[Trade] King of the Forest

The months had been kind to Maahes as he learned and developed as a young dinosaur. Now, an adolescent, he was using the things he had observed or been taught to exist on his own, or close to it. While he often thought of the building he once lived in, he couldn't fathom living in one now. No longer the small hatchling he once was, Maahes was larger than other young dinosaurs, and most prey animals he encountered. He'd learned to avoid churning waters and stinky swamps, and though confidence told him he could handle them now, it was his growing maturity that told him it wasn't worth the attempt. If he came to a life or death situation, then he figured it would be worth the risk, but he'd learned his lesson. (And learned how annoying bruises were!)

 

Though Maahes had long since abandoned the small city streets he'd spent his hatchling time in, he had not grown tired of the city streets. Broken cracked stone, rusted cars, and decaying structures were home and left him feeling comforted, despite the ups and downs of childhood. And so, despite moving on from his original home, he'd returned to a city. It was larger than the first, the buildings seemed taller too. Part of him wondered if his first home had seemed so imposing and grand because he'd been small. And though the second stories of buildings could no longer support his weight, Maahes was unbothered; the first floor and concrete basements were more than enough.

 

And the forest; oh, the forest. His hunting grounds were even larger than the first, the trees full encircled the city, two cracked stone paths mostly overgrown by roots and nature the only clue the city was even there, other than the decaying structures peeking out from above the trees. The rabbits had been enough to fill his stomach when he was very small, but Maahes' appetite had grown along with him. Rabbits were barely a snack, and deer were not much better. The dense population had made it easy to hunt, but it was exhausting to hunt so much in one day.

 

But, there was a bear.

 

They called him Old Silver. He was a massive grizzly bear, with deep scars across him that made him patchy and disheveled. He was missing an eye and half an ear. Streaks of white from age had begun to appear, giving him an almost silvery appearance from a distance. Up close, he was terrifying. Old Silver was known for injuring and killing quite a few young dinosaurs, and even some adults that did not give the huge bear the berth he required. Old Silver mostly kept to himself, but when he was hungry he was known to go on a rampage, as if he was fueled entirely by his stomach. Despite his hatred for the creature, Maahes could sympathize. He knew all too well how much an empty belly could drive you to extremes.

 

An underground parking garage had been his den for the night and Maahes emerged, his steps reverberating and echoing as he ascended the incline out into the fresh air. The streets were empty, though his twitching nose let him know that wasn't truly the case. Animals and small dinosaur alike had rushed away, hiding in bushes and buildings alike. Maahes wasn't concerned, of course. He was sure his belly was going to be full this morning. He had a goal, and it was Old SIlver. Though he didn't care much about the risk Old Silver posed to the other dinosaurs that lived in the city and her outskirts, he was quelling Maahes' hunting grounds. He was happy here, and he wasn't ready to say goodbye.

 

He'd learned, in his youth, that ambushing was best with quick animals. He'd spent an entire day hunting a single rabbit, and though he'd eventually made his catch, he had no desires to spend the same amount of time. The bear, he figured, would be easy enough to find and he didn't think Old Silver would run the other way. Following his nose, Maahes found the aging bear sleeping on a bed of leaves with a fully belly, a partially eaten deer at his side. 

 

Maahes shook his head, shaking his frills like a lion's mane around him, and threw his head back with a deep roar that shook the ground around them. Before Old Silver even had a chance to wake up, Maahes hunched his body down, his claws digging into the earth. The bear lazily opened his eyes, and his annoyance turned to anger. The mighty bear pulled himself to his feet, squaring up with flattened ears. And then he charged! The bear leapt up on his hind legs and bared his teeth and Maahes met him tooth and claw. Old SIlver swiped at him, raking his claws into the Acro's chest. Maahes hissed in pain but ignored the blood that began to pool at his feet. He snapped back at the bear, closing his jaw around the creature's shoulder until he felt blood against his tongue. He backed off, fearing another retaliation of claws and began to slowly circle the aging bear. Old Silver's ragged breathing and his own heartbeat was the only thing Maahes could hear. Maahes charged back in, ending the fight with a satisfying snap of his massive jaws. The bear slumped over in defeat and Maahes settled down onto the ground for his breakfast, but not before he called out his victory. It was a victory, and it was a warning. Old Silver was gone, but the forest was not safe from predators.

 

Maahes ate and ate, even when he felt full to bursting. The satisfaction of a huge prey taken down, and his first real fight, fueling his need for energy. While Old Silver was an older bear, he had been huge! And he'd been a thorn in his side since he'd arrived in the city. Though silence had served him well with rabbit and deer, and the occasional skunk in desperation, it would seem that raw strength would aim him too. And when Maahes ate his fill, he curled up, content that no one would risk approaching him, the newly crowned king of the forest.