A Smashing Courtship

In the mountains of the island, there was a perfect spot for a fleet-foothed omnivore to hold his own. A rocky little valley, filled with surprisingly lush foliage cupped by crumbly stone walls and a small river of water draining down the slope. The ground would shake and rocks would fall when something too big ran past, making the terrain uneven for any but but the most nimble of dinosaurs. The area did not support enough life for most carnivores, as the only prey that lived around were small rodents or birds too big and predatory to be worth hunting most of the time.

Codiac was a big dog, the big dog of the area- or as much of a big dog as a Pachycephalosaurus could be. His little corner of territory was fiercely guarded by him from any intruders, his smooth dome well used to butting against carnivores and even herbivores. Many have run from him in terror in fear of broken bones, and those who have not left with them soon after. If the bones hadn't been broken because of him, they would have been caused by a harsh tumble into the valley. Codiac guarded his “throne” fiercely, the highest mound of rocks in the valley that he was barely able to climb onto. And today, his domain was disturbed. 

The first thing that caught Codiac’s attention was the scent of rotten birds and blood on the wind. He wrinkled his beak (well. Figuratively at least.) Utahraptors had a very unique scent, and it was never a pleasant one to smell. The experienced male had plenty of experience beating the similarly sized carnivores back whenever they tried to invade his valley and hunt them- in a few rare cases, he had even hunted down a few hatchlings that had wandered too far from their pack in order to quell a future threat. So needless to say, there was much bad blood between them.

Letting out a snort, Codiac leapt down from his rock and landed with a soft crunch on the gravelly ground before setting off in a brisk trot towards the area where the scent was leading from. Just another normal day of beating back the carnivores, then. However, as he trotted within earshot, a new factor caught his attention- the pained scream of another of his kind. Codiac almost stopped in his tracks out of shock, before quickly speeding up again. Another pachy had not been in the area for… quite a long time.

Scaling one last cliff, Codiac came into view of the situation. A female pachy was bucking and twisting, the brown tabby and white splattering across her back covered by the snarling raptor clinging onto her back. A second raptor was circling around the pair, a smirk on their lips as they darted in to nip and yank on the pachy’s tail in order to trip her. With a shriek the grey female fell to the ground in a tumble, and Codiac charged.

Before either of the raptors knew what was happening, Codiac was upon them. Letting out a shriek of rage he swung his head forwards, colliding with the raptor who had been nipping at the females tail. While he had wanted to go for the raptor that was currently pinning the other down, Codiac did not want to risk its claws tearing deep into her flesh as he smashed into them.

The hit raptor was sent flying a short distance, letting out a shriek of pain as it hit the rocky ground. Codiac wasted no time in a follow up, charging again and jumping into the air before descending with a strong kick that the raptor just barely managed to dodge. 

Hooked claws snagged into the side of his feathers, drawing Codiacs attention away from the injured raptor. A shriek of fury was yelled right into his ear, causing the feathered pachy to wince. It seemed the second raptor was not too happy with him attacking his friend. Codiac shrieked, whirling around rapidly and swinging his beak around to nip at the raptor. Feathers from both of them blew away and filled the air as blood splattered the ground, but neither gave.

A bellow filled the air and Codiac turned, facing the other pachy who he had nearly forgotten about. The tabby female had found her way to her feet and was glaring angrily at the raptor, letting out a snort and pacing in place. Getting the idea Codiac veered closer, attempting to keep his balance as they wobbled around widely.

With the thudding sound of a hard dome against feathers, the female smacked her dome into the raptor clutching into Codiac. With a squeal Codiac felt himself stagger back, pushed onto his side by the strong impact. However, the raptor entangled onto his back took a far worse blow. Bouncing onto the hard ground as it was flung off of Codiac, the raptor hit the ground hard. It managed to catch itself, pulling itself quickly unlike its still dazed packmate.

The female pachy nudged at Codiac’s side, letting out a soft bleat. Codiac huffed back, managing to clamber onto his feet before the raptor could. Angrily shaking their heads, the two postured, letting out loud huffs and shrieks while slowly advancing forward with dangerous intent. The warning was clear; leave.

With a hiss the raptor heaved themselves away, clearly favoring one side. Their hiss seemingly jolted their companion into motion, who pulled themselves up with a whimper before following after their companion. Codiac felt no shame; in this game of life, they had lost and he had won. Well. They, now. Codiac turned his gaze to the tabby and white female by his side, who was looking at him with an appreciative and grateful glance. Blood stained both of their hides, feathers all across the ground. Codiac nudged against the female, before leading the way back to his throne. The female gladly followed; it was time to heal, and this time they would not be alone.