Impulsive Plunge

The crisp air of fall had quickly transitioned to having an icy bite as the days got ever shorter. Tsuga found himself envying the other dinos who sported hides thickly layered in warm feathers that he could only imagine made the winter chill lose most of its edge. They probably didn't find themselves shivering whenever a blustery wind came howling by. Well, his body was just tough enough not to need that; at least, that's what he told himself when he began to wonder if finding his way to a warmer climate might feel nicer. No way, some feathered fuzzballs weren't going to outlast him. He was pretty sure enough determination would get him through anything, which might have been stupid and ego driven more than common sense driven but it served him fine so far.

On a particularly cold morning Tsuga found himself roaming fairly aimlessly just trying to keep moving and staying warm. Browsing on whatever foliage remained helped a bit but he still had to keep his feet moving to ward off winter's icy touch. This was decidedly not his favorite time of year. Sure, it just started, but he was more than ready for spring to roll around. Why, if he kept track, he'd be counting the days!

Listening to the crunch of his own steps on the layer of ice that had thinly crusted over the first powdery layers of early snow, Tsuga hummed softly to himself to break up the eerie quiet of the morning hour. It was weird how the snow seemed to absorb all the noise of the landscape that one normally heard every other season. Slowly he meandered through a peaceful meadow valley that was well wrapped in a heavy blanket of snow, as if resting for the season. The calls of other dinos were just able to be heard in the far distance and so he headed toward the sound since he had nothing better to do.

When at last he found other foraging herbivores he was surprised to see a large herd of Parasaurs wading into a body of water somewhere between a lake and a pond in size. The ice wasn't too thick yet, so they crunched their way through it easily and dipped their heads below the chilly waters to scoop up mouthfuls of aquatic plants that were hidden in the dark water. Tsuga gave an involuntary shiver, not personally keen on the idea of soaking himself for a few bites of food, but to each their own he supposed.

He would have left and not given the Para foraging party another thought, but one particularly small Para who seemed just as weary of the cold water as he felt caught his eye. The little one - who was somewhere between hatching and juvenile at his best guess - was hanging back at the shore, walking cautiously along the edge and only dipping a toe in every so often before deciding against going further. Its family seemed to either not notice or not be interested in encouraging the little one to hop in already.

An idea was already forming in his mind but Tsuga dawdled for a bit first, scratching at the snow with one foot to reveal the stubble of well grazed grass underneath. No wonder the Paras were looking for their food underwater, there wasn't a lot else left here to eat.

Spurred onward by his realization, he found himself all of a sudden walking toward the water. All the adult Parasaurs were already contentedly munching and moving along the shore and the little one was still by itself looking hungry and distressed. What really sold Tsuga on doing something was when he realized the whole family on Paras was well covered like ducks in layers of thick feathers while this little one was the only bald one in the whole group. No wonder the little fella didnt wanna take the plunge. Shaking his head, Tsuga tried reminding himself that he could in fact do anything he was set on doing, and tried not to think about the icy cold as he rushed headlong into the water with his teeth gritted.

Never had he been so cold in his life! For a moment he just floated there, body too shocked by the sudden and drastic drop in temperature to move. He felt like one big spikey ice cube just bobbing there a moment, it felt more like an eternity though, as if time was suddenly slowing. His hind feet eventually touched the bottom, thick mud squishing between his toes. He just managed to lift his nose above the water line and suck in a deep breath before ducking down and swimming deeper, beak skimming the bottom in search of any plants. It took a few attempts and a few more gulps of air before his efforts were rewarded and he snagged a good chunks of aquatic greenery. All too happily he shot up to the surface and made his way to shore.

His teeth would have been chattering if he hadn't had his mouth full, this was officially his least favorite activity and he was pretty certain he'd starve before this became his main way to eat in the winter, it was so not worth it! When he finally made it out Tsuga hopped from foot to foot to try and get his blood flowing again. He swiftly tossed the heap of soggy plants toward the little Para but didnt pause to hear what the little one was happily squeaking in response because he was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G! His whole body was shivering and all his bravado had gone out the window, all that mattered was getting warm!

None of the thank yous made it to Tsugas ears cause he was already out of there on his way to find shelter and warmth! Good thing he also didnt hear the chuckles from the adult Paras as he raced away. At least for his dignitys' sake(whatever was left of it, anyway) he wasnt shouting and hollering about the icy water like he was tempted to. Maybe it was all worth it but it sure didnt FEEL worth it, holy cow! He booked it as quick as he could towards some shelter where he could hopefully get warm again.