Cretatous Survival (Ash)

Scowler rubbed against her in a dominant manner, "i asked her to move closer to the herd" he informed her, grooming her frill affectionately.

She gave a small nod and she sighed, pressing close to him, "How is she doing? You were over there for a while" She asked softly, looking to her mate.

"egg-stealers" Scowler nodded, but moved over to her and nuzzled her gently, "they'll be fine baby"

"Its just.. You told me when you had nested when Patchy was an egg.. All these things happened.. But nothing is happening now.." She sighed, pressing her face to his, "Maybe I'm just overthinking" She murmured.

Scowler considered her words, "it's not likely baby, the trees around here are pretty thick, we would have heard something moving" he told her, nuzzling her gently, "we'll keep an eye out though" he assured her.

"Its just... Nothing has come for the eggs... At all.. There's been no trouble besides within the herd" She murmured, looking to her mate, "It has me worried... Something bigger might be waiting to strike" She sighed, looking up toward the male.

Scowler noticed the worry on Oceana's face and questioned it, "What's wrong baby?" he asked worriedly, nuzzling her gently.

She grazed with her mate, sticking close to the nest, surprised nothing had come for any of the many nests that were around the clearing, it almost made her worried something bigger was coming for them or their eggs.

Scowler chuckled rubbing against her as he started to graze around the nest, keeping an eye on the rest of the herd aswell.

"Always have been" She cooed, nuzzling him softly, rubbing her horns to his softly.

Scowler chuckled and nuzzled into her, headbutting her rear playfully before he huffed at her, "i'm cute now am i?" he grumbled a little sulkily.

Oceana chuckled as she listened to him, "So that's the little monster's name huh?" She teased, nuzzling her mate, "I find it cute" She cooed, nipping at her mate playfully.

Scowler nodded, nuzzling her softly, "i know" he smiled, "i still get excited," he told her, "Although after seeing Spike, i'm not sure i want them to be like me" he chuckled, "am i really that bad?"

"Everything seems fine" She said, turning toward the nest, leaning down and sniffing the eggs, "A few younger trikes stopped by to see them" She said, nuzzling her mate, "It'll still be a bit until they hatch I'm sure" She cooed.

Scowler chuckled and rubbed against her, giving soft calls, he turned his attention to the nest, "how are they" he asked curiously, eyeing the eggs.

Trics gave a small smile as she looked to him, leaning into his touch and nuzzling him in return, "Of course you can meet them, I never planned on denying you the right to see them when I came back" She said, "Fine fine, big softy" She agreed softly and giving a small laugh, rounding up the hatchlings taking them toward the herd more.

Oceana moved to her mate once he was close and she nuzzled him, "Yes, you do" She chuckled and rubbed her cheek against his.

Scowler nodded, "when everything calms down with the nests, i'd like to meet them, properly if you'd allow it" he told her, for a moment scowler looked back, before giving her a gentle nuzzle, "i'll come and find you later...and Trics" she turned back around, "come closer to the herd, i don't like that your so far away..." he gave her a gentle smile before he headed back towards his nest. Nuzzling Oceana lovingly, "do i get brownie points for doing as im told?" he asked her with a chuckle.

She let out a breath as he spoke, "Its okay..  I probably deserved it" She murmured, "Honestly... A couple males tried... But I was still pretty injured... My legs gave out and it spooked them off... But no other male has sired those three, I promise" She said honstly to him.

Scowler frowned stepping back a little affronted, "if i'm honest i didn't think you would have done it consensually, i guess i needed to know if there was a male trike somewhere i needed to find and beat the shit out of" she told her, "i'm sorry i shouldn't have asked you like that" he apologised, "i didn't mean to upset you."

She looked up toward him in shock, almost confused at his question, "Of course they're yours Scowler" She said, giving him a slight glare, "I know I was gone, but what in the world made you think I would just go and have some other male's hatchlings?" She huffed, clearly hurt by hus questioned, but she sighed, knowing she deserved it.

Scowler listened to Trics, while he wanted to state that her coming back didn't alter or change his feelings for Oceana, it would just make running the herd alot more difficult. Scowler had always been a leader with one female, there was a reason for this, but it wasn't something he openly shared. This was simply how he operated, there was no changing this, not for anyone. The large pain was also painfully loyal, he had refused to leave Trics' when she was injured, where anyone else would have moved on to a more stable female, Scowler hadn't. It was going to be difficult to see her with another male if one approached her, Scowler wasn't sure how he'd handle it, he knew he was well within his rights to chase off any male who came close to her, but this would be unfair as Scowler wouldn't intend to mate with her. Scowler eyed the hatchlings for a moment before he glanced at Trics, "are they mine?" he asked, Scowler had decided earlier that he wasn't going to ask, that it didn't matter because if the answer was no, it would make forgiving her next to impossible, but Scowler couldn't accept her back into the herd, or accept her as a friend if later he was going to be stabbed in the back with news that would cause him to become unstable.

She kept her head down, letting out a shaky breath, watching Spike and his two smaller siblings come running to her, the trio trying to comfort her, she gently pushed them off and she stood, letting out a breath, "You don't need to take me back Scowler, I can see you're happier, and honestly, you seem more relaxed with her than you ever were with me" She said softly, "If you just want to be friends Scowler, I'll be happy, you cant just abandon a nest" She said, giving him a small nudge, "I know its hard for you" She said quietly.

Scowler watched Trics for a long time before he said, “I won’t ever agree with what you did, but I’m beginning to understand why you did it” he told her with a huff.

Trics trembled and she pressed into his touch, whimpering softly, "I thought I could make you move on.. Make you forget me then if I got better I could come back.." She mumbled, avoiding his gaze, "I wish I had of came back before I had to make a nest" She whimpered.

Scowler couldn’t justify walking away from Trics in that moment, frowning he approached her slowly, he nuzzled her head gently trying to comfort her. While the large trike might not have been ready to forgive her, she didn’t deserve to be shut out.