The female Triceratops all tucked in their necks, afraid of revealing their inner thoughts. The male Triceratops egged each other on while cautiously admiring, truly worthy of being the leader's mate, so fit and captivating to dragons.
Weng Weng returned victorious. Da Jiao nuzzled Weng Weng's horn with his own, as if to comfort and assure her that she was the only female dragon for him, forever.
Weng Weng nuzzled back, telling all the beasts that their affection was strong and no third Triceratops could come between them.
Shu An sincerely applauded Weng Weng, her second sister-in-law. She could tell Weng Weng was also a formidable Triceratops!
Brother Da Jiao was also excellent, not fooling around with other female dragons just because of his status.
The afternoon sun was glorious, warming everything. The Triceratops lay sprawled out. Shu An rested on Da Jiao's back and enjoyed a peaceful nap.
The sunset was beautiful, but alas, it was nearing dusk.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Shu An woke up hungry. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of large eyes watching her.
Weng Weng and Da Jiao had woken up at some point but had remained silent to avoid disturbing her sleep. Shu An patted her startled heart; she had been taken by surprise.
Weng Weng bit off a large mouthful of grass and placed it beside Da Jiao, nudging her with her nose, indicating for her to eat.
Shu An waved her hands awkwardly, "Weng Weng, I don't eat these."
Weng Weng understood her refusal, her eyes showing confusion. Wasn't she hungry? Why wasn't she eating grass?
Da Jiao helped explain, "Weng Weng, Sister An doesn't eat grass, she eats meat."
Weng Weng was surprised, "But we don't have meat to give Sister."
Da Jiao confidently replied, "We will soon. Eat this grass."
Weng Weng then ate the grass, and it was time for Da Jiao to go forage. Shu An climbed into the nest by herself and nestled with the eggs.
Just as she was worrying about what she would eat later, she suddenly felt the Triceratops herd become agitated. Because she was in the center of the herd, and her small size, she was protected like the dragon eggs. She couldn't see what was happening outside.
Da Jiao and Weng Weng, who had been grazing nearby, were gone. She only saw the Triceratops running around. From their roars, it was clear that carnivorous dragons were attacking them.
Pterodactyls circled overhead, their eyes fixed on the Triceratops eggs below. Shu An stood up, her expression tense. She had to protect these eggs!
This was her first time experiencing something like this, and she was worried about Da Jiao and Weng Weng. Carnivorous dragons were so powerful; would they get hurt?
A Pterodactyl spotted a target and swooped down like an arrow, landing in a nest, stealing two eggs and trampling one before fleeing!
The Triceratops mother guarding the nest was furious, chasing after the Pterodactyl and ramming it. However, the moment she left, all the eggs in the nest were stolen by other Pterodactyls. Shu An watched it all, feeling helpless to assist.
She had to protect Brother Da Jiao's eggs!
The Pterodactyls stealing eggs were met with vigilance from the Triceratops. If they dared to come down, they would surely be rammed to death!
The Pterodactyls continued to look for opportunities. Shu An's location was the least likely to be successfully ambushed. All the Triceratops would do their best to protect the leader's eggs, and Shu An benefited from this, facing no life-threatening danger.
Da Jiao and the others were fighting land-based carnivorous dragons on the perimeter. The battle was fierce, and no carnivorous dragon could gain an advantage over Da Jiao.
However, the battlefield was ever-changing. The Pterodactyls in the sky, who had been seeking ambush opportunities and held the advantage, suddenly became prey themselves when another wave of predators arrived.
In an instant, the Pterodactyls scattered and fled. The beastmen in the sky pursued them in large numbers. They were not interested in the Triceratops eggs below; they preferred meat!
As the Pterodactyls fled, the beastmen turned their attention to the Triceratops and carnivorous dragons. As apex predators, everything was food!
Shu An lay on the dragon eggs, with two strong male Triceratops protecting them.
After the beastmen had hunted enough food, they prepared to leave. One sharp-eyed beastman noticed a patch of greyish-white in the center of the herd below. He found the beast form familiar, though he couldn't recall where he had seen it.
He found it peculiar that such a small creature, about the size of a rabbit beast, had infiltrated a herd of large herbivores. It was interesting; he had to tell his companions about this when he returned.
The battle ended. Da Jiao and Weng Weng returned covered in blood, but it was not their own; it was the enemy's.
Weng Weng had only sustained minor injuries, and Da Jiao was unharmed. When they returned, Da Jiao carried a beast leg in his mouth and dropped it bloody before Shu An.
Shu An, seeing them covered in blood, was terrified. "Brother Da Jiao, are you injured?"
Da Jiao shook his head and pushed the beast leg closer to her.
Seeing this, Shu An was deeply touched but did not touch the beast leg. Instead, she jumped down to check their wounds.
After a thorough examination, she realized the blood was not theirs and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Da Jiao and the others were not injured. Otherwise, even if they were naked, she would have found herbs to treat their external wounds.
Dinner was still raw meat. It was then that the Triceratops realized that the little one brought back by the leader actually ate meat!
Thanks to her small size, her meat-eating didn't cause any dissatisfaction among the Triceratops. This little one was too small to pose any threat to them; any Triceratops could easily crush her. It was fine if she ate meat; as long as the leader was happy.
Beast form was easier to digest than human form. When she was in human form, eating raw meat only tasted fishy and was difficult to swallow. In beast form, however, she ate smoothly, though roasted meat was still tastier, but unfortunately, they didn't have the conditions for it now.
After Shu An finished the beast leg, Da Jiao and Weng Weng also filled their stomachs. Before sleeping, they went for another patrol around the herd, estimating the day's losses, encouraging the herd to remain vigilant, and then they could rest.
The injured Triceratops had already fallen asleep. The Triceratops who had lost loved ones were sadly gazing at the moon alone. Da Jiao and Weng Weng, the young couple, were not sleepy and went to watch the stars and the moon together.
Shu An lay with the eggs, her eyes wide open and sleepless. She wondered if her parents would be able to find her now that she was in the West Sea. She couldn't go back herself. Would she have to wait for Brother Da Jiao to migrate before returning?
Alas!
Shu An had been in the West Sea for less than two days, but she had sighed more times than she had in over a decade.
The day's experiences had been thrilling enough. Once she relaxed, her body and mind were exhausted, and her eyelids gradually grew heavy. She fell asleep.
The early spring evening breeze carried a hint of coolness. Shu An, fast asleep, subconsciously sought a source of warmth. As she snuggled, she ended up in the middle of the eggs. The warm eggs surrounded Shu An, and she was finally no longer cold.
Da Jiao covered the nest with large leaves. After checking that no wind could penetrate, he and Weng Weng lay on either side of the nest to sleep. Triceratops did not have high body temperatures, so this weather was comfortable for them. However, Da Jiao knew that his sisters needed to be covered when they slept, or they would get cold.