Welcome to the Party

Winter time was always the best time of the year for the family of three albertosaurus; the cold, winter air and snowfall sent creatures their way, kept them well fed, and they thrived in the frozen conditions. However, something was different this year; the sound of laughter and joy split the air, chasing away the normally gloomy winter vibes. Curious, the family of three set out from their forest sanctuary; Boreal led the way, frigid blue gaze fixed on the horizon as he walked through the shallow snow. He was hungry; nothing had come into their forest for a few days now, and they needed food. Hopefully the source of all this could provide them with some.

Behind him walked Glory, his beloved mate. Her brown and purple feathers made camouflage rough in the wintery plains, something she usually depended on her mate on. But she was not out here to hunt; while jaded, she kept an open mind- perhaps this could be a good opportunity for them.

And in the back plodded Flurry, their adolescent daughter. Long, scruffy feathers kept her safe from the cold, and her blue gaze was filled with nothing but innocent curiosity. She was the first to gasp as it appeared on the horizon of the long broken human city- highlighted by the setting sun, a strange bundle of tents and poles and stages haphazardly formed by claws and teeth outside of a long abandoned human building. The first to dance out to greet them was a fearlessly tiny oviraptor, mask-like feathers covering his grinning face and sparkling gaze.

“Welcome! Welcome one, welcome all, to the Lunar Light Festival!" The oviraptor bowed dramatically, causing Boreal to stop in his tracks. Flurry peered around at the small oviraptor, charmed by his friendly nature- so different than anything she had ever encountered in her life. “I am Cheron, the ringmaster! Please, come inside! Make yourself at home!” Boreal looked like he was considering taking a bite out of the smaller theropod, only for a nudge from Glory to get him to pull away. 

“A festival? What is that?” Flurry was quick to walk alongside the oviraptor as her parents trailed behind, letting out another gasp as they made their way into the building. A roaring fire lit the museum, proving a warm, fiery glow to everything. The building was packed- creatures of all shapes and sizes roamed the halls, and the scent of cooked food- both for carnivores and herbivores- filled the building. Cheron led them over to the fire, where a purple and orange tapejara was carefully rotating spits of some kind of meat over the fire at a haphazardly thrown together wooden stand- probably a fire hazard. More bundles of cooked and uncooked meats and strange, exotic fruits and vegetables hung around the stall. Cheron made a gesture at the tapejara, who did a double take at the three albertosaurus standing at her stand- three hungry albertosaurus. She quickly pushed over three sticks of something meaty, which Cheron was quick to hand to the albertosaurus. Flurry was quick to take a bite out of hers, while Glory and Boreal were a bit more hesitant. 

“A festival, my dear, is when everybody gathers around to celebrate!” Cheron did a little spin, wings flapping. “It is a harsh season, a time of cold and misery… but it is also beautiful! There is so much worth celebrating! Everyone has come together to simply have fun. There's games, food, and much, much more scattered all around! You can even win prizes!” The oviraptor pointed with a claw towards a booth run by an shuno. A young utahraptor ran up with a clawful of tickets, and the large herbivore used its long neck to reach up and grab a strange box. The raptor held its box close to its chest in glee, before running off. Flurry watched this with a tilted head, a strange feeling welling up inside- however, she had no time to dwell on it, as a sudden murmur swept across the gathered crowd, and almost as one, they all began moving outside.

“Wait- whats going on?” Flurry looked around in confusion, backing up towards her parents. Both Glory and Boreal tensed, ready to defend themselves- only to pause as everyone simply walked past them, huge acrocanthosaurus and skittering pachycephahalosaurus paying them no mind.

The ringmaster smiled. In the little time that had passed since they had come inside, the sun had already fully set- revealing the hidden, starry sky above their heads. “Ah, the stars are falling!” He announced cheerfully. “The reason why we even bother to gather- to gaze into the sky as the sparks fall below! Some believe it is a sign from the ancestors, and other a omen of good or bad luck. But I?” He leaned in close, before staying in a stage whisper. “I just think it’s pretty! Now, you simply must watch.”

Cheron ushered the confused family outside, where they stopped and paused at the sight before them. Boreal and Glory had seen the starfall before, of course- but rarely, even with all their winter activities. However, Flurry had been born beneath the thick evergreen trees of the forest, which sheltered and protected her- she had never gotten a chance to observe the magical event. The ringmaster slipped away as the family looked up to the sky- he had things to do, after all, he was a very busy oviraptor!

And indeed, it was a magical sight- of the likes of which Flurry had never seen before. So many creatures all laid out in the snow- dinosaurs, mammals, reptiles, extinct and extant; all gathered here together, without bloodshed and violence, to gaze up at something so much bigger than all of them combined. It was silent. The kind of silent you would usually only hear in the air before an ambush, or the moment after a sharp intake of breath. But the air wasn't charged. It was. Peaceful.

Glory was the first to take initiative, strolling forward a bit closer to a gathered crowd where the view was better before sitting down in the snow pointedly. Flurry was quick to hurry over to her mother, pressing against her side into her feathers before bundling down next to her. Boreal made his way over last with a soft sigh; clearly still wary. Together the three carefully settled together, tucked against each other's side. It was… nice. No uneasy glances cast their way, no expectation to fight or die. With warm food in their bellies and a festival at their backs, it felt like there had been nothing better ever.

“Can we… can we stay?” Flurry was first to brave the question, looking hesitantly at her parents. Boreal looked torn; wanting to say no, but not wanting to disappoint his daughter.

Thankfully, Glory was quick to step in. She hummed lowly. “Well, we can stay for a bit.” She smiled softly at her daughter. “There's going to be no good hunting for a while anyways, and there’s food and fun here. But, we will go back to the forest each morning to rest; seems the party only goes on at night anyway… sounds good?”

Flurry nodded quickly, letting out a squeal of delight as Boreal nudged against her head. The three raised their heads once again back to the night sky- maybe things wouldnt stay this way for long, but it would be good while it lasted, Flurry was damn sure.