Yethyne Ageup - The Way of Living

It was a fine day in late summer on Isla Kela. Strong rains had just fell across the island yesterday, leading the plants across the land a nice and lush green color, which contrasted against the deep blue sky. A herd of Styracosaurus, returning to the lowlands after the storm, had kept to higher ground to avoid potential flash flooding. A concern given much more weight given the newly added members of their herd: A large clutch of hatchlings.

The high ground that the herd had chosen had its drawbacks, however, as the vegetation there was tougher than the hatchlings could really process, leading to many hungry mouths during the wait. The eldest member of the herd led the group down a particular path to somewhere that he knew would be perfect for the hatchlings.

The herd had arrived at a fern prairie. While the adult Styracosaurus preferred the tougher woody bushes and shrubs that surrounded the clearing, the softer ferns that grew out in this opening were much more tender. This was perfect for the recently hatched, such as Yethyne, who were unable to even snap a twig much less chew them up.

To her, these ferns were about as large as the thickets the adults were browsing from. By mimicking their movements, she was able to grab onto the tip of one fern. Wrestling it to the ground, the leaf finally gave way from the rest of the plant and Yethyne had her prize. While the fern tasted sweet, a bitter aftertaste was forming in the back of her throat. It was mild and was oddly kind of nice tasting despite this. She continued to pull down fern leaves and eat to her content along with the other hatchlings.

It had only been an hour or so before Yethyne was hit with a worse feeling than a bitter aftertaste. Her, along with the other hatchlings, were learning what that bitter aftertaste really meant. These ferns had a form of defense from herbivores that would make them ill with a stomach ache. Yethyne began to voice her discomfort. Luckily for her, the adults knew exactly what to do. An aging female grey Styracosaurus with a bent horn, Thykkn, nudged her to follow along.

The herd was heading back to the highlands, but this time taking a lower path. Tougher plants rooted themselves in the cracks and crags of the walls and ground. The rocks that had fallen from above over the years had made the path tricky to navigate, especially for Yethyne who was a fraction of the adult’s size. She was practically having the climb each pebble and boulder on its own. On especially tricky rocks, Thykkn would help her along with a gentle push of her massive head, getting Yethyne over the hurdle. Over time, however, Yethyne was starting to get a headache from the plant’s defenses. Luckily for her and the other Hatchlings, they had reached their destination… …For the most part.

There was one final stretch of the journey, as an old lava tube was the last thing between them and their destination. Black rock had weathered brown with age, housing a carpet of moss that almost acted like a door to the inside. A small but persistent stream ran through the middle of the lava tube, which would act as their guide towards their destination.

Occasional breaks in the wall would lead to small shafts of light entering, but it wouldn’t be long until these natural windows ceased formation. Once the tunnel became dark, the adults would begin to chuff and huff in order to keep the group together. These lower calls were used to avoid confusing echos, or else they could be led away from each other. The chittering of bats, unhappy with all of the ratchet being created by the herd, flew away to quieter passages.

While the Adults knew where they were heading, this whole situation was confusing to the hatchlings, who were also dealing with stomach and headaches while traversing this dark and noisy pathway. Yethyne did her best to keep her chaperone aware of her position with squeaky chuffs. Thykkn respond in kind with and assuring tone that they would be at the destination soon.

The echos that were made by the herd began to tell that the passage they had reached was much larger, and there was some breathing room to be had, but more importantly there was a light present at the end of the lava tube! The herd began to make a fuss in relief that they had found the way out to their destination.

As they began to head towards the exit, dilated eyes adjusted to the sun once more. The stream that had guided them here revealed itself as a small lake that was fed by a larger creek, surrounded by a clearing that held not much but bare, compact soil and some persistent grasses which ran across the ground with rhizomes. The reason the herd had to take this pathway was because it was surrounded on all sides with steep cliffs of mudstone. A rock that, especially after the rain, was extremely dangerous to traverse.

But the mudstone was exactly what they were here for. The adults began to rake their horns across the walls of the clearing, flicking the clumps of sticky mudstone off of their nasal horns before biting into the wall themselves. Thykkn’s bent horn in particular was good at removing the wet mudstone from the wall, which she then gestured Yethyne towards before the older Styracosaurus began to take a chunk of wall with her own beak.

Yethyne, through mild dizziness, began to nibble on the mudstone offered to her. This mudstone was full of clay minerals that would help ease her stomach and bind to the toxins the plants had. After having a small dessert of mudstone, the herd turned back around towards the small lake and began to drink. Not only would this help wash down the mudstone, but it would also help to clear the headaches.

Afterwards, the elder gave a call for the herd to relax. There was no hurry to leave the clearing, and a little siesta was in order after such a journey, especially for the hatchlings who just had their first real journey.