Swagger

Seasons come and go, their affect on some biomes are felt less than others. It may be autumn across the isles but within the ashlands of Pera, there is little change to experience. It is still dry, ashy, and balmy with the heat of neighbouring volcanic vents. 

A stocky Styracosaur marches across the ashlands with a consistent rhythm. His skin is a dark dusky purple with darker patches scattered across his body. He has mostly grown into his adult colours now, with just a few patterns left to appear on his crest. Even without being fully complete yet, it is an intimidating feature with two large eye-like spots. Ghazi, the prince of these lands. His mother Zenobia is the unchallenged leader of the herd that makes this place their home.

At his side, a Cryolophosaurus takes smooth strides at a slightly slower pace. Despite not being too different in size, it is clear that the carnivore is built for speed and has to slow his steps so he doesn’t outpace Ghazi. He shares a similarly dark dusk-purple skin, with darker face, tail and limbs, and peppered with long spots. Like Ghazi, this carnivore is just cresting into adolescence. Bright green streaks are starting to appear on his throat but not yet defined. Buglawton. The personal enforcer and guardian to Ghazi and his family. 

They are both on patrol. Despite his provenance as the eldest son of Zenobia, Ghazi insisted on taking part in the observation and defense of the homeland. Over the years, Zenobia has used her growing influence and power to expand her territory, but a large territory requires more feet on the ground to keep it safe from intruders, thieves, and more. Zenobia had never even suggested that Ghazi take part in herd patrols, but her son had developed a strong sense of responsibility over the years. Or perhaps it is a desire to have more control. If Ghazi could see what happened on patrols, he could see who was doing their job properly and who needed to be punished for slacking off. Not quite an adult yet though, his mother is still the only one in a position to distribute punishment.

For now, Ghazi is grappling with the frustrations of adolescence. Mood swings. Over-confidence. Bravado. Poor decision making. Other herd members bear the brunt of this and use sparring as a way to release his pent up energy. Buglawton is the only one allowed to fight back, partly because he too is also struggling with adolescence, but also partly because he has grown up with Ghazi and holds a position of adopted sibling. 

Similarly to sparring, going on patrol is a way to redirect energy. You spend so much energy observing the land and marching through it that you have little left to get up to mischief later. 

Unless mischief finds you.

As the pair crest a dune, they spy a curious sight in the arid valley below. A young carnivore, a bit smaller than Buglawton but not the same species at all. It is a bit stockier and with a bigger, deeper snout and strong jawline. It has a crest of sorts but is not on top of the skull like a Cryolophosaurus, instead being placed in front of the eyes along the snout. It is an Albertosaurus. And it is in the wrong place.

Ghazi looks disgusted.

“Well…someone hasn’t done their job if *that* has managed to get this far!” He grumbles.

They are fairly visible on the top of this dune, but far enough out of earshot of the Albertosaurus.

“Calm down, it can easily be fixed,” Buglawton replies in a measured tone.

The Cryolophosaurus had been ‘raised’ alongside Ghazi but it was not any kind of happy or traditional upbringing. It was drummed into him that Ghazi, and any future siblings, would always come first, and that it was Buglawton’s ultimate honour and duty to serve their interests. That meant if he had to attack-on-command, then he would. If he had to skip meals so that Ghazi could eat, then he would go hungry. And so on. He had very quickly learned to accept his lot in life, and had become a surprisingly sturdy and balanced individual. Like a rock or an anchor.

Ghazi releases a sharp huff and fidgets with his front feet.

“It shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Ghazi continues to seethe quietly. “Wait until mother hears about this…”

Buglawton blinks slowly and makes sure to stifle the big sigh forming in his lungs. 

“Come on. Mother can punish the idiots, and we can fix this now. Just imagine the look on all their faces when we tell them that we got rid of a carnivore in the territory,” Ghazi chortles and speaks through his grin.

The directive is so sudden that Buglawton is caught unawares at first, trailing after Ghazi, who has already begun to descend the dune. They have no plan! They have no idea if this carnivore is aggressive! Buglawton is confident he can at least *start* a fight with it, but he’s not sure he could finish it. 

“Wait, are you sure about this?” Buglawton tries to reason with Ghazi, or at least get him to slow down. They have both reached the firmer, gravel floor of the arid valley now. “Just hold off for two seconds to make a plan.”

“We don’t need a plan. This is *our* territory, it is clearly marked all along its border. This interloper is on our turf, so we have every right to take action,” Ghazi says confidently, his pace never letting up. 

As he keeps talking, he gets himself worked up into an adrenaline frenzy. He’s so sure of himself, he feels like he is as big as an Acrocanthosaurus right now. The young Albertosaurus comes into more clarity. Ghazi starts to let out warning gruffs and grunts.

All Buglawton can do is slink at Ghazi’s side, staying ready to react. He *hates* not having a plan.

The young Albertosaurus is finally aware of the approaching pair. He stops his little exploration and investigations of the termite mound and the critter nests nearby. He freezes. From his short life so far, he knows herbivores are generally not a threat unless they are big or in great numbers. So the dark Styracosaurus does not immediately generate any fear. At least not until the eye spots start to come into focus, creating a sinister profile. He shrinks slightly. Then the other shape becomes clearer. A carnivore. Now that is something to be far more wary of. 

The youngster begins to take some steps backwards when-

“YOU ARE IN OUR TERRITORY. Leave now or there will be consequences,” Ghazi attempts to boom his voice, though he hasn’t quite reached that depth in his vocal tones yet. 

Its *almost* scary. At the least it is very firm. His excitement is hard to mask. He is hoping he gets to chase this youngster or maybe headbutt something. The grin on his face is unnerving.

Even Buglawton is a little concerned, though he is masking his emotions much better than his pseudo sibling. He knows how this goes - if Ghazi can’t intimidate on his own (which he usually does), then he steps in with a flash of claws or fangs. Until then, he lurks at Ghazi’s side and does his best to give off a menacing vibe. 

The Albertosaurus doesn’t respond in any way, he just continues to watch them approach, his posture starting to curl up defensively. This betrays his age and naivety, which Ghazi is prepared to exploit. He makes no differentiation for trespassers - whether they are children or adults, they are still somewhere they shouldn’t be and need to be dealt with accordingly.

By now, Ghazi and Buglawton are face-to-face with the Albertosaurus. Despite his age, he is not much smaller than both the Styracosaurus and the Cryolophosaurus. If this child has any survival instinct or even the most basic knowledge of fighting back, he could still deal some damage.

They didn’t have to worry.

The youngster had taken more steps backward as the pair approached until finally turning briskly and started to sprint down the valley, towards a small canyon.

Buglawton gives a small sigh, a smile just tugging at the corner of his mouth as the relief washes over him.

“Well, that was nice and simple-“ but his words are never heard.

Ghazi is already gone.

Buglawton is left to talk to thin air as the adrenaline-fuelled Styracosaurus has set off in a gallop to chase the Albertosaurus. He slumps slightly. 

“-oh no-“ he sighs, takes a deep breath and then sets off on a run to catch up.

Ghazi keeps the young carnivore in his sights. The valley begins to narrow as the canyon walls start to close in. More rocks and boulders litter the ground, alongside brittle dry branches and the odd bone of some poor animal. In his single-mindedness, Ghazi is barely paying attention to his surroundings. Its a good thing that Buglawton has caught up. He is much faster than Ghazi (and could likely catch the young carnivore). But he stays just behind and to the side of Ghazi. He is playing look out, watching the landscape ahead to make sure that Ghazi doesn’t barrel into anything-

They had entered the canyon properly now and lost count of the turns they took before entering into a small clearing. Stood there are two adult Albertosaurus.

Ghazi almost topples over from his emergency stop, with Buglawton kicking up dust and debris with his feet as he back-peddles. A single Albertosaurus adult would have been a challenge, but two was just foolish. The young Albertosaurus hurries to get behind the legs of one of his parents, panting and whimpering by now. The two adults both look down worriedly at their child, before slowly lifting their heads and fixing their gaze on Ghazi and Buglawton.

One adult starts to emit a low rumble, a slow intake of breath before releasing a sharp threaten call. They take some small steps forward, almost a courtesy warning to the two hooligans about what was about to happen. Ghazi and Buglawton turn around sharply and begin to run back through the canyon.

Except…this was not familiar to either of them…this was not their part of the canyon!

They had stepped out of the family territory!

Ghazi leads the way, which is a terrible idea because he has no sense of direction. They find themselves in tight and twisting corridors of rock, somehow too narrow for them to run side by side or for Buglawton to take the lead, but somehow still wide enough for the angry Albertosaurus parent to keep chasing them.

In one turn, they are lucky as the narrow pathway opens out to something wider. For a brief shining moment, Buglawton can move in front of Ghazi. Now, time to work out where they were! The heavy footsteps of the Albertosaurus stays constant behind them, heard even above the heavy panting of Ghazi and the wheeze of Buglawton. 

There is a tiny hint of something in the air. A scent that feels familiar to Buglawton. A split second decision. He takes the left turn in a fork-in-the road, knowing that Ghazi will follow him. YES! At last, something that he can recognise. They are not quite back in their territory yet, but they are close. If they can just stay in this corridor…

With the Albertosaurus still hot on their heels, Ghazi and Buglawton explode from the canyon onto a wildflower field. Half the herd just happen to be grazing there right now. The pair dare not stop running and just keep going, leaving their herd mates to stare at them in bewilderment. And then the Albertosaurus appears.

The herd members spring into action right away, with the most formidable and well-trained of them taking the front guard and the rest staying back to act as support. When faced with several angry Styracosaurus, the Albertosaurus comes to a slow stop, still grumbling and growling but also finally showing signs of exertion. They look between all the Styracosaurus faces, looking for Ghazi specifically, but when the purple male cannot be found, the Albertosaurus gives a heavy huff. It was not worth trying to chomp through a herd just to teach the bully a lesson. 

To the sounds of braying and the threatening jabs of spiky crests, the adult Albertosaurus turns around and makes it way back into the confines of the canyon.

Ghazi and Buglawton finally come to a stop themselves, heaving with the effort to take big breaths. A grass-topped angular boulder provides some shade. They both attempt to form some words, maybe even the start of a sentence, but everything gets caught amidst their huffs and puffs and grunts. They exchange pained expressions that - at least between the two of them, it might not make sense to anyone else - communicate everything.

As they recover but before either of them can finally say anything, a shadow starts to loom over them. From atop the boulder, Zenobia looks down at her son and the carnivore charged with being his enforcer and confidant. Her eyes say everything. Ghazi shrinks. For all of his swagger and bluff and bluster…he cannot face his mother’s disappointed glare. Buglawton, on the other hand, learned a long time ago not to avoid Zenobia’s gaze. It was not seen as a challenge to stare right back at her - it was his attempt to demonstrate strength and confidence. 

It works this time, but only barely. The punishment she lays on the pair is severe and humiliating. Buglawton’s reward for his demonstration is an earlier release from the degrading tasks. Ghazi, unfortunately, must suffer through it all. The price to pay for swagger.