[Gift] Combat Training

I wake up in darkness. I’m cold. Where are my siblings? Where are my parents? Usually I wake up in a pile, snuggling with my sisters and brothers in a pile of conserved warmth. But I’m cold. Alone.

I panic a little, stumbling as I stand up. I run aimlessly, before tripping over someone.

They bolt up, and lightly bite me.

“What’s going on!?!”

Right. Duststorm.

Lilac was lost, she’d strayed off from her mother as her and her siblings were being moved from one den site to another. While wandering into a scrubland, she bumped into Duststorm. A brown feathered Crylophosaurus.

After a tension filled conversation, he let her live in his burrow until she could find her parents.

It’s been a few months.

Remembering that she just woke Duststorm, the irritable dinosaur. The one who would most definitely kick her out if she did too much to annoy him. The one who, from what she’s seen, is pretty strong for someone her age.

“S-Sorry… I forgot where I was again…”

He sighs. He used to be very annoyed by this, and instinctively bit her much harder for waking him up like this. He seems to be getting used to her presence.

“Well, while I’m awake…” He stretches, cracking his neck. “It’s time to teach you how to actually survive here. It’s been a few months, so I think you should probably learn to survive here full-time, instead of relying on me.” His speaking skills have definitely improved. It's not all broken anymore.

I look away in embarrassment. My parents used to always take care of me, since I was, well, their child. In this harsh environment, I’ve continued relying on others. Duststorm specifically. I probably should take care of myself. I’ve always felt guilty for always making Duststorm grumpy, anyways.

I nod.

“Y-Yeah, I probably should.”

Duststorm stood up as light filtered into the burrow, making everything much easier to see.

Duststorm was much weirder than she originally thought when they first met. When she first got into this burrow, she was startled by the old human-made glass jars filled with insects and spiders. Not to mention the collection of bones, which Duststorm promised were not those of dinosaurs.

I follow him, leaving the cool shadowed burrow. The hot sandy air burned my nostrils a little. I don’t know how Duststorm deals with it, especially with those feathers of his. That should make it harder for him to survive here!

Then again, if he’s to be believed, he’s lived here ever since he traveled here a few weeks after being hatched. All alone.

Duststorm is pretty tough.

I sprint after him. He has seriously left me behind before, and after accidentally being left behind by my own family I’ve got some abandonment issues.

He brings me to an open clearing in the scrubland, cleared of vegetation. Considering it’s completely cleared of the usual dry bushes, he most definitely cleared this out himself. But for what?

He takes a few steps away from me, then turns around to face me. 

“Bite me.”

I freeze up, for obvious reasons. “W-What?”

He looks at me dead in the eyes, his blood red eyes. When he does this, it freaks me out. He never makes eye contact. He’s not used to it.

He sighs, like I’m the idiot in this situation. Like this is a normal thing.

“You need to learn how to fight. The Utahraptors are pushing into my territory, so you need the practice if you’re living here. Would help to have kept you alive this long just for you to be slaughtered by a pack of them.”

He lunges forwards and nips me lightly. I realize what this is.

When I was with my siblings, we would play-fight instinctively. Is this what it was for? To fight other dinosaurs in the future? 

Either way II stumble back, my heart pounding. His teeth barely pinched my skin, but my whole body bristled like it had been a real attack. Duststorm straightens, feathers shifting as the wind brushes them.

“Come on,” he says, almost impatient. “Do something. If you just stand there you’re going to lose.”

I lower myself slightly, unsure, tail twitching. He tilts his head at me, waiting. His stare doesn’t waver. I swallow and leap forward, trying to nip at his neck.

He sidesteps with frustrating ease and taps me with his snout on the shoulder. “Too slow.”

I stumble again. Heat creeps up my face.

“Try again.”

This time I dart low, snapping at his leg. He shifts back, but I graze him, just barely. His expression changes, but only slightly.

“Better. Now don’t stop.”

He lunges at me, quicker than I thought possible. I squeak and backpedal, tail dragging in the sand. His teeth brush against my flank, a gentle nip. Enough to sting my pride, not my skin.

“You hesitated.”

“I was thinking!”

“Thinking gets you dead. Utahraptors are faster, and they’re not nice.”

My frustration boils over. I rush him recklessly, aiming for his chest. For the first time, he doesn’t dodge. He meets me head-on, pushing me back with sheer weight. My claws scrabble at the sand, my teeth snap at the air, but he’s stronger.

I wriggle free and leap aside, panting. Duststorm shakes out his feathers, calm as ever. “Not terrible. You actually fought back.”

I glare at him, chest heaving. “You’re treating this like it’s nothing.”

“It is nothing,” he replies flatly. “I’m not trying to hurt you. They will.”

I go quiet. His red eyes hold mine for a moment, steady and unflinching. Then he breaks the gaze first, looking out at the horizon.

I smile.

“Aww, you’re just trying to protect me~”

He continues looking away, before speaking.

“It’s getting warmer. It’s time to get some water.”

He starts walking away to the local stream. It’s the only source of fresh water for miles, and his favorite resting spot when not tending to his collection.

I quickly follow.

I’ve learned a lot today. Not just how to fight slightly better, but that Duststorm isn’t completely cold. He cares about me, even just a little.

I breathe in the hot sandy air, which burns my nostrils. Despite the harsh environment, I know that someone here cares more about me than he lets on.