[Trade] Doe x Cinnamon

The wind gently, almost silently, moved the slender twigs. The trees, which only recently had been completely dormant in their winter slumber, were now slowly coming to life. The whole forest had changed beyond recognition, transforming from a gloomy, grey-brown place into a place brimming with life and energy. The spreading branches were now covered in green, lush buds, clearly signalling to everyone around that spring had arrived.

Cinnamon was leaning against one of these trees brimming with life-giving energy. Petite (at least for an adult parasaurolophus) female did not blend in well with her surroundings. Her light, speckled feathers, resembling a pale leopard’s coat more than the colouring of a typical herbivore, stood out clearly against the dark forest. Fortunately, the female was not alone – right beside her, nestled against her warm side, lay another female, Doe.

Doe (who, like her companion, could not boast of her camouflage skills – the ragged white patches on her flanks effectively prevented her from doing so) tenderly nuzzled her companion’s light feathers. The females breathed calmly, rhythmically, in perfect harmony. The warm rays of the afternoon sun, filtering through the branches covered in young leaves, gently brushed their backs. This pleasant warmth made them feel a little lazy. Even Cinnamon’s vigilance, usually all too focused on every potential danger in her surroundings, was now completely dormant.

The females, though wonderfully at ease thanks to the peaceful atmosphere of the place, would not have considered this forest their home. None of them belonged to a larger herd, so they were masters of their own destiny and could wander wherever they pleased. They were keen to exercise this right – they rarely stayed in one place for long, for monotony bored Doe, and Cinnamon, wishing to please her, obediently agreed with her decisions. They had only been in this spot since yesterday, and as the night promised to be warm, they decided to spend that night under the open sky.

They hadn’t yet had time to explore the area properly. The day before, when they’d reached the spot that was to become their shelter, if only for a single night, the females, considerably tired after their long march, had only given the immediate surroundings a cursory search. This hasty inspection led them to conclude that only small, largely herbivorous, completely harmless animals lived here. Neither Doe nor Cinnamon, despite repeatedly trying to detect in the air the scent of anything that might signal danger, found anything worthy of their attention. So they felt quite safe here.

The charming forest seemed a truly idyllic place, pleasant enough that both females would gladly have stayed here for at least a few days. It was therefore decided – their ceaseless journey was temporarily halted.

Although the arrival of spring meant that temperatures were steadily rising, they couldn’t afford to sleep out in the open all the time. It was difficult to predict when a sudden change in the weather might occur – and in March, this was highly likely. If snow were to fall suddenly or the onset of night were to bring a significant drop in temperature without warning, the females would be defenceless against the harsh weather conditions. They had to build some sort of a warm, cosy nest to help protect them from any potential cold or precipitation. The much stronger and slightly more robust female – Doe – was assigned this task.

The piebald parasaurolophus stood up with a loud sigh, nudging her partner affectionately with her nose one last time. Cinnamon purred softly, rising slightly – she would have loved to accompany her whilst gathering the necessary materials, but if they wanted to build a decent nest quickly, they had to split up. Cinnamon was to stay where they had spent the night and prepare a place for shelter. The cream-coloured female watched her partner leave with a wistful gaze; after a moment, Doe had already vanished into the dense forest.

Solace had been waiting for just this. He’d been watching the two females for a good hour, hoping they’d finally split up. He was still quite young, and his experience of hunting large prey was rather limited. If he were to face two such large herbivores, he would surely lose. A fight against just one of them, and the smaller Cinnamon at that? That prospect looked far more promising. Excited by the thought of an imminent meal, Solace swallowed the saliva that filled his mouth.

Meanwhile, Cinnamon stood up and stretched, feeling a little stiff after lying down for so long. From this angle, she looked even smaller. Solace might have thought she was merely an adolescent. The parasaurolophus turned her back on the predator lurking in the bushes, completely unaware of the danger. The female began to dig the ground beneath the tree, somewhat lazily but thoroughly, preparing the perfect spot for a nest. She was still a little sleepy, so she wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings.

Solace knew there would be no better moment. He leapt out of the bushes, closing in on the unsuspecting female. He was already close, so close!

Alarmed by a loud rustling, Cinnamon turned her head to look behind her. What she saw made her blood run cold. With an almost deafening scream of terror, she bolted, deftly dodging the trees in front of her.

Solace hadn’t expected the hunt to turn into a chase – he’d thought he’d manage to catch the female before she even realised what was happening. The male, however, was determined. With surprising speed for such a large predator, he chased his prey. He was so close that Cinnamon could almost feel his breath on her exposed neck. Just a few more steps and one skilful bite…

Suddenly, pain exploded in his side. The male, completely unprepared for such a thing, lost his balance and crashed to the ground, barely catching his breath. He wasn’t sure if his ribs had survived the impact in one piece.

Doe, roaring loudly, swung her head in a threatening gesture. She rammed her shoulder into her opponent, fearlessly charging at the young acrocanthosaurus. Though the male was her size and had a mouth full of hellishly sharp teeth, the female intended to defend the terrified Cinnamon with all her might.

Solace, still in shock, struggled to get to his feet. The pain in his side squeezed his chest so tightly that every subsequent breath was a struggle. The male looked at his would-be prey, who stood on her two hind legs at a safe distance from her tormentor. Solace let out a long, drawn-out growl. This time, they had succeeded. After Doe’s attack, he could not continue the hunt.

Solace, tasting the bitterness of defeat in his mouth, roared one last time. That mighty roar, brimming with aggression and frustration, was like a threat – it seemed to say, “We’ll meet again.”

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