As fall progressed, hunting season became more open. Mating seasons were ending and surplus prey animals were culled to keep the populations in check. Of course, there are exceptions for certain species, namely invasive ones like feral pigs. Hunters were allowed and encouraged to hunt pigs year-round. Though even hunters targeting the feral pigs, their numbers remained persistent in certain places.
As such, Animalian hunters were welcome in places with feral pig problems. Dintopians were particularly effective as pigs can become vicious fighters when cornered and required predators that are not only strong but are capable of killing quickly. While raptors are quite effective hunters, tyrannosaurs were more ideal for hunting pigs as they stood the least risk of getting injured.
Heather and Tyra had been making it an annual tradition when open season comes to take down a few pigs together. But this year, Tyra wanted to add another member to their hunting party. Not either of their husbands, but a new tyrannosaur who came to Dinosaur City. Ursula Vandergrift was, quite frankly, a snob who think she deserves the best of everything. Becoming a Tyrannosaurus didn’t lower her high opinion of herself. If anything, it make her think she needed a mansion more than ever, despite the zoning laws being unable to accommodate her.
Since Animalia’s start, the barriers between high class and low class have broken down due to the higher class becoming more relaxed in their standards and more job opportunities opening up for the lower class. Which was why snobbish newcomers like Ursula rubbed their neighbors the wrong way. Tyra felt that Ursula needed to get more down to earth and see her new form as more than a status symbol. So Tyra convinced her to come along with her and Heather on their trip. Of course, she did leave a few key details out.
==========
“Where’s the golf club?” asked Ursula as they got out of the truck.
“Golf club?” asked Heather.
“Well, I mean the clubhouse, of course. I would assume they have golf clubs sized up for us,” said Ursula before looking around, “And where are we supposed to tee off?”
Heather turned to Tyra and asked, “Tyra, what have you been telling her?”
“Oh, just that we were going on a sporting trip and that we should expect plenty of roughness,” said Tyra.
“Really, that’s your way of telling her we’re going on a hunting trip?” asked Heather.
“Hunting trip?!” snapped Ursula, “You told me this was going to be fun.”
“Hunting is fun,” said Tyra, “I mean, not just sport-hunting. It makes it all the more challenging when ya bring yer own meat to the table.”
“Are we at least hunting large game?” asked Ursula.
“Sure, pigs get pretty big when they go feral,” said Tyra.
“Pigs,” said Ursula flatly before sighing, “Well, I’m not against a good side of pork. Though I suppose we won’t be riding.”
“No horse can carry us and they’ll likely run screaming as soon as they smell us,” said Heather.
“Dogs will tolerate us, right?” asked Ursula.
“Dogs would only scare away the pigs or get attacked by them,” said Heather, “Pigs have noses as sensitive as dogs’.”
“Then where are our rifles?” asked Ursula.
“Rifles? And miss the fun of hunting pigs with yer bare claws and teeth?” asked Tyra.
“Not to mention guns wouldn’t really fit well in our hands,” said Heather, holding up her four-fingered saurian hand.
“You expect me to hunt pigs like a savage beast?” asked Ursula indignantly.
“Ursula, yer the mightiest predator to ever walk the earth,” said Tyra, “Ya’ll were built to take down much tougher prey than pigs so this’ll be a breeze.”
“But it’s so…uncivilized,” said Ursula.
“This is important,” said Heather, “Somebody needs to keep the feral pig population in check. We can’t get them all in one swoop, but we can whittle them down to a more manageable level. And we’re providing extra meat for back home. If our hunting method bothers you, you can wait for us to get back.”
“But don’t expect to get a share of the pork,” said Tyra.
Ursula couldn’t deny she had been feeling restless since her conversion. She was told her new saurian form would come with its own instincts, but she assumed she could repress them through sheer willpower. It wasn’t that she was aching to go on a predatory rampage, but she felt a restlessness that none of her old hobbies was able to satisfy. Maybe this hunt will be able to soothe it. “Well, fine, but I expect this hunt to be done with dignity and grace,” she said.
The two Syntixisauruses exchanged smirks. “Whatever you say, Ursula,” said Heather.
“Dignity and grace,” said Tyra, crossing her fingers behind her back.
==========
The hunt had been productive, but it wasn’t really clean. The cliché about pigs wallowing in mud is a bit misleading. Since pigs can’t sweat, they need other ways to cool down and rolling in cool, damp places worked well for them. Outside of their cooling needs, they’re quite clean creatures. However, the herd that the three tyrannosaurs hunted ended up leading them into a muddy creek and it was impossible to stay spotless there.
The three returned with their prizes in quite a state. Ursula may have been told that her being tripped was an accident, but she wasn’t sure. At least her golf clothes weren’t irreplaceable. “I’m looking forward to a long, hot bath when we get back,” she said.
“I can agree, but you have to have a quick shower here first,” said Heather.
“What?” asked Ursula flatly.
“Ya don’t think they’ll let us drive back in this state, do ya?” asked Tyra.
“Ok, that’s fair, so where’s the shower?” asked Ursula.
“Right here,” said Tyra, holding up a hose.
“You cannot be seri-AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” yelled Ursula before Tyra started hosing her down, “It’s cold! It’s cold!”
“Yep, pretty cold this time of year,” said Tyra.
“Better get her chest good,” said Heather, “She fell down pretty hard in the mud.”
“Can do,” said Tyra before focusing the water’s spray on Ursula’s chest.
Ursula yelped as the icy water hit her breasts. She could feel her nipples become frozen stiff and really hoped they didn’t show through her wet shirt. At least no one was hear to film this. As unpleasantly necessary as this shower is, she did feel some excitement during the chase, up until falling in the mud. She was going to need a very long hot soak to get rid of this feeling.