[Trade] Sidewinder x Lundi

Sidewinder drew in some fairly warm, slightly damp air through his nostrils. He was pleased with the sensation. Not so long ago, when temperatures could drop below freezing during the winter months, the icy air had unpleasantly irritated his sensitive airways. He wasn’t particularly accustomed to harsher weather conditions. No wonder, really – his body was covered in sparse feathers that didn’t provide much insulation against the cold. Sidewinder undoubtedly preferred the warmer seasons.

The arrival of spring, however, brought with it other benefits as well. The most fundamental of these (closely linked to the rise in temperature) was the fact that all the vegetation on the archipelago was in full bloom. The terrain on the islands, even those that had seemed completely barren not long ago, was now awash with lush greenery, filling the surroundings with new life and energy. Sidewinder longed for those times of abundance – in winter, obtaining enough food was much harder, especially if you were a herbivore of his size.

These two changes, which had so radically transformed the archipelago, brought with them a certain intriguing, natural consequence. Rising temperatures, an abundance of food and the flourishing of plant life also spurred the same in the animal kingdom. With the arrival of the first days of spring, many dinosaurs paired up with others of their species, only to welcome their long-awaited clutches into the world a few weeks later. Sidewinder, though generally sceptical about close contact with others, secretly longed to have a brood of his own once more.

This was not the male’s first courtship season – after all, Sidewinder had long since left the years of his early youth behind him. He had already become a father twice in the past, yet this had never resulted in an exciting family life. The first time, he had paired with a certain tabby female living in an abandoned laboratory deep in the heart of the jungle. Sidewinder felt out of place in that dense, rainy forest, so he did what he did best – he gave up on a closer relationship and returned to his solitary wanderings. Their young likely stayed with their mother.

His second litter was even less significant. Sidewinder had met a certain male who had initially intrigued him, but it took only a few days for it to become clear that they weren’t meant for each other – their personalities were too different to result in a lasting relationship. The scruffy male clearly hadn’t had much luck with other members of his species.

Now, however, as he was more experienced and spring had blossomed even more vigorously than usual, the male’s heart was filled with hope. Perhaps this time the stone wall of indifference that Sidewinder had built around himself would finally crumble? The Styracosaurus could no longer hide the fact that, deep down, he longed to be part of a group…

Luck was indeed about to smile on him. He wasn’t the only one focused on finding a potential mate, and as it happened, one of the suitors was in the vicinity.

Lundi was a slightly older and somewhat more experienced male. He, too, had not had much luck in relationships – he had also become a father several times, but no courtship season had resulted in the formation of a stable, family herd. He had no ties to any other styracosaurus, nor to any specific place, so he led a rather nomadic lifestyle. This time, the pursuit of a potential mate had led him almost to the very coast of Isla Kela – a place where one would hardly expect to find members of his species. And yet, there was one.

Lundi had already left the deeper part of the forest and was inevitably approaching its edge, which was much sparser in trees. This spot no longer offered much protection from the gaze of strangers. What’s more, the wind, which until now had been rather favourable to him, suddenly changed direction, snatching up his scent and carrying it blindly ahead. An unpleasant shiver of anxiety ran through the male’s body. He hadn’t wanted to announce his arrival quite so emphatically.

This time, however, the coast was clear. Apart from small, completely harmless animals, only Sidewinder, lost in his own thoughts, was here. The pensive male immediately picked up that distinctive, intriguing scent of another Stryracosaurus in the air. He could not ignore this trail.

He knew he was in no danger here, so he didn’t need to hide or watch his step. He walked in a straight line towards the source of the scent across the open space, making himself visible from afar. At first, that colourful, yellow-and-white shape in the distance worried Lundi a little (after all, from that distance he could barely make out the contours of the patch, so the object could have been absolutely anything), but with every passing minute, as the distance between the males shrank, their confidence grew in direct proportion.

As soon as they were close enough to begin scrutinising one another, they wasted no time in doing so. Both carefully assessed each other’s strengths and weaknesses, their physiques and every movement they made. There was no hiding the fact that they were both impressed – they took an immediate liking to one another.

Lundi, wishing to greet the ruler of these lands, roared loudly in his deep, guttural voice. Sidewinder responded in kind, creating a unique, improvised duet – a good sign. A sign of interest.

Encouraged by this, Sidewinder quickened his pace, finally breaking into a loose, easy trot. After just a moment, he stood face to face with the other male, so close that the horns on their noses were almost touching. The two males continued their complex song, coordinating their voices better with every bellow, until they finally reached such a level of skill that one could speak of perfect synchronisation. Every now and then, they added accompaniment to their performance in the form of rhythmic thumping of their feet against the ground – the hard earth trembled beneath their weight of several tonnes.

When the loud song had tired their vocal cords, Sidewinder and Lundi opted for a different form of artistic expression – they decided on a courtship dance. The males rhythmically swayed their tails and shook their heads, displaying the horns at the tips of their frills. Occasionally, one of them would even spin round on his own axis (to avoid a collision, they never did this at the same time). Their movements betrayed experience and skills honed through repeated practice – neither of them was doing this for the first time.

But perhaps - for the last time? Sidewinder and Lundi were clearly impressed by each other's displays. The mutual admiration was enough to be certain that the males would pair up, at least for this courtship season, to raise their clutch together. Or perhaps, if luck smiled on them, they would be granted the chance to spend time together for many months to come?

1159 words