[Trade] Don’t Take What’s Not Yours

RipLimb cautiously poked his head out from behind the thickest layer of bushes, gaining a slightly better view of what was happening in front of him. The male was thoroughly intrigued by the spectacle, fixing his intense blue eyes on the dinosaur, which almost blended into the dark, oppressive green of the jungle. The stranger certainly caught the eye – it was a sizeable, feathered acrocanthosaurus, and judging by the scent, definitely a male. There was no sign of tension or stress in his body, which suggested that this male felt quite at home in this territory. No wonder, really – given that, despite his prolonged efforts, Rip had detected no smell of other members of this species lingering in the air, this part of the jungle likely belonged to the predator before him.

This enormous, rhythmically swaying with every deep breath, hulking mass that made up the unfamiliar carnivore was not, however, the most interesting thing RipLimb had spotted. A little further back, almost touching the male’s dark-blue feathers, something else was visible – a shapeless, dark form, marked with red splashes, lying limply amongst the tall grass. The carcass of an adult therizinosaurus. That was what had drawn him here – the enticing scent of fresh blood wafted through the forest, sending a shiver of excitement through every carnivore nearby.

Kill Command, growing impatient with the excessively long wait, pushed his way to the front. This frustrated movement was accompanied by a loud, sudden rustling of thick foliage. Rip turned towards his companion, hissing softly, as if in urgent reprimand – the volcanic male’s eyebrows furrowed sternly, admonishing the other utahraptor. They had to be careful. They knew that by coming here, they would likely not be alone, but they hadn’t expected such dangerous company.

Normally, they would probably not have been so inclined to take this sort of risk, but now hunger was driving them to make rash decisions. Things hadn’t been going well for them lately. Both were on the cusp of adulthood, so they had to leave their family groups and set out in search of their own packs. So far, they had had no success in this regard. They hadn’t even found a specific place to live – they wandered wherever their legs took them, without any definite plan.

The arrival of spring had certain consequences for the archipelago – the blossoming of new plants and other such changes to the landscape forced the herbivores to migrate. Many of them left their winter hideouts – relatively safe but harsh – in search of a better life. If Rip and Kill wanted to secure a meal, they had to follow the trail of these huge herds, hoping that the weaker individuals would stray from the main groups, making them easy prey. It was in this way that they found themselves in this dense, tropical jungle, which, despite all the dangers lurking at every turn, seemed surprisingly cosy. Neither of them, however, had any experience in such terrain – until now, they had been accustomed to hunting in open spaces, working closely with a group of several other utahraptors. Once left to their own devices, and in a place that required them to adapt their hunting techniques, they became almost defenceless against their growing hunger.

Since their arrival in the jungle, they had eaten rarely and irregularly, subsisting mainly on the small rodents they managed to catch – a meal that was decidedly insufficient for two constantly growing adolescents. That was precisely why the tempting scent of carrion that RipLimb had caught in the air was like a godsend to the two raptors. They were prepared to risk a great deal.

This time it was Kill Comman who stared at the adult acrocanthosaurus, silently guarding his prey. They had been watching him intently for several minutes, looking for any sign of movement – but none came. The enormous predator seemed to be actually asleep, rather than merely resting after a hearty meal. His eyes were tightly shut, and his breathing slow and steady. The male hadn’t even shifted position in those few minutes – he was like a sleek, dark rock in the middle of the wild jungle. His deep sleep emboldened the two raptors.

A lingering uncertainty still smouldered within the two males, but it was fading with every passing second. On the dark carcass, still stained with fresh blood, birds unknown to them landed from time to time, relishing their feast on prey not their own. The birds were downright raucous, showing no restraint whatsoever with their loud, emotional calls. Despite this chaos, the acrocanthosaurus did not even twitch his snout – his sleep was too deep to pay attention to any external stimuli. A promising sight.

As usual, Rip was the first to move. The male cautiously took a few steps forward, placing his feet slowly on the soft ground. He controlled his every movement, crouched and staying low, trying to take up as little space as possible with his body – the sharp spikes on his snout and back, and the bright red patches on his feathers, did little to aid his efforts to become invisible.

Kill followed his somewhat more authoritative companion, walking at a slightly more leisurely pace. He was far better adapted to the tropical environment – his blue, green and brown feathers constantly blended into the surrounding vegetation, making him look more like a fleeting mirage than a hunting Utahraptor.

From the very start, they were close to their target – after all, they hadn’t chosen their hiding place by chance. The journey passed quickly, especially given that each successive step became increasingly hurried and careless. The scent of fresh blood filling their nostrils left no room for patience.

Kill was the first to give in – he covered the remaining distance between himself and the still-steaming prey with a long, skilful leap, landing with a soft thud beside the pile of meat. The starving raptor did not hesitate for a moment – he immediately sank his teeth into the juicy, fresh flesh, closing his eyes in blissful delight. Rip, though retaining a little more composure, quickly followed suit. Soon, the white patch on the male’s throat lost its bright colour – it was drenched in the red of flowing blood, blending into the male’s darker feathers.

The therizinosaurus carcass was enormous, many times larger than both raptors put together, towering over them effortlessly. Rip and Kill were tucking into their stolen prey from the side of its slit belly, feasting on the tender, fatty meat. In their excitement, they had completely lost sight of the sleeping acrocanthosaurus lying on the other side of the herbivore.

Kill heard a loud, guttural growl. He jerked his head up, irritated – what was RipLimb telling him off for now? Before he could check, the brown painted male hissed in annoyance.

To his surprise, Rip was also standing upright, listening for more sounds. The guttural growl had not come from the volcanic raptor.

Suddenly, from behind the dark shape of the carcass, another, even darker figure emerged, towering even above such a massive heap of meat. Set right in the centre of that shape were yellow, furious eyes. The acrocanthosaurus had awakened.

The utahraptors let out a loud shriek and fled without a moment’s hesitation. They ran shoulder to shoulder, feeling their hearts, pounding with terror, almost bursting from their chests. Their fear was only heightened by the rhythmic, blood-curdling clatter of sharp teeth clacking together – the acrocanthosaurus had no intention of forgiving them for this theft.

Despite the recent meal weighing heavily in their stomachs, both were incredibly fast. The rush of adrenaline drove them to a superhuman effort – all that mattered to them was escape. The two utahraptors plunged into the thick bushes with a loud rustling, hoping this would deter the acrocanthosaurus from continuing the chase.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Woken from his slumber, Solace was exceptionally enraged. Though raptors were not the species that irritated him most, he would not tolerate such blatant insubordination – the thieves had to face the consequences. The acrocanthosaurus ploughed through the dense vegetation like a battering ram, still hot on the heels of the smaller predators. He was certain that Rip and Kill could feel his breath on their necks.

Just when it seemed all was lost, Rip spotted a strange, greyish shape amongst the bushes. Without a second thought, he darted in that direction, his verklempt chirping urging his companion to follow. Both utahraptors jumped hopefully into the gaping, dark hole.

In a final effort, Solace leapt forward, snapping his jaws shut with a thud, almost clamping down on Kill’s tail. Despite his thirst for blood, he felt nothing in his mouth but a few feathers brutally torn from the raptor's body.

The terrified pair vanished behind the cracked concrete wall shielding the entrance to one of the nearby bunkers. The gates of this particular structure had been tightly shut for years, but some of the smaller animals had managed to squeeze through the cracks in the concrete façade. The fleeing utahraptors had done the same.

Solace braked sharply, growling loudly. This time, they had managed to escape his wrath.

Next time, they won't be so lucky.

1528 words