Them's Fightin' Words

Burdock had been braving the world farther and farther away from parents as he grew older. Now as a subadult he was spending weeks at a time away from home and hunting his own food. The natural speed of the Carnotaurus eluded him still, but he had refined his technique as an ambush predator and had no trouble tracking and securing a meal nowadays. His only trial was defending his kill from opportunistic scavengers. More often than not, he simply had to relent. He wasn't built for fighting and even as his stomach rumbled he knew he wouldn't survive the confrontation. It was better to just move aside and try again.

When he lunged from the bushes and brought down a roaming single cow with a vicious shake of his jaws in her throat, he felt a warm wave of satisfaction hit him like the blood that sprayed his face. He was getting efficient at this now, locating stray herd members and lying in wait for his time to pounce. In no time, the cow stopped struggling and the spoils were his to enjoy. He had barely begun ripping into the belly for the organ meat when he heard the trees rustle around him. Something very big was trying to approach him stealthily. He had no idea if his hearing was exceptional for a Carnotaurus, but he felt he relied more on it than others of his species. He raised his head and locked eyes with gleaming orbs hidden in the forest's foliage.

"I can see you," he stated plainly, raising his head. The Albertosaurus that emerged from the trees was enormous, her dark green and grey camouflage only betrayed by a large patched of rusted orange running along her back. He wouldn't win this fight, so Burdock began to back away from his kill. To his horror, the Alberto sidestepped the carcass and followed him. "Hey!" he protested, "I'm leaving it to you, don't follow me, I don't want to fight!" The Alberto scoffed.

"Like I'd believe that, you're just waiting until my back is turned," she growled. Burdock began to panic, this was the first time someone hadn't taken him at his word and just greedily gorged themselves on his kill.

"I swear, I don't want to fight," he pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. The Alberto let out a long hiss between her teeth and began to circle, cutting off his escape route into the open plains where he would have the speed advantage. Or rather, it was where his advantage would be if he were a normal, healthy Carno. Without knowing it, the Alberto was keeping him within his comfort zone, the densely packed forest where he launched his most successful ambushes. Obviously the fight still wasn't in his favour so he continued to duck around the trees, trying to lose her in the confusion. She tracked him with her sharp green eyes, barely blinking and never seeming to break her line of sight, though perhaps it was the effect of the bright white mask around them. She was clearly adept in these woods too, and Burdock was beginning to panic.

There was nothing for it, for once he would have to stand his ground and fight. He planted his foot into the ground and let out the loudest bellow he could manage, making the leaves rustle around him. The Alberto stopped for a moment, like she was surprised at him fighting back, but she advanced quickly. She lunged at his neck and he ducked, letting her teeth sink into the bark of the tree he had been leaning against. He heard her muffled cry of agony and knew he had limited time to strike. He used his head, literally, and charged into her chest. The sound of ripping bark echoed above him and he kept pushing, knocking the Alberto back and keeping her off-balance. She tried to regain her footing when he pulled away but he didn't allow her enough time, charging in again to collide head-on this time. She reeled back and so did he, his sensitive constitution not affording him the typical battering ram power of a Carnotaurus but still inflicting at least equal damage to his foe. The green Alberto shook her head, sending droplets of crimson spattering over the green leaves. Burdock had somehow managed to draw blood, splitting the skin above her brow. She shut one eye as the blood trickled into it, undeterred by her headshaking and making its gravity assisted trek down her face. Burdock had to weigh his options now, and his mind was racing with the possible consequences for each one. If he ran now, disorientated from the headbutt, and she chose to pursue him he'd be at a disadvantage again. If he kept fighting she would overpower him easily, clearly older and more experienced in combat as well as dwarfing him in size. He didn't even have his usual home turf advantage in the forest as it seemed to be her stomping grounds too. He was at his limit too, knowing that an injury a normal Carno could shrug off might very well be the end of him. He had once last tactic, but it was the longest of long shots and relied heavily on the Alberto misjudging him as an opponent, for her to think he was tougher than he really was.

"You can kill me, but it won't be worth it" he said plainly, letting the sentence hang in the air for a moment before he continued, "I can't win, but I can break your leg, or your jaw, or rip off your tail. It'll be because you wouldn't take my peace offering and leave me alone, permanently crippled over the last meal you'll ever be able to fight for. Is it worth it?" The Alberto was still breathing heavily, glowering at him from under her bloodied brow. Keeping her eye on him, she began to back away, faint growls puffing out between her teeth with each laboured breath. Belatedly, Burdock realised he must have cracked a rib. She watched him until her face vanished into the gloom of the woods, back in the direction of Burdock's kill. He felt mostly relieved, but also mildly annoyed that even after a fight he still wouldn't be able to enjoy a nice meal.