[Trade] Plum x Peach Pit

The bushes, shrouded in darkness, moved slightly, echoing the movements of the animal hidden within them. The rustling of twigs and leaves carried through the cool, windless night, making the hair on the necks of all the small animals living in the immediate vicinity stand on end. What would happen if these sounds were the result of the actions of a bloodthirsty predator lying in wait for their lives?

Fortunately, tonight was unlikely to end in bloodshed - at least, that was not the intention of the mysterious creature. After a few tense moments, it was not a hungry Albertosaurus or a dangerous Acrocanthosaurus that emerged from the thick undergrowth, but a much smaller and gentler creature - Peach Pit.

Peach Pit belonged to a species widespread in the vicinity of Atlantis – it was an Euplocephalus. These small dinosaurs, more defensive than offensive, lived here in large numbers, mainly under the jurisdiction of the Atlantean Iguanodons. However, this unusual male, glowing with a pinkish light, had a slightly different idea of life. Although he was born in Atlantis and spent the first years of his life there, when the dome was disarmed and opened to the rest of the world, the male decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. His partner, Plum, played a large part in this decision. Although she was much calmer and less adventurous than him, something about Atlantis did not suit her. She preferred to live ‘in the wild’.

Plum and Peach Pit had been partners for a long time. They met in their youth and fell in love at first sight. Since then, they had been inseparable, living together near Atlantis, but under the real sky, no longer having to bow to the will of the iguanodons.

Even though many years had passed since then, their partnership still lacked one thing – offspring. Raising a clutch together, although it was the greatest dream of many dinosaurs, had not particularly appealed to Plum and Peach Pit until now. They both felt perfectly comfortable in each other's company and valued their peace and quiet – why would they give that up? If they became parents (especially at a young age), they could forget about their simple, carefree life.

Over the years, however, they began to feel that something was missing. Seeing the offspring of other couples growing up around them (sometimes the two euplocephalus would secretly return to Atlantis to contact their old friends), they also wanted to experience the hardships and successes of parenthood. They were no longer young, so even despite the typical longevity of their species, they had to hurry.

Despite how serious the decision was, they didn't even have to discuss it. During every meeting, when the couple looked after someone else's offspring, Peach saw in his partner's eyes the immense joy and fulfilment that came with it. That alone was enough for him to decide to raise at least one litter. However, he couldn't hide it - Plum also often saw the happiness painted on his face when, while playing with the hatchlings, he could imagine that he was already a father.

Thanks to their harmony (over the years of partnership, they had really learned to read each other's minds), they were able to take action immediately. Of course, as everyone knew, they had to prepare for having offspring somehow. The most important thing was to build a nest and choose a suitable location for it. The key to choosing the right location was a combination of three very important factors: protection from adverse weather conditions, concealment from the watchful eyes (and jaws...) of predators, and easy access to food (after all, newborn dinosaurs would not be able to wander far in search of food). This task was complicated and required a great deal of common sense and knowledge, so it quickly became Plum's job.

The female did not intend to rush. She carefully considered all options, wanting to give her future young the best start in life. For a moment, she even thought about moving back to Atlantis for the breeding season, but quickly dismissed the idea – her children should not be raised under an artificial sky. After several days of deliberation, she finally made her decision – the nest would be built in the dense bushes near the place where they usually lived.

Plum was mainly responsible for thinking and making decisions, while Peach Pit was responsible for carrying out the tasks assigned to him by his partner. Even now, in the middle of the night, while the female slept soundly, Peach was looking for materials that could be used to build their future nest.

It must be said that the male took the task entrusted to him very seriously and was determined to fulfil it as best he could. The location of the nest was quite difficult – the chosen field, covering several dozen square metres, was very densely overgrown with various vegetation, and the nest was to be built in the very middle of it. His plan was to collect a large number of thick, slightly bent branches (he had to build the frame of the nest from something, after all), which he would cover with leaves torn from the middle of the field. To tell the truth, he had almost completed this part of the plan – a few metres away from him lay a sizeable pile of wood, perfect for this purpose.

He already knew how he would build the edges of the nest, but he was still troubled by the question of how to build the bottom. He needed something soft and pleasant to the touch, but at the same time durable. He quickly realised that various materials created by humans who once lived on the archipelago would be ideal for this purpose. Unfortunately, such items were real rarities, especially in the Atlantis area. He might be able to find two or three pieces of material, but any larger quantity would be virtually impossible to obtain. So he had to resign himself to using natural materials.

The male knew that Plum (although probably fast asleep) was waiting for him, full of hope that her partner would be able to accomplish this task. So he had no choice. If he couldn't find anything else suitable for the bottom of the nest, he would lose a few (exceptionally soft and pleasant to the touch!) feathers at most. His future young would surely appreciate this sacrifice.

Peach Pit, somewhat nervous about this possibility, disappeared into the bushes again, continuing his search for the materials he needed...