In the twilight (encounter Rot)

The sun was already low in the sky over the marshland of Isla Kela.Mist was already wafting across the ground and the soft ground muffled every sound of footsteps. Including those of the two styracosaurs Monyahn and Sterntaler.

‘And I'm telling you, the rats have been talking about the crows seeing something interesting in the swamp,’ said the almost black Sterntaler to her companion.

In the fading light of the sun, you could almost only recognise the yellow stripes and small dots on her body, the rest was increasingly a black mass in the shape of a styraco. Even the stripes on her legs were no longer as visible as they had been a few hours ago. But her bright blue eyes still flashed with a sense of adventure.
Monyahn, on the other hand, was easier to recognise. Even if his brown feathers were no longer as shiny as they had been a short while ago.
The white stripes on his face, tail and neck were particularly noticeable. And not forgetting his white toes, which had already taken on the colour of mud due to the ground.

‘I don't know. We'd better turn back. The marshland isn't safe in the dark. They say some dinosaurs just got stuck in the ground. I don't want to get stuck.’

There was clearly no enthusiasm in Monyahn's green eyes.  He also wondered why he was always dragged along by Sterntaler when her rat friend didn't have time.

‘Oh, don't be like that. This is exciting! They say that a creature has appeared here that is neither dead nor alive. Can you imagine that?’

‘No, I can't. But I'm sure there's a very simple explanation for it, so we can turn back now.’

‘No, I'm not satisfied that easily... Oh look there Mon!’ replied Sterntaler, pointing with the black horn on the bridge of her nose in the direction of a body of water that was densely surrounded by reeds.

At the spot in question, the vegetation was conspicuously flattened.

As Sterntaler stepped closer, she could make out footprints.

‘Oh, Mon, this is interesting! Come on now!’ urged Sterntaler.

‘Don't get too close. There might be a crocodile in the water!’

‘Oh come on. These aren't the tracks of a crocodile. To be honest, they look like those of an Anteosaurus. But there's something strange. Where the right hind foot actually is, there's just a round hollow and no claw marks. Wait, I'll have a closer look, the light is very dim and all the fog doesn't help much either.’

With these words, Sterntaler continued to follow the trail towards the water. Monyahn got spooked when an owl hooted in the distance. He followed his friend with shaky steps and was about to pull her tail when he saw small ripples on the water. They were barely recognisable, but they were there. As if something had submerged.

‘Sterntaler, I... I really think you should get out of there!’ said the brown Styraco with the light-coloured back in an anxious voice.

‘Now don't be so ahhh’

Sterntaler couldn't even finish her sentence when something green shot out of the water with its maw wide open and aimed for the dark Styracosaur's grey neck.

Monyahn reacted with lightning speed and pushed Sterntaler aside to the right.

At the same moment, another creature rose out of the water and threw itself at the first.

With a sharp cry, Sterntaler landed on her side in the reeds and flattened it without resistance.

Shivering and breathing heavily, Monyahn stood where Sterntaler had just been.

His green eyes were fixed on what was happening in the pond in front of them.

The fear and shock were so deep in his limbs that he couldn't move.

Wild splashing and growling could be heard from the water. A few splashes of water also hit the two styracosaurs.
Spellbound, the two friends tried to recognise what was going on there. But in the little remaining light, they could only make out shadowy silhouettes.

But suddenly, after a stifled scream and increasingly quiet moans, there was absolute silence.

What happened?’ asked Sterntaler as she got to her feet and stood next to Monyahn.

‘What happened, you ask?’ said an unfamiliar, rough and grumpy voice.

The next moment you could hear something moving through the water towards the two Styracos.

Gradually, a head emerged from the fog and darkness.

Yellow, sparkling eyes lay in deep sockets with a dark pattern around them.

A pale spot on the forehead. Here and there the skin had the colour of old blood, which stood out against the more general grey-green skin.

There was a scar under the left eye that reached up to the mouth.

Now Monyahn and Sterntaler could recognise that it was indeed an Anteosaurus.

They made way for the stranger and backed away carefully.

It was now so close that they could see the rest of the stranger.

There were patches of brown, red and bone-pale colours across the sides of the Anteosaurus that looked like you could look straight inside it. The claws were unusually pale and what appeared to be the spinous processes of its spine protruded from its back, or at least that's what it looked like. The tip of its tail was missing and when Sterntaler took a closer look, she noticed that the stranger no longer had a right hind foot and a stump of a leg was digging into the boggy ground.

‘You helped us?’ She asked hesitantly and nudged Monyahn so that he would start breathing again.

Monyahn hadn't even realised how he had been holding his breath.

The stranger shook his head, grumbling.

‘That was only incidental and unintentional. But you did a good job of distracting my prey,' the Anteosaurus replied, pointing his gaze in the direction of a black, elongated shadow floating on the water.

‘That was a nasty crocodile. Always hanging around my territory and stealing my meals. You naive Styracosaurs came in handy. You made a lot of noise when you walked around here so carelessly. Aren't you afraid of danger?’

‘Ha, I'd rather laugh in the face of danger,’ Sterntaler said with her head held high and her feathers fluffed up.

‘Well, I'd rather be at home in the herd...’ said Monyahn meekly.

‘Naive young dinosaurs are common.’ The stranger shook his head again and was about to turn away when Sterntaler interrupted him.

‘Wait a minute! Who are you and what's your name? And thank you for saving us, even if you didn't intend to. I'm Sterntaler, by the way, and the one next to me is called Monyahn.’

‘Hey, you can't just give my name to some strange stranger!’ Mon whispered to his friend.

The stranger gave a short laugh before he actually answered.

'Who I am doesn't matter, but if you absolutely need a name, then call me Rot. And you're welcome. But I'm going to eat my prey now.’

‘Okay, then, enjoy your meal, Rot,’ said Sterntaler cheerfully and watched as Rot turned round and walked towards the water.

But then he paused and looked back over his shoulder.

‘And be more careful next time.’ A slight smile played around the corners of Rot's mouth and he disappeared completely into the darkness of the evening.

‘We will!’ Sterntaler called after him.

The two Styracosaurs also made their way home.

'That was a great adventure, Mon. I think Rot likes us a lot. We should visit him soon.’

Monyahn only whimpered softly, then he knew that he had to go if Sterntaler asked him. Maybe next time she'll get the idea to go to the swamp during the day.