Inner Fire

Spring had arrived- finally, having come in late enough that winter winds and chills had persisted weeks after they should have been gone. But finally the warm winds had blown in, bringing life back to plants and encouraging new ones to finally grow in. It was a prime time for the herbivores of the islands, bringing back the abundance of food that was the root cause for their numbers. 

And they were taking full advantage of it. The winter had been long and hard, and many had died; felled by carnivores, or the cold storms, or weakness. Now it was time to gather together again, time to socialize and court in the warm valleys of the island.

Solstice had led the Sons of the Sun to the valley where many other herding herbivores gathered. Parasaurolophous trumpeted and danced for each other, moving their brick shaped bodies in strangely elegant ways. Sauropods twined their necks together, and tapejara flew through the skies in complex and dangerous races. Solstice had little care if his followers found a mate as long as they returned to his side by the end of the courting period, with or without their new partners. Even Hyperion was allowed to roam and mingle, as long as he returned back to the side of his leader and mate.

Styracosaurus filled the valley, multiple herds having come together to fight and wrestle and flirt in the hopes of attracting a mate. Bulls crashed together in brutal power struggles, horns locked together as they wrestling in a dangerous attempt to show off their strength and attract a mate. Other herbivores made sure to stay far away from the courtship of the horned herbivores, not wanting to become caught up in the almost frenzied violence.

Hyperion thrived in this kind of environment. Spiked all over and larger than most others of his kind, he had no qualms about throwing around others of his kind in increasingly brutal ways. And that's how he found himself in this current situation- gathered in a crowd of amped up males. A dull dun male snorted at him as they paced around each other in a circle, crest held high to show off the bright colors splashed across it. Hyperion huffed, already tired. All these flashy young suitors, thinking they were all that because they had bright frills- but when it came to actual combat, they were lacking. 

A crowd of interested females and males alike had surrounded the duo as they circled. For a moment Hyperion caught sight of a dark female with bright scutes on her face- he had to turn away fast to get back to the posturing, but he swore she smiled warmly at him. 

The two bulls snorted and huffed, kicking up dust and rearing onto their hind legs before crashing back down to earth again. The flashy show was an attempt to not only intimidate the other but show off to the ladies watching, to show off their health and strength. Sometimes the fights would stop here, before a single drop was shed, with one bull intimidated enough that he would back off and crown the other the victor. Still, Hyperion was not upset when the other bull continued to flaunt. Good. He enjoyed a good fight. 

With only a sharp snort as a warning, Hyperion cut to the chase with a brutal charge. Caught by surprise the other male was barely able to whip around his head in time, horn just managing to catch Hyperions as they locked together. Even so, Hyperions charging start and considerable bulk meant that the other bull was pushed back a full foot before he was able to get his footing, dust kicked up into the air and concealing their fighting figures.

And like that, the fight amped up. The two bulls bucked and twisted, rearing onto their hind legs for short bursts of time in order to stomp down heavily while shielding with their frills. Hyperion huffed as he took a heavy blow from the other male, before dodging to the side and letting him side off into the ground. Landing hard, the other male was unprepared for Hyperion to come in from the side. The kill would have been so easy… but not today. Today was not a battle, merely a composition. Instead of sinking his horn into the unprotected underbelly, Hyperion instead slid it right underneath and pushed up. The other bull let out a cry as he was tossed ever so slightly into the air before crashing down on his side heavily, letting out a cry of pain before slumping down, dazed.

Hyperion raised his head into the air, letting out a snort as he soaked in the praise of the crowd. However, a sharp pain on the side of his foot brought him out of it fairly fast. Whirling around, Hyperion angrily clamped his beak at what he saw- the other bull, horn dipped in red and with a seemingly guilty look on his face. What dishonor- to strike another when their back was turned after the battle was done! Whirling off Hyperion stomped away in a huff, having to restrain himself from kicking the other bulls horn off.

Finding himself away from the crowd and in the shade of the regrowing trees, Hyperion finally stopped to peer at his wounded foot. Thankfully the wound was shallow, the blood already welling to a close. Good. He couldn’t afford any injury. 

The sound of a snapping branch behind him brought Hyperion out of his musing and he turned around in a hurry, battle ready. Had a predator already scented out his weakness? However, instead he was greeted with the surprised but approving face of the female styracosaurus he had noticed in the crowd earlier. Letting out a welcoming huff Hyperion took a moment to observe the other. Her hide was dark like burnt wood, with lighter markings webbing across her side. Bright red scutes covered her forehead and legs, seemingly serving as a warning sign to predators. 

The female was the one to step forward first, letting out a soft puff of air. Hyperion snorted back, meeting her halfway as he brushed his beak against her own. Well, it seemed his fighting had impressed someone at least. The two tapped their horns together carefully, tapping them against each other with loud clacking sounds repeatedly in some form of ancient courtship ritual. As they continued their oddly gentle dance, Hyperion couldn't help but wonder if the female would be interested in coming back to his herd with him.

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Charr had been fascinated by the orange male as soon as he stepped into the ring of styracosaurus, many of them males vying for her attention. However, the first male to catch hers was Hyperion. Larger than any other male gathered, he towered a good amount above them. Scars and scrapes in the keratin of his horn betrayed the fact that had been a player in a good many fights, but the lack of scars on his body showed what must have been great skill. 

Humming softly to herself, Charr scraped her foot against the ground casually as she watched the fight. Around her the rest of the herd stood at attention, watching the brutal power struggle with varying degrees of interest. Charr couldn't tear her eyes away- it was impressive, really. In styracosaurus herds, males were the first line of defense- which is why it was so important for them to show off their strength now, even for a temporary courtship.

Charr let out a cheer as Hyperion tossed his opponent into the air, stomping excitedly at his win. However, the scent of blood filling the air quickly startled the gathered herd, causing the gathered females to back off and shake their heads in distress- blood meant danger, and that a carnivore was not far.

The orange male was the source of the blood- Charr watched as he lifted his foot, gazing at the blood on the ground before stomping off. The herd parted for him like water, going from cheering his name to treating him like he was diseased. Cowards.

Charr moved forward to make her way after the male only for one of her herdmates to block her path, worry clear in her eyes. Why was Charr following? It was dangerous! Charr snorted at the unsaid question, pushing the other ceratopsian out of the way before continuing. She would pity any carnivore that came across Hyperion right now- and that was fine by her.