The Gang of Five

Role Play => Land Before Time RPG => Topic started by: rhombus on November 04, 2018, 01:45:59 AM

Title: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on November 04, 2018, 01:45:59 AM
Link to the summation of the plot: http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16174.msg473378#msg473378

OOC: And so it finally begins!  :DD I have left this initial post open-ended enough that I think it should allow people to write this dialogue organically (I have not specified what the disagreement is about or who started it), but if any part of my initial post is too restrictive just let me know and I can modify it to allow people more freedom.  I will also be color-coding my text from here on out to clarify which character it comes from.

------------

Thunder.

It is amazing how something so common as a distant rainstorm could encapsulate without words a drama which would take hours to tell.  Though the rain was certainly hours away its clouds had already blotted the Bright Circle out of the sky, covering the valley’s towering vistas in gloomy shadows.  Despite its unwelcome intrusion into the ongoing meeting the loud thunderclap had done one welcome thing: it had for a moment silenced the recriminations among the dinosaurs enough to allow Ruby to finally think about the situation rationally.

She looked between her friends as if examining strange new creatures, a cross between their joyous past selves and the cantankerous adults of the valley who seldom agreed with anything.  Standing proudly in front of them all, his neck now standing a bit taller than when Ruby had first entered the valley, Littlefoot stared down the threehorn with unveiled annoyance.  Cera, for her part, glared at the longneck with horns bared as if he and the others had just insulted her entire family line.

Behind Littlefoot stood three others who were not strangers to her, but that might as well have been based upon how they had changed over the last few seasons.  Ducky the little swimmer was no longer quite as little as she once was, though she could always rely upon her brother’s support when he was not busy devouring any plants in his vicinity.  But on this day both Spike and her flyer friend were off in their own little worlds.  Spike devouring a bush in the distance, utterly oblivious to the proceedings around him, and Petrie being who knows where.  The distance between the three friends only highlighted the growing divisions between them all.

And then there was Chomper who was still no doubt gathering buzzers for a breakfast that was soon turning into a lunch.  His difficulty in finding food during this lean season confirmed what would soon need to come to pass.  They could not delay it indefinitely.

I know that Chomper and I will need to leave our friends one day, but I had always thought they would remain friends!

But truth be told this had been building for awhile, much like the distant storm.  A growing list of grievances as each friend dealt with the struggles of life in their own unique way.  The friendships that had been forged by struggle were now fraying under the pressures of time.  And, like distant thunder, eventually something had to give.

The thunder roared.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on November 04, 2018, 08:56:50 PM
The sky water pitter-pattered down on the soft grass, some of it landing on the treestar bush that Spike was about to take as his own.

Crunching down on the treestars, he reflected on the situation and decided that he wanted no part in it. Not that they’ll ask him for much besides a simple grunt of support. That was his thought as he turned his head left and right to see his sister with a concerned face, while Petrie’s own face was unreadable.

The benefits of staying in the background meant that at least he wouldn’t have to take sides… hopefully, at least. Perhaps, he’d remain as camouflaged as the hidden runner which had once appeared in the valley. Unseen and unheard even as Cera’s snarl and subsequent growl at Littlefoot seemed determined to drag the entirety of the Great Valley into this feud.

This terrible, long-overdue feud.

A blast of sky fire from about caused him to flinch, only heightening the tension as the glares between the staring dinosaurs only grew tense. The constant sky water from just made things worse, the pitter-patter of it as it fell making the growing silence of the silent seven—this brief reprieve of the chaos that had started—only ever more obvious.

He afforded one passing glance up from his food to tilt his head towards the absolute travesty that was happening in front of him before deciding that acting aloof and focusing on his food was the wiser choice... the tastier choice, too.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Littlefoot505 on November 04, 2018, 11:35:34 PM
Littlefoot was nervous about what was sure to happen imminently. He knew that he shouldn't have done what he did, but he also thought Cera was severely overreacting.

The longneck thought to himself "Gee. I know that what I did was a big mistake, but why would Cera get this worked up about it"

He had been growing tired of constantly fighting with Cera after all these cold times, but that wasn't on his mind at that moment. All that he could think about was bracing for this upcoming brawl that would surely make the big fight that he and Cera got into during their original journey to the Great Valley seem like friendly teasing.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Ducky123 on November 05, 2018, 09:00:14 AM


"You're WRONG!"

"Shut up, idiot!"

"DON'T you dare..."

Ducky shook her head in a mixture of annoyance and resignation. Another day, another fight. The harmony that once was had vanished just like the Bright Circle that day when the thunderstorm had rolled in.

"Even the sky is upsetted-ed..." the green swimmer mused as she rolled her eyes at yet another furious verbal assault of the orange threehorn. The heavens had opened the gates; it was crying just like the swimmer's heart for discord and hate was something she could never approve of nor understand. Though, even a dinosaur as passionate and kind as Ducky could only take so much before she lashed out herself. The current fight in front of her eyes hardly concerned her on a personal level, however it was symbolic for what had become of their friendship.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ducky caught a glance of her brother Spike who, just like her, had gained a lot of size in recent times; and just like her he was changing. Everyone was. He was resenting the violence that had taken control of their daily get-togethers too, however she wouldn't even get along with the Spiketail nearly as well as they used to. Unlike the main actors, they didn't argue (but then again Spike could hardly express his point with gestures and grunts only), however they were slowly growing apart and disagreements grew more frequent. Ducky didn't even sleep next to him anymore.

Aside from Littlefoot and Cera fighting and Spike eating as was his habit when things got rough, Ruby was spectating the fight with an unreadable expression. Ducky found that the fastrunner was slowly growing apart from the group as adulthood approached her. And as far as Chomper was concerned who was probably still hunting for a meal, a task that took most of his time now that he was growing faster than his food... well, Ducky didn't know what to think. Rational and emotional thinking clashed within the swimmer but Chomper's fate had been sealed long ago.

And yet it was a frequent matter of hateful discussion.

Aside from Chomper, Petrie was also missing from the group. The swimmer gritted her teeth.

"That Petrie, where is he again?! Does he ever meet with us?! Does he even care about our friendship anymore? It makes me so sick, oh yes yes yes!"

Ducky's feelings for the flyer had always been of a very special sort. She had adored the quirky, funny and failure-prone flyer from the moment they had met and had he been a swimmer like her she was certain she would have crushed on him eventually. But Petrie was a flyer and such natural differences and barrier prevented that. But such hadn't impacted their friendship in a negative way at all. They had been bestest friends and everyone could tell on plain sight. However...

"Petrie does only care about himself, yes he does!"

Ever since the start of the last Warm season, he had begun to distance himself from everyone else, rarely having time, always occupied, not telling what he was supposedly busy with, acting solitary and weird. Ducky did not approve of it at all. She would even go as far as admitting that she was legitimately angry at the flyer. And knowing her that was saying a lot.

Grunting, Ducky ducked as strong wind gave the downpour a whole different quality. Why did she even stay here? The fight was raging on regardless of the weather, appearing to reach its climax just as the strongest part of the storm was about to hit. Ducky felt like screaming, yelling, crying, yes even punching someone, it was maddening beyond repair.

And yet she was powerless. At the brink of tears, she sat down, shaking her head again and again.

*boom*

Ducky jerked as lightning flashed, hitting one of the tall mountains on the walls that surrounded their home - the Great Valley. Though, with all the discord between adults and children alike, one could hardly call it great anymore. Not anymore.



Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on November 05, 2018, 04:49:12 PM
A self-confident smile rose to the flyer’s face as he looked another flash of lighting appear before his eyes, penetrating the grey sky of the Great Valley. He looked at how the sky water pounded the land from the mountains surrounding the sanctuary of the leaf eaters, all the while remembering to leave one peak that stood higher than he as his mother had always told him to do. He enjoyed being able to brave the forces of nature alone but even more, he loved the independence his gift of flight had given him. Being able to see the world in all its glory was a thing he appreciated but even more, he loved being free from being surrounded by other dinosaurs.

During the past few Cold Times, the flyer had found that he liked spending more and more time alone as had some of his brothers as well. Petrie could no longer stand large meetings of the Valley, all that senseless fighting and arguing over completely trivial things. It was much better here to face the storm and…

Suddenly, his eyes caught the sight of something that hardly improved his mood. The forms of a young longneck and a threehorn could be seen far below him, only faintly seen through the grey mist that concealed the Valley under itself on this day. Petrie frowned deeply as he looked at them, noticing that the rest of his “friends”, except for Chomper, were there as well. The boy crossed his arms and he let out a deep snort as the so-familiar thoughts rose to his mind.

Those two not seem to have better things to do than fight all the time! Sometimes Petrie wonder why me even meet them as often as me do!

Petrie had seen Littlefoot, Cera and Chomper argue with each other more often than he cared to remember in the past weeks and each time seem to be worse than the last one. Also, the sight of Ducky made his already dark thoughts even worse. He had really liked the swimmer and he still, in a way, considered her his best friend. However, her constant whining and complaining about the flyer’s willingness to spend some time alone made Petrie fume inside, her attitude angering him greatly. Petrie knew just how much he had changed himself but his preferences to spend his time weren’t Ducky’s to decide!

Noticing his bitterness, he tried to turn his gaze away from his old friends and move on to more pleasant things but… something in the brewing argument worried him greatly. This seemed even worse than any of the fights before and deep inside, Petrie still cared about his friends. With a sigh, he decided to follow the scene a bit further but to be sure, he wasn’t willing to get involved in yet another debacle unless he absolutely had to.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on November 05, 2018, 07:18:19 PM
"Woohoo... I guess..."

Chomper had just found another smattering of bugs, under a fallen log he had strained to turn over. In this latest lean season, it started to seem not even worth it. How much effort did it take to find these few bugs? But it was all he was ever allowed to eat here. Several times, he had thought about asking about the scaly swimmers, in the river that flowed through the Great Valley, but the fear of being stepped on for just asking held him back. The fact that him and Ruby would soon be forced to leave was obvious. Even that wasn't such a horrible thing, in his mind, if it wasn't that it would be as all his friends were growing so far apart, and starting to hate each other.

As he ended what could hardly be called a snack,the wind barreled in his face again, bringing some all too familiar scents with it. Anger, arrogance, contempt. that's Littlefoot and Cera again, isn't it? he thought to himself. It seemed like everyday, they were getting into arguments, but today seemed different. He hadn't smelled something this pungent in a long time.

With a sigh, he headed off in the direction the growing storm was coming from. As rain started to pelt the hunter's face, his mind was on the other storm that was brewing. Even in all the rain and the lighting, he could start to make out the yells of the longneck and the threehorn.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on November 09, 2018, 12:03:15 AM
Cera snorted and stomped her foot down heavily. The longneck had the nerve to look confused, and that irritated her more than almost any insult he could have thrown. "So, what? Was that supposed to be funny? Throwing seedpods at my dad during an important meeting, like some kind of stupid hatchling?"

Part of her recoiled. There was a time not all that long ago when she would have found it funny, but that felt like a sleepstory from a different life, before those stupid farwalker threehorns had come to stay. Now every single little failure could be used as a weapon against her. It was enough to drive anyone crazy, and it kept her rage building to a fever pitch.

The young threehorn tossed her head as she stared him down, showing off the two upper horns that had finally begun to grow in. As much as she hated the farwalkers, she had managed to learn a few hard lessons from them. It wasn't enough to get angry- you had to remind your opponent that you were dangerous. "Don't even bother apologizing if your tiny flathead brain can't figure out what you did wrong!" She spat, thunder echoing behind her words, the first drops of rain prickling her skin.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Littlefoot505 on November 09, 2018, 07:14:21 PM
LIttlefoot, paying no mind to the fact that Cera was clearly threatening to charge him and only to the rage that was quickly brewing inside him, replied: "I do know what I did wrong and I did aplogize!! You're just a b----!!"

A loud clap of thunder drowned out the final word that the longneck said, but Cera knew what that word was. Littlefoot had said a lot of mean things to her, especially with how much more they had been fighting lately, but he had never said a word like that before.

"What did you just call me?!?!" sneered the infuriated threehorn.
"You know what I said!! After all, threehorns know everything!!", replied the longneck with a smirk on his face.

As the cold drops of sky water sky water landed on the young longneck's skin, he then felt a rock in his stomach as he watched Cera's face. As if timed on purpose, another loud clap of thunder made the longneck that much more nervous. He could feel the vibrations from it resonating throughout the Great Valley.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on November 17, 2018, 10:39:50 PM
She hadn't wanted things to go any farther, at least not at first, but his snarky comment and the stupid smirk on his dumb flat face snapped something inside of her. If she backed off now she would look weak, and the longneck would win. With a sharp exhale, the puff of breath flinging the rain moisture from her snout in a thin mist, she squared her shoulders and dug her feet into the damp earth. And froze.

Some deep part of her was aware that this was dead serious, that either one of them could be badly injured, and if that happened there would be no going back. But her level sensibilities and her bond with the longneck had both been eroding together, and now they had been consumed at once in a blind rage. She didn't want to hurt him, but she was willing to, and that was the little bit of give that she needed.

"You'll regret that." She growled through clenched teeth and sprung forward into an all-out charge, horns lowered, clumps of earth flying behind her.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on November 19, 2018, 08:22:51 PM
The hunter came upon the scene, just in time to hear Littlefoot call Cera something he never had before. Oh, this can only end well. he thought to himself. His sniffer was right on point with this one. This was a really heated argument, with both leaf eaters looking like they'd kill in cold blood if so much as a leaf fell. The strange mix of smells coming off from them was almost overpowering him, and then the threehorn started to charge.

For just a split second, the hunter part of his mind was telling him to hold back and turn on whatever prey ended up losing the fight, but he quickly snapped out of that. Chomper started running as fast as he could, to ram Cera straight into her side. The whole gang used to joke about friends for dinner and the like, but right now, Chomper didn't want any of that. My friends killing each other wouldn't make for a very good dinner! he thought to himself, as his head collided with Cera's side.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on November 21, 2018, 04:11:12 PM
Ruby felt numb as she watched the scene before her escalate with ferocious inevitability. As soon as Littlefoot had spoken the fateful words she knew what would happen next.  The rampaging threehorn, with mud flying behind her like a loyal procession, only confirmed to her eyes what the brain already knew: someone was going to be injured before this was over.  She could only hope that the others could prevent the worst as there was little that she could do against the power of the two growing leaf-eaters besides using soothing words when the blows had ceased.  But what would be left once that had come to pass?

But that was when she heard something to her side.  It was subtle against the thunderous booms of the threehorn's feet, but it was there all the same.  She only had an instant to see the blur of purple before it neared the rampaging threehorn's side....

"Chomper!"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on November 22, 2018, 04:48:58 PM
The moment he saw Cera lower her horns towards the longneck, Petrie realized this was no ordinary fight he was witnessing. Even through the sky water and storm, the rage and anger was apparent to him and that hardly made his mood any better. At first, he thought of simply turning around and let that damned violence-loving duo sort out their fight themselves. He had already seen just how little his presence mattered to them anyway so why in earth would he ruin his own day by listening to their taunts and cries?

However, just as he prepared to take off, Petrie slowly turned back towards the scene, a new grip taking a hold in his heart. He hated fighting and his old friends’ change had only seemed to make the flyer value his freedom more than before. But now, he sensed there was more on the line than ever before: from a serious injury to the final breakup of the group of friends he had spent his life almost as long as he could remember. In case the worst happened, he’d have to be there if only to prove himself his ties to his six friends had truly been beyond salvation. He owed them, at least Ducky, to at least give their friendship that one, last chance.

Quickly, Petrie leaped down towards the ground while spreading his wings, thankful that his growing powers made it easier to resist the blowing winds that were desperately trying to hurl him towards the Roaring Falls. But all the while, his eyes were fixed on the longneck and the threehorn and every passing second made their expressions only more threatening. The flyer could tell that the two were quickly approaching a point of no return, a thought which still brought deep anxiety to Petrie’s mind. As a final attempt to help calm the situation, he cried to the two despite knowing that the two would hardly even listen to him these days.

“Why you two rockheads have to fight again? Stop that now and…” As he had expected, he saw no reaction from the two despite knowing he was close enough for his voice to reach their ears. However, what interrupted him was the sight of a young sharptooth suddenly approaching from the nearby woods charging at the threehorn. As he crashed into Cera’s side, the implications of what came next momentarily overwhelmed the flyer’s mind and before he realized what was happening, the branches from surrounding trees suddenly hit his chest, catching him off-balance.

The flyer was unable to recover his steady flying position and after a few seconds of struggling, he hit the ground, just in time to witness the ever-escalating fight. As he glanced at Ducky, Spike and Ruby’s desperate and worrying faces, Petrie suddenly hoped he hadn’t made his entrance into this hell at all.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on November 26, 2018, 10:32:08 AM
The insults grew worse and worse, causing Spike to chew on his meal more intensively. Even so, he couldn’t keep his purple eyes hovering towards the center of attraction. The others were hovering back as well, but like him they were unable to tear their eyes away from this terrible fight.

Spike swallowed the crunchy treestar and reached forward to bite another one. Eating was his refuge, one he tended to use as a defense mechanism. By always being with the others and yet constantly focusing his mind elsewhere, he could relax in his own world and not have to deal with things like—

“Chomper!”

—like his arguing “friends”. It was too bad Ruby’s sudden cry caused him to glance up, causing to witness a devastating sight he wish he hadn't saw.

Thud!

Fate was a cruel mistress, too. As Littlefoot and Cera prepared to duke it out, both Chomper and Petrie had made their respective entrances into the ensuing brawl at almost the same time: with Petrie suddenly appearing from the air and agitatedly grumbling at them in an attempt to get them to stop, and Chomper rushing towards the threehorn at the same time, opting for force instead of words.

He immediately glanced away, not wishing to see the outcome that entailed. The funny thing was, had this been in the past, such a coincidence would have elicited a laugh from the group.

It really was a shame that no one was laughing this time. Gone were the days of constant fun and laughter they had as innocent and carefree children. Spike sighed wistfully, visibly drooping as he turned towards Ducky, who appeared on the verge of sobbing at the scene playing out in front of her.

What he wouldn’t give to see his sister laugh or even smile again. He himself could tell one factor that had led to their once close bond growing apart was his own aloof behavior that he used as a way of getting his way. One could say that it was unbelievably hard to argue with him. But his relationship with Ducky had reached a point where their formerly amiable bond had been strained to a level that had been worse than the time she’d thrown a jealous fit over Tippy many Cold Times ago.

Spike suddenly jolted back when he caught sight of Petrie headed towards his general direction, the poor flyer flying into branches of trees close to his snack point. He’d missed the flurry of movements that had led to that impromptu maneuver, but whatever it was, he could tell the end result was painful for Petrie.

Looking around, he could say a weary face on the flyer… and looks of terror, desperation and horror in Ducky and Ruby’s expressions. With all of them looking on at the scene playing out in front of them, Spike unhappily turned his head up with a grunt and decided to spectate it as well.


EDIT: Took out the portion of Petrie slamming into Cera's side which I made due to confusion on my end and replacing it with him flying overhead to calm Littlefoot and Cera down for conformity.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Ducky123 on December 03, 2018, 07:17:32 PM
Ducky was at the verge of crying, tears of sadness, anger, fear and disappointment glimmering in the corner of her blue eyes. The fight was still going on, largely ignoring the worsening weather which would have normally drove them somewhere dry and sheltered long ago, and completely ignoring what the others felt about this argument of arguments. Frankly, it had become so much more than just that. One glance at the facial expressions of the two combatants, one peek at the aggressive posture both had taken, and it was more than clear that words would not solve this one.

Suddenly, just perfectly timed with a loud thunderclap, Ducky heard the longneck say a word she'd never heard anyone speak of in her whole life but if the threehorn's reaction was any indication, it was on many scales worse that what they'd been throwing at each other thus far. Either way, it was the final escalator in this frightening conflict. Seeing both her friends prepare to make it physical made something snap within the young female swimmer. Granted, there had been countless fights like these in the past but none had ever been this serious, this vicious. For the first time ever Ducky knew one party would leave the battlefield severely wounded and that was something she couldn't allow to ever happen.

"STOP STOP STOP!!!" Ducky screamed with as beseeching a voice she could muster, salty tears mingling with the buckets of water that the storm was blowing into her face. Her words did not have any effect whatsoever which made her drum her fists against the sides of her head in utmost frustration. Wasn't there anything that could stop them?

*Flash*

Another nearby, extremely bright bolt blinded her for a second and when her vision returned the situation had  changed dramatically. It had only been a silhuette illuminated by the sudden light source but it was enough to tell... to tell that Chomper was rushing onto the scene.

"What is he doing?!" The swimmer wondered though she realized soon what he was up to.  "He is joining the fight, oh this is so very wrong wrong wrong!" Presumably, the sharptooth did so to break up the impending clash before it got out of control, however Chomper was far from little anymore and his teeth and claws could kill, that much was without a doubt.

*crash* *thud*

Ducky's attention briefly strayed from the action as, out of nowhere, an all too familiar face quite literally fell from the sky, crashing onto the ground a short distance away. Usually, the girl would have broke out into hilarious laughter at such a ridiculous scene but the current events and her agitated relationship with Petrie, who was quickly getting to his feet without paying much attention to her, prevented her from showing such a reaction.

With mild curiosity at first, the swimmer watched the flyer run off with waddling steps, given that his species wasn't adept on the ground, and heave himself back up into the storm utilizing the built-up speed. He was flying straight towards the battle and Ducky's curiosity immediately gave way to a terrible feeling within her chest... It was dread, it was fear, it was the horror nightmares were made off. 4 of her friends in a fight which could very well take a life, Ducky couldn't bear to watch, cried because she was powerless in this situation.

"STOP STOP STOP!!!" she yelled once more while covering her tearful eyes - but it was to late to stop the inevitable...

Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on December 31, 2018, 11:46:04 PM
As her feet slammed into the damp earth, the only thing that existed for the threehorn girl was Littlefoot's shocked face, which consumed her field of vision. She didn't hear Ducky, or Petrie, or the crash of the thunder, or Chomper's rapid approach. The only warning she got of the interference was the sharptooth's solid head connecting with her side in a breath-taking blow.

At first, she couldn't understand what had happened. She blinked against the stinging drops of rain, discovering that her legs weren't beneath her and the horizon had a weird slant to it. She rolled onto her belly and shook her head, mud caked onto one side. Littlefoot was still ahead of her... but a purple two-footer stood between them. The situation suddenly clicked and she pushed herself to her feet, gritting her teeth against the indignity.

"So Chomper's fighting your battles now? Is that why he hasn't left yet? Are you going to tell him to eat me first when he gets big enough?" She spat. Her rage had been waylaid and now it festered, bitter and ineffective. There was no way she could start the charge again, but she wouldn't admit defeat.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Littlefoot505 on March 25, 2019, 02:15:41 AM
Littlefoot was utterly shocked by what was happening between him and his friends. He was now asking himself something he never thought he would: are they really his friends anymore? The only thing that made him even remotely regret the pejorative that he used to address the threehorn was that he knew that he would have to deal with wrath unlike anything he ever had before. He knew that the reprieve he got from Chomper knocking Cera over would not last for long, so he continued to brace himself, but he was unable to hide a smirk from the amusement of seeing Cera fall over in front of him.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on April 07, 2019, 11:17:39 PM
The heavy pattering of the rain droned on as she waited for his response, but none came. Just a stupid smirk. Something in her deflated at knowing that he didn't care enough to say anything, and her shoulders hunched as the fight left her. Through all they had faced together, she never would have thought everything would collapse in such a mundane, stupid way... but she understood it clearly all the same. It was over.

"I don't ever want to see you again, flathead." she spat, with all the intensity she could muster. After a final glare and huff of breath, she turned, leaving shallow muddy footprints behind her that quickly filled with rain.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Littlefoot505 on April 10, 2019, 04:42:08 PM
Littlefoot felt a slight wave of shock with a little bit of sadness come over him as he knew what was happening. However, he was mainly angry at how his "friends" had been acting lately, and he couldn't help but yell out "I never want to see you again either, you f****** b****, and same with all the rest of you!! " as another perfectly timed thunder clap drowned out two of those words, rendering them incomprehensible. He knew that his friendship with Cera and all the other dinosaurs with which he used to love to play and go adventuring was officially over in that very moment.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on May 11, 2019, 04:40:26 PM
No matter how much he tried to cast that one thought away, Petrie simply couldn’t help but feel that something deep down within him had died that very moment. To see Cera walk away and to hear those words from Littlefoot’s mouth… none of it felt real. Even a few seasons ago, such a thing would have been unthinkable but even then, one thought made that moment much easier. That one thing that had bothered him, the thing that had just been extinguished… it had been his lifelong love for his friends. As he shuddered in the sky water, he realized it was all over. He no longer wanted to be part of this group of friends or whatever was left of it.

For a brief moment, Petrie glanced at Ducky but soon enough, he realized that not even the sight of her made him feel any better. Everything around him made him feel only more miserable and enraged and at that moment, Petrie realized just what he’d have to do. From now on, he’d live only his own life and cast these pathetic shadows of his childhood behind. He quickly glanced at his remaining friends and spat out a few words in disgust, knowing that in the long run, they had been just as guilty of this escalation as Littlefoot and Cera.

“Petrie should have known all along that coming here was a mistake! Me hope you have a terrible day as me not want to see any of you again!” He said before rising to his wings, not once looking behind himself as he disappeared into the weeping skies.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on May 12, 2019, 05:48:12 AM
The disorienting headache he got from colliding so hard with Cera's side took a few moments to subside. When his vision had cleared up, he saw Cera already walking away. The new emotions he could smell, matched his own. Anger, resignation, anger, sadness, loneliness.

It was all over. The friendship these friends had had was over. With that, Chomper turned around, and started to wonder off, to nowhere in particular.

He saw some bugs all over a decaying log, but he wasn't even hungry anymore.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on May 13, 2019, 12:51:06 AM
The fastrunner barely had any time to process the magnitude of what had happened between her friends before she ran headlong to Chomper's side.  With her fears overwhelming her thoughts it was the memories of her father's lessons that spoke to her as her body raced against her instincts.

"If Chomper is ever hurt make sure to approach only from a distance.  A wounded sharptooth is a dangerous sharptooth."

"Remember to always keep two routes of escape if possible.  That way you can take one and your kin the other.  A predator who chases both is bound to lose both."

"It pains me to say this Ruby, but this is a blood pact.  Our family depends on this.  Both families depend on this.  If Chomper does not leave the valley alive then neither can you."


As she approached Chomper's dazed form, however, she noticed that his gaze was straying from the departing antagonists that had once been their friends, a sign that his collision had done no serious damage.  Instead his gaze had shifted to something on a log, perhaps buzzers. Which in itself was indicative of a growing hunger that was a mere symptom of his own steady growth.  The eventual parting that this foretold was made all the more tragic by the scents that now radiated from him. Anger, resignation, sadness, and loneliness. The emotions of a youngling who had just seen his parental figures go through a seemingly irreconcilable breach.

With a growing pressure in her chest she tried to hold back the anger that she held for the stubborn longneck and threehorn.  None of that needed to be taken out on her charge.  No, she needed to be Responsible Ruby, as her parents called her.  No matter how much it chaffed at her at times she knew what she had to do.

"Try to keep Chomper calm.  We cannot hope to unite the valley and the Mysterious Beyond against Redclaw if Chomper resorts to his instincts in the valley..."

Ruby looked down.  There is little hope of that alliance now, Daddy.  But I'll... I will fulfill my duty.  Chomper deserves that.  You deserve that.

"I'm sorry, Chomper.  I don't think there is anything we can do if they do not want to do it."  It was only when those words were out of her mouth that she noticed how hollow they sounded.  She could hear her voice failing as she tried to keep the tears out of her eyes, "Let's go back to the caverns, Chomper.  Let's... let's go to sleep."
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on May 15, 2019, 03:01:12 PM
The sky water pouring down from above eventually broke the spiketail out of his trance.

Almost everyone had left. Littlefoot. Cera. Petrie. Even Chomper and Ruby. All who remained in the area was him and his sister.

Spike let out a whimper. He hated this. Sure, there had been fights and feuds between them before, but there was something that screamed of finality in this one.

He always had been a dinosaur of little words, but glancing at a distraught Ducky made him wonder if he should have tried to interfere in the argument before things had gotten way too out of hand.

Was everything now beyond salvation?

With a frown, he realized that it was too late for regrets. With only footprints left behind headed in different directions, it appeared that those yearnful days of old and former bonds were now gone, blown away like the swirling dust in the desert.

It was quite telling that the others had all left in separate directions. Those muddy footprints was like an analogy: telling them that their divulging paths was unlikely to ever intersect again.

Spike eventually trudged over to Ducky, the spiketail hobbling on the uneven ground as he dragged his tail against the ground.

At the very least, he still had his sister with him... though after what he'd bore witness to today, he wasn't sure if that tiny glimmer of hope was worth everything they'd lost.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Ducky123 on June 19, 2019, 05:59:23 PM
Ducky stood in the ever growing rain though it seemed like the wind and the thunder already began to subside. Much like the fight between her friends, it seemed like the storm had already reached its climax, short but intense though the rainfall kept increasing as if the heavens were crying with her, crying about the friends she lost just now - or that was what Ducky was assuming after everything that had happened. It hadn't even taken a minute to happen but now everyone was angry and furious, everyone was sad and depressed... and, most likely... no, after all this, would they even feel remorse? Ducky covered her eyes as hot tears blurred her vision. Was their friendship really... over? She couldn't believe it and her powerlessness only fueled her tears even more.

Ducky didn't know how long she stood there crying, ignoring even the small rivers of muddy water slowly flooding everything but, eventually, she felt something soft tap her carefully. It was Spike. Suddenly, something snapped inside her.

"Spike! Why did you not stop them!?" she screamed against the roar of the floods from above prattling down on all the vegetation around them and the countless puddles on the muddy floor, rage flooding her cocktail of emotions with a new flavor. "Even you... you... you only care about yourself! Everyone does..." she added, heavy sobs erupting from her throat like hot water from a hot spring. "W-what has become of us... w-w-were we not b-b-best friends... f-f-forever?!"

Of course these words hadn't been directed at Spike in particular but, alas, everyone else had departed already. Burying her head in her right arm, she stormed away, disappearing through the underbrush while crying loudly and leaving her confused brother behind. How could this day get any worse? Perhaps she shouldn't have pondered about it...
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on June 20, 2019, 11:49:54 AM
Ducky’s accusation rang cold in Spike’s ears, only for the situation to end up being exacerbated when the spiketail saw his sister sprinting away in tears. Though he was considerably shocked that she had lashed out at him, it didn’t take long for the situation to really hit home.

“Spike! Why did you not stop them!? Even you... you... you only care about yourself! Everyone does…”

He felt his head drooping down, losing what little appetite he had left. The words really stung because he couldn’t deny the truth within them. Ducky was right… this really was a point of no return.

"W-what has become of us... w-w-were we not b-b-best friends... f-f-forever?!"

Spike had made his choice, and so did everyone else. That being said, it was clear that this was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario.

Dragging his feet along the muddy ground, he proceeded to take his leave and trudge back to his sleeping area. There was nothing left to do here in this place. Hopefully, he’d be able to find some way to make it up to Ducky tomorrow when she simmered down… and maybe, just maybe, they could salvage this whole catastrophe.

Though the Night Circle was hidden amidst the numerous storm clouds, his drooping eyelids was enough of a telltale sign that it was getting close to snoozing time. With a yawn and the temptation of sleep threatening to overtake him soon, he could only hope that the others were having better luck resolving their shattered friendships than he was…
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on July 12, 2019, 03:02:34 PM
It felt like an eternity for Petrie since he had left his friends for the very last time and inside, he didn’t even feel true sadness. Not at all. Those feelings had disappeared when he had seen Cera and Littlefoot’s fight and on that moment, the turmoil he had felt for weeks and cycles of the Night Circle had seemed to simply go away. In their stead came calm and emptiness that seemed to drown everything else under them. No longer would he need to take care of any of his former friends and with the breaking of those bonds, he was free. He was finally free as any flyer should be.

Even then, it was clear that not everyone was as it should be. The flyer’s mother couldn’t help but look at her son with a worried look. He had sat at the edge of their nest for hours on end in complete silence. She could see the boy’s eyes growing moist from time to time and as the night’s shadows grew ever longer, she decided to try to get to him again after an unsuccessful attempt earlier during the day.

“Petrie, this cannot continue. You simply cannot sit here by yourself while speaking or eating nothing. I can see that the fight upset you but…” She said but she was then cut short by Petrie who mumbled with a soft voice.

“Me not upset at all, momma. Me just…”

“Don’t lie to me, Petrie! You are clearly not alright if you are crying here alone after a fight like that! I know how much your friends meant to you and if you still mourn their loss this much, maybe the damage can still be reversed! I can help you if you let me!” She said, not really knowing what kind of an answer she should expect. Petrie had grown tremendously in size and as a flyer recently and during his long, lonely flights she sometimes felt like her son was a different flyer now. Petrie turned at his mother slowly, speaking to her in a serious voice.

“Momma, please no do that. Of course this a big change and me can’t help but think of the past but… it past now. That all that matters. Me not want to meet them again and me feelings calm down before too long. Me probably meself tomorrow already.” He said, not really giving those words much thought. The older flyer frowned at that answer and bowed closer to the male, looking him in the eyes.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Petrie? Tell me honestly.” She said, preparing to follow deeply whether she could see a trace of a lie within him. Petrie, however, spoke as genuinely as he could to his mother, wiping most of her fears away.

“Yes, Petrie will be alright. Me just have to think a bit more alone.” He said, causing the female to sigh and rise to her full height. She gave a deep sigh as she next spoke to the boy, her voice carrying a hint of sadness to it.

“Very well, Petrie. Just don’t take too long. Most of your brothers and sisters are already sleeping.” She said as she walked towards the rest of her children. Petrie looked after her with half-closed eyes, not really being able to deny his own fatigue. Maybe, just maybe, things would look a bit clearer tomorrow. After a few minutes, he finally tried to rise to his feet and join the others in the realm of sleep stories but suddenly, he felt a powerful dizziness and exhaustion invade his mind. Suddenly, the boy simply fell asleep, falling into the hard, rocky ground.


Petrie looked at the wide skies around himself in excitement, looking at the distant mountain peaks far below him. He was flying higher than he ever had before and he felt more alive than anytime he could remember. The wind was trying to take him higher by the second and the boy found no real reason to resist. A wide smile rose to his face as he found himself flying higher and faster after each somersault. His voice trembled with excitement as he cried into the air.

“This what Petrie was born for! Me will fly higher than any flyer before and find the most distant valleys of the world! Petrie’s name will live forever!” He cried as he looked at the rolling meadows and wide water path below him, not even remembering how far he had to be from the Valley. Maybe he might even find a nice female for himself after he had conquered the mountains no dinosaur before had even seen…

“That is exactly the kind of going I could have expected from my nephew! You already are twice the flyer I will ever be!” Petrie’s heart swelled as he turned to look at the source of that voice. He smiled deeply as he saw his uncle flying towards him quickly. The boy was just about to answer to him before he heard another voice speak to him.

“I can only repeat his words, Petrie. But I can only look forward to finding out what lies beyond that Big Water with you, my son.” His mother said as the two flyers moved to both of his sides in order to accompany him in this story of his life. Petrie looked at them in deep happiness and cried to them with a loud voice.

“Thanks a lot, both of you! Petrie will be happy to have you along with me in the seasons to come! Me sure everything will be g…” He was about to say when his eyes suddenly opened in shock. It felt like his breath was completely torn out of him and the earlier lightness in his flight suddenly turned into utter weakness… and suddenly, the flyer realized he was being pulled towards the ground with an ever increasing force. His uncle and mother didn’t seem to notice any of it and then the boy cried with all his power.

“Momma, uncle, I’m falling! Please h….” He cried but this time, his entire world turned black as the flyer started falling into the ground with a great speed. It seemed to Petrie like he was trapped in some black whirlwind from which there was no escape and sooner or later, he would be crushed into the ground and at that point, his promising life would be snuffed out so very long before his time. However, suddenly he heard a low, haunting voice speak to him as he fell ever faster and faster…

“The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken.  Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.” The voice said and at that moment, the sight of his friends flashed before his eyes… before they turned into a group of dinosaurs he didn’t even know. The flyer was just about to ask what was going on… before he realized he’d hit the ground with a crushing speed on this very moment…



A deep gasp escaped from Petrie’s beak as he woke up, staring into the distance with deep breaths. What in earth was that sleep story? The only thing the boy could remember of it was that haunting voice whose words Petrie could still remember as clearly as he saw the nightly mountain range surrounding the Valley before him. However, his breaths grew easier by the second as he realized it was just a sleep story and certainly far from the first he had ever had.

Slowly, his frown turned into a careful smile as he realized everything was still well. He took a deep breath as he prepared to return to sleep… and that was when he got a glimpse of his fingers on his right side. They were now far thicker than before… and equipped with claws! The boy’s eyes flashed open as he realized that detail, suddenly taking a look at the rest of his body, only to regret that immediately. There was not a trace of familiarity within the sight.

His arms no longer had wings attacked to them and his torso had turned into a dark green and his belly had its own color now. Likewise, his legs were much larger now and he realized immediately whose legs they resembled: Ducky’s, or any swimmer’s. In shock, Petrie brought his hands to his face, only to notice there was no beak to be found anywhere. And it was at that point that he let out a loud screech.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Anagnos on July 14, 2019, 10:03:58 AM
Littlefoot halted his stroll after a while on the verge of his nest. He had to take a brief moment to compose himself after what had just transpired not so long ago, before showing his face to his grandparents He didn’t wish to worry them, but he knew that one look at him would be enough to cause such action to transpire almost immediately.

Most of all he wanted to forget the argument altogether and continue living his life like normal. In spite of his desire to just simply do that deep down he knew that his entire life had changed in a flash to something he never anticipated. In essence, he wished things had gone differently for all of them. But it simply couldn’t be helped anymore. It was about time to face the reality that this was it. The end of their long-lasting friendship.

The longneck couldn’t keep his emotions in control anymore, and he abruptly fell down to the ground and wept all of it out of his system. It was better out than in, after all. And he certainly didn’t wish to break down in front of his grandparents, so he just continued to pour down his emotions to the ground. In a little while there simply weren’t any more tears to shed.

Littlefoot rose up straight, and moved on to his nest, ready to confront his guardians in case they questioned him about anything all the while trying to calm his beating hard, which felt like it was ready to pounce out of his chest sooner or later. Now that he had shed every piece of emotion he had thrown away moments prior, the longneck felt a new start was about to begin. A one without his former friends. And part of him was almost unexpectedly glad about it.

He laid his eyes to his grandparents forms as he stepped out of the thick foliage that covered the grounds around their nest. Without delay, they too turned their focus to him from their conversation with one another.

’’Littlefoot? Why are you back so soon? Your grandmother and I would’ve thought you’d be away a bit longer with your friends.’’

’’It doesn’t matter, Grandpa.’’

’’And why wouldn’t it matter, Littlefoot? Did something happen between you and your friends, that’s bothering you?’’

Littlefoot gazed at Grandma Longneck and pondered how to break the news to them without him suffering another episode of self-pity.

’’We… it’s complicated,’’ Littlefoot finally said.

’’You can tell us. How can we help you if we don’t know what’s bothering you?’’

’’That’s just it, Grandpa. It… doesn’t bother me that much. We said some bad things about each other and it went completely wrong in the end. That friendship we had… is no more.’’

’’What? The friendship you once had is no more? What does that mean exactly? I recall in the past that no matter what obstacles you faced you eventually worked around them together to overcome even the most silliest grudge. What could’ve possibly happened for you to think that you no longer are friends with each other?’’

Littlefoot sighed deeply. ’’Please, Grandpa. I don’t wanna talk about it right now. Maybe later once I have completly calmed down. I still feel this… rage inside me. It almost feels like it cannot be extinguished.’’

They both sighed as well in resignation, apparently deciding that pestering their grandson would only dampen his mood further. ’’Very well, Littlefoot. But remember, if you ever wish to talk about what happened between you and your friends, we will always be there to listen and offer guidance.’’

’’Yeah, thanks…’’ Littlefoot mumbled.

Resigned to just let sleep do its job, Littlefoot laid down on the ground. Watching as his grandparents did the same out of the corner of his eye. A wave of exhaustion clouded him, and he entered the world of sleep stories almost instantly.


Littlefoot smiled more broadly than ever before in his life. He switched his gaze from the forms of his grandparents to his father and finally to the one he was most attached to. His mother. Life couldn’t be more happier. He was with his family, there were no threats whatsoever and on top of it, he was the leader of the herd they were currently travelling with. A dream come true.

’’I knew you were going to be great one day ever since I laid eyes on you,’’ said his mother.

’’I couldn’t agree more with your mother, Littlefoot,’’ Bron replied.

’’Well, I had two great parents, so of course I would turn out the same!’’

Everything was perfect. He had everything he had ever wanted. It possibly couldn’t go bad—then suddenly everything around him began to change. The once greeting sight of the luscious valley switched to a completely desolate wasteland until it too started to disappear. Littlefoot saw his the forms of his loved ones start to wither away, like they were delicate tree stars that would evaporate by mere touch.

He tried to hold on to the dream, but it was all for nigh. The longneck tried to scream, but no sound came out of him. It terrified him. Then he heard something peculiar.

’’The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.’’ Something flashed quickly by him, too fast for him to take any notice of it. All he saw around him was utter blackness and no way out.



Littlefoot’s eyes snapped open instantaneously. His eyes were fixed onto the starry night sky in deep ponder. Just what was that? All he could remember about it was that peculiar voice that spoke weird things to him. He attempted to calm himself down by closing his eyes for a while.

After a while he concluded that it matter little to him and that it was simply the best to just to get back to sleep. He tried to maneuver himself into a more comfortable position… then froze in confusion. His body felt… different, like it wasn’t even his. He dared to take a look at himself and what he found was more terrifying than anything else he had ever encountered.

He now possessed two legs instead of four and he had two sets of arms. But what horrified him the most about it was the sharp claws he now had and much sharper teeth as well when he used his tongue to probe them. His coloration was still the same, but everything else had completely changed. It took him only a brief moment to figure out what he was. He was a sharptooth, and it was too much for him to handle at the moment that it caused him to let out a loud roar in the air.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on July 14, 2019, 08:11:44 PM
Ruby found herself walking towards the caverns in a daze.  Each footstep and background noise seemed to fade into a general haze just as strong as a dense fog.  But this haze was entirely mental, radiating from the conflict that had only ended minutes prior.

How did it ever get to this point?  We all used to be close friends, but now we can’t stand to be close!

Reluctantly she shook her head free of this thought.  What was done was done.  All that could be done now was to ensure that her charge was well.  And, as a quick look at the purple sharptooth in front of her indicated, he was most certainly not well at all.  A downcast face and slumped shoulders showed that the immense weight of what had transpired had fallen especially heavily upon the purple sharptooth.  Ruby knew that to him, a dinosaur hatched by the five former friends, witnessing this fight was like seeing his five ‘parents’ separating.

Once they finally entered the caverns Ruby swallowed, not really knowing where to begin.  But as Chomper laid down immediately without saying a word, she decided to interject even if it was awkward.  Chomper needed a friend right now.

"That... was bad."

Chomper merely nodded morosely, barely listening to the world outside of his thoughts.

"Are you al--" Ruby stopped herself, "How are you feeling, Chomper? Because I know how I am feeling and it isn't good."

The sharptooth merely growled despondently. "Why am I even still here? My friends aren't even friends anymore and here I am going hungry just to stay a bit longer..."

Ruby closed her eyes.  I knew the time would come, but it came quicker than I knew!  She realized that Chomper would need to leave the valley sooner or later, but she had hoped to delay that inevitability until the valley and Mysterious Beyond could have united against Redclaw.  But with the fellowship of the five companions become fractured this only left Chomper and her.  And without an anchor to keep Chomper’s instincts in line…

She opened her eyes and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  Take some time, Chomper.  And if you still think it is time, then it will be the time.

"Maybe we should talk about it in the morning when we are rested.  But... if you think it is time, Chomper, then you know that I will not let you leave alone."

There was a pause as the purple sharptooth did not immediately react. Finally, however, he turned around and offered her the slightest hint of a nudge with his snout.  She knew that the understated nature of the gesture meant more than met the eye.  It was the closest that his small form would communicate ‘Thank you, my friend’ without completely breaking down.

She honored his gesture with a final pat on the shoulder before she parted to go to her usual sleeping area.  This left her with her own fatigue and, unfortunately, her own morose thoughts.

She forced her eyes closed as a sigh left her beak.  She hoped that the Land of Sleep Stories would take her away from this much crueler land that she now found herself.

Ruby’s eyes jerked open.

The pink fastrunner hurriedly arose to take in the strange scene around her.  Where before was a darkened cavern now was green grass and verdant trees as far as the eye could see.  The only break in the beautiful scenery was the distant vista of a towering mountain range.  But those mountains, just like much of the strange greenery around her, were unknown to her.

She blinked.  She must now be far away from the Great Valley, but how did she get here?

She watched then as leaf-eaters came into view in the distance.  They appeared to sprint out of the trees as entire herds materialized where before there was only plant life.  But the sudden report of a roar quickly revealed what these distant victims were running from.

Ruby held her breath as the fastbiters seemingly appeared out of nowhere, swarming from all directions upon their hapless prey.  Even if Ruby would have been brave enough to attempt to help them, they were simply too far away.  Despite this she could not turn away from the sight that lay before her, of longnecks, threehorns, swimmers, and others running in terror while each one called out to their comrades, wishing them forward.  It reminder her of her friends and their families…

She could only shake then.  Former friends.  The terrible scene before her could only remind her of what she had recently lost.  In the ensuing mayhem her gaze fixated on a pink threehorn among their number.  A threehorn that appeared unsure whether to run or to fight… she barely noticed that everything else was beginning to fade into an indistinct haze.

’’The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.”


Quickly sucking in a panicked breath, Ruby’s eyes jerked open for real.  She had had disturbing sleep stories before, but none had the same odd feelings to it as this one.  It was as if she were experiencing something all too real, but fake, at the same time.  In her already overwhelmed mind such a disturbing dream was the last thing that she needed.

I am too tired to think, but I need to try.  I need to clear my head good so that I can get a good sleep.

Sighing, she resolved herself for her task and forced herself to her feet.  Then, with a confident step, she began her journey to her Thinking Place.

...and promptly landed on her belly.

“Huh?” she groggily muttered as she glared at her disobedient feet.  The rear legs had done their jobs just like before, but these new front legs were not cooperating at all!

She blinked.  My… front legs!

Sure enough, plain as day, stood two stump-like legs where her handy arms used to be.  Quickly arching her head to her side, she could also see a similar appendage to her left and right.  She had the legs of a threehorn, but that was impossible!  She was not a…

Now scared and half-panicked her right front foot hesitantly rose to meet her snout as she lowered her head.  She had to be sure… but it was impossible!  It just couldn’t be!

But that was when she felt it.  A horn.  A threehorn’s horn.  It was only then that the confusing bits of data coalesced into her mind.  She had become a threehorn.  In light of such an irrational situation she did the only rational thing that she could think of.

She screamed in terror.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on July 19, 2019, 01:06:38 PM
As he made his way back, Spike simply did the thing that he was most known for.

Keeping silent.

The spiketail didn’t say a word as he forced himself back home, even though his mind was a maelstrom of emotions and thoughts. When he finally laid eyes on his sleeping area, he made a dash for it—making sure to avoid the curious stares of Ducky’s other siblings—before reaching safe ground.

Ducky’s mother—his mother—was looking around worryingly, concern etched on her face. Spike wisely kept his head down, trying to make it past the larger swimmer as stealthily as he could.

He did not want her to make any comments on the prior proceedings.

Passing by unnoticed, Spike found himself wondering if Ducky had already made it home. He hadn’t seen her since they split and she’d accused him of staying by and letting the argument between the remainder of them spiral way out of control.

Spike had a feeling that his inconsolable sister would not listen to him no matter how much he tried to make it clear to Ducky that it wasn’t his fault through his gestures. He did not want to face her… or any of the others, for that matter. The spiketail didn’t have the heart to keep up the pretense of having his feelings in check when they were anything but. Having a one-sided conversation with Ducky, for instance, reflecting on the finality of it all as his friends… former friends separated for good would quite possibly break him.

The whole thing was likely over anyway. After how they’d all separated in the aftermath of the vicious battle of cutting words, there was likely… no, almost certainly no salvaging this. No matter how much he wished it wasn’t the case, he could see reality staring him in the face.

It wasn't his fault, though. That was what he kept telling himself. How was he to know that the argument between them would subsist and eventually careen past the point of no return? It was with that sobering thought that Spike finally let his legs give way, allowing his weight to slump him down to the ground as he lay on his belly.

He let his eyelids fall, letting the sweet embrace of sleep sweep him away from the cruel reality.

An astounding sight awaited Spike. His eyes widened as Spike found himself gazing at a gargantuan mountain of ripe and yummy treestars, stacked as high as the eye can see and surrounding him in every single direction.

His lower jaw unlatched as he gazed upon the tantalizing sight. It was more treestars than he had ever seen in his entire life, even within the many years he spent in the Great Valley.

“Eat up and enjoy, Spike!” he heard his sister’s warm voice say, although he could catch no sight on her. “The Great Valley has brought us plentiful treestars this Warm Time. It has, it has!”

Seeing no reason not to obey Ducky and his own mind, the spiketail marched up to the base of the treestar mountain and took a satisfying bite.

A slight rumbling moments later told him that he had made a mistake. By munching on the treestars at the bottom, he had destabilized the entire structure.

Before he could turn tail and flee from the imminent danger, an uncountable number of treestars fell onto him from above as the entire treestar mountain collapsed onto the hapless Spike. He thrashed about and let out a fearful cry, thrashing his legs about as the viscous surface threatened to pull him under like Sinking Sand.

It couldn’t end like this! Treestars weren’t supposed to turn on him!

He couldn't possibly drown in food!

Slowly but surely, Spike found himself running out of energy as his legs were not built for swimming and couldn’t get a steady foothold on the multiple layers of treestars that made up his ‘aquatic’ prison, and so after exhausting himself the spiketail slowly began to sink beneath the surface of green food.

Before he went under, Spike managed to hear a discombobulated voice murmur in a haunting tone that reverberated throughout his head like an annoying buzzer, almost as though it was taunting him.

“The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.”

That chilling statement was all he could recall before his vision went black and he was submerged under his treestar prison.


Spike let out a muffled cry as he flung his eyes open. Seeing that there weren’t millions of treestars crushing him, he heaved a sigh of relief.

It was just a sleep story… but what a terrible one it was. The unsettling words at the end of it only served to puzzle him. What was that all about?

He groaned. No point moping about it now. Since he was awake, he might as well get some more food.

It was only when he took a step forward towards a nearby bush that he realized something was wrong. Spike almost lost his balance, feeling his leg much lower compared to where it normally was.

A sense of dread began to take ahold of him. As Spike looked around, he saw that the spikes that previously adorned his back had completely vanished. His panic only worsened as he dragged himself towards the nearby river by his sleeping area and looked at the water.

The face and body of a bellydragger stared back at him, purple irises slowly widening on the surface of the azure water.

Too stunned to do anything but stare at the implausible reflection at first, Spike eventually let out a terrified cry to the skies.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on August 27, 2019, 10:52:41 PM
The mud and rain had made it easy to stay angry as she tromped back to her sleeping place, her mind conjuring the malice of her so-called friends in every patch of muck that tripped her up, and projecting Littlefoot’s smug face into every puddle that she crashed through. Tria and her dad didn’t ask any questions when she finally made it home, fuming and disheveled; moods like this had become more and more frequent as the young threehorn grew toward maturity, and they knew that it was best to give her space until she cooled off.

It was when she curled up, as far from her family as possible while still staying out of the rain, that the full emotional turmoil of the day’s events finally overcame her. They had all fought before, of course, but this had been different. Her words and intentions had been final, an ending she wasn’t sure she was ready for. Though they had been drifting apart, Littlefoot and the others had been her oldest, dearest friends, and losing them tore at her in a way that she couldn’t escape. She buried her head under her forelegs, trying to push the sadness away from the inside through sheer force of will, teeth clenched. It seemed like an eternity before she finally drifted off to sleep, stubborn tears trailing down her cheeks.

Standing on a high patch of ground she had the perfect view of them, a vast herd that stretched as far as she could see. The horned faces turned up toward her were full of awe, and respect, and maybe just a little bit of fear. She caught a glimpse of her own fully grown horns in the corner of her vision, white and gleaming in the sun, and felt her chest swell with pride. Yes, she was amazing, and the other threehorns finally saw it too.

She took the cool morning air into her lungs and let loose a bellow that shook the earth beneath them, the resounding approval of hundreds of stomping feet like music to her ears. This was
her herd. Her kind. And it was time they let the valley know what threehorns were made of.

She beamed at them, taking in another breath to deliver the speech of a lifetime, but when the words came, they were nothing like the resounding roar she expected. It was like the voice was coming from someone else, far away, so faint she could barely hear it though the words it spoke were her own. She furrowed her brow and tried again, but the most she could manage sounded barely louder than a whisper. The others began to shuffle, restless and confused, trading glances and muttering amongst themselves. She was losing them.

“No!” She tried to shout, but her throat felt like it was closing, and not even a whisper made it through. An inexplicable terror seized her, and the world began to raise up around her as she sank down, down, down until she could see every individual curl of the vegetation that had been under her feet moments before. She had to crane her neck up to look at the encircling crowd, their horns casting shadows on her, glinting cruelly in the backlight of the sun. Faces twisted into grimaces of shock, disgust, and pity, a voice seemed to come from all of them at once, or maybe from the air itself.

“The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.”

What did it mean? The words stirred vague memories, but she had no time to dwell on them as a massive foot raised above her. Before she could even utter a cry it came crashing down, snuffing out the world and sending her plunging into darkness.


Cera woke with a gasp of breath, disoriented and shaking. The first thing she noticed was a strange, prickling sensation all over, like she was covered in leaves or crawlers. It took her a moment to recognize where she was- she must have tumbled from her sleeping spot. “That explains the dream.” She grumbled to herself. Shifting in place, the prickling feeling intensified. With a grimace, she lifted a foreleg to scratch at her chest. Except… her foreleg wasn’t a leg at all. Staring dumbly at the spindly thing in front of her, she caught sight of the source of the prickles: weird soft flowing bits sticking out of her once tough hide. Just like… like Guido. She tilted her head back and screamed as she flailed and tore at the feathers, the sound small and mournful against the vastness of the sky.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on October 05, 2019, 04:10:18 AM
"Maybe we should talk about it in the morning when we are rested.  But... if you think it is time, Chomper, then you know that I will not let you leave alone."

Chomper laid on the cold cave floor, contemplating on what Ruby had said. All of this hate and anger between his former friends had driven a stake in everyone friendship, and it was becoming too much for the poor little predator. He didn't even want to think about his friends anymore, as it was just bringing up too much pain, so he tried to focus on something else.

As the beast started to drift off to sleep, he thought back to his parents. He hadn't seen them in a long time, and he missed their company. The nuzzles of her mother. His father's terrible jokes. And the food! Oh, the food they would always find for him! He started dreaming, thinking of his family. In his dreams, he saw his parents, standing triumphantly over a recent kill. A whole freaking longneck! There was enough succulent meat there to last them all for days! His father looked over at him, big teethy grin, as he called out. "Come here, son!"

"I'm coming, daddy!" Chomper cried out in joy, as tried to run over to his parents, but he couldn't move his body. Looking down at himself, he saw nothing. It was as if he wasn't even there. He was just an observer of what was going on here.

Suddenly, a young longneck whizzed by him quickly, towards the predators. Why the hell is that leafeater running to his death!? Littlefoot? No, it wasn't littlefoot. It was some purple longneck, that he had never seen before. He watched the stupid longneck as it approached the inner scene, expecting one of his parents to snap up the little morsel any moment. To his shock, his parents started nuzzling the young longneck, and licking him affectionately. "I've missed you, my son!" He heard his mother coo softly to the little quadruped. While Chomper looked at this absurd scene, a chilling phrase echoed in his mind.

“The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.”

What does that even mean? And why do my parents not wanna eat that longneck? It's not Littlefoot. Before Chomper had too long to ponder over all of this, a loud scream pulled him out of his dream. He looked around In his tired haze, eyeing a pink threehorn close to him, just screaming. What is a threehorn doing in our cave? Whatever the reason, a scared threehorn was a very dangerous thing. There was no telling what she could do. She could even try going after him with her sharp horns!

He quickly tried getting to his feet, while yelling out "Calm down! I'm a nice sharptooth! I'm nice! I'm not going to hurt you!". He quickly feel back down to the cold floor. When he tried getting up on him hind legs, like any sensible sharptooth would, he couldn't keep his balance. He resorted to crawling away from the spooked threehorn instead. When he finally had a moment, he looked around himself, finally noticing his much bigger, pillar-like front legs. the hell? he thought, as he tried looking back at the rest of his body, bumping his head on the rocky ceiling in the process. Hid head was now attacked to a much longer neck.

He was slowly coming to the realization that he wasn't a sharptooth anymore. Somehow, he was a longneck now.

He yelled out in horror, along with the screaming threehorn.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Ducky123 on December 15, 2019, 09:23:46 AM


"Stupid friends... stupid Petrie, even..." a sob escaped the swimmers mouth. "St-stupid Spike... Everyone is stupid, yes they are!"

Ducky was drifting in the waters of the big river that tracked through much of the Great Valley and was the secret behind its lush and green appearence. The water level had risen somewhat due to the storm that was still sending flickering lights across the dark sky at times but the water was still flowing calmly. Being a swimmer, water gave her an odd sense of comfort, however not even the soft lulling of the gentle flow of the river could soothe the rippling tides that were crashing ashore inside her mind.

"Those stupid idiots; why do they always have to fight!" Quickly, the swimmer submerged as she felt hot tears trickle down her cheeks, coinciding with a surge of blistering wrath. How much she hated that emotion... Feeling anger inside her had never resulted in anything good. Now she was angry at literally everyone she cared about, her loving family aside. What had become of the friends she once had? Could she even call them friends anymore, considering how they behaved around each other? Did she even want to keep up the friendship that now seemed so utterly spoiled. Deep inside, Ducky knew she didn't want to abandon those friends she met so long ago. They had been through so much; it was ridiculous! Had it all been for nothing in the end? Angrily, she kicked a rock underwater, only to feel a sharp pain emerge and a faint trickle of blood paint the water around her. Honestly, when did anger ever solve things? In the end, all that's left in the end is always, always pain. Anger was no good, nope nope nope. Ducky knew that but her friends apparently did not.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Ducky didn't know how she got here but, suddenly, she was swimming in a completely different river in a land completely unknown to her. Fearful at first, her curiosity quickly got the better of her as no immediate danger seemed to exist at the moment. The river was broad and the land around her flat and devoid of larger groups of trees. Some smaller dinosaur herds were going about their business and flyers were roaming the sky which was dotted by the occasional sky puffy. As she completed her scan of her surroundings, a particular feature quickly captured her utmost attention. It was a mountain range some distance away with mountains so steep that she would never be able to climb them. And yet... and yet... somehow, those mountains had a mysterious aura. She didn't know why but she wanted to stand on top of the highest peak, looking down at these lowlands from up there, seeing how small everything is from way up there. Petrie would sometimes talk about these things and it had always made her jealous in a way. The underwater world had its own beauty but what would she give to see these things too?

Suddenly, an unseen force began to pull her out of the river and up into the air. The swimmer let out a terrified squeal as she was being carried higher and higher from the ground, soon reaching heights at which various flyers were gliding with the currents. Everything was suddenly so small; it was equally haunting and exciting. Suddenly, whatever had been pulling her up lost its grip and, without warning, Ducky fell through the air like a rock, screaming, but, a voice suddenly began talking and despite her ear-piercing screams as she feared for her very life, she could still hear it loud and clear as if it was coming from inside her.

“The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken.  Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.”

What the heck did that even mean? But Ducky had no time to ponder the exact meaning of this weird voice as she was currently falling to her very death for reasons that were just as ambiguous. "If only I had wings!" she shouted as she somersaulted past a few flyers looking curiously after her plummeting form. Suddenly feeling extremely angry at the whole situation she shook her arms much like a flyer would move their wings but to no avail. With a final scream that reverberated from the nearby mountains, Ducky crashed into the ground and knew no more...

________________________________________________________________________________________________

*splash*

Ducky was roughly woken up when she hit a body of water. Submerged, she struggled to swim back up to the surface though it seemed to take a lot more effort and her strokes were a lot less effective. Finally, when she was already out of air, the swimmer managed to break through the surface to gulp for air. What the hell had just occurred in her dream? And why was she in the water? Did she fall asleep during her swim? Such a thing had never happened to her before as far as she could recall. With a lot more effort than she was used to, she dragged herself to the shore, looking drowsily around. She had been swept down a smaller waterfall along the river and the impact must have finally woken her up. That was when she noticed something odd. Her feet felt a lot smaller, barely touching the moist grass below her toes and something about her arms was different too. The water seemed to make them awfully heavy and immobile...

"What is going on?!" she wondered in growing confusion. That was when the Night Circle emerged from behind a patch of clouds. Suddenly, she could see her own reflection in the rippling waters of the river...

A flyer was staring back at her, with eyes that were undoubtedly hers, coloured in the same shade of green like her.

"I am... a flyer!?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on December 16, 2019, 02:14:02 AM
Ruby's own voice was deafening to her ears as she contemplated what had befallen her.  Somehow, despite the shear impossibility of it, she had become a threehorn.  Despite being responsible Ruby, as Ducky had once called her, she could not think of a responsible response to this.  How did this happen?

It took several moments for her roar to effectively die down, swiftly being replaced by agitated heavy breathing.  Deep breaths being taken in by lungs that were simultaneously not hers, but now clearly part of her.  It was only then that rational thinking returned.

Okay, Ruby, we can try to make sense of this even though it makes no sense!  What could have possibly turned us into a threehorn?  Maybe it was something that I ate?  But that doesn't make sense because... wait...

That was when it hit her: the sleep story.  Could the sleep story be hinting at something?

’’The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land… and protect the land you love.”  ...what could that possibly mean?

She did not have much time to ponder that thought, however, before she became aware of someone else breathing heavily behind her.  In the spot where Chomper had his sleeping spot.  Turning quickly and, much to her surprise, aiming her horn aggressively at the intruder, she came face to face with a longneck.

A longneck with a very distinctive, and odd, shade of violet.

The pink threehorn blinked.  "Ch-Chomper?  Is that you?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: StardustSoldier on December 24, 2019, 12:52:09 AM
Uneasy thoughts clouded Mama Flyer's mind as she lay down for the night. She was worried about Petrie, like any concerned mother would be, but that didn't make the concern any easier to bear. She hoped he felt better soon. She gazed upon the rest of her children, all fast asleep. Then she sighed and gave another glance back at Petrie. She was about to call him over, but something stopped her. Perhaps it was her maternal instincts telling her that he needed some alone time.

Instead, she lied down in her nest. She would try talking to him again sometime tomorrow. But for now, probably best to let the boy sort out his thoughts. The night had fallen silent, save for the ambience of the gusts of wind that swept across the valley. Thick clouds had rolled in, blotting out the bright stars. On many nights, Mama Flyer loved to stargaze, but the clouds in their place tonight were ominous and ugly. The Night Circle itself was barely visible, appearing only as a soft glow behind the thick clouds.

She closed her eyes. Despite how accurately the sky reflected her current mood, she was also deeply exhausted. It had been a long day indeed and she was ready for it to be over. She was seconds from drifting off to sleep when a loud, long screech jolted her up very suddenly. "Huh? What? Who's there?" Her heart was pounding already. "Petrie? Are you okay?" But... no... that sound couldn't possibly have belonged to Petrie. She gulped. "W-who's there?" she asked again. Some of her children stirred groggily in the nest, while the others remained asleep.

When she turned around, she did not see what she had expected. Granted, she hadn't really known what to expect. She blinked. "Ducky? What are you doing here?" Mama Flyer took a few steps forward. The swimmer that stood in front of her looked like Ducky. Mama Flyer came closer still. Yet even in the dim light, she was beginning to see... it wasn't Ducky after all. But then... who was it?...

...

"Petrie?" Mama Flyer glanced all around the nest area. No sign of him. "Petrie?!" The pounding in her heart grew. She ran up to the ledge overlooking the valley and darted her gaze every which way. She called his name a few more times, each time louder and shriller than before. Still no sight nor sound of him anywhere.

She approached the mysterious swimmer who had appeared from seemingly nowhere. Doing her best to keep the rising panic from her voice, she said, "Hello. Have you seen Petrie? My boy, Petrie, have you seen him anywhere?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on December 24, 2019, 04:41:56 PM
The swimmer’s consciousness seemed to be on the verge of failing as his mind struggled to truly grasp what in earth had happened. This was simply ridiculous! There was no way any of this could have actually happened! He must still be dreaming! He simply had to be! Yet, the longer Petrie listened to his deep breaths and the humming of blood in his ears, the more real it all felt. He was on the verge of falling into the ground in endless shock as he heard a voice that nearly made his heart stop.

"Hello. Have you seen Petrie? My boy, Petrie, have you seen him anywhere?" Immediately, Petrie turned to look at his mother and his moist eyes gleamed bright in the light of the Night Circle as he looked at the flyer. How could he explain any of this to her if he wasn’t even close to grasping it himself? His poor mother didn’t deserve to face the monstrous reality and for a moment, Petrie was close to determining to run away once and for all.

But even then… deep down, the boy knew his mother didn’t deserve to be left here all alone either, never learning about the truth. And most of all, he wanted to feel some modicum of safety and comfort in this most terrifying of situations and immediately, he ran towards the flyer and embraced her as tightly as his still-small body allowed. His voice was hysterical and barely intelligible as he wailed his heartfelt but doomed cry for help.

“It… it me, momma! Me Petrie! Me not know how it happen but me really Petrie! Please help me… please make me what me used to be… what me supposed to be! Please…” He said before his word finally died down and his words turned into inconsolable tears.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: StardustSoldier on January 05, 2020, 10:38:07 PM
Mama Flyer stood still, stunned and speechless, as the young swimmer sobbed furiously and clung to her tightly. For a while, that was all she did. She simply stood there numbly as the poor swimmer's heartbroken sobs punctuated the night air. She glanced back at her nest. Her children were all awake now. They all stared on in silence at the strange scene in front of them, wearing the same mystified expressions that she herself must have been wearing.

Eventually, slowly, she raised her wings and wrapped them gently around the swimmer. Only then did his sobbing begin to subside. She let him sob for a long time, until finally he could sob no more. She disengaged from him and stepped back.

"Petrie? Is that really you?"

The swimmer nodded, his eyes still moist.

Even then, Mama Flyer wasn't sure she believed it, for it was completely unbelievable. But, then, where did Petrie go? And why was this swimmer, who was clearly so emotionally torn apart, trying so desperately to convince her that he was in fact her son? And if he wasn't her son, then who was he? Where had he come from?

She studied him. He looked so similar to Ducky. And that's when it made Mama Flyer wonder... how was Ducky doing? Surely nothing bad had happened? Yet Mama Flyer could not escape the growing sense of unease which lingered in her gut. It was just a feeling, but a feeling all the same...

Whether the swimmer truly was Petrie or not, she said to him, "I'm going to look for Ducky. Do you know who she is? Will you come with me to find her?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Ducky123 on January 07, 2020, 09:13:10 AM
[Note: Written on phone, I'll edit this later and do the formatting on PC)

The swimmer must have ignored it at first but as she spoke those ridiculous words in her confusion, she could clearly see her beak moving.

"I am a flyer, am I still dreaming or have I gone crazy?" The shock sat deep but it didn't really change the fact that the swimmer was curious at nature so she began to investigate her new body and it's abilities. Starting at the bottom, she carefully lifted one of her feet, almost unbalancing herself in the process as her center of weight was a little different now. Considering how fragile and small they were, it was no wonder that they didn't create a lot of thrust while swimming. Carefully, she walked around for a little while to get used to the different feeling.

"I feel a little lighter than before, yes I do." Indeed, her body, although similar in height, appeared to be considerably lighter as walking didn't take nearly as much effort as it used to. Next, she looked at her arms which were now interwoven with a leathery membrane that would only fully stretch when spreading her arms as far as she could. Unfortunately, it seemed that this membrane was sucking in a lot of water so her arms felt awfully heavy and her muscles ached just from lifting them above the ground. It also seemed like there was a certain muscle around the area of her chest that flyers used while flying though it was terribly underdeveloped and weak while her legs felt unnaturally strong for a dinosaur as fragile as a flyer. As she looked back, she realized that she had only a very little tail which was more of a stub than an actual tail and rather useless when it came to balancing her weight. Flyers appeared to be aligning more vertically though which made a long tail unnecessary.

"I really hope this is a sleep story, I do not like not having a tail, no no no..." she mumbled quietly to herself, already missed one of her most prominent features. Finally, she looked at her reflection in the river again, studying her face, also with the help of her hands. Her eyes looked a little different since her pupils were smaller but it still looked like herself in a way with this particular shade of blue her eyes had. Her beak appeared to be a very light green colour and it was hard to the touch.

"At least I still have a crest-thingy, yes I do," she thought, stroking it with some sort of appreciation. The shape was a little different; longer and thinner but it was still a crest.

"I suppose I really am a flyer but... how? I waked-ed up from the funny sleepstory and now I am in a different sleep story? But... it feels so real, it really does, it does...

Out of curiosity, the swimmer kicked a tree and it stung immediately as her fragile little foot collided with the tough wood.

"Ouch, if it hurts, it must be real... How did I change into... this? I do not like it oh no I do not... I need to find my mommy, she will know, she always knows, yes she does."

And so, the swimmer started walking upstream with some difficulty, wondering on the way if she could fly too but she didn't dare try for the memory of falling to her death still felt all too real and besides how did it even work? Knowing that even Petrie took years to master it, she didn't think she could accomplish it.

After a while, she stopped when she heard a curious sound, almost as if someone was slurping across the grassy meadows with their overlarge belly.

That was when her eyes spotted a peculiar something slowly approaching her from upstream the river. Curious, she stood still and squinted her eyes.

"A bellydragger... A BELLYDRAGGER?!"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on January 12, 2020, 04:36:09 PM
His mother’s words came as a huge shock to Petrie and for a few moments, he could only stare at the flyer, unable to comprehend just what he had heard. Had she actually believed his words that easily, not really questioning them any further? However, as he saw nothing but love mixed with worry and confusion, the boy know he could trust his mother even in the middle of this bad sleep story. For the first time since his transformation, Petrie felt a glimmer of comfort and hope.

However, her last words would have puzzled him had the situation been any different. What did his mother want this Ducky? They weren’t even friends anymore and Petrie couldn’t comprehend what the older dinosaur wanted with her. However, he didn’t care in this moment and he wanted to simply have something else to think about than his condition. He answered meekly to the flyer, trying to keep his words intelligible through his tears.

“Okay, momma. Me come with you. And thank you for believing Petrie.”

The boy sniffed sadly before he did what he always had done as a flyer when he would leave his home. He turned towards the edge of his nest, spread his arms… and jumped into the nothingness. The cry that he let out once he realized his mistake would haunt everyone who heard it for a long time.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: jassy on January 12, 2020, 07:32:04 PM
 Petrie was right about one thing— his cries did haunt anyone who happened to be within earshot, a certain glider included. Guido had been enjoying his peaceful, snoring softly as he lay sprawled out in his now disarrayed nest of leaves. That was when he heard it. A loud, sorrowful cry that rang out through the valley like a powerful wave erupting from the Big Water. The jade feathers of his frill suddenly shot up, his eyes snapping open.

For a moment, Guido didn’t know who the cry belonged to or where it came from as his eyes roamed around frantically. “What was that?” He whispered to no one, really, just himself. Once the cover of sleep was lifted off of his mind, it registered. He suddenly realized who had cried out in such fear and despair, and his emotions hit him all at once. “Petrie!”

Without thinking he left the cover of his home, soaring across the dark valley sky, illuminated with millions upon millions of twinning stars, in search of his friend. “Petrie?” He called out, earning no response. Guido had already been worried before as soon as he heard the noise that woke him. Now, he was even more anxious. Then, by mere chance, he happened to catch a glimpse of Mama Flyer from the sky. Without the slightest hesitation, he swooped down towards the ground, his heart pounding against his chest. “Petrie! Petrie, are you...” his eyes landed on the brown swimmer trailing after the female flyer. There was no doubt in Guido’s mind, but it couldn’t be! Could it? Honestly, Guido didn’t even know— he was sleeping a mere moment ago and now his most trusted friend was a swimmer? Maybe it was all a bad sleep story. A really bad one. This was the last time he ate those bright yellow buzzers for dinner.

“P-Petrie? Is that you...? Am... am I still asleep-?”
 
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on January 13, 2020, 10:02:25 AM
It was an impossibility. And yet, it was actually his reality.

On instinct, Spike dunked his head into the water, splashing his face to snap himself out of a possible sleep story.

…and immediately let out the air in his mouth out in shock, a torrent of bubbles rapidly frothing to the surface when he realized that he could see the turquoise depths surprisingly well.

Almost like a swimmer, or a…

Spike took his head out of the river and inhaled in a deep breath, before clamping his mouth shut when he realized just how big his mouth was now… and how sharp his teeth were.

Fighting the urge to hyperventilate, he let his laid-back nature take over as much as it could while he tried to rationalize just what was happening.

Things like this didn’t just happen. Not without a reason. Slowly nodding his head up and down while blinking his eyes repeatedly while seeing the reflection copy the movements reaffirmed what plunging his face in the river had already proven in a roundabout, scary way.

He had indeed become a bellydragger.

Spike shuddered. Barring his purple eye color—which was the only constant carrying over from after he had awakened from this —as well as a slightly dark green shade and a roundish bulge near his belly region, his current appearance otherwise had an almost uncanny resemblance to Dil, that horrid bellydragger from the Land of Mists who relentlessly pursued them with Ichy and had almost gotten his sister…

His eyes widened, lighting up for the first time since he’d awakened.

…that was it! His sister, Ducky!

Even though he perpetually communicated in half-hearted hunger-induced grunts, the swimmer had always been able to understand him. Even in such an unusual state, she was his best bet of recognizing him!

It slowly dawned on Spike that the Great Valley didn’t take kindly to predators, and someone like Cera’s father would not hesitate to prematurely attack him.

That would not end well. He had to find Ducky, and fast. Spike took a step forward with his front foot…

…and instantly lost his balance with a startled cry, legs giving way as he slumped against the sandy ground. Alas, his hind legs and tail were not where he expected them to be, and his plump stomach which his firmer spiketail legs had always been able to support was not quite up to snuff for his current bellydragger legs.

Spike groaned. His insatiable appetite had betrayed him for once. He couldn’t support his current weight in this new body without getting used to it, but that was time which he did not have. If any of the valley residents saw him now, the consequences would be tumultuous.

Not one to give up, Spike bit his lip and groaned as he used his front feet to drag his body across the ground, distractedly flopping and sliding along the grassy terrain in a manner akin to how a grounded swimmer like Mo would act on land. It was a tiring way to move, but it worked. He had no idea how much distance he’d gained before a panicked gasp snapped him out of his concentration, bringing him to a standstill.

"A bellydragger… A BELLYDRAGGER?!”

Spike looked up to see an unusually-colored green flyer trembling in front of him. Before he could even open his mouth or even have time to analyze the situation and react appropriately, there was a second screech that appeared to come from the direction of the cliffside nests, the cry having an amplitude that appeared to split the air itself.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on January 13, 2020, 04:38:29 PM
The swimmer couldn’t have come up with anything more disheartening than to hear his friend’s voice speak to him. Petrie immediately recognized the speaker but he didn’t move a muscle as a sign he had heard his question. His heart still beat wickedly in a mixture of shock and shame over his fall, the feeling of him heading towards the ground helplessly still haunting his mind. Even beyond the horror and fear, that incident had proved the one thing he had already known: he was no longer a flyer and his birthright had been robbed from him, perhaps forever.

In this moment, it was hard for him to feel gratitude to his mother even if she had saved him from certain death. Some part of him even hoped she had let him fall as at least in that case he wouldn’t have had to face this crushing reality any longer. He dreaded even to speak as his own voice felt alien to him and he took a deep breath before he answered to the glider.

“It me, Guido. But just go. Me not want to speak to anyone right now.” He said, not even looking at the other boy as he took one powerless and hopeless step after another. Even if he hadn’t started to dislike Guido like his other friends, he had spoken the truth in saying he wanted to be alone for now.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on January 20, 2020, 01:50:20 PM
Everything was hitting Chomper at once. He didn't even have time to think about all the things that were different with him. His eyesight changing, his diminished smell, The foreign appendages, or his now unruly neck. It all got blocked out by a pink threehorn barging into his face.

"Ch-Chomper?" the threehorn blurted out.

The poor longneck noticed the threehorn looked more... confused than anything now. Thinking about that phrase in his dream again, and what had seemingly just happened to himself, all he could think to mumble out was "...Ruby?" Before he could get a reply, he added in. "Could you get that... 'thing' out of my face, please?"

He was referring to the other dinosaur's horn, which was shoved right up in his face at that moment.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on January 20, 2020, 07:43:52 PM
The pink threehorn blinked at the purple longneck's request.  Maybe it was the shock of her sudden transformation, or perhaps it was her new instincts, but the fact that she had confronted the intruder head on seemed like the most natural thing possible.  If this longneck had a problem with her then he could just try to make her day!

But that was when Ruby's thoughts overrode her threehorn instincts.  Oh...

Ruby backed away with an apologetic expression as she put one of her stubby forelegs to her offending horn.  "What... what happened to us?  Fastrunners do not turn into threehorns and sharpteeth do not turn into longnecks!"  She paused for a moment as she realized that her previous exclamation came out as an enraged protest.  "I need to calm down!  I am not Cera and I shouldn't act like Cera!"

Her eyes went wide.  What about Cera?  What about the others?  If this had happened to both of them, then what about their not-so-friendly friends?

Ruby looked at the longneck with a curious expression.  "Do you think the others are also being affected... by whatever is affecting us?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Anagnos on February 26, 2020, 04:47:31 AM
Littlefoot had seen his fair share of mysteries of unknown origin. He had seen things that he couldn’t possibly explain in words to himself, let alone to curious grownups. He understood there were major differences between each species that inhabited the valley and the need for their existence in this world.

But what he couldn’t comprehend was how he could’ve suddenly turned into an entirely different species. There was no way it was possible for one to change their entire complexion into something that it was not supposed to be. They didn’t possess the intellect to understand how this world worked. There always was a faint sign of ignorance in the air above them, envenoming their very actions.

No matter how much he tried to explain it, Littlefoot couldn’t find a solution to the problem he now faced. Something like this just didn’t happen without an explanation. There was a faint conception that this was all still part of the dream he’d been forced out of.

Unfortunately, it was real as it could be. He had really been turned into a sharptooth.

And the worst part was that Littlefoot had no idea how it could’ve happened in the first place. He had been immersed in the most wonderful dream imaginable. Until it had been ripped apart the next minute when that ominous yet soothing voice echoed all around him in the black haze. Now only if he could recall what it had actually said, it could prove to be fundamental in going forward.

It was then that the macabre sensation returned, when Littlefoot realized what he had done mere minutes ago.

His grandparents were still asleep next to him, oblivious to the flagrant cry he’d accidentally emitted. They stirred and shifted their posture presumably into a more comfortable position. It was only when Littlefoot heard a faint snore from both of them did he slowly start to move away from them. He couldn’t let them see him like this.

As silently as he could, he started across the patch of grass, vanishing into the darkness that now had become his sanctuary. He would need to find a safe place to mull things over and figure out a plan how to proceed from here, all the while desperation and dread clung to him like a sticky substance.

Sadly, time was not his ally.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on February 28, 2020, 11:15:44 PM
Cera winced as feathers came loose in her strange clawed grasp. She let them go, the soft and delicate things drifting slowly to the ground. A sleep-story. It had to be. She had woken up into another sleep-story. Numb, she shuffled on shaking legs back to her nest, stumbling at the unfamiliar bipedal gait. There was her dad, and Tria, and Tricia. They looked... enormous. Even Tricia's sleeping form seemed to tower over her. Visions of large feet bearing down on her tiny body flashed through her mind- she squeaked involuntarily, throwing her winged arms over her head as she fled from the giants, every step an agonizing challenge.

Her path was erratic, with no clear destination in mind as long as it took her far away. She would keep running blindly into the night until she woke up, and left this terrible nightmare in the land of dreams where it belonged. Lifting her head out of a daze she noticed familiar landmarks passing by, and she realized with a chill of horror where she was headed: Littlefoot's nest. Some kind of return to habit had set her feet back on a path she must have taken on a hundred night-time jaunts, back when things had been simpler. Revulsion twisted her stomach. No, Littlefoot absolutely couldn't see her like this. She'd rather die. And the possibility was not too far off, she soon discovered. As she turned to change course, a hulking figure eclipsed her field of vision, its silhouette familiar in a way that sent a jolt of adrenaline coursing through her.

"Sh... Shuh..." Her beak was trembling, the word stuck in her throat. "Sharptooth!" It finally came out as little more than a pathetic squeak. She whirled around, scampering to put as much distance between herself and the beast as possible.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on March 23, 2020, 10:42:15 PM
Mama Flyer could only sigh at the mixture of exasperation and despair that she had heard from the swimmer.  In an odd way this helped to remove much of the remaining doubts in her mind concerning his identity.  Because, if this was not Petrie, then who could it be?  Where else could this swimmer come from?  But an even more pressing question was: what could have done this?

But she knew that she could not let her growing unease distract her from her mission. If this insane situation was real and not simply a nightmare then she had to find the other children.

She allowed her slow low-altitude flight to go into a soar.  Then, waiting for the brown swimmer to catch up to her on the ground, she allowed her gaze to follow the illumination of the Night Circle.  Though as she gazed in the direction of Mama Swimmer's nest she caught sight of something else some distance away.

Two red gleaming eyes in the darkness and a shadowy silhouette like an elongated log beside the darkened stream. 

A bellydragger...?  But no bellydragger can survive the Roaring Falls so how could one have...  That was when the pieces began to come together: Petrie changed into a swimmer supposedly... a bellydragger in the valley where none should be... what if one of the kids had changed into...

It was an absurd idea.  An idea so absurd that if she mouthed it out to the other flyers they would assume she had the head sickness and talk about her in hushed tones.  But it was the best idea that she had in this absurd, incomprehensible night.  If this bellydragger was one of the others... well that would confirm things.  And if not... the valley would need to be alerted and the bellydragger destroyed.  Either way, the necessary action was clear.  She had to investigate.

She looked down.

"Petrie, Guido, stay here!"  She did not wait for an acknowledgement of her order as she swerved into a headlong flight in the direction of the supposed predator. 
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on March 24, 2020, 05:39:57 PM
His mother’s words came to Petrie as a complete shock and the fact that she left without even giving him a chance where she was going didn’t help him at all. Before he could even say one word, the flyer was but a faint figure in the sky which was something that made something snap within him. The female had been the only one to give him some shadow of courage this monstrous night and he simply didn’t want her to leave like this even for a moment. Again, he acted without any thinking and yelled in a loud voice as he leaped into the air.

“Momma, where you going? Please, me want you to sta…” He started but before he could finish, he felt himself plunging towards the ground, his nonexistent wings not able to support him. A sharp pain radiated from the poor boy’s head as he hit the rocky ground. Petrie brought his hand instinctually to his cheek, noticing that it was bleeding rather profoundly and that fact made him sob inconsolably. Again, he had been reminded of his lost gift and it seemed like his mother hadn’t even heard his call. It wasn’t long until he saw his friend running towards him with a worried expression but Petrie didn’t even him to speak before falling to his knees before him, his tears falling towards the ground more heavily by the second.

“P… Petrie cannot take this anymore! Guido, please make this stop! Promise me that Petrie will be alright! Do anything that makes all of this go away! ME NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THIS FOR ONE MORE SECOND!” He cried from the top of his lungs, hitting his head into the ground again and again and opening another wound on his forehead, the horrifying pressure in his chest only growing more suffocating by the second.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: jassy on March 24, 2020, 07:31:55 PM
A part of Guido was still convinced that none of this was real. Honestly though, how could it be? A flyer turning into a swimmer? That didn’t seem even remotely possible. But even then, there was still a slither of possibility... there was so much about the universe that was still unknown to them. It wasn’t totally impossible—

“Huh?” He blinked, coming back to reality only to see Petrie’s mother fly off into the night. “This can’t be real, this can’t be real...” Or could it? Only one way to find out. He held a flap of skin in between his two fingers and closed his eyes, pinching the skin. “Yow!” He exclaimed, opening his eyes a mere second later. When he did, his best friend was still a swimmer... and falling towards the ground.

“P-Petrie!” Flapping his wings, Guido rushed to his aid. His heart sunk when he spotted the red wound on Petrie’s cheek, but he tried not to let his panic show. For his friend’s sake. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was air. He didn’t know what to say, or what to do. He’d never had to deal with this kind of thing before. “Are you okay—“

Things went from bad to worse. At Petrie’s outburst, Guido’s immediate reflex was to take a step back. After taking a moment, the glider drew in a quivering breath and approached the other. “P-Petrie, listen,” he said, awkwardly placing a hand on his shoulder in what was intended to be a comforting gesture. ”Everything’s gonna be alright, okay? I don’t know what’s gonna happen now, but I promise I’m gonna stick by you.” He hated how unconfident he sounded. He was supposed to be comforting, supportive, but he couldn’t even do that right. He’d never felt more useless.

Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on March 25, 2020, 01:23:14 PM
After the scream from the distance died down, Spike finally focused back on the shuddering flyer that was in front of him. As he was someone who communicated mainly in grunts he prided himself on his observational skills.

Well, the flyer’s reaction was telling. The girl looked downright terrified of him, and it was then that it dawned on Spike that he did not have the appearance of a lumbering spiketail anymore. Spike felt his eyes contemplatively drifting upwards in thought. Perhaps being a predator who looked like he could swallow a small flyer whole in one gulp was not an ideal situation to be in.

But now that he was seen, he had a big problem to deal with. Putting aside her unusual shade, his first priority was figuring out how he was going to ensure the flyer’s silence. Spike has seen the grown-ups dealing with unwanted sharpteeth in the valley before and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. But without being able to explain the phenomenon and his situation, how was he going to get the panicking flyer to not see him as a threat?

In the end, Spike closed his eyes and whistled a tune to try and show that he didn’t mean any harm. He simply hoped that his gamble would work.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Sovereign on March 25, 2020, 05:42:38 PM
The stinging pain in his forehead grew progressively worse as he hit the ground again and again, the bloody stain in the ground growing larger by the second. That of course only deepened his anguish at everything but even then, there was some slight ray of light that seemed to penetrate the hopelessness in his mind. And that ray of light was Guido’s voice rather than his words.

This glider had been there to cheer him up in one of his most vulnerable moments when his siblings had made his life one long flight of misery. Guido had never said one discouraging word to him and few dinosaurs knew the former flyer just like his friend and that knowledge was worth more to Petrie than he could have even foreseen only a few moments ago. Even after everything that happened… Guido was still here, ready to help him move forward as he had always done.

Weakly, Petrie rose to his knees again and looked at Guido’s shocked eyes. The swimmer could feel his blood flowing down his cheeks but he cared nothing about that right now. With slow and forced movements, the boy dragged himself towards Guido and grabbed his hands pleadingly. Petrie turned to look at Guido’s eyes, tears almost completely blinding his sight. His voice was barely intelligible as he spoke to his closest friend.

“H… how can everything be alright? Nothing alright and nothing can be as long as me… as me look like this! Me not know what Petrie can even do. It all over… Me life over if me cannot be a flyer again…” He said as his voice died down even if his eyes was still locked with those of Guido’s.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Anagnos on March 26, 2020, 04:17:54 AM
For all the sharptooth knew he could have been walking in circles for the last hour and not even notice anything out of the ordinary. Littlefoot had been counting down the seconds in his head, but his volatile thoughts still reminded him of their presence. Fortunately for him, he had been able to minimize the threats to his life. The thought didn’t fill him with confidence.

He nearly bumped into something. His first reaction was to simply ignore it and move on, conjuring it to be a mere rock or tree he had not seen. Until that something let out a quiet squeak of terror. It was a runty glider that blocked his path. But what drew his attention was that he could not recall if he had ever seen this particular glider in the valley before. As far as he was concerned, Guido was the only one of his kind residing in the valley.

The female glider scampered away from him, like there was a fire under her tail feathers. Littlefoot considered the flyer, then it clicked in his head. The voice was very familiar to him. It had been associated with numerous games over the many years.

Littlefoot cleared his throat and asked with a dry and harsh voice, ’’Cera? Is that you?’’

The entire world seemed to stop.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: DarkWolf91 on March 29, 2020, 04:19:15 PM
She scrambled away as quickly as her awkward limbs would take her, but when she looked back over her shoulder it was like she hadn't moved at all- the sharptooth still loomed as large as ever. A quiet whimper escaped her beak. She had a feeling that she would find out whether or not this was really a dream the moment its horrible teeth closed down on her. She redoubled her effort, flailing wildly as she tore across the ground, still too slow.

She glanced back again, and... she had seen its mouth move, but instead of the guttural sharptooth roar she had been expecting, she understood its words as well as any other flattooth. And, even more chilling, she realized that she recognized its voice. The distraction made balancing in her new form even more difficult, and she tumbled to the ground as one of her ungainly feet snagged on a rock. Dazed by a solid knock to the face, it took her a minute to sit up, and turn to face the sharptooth. It was staring back at her.

She blinked up at it in confusion. "Littlefoot?" Her voice still felt so small, and so weak. This just had to be a dream.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on April 07, 2020, 09:34:19 AM
"Do you think the others are also being affected... by whatever is affecting us?"

Ruby's question hit Chomper as he was just beginning to calm down. If what had happened to him also happened to his caregiver, Ruby, then what was to say it didn't also happen to their other friends?

"It could be, Ruby." he reasoned to her.

What the hell was going on? Was it some curse? A wish to a falling rock that went horribly wrong? The poor longneck's mind was going off. If he was now doomed to be a leaf eater, what did that mean? He could live in the valley, but he might not ever get to see his parents again! If he did, could they even realize their son was now a longneck? Would they try to... hunt him? He didn't want to even think about that, so he thought of his friends again. That's when a frightening new thought crossed his mind.

"So, if we turned into leaf eaters, do you think the others turned into... Oh no! We have to find them!"

The newly turned longneck turned to rush out of the cave, but tripped over himself several times, not yet knowing how to walk with 4 legs.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: ImpracticalDino on April 07, 2020, 06:09:18 PM
Ducky flinched momentarily from Petrie's sudden outburst in the distance. In normal circumstances, everyone, especially her would not hesitate to respond to a friend's call of distress. But as of now, what reason would she even have? As far as Ducky is concerned, their friendship was as good as finished, and they have all probably diverged to live their own separate lives at this point.

But she couldn't dawdle at that fact any longer as she was steadily reminded of the monstrosity that stands before her.  She rigidly stood there, shaking with intense trepidation at the bellydragger that was staring daggers at her with its blood red eyes. Ducky wanted to desperately fly away from the predator, but in her current form and mental state, she simply couldn't. And besides, she knew she didn't know how to fly. And furthermore, the added weight to her delicate wing membranes caused by the dip in the river earlier made any sort of mobility impossible. To make things worse, this particular one had an eerie similarity to the bellydragger that had relentlessly tormented her and her former friends during their quest to find the Night Flower in the Land of Mists. But worst of all, she remembered falling in midair, right into Dil's gaping mouth of sharp teeth. It was a miracle that she even awoken from her unconscious state and saved herself in time. While Ducky wanted nothing more than to suppress these memories, there was also a glimmer of happiness within them. It made her heart swell up with joy to hear Spike talk for the first time. And not just any word, it was her own name. Ducky! That was the distressed call that saved her from an untimely demise. And for that, she'd always be grateful at her little Spiketail brother.

That is why in this exact moment, Ducky made it her goal to reconcile with Spike, no matter the costs. She regretted walking away and exploding at him with rage just mere moments ago. The poor Spiketail didn't deserve that, oh no, no, no, she thought.

Unfortunately, she realized her goal would never come to fruition.

...Or would it?

Something seemed strangely off about this bellydragger. It seemed to gaze intently upon her with curiosity and interest, rather than any malice or attempt to eat her whole. Perhaps it meant no harm? No, that couldn't be it! There must be something more to it. But then again, with everything that has transpired in the past day, anything is possible at this point.

*Whistling*

...

Ducky literally felt her heart stop at this point. Not only was this bellydragger whistling, of all things it could do to her, it was whistling to the melody of "Good Times, Good Friends." A tsunami wave of nostalgia struck her at this moment. There's no way this could be one of her transformed friends, nope, nope, nope! But then, the obvious connection hit her like a ton of treesweets. Those tiny purple irises. The exact same color that her brother Spike possessed. Ducky was still shaking intensely at this point, but rather than pure fear, there's now a big surge of excitement to accompany it.

"...Sp-Sp-Spike? Is that...you?"

And at last, the long anticipated question was asked. He did it. Spike's gamble actually paid off. Ducky most likely recognized who he actually was. But before anything else could happen between both of them, the sounds of wings flapping could be heard closing in on them. Mama Flyer has spotted the presence of a bellydragger in the Great Valley, and she has decided to swoop down to investigate this potential intruder. While Ducky has a strong feeling that this exact predator standing in front of her truly is Spike, she was worried that Petrie's mother may not see eye to eye. So Ducky stood there, waiting anxiously for her arrival so that she could explain everything to her.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on April 08, 2020, 02:09:33 AM
Ruby watched in mute fascination as the purple longneck proceeded to trip over his feet so many times that it almost looked like his longneck were a fifth leg.  It was then that she stared at her own trunk-like legs and realized that she would soon have the same difficulty.  But, at the same time, there was a voice in her head that seemed to reassure her.

You can do this Ruby!  A threehorn can do this, and you are a threehorn!

She suppressed her a muted feeling of trepidation for once as she allowed her instinctual drive override her concern.  Yes, she did have to get a move on!  Her friends needed them!

"Wait up, Chomper!"  She exclaimed before nearly face-planting herself.  She then moved into an awkward trot, "We need to be careful to not wake up the grownups!  That would be just as bad as our friends waking up the grown ups!"

And with that the pink threehorn joined Chomper in leaving the cave.  Each of them not knowing exactly what they were looking for.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on April 08, 2020, 02:18:21 AM
Volant landed lightly upon the branch of a nearby tree as she fixed the bellydragger with an intense glare.  Then, with a pang of concern, she shifted her focus to a young flyer who was sitting upon the ground directly in front of the predator. 

Green bellydragger... light green flyer?  It was too big of a coincidence.  Not only were flyers of her kind not green, but this flyer was not taking flight despite the bellydragger being within striking distance.  And speaking of the bellydragger... he did not appear very keen on devouring this flyer.  It all pointed in one direction.

Volant let out a heavy sigh as if knowing the answer before she even asked it.  "Ducky?  Spike?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Anagnos on April 10, 2020, 08:14:17 AM
This was not how Littlefoot imagined the night would progress, but there was no need to delay the inevitable. For some reason beyond his comprehension, one of his former friends now stood before him, quivering in fear. The sight would have been entertaining for the sharpooth had the situation been different.

Littlefoot’s gaze was locked on the glider, as if she had just become a target for him to feast on. That primal thought made his mouth water just from the mental image alone. Yet he controlled his primordial desire to maim the hapless creature.

The sharptooth could no longer stand the silence, and with a barely controlled growl broke the immersion. ''What are you doing here?''
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on April 13, 2020, 11:17:52 AM
“…Sp-Sp-Spike? Is that…you?”

The shock of someone recognizing his identity despite the vastly different form the former spiketail now took snapped Spike out of his joyful whistling. His eyes shot open and his face lit up in glee… to as much of an extent as the face of a ferocious bellydragger could, anyway.

But still, he had only intended to show that he didn't mean any harm through the gesture. How had the flyer been able to piece things together solely from his melodic humming alone?

Unless…

The realization hit Spike like a pile of rotten treestars—which he would still gladly munch on given the opportunity—and just like that, his newfound hope was rapidly supplanted by a feeling of pure despair.

Spike squinted his eyes as he looked at the pleading face of the vibrantly colored flyer in front of him. Alas, the more he looked at her, the more the cloudy doubts in his mind began to clear up.

That voice. That inflection. That slight hesitation. That precise shade of pristine blue eyes. It was so obvious in hindsight that he almost wanted to slap himself in the face with his differently shaped tail. Hadn’t he thought it himself? That if anyone were to recognize him in such a state, it would be his adoptive swimmer sister Ducky… or to be more exact, his flyer sister Ducky.

With a lamenting sigh and a sinking feeling in his differently-shaped stomach, Spike realized that the phenomenon that had affected him and turned him into a predator wasn’t just a one-time deal. And if all of this wasn’t just localized to him, then chances were that—

The distinct sound of a landing flyer interrupted his thoughts, with Spike tilting his head over to the side to see a familiar midnight-blue flyer perching on a tree, her perturbed expression illuminated by the Night Circle as Petrie’s mother exhaled a question that almost seemed like it was a laughably rhetorical observation, but all it did was confirm the narrative that the newly transformed bellydragger had been conjuring in his head.

“Ducky? Spike?”

The brief respite that Spike felt when the adult flyer recognized him—which brought the gruesome possibility of being skewered by Cera’s dad down by a factor of five—was almost immediately replaced by a sense of dread as he returned his gaze to Ducky. This was no bad sleep story. As the true scope of things began to sink in, he couldn’t help but fear for how his sister was coping with the current events. Her emotions were as overt and obvious as ever even now, and the flyer's apprehensive body language made Spike fret for the possibility that Ducky might be on the precipice of another breakdown after her previous outburst earlier with their former friends.

All he could do was hope that that would not be the case. If Ducky broke down, Spike knew his own tumultuous feelings and the hopelessness of everything that was happening on this nightmarish night would otherwise consume him too.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: ImpracticalDino on April 20, 2020, 08:49:29 PM
If Ducky could, she would've performed a diving somersault in the air to show just how excited she was to see the sudden euphoria in the bellydragger's eyes. But alas, this was no time for celebration.

My brother is a bellydragger...a bellydragger!? No matter how many times she repeated this in her mind, it didn't make it any easier to grasp. This day couldn't possibly get even worse, could it? It was not only this fact that plagued the flyer's mind, but it is also the dawning realization that they could inevitably remain in their transformed bodies forever. What about Littlefoot? Cera?

...Petrie?

If this stroke of bad luck occurred to her and Spike, what would become of their friends? The mere thought of this was too much to bare for the flyer's mental cage. Ducky weeped silently as streams of tears flowed gently from her dimmed crystal blue eyes, carpeting the already saturated ground that resulted from the earlier rainstorm.

"Ducky? Spike?"

She heard the distant call of their names from Petrie's mother, but Ducky was too anguished at the moment to care right now. Why...oh why, why, why did we grew so apart over the cold times, Ducky pondered. Despite the increasingly frequent amount of quarreling that started to occur since the start of the Time of Great Growing, deep within her aching heart she yearned for the old times to return once again. The gang that used to sing together, play together. But most of all, she loved all the great adventures that she accompanied her friends with in the Mysterious Beyond, much to their parent's worry and frustration. They've faced every adversity possible and conquered them despite the stacked odds. In an ironic twist of fate however, the biggest challenge they have yet to face lies just within. The others may have not realized it yet, but Ducky knew since the beginning.

"The broken band has been broken by pride, now it shall be united by being broken. Go forth to this broken land…and protect the land you love."

She couldn't quite comprehend what that last part meant, but in any case, she has a gut feeling that this will be the biggest adventure of a lifetime.

Ugh...I'm not sure if I'm ready for this. Am I ready? I know I want to be. The question is...will the others be willing? And more specifically, what about Littlefoot and Cera? No, no, no, she thought grimly. She hung her head low at that last thought.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on May 20, 2020, 03:23:04 AM
Volant could only look upon the scene in silent contemplation.  Though she had received no verbal response to her call, the immediate reaction of the bellydragger and the flyer to the mention of the names spoke volumes. 

At least three of the children had been changed.  By the Bright Circle!  What have any of us done to deserve this?

Volant closed her eyes for a moment as she sucked in a deep breath to calm herself.  This was something that the valley as a whole would have to deal with.  Deep down she knew this.  But she also realized the more disastrous possibilities that could invite for not only her son, but the others.  If the valley panicked then they could be exiled or worse.  A spooked herd was a dangerous herd.  Multiple spooked herds?  Well, that was a catastrophe.

Okay, Volant, one thing at a time.  Let's get the children someplace safe... and then we can confront what this means.

"Children, come with me now.  We can't risk some of the adults seeing you... like this."

And with that, she took off once more.  Making a slow and steady circling in the sky as if to prompt both of them to follow her.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: jassy on May 20, 2020, 02:28:01 PM
Guido peered into his friend’s desperate eyes with the utmost sadness and a slight twinge in fear from the red stain embedded into the ground, but there was no point in bringing it up now. There was something else that he was worrying about. He had never been very good with words, but for the sake of his closest friend, he had to try. “I... I don’t know, Petrie. B-But even though you’re not a flyer, you’re still Petrie to me! You’re still my best friend, flyer or not a flyer.” He wrapped his wing around the swimmer’s shoulder, offering his best reassuring smile. “I don’t know how we’re going to get to the bottom of this or i-if we ever will, but I’m not gonna leave your side. We’re stuck with each other.” One of Guido’s signature awkward chuckles rolled off of his tongue, but rather than the even more awkward sideways glance that accompanied his chuckles, what followed was a hopeful grin as well as him squeezing the former flyer’s hands.

Despite Guido’s multiple reassurances, Petrie couldn’t see any hope in this situation. Being a flyer wasn’t just what kind of dinosaur he was— it was part of his identity. If he wasn’t a flyer... then who even was he? The stress of it all made his head hurt, although the throbbing pain in his pain might have been from repeatedly bashing his head into the ground. He winced in pain for a moment before opening his eyes and meeting the hopeful ones of his best friend. Even if Petrie did feel lost beyond belief right now, he was glad that Guido was here to keep him grounded. He was the one thing that was still familiar to him.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Petrie sighed. “You really think so? You no... think of Petrie differently?” When he saw the glider shake his head, Petrie felt a slight weight lift off his chest. After a slight hesitation, he spoke up again. “Okay, Guido... if you say so, then Petrie will try to find way to live... like this.” He cringed at the thought, but he had no choice now. Even if he hated being this, it wasn’t as if he could change back with a snap of his finger. Besides, Guido was with him. He had that much, at least.

Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on June 17, 2020, 10:33:19 AM
The suggestion made by Petrie’s mother was like a lifesaver. Spike had always been a passive dinosaur and would usually wait for someone to take initiative and give him commands to go along with. For the first time since this ordeal had begun, there was a semblance of a concrete plan that he could follow.

Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of doubt and uncertainty within him. The grown-ups had never been particularly effective in dealing with problems, so what would make this situation any different? Would her idea even work?

“We can't risk some of the adults seeing you… like this.”

Despite his apprehensiveness, Spike knew that the flyer was right. He shuddered to think what would have happened if a less rational grown-up had discovered the scene.

Sensing that he had no choice in the matter, Spike turned his head to Ducky, only to see that his sister was still in a state of shock, her head and eyes glazed towards the ground. With a sigh, Spike gently crawled behind her and nudged the catatonic flyer with his jaw, beckoning Ducky to follow the circling flyer overhead.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: vonboy on July 10, 2020, 09:50:23 PM
It took some time, but Chomper started to calm down somewhat, and he started to get used to his new trunk-like legs. As the longneck ventured out into the Great Valley, it somehow seemed so peaceful. Nothing seemed off to the former predator at first.

Off in the distance, he finally saw something that stopped him in his tracks. A pretty good sized adolescent two-footer sharptooth! The brown beast was looking down at a terrified orange glider, but didn't look like he was too concerned with gobbling down the tiny morsel. A deep, petrifying fear suddenly struck the poor longneck. Chomper would usually be scared when he saw another sharptooth, but this seemed different somehow. A new voice was yelling out in his head, Telling him to get the hell out of there, and never look back, but his feet were too weak to listen to that voice.

He turned to the pink threehorn next to him, to ask. "Wh...What do we do, Ruby? I'm not... I mean... A sharptooth anymore..."
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on July 11, 2020, 02:44:37 AM
Ruby felt a pang of fear rise within her new threehorn body.  Though, for some reason that was lost on her, she quickly subdued that impulse.  Fear was weakness and weakness will get you killed. she thought to herself in a cadence that was her own, but with instincts that most certainly were not.  Despite the unease, or perhaps because of it, Ruby had enough time to assess the scene before her before reacting.

A brown sharptooth that is not eating an easy meal?  An orange terrified glider... like Guido?  It was almost like they were not in their right minds.

Or bodies. The rational side of her mind interjected.  And if the colors match...

Ruby took a deep breath, which came across as almost a growl in her new form.  They were far enough away, so if they had to run back to the cave and lose the sharptooth in the caverns they could do so.  But she had a gut feeling that her hunch was correct.

She subconsciously rubbed her foot into the ground as she fixed her gaze on the distant sharptooth. 

"Were you two changed too?'
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Anagnos on August 15, 2020, 04:42:27 AM
Silence. It made Littlefoot's blood as cold as the nocturnal air that crept through the entire length of his transformed body. The former threehorn, now a glider, refused to yield a response. It was if nature conspired to keep them in the dark, not daring to whisper the reassurance he craved. Littlefoot's talons fell to the boulder, palm pressed down hard in an attempt to remain steady.

Hurried footsteps and squeak of a quadruped being brought his heart racing. Littlefoot's head snapped in an instant from the glider to the new arrivals. There were two of them. A purple longneck and a pink threehorn. Wait... did I see that right? His legs crumpled, and this time he did not resist. He knelt on the dusty ground, even as his insides threatened to burst within.

''Chomper? Ruby?''
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: rhombus on August 29, 2020, 01:01:39 PM
Ruby nodded hurriedly, which was quite a humorous reaction coming from a threehorn.

"It is us!  Whatever did this got me," she gestured at the purple longneck beside her, "And it got Chomper!"

She then tilted her head somewhat, which was a bit harder with her more limited neck movement.  "Are you two alright?"
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: ImpracticalDino on August 30, 2020, 12:07:11 AM
Still in such a downtrodden state, Volant's command never fully registered in the ears of Ducky. In the next moment however, primal instincts within the transformed swimmer flared up momentarily as Spike slowly walked up behind to gently nudge her with the front of his jaw. She suddenly jolted forward in shock of the large snout that touched her, finally snapping out of her stupor. After turning around to face the bellydragger, she bore an apologetic and sheepish grin at her brother, clearly embarrassed at the reaction that she elicited the moment before. Ducky now realizes that Spike is trying to lead her in a certain direction, and not before long she finally notices the shadow of an airborne flyer circling overhead, indicating the way that Volant wants them to follow. Still nervous and uncertain of what lies ahead for them, she walked back to smother her face in Spike's rough scaly skin and to give him a tight, luxurious embrace. After ten seconds of the heartwarming scene, they slowly drifted apart. Still feeling bitter regret at the despicable outburst she aimed at his brother the day prior, Ducky allowed her heart and her thoughts to pour freely.

"Spike..." She gazed up pleadingly into the bellydragger's eyes. "I am so... so sorry for what happened the day prior. I yelled at you... I hurted your feelings very bad, I did, I really did. But most of all..."

Ducky's eyes began to glisten once again. "I apologize for spewing out an uncalled for accusation that you didn't care about our friendship. I never felt so angry, bitter, repulsed, and so... vulnerable. I irrationally thought in that very moment that our friendship meant nothing after all these years. So basically... what I am trying to say now is... Can- Can you please forgive me Spike? I know that I should've never doubted you in the first place. I do... I really, really, do."

She stood frozen in place, never once averting her gaze towards the eyes of her adopted little brother. Not willing to go any further without receiving a gesture of approval from Spike, she waited anxiously for his reaction.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: OwlsCantRead on September 04, 2020, 12:47:32 PM
With Ducky looking at him with pleading eyes (which even though she was in a completely different body, was still the same as when she was a swimmer), it looked like there was no running away from this confrontation. Besides, with his stumpy body, the best Spike could do was try to hobble away, which would probably give the nervous flyer in front of him the wrong impression.

While he could technically hold a grudge, Spike realized that there was no point in keeping up pretenses in a situation like this. Wasn’t the argument from earlier the entire reason everyone was in such a sour mood to begin with… all because the others couldn’t back down from things?

Keeping that in mind, Spike wouldn’t want things to worsen. Things had gotten this bad in the first place all because nobody was willing to listen to everyone else. Giving Ducky a hard look about, he could see that she was truly genuine in her haunched body language.

Taking a step towards the apprehensive Ducky, Spike placated her fears by giving her a nod of acknowledgement, before huddling forward lest he lost track of Volant. Being slow sucked.

He always was a spiketail of few words. Evidently turning into a completely different species did not remedy that.
Title: Re: Sudden Change of Species 2.0
Post by: Anagnos on September 05, 2020, 11:22:47 AM
Littlefoot pondered Ruby's question absent-mindedly. Part of him wanted to deny the pink threehorn because he was still livid and filled with uncertainty. Anger boiled deep in his system, churning within and begging for freedom. But that was more than likely the reason why all of them were in this mess in the first place. Littlefoot gave a nonchalant shrug and muttered, ''As fine as can be expected, considering the circumstances.''

He looked towards Cera with slight contempt and impatience, speculating in his mind whether she was going to help him explain the situation to Ruby and Chomper, or if she was just waiting for the right moment to say something nasty. For his sake, he prayed for the former.