Littlefoot shivered as the fight progressed. He winced at every blow his grandfather got, watching in terror whenever the old male threatened to fall to the ground.
With a loud roar Grandpa Longneck crashed against the blue male, sending him tumbling down. The earth shook when his weight crashed down. Neither moved, seemingly waiting for something.
"It is over." He had almost forgotten the old female. "The Challenge was won. Winner takes all, Loser leaves." She said, stepping away from his grandmother.
Grandpa Longneck did not look at the blue male again, instead turning his attention to his mate. Grandma nuzzled him, smiling in relief. The blue male rose to his feet again, and after catching Grandma's eyes, nodded and left.
Littlefoot sighed in relief, relaxing now that the Challenge was over. Beside him Bron also sagged in relief, watching as the blue male walked away from the field.
"Well, now that has been dealt with for the moment, the courtships continue." He softly said, all three of them watching as the Longnecks down on the field spread out again. "Shorty, you recall whom to watch?" He asked the green Longneck beside him. Shorty nodded. "Littlefoot?"
Littlefoot made a face. As if he was going to watch anyone beside his grandparents during this.
Down below the Courting started properly now.
"Most of the time, the males do all the work. The moment the female starts participating is when she accepted the male. At least, it's that way with Longnecks." Bron explained.
Littlefoot watched as his grandfather slowly circled his grandmother. Grandpa Longneck stopped when he was in front of her again and started to slowly wave his tail back and forth. Then in a matching rhythm his neck and both going faster and faster.
"Don't worry. It'll go too fast to get ill." His father whispered in amusement. "Besides, that part never lasts long."
The old Longneck meanwhile had stopped, now rising to his hind-legs. He was not the only one: many of the Longnecks now courting were standing solely on their hind-feet. A quick glance told Littlefoot that even Doc was doing so.
"Oh holy…" Bron gasped again. He was doing that often this day. "Littlefoot, don't do that, okay?"
Littlefoot's brown eyes widened when he looked back from Doc. "Holy…" He breathed and even managed to find some time to wonder how Grandpa could possibly swing his neck while standing without falling over. "He HAS to teach me that move."
"You won't use that just yet." Bron ordered. "Not for the first few Courting-Days. And certainly not when I'm around."
It repeated itself a few times: circling, standing, circling, standing… The young Longneck was starting to wonder if Grandma would ever participate or if she would just wait until the Bright Circle had touched down.
The next time the old Longneck rose to his feet, he met the eyes of a different Longneck. Bron's smile stated the obvious: she accepted.
Both Longnecks touched down and now everything got repeated again: they circled one another, rose to their hind-legs, touched down and did it all over again. It became a dance: Grandma deciding whether they circled forward, backward, half a turn, two turns and Grandpa following her every move.
"Finishing touch." Bron nodded. Below them the male slowly approached, resting his head just behind the head of the female. He gently slid downward until it rested on the juncture of her neck and back. Silence…
She mirrored his move, their two necks now resting against one another over their entire length.
They started to move again, eyes closed, slowly bringing their bodies together while ensuring their necks did not break contact.
They wound their long necks around one another and then froze. All over the field other kinds of Longnecks were still working through their routines, either because the females had taken longer to accept or because the courting of their kind was simply much more complicated.
"It isn't much." Bron whispered to Littlefoot. "But every Longneck on that field will agree that the way our kind does it, is one of the most intense feeling-wise. You'll see that tomorrow when it's your turn."
Littlefoot nodded absentmindedly, watching as his grandparents walked to the lake for refreshment. They stayed close together, their sides almost pressed together as Grandpa softly whispered something to Grandma.
"Go on. I'll follow with Shorty." Bron gently nudged him, knowing his son was dying to talk to his grandparents.
Littlefoot quickly made his way around the field to the lake. His grandparents were two of the few dinosaurs drinking, rather than watching what was happening on the field between the other couples.
"Littlefoot." His grandmother greeted him. "Enjoyed the show?"
"Mh-mh…" He nodded. "But…"
"The challenge?" His grandfather asked. "It happens at times."
"But you were an established couple." Littlefoot argued.
"It still happens." Grandpa Longneck countered. "Besides, I won."
"Narrowly." Grandma pointed out. "I feared for you there, dear." She reached out with her neck, resting it under his. "I feared you'd lose."
"Never." He assured her. "I'd never lose when fighting for you. Not to anything or anyone."
Littlefoot merely smiled as he watched them. They kept talking as more and more Longnecks came for a drink after finishing courting. Shorty and Bron soon enough joined them as well, Bron also introducing them to the couple that had been Shorty's example.
Suddenly a silence fell, spreading out from one side of the lake to the other. Then whispers rose…
Littlefoot gasped in surprise when he saw why: the blue male that had challenged Grandpa Longneck for Right of Courtship was heading straight for them, ignoring all talk of the dinosaurs he passed.