The Land Before Time XIX: The Time of Choosing

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

CHAPTER 13: OVIRO

A Fast Runner came into the Great Valley. He had a blue crest and was fairly tall. He had beautiful purple eyes. "I was just visiting. Food is sometimes hard to come by out there." he said.

"Who might you be friend?" asked Grandpa Longneck.

"My name is Oviro." said the Oviraptor.

Ruby saw the Fast Runner. She came up to greet him with the others. "My name is Ruby. Ruby my name is." said Ruby.

Oviro smiled at her. "Hello Ruby." he said.

Oviro laid eyes on Chomper. He jumped back in alarm. "It's a Sharptooth! In the Great Valley?! I thought they weren't allowed in here!" said Oviro.

"Chomper is special. He's a nice Sharptooth." said Littlefoot.

"I guess there is a first for everything." said Oviro.

Atto went to look at Oviro. "Cool, another feathered weirdo!"

"Atto, that's not a nice thing to call a Fast Runner!" chided Littlefoot.

"Sorry Mr. Littlefoot, Mom isn't very fond of strange kinds." said Atto.

"Atto, you don't have to call me 'Mr.'." said Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot, I'm sorry, I didn't know any better." said Atto.

"Well, now you do Atto. Now you do." said Littlefoot.

WHOOSH! Just then, Gallim jumped right over their heads and landed next to Oviro. He had to have jumped 30 feet up and at least 20 feet sideways. Gallim had done flips during this impressive feat too. "Oh my goodness!" said Oviro in shock.

"Yes, quite impressive. I'm Gallim. I love the Great Valley. It's such a nice place. You'll love it here." said Gallim politely.

"Yes, well, I suppose I shall stay for a while." said Oviro.

"So, Ruby, do you like living here?" Oviro asked her.

She stared at Oviro. He made her feel funny. In a good way. "I don't live here. I'd like to live here but right now I live in the Mysterious Beyond." said Ruby.

"Say, Ruby, when did the Great Valley start allowing Sharpteeth? I thought the Great Valley was a place that was a place to get away from Sharpteeth." asked Oviro.

Ruby told him about Chomper. When she was done, he said "You are lucky that he is nice. He's rare." said Oviro.

Meanwhile, Andromeda paced around outside the Great Valley. She smelled lots of Flatteeth and it was making her hungry. However,she knew that she couldn't fight that many all by herself. This place had been the home of her ancestors. She looked around, hoping to find the secret entrance. It was here that her ancestors had escaped by. After some careful prowling, she found it, the tunnel that looked like a heart. It was big enough to fit one full-sized Sharptooth or Flattooth abreast. The entrance was blocked by moss but she removed the moss. She hadn't been here before, but her father had told her what the entrance would look it. The tale had been passed down from generation to generation. She thought of sneaking in and getting revenge, yet, she didn't want to get poor Chomper in trouble.

Chomper was not what she had thought. He was a strange Chosen One. And yet, she was starting to grow fond of him. Perhaps he would even be a candidate for the Time of Choosing.

Ruby, meanwhile, asked Oviro about himself. He had two younger brothers and a sister that was his age. "I have a younger brother and sister." Ruby told him.

"So, you've met Red Claw? Do you feel frightened knowing that he's come back?" asked Oviro.

"A little. However, he can't get into the Great Valley. It's safe in here as the Great Wall won't let him in here so that we're safe in here." said Ruby.

"Ruby, you seem to be pretty carefree." said Oviro. Ruby sighed. Guys didn't seem to like that about her. "It's not a problem Ruby. I happen to like it." he said. Ruby smiled. A guy who didn't mind her carefree personality! There might be hope for her after all. And Oviro was definitely handsome and kind.

"Oviro, you've already met Chomper. Already met Chomper you have. Now you can meet my other friends." said Ruby. She took him to her other friends. "This is Littlefoot." she said, indicating Littlefoot. "This is Cera." she said, indicating Cera. "This is Petrie." she said, introducing Petrie. "This is Ducky." said Ruby, introducing Ducky. "This is Spike." said she, introducing Spike. "This is Ali." said Ruby, introducing Ali. "This is Shorty." said Ruby, introducing Shorty. "And this is Rhett." she said, introducing Rhett.

"Hello everyone." said Oviro. "Say Gallim, that trick of yours is quite impressive." said Oviro to Gallim.

"Yes, most useful for getting away from Sharpteeth." said Gallim.

"Or being one." said Chomper. He was shocked by his own remark.

Gallim, normally, friendly and polite, scowled nastily. "That's rich coming from you." said Gallim

"I protect Flatteeth!" said Chomper.

"What, so you can have them all?" laughed Gallim. Several Leaf Eaters nearby snickered.

Chomper scowled.

The two glared at each other.

"Settle down gentlemen!" said Oviro. He could be commanding when he needed to be.

"Right. Got a little carried away." said Gallim. "I've saved plenty of Leaf Eaters."

Gallim began to tell tales of how he'd saved Leaf Eaters from various Sharpteeth. The detail he gave was quite impressive.

"You are quite remarkable Gallim." said Grandma Longneck.

"Oh, you're flattering me." said Gallim politely. "I was able to make it through the Leaf Famine in great shape. That's why I'm so fit now." said Gallim.

"So many suffered during the famine. How did you make out so well?" asked Grandpa Longneck.

"I wasn't picky. You can't be picky about food." said Gallim.

"You seem brave, civil, wise, and level-headed. We'd like you to join our leadership." said Grandpa Longneck.

"You really mean it? I mean, I never really thought..." said Gallim.

"I insist." said Grandpa Longneck.

"Very well then. I'd be glad to help out." said Gallim.

"Ruby, do they have Sweet Bubbles here?" Oviro asked Ruby.

"Yes, they most certainly do. Sweet Bubbles are my favorite food. That and shells." said Ruby.

"Interesting. Those are my favorite foods too." said Oviro.

Ruby smiled. This guy didn't seem to mind her carefree personality and liked the same foods as her. An idea crossed her mind. "Oviro, I was thinking, would it be ok if you and I were to...were to...well..." said Ruby. She was really nervous.

"You want to ask me on a date?" said Oviro. Ruby nodded. "Sure, why not. I like being around you." said Oviro.

Ruby and Oviro went off together and ate Sweet Bubbles and Shells. After their dinner, they went swimming in the watering hole. It got dark a while later. They all soon went to bed.

Littlefoot dreamed he was at the Great Divide. He saw a familiar face. "Mother!" he said.

"Hello my beautiful Littlefoot!" she said.

"Hello Mother. I really miss you! I wanted you to know that Ali has come back! I might be able to continue our herd after all! Isn't that great?" he said excitedly.

"That is good Littlefoot, but I must warn you about something." said Arianna.

"What?" said Littlefoot.

"Evil will strike the Great Valley." said Arianna.

"Evil?! What?!" said Littlefoot in shock.

"Death will hit the Great Valley. I had thought the evil was gone. I was mistaken. It has returned." said Arianna.

"What evil?" said Littlefoot.

Arianna didn't elaborate further on that. "You should beware! Evil will strike on the night of the Fire Circle. Death will come to the Great Valley!" said Arianna gravely.

"Death? Here? In the Great Valley? What's the Fire Circle?" said Littlefoot.

"Beware Littlefoot! Beware!" said Arianna.

Littlefoot jumped awake. It was the crack of dawn.

That was one weird dream. Something about evil returning.

"Evil? Wait a minute! The dead Leaf Eaters and Sharpteeth in the Mysterious Beyond! I forgot to tell Grandma and Grandpa!" he gasped. He went and woke them up. He got up the others too for they had seen the thing too. He then woke up his grandparents.

"This is simply dreadful!" said Grandpa Longneck upon hearing their story.

"Somebody is messing with the leaf." said Grandma Longneck.

"But what is the Fire Circle?" Littlefoot asked.

Even his grandparents didn't know. However, they heard someone say "I do."

They turned. It was the Old One. She had woken up. "The Fire Circle has haunted me. I've seen it twice now!" said the Old One.

"Twice? What is it?" asked Littlefoot.

"A dark warning. It precedes death!" said the Old One.

"Death?" said Littlefoot. He recalled what his mother had said in the dream. He told the others.

"It's just a Sleep Story Littlefoot." said his grandfather.

"I don't know about that. The last time the Fire Circle appeared, there were many deaths in the Great Valley." said the Old One.

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

CHAPTER 14: THE OLD ONE'S TALE

"The Great Valley was once inhabited by Sharpteeth." said Clarice. Chomper already knew this, as Antiochles had told him the story. He was interested to hear it from the Flattooth point of view though. After all, he'd only heard one side. Chomper noticed that his friends seemed to have never heard this information before. He hadn't told them about the Valley of Sharpteeth or anything yet. He had thought it might not be a good idea.

"It was?" gasped Petrie.

"Oh yes. For quite a long while. But the rumors of the green reached Leaf Eaters. As many of you know, life in the Mysterious Beyond is harsh. Our parents wanted a better life. So we came, but the Sharpteeth attacked us." said the Old One.

"We didn't give up. We attacked in the middle of the night. Viktor and I were children then so we..." said Clarice.

"Who's Viktor?" asked Littlefoot. The Old One's face suddenly became seemingly older. Littlefoot realized that he'd hit a touchy subject.

"He was supposed to be Auntie's Soul Mate. But he died." said Ali.

"I'm so sorry!" said Littlefoot.

"He was stolen from me!" said the Old One.

"Beautiful brown-eyed Viktor. He and I went everywhere, even on wild adventures like you kids still do. So it was natural, that when the older members of our herd had us stay safe, or so they thought, and away from the Sharpteeth that we'd be together. Our parents went and killed the Sharpteeth in their sleep." said Clarice. Chomper's eyes widened at this.

"What a horrible thing to do!" he said automatically.

"We would not lose any others from our herd. And they wouldn't be nice. We had no choice." said the Old One.

"How do you know?" asked Chomper.

"Other than you, Sharpteeth don't play nice. You have to treat them like the animals they are!" said the Old One coldly.

"Viktor and I were likely to choose each other for the Time of Choosing. We knew that it was true love, even at our tender ages. However, I can recall when it happened. I'll never forget it as long as I live." said Clarice, a look of horror on her face.

"What happened?" said Littlefoot.

"The Fire Circle. The Night Circle turned bright red." said the Old One. The others gasped.

"It was then that I saw other red. The reds of their eyes. They came. They started to attack." said the Old One.

"Well, you can hardly blame them..." said Chomper.

"SILENCE!" snapped Clarice.

"They chased us. I was able to get into a crevice and hide. But...but..." she said, and she began to weep.

"They got Viktor, didn't they?" Littlefoot asked. The Old One nodded sadly.

"I couldn't bear to watch. But I heard his screams. Eventually, the fiends were driven out. How they got away is still a mystery. But they did. And they left many of our herd dead, including both of my parents. I had to stay with others. I left the Great Valley when I came of age. When I was around your age, the Meanest Ever Sharptooth, who was part of their pack, came and tried to kill us. He might have succeeded had not your friend Doc came and saved us." said Clarice.

"So he is the Lone Dinosaur!" said Littlefoot.

"Yes, though I think his days of heroism are behind him. He's getting up in years and he and Dara have settled down I've heard." said the Old One.

"I have heard that the remaining Sharpteeth went to a place called the Valley of Sharpteeth. Where it is, I don't know. But they have a legend that we have learned about from a few Bothteeth who heard their stories and told us what they meant, that he will come and wipe out the leadership of the Great Valley." said Clarice.

"How awful!" said Ducky.

"Yes. He is supposed to be the first Sharptooth hatched n the Great Valley since we drove them out." said the Old One.

Littlefoot and Chomper caught each other's eyes. They were both wondering the same thing.

"So, you are single because Viktor died, aren't you?" asked Littlefoot.

"Yes." said Clarice.

"Of course, that wasn't the only time I saw the Fire Circle." she continued.

"When else?" asked Littlefoot.

"A while before we first met. I'd lived for generations in our home. However, one night the Fire Circle came back. Then the storms came. It rained for a long time. Then they came, the beasts. Many in my herd perished!" said the Old One.

"Well, it won't happen here! Not again!" said Littlefoot.

"I can only hope." said the Old One.

"We need to talk!" said Chomper. "In private."

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

Here comes the past of a character we always wondered about.  



CHAPTER FIFTEEN: GUIDO REMEMBERS

Guido was flying around the Great Valley. He'd been there for many cold times now. In fact, since a bit before Tricia had hatched in fact. Guido couldn't remember his family or his past. He hadn't seen any other members of his kind. He still wondered where he had come from and if there were others out there like him. It seemed that no Time of Choosing would ever come for him. He seemed to be one of a kind.

Guido came across Cera, Alfred, and Topps.

"I hear you're dating my daughter." said Topps.

"Yes, sir, that is true." muttered Alfred nervously.

"Come on Daddy, leave him alone!" complained Cera.

"I'll be quiet soon enough Cera dear. But, first things first. I want you to treat her well. Try anything funny and... " said Topps sternly. He ran at a big rock and smashed it to bits with his head. " that will be you. Do I make myself clear?" Topps continued.

Alfred nodded. "Yes sir." he said very nervously.

"Good then, we've got that taken care of." said Topps pleasantly.

"Mr. Threehorn sure is protective of his daughter." said Guido. "I wish I could remember my parents." he moaned.

He had often had trouble with sleep-flying. For as long as he could remember, and he could remember as far back as his 7th Star Day (he was 3 years older than Littlefoot), he had trouble with sleep flying. He'd had a rough life in the Mysterious Beyond. He'd tried hard to forget a lot of what he had seen, including many narrow escapes involving hungry Sharpteeth and him having to hide in narrow places, watching as their drooling maws snapped at him, always wondering if this time, they'd get to him and he'd be finished.

He was so glad to have found the Great Valley. In the Mysterious Beyond, being one of a kind and being well, as Topps had put it, a weirdo, had made it so that he didn't fit in. As everyone kept to their own kinds, and, well, he couldn't seem to find his, that meant he got turned away sooner or later. The Combined Herd had been such a blessing. His life had gotten much better here. They accepted him. He still sleep flew, but the others, though annoyed, had gone and gotten him. Poor Chomper had even gone after him once. He owed his life to the Sharptooth.

Guido saw Littlefoot and Chomper moving toward the Mysterious Beyond. He wondered what they were up to. He heard Littlefoot say "So, you have heard of the Valley of Sharpteeth before?" Chomper replied "I've been there before."

Guido was interested by this. What was the Valley of Sharpteeth? He wasn't paying attention to where he was flying and flew over the Great Wall. He landed in the Mysterious Beyond. "Nice going Guido." he said to himself.

ROOARRRRRR! He saw a big female Sharpteeth. Her hazel eyes glared at him. He was terrified.

Andromeda looked at the Glider. She wasn't sure if he was with the Great Valley or not. She was getting hungry out here though. She licked her lips and stared at Guido. "Breakfast!" she said in Sharptooth.

Guido flew for his life. Andromeda chased him, her maw dripping with saliva and her mouth snapping at him. She swung her claws at him. Guido was able to get to a bunch of rocks. He started to climb. Andromeda leapt up, her mouth open, snapping. She missed. He climbed a bit higher. She jumped higher, again narrowly missing him. He had to keep going, or else his kind would be wiped out. He climbed higher. Andromeda jumped again. Her mouth moved right below one of his feathers and he could feel her breath hit him. He gagged at the smell of her breath. He moved higher. She jumped again, but couldn't reach. "Ha!" he said. Andromeda aimed her feet at the wall, which started to shake. He started to moved downward. "Oh don't!" he pleaded. She punched the wall, which shook again. She moved out of the way of falling rocks. Guido was moving downward. He got hit with a rock in the head. He jumped up and was in flight. He was flying well again. He happened to land in the wind and was moved to the top of the rock face. He landed on the top of the rock face and passed out, dazed from the blow.

"Hello Guido." Mama Glider said to her son.

"Hi Mum." said the young Glider.

"Had any luck with flying today son?" asked Papa Glider.

"No, sorry Dad." said Guido.

[To Be Continued]