Ark: Friendship is Survival

by Pomp-Neigh

Chapter 75 - Thrum's Challenge

-Eastern Swamp Biome: Outpost of the Traveling Merchant-

The Ark’s morning sun fueled the swamp’s sweat-inducing humidity as Tharn absorbed it all with a deep and gleeful breath, standing upon the outpost’s watchtower.

“Ahhhhh!” he breathed out, “I just love the smell of swamp in the morning!”

“You sure that smell’s not coming from your ass?” Moss’s voice responds from below, garnering the ape’s attention, who looks over the wooden railing and down upon the Spinosaurus.

“Because I’d wager my sail that it is.”

Tharn chuckled as the dinosaur rested on its’ stomach region, limbs folded with its’ tail curled at a crescent angle. Harley could be seen slumbering alongside her adoptive brother… but in a most unusual way.

“Neh, neh!” the slumbering Paracer kicked her forelimbs into the air as if in a fight, laying on her back as her chest raised and lowered with every breath she took. “My Mejoberries…” she licked her lips, snorting, “Mmmm… yummy…”

“Haha! Must be a nice dream,” Tharn said from above, arms resting on the wooden railing. “And good morning to you too, big guy.”

Moss fought the urge to faceclaw at his sibling’s antics. “Yeah, sure…” he looks away from Harley with a slight chuckle and looks up at the ape. But upon noticing Tharn’s newly sported, cheeky grin, the dinosaur rolled his crimson eyes.

“I know that look. There’s shit-talking inbound.”

“Heh, I’m just amazed, is all. But you’re not wrong about the shit-talking, either.”

“Neh!” Harley kicked at the air again, the duo turning to her before looking at each other.

All the while, the outpost slowly began to stir to life as several other individuals escaped from the realm of slumber, even getting straight to work as they moved several crates filled with items and tended to the needs of tamed entities. As for breakfast, it was served with but mere access to their implants.

“Hear me out:” Tharn began. “Moss, the King of the Eastern Swamp Biome, who dominated every other Spinosaurus in his domain, is also overprotective of his baby sister. It’s jush sho cute!”

Moss growls. “Oh, screw yo-”

“Neh!”

“OUCH!”

The dinosaur suddenly cries out in pain as Harley’s left forelimb strikes the side of his head in her sleep.

“Ahahaha-! Woah, woah, oh, shit!”

Tharn abruptly screamed as Moss’s head slammed into the side of the watchtower due to Harley’s strike, causing the overlook to shake, and, as a result, Tharn fell over the railing while attempting to catch his balance, but to no avail.

The ape grunts as he lands and bounces off the top portion of Moss’s jaw before meeting ground level, splayed out on his stomach region.

“Mehah! Idiot,” Moss comments in pain, caressing the spot his sister had struck with a claw.

“Fuck you,” Tharn retorts, though muffled as his face is buried in the dirt.

……….

The circular door of the house built into a hollowed tree, the outpost’s most notable structure, is pushed open after some fiddling with its’ metallic doorknob. Rainbow Dash’s form is the first to exit the structure, followed by Thrum, who gently kicks the door closed behind them.

They momentarily observed the inner portions of the now-active outpost, standing at the precipice of a small flight of wooden stairs.

“Uh, what’s up with those guys?” Rainbow inquires, noticing the recovering forms of Moss and Tharn near the gate and its’ watchtower.

“Ah, their usual routine, I’m sure,” Thrum answered with shrugged shoulders.

Rainbow cocks her head in short interest, turning to the top hat-wearing ape. “By the way, thanks for letting me and Vanellope crash here for the night, Thrum.”

Thrum looks down at her, their size difference all too apparent. “Think nothing of it, Dash. The swamp is extremely dangerous at night, as I’m sure you already know. And although you can fly, your Raptor friend can not. It would behoove me to see either of you meet such an unfortunate end in there.”

Rainbow nods gratefully, but a sudden thought occurs. “Speaking of which, where is Vanellope?”

Chuckling heartfully, Thrum pointed his right thumb over the same shoulder. “See for yourself. In fact, It’s why I came to wake you up.”

The pegasus swung her head to Thrum’s side, trying to look behind him, and immediately stifled laughter with a hoof covering her muzzle from what she saw.

“Heh. Well, well, Vanellope’s been holding out on us. Pfft-hehe…”

There, in the short distance, was Vanellope, along with several attendants of the outpost who tended to various beasts that resided in closed kennels of varying sizes. However, it was what stood before the dinosaurian member of the Tribe of Harmony that garnered Rainbow’s laughter: another Raptor.

The Raptor sported a dark shade of red hide and scales and was adorned in multicolored feathers—instantly gaining some bonus points from Rainbow, she had to admit. And from what the pegasus could make out via her implant’s HUD, it was a male:

Walken - Lvl 102

Walken flared his feathers out in a display while standing on one leg before switching to another, bobbing his head up and down, chirping in various tones.

As for Vanellope… she was unimpressed, merely staring at the display with her own version of a deadpan expression.

“Morning, Vanellope,” Rainbow began on approach with a smirk, Thrum alongside her as the duo trekked across the grassy terrain.

She might not be an expert on the subject, but thanks to her time with Fluttershy, she immediately knew the clear signs of a courting ritual. After all, Raptors are technically deadly yet flightless birds. At least, she’s pretty sure it’s something along those lines.

“Heh, whaddya know? I take my eyes off you for a little while, and you run off to get yourself courted. You work fast, girl. I’ll give you that.”

Vanellope unamusedly glanced back to the pegasus with a growl before shifting back to Walken’s display. A furious and thunderous roar escaped from her throat, garnering the attention of nearby individuals, and the action immediately ceased the male Raptor’s efforts.

Walken lowered himself to the ground in submission with a series of chirps, and, satisfied, Vanellope turned away, her tail swinging over him as she made her way back to Rainbow.

“Jeez,” Rainbow began as the Raptor approached, Thrum speaking with a passing-by ape. “Talk about overkill… was a simple ‘No’ too much to ask for?”

Vanellope seemingly ignored the pegasus, trekking past the equine and making her way toward the nearby tree house.

“Vanellope?” Rainbow calls out as she watches the Raptor flawlessly pounce onto the tree house’s trunk and begin to scale it.

Vanellope soon rests upon a large branch, her tail hanging and swaying side to side as she looks away from the outpost’s inner sanctum and out to the swamp.

The scenario gained many questions from Rainbow as she observed Vanellope inquisitively, head tilted and ears raised fully. She then looked to the formerly rejected male Raptor, who was in the process of recovery, having lifted themself to their full stature.

“Sorry about that, dude… maybe next time.”

Walken looked down at the equine, scanning her form before looking back at his feathers. He repeats this action several more times, Rainbow managing to catch on as she grabs onto her mane with a forelimb.

“Heh,” She chuckled in pride. “Yeah, my mane is awesome, but your feathers aren’t too shabby, either.”

“I take it you got rejected, Walken?” Thrum’s encroaching voice inquired, joining the duo and garnering their attention. “That’s a surprise. Usually, you land mates with little to no effort.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “I can’t help but detect a double meaning here…”

“Hah!” The top hat-wearing ape cackled. “And you’d be right! For, you see, Walken here is often sold for mating. Many tribes are amazed by the colors of his feathers and seek to integrate his genes into their ranks.”

“W-wait, you mean…” The pegasus’s face flared red, eyes widening. “O-oh…”

“Come now, Dash, don’t be too judgmental,” Thrum waved dismissively. “Aren’t you familiar with how breeding works?”

“O-of course I’m familiar with that sappy stuff!” Rainbow asserts with flared wings. “But not going around like some kind of whorse.”

“Colorful language, but tsk, tsk, tsk,” Thrum emphasized with an appointed index finger. “You evidently are NOT familiar with the actual benefits of breeding. Here’s the thing: the enhancements applied to a tribe’s tames can-”

“Change the subject, please,” Rainbow groan-fully interjects, a wing covering her face. “This is the kind of stuff meant for Fluttershy, not me.”

Thrum laughs lightly. “I’m quite curious to meet your fellow Equus’s soon; you speak quite highly of them. Very well, then. Let’s get to a proper transaction.” He adjusts his top hat and stance, clasping his legs together while beaming a smile.

“So, do you remember our discussion from yesterday? My offer?”

Rainbow forms a mischievous grin. “Basically: I race other survivors on this island to those drops and bring whatever’s in them to you, right?”

“Precisely. Call it a discount as, considering your tribe is newly established, you lot naturally won’t have the goods and resources that would interest us.”

“No problem,” The pegasus confidently waved a forelimb. “Consider it done.”

“My, my. Cocky, aren’t we?” Thrum amused. “Well, going back to our breeding discussion for a moment, you should know that other tribes have bred pterosaurs with incredible speed specifically for this purpose. I trust you know what I’m getting at?”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes, her grin still vibrant. “You doubt me, buddy?”

“Very much so. Unless, of course,” Thrum sports a grin of his own, “you can prove me wrong?”

A dead silence ensues.

“Challenge me,” Rainbow dared.

“Pardon?”

“Challenge. Me.”

A smile stretched across Thrum’s face. “As you wish.” The ape spun in place with a flourish and pointed toward the direction of a particular; central biome:

The Redwoods.

“I want you to pick up a delivery for me from Sir. Gideon Apesworth of the Tribe of Maimuta. And you have thirty minutes to get back here with the goods. This will also be a test of your loyalty, Rainbow Dash. You seem nice enough, but you can’t expect me to trust someone I’ve only known for barely a day.”

Rainbow laughed heartfully. “You call that a challenge, Thrum?” She hovers in place and meets the ape at eye level. “I’ll do it in ten minutes flat! And I’ll have you know that loyalty is one hundred percent a part of who I am, aside from being awesome, of course. In other words: Rainbow Dash doesn’t buck anycreature over. Believe it!”

“Impressive. But actions speak louder than words, my friend.” Realization dawns on Thrum’s face. “Oh! Before you go, you’ll need my seal, and I’ll need to outfit you with our banner. Wouldn’t want King Grok’s forces to shoot you down now, do we?”

.

.

.

“...Sh-shoot me down?!”

……….

Disregarding the conversations on ground level, not to mention Walken’s earlier ‘display,’ Vanellope kept her gaze locked onto the swamp from her tree-branched overlook.

In truth, she hadn’t meant to brush off Rainbow as she did, but… No, she couldn’t even consider the thought of mating, not after all that she’s had to endure…

The betrayal... The lost...

“Hey, Vanellope!” Rainbow Dash called from below, garnering the Raptor’s attention as she turned in place on the branch to look down upon the cyan mare.

However, Vanellope instantly noticed what the equine had adorned over their Hide Armor: a white vest-like apparel with the insignia of a top hat hovering over an island.

“I have to go out on my own, but I’ll return in ten minutes, easily!”

“So you claim, hah!” Thrum taunts from near the pegasus, earning a snort from Rainbow before she looks back up to the Raptor.

“You gonna be okay without me?”

Vanellope chirps with an affirmative nod before lifting herself up from her perch and scaling down the tree house. Her sickled feet capsize grass as she lands on ground level, walking over to the pegasus and gently bumping them with her snout.

“Heh, I’ll be fine, Vanellope,” Rainbow assures, rubbing the dinosaur’s lower jawline. “Just take care of yourself, you hear me? And don’t do anything stupid; I mean it.”

The duo parted with an understanding as Rainbow Dash looked in Thrum’s direction, nodding at him.

“I’m ready.”

Thrum returned the gesture, raising his left arm and focusing on the diamond-shaped implant resting on his wrist, which came to life with vibrant blue lights.

“Alright! On your mark!”

Rainbow lowers herself to the ground, preparing for liftoff.

“Get set!”

The event drew the attention of other residents of the outpost.

“Go!”

The pegasus flaps her wings downward and swiftly kicks into the air with haste, creating a small gush of wind while instantly garnering several dumbfounded expressions, slacked jaws, and some comments:

“Woah!”

“That’s incredible!”

“I’ve never seen anything get airborne that quickly before!”

……….

Harley, having long awoken from her slumber and apologized for striking her brother, is among those who observed the flying pegasus in wonder.

“Wooowie!” She beamed, ears flickering. “She’s super, duper, fast! Ooh, I hope mom and dad can see this!”

Both Moss and Tharn were too dumbfounded to speak, jaw and maw having been dropped from the very second Rainbow took off.

……….

Thrum wide-openly stares at Rainbow’s form, which distanced with every passing moment. And a nervous chuckle escapes from his throat.

“Y-you know… starting to regret my wager…”

However, due to the unexpected nature of this grand scenario, no one in attendance had noticed Vanellope’s form that had climbed over the outpost’s wooden walls. None… except for Walken, who swiftly follows suit.

Author's Note:

Apologies for the delay, ladies and gents!

Comments

[Charlie_K]

So is Walken a regular but colorful raptor, or one of those feathered raptors you find on Valguero?

Also, Vanellope has a bit of tsundere to her it wold appear.

Rainbow laughed heartfully. “You call that a challenge, Thrum?” She hovers in place and meets the ape at eye level. “I’ll do it in ten minutes flat! And I’ll have you know that loyalty is one hundred percent a part of who I am, aside from being awesome, of course. In other words: Rainbow Dash doesn’t buck anycreature over. Believe it!”

Damn it, Rainbow Dash, stop Narutoing it up!

Also, the idea of Vanellope being able to physically scale a tree is damn terrifying to think about.

[Aresnightsworn]

Hmmmm, I wonder what would happen if rainbow raced a managarmr

[Pomp-Neigh]

11495151
He’s a regular Raptor, just with rainbow feathers. 👌 He’s basically introducing the more colorful dinos we can find on the Ark.

The cast will find/see pastel colored dinosaurs, you could say. Just like we do in game.

But, of course, Valguero and the other “Non-Official Arks”, AKA the modded maps, are canon to the story.

[Pomp-Neigh]

11495215
The Mana, Rock Drake, and Shadowmane are the three beasts I can’t wait for RD to mingle with.

There will be other surprise speedsters, too, but those three are my favorites.

[Frostgear]

Thrum just what the hell did you wager?

[Zubric]

11495244
Can’t players just colour their teams whatever colours they want? Listed think that’s a feature

[Pomp-Neigh]

11496804
They can, but I’m adding some realism in this scenario. Painting a dinosaur a particular color doesn’t mean the offspring will inherit it.

Sure, a tribe could just paint their tames, but there are those who want organic mutations, for instance.

[Charlie_K]

It is with a heavy heart that I must report the Human Man Warrior, the Wyvern King, Thick44, has passed away.

[Pomp-Neigh]

11506009
I just heard of the news, too.

I simply must honor him in the story. I’ll very likely name the Fire Wyvern King, Alpha Wyvern, or the Dodowyvern after Tony Schnur/Thick44.

RIP, you legend.

[demondude123]

“ Fuck you, ” Tharn retorts, though muffled as his face is buried in the dirt.

This entire exchange was hilarious. Good work.

[demondude123]

The betrayal... The lost...

Loss.

[demondude123]

“Y-you know… starting to regret my wager…”

Oh, gee, ya think?