Ataahua x Deadnettle

Deadnettle cautiously poked his head out from behind the bushes, feeling tiny twigs scratch his snout. The male's nostrils had been teased by the strong, exciting scent of game for some time. He focused his gaze on the centre of the meadow, his golden eyes fixed on the iguanodon grazing in front of him. The huge, brown-scaled animal was completely unaware of the danger that awaited it.

Ataahua was just a few steps behind the male, carefully hiding under the cover of vegetation. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, amplified by the blood rushing through his veins. Her new partner could not be denied his determination.

They had met for the first time that morning, bumping into each other completely by accident. Deadnettle had ventured into her territory, which she had successfully kept to herself until now. At first, it looked like a fight was coming (Ataahua did not like visitors, especially uninvited ones), but the male, who was larger than her, clearly strong and commanding respect, quickly discouraged her from doing so. To say even more, his confidence and charisma intrigued her, resulting in them spending the day together.

The male nudged her with his snout, pulling the female out of her stream of thoughts. The Iguanodon, which they had been tracking for several dozen minutes, returned to feeding. The bulky animal bent its head, nibbling on low-growing plants. Busy with its meal, the herbivore lost the last remnants of its vigilance. In this bent position, as it took each step, approaching the next clumps of plants, the well-built structure of its body was clearly visible. This iguanodon was not an old, infirm individual abandoned by the herd - still moving under a healthy layer of fat and scales, its well-sculpted muscles suggested that it was a young, strong bull looking for females with whom he could build a temporary herd during the courtship season.

This unconventional choice of prey was not accidental – of course, choosing a weakened, sick individual would have made for a much easier hunt, but that was not Deadnettle's goal. The male wanted to win Ataahua's favour, and although he probably didn't have to try very hard (it quickly became clear that the brown female was favourably disposed towards him from the very beginning of their brief acquaintance), he would not have forgiven himself if he had missed the opportunity to show off his strength.

The Iguanodon, continuing its meal, turned its back on the predators lurking in the bushes. It was the perfect moment.

Deadnettle leapt forward nimbly, bursting out of the thick bushes. He didn't even have time to reach full speed – his prey was far too close.

The Iguanodon turned at the last second, slightly disturbed by this sudden movement, but completely unaware of the actual danger he was in. When it saw the Acrocanthosaurus rushing towards him, a short squeal escaped from his constricted throat.

Deadnettle aimed straight for the delicate, unprotected neck, but the bull managed to make a clumsy dodge, lowering his head. The acrocanthosaurus broke through his defence, striking his victim's shoulders with his sharp teeth. Pleasantly warm blood with a metallic taste spilled across his mouth. The grip was not strong enough to permanently immobilise the herbivore, but it could hold him for a moment.

Long enough for Ataahua to join in. The female deliberately took her time coming to the rescue - after all, she wasn't here to tire herself out hunting. The female, who had been hidden by dense vegetation until now, was mainly busy assessing Deadnettle's behaviour and skills.

Ataahua, trotting rather lazily, caught up with her prey, approaching it from behind. The other acrocanthosaurus continued to occupy the iguanodon's full attention, to such an extent that Ataahua did not have to fear for her safety at all. She casually struck the base of the tail, tearing the back of the animal's rump with her teeth. Blood spilled over the brown scales.

The iguanodon neighed pitifully, feeling pain fill its entire body. Despite this, it was not going to give up without a fight - it kicked violently, breaking free from the male's grip.

The sudden lack of support threw Deadnettle backwards, giving the bull space to climb onto his hind legs. The wounded iguanodon began to swing his sharp thumbs chaotically in the air, missing his opponent's neck by mere centimetres.

Seeing this, Ataahua felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. She jerked her head violently, digging even deeper into her prey's back. The iguanodon, thrown off its charge by another wave of pain, turned sharply towards the stimulus, choosing the female as his new target.

Deadnettle was not going to let that happen - he leapt forward, calibrating his movements in a fraction of a second and aiming at a specific point. The herbivore's carelessly exposed neck became like the centre of a shooting target for him. The blow was quick and effective - a new stream of blood almost immediately echoed with the strange, muffled crackling sound of the tracheal cartilage breaking.

Ataahua instinctively jumped back when she saw what the iguanodon was about to do, but it wasn't necessary. Deadnettle closed his jaws around the animal's neck and then jerked violently, knocking their prey off his feet. The herbivore hit the ground with a dull thud.

The female was impressed by her new partner's strength. She had helped him, it was true, but she knew he could have managed on his own — at most, he would have come away with a few new battle scars.

Life was quickly draining from the unfortunate iguanodon. Along with the blood that poured from his wounds in massive quantities, soaking into the surrounding grass and staining Deadnettle's scales. The herbivore's further struggle did not last long - it took a minute, maybe two, for his body to become completely limp.

Deadnettle still did not loosen his grip, as he wanted to prove his above-average strength in one more way. With a few determined, albeit somewhat clumsy, movements, he pulled the bloody body closer to the female. Then he took a few steps back, looking intently in her direction, as if waiting for her reaction to this impressive gift.

The female was obviously impressed, but her pride prevented her from showing it openly. With a slight smirk, looking the male straight in the eyes, she approached the prey, swaying her tail gracefully. It had to be admitted that the one she had considered a mere intruder just a few hours ago was now someone for whom she had many positive feelings...