Kutta | Dog At The Show

Blinding lights flooded out of the building, it was a beacon against the backdrop of overgrowth and crumbling ruins. It caught the attention of anything and everything within a ten mile radius. Kutta, while not being all that bright, even managed to see the lights in the distance and follow them. He had no concern or worry as he waddled through decaying streets, climbed over fallen walls, or had to wiggle through narrow gaps between piles of rusting scrap metal.

There were innumerable things that Kutta had never seen before scattered around the entrance of the building. Garishly colored streamers had been thrown haphazardly around and they hung from each crook and cranny. Balloons, confetti, banners, every form of bobble imaginable was strewn about. All new and all brightly adorned. Kutta rooted about them, nosing through the different colored objects. Some he tried to eat, but ultimately spat out when he realized they weren’t made of food.

It was the surprised squawk of a towering beast that caught the anteosaurus’ attention. His mouth gaped open in threat, spinning to face the tall, stilt-legged raptor. It seemed both were surprised to see the other, but the oviraptor recovered quicker.

“Well hello!” it chirped eagerly, undeterred by the threatening flash of Kutta’s purple maw, “You must be here to play some games.. Follow. Follow now!” 

The raptor turned, quickly scuttling back to where it had come from. Kutta hesitated, head tilted askew as he watched the oviraptor go. Strange, strange thing it was.

Kutta followed, hopping easily over the scattered, celebratory trash that littered the ground. Inside the massive building, it was in much better repair than its exterior. He craned his head back, looking up to towering bones, massive motifs, and displays guarded by dusty panes of glass. For a moment the anteosaurus had lost sight of the raptor, until it trotted back towards him-

“This way! Keep up and don’t get lost.” the raptor chirped, prancing impatiently in place as he bid Kutta to follow closer.

Kutta waddled after him, not understanding why the raptor was so excited about his presence.

“In! In!” Cheron trilled as they approached a wing of the museum. The oviraptor ran circles around the anteosaurus, demanding and pleading with Kutta as he slowly plodded along.

Slowly Kutta entered the aerospace wing of the massive museum. Inside were a motley of old machinery- none of which Kutta could even begin to understand. They were the same as the heaps of metal outside on the street to him, even if they were a bit shinier. 

Cheron herded Kutta towards one of the many, many forms of entertainment he had set up. It was a wonder how a single oviraptor could manage to put together such a display. There was ring toss, ladder climbs, apple bobbing, milk bottles, egg races- and many many more that could quite be placed. Kutta worried not about the ridiculousness of how a carnival had been set up. Rather he was much more interested in the prizes hung up from the walls. 

Kutta panted, open-mouthed and tongue lolling at the sight of meat chunks hanging from colorful rope. There were other prizes donning the walls that may have been of interest to other creatures, but for Kutta all he could focus on was the food.

He went up to the prize wall, rearing back on his hind legs to try and reach for the food. He snapped and pawed for it, barely too short to grab it.

“Aht! Aht!” Cheron scolded, pecking at the back of Kutta’s head, “If you want a prize you have to earn it!”

Kutta hissed and grumbled, slumping back down to the ground.

“To earn a prize you must win a game!” Cheron explained to a petulant and grumpy Kutta, “Pick a game, any game! I’ll tell you how it works and if you win you can earn tickets- enough tickets will buy you that fat piece of rump you were eyeballing.”

The anteosaurus shook off, grumbling and grunting as he waddled about the game space. There were a number of games he could choose from, but any number of them would have been exceedingly hard for the squat little synapsid to win at. 

“Well?” Cheron asked, leaning over Kutta, “What will it be?”

With a chuff Kutta walked up to a large wooden barrel. Peering over the side he could see a number of lumpy fruits and a few tubers floating in the water.

“Apple bobbing?” Cheron huffed, sounding bored, “If that is what you want, I suppose…”

“The rules of the game are- hey- HEY!”

Before Cheron even got a true chance to explain to Kutta, the anteosaur was already shoulder-deep in the water. His massive head was dunked beneath the water’s surface as he snapped at various bobbing fruits and vegetables.

“S-stop that!” Cheron squawked, kicking Kutta on his back, trying to knock him off the side of the barrel.

Kutta, ever the determined and stubborn fool, carried on. He chomped up pears and apples and potatoes alike, his powerful jaws crushing them into pieces as chunks floated on the surface. 

“Stop!” Cheron screeched a second time. 

Finally it caught Kutta’s attention. He raised his head from the barrel, bits of chewed up fruit still hanging between his teeth. He quickly swallowed them down, though fruit was far from his favorite thing- he was still side-eyeing that fatty chunk of rump hanging from the prize wall.

“You’re not getting any tickets for that.” the oviraptor hissed. 

Kutta grunted and growled back, spittling up chunks of pear of potato at Cheron in return.

“If you want tickets you have to play by the rules.” Cheron stressed with another menacing hiss.

Kutta’s eyes rolled, seemingly the first time he’s truly taken into account what Cheron had to say. He grunted, standing back up on his stumpy hind legs to look over the edge of the barrel once more. 

Cheron sighed, “If you want to play it for real this time I’ll have to go find more apples…”