Fermented fruits and good friends [Autumn 2024]

The autumn sun was setting over the deserted fields.

However, they were no longer quite so deserted. The light brown Styracosaurus threw itself with gentle force against an apple tree, causing its fruit to fall to the ground.

A few apples also hit the dinosaur's creamy white back and one even got stuck on one of its dark brown horns.

Monyahn looked at its feathered shoulder with the small white speckles, somewhat disgusted.

One of the apples had probably been rotten and had left a muddy stain there.

He quickly looked for an edible apple and then searched for his two companions, the black, feathered Styracosaurus lady with the blue eyes, long yellow band that stretched over almost her entire body and the small yellow speckles. And of course there was also the black and feathered Cleophia, with her amber-coloured eyes, yellow underside, stripes and black and yellow spots, she was an Atopodentatus.

He spotted the two of them where he had last seen them, by the vines.

Kleophia was still sitting in her hollowed-out pumpkin. However, Sterntaler had put a lot of grapes in there for her. The two females saw Monyahn coming towards them.

‘Hey, Mon! Have you found anything else tasty?’ asked Sterntaler, who was already swaying slightly. Shortly afterwards, she plopped down on her backside. ‘Oh whoops!’ she giggled.

Monyahn shook his head. ‘Tala, don't eat so much of the fermented grapes!’

‘You sound like her mum. Haha!’ said a slightly slurred Kleo.

‘You don't even know my mum!’ said an indignant Sterntaler.

‘But you've told me sooooooo many times today about how she said exactly the same thing to you as Monyahn just did.’

‘Oh, you two should stop eating that stuff!’ Mon continued to admonish her.

‘You'd better come and eat some of this long grass. It's not particularly tasty, but you definitely need something with more structure in your stomachs.’

‘Hey, hey. Mon, tell me, do you have more light-coloured stripes and spots on your neck, face and tail than before?’ asked the swaying Sterntaler, still sitting up.

Monyahn rolled his green eyes.

‘Okay, that's really enough Sterntaler. I'm worried about you. We're all going to have a drink of water and then back to that old human thing,’ he said with an uncharacteristic determination in his voice and nodded in the direction of a barn.

And so Monyahn shied away Sterntaler to the nearby lake.

‘Hey, what about me? Will someone please roll me?’ whined Kleo in her pumpkin.

‘Oh yes, great idea!’ exclaimed Sterntaler happily and quickly ran back to give Kleo's pumpkin a good push before rejoining Monyahn.

Kleo rolled down the small hill to the lake in the pumpkin.

The vegetable smashed against a tree at breakneck speed.

Dry leaves fell to the ground and onto the Atopodentatus, who was now lying on her stomach with all fours stretched out.

‘Ehhh, that wasn't a good idea,’ moaned Kleo. She was now incredibly dizzy and didn't dare move.

‘But it looked fun!’ said Sterntaler cheerfully.

Unfortunately, Kleo threw up at that moment.

‘Oh dear, Kleo are you all right?’ asked Mon worriedly, gently nudging her with his beak. ‘No, but I'm a bit better now.’

Kleo did indeed seem more sober again. Sterntaler, on the other hand, splashed happily in the lake until she finally had a drink.

Monyahn felt like he was looking after a herd of hatchlings and sighed.

After everyone had quenched their thirst, the two Styracos helped Kleophia to get to the barn.

Inside, it was dry and smelled of old hay and straw.

Outside, the sun was already just a streak on the horizon.

Sterntaler immediately dropped into a pile of old hay and sneezed.

‘Bless you,’ said Kleo and Mon as if from the same mouth.

‘Thank you,’ came back tiredly and Sterntaler yawned heartily.

After Kleo curled  up, Mon sighed again, but this time with relief.

His friends were finally at rest and could sleep peacefully.

Monyahn also went to sleep with the last rays of sunshine.

The next morning came and it was not a good one for some of the friends.

Monyahn woke up yawning and looked around the building, blinking.

To his right, Sterntaler had snuggled up to him.

With a pleasant tingling sensation in his stomach, the warmth rose to his cheeks.

Kleophia, on the other hand, was lying there in a pose that could only be described as uncomfortable.

The atopodentatus lady was snoring loudly.

Monyahn gently shook Sterntaler to wake her up.

‘Leave me alone. My tongue feels furry and I have a headache,’ she moaned softly.

‘And I also have a backache.’ Kleo now joined in with Sterntaler's moaning.

‘I warned you!’ said Monyahn and decided to take the day slowly and look after her two friends. Even if they themselves were to blame for their hangovers.

But good friends do that for each other. And he was very happy to be friends with the two females.