[Trade] Rivals

The festival was like nothing Felix had ever encountered before, especially during this time of the year. Usually the depths of winter were a miserable time, only made bearable by retreating to the thicker, more tropical forests. This winter has been especially harsh- Felix had even considered trying to retreat to the Atlantean dome to wait it out, but doubted they were in a good mood- most of the plants they had brought up were unable to survive the cold, only those in the heart of their now above ground kingdom surviving. Great for the islanders who had lost their homes, but the burn of vengeance did not take away the chill.

But this winter was different- rumors had spread across both islands of a strange event, an usually peaceful gathering in a long abandoned museum. Felix had been on the far end of the opposite island when he heard the first rumors; being a curious reptile, he was quick to take to the air and begin the long journey. It was, admittedly, a rough one- freezing cold winds nipped at his wings, and freezing blasts of wind shook him off course. But eventually he arrived, the glowing building like a beacon in the night. And it was everything he hoped for.

The long dead building was alive once more with the sounds of laughter and echoing roars- not of fear or hunger or pain, but of joy. Felix tilted his wings, gliding his way through a long broken window to avoid the crowd mingling at the entrance. The instant his wingtips hit the somehow warmer museum air, the change was instant; the frigid, silent atmosphere became warm and cozy, instantly putting the flyer at ease. Felix couldn’t help but let out a low coo- it was a sight he had never seen before. Dinosaurs, reptiles, mammals, all gathered together in one building; and no hint of bloodshed anywhere. 

The tapejara glided through the ruined building, marveling at everything going on below. He spotted a young suchomimus and a utahraptor gathered together, playing some sort of game with tree leaves while a cryolophosaurus cheered them on. An acrocanthosaurus and an oviraptor chattered in low tones, words washed away by the environment. Stands propped up with various ruins and weaved in fabrics hid various prizes, and Felix watched eagerly as a styracosaurus dropped a few red tickets in exchange for a gem. He had to get some of those!

Hours passed in a blur as Felix wandered the museum. He explored every corner he could possibly find, his size allowing him to slip into even the smallest of hallways and explore the other side. Eventually, his wandering brought him to the largest room he had stumbled upon yet, causing him to pause in awe.

Unlike the other rooms in the museum, which had clearly been purposefully closed off until time wore holes in their roofs, this room had clearly been built with one wall completely missing. Strange, metal machines littered the ground, mostly in pieces; some looked oddly familiar to those that filled the city, but with odd, sharp, extra parts. The size of the room seemed to be well utilized; scattered all across it were various games run by helpers, made for those of all sizes and skills.

A clear chirp caught Felix’s attention- he turned his head and squinted, catching sight of a purple and orange tapejara waving at him. He blinked, pointing at himself- she nodded, and he drew closer, curious. Up close, her feathers were similar to that of a midnight blaze, small sparks across her crest only completing the look. “Me and my partner want to do a flyer game, but it requires three members. Would you be interested in joining?”

This was perfect! “Sure!” Felix chirped, shaking out his wings eagerly. “Ive been wanting to play a game since I got here! Lead the way!”

The two fliers opened their wings, soaring through the room below. Despite the size, it didn’t take long for them to come across the game. A long broken down table had been laid on the floor, glass bottles stacked on top of it with the nozzles facing up. A bored looking black and orange tapejara sat off to the side, idly fiddling with the various rings. His head snapped up as Ignis and the purple female landed, a wary look in his eyes. “Phoenix. Who’s this?”

“Its… uh…” The purple tapejara paused, looking back at the pink tapejara.

“Felix.” He assisted her.

“Felix!” Phoenix resumed, spreading her wings. “That oviraptor said we needed at least three flyers to play this game, and I found a third member! We can get started, Ignis!” Felix briefly wondered why such a simple game needed three flyers, but brushed it off. Oh well. 

The black tapejara (Ignis?) looked over at him for a moment more, before letting out a low huff. “Fine. Lets get started then. Hey! You!” His loud call almost made Felix jump, but he wasn't addressing him- instead, it was the nearby oviraptor who had been fiddling with the bottles.

“Oh, you found a third! Excellent! Ready to start?” The oviraptor clapped his claws, before going on to explain. “Its super simple- just try and fly above the table and drop a ring onto the bottles! You win if you get it around the bottle and it stays- and whoever gets closest to the center wins overall! Start when ready; Ill be over there!” The oviraptor nodded without even giving them a chance to ask questions, darting off to a nearby stand where a young styracosaurus was waiting. 

Ignis muttered something rude under his breath, but Phoenix was quick to cut him off. “Great! Ill start.” She walked between the two, leaving Ignis and Felix awkwardly staring at each other while she took to the air with ring in her mouth. 

The purple and orange tapejara carefully fluttered above the table, seemingly hesitant about dropping it- several times it seemed like she was going to drop it, only to tighten her grip and back on. Ignis seemed to grow more and more irritated as she stalled, before letting out a low hiss when she hesitated in dropping the ring again. Phoenix startled, dropping the ring with a small yelp. The three watched as the ring plummeted down, tinking against the bottles before bouncing off the table. Phoenix let out a noise of disappointment, while Ignis cackled lowly. Felix sent a glare his way, which was returned. What a jerk- Felix hadn’t felt much fire beforehand, but now? It was on.

Phoenix swooped down to land beside them, and Ignis shot into the air before Felix could even move. The black and orange tapejara swooped above the table with complex, athletic movements. Felix had to begrudgingly admit he was a fantastic flyer; not that it made up for his horrid personality. He shot a look towards Phoenix- she seemed mostly unaffected by her partners underhand tactics, although he could sense a bit of strain in her expression. Felix clacked her beak at her, sending her a smile. Phoenix responded in kind, before a clatter and a screechy cheer caught their attention. Ignis’s ring had fallen onto one of the more central bottles, and remained there. “Hahahah! Beat that!” The black tapejara circled above both Phoenix and Felix in large, lazy circles, preening. “No one can beat Ignis!”

“Oh, wanna bet?” Felix responded in kind, grabbing his own ring and taking to the air. Unlike Phoenix and Ignis who flew high above, he skimmed closer to the surface of the table. Hey, the oviraptor had never said he couldn’t! The pink and green tapejara took his time in deciding when to drop, carefully observing the bottles below. Ignis, to his chagrin, had managed to land his ring fairly close to the center. If he wanted to win (and oh boy did he), he needed to land it even closer somehow. Felix continued to swoop above, hearing the ignored clacking from Ignis at the side- but he knew his tricks, and refused to flinch.

Finally, he saw the perfect angle. With a cry he dropped his ring, watching silently as the ring fell. It felt like the world was slowing down for a moment, but eventually, it hit- the ring bounced off the bottle Felix was aiming for, but caught on another one- the same bottle that held Ignis’s ring. 

A shocked silence rang out over the booth, a muffled laugh from Phoenix finally breaking it. The purple tapejara covered her mouth as she giggled, ignoring the glare from Ignis. Felix followed suit, letting his own laugh ring through the arena as Ignis fumed. 

“Oh! You finished!” The oviraptor made her way back over, red bits of paper in her claws. “Oh, a tie! You don’t see that often. Here!” She placed several tickets in front of all of them- Phoenix received the fewest, but she hardly seemed to mind, as the smile lingered. “I hope you enjoyed!”

Ignis snatched his tickets and stormed off with a huff, Phoenix waving at Felix before following after with the occasional snicker still making its way out. Felix grinned, turning to the oviraptor as he counted his tickets. “Sure did! Thanks!” He quickly took to the air again, turning back to the rest of the stands. Hm… what next?