Maeve x Charcoal

Charcoal inhaled the cold air, full of various scents. It was early morning, and the sun had barely appeared in the sky, timidly spreading its warm glow over the archipelago. The male, despite the rather gregarious nature of his species, was alone. This was not surprising - young males, upon reaching adulthood, could rarely count on the comfort of being a member of the herd. Energetic, adventure-seeking youngsters were usually exiled and banished until they were able to build their own herd.

Charcoal was no different. Until now, he had remained in a group of no more than two dozen styracosaurus, mainly his family, led by his father, Hyperion. The experienced, elderly male quickly began to see the seeds of trouble in his son - Charcoal was too impulsive, too reckless to be allowed to stay where he was born.

However, the young male did not like prolonged loneliness (especially now that most of the dinosaurs around him were mainly busy pairing up). In addition, he was surprisingly confident for his lack of experience - after all, could someone like him have any problem finding new companions?

His struggle with loneliness led him to the lowland parts of the island, covered mainly with vast, grassy steppes. Somewhere on the edges of these exposed expanses, forests, mainly coniferous, piled up, perfectly green even at this time of year. On the one hand, a paradise for perpetually grazing herbivores, on the other, a place where it is difficult to escape the gaze of predators.

In fact, maybe it was even better — a perfect opportunity to prove his strength and determination to a potential mate. What else could have worked so effectively?

Charcoal pushed his way through the dense bushes that blocked his path without resistance. A few days ago, he had come across traces of other styracosaurus – footprints imprinted in soft mud, signs of many herbivores feeding at once, familiar smells... The male tirelessly followed their trail, hoping to finally find what he was looking for.

He didn't know it yet, but he was really close.

Maeve shook her head, trying to shake off all the complicated smells. She wanted only one of them to remain - the scent of a certain styracosaurus that had only appeared in the area today.

The female belonged to a large herd consisting of many members of her species. The large group was not only ideal for constant companionship, but also provided relative safety — not every predator was brave enough to challenge the entire herd. Every now and then, however, there were such daredevils.

This is exactly what happened a few days ago. The herd was attacked by a group of albertosaurus, consisting of several determined and clearly hungry individuals. The sudden, completely unexpected attack caused the styracosaurus herd to scatter in all directions, breaking up into many small subgroups. In addition, the hunt was successful – two herbivores were killed. These were ideal conditions for the albertosaurus to return.

Maeve was aware of this, which is why the fact that she was now leading a small group consisting only of females and young ones filled her with anxiety. That is why the appearance of an unknown male was a source of hope for her.

They were now only a few dozen metres apart, and while Charcoal was pushing forward almost blindly (the wind direction prevented him from using his sense of smell effectively, and the tracks had become less distinct in the hard ground), Maeve knew perfectly well that the male was approaching.

Finally, Charcoal emerged from the bushes, shaking off the leaves that had fallen on his back. Maeve, anticipating his arrival, positioned herself facing him so that she could look him in the eyes immediately.

The male was initially a little taken aback (he had not expected such a welcome), but after a moment he regained his usual spirit. He glanced around furtively, eyeing all the herbivores belonging to the small group. To his delight, he quickly realised that he had no competition – he was the only adult male.

This gave him courage. Charcoal approached the grey female, proudly sticking out his chest. Looking her straight in the eyes, he presented his impressive crest, bristling with sharp horns – it made a really good impression. Maeve stepped back slightly, giving the male more space for his display. His appearance was impressive, but was the unfamiliar male capable of protecting her group from danger?

The young ones hid behind the leader of the group, squeaking quietly. They were still stressed by the events of the last few days, so the sudden appearance of a new male did not reassure them at all - what if it led to more fighting?

Charcoal continued to show off his charms, dancing around the hopeful but somewhat sceptical female. He did not yet know what demands would be placed on him - but he was about to find out.

There was a rustling in the nearby bushes; to tell the truth, strange rustling and growling sounds had been coming from there for some time, but the styracosaurus were too busy with their own affairs to hear them. However, the sounds eventually grew louder until they could no longer be ignored.

The whole group, almost in unison, turned in that direction, just as an albertosaurus - one of those that had previously attacked the herd - leapt out of the bushes.

The young predator instinctively lunged towards the youngest members of the group, but Maeve, shielding them with her own body, was not going to let that happen. The female lowered her head, pointing the sharp horns on top of her crest towards the predator. The albertosaurus paused for a second.

Long enough for Charcoal to spring into action. The male immediately began to charge, like an angry bull rushing towards the threat. He did not stop, even when he saw the predator hesitate – he struck with full force, throwing the young albertosaurus backwards. The horns dug into the predator's soft flesh, wounding it severely.

Charcoal, his crest dripping with his opponent's blood, took a few steps back, standing in front of Maeve. The predator was struggling to stand, panting heavily - such a blow could even be fatal. The young daredevil was definitely out of the fight. He began to retreat awkwardly, disappearing into the dense vegetation - perhaps he would manage to return to his group before he collapsed from exhaustion.

The grey male styracosaurus looked at the female, nudging her on the shoulder. He was making sure Maeve was all right. Fortunately, thanks to his quick and efficient reaction, the entire herd of styracosaurs emerged from the clash unscathed.

Maeve bumped into the male's side. Charcoal had proven his worth - he had the right to stay in her group and prove himself as her partner and second leader.