[Trade] Ceto x Oatmeal

The sun finally emerged from behind the clouds, bringing an end to a few minutes of overcast weather. One of the bright rays of light, like a brave pioneer, reached the ground, illuminating the surface of the coastal stretch of the ocean. The bright glint of light on the bluish water revealed something that had been swirling restlessly beneath the surface for some time – a small, streamlined, silver shape, tracing irregular circles.

This sight was enough to trigger an attack. Ceto plunged into the water, slicing through the surface with the speed of a cobra. To reach her target, she had to submerge her dark blue head entirely in the lukewarm water. It took but a fraction of a second for her jaws, bristling with sharp, tiny teeth, to snap shut with a crack on that wriggling shape. The semi-circular scales of the attacked fish offered no resistance – they snapped under the pressure like a dry, trampled twig.

Although Ceto could not be denied skill and experience in fishing, this time she misjudged her prey’s position – she was thrown off by the uncertain, constantly shifting light. The underwater creature, fighting for its life with determination, nearly slipped away, thrashing about with all its might in every direction. The female neuquenraptor had to adjust her grip, shifting the position of her narrow jaws with a swift movement. Red blood flowed from the numerous holes in the fish’s body, staining the clear water around it – brutal evidence of this murder.

Ceto had no intention of waiting for her meal to go cold. She waited only as long as she had to, until the wounded fish finally lost the strength to fight and went limp in her jaws, and its eyes, though not yet clouded over, became as if absent. It didn’t take long – the raptor knew how to strike to inflict fatal wounds. Shortly after this brief display, Ceto jerked her head up, flinging her prey into the air, and then swallowed the still-bleeding animal almost whole. She could count this meal as a success.

The female dusted herself off, feeling the warm blood trickle down her throat. Ceto grimaced instinctively. She took pride in her unusual appearance, and any stains on her bright blue feathers were almost like a stain on her honour. She bent down, once again dipping her head into the sea water, allowing it to wash away any imperfections. After this brief bath, Ceto could consider her hunt fully concluded.

The celestial raptor began to make her way towards the shore at a leisurely pace. Although spring had been in full swing for some time, today was not the warmest of days. Her thick feathers, coated in a hydrophobic substance, provided good protection against the damp, but even their capabilities had their limits. The female had been standing in water up to her belly for some time now, and the relatively low temperature was slowly beginning to take its toll on her. Despite her love of swimming, she had to return to the beach and let the sun dry her soaked feathers.

Ceto knew this beach well – after all, she had spent the last few months here, getting to know every nook and cranny. During her numerous explorations, she had realised that no large predator could hide on this narrow, stony beach, bounded on the landward side by high cliffs. This gave her a unique sense of security.

However, it never occurred to the female that, just as she could so easily reign supreme in this area, another dinosaur of her size would surely also be able to hide here without any trouble.

Or even discreetly watch her from a safe hiding place.

Oatmeal stumbled upon this spot hidden amongst the rocks entirely by chance and, at first, had no intention of staying here for long. His plans changed, however, when, whilst watching the calm, rhythmic waves, his gaze picked out a blue patch from his surroundings, a shade completely different from the ubiquitous water. The male, completely unaware that it might be a member of his own species, came to an abrupt halt right in the middle of the beach, scrutinising this unexpected sight. Given the distance between them, it took Oatmeal a good few dozen seconds to realise what he was looking at. Only then did he decide that until he knew the stranger’s intentions, it would be better to remain hidden.

With a few deft leaps, the male reached a large, rough stone that provided him with two things he needed at that moment – the perfect hiding place and a good view of what lay before him.

At first, he couldn’t see much. He had to wait patiently for Ceto to move a little closer to the shore in search of her prey. It was then that he was able to get a proper look at her silhouette for the first time, and shortly afterwards, witness her skilful fishing display. Oatmeal was impressed by both, but he had to admit that it was the appearance of the mysterious female that caught his attention most. For Ceto differed from all the other neuquenraptors he had seen so far. Her dense and exceptionally long feathers, arranged in abundant plumes on her tail, wings and head, also had a distinctive, unmistakable colour – a dark, intense blue. What’s more, Oatmeal was thrilled to notice something he’d never seen before in any member of his species apart from himself – some of the female’s feathers glowed with a diffuse, bright radiance.

Ceto began walking towards the shore, and although there was certainly no sign of haste in her movements, it didn’t take her long to reach the beach. Oatmeal knew this was his only chance – he had to do something to prevent the mysterious female from getting away.

He had no time to weigh up his options carefully, so he did what seemed most obvious – he leapt out of his hiding place, suddenly materialising in the female’s field of vision. Ceto, startled by this sudden movement, leapt backwards, hissing loudly. The celestial raptor instinctively ruffled the crest on her head in a threatening gesture.

Oatmeal cowered apologetically, trying to appease the irritated female. Indeed, this sudden appearance had not been the best idea. The male chirped melodiously, signalling he meant no harm. Ceto was still ready to attack, but the gentle glint that appeared in her eye was a sign that she was slowly warming to him - it was clear that the male posed no danger. The brown neuquenraptor, however, wanted to improve his chances of success. He looked around, searching for anything that might aid him in his endeavours. He spotted only a small twig, forked at the end. Oatmeal lunged towards it, once again slightly startling the still-suspicious Ceto. The male grabbed the unimpressive stick and, proudly holding it in his mouth, approached the female, presenting her with this gift of dubious quality.

Ceto looked at him with a mixture of pity, amusement and curiosity. Well, she had to admit that they were unlikely to build a nest from this twig, but despite that, the male’s gesture meant something. What’s more, Oatmeal, despite all the chaos surrounding his brief display, was quite charming… So Ceto made up her mind – the unfamiliar male was intriguing enough that she had no intention of chasing him away from her territory. Not now, at least...

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