[Trade] This Swamp Will Eat You Up

Mayde looked around the immediate vicinity with resignation. Her eyesight, as befitted a flying predator, was exceptionally sharp, but despite her best efforts, she could not spot anything worthy of her attention. The steep rocks on which she was currently perched were completely barren and devoid of most forms of life. She felt utterly alone here, but this state suited her. She had never been one of the most sociable dinosaurs, but in her current state she desired the presence of anyone else even less than usual.

For the female was hungry. This was no ordinary, moderate hunger, however, the sort that accompanied her whenever a little too much time had passed since her last bigger meal. This time, Mayde was truly starving. It was hard to believe – spring was in full swing, and the female tropeognathus could certainly call herself a skilled hunter. Despite this, her recent hunts had consistently ended in failure. She had to find something to eat quickly – otherwise she would be in serious danger. Of course, she could try to steal some meat from the predators in her group. Normally, she would have had no doubts about this plan, but lately the pack had been causing her nothing but trouble. As the months passed, the cryolophosaurus and albertosaurus in her group were becoming increasingly bold and were taking more and more of the food they caught for themselves. None of them appreciated the important role Mayde played as a scout – they were unwilling to repay her.

The female began to meticulously clean her dark green, moss-like feathers. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind. Where would the easiest successful hunt be?

To tell the truth, Mayde had had a certain idea from the very beginning, but she tried to push it to the furthest corners of her mind. For what she was thinking of was exceptionally dangerous.

The female knew that there were vast swamps in the vicinity, dotted here and there with strange, twisted trees of slender trunks. The place was, of course, far from safe, so anyone who found themselves there was in serious trouble. Land-dwelling dinosaurs that, through some unfortunate twist of fate, found themselves in these deadly terrain, usually panicked, thereby losing their ability to think logically. They also lost their vigilance. Ideal conditions for the ravenous Mayde.

With a violent, powerful flap of her broad wings, the female soared into the air. She knew she was flying straight into the heart of danger, but she had no choice. May she be spared by fate.

~*~

5247 chirped softly, slowly losing hope that her calls would serve any purpose. She didn’t know how long ago she had got lost, but she felt as though she had been alone for many hours. Her tiny heart beat rapidly, filled with fear. She had no idea what to do with herself. Despite this, the young hatchling instinctively felt that she couldn’t just stand still. Standing still in the open meant danger – if she couldn’t find her, probably worried out of their minds, caregivers, she had to start looking for some sort of hiding place. When you’re a tiny dinosaur at the very start of your, as yet pitifully short, life, you can easily end up on the menu of many animals.

For a female acrocanthosaurus, who after all had no experience or knowledge of the island, every direction seemed equally good. Filled with anxiety, and still squeaking plaintively from time to time, she therefore decided to move forward. A short distance away, she could see a dark shape, likely formed by dense vegetation. She had to seize this opportunity.

Focusing on the task calmed the panicked 5247 a bit. It must be said that the young hatchling wasn’t coping very well with the stress (though one can hardly expect that at that age), but the female was doing everything she could to ensure her own safety. Feeling the comfort brought by those approaching, dark shapes, she quickened her pace, wanting to reach more sheltered ground as soon as possible. After just a few moments, she was running as fast as her legs would carry her, unsteadily and somewhat sluggishly, which was rather typical for a young, scared chick.

It wasn’t long before she could make out the distinct contours of the place materialising before her. Her assumptions were partly correct – indeed, the terrain she was heading towards was partly overgrown with vegetation, but it was strange vegetation she had never seen before. The trees, growing in scattered clusters, had unusual, twisted trunks, and the grasses growing on the small patches at their roots seemed much longer than normal. Moreover, in many places there were unexpected, small patches of colour – mainly white and yellow – could they be flowers unknown to her?

5247 stopped abruptly, struggling to keep her balance. Some kind of hostile energy radiated from this spot, causing the young female to start thinking about changing her plans.

Suddenly, a loud, blood-curdling screech rang out above her head. 5247 looked up in fear – hovering directly above her was a large shape, many times her size. The hatchling had no idea what it was, but the devilish cries it emitted left no room for doubt – this strange, uninvited guest signalled mortal danger. The female had no choice. Despite the unease this strange place filled her with, she had to run straight into its very centre. Otherwise, she would surely perish.

Mayde, however, was in a completely different frame of mind. The female’s blood was practically boiling with excitement. At last, after many attempts, she was close to a successful hunt. She had to admit that an acrocanthosaurus chick wasn’t what she would consider her typical meal, but beggars can’t be choosers. Despite her best intentions, however, she could not finish it off so quickly. The edge of the swamp was more densely wooded than its deeper parts, so diving down in pursuit of her prey was risky. Mayde had to allow the hatchling to enter the marshy terrain for good.

The tropeognathus’ plan seemed to have no weak points. The terrified hatchling obediently ran deeper and deeper into the marshy terrain, gradually slowing her pace – the young one was tired, and besides, she wasn't coping very well with the increasingly deep mud. At last, the moment the determined hunter had been waiting for arrived. The hungry Mayde suddenly dived, descending dangerously low over the surface of the marsh. She was just about to seize her tiny prey in her serrated beak when she suddenly felt a powerful blow that knocked the wind out of her.

The force of the blow was enough to completely throw her off course. Mayde crashed into the sticky mud with an unpleasant splash, still having no idea what had actually attacked her.

5247 knew. The panicked chick did not immediately notice, as it fled, that it was approaching the spot where an adult cryolophosaurus was hiding under the cover of the trees. She only realised this when the light-brown female burst out of her hiding place, baring her gleaming, sharp teeth. 5247 was certain this was yet another dangerous predator lying in wait to kill her – she would never have imagined it would come to her aid.

The light-brown female took a few long strides towards the dazed tropeognathus, hissing loudly. Mayde struggled to her feet, her wings thickly coated in brown slime. In this state, she could not take to the air – she was at the mercy of her opponent.

The cryolophosaurus snapped her jaws in the air once more, making it abundantly clear that she was in control of the situation. As long as she remained here, Mayde faced an even greater danger than her hunger. The defeated tropeognathus had fully experienced just how brutal and unforgiving this archipelago was. With difficulty, still feeling the throbbing pain in her side from the blow, she began to run, still unable to fly.

Exhausted by the chaotic escape, the hatchling looked at her saviour with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. The cryolophosaurus did not look friendly – the dark streaks and patches on its body aroused in 5247 a certain unease that the young female could not explain. The stranger also had strange, brown patches on her limbs and tail. In fact, it was hard to distinguish these marks from the mud that clung to the female’s scaly skin.

“Don’t be afraid, child,” the warm, motherly voice stood in stark contrast to that unfriendly appearance. “I won’t hurt you. Have you lost your parents?” At the sound of these words, 5247 felt a new wave of despair wash over her body – yes, she was certainly lost.

Seeing the chick’s subtle nod (in truth, such confirmation wasn’t even necessary; one could assume, after all, that any little one found in the dangerous marshes was lost), Speckles moved closer to the poor little thing and nudged the acrocanthosaurus with her snout. The gesture, though pleasant, was a little too forceful – 5247 barely managed to stay on her feet as she tried to resist its strength.

Speckles, to tell the truth, didn’t know what she was doing in the marshes either. She didn’t like this area – she’d never felt even half safe here. It was a gloomy, dark place, brimming with danger. Soggy mud, murky water of varying depths, crocodiles lurking beneath the clouded surface of the water, carnivorous dinosaurs waiting for any wrong move from their potential prey, venomous snakes hanging from the trees… No one who wanted to avoid trouble ventured into these parts. Speckles, however, had lost track of time somewhat during her walk and had ventured a little too far into these dangerous territories. Well, at least that mistake saved the life of a certain innocent, defenceless creature.

The adult female purred soothingly in a throaty voice, and the chick, now much more relaxed, replied with a joyful chirp. Perhaps, however, the fate of the lost 5247 was not yet sealed. With a deft movement, Speckles gently caught the hatchling in her beak, lifting her up. At first, she considered hoisting the acrocanthosaurus onto her back, but she abandoned the idea – Speckles had no feathers, so 5247 would have nothing to hold on to. After a few adjustments to her technique (the adult female wanted to ensure they were both comfortable), the dinosaurs set off, searching for the safest possible route leading to the edge of the marshes. Speckles was prepared to cover a greater distance than necessary – her priority was to return the lost chick to the territory of her parents.

Speckles was already experienced enough to know that in these parts she had to tread very carefully indeed. A single moment of inattention was enough to put the two females in a situation that offered little hope of escaping unscathed. Cryolophosaurus therefore had to keep a particularly watchful eye on this unsettling, somewhat monotonous, brown-and-green surroundings.

In this part of the marsh, one could no longer count on solid ground. Every inch of the terrain was flooded with water or sticky mud, which made the journey considerably more difficult. Moreover, each of the countless pools here was littered with broken branches, drifting leaves and underwater vegetation, making it no easy task to keep an eye out for danger. Speckles was about to find out just how easy it was to miss something important in these conditions.

Suddenly, without warning, a long, dark shape leapt out of the water nearby. The cryolophosaurus instinctively jumped back, nearly letting the frightened, helpless 5247 slip from her jaws. What Speckles had taken for a log protruding from the surface was, in fact, an alligator. The female instinctively, without a moment’s hesitation, leapt away from the danger. Before the aggressive reptile could get close to them, Speckles broke into a run, skilfully covering the remaining metres separating the two females from relative safety.

The alligator, despite the obvious hunger that drove its actions, did not give chase. This time they had made it. However, they still had some way to go before they could leave the swamp…

2017 words