[Trade] Peach Blossom Partners

Pidgeon shook her feathers out as she rose to her feet first thing in the morning. She felt their shafts unstick and ruffle, flare out and stand proud free of tangles. The few stragglers were quickly sorted through with her claws and she stepped out of her cave with her crest feathers raised high. She inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of the peach blossoms that were in heavy bloom. It was that time of year once again, and Pidgeon was ecstatic to finally be taking part. Traditionally, everyone knew the Therizinosauruses would gather under the peach blossoms to court each other, but it had changed a little from the old days. Instead of just rocking up on the day itself and shooting your shot, like they did back in the day, it was now generally understood that you should have some form of plan in mind before showing up. And Pidgeon, she certainly had a plan.

At least she was pretty certain she had one. There was always a chance she had misinterpreted Antares’ advances and that she would be left standing alone amongst the courting pairs but... the thought made her shiver. No, she was certain he wouldn’t stand her up. Unless his proposals had been friendly, and then she would be left alone amongst the happy couples, all of them side eyeing her and gossiping about who the weird Theri was that was waiting on her own. Would they think she was just hoping for someone to approach her like in the old tradition? Goodness, she wasn’t that desperate! Despite her nerves, Pidgeon decided to steel herself and make her way to the blossom grove.

Antares slid his claws against the cave walls, seeing generations of claw marks worn beneath them. Today he would join these long-forgotten Theris in the quest for a successful courtship. Despite the connection he felt, he shrank in the face of their bravery. He couldn’t imagine the nerve it must have taken to simply show up and court the target of your affection with no preamble. He had known Pidgeon for a while now, years technically if you took the loosest definition of ‘know’ into account. It was only in the last few months that they had really gotten to know each other personally instead of just politely waving as they were passing by. Pidge was funny, bright and vivacious, she lit up the area around her wherever she was. She made Antares’ heart flutter whenever he saw her and he knew he had to invite her to the blossom courtship ceremony. He didn't just want to court her, he wanted to court her in front of the assembled pairs and show her off to the world, the most beautiful Theri in the world dancing beneath the peach blossoms. He let out a small yip at the thought, imagining the petals getting caught in her crest feathers, her soft eyes meeting his across the clearing. At the noise, the other Theri in the cave turned to briefly glower at Antares before returning to combing his feathers. There were enough of them that made the migration this year that the honeycomb-like holes in the cliff faces were filled two to a cell. On the other side of the valley, a similar structure would hold the other half of the assembled Theris. He wasn’t sure how it was divided, but he knew he was here and Pidgeon was on the other side. He was kind of glad about that, the thought of seeing her before he was ready made him feel a little queasy. To distract himself, he hurriedly returned to sharpening his claws and fixing his scruffy feathers to lie flat.

When the sun rose to sit directly above the valley, the procession of Theris began to emerge from the caves that surrounded it. Some rushed forward, eager to meet their loves in the middle, others kept an almost ceremonial calm as they proceeded. A sea of pink blossoms laid ahead of them, the grass peppered with them and the tree branches still bowing under their weight. Antares glanced at them as he walked by, his head just above the canopies of most of them. Some of the larger trees stood at the centre, with the largest one almost directly at its midpoint. It stretched both tall and wide, its branches set like the arms of a candelabra. Antares began to beeline towards it, but it seemed the base of the tree had already been staked out by the more frantic pairs. Dances were already starting and it was more than bad manners to interrupt, so Antares looked to pivot, trying to find both a nice place to dance and to find his dance partner.

Pidgeon tried to not run her way down the slope of the valley, not only to avoid looking desperate but to avoid slipping on the loose petals in the grass. Still it felt like her eyes were on stalks trying to find Antares in the crowd. As pairs began to split off, the crowd grew thinner and she was able to finally distinguish individual faces. She recognised only a few, her eyes skimming over them as she tried to see through the trees. Irritated, she swiped her tail back and forth, disturbing the branches that grew lower to the ground. By the time she reached the meadow in the centre of the valley she had left a pink carpet behind her. Her searching was beginning to feel frantic, though she fought to keep her exterior calm for anyone who may have been watching her with pitying eyes. She resolved to keep going, she knew he wouldn’t let her down.

Antares saw her the moments she exited the treeline, even more striking than he had imagined. Petals lay over her back like a sparse cape and they had worked their way into her crest feathers just the way he had pictured it. He was rooted to the spot for a minute, his jaw dropped and his arms shivered with nerves. He kept still and kept watching her, hoping his stillness would single him out in the swarm around him, fluffing out his short chest feathers in an attempt to make his bright dimorph stand out. Finally, her eyes met his, and his nerves melted away the second he saw her face soften. This was where he was meant to be, and he was ready to dance to prove it.