First Breath in the Arena

Heat rose from the sand beneath me. I felt the joints in my three necks loosen, each head lifting on its own to take in the vast open ground. Before me, two large dinosaur figures stood locked in silence. My left head lowered, nudging a ridge of loose sand against the clawed foot of the nearby spined beast. It didn't move. My wings flared slightly, catching the warm noon air, and a low, rumbling hum echoed from my throats. I was truly awake.