[Trade] Slattern x Barb

Costel, still weary from his recent, intense exertion, was panting heavily. Although spring had well and truly taken hold of the archipelago, the temperature was not particularly high – with every laboured breath, wisps of water vapour gathered around his nostrils, slightly obscuring his vision. The male blinked a few times, almost frantically, as if trying to shake off the sight. It didn't help him much.

He could taste the fresh, warm, metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Before him, on the dew-covered grass, lay the still-steaming body of the doe he had hunted down moments earlier. The animal had refused to give up without a dramatic fight, so it had caused the carnotaurus quite a bit of trouble – the adolescent Costel was not yet accustomed to hunting large prey, so such undertakings were quite a challenge for him. Despite this, he had to slowly hone his skills in this art, for this time he had succeeded. A hearty, nourishing meal awaited him.

A barely audible, kind of distant rustling sounded from the bushes on his right side. Costel glanced briefly in that direction but saw nothing to catch his eye - the dense vegetation didn't seem to look any different than it did before. He ignored the sound. On spring mornings, the forest was teeming with birds of all kinds – no doubt some hungry blackbird or sparrow rummaging through the undergrowth in search of food.

Lurking in the bushes, Slattern had a different opinion. His dark, black-and-teal scales, with their unusual appearance, blended surprisingly well into the surroundings, particularly in early spring – all the trees in the area had already sprouted green leaves, but most were not yet able to produce flowers, the colour of which might have contrasted sharply with the male’s skin. When Slattern remained amongst the undergrowth, bathed in shadow, he was almost imperceptible to most observers – particularly when it came to observers as inattentive as Costel.

The experienced cryolophosaurus was here for a reason. For several days, he had been sensing a scent in the area that must have belonged to a female of his species he did not know. He had to admit that the prospect of meeting this female excited him – especially as the courtship season was slowly reaching its peak. He knew, however, that once he found her, he could not turn up empty-handed. The female might be looking for a new territory, so the sight of a strange cryolophosaurus coming to meet her could be taken badly if Slattern had forgotten to bring a tasteful gift. Although the arrival of spring was generally associated with an abundance of food, the experienced male knew that few females could resist a free meal. Especially when he could offer her a freshly hunted, fine doe.

Slattern could, of course, simply go hunting himself – after all, he was a skilled hunter for whom tracking and chasing prey posed no great difficulty. But why should he exert himself unduly? When courting an unfamiliar female, he had to conserve his energy. He had no idea whether the stranger would look favourably upon his advances – she could always attack, and it was better to be prepared for that sort of fight. What’s more, Slattern was not on his own territory. As every year, courtship season had driven him to distant places he did not know very well. At any moment, he could run into an aggressive rival who would gladly thwart his ambitious plans. No, Slattern could not afford to waste energy.

Meanwhile, the tired, inattentive Costel tore a large, bloodied chunk of flesh from his prey. Steam rose from the warm body, clearly visible against the crisp, forest morning. Slattern watched his future opponent intently, calculating his chances. Under normal circumstances, he would not have dared a reckless, solitary attack on a specimen of a species that is more than twice as heavy as the average cryolophosaurus. This time, however, the black-and-blue carnotaurus was still clearly exhausted from the hunt – his flanks heaved heavily with every breath. Moreover, a single glance was enough to realise that the male was not yet fully grown. His horns and osteoderms were not yet fully developed, and the dimorphic markings on his neck and throat had the faded colour typical of juveniles and adolescents. In this clash, Costel stood little chance.

With a loud, warning hiss, Slattern leapt out of the thick bushes, completely taking his opponent by surprise. Costel, still behaving more like a frightened youngster than a maturing male, jumped back instinctively – his first grave mistake.

The cryolophosaurus immediately closed the gap between them menacingly. The oceanic male lowered his head, baring his teeth and hissing threateningly at his rival every few moments. The weary, surprised carnotaurus responded with an uncertain, faltering roar. With every passing second, Slattern’s chances grew. Cryo lunged forward, feigning an attack. Costel buckled under the pressure once more, retreating even further – the hunted prey was now closer to the attacker than to its rightful owner. Hungry and exhausted, young carnotaurus tried to copy his opponent’s move, hoping it would make any difference, but Slattern was too battle-hardened to fall for such a cheap trick – despite Costel’s violent movement, the cryolophosaurus didn’t even flinch.

The whole tense encounter was over in a flash. The confidence, even bravado, that Slattern displayed in his behaviour quickly made Costel realise he stood no chance against the other male. So he didn’t want to let it escalate into a full-blown fight – it would have ended much worse for him than just losing his prey. The defeated carnotaurus turned around and, like a hare frightened by a predator’s attack, scurried off into the forest.

Satisfied with his display, Slattern approached the doe lying on the grass and grabbed the dead animal by the neck. Now all that remained was to find his potential mate.

And that was when luck smiled upon him – he didn’t have to look far. Slattern, engrossed in this thrilling clash, had all but completely stopped paying attention to his surroundings for the last few minutes. He had made the same mistake as his rival – he had allowed another dinosaur to sneak up on him unnoticed.

Barb had been hiding in the thick bushes for quite some time, so she had seen much of this intriguing clash. She didn’t know whether the oceanic cryolophosaurus was defending his prey from the attacker, or quite the opposite, but the lack of blood on the older male’s snout led her to consider the latter option. Such a theft, however, was worthy of even greater admiration than a successful hunt – not every cryolophosaurus could even dream of defeating a carnotaurus on its own.

The female emerged from her hiding place at a leisurely pace, making no attempt to remain silent or sneaky. Slattern, taken aback by this sudden appearance, instinctively dropped his prey from his jaws and hissed again, signalling that he was ready for a fight. However, when the oceanic male realised that this unexpected visitor was the female he had been searching for, he immediately softened. His sudden joy was only heightened by the fact that the stranger seemed completely calm, and a hint of a smile appeared on her relaxed face. Barb must have seen his display – and she was clearly impressed.

Slattern, however, was too proud to stop there. Of course, offering a female a fresh, free meal was certainly well received, but most males were capable of doing that. So he had to do something more.

Barb was of the same opinion. She, too, was not the youngest cryolophosaurus around these islands – many a male had tried to win her favour, so she had considerably high standards. Despite this, she saw great potential in the confident, oceanic cryolophosaurus. It didn’t take long to realise that he was a strong, brave dinosaur, likely a skilled hunter who defended his territory against rivals with ease. Barb bristled the quills on her back in a show of excitement.

Meanwhile, sensing the female’s undisguised interest, Slattern began his display. The male moved his entire body rhythmically, bobbing his head up and down. With every movement, he emitted complex, somewhat bird-like sounds, forming his unique courtship song, perfected over the years. This, combined with the fact that his scales had an unusual, intense teal colour, made him look like a bird of paradise trying to impress an unfamiliar, not-yet-so-sure about him female.

He succeeded. Barb interrupted this theatrical display with a short whistle of approval, then walked slowly towards the male. She gently nudged him on the shoulder with her snout, as if to confirm once more that he had done well. The male returned the gesture, bridging the remaining distance between them.

Both were extremely pleased with this unexpected encounter.

1460 words