[Trade] Seri x Mary

Seri lowered his head, calmly nibbling at the tufts of green, lush grass sprouting from the ground before him. Spring was already in full swing and it was hard to miss – even if Seri had his eyes closed, he would know it perfectly well. The very taste of the grass he was chewing told him as much – sweetish, quite intense and full of moisture. The perfect snack.

Spring was evident throughout the landscape as well. It wasn’t just the grass that had taken on a rich, green, almost unreal colour – all the trees and bushes in the area were similarly hued, and the nearby meadows were awash with a thousand flowers of various colours and shapes. These vibrant sights filled the male with a whole new energy – they made him feel, despite his calm, somewhat withdrawn nature, that he fancied going on some sort of expedition.

He was also given an extra boost by the fact that the courtship season had already begun. Although Seri was not part of any herd and had no daily contact with members of his own species, he knew that many young males of his age had already found partners who would accompany them for the foreseeable future. Sometimes it seemed to him that he was the only one still alone.

Seri, however, was far too shy to get involved in the courtship season without some difficulty. His appearance had put other parasaurolophus off since he was young, and the volcanic male was painfully aware of this. The numerous bony growths and spikes on his flanks, with which he had accidentally jostled someone on more than one occasion, filled other herbivores with nothing short of revulsion. They told him he was an outcast, a freak of nature, more akin to a fearsome carnivore than a typical hadrosaur. This effectively shattered his self-esteem and robbed him of what little youthful courage he had left.

Despite this, though Seri did not yet know it, luck was about to smile on him that spring.

A female parasaurolophus had been residing in the area for some time, and she, too, was not among the most sociable members of her species. Mary – for that was her name – usually wandered the sandy, desolate outskirts of human cities long abandoned and ravaged by time. This time, however, a certain situation prompted her to explore new parts of the island. It was nothing lofty, however, like a new surge of hope that had emerged with the start of courtship season – the matter was far more pragmatic and down-to-earth. The areas Mary had hitherto called home had recently been taken over by a large, rather aggressive pack of cryolophosaurus. If the female wanted to feel safe, she had to move.

Mary, though slightly younger, was far more perceptive than the male, having been aware of Seri’s presence for several days already. She kept close, rarely losing his trail, but she hesitated somewhat. Partly, she hoped to meet this mysterious male soon, but she feared how he might react to such an unexpected encounter. So far, she had preferred to keep her distance.

Finally, however, fate decided for them. Seri was moving westwards a little too abruptly, and Mary, due to the unfavourable wind, was unaware of this, so she did not move out of his way. Quite the contrary – when the equally uninformed Seri emerged from the bushes, Mary was standing right in front of him, in such a way that it would have been hard for him not to notice her.

Both parasaurolophus nearly jumped in surprise, and the terrified roar that suddenly burst from their throats merged into a single sound. Seri instinctively stepped back, almost disappearing back into the thick bushes, whilst Mary reared up like a frenzied horse, flailing her front legs in the air.

This strange display, full of uncertainty and stress, took them a moment, but as the seconds passed, they both slowly realised that the situation was far less serious than they had thought – after all, despite the favourable circumstances, neither of them had attacked.

Encouraged by this, Mary whinnied softly in a gesture of reconciliation. The male responded in kind, showing off his much deeper, melodious voice. A look of joy appeared on the female’s face.

Under normal circumstances, Seri wouldn’t even have dreamed of beginning his courtship – after all, he’d been rejected by other, more ordinary prasaurolophus his whole life before he’d even been able to establish any deeper connection with them. He would have expected the female to ignore him or even attack him in a fit of frustration, yet this time the sight of this mysterious female filled him with hope. The reason for this change of heart was simple – Mary’s appearance.

Up until now, Seri had dealt with rather typical-looking members of his species, so he had always stood out in stark contrast to them, failing to inspire trust. Mary’s intensely red feathers, marked with eccentric patterns, meant he cared far less about how he was perceived. Even though he hadn’t yet exchanged a single word with her, he felt a connection to her.

Encouraged by this, Seri, at first very cautiously but nevertheless with visible determination, began his courtship display. The male moved closer to the volcanic female, then began to sway his whole body rhythmically, making exceptionally fluid movements with his tail. Intrigued by this display, Mary let out a soft, drawn-out roar, encouraging the male to continue his tricks. Seri had been waiting for just that.

Once he knew that the female’s attention was focused solely on him, he suddenly reared up on his hind legs. Despite his young age, he was quite impressive in size for a parasaurolophus – and the spikes on his shoulders and hips made him look even larger. Something that usually caused him nothing but trouble turned out to be an asset in this situation.

Soon Mary was swept up in the performance, joining in with this peculiar dance herself. Before either of them fully realised what had actually happened, the two volcanic parasaurolophus were moving in sync, accompanied by their friendly hums and neighs.

This unexpected, somewhat stressful encounter turned out to be the start of their first successful courtship season.

1037 words