And a Wheelbarrow

The air in the jungle was hot and wet, humid enough to make the feathers on Flurrys necks twist and curl and fizz uncomfortably. She should have known, given the fact that Atlanatis was (true to its name,) located underwater. Yet somehow the dampness that filled every corner was still a surprise.

By her side, the Mary huffed and sagged down onto her forelimbs, her feathers so puffed up you could barely see the scales underneath. Mud was caked onto her hooves, causing her to shake them irritably with every other step. It was clear the red parasaurolophus was miserable in this jungle, but she held her tongue. 

Above them flew Oboe, a cocky crow sounding out of her mouth as she swooped between the trees. Her wings beat swiftly, allowing her access to air cooled by the freezing ocean sealed behind the dome. Man, it was great to be a flyer- instead of having to wallow in the mud, she flew through the air swift as the wind- and most importantly, her feathers remained clean. 

The trio were not alone. A rickety old wheelbarrow- left behind from when the humans had fled and sloppily wielded back together by monkeys- was being pushed by an oviraptor scout behind them. Java was his name, if Flurry remembered correctly. He seemed kind, if loyal to their queen. Her queen now. The offer of knighthood was one Flurry was hesitant to take up- as it would involve herself deeply within this war. But refusing in front of the Queen and her court would have been a fatal mistake- she could tell by the way the guards gripped their weapons. Mary and Oboe had clearly felt the same, if the way they mumbled their vows were any indication. Flurry doubted either of them knew what would happen once they set down on this path, either.

The trio had been given the first task by their queen soon after knighthood- escort the scout and his delicate cargo to the surface. Held within the wheelbarrow was an explosion of life- several young, exotic plants and seeds from deep within the jungle. Mary couldn't help but feel a wave of unease whenever she looked at the wheelbarrow- forced to acknowledge the fact that they were bringing poisonous destruction onto their own home. It was too late now. Already several caravans had been attacked, the cargo destroyed and scouts hurt or killed. It was their job to protect them from whatever may come- swearing fruitful vengeance or not.

It was Oboe who caught the first sign of danger. Her sharp eyes caught something in the ground ahead, and she was quick to dive down ahead of the others. Hovering mid air, she peered down at the ground. There, in the mud- footprints. They were similar to those of the guards- but something was off. No warriors should have come this way all day- and the mud around it was still wet. It was fresh. A glint of orange and the sound of something heavy moving fast tore her from her thoughts- in a quick movement she ducked to the side, dodging the horn aimed for her wing. Oboe was quick to jump forward onto the side of the styracosaurus, bouncing herself off it and into the air with a harsh shriek. “Ambush!”

Instantly Mary straightened up, charging towards her companion with a long bellow from her horn.  Another styracosaurus jumped from the bush, black and orange tipped horn pointed towards the parasaur. Rosettes covered his feathers, and orange eyes glared at Mary from a starry frill. Mary didn't hesitate- she reared onto her back legs, kicking out with sharp hooves and forcing the smaller herbivore back. Blood was drawn- feathers flew through the air. A wicked horn dug into her underbelly- red splattered.

Flurry managed to intercept the first attacker before it could charge to its companions aid, her jaws locking around its orange and pink frill. The bull grunted, wrenching itself around and attempting to dislodge her grip on its frill. The tyrannosaurid refused- even when a sharp horn grazed her side. 

Overhead, Oboe scanned the area again. Java had backed off, cowering beneath a thorny plant at the edge of the clearing. Sharp thorns dug into brown feathers, drawing blood- but it was clear why he was cowering. Looming ahead was a tapejara- feathers black and covered in orange streaks like living lava. His beak was tipped in red- blood- matching up to a long scratch on Java's face that was slowly oozing. The wheelbarrow was tipped over, spreading its cargo all over the mud. 

Diving down, Oboe let out a cry of rage. The other tapejara looked up at the sound and backed away, but it was too late- the black and white flyer smashed into him like a bird into glass, sending them tumbling head over heels. Mud stuck to their feathers, slowing both of their motions as they tried to peck and snap at each other. Two pairs of wings beat fruitlessly- trying to simultaneously take off and smack the other around the head. 

Mary pushed away her opponent with her powerful foreleg one final time, finally managing to send him skidding back into a jungle plant. Powerful vines tangled around the yellow styracosaurus’s horn, stopping him from progressing and holding him still. The parasaur advanced, intent on finishing the job- only to be shoved to the ground as the orange styracosaurus charged past, quickly running to the aid of the other. The orange herbivore managed to cut the vines with his beak, before pushing the feathered one away. One last glare, and they vanished into the foliage. The tapejara was quick to push Oboe off and follow, leaving the four injured creatures to gather together once more.

Although injured, they were not in terrible shape- bloodied and bruised, but alive. Mary's feathers were more red than not, and Oboe was covered in mud from head to toe. Flurry's mouth was drooling blood, both her opponents and from missing teeth. And Java was torn up from multiple shallow wounds, and clearly shaken, but in alright shape. The oviraptor was trying in vain to shovel the dirt and plants back into the cart, not minding his injuries. The poor omnivore shook frantically with fear, making the task even harder.

“Here.” Flurry mumbled, approaching the oviraptor and gently headbutting it. Java blinked up at her. “Lets stop thats- lets just return to Atlantis, yea? We can get-”

“No!” The oviraptor blurted out, before gasping and nervously twitching his claws. “We- we must keep going!” The trio stared at him in astonishment- after that, he still wanted to keep going? To the surface, where it would be all the more dangerous? “We… we must…” Eyes rolling back in his skull, the oviraptor collapsed- Flurry just barely managing to cushion his fall with her tail.

“What do we do now?” Oboe fretted, flicking muds off her wings like this. “I can’t fly, we can't return for whatever reason… he’s dead weight.” 

Mary sighed, letting herself settle back down into her quadruped stance. “Theres a human building back the way we came… we can shelter there, for now.” Using her large horn, she quickly moved the prone omnivore into the wheelbarrow, before using her forelegs to clumsily roll it. Somehow, it had survived the battle, and was working no worse than it had been before. “Hurry. Before more come looking for a fight… because we won’t be winning this time.”