Tug of War

Costel stood at the side of the room, next to a big, army like helicopter,  blending in seamlessly with the rest of the audience. Despite his considerable size, he stood in the front row – he was very interested in how this unusual contest would unfold. Judging by the murmurs of interest that rippled through the crowd, he was not alone in that thought.

Although it was not a talent contest, for some reason Cheron The Ringmaster was in charge of the aerospace museum wing that day. During the many weeks of carnival, he had probably judged dozens, if not hundreds, of different performances and shows. He must have had enough of it, so he decided to take on a slightly lighter job.

Cheron, despite the obvious impatience of both the audience and the participants, began to explain the rules of the game in detail. Costel couldn't hear all the words clearly, but what rules could there be for a simple tug-of-war? An equal number of competitors on both sides, starting only after the appropriate signal, and trying to pull the ribbon-marked spot to your side - simple.

Before the young carnotaurus had finished thinking about this not particularly exciting matter, The Ringmaster had finished speaking. He stepped back theatrically, as if he wanted to move to a safe distance (even though he was obviously in little danger), and then waved his light brown wing dramatically - start!

7204 reacted immediately, with admirable speed. He held the rope firmly in his beak, as if he had done it many times before. Instead of pulling steadily, he began his game with a sudden jerk.

Oviraptor's long speech must have distracted Appy, because the female did not immediately realise that the game had begun. The male's sudden pull threw her off balance, forcing the grey tapejara to flap her wings chaotically to stay in the air. The ribbon on the rope began to move dangerously close to the male, causing the audience to gasp in shock and excitement.

Costel reacted similarly - he had to admit that in this clash he was clearly rooting for Appy, even though the female had lower chances of winning. However, it was hard to resist her charm. The young tapejara was even more than cheerful and funny. Basically, anyone who came into contact with her would root for her.

Fortunately, the bad start did not determine the outcome of the entire duel. Appy hovered almost motionless in the air for a split second, and then, with sweeping, circular movements of her wings, began to slowly but inexorably retreat. The ribbon tied in the middle of the rope was now much closer to a neutral position.

However, 7204 was not going to give up the win so easily. Such a quick defeat would be a real blow to his honour - he was a strong, large male. He could not afford to be ridiculed like that. At first, his counterattack consisted only of trying to keep the rope in one stable position. It was not difficult for him. Then he began to pull it to his side, this time not with sudden jerks, but with constant force. A force greater than that which Appy possessed.

The clash was clearly coming to an end. It had lasted barely a minute, but both tapejaras were visibly tired. Their wings moved much slower and with less coordination than just a moment ago.

7204 continued to lead a stable, balanced offensive, and the ribbon on the line was once again dangerously close to his side. He was one step away from victory, but Appy was not going to give up. Even though her body was exhausted, the female's eyes still showed unwavering determination.

The climax of the situation had arrived. Everyone in the audience (including Cheron) knew that 7204 needed just one more powerful tug to seal his victory. Appy struggled chaotically, trying with her last ounce of strength to do something. Just when everyone thought the outcome of the battle was obvious, something completely unexpected happened. 7204 slightly loosened his grip (perhaps it was some kind of strange muscle spasm?), allowing Appy, who had been putting all her strength into the game, to pull the rope to her side.

In a split second, the ribbon flew over the line drawn on the floor, which separated the male and female fields from each other. The audience went wild - all sorts of sounds and screams rang out from the crowd, causing the walls of the building to almost shake under the influence of this cacophony. What happened?

Costel realised this as soon as he saw the emotions etched on 7204's face. Appy didn't get a chance to see it (she immediately began celebrating her victory by flying around and showing off her acrobatic skills), but the male's expression clearly showed that the outcome was no accident. 7204 had simply let the female win. Apparently, it wasn't just the young carnotaurus who found the female's charm irresistible...

The young carnotaurus waited patiently for the tapejars to approach him. 7204 flew over to his old friend fairly quickly, but Appy needed a little longer to celebrate her victory. Well, they were both able to forgive her for that.

Despite this spectacular show with an unexpected ending, the fun was not over yet. Today's tug-of-war competition was divided into several different categories, both individual and team, based mainly on the species and size of the competitors who were to take part. The duel between 7204 and Appy was the last in the tapejaras category, but next up in the ring was the heavyweight class - including Costel.

The opponents were chosen at random, and each competitor only found out who their rival was just before the game began. This is how Costel met his opponent - a large male carnotaurus, slightly bigger than him, with dark coloured scales and lighter stripes running down both sides of his body. Admittedly, he did not look like someone who would be easy to defeat.

Both stood in their designated places – facing each other, looking into each other's eyes, separated by that mythical line drawn on the floor. Cheron, once again, like a recording from a scratched CD, explained the rules in detail. It wasn't necessary – everyone in the room already knew them perfectly well.

Both carnotaurus grabbed the rope in their mouths, preparing for a fierce battle. The Ringmaster, with a practised movement familiar to all, waved his wing, signalling the males to start.

This time, the beginning was not so dramatic – both participants pulled on the rope with equal force, so the ribbon hung stiffly above the line drawn on the floor. A low, menacing growl escaped from the throat of the larger male, accompanying his efforts. He tried to dominate Costel with his strength, but it was not so easy – Costel, although slightly smaller and probably younger, was very determined not to give up.

The entire audience watched the spectacle with bated breath, following the movements of the nervously twitching ribbon tied to the line. It constantly moved to one of the players and then in the complete opposite direction, making it difficult to choose a favourite.

The exceptionally even duel had been going on for almost two minutes, but the two males were still neck and neck. Soon, however, this was about to change - it was clear that both were getting weaker and weaker. Cheron watched their struggle with bated breath, becoming more and more involved, trying to see even the slightest sign of who would be the winner.

However, it turned out that this match was not going to end with a subtle sign, but a real breakthrough. Just as the spectators were slowly losing interest in this monotonous duel, Costel, already exhausted, decided to take a somewhat risky move - he intended to take a step back before he could take two steps forward.

Costel, quite unexpectedly, loosened his grip on the line a little, completely surprising the other male, who suddenly almost fell backwards, losing his balance. Before his older opponent could fully realise what had happened, Costel moved on to the second part of his plan - a sudden, frantic tug, which completely exhausted his strength.

The plan proved effective - the older male was pulled forward along with the rope, not only allowing the ribbon to pass to Costel's side, but also falling onto the line on the floor himself. The defeated carnotaurus needed a good dozen or so seconds to somehow get up. Even when he did, his movements were chaotic and unstable, emphasising how much of a shock this unexpected turn of events was for him.

The audience gasped, surprised by this unconventional move. Cheron, deeply impressed by Costel's skill, squealed with excitement. Appy, delighted with her friend's victory almost as much as her own, flew over to the carnotaurus and sat on his back. 7204, although much more reserved in his reactions, was clearly also impressed, and the expression on his face epitomised his appreciation for the tactics used.

Who would have thought that a simple game of tug-of-war would be the source of so much excitement?