LBT roleplay in the style of the original movie!

[Hypno]

The sharptooth was angry at himself for making such a mistake - he could have devoured the young dinosaur by now but instead, the threehorn was temporarily safe from Slash's jaws. The sharptooth, being much larger than the threehorn, was unable to get into the crevice, which further enraged the predator. What could he do next?

"Screw this one, I'll squash it and go after the other ones." he spoke in the sharptooth language. The sharptooth then turned to an unusual tactic - something rarely done by random meat-eaters. Slash was pushing boulders into the crevice, hoping to crush Rinen and leave his unreachable body there. The massive predator began to push rocks heavy enough to kill down the crevice.

[Sovereign]

Rinen’s brief moment of relative peace was quickly shattered as he saw what the sharptooth was up to. Due to the predator’s violent, powerful blows, he was in serious danger of being crushed under the barrage of boulders his chaser was about to send raining down upon him! The threehorn immediately realized he wouldn’t stand a chance if he stayed here as he would sooner or later be buried in this small crevice forever. With a sickening feeling in his stomach, Rinen knew he had only one way of escaping the potential tomb he had so voluntarily jumped into. The looming plain below him was too far for him to jump into just like that but maybe, just maybe, he could try to use the extremely steep hillside as a way to reach the ground without breaking every last of his bones.

As the first rocks began to fall upon him, the threehorn knew he had to act now or die here. With a quick move, he jumped on a small cliff sticking out of the wall, hoping he’d be able to use it as a platform to jump to the next possible cliff but those plans were ruined immediately. The ledge was far more slippery than he had anticipated and immediately as his feet touched it, Rinen lost his footing completely with grim consequences. He fell partially over the edge of the cliff and before he realized what had happened, he was sent falling against the hillside with no chance to direct his movements anymore. Rinen closed his eyes as he prepared for the inevitable hit, the knowledge that the sharptooth was still on his tail only worsening his mental state.

After a few brief seconds, the inevitable happened. Rinen concentrated all of his willpower to tone down his scream as he fell to the ground, a small bush toning down the hit somewhat. Nasty wounds covered most of the poor threehorn’s body as he started to examine his injuries. He had fallen headlong and he could feel a terrible agony radiating throughout his whole face and frill. However, Rinen soon realized his luck as it seemed like his limbs remained unbroken. Still trying to recover from his hit, he turned to look whether the sharptooth was still on his tail. To his astonishment, no trace of the predator could be seen just yet even if he knew it was only a matter of time until his life would again be forfeit. But for the second time, he had a small window to escape as his bleeding wasn’t as severe as he had initially thought. With a slight limp and forced movements, Rinen did his best to try create distance between him and the predator before it’d find its way here. Luckily to him, the wind was beginning to blow from behind him, complicating the sharptooth’s inevitable chase considerably. Now, he could only pray he’d be fast enough to lose his chaser for good, no matter how distant that prospect seemed at this point.

[rhombus]

It was only when his legs threatened to give out on him that Buko allowed himself to slow from his breakneck pace.  Against the gentle fluttering of his feathers against the wind and the pain in his legs, the only sensation that greeted his consciousness was the slightest amount of pressure against his back.  So he was able to hold on.

Buko turned around to briefly look at his terrified passenger before examining the scene behind him.  Between the desolation of the plains and the towering spires of the rocky hills stood only the sparsest of vegetation, some bushes and trees.  Not exactly the best scenery to hide within.

That works both ways though.  We would have the jump on him if he ever came back.

That was when it hit him.  Besides the swimmer he could see no one beside him.  Not the arrogant threehorn, nor his traveling companion for several days.  He knew that the threehorn was most likely doomed to be lunch, but surely she could have escaped?  He was tempted to run back, to see if she was anywhere to be found.

But that was when he saw the most welcome sight on the horizon.  The slightest hint of a purple head attached to a body of mottled brown and white feathers.  Smiling uncontrollably, he let out a grateful click with his beak.  "You made it!"

[Ducky123]

 

Posts:Samara heard the questions but was too tired to answer, besides, what should she say? That she was mysteriously afraid of the ground, without having a clear reason as to why she was? She could see that the longneck did not appreciate that she was not answering, so she decided to use a half-truth answer.

"I'm tired but it's not safe here, in the open. How will we be safe out here?"

Well, that was a good question wasn't it?

"It isn't," the girl mumbled quietly and sighed as she considered her options. Of course it wasn't safe out there, it never was. Whether walking under the Bright Circle or sleeping in a cavern, one was never truly safe out in the Mysterious Beyond. Of course there were ways to avoid being discovered by a predator but...

"There is no safety out here, whether we are sheltered or not. If a Sharptooth catches your scent it will find you..." Lizzie looked down sadly, having to disappoint the flyer like that but a harsh truth was better than a pleasant lie. "Look ahead, do you see anything else but this plain and flat desert? Where do you think we could find a safe place here even if we walked all night? It'd be a waste of energy..."

The longneck glanced at her compagnon in a mixture of expectancy and uncertainty. Would the flyer see reason, especially considering how paranoid she had been earlier? And if she didn't, would she give in lest to lose the flyer's company, however little of comfort it was for her?

[jorrdy12]

"There is no safety out here, whether we are sheltered or not. If a Sharptooth catches your scent it will find you... Look ahead, do you see anything else but this plain and flat desert? Where do you think we could find a safe place here even if we walked all night? It'd be a waste of energy..."

Samara knew that the longneck was right, it did not however hinder the fact that they were easy prey, both were tired and would not be able to run for a long time. One needed to watch the other while the other was sleeping. She knew not from hence this thought came, but Samara thought it was brilliant. One slept while the other kept watch, the question was however, who would sleep first, and who would keep watch first?

"I might have an idea. What if one slept while the other kept watch? That way we could regain energy but have enough time to run when we see a sharptooth."

[DarkWolf91]

Wyoh had glanced back after the stunt they pulled, only to see the Sharptooth in a rage, knocking boulders into the crevice that the Threehorn had been running for. She felt a rush of joy- he'd made it out alive after all! Though, she reflected, judging by the size of those boulders he wasn't likely to stay that way. She let her eyes follow the crevice further down to where the cliffs that edged it opened out into a broad plain. Her view was blocked by the angle of the rocks in several places, but if the crevice led straight through, the Threehorn just might survive. She put it out of her mind, knowing that there was nothing they could do until they were safe, and turned to try to catch up with Buko.

The sharptooth had disappeared from view what felt like leagues ago, and Wyoh had wanted to stop, too. Energy was precious- she had tried to call out to Buko, but he had pulled too far ahead, and yelling against the wind was useless. So, she kept up as steady a pace she could manage while still keeping him in her sights, falling farther behind all the while. With utmost relief she watched the small figure before her slow, and then stop. She nodded in response to his greeting, and in due time finally reached the place where he stood.

The fastrunner wobbled to a standstill and stared dumbly at her companion for a moment. The world was spinning in a way she didn't like, and it took a few light shakes of her head to steady her vision again. "Yes, I made it," her belated response came in a flat, exhausted voice. Her eyes widened a bit as she recognized the swimmer, still clinging to Buko's back. "I don't think it got the Threehorn, either," she mentioned, her expression fuzzy and vague. "He might have been crushed, though. I'm not sure." It was all she could do to stay standing, and an emotional reaction was far beyond her reach in that state.

[The Lone Dragon]

It had been over so quickly, Aquarius though he my have been holding onto the feathers of the Fast Runner's back had mainly been looking behind to see whether the poor Threehorn had somehow escaped being the Sharptooth's next meal and it started off good. The Sharptooth falling over and the Threehorn hiding in the crevice but things went sour pretty fast and Aquarius could only gaze on; astounded as the Threehorn ran from his rapidly degrading cover and jumped blindly off the cliff. However to Aquarius relief the Threehorn seemed alright though he was very badly banged up which only served to conflict his emotions as he still was not sure what he felt about the Threehorn, he had always retained that Threehorn's were big, untrustworthy jerks but his most recent trip through the caves and the help that he received from him made Aquarius question his previous views. Taking in the scene and tuning out the Fast Runner's Aquarius had a bad feeling that the Sharptooth would not leave them alone for long and when he finally came there would be no chance for the Threehorn to escape with his wounds without help.

"Oh my father would kill me for doing this" thought Aquarius as an idea formed in his head but he could not do it alone.

"Guy's we have to go back! The Threehorn is over there near the cliff" He pointed to Rinen. "He won't survive unless we carry him and we have to do that NOW!" He watched the Sharptooth starting to regain his baring's above. It was now or never.

[rhombus]

Buko could hardly believe his ears when the swimmer spoke.  His legs felt like they had been burned in a brush fire and his lungs sent pained protests to his brain with every breath.  He knew that a return into the fray would earn him nothing more than a physical collapse and eventually predation from the distant sharptooth.  A single look at his fellow fastrunner only confirmed the same diagnosis for her.  What the swimmer demanded was simply a bridge too far.

"Swimmer..." Buko's own voice surprised him as he practically croaked out his words.  The tone in which they were conveyed carried as much information as the words themselves. "That is not possible.  Huff...  Huff... The best that we can do is try to find water and see if he finds us."

Buko took a moment to catch his breath as the swimmer's desperate expression made him regret what he had said.  Food or not, the loss of a friend was no easy experience.  But they were on their last legs, and if food and water did not come soon then the threehorn would not be the only possible casualty on this day.

[Ducky123]

Lizzie gave the flyer a curious glance as she offered her proposal - a proposal the girl was far from declining. If both decided to sleep at the same time, they would be a free meal if some bad guy happened to discover them as they slumbered peacefully. However, if one of them kept watch that completely changed their odds.

"I like your idea, flyer; this should keep you and me save!" the longneck spoke in appreciation of the idea, a small smile appearing on her face. "Would you like me to keep watch first?"

Lizzie usually had trouble finding her night's sleep so she was more than fine with the first shift... if that was alright with her compagnon that was.

[DarkWolf91]

Wyoh's eyes widened at the swimmer's request- carry the threehorn? He wasn't full-grown, sure, but threehorns were dense and he looked like he probably outweighed either of the two fastrunners- she doubted they could even come close to lifting him, let alone run with him. She nodded at Buko's response, glad at least one of them was in his right mind.

"I think your injuries are clouding your head." She replied, her tone blunt but not unkind. Turning her gaze toward the area he had indicated, she could just make out the distant form of Rinen, leaving the cliff face and the sharptooth behind. The large predator was still thrashing at boulders, unaware of his prey's escape. "The threehorn's best hope right now is to not be seen, and if we all start running toward him, he'll definitely be seen." She tilted her head towards Buko's garish coloring and started to move again, picking up a slow pace in a direction roughly parallel to Rinen's, her legs aching in protest with every stride. "Buko's right. He'll need water as much as we do, if he gets away."

[Sovereign]

Every step he took was the fruit of a painful battle and Rinen knew he’d have to get away now if he wanted to live. He looked frantically around himself and in the far distance, he finally saw something that momentarily raised his hopes. Over twenty longneck lengths to his right, his eyes caught the sight of the two fast runners, apparently talking to each other. There seemed to be no trace of Aquarius, however, but he was too small for him to see this far anyway. The swimmer could be with the fast runners as far as he was concerned… which wasn’t a completely positive thing either. But deep down, the threehorn knew they were his best hope to live through this mess and he looked at the omnivores, praying in his mind that they’d turn towards him and come help him in his hour of need.

Yet, that hope never seemed to materialize. Seconds passed and the duo’s banter seemed to stretch on and on… until they suddenly turned around and sprinted straight away from him. Rinen stared after them for a short while while continuing his escape. Suddenly, the reality seemed to sink into his mind but it wasn’t a reality that was completely unexpected to the poor threehorn. To think even for a moment that anyone would stand up to him in this life seemed to be a fool’s hope as all his life, he had been but a burden to everyone around him. Yet, as always, he wouldn’t give up. He’d continue to search for a rescue as he always had and just as his legs seemed to be on the verge of collapse, Rinen saw the main entrance to the cavern, the same one he had created himself in order to escape its dark corridors and treacherous turns. Now, it would offer him one last hope to live through this most important of days.

With forced panting, Rinen’s body collapsed to a small, protected corner not far from the cave’s entrance, shielded by a wall blocking its view at the mouth of the rocky hall. He knew it offered him little protection should the predator chase him into the cave but that was the best chance he had. Rinen curled into an ever smaller ball as he heard the terrifying roar emanating from just outside the cave, cursing the fast runners’ cowardice as he fought to calm down his  desperate, saddened shudders.

[The Lone Dragon]

Aquarius growled to himself, the Threehorn helped him and as much as he despised his kind Aquarius still felt honour bound to help him but he was in no state to pull off a rescue and now the Fast Runners weren't either which was rather infuriating for him. He beat his fist hard onto The Fast Biter's back in his anger, completely forgetting that this was a living being he was hitting and not an object but his anger demanded immediate satisfaction and it was pure habit for him. "Dammit!" he hissed.

He turned back to the Threehorn and could barely see him struggling to escape and the Sharptooth still up on the side of the mountain, the cliff seemed to be hiding the Threehorn from sight but that would not last long. It was then that Aquarius felt a stab of guilt, he didn't even know the Threehorn's name yet this situation bore a striking resemblance to another event that flashed in his mind. The only difference was the role reversal. Aquarius was safe and the Threehorn was in danger but there was nothing he could do to help him. Aquarius turned away and back to both Fast Runner's who were still panting from there recent exertion, there was no way they could help either.

Aquarius looked over past them and remembering the view from the top of the cave and where the river was he said. "There's water down the hill, it's a long river beyond the tree wall" He resolved that he would hate himself if the Threehorn was killed but now he had to think of his own safety and that was where the water was and if the Threehorn survived then that is where he would go too.     

[jorrdy12]

"I like your idea, flyer; this should keep you and me save!" the longneck spoke in appreciation of the idea, a small smile appearing on her face. "Would you like me to keep watch first?"

Samara knew that with the events that had happened the last couple days, that it'd be best if she slept first. So she was glad when the Longneck gave that idea.

"That's fine with me," Samara replied, "Are you sure you can stay up that long though? It's been a tiring the last couple hours."

[Ducky123]

"That's fine with me," Samara replied, "Are you sure you can stay up that long though? It's been a tiring the last couple hours."

"Don't worry about me," the longneck replied in a serious voice as the flyer voiced up her concerns. There would be nothing to worry about since she was long used to the company of the Night Circle - quite frankly the only company she'd gotten during all this time spent journeying in loneliness.

"I have trouble falling asleep at night so there's no need to worry." With a slightly more upbeat expression, Lizzie added. "You can count on me, ok? I'll be doing the same during your watch."

[Hypno]

Every step he took was the fruit of a painful battle and Rinen knew he’d have to get away now if he wanted to live. He looked frantically around himself and in the far distance, he finally saw something that momentarily raised his hopes. Over twenty longneck lengths to his right, his eyes caught the sight of the two fast runners, apparently talking to each other. There seemed to be no trace of Aquarius, however, but he was too small for him to see this far anyway. The swimmer could be with the fast runners as far as he was concerned… which wasn’t a completely positive thing either. But deep down, the threehorn knew they were his best hope to live through this mess and he looked at the omnivores, praying in his mind that they’d turn towards him and come help him in his hour of need.

Yet, that hope never seemed to materialize. Seconds passed and the duo’s banter seemed to stretch on and on… until they suddenly turned around and sprinted straight away from him. Rinen stared after them for a short while while continuing his escape. Suddenly, the reality seemed to sink into his mind but it wasn’t a reality that was completely unexpected to the poor threehorn. To think even for a moment that anyone would stand up to him in this life seemed to be a fool’s hope as all his life, he had been but a burden to everyone around him. Yet, as always, he wouldn’t give up. He’d continue to search for a rescue as he always had and just as his legs seemed to be on the verge of collapse, Rinen saw the main entrance to the cavern, the same one he had created himself in order to escape its dark corridors and treacherous turns. Now, it would offer him one last hope to live through this most important of days.

With forced panting, Rinen’s body collapsed to a small, protected corner not far from the cave’s entrance, shielded by a wall blocking its view at the mouth of the rocky hall. He knew it offered him little protection should the predator chase him into the cave but that was the best chance he had. Rinen curled into an ever smaller ball as he heard the terrifying roar emanating from just outside the cave, cursing the fast runners’ cowardice as he fought to calm down his  desperate, saddened shudders.

The sharptooth neared the cave, attempting to sniff out the little bugger who had tried his best to evade the carnivore for so long. The predator had a hard time catching any sort of scent inside the cave nearby, oblivious to the hiding place of the threehorn. He slowly passed by the entrance, making the second mistake of this hunt by not checking the cave. The threehorn was blessed; the beast had walked off into the darkness.

[Sovereign]

The seconds passed on ever so slowly as Rinen listened to the endless darkness around him, expecting for the jaws of a sharptooth appear from the dark void and end his struggles in this world for good. The thought that his already broken life would come into a fitting ending, all alone and forgotten in this place was a fate the threehorn would be willing to accept, no matter how much he hoped it wouldn’t come to pass. Rinen stared into the cave around him but… the final attack never came. As the worst panic started to wear off, the boy realized he heard only his own fearful breathing, the scene around him deafening him with its complete silence. No sharptooth would be able to move completely silently, regardless of how much it tried. No matter how his emotions fought against that outcome, Rinen realized he was all alone. There was no trace of his supposed “friends” nor of the sharptooth That thought overwhelmed Rinen completely. He was safe.

His legs shuddered with pain and relief as he rose to his feet, willing to check if things truly were as they seemed. Despite the beast’s apparent absence, the threehorn put his feet to the ground with extreme care as he moved forward, not willing to take a chance of blowing his cover now. But everywhere he looked, there were no suspicious shadows nor moving forms: everything was completely still. For a short moment, Rinen hesitated as the overwhelming rays of the Bright Circle shone from the hole in the cavern’s wall, wondering whether it would be safe just yet to exit the cave. The sharptooth could still be nearby and if it would catch his scent again, it would be all over. But… he couldn’t hide in this dark hole forever, could he? Rinen’s face turned into an anxious frown as he headed towards the opening but to his astonishment, the sharptooth was nowhere to be seen. Slowly but surely, a wide smile crept to the boy’s face and he collapsed to the ground, completely stunned by his luck. He had already resigned to his fate but here he was, alive and nearly unscathed considering the circumstances! However, he was far from safe waters yet.

What now? I may be safe but I’m all alone once again. Those bastards probably left me to die on purpose! I only wish I knew what kind of face they’d make if they knew I still live! Heh, probably similar to my grandfather’s! But who cares about them right now? All I need at this point is some water…

Rinen realized his throat was completely dry and he glanced into the distance, his eyes slowly noticing something he had missed before. Far, far in the distance opened a narrow sliver of blue which could only be a distant river. Immediately, Rinen licked his lips, only thanking his luck that everything seemed to be falling into place now. However, a river would most likely draw other dinosaurs towards it as well, like sharpteeth or…

A sudden wave of bitterness washed over the threehorn as he realized that his companions could be heading that way as well. In the back of his mind he realized there was nothing they could have done to help him but the sight of the fast runners running away in his hour of need would be one he’d never forget. As for the swimmer, the threehorn’s thoughts were conflicted. If the fast runners hadn’t eaten him already, his flight hurt Rinen the most as the two had already shared one adventure but… what could a badly injured, young swimmer like him had done against the sharptooth? Rinen suddenly felt a headache invading his mind as he thought about the possible reunion, knowing it would not be either easy or pleasant. He simply gritted his teeth together as he once again headed downhill from the cave and towards the oasis of water in the middle of the driest parts of the Mysterious Beyond.

[The Lone Dragon]

It was a short but intense sprint later that the two Fastrunners along with Aquarius arrived at the winding river, they stopped under the shady canopy of the tall trees, there was still plenty of green on those branches that provided a welcome shade but at this time it wasn't the most welcome, all the trees did now was cast incredibly dark shadows on the moonlit ground. The river was flowing at a steady pace that wouldn't pose any danger if someone were to fall in unless they could not swim.

Aquarius jumped from the blue Fast Runner's back and landed on his legs which buckled at such and impact and sent him sprawled on his knees but he quickly recovered and walked into the shallow water next to the bank and sat down though with a loud grimace when the cold water touched his scrapes. Aquarius allowed his wounds to soak in the waters as his mind went onto the wondering trial.

He had escaped and the Threehorn's fate was unknown and he was stuck with two Fast Runner which only made him feel more unsettled, he didn't trust any egg stealers; they who took so many of his younger siblings. The young Swimmer knew that he was in no state to fight them and they were more then capable of having him for there next meal which was not something Aquarius found desirable.

What Aquarius really wanted was to find his family again, he just had to believe that some of them survived but pursuing this course only brought more trouble to his mind. He knew that the chances of him ever seeing his family again were miniscule and not only was he separated from them but he had no clue where he was or which way to go nor was he in a state to do much traveling, he rubbed the grazes on his arms. He didn't know what to do. Looking down at his depressed reflection Aquarius sniffed and shed a tear. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore" he whispered in a shaky voice.

However he was startled from his thoughts by the feeling of his small body being hit by one of the waves coming from the middle of the river and as soon as it touched him he gasped and jumped from the water in fright, landing on his back he pushed himself backwards, hyperventilating and his eyes wide open as he saw the terrifying wave that had taken him from his family strike him, he almost felt it and that only frightened him more as he trembled and hyperventilated even faster as he lay backed up at the base of a tree struggling to regain his composure. 

[rhombus]

Buko had been lost in his own thoughts ever since they had abandoned the threehorn.  True, they had only just met this small swimmer and young threehorn.  And, true, in any other time the threehorn would have been a mere threat and the swimmer a potential meal.  However... something did not sit right with him.  It was one of the first times in his life where he was convinced they had made the right choice, but also convinced that the right choice sucked.

That was when the sudden fear of the swimmer and his retreat to the tree broke him of his introspection.  In a flurry of movement he sprang away from the stream, fearing a bellydragger ambush.  It was only when the seconds ticked by that he realized that no predator was present.

Poor guy is probably spooked.  Can't blame him.  That was when another thought hit him.  Well, swimmers usually hang around other swimmers all the time, right?  Maybe the guy could use some company?

He coughed a bit.  He wasn't exactly the best conversationalist.

"I think the water is clear, but you can never be too careful," he began as he turned his violet head towards the herbivore while keeping his distance, "We fastrunners often stick to the shallows or where water-plants are so that we know if anything is coming.  Is they what you swimmers do as well?"

[DarkWolf91]

Wyoh could see nothing but the river as its shimmering surface came closer and closer, and could barely think as her shaking legs finally came to a stop at its edge. She took gulp after gulp of the cool, clear water until her stomach hurt, then limped over to the shade of a tree on the bank, collapsing beneath it. She tucked her head beneath her feathered arm. The world was too much, and she needed to shut it out.

But she couldn't shut out her own mind. Exhaustion hit her like a mountain of falling rocks, and she couldn't help but think about the threehorn. Like that day so long ago with her little sister, she had run, run, run, and not looked back. Were either of them still alive? Did it matter?

She lifted her head at Aquarius' gasp, and stared over at him listlessly. He didn't seem to be in danger, and all the better. She was spent. "If a bellydragger shows up, tell it to go eat its own tail," the fastrunner grumbled, tucking her head once more under her arm.

[The Lone Dragon]

Aquarius was hardly in any mood for answering questions from the Fast Runners but from what he gathered the tall one thought it was a predator that had scared him when that guess was no even close. "There is no Belly Dragger" he said hastily, his composure seemed to be coming back but he his mind was still a mess of images and emotions from that terrible day. He waited till he could breath properly again but was a little surprised to see that the smaller blue Fast Runner was still watching him, awaiting his reply and with a more calm head on his shoulders, Aquarius was finally able to give him an answer. "We go anywhere in the water, I like going down deep" His answer gave him a little comfort in thinking of his hobbies, particularly diving on a breath and going down as far as possible to explore.

However it also made him a little curious himself as he looked at the Fast Runners. He may have been glad that they were friendly but he didn't know if it was a ruse but he knew that if they wanted to eat him then he would not be talking to them now. However his distrust remained after all it had been Fast Runners and Flyers that had killed many of his mother's eggs and his younger siblings and that was not something that made a good starting basis but it is what Aquarius began with. "I've heard you eat meat and plants and that you steal 'helpless, defensless' eggs and babies from under there mother's noses as a way to prove you are brave" He said in a bitter tone, with a little bit to his words as he wanted to make it perfectly clear that he didn't trust them.

He deliberately kept his mouth shut on the real reason for his previous outburst as he was in no state to bring it up again and considering what he just said, his words would probably keep them occupied on a different track then the one that he had just confronted.