Hi all! I hope you enjoy a sneak peek at my fanfic, Follow the Leader. It takes place a few generations after the current LBT series of movies. All comments and critiques are welcome, as long as you're polite about it. Please remember this is an unfinished piece still in draft stage. But DarkHououmon really wanted me to post here, so I thought I would post the first part. She thought you would all enjoy it. I sincerely hope you do!! ^_^
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Follow the Leader:
A Land Before Time Fanfic
By Ryuukokoro
(ussfantasy@hotmail.com)
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Dino Disclaimer: Land Before Time is not my creation and this fanfic is for entertainment purposes only. The characters Kenta, Bump, and Tricks belong to me and should not be used without my written permission. The character of Spec belongs to DarkHououmon and should likewise not be used. Please don't distribute this fanfiction without asking first. Thank you.
Dino Data: In this fanfic you’ll meet four new dinosaur friends. Kenta is a Kentrosaurus, related to Stegosaurs. Tricks is an Archaeopteryx, a flying dinosaur who had feathers. Bump is a Monoclonius, related to the Triceratops. And Spec is a Nothronychus, a two-legged plant eater. You can find out more about these species online if you’d like. ^_^
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“And Bump should check all the bushes by the river, and I’ll go to the edge of the forest of treestars, and Tricks should fly over everything since she’s got wingsó”
Ticks’ laugh was a high-pitched squeak. “Don’t be so bossy, Kenta,” she said, in good-humor as always. “Why don’t we just look where we wants to look?” Bump nodded his agreement, silently as usual.
Kenta hung his head in disappointment. “All right, all right,” he grumbled, never happy unless he was the leader of a big plan. “I just think that would be the best way to look, that’s all.” He turned away from his two friends and stubbornly headed for the treestar forest with tail hanging low.
Tricks and Bump shared a knowing look about their friend before taking off in different directions. Tricks was a Feathered Flyer, with bright pink and blue feathers covering her dusky, salmon skin. There was a very strong wind today, so she had no trouble flying over the Great Valley, the beautiful home where she and her friends all lived. She flew up until she could see all the varied herds that made the Valley their home, the forests and tall grasses and lakes and rivers. It was a special sight that Flyers got to see. After her overview, Tricks swooped down toward the Big Fish River where she and her friends had been playing. She skimmed over the backs of five Longnecks who had come down to the river to drink. As she passed, she waved to the small smudge of blue-gray down below.
Bump was searching around the small herd of Longnecks, almost blending in with their gray hides. The young Onehorn was looking behind every massive leg, one by one. Used to many children playing around the Great Valley, the Longnecks didn’t much mind.
Tricks and Bump had finished searching separately and were now looking together when Kenta ran up to them, followed by a brightly colored figure. As soon as he was within hearing distance he announced loudly, “I found him! I found him! See, see? If you had listened to me to begin with, we would have found himó”
“At the same time anyway, Kenta,” said the newcomer to the group.
Kenta turned to stare, his jaw hanging open, obviously expecting to have him on his side. Finally he sighed and nodded. “You’re right, Spec,” he admitted grudgingly.
Spec was a Bigclaw, and his full name was really Spectral. That meant “all the colors of the rainbow” according to Spec’s mother, who was an odd Bigclaw with big thoughts and words. She and Spec were the only Bigclaws in the Great Valley, and a lot of the herds thought they were pretty strange with their wild colors and weird behavior. Kenta, Bump and Tricks just thought Spec was a great friend. He was always ready for an adventure.
With their game of hide and find finished, the four children relaxed by the river to think up something to do.
“We could go see Mr. And Mrs. Rainbow Faces’ new hatchlings,” Tricks suggested.
“Nah,” drawled the other three. They were boys and they didn’t like cutesy stuff like baby hatchlings.
“Wanna go chase Hoppers at the waterfall?” Spec suggested.
“I don’t like the waterfall; I always slip and fall in!” complained Kenta. Tricks didn’t much like the roaring fall of water either, and said so. This left another long silence, until a dark shadow fell over the group suddenly.
“Hello there, children,” said a deep but gentle voice. “Are you enjoying the lovely day?”
Instantly Kenta jumped to his feet. “Grandpa Longneck!” he cried excitedly.
Looking down on the four children was the biggest and oldest living thing in the Valley. Everyone called him “Grandpa Longneck,” even if they weren’t Longnecks themselves, but Kenta had heard some of the grownups talking about him when they didn’t know Kenta was listening. They said it fit him much better than his real name, since his feet weren’t so little anymore! Their laughter hadn’t really been the mean kind, but it wasn’t really nice either. A lot of the adults didn’t seem to really like Grandpa Longneck.
But Kenta loved him! He always listened to what someone had to say, no matter how little they were, and even if they were wrong, he always made it seem like it was okay. He told the best stories whenever they wanted him to, and they never had stupid morals like “don’t go off with strange grownups” or “always eat your tree bark” like the other grownups’ stories.
“Good day, Grandpa Longneck,” chirped Tricks, who was always polite. Spec and Bump chimed in with their own hellos as well.
“You gotta tell a story, Grandpa Longneck! We don’t have anything else to do!”
Specs jumped up beside Kenta, adding, “Yeah, and it’s gotta be one we never heard before!” Kenta grinned at his clever friend, agreeing with the great idea. Tricks and Bump agreed too.
Grandpa Longneck’s chuckle was like a soft, rumbling mudslide. “A new one, huh?” he mused, staring off into the distance. “Have you heard how the Longnecks saved the world when the Great Circle fell?”
“Yes!” chorused the children.
“Hmm . . . have you heard about the time I crossed the Big Water?”
“Yes!” they insisted again.
“What about the time when the Great Valley fought off the pack of Sharpteeth?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, my. How aboutó”
“YesóOops.” Kenta blushed and covered his snout with his paws as everyone looked at him. “Hee hee. Sorry.”
Grandpa Longneck cleared his long throat and gave them all a very long look. “I think,” he said gravely, “that you are all old enough to hear the story of how I first came to the Great Valley. It was an amazing journey filled with earthshakes and Sharpteeth, and it happened a very, very long time ago. . . .”
The four children’s eyes grew larger and larger with each word, and they settled down silently at the old one’s feet. The herd of Longnecks had moved away from the river by now, and the little ones were the only ones to hear as the story began.
* * *
“óAnd then they pushed the great big rock right on the Sharptooth and knocked him into the dark water! And Grandpa Longneck says he wasn’t any older than me! Can you believe it?”
Kenta’s parents shared a sigh. The grownup Spikebacks had been listening to their son ever since they had gone to the river to get him. And of course, as soon as they got back to the nest their other children would also hear this wild tale.
“Perhaps it’s time to talk to Grandpa Longneck again,” muttered Kenta’s father, as the young Spikeback scampered on ahead.
Kenta’s mother looked toward the setting Great Circle, near the edge of the Valley where the herds of Onehorns and Threehorns slept. “Take some of the other parents too,” she said.
Kenta realized his parents had fallen behind and ran back to them. He had just gotten to the part where Grandpa Longneck was about to give up, and he wanted to make sure they didn’t miss it!
* * *
The group that went to see the big brown Longneck the next day consisted of Kenta’s parents, Bump’s parents and his uncle, and Trick’s entire flock! (Well, the adults, anyway.) There were also two Threehorns and a Swimmer and a Longneck couple. The four children were not the only young ones to befriend the old Longneck.
He saw a group this big coming from all the way across the Valley. He was ready and waiting for them as they gathered silently in the little grove of trees where he liked to spend most of his time. He stretched his long neck and looked down on the assembled adults, calm and quiet as he always was.
Kenta’s father stepped forward and cleared his throat. He’d been selected as speaker for everyone, against his personal opinion. “Ahem. Good day, Grandpa Longneck.”
“Good day,” replied the old one pleasantly, without a hint of curiosity in his voice.
That didn’t make it any easier. Kenta’s father coughed. “We, ah, would like to talk to you about what you’ve been telling the children,” he began. Grandpa Longneck waited patiently. “We are . . . ah, a little concerned. . . .”
“You’re giving the children bad ideas!” sniffed Bump’s mother. “Maybe these stories you tell were fine things in your time, but now it’s much too dangerous for children to be having notions of running around having ëadventures!’”
“The Great Valley is a safe haven for us because we all stay within it and know our place is here,” insisted one of the Threehorns. “If you give our children thoughts about what’s beyond the walls of the Valley, they will want to leave here. You are practically driving our children out!”
It continued like this, each parent saying the same thing in slightly different ways, each convinced that they must add to the conversation. It seemed selecting a spokesperson had completely been forgotten. Grandpa Longneck continued to stand silently, nodding his head occasionally, impassive as a stone Longneck. His many years had taught him the benefits of patience, and he had more than everyone in this group put together. When they had finally tired of voicing their thoughts, he took a deep breath. The parent dinosaurs quieted and looked up in surprise, almost as if they had forgotten he was there at all.
“It would seem to me,” said the old Longneck quietly, thoughtfully, “that if children are asking for stories here in the Valley, they are not venturing out in the dangerous Beyond.”
“Butó” began Kenta’s father.
Grandpa Longneck didn’t pause in his calm rationalizations. “Also,” he plodded on, “I would like to think these stories would teach our children about the dangers beyond the Great Valley, making them even more aware of how wonderful our Valley really is. And giving them warm childhood memories to call them home should they decide to venture out when they grow older.”
There was silence from the group as this sunk in. Not a lot of the adults had actually gone to speak with Grandpa Longneck before, and many had figured he was senile with age by now. They did not expect this composed, rational Longneck in front of them! The parents looked at each other, not sure what to say.
The old dinosaur smiled to himself, wondering if he had finally gotten through to them . . . until all the adults started to shout out their opinions once again, repeating the very same things they had said before.
Grandpa Longneck felt a sigh building up in his long throat and settled down to wait. It was going to be a long morning.
* * *
Meanwhile Kenta, Tricks, Bump and Spec had no idea where all the parents had gone this morning. But they were curious.
“I’ll bet they went to a special parents meeting,” Kenta thought out loud. “I mean, where else would they learn all that grownup stuff like eating yucky stuff and making us take baths?”
Spec giggled and stood tall on his two hind legs. “Yeah, I’ll bet they sound just like this!” He made his voice huffy and deep like an irritated parent. “Now if they refuse to eat their tree bark, you have to say, ëIt’s good for you!’”
Kenta laughed and changed his voice too. “And if they ask what’s good about it, you say, ëYou’ll know when you’re older!’”
Tricks leaned down toward her friends, perched on a tree branch above their heads. “Spec’s momma didn’t go with them, though,” she pointed out. “I heard my momma say ëit’ was gonna be tough.”
The young Bigclaw ruffled the feathers on the top of his head like he did every time he tried to sound important. “Well, I heard my momma say that the other grownups are ënothing more than paranoid, convoluted, backwards-thinking gossipmongers!’”
Kenta, Tricks and Bump blinked. “Um . . . what’s that mean?” Bump asked, curious.
“I dunno, but she sounded awfully mad!” Spec giggled, finding the idea of one grownup being mad at the others to be funny. A bushy fern was growing beside the tree that the children were sitting under, and Spec reached over and sliced off a large frond with the curved claw on his hand, popping it into his mouth.
Kenta was too excited to be hungry. “Today, we have to do something really special!” he announced, jumping over one of the tree’s upraised roots and then jumping back to where he began, unable to hold still.
“Like what?” Tricks wanted to know.
“Like Grandpa Longneck did in his story, with all his friends!” Kenta replied immediately. He searched the floor of the Great Valley with narrowed blue eyes, shoving the fern out of the way with his snout. His eyes lit up after a moment. “There! We’ll go over there, to Big Drop Pass!”
The other children were suddenly quiet. Big Drop Pass was one of the few ways in and out of the protected Great Valley. It was a very tall, very narrow crack in the walls surrounding the Valley, and to even get there you had to pass through a big thicket of prickly bushes near the base. Only small dinosaurs and children would even fit through the Pass, and to the young dinosaurs it had always been off limits. Kenta knew that very well.
Nervously, Tricks looked around to see if there was anyone else in sight to hear. “We’re not allowed,” she reminded the young Spikeback.
“That’s why it’s an adventure,” Kenta snorted. “Besides, all the adults went somewhere, so no one will know!”
Tricks looked doubtful. Spec looked excited. Everyone turned to Bump to see what he thought.
The quiet Onehorn looked across the Valley to the narrow shadow on the wall that was Big Drop Pass. His brown eyes followed a Flyer winging overhead, then a Scurrying Tickler zipped by his toes into a bush. “If we can get there,” he finally said, “then we can see outside the Great Valley for the first time.” Curiosity lit up his face.
Kenta and Spec cheered. Tricks sighed and nodded, agreeing to go on the adventure. Really, she didn’t want to be left out. She just didn’t want to get in trouble either!
With that, the four set off toward the edge of the Great Valley. Kenta strode purposefully in the lead, followed close behind by Spec, who bounded from spot to spot in a zigzag. Tricks flew overhead, and Bump brought up the rear without hurrying. The quartet of children left their tree behind and crossed the grassy plains of the Valley, stopping to get rest and a drink when they came to the bend in Big Swimmer River. There they said hello to Paddles, their Swimmer friend who lived in the river. They all got splashed in reply to their greeting, but it was a sunny day and they didn’t mind. Afterward they crossed a fallen log to get to the other side of the river and continued their quest.
“I’ll bet there are amazing dinosaurs no one’s ever seen before out there!” Kenta enthused. “Like Flyers that can swim, or Longnecks with big horns and frills!”
Specs stretched himself up to his tallest. “I’ll bet all the leaf-eaters got together in safe places just like the Great Valley, and all the Sharpteeth got too hungry and went away forever!”
This was an exciting idea, and everyone caught on. “What if it is true . . . and nobody knows but us?” gaped Bump.
“If we come back and tell them, we could be heroes!” Trick’s feathers all fluffed out in her excitement and she had to smooth them down with her hand.
“That was my idea all along,” Kenta announced smugly, even though it wasn’t. “Of course all the Sharpteeth are gone! When we get back and tell everyone, the grownups will know how smart and brave we are.” He lifted his head proudly. “See, my ideas are always great.”
Bump and Tricks rolled their eyes. Spec just wanted to get going. Eagerly the four children set out again, this time their excitement lending them speed. There were no more breaks until they reached the edge of the forest of thorny plants. Here they paused, uncertain. There was no way around; the dense plants completely surrounded the crack in the Valley wall, and they grew well over the children’s heads (though it wouldn’t have been over the heads of the large adult dinosaurs). They weren’t going to be easy to crawl through.
“I hate the Sharpleaves,” Spec grumbled, sharing an uneasy look with Tricks. Their feathers would get caught and tear. Of course, Tricks would be flying over the prickly bushes, so she had much less to worry about.
“I’ll go first,” Bump offered. He had the thickest skin and a big frill around his neck to protect him. Kenta came next, with the protective plates and spikes on his back and down his tail. Spec came last, crouched down because his two-legged walk made him taller than his four-legged friends. Tricks flapped her wings and took off into the air, hovering above the thorny forest as Bump plowed into the twisting brownish vines with a grunt.
It was very slow going. Bump would shove forward, pushing thorned vines out of the way with a toss of his covered head. Kenta kept his head ducked, letting the vines slip over his back, sometimes catching so he had to yank himself forward until the vines snapped free. Spec had to carefully weave and climb around the vinesóand yes, just as he feared, the thorns eagerly snatched at the few decorative feathers on his arms, legs, back, and the top of his head. All the while Tricks flew very slowly above them, calling downward whenever Bump was heading in the wrong direction. He couldn’t see through the tangled plants, and often he kept his brown eyes tightly closed to shield them.
Time seemed to stand still for the poor children, as if they were the ones standing still and the ground was passing beneath them. They just wanted it to end. If they could have, they would have turned back. The thorny vines left small but painful scratches on even the thickest skin, and Tricks was exhausted for flying for so long. Several times she tried to land, but the thorn pricked here feet terribly and she soon took off again. She was the only one who knew how far they had left to go, and she barely had enough breath to correct them when they veered off course.
“Left, left!” she suddenly gasped out, loudly. “And . . . hurry Bump! . . . .Almost . . . there!” The Feathered Flyer couldn’t wait any longer. She sailed ahead on faltering wingbeats and vanished from their sight.
Bump gathered the last of his strength and leaped forward, shoving at vines and thorns, growling deep in his throat. He wanted out of this place!
The shadowy ground under their feet grew brighter, and more and more light broke through the vines. The trio of dinosaurs found renewed strength to plod ever faster, ignoring scratches and tangles. Kenta roared as loud as he could (though it still sounded more like a squeak because he was so little) to tell Tricks they were coming. Suddenly all the thorns fell away and he was out in open air! Kenta took a giant leap forwardóand then the ground dropped away beneath him.
Kenta screamed as he fell, rolling head over heals over tail down a long, steep drop. He could see a flash of blue-gray down below him as he tumbled, realizing Bump was ahead of him and Spec must be right behind. All he could hear were his own yells as he fell and fell and fell, unable to stop himself or slow down.
Finally the ground grew less steep, and his uncontrolled tumbling slowed. Kenta threw out his four legs and tail, trying to stop his rolling, and landed in a heap on his belly in the dust. He was too exhausted to do anything but lie there and pant for breath.
As Kenta’s breathing slowed, he realized he could hear other breaths along with his own. He cracked open one eye to look.
His friends were a pretty sorry sightóand he must be too, he thought. Bump was sprawled on his side, angry pink scratches all over his back and sides. Tricks lay in a heap beside him, too tired to even fold her wings properly. She had patches of skin showing on her legs, proof that some blue and pink feathers were left in the nest of Sharpleaves behind them. Too tired to lift his head, Kenta rolled it to the side to find Spec. The Bigclaw was also covered in scratches, the feathers on his body ragged and many missing.
“That was awful,” Tricks whimpered into the silence. “I didn’t think we would make it.” She didn’t make any move to get up.
Kenta shook himself all over and climbed to his feet, one slow movement at a time. He clamped his mouth closed so no one could hear his groan of pain from scratches and aching muscles.
Spec picked up his head with a whine. “How are we going to get home!?”
Total silence suddenly fell, as if everyone held his (or her) breath while it sunk in. One by one their heads turned to look behind them. A large slope of crumbling dirt rose above their heads; their bodies had left trails of disturbed dirt on the slope. At the top, the thorn forest spilled over the edge, vines reaching down toward them. There was obviously no way to climb back up the loose earth again.
Kenta shook himself again. “We’ll find another way back,” he said, his boisterous voice lacking its usual confidence. “Come on, let’s go look around.”
Tricks eased up to her hind legs, then grabbed the very top of Bump’s curved back with her clawed hand and hung on as he stood up. She didn’t want to fly for quite a while, and Bump made a nice, slow moving perch. The quiet Onehorn smiled up at his passenger until she got herself settled, then made his way leisurely after Kenta. Spec got up and bounded after them, not wanting to be left behind. “My poor feathers,” he sighed.
The four children soon felt better as they explored. Although the land outside the Great Valley was different, it wasn’t so strange that it scared them. Mostly it was lots of climbing up and down rocky slopes and seeing for far distances at the tops, without the familiar sights of green treestars or fresh running streams. But the young dinosaurs were having too much fun to worry about lunch.
“I don’t see any flying Swimmers, Kenta,” teased Spec. They had reached the top of a tall crag and could see for miles around. What they saw were rocks, rocks and more rocks, plus some smoke curling from the mountains in the distance. There were no other dinosaurs seen anywhere.
Tricks was feeling well enough to take to the air, circling up in tight spirals until she was high above even her elevated friends. But she shook her head. “Not much of anything,” she called down to them.
Kenta huffed. “See? No more Sharpteeth!” he said. “I was right!”
“I guess nothing can live out here with no green food or water,” Bump said thoughtfully.
That reminded Kenta of how thirsty he was getting, so he encouraged everyone to continue on with the exploration. “Let’s go, guys, I’ll bet there’s something interesting down this path.” With luck it was something to eat or drink.
“It looks just like all the others,” Spec retorted, but he followed Kenta along with Bump, Tricks flying overhead as usual. The path they chose wound down around the stony crag and quickly became narrow, forcing the group to walk in single file. The ground fell away on either side, leaving them to traverse a precarious walkway. The little ones were careful; they didn’t feel like taking another long tumble down a cliff.
“I’m getting thirsty,” commented Tricks, craning her head left and right over the dry landscape.
Kenta brightened up immediately, glad he wasn’t the first one to say so. “I think we should go on a water-finding adventure!” he said.
“And how is that different from what we’re doing now?” Spec wanted to know.
Kenta stopped and (very carefully) turned around to face Spec and Bump, who were behind him. “Well,” he said, “first you stand up on your tiptoes like this.” The Spikeback rose up on his hind legs, pointing his snout straight up in the air. “Then you sniff around for water, like this!” He inhaled, nostrils flaring wide.
Giggling at the sight of their friend, Spec and Bump did the same. The children sniffed for a long while, as Tricks circled above their heads to see if she could spot a speck of blue in the brown-orange rocks below. But finally they had to give up.
“I don’t smell anything like water,” sighed Spec. “Only dry and dust.”
Bump just shook his head wordlessly.
Kenta sneezed. “Yeah, I got sand in my nose. Let’s get off this high place.”
Tricks made a sound of agreement. “The wind is getting stronger,” she said, gliding down and landing on Bump’s back. She didn’t like flying when the wind got strong. Her wings had trouble going the way she wanted them to.
Spec squinted. The wind was picking up little bits of sand and flinging them through the air, making his eyes hurt. “Yeah, let’s go quick!”
The quartet of young dinosaurs started to walk the path more quickly, keeping their heads down to avoid the sand in the air. Even though they hurried, the wind picked up quickly. They were unprotected, high up on the ridge with nothing between them and the wind.
