Check out the current event: Lunar Light Festival!

[Trade] Unfortunate challenge

In Aging ・ By BlackAtachi

1 Favorite ・ 0 Comments

Winter had well and truly arrived in the archipelago, bringing with it changes to the landscape and the lives of its inhabitants. The climate on the islands varied dramatically depending on the specific location, so the arrival of winter looked completely different in various parts of the islands - coniferous forests were covered with a thick layer of snow, mountain lakes froze to the bottom, and volcanic wastelands turned into glaciers sparkling with a frosty glow. However, some places, such as the rainforest, resisted winter strongly – the only visible change was slightly less frequent rainfall.

This is why the rainforest seemed to many dinosaurs to be the perfect place to spend the winter. This vision was particularly tempting to young animals and those not particularly resistant to the cold – such as the group of cryos living in the area.

The small, improvised herd consisted mainly of completely random individuals who decided that life would be easier in a group – few of them were related to each other. In addition, most of them were young, desperately seeking companionship and the illusion of safety provided by the presence of other members of their species.

It was no different with the three hatchlings, who had been sticking together like glue since they first met. The first of them, Noir, a female with distinctive black markings on her shoulders and neck, was the oldest, and basically no one was sure where she was born. There were rumours that she was one of the dinosaurs created in the Morpheus laboratory, so she essentially had no parents. No wonder she sought companionship among random members of her species.

The second female, Quench, was completely covered in dark scales in various shades of grey - the darkest spots on her skin were located on her shoulders and formed a wide band of intricate shapes stretching along her sides. However, something else caught the attention in her appearance - dark, shining, olive eyes, vigilantly scanning her surroundings. Quench did have quite an extensive family tree, but for some reason she did not keep in touch with her family.

The last of this unusual trio was Omanuta, the only male in the subgroup. His appearance was the least conspicuous - his green scales blended in too well with the ubiquitous greenery of the lush vegetation - but he had another asset. He was born in this forest and had spent his entire, rather short life in its nooks and crannies, so he knew a thing or two about the secrets of survival in the rainforest.

Most of the time, the lives of these three were not very interesting – their young age was not conducive to crazy adventures or exciting expeditions, so it was no surprise that they quickly became bored. The hatchlings often begged the older members of the group for anything that could provide them with some interesting activity, but the answer was usually a simple no – the youngsters were to stay safely in place and not stick their necks out. Until a breakthrough came.

Quench led the way. The young female was exceptionally resourceful and could easily get what she wanted. One day, while strolling among the nearby trees, she came across two adolescent males from her group. She knew them both by sight, and what distinguished them was not their appearance but their character – they had a reputation as ringleaders and daredevils who would risk their own or someone else's life for a mere moment of fun. Quench, filled with hope, immediately hid behind one of the wide trunks, resting her hands on the rough, lichen-covered bark.

‘Apparently, he's been living in the area for some time, somewhere on the western side of the forest. We can find him.’

‘And then what? You wanna fight him?’ countered the other, almost laughing.

‘No, of course not. But we can tease him a little.’

Quench, extremely curious about the conversation, leaned closer and closer to hear the intriguing words better. Until it got her.

The two males turned abruptly towards the sound as the loud bang of her fall reached their ears. To their surprise, instead of a predator lying in wait for their lives (or anything else that could be considered interesting), they saw only a confused hatchling. They immediately understood how the young reptile had ended up here and looked at each other with perverse joy.

‘You heard our conversation, didn't you?’ Quench nodded shyly, losing all her spirit under the hellish gaze of the two older cryos. ‘Do you know what we were talking about?’ The female shook her head.

‘An acrocanthosaurus lives not far from here - we saw him in the area for the first time recently. Do you know what would be a great proof of courage?’ The youngster didn't even wait for the female's answer. ‘Go there and steal some of his prey. And then bring it to us.’

Quench nervously swallowed, looking from one male to the other. At first, the idea seemed crazy to her - how could a hatchling like her take on an adult acrocanthosaurus? However, the two males seemed so confident and looked at her with maniacal determination, forcing the female to make a quick decision.

‘I'll do it!’ she roared loudly, sticking out her chest, trying to give herself courage.

The two males chuckled at her deadly determination as they watched the hatchling walk away quickly.

~*~

Quench, hiding her fear with feigned excitement, rushed into the cave where her two friends were staying. The young cryos jumped, surprised by this sudden manoeuvre.

‘I have a plan,’ she managed to stammer out before Noir and Omanuta jumped on her with excitement.

In a few quick sentences, the female summarised what she had heard from her older ‘friends’. It immediately became clear that her somewhat feigned excitement had instantly spread to her companions and killed any remnants of common sense in them - even Noir, the oldest and often the most cautious, got carried away by the general excitement.

Soon, everyone forgot about any doubts that this plan might have raised - after all, the three of them were just chicks, too inexperienced to think thoroughly about the potential consequences of their decisions.

They decided to set off immediately.

~*~

Searching for the acrocanthosaurus was not easy, and the clues Quench received from the two adolescents were of little help — they only knew that the theropod was to be found in the western part of the forest. The three hatchlings, huddled together in a tight-knit group, combed through the jungle, stubbornly trying to find even a single clue that could lead them to their goal.

A scent here, a scratch on the bark of a tree elsewhere, claw marks on the disturbed ground — the rainforest was teeming with traces of various animals, but none of them were left by the acrocanthosaurus.

The two females, tired of their clumsy tracking, looked at Omanut, placing their fading hopes in him. The young male, feeling the weight of responsibility, proudly puffed out his chest and bent down, almost touching his nostrils to the ground, desperately trying to catch even a hint of the predator's scent - to no avail. Omanuta, however, too intoxicated by the importance bestowed upon him, did not want to admit his failure. The male set off in a random direction, sniffing intensely, trying to give the impression that he had just picked up the right trail.

Quench and Noir, delighted by the supposed breakthrough, joyfully rushed after the male, feeling a thrill of excitement run through their skin. The three of them raced ahead, skilfully avoiding fallen trees and towering trunks, not focusing too much on anything that was even a little further away. Until it became absolutely necessary.

All three were suddenly struck by the overwhelming stench of fresh, still warm and steaming blood. The hatchlings instinctively huddled together in one spot, trembling in sudden fear. As they looked around, the source of the disturbing smell became obvious - a dozen metres in front of them lay the carcass of an iguanodon, completely covered in blood, dripping from the dead body onto the ground. The young ones jumped back instinctively, letting out a synchronised squeal of fear.

Suddenly, the carcass began to move, as if in some strange, post-mortem spasms, terrifying the cryos even more. However, it was not the iguanodon that was moving – its tormentor suddenly emerged from behind the victim's body, his muzzle covered in blood and his pin-sharp pupils fixed directly on the three intruders.

There was no time to analyse the situation – none of the youngsters even thought that they had finally found the acrocanthosaurus they had been searching for so desperately. The hatchlings let out a loud squeal and rushed to escape, desperately trying to flee from the predator.

The older theropod, covered in blue and black feathers, broke away from his prey, and a low, terrifying roar escaped from his throat. The male bared his teeth and licked them with his bluish tongue covered in blood. He didn't need to hurry – he was much faster anyway. He let the chicks run a good twenty metres, giving them a false sense of security, and then set off in pursuit. His heavy footsteps echoed dully through the forest.

Quench, Noir and Omanuta ran as fast as their legs could carry them, almost feeling the predator's breath on their tiny, fragile necks. The distance between them was dangerously shrinking with every moment, too rapidly to hope for a successful escape. But all was not lost.

Leyte appeared suddenly, as unexpectedly as if she had jumped out of the underground. She blocked the path of both the hatchlings and the acrocanthosaurus chasing them. The female growled throatily, fixing her bright eyes on the male, who was much larger than her.

The theropod stopped dead in his tracks, baring his teeth. He knew her. She belonged to a large group of cryolophosaurus well known on the islands. More so - she had a high position in that group. Fighting Leyte alone would not have been a problem for the male, but the acrocanthosaurus knew very well that he would not be able to escape justice meted out by the rest of the cryos. He took a few steps back, seeing the female's unyielding gaze - he did not want to take any chances.

The hatchlings ran up to their saviour, hiding behind Leyte's legs. This time, they were luckier than they were smart.