The little brown tyrannosaurus rex clambered over his sibling, eyes narrowed with determination as he scuttled towards his mother. She held a large chunk of meat that dripped with oozing bits of flesh, and she rumbled softly to the two juveniles. The smell was tantalizing, and lured the brown juvenile forward with bated breath.

The little rex felt a shove to his side, launching him out of his entranced state, and he snarled at his sister with a curl of his lips. She snapped her jaws with bold defiance and turned away her cream-colored head, snorting softly. The little male bared his teeth in a threat, ready to fight for dominance, before a loud squish sounded as their mother dropped the meat to their feet. The two fell silent, heads whipping around as they momentarily forgot about each other. They rushed forward with a snarling delight, shoving each other as they struggled for the best morsel of food.

The little male succeeded in devouring the juiciest of bits, and by the time the hunk of meat was gone, he was full and content. His mother leaned down and gently touched her massive nose to each of the two juveniles, a gentle rumble rising from her chest, before rising and plodding off to her awaiting mate. The little brown male rex squawked after her, before noticing the telltale signs of her leaving for another hunt. He licked his chops before slipping into the cover of trees and settling down into his nest. His clutchmate crept over to join him, cautiously bumping her side against his, and the two curled up together and fell into the hold of sleep.

The same pattern followed throughout the coming weeks. Water wasn't an issue as a little stream flowed past the tyrannosaurus' nesting grounds, but food was becoming ever more scarce with the coming winter. The two juveniles were bigger, practically subadults at this age, and eating far more than they had when they were younger. Their mother wasn't returning with enough meat to sustain them both, and it was about time for them to leave their nest. Their fights for the best chunks of food were beginning to result in bloodshed.

Things were like this until one day, their mother snapped. Her bellowing roar was full of rage as she snarled at the two young rexes. Saliva dripped from her mouth in her savage rage, and the two cowered away from her fury. The brown male cried out in fear, his voice rising even higher as distress laced his voice. His mother would not stop, and she began to sprint at the youngsters, her bellows of rage furious and full of threat as she tried to chase them away from her nest. This was her territory, and they were big enough to be considered a danger to her home.

The brown male, more fit in the mind than his sister, darted away with a cry. The cream-colored female remained put, frozen with shock. He heard a snap of heavy jaws and a sharp squeal of pain and terror.

He turned, crouched low to the ground, and was met with the horrific sight of his parents feeding upon his clutchmate. She hadn't fled. They had come of age, and their mother would no longer dare to care for them. The little cream female had been unable to fathom this, and therefore, she had become their food.

The mother's head raised up to gaze at the staring male, and a low snarl escaped her jaws. The brown male took a step back.

It was time for him to leave.

~*~
Written on April 24th, 2019.