear offspring with, it was a time of celebration for most.

A large female known by the name of Romulus had been here many times before to court and rear offspring so it was no different for her this year besides the walking and days of no sleeping which annoyed her but it was always for the great of the herd, she was a mother to many and this year she was looking to pair again, hoping her usual partner would be there when they arrived.

At the grounds already were some male shunos each of them testing and showing off their strength by smacking their necks at one another to overpower the competitor with most waiting for the arrival of the many female herds that were to come, but amongst them was a large female

Who had unique colors and feathers across her body as she tested much younger males being able to keep up with them, she didn’t tend to travel with the female herds and preferred the bachelor ones instead, she was on the look out for a partner this season and her name was Artorias.

It was about time as Romulus saw the courting grounds come into view as the loud bellows echoed and shook earth, it was time and picking a partner was never easy especially when a bunch wanted your attention all at once. Other females broke off as males mingled throughout the herd with many picking females and beginning to brawl to win them over, but Romulus wasn’t in a rush as she wandered around before spotting Artorias who was approaching her very slowly and giving out a call which was a song most shunos did when courting one another.

This wasn’t a male however which confused Romulus and she studied Artorias which she bellowed back to match her song frequencies the two sizing one another up as their

Necks intertwined with one another as they made deep bellows which each of them

Matched one another as they mirrored each other's movements, shuno courting wasn’t always fighting it was a dance and song that each one had their own of.

Artorias matched Romulus as she dipped her neck, shaking it as Romulus did the same, meeting eye to eye before slowly moving them down once again and swaying their tails back and forth. If you could match your partner's song and movements it showed good compatibility between the two and so far the two females were doing well, as Artorias would shove males away from Romulus if they got too close but still kept a keen eye on the song and dance.

As the courtship dance came to an end Romulus lowered her head before raising it up exposing her underside of her neck which Artorias matched before nuzzling underneath softly with the top of her head, as the two let out one final song below which sealed the courtship.

“Well done, your song was beautiful”Romulus said as she walked beside Artorias who was still

Keeping males away who dared venture close, before she answered back softly “ yours as well, you seem pretty keen on your notes” she said, she could tell that Romulus had courted before on the confidence of her movements and below frequencies she gave off.

Romulus let out a smile as she looked at Artorias who spotted male like colors “ you are interesting I have never seen a female spot male

Colors like this” as most female shunos had dull coloration while the males had vibrant, but not Artorias she spotted vibrant blues and greens.

“ I was born this way, and it seemed to have served its purpose” she jokingly said looking at Romulus who enjoyed the vibrant colors, it would be the first time the pair had ever had a female partner in their lifetime and they were up for the challenge, it was time for them to build a nesting mound which would take days due to their size and time window with courting and nesting , unlike others shunos laid eggs and left their offspring to fend for themselves and the quicker they got to making a nesting mound the better chances of survival for their offspring would be.

Artorias picked a spot that was in the soft area of the ground where the dirt was easy to move as she dug out a circular area in which Romulus would bring plant and leaf age over to mix with the dirt to make a sturdy area for the eggs, they would need to be well protected and she was aware of that so picking the best spot was

Important and it seems Artorias did a great job, as the two built the nest together more pairs would join alongside them and do the same.

A few more trips and it was done. A large nesting mound sat in the dirt as Artorias placed the last few dirt piles with her front feet, the two taking a step back and nodding. Eventually white eggs lay in the mound all huddled

Together in a pile, with Romulus standing up and nuzzling

Artorias who watched before nuzzling back. The eggs had been laid and were now incubating… it was time to go after such a short time courtship was done and the two females would go their separate ways in hopes their offspring would make it, only time would tell.

With final bellows to one another Romulus and Artorias parted ways and shared a short bond for the season, until next time.