Iren Dabasu Formation, China, 96 Million Years Ago

In the heart of eastern Asia lies what is now Inner Mongolia. Here, in the upper east of China, the landscape borders the vast territories of its northern neighbor. This is not the dry land of our modern day. The shifting sands and drought-resistant grass are a far cry compared to this area in the Late Cretaceous.

Here lies a vast array of braided rivers. From high above, they appear like the roots and branches of a tree, spreading and scattering in various directions. Some even connect and crossover with one another. Seed shrimp gather in large quantities within the waterways to feed on freshwater algae.

Surrounding the babbling waters of these streams is a wide array of lush, green vegetation. The tallest among them are needled conifer trees whose pine cones are just beginning to sprout. Early angiosperms resembling today's walnut and mistletoe trees come close in size to the conifers. These are joined by their most common modern descendants, primitive flowers. Their tiny pedals are a simple white but are the beginnings of the many colors they'll eventually come in. These proto-flowers are mixed in with an abundant undergrowth of ferns and cycads.

Such a plethora of vegetation draws a variety of herbivorous animals to this warm, humid land for feeding. One of these spends most of its time around the trees. It's a Neimongosaurus, a member of the therizinosaur family of bipedal dinosaurs. Standing at nearly 5 feet tall with a length of 10 feet and weighing 500 pounds, it's rather small compared to the rest of its peculiar family. It does still sport a heavy, pot-bellied body and short tail supported by well-developed hindlimbs like its cousins. A small head with a horny beak full of leaf-shaped teeth rests at the top of an elongated neck. Like its larger cousins, it sports long arms with large claws at the tips of all three of its fingers.

Much of its body is covered in shaggy, hair-like feathers that are various shades of brown, black, and gray. Only its hands, face, and legs lack this plumage, showing a tan, scaly skin. Its beak is also vacant in feathers and dark gray.

Neimongosaurus, as with other therizinosaurs, spends its days browsing off the branches of the abundant trees around it. Some appear out of reach of this herbivore's mouth, despite its long-reaching neck. Thankfully, its arms can stretch out long enough to grab many of these branches and pull them toward its head.

There is also another purpose to the Neimongosaur's clawed appendages. Occasionally, it would scratch away the bark on trees, exposing the many grubs and insects nestled inside. It then uses its tongue to lap them up before sucking them into its mouth for ingestion. This strategy allows it to gain extra proteins that would otherwise be missed if it were to strictly stick to herbivory.

Such a peaceful feasting will unfortunately not last long. Snaps, creaks, and rustles fill the air in the grove, prompting the Neimongosaurus to freeze mid-browsing. It turns its head to the left to see a thick batch of vegetation shaking in rhythm with the noises. Thudding footsteps join these noises as parts of a mysterious animal start to be seen in the greenery. With a deep, bellowing squawk, the creature emerges from the growth.

This is Yichen, a male Gigantoraptor. He is a member of the bird-like oviraptorosaur clade of dinosaurs. Standing 16 feet tall and weighing one and a half tons, he is also the largest of the family. This massive figure is carried by a pair of long hind limbs with feet that sport four toes, the first of which is reduced. Elongated arms grow from his thick, short body, ending in three fingers with curved claws. His tail is not very elongated and terminates in a wide fan of feathers. A lengthy, ostrich-like neck helps to support his avian-esque head. Both of his jaws are toothless and in a sharp, keratinous beak.

His body is nearly entirely covered in a thick coat of feathers. The base of them is primarily mossy green with emerald pigments on the tips of his tail fan and arms. Long, bright scarlet feathers adorn the top of his head, forming a comb-shaped structure. Lemon-yellow plumage covers his chest and the underside of his stomach. Such tuft is absent from his legs and hands, instead showing scaly skin, stained in a mix of copper and russet browns. The hard beak on its jaws is completely black. He also has a strange, deflated sac hanging from his throat, stained in bright, vivid scarlet.

Upon seeing the Neimongosaurus, Yichen lets out a series of deep, guttural honks, squawks, and bellows. His arms flutter frantically as these noises exited his beak. Frightened by the giant's display, the browsing herbivore scampers off, vanishing into the thick brush.

Now alone, Yichen ceases his sound and arm flapping. He then starts to aim his head high and lets out a series of booms and rumbles. These deep resonating noises reverberate throughout the woodlands. His head tilts to the side as he listens for a response. Initially, he only hears the distant, deep calls of other male Gigantoraptors. He lets out more of his booms and rumbles, periodically stopping to listen for a response. Yet again, his hearing is only met by the sounds of his rival suitors.

Suddenly, he freezes, his head feathers instantly perking upward. He starts to hear a different call from the ones he's become used to. This auditory signal is a pair of higher-pitched booms, repeated every two seconds. Yichen recognizes these as what he had been intently searching for, the calls of a female Gigantoraptor. Immediately, he struts further through his environment, his head jerking like that of a chicken.

Only a minute of stepping through the trees and vegetation passes before Yichen finds a clearing. Here, many of the ferns and trees are vacant, exposing the soft, brown dirt of the ground covered in pieces of dead plants. In the middle of this space is the object of his desires. It is Ai-ling, a female Gigantoraptor. Her body and form are generally the same as her male counterpart. However, she lacks the red throat sac and feather comb seen on Yichen. She also has different colored feathers, primarily dusty chartreuse with straw yellow on the front of her neck and the bottom of her stomach.

Amongst this dirt-filled clearing, Ai-ling continues repeating her calls in anticipation of a suitor. Yichen stays among the ferns and trees, almost admiring her from afar. He then snaps himself out by shaking his head before flapping his wings in preparation.

As he does, a new challenge arrives in the clearing. It's another male Gigantoraptor. This is a slightly younger one, only just barely reaching sexual maturity. As such, his bright plumage is duller than that seen on Yichen.

Nonetheless, this doesn't stop the rookie rooster from attempting to woo Ai-ling. He does so by strutting around the female in a continuous circle. As he does, he spreads his arms out while shaking his feathers. His head tilts into the air as he lets out a series of deep booms, clicks, and cluck-like noises.

Despite these efforts, Ai-ling is not receptive to the young rooster's advances and starts to walk away. This only prompts the rookie to get closer to the female while continuing his mating dance. Ai-ling tries to find her way around the eager male only for him to keep blocking her retreat.

At this moment, Yichen emerges from the greenery and lets out a loud, throaty bellow. The younger rooster responds with the same noises, motivating Ai-ling to move away. Both males start to steadily step toward one another. They also play out their wings while producing loud honks.

Then, the young rooster deploys a secret technique. While pointing his head upward, he takes a massive breath. As he does, the sac on his throat rapidly expands. Once filled with air, it becomes twice the size of his head. He also lets out a series of deep rumbles.

In response, Yichen does the same thing. However, his sac is hugely different from his competitor. Not only is it much bigger, but it's also much brighter in color, a sign of his more advanced sexual maturity.

Displaying his inflated throat, Yichen tramps toward his adversary. The inexperienced rooster steps backward in response, his sac gradually deflating. Now mere inches away from his opponent, Yichen lets out a booming, hoarse honk. Shaken, the younger rooster scampers away from the dirt clearing.

Now alone, Yichen turns his attention to Ai-ling. He leaves his air sac filled, but also produces more soothing rumbles mixed with softer booms. This turns his display of threat into one of courtship. He continues to strut in a circle around the female Gigantoraptor. Ai-ling starts to gently quake as her eyes remain locked on Yichen's display.

Finally, the female lets out a pair of brief but deep clucking sounds before adopting a roosting position on the ground. At last, Yichen's display was a success and Ai-ling is now ready to mate. He then stands over the female and gently presses his body on top of his partner's rear end. This marks the end of their courtships, but also a new chapter in the lives of these Gigantoraptors.

***

Much time has passed since Yichen and Ai-ling first laid eyes on one another. So much so that growths of ferns can be seen sprouting from the dirt in the clearing where they met. In the middle of this patch of brown lies Ai-ling, roosting on the ground on her lonesome and bathing in the fading light of dusk. The tips of her arm feathers completely hide her legs while her neck is low enough for her head to touch the ground as she lays sleeping.

This slumber quickly ends as she starts to hear snapping and rustling. Her eyes slide open as her neck raises her head off the soil. She looks ahead of her to find a male Gigantoraptor emerging from the thick vegetation. Upon seeing him, Ai-ling starts to produce a series of aggressive rumbles.

The male takes a step back before inflating his throat sac. Ai-ling's rumbles quiet down into silence in response. To her, this isn't any ordinary male Gigantoraptor but her mate, Yichen. The rooster deflates his sac before approaching her. The two greet each other by rubbing their beaks together.

Then, Yichen aims his head below Ai-ling, prompting her to raise her body off the ground. Doing so reveals what lies underneath her massive form. It is a large amount of dirt, carved in the shape of a crater the size of a monster truck tire. Lining the walls inside are twenty eggs. Each one is cylindrical, solid white, and one-and-a-half feet in length.

One day, this clutch will be the beginning of Yichen and Ai-ling's family. For now, they simply lay within the nest, arranged in a ring 9 feet in diameter. This arrangement leaves a hole in the middle allowing the soon-to-be mother to incubate them without the fear of crushing them. Such a task has required her to remain seated on the eggs near constantly for the young to incubate properly.

This is where having a mate has its advantages. For the past month that Ai-ling has been incubating the nest, Yichen has been regularly venturing out in search of food to bring back for her. Now, he is once again filled up with nourishment and ready to feed her. The two start by locking their beaks together allowing Yichen to regurgitate his stomach contents into Ai-ling's gullet.

Upon emptying his gut contents, the father-to-be once again leaves his mate in search of more food to bring back. Filled with nourishment, Ai-ling sits back down on the nest and dozes back off. Being a living incubator for developing young Gigantoraptors is often a lonesome experience for this female, but that is far from her only concern.

In a cluster of ferns behind her, a different resident of China hides in wait. It gently steps out from the cover of the greenery, its footsteps silent to not disturb the mother Gigantoraptor. This is an Alectrosaurus, an Asian ancestor of T-Rex.

Like its famous descendant, it's a bipedal carnivore whose body is balanced by a long-stiffened tail. The body of Alectrosaurus does differ widely from its famous cousin by having a more moderately built shape with longer, slenderer legs. It's also much smaller at 20 feet long and weighs almost a ton. Such advantages give it a boost of speed that its successor would trade for bulk and a more powerful bite. Its skull is also much sleeker with a pair of small, horn-shaped protrusions emerging from above its ruby-red eyes. This head also sports jaws filled with sharp, serrated teeth. A coat of feathers covers the top of it from the back of its neck a foot behind its hips. This plumage is pigmented in a mix of taupe and auburn. The skin on the rest of his body is made up of a series of khaki scales.

Steadily, the Alectrosaurus creeps behind the slumbering giant mother. It starts to reach its head into the next bellow, its jaws dripping with saliva. As the predator becomes only inches away from an egg, the body of the female Gigantoraptor starts to shift around.

Suddenly, Ai-ling turns around and spots the Alectrosaurus. She flaps her arms while letting out loud guttural honks and clucks. The display combined with her 10-foot-taller size is enough to make the predator retreat into the cover of the thicker forest. With the potential egg thief gone, returns to her roosting sleep. This was far from the only predator she's had to ward off and it won't be the last.

***

Further away, Yichen trudges through the thick, plentiful vegetation of his environment. Here in the dense greenery, shadows become darker and evermore present as daylight continues to softly fade. As he passes through, the male Gigantoraptor munches up various bits of vegetation and early fruit that he comes across. With such a large, sharp beak, he's able to easily bite off even the toughest vegetation.

Yichen continues his foraging for minutes on end before gradually stopping. He comes across a sight different from the dense forest he had been accustomed to marching through. Here lies one of the many rivers that flow through this land.

At this stream of fresh water, many of the residents here come for a drink. Some are native to this land such as Neimongosaurus. In addition, feeding off the nearby trees, they lower their heads into the flowing waters to refresh themselves with hydration.

Visitors from nearby lands come here for nourishment too during the summer. The biggest of them that gather in large numbers is Gilmoreosaurus. These are ancestors of the hadrosaur family of duck-billed, herbivorous dinosaurs. They sport the same keratinous beak of duck-like shape. This serves as their way of biting off vegetation that is then chewed by their tightly grouped batteries of leaf-shaped teeth. Despite being the biggest of the migrating animals here, they're much smaller than their descendants at only 10 feet long and roughly half a ton. Their bodies are slender carried by four limbs. The back ones are strong and longer while the front ones are short, yet robust. Their scaly skin is primarily dyed in mint green with a pattern of vertical castleton-shaded streaks on their back and beige-yellow underbelly.

Another seasonal traveler here is one that immediately gains Yichen's focus. They are Graciliceratops, early ancestors of horned, herbivorous dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Unlike their bulky, four-legged descendants, they are much more slender and stand on two legs with a long tail to balance out their weight. At up to 6 and a half feet long, 1 foot tall, and weighing nearly 20 pounds, they're only a fraction of their more famous relative. While they do lack horns, they do sport a small frill that sports a bright red hue on males and a soft, duller orange on females. The rest of their scaly-skinned bodies are primarily dark yellow with a pattern of horizontal, bronze streaks all over them. Adults sport long, brown, quill-like feathers on their backs above their hips, a feature absent in the 3-foot juveniles.

Whereas the Gilmereosaurus had arrived from Uzbekistan in the east, Graciliceratops have traveled here from the north in Mongolia. Every year, both migrants journey here to take advantage of the abundant streams and plethora of nutritious plants.

One juvenile Graciliceratops wanders away from the herd and approaches the edge of one patch of greenery. Here, it nibbles on various pieces of the plentiful ferns and cycads. Unbeknownst to him, something lurks in the cover of this herbage.

Abruptly, the head of Yichen springs out of the foliage. The juvenile starts to run away but quickly finds itself trapped in the male Gigantoraptor's jaws. The youngster loudly screeches and squeals as it's violently shaken. All the other Graciliceratops can do is retreat into the forest along with the Gilmoreosaurus and Neimongosaurus. Their swift escape fills the forest with screeches, squeals, and honks.

Eventually, life leaves the youngster as its body flops lifelessly with the shaking. Yichen then releases his grip on the Graciliceratops, causing it to drop to the ground with a thud. He starts to bite at the corpse, pulling bits of meat off it before swallowing. Gigantoraptors like Yichen have become well-built for a generalized diet. He can perfectly take advantage of the nutritious vegetation of his environment but also supplement his diet with meat from small animals like Graciliceratops.

***

In the skies above the Chinese woods, daylight has completely disappeared. Not only has nighttime started, but dark gray storm clouds have gathered in mass. Their puffy gray shrouds completely block the moon and the start of the night sky. With this dark veil comes the reverberating rumbles of thunder. In their wake drops the lifeblood of the forest... rain. Not only does this add to the water that flows through the many rivers, but it also nourishes the present plant life and allows more of it to grow.

Such an event brings a lot of noise with it. Crashes of thunder fill the dark, cloudy skies and the drumming of rainfall fills the forest below. This causes issues for Ai-ling. These natural noises keep the mother Gigantoraptor awake at a time that's already hard to sleep through. Not only that but the rain and thunder are deafening enough to hide other sounds she'd have to look out for, mainly predators.

One potential egg thief starts to take advantage of this. An Alectrosaurus emerges from the wet greenery, its skin, and feathers moistened by the rain. This time, it readily approaches the female Gigantoraptor in the open rather than sneaking around. Such an act only makes Ai-ling more aware of the predator's presence, causing her to let out a series of deep honks while splaying out her arms.

This time, however, the thief is not alone. Shortly, another Alectrosaurus emerges from a forest batch to Ai-ling's right. In response, she switches her attention between both predators while continuing her arms flapping and guttural honks. As she does, two more emerge from her left, and a third behind her. Now, she finds herself turning in circles, surrounded by five of the predators. A Gigantoraptor may be able to fend off one much smaller Alectrosaurus but a whole pack is another matter entirely.

Ai-ling continues her frantic honks and flapping, all while switching her attention between all the pack members. Despite this, neither of the Alectrosaurus cease in their approach. Their growls fill the air along with thunder and rainfall. Panic sets into the female Gigantoraptor, causing her to stand up and repeatedly turn her attention between the predators.

In the chaos, one Alectrosaur reaches its head into the nest and attempts to bite one of the eggs. Before it can, Ai-ling turns and squawks at it, inciting it to step backward. Another of the predators attempts the same only to be scared off by the female Gigantoraptor.

Soon, three of the Alectrosaurs approach her from the front. In response, Ai-ling spreads out her arms while letting out her growly honks. As she does, another of the predators snatches one of the eggs. The shell breaks apart instantly, covering its mouth in yolk. Hearing the breaking of the egg's shell, the female Gigantoraptor charges at the thief.

In the process, she leaves the nest entirely unguarded. This allows two more Alectrosaurs to run in and eat two more of the eggs. Enraged, Ai-ling storms toward the intruding predators. Swiftly two more spring in front of her, causing her to stop in place. The female Gigantoraptor flaps her wings and honks, but this doesn't deter them. Instead, they start to slowly creep toward her. She quickly turns around to find a third Alectrosaur growling at and approaching her. Ai-ling steps to her right only for one of the predators to block her escape. With three Alectrosaurs circling her, the female Gigantoraptor is left to keep honking and flapping. Panic strikes her as she's left helpless watching predators devour the eggs she's spent a month incubating.

Suddenly, a loud rustle catches the attention of the feasting Alectrosaurs. They dart their heads to find the shadow of a tall, imposing figure looming over them. In an instant, a kick from a massive leg sends one of the predators tumbling away. A sharp beak clamps onto the neck of the other thief, shaking it around before being tossed away. The rest of the pack cease their circling to see what disposed of the other two Alectrosaurs.

Standing in front of the nest is Yichen. He stands wet from constant rainfall. Drops of crimson leak from the tip of his beak. Drenched feathers from the carnivores fall in unison with the blood.

With the three distracted, Ai-ling starts kicking and biting them away. Her mate joins in too, his throat sac inflating to its peak. Both Gigantoraptors honk and flap their arms while heading back to the nest.

Unbeknownst to them, one Alectrosaur is getting ready to strike. This time not at one of the eggs but at the Gigantoraptors. In a rush, it's stampeding toward the mated pair. However, his dash is brought to an abrupt stop when Ai-ling stomps onto its lower leg bone. The predator lets out a loud hiss as it crashes into the ground.

The mother-to-be turns back to the nest as Yichen scares away the rest of the pack. Victorious, the male approaches his mate, seeing her let out soft clucks as she stares downward. Yichen glimpses the nest to find the impact of the Alectrosaur attack. Six of their eggs smashed, yellow yolk staining the ground around them. Sharing in the distraught, the male comforts his mate by rubbing the side of his head against hers. Tonight has seen the unfortunate loss of some of their would-be offspring. While they may mourn, all they can do now is protect what remains of their future young.

Their silence is interrupted by the sound of a raspy breath. The Gigantoraptors turn to find one Alectrosaur left in their clearing. It lies squirming on the ground. With one of its legs broken, it struggles to stand. Yichen steps toward it, gurgling grumbles emanating from him. The predator kicks his one working leg but to no avail.

Before long, the male Gigantoraptor arrives and steps onto the Alectrosaur's chest. It looks up to see the rooster staring at it, his grumbling intensifying. In an instant, Yichen bites the throat of the predator with his sharp beak. The Alectrosaur's life ends with one last raspy bellow that echoes throughout the land.

***

One more month has passed. In that time, many more ferns sprouted in the clearing the Gigantoraptor couple had called home. Ai-ling remains resting atop their dormant brood with Yichen slumbering less than a foot away from her. Also close by is the decayed corpse of an Alectrosaurus. Much of its meat is gone either from feasting or decomposition. All that remains is bones and small sheets of dead skin.

Suddenly, both Gigantoraptors jolt their eyes open as their slumber is broken. Their heads rise as they hear a series of soft, mewling chirps. They turn their heads all around, finding nothing around them.

Ai-ling looks down to find where the noises are coming from, the nest. Quickly she stands up, allowing both her and Yichen to investigate the nest. They glance all over it, finding nothing but the eggs themselves. Despite this, they keep hearing mysterious sounds, unlike anything they've ever heard.

As these chirps continue, cracks start to form on the eggs. Both Gigantoraptors move their heads closer, witnessing pieces of one egg's shell inward. Soon, more pieces fall away to reveal a small lifeform covered in sage green, downy feathers. It pulses slightly with every chirp that emanates from it. Yet more shards of the egg break away to reveal another part of the creature, its head. Much like both Ai-ling and Yichen, it has a sharp, toothless beak, but its eyes are proportionately much larger. This isn't just any creature, but the first of the pair's chicks.

The hatchling looks up, its eyes squinting in response to the near-blinding daylight. Through this, its lids open, allowing it to see the two adult Gigantoraptors looking down at it. It chirps even more frequently at the sight of its parents. Immediately, more chirping occurs from the other eggs as they start to break open. More babies start to step from their shell prisons and onto the soft, dirty ground within the nest. The hatching of the newborns continues until 14 of them litter the roost.

Yichen and Ai-long reach their heads toward the hatchlings, rubbing the sides of their beaks against them. With the emergence of a new generation of Gigantoraptors, the two adults are no longer just a mated pair, but mother and father. From the moment they met, their lives together have been a challenging one. Whether it be Yichen courting Ai-ling for the first time or defending their unborn brood from fearsome predators. Even from here on, it will take a great amount of attention and care to raise their new family, one born from the union of two oddities.