Close call

The midday sun cast dappled shadows across the snowy forest floor as heavy footfalls sounded through the trees. Riker, a dark-coated Styracosaurus with green splotches on his proud crest decorated with curved horns, trudged steadily forward, his stomach growling. The winter season had turned much of his usual grazing grounds into a  frozen or snowed-over wasteland. The rest of his herd had scattered and moved farther in search of food, only the parents and kids staying grouped together.

Riker didn’t mind venturing out on his own, he was strong and he knew it, but even he couldn’t deny that it’s far more comfortable traveling in the safety of the herd. The faster he fills his belly and, if he wants to impress, finds something to bring back, the better. He closed his eyes, lifted his dark snout and took a long drawn-out whiff of the air. At first he smelt nothing but the fir trees around him and boring herbs, but then amidst it all a faint, sweet aroma lingered on the breeze. Berries? He shook his head in surprise. Fresh pristine berries? In this season? His eyes lit up in an instant and he hurried toward the scent, practically stampeding through the trees.

Soon, Riker emerged into a small clearing. A cluster of low, bushy plants spread across the ground, laden with plump, ripe berries only slightly snowed over. Even patches of fresh, lush grass carpeted the earth where the snow was cleared or dug through. This looked like a wonderful feast, a treasure trove in an otherwise cold and boring landscape. He needed to blink the sparkles out of his eyes, so enchanted was he at the view. Still, as happy and relieved he was that there were such tasty greens and shiny berries in these colder seasons, he wasn’t so foolish to throw caution to the wind. He wasn’t alone and he was awfully aware of it.

On the far side of the clearing, a large, almost spectral shape moved among the bushes. It was an albertosaurus, a predator as tall as a tree and covered a sickly shade of pale blues. Its long snout dipped between the bushes as it ripped through its own feast laid on the ground. Riker was well aware the red staining the huge predators lips didn’t come from the juices of the berries around.

Riker froze, his heart hammering in his chest. His instincts screamed at him to retreat, but his hunger wrestled with his fear. The predator wasn’t actively hunting. It seemed it was already successful in that task and content with its meal for now. Perhaps, the styraco thought, he could quietly share the place without drawing its attention. He took a tentative step forward, then another, his gaze flicking nervously to the albertosaurus with each movement. When the predator didn’t react, Riker crept closer, lowering his head to nibble on a clump of grass near the edge of the clearing.

The sweet taste of fresh greens filled his mouth, and he couldn’t help but let out a tiny sigh of relief. These were really good compared to the roots and bark he had to resort to eating lately. He couldn’t even imagine how the berries tasted if the grass to his feet already beat the most meals he had this winter. Relaxing just a tad, as he filled his beak with greens, and perhaps feeling a little too bold, he moved toward the berry-filled bushes. It’s a surprise that a sole predator apparently discouraged any herbivore from eating here, otherwise this place would’ve picked clean already. Or, the alberto specifically claimed this place to lure hungry herbivores as himself. As much as Riker reminded himself to stay vigilant, a moment of an absent thought and his foot snapped a dry branch, the sound echoing sharply.

The albertosaurus whipped its head up, not stalling for a second before its pale eyes found and pierced straight through Riker. A low terrifying growl rumbled from its throat as it turned to face Riker fully. Deep red stained its teeth, its face and tinted its coat in ner artistic splotches- a macabre contrast to its pale skin and only complementing the horrid sneer it approached the poor styraco with.

Riker stepped back, but felt sluggish in his movement. He felt frozen in place.
He could only lower his head in brave bravado, more a drawn-out performance than threat, and chuffed softly, hoping to signal he wasn’t a challenger or looking for trouble; not that it mattered to a hungry predator, massive in comparison to him. Truly, the albertosaurus wasn’t convinced or simply didn’t care. It took a step forward, its powerful tail swishing behind it. Its growl deepened, vibrating through the ground.

His instincts screamed at him to run, his limbs practically, but the sight of the berries rooted him in place. So fresh, plum and tempting. If he fled now, he might not find food like this again for days and he’d love to bring such a rare gift, especially for the littles. Besides, he wasn’t entirely defenseless. He had his horns, his bulk, and the will to stand his ground if he had to. No matter how foolish it may seem to fight a fully grown alberto.

The predator lunged forward suddenly and so did Riker in a snap-decision. Even the biggest predator wouldn’t want to bite down on a thorn and have it stuck in their maw, so he charged the large theropod head on before turning sharply. The predator fell for his feint maneuver and hesitated, its yellow eyes narrowing as it watched him run straight through the berry bushes and out of sight. With a frustrated snarl, the albertosaurus turned and stomped to the far end of the clearing again, back to its already established meal, clearly not bothering enough to chase after just another frightened herbivore. It settled down again, tearing at whatever that dead thing was.

Riker let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. His legs felt shaky even as he ran across the small clearing and back into the forest, taking a glimpse back to make sure the predator wasn’t following close by. When it became clear the albertosaurus was no longer interested in him, he cautiously slowed down and came to a hurried trot regardless. Letting out muffled cheers and giggling between the bundle of twigs and branches in his beak, he picked up the pace again.

Back when he was running through the bushes, evading the albertos jaw, he made sure to snap and grab as many pieces of the bushes as he crashed through them. He for sure thought the predator would give chase, not that it would have that much trouble following or catching up to him if it really wanted, but luckily that wasn’t the case. He escaped that thing!

He couldn’t wait till the herd saw these vivid red berries and share the sweet bunch of greens he was carrying along. Memorising the path, he for sure will tell the herd of the place. While a predator of such size was immensely dangerous to a lone styraco, the moment they came in larger numbers even the alberto better think twice before attacking a whole herd. He needs to hurry before anyone else caught wind of the berry place! 

Somewhere out there, his herd was waiting, and it was time to rejoin them. The memory of the clearing, with its grass and berries, would stay with him and maybe he will also boast a bit of fighting a fully grown albertosaurus on his very own. Even if he knew no one would believe him, the thought was entertaining enough.

(1283 words according to Google Docs)