This is the story for my familiar gang of OCs (check my art thread if you're confused
), particularly of Tiki and Tero. I've been nervous of submitting an OC-centered story, but got over it just in case some rare person out there might be interested.
I hope you guys like it!
-~-
Prologue
Soft squeaks were the first signs of life from within the nest; the eggs were close to hatching. Arranged in a rough circle, six little precious packages began to twitch slightly against each other, only hours away from releasing their living contents into the world. Around the nest stretched a dry and barren wasteland that made up the vast majority of said world. High in the sky, which was tainted orange from the dust kicked up into the atmosphere, the Bright Circle shone down relentlessly, practically baking the earth below it.
It was a harsh environment and the dinosaurs that inhabited it had to work with anything they found available just to scrape out an existence. Times have been tough like this for many a Cold Time and it's unlikely to get any better just to accommodate the newest generation. But that doesn't mean the parents can't make the best of it…
Leaning down over the nest, a female Rainbowface felt a smile grace her snout as she listened to the tiny chorus of squeaks from her progeny. This was her first clutch of eggs and she was incredibly excited to take on the new role of a mother. Beside her, her mate stood by protectively, glancing about frequently for threats, but mostly keeping his attention on the nest as well.
"It's almost time!" Mrs. Rainbowface muttered, her body shivering with excitement as she kept herself from bounding with joy. Mr. Rainbowface shared his partner's enthusiasm as he reached down to lay a hand gently atop an egg, feeling the warmth from within. Soon, they'll be having the start of their new family, precious bundles of playful scales and hungry beaks. Speaking of which…
"We should have their first meal ready." The male of the pair said eagerly, taking a step towards the hostile landscape beyond. "I'll be back with a few leaves and Crawlers."
"No, no, no, no." Mrs. Rainbowface replied quickly, bounding off a few steps herself. "I wanna be the first to feed our babies. You watch them and call out for me when they start hatching!" Nothing in the world will keep her from witnessing the birthing of her offspring and she'll come running even if she had found nothing to eat. The nearest clump of vegetation, -one of the few that still existed-, was still a reasonable distance away, but with her natural speed, the trip will be no problem at all.
Mr. Rainbowface, however, didn't seem so estatic of the concept of her leaving his side as he stared worriedly at her. "Are you sure you wanna go? I mean, it's probably safer for you to stay here, and…uh…I…" Unable to find a more reasonable excuse, he rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish and embarrassed look on his multi-colored face. Truth was, he wasn't too confident in his egg-sitting skills. Throughout the incubation period, he's rarely had to watch the nest by himself and he thought he had a pretty good reason: he was a klutz, and anything that could go wrong will go wrong. At least that's how he saw it, though it became apparent his mate didn't share the same viewpoint.
"You'll do fine." She reassured, offering him a confident smile as she did so. But the poor dad wasn't swayed as his mind wandered to the unpleasant events of what happened last time he was on nest duty.
"What if it happens again?" he muttered and although his words were vague, Mrs. Rainbowface knew immediately what he was talking about.
"That wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was. I fell asleep and woke up with an Egg Stealer sticking his nose in the nest. He almost took an egg!"
"Almost. You got it back, didn't you? And the nest was completely unharmed. You've done a great job watching the eggs before then and you'll do a great job now. You're a wonderful dad and I have every confidence in you." She told him, followed by a moment of silence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Mr. Rainbowface nodded hesitantly.
"Alright. I'll give it one more shot…"
"There's my brave little guy!" Mrs. Rainbowface cooed playfully as she stepped over to him to nuzzle. "I'll be back faster than Sky Fire. You'll see."
"If you say so…" he sighed, before watching his mate start to wander off once more. Unable to help himself, he piped up. "Careful with our neighbors! And watch out for any sharpteeth! And be sure to measure distances before you jump! And look both ways before crossing a tar pit! And-"
He was interrupted by his mate's laughter as she glanced back at him, hardly slowing down.
"I'll be fine, 'Dad'. You just keep an eye on the kids."
"Right. Sorry." No harm in practicing his fatherly instincts. Seeing his partner disappear from sight, Mr. Rainbowface settled by the nest and curled up around it protectively. Scanning the brood, he counted and recounted the eggs, just to make certain all was accounted for. Smiling as he watched a few more eggs twitch, he muttered softly in a joking manner. "Well, kiddos. Looks like it's just you and me."
Squeak, came the soft sound from the nearest egg, the father responding as if holding a conversation.
"I know. I'm scared too…"
--
He must've dozed off for a brief moment, because the next time he opened his eyes, he had rolled a bit away from the nest and he saw another dinosaur hovering over the brood….A two-legger with a long neck and an unmistakable profile: Egg Stealer. Oh great, not again! Lifting his head and standing, Mr. Rainbowface glared at the intruder and shouted out a warning.
"Hey, get away from there!" Recognizing the Egg Stealer as the one that ruined his last nest-sitting experience, he felt a twinge of annoyance at the smaller dinosaur as well as with himself. "And really? We're
really going to be doing this again?"
"I can't help it if you're an easy target." The Egg Stealer responded with a mocking grin, proving his point by snatching the nearest egg and dashing off.
"Oh, no you don't!" Mr. Rainbowface took off after the thief, his larger body equally built for speed but complimented with longer strides. He started to catch up to his smaller relative, not slowing down even if he left the boundaries of their territory. The stakes were just too high to bother considering the risks involved. Catching up with the smaller ornithomimid just as they reached the edge of a slope, the angry dad lunged and tackled the other dinosaur, both falling forward with a grunt.
Unfortunately, the Egg Stealer lost his grip on the egg upon hitting the ground, and the little vessel of life gave a small bounce before starting to roll downhill. Eyes widening with a horrified gasp, Mr. Rainbowface let go of the struggling Egg Stealer and bounded off after the egg, instinctively careful of the steep slope even though he wanted to just fly down the hill. But the egg, apparently lacking cautious instincts regarding its speed, was gaining momentum and outrolling him as it reached the bottom of the hill, bumping against a pair of large dark grey rocks and coming to rest with several cracks along its shell showing its rough journey.
Reaching the bottom of the hill in turn, Mr. Rainbowface was breathing heavily and looked horrified by what he saw, as those weren't rocks the egg had settled against. It was their currently sleeping Domehead neighbors. These were highly aggressive Leaf Eaters in general, and this particular pair had all the more reason to be vicious, for right beside them was their own nest. Mr. Rainbowface knew he was in huge trouble for trespassing their territory and coming this close to their nest, but the egg…
I can pull this off, he thought to himself.
Just gotta be quiet so as not to wake them… That doesn't sound difficult at all. Holding his breath, Mr. Rainbowface held himself low to the ground as he slunk forward, steps as careful and silent as he could possibly make them. Almost there... Just gotta reach across the nest and…
A soft squeak came from his egg and the Domehead nest below him began squeaking in response. Oh, for the love of-
Eyes snapped open as the mother and father of the nest woke from their naps and spotted Mr. Rainbowface hovering over the batch. Snarling, the pair stood up, their movements brushing the runaway egg closer to the squeaking nest. The Rainbowface could easily snatch it from where he was, but he was frozen as the larger dinosaurs sized him up and took note of his suspicious position. This was bad, this was horribly bad…
"What do you think you're doing with our nest, Rainbowface?!" Mama Domehead hissed as her mate stormed forward threateningly, the target of their anger gaining enough feeling in his legs to retreat a couple paces backwards.
"This is our territory, so it would do you good to scram!" the male of the pair growled out, his large claws clenching and unclenching as if eager for a fight. Mr. Rainbowface definitely didn't wanna fight and in fact, wanted to 'scram' as fast as he could and never look back, but…
"I'm not leaving without my egg." He pointed to said egg that was resting against the rim of the nest. The Domeheads immediately turned their attention to it and scowled at his words. The egg looked exactly the same as their eggs, maybe just a bit smaller. The shell was riddled with cracks and it was surprising that the squeaking bundle inside was still alive. But as to whether that squeaking bundle was a Rainbowface or Domehead…
"I told you," the male Domehead started to mutter towards his mate. "These Tree Sweet Faces are nothing more than glorified Egg Stealers."
Mr. Rainbowface felt a spike of anger at those words, the derogatory term of 'Tree Sweet Face' being the least of it. He was NOT an Egg Stealer! He was just trying to be a good dad, trying to get his egg back and bring it back home safely! Hearing a soft growl coming from his own throat, he glared at the larger dinosaurs as he spoke, doing his very best to keep his words calm.
"I'm no nest raider and neither is any of my kind. A real Egg Stealer took my egg and dropped it down here. I just want it back, and then I'll go away." Sounded like a reasonable thing to say, at least to him. However, it wasn't going to be that easy as these types of dinosaurs were notoriously stubborn about changing their minds and these two weren't the least bit swayed. In fact, Mama Domehead rolled the egg into her nest to rest against the others and an aghast Mr. Rainbowface dashed forward to stop her. But that didn't work well as Papa Domehead charged and rammed right into the smaller dinosaur's side.
Shrieking in pain, the Rainbowface skidded across the ground several feet and came to rest motionless, his shaky breaths the only thing signaling he was still alive. Opening his eyes, the stunned dinosaur felt horrible agony on the site of impact and he wondered if anything has been broken. Given his more delicate frame and light body structure, he'll be lucky if he didn't.
Glaring at the perceived nest-raider, Papa Domehead snorted as the Rainbowface struggled to get back on his feet. "Count your lucky Tree Stars, Rainbowface. I don't normally give out warning shots like that."
A warning shot…?! Mr. Rainbowface knew that was the only warning he'll be getting and he also knew that if he took a full-on hit, he'll be as good as dead. He felt his instincts begin to conflict, one for self-preservation and the other for parental action. Managing to steady himself on all fours, he compromised with those instincts and resorted to his last bid, keeping himself low in submission as he looked pleadingly at the Domehead father.
"The egg… Please, just give me my egg back…"
His only response was another snarl as the larger dinosaur kicked up some dirt, his position clear. Mr. Rainbowface knew it was useless; his words held nothing to the powerful parental instincts of the pair and he knew they would protect the egg,
his egg, even if it meant his death.
"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, Tree Sweet Face. I'm more inclined for the latter." Papa Domehead hissed before lowering his head for another charge, seeing as the intruder had not shown any signs of retreat. Mr. Rainbowface knew he was at the end of his vine, and he cringed in anticipation of either more pain or Death itself. But before anything could happen, the sound of breaking eggshells filled the stale and dusty air. Papa Domehead immediately rose his head again, looking back to his nest and mate. His fatherly instincts outweighing his desire to fight, he merely casted hostile glare at the Rainbowface, his message clear: 'I'll deal with you later'. With that, the larger dinosaur hurried off by his mate's side.
Staying where he was, Mr. Rainbowface kept in a whimper and held back some tears. He was right all along; he was a horrible father if he couldn't even save one egg! Shaking in distress, he kept his eyes glued towards the Domehead nest, towards his egg.
Hatching was a momentous occasion for any dinosaur and the Domehead parents purred with glee as the first of their hatchlings broke free of its prison. Squeaking, the little hatchling opened his big brown eyes and was greeted with a blurry world. Squinting at something brightly-colored, his vision cleared to see Mr. Rainbowface a distance away. Giving a delighted chirp, the little baby then looked up at his parents, both of whom nuzzled him to begin the bonding process. The hatchling cooed at the attention, cuddling with their snouts before turning his attention to the egg beside him, which was beginning a tremble.
Mr. Rainbowface's heart skipped a beat as he watched his egg hatch, feeling a mixture of paternal pride and horror. He knew exactly how the Domeheads would react upon seeing that this baby wasn't one of their own and he got to his feet as fast as he could, taking advantage of the pair's diverted attention to rush for the nest.
This hatching was easier as the egg's shell was already weakened. A plump little tail was the first to greet the world before the feet broke through. The egg paused for a second before a push from the top freed the baby's head. The young Rainbowface pulled her eyelids up, only for her large blue eyes to pick up a lot of grey. Squeaking in confusion, the hatchling looked up as her vision cleared and she saw the Domehead parents, whose attention immediately went to her brightly-colored face. The baby squealed in delight, even as the parents gasped in revulsion.
"Get that
thing out of my nest!" Mama Domehead exclaimed like the youngster was a little Fuzzer pest. Papa Domehead nodded as his face bore an angered and disgusted grimace, reaching out for the giggling bundle just before something slammed into his side. Stumbling, Papa Domehead caught his balance easily as Mr. Rainbowface snatched his new daughter from the nest and took off running as fast as his pain would allow.
Hearing footfalls behind him, he raced up the slippery slope of unstable rocks, fear fueling his retreat as he knew getting caught would mean the end of him and maybe even his child. He slipped constantly, rocks underfoot crumbling out from under him. A few of those rocks fell onto his aggressor's head, but shattered like Hard Water without even slowing down the angry dinosaur. Scrambling at the top, Mr. Rainbowface finally gained a firm footing and dashed off.
Papa Domehead paused as he too reached the top, knowing that chasing the speedier dinosaur on flat ground was next to pointless. Besides, the intruder was gone and he had a nest to attend to. Turning around, he slid back down the slope and joined his mate.
"Help me clean our babies. We don't want them catching anything from that little vermin." Mama said softly and both parents began licking and nibbling at their first-born son and now-hatching eggs.
--
Stopping near the nest, Mr. Rainbowface gave a huge sigh of relief to be back home, looking down at the giggling bundle he held in his arms. Smiling at his daughter, he returned to the rest of the brood and placed her delicately next to her unhatched siblings. The infant cooed curiously as she wriggled completely free of her shell and began playing with its broken shards now scattered around her.
Sighing once again, the new dad rested his head down, his body still wracked with pain but at least starting to relax. He did it; he saved his egg and brought his daughter back completely unharmed, all from dinosaurs that would rival sharpteeth in viciousness. He almost felt proud himself.
"You know, little one. You're going to be the end of me, I can tell already."
He got a giggling squeak in response as the little hatchling stood up shakily and took her first couple of steps towards her father, tumbling forward on the last step and holding her daddy's arm in a hug. Feeling a swell of happiness from both the walking and the gesture, Mr. Rainbowface held her close, nuzzling her before hearing something coming. His quick spike of fear died when he saw his mate return with a few leaves and the mother beamed upon seeing her nest alright and her first-born snuggling to her father. Although…
"I thought I told you to call me if they start hatching." Mrs. Rainbowface reminded him, to which he blushed sheepishly.
"Yeah well… This one took me off guard. And she's quite the handful." He told her, taking liberty not to share all the details of the hatching. Who knows how his partner would react? Mrs. Rainbowface gave an amused smile before carrying the leaves to her daughter, whom eagerly began nibbling her first meal.
"So how was nest-sitting?" the mother continued, settling by her mate. Mr. Rainbowface took a moment to answer, trying his best not to show pain as his female counterpart snuggled to him. He laid his head back down, thoroughly exhausted from his little life-threatening adventure, and he closed his eyes for a nice, Egg Stealer-free nap.
"It went well…very well…"
END OF PROLOGUE
Yeesh, you can tell this story's an older one... :blink: But anyway, just a simple prologue to establish some of the traits of the main characters' parents. I especially liked Mr. Rainbowface; I think he's adorable and a lot of fun to write out!
Anyways, I really do hope you guys liked this chapter and will stick around for the next one, which will contain cuteness
!
