Tsuga x Haize

There was a tense sort of excitement in the air so strong Tsuga could practically smell it on the wind. The sounds of bellowing bulls ready to prove their strength and dominate the competition carried far, probably for miles as it echoed, each new challenger roaring out their own battle cry or trying to summon potential partners to watch them prove themselves. Some were all bluster, others seasoned and sure of themselves, while the youngest just reaching maturity struggled to even make their way into the ring so to speak. The nesting grounds were packed and the sound of bulls ramming each other and sparring with tenacity could be heard well before one laid eyes on a single Styraco. It was approaching midday and there was no sign of anything slowing down as the day warmed up. Every size and color of the ceratopsians was represented, and they were all single-minded. 

Although Tsuga had been mature and technically ready to participate in the sparring and landing his own mate for the season for a few years, but since he had never really made his way into the nesting grounds until now, he figured he would chalk it up to saying he had taken a little extra time to grow in strength before he really put in the effort to try and impress a female. It was all for the best he figured, no sense in risking serious injury for an uncertain outcome. As he made his way through the grounds he scanned the groups of other males, taking note of who the reigning champs seemed to be. They were mostly older and much more experienced than him and were fighting for the adoration of groups of females that waited nearby. He could try his luck there, but even if he won he would have to keep defending his title as winner. He didn't want to find more battles, he wanted to find a female who was interested.

Eventually Tsuga had crossed the whole of the nesting grounds and found himself drawing a blank. He was going to try challenging despite his misgivings when he heard a rustle in the long grass nearby. The outskirts of this popular site were still leaning towards overgrown, not yet trampled down or eaten away like whatever had been in the middle of the sparring areas, and as he looked through the dense greenery he suddenly noticed a patch of dark green moving differently from the rest of the grass that swayed gently in the intermittent wind. Tsuga started when a feathered styraco female lifted her head and met his gaze with her own, chewing contentedly. The long feathers on her crest had looked like thick blades of grass. She wanted her head slightly, looking him over but making no comment for a long moment. Tsuga had to admit she was pretty, he wouldn't mind sparring for her. 

With a goofy kind of awkward smile he greeted her with a simple but sort of endearing, “Uh, hi, I'm Tsuga.” He wanted to drop some smooth line but one didn't seem to want to come out. 

She eyed him for a bit, swallowing her food before replying, “I’m Haize. You should watch out, I don't think you're the only one…” 

Her warning had hardly left her mouth and began to register when a bulky rock grey bull came up on Tsuga's right and bellowed a challenge, pawing the ground and shaking his head threateningly. Still in a bit of a fog from meeting the lovely Haize, Tsuga turned to the other male a bit taken aback by the sudden arrival. He glanced back at Haize who was watching with keen interest to see what would unfold and who might be the winner in this interaction. Unwilling to be made to look weak in front of his first potential prospect, Tsuga sized up the challenger and posted himself to spar, before trumpeting his reply and charging at the slightly larger opponent. They connected with a heavy thud that could be almost felt even from where Haize was watching. The bulls grunted and snorted, pushing back on one another, their nose horns clacking loudly every time they connected. Even though Tsuga hadn't exactly intended to sign up for this he was in it now and he was determined. He pushed with all his strength, slowly gaining ground a step at a time. One more burst of energy and he managed to shove the other bull back and jamming a shoulder into the stocky opponent, sent him stumbling over. With a victory cry Tsuga celebrated his win. 

After the challenger beat a hasty retreat and Tsuga composed himself, adrenaline still coursing through his veins, he made his way back over to the lovely green feathered female with a bit of a strut. She gave him a sweet smile and flicked her feathered tail invitingly. “Well, I don't see anyone else vying for my affections, it looks like you took out the competition.”

“Even if there was I'd take them out too, you're definitely worth it,” Tsuga replied with a goofy flirty smile. 

“Oh am I? How can you tell when you only just saw me?” She quipped.

“Easy, only treasures and precious things are typically hidden. So naturally I knew right away you were special,” he replied as smoothly as he could. His attempts at impressing her seemed to be working, and she did crack a smile so that felt like a win right there. 

“Alright I think I'm sold, I guess that means we better get to work picking a nesting spot, hm?”

“Absolutely, let us commence the search for the best spot” Tsuga lead the way as they kept their search away from the activity of the central nesting grounds in favor of the quieter fringes. Searching for the best area meant considering all the factors, the terrain, what materials there were, how close other nesting parents were, and how easy it might be for any predators to get close unnoticed. Where they'd started was nice and quiet but slightly too isolated so the pair brought their search a little further in until they were comfortably within sight of others who had already finished their nests. Haize took her time picking the right location, eventually settling on a spot at the edge of a patch of lovely purple Heather. 

Tsuga deferred to Haize who seemed to know what she was looking for as she hunted for the most clear and level patch of ground. Nosing aside rocks and debris, she'd nearly cleared one spot before she found something she didn't like and moved on. After meticulous searching they had a spot cleared and approved and the construction was underway. Haize began digging out the spot to just the right depth while Tsuga started searching for materials to line the nest with. So far things were going well and the couple was on their way to a successful nesting endeavor.