Drifting

Exhaustion dragged at Marys feathers, causing the pink parasaur to slump down into a four-legged stance. It had been a long few days of fulfilling their guard duty- an unexpectedly long time. No one had warned them how long this mission was going to take when they departed- and not for the first time the parasaur cursed out the Atlanteans in her head. The snobby lizards had thrown them at the surface- a place seconds away from being consumed by war- with only three guards! Three guards against the entirety of the surface.

And the other two with her were not doing so much better. Oboe was lazily flapping above, barely clearing the rooftops with each beat. A low groan would occasionally escape her- the tapejara had been keeping watch for hours now, without a chance to rest. Maybe it wouldn't have been a problem in the past- but she was tired. They had been traveling for so long, and had barely been able to get bits of food and rest. The wear would take its toll on anyone.

The member in their trio that seemed to be in the best health was Flurry- the blue colored albertosaurus was walking alongside their escort, warily looking around for any other potential predators or angry enemies. Tough scales across her body and dense feathers protected her from most injury- but not all. Shadows across her body revealed mostly hidden injuries- ignored, in sake for their duty. But that was not all that was ignored- the albertosaurus was forcing herself to push down any feelings of unease. At her side the brown oviraptor trotted, nervously pushing his bounty forward. Flurry eyed the collection of exotic plants nervously. She had little to no plant knowledge- no way to know how dangerous these ones were. Atlantis was home to plants that were both extremely valuable for healing, and extremely dangerous to any unsuspecting dinosaur. And despite their agreement, none of the trio had any doubts about the Queen's brutality- which just left them feeling worse. Who knows what destruction they were unleashing across the islands- across their families?

“Are we almost there?” Oboe finally broke the tense silence to grouch, swooping down to land on the cart in front of Java. The brown oviraptor blinked, looking up at the tapejara as if confused. “We’ve been traveling for days!”

“Ah! Yes!” Java nodded, pointing ahead. “The location I was given is just up ahead.” He pointed with long claws towards a more dense forest- it almost mimicked the dome, just a little less hostile. 

Mary had no energy to dwell on the strange wording, but neither did Oboe or Flurry. The tapejara let out a sigh of relief, taking to the air. “I'll just go on ahead.” With more energy than she had in days, the tapejara quickly took off and vanished towards the forest. Mary grumbled, begrudgingly shifting herself onto her hind legs to get a better view of the area. Someone had to pick up the slack- and Mary highly doubted the tapejara was working.

Indeed, when they arrived at the located area, Flurry was quick to catch Oboe sleeping in a tree. Mary hissed loudly, banging against the tree and causing the tapejara to fall out with a squark. “At least act professional! We’re here to do a job for them.” She gestured at Java, who was busy parking his wheelbarrow in the grass. They had arrived. 

The clearing was fertile and almost overrun with healthy plantlife- the mossy grass was soft beneath the trio's feet, and the soily sticky and earthy. It was clear why Java had chosen this place… but Flurry doubted that the Atlantean had taken time to note if the nearby inhabitants were ok with the invasion… meaning their job was far from over. Great.

“Do…do you need help?” Oboe reluctantly asked, hoping across the ground to look at Java. The oviraptor was messing around with the cart, poking specific plants and seemingly considering which ones to plant where.

“Oh goodness no- your so big and you lack long fingers, you would just get in the way!” The oviraptor waved them away. “Go back to your knightly duty- keep guard, and eliminate any intruders!” Oboe slumped in both relief and exhaustion- no need to dig, but they still had to guard. Hooray.

The trio started out tense, but gradually relaxed as the hours slipped by. Java worked slowly but precisely- digging out a specific hole in the soft ground, carefully lowering plants in and covering them up. It was strange- Mary instead averted her gaze, staring out into the wilderness. How she missed it up here… the real, not fake sky, fresh water, normal forests that wouldn't eat her, birdsong…

Mary was up on her feet before she even realized she was moving. Oboe and Flurry watched her in confusion, but soon stiffened- they heard it too. Or rather, they didn’t hear it. The forest was completely silent around them, in the way it was only quiet when danger was around.

The sound of thudding footsteps made them whirl around as a large red shape burst from the opposite side of the clearing, forelegs easily crushing through the wagon as a pair of sharp spikes tore through the wood. Soil and shredded plants hit the ground, and Java wailed like he had been physically hit. The stranger reared up, red gaze suddenly landing on the guards. Oboe gasped, and Flurry tilted her head in confusion. Mary stepped back. In front of them, standing in the wreck of the carriage they had spent days transporting, stood one of the largest iguanadons she had ever seen. Brown and red scales and a spiked hide gave him the appearance of a demon, straight out of the pits of hell… Atlantis, in this case. 

“W-wh-” Oboe staggered, quickly leaping into the air in shock. Nearby, Java collapsed into the soil, fearfully scampering back. Flurry opened her mouth to talk, stepping forward in an attempt to deescalate- but it was a mistake. The iguanodon charged with a loud bellow, dashing forward with its thumbs raised. Its intent was clear- it was aiming to kill.

Mary ran forward, throwing her bulk and weight against the iguanodon. While far from small herself, the herbivore was massive- she barely knocked him off course. Snorting in irritation the iguanodon bucked, rearing up and pushing Mary onto the ground and causing her to squash the plants Java had taken great care to place. The red parasaur groaned. Why was there an iguanodon out of Atlantis? Why was it attacking them- destroying the plants they had brought on its orders?

Oboe shrieked, long and furious, diving down and attempting to latch onto the iguanodons face. The herbivore simply grunted, treating the pecks and scratches like a mere annoyance before flinging its head, sending the poor tapejara tumbling head over heels like an annoying leaf. 

Flurry hissed, enraged by the harm to her fellow knights and their days of wasted work before charging. Some hidden part of her was much less angry than she let on- for whatever reason, this iguanodon had destroyed the threat to her home- but was about to destroy her companions. And besides- she had to put on a good effort for the cowering Java at least, lest they face punishment. The albertosaurus latched her teeth around the large foot the herbivore raised, carefully avoiding the pointed claw and tugging as hard as she could. The invader grunted, recoiling back and pulling his foreleg free. Mary pulled herself to her feet, joining Flurry in circling the aggressor. Rearing onto her hind legs, she bellowed as loud as she could. Flurry joined in with a roar of her own, and Oboe was quick to shriek in support. The three glared, preparing to charge- the iguanodon braced, thumbs ready-

“Wait!” A new voice called out, catching everyone off guard- even the seemingly unshakeable iguanodon, who peered his long neck around. A white oviraptor pushed her way into the clearing. Pink dots speckled her back, and a pleading yet sheepish expression was on her beak. Oboe could have sworn she heard Java utter a name, but she had no time to double check- all attention was on the new stranger in the clearing. The oviraptor cleared their throat, before spreading her claws pensibly. “I think there may just be a misunderstanding here…”