Prized Catch!

Parties and games were popular this time of year, with many young dinosaurs often coming together to celebrate the arrival of fall’s crops with games such as apple bobbing. This year would mark Jacari’s first-ever fall, she was keen on making the best of the season with what time she had. Determined to show her friends a good time, she had organized a game of apple bobbing for them to partake in while the adults were away. The three juvenile Cryolophosaurus trotted along the gravel path leading to the farm, worn and torn baskets full of apples secured between their teeth. Jacari, the quilled and gray Cryolophosaurus, held her head high with an expression of excitement as they made their way toward an empty pasture.

“O’er here!” Jacari chirped, her voice muffled by the basket’s strap. Bounding forward, she led the two siblings over to an old water trough, one that had probably been used for livestock. Though old and maybe even a little gross, the water trough had been filled with fall rain and was a perfect candidate for the young trio’s little game. Tipping the basket full of red apples over, Jacari emptied the apples into the trough, water splashing back on her snout as they fell.

Aloise and Killian, siblings who shared a similar age to Jacari, exchanged a look of confusion but copied Jacari shortly after. Aloise was the first to toss her basket aside and speak up, her head tilting. Though very similar in appearance to her brother, Aloise had a more grayish tint to her skin and she lacked the vibrant crest her brother possessed. “…So… what are we doing with all these apples again?” She asked, stepping forward to peer into the water trough.

“Apple bobbing!” Jacari said, her tail swishing back and forth as she turned to Aloise and Killian. Jacari had heard about the game from some of the adults and it sounded easy enough… it’d be a good test of their skills too!

“Is it a game? How does it work?” Killian chimed in with his questions, though he seemed far more interested and excited than his sister did. Killian had a more brown tint to his skin and a much darker brown marking along his back that faded around the edges. Notably, he had a vibrant turquoise patch on each side of his crest, like an eyespot of sorts. While he and his sister shared the same mask pattern, his was more cream-color leaning while his sister’s mask was almost pink-tinted. Unlike his sister, Killian’s limbs did not share the same striping pattern that Aloise’s did.

Jacari paused, thinking back on what she’d heard from some of the others. “So… basically, whoever grabs an apple from the water the fastest wins? Or something like that. But you can only bite it to grab it!” Jacari gave a rushed explanation, though she wasn’t entirely sure of the rules herself. She’d only heard a little bit about it, but it’d be fun anyway, right?

“We just… bite apples that are floating in the water? Doesn’t that sound a little too easy?” Aloise questioned, shifting her gaze back to Jacari. Aloise tended to overthink things, she had a hard time relaxing and enjoying such simple things like these kinds of games.

“Uhm… I guess a little…” Jacari trailed off, her excitement faltering for a moment. However, she was quick to come up with a solution to their troubles, her excitement returning in full force. “Oh, oh! I know! How about we close our eyes when it's our turn? And then it won't be so easy!”

Aloise considered the idea and nodded soon after, seeming a little more keen on the game after the additional rule was made. “That sounds better, what do you think, Killian?” She asked, turning her attention to her brother.

“Yes! Perfect!” Killian chirped excitedly, practically bouncing on his feet, his tail swishing back and forth like a dog’s. Approaching the water trough, Killian glanced between Jacari and Aloise, a question falling from his tongue quickly.  “Can I go first? Please?”

Jacari nodded, granting him permission without hesitation. Killian would be the first to attempt apple bobbing, and then Jacari and Aloise would need to try for themselves, their only goal being to grab an apple faster than each other. Jacari watched as Killian grinned and turned back to the water trough, closing his eyes and taking a breath as he dipped his head into the water. She could only laugh as he snapped at the water blindly, splashing a good portion of it out of the trough and into a puddle on the ground. 

After a few wild bites into the water, Killian managed to snag an apple between his teeth, pulling his head back and shaking the water off as he lifted his mouth to show off the apple. “I got it!” Killian exclaimed happily, struggling to talk around the apple in his mouth. Aloise of course cheered for her brother and congratulated him alongside Jacari.

“My turn, my turn!” Jacari giggled, rushing up to the water trough and nudging Killian out of the way. Jacari closed her eyes, her claws holding onto the edge of the water trough as she dove her head forward and tried to snap up an apple.

The trio went back and forth with a few rounds of apple bobbing and in the end, Aloise ended up winning the final game. Having tired themselves out, the juveniles had left the game behind to take shelter in the abandoned barn, snacking on rats and other small rodents as they settled down for the evening. Killian lay sprawled out on his side next to Aloise, who had taken up a spot on some spilled hay which made for a soft and comfortable bed. Jacari had settled behind Aloise, her head resting on the other young Cryo’s back with her eyes closed in contentment. Aloise hadn’t gotten quite tired enough to sleep yet, instead watching the sunset through the open doors of the large barn, her tail curled over her brothers.

Today had been a good day, Aloise decided, her eyes drifting to Jacari and the way the sunlight made the other Cryo practically glow. Her friend seemed so relaxed, and that made Aloise smile. Looking back to the sunset, Aloise slowly lowered her head to the soft bedding of hay, feeling sleep finally begin to grasp her as she closed her eyes.