Trial

The sky over the island was slowly darkening, but not quite near night yet. Birdsong was still active but becoming more and more rare as they settled into their nests to sleep through the night. Herbivores across the island were slowing down more and more, starting to retreat to their sleeping places and the night crept closer and closer. However, danger was lurking in the growing shadows.

Emerging from their den, three adolescent cryolophosaurus were preparing for their first big hunt. Of course, they had done smaller hunts before; tiny and quick mammals, birds, and even fish had previously been on the menu for them. However, they were growing bigger and more independent, and these small meals were no longer filling. Verdant and Lovebirds parents had started pushing them from the den, no longer feeding them and encouraging them to hunt and provide for themselves. Cosmos was included in this, as said parents had given up on chasing him from their den long ago when he had become friends with their children as hatchlings.

Now, Cosmos was the one scenting the rapidly cooling air. Dusk was about to be upon them, and it was their time to strike. The three of them all had tones and colors that would allow them to hide well in the dark. Cosmos was dark brown, splattered with darker blotches. Verdant and Lovebird were green, which allowed them to hide in the forest no matter the time of day.

“Are we ready?” Lovebird was the one to break the silence, her green feathers streaked with mud in what seemed to be an attempt to cover the lighter patches on her hide- or maybe hide her scent? Cosmos wasn’t sure, but decided not to comment.

“I'm ready. And we should move fast- we’re wasting time.” Verdant rumbled, brushing his soft, well kept feathers against Cosmos’s scaly hide as he passed by. Cosmos longed to press back against him, but he was right; they didn't have the time. Today was very important, their passage into adulthood. They had to take down their first dinosaur in a hunt.

“Lets set out.” Cosmos quickly took off, without waiting for responses from the other two behind him. However, from the sounds of footsteps behind him, he could tell they were close behind. 

Together the three ran through the forest. Having traveled this forest almost their whole lives, they knew every twist and turn. They knew that there was a stream to their left that provided good fish. They knew that to their right was a thick pile of brambles that was nearly impossible to fight through, with sharp thorns that got tangled in feathers and scratched scales. And ahead was a large clearing where herbivores tended to gather in the cooling dusk, searching for the last scraps of food to eat before they had to head to deeper cover.

Lovebird was the fastest of the trio, and arrived at the clearing first. She quickly bunched herself down into the foliage at the edge of the clearing, staring out into the open area with a slowly flicking tail. Cosmos stepped on her tail gently in order to stop any rustling, before squirming in next to her. Verdant was not far behind, able to hide in near open sight because of his foliage colored feathers.

In the clearing was a small herd of pachycephalosaurus. Two adults, one smaller adult, and three juveniles. The adults were about the same size as the adolescent cryolophosaurus, but had a powerful domed head that would be able to land brutal, or maybe even fatal, blows. 

“Which one?” Verdant hissed lowly, careful to keep the volume down. Cosmos and Lovebird eyed the herd. The juveniles were too small to be worth going after, especially since the adults were likely to defend them all the more brutally. The best option would be the smaller adult, who seemed to be less integrated into the herd- maybe a stranger that had recently joined? Cosmos pointed his snout towards the target, Lovebird agreeing with a low hum. “Wait for my signal.” Verdant whispered, getting into a crouching position. Cosmos copied him, body humming with tension like a spring about to be released.

Their target moved away from the other members of the herd, seemingly looking for foliage that wasn’t the target of three younglings. Slowly they got further and further away from their pack, and closer and closer to the three waiting in the thicket. Finally, Verdant lunged from the bushes as the omnivore drew close, Lovebird close behind. Cosmos lagged for a second, stunned by the quick start before following.

The pachycephalosaurus let out a loud shriek before fleeing, Verdant and Lovebird hot on its heels and nipping at its tail. Cosmos hissed at the other members of the herd as he ran past, discouraging them from following in the chase. He was hopeful they wouldn’t interfere- the adults seemed focused on ushering away their young, leaving their packmate to fend for themselves.

The chase was on. The pachycephalosaurus screeched as Lovebird and Verdant nipped at its sides, attempting to get it to topple over. Instead the nimble omnivore made a sharp turn, which Verdant was able to follow but Lovebird was not. With a yelp the cryolophosaurus slammed into a tree, tripping over herself. “Go on without me!” She yowled. “I’ll catch up!” Cosmos put on a burst of speed in order to catch up, joining Verdant in harassing and wearing out their prey item. The two worked in tandem, taking turns nipping and hip checking the pachycephalosaurus in order to get them to slow down. 

Finally, it seemed to work, but not in the way they wanted. Infuriated, the omnivore suddenly slowed down, before turning all its momentum into a powerful headbut right into Verdants leg. The green cryolophosaurus screeched in pain, collapsing on the group. The pachycephalosaurus snorted, preparing to land another powerful attack on the ground predator. With a snarl, Cosmos leapt at the omnivore, sinking his teeth into the back of its neck and snaring his claws around its leg. The pachycephalosaurus bleated and shook, but Cosmos refused to let go even as his vision went blurry. Suddenly, Lovebird was there, sinking her teeth and claws into their targets shoulders. With a thud, the pachycephalosaurus was forced to to the ground, fearful squealing becoming muffled.

Verdant pulled himself to his feet, leg stiff and he quickly dug his own teeth into their target, sounds and life fading with one last heave. Cosmos pulled himself off, sore and aching all over but triumphant. Lovebird let out a pleased growl, shaking her feathers out as Verdant did the same. They had done it. They were independent adults.