To Tread Upon Fields Afar (Updated)

Fyn16 · **on:** October 06, 2016, 08:43:52 AM

Hey all! I figured I'd give posting my work on here another shot, but since the formats don't translate too nicely from Fanfiction.net to here, I'm going to try this a different way. Each post will consist of a linked chapter and a short blurb about that chapter. This way, the format is preserved without errors. I'll be starting with the first chapter later today, hopefully with a few more to follow. If this works out, I'll continue it!

Synopsis: brother and sister Fyn and Zaura, two Amargasaurs living near the Big Water journey into the Mysterious Beyond following an age-old trail left by their father- a trail that supposedly leads to the mythical Great Valley, where dinosaurs once lived in harmony. Their trek takes them through the very heart of the Beyond, where forces beyond their understanding have been at work for years. Together with Sol the lone Longclaw, left to fend for himself at an early age, and Rear the dishonored Fast Biter clinging onto the last shred of her honor, they must unravel the dark secrets plaguing the Beyond, and work to finish what their father started when he ventured to the Great Valley so many years ago.

Fyn16 · **Reply #1 on:** October 06, 2016, 08:52:08 AM

Prologue and Chapter 1: Lessons

In a far corner of the Mysterious Beyond, on the shore of the Big water, lives a small community of curious Longnecks- a species collectively called the Sailnecks. Within this reclusive community, Fyn and Zaura, brother and sister, each have a busy day ahead of them, with Fyn being groomed to be the next herd leader despite his own apprehensions, and Zaura obligated to find a mate by her status as the current herd leader's daughter. Both must face the reality of the adult world they've just entered, and discover it's not quite what they'd expected.

Prologue

Chapter 1: Lessons

Fyn16 · **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2016, 10:06:34 AM

A herd of Farwalkers comes to the grove, hoping for respite. What they find instead is animosity, yet both Fyn and Zaura are intrigued by the newcomers, and hatch a plan to help them.

Chapter 2: Outsiders

Fyn16 · **Reply #3 on:** October 06, 2016, 11:59:38 AM

After finally meeting the Farwalkers face to face, both Fyn and Zaura come to realize that there is more to them, their lives, and the very world around them than they were told.

Chapter 3: Lands Afar

Fyn16 · **Reply #4 on:** October 06, 2016, 12:03:03 PM

Caught in the act of helping the Farwalkers by Garas, Fyn must try to salvage the situation with what will easily be the most important talk of his life.

Chapter 4: Leaving the Nest

Fyn16 · **Reply #5 on:** October 06, 2016, 02:35:38 PM

Book One: The Drylands

With a real herd to guide them, Fyn and Zaura find themselves in the Mysterious Beyond for the first time. As they set off on their journey, with only a story to guide them, they can scarcely imagine the wonders- and terrors- that await them in this most inhospitable of environments.

...

Having become part of a nomadic herd, Fyn and Zaura find they have much to learn about their new world. Together, they must adjust to the new climate, threats, and even their herd-mates, all the while searching for life-sustaining water in a hostile environment.

Chapter 4: Progress and Lack Thereof

Fyn16 · **Reply #6 on:** October 06, 2016, 05:36:12 PM

The Sailneck siblings get a crash course in self-defense. Meanwhile, something begins to stalk the herd...

Chapter 6: Face to Face

ADFan185 · **Reply #7 on:** October 07, 2016, 01:00:23 AM

It was a pretty decent chapter I liked it a lot.

Fyn16 · **Reply #8 on:** October 07, 2016, 02:32:27 PM

Thanks for the kind words, ADFan!

...

(Graphic Content Warning, applies to the next three or four chapters)

The herd comes upon a mysterious forest after finally reaching water. However, while they believe the forest to be their way out of the Dryland's dangers, their biggest perils have yet to reveal themselves.

Chapter 7: Into the Forest of Sand

Fyn16 · **Reply #9 on:** October 07, 2016, 02:35:12 PM

Alone, afraid, and dejected, Fyn and Zaura find themselves separated from the herd. With Fyn's strange sleep stories beginning to torment him, Zaura must be the voice of reason to keep him grounded in reality. Unfortunately for them, the Fast Biters have not given up on their hunt yet.

Chapter 8: Alone

Fyn16 · **Reply #10 on:** October 07, 2016, 02:37:22 PM

Plunged even further into peril by the Forest of Sand's dangerous terrain, Fyn and Zaura find help in a very unlikely ally, and just in time, too- for they soon find out that someone close is in desperate need of help.

Chapter 9: Rescue

Fyn16 · **Reply #11 on:** October 07, 2016, 02:41:51 PM

The little herd of four has emerged bruised, battered, and triumphant from their fight with the Fast Biters. The pack, however, has yet to give up, and as they come closer to reaching the forest's end, the Fast Biter population at large begins to close in, tightening the noose and forcing the group to make some very difficult choices.

Chapter 10: The End of the Trail

Fyn16 · **Reply #12 on:** November 07, 2016, 03:23:18 AM

In the wake of tragedy, tensions rise between the members of the small herd. Their goal is almost in sight, but the Fast Biter pack is closing in...

The Path Unclear

Fyn16 · **Reply #13 on:** November 07, 2016, 03:25:58 AM

Book Two: A Threehorn, and a Quest.

A Delicate Balance

Fyn16 · **Reply #14 on:** November 07, 2016, 01:34:16 PM

The exhausted trio of dinosaurs have, at long last, left the forest of sand. But new challenges await them in the mountains ahead. With Fyn badly hurt, they must seek refuge among a community of mountain-dwelling dinosaurs. Unfortunately, they may not take kindly to the presence of a Sharptooth in their midst...

Chapter 12: Shades of Sand

Fyn16 · **Reply #15 on:** November 07, 2016, 01:36:48 PM

Sol is safe, out of the public eye. But his isolation comes with a price: hunger. Desperate, Sol finds himself looking for a way to satisfy his need for food. Help, however, comes from the most unlikely of places...

Chapter 13: On Matters of Diet

Fyn16 · **Reply #16 on:** November 07, 2016, 01:40:24 PM

Rested and healed, Fyn and his friends must bring themselves to finally part with Rachi's herd. On the eve of their parting is a celebration none of the dinosaurs have ever experienced, and the stories shared within give the herd more knowledge about their destination than before.

Chapter 14: The Circle

Fyn16 · **Reply #17 on:** November 07, 2016, 01:43:24 PM

The friends leave High Haven, knowing they must press on. As they move deeper into their mysterious new environment, however, both Sol and Rear begin to realize that they are far from being alone.

Chapter 15: The Climb Begins

Fyn16 · **Reply #18 on:** November 07, 2016, 01:45:59 PM

High above the rest of the mountains, the herd is confronted by their first snowfall. Meanwhile, an old predator makes ready to reveal himself, while higher up the mountain, an interested third party watches intently.

Chapter 16: In the Giant's Shadow
Chapter 16: In the Giant's Shadow

Fyn16 · **Reply #19 on:** November 07, 2016, 01:47:20 PM

Rescued by a mysterious Threehorn, the youngsters must come to terms with some revelations about their destination, their father, and even about themselves.

Chapter 17: One Eye