Excavator

The land was dotted with sparse snowed-in shrubs, tufts of stubborn yellowed grass, and the occasional tree standing sentinel against the vast sky. Amid this expanse stood Rixx. His white snout so deep in the ground even his nose horn threatened to be drowned in the snow. Anyone passing by would likely only see a dusty brown boulder, if it weren't for his six distinct horns at the edge of his frill breaking his rounded silhouette by the way he squatted down. Finally jerking his head up to huff and properly take deep breaths, he got back to his feet and kept wandering through the arid frozen landscape. This wasn’t the spot he was looking for. The scent was too faint.

It had been a difficult season for the herd he occasionally joins.The heavy snowfalls had come more frequently than expected even in the biomes it is unusual to get this cold, and much of the lush greenery they relied upon had long gone to rest for the colder season. While the older members of the herd seemed to know where to find sustenance, they felt far more comfortable in the forested areas where they could eat tree bark and lick sap from the wounded trees. How boring. That alone prompted him to make his annual leave and ventured a good distance from the herd. He’ll make sure to return when the food becomes more varied and consists less of plain trees.

He was instead drawn by that faint, earthy aroma he couldn’t quite place but already deemed more interesting smelling than sugar-coated bark. Only a few paces from the place he stopped first, he halted again at a patch of dirt that seemed different from the rest. Brushing the thin layer of snow away with his beak, the dirt beneath was darker, looser, and marked by a few withered stems protruding from the ground. He sniffed the earth again, plunging his beak unreasonably deep into the earth again, practically sucking in more dirt than air. Someone dug this place before, or attempted to but didn’t get that far down. Maybe some scrawny youngling or a rat. Either way, he is convinced there’s something good hidden below the ground. Freeing his head again from the ground like a cartoon ostrich, he nodded to himself. This must be it!

First attempting to shovel the ground with his front claws, then using his beak to pickaxe his way though once he realised the dirt was still very hardened by frost, Rixx began to dig vigorously. Rixx was far too impatient to start with a series of careful scrapes, instead favouring to slice and brute-force his way through the surface. When the top layer was cleared, he switched back to his surprisingly muscular forelimbs. His claws were more adapted for stability than excavation, but that didn’t stop him from shifting large clumps of dirt once he got to the deeper softer layers. He fell into focus and the rhythm of his digging was efficient as can be for such a bulky creature that he is.

The scent grew so much stronger, it almost made his mouth water before he saw it, especially the harder he worked for it. Encouraged, Rixx dug faster, flinging soil behind and to the side of him with plenty of force. His efforts soon revealed a thick, knotted root system, tangled like veins beneath the ground. He nudged the roots with her beak, testing their toughness. They were firm but not too woody. Edible and not too close to merely tree bark he refused to eat anyway. This was what he was looking for the whole day!

Hungry for a good snack, he grasped the largest root with his beak and leaned back as he gave it a real good tug. The root resisted, clinging stubbornly to the earth, but Rixx was nothing if not persistent. Terribly stubborn would others say. He braced his powerful legs and pulled harder, his neck straining it seemed to tremble his frill with the effort. Crackling could be heard from the root desperately holding onto the dirt and intertwining roots. Crinkle, scrunch, twist, SNAP! Finally, with a dull but loud sound, the thick root broke free, sending Rixx stumbling backward a few steps. Sat back on his haunches from being launched back, he held his prize high, triumph shining in his eyes.

The root was thick and ridged, coated in a thin layer of dirt, not that it bothered him. Rixx wasted no time, crunching into it with his strong jaws. He already anticipated it to be tough, but he actually had to clasp it between his palms to hold it steady as he chewed on it to bite it into manageable pieces. Its taste was earthy and faintly sweet. A much welcomed contrast to the dry grass and dead bushes he had been subsisting on otherwise. He munched on it contentedly, savoring the reward of his hard work.

Reaching down for a second piece, the moment he was done licking his lips free of the juices from the first big root, he flinched in surprise. There was a baby… something in his hole! The tiny bundle chomped furiously at a wiry root far too tough for it. It stood on two legs, but no sharp teeth in sight. Mhh, the styraco mulled it over and determined it to be one of those hard headed dinos running around the place.

He was no babysitter and in all honesty he didn’t exactly care for that little urchin nibbling at his uncovered food, but he wasn’t heartless. Reaching down, nearly giving the hatchling a heart attack as his head alone engulfed the entire hole in a broad shadow, he tugged at small, easy breaking roots- ones not worth eating himself- and dropped those back into the hole. In his generosity he let the little snot eat up the smaller scraps and go for the thick roots that were actually worth it.

With the fattest root eaten first, the others were easy to tear and untangle. Widening the hole he made in the ground bit by bit and revealing more lengthy roots offered plenty food and as promised he gorged himself with the earthy goods. His little visitor was full long before him and even decided the hole was a good place for nap time. Rixx couldn’t help but simply chuckle at the unbothered baby. That was enough though. Satisfied with his meal, he returned the way he came, now that there wasn’t much left at his excavation site, unless he wanted to dig more than needed. Leaving even the baby behind, he trotted on. It’s not like it was his child, so why make the effort? 

Despite the sun calling for high noon, the surrounding remained rather cold, but without any biting wind the weather actually seemed pretty pleasant on a full belly. He felt a pleasant fatigue settle over his muscles. Digging around was always a fun activity, right after sparring. He knew well his muscles will ache the next morning, but he knew the pain just made him stronger. It’s pretty good exercise after all.

As he paced, Rixx thought of his herd. Though he had ventured off alone plenty, sometimes months at a time, he could always tell where they might be now. The distant calls of other Styracosaurus individuals reached his ears, a reminder of the safety and companionship that awaited him when he felt like it. For now, he was content.

(1252 words according to Google Docs)