A Hunt and a Chase (Blue Side)

Konkoh ducked his head under a branch, then gave it a shake to dislodge the bits of bark and leaves stuck in the feathers along the back of his neck. The pale and blue albertosaurus briefly angled his head to glance at the bright glimpses of sky in the breaks in the canopy above, then turned to look at his brother striding alongside him.

“Think we'll find something soon? Feels like if there was anything not scared off we'd have noticed already.”

Beni-Oh responded with a snort. “Hush, if you're so worried about it. Just let me...” He trailed off as he suddenly came to a stop, lowering his head to sniff nearer the ground. Konkoh likewise paused, giving the air a quick sniff himself before settling for trying to spot whatever it was the dark and red albertosaurus was looking for.

A moment passed, then another, and finally Konkoh couldn't help but ask:

“Did you find anything?”

“Oh, just wait a moment longer,” Beni-Oh retorted, then turned a little and nodded at an area of the ground. “There. Do you see it? It's an animal trail, and it smells like deer passed through recently.”

Stepping closer, Konkoh squinted until he, too, could finally spot the all too narrow path of bare dirt that wove between the tree trunks. He leaned in, taking a nice, long sniff at it... Then quickly recoiled.

“Yeargh! They sure passed something all right!”

His complaints and shaking his head in a vain effort to get that smell out of his nose were only met with an amused chuckle from his brother, who started walking forward once again. Konkoh followed behind him, taking care with where he stepped as he went. The game trail was far too narrow for either of the large theropods, even walking single file, so instead they each took to opposite sides, moving roughly parallel as best they could amongst the trees.

For several minutes, neither spoke, their focus on keeping the trail in sight, while still avoiding crashing into or through the various trees and underbrush. Konkoh picked his way along carefully, doing his best to avoid making too much noise. That doing so often also meant avoiding his feathers getting tangled in the branches was a nice side effect, even if he'd have to make sure to thoroughly groom it all later anyway. At least he could rely on his brother to help with that, he mused absently, Beni-Oh was always good with handling finer things like that. One of the many ways the two had complemented and helped each other out ever since their hatching.

His musings were interrupted by a sudden faint chill down the back of his spine. That intangible feeling he typically got when something, somehow, was off. Konkoh paused almost mid-step, tilting his head as he tried to figure out what it had been. An unusual sound, perhaps? Or maybe a whiff of something peculiar or unexpected. His brother likewise paused upon seeing that he'd stopped, glancing back and waiting. Konkoh paid him no mind, instead looking and listening, angling his head slowly about as he took in their surroundings. The vast trees of the old growth loomed, casting deep shadows between splotchy patches of light, while snags and fallen trunks overgrown with moss made for all manner of oddly-shaped silhouettes.

“Notice something?” Beni-Oh finally asked quietly after a moment. Konkoh snorted, giving himself a small shake.

“Guess not,” he said, taking a step forward again. “Maybe a branch fell or something.”

Or some startled animal slinking away through the undergrowth, or so on. Forests like these were rich with life, and thus rife with mysterious sights and sounds. He would have to stay sharp, both of them would, but that was simply a wise practice when in new or unknown territory anyway. Stumbling off a hidden ledge could be just as treacherous as running into a herd of angry and spiky herbivores.

The two continued onward, and soon their quest was rewarded, as the land sloped gently downward while the trees ahead thinned, revealing a large and lush meadow filled with long grasses that rippled in the light breeze. And there, grazing on and resting in the grass, was a sizable herd of deer. More than enough to sate a pair of hungry albertosaurs.

After watching for a moment, both brothers backed carefully into the woods again. Konkoh looked to his brother, who would surely have a clever plan to ensure they had easy pickings of the herd. As they stepped deeper into the cover of the trees once more, Konkoh again abruptly stopped, signaling Beni-Oh to do the same. He was sure he heard something. Or perhaps it was more that he felt something. Either way, his eyes narrowed and nostrils flared as he slowly scanned their surroundings. Again, nothing seemed out of place... At least, until he caught sight of a faint movement from deeper in the trees.

“Ben, look there,” he gestured at a spot that looked like a dark fallen trunk of an immense tree, dappled with brightly contrasting moss. But it was too dark and too bright, now that he saw it. Too much, and yet, most certainly just as big as it looked.

Both albertosaurs began to cautiously back away, and that was when it moved.

With a bellowing roar, the shape suddenly rose to its full height, resolving into the form of a large acrocanthosaurus with feathers in blotchy shades of black, white, and green. Without a moment's hesitation she lunged forward at the pair, jaws gaping wide and feet shaking the ground with each thundering step.

“Run!” Konkoh didn't even need to hear his brothers shout to scramble backwards, desperately trying to turn around before careening off as fast as he could through the trees. There were two of them and only one of her, certainly, but even he knew they were in no position to put up a fight, not caught off-guard and in less than favorable terrain.

Terrain which was quickly proving just how difficult and dangerous it could be, at that. Old fallen logs and patches of undergrowth snapped underfoot and snagged at his legs, threatening to trip him up, while meaning branches lashed at his face and thew leaves in his eyes. A misstep here would be all too easy, and have all too deadly consequences, forcing Konkoh to take special care even as he tried to run as swiftly as possible. His only consolation was that, from the sounds of snapping and crashing behind them, their pursuer seemed to be having just as much difficulty.

If they could escape to open ground, perhaps, Konkoh had confidence in his strength and speed, he could probably outrun the larger theropod. But even then, his brother might not be so lucky, and in their desperation they appeared to have veered away from the meadow and its deer anyway. Or perhaps the acrocanthosaurus would simply give up the chase if they ran far enough, but he knew there was no guarantee of that, either.

No, they needed to do something, and quickly. Risking a glance at Beni-Oh, Konkoh called out to his brother in between panting breaths.

“Ben! What should we do?”

The dark and red albertosaurus didn't immediately answer, apparently thinking hard while dashing and dodging. Finally though, he responded.

“We have to split up! Split up and circle around, and we'll figure it out from there!”

Konkoh didn't like that idea and how risky it was, but he certainly didn't have any better ones to offer. And more importantly, he trusted his brother. Beni-Oh had always been the clever one, after all, so with a grunt of assent, he veered off to his right, while his brother did likewise to the left. Perhaps if they were very, very lucky, their pursuer would hesitate to choose one to follow, and be left behind, forced to abandon the chase.

Unfortunately, however, that did not happen. Even more unfortunately for Konkoh, the continued sounds of crashing behind him meant that he was the one still being chased. Now wasn't the time to think or worry about it though, it was the time to simply run and hope he could get away, or that his pursuer would give up the chase.

So he continued to plunge through the forest, running as fast as he dared through the uneven and obstacle-filled terrain. In a flash of inspiration, he started veering for the narrowest passage he could get through without slowing down himself. He veered to one side for a while, and then changed direction again, zigzagging in an attempt to gain a lead. With any luck, the much larger acrocanthosaurus would be slowed down... Though it seemed it only served to keep the race equal, as Konkoh lost any lead he had whenever he struggled to clamber over uneven ground that his pursuer could clear with ease.

Then, he glimpsed a break in the trees ahead. It certainly wasn't the deer-filled meadow he and his brother had seen before, that one had long since been left behind, but it promised a chance to possibly sprint over open ground. Maybe, if he could put on enough speed fast enough, he could gain enough distance before his pursuer even cleared the forest to find a safe hiding place. Or at least make himself hard enough to catch up to that his pursuer would have no choice to give up. It was a simple plan but, well, Konkoh had never been much for detailed or convoluted strategies even at the best of times. Those were Beni-Oh's domain.

But running he could do, so he pushed himself harder than ever, the thunder of his footfalls mixing with that of his pursuer, and shortly the trees thinned until suddenly there were none, and he broke free of the forest's cover.

Only to find himself a short distance from the steep slopes of a river valley. Konkoh veered to the side, sending loose rocks and soil clattering down while he ran forward in search of an escape path. He heard the acrocanthosaurus burst out of the woods behind him, still close enough on his tail that he almost thought he could hear her heavy, panting breaths over his own. He needed to find another way to escape, and fast, but—

“Kon! Over here!”

Konkoh's head snapped around at the sound of Beni-Oh's voice, and he quickly spotted his brother, standing on a narrow ledge a short leap down and ahead.

“This way!”

With that the dark and red albertosaurus backed up along the ledge, clearly beckoning. There was no time to think or ask questions, so Konkoh simply had to trust in his brother's judgment. He veered towards the edge and leaped over, half falling, half sliding down the slope until his feet hit the ledge. It held, but at Beni-Oh's urging he didn't waste any time standing around, instead lunging forward to follow his brother's lead.

And it was none too soon, as the edge of the eroded rock face had been knocked loose by his impact. He barely had time to move clear to a more stable section when chunks began to slide away, and what had previously been wide enough to stand and walk on was now treacherously narrow. Konkoh continued to hurry along the slope ridge, but as soon as he could he turned around to check on their pursuer.

Sure enough, the acrocanthosaurus had been canny enough not to follow. A ledge that was narrow even for an albertosaurus was clearly too dangerous for her, even before Konkoh's risky jump. Instead she stalked along the upper edge of the slope, dark and light blotched form looming just overhead as she sought another route. Soon it became clear that there was none to be found, however, and with another threatening roar at the brothers, she turned and stalked back towards the forest.

Crisis finally over, Konkoh found himself sinking to the ground in exhaustion and relief.

“Hey, Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. But let's not do that again.”

Hunting could wait a bit. As far as Konkoh was concerned, he'd had far more than his fill of excitement for the day.