The Morning

It was a normal, if grim scenario. A dark coated cryolophosaurus, hide as dark as night, had hurried off with an egg stolen from its nest. And now, he was about to enjoy his meal. The small blue egg was clasped in the theropods claws, slowly brought up to his mouth. However, the cryolophosaurus was so fascinated by the egg, he did not notice the shifting sky behind him. Just before he took a bite, the sky turned dark, and a sudden silence swept the near night. Squealing in fear, the cryolophosaurus dropped the egg and sprinted away, spooked off by the sudden shadows. The now- cracked blue egg laid stilly on the ground. 

Suddenly, there was life. A small horn poked out from under the egg, grunting with effort to lift the eggshell off in order to see the world around him for the first time. A black head, splattered with small white speckles and large yellow spots peered out at the world around him in amazement. The young styracosaurus continued to fight to escape the shell that had protected him, letting out soft squeals and shaking his small crest back and forth. Finally, he made his way out of the egg, shaking himself dry as his scraggly feather coat puffed up to keep him warm. 

Looking up to the sky, the first thing the yet to be named Equinox saw was the eclipse. He had no words for it at the time, but it was beautiful. It was his world. Bright yellow surrounded by a dark void, pausing the world and being the center of attention. Eventually, the black vanished, leaving the hatchling squeaking and confused. What had happened to it? Looking around, he soon noticed his own colors. A warm yellow speckled in black spots and crescents, similar to the shadows that had been cast on the ground. The young mind is silly, and easily impressionable. Taking all of this information in, and having no idea what rational thinking even is, he soon came to a simple conclusion; the orb in the sky settled onto him! Squeaking, he tried to shake it off, flailing around so hard his little legs gave off and the hatchling fell to the ground in a dizzy pile.

It took Equinox a moment to haul himself back to his feet. His body was unsteady, and his huge, ungainly head weighed him down. An instinct propelled him and he raised his head, letting out a soft chirping sound. It was the call young animals used to call their parents. However, no response came. Again he tried, and again silence echoed. The young styracosaurus whined to himself. Where was his herd? Did he not have one? Equinox looked to the sky again, towards the sun, although he had to avoid looking too close at it. Was that his mother? He chirped again towards the sky, but received no response. Maybe she wanted him to follow? Shakily Equinox pulled himself to his feet. His egg had been dropped in an open, grassy field. In the distance was a mass of dark green, over which his Mother was. Slowly he began plodding his way there, little legs and small steps growing more and more confident with every passing second. Soon, the young styracosaurus pushed himself faster and faster, until he was running at his full (admittedly, slow) speed through the long grass. Unfortunately, he did not yet understand that the ground was not the safest place- and he ran point blank into a rock.

Equinox yelped as he bumped into the rock, his leg aching from where it had smacked into it. Howling, he staggered backwards and fell down, whining loudly, His whines soon grew into louder and louder cries; cries for his mother to come help him. However, Mother did not come. She just stayed up in the sky, looking down on him. After a few minutes, Equinox stood again. Mother did not help him. Where was she? Poking his head out of the tall grass, his eyes widened. Despite all the running he had done, she was even further away. Was she leaving him?

Equinox yelped in panic, starting to run again despite the bruised pain of his leg. He had to get to mother! Something told him that it was not safe to be alone, that he had to get to safety and the herd. Eventually, the land changed around him. The green blur that had seemed so far away was now right in front of him. Tall trees rose around him, the weathered brown bark going far higher up than he could crane his small neck. 

Taken off guard by the sudden cool shade and protection of the forest, the hatchling jumped back in surprise. He looked up to the sky, seeking out mother in order to find her reassuring and warm presence. But mother was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was all green, with glimpses of slowly darkening blue.

Panic gripped Equinox’s heart. Where was mother? He bellowed loudly, calling out, but no response. Turning around, he tried to find the way he had come from, but the greenery in every direction blocked him in. Grunting in distress, he took off in a random direction, following the fleeting flashes of sunlight that shone between the leaves. But eventually, those faded too. Distressed, the styracosaurus hatchling fell onto the ground. The warmth was gone, slowly replaced by cold that his thin, damp feathers could not keep out. Crawling forwards again, wailing in panic, Equinox’s cries were suddenly cut off as he stumbled into a clearing. 

In the far, hazy, distance, was mother! The sky was no longer blue- it was inky and black, with dashes of bright and vibrant colors. As the hatchling watched, the sun slowly dipped out of sight. He tried to raise himself to his feet, but his weak hatchling body had finally given up on him. Collapsed into a pile, he buried his head into his feet. Mother had left him, and he was so, so cold now. Some instinct deep within him urged him to get up, to find shelter before things from the night emerged. Things that Equinox had never met, but that terrified him. Creeping forward slowly, a small shelter soon became apparent- a hollow log, giant to such a small hatchling. Hesitantly he crawled in, quickly turning himself around to face towards the entrance. Something white was in the sky, but it was not Mother. Had it been chasing her? Was this a predator? Equinox angrily shook his head at the sky, the simple motion causing a wave of dizziness as his body demanded he rest. The last, tired thought he could muster up before falling prey to his dreams was the conclusion that Mother had led him to safety from the hunter, and she would come for him in the morning. And she did.