Tiberius x Orchid

Orchid approached the loud bellows and snorts rising from a clearing in the jungle. The brilliant blue water cast wavy light onto the lush greenery around her, the sky above clear and bright. It was certainly a beautiful day. If only the bulls weren’t so noisy. She moved quietly through the leaves despite her stature. Iguanodons aren’t known for being light-footed but she had learned the value in watching your feet.

Through the greenery she could see the milling bodies of cows and bulls in the clearing. The dirt was already turned up from all the tromping, gathering, and shoving. She quickly spotted the brightest bulls, most of which were engaged in a shoving match in front of a small clump of cows who watched closely. It wasn’t unusual for a bull to pair off with multiple cows who took interest in him, so these displays usually took place in front of clumps of cows rather than on the edges. Though there were fights along the edges too. The dull males. She let her eyes skip across them as she had with the brighter bulls. She wasn’t looking for color. Orchid stopped, her eyes flitting back to something that had caught her eye.

There was a male looking at her. There had been a few, but this one had loud bold stripes across his face and down his neck. Certainly made for a striking visual. He wasn’t quite as bright as some of the others, but the complexity of his markings was intriguing and as she looked closer, she could see the spines rising from the crown of his head and running down his neck. They complemented his stripes nicely. He knew she was looking now, and raised himself up on his hind legs to give her a better look. They were across the clearing from each other, with tens of large bodies between them, but she could see what mattered. His chest and belly were a stark white, very different from the bright colors most bulls were showing off with. Most cows weren’t too interested in such a pale display, but Orchid was more interested in a display of another kind. She turned and headed towards the periphery, joining a clump of cows.

Their bodies pressed around her, but the cows weren’t the ones proving their strength and a gentle nudge was enough to let her through. That bull on the other hand would have a lot more shoving to do if he really wanted to get to her. She turned to see if the bull was still looking at her. He was moving in her direction for sure, but was having a tough time of it. One shove forward would send him to this side or that a few steps ‘til after about a minute he wasn’t even headed straight at her anymore. Well that one was a dud.

Orchid turned her attention to some of the other bulls, there were quite a few options. One with bright blue feathers caught her eye, but she couldn’t imagine having to stare at those feathers while making a nest. Much too bright, and way too interesting to any of the new predators that had entered the dome since the war. He might get eaten before they even had the nest together! Much less likely he’d last long enough to produce eggs. The cows around him didn’t seem to think that though. He was in a shoving match with another male. Not dull, but dull by comparison, and Orchid could see the cows craning their necks in excitement any time he got a good shove off.

She let her eyes wander some more as the clump of cows around her moved past. Something sharp caught her eye. The male she had spotted earlier, the one with the pale belly, was back on course. He was now using his spines to his advantage, dipping his shoulders to shove and jab uncomfortably into the bulls around him. They backed off more so in surprise than out of any kind of intimidation. Well that was clever. Too bad it had taken him so long to figure it out otherwise he might be through the crowd by now. Still, he was making good time. Orchid turned the thought over in her head. Maybe she had written him off too quick. He certainly stood out in a crowd, he had been easy to spot again. He wasn’t so bright as to be obnoxious, and he seemed to be clever enough even if it had taken him a moment to apply himself. Orchid smiled to herself, not letting the bull see it. Part of her was impressed at such a drastic turn around. She had been certain he would be swept away in the crowd only a few minutes ago but now he was almost to her.

When he finally reached her, she sniffed him and began a slow circle around him. He was unscarred, about her age if slightly younger, and well built. The spines shot up down his withers, his rump, and at the tip of his tail as well as the ones she had noticed on his head and neck. It had taken him a while to get to her, and she took that into account, but he had shown an ability to adapt and a determination to make it here. The stripes caught her eye again as she made her way back up along the other side of his body. Those she would also be taking into account, she thought to herself.

Finally, after what must have felt like forever to the bull, she was facing him again. He wasn’t the smartest bull she’d ever met, but he wasn’t all dumb and hopped up on hormones the way some of the more boisterous bulls were. He was the most interesting one she had spotted today though, and he certainly wasn’t bottom of the barrel by any means. She reached out and rubbed her chin against his shoulder, taking care not to rise too high and scrape herself on his spikes. His thick muscles gave slightly under her touch, and he ran his chin along her back and shoulders in return. She let out a deep rumble and pressed herself against him, confirming her choice, and the rest of the tension in his frame melted away as they continued nuzzling eachother.

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