[Trade] Snowed In

It was just one of those days.

The cold weather had been persistent; a bone-deep discomfort accompanied the winds that battered the isles during winter. Swaying branches and wind-whipped leaves made quite the ruckus in the woodlands, and the sounds disturbed the otherwise peaceful little hollow that Celeste had made into a home. The burrow must’ve been used by a bear at some point, with how the walls were packed in and carved perfectly for a larger animal. Now, it was repurposed: the lone Utahraptor mother built a nest at the deepest point, constructed with moss, dried branches, random feathers and tufts of fur. The materials were packed down and carefully cherry-picked to be only the softest for her pride and joy: her two hatchlings, Aria and Ava. Their hatching time was unfortunate, with the frosty air threatening their livelihood as the days progressed further into the winter months. The burrow was her last hope to ensure her hatchlings would keep their toes; she had been against settling down, wishing to place as much distance between her and the gnashing fangs of a ruthless pack, but nature demanded that Celeste find shelter. 

As the wind whipped and whorled through the forest surrounding her burrow, Celeste brooded over the two hatchlings that owned her heart. Their feathers were downy and delicate, and the small snores they emitted was enough to keep her comfortable as her body blocked the wind that tried making its way into their home. Soon, they would awaken and beg for food, and Celeste would have to journey out of the den and leave them on their own to share warmth and keep occupied until she returned. Their names were held close to her heart every time she traveled beyond the safety of the nest: Aria and Ava, whose names were ever-present on her mind when Celeste found herself in tricky situations. The two hatchlings were the greatest gift she’d ever been given by the world. Every delicate chirp, soft snore and tired little sigh from the nest gave her the will to continue on through every hardship she’d come to face. Celeste decided to stay within the den for a while longer, until the growling from her stomach would threaten to disturb her hatchlings’ peaceful slumbers. 

. . . 

When she awoke, the wind was no longer causing a ruckus outside of the den and little light was coming through the entry. Careful not to wake Aria and Ava, Celeste removed herself from the nest and padded to the entrance to investigate. Snow had built up around the burrow and crisp, cool air filtered through the crack at the top of the mound of a blizzard’s remnants. Using her snout, Celeste nosed the embankment out of her way and wiggled through the gap into the frosty forest. With light talons, Celeste headed into the woodlands to scrounge up a morning meal and some trinkets to keep her daughters occupied within the burrow. 

All around her, the trees creaked and groaned with the weight of ice and snow along their branches. Every new sound caused Celeste to look over her shoulder or hunker down and prepare to flee. Thankfully, the sound of hooves lightly crunching through snow caught her attention and Celeste spotted it: a small deer, which shook snow off of its pelt from where it had been laid up for the former storm. With efficiency and speed on her side, the deer had no clue what was happening until it was too late: Celeste’s jaws locked around its throat, and with minimal struggle, she secured a feast for herself and the hatchlings. Her only qualm was the weight of the carcass as she dragged it across the snow to her temporary home. 

By the time she made it back, Celeste picked up on little chirps coming from the den. The utahraptor kicked a bit of snow out of her way and pushed into the tunnel, crooning softly to the hatchlings that were blearily looking around for their mother and her warmth that’d been absent long enough for them to notice. Their little noses seemed to twitch before the feathery puffballs popped out of the nest with wide eyes, skittering under Celeste’s talons to find the food they smelled. She trilled and urged them back towards the nest before she went back outside, tore off a sizable chunk for the two to share, and returned to lay it in the warmth of the den. Aria and Ava scuffled momentarily before they were laser focused on filling their bellies with breakfast. Celeste was thankful that their needle-like hatchling teeth were focused on something other than her talons and feathers as she went back outside to feast. After gorging themselves, the two hatchlings lazily played around, a tired tackle here and very little fighting back there. Celeste looked between the two and then the carcass outside of the burrow, and had an idea. 

The weary mother ended up prying a bone off of the carcass and brought it to her young for them to play with. They were both excited, but Celeste could tell she’d won Ava’s heart over immediately: the smaller hatchling had immediately taken to gnawing on the bone, stripping away any edible remnants before crunching down and guarding her new possession. Aria seemed disgruntled with her sister’s hogging, and turned her best watery eyes towards Celeste. After gently nuzzling her daughter, Celeste left the den in search of a gift just for Aria. It didn’t take long, as sounds of scuffling underneath the snow caught her attention and brought her pause. Celeste craned her neck this way and that, head tilted to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. In a sudden movement, she had darted across the snow-covered forest floor and latched onto a fat field mouse, careful not to crush the small creature in her jaws. 

Celeste returned to the den with a closed mouth and a funny look on her face as she tried to contain the squirming rodent. She sat down with her back to the entry tunnel, effectively blocking the exit. Aria darted over to her mother excitedly and hopped up to nip at the little wriggling tail that stuck out of her mouth ever so slightly. Celeste then dropped the mouse to the ground and watched as Aria’s eyes lit up with joy and her little talons scrambled across the dirt to catch her new adversary. 

With both of her hatchlings satisfied with their little gifts and full stomachs, Celeste could rest easy. In time, they’d grow to return the favor, joining her on hunts and finding new gifts to share with family. Until then, Celeste watched with love in her eyes and wariness in her heart as the two existed within the comfort of their newfound home.