The Cold Time of Endless Tragedies
The world stopped around Ruby as she stared at the fallen behemoth before herself. The sight of Dein’s dead body was one she had never expected to see, even if right now it made the turmoil within her heart a little bit easier. Looking at the fallen predator indeed ended all these weeks of fear and chasing which was an answer to her prayers. However, that sight was but one of the many things fighting for dominance within her mind.
For now, the deep satisfaction with this victory prevented the stinging sorrow from manifesting itself in the girl’s mind even if they certainly were there. As she thought about Dein and Terri’s ends, she felt a warm feeling within her chest which felt like they weren’t her own at all. Rather, those emotions seemed to belong to another dinosaur she had known and loved deeply and suddenly, she felt a few words leave her mouth even if she felt like none of them were her own.
“It’s alright now, Chomper. Your parents will never hurt anyone again.” She said, that whisper surprising even the fastrunner herself. However, nearly immediately afterwards, a horrifying wave of agony coursed through her body. Ruby screamed as she fell to her knees, taking her ruined tail to her hands, looking at it in horror. The loss of her father coursed everywhere within the girl’s thoughts but for a moment more, the physical pain was enough to overshadow that horrifying thought into the background.
Sickening parts of torn meat were exposed from the tail and the entire area around the cut was horribly damaged and bruised. But worst of all, it was still bleeding large amounts of blood and Ruby realized even in her current mental state that it had to be stopped or she’d die before too long. She suddenly piled large amount of the ground sparkles above the tail, cringing as they melted from the warm liquid. The omnivore sighed in relief as her hand hit the solid ground and she wasted no time taking soil to patch up at least some parts of the maimed appendage. She knew the risks of getting sick later but for now, it mattered little.
In those moments, Ruby was far from conscious about Ducky looking at her from nearby. She had jumped off from the fastrunner’s back as she had charged Dein and right now, she struggled to hold back her tears as she looked at her dear friend. The glassed look on her face as well as her highly unsure and confused movements confirmed the fact that she wasn’t capable of thinking clearly, the shock of her many losses causing her thoughts to get completely jammed.
However, the swimmer shook her head sadly as she knew what would soon follow. It wouldn’t be long now until Ruby remembered everything that had happened during the fight and…
Poor, poor, Ruby. I hope you can stand these moments, I do, I do.
The omnivore breathed almost unnaturally heavily as she looked at the earth and the ground sparkles grow red with her blood. At this point, her mind’s eyes was a combination of pain and sickening flashes from the concluded battle. At that point, there was absolutely nothing plausible within her mind as she looked at her bleeding slowly starting to slow down. The seconds moved on slowly and bit by bit, Ruby’s panting eased… and with them, the mental locks holding back the incoming shock.
Suddenly, the pain from the halftooth’s tail seemed to disappear completely, its place taken by a deep aching of her heart. Suddenly, war tears started to fall into the ground as a scene that felt like a bad sleep story from a previous life returned to her mind. With a haunted look, she turned to look towards the direction where Terri’s earthly remains lie, seeing the dead dinosaurs around her. Ruby’s emotions rebelling against her increasingly vivid memories, she started to walk towards that scene of tragedy. Please, it can’t be true… it isn’t true… Daddy is still alive, he must be! He has to be…
Those kinds of thoughts swirled within Ruby’s mind as groups of other dinosaurs looked for their friends around the battlefield with few of their eyes remaining dry. Some sharpteeth were already tearing into the flesh of the dead but at this point, Ruby didn’t care. From the corner of her eye, she could see Stealth starting to hold his victory speech but that was something that didn’t interest Ruby in the least. The only thing that interested her was the slight of a dead fastrunner that was drawing closer by the second. She was just about to confirm her fears as she saw Orchid and Arial run to the scene, something that was soon followed by an inconsolable wail.
“D… daddy?! Please, daddy, wake up! You have to wake up!” Arial’s cry was soon followed by an even more alarmed cry from Orchid.
“Mommy, come help us! We can still save daddy if we act quickly enough! Please, hurry!” He yelled but Pearl’s pace didn’t improve in the least. Even Ruby would have wanted to believe her brother but the sight that greeted her was very similar to the one she had expected to see. Detras’ entire midsection had been crushed and there seemed to be not one bone intact within the fastrunner’s torso. But the most haunting thing within his remains was his undamaged face that still retained its characteristics despite his horrifying end.
Ruby could feel tears starting to flow down her cheeks as she fell to her knees besides his father, not able to believe he was really gone. All her life, he had guided her forward and always been there for her when she needed it. The memory of that fateful night on the Desolate Rise was far from Ruby’s thoughts as she dwelled in the happy memories from the seasons long gone. Her father was gone, another victim from her failures. The fastrunner looked with moist eyes as Pearl spoke in a broken voice.
“There’s nothing we can do anymore, children. You can see that he’s gone. M… my dear Detras is gone…” She said, not able to hide her own emotions as even the younger children resigned to the sickening reality. Ruby was crying horribly, the pain within her chest worse than anything she could remember thus far because this time, she had lost a member of her own family, some that had been in her life since its very beginning. The girl shook her head, clearly sickened by it all as she spoke to her mother.
“I… it’s all my fault. Without… without me… daddy would still be…” She said but before she could finish, her mother interrupted her in a silent voice.
“Silence now, dear. Come here, all of you.” She said, waving her children to her. Orchid and Arial did so readily but at first, Ruby seemed like she was hesitating. However, at this point, any relief was welcome and after a moment, she approached her mother who then spread her hands around all of her children, trying to stay strong for their sake. Each of them accepted this embrace wholeheartedly, each of them wanting some consolation from the cruel world. She looked at her beloved mate’s remains before her while trying to keep her words somewhat understandable.
“We cannot blame ourselves, Ruby. All we have now is each other. Detras was the best mate I could have asked for but… but we have to survive without him now. At least all of you are still here. That’s the most important thing.” She said, cringing deeply at her own words. It wasn’t long before Orchid spoke to his mother in a broken voice.
“B… but we can’t survive without daddy! We need him so badly! I miss him so very much already…” He said, weeping violently as he spoke. Pearl looked at him with teary eyes, trying hard not to upset him further.
“We all do, Orchid. But we have to move on.” She merely said, not believing her own words. She had no strength left and without her mate by her side, she was at a complete loss of what to do. Detras had not only been a good father but he had also known the best way moving forward always, except that one, horrifying time. Her words caused each of the children to sob even more, none of them noticing the high shadow appearing behind them. Soon, they heard a sharp voice speaking to them.
“Ruby, Pearl, look at me.” A male voice said which they all recognized as Stealth’s. However, none of them was interested in anything the predator would have to say. Soon, the sharptooth spoke in a louder and more demanding voice.
“Look at me, now!” Those words suddenly hit a nerve within Ruby and awakened her somewhat from her pain. She turned at Stealth and cried to him loudly, not even bothering to hide her tears.
“Was it all true, Stealth? Did you really seek me out simply so that I’d call you to mommy and daddy to use them as pawns against Chomper’s parents? Did you?” She demanded so harshly that her mother spoke to her in a silent voice.
“Ruby, don’t make things…”
“I can’t make them any worse and besides, he owes us a few answers! It may be his fault daddy is dead and he better not lie to me anymore! So, Stealth, was that the truth?” She cried, causing Stealth to cross his arms. He was horribly battered and he was bleeding from almost every part of his body but that didn’t seem to bother him at all. He looked at Ruby with a blank expression, her outrage not seeming to bother the sharptooth in the least. He looked at the girl for a few seconds but to Ruby’s further confusion, there was not a twinkle of pleasure within Stealth’s eyes. And when he spoke, the carnivore’s voice was heavy but highly void of emotions.
“All of it was true. I knew just what you’d do and in the end, my faith in your parents’ ability to help me beat those two bastards wasn’t misplaced. However, that isn’t the only thing I foresaw.” He said, something within him suddenly making Ruby’s heart drop even further. Right now, she would have wanted to attack Stealth and make him pay for what he had done. Ultimately, it was his fault her father was dead! But the sharptooth’s tone forced Ruby to ask the next question even if her voice was practically a horrifying cry of pure pain.
“Why would I be interested in anything you have to say anymore, monster?! Everything that has happened is your fault and if everything hadn’t happened, daddy would still be alive! I hope you’ll choke to death before the evening!” She cried, her agony fusing with her despair as she shouted at Stealth’s unmoving face. It felt like the perfect metaphor for her entire life: she was shouting against all the world’s evil, powerless to change any of it and the world not even reacting to her struggles. Stealth crossed his arms and looked at Detras’ corpse, more than happy to see his old enemy dead along with his former masters.
“Everything that has happened is my fault… You are more right than you even realize, Ruby. After all, it was me who put you in that situation in the first place. No, it wasn’t me who sent the fastbiters after you but it was me who finished your little friend’s life and brought Dein and Terri’s fury upon your family.” He said calmly, waving a few of the smaller sharpteeth closer to himself in anticipation of what was to come.
Ruby felt like her heart was freezing as she heard those words. Even if she had expected to hear something disgusting after Stealth’s ominous comment but this… this was far beyond monstrous. It… it simply couldn’t be true. Trying to contain her overflowing emotions, she spat out a few words while her eyes were locked into the ground.
“W… why? Why would you do that… do that to Chomper? Please, Stealth… say that was a joke.” She said, not listening to her own words. Stealth moved closer to Ruby and spoke with a voice that surprised Ruby greatly. It had no trace of malice, it was even compassionate, but it still held absolutely no regret for his actions.
“I must admit it was something I didn’t really want to do. Killing helpless hatchlings is far from honorable but when it comes to Dein and Terri’s son, this Chomper, I had no choice but to act. I knew about your little arrangement but believe me when I say that it was just a lucky, or unlucky for you, coincidence that I was near enough to smell him wandering the desert all alone. I knew Dein and Terri would never forgive you nor your family and well, here we are. I did make it quick for him, though.” He said in a voice that was even borderline mournful. However, he had no illusions about how Ruby would react to his little revelation.
The fastrunner’s hands turned into fists as she started to shake more and more by the second. After everything that had happened, after everything she had lost, Stealth was now revealing he had been behind it all? And she had trusted him like a naïve hatchling once! Ruby’s breaths grew quicker as she stared at the sharptooth, all rational thoughts disappearing from her taxed mind. She’d get her revenge on the sailback now and avenger her father, Greentail and Chomper at the same time! She screamed from the top of her lungs as she began to sprint towards the male.
“How could you hurt Chomper, Stealth?! I’ll make you regret what you did before the end, murderer!” She yelled as she looked at the predator with a hateful look. However, before she could even get close to him, she felt two fastbiters tackle her to the ground and before she even realized what was happening, she found herself lying on her belly, a large fastbiter’s foot pinning her into the cold earth. Her eyes widened in hurt and despair as Stealth spoke to her again.
“And after seeing that my deed on that day helped me cut down my oldest enemies, I would gladly do all of it again, Ruby! I would again kill Chomper and sacrifice your father. But there’s no reason to dwell in that any longer as I have one final offer to you and your family.” He said but Ruby hardly even heard him anymore. She was in a mental lockdown, her pathetic failure blocking the rest of her sentient thoughts. After a few moments, Pearl cried at Stealth with teary eyes.
“We don’t need any more of your offers, Stealth! Just get lost and leave us all in peace!” She cried, willing to attack the sharptooth as badly as her daughter but she knew doing that would only make things worse. She hated the sharptooth from the bottom of her heart but even then, she could never win him in a fight. After a few seconds, another dinosaur joined the conversation, one the fastrunner hadn’t expected to hear.
“That is the least you can do, Stealth! None of us deserve to be told what to do from a bad sharptooth like you! Chomper was a far better dinosaur than you will ever be, he was!” Ducky yelled with an appalled look. To think anyone would ever want to kill Chomper… Ducky had always wanted to see the good in other dinosaurs but… but Stealth seemed to be beyond any hopes of redemption. And inside, she was slightly bothered she wasn’t even slightly sorry about that.
She may not have been as close to Chomper as Ruby had been but she had still loved him deeply and hearing about his demise had hurt her deeply but to hear Stealth brag about his deed to Ruby… that fact alone made something boil within the swimmer. As her memories moved towards her happy times with the small sharptooth, her inner rage towards Stealth only worsened. Inside, she wanted revenge on him as badly as the omnivores but there was even less she could do about it.
Stealth snorted at those words deeply but did his all to retain his composure. The smaller dinosaurs’ words meant nothing to him even if he couldn’t deny there was a small voice in his conscience that told him that his deed has been wrong but on the other hand, he had righted a terrible wrong with his plot. The sailback looked at the swimmer briefly but looked at Ruby and Pearl as he spoke.
“Indeed, I am planning to leave all of you alone very soon but before that, I still want something from all of you. The life of the one who, along with her mate, helped Dein and Terri to track down my parents in the first place.” He announced, causing each of the omnivores to gasp in horror and disgust. They simply couldn’t believe what they were hearing and Orchid spoke for all of them.
“Leave mommy alone, sharptooth! We already lost too much because of you! You can’t take her as well!” He cried, hoping this was just some cruel joke. Pearl herself looked at the sailback in shock even if she hadn’t been too surprised by the male’s words. Her answer was a pained one but the fastrunner made sure not to sound pleading in the least. She’d never slither before this monster, no matter what the cost.
“We had a pact, Stealth! We would help you get rid of Dein and Terri and you would let us go! Show that you have at least a modicum of honor and keep your word this one time!” She pleaded but Stealth merely grinned briefly before he started moving towards the hapless female. He revealed his teeth as he spoke, making clear he had already decided how to move on.
“The way I remember it, I promised you I’d consider allowing you to go free if you served me well. And Ruby just confirmed you were plotting behind my back last night in order for you to escape my judgement. Though, I had heard that conversation myself so there’s no reason to be upset about that, Ruby.” He looked at the younger fastrunner whose misery clearly worsened by the second. Pearl looked at the sharptooth in disgust, speaking the only words she could at this point.
“Don’t take me for a fool, Stealth. If that really was your only reason to killing me, you would have abandoned it the moment this little plot of ours never succeeded and thus, we never hurt your interests in any way. Admit it that your only reason to slaughter me is that you never even thought of letting me or Detras escape. Just admit it, Stealth.” She said with a wavering voice, everything around her feeling so unreal. It had been ages since she had faced the world without her mate and the gaping hole and sorrow inside her tortured her without an end. This day had turned into a perfect nightmare from which there was no escape. Stealth spat into the ground before answering.
“You are correct about that, Pearl. I never planned to let you go as I want everyone responsible for my parents’ deaths to pay the price. But look at this this way: with your death, you will buy your children the safety they only dreamed of when Dein and Terri were still chasing them. They hadn’t been born the day Sprinter and Whiteclaw still lived so I have no reason to hurt any of them. But I certainly will if you decline my offer.” He said, not really caring what answer he’d receive. In the end, he’d get what he’d want, one way or another. However, before Pearl got a chance to even speak, another horrified wail rang through the air.
“Don’t listen to him, mommy! You must not allow yourself to get killed by this monster, no matter what! We’ll get out of this together, I promise you! Just don’t give Stealth what he’s after! Think about what daddy would want!” Ruby yelled, trying to make her words as clear as possible through her tears and chaotic mind. However, immediately after he finished, she cringed in pain as the fastbiter pinning her into the ground tightened his grip and whispered to her in disgust.
“Stay silent, brat! Nobody wants to hear any of your thoughts now!” She said, her expression telling Ruby that she meant what she said. Even then, the only thing she was interested in now was her mother’s answer and she stared at her with a pleading look. She had already lost her father and now she was about to lose her mother as well. All eyes were gathered on Pearl whose gaze suddenly darkened greatly.
In many ways, the offer interested her greatly. it would finally give her the opportunity to redeem herself from her terrifying crime towards her daughter and reunite with her beloved mate again. Ruby, Orchid and Arial would be safe and free to go on with their lives in any ways they saw fit and her own pain would forever be extinguished. The female even smiled as she thought about it all but even then, doubts lingered within her mind.
The pleading looks of her children haunted her greatly as the twins gazed at her with lost and horrified. Could she let them down again? Inside, she knew they needed a mother on their journey towards adulthood, a thought that made her heart ache even more. Her eyes grew even more moist as the female’s eyes met those of Ruby’s, not willing to hurt her once again. Still, she knew that Ruby would do just nicely without her already but she also realized her daughter still wanted to have her mother still in this world.
However, when she looked at the sight around herself, the fastrunner’s face fell further. Two dozen sharpteeth were looking at her with murderous eyes, ready to rip both her and her children to pieces if she answered the wrong way to Stealth. In a way, she had no choice in this matter. Either she’d accept Stealth’s ultimatum or she could try to escape with her life but in that case, she would very likely doom her children to an eternity of fear and hiding or even immediate death. Here, she could end all of that, forever.
Pearl slowly turned to look at the sky, a look of deep longing appearing on her face. Her place was by her mate’s side and inside, she knew what was the right thing to do. Here, she had the option to make things right for her children as well as follow her mate wherever he went as she had pledged for many times. Ruby would take good care of her siblings, Pearl knew that much. The fastrunner then looked at Stealth in a hurt and horrified face but she knew in her heart she was doing the right thing. Without her mate by her side, she could never hope to withstand an enemy like Stealth.
“Stealth, if I agree to your proposal, do you swear in the name of your ancestors to leave my children at peace from this moment on? Swear it to me now, sharptooth!” She snapped in a demanding voice but before Stealth could answer, Arial cried to the older fastrunner in a horrified voice.
“Mommy, you can’t mean that! Please, mommy, don’t do it…” She cried as she sobbed against the older female’s plumage. It broke Pearl’s heart but she was doing this all for Arial and her siblings’ sake. Stealth looked at the halftooth and after a few moments, he spoke to her in a slow, crystal clear voice.
“I swear that in the name of every member of my family who came before me. I give you my word that I will never harm Ruby, Orchid or Arial as long as I live.” He said, causing Pearl’s forehead to tighten greatly. She knew that Stealth’s word wasn’t worth much after his little deal with her and Detras but it was all she got and right now, she had no better options before herself. She had never expected to survive this day, after all. With a pained nudge, she pushed Arial further away from her as she finally answered to Stealth.
“Very well. I accept your proposal then, Stealth, even if I had hoped it wouldn’t end this way. But I guess this could be seen as the final payment between our families.” She said, falling to her knees as she saw Stealth waving a few fastbiters starting to approach her slowly. Orchid looked at the scene in horror and he quickly started to run towards his mother, wailing heartbreakingly.
“You can’t do that, mommy! Please, you…” He cried but suddenly, he was pulled backwards with a harsh force and his eyes widened as he saw it was one of Stealth’s fastrunners who Pearl could identify as Jaros. He cried at him in growing panic, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
“Let me go! I have to go help her! LET OFF!” He yelled but the older male’s grip held steadily. He then whispered sadly but firmly at the boy.
“It’ll be over sooner if you don’t watch. I owe it to your father to make this at least as easy as possible for you.” He said, knowing there was nothing he could do to prevent the inevitable from happening. Deep down, he prayed that there’s be some better way he could repay Detras for saving his life during the battle but he’d at least do as much as he could. Orchid looked at the larger omnivore in outrage but no matter what he did, he couldn’t free himself of Jaros’ grip. He saw from the corner of his eye that Arial was also
caught by another fastrunner, also being pulled further from their mother.
Ruby could only look at the scene unfolding before her eyes in shock and outrage. How could her mother do this? She simply couldn’t abandon her and her siblings like this! It had to be some mistake that she could and would make right! There was no other explanation than her mother being deeply confused by something and wasn’t thinking clearly. Suddenly, she raised her hindlegs upwards and hit the predator’s stomach with her claws and immediately afterwards, tried to pull herself away from under the sharptooth’s foot was just as she felt like she was about to break free, the grip tightened again and the girl cringed in pain as the carnivore started to sink her claws into her back slowly and surely. She growled at the fastrunner in hate, looking as her belly started to bleed.
“Do that again and I swear I’ll crush your ribs one by one, halftooth. And I will keep my word.” She said, making sure there was no way Ruby could ever escape. She even put her hand before the halftooth’s mouth, knowing what kinds of wails would soon be heard if she was allowed to speak.
That scene was from some kind of bad sleep story for Ruby. Here she was, unable to move or speak and forced to watch as the fastbiters moved closer to her mother, preparing to strike the killing blow. The girl tried to free herself in any ways possible but it was all for nothing. With a horrified and fearful face, she looked at her mother’s calm expression, praying she’d change her mind before it would be too late. She simply couldn’t lose both of her parents on the same day. She simply couldn’t!
A slight frown appeared on Stealth’s face as she looked at the struggles of the three children. Deep down, he couldn’t help but see himself somewhere deep down within all of them, running for his life after the loss of his parents. He could see the same emotions swirling within their eyes but after thinking about his own seasons of suffering, he wouldn’t call this execution off.
And besides, there was one difference here that made him calm despite the eerie comparisons between himself and the probably vengeful children: he was a sharptooth, they weren’t. Even if one day they’d want vengeance against him, they would never be a threat to him and for that simple reason, he could keep his word to Pearl. Looking in disgust at the last surviving harbinger of his parents’ deaths, he spat at his followers in a sharp voice.
“Finish it. After that, our mission here will be complete.” He said, not even bothering to look at Pearl’s last moments.
The aging female herself looked around herself surprisingly calmly, knowing that she’d never know if she had made the right decision or not. It could be possible that she had made the best decision in a long time and safeguarded her family’s survival or she could just as well have only rubbed her beloved children of their mother while giving them nothing in return. Yet, she wouldn’t allow her son and daughters to live in an eternal tyranny of fear if she could only help it. After the deaths of Dein, Terri and Red Claw, the Mysterious Beyond would be a safer place for a young fastrunner to grow up in any case. She looked at the sharpteeth around her briefly before speaking to them in an almost neutral voice.
“Well, don’t waste any more time! Ruby, Orchid, Arial, just stay safe! I only want you to grow up, have children of your own and to live happy lives yourselves. Hopefully you can forgive me one day for everything.” She merely said, looking as one rather large fastbiters sank his claws into her throat, ripping its contents to pieces with a one, powerful move. At first, the fastrunner felt a stinging pain but it faded away so very quickly… One final thought lingered within her mind as she fell into the ground.
Wait for me… Detras, I’ll follow you wherever you go, dear…
All the voices on the small clearing within the deep forest died down the moment Pearl fell into the ground. That silence descended eerily upon Orchid whose eyes had been covered by Jaros the whole time. He could already tell what had come to pass but still, he was beyond disgusted by Jaros’ presence. He suddenly swept his hands from his eyes and turned to look at where his mother had been… and saw the sad sight he had expected. That was a moment the young boy would never forget, no matter how badly he would have wanted.
For the third time on this same, cursed day, Ruby felt like the world was falling apart everywhere around her. When she had woken up, she had thought about whether or not she’d be able to forgive her parents but… but now it was too late for that. In the matter of half an hour, she had been turned into an orphan which was something she almost couldn’t take. She tried to press her eyelids together as her sobs intensified again. This day was every bit as horrifying as the one during which she had lost her friends.
Slowly, the fastrunner felt the pressure on her back easing as the predator raised her foot away from her. But even then, Ruby hardly stirred. What was there left for her to do anyway? She was parentless and it, as usual, was her fault. She hated everything and everyone and she would have wanted to simply attack the predator will all her might and make at least her pay for what had happened. But… even then, a small voice could be heard within the girl’s heart. She’d have to bid her mother a proper goodbye, at the very least.
With weak and forced movements, Ruby rose to her feet but before she could take ten steps, two sharpteeth blocked her way in determination. The fastrunner paid them little heed, shouting them in deep outrage.
“Go to hell, all of you! You will not prevent me from saying my farewells!” She cried but immediately, she received a harsh hit to her chest which sent her falling into the ground again. She looked in disbelief as the sharpteeth spoke to her.
“We owe you nothing more, pitiful halftooth. Join your friends and get lost from here, now!” One of them said in a voice that made Ruby’s jaw drop in disbelief. She suddenly turned at Stealth and cried from the top of her lungs like she had never done before.
“IS THIS ALL A JOKE, STEALTH? TELL THESE BASTARDS TO GET OFF SO THAT I CAN AT LEAST BID MOMMY GOODBYE!” She yelled, not able to comprehend anything of which was happening. All of it happened like something that could never happen but here she was, denied even a chance to look at her dead mother for the last time. Stealth glanced at the girl one last time before answering to Ruby harshly.
“I promised her only that you’d leave this place unharmed and I need no children like you swarming around me or my herd anymore. Do as I told you and leave this place immediately.” He said, preparing to revel in his triumph. For the first time in many seasons, he was free of his thirst for revenge and at least for the duration of the coming night, he’d be willing to spend in peace and to think about his next move. Ruby’s breaths grew quicker by the second and even a wheezing voice started to escape from her lungs. She was sickened beyond words and the worst thing was that she was powerless to do anything about it. She slowly started to stutter with a forced voice, clearly at a loss herself.
“I… I’m not going to… I’ll see mommy again…” She started but before she could continue, she heard a gentle touch on her right hand, one that made her breath at least a little more easily.
“Let us go, Ruby. There is nothing for us here anymore, there is not.” The utter storm inside the fastrunner died down a little as she heard the soft and familiar voice speak to her. With glassed eyes, she turned to look at Ducky’s sad face and after staring at her for a few seconds, she merely nodded weakly. Slowly, she followed the swimmer towards her siblings, their movements closely followed by the group of sharpteeth and omnivores. It wasn’t long before the four hapless dinosaurs disappeared into the darkened woods.
It wasn’t long before they had to stop as they simply had no strength to go on. The three siblings were in no way capable of moving on at this point, each of them crying their hearts out against the cold wind of the forest. The fastrunners sat down on a group of rocks, none of them capable of having any kind of conversation right now. However, in a certain way, it was Ducky to whom this situation was the most difficult one.
Here she was, forced to witness Ruby and her siblings’ sorrow while being unable to do anything to help any of them. She felt like a total outsider as she couldn’t fully partake in the siblings’ sorrow, only able to witness their loss from the sidelines. She felt more than bad for Ruby’s parents but she had met them only a few times which prevented her from sharing Ruby’s agony. Ducky had always been a compassionate swimmer and the fact that she was unable to help her dear friend in her hour of need agonized the girl greatly. Tears dropped from her own eyes as she looked into the distance, hearing sounds of Stealth’s minions feasting far in the distance.
Even then, she thought she really understood just how Ruby and her siblings felt. She had lost her father a long time ago as well as Spike, a memory that haunted her still to this day. True, his passing wasn’t in any way her fault but the pain of losing a loved one who you saw every day was a horrifying experience to any dinosaur, let alone a child. And the swimmer knew full well that there was absolutely nothing she would have wanted to hear in the immediate aftermath of Spike’s death. He, as well as Ruby’s parents, was gone and no words could ever change that fact.
However, Ducky hated to see the fastrunner like this and inside, she prayed there was something she could do to at least somewhat ease Ruby’s pain to a certain degree. Even if she couldn’t undo what had happened, she could at least attempt to break the despair within her friend’s mind. She had no illusions about what she could do but she’d t least have
to try. If there was anyone who could get to Ruby, it was her. With forced movements, she moved towards the omnivore and whispered to her hopefully.
“Uhh, Ruby? That feeling will pass in time, I kn...” She started but before she got any further, Ruby mumbled with a broken voice, not a trace of her former optimism or cheer to be seen or heard.
“Go away, Ducky. I don’t deserve anyone’s company anymore.” She said, not even looking at the girl. She was reliving her entire life before this point, seeing her parents’ smiling faces on her stardays as well as their proud expressions as she learned ever more skills. They had looked after her when she was sick and encouraged her forward whenever she was feeling down. And now, they were dead, all because of her. The omnivore started to sink her claws into her thighs which started to bleed slightly. Ducky cringed as she saw that but decided against giving up just yet.
“I just want to thank what you did back there, I do. You saved me from a certain death and for that, I am forever grateful.” She said, hoping that something within her words would at least catch Ruby’s interest in some way. However, the omnivore gave no indication that she had even heard what the swimmer had said and after a few moments had passed, Ducky decided to try again.
“I am just saying that you did what you could to save everyone. You could save me… and you did, yep, yep, yep!” She said and this time, Ruby finally turned at her and snapped at her in anger.
“Do you seriously think I care about that in a moment like this, Ducky? I had always thought you’d know better than that. Mommy and daddy are gone and… and I couldn’t care less what I did today. It all happened because of me.” She said while starting to weep even more violently. There was not a flicker of light within her mind and the swimmer’s words felt like they were at most mocking her and her sorrow. The only upside was that Orchid and Arial were too broken to even speak at this moment. Ducky, however, wasn’t finished just yet.
“I know, Ruby, I know. And none of us deserved what happened out there. But… I was all alone after Spike left me and… you aren’t. We are still here because of the things you did right in the past days! Your mommy and daddy died because of Stealth but we’re here because of you!” She tried, praying her efforts would pay off. At first, Ruby only stared forward, as if to think about how to answer to the swimmer’s words. After a moment, an odd twinkly appeared in her left eye as she started to speak.
“Ducky… everyone is dead because of what I did in the Valley and because I couldn’t keep Chomper said. Nothing else is important. So, please your mouth shut AND DON’T TRY TO CHEER ME UP WITH YOUR DAMNED LIES THAT NOT EVEN A STUPID GROUND FUZZY WOULD BELIEVE! I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF IT!” She yelled, momentarily stopping to think of her own words but just as it seemed she was going to apologize for her outburst, her expression hardened again and she turned away from the swimmer. Her voice became much slower but also much more toxic than before.
“It’s true, Ducky. It should have been me who died out there and not mommy. She was innocent about it all. It would be better for everyone if I just died here.” She said, investigating a small rock she picked up from the ground absentmindedly. If she thought about things more rationally, she would have realized the folly of her own words but not in this moment. She then threw the stone violently against a nearby tree, imagining that she was hitting another copy of herself. Orchid and Arial looked at their older sister in shock but neither of them found anything more to say.
The swimmer looked at her friend in deep compassion. She knew each of those emotions very well as she had felt them herself. She also knew her chances of getting to Ruby were abysmal and those fears had already been reinforced during this discussion. It was as if Littlefoot had told her that one wise dinosaur had told him: everything would get better with time but only with time. Her voice was meek as she spoke, hoping that her next words wouldn’t make things any worse.
“You know that isn’t true, Ruby. Your brother and sister need you and… and if you did that, your mommy and daddy’s deeds would be for nothing. Besides, I need you, Ruby. I want to return to the Valley one day but I will never make it through this Cold Time without you. You will realize it in time that most of what went wrong wasn’t your fault. We all make mistakes whose consequences we won’t learn until much later and we can’t be blamed for them.” She said, realizing how much she sounded like Littlefoot overall. Those words weren’t something she would have said in her Valley days but so much had happened for her as well since then. Inside, she was just happy that she had learned something from Littlefoot who had been, in his own way, the wisest dinosaur she had known. Ruby snorted deeply as she answered, not liking this conversation in the least.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that if things had went differently, none of this hell would have happened! Greentail wouldn’t have been maimed and killed, daddy’s body wouldn’t lie out there in pieces and mommy wouldn’t have practically killed herself! So yes, I do blame myself for that, thank you! This… this is just…” She started to again cry more audibly, the sight of her mother being slain before her eyes haunting her deeply. And the knowledge that it had been Stealth who killed Chomper… absolutely everything had gone wrong her during her journey.
She was just about to bury her head in her hands when her ears heard something that caused her to turn around and reveal her claws before her mind had even realized what was happening… just in time to stop Yarel’s incoming blow. The thinclaw gritted his teeth in a horrifying, his trauma clearly guiding his actions. His voice seethed with hate as he spoke.
“I’m surprised you even remember that my sister existed at all, fastrunner scum! A pity you never did so when she was actually alive!” He cried with a teary expression which revealed immediately that his conscious mind had absolutely no idea about what he was doing. Ruby cringed as she struggled to keep the boy at bay, finding just enough strength to defend herself. The fastrunner’s voice, though, was beyond resigned as she answered to the other omnivore.
“Y… Yarel? I thought that… that you would be gone by now…” She said, not willing to admit her guilt once again. Her heart ached as she looked at Yarel who was just another of her many victims in the girl’s eyes. Yarel started to sob ever more pathetically as he heard those words, practically spitting the next sentence from his mouth.
“Gone… where exactly, Ruby? I have no home or any dinosaur to return to, thanks to you! Greentail was all I had and she lies out there, getting as cold as this cursed world! WHERE DO YOU THINK I WOULD GO TO? WHERE?” He demanded, not sparing any of his hate against the fastrunner. A sudden wave of weakness washed over the female as she heard those words which was just enough to break her defenses. Ruby’s eyes widened in fear as she fell into the ground, doing her best to safeguard her throat against the other juvenile omnivore’s attack. Her next words were more like desperate wails but it was all she could form at this point.
“I… I know, Yarel. If I hadn’t ever met you… I’m so very sorry about everything, Yarel.” She had no strength left to defend herself nor did she even want to. The male gave a surprised look but he didn’t end his efforts for a moment. He’d get his revenge, no matter what. However, he cringed deeply as he noticed the two younger fastrunners jumping on his sides, crying in outrage and fear.
“Leave Ruby alone, Yarel! It wasn’t her fault!”
“You won’t take Ruby from us, thinclaw! Get away from here!”
Arial and Orchid, cried respectively as they prepared to attack the other omnivore. Yarel looked in slight shock as they aimed their claws into his belly and back, knowing even their claws were capable of hurting him severely, possibly even taking him out. However, he wasn’t about to be outdone by the duo and with one blow, he cast away Ruby’s arms and aimed right at her throat. He growled in hate as he spoke to the twins.
“Harm me in any ways, pipsqueaks, and your sister will pay the price! If I were you, I wouldn’t even bother to defend this villain!” He cried as he looked at Ruby, cursing the day he had first met her. That was the day his life had been ruined and the day that had led him to this situation. Orchid and Arial gulped in fear, doing as they were told. However, all of the dinosaurs present realized they had reached a dead end in this struggle… all except Ruby.
While she would have sacrificed herself to bring any of today’s victims back to life, she still didn’t want to die… not like this. She suddenly remembered that it was only on this very morning that she had still seen Yarel as her friend but here he was, ready to kill her if he only managed to wrest the situation back into his control. The girl looked at him pleadingly, trying to keep her words at least somewhat intelligible.
“Yarel… this isn’t what you are. This isn’t what your sister would have wanted.” She said but it didn’t take long until she realized her mistake. Yarel’s eyes widened immediately and he wasted no time tightening his grip on Ruby’s throat as he gave his answer.
“Don’t talk about her! None of us knows what Greentail would really have wanted since she was practically gone ever since her injury! My sister… she never was the same again and I have no way of knowing what the old Greentail would have wanted! And it was all because of you!” He cried, the boy clearly having a hard time keeping his own composure together. Ruby inhaled deeply, trying to somehow convince Yarel that his line of thinking was twisted even if her heart told her she was wrong. At this point, it was her primal will to live that guided her rather than her own mind.
“But she was still Greentail after the injury! Yarel, I know you are upset but it was Chomper’s parents who did this to her! And if you think I got out of that fight without losing anything, both of my parents are dead! Slaughtered by Terri and Stealth!” She yelled, struggling to prevent herself from simply giving up. Her self-loathing emotions told her Yarel was right but something prevented her from simply resigning to her fate. The thinclaw looked at the fastrunner for a moment, surprised by those words but his mind was too twisted right now to play that much heed. His voice was a cold one as he gave his answer.
“So it seems there is at least some justice in this world, Ruby. Your parents apparently payed the price of your stupidity alongside my sister which is more than fair in the end!” He spoke, some cracks starting to appear in his shield of hate as he saw the deep pain on Ruby’s face. However, at this point Ducky had seen enough. She walked closer to Yarel and cried to him in a pleading voice.
“Yarel, you don’t want to do this! We didn’t know each other for a long time but during the few days we spent together, I saw that you aren’t a heartless killer that you look like now! Deep down, I know you are a good dinosaur so don’t let that sorrow ruin your entire life lie this! You know you don’t want to kill Ruby!” She spoke, hoping her words were correct. She indeed had learned to respect the thinclaw but still, she wouldn’t call him a friend just yet. Yarel was about to give a prompt response but the words died down in his throat. He waited for a few moments before he finally spoke again.
“What do you know about all of that, swimmer? You hardly know me and you weren’t out there to see it all! And what do I care about how you would react if I killed Ruby? I don’t have a future anyway without my sister!” He yelled with a hurt voice that made the smaller dinosaur to cringe deeply. However, it was Orchid who spoke to the enraged omnivore next.
“We worked together for many days to even reach this day and you joined us voluntarily! I lost my mommy and daddy but I wouldn’t want to insult them by attacking someone who isn’t responsible for their deaths! Yarel, please, I know there were times where you liked all of us… and we liked you. Don’t do this. I’m sure Greentail wouldn’t want you to do that either.” He spoke and to his extreme surprise, Yarel seemed to stop suddenly. His eyes seemed to stare into nothingness but as seconds passed, the boy started to weep increasingly violently as he started to cry again suddenly.
“I… I’m not a good dinosaur and I never enjoyed anything during this journey… at least since Greentail’s injury. After that… I never cared about anyone else than her… without her, I am nothing.” He said as he suddenly brought his hand to his face and started to shake heavily. Ruby breathed in deep relief as Yarel leaned against a nearby tree, slowly collapsing into a sitting position. All of the other dinosaurs present suddenly gathered around him, more than relieved the moment of dread had passed. Ruby looked at him with a bothered look, not really even feeling bitterness towards the boy despite what he had been about to do to her. At least, she could clearly see now that he wasn’t a threat anymore.
“Do you really mean that? Did you join us on the Rise… simply because of your sister? In the hopes she could recover her skills faster?” She asked, bothered by the implications. Even now, she was more than certain that deep down, Yarel still thought of her and of the others as friends but even then, she felt more than guilty for never before bothering to ask about anything from Yarel before. The male looked at Ruby in the eyes, all traces of malice vanishing from his face.
“I do. After we left the Rise, I never cared about the rest of you, only about the possibility that… that one day the old Greentail would return to me. It was a folly but… but you don’t know how close we were back in our home forest. You didn’t know… how much she meant to me. So in the end, I used all of you to my own ends.” He said, guilt starting to flow into his mind. Only now did she realize the depth of his mistakes even if his heart still reminded him that if he had never met Ruby, none of this would have happened. Though… if he had not agreed to follow Ruby, all would be well too… the boy shook his head which was starting to increasingly hurt. He hardly heard anything when Ruby spoke to him in a heavy and teary.
“But… certainly you would have left me immediately if you never wanted to come with me, Yarel. I’m sorry to hear all of that but…” Suddenly, the fastrunner’s words were interrupted by a magnificent display of colors which rose to the sky over the forest, illuminating everything around the small group of dinosaurs as it was day. Ruby’s eyes widened as she looked at the dancing colors, immediately recognizing that they were similar to the ones she had seen previously. But this time, they were much closer than before and they seemed to sallow the whole sky under its radiance. Those colors were reflected within Ruby’s moist eyes and the fastrunner’s breaths grew even heavier as she looked at that display. After a moment, she whispered o the other dinosaurs around her.
“Look at that… it is those dancing lights again. I just wish I knew what they meant.” She said, earning many agreeing nods from those around her. After a while, they died down again, disappearing as quickly as they had come. The dinosaurs were again left in the dark day of the Cold Time and it didn’t take long before Ducky spoke t the others.
“I saw them before as well! But they were never this powerful before, they weren’t!” She said but immediately, she realized her enthusiasm wasn’t shared by her friends. Ruby took a deep sigh as she looked at the swimmer, her earlier despair returning to her face.
“I’m sorry, Ducky but… but I’m not too interested in that right now. I… I’m not really interested in anything more.” She said, sitting down again while she looked at Yarel. Inside, she felt only disgust and guilt and her curiosity had been completely buried under those feelings. The thinclaw shook his head again while affirming the other omnivore’s sentiment.
“I agree, Ruby. I agree.” He said, the feeling in the small group sinking immediately. For a moment, the only things that could be heard were Orchid and Arial’s continuing sobs and Ruby and Yarel’s sniffs which made Ducky frown deeply. She hated to see her old friend like this, a sight which awakened old memories within her mind. Littlefoot had been very similar to Ruby when he had first met the her soon after losing his mother.
Sure, she hadn’t known it back then and it had been a few days since the tragedy at that point but… but the longneck had shown her that even in a mind full of despair, there was still courage that had to be awakened. She cringed as she thought of herself after Spike’s death but deep down, she realized that Swiftsplash had managed to pull her away from her near-fatal sorrow. The swimmer looked at the fastrunner and spoke to her in a soft voice.
“But… that was what we had already decided to do, wasn’t it, Ruby? Besides, we cannot just stay here doing nothing, no, no, no.” She said, causing ruby to look at the sky, apparently thinking about the swimmer’s words. However, before she could answer, Arial gave her answer.
“I don’t want to go anywhere if mommy and daddy aren’t going with us! I’d rather just stay here, Ducky. There… there isn’t any reason to go on.” She said, burying her face in her thighs. Ruby looked at her in horror, not having expected to hear such words from her sister’s mouth. To see the usually-happy child speak like this… It made Ruby to slowly realize what she was doing. Even after everything, her siblings still depended on her for survival and if she gave up… so would they. Without really even realizing it, the fastrunner hit her first into a nearby rock, crying with all her might into the skies.
“How could you do to us, mommy? How am I supposed to look after Orchid and Arial when you escape into the Great Beyond like a cursed coward? That… none of this is fair! Screw you, mommy! Screw you!” She cried into the heavens as her composure failed once again. Everyone around her looked at the girl’s outburst in shock, the two younger children’s eyes also widening in horror and sadness. They were extremely bothered by their sister’s reaction, not expecting or wanting to hear those words right now. Ducky looked at her old friend with an expression that was one of the most serious ones the swimmer had ever given to anyone in her life.
“That is where we are now, Ruby. But please, do the right thing at least for your brother and sister’s sake. They have no place to go and you are the only one who can give them any kind of a future. That’s what your mommy wanted all along.” She looked Ruby directly in the eyes, causing the latter to start weeping deeply. She was extremely upset by all of this and she looked at her siblings for a few seconds, her heart growing heavier by the second. After a few seconds, she turned at Ducky again and spoke in a lower voice to the swimmer, willing to merely disappear into the air.
“I cannot look after them, Ducky! I said it already after we left the Rise and I already proved that point, didn’t I? I… I just can’t do this!” She said, cursing the fact that she was again in a situation like this. For so many times already, she had been pushed to these kinds of tragedies and each time she had been right about her own faults. Even then, Ducky whispered to her slowly, hoping to get over this debate as soon as possible.
“You know I am right, Ruby. You cannot leave them to die.” The swimmer said in an almost grave voice that made the fastrunner freeze completely. To hear such terrible words
from the swimmer… it finally made the terrible reality come to life around the omnivore, one that she had tried to deny ever existed. She could only look at Ducky with half-closed eyes but she was soon interrupted by Yarel who walked closer to Ruby with a sickened expression.
“Do what you want, it hardly bothers me! I… I’ve had enough of all of you!” The thinclaw said, causing Ruby to turn at her. The fastrunner looked at him sadly, asking him the only question she could. Inside, she had expected to hear something similar from Yarel and after his attack, she wouldn’t have wanted his company anyway. In a situation like this, she could forgive Yarel’s unthought assault but it had scarred her deeply. This would be their parting of the ways.
“Where are you going, Yarel?” She asked simply, causing the boy’s eyes to flash swiftly. His answer sounded like a belly slider’s hiss as he turned away from the omnivore.
“Anyplace that is just far away from all of you! Also, I will not ask for your forgiveness about that attack before you ask.” He said with a deep voice. The fastrunner frowned deeply as she looked at him, more than outraged by his antics. She was happy to bid him farewell but there was one question she still wanted an answer to.
“I never expected that. But Yarel, when you say you never wanted to follow me, was that also true before the hunt in the nightly valley? I want you to answer honestly if our entire friendship was a lie from the very beginning?” She asked, looking with some relief as Yarel stopped for a moment, his body language confirming that there indeed was some hesitation and regret within his mind. The boy took a deep sigh and after a few seconds, he turned his still-teary face at Ruby. When he spoke, his voice nearly broke down completely.
“Ruby… I’ll just say I hoped things would go differently, that… we might be able to call each other real friends but… that’s over now. Right now, all I just hope is that may our paths never cross again.” He said as he disappeared into the forest, something deep within Ruby repeating those same words. All along, she had only brought sorrow and tragedy to Yarel and his sister and in all honesty, this might just be close to the best circumstances they might have separated from each other. The girl took a deep sigh as she looked again at Ducky, speaking to her in a soft voice.
“I never wanted any of this but… let’s finish the journey we started. That’s what… what mommy and daddy would have wanted.” She said with a heavy voice, not even trying to hide her tears. Inside, she no longer cared about her quest at all but Ducky was right: she couldn’t freeze to death with Orchid and Arial here. The fastrunner turned to look at the direction the dancing colors had come from, praying that whatever waited for her wouldn’t be even worse than what she had already gone through.
Unknown to them, Ruby and her companions weren’t the only ones to see the sky colors. Stealth looked at them in deep awe, not having expected to see them again after the last display a few nights ago. Back then, he had simply cast them away as something of little consequence to go on with his revenge but now… now he couldn’t help but feel he had seen them for some real purpose. Inside the sharptooth rose a new curiosity, one that he knew he could extinguish.
Unconsciously, the sharptooth licked one of his many wounds when the unnatural display ended, the Cold Time’s afternoon’s gloom again setting over the wide forest. A deep smile rose to his face as he thought about it all. He had just achieved his lifelong dream in full and right away, fate offered him a new path forward in life. He was already the most respected predator in the Mysterious Beyond and whatever had made those colors would only serve to make him one of the sharpteeth of legend.
Even then, he knew more than well that his own injuries were severe and his followers would want their rest before moving forward. He would allow the Bright Circle to set and rise
again when he’d make his move but one way or another, Stealth knew he’d soon achieve another great victory to make up for his past. A confident smile rose on his mouth as he looked into the horizon, hardly able to wait for the opportunity to make his next move.
After the tragic events of this chapter, Ruby and the others have decided to resume the journey that they had been forced to halt due to the conflict. But will they find the strength to move forward or have the endless losses finally broken their resolve? Yeah, this chapter became much darker than I originally wanted but I’m in many ways rather pleased with the result. I hope you like it as well and see you next time as always!
DiddyKF1: I’m happy to hear you approve of my usage of your characters and thanks again for letting me use them! And yep, Petrie’s mother was in a tough spot in this chapter as her situation was far from easy or pleasant. Donnie and Terra were also up for a lesson but it’s hardly this was the last we’ll see of them. As for the chapter’s ending, that indeed was left open but the fact is that Petrie will have to face his quest’s final part on his own. As for how it will end, that still remains to be seen…
Anagnos: It’s a relief that the story part didn’t seem to drag for too long as I feared that going through the old story again could get boring. But apparently Donnie and Terra as well as Volant were written will enough to pull that sequence through the finishing line which is a relief. And yep, it was quite sad to write Volant’s reactions because there were practically no news that would have been more devastating for her.
Even then, I understand the contrast to the last chapter was a profound one so it makes sense this installment might have been a little bit low-key compared to the last one. And don’t worry, that review is a completely fair one and thanks for sharing your thoughts as always!
The Rhombus: Yeah, Volant’s reactions to her son’s change were one of the main part here but I’m also glad to hear you found Donnie and Terra’s inclusion a good decision. They just offered the best mirror to Petrie’s character at this point. But indeed, the new Petrie is a shock to her mother but all of those thoughts were buried under the pure joy of reunion… until the news of Pterano’s end, at least.
However, I am genuinely surprised by the reactions to Petrie’s hesitation. I tried to portray his hopes of staying with his family as a moment of weakness that he didn’t fully believe even himself. I thought that the scene would make Petrie more sympathetic as he only wanted to simply stay with his family and have a normal life after the months of tragedy. Maybe I didn’t do good enough job to show that, though. Anyway, thanks for the review!
