[Trade] High Risk, High Reward

The duo had been walking for quite some time, so they weren’t surprised to see that the sun was already high in the sky. Its warm, bright, yellowish rays cast a pleasant glow over the island, making every colour around them appear more vivid and vibrant than usual. The sky that day was almost cloudless, so nothing stood in the way of the light – falling onto the surface of Isla Kela at almost a right angle, the sun’s glow cast hardly any shadows.

They had left Atlantis far behind them – they did not intend to leave it forever, but since the dome’s collapse, they had felt a need to discover everything that had once been inaccessible to them. The fact that they had lived their entire lives unwittingly confined underground had been a real blow to them. Both of them had regarded Atlantis as the whole world, and even if not – certainly its very centre and most important part. It would never have crossed their minds that all of this was merely an illusion, built by greedy people with inflated egos, ready to play God for their own satisfaction. After the War of Thorns ended, both Renegade and Bastion were completely lost. They no longer knew whom or what to trust – after all, everything they had believed in with all their hearts until then had turned out to be a lie. So they needed a moment just to be together. They had to change their surroundings.

They had no specific destination. Quite the contrary – the direction of their journey was entirely random. All that mattered was that they were moving away from the place that had fed them lies ever since they hatched from their eggs. And that they were here together.

“I’m starting to get hungry…” Renegade’s drawn-out, slightly pleading voice made Bastion, alarmed, stop immediately.

They stood in the middle of a vast, grassy plain, dotted here and there with small copses of trees. Ahead of them, however, the edge of the forest was visible – they were heading more or less in that direction. In theory, it was the perfect place for herbivores, full of plants of all kinds growing literally at every turn. In practice, however, things looked a little different. Atlantis was famous for the fact that the jungle covering it was a truly bizarre, completely unnatural creation. Huge, soaring trees, dense bushes with leaves as large as iguanodon heads, fruits in colours so bright they were visible from dozens of metres away, and even carnivorous plants that could be more dangerous than many a predator. This tropical forest was teeming with danger, but Bastion and Renegade, as novice gardeners, knew a great deal about it – after all, this was where they felt at home. No matter how hostile the plants growing there might be, the pair of oviraptors knew them inside out. Here, however, on the surface, the situation looked completely different.

Virtually no plants here looked like those growing in Atlantis. Of course, their botanical knowledge allowed them to conclude that many of them must belong to the same groups or families, but in almost every bush, every tree, they found some feature that was unfamiliar to them and unsettled them. It stressed them out. Every species seemed suspicious and potentially dangerous, so the oviraptors were not too keen on eating these unfamiliar plants. They therefore had to make use of the fact that they were, after all, an omnivorous species, and the small animals they sometimes hunted probably looked the same here as they did in Atlantis.

Bastion and Renegade therefore began to search intently for rats, mice or other voles that would be careless enough to become their meal. However, this proved to be a far more difficult task than they had initially anticipated. It was only at the edge of the forest, which had previously loomed somewhere ahead of them, that they managed to pick up a scent. They followed it immediately.

It turned out that only the first part of the hunt had posed any problems. Once they had located the virtually defenceless rodent, whose only means of protection was flight, the rest went quickly. Renegade struck the animal’s neck with her beak in a deft movement, stunning it slightly, and then finished her brutal work with a few swift blows. Their hunger gave way to the excitement of an imminent meal.

“Hey, it’s my rat!!” An indignant cry rang out from who knows where.

The oviraptors spun round sharply towards the sound. As if from the underworld, a very unusual-looking albertosaurus had emerged. A single glance was enough to realise that she was definitely younger than Bastion and Renegade. Despite this, she was practically their equal in size. It was also easy to see that she was not one of those withdrawn, self-doubting creatures. The stranger had no problem at all challenging the two opponents.

The two oviraptors weren’t usually aggressive, but now that hunger was gnawing painfully at their stomachs, they were prepared to take far more drastic measures. Bastion spread his arms menacingly, hissing loudly. The intruder, however, did not back down.

Renegade decided to resolve the matter in a far wiser manner. Before anyone else could react to her sudden movement, the female lunged towards the hunted animal and, in one deft motion, swallowed the small body almost whole. Bastion and the albertosaurus jumped in surprise, letting out truly wild cries. Renegade glared at them – she had no intention of allowing such senseless bloodshed.

After this incident, none of them really knew what to do. The cause of their dispute had vanished, yet at least two of the quarrellers were still hungry. Alone, however, they stood little chance of securing any further food – this thought dawned on each of them. They didn’t know each other and weren’t sure if they could trust one another, but in the current situation, joining forces was the most logical course of action.

Haze was the first to offer peace. The first impression she gave didn’t lie – she was indeed exceptionally self-assured, to the point where one might even call her reckless. Just as she had no qualms about challenging the two oviraptors, she was also unafraid to join forces with them to form a single team, united by a common goal.

Renegade and Bastion were somewhat more sceptical. The teeth protruding from Haze’s jaws, sharp as small daggers, left no doubt that they were dealing with a predator. The inhabitants of Atlantis were not in the habit of fraternising with carnivores – they considered it too risky. Admittedly, one could say that the pair of oviraptors had the upper hand (after all, they were no smaller than the young albertosaurus, and there were two of them), but a certain unease and suspicion refused to leave them.

One detail, however, caused their negative emotions to be abruptly pushed into the background. Haze, as if in passing, mentioned that whilst she had been walking through the nearby forest that morning, she had spotted a nest. This nest, built from a tangle of branches, leaves and forest moss, was truly enormous, so it was hard not to notice it. What’s more, inside it lay something else that piqued her interest – pale, rough eggs covered in strange spots, their size perfectly matching the structure in which they lay. As soon as Haze saw them, she felt an irritating pang of hunger. The eggs looked incredibly tempting, but of course there was a catch to the whole story – a gigantic, menacing-looking bird, somewhat reminiscent of the oviraptors Haze had encountered, was constantly circling the area. The young female knew straight away that she stood no chance against this guardian.

Or at least not on her own. Now, however, having transformed from a lone wanderer into a member of a group of three, that prospect seemed far more likely. Renegade and Bastion agreed that this was the perfect opportunity for them.

At first, the three of them walked side by side, as they had to reach the spot they were interested in somehow. Fortunately, the journey was neither long nor tiring – these parts of the forest were not overly dense, so pushing through the undergrowth posed no great difficulty for the youngsters. Once they reached the edge of the territory of the enormous nesting bird, they knew it was time to split up.

It took them a moment to discuss the details of the plan (their hunger was growing by the minute, so all three were very determined to increase their chances of success). Finally, they concluded that Haze would be best suited as bait to distract the animal guarding the nest, whilst Bastion and Renegade would take on the role of thieves, attempting to steal as many eggs as possible.

The three hungry youngsters crept as close as they could, then made one last check to ensure everyone knew their role. Then Haze leapt suddenly from the bushes, causing the huge bird, completely unaware of their presence, to jump in surprise. The surprise didn’t last long, however – after just a moment, it turned to aggression. It had to be admitted that Haze was the perfect decoy. The unusual stripes and patches on her body resembled the markings of some dangerous, venomous reptile, so it was no wonder the huge bird saw her as a threat. Seeing the fury in the animal’s yellow eyes, the young albertosaurus had no intention of standing there idly – Haze broke into a mad gallop, fleeing in the direction they had previously agreed upon.

It was time for the oviraptors to make their move. Hidden in the bushes, the pair darted out into the middle of the clearing as soon as the threat was out of sight. Each of them immediately pierced the shell of one egg with its hard beak, then greedily drank its thick, semi-transparent contents. Four more tasty eggs remained in the nest. The pair of oviraptors rolled the oval objects out of the large nest and then, as they had agreed, began to roll them across the grass towards a gentle, sparsely wooded slope. Just as they had expected, the eggs began to roll obediently downhill. Fortunately, their shells were hard enough not to crack during the process.

Renegade remained on guard, whilst Bastion ran to the other side of the clearing, to a spot halfway between where the female had stayed and the path Haze had chosen. The male took a deep breath, and then, with all the strength in his lungs, began to bellow as though he were under attack. This was their agreed signal – the sounds were meant to let Haze know that their plan had succeeded. This sudden commotion was also intended to make the bird, engrossed in its pursuit of the albertosaurus, turn back towards the nest, eager to attack a new opponent. None of the oviraptors intended to be eyewitnesses to the latter – Bastion and Renegade immediately fled in the same direction as the eggs they had stolen.

Once they had reached a safe distance, they could afford to finish their meal. Haze only appeared when they were licking the last remnants of the warm, slimy substance from inside the cracked shells. The female was exhausted – her flanks heaved with every heavy breath she took. She must have covered a considerable distance fleeing from the bird chasing her. Despite this, her face showed satisfaction that their plan had succeeded.

Her satisfaction grew at least twofold when she, too, had the chance to feast on the delicious, nutritious contents of the stolen eggs.

1930 words