Note: Sorry for the late post. I kept getting distracted. I'll try to focus more for the next set of chapters.
FF.net Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12535668/17/We-Will-Hold-On-Forever--
We Will Hold On Forever
by
DaveTheAnalyzer
Chapter 17: The Anchors Part 1
“If the killer’s still out there, we need to remain on our guard.” Grandma Longneck said. “We can’t let this tragedy distract us from the threat still among us.”
Whispers went around the meeting circle. As evening fell, a meeting had been called. The news of Verter’s death had shocked the Great Valley and many came along to sort out what had happened. The gang stood next to Cera and her family, crowding around her and Chomper to protect them from the stares and murmurs sent their way. Mr. Threehorn and Tria stood beside them, Tria believing their presence to be important. Mr. Threehorn’s head was lowered, not appearing to be aware of his surroundings, Tricia pressed against his forefoot and babbled up to him occasionally with toddlerish concern. There had been some hope that Verter’s death meant the danger was over but that wasn’t the case.
“Verter wasn’t the killer?” A domehead repeated. “Then who is it?”
“I’m afraid we don’t know.” Grandpa Longneck said. “Sadly, there appears to be more than one selfish person in the valley.”
There was silence as this was taken in. Nervous looks were sent around.
“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Don said. He perched on the tallest rock spire, frowning. “For Wing Father’s sake, he too smoothly took advantage of the Mr. Clubtail death situation. Others saw it too, I heard them talk about it.”
“If you have lived in the Great Valley long enough, you should know rumors don’t always represent the truth.” Grandma Longneck replied. Don huffed and crossed his wings. “Unfortunately, extremism exists in every kind. But Tria and Mr. Threehorn knew him well enough that they could tell he was telling the truth.”
“So they say.” The spikethumb leader said. She was furious. She hadn’t reacted well to finding out one of her own was dead. She glared around, as though trying to suss out the truth by who caught her eye-line wrong. “How do we know this isn’t a dispute gone wrong that led to a cover up?”
The meeting turned tense. Patty caught Littlefoot’s eye and shook her head in exasperation. The spikethumb leader noticed this and frowned, sending her a look of warning. Several eyes started going for Cera and Chomper among their circle of friends. Tricia became nervous and stepped back to hobble next to her sister. Mr. Threehorn stirred, raising his head to glare
“What are you trying to say?” he demanded.
“Topsy, you don’t need to -” Tria began.
“I can fight my own battles.” He stepped forward and glared. “Just come out and say it: you think this is a murder.”
The spikethumb leader didn’t deny it. “I’m merely trying to get to the bottom of what happened to one of my herd members. You have to admit, it is suspicious.”
“Hah, a likely story. You want to stir things up, that’s what. He was my friend. People don’t tend to kill their friends if they get annoyed with each other.”
“I have seen others kill for little better. The best friendships have collapsed into the worst grudges in my time. It can turn especially deadly if pride is valued and-”
“You think it was something that petty?” Mr. Threehorn demanded. “We threehorns might fight, but we don’t all kill each other based on whims, or we wouldn’t survive as a kind. Growing up with someone doesn’t make it easy to kill them, you know. He was my friend. Even – even if he wasn’t honest about his reputation. Even if he tricked us about training Cera and Chomper.” His voice cracked. “Even if he was going to take them away.”
“Topsy…” Tria stepped closer.
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” he said loudly. “I can handle this. Tomorrow’s going to be another day. I’ll just move on like I always – stop looking at me like that!”
For everyone were staring at him. Mr. Threehorn staggered, trying to glare but his breaths shuddered. Tria pressed against him. Grandpa Longneck looked at the spikethumb leader.
“Are you convinced now?” he asked. Awkward, the spikethumb leader bowed her head. “Whatever our feelings about the Verter matter, the killer is still around. We must remain on our guard. Grandma and I, along with Mr. Thicknose and his volunteers, will continue our search for clues. If anyone has any suspicions, report them to us. If there’s nothing else to say, the meeting is adjourned.”
The crowd broke off, some leaving but others standing together in whispering groups. Still pressing against her mate supportively, Tria looked at the gang.
“I’m afraid we have to go, kids,” she said. “Topsy…we all need rest.”
“That’s fine.” Littlefoot said. He looked at Cera. “Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?”
Cera was looking away but sighed. “Might as well.”
She joining her parents in walking into the night, Tricia walking alongside her and cooing worriedly.
“Poor Cera’s dad.” Ducky said, watching them go. “It must be so hard, having to hurt his best friend.”
“I think it’s hurting everyone.” Littlefoot sighed. “Tria knew him too. Will we see you tomorrow Chomper? You need the company.”
“Mmm.” Chomper said, looking down.
The others stared at him with concern. Spike gave a coo and nudged Chomper, who didn’t appear to notice. Mama Flyer’s voice called out.
“Kids, are you ready to go yet?” she said. “You too, Ruby and Chomper. I need to get you to your cave.”
“Huh? Oh, yes!” Ruby put a hand around Chomper. “Let’s go, Chomper.”
Petrie gave a wave before joining them with his mother and siblings. Soon Mama Swimmer came by with her entourage of children, and Ducky and Spike had to go as well. Littlefoot turned to his grandparents, who stood nearby, talking with Mr. Thicknose.
“Not that we have had much luck in finding anything so far.” Mr. Thicknose sighed, keeping his voice low. “We have barely scrounged up anything since we started.”
“We shouldn’t give up.” Grandma Longneck said. “These things take time. We can’t expect a result right away.”
“I’m sure we will find the killer eventually.” Grandpa Longneck sighed. “The problem is what he might do before we track him down.”
Littlefoot looked at them, crestfallen. His grandparents noticed and sent him apologetic looks. It appeared he would be away from his grandparents for some time yet. He had had some good days with Patty and looked forward to them but he wanted things to be back to the way they were. His heart became heavy. How long was this crises going to last?
--
Ruby sat outside of the Secret Cavern. She slid a rock under her hand and her right foot kicked the dirt. In the rising bright circle, she glimpsed the shapes of other valley residents move between the trees, the rumbles of feet and mutters of conversation somewhat subdued. Verter’s actions and his death had rattled everyone. It was another shocking thing to happen to the Great Valley. At the pace of things, no one knew when they woke up today if all the valley residents might still be alive tomorrow. All this only added to the unease that settled in her stomach.
“Ruby!”
She looked up as Petrie flew in, managing a smile as he landed beside her.
“Morning, Petrie,” she said. “How is the morning going?”
“Um, okay.” Petrie settled down beside her. “Rest of family on way again.”
She nodded, staring ahead. He fidgeted in his lap, stealing looks of her expression.
“Erm…are you okay?” he asked. “You seem bothered.”
She traced a line in the rock. “Maybe. Just -” she sighed. “I was wrong. I didn’t realize Verter was a threat. There were all those hints he wasn’t nonthreatening but I didn’t put them together. I just wanted to trust Cera and Chomper, but that trust got them hurt and…”
“Hey, it okay.” Petrie said, going over and patted Ruby’s hand. “None of us thought a friend of Cera’s parents would be bad. It normal not to notice.”
“You noticed.” Ruby’s down gaze slide to him. “I didn’t believe until the crises forced me to believe.”
“Well…” he squirmed. A pleased smile came across his beak. “Me am happy me get something right. Did you see me put clues together? Me never do something so fast. You will be able to do that again.”
“But I’m supposed to be the smart one,” she said. She closed her eyes. “I’m here to help learn how to stop Red Claw. I went with Don to help make my thinking better. I could have figured it out earlier and got Cera and Chomper away from Verter. That I didn’t notice or believe meant that Chomper and Cera nearly-”
Ruby became quiet. The thought of failing Chomper, nearly losing her best friend and the one she swore to protect, was more than she could take. She felt Petrie touch her hand.
“Cera and Chomper still here,” he said quietly. “Bad things happen but they got away. If me know anything from not being very good at thinking is that friends help each other. If one can’t think of anything, someone else does. Besides, we try better next time. We can always do more lessons when Don come back again.”
She turned to him, staring, as though not knowing how to take his words. Then she smiled.
“Thanks, Petrie. You must be smart, if you can make me feel better.”
“Uh, no problem.” Petrie laughed. His expression was proud. He took in the moment before hesitating. “Um, me scared to know, but how Chomper doing?”
Sighing, Ruby got up and waved for him to follow. They entered the Secret Caverns, Petrie flapping after her through the few twist and turns until they came upon Chomper, back curled to them.
“He has been like this since we went asleep,” she whispered to Petrie. “I don’t know if he has done any sleeping.”
He winced. “Oh. But he better be up soon. Mama and brothers and sisters are coming.”
She nodded. Ruby patted forward, trying to keep footsteps delicate.
“Chomper?”
The young sharptooth didn’t move.
“Are you up? It’s morning. I don’t mean to bother you but it’s time to get up.”
There was some silence. Chomper twitched and curled inward.
“I don’t want to get up,” he mumbled. “I’m tired.”
“But getting up at the proper time is important.” Ruby protested. “Besides, we can’t stay here.”
“My family nearly here.” Petrie said. “They escort us to friends. You want to be with friends, right?”
“Petrie?” Chomper looked up briefly, He placed his head down. “Just leave me here. I’m not worth it.”
“Of course you’re worth it. You’re our friend.” Ruby said.
“Is – is this about you biting Verter to help Cera?” Petrie said tentatively. “That not make you want to eat dinosaurs, right?”
“No. I barely noticed. I’ve been too sad to feel anything about it.” Chomper stirred. “Heh, that just fits. I can’t even become a threat.”
“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” Ruby said. “It’s not safe to be alone. Can’t we at least be sad around other people?”
“Just so I can be protected?” he sighed. “Like always.”
“We kids. We need protecting.” Petrie said. “It not fun but there no help in that.”
“But I’m supposed to be better than that!”
Ruby and Petrie jumped. Chomper turned around, eyes morose.
“I should be able to protect you guys,” he continued. “I thought this training could let me help you the next time dangers come around. But it was for nothing. It was just so Verter could use me.”
“That’s Verter’s fault, not your fault.” Ruby said. “Come on Chomper, let’s go see our friends. They miss us. They want us to be together again.”
“What would be the point?” Chomper rolled back to show his back again. “I’ll just bother everyone because I can’t take care of myself. When danger comes, I’ll just get rescued again. I’m useless. I can’t do anything!”
Ruby and Petrie watched, at a loss. Neither of them had seen Chomper this despondent. Sure, he could get down when he felt he didn’t fit in but he always bounced back. Ruby clenched her fist. For a moment, she wanted to attack Verter, to make him suffer for what he did to her wonderful friend.
“You’re wrong Chomper,” she said. “You have helped us out so many times. You’re understanding of the sharptooth language has got out of many scrapes and your understanding of how sharpteeth think made sure we got out of even more scrapes. And I haven’t got to your sniffer yet, how it helps find enemies and friends and …”
She fell silent. Petrie glance at her in confusion, but Ruby was staring into the middle distance, eyes wide.
“Of course. Sniffer…sniffing…why didn’t I think of this before?” she murmured.
“You think what before?” Petrie asked.
“Chomper’s sniffer!” she exclaimed. “He have been able track down so many people and locations. Maybe he can track down the killer.”
“What?” Chomper looked up, confused.
“No, just think! The grownups are having a hard time finding the killer. Maybe we can use Chomper’s nose to find a trail to where Mr. Clubtail fell.”
“R-really?” Petrie struggled a bit to keep up, a sliver of anxiety showing through. “Oh, now me think, it sound like good idea.”
“It’s an important idea. If we can sniff down what happened to Mr. Clubtail, we can stop the killer. And the valley can be at peace again. Everyone can finally relax.” Ruby stood taller, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re not useless Chomper. And I’m going to prove it.”
Before anyone could reply, Ruby snatched Chomper’s hand and he yelped as she pulled him to his feet, pulling him out of the cave as a confused Petrie followed.
“There you three are!” Mama Flyer said, flapping with her other children as she descended toward them. ”Why are you walking so fast? I know we must be cautious but there’s no need to rush-”
“Now’s the time for rushing.” Ruby panted. “We need to find Grandpa and Grandma Longneck now.”
They rushed past as they entered the forest, Chomper staggering and eyes wide as he struggled to keep up. Petrie’s wings were flapping in a blur, trying not to be left behind. Mama Flyer and her other children stared before they hastily flapped to catch up.
“Wait, slow down Ruby,” she said. “Why do you need to talk with Grandpa and Grandma Longneck? Is it important?”
“Very important.” Ruby said. “I have an important idea and I need to tell them before-”
“Before what, Ruby?”
Ruby and Chomper tripped and nearly fell over each other. Petrie yelped and had to flap his wings forward to stop himself from smacking into Ruby’s neck. They all looked around before raising their heads, finding an elderly flyer standing on a branch not far up, leaning against the tree and watching them.
“Don, there you are!” Petrie said.
“Sorry we didn’t talk to you much after Verter yesterday.” Ruby said. “After Cera and Chomper got rescued, we wanted to be with them.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Don said. “Perfectly understandable.” He jumped, flapping to slow his descent and land on the ground. “Is Chomper well?”
“I’m – I’m fine, sir.” Chomper mumbled, looking down.
“Good. Good.” Don said. He looked…thoughtful, as though he didn’t know what to make of a recent event and wasn’t sure he liked it. Still, this was the least severe any of them had ever seen him. “I’m quite proud of what you two accomplished. It is because of your ingenuity that you saved your friends.”
“Really?” Petrie perked up. He smiled proudly. “We did do good, didn’t we?”
Ruby looked down. “But I didn’t think it was possible that Verter would be the killer.”
“No big deal. You at least had the intelligence to be persuaded and help make sure that threehorn wouldn’t be a further threat.” Don said. “Any further issues can be worked over in our future talks.” He looked around. “Where are you off to anyway?”
“We off to Littlefoot’s grandparents because Ruby have idea on how to find killer.” Petrie said.
Don paused. “She has?”
Ruby nodded. “I just remembered Chomper has a good sense of smell. If he could smell where Mr. Clubtail was before he fell, then we can find the killer’s smell.”
“What?” Mama Flyer said. “Oh, so that’s why you were in such a rush.”
“That does sound like a good idea.” One of Petrie’s sisters said.
“Chomper is a sharptooth.” One of Petrie’s brothers added. “They’re very good at smelling things.”
The other siblings chimed in their agreement, bursting with energy at the idea. Don pressed his beak together.
“Yes, yes,” he said. “With that logic, it’s…natural why you see it has value.”
Ruby smiled, nodding. “With Chomper’s nose, we will be able to find out what happened. Then we can take care of the killer. All our worries will soon be gone.”
“You shouldn’t do it.”
Ruby and the others glanced up in shock. Don stood there, fists on hips, gazing sternly.
“What?” Ruby said. “But Chomper’s sniffer is very good. He finds Mr. Clubtail’s scent, and we find the killer. It is a good idea.”
“Really?” Don asked “This is too obvious to be effective.” He leaned closer. “For Wing Father’s sake, this idea hasn’t been thoroughly thought over.”
“We rushed to the conclusion Verter was the killer and you supported it,” she replied. “I’m just applying what I already know, since I know his nose for as long as I’ve known Chomper.”
“What you already know can have holes. Firsthand knowledge can’t always be trusted. I’m the elder here, I know what I’m talking about.”
There was silence as they glared at each other. Chomper and the flyer family watched them, not sure what to say.
“Wow, this sure got tense.” One of Petrie’s brother murmured.
“L-look,” Mama Flyer said, flying closer “why not have Ruby talk to Grandpa and Grandma Longneck about it. They’re wise. If there is problem with the idea, they’ll bring it up.”
“Good idea, Mama.” Petrie brightened. “They very smart. They know what to do.”
“Not all elders are wise.” Don said, not looking at him. “Those longnecks have been fooled before. They cannot be trusted to take the proper action.”
“You say elders should be respected, yet when we bring up elders we can to talk to, you dismiss them.” Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “You just want to be the only one listened to. You don’t like us listening to someone who’s not you.”
Don’s eyes flashed. “Don’t talk to me like that.”
“You need to hear it. I admit, I’m disappointed. I thought you were more willing to listen to others’ opinions but you still have a ways to go.” She turned away. “Talking can be useful but we can’t talk forever. I need to do something to help the valley now.”
Don grabbed Ruby’s arm. There were gasps and Ruby stepped back in shock.
“Don.” Mama Flyer said. “Let her go.”
He ignored her, staring into Ruby’s eyes. “Do not do this,” he said lowly. “For Wing Father’s sake. You won’t like what might happen.”
Ruby stared, flinching as a stinging cool came to her chest. But her mouth became grim and she wrenched his hand off. “Whatever happens, the consequences of this killer’s actions have already happened. They need to be taken care of.”
She turned and stalked off, dragging a confused Chomper with her. Mama Flyer and her children followed, glaring at Don as they passed. Only Petrie remained, hesitating, before facing him.
“Sorry,” he said. “Me sure she not hate you. Maybe we can talk about it at a meeting later.”
“Yes.” Don intoned. “Yes, of course.”
Turning, Petrie flew off, though he strangely winced a bit. For a while, Don stood there, staring at where Petrie’s figure disappeared with the others. The buzz of insects was in the air. Closing his eyes, he sighed.
“I’m sorry, children,” he said.
--
Tria lay with Mr. Threehorn near their nest. The laughter of children and the crackle of a moving rock echoed not far off. Cera sat with Littlefoot, Ducky, and Spike in a circle, rolling a rock between them. Tricia ran after the rock, giggling as she tried to catch it and nearly turning herself dizzy as the others each pushed it in a different direction. The others occasionally smiled and laughed at Tricia’s antics. Tria smiled. After Cera’s whole ordeal, she deserved to have her friends with her. It heartened Tria to hear their enjoyment.
“They are really going at it,” she said.
“Mmm.” Mr. Threehorn said.
“It’s nice to have a break from all the training. We needed this.”
“Yeah.”
Glancing at him, Tria tried to keep her smile. “And look at Tricia playing with them. It’s nice to see her engaging with other children. I hope she can manage to make friends of her own soon.”
Mr. Threehorn gazed focused. After a few seconds watching the kids, lips twitching. “I hope she doesn’t get friends like Littlefoot and the others.”
“Oh, come on.” Tria laughed.
“I mean it, that would be trouble. Do we want two daughters who get themselves in dangerous adventures every other cold time?”
“You just want her to goo-goo, gaa-gaa with you all the time,” she teased.
“Well,” he averted his gaze, “you got me there.”
They laughed. Tria looked to him and smiled, affection clear.
“I’m happy you could still laugh, Topsy,” she said.
“Of course I can laugh. I do have a sense of humor.” Mr. Threehorn said. “Do you think I would have got through the struggles I did if I didn’t find some things funny?”
“I’m glad. We need to find the small joys in life. It what makes living worth it.” Tria paused. “In light of that, I’m wondering if we can talk.”
“Oh?”
“About…what happened yesterday.”
His smile dropped. “Right.”
She waited for him to speak but his lips remained pressed together.
“That was really traumatic,” Tria said at length. “I was wondering how…you were doing.”
“Fine,” he said. He looked away. “It’s not the first loss I’ve had to deal with.”
“Are you sure? He was…you know. That must really hurt.”
“Verter…” his voice caught and he shook his head. “He made the nest he laid in.”
“That doesn’t stop someone from feeling bad.” Tria said.
“Don’t worry. It’ll go away. It all-” His voice became harsh. “Why are we talking about this now?”
“I’m worried about you.” Tria said. “I’m not unaffected by what happened either. I was thinking we can help each other.”
“Our focus should be having a family time with our daughters.” Mr. Threehorn turned his head away. “It is what they need.”
“I know but we should take care of ourselves too. We can’t take care of them if we’re bothered by tragedies in the past.”
“I’m not bothered by it.” Mr. Threehorn said. “There are other ways to take care of ourselves. Lingering over the past won’t help that.”
“Topsy, please-”
“I said I’m not-!” he said loudly. He closed his eyes, inhaling. “It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday. What matters is making our daughters happy. This is not the time for it.”
“R-right.” Tria said. “It has been only a day. Sorry. But maybe when things to settle down, we can discuss it then.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Mr. Threehorn said, “but that’s never going to be needed. I’m fine. I just need to keep going. You shouldn’t worry about me.”
She wanted to say more but she found herself settling down. “Y-yes. If you say so.”
Tria fell silent. They lay together, bodies still close, but she felt further away from him than ever.
*Why?* she thought. *Why won’t you let me help you, Topsy? Why can’t I do anything to reach you?*
Meanwhile, Cera and the others continued to roll the rock between them, ignorant of the tension that flared some distance behind them. Tricia was breathless as she ran after the rock, nearing Littlefoot when he caught it and redirecting when he pushed it to Ducky, their spirits rising as they watched her go.
“It’s great to be together again.” Littlefoot said.
“You could say that again.” Cera said. “It’s a relief not to be moving around so much for once. I don’t think that’ll change for me anytime soon.”
“Oh, that is okay.” Ducky said. “After being apart for so long, playing like this is fine, it is, it is.”
Spike grunted with agreement, catching the rock and punting it to Tricia, who squealed with delight.
“It’s only been three days.” Cera said. “It’s not like we haven’t done our own thing before.”
“But those three days felt like forever.” Ducky said.
“With this ghost stuff, these days have felt really long.” Cera admitted. “Though really, we’ve been together more times than we’ve been not.”
Littlefoot nodded. “I can’t believe we’ve been together longer than it took for us to go to the valley. That feels so far away now.”
“Time sure goes slow when you’re not having fun,” she said. The others laughed. “I don’t want to grow up yet. I still want to have time to play. I think Tria said that when you’re a kid, it feels like forever but when it feels done, it’s like no time at all.”
There were nods, some of them gazing up as they remembered their many adventures as friends. It was amazing what could be packed within the short span of childhood. With this, they forgot the rock, which was being tugged back and forth by Spike and Tricia as the two giggled along. Glancing around, Littlefoot hesitated but decided to speak.
“Speaking of time, um…how are you been doing?”
“Fine.” Cera frowned. “After so much time moving, I got to sleep in for once. It’s been good.”
“I mean…is there anything bothering you?” he said.
“I don’t know.” She glared at them. “Why aren’t you bothered about not being with Patty and Tega? Where are they anyway?”
“Patty came around but said she couldn’t look after me because she was busy.” Littlefoot explained. “She didn’t say with what but maybe that grouchy spikethumb leader has the herd in a meeting.”
“We barely saw Tega.” Ducky said. “She did not show up this morning.” Spike made a thoughtful sound as she continued. “Me and Spike are worried but maybe she wants to give us space.”
“Weird for her to leave someone in the lurch.” Cera said wryly. “Then again, it’s very bright today. Maybe she wants to keep to the shade so she won’t get hot. Petrie, Ruby, and Chomper aren’t here either.”
“Petrie’s mother is going over to escort them to us.” Littlefoot said. “Things are still dangerous. Chomper might also need some rest.”
“Yeah.” Cera softened a bit. “Hope that little guy can enjoy himself.”
“Mmm.” Littlefoot nodded, a smile flitting in. He looked at her again, hesitating, but his concern made him press on. “I don’t mean to keep pressing but are you okay? You went through a lot.”
“I’m fine.” Cera crossed her forelegs, looking away. “Mr. Thicknose and a few others helped treat me and Chomper’s injuries. We’ll be alright.”
“Are you sure?” Ducky asked. “Yesterday sounded really scary. If you want to talk about it, we will listen.”
“No thanks. I have been through it and it’s done.” Cera said. “I just want to move on.”
“But is that good?” Littlefoot asked. “Just ignoring something doesn’t always make it go away. Sometimes talking it out helps. When I talk with my grandparents about things, it can make me feel better.”
“Do you talk with your grandparents about everything?” she retorted. “You aren’t scarred for life if you just keep some things to yourself. You are still happy.”
“But I think that is for small things.” Ducky said. “This is a scary thing. When me and Spike talk about a problem scary or small, it helps us better understand it.” Spike nodded, and she smiled. “See? You do not have to do it right now but if we can talk about it, you will feel better even more.”
Littlefoot nodded. “It is a bit soon, so you’re probably not in the mood, but we’re always willing to listen.”
“You will be waiting for a long time, then, because that is never going to happen.” Cera flopped her head onto her forelegs. “I understand what happened. I got tricked into doing a load of hard work and then someone up and died. I don’t want a talk to tell me something that obvious.”
“But this Verter situation sounded bigger than that.” Ducky protested. “It would be good to-”
“Stop bothering me about it!” Cera snapped. The others jumped, Tricia yelping and staring at her in surprise. “You always try to butt in whenever I look the least a bit sad. You and Ducky are particularly bad about this, Littlefoot. What, am I bothering the feel-good mood of our get togethers by not being happy all the time?”
“Hey, don’t be like that!” Littlefoot said. “We’re just worried about you. We want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Well, you’re not doing a good job at it. Leave me alone. Some people just want to deal with things on their own. Can’t you think about that instead of how you would do it for once? That especially goes for you, Ducky. You always try to fix things how you would fix things, trying to make everyone smiley and perky, and I’m getting sick of it. Can’t you stop babying everyone for once, it’s annoying, you’re annoying, sometimes you should just-”
“Cera, Cera!” Ducky said, waving her arms. “Stop!”
Cera stopped. Ducky had stepped back in shock. Spike and Littlefoot glared at her, a little hurt in Littlefoot’s eyes. Tricia started crying, head raised as tears streamed down her cheeks. Spike tried to nuzzle her but it was no use. Cera stared, a sinking in her stomach. Verter had said something about her turning against her friends in the future because of her selfishness. Was this a hint of things to come?
In the silence that followed, there was a rumble of feet. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck approached, expressions troubled.
“We didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” Tria said.
“After your experience yesterday, we thought we should check on you.” Grandpa Longneck answered. He turned to survey Littlefoot and the others. “Petrie, Ruby, and Chomper aren’t here yet.”
“Don’t worry.” Mr. Threehorn said. “I’m – I’m sure Petrie’s mother is bringing them here now.” He tried to focus on the grandparents. “Have you found anything?”
Grandma Longneck sighed. “No. It’s like we’re going in circles. It’s really starting to feel like something killed Mr. Clubtail and disappeared off the land.”
“So the killer might be a ghost.” Mr. Threehorn muttered. “Great.”
“Unless this ghost is like the sharptooth, I don’t think it’s that situation.” Grandpa Longneck frowned. ”Though…it is strange. Grandma and I have been keeping an ear out for any sign people might be dealing with ghosts and nothing. No one has been behaving odd at all.”
“Do you think it’s over?” Tria asked hopefully.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “It doesn’t seem like it would end that easily. It’s likely happening more elsewhere. We must be on our guard. It could surge back any time.”
She shuddered. “That would be the last thing we need, for…
him to come back as a ghost.” Mr. Threehorn looked away.
“We should be cautious but not get too ahead of ourselves.” Grandma Longneck said. “We still need to protect ourselves from this killer. We need to find a way to track him down.” She sighed. “I only hope we can find a lead that can actually do that…”
“Grandpa and Grandma Longneck! Mr. Threehorn! Tria!”
The grownups started. Littlefoot and the others raised their heads. Ruby and Chomper approached at top speed, Chomper stumbling and huffing as Ruby pulled him along. Petrie and his mother and siblings trailed after in the air, only slightly less breathless. She stopped in front of the grownups and panted, eyes urgent and alive.
“What’s the matter, Ruby?” Grandpa Longneck asked.
“You aren’t going to claim another friend is a bad person, are you?” Tria said warily.
“No.” Ruby said, righting herself. “At least, I hope this idea won’t lead to that. But I have an idea on how to track down the killer.”
This got Littlefoot and the others’ attention. They got up, going over to stand next to them. Even Tricia, walking over to sniffle next to her mother’s foreleg, looked up to see what all the excitement was.
“Really?” Littlefoot asked. “You have an idea?”
“The definite one.” Ruby said. “It was so important when I thought about it, I had to find you guys.”
“We appreciate your duty. But did you have to drag Chomper halfway across the valley to tell us?” Grandma Longneck asked. Chomper stood bowed, looking about ready to fall over. “He has went through a lot. He needs rest.”
“But Chomper is part of the idea! I was thinking of using his sniffer to track down what happened to Mr. Clubtail.”
Many eyes widened. Mr. Threehorn, who looked tired, stirred with surprise.
“What?” he said.
“Chomper has the best nose of anyone I know.” Ruby said. “And I don’t know of anyone with a nose like his. It has helped us so much in knowing where good people and bad people are. I’m sure he could sniff us to whoever hurt Mr. Clubtail.”
“Oh yes.” Ducky said. “Chomper’s nose would help very much, it would, it would.”
Spike bayed with a smile at the idea. Tria turned to the sharptooth youth.
“So you are suggesting…Chomper should be part of this investigation?” she said.
“Yes.” Ruby said. “He can help us find the spot where what happened to Mr. Clubtail happened. He can sniff the spot and find the killer’s scent. It was so obvious. I’m almost mad I didn’t think about it in the first place.”
“Good job, Ruby!” Littlefoot said.
“We always knew you could think of a solution!” Cera said, smile a bit forced. “No wonder you rushed over here to tell us.”
“I’m not sure.” Mr. Threehorn turned to Chomper, eyes narrowed. “How can we trust he won’t lead us into a trap for his sharptooth friends?”
Chomper flinched. Everyone turned and stared at him.
“What are you talking about, Topsy?” Tria asked. “Just yesterday, you said you supported Chomper. You worked hard to save him. What have you changed your mind all of a sudden?”
“Huh?” Mr. Threehorn flinched. He stared, blank-eyed for a moment, then shook his head. “Oh. You – you’re right. I remember. I just – I don’t know what came over me.”
The others stared at him. Cera stepped toward him, eyes shining with great worry.
“Uh, anyway, this sounds like a good idea.” Littlefoot said.
“We can always count on Ruby to come up with a plan, yep, yep, yep.” Ducky said.
“She always come up with good ideas.” Petrie managed a smile. “Now all we need to do is put it into action. Then valley can be safe.”
“Hang on.” Grandpa Longneck interrupted. He shifted. “We don’t feel very comfortable about this.”
“You and Chomper went through a lot yesterday, Ruby.” Grandma Longneck said. “As your parents aren’t here, we are obligated to watch over you. We don’t feel right pushing you into adult responsibilities.”
“But this might be the only way to find out what happened to Mr. Clubtail!” Ruby protested. “From what I have been hearing, you haven’t found any clues. This can find clues faster. With the killer about, shouldn’t we find him as soon as possible?”
“Well…” Mama Flyer hesitated. “I don’t mean to intrude but there is merit to that idea.”
“You can trust Ruby and Chomper.” Petrie said. “Me see her think a lot with Don’s lessons. She very grownup. They can do this.”
“You can also trust Chomper’s sniffer.” Littlefoot said. “Are there any other good sniffers around? If you give them a chance, I’m sure they’ll help you here too. Come on. What have you got to lose?”
Spike nodded, thrusting his head to Chomper and giving a “eh” filled with passion. Petrie’s brothers and sisters also nodded, having become fond of Ruby and Chomper in their few escorts. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck glanced at each other. They appeared uncomfortable as they had a mental debate in their mind. Grandpa Longneck looked to the sharptooth youth.
“What do you think, Chomper?” he asked. “What is your position on this?”
Chomper appeared caught off guard. Glancing around, he sighed. “I guess it can’t hurt.”
That wasn’t the vote of confidence Ruby and the gang were searching for. But it seemed to do the trick. The grandparents hesitated. Reluctantly, they looked at Mama Flyer, Tria, and Mr. Threehorn. Mama Flyer was concerned but looked thoughtful. Tria only looked worried. Mr. Threehorn was mostly distracted, too disturbed by his sudden regression in attitude to think one way or the other. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck sent concerned glances at Ruby and Chomper, weighing the benefits of resolving the killer issue quickly versus the ethics of employing children. The gang waited with baited breath.
Grandpa Longneck sighed. “Very well. Since you volunteered.”
The gang brightened and there were happy cries. Ruby pumped a fist up.
“Yes!” she said. “You’ll be a big help Chomper, you’ll see.”
“But it will only be the two of you.” Grandpa Longneck continued. “The rest of you are staying behind.”
“What?” Littlefoot said. Everyone else’s cheers died down
“You heard us.” Grandma Longneck said. “We won’t be endangering any more children than we have to. This is already a hard decision.”
“But Ruby and Chomper friends!” Petrie protested. “We can’t leave them behind.”
“That is sweet Petrie, but think.” Mama Flyer said. “As hard as it is to hear, what can you contribute? Chomper will be offering his nose and Ruby her support. The rest of you aren’t needed.”
“We can also support them.” Ducky said, Spike nodding. “It will help them to have their friends with them.”
“They will have Grandpa and Grandma Longneck with them.” Tria said. “They are very kind. They can offer all the support Ruby and Chomper need. I’m not happy about this but I trust they will be safely looked after. We don’t want any of you kids hurt.”
“You’re underestimating us.” Cera growled. “You really think we don’t have much to offer?”
”This is not negotiable.” Grandpa Longneck said. “Our decision is final. You all are children. You have been through more than enough. Enjoy the day, and you will hear back from us later.”
“This is so unfair.” Cera muttered. “We did all the hard work to get them listened to and we’re getting left behind.”
The grandparents ignored her. They turned to Ruby and Chomper.
”We are taking your request but reluctantly.” Grandpa Longneck said. “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t do this but with the lack of progress, we have little choice. Stay close to us and obey our instructions. If there is danger and we tell you to run, run and don’t look back. If we find the killer’s scent and where he is, please listen to our request and leave with a trusted grownup.”
“I’m coming too.” Mr. Threehorn said, stepping forward.
“Topsy, are you sure?” Tria asked.
“I’m tired of just sitting around doing nothing,” he said. “If there’s a chance you’ll find this killer, you’ll need protection. I can offer that.”
Grandpa Longneck hesitated. “Are you sure? After what just happened, maybe you should rest.”
“I’m fine!” Mr. Threehorn said, a bit forcefully. “That was – nothing. Just let me help here.”
Grandpa Longneck still looked reluctant but at Mr. Threehorn’s level gaze, he sighed. “Then your help will be welcome.” He turned to his mate. “What should we do with Mr. Thicknose and his volunteers?”
“I think we could at least notify them.” Grandma Longneck said. “How should we begin the search? I was thinking we-”
The pair continued talking, Mr. Threehorn occasionally chipping in, impatient to get going. Chomper didn’t show much excitement, resigned he was going to play this role. Ruby was relieved as she listened, but she was almost guilty as she glanced at Littlefoot and the others, who stood there with a mix of worry and resentment. As the grandparents and Mr. Threehorn continued to talk, Patty walked in on the scene.
“Patty, perfect timing.” Grandpa Longneck said, noticing her. “We have hit upon a potentially good idea to find the killer. Can you watch over Littlefoot for us?”
“Really?” Patty raised her head with slight surprise at the news. At length, she nodded. “Of course. You need space to do this important work. Littlefoot, come on.”
“Huh?” Littlefoot said. “But-” He glanced at his friends. He sighed. “Sorry guys.”
He departed from his friends, joining Patty. His head was lowered as they walked off.
“It looks like they are quite busy.” Patty said.
“Yeah.” Littlefoot sighed. “Ruby and Chomper are going to help. But I’m worried. I wish there was something I can do.”
“Hmm,” she said, thoughtful. “Well, I think there’s one way we can help.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Follow me. I’ll show you where we need to go.”
Patty hurried her pace. In spite of himself, Littlefoot became curious, and moved after her.
Back with Cera and the others, they watched the grandparents and Mr. Threehorn wrap up their discussion. They stepped apart, nodding.
“So that’s the plan.” Grandpa Longneck said. “Ruby? Chomper? Time to go.”
“Okay.” Ruby put an arm on Chomper’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Chomper. This will work out.”
With that, they turned and walked away with their backs to the kids.
“Come on Cera, kids, it’s time to go.” Tria said.
“We have to go too, Petrie.” Mama Flyer said.
“Yeah, come on.” One of Petrie’s brothers said. “We’re going to meet Dad today.”
“Um, okay.” Petrie said. He traded uncertain looks with the others and followed his family into the sky.
The flyers ascended, the land below dropping down a bit as they flew above the trees, making a beeline for their nest. They flew in a reverse-V formation with their mother in the lead, Petrie flying at the back left end.
“You know Petrie, your father and I are proud of you,” Mama Flyer said, eyes ahead. “Even if your killer prediction wasn’t accurate, it still saved your friends and…”
Petrie spotted a particularly high tree coming up. He hesitated. Glancing around to note his siblings were all staring ahead, he circled and ducked behind the tree as his family passed, laying low among the leaves as his mother spoke.
“…what we expected, we are happy for you and want you to know…Petrie? Petrie!”
Petrie sighed. “Sorry Mama. Me have to do this.”
Meanwhile, Tria led Cera, Ducky and Spike through a forested path. Tricia hopped along near her mother’s forefoot, cheering herself up by dancing between the shadows of the trees. Cera, Ducky, and Spike kept up near Tria’s rear left foot, Cera glaring at the grass.
“If you want to, Ducky and Spike, you can stay with us.” Tria said. “I always enjoy the company of Cera’s friends. After these horrible few days, I think what we all need is a relaxing dip in the mud pool.”
Cera caught Ducky and Spike’s eye and flicked her gaze to the right. The siblings looked blank but at her glare, they caught on and nodded, starting to edge to the left line of bushes.
“I know you aren’t a fan of the mud Ducky but it’s really good.” Tria was saying. “You didn’t mind when we all tried it the first time. You just need to sink in and…” She paused and looked around. “Cera? Ducky, Spike? Oh, come on. Are we really going to do this?”
Cera, Ducky, and Spike galloped and hid behind a tree, Cera’s eyes lowered in determination.
“No, I’m not going to be sent off while the grownups do the important work,” she muttered. “We’re going to find out what’s happening.”
Ducky nodded. “Though are you okay? Don’t you feel bad about Tria and Tricia?”
Cera cringed and looked around as Tria continued to call for them.
“I’ll make it up to them.” Cera said. “Besides, I’m worried about Daddy. Come on. Let’s not hang around.”
Ducky and Spike nodded. With one last backward glance, they started running in the opposite direction. The three dodged around tree trunks and bushes, careful not to trip over or hit anything.
“How do we make sure they do not catch us?” Ducky asked.
“By moving fast.” Cera said. “Let’s not be seen. The important thing is to catch up with Chomper and Ruby and-”
She yelped when what she presumed was an odd green branch up ahead abruptly turned out of view and was replaced by a face. Cera skidded to a halt, finding herself inches from the baleful eyes of a spiketail.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” The spiketail asked.
“I-” Cera stammered. “That is, I-”
“Relax Cera, it is only Tega.” Ducky said.
Cera turned, and looked at the spiketail. “Wait, you’re Tega?”
Tega stepped forward, out from the obscuring foliage as she chewed a piece of grass. Cera stepped out of the way as Ducky and Spike approached, smiling at the spiketail.
“We haven’t seen you in a while Tega.” Ducky said. “Where have you been?”
“I just wanted to give you space.” Tega said. “Your friends were through a lot.”
“Oh, I knew it.” Ducky clicked her fingers, chuckling. “That is very nice of you. We have been very worried about our friends. We wanted to spend time with them. In fact, we are so worried, we are following Ruby and Chomper right now as they help find a way to find the killer.”
“Ducky.” Cera hissed.
“What?” Ducky said innocently. “She is our friend. She will not tell on us.”
Tega’s lips twitched into a smile. “You’re stalking your friends, huh? I’m amazed you would go that far.”
“They are doing scary work.” Ducky said. “We are happy they are brave, but we want to make sure they are okay.”
“Is that really necessary?” Tega said. “I have seen them go by. With two elder longnecks and a threehorn with them, they have all the help and protection their self-interest could ask for. Not that anyone would hurt them. With their connections to the Mysterious Beyond, who would dare do in such
important children?”
Cera frowned, glancing suspiciously at Tega. Spike made a questioning face and exchanged looks with his sister, whose cheer drained slightly as she considered Tega.
“Um, what are you trying to say?” Ducky asked.
“How will Ruby and Chomper benefit?” Tega asked. “It will only lead to embarrassment when what you did is revealed. Did Ruby and Chomper protest much when you weren’t allowed to go?”
“No. I – I do not remember them saying anything about it.”
“That indicates how much benefit they see in you coming along. It will be very inconvenient and-”
“Hey, guys.” Petrie’s voice said. His small flapping figure came up from the trees and descended down. “Sorry to be late. Me was trying to-” He stopped when he spotted Tega. “Oh hey, Tega. Uh, what happening?”
“I think Tega is saying we should not follow Ruby and Chomper.” Ducky said.
Petrie’s head darted between them. “Wait, what?”
“I’m happy you actually put the clues together.” Tega said.
“But why?” Ducky asked. “Why do you not want us to go?”
“Think about it. Is this something that is really in your interest? Not only might you be going into potential danger but you will get in trouble when you return to your parents. You kids get in enough trouble. Is this worth the risk?”
“It is. We will be following Ruby and Chomper and-” Petrie paused and looked to the others. “Um, what will we be doing?”
“We will be supporting them from a distance.” Ducky said defensively. “We will help them if they need it, with whatever might hurt them and whatever they find.”
“Right.” Petrie nodded. “That!”
“Hmm, funny.” Tega said. “From that last part, it sounds like you’re more interested in fulfilling you’re self-interested curiosity.”
“Hey!” Cera said indignantly.
“It not like that!” Petrie protested.
“That seems to be your primary interest.” Tega said. “You were spurned by your parents not allowing you first dibs on the killer news and so you left your families at the first opportunity to get that. Pretty natural for children your age, thinking about your immediate interests while not considering your longer term ones.”
“Please Tega, can we not have this talk now?” Ducky pleaded. “We might be a bit curious but we are worried for our friends, we are. We just want to help them.”
“You won’t accomplish much.” Tega frowned. “All you would be doing is making your lives more complicated for something you will find out later anyway.”
“Tega-“
“Did your parents not notice you go?” Tega interrupted. The gang froze. “I bet they did. You’re going to get in trouble and the longer you’re away, the more trouble you’ll be in. They might do something drastic to make sure you don’t do this again, like keep you away from your friends. With you kids being apart for so many days, is that what you want? That would be an inconvenience for me. All this, just so you could learn what you’d find out later anyway. This is the time to decide between your immediate self-interest and your longer term one. Are you really going to risk so much for such a minor issue?”
Ducky and the others hesitated, eyes wavering down. Ducky pressed a hand to her chest. That issue didn’t occur to them. If – when – they were found by their families, they would be in so much trouble. With their track record, they really might have their time with their friends taken away. Mama Swimmer might go for something that would hurt to make sure Ducky and Spike wouldn’t step out of line again. Ducky cringed at the thought of being separated from her beloved friends for many days, especially after they have been away for so long. Then she thought about Ruby and Chomper and how they were doing this dangerous duty away from their friends after everything they had been through. Ducky became firm.
“For the last time, we are doing this because we care. Can we talk about this later? We are following them.”
The others also hardened and nodded. They began to walk passed Tega to their destination when a spiked tail was put in their way.
“I insist,” Tega said. “I prefer you two to still be around. I would not like the two of you to be in trouble.”
This gave some pause. Ducky softened a bit but shook her head.
“I am sorry but we what do not like more is not being with our friends now. We will see you later.”
Ducky moved around the tail and walked off, wincing and rubbing her chest. The three followed behind her as Tega became distant.
“Are you just going to go along with them Spike?” Tega called. “I thought you were done being ordered around.”
Spike stopped. His eyes were wide.
“You might be going into potential danger,” she continued. “You’ll be in trouble, all because you follow your friends around as expected. Is that what you really want?”
He stayed in place. Ducky, Cera, and Petrie turned around, expressions uncertain.
“Spike?” Ducky said.
Spike’s eyes searched the ground, pressing a foreleg to his chest. It was true he wanted to live an ordinary life. He didn’t like getting in trouble. But there was also something he wanted just as much. His eyes hardened and he glared at Tega, making clear he wanted to look after Ruby and Chomper as well. Wincing a bit, he galloped past his friends, making them cheer.
“Alright!” Cera said.
“Way to go, Spike!” Petrie cheered.
Tega watched the four disappear into the distance. For a while, she chewed silently, eyes still on the spot where she last saw them. Then she spat out her grass.
“Well, it was fun while it lasted,” she said.
--
Ruby and Chomper stood near the sweet bubble glen, the grandparents and Mr. Threehorn beside them. They had arrived back at the spot where Mr. Clubtail’s body had been found. It looked like an ordinary glen. The leaves waved in the low wind and the sweet bubbles shown in the late morning light. Even a few dinosaurs were grazing nearby. Only the slight indentation in the grass indicated the horror that was discovered a few days ago. Mr. Thicknose and his volunteers had been notified of the plan with Chomper and they would unite with them later if they had a suspect that was to be confronted.
“You could pick up Mr. Clubtail’s scent here.” Grandpa Longneck said. “This is the most direct way to do this short of…this is more appropriate for you two.”
Ruby nodded. They waited for Chomper to start whiffing the grass but he merely stood in front of the spot, eyes lowered.
“Well?” Mr. Threehorn said gruffly. “Are you going to sniff the spot or what?”
“Oh.” Chomper said. “Right.”
Chomper went over to the depression and sniffed. Ruby and the grownups watched as he meandered around, smelling it. Mr. Threehorn already looked like he was regretting this. It appeared he thought he would be into something more involved and energetic than this. It took a bit, as Chomper moved around the depression sluggishly. At last, he stopped. They wondered from his stillness if he didn’t find anything. Then they heard sniffles and realized he was crying.
“I miss him,” he said. “I miss him. I…”
Softening, Ruby closed the distance and embraced him. Chomper’s breaths shuddered, and he pressed his head onto her stomach, some falling tears glimpsed by the grownups. Mr. Threehorn shuffled and looked away.
“Take – take your time,” he said. “There is no rush.”
For a bit, Ruby stroked Chomper’s back, his occasional sniffles the only sound around. At last, he broke from her.
“I – I have the scent,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“You sure?” Grandpa Longneck said.
“Yeah.” Chomper wiped his eyes and gave a last sniffle. “Might as well see where this goes.”
Clearing his throat, he put his nose to the ground. Giving a few experimental sniffs, he began walking. Looking guilty for her suggestion, Ruby followed, and the uncertain grownups brought up the rear.
A few longneck lengths back, Cera and the others stalked after them from a distance. They darted between foliage and giant rocks, keeping an eye on what was happening.
“He seems to have the scent.” Ducky whispered. “Good job, Chomper. Maybe this will help him feel better.”
Spike gave a “eh” and nodded, frowning in concern for his fellow sniffer.
“Me hope killer not watching.” Petrie said, looking around nervously. “If he sees they get too close, he might do something.”
“And that’s why we’re following.” Cera said. Her eyes focused on Mr. Threehorn in particular. “We’ll make sure nothing happens to any of them. See, that’s useful. Us, being selfish. Where does she get off calling us that?”
“I think Tega was worried about us.” Ducky said. “She just has a funny way of showing it, through that selfishness talk and stuff like that.”
“I don’t know.” Cera muttered. “There is something weird about that spiketail.”
“Tega would not do anything bad.” Ducky gave her a glare “She is nice, really, really.”
Cera opened her mouth to retort but remembering how she snapped at Ducky and the others earlier, she shook her head. “Forget it.”
As the gang broke off from their bush to jog forward and hide behind a thick tree, Chomper and his group found themselves walking close to the base of the Great Wall. The mountains that surrounded the Great Valley loomed large but the bright circle wasn’t yet in the position where the mountains would cast a shadow over the two groups. There were giant tracks indicating where the grownups have searched this way. The grandparents looked around, encouraged yet disquieted.
“So, we were on the right track.” Grandpa Longneck whispered. “Mr. Clubtail was pulled along this place.”
“Hopefully, it won’t lead to the same dead end.” Grandma Longneck said. “It’s a wonder the killer could have moved the body a great distance. That would be exhausting work.”
“Wouldn’t someone who worked that hard leave their scent on the body?” Mr. Threehorn said. More loudly, he asked. “Hey Chomper, did you smell any other scents with Mr. Clubtail’s?”
Chomper paused, head raised in thought. “Uh…maybe? I think there are a few scents tangled with his.”
The grownups slowed, eyes widening.
“Did you say…a few?” Grandpa Longneck asked.
“Yeah, there is more than one. It’s weird.” He sniffed harder and frowned. “I can’t identity them. For some reason, my sniffer won’t let me.” He scratched his chest. “Some do smell familiar though. Like I met them before.”
The grandparents and Mr. Threehorn exchanged uneasy looks.
“That would be bad, if some valley residents did this.” Grandma Longneck said. “This could lead to an uproar.”
“It would be worth it.” Mr. Threehorn said. “It doesn’t matter how long they lived here, they need to be punished for what they did.”
They continued to follow Chomper as he sniffed down the scent trail, the grass and tracks becoming sparse. They were going beyond the search territory. For a while, they walked, moving through bare earth, with slight depressions and rocks and boulders dotted about. Chomper paused or raised his head often as he sniffed, sometimes making their hearts skip a beat and Ruby look worried, but he always found the scent again and continued onward. Their legs were becoming sore as the bright circle moved into the middle position in the sky. Then Chomper stopped and sniffed around, putting his nose into the ground at the base of another depression before he stood up. The others watched nervously.
“Have you lost the scent?” Ruby asked.
“No, it stops.” Chomper said.
“How is that different?” Mr. Threehorn asked.
“It doesn’t go any further. Mr. Clubtail didn’t go beyond here. I know it sounds strange but the smells goes…up.” Chomper looked up, sniffing. “I think this is where Mr. Clubtail fell.”
“Really?” Grandpa Longneck said.
They crowded closer. Mr. Threehorn brought his head to the ground as they looked at the slight depression, clear of the debris from elsewhere but slightly larger and more ovular than the rest.
“Now that I’m looking for it, I think this is a crater where someone fell.” Mr. Threehorn noted. “Someone did a good job of clearing it up. I can barely tell it apart from the others boulder craters.”
“The killer, probably.” Grandma Longneck said. “It is disturbing he appears to have help. Was this their plan, or did his friends decide to clean up after a mistake he made?”
“I don’t know.” Grandpa Longneck looked up at a distant protrusion along the mountain above them that indicated a path. “I have the feeling the answer will be somewhere up there.”
Chomper looked down. “Sorry I couldn’t get the answer right away.”
“What are you talking about?” Grandpa Longneck smiled. “We have a place to look for further clues.”
Grandma Longneck nodded. “We would have been stuck if it wasn’t for you and Ruby’s help.”
“Yeah.” Mr. Threehorn said, with a flicker of a smile. “I’ve got to admit, you kids are resourceful. Now we might finally get to the bottom of this.”
Chomper stared at the grownups. He turned to Ruby, who smiled and nodded, a satisfied tilt to her beak. She had put him up to this to show what he was capable of. Even if they didn’t find penultimate clue right away, they got somewhere substantial, which could help the Great Valley deal with this killer. Slowly, a tentative smile formed on Chomper’s lips. Maybe he could be of use to his friends after all.
Meanwhile, Cera and the others watched from the safety of a stray boulder as Chomper and the others stood on the bare ground near the Great Wall. They were too far to hear what the others were saying but the grownups and Chomper and Ruby were bunched up together. The gang peered around their hiding spot, straining not to fall over.
“What happening?” Petrie asked. “Ooh, they find clue?”
“It seems so.” Cera agreed. “They are looking very closely at that one spot on the ground. What could it be?”
“Maybe me can fly over sneakily and hear what they are talking about,” he suggested.
“If you do that, one of them might look up and see you,” she said.
Petrie huffed. “Hey, why you no listen? My idea could be useful.”
Ducky leaned forward from her position on Spike. “There must be some way to hear them. It would be bad if we got into this much trouble and could not hear-” She stopped, rising. “Wait, what is that?”
“What is what?” Cera asked.
“That sound. Did you not hear it? It sounded like crackling rocks.”
They fell silent, not sure what they were trying to hear. It was Spike who first caught onto it, raising his head with an “Hmm?” Then the rest heard it. A distant creaking, the sound of rocks somewhere high being disturbed.
“Me hear it.” Petrie said. “It must be coming from Great Wall. What is it?”
A crackle mixed in with the creaking, the volume louder. It caused the four to shuffle uneasily.
“Where it coming from?” Ducky looked around. “Follow the sound. Follow...”
The crackle became deep, creaky. They looked about, the sound too echoey with distance, but Petrie cast his eyes up and gave a soft cry. A huge pile of rocks and boulders was lined on top of the Great Wall mountain looming over them. The pile was higher than a longneck and it pushed forward and back, creaking, like a sharptooth ready to pounce. What really put their hearts in their throats was when they traced their eyes down and saw the line of the rock piles aligned perfectly with the group they were watching.
“Oh no, no, no.” Ducky whispered.
“That aimed for Littlefoot’s grandparents and Cera’s dad.” Petrie said. “But why? Oh, this bad. Is – this killer?”
Spike whimpered with worry. The crackle became louder yet. The large rock and boulder pile shifted forward and a few already began cracking down. Ruby and Chomper and the grownups continued conversing, oblivious.
“They’re too busy talking to know what’s coming.” Cera’s breaths quickened. “We need to warn them, we need to -”
“There you children are!”
The four jumped. Tria stood behind them, looking furious.
“Do you understand the kind of trouble you’re in?” she continued. “Why, I have a half a mind to-”
Crack. The pile of rocks and boulders shook, creaking with the sound of something on the point of no return. Mr. Threehorn, the grandparents, and Ruby and Chomper started upon hearing Tria’s voice and craned their heads to look back, still in the danger zone.
Abandoning all pretense, Cera jumped into view. “Daddy, everyone, look out! Rock slide coming! There’s a rock slide coming!”
The grandparents, Mr. Threehorn, Ruby, and Chomper stared, uncomprehending. They looked up just in time to see the rock pile far above creak and frozen in place. They started moving-
Bang! Bang! Bang! The rocks and boulders burst out with explosive force. They rolled down the mountain, gathering up loose rocks and other debris, becoming a narrow but thick wave. Some rocks and boulders were projected far enough by the force to fall straight down, a few crashing onto the Great Wall path but most fell past. Standing at the edge of the danger zone, Ruby and Chomper cried out and scrambled ahead. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck and Mr. Threehorn made to follow but several boulders crashed down and formed an obstacle ahead of them. Looking up with mouths open, the three backed away but the wave of earth was too fast and Cera and the others could only watch in horror as it converged upon them…
--
Littlefoot followed Patty through the valley, the sound of footsteps and the conversations of valley residents fading in and out around them. He couldn’t help looking back every now and again but his attention kept getting drawn back to Patty, and her promise of action.
“Sorry for being absent,” she said. “After all the chaos Verter caused, the herd leader was rather reluctant to let us go.”
“That’s okay.” Littlefoot replied. “This Verter thing has messed everything up. At least I got to spend some time with my friends.” He paused. “Um, where are we going?”
“A very important place.” Patty said, staring ahead. “To tell you the truth, after all the drama Verter caused, I felt I had to do something. This valley had suffered enough: the ghosts, Verter’s scheming…no one should live like this. So I sneaked off from the herd and started looking around to find the cause of all this negativity. And today, I found something.”
“You mean you found what is causing the ghosts?” he said quickly.
“I found a way to fix things.” She turned and smiled at him. “Soon, the ghost drama and all the struggles related to it will be over.”
“Really? It’s here? In the Great Valley?”
“That’s where we are going now. We are going to put an end to this.”
Littlefoot sighed, smiling. “Thank goodness. Everything has been so tense since those ghosts showed up. Everyone will be glad when it’s over.”
“It’s an imperfect phenomena.” Patty agreed. “People see their loved ones again but if they remember they’re dead, they go back. It would be better if that was fixed. To really be honest, I have been searching for a solution since I got to the Great Valley. I’ve been exploring, becoming familiar with its routes.”
“Really? Wow.” Littlefoot said. He hung his head. “But you have been wasting your time playing with me.”
“Don’t say that.” She smiled at him. “Helping one person is as important as helping entire herds. Sometimes, I need reminding of that. Ah, there’s the tunnel.”
They had been walking in a rightly direction, making a beeline for one side of the Great Wall. They came across a cave, tall and wide, large enough for someone of Patty’s size to fit comfortably. They entered, the sound of their footsteps and breaths bouncing off the walls of a long tunnel that curved upward, like some of the mountain paths on the Great Wall. Littlefoot looked around, amazed. He never realized this kind of place was here before.
“I also came to you because you’re important for this.” Patty continued. “I needed someone familiar with adventure to help put an end to the ghosts.”
“Me?” Littlefoot said, surprised. “But I’m just a kid. You have been adventuring much longer, couldn’t you do it?”
“As much as I’m willing to, I can’t do this on my own.” She smiled sadly. “I need someone with a much greater wanderlust than I have, some experience in fending off sharpteeth and helping others. I have a feeling you would make a wise decision, Littlefoot.”
“O-okay,” he said, looking down. “I’m…honored you trust me like this. But what does this ghost stopping thing require?”
“I’m afraid I can’t go into detail. There is a limited time where we can do this.”
“What, if we don’t get there in time, the ghosts will keeping coming forever?” he said quickly.
“I just don’t want to people to deal with this any more than they have to.” Patty said. More quietly, she continued. “I just hope this works.”
She hurried her pace, and Littlefoot followed, mind a whirlwind. This was moving so quickly, his brain was having a hard time catching up. Still, it made sense if she didn’t want people to continue suffering from the ghosts any more than they have to. He was being trusted with an important responsibility. He wondered what he was supposed to do. Was there a magic rock they were supposed to make a wish on? Were they supposed to call down the stars to help block a hole where ghosts were leaking? Or were they supposed to say a fancy phrase or song? He had a hard time conceptualizing what might happen. He only had his grandfather’s stories and the Stone of Cold Fire to go back to but they weren’t real. Whatever it was, he had to be ready or the ghosts might be here forever. He had to get some semblance of his old valley life back. How were his friends and grandparents going to react? They would be proud, no doubt about that, if amused or annoyed he was in the middle of something so important again. But a part of him couldn’t help wondering what Patty would do after that, when her duty would be over…
Littlefoot was distracted from his thoughts by a distant crash. Feeling a pit in his stomach, he galloped to an opening the size of a pebbleback in the tunnel ahead and saw debris ranging from rocks to boulders falling from the Great Wall on the opposite side, material that should be still and solid falling unnaturally like water. It was a narrow band compared to some of the other rockslides he saw but it made up for it with its intensity. He just had enough time to glimpse a couple of familiar tiny figures rapidly backing away before they were obscured by dust blooming in from the rockslide. The sound of debris surging down gradually quieted to a rumble and a great brown plume was spreading out. Littlefoot was unable to see what happened to the dinosaurs below. Patty stood ahead of him, frozen, before gazing back in alarm.
“What happened?” she asked.
“All the rocks fell on the other side.” Littlefoot replied. “I saw Grandpa, Grandma, and Mr. Threehorn near the Great Wall there and everything’s cloudy.” He stared, panting. “They might have gotten buried. We have to help them!”
Patty’s brow creased in worry. “If we keep going, we can use the path on the other side to help them from there.”
“Get to the other side? We can’t do anything up here. We need to get back to the ground and dig them out.”
“The rockslide could be top heavy. Relieving the pressure from above would make it easier for them to climb out.”
Littlefoot looked outside uncertainly. She had a point. If the rock pile was large, then they would need a high place to help clear it away. Yet as the dust cleared a bit, he saw it wouldn’t help.
“No, look.” He stepped aside to give Patty room to peer through. “All the rocks are near the ground. Turning around and helping on the ground will be faster.”
She looked through the opening, thinking. “Okay. There must be a path on the other side that could get us back to the ground quicker. We can go there.”
“Why are you so insistent we take a path ahead?” Littlefoot said. “Time is of the essence! Please, Grandpa and Grandma are there. I can’t lose them!”
Patty began to look uncomfortable. Littlefoot supposed this was reminding her of the loss of her mother. A drop of guilt came into his chest but there were more urgent matters now.
“There must be a way out from the other side,” she said. “I’m sure we could find it.”
Littlefoot gave her a disbelieving stare. “Didn’t you say you were familiar with the paths around here? Why do you suddenly not know now? ”
“I’m still new to the valley.” Patty looked back and forth, desperate. “I haven’t memorized everything. Don’t leave. We still need to stop the ghosts, remember?”
That gave Littlefoot some pause, a cool of reason coming to his chest. It would be really bad if they had the opportunity to stop it and didn’t take it. Then he thought of his grandparents, and his desperation hardened his resolve.
“No, my grandparents could reallynbe hurt. You didn’t say there was a narrow time we can do this. We could just go back later.”
”I – I did hint that.” Though Patty looked like she regretted it. “But, it’s just –” She looked ahead. “There must be a way through the tunnels. If we could…”
“Stop delaying! My grandparents need help now! If there’s no path and we have to go back, that’s time where their situation could get even worse.” Littlefoot took a deep breath and turned. “We need to go the quicker route back.”
“Littlefoot, please-”
“No!” Littlefoot said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m not staying around. If you want to waste time looking for another path down, fine. I’m going the quicker way.”
With that, Littlefoot turned around and began running, his chest searing. He knew he might have hurt Patty’s feelings but they could make up about it later. Right now, he had to move as quickly as he could and-
Wham! Something long and thin snatched his tail. He fell to the ground, yowling in pain. Patty held onto him with his tail, her grip tight, her expression a sign of desperation.
“Patty, what are you doing?” Littlefoot demanded. “Let go!”
“Littlefoot, I promise that if you come with me, your grandparents and everyone you love will be safe.” Patty said. “You only need to spend some time with me.”
“You’re not making any sense! What does this ghost stopping thing have to do with it?”
“Everything!” she said. “This solution will help them more than anything. Once you’re done, you can be with them – forever.”
“What are you talking about?” Littlefoot asked. “If something happens to them, then I can’t be with them. If we do this, I – I can’t even see them as ghosts.” His voice broke and for a second, he gazed down with pain. Then he glared up. “Let me go, Patty. Let – me – go!”
“Please, listen!” Patty said, a little anger coming in. “What can you do? Other dinosaurs are probably going to the scene now. Even they would struggle carrying them out, so how would you fair? I’ve helped many large dinosaurs out there, I know! I have carried longnecks, threehorns, and their weight is overwhelming, and that’s leaving aside the clubtail-”
She stopped. She looked down at Littlefoot, eyes wide, like she hadn’t meant to say that. He stopped struggling. He looked up, a cool of unease in his stomach.
“Clubtail,” he said. “Why did you say clubtail?”
“I – I helped
clubtails.” Patty said. “There are a lot out there.” She chuckled nervously. “Why, I helped so many, I’m sure I helped some who like seeing the night circle as a sweet bubble too.”
“How do you know about that?” Littlefoot asked. “Mr. Clubtail only told my friends and our families that.”
She jerked. “Y-your grandparents told the others. I overheard it at some point. It was his secret but since his death, they naturally told everyone so they could guess where he and the killer were.”
“If you only overheard it, why do you look guilty about it?”
She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Littlefoot slowly stood up.
“Patty, what happened? You’ve been acting strange. D-do you have a suspicion? Did you see what happened?”
Patty remained silent. He shifted uncomfortably.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You – you didn’t do anything, right? Just – tell me what happened. Please, say something. Patty!”
Patty watched Littlefoot for a long moment. She didn’t appear to know what to say. Then she lowered her head and sighed.
“You see too much sometimes,” she said.
Next time…
Part 2
