Here it is the final part of Far Away Home.
I hope you've enjoyed the ride for the past 3 years, because it's now officially done
Thank you for supporting me and continuing to review it even when my schedule which often took me away from the story for 2-3 months at a time dragged on and interest waned.
Far Away Home Epilogue“Is that it?” commented Xavier with enthusiasm, clearly wrapped on Sky’s every word.
“For tonight at least,” returned a much older Sky with a yawn.
“..but there’s so much you haven’t told us yet. Are you still banished from the Feral Forest? Did you ever see Chomper again?”
The older Littlefoot rises to his feet with some effort, the dim light from the glowing cracks reflecting off his tough hide.
“That was the last time we saw him,” commented Littlefoot, “and for all our sakes I am thankful it was the last.”
“But dad he didn’t seem like he was that bad, was he?” replied Xavier
“You’re forgetting that he’s still a sharptooth, and if what mom says is true that’s means he’s always dangerous,” adds Wayne.
“And who’s to say he hasn’t developed a taste for… longneck flesh!” exclaimed the fourwing Landar, as if trying to scare them all.
It didn’t really work that well.
“What do you think Cloud?” insisted Kala the spiketail, leaning in the wingtail’s direction as if expecting a good answer.
“I…umm… don’t know,” answers Cloud reluctantly.
The young wingtail looked out of his element and uncomfortable in amongst the group, since he didn’t really know any of them at all.
“I think that’s enough questions for one night children,” finishes Littlefoot with authority, “Xavier, come with me.”
The younger longneck looks crestfallen at the news, but follows his father obediently. Taking the lead, the other children depart in their own orderly fashion. Kala and Aura hobble away towards the river where their two families are staying, Wayne goes towards the hill where his mother built her nest, and Nincea flies off towards her father Petrie’s roost near the mountains. In the end only Sky, Cloud, and Landar are left.
“Pff, if my parents want me back bad enough I’m sure they’ll come calling,” declares Landar defiantly before talking at Cloud, “… you don’t say too much do you wingtail?”
“We’re not supposed to talk to other fliers where I come from,” answers Cloud truthfully, earning an uncomfortable look from his father.
“My class is finished for tonight Landar,” insists Sky wisely, “if I see your mother I’ll be sure to let her know you are lingering here way past your bedtime.”
“Eeep… please don’t! I’ll go back, I promise,” replies Landar with a hint of fear.
Clawing his way to the top of a nearby tree, the fourwing hops off and sets about gliding his way back home to his parents Syndra and Guido.
“You seem nervous, is something bothering you Cloud?” asks Sky casually as he stands next to his son.
“It’s just so strange here… it’s nothing like the Feral Forest.”
“Indeed, the Great Valley is a place where numerous races get along as best as they can. Give it some time, and you might find you’ll make some new friends.”
“Okay,” agrees Cloud, bowing to his father’s wisdom.
Sky reaches out with his hand and rustles Clouds frill, causing the young wingtail to snort and duck away in annoyance. With a smile and a light nod Sky turns and spreads his wings, beckoning for his son to join him.
“Come on featherball, it’s time I showed you your new home.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“But where will you go from here Sky?” insists Star with a hint of fear, “I know you can take care of yourself pretty well on your own but… I want to know where to find you when the time comes.”
Sky nods with agreement. They had worked out a plan together that once Cloud was old enough to fly on his own, he would go to meet his father beyond the forest’s edges. The biggest complication was where he could be found once the young wingtail was ready.
“You will find me in a place known as the Great Valley… beyond the Farwalker Gorge, and the mountains afterward. I will wait for him.”
Star reaches out around Sky with her free wing and hugs him, pressing the side of her face against his.
“It will be hard for him, growing up without a father,” she comments softly.
“My greatest regret,” answers Sky with absolute truth.
Inside the folds of her other wing, the baby wingtail Cloud sleeps softly. It is getting late, and being a newborn he spent more of his time asleep then awake. Not wishing to disturb him, Sky looks down and smiles.
“See ya later, featherball.”
Nuzzling Star one last time before his departure, Sky turns and swoops out of the family tree to begin the long term of his banishment.
…
Facing the sharp urgency of his requirement to leave before the Great Circle sets, Sky picks up the pace as he soars on the light winds above the Feral Forest. After flying for no more then a minute a dark shape swoops down from above, startling him.
“You should be more aware of your surroundings,” suggests Glide with a bit of impatience, “given what has just transpired, I wouldn’t be surprised if every wingtail and his brother tries to take you down.”
“Yes, that is certainly a possibility,” answers Sky, “but I’m sure they know they’re dealing with you if that happens.”
Glide sneers.
“For your sake you had better not be lying to my sister,” the black wingtail snarls, “when the time comes that the youngling is ready for the journey I don’t want to have to hunt you down.”
“You need not worry Glide, rest assured I’m looking forward to the day as much as I know you are.”
The two wingtails bank, heading towards the southern edge of the forest. Littlefoot and the other landwalkers were supposed to be there waiting for him so they could begin the trip back home. Sky was immensely proud of them. Not only had they survived the long journey, but they had thrived in it. He was particularly impressed that even after being split for so long the gang remained so firmly bonded that it was like they had never been apart. When the blue wingtail left to say goodbye to his family, they had been enthusiastically sharing stories of their perils and triumphs along the way. Sky hoped that all of the wingtails could benefit from the example of their interracial cooperation, though deep down he doubted it.
“One more thing,” adds Glide just before the two of them part ways, “here.”
Withdrawing a small object from his wing, the black wingtail flicks it towards Sky. Catching it, the blue wingtail’s expression brightens in recognition of an old friend. It is the Occular.
“You seem attached to this trinket, so I suppose it should belong to you.”
“But, why are you giving me this?”
“I don’t like keeping debts,” answers Glide with cold honesty, “consider this payment for that time by the lava flow.”
Slipping the precious heirloom into its usual place within his wing, Sky nods his appreciation for its return.
…
“And then there was this massive sharptooth, he came bursting out of nowhere and stared us both down… Chomper and me.”
Ruby was busy telling a story to the entire group, and they were all listening intently on her every word. Suddenly the fastrunner appears confused, and puts a finger to her mouth.
“… or was it Cera, Chomper and me?”
Cera thinks about it for a minute during the brief silence that follows, and then answers.
“Well I certainly remember that sharptooth thing happening to me about…oh… a dozen times or more.”
Littlefoot laughs, though his voice has certainly changed since the last time Ruby and Cera had seen him.
“Yep it certainly did,” the longneck states, “it seems like we have pretty bad luck when it comes to sharpteeth.”
“Well your luck mustn’t be that bad,” interjects Siak positively, “since you had the good fortune to run into nice ones like Chomper and me, bless his hide.”
It was around that moment that Sky made his arrival, landing just outside the circle they had formed. Visible just metres away were the edges of the Feral Forest, meaning that now the blue wingtail was technically obeying the terms of his banishment. Being this close however gave the wingtails watching him from the trees some discontent, and were it not for all the friends he had willing to protect him Sky would have been in some amount of danger.
“Welcome back Sky… did everything go alright?” asks Littlefoot warmly.
“It did indeed,” answers the blue wingtail, “are we all ready to go home?”
Almost the entire group pipes up in agreement.
“I would like to see the Great Valley again, I would,” comments Ducky.
“As much as I can’t stand my kin and all, I suppose I’ve grown to miss them a bit,” adds Gentry.
“I wonder if my herd is still there…” muses Ali, but it goes for the most part unheard.
“So, you’re that wingtail everybody’s been talking about,” interrupts Siak, “…Sky is it?”
The spikemouth sizes up the blue wingtail, as if trying to find something remarkable about him besides his colour.
“Yes, I know others of my kind certainly seem to enjoy talking about me.”
“Well you’d better not try anything funny,” answers Siak with a wag of her finger, “normal wingtails are bad enough, let alone a convicted one.”
“Perhaps I’m really the normal one,” suggests Sky in a sly manner, “and the rest of my race has some learning to do.”
“Got that right,” contributes Cera, earning a few laughs from those gathered around.
Things briefly descend into a half dozen different conversations, talking about everything from the right route to travel on the way home to what to eat next. The group was just getting organized for departure when a single solitary wingtail glided in to join them. He was navy blue, and wore a pair of volcanic glasses.
“Well it’s about time you showed up,” stated Siak, “I was beginning to think your newfound heroic place in the world was getting to your head.”
“Ever the charmer isn’t she?” replied Aizon, directing the comment towards Sky.
The blue wingtail bowed slightly.
“Teacher.”
“Former student, you appear to have dodged quite the stone,” Aizon remarks in a homely manner, “you are good at keeping your secrets… I sense that the other wingtails really didn’t know what to make of you today.”
“I tried my best to make them see the truth… our kind is blinded by their bigotry and lack of reason,” replied Sky.
“Well said,” comments Aizon with a grin, “but then again it wasn’t the whole truth… was it?”
The navy wingtail had lowered his glasses knowingly, earning a guilty look from Sky. The blue wingtail said nothing, knowing that others could be watching and listening.
“But, that is of no important matter. We must see to it that all your friends go to where they are waited for … I would guess that ëhome’ does not mean the same thing to all of them.”
Speaking up, Aizon begins to sort out the details of where each dinosaur is to go. Getting all those headed to the Great Valley was simple enough… Littlefoot, Ali, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, and Ruby all were eager to leave.
“Littlefoot is it?” asks the navy wingtail politely.
“Yeah… I didn’t know you were Sky’s teacher,” answers the longneck thoughtfully.
“There are many things about him that even I don’t know, but I do know this… I would highly recommend that you make a slight detour and stop in the Forgotten Forest on your way home.”
“Why?” inquires Littlefoot.
“I encountered someone there in my travels whom it would be highly beneficial for you to meet.”
Aizon winked, before moving on to the next order of business.
“Eggstealer, where do you call home?”
“I’m surprised anyone bothered to ask, I am,” replies Gentry, “I came from a place by the sea called the Dawn Valley. Bit of a walk I would think.”
Aizon nodded, before turning towards Siak.
“I have a task for you my friend… there is one in need of your guidance.”
Siak looks shocked.
“What? You don’t expect me to… oh fine I’ll take him. It’s not like I have any better places to go.”
The navy wingtail smiles and nods, implying she has done the right thing.
“And that leaves one more.”
Aizon walks towards Thylo, who is standing all alone but otherwise appears happy.
“Where is your home Spiketail?”
“Oh I came all the way from the Verdant Valley. It’s been really fun and I’ve had a great time but I think I want to go home now to see my mom and my brothers and my sisters. Maybe when I get there we can go down to the steam and-”
As the dark green spiketail rambled on, the look on Aizon’s face darkened. He beckons towards Sky for his former student to come over, and whispers something in his ear. Suddenly Sky’s expression changes to into one of sadness.
“Spiketail…” begins Sky, before Ruby corrects him on the name, “…Thylo. I… I don’t think you can go home.”
Thylo stops mid rant and looks at the wingtail curiously.
“But…why not?”
Sky sighs. The Verdant Valley was wiped out completely by the eruption of the Black Mountain so many months ago, and Thylo’s family was likely all gone.
“You can’t… we can’t.”
Littlefoot clued in to what was going on, although he didn’t know all the details.
“Maybe she can come to the Great Valley with us,” suggests the longneck, “I’m sure Spike could use the company.”
Spike gets up onto his feet and looks at Thylo curiously. Smiling, he gestures with his head for her to come over.
“Okay, maybe I’ll get to see them all later.”
Thylo walks over and joins Spike, who is a bit older and larger then she is.
With all travelling groups arranged, Aizon bids them farewell.
“May your journey be swift and uneventful,” comments the navy wingtail so everyone can hear him.
Slowly the group of dinosaurs begins to depart, beginning the long journey home. At last, only Aizon and Sky are remaining.
“Thank you for speaking in my favour at the trial,” says Sky in gratitude, “I know I’ve done some things that weren’t for the best, but my mate and especially my son deserve the chance for us to meet again.”
“Hmm, I’m sure that whatever you did or did not do you had a good reason for doing it,” answers Aizon, “it is one of your good qualities.”
Sky turns towards his old mentor.
“What about Eybron’s wingtails, what are you planning to do with them?”
Aizon smiles a little bit, and rubs his small goatee in thought.
“There are rumours that another artefact of my fathers was built in a place called Blacksun Crater, and I or rather we intend to investigate it.”
“Are you sure you can handle them?” asks Sky with concern.
“What else is there for them to do? The Sonicron will be destroyed of course in time, so they would be without their duty.”
Sky nods with understanding.
“Your mother would be proud of you, you know,” states Aizon suddenly with warmth.
Remembering her, Sky drops his head. It had been such a long time since her death the memory had almost faded in picture, but he did remember her love.
“I know… and my father too I hope.”
Spreading his wings, Aizon takes off into the air and circles overhead.
“He still is.”
It takes a moment for the impact of the statement to set in, and when it does Sky looks up in surprise. What did his old mentor mean ëhe still is’? Could his father still be alive somewhere? Before the blue wingtail could inquire further, Aizon was gone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<THE END>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A number of scenes occur both during and after the end ëcredits’. They are the following:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Snarling ravenously, Chomper makes his first kill. He snaps the neck of the poor domehead before she even knows what’s got her. It was the most respectful way.
A number of fastbiters – King Tyrus’ minions – try to partake in his kill but with a roar and snapping of his teeth he wards them away. All but one that is.
Thudd strides up to the kill with pride, and Chomper lets him pass. Watching jealously, the other biters can only observe as he takes his fill.
Being friends with a sharptooth does have its advantages after all…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Siak and a much older Gentry are shown wandering through the Dawn Valley. Suddenly, the eggstealer encounters his siblings whom have all started families of their own. With joy they welcome him home, though unfortunately none of them offer him anything to eat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thylo and Spike are eating from the same bush in the Great Valley, and both are adults. The former is rambling on and on about anything and everything, while the latter is simply nodding with agreement every time she completes a sentence. They soon devour the entire plant, touching noses as they finish off the last of the leaves. Thylo looks at Spike, and he looks back at her with lust. Soon, love blossoms between them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Littlefoot returns to the Forgotten Forest, just like Aizon told him to, and to his supreme shock and amazement his father is there waiting for him. The two have a joyous reunion, and over the course of a week share stories with each other about everything that has happened to them up to this point. Shorty and Littlefoot make amends, although there was little for them to amend for. His brother has a new girlfriend, and he’s madly in love with her.
Before long Littlefoot gets caught up in the romantic spirit too with Ali and, lying together in the cool grass and away from everyone else, they mate for the first time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retiring from telling stories to the children for the night in the Great Valley, Ruby takes a long and thorough bath in the river before returning to tree she likes to sleep under. It is a night like any other, though hearing all about the past makes her miss it a little bit. She had never had an overwhelming need to find a companion, but with Swiftwalker there may have been something there.
She curls up to go to sleep, but before she can close her eyes the sound of footsteps reaches her ears.
“Hey, who’s there? Who is it?”
A figure emerges from the shadows and into the light. Beneath the half-light of the Night Circle the outline of a runner so familiar to her emerges. Ruby can’t believe it… she must be dreaming.
“… Swifty?”
The fast runner has grown up considerably, and he is almost unrecognizable. His normally muddy feathers are almost completely clean, revealing his natural light blue underneath. Hearing the sounds of her voice, he looks just as surprised to behold her as well.
“Swifty, how is this… how did you get here?”
“Come long way looking for you, forget to say goodbye.”
It likely wasn’t the real reason he had come this far, but Ruby didn’t care… she was too busy admiring his form. The muscular development he had brought on by such a long and hard journey aroused an unfamiliar emotion in her. She could feel it boiling up inside her – attraction.
“Threehorn say I find you here.”
Ruby smiles, and puts out her hands. Gingerly, he does as well. She didn’t realize just how much she missed him. In the long moment where their eyes met and stayed locked, Swiftwalker finally gets the courage to say what he had really come all this way to say.
“You… look for mate?”
He didn’t need to ask.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Show Posts
What do you think? 
). Seeing as I’m not as accustomed to spotting errors in a present-tense narrative (reading over the prologue, I find myself perceiving grammatical “errors” that may not be grammatically incorrect at all); this may be another reason why I shouldn’t bother too much with “error sniping” this time around.
Are you still planning to write "Journey Into Blacksun" and/or continue working on "Ruby in the Jungle"? I'm still up for reviewing them if you are. 
.