Egg

Verdant sighed to himself as he curled closer to Cosmos in their temporary den. His feathers were soft against his mate’s scaly hide, pressing together in the little nest they had set up. Said nest was fairly pathetic, just random foliage thrown together into the simple shape of a nest, but for them it was perfect. The pair had been traveling across the island for months now, only staying in each area for a few days before moving on again. They had traveled across bogs, rivers, climbed through cliffs, and tracked through mud covered plains. They had gone through storms and floods together, hidden from larger carnivores and frequently hunted their own meals together. Through it all, they had stayed together.

Verdant had been full of doubt when they started traveling, convinced that Cosmos would break his promise and he would wake up to an empty den with nothing but a broken heart to keep him company in the middle of unfamiliar territory. However, Cosmos had taken his fearful and clingy attitude like a champ, making sure to assure the sheltered cryolophosaurus that he would not leave his side again. Cosmos would often bring him snacks, showing off his hunting skills for Verdant and fetching his favorite meals in order to try and make up for his past mistakes. 

It had taken Verdant several weeks to fully become confident that Cosmos wouldn’t leave him. In that time he had learned a lot, so much more than he ever could have when secluded in the small area of the forest he had called home. However, now he was so much better. His feathers had a healthier glow to them from the more varied diet, and were thicker than ever. While they had not come across his sister yet on their travels, the pair had come across a few other cryolophosaurus. The encounters were never hostile, even if they were a bit tense at times. It was the start of the warmest seasons, and food was plentiful. Just last night Verdant and Cosmos had taken down a young buck, eating their fill before crawling back to the den. They were currently huddled down in a semi urban area full of long, abandoned buildings that were just big enough for them to fit into. There was plenty of foliage not far to attract herbivores and other prey, but the menacing structures would keep most away from their resting spot. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.

Verdant lifted his head, smiling down at the sight of a still sleeping Cosmos. Gently he nudged his mate, nibbling lightly at his crest. They had only been officially mates for a short amount of time- Verdant had finally admitted his wish a week ago while they lay sunbathing after a big meal. Cosmos had smiled at him like he was the light of his life, before curling into Verdants green feathers. Together they had rested lost in their own moment, until the sun had set and they had retreated to the den.

Cosmos grunted at the soft nibble, raising his head with confused, groggy eyes. Even in a confused state he still nuzzled against Verdant, the two carefully rubbing their snouts together in some sort of unofficial greeting ritual. Yep. Things were perfect. Almost…

Verdant looked around the den they had made together. In the shelter of the abandoned building they had pillaged all that they could, dragging soft fleece objects and human objects together in order to make a secondary nest. Tucked into the nest were a few round, green objects. Carefully untangling himself from his mate, Verdant heaved himself to his feet before moving to check on the other nest.

The soft nest was tightly wound and heavily padded to protect the fragile cargo inside, several of Verdants own feathers joining the soft lining. The nest was positioned to be in the shelter of their nest, near a wall, so no one would be able to get past it without passing them first. Carefully Verdant pressed the tip of his muzzle to one of the orbs. It was warm and smooth, pressing back against the very light amount of pressure he applied. Verdant nodded to himself. Good. They were healthy.

The soft feeling of scales at his side had him rolling his eyes. “You're cuddly today.” Verdant craned his head back to look at his mate, the larger dinosaur now draped across his back. Cosmos’s eyes were focused on the small eggs within the nest, before quickly turning back to Verdant as he spoke.

“Give me a break.” Cosmos chuckled softly. “We've only had them a few days, but you're still taking up all their attention.” He sighed dramatically as Verdant snorted and nudged him. They watched the eggs for a few minutes and silence before Cosmos spoke again. “Guess this means we’re settling down for now, huh? I'm not sure how long eggs even take to hatch in the first place.”

Verdant squinted, trying to bring up admittedly foggy memories of lessons from his parents. “A few weeks at least.” He finally spoke. “And they’ll be weak when they hatch- one of us will need to be with them at all times. Probably me for the most part, since my feathers will be useful for keeping them warm.” Cosmos seemed to accept this easily enough- he was the better hunter anyways. 

“This is going to change so much.” The brown male softly muttered. “It’s going to be a while before we can travel again, and we’re going to need to bring much more food back. How long do you think they’ll even stay? We didn't leave your parents until we were mature.”

Verdant shrugged back. It was his first clutch too. “A break is nice. We can always travel again once they are old enough to keep up, and smart enough to not wander off.” 

Cosmos snorted. “We were wandering off even after we were adults.” He reminded Verdant. 

“Well, hopefully our offspring are better behaved.” As much as they both hoped, they knew it was in vain.