The Road’s End, The Friendship’s Rebirth
”Take that back!”
”Never!”
”TAKE IT BACK!
“NO!”
A flash of red rage flushed through the young longneck’s mind as he looked at the arrogant threehorn before him. How dare she insult him and his mother after all they had done to even help her live this long? Ever since his meeting with Ducky, Littlefoot had tried to be the calm and encouraging one among his friends and always help them through these dark days but the actions of the threehorn before him finally broke the line. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Littlefoot charged towards Cera and in a mere fraction of a second, the duo were rolling down a rocky hill into the chasm of dryness and gloom that had started the argument in the first place.
Almost immediately, the girl regained her composure and even in her shock about how the situation had escalated, she took the upper hand in the fight. She quickly grabbed the longneck by his chest and hit it towards the wall during their slide, causing the boy to already leave a red trail by the hillside as they quickly reached the bottom of the small gorge. Cera narrowed her eyes as she looked at Littlefoot catch his breath after his nasty injury but the burning rage in his eyes wasn’t abating in the least. He slowly started to speak as he restarted his assault towards his adversary.
“You’ll pay for that, Cera. You’ll pay for every harm you’ve brought us…” Littlefoot said as he ran towards the threehorn who immediately lowered her head to deter any direct assault from the softer-headed boy… but to her astonishment, that attack never came. Just before he was about to hit Cera with his charge, he quickly hit at a large rock with his tail which collided with Cera’s side with a violent force, causing the threehorn to give up his defense in shock for a moment. It bought the brownish longneck to begin his true assault to completely overwhelm his opponent and to finally make her pay for insulting his mother who had passed on to him the five dinosaurs’ only hope of ever surviving this hellish time of death and withering. He quickly turned Cera to her back and hissed to a him with a real threat.
“Take it back, Cera. Now.” His nose nearly touched that of Cera’s who looked at his adversary in equal disdain. Always, this stupid flathead had been there to play the hero and always attack anybody who had the never to question his line of reasoning. Not to even mention denying the sharptooth’s survival for so long and attacking her headlong for questioning his mother’s misguided words. No, she wouldn’t give up to this arrogant upstart. It was an anathema to all her father had taught her to be and a true threehorn wouldn’t surrender even in a bad situation such as this. Suddenly, she kicked upwards with both her legs, hitting at Littlefoot’s belly and sending him rolling to his side. She quickly rose up and decided to push her newfound advantage as far as she could.
“In your sleep stories, flathead! You or your stupid mother will never again tell me what to do!” She cried as she hit her opponent’s legs with her horns, only worsening his previous injuries. Cera nearly locked him in her grasp before Littlefoot regained his stance and stop Cera’s attack. With a quick move, he moved to face Cera and managed to stop her attack by stopping her head with his own. The longneck cringed in desperate pain as the girl’s crest and horns dug into his flesh, knowing full well this was a fight in which Cera would have a terrifying advance against him. For a brief moment, the boy thought about slowly backing down and simply conceding defeat…
No, that wasn’t an option. Not after all that had happened. His mother’s wisdom was all that was left of her and he simply couldn’t let her memory down like this. As Littlefoot looked at Petrie, Ducky and Spike’s terrified faces, he also remembered their fates were in his hands. He’d have to win this fight and prove that only he could lead them into the Great Valley. The longneck would have wanted to cry as he felt his warm blood flowing down his own face but he forgot all of that as every last of his muscles stiffened to their absolute limit. In a second of blind rage, Littlefoot started his push and Cera’s eyes widened in fear as the longneck started to push her back one step at a time. Cold shivers ran down her spine as she realized she was losing her balance and that her situation grew more dire by the second. Littlefoot grinned in triumph as Cera suddenly fell before him, completely awestruck by the boy’s sudden stroke of brute strength. Cera was beaten: all that remained was to put her back in line.
Cera, on the other hand, couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Had a flathead actually beaten her, a threehorn? The disbelief and shame were apparent in her mind but even through this complete humiliation, she wasn’t about to give an inch to the longneck, no matter what would come to pass. So she immediately returned her gaze to her normal one and screamed right at Littlefoot.
“You’re leading us the wrong way! You’ve done so the whole time!” She cried at the enraged longneck who seemed nothing short of murderous at this point. The girl’s outburst helped very little his mood and his voice was even sharper than before when Littlefoot gave his answer.
“My way, my mother’s way, is the only one that leads to the Valley. If any of us leave that path now, none of survives through all this, Cera.” Littlefoot said as the threehorn looked at him, her breathing intensifying by the minute. It was clear that the conflict was far from over just yet.
“So you say! Only a longneck would be stupid enough to follow the Bright Circle all day aimlessly! I’d find the right path in a few moments!” She cried, doing all in her power to turn this defeat into a victory. However, Littlefoot had finally reached a point the threehorn hadn’t foreseen. He seemed to be on the verge of beating the threehorn for good but refrained from that plan in the last possible moment. Instead, he raised his gaze and twitched his head aggressively as he answered.
“Then go, Cera. None of us ever wanted you with us anyway! All you’ve brought to us is arguing and stupid attacks at all of us! We’ll do far better without you!” He cried, not thinking in the least about the implications on the group as a whole. The two dinosaurs had all but forgotten the silent trio following the scene with horror in the distance. None of them were prepared for this display of brute force but it felt like each of their mouths were simply sealed in place. Ducky glazed at the scene, her eyes twitching with restrained tears whereas Petrie shuddered in fear, seeking support from Spike’s leg as they waited how this argument would end. None of them wanted to lose a friend but the tension between Littlefoot and Cera had been tangible for days. Ducky, Petrie and Spike could only follow this terrifying scene develop in front of their eyes, completely powerless to stop it.
Cera, on the other hand, was completely taken aback by Littlefoot’s outburst. Had he actually told her to get off after all she had done? After she had saved her friends from the sharptooth? Well, that would be just fine! If this insufferable longneck and his faithful followers were so intent on moving on, that was alright for her! She had only joined them in order for some company and protection from the sharptooth but if they were so willing to send her off, then let them! Cera’s tone softened considerably as she answered but the deep hate lingered in her voice.
“You wouldn’t survive a day without me! Don’t you realize you would have already gone to the sharptooth’s belly if it wasn’t for me?!” She cried but it did very little to appease the longneck. Littlefoot only lowered and slowed down his voice as he gave his last command.
“Get lost. Spread your filthy lies somewhere else.” He said while hitting the threehorn one last time with his tail, the situation infuriating him without end. Even if Cera’s words were inexcusable, his own use of violence also disgusted the boy bitterly. He had given all for his friends and now he was beating them up like rocks! It wasn’t fair but Cera had crossed the line a long time ago. If she forced him to do this, so be it. Cera slowly rose to her legs and hissed back at the longneck.
“Remember this when you and your sorry friends find yourselves in his shadow, Littlefoot! When I unite again with my family in the Valley, I’ll remember everything you threw away!” She said before finally turning away, raising her tail as a gesture of defiance. Her face retained its arrogance and no hint of regret could be seen in it. Her expression was a complete contrast to that of Littlefoot’s whose enraged look slowly wore off, revealing a static and desperate mask of sorrow which hid countless conflicting thoughts behind it.
Why did it have to go this way? I did my best to keep things good but… nothing was ever enough. Cera will never make it alone but there’s nothing more or anyone else could have done.
A silent sniff could be heard from the longneck’s nose as he fought to keep his sobs at bay. He had just sent Cera to her end and that thought was a completely crushing one for the young longneck. He would have wanted to simply break down but he’d have to stay strong before the rest of her friends. He’d have to keep them knowing only he could lead them forward and ensure…
“Cera! Don’t go! We need you!” The longneck’s thoughts were suddenly stopped as Petrie ran past him after Cera but there was indication that the threehorn had heard any of his cries. Ducky was on the flyer’s heels but both of them stopped immediately when Littlefoot spoke to them, his voice more serious than ever before.
“Don’t go, you two. She already made her own decision.” Ducky and Petrie looked at their friend, completely stunned by his words. First he had sent her away and now he claimed that it was her fault? Ducky moved closer to Littlefoot and spoke to him ever so softly, her voice dipping with concern and disbelief.
“Why did you sended her away? We always did everything together until now, we did, we did.” She said, clearly at the verge of tears. Petrie’s stunned eyes only reinforced the sense of fear and sorrow among the duo and for the first time since the fight, the cloud of outrage seemed to drift from the longneck’s mind at least to a degree.
“You heard what she said, Ducky. We couldn’t listen to her lies forever. I hoped things would end differently for her but… not this time. But come one, we have to move on! The Valley cannot be far away any more!” He spoke, willing to put this sickening issue behind him. He cast pleading looks at his three remaining friends and with equally terrified look, Petrie cast one last look at Cera’s quickly disappearing form. He took a brief sigh before deciding to follow Littlefoot to whatever direction he was planning to go. He was the only one to know the way to the Valley after all.
Silence reigned supreme for the next few hours as the four young dinosaurs forged their way forward, ever higher to the mountains overlooking the tiny gorge far below. The way up was perilous and it was by sheer determination that any of them could make the way upwards after days of the infernal hunger that had turned out to be the dinosaurs’ eternal companion during their whole lives. The loss of Cera certainly dampened each of their spirits but Littlefoot’s unselfish leadership and the knowledge that the valley had to be near them brought them the courage to move on.
However, Ducky felt the exhaustion make its way to her limbs at a terrifying rate. Even after all their time together, Littlefoot had never revealed how exactly he knew the way forward. Of course, tales of the Valley had caused her family to embark on the migration with the other herds but not once had ever mother or father even attempted to tell her anything of it. It was as if nobody knew anything about their mystic destination yet everybody was ready to risk everything to reaching it. None of that had ever made any sense to the swimmer but those thoughts had grown only more profound since the fateful fight between Cera and Littlefoot. With a careful voice, she spoke to the longneck who was walking not far in front of her.
“This isn’t right, Littlefoot, no, no, no! Why did you send Cera off like that even if she might have known the way to the Valley like you do? I mean, what is the Valley anyway? No one ever told me anything about it and I’m getting tired of all the fighting over it!” She spoke, holding back her emotions at the whole situation. Littlefoot turned to look at Ducky wearily, frowning as a pile of dust flew straight into his eyes. He had prayed that he wouldn’t have to explain himself any further but apparently the swimmer didn’t see things the same way. With a sigh, he gave his answer while trying to avoid this unsavory conversation from turning into any kind of an argument.
“So am I, Ducky. But you heard how she attacked my mother! I couldn’t let it go on like this but I never wanted to send her away, either. It all just… happened.” He answered, his voice dying completely as he said the last sentence, realizing that his actions had been far from what he had ever intended. However, the silence didn’t reign for long as Ducky pushed on with her point.
“I never heard what happened to your mom but… you said she knew the way to the Valley. But how did she know it when no one else ever said to really know the way there! It does not make any sense!” Ducky said while really wondering about how Littlefoot had obtained his knowledge of how to reach the Great Valley. This time Littlefoot stopped and he faced Ducky tightly as he gave his answer.
“Mother always spoke of following my heart but it never made sense for me either. I don’t know anything about the Valley but I know my mother was right when she ordered me to search for the rock that looks like a longneck and the Mountains that Burn. We are on the right way, Ducky. I may not know how the Valley looks or where it exactly is but I know it’s there.” He said, recalling at his last days with his mother and only barely able to hold back his tears. He knew very little of the Valley but his mother had said it to be there so it simply had to be. Her and his grandparents’ hopes rested upon him and he wouldn’t let them down, not now. However, Petrie decided to join the conversation which hardly raised the longneck’s mood any.
“But how? Petrie know your momma important to you but that still doesn’t mean be right about this! We gone very far and found nothing!” Petrie spoke in clear worry, his trust in the whole quest slowly starting to crumble. He could hardly take another step and his whole body was nearly paralyzed by the terrifying hunger. For a moment, Littlefoot’s eyes narrowed again in slight chagrin, a wave of anger flowing through him. However, he decided to give his answer.
“We’re getting closer, Petrie. My mother was the wisest dinosaur of them all and if she said something, it…” The longneck suddenly stopped his answer as his eyes caught the sight of something that stole his attention. Streams of pure fire were flying through the skies, one after another. They seemed to penetrate the cloudless heights with their brilliant glow and almost immediately, Littlefoot ran towards the nearest cliff to see what was going on. Behind it opened a round and deep lake but what really caught the boy’s attention were a series of mountains in the far distance which were releasing their flames almost continuously. An ominous aura of red was glowing around them which only confirmed the thing to Littlefoot he had wanted to confirm.
“The Mountains that Burn… it really is them… and it only proves we’re going the right way!” The longneck spoke excitedly, his friends immediately following him to witness the sight. However, neither of them were completely confident of the find. Littlefoot frowned heavily as Petrie crossed his arms and muttered his thoughts about the distant mountains.
“They look nice but… they mountains that spit fire, not mountains that burn.” The flyer said, immediately prompting another comment from Ducky.
“It could be only a nicer way of telling the same thing but then again, we’ve seen many Mountains that Burn already. I’m not sure if this is telling we’re going the right way, no, no, no.” She said with a slightly mournful way to which Littlefoot immediately responded. His tone was an extremely annoyed one and he turned around even before he opened his mouth.
“It does! Come along and you’ll see soon enough that the Valley is no longer far away!” He said, angered that both of the two seemed to completely dismiss his advice and instead try to find something to whine all the time. Well, their tone would be very different when they’d finally find the Valley…
Yet, that prediction never seemed to come true. The day turned into a night followed by another day and another night. What made things even worse was that the earth itself grew ever the more dryer and it seemed to crack under the feet of the four dinosaurs. No water was to be seen anywhere and the sprawling network of mountains and passes never seemed to give way to any easier terrain. Those mountains were completely devoid of any green food and the very thought of the Great Valley seemed to drift further and further away by the hour. Even Littlefoot had to admit that moving his limbs was becoming more of a struggle with every step he took but it was way worse with his friends. The lighthearted chatter and small acts of friendship had all but ended since Cera’s departure which made the situation all the more desperate.
A wheezing groan escaped from Ducky’s lips as she took a brief stop at a top of a small hill. The last rise had nearly spent all her strength and what prize had received for any of it? Only another panorama of the dry and burning hell that the world had turned into. How long could she go through this terrifying march, especially that Littlefoot didn’t seem to know any more than she did. The faces of her parents and siblings drifted through her eyes nearly continuously as it was they and the happier times her family were a proof that kept her going. Had they already reached the Valley? That possibility was a happy one for her but would she ever able to join them? She couldn’t wait for a chance to embr…
Roaaar!
Suddenly, a distant voice washed over the small group like a Cold Time’s wind over a lonely flower on a frigid plain. Ducky would have wanted to simply run for her life but the voice was far too weak for the beast to be on her and her friends’ tail just yet. The four immediately ran under a nearby cliff, willing to hide themselves just long enough to avoid another dreadful encounter.
“Did any of you see him? The sharptooth is somewhere on the hill around us.” Littlefoot whispered as his eyes scoured the landscape around him. The mountains made it hard to get a good view of the surrounding lands as it allowed only glimpses of the many winding trails forming the maze this part of the Mysterious Beyond was.
“I didn’t, Littlefoot. Maybe the sharptooth is just passing b…”
“Get lower! Now!” Petrie hissed as the four friends immediately obeyed to the surprising cry. Littlefoot was about to question the other boy’s outburst when Ducky suddenly whispered.
“There he is.” And sure enough, after the following gaze, Littlefoot realized that the duo had been correct. The sharptooth looked like little more than a crawler that far below the small group but it was still undoubtedly him. And to the longneck’s worry, it was apparent that the predator was on a hunt but not on him or his friends. Even then, the situation was extremely oppressive and Spike’s fearful whimpers didn’t help any. Yet, now that they knew where the sharptooth was, they could try to escape from his grasp for good. With slow, careful movements, Littlefoot rose to his feet and spoke to the others.
“Come! We should get away from here before he needs an appetizer!” He said while glancing at the killer of his mother, the never-ending hate and hurt gleaming at the bottom of his eyes. That was the creature that had robbed his happy days from him and driven him to this fearful race against death and starvation and worst of all…
At that point, the sting in the young longneck’s heart forced him to simply move forward from his dark thoughts. For now all that mattered was to get out of here as fast as possible. He gritted his teeth as he ran down a narrow path which would likely lead as far away from the sharptooth as possible. It sloped steeply downwards and after some time, it would lead to a plain that was reasonably flat and would provide the small group enough time to lose their monstrous chaser for good.
However, it didn’t take long until the path quickly turned to the left, complicating the friends’ initial plan. They didn’t have any time to hesitate of course but even then, the horrifying fear in their minds grew worse every second they spent in this place. The sharptooth was a terrible enemy and just as easily, he could leap from the top of any of the surrounding rocks and end their desperate struggle once and for all…
To the four dinosaurs’ luck, after a short while, another path branched away from the larger one which apparently lead down from the mountains. Each of them were more than thankful for this slight fortune but just as they were about to head towards safety, another voice from the distance suddenly reached the small group’s ears. It sounded like a whisper but each of them immediately realized to whom it belonged. Petrie’s voice was completely dumbstruck as he started to speak.
“That funny! Me think me heard a voice just like Cera’s and…”
“It is Cera, Petrie! And if it’s Cera, then….” Even after the duo’s fight, the longneck would never have had hoped Cera to end up facing the sharptooth alone. And even worse, it was he who had sent her away! If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself for that most terrible of mistakes. At this point, he didn’t care to wait whether his friends were following him as he ran with all his might to save the situation and the first dinosaur he had ever thought of as a friend.
Desperate sobs and fatigued panting accompanied Cera’s frantic flight. All thoughts in her mind had merged into one flux of chaotic fears as once again, her life was forfeit due to this cursed monster. How could she have let this happen once again? She had used all the skills her father and mother had taught her, all the skills a threehorn would need to create a path forward for herself in this desolate world.
Yet, none of that had been enough. She had been found nonetheless and the realization that she had absolutely no idea of her destination had worsened her condition only further. But she wouldn’t give up before her final breath was done and…
And at that moment, Cera saw something that raised her spirits for a short moment. It was a small path leading a bit higher towards the hills which was too small for the sharptooth to climb! It would offer her a way to once again cheat the beast and prove that she was worthy of being called a threehorn! The sharptooth’s shadow was already above her but with some luck, she’d reach safety and prove that she didn’t need any self-righteous fools to accompany her!
With an expectant grin, she jumped to the first rocks, willing to win every last second in this race she could. She quickly reached for the cliff reaching upwards but all too soon, the threehorn realized she wasn’t quite quick enough. The sharptooth jumped right behind her and immediately blocked the girl’s attempt to escape from his grasp. Cera screamed as the predator sank his claws deep into Cera’s sides, causing countless deep wounds into the young dinosaur’s sides. At this moment, Cera knew it was all over.
However, another dinosaur present wasn’t yet ready to agree. Littlefoot could see Cera’s injuries but as long as she was alive, there was hope she’d make it through this. The longneck looked at the scene from the upper reaches of the hills and he knew only one way to save his friend from this nightmarish scene. He quickly ran down the trail and with all his might, he jumped against the sharptooth’s hand, prompting it to momentarily release Cera from its grasp. The threehorn looked in shock, both mental and physical, as her friend and adversary miraculously appeared to save her from apparently nowhere.
“Littlefoot! How…”
“Don’t ask anything! just go if you want to survive!” The longneck cried as he saw the sharptooth recovering from the initial shock. Immediately, Littlefoot followed Cera but he could already see the effects of her wounds on the threehorn. She was limping increasingly badly but she would escape from this situation… she would have to…
Just as the two were reaching the point beyond which the massive predator wouldn’t be able to follow them, Cera’s speed suddenly fell. Littlefoot would have wanted to do something but right now, her fate was now in Cera’s own hands.
The threehorn’s gaze was increasingly hasty but safety was so close, so very close. Surely, she’d reach it in a matter of moments… The heavy weariness and sickening feeling that spread across Cera’s body made what came next much easier. At first, it felt like a scratch on the back of her tale which then felt like something sank into her flesh. She could feel the pull backwards but oddly enough, her body didn’t seem to react to it in any way. There was no pain, no panic… but she was still pulled awake from her weariness as she realized what was happening. Littlefoot’s gaze as he looked at her was one she’d never forget as long as she lived but even now, the thirst for life present in every living being awoke from its slumber within the threehorn. With a desperate, violent pull she reached for the safety and after a short struggle, she felt the terrifying pressure leave her body. With a quick sprint, she reached for Littlefoot, overjoyed by her survival. At least until the pain finally shot through the numbness and shock that now was the threehorn’s world.
That was a sight which made Ducky scream as soon as she, Petrie and Spike reached the hapless scene. Each of them had been completely surprised by Littlefoot’s abrupt disappearance and they had had to search for the way Littlefoot had used during his frantic run and they had reached the fateful scene only now… only to see what had happened to one of the dinosaurs the three had called their friend.
There was very little left of Cera’s orange tail, most of it torn to pieces by the sharptooth’s vicious teeth. Only some disgusting pieces of bleeding meat hang from the bloody stump. In addition to that, her sides were completely covered by the marks of the sharptooth’s claws, blood flowing from them in an alarming rate. The predator itself was stuck on the lower slopes of the hills but it mattered little as it had already claimed a potential victim. Cera panted between her screams, only able to mutter a few words before her mind finally blacked out after her massive injuries.
“Why… why… did we have…. to fight like that? I… I’m….” She said before collapsing to the ground. Littlefoot looked at her with terrified eyes, not willing to believe what had come to pass. In a matter of seconds, Cera would be gone but not if he only could prevent it in some way! He turned to his friends and cried to them in alarm.
‘”We have to cover her wounds! Quickly now, search for some leaves to stop the bleeding!” Littlefoot cried, not thinking clearly in this moment of horror. He immediately started to search for something to help Cera but despite their shock and sorrow, Ducky and Petrie realized there was nothing they could do now. Ducky whispered to the longneck who was on the verge of losing the rest of his composure.
“There are no leaves around here, Littlefoot! There… there’s nothing we can cover her wounds with.” The swimmer said while walking closer to the threehorn whose condition was getting beyond grave. Littlefoot’s eyes widened as he heard those words, not willing to believe his ears. Was Ducky truly suggesting just abandoning Cera here? Was she insane? He immediately answered to the smaller dinosaur with an outraged voice.
“There’s something we can do, Ducky! You know Cera wouldn’t have given up on us!” Littlefoot knew how ridiculous his words sounded after the duo’s fight but again and again, Cera had sought him and his friends out and helped them against the sharptooth. However, it was Ducky’s next words that finally broke his courage.
“She would not have, no, no, no. But without any green food or something else, there’s nothing we can do but to… but to hope for the best.” Ducky tried to sniff back her tears, knowing that it would take a miracle to save Cera at this point. She had always reveled in making new friends but lately, her and her companions’ lives had turned into an ever worse nightmare. All her times with Cera and the others flowed before her eyes, slowly beginning to wonder if all their dreams would start to turn into false hopes.
Littlefoot looked at Ducky with an unmoving face, unconsciously hiding the storm in his mind from the gazes of others. His body fought for a chance to help Cera but slowly his mind was forced to accept the truth. His mother had taught him how to try to stop his own bleeding but none of that was possible in a dry, lifeless hellhole like this. And that meant only one thing… Littlefoot dragged his gaze from Ducky and looked at the cliffs, trying to salvage at least parts of his composure in this terrible moment.
“This… this is all my fault! I sent her away and… and if I hadn’t been so blind, all would be alright right now! Why did I have to ruin everything again!” He hit his paw against the cliff, looking at the form of the slowly departing sharptooth. He had never wanted to lose Cera but the knowledge that this time, the potential loss of the threehorn truly was his fault made him feel more miserable than ever since the aftermath of his first meeting with the cursed sharptooth. This time, it had been him who had sent Cera out there even if he had the choice of simply forgiving her transgressions. Petrie and Ducky exchanged brief glances as both of them would have wanted to comfort Littlefoot in his hour of need but on the other hand, both of them knew this indeed was his mistake and in the bottoms of their hearts, disdain for the longneck’s actions was starting to swell. Despite that, Petrie soon approached and spoke in a surprisingly serious voice for him.
“Cera not gone yet. Maybe we should look after her until she gets better.” He tried to cheer up the desperate longneck but Littlefoot’s answer was far from what he had expected. The longneck understood the full direness and his tone was even overtly toxic as he answered.
“We cannot do that, Petrie! Or did you already forget your hunger?” He snapped, knowing full well that even without Cera’s injury, his and his friends chance of survival had been a fleeting one at best. The Valley had to be out there but his and his friends had to reach it quickly if they ever wanted to reach the paradise they had dreamed of all their lives. However, the pleading looks of his friends told that they were more than willing to defend Cera as long as they were able but it was Spike’s next gesture that surprised the longneck the most. He walked to Cera’s side and licked her cheek quickly and then cast a pleading look at Littlefoot. The latter looked at him with a bothered look, the spiketail’s honesty and concerns touching the distraught boy deeply. The silence stretched on for a few moments until Littlefoot took a deep sigh and spoke to his friends.
“Very well. If you wish to make things even worse, it’s all fine for me! I like Cera as much as you do but we should move on. I’ll see all of you soon.” Suddenly, the longneck turned around and headed back towards the trail he and his friends had initially used to reach the cliff. He hated everything about himself and the situation this and for the first time in a long time, the longneck was completely lost. Silent sobs and shocked cries could be heard behind him as for the first time in his life, Littlefoot turned his back completely to the task bestowed to him by his beloved mother.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the highest parts of the mountains again. The boy had helplessly wandered the winding paths and trails in an effort to clear out his thoughts but anywhere he went, the sight of Cera leaving after the duo’s fight and her injury flowed through his mind. He had made a terrible mistake and the rest of his friends had received only unkept promises for following him after all his mistakes during their journey. He was a complete failure and a monster who didn’t even deserve to reach the Great Valley if he ever even received that chance.
The longneck collapsed over a flat stone in utter exhaustion and fear, his entire mind an endless pit of self-hate and regret. There his friends were looking after Cera while he was only lying here, doing nothing but only making things worse by the minute. Perhaps it would all be just better if he leapt down from the cliff and let his friends finally be free of him. Yes, that would solve so many different problems for everyone…
Littlefoot…
The boy twitched noticeably, completely taken aback by the sudden sound. It sounded as if a thousand rays of the Bright Circle fought their way through a seemingly never-ending curtain of sky puffies on a cold day. As if a happy memory fighting its way through from the realm of oblivion. Yet, that was a voice Littlefoot would know in a matter of seconds even if dozens of Cold Times would pass by. His face shot up in complete shock and he saw a massive cloud hanging over the red sky which took a familiar form. A form of a female longneck. Almost immediately, the voice repeated such as softly.
Littlefoot…
Yes, he was not mistaken this time. With ashamed and wavering movements, the longneck rose to his legs and with a slight stutter, spoke to the cloud.
“Mother... I - I tried to do what you told me, but it's just too hard. I'll never find the Great Valley.” Was all he managed to say and slowly, his head slowly dropping downwards from his complete shame. He didn’t know what he expected in this situation but he was overjoyed by even having a chance for this conversation. From the back of his brows, Littlefoot followed the cloud’s movement and for a short while, nothing happened. The longneck was already resigned to the fact that he didn’t deserve an answer but suddenly the cloud seemed to gesture him to look towards the setting Bright Circle.
After a moment of hesitation, he looked at the growing shadows that the mountains were painting upon the endless plains. There was nothing to be seen: no trace of the Valley or green food, absolutely nothing. Littlefoot sighed and shook his head at that sight, knowing it was unlikely he had the strength to even reach that horizon. Everything seemed beyond impossible at this point and slowly, he turned to look at the form of the longneck and whispered to it pleadingly.
“What do I have left to do? Please tell me, mother.” He asked while trying to fight back his feelings. To the longneck’s horror, after a few seconds, the cloud seemed to start drifting
further away from into the wide sky. He immediately rose up and cried towards it in a voice that sounded nearly panicked.
“Don’t go, mother! Don’t go!” He cried helplessly as the cloud seemed to slowly disintegrate between his eyes. Littlefoot continued his cries at the sight, knowing that even her mother had rejected him after his terrible deeds. That was, until he suddenly heard an ever so faint voice deep inside him.
“You know the way to the Valley, Littlefoot. And you know you have already walked it to the end.” Those words seemed to come from somewhere from the flux of his own thoughts and heart but they did little to ease his situation. He had already walked the way to the Valley? But how? This simply couldn’t be the Great Valley! This was some kind of hellish range of dried mountains in the middle of nowhere! Had his mother told him this completely senseless advice or was it another one of his own deluded thoughts caused by all these days of despair and fear? What the hell was he supposed to think about all this?
The longneck’s breathing grew more intense by the second as he thought about everything that had happened during past hour. Only now, he realized he had no idea how far away the Valley actually was or whether it truly existed at all. Whether it existed at all… those words made Littlefoot suddenly look pleadingly towards the skies but the cloud had completely vanished into the dark sky, not a trace of it to be seen. Had it been his mother’s voice he had heard, like he had not long after her death? If it were, then… then she couldn’t help him anymore. And in that case… in that case, what could he really trust in? Had her mother actually been wrong from the beginning? That was a thought that he had simply wanted to put away all his life but he didn’t know whether he could do that anymore. At the very least, did he have the right to…
“Littlefoot? You should not run away like that! You have acted very strange lately!” A voice suddenly drew Littlefoot from his thoughts. Petrie quickly jumped over a nearby rock, followed closely by an equally concerned Ducky. The longneck stared at them and immediately demanded in a surprisingly hostile voice which drew its force from Littlefoot’s very fears.
“What are you doing here? You were supposed to look after Cera!” He said, completely dumbstruck by his development. However, his concerns were quickly addressed by Ducky.
“Her wounds no longer bleeds as badly as before and she is still breathing. I think she will live through all this, yep, yep, yep! Spike will look after her for a while. But we came here because I and Petrie are very concerned about you, we are.” The swimmer said with a weak smile which nonetheless heartened Littlefoot to a degree. If Cera truly was doing as well as Ducky said, it truly would be a miracle in the middle of this endless gloom. However, the last part of her comment wasn’t one the boy felt comfortable answering just yet.
“That’s great news, Ducky! I knew Cera was strong but it seemed like an injury even she wouldn’t survive. I’m happy she keeps proving me wrong.” He simply said, hoping the two would leave their questioning for a while. He still had a lot to understand himself and if possible, he’d solve his problems himself. However, Ducky wasn’t about to let that issue pass this easily.
“You are proving us wrong, Littlefoot! Ever since you sent her away, you haven’t been yourself! It’s like you’ve been afraid all the time about what you are doing, you are! You have stuck to yourself and when we first met, you would not have ran away when one of us was hurt! We all know something’s wrong!” The swimmer finally revealed her true intention but to her surprise, no immediate rebuke could be seen from Littlefoot. In its stead, he turned to look at Ducky with sad eyes and took a long, bothered sigh. He no longer looked annoyed, only completely wearied by his mental fatigue. In the end, what could he win if he simply kept running away from the truth and continue lying to those who trusted in him? No, this was the time to break the silence and only pray that his friends would not be harsh on him.
“Ducky… Petrie… I’m happy you came to look for me. I could not have asked for better friends than you. But you are right that a certain thing has bothered me in the past days. Ever since I met you, I thought I was doing what was the best for all of us, that I truly knew the way to go. However, ever since I sent Cera away, and even a bit before that, I really started to understand what this journey would take from all of us. And… the truth is that I no longer know whether I’m doing anything right anymore.” He sighed briefly, taking a brief pause while investigating the duo’s expressions. Especially Petrie looked surprised and after a moment, he opened his beak.
“B… but you’ve always led Petrie forward! You know the way to the Valley and you always help us when you can, Littlefoot!” He said, using the longneck’s actual name this time instead of the usual flathead. Even if he had joked on his behalf, the flyer had come to trust Littlefoot from the beginning with all his heart. Seeing him like this bothered Petrie without end as Littlefoot had always done his very best to hide his sorrows from his friends. However, after his many weeks of lone wandering after he was separated from his family, Petrie welcomed anyone who claimed to know the way forward. He looked in worry as Littlefoot answered quickly and with a clear frown on his face.
“Thanks, Petrie. I always thought I knew the way to the Valley but we’ve already passed the rock that looks like a longneck and the Mountains that Burn and we’re still not there! All the way, I trusted that my mother was right about the Valley and that I only had to follow her words. But lately, I don’t even know if we’re on the right path. Or whether the Valley exists at all.” The longneck said under his breath, knowing that the die has been cast with his last admission. He looked as Ducky put her hands on her cheeks in shock and as Petrie jumped a few steps backwards in fear. The flyer dropped behind a smaller rock and looked from behind it, his words wavering slightly.
“Of course the Valley is real! Momma and me family always talk about it! Everybody talk about it! How can it not be out there!?” He asked, not even willing to think about the issue by himself just yet. That possibility left very few goop options for anyone so they simply couldn’t accept such a horrible chance. Ducky glanced at Petrie in similar sentiment and then spoke to Littlefoot.
“So did my family, Littlefoot. And your mother knew a whole lot about the Valley and where it is! But how could she know so much about something that isn’t really there? It does not make sense, it does not.” The swimmer said, causing Littlefoot to think about it for a moment. The magical moment of her telling that some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart returned to his mind and he still understood none of it. He would have wanted nothing more than to simply follow her words and prove them right but now he simply couldn’t. Instead, he answered in a way that would have been unthinkable for him only a few days earlier.
“I don’t know. Maybe she heard from it from some dinosaur who didn’t tell the truth or maybe the Valley was only an old story among the herds that has since turned into this same, dry hellscape, if it ever existed at all! In any case, she was wrong the whole time despite promising me that the Valley was there!” Littlefoot said as he suddenly hit a large rock with his foot, gritting his teeth as the results of that outburst of rage made themselves known. Both of the smaller dinosaurs stared at him dumbstruck before Ducky once again spoke in a voice that was barely louder than the weak breath of wind that flew over the desolate plains as if a wandering spirit trying to find solace before passing on.
“Littlefoot… What are you trying to tell us?” The swimmer’s words would have haunted the longneck without end if his own mental state wasn’t so badly bruised and ruined. Now, it was only another question that, despite its simplicity, forced him to tell the truth about his so-called leadership. He slowly rose to his feet as he spoke, preparing to leave the scene as soon as he could. The longneck was prepared to face the judgement of his too friends but he still didn’t want to dwell in this monstrous situation any longer than he had to.
“I’m trying to tell you that… that I don’t know what to do anymore. I cannot ask you to follow me anymore if I don’t even believe myself that I know the way. I’m glad you came this far with me but this is the end of the road for me. Even if I wanted, I couldn’t walk for more than a few hours before collapsing.” He said sadly to his companions while looking at the pale form of the Bright Circle which was soon preparing to set for this day. Petrie could only stare at the other boy, unable to handle all the implications of the longneck’s words. If the valley wasn’t real and he and his friends didn’t have the strength to reach it…
“But you have to walk for many more days, flathead! And if you don’t know the way, Cera does! She has always said so and Petrie believe her! Me cannot believe you took us this far and only now tell Petrie we went this way for nothing!” The flyer said angrily, earning a tired look from Littlefoot. He no longer cared about Cera’s claims but even then, she had never seemed to have a real explanation to her directions. The flyer’s last words upset him slightly but right now, he knew he deserved every attack and insult that was coming his way. Ducky’s initially worried look seemed equally unsure but her expression, too, darkened quickly as she realized what her friend had been up to.
“I never believed you’d do this, Littlefoot! You lied to us all the time and you even sent Cera away even if you didn’t know any better than she did! We all spent days heading nowhere and spent our last strength only because you didn’t tell us you were wrong! That was not nicely done, no, no, no!” The swimmer crossed her arms as she voiced her thoughts but she received no immediate answer. Littlefoot only looked at the two, his expression carrying only one message: a heartfelt “sorry”. However, it wasn’t enough for the two as Petrie whispered to Ducky.
“Let’s go see Cera. At least now we know she was right the whole time.” The swimmer nodded to Petrie’s words and shortly, the two turned back and headed towards the place they had left Cera and Spike. Littlefoot followed their departure and as long as they were out of sight, he buried his head in his paws and started to cry bitterly.
An impenetrable weakness and terrible pain were the only things that accompanied the threehorn as her mind slowly fought its way back from the world of sickly dreams. At first, she didn’t even realize who or where she was, the overwhelming pain stealing all of her attention. The rays of light slowly broke the horrifying dominance of pain in her senses and slowly, her eyes started to recognize stones and small crawlers in the ground. Finally, her last memories returned to her mind and almost immediately, she shot up to look at her tail but she quickly found that wasn’t her brightest idea.
She suddenly felt many jolts of pain firing in her sides, but before she could completely reopen her wounds, she suddenly felt a foot stepping on her chest which quickly stopped her struggles. She turned to look at the other dinosaur and she was beyond surprised to see it was Spike. The spiketail looked at her in clear worry and then looked at her tail, after which he shook his head sadly. His look haunted the threehorn greatly and it was only now that she realized that she was lying in a pool of dried blood and the mere amount of it made her want to scream immediately. However, her body was barely in a situation to move and almost immediately, she felt her head fall down in fatigue. After a few seconds of forced panting, she asked her companion weakly.
“Where are the others? Have they… moved on?” She asked, realizing that it was what any sensible dinosaur would have done. Her mind was too taxed to think what Spike was doing here in that case so that was merely a question she unknowingly skipped. To the threehorn’s relief, however, Spike shook his head and nodded towards the pass leading deeper into the mountains. Cera sighed slightly, only now realizing how pathetic she had to look to Spike. However, that thought vanished very quickly from her mind as she forced herself to look the current situation at the eyes. She was severely injured and humiliated in the middle of nowhere and she had only proven that she couldn’t survive alone. Littlefoot and those who had followed him had fared far better than she had and that was the thought that finally broke her composure. She was just about to continue her rest when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from near her.
“You’re awake, Cera, you, you are! I’m so glad for it!” Ducky cried as she spoke to her friend. Cera gasped in surprise and with a weary look, answered to the swimmer.
“I guess. But I should not have been outrun by the sharptooth. Threehorns should be better at everything than those brainless monsters. And go on, tell me I shouldn’t have insulted Littlefoot in the first place. Make it all the more miserable.” Cera said, not finding anything she could defend her pride at this point. However, what she heard next drew her interest far more closely.
“But Littlefoot wrong all the time about the Valley! He tell Petrie and Ducky he never really knew if the Valley is real or not! Luckily we have you, brave Cera!” Petrie smiled widely as he looked at the larger dinosaur, doing his best to avoid thinking about the last meeting and the disappointment towards Littlefoot. For a moment, an idea rose to Cera’s mind. What if she could beat the flathead after all and pay back the humiliation of driving her away? Maybe she would have her chance after all? She was just about to speak when another thought hit her like the most massive of boulders.
Littlefoot didn’t know where the Valley was? All this time, she had tried to show she alone knew the way but it had all been just to show that she knew everything better than the longneck. But if he didn’t know the way… then nobody did. For a while, Cera simply stared before her, making the two smaller dinosaurs increasingly worried. When Cera finally spoke, her voice was one nobody had ever heard from her. It was fearful and anxious but even now, Cera didn’t reveal all of her thoughts. She’d keep at least the appearance that she had once been a real rival to Littlefoot and that she actually cared for the others from the beginning.
“Even if I was in a condition to go anywhere, you saw what the sharptooth did to me! I cannot lead anyone anywhere and I never could.” She said while turning away from the duo. Ducky looked at her in utter shock, never expecting to hear such words from Cera. Immediately, she moved closer to Cera and nearly pleaded her to answer.
“But… but you have to help us! You always told us to follow you and…” The swimmer started but she wasn’t allowed to finish her words before Cera snapped back at her.
“I was an idiot back then! I never knew where to really go! I’m just as lost as the rest of you which makes things even worse!” The threehorn said sternly, the sudden realization that there was now absolutely no rescue from this terrifying hellscape and her acceptance of her own powerlessness weighing heavily upon the poor threehorn.
Petrie looked at the threehorn, slowly starting to realize what the conversations with Littlefoot and Cera meant. If nobody really knew where the Valley was, there was no way any of the five friends would reach it and if that was the case… Suddenly, a pressing fear took a grip within Petrie’s chest and he started to whimper silently.
“Then… we’ll never reach the Valley… oh, why does this have to happen to Petrie?!” The flyer whimpered while Ducky glanced at him in growing anger, her nerves slowly getting stretched to their very limits. She was far too overwhelmed by Littlefoot and Cera’s words to really know what to think. To think that all that had happened to her and her friends since they met had been for nothing and that at least two of her friends had cheated her this whole time was something even she couldn’t stomach. Suddenly, the outburst that had been building within the girl manifested itself in ways her friends hadn’t expected.
“But still you had to fight and argue with the rest of us whenever you could, Cera! If you never knew anything, you have really been just a whimpering burden to us this whole time! I… I… this is just too much! I’ve had enough of this, I have!” Ducky said before quickly turning around and running away from the scene. Cera looked after her wide-eyed and even if the situation weighed upon Petrie heavily too, he also left for his own, needing some time to think in this terrifying nightmare.
Mama… papa and my brothers and sisters… Why can’t all of you just be here instead of my “friends”? You must all be in the Valley already while I’m just here, hungry and alone. Why can’t I be with all of you?
The chaotic memories of the Great Earthshake tearing her away from her family and the earth splitting in half under her very eyes returned to her mind as she did her best to still remember the faces of her beloved family. To think that she might have seen them for the very last time back then was a monstrous thought. If her mother had been here, she’d know what to do as she always had. She had always been taught to trust other dinosaurs with all her heart and following Littlefoot had been very easy for the young swimmer. Until today, she had come to see this journey as a temporary horror, something that would pass quicker than she knew it but now she knew better. She was never going to reach the Valley or reunite with her family.
Ducky inhaled thankfully as a cold breath of wind greeted her face. The swimmer was sitting upon a small rock overlooking the wastelands beyond which the Bright Circle would soon be setting. The hunger was slowly consuming all of her senses and it had been a struggle to even reach this spot. The wind was a sweet reminder of the beauties of this ruined world but it did little to help her escape from her inevitable fate. Of course, this possibility wasn’t something she hadn’t known until now. During her young life, the swimmer had lost four siblings to the hardships of the journey but never before had she thought she’d join them like this.
She had come so far and it was a terrifying thought for her that in the end, reaching the Valley would be impossible. If she had only been a bit more careful, she would have been able to stay with her family from the beginning and none of this would have ever happened! However, that thought surprisingly to her brought another thought to her mind. Some part of her didn’t want to wish for everything that had happened after separation from her family to simply disappear. A small part of her wanted her to acknowledge that even after Littlefoot and Cera’s revelations, no part of their time had been for naught. But how couldn’t they be if it all had to end like this? However, it didn’t take long for her mind to answer that question.
Again she was playing with Littlefoot witch the cracks in the ground and earning her first laughter in days. Again she was helping Spike to hatch from his egg and witnessing his first steps in this world. And again she was climbing above all the piles of ash, she and her friends helping each other in the way even her family rarely had: knowing each of them had to make it and no one spared their efforts to each other. Even Cera, despite keeping her distance from the others, helped the others on without her usual brashness which on that had escaped her notice but now she realized its meaning. She had wanted the journey to succeed but in the end, everybody had made mistakes. Not least Ducky herself.
If she had only resigned to the role of following others without questioning her own helplessness, who was she to blame her two friends who had actually tried to make something good out of this gloom? Yet, none of that changed one fact: unless a miracle happened, she wouldn’t be in this world to watch the next setting of the Bright Circle. She’d never see her family again but even now, a slight flicker of hope flashed in the back of her mind. One that gave her the last bits of courage she needed to go through all this.
The longneck’s tears slowly run out, leaving Littlefoot to mourn his fate in complete silence. He had betrayed his only friends who had trusted in him and in process, he had doomed himself and the future of his herd as well. This was a fitting end for his life of failure, alone and starving in this dry and darkening mountain. He tried to again imagine riding on his mother’s back, knowing he was safe from all the dangers of the world: from hunger and from sharpteeth. Yet, no matter how much he tried to imagine it, that vision stayed only what it truly was: a hopeful glimpse of his lost happiness.
However, the words he had found in his heart still bothered him without end. Did it actually tell him that the Valley had been a mirage all this time? Despite everything, he wanted to think his mother had known better than to chase something that didn’t exist but if she never knew more about the Valley, she had to have only heard of it in rumors or something like that… or perhaps she knew it wasn’t there to begin with.
That thought made Littlefoot cringe. None of the other herds knew nothing more and it was most likely his family had only gone along with the others to even this small hope of survival. However, it had proven to be a false hope. The world was truly dying and no Great valley could escape that fact. Yet, he, too, realized another thing he hadn’t thought about. Maybe, just maybe, his chance to find new friends and to help them in the past days was far more than he could have asked in this life. For more than a few times, he had been happy with his new companions and he wanted to believe they felt the same way he did. Suddenly Littlefoot’s famished mind realized that his overwhelming sadness was slowly giving way to a brief smile to the longneck’s face. Yes, despite everything, his life had been one worth living. With herculean efforts and bittersweet thoughts, the longneck rose to his feet and slowly moved to search for the others, willing to make peace with them once and for all.
The flyer’s thoughts were not unlike those of his friends. Despite the unsavory revelations, he knew how lucky he had been to have a part in this journey at all. His body felt like each step could be its last but he wanted to simply make sure Littlefoot and Cera would forgive him for his and Ducky’s outbursts. He walked slowly towards Cera when he finally saw Littlefoot walking right towards him. At first he thought about whether he should hide from him to avoid any further drama but in the end, he knew he had only one option. With a meek voice, he suddenly moved before Littlefoot and asked him carefully.
“Petrie very sorry about what me said. Me know now you only did what you had to.” He said in a voice that the longneck heard only barely. Littlefoot took a brief pause before answering and when he did, he even gave a brief if weak smile to the flyer.
“You don’t need to apologize, Petrie. I didn’t do the right thing at all. I cannot ask you of this but, Petrie, could you forgive me for what I’ve done?” The longneck asked, looking hopefully at the flyer’s expectant eyes but before he could answer, he felt something that at first shocked him without an end. A warm touch suddenly hit his left cheek and when he turned to look at the newcomer, he realized it was Spike who had decided to greet him in his own way. The lick made the boy giggle slightly before he answered to the spiketail who had lightened the atmosphere in a matter of seconds.
“Thanks for that, Spike. I think Petrie and Ducky told you what we spoke about, didn’t they?” The longneck asked carefully but his fears were immediately washed away as the spiketail gave him another lick on his face. Even in this terrible moment, the slight relief made him giggle as he looked at Spike’s approving face. His melancholy lifted for the moment, he raised his left foot and waved at his companions eagerly.
“Well, come on. Let’s hope Cera and Ducky will be able to move on.” He said, the longneck’s mouth slowly turning into a frown again, the finality of this day gripping his heart with a merciless force.
A disgusted look rose to Cera’s face as she slowly pulled her body onward. Her sides hurt enormously but she was done lying in the middle of her own, dried blood. It was bad enough for all her dreams getting crushed like this but she wouldn’t accept lying helpless any longer, despite the pain it caused to her injured body. It was a small testament to her being a threehorn who was never supposed to give up or run in the face of danger. Those thoughts were over now but at least she could still uphold her dignity to some degree.
Forced gasps escaped from the girl’s dried lips as she fell down to the ground, looking with regret at what remained of her tail. The thought of it accompanying her all her remaining days was a haunting one but on the other hand, that wasn’t a long time if she didn’t find the Valley. Once again, the feeling of loss returned to her mind as she thought about her family she would never rejoin. All the siblings she would never play with again… Those thoughts made her slowly sob and silent whimpers escaped from her mouth as she cried.
“Goodbye, dad. I tried to be like you but… I wasn’t strong enough. And mum and the others… you don’t know how much I’d like to be with all of you!”
She bawled as she thought about the times when she had stupidly thought she could find her family just like that, without any problems. Her earlier pride had led her to this dark place from which there was no escape. All she could do was wait for…
“What is it Cera? Did you hurt yourself even worse?” A male voice called from behind her and sure enough, small trickles lied in the ground to mark the trail she had used when she dragged her way away from her original lying place. With a slow movement, she turned to face Littlefoot and to the latter’s shock, the primary expressions on her face were that of fatigue and surrender. Her voice wavered as she spoke.
“I didn’t but who cares even if I did? I mean, it doesn’t matter anymore. If we don’t reach the Valley, nothing matters anymore!” She said, trying to avoid accusing Littlefoot at this point. She didn’t have the right for that after all that had happened during the last days. She wouldn’t have wanted to concede this directly to the longneck but in her current condition, she simply didn’t have the strength to go on. Littlefoot’s expression darkened as he heard those words and cast a long glance towards the western horizon. After a moment, he answered sadly to the threehorn.
“We can’t go on anymore, Cera, it’s true. I had wanted to carry on my family’s hopes but it seems all we believed in was simply not true. I’d give anything to make things better than that but it’s impossible now, Cera.” He said, sadness creeping its way into every corner of his mind. Cera looked at him in disbelief and after a moment, she stuttered to him with an unsure voice.
“How can you be so calm, Littlefoot? We’re going to die and all that we did was for nothing! Don’t you realize that?” Cera suddenly cried, that knowledge quickly starting to overwhelm her. The thought that she’d never leave this place nearly drove her over the edge and only barely did she manage to calm herself even to some degree. After a short while, Ducky walked towards her and spoke to her softly.
“Of course we do, Cera, but not all we did was for nothing. I at least will ever forget the story of your meeting with the sharptooth or about the way you joined us those four night ago.” The swimmer said, willing to let Cera do her own conclusions. The swimmer was of course just as grief-stricken as the threehorn but her previous talk with her friends had made her accept the fate that was befalling upon her. The loss of her family was something she had prayed to avoid but without it, she would never have found her new friends. However, Cera didn’t look too convinced just yet and her answer sounded more like a growl than a normal answer.
“But it doesn’t matter if those memories won’t pass to others after us! Dad will never know what happened to me and… and even if he did, I would have wanted to get a chance to one day become like my parents. There were good times on our journey but they just weren’t worth all that we will lose.” She said, just thinking about all her coming Cold Times that would never come to pass. All the joys and sorrows and future glories… all of them were just swept away because of this cursed change which was killing the world ever so slowly. The others knew that her point was a correct one and Littlefoot had to fight back his own tears as he spoke again.
“It doesn’t, Cera. Simply the chance to live safely in the Valley with my grandparents would be something I’d do anything to experience. To simply see the faces of my last family is something I’ve dreamt nearly all the time. But you know what, Cera? We could have died just as well during the Great Earthshake or in the jaws of the sharptooth many times before. Many of us have already lost brothers or sisters during the past Cold Times. But we didn’t and because of that, we lived longer than many of our folks did. And if this is how it has to end, I’m so happy I’ll be able to share it with all of you.” The longneck spoke, looking at all his friends one by one. His voice wavered with emotion and all the other four dinosaurs returned his approving gaze. He had voiced all of their thoughts about why they had decided to forgive the longneck and the threehorn for their former antics.
Even Cera could only stare at Littlefoot in astonishment, not expecting him to speak like that after all that had happened. His honest and heartfelt words seemed to suddenly sweep her fears as she thought about what he had said. Together, the two had gone through many challenges and dangers and despite their disagreements on many issues, thy had created something that truly mattered. Even if nobody would know of those efforts in the coming weeks, it didn’t mean at all that the five friends’ efforts were for nothing. They had gone to their absolute limits to help each other and to find the legendary Valley which was far more than most of the poor souls in this withering, dying world could say. Cera could even smile slightly as she answered to Littlefoot, knowing she was lucky to have shared these times with her friends.
“You know, Littlefoot? So am I. In the end, things could have turned into something far worse. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused earlier and I am happy that you still consider me…. a friend.” She said while wondering herself how she was hearing herself say that. However, all of the others were just as overjoyed by the threehorn’s words as she was surprised by them and almost promptly, Littlefoot moved to nuzzle his friend after which he was followed by every one of his friends. Even through the last struggles, the five had wanted nothing more to finally share one moment of genuine friendship and even Cera, despite her injuries, slowly rose up and moved to embrace Spike and Littlefoot as the five friends decided to give each other this one, final gift.
That moment seemed to stretch on forever as for the first time in days, the hunger and fear gave way to the feeling of warmth and love. In this moment, each of them knew that while they would lose so much, they had gained something truly priceless in return. Slowly, they turned to look at the setting Bright Circle, knowing this was the last time they’d ever witness this miraculous sight. Despite that, there was no despair, no sorrow, only a thankful silence as the five friends finally let them embrace go and to catch their breath in the middle of the weakness caused by the hunger. Nearly wordlessly, each of the five dinosaurs fell down to the ground, panting in utter exhaustion. Unless a miracle happened, this place would be the one their journey would end in.
Hours passed slowly and the evening slowly turned into a night. Sky puffies slowly formed into the dark skies but the rising wind moved them quickly through the endless skies. The cool breath brought some relief to the young dinosaurs as it was a great, priceless change from the burning heat of the day. It was enough to wake Petrie from his weak slumber and the flyer breathed deeply at the sweet air. He yawned with great efforts as he turned to look into the surrounding plains, his fading mind regretting only one thing.
Petrie would have wanted to fly so badly in the sky like all me brothers and sisters! Momma always say it the greatest feeling in the world but… maybe Petrie wasn’t meant to do it at all.
He thought while glancing at his friends slowly. He smiled at the memory of Ducky comforting him about his inability to fly and cast a brief glance at the swimmer whose breaths seemed to be growing weaker by the minute. Of all his friends, he was the most grateful to Ducky for always being there for him to help in times of hardship and sorrow. The swimmer was his closest friend and he was more than happy that she was still by his side. However, the numbness that had taken control of the flyer’s body slowly spread into his consciousness and piece by piece, the flyer’s mind started to shut down due to the terrifying effect of hunger. Slowly, his breaths grew weaker and weaker… until they stopped altogether.
And so it continued. As the night grew older, the four remaining dinosaurs’ bodies continued to weaken even further and one by one, their spirits moved on from this mortal coil. Next was Cera whose wounds had already made her more fragile than the others. The threehorn and flyer’s passings were not unnoticed by Littlefoot, Ducky or Spike but each of them were now powerless to even express their feelings to each other. For them, it was like a vague dream that seemed so very unreal and changed into even more unclear visions as time passed. Even the hunger seemed to dissipate, replaced by pure numbness.
The night was nearing its end when it finally was Ducky and Spike’s time. The two were lying side by side as they had created a stronger bond than most of the others. In many ways, Ducky considered Spike her brother already and she was glad to be on his side right now. The duo’s hearts beat nearly in unison before they slowly stopped altogether. The scene had turned absolutely silent except for one, last dinosaur’s wheezing gasps. Littlefoot was finally woken up as the first rays of the Bright Circle met his eyes. It felt like something he had never felt before, its warming light comforting him in ways he had never before known. It was as if a fulfilled dream that came crashing down on the hapless longneck but as the sickly dream drifted away, he remembered where he was. With forced movements, He looked around him and was more than happy to see all his friends were still there, only waiting to awaken from their own slumber… except that they simply weren’t. Almost immediately, Littlefoot realized that none of them would be waking up.
However, that knowledge didn’t hit Littlefoot as hard as he thought. At first, his taxed mind could only stare at his friends as he felt his own time approaching quickly. He was shocked beyond measure by this development but his body was in no condition to bear his emotions anymore. Only a simple… it was not even a thought but rather a feeling rose to the longneck’s mind as the sight of the Bright Circle started to fade before him. The memories of all their times together were his only companion on this lonely journey as his breathing grew more and more forced. The last sensation Littlefoot felt in this world was his mother’s tail slowly embracing him and finally putting him to sleep like she had done so many times before.
And with a deep sigh, Littlefoot joined his beloved friends in the immortal reaches of the Great Beyond.
And this is my answer to the June prompt based on one of my co-participant’s prompt “What if the gang never reached the great valley? Write a story in which the gang of five do not reach the great valley. Is it going to be a tragic tale of failure, will our heroes still end up with a happy ending? It is all up to you! You may start the story at any time of the LBT 1 movie which also means you are completely free to choose at which point of the story things begin to deter from the original storyline" so this story is slightly AU. Even then, I hope I made promise to this idea! Now, I’ll concentrate on my main stories for this month. Anyway, I’ll look forward to hearing your comments about this fic and see you again with a heavily-delayed chapter on Petrie’s storyline in Separate Ways!
