Kind of an intro chapter, not very long. They may get longer in the future
CHAPTER 1 - The Test
A quarter moon hung low in the sky over a thick system of woodlands, patched endlessly together with open fields. The landscape was still bathed in deep shadows, but light pinks and blues were just beginning to brighten the dusky purple of the eastern sky, and the chill of impending dawn hung in the air. Sparse moonlight outlined the sleeping forms of a sizable group of longnecks, dotted here and there with other dinosaurs. The night was nearly over. They had walked a long way already, and would soon be walking again.
There was one, however, who had found little rest. The silhouette of a small dinosaur wound its way through the trees, its reckless movements tearing through the silence. A mild breeze shook crystalline drops of dew from a few low-lying branches to pelt the offender, and light through a break in the canopy revealed the young, forest green longneck as he passed beneath. The youngling ridge-head, known to his herd as Shorty, didn’t notice the dew, or the dawn, and paid scant attention to his route. He treated each obstacle as a personal affront, trampling tall drifts of grass and shouldering his way through thick shrubs.
“Why am I even doing this?” He muttered under his breath, shaking a few broken twigs off of his crest. “I have better things to do than watch some dumb kid all morning. Ah, forget it. I’ll leave as soon as-“
He stumbled a little, and heard a muffled yelp from the former sleeper whose unfortunate tail ended up in his way.
“H-hey! Watch where you’re walking!”
“Bite me!”
The offended party, a young adult swimmer, grumbled and made as if to follow, but thought better of it. With a resigned sigh, the swimmer turned away and settled back into sleep.
Shorty’s regular stomping eased up as he approached a break in the trees. He picked his way carefully through the underbrush and stopped behind a clump of leafy plants as he neared the edge of the clearing. By pushing his head through the leaves just slightly, he could see them clearly enough: three fully grown longnecks and a young one, only slightly larger than Shorty himself.
One of the longnecks in the center, a large red-brown male, lifted his head to survey the forest. He waited in silence for a moment and then, satisfied, lowered his head to address the young longneck.
“Dimitri, your parents tell me you’ve earned the right to take the test today.”
It was a terse, straightforward admission- while strong in other areas, Bron, the heard leader, had never been one to play up ceremonies. “Are you ready?”
The young longneck took a deep breath. “Yes, sir.”
Bron nodded. He turned his attention back to the other two.
“I’m only here to make sure this is fair. Dimitri has to face this test alone.”
The two adult longnecks nodded solemnly, one of them flashing the young one a brief supporting smile as they both moved out of the testing area. Bron towered over the diminutive navy-blue longneck left standing before him.
Shorty snorted in derision. The test was personal business. Ordinarily, Bron wouldn’t have anything to do with this young longneck’s time of testing, even though he was the herd leader. But things had changed.
“The first task will test your strength and perseverance. I’ve placed a red treestar at the top of this ridge. The only way to retrieve it…”
Blah blah blah… Seen it.The first task was roughly the same every time, as there wasn’t much of a way to cheat it. Climb the ridge, or gorge, or cliff, depending on where they were, and get the treestar. The next two tasks were where things started to get interesting.
Bron seemed to have finished the instruction session, and the two made their way along the edge of the clearing, closer to Shorty’s hiding spot. The ridge was a steep incline of dirt, tree roots, and stone that reached about halfway up Bron’s neck.
Of course, longnecks didn’t usually try to cheat the test. Not the adults, at least. But word had gotten out that Bron was looking for several promising young ones to train as future herd defenders, and that alone was enough to get some of the more ambitious members of the herd on edge. His first choice, of course, had been Littlefoot. He had even made the call to return to the valley long before their usual time of visiting to give his son the test. Fortunately, Littlefoot had passed. Unfortunately, the second attempt to get Littlefoot to join the herd hadn’t gone exactly as Bron planned.
“Woah!”
The young longneck slid backwards as a foothold crumbled under his weight. He snagged a root with his teeth and, with obvious effort, hauled himself back onto safer footing. He was about halfway up the ridge at that point.
Ugh, this is hard to watch. It isn’t even that high, just climb it already!Shorty was bored, exhausted, and frustrated. His legs were still sore from yesterday’s march, and it was starting to look like he wasn’t going to learn anything that he didn’t already know. His thoughts wandered back to the day of Littlefoot’s test.
-------As the rest of the herd passed by, Bron’s mournful gaze was fixed on the valley. Every time he left was like losing his son all over again, but this time was worse. Littlefoot stood on a low rock ledge by the valley entrance, and the silence between the two of them spoke for itself.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I can’t. I told you before. Grandma and grandpa… my friends… they need me.”
Bron let his son’s words hang in the air for a moment. He knew the chance had been a slim one, but he had held on to the idea for so long. And he had never been very good at letting go.
“…I know, Littlefoot. I don’t blame you.”
“Dad, I-“
“No, it’s alright. I understand. I guess I just got a little too attached to the idea of you following in my footsteps.”
Bron’s smile didn’t touch the deep sadness in his eyes.
“We’ll be back next year, Littlefoot. Stay safe, and take care of your friends. They’re lucky to have a… a leader like you.”
He gave his son one last, lingering look, and turned to follow his herd.
“Bye, dad,” Littlefoot said softly, turning his head away from the retreating form of his father.
“Littlefoot!”
Littlefoot’s head jerked upright. He struggled to hide the crack in his voice as he formed his response. “Shorty?”
Seeing the unshed tears in his adoptive brother’s eyes made Shorty regret addressing him. He had heard the parting words between father and son, and knew roughly what had transpired beforehand, but this was the only chance he would get. He had acted like a desperate idiot, put Littlefoot’s friends in danger, and had almost gotten himself killed in the process. He had to apologize.
“Hey, Littlefoot… I just wanted to…” Shorty struggled with the words. He felt his resolve crumble away, like a shielding layer of dust. Something about Littlefoot’s lofty position on the cliff, and his tired, patient eyes, made Shorty feel small. It terrified him. It made him angry.
“I… wanted to say goodbye. Seeya.” His tone was noticeably sharper, but Littlefoot met it with a knowing smile.
“Goodbye, Shorty. I’ll see you after next cold time.”
With a slight nod, Shorty turned to follow the herd. There would be many lengths to walk between now and the end of the next cold time.
“Oh, Shorty!”
Aloof, Shorty barely looked back over his shoulder.
“Good luck on the test!”
--------Those remembered words jarred him back to the present, where he could feel the old anger burning in him once again.
He still hasn’t let me take the test.Shorty watched the young longneck pause to survey his path doubtfully; he was very close to the crest of the ridge, but footing had become treacherous. To rush things now would mean certain failure. That Dimitri would pass, Shorty had no doubt. He was careful and patient, tenacious and observant. He would weight his options, plan, and act. He would succeed. He would make a fine herd defender. Shorty felt the rage subside, ice over into pointed spite.
If he’s so good, he should have no problem with a little extra challenge.Shorty scuffed about in the underbrush, overturning stones until he found one he could work with: evenly sized, and heavy. He would have to move out of the thickest part of his cover, but Bron was facing away from him, and the twilight shadows were still deep under the trees. There wasn’t much danger of being seen.
If I’m quick enough.He eyed the back of the climber, gauging the distance. It was a long shot, but he had made longer.
Easy…Shorty nudged the rock into position, lined himself up behind it. He let his knees bend slightly, angled his tail back. He took a deep breath, relaxed his muscles on the exhale, tensed in one fluid motion, and-
CRACK
He hadn’t fully accounted for the distance, or the erratic morning breeze. The rock plunged like a flyer in full dive, straight into a patch of soft earth below Dimitri’s feet. Shorty watched, entranced, as the patch of earth crumbled away, and the sudden loss of footing shifted Dimitri’s weight violently to the right. He seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, toes barely gripping the edge, tail thrashing in an automatic attempt at correction. Then, in an instant, he toppled.
If Shorty had remained a moment longer, he would have seen Bron’s neck snap forward to halt Dimitri’s descent. He would have seen his adoptive father level his gaze across the treeline, stern disappointment etched deeply across his features. But Shorty hadn’t stuck around.
The moment the longneck’s feet had slipped from the ridge, Shorty had started running.
