This is a short story happening at some point during Littlefoot's journey from LBT 10. Note that this is a future chapter of my fanfiction "Shorty's Dark Past" or "SDP" currently unreleased. No spoilers in this one afaik, you can safely read it even without knowing the context of the longfic it belongs to as it's a self-contained chapter. Those of you who participated in a certain roleplay long ago may recognize a character appearing in this short story. Enjoy the read
Adventuring at night
Littlefoot was woken roughly by a particularly scary variant of the type of sleepstory which had been plaguing him for weeks. On maximum alert, the young longneck scanned his surroundings for sudden movement only to find a lone hopper stirring on a nearby boulder, likely startled by his cries of horror.
It took more controlled breathing than usual to fully arrive in reality, realizing that it had been no more and no less than a stupid nightmare. Yet, the more he saw himself confronted with these night terrors, the easier they were to deal with. As the last reverberations of his panicked scream finally died, Littlefoot released a colossal sigh before entering a more comfortable position.
Sleepstories rarely went by without some sort of resonance. While the young boy appeared calm on the surface, his thoughts lingered on the sleepstory and its possible meaning. Even after weeks of experiencing them near daily, he still felt helpless at times, not knowing why they suddenly started to appear and disturb his peaceful life at the Great Valley.
Even though his grandparents had taken him on a grand adventure - a quest following a mere instinct connected to these nightly inconveniences, neither of them could truly deduct a deeper meaning behind them. At least, not yet. His mind churning and in turmoil, Littlefoot eventually resigned just like he had all the nights before. There simply didn’t exist an answer. Or maybe he just hadn’t been looking thoroughly?
Slightly frustrated, he ultimately turned his attention to the Night Circle high up in the sky. Ever so often, the weird, pockmarked white orb on the sky disappeared behind passing, fuzzy clouds. A gusty breeze and distant flashing announced a nearby storm though whether it would head towards their area remained to be seen.
Littlefoot noted that the celestial orb appeared in its complete circle shape tonight as opposed to the weird sickle shapes it displayed most of the time. On some nights, it even went into hiding. For a little while, the child attempted to understand these patterns but, like so many things in their world, a longneck like him just couldn’t find an answer to all these questions brewing in his mind.
Sighing, Littlefoot tried to settle down again but sleep wouldn't come. Not tonight. Restlessness and a strange sense of adventure lay in the air, manifesting itself in both body and mind. Littlefoot had experienced this kind of phenomenon many times before but never had it been as strong as today. Groaning, he got back up onto his feet.
I can't sleep but lying around is boring. What should I do? The things one could do in the middle of the night all alone were rather limited. The threat of sharpteeth stalking around was ever-present and the prospect of a possible storm later tonight greatly added to his uncertainties. Unfortunately, a curious young being such as Littlefoot just couldn't lay around lazily when there was a whole unknown world to explore. He’d been an adventurer for as long as he could recall and the recent sleep story crisis only led for this passion to be strongly reinforced.
The longneck cast his neck around to get a better view of his surroundings. The area they were currently residing in actually turned out to be much less boring than most parts of the Mysterious Beyond they had come to pass on their journey so far.
It wasn't a dull place with brown rock and sand as far as the eye could see. Patches of green and wide meadows of yellow grass dominated the hilly landscape. The occasional overgrown mountain towered over the landscape as if watching over their smaller brethren.
The group of longnecks they were traveling with had decided to settle down in the shadow of one such, rather steep mountain. Some parts were dominated by steep, rocky cliffs while the other, less steep areas were claimed by a thick forest similar to the forests he knew from his home, which also happened to feature a lot of overgrown, forested mountains.
Driven by his curiosity and his sleepstory-induced wanderlust, Littlefoot quietly tiptoed away though not before making sure that both his grandparents and Sue were sound asleep. He didn't know where to go but going anywhere was better than not doing anything. Besides, he was certain his grandparents wouldn’t blame him for taking a walk, considering it was them who would always recommend a walk in times such as these when the mind just didn’t seem able to shut down.
For some moments, he observed his surroundings. Most of the area around him was either covered by gentle hills coated in a yellow blanket of tall grass or occasional boulders and smaller mountains that stood out from the otherwise rather monotonous landscape. Occasionally, a tree would pop out of the ground but it remained a rare respite - at least within the open fields.
Eventually, his eyes returned to the mountain the herd was sleeping under. Unlike the surrounding mountains, this one had a forest growing on its flanks. Moreover, upon further observation, Littlefoot discovered that the mountain was watching over a small valley with forests and meadows as well. When they had settled down earlier, the longneck had already been half asleep from a long day so it had obviously slipped his mind at the time. There was no holding the little longneck now that he knew, however. Without a doubt in his mind, he began jogging down a small pass until he had entered the valley, surrounded on all sides by hills and the occasional mountain overgrown with wild forests.
As the young sauropod strolled across the dry but somewhat green grass while avoiding the forests for now, his initial excitement wavered somewhat. He couldn't help but feel a little eerie. Being all alone at night in an unknown environment was an experience that sparked memories from a time long ago. Memories, some of which held a certain nostalgia, however they largely dated back to a time in his life he’d rather not experience ever again. Unlike back then, though, he had a place to return to tonight.
"You're watching, mother, aren't you?"
On a small hill, Littlefoot halted his adventure for a moment to get a good look at a number of things. The silhouettes of the slumbering longnecks shone against the bright light of the Night Circle which wasn't covered by any cloud at that moment. However, the constant flicker of lightning in the distance which seemed to get more intense by the minute was likely to get closer soon which meant he'd have to head back eventually.
His eyes brushed over the landscape, lingering here and there for a second, admiring the beauty of the world they lived in. Of course this place was by far inferior to his home, the Great Valley, but it had its very own charme. His mother had always tried to open both his mind and eyes for these little things in life. Perhaps this was the reason why he could feel her presence so strongly right now?
“Thank you, mother.”
The little longneck looked up to the little blinky lights high up in the sky, much higher than the thickest cloud could ever reach and much higher than a flyer could ever fly. Somewhere up there, he thought, the ancestors likely resided to watch over their descendants. A warm feeling spread within the boy from the inside; it made him feel strangely happy and at peace with the world.
Thinking about his mother didn’t always yield positive feelings such as today. Sometimes, he would also get sad over her death even after all this time though today wasn’t one of those days much to his relief. Time could heal many wounds but the emotional scars of losing her to that sharptooth many years ago still lay dormant within him, just waiting to be reactivated on a bad day.
Death was a concept Littlefoot could never completely get over with but the boy savored those rare moments of being able to feel his mother’s presence more than anything else. What would he give to have her go on this very adventure together with him though? A journey with his mother, how cool did that sound?
"I'll go explore this place a little more. Please watch over me. I love you, mother."
Littlefoot's gaze lingered on the brightest star of them all for a few more moments before he continued walking, wearing a content smile as he strode across another wide meadow.
*
It was about half an hour later when Littlefoot finally decided that he'd walked far enough, turning around though he would take a different path back in order to see a little more of this unknown location he’d likely never visit again in his life.
He hadn't crossed any of the patchy forests yet that grew scattered across the valley. A group of trees was right ahead of him now, hugging the towering mountain to his right. The approaching storm illuminated his path now instead of the Night Circle which had finally lost its battle against the clouds slowly rolling in.
A steady breeze enticed the leaves to rattle constantly, creating an eerie yet strangely comforting soundscape to accompany his quest. It almost seemed as if the storm was sucking the very air in, the intensity of the lightning making him feel a little uneasy now as it got close enough to light up the sky to daylight levels, if just for a brief moment’s notice.
I should really get back before this breaks loose...Occasionally looking back to study the towering clouds which were illuminated by constant flashes, the boy entered a slow jog. As much as he preferred to explore at his own leisure, he feared getting stuck in a severe storm might dampen his memory of this particular excursion. However, he couldn’t keep his hurried speed for long.
As soon as he entered the forest, he had to slow down. The trees were standing rather close to each other and it was hard to make out where one was going at times. Luckily, undergrowth was barely an obstacle here, quite unlike some other forests he knew from his home. Still, the occasional root growing out of the forest floor caused him to stumble awkwardly a few times.
Just as he passed by a large boulder in the midst of tall trees, some of them even growing on its steep walls, a faint sound reached his ears which caught his attention immediately. Coming from the other side of said rock, Littlefoot's curious nature got the better of him rather quickly. As no thunder was disturbing the calm atmosphere yet, only the leaves rattling in the wind to some degree, the longneck knew he still had some time left before things would get rough. With refueled excitement, he followed what almost sounded like a faint voice. Maybe he wasn’t alone?
About halfway there, Littlefoot knew that his ears hadn't deceaved him. Clearly audible, the sound of silent sobbing rang through the cool air. Immediately, the boy perked up, listening very closely.
Oh no! Someone is crying over there. Must be a child, probably a girl.Heavy sobs became ever so apparent as he approached. Whoever was behind that corner was going through a rough time, that much he could tell. The boy knew all too well what it meant being so upset that sleep seemed beyond one's grasp. And he hoped to never experience such hopelessness ever again.
At that moment, he wished he'd still be able to feel his mother's presence but it had vanished along with the blinky lights in the sky as soon as clouds replaced them. Maybe that dinosaur was all alone, in need of comfort? Littlefoot was known to be a very kind and compassionate longneck at heart. As such, there was no way he'd brush someone aside who possibly needed help. Frankly, he could worry about getting home later.
Whether the dinosaur in question was sobbing because of pain, sadness or fear remained to be seen but Littlefoot was keen on finding out. With determination, the purple-brown colored longneck marched around the corner. The boulder, almost tall enough to classify it as a mountain, had a significant notch here, almost as if trying to become a cavern. The ceiling formed a small, well protected space. A silhouette could be seen, flashing up against the faint light of the stroboscopic lightning, cowering inside. Although a little hard to tell due to the fetal position the crying dinosaur was displaying, the neck and tail quickly gave the child's species away.
A longneck child crying all alone...Had Littlefoot just stumbled upon an orphaned child just like him many years ago? Judging by size, it must've been about his age too. Curious and anxious at the same time, the boy approached with slow, careful steps.
"Uhm, hello?"
Littlefoot felt a little awkward to intrude onto a stranger like that but his urge to help was greater than his doubts. Truth be told, he had no idea how to talk to a crying longneck and a girl on top of that. Unfortunately, he had given away his presence before having a proper plan in mind so he supposed winging it was all he could do now.. Awkwardly, he spoke up.
"Are you o…”
A prolonged wail escaped from the other dinosaur just at that moment, cutting through the air for several seconds until it finally transitioned into a pained exhale. Stunned into silence, Littlefoot delayed the rest of his message.
“... No, I guess you aren’t okay?"
The other longneck child, upon picking up his words, momentarily suppressed her heavy sobs as she realized that she had some company. Littlefoot observed carefully as the child slowly untangled its legs, entering a sitting position in order to see who had just spoken to her. As lightning flashed to his left, many tears were briefly visible on the longneck’s face, a distinct expression of depression painted all over it.
"I heard you cry while I was out here taking a walk,” he stammered, almost fearing an accusatory response due to intruding but the female’s gaze was hollow and devoid of aggression, barely taking note of him. Uncertainly, he elaborated.
“I kind of couldn't sleep, see? A-anyway… Do you need help?" Littlefoot wondered, speaking calmly with a neutral yet kind and understanding voice though he couldn’t entirely mask his awkwardness. After all, talking to girl longnecks wasn’t exactly a field he could consider himself experienced in.
"Don't mind me..."
The dinosaur spoke, further confirming her gender to be female, however her brittle, shaky voice was hardly audible over the ruckus the leaves were causing overhead. Littlefoot had to step a little closer to catch what she was trying to communicate.
"I... I do not... I do not..."
But she didn’t get any further as a wet sob shook her heavily, the girl breaking down into a pile of misery. Littlefoot sighed at the sight as a strong feeling of pity washed over him. Her behavior and body language left little doubt; this girl was going through hell. It reminded him too much of his lonely nights so many years ago...
"You are all alone," Littlefoot mentioned understandingly, a bit of sadness slipping into his voice as he could relate. "Where is your herd, your family?"
The girl's state of mind deteriorated even more as he said these words. He had definitely hit a nerve. Feeling terrible as he probably just made her feel worse, he quickly added.
"I know how terrible it feels to be lonely at night…"
Quietly, he walked even closer to the crying child.
"I can stay a little until you feel better, how does that sound?"
The child's response came with a lot of delay but she eventually edged ever so slightly to the left, allowing for another longneck to fit next to her. Littlefoot understood the gesture, taking the seat he was being offered by the weeping girl.
"You don't look hurt,” he said as he took a closer look at her features. He could barely tell her color due to the darkness but a distant lightning strike eventually told him that her sides were yellow while her back took more towards a wooden brown. Her body appeared rather thin and bony, almost as if she was skipping meals regularly just as he had done back then…
“I guess you're missing someone very special, aren't you?"
Littlefoot didn't know the other child at all but her behavior was basically screaming at him, revealing her tragic situation. He needn't ask for confirmation nor did he intend to ask about the details. All that mattered now was to quench the constant flow of sobs that erupted from her chest almost as frequently as lightning struck in the distant skies.
"It's alright, I know how you feel. I really do.”
Littlefoot made a weak attempt to comfort her, speaking in a calm, soothing voice now which turned her uncontrolled, heavy outbursts into a more controlled and regular form of weeping. He really couldn't do much but sit next to her, occasionally speaking a word or two of comfort.
Those cries reminded him so much of his former, younger self who wailed for the mother he no longer had. Whatever the cause, Littlefoot had to do his very best to help soothe the other longneck's desperate cries for he knew the pain of losing what's dearest to someone.
*
Time seemed to stand still. For Littlefoot, it felt as if an eternity had passed when in truth it couldn't have been more than half an hour at best. Either way, the continuous heavy crying eventually turned into a series of quiet sobs, the girl finally leaning against him in mute support. That was when Littlefoot’s interest shifted to the weather situation which had deteriorated even more by now.
The strobo-lightning hadn't been able to catch his attention at all while his focus lay on the mysterious girl. As he cast his eyes to the sky for the first time in a while, the lightning appeared to be awfully close, zipping across the cloudy sky like an ever tightening network of electricity. He'd been ignoring the distant thunder rolling across the land too, however it was now close enough to be heard even over the girl’s, now silent cries.
“Dang, I forgot about the storm…” Littlefoot lamented quietly, in the process catching her attention much to his surprise.
"A storm?"
The girl looked up for the first time in what seemed like ages. Her tear-stained eyes immediately took notice of the permanent lightning, the wind now really strong and gusty but still blowing towards the storm which meant that it hadn’t arrived just yet. Littlefoot could see as he cast his gaze to the sky while peeking through the treetops that a peculiar cloud formation - a wall-like barrier of doom, slowly approached, flanked by constant lightning and angry sounding thunder which was getting ever so close. Uncomfortably close.
"Damn, there's no way now I'll get back to my folks in time..." Littlefoot muttered quietly as he continued to gaze up into the sky observantly. Clearly the skies were angry that night but he didn’t particularly mind. Storms, while posing a significant threat to dinosaurs when turning severe, were also extremely intriguing and exciting to observe in Littlefoot’s opinion. Still, they could be kind of scary at night.
"Sorry... I'm so sorry..."
The girl lamented as a fresh layer of tears covered her face quickly. Thick, frequent tears... Littlefoot felt so sad seeing them fall from her face. It almost made him tear up as well after being stuck with her pain-stricken wails for so long already. But now was a poor time to remember his mother. Not when someone else needed him.
"Don't worry.”
Littlefoot tried to keep his voice calm, not only assuring the girl but reassuring himself as well.
"This place looks like it's sheltered rather nicely. Let's just hold out here until the storm passes."
Just as those words escaped his lips, occasional thick raindrops began bombarding the ground.
"I'm scared, I'm so scared!"
The girl suddenly panicked, tears splattering in every direction as she shook her head wildly. "They scare me so much..."
"Storms?" Littlefoot inquired. When she nodded, he elaborated. "Well, they really are a little frightening but also beautiful and exciting in a way…”
The weather didn’t exactly try to underline his statement as a blinding lightning strike turned night into day momentarily, sending the girl leaping in terror.
“Don't worry, we may get a little wet but we're sheltered from the worst. Besides, I'm stuck with you now so you're not alone."
It was hard to tell now whether it was fear or sorrow which had refueled the girl's storage of tears as more and more fell in an unstoppable current, her silent sobs becoming frantic and wild in no time’s notice.
"Storms really do scare you, huh?" Littlefoot stated matter-of-factly though his voice had a weak sound to it as well. Even if he didn't want to admit it, being in a storm separated from his grandparents was more than unpleasant. The girl’s presence sure helped to ward off the anxiety of being all alone in a severe storm, and Littlefoot could only hope that the same was true in reverse.
A quick look at the trembling longneck, however, was more than enough to tell that she was far less reassured by his company than vice versa. Nevertheless, he was clearly needed right now..
"Don't - Don't go!!!"
It wasn't the answer Littlefoot had requested but there was little doubt that the girl was intimidated to the point of crying. The boy quickly deduced that the girl must have gone through some traumatic experiences relating to thunderstorms. He had hit yet another nerve and, consequently, began working furiously on fixing the damage he'd done.
"I’ll keep you company until this is over. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you."
A tear-stained set of sky-blue eyes met his own reddish-brown counterparts as a nearby lightning strike turned the night into day for a brief second. Anxiety and fear were radiating off her, prompting Littlefoot to reinforce his message.
"It's a promise, alright? I'm..." Littlefoot gulped as lightning struck in the black clouds above," Honestly, I'm a little frightened myself."
The girl sobbed heavily, cowering in fear.
"Wi-will you really protect m-me?" she inquired, covering her eyes from the light of the constant lightning. Littlefoot didn’t need to consider his answer.
"Sure. A promise is a promise."
He sighed as the wind suddenly changed direction violently, picking up in intensity now.
"There's no need to worry, please calm down."
But his words of reassurance fell onto deaf ears. A crack of lightning sent the girl into the furthermost corner of their small shelter with a jolt, hiding her head underneath her many limbs. The booming thunder that resembled an angry Smoking Mountain to a frightening degree made Littlefoot back off as well.
Rain drops as large as his toes were splattering the ground. A black wall of mist suddenly encloaked the forest, soaking everything within seconds as if the sky had decided to dump the entire volume of the Thundering Falls onto them at once. The wind roared through the canopy of the forest, creating so much noise along with the extreme downpour that Littlefoot could barely distinguish the booming thunder anymore.
After the initial battering, the rain decreased for just a few seconds before hail replaced it entirely. Quickly growing in size, each impact sent water splashing into the air now that the floor was starting to flood.
Littlefoot may have promised to protect the trembling longneck, who uttered screams of terror every so often, but the ferocity of the storm was stronger than his guts. Trembling, he felt helpless against the forces of nature, retreating as deep into the hideout as the girl allowed.
Lightning permanently illuminated the forest though the heavy precipitation reduced visibility to literal zero, blurring vision of trees a mere few meters away. When water began trickling into their hideout, the girl began crying in a wild panic as if a sharptooth was about to sink its teeth in (which was an experience the boy had made a little too often for his liking in the past). To their luck, the wind was blowing from the other direction which at least spared them the trouble of being hit by berry-sized hailstones which quickly came floating into their shelter, accumulating around their trembling bodies.
As soon as the boy had gotten over his initial fear, he ceased to follow her example of hiding his head. Leaning over her body caught in violent spasms, he began to comfort her. Truth be told, the efficiency of his gestures and words could be compared to teaching a treestar how to talk (or teaching Petrie proper grammar for that matter) but Littlefoot couldn't bear to watch while doing nothing.
Soon, as thoughts of his mother began to mix with his fear and the girl's pained cries, he, too, began to tear up, resolving to mere body contact as a means to console not only the girl but himself too. Although not nearly as severe, a storm had haunted the lands too back on that day when he exchanged words with his mother for the final time. Frankly, had he been alone, he might have ugly cried as well. But the girl continued to shake and tremble against his body, giving him just about enough comfort to keep his cries silent and private.
*
As the freezing cold rain finally slowed in intensity, the thunder rolling across the land less furiously than it had for the last hour, Littlefoot reckoned that his mother must have been there to protect him all along, even making sure he'd have some company (although he could hardly call a quivering bundle of misery good company). Surely, it couldn’t have been a coincidence that the wind carried the harmful hail away from them and that the little cove didn’t flood entirely, right?
The thought made him feel a little better. Soon, his tears stopped flowing from his eyes. The girl continued to sob in the corner, oblivious to the weakening storm. Littlefoot couldn’t comprehend how someone could cry so much but the boy was too kind to ask and too unaware of the exact circumstances to judge. Besides, hadn’t he cried for hours back when he had learned about his mother’s death?
"Look, the storm is weakening," he eventually spoke while poking her back gently with his nose. "You can relax now..."
The little longneck rose from her crooked pose for the first time in ages to make sure for herself. It was only now that Littlefoot became aware of a funny odor seemingly rising from the water which had risen up to his lower belly. It took no genius to figure out what must have happened to the girl in her extreme fright. Frankly, Littlefoot couldn't blame her for it.
"S-seems l-like it..." she wailed quietly, still jerking at every distant thunder reaching her ears. Littlefoot did his best to speed up the process of her calming down. At last, he succeeded. Once she was ready, the little longneck piped up with a weak, shameful voice.
"S-sorry, I..."
She seemed so fragile at that moment that Littlefoot decided to cut her short no matter what she was going to apologize for.
"Whatever it is, don't worry about it. I... cried a little too... but everything is alright now!"
Though, as Littlefoot awkwardly looked at the water they were standing in, something did bother him after all. "Uhm, perhaps we should move out. The rain that’s still falling does no harm and we’re kind of soaked anyway."
The child looked as if she was about to die in shame. Littlefoot had tried to be sensitive about it but his comment had busted it nonetheless. Cursing, he quickly elaborated.
"It happens when you're scared, forget about it," Littlefoot grunted, more annoyed with his faux pas than reprimanding her for her bashful behavior. "Come, follow me."
Littlefoot led them out into the open. Rain still fell in streaks, the ground flooded with muddy, brown water, however the individual raindrops were small as opposed to the small bombs that were dropping earlier. Remains of hail, some of which still hadn’t melted, floated on the surface along with various parts of the foliage that ripped off the trees, accumulating at random. A few trees looked like they'd taken some damage from the fierce windstorm too which had thankfully subsided, only a gentle breeze brushing the landscape around them now.
"My folks will be worried about me so I've gotta make my way back to them soon," he said as soon as they were standing in the open. Littlefoot noted that the girl still eyed the distant lightning bolts as though they could return to haunt her any time. "Well, we probably won't meet again but still... if there's something I can still do for you..." Littlefoot was suddenly very interested in a piece of wood floating past as an odd feeling crept up his neck.
"I'm beyond help," the little longneck said in a tragic tone. "Just..."
She sighed in rejection as a single tear fell. "Just... go. Y-you've done enough for me already..."
"B-but," the little boy protested. He felt terrible at the mere thought of leaving the wreck she was behind on her own. "But... you're all alone!" With a side glance, he added. "Aren't you? That’s how it looks to me anyway."
The girl gave a hollow reply.
"Mhm… you are alone too..."
"My herd's just around the bend though, I was heading back from a stroll when I found you all alone," Littlefoot explained quickly.
"You could've gotten there in time if you'd just kept on going!"
Littlefoot shot a bewildered gaze at the longneck who, upon closer observation, didn't have a flat head like he did but a thick bumpy skull. He knew from his grandparents that some types of longnecks sported various sorts of variations like spiked backs and bumpy heads but this was the first time he actually saw one of them live.
"Why didn't you just go like anyone else would?!"
The bewilderment quickly turned into fully-grown confusion. Just what was this girl fussing about? Hadn't she been oh so glad about his company during the storm?
"Well, I was worried about you," Littlefoot responded indignantly, feeling warmth creep into his face despite the cold water making him shiver a little. “You were crying as if something was seriously wrong…”
"Worried about someone you don't even know?"
The longneck couldn’t tell what the girl was alluding to, much to his irritation.
"Well, yeah..." Littlefoot admitted, somewhat flustered at having to explain the most normal thing in the world. "What's wrong with that?"
"N-nothing..." she replied quietly, looking away so he wouldn’t see the expression on her face. Needless to say, Littlefoot hadn't gotten any wiser.
"W-well, I guess I should thank you... though I never asked..." She fidgeted around awkwardly. " I-it helped me survive the storm... n-not that I care... but... I’m terrified of them but... anyway..." She broke off, bowing her head so deeply that it splashed into the muddy water.
"No need to thank me," Littlefoot answered calmly, a slight chuckle slipping from his lips at the display. Carefully, he lifted a front leg, raising her head as high as his leg would go up for there was little need to bow. Instead, he started to talk, trailing off in the process.
"There was a time when I was younger... I was alone on my own, I cried so much..."
"Oh?"
Finally, he had caught her mild interest.
"Well, yeah," the boy confirmed. "When I saw you crying there all on your own... I saw myself. I saw myself there, alone, desperate... and afraid. I thought that, maybe..."
Littlefoot sighed so heavily as if he was about to start sobbing himself.
"Well, I thought you needed me anyhow..."
The girl suddenly mustered him with a completely different expression. Even though faint and brittle, she attempted to smile.
"Looks like I did."
The rain had finally diminished to a dripple to both longnecks' joy. Suddenly, Littlefoot didn’t know what to say, fidgeting around awkwardly until the other longneck resumed the chat.
"What is your name, kind boy? Mine is... "
She delayed her words for a bit as if rethinking her decision. "It's Lizzie."
"Littlefoot," Littlefoot exclaimed, returning the smile as Lizzie began to show a side to her which he actually liked. "Funny name, I know."
"You see, Littlefoot," Lizzie continued, the smile already replaced by her usual sad mask. "I actually find comfort in the loneliness under the starry sky at night. I'm not all alone; there is someone who is looking after me but..." her head hung so low that it touched the water surface thus making her jerk up again.
"You don't have to tell me the details if it makes you feel terrible," Littlefoot quickly piped up before the girl could find another reason to tear up. "I think you've cried enough for a night as it is..."
"Maybe..." she admitted a little downheartedly. "Crying is just as normal for me as eating or sleeping."
Littlefoot was just about to reconsider his decision not to intrude on the girl's hardship when the conversation shifted.
"How come you were up in the middle of the night anyway, Littlefoot? You said you couldn't sleep, didn't you?" She caught the boy's nod. "I generally can't sleep at night..."
Littlefoot chose to ignore the latter comment but, instead, the girl had brought up a new topic which the boy hadn't considered yet when, given the reason for his journey, it was strikingly obvious.
"Had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep after that," he explained with a grain of annoyance, prompting a response just as he had thought.
"Are you getting them a lot?" Lizzie requested apprehensively. "I mean..."
"Yes?" Littlefoot prompted her in anticipation.
"Umm, I rarely sleep at night but… whenever I do…”
"... you get the same nightmare again and again?"
Lizzie suddenly looked rather excited by her standards as Littlefoot completed her sentence.
"Yes! It's so weird and annoying... it leaves you restless..."
A thought must have popped up in her mind as she scanned Littlefoot thoughtfully.
"So... it made you restless as well, didn't it? That's why you were wandering around at night?"
"Precisely," Littlefoot smiled. "I'm getting a sense of adventure after I wake up sometimes and this area seemed nice enough to explore."
"Are you migrating?"
"Sort of," Littlefoot laughed, happy to hold a proper conversation now. "Call it an adventure into the unknown... because that's what it is. My grandparents and I are merely following our instincts and all longnecks we met on our journey were headed the same way."
"Something great is about to happen..." Lizzie mumbled quietly, shrieking as she noticed Littlefoot's curious glance. "E-even a worthless kid like me can feel it huh? We've kinda been walking a certain way as of late anyway..."
"Wanna join us?" Littlefoot promptly called as any doubts had cleared that they were feeling the same thing. Lizzie, though, looked taken aback.
"I... don't think so, sorry..."
Upon his inquisitive glance, the girl explained.
"Both I and the old longneck looking after me... we're outcasts..."
"Everyone is minding their own business on this journey," Littlefoot spoke, trying to persuade the girl. "Nobody will mind you."
"No... I think we both would rather stick to ourselves... I... certainly do..."
Lizzie looked thoroughly sad as she said these words and Littlefoot could tell a small part of her didn't want to separate from him again. A feeling he reciprocated too.
"You sure about that? If you ask me..."
Littlefoot was about to make a comment on how lonely and sad she'd been but quickly silenced when he saw fresh unshed tears glimmering in her eyes.
"I know, Littlefoot, but this is for the best... I've been like this for too long and I'd be a burden to you. Please go on ahead..."
Littlefoot gave her a sad glance as he saw the tears flowing again.
"I'm not really happy about it but if that's your decision I'll accept it, Lizzie."
Lizzie sobbed in response, her head hanging dangerously low again.
"Sorry, Littlefoot..."
Her state seemed to deteriorate again. Littlefoot frantically searched for words that could calm her before she'd break down completely again.
"Hey, it's alright," the boy spoke softly, nuzzling the girl quickly before realizing how weird it was to nuzzle someone he’d just met. Breaking away, he instead offered something equally comforting.
"We can still be friends, Lizzie."
"Why?"
She cried as though she hadn't understood a single word.
"Why me? Me who always cries, who always..."
"I like making friends and I'm sure you can be fun if you want to."
Littlefoot grinned.
"It doesn't matter where we are either. Friends are friends no matter where they are. So, you wanna be friends, Lizzie?"
Littlefoot adorned his offer with an encouraging smile.
The supply of tears slowed as the girl pondered hard. Finally, though, she'd made up her mind.
"Sure, you're r-really n-nice, L-littlefoot, l-let's be fr-friends."
Littlefoot had to laugh because watching Lizzie try not to slip a sob after every word was quite hilarious. He could tell the fresh tears dribbling into the pool of muddy water below weren’t sad tears anymore and that realization filled him with some level of comfort. Quickly returning to a more serious tone, he added.
"Hey, aren't you heading to the same place after all? We might as well meet again wherever that journey leads us!"
Littlefoot was getting excited about this as he spun this thought further. Another longneck he considered his friend quickly entered his mind before Lizzie's response drove her out of his thoughts again.
"That would be amazing, I..."
The girl dried her tears as she was clearly pondering with a look of concentration. Whatever was going through her mind, Littlefoot deduced, must've been very important so he granted her enough time to finish her sentence.
"Littlefoot, I really hope that we do meet again!" she exclaimed with sudden determination just as the Night Circle broke through the clouds. "Let's make a promise!"
"A promise?" Littlefoot tilted his head in slight amusement. "What kind of?"
"Promise me that we'll meet at the end of our journey! I'll do the same!"
Littlefoot's bemused glance turned into a kind smile as he understood her ambitions.
"We can't travel together but..."
Lizzie felt a surge of sadness rise up from her stomach but she drove it off fiercely.
"I've finally found someone to call a friend even though I'm such a - such a wreck. I-I'll tell you everything if you just wait for me! We... we're not that fast..."
"I promise," Littlefoot stated with a kind smile which made the girl beam at him. Though his own joy quickly dropped again as a familiar feeling suddenly overwhelmed him. He yawned; it was time to say good-bye.
"Lizzie, I'll be joining back with my folks now, you'd better return to whoever's looking after you too," Littlefoot spoke with a glint of regret in his voice. He really didn't want to break away from a friend he'd only just made; a friend who'd need his company more than anyone else he knew but the girl had long since made her decision even if she herself hadn't been listening to her heart for reasons that were beyond him.
"I will, Littlefoot," Lizzie spoke, both happy and sad.. "Can't wait to watch the great event together that the sleepstories are promising us. Hope we'll get there in time!"
"Safe travels, Lizzie!" Littlefoot called, walking up to her for a quick touch of their noses, a gesture performed among longnecks upon parting from each other. "And remember not to cry so much," he added more seriously to which Lizzie nodded.
"Until we meet again, Littlefoot, stay safe," the girl replied melancholically, returning the gesture readily.
"Seeya!"
Littlefoot gave one more grin before he quickly galloped away with splashing sounds, hurrying towards his grandparents who were probably sick with worry (the boy doubted that they'd have slept through the whole ordeal). Lizzie's eyes followed the boy until he was well out of sight, a single tear running halfway down her cheek but getting no further than that.
She wasn't sad at all. Not right now anyway. More cheerful than she had been in ages, she made her way back to her caretaker. Would she see the boy again? Time would surely tell.
*****
I suppose I should start my author's note with some trivia. Quite contrasting to the setting in this chapter, I wrote this in late 2018 during a beach holiday with my family back when I had just started my ambitions to rewrite Shorty's Dark Past. At the time, I didn't even know if this chapter would end up being relevant in the story. I was merely browsing ideas to fill Littlefoot's journey with some meaningful content not covered by the movie and this is the result.
The original chapter from 2018 naturally received some amount of editing to be consistent with my current writing and formatting style but I mostly left it untouched, just working on wordflow, descriptions and formatting.
I've always wanted to use a proper thunderstorm in my stories because I'm quite a geek in that area lol. I hope it shows in my descriptions
Weirdly enough, this is also the 2nd time a standalone chapter from SDP's distant or not so distant future ends up being released as a short story and both times Littlefoot remembers his mother. Weird coincidence, huh?
Well, it seems like a nice theme to explore during the adventuring part and I could reuse it later during the storm.
Perhaps the most interesting development of this short story is, well... Lizzie
I had her character mostly decided by that time (minus the bumpy head iirc) but she hadn't made an appearance in SDP yet back when SDP 1 was still ongoing. She did appear in a RP that's been so god-awfully long ago that I forgot its name. Real shame it died, was a fun project at the time. Either way, if you're wondering: Yes, it's
that Lizzie. She'll eventually play a role in SDP, one that's impossible to anticipate at this point which is why I felt safe enough to upload this without giving anything major away that could be considered a spoiler of sorts.
Theories are welcome of course. Those who know me... I love my plottwists
and leave them hanging in the air for years .
It's really nice uploading something again and I hope the fanfiction area of this forum still receives some viewers despite being near dead for a year and a bit now. I do intend to liven things up in the foreseeable future (see my post on SDP as well) and I hope some of you might end up reading and enjoying this little short story.
