Sidewinder x Lake

A sudden gust of wind swept up all the snow that covered the branches of a nearby tree. The snowflakes, lifted into the air, swayed chaotically and then began to fall, performing their enchanting dance. Some of the snowflakes fell on Sidewinder's head and back, immediately melting on the male's warm skin. The Styracosaurus instinctively shook himself, trying to shake off these sudden, delicate pricks of cold.

He was quite far from home - he usually resided near volcanic, warm beaches covered with dark grey sand. This place provided him with protection from the weather, easy access to water reservoirs and relative protection from predators (as it would be difficult to sneak up on him in such an open space). The only thing these beaches lacked was abundant vegetation. Sand and volcanic rocks were not the best substrate for most plant species, so the beach was practically devoid of vegetation. Sidewinder was used to this, so the need to make daily trips to the nearby forest to satisfy his hunger did not bother him at all. Until now.

Recently, as often happens on Isla Pera, there was a volcanic eruption that mercilessly consumed much of the vegetation that made up the forest regularly visited by Sidewinder. In addition, winter, although not usually very severe in this area, this time took its toll on this part of the island, freezing everything that remained of the burnt forest. The male had to move out, at least for a while.

He decided to go deeper into the island, thinking that this move would give him the best chance of finding a good place for temporary shelter. He was right - the outskirts of Isla Pera were mainly covered with beaches and vast areas of sandy, dry scrub, but the further towards the centre, the more of the island was covered by dense forest.

The densely vegetated area was teeming with all kinds of smells. Most of them indicated the presence of other dinosaurs, both herbivores and carnivores. Sidewinder was not happy about this. He knew that Alpha Labs, a place literally crawling with with acrocanthosaurus, was located in the very centre of Isla Pera. Despite his considerable size, he would not stand a chance in such a confrontation.

The scents and tracks he found also brought with them another piece of information – somewhere nearby there was a herd of styracosaurus, and judging by how many individual scents he was able to identify, the herd was quite impressive in size. Joining them, even temporarily, would provide the male with much greater safety than wandering alone and aimlessly.

Besides, there was no hiding the fact that Sidewinder was a young, go-getting male who, in his juvenille years, had not had much contact with members of his own species. He would not have minded meeting a female. He did not know it yet, but he was about to get lucky in that regard.

Just a mile away from him, in a place where winter no longer ruled the forest on Isla Pera so decisively, one of the females belonging to the local herd of herbivores had just come out to feed. Lake, as the brown female covered in dark, twisted stripes was called, usually lived in the middle of Alpha Labs, where she felt most at home, but it was difficult to find food inside this dark complex building. Despite her dissatisfaction with this fact, she sometimes had to venture out of the underground. This time, although it was not the wisest move, she decided to go on this expedition alone.

It was definitely not a coincidence – the female had her reasons. For several days, rumours had been circulating that an unknown male styracosaurus had appeared in the area. No one from the herd had come into direct contact with him yet, but the intruder, though he probably didn't know it, had already been closely observed several times by someone hiding in the bushes. Apparently, he was a young, large male with an exceptionally intriguing and unusual appearance. Lake couldn't resist her curiosity.

The supposed hunger that drove her out of Alpha Labs was only a pretext - in fact, as soon as she went outside, she sniffed intensely and looked for any clues that could lead her to the stranger. The wind was in her favour, blowing gently in her direction. It wasn't difficult to pick up the scent. Lake immediately set off in the direction the smell was leading her - as fast as she could go without arousing anyone's suspicion.

As luck would have it, Sidewinder was also closing the distance between them, though this was entirely by accident. He meandered slowly between the trees, occasionally plucking a few green leaves from the surrounding branches and eating them. He was unaware of the female's presence until the very end - only when her head suddenly appeared from behind the thick bushes did he realise he was not alone here.

At first, Sidewinder jumped back instinctively, frightened by this unexpected sight. The male roared loudly and menacingly, digging his front leg into the ground like an enraged bull. It took him a few seconds to realise what he was looking at – not only was it a member of his own species, but, judging by the slender head and rather small crest, it was a female.

Surprised, Sidewinder immediately changed his attitude and relaxed completely. The young male proudly puffed out his chest, stretching and displaying his charms like a bird of paradise. Lake grunted in approval, which gave him additional motivation. The feathered styracosaurus began to rhythmically swing his head in all directions, shuffling his feet at the same time. This peculiar dance grew in intensity with each passing moment, and after a while, to enhance the effect, the male also began to spin around and wave his tail. Meanwhile, Lake, now fully convinced by this elaborate display, emerged from the bushes and eagerly approached her admirer. It was clear that both were impressed by each other's charms.

When the dance was over, Sidewinder deftly grabbed a branch growing from a nearby bush, laden with small, juicy fruits. Holding this improvised gift solemnly in his mouth, he approached Lake and offered her the tempting prize. Lake, without a word (but with an expression of great joy painted on her face), accepted the gift and then affectionately nudged the male's shoulder with her muzzle. They were truly lucky that a complete coincidence had led to such a pleasant encounter, brightening both of their days.