The Gang of Five
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Ducky123's fic

Ducky123 · 254 · 30886

Ducky123

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Just noticed it as well... no problem :)
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Dosu2Dinner

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:lol: Great chapter Ducky! I like how Cera's siblings have names now too...they've always generated a bit of interest from me...

And... :o You two are on Skype??? Will you be able to message me??????  :blink:


Ducky123

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sure :D I can send you my skype name if you want :)

I had some ideas for Ducky's siblings, too, but the little adorable swimmer has too much siblings to name all of them :blink:
Concerning Cera's siblings I have to disappoint you... they won't play a big role...
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Dosu2Dinner

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Ah well. They're still there!  ;)
My Skype name is Dosu2Dinner1. What's yours?


Ducky123

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Mine would be my RL name so... I better don't make it public :lol
I added you, Dosu :)
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Ducky123

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Chapter 4: Portentous Omen

The next days and weeks didn't bring dramatic changes in the Valley. The watering place still
spat boiling water several times a day and it heavily stunk if one got close to it, there were still earthshakes happening daily - some were weak, others were strong - and the temperature in the
Great Valley was still higher than usual. The recently born children of the Flyers, the Threehorns, the Swimmers and the Longnecks learned how to speak and they slowly were getting curious since there was so much exciting stuff to be experienced. Littlefoot was exactly like that. The little Longneck was pretty smart for his tender age. He realized that his herd was worried a lot, especially when the earth was shaking or when the watering place spat water, so one day he decided to ask his mother. "Mother?"
"Yes, my dear, what do you want to ask me?"
"Well... I just noticed that you, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma are worried a lot when the ground is shaking. That's normal so you don't have to worry! I think it's funny!" He shortly chuckled, then he listened his mother answering his question.
"Oh Littlefoot! By no means the many earthshakes are normal. They currently happen very often and the watering place is drying up and stinks awful, too! You don't know it any other way since you were recently born. The Valley changes from time to time, everything in this world changes from time to time and now we are confronted with it." She sighed and started to walk towards the Thundering Falls because Littlefoot urgently had to take a bath since he had been splashing around in the Mud Pool with his father. "Come on, little one!"
Littlefoot followed his mother and asked further, "But mother, why does everything change? And why does the water do these odd things?" Littlefoot's mother thought on that how to explain it to her son. Since she couldn't even explain these changes to herself she replied as followed:
"No one here in the Valley knows why the watering place dried up and why it does these odd things, not even the wise Mr. Thicknose! Things change! It's a fact!"
"The world we live in is full of secrets and dangers!" Littlefoot's father, who followed them, added. "Where did you come from?" Littlefoot's mother asked her mate.
"I was at the watering place again, I have bad news!" he answered.
"What's going on, dad?" the little curious longneck questioned.
"Follow me, the Threehorn announced a meeting, then you can see it yourself!"
So the Longnecks walked to the meeting point, which was at a big meadow since it'd be too
dangerous at the watering place Littlefoot's father told them about. Littlefoot was obviously happy because he didn't have to take the bath.
The herd did not directly walk to the meeting point though, as they needed to picture the changes at the watering place...
Where the watering place originally was, gaped a hole, where strange vapors were emitting. From the hole severe cracks spread out.
"We have to talk to the others!" Littlefoot's Grandpa said, so they finally walked to the meeting point.
 
When the herd arrived, it seemed that all of the residents were already gathered so Littlefoot's
Grandmother asked, " Are we the last to arrive? We just saw the degree of the catastrophe!"
"No, Mr. Thicknose is missing, too!" a Spiketail answered. "But I'm sure he'll come soon!"
"I'm sure he'll appear soon!" the Swimmer Mommy called. "You know that he's quite old and I think
that he wanted to see the changes at the watering place with his own eyes to make the right decision with his wisdom!"
The Threehorn grumbled something, which sounded like 'sure' in an ironical way.
The residents conversed quietly whispering in little groups, while the Threehorn alertly observed the dried up watering place.
Though Mr. Thicknose didn't appear...
The dinosaurs were getting uneasy so the Threehorn called, "Where the hell is this swindler? He may have made some mistakes, but he wouldn't let us down...!"
"Let's search for him, perhaps something bad happened to him!" Littlefoot's father suggested. The majority of the group agreed so the herds dispersed and combed through the Great Valley. The Longnecks were the only ones who were brave enough to look around the watering place so Littlefoot walked back there with his parents and grandparents.
There, a horrible scene was waiting for them...
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somerandomfangirl

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Ah, I noticed a little mistake I made here.

Quote
By no means are the many earthshakes are normal.

Just get rid of the second "are" and that should make sense. My bad. I've just had a read through and nothing else is jumping out at me at the moment. Sorry about that little mistake. :D

*Le gasp* MR THICKNOSE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!


"Some things you see with your eyes. Others, you see with your heart." :MomCompassion


Nahla

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StrutEggStealer

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Very nice so far, I really like how you reel the reader in. The way you write is straightforward yet the happenings are quite complex. Intriguing mixture and I'm eager to read more.

Just one thing stuck out to me:
Quote
From the hole severe cracks emanated.
This sounds like too much of a grand description. In this instance, you could probably just use the word appeared. IDK just my thoughts, and I may be the only one, but that was sticking out to me :L
Brilliant work, otherwise!
"Not all who wander are lost"
J. R. R. Tolkein


Ducky123

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thanks Strut :DD

Well, I meant that there already ARE those cracks... I might have used a wrong word(I remember looking 'emanate' up :P:)
I'll check it ;)

Glad ya like it :smile

EDIT: How about spread out?
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StrutEggStealer

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Quote from: Ducky123,May 16 2013 on  09:51 AM
thanks Strut :DD

Well, I meant that there already ARE those cracks... I might have used a wrong word(I remember looking 'emanate' up :P:)
I'll check it ;)

Glad ya like it :smile

EDIT: How about spread out?
Spread out might work :)
"Not all who wander are lost"
J. R. R. Tolkein


Ducky123

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That's good :)
Thanks  :smile
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Ducky123

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Chapter 5: "We'll have to leave the Great Valley!"
 
The dinosaurs of the Great Valley were shocked. Mr. Thicknose layed close to the watering place and didn't move at all. All stood around the corpse of the once wisest resident of the Valley, nobody saying anything. For a little while nothing happened at all; just some occasional sobs, especially from the Swimmers, could be heard.
Suddenly, they started to gasp for air after a cloud of steam came out of the watering place.
"Run away!!!" the Threehorn roared, "Go! To the meeting point!"
He didn't need to say this twice... All of the dinosaurs fled from the invisible threat, coughing and gasping for air. Most of the kids were carried.
As everyone arrived at the big meadow and as all could breath again to some degree the Threehorn started  roaring.
"DAMMIT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!!! CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THINGS?!?"
Pterano, one of the Flyers, decided to respond to him. He walked into the circle and spoke, "Seemingly it poisons the air that we are breathing. Poor Thicknose wanted to see this with his own
eyes, but he got into such a cloud - like it just happened to us - and... I mean... he's quite old..."
Pterano put a tragic expression on. "Well, however... he couldn't run away in time, such a tragic loss!"
Gracefully he walked back to his place in the circle.
The Threehorn wasn't greatly happy with this answer so he went on raging, "PAH!!! SUCH A TRAGIC LOSS...!" He angrily stomped his foot so that the gathered residents startled. The little ones hid behind their mothers.    
"THAT SWINDLER WAS SIMPLY TOO STUPID TO GET THAT HE MUST RUN AWAY!!!"
"Now that's going too far, Threehorn!" Littlefoot's father incensed. "I can understand that you're
angry, but this way we'll never find a solution!"
The Threehorn wasn't far from exploding.
"Mr. Thicknose may had have his faults, but you don't have to pull him into the dirt, Threehorn!"
another Flyer added.
"Yes, it's almost sad enough that he's gone!" the Swimmer Mommy cried.
The Threehorn endeavored not to yell, "Well, as you suppose, Pterano. You still hadn't answered
my question so I'll ask it again: Can anyone explain those things?!?"
Everyone stood in silence, thinking hard. After a short while Pterano walked into the circle again, "I quite can imagine that the Great Valley is not as it seems..."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?!" it came from the Threehorn.
"From far above the Great Valley looks like a mountain, whose peak is missing. Instead of the peak
there's a hole in the middle, in which we live. For me this looks like a common smoking mountain, just bigger and with a hole instead of a fire pit!"
"Do you wanna say with that we would live above a huge fire pit, which was closed for some reason?!?" Littlefoot's father unbelievingly questioned.
"You could say so!" Pterano said. He distorted his face. Not only he, but also all of the residents had a pained expression...
"DAMMIT IT'S HOT HERE!!!" the Threehorn howled.
"Well, it seems that life doesn't give us another choice than this!" Littlefoot's Grandpa yelled out
against the noice of the perturbed dinosaurs."We'll have to leave the Great Valley!"

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jansenov

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I guess the steam is carbon monoxide mixed with water.


Ducky123

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yep, there might be a bit of CO? and sulfur in it as well ;)

hehe, I heard of that an old couple had BBQ in their house due to the depressing weather in mid-europe... you can guess what happened... no one died though :)
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StrutEggStealer

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Haha, nice Pterano element. Will you narrate his eventual banishment as well? ;)
Aw, poor Thicknose... thick clouds are not usually an invitation to get closer..... WHOA!! Did NOT see that coming; a dormant volcano? Nice!!
"Not all who wander are lost"
J. R. R. Tolkein


Ducky123

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Quote
Haha, nice Pterano element. Will you narrate his eventual banishment as well? wink.gif
maybe ;) no spoilers  :angel

Quote
Aw, poor Thicknose... thick clouds are not usually an invitation to get closer.....
Well, he was surprised by one like the gathered residents were :D he just couldn't run off in time :cry

Quote
WHOA!! Did NOT see that coming; a dormant volcano? Nice!!
thx :DD yep, dormant volcanoes are cool 8-) though active volcanoes are even cooler  :smile
Glad ya enjoyed it :)

next one will be nice ^^
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Ducky123

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nexr chapter :D Sorry for the delay...

Chapter 6: The Getaway

Littlefoot's Grandparents and the Threehorn tried to calm them down, but they were unsuccessful because the great heat and the nascent weak earthshakes put the scared saurusses in a panic.
The Threehorn had had enough. He considered himself as the leading dinosaur of the herds since he was the strongest and the toughest of the Valley, and being the leader meant he had to protect them. Since they were panicked, they didn't know what to do, but he kept his head cool.
He used his whole strength to roar louder than he ever did in his life.
"SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLEEEEEEEEENNCE!!!!!!!!!"
Abruptly there was silence. Just the continuous grumbling out of the ground could be heard.
"We'll use the fire paths now to leave the Great Valley as soon as possible! In case we get separated we'll meet at the Great Water. There's a small oasis where we can stay for a while. Good luck all!"
Nobody asked questions. The herds walked in different directions as fast as possible.
"Mother! Why do the other herds take different fire paths?" Littlefoot asked.
"It's not very wise if all use the same fire path!" Littlefoot's Mother explained to her little son.
Littlefoot didn't understand why the Great Valley let such odd things happen. Thus he asked,
"Why is it better if we separate? You always tell me that we should always stay together
so that the Sharpteeth can't attack us?!"
His mother replied panting since they hurried a lot, "You know, Littlefoot, we made this rule
because..."
 "LOOK OUT!!!" Littlefoot's Grandpa shouted.
Above them something cracked due to the newest earthshake. The Longnecks started to run. Suddenly some boulders broke off the Great Wall which the Longnecks just climbed. The boulders fell down. Littlefoot's Mother was the last of them.
She ran for her life and for her son's. Littlefoot became panicky as he saw the boulders unstoppably  flying towards him.
"Mother, run faster!" he said vigorously to his mother.
Littlefoot's Mother ran even faster. The little Longneck saw the boulders came closer and closer.
He covered his eyes with his front legs. Then the boulders crashed into the ground with a very loud  
bang, missing his mother's tail only by hairbreadths. Littlefoot's Mother as well as the other three
Longnecks stopped running to take a deep breath because Littlefoot's Father and the Grandparents also had to run very fast.
Littlefoot opened his eyes and looked down to the formerly friendly Great Valley. Around the formerly
best watering place, some trees had already burned. Steam came out of the cracks in the ground. The multiple watering places of the Great Valley already started to boil away.
"That's just a very good example of that you firstly, always have to keep your eyes opened, secondly, don't talk except it's necessary if you're in danger so you can react to dangers quickly, and thirdly, don't travel alone, there you're right, little one!"
Littlefoot's Mother slowly recovered from her sprint so they went on their way.
"If Grandpa hadn't kept his eyes opened, my tail had been hit by the boulders so we couldn't go on
our way!" she explained further.
"Right, and if all of the dinosaurs had chosen this fire path your mother wouldn't been able to run away that fast since there would have been a congestion!" Littlefoot's Grandma added.
"Let's just disappear as fast as we can!" Littlefoot's Father shouted.
The four Longnecks ran along the fire path. Without a break, some little stones rained down from
above. Meanwhile, the ground was trembling without an interruption. It became stronger and
stronger. When they finally arrived at the top of the Great Wall a big cloud of smoke rose above the
Great Valley. Littlefoot looked back at his home, becoming very sad. He'd never see the Great Valley again. Another earth tremor brought him out of his thoughts so he could concentrate on the danger from the Great Valley.
His parents and grandparents ran out of breath. Grandma especially seemed to be at the end of her
strength. Her advanced age made it even worse.
"Should we slow down a bit, darling?" Littlefoot's Grandpa asked, worried.
"Just a little bit!" she wheezed. "If you need to, just leave me behind and safe your own lives!"
"We don't leave anyone behind!" Littlefoot's Father combatively shouted. "We're a herd and a family
so we hold on together until the end!"
"I think it's best if Grandma leads us!" Littlefoots Mother finally said. All agreed.
Now they walked slightly slower. Littlefoot didn't dare to look back since a scary rumbling came from
the Great Valley. But finally his curiosity was stronger than his fear. He turned around so he could
just see the Great Valley. They had already made a big distance.
Suddenly the earth started to tremble stronger than ever before, the rumbling increased and then
Littlefoot saw how the catastrophy happened. The ground bursted open and an incredibly big
ball of fire mixed with black ash shot out of what was once their home, with an inconceivable force. Littlefoot became panicky.
"It's happening!!!" he screamed in fear.
The Longnecks stopped immediately, turning around. They briefly saw the huge ball of fire
before all of them were torn down by an impactful shockwave...
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Dosu2Dinner

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CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!!  :blink:

I have to say, this has taken an interesting turn...and now there's a mass evacuation - with segregation? Interested to see where this is going...keep up the good work!  :lol