The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => LBT Fanfiction => Topic started by: Dosu2Dinner on January 18, 2013, 08:16:37 AM
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Hi guys. Here is my first attempt at LBT fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it...
Prologue
There is no greater myth than the stillness of the night.
Under the shimmering gaze of the Great Night Circle, the quiet atmosphere was split in two by the racket of a monumental battle.
As the loud bellows, roars and thuds could be heard issuing from deep within a small forest upon a hill, trees were sent toppling like twigs, and small animals flew or scurried away in fright. Among these in this hurried exodus was young Twoclaw (tyrannosaurid) Sharptooth, her iconic silhouette burned against the night sky.
The young predator paused in her escape, turning her gaze back towards the ferocious fight, her emerald green eyes glistening with wonder and fear. She couldn’t stay long, however, which she knew – especially with the rockslide making its way down the hill…
She turned tail and continued to flee, but soon found herself getting gathered up by these the descending rocks, tumbling head-over-heels down the steep tor, before she was flung clean out of the way…
As the titanic battle continued, a young cyan bladeback was seen hurriedly skidding down the fallen rocks. He swept his amber eyes over the scene of post-disaster, until he saw a figure he recognised – a snow-white young female twoclaw, whose body was adorned with elegant black stripes, was laying several metres away.
He hurried over to her and nudged her roughly with his snout.
“C’mon, Saureen,” he said. “We’ve gotta move!”
Saureen gave a soft moan as she feebly attempted to stagger to her feet.
“Seizon…” she murmured. “I don’t think I can…” she swayed slightly on the spot.
Seizon grabbed her.
“You’ve got to,” he said, shortly. “We can’t stay here. We’re heading west.”
These words were a slight surprise to Saureen. She fixed Seizon with a penetrating emerald stare.
“Why west?”
Seizon narrowed his eyes.
“Because,” he replied. “That’s what I’ve been told. Now, we need to hurry, because-”
That was as far as he got, when a blizzard of gravel and stones hammered the ground in front of them. An animal had just landed on top of the rockslide. A massive, angry animal, which let out a gargantuan bellow…
Grabbing the younger sharptooth firmly by the arm, Seizon fled, and with the stomping that he heard in his wake, the creature was undoubtedly following. He continued to half-drag Saureen off into the night, until he noticed a massive fissure in the ground just ahead of him. Just what he needed…
Taking a calculated risk, he sprinted towards the edge of the fissure before leaping with all his strength.
Whilst suspended in mid-air, he flung Saureen’s limp but conscious form away from him, hoping their momentum would take her to the other side. He was lucky – Saureen’s zebra-patterned body hit the other side of the fissure and rolled away from the precipice. Now all he had to do was focus on getting himself there too…
It was fortunate for him that bladebacks were blessed with long arms. Clinging onto the edge of ground with his fore-claws he was able to haul himself up.
“Hey, Saureen,” he said, nudging her again. “You OK?”
Saureen slowly raised her head off the ground. She gave an affirmative nod, but then her eyes widened as she looked past Seizon’s shoulder.
On the other side of the fissure, the animal pursuing them stood still. Although the two young sharpteeth could only see the silhouette, they could tell exactly what it was. If the evil yellow glint of its eyes didn’t confirm it, its tall frame and menacingly spiky body was enough…
“Did you ever believe the legends?” Saureen whispered. Seizon gave an uncomfortable twitch. No, he had never believed, not since he was a hatchling. Those sorts of scare stories, he thought, were sure to have been made up – but now, the physical evidence was right before his eyes.
“The longneck with a sting in its tail,” Saureen murmured. “A huge flattooth with spikes covering every part of its body…”
“I know the story,” Seizon interrupted. “And I can see this beast for myself…” He turned to his companion.
“Gawping at this thing is not going to do anything for us,” he said. “We need to move.”
“What about our families?” Saureen demanded.
Seizon hesitated. That was a tricky one…
“If I know your dad,” he said, “Then it’ll take more than a spiky longneck to finish him off. I’m sure he’s just lying unconscious somewhere…”
Saureen twitched slightly and this tactless remark, but didn’t breach the subject.
“OK,” she continued. “And what about Xal?”
Seizon gave a short snicker.
“Oh, he’ll be absolutely fine…don’t worry.”
The young bladeback began to walk away. Saureen followed him.
“What about our families?” Seizon remarked. “We’ve got each other, haven’t we?”
“We’re not related,” Saureen said shortly. “We’re different species…”
“So what?” Seizon replied, smiling at her a little. “We’ve lived together for as long as we can remember. You’re like a little sister to me.”
Saureen rolled her eyes, but smiled back.
“OK,” she said. “Now let’s just get moving.”
And so the two of them began their perilous journey west…watched, as they did so, by the longneck stranded on the other side of the chasm. Although he couldn’t understand the sharptooth language, he could see where they were headed, and he knew exactly what they’d find if they headed west…
The longneck turned away from the chasm and hurried off.
OK, so its not very long, but hey, its a prologue. :lol
I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope this is the correct procedure in posting fanfiction on this forum, otherwise I've made a really bad screw-up... :oops
I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback. Although I am slightly sensitive to criticism, I am happy to hear any advice any of you have on improving this story, though remember, its still in its early stages. The plot hasn't taken off yet!
Oh, and if anyone is interested in doing fanart for this, then please do! I will look forward to it! :DD
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How do you feel about some good old constructive criticism?
first, it is good to split up your paragraphs more. It just make it easier for people reading anything to follow along and not lose their place.
Something like...
There is no greater myth than the stillness of the night.
Under the shimmering gaze of the Great Night Circle, the quiet atmosphere was split in two by the racket of a monumental battle.
As the loud bellows, roars and thuds could be heard issuing from deep within a small forest upon a hill, trees were sent toppling like twigs, and small animals flew or scurried away in fright. Among these in this hurried exodus was young Twoclaw (tyrannosaurid) Sharptooth, her iconic silhouette burned against the night sky.
The young predator paused in her escape, turning her gaze back towards the ferocious fight, her emerald green eyes glistening with wonder and fear. She couldn’t stay long, however, which she knew – especially with the rockslide making its way down the hill…
Basically, whenever you press enter, press it twice, so each line of dialogue or descriptive paragraph is slit up better.
Now, I really love how you're using very varied language, like you keep using different words to describe things and characters. That makes anything more interesting to read, and helps the reader not be bored by reading the same things over and over again.
The story itself looks very interesting so far, with two different young (I think they're young) sharpsheeth running away from some kind of horrific beast. From how you described the big beast, kinda sounds like the Lone Dinosaur that Chomper saw in one of his nightmares in the TV series! :lol Is that a real dinosaur?
They are different species, but for one reason or another, they've been friends. They're gonna help each other out of any bad situation, because that's what friends do.
I don't know where this is going. (It's the prologue after all) But you've got me interested with this pair starting to go on some kind of journey to the west.
EDIT: what does Venation Venatus mean? I've just never heard that before.
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Thanks!!! Glad you enjoyed it. :DD :DD :lol: :DD :lol:
Yes, the animal chasing them does seem very similar to the Lone Dinosaur thing from Chomper's dream, but to be honest that wasn't my original intention.
The longneck in this is actually based off an Early Cretaceous sauropod that lived in South America, called Agustinia ligabuei and it had rows of spikes down its neck, back and tail.
And thanks very much for the tip about paragraphing! I normally do a double line space between changes in perspective, though I think I may try doing it as a regular paragraph break, as you suggested.
Next chapter, the plot shall pick up, and you'll get more background about these two and what they're doing.
And...sorry I haven't read your fics yet vonboy. :oops I've just never quite got round to it - I was extremely physched about posting this. XD.
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EDIT: what does Venation Venatus mean? I've just never heard that before.
It's roughly Latin for 'Hunting Game.' You'll find out why soon enough, I hope...
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That's a good prologue,I'm interested to read more of Venatione Venatus :)
Is this a strictly LBT fanfiction or is this a crossover?
I'm very interested in the meaning of this title :D
venatus is Latin and means game and venatione might be the ablative case...
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That's a good prologue,I'm interested to read more of Venatione Venatus :)
Is this a strictly LBT fanfiction or is this a crossover?
Thanks!
And its strictly LBT. I don't much like crossovers, unless they're humourous.
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That's good!!! I don't like them,too :)
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Very interesting. You have a very suspenseful style of writing. I like how easily drawn I got into the story.
Your characters seem very interesting as well. Will you post info of them soon?
Keep up the good work :)
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"The hunted hunting".
A very colourful and dynamic story. Nothing to complain about so far.
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Either way, the title is something to do with hunting. :lol
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:D never trust Google Translate!!! :lol:
That title sounds very interesting, I really like to read more of this story :)
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Sooooo...
Who's ready for the next chapter? :lol
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I sure am! :DD
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Meeeeeeee :DD
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Yeah, I'd love to get an idea of where this storie's gonna be going, by...um, reading the next chapter and seeing how's it going. :DD
EDIT: It's my 2000th POST! I'm buying me and my pet Chomper a whole side of a longneck to celebrate!
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Yeah, I'd love to get an idea of where this storie's gonna be going, by...um, reading the next chapter and seeing how's it going. :DD
EDIT: It's my 2000th POST! I'm buying me and my pet Chomper a whole side of a longneck to celebrate!
Congrats, mate! And here it is!!!!!!!!
(Note: An asterisk * means a change in time and/or point of view)
Chapter One: Hazy Mornings
As the golden rays of the Bright Circle burned its way across the sky to the tune of the dawn chorus, it shone through the translucent wings of a resting skinny buzzer (dragonfly).
It shivered its wing-cases slightly, making the most of the dawn – light and warmth before the area was bustling full of activity.
Unfortunately for the buzzer, this moment had already arrived.
The insect was being carefully watched. A pair of sinister beady eyes was fanatically fixed upon its prey, the predator behind them preparing to pounce…
It seemed to happen in slow motion.
The buzzer saw its hunter leap from the undergrowth, its enormous jaws opened wide. In fright, the insect took off, just as the jaws closed around the branch it had been resting upon just seconds before.
As the skinny buzzer took to the wing, its predator made a noise of dissatisfaction.
“Euurrgh,” Chomper groaned, spitting out the mouthful of plant matter he had gained through his hunting hazards. “Sometimes I think they rest on it just to annoy me…”
He fixed his gaze upon his prey again.
“Alright then,” he growled. “Let’s see you try that again!”
Chomper jumped up and snapped at the buzzer now hovering annoyingly above his head. It darted out of the way just in the nick of time, and Chomper snarled again in frustration.
He leapt up and snapped again, but by this time the insect had got the message. It zipped higher into the air, and quickly coasted away over the treetops.
Chomper sighed and slumped down onto the ground.
“Flying insects are much more trouble than they’re worth,” he muttered, absent-mindedly scratching his shoulder.
It was true. Skinny buzzers, stinging buzzers, the lot of them were very difficult to get hold of, and even when he did, Chomper found they didn’t satisfy his hunger as much as they used to…
“Hey Chomper, what are you doing out here alone and all by yourself?”
Chomper looked up to see a familiar pink, feathery form approach him.
“Hi, Ruby,” he replied. “I’ve been trying to catch breakfast. And my breakfast has been trying to avoid me all morning.” Ruby grinned.
“I saw a hive of stinging buzzers on my way over here,” she said. “Maybe you can…”
But Chomper wasn’t listening. He had finally seen something to take the edge off his hunger.
A small green lizard, sitting atop a log. Motionless, unaware…
Making a split second decision, Chomper pounced.
The lizard made a frantic attempt to get away, but Chomper, now highly trained in this skill, simply slammed his foot on top of his prey. The lizard now immobilised, Chomper ducked down and quickly decapitated the animal with his jaws. He gulped down the head of the creature, before noticing Ruby’s slightly nauseated expression.
“Umm…sorry…” Chomper muttered, grinning sheepishly. Though considering his teeth were stained with crimson flecks owing to the lizard’s blood, this apology didn’t seem particularly profound.
Nevertheless, Ruby smiled again.
“That’s OK,” she said. “It’s not like I’ve never seen anything like it before. Just be careful who you eat in front of, OK?”
Chomper, returning the smile, nodded, and ducked his head down to continue to tear at the lizard carcass.
“Once you’re done eating,” Ruby continued, “Come to the grass slopes near the Thundering Falls. Littlefoot’s preparing a game of Pointy Seed Bowling.”
“OK!” Chomper complied happily. “Just tell Cera – I’m gonna win this time!”
*
The Bright Circle burned fiercely on Saureen’s scales as she trudged through the thick vegetation, snapping at the swarming biters that kept irking her, without success. She was stiff, tired and just generally fed up. She gazed irritably at Seizon, who was walking in front of her. Apparently, he knew exactly where they were going, and it was ëflawless.’ Well, of course it was. The instructions had been given to him by Xal…
Xal was Seizon’s stepfather, and Seizon simply worshipped him. For some part, Saureen could see why – both of Seizon’s had died when he was still quite young. His father had been the victim of a violent earthshake before Seizon had even hatched, and his mother had succumbed to a mysterious disease that nobody could identify a couple of years later.
Despite the fact that Xal was the only father figure Seizon had ever known, Saureen didn’t see any reason why Seizon should act like a submissive servant before him. Seizon was an extremely head-strong independent individual – surely he could have made his own decisions about what they should have done following the attack? Instead, he had blindly followed Xal’s instructions to head west on a wild fast-runner chase, which they were fighting through now.
With this conclusion firmly in her head, Saureen finally decided to voice her concerns.
“Seizon, this is ridiculous. We need to settle somewhere. My feet are killing me…”
Seizon didn’t even turn around.
“We will do so soon enough,” he replied.
Saureen rolled her eyes.
“In case you haven’t noticed, rockhead, we’ve been wandering west for a whole Night Circle Cycle, and we haven’t gotten ANYWHERE.”
“What makes you so sure?” Seizon demanded, surprising Saureen by turning around to face her.
“Do actually know where we are?” he continued.
“No…”
“Exactly.” Seizon turned back to the direction in which he was walking. “Now shut up. I think I’ve worked it out…yes!”
He turned, beaming, back to his weary companion.
“Come on!” he said, excitedly, pointing to a slowly ascending pile of brown rocks.
“Up that! You’ll see where we are once we get to the top.”
Saureen gave an overrated sigh, but followed nonetheless.
As they climbed up this rocky colossus, Saureen couldn’t help by notice it had a distinctive shape. But of what?
The answer came to her when she reached an almost completely vertical column of boulders.
“This whole rock is shaped like a longneck…” she murmured.
“Yep!” Seizon replied. “Now, climb up its neck, and I’ll show you exactly what I’m talking about!”
It was a tricky climb, but eventually, the two young sharpteeth managed to perch themselves on top of the head.
“This had better be good, Seizon,” Saureen groaned, as he helped her up. “Or else I’ll…”
She broke off when she surveyed the landscape below her. Carved between great mountainous walls was a lush green paradise of rolling hills and fresh water. Saureen had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.
“Where…?” she whispered hoarsely.
“The Great Valley,” Seizon replied coolly.
Saureen looked at him.
“I thought that was only a legend,” she said.
“Oh no,” Seizon said. “It’s real. Very real…and this colossus we’re standing on is called Saurus Rock. Apparently, it’s supposed to protect these inhabitants…”
He narrowed his eyes with disdain as herds of flatteeth came into view in the far distance.
“Well, what are we here for?” Saureen demanded. “Why did Xal send us here?”
“Maybe…” Seizon murmured, his eyes sweeping over the landscape. “Maybe…we’re supposed to take it over?”
“Oh please!” Saureen was angry now. “We’re just kids! A single longneck could squash us flat without blinking an eye. Let’s just go – we’ll get on with that pack we formed last night. Those guys won’t want to be kept waiting anyway…”
“Wait.” Seizon held up a claw to silence her. “Smell that…”
Winds from all over the valley were zeroing in on the two youngsters as they stood there, carrying with them the enticing aromas from all sorts of leaf-eating dinosaurs – longnecks, threehorns, flyers, hollow-horns, duckbills, clubtails…enough to make their mouths water.
But mixed in with all of these appetising whiffs was the unmistakable scent of a…
“Sharptooth?” Saureen was astonished. “Another sharptooth in the valley?”
“A twoclaw about our own age, I believe,” Seizon added, taking a closer sniff.
He stopped and smiled.
“You see!” he grinned at Saureen. “Xal knew exactly what he was doing! Come on, let’s go find this twoclaw!”
“What??”
“Well, you said yourself – a longneck could crush a kid like us easily. If the poor little fool came to the valley in the hope of getting a meal, he’s not going to get much luck. He could get killed.” The bladeback had a wry smile on his face.
“I know you wouldn’t want that to happen!”
Saureen gave a grunt of annoyance before following him off of Saurus Rock.
*
“Well,” Seizon muttered. “This is unexpected…”
They had quickly managed to locate the twoclaw. He was a small, indigo-coloured young fella, who, instead of chasing or being chased by flatteeth, was playing with them.
There he was, in the company of a longneck, a threehorn, a spiketail, a bigmouth, a flyer and a fast-runner, happily integrated and making the same exited grunting noises that they were.
Watching from behind a large cycad plantation, Saureen couldn’t help but be drawn to this curious sight. Did this twoclaw know he was a sharptooth? Did his companions? It was certainly an interesting thing to think about…and interesting was certainly the word to describe this young sharptooth.
Seizon’s snide voice cut across her thoughts.
“He looks like an undernourished hatchling. And I thought we were going to meet a proper twoclaw!”
“Seizon,” Saureen frowned disapprovingly. “He’s done plenty of things we have never even dreamed of. He lives with flatteeth. He can even speak flattooth…”
“Anyone can speak flattooth,” Seizon retorted. “All you have to do is squeak and grunt…”
“Well, for all we know, they could be a lot more sophisticated than that,” Saureen snapped back.
“Oh yeah?” Seizon growled. “We’re talking about our food here – creatures that munch on plants. How can they be sophisticated?”
“Maybe we should ask him.” Saureen spoke with a forced calm.
Seizon sighed.
“Alright – I can’t think of any other reason for Xal sending us here…but we can’t let the flatteeth see us. If we can get him on his own, and then question him about it, he could make a valuable part of our pack.”
“Well, you seem to have changed your mind quickly,” Saureen countered. “A moment ago, he was all; ëovergrown hatchling,’ and now you want him as part of our hunting pack?”
“I expect that’s what Xal wanted,” Seizon replied, shrugging. “And we’ve got to do what he says.”
“Why???” Saureen demanded.
Seizon rounded on her.
“Maybe just because you’ve got a nuclear family you think you can doss around with rules and boundaries,” he snarled. “But Xal is all I have, and I have to show him that he means so much to me. If that means trekking west, then I’ll do it. If it means picking up a total weirdo and putting him in our pack, then I’ll do it. If it means trying to take down a whole herd of longnecks on my own, then I’ll do it. He’s all I have. And I want to make it clear he’s worth every minute of it.”
Saureen, though quite perplexed by this little outburst, gently touched him on the arm.
“You’ve got me,” she said.
Seizon half-smiled and turned his attention back to the indigo sharptooth.
“Sure,” he said. “Now let’s see what this sap-sucker does next…”
*
“That takes it up to eight!” Cera crowed, prancing back to join the others. “Beat that if you can, Chomper!”
Chomper was set.
“Alright!” he declared. “I will!”
He placed the spherical rock in front of him and judged the distance between himself and the upright pointy seeds. He needed at least two to bring his score up to Cera’s eight. Chomper was fairly confident he could top that.
Taking a run-up, he head-butted the rock towards the seeds. The rock simply sailed over them, tumbled down the hill, landed with a resounding splash into the fast water at the bottom of the mound and was swept away.
There was a brief pause, until finally Cera gave a snigger.
“I think that makes me a clear winner…”
“Sorry about that, guys,” Chomper murmured. “I’ve never done that before…”
“Maybe you just getting stronger,” Petrie remarked. “My mum always tell me that eating plenty of treestars make you BIIIIIIG and strong…”
“But Petrie,” Ducky replied. “Chomper doesn’t eat treestars…”
“Oh yeah…”
“Don’t worry!” Chomper suddenly piped up. “I’ll go and get it!”
“You sure?” Littlefoot asked. “We can always do something else if you want…”
“No way!” Chomper replied. “I’m not losing to Cera this time!”
And with that, he ran off.
*
Fortunately, the fast water had washed the rock onto the bank near the Thundering Falls. Chomper bent down to pick it up, when…
“Interesting little gang you have there,” said a voice behind him.
As if having a voice suddenly crop up behind you wasn’t enough, the voice had spoken…in sharptooth. Chomper hadn’t heard anyone speak directly to him in his native language for ages.
He whirled round to see a cyan bladeback his own age standing there, smiling slightly. It was a polite smile, but there was no mistaking the malice in his amber eyes.
“What are you doing here?” Chomper demanded in sharptooth.
The bladeback’s eyes widened.
“So you can speak?” he said. “Good! I though sticking around with that livestock would have numbed your brain a little…”
A little flame of anger erupted in the pit of Chomper’s stomach.
“That ëlivestock,’ as you put it, are my friends,” he growled.
“Oh really?” the bladeback replied coldly. “Well, I have an important job to do, and no pathetic scavenger is going to get in the way of that.”
Before Chomper could open his mouth to retort, another young sharptooth (a twoclaw, like him) wandered into his line of vision from behind some ferns. Her striped scales were of such breath-taking beauty that Chomper forgot what he was doing for a moment.
“Seizon,” the girl said. “You’re always all talk and no action. We need to get moving. We’ll be noticed soon.”
“Hmm…yeah, you’re right,” the bladeback agreed, and without warning, he grabbed one of Chomper’s upper arms, whilst the twoclaw grabbed the other.
Quickly moving into a sprint, they slammed Chomper headlong into a nearby tree. Dazed, he collapsed onto the ground, his vision swimming before him and stars dancing mockingly in front of his eyes.
“Dammit,” he could hear the bladeback say. “Pesky twoclaw skulls are as hard as ever…we’re going to need something else to get this guy out cold…aha!”
Chomper didn’t like the sound of that. He made to stand up, but then a hand pushed him down.
“Don’t,” he heard the female twoclaw whisper. “It’ll be over very shortly…”
Through the hazy coloured blurs, Chomper could see the bladeback walking towards him, carrying a large spherical rock that looked strangely familiar…
Oh damn.
Chomper didn’t remember anymore.
~0~
And there you have it!!!!! Tell me what you think, etc, and I hope you're satisfied with the spacing this time! :smile Anyway, enjoy. I'm also interested in hearing where you think this story will go. I won't confirm anything, due to spoilers, but I love to hear fan's theories! :DD
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I've read the new chapter, and the introduction again, and I've noticed some small errors this time. In the introduction Saureen was described as having an iconic silhouette. Why would it be iconic? The story had just begun, and the reader knows nothing about the setting and characters. There's no prior context from which the character would derive her fame. Maybe you should have used "tiny", "slim" or "fleeting".
There's also the part where Saureen asks about her father, and Seizon replies: "It'll take more than a spiked longneck to finish him off. Maybe he's lying unconscious somewhere?" (this might not be the exact quote, I'm writing from memory). I see that this is supposed to convey Seizon's recklessness, but the problem is that lying unconscious is exactly the state where anybody could be finished off easily, and even to Seizon this would have to seem illogical. Not to mention that Saureen's reaction is unusually cold to this remark. You should change this sentence.
In the first chapter, not only can Seizon and Saureen smell Chomper among all the Great Valley dinosaurs from Saurus Rock, but they can even determine his age. OK, since we have no idea how sharp is the sharptooth's sense of smell supposed to be, this can fly. This is not really an error, I just want you to rethink if you want stick with this. If you want to keep the sharptooth's very strong sense of smell, you should be aware that this could have significant influence on the rest of the plot. You will have to keep this ability in mind all the time.
Also, during the following conversation on Saurus Rock Seizon mentions the term "nuclear family", and when Seizon and Saureen watch Chomper play, Chomper is described as being "well integrated". These sociological terms, while being precise and used correctly, nevertheless look out of place. They don't fit into the overall style of the story.
There! You need to modify a few sentences and the story will be technically almost flawless (perfection can't be achieved, and it would be preposterous for a foreigner like me to even claim to know how should perfect English look like. Maybe I have overplayed my hand already).
As for the artistic side of the story, keep up the good work! :yes Just don't slow the story down. The tempo is alright now.
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The reason I referred to Saureen's sillouette as iconic is because she's a T.rex, and a T.rex could be easily recognised. I guess I didn't think that through too, but at the time that sounded alright.
As for the 'lying unconsious somewhere' even though being unconsious puts you in a perfect position to be finished off, its better than lying dead, and considering the reckless, often violent world, unconsious is about as good as you can get. And Saureen reacted coldly to this, because, as you said, this comment was rather uncaring and snide. You may be right though, I'll think about changing it. Not sure what to though...
As for their sense of smell, I see it like this: On top of their vantage point, with wind blowing in from all directions, their ability to pick out scents would have been increased tenfold. OK, so I may not be too accurate with the physics in the that one, but hey this is LBT. XD.
Anyway, thanks for your feedback.
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loooolllll, they're kidnapping Chomper :DD
I expected them to be friends( but maybe that comes later ;) )
This fanfiction is going to be great :) really!!
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Definitely an interesting meeting with Chomper.
Loved the "livestock" comment. Not sure how dinosaurs would know about terms like that, but it's your story.
So, their gonna try to take over the valley? Hmm, seems like their gonna get some different ideas down the line, what with that "beast" that still has to be dealt with, and Siezon's dad that's still MIA.
I'm looking forward your kid OC's meeting the Gang, as I kinda foresee that happening.
Also, I'm getting an idea of who the real antagonist is gonna be, but I won't tell other people here. My lips are sealed.
Keep it up, I wanna see how this thing unfolds!
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Also, I'm getting an idea of who the real antagonist is gonna be, but I won't tell other people here. My lips are sealed.
Oooh, tell me by personal message. I'm always interested to hear fan theories. :DD
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Purely based on what has been said, one character is likelier to be the villain, but not overwhelmingly so. Vonboy, do you base your conclusions on just what's been presented so far, or does your much greater experience with LBT fanfiction also shape your expectations?
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Purely based on what has been said, one character is likelier to be the villain, but not overwhelmingly so. Vonboy, do you base your conclusions on just what's been presented so far, or does your much greater experience with LBT fanfiction also shape your expectations?
Well, I'm also basing it on the character bios that Dosu posted up in another thread. Maybe I shouldn't have read those till later. And anyway, Even if my guess of who the real villain will be is right, how it's gonna play out is still up in the air. I don't know how the author is gonna choose to develop the characters, what situations the author will put them in, or anything like that yet.
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21.5 kilograms. For a story like this, that's a special number. I'm not sure if it extends to dinapsids, but in mammals at least that's the magic weight limit where a predator cannot possibly sustain itself off of invertebrates. Anything that weighs more needs to take vertebrate prey to fuel it's body, particularly for obligate carnivores like a T Rex.
This particular story comes up a lot, and everyone knows why: it has almost limitless appeal for a good story. Your outside characters, however, are a spin I've never seen before. I'm interested to see how it ends up shaping the story. Very nice! Keep going! I want more!
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Thanks, Loyfe! The next chapter is in progress!
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And here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! :lol:
Chapter Two: Struck Out
Cera sighed and rolled over onto her back.
“Chomper has been ages!” she complained. “Where the hell has he even got to?”
“I’m not sure…” Ruby muttered. “He may have simply stopped to eat. He was having difficulty getting breakfast earlier.”
“Breakfast, huh?” Cera gave a joking grin. “I hope he cleans up…”
Littlefoot turned to Ruby.
“How is his eating going? He told me the other day he’s finding it hard to get as much food as he used to…”
“Oh no, he’s fine,” Ruby assured. “It’s just he’s getting slightly too big for insects now. He managed to kill a lizard earlier, though, so it’s all good.”
Cera rolled back over onto her front.
There was uneasy look on her face.
“Insects, then lizards…” she murmured. “What’s the next stage?”
Predictably, everyone scowled at her.
“Cera, Chomper isn’t like that!” Littlefoot snapped, his mood changing instantly.
Cera rolled her eyes.
“Yeah – I know that, and you know that…but unfortunately not everyone does. If they see him chasing lizards, they’re gonna start thinking he’ll be a saliva-dripping predator looking for dinosaur flesh before long…I mean, WE know that’ll never happen, but when the grown-ups have got their mind made up about something…” she shuddered. “They won’t be stopped by anything.”
It took the other five a few moments to work out what she was saying.
Finally Petrie nodded.
“Yeah…” he murmured. “I mean, your dad be real mad if he…”
“Excuse me!” Cera interjected forcefully. “Who said anything about my dad?”
“Well…”
Cera rounded on Ducky.
“Did you hear me say anything about my dad?” she demanded.
“Umm…no, I didn’t, nope, nope, nope…” Ducky replied meekly.
Cera turned her head to Spike.
“How ëbout you, Spike?”
Spike was shaking his head before she had even finished speaking. Cera then rounded on Littlefoot and Ruby.
“What about you two, huh? Did either of you hear me mention my dad??”
“Uh…no…”
“Well,” Cera said briskly, turning around and beginning to walk away. “In that case, stop bringing him up and making fun of him all the time. You don’t think I get a little tired of it sometimes? Tired of you constantly criticizing him, making a mockery – he’s alright once you get to know him, you know, and I’ve met far worse people who’d be prepared to chase Chomper out of the valley without batting an eyelid, so will you guys JUST SHUT UP AND GIVE ME AND MY FAMILY A BREAK?????”
She had gotten louder as this rant progressed, until she was positively screaming by the end of it. Then, she turned her back on then, sitting defiantly on the top of the hill, staring off into the horizon.
Her five friends all exchanged looks. Cera often got into moods like this, but outbursts such as the one that had just taken place were more of a rarity. If Cera was reacting like this to something rather commonplace, there was definitely something going on they didn’t know about.
Eventually, Ducky gingerly stepped forward, and placed her hand in what she hoped was a reassuring manner on the young threehorn’s back.
To her horror, Cera’s cerulean blue eyes were swimming with tears, which were slowly dripping down onto the ground.
Immediately, the other four drew in close to them in a circle of comfort.
“Cera…” Ducky probed gently. “What is wrong?”
“It’s…it’s,” Cera sobbed. “My dad and Tria. They’ve…they’ve been arguing.”
“What about?” Littlefoot asked.
Cera gave a dismal snort.
“Anything they can think of, it seems. They used to do it quite a bit in a joking manner, you know? Ending with laughter…but not now. They’re so cold toward each other and…”
A fresh wave of tears overwhelmed her.
“It’s just…” Cera managed to say. “It’s just…I really like Tria now. She’s…she’s just like…like my mom was.”
Her five friends were visibly taken aback by this announcement. Cera had never mentioned her mother to any of them – it was an extremely sensitive subject to her.
“And…” said threehorn continued, ignoring her friends’ reactions, “she’s better for dad. He’s not as grumpy, or as miserable as he was when she’s around…if they split up, then…it’ll just be like it was before and…I may never see Tria again…”
Having clearly finished her explanation, Cera collapsed into a lying position and remained there, crying silently.
Eventually, Littlefoot spoke up.
“Look, Cera…I’m not how to respond to all this, but we’re your friends. Whatever happens, we’re going to stand by you throughout.”
Everyone else muttered their agreement, Spike non-verbally.
A small smile slowly crept its way onto Cera’s face.
“Thanks…”
“And,” Littlefoot continued. “I’m sure Chomper will too…wherever he is…”
*
Where Chomper was, even he was not sure.
He had woken up with little lights dancing drunkenly in the corners of his eyes, and his ears were ringing. He had no idea where he was, whether back in his sleeping spot, or on the verge of falling into a smoking mountain. Being knocked out wasn’t so bad – it was the waking up afterwards that really got you down.
As his vision began to swim back into focus, the first thing he was able to make out was how dark it was. Was it night-time? Blinking furiously, he was able to finally see the two distinct figures in front of him - the bladeback and the twoclaw who had knocked him out.
“Where are we?” Chomper demanded, attempting to rise to his feet. The bladeback pushed him back down.
“Don’t get up twig-arm – you’re in no state for standing at the moment. Besides, what will you use to break your fall?” He smirked, and the twoclaw scowled.
“We’re in the secret caverns,” she replied. “Sorry for knocking you out like we did, but it was the only way we could get you on your own without attracting attention from the flatteeth.”
Then, fixing a more friendly gesture on her face, she extended her claw.
“Uh…my name’s Saureen, and this is Seizon. What’s your name?”
“Chomper,” Chomper replied.
Saureen ëawwwwed’ in delight, but Seizon simply snorted.
“What?” Saureen demanded, whirling around to face her bladeback companion. “It’s a cute name!”
“When you’re a hatchling,” Seizon countered. He turned to Chomper. “Please tell me that’s just a nickname?”
Chomper shook his head.
“It was the name my friends gave me, and my parents just decided to keep it,” he explained.
“Friends? You mean those flatteeth?” Seizon asked.
“Yeah.”
“You live with them? What about your parents?”
“Well,” Chomper explained. “Apparently, my egg was stolen by some egg-stealers, and my friends managed to get it back from them. They didn’t know it was a Sharptooth egg, and so they made plans to raise me themselves. When I hatched, they were a bit scared at first, but they eventually accepted me.”
Saureen smiled. “That’s quite sweet…”
“Continue,” Seizon said in monotone.
“OK, well, my parents eventually came looking for me and took me out of the valley and onto this island. One day, my friends came back, and my parents learned to trust them. They had to go away again soon afterwards, but then Redclaw…” Chomper now remembered the occasion with some sadness. “Redclaw attacked our island. I was able to get away, and I went to the Great Valley.”
“We were separated from our families too,” Saureen consoled. “We were attacked by a massive spiked longneck, and we were told to go here…”
Chomper’s face brightened.
“Come and meet my friends then, they’re great!”
“Actually,” Seizon cut across forcefully. “We’re not here to stay.”
Chomper was now getting annoyed.
“Alright,” he said, folding his arms. “Tell me what you’re here for then, and what the hell you want with me!”
“Sure.” Seizon began pacing back and forth.
“OK. I guess it starts with my stepdad, Xal. He’s great. He’s got big plans for us. For all of us.”
“All of us?”
“All us sharpteeth,” Sezion explained. “I mean, look at us! We’re oppressed in this world. It’s not like that livestock in the Great Valley, growing fat on all that vegetation. It’s so easy for them – to eat, just gulp down the nearest green thing. For us? We dice with death everytime we try and eat. We have to give chase, risk getting crushed to death…it isn’t right. Not to mention how we get plagued by immoral and malevolent individuals such as Redclaw and the spiked longneck. But Xal promises, with plans he has in place, one day us sharpteeth will live in paradise, with all the food we need, and no idiots oppressing us.”
Something about that statement made Chomper shudder. Perhaps the mention of food…
“What are these plans of his?” Chomper asked.
“That’s where you come, my friend,” Seizon informed him. “Somehow, Xal found out about you, and so he sent us here to find you. Me and Saureen are forming this pack, and with you, the key to the Great Valley, within it, we can begin this dream of his!”
Seizon was getting extremely animated as he spoke – he obviously saw his stepdad as something of zeal.
“Well,” Chomper said. “What if I don’t want to join you?”
“That’s tough luck,” Seizon growled. “You’re joining our pack whether you like it or not.”
“Chomper,” Saureen coaxed. “Think about it this way – insects aren’t going to fill your stomach forever – you’re going to need to get used to living outside the valley either way. Why not come with is? There’s safety in numbers, you know.”
Chomper considered. Xal sounded like a complete crackpot to him, but if he told Seizon that, he’d break his arms. Still, the idea of saving sharpteeth from the wrath of Redclaw was something that had always appealed to him, right? And this spiked longneck didn’t sound like a pleasant piece of work either. Even though what Xal wanted to do seemed to be on the slightly extreme side, if Chomper were in the middle of it all, maybe he could manipulate the situation into something even better? It didn’t look as though he had a lot of choice anyway…
“OK,” he said. “Lead the way Seizon.”
Smiling, Seizon walked off into the shadows, closely followed by Chomper and Saureen.
“I’ve left the others in our pack in a cave nearby,” the bladeback explained. “I’ll introduce you to them…”
Chomper was squinting as they exited the cave into the mysterious beyond. After the darkness of the caverns, the bright circle was blinding.
“Watch your step,” Saureen advised.
The three young sharpteeth continued to make their way down the rocks. Unfortunately for them, their exodus didn’t go unnoticed.
“Wow, Seizon.”
A mocking voice cut its way through the still air. Seizon glared at its source and swore under his breath.
The voice continued.
“You’ve done it now…”
Chomper too looked at the source of the voice. To his horror, he saw, standing on a rocky ledge above them, two fast-biters.
One blue, one green…
~0~
And there we have it!
You know, writing about the main characters is harder than I first thought. I sincerely hope I haven't made them too OOC, let me know if I have.
I hope you guys enjoy the new plot twists and developments introduced in this chapter. Please tell me what you think, like etc, and all the rest of it. :wave
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very interesting... Tria and Mr.Threehorn are arguing... A very good idea with great potential ;)
Xal seems to be the bad one in this ff...
The end is well done!!! You have created a great tension and made me very curious about the next chapter :wow
Keep on writing ;)
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So far, so good. :)
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Xal seems to be the bad one in this ff...
Maybe, but life's too short when you have only one villain... ;)
Thanks for the feedback!
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Oh my! this is so suspenseful^^ and you can really flaunt those cliffhangers. Wish I could do that XDD
I just love how this is progressing. I really want to find out more about Xal and his plan. I also like the characters of Seizon and Saureen - I had similar characters to them for a story I eventually dumped because of lack of planning :p
Also, I'm guessing this takes place... several years after the episodes, as in the Gang is grown up?
That sequence with Cera really helped me see her in a new light. You've really got their personalities down, and I really hope they work things out. I wouldn't want Tria and Trisha to leave, either :( anyway, great work and I look forward to more.
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Oh my! this is so suspenseful^^ and you can really flaunt those cliffhangers. Wish I could do that XDD
I just love how this is progressing. I really want to find out more about Xal and his plan. I also like the characters of Seizon and Saureen - I had similar characters to them for a story I eventually dumped because of lack of planning :p
Also, I'm guessing this takes place... several years after the episodes, as in the Gang is grown up?
That sequence with Cera really helped me see her in a new light. You've really got their personalities down, and I really hope they work things out. I wouldn't want Tria and Trisha to leave, either :( anyway, great work and I look forward to more.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :DD
This takes place about a year or so after the episodes, though not several. They're starting to enter their pre-teen sort of years, dinosaur-wise, but they're quite far from being grown-up.
As for the Xal and Tria bits...you'll have to wait and see!!!!!!
Also, tell me about these characters, I'm intrigued!
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Also, tell me about these characters, I'm intrigued!
:oops ermmm...
well, it started out as a Struthiomimus being captured by three Deinonychus and a Rex juvy. They needed him to guide them to an ancient mountain or other, and I just have a few chappies written out. Basically, it starts out as a chase scene, and then the Deinonychus catch my main Struthie and knock him out... he wakes up in their HQ...
:slap IDK why I'm so embarrassed, now. Not a lot of people ask about my stories :DD
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Not a lot of people ask about my stories
Oh, why not? Why not toy with ideas for a bit? :DD
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^ I honestly don't know. Maybe I don't say enough about them :DD
Lol I do, sometimes I don't get stuff written down because I'm toying around with so many ideas at once XDD
The fact was it was turning out too much like Dinosaur, and i dind't want a copyright issue on my record :p I kept the charries and the names and I stashed them away for future use, tho XDD
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Yay! My fic's finally hit over 1,000 views! :D
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Hey guys.
Sorry for how lacking in activity I've been recently. Hopefully, you'll be getting a new chapter soon. Just as soon as I recover from mutual writer's block.
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I'm looking forward to it, Dosu. :yes
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Good Luck!
I also have this problem from time to time -.- That's annoying! :blink:
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Thanks so much you guys for all your kind words and support. It really means a lot to me. :yes :) :lol:
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Same here with writer's block :p hope you get over it quickly!
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Hi, and chapter 3 is finally here!!! Sorry its been so long...how long, about 2 months? What have you done in 2 months? I've got married, had seven kids and got divorced again, dunno about you...
Anyway, here is the chapter, and in this SO MUCH HAPPENS! Plotlines develop, more characters are introduced...hope you enjoy it! :lol:
Chapter Three: The Pack
Treestars…
Many of the elders of the Great Valley said that Spike had a one-track mind, and for evidence they pointed to how Spike would immediately wander over to the nearest plantation of treestars and scoff the lot in ten seconds flat.
But those who knew Spike better were fully aware that treestars were not the only things he thought about. He also thought about tree-sweets, tall grass, sweet bubbles, berries, the spices you could get from different flower petals…
OK, as well as food, he also thought very deeply about his friends. And so whilst he was making short work of a pile of treestars whilst his friends were who knew where, he thought very pensively about Cera’s current situation.
Spike knew from experience that family didn’t necessarily mean those biologically related to you. In his time, he had never known those individuals, but to say he had no family would be a lie greater than him having no appetite. He considered Ducky and her family as his own, and had always done. Although he was fully aware of their differences, he very easily saw past them. Was that because they were the only family he had ever known? He guessed so.
Either way, he knew full well of family-like relationships with those who weren’t true family, and so he felt he could empathize fully with what Cera was feeling right now.
He took another bite out of the treestars. As he chewed them slowly, he wondered what would happen to Tria if she left Mr Threehorn. Would she never see Cera again? Well, Spike considered, that wouldn’t make a lot of sense, considering it was Mr Threehorn she was angry with, not Cera.
So maybe things would work out for her after all? Would Cera still be able to see Tria?
Spike was interrupted in his thoughts by the approach of a huge longneck. As he gazed up at his colossus, he was dimly aware that this was not one that he regularly saw around the Valley. Then again, they were coming into the wandering times, so this must be a far-walker.
The longneck’s bright yellow eyes flickered briefly to the young one beneath him. He gave a small nod of acknowledgement before tearing away at the leaves on a nearby tall tree without a word. It seemed that he was in deep thought as well, Spike reflected. But unfortunately, he himself wouldn’t be getting any peace and quiet – longnecks were very noisy eaters.
Spike began to walk away, but as he did so, he couldn’t help but look back at the wandering longneck. He knew it was wrong to judge, coming, but this longneck was…well, a bit weird. Not just his obscure, somewhat antisocial personality, but he looked weird as well…
After all, how many longnecks did you see around with spikes all over their bodies?
*
Chomper swallowed hard. All he could think about now was how much worse this situation had suddenly become. Screech and Thud seemed poised to tear him apart, and as if that weren’t bad enough, Redclaw couldn’t be far behind…
He glanced over at Seizon. Surely, someone who roughed the Mysterious Beyond like he did would be able to think of something? Seizon, like him, was standing stock-still, gazing intently at the two fast-biters. However, unlike Chomper, his expression was not fearful, merely annoyed.
“Dammit…” he muttered. “I should have known you two would show up eventually, ruining my day…can’t you see I have something important to do?”
“You mean abducting this little biter and turning him into a killer?” Screech asked, a look of scepticism on his face. “Somehow, Seizon, that’s not really a zeal I’d want to adhere to…the Great Valley will want their precious little pet project back soon…”
These insults bounced off Chomper, barely registering in his numb, frozen brain. He didn’t want to get on the wrong side of these two, and part of him felt like he should yell out a warning to Seizon.
Thud stepped forward slightly.
“You’re heading for trouble Seizon,” he warned, and Chomper could have sworn he detected a change in tone. No longer was his voice cold and sneering. It sounded like he thought he was giving Seizon sound advice.
“Following Xal will lend you nothing but the consequences of your mistakes…”
Seizon let out a snarl of anger.
“And I suppose your boss Redclaw fed you all of that Spiketail dirt, did he?” His amber eyes darted around slightly. “Where is he anyway?”
“Redclaw got into an accident and fell into a coma at least a cold time ago,” Thud replied levelly.
Well, that was news to Chomper. Did this mean an end to his tyrannical influence in the area?
“We take our commands from someone else now,” Screech added. “Someone who knows full well that following Xal will lead to death as sure as jumping into a Smoking Mountain.”
Chomper was about to ask who this person was, but before he could, Seizon let out a short bark of harsh laughter.
“I’m not surprised you need someone else to take orders from,” he sneered. “You always were pathetic cowardly scavengers!”
This provocation had gotten to Screech. Letting out a sharp growl of fury, he began charging towards the young bladeback, despite Thud’s yell of,
“Wait!”
Seizon began to charge too. Then, leaping straight into the air, he latched onto the side of Screech’s body and sunk his teeth into the fast-biter’s arm.
Screech howled in pain, and Seizon took the opportunity to swing himself inwards, kicking Screech in the gut with both legs.
The misplaced rocks on the Great Wall had already caused Screech to be off-balance, and Seizon’s kick sent him tumbling head over heels. Seizon released his arm at just the right moment, and landed expertly on his feet.
As Screech fell, he dislodged some of the looser rocks, causing a mini-rockslide to carry him all the way to the bottom of the wall.
Thud stared intently at his fallen companion before glaring at Seizon.
“This isn’t the end,” he hissed. “Take heed my warning hatchling!”
And with that, he quickly leapt down the cliff-face, picked up Screech’s unconscious form, and sprinted off without a backwards glance.
“Yeah, you better run!!” Seizon hollered. He turned, grinning to Chomper.
“You see, my friend, that is the correct way to get rid of pests!”
This direct address seemed to snap Chomper out of his stunned miasma.
“They said they were taking orders from someone else,” he said. “Don’t you think it would have been worth finding out who it was?”
“Nah,” Seizon replied, unconcernedly. “Whoever he is will soon know not to mess with Xal!”
“It could be a ëshe’,” Saureen said waspishly. “They can be powerful and influential too, y’know!”
Seizon merely shrugged.
“Whatever.”
They soon made it down to the base of the Great Wall, and as they did so, Chomper looked back at the Valley. He had a horrible feeling of dread developing in the pit of his stomach. Would he ever see it again?
“Chomper, come on!” Saureen called back to him. Chomper sped up to catch up with her.
The three of them began to walk. Chomper wasn’t entirely sure where, but Seizon seemed to be leading him somewhere. Saureen, on the other hand, hung back with him.
“You know Screech and Thud right?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Chomper replied. “They’re always with Redclaw. Why?”
“They used to live near us,” Saureen told him. “In the Fanged Forest where Xal is in control of. And…they were nice.”
Chomper was shocked. The idea of Screech and Thud being nice was such a ludicrous concept, it made his head spin just to try and imagine it. It would have been easier to imagine Grandma and Grandpa Longneck as hatchlings.
“To be fair,” Saureen said. “We didn’t see a lot of them. They were just around, you know? One day, they just weren’t there anymore. When I heard they’d joined Redclaw, I just couldn’t believe it…but, listen, don’t tell Seizon, but my main worry is that Xal is the reason they left.”
Choosing Redclaw over Xal? Chomper’s blood ran cold. If that were true, Xal would be the last person on Earth he would want to meet…
“Saureen,” he said seriously. “What is Xal even like?”
“He’s…” the young twoclaw seemed at a loss for what to say. “Well, he’s alright. He’s quite kind to me and stuff…but…I don’t think he’s right in the head. Sometimes he just smiles to himself. There’s nobody else around to make him laugh or anything, but he just smiles, like there’s something he knows that we don’t…”
“OK, we’re here,” Seizon called out, cutting Saureen short.
They had arrived at a small cave on a rocky outcrop overlooking a stream. Chomper shivered slightly. The place was too quiet, and the lack of any animal larger than a scorpion was simply unnerving.
Seizon entered the cave without delay, Chomper and Saureen following. After walking in the semi-darkness for a short while, Seizon said loudly.
“Alright guys, here’s Chomper, our new addition to the pack!”
Chomper could see quickly to whom he was addressing – apparently snoozing in the corners of the cave were four young sharpteeth.
Two of them, evidently quilled fast-biters (Unquillosaurus) immediately got to their feet and strode over to Chomper, their eyes narrowed in curiosity.
The first, a vibrantly orange male began to sniff Chomper intently, as though trying to detect some trace of contamination.
“He absolutely reeks of leaf-eater,” he commented to Seizon, his mouth watering slightly.
“Yes. He lives with them,” Seizon replied impatiently. “He probably doesn’t taste like them though.”
The fast-biter turned back to Chomper.
“Pyron,” he said shortly, sticking out his claw. “That’s my sister, Nycha.”
After Chomper and Pyron shook, the former turned his attention to Nycha, who had a very obvious lilac tinge to her skin, making it hard to believe she and Pyron came out of the same gene pool.
She was looking Chomper up and down, a look of dissatisfaction on her face.
“A bit scrawny isn’t he?” she said, grabbing ahold of his arm without invitation and examining it.
“Certainly if it’s just his arm you’re looking at,” Seizon joked. Saureen shot him a look of disdain.
Nycha shrugged and walked back to the spot she had been dozing in a few moments before.
“Scrawniness doesn’t really matter to me,” said the third young Sharptooth, a burly female Slashclaw (Giganotosaurus) with dark, ruby-red scales and jewel-bright blue eyes. She strode over to Chomper and gazed at him intently, her eyes shining with delight.
“Hey, you can call me Lini,” she said, smiling brightly.
“Charmed…” Chomper muttered in reply. He didn’t know if it was her height, but he found her penetrating scrutinization of him quite unnerving.
“Never mind scrawny, he’s great!” Lini declared allowed, grabbing Chomper by the shoulders and whirling him around to face the fourth young Sharptooth. “What do you think, Al?”
Al, a Crunchbiter (Herrerasaurus) with a dull gold and black striped body-pattern, raised his head slightly and merely shrugged.
“Alright, that’s enough handling our guest,” Seizon said abruptly, and Lini released him.
Seizon, Chomper noticed, seemed to have asserted his authority over this group a long time ago. He spoke a stood with a confidence unrivalled by anyone Chomper had ever seen.
“Right,” Seizon continued. “Now that the hard water is broken, it’s time we got ourselves some dinner!”
Chomper swallowed hard. Somehow, he didn’t think dinner meant insects and lizards…
*
The Bright Circle was beginning its descent beyond the Horizon, bleaching the sky with a glorious golden-orange aura. And as the residents of the Great Valley were settling down for the night, a frantic cry rose up in the still air.
“Chomper!”
Littlefoot had been calling for his friend for hours, as had Ruby, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike (though in his case non-verbally). No such luck. It seemed as though Chomper had vanished into thin air.
Littlefoot gave a great sigh and was about to flop to the ground, exhausted, when he noticed that Chomper wasn’t the only one missing.
“Hey, where’s Cera?” he asked Petrie.
“She over there,” he told him, pointing.
Cera was indeed, sitting a distance away from, atop a small rock, deep in her own thought and gazing into the sky. Sure this could mean nothing good, Littlefoot gingerly approached her.
“You alright?” he asked.
Cera didn’t answer immediately, but continued to gaze at the dusk.
Eventually, she spoke without turning around.
“I went to see Tria,” she said, sounding as though she had a bad head-cold. “To ask her if she had seen Chomper. Whilst this conversation was going on, my dad arrived, and then…”
A fresh wave of tears took her over.
“I can’t even remember what the argument was about,” she sobbed. “But it was something so trivial that…”
Littlefoot tried to offer words of comfort, until he realised he was at a total loss for what to say.
About an hour later, under the Night Circle and stars, Littlefoot was walking slowly towards his sleeping spot, his head low. Today had begun in such a wonderful and happy way, and now Chomper was missing and Cera was inconsolable. He raised his head to look into the sky. As he did this, he noticed one of the stars shining brighter than the rest of them…
“How could it have come to this?” he whispered.
The star twinkled at him, and as it did so, a light breeze began to whisper in the trees, dislodging a fairly large treestar and sending it floating down to come at a rest right at Littlefoot’s feet. There was a small pool of water in the centre of it. It was probably due to some light sky water that had fallen earlier, but as he stared at his glum reflection, he again noticed the light of the bright star, shining just above him.
Maybe, he thought, that these two disastrous events were working together to result in a better solution? It was far-fetched thinking, but somehow, it felt right…
Littlefoot was cut across in his thoughts by the approach of heavy footsteps. Looking behind him, he caught the sight of a bizarre looking longneck, with spikes all the way down his neck, back and tail. Not wanting to be caught in this far-walker’s path, Littlefoot was about to slip off quietly to bed, when the longneck spoke.
“Hey, kid.”
Littlefoot paused, confused. He had never seen this longneck before in his life, so why was he addressing him as though they were old friends?
“Umm…hello,” he said in reply.
The longneck bent his neck low so that it was almost level with Littlefoot.
“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asked.
“I…I was just about to,” Littlefoot assured him. “But, I had a busy day…”
The longneck smiled.
“You too, huh?” He raised his neck again. “My name’s Kai. What’s yours?”
“Littlefoot,” Littlefoot replied, and he could have sworn he saw a flash of what might have been triumph in the Kai’s yellow eyes.
“I see,” he said. “I arrived here today. I travel a lot, and it feels good to settle down. How about you? What’s made your day so busy?”
Littlefoot lowered his head.
“My friend’s gone missing,” he sighed. “And I’ve looked for him everywhere…”
“Oh really?” Kai said, sounding interested. “I may have to look out for him. What species is he?”
Littlefoot’s heart skipped a beat. Kai may not be too chuffed to discover that a Sharptooth lived the in the Great Valley…
“He’s a Sprinter,” he said quickly, imagining Hyp’s species and their resemblance to Chomper’s. “Uhh…he’s quite small, indigo-coloured and his name’s Chomper.”
“Got it,” Kai replied, smiling once more. “You know, I’m glad I ran into you. Been looking for a fellow longneck all day. Well, I suppose I’ll be seeing more of you on my stay here Littlefoot. Goodnight.”
And with that, he walked away.
Littlefoot found himself gazing after him for quite a while. He seemed friendly enough, but there seemed to be something off about him. Littlefoot didn’t quite know what. It may have been the way he said something…
“Been looking for a fellow longneck all day…”
Why did that statement bother him?
He looked back down at the treestar in front of him.
“I don’t understand, mother…” he muttered, before picking up the leaf and placing it on his back. He then gazed back into the sky, his eyes fixed on the star shining brighter than the rest.
“But I still trust you…” he said, before walking off to bed.
~0~
And there you have it!
If I'm being honest, the star/treestar thing was spur of the moment - I didn't have it pre-planned, or anything, you know, it just took place.
So, yeah, hope you enjoyed this. Looking forward to your thoughts and views etc. :wave
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Yay! Another well done chapter :DD
Your writing style is really good( much better than mine :p) and your ideas are very good.
It isn't bad, that you need so long for your chapters since they're really long.
It says: quality has its price in this case quality needs time :yes
Keep writing :)
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Very nice! Aha, so we are now introduced to the remaining members of the pack? Lini seems like she's the nicest of the bunch :)
And I love that part about Spike in the beginning. See? He's not dumb!
Look forward to more.
Also, one of my characters has a similar name to Pyron - he's a dragon named Pyren. :)
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:lol That's understandable. The prefix 'pyro' means fire. I was naming him after the dinosaur Pyroraptor olympius
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Oh yeah! I remember the Pyroraptor from Pod's Travels :)
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Yep! And the name Nycha is derived from Deinonychus, and Lini is taken from Giganotosaurus' species name, carolinii.
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OK, so from here, this is where things start to pick up.
Soon, more canon characters will be re-introduced. I've already decided to re-introduce Shorty, Ali and Bron. If there are any others you want to see, let me know!
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You could add some trouble caused by the old one ;)
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Hm...there's an idea. With what I'm planning, that could be possible... ;)
OK, time to hear the readers theories - what relevance do you think Kai will have in the story?
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Just starting the next chapter!
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Yay! Sorry I never commented on your latest chapter. I'm interested in seeing what this Spiked longneck is up to, and what will happen with Chomper and the little pack of sharpteeth he's been forced into. :)
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Guess the chapter's not coming along as quickly as I hoped...sorry guys! :oops
But nevertheless, I have big plans for this fic...if you want to hear some of them, I'll be happy to tell you. Of course, some prefer to go without spoilers... ;)
Any questions? :lol
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Nope :) I hate spoilers to be honest ^^
Don't force yourself to write the next chapter...better spend more time on it so it'll have a good quality :P:
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Hmm............I guess so...
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Finally! Its here, next chapter of VV. Sorry I haven't been as active recently - not just with writing this, but with spending much time on here at all...I just really wanted to get this done! Tell me what you think - the last parts are probably a bit rushed, as I wanted to get it finished quickly... :bang
Chapter Four: How to get things done
Seizon stepped out of the cave and gazed up at the darkened sky, adorned with stars twinkling innocently down at his snout. He sniffed the air enthusiastically.
It was nigh time to hunt.
With this merry thought in mind, the rest of his pack filed out of the cave. Saureen, his, as always, right-hand woman first, followed by Lini and then Nycha. Pyron and Al sauntered out more slowly, with Chomper bringing up the rear. He stumbled slightly as he crept out the cave. Seizon felt like cringing.
“Alright, listen up everyone,” Seizon called, and they all immediately stood to attention.
“I know this is the first time we’ve made a proper kill in weeks. But still, perhaps our rustiness on this skill will be a better pace for our rookie.” He spared Chomper a bemused look, which he didn’t return.
“Question, if I may, Seizon…” Pyron queried, raising his arm. “Why are we hunting in the dead of night? We won’t be able to see a thing.”
“And nor will they,” Seizon replied. “Anyway, skilled hunters like us don’t need night-vision. We have our sense of smell. Something that they barely have…”
Chomper could sense impending doom befalling upon his person. This was it, end of the line. Tonight he would be forced to kill a fellow dinosaur, one who’s language and emotions he understood perfectly. After he had done that, he told himself, he could never return to the Great Valley.
Seizon began to pace in front of the group, and Chomper could tell the young bladeback was deliberately avoiding his gaze. Maybe he was concerned about what he may see in it? Saureen gently placed her claw on Chomper’s skinny arm, but he shrugged her off. He wasn’t going to be mollycoddled.
Not yet.
“This is how it will work,” Seizon continued. “The usual way – some of us will chase the animal into the rest of us, so we’ve got it trapped and exhausted. Then we’ll move in…” He pounded his fist into his palm.
“…for the kill.”
Feeling slightly nauseous, Chomper spoke up.
“So, err…who’s going in which group then?”
“Well, the one’s giving the chase will be the one’s quicker on their feet,” Seizon replied, still not looking directly at him.
“Pyron and Nycha, that’ll be you two. And Al too. And Saureen…” he turned to look at her.
“I’d like you to be with them as well. Lini and Chomper, you’ll be with me, making the kill.”
Chomper’s insides disappeared. His whole body became rigid.
“N-no,” he managed to stutter. “You don’t want me in that group Seizon…I’m more the athletic type, I’ll be better in the chase group…”
“You have immensely powerful jaws,” Seizon said, now staring directly at him. His expression however, was unreadable. “They’ll come in handy.”
As though to emphasized the point, Lini grabbed Chomper playfully on the arm.
“Come on, Chomper,” she coaxed, her eyes shining. “Taking down a leaf-eater is great fun!”
Chomper wasn’t convinced. His insides had returned, only they felt like they had been filled with rocks in their absence.
“Right…” he mumbled.
Nycha stepped forward.
“Seizon, let him and me swap places. He’s too puny to be on the killing team. He could be better in my place, and me better in his.”
Chomper didn’t care that she had called him puny. If he were able to get out this one…?
“No, Nycha,” Seizon said firmly.
Oh.
“Why not???” Nycha asked intently, staring at Seizon with shining eyes to rival Lini’s.
“Because I said so,” Seizon replied calmly.
Nycha looked distraught, but relented anyway.
“There’s still one more issue,” Saureen stated. “What prey are we even chasing?”
Seizon smiled.
“Sniff around,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll find something suitable.”
As it turned out, there was only one suitable prey (in Seizon’s eyes anyway) in the area. Pyron had managed to follow the trail of a lone Spikethumb (Iguanodon) that was grazing dolefully in an abandoned dark canyon.
“Looks like we struck lucky,” Seizon grinned. “OK, Chomper, Lini, come with me over to this small cavern.” He gestured to a conveniently placed gap in the canyon wall.
“Saureen and the rest of ya, make sure you chase him over here.”
Saureen and the others all gave affirmative nods before sprinting, hunched over to avoid being spotted by the herbivore to a place in which hemming it into the hole in the wall would be easy.
“It’s all very simple, my friend,” Seizon demonstrated, drawing a diagram in the earth just outside the mouth of the hole.
“Survival instincts dictate that whatever presents the most immediate danger is something worth running in the opposite direction to, even though you have no idea what might be waiting for you there…”
Seizon gave Chomper a trademark grin, displaying his shining white sharp teeth.
Chomper didn’t respond. He simply stared perplexedly into space, hardly believing what was happening. This morning, he had woken up without a care in the world, in the impeccable shelter of the Great Valley. Now, he was crouching at the mouth of a cave with fellow sharpteeth, both of whom were considerably stronger than him, waiting to take down a fellow dinosaur…
That went without mentioning whatever was up with Xal, Screech and Thud, and this mysterious spiked longneck. If the worst came to worst, their actions would result in war, spread across the entire dinosaur world…
“Hey.”
Chomper jumped at the sound of the whispered voice. Lini had just tapped him on the shoulder, more gently than Chomper thought was capable for her.
“You OK?” she whispered.
Chomper wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. He opened his mouth, scrabbled around at a few words that were staggering around in his head before realising that they wouldn’t construct a particularly relevant sentence, and closed his mouth again.
Lini gave him a warm, comforting smile, which was strange, as Chomper had never associated those sort of smiles with her either.
“It’ll be OK,” she assured him, tapping him kindly on the shoulder. “I know this whole experience is a bit intense for you, growing up the way you have. But it’ll improve. We’ll all support you through this, don’t worry!”
And then, far beyond what Chomper was expecting, Lini leaned forward and hugged him tightly, her chin resting on top of his head.
It wasn’t as if Chomper had never been hugged before, but there were a lot more awkward physics being hugged by a leaf-eater. Chomper had no memory of being wrapped in a peer’s embrace like this, as though by an older sister. It felt wonderful, and yet at the same time, Chomper felt a horrible yearning from the experience…
As Lini released him, Chomper heard a loud roar in the distance, in a voice he recognised as Pyron’s. The hunt had begun.
Chomper could distinctly see the sillouhette of the spikethumb galloping towards them, emitting loud bellows of fear…
Seizon made the first move. Springing out from the hole, he clapsed his jaws around the neck of the unsuspecting victim, who desperately tried to swing him off. Lini soon joined in, biting with her powerful jaws on the animals flank, causing it to stagger and fall over. Saureen, Pyron, Nycha and Al all leapt on too, biting and clawing and the screaming, trashing creature…
Chomper was frozen in his spot, watching the massacre wide-eyed and fearful. There was nothing he could do as Seizon snapped the animal’s neck quickly and announced,
“It’s going to be a hell of job getting it back to our cave. Chomper, give us a hand.”
Chomper knew it would do no good for him to resist. Still numb with shock, he slowly clambered out of the hole in the canyon wall and walked towards the corpse.
“Atta boy!” Seizon praised, thumping him on the back. Chomper still didn’t respond. Silently, he helped the pack carry the massive body all the way back to their cave. Chomper hung back at the entrance. He felt that the sight of them all eating from the dead leaf-eater might just make him throw up.
He wasn’t waiting outside long before Seizon came out to join him.
“I didn’t expect you to participate in the killing the first time,” Seizon informed him. “In fact, I would have been astounded if you did. You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.” He smiled to himself.
“In time, it’ll get better…”
“Are these supposed to be words of comfort?” Chomper demanded.
Seizon scowled.
“Look, I’m doing my best for you here, mate,” he snapped. “But if you can’t see that then it’s your own problem.” With that, he strode back into the cave, without another word.
Chomper remained outside, gathering his thoughts as a chilly wind whipped around him and dark, spidery sky puffies blocked the stars from view. Hardly a night you’d want to be caught out in in the mysterious beyond…he still couldn’t believe this was happening. He wondered what Littlefoot and the others were doing now…did they even care he was gone? It was no mystery, he felt, that they still held some amount of mistrust and fear about him. It was only natural. He had no business, as a Sharptooth, interfering with the peaceful flow of their lives – maybe it was time he moved on…
“Chomper?”
An uncertain voice had caught him unawares. Chomper turned to see the young Sharptooth cautiously emerge from the cave. This time it wasn’t Seizon, but Saureen. Feeling he could realistically get on with her better, Chomper tried to force his face into a weak smile.
“Yes?”
“Are you…umm…going to eat?” Saureen asked tentatively. The smile slid from Chomper’s face faster than a rockslide and he turned away from her.
“No…” he murmured. “I can’t eat a fellow dinosaur…just imagining eating one of my friends…what happened to him was brutal and barbaric…”
Saureen approached him as his voice faltered. Gingerly, the placed a hand upon his shoulder, and slowly caressed it, creating a sense of comfort that Chomper needed all too well.
“Well, starving yourself isn’t going to bring him back,” Saureen reasoned. “Come on Chomper, you’ve got to eat! Your friends wouldn’t want you to starve yourself either, even for the sake of another leaf-eater…”
Chomper paused. How could she know that? For all she knew, they could secretly despise him…then again, she had watched him at play with them…and an outsider can often see the non-biased truth before them…and…her words were strangely soothing. They sounded like you could trust them…
Slowly, Chomper went with her back to the cave.
*
Dawn.
Littlefoot yawned, his eyes bleary. He had managed to convince his grandparents to let him set out early, although now his groggy demeanour was telling him it wasn’t such a good idea. Still, he had to know…
Around him, his five other friends were also sitting and waiting, in a circle amongst the tall grass. None of them said a word. Well, not until Spike helped himself to a mouthful of said grass, that is.
“Spike!” Ducky protested accusingly. “How can you be eating at a time like this???”
“He’s just trying to continue as normal…” Cera replied. And, Littlefoot noticed, that was exactly what she was trying to do. Although quieter than normal, Cera was certainly not the emotional wreck they had been introduced to yesterday. This heartened Littlefoot greatly – Cera, he could see, was having a worse time of it than any of them, so if she could take a stiff-upper lip approach to this, so could the rest of them!
As if responding to his change of heart, a group of flyers, including Petrie’s mother, all swooped down from the sky into their midst.
“Well?” Ruby asked nervously.
Mama Flyer shook her head sadly.
“There’s no sign of him. We’ve searched every area of the valley and much of the immediate mysterious beyond. Nothing…”
Ruby swallowed hard.
“But at the same time,” Mama Flyer continued. “That probably means he’s not dead from some weird accident or something, otherwise we would have found his body…”
“Kidnap…?” Littlefoot suggested uncertainly.
Mama Flyer shrugged.
“I guess we can’t rule out that possibility,” she replied, as her companions took flight. “I can’t see why anyone would kidnap Chomper, much less within our own valley, and then take him out, but don’t lose faith. Remember, the fact that we’ve found no body makes it very unlikely he’s dead.”
She also took off. As she hovered a few feet above them, she turned to look at her son.
“Petrie, are you coming?” she asked.
“Err, no…me stay here,” he replied.
“Sure.”
After she had left, the six young dinosaurs all exchanged looks.
“Well,” Cera sighed. “That doesn’t leave us any the wiser…”
“No…” Littlefoot admitted. “I still can’t work out-”
“Work out what?” a voice behind them interjected.
Littlefoot turned to see Kai, the spiked wandering longneck from last night stride towards them.
“Oh, hello Kai,” Littlefoot greeted him offhandedly.
“Hey kid,” Kai smiled down at him, and Littlefoot couldn’t help but notice how he virtually ignored his companions.
“I’ve just spoke to your grandparents,” he said warmly. “They seem proud of you…”
“Umm…well, they would be…” Littlefoot replied, still quite confused. He could tell his friends were wondering what on earth this longneck wanted…
“Anyway, work out what?” Kai repeated, his voice becoming business-like. He stripped the nearby branch of a tree of leaves as he said this.
“I can’t work out where my friend is,” Littlefoot replied.
“Yeah,” Ruby added, speaking to Kai for the first time. “And we-”
“Well, I’m afraid I couldn’t find him, son,” Kai said, gazing down at Littlefoot, his voice heavy with sadness. But now Littlefoot was quite annoyed. It wasn’t often that he felt such irritation for an adult – only Petrie’s uncle Pterano had given this impression to him. But this time he knew why – Kai had completely ignored Ruby, not to mention interrupted her!
“Well,” Littlefoot continued, a bite of coldness in his voice. “Neither have a group of flyers who volunteered to look for him, and they say-”
But Littlefoot broke off, as, to his surprise, Kai chuckled.
“Think they could do a better job than us though?” he asked, amused.
Littlefoot didn’t quite know how to respond to this, so he just let the awkward silence hang in the air.
Eventually, Kai cleared his throat.
“Umm…anyway, I’ll see you around,” he muttered, wandering off.
“What a weirdo…” Cera muttered in an awed voice. “Where on earth did you find that guy?”
“He was just a far-walker that I met last night,” Littlefoot replied. “He doesn’t travel with a herd apparentley…” he shook his head.
“But never mind him. We still have a problem here – Chomper…”
“Well,” Ruby said slowly. “I was thinking we could go and ask Mr Thicknose if he has any idea what this is all about…”
Mr Thicknose didn’t seem in the least surprise to see them.
“I had a feeling you’d come along eventually…” he murmured.
“Yeah…” Littlefoot replied. “I was just wondering…do you have any idea what happened to Chomper?”
Thicknose shook his head.
“No……………but I have come up with a theory. It may be completely off, but if you came to hear my opinions…”
“Oh yes, yes, yes – we have!” Ducky insisted.
“Very well then,” Thicknose said briskly, and he began to pace back and forth.
“I suppose,” he said. “To start at the very beginning, you have to understand what it’s like for those who live outside the Great Valley. Particularly sharpteeth – I mean, they have to struggle every time they want to eat. It is surely a difficult life, and therefore, sometimes, community cohesion is required.”
“Community cohesion?” Cera repeated.
“Exactly. That basically means a lot of dinosaurs, often from different species, in the same sort of area coming together to work together, generally in harmony.” He smiled slightly. “One example, of course, would be our valley. It is one of the best places for community cohesion I’ve ever seen. But here we live in peace. We do not tend to be hostile to outsiders. That’s very different with Sharptooth communities. They will essentially, from what I’ve heard, form gangs or sects, and they will almost always be in a state of warfare with another sect. And when you’ve got those sort of problems, every individual you can lay your hands on counts.”
Thicknose took a deep breath.
“Imagine Chomper’s parents were to begin their own sect to combat Redclaw’s, for example. They would most definitely want their son to be part of it, and so they would then get hold of him by any means possible.”
He smiled at them.
“I may be wrong, but I think that is what happened. So, in that case, he is, most likely, absolutely fine.”
*
These words did provide comfort to Littlefoot, but he was still quite concerned. If Chomper’s parents had taken him, surely they would have let Chomper explain to the rest of them where he was going? And in any case, did him being with his parents make him any safer? He could tell they were extremely protective and caring for him, but being out in the mysterious beyond undoubtedly constantly put him at risk from Redclaw’s wrath. As far as he was concerned, they had to find him.
“I can’t stand around any longer,” Littlefoot declared.
“Maybe you sit down?” Petrie suggested.
“No, Petrie. I mean…I can’t just stay here whilst Chomper’s doing who knows what…I’ve…I’ve gotta go and find him.”
As he turned to go, he expected some form of resistance from his friends, most likely from Cera. But it seemed that Cera felt she wanted to stay as far from home as possible, and so, she trotted along beside him, nodding.
“Yeah. I know what you mean. Let’s go and find him.”
“I’m coming too,” Ruby added. Spike made a decisive noise and also went to follow Littlefoot. Convinced that Spike’s opinion was legible, Ducky and Petrie also declared their intentions to come along.
“Great,” Littlefoot said. “Then let’s go.”
However, just as they reached the passage leading to the mysterious beyond in the Great Wall, a voice behind them said,
“Children!”
They all recognised that voice. But as they turned to face Kai, Littlefoot couldn’t help but notice…he had addressed them all…
“Yes?” he asked tentatively.
Kai shook his head sadly.
“I can’t believe you’re all planning to go into the mysterious beyond alone,” he said sagely. “It’s dangerous out there – it’s what I came here to escape!”
Littlefoot just hung his head awkwardly, but Cera spoke up.
“We’re going out there to help our friend. Perhaps you could wait until you knew the full story before to reprimanded us?”
Kai fixed her with a steely glare, which soon shut her up. Eventually, however, his face relaxed.
“Fair enough,” he said. “However – I shall be accompanying you.”
His words were greeted with silence. He took no notice of this, and just ploughed forward.
Littlefoot exchanged a look with his friends and they mutually decided it was best not to comment.
~0~
And there it is!!! Thanks for reading, and...what did you like about this chapter? Quite a bit of stuff happened... :blink: Not to mention, I'd like to hear your thoughts both about how I portrayed the main characters, and what you think of my OCs. Which of my sharptooth OCs is your favourite? :lol:
Also, if anyone's interested to draw some fanart for this? There already is some, but I'm quite greedy... :rolleyes: How about a cover art concept? I dunno...anyway, enjoy! :lol
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Whoo! new chapter :D
Well, I (especially)liked following aspects:
- The hunting scene: Though your Sharptooth OC's tried to convince Chomper that hunting leafeaters is a good thing Chomper still can't accept hunting and eating leafeating dinosaurs... I wonder whether he will someday(but don't tell me!! :smile ) It has some heartwarming scenes such as Lini(like her name btw :DD) hugging Chomper in it, too :)
- Kai: I'm glad you introduced him a bit more but he's still a mystery :lol
- The Gang's meeting: Cera doesn't have any objections against an idea of Littlefoot :huh This argue thing of Topsy and Tria outta be severe...
Next point: I think you portraited the main character right... I don't see any issues at least :P:
your OC's: Seizon and Saureen of course! They seem to be okay. I guess I'll like Lini since I tend to like the nice characters :lol
As for drawing some art for VV I don't think I'd be a great help because I can mainly draw and colour from screenshots so far and I don't think there are any of your OC's :lol I never tried to draw a Sharptooth or any other kind of meet-eaters. Funny, I planned to ask, if someone could draw your OC's so that people can imagine their outward appearience better ;) You also should update your character post :yes
All in all a well-done chapter(as I expected lol :D). No doubt, it was worth the whole waiting :lol
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Thanks!!!!! :DD
Thanks for your analysis, it was very nicely done. I always enjoy a bit of analysing and dissecting my chapters. Which reminds me, my English teacher needs to get back to me...
About Kai - keep an eye on him, he'll be becoming important later...
And yes, Seizon and Saureen are the best, but keep an eye on all of them, character development will soon ARISE!!!
Is that even the correct word in this conext??? :blink: :lol
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Hi everyone. Thinking of getting started on the next chapter in a bit! :lol: I've finished all of my GCSEs now, so I have LOADS of free time on my hands.
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I look forward to the next chapter :DD
Gotta update my fic soon :angel
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Ooh, loved this chappie - agh! I knew it was only a matter of time, poor Chomper :( in all of the fanfics I've read with him, he's always being forced to choose meat... bleh
Anyway, very well written and I especially like the dialogue between the members of the Gang; you've got them portrayed exactly, especially Spike^^
As for art, I may give this a shot - I've got more time on my hands now.
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Yay! :DD
I have to say, listening to certain soundtracks is really inspiring me as I write. I may have this next chapter out fairly soon!
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Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Here, you will learn more about both Xal and Kai. I hope you find it interesting... :blink: anyway, here it is!
Note that passages in italics indicate flashbacks.
Chapter Five: Mesmerising Memoirs
Nobody could suspect what sort of plot was forming upon such a peaceful hill that the Fanged Forest rested upon.
As the sunlight winked its way through the lightly rustling leaves, a certain individual yawned and rose to his feet.
Well, it had been a month. Xal had always suspected Seizon could look after himself, but he was now slightly concerned that this may not be the case. Well, either that, or he couldn’t rely on his comrades…
In an attempt to distract himself from the issue, he strolled over to where a large tiger-striped two-claw Sharptooth was lying, twitching slightly as the light of the Bright Circle caressed him.
“Well, Ferox?” Xal asked smoothly. “How are you feeling?”
“Not so bad,” Ferox grunted, shifting slightly. “That damn longneck really did mess me up though…any word from Saureen and the others?”
Xal shook his head.
“I’m afraid not,” he replied, his eyes glassy, apparently deep in thought.
Ferox opened one eye and gazed at the bladeback reproachfully.
“Listen, Xal,” he said. “I’ve been following you unwaveringly here – I expected you to look after my daughter just as a small favour in return. But if you can’t even manage that, I may have to-”
“Don’t be foolish, Ferox,” Xal interrupted coolly. “You know you’re in no fit state to travel anywhere at the moment. In any case, I fairly sure that the only issue here is that the one whom I ordered to tail them is incompetent. They are most likely not in any danger at the moment. Seizon will protect her – I know he’s capable of that.”
“But if…”
“If,” Xal cut across him again, this time in a sharper tone, which shut him up. “If that murderous flathead has caught up with them, we would know about it, because then he’d come back for us. He was obviously entrusted to do this job alone.”
Ferox didn’t raise any further objections. In any case, Xal was now distracted by a growing shape in the sky…
“Hang on…” he muttered, his eyes widening. “I think this is it…”
Ferox also looked up. The shape was now coming into focus, and when it landed on a branch of a nearby tree, it became obvious that it was a sharpbeak, who instantly saluted Xal.
“Ah, Ichy,” Xal greeted him in return. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming…”
“Well, it’s been a tough flight,” Ichy protested. “Anyway, I’m pleased to report that Seizon and Saureen have successfully infiltrated the Great Valley and retrieved The Ambassador.”
This was a code-word, but it obviously delighted Xal to no end.
“Excellent!” he said. “And they’ve put together a successful pack?”
“Yep,” Ichy replied. “The Ambassador is a bit reluctant to engage in hunting activities, but that’s only to be expected.”
“Quite,” Xal agreed, nodding. “And I’m sure Seizon will be able to lick him into shape…well, thank you for the news Ichy, now if you would kindly go back out there, and this time, make them aware of you, and tell exactly what I have planned.”
“Sure thing,” Ichy replied. “I’m so exhausted! I need to take a break and have a bite to eat before I go. I’ve only been able to eat a few lousy insects on my way here.”
A look of annoyance crossed Xal’s face.
“I don’t like idleness, Ichy,” he informed him. “Remember, I want from each according to their ability.”
“And you promised TO each according to their need,” Ichy countered. “I ask only for a small meal.”
Xal sighed, and gestured to the hollowhorn that he killed earlier.
“Be my guest,” he said.
Ichy quickly ate his fill before promising to do what Xal asked him and taking off again.
“You seem to be relying very heavily on Seizon,” Ferox noted, speaking for the first time since Ichy arrived.
“I have great faith in him,” Xal replied simply.
“He is only a kid though,” Ferox persisted. “And you know – you’re the only thing close to a father he actually has. Surely you need to take that responsibility into account.”
Xal glared at him.
“I do,” he insisted. “But sometimes, risks need to be taken for the greater good. Now, if, by some unlikely chance, he dies during this whole operation, he will be remembered in the new world as a great martyr.”
He strode away before Ferox could challenge his logic further. Xal realised that he was sounding quite cold, but if only they had a clue what exactly he was working towards…this was Eykion’s dream more than anything, and after everything that had happened, he couldn’t betray his memory…
*
The sky water was cascading upon the waiting sharpteeth in a torrent. Many of the harder-lined ones were simply standing there as it dripped off their muzzles, although a young bladeback whom we know as Xal was visibly shivering from a combination of cold, nerves and excitement.
He turned to look at the most powerful Sharptooth of the group, the great Eykion, who was standing, staring fixedly at the mountain walls of the Great Valley. If one Sharptooth had backbone, it was definitely Eykion – it was even visible through his skin. At least, that’s what Xal had always assumed the raised part of skin on his back was…
“Eykion…” Xal whispered. “Will we be killing Ulciscor tonight?”
Eykion nodded slowly.
“If all goes to plan, then yes.” He smiled slightly. “Then the Great Valley will be ours, and we can finally gain our freedoms. It’ll be a paradise for sharpteeth – all tensions between our kinds will be over.”
He gazed down at Xal.
“You’re eager I see?” he commented.
Xal nodded.
“This moment will make history!” he declared. “And so…it is an honour to be part of this history!”
Eykion nodded.
“Nevertheless, it is important to remember that glory is not the reason for this…” he gazed, once again, up at the Great Valley. “This is for what is right and what is just. And if you have the ability to do so, you must act upon it for the greater good!”
These words echoed in the distant thunder as though from a God. Xal didn’t think he had ever heard such wisdom preached. His eyes were wide with wonder as Eykion strode over to a Sharptooth flyer who had landed nearby.
“Eykion,” he said, saluting. “The time is right. We can infiltrate through the Southern cave into the caverns. Once we break through from there all of the prisoners shall be able to escape. Attempts to regain order from Ulciscor’s forces will be stunted by our attack then.”
“Excellent!” Eykion nodded heartily and turned to face his army.
“Alright, listen up,” he said. “This is one of the most pivotal turning points in history. I trust that every single one of you knows of the plan? The cave we shall enter through is the one bearing to the South. Now, for this operation, extreme care and courage is required…”
Xal held himself proudly.
“If any of you feel you are not up to this challenge, you may leave now,” Eykion continued.
Not a single Sharptooth moved. And quite right too, Xal thought indignantly. If anyone had turned their cowardly tail on the great Eykion and his cause at this point, he would have hunted them down and make them pay for their treachery.
Eykion, moving silently but swiftly, led them all to a cave to the South of the Great Valley. It wasn’t quite as big as they’d hoped for.
“Eykion!” Xal said breathlessly. “If I may…”
“Well, if you can fit…” Eykion replied simply. “But be careful, and make sure a pathway is cleared for the rest of us!”
Xal pressed forward – it would only take on to infiltrate! However, his infiltration didn’t last long, as Eykion held him back.
“What-”
His answer came to him when a terrifying crumbling of rocks signalled the approach of Ulciscor’s foot-soldiers from atop the Great Wall. And looking up now, Xal could see their ugly forms silhouetted in the night sky. Longnecks, but somewhat shorter and stockier than most of their kind – most terrifying of all though was their tails – they ended with a powerful bony club…
With a deafening bellow, the longnecks began their charge down the mountainside, which Eykion quickly moved to retaliate against. His sharpteeth were ordered in mobilisation and they too charged. It was a great clash of teeth and bodies with grunts, growls, snarls, roars and bellows cutting through the night air as a great battle began.
Xal, determined to redeem himself for, in his opinion, having failed his leader, charged straight up the mountainside in an attempt to get into the Valley that way. However, he was intercepted on the way there as one of the stocky longnecks rammed into him. Xal slid a few feet backwards before surging forward again, jaws opened wide. He bit the longneck on the shoulder, causing the creature to howl in pain before swinging its powerful tail around so the club struck Xal in the side.
Cut and winded, Xal staggered backwards before skidding back down the mountainside, his attacker in pursuit. Not to be outdone, Xal next leapt onto the longneck’s back, taking a huge bite out of it, and causing the leaf-eater to rear up, twisting his neck from side-to-side. Its tiny, hard head bludgeoned into Xal’s shoulder, the momentum of which knocked them both over, once again sliding down the Wall. In an attempt to untangle himself from this herbivore, Xal kicked out whilst trying to get to his feet, flinging the animal’s long neck into a pile of nearby rocks. There was a sickening crack as its neck broke, and Xal, wounded and bleeding, got unsteadily to his feet.
A complete melee was going on around him. As Sharptooth and leaf eater alike fell around him, the mountainside was becoming a blood bath. Xal’s primary concern however, was Eykion…
Charging back up the mountainside, Xal saw him: he was silhouetted against the Night Circle-light, atop the Great Wall itself, locked in combat with a tall, powerful, iron-grey longneck.
Ulciscor himself.
Without even thinking, Xal gave a mighty roar and charged. He would defend Eykion to the death if he had to…
Ulciscor turned his head slightly to see the bladeback snarling at him and gave his tail a light but effective flick. Xal was struck hard in the face and almost fell back down the mountain again. Seeing his attack hadn’t worked Ulciscor made to attack him again, but just then Eykion leapt clean over the longneck, right in front of Xal in an effort to protect him. His jaws fastened around the powerful, whip-like tail, and Ulciscor bellowed in fury, attempting to shake him off. A short wrestle between these two might leaders resulted in Eykion being flung over the edge of the wall…
“Eykion!” Xal yelled in panic. Eykion had not fallen on the Eastern side of the wall, with a mountain slope and where all the sharpteeth and longnecks were battling. He had slipped over the other side, which was much more of a sheer drop. He was clinging to edge with his claws, but let’s be honest – most sharpteeth don’t have overly big arms.
Ulciscor attempted to fling Xal over the edge to, but spurred by anger, Xal bit him on the flank, and during the wrestle, Xal heard Eykion speak.
“Xal…give the order to retreat. I’ve got things under control here.”
Retreat?? Xal couldn’t believe his ears.
“Go! Now!” Eykion ordered more sharply. “Don’t worry…most rock faces have a weak spot…”
Just as Xal realised what he meant, Ulciscor flung him off, sending him back down the mountain-slope, further away from Eykion. He gave the retreat order, just as he’d been commanded, and taking advantage of the weak point in the wall, Eykion caused a massive rockslide, collapsing the entire thing…
*
It had been a self-sacrifice, Xal reflected. The cascading rocks had crushed Eykion to death, and most unfortunately, hadn’t done the same for Ulciscor. However, many of his soldiers had also fallen under the rocks, and he was forced to flee from the Valley. With their numbers dwindled, the sharpteeth had known they couldn’t take the Valley. But now, Xal decided, NOW…was the time to begin the operation again.
*
Chomper lay awake quite silently on the stone floor of the cave. Dawn was normally a lethargic moment for him, in which he’d lie in a doze as the warm rays caressed his scales until Ruby got him up. Now however, he didn’t feel lethargic at all – these sleeping arrangements were NOT to his satisfaction.
It wasn’t the cave that was bothering him – Chomper was used to sleeping in a cave. Rather than discomforting him, they normally made him feel quite safe and protected. No – what was bothering him was the fact that sleeping around him were a pack of sharpteeth who he had seen kill a leaf-eater yesterday, one whose bones still littered the floor.
Chomper closed his eyes and rolled over in an attempt to get some more sleep, but this was made impossible when a loud snore emitted from the one who was sleeping beside him. He opened his eyes and gazed, slightly annoyed, at Lini, who had insisted on sleeping next to him. He had accepted – but that was before he realised she snored even louder than Spike. Sighing and abandoning all hope of anymore sleep, Chomper sat up and rubbed his eyes.
On his other side, Saureen was sleeping peacefully, her low, rhythmic breathing a much more peaceful sound that Lini’s snores – Chomper felt quite calmer watching her sleep – her positing whilst sleeping was very similar to his own – on her side, with her tail tucked up to her stomach. Seeing her elegant form like this, it was easy to forget that she too had been involved in the death of the leaf-eater.
Glancing over his shoulder, Chomper saw Al sleeping a slight distance away from them, his own tail curled around him, making practically no noise at all – no snoring or even heavy breathing…Chomper couldn’t even been sure if he were alive were it not for the rhythmic rise and fall of his torso.
Seizon sounded quite relaxed in his sleep – he kept on making little sighs of ecstasy and gasps of pride…it seemed he was just as full of himself when asleep as when awake. Nycha was lying next to him – in fact, almost on top of him. Wow, she was eager…
So…where was Pyron?
This puzzled Chomper. In order to put his mind at ease, he got to his feet and crept quietly out of the cave.
Pyron was outside, carrying a few pointy seeds, for a reason that wasn’t overly clear to Chomper yet. When Pyron saw him however, he smiled and waved.
“Morning!” he called.
“Uhh…morning,” Chomper replied.
“What are you doing up so early?” Pyron continued.
“I could ask you the same thing…” Chomper countered.
Pyron laughed.
“Just thought I’d have a game before everyone else got up,” he explained, gesturing to the pointy seeds he had now placed in a row. He then walked towards a spherical rock…
“Pointy seed bowling?” Chomper asked, unable to stop himself.
“Yeah!”
Chomper’s face brightened.
“I love that game!” he said earnestly.
“Well, come down!” Pyron said warmly. “I’ve always wanted a bit of a rival…”
Chomper laughed in spite of himself.
“You’ve met your match now!” he joked.
It was actually rather fun, playing with Pyron. Despite his obvious skill at killing fellow dinosaurs, Chomper could hardly believe it. He talked and joked, just like any friend Chomper had had.
Eventually, Pyron won, though narrowly.
“Good game!” he commented, thumping him on the back. “You’re not as weedy as you look…”
Chomper rolled his eyes.
“Thanks…” he muttered.
Pyron laughed again. His laugh was very striking to Littlefoot’s, as it happened, which gave Chomper a twinge of homesickness in his gut.
“So…” Pyron said, gazing around slightly awkwardly. “What do you think?”
Chomper didn’t pretend to misunderstand.
“It’s horrible,” he said at once. “I can’t hunt – I’m not born for it…”
“Born for it?” Pyron repeated sceptically. “Do you actually believe in fate and destiny?”
Chomper shrugged.
“Maybe,” he replied. “After all, I was hatched by leaf-eaters…that’s got to mean something, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Pyron said firmly. “After all, does that mean sharpteeth who were born into ruthless clans are always destined to be ruthless killers?”
Chomper felt slightly guilty.
“No…I didn’t mean…”
But Pyron was still smiling.
“Don’t worry about it. It’ll get better.”
Chomper gave a snort of scepticism.
“Everyone says that…”
“And they’re right,” Pyron insisted. “I tell you, when I first arrived in this group, I found everyone…well…a bit peculiar. Now, to be honest, they’re all great!” He placed his hand on Chomper’s shoulder. “Obviously it’s going to take a bit longer with you, but we’ll all be here to support you. That’s sort of the point of bringing you along in the first place.”
Chomper thought about this deeply. He still didn’t know what his friends would say if they saw him doing this, but nevertheless he was amazed at the extraordinary similarities all these sharpteeth had with his friends. Pyron’s smiling at him and the way his hand was on his shoulder, not to mention the way he spoke was as though he were addressing a brother, and Chomper was grateful to an extent he couldn’t describe…
“Thanks,” he said. “But still, everyone here hates me…”
“Rubbish!!” Pyron declared, shaking Chomper slightly. “Come on! You’re great fun to have around! Saureen really likes you, Lini-” he chuckled “-has really taken to you…Al gets on with everyone, don’t worry about him…”
“What about Seizon?” Chomper demanded.
“Well,” Pyron explained. “He may seem a bit of a harsh driver, especially to you…but if you got to know him, he is a pretty nice guy…he’s just obsessed with doing things for Xal…”
“What do you think of Xal?” Chomper interrupted.
Pyron shrugged.
“Never met him,” he said. “And as for my sister…” he paused and drew in breath. “OK…she doesn’t like you, but she’s very mistrusting of anyone other than myself and Seizon, who she fancies, so, you know…”
Chomper smiled again. It was quite a weak smile, but a smile all the same.
Pyron’s smile became broader.
“OK,” he said. “Now, do you want to know of a professional way to catch fish?”
*
“Come on Spike – sniff!” Ducky coaxed. Getting Spike to sniff for Chomper seemed to be the most sensible option at this moment in time, though Spike seemed to be quite confused about this trail. Chomper’s scent was mixed in with several others, and in some cases, it even led back into the Valley. Or maybe he was just unnerved by the presence of such a peculiar stranger.
“You see,” Kai was saying to Littlefoot, the only person he actually seemed to notice. “Communities such as the Great Valley have always been a source of fascination, but I think…”
Cera was behind the rest of the group, her mind being driven, for once, from all thoughts of her feuding family, as she was both worried for Chomper and irritated over Kai’s strange attitude. She guessed they had no choice but to bring him along, otherwise he’d report on their wanderings, but all the same…
“Problem?”
Cera looked up to see Ruby come to walk beside her.
“Well…” Cera began. She gestured at Kai’s massive frame.
“You don’t like him do you?” Ruby asked lightly.
“No,” Cera replied. “And I know, I guess I’m just being paranoid or…”
“No,” Ruby said firmly. “I agree with you.”
“You-what?” Cera was rather taken aback. Ruby was always an optimistic person – attempting to see the best in people. To say something like that was quite a shift in character.
Ruby glowered at Kai.
“He’s very odd…” she muttered. “And rather rude…I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but it certainly isn’t…”
“I wonder,” Kai suddenly said loudly. “Have you kids ever heard of a longneck called Ulciscor?”
“No…” Petrie replied uncertainly, hovering near Kai’s eye.
“Who he?”
Kai smiled reminiscently.
“He’s great,” he said earnestly. “One of the best longnecks I’ve ever met. And a great leader. In fact, it’s because of him I was in the Valley.”
“Does he live in the Valley?” Littlefoot asked.
“No,” Kai replied. “But he did. A long time ago…”
*
Tria drank slowly from a stream as she reflected on her meeting with Topsy earlier. It hadn’t gone overly well. She sighed, shaking her head as she tried to forget about it.
She thought she was alone – she had in fact come here to be alone, when she noticed Mr Thicknose eating from a nearby bush. She decided it would pay to be polite.
“Ah, hello,” she said.
“Hello…” Thicknose responded, looking slightly apprehensive.
Tria frowned slightly.
“Are you alright?” she asked. “You’ve been acting a bit reclusive lately…”
“Well, everyone’s tried not to draw attention to themselves recently when you and your husband have been around, arguing…” Thicknose replied levelly.
Tria scowled.
“Don’t give me that. It’s not just us you’ve been withdrawing from. It’s everyone. You seem preoccupied about something.”
“I’m not…” Thicknose mumbled.
“Oh yes?”
Thicknose gave her a penetrating look.
“Perhaps if you saw things from my perspective, Tria,” he said. “Of course, you wouldn’t understand – you haven’t been in the Great Valley all that long…”
“Yes,” Tria agreed. “But Topsy has, and he doesn’t ramble on about perspective…” at the moment, she didn’t want to talk about her husband, but he was the first example she could think of.
“Not as long as me,” Thicknose argued. “I was born here – none of the majority of the herd is. Sure, your husband and Mr Longneck have done great for this Valley with the process of everyone getting a say in decisions.” Thicknose smiled jovially. “But all the same, they weren’t born here – they and their herd arrived here shortly after the Great Earthshake. But I was born here – I’ve spent practically all of my life here. Heard great stories of the beginnings of us and the Hidden Runner. But there is one tale I can tell first-hand, but I’ve refrained from telling, due to the horror of the situation…”
“Just spit it out,” Tria interrupted. “You’re not making a lot of sense. Besides, I haven’t seen the kids for a while – likelihood is they’ve gone in search of Chomper. And if we’re going to go out and look for them, I’ll need to hear your explanation quickly.”
“Well, it’s not something easy to tell,” Thicknose replied. “But maybe now it’s best to tell it, as I have a nasty feeling something very like it is going to happen soon…”
“Tell me,” Tria insisted.
“Alright,” Thicknose agreed. “I suppose it begins, with one individual. His name is largely unknown around the Valley these days. I expect you haven’t heard it.”
“What’s the name?”
“Ulciscor.”
*
Thicknose, or Dorian, as he was known as a youngster, sat idly down by the fast-water watching some of his friends wrestle in the grass.
“What exactly do you hope to gain?” he demanded of them.
Loud thuds and yells was the reply he got, and so, laughing slightly he started to chew on the grass near him. Heavy footfalls however, told him that he had company.
An impressively tall, iron-grey longneck was striding confidently towards him. He didn’t say a word as his dark eyes swept over them all. Then, he stripped a mouthful of leaves from a nearby tree and began to chew rhythmically.
“Hi,” Dorian said, in an attempt to make conversation.
The stranger nodded in reply.
“You new here?” Dorian asked.
Again with the nod.
“What’s your name?” Dorian pressed.
The stranger swallowed the mouthful of leaves he was chewing before saying a single word.
“Ulciscor.”
He then returned to his eating without saying anything more. Dorian got the impression that to say his name was the only thing Ulciscor would speak for.
*
“He was an impressive sight to behold,” the modern-day Thicknose explained. “Very tall and elegant longneck sort of shape. Because of his size, I only realised later that he was actually not that much older than me – he just seemed it. Apart from his size and stature, there wasn’t a lot to say about him. He was fairly polite, but he was, well…” Tria could tell he was searching for the right word.
“A bit peculiar,” Thicknose decided.
“Yes, he does sound it,” Tria replied, frowning. “I don’t quite follow how an entire horror-story from the pre-Great Earthshake Valley can stem from this one reclusive longneck.”
“I’m getting to that, Tria,” Thicknose said patiently. “And it isn’t a horror story – it’s as real as anything that has happened to this Valley. Now, it’s important in this to include details of some other individuals involved. What you need to understand is, back then, we didn’t have the council the same way we do now – every elder in the Great Valley being involved in the decision making. We had rulers – they still listened to us, but essentially, they were in charge.”
“Were they oppressive?” Tria asked, sounding suddenly interested.
“No,” Thicknose replied, smirking slightly. “Quite the opposite in the fact. Oh, they were absolutely wonderful! I wish you’d known them – they always spoke to us at large, with kind, gentle words, that were also strong – they made you sound like you could trust them, you know? There words would wrap around you, comforting you like a mothers’ tail and keeping you warm and safe…any decision they made for the Valley would be for the benefit of us, not themselves.”
He suddenly gained a misty, faraway look in his eyes. Tria allowed him a few moments reminiscing before clearing her throat.
“So – who were they?”
“Hm? Oh yeah. Well, they were a family of spiketails actually. Quite a small group – some of them just kids…but the most prominent ones were our overall herd leader, Omendric, his wife, Opal, and his brother Ronan. Great they were…”
“What happened to them?” Tria asked.
Thicknose turned to her, a pained expression on his face.
“During one cold time, Omendric announced he was going to boost our spirits slightly by going and retrieving some hard water sweets on a dangerous mountainside. Because it was so dangerous, he announced he was going to go alone.”
“Wasn’t everyone worried he’d eat them all himself?” Tria asked, failing to hide a smile.
Thicknose laughed in spite of himself.
“The thing is, we all knew him too well. He had a large appetite, just like any spiketail. But his heart was bigger – we knew his main concern was for us.” He sighed.
“So, what happened?” Tria asked.
“He went out into the Mysterious Beyond alone,” Thicknose repeated simply. “What do you think happened?”
Tria nodded sympathetically.
“A pack of sharpteeth attacked him when he was on the mountainside,” Thicknose explained. “To be honest, they were probably suffering worse than we were from this particularly nasty cold time, especially since white ground sparkles were common there, whereas we had none here…but we didn’t see it that way. From what I heard, Omendric put up a terrific fight. He took out at least two of them before they finally pinned him down and…killed him…”
The last two words sent a shiver up Tria’s spine.
“Then what?” she whispered.
“Well, everyone was very shocked and angry,” Thicknose explained. “And there was quite a fierce argument about who should replace him…and during that, one voice made itself heard more than any others…”
*
The panic and tension in the air was thick and rife mixed in with the loud buzz of angry and scared voices.
“How could this have happened…?”
“This is terrible…”
“I can’t believe this!”
“What are we going to do???”
Dorian gulped and made sure he was close to his friends. They were only adolescents, and were probably still vulnerable to stampedes made by terrified dinosaurs.
“Please everyone!” a voice called at the crowd. It did very little to stifle the din, but Opal, even through her tears, was attempting to regain control of the Great Valley’s populace.
Her voice went unheard until one angry clubtail barked,
“This is all your fault spiketail! You should have gone with him!”
Many of the dinosaurs seemed to agree with this statement, and they began to swarm on Opal, giving angry mutters of distaste. Ronan quickly placed himself in front of her, his tail raised, in a seeming attempt to battle off the swarmers. But he would have a job…
“ENOUGH!!!”
Suddenly, the loudest bellow of the lot had now come from behind the mob, which turned to look at the majestic form of Ulciscor striding towards them. The crowd parted like the Red Sea as Ulciscor, the tallest one there, surveyed the dinosaurs.
“You should not blame Omendric’s family,” Ulciscor insisted. “They did not have the power to stop this from happening. What we should be blaming is the system – even with one family in charge, there is still too much talk. We need quick and efficient actions by a great leader.”
His words sounded so encouraging, very few of them even realised Ulciscor had made a subtle insult towards Omendric’s leadership skills. On the contrary, many gave auditory agreements and one or two even cheered.
“I’ll tell you what else we should blame,” Ulciscor continued, now standing where Omendric once stood to deliver speeches, his face twisting in hatred. “Sharpteeth!” he spat. “Their venom continues to seep through our world. They’re a plague – worse than swarming leaf-gobblers, and our world will continue to be oppressed if they are allowed to exist. I promise you, if I can, I will lead my armies into the mysterious beyond, and all the sharpteeth in all the world will be hunted down and destroyed!”
This time, a great cheer rose up among the crowds, even though what Ulciscor said was rather irrational – what armies was he even referring to? Even so, it took Opal and Ronan many minutes to restore calm.
*
“Things moved very quickly after that,” modern Thicknose continued. “A few days later, Opal announced that they were going to have an election within the Valley – the populace would vote on whether they wanted the spiketail family to remain in charge or whether all power over the Valley should be handed to Ulciscor. The votes were cast, and the majority wanted Ulciscor to become leader – and so he did. The spiketails left the very same day. I’m told Opal and Ronan then got married and had a kid themselves, but I other than that, I never heard from either of them again.”
He sighed.
“I’ll tell you, even though I was sad to see the spiketails going, I actually supported Ulciscor. Like Omendric before him, he spoke as though you could trust him – only this time, he seemed to be offering long-term solutions to all the problems we had.”
*
Ulciscor gazed around at the eager crowd who had just voted him in.
“Now,” he said. “We must get things moving. From this day forward, we shall work tirelessly to ensure the destruction of all sharpteeth, the safety of our Valley, and the superiority of us in the world. It’ll be hard, but I promise, the end result will more than make up for it.
I expect you’re all wondering how decisions will be made. Well, I’ll tell you – I’ll make all the decisions. And I have some special dinosaurs who will ensure all of these decisions are carried out.”
From the bushes behind him, a group of dinosaurs emerged. They were a strange sight to behold – they were longnecks, but were quite short, stocky and ugly – especially compared to Ulciscor’s iron-grey slenderness. Also, as was soon noticed by the crowd, they had bony clubs at the end of their tails…
*
“Many were, understandably, quite nervous about the ëBludgeon Brigade’ as Ulciscor called them,” Thicknose explained. They trooped around the Valley ensuring everything was, ëas it should.’ Ulciscor however, insisted they were here for our safety.”
“And what happened then?” Tria asked breathlessly.
“We just continued,” Thicknose said simply. “Ulciscor put us to work on a task of ëstrengthening the Valley.’ Essentially, it was reinforcing the Great Wall with more rocks systematically. It kept us busy, but we thought we were working for the greater good. Not a lot happened until a few far-walkers arrived.”
“And what happened to them?” Tria asked.
“They were stopped by some of the Bludgeoners,” Thicknose replied, a trifle sadly. “They went to Ulciscor, who said that, as they were wanderers, and not residents of the Great Valley, they would have to be ëheld’ whilst alleged ëinvestigation’ was made into their identities.” He sighed.
“He was using the Secret Caverns as a sort of, well…prison.”
Tria gasped.
“Yep. The far-walkers were placed in there, and promised that they would be let out eventually. Though we never saw any of them again. And then, something happened whilst we were working that changed everyone’s view of Ulciscor…”
*
Dorian gave a great sigh of satisfaction as the huge rock he had be rolling for past half an hour finally locked into place beside the rest. This section of the Great Wall would surely be able to resist any kind of Sharptooth attack!
“Nice work,” Dorian’s swimmer friend, Lando, commented. “Yep!” Dorian nodded. “Last a thousand cold times, that will!”
“Not as much as my work,” Lando joked. “Anyway – time for lunch I think.”
“Quite,” Dorian agreed. All of their lunches were provided to them by the Bludgeoners near the Thundering Falls. And so, they walked over to the neat little piles of plant matter and began to eat.
“You don’t mind if I have that treesweet, do you?” Lando asked, gesturing to succulent fruit on Dorian’s pile.
“Course not,” Dorian said, beginning to roll it towards him. He was stopped short, however, when a massive scaly, club smashed into the ground between him and Lando…this of course, was a Bludgeoner’s tail.
“I’m sorry,” the exceptionally grim looking Bludgeoner said. “But a new law has been commissioned from Ulciscor. Four-footers and two-footers are no longer allowed to interact. Swimmer – you will have to leave. Now.”
“What?” Lando was completely non-plussed. Before he had time to make any objections, two more Bludgeoners had forced their tails around his arms and were dragging him away…
“No!” Dorian protested, attempting to go after him, but he too was held back by the Bludgeoners.
“This new law must be upheld,” The grim Bludgeoner said gruffly. “Any breakers of this law will be severely punished.”
“Why???” Dorian demanded, almost in tears.
“Ask Ulciscor yourself,” the Bludgeoner replied, gesturing to the iron-grey longneck striding towards them.
“Is the law being enforced?” he asked the Bludgeoner. The Bludgeoner nodded, and gestured around, where Dorian could now see many two-footers being dragged away.
“What’s this for?” he demanded of Ulciscor. The Bludgeoners tensed around him, but Ulciscor seemed fairly relaxed.
“It is for,” he said. “Upholding the leaf-eaters’ honour. We are all superior to sharpteeth, it is true, but because they are two-footed, two-footed leaf-eaters are inferior to four-footed ones. It’s the way of the world, and for that reason, they cannot be allowed to mix with us four-footers, of which longnecks are the most superior of all.”
His cocky smile angered Dorian to an extent where he was just hearing nonsense – which, he now realised, was all it had ever been.
“That’s crazy!” he yelled, before he could stop himself. “What gives you the right to say that and do that?”
Ulciscor’s face curled in anger, and when the Bludgeoners restrained Dorian this time, he made no move to stop them. Then he pushed his face against Dorian’s.
“Because,” he hissed. “I am the Lone Dinosaur!”
*
“WHAT??” Tria practically screamed. “Did he actually say that?”
“Yep.” Thicknose said simply. “And it was obvious many people believed him. But from that moment onwards, things went from bad to worse. Four-footers and two-footers were no longer allowed to interact. Any interaction would result in imprisonment. For speaking out against Ulciscor, I was imprisoned for four days, but many ended up in there a lot longer.” Tears now started to form in the old dinosaur’s eyes.
“And imprisonment wasn’t the only punishment we faced,” he said. “Many resistors – particularly two-footers, were brutally beaten by the Bludgeoners. And once in a while, they were taken to the top of the Great Wall, and amongst a crowd of terrified onlookers, were flung off to their deaths…”
Tria was wide-eyed in horror.
“They called this method execution,” Thicknose explained. “And it happened to Lando…Ulciscor claimed that, as he was the Lone Dinosaur, he could do this. If anyone disagreed with him, they were imprisoned or killed. We lived in terror, still working for what we knew was a lost cause. But it’s not as if we could resist…
“The Bludgeoners controlled every aspect of our lives. We were worked hard, though apparentley, the two-footers were forced to work harder. They even controlled our food – Ulciscor ordered that every major plantation was stripped of all its food, and that the treestars and treesweets and whatnot were stored and given out accordingly. Two-footers were given less food than us apparently, even though they worked harder. And of course, longnecks, especially Ulciscor, had the best food.”
Tria was listening to this intently. She never knew that this old dinosaur had such hardship in his past. She suspected that there were precious few else in the Valley who would remember Ulciscor’s reign of terror, as most of them had arrived following the massive drought and Great Earthshake.
“But I tell you…the worst moment of all of this came about a week after Lando’s execution,” Thicknose said, his voice shaking slightly. “I was working on enforcing the Great Wall, as usual, when I was ordered to go up to the top and examine its strength. So, I climbed to the top and was looking over just outside the Valley, a horrific sight met my eyes.”
“What?” Tria breathed.
“Sharpteeth. Dead sharpteeth. Hundreds of them. Rows of corpses of all different kinds of sharpteeth, just lain out systematically. They had been violently beaten and crushed to death, and I had no doubt who had done it…Ulciscor had his Bludgeoners had gone out into the Mysterious Beyond and just killed any sharpteeth they could find, whether they were a threat to them or not, and left their corpses here, almost as trophies! Unprovoked barbaric attacks. And even from here, I could see that many of the sharpteeth were very young.”
A horrible image of Chomper lying dead and crushed flashed through Tria’s mind…if that had happened to him…no…she shouldn’t think like that.
“So…what happened next?” Tria asked, her voice quavering.
“The Bludgeoner’s must have realised my horrified look meant I had seen what they were trying to hide,” Thicknose explained. “They dragged me back down and beat me with their tails until I promised not to say anything. This reign of terror though, the Great Valley under Ulciscor lasted quite a while longer, until one night, we heard a massive battle ensuing between the Blugdeon Brigade and an army of sharpteeth on the Great Wall. An entire portion of the wall collapsed, and due to his heavy losses in Bludgeoners, Ulciscor fled. Even though we were scarred and haunted by the experience, we eventually returned to our normal lives.”
Tria was in a stunned silence as Dorian Thicknose finished his story.
“I never knew…” she murmured.
Thicknose shook his head.
“Of course not,” he said. “But please don’t worry.”
“OK,” Tria nodded. “I think I’ll go and have a look for Cera now. She may still be in the Valley. She’s very upset over mine and Topsy’s disputes. I’ll try and make it up to her.”
She began to walk away, but then suddenly turned back.
“Hang on a minute,” she said. “All of this stuff with Ulciscor – it was a long time ago, so why are you acting so reclusive now?”
Thicknose pulled a face.
“Because recently,” he said. “Around the Valley I’ve been seeing a horrifying reminder of those days – in the form of a far-walker who bears a striking resemblance to Ulciscor’s tyrannical and vicious right-hand man: a spiked longneck by the name of Kai."
~0~
DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUN!!!! And there you have it! Revelations or what? So, now you understand the background, things have become a lot more complicated. Give me your thoughts on Xal's dreams as well as the whole Ulciscor/Kai thing. Should be interested to hear.
Yeah, this whole set-up is very political - the Great Valley under Ulciscor is based off the concept of a fascist authoritarian apartheid state. Give me your thoughts on that. And on Pyron too! :lol:
Just to clarify, Eykion here is a member of the large theropod species Acrocanthosaurus, whereas Ulciscor's bludgeon brigade are the Chinese sauropod Shunosaurus. Thanks for reading!
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Wow! I'm impressed :wow
So many great things happened that I'm afraid I can't name all of these things...
First there's the conversation between Pyron and Chomper: Pyron seems to be a nice guy.
Xal seems to have great plans and I have to admit that after reading that 100! Sharpteeth were murdered he has a point...
Uliscor first seemed to be a nice guy but then this... reminds me of Hades in Nahla's fic though he kills other Longnecks instead of Sharpteeth and he has a Fastbiter army
I found a typo:
“Well…” Cera began. He gestured at Kai’s massive frame.
should be she I think :)
Well, I don't know what more I could say other than 'well done Dosu' :angel
Keep up writing VV, it's a great story! Continue to make such great and awesome chapters :)
Can't wait for the next one :lol
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Thanks! :lol:
Yeah, I'm glad you liked these backstories and everything. ;) But there are even more revelations to come, not to mention more development with the other sharptooth characters! Stay tuned! :D
And typos are annoying... :rolleyes:
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This fic is now on FF.net!
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9421832/1/Ventione-Venatus (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9421832/1/Ventione-Venatus)
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Omendric, his wife, Opal, and his brother Ronan. Great they were…”
I know someone named Ronan, so this stuck out the most to me.
But that's not everything I have to say! Wow! Just wow!! Lots of things happening!
Ulciscor - if I could pronounce his name - is ruining the name of the Lone Dinosaur if you ask me! I oughta sick my OC Razor on him!!
Xal, well, Xal sounds at least slightly less manic and controlling. I'll be interested to read more on both fo them.
Haha yes! A nice sharptooth! i loved that scene, it relaly helped with Chomper bonding wiht the rest of the pack - Pyron seems like a good guy.
And WOW!! Thicknose, I knew you were smart and awesome! I loved the history bits, very interesting, and really helps with the plot :DD
Good luck and look forward to reading more!
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Thanks a lot!!! :DD
Pronunciation with Ulciscor's name is probably going to be a bit of a problem - it is Latin after all! :rolleyes: And I hope Razor is up to the job - Ulciscor has Kai and his Bludgeon Brigade to help him! :blink:
I'm glad you liked it! Now I've introduced the leaders of the two opposing forces soon to go head-to-head in this fic, I've got many more plans for developing them further...but that's all you get to know so far!!! :nyah
OK, maybe just a few things - yes, Thicknose is awesome, and his awesomeness will prove useful to the Great Valley. And, the fact that Kai was Ulciscor's right-hand man will become quite apparent to those in his company soon enough... :exactly
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Ehh, Razor's still got a trick up his metaphorical sleeve - he's gone up against Redclaw numerous times :3
Oooh, the suspense! You must really enjoy having a one up on us! :DD
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Only sometimes. :rolleyes: Sometimes I get overexcited about my plots and then frustrated I have nobody to tell about them... :blink:
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Just to confirm, this isn't the full next chapter, just a sneak preview, which I already posted on Skype. But...here it is!!! For those who haven't yet read it, I'm interested to hear thoughts! :p
As the morning air danced with the twitter of birds and occasionally ripped up by the screech of a pterosaur, the other life-forms in the relative calm, sluggish dawn began to stir.
A small, furry mammal emerged gingerly from under a large rock where it had been resting the night before. It sniffed hopefully around, hoping to catch a whiff of some food in the wind.
As it exposed itself fully to the daylight, it didn’t get time to realise it would be the last mistake it ever made.
A huge sickle-shaped claw stamped down hard upon the hapless creature, snapping its spine in an eyeblink. The corpse was then tossed clean into the air before vanishing down the gullet of a certain blue striped fastbiter.
“Reckless as ever…” Screech murmured to himself, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. “The day they learn is the day Redclaw makes peace with hatchlings.”
Thud gave a derisive snort.
Screech glanced sideways at his brother.
“What?” he protested. “I’m just saying…”
“We’re leaving that behind us,” Thud insisted. “Redclaw’s still comatose, and hopefully for life. Though it makes me shudder to think what’ll happen if he ever comes back I discovers we’ve abandoned him…”
“That won’t be a problem,” Screech assured. “We’ve got support from many others now.”
“If you say so,” Thud sighed. “But I’m still not sure Zyro trusts us…”
“Of course he doesn’t!” Screech replied, as if the whole thing were almost laughable. “We were associated with Redclaw, and before then, Xal! But this little task we’re doing for him now will assure him that we ARE trustworthy and are determined to make amends with our fellow sharpteeth.”
Thud nodded, and didn’t make any further objections.
“Well,” he said. “It seems that Seizon’s re-grouping was a success after all, despite our best efforts…but according to our undercover agent, that Valley-bred little biter isn’t finding it all too well…”
“Yes, indeed…” Screech nodded. “I wonder if he’ll try and go running back to his friends?”
“You know Seizon would prevent that,” Thud countered. “And besides, who’s he got to go running back to?”
Screech stared at him.
“What are you talking about?” he demanded, his whole expression changing. “Those little upstarts we keep chasing around?”
“I saw them leaving the Valley with Ulciscor’s right-hand man, earlier…” Thud sighed.
“You mean the spiked longneck?” Screech demanded, his eyes suddenly fearful.
“Yes,” Thud nodded.
“But if he was back in the Great Valley…” Screech began.
“Then it won’t be long until the rest are back too,” Thud finished for him. “Yes…including the Bludgeon Brigade and Ulciscor himself…”
Screech gulped.
“Why are they suddenly mobilising now?” he asked, his voice quivering.
Thud shrugged.
“Could just be that now Ulciscor has managed to regroup with his forces, or perhaps they’re being intimidated by Xal’s own mobilisations. Possibly both. But what’s important to bear in mind is that Zyro’s forces – including us – can no longer stay at Threehorn Peak. It’s too close to the Valley. We’ll have to go somewhere else…”
“Where?”
“I don’t know…” Thud began to pace. “Just somewhere away from the Valley.”
“What about Seizon and the little biter?” Screech asked. “Surely we need to ensure that they don’t get to Xal-”
“It’s too late for that,” Thud interrupted. “Zyro will not put his comrades in immediate danger, unlike Xal…” he shook his head. “Rest assured, the Fanged Forest is quite a distance from the Valley, so they will not be in danger from Ulciscor either.” He smiled slightly.
“Besides,” he continued. “I’m confident our undercover agent will prove reliable when we’re not around.”
~0~
I'll continue writing this chapter as soon as I can. I hope none of you are worrying that this is starting to become too OC-centred... :oops
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Well, I already told you on Skype what my thoughts are but I'm gonna copy them and paste it here :exactly
interesting...
I'm interested to see what the little conversation of Screech and Thud spoiled about Seizon's pack. Also hearing more about Screech and Thud. I must say the intro with the mammal getting eaten was especially well-done :)
And it was my idea to post this preview here :smile
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Gah! Why all the suspense?!
Just kidding... Wow, I love it! Never suspected Screech and Thud to just up and leave like that. Aha! So THEY'RE in on this as well? the plot thickens...
Sounds awesome as always, Dosu, good luck!
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HAHAHAA...you'll never know...well, you will if you keep reading! ;)
And yes, including these two was a way of making sure there weren't too many OCs. And trust them to have an undercover agent.
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Next chapter coming soon...I hope... :p
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What did I tell you, eh??? :lol
Chapter Six: In Pursuit of Power
As the morning air danced with the twitter of birds and occasionally ripped up by the screech of a pterosaur, the other life-forms in the relative calm, sluggish dawn began to stir.
A small, furry mammal emerged gingerly from under a large rock where it had been resting the night before. It sniffed hopefully around, hoping to catch a whiff of some food in the wind.
As it exposed itself fully to the daylight, it didn’t get time to realise it would be the last mistake it ever made.
A huge sickle-shaped claw stamped down hard upon the hapless creature, snapping its spine in an eyeblink. The corpse was then tossed clean into the air before vanishing down the gullet of a certain blue striped fastbiter.
“Reckless as ever…” Screech murmured to himself, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. “The day they learn is the day Redclaw makes peace with hatchlings.”
Thud gave a derisive snort.
Screech glanced sideways at his brother.
“What?” he protested. “I’m just saying…”
“We’re leaving that behind us,” Thud insisted. “Redclaw’s still comatose, and hopefully for life. Though it makes me shudder to think what’ll happen if he ever comes back I discovers we’ve abandoned him…”
“That won’t be a problem,” Screech assured. “We’ve got support from many others now.”
“If you say so,” Thud sighed. “But I’m still not sure Zyro trusts us…”
“Of course he doesn’t!” Screech replied, as if the whole thing were almost laughable. “We were associated with Redclaw, and before then, Xal! But this little task we’re doing for him now will assure him that we ARE trustworthy and are determined to make amends with our fellow sharpteeth.”
Thud nodded, and didn’t make any further objections.
“Well,” he said. “It seems that Seizon’s re-grouping was a success after all, despite our best efforts…but according to our undercover agent, that Valley-bred little biter isn’t finding it all too well…”
“Yes, indeed…” Screech nodded. “I wonder if he’ll try and go running back to his friends?”
“You know Seizon would prevent that,” Thud countered. “And besides, who’s he got to go running back to?”
Screech stared at him.
“What are you talking about?” he demanded, his whole expression changing. “Those little upstarts we keep chasing around?”
“I saw them leaving the Valley with Ulciscor’s right-hand man, earlier…” Thud sighed.
“You mean the spiked longneck?” Screech demanded, his eyes suddenly fearful.
“Yes,” Thud nodded.
“But if he was back in the Great Valley…” Screech began.
“Then it won’t be long until the rest are back too,” Thud finished for him. “Yes…including the Bludgeon Brigade and Ulciscor himself…”
Screech gulped.
“Why are they suddenly mobilising now?” he asked, his voice quivering.
Thud shrugged.
“Could just be that now Ulciscor has managed to regroup with his forces, or perhaps they’re being intimidated by Xal’s own mobilisations. Possibly both. But what’s important to bear in mind is that Zyro’s forces – including us – can no longer stay at Threehorn Peak. It’s too close to the Valley. We’ll have to go somewhere else…”
“Where?”
“I don’t know…” Thud began to pace. “Just somewhere away from the Valley.”
“What about Seizon and the little biter?” Screech asked. “Surely we need to ensure that they don’t get to Xal-”
“It’s too late for that,” Thud interrupted. “Zyro will not put his comrades in immediate danger, unlike Xal…” he shook his head. “Rest assured, the Fanged Forest is quite a distance from the Valley, so they will not be in danger from Ulciscor either.” He smiled slightly.
“Besides,” he continued. “I’m confident our undercover agent will prove reliable when we’re not around.”
*
Talk about mass hysteria.
Yesterday, only one youngster was missing. Today, there were six more, and the Great Valley’s populace were panicking yet again. As the individuals screamed the names of all of those who were missing, Grandpa Longneck eventually asserted his authority and called an emergency council meeting.
“Everyone please calm down,” he addressed the population. “Now, from what I can see, it’s highly likely that the young ones have gone after Chomper themselves, whose whereabouts and reason for disappearance remain a mystery.”
“Where’s the proof they’ve gone after him??” shrieked a paranoid far-walker hadrosaur, losing his head completely. “I tell you, this Valley is-”
“The proof?” Topsy snapped at him. “Why, because he’s their friend, that’s the proof! So, you’re saying you wouldn’t go after a friend and companion if he were to go missing?”
The hadrosaur’s anger flared.
“Are you calling me a coward, sir??!!”
“Yes, he is,” came a snide voice from behind him. Tria had joined the group.
“He tends to look down on others like that…”
Everyone suddenly grew uncomfortable. The last thing they needed at this point was for another round of verbal abuse from the pair of them. Strangely enough, it was the paranoid hadrosaur that came to their rescue.
“Listen, I don’t care about your domestic upheaval!” he yelled, creating an angry mutter from the council. This remark hurt their sense of unity.
“You’re a disgrace to the name of herd leader!” Kosh bellowed at him.
“I don’t care!” the hadrosaur bellowed back. “I’m not a coward – I brought my herd here because I thought it would be best for them. But it turns out, with all these missing kids, this Valley is haunted! I bet it’s the ghost of the Sharptooth who’s teeth still hang around Saurus Rock, or perhaps the Hidden Runner…”
“Rubbish.”
A new firm voice had entered the bickering. Many of the dinosaurs turned to see Thicknose stride into the debate.
“I’ve seen the Hidden Runner myself,” he said. “And he’s got even less backbone than you. But this insult hurling is childish, unnecessary and pointless. What we need to do is conduct a search party to find the children, who most likely are now in the Mysterious Beyond.”
Grandpa Longneck nodded.
“Yes – they probably won’t have gotten far, and the quickest way to catch up with them would be on the wing.”
“I agree,” piped up Petrie’s mother. “I’ll reform my search team, and we can go and have a look for them. If we don’t get any conclusive results, we’ll need a much more suitable search party.”
So saying, she took off. It seemed that the decision had already been made. Calm was restored to the Great Valley, but Thicknose couldn’t help but shake the feeling that a certain far-walker was missing also…
*
Chomper sighed with content as he lay back. Pyron wasn’t wrong – this way of catching fish was indeed highly professional.
“What did I tell you, eh?” Pyron said loudly, looking equally content. sighed with content as he lay back. Pyron wasn’t wrong – this way of catching fish was indeed highly professional.
“What did I tell you, eh?” Pyron said loudly, looking equally content. “You get better flavour that way!”
“Hmm…its certainly better than leafeater…” Chomper muttered.
Pyron’s smile slipped slightly.
“You didn’t have to bring that up you know…” he sighed. “You could just embrace this new style of eating…” he gestured to the small stream they had just been swimming in in order to catch fish. Now, Al was wading around in it, attempting to do the same thing they had just been doing.
“Perhaps you could give me a few lessons, Pyron?” he suggested lightly. It was the first time Chomper had heard him speak, and his voice reflected his personality – calm and mellow.
Pyron laughed.
“I should never give up trade secrets you know!” he said jovially.
“Well, secret is certainly going to be the word for it,” Al agreed. “Considering your feathers will get soaking wet with this hunting method.”
“And try to imagine me swimming in this,” Chomper chipped in. “With arms this size?”
“You’ve got a very good point,” Al replied pensively, slowly submerging himself until only his eyes and the top of his head were visible. Then, without warning, he cannoned his body upward sending a tidal wave of water onto the bank. Chomper, who was in the immediate range of fire, leapt aside and laughed.
“If that’s the best you can do, I’ve got nothing to worry about!” he teased. But he could say nothing more as he suddenly felt someone’s hand slap playfully into his backside, sending him jerking forward and tumbling with a splash into the water. The rest of his torments became gurgles.
“Well, you do with me around!” Lini smirked impishly, who had been the one to send Chomper into his wet predicament.
“You like to be predictable, don’t you?” Pyron sighed, flicking some water in her direction.
“How’s this for a prediction?” Saureen yelled, coming out of nowhere and cannon-balling into the water. “I declare a water war!”
And so it began, the ironically named water war between the five young sharpteeth that was actually quite a harmonious activity. For Chomper at least, the fact that the dinosaurs he was playing with were predators who had killed rountinely the previous day meant nothing. This dark hangover vanished. For all the difference it could have made, he could have been back in the Great Valley as he splashed water laughingly over the others.
Watching this frisky little game with a smile on his face was Seizon, who was sitting just outside the cave they had camped in last night. Finally, Chomper was beginning to get accustomed to life in this pack. And why shouldn’t he? Raised by leaf-eaters or not, he was still a Sharptooth, one of them, and should be treated as such.
Then, his companion who had been sleeping on top of him last night came to join him.
“Hi,” Nycha greeted him shyly.
“Morning,” Seizon smiled back at her. He inclined his head towards the water where the rest of the pack were. “Why don’t you join them?”
Nycha scowled.
“Don’t really like those wild gatherings,” she sighed. “And I don’t trust him.”
Seizon didn’t need to ask who she meant.
“Why?” he asked, not looking at her.
“Because he’s part of them. I don’t know how he managed to get ingrained so deeply into flattooth culture, but the fact that he is makes him our enemy.”
“Now, that’s where you’re wrong, Nycha,” Seizon replied. “It’s his familiarity with flattoothed dinosaurs that makes him the key to our victory.”
Nycha sighed again.
“You’re a wonderful leader, you know Seizon,” she said, a compliment which was merely absorbed into Seizon’s inflated ego. “But I don’t understand why you always act like we’re in a war…”
“You’re the one talking about enemies,” Seizon reminded her. “And this is more than just a war – it’s a revolution! Chomper here, given time, will help us.”
“And what makes you think he won’t help the leaf eaters?” Nycha snapped back.
“Because,” Seizon replied coldly. “I actually trust Chomper. Sure, he’s weedy and a little weird, but his heart is in the right place. And your paranoia of leaf eaters…what makes you think they are responsible for the deaths of your parents?”
Nycha didn’t reply.
“And even if they were, surely the true criminals in the act are the pack members who then tried to kill you? Flatteeth are stupid animals, its true, but the true villains are sharpteeth like Redclaw who…”
“You don’t know anything about it!” Nycha hissed at him.
“Oh yes? Pyron told me his side of the story, which I think sounds more likely,” Seizon replied firmly, standing up and walking over to the water, leaving Nycha standing in still shock.
“Alright everyone!” Seizon shouted at the struggling five still in the water. They all turned to look at him. The happy beam of sunshine that had be bouncing around in Chomper’s brain up until now dimmed a little, as he remembered that it was Seizon who had wanted him to do this in the first place.
“Well, I’m glad you’re all enjoying yourselves. Already we are a brilliant cohesive unit.” He smiled at them all, reminding Chomper strangely of the way Grandpa Longneck would smile at him, Littlefoot and the otherwise. The twinge of homesickness returned.
“But we can’t stay here any longer. Our mission is to get back to the Fanged Forest – all evidence suggests that the spiked longneck has left that area to come after us. And I’m pleased to say we’ve most likely given him the slip.”
Saureen exhaled in relief.
“And so now, we need to press on. It’s going to take quite a while, but hopefully once we get going, it won’t seem as long. And at the end of it, you shall meet Xal.” He smiled. “I know that only Saureen and I have ever had that privilege. But you are all brilliant – like a family to me-”
Chomper looked up, hardly daring to believe it.
“And so, you deserve a place in this new world also!” Seizon concluding, grinning that broad, if slightly mad, grin of his.
Lini applauded.
“She loves anything anyone says,” Pyron whispered to Chomper, who smirked in spite of himself.
“So what?” Lini demanded, who had overheard.
“Uh, question,” Al queried. “How far exactly is the Fanged Forest from the Great Valley?”
“It took us a month to get to the Great Valley,” Seizon replied. “We’re going to be taking a more direct route back this time, so it hopefully won’t take as long. Still several days walk, though, and we’ll be stopping to eat et cetera.”
Al looked slightly crestfallen. Chomper guessed he didn’t enjoy walking too much, which he thought was strange, considering this Sharptooth was a nomad. He however, was unsettled by the distance for another reason. If his friends had sent out a search party, being as far away from them as the Forest was meant it may take, to be put short, a little while…
Saureen obviously knew what he was thinking, because she placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t worry – I think Xal’s plan means we’ll be coming back here soon…I know it’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing…”
Chomper could only nod in agreement.
“Well, no point in slacking,” Seizon said briskly. “Let’s move out!”
And so, the pack of seven young sharpteeth began their long journey East. They didn’t say much as they walked, they were just following the leader, namely Seizon. As they exited the canyon they had taken refuge in, Chomper felt horribly exposed. He was expecting anything to come out and grab in, as, he knew, anything could. Seizon didn’t seem worried by this though. He, it seemed, was never worried by anything. Soon enough, Chomper’s legs began to ache, and he didn’t even notice Nycha sidle up to him and hiss in his ear.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning!”
“Huh?” he had no idea what she was on about.
“You know – you’re in league with flatteeth. I don’t know what Seizon was thinking bringing you along, but I know you’re planning to kill us all.”
Chomper felt like collapsing with exasperation. How many times had he generated mistrust because he was a Sharptooth? And now, in an ironic twist of fate, he was generating mistrust for being not Sharptooth enough. Hmm…
“You should never have come here sapsucker!” Nycha snarled angrily in his ear. “You don’t belong here and you should leave us now!”
At these words, Chomper’s blood boiled. Here it was again, the irony making him angry. Did she not even think for a single minute that he regretted and despised getting pulled into this group a thousand times more than she did?
In a moment of blind fury, Chomper whirled around and attempted a physical retaliation. He barged into her with his jaws opened wide, only for Nycha to counter with a kick in the face that sent him crashing to the ground. The taste of his own blood in his mouth only spurred his adrenalin rush and he leapt to his feet to continue brawling, his look of deep dislike only matched by the sheer loathing in hers when Seizon skidded between them and held the fiery fastbiter back, whereas Pyron took hold of Chomper’s arm and pulled him away.
“I’m not having any bad blood in my pack,” Seizon snapped at them. “If you can’t get along then just keep away from each other.”
“He started it!” Nycha growled.
Chomper almost charged at her again, but Pyron held him back.
“But you can’t honestly say you weren’t provoking him, sis,” Pyron reprimanded her.
Nycha didn’t reply. As they continued walking, Pyron fell back to behind the group slightly, pulling Chomper gently with him.
“Please don’t take anything she says seriously,” Pyron advised. “She’s just very jumpy about newcomers, even more so about leaf-eaters and those associated with them…” he sighed. “She hates them with a most deep-set passion.”
“Why’s that?” Chomper asked, though he wasn’t really interested, he was too busy focusing on keeping his temper under control.
“Well,” Pyron said uncertainly, “It’s just…well, she thinks they killed our parents and lost us our home.”
Chomper, suddenly listening, turned to him in shock.
“What…?”
“I’ll tell you about it some other time,” Pyron assured. “Right now, we’ve got to focus on making sure you and Nycha don’t kill each other.”
“Not much chance of that,” Chomper sighed. “She’s far stronger than I am…”
Pyron laughed.
“True! She could take on anyone – but that’s not what we need. I’m attempting to hold this whole group together. Seizon may claim to do that too, but he’s too busy, well – being Seizon.” He smiled.
“And I really think you can make that work,” he told Chomper. “Holding us together, I mean.”
“How so?” Chomper asked gloomily. “Nycha just wanted my guts for-”
“You’ll turn her around soon enough,” Pyron assured. “Besides – you’ve managed to convince leaf-eaters you’re trustworthy – now you’re just working the other way round!”
Chomper sighed, but nodded and continued walking.
As they continued, Seizon led them to a small woodland, with a few tall trees dotted around, and towering ferns which Spike would be ecstatic over. If only this were the Fanged Forest, Chomper thought dispiritedly. He had had enough of walking already.
Suddenly, Seizon’s nose twitched, as a slight but sustained scent wafted towards him.
“Oh…” he murmured. He then gestured to the six sharpteeth following him. “Wait a moment…”
As they stood watching him intently, Seizon crept forward a few paces before stopping and gazing at something they couldn’t see with wide-eyed horror.
“Get down!” he hissed, waving his hand frantically, and they all immediately ducked. The tall ferns gave them ideal coverage, and as the seven of them hid, Seizon gritted his teeth in frustration.
“Take a look,” he muttered. The other six peered over the top of the ferns and saw exactly what Seizon was referring to.
A huge, grey twoclaw Sharptooth was a short distance from them, standing at an angle so that he (hopefully) couldn’t see them. He was eating gluttonously from a small longneck carcass, but what made this individual so frightening was the obviousness of certain colours – one of his eyes was yellow, but the other was red. The Sharptooth owed that colour to a scar running the length of his face all the way down to his claw, which was red as well…
“Redclaw…” Chomper gasped, his insides vanishing.
“I thought Thud said he was in a coma,” Saureen breathed.
“You didn’t seriously believe him though, did you?” Seizon growled. “They were attempting to deceive us – they’re probably still working with him too…”
“We surely would have smelt them around here though, if that were the case,” Al interrupted. “Besides, you met them just as you were leaving the Valley – why would they be at such a distance from him?”
“There could be a whole host of reasons,” Seizon shot back. “Perhaps he stationed them there to feed us lies and hem us in.”
“He doesn’t look too interested in anything besides that carcass though,” Al pointed out. “And if they were planning to hem us in, why would Screech and Thud try to stop you from taking Chomper out of the Valley?”
Seizon considered.
“It could be a double bluff,” he suggested.
“Seems a bit unlikely,” Saureen reasoned. “Come on Seizon – Redclaw may have simply just woken up from his coma.”
Seizon turned to face them.
“All right – I suppose it doesn’t really matter. The fact still remains, though, that Redclaw is around, meaning that we’re going to have to take a detour. This’ll be uncharted territory, I’m afraid, and will be a longer walk.”
“Uncharted territory and a longer walk??” Lini protested. “That doesn’t sound particularly ideal…”
“Well, if you think it would be better walking in the direct path of that monster,” Seizon gestured to Redclaw, “then be my guest.”
Nobody raised any further objections.
*
As the Bright Circle got higher in the sky, the heat of the day and the exhaustion of walking for so long was getting to Littlefoot. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he struggled onward. Occasionally he glanced back at the gigantic form of Kai. Said longneck didn’t seem exhausted at all, but with his head high up into the sky, it was difficult to be sure.
They arrived at a small clump of trees, and Littlefoot thought that at last they could finally get some shade, when Kai said,
“Alright, short break to eat and rest.”
His tone of voice was strange – almost as though he were a herd leader, giving them direct orders. But Littlefoot was too relieved to dissect this any further. Besides, Spike didn’t need telling twice, and immediately bolted down a clump of ferns.
Kai began to eat too, stripping mouthfuls of leaves off the tree in a steady rhythm. Littlefoot was also helping himself to a few treestars, when he was approached by Cera and Ruby, both of whom looked apprehensive.
“Littlefoot, a word please,” Cera said, inclining her head. And so, Littlefoot let them lead him away to an area a little distance from the rest.
“OK, basically,” Cera explained. “It’s your friend Kai…”
Ruby nodded. “If you’ve noticed what we’ve noticed, then you would have noticed that he’s rude, arrogant, demanding, and…well…there’s just something really strange about this stranger.”
“Yes,” Cera agreed. “I mean, be honest – how many far-walkers come to the Valley alone?”
“Doc?” Littlefoot suggested.
“Yeah, but unlike Doc, there’s nothing heroic about him!” Cera scowled, gesturing angrily at Kai, who was still eating stolidly.
Littlefoot sighed.
“Yeah guys, I know what you mean. But if we hadn’t taken him along, we would have told the grown-ups. Besides, look at his spikes! If we run into any sharpteeth, like Redclaw, he’ll be able to fend them off easily!”
Cera and Ruby nodded, but still looked troubled. Kai, however, who had heard every word of the conversation suddenly spoke up.
“This green food is brilliant,” he said. “It honestly is. Shame your friend isn’t here – I’m sure he would enjoy it.”
Ducky opened her mouth to tell him that Chomper didn’t eat green food, but Petrie immediately zipped down from the tree branch he was resting on and held her beak shut. There was no need to let Kai know any more than he needed to, and so he just laughed nervously.
“Yeah…heh, heh…that’s too bad…”
But it was such an odd question, at such an odd time, and Littlefoot couldn’t help wondering, following the chilling look Kai then gave them all, whether he knew more than he was letting on.
*
The dark eyes misted over as its owner caught sight of what was once his home. The Great Valley…such a beautiful place. And it hadn’t just been his home.
It had been his domain.
Ulciscor strutted over to a small oasis near the mountainous walls to see his contact – a nervous looking onehorn, who kept on swallowing and swivelling his head with the tic that was slowly taking over his body. Ulciscor would have much rather used one of his loyal Bludgeoners, but having one of them as a spy in the Great Valley would have attracted too much attention from those who had been around in his day. Ulciscor wasn’t even sure there were any left, but it was better safe than sorry.
“What news?” Ulciscor asked coldly when he reached the onehorn.
“News…?” the onehorn swallowed. “Well, umm…”
Because of his slowness to reply, Ulciscor struck him hard with his tail. The onehorn yelled in pain as a thin, shining wound appeared on his skin.
“I do not have all day!” Ulciscor snarled. “Tell me what I want to know, or this’ll be the end of the line for you.”
The onehorn swallowed again, before saying,
“It would appear that the Sharptooth has already left the Valley.”
Ulciscor gave another snarl of anger, and the onehorn cowered.
“Xal’s work I suppose…I presume Kai has gone in pursuit?”
“Yes sir – he’s keeping a close watch on a bunch of kids who were friendly with it.”
“Excellent. Well, is that all?”
“Umm…” the onehorn looked even more nervous now. “Well…no sir…”
“Well then? Spit it out!”
“It would seem sir,” the onehorn explained. “That one of the kids in that group was a spiketail who had no parents in the Great Valley, so was adopted by a family of swimmers.”
Ulciscor wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Actual integration of inferior dinosaurs? How the Great Valley has changed since I was there…but is that all you wanted to tell me?”
“No!” the onehorn replied. He looked absolutely terrified, but was determined that Ulciscor understand. “I had my suspicions sir, and so I did a bit of research – meeting with various leaf-eaters and what not, and it turns out…” he gulped once more before saying: “It turns out that this spiketail is a direct descendant from Omendric’s line! He’s the son of Ronan and Opal!”
A shocked silence greeted these words. Ulciscor’s eyes became wide and horror-struck. He gazed up at the sky for a while, taking in what his servant had just told him, thinking fast, before saying slowly,
“If the residents of the Valley hear about this, they’ll want him as undisputed leader, whereas that is my job.” He now looked furious.
“Well, if he was found without any parents, it’s likely Ronan and Opal are dead. That’ll make things easier. But in any case, we need to mobilize quickly. I must send word to Kai to dispose of the spiketail brat as quickly as possible.”
“But I don’t know where they are!” the onehorn protested.
Ulciscor glared at him.
“I wasn’t talking about you,” he snapped, his long tail snaking around the onehorn’s neck. “You’ve served your purpose.”
A resounding snap of a neck cut harshly through the still air, and the old onehorn fell to the ground, never to move again.
~0~
And omigosh there you have it!!! Talk about a revelation! Unless you expected it already. So, Spike is heir apparent to the Great Valley, eh? That'll throw up some dispute with Ulciscor, WHO WE NOW SEE OUTSIDE OF A FLASHBACK FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! :blink: What's he up to? And what's going on with Screech and Thud, Redclaw, Seizon, Chomper and the rest of the pack? Will Nycha succeed in killing Chomper? What do you think of her personality, as well as everyone else's? These questions will be answered soon...I hope... :oops
Anyway, give me your thoughts, and thanks for reading!! :DD
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If I were to describe how I feel about Nycha, it would be in one sentence: I don't like her at all.
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Nah, at the moment, she's not overly likeable... :lol
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After reading it the first time I was impressed as always :angel
Now reading it more carefully to give you the feedback you deserve in my view ;)
“Reckless as ever…” Screech murmured to himself, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. “The day they learn is the day Redclaw makes peace with hatchlings.”
Thud gave a derisive snort.
Screech glanced sideways at his brother.
“What?” he protested. “I’m just saying…”
Screech seems to have some humour here :lol:
I knew the grown-ups wouldn't just do nothing but holding a council. Obviously, there ought to happen some arguments. I wonder who this 'hadrosaur' (I recomment using LBT-names --> just Swimmer) is and whether he'd have any further importance in your story.
Of course Thicknose knows more than anyone else... very interesting.
Chomper sighed with content as he lay back. Pyron wasn’t wrong – this way of catching fish was indeed highly professional.
“What did I tell you, eh?” Pyron said loudly, looking equally content. sighed with content as he lay back. Pyron wasn’t wrong – this way of catching fish was indeed highly professional.
“What did I tell you, eh?” Pyron said loudly, looking equally content. “You get better flavour that way!”
I think you messed something up here.
It's weird to imagine Sharpteeth playing just as the Gang would do, I wonder if Chomper will accept to live with the Sharpteeth. After all, he isn't fully trusted by everyone
“It’s his familiarity with flattoothed dinosaurs that makes him the key to our victory.”
You keep surprising me, Toby :DD That's a great motive and a great sentence, too!
“And this is more than just a war – it’s a revolution!
*-* Sounds like there will be more action later in the fic :P:
Nice argument between Nycha and Seizon. There seems to be a dark secret about Nycha..
So the pack has to reach the Fanged Forest where Xal would be. That has a lot of potential since, as Chomper pointed out, the search party has decreased chances of finding him, not to mention the Gang. Will they go that far to find Chomper? And what will the grown-ups do? So many things could happen :wow
Nycha seems to be not a so nice fellow since she's telling Chomper her 'thoughts'
Chomper felt like collapsing with exasperation. How many times had he generated mistrust because he was a Sharptooth? And now, in an ironic twist of fate, he was generating mistrust for being not Sharptooth enough. Hmm…
Oh the irony :smile
Aaaaand we see Redclaw *le gasp* I bet he'll cause some problems in later chapters :yes
I think you did a great job writing the part of the Sharpteeth pack (Gang of Sharpteeth :P:)
Be quieter Cera and Ruby!!! Kai seems to stay a mystery... at least to the Gang.
Ulciscor is a true bad-ass. Killing this onehorn... so mean and.. whatever...
Actually Spike should be proud but he rather should be watchful over Kai... That's what you talked about, Toby :DD Spike being the legitimate leader of the GV :o Seriously, THAT would be awesome, someone who can't talk would lead a whole valley. That'd make Ducky his speaker I guess since she's the only dinosaur who is able to understand Spike.
You keep impressing me and leaving me speechless. The balance between action, dialogue, thought and description is very good imo.
K.E.E.P I.T U.P!!!
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I think you messed something up here.
Yeah, I did... :cry Oh well, thanks for pointing it out! :lol
And yes, Spike as Great Valley leader would be awesome...that is if Ulciscor and Kai let him stay around for that long...
And yeah, attempting to get to the Fanged Forest will probably cause a lot of problems, if not only matched by those events about to unfold in the Valley...
But yes, I enjoy shocking my readers. :lol Hope there will be more surprises to come...
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Very nice chapter as always; I don't think I realized just how dark this story was until the last wo chapters. Lots of flashbacks and forgotten (or untold) histories coming about. The Gang seems to be in over their heads here, especially with Kai. I'm still not too sure about him :p
Ulcisor, now there's a villain! Cold and cunning and ruthless, I'll be inerested in reading more about him, especially as I have the feeling this will boil down (or up) to an exciting climax.
Keep up the great work!
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Haha, glad you're enjoying the darker turn this is taking...and don't worry, Kai will get his comeuppance eventually...
But what will Spike do once his secret is out? :unsure:
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Oooh, 2,000 views!!
:yes
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This fanfiction has been submitted for the 2013 fanfiction awards. Give the author some feedback and a rating for his story in this topic (http://gangoffive.net/index.php?showtopic=12636).
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Chapter Seven: Into the Cave Network
It was strange, Spike reflected. Last thing he remembered was taking a break during a long walk, and snacking on every plant he could reach. Now, however, he was in a desolate wasteland, feeling drowsy…
He couldn’t understand it. And even more weird, he now felt a strange sense of desperation. For what exactly? He had no idea. Possibly his friends to be back for him, as he was completely alone, but when he saw a figure on the horizon, all he felt was an increased sense of dread.
This figure was difficult to make out, but looked to Spike like a longneck – tall, sleek and iron-grey, with a pair of dark, beady eyes fixed upon him.
Then it spoke – its deep voice reverberating through Spike’s skull like thunder.
“It’s a stalemate then…” it said. “You may be hiding amongst your friends, but we know who you are now. You may inherited Omendric’s Great Valley spirit of loyalty and courage, but ultimately, it will do you no good…”
This sounded horrendously threatening, and Spike was terrified. He was rooted to the spot, as the monstrous form of this intimidator approached him…
“Spike!”
The young spiketail was suddenly plucked from the depths of his sleep as he was roughly shaken awake by Ducky.
“Come on Spike!” she coaxed. “You’ve been sleeping too long! We have to go and find Chomper, we do, we do!”
Spike attempted to make a committal grunt, but the noise died in his throat and a chill swept over him when he saw Kai striding off in the distance, calling over his shoulder to Littlefoot.
Kai couldn’t have been the longneck in the sleep-story, surely? No – different colour and shape. And yet…he couldn’t help but associate that longneck with the rude one he now saw before him. For some reason, he was worried to move. He tensed himself firmly on the ground. He wished he had never dozed off.
“Spike!” The new octave that Ducky’s voice hit expressed her concern for her adopted brother. She tapped him gently on the side of the head.
“Are you OK, Spike?” she asked.
Petrie, noticing something was wrong, flew down and perched on Spike’s nose.
“I wonder,” he said pensively. “Did you have a baaaaaaaaad sleep story?”
Spike nodded dolefully, causing Petrie to fall off his nose.
“Spike! Get a move on!” Cera, who was following in Kai’s wake, called back to him.
Getting to his feet and dusting himself off, Petrie then said,
“Me think me know just the thing to motivate you.”
So saying, he soared up into the branch of one of the tall trees, and after a few moments, something almost perfectly round and bright orange dropped down at Spike’s feet. It was such an exuberant shape and colour that it took Spike a few seconds to realise that it was a tree sweet. But it was unlike any he had ever seen before – and if there was one person who knew his food, it was Spike. After sniffing it suspiciously, he found nothing wrong with it and immediately wolfed it down.
Wow! What a taste explosion!
In all his time of munching treestars, other tree sweets, grass, flowers, berries, various weeds that grew around the place, sweet bubbles and even bits of bark, Spike had never tasted ANYTHING so delicious in his life!
Fully motivated and his sleep story forgotten, he got happily to his feet and strode briskly away, the zingy taste of orange juice still the highlight of his mouth, and it was left to Ducky and Petrie to try and catch up.
*
“Now, listen to me.”
Tricia looked innocently up at this stranger, who seemed to be giving her advice. Not that she was overly interested. She continued to munch on the large treestar she’d been given.
Kosh put his face closer to Tricia’s.
“You’re not going to go wandering off into the Mysterious Beyond like your sister does constantly, are you? Are you? No, you’re not.”
Tricia looked at him sceptically.
“Come on now,” Kosh said sternly. “It’s dangerous if you go walkabout. You’re getting old enough to handle the Great Valley, but it’s still dangerous out there!” he gestured.
Tricia rolled her eyes at him, but nevertheless settled down to continue munching her way through the treestar.
“Good girl!” Kosh nodded.
“Erm…can I help you?”
Tria was walking towards the two of them, a puzzled look on her face.
“Oh, hello Tria,” Kosh replied, nodding good-naturedly at her. “Sorry – but your husband needed to attend an important meeting of the council, so he asked me if I could watch Tricia for a bit.”
“Did he now?” Tria looked a bit disgruntled. “He didn’t tell me about this.”
“Perhaps he didn’t want his face torn off in front of everyone again,” Kosh suggested, smirking slightly.
Rolling her eyes but ignoring this comment, Tria then said,
“Didn’t you want to attend this meeting?”
“Nah,” said Kosh smoothly. “Other than heckling the cowards and fools I have nothing to add.”
Tria chuckled.
“Like my husband you mean?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Kosh replied seriously. “He may be a bit heavy-handed, but his heart’s in the right place and he’s a good diplomat. He can be a really inspirational leader.”
“Funny,” Tria muttered. “So was Ulciscor…”
“Who?”
“Never mind…” Tria replied quickly. Kosh nodded, and then continued.
“As far as I’m concerned, this issue you’ve got with Topps at the moment – what’s it even all about?”
“Well,” Tria explained, sighing a little. “It started simply with me claiming he was being a bit heavy-handed with Cera. Then, he started retorting at me that she wasn’t my daughter…”
This nasty sentence hung in the air as Kosh groped for what to say next. This was something new altogether – actually arguing correct parenthood over a child who had lost her mother before arriving at the Valley? No wonder she had been so distraught.
“I don’t see how she being your daughter or not should make any difference,” Kosh informed her. “Spike is not Mrs Twoped’s true son, and yet she treats him like one of the family.”
“I know,” Tria sighed. “And yet I’m not sure Cera wants to know me after all of this. I know our arguing has been upsetting her. It’s been upsetting Tricia too!”
She gestured helplessly at the small pink Triceratops, who was carefully tearing apart the remains of the treestar, determined that nothing would remain intact.
“Have your arguments just been about who’s whose daughter?” Kosh asked.
“No,” Tria replied. “That just started it off – they’ve been about all sorts of rubbish…”
“In that case,” Kosh continued. “If you can’t find any legitimate reason for you and Topps to continue arguing, don’t! It’s time you made up – if not for your own sake, then for the girls’.”
Tria gave him another puzzled look, with a slightly sceptical smirk.
“Oh, and you’d know about raising kids, would you Kosh? Very often, they go against what you’re trying to do.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Kosh replied simply. “Tria – I’ve been a father before, but I lost my children a long time ago, along with everything and everyone else.”
Tria’s expression changed dramatically.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I didn’t know…”
“Not many people do,” Kosh replied, smiling sadly at her. “By the time I joined this mixed herd, I’d pretty much lost everyone to drought – or the earthshake. There was still my brother – who then went off with Pterano. But I really wasn’t the best father. I loved my kids, but I can’t believe I wasn’t able to save them…”
Tria took a forceful stride towards him.
“Don’t blame yourself,” she said forcefully. “There was nothing you could have done.”
“Survivor’s guilt,” Kosh explained. “Gets us all. But even though I think about it every day, the Great Valley is what cures me. The way I see it, it’s a symbol of new beginnings. Showing that everyone deserves a second chance. It’s me, starting over. A place of hope – we’ve even allowed a Sharptooth to live among us! It’s the sort of place with the beauty, joy and community, that NOBODY should be allowed to take away…”
Tria could see a look of righteous anger overtake the old ankylosaur now, and she felt awed. Was this really how the average Valleian felt about the place? It definitely was cohesion in action.
“I guess the point I’m trying to make,” Kosh continued. “Is that everyone deserves a second chance – including your husband.”
Tria nodded.
“Yeah…yeah. Yes…I guess you’re right.” She seemed assured. “I’ll go and wait for him outside the council meeting place and talk with him. Would you mind continuing to watch Tricia for a bit?”
“Certainly,” Kosh nodded, and Tria went off to find her husband.
*
“Stop!” Seizon held up his hand dramatically.
“What?” came the irritated reply of six fellows.
Seizon grinned back at them.
“I think we’ve found it!”
“Found what?” Saureen was getting quite irritable now. “We’ve only taken a detour, what were you even looking for?”
“Take a look yourself!”
The six of them looked, and Chomper had to admit – he had seen caves and caverns before, but this was something else altogether.
What was ahead of them appeared to be a small mountain, though upon closer inspection, it was more like a massive rock monument, such as Saurus Rock. This however, had no clearly defined shape, though that didn’t take away from its impressive squatness, with a wide, almost flat top and many entrances to caves here and there, implying a deep-set cavernous network within.
“I’ve heard about this!” Seizon declared excitedly. “It’s called the Grand Cave Network.”
“What it is exactly?” Chomper asked uncertainly. Despite his trepidation for heading to the Fanged Forest and the infamous Xal, he somehow didn’t think investigating these mysterious caves would do him any good either – and if he, Chomper, a great cave lover, found this place rather foreboding and creepy. Anything could be lurking in those tunnels. But then Chomper remembered the sight that had forced them to take this detour in the first place.
“It’s exactly what it’s called,” Seizon replied. “It’s a Grand Network of caves! I’ve heard various legends and stories about this place. I don’t know how many are true…”
“Oh!” Saureen suddenly had a look of realisation on her face. “This is the network mentioned in the story of the Stingy Fastbiter, right?”
Seizon nodded, an insane grin on his face. Put him in the back of a car, and who’d need a plastic dog?
“Yes,” he affirmed. “The very same. Xal always told me such legends were based on fact.”
“The stingy fastbiter?” Chomper had never heard of such a thing. Then again, most old dinosaur tales he had heard were leaf-eater ones from Grandpa Longneck. His parents had only ever told him tales of their childhood. Apart from the Legend of the Hidden Runner, he was completely ignorant of Sharptooth stories.
“Yep. The Stingy Fastbiter.” Pyron laid a hand on his shoulder. “The story of a fastbiter who never hunted with anyone, because he wanted prey all for himself. They say he also kept shiny stones in massive quantities in places only he knew or could access.”
“Wow, that really is stingy,” Chomper nodded. “But what does that have to do with the cave network?”
“Well,” Saureen explained. “After a flyer stole one of his stones, he had to find a new place to hide his hoards. He found the cave network, but ended up drowning in the underground river that is said to exist here.”
“So, it’s a ghost story?” Chomper asked, shuddering.
“No,” Saureen replied. “It’s a story that warns you away from greed and explains the dangers of the network itself.”
“With such a collection of death traps and such-like,” Seizon continued. “It would make a perfect fortress in battle.”
“Uh…forgive me, but what are you actually talking about?” Al queried.
“I mean,” Seizon said patiently. “That we’re going to claim this place for Xal!”
So saying, he began striding off in that direction.
For a few seconds, nobody moved, but then Saureen lunged at Seizon and grabbed him by the arm.
“No!” she protested. “We’re here to get Chomper to the Fanged Forest, not try to claim territory! Xal will do that once he’s-”
“It can’t hurt to have a look, surely?” Seizon said pleasantly, and continued his stroll towards the cave entrance.
Saureen just stared after him, an expression of mingled outrage, disbelief and exasperation on her face. Lini pressed herself forward and nudged her gently.
“We’d better follow him,” she said. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything ridiculous…”
Saureen just nodded mutely.
Once they had managed to hike their way to the entrance, they noticed Seizon gleefully inspecting what way there, which Chomper realised, with a thrill of horror, was a medium-sized longneck skeleton.
“This must be our lucky day,” Seizon said, smiling at them slightly unnervingly.
“Lucky?” Chomper gulped, almost gagging.
“How is it lucky, Seizon?” Nycha demanded, leaping atop the longneck’s ribcage.
The thrill of horror that Chomper felt was replaced by a sudden wave of surprise and confusion. Nycha was…agreeing with him? Since their scrap earlier, she had acted as though Chomper didn’t exist. After that incident, openly agreeing with him on something her beloved Seizon didn’t was like Redclaw playing Swimmer Splasher with his friends…
Pushing that thought out of his mind, Chomper’s question was answered by what Nycha said next.
“There’s no meat left on this carcass. It’s a complete waste of space.”
Of course, Chomper thought bitterly. If there was any meat on it, Nycha would be estatic.
“You’re not looking hard enough!” Seizon insisted, and then he pulled a rib off the skeleton.
“Watch!”
They watched as Seizon bit into the bone, and spat the broken bit he had bitten off onto the floor.
“Take a look inside!” he encouraged. So they gathered round (Nycha determinately staying away from Chomper and noticed a strange red substance within it.
“Marrow,” Seizon said. “The underrated food of the world.” He licked a bit of it, pure ecstasy on his face. “Try some, its sensational.”
And so, one by one, each of them tried a bit of marrow, and each of their faces became estatic and blissful. Lini almost hyperventilated with the intensity of the taste and collapsed to the floor.
Then it was Chomper’s turn.
“Go on!” Seizon coaxed. “It’s not going to do you any harm.”
Chomper was reluctant. But remembering how delicious everyone seemed to find it, he realised that it wouldn’t change the longneck’s status, and he was quite hungry…
So, he took the bone from Seizon and licked some of the marrow.
Oh…wow…
Chomper didn’t know whether or not to feel guilty that he loved it so much. He supposed that that was the definition of conscience – what hurt when everything else felt so good.
“Nice one!” Pyron said jubilantly, thumping Chomper on the back. “You see? You can do it.”
“Yeah…” Chomper nodded slowly. “Yeah, I suppose so…”
“Well, that’s great,” Seizon muttered, his expression suddenly changing. “I’ve just realised something…” he threw the bone to the floor.
“What?” Saureen approached him. “What is it?”
“This longneck didn’t just curl up and die here,” Seizon explained, his eyes suddenly becoming alight with malice. “Nor did his flesh go walkies…someone killed him and ate him. Someone who decided to take up residence in this network.” He took a deep breath. “I wanted to claim this cave network for Xal. And it seems there are people to take it from…a rival pack of sharpteeth who have made their home here!”
Saureen looked agog. She gazed at the skeleton, then at Seizon, the back again.
“Umm…well…” Chomper could tell she wasn’t prepared to deal with a gang of sharpteeth. She may be gutsy, but she wasn’t exactly a fighter. He felt Lini shuffle up closer to him, possibly to provide some comfort. At least she would be better suited to a fight…
“H-how do you know Xal’s people haven’t already claimed this place?” Saureen asked eventually. “The people who ate this longneck could be on our side.”
That was a strange thing to say, Chomper reflected. Those who killed fellow dinosaurs tended to be bad guys in his book.
“They can’t be,” Seizon said angrily. “Xal would have told me. Someone else must have the claims to this place.”
“You mean me?” came a snide voice from the shadows.
*
Ferox blearily opened one eye.
“Come on,” Xal coaxed. “You’ve got to get up. I’m pretty sure your wounds will have healed by now.”
“Even if they have, he’ll do well to conserve his energy,” a deep blue sharptooth countered in a calm but firm voice. “Xal, I think I can look after him. I am his mother after all.”
Xal looked distastefully at the elderly Sharptooth. Tyra looked back, still calmly. She didn’t care how much of a hero Xal was supposed to be – she was still perfectly within her rights to look after her own son.
“Actually,” Xal said, nodding. “You may be right. Stay there Ferox, I have someone I’d like you both to meet.” He strode off.
Tyra sighed.
“He really loves the sound of his own voice, doesn’t he?” she commented.
Ferox smirked.
“I guess so. But maybe that confidence will lead us to victory…”
Tyra shrugged.
“Well, hopefully. I’ll just wait and see…although…” she frowned slightly. “I don’t much like the look of this one…”
Ferox opened his eyes and saw what she didn’t like the look of. His eyes widened with shock as he understood exactly what she meant…
Xal had returned with a large Slashclaw, with a venom in his eyes Ferox had never seen. He scales were emerald green, and drool was dripping of his teeth that only matched the symbol of blood reflected in his eyes.
“This is Gigas,” Xal said. “He was involved in the Battle of the Great Valley. Gigas, this is Ferox, the father of my stepson’s friend, and his mother, Tyra.”
Ferox and Tyra didn’t say a word, but this just made Gigas’ malevolent grin grow wider.
“Pleased to meet you…” Gigas said, in a voice that was more menacing that either of them could have thought possible for an individual. Ferox and Tyra were staring at him as though he’d just dropped from outer space. Xal however, didn’t seem to notice.
“Gigas tells me he can amass a large army in order to mobilize our plans against Ulciscor, Redclaw and the Great Valley,” Xal explained. “I don’t doubt him. He has a very important role in our revolution.”
“What’s that?” Tyra demanded. Xal fixed with a steely glare.
“Execution,” he replied coldly. “If there is anyone within my forces who I deem unfit, he will dispose of them – effectively.”
Gigas nodded, still smirking.
“Yes,” he affirmed. “I shall be making sure this army is flawless.”
“I trust you will find him suitable,” Xal said, his expression unreadable as he turned and walked away.
~0~
Well, there you go! Now, I'll be honest - I'm not really happy with this chapter. I think it lacks depth, though to be fair, it was interrupted by some horrific holiday. I seriously hope I haven't lost my kick, cause that would be tragic...:'(
Please give me your thoughts, and I promise I'll try and improve next chapter. :bang
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It wasn't that bad if you ask me :)
It's a little shorter I think but the depth was okay. Perhabs you're just not so happy with this chapter because the last two ones were brilliant so this one, which is quite okay, seems worse than it is in fact.
Anyway, the talk between Kosh and Tria was quite well-done imo because did two important things at the same time: continuing the 'disputes in the Threehorn Family' subplot and giving Kosh a (very interesting) backstory.
The scene with the Sharptooth Gang was quite okay, too. Chomper gets included more and more..
I just noticed you and Sleeping-force's-inside share a character's name: Tyra :lol
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I actually forgot... :bang
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I think I've mentioned before about music, and I can imagine a climactic scene (not saying what!) later in this fic having this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBAM0O3ujgI) soundtrack playing whilst it takes place. Because I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts, tell me what you can imagine taking place to this music. :lol:
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Whoops, posted twice...
Sorry, fixed, down below is ze chapter.
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Oooh, you lucky things...here's another chapter, not long after the last one!
A word of warning due to this speedy update though - make sure you've read the previous chapter before you make a start on this one, just to make sure you don't read in the wrong order! :lol
Chapter Eight: Full Scheme Ahead
Chomper and the other six looked in the direction of said snide voice to see who had uttered it. There question was answered when a stocky Sharptooth around their age, perhaps slightly older, sauntered towards them, looking about as calm as he would be discussing the weather. He was stocky and lean, with distinguished chest muscles upon a tarnished raw-red hide, with incredibly stumpy which were even shorter than Chomper’s. It was obvious what he lacked with his arms though were made up by everything else – his short, brutish snout and a head topped with vicious looking horns, not to mention immensely powerful hind-legs which Chomper noticed not even Lini could match up to.
Seizon, a look of distaste on his face immediately sauntered over to the stranger, squaring off the way you would before a fight. Saureen groaned inwardly. This was not going well at all – they couldn’t afford to go around threatening aggressors, certainly not in caves and complex and unnerving as this one.
Seizon and the stranger were eye to eye, staring each other down. The tension in the air was so thick that you could have cut through it with a bone from the longneck skeleton. Chomper chanced a glance at everyone else. They too were on edge, as though they were prepared to strike if the stranger so much as moved a muscle.
“Name?” Seizon barely spoke in more than a whisper, but with the defeaning silence he didn’t need to speak any louder.
“Nott,” the stranger replied. “Yours?”
“Seizon.”
“Well, Seizon, you’re on our turf. This cave is ours. All its advantages and blessings are ours. I suggest you get out.”
It wasn’t a request. Chomper, feeling slightly sick, could see the saliva dripping from Nott’s jaws as he delivered this ësuggestion.’ It was clear he was riled up for a fight.
“And if I don’t?” Seizon countered. Saureen made a soft little moaning sound, grimacing as she watched for an aggressive retaliation from Nott. Nott however, smiled. Nevertheless, it was a rather demonic smile that went perfectly well with the horns atop his head.
“It would be a terrible shame,” he replied, his grin widening suggesting he thought the complete opposite. “But then I would have to dispose of you. Admittedly, your skeleton would go well with the one over there.” He gestured.
Seizon snorted with laughter, the last thing Chomper felt like doing.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to make threats,” he told Nott savagely. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re outnumbered seven to one.”
Nott was still smiling.
“Well, that’s because you haven’t seen the wonderful massed pack I’ve got living in this dwelling,” he said. A chill swept down Chomper’s spine? Massed pack? He didn’t like the sound of that. Nor, apparently, did Seizon, who had fallen silent at Nott’s words.
Then, surprisingly, Nott turned away.
“I’ll give you ten minutes,” he said. “If you’re not out of our territory after that, we’re coming to get you. That’s a garantuee, Seizon.”
He strode back off into the shadows until he was out of sight.
Seizon turned back to his pack.
“Outside,” he growled. “We need to rethink our strategy. If he insults us, he insults Xal. There’s no way he’s getting away with this.”
*
“I thought you’d be at the meeting.”
Topps looked up as his wife approached.
“Well,” he said smoothly. “My throat hurts. Hollering at everyone can get exhausting once in a while.”
He said nothing else. Tria knew this strategy of old – Topps was always uncomfortable with bringing things up. It would be down to her to cut to the chase.
So she did. “Topsy, I think we need to talk.”
Topps chewed these words over – he was chewing a piece of fern as well, but Tria knew better than to take that as a sign that he wasn’t listening. Her dear husband always tried to avoid any awkwardness by some sort of physical repetition. That piece of fern he was chewing on looked older than Saurus Rock and Tria knew he had no intention of swallowing it. But chewing on it prevented him from looking awkward – well, that’s what he thought anyway…
“Talk?” Topps eventually said, dropping the dry bit of vegetation.
“Yes, Topsy. We can’t solve our current problems through more arguing. Please tell me what’s on your mind.”
Topps sighed.
“OK,” he said. “I’ll try as best I can. It’s like this.” He began to pace around slightly, occasionally gazing off into the distance as he did so.
“Cera’s growing up,” he eventually began. “The Time of Great Growing is nearly upon her – I know full well that the stiffness she’s recently been feeling above her eyes are her brow horns coming through.” He smiled reminiscently. “It seemed Trinity had a sort of recessive trait in her family that made them come through quite late. It was the case for all of my daughters.”
Tria didn’t say anything. She knew they had moved into sensitive territory now, with Topps mentioning his late wife.
“Which includes Rea,” Topps continued. “I’ve mentioned her before, yes?”
Tria nodded. “She’s your eldest daughter, yes? The one who had started her own family before the drought?”
“Yes,” Topps nodded. “She has two children of her own – Dinah and Dana. Ever since arriving at the Great Valley, I have seen her only twice.” He glanced at Tria, his eyes apologetic and sorrowful.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “But the last time I saw her…I told her about you. And I haven’t seen her since…”
“Oh!” Tria swallowed, but tried her best to put sympathy in her tone. “Please don’t read too much into that dear! It’s probably just coincidence…”
Topps nodded sadly. “But maybe I’ve just been feeling guilty about that – and how Cera’s all I’ve got left – from the original batch anyway. I don’t know how easily I’ll be able to let her go. And I know I haven’t been the best father to her. I don’t know what she’ll think of me when she grows up. Perhaps she’ll just move on and leave me…” Tears began to leak from his eyes. It was incredible. He had hardly ever shown this side to anyone.
“You’re being paranoid Topsy!” Tria strode towards him and nuzzled him gently.
“Cera wouldn’t do that! She loves you – you’re her father, and you’re all she’s got.”
Topps looked at her reproachfully.
“And what does that make you?” he asked.
Tria smiled. “I’m glad you think I’m a worthy mother for Cera. The truth is Trinity wouldn’t want you and Cera to be alone. Remember, we all knew each other once?”
Topps nodded and sighed reminiscently.
“Ah yes! Those were the days…”
“Yes,” Tria nodded. “And as far as I knew her, she wouldn’t resent you for anything, even if Rea does. She’d be very proud of how you’ve brought her up.”
“You think so?”
“Yes! She’s a very independent young threehorn. You will have to let her go eventually, but you would have to anyway. When the time comes, she will leave us with love and continue to be strong and proud, just like her mother. And you won’t be alone. You’ll have Tricia. And-” She nuzzled him warmly again. “You have me.”
Topps smiled, and the two of them shared a threehorn embrace, which isn’t an actual embrace due to manoeuvrability in large four-legged animals, but as they held their bodies close to each other, it felt exactly how any embrace would.
Mama Flyer landed next to them.
“You’re not going to believe this,” she said. “Some idiot told us where we could find the kids and left us on a wild fast runner chase back to the Great Valley. And now he’s trying to forcibly enter via the Hidden Canyon!”
*
On the subject of wild fast runner chases, the gang were getting nowhere fast in their hunt for Chomper. Spike’s sniffer, as Ducky put it, was all sniffted out, and despite the heavenly treesweet he had had earlier, his stomach’s rumbling was echoing around the place and causing vibrations enough to knock Ducky and Petrie off their perches – their perch of course, being Spike’s back.
Eventually, Cera turned around to look at the hungry lad. But said lad was surprised to see her expression was not annoyed, but thoughtful.
“Here,” she said. She led him over to a stream that had been parallel to them for a while. “Drink that up, and you’ll probably find a few water-greens in their too.” Spike didn’t need any more encouragement. Nor apparentley, did Ducky or Petrie. But as the four of them began to happily munch their way through this feast, Littlefoot and Ruby came over.
“Cera!” Littlefoot exclaimed. “What are you doing? We’ve just had a break!”
“Yeah,” Cera agreed. She bobbed for some more waterweed. “But it was a tougher walk than we expected.”
“But…” Littlefoot looked behind him. The tall form of Kai, oblivious to their pit-stop, continued to stride away.
“Kai’s…”
“Going off without us,” Cera finished the sentence for him. “But like you said, he’d have told the grown-ups if we hadn’t taken him with us. If we give him the slip now, we can continue this at our own pace, without him.” She said the last word rather savagely.
Littlefoot, at a loss for words, turned to Ruby to see what she would say about this. She, to his surprise, was smiling.
“Yeah! Good plan Cera.” She picked up some water-green herself. “Admit it Littlefoot – you didn’t want him with us either.”
Littlefoot sighed, but nodded.
“OK – but we’ve also got to work out how we’re going to find Chomper. I mean, by now he could be anyw-”
A loud roar drowned out the rest of his words.
In terror, the six of them looked up as a large pale blue Sharptooth came stomping towards them. He had obviously been drawn to this stream by the promise of cool water. It was his good fortune, and their bad fortune, that there had been fresh meat here too.
With a combination of strangled gasps and screams, the six young leaf-eaters turned heel and fled. With another feral growl, the Sharptooth began to give chase.
Littlefoot was surprised how fast it could run, and before long it was gaining on them. Frantically, he began looking around for something they could use to get an advantage over their blood-thirsty pursuer.
Then…
“That tree!”
The tree he was referring to was standing alone in this desolate terrain, with a thick trunk and several branches that would be fairly easy to scramble up. But not for the Sharptooth. In Littlefoot’s experience, large sharpteeth were not adept at climbing trees.
They all took his advice and began to clamber up said tree. Some of the branches were thinner that Littlefoot had anticipated, and he felt them bending under his weight, but he continued to climb higher, hoping that the thicker branches higher up would give him a foot-hold of sorts, high enough to be out of the sharptooth’s reach. Ruby, a nimble climber, and already made it to a thick branch of safety, and was now leaning down in an attempt to help Cera clamber up too, Petrie flapping around them, warning them to be careful.
So, large sharpteeth can’t climb trees. But this one clearly hadn’t got the memo. As Littlefoot looked down, he saw the predator grip onto the thick trunk with claws larger than was originally realised and began, slowly but surely, to shin up the tree. Gulping, Littlefoot attempted to climb higher, but with the sharptooth’s weight now pinned to the tree, the whole thing was swaying and creaking. This shuddering was so intense, in fact, that Ducky lost her grip, and began to fall, with a terrified scream, into the sharptooth’s open jaws.
Littlefoot tried to reach her, but Spike got their first. Even in his climbing gait he corkscrewed his entire body around and lunged down, gripping hold of Ducky’s tail with his teeth, yanking her out of harm’s way. The only trouble now was, the position he was in rendered him completely immobile unless he were to fall into the predator’s waiting gob, along with Ducky…
The Sharptooth continued clawing his way towards them and was just in the position to inflict a devastating blow when something hard rammed forcefully against its body. It was flung clean off and away from the tree, landing with a thud and an eruption of dirt about ten metres away. The six young dinosaurs in the tree got a good look at their saviour, and the recognised the spikes at once.
It was Kai.
Despite their previous misgivings about the longneck, they nevertheless cheered as he stood in a battle stance and the Sharptooth got to its feet, prepared to take on this new challenge.
It charged forward, and with an angry grunt, Kai swung his head like a golf club, allowing it to once again smash into the sharptooth’s side. As the carnivore attempted to once again get back to his feet, Kai surged forward and reared up on his hind legs, preparing to bring the front ones smashing down on top of it.
The Sharptooth dodged just in time, and deciding it was not worth the risk for a few juveniles, began to lumber away.
The children cheered and slid down off the tree near Kai.
“That was great Kai!” Littlefoot complimented.
But Kai didn’t answer. He was not done yet.
Without warning and to the shock and astonishment of the children, he charged forward at the sharptooth’s retreating back. The Sharptooth barely had time to turn around and defend itself when Kai swung his mighty tail, adorned with their fearsome spikes, and struck the predator hard across the skin, sending him careering further backwards, the spikes having scraped across his scales, sending droplets of blood splattering across the ground as the creature tumbled.
Slightly sickened, Littlefoot yelled out,
“Kai, leave it, its running away!”
But Kai had gone deaf to any reason. Even as the Sharptooth prepared to flee, he charged at it again, smacking it around with his tail and neck, adding more shining cuts to his collection of injuries.
From his hovering position, Petrie could see that there was strategy in Kai’s attacks – he was chasing the Sharptooth towards a deep ravine nearby. Upon realising this, he gave a gasp of horror.
“This doesn’t look good!” he warned the others. In response, they all charged forward to where the fight was taking place – or, to be more accurate, the beating.
But they soon wished they hadn’t.
With no other place to go, the Sharptooth was teetering on the edge of the ravine, covered in cuts, and with an almighty shove, Kai flung into deep into the chasm.
But it wasn’t just a random fling – Kai had specifically aimed for something within the ravine. Looking down, the gang could see some of the biggest stone teeth they have ever seen jutting out from the bottom, and a split second later, the sharptooth’s limp form had fallen atop the tallest and sharpest one, getting instantly impaled.
The point of the stone tooth jutted out of the predator’s chest as blood ran all over the place. The animal gave a strangled gasp, before his head flopped back, mouth open, eyes blank and staring.
For a few seconds, nobody moved or said anything. Then Littlefoot looked up at Kai.
Kai flexed his shoulders.
“Not a bad shot, I’d say,” he said casually.
Littlefoot heard Cera retch behind him, but it was barely audible compared to the ringing in his ears. Kai had said…what?
“I suggest we get moving,” Kai continued, turning away from the grisly sight. “I also suggest you don’t lag again – lest anymore damned sharpteeth attack you.”
“And lest you kill anymore…” Littlefoot thought weakly. He took another look down at the body of the Sharptooth – it was incredible that he should be feeling sympathy for something that had been trying to eat him moments before. But with a horrible jolt that made him want to retch too, Littlefoot realised that Kai could have just as easily, if not more so, done that to Chomper…
He exchanged a look with his friends. Their expressions all said exactly the same thing he was thinking. This longneck was both insane and dangerous, and the sooner they got rid of him, the better.
*
“Seizon! Forget them!”
“No, Saureen, they’re getting what they asked for.”
The five other Sharptooth stood in a respectful silence as these two ësorted it out.’ Seizon was being as stubborn as a rock and Saureen was almost crying with exasperation.
“What do you even hope to gain?” she demanded. “I for one am not prepared to deal with vicious heavies beating us up if we don’t get off Nott’s turf.”
“He was bluffing,” Seizon snapped back. “I’m sure of it.”
Saureen just gaped at him.
“I don’t think so,” Al replied, speaking up for the first time. “Someone does not have the guts to square up to a whole pack unless they have back-up. Besides, do you really think he killed that longneck on his own?”
Seizon knew he was hit with an unanswerable argument, so he simply changed tack at the speed of light. Chomper had to admire him for how well he did that.
“Do you have no faith in our abilities?” Seizon demanded of them. “Quality always triumphs over quantity.”
“I agree!” Nycha said earnestly. “Our pack works as a team. We’re strong and can’t be brought down by wannabes!”
Is this what she thought? Chomper wasn’t so sure. She constantly went on about how Chomper didn’t fit in the pack. Either she had had a change of heart, wasn’t including him, or, most likely of the three, this was another attempt to get Seizon to return her feelings.
If so, it was in vain. Seizon was still trying to convince Saureen.
“Last time I checked,” Pyron said, shooting a sideways glance at his sister. “Such packs like to weed out the weaker links…”
Nycha shot him a disgusted look. This surprised Chomper – he had the feeling he was being kept out of a loop.
“This arguing is getting us nowhere!” Seizon roared, and everyone fell silent.
“Listen – I know it’s bound to be dangerous, but if we nip this menace in the bud, it’ll mean one less rival group when we begin our revolution. I need to see how big Nott’s group is before I can even think about attacking – see, I am thinking this through.”
Saureen rolled her eyes.
“I, and one or two of you are going to sneak in and spy on Nott and his ëfriends.’ If he was exaggerating, we’re good to go and if he wasn’t…well, we’ll get to that if it comes to it. So, who shall accompany me?”
He gave them a second to mull it over, then…
“Chomper!” Seizon smiled brightly. “No offence meant, but you’re skinnier than the rest of us – sneaking around should be your thing.”
Chomper wanted to protest, but he could only gulp.
“Good lad!” Seizon nodded. “Right anyone else?”
“I’ll go with you,” Pyron said at once, stepping forward.
Seizon nodded. “Right. That should be enough. The rest of you stand guard out here.”
He began to walk back towards the cave entrance. Just then, he felt a drop of water on his snout.
“Ah, sky water!” Lini complained. “We can’t stand guard out in this!”
“Why not?” Seizon looked offended. Then he gave a blissful sigh.
“I love sky water,” he murmured. “The sound and smell of it is great. I don’t know why people hate it so much.”
He turned to Chomper and Pyron.
“It makes things grow,” he explained. “Provides water to drink – it’s a sign that, even in days of turmoil and trial, the world is still continuing.”
These words of wisdom left everyone else slightly non-plussed. Seizon didn’t wait for a response, and simply strode into the cave, Pyron and Chomper following him.
“Sky water…?” Chomper muttered at Pyron.
“Yeah,” Pyron replied, shaking his head. “Never knew he liked it so much. Interesting way of looking at things, isn’t it?”
“Mmm,” Chomper nodded. “What exactly did you mean earlier, when you said to Nycha about weak links?”
Pyron looked uncomfortable.
“Sorry about that…” he said. “I was just letting my emotions get the better of me. The way she’s been treating you is…horrible…”
“Don’t worry,” Chomper shrugged. “I can deal with it.”
Pyron shook his head. “That’s not the point – me and Nycha know what it’s like to be underdogs, and she’s denying it completely. I told you earlier that she blamed leaf-eaters for the deaths of our parents?”
“Yeah?”
“Like I said – denial. Leaf-eaters are not to blame.”
“Then…who are?”
A grim expression passed Pyron’s face.
“They did it subtly,” he muttered. “But I have no doubt that it was the leaders of our own pack.”
Chomper gasped.
“Yep,” Pyron nodded. “Trying to remove the weakest links. Slowly, but surely. And ever since that disastrous episode, Nycha’s trying to prove she’s not weak. I think that’s why she’s so attracted to Seizon – to her, he’s a strong young Sharptooth, who will lead her out of her dark state of mind.” He sighed. “Even so, it’s no excuse to take it out on you. I can tell you’re struggling still – why else do you think I decided to come along to Seizon’s little spy game?”
Chomper looked up, hardly daring to believe it. Pyron smiled.
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re not on your own mate.”
At that statement, Chomper felt a warmth spread through him, and he couldn’t help smiling himself. Maybe this pack wasn’t so bad, if it meant friends could come at him where he wasn’t expecting it.
“I think it’s here,” Seizon hissed.
Chomper started. He had almost forgotten where he was, but now he saw that him, Seizon and Pyron were deep into the cave, and Seizon was peering over the edge of some sort of crevice. It was so dark, it was hard to make out what was below, but he gestured for them to keep low, and so they did so, peering over the edge as well.
What Chomper saw made his heart stop.
Sharpteeth. A whole crowd of adolescent sharpteeth, milling around Nott, who was clearly their leader. And he was talking to them loud and clear.
“There are only seven of them. They shouldn’t be too much to be concerned about, but at the same time, it’s important to keep a close watch on our bounties here. They may have fled, but just in case…”
He turned to the biggest Sharptooth there, a jet-black behemoth who’s rippling muscles spelt doom in Chomper’s eyes to every single one of them, him being larger than any member of their pack.
“Torq, I want you out on external security,” Nott told him. “They’ll have a job getting past you…”
Torq grinned a sinister grin, his white teeth gleaming.
“And Yuti,” Nott continued. “I want you deeper within the complex, protecting our riches.”
The Sharptooth he was addressing was a female with a golden snout housing a powerful-looking jaw and a white coat of feathers adorning her head all the way down to her tail. Unlike Torq, she didn’t immediately look like anything sinister, but as Chomper knew, looks could be deceiving. At Nott’s word, she gave a small bow and began to walk away from the rough-looking gang.
“Uh…I didn’t mean now!” Nott called after, frowning slightly. “We’ve got to wait to see if they make a move.”
“It can’t hurt to make sure now though, surely?” she called back. She had a sly sort of voice, one that was trying to convince itself it was right. She didn’t wait for a response from Nott, and simply slunk off into the shadows.
Seizon leaned back from looking over the edge of the crevice and turned to Chomper and Pyron, grinning, which, considering the size of Nott’s pack (not to mention the size of Torq) was the last thing Chomper felt like doing.
“I knew it!” Seizon hissed in delight. “They have got stuff stocked here – he wasn’t just trying to show off…well, as well as taking this cave from him, we’ll also get ahold of THAT too! It might even be the shiny stones that the Stingy Fast Biter lost here that one time…”
“You actually believe that story?” Chomper asked. But before Seizon could reply, Pyron cut across him.
“No, Seizon,” he said sharply. “I’m sorry – I’ve gone with what you’ve said before, but not this time.” He was genuinely angry. “We’re horribly outnumbered, and did you see the size of that Sharptooth? We’re not risking ourselves here. We need to get out as soon as possible…”
“What’s the hurry?” Seizon asked casually.
“The hurry???” Pyron almost screamed at him. “That girl – Yuti – didn’t go off to check the alleged riches, she obviously smelt that she had unwelcome guests about!”
“That’s right,” a sly voice said behind them. “I’m surprised you decided to come and have a nose around so soon, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll finish this off quicker now.”
*
There was a lot of commotion around the Hidden Canyon. Not only had some stranger decided to waltz in through it, but he had broken down the boulder used to keep sharpteeth out. And now, he was standing there, in the pile of rubble, blinking absent-mindedly at the perplexed and angry crowd milling around him.
He was a longneck, but a very strange one at that – he was quite squat and stocky, and there was a large club at the end of his tail, which he had clearly used to knock down the boulder.
“What do you think you’re playing at?” Topps demanded. “That boulder is needed for keeping sharpteeth out of our Valley!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” the stranger replied. “Once we’ve integrated ourselves, they’ll be no need for it – we’ll provide the best security and bring an end to that menace once and for all.”
These words sent a slight chill up Tria’s spine, and as she did so she heard a small voice whispering in her ear. It was her common sense, and it was trying to tell her something she would have known at once if she hadn’t been so psyched about making it up with her dear husband. Those words sounded sweet enough, but if you listened to them carefully, they sounded similar to something a former Valley leader had once said…and this longneck had a club at the end of his tail, just like members of a certain brigade…
“Wait a minute…!” she yelled.
The stranger fixed her with a steely glare.
“I don’t have time to wait,” he snapped. “In fact – it’s finally begun…”
Suddenly, more club-tailed longnecks – or Bludgeoners, as Tria knew them to be – where striding towards them at all angles, creating a rough circle around the crowd – and circles don’t get any rougher.
“Huh?” Topps looked around wildly. “How did they get in??”
“Entrances from everywhere!” came a voice. They all turned to see Thicknose running towards them, but he came skidding to a halt when he saw the Bludgeoners.
He looked around wildly, his face contort with horror. He couldn’t believe it – how had he missed all the signs?? It was happening again…
Everyone in the Valley had been anxious to hear of news from where the children where, so when they flyers had returned, they had all gathered near where their courier had led them. This left Bludgeoners free to come out from all sorts of various entrances without being noticed – over the mountains were the Thundering Falls came from, the Secret Caverns, the forest at Saurus Rock…it was a full-scale invasion all right, and how had he not noticed…?
But of course, after the foot soldiers, soon to come would be the…
Thicknose, not even sure what he was planning, turned and ran.
“Stop him!” one of the Bludgeoners bellowed.
“No, leave him,” the leader replied. “There’s nowhere to run, we’re all over the Valley. It’s in our control now. Ulciscor will be here soon. And if he goes out into the Mysterious Beyond, Kai will deal with him. No – this mission has been executed perfectly.”
“What shall we do with this lot then?” the other replied.
“Get them to the Rock Circle, and we shall detain them there as we await further orders.”
*
Ulciscor strolled calmly down towards the watering hole, gazing around with mild interest. It had been long – too long – since he had been here. He also had some people he’d like to see.
And he’d found them.
“Well, hello,” he said.
*
Thicknose run around and full pelt, trying to find who he was looking for. He didn’t know quite how he’d manage to head Ulciscor off, but he knew he must. He was the only one Ulciscor knew.
As he ran towards the watering hole, he saw, with a sickening jolt to his stomach, the sinister iron longneck standing there, tall and imperious, gazing at two individuals who were gazing back at him in mingled horror and astonishment.
Grandma and Grandpa Longneck had unintentionally taken the long route when heading towards the Hidden Canyon to hear news of their grandson, and had come face to face with Ulciscor himself. Thicknose skidded to a halt. Ulciscor turned around to face him, his eyes wide and curious.
“Dorian? Wow – I didn’t expect anyone from the old days to still be here…I take it you’re the only one?”
“Yes,” Thicknose spat back. “Not least because you killed everyone else!”
Grandma Longneck gave a small whimper. This surprised Thicknose – sure, hearing about death wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, but he thought she was tougher than this? Ignoring this in face of the greater peril, he said hurriedly,
“Mr and Mrs Longneck, this is-”
“Ulciscor,” Grandpa Longneck replied, his voice flat. “Yes Dorian, we know.”
“What?” Thicknose looked around wildly. “But he was in the Valley before you-”
“I’m aware of that,” Grandpa Longneck replied shakily. “But you see Dorian, this-”
He gulped.
“This…is our son.”
~0~
Now, I've had to manipulate timelines a bit here, making Grandpa and Grandma older than Thicknose and all that, but anyway...
Talk about a revelation! :blink: Hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think. In this chapter, things are beginning to...err, begin, and for everyone, things seem to have taken a turn for the worse! I wonder what will happen next? Well, actually, I know... :lol
For those interested, here are some new species - Nott is a Carnotaurus, Torq is a Torvosaurus, Yuti is a Yutyrannus and the unlucky sharptooth who got on the wrong side of Kai (like he has a right side) was a Deltadromeus.
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This chapter was to say the least surprising me plus you again wrote quite some cool scenes down :)
Seizon, do me a favor and DON'T PROVOKE A FIGHT!!! SEriously, I don't wanna see any of your great Sharptooth OC's die ;) I first thought this guy might join the pack but well... it turned out to be a wrong assumption.
I bet I know where Kai and the Gang are.. Kai (as I assumed knowing his backstory) didn't just fought this Sharptooth off, no, he even murdered him in cold blood, without any need!
And sooner than I thought the unavoidingly event happened: Ulciscor took control of the Great Valley again as it seems..
And he's WHUT!?! Grandma's & Grandpa's son!?! WTF :lol
I really enjoyed this one (well, I always say that but it's really true :P:)
It's gonna be even more exiting from now on I bet :DD
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*gawk* that's just it *gawk*
It's not often I get so impatiently enraged and you my friend, with your beautifully executed plot twists and cruel characters, have managed it perfectly.
GAAAAH!
Heh, I had a feeling you'd throw a Torvo in this story. I had a Torvo charry for a while as well, may bring him back. Lol they are quite awesome :DD
I did NOT see that-- what is-- I don't even-- WHAT IS GOING ON?! Grandma, Grandpa, how on earth?! But you're the nicest denizens in the world, how dd--?!
*faints with exasperation*
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Yes, I just chuck any old dinosaur I want in. I thought - Torvosaurus, why not? :lol
And I'm glad you liked the little twist... ;) If like is indeed the right word! And you know what say - sometimes you get bad ones in every family. Why do you think Grandpa and Grandma have kept it a secret for so long? :lol:
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Hmm, I see what you mean
BUT STILL :bang
Lol
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I take it this twist is making your head spin, far more than the Spike one...
There are still more revelations to come, though as far as I can be sure, none quite as explosive.
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Lol no sweat, I'm pretty tough ;)
PS Carnotaurs and Torvos are some of my fave theropods, lol
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Meh, they're alright, though I tend to love a whole range of theropods. Loads of species appear in this fic. :lol
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Not another one...hang on...
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And here's the next chapter! It isn't really proof-read, so apologies in advance for mistakes...also, some language gets a little more ripe in this chapter. Nothing ridiculous, but a bit of mild profanity is used later. Apologies in advance again.
Chapter Nine: Turf War
Thicknose heard, but he did not believe. This was too much, after everything that had come before.
“No…” he said shakily, as though by saying it he could make it untrue. “No way – he can’t be.”
“Believe me Dorian,” Grandpa Longneck sighed. “We have wished many times he wasn’t…”
Thicknose stared at him for a few moments, before snapping his head in the direction of Grandma Longneck, hoping she may contradict him, but she said nothing. Thicknose closed his eyes.
“I can’t believe this,” he murmured. These two longnecks were some of the most compassionate and caring individuals he had ever met. They were mellow, easy to get along with, and treated their grandson and the other children so wonderfully…how on earth did they manage to produce this monster?
Then, the monster spoke.
“I’m glad we’ve got our introductions out of the way. And you know Dorian, I have always wanted you to meet my parents – just so you could see how completely blind they were. When I declared my intentions to set this Valley straight, they ignored me and just focused on my bratty little sister.”
“Saura did more for anyone than you could ever do Ulciscor!” Grandma snarled at him. “And we are determined to raise her son in the right way-”
“And yet you let him give the slip time and again?” Ulciscor asked loftily, fixing his mother with a steely glare. She didn’t respond.
Ulciscor gave a soft chuckle. Thicknose had heard more cheerful sounds in a smoking mountain.
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Ulciscor said, his eyes alight with malice. “He is quite safe, in the company of my most trusted ally, the stinging longneck – Kai.”
Thicknose’s eyes opened wide in horror.
“So…that longneck I’ve been seeing around the Valley…really was Kai…” his knees gave way and he collapsed. Littlefoot and the others were in mortal danger, and it was all his fault. He should have warned them…
He turned to the two elderly longnecks.
“Does Littlefoot know he’s got a fiendish murderer for an uncle?”
“Littlefoot?” Ulciscor repeated, sounding amused. “You mean Saura even gave him Bron’s old nickname?”
“It was better than naming him after her brother!” Grandpa snapped back.
“You know Bron as well?” Thicknose demanded.
“Well, yes,” Ulciscor replied. “We were the best of friends once upon a time. But it doesn’t matter what happened it the past. It is the here and now we must focus on. The Great Valley is mine again, and I have various tasks that must be accomplished. Did you know, for example, Dorian, that the spiketail brat who lives with a family of bigfaces is the son of Ronan and Opal?”
All of these revelations were making Thicknose’s head spin.
“Wh…what?” he managed to splutter.
“Yep,” Ulciscor nodded. “I was astonished to find out too. Kai doesn’t know this yet, but when I send word, he’ll know what he has to do…”
“NO!” Thicknose bellowed. He didn’t care anymore – the shock of what had happened was making him giddy and irritational. He pelted forwards. All he knew is that he wanted to slaughter this fiend, once and for all…
A pair of tails grabbed him and held him back. Two Bludgeoners had finally caught up with him, and were restraining him expertly.
“Too slow Dorian…” Ulciscor said quietly, as more Bludgeoners appeared to restrain his parents. “Now that we’ve got you where we want you,” he continued. “Let us go and find the others.”
*
The skywater continued to hammer down as the four young sharpteeth stood guard outside the entrance to the Grand Cave Network, in an act that was hardly necessary. The skywater had been the only sound around for almost twenty minutes.
Finally, Saureen, evidently bored of waiting, broke the silence.
“So…how do you think they’re doing?”
Nycha gave a sniff of laughter.
“They’ve probably already been caught…”
“If so, don’t you think they’d be coming for us next?” Al asked. Nycha merely shrugged.
“Well, I’ll tell ya, if we’re made to wait any longer, I’m going in there myself,” Lini said firmly. “Seizon may like skywater, but he’s not the one standing out in it with-”
“Ssh…” Saureen said suddenly. “Quiet a minute…I think I hear something…”
Everyone else was quiet and tuned into any sound other than the skywater…and they heard it.
Footsteps.
Heavy footsteps. Great thudding stomps that were slowly making their way in their direction. And, by the sounds of things, only on two feet…
Lini gave a muffled gasp.
“Who…?”
The footsteps had paused suddenly, as though the owner had stopped to consider something. But then they continued, getting more intense, quicker, louder…
Saureen raised herself to her full height and took a great sniff of the air, but she hardly needed to. Only one massive, two-legged individual would be in such a hurry to reach them, and the scent she got coming from the direction of the footfalls confirmed it.
“Redclaw!” she cried.
She was absolutely right. Even with all the rain, the four young sharpteeth could make out the shape of the voracious tyrannosaur running at full pelt towards them, emitting and ear-splitting roar.
“Into the cave!” Saureen yelled at her comrades. It was the easiest way forwards, and the entrance was too small for Redclaw to enter. Sure, she didn’t much fancy what lay in wait for them within the network, but anything was better than this beast, surely?
Saureen stood back to allow her friends in first, all the time Redclaw getting closer. With seconds to spare, she dived in after them, squealing slightly as Redclaw rammed his head into the mouth of the cave, attempting forcible entry, but to no avail.
“You OK?” Lini asked as she helped her to her feet.
“Yeah…” Saureen replied. “But where are Seizon and the other two?”
“They must have gone ahead,” Lini shrugged. “I hope they’re OK…”
“Well, let’s go and find out,” Al said. “They’re not likely to come to us.”
Saureen looked troubled.
“Well…alright…but I still don’t like the idea of his whole ëup to the challenge’ ethos.”
The four of them headed deeper into the cave.
*
“Hey, Nott!” Yuti called gleefully. “They’re right here!”
Seizon immediately sprung to his feet in preparation to battle this loudmouth and whatever backup she may be getting, but as he pelted towards Yuti, she slid expertly to one side, causing Seizon to stumble and stagger. He righted himself quickly, but Yuti was ready for him. Poised perfectly on her toes, she was already right in his face when he had managed to stand up.
“End of the line honey…” she breathed, before headbutting the bladeback straight over the edge of the precipice and into the bloodthirsty crowds of sharpteeth.
“Seizon…!” Chomper yelled, leaning dangerously low over the edge.
Pyron grabbed him back.
“Careful,” he whispered. “I need to work something out…”
In the throng of young predators, Seizon was putting up a terrific fight. More of Nott’s minions were collapsing, howling in pain than Chomper cared to count. But numbers weren’t on his side – eventually, Torq, the enormous jet-black Sharptooth who seemed to enjoy tormenting others, had Seizon in a tight headlock.
“Nice one…” Nott grinned sadistically. “I want to take out this one myself…just to prove how sad and pathetic your little pack is, rockhead.”
At that point, Seizon did probably the worst thing possible he could’ve done then. He poked his tongue out at his aggressor. What a child…
Pyron shook his head.
“No other choice…” he muttered. “Sit tight, mate…”
Without warning, he suddenly barrelled into Yuti, who had been distracted by watching Seizon, sending her also careering over the edge, Pyron following. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he should have known Seizon’s recklessness would have got him into trouble eventually, and he needed to protect Chomper too.
Yuti plummeted on top of a couple of sharpteeth, practically flattening them, Pyron landing on top of her. He immediately leapt back to his feet, and kicked forwards, him infamous sickle-claw slashing into Torq’s muzzle. Grunting in pain, the burly behemoth loosened his grip on Seizon, allowing said bladeback to wriggle free and place a well-aimed kick into Nott’s pug-like face. He then promptly back-flipped over Torq’s head, and he and Pyron began to fight their way through the mob.
As he headed towards where the precipice lowered to a slope to join them, Chomper was amazed. It wasn’t as if he had never seen sharpteeth fight before, but that was with adults. Seeing individuals his own age was an impressive sight to behold – but it also made him feel rather inferior in comparison. His heart wrenched a little. Or perhaps that was just a stitch.
He reunited with Seizon and Pyron at the bottom of slope and congratulated them on their performances.
“Now…what?” he panted, leaning on Pyron for support.
“Now,” Seizon replied simply, failing to hide a grin. “We run like hell.”
And for good reason – Nott and the others weren’t going to let them get away so easily, and were in pursuit. So, wearily, Chomper tried his best to keep at the pace of the other two.
“We’re going out of here,” Seizon told the other two. “I’m sorry – I should I have listened. Coming here was a waste of time, we’re getting the others and fleeing.”
Pyron nodded. “Just don’t do it again, eh?”
Seizon smiled back.
To their surprise, they weren’t having too much difficulty out-running the other sharpteeth. It seemed that this nightmare was over finally, and they could get on with their current task.
That was the plan anyway, but when nothing can go wrong, that’s when everything always does.
As the three sharpteeth skidded round a corner, they found themselves face to face with another four.
“Saureen!” Seizon exclaimed, catching her before she ran into him. “Come on, other way, we’re getting out of-”
“No, we can’t!” Saureen was adamant, her emerald-green eyes wide with fear. “Seizon…Redclaw’s out there!”
“What?”
“He came after us – there’s no chance of making a clean getaway!”
Oh hell…
Chomper could almost feel the cave walls constricting him. This was it, surely. He had reached the last full stop. With a murderous Sharptooth on one side and a hoarde of ferocious little biters on the other, there was no way out…
Seizon was doing some immensely quick thinking.
“Alright…” he murmured. “There are seven of us, and heaven knows how many of them, but we work as a team – they have a corrupt hierarchy. Turn around and fight as best you can. I don’t like it much either, but we don’t have any choice in the matter…”
As one, the pack turned to face its aggressors. Chomper flexed his shoulders and squared himself up for the fight. He didn’t really fancy his chances in this fight, but Seizon was right, he didn’t have any choice. Enough of cowering – he was going to face this head on.
Nycha made the first move.
She sprung eagerly into battle, latching herself onto Yuti’s head, leaving long cuts imbedded in her hide with her toe-claws.
Despite wincing slightly, Yuti still managed to swing her head down and throw the fastbiter off, but Pyron had zipped forward too, in an effort to defend his sister, flicking his sickle-claws forward too, which clanged dully onto Yuti’s teeth as she bit into his foot, and the two began a powerful wrestle.
Lini, meanwhile, had charged into Torq, being the only one burly enough to raise a challenge to him. The two were jaw-to-jaw, Lini emitting low growling sounds Chomper wouldn’t have though possible for someone as kind as her.
Seizon and Al had headed straight for Nott, and were currently attempting to use their superior arm length to get an advantage over his ferocious jaws and powerful kicks.
Chomper found himself squaring off against a rather large, sinister looking abelisaurid), glaring at him with dark, pitiless eyes. He snapped at him, Chomper skidding backwards and desperately trying to figure out some way of fighting him. Saureen came to his rescue. She attacked the abelisaur from the side, biting and scrabbling at him with her claws. He howled and shook her off, sending her crashing to the ground where she was most vulnerable.
Chomper didn’t even wait for the Sharptooth to sink his teeth into her, but pelted towards him and sunk his teeth into his flank, not even caring as blood oozed out all over his teeth and down his chin. The abelisaur gave a bellow of pain, but unable to shake him off, Saureen took the advantage to ram into him and send him smashing his head into the hard rock wall.
Elsewhere, things weren’t going quite so swimmingly. Nott was not succumbing to Seizon and Al’s slashes at his hide, nor was Torq relenting from Lini’s attacks. Despite giving the order for most other sharpteeth to go and protect deeper within the cave, Nott and his two lethal cronies seemed to be somehow outnumbering the pack of seven.
Yuti twisted her neck, driving Pyron into the ground before springing forward in an impressive manoeuvre, ramming straight into Chomper and pinning him to the ground.
“What’s the matter little biter?” she hissed, and Chomper could smell the foul stench of blood in her breath. “Never faced a challenge like this?”
Pyron and Saureen immediately attempted to remove this savage from on top of their friend, but this was easier said than done. Nycha didn’t spring to his aid, she simply went off to batter Nott, but this was all Chomper expected from her. If she liked the company of strong types, why didn’t she just join the savage son of tar pit?
Presuming Nycha could give Seizon satisfactory back-up, Al dashed over to help with the removal of Yuti. Sje was eventually shoved into the stone wall, which cracked slightly as she slid down it.
Al’s eyes widened.
“Of course…” he murmured. He rushed over to the cracked spot and wrenched a stone tooth from the cave ceiling.
“Certain parts of the cave are weaker than others…” he proclaimed, sticking the tooth with considerable force into the crack. Most of the wall crumbled away, leaving a decent-sized hole.
“Come on guys!” he yelled. “In!”
And so the pack squashed into the hole and they began to slide down a long steep tunnel. Nott, Yuti and Torq weren’t stupid enough to follow them in, but sometimes, Chomper reasoned, as the seven sharpteeth tumbled uncomfortably downwards, stupidity is the key to a lucky escape.
*
Ulciscor began his powerfully deliberate march towards the Rock Circle, accompanied by his parents and an old acquaintance. Though in their case, this wasn’t by choice, as they were surrounded on all sides by incorruptible Bludgeoners, who, at the single command of this iron-grey longneck, would slaughter them in an instant.
Thicknose was at a loss for what to say. Ulciscor held all the cards – the Valley was once again completely under his control, and he had done it so easily…not to mention what Kai had in store for the kids once news of Ulciscor’s takeover had reached his ears.
He wasn’t the only one remaining silent – Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were still in shock to discover that their long-lost son had just seamlessly taken over the entire Valley, when they thought him to be dead. Or, if they were painfully honest, had hoped him to be. They had heard of tales from the Great Valley in days of old about how their son had ruled the place with terror, and knew from personal experiences with him that these couldn’t have been exaggerated. Why else would they have delayed heading west?
“Here!” Ulciscor breathed, cutting across their thoughts. They had finally reached the Rock Circle, and the Valley’s populace was standing there surrounded on all sides by Bludgeoners.
Ulciscor strode forward and stood in front of them.
“Greetings Valleians,” he said. This was a mildly strange thing to say, as he was holding them all hostage, but this was how Ulciscor worked. To him, nonsense was common sense.
“I apologize for this rather brutal arrival, but it was necessary considering how some may be determined to work against me.” He glanced at his parents and Thicknose.
“I am Ulciscor,” he continued. “And from this moment on, I am the undisputed autocratic leader of the Great Valley, as I was some time ago.”
There was instant uproar at his words. Angry mutters and cries of shock were being thrown out at Ulciscor, but to no avail. At Ulciscor’s word, the Bludgeoner’s pushed the crowd back, slamming their heavily armed tails into the ground to restore order.
“SILENCE!!” a rather sinister Bludgeon Commander with a scar down his nose hollered as he forcibly flung Hyp, who had been trying to squirm free of this security ring, away from him, sending him off his feet and crashing with a sickening thud into the grass. That soon shut everyone else up.
“Thank you, Shock,” Ulciscor noted the commander. “I understand that many of you may not be happy with this new arrangement, but you’ll have to get used to it. And…” his voice suddenly became dangerous. “As you have seen, I will not tolerate any resistance. My Bludgeon Brigade will ensure that. But what they will also ensure are sweeping changes for the Great Valley. I promise you, with our intervention, the Valley will never be at risk for sharpteeth again. Nor will the world!”
There were a few interested murmurs at this. Obviously they didn’t realise genocide was what Ulciscor had in mind.
“We are also going to ensure segregation of species,” Ulciscor continued, a trifle colder. “No four-footers should interact with two-footers, for two-footers are inferior.”
Panicked muttering spread quickly, but Shock and his troops were quick to shut them up.
“It is a necessary procedure,” Ulciscor insisted. “Both groups will be put to work in fortifying the Great Valley, and will be rewarded proportionately. Soon, this work will pay off, and we can live in paradise.”
From the murmurings that followed, it seemed everyone wanted paradise. But then someone had to heckle.
“But we already have a paradise!” Hyp protested.
“No you don’t!” Ulciscor snapped. “What you’ve got is an illusion…” But when Hyp fell silent, Ulciscor smiled. Well, his mouth did anyway, his eyes remained hard.
“I don’t want you to fear me,” he said. “I am approachable, and natural-born leader of this Valley. I am the Lone Dinosaur sworn to protect this Valley.”
The confused muttering broke out again.
“What about Doc…?”
“I could have sworn…”
“They did say bad luck…”
Tria however, was watching Ulciscor, and the slightly drunken look of euphoria on his face, almost as though he were fantasizing. She was amazed. When Thicknose had told her about the longneck’s claim to fame, she had assumed it was just a ploy to get people to trust him. But looking at him now, it seemed very apparent that he had deluded himself into thinking this was actually true. He somehow believed that he was responsible for the presence of Saurus Rock. It was incredible…
“He actually believes it…” she whispered to Thicknose as he sidled closer to her. “I almost feel slightly sorry for him…”
Thicknose stared at her in amazement.
“Speak for yourself,” he replied. “And I’m afraid that’s not the worst part…”
“Oh, and…” Ulciscor continued, gesturing behind him. “I trust you’ve all met my parents?”
*
Things moved quickly after that.
The Bludgeoner’s began a task they poetically dubbed ëThe Preparation of the Trees,’ in which they stripped trees of their treestars and stored them in small caves or under the ground, declaring that they could eat once they had worked. They had even split the Valley in two, a long line of logs to show where the four-footer area ended and the two-footer area began. It was like a nightmare coming true – Thicknose’s head was spinning. This couldn’t be happening, not again…
There was no sign of Grandma or Grandpa Longneck. Evidently Ulciscor had wanted them somewhere close to him so he could keep an eye on them.
“This is absolutely insane,” Topps grumbled as he waited for the Bludgeoner’s to assign them their tasks. “Who is this flathead anyway? Who gave him the right-?”
“I hate to break it to you, my friend, but he’s done this before…”
“WHAT???”
“A long time ago…” Thicknose sighed.
“Well, he’s not going to do it again,” came a third voice. The two looked up to see Kosh plodding towards them. His face was contort with determination.
“This is the Great Valley,” he said. “The most beautiful fertile land in the world, one that’s always welcomed strangers and allowed us to live in harmony. I for one will not stand while it’s abject to a complete corruption of its purpose. Maybe the real Lone Dinosaur will come and save us from this impostor eventually, maybe not. But I don’t want to wait around.”
Topps nodded.
“I like the way you’re talking clubtail,” he said. “But do you have a plan?”
“Well, these rocks we’re using the reinforce the Valley could be put to better uses, if you know what I mean…” Kosh replied, smiling slightly.
“Yes,” Thicknose agreed enthusiastically. “And whilst you’re taking care of the Bludgeoner’s here, Kosh, we’ll take down that divide.”
The other two looked at him.
“So you’re in this too, Thicknose?” Topps asked.
Though terrified at this prospect, Thicknose nodded.
“Just try and stop me,” he said.
*
It was as if the moment had been caught in a freeze-frame.
Dinosaurs were working all around them, the Bludgeoner’s keeping a close watch. Kosh had volunteered to roll and large rock up higher on the Great Wall where it was needed, but was stood still up there, waiting…
Thicknose and Topps were standing by the divide. It was a risky activity being this close, but fortunately they weren’t being watched too closely.
Kosh flexed himself as some Bludgeoners walked by. Then he rammed the rock with his head.
It came tumbling down and knocked the longnecks apart like skittles, before they thudded to the ground. This was the signal the other two needed – they immediately rammed into the divide, shattering the twigs and bark that made it up, and sending large logs rolling haphazardly away.
“Stop!” one of the Bludgeoner’s had managed to clamber to his feet, but Topps charged straight into him anyway, lodging his horns into his front legs and sending him once again crashing to the ground.
Thicknose had rushed over to aid Kosh with the flinging of the rocks, stopping many Bludgeoners in their tracks. Once he had run out of rocks, Kosh simply leapt down and was battling the oppressors tail-to-tail, landing well-aimed blows that many could not get up from. With Topps and Thicknose helping, the area was soon pretty much devoid of Bludgeoners.
“And now,” Kosh continued, gritting his teeth, his eyes alight. “For Ulciscor!”
Topps and Thicknose cheered their approval before racing off after him. They completely ignored the one calling after them.
“Topsy!” Tria was horrified. She knew how dangerous Ulciscor was, and yet these daredevils were challenging him anyway. She couldn’t believe her husband. Perhaps their differences were not quite settled after all.
*
The three-man coup was soon cut short.
Upon finding Ulciscor and charging at him, Kosh, Topps and Thicknose were met by a huge and impenetrable wall of Bludgeoners. As the massive dinosaur muscles collided, the stocky longnecks pushed back against the rebels, eventually pinning Thicknose to the ground.
“Bastard!” Topps yelled, attempting to ram one of them. Soon though, he too was restrained.
But Kosh wasn’t going down yet.
Parting the battering squad with his mighty tail, he surged right through them and to the one he wanted to get at most of all. Before Ulciscor could react, Kosh had swung around, and, with a mighty roar, landed a crushing blow with his clubbed tail right into the longneck’s side.
It was a heroic gesture, but with virtually no effect. Ulciscor had grunted in pain and staggered slightly, but had then retaliated with a ferocious slap of his own tail, throwing Kosh into the air and landing with a bone-rattling thump onto his back, where the Bludgeoners restrained him.
“Gather everyone,” Ulciscor snapped, his eyes practically popping with his rage. “We have something to show them.”
*
The divided crowd stood anxiously as they observed the three rebels, restrained by vines and heavily guarded by Bludgeoners. All three looked severely bruised, as though they had been recently beaten up.
“These three fiends have tried to disturb our peace,” Ulciscor spat, pacing up and down before the leaf-eaters. “They organised a thankfully unsuccessful coup against me. It was a cowardly act.”
Nobody dared contradict him. They were two worried to see what fate would befall the ones brave enough to fight back.
“Because it is early days for my reign,” Ulciscor continued. “I have decided to be merciful. Dorian and Threehorn – you shall be imprisoned, which means you shall be confined within the Secret Caverns until further notice. However…” His gaze was now fixed unwaveringly on Kosh.
“The ringleader needs a harsher sentence. One that suits scum like him, one that’ll teach the rest of you never to defy me.” Kosh just glared back.
“I have decided,” Ulciscor said, failing to hide the glee in his voice. “That you shall be executed – basically, you will be sentenced to death.”
The crowd gasped in horror and terrified mutterings quickly broke out.
“Silence!” Ulciscor bellowed. “And you will all witness it.”
Kosh was brought forward before Ulciscor, still restrained by the Bludgeoners.
“Anything to say?” the longneck demanded.
“Yes,” Kosh replied, reckless courage taking over him. “Even when you are gone, the Valley will continue forever, and so will its spirit. You will never take it away from us, for we are proud of who we are. You, on the other hand, who carries the name of the Lone Dinosaur and the Great Valley is not even worthy to speak them.” Just to finish off, he then spat on the ground at Ulciscor’s feet.
Ulciscor was livid. In a fit of rage, he flipped Kosh over onto his back with his tail, and Kosh made no move to get back up.
“Stand back!” he snapped at the Bludgeoners. “I shall do it myself.”
“Valleians!” Kosh cried. “Brothers and sisters! Never give up! Continue the struggle for everyone’s sake!”
Ulciscor reared up onto his hind legs.
Kosh gazed up at the sky, and a single tear welled up into his eye and began to fall down his nose.
“My dear Cephi, and my wonderful children…” he thought. “I shall be joining you soon…”
Ulciscor’s front legs stamped down.
The blood flew upwards as the ribs cracked.
The crowd screamed and gasped.
And then, as Ulciscor walked away, the leaf-eaters of the Great Valley were left staring at the body of the old ankylosaur, who had risked himself for what he believed in, forever lying in his final resting place as his blood continued to trickle into the ever-fertile soil.
~0~
:cry Alas, poor Kosh, I knew him Horatio...
Ahem. Now, I wasn't originally planning to kill this guy off, but when I had this coup planned in my head I realised Ulciscor wouldn't let them all get off so lightly. Needing Thicknose and Topps for later bits in both this story and the sequel, I realise the dear clubtail would have to take one for the team. :( And so, I wrote him out. ;) And he won't be the last...I hope you like the way I right death scenes...maybe I can make you weep next time!!! :exactly
Also, how do you like how I write battle scenes? If you have any advice on how to improve, I'd be glad to hear them! And these other sharptooth characters? Give me all of your thoughts and thanks for reading! :yes
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Another great chapter, Toby! :yes
Aw crap, seems it's starting to be a repeat of a bad part of the Great Valley's past. Dammit Ulciscor! :bang I guess now the current Great Valley residents can now see just how bad he is, now that he's gone and killed Kosh in front of everyone. :p Don't blame him for trying to start a rebellion, though.
And I STILL need to get it into my head that Ulciscor is Grandma and Grandpa's son. :blink: I honestly feel like Thicknose.
I thought the fight scene was pretty good. There were a lot of moments where I thought 'uh oh.' No, not Redclaw too! :o
I did notice a few mistakes, but I'm sure that can be resolved with the good ol' proof-reading. It wasn't really anything major, though. :p
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Thanks. And I'm too lazy to proof-read sometimes... :p
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How do you write that fast :blink:
This chapter is, as VV in general, very interesting, well-written (especially the action scenes are great!) and, well... it makes me hate Ulciscor and his Bridgeon Brigade! :anger Which is a good thing btw ;)
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Thanks. :DD And I hope I'll get even better in the action scenes coming up...
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Whoooaa... was not expecting that O_o
So many feels from this chapter, certainly hope things start to turn around for the better because this... this is just not wokring :(
Poor Kosh, but at least this should give the Valleians a reason to fight now.
Lol the fight scene with the sharpteeth was pretty funny in a way, I almost thought the two groups would meld as they'd be far more powerful that way. A little surprused about Seizon getting his tail kicked, but I guess it was only a matter of time :lol
I love Pyron's character more and more, he's really a true friend and guardian, and seems like he'd be a better leader at times. At least Seizon admitted his mistake XDD
Dash it all! Do you delight in suspense? Wait, i know the answer already. YES! Dosu, you are evil!!
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Gonna do a deeper review...
Ulciscor even knows Bron? Man this is weird! :blink:
Whoa! I had never thought Thicknose would even attempt to fight...
REDCLAW! RUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!
Sure they couldn't just wait any longer so Redclaw might have been useful...
Seizon... you stupid... well, he survived the fight although he was heavily outnumbered. It is a little unlikely but they're the strongest pack ever, 'member ;)
Whooops, Redclaw isn't as useful as I first thought :bang
What a battle! Chomper sure wasn't amused :DD
Both fight scenes are well done and cruelly exciting!
Ah, good ol' Ulciscor... nothing has changed, he's still like in the old days :lol
Topsy, Thicknose and Kosh... nice idea to let them start a rebellion :yes
This fight, you too wrote pretty well though they were more successful than they actually should have been or my imagination of the Bludgeoner's strenght is wrong...
I don't regret voting this fic 10/10 ;) Keep it up, matey! :lol:
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Thank you! :DD
And here's the next chapter...WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME, I'M LIKE A DEMON PHANTOM WHATSIT THING WITH ALL THE POWER OF WHO KNOWS WHAT, WHY DO I INSIST ON UPDATING SO QUICKLY...?
Ahem...please enjoy.
Chapter Ten: Pyron’s Tale
The residents of the Great Valley were hardly given time to recover from Kosh’s death when Ulciscor made his next move.
“You two,” he snarled at Topps and Thicknose. “For your crimes, you shall be imprisoned in the secret caverns!”
So saying, four Bludgeoners seized them and wrestled them towards the caverns, but restraint was hardly needed. Seeing Kosh crushed to death before their very eyes had done much to suck out the last of their fighting spirit. The glassy look they gave the anxious population as they were dragged off was one of defeat.
But there was one more nasty twist of fate in store for Topps as he and Thicknose sat sullenly in the cave and a massive boulder was slowly shoved in front of them. Many leaf-eaters had followed them Bludgeoners to the cave entrance, and despite the trepidation, were whispering words of encouragement to the prisoners.
“Don’t worry! You’ll be out soon!”
“Continue the fight…”
“We’ll wait for you…”
But Topps suddenly noticed that his wife, who was standing amongst the crowds, was remaining silent.
Swallowing hard, he leaned forward as close as he could to her and whispered,
“Tria…I…”
Tria shook her head.
“How could you do this?” she hissed. “Don’t you see how dangerous they are?”
“Well…”
“And what about your daughters?” Tria demanded. “How would they cope if their father ended up going the same way as Kosh just because he defied someone?”
“But we can’t let him get away with it!” Topps insisted. “I was fighting to make living in our Valley better for Tricia…and Cera, when she comes back…”
Tria sighed.
“Perhaps. But they wouldn’t find their dad dying worth having the Valley liberated. Their family is more important than their home, and if you’re going to have that sort twisted perspective Topsy…I’m afraid…I can’t do this.”
Topps’ blood ran cold.
“This?” he muttered. “What’s this?”
Tria took a deep breath.
“Us,” she said. “I’m sorry Topps. I wanted it to work too.” She gave him a sad smile, but only got a expression of disbelief in return.
“I’m sorry Topps,” she repeated. “But it’s over. I really hope you get released soon. But after that things will have to change. Goodbye.”
Before Topps could say anything, Tria had walked away, and he retreating figure was the last thing he saw before the boulder was placed firmly over the entrance, imprisoning him and Thicknose inside.
*
“I don’t care what you say Torq,” Nott snapped. “I am not going down that tunnel!”
“But we can’t let ëem get away!” Torq insisted, growling softly.
“I have to admit Nott,” Yuti, who was casually leaning against the wall, added. “You were all for pursuing them earlier, and we have the upper hand. Why stop now? We know this area better than they do.”
Nott glared at her.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” he hissed.
Yuti laughed.
“No. You never ask for anyone’s opinion. You just rely on your swollen head.” She smirked. “I think you and that bladeback would get on well…”
Nott kicked the wall angrily.
“Whatever…the point is, there have got to be better ways of pursuing these intruders. Like you said, we know this area better than them. We have to make sure they don’t find the shiny stones.”
Yuti rolled her eyes.
“You and your bloody shiny stones…”
“They belonged to the Stingy Fastbiter!” Nott declared, his eyes slightly mad. “And they’re all we’ve got to live for…”
Yuti’s smirk slipped slightly, and she nodded.
“If you can call it that…the point is, I just live for the sake of living. I’ve got nothing left to live for. That was taken from me a long time ago…no shiny stones that probably came with the cave to begin with are going to fill that space…”
“You mean…” Torq looked confused. “There was no Stingy Fastbiter…?”
“WHEREVER they came from,” Nott interrupted loudly. “They’re ours, not theirs. And we need to do everything we can to make sure these biters are dealt with permanently.”
Torq and Yuti gave affirmative nods.
*
The evening began to settle in, and the setting Bright Circle was casting a magnificent orange glow over the Fanged Forest. Ferox was just beginning to get to his feet, having almost recovered from his injuries from his fight with Kai. He plodded slowly over to join Xal, who was gazing up at the sky, apparently lost in thought.
Ferox cleared his throat.
Xal turned, and was taken by surprise. “Oh, Ferox. You’re standing?”
Ferox nodded. “So it would seem,” he replied.
Xal slowly smiled.
“Excellent,” he said. “You’ll soon be fit enough to serve as a commander in the Piercer Platoon.”
Ferox blinked, wondering if he’d misheard.
“You what?” he said eventually.
“Piercer Platoon,” Xal repeated. “Our foot-soldiers that we will use to vanquish Ulciscor’s Bludgeon Brigade.”
“Wow…” Ferox murmured. “I wasn’t even aware we had an army…”
“Well, they were used when we attacked the Great Valley that first time. And Gigas has been building them up over the years so that they’re stronger and more ruthless than before.”
“Oh yes…” Tyra murmured, walking over with a look of dissatisfaction on her face. “I do remember you saying he could amass a large army…”
“Quite,” Xal replied, his smile slipping slightly. “What is it with this one?” he thought. “She can’t seem to accept me as her leader…I shall have to do something about her…soon.”
The tension was broken when a belly-dragger waddled up to them.
“Hey, Xal,” she said. Xal glanced down.
“Yes Dil?” he asked.
“A word from Gigas,” she said. “He says the troops are all ready, present and correct. He’d like you to come and inspect them.”
“Certainly,” Xal replied, his smile returning. “Come, you two,” he insisted. “I would like you to come and see our foot-soldiers with me.”
Ferox glanced at his mother.
“You don’t have to-” But she was already shaking her head.
“No. Son, I would like to see what Gigas and Xal constitutes as correct…”
*
Ferox had to admit – the Piercer Platoon were impressive.
They comprised of slender, yet powerful medium-sized sharpteeth, all with powerful jaws, long arms tipped with neatly deadly claws and a strange, triangular-shaped at the base of their tail. Their hide was a sinister leathery black and their eyes yellow and, in Tyra’s opinion anyway, unfeeling.
But even she had to admit – the marching exercise they were doing in unison was certainly well disciplined. They certainly looked like they could be highly useful and effective soldiers in the right hands. But, she thought, as she looked at Xal with the mad gleam in his eye, were Xal’s hands the right ones?
“Very good,” Xal complimented, his grin broadening. “You should keep this up, Gigas.”
Gigas smiled back.
“Oh, I shall…”
Ferox had a faraway look in his eye as he gazed at these Piercers. He was supposed to be a commander of them? Well – he could think of worse positions to be in…
Xal was thrilled with his new foot-soldiers. As everyone else settled down for the night, he continued to watch them in the forest clearing, marching and responding to commands he bellowed at them. He thought he was the only one around, and so it surprised him when he was approached by Tyra.
“Pretty striking stuff, eh?” she murmured as she sidled close to him.
Xal glanced at her.
“Yes,” he said. “And they’re going to be our key to success. Our soldiers will be better than their’s…”
“I’m glad you think so,” Tyra continued. “Perhaps then you’ll stop using kids to do your dirty work for you.”
Xal stared.
“What are you talking about?” he hissed.
“Saureen,” Tyra replied, looking him dead in the eye. “My only granddaughter. You sent her, as well as your own boy, on some crackpot ëmission.’ How could you use kids as weapons?”
Xal seethed.
“For your information Tyra,” he snarled. “Seizon isn’t even my son, he’s my stepson…”
Tyra gave a derisive snort.
“And that makes it all OK does it?”
“Secondly,” Xal snapped, cutting over her. “When we were being attacked by Ulciscor’s henchman, the safest thing to do for them was to send them away. They might as well do something useful to me whilst they’re there, surely?”
Tyra nodded.
“Right…I see…so it’s got nothing to do with the whole ëAmbassador’ thing, then?”
Xal’s eyes widened.
“Yes…” Tyra replied lightly. “I know all about that. Dil told me so – she seemed to be under the impression that everyone knew about it. But you’ve only created that codeword so that anxious parents and grandparents like me and Ferox can’t know what you’re up to!”
Xal didn’t reply.
“Surely the mission for her and Seizon was to go directly into the Great Valley?” Tyra continued, sounding appalled. “Do you realise how much danger that puts them in? Not just from the Valley residents, but from Ulciscor as well?”
Xal still didn’t reply.
“I’m sorry Xal,” Tyra pressed on. “But I can’t take any more risks. When Saureen returns, me, her and Ferox will be leaving this forest, and we shall take no further part in your revolution.”
At this, Xal did respond.
“WHAT?”
“I’m sorry,” Tyra continued. “I understand your dream Xal, and it is a noble dream. But going about it the way you are is simply immoral. As a parent and grandparent, by sole duty is to protect my loved ones, and so that is what I shall do. I may even send a flyer messanger to speed up the process. Goodbye.”
And she turned and walked away without a backwards glance.
Xal watched her depart, his blood boiling.
“You shouldn’t have interfered Tyra,” he thought. “Now you know too much. And I can’t let you disrupt my plans.”
He turned and walked in the opposite direction at a quick pace, until he found Gigas briefing a group of Piercers.
“Gigas,” he said. “I have a task for you and the Platoon.”
“Yes?” Gigas looked eager.
Xal took a deep breath.
“It’s Ferox’s mother,” he explained. “Tyra – she’s become a liability. I need you to conduct a Piercer operation that is efficient enough for Ferox not to suspect anything. She’s declaring her intentions to leave, and we can’t let that happen. No longer can she defy us. As quickly as possible, we need to take her out.”
*
It was a morose picture.
Littlefoot and the others continued to walk with Kai throughout the day. Even though they had no idea where they were going, they didn’t dare say this. In fact, they didn’t dare say anything.
Littlefoot could not get the awful image of the impaled Sharptooth out of his head. In was seemingly permanently ingrained there, determined to haunt him throughout his days and sleep-stories for many years to come. But what was even worse was the fact that Kai was prepared to do it – would he even hesitate to do the same to them if they declared their intentions to leave him?
Eventually, the Bright Circle began to dip below the horizon, staining the sky orange, and Kai suddenly stopped.
Everyone watched him nervously.
“Right,” he said, turning around to face them all, the first words he had spoken since he had killed the Sharptooth. “Time we rested for the night I think.”
Though slightly non-plussed, none of them dared argue. Littlefoot exchanged a brief glance with Cera and Ruby, but hardly needed to. Their expressions read the same: What the hell are we going to do now?
Kai curled his spiked tail around his neck, and seemingly fell asleep, but at the same time was almost completely silent. It was eerie how quietly he slept, but Ruby took this as opportunity to communicate with the rest of them.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Just get some sleep now – we’ll think of something else in the morning.” She glanced nervously at Kai’s form. In the dark it was impossible to tell whether he was asleep or not, but he didn’t react to her statement. Ruby breathed again.
The other five all nodded in agreement to her but didn’t say another word, and just lay down and closed their eyes.
Littlefoot knew he should try and rest. He had been walking pretty much all day – he should have been exhausted. But he was too worried to sleep. For the first time, he thought about his grandparents. They must be out of their minds with anxiousness! How could he have been so selfish? And this ëadventure’ he was on now was far more dangerous than anything else had ever done, with the possible exception of searching for the Valley. The dinosaur he was in the company of was insane and dangerous…how much longer would he last?
In the hope of even some form of comfort, he looked up at the sky hoping to see his mother’s star (for he was convinced dinosaurs turned into stars when they died) but there were too many smoky black sky-puffies tonight. Sighing, he closed his eyes and rolled over. But it was a long time before he finally got to sleep.
As a few trees whistled in the evening wind, and tumbleweeds rolled across the ground, suddenly the still air was split apart by an eager voice.
“Oy, Kai!”
Kai’s eyes flew open immediately. Carefully, he got to his feet and strode silently over to where a slightly comical looking pink flyer was standing on a rock and gazed at him with contempt.
“About time, Rinkus,” he snapped. “I’ve been feigning sleep for hours. But what news?”
Rinkus grinned maliciously.
“It was a success,” he replied. “Ulciscor has successfully taken over the entire Valley and the Bludgeoners rule the roosts.”
“Excellent!” Kai breathed, his grin mad and eerie in the low-light. “I expect I should head back over there then? The sharpteeth must have given us the slip – we’ll get them eventually though. I’ve been leading this lot-” He gestured at the six sleeping young dinosaurs,
“Round in circles for the past few hours. I don’t think they’ve got wind of it, but I did overhear them talking about a ënew plan’ in the morning…”
Rinkus cackled.
“Good luck with that! But I’m afraid the word from Ulciscor is that he doesn’t want you returning just yet.”
Kai frowned.
“Why not?”
“Well…” Rinkus lowered his voice and leaned closer.
“Is there a spiketail amongst those brats?”
“Yes? Why?”
“According to what a Bludgeoner told me, that kid is the son of Ronan and Opal.”
Kai gasped.
“What, seriously?”
“Yes…and so you can see why he shouldn’t be returned to the Valley?”
Kai nodded. “If the residents find out, they’ll want him as the heir to the Valley as supposed to Ulciscor’s nephew.” He gestured behind him again. “I’ll have to make him see sense once I kill the spiketail…that is what Ulciscor wants, correct?”
“Yep,” Rinkus nodded, talking about attempted murder with the same air a sane person would talk about the weather.
“But…” Kai looked troubled. “I can’t make it look too suspicious – Ulciscor’s nephew may not be willing to return if I’ve killed his friend. I’ll have to make the spiketail’s death look accidental…”
“Well…” Rinkus’ evil grin had returned once again. “Just a few miles ahead is a massive river of fast water. He could simply…fall in?”
Kai, twigging what Rinkus was getting at, grinned too, the evil glint in his eye even more apparent.
“Oh yes…” he breathed. “I guess it’s decided then. Tomorrow I shall lead the brat to his watery demise, and then the rest of them back to the Valley.”
And without even thanking his informant, Kai strode away.
*
Seizon scratched his chin.
“OK,” he said. “So this is basically our situation. We’re trapped in a huge cave network of which the actual size and geography aren’t known. There’s a Sharptooth pack much larger than ours after our blood, with Redclaw patrolling on the outside, a spiked longneck now doubt around somewhere, very little in the way of food, and even more little in the way…of a way out?”
“Yes,” Saureen replied icily. “And you’ve forgotten to mention that it’s all your fault as well.”
The pack had found themselves in a spacious cavern that was thankfully deserted of any of Nott’s henchmen, and that is where they’d been all day, listening out for approaching sharpteeth. Thankfully, nothing had come their way, but as Seizon had said, there was no way out as far as far as they could see.
“The cavern’s very vast,” Lini piped up. “One tunnel must lead to some form of a way out eventually.”
“That’s very true,” Al agreed. “But I don’t think it’s wise we go searching for one right now…it’s the night.”
“How do you know?” Pyron demanded.
“These walls are very sonorous,” Al explained. I was listening to one earlier, and I heard the evening chorus. That’s when a whole load of feathered flyers come to sing in the evening…”
“How do you know this stuff?” Chomper asked, awed.
“Anyway,” Seizon cut across them. “If that’s the case, I suggest we get some sleep before finding a way out of here tomorrow. Everyone agreed?”
Everyone nodded, but then Saureen raised a query.
“What if Nott and the others come for us in the night?”
“Good point,” Seizon noted. “OK – we’ll take night shifts.”
“I’ll go first,” Pyron volunteered.
“Excellent,” Seizon nodded. “Right – night all!”
And with that, he flopped down and prepared to sleep.
Saureen sighed.
“Likes to move things quickly, doesn’t he?” she muttered.
About an hour later, the six sharpteeth not keeping watch were all fast asleep. Well, apart from Chomper. For some reason he simply couldn’t sleep. He rolled over on a different side to his usual, trying to get more comfortable, but it was hopeless – which was strange, as he was more than used to sleeping in caves.
It might have been Lini’s snores, but Chomper was fairly sure that his insomnia had more to do with something, or someone pressing on his mind.
Pyron had been relatively quiet since the fight with Nott and his minions, and had made it almost a duty to be close by to Nycha all the time. This did make some sense – she was his sister after all, but Chomper was well aware that this level of protectiveness from him was not normal. Casting his mind back to fight, he remembered how Yuti had slammed Nycha to the ground and Pyron had immediately rushed to her aid. It was certainly sibling love, but was it possible Pyron’s fear was based on a lot more than just her physical well-being.
He now remembered what Pyron had told him about her earlier.
“Ever since that disastrous episode, Nycha’s trying to prove she’s not weak. I think that’s why she’s so attracted to Seizon – to her, he’s a strong young Sharptooth, who will lead her out of her dark state of mind.”
Perhaps being beaten into the ground by another Sharptooth wasn’t exactly the greatest confidence boost, and Nycha had been getting those degenerate thoughts about herself again? Pyron had evidentally been worried that her dark state of mind would return if she had beaten up more severely. Upon realising this, Chomper found an unnatural rush of sympathy towards Nycha, which was bizarre in its own right – why should he feel sympathy towards someone who had insulted and attacked him? Then again, her entire family had been killed…
Deciding he didn’t want to be kept in the dark any longer and giving up on any more hope of sleep, Chomper got to his feet and slowly crept around his sleeping companions to where Pyron was standing.
Pyron glanced over his shoulder as Chomper approached, but other than that didn’t show any signs of surprise.
“Take a look at this,” Pyron beckoned, placing his foreclaw on the cave wall. Chomper peered closely and noticed a thick line of algae and lichen at a point just above their eye-level. Swallowing nervously, he had little doubt to how it must have gotten there.
“At certain points,” Pyron deduced. “Up to this line must be underwater. I knew some parts of the legend of the Stingy Fastbiter were true…”
“They say he drowned…?” Chomper murmured.
“Exactly…there must be a huge underground river in here somewhere, that rises and falls – at a guess – according to the tides.” He shook his head. “We can’t stay in this cavern much longer, not unless we want to drown…”
Chomper nodded, but soon dismissed it. After all, he was here for a certain reason.
“Pyron?” Chomper queried delicately.
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask…about…?”
“Nycha?” Pyron replied casually. “And the way I reacted when she was attacked?”
Chomper frowned.
“How did you know I was going to ask that?”
Pyron smiled a little sadly.
“I saw it coming a mile off. You were going to ask eventually. Basically, I was worried it would put a knock on her confidence and revert her to a state which…” He shook his head, before absent-mindedly scraping his claw across the lichen.
“Sorry…” Chomper muttered. “If it’s too personal…”
“No,” Pyron shook his head. “It’s about time I got it off my chest anyway.” He turned to face Chomper.
“Chomper – I’m about to give you mine and my sister’s life history. Brace yourself. It’s a story I’ve never told anyone else. I’ve given Seizon a few background details, but the full story is a little more…dramatic.”
“So how come you’re telling me?” Chomper asked.
“Because I trust you,” Pyron replied, smiling at him, a smile that lightened Chomper’s heart a little.
“OK…” Pyron murmured. “I suppose I’d better begin.” He took a deep breath.
“It starts with the pack we were born into,” he said. “Not one like this – big, successful…up to a hundred strong. Made up of fastbiters the tetrarchy thought were elite enough to be part of it.”
“Tetrarchy?”
Pyron nodded. “That’s the name given to the four individuals who were in charge. Everything went through them. The point is, they were obsessed with being the best. Most other packs in the area feared us and large sharpteeth tended to just avoid us. The tetrarchy told us we were the best because we were the best at what we did. Hunting and killing…and the fact that we were completely focused on what we did. And so if anything came up to distract us, it would have absolutely disastrous consequences. And unfortunately, one day my parents sowed the seeds to the biggest distraction of all – they had kids.”
*
A brilliantly silver feathered fastbiter leant over her nest, her eyes shining with desperation.
“Go on, little one!” she coaxed. “Push, push!”
Tears of delight began to well up in her eyes as a tiny, downy, bright orange head poked out from the eggshell.
“Tion!” she called gleefully, as her mate, a mahogany red fastbiter came over to investigate. Tion gasped in delight also.
“Oh, Saya…” he murmured, nuzzling his wife. “We’ve done it…”
Saya bent lower to help her hatchling break free from the egg, before licking the little one tenderly.
“It’s a boy…” Tion noted. “So…any names?”
Before Saya could reply, she noticed another egg began twitching, the shell cracking…
“Tion!” She whispered hoarsely. “I don’t believe it…it’s another one!”
Soon, Tion and Saya had two wonderful hatchlings – an orange boy called Pyron and a lilac girl called Nycha. The only two survivors in a clutch of ten. But in an unforgiving world, that was as much that could be expected.
And would they even be around that long?
“Well,” came a voice. “This seems to be quite a happy gathering.”
Tion and Saya, automatically picking up their children, turned to face a turquoise fastbiter that had just strode towards them. It was Fang – one of the tetrarchy. He gazed at them with contempt.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, you two?” he demanded. “Being parents are quite demanding jobs…”
“Well, we’re prepared for that,” Tion replied instantly. “There’s two of us and two of them. It’ll be easy.”
“I sure hope so,” Fang replied. “Otherwise things will go downhill for this pack. And we’ll have to make…” he drew a breath. “Cut-backs.”
“We get the euphemism,” Saya replied icily. “And we hear you.”
“Loud and clear,” Tion added.
Fang nodded.
“Good. Well, I’ll be seeing you two later then…” He then walked away.
“We’ve got to watch our step…” Tion murmured to his wife. “If they think these two are going to be a problem…”
“Our children are blessings,” Saya replied, nuzzling them both. “Not problems. You hear that you two? You are special, and loved with every breath. Nothing is ever going to change that.”
*
It was a fantastic picture,” Pyron sighed wistfully. “That we were special enough to make the pack function just like the rest of them. We didn’t realise we were singled out differently as kids. We were our own best friends, and thought the pack were the finest group to ever exist…” He started smiling sadly. “We always used to fantasize that we were would one day lead the pack into glory. I mean, there weren’t many other young fastbiters around.”
“How come?” Chomper asked.
Pyron looked him dead in the eye.
“Because…having children was a major distraction. Those who dared go through with it were cut out of the group permanently.”
“You mean…?” Chomper was horrified. “The tetrarchy killed them?”
“I believe so,” Pyron nodded sadly. “They didn’t do the same with our parents – not straight away anyway, because they were some of the best – it was always said that if one of the tetrarchy were to die, one of our parents would take their place. But I think them having us might have coloured their view a bit. And that’s when…it happened…”
“What did?”
“The pack was out hunting a longneck,” Pyron explained. “It was a massive group effort, and the tetrarchy had insisted we had come along to the hunt too. We were old enough by that time…but still too young to do with the thing effectively.” He closed his eyes, the memory obviously painful for him.
“Nycha got scared…” he whispered. “She was scared about hunting a longneck and immediately hopped off. The problem is, she was running straight into the path of another longneck…”
Chomper gasped. “What happened?”
“What do you think happened?” Pyron asked. “Mother went after her and pulled her out of harms’ way. Seems simple enough, but that was at a vital moment when she was supposed to slit the longneck’s throat. This delay meant that they entire pack had to call that hunt off.”
Chomper winced. “And how did that go down?”
“Not well,” Pyron replied, massaging his head as the pain of the past flooded back to him. “The tetrarchy quickly made up their mind. But it was done immensely subtly. One day, they gave my parents the order to chase down some swimmers down below us on a mountainside…the moment they went off to do it there was a massive rockslide…” He closed his eyes again. “They were killed very quickly.”
Chomper gasped.
“The tetrarchy told us it was the swimmers’ fault,” Pyron continued. “But I later came to the conclusion that the entire thing was staged by them. Our parents weren’t elite enough. So they had to be taken out.”
“Didn’t they try to take you out too?” Chomper asked.
“Oh yes…just not then. Subtlety was quite a skill of theirs. They attacked us that very same night, whilst we were asleep.”
Chomper swore. “Cowards,” he said. “You got away OK?”
“Oh we did,” Pyron nodded. “We did – but the worst part came afterwards.
*
Pyron and Nycha sprinted off into the night, leaping over gullies and not daring to look back, in fear of seeing the tetrarchy in pursuit of them. Pyron was leading Nycha along by her hand and they quickly ducked under a tall tree to rest.
Panting, Pyron sniffed the air.
“I think we’ve given them the slip,” he gasped, relieved.
Nycha was silent. She seemed to be pondering something. Finally, she said,
“So…why are they trying to kill us?”
It was something that had been playing on Pyron’s mind too, but suddenly he saw it. He would have seen it at once if the grief of his parents’ death hadn’t been on his mind.
“Don’t you see?” he demanded of his sister, sniffing back tears. “They’re making us go the same way as our parents! That’s how they work – they cut out anyone from the pack they deem unfit. That’s why they rubbed out mum and dad…they were spending too much time looking after us and not helping out with the hunting.”
Nycha gazed back at him, confused.
“No Pyron…” she said. “Those flatteeth killed mum and dad…it was their fault. I…” Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. “I just don’t understand what WE did wrong…”
Pyron was too desperate to get away to stay and try and convince her of the truth, but he later wished he hadn’t been so hasty.
“Come on, Nycha,” he was saying desperately, gesturing to the lizard he had caught. “Come on, eat…you’ve got too…”
But Nycha wasn’t in the mood. She just stared straight ahead, unseeing, unfeeling…it seemed her entire being had been sucked into the night, extinguished…
*
“And that was the worst part…” Pyron explained, and for the first time, to Chomper’s horror, tears were beginning to well up in his eyes and fall down his face.
“She wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t talk to me…she had just shut off. And for a long time, it felt like I hadn’t just lost my parents, pack and home on that fateful night…but my sister as well…”
He gave a great hearty sniff and the sobs came thicker and faster.
“Until we joined this pack,” he sobbed. “She barely said a word. Everyone here seems to have given her a bit of strength, and Seizon’s acceptance has possibly made her feel like a new person…like she was worthy again…but deep inside…” he closed his eyes and tears dripped onto the stone floor. “Deep inside…I think she still blames herself. She can’t accept that the tetrarchy were corrupt from the beginning and that she did nothing wrong. When she doesn’t blame herself she takes it out on others. Flatteeth, and…you…and I’m so sorry Chomper, I really am…and I’m so afraid…” he swallowed. “So afraid of something happening to her and her never knowing how much she means to me…how much she’s worth…”
Chomper watched as Pyron broke down and continued to sob quietly. Many things were whirring in his head. The words Pyron had spoken seemed so familiar to him.
“Nycha…” he thought. “She’s just like me…I’ve always felt guilty about something beyond my control. The fact that I’m a Sharptooth…and perhaps I too have failed to notice how much I mean to others…and failing to see what’s right before your eyes is a dangerous thing…”
He knelt down beside Pyron.
“Pyron…I take it Nycha isn’t the only one here doing a bit of self-blaming.”
Pyron looked up at him.
“What…?”
Chomper smiled.
“There’s no way you’re responsible for the way she feels…if anything you’re on of the reasons she’s still going…listen, you told me, did you not, that you wanted to hold this whole group together?”
“Yeah…?”
“Well,” Chomper continued. “I believe you can. And I’m sure everyone else does too, especially Nycha, as you’re the only one she ever opens to…and you know you can trust our judgement because this is where you belong. You mean so much to us and we mean a lot to you. You’re part of us, and so this is how you can work so well in it. Bring this group together and make Nycha the cheerful little sister you’ve been telling me about.”
Pyron began to smile.
“I have a dream also,” Chomper continued. “I dream of one day leaf-eaters and sharpteeth living in harmony. It’s a difficult thing to go towards, but I know I have the support of everyone in the Great Valley, and so, for me, that’s the best place to work at it – home is where the heart is. And that’s also where your dreams come to life.”
Pyron placed his hand on Chomper’s shoulder.
“You’ve got my support to,” he said.
Chomper smiled.
“Really?”
Pyron nodded.
“For real,” he said. “Thanks so much Chomper…I think you’re right. When you open up to people, they become friends – people who can support you and get you everywhere in life…I should have seen that a long time ago.”
With that, the two instantly embraced like brothers. It was incredible, Chomper thought. Pyron had always said he’d comfort him and watch out for him. Well, now, he seemed to be returning the favour by doing the same for him.
They released each other.
“Well,” Chomper said. “I’ll take over your night shift. You should get some…”
“Wait a minute,” Pyron muttered, sniffing the air. “Do you smell that?”
Chomper sniffed, and gulped. He recognised that smell as well.
“Yuti?” he murmured. “Nott’s scarlet woman…?”
Pyron stared at him.
“Scarlet…what? That’s an odd thing to say…”
Chomper shrugged. “First term I thought of…”
Pyron chuckled slightly and sniffed again.
“Well, by the smell of things, she’s alone…”
“Yeah,” Chomper agreed. “But…hang on…”
Pyron smelled it too.
“She’s moving away?” He frowned. “Where is she sneaking off to on her own?”
“No idea…” Chomper replied. “But somehow I don’t think it’ll be beneficial to us…”
“Agreed…” Pyron nodded. “Should we go after her?”
Chomper glanced uneasily at the five sharpteeth sleeping behind him.
“We really shouldn’t…” he murmured. “They’re relying on us…”
“Yeah…” Pyron agreed.
There was a pause.
“Should we go after her?” Chomper asked.
“Yeah, alright.”
And so they did…
~0~
And off they go...what is Yuti up to? Only time will tell...I know, of course... :lol So, what did you think of that chapter? What did you think of Pyron and Nycha's backstory, Kai's plans to kill Spike, Xal's plans to kill Tyra, and all that went on between Tria and Topps...?
I grant you, I'm not that good at writing emotional scenes, but I hope you still get the gist of what's been going on anyway. :p If you have any improvements to suggest, I'll be happy to hear them. :yes Thanks for reading!!!
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Oh my! :o
The tension was broken when a belly-dragger waddled up to them.
“Hey, Xal,” she said. Xal glanced down.
“Yes Dil?” he asked.
“A word from Gigas,” she said. “He says the troops are all ready, present and correct. He’d like you to come and inspect them.”
Wel, I gues first thing's first. DIL!! :DD So good to see you and so awful as well! Gaaaah!
And Rinkus, too? Wow, Xal and Ulciscor certainly have their resources... O_o
That was such an awful moment between Topps and Tria, just awful and so painful. Triiiaaaa.... Toooopps... Why must Threehorns be so-so... so- THICKHEADED?!
Ugh at first I really liked Kai, I thought he was pretty cool and he seemed like an okay guy.... but UGH! This chapter and the last really REALLY change my perception of him :bang
I really hope the Gang gets wise sooner than later. Maybe Spike could bite him? XDD
Ohno! Xal! You're such a B________!! Power clouds everyone's vision, i don't think this will end well. All I hope is that Ferox'll get wise soon and maybe be able to help her, since he seems a little lesss.... ahem insane :p
And I loved that moment between Pyron and Chomper; their brother-brother relationship is so well characterized. They both have good heads on their shoulders^^
Keep it coming, I'm edge of my seat!!! *scoot scoot*
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Thanks! :lol:
And Ichy made an appearance too, in chapter 5. Did you not see him? :o
And yeah - Pyron's bit was the hardest to write...glad you think I executed it well... :lol
And Kai? Yeah - evil through and through...more of that will come to light later...I'm just glad nobody noticed I misspelled Eykion's name!
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Your speed is incredible :blink:
Nice to see Nott, Torq and Yuti out of their perspective instead of Seizon's pack's one (Seizon's summary of their situation is hillarious btw! :lol:). They're too interesting characters :yes
Divorces were even common 65 Million years BC, eh? I actually feel sorry for them. I really do!
Xal, why so brutal? You need every man (err.. dinosaur) to win this battle (same goes to the Tetrarchy :slap).
I'm very worried about Spike's farewell... Ducky would be heart-broken, literally... :cry
I think you succeeded writing Pyron's actual Tale, the backstory was good (though from the sounds of earlier chapters I rather assumed their parents died in a fight against leaf-eaters, probably Ulciscor's henchmen, but I believe it works well the way you wrote it :yes), there were emotions and a good ol' cliffhanger as well :DD
Well done!
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Thanks! :lol:
And Ichy made an appearance too, in chapter 5. Did you not see him? :o
Lol indeed I saw him^^ that was a nice(ish) surprise, too :lol
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What's this? Well, I've got a knack for planning ahead, so here is the current upcoming chapter list. :lol However, there are little or no spoilers, and the names and numbers are possibly subject to change...Have a look and cast your theories...
Chapter Eleven: Free-for-All
Chapter Twelve: A True Friend and Guardian
Chapter Thirteen: Blood and Water
Chapter Fourteen: Al’s Revelation
Chapter Fifteen: An Unexpected Return
Chapter Sixteen: The Power of Four
Chapter Seventeen: A Sibling Connection
Chapter Eighteen: A Battle of Brethren
Chapter Nineteen: Help is at hand?
Chapter Twenty: Open Jaws
Chapter Twenty-One: Prisoners
Chapter Twenty-Two: Skirmish in the Fanged Forest
Chapter Twenty-Three: Eve of War
Chapter Twenty-Four: Preparations
Chapter Twenty-Five: Second Battle of the Great Valley part 1
Chapter Twenty-Six: Second Battle of the Great Valley part 2
Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Sudden Turn
Chapter Twenty-Eight: He Who Once Called Him Father
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Rain-Washed Predators
Chapter Thirty: The End of the Beginning
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O_o holy--! Dude!
:lol well, you've got ore gumption and patience than I do, I'll give you that... and some of these titles... OMG suspenseful and thrilling! And terrifying! GAAAAH!
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Gumption?
And thanks! Glad you like! :lol Which chapter titles do you like the look of?
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:lol Whoops, forgot to mention. The species the Piercer's belong to: Concavenator corcovatus.
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Gumption?
And thanks! Glad you like! :lol Which chapter titles do you like the look of?
Al's Revelation sounds intriguing, and I can only imagine what He Who Once Called Him Father will entail, pun fully intended^^
Oh, Gumption means like initiative, assertiveness, resourcefulness :)
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Oh, Gumption means like initiative, assertiveness, resourcefulness smile.gif
Oh, well I thank you! :yes
Al's Revelation sounds intriguing, and I can only imagine what He Who Once Called Him Father will entail, pun fully intended^^
Well, I'm glad. I hope you find them interesting when they're out...
And why not make that sooner? I shall start on Chapter 11 soon...
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Here's the next chapter! :lol Be careful not to read until you've read the last one...this is rather battle-filled, so I hope you find my action writing OK.
Chapter Eleven: Free-for-all
Chomper could hear the dawn chorus twittering into life as he and Pyron crept through the cave, following the scent of Yuti, who remained alone. It was certainly curious as to why she would remain alone, but Chomper wasn’t really in the mood to be curious. Pyron’s story and their pursuit of this girl had taken all night and he hadn’t got a wink of sleep. Seizon had evidently forgotten about his night shifts.
Yawning, Chomper voiced a new opinion to Pyron.
“Shouldn’t we just go back?” he suggested. “I don’t think she on her own is going to do much harm…”
“I disagree,” Pyron replied. “And if I’m completely honest…” he grinned sheepishly. “I don’t actually know the way back…”
“You…what?”
Pyron just shrugged helplessly.
“Well, now we’ve gotten this far, it can’t actually hurt to-”
He paused, and Chomper could see why. Yuti’s scent had led them to another steep, twisting downwards tunnel.
“Ah,” Pyron murmured. “Another one…”
“Should we go down it?” Chomper asked.
Pyron considered briefly.
“I don’t see why not,” he said, and promptly slid down, Chomper reluctantly following.
To his relief, it wasn’t as long as the other one had been, but when he got to the bottom, something severe stung his tired eyes.
“Whoa…” was all Pyron could say.
As Chomper squinted, he could see exactly what Pyron was referring to.
Shiny Stones.
The entire cavern was full of shiny stones, their reflective power put into sharp focus by the strangely luminescent rocks and a weak light that seemed to be coming from an unspecified hole in the ceiling. It seemed that that part of the legend was true – there were Shiny Stones in this cave network. But these weren’t like the small, pretty little ornaments that Tria and others liked to keep around the Valley. These were big, smooth, over-bearing structures, which showed only reflections of Chomper all around the place, giving him a nasty, trapped feeling.
Instinctively, he moved closer to Pyron.
“This is starting to give me a headache…” he murmured, closing his eyes.
It was an easy mistake to make.
“Chomper – watch out!” Pyron suddenly yelled, forcibly pushing him the side and also side-stepping himself to avoid something that came flying out of nowhere and struck the ground millimetres from his foot.
It took Chomper a few seconds to realise that it was another shiny stone – but this time, small, sleek, thin, and imbedded in the stone ground.
“Are…are they really that sharp?” Chomper murmured, as Pyron plucked to sparkling end out of the cave floor
“Yes!” came a delighted voice, and they both turned to see Yuti standing atop a large shiny stone imbedded into the ground, her snow-white scales glittering and making her look much like a shiny stone herself.
“And that,” she continued. “Is what makes them perfect weapons! Not only are they sinisterly sharp, their reflective power makes a whole group of them worthy to give you headaches and make you feel claustrophobic…”
She suddenly leapt off of her vantage point and made straight for Pyron, who bit at her side in retaliation, but she soon kicked him in the gut causing the shiny stone to clatter away from him. She then made for Chomper, whose fatigue and claustrophobia made him a much slower reactor. She promptly flattened him, and he was only saved by Pyron when he rammed into her. She quickly dashed back to her vantage point again on top of the shiny stone, and due to the many reflections of her in the various stones at different positions, Pyron found that it was difficult to see where she would be striking from next. And if that weren’t bad enough (he glanced nervously at his weary companion) Chomper didn’t seem to be in any fit state to fight her off.
“What’s this for?” Pyron demanded of her.
“For?” Yuti smirked at him. “I knew someone was going to come and see what I was doing. And I’m doing exactly what Nott asked me to do. Hem some nosey parkers into this place – what’s known as Headache Cave. He knows I’m the best at messing with certain individuals heads just before I kill them…I wonder which one of you will fall first…?”
*
Seizon paced around the cavern anxiously.
“Any luck?” he called out for the third time.
“I’m afraid not…” Al replied, walking over to him. “All evidence suggests they left this area for a still unspecified purpose and either have simply gotten lost or…”
The other scenario didn’t need to be said.
Seizon clenched and unclenched his fists. This had turned into a complete disaster.
“If Xal finds out that I lost Chomper…” he muttered.
Saureen shot him a scathing look.
“Is that all you care about?” she demanded. “Our comrades could be dead, and you’re just moaning about what your dear stepdad would say??”
Seizon glared back at her.
“No…no, of course not. Of course I’m worried for their well-beings. I’m just saying that the problem of completing our mission for Xal is also on the line here…anyway…” he changed the subject quickly.
“We need to find Nott. If Chomper and Pyron have fallen victim to his thugs, he’ll know about it…”
“Are we sure we shouldn’t just follow any scents we can pick up around the cave?” Lini suggested. “If they’re still alive, we can find them then.”
“Yeah…” Nycha murmured, speaking for the first time since her brother was declared missing. She stood up and strode straight towards Seizon, venom in her eyes.
“You’d better find my brother, you Son of a Tar Pit, or I’ll slit your throat where you stand!”
Seizon just stared at her. It seemed that she had completely flipped. Pyron must mean an awful lot to her, especially if his disappearance drove her to threaten her crush! She was seething, obviously trying to control her breathing and froth was starting to build at the corners of her mouth.
Lini quickly came forward and put a hand on Nycha’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry Nycha! We’ll find them. I promise.”
Seizon nodded.
“Yes. Yes we will, that’s our top priority. The next is getting out of this damn cave network.”
He paused.
“Do you hear something…?” he asked the others.
Before they had time to reply, something burly and jet-black had rammed straight into him, knocking him to the floor. It was Torq. And somehow they had all managed to not smell him or see him before it was too late.
Torq was grinning that evil grin of his, licking his teeth as he spoke.
“Alright Seizon…this is end of the line for you!”
Seizon kicked out at him, catching him in the jaw. Al took advantage of him being knocked back and immediately sunk his teeth into Torq’s upper thigh. He was soon helped by Lini, who quickly rammed into the burly Sharptooth, knocking him to the ground.
But this fight was going too well to be true, and soon Saureen emitted a high-pitched scream as Nott, who had snuck up behind her bit her hard in the back. She twisted round in an attempt to engage him in combat, but that wasn’t a wise decision as his ferocious teeth scraped down her back leaving deep gouge marks among her elegant stripes.
In retaliation, she bit him right in the face. Nott groaned in pain, but as he began to jerk his head from side to side, the horns atop his crown grazed Saureen’s chin fiercely, and whilst she was distracted, he gave her a powerful kick that sent her flying across the cave, landing with a thud on her back. She coughed as blood began to trickle out of her mouth.
Seizon sprinted towards Nott and took a swipe at him with his ferocious claws, but Nott simply leapt out of the way, and now the entire cave was full of growling sharpteeth, all of whom seemed to exist to do Nott’s bidding.
But Nycha suddenly noticed that Yuti was missing from the group. After putting two and two together, her concern for her brother doubled…
Lini saw her eyes widen in fear and whispered to her,
“Don’t worry – if only Yuti’s missing then it’s a case of two against one with Pyron and Chomper.”
“Yes…” Nycha murmured, her eyes unfocused. “Yes…”
A sinister grin was plastered over Nott’s face.
“Fantastic…” he muttered. “Well, Seizon, this is your downfall now. Against all odds you’ve survived for a while, but now we’ve split you up and we’re taking you out.”
“Split up?” Al thought. “So…they planned this from the beginning…”
Seizon took a deep breath.
“Yeah?” he challenged, more bravely than he actually felt. “Well, Nott, it just so happens there’s more than one way out of here.”
Nott cackled.
“What are you on about?” he demanded, his sickening laughter being reverberated among every single Sharptooth in the crowd.
“We’re in the depths of a massive cave network,” Seizon told him. “It should be pitch black. But it’s not. Some light from the outside is getting into this part of the cave. And the only way to get to it…”
Before anyone could stop him, he was sprinting towards the cave wall.
“Is to climb…”
And so he began to his quick climb to the cave ceiling. Al and Saureen twigged to what he was doing and began to climb too.
“After them!” Nott growled angrily, charging after flanked by many of the sharpteeth. “Torq…you keep some of the others down here…”
Seizon looked down to see Nott in pursuit of him and laughed.
“You’ll never get up here!” he teased. “Your arms are shorter than a twoclaw’s!”
Lini quickly made for the wall as well, but Torq bit down on her tail and dragged her away from it, forcing her to ground as emitted shrieks of pain.
Nycha twisted her head towards the sound. She had previously been looking for a trail that would lead her to Pyron, but seeing Lini pinned painfully to the ground by Torq and some other sharpteeth reminded her forcefully of moments of her own terror…
The tetrarchy.
How they had almost killed her. And how she had been saved. Why not enforce that living memory…?
“Hang on!” she yelled, rushing to Lini’s aid.
*
Seizon wormed his body through the gap in the ceiling, coming out onto the almost flat top of the Grand Cave Network into the brilliant sunshine. Thankfully, Redclaw had already left the area. His presence was one thing they could do without.
Saureen and Al quickly made it up after him, but instead of Lini and Nycha, they were followed up by a group of slavering sharpteeth who worked loyally for Nott. And against all odds, Nott had followed them up to. On sight, he barrelled straight into Seizon, and the two pack leaders rolled uncomfortably on top of the cave network, getting dangerously close the edge.
Saureen and Al had their own problems. These savage tireless thuggish sharpteeth were now making towards them, and one bit hard into Saureen’s upper shoulder. Grunting in pain, she bit straight into the attacker’s neck, who gasped and choked, releasing Saureen. Mustering all of her strength, Saureen flung the attacker as far as she could from her. He thudded hard into the ground, span and rolled away until he vanished from sight over the edge of the rocky outcrop.
Two claw-hands (Suchomimus) were pacing slowly around Al, licking their chops.
“Damn,” Al murmured. “You just don’t give up do you?”
The claw-hands made for him, but Al simply leapt directly upwards, backflipping over the two of them as they collided, crashing uncomfortably to the ground.
“Saureen,” Al said. “Fancy getting rid of them with me?”
Shaking off her curiosity of how Al had managed to get such knowledge of cave networks and combat, Saureen quickly head-butted one of the claw-hands off into the distance whilst Al kicked the other one over the edge. He quickly explained afterwards that they did have a chance of survival, even if it was small.
As the two of them continued fighting, biting and kicking, they quickly made short work of the other teenage sharpteeth surrounding them, nary a few cuts. Saureen could hardly believe it, but it seemed Seizon was right. Their teamwork abilities did make them differ from Nott’s gang. She and Al high-fived.
“Great work!” Saureen said enthusiastically.
“Thanks,” Al replied. “Now, I wonder how Seizon’s getting on?”
*
The water gushed and frothed and churned – now, Littlefoot had seen fast-water before, but this was something else altogether.
“Well,” Kai said to the group. “This’ll be difficult, but I’m sure we can make it. It’s worth it, anyway…”
Kai had woken them up early that morning, apologizing if he had spooked any of them with his actions the previous day, and promised he had a new lead on where he could find Chomper. Littlefoot wasn’t sure whether he should believe him, but then he had led them to something completely new – this fast-water.
But it wasn’t any ordinary fast water. A massive chasm far too wide for them to leap over was what was greeting their eyes, with a huge volume of massive, gushing water several metres into it. It was the biggest, mightiest fast-water he had ever seen.
Whilst everyone else was looking at the water however, Kai’s eyes were on Spike.
“This’ll be the perfect opportunity to wipe out Omendric’s heir,” he thought. “But it needs to be done carefully. I must make it look accidental, and Ulciscor’s nephew must not be drowned in the process. As for the others, it doesn’t really matter…”
Kai cleared his throat.
“Perhaps we should put crossing this fast water to the test,” he suggested.
Littlefoot looked up at him.
“The test…?” he replied with a slightly hollow laugh. “There’s no way any of us can cross the fast water here. Well, apart from Petrie…”
Petrie soared higher.
“Me look around,” he offered. “See if there’s safer place to cross…”
“Yeah…” Ruby nodded, watching Kai’s expression out of the corner of her eye. “In fact, let’s all see if there’s an easier way round.”
To their relief, Kai didn’t object.
Eventually, after walking parallel to the water for a few minutes, they came across a part where several large stone columns stood in the water, fixed to the river-bed, undeterred by the buffeting rapids.
“We could walk across these,” Kai suggested.
Cera swallowed.
“Are you sure?” she demanded. “They don’t look too safe to me…”
“They’re all we’ve got,” Kai insisted, and so saying, he stepped down onto the nearest column. He wobbled and juddered slightly, and for a moment, they thought he was going to topple over and be washed away by the rapids. And if Ruby were honest with herself, it was a hopeful moment…
But the moment, whatever it was, passed. Kai righted himself and turned to face the six kids.
“It’s fine! Come along…but it’ll have to be one at a time…”
Littlefoot steeled himself.
“Alright…” he muttered. “Petrie!” he called.
“Yeah?” Petrie replied.
“If you notice someone fall, yell out immediately!” he said.
“Got it!” Petrie replied.
Kai cursed inwardly. That was going to make it a lot more difficult to bump off the brat. But he supposed he could be like a chain service – aiding the little ones over the rapids using his long neck and tail…yes…he smiled to himself. It would be easy to just let his tail slip…he noticed the little swimmer that was constantly riding on the spiketail. Oh well, he’d just have to kill her too.
“I’ll go first,” Littlefoot offered.
“I’ll help you all across the columns,” Kai replied, stretching his neck forward.
But things hardly ever go to plan in a violently changing world. These wild rapids ended at the big water, and were controlled by its tides. However wild they were now, they were about to get even worse. There was, after all, a reason that these columns were so eroded.
*
Chomper blinked and forced his brain to focus. These shiny stones were indeed giving him a horrendous headache. The cave’s namesake wasn’t misplaced…
His concentration didn’t exactly pay off as another shiny stone passed him, slitting his shoulder and causing blood to splatter onto the ground. Gritting his teeth and holding onto his shoulder as the blood seeped through his fingers, he didn’t notice a much larger, sharper stone coming straight towards his head, and Pyron had to knock him aside again to stop him from getting hit. He then swiped at the stone in mid-air, diverting it towards the crystals that formed the perimeter of the cave, hitting them with a resounding clink.
Pyron clenched his fingers. His knuckles had been grazed by the stone, and he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to battle on for. He was even more worried about Chomper, who didn’t seem to be with himself at all – it was evident his exhaustion and the cave were getting to him badly. Pyron needed to defend him at all costs – the only problem was, the exhaustion and the cave were getting to him too.
He picked up one of the shiny stones Yuti had thrown and flung it back at her. But to his dismay, the reflections were confusing him, and it missed her with ease. Yuti gleefully picked it back up and threw it again. In an effort to avoid it, Pyron knew he would have to something drastic. He promptly backflipped, grabbing Chomper and pulling him with them until they hit the ground, hopefully further away from Yuti and skidded along the stone floor.
“You alright?” Pyron panted at Chomper.
“Yeah…I think so…” Chomper murmured. “But these crystals…”
“I know…” Pyron nodded solemnly. “There’s got to be an easier way to get at her. I’m just not quite sure what…”
He closed his eyes as he thought about this. So, he could no longer trust his eyes. He had tried to take out some of the larger crystals earlier, but with no luck – they were stuck fast into the ground. So…what else could he rely on?
His eyes flew open again when Yuti leapt in front of them.
“OK,” she said. “I’m kind of bored now. Let’s get on with this…”
She lunged for Pyron, who held up his infamous foot-claw to deflect her teeth, and there was a nasty clank of teeth on toenails as the two predators pushed against each other. But now Chomper stood up. Headache or not, he needed to help out his friend, and he bit into Yuti’s side. Snarling, the feathery Sharptooth kicked him under the chin, and as Chomper staggered backwards he tasted blood. Simply spitting it out, he charged again.
Pyron yanked his ankle away from Yuti’s jaws and, balancing precariously, looked for another attack opportunity. Yuti rammed into his chest, but even on his back he slashed at her muzzle, leaving deep wounds there. She bit into his hand, but now Chomper barrelled into her, knocking her off balance. The two sharpteeth wrestled jaw-to-jaw and as they did so, Pyron reached towards a viciously sharp shiny stone…
He made towards Yuti, looking for a place to stab, but Yuti had already knocked Chomper to the ground, and grabbed hold of Pyron’s wrist with her hands. For someone with small arms, this was an impressive feat, and whilst placing her foot on Pyron’s chest, she knocked the shiny stone out of his hands, send it spinning towards Chomper. It struck him in the side, and blood oozed out, and Chomper staggered, gasping in pain.
“Dammit!” Pyron yelled, rushing over to him. “I’m so sorry Chomper!”
But Chomper, disorientated with pain, made for what he thought was Yuti, but as it turned out, it was just her reflection. His head struck solid crystal and he slid to the ground.
“Chomper!” Pyron rolled him over, and discovered, to his horror, that he was out cold.
And Yuti was nowhere to be seen…was it really her intention to kill them both? Was she that cold-blooded? Well, Pyron thought nervously, as he got to his feet, there was only one way to find out…
*
Seizon flexed his arms as he faced his foe. He felt a few small drops on his snout, and smiled. It was only drizzling, but it was enough to get him euphoric with adrenalin.
“Sky-water!” he hollered at Nott. “A unique sign of sanity and naturalness in the heat of the battle. It’s fantastic! I love it…and I see it as a sign that I will defeat you…”
“Yeah right!” Nott yelled back. But it was all a front. Even he could see that he was hopelessly outnumbered atop the network. He hoped that Torq would send reinforcements once he’d finished with the pathetic slashclaw and fastbiter that were down below…though there had been some silence from that area…
Seizon simply charged him and Nott lowered his head also, hoping to absorb the impact when he arrived. The two skulls crashed together and they pushed against each other in a formidable wrestle.
Nott’s eyes opened wide in horror when he saw the careful calculation Seizon had made. Other sharpteeth would have avoided charging him head-on due to his formidable horns. But Seizon was a bladeback, and like all bladebacks and their relatives, the claw-hands, Seizon’s head was long and narrow – narrow enough to nestle and wrestle in between the horns on Nott’s head rather than getting stabbed right through the brain. It was an epic advantage all right, and as Saureen and Al just watched in awe, Seizon made use of another advantage.
He raised his clawed hands and began to take swipes at Nott’s face, leaving long cuts there. Nott’s arms were too small to do anything, and with several swipes and a kick in the chest, Nott was sent flying backwards and crashing onto his back.
“Could do with some of those reinforcements now, eh?” Seizon laughed, lapping up the sky-water around his snout. He turned to his wide-eyed fellows.
“Saureen, Al…you two take a break,” he said. “I’ve got this one nailed.” He turned back to Nott.
“Go to hell!” Nott snarled.
Seizon just laughed.
“You first! We’re going to win this fight and this network!” he crowed. “You’re about to find out, rockhead, that you should never have messed with us – Xal’s crack team – the greatest pack in the world!”
*
It was too bad that other members weren’t so confident.
Pyron stood, every sense alert, standing a close-guard over Chomper. He had woken up, but he was still very weak, and his bleeding from the side, shoulder and mouth didn’t help matters.
Yuti, unseen by them, was sneaking around the back, determined this time.
“I’ll attack from behind,” she thought. “Two quick neck snaps should do it…if they’re willing to co-operate, I’ll just knock them out and they can be part of our pack…”
Pyron’s eyes were darting around, searching for the feathered Sharptooth, but this just hurt his eyes. Against every odd, he then closed them.
“There’s got to be a better way…” he thought. “A way of getting to her other than just looking out for her. Earlier, I had my eyes closed, thinking like this, and she landed in front of us. I knew she did…but how? I had my eyes closed. There must have been some other way…”
Yuti was in position, right behind some large shiny stones, half-hidden. Both Pyron and Chomper had their backs to her and both with closed eyes. This would be perfect…just one twist of her arms and Chomper would have his neck broken…then Pyron…
But suddenly, Pyron knew. He should have seen it a long time before. What reminded him of it was of what he suddenly realised – Yuti was right behind them.
With a new burst of energy and his realisation, Pyron promptly backflipped, landed directly on top of Yuti, who had been on the verge of snapping Chomper’s neck.
“WHAT?” she croaked. Chomper opened his eyes and raised his head.
“That was a close call…” Pyron grinned.
“But how…oh…” Yuti muttered, suddenly realising. “You smelled me…”
“I should have seen it coming along time before!” Pyron declared. “I could always smell you before I saw you. It kept me one step ahead of you all the time, smelling the adrenalin and perspiration on you, judging the times you were about to aim to kill.”
“Yes…” Yuti growled, kicking him off her and standing up. Pyron landed expertly on his feet as Yuti continued. “And with your eyes closed your sense of smell became enhanced, allowing you to plan ahead with what to do with me…”
“A sharptooth’s sense of smell is its best sense!” Pyron declared. “And I can use to that my advantage.”
Chomper gave a weak smile as Yuti leapt backwards, thinking fast.
“I have to admit…he’s good,” she thought. “Now he can work out where I’m truly coming from, my use of reflections as weapons is useless. The twoclaw seems to be still out of commission, but that fastbiter is deadly, and has gotten new hope, and is especially determined to continue this fight to defend his companion. The longer this continues, the longer Nott is going to have to battle without me. I’ve got to finish this now…and take drastic measures. He has played into my weaknesses…”
She gazed at Chomper.
“So to finish this quickly, I’ll have to play into his…”
~0~
Oh Yuti... :wow
Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, looking forward to hearing your feedback! So Kai still hasn't given up on his plan to kill Omendric's heir, but will he succeed? Will Nott's pack succeed? What's happening with Lini and Nycha? I know I seemingly abandoned what was going on with half-way through, but never fear, they shall appear again in the next chapter! :nyah
How well do you think I wrote this action sequence? Bear in mind, their will be many more to come. You may be glad to hear that this battle is bringing the end to this cave network nonsense - only two more chapters to go and they're OUT of there...and the entire point of this storyline comes into light...
I know Ulciscor and Xal didn't actually appear in this chapter, but don't worry, their stories haven't been abandoned either... :lol
And Seizon likes skywater still! And Al can kick ass, and Pyron! The Headache Cave was actually based off my own phobia of lifts. The reflective walls enable you to only see yourself...horrible... :p
LEAVE FEEDBACK AND THANKS FOR READING! :DD
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Aha! So Nycha finally has a change of heart! It was great to see that.
I also liked the battle sequences, and thought they flowed along pretty smoothly - you have such a great eye for detail that it doesn't seem like a challenge for you (even though yeah, battle sequences are worst!! :o)
For some reason, I'm not too worried about the Gang, they way you left it with them suggests they have a chance. I'm just hoping Kai gets his just desserts before long.
As always, a pleasure to read^^
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Thanks! Hope you enjoy the next chapter as much...or more...
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Whoa! Intense battle scenes there, Toby!
Yuti, you little... :anger I don't think I'm going to like what she's planning, but at least Pyron found a way to know where she was and what she was doing. :DD
Well, it's a good job some of the others managed to get out of that cave network. Go Seizon! And good for Nycha having a change of heart like that. :)
Oh... that fast water sounds pretty dangerous. I'm praying nothing bad happens to Spike, but with Kai around... :unsure:
Anyway, great chapter again, Dosu! :D
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Thanks again! :smile
Yeah, Yuti has a devious little mind...I dream for one day of a composer to write an epic piece on the battle between her and Pyron. Intense or what???
And yep, Seizon's resourceful too! He loves the rain... :lol
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I'm stunned. Probably the overload of action :DD
There's nothing to critizise but a bunch of things to praise :yes You're so talented, I can't wait to see how this battle will go on and who's going to win it (I have a guess but shhhhhhhhhh)
I'm more worried that Ducky dies alongside Spike :boohoo
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Thanks David!
And here's the next chapter! :wow I seriously hope its alright. :( I read through it thoroughly because I wanted to get it absolutely perfect...I think I've got it as well as I can, but if you think its not so, good please tell me. The writing style that is... :cry
Chapter Twelve: A True Friend and Guardian
Chomper was exhausted. The battle had drained him of his strength, but fortunately, it seemed that Pyron was more than capable of dealing with Yuti himself. They were now both leaping over some of the luminescent rocks in the corner, scratching and kicking and clawing and biting… It was a fairly evenly matched battle, but that’s only because Chomper had no idea what Yuti was thinking…
Yuti aimed a kick at Pyron, who ducked and brought his whole body around for a counter. Yuti leapt backwards to avoid it as she had been doing all this time – deliberately leading him away from Chomper.
“It’s a calculated risk,” she thought. “But there seems to be only one guarantee to this fight – this one will continue to defend the other. That’s my advantage…”
She raised her eyes to the cave ceiling and saw what she was looking for - stone teeth – the most sinisterly wicked ones you could ever imagine, with serrated, sharp edges that could slice through anyone’s skin…
Pyron charged at her. She kicked out again and this time she made connection, her foot catching Pyron in the chin and sending him cascading into another luminescent rock. She then wrenched a murderous looking stone tooth out from the ceiling. She could feel the power of it in her hand, its sharpness and evil almost whispering to her. Just one stab…
However, she didn’t head towards Pyron, who was struggling to get to his feet, but Chomper, who was weak-willed and struggling to stand at all.
Holding it like a javelin, she sprinted full pelt towards him.
“Here goes…” she thought.
Chomper had seen everything, and was frozen to the spot, powerless to do anything due to his exhaustion as death approached him ever-faster. He couldn’t believe it – it had finally come to this…
Pyron finally stood up and saw what was going on. His eyes widened in abject terror.
“No…” he thought desperately. “Not Chomper too…”
Images were going through his head, of his parents being crushed to death by the rockslide, and his powerlessness in that situation – it had burned, engulfing his whole heart in fiery grief. And he had been very close to losing someone else that same day. His sister. But in that situation he hadn’t been powerless – he had been able to do something, and therefore had done it. Never again would he lose another. Not today at least, when he could do something…
He was dashing towards Yuti before he could stop himself. This was all part of her plan – he knew what she was thinking, but if he hadn’t done anything then, he never would have forgiven himself…sinister plan or not, he still had to do something…
“Hang on Chomper!” he yelled, aiming at Yuti with a powerful flying kick…
*
Fastbiters didn’t get their name for nothing. They were fast, and could bite. Nycha quickly avoided the teeth and claws of her foe, another fastbiter, and, balanced expertly on her toes, considered her options.
Well, she was a fastbiter too. She had the same range of options. Her enemy fastbiter charged at her again, and Nycha took a timed leap directly over him, causing him to blunder in an attempt to change direction. Nycha however, was faster, and twisted round first, sinking her claws into her rival’s back, sending him thudding to the ground in a pool of his own blood where passed out from the pain.
There was only one enemy Sharptooth left.
Lini was jaw-to-jaw with Torq as they wrestled, their toe-claws sinking into the cave-floor and leaving large cracks in their wake. Nycha didn’t hesitate and immediately leapt onto the dark sharptooth’s back, clawing and biting.
Torq howled in rage, and proptly grabbed her by her head-feathers and flung her to the ground with a bone-rattling thud.
“END OF THE LINE PEST!” he snarled, but before he could do anything, Lini had rammed into him again, sending him head-long into the cave wall. There was an unpleasant thud and his eyes glazed over, before he sank back down to the stone floor, unconscious.
“We did it!” Lini crowed, helping Nycha to her feet and hugging her tightly.
“Yeah…” Nycha replied, a small smile creeping onto her face as she wiped a trickle of blood from it. “Yeah, we did…”
Lini smiled back.
“You see, you can always find something to put a smile on her face,” she said. “You just need to look more often.”
“I know…” Nycha sighed. “Listen…Lini…I’m sorry I’ve ever seemed aggressive towards any of you. I just…feel the need to be on my guard constantly. I don’t suppose Pyron’s ever told you what happened to us?”
Lini shook her head.
Nycha nodded. “Well, it’s a long story,” she sighed. “But I feel the weight of it every day – what I did, what I could have avoided, but didn’t…” she sniffed and began to well up.
“I just feel that everything’s my fault – and blaming other people…as bad as it sounds…it makes me feel better…”
Lini walked forward and hugged her again.
“Come now,” she said, as the tears continued to flow silently down Nycha’s face. “In some cases, it really doesn’t matter who’s to blame. I don’t think you could be…and even if you were, you shouldn’t dwell on the past. Just accept you made a mistake and move on!”
Lini bit her lip.
“I’ve done many things in the past that I regret,” she continued slowly. “But I’m a new person now. As it hurts me to think it, I don’t dwell on the past. And you shouldn’t either. Look forward to the new life you have now with the pack, because we’re your family now.”
Nycha nodded, smiled and wiped her eyes as Lini released her.
“Thanks…yeah…you’re right.” She took a deep breath. “You’re right. It still might take me a while to get used to Chomper, but I’ll try.”
“I suppose that’s all we can ask,” Lini beamed. “Now…let’s see how Seizon’s getting on.”
*
Seizon was getting on fantastically.
Even as Nott staggered to his feet, Seizon, spurred by the light skywater, was charging him again, bringing his claws round to strike his foe in the face, before twisting round and slashing across his back.
“Too slow!” Seizon teased, as Nott attempted to bite him, missed, and got a kick in the face instead. He staggered backwards, shaking his head as though he’d been awoken from a deep sleep.
“Seizon…” he muttered. “Come on…give me a break!”
“Yeah,” Seizon replied, a mad grin taking over his face. He flexed his arms. “Your legs!”
He pelted forward again, performing a mighty slashing uppercut that sent the rival dinosaur careering onto his back.
“And now the finale!” Seizon declared jubilantly.
“Uh…Seizon?” Al queried. “Shouldn’t you just give it a rest now? You’ve easily won.”
“Yeah…” Saureen agreed, looking slightly ill. “Surely you should…?”
“No way!” Seizon yelled back. “He was set to kill us all – time he had a taste of his own medicine!”
He charged, swinging his ferocious claws as he went.
“Do you think he’s actually going to try and kill him?” Saureen asked, aghast.
“I dunno…” Al frowned. “I mean – we’ve been knocking his cronies off the edge…probably shouldn’t have gotten carried away – but they had a chance of survival…this seems…deliberate…”
Seizon was just about to sink his claws into Nott when a small, feathery something literally dropped out of nowhere in front of him. He skidded to a halt.
“What…?”
The something was a sharpbeak, who now peered up at Seizon good naturedly.
“Hello Seizon,” he said.
Seizon growled.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “And how do you know my name?”
“My name’s Ichy,” the sharpbeak replied. “And I work with your stepdad.”
Seizon’s expression changed instantly.
“Xal?” he said. “What does he want…?”
“Wait a minute Seizon,” Al interrupted, as he and Saureen walked over to see what issue was. “How can you believe him if you’ve never seen him before?”
Seizon shrugged.
“Who else could he be working for?” And without waiting for an answer he turned back to Ichy.
“So…what news from Xal?”
“Well,” Ichy explained. “He told me to tell you to return to the Fanged Forest at once!”
Seizon’s face fell.
“What? Is that all? That’s what we’re doing anyway!”
“Oh really?” Saureen remarked coldly. “And what about your little detour, eh?”
“Oh yeah…” Seizon muttered. “Buuuuut…we weren’t following a direct order then. Besides, now the Cave Network is his for the taking!”
Nott groaned.
“Oh, this is great!” Ichy said brightly. “Well, gather the pack and head home.”
“Has Xal got any news about the status of the Great Valley?” Al suddenly asked.
“Why do you want to know?” Saureen asked.
“Well…Seizon said Xal’s revolution would involve the Valley,” Al replied. “I’m merely interested…”
“No news as of yet,” Ichy told him. “But that’s my next assignment.” He grinned broadly as he took off. “Because he knows he can trust me more than that blind old groundscraper…oh, in other news, he’s amassed an army. Once you return and the Ambassador tells us everything we need to know, we’ll be ready for the revolution…where is he anyway?”
“Oh snap!” Seizon looked wildly around. “I completely forgot about Chomper and Pyron! Umm…”
He suddenly noticed Lini and Nycha clamber up through the hole that led into the caves.
“Is the fight over already?” Nycha asked a little disappointedly, looking around.
“Yeah…” Seizon nodded. “But…have either of you seen Chomper or Pyron down there?”
“No…” Lini replied.
“Ah…well, we’ve got to find them!” Seizon declared. “It’s vitally important that we leave this place straight away! The revolution is upon us!”
*
“Ferox…”
“Mother…?”
Ferox got to his feet unsteadily when his mother approached him, an urgent look on her face.
“We need to get of here,” she said.
“Huh?” Ferox was confused. “Out of…where?”
“Out of the Fanged Forest,” Tyra replied. “Xal is dangerous.”
“What do you…?”
“He’s got a whole army of thugs, Ferox!” Tyra was ferociously adamant. “That’s what he’s using them for… thuggery! Besides, Saureen’s mission for him involved her entering the Great Valley!”
Ferox’s expression changed at once.
“WHAT?” he yelled, and Tyra quickly told him to quieten.
“Her and Seizon’s mission involved entering the Great Valley and retrieving another Sharptooth from inside it – kidnap, essentially - he’s only their age,” she then explained.
Ferox frowned.
“In…the Valley?”
“Yes,” Tyra replied. “The one that has made the so-called ëconnection.’”
Ferox’s eyes widened considerably.
“I wasn’t aware he even lived in the Valley…this is curious…Xal never told me about that this.”
“Exactly,” Tyra continued. “He’s a dangerous, manipulative liar, and he has you eating right out of his claws. I don’t what he plans to do next, but judging by how things are going now, the use of kids as weapons, hired thugs and the kidnapping of the kid that rumours have been circulating about recently, it can’t be anything good…”
Ferox nodded.
“Yes…” he said slowly. “Yes…I do believe you’re right. Well, first thing’s first, we need to get to Saureen!”
“Quite,” Tyra agreed. “And we need to go now!”
The two set off at a jog, but alas, their path was suddenly blocked by two Piercers.
“Going somewhere?” snarled a cold voice behind them. They turned to see Xal striding towards them, cold fury etched in every part of his face, flanked by a maliciously grinning Gigas and more Piercers.
“I trusted you, Xal,” growled Ferox. “I can’t believe you’re using my daughter like this…without even telling me!”
“The kids were safer out of the way of the spiked longneck, Ferox!” Xal snapped back.
“Maybe,” Ferox agreed. “But I thought they were going to find a sanctuary, not go charging into the Valley, the realm of Ulciscor!”
“They made it out safely,” Xal snapped. “But you two aren’t going anywhere.”
“No disconnected individual has the right to command anyone!” Tyra declared. She turned to her son.
“Ferox…find her!”
Ferox, so desperate to find his daughter, didn’t even twig onto to what his mother was saying or planning to do. He just sprinted off, leaving the forest that had been his home for almost all his life.
The two nearest Piercers attempted to intercept him, but Tyra got their first and slammed her heavy body into the carnivores. One Piercer was rammed into the ground by her hard skull, and she swiped the other with her tail, sending into collision with a nearby tree. By this time, Ferox was out of sight.
“If I may offer my opinion Xal?” Gigas suddenly spoke. “We cannot afford to send a search party after him now.”
“I know…” Xal spat, his eyes pulsating with fury. “But this one is no longer amusing me…kill her now!”
Tyra just smiled. She knew she would irk him enough for him to give this command.
“Consider this, Xal!” she said. “Downfalls occur due to actions – if you’re actions weren’t sane enough to begin with, you will become a victim of your own!”
She had said what she wanted, which is why she stood still as Gigas and the Piercer’s savagely attacked her, buying Ferox time to be out of their range. Soon, the old tyrannosaur’s blood was leaking across the forest floor, and the Piercers were feasting. It appeared cannibalism was part of this new world too, if necessary.
And murder.
Later, Xal was pacing around the forest, coming to terms with the loss of one of his most loyal and unwavering supporters. Still, it was a necessary loss – one that would secure his victory and prevent any weakness within his forces.
A Piercer began to approach him.
“Yes?” Xal asked briskly.
“I feel I should report sir,” the Piercer replied. “That we’ve spied a lone Sharptooth heading this way.”
“If its Ferox,” Xal snapped. “I want him incapacitated and brought to me!”
“But it’s not,” the Piercer replied. “I just felt I should inform you sir – Redclaw’s heading for the Fanged Forest.”
*
Yesterday had been so dramatic within the Valley - there was a great shift in power and murder on their soil. Now however, it was relatively calm. The dinosaurs of the Valley were working in their segregated herds, not daring to speak out, or complain, or discuss with each other anything less mundane than the weather. They could feel the icy gaze of the Bludgeoners upon them, knew how their tails were itching to swing down upon them if they so much as whispered any promise of treachery…
News had quickly spread amongst the four-footers of how Tria had ended it with Topps, and it was somehow spreading towards the two-footers as well. When asked why, all she replied was, ëNowadays, it would never work.’
Many of the Valley now didn’t see much of Ulciscor. He mostly stayed at the Rock Circle or the Thundering Falls, pacing and no doubt dreaming up military strategy in his head. And, under surveillance from his loyal Bludgeoners, he kept his parents close to him as well.
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck had said nothing to each other since the death of Kosh, or to anyone else for that matter. It seemed that old spark had completely been drained from them since their son had made them his prisoners. He kept making strange remarks to them as he paced, almost daring them to say something. And one day, when Ulciscor had left them for a drink, and the Bludgeoners had accompanied him, Grandpa turned to his wife.
“Arianna…” he muttered. “I’m sorry…but we’ve got to do this.”
Arianna (as she was known) turned her head towards her husband slowly.
“I don’t know what you mean Aster…” she muttered.
Aster was trembling, but his eyes were determined.
“I remember when he first hatched,” he said croakily, obviously beating around the bush.
“What about…?”
“With the first three falling victim to nest-raiders and predators,” Aster continued, not looking at his wife. “We’d thought we’d struck lucky with this one – he became a very strong and independent young longneck. We were overcome with love for him. Where did we go wrong?”
“Aster,” Arianna said seriously. “We are not to blame. Sometimes, things change an individual’s mind pattern-”
“I think we did go wrong!” Aster insisted, tears now falling freely from his eyes and onto the ground. “But now is the time…now, for the sake of us and our sanity and the entire dinosaur world – we put our mistake right.” He turned to Arianna.
“We kill him. Now.”
Arianna just stared at him.
“What…?”
“We’ve got to…”
“No we haven’t!” Arianna insisted, placing her neck against his to stop him charging blindly at his son.
“Come to your senses! His Bludgeoners will slaughter us before we even make it to him, and even then, we’re no match for him! Besides…since when did stooping to his level become a reasonable thing to do?”
Aster went limp against Arianna’s form and the tears continued to flow.
“I’m sorry…” he whispered. “But…we just got it so wrong…how could this happen?”
“I think you’re forgetting dear,” Arianna whispered, resting her head against his. “Where we also went so right. Our youngest – our only daughter, a heroine through and through. She brought into this world and protected our wonderful grandson. Even to this day, I feel her spirit is still shining down on all of us.”
She gazed up into the sky and the Bright Circle, still shimmering brightly, like she knew Saura would be, now in a better place.
“And Littlefoot has inherited that from her. As strange as it sounds, I think he will be the one to save us all.”
“But he’s not here…” Aster mumbled glumly.
“I know,” Arianna replied. “But with Ulciscor here, anywhere is better.”
*
Littlefoot gulped as the water below churned and frothed.
“Anywhere is better than here…” he muttered, as Kai’s tail lowered him onto another column. He had to carefully avoid the spikes.
Just as Littlefoot thought he had settled on this stone column, he suddenly realised a problem.
“Err…Kai?” he said.
“Yes, kid?” Kai turned back to him.
“I don’t know if I can get across here…”
It was true – the chasm with the water was extremely wide, and all of the columns were widely spaced out. They clearly hadn’t thought out their crossing correctly.
Kai considered briefly.
“We’ll have to think of something else…” he said.
He turned back to where Spike and Ducky were ready to clamber on.
“Now…” he thought. “Now…surely…is the time!”
He lowered his head. Spike clambered on.
He began to move his head back…
It seemed to happen in slow motion.
Kai had ëaccidentally’ moved his head back too far, causing Spike to slide down towards the spikes on his neck. As he corkscrewed to avoid it, he ended up slipping off his ride entirely, and began falling into the fastwater…
“SPIKE, DUCKY!!!!!” came four terrified screams. Kai just watched them fall, a mad glint in his eye.
“Yes!” he crowed internally. “It’s finally over…”
But then, to the surprise of everyone, Spike caught with his mouth at a vine sticking out from the walls of the chasm before he hit the fast water. Ducky managed to grip on tight and was prevented from falling too.
“Hang on you two!” Littlefoot yelled at them. He was relieved they hadn’t fallen in – but they still had to work out a way to rescue them.
“Please hurry!” Ducky whimpered, as Spike grunted into the vine.
“Damn…” Kai thought. “Now what?”
But he had no more time to think about this when there was a mighty rumble of water and the level began to rise. The tide was coming in far away at the Big Water, but the fastwater was getting dramatically affected by it. Soon, even the mighty stone pillars would crumble away, as nature reclaimed its territory…
*
Chomper, dazed and confused, sat up to see what had happened.
He saw Yuti lying, even more dazed, a few feet away. Pyron’s kick had sent her flying into one of the crystals and the perimeter, knocking her head against it. At least that would slow her down.
But the bump to her head was the worst of her injuries. There was no sign of the stone tooth.
So…?
Chomper turned his head to the side. What he saw made his heart freeze in his chest, creating an uncomfortable cold sensation that soon swept over his entire body, paralysing him with fear. No…no, he could not be seeing this.
Pyron was standing up, shoulder’s slightly hunched, head slightly lowered, eyes half-closed, as though concentrating. There was a slight frown on his face. The reason? Well, it seemed he had the stone tooth.
It had impaled him in the chest.
“PYRON!!” Chomper yelled, forgetting his exhaustion completley, jumping to his feet and running over to his friend.
Pyron looked at him and smiled.
“Hey, Chomper,” he croaked. “Looks like I-”
The rest of his words were stemmed as a torrent of blood erupted out of his mouth and splattered onto the cave floor. He swayed slightly.
Chomper grabbed his shoulders tightly, holding him upright as he swayed. Yuti was getting to her feet, no longer charging at them, just observing.
“It’s admirable,” she thought. “That he would go this far to protect his companion.”
Yuti had seen it all happen before her eyes. She had been on the verge of stabbing Chomper when Pyron had charged full-pelt at her and kicked her hard across the cave. At the same time, he had taken the full brunt of Yuti’s stab – straight into the chest…which, in the long run, had been her plan all along. Always take out the strongest one first…
[Turn on some sad music now!]
Pyron gazed at Chomper, sadness in his eyes.
“Sorry…” he muttered.
Chomper shook his head fiercely.
“Don’t…!” he gulped. “Please…don’t…apologise…”
Pyron just smiled sadly back.
“Why…?” Chomper began to sob, the tears dripping onto the blood on Pyron’s chest. “Why did you do it? You knew it was a trap…”
“Yes…” Pyron agreed. “Yes I did. But I guess I felt that you had so much more to give to this world yet. I’ve…” he smiled weakly, tears welling up in his own eyes now. “Served my purpose.”
“Don’t talk like that!” Chomper sobbed, holding Pyron close to him. “You’re…you’re my best friend! I can’t do this without you!”
Pyron’s eyes widened at that.
“Your best?” he whispered. “And what happened to all those in the Great Valley?”
Chomper had no answer to that. The tears just continued to fall.
“Chomper…” Pyron muttered. “Please…take this stone tooth out of my chest.”
“But…”
“Chomper…” Pyron gazed up at him, pure and honest intent on his face. “Please…do it.”
Chomper obeyed, even though he had to close his eyes as he did so. There was a horrible grating sound of harsh stone and flesh and organs, and Pyron gave a horrible strangled cough as it was wrenched out, more blood dribbling down his chin.
Chomper gave a hearty sob again and once more held Pyron close to him.
“I’m so glad you said that actually…” Pyron whispered, his bleeding mouth smiling and his eyes swimming with tears. “Because…if I’m going to be completely honest Chomper…you’re my best friend too…”
Chomper tried to smile, but the signs of shock and grief were still running down his face.
“Before I met you,” Pyron murmured. “I was almost as lost as my sister. I worried for her constantly, and felt as though I had no future. You opened my eyes to new possibilities of a family life amongst the pack and so many others. There was so much more you could give me…I just had to see it. From your perspective and how it worked for everyone. It gave me so much hope, and…” Real tears were now falling down his face.
“…joy.”
“Yeah…” Chomper sniffed. “But what good is that now? If you go now…”
“That’s true,” Pyron agreed. “But at least I’ll die in the knowledge that I went protecting its memory and its originator. That’s what’s important here.”
Chomper just stared at him and his satisfied smile with the tear-stained eyes.
Then Pyron’s legs gave way. He tottered backwards, and Chomper was left holding onto him as he lay like a graceful dancer. But all he felt was terror as he looked down into that sadly smiling fast-biter’s face.
“Chomper…” Pyron whispered. “Please…don’t let your dream die. It’s still possible, I know…a world where leaf-eaters and sharpteeth can live in harmony. And I know you’re the one who can make it happen. Only you, with your wonderful values and dreams. Oh, and please look after my sister. She needs guidance. Goodbye Chomper, and thank you for being…my brother…”
And then his head leaned backwards, his mouth and eyes remaining half-open, but seeing and moving no longer.
Chomper took a moment to stare down at the empty shell that just minutes before had been the bravest Sharptooth he had ever known, before gently placing two claws on his eyelids and slowly closing them, giving Pyron the appearance of sleep. Then, he broke down. The poor young Sharptooth collapsed on top of the fastbiter’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably, the salty tears mixing in with the gentle trickle of blood.
Yuti still watched him from her standing point, wondering whether she had done the right thing. Had she been too hasty?
Chomper’s initial sobs soon began to die down, but he remained face-down upon his companion’s chest, his breathing still throaty and hoarse.
Yuti eventually spoke up.
“Is this a first for you?” she asked gently. Chomper didn’t even comprehend the fact that she was, for once in her life, talking gently. He had suddenly remembered…
Yuti…
Yuti, not waiting for a response from Chomper, continued.
“Is this first time a friend of yours has fallen victim to another Sharptooth during a turf war? Or a joint hunt? It’s a very common feature of a sharptooth’s life I’m afraid…”
Chomper still said nothing. It was almost as though he had stopped breathing.
“It happened to me,” Yuti continued, not even aware of what was going through the other sharptooth’s mind. “I was very young when my parents were killed right in front of me by a rival gang of sharpteeth, a few days after a titanic earthshake split the land in two. That’s the way of life…”
“Shut up.”
Chomper had spoken, not in a way that particularly conveyed any emotion. It was just a short, snappish order. But he did not look up or say anything more, and so Yuti, ignoring the danger, continued.
“And that’s how you continue through it,” she explained. “Life…change what you can, accept what you can’t. You’ll soon move from such times and people who-”
“SHUT UP!!”
Yuti fell silent. This time, the order had been hollered. And there was real emotion behind it now. One full of grief, sorrow, anger, and…
…revenge.
“You…know…nothing…” Chomper seethed, now beginning to rise to his feet, blood pounding in his ears. Yuti could still see tears falling in a cascade like sky-water onto the stone floor and on Pyron’s body, but there was more behind it now…
“You know nothing about Pyron…” Chomper hissed. “You don’t know how amazing and brave he was…what he did for me is…incomparable. Impossible to forget. You hardly knew him…but you still killed him…you killed him when you didn’t even have to. And I can never forget that either. So now…”
Chomper looked up, and Yuti had to take a step back. Gone was the young scrawny Sharptooth who seemed to have no fight in him whatsoever. Gone was the slightly gawky grin. That had all been replaced by a Chomper with burning red eyes fuelled with rage and blood and anger, eyes that made you want to run and hide. And from his throat came a low, terrifying, guttural growl, one that made its infamy from twoclaws across the world. This is what Chomper was, no matter how hard he tried to escape it. A Sharptooth. And making a Sharptooth furious is a very dangerous thing to do.
“SO NOW!!!!” Chomper roared at the top of his lungs. “NOW…I’M GOING TO KILL YOU TOO!!!”
~0~
:cry :cry
In sincerely hope there are a few tears going round here, otherwise I haven't done my job! :unsure:
Ah, poor Pyron!!! In light of what you have just read, let's take a few moments to reflect.
We haven't known him for that long, and nor has Chomper, as it happens. What is it, about three days??? And yet they somehow already have this connection. Incredible how it works sometimes, isn't it?
Just so you know, I didn't just kill off Pyron because he was voted as being the most sorely missed character. :p I always knew Pyron would be written out, the first stage in a series of changes for the pack and how it connects to Xal and the upcoming war. And look how its changed Chomper! :wow That sort of fury doesn't come lightly. Because I knew he was doomed when I first created him, I developed the character of Pyron to be an incredible and loving brother-like individual, so it was more of a blow when he died, destroying Chomper's innocence and whatnot in this fic. He's only a kid! Not an old one like Kosh was...and this was really the purpose of the Cave Network storyline - to have Pyron open up to Chomper and then die...
I seriously hope I haven't put most of you off this fic by writing him out!! :blink: Pyron was fantastic, but there's still so much more to see in this fic, concerning Ulciscor, Xal, what's happening with the gang, what will happen next with the pack, etc! So stay tuned!
One more question - who absolutely hates Yuti now? :lol
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NOOOOOOO! PYRON!!!! :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry
I hate you for that, Dosu! And I hate Yuti for that too! GET HER CHOMPER! :anger
Grandpa, don't suggest killing, otherwise I'll get suspicious of where your evil son got it from. Liked the names you picked for them, by the way. :yes
So much death and depression in this chapter... now I'm even more depressed than I was before. :o Tyra's gone, too. I'm really hating Xal now, too.
NO! DUCKY! SPIKE! AAHHHHHHH! *Goes crazy and hits head on the wall 10000 times* :lol
In other words: a very action packed and emotional chapter, Dosu. I get more jealous of your writing skills every day. You're so gooood...
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*flails madly* NOOOOOO-OOOOO-ooooooo!! *bangs keyboard, sniffles due to horrible cold*
...
You.. now I have to draw Pyron! You've destroyed me, Dosuuuuu!
*deep breath, calms flailing*
Well, I can definitely say this chappie was elaborately constructed. In light of the fact that you KNEW you were going to kill Pyron off (I swear I'm this close to finishing Yuti off meself! Outta my way, Chomper!!), this passage was an entertaining and heart-wrenching read, much more than Kosh's death for sure.
Couple things I noticed and liked: Seizon's fight going fantastically, and the names you chose for the grandparents: Aster and Arianna (I know someone named Arianna as well, lol)
one other thing. You used to word 'cascading' to describe Pyron being thrown against a stone column or one of the crystals. Careening would probably be a better choice as cascading has to do most often with liquid.
A great read, YOU EVIL THING!! :smile
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You used to word 'cascading' to describe Pyron being thrown against a stone column or one of the crystals. Careening would probably be a better choice as cascading has to do most often with liquid.
Yeah, you're probably right... :slap :lol I'll remember that for next time!
Well, glad you 'enjoyed?' it. :p The names for Grandma and Grandpa just sort of came to me, as name's sometimes do...Kai, for example, who everyone wants to kill! :lol
Though not quite as much as Yuti. Do I detect a few tears?
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Lol I did enjoy it! It was a fast-paced and emotional read :)
... and if this is the beginning of it, then I cannot help but wonder who else you'll kill off :o
No tears yet... I'll keep you posted :smile
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I don't know how to express the feelings I had when I read this chapter :blink:
You made me crying a bit about Pyron's death and I was smiling at the same time because I liked the chapter so much. You're capable to do everything... The action scenes are incredibly tense and make me bursting of excitement, the emotional scenes are... awesome (in lack of finding a word fitting better) and everything else is simply awesome as well.
VV is the first story that succeeded in making me cry! I'm sure that, in five years, VV will be still under the top 10 fics of the GoF! Atm, it's undefeated no. 1 :exactly
Now my comments, feedback etc. to single parts:
I never thought the headline would mean what it means... Pyron as a true friend and guardian... I should think about headlines instead of just reading them and switching off my thoughts :P:
Yuti was right that Pyron would defend Chomper with everything he has.. Pyron's thinking is really well-placed :)
WHOO!!! Lini and Nycha made it as well :celebrate
“I just feel that everything’s my fault – and blaming other people…as bad as it sounds…it makes me feel better…”
:lol
Nycha finally came out of her shell. I see she makes progress but how will she take Pyron's death? Will she blame Chomper for that? :unsure: Boy, I see myself crying at the next chapter again already :angel
Go Seizon!
So we see Ichy again... not the best moment to appear though.. Seizon's about to decrease earth's population by one further individual after all...
“Oh really?” Saureen remarked coldly. “And what about your little detour, eh?”
^^
Only problem's: Where are Chomper and Pyron!
RIP Tyra :cry At least Ferox made it!
Redclaw's heading towards the Fanged Forests?!? Well, that's going to be interesting!
I see you gave Grandma and Grandpa name's as well. Well, I personally find it a little confusing simply because I'm so much used to Grandma & Grandpa or the names somerandomfangirl gave them (Thunderfoot & Tosa). Overall, you wrote their dialogue very well though ;)
“Anywhere is better than here…
If only you'd know, Littlefoot...
Well, Kai, nice try :nyah
The situations though sounds as if it's gonna be worse than it already is :unsure:
So here we are now. The scene that will be recognized as the most emotional, most dramatical, most tragic, saddest, most heart-breaking and simply BEST death scene! It probably outweighs the famous death of Littlefoot's Mother :exactly
I don't know how you managed to write this without crying your heart out yourself, Toby. And I don't know why it is so well-done but it is and that is what counts!
Pyron saves Chomper's life with his sacrificial action and dies. Pyron acts like a true hero, modest and awaiting his death with dignity. Chomper is still believing Pyron could make it although it was obvious that he wouldn't.
I was surprised when Chomper announced that Pyron's his best friend (never tell that Littlefoot!) and Pyron returning the favor was simply amazing. How you described Pyron getting weaker and weaker and having a last talk with Chomper at the same time is simply wowofying (yes, I invent words :smile).
The point where Chomper collapses is probably the climax of the whole scene. It was the point where my eyes started watering and I'm sure I'm not the only one :lol
But Yuti's still there, too... Chomper's emotions and reactions to Yuti's (quite unexpected) speech were true, expected and so much understandable...
The last four lines... they make me so tense and excited about the next chapter as well as everything else :lol:
I LOVE your story Toby! It's a pleasure to read and review it!
K.E.E.P I.T U.P!!!
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Well, thank you! :lol: And so now we have the next chapter...enjoy...
Chapter Thirteen: Blood and Water
Talk about a role reversal. Yuti could only stare in mingled horror and surprise as Chomper’s rage took over him completely. What had happened to Chomper, the so-called friendly Sharptooth? Yuti didn’t know of this reputation of course – is she had, she probably would never have believed what she was seeing.
Chomper let out a loud, penetrating roar, one that seemed to glean off the crystals around the side of Headache Cave and rattle Yuti’s skull – in an ironic twist of fate, she was the one with the headache now.
Chomper was now charging full pelt at her, the fire in his eyes still burning brightly. It was incredible. Just a moment ago he had been exhausted to the point of collapse. Andrenalin, sorrow and rage were really something. And Yuti wasn’t sure she could fight them off.
Chomper collided with her, sending her careering into the air and landing with a thud on the ground. Her head smacked into one of the crystals and her vision was momentarily blurred as wet blood began to trickle from the back her head…
“Wait Chomper!” she cried out in her fear. “Please…” she grappled around for something Pyron had said before he had passed away. “Think about your dream…you can’t succeed in it if you go around killing…”
But Chomper only seemed to take this as a taunt. It rang through his ears like her continuously laughing at him and only served to fuel his anger more. Growling furiously, he charged her again, kicking her across the cave again, until she scrambled to her feet and backed up against the wall.
“Consider this for Pyron!” Chomper snarled. “Because he also had a dream! One to be whole again…and you took it away from him…”
He charged for a third time, his jaws opened wide.
Then he sunk his teeth in.
Yuti screamed in pain as she felt Chomper’s powerful serrated teeth tear into her arm, piercing through flesh and sinew. The blood began to cascade in a torrent onto the cave floor, a dark red puddle that began to grow.
And then it happened, a moment so unbelievably out of Chomper’s character, he still cannot believe he actually did it. With a great wrench of his neck, Yuti let out a horrific scream, the sort that sent chills shooting up your spine as you could imagine the torment the screamer was going through…and then Chomper retreated from her, her severed hand held tightly in his mouth, still splattering blood onto the floor, though not nearly to the extent of Yuti’s stump of a forearm.
She gave a hair-raising screech and her knees gave way, causing her to collapse into a sobbing heap on the floor. Chomper’s eyes widened as the whole reality of the situation hit him. He, Chomper, had just torn someone’s hand off…
Chomper stopped dead in his tracks and promptly dropped the severed body part onto the ground. The sound of the flesh hitting the stone was unnerving, as was the flecks of blood that still gathered around Chomper’s lips.
“Uhh…uh…” Chomper was at a complete loss for what to say. What could he say? He was replaying the moment in this head…what was he thinking?? What would Pyron have said to what he had just done…?
He staggered backwards slightly as the tears began to form in his eyes, but he blinked furiously to stop them forming. He wasn’t going to cry in front of this murderess…
Except the murderess was now looking at him with a combination of abject terror and pleading. Not surprising as Chomper had just shown exactly what he was capable of. With a sickened feeling, she realised it could have just as easily been her head…
She gazed at her still bleeding arm stump, a horrible disfigurement, which only served to make her feel even sicker. She would never look upon those same fingers again, which gave her a horrific sense of loss…though considering the loss she had just given this one, she sort of deserved it.
“I’m…I…” Chomper swallowed. As much as he hated to admit it, her blood tasted quite nice. SHARPTOOTH BLOOD TASTED NICE??? What was he, some sort of cannibal? Shaking this horrific thought off, he spoke again…
“Yuti…sorry…”
“Sorry???” Yuti practically screamed at him. “No, Chomper…don’t be…” her eyes were swimming with tears. “I’m the one who took something away from you…you have every right to be angry…”
“But tearing your hand off??” Chomper swallowed again.
“Whatever works…” Yuti breathed. “It wasn’t even life for a life. Seriously…I would have been ready for it…”
“What…?”
“I mean it Chomper!” Yuti howled. Her unwavering gaze was fixed onto Chomper’s eyes – fearful, but as red as the blood around his mouth. Yuti drew a shuddering breath.
“What have I made of myself?” she demanded of him, fresh tears sliding down her face and mixing with the blood that gathered around her. “I just serve as Nott’s professional thug, beating, torturing and killing victims for my own pleasure and his…” she gulped. “I tell you – Pyron wasn’t my first victim.”
Chomper gazed back at the still, vibrantly orange body. A flame of anger ignited inside him again, but it was then almost extinguished by a torrent of grief and guilt. After all Pyron had done for him, his first action following his death was to maim someone…but if he felt guilty for that…he turned back to Yuti. He could not imagine the torment she was going through.
Yuti shook her head.
“What’s done is done,” she said. “So, Chomper – please, finish it. I know I was begging you to spare me earlier, but I’ve come to my senses now. Finish the job Chomper – kill me. Please.”
Chomper swallowed, his mind ticking over. He gazed down at the severed hand he had dropped to the floor. The fingers lay limp and dead – the muscles were no longer spasming.
“Well?” Yuti demanded. “Didn’t you say you were going to kill me anyway?”
Yes, she could argue that, Chomper thought. He had indeed, moments before, screamed out his intentions to slaughter her – an eye for an eye in that sense. But now he had calmed down slightly, that anger had been replaced by grief and he was certain he couldn’t bring himself to kill anyone. Maybe he was still different to other sharpteeth after all…
“If you won’t do it,” Yuti insisted. “Then I’ll have to find a way of doing it myse-”
“No!” Chomper suddenly yelled, surprising both Yuti and himself. He didn’t even know why he was defending her – he utterly loathed her. She had killed Pyron! But still – seeing Pyron lie in his arms like that, his life running out as quickly as his blood, had made Chomper realise how fragile life was, and it was something many would have to hold on to at all costs.
Chomper knelt down beside her.
“I’ve just seen one death today…” he said forcefully, trying his best to stop tears from forming again. “I don’t want another one. Just leave Nott, Yuti – leave your previous life behind. Find something to-”
That was as far as he got. He was suddenly aware of something cold and wet gathering near his ankles and tail, this time not blood. He looked down – and gasped.
Water was beginning to seep into the cave, and the whole place was flooding. It was, for now, only up to Chomper’s ankles, but he had a sneaking suspicion that soon the entirety of Headache Cave would be submerged. He remembered what him and Pyron had discussed the previous night, and how the level of the water in this cave may have corresponded to the tides. Well, now it seemed to be high tide.
Yuti, to his slight relief, was now getting to her feet to prevent her head being submerged, but already the water around her was beginning to cloud over with a red stain. Chomper didn’t need to know what the red was. But all Yuti did was gesture to usefully sized opening in the cave with her head.
“You can climb out through there,” she said. “It’s how I got in.”
“Wait,” Chomper said, sniffing back a few tears. “There’s something I’ve got to do first…”
So saying, he turned tail and quickly waded over to the body of his fallen companion, which was now beginning to float gracefully above the waters. Chomper grabbed hold of Pyron’s arm, and gently pulled it towards him. But now he needed to get out of here – the water was already up to his torso and rising fast. Chomper could smell salt within the water, and realised Pyron’s assumptions were correct – this did indeed correlate with the Big Water. He wished he could have told him so, but he knew of course, Pyron would never hear him again…
At the same time, as Chomper struggled his way towards the exit, he couldn’t help but notice that Yuti’s attitude had indeed changed. She too was attempting to get out of here, and not suffer nature’s wrath. He hoped that this was a sign his half-finished speech had gotten to her…
As the two of them clambered out of the tunnel and onto the relative dry of a higher cave (but with water still inching in around their feet) Chomper, still holding tightly to Pyron, turned to his foe.
“Well…” he said, his mouth dry. “What will you do now?”
Yuti shrugged.
“I’ll probably just leave this whole place as best I can,” she replied. “Keep travelling until I’m sure I’m nowhere near any of you. You mostly likely won’t see me again.”
Chomper nodded. “Right, well…”
“I’m so sorry…” Yuti blurted out, her own eyes tearful now. Chomper’s however, hardened.
“You should have thought have that before…” he growled, holding Pyron’s body close to him. “I don’t want another death on my hands – it doesn’t change that fact that we’re mortal enemies. Just leave…”
Yuti, saying nothing more, nodded and quickly sprinted away.
Chomper closed his eyes. Had he been a bit brutish sending her away like that? No…she had murdered his best friend…well, one of his best friends. And the reason for sparing her was nothing to do with anything he felt towards her. It was for him, and how he knew Pyron would have felt about his best friend being a killer…
He couldn’t hold them back anymore – Chomper let the tears fall freely down his face, filled with sorrow-filled sobs as he hugged the body of his friend, knowing, no matter how hard he cried, no matter how empty he felt, that comforting hand would never pat him on the back, the kind, calming voice would never be heard again…
Chomper didn’t know how long he spent there, holding onto his deceased companion, but soon he felt a sudden swaying sensation around his chest…he opened his eyes.
The water level had now reached his chest. He gasped and quickly panicked, attempting to move but only ended up thrashing about. Just calm down, he told himself, just try and tred water…
But he wasn’t sure where to go now. With a mammoth effort, he began to stride this way and that, the water sloshing about him as it rose above his neck, but now he was beginning to lose control about which way he was moving. He desperately tried to swim, but felt Pyron’s arm slip out of his grip and float away…
Even as he desperately thrashed to try and retrieve the body, he found himself getting swept along by the current, maybe even further into the network.
“So this is it then…” Chomper thought, closing his eyes and resigning himself as the water continued to throw him around. “For me its end of the line. Goodbye Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ruby…Saureen, Lini, Al, Seizon…Nycha. Mom and dad…and Pyron, I may have lost your body – but I’ll be seeing you soon…”
*
It was an incredible transformation. Before, the water had been frothing and gushing. Now, its movements were indescribable.
A monstrous torrent of foaming water, carrying with them the strength of a hundred herds boiled and crashed around the giant fast water chasm, slapping against the sides and causing Spike’s attempts to cling to the sides via a vine very difficult. Ducky was clinging to him like a limpet to a rock, her whole body paralysed with fear.
Littlefoot had been desperately trying to think of a solution when suddenly, the stone column he was standing on gave way, and he began to slip straight into the fast water himself. However, he was quickly grabbed out of harm’s way and placed back onto the bank by Kai. After being placed down, Littlefoot immediately leapt to his feet and ran over to the edge, along with Cera, Ruby and Petrie, to gaze down in terror at the formidable trepidation their friends were now in.
“Kai!” Littlefoot panted. “We’ve got to help them!”
“No time…” Kai grunted, hoisting himself off of the collapsing stone column and onto the bank. His front leg accidentally knocked into Ruby, sending her flying over the edge, screaming as she fell. She too managed to grip hold of a vine growing out of the edge of the canyon walls, and she was able to maintain a firmer grip on it than Spike with the use of her hands. But she still couldn’t move from where she was, with the fast water sloshing around her. This action of Kai’s had actually been an accident this time, but he couldn’t say he cared about the result either way.
“RUBY!!” came the startled cry of her fellows. Littlefoot turned to Kai.
“Come on!” he yelled in earnest. “You’ve got to-”
“No I don’t,” Kai snapped back. “Just leave them Littlefoot, come back to the Valley with me – you can do so much better than them!”
Littlefoot could simply not believe his ears.
“WHAT??” he screamed, cold fury and numb disbelief sweeping through his entire being. “How can you even say that?”
“Littlefoot!” Kai yelled back impatiently. “We’ve no time to argue – you don’t even realise your importance! I have specific instructions that concern you and your link to supreme authority over the entire Valley!”
“What??” Littlefoot repeated. What was wrong with this guy? Had he hit his head? Like, severely?
“Instructions?” Cera yelled angrily at him. “Are you saying you’ve been planning something with the Valley and us from the beginning?”
“Yes, actually!” Kai spat back at her. “And no sub-standard whiny little lumpheaded brat is going to mess it up for me and my leader!!”
“You’re insane!!” Littlefoot screamed at him. “I would rather drop dead here than go anywhere with the likes of you!”
“Be careful what you say kid,” Kai hissed. “And I know about this so-called friend of yours – the Sharptooth.”
Littlefoot’s eyes widened.
“Yes…” a pained expression crossed Kai’s face. “And of course I would have killed it the second I saw it. I can’t believe you, of all people, would go around making friends with non-longnecks…and a Sharptooth!”
“Yeah?” Littlefoot snarled. “Well, they’re far better than you – you don’t even begin to compare!”
Something inside Kai’s fragile brain snapped. His eye developed a twitch, and with a murderous snarl, he swung his neck down, smacking straight into Littlefoot, Cera and Petire and sending them tumbling over the edge.
“SO BE IT!!!!” Kai roared, before turning tail and striding away.
The relief of having Kai finally leave them wasn’t even felt due to the formidable danger all of them where now in. Petrie quickly caught an air current and began to hover by the fast water, but Littlefoot and Cera weren’t so lucky. Unlike their vine grabbing companions they had landed straight into the water with a resounding splash. They were immediately swept away and it was only Ruby’s quick thinking that saved them.
The wall of the great chasm was covered in moss, lichen and vines, like the one she was currently gripping, and now, with a stroke of inspiration, she promptly bit through one nearby. It dropped, spinning and snaking away, towards the water, but Ruby quickly gripped the other end tightly in between her toe-claws, allowing it to be churned about by the water, but still be in one place. It was this that Littlefoot and Cera quickly grabbed onto.
“Thanks Ruby!” Littlefoot gasped. Cera’s thanks were muffled by gurglings and coughs.
“Don’t thank me yet…” Ruby muttered, having already seen a flaw in her plan. The churning waters were jerking the other end of the vine about, making gripping it difficult – it was even more difficult now it had the weight of two of her friends on the other end. Two of her largest, she might add. Already, she could feel her toes straining and going numb as she attempted to hold onto them.
“Petrie!” Ruby yelled at him. “Quickly – tie this vine around my ankles!”
Petrie, who had been watching the scene unfold before him in horror, quickly looked around and nodded.
“Sure – me got it!” He zipped forward and began to do as Ruby instructed, tying it tightly and securely, so that Ruby had little trouble it keeping Littlefoot and Cera steady.
“Excellent!” she said.
“Thanks…” Petrie murmured. “Now what?”
Ruby frowned. That was a very good question. They were all out of immediate danger but were resigned to gripping on vines. She needed to come up with something else.
She looked down at Littlefoot and Cera.
“Cera, Littlefoot!” she called. “Take the end of this vine and bring it towards Spike. Then hold on tight as Petrie ties it round Spike and Ducky. That way we’re all hanging onto the same vine. Then, I will try to climb up using the one I’m holding and I’ll pull you all up too.”
“You can’t do that!!” Cera gasped. “You’ll never be able to carry all our weights with your feet!”
“Once you get to this chasm wall,” Ruby replied. “You’ll be able to climb yourselves!”
“But how are we going to get over there?” Cera asked. “We can’t move in this fast flowing water!”
Ruby nodded down to large boulders flowing past them.
“Some of the remnants of the stone columns,” she explained. “Hopping on those will be able to give you some leverage. But remember to keep a tight grip on the vine in your teeth!”
Seeing no other alternative in sight, Littlefoot and Cera began their rock-hopping. It was much harder than ordinary hopping on rocks, considering they had to keep hold on the vine in their teeth and the rocks were moving as fast as the water. They kept on slipping off, and, in having to keep a tight grip on the vine, ended up straining their jaw muscles and necks, resulting in considerable aches.
Ruby too was feeling the strain. The vine was digging into the flesh around her ankles, cutting off the blood supply and making her feet numb. Her main worry however, was that it would come loose.
Littlefoot and Cera eventually made it towards Spike, managing to stay there by slamming clumsily into the rock face and gripping tightly to jagged rocks jutting out of the side, ignoring the stings as they cut into them. Petrie promptly took the end of the vine and began to loop in around Spike’s middle, Littlefoot and Cera still gripping tightly at whatever part of the vine was being threaded through their teeth. Remarkably, nobody lost their grip and the vine didn’t break, and eventually, Spike was tightly secured, as was Ducky, still on his back. Petrie had realised too late that the vine was restricting her arm movements, but at least she wouldn’t slip out. In his mind, it was more like a seatbelt really.
“Sorry Ducky!” he said.
“That is OK!” Ducky gasped, attempting to free her arms.
And, convinced he was safe, Spike let go of the other vine he had gripped between his teeth. The whole lot of them sagged into the water, but despite the buffeting, didn’t get swept away.
“OK!” Ruby called down to them, both relieved and her astonished her plan had worked. “I’m going to start climbing now – once you get to the wall yourselves, start climbing too!”
And so she began to hoist herself up using the vine she was gripping in her hands. This was easier said than done, considering she was dragging all of her friends along with her, not to mention the fact that she couldn’t get any grip of sorts on the wall using her feet, considering her ankles were tightly tied together and growing numb. Sweat slipped off her brow and into the churning waters below, and she was grunting as she took the strain on her legs. Littlefoot, Cera and Spike attempted to paddle towards the wall to make Ruby’s job easier, but to little avail. Even when Cera quickly clambered onto the rock face and began to attempt climbing, Ruby was already exhausted.
“Come on!” Petrie urged, flapping around below her. “Don’t give up, we almost there!”
Ruby looked above her. The bank couldn’t have been much higher than four metres up, but she couldn’t feel as though she could make it. She could feel the pulling down of all of her friends as she attempted to pull down on the vine she was gripping too. Eventually, all of this action could have only one possible result.
The vine snapped.
It was the vine attached to Ruby’s ankles that finally gave, and it sent Cera, Littlefoot, Spike and Ducky tumbling back into the fast water, and this time without an anchor. At the same time, Ruby lost her grip on the vine she was holding, and, with the remnants of the snapped vine still tied around her ankles, she fell, knocking into Petrie as she went, sending him into the fast water and getting his wing membranes water-logged, preventing him from taking off.
The gang yelled and gurgled as they were swept along by the merciless current, terror gripping them and consuming them into a dark hole of dread. It seemed this was the end of them too – Even as they seemed destined for a watery demise, Littlefoot remembered what he had said to Kai: “I would rather drop dead here than go anywhere with the likes of you!” Did he regret saying that?
Not really. Littlefoot gritted his teeth in defiance as the water cascaded above and around him.
He still meant every word…
*
Sometimes, the height of a battle can be its most docile point.
Redclaw knew this for a fact. He crept slowly through the forest, every sense alert, trying to pick out something other than the eerie silence. Somebody was watching him closely…
Redclaw barely had time to react when the massive bladeback charged out of the trees at him, headbutting him into a bush. The twoclaw quickly staggered to his feet as Xal bit hard into his shoulder. Howling, Redclaw attempted to retaliate with a return bite to the shoulder, but Xal just bit harder and lashed his opponent across the face to prevent the bite. Not to be outdone, Redclaw kicked out at Xal’s hindquarters, causing the bladeback to grunt and stagger. Redclaw took the opportunity to ram into him, but Xal quickly lifted his out of the way, and taking advantage of Redclaw now being the off-balanced one, slammed his lower jaw down across his head, sending his crashing to the ground in a daze. Xal then stomped his foot down onto Redclaw’s neck to prevent him from getting up. He smiled triumphantly.
“You fool,” he hissed. “Did you really think you could come wandering into the heart of my territory and not pay the price? I suppose you’re after some sort of vendetta?”
“You’re the one with the vendetta!” Redclaw snapped back. “Listen – I’ve just woken up from a coma, and all my followers have abandoned me. I’ve got nothing else left and no other place to go.”
Xal laughed humourlessly.
“And you think you’re going to get refuge and shelter here? You, one of my greatest enemies?”
“Perhaps you’re forgetting the advantages?” Redclaw growled. “We have greater enemies – Ulciscor and the entire Great Valley…”
That was an interesting point. Xal considered this briefly, and as he did so, a gang of drooling Piercers began to gather. Redclaw suddenly became nervous. He didn’t much fancy his chances with them. But he had to do a double take when a certain tall emerald green Sharptooth began to stride to join the gathering.
“Gigas…?”
Gigas looked down at Redclaw, equal surprise in his complexion.
“Ah…Redclaw. I did hear there was an intruder in the forest. I didn’t realise it was you…”
“You are aquainted?” Xal was immediately alert.
“Yes…” Gigas suddenly gained a faraway look in his eyes. “Our paths have crossed before…then again, Redclaw has earned his fame throughout the area for his knack for spreading terror…” he smiled malevolently. “And now, alas, his followers have all abandoned him – left him for dead, it seems?”
Redclaw gave an angry snarl.
“Quiet!” Xal snapped at him. “Well Gigas, Redclaw has come here requesting to form an alliance to help win our revolutionary war against the leaf-eater’s world. I personally think it would be a-”
“Why not?” Gigas interrupted, shrugging. “Release him to me, and I’ll get him enrolled in the Piercer Platoon.”
Xal’s eye twitched. Having his authority undermined like this over something he considered a serious matter had clearly irked him big time. He looked Gigas hard in the eye.
“I’m not sure that’s wise,” he snarled. “This predator is a very great threat and foe. We should tred carefully…possibly dispose of him. If he is allowed in our army, my fear is that he will betray us…”
“Who’s he got to betray us to?” Gigas challenged. “I have every good reason to believe his followers have abandoned him, otherwise he wouldn’t have come in here himself. And he is against many of those in the Valley we oppose. If we allowed him, he could become a powerful ally. And by enrolling him, we have automatically gotten rid of one of our great enemies.”
Xal considered this.
“Alright,” he relented. “He may join us, but keep him under close scrutiny.”
“Will do.” Gigas gave a curt nod. “I’ll ensure the Piercers keep him secure…” his lip curled slightly at the last word. Redclaw gave Gigas a look that clearly wished him a painful death as Xal stepped off of him and walked away without another word.
*
Noticing Saurus Rock in the distance, Kai began to feel a slight regret about sending Littlefoot into the cascading waters. Ulciscor wouldn’t be too happy his nephew and heir was dead, but if he explained to him what Littlefoot had said, Ulciscor would probably understand.
In both of their views, any leaf-eater who defended sharpteeth was almost as bad as one, and should probably be purged as much as sharpteeth should. Any vile stain on a perfect world must be eradicated, a fact Ulciscor taught him a long time ago. Kai smiled to himself. Besides, if Littlefoot wasn’t willing to continue his uncle’s ways, maybe that would leave the throne of the Valley to him…
*
Chomper wasn’t sure how he had managed to remain conscious as the water threw him around, sending him under several times, but he had just let it, no longer feeling or caring, until suddenly, to his surprise, he felt someone grip his arm.
“Chomper!”
He opened his eyes and to his mingled surprise and delight, Lini was hanging precariously off an unsubmerged rock in what looked like the cavern they had slept in the previous night, her tough but gentle clawed arm gripping his upper arm tightly. Nycha was standing behind her, grabbing hold of her tail to prevent her from falling in.
“Careful…” she murmured. “You got him?”
“I think so…” Lini replied, swallowing slightly. “Hold on Chomper!”
With her help, Chomper began to climb to join them, but then a loud splash of water from behind him made him slip, clinging dangerously onto the edge as he looked to see the source. To his horror, Torq was swimming behind him, his ugly demonic eyes fixed upon him, his jaws opened wide…
He sank his teeth into Chomper’s leg. Chomper cried out in pain, as he was slowly dragged towards the water. Torq said something to him, but with all the grunts and gurgles, it was largely inaudible. Though Chomper did hear the term ëlittle biter’ mentioned…
Suddenly, Torq received an almighty kick in the face with a sinister sickle-shaped claw, leaving a deep cut imbedded in his hide. He yelled out in pain and jerked his head backwards, releasing Chomper but slamming his head into another rock lower down than the one Lini and Nycha were on. He slid slowly down the rock and back under the water. Nycha, who had aimed the kick at Torq, looked at the bubbles where he had vanished with satisfaction. Then she helped Lini hoist Chomper onto the rock.
The whole situation had made Chomper giddy with disbelief. Nycha had just saved him from Torq AND help pull him to safety. And there wasn’t even a Seizon around to impress with her valour. Nycha, it seemed, had had a change of heart, and if that were the case, Chomper didn’t want to think about how she would react when she heard what had happened to her brother…
He was snapped out of these thoughts when Lini spoke.
“OK,” she said. “Now let’s go join the others.” She helped Chomper climb up to the gap in the ceiling and out into the brilliant sunshine. Chomper squinted forcefully. He hadn’t seen the sun for a while, and the dazzling quality of it reminded him of Headache Cave…
Headache Cave…
Seizon, Saureen and Al greeted him enthusiastically, patting him on the back – the way you do. It wasn’t much, but Chomper wished this greeting would last forever – or at least, a lot longer than it did. That way he could put off answering the dreaded and horrible question that was sure to come…
And it did come. Once the group of now six had settled themselves on top of the Cave Network, the question was asked. Unsurprisingly, it was Nycha who asked it. She turned to Chomper, and, despite the fact that her eyes were no longer full of contempt and rage, despite the fact that she spoke as innocently as the other two girls would, and despite the fact that she gave him a small, uneasy smile before saying it, the three words she then spoke cut through Chomper like that fateful stone tooth.
“So – where’s Pyron?”
It had been asked. And he would have to be the one to answer it. He swallowed again. The five pairs of eyes were upon him.
“He…well…” he began to stutter. But then the image came, Pyron lying on his back with a hole in his chest, and with it the true reality of what had happened, and with them both the tears. The tears began to cascade in a waterfall down his face and the racking sobs whimpered through his throat like a wounded animal.
The other five were shocked to see this transformation, and it was only a matter of time before the horrible realisation began to dawn on them too. Nycha was the first one to attempt to speak.
“He’s…not…?” The words quavered with abject horror and shock. The increase of Chomper’s sobs confirmed her worst fears.
Nycha stood still for a very long time, not looking at the others as they all exchanged looks, but with her eyes fixed on Chomper.
“You…” she suddenly said hoarsely. “You…you…filthy…sap-sucking fiendish…SON OF A TAR-PIT!!! DIE YOU MONSTER!!! I HATE YOU!!!!” She had gotten louder and angrier as she had continued, until she was practically screaming in anguish, baying for blood.
Chomper honestly didn’t care what Nycha wanted to do to him now, but even so it took the combined strength of Lini, Al and Seizon to stop the fiery, angry and tragically crushed fast biter from leaping on top of Chomper and tearing him apart.
Saureen meanwhile, walked around them towards Chomper, the grief and pity apparent in her eyes. She quickly wrapped him in a tight embrace as Chomper wept into her shoulder.
“How did it happen?” she whispered, rubbing his back tenderly.
“It was Yuti…” Chomper sobbed. “She lured us to a cave full of crystals and shiny stones, and she used them as weapons…Pyron saved me…” He broke down again, and Saureen hugged him tighter, a few tears of her own leaking out of her eyes.
Lini, Seizon and Al will still trying to restrain Nycha as she screamed and fought to get away.
“Nycha!” Lini insisted. “You can’t blame Chomper for what happened…”
“I DON’T CARE!!!” Nycha screamed at her. “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL…”
With that said, her body suddenly became limp, and she collapsed on all fours, tears cascading down her face, crying and wailing even harder than Chomper.
Saureen released Chomper, wiping her eyes and allowing Lini to take over for her, as she decided she needed a word. Beckoning Seizon over to a more isolated spot, she took a deep breath before starting on him.
“You know I blame you for this you know?”
Seizon looked aghast.
“Me??” he yelped. “What did I-”
“ëOoh, let’s go nab this massive death trap for Xal!’ That’s what you did!” Saureen seemed quite angry. “It was unnecessary, as Ichy told us and now, as you can see, it was a fatal mistake…” The tears began to bubble up behind her emerald eyes again. “It’s your fault…your fault, Seizon, that Pyron’s dead…”
Seizon considered this briefly as he gazed at his pack.
“Yeah…” he nodded. “I think you’re right…I’m so sorry…” he put his arm around her. “I hope this’ll be a lesson to me…”
“It won’t bring him back though, will it?” Saureen hissed.
“No,” Seizon agreed. “But it could prevent something like this happening again. In the meantime, I need to take responsibility for this…” He slowly walked towards Al, who was attempting to console Nycha to little effect.
“Al,” Seizon said. “Come back with me into the cave. We must find his body.” He turned to Chomper and smiled slightly. “In our Sharptooth cultures, its tradition to bury those who have passed away.”
*
They eventually found the wet and bedraggled body of Pyron, which Al tenderly carried out of the Network and out of range of the flooding. They were now determined to be as far away from the cave as possible. Nott had done a runner whilst they were all distracted in rescuing Chomper. A cowardly flight, as Seizon said, not something associated with Pyron.
In a small oasis a distance east of the cave network, the six of them began to dig a shallow grave. Nobody spoke as they dug, and there was no signal to stop digging. They all seemed to know when the grave was deep enough. Satisfied, they all stepped back.
“Chomper…?” Seizon queried. “Would you like to do the honours?”
Chomper glanced uneasily at Nycha, thinking she would skin him alive if he went anywhere near her brother’s body. But Nycha just shrugged. She had become very stoic following her outburst, not saying a word to anyone. Her grief now seemed to be beyond tears.
And so, Chomper gently took Pyron’s body in his arms, and placed him in the grave they had dug. Chomper was glad he had thought to close his eyes beforehand. He did look peaceful lying there.
“I think we should each say a few words,” Seizon continued. “As we say goodbye. Pyron – you were a formidable asset to the group. Loyal, hard-working, and helped maintain our morale. You will be sorely missed. Goodbye and thank you for what you’ve done. Also…” he cleared his throat. “I hope you’ll forgive me for deciding on this whole cave trip. It was foolish of me, I’m sorry…”
Admitting his part in Pyron’s death seemed to be a dangerous thing to say in front of Nycha, but she didn’t react.
Al stepped forward.
“Farewell my friend,” he said. “You may be gone, but your spirit will within us for a long time, as will your heart and values.”
“Pyron,” Lini said, tearing up slightly. “You’ve shown us what the true value of friendship is and we will all miss you dearly. I’m so glad we got to know you. Goodbye.”
Saureen too was crying silently.
“I would ask you to forgive Seizon for his recklessness,” she said. “But I know you would anyway, Pyron. You were kind, brave and always looked for the best in people, and built up their characters in that. As long as this pack still exists, I’m certain you will never be forgotten. Goodbye…”
Chomper swallowed slightly.
“If it’s the same with you,” Chomper said. “I’d like to say my words later…on my own.”
“Yeah…” Nycha suddenly spoke up. “Me too…”
“Certainly,” Seizon nodded. “But I think we should cover him now.”
And so they all moved as one to rebury him, and as they did so, the sky-water began to fall. Seizon said that this was a good sign of nature continuing, as they should, but Chomper saw it simply as a sign that even the weather was mourning the great loss.
He didn’t know why he had decided to leave his ëfew words’ for later, but he felt it was most likely that he would feel a horrible sense of closure if he had said them too soon. He waited until night had come, and everyone was settling down. He knew he should try and sleep too of course – he hadn’t had a wink of sleep last night, but this would, he supposed, be a good opportunity to say goodbye.
Except there was already someone else at Pyron’s grave.
Chomper could clearly make out Nycha’s silhouette, standing by the grave, speaking something under her breath. What with the volume, and the fact that she was weeping at every breath, it was difficult to determine what she was saying, but Chomper did catch a few words.
“Sorry…”
Sorry? Did this mean Nycha blamed herself for what had happened to Pyron? It seemed ridiculous to assume, and yet, Chomper remembered how Pyron had told him how she blamed herself for failing to meet up with standards of the tetrarchy. Chomper suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of sympathy for her, and wanted to walk over to comfort her, but Nycha was now walking away from the grave, and back to her sleeping spot, which was a distinct distance away from the rest.
Chomper stepped forward.
He could clearly see the freshly dug mound of earth and the place where Pyron was buried. It would be a while before that mound blended in with the rest of the earth. It was some comfort to realise that Pyron was leaving some sort of a visible legacy on the world.
But perhaps there was a more permanent way?
Chomper now noticed something small at the head of the grave. It was a small, tuft of something that looked like a plant, but as Chomper looked closer, he realised that it was, in fact, a feather.
Relatively small, but a beautiful lilac colour that seemed to shimmer in the night. Chomper knew full well who that feather belonged to. It could only be Nycha’s. The mental image of her plucking a feather from her own head and placing it on her brother’s grave was such a touching one, that Chomper had begun to tear up before he had even spoken.
“Pyron…” he murmured. “One of the closest things I’ve ever had to a brother. Words can’t emphasize how much you meant to me, or how much I miss you now…”
Plop. The first tear fell onto the earth. It would soon be followed by more.
“I hope,” Chomper went on, sniffing. “That wherever you are now, it’s become a better place. One where you never have to fear being good enough before a horrendous panel, where you never have to fear your life. Such a world you do deserve.”
Chomper wiped his eyes. He needed to be stable of mind to do this.
“But I know it’s the entire pack you’ve had an effect on, not just me. And there will be an individual who is even more lost without you than me.”
He knelt down to the grave and reached forward for the feather. It was soft, smooth and pleasant to touch, and he carefully caressed it in his fingers, careful not to break it.
“Your own sister,” he said. “If only you could have seen her before she heard the news.” He gave a sad smile. “She was a different person, trying to improve and have a change of heart. If that’s possible, it’ll be something to work at.”
As Chomper straightened up, Pyron’s dying wish came back to him.
“Please look after my sister. She needs guidance.”
“I’m not about to let you die in vain Pyron,” Chomper promised. “I will her give her the guidance she needs. Given that you were a brother to me…”
He gazed over at the sleeping fast biter.
“She’s my sister too now…”
*
I hope you're up to the challenge, Chomper. :blink:
Well, I hope you enjoyed, and you found this chapter almost as tragic as the last one? :confused Apologies for the slightly excessive gore at the beginning of this chapter, but hopefully Chomper's transformation gave you something to think about...at the same time, this chapter has a fitting title - how many times is blood mentioned??? :wow
And yes, there's the blame game too - Nycha blaming both Chomper and herself for what had happened, and Saureen blaming Seizon. Let's hope he learns his lesson this time... :lol
Apologies also for my lack of physics knowledge - I don't even know if Ruby's escape attempt was even possible! :oops But then again, it didn't work... :p And in case you're worried, I haven't just killed off the gang - but stay tuned, it'll be interesting to see where they end up.
Kai's an evil monster as usual, and Redclaw has now swollen Xal's ranks! What do you think of that?
And one more thing - do you want to say a few words of farewell to Pyron too? :cry
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*le gasp* Chomper... you... what... the... AHHHHHHHHH!
Saying that, I don't blame him after what happened to Pyron. Yuti did sort of deserve having her hand bitten off. :o
KAI YOU LITTLE @$%?!&!!!!!!
I'm only really just starting with physics, so I can't really say much on Ruby's escape plan. It was a good idea, though, and the vine did snap in the end... How are they going to get out of that one now? I have a feeling I might know where they could end up, but I won't say anything. :p
Screw you, Kai, again. :nyah
Y'know, I actually had a feeling that Red Claw might join Xal. I know they hate each other, but then there's Ulcisor and the war against the Great Valley... I don't see how Red Claw can resist. :P:
Seizon, I do also blame you. Don't overestimate yourself and get one of your friends killed again, or else I'll have to zap myself into your world and strangle you. :lol
Pyron's burial was so emotional... :cry I'm interested to see the interaction between Chomper and Nycha that is to come...
Another amazing, emotional and plot-twisting chapter, Toby! I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. This just get more and more tense as it goes on...
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:lol So many things remain to be seen! Thanks, glad you liked.
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An update :celebrate
This chapter was a good mixture of action and emotional scenes :lol
Gonna point out why and making comments on anything I feel like commenting on it :P:
First, as in your previous chapter, the title fits so well :wow Blood and Water... let it 'melt on your tongue' :smile
Whoa! Chomper finally shows his killing abilities (though he haven't killed Yuti). I seriously thought he'd end her life though... eye for an eye, right? ;) The talk they had after that was well done:)
But then the water level rises, uh oh...
You wrote a wicked scene there :lol Kai's been too much of a jerk and the results are... good on the one hand (they finally got rid of him) but really bad on the other hand (they're dreaded of drowning). If you dare to kill off Ducky... :mad
So THAT'S what Redclaw's up to... joining... Xal's forces :bang Interesting.. wonder if Xal's worries will come true or if Redclaw means it :)
I almost forgot Ulciscor's Littlefoot's uncle...
Kai smiled to himself. Besides, if Littlefoot wasn’t willing to continue his uncle’s ways, maybe that would leave the throne of the Valley to him…
Kai you evil thing!!!
TORQ!!! Well, biting Chomper was probably the last thing he did... Well done Lini AND Nycha!
Nycha, it seemed, had had a change of heart, and if that were the case, Chomper didn’t want to think about how she would react when she heard what had happened to her brother…
point one: Great!
point two: uh oh...
So Nycha HAD to ask and she's getting angry :unsure:
Saureen hugged Chomper awww :cry
Ah, finally someone got it's all Seizon's fault.. :( Dawn you, Seizon!
And they'll go find Pyron's corpse? Nice :smile
Nott had done a runner whilst they were all distracted in rescuing Chomper. A cowardly flight, as Seizon said, not something associated with Pyron.
NOTT IS A COWARD!!! Now every dinosaur knows it :DD
So they'll bury him.. that is a nice idea, man :)
Seizon admits his fault in front of everyone and Chomper and Nycha want to tell Pyron their goodbye alone...
Whoa! Chomper's speech is deep :wow It's difficult to accept someone as a sister who beated you not long ago...
Can't wait for the next one :D So keep writing you evil thing!
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This was a nice transition and I know this shouldn't be funny, but for some weird reason, I found the phrase "sharptooth blood tasted nice" to be funny... :o
Wow... just wow. I would never have pictured Chomper doing that, like ever, to like anyone. Even if Yuti did something horrible - which she didn't mean to do, anyway. In a way, it's... oddly satisfying that he can stick up for himself but on the other hand it's frightening to see what's he's capable of. Chomper coming to terms with his sharptooth lineage has got to be one of the most challenging fanfic subjects ever...
And Nycha was nice... for a few seconds this time :(
My words to Pyron - I really admired you for the short time that you were around. You had so many good qualities and you definitely helped to break down the misconception of evil sharptooths for me.
You will be missed.
-
I haven't commented n this in a really long time, so mind as well get back i nthe swing of things.
I've really liked looking at Chomper's transformation so far through this. He's growing close to the pack ,and learning that some of them aren't bad. Also, he did something he'd never believed he could have done, ripping someones arm off, and almost killing them.
So, we've got two large, strong, evil forces that should be colliding soon. They might talk about how evil, or unwashed the other side is, but they're both the same, really. (minus the c anabolism. Seeing that in the Great Valley would be... wow. :lol) The good guys are gonna have a monumental task getting this sorted out. o.o
I'm really looking for the the Gang and Chomper's pack meeting up. (Sorry, can't shut up about that. :p) It's usually the part I wait for the most in these fanfics. When flatteeth and sharpteeth characters meet, and seeing how they interact.
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Well, the next chapter is when things get moving again. ;) You may not have to wait long for such a meeting.
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Chapter Fourteen: Al’s Revelation
“Hey, if you don’t mind, there are people here I’d like you to see.”
The female spiketail opened her eyes blearily to see Tetsugaku standing in front of her. The male rainbow-face had that same old mysterious smile playing about his lips, one that she knew meant he knew something she didn’t. It was an irritating habit of his, made even more by the fact that, due to an accident she had had several years ago, she couldn’t remember a thing about her previous life herself. Still, Tetsugaku and his mate Hoshia had been very good to her, first saving her life from the still unconfirmed causes of the accident, and providing her with hospitality, shelter and food. She shouldn’t complain.
“Sure,” she replied, yawning and rising to her feet. “But who are they?”
Tetsugaku’s smile grew wider.
“Kids,” he replied.
The spiketail frowned.
“What exactly do you want me to meet kids for?”
“Well,” Tetsugaku explained. “You see, Opal, they too were involved in an accident.”
Opal’s eyes widended.
“Oh!” she breathed. “Are they alright?”
“Yes,” Tetsugaku replied. “Don’t worry – Hoshia is with them now.”
Opal breathed a sigh of relief.
“What happened to them?” she asked.
“The fast water,” Tetsugaku explained. “They had obviously fallen in somehow and were heading for a watery demise. We managed to fish them out though! And their memory is still intact…”
Opal nodded. “Good…good…so where are they?”
“I shall take you to them,” Tetsugaku promised.
*
Littlefoot munched on some groundstars slowly, pondering his situation. OK, so on the one hand, him and his friends had just been saved from almost certain death, by someone who was, at least, a familiar face. The female rainbow-face, who had now introduced herself as Hoshia was standing, calmly smiling as they ate. It seemed there was barely anything more to it, but questions exploded in Littlefoot’s head like volcanoes and he was unsure what to ask first.
To content himself, he gazed around at their surroundings. They were in a smooth, unremarkable cave with a beam of light coming through an opening nearby. His friends, like him, were tucking into the green food, virtually unscathed and unperturbed, although Ruby did grimace slightly as she shifted from foot-to-foot. That vine can’t have been pleasant on her.
The last thing Littlefoot remembered was being partly submerged by the frothing fast water, choking on the rapids. Then, he was here, alive, well and dry…
“How did you manage to save us all?” he demanded of Hoshia at last. Hoshia just chuckled.
“Well…that would be telling wouldn’t it?”
“Hmmm…” Cera grunted in annoyance, pausing in her eating to glare reproachfully at Hoshia.
“Just to let you know,” she snapped. “We’ve got quite a serious issue on our hands. First off, our friend is missing, and secondly, we’ve just been in the company of a nutter who wants to kill us and was messing with our Valley…”
“Yet your problems are one less because we’ve rescued you,” Hoshia replied, calmly, still smiling. “And given the current situation, knowing how we did it isn’t really important, surely?”
Cera, unable to find a counter-argument, just ducked her head back down.
“Guess not…” she muttered. “And…thanks for saving us.”
Hoshia smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“So, what we do now?” Petrie asked, unsure.
“Well…” Littlefoot pondered. “I don’t think we can go back to the Valley…”
“No,” Hoshia agreed, suddenly serious. “Right now Littlefoot, there is no worse place for you to go than the Valley.”
“But why?” Ducky asked. “What has happened there?”
“I’m afraid I’m not the best person to explain it to you,” Hoshia replied. “I’m afraid the situation is extremely complicated. You must find shelter – people you can trust. Because you can’t fight this battle alone.”
“Battle?” Ruby looked horrified. “What sort of…?”
“All will become clear to you,” Hoshia spoke over her. “Once you go to the Rocky Heathland, near the Land of Mists. Currently, its where Old One’s herd resides.”
“Old One?” Littlefoot’s face brightened. “Oh yeah! We know her herd, that should be fine…” he frowned slightly. “But what’s this all about?”
“You will find your answers,” Hoshia promised. “But I cannot disclose too much here. It would stunt your sense of purpose, and horrify you to the core. Meeting with Old One’s herd is the best thing you can do now – it’ll enable you to save the Great Valley, and you’ll find your friend…”
“How do you know all this??” Cera gasped. “And if you know all of-”
Hoshia held up a hand to silence her.
“We keep a close watch on the goings-on of the world,” she said.
Littlefoot simply shrugged and gazed around at his friends.
“Are we agreed?” he said. “Rocky Heathland?”
They all looked uncertain. All of this was moving too fast for them, and they were having difficulty processing it. But then Spike beamed, and stalked determinately forward.
“Nice one Spike!” Littlefoot crowed. “And the rest of you?”
Slowly, the other four nodded.
“Rocky Heathland though…” Ruby murmured. “It’s quite a perilous journey…will you be coming with us, Hoshia?”
“I’m afraid not,” Hoshia replied. “Tetsugaku and I have things we must do. However, we have also picked out the perfect person to accompany you – your last companion, as I am aware, was…how should I put it? Murderous…”
Right on cue, Tetsugaku strode into view, an adult female spiketail in his wake.
“Hello, children,” Tetsugaku smiled. “Meet Opal. She shall be accompanying you to the Rocky Heathland. Opal, this is Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, and…?”
“Ruby,” Hoshia affirmed.
“And Ruby!” Tetsugaku finished brilliantly, a broad smile on his face. “They’re lovely kids, and kids, Opal is a lovely individual. I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”
Cera wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t as if she had taken an immediate dislike to Opal, it was just that being introduced to someone so suddenly was a little bit unorthodox.
Opal seemed to think so too, as she just grinned sheepishly at the kids.
“Hi…” she muttered. She had no idea that these kids were Valleians…she didn’t even remember her role as once leader of the Great Valley, and of course, she had no idea that one of them among the group was her own son. But sometimes, you have to allow fate to take its course, which is what the rainbow faces were expecting.
“Rocky Heathland?” Hoshia questioned.
Opal looked round at her.
“Yes!” she suddenly exclaimed. “Yes…of course!” She turned back to the kids.
“I apologize if any of my geographical knowledge is poor,” she said to them. “I have spent many years living here since a nasty accident caused me to lose my memory – but I’m hoping that now I have my strength back, I can take a walk back down memory lane and see if that comes back. I shall be accompanying you to join Ancient One’s herd.”
“Old One…”
“That’s right…” Opal frowned. “Sorry…won’t happen again.”
“Excellent!” Tetsugaku exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “Well – no need to dawdle. You can exit through there.” He gestured to the opening in the cave.
So the group of seven headed out, with instructions to head East towards the Rocky Heathland. They were still puzzled as to what they would find there, but they trusted the rainbow faces. And, Littlefoot reasoned, even though Opal was a companion who was a little unsure of herself, anyone was better than Kai.
*
“Mr Threehorn?”
Topps grunted in response. Dorian Thicknose licked his lips and continued.
“According to what I heard a Bludgeoner say, we’re scheduled to be released within the next several days.”
Topps opened one eye blearily.
“A bit of a short sentence for a couple of ëviolent’ dinosaurs who tried to wipe out the greatly esteemed leader,” he remarked, standing up and pacing.
Dorian shrugged.
“I’m not really sure why it is,” he replied. “But it’s got to be better than being imprisoned in the caverns?”
“Speak for yourself,” Topps replied bitterly. “When they release that stone at the front, the light will blind us. And even then, outside in the Valley is just as a prison as it is here…”
“That’s a very bleak outlook, my friend,” Dorian replied.
“Yeah?” Topps grunted back. “What else have you come to expect from me?”
He continued to pace.
“Tria left me…” he snapped eventually, slumping down again. “She said our little rebellion was too poor an act of judgement to survive in Ulciscor’s Valley.”
“I am aware of that,” Dorian replied. “But…”
“But?” Topps snapped. “I’ve got nothing else to live for. All is lost. I thought I’d been given a second chance with a family. But I failed…”
“Is that what you thought last time?” Dorian asked quietly. “Since when was Topps Threehorn a quitter?”
“I have tried, Thicknose,” Topps replied bleakly. “I have tried…”
“Tried, have you?” Dorian challenged, now pacing himself. “It’s just that…well, last time you were inclined to believe you had lost your entire family to unfortunate circumstances, what did you do? Cast your mind back.”
“I…” Topps hesitated.
“You set out to find a paradise Valley by taking a leading role in a mixed herd, something that went against your values. And not only did you attempt it, you accomplished it!”
“Hmm…” Topps nodded. “But look what’s happened to that paradise Valley now…”
“Maybe so,” Dorian agreed. “But before that – once you’d found the Valley, something returned to you. Your youngest daughter, Cera.”
Topps eyes widened as he remembered that euphoric moment all that time ago when he had seen Cera sprinting towards him through the long grass, a small piece of his life that had returned to him all that time ago. Oh, what a joyous moment that had been…but now…
“Cera’s gone,” he sighed. “I don’t know where she is…”
“But if she’s not in this Valley,” Dorian continued. “That can’t be too bad, right?”
“No…” Topps admitted. “I guess not…”
“What exactly was it that motivated you to continue pressing towards the Valley, even when you thought all was lost?” Dorian asked.
“Hmm…” Topps pondered. “I don’t know…I guess I thought that I could…start afresh…have a new life, away from the guilt and pain…”
“Whatever it was,” Dorian continued. “You got greatly rewarded for it in the form of Cera returning to you.”
Topps looked at him, puzzled.
“Do you believe its fate?” Topps asked. “That Cera coming back to me was a reward for my persistence?”
“It’s possible,” Dorian nodded. “I don’t really know what to believe about fate. But your persistence with that girl, attempting to save her from all the trouble she got herself into served you another reward, in the form of your childhood sweetheart coming to the Valley.”
Topps was once again brought back to the happy time he had seen Tria come towards him for the first time in years. But then the frown returned.
“But she’s left me…”
“And think,” Dorian pressed, ignoring him. “Of the beautiful baby you spawned with her. I don’t know if fate is real, but perhaps if you persist with protecting everyone in the Valley the way I know you can under this harsh realm, maybe you will be served with great bounties as a reward. Even if not, the Topps Threehorn I know would never back down from adversary, especially as it’s trying to take from him the things he loves in life. It’s an expansion of your caring side people can’t often see.” Dorian smiled. “But you can show it to them.”
Topps glanced back at him, and, in spite of everything, smiled too.
“Yes…” he murmured. “Yes, you’re right. Thank you Dorian.”
“My pleasure,” Dorian replied. “And remember – there are always others who have it worse than you. Think of the old clubtail who should be with us now. And the longnecks.”
Topps nodded.
“Yes…Ulciscor’s their son. No wonder they kept it quiet. I guess it’s them who need to most help out of all of us.”
*
“You did WHAT?”
It was an unearthly yell, and Hyp was curious as to what would make Ulciscor so angry.
He and Mutt had come into a small swampy area on one side of the Valley in an attempt to escape the watchful gaze of the Bludgeoners. They, as two-footers, had been suffering severely under Ulciscor’s terrifying regime of apartheid and labour. They had been unable to see their friend Nod, and were covered in many cuts and bruises as signs of their essential slavery. But Hyp had insisted to a trembling Mutt that these were nothing more than badges of courage. A Bludgeoner that had overheard the conversation had been impressed, believing this fighting talk to be in the name of Ulciscor, when in reality, it had been dead-set against.
Now, in the swampy area, they had found an ideal hiding spot amongst a tangle of vegetation which they could now use to eavesdrop on Ulciscor, who, to their surprise, had been right in front of them, completely oblivious to their presence, suddenly furious at a new-comer, a strange looking longneck with spikes all over his body. They had assumed it was Ulciscor’s dislike for far-walkers that was the reason, but obviously, it was far deeper than that.
Kai had just informed Ulciscor of his actions against the gang at the fast-water.
“You blithering fool,” Ulciscor snarled, cracking his tail like a bullwhip in anger. “You were assigned to protect my nephew, not send him plunging to his death! I trusted you Kai. You have always been useful to me. To think…”
“You don’t understand!” Kai was distressed, determined that Ulciscor understand. “He was dead set against leaving without the heir and the rest of them. They all wanted to stay and rescue the heir too.”
“Then you should have just killed them!” Ulciscor snapped back. “What’s the problem?”
“That’s what I tried to do!” Kai snarled, cracking his own tail now in his frustration. “But can you imagine his reaction? I told him of his purpose, and how he could have inherited the Valley if he had left his so-called friends. But he wouldn’t listen!”
“Well, he always would have been difficult to persuade,” Ulciscor agreed. “My sister and parents will have given him a corrupt and liberal upbringing, telling him it’s OK to mix with different species…” his face curled in disgust. “And sharpteeth…”
“I’m inclined to believe he made up his own mind about sharpteeth,” Kai replied bitterly. “When I told him I would have killed his Sharptooth ëfriend,’ once we had found it, he replied that he would rather be friends with it than go anywhere with me…”
“WHAT???” Ulciscor looked appalled. “OK…” he shook his head. “Your actions were understandable, but in future, persist. Perhaps he was resourceful enough to survive, but in that case, we must make sure he doesn’t try to escape his destiny. I’m inclined to believe he will try to find Bron. In which case, we must find Bron first. But of course, right now we need to begin our programme of…” he smiled. “Sharptooth extermination.”
Kai grinned a soft, evil grin. “I am ready,” he affirmed.
“Good,” Ulciscor replied, beginning to walk away, inclining Kai should follow him. “It’s good to have you back Kai. Running the Valley on my own was proving difficult…”
Once they were out of sight and earshot, Hyp turned to Mutt.
“Did you hear that???” he exclaimed.
“Yeah…” Mutt replied. “Umm…what?”
“Littlefoot must be the nephew Ulciscor was talking about!” Hyp continued excitedly. “He told us, the day he took over, that Littlefoot’s grandparents were his parents…and we already know his dad…”
“So…?” Mutt still didn’t follow. “They’re not in the Valley?”
“No,” Hyp replied. “They must have left to find Chomper…and that spiked weirdo went with them.”
“Did he kill them?” Mutt asked aghast.
“I’m not sure…” Hyp replied truthfully. “But…with knowledge like this, it means Ulciscor must have most of his private meetings here. If we can spy on them and get information…”
“But Hyp!” Mutt exclaimed. “What if we get caught…?”
“It’s a risk we’ll have to take…” Hyp insisted. “Sharptooth extermination…must mean many Bludgeoners will be in the Mysterious Beyond tonight, killing…it’ll mean less will be around to notice us having meetings…”
“Hyp!” Mutt was quite distraught now. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting,” Hyp continued, a malicious grin spreading over his face. “That the time has come for a new rebellion.”
*
Seizon insisted that any sky-water that fell, no matter how small, was a good sign, but it did little to stimulate the pack. As they continued to trek East towards the Fanged Forest, hardly any of them said a word to each other. Pyron’s death had left a hole, not just because of how he had tried to hold the group together, because it now spelled out for them just how vulnerable they were. Was it even Seizon’s fault?
Lini gave great sigh as she looked around at the once heartened group, emotionlessly eating at the meat of the swimmer they had brought down earlier. Chomper didn’t seem to have any qualms about eating a leaf-eater this time, and Lini wasn’t entirely sure why that was. Maybe it was Saureen’s influence. Ever since Pyron’s death, Saureen had tried to fill the role of what Pyron had been to Chomper by always being by his side and consoling him whenever he needed it. She seemed to be doing a good job, but Lini could tell she still blamed Seizon for what had happened, not an easy thing considering how strong their bond once was. Seizon currently didn’t say much to them, as he continued to probe at flesh in the swimmer carcass. It was obvious he was deep in thought, possibly about his own responsibilities.
Even more worrying to Lini was Nycha. She had taken an extremely isolated role in the pack, sitting and sleeping apart from the others, and only speaking when spoken too, which wasn’t often. She had been an outsider before, and without Pyron, she was even more so. Lini had tried to talk to her earlier without much success – it was worrying to think about what may be on her mind.
And so, in an attempt to put her mind at ease, she had gone to talk to Al.
Out of everyone in the pack, Al seemed to be the least on-edge. It was obvious he was very saddened by the loss of Pyron, but his calm mentality didn’t seem shaken at all. He was currently, like Nycha, sitting apart from the group, clearly deep in thought, and Lini was curious as to what may be bugging him now.
“Hi,” she said cautiously as she went to sit next to him.
“Hi…” Al replied, still clearly thinking.
Lini was at a loss for what to say next, but she didn’t have to, as Al then spoke up.
“I can tell you’re worried about how the group might be able to stay together,” Al said. “And if so, maybe you should try and enforce it staying together.”
“I have been…” Lini replied, sighing. “So far, no luck.”
“I understand it’s hard,” Al said, turning to her and smiling in a comforting way. “But your attitude is extremely caring. If there’s one individual this can all open up to, it’s you.”
Lini smiled at that, and Al continued.
“Who are you the most worried about?”
“Nycha,” Lini said at once. “She just can’t seem to open up to many people, especially following what’s happened…and maybe Chomper as well…”
“That’s very true,” Al agreed. “But I think it’s important to keep an eye on Seizon too.”
“Why Seizon?” Lini asked, puzzled.
“He’s contemplating,” Al replied. “Contemplating on his role in all of this. Wondering whether Xal’s doctrine is accurate and who he should listen to. And my main worry is that he’ll continue to blindly follow Xal.”
“Why is that worrying?” Lini asked. She was confused. Al had hardly ever spoken of Xal before. “What makes you worried about Xal?”
Al paused, biting his lip as he considered continuing. Finally, he spoke again.
“Lini,” he said. “If I tell you something, do I have your word that you won’t repeat it to anyone? Especially not Seizon?”
“Sure…” Lini replied, leaning forward earnestly. “What is it?”
Al gazed up at the sky, his mind ticking over. Then he began.
“Remember when we saw Redclaw the other day? Just before we headed into the Cave Network?”
“Yeah?”
“And how Screech and Thud had said they no longer worked with him?”
“Yes…?”
“I know they were speaking the truth,” Al explained. “Because I know they now take their orders from someone else. To be more accurate, two other individuals. Two sharpteeth. One called Shark, and the other called Zyro.
They lead a community of sharpteeth, which generally resides in a large oasis to the north, and are determined to make life better for all of the sharpteeth under their care. Yes – this is allegedly what Xal wants, but Shark’s doctrine finds no reason to include elements of revolution and bloodshed or dominion over flatteeth in it.” Al suddenly smiled as his eyes glazed over.
“He’s fantastic,” he continued. “He is kind and considerate…always ready to approach a Sharptooth or Sharptooth family he thinks may be in need. Struggling with food, or territory, or whatnot. And Zyro is his right-hand man. In size, he’s smaller than Shark, but he works amazingly as well. And he can offer protection to troubled sharpteeth – almost like a bodyguard. They claim he’s agile enough to take down leaf-eaters in an eye-blink. Something that’s apparently useful, as they always try to kill their prey in quick and painless ways – generally food for others’ benefit, not theirs.”
“How do you know all this?” Lini asked, but she had a feeling she knew the answer.
“Shark and Zyro took me into their community,” Al explained. “Shortly after my parents were killed. They gave me food, shelter, hunting training…everything I could have asked for. And they didn’t try to get me to join some horrific revolution or war either. They were all about peace.” Al shrugged slightly.
“Having said that though, they had an ideological war against the biggest bully in the land. I’m talking of course, about Redclaw. Shark was always attempting to reach out to sharpteeth to help them escape the tyranny of Redclaw, because sharpteeth generally can’t find refuge in places like the Great Valley. This angered Redclaw, because he likes to have victims, as it were. This eventually came to a head when Redclaw directly attacked Shark about a Cold Time ago. The battle ended in a draw, and rendered them both comatose.”
Lini gasped.
“So that’s why…?”
“Yep,” Al nodded. “Shark was the reason Redclaw was comatose. This left Screech and Thud a little lost. In a rather sensible act, they pledged to join the Great Sharptooth Community. Zyro, who’s now acting leader with Shark in a coma, agreed. But they weren’t well liked, as you can imagine. Many of the sharpteeth in the community had been terrorized by those two throughout their lives. They even thought they were being betrayed. That’s why Zyro offered them a chance to redeem themselves.”
“What was that?” Lini asked.
“Espionage,” Al explained. “This is when Zyro began to discover the problems with Xal.”
“Problems?”
“He was a mysterious individual,” Al continued. “All that Shark had known about him was that he was involved in the Battle of the Great Valley several years ago, and ruled over a humble residence known as the Fanged Forest. Shark had even at one point sent a messenger to ask Xal if he wanted to be part of the Great Community, but he politely declined. But following Shark’s battle with Redclaw, Zyro began to notice strange goings on within the Sharptooth realm. Xal seemed to be rallying individuals to his cause, something that hadn’t happened since the battle. During that battle, the forces on both sides had been huge and had terrified the population. The longneck whose name I can’t place who was in charge of the Valley at that time was a monster, but it was feared Xal and his allies were going about the wrong way of dealing with him, becoming almost as dangerous. It was clear that both these forces were being mobilized, and, unless kept in check, would bring about perpetual bloodshed.” Al swallowed hard. “Things came to a head a month ago when Zyro had received word that following an attack by one of the radical longnecks on the Fanged Forest, Xal had dispatched two kids to go into a dangerous mission to the Valley. The kids were, obviously, Seizon and Saureen, and the mission involved retrieving Chomper…”
“Do you know why?” Lini asked earnestly.
Al shook his head.
“I’m afraid not,” he said. “But it must be something to do with his familiarity with the leaf-eaters. And Zyro was worried about this, and therefore requested that Screech and Thud tail Seizon and Saureen. They obeyed, possibly wanting to make a fresh start and a good impression on everyone around them. But they were aware that tailing the two of them would be difficult, as well as failing to be noticed. They are, after all, unpopular…”
“So…what happened then?” Lini asked, though she had a feeling she knew where this was going.
“I stepped up to the challenge,” Al replied. “I knew Seizon was going around, gathering a pack. It was to be comprised of sharpteeth my own age. It seemed the perfect opportunity. I could get information from inside, as a member of the pack, without Seizon being any the wiser, and relay the information to Screech and Thud. At first, Zyro wasn’t too keen to have a kid on the frontline of what was, despite his best efforts, inevitably becoming a war, but…I convinced him.”
“So…you’re a spy?” Lini asked, shocked. “For Zyro?”
“Basically,” Al replied. “When Seizon and Saureen entered the Valley to get Chomper, I informed Screech and Thud of their movements, which is why they had a run-in with them just as they left the Valley. I was unhappy to be moving towards the Fanged Forest because I knew it would be far away from my contact. Zyro had positioned the community around Threehorn Peak, so he could watch events unfold for the Valleians. But…I’ve lost contact with them.” He looked troubled now.
“So…I think that means the Valley’s been taken over, and Zyro’s been forced to flee. I doubt he would have abandoned me, though Screech and Thud I’m not so sure about…”
Lini still didn’t say anything, so Al continued.
“You have to be aware,” he said. “That I don’t seek to harm you guys. If anything, I want you safe from whatever hare-brained scheme Xal has for Seizon and Chomper and the rest of you.” He took Lini’s hand.
“Zyro’s safe,” he said. “Although he will fight if he has to, he wants to prevent war, and I’m sure he’s planning something that, in the long run, will benefit us all.”
Lini nodded.
“OK…” she said. “But Al…please give me time to digest this knowledge. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” Her head was indeed buzzing, but what he had said seemed legitimate. His secret was safe with her.
“Thanks,” Al nodded. “I just hope Zyro reaches us soon.”
*
The Rocky Heathland was a strange, fairly flat and neutral place. The horrific weather patterns in the Land of Mists didn’t occur here, and it was currently a resting place for two mighty herds that had now joined.
Old One reflected on this as she squatted down to rest her weary bones. It seemed that the merger with the previous herd hadn’t worked out – the residents of the Great Valley hadn’t been happy when one of their own had been nearly killed due to a misunderstanding of their culture, and to be honest, she couldn’t blame them. However, her current co-leader seemed to be trustworthy. He was, in fact, the son-in-law of her longneck kin in her Valley.
Bron stood beside her, scanning the horizon at the peaceful members of both of their herds, a smile creeping onto his face.
“Well,” he said, turning to face Old One. “It seems the merger has been a success.”
“Thus far…” Old One replied. “But yes, it may yet work.”
“Normally I find herds with common grounds tend to be best to merger with. Our common ground seems to be the Valley,” Bron replied.
“Yes,” Old One nodded. “Perhaps one day, such a visit may be in order.
“That would be good,” Bron agreed. He didn’t much fancy staying in this area for very long. Maybe he was more paranoid than he thought, but being here brought back memories. Once upon a time, he had been here as a kid, and had met the love of his life.
And her brother…
Oblivious to his step-father’s troubled mind, one small green longneck was crouching low to the ground.
“OK…” Shorty muttered to himself. “And…”
He erupted out of the grassland and on top of a pine cone that was sitting there, waiting for him. It was instantly shattered under his weight, and he stepped back with satisfaction.
A lilac-tinged female young longneck looked on.
“Impressive,” Ali chuckled. “You’ll have no trouble with the test of strength I see.”
“Quite,” Shorty agreed, flicking some on the debris away. “That Big Longneck Test is going to be a cinch tomorrow, I know it.”
“So we’re agreed,” Ali said, walking towards him. “Tomorrow, we both vow to pass.”
“Got it!” Shorty nodded.
“Hey kids.” Bron was walking towards them, looking, with some concern at the horizon.
“What is it d- Bron?” Shorty asked.
“I’d prefer you to come back to the herd now,” Bron replied.
“How come?” Ali asked.
Bron gestured to the figures moving along the horizon.
“Sharpteeth,” he explained.
*
Bron had once told his son that sharpteeth only hunt in twos and threes, but this was something else. There were at least forty-odd sharpteeth gathering along the horizon now, but they weren’t looking to attack the group.
One Sharptooth seemed to be the leader of the group, and he now stood before the rest, his scales an amazing collaboration of silver and blue, a fan shaped crest between his eyes, considering his issues carefully.
“What our task is now,” the sharptooth explained. “Is one I must do alone. I will attempt to communicate with these leaf-eaters and explain our position to them. Attempting to collaborate with leaf-eaters is something only one Sharptooth has ever managed.” He smiled slightly. “However, I’m hoping I can too…Thud, am I right in thinking that Chomper left the Valley with those two kids from the Fanged Forest?”
“Yes, Zyro,” Thud replied. “I saw him myself. Al had told us what Seizon was doing directly beforehand.”
“Right,” Zyro nodded. “I’m not too pleased with you abandoning Al in the company of Xal’s stepson, but I suppose, given what Ulciscor was doing at the Valley, we have little choice. But we will go back for him. And Chomper too.”
“So I should think!” a dark green Sharptooth growled. “I cannot believe I wasn’t told sooner that my own son was being targeted by Xal!”
“I’m sorry for that,” Zyro said calmly. “But we will get him back. Right now, I must attempt to negotiate with the leaf-eaters.”
“How will you do that?” a small Sharptooth asked.
“Linguistics,” Zyro replied. “In my time, I have picked up the ability to speak in their language. Until now, I haven’t found any reason to use it, I shall now however.”
“Wait a minute…” Screech’s nose suddenly picked up a scent. “Oh no…”
“What?” Zyro asked quickly. “What is it?”
“I smell ëem too!” Thud exclaimed. “It’s those Valley kids we used to chase around…”
“You mean Chomper’s friends?” Zyro asked.
“Yeah…” Thud replied.
Zyro’s face brightened.
“Oh, this is excellent!” he said. “They must be coming to join their fellows. This’ll work to our advantage.”
“You think?” Screech asked, unconvinced. “They won’t be too pleased to see us…”
“Believe me,” Zyro said, beginning to stride towards the longneck herds. “Once they hear what I have to say, they’ll be very pleased to see us.”
~0~
And finally, Zyro is introduced! First impressions everyone? And then we've got Shorty, Ali, Bron, Old One, Hyp, Mutt, Tetsugeku, Hoshia and OPAL. Wow...talk about getting things moving! I hope you enjoyed this or else I haven't been doing my job! :lol
And I don't how many of your saw Al's own personal revelation coming, but there it is! Zyro is now one of those people set to be a glimmer of hope with all the horror of Xal, Gigas, Redclaw, Ulciscor and Kai!
Oh yes, and dear Topps and Thicknose...thoughts people!!!
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Awww, so the Rainbowfaces are not Dr. Who and companion? :(
jk very nice to see them again, and know their names :yes
Aha! So we get to meet Opal - somewhat forgetful and dazed, but Opal nonetheless, I look forward to her realization of Spike as her son :3 mum-and-son bonding! Wheeeee!
Zyro seems like a good chap, definitely look forward to reading more about him. And it's nice that Thud and Screech are acting the good guys.
Once again, a bit of a mournful chapter, but still an amazing read :yes
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I keep on forgetting to mention these things!
Zyro's species: Cryolophosaurus ellioti
Shark's species: Carcharodontosaurus saharicus
:lol
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So, Opal's alive, eh? Can't wait to see how that goes with her and Spike! :DD
And it's good to see those rainbow faces again. Though I do wonder just how they got the gang out of there... but I suppose that'll be telling, wouldn't it? :p
Gah. Ulcisor, you really ought to just fire Kai. He's an absolute... er... I'll get back to you on that.
Mutt, you sneaky little thing, you... Hey, I'm a two-footer myself, so I'll join the rebellion with ya! :lol
Well, Zyro seems to be an interesting guy. I look forward to seeing what he has to say. Oh, and I see Chomper's dad is there at least. I'm just going to assume that his mother's there as well. :yes
“What is it d- Bron?” Shorty asked.
Was Shorty about to call Bron dad then? If so, I found that really cute. :wub And it's nice to see them and Ali, too. I don't think yours is the first fanfic I've seen in which Bron's and the Old One's herds merge. I do look forward to seeing how things will progress with them...
Damn, every single chapter of yours is so great, Toby! Can't wait to see what'll happen next. Keep it up! :DD
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Thanks!! :lol: And yeah, the rebellion needs more members! :lol
Glad you liked - I've just realised this chapter is rather family centred - Spike and Opal, Littlefoot and Ulciscor, Topps' woes, and of course Shorty and Bron.
Thanks, I will keep it up!
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Wow! You really got things moving :DD So many new characters and so many new side plots. It won't get boring for sure ;)
Tetsogaku... wonder where you picked that from :lol Japanese by any chance?
Anyway, looks like he is the male Rainbowface we all know from 'The Stone of Cold Fire', eh? Opal we know already but... she's alive!? You better don't tell Ulciscor...
Loss of memory sounds like she'll be interesting!
Is Hoshia japanese as well?
So they gonna meet Ali, eh? ;) *jumps around in happiness*
I shall be accompanying you to join Ancient One’s herd.”
“Old One…”
“That’s right…” Opal frowned. “Sorry…won’t happen again.”
Nice name.. Ancient One :DD
Another new plot.. well, it's the first time we hear of them! Dorian Thicknose tries to prevent Topps losing hope and he does a good job at that :yes
Sharptooth extermination :unsure Uh oh...
Nice idea you had with Hyp.
So this is Al's Revelation about... He's a SPY! Though a friendly-minded one working for the greater good of all Sharpteeth.
So now we have three forces.. very interesting :wow
Now this is funny: While Redclaw joined Xal, Screech and Thud joined Zyro. So they work against each other, technically!
Bron as well? Gee! :D You insane thing, merging Ali's and Shorty's herds together, eh? :DD Oh, this is going to become awesome.. I know it, deep inside me!
So you wanna know what I think of Zyro? Well, he seems alright with good purposes. He he's able to speak leafeater?! :o
Toby, you left everything on a cliffhanger you evil thing! :lol: You should better upload fast :lol
Oh, and I see Chomper's dad is there at least. I'm just going to assume that his mother's there as well. in-yes.gif
Uhm, I rather think it is really Al's dad (yeah, he's dark green like Chomper's father)... If what you said is right, Al would be Chomper's bro :confused
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Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's the next chapter! :p
Chapter Fifteen: An Unexpected Return
The eerie mists floating over from a certain infamous land hung in the air above the group of seven as they walked closer to more heathland.
“So…” Ruby said, struggling to get everything sorted in her head. “You can’t remember a single thing before your accident?”
“Other than my name, no,” Opal replied, shaking her head. “Sorry…”
“Nah, it’s OK,” Ruby replied. “I’m just curious as to why the rainbow-faces didn’t tell you anything more…they obviously knew…”
“That’s true,” Opal admitted. “I’m curious as to why that is too…I presume they had a good reason.”
“I hope so,” Ruby said. “I’m really confused as to what’s going on, and the sooner we find out, the better…”
They continued walking in silence for a while. Littlefoot was exhausted. He had done practically nothing but walk the past couple of days, not the most relaxing of activities, and of course he had nearly been killed twice – once by a Sharptooth, and the second time by a deranged longneck. Certainly not the life a kid would want to lead. But as he swayed his head up to the horizon, he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks, and fill him with more strength than he otherwise could have mustered.
“Dad!” he cried in delight. The other six turned to look, and yes – they could clearly see the figure of Bron in the distance, standing with a large group of longnecks including the Old One.
“We’ve found it!” Littlefoot crowed, jumping up and down in delight. “This is the right place! Come one guys!”
And without a second thought and seemingly forgetting his fatigue, he rushed towards the group.
Bron had seen them, but his reaction was not nearly as joyful. On the contrary, he suddenly had a horrified look on his face, and yelled desperately,
“Littlefoot! Stay where you are!”
Littlefoot skidded to a halt to process what his father had just said. Stay where he was? Why?
But then he looked around and saw it. And upon seeing it, his heart sank rapidly into his stomach, tensing the whole thing into an insecure knot of dread.
ëIt’ was a whole gang of sharpteeth, standing just beside him, which he hadn’t noticed before due to the placement of a boundary of rocks and shrubbery. But now the entire gang was gazing at him intently. Among the group were two fast biters he distinctly recognised.
One blue, one green.
Littlefoot hadn’t ever seen so many amassed sharpteeth in his life. It was insane! Since when did they even gather in such numbers? His mind was so focused on his apparent impending doom that he barely registered a voice and thunderous running.
“Hang on Littlefoot!” Bron was yelling, sprinting at full pelt towards the sharpteeth, Old One in his wake. Bron was mere seconds away from ramming straight into the medium-sized blue and silver Sharptooth standing at the front of the group when it opened its mouth and spoke.
“Wait.”
At the shock of being spoken to in clear leaf-eater by an adult Sharptooth, Bron skidded to a halt as best he good, Old One following suit. At this point, she was forcibly reminded of the time when she had chased a young Sharptooth living in the Valley to his near death, until he had pleaded with her not to be harmed. But this again was something else. Not only was the leaf-eater-speaker clearly an adult, none of the other sharpteeth made any move towards them or any of the other longnecks around the place. This speaker seemed to wield a hefty command over the rest of them, and it seemed that ëwait’ could have easily been directed to them as well.
Littlefoot’s mind was blown too. Nervously, he tried to speak.
“Y…you…can…?”
“Yes,” the Sharptooth replied. Then, seeing Littlefoot’s stricken face, he smiled.
“Don’t look so worried,” he said. “I just need to talk with the herd at large.”
“Why?” Bron asked suspiciously, finally unsticking his throat.
“It’s complicated,” the Sharptooth replied. “But please hear me out. If it provides you any comfort, you can stand in front of your young ones as I explain.”
Bron exchanged a look with the Old One, who simply nodded. Whatever this Sharptooth had to say was clearly worth hearing.
A moment later, when the Gang, along with Ali and Shorty were standing behind the protection of the adult longnecks and Opal, the Sharptooth spoke again.
“I would like to greet you all,” he said. “And I’m sure my companions would too, if they understood a word I was saying.”
He cast a bemused look over his shoulder, one which most sharpteeth did not return.
“My name is Zyro,” he continued. “And this is the majority of the Great Sharptooth Community, a community of sharpteeth that is determined to make life better for all. I am currently acting leader of the group due to the unfortunate current indisposition of the true leader and founder of the movement, Shark. Our thoughts are with him.”
Zyro bowed his head in a respectful silence briefly before continuing.
“Within the community, we provide care, protection from threats, food and a general well-being of a family community.”
“You mean like the Great Valley?” Littlefoot called out, interested. The other longnecks all gulped and muttered inaudible worries, as if it were taboo to speak to a Sharptooth. Zyro just smiled however.
“Yes!” he replied enthusiastically. “Exactly like that – only sharpteeth aren’t generally allowed within the Valley. With the exception of one of course.”
“How do you know about Chomper?” Ruby demanded.
“That’s really where it all begins,” Zyro explained. “With Chomper. I don’t know if you can see his parents here?”
With that, he gestured, and growled something in sharptooth. A pair of two-claw sharpteeth, noticeably bigger than him, sauntered uncertainly forward. One of them was dark-green, the other was a more olive colour.
“Oh yeah!” Petrie was astonished. “That them!”
“Oh yes, yes, yes!” Ducky agreed.
“Following Redclaw’s attack on their island,” Zyro continued. “They tried to find a new place to live – being moved around in such an unforgiving world can’t have been easy. But they had something to keep them going. Their son – the first ever Sharptooth to live peacefully within the Great Valley. It was absolutely novel, and it’s something they could boast proudly, a spark of hope in a land tormented by Redclaw…”
Ruby was brought back to the time Redclaw had forcibly separated her from her family, driving her away to just the one place she could find refuge, but having a horrible feeling of worry pressing on her mind – worry that she was being selfish. There she was in paradise – and where were her family?
She was almost welling up, but it was replaced by anger when she noticed the two fast-biters standing by Zyro’s side.
“What are they doing with them?” she hissed at Cera.
“I dunno,” Cera frowned. “I hope Zyro’ll explain that to us too…”
“Unfortunately,” Zyro continued. “Many relished in the idea of a Sharptooth living in the Valley for different reasons – the wrong reasons. Many thought that it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch from a young Sharptooth living in the Valley to a whole group of them taking over. As news of Chomper spread throughout what the Valleians called the Mysterious Beyond, some got the idea he could be used as a weapon.”
“What?” Shorty was speaking out for the first time. “That’s disgusting!”
“Quite,” Zyro nodded, his eyes angry. “One such Sharptooth was a bladeback named Xal. He was the eager follower of a great Sharptooth revolutionary named Eykion.”
“What’s a revolutionary?” Ali asked.
“Well, Eykion preceded us,” Zyro explained. “He too claimed to want to make life better for sharpteeth, but by more extreme measures. He wanted vast Sharptooth armies to conquer all leaf-eater herds to prevent oppression, leading to a utopia where the leaf-eaters were all slaves to the sharpteeth.”
The longnecks began to shift uncomfortably.
“Continue, please,” Old One said softly.
“Alright,” Zyro nodded. “Well, Xal was in Eykion’s army when, a few years before the Great Earthshake, they attacked the Valley. They failed to bring it under their control and Eykion died. But Xal, I guess, never forgot, and for a long time now, through whatever motives he can find, he has been building up his armies again, often via the use of the dreaded Piercer Platoon, fanatically loyal and ruthless Sharptooth soldiers.”
A shudder went around.
“Chomper was taken from the Valley recently,” Zyro said. “Which, I presume, is why you lot went after him.” Smiling slightly, he gestured to Littlefoot and the others. “Noble of you. He was placed in a pack led by Xal’s stepson, and is in amongst a few young Sharptooth misfits. I had Screech and Thud here, who are trying to redeem themselves following their alliance with Redclaw, to tail the group and see what the deal was. From what can be seen, they are trying to return him to Xal, so that Xal can try and use him to enter the Great Valley.”
Now the gasps went around. The leaf-eaters were a great audience, but Zyro wasn’t quite in the mood to be entertained.
“But what’s happening with Chomper now?” Ruby asked, suddenly afraid. “Is he…OK?”
Zyro gave a long look, before a smile slowly returned to his face. Ruby didn’t much like the sight of Sharptooth smiles, but Zyro’s seemed extraordinarily gentle – almost fatherly.
“From what we have last seen,” Zyro said. “Yes – he’s fine.”
Ruby and the rest of the gang heaved sighs of relief.
“Another sharptooth his age, who’s also a member of the community volunteered to be a sort of spy within the pack,” Zyro continued. “I’m sure he’ll look after him.”
“But surely we need to move fast?” Opal said, speaking for the first time. “To rescue both of them, and the Valley, from this Xal? It’s like all-out war…”
Strange too, she reflected. This concept of a Valley seemed so familiar to her. She guessed it was some of her memory returning – after all, everyone seemed to know what it was…
“Absolutley!” Bron agreed heartily. “We should all go and warn the Valley, whilst you try and rescue Chomper and your ally.”
“I’m afraid,” Zyro said quietly, saddening a little. “That the reality is far more complicated.”
“How?” Bron demanded.
“Xal’s greatest enemies are also ours,” Zyro explained. “There is a force, even worse than his, that has become a very grave threat also.”
“Who could be worse than him?” Bron cried.
“Right now,” Zyro explained. “The Great Valley is under the tyrannous regime of a psychopathic longneck named Ulciscor.”
Littlefoot’s eyes widened. That name sounded familiar. It was one that Kai had mentioned. Cera seemed to have caught onto this too, as did, for some reason, Opal. But the most dramatic reaction of all was from Bron.
There were heavy, thunderous footfalls as he staggered backwards, eyes and mouth wide open, staring at Zyro, horror-struck.
“Ahh…uuh…” Bron kept uttering noises that sounded like the beginnings of speech, but fell short of that. Everyone was staring at him as he thumped his tail frustrated on the ground. Finally, he calmed, and looked back at Zyro, his eyes shimmering.
“So…” he gulped. “Are you…sure that’s the name?”
“Yes,” Zyro replied. “I’m so sorry…”
“You know him dad?” Littlefoot asked curiously, looking up at him.
Bron looked down at his son, and gave another strangled gasp. Littlefoot…of course…he had no idea…
Bron shook his head. “Littlefoot – you don’t need to worry about that.” He looked back at Zyro.
“But he’s gone,” he whispered. “The attack of all those sharpteeth on the Valley. I remember now – that collapsed his regime.”
“I’m sorry,” Zyro repeated. “But he’s back. He managed to take over the Valley very quickly…”
“What did this Ulciscor want with the Valley?” Old One asked.
“He has a very warped view of life,” Zyro told her coldly. “He has it in his head that some species of dinosaur are inherently better than others. In his view, longnecks are at the top, and should be served by all other species.” He pulled a face. “Beneath them are other four-footed dinosaurs and flyers. Beneath them are two-footers, who Ulciscor claims should not mingle with four-footed dinosaurs, and should be forced away, because they’re inferior. And forceful really is the word…”
“But…” Petrie piped up. “Flyers two-footers…”
“I know,” Zyro said. “But Ulciscor has a few alliances with them due to their skill at messaging. That’s the only reason. As you can see, this view is complete nonsense.”
“It’s horrible…” Ruby murmured.
“I know!” Littlefoot growled angrily. “What does he do if anyone refuses to go with his laws?”
“He kills them…” there was no euphemism in Zyro’s words, and now the horror of the audience had returned.
“WHAT???” came the indignant cry of many. And now, Littlefoot remembered what Kai had said.
“Where does Ulciscor stand on sharpteeth?” he asked.
“Sharpteeth?” Zyro gave a harsh chuckle. “Sharpteeth are the worst of the worst, and apparently, should not even be allowed to live.”
The crowd broke out into mutterings. Despite what many of their feelings towards sharpteeth were, they all agreed this was definitely too far – especially if you operated a reign of terror with it too.
“Ulciscor wanted to wipe out Xal before he began his operations,” Zyro continued. “So he sent his most trusted follower, a spiked longneck by the name of Kai, to wipe him out at his dwelling, the Fanged Forest. The attack was not a success, and it was at this time that Xal sent out his stepson, Seizon, and some other kid who’s name I’m not sure of, to retrieve Chomper from the Valley. Kai followed them, and fortunately, missed them.”
“But he still wanted to kill him,” Littlefoot growled. “That’s why he offered to go with us when we tried to go and find him.”
“Exactly,” Zyro nodded. “Thankfully, you’ve managed to give him the slip. But Ulciscor succeeded in his goal, and now Kai is ruling with him. This is why we cannot go to the Valley. We will be killed.”
The longnecks murmured in agreement.
“So…what will we do now?” Old One demanded of them.
“We’ll wait,” Zyro replied. “I have various messengers around the place, and they will inform us of the movements of both Ulciscor and Kai. Once I’m sure their paths will not cross too dangerously, we can launch a rescue mission of Chomper and Al. Once we have them, we can then march on the Valley to take Ulciscor down.”
These worded were greeted with enthusiasm, even cheers, and Old One nodded before saying,
“So it’s decided. An alliance of leaf-eaters and sharpteeth to prevent these two evil forces from destroying everything we hold dear.”
Cheers rose up from the longnecks now, and after Zyro translated what had been said to the sharpteeth, they cheered also.
“For now, if it is OK with you,” Zyro continued, choosing his words carefully. “We would like to live alongside you.”
Now Old One frowned.
“I’m afraid it would make us uncomfortable,” she replied. “You will have to be careful.”
“Of course,” Zyro nodded. “We will stay in the Rocky Heathland but will not mingle with you unless you so request it. I hope that is sufficient?”
Old One nodded.
“And Bron?” she asked.
Bron, still pale and shocked, nodded slowly too.
“Thank you,” Zyro nodded and turned to Screech and Thud.
“I presume they are all the kids who frequently hang around with Chomper?” he asked.
“Yes,” Thud replied. “All six of them.”
Zyro looked relieved.
“It would have been disastrous if one of them had gone missing. I trust you can make sure they come to no harm?”
“Why would you trust us?” Screech demanded.
“I don’t know actually,” Zyro shrugged. “But Shark always believes in giving individuals second chances. If you pull this off…”
Littlefoot meanwhile, following his dad expressing the need to sit alone somewhere, was deep in conversation with Ali and Shorty about the merging of the herds, the rest of the Gang listening intently
“We discovered that as we both knew longnecks in the Valley,” Ali was saying, “Our mutual friendships would be a great advantage.”
“Yeah,” Shorty agreed. “As is having two leaders.” He smiled slightly. “I don’t think you can find a better double act than those two.”
Everyone laughed slightly at that.
“Ooh, also, guys,” Ali continued. “I’m going to be taking the Big Longneck Test tomorrow!”
The Gang ëoohed’ and ëaahed’ as if at a firework display, and Littlefoot beamed broadly.
“Ali – that’s fantastic!”
Shorty with a slight twinge of jealousy (directed at what he wasn’t even sure) spoke up.
“So am I!” he added.
“Awesome!” Littlefoot nodded.
Shorty didn’t understand where all these feelings were coming from. He thought it would have been amazing having his stepbrother and his friends live with him for a while, but now, having them all around, especially Littlefoot, talking, laughing and joking with Ali made him feel strangely uncomfortable, as if they were crossing a line he could never cross…
He shook his head. He shouldn’t think about that now. Tomorrow was the Big Longneck Test, and he would show everyone he could do it. Quite appropriate to be a herd leader with an upcoming war…
“There’s still one thing I don’t understand though,” Zyro continued to the two fast-biters. “Who’s that spiketail?”
“Her?” Thud asked mildly, gazing over to where Opal was introducing herself as best she could to Old One. “Don’t know actually – never seen her before.”
Zyro nodded.
“I’d better ask one of the kids at some point,” he said. “In this alliance, it’s best to know everything about everyone.”
*
The night slowly began to creep in, accompanied by chirping crickets, and then soft light of the Great Night Circle beaming at the pack of six young sharpteeth.
Just before they had all settled down, Seizon promised the group that they may end up at the Fanged Forest tomorrow, to which Al had secretly panicked. If Xal discovered his identity…but his trust in Zyro and the rest of the community eventually allowed him to settle down to sleep.
“Chomper…?”
Chomper himself had just been settling down, but not prepared for sleep, for his nights were now plagued with vile images of blood cascading in great torrents from Pyron’s chest – after being sliced by Chomper’s own teeth. He had woken up from them everyone night, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably, left to be consoled by the one who now spoke his name.
Chomper opened one eye to see the beautiful form of Saureen settle down next to him.
“You OK?” she asked.
“As OK as I’ll ever be…” Chomper murmured in reply.
Saureen gave a sad smile and cuddled up close to him.
“Please don’t worry,” she whispered, nuzzling him softly. “Your nightmares will pass. It’s perfectly natural to have them…”
So natural in fact, that Saureen decided not to mention to him that she too was having them – not of killing Pyron herself, but of watching Seizon allowing the entirety of the pack to crumble away before his eyes. In truth, she was worried for him. His devotion to Xal hadn’t wavered at all – it was almost fanatical, as fanatical as Xal himself. And Saureen was worried that that might be dangerous for everyone, including Seizon himself. But she didn’t tell Chomper this. No need to put more stress on his mind.
Instead, she gazed intently at the spot Seizon had chosen for sleep – a vast meadow of blossoming flowers adorning a wide and elegant spectrum of colours. There were not many flatteeth in this area, allowing the flowers to continue growing and growing.
“They’re so pretty…” Saureen whispered, intrigued. “Sometimes you can feel there cannot be anything wrong with places such as this.”
“Like sky-water?” Chomper asked.
Saureen chuckled at that, being reminded of Seizon’s love for it.
“Maybe,” she said. “After all – it’s with sky-water that makes such things grow.” Tenderly, she then leaned over and licked Chomper’s face the way a mother would.
“Goodnight, Chomper,” she said, closing her eyes.
Touched by her compassionate action, Chomper began to tear up as he too closed his eyes.
He may very well have gone to sleep after that, but soon, he was awake again, and when he did so, for some reason, he felt that something wasn’t right.
He sat up and looked around him. Saureen was still asleep next to him, breathing peacefully. Lini’s loud snores told him that she was still around, and, twisting his head behind him, he could see Seizon and Al both asleep too.
Chomper was on his feet the second he realised who it was who was missing. He crept carefully around Saureen so as not to wake her, and then, if you like, tiptoed through the tulips until he saw the silhouette of the one he was looking for.
Nycha was a few feet ahead of him, already making her own way away from the rest of them. Chomper didn’t know why she felt the need to wander off from the group right now, but he certainly wasn’t going to let her do it. Pyron’s dying wish had been that Chomper look after her, and he certainly wasn’t going to let that slip.
“Nycha!” he called as quietly as he could.
Nycha stopped in her tracks and turned around. Chomper suddenly flinched, realising that she would clearly be in half the mood to attack him considering the way she had previously reacted. However, her eyes seemed uninterested. Bored, empty…
“Oh,” she said. “It’s you.”
“What are you doing?” Chomper demanded.
“I’m leaving,” Nycha replied simply. “I’ve had enough. Without Pyron, this pack no longer has anything for me.”
“What about Seizon?” Chomper asked.
Nycha gave a harsh laugh.
“What about him? He’s really lost his appeal – no. I’m sorry Chomper, but this is the only way. I mean, you may have been forced into this pack, and I understand that was hard for you, but they’ve all taken to you. Not like me – I’m just tolerated, but deep down, they don’t have that care for me that they do for you. Ever since what happened to my family, I’ve been this social oddball, lashing out at anyone who comes near me. It’s no wonder they don’t like me. I’ve got to leave.”
Chomper found this statement hard to grapple. For all intents and purposes, it may very well have been true. Sure, Lini had been attempting to talk to Nycha several times since Pyron’s death, but she may have only done that to be kind. Nycha truly did seem lost.
But she had changed, hadn’t she? Or at least she had tried to – Chomper couldn’t forget the fact that she had just used his name for the first time. There was something there, he knew it. He had to keep talking to her.
“Where will you go?” he asked. “It really isn’t safe out there.”
“My old pack,” Nycha replied. “With the tetrarchy.”
Chomper didn’t know what he had expected to hear, but it was certainly not this. His eyes immediately stretched wide in horror.
“No!” he found himself almost shouting. “Nycha – you can’t go back to them! They’ll kill you! This is what you and Pyron came here to escape! He told me what happened to you…how you had changed-”
“SHUT UP!!” Nycha suddenly hissed. “You know nothing about me! What I went through!” She was looking suddenly terrifying, so Chomper quickly shut up.
Nycha rolled her eyes up at the sky before placing them firmly back on Chomper.
“They may not kill me,” she replied. “If I can present myself as a strong, independent individual, they may let me back in.”
“Is it worth the risk though?” Chomper continued timidly. “Stay with us and I will make the others listen – I promise you Nycha, we can help you…what do you even hope to gain?”
Nycha now had a scowl fixed on her features as she gazed at Chomper.
“I thought you of all people would understand,” she growled. “Because…you were there with him when…it happened.” She sucked in a deep breath.
“I know Pyron would have wanted me to improve my independence, and so that’s what I’m doing. And I will not let anyone stand in my way.”
“But that’s not what he said!” Chomper gasped, desperate she would understand. “He said-”
“Maybe I don’t want to hear what he said!” Nycha snarled at him, shutting him up again. “Because sometimes I still fear even he didn’t love me…” she swallowed hard. “So, this is what I’m doing – becoming an independent member of the most formidable fast-biter pack the world has ever seen. And you can’t stop me!”
Before Chomper could reply, Nycha had performed something between a sprint and a skid, and ended up right behind up so she was practically breathing down his neck. Chomper was at a loss for what to do.
“Chomper…” Nycha breathed. “Thank you for everything…”
And with that, her hand came crashing down on the back of his head, sending him clattering to the ground, stars winking at him in every direction.
The blow had been intended to knock him out so he wouldn’t follow her, but with little success as Chomper, despite his dazed state, was still conscious. He waited until he could be sure she was quite a distance ahead of him before staggering to his feet.
He had made a promise to Pyron, and he would keep it.
In the distance, he could still make out Nycha’s silhouette. If he were to follow her now, it was unlikely she would see him, but smell was a different matter. Fortunately, he was surrounded by useful things disguise his smell.
He plucked the head off one of the nearby flowers and prepared to rub the scented petals into his body – OK, so this easier said than done, but after a while of doing this, he hoped his scales will give off the scent of the flowers making it harder for Nycha to smell him.
And so, he then set off in her wake. He didn’t care that Seizon still needed him in the pack, or that he needed to head to the Fanged Forest. Right now, the most important thing was preventing Pyron’s sister going the same way he did.
*
One rock fell, disintegrating into gravel. A second rock disintegrated before it even hit the ground.
Gigas watched intently as all of the large boulders around fell victim to Redclaw’s tail.
“Impressive,” he commented. “You seem to be getting your strength back.”
“Quite right,” Redclaw growled, tearing down a tree with his foot-claws to demonstrate this further. “I’m ready and eager for battle!”
Gigas smiled.
“Good,” he said. “Xal will be most pleased. You know…” his smile took a more wicked stance.
“It only seems fitting that you regain your strength by destroying rocks,” he said. “After all, ëhe’ was killed by a rock too…”
Redclaw merely nodded, trying to hide his emotional response to what Gigas had just made reference too.
Gigas continued,
“I never quite understood your feelings on that matter,” he said.
“Why should you want to know?” Redclaw snapped. “He’s dead – there’s nothing you or I can do about that – we should just take our positions to take his place.”
“Alongside Xal’s revolutionary army…” Gigas agreed. “Yes – it certainly seems that’s what we have to do, but I’m curious as to how you fell into that coma in the first place?”
*
Xal growled softly once Gigas had finished telling him what Redclaw had said.
“It seems we have more enemies in this equation than I previously realised…” he murmured. “These Shark and Zyro people…how much of a threat do they represent?”
“They’re pacifists,” Gigas replied. “I am inclined to believe they will not attack us unless we attack first. But they may be forming alliances with the leaf-eaters living in the Great Valley.”
“That may be more complicated than we anticipated,” Xal told him. “I have just received word from Ichy that the entire Valley has been taken over by Ulciscor once again.”
Gigas’ eyes widened.
“Well…I guess that means alliances in the Valley are off for them then,” he said.
“True,” Xal agreed. “But I have two major worries – what if Ferox finds the group? He’ll have inside knowledge that he may share with them…not to mention, I suspect they’ll be after the Ambassador – one that will be more difficult to make use of if the Valley is under the oppression of a Sharptooth-hater.”
“What orders, Xal?” Gigas asked.
Xal considered for a minute.
“Continue training Redclaw,” he replied. “I hope he will continue to prove useful for us. When he is ready, we may need to send out an expeditionary force to deal with Ferox.”
“Certainly sir,” Gigas bowed his head and retreated, leaving Xal staring at the sky, deep in thought…
*
The icy winds twirled and pierced the skin and feathers of the lone fast-biter trudging through the snow.
Nycha shivered. Her nose and directions from various sharpteeth she had met along the way had led her to White Mountain, but she couldn’t see why the tetrarchy would dwell here of all places. Still, now she was here, it couldn’t hurt to take a look.
She slowly paced around, the white ground sparkles crunching beneath her cold feet, her breath visible every time she exhaled. It was lucky she had these feathers really – she needed all the insulation she could get.
She closed her eyes and saw the bright orange form of her brother before her.
“Oh, Pyron…” she thought. “Have I made the right decision? What would you say if you saw me doing this?”
She was suddenly distracted by her quiet consideration when a certain aroma entered her nostrils, and for the first time, she realised she was incredibly hungry.
She opened her eyes and looked around for the source of this enticing smell. She noticed, some distance away and at the bottom of a small, snowy slope, there was an ice runner (Trinisaura), a small leaf-eater well adapted to cold environments. Nycha guessed it was her good fortune that it was alone.
She pounced. Unfortunately, the snow had caused her to lose her footing, and she slipped as she attempted to grab the runner, causing it to notice her, give a frightened bleat, and escape.
Undeterred, she attempted to give chase, but it was more of a challenge than she had anticipated, due to the cold, her exhaustion, and running in the snow. The runner was clearly better suited to such environments, and Nycha eventually gave up.
But just before the runner had sprinted out of sight, another Sharptooth pounced on it, attacking it unexpectedly from the side. It was a quick flick of the jaws and snap of the neck before the animal was dead and the Sharptooth looked up at Nycha. Her jaw dropped open.
It was Chomper.
“I know what you’re going to say,” he said, grinning sheepishly. “You never thought I would kill a flattooth. Well…”
He gazed down at the runner carcass. He had to admit, this was rather a milestone for him. But he shook his head.
“I just figured…our needs were greater than his. Besides, his death was quick and painless, so…”
He trailed off as Nycha approached him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped.
“Keeping an eye on you,” he replied shortly. “You see – you didn’t knock me out as well as you thought you would. So I followed you.”
Nycha scowled.
“Chomper – there was a very specific reason I tried to knock you out! If the tetrarchy finds you here, you are going to die!”
Chomper shrugged.
“A risk I’m willing to take,” he replied. “And it’s nice to hear you’re now protective of me. Come on – eat. You need your strength if you’re going to try and present yourself to these sharpteeth.”
Nycha paused as she watched Chomper hesitantly prepare to tear chunks of flesh from the carcass, but she eventually followed suit.
“I’ve got to ask though Chomper,” Nycha commented after a few moments of them silently eating together. “Why did you come after me?”
“Right before he died,” Chomper said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Pyron asked me to look after you. So that’s what I’m doing.”
Nycha bowed her head.
“Is that so?” she murmured. “So, basically you’re saying that you couldn’t care less about me. It’s just something Pyron said you should do? I knew it – I told you, nobody cares about me.”
Chomper, suddenly realising how what he had said sounded, attempted to correct himself.
“No – Nycha, it isn’t like that…”
“Oh yeah?” she growled, looking up at him, a fierce look in her eyes despite the fact that they were swimming with tears. “Tell me – what’s it like then?”
Before Chomper could answer, another voice did.
“I’ll tell you what it’s like,” the voice said. “It’s like there are two bratty little biters in our territory. I’m curious as to why you’d come here again Nycha, but I hope it’s an entertaining story. I’m in a foul mood at the moment…”
With dread chilling them worse than the snow, Chomper and Nycha looked to see four adult fast-biters glaring at them and waiting…
~0~
Oh no! :o :lol
Well, I hope you enjoyed. Writing the scenes between Chomper and Nycha was fairly interesting I have to say. I hope you enjoyed that along with everything else - the alliances, what's going on with Shorty...all cool stuff! Please review.
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Wow, I actually really like Zyro. It's good to see some sharptooth-leaf-eater alliances going on! :DD
Is it bad that I actually chuckled when I read Bron's reaction to Ulcisor taking over the Valley again? Anyway, it was good to see him reunite with Littlefoot again. At least the kids seem safe for now!
So... everything with Xal and Chomper is explained. :o Wow. Al, any plans to get Chomper to escape? Oh, well he's already disappeared with Nycha, so that's cool.
Also, I really like the dialogue between those two. Poor Nycha. I'm fairly sure it is a bad idea to go back to the tetrarchy, though. I hope those two are able to get out of that predicament they have found themselves in. :!
So, Red Claw's now training with Xal... I know this can't be good...
Again, outstanding chapter! I can't wait to see how things progress! :DD Keep it up!
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Whoa! Another fast-paced read! I'm really envious just how much information you write in. It keeps the story flowing very smoothly, and it leaves us guessing!
I love the sequences with Nycha and Chomper, I think they will really connect. And ohnu! Bad tetrarchy alert!
Zyro sounds like a good guy, I'm looking forward... to everything really^^
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Finally I have some time to review this, sorry for the delay :angel
Zyro has indeed something interesting to say and I'm glad they allied with each other. Do I sense a love triangle between Littlefoot, Shorty and Ali? :lol: And Opal seems to regain some memories... it'll sure be interesting when she finally does :yes
Awww... Saureen and Chomper kis... eh I mean cuddling :lol It's really sad he leaves without a message to her but on the other hand he's just doing what he has to do and he certainly wants to look after Nycha :) She seems to be pretty desperate and empty indeed. The talk between them was very well done :yes Oh, and Chomper kills a leafeater :wow But... uh oh... :(
Do I need be afraid of the fact that Redclaw regains his strength? Or that Ferox might be executed? :unsure:
All in all a truly enjoyable read :DD And I have a feeling it won't be long until the next one comes :smile
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:o Finally, at long last, here is the next chapter! And its a long one ladies and gents! Please enjoy, and bear in mind italics signify either a flashback or somebody's thoughts. Oh, and please excuse the infrequent mild language.
Chapter Sixteen: The Power of Four
Nycha reacted almost at once.
She immediately stepped forward as quickly as she could, putting herself between Chomper and the tetrarchy, and looked up at the speaker, an almost pure-white female with defiance.
“I wouldn’t call it entertaining,” she said, her voice level. Chomper was astonished at how calm she suddenly was – he had only ever seen her on-edge. He was so surprised in fact, that he almost completely forgot that he should be the one looking out for her, and she was in the immediate danger of being torn apart by a gang of dinocidal maniacs.
And yet, with no reaction from said maniacs, Nycha continued.
“What about your story, eh?” she said, looking up at the white fast-biter. “I don’t remember you from my old days…”
The fast-biter let out a harsh bark of laughter.
“Times have changed, hatchling. Remember old Troa? She was killed in a hunting accident a while back, and so I was nominated to replace her within the tetrarchy. You can call me Pagetona.”
“Pagetona…” Nycha frowned. “Hang on…I know you. You used to be a friend of my parents!”
“Yeah?” Pagetona chuckled slightly. “Before they needed to be filtered out…”
Hatred boiled up in Nycha as memories from that awful night came back to her, echoing with Pagetona’s taunts. So it was true – the tetrarchy had been responsible for her parents’ deaths…and now they were here, admitting it!
Chomper quickly came forward and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t let them get to you…” he murmured. Nycha scowled and shrugged his hand off impatiently.
“Well, Nycha?” a male turquoise member of the tetrarchy, known as Fang, said. “What about your side of the story? What are you doing here, and who is this twigarm you brought with you?”
“I didn’t bring him with me,” Nycha replied, casting Chomper a look of disdain. “He followed me here. He’s not important, don’t worry about him.”
“Alright,” spoke up a third fastbiter, this one a mahogany red female. “So let’s just kill him.”
“No!” Nycha yelled out, earning a savage grin from the tetrarchy, and more surprise from Chomper.
Nycha closed her eyes briefly before opening them again.
“I’ve come to rejoin your pack,” she said. “And…” she turned to Chomper.
“Him as well.”
WHAT? Chomper almost gagged in incredulity. This was not what he bargained for, he was about to protest when the fourth member of the tetrarchy spoke.
“Not possible,” he said, in a voice so low it seemed to come from his knees, which was a surprise to Chomper, considering he was a bright bubble-gum pink.
“Only fastbiters are allowed in our pack.”
“Exactly,” Pagetona finished. “So – let’s kill him.”
“NO!” Nycha yelled again. “He’ll…he’ll leave, alright?”
“No…I’m staying!” Chomper said, a lot more bravely than he felt. He didn’t want to be part of the pack, but somehow he had to stay.
None of the tetrarchy members said anything for a while. But eventually Pagetona spoke up again.
“Nycha,” she said seriously. “For what reason have you even considered re-joining us? We have openly admitted to our part in the death of your parents and we chased you and your brother away.”
“Yeah,” Nycha agreed. “That you did. But what good is staying out of your pack going to do me? It’s certainly not going to bring my parents back. Or Pyron…”
The mahogany-red female’s eye widened.
“Pyron’s dead?” she murmured.
Nycha nodded, but was unable to say anything more. Fang chose that moment to speak.
“You do realise we can’t just let anyone in,” he said. “There is a procedure. You never went through this ordeal of endurance because you were born into the pack. But your parents did. Now, we’ve never actually had a kid applying to join our pack, so we don’t know the full extent of what this ordeal, which is the same for everyone, will do to you, but it will definitely take a considerable toll on your body.”
Chomper gulped, but Nycha, after exhaling heavily through her nostrils to calm herself, looking up at the turquoise fastbiter without quaking.
“What sort of toll?” she asked.
“Worst case scenario,” Fang replied, his voice emotionless. “It would kill you.”
Nycha flinched slightly, but Chomper let out a strangled gasp.
“That settles it then,” he muttered, grabbing Nycha by the arm. “We’re both leaving.”
“Well, if you chose to do that,” Pagetona piped up. “We would have to kill you anyway.”
Nycha sighed.
“Just give me the verdict!” she snapped, seemingly not in the least bit fazed, unlike Chomper, who was wide-eyed in horror right behind her.
“We’ll have to discuss it,” Pagetona replied, as she and the rest of the tetrarchy turned away. “You are both to wait here until we have reached our verdict. Or else.”
And so, the motion was set in place. The four fastbiters that made up the tetrarchy went to a point some distance away from the two young sharpteeth, sat down, and began to discuss the situation in hushed voices.
Nycha turned to Chomper.
“What is it with you?” she hissed. “You came all this way after me, and you’re just going to get killed!”
“We don’t know that,” Chomper replied, trying to convince himself more than her really. The whole situation was just beginning to catch up with him, and the thought of the tetrarchy chilled him to the bone. These fastbiters, no matter how they disguised it, were ruthless elitists, believing anyone not measuring up to their lofty standards should get removed from the entire race of life.
But at the same time, wasn’t that exactly why he was here?
Chomper hadn’t known Pyron for all that long before he had died, but through their numerous conversations and interactions with each other, he had felt like he knew him like a brother. Most notable of these interactions, was, of course, back in the Cave Network, when Pyron had told him his entire life story, including the mention of the tetrarchy. But at that moment, Chomper felt like it wasn’t just Pyron he knew inside out, by Nycha as well.
Being born into a pack where the expectation was to conform to everything your peers were doing could never have been easy. The way Chomper saw it, ever since she was a hatchling, all Nycha wanted to do was be revered by those she called family. Not just Pyron and her parents, but the pack in general, and of course, the four leaders.
And of course, for Nycha, feeling the guilt of not conforming must have been the worst feeling in the world, so much so that that became the only thing she could think about, and nobody else’s feelings on the subject became obsolete.
Chomper took a deep breath.
“I made a promise to Pyron,” he said, very firmly. “And I mean to uphold. But Nycha – that is not the only reason. Everything Pyron told me about the tetrarchy and what happened to you both adds up with what I see before me now.”
Nycha’s nostrils flared, but the curiosity and invitation to continue in her eyes was unmistakable.
“What I see,” Chomper explained. “Is an amazing individual who is perfect for what she is meant to do, but she fails to see it because she’s far too worried about what a bunch of fastbiters think and how they see the world. You shouldn’t have to let their presence linger on you for years to come – break free! There is so much more to everything you see and realise. You should just learn to be yourself. Because those who matter, don’t mind it. And those who mind it…”
His eyes flickered over to the fastbiters.
“…don’t matter…”
Nycha looked down at the ground, the whole weight of what had just been said tumbling around in her head. It was such an honest and passionate speech, from someone who she had previously alienated, that she had no response at all.
But she didn’t need one. At that moment, the tetrarchy all slowly sauntered over.
“We have reached a decision,” the pink fastbiter informed them, his deep voice monotonous.
Nycha and Chomper were instantly tense.
“We have decided to allow you, Nycha, to go through the ordeal of endurance, and see if you are legitimate to re-join this pack,” Fang explained.
Nycha nodded slowly.
“Right…thank you…” Chomper almost wanted to speak out at this point. How could Nycha talk so politely to her parents’ murderers? But then the subject changed.
“What about him?” Nycha asked, gesturing to Chomper with her head.
“We have decided that he shall be your witness,” Pagetona replied. “He is allowed to live – but he is under the custody of the pack, and shall remain with us as he watches your endurance test.”
Nycha swallowed. Chomper was, on the other hand, quite relieved.
“What sort of endurance is Nycha put under?” he asked, unable to stop himself.
A cruel smile played around Pagetona’s lips.
“You’ll see soon enough,” she replied, amidst sinister grins from her fellows…
*
“I can’t believe you didn’t notice him leave! You were sleeping right next to him, you twig-armed rockhead!!” Seizon bellowed, his fangs bared.
“Don’t blame me for your short-comings as leader!” Saureen practically screamed back, tears leaking out of her jade eyes. “And as much as I care for Chomper, if you weren’t so psyched up about him, you would realise Nycha was missing too!!”
“I’m aware of that!” Seizon snapped back. “But Nycha is a resilient nomad – Chomper is not, and Chomper is needed for Xal’s revolution scheme-”
“Is that all you care about???” Saureen shrieked, her voice becoming higher-pitched by the minute. “Xal and his revolutionary crap?? These are fellow dinosaurs we’re talking about, members of our pack – flesh and blood!!! You can’t just cast their values aside…”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!!!” Seizon yelled back, his voice escalating as well in terms of volume. “You don’t understand the revolution and how it works!!! You think I don’t care for Chomper and Nycha?? You’re just a pathetic little girl who can’t even-”
“Is that what I am???” Saureen challenged. “Just a pathetic little girl?? I may be young, and perhaps I’m not as strong as you Seizon, or as good at fighting hostile packs, but at least I have values. I was raised with moral standards, something that you wouldn’t understand because your real parents are dead-”
At that moment, Seizon let out a rage-filled roar and flew at Saureen but stopped short of actually doing anything by Lini’s high-pitched terrified squeal of,
“SEIZON!!!”
Lini and Al had been watching this argument as it had escalated, with growing expressions of anxiety on their faces, until Lini had decided to verbally intervene. Fortunately, it was enough.
Seizon took a step back from Saureen, closing his eyes and exhaling forcefully.
“Sorry Saureen…” he eventually murmured.
“No…” Saureen muttered, wiping her eyes forcefully. “I’m sorry…”
“I think,” Al said slowly. “We all need to calm down. And of course, think carefully about what may have happened to these two.”
He caught Lini’s eye as he said this, and it was apparent she was thinking the same thing. This could work to an advantage, if, in the best case scenario, they would have run into Zyro.
“As angry and upset as she is,” Lini pondered. “I don’t think Nycha would have abducted Chomper and dragged him somewhere. She’s not like that…”
Saureen twitched slightly at the word ëabducted,’ suddenly remembering that was how Chomper had come to join the group in the first place. She glanced up at Seizon, who seemed unperturbed. She shuddered slightly. Where there any morals he even went by?
Al’s voice cut across her thinking.
“So you’re suggesting that Nycha went off somewhere and Chomper decided to follow her?”
“Why would he do that though?” Seizon asked, sounding irritated.
“Chomper was the only one present when Pyron died,” Al replied smoothly. “We don’t know what exchange went between them, but I’m guessing he asked of Chomper to look after his remaining flesh and blood – Nycha. If Nycha were to run away, which I wouldn’t put past her, it seems fitting that Chomper would follow her, yes?”
The other three sharpteeth exchanged looks and gave their agreement.
“But that still doesn’t leave us any the wiser as to where they are!” Saureen pointed out.
“True,” Al agreed. “But we are blessed with superb tracking skills as sharpteeth – following both of their scents, even after all this time, shouldn’t be too difficult.”
So the four of them set to work, following the scent of their companions with their noses, Seizon wondering vaguely why he was taking orders from Al. Still, he would have suggested exactly the same if he had more time to think about it…right?
*
It had been about a year or so ago, in the Fanged Forest one night, when the desperate whines of a young bladeback could be heard very audibly.
“But Xal!” Seizon complained, clambering across a tree root to get closer to his stepfather. “Why can’t you tell me more?”
“Sorry, Seizon,” Xal replied levelly. “But I’ve got things I need to do. Besides, its time you went to bed.” He gestured to the young twoclaw fast asleep somewhere behind his stepson.
“Look – Saureen’s already fast asleep!”
“Well, never mind her!” Seizon shouted, casting his friend a look of disdain. “I’m still wide awake! C’mon Xal! I want to learn more about the revolution!”
Xal paused as he considered these words, the light of the Night Circle twinkling in his amber eyes.
“I’m proud that I can call you my son,” he murmured. “You have the same sort of gutsy determination that was so valued in me when I joined the revolutionary army, all that time ago…you’ve got a good head on your shoulders Seizon, and a heart to match. I see you will become a very successful Sharptooth. You have great talent, and also the makings of a pack leader.”
Seizon’s eyes widened in delight, moonlight also dancing in their amber irises. Before he could say anything though, he heard movement behind him.
Ferox had slowly approached them both, and after giving Xal a brief nod, he carried his daughter off to bed, leaving the two bladebacks alone.
“Did you really mean what you said Xal?” Seizon breathed, gazing up at the mighty carnivore with near idolatry in his eyes. “I can be a pack leader?”
“Oh yes,” Xal nodded seriously. “In fact – perhaps when I’m past my best, you could even take over the revolution…”
“The revolution????” Seizon squawked in reply, his expression akin to someone receiving a kiss from the love of their life. However, he then scowled.
“How am I supposed to lead a revolution if you won’t tell me anything more about it?” he demanded.
Xal chuckled.
“What’s there to tell? Other than the brief, less-than-glamorous history behind it. You seem to have got all the characteristics that are required in such leadership anyway.”
“You think?”
Xal lowered his head until it was nearly level with Seizon’s.
“Oh yeah,” he said, the shadow of a grin flickering over his complexion. “Even with such a role, though, it’s important not to let it go to your head. Even if you’ve risen above the ranks and have the right features and characteristics to be a good leader, you can’t be everything. You will still make mistakes, and therefore, there always comes a time when you must listen to your followers.”
Seizon nodded.
“Is that extremely important?” he asked as an afterthought.
“Yes,” Xal replied very firmly. “It is of the paramount importance. You cannot be successful without taking advice from your followers and underlings. There would be little use for them otherwise. They are there to carry out your goals – but must be kept in the same mind-frame as you, to offer out incredible solutions you may not have thought of.”
Seizon smiled and nodded as he pondered this. He guessed it made sense.
“They must keep in the mind-frame of the revolution, right?” he asked his stepfather with insatiable excitement.
“Exactly,” Xal replied, a true smile now forming. “You and me Seizon, will have this world wrapped around our little claws one day. Right now, we’ve got to make the best of each other and also the best of those who are willing to serve us.”
*
It was still true, Seizon observed. He should still listen to his followers – and possibly now more than ever following Pyron’s death. Yes…but his calling should not waver. He still had someone higher he must serve.
“Xal,” he thought desperately. “I won’t let you down.”
Saureen eventually found Chomper’s scent, but to her distress, it only led up to a point amongst the flowers, and after that, couldn’t be followed anymore.
“How did he just vanish?” she exclaimed, wringing her hands anxiously.
“By a cunning little trick,” Al observed, pointing to a broken flower stem. “My only guess is that he smeared the petals over himself to disguise his scent – possibly from us, or from Nycha. But either way, we can still follow the impression his body made through these flower stems.”
“What happens once we get to the end of the flowers?” Lini asked.
“By that time we may have caught up with Nycha’s scent,” Seizon replied, nodding at Al, who smiled slightly back.
Seizon, bracing himself, gazed at the remnants of his pack.
“I accept I have made mistakes,” he said. “But I promise you I will not let two more of my companions die…trust me.”
This little announcement left them all feeling slightly non-plussed, but Seizon didn’t wait to see it. He instantly sprinted off through the plants, with Saureen soon following. Al was about to go too when Lini grabbed hold of his arm.
“Will you tell Saureen about Zyro?” she muttered.
Al paused.
“Not just yet,” he said. “She…well…she knows Xal. I don’t know if that could put her and us at risk. I will tell all of them eventually.” He tapped her playfully on the shoulder.
“Bear in mind I only told you because I needed a weight of my chest.” He smiled, and it was a smile that created an indeterminable and yet pleasurable feeling in Lini’s stomach.
They both quickly went to follow their companions.
*
Mists, trees, plentiful vegetation and beautiful cosmic displays…
Opal gave a great sigh. The Rocky Heathland was such a beautiful place, and yet according to claims from all the longnecks she had spoken too so far, the Great Valley was so awe-inspiringly lovely it made this place look like a pile of rubble.
If it was so popular though, she guessed it made sense that such a Valley held such a close association with the blurry memories that she felt coming back to her. But was that all? And what did this Ulciscor have to do with it? Opal couldn’t help feeling that she may have known him…
To distract herself from such unsettling thoughts, she wondered over to where Old One was squatting, merely thinking on the current situation, and her alliance with Zyro.
“Hello,” Opal greeted her uncertainly.
“Hello,” Old One replied politely. “Everything alright?”
“I think so,” Opal nodded. “I just never knew that regaining memories would be such a headache.” She grinned sheepishly.
“Well, I’d say just rest on it, my dear,” Old One told her. “It may make it a less painful experience then…besides, if we are ready to go to war soon, you’ll need all the rest you can get.”
“Hmm…” Opal murmured, gazing over the heathland to where the Sharptooth community was situated, having heeded their word about not interacting unless invited to.
“Do you trust them?” she asked.
“I don’t know…” Old One replied honestly. “So far they seem to be. I mean, when you’ve lived as long as I have, you will see many strange things, and such things will make you believe anything is possible.” She gave a small smile. “The kids seem to trust them, as they trusted a Sharptooth friend of theirs. So far, their judgement has been some of the most trustworthy I’ve ever seen.”
Opal nodded.
“Oh yes,” she agreed. “They’re a fantastic bunch aren’t they? I haven’t known them for long and I can already see that. But the spiketail kid…he doesn’t say a lot.”
“That’s true,” Old One affirmed. “I don’t know if he’s ever actually spoken at all.”
“Really?” Opal was aghast. “Hm…”
Old One looked down at her.
“Everything alright?”
“I think so…” she murmured. “It’s just…not speaking…its brought back a memory of someone I knew…”
“Who?”
Opal paused.
“Omendric,” she said finally. “His name was Omendric. He was always quiet, never speaking out…until that is, he moved on, become a successful leader…” she shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure…but speaking of leaders, what’s the deal with this longneck test?”
*
“Spectators may be banned from longneck tests,” Cera said with a wild grin. “But from up here we get an excellent vantage point!”
The Gang (minus Chomper, naturally) had situated themselves upon a hill overlooking the heathland, and could distinctly make out the figures of Shorty and Ali, in separate areas, being led through the features and details of the test by Bron and Ali’s mother respectively.
“Shame we can’t hear what they saying…” Petrie remarked.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Littlefoot replied. “I know what it goes along the lines of.”
“The test will be split into three separate tasks,” Bron explained, pacing around an impatient Shorty, whose tongue was hanging out in concentration, his mind set…
“Each task is supposed to test different longneck qualities,” Ali’s mother explained to her daughter. “And each task is completed by finding a red treestar.”
Ali nervously gazed around. She wasn’t entirely sure if she understood how this would work, but she supposed it was one of those things that you catch onto once you start.
“The third test is the hardest,” Littlefoot told his friends. “At least – depending on how you look at it. I just hope they both don’t make mistakes with it.”
“The test is normally given to a young longneck by their mother or father,” Bron said to Shorty. Shorty briefly snapped out of his single-minded focus to look up at Bron inquisitively.
“But…”
“Yeah…” Bron smiled slightly. The concept of Ulciscor being back in the Great Valley was quite harrowing to him, and it was still weighing on his mind. But he tried his best to forget about it for the time being. “I know you don’t have a mother or father, but I think I can fill that position very well.”
These words almost made Shorty’s heart melt. Bron had never quite been so direct with him before about his being like a son. It was one of those things that was known between them, but never voiced. And now it was, it felt like a whole new chapter was beginning. He would pass the test today. He knew it.
“They’re off!” Petrie suddenly yelled. And it was true. The tiny figures of Shorty and Ali had now sprinted off in their separate ways, beginning the test of strength, agility and endurance…
*
“Well,” Hyp said. “I’m glad to see you’re all here.”
Tria wasn’t so sure. It was bad enough that four-footers and two-footers were mingling, if not also for the fact that this secret meeting was to discuss problems with Ulciscor’s regime and rebellion. They might as well just join Kosh now…
It was at that moment that the image of Kosh came back. The clubtail who had been so courageous, and had been literally stamped out…this brought Tria back to her senses. They were to resist. Ulciscor would one day become a victim of his own madness, she was sure of it. But until then, she must do everything in her power to prevent more ordinary Valleians from becoming martyrs.
Hyp, Mutt and Nod had invited them to meet at a secret location in a swampy area that not many went to – ëthey’ were Tria, Ducky’s mother, Petrie’s mother and Mrs Maia. Four concerned mothers, desperately desiring a safer habit for their children.
“We understand of course,” Hyp said, his voice taking on a mature side none of the mothers had heard before. “That we shouldn’t keep you hear long. Not only may the Bludgeoners discover us, but you still have children you need to return to…I presume you have left them in capable hands?”
“Yes,” Ducky’s mother replied. “But please say we can come to a conclusion soon?”
“I hope so,” Mrs Maia agreed. “What do you even propose?”
“It’s just a small scheme,” Hyp replied. “But Mutt and I are willing, when you feel it is needed, to take any two-footer children (Nod can do any four-footed ones) to this sanctuary to escape the worst part of Ulciscor, Kai, or the Bludgeoner’s tempers.”
“You’d do that?” Petrie’s mother asked, her eyes shimmering with grateful tears.
“Yes,” Hyp replied, the smile on his face unmistakable. This was clearly no longer the rowdy bully who liked to terrorize hatchlings. He had grown into a mature young adult – and, given Ulciscor and the Bludgeoners not a moment too soon.
“But if we could please take a moment to consider the longnecks,” Ducky’s mother piped up. “They are being held almost in the personal custody of Ulciscor, just because he’s their son. Surely we should work to do something about them?”
“I’m sure we will eventually,” Tria affirmed. “But if there’s one person I’m worried about, it’s Doc.”
“Doc?” the rest of the group seemed puzzled.
“Why him?” Nod questioned. Tria shrugged.
“Well, the legend of the lone dinosaur states that he’s supposed to be watching over us,” she said. “Protecting us…you know? So, for someone as skilled and loyal as he’s supposed to be, why hasn’t he been here when our entire Valley has been conquered by a murderous deranged impostor?”
Her words were greeted with a short silence.
“That’s a good point…” Hyp observed. “I wonder where he is?”
But if the true Lone Dinosaur was not coming, then it seemed the only hope for them was the little kids he used to bully.
“Littlefoot and gang…” he thought admirably. “How far you’ve come. We hope you can liberate us soon.”
*
The code of the fastbiter – to maintain focus in dire situations. To use superior agility and intelligence to take down sheer brawn and any other face of adversity, and too win via your endurance. This is what the tetrarchy claimed, but as Chomper watched in wide-eyed horror, tightly restrained by two burly fastbiters, all he could see was the individual he vowed to look after getting beaten to a bloody pulp.
The tetrarchy had taken them both into a high hollow cave, where, to their utter surprise, what seemed to be the entire pack was waiting. While Chomper was restrained at the side-lines, Nycha was forced to defend herself against a relentless battering from all of the fastbiters, led by the tetrarchy.
“Keep your guard up hatchling!” Pagetona snapped at her, taking a violent swipe at Nycha’s head. Chomper couldn’t tear his eyes away as the claws make contact, sending Nycha careering backwards again onto the stone floor, flecks of her blood splattering onto the ground, ugly red claw marks now visible down her face, still bleeding…
Chomper tried to call out to Nycha as she staggered to her feet, but it seemed his voice had been snatched from him as easily as his freedom. And anyway, what could he have said? Despite the fact that not all the fastbiters were attacking her at once (many holding back and waiting their turn whilst a few others pummelled) it was clear this was far from a fair fight. He got the impression that if this went on any longer, she would be killed.
The voracious dinosaurs paused in their assault as Nycha, panting and with blood running down her face, scrutinized them all carefully with her bright green eyes. Chomper only just realised how much of her brother there was in them. He only hoped the light wouldn’t fade from them in the same way…
Romov (the pink deep-voiced member of the tetrarchy) made the first move, bolting forward without a word, maw opened wide…
Nycha responded the only way she could think of. She promptly leapt backwards as far as she could, covering an impressive five metres before hitting the ground, crouching as her claw’s scraped across the stone floor. She was out of Romov’s reach, but this gave her very little play, as at that moment a jet-black fastbiter pounced upon her, sinking his teeth into her back. Nycha’s screams of pain echoed around the high cave walls, piercing through Chomper’s skull and freezing his spine. His powerlessness plunged deep within him as the blood trickled out of Nycha’s wounds, staining her lilac feathers scarlet.
But then something astonishing happened. Nycha lashed out.
Her fore claws took a hefty swipe at the fastbiter’s head, catching its snout and causing a light sting - enough for him to let go. Nycha took full advantage of this release by promptly leaping high into the air, and performing a skilled rotation of her body that eventually brought her sinister toe-claws hard on top of the raptor’s skull.
The vicious wound that the fastbiter now displayed was unmistakable, as it collapsed to the ground from the force of the kick. Nycha, landing expertly next to him, jumped to the side as Mei, the mahogany female tetrarchy member charged her, getting wrong-footed as the lilac fastbiter rolled SAS-style over the ground, righting herself again and spitting blood out of her mouth ready for more.
And it was clear that another small pause was taking place in the attacking – the fastbiters were clearly impressed. When pushed to the edge, it seemed that Nycha really came into herself. With adrenalin coursing through her veins, avoiding attack, and even retaliating against it, became all too easy.
“Has she ever shown this amount of endurance before?” Pagetona muttered to Fang.
Fang shook his head.
“Though admittedly, she’s never been in the situation where she’s had to defend herself alone,” he said. “It’s possible that she herself is only just discovering this.”
Nycha continued to breathe heavily, feeling her heart hammering against her chest. Sweat was dripping to the floor as it mingled with the endless blood, but somehow she wasn’t focusing too much on it anymore. The only thing she felt like doing was attacking – attacking these monsters that had killed her parents with no regret so long ago. Reaping revenge felt glorious, and she was prepared to fulfil it. The blood was not just dripping from her body, it was also pounding through her head.
As Chomper stared at Nycha now, the familiarity he saw in her eyes was no longer Pyron’s. The hatred, the anger and the desire for revenge – it was him he saw now, and how he had reacted following Pyron’s death. He swallowed as he remembered what he had done following that. She had to calm down before she completely forgot herself. Besides, he had the feeling Pagetona would up the offence now that Nycha was more capable of resisting.
He was right. Suddenly came an almighty charge from almost twenty fastbiters, all intent on finishing Nycha of for good by the sounds of things…and it was amidst all the snarls and screeches of this bloodthirsty mob that Chomper finally found his voice.
“NYCHA!!!” he screamed. “THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE-”
But he was cut short by a severe blow to the back of the head by one of his fastbiter guards. Unlike Nycha’s previous attempt, this blow was something genuine, and Chomper’s vision blurred very quickly until he was out cold.
Nycha had heard his scream, and as she saw him being knocked out, the murder inside her dimmed a little and a few of her senses rushed back…
“You shouldn’t have to let their presence linger on you for years to come – break free! There is so much more to everything you see and realise. You should just learn to be yourself. Because those who matter, don’t mind it. And those who mind it don’t matter.”
She had hardly paid attention to these words when Chomper first spoke it, but now she reflected on what had been said. Here she was, ruthlessly lashing out at the pack, but by doing so, playing right into their hands into becoming a murderous killing machine like them – or by dying, either of which would have served them extremely well. And yet there was a voice, one that had to be silenced because of its desperation, which actually considered her important enough to be maintained the way she was. Something she had been fighting against for years…
When Pagetona pounced down, Nycha made her decision. She leapt once again, skidding back along the ground and making, not for her oppressors, but for the stone wall. Quickly, she began to shin her way up it, hoping to reach a sanctuary to give herself thinking time. But about halfway up, and with Fang and many more fastbiters in pursuit, a whole section of the wall crumbled away…
It was an impressive sight to behold, as this great mass of rock and dinosaur tumbled down to the ground, individuals flying in all directions and Nycha, at the centre of it all, still attempting to stagger to her feet, coughing up blood as she did so, determined not to take death lying down.
But now no fastbiters were moving. All were looking at her with curiosity, even admiration. Eventually, Pagetona stepped forward.
“Well Nycha,” she said, fixing her with a steely glare which Nycha unwaveringly returned.
“It seems we underestimated your skills. What you have shown is an incredible amount of resilience and intuition. A sign of a good hunter. Overnight, we shall consider your position carefully, and for today, we shall leave this endurance test.”
“Right…” Nycha mumbled, nodding uncertainly. “So what happens to me now?”
“You shall spend the night upon an icy outcrop on the east of the mountain,” Pagetona replied. “And…” she gazed disdainfully in the direction of the unconscious Chomper. “The twigarm shall join you…”
*
The Bright Circle winked its merry light over the Rocky Heathland as it descended in the sky. Opal was busy eating at the shrubs that were around, ravenously bolting them down with a euphoric smile on her face. And she had found an eating companion.
Spike too was tucking into the green food as he was all too happily taking his place with Opal. As usual, he hadn’t said a word to her, but Opal was perfectly happen to have a silent companion. She guessed that that way, they could eat more.
Spike’s friends were watching the two of them intently.
“How can they eat so much?” Ruby asked in an almost awed voice.
“It’s a spiketail thing,” Cera replied in a half-amused tone. “Don’t try and understand it…”
Littlefoot heard the words, but wasn’t really listening. He was lying on the ground, his head flat against it, thinking rather deeply about something he probably should been more concerned about to begin with.
A ruthless, sinister longneck called Ulciscor had taken over the entire Great Valley – and Ulciscor thought along the same lines as Kai. It made Littlefoot shudder to imagine Kai imposing his values upon the Valley residents on pain of death, so how much worse would the originator of these ideas be? For the first time, Littlefoot found himself worrying feverishly about his grandparents and everyone else in the Valley. What were they going through right now? And then there was his dad. Did he know this Ulciscor? And if so, how?
In an attempt to put his mind at rest, Littlefoot now examined Opal and Spike dining happily together.
“It’s strange…” he murmured. “They seem so alike…”
“That’s because they’re both ravenous spiketails!” Cera responded, with the air of someone explaining that one plus one is two to an obtuse toddler.
Littlefoot shook his head.
“There’s more to it than that. Somehow they seem…”
“Littlefoot! Cera! Guys!” The call came from over a small hill, causing the gang, plus Opal to look up expectantly at Ali, who now came sprinting towards them all, delight etched firmly in her face
“I passed!” she crowed, practically on the verge of ecstatic tears. “I passed!!”
“That’s amazing!” Littlefoot replied, all thoughts of Ulciscor temporarily forgotten. Him and Ali embraced in the awkward longneck way that involves the collision of bodies, as the other members of gang gathered around to offer their congratulations.
“Thanks guys!” Ali replied, wiping her eyes with her tail. “Means a lot!”
“What about Shorty?” Littlefoot asked, noticing his step-brother slowly sauntering towards them in the distance.
“Ah,” Ali’s smile slipped a little. “Umm…well…he only just failed. He…he didn’t do the third test correctly and well…”
“Mmm…” Littlefoot replied sympathetically, nodding his head understandingly.
“He did great on the other two though,” Ali assured. “Finished them both far quicker than I could have done.” She sighed. “Bron told him it’s not a big deal – he can retake it another time and he’s sure to pass.”
By this time Shorty was in earshot. His expression was fairly devoid of emotion, causing an unbelievable stir of sympathy from everyone watching.
“I’m sorry Shorty,” Littlefoot said earnestly.
“Yeah,” Cera affirmed. “Good luck for next time.”
“We sure you can do it next time, yep, yep, yep!” Ducky added.
Shorty gave them a slightly puzzled look before turning to Ali in what was unmistakable anger.
“I could have told them myself you know!” he snapped.
Ali took a step back.
“Sorry,” she replied. “I just thought that-”
“Well, you thought wrong then, didn’t you?” Shorty growled, kicking a nearby pebble in his frustration. “But I suppose, if you’re a herd leader, by opinion doesn’t really matter…”
“Shorty…” Ali crooned, gingerly stepping closer to him. “I’m so sorry – I should have known better, I know. I was just excited and…”
“It’s OK…” Shorty muttered, not looking at her. “I guess you, at least, have something to be excited about…congratulations.”
Ali stepped towards him and nuzzled him gently.
“We’re all behind you on this one,” she whispered to him, although the statement seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“How do such tests even work?” Screech asked of his brother, scrutinizing the exchange between the kids in the distance.
“Don’t ask me,” Thud replied, tucking into a fish he had just caught. “I ain’t a longneck…”
As Zyro had said, they had to be very careful not to do anything that would entice a reaction from the leaf-eaters, and therefore, hoarding large amounts of dinosaur prey right under their judgemental gaze was strictly forbidden. For the smaller sharpteeth, this was not too much of a problem, as lizards, fish and insects were in abundance around this heathland, but for larger sharpteeth, these were two small to satisfy appetites even on a temporary basis. Therefore, Zyro had permitted large sharpteeth to temporarily leave the heathland in order to go hunting for large leaf-eater prey elsewhere, provided they kept the carcasses out there.
Right now, two such large sharpteeth were preparing to hunt.
Their names were Ross and Rhea – not overly familiar names, but to the rest of us, they are simply Chomper’s parents.
“Ross…” Rhea murmured to her mate. “For everything Zyro’s done…are you sure he can return our son to us, alive and well?”
“I have every faith in him, dear,” Ross replied, a trifle impatiently. “Please do not worry anymore.”
“I’m a mother,” Rhea snapped back. “I think I have every right to be worried. You can never be sure which sharpteeth to put your faith in…a fact of which I’m sure you’re aware?”
Ross merely grunted, but after a few minutes, he began to pick up a strange scent.
“Hang on,” he said. “What’s that?”
“Are you changing the subject again?” Rhea asked wearily.
“Seriously,” he said. “I think there’s another twoclaw in the vicinity…”
“Redclaw?” Rhea questioned, every sense suddenly alert.
“No…” Ross replied, sniffing intently. “Come on – let’s pursue him…I have reason to believe he is not moving – possibly hurt. Come on.”
The two of them continued to sniff around until they came to the source of the smell. It was indeed a twoclaw, one with an elegant pattern of tiger stripes, and he was lying on his stomach, breathing heavily. Ross may have been right, and this individual was hurt. He was certainly exhausted. When he saw the two other twoclaws approaching him, he groaned.
“Please…” he whispered. “I mean you no trouble…”
“We don’t doubt it,” Rhea replied, obvious motherly warmth being emitted as she spoke. “Listen, I think we may be able to help you. What’s your name?”
The twoclaw was immediately alert.
“Ferox,” he said. “And please – I desperately need your help. I am on the run from a deranged bladeback.”
“Who?”
“His name is Xal.”
Ross and Rhea exchanged startled looks.
“I think you’d better come with us,” Ross said.
*
As the night closed in, an icy wind whirled up the snowy debris around the two young Sharptooth as they sat, shivering upon the rocky outcrop near the top of White Mountain. It didn’t matter to them that their true pack was on their way to retrieve them – they weren’t aware of this, and there was little they could do against the bitter cold.
For something to do, Nycha distracted herself by licking her wounds that she had sustained during her gruelling endurance test. Chomper watched her, wanting desperately to say something, but unsure of what…
“You did a good show back there,” he commented.
Nycha paused in her licking and looked up at him, bewilderment clearly visible in her eyes.
“How do you mean a good show?” she asked. “You were unconscious for the best bit!”
“True,” Chomper replied, grinning sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. It was still painful, and he could only hope it would lessen. “So…do you know what’s going to happen now?”
Nycha sighed and shook her head.
“My only guess is,” she said slowly. “Is that it won’t be overly good for either of us. I’ve been such an idiot. I can’t believe I thought this was a viable alternative for Seizon’s pack. What must you think of me?”
It was an honest question, and clearly one that wasn’t meant to be rhetorical. Nycha was looking intently as Chomper sat and pondered this.
“I think,” he said eventually. “That everyone makes mistakes. And some do have viable excuses for them. It must be terrible feeling how you feel. Inadequate in comparison to everyone, feeling like everyone’s to blame – and then having your brother snatched away from you like that…no wonder you went to pieces.” He smiled sadly at her.
“I’m sorry Nycha,” he said eventually. “I should have seen it coming a long time before, how you felt about everything. I should have been more open with you.”
“You’re sorry?” Nycha gave a slight sniff of laughter. “It’s me who should be sorry. I’ve been unbelievable foul to you, and for what reason? Well, because I was trying to find a scapegoat for my shortcomings. Leaf-eaters and everyone associated with them. I’ve failed to see how open you can be with others, and my failure to do so was the reason you couldn’t be open with me. I’m sorry.”
Pondering this, Chomper got to his feet and paced around slightly, before turning back to her, a small smile on his face.
“It looks like we’ve both got something to be sorry for,” he said. “We’re both used to being outcasts as well – looks like we’ve got more in common than we think.”
“Mmm…” Nycha seemed uninterested as she turned away. “Yeah – except even as an outcasted Sharptooth in a whole community of leaf-eaters, you’ve still got people who care for you, are ready to comfort you when you need it…”
“And yet you don’t think I don’t ever doubt their commitment almost every day?” Chomper asked, staring at her incredulously. Nycha looked back and was amazed to see Chomper was smiling.
“Perhaps the reason I can be more friendly and open with them,” Chomper said to her, moving closer, “is because I’ve only ever been treated with love in various different upbringings, and so, that’s all I can express to others. But you – having your parents killed before you and being chased out of your home. That’s got to put a severe knock on your personality, right?”
Nycha nodded slowly.
“I guess so…”
“And that’s also, I guess, why you fail to see how much of a part you are of us!” Chomper continued, brilliantly. Nycha’s eyes were fixed on him, staring at him like she had never seen him before. Chomper still pressed on.
“People’s perceptions can be flawed,” he said. “One gesture of love may be seen as hate by another. It’s not the fault of those people, but how they were brought up. I’m sure you will agree with me Nycha, that everything that has come to pass you is by no means your fault, and has put an unfair warp into your personality, but I think, somewhere inside you…” He placed a hand on her chest.
“There is still that wonderful, fun-filled Nycha that Pyron told me about. And I will admit, I didn’t see it before, but I can see it now. What you’ve become Nycha, is no fault of yours. And you can fight back against it. Because Pyron was my brother, you are now my sister, and that’s how it will remain. I’m not here to replace him – nobody can do that, but I promise I will try my best to take up the work he’s done, and bring you back to where you should be. The head-strong, independent amazing Nycha that’s all he and I ever wanted you to be. And the Nycha that is a key part to our pack and family, and will always be, for the rest of time.”
As Chomper continued with this wonderful speech, Nycha grew more and more emotional, her green eyes shimmering with tears. Once Chomper had finally finished, a warm smile etched into his mouth and eyes, the tears finally began to flow, and with a strangled joyful sob, she flung her arms around him in a crushing embrace.
“Whoa…” Chomper muttered, quite taken aback.
“Thank you…thank you Chomper…” Nycha muttered in his ear, wiping her eyes. “Oh…why was I ever so cruel to you? I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t be,” Chomper assured her, his smile returning as he patted her on the back.
Nycha eventually released him, still wiping her eyes. Now, a smile of her own was growing on her face.
“A brother to me, eh?” she grinned. “I like it. You know, it was you crying out to me during the endurance test that forced me to come to myself. And I take it we’re still committed to doing everything in Pyron’s memory?”
“Definitely,” Chomper grinned back.
“Excellent,” Nycha replied, winking. “Chomper – I’m so glad I met you. Pyron was lucky to as well…before he died. You’ve shown us both there are so many ways of living, and you’ve got to pick the right for yourself. Honestly, despite what I’ve said before, you’re the best friend I ever could have. Calling you a brother…” she sighed happily. “Is no problem for me.”
“Well, to sleep I think?” Chomper said, so glad he had finally reached out to her. “And then we can decide what we should do next tomorrow?”
“Yep,” Nycha replied. “I hope the others are here for us then…”
The two of them settled down to sleep, cuddling close together for warmth. Just before they drifted off, Nycha muttered,
“Chomper, do you think snoring is catching?”
“No…” Chomper murmured back. “Why?”
“You’ve been sleeping near Lini,” she chuckled back. “So for me, it’s quite a worry!”
Chomper beamed, and closed his eyes.
Elsewhere however, four fastbiters were debating what should be done next.
“I have no trouble in keeping Nycha in the pack,” Mei said evenly. “Her performance today was extraordinary. I think she has the makings of a pack member.”
“You’ve got to consider her background though,” Fang countered. “Without any family to guide her, she may turn rogue…”
“If she does, we can dispose of her easily,” Romov said calmly. “But if you ask me, the real problem is the twoclaw.”
“Agreed…” Pagetona replied, the only member of the tetrarchy standing. “I don’t know what attraction he has towards her, be we cannot let it be a burden any longer.” She sighed.
“I think we’re all agreed,” she said. “That in the early hours of the morning, we’re taking to this stalker away and killing him.”
~0~
Oh, and it was all going so well. :lol
Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As you can see, Nycha's undergone a BIG transformation, but my only concern is that this chapter was rushed. I don't know if Chomper or Nycha should have said more to each other. :oops If you have any ideas, please let me know. :p
Oh, and Hyp, there's another transformation! Things between Seizon and Saureen are heating up...speaking of Seizon, I'm worried if you fail to see the similarity between him and Shorty (think step-fathers). Alas, poor Shorty. Oh, and hi Ferox!
Anyway, give me your thoughts, and thanks for reading!!!
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I thought Chomper and Nycha said enough to each other in that chapter, but then again, I don't like overly soapy moments much. :lol
Nycha trying to join her old pack reminds me of some kind of cult initiation ceremony or something. :blink: They're just trying to see what kind of horrible things they can do to her. It's scary that she's pretty much been... brainwashed to desperately want their admiration.
I really wanna see some more interaction between flatteeth and sharpteeth, but you already knew that. :p
Now back to work on my... project. :DD
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The way these characters keep having these terrifying transformations is making me want to hide in the battered old shed and never come out! Seriously, can't blame Nycha for the way she acted.
I adore Chomper's speech there. It's great to see these two finally getting on. I love some good ol' character development!
I'm with Saureen here... Seizon's kinda getting on my nerves with his worshipping of Xal and the revolution. Maybe I should knock some sense into him... :smile
Aw, poor Shorty with the longneck test. It was nice to see the way Bron is with him, though. I think with the way Shorty is, his reaction was quite understandable. You seem to have captured his character well. :yes
Omg Hyp changed. He's... mature... :o Oh... so he's plotting with some of the mothers. Do I blame him? This Great Valley isn't so great anymore... I wonder if Grandma and Grandpa are okay, though. :cry
Well, hello there, Ferox! Fancy being rescued by Chomper's parents. :o
Uh oh, I hope Chomper will be able to escape the Tetrarchy. :goodluck
Well, I think you know what I'm going to say to this. Great work again, Toby. Can't wait for the next chapter. :exactly
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What really admire is how easily you change between the character scenarios - it's like you're flipping a switch :yes effortlessly done, and makes for smoother storyline!
Oh wow, too many things to say about this chapter. I guess I'll start with Nycha and Chomper - nervous about what may happen, but so very, very glad that they had that chance to make up and really connect. As for the tetrarchy, they deserve to be stampeded, I'm sorry, I don't like characters to die, but you've opened my eyes up to how cruel characters CAN be, so yeah, they can die and I won't feel a whit of sympathy :p
Happy about the progress of the rebel Valleians, sounds like they've got a chance :)
And at this point I'm just hopping up and down and going "OPAL!!! WILL YOU GET A MOMENT OF REVELATION ALREADY?!?!" XDD
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And here be the next chapter! You'd better to enjoy it! :o ;) I think its important to stress how important and pivotal this chapter is - included within it is the long-awaited flashback concerning Ulciscor...and there will be more to come. With the exception of Ulciscor's flashback (that is told more as a narrator's story) thoughts and flashbacks will be indicated in italics.
Umm...enjoy!!! (Mild language.)
Chapter Seventeen: A Sibling Connection
It was on the same moonless night which saw a large bellydragger lying silently within a forest, deep in thought. Her nostrils quivered in the chilled air as she detected a vaguely familiar scent approach her from above.
“What do you want Ichy?” she growled.
“Want?” Ichy sounded rather amused as he perched on her snout. “Not a lot actually – Xal doesn’t seem to have much use for me now. He told me there’s no point in going in pursuit of Seizon any more if they’re on their way back. And he said going after Ferox was, after this time, a pointless activity, as our enemies have no way of discovering any new motives anyway, cause, well…there are none.”
“He’s right,” Dil grunted. “So what’s your point?”
“My point is - I’m bored!!” Ichy whined. “Even that damn Redclaw gets extensive training and energetic activity, as a member of the Piercer Platoon. Perhaps even soon a commander! I want to get on with this glorious revolution! I want to fight and…what???”
For Dil was now laughing humourlessly at him, shaking her head and causing him to tremble.
“You, in a fight?” she cackled. “You wouldn’t last two seconds against any of those hefty Bludgeoners! Or the Piercer’s for that matter…”
“You can’t see to land blows on anyone!” Ichy snapped back. “You’ll someone giving you directions like some sort of tour guide. And anyway, why would we need to fight Piercers? They’re on our side.”
“Maybe…” Dil sighed. “But I get the feeling that, to Xal, and certainly more so to this nutter Gigas, we’ll be nothing but a burden upon this army once the time is right, and we’ll have to fight our way out of this forest against the Piercers once he sets them on us. I swear they’re giving me contemptuous glares already…”
Ichy shook his head dismissively.
“Nah,” he said. “Must have been a squint. And yes, that was a direct reference to your appalling eyesight. Look, Xal knows better than to get rid of us. He can’t do this without us – we are the core fighters and cornerstones of any such army as this! To get rid of us would be…well…”
“Hang about…” Dil murmured, her ears pricking up. “What’s that?”
Ichy quickly shut up and tuned his ears into what was being said as well. And, with his superior eyesight, he could make out who it was who was talking.
Between a gap in the branches of the trees ahead of them, Xal and Redclaw’s silhouettes were visible against the cloudy night sky. Their conversation was not hushed, which seemed as though Xal had no shame at all with being associated with the one he had previously despised. This was rather unsettling to the curious pair, as they strained their ears to listen in.
“I’m impressed,” Xal was saying. And he sounded it too – he was never one to show emotions too obviously. “You’re progressing well with the Piercer Platoon.”
“Thank you, Xal,” Redclaw replied. “I take it that means I’m liable for a commanding position?”
Xal hesitated.
“Perhaps,” he replied eventually. “But be careful where you stand Redclaw! The memories of your tyranny have not gone away…”
“Of course…” Although it was difficult to see in the darkness, Ichy got the impression from the way Redclaw said those last two words that an immortal grin was spreading across his face.
“We’ll see how well you comply with our plan,” Xal replied levelly. “That Ambassador of ours is required for our revolution to work. He shall tell us exactly what we need to know to annex the entire Valley. And despite your past with them, you will allow him to do that.”
“Certainly,” Redclaw replied. “However…”
At that moment, the clouds in the sky behind swept aside, allowing the Night Circle to beam down upon them, illuminating Redclaw’s face. Ichy and Dil were barely able to hide their gasps as they saw this contorted, leering mask of evil shining in the darkness before them.
“If he needs persuading…” Redclaw hissed. “If he is reluctant to help us…may I give him that little ëboost’ he needs?”
Xal closed his eyes. Even with the moonlight, his expression was still unreadable.
“Yes,” he said. “Whatever works…”
*
As dawn began to break, four exhausted travellers found themselves in a chilling wasteland.
“White Mountain?” Lini looked around, puzzled. “Are you sure this is right?”
“This is where their scent leads,” Al replied, shrugging.
“What would they come here for though?” Saureen pondered, gazing up at the mighty pearly mountain.
“There could be a whole host of reasons,” Seizon shot back, flexing his arms. “Let’s just get on with getting them back!”
Alas, what Seizon was unaware of was the fact that another group was closing in upon the sleeping pair. It was a shame they didn’t stick by and watch them for longer – Chomper and Nycha cuddled up together like siblings to sleep was a phenomenon that had never occurred before. But what did they care? Nycha was the only one viable to join their pack. To them, Chomper was simply a waste of space.
Romov and Mei had been given the task of nabbing him without waking Nycha. It was not the easiest of tasks, but using their precision and skill, they carefully plucked him from the spot and clamped their claws over his snout.
Chomper was immediately awake, but all he could do was eye the situation horror-struck as his muffled cries failed to wake up his sleeping companion.
“Sorry love…” Mei hissed, her tongue snaking out over her teeth. “But you’re no longer of use to us. You cannot remain in our pack, and so we are going to dispose of you. But fear not – it shall be done honourably and traditionally. You will have your throat cut by a member of the tetrarchy’s sickle-claw. Such a swift and merciless death don’t you think?” She cackled softly and Romov rolled his eyes.
“Cease talking Mei, we have a job to do. Let’s just get him back to the cave.”
“Of course,” Mei replied, still grinning. “Sorry twoclaw – but you’re a pointless waste of space! We need to do something…”
Still carrying Chomper and restraining him tightly, she and Romov headed away. As luck would have it, just a few moments later, Nycha awoke blearily, stretching, yawning, and reminiscing in what was the best night’s sleep she had had in ages, with someone who was now a brother…
And speaking of which, where was that brother?
She looked around the small outcrop she and Chomper and slept on. He may have gone off to hunt for breakfast, but surely the footprints would tell such a story?
She gazed down at the footprints still visible in the snow. There were no sign of Chomper’s, just two sets of adult fastbiters’…
The penny dropped and the terrifying truth sunk deep into Nycha’s heart. She had witnessed it before, the tetrarchy’s so-called ënecessary killing,’ where sharpteeth thought to be intruding on the pack’s sovereignty in whatever area they were in, were killed in front of everyone before the body was immediately cannibalized…
With a sickening wrench of her gut, Nycha suddenly had a vision of Pagetona smiling sadly at her and saying, ëSorry, but it looks as though your twig-armed friend just run away and left you. Looks like he wasn’t such a good companion after all.’
Nycha’s blood began to boil. It would be just like them, wouldn’t it? Covering up their horrendous crimes by twisting the tales and characters of their victims. Well, Nycha had now grown to be wiser to that. The tetrarchy may not think much of Chomper, but to Nycha, he was one of the most important people in the world – a wonderful and selfless Sharptooth who had helped Pyron release her from the prison inside her head. And now the tetrarchy, who had been the cause of the prison in the first place, was trying to take him away. Well, no more. Nycha no longer cared for consequences. Today was the judgement day, where everything in her life would finally come to a head, and she would do everything in her power to save the ones she cared about.
Because they cared for her first.
*
Kai, flanked by two Bludgeoners, slowly approached Ulciscor.
“Nothing sir,” he said. Ulciscor nodded slowly.
“Right…no sign of any work being neglected? Not even a little bit?”
“Well, it’s difficult to assess,” Kai replied. “But nothing that we can see.”
Ulciscor frowned. Yesterday he had received a strange report from a Bludgeoner, telling him that the usual population of the Valley seemed to have shrunk somewhat – at least sometimes, with many Valleians missing for hours at a time. Judging by the security outside the Great Wall, there was no chance of them having left the Valley itself. Not to mention the normal labour was being completed to a sufficient standard.
“If this is another rebellious ploy,” Ulciscor snapped at them. “Then it needs to be stamped out at once. Kai, I need you to search the Valley for me, this time as thorough as you can make it, searching for any location that these dinosaurs may hide in during their absentee period. And if you can, what they need such a location for.”
“On it,” Kai nodded, moving off quickly.
“And Shock,” Ulciscor said, addressing a Bludgeoner commander. “I need you and the other Bludgeoners to interrogate as many other Valley members as you can, seeing if they know anything about the whereabouts of the usual suspects.” He smiled briefly. “And if they seem to be with-holding information, beat it out of them.”
Shock nodded and also moved off.
Ulciscor closed his eyes as if praying for patience. Noticing this, a certain someone in a nearby tree laughed.
“If you want a secret location found, Ulciscor,” Rinkus cackled. “Then look no further!”
Ulciscor fixed him with a contemptuous glare.
“I wasn’t asking you,” he spat. “I needed you only for keeping in contact with my allies.”
“Surely you can think of better usage?” Rinkus asked, looking mildly disgruntled.
“I have no need for a cackling klutz anymore,” Ulciscor yawned. “Rinkus – consider this an honourable discharge.”
“What?!”
“You heard me.” Ulciscor was walking away now. It was clear he was bored with the conversation already. “Now I suggest you leave…unless…” He twisted back to look at the flyer.
“Unless you want to be discharged with something a little bit more dramatic? Do I even need to remind you of that damn clubtail?”
Rinkus’ face was twisted into an ugly expression. Actually, it was ugly before he had started, but now it was even worse.
“I can’t believe you,” he muttered. “I joined you willingly out of the sheer hatred I have for these stupid people and you just-”
“It’s not about revenge,” Ulciscor interrupted. “It’s about putting the world right.”
Scowling, Rinkus spread his wings and took flight.
“You’ll regret this Ulciscor!” he growled as he flew away over the mountains and out of sight.
“Of that,” Ulciscor murmured to himself. “I have no intention.”
*
Pagetona’s eyes shimmered with a sadistic delight as she surveyed Chomper, kneeling before her, his arms spread out as they were held to tightly by Romov and Fang, their respective feet pinning down his shoulders, securing him tightly.
“Looks like you got the short straw,” she hissed. “I shall be the one to end your insignificant life. Any last words?”
“Oh yeah,” Chomper growled in reply, lifting his head up to face her, venom in his eyes. “When the time finally comes for you to die, take the time you have left to consider what a pointless thing your life has been. Consider how you, unlike me, have nothing to die for.”
It was clear such a statement had got right under Pagetona’s pure white skin. She bristled angrily, a soft snarl emitting between her gritted teeth.
“To die for?” she snapped. “What a sentimentally worthless phrase, befitting with your worthless life. And worthless words can’t save you now!”
“That’s funny,” Chomper replied, still as coolly as ever. “That’s all I’ve heard from you.”
By now, Pagetona’s eye had developed a twitch. Wisely refraining from saying anything more, she took a few steps back and slowly raised her leg.
In a sudden flurry of movement she spun her way forward, lashing her leg out…
Chomper swallowed and closed his eyes. So this was it…
But the blow never came, and all Chomper heard was a crunch and a shriek of pain from Pagetona herself. Opening his eyes, he saw what had happened, and felt an intense rush of warmth filling his heart and hope and flowing through the rest of his body.
In a single act that avoided personal injury, a small individual had got between Chomper and Pagetona, chomping down fiercely on the latter’s foot, preventing her from sinking her claws into Chomper and herself. And Chomper recognised the lilac feathers and determined little green eyes immediately.
“Nycha!” he cried in delight. Nycha winked at him and promptly twisted her neck, sending Pagetona, who was already off-balance, sliding straight into Fang, forcing him to let go of Chomper’s arm. Better prepared, Chomper then immediately wriggled free from Romov’s grip also and ran towards Nycha. The two greeted each other with a one-armed hug as they ran for cover – the rest of the fastbiters weren’t too happy with what had just taken place.
“There’s got to be an easier way out!” Chomper panted.
They had just reached the mouth of the cave, the rest of the fastbiters almost catching up with them, when they were both suddenly grabbed…
“What…?” Nycha gasped.
Four familiar young sharpteeth had grabbed the two of them, and had pulled them to the side, where the six of them all began to roll haphazardly down the slope, gathering snow as they went, the fastbiters reluctant to follow them.
They eventually reached the bottom of the slope, collapsing in a heap, slightly worse for wear, blinking bemusedly.
Then they all burst out laughing.
The six of them were just sitting there, almost in hysterics, laughing about what had just happened. All burden at that point seemed to vanish, Chomper felt. Nycha’s self-loathing and anger had gone, they had escaped from the hands of the tetrarchy, and the pack had come to rescue them. Everything seemed fine…right?
Saureen immediately seized Chomper and pulled him into a tight hug, with Lini doing the same, before moving on and giving Nycha the same treatment – as did Saureen.
“Good to see you,” Seizon grinned, jovially greeting Chomper with a fierce handshake. “How’re things?” It was as though Chomper had just gone out on a day trip.
“Great actually,” Chomper replied. “Nycha’s really turned a corner…”
He beamed back at her. “That was some dramatic entrance Nycha,” he chuckled. Nycha laughed.
“Thanks!” she beamed back.
“Yeah…Pyron would have been proud at what you’ve achieved,” Chomper added tenderly.
Nycha nodded, still smiling proudly, a faraway look in her eyes. For the first time, the entire group was getting along. Being held together, just the way Pyron had desired.
“Oh brother,” she thought dreamily, Pyron’s grinning, orange feathered head appearing in her consciousness. “How far you’ve plucked this group from the depths!”
Al sniffed the air briefly.
“I hate to break this up,” he said. “But I think our chuckle may be short-lived.”
He predicted correctly, for at that moment, Mei, the mahogany red tetrarchy member leapt down from a small peak in front of them.
“Too right!” she snarled. “You lot have got a lot to answer for!”
“You think?” Lini snarled back. “You have no power to wield over us!”
She was angry, a fact that rendered Chomper quite non-plussed. Lini was never angry – she always took her bubbly attitude and applied it to everything under the sun. Now however, all of that bubble was gone, her sapphire eyes taking on a new attitude, as icy as the wind that criss-crossed around her, and her shocking red scales may well have been from a smoking mountain.
Mei, unfazed, gave a derisive cackle.
“Oh yeah?” she sneered. “And who are you to stop me…?”
She was caught off guard when Lini responded by promptly barrelling into her, ramming her forcefully with her powerful cranium and sending her staggering into the snow.
“You guys concentrate on getting away from here before those other punks get to us,” Lini said to the pack, her eyes still furiously fixed on Mei. “I’m dealing with this bitch. Saureen?”
“Yeah.” Saureen looked riled too. She strode forward to take her place next to Lini. “I’ll deal with her too.”
“We can’t leave any of you here!” Nycha protested, standing her ground.
“We’ll be fine!” Lini insisted. “Besides, you can help find an escape route that avoids all of the other fastbiters, and then come back for us – by which time we’ll be done with this one!”
“Got it,” Seizon nodded. “Good luck.”
As both Lini and Saureen allowed their righteous anger to take over them and leapt upon the snarling Mei, the other four made a hasty skedaddle.
“A girls’ fight, I guess?” Al chuckled, nudging Chomper. “You don’t want to get in their way when they’re riled up.”
“How come I couldn’t stay then…?” Nycha murmured reproachfully.
“Believe me, you’ve been through enough already,” Chomper assured her, smiling a little before taking her hand and squeezing it tightly.
He didn’t know quite why he chose that moment to do such a thing, but for Nycha, this was a zenith. Everything in her life concerning how badly the tetrarchy had treated her and her family was finally coming to a head. She was bound to be windswept by this whole affair, and so any comforting action, no matter how small, would hopefully make her feel slightly calmer. It seemed to do the trick – already the two of them seemed to have a sibling connection.
“Heads up!” Seizon suddenly yelled. The other three saw exactly what he was yelling about and instantly leapt back down the snowy slope as a whole gang of fastbiters descended upon them. Their sliding misplaced a lot of the snow and ice, sending it under the feet of the upright fastbiters and causing their top-heavy statures to slip and tumble at high speeds further down the slope and…
The four young sharpteeth hadn’t had time to find a better location, and, unbeknownst to them, had took their escape route just above a sheer drop about a hundred metres down. Being smaller and already tucked into a relatively safe sliding position, the pack members did not slip over the edge. Other fastbiters however, weren’t quite as lucky. There were terrified screeches and scrapples and the icy rocks as a whole load of them went tumbling over the precipice to their deaths.
As the avalanche slowed, Seizon got unsteadily to his feet, using a nearby rock for support.
“Well…” he gasped. “That was…”
He didn’t get time to say what it was, as suddenly, practically out of nowhere, a turquoise fastbiter had leapt in front of him, delivering a flying kick directly to his face. Fang, it seemed, had evaded getting flung clean over the edge, and was now sending the young bladeback to such a fate…
“SEIZON!!!” his three companions screamed in unison.
Seizon was very lucky – he knew how to position himself in a gripping position as he careered through the air, and clung perilously onto the rocky edge. It was a close thing though – he could feel the ice slipping under his claws, causing deep gouge marks to appear in its shining cold surface as he inched closer and closer to the horrific drop that would certainly spell his doom.
And Fang was going to make sure he was sent that way.
“End of the line little biter!” he cackled, charging towards him with the intent of flicking him off. Al instantly sprang into action, fastening his jaws in a terrific chomp onto Fang’s tail, distracting him long enough for Seizon to hoist himself up and deliver an assault onto Fang’s flank.
Chomper and Nycha both rushed forward to help, but Chomper skidded to a halt when he heard Nycha’s high-pitched scream from behind him. His insides shrank and his eyes widened when he saw Romov, his jaws clasped around Nycha’s tail, dragging her slowly towards-
Chomper didn’t even want to think about it. He hadn’t even conceived a plan in his head as he dashed towards Romov. All he knew is that he didn’t want to see Nycha the way he had seen Pyron, on her back, with the life running out of her almost as quickly as her blood…
Chomper made it to Romov and did the first thing he could think of – shove his claws into his eyes.
Romov let out a great howl, releasing Nycha as he swung his head up, catapulting Chomper onto his back. Recognising an advantage, he promptly bit down onto his back. Hollering and half-blinded by the severe cutting to his eyes, Romov blundered forward, suddenly tripping and beginning to slide predictably to the edge of the peak.
“Chomper!” Nycha grabbed him by his arm and yanked him off the falling body. “You’re such a reckless idiot sometimes!”
“Says you!” Chomper laughed indignantly. The two of them watched incredulously as Romov careered over the edge of the precipice and promptly plunged to his death. One of the tetrarchy was dead – it was almost as though a chain that bound Nycha was broken. He could see it in her eyes – liberation at last!
Then something hard and very sharp caught Chomper on the side of the head, knocking him off his feet and into the snow. Raising his head and blinking blood out of his eyes and spitting it out of his mouth, he saw the ominous white shape of Pagetona standing where he was a few minutes ago, cold fury clear on every line of her face.
“You pathetic brats…” she hissed. “How dare you undermine my authority? I am the newest member of the tetrarchy, and this is what I get as I begin my leadership?? You’ll never get away with this one…”
“We already have,” Nycha snarled back, a new reckless temper rising in her. “Face it Pagetona – you’re a dead-end failure, along with the rest of the tetrarchy and you’re never going to control us, or hurt any of us again.” She leapt at her, claws and jaws aimed for her throat. Pagetona let out a deathly screech, back-flipping onto a rock that formed pretty much a stepping stone for a higher-peak.
“Let’s settle this in a true fashion then,” she growled. “Come and get me if you’re-aaaRRRGHH!!!”
Chomper had caught up with her, and was biting fiercely into her tail.
“Challenge accepted…” Nycha hissed under her breath, dashing and leaping after her mortal foe.
*
The two sets of jaws latched onto each other and the ferocious wrestle between Lini and Mei commenced. Lini was attempting to grip her foe in her claws, leaving lethal looking scrapes where her claws had dug in. Mei, for the time being, seemed unfazed, and continued to claw at Lini is exactly the same way.
Saureen was attempting to help out as much she could, and was trying to deliver a hefty bite to Mei’s flank. This was easier said than done, as Mei kept on shuffling her feet as she pushed with all her might against Lini. But this wasn’t to say she hadn’t noticed it.
“Stupid little twigarm,” she thought reproachfully to herself. “I’ll make her suffer for this…”
She quickly unlatched her jaws from Lini’s head, causing a surprised Lini to stagger forwards slightly. Taking advantage of her being caught off guard, she slammed her chin on top of Lini’s head, and then reversed the situation by head-butting her chin, sending her staggering backwards, finally falling to the ground when Mei swatted her with her tail.
Then she turned her attention to Saureen.
Seeing this shift in attention, Saureen quickly made an attempt to defend herself more affectively, promptly biting hard into Mei’s wrist. This was rather unwise however – even though Mei gave a howl of pain, Saureen was in an extremely vulnerable position, and Mei simply took her other clawed hand and struck it hard across Saureen’s head.
Saureen gave a strangled gasp as dots of snow around her were stained red with her blood. Dazed, she slipped over backwards and attempting to crawl out of the way as Mei advanced upon her, licking her chops with vile excitement.
Lini had gotten to her feet by this point, and made another attempt to charge the fastbiter. She was unsuccessful – Mei had raised a leg to block the slashclaw’s advances, and Lini winced as the infamous sickle-claw cut into her shoulder, wet blood beginning to run down her arm. With a simple kick, Lini was once again knocked aside by this fastbiter leader.
“And now for you…” Mei hissed, sadistic malice glowing in her eyes and drool dripping off her maws. Saureen made to get up, but a stomp down on her chest rendered her pinned to the ground.
“It’s not as if I haven’t tasted twoclaw before,” Mei continued, growing more delighted as Saureen’s eyes continued to widen. “But maybe it’ll taste nicer fresh – whilst you’re still alive! Maybe I’ll start with your intestines!”
She raised her claw.
Lini suddenly had a horrific dÈj‡ vu, coupled with a flashback…
The blood ran in a thin torrent onto the rocky ground. The flies buzzing around the horrifying open wound did a lot to stem the feeble moaning of the Sharptooth, still alive, lying on the ground with his guts hanging out…
“You get first pick,” the elder said.
Not caring or even noticing the fellow sharptooth’s distress, Lini licked her lips ravenously and bent down…
NO! That was not going to happen, not on her watch!
Before Mei could sink her claws into Saureen, the eerie cold mountain air was split in two by a savage, blood-curdling, deafening roar, which echoed precariously around, coming back and haunting all listeners many times after.
This was the roar of the slashclaw, of the Giganotosaurus, one of the mightiest Sharptooth races in history, and such a roar struck fear into all those who listened. Mei even paused in her leering to stare in shock at Lini, ever the sweet and innocent, now bellowing this unimaginable auditory horror show. The look in her eyes told her everything she needed to know. She had crossed an unimaginable line, and was about to pay the price.
“Saureen, get out of here!” Lini yelled, thundering towards her foe, prepared for blood…
*
It was an isolated spot, so far removed from the rest of the goings-on around the Valley, that to an outsider, it seemed there was nothing wrong with Valley at all – it was just as peaceful as it should be.
Two elderly longnecks were dozing upon the mossy ground, savouring the fact that Ulciscor was too busy dealing with the threat of a possible rebellion to be closely scrutinizing them.
Aster opened his eyes, and gazed briefly around at the area before sighing and nuzzling his wife closely. Arianna opened her eyes too, allowing the affection as she lay there, wondering…
“What do you think the others are doing?” she asked quietly.
“You mean in terms of what Ulciscor’s all tied up with?” he replied. “No idea – but I hope it’s something that will remove him from these premises…”
“This is our own son we’re talking about,” Arianna reminded him. “But I agree with you completely.” She sighed. “How on earth did it come to this?” she asked. “Did we do something horribly wrong?”
“No,” Aster assured her. “It must have been his own doing…somehow…”
*
They were not the only ones with Ulciscor on their minds.
Bron surveyed the Rocky Heathland, vaguely noticing his biological and adopted sons and all their friends engaging in some exciting activity, and Old One conversing with Zyro about a new-comer. But he wasn’t overly focusing on them – he was too busy thinking whether or not with-holding information on his brother-in-law was going to do the group any harm. Like his parents-in-law, he was thinking – how did it come to this?
*
The story begins many years ago, in the Mysterious Beyond, where longneck herds all passed each in mutual harmony and informed others of great and varied places and events. Such story-speakers were revered amongst the rest of them, and all of them lived in expectation for a time when a story-speaker would nominate another to take their place.
One such story-speaker, whom we know as Aster, had just delivered a great and tantalizing story at the Speaker Oasis – a place where longnecks far and wide flocked to hear the great stories told. Taking a break from speaking for now, Aster returned to a small lake to reunite with his wife, Arianna.
“I tell you dear,” he said to her, smiling broadly. “Many of that crowd have the makings of story-speakers. One lad, name of Saro, in particular!”
“It seems the future is bright then,” Arianna agreed. “But seriously – get a drink or your throat will dry up from all that speaking!”
A young grey longneck who was sitting, bobbing along slightly, in the centre of the lake, was gazing at his parents with interest.
“A story-speaker, huh?” Ulciscor murmured to himself, leaning back in the water and allowing him to float around on his back. “I could definitely be one of them! Dad tells me all of those fantastic stories anyway – I could recite most of them…”
“Still…” he thought. “Telling stories is all very well and good, but what about actually being in them? That would be novel wouldn’t it? Maybe in years to come, all these story-speakers will be speaking stories of the adventures of the great Ulciscor…”
Ulciscor was just thinking about how best to become a longneck legend, when he noticed a quivering form on the bank that he had just floated past. Smiling, he righted himself in the water to look at his little sister.
“Come on Saura!” he coaxed. “The water’s lovely!”
Saura frowned in a way that clearly showed she thought the exact opposite.
“It looks…well, rather…” she murmured.
“What?” Ulciscor asked, sighing with an impatient air. “Big? Wet? Watery? I hate to break it to you sis, but those are general and repetitive features of water. Now are you coming in or not?”
Saura took a deep breath before diving straight in on top of her brother.
“I didn’t mean on top of me!!!” Ulciscor whined. Saura just laughed and lay back in the water.
“Be careful what you wish for!” she teased.
“Yeah whatever!” Ulciscor laughed. “Just be careful – you ain’t a swimmer!”
“Hmm…” Saura agreed, suddenly thinking. “How come there aren’t any swimmers here? This water should be perfect for them!”
Ulciscor stared at her as if she were insane.
“Well, this place is for longnecks!” he said. “We never do anything with other kinds…”
“Why not?”
“Well…” Ulciscor shrugged. “Because we’re different. It’s always been that way.”
Saura frowned, but Ulciscor just laughed.
“I don’t see what the problem is. You never get great stories out of any other herds…which reminds me, I want story-speakers to tell stories of me in the future!”
Saura gave him a puzzled look.
“Do you even think that’s possible?”
“Why not?” Ulciscor asked eagerly. “Other longnecks have done it! In fact, I’m going to go in search of an adventure right now!”
“What? Are you crazy???” Saura demanded.
“Oh, where’s your sense of adventure?” Ulciscor teased. “Well, if you’re going to stay here scaredy-egg, I’ll be back later!”
Without a backwards glance at his sister, Ulciscor got out of the lake and trotted off towards some mangrove trees nearby, deciding to be daring and exploring what he deemed as uncharted territory. And technically it was – unfortunately for him, following a few tangles in vines and walking around in circles, he found himself lost in dense undergrowth. But he didn’t overly mind.
“This is the sort of thing such legendary longnecks would have to put up with,” he told himself. “Like the Lone Dinosaur – hmm…maybe I could be the second Lone Dinosaur? Ulciscor the Sharptooth Slayer?”
Yes…that had a nice ring to it. Ulciscor grinned to himself. He could imagine charging through terrified longneck herds to restore calm and hunting down all the villainous sharpteeth that scared them so…oh yes, that would be a way of getting him into the Great Longneck Stories!
His daydreaming was cut off abruptly by a rustle in the nearby bushes. Gasping, he readied his tail for action.
“My first Sharptooth!” he whispered excitedly to himself. He couldn’t help but feel a little worried about the prospect of a Sharptooth, but still, he had to start his career somehow…
The interesting thing about whatever was stalking him however was that he could hardly hear any footsteps. In fact, if it wasn’t for the rustling, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed it.
“I’m no Sharptooth!” protested a voice to his left. Ulciscor quickly turned on the spot as a spindly brown longneck about his own age emerged from the undergrowth.
“I guessed you weren’t,” Ulciscor lied, lowering his tail. “I mean…I didn’t even hear you coming…what’s up with your legs?” he gestured.
“What about them?” the other longneck was clearly confused about what to make of this brash, confident individual.
“They’re so…little!!” Ulciscor claimed. He grinned wryly. “I guess I’ll just call you…Littlefoot!”
The other longneck laughed.
“That’s not my name! My name’s Bron!”
“I’m Ulciscor,” Ulciscor replied, nodding politely. “And…well…it doesn’t hurt to have a nickname…right Littlefoot?”
Bron laughed again.
“Great!” he said. “So…I’m just the little-legged longneck to you?”
“Maybe…” Ulciscor grinned. “But there’s nothing wrong with having little legs…good for stealth I think! It certainly worked on me.”
“What would I need stealth for?” Bron asked curiously.
“Sneaking up on sharpteeth,” Ulciscor replied. “One day, I’m determined to become the icon of the Great Longneck Stories by becoming a known Sharptooth slayer!”
“Sounds interesting,” Bron agreed. “But why do we need to sneak up on them?”
“Sharpteeth are cowards,” Ulciscor replied, his face curling. “They’d never dare attack a herd this size…especially one of longnecks. By the way…”
He turned back to Bron.
“Is your family from around here?”
“No,” Bron shook his head. “We just migrated here to hear the Great Speakers – Frazer, Diplocia, Aster…”
“That’s my dad!” Ulciscor crowed.
“No way, really??” Bron seemed awed.
“Oh yeah!” Ulciscor grinned. “Come on – I’ll introduce to my folks. Once I can work my way out of here, of course…and my little sister! She decided to be a scaredy-egg and not come out here, but I’m sure she’ll take to you – Littlefoot!”
The two of them laughed once more and sprinted off.
*
Saura had indeed taken to him, Bron reflected, his eyes now fixed on the result – his own son. How he wished she were still alive. He could use her comfort right now…they all could.
It was amazing how, since then, everything had escalated. Bron didn’t know what he should tell Littlefoot – that the murderous despot who was now terrorizing the Great Valley was the one who had chosen his name, as innocent sounding as it was? And how Ulciscor’s influence had been the reason for Bron’s absence during his birth? How would he feel then?
It was a tricky decision, and Bron didn’t feel as though he could talk to anybody about it. They wouldn’t understand…except perhaps…
Bron’s eyes shifted down to a lone spiketail. Opal may have little memory of her past, but perhaps her disconnection with everyone else made her the best listener – the best impartial judge to hear Bron’s story.
Bron took note of that, before heading towards Zyro to see what he had to say about this newcomer.
*
“Dammit!” a young Nycha cursed to herself as the fish she was attempting to hunt escaped her grasp yet again.
“Problem?” her brother laughed as she probed around in the small stream.
“No!” she lied. “Well…possibly…”
Pyron grinned at her.
“I’ll tell you what – I’ll stand at one end, and chase the fish up towards you, yeah?”
“How will that work?” Nycha asked, puzzled.
“Oh, it will,” Pyron assured. “Now – get ready!”
The result was simple – Pyron chased the fish upstream into Nycha’s waiting claws.
“Great…” she murmured, flopping the dead fish onto the bank.
“You see,” Pyron said, walking over to her. “Teamwork always comes with the best results. That’s what we are as a pack, right? A team.”
Nycha nodded. “I guess so…”
“When mum and dad go out hunting,” Pyron continued. “They work as a team. They communicate to each other – that’s what’s important. If there was no communication, teamwork would be useless.”
“Good thing we worked as a team then!” Nycha grinned, earning a beam back from her brother as the siblings shared a tender hug.
Nycha wasn’t going to forget Pyron’s brotherly teachings in a hurry. As she and Chomper continued to try and land bites on a whirling and stomping Pagetona, she realised that all she needed was a decent form of communication. And they had one…
Last night, sleeping in the freezing cold hadn’t been easy, and so Chomper came up with a good initiative to pass the time.
“I’m going to teach you,” Chomper said earnestly. “To speak flattooth.”
Nycha looked at him sceptically.
“What – you mean to squeak and grunt?” she asked.
Failing to hide a smile, Chomper continued.
“It is actually more sophisticated than it sounds. I guess being hatched by leaf-eaters makes it easier for me to learn the language, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to teach you.”
“How do you distinguish the grunts into actual words then?” Nycha asked.
“I think it’s generally to do with the pitch,” Chomper replied. “How high or low the grunt is can determine what sort of word class it’s in.”
Nycha still looked a little confused.
“I’ll start with something simple,” Chomper continued hastily. “I’ll teach you to say your name. Listen very carefully – Nycha.”
Nycha nodded and then attempted herself.
“Wow…” Chomper muttered. “That was pretty fluent! Nice one!”
Admittedly, she was still rusty even now, but a few simple words in a language Pagetona couldn’t distinguish should be enough to give her the upper hand.
“Chomper – the legs!” Nycha called to him in flattooth. Chomper understood – if they took both out at the same time…
The two of them surged forward in unison to grip one of Pagetona’s legs in their jaws. They then pulled, unbalancing the fastbiter and sending her crashing to the snowy ground.
Their victory was short-lived however. Pagetona rolled over on top of Chomper, flattening him against the snow, and then righting herself and placing her foot on his head.
“One false move Nycha…” she hissed. “And I’ll gouge out his brains!”
Nycha swallowed and didn’t move any closer.
“I bet you think you’re so big, don’t you?” Pagetona growled. “But in reality, Nycha, you’re a pathetic little girl who’ll amount to nothing…”
These words stung into Nycha deeper than a voracious insect. But surely…this was all they ever thought of her?
“Don’t listen to her Nycha!” Chomper gave a muffled yell. But he yelled it in flattooth – something that Pagetona didn’t understand and so Nycha could consider it without her reaction…who was she going to trust? A murderous back-stabbing fastbiter, or a true friend and guardian?
Chomper, twisting his jaws around, bit Pagetona’s foot, relieving the pressure from his head and allowing him to leap to his feet and avoid her claws.
“You alright?” Nycha asked him, relief flooding her entire being.
“Yeah,” Chomper replied. “But it’s going to be difficult taking her out…”
“I know…” As they leapt aside to avoid Pagetona once more, Nycha found herself looking up to the highest peak of the mountain, with a slippery slope of snow and ice, one that could easily provide momentum…
“Chomper!” Nycha shouted, once more in flattooth. “Leave this to me!”
*
Fang couldn’t believe it. He had served as a member of the tetrarchy for years, rolling out hunting strategies and battle plans…and for what?
By the looks of things, to get savagely beaten up by a pair of juveniles.
No more allies were coming to help him, and Al was making use of that by, with help from Seizon, flinging everything at him from pieces of tree to rocks – all with resourceful uses of whatever they could find.
In a desperate attempt to assert his authority once more, Fang lashed out at Seizon, kicking him squarely in the chest and sending him careering back into the snow. Though this distraction was all Al needed.
“Think you can make examples of us?” he growled. Before Fang could defend himself, an entire tree fell on top of him.
“You’ll never understand what true strength is!”
“That’s right…” Seizon murmured joyfully as Fang staggered to his feet. Pelting towards him at full throttle, the young bladeback gave a death-defying leap and caught the fastbiter in the chest with both his legs.
Many happy returns.
Fang toppled over, and, thanks to Al being curled into a ball behind him, went toppling all the way over the peak, screaming in rage as he plummeted, before his life ended with a bone-rattling crash.
Seizon and Al stood there for a moment, watching the tiny dot on the ground below that was once their enemy. Then Seizon gave a great whoop.
“YES!! We smashed him!”
“Good one!” Al grinned enthusiastically, as the high-fived, bro-fisted and all sorts of other such celebratory gestures.
“Well,” Al continued, his brow wrinkled in thought. “I guess now we’ve taken out this one, we should concentrate on where everyone else is…”
“Oh yeah!” Seizon suddenly realised, sprinting off in the first direction he could think of. “We’ve got to find them all…especially Chomper, he’s needed for the revolution.”
“Please Seizon,” Al thought wearily, as he went after him. “Don’t let Xal’s views colour your own.”
*
Slash, gouge, swipe…
Attack after attack was hammered onto Mei by Lini. The tetrarchy member was almost running backwards in an attempt to avoid getting her throat cut by this furious Sharptooth. Lini was oblivious to the blows landing on her as well – all she wanted to do was to take this one out of the picture.
Saureen couldn’t believe it – she just stood there, watching this relentless barrage take place, her eyes wide open, mouth agape. When had Lini become like this??
A swipe of Lini’s tail was enough to catapult Mei backwards, landing with a great thud in the snow. She was exhausted, panting heavily, bleeding cuts all over her scales.
“Please…” she whispered hoarsely. “No more…”
“Lini…?” Saureen began tentatively, but Lini didn’t listen. She strode straight over to where Mei was lying. After glaring at her in a cold fury for a few seconds, she took the fastbiter’s neck in her mouth.
“Lini!”
Crack.
The crack wasn’t loud, and yet it echoed through the frosty air, chilling Saureen to the bone as the sound rolled up the mountains and down again. Satisfied that the neck was broken, Lini dumped the now lifeless head of Mei back onto the snow, before turning and walking back to Saureen.
Saureen was at a loss for words as Lini sat down next to her. For a few moments, her expression was lifeless, but then the tears, which were built up very quickly in her sapphire eyes, began to flow.
“Saureen…” she whispered. “Nobody who needs others pain to make themselves happy…should be kept alive…you should understand…”
But Saureen didn’t, and could only pat Lini awkwardly on the back as her sobs continued to echo through the chilly mists, just as the sound of a breaking neck had previously done.
*
As a child, Chomper had always been afraid of heights. He couldn’t remember why, but it may have something to do with some egg-stealers…
The highest peak on White Mountain was ridiculously high, and yet here he was, fighting for his life.
Chomper wasn’t entirely sure what Nycha had planned as he leapt to avoid a blow from Pagetona. Skidding as he landed, he went to launch another attack. Pagetona was distracted by Nycha’s biting to her tail, but she nevertheless performed a well-aimed swing of her claws, catching Chomper in the face and knocking him back again. Unfazed, Chomper landed 3-point and went straight for her again, Nycha releasing Pagetona’s tail and dashing off, murmuring to him in flattooth,
“Don’t worry – it’ll be over soon!”
Chomper bit into Pagetona’s wrist, kicking out with his legs to prevent her from slashing at him with the other hand. He could taste her blood in his mouth, and was so carried away by what he was doing that he failed to realise that she should easily return the favour.
And she did, giving a great screech, as she chomped down onto his shoulder. Chomper grunted in pain as Pagetona’s teeth sunk deeper and deeper into him.
But then she released him.
Chomper looked up just in time to see a stone, as thrown by Nycha, strike his oppressor hard in the mouth, forcing her to let go of Chomper and knocking one of her teeth out. Chomper watched incredulously as said tooth went sailing over the edge of the icy peak. Pagetona, spitting blood onto the white ground, glared at Nycha, who was standing upon a mound of snow.
“Honestly, Nycha, what is it with you?” she snapped. “After we had disposed of this idiot we were going to allow you into our pack. And yet what do you do? Resist! Why???”
“Because of perspective,” Nycha growled. “I should have been done with the tetrarchy the day I was born. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of who you are. You’re never happy unless everyone around you is upset or scared. And you’re the worst of the lot, because I knew you when you were ordinary…but you decided to become as heartless and cruel as they are…” she swallowed.
“This ends today…right now.”
Nycha then promptly leaned forward.
This was all she needed to do as a whole cascade of snow slid from under her feet and carried her forward, straight into Pagetona. This tumble of ice and dinosaur sent them both careering to the peak, sliding across the icy jut at the edge…
“Nycha!” Chomper quickly jerked forward to pluck the young fastbiter from this mass, pulling her to safety to stand upon the ice as Pagetona, screaming curses at them both was carried effortlessly over the edge before falling to her death hundreds of metres below.
For a moment, neither Chomper nor Nycha moved or spoke. They just stood there, panting as they held each other close. Going over what had just happened.
“Nycha…!” Chomper gasped. “You’re so reckless!”
Nycha gave him a bemused look.
“Says you,” she replied.
They both chuckled to themselves.
“That’s it Nycha,” Chomper mused, gazing over the edge. “They’re gone – they’re not going to harm you again. It’s over.”
Nycha beamed. It was certainly a tender moment they were now sharing, but then…
“Chomper!”
Seizon had finally caught up with them, and seeing Xal’s ëambassador’ standing so close to edge of the peak, panicked, and grabbed him to pull him away.
The trouble was the force of Chomper being pulled away unbalanced both him and Nycha, as he was holding her at the time. As Chomper was dragged by Seizon, Nycha slipped and slid precariously towards the edge, her claws making insignificant marks on the ice. She reached the very edge and managed to cling onto it with her fingers. Chomper and Seizon both immediately made to reach out for her, but before their hands could reach out to grab her…
Crack…
The narrow edge of ice she was holding onto snapped.
Chomper felt his stomach shrink as Nycha began to fall backwards in a graceful arc. No…it could not have happened…not again…
Even as she felt the wind rush past her, Nycha remembered her language lessons.
“Chomper!” she called in flattooth. “Not your fault!”
And it was true, she reflected. Too many spend too much time playing the blame game. Often, it is nobody’s fault.
“My dear brothers,” she thought as she continued to plummet, the wind whistling in her ears. “You have taught me so much in the albeit short time I’ve got to spend with you both. Pyron, Chomper – you were right about me. You showed me beyond all reasonable doubt that I should never aspire to be what I’m not. I am not a bloodthirsty killer of fellows – I am your loved and significant sister. Sometimes, the hardest things to see are those that are right in front of you. A pack that loved me for who I am, not who they wanted me to be. It was a hard lesson, but I’m so glad I finally got to see it in the end. Just because I can’t do what some want me to do, doesn’t make me any less an amazing person, just as important as anyone else – I’m glad I got to see my true family. Goodbye all, especially to you Chomper. And Pyron…I’ll be seeing you soon…”
That thought in mind, she gave a sad smile and closed her eyes, a single tear trickling out of her closed eyelids and rising into the air to mingle with the snowfall.
Then she hit the ground.
*
The pack had carried her away from White Mountain. They knew she wouldn’t have wanted to be buried there, where memories of the now extinct tetrarchy lingered. Chomper had insisted she should be buried next to her brother, as she would have wanted that, but such would have been impractical. Instead, they took her back to where they had all slept the night before last, where there were many flowers, extravagant and brightly coloured, surrounded by towering rocky pillars.
Chomper gazed unblinkingly at the mound of freshly dug soil under which Nycha’s body lay, his mind still numb.
“Chomper…?”
He looked to see Saureen, tentatively standing next to him, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. With a slight pang to his heart, Chomper noticed that the petals were a distinct shade of lilac.
“P-put them on her grave,” Saureen said quietly. “I…think she would have liked them.”
Chomper nodded, taking them from her. “Yeah, I think she would have done…although…”
Without saying another word, he picked a few nearby orange flowers to go with the lilac ones and placed the whole bunch down onto Nycha’s grave.
“This way…” he said, his voice suddenly sounding strangely as though he had a bad head cold. “It is like they’re together…”
He couldn’t help it anymore. At that moment he burst into floods of tears, dropping to his knees next to her. He couldn’t stop – and he just kept on crying as Seizon, swallowing hard, suggested they all say a few words.
Chomper barely heard everyone else say their words – they all went vaguely along the same lines. He just wanted to get to his. Wiping his eyes, he eyed the flowers’ petals intently.
“Nycha…” he said. “You were unfairly taken from us and will be sorely missed. Sometimes the cruelty of nature can be irregular, taking those we love from us away, and yet…”
He stood up, something more in his eyes than pure shock and grief.
“Sometimes…there can be reason and fault behind it.”
The other four were silent. What had he just said?
Chomper slowly turned on the spot. His eyes, despite still showing the shadows of their sorrow were now worryingly dark and angry, and were determinately fixed on Seizon.
“What?” Seizon was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “Come on Chomper – what are you on about?”
“Does Xal really mean that much to you?” Chomper asked. Al already could see where this was going, and so he decided not to say anything, lest it prove even more inflammatory than it was already. This time was bound to come anyway…he gestured for Lini to come over to him. She had been in a strangely quiet mood even before they had found out about Nycha’s death, but he didn’t want to read too much into that now.
“What’s this got to do with him?” Seizon snapped, starting to grow just as agitated. “Stop blaming him for-”
“Oh, but I’m not blaming him,” Chomper said in a voice of forced calm. He took a few steps towards Seizon.
“Chomper…” Saureen murmured warningly.
Chomper ignored her.
“I’m blaming you, Seizon,” he spoke very clearly.
“Me?” Seizon growled through gritted teeth, his eyes just as focused, the amber locking onto the red. “What the hell have I done?”
“You grabbed me aside back on White Mountain,” Chomper said. “Despite the fact that me and Nycha were completely fine, in no danger. You were too worried about losing out on your big hit with Xal, and so you let Nycha fall to her death!”
“No I didn’t!” Seizon yelled, his hands balling into fists. “Don’t be ridiculous Chomper!”
“And back at the Cave Network,” Chomper continued, unafraid by Seizon’s advances. “You wanted to stick around to, what, gain territory? Your single-minded fixation with your stepfather cost Pyron his life too! When’s it going to end? How long are we going to go on, losing more and more members of our pack, just because of one thing you feel you have to do?”
“You know nothing!” Seizon hissed. “You have no idea how dedicated I am to this pack!”
“Oh yeah?” Chomper let out an angry laugh. “You just care about Xal more, right?!”
Seizon didn’t reply.
“Enough to let your comrades die??”
“I didn’t!” Seizon snarled. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you!”
“Not intentionally, for sure,” Chomper agreed, still glaring at Seizon. The other three were watching this confrontation wordlessly. “But it’s your carelessness and your Xal-worshipping which are constantly landing us into trouble. And it’s that that has recently taken two innocent lives from us.” He glanced back at the flowers on Nycha’s grave.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Seizon muttered. “I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again…”
“But Seizon…” Saureen murmured timidly. “That’s more or less what you said before we headed for White Mountain…”
“Stay out of this Saureen!” Seizon shot at her, but Chomper was appalled.
“Is that so?” he growled. “Sounds about right…you just can’t control your priorities Seizon. And we can’t have that in this pack. If it’s going to continue, and I’m sure it will, then I suggest new leadership is needed.”
Seizon gave a guttural growl as he forced himself to remain self-controlled. That statement burned…
“Oh yeah…?” he muttered. “Like who? You?”
“I didn’t cross my mind actually,” Chomper replied honestly. “But now I think about it…yeah, why not?”
Seizon’s face curled into a deep-set snarl. Challenging Seizon’s authority was a very dangerous thing to do…
~0~
R.I.P Nycha.
Yes, I'm a cruel person. Yes, I'm an evil writer. And yes, I did have Nycha's death planned pretty much from the beginning! But it is no pointless act of violence - this a pivotal moment, when Chomper decides he's had enough of Seizon leading them...Seizon, his mind still on Xal, does not like!
And how about Ulciscor's story eh? I hope you noticed that Ulciscor practically fed some of the more famous lines to certain respective characters...and what has he got to do with Littlefoot's birth? Only time will tell...as with this dark little secret Lini seems to be harbouring beneath her innocent exterior...
Please review, and thanks for reading!!! :DD
-
Review to Chapter 16!
“What I see,” Chomper explained. “Is an amazing individual who is perfect for what she is meant to do, but she fails to see it because she’s far too worried about what a bunch of fastbiters think and how they see the world. You shouldn’t have to let their presence linger on you for years to come – break free! There is so much more to everything you see and realise. You should just learn to be yourself. Because those who matter, don’t mind it. And those who mind it…”
His eyes flickered over to the fastbiters.
“…don’t matter…”
Chomper is joining the philosophers? WHAT!?! :spit Seriously, lines like these are what shows the skill of a writer!
I'm quite worried about them though... Nycha is seemingly close to being torn apart and everyone seemingly hates Chomper... not a good mixture :unsure: At least they work together now :yes
Seizon! He behaves like Xal more and more... I once liked him, not sure if I still do.. Good that there are individuals that intervene... Very authentic fight though :exactly
Al realises the obvious and they're on their way, yay. Hmm Seizon, why are you taking orders from Al, eh? Think about it, twice, if needed!
Neat little flashback you wrote there :smile Seizon as pack leader? Not the best cast but Seizon as the leader of the revolution?! Nope, nope, nope! Though Xal's even worse anyway so..
Good thing's Seizon admits his fault :yes If they find Nycha and Chomper (they will, everything else would be a big surprise :p) it'll probably be an awkward situation, or a dangerous situation... I sense it.
To distract herself from such unsettling thoughts, she wondered over to where Old One was squatting, merely thinking on the current situation, and her alliance with Zyro.
I guess you meant wandering?
Opal & Old One, interesting conversation. So Opal remembers Omendric... then it won't be long until she knows how he died and who is the reason for that to happen...
Ah, the Longneck tests. Bron finally tells Shorty he considers him his son *awww* I have a feeling I know why he says it just at this moment...
Hyp is finally maturing, eh? :wow I like his part of the revolution of the Valleians :p
Awesome fight scene, Toby! Nycha discovering her strength only to be reminded of her values by Chomper... awesome. They live, for now, that is...
“It’s strange…” he murmured. “They seem so alike…”
You're right, little Longneck.
“But I suppose, if you’re a herd leader, by opinion doesn’t really matter…”
You meant 'my', didn't ya?
Ali passed and Shorty did not, as I expected. You watched that Tv-ep carefully for sure :lol
Chomper's parents :lol the conversation is funny and that comment about 'Are you changing the topic again?' ! And they found Ferox so he made it, whoo!
You are worried about the chapter, specially the talk between Nycha and Chomper being rushed? Are you crazy?! It's more than long enough :smile I love your ability to analyse things, you show it every chapter and I just notice it now :bang
Anyway, I'm so glad Chomper and Nycha are now close to each other!
About the Shorty-Seizon thing: You are right, but their step-fathers are COMPLETELY different :exactly
I admire your skills, keep it up! (I see you already did :lol)
-
If there was a fainting emoticon I'use it, and if there was slapinyoface emoticon, I'd use that too :DD
lol I joke... but STILL.... omg Dosu, are you testing how many times my heart can snap in two before it's crookedly mended together again?!?!
Nycha.... now I have to do a sad death scene about Nycha! :(
Anyway, chapter on whole is very emotion-wracking, very pivotal, and very very interesting. If I dind't know better I'd say Ulciscor was a lot like Littlefoot back when he was but a wee little rotter :3
I liked his and Bron's interaction in the beginning.
Uhohhh... Chomper did a no-no... *clings to edge of seat*
Great chapter as always, Dosu :yes
-
Dammit Dosu! :anger
Young Ulcisor reminds me of both one of my characters and Littlefoot, but he does seem quite driven by his desire to be in a longneck story. :o
So THAT'S where the name Littlefoot came from. I wonder what the deal is with Ulcisor around Littlefoot's birth. :(
That was an intense fight between the pack and the the tetrarchy. They all got what they deserved, though.
NOO! NYCHA!! DOSU, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP KILLING OFF CHARACTERS?! I'm sad now. :cry
Uh oh, this looks like it's going to be intense between Chomper and Seizon. My bet's on Chomper, though. *hides in a hole*
-
Toby!!! You-you evil thing! Killing off poor Nycha :anger I tell you what: If you do that again, I'll take the next plane to UK and will make you pay the prize :mad Uhh, scratch that :p
What a masterpiece of chapter again, seriously. Nycha's death is only the end of it so I shall start at the beginning:
A conversation between Dil and Ichy can only be funny and that's exactly what is is: Funny, I mean. You got those two pretty well, and are they scared of being getting rid of? :smile
Wonder what Redclaw's up to... or Xal for that...
NO CHOMPER! SAVE HIM, NYCHA!
Uh oh... Ulciscor and Kai and Shock noticed it.. Be worried! And Rinkus... got fired, eh? Well, I guess Ulciscor just made a rough mistake :yes
Oh and also this: Rinkus’ face was twisted into an ugly expression. Actually, it was ugly before he had started, but now it was even worse.
:spit
Chomper acts fairly brave when being faced with his near death if you ask me, he has matured throughout your fic :yes
Nycha rescues him, whew! And they are rescued by the pack, even bigger whew!!! :D
Everything seems fine but then Mei got to them... wonder what going on with Lini, nobody in the pack doesn't have a dark secret in their past, aside from Saureen perhabs. Cheers for girls' fights! :lol:
What a fight! Man, this is great stuff :DD
Lini :o
Ah, the long-awaited flashback :smile That's how they met... Ulciscor as a kid is... interesting, very self-confident and knowing his destiny. Gotta love to get to know more about 'Bron's story'
Nycha speeks... FLATTOOTH?! Is this really Nycha or a new character? :lol Anyway, I love the way they fight together, a great pair.
Good job Al and Seizon... Oh Seizon, will you ever change?
omg Lini! You better don't get into her way :lol What's up with her?
NYCHA!!! What a loss :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry And who's responsible? Heh? Seizon again!!! I start to hate him with a passion now...
Chomper challanging him? Now THAT'S gotta be awesome.
So much happened (again!) in this chapter.. No doubt, one of your best chapters so far, Toby.
Some issues I noticed:
“You’ll someone giving you directions like some sort of tour guide.
“You’ll need someone giving you directions like some sort of tour guide. (I guess you left out 'need' or a similar word here)
And he sounded it too
And he sounded like it too (not sure if the 'like' is needed here but it sounded wrong to me without it)
Mei, for the time being, seemed unfazed, and continued to claw at Lini is exactly the same way.
Mei, for the time being, seemed unfazed, and continued to claw at Lini in exactly the same way.
I’ll introduce to my folks.
I’ll introduce you to my folks.
Nycha.”
Nycha nodded and then attempted herself.
“Wow…” Chomper muttered. “That was pretty fluent! Nice one!”
I guess you got the italics mixed up he
-
Hello people! Here is the next chapter...
Chapter Eighteen: A Battle of Brethren
Saureen, Lini and Al all stood silently, watching this square-off between the scrawny twoclaw and the head-strong bladeback, feeling the tension in the air and hoping their worst fears wouldn’t come to pass. They were all prepared to intervene if necessary.
Chomper and Seizon continued to glare at each other for a few more nerve-racking moments, before Seizon broke the intensity and closed his eyes.
Chomper grew confused as he continued to gaze at his rival, who was now drawing deep shuddering breaths.
Then Seizon opened his eyes again.
“Chomper,” he said, in a much calmer voice that took Chomper by surprise. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. At this stage in our mission, we cannot deal with changes in leadership.”
“But why not?” It wasn’t Chomper who spoke this time, but Al. Seizon turned to face him, his expression unreadable.
“Why?” Seizon repeated, as if Al had just asked why they shouldn’t go dancing into Redclaw’s vicinity. “Because we’ve got to rendezvous with Xal back at the Fanged Forest, and he-”
“And there you go again!” Chomper’s confusion had gone, and the anger was back with a vengeance. “Can you possibly explain anything that doesn’t refer to Xal? What has it got to do with him?”
“Everything, rockhead!” Seizon snarled back. “It was him who commissioned me to retrieve you! And the reason you won’t be a better leader than me is because you don’t even know Xal!”
“Funny…” Chomper growled. “But I think I will be a better leader for exactly the same reason.”
Seizon’s face twisted once more. He was about to counter once again, when something happened that cut across their argument very abruptly.
The five sharpteeth all felt a tremor in the ground, which radically built up until it was a full-blown rumble which shook them to their very bones.
“Earthshake…!” Al murmured. He quickly dropped to all fours, hoping such a position would allow him to absorb most of the seismic activity. He motioned for Lini beside him to take a similar position. However…
He had disregarded the nearby stones, arranged in might pillars around them, and they soon began to tumble towards them in a cascade…
Oh…
Forgetting their argument momentarily, Chomper and Seizon both made towards Saureen, who was in less of a perilous situation than their protectiveness would suggest. But as the earthshake finished at they all stood vigilant to survey the damage, they noticed something horribly wrong.
A massive mound of displaced rocks was where Lini and Al had previously been.
“Oh no!” Chomper thought horror-struck as the three of them raced towards the mound. Chomper noted, with some relief, that Nycha’s grave had not been covered by these rocks, but it was still rather the least worry on his mind as he pressed his ear to rocks.
“Lini, Al!” He called desperately.
“Are you alright?” Saureen added breathlessly.
“Say something!” Seizon demanded.
“Ahh…” Al’s mellow tones came from behind the rocks and Chomper’s stomach sagged in relief.
“Are you alright?” he shouted through the stones.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Al replied. “But we’re pretty much trapped. I can work on shifting the rocks from here, but…”
“But what?” Seizon asked.
“Lini’s in a bad way,” Al replied, letting the sentence hang in the air.
Chomper heard a sharp intake of breath from Saureen beside him.
“What’s wrong with her??” she asked, gulping slightly.
“One of the rocks landed quite badly on her leg,” Al called back. “I think she may have broken it.” Then his voice dropped to a soothing tone to reply the feeble whimpers from Lini they now heard.
“Hey, don’t worry, you’ll be alright.”
“Of course you will…” Chomper murmured to Lini through the rocks, trying to convince himself that he believed it too.
“You definitely will,” Saureen assured. “We’ll shift the rocks here as well, and we’ll get you out as soon as we can.”
The two of them were about to start shifting the rocks they hoped wouldn’t cause a massive cave-in, but then a voice cut across their work, stinging into Chomper’s very soul with unshakeable fury.
“There’s no time.”
Hardly daring to believe what he had just heard, Chomper slowly turned to see Seizon, who had a slight frown on his face as he moved to address Al and Lini on the other side of the rocks.
“Hang in there Al – me, Chomper and Saureen will go onto the Forest, and then once the revolution begins, we’ll come back for you two.”
“Oh really?” There was a definite sarcasm in the way Al spoke now. “Well, we’ll just make use of all the non-existent prey within here until then…how long exactly will that be?”
“Not sure,” Seizon replied earnestly, now beginning to move off. “But I’m sorry, we’re behind schedule as it is, and, like I said, we can come back for you, but this is of paramount importance and-”
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND????” Chomper screamed at Seizon, completely losing control as the rage boiled up inside him. Ignoring Saureen’s chagrined and worried moan as he swept past her, he strode right up to look Seizon directly in the eye, panting slightly in an attempt to suppress his growing rage. His hands were also twitching irregularly, almost as if they longed to be around Seizon’s neck.
Seizon glared coolly back, rocking backwards slightly as he stood, prepared for a lashing out from his challenger. Sucking in his fiercely guttural breath, Chomper spoke.
“I don’t care what you say. We are NOT leaving them here!” he roared, clenching his claws into fists as he did so. “Now, if you’re so worried about being late, you would have the sense to come and help us get them out now!”
“I repeat,” Seizon growled back. “There is no time.” Perspiration was already beading on his forehead as the chilling realisation of how much time they had wasted struck him. “We need to go now.”
“We’re not having another incident like Pyron and Nycha’s!” Chomper snapped back, trying his best to keep his emotions under control as memories of their untimely demises came back to him. “You can go if you want to, but Saureen and I aren’t moving until we get Lini and Al out of there!” He turned to go back to Saureen, but Seizon clamped his claws around Chomper’s arm.
“No…” he hissed. “You still don’t understand! You are what Xal requires. I am not going to show up to the Fanged Forest empty-handed!”
“Oh, I understand alright.” Chomper had turned back to him now, the cold loathing and resentment on his face matched only by Seizon’s, whose time-sensitive panics were causing a tic to develop in his amber eye.
“It doesn’t matter to you,” Chomper was telling Seizon now. “What the fate of everyone in the pack is, bar me. You don’t care what happens to your blessed comrades, who called you brethren and friend, and covered your back during fights. All you care about is getting me back to your precious stepfather, alive, and, if necessary, not kicking. I always found you an arrogant little berk, Seizon, but I thought your sense of unity was something to be admired.” He glanced briefly back at the pile of rocks, the voices from which had gone silent.
“But it turns out you really are deluded and just as pathetic and egotistical as I thought you were. You don’t deserve comrades like them…” he gestured to Saureen, as well as Lini and Al behind the rocks and Nycha’s grave. “Maybe it really is time I took this pack over myself…” Chomper paused to consider the concept. It was never something he had wanted, a pack of his own, as he never felt that there would be the circumstances in which he’d have to form it. But now it seemed that taking over this one from Seizon was the only option he had.
“And when I take them from your grubby clutches,” Chomper continued, noticing Seizon’s scowl grow darker with every word he said. “I shall take them all back to the Great Valley, and we can live there…”
“You will do no such thing!” Seizon roared back at him, saliva flecking the side of his mouth.
“Oh yes I will!” Chomper growled determinately. “And there they will be safe from your pathetic ideals and your ridiculous, insane, deluded, twisted and gormless stepfather…”
But he had finally gone too far. With an ear-splitting roar that shook the very ground and echoed around the previously quiet vicinity, Seizon swung his heavily clawed arm around, striking Chomper hard across the face, sending him flying backwards and rolling down the rock pile that had fell, little droplets of blood being flecked in all directions.
“SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!!!!” Seizon was livid, his eyes popping insanely out of their sockets. Saureen looked at him in abject terror and then back to Chomper, who was steadily rising to his feet and wiping his mouth with his hand, looking determined to continue the bout.
Saureen, her arms in front of her in an instinctive defence position in an attempt to null her rising sense of panic, cried out to him.
“Chomper! Don’t do anything, please st-”
But Chomper raised a hand to silence her.
“Please Saureen,” he said firmly. “Stay out of this.”
“Yeah,” Seizon agreed, flexing his arms, his face still twisted with unfathomable rage. Chomper, the malice alight on his face also, quickly charged him, and after a brief wrestle jaw-to-jaw and claw-to-claw, the two of them tumbled straight into the meadow of flowers, snapping stems and scattering petals as they continued to claw and snap at each other. Chomper leapt back to avoid a direct snap from Seizon, who then twisted around and swatted Chomper with his tail. With him reeling from the whack, Seizon took the opportunity to leap upon the young twoclaw, pinning him to ground, but Chomper clamped his teeth around Seizon’s arm at this point, causing him to yell out and attempt to break free, giving Chomper the opportunity to rise to his feet. As he was still biting into his hand, Seizon slashed his free claws across Chomper’s muzzle, allowing droplets of blood to drip upon the destroyed flowers and forcing Chomper to let go. Seizon held his injured and bleeding arm close to him but maintained a steady fixed stare upon his equally unwavering foe.
Saureen found herself rooted to the spot as she watched the two of them brawl unkempt. Mixed with her terror, she was also furious with herself for not intervening. But even as her guilt grew, she still couldn’t find it in her to move – not even to help free Al and Lini! Her mind was too much of a whirlwind of emotions to even try and comprehend what was happening before her. The two of them had flipped, and this fight could easily end in…
No…
Surely, Saureen thought desperately, no matter how angry they both were, neither of them would attempt to kill the other?
Seizon wouldn’t surely? No…he needed Chomper alive to take back to the Fanged Forest. Immediately however, Saureen felt a deep rush of despair. It was highly upsetting to think that this was the only reason she could reassure herself that Seizon would not kill a fellow pack member. What on earth had happened to that strange and yet loveable eccentric young bladeback she used to know in her childhood?
Infant sharpteeth traditionally learn to hunt large prey in a careful and rational manner by practicing their predatory skills on insects and other small invertebrates. It was a way, as enthusiastically trumpeted by many parents, of learning to hunt free of risk. But Saureen, as a hatchling twoclaw, didn’t see it that way.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” her grandmother used to say to her, as Saureen cowered and trembled next to her foot, clinging to it and pressing her body so close to it, it was as though she desired to melt into it. Tyra would then gently lower her head to her granddaughter’s level and nudge her.
“They’re not going to hurt you dear,” she would say, with an air that was more patient than most other adult Sharpteeth would have been in her position.
The point was, ever since birth, Saureen had always been conspicuously entomophobic – for reasons inexplicable to her father or grandmother, she had a deep-set terror and hatred for insects of all kinds. She would nestle up to the nearest leg (her traditional source of comfort as a hatchling) with terrified squawks whenever any insect was so much as visible to her. And if one ever actually landed on her, her screeches could be heard for miles around. Of course, she had always eaten from her father’s kills, but Ferox knew that this would not allow her to learn. And so he had passed the responsibility of teaching her to love chasing insects to his mother, hoping she would help Saureen conquer her fear.
“Come on now,” Tyra had said on one memorable occasion, gesturing to the dragonflies and damsel-flies that were hovering above a small stream before them, which Saureen, with formidable reluctance, slowly turned to look at it.
“They’re good to eat!” Tyra insisted. And slowly, as she inched forward, Saureen began to believe her.
It took at least an hour, but eventually Tyra had managed to get to her to actually chase the insects, and she was hoping that finally, Saureen understood that they were more afraid of her than she was of them.
But the whole idea went completely to pot when Saureen, having finally chomped down on one of the buzzing insects, gagged and spat the whole mangled thing out. It appeared they were not to her taste at all. And to cap it all off, suddenly a swarm of butterflies came over.
Saureen had a deep-set phobia for all insects, it was something that she just had. But as bad as all the other insects were, they just didn’t compare to butterflies. Butterflies were the absolute zenith of horror, brain-sucking, fluttering, colourful monsters and harbingers of doom.
And as if that weren’t enough, one of them landed directly on top of her sniffer.
For about half a second or so, Saureen just stood there, strangely cross-eyed as she examined the creature gently settling its wings onto her, as more of them flew past. Then it came. The blood-curdling screech that split the air in half and deafened every soul in the vicinity. Saureen was screaming blue murder as she ran in circles and every which way as the butterflies, confused at the sudden piercing wail that was being emitted from this strange young creature, continued to flutter near her.
“Saureen…?” Tyra had said as Saureen dashed past her, but Saureen had gone deaf, which was hardly surprising considering how loudly she had screamed. She just kept on running until she had reached the water, and had dived head-first into it.
It had been there that Seizon had found her. The two of them knew each other before hand, but this is where they had really hit off. Seizon, at that point, had taught her how to fish, allowing her to hunt small prey without the risk of getting mobbed by brain-sucking butterflies, and also allowing more social interaction to be underway as he taught her.
That was the Seizon she had always known. A big brother type figure, a little bit eccentric, but always there for her. Did that mean anything to him? Saureen could hardly believe it so as she watched in despair at Seizon and Chomper continuing to fight with increasing aggression.
And what about Chomper? That scrawny little Sharptooth who always fought the leaf-eaters corner seemed to have taken being in a Sharptooth pack in his stride. And now there was a direct challenge – all or nothing. Did Chomper have it in him to kill either? Saureen doubted it, and yet at the same time, he himself had been partially responsible for the death of both Romov and Pagetona, not to mention Torq. It seemed, if he hated someone enough, he could bring himself to do it. And there was little mistaking the loathing in those red eyes of his.
Seizon and Chomper made a charge towards each other again, slamming into each other headlong. It was formidable wrestle, and Seizon, with the smaller skull, found himself getting pushed back. In a desperate attempt to counter this, he brought his hands to claw at Chomper’s mighty head, at which Chomper brought up his own claws to stop him. However, it was apparent that Chomper’s arms were not nearly as muscular as his opponents’ and so Seizon could twist Chomper’s arms into any position that suited him. So saying, Seizon took advantage of Chomper’s disused arms by biting into his chin, and then shoving him backwards onto the ground where he towered over him.
Largely unperturbed, Chomper kicked Seizon fiercely in the chest, causing him to get flung off behind him. Even as Seizon righted himself, Chomper too was getting to his feet, ready to continue.
“Give up Chomper!” Seizon snapped. “This is futile!”
“Maybe fighting is,” Chomper admitted. “But my cause is far from it!”
They charged once again.
*
Zyro turned to face the onlookers, looking grim.
“What did he say?” Old One asked. She was referring of course to Ferox – despite placing emphasis on the need to rest, Zyro had been making use of getting as much information from the twoclaw as possible.
“It was just as we feared,” Zyro replied. “Xal is indeed making use of the Piercer Platoon. Now it seems his army is even larger than the one he had before.”
There were intakes of breath from all the onlookers, at Bron, Ulciscor temporarily driven out of his mind, said,
“How is he able to manage such a force?”
“Well, according to Ferox,” Zyro continued. “Xal is making use of a hierarchy within the Platoon, at a scale of which allows such a vast force to be contained. He has unwavering support mostly, by the sounds of things, from his right-hand man – a slashclaw named Gigas.” He shook his head. “I must confess I’ve never heard the name,” he admitted. “But perhaps someone like him is used to working in the shadows of other sharpteeth. As far as I know, he wasn’t part of Eykion’s original army, but I could be wrong…”
Behind him, virtually ignoring this conversation, considering it was a language she didn’t understand anyway, Rhea turned to Ferox.
“What does this Gigas look like?” she asked.
“Well, he has scales of mossy green,” he replied, hardly thinking it mattered. “With paler green plates down his neck, back and tail. His eyes are blood-red.”
Ross noticed his mate looked troubled at these words.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her. “Do you know this Gigas person?”
“Ross!” Rhea groaned impatiently, looking up at him in desperation. “We both do…he was that slashclaw that attacked us and Chomper and…his friends back on the island!”
Ross’ eyes widened as the memory instantly flooded back – the drawing of blood across his snout, Rhea’s injury to the thigh, Chomper falling into the Big Water…
Of course, they couldn’t be sure that the malevolent individual was actually Gigas – as far as they knew, that attacker had been washed away into the middle of the ocean and sunk without trace. Though given everything else they knew about Xal, they figured he would have probably been able to find some way to fish his followers out from any unfortunate trepidation they happened to find themselves in.
Rhea’s horror grew every passing second, and her scarlet eyes began to fill with tears.
“Ross…!” she breathed. “If it is him…he will surely kill Chomper when he arrives at the forest!”
Ross immediately moved to console his mate. He gently rested his massive head next to hers and made a soft purring sound that all twoclaws have the ability to make use of via the back of their throats.
“No, he won’t,” he assured her. “Xal needs him to get into the Valley – as bad as that sounds, I’m sure Gigas would not deliberately undermine him.”
“But they will surely kill him once they get the information they need!” Rhea choked, stamping around in her distress. Ross nudged her shoulder in an attempt to get her to calm down.
“Maybe so,” he agreed. “But I promise we’ll get him back before that happens…”
Her sobs subsiding, Rhea turned her tear-stained gaze to where Zyro was continuing to explain what he had been told to the leaf-eater’s in their native language.
“Do you trust him?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “He’s a little strange that one – can’t always tell what he’s thinking or planning next. But he’s Shark’s greatest lieutenant – and I trust Shark with my life.”
Ferox watched the two of them in silence as the nuzzled closer together. He felt a slight twinge of loneliness as he did so – his own mate had died not long after Saureen had hatched, and such an event had always made that area of his life incomplete. But then that reminded him – Tyra. His own mother had surely been killed, and as upset as he himself was at that sudden realisation, he couldn’t even bear to think about what he would tell Saureen.
Zyro finished explaining what Ferox had told him to the leaf-eaters, and allowed a grave silence to descend upon them. However, it was then punctuated by a strangely optimistic voice.
“But that means surely,” Opal said. “That Xal’s forces and hierarchy have dropped by two – it should be easier for us to undermine him now.”
Old One, Bron and Zyro all looked at her, and Zyro soon began to smile.
“I’m glad one of us is remaining optimistic,” he said. “You’ve certainly put me in my place. Let’s just see what happens next…”
*
Tria remained stoic as she chewed on some ferns, even as Shock came up behind her.
“Tria.”
He spoke with an air of a professional authoritarian, but as Hyp had told her, nobody should back down just from a voice – it’s when the tails are used that one should worry.
“Maybe,” Tria replied, not turning around.
Shock’s lip curled. When did she grow backbone?
“There are things I need to know,” he continued, trying to maintain a commanding voice.
“Really?” Tria asked, in an increasingly bored tone which further irritated the Bludgeoner. It was a form of psychological torture – he was not permitted to physically interrogate her unless she was deliberately withholding information. But Tria’s calm fearlessness of him was getting severely under his skin.
However, before Shock could reply, another voice behind him spoke.
“Continue your patrols, Shock. I’ve got this one.”
Despite her determination to remain cool, this new voice sent a chill up Tria’s spine. What less could be expected from Ulciscor’s sadistic right-hand man?
Nervously, Tria turned to face the spiked longneck, who was gazing at her imperiously. It seemed he was able to take his time, unlike Shock, who, to Kai’s orders had walked off.
Eventually he spoke.
“Well, Tria,” he said softly. “How are you?”
“What is it you want, Kai?” she asked, surprised at her own bravery. But she wasn’t going to play games – Kai had not come here to make an enquiry about her health. The only sort of enquiries he ever made were the ones that others helped him with. And she got the nasty feeling that this is what he was here for.
Kai began to pace around Tria, drawing a large circle around her with his steps, almost trapping her in his steady saunter. Then he looked her directly in the eye again.
“So,” he said, in a much more business-like tone. “Where is she?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play games with me Tria,” Kai flicked his tail menacingly and lowered his neck towards her. “I’m talking about your daughter.”
Tria swallowed hard as her heart skipped several beats. So, finally someone had noticed – the Bludgeoners were all going around, far too busy trying to notice absenteeism in the ëusual suspects’ to notice that many infants were missing too. Hyp was busy looking after Tricia, of course, along with many other young ones in the secret swampy location. But if Kai knew that, there was no telling what he would do.
“She’s…she’s being looked after by a friend,” Tria replied, trying to keep her voice steady and convincing. “You see – this line of work could easily prove dangerous for her. You know how young ones are!”
Kai nodded. “Of course – you wouldn’t want to run the risk of her getting hurt now, would you? Of course, it’s not always children who behave foolishly. May I remind you where you husband is right now?”
“He’s not my husband anymore,” Tria replied coldly.
“Wise decision,” Kai complimented. “You don’t want to be associated with dissidents. You’ve got your work to focus on. But surely everyone else is working just as dangerously as you…which friend is looking after your beloved daughter? Surely not…” he chuckled darkly. “That old clubtail?”
Blood pounding in her ears, Tria forced herself to remain calm. “No,” she replied. “Mrs Maia. She’s a very dedicated mother and therefore a good babysitter for Tricia.”
“Mrs Maia, eh?” Kai nodded and raised his head up to sky. “Very well then Tria. As you were.”
Tria heaved a sigh of relief and was about to turn away when Kai spoke again.
“You know,” he said. “For someone who was once the lover of a rebel, I figured you’d come up with a more convincing cover-story than that.”
Tria froze in her tracks. He knew she had lied…
Kai pushed his snarling face up to Tria’s.
“I’ve seen Mrs Maia,” he growled. “I’ve been patrolling and examining every four-footer this side of the Valley. There are very few young children about – and certainly none with her. So…I’m going to ask you again – where are the kids???”
Tria desperately tried to think of some explanation, but all she could see were the pitiless pupils of her oppressor and her mind went blank.
“It’s a two-footer isn’t it?” Kai whispered, his voice dripping with venom. “A two-footed dissident is running a little babysitting scheme in secret with an organisation akin to rebellion.”
Tria didn’t say anything, but the look on her face was enough to tell him that his suspicions were right. His face contorting with loathing, he swung around and struck Tria full on with his viciously spiked tail, sending long and deep cuts across her hide and sending her flying, landing on the ground with an unpleasant thud, to the gasps on onlookers.
“I knew it,” Kai snapped. “Interaction between different types of dinosaur will not be tolerated at this level, and you will certainly not get away with this lightly. I will take some Bludgeoners to comb the Valley to find the ringleader. We will kill him on sight.”
*
It didn’t take them long to find Hyp.
The hidden swamp area was, of course, well known to Kai due to his meetings with Ulciscor, and when he and the Bludgeoners had found Hyp, they flew into a rage and tried to slaughter him. Hyp had only just made it out alive, fleeing out of their sight, even as they attempted to give pursuit. So far, no word about where he was, though according to Shock, he could not have left the Valley due to how heavily guarded the entrances and exits were. Kai vowed to find him, but now the burden of punishment lay upon other perpetrators.
“This will not be tolerated,” Ulciscor growled at the populace. “I thought the execution of that clubtail would have hammered home the message, but no…you defy me again and again. This time, maybe I should do something to make you understand.”
Nobody said anything. They were terrified about what he might do. Ulciscor paused for a moment, as though considering his next actions.
“It seems your families are what you care about the most,” he said, striding slowly towards the infants found with Hyp, which were now guarded my Bludgeoners. “What if something were to happen to them?”
And then, beyond all expectations of the bystanders and without warning, he picked Tricia up by her tail and between his teeth and hoisted her up into the air. Tricia let out a shrill shriek of terror, and was crying and writhing as Ulciscor began to walk away with her. Her call out for her mother made Tria step forward, forgetting common sense briefly.
“NO!!!” she screamed. “NOT MY DAUGHTER, PLEASE!!! DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ME, BUT YOU CAN’T HARM TRICIA, SHE’S JUST A CHILD…!”
Ulciscor ignored her screaming pleas.
“I wonder what I should do to her to make you understand,” he wondered aloud, positioning his teeth so Tricia did not escape him as he spoke. She was still sobbing fervently and calling for Tria, who was in a silent shock. She did not know what to do. For one brief moment, she found herself longing for Topps, and his strong, warm hide that would always comfort her, tell her that everything would be alright…
Kai was grinning malevolently as he watched Tricia writhe, but even some of the Bludgeoners looked slightly uncomfortable at what Ulciscor was doing. Unfazed, their leader spoke again.
“Perhaps I should drop her from somewhere…? Some tall tree? Or the mountain wall…”
“PLEASE…!” Tria choked again. Then she tried to force herself to remain calm. He was only bluffing, surely? He was doing this to scare them all into obedience, right? He wouldn’t commit infanticide…would he?
“They are not to blame for this!” Tria insisted. “The children don’t understand – we can work something out I’m sure, BUT YOU’VE GOT TO PUT HER DOWN!!!” She gulped as Tricia’s wails continued to penetrate her. “She doesn’t like heights!”
At these words, Ulciscor tensed, and he was suddenly reminded…of an occasion many years ago, when he was stuck up a tree, looking in terror at what was beneath him…
He closed his eyes.
Then he bent his neck down and deposited Tricia on the ground, where she immediately scampered back to Tria.
“OK,” Ulciscor replied. “This time…” he began to walk away. “Kai – you need to administer the punishments to the adults. Two-footers who were involved should be imprisoned, and four-footers shall receive beatings. See to it…oh, and I think it’s time we let those other dissidents out. No arguments just get on with it.”
Nobody else said a word until the sleek longneck was out of sight.
*
Lini gave a small gasp as the rock that was on her leg was removed by Al.
“C’mon, Lini,” he whispered, nudging her. “We’ve got to get moving. I think Saureen must have loosened the rocks on her side, so now there’s an opening.”
“I don’t think I can…” Lini moaned.
“Yes, you can!” Al insisted, grabbing her hand. “You’ve got to – Chomper and Seizon are fighting.”
Lini’s eyes immediately widened.
“We’ve got no time to lose,” Al continued. “We’ve got to get Chomper and Saureen and go and find Zyro.”
“What about Seizon?”
“He can do what he likes,” Al replied. “But he’s not taking us anywhere against our will.”
“Al…” Lini whispered.
“Your leg isn’t broken, I’m fairly sure,” Al said impatiently, giving it a quick examine. “I can help you walk.” He helped her stagger to her one good foot. “Lean on me.”
So, begrudgingly, Lini did so, and Al began to help her limp over the opening in the rocks.
“It might be a long trek,” Al admitted. “But we’re going to find Zyro.”
*
Chomper was thrown bodily against a large boulder and felt the blood fly out of his mouth as Seizon came for him, but he was able to avoid him just him time, forcing Seizon to corkscrew around and take a swipe at him. Chomper just about dodged this and retaliated with an attempt to bite down on Seizon’s shoulder, and so he spun around and dodged this blow too.
The two Sharptooth then launched themselves at each other, crashing head-to-head once more, pushing and struggling, wrestling with their arms and growling…Seizon clawed at Chomper’s neck, but Chomper then leapt aside, wincing at his wounds and grappling at Seizon’s side, sending them both tumbling to the ground. They simply rose to their feet and continued fighting.
Eventually, Saureen could watch no more and sprinted towards them in a desperate attempt to drive them apart.
“Please stop!!” she pleaded, trying to grab hold of both their arms. But this was a big mistake.
“I SAID STAY OUT OF IT!!!” Seizon snarled, swinging his arm to fling her off and accidentally catching her in the face with his claws in the process. He didn’t stop to apologise however.
Saureen took a step back, clutching her face, and when Chomper saw the blood seep through her fingers, his temper increased a thousand fold.
“HOW CAN YOU CALL US ALL OUR FAMILY????” he screamed at Seizon. “WHEN YOU CARE FOR NO ONE BUT YOURSELF???” He launched himself at Seizon, who absorbed the impact with his arms and bit hard into Chomper’s shoulder. Even as Chomper cried out, Seizon kicked him in the stomach and slashed ruthlessly all over his face, neck and chest, before kicking him again, this time forcefully down the slope they stood on, sending him skidding before finally stopping at the bottom, panting heavily, his face covered in blood.
And then there was silence – nobody moved or spoke. Saureen, her cut forgotten, was simply staring in horror at the two who had previously been fighting, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Chomper was motionless, and Seizon was too – standing there with his eyes closed. Then they flew open.
“There…” he muttered. “I win.”
Saureen swallowed. Chomper just raised his head and looked at him sceptically through his blood-stained eye.
“Now we get moving,” Seizon declared. “We’re heading to the Fanged Forest. Saureen-” He turned to her.
“I may need your help moving him,” he said. Then he began to walk down towards Chomper.
Was that it? Saureen thought to herself. No apology, no explanation…just business as usual, Xal, Xal, Xal…
Just as Seizon had reached Chomper, who was making no resistance, he heard more footsteps approach him. Looking up, all three of them saw Al and Lini slowly heading their way, Lini leaning on Al for support as she limped.
“Excellent,” Seizon continued. “You managed to get out of those rocks OK? C’mon, I need your help moving…what?” For now Seizon saw that Al and Lini were gazing at Chomper’s injured form with transfixed horror.
“Seizon…” Lini breathed, looking as though she were about to faint. “Did you do this?”
“I had to!” Seizon shot back. “He was resisting…I’ll need your help getting him to the Fanged Forest…”
“No.”
Al had spoken very clearly, and the contempt on his face as he gazed at Seizon was unmistakable.
“What do you mean no???” Seizon snapped impatiently.
“Exactly that,” Al replied. He drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry – but Chomper’s right. We can longer be a part of your pack if you continue to disregard all members’ well-being in favour of someone we’ve never met. We’re going to leave the pack.”
“You don’t understand…” Seizon looked highly distressed now. He took a step towards Al, and as he did so, Saureen quickly ran over to Chomper behind his back and helped him to his feet.
“Xal and I have been working towards this for years…” Seizon declared. “And I’m sorry if my leadership has resulting in some problems with you…but you can’t take away everything we’ve worked for now!”
“If it endangers the people I care about, then yes I can, Seizon,” Al replied levelly. He looked over at Chomper and Saureen. “Chomper, Saureen – are you with us?”
Determinately looking anywhere but Seizon, they both gave their affirmatives.
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS!!!” Seizon roared, in a full blown state of panic.
“You really want to try and stop us?” Al asked as they began to walk away. “Unless you want to come with us?” Seizon didn’t move, so Al continued. “Do you really want more blood on your hands?”
Seizon unconsciously gazed at Chomper’s blood on his claws and didn’t answer. For one thing, he didn’t trust himself, and for another, he couldn’t believe he was seeing his entire pack walk away from him. It was impossible! This couldn’t be happening!
“Saureen!!” Seizon called helplessly after her. Saureen paused, her hand still on Chomper. Seeing that the other three were waiting for her, she turned back to look at Seizon.
“I’m sorry Saureen!” Seizon wailed, the pleading obvious also in his twitching jaw and shimmering eyes. “Please – after everything we’ve been through together…you’ve gotta come back to the forest with me, I need you by my side!”
Saureen looked down at the Sharptooth she once called brother, and then looked back at the three sharpteeth she was performing an exodus with…and burst into tears. For her focus was on Chomper’s battle scars and Lini’s injured leg.
“What happened to you Seizon?” she sobbed, the tears already flowing down her face. “What happened to the helpful and eccentric brother I used to know you as? It’s almost as though you’re a different person – one who uses intimidation and ruthlessness to get what he wants…you’re like Xal, or maybe even Redclaw…and that’s not who you should be. I don’t even want to know you anymore…or spend another second with you!” She gulped. “I’m sorry…”
Without another backwards glance, the four sharpteeth continued to walk away from their leader.
“SAUREEN!!!” Seizon yelled pointlessly after them, almost going hoarse. “AL, LINI, CHOMPER, COME BACK!!!!!!!!”
But they were soon out of earshot and out of sight, and Seizon felt that he didn’t have the guts or the heart hard enough to go back after them.
He rolled his eyes heaven-ward as he took one moment to absorb everything that had just happened, and felt the weight of his abandonment come crashing down on him like a tonne of rocks. He couldn’t believe it…now here he was, alone and dreading how Xal would react when returned to the forest empty-handed and solitary…
If only there were some sky-water, he thought miserably, gazing up at the clear sky. Cool, fresh and tranquil…that might have calmed him slightly…
He felt something crawl across his foot, and when he looked down to see a lizard, suddenly the rage came bursting forth from him like a rapid. Because he couldn’t reach Saureen and the others…this lizard would pay for their crimes!
It was the work of a few minutes for Seizon to let his anger out on this hapless creature, as he tore it into three pieces with his jaws and claws, letting the blood run freely from him as his tongue lapped it up…
Seizon was not happy. And soon, he felt, something had to give. Once he returned to Xal, he would see what that something was…
~0~
And there you go, and there it is, and there you have it!
This chapter may seem rushed, so apologies for that... :oops But its all a change now! Seizon has been left by his four remaining pack members and he's not happy about it! What will the future hold for them all? Only time will tell...oh, and it seems Ulciscor has a conscience after all! Shame it doesn't make up for everything he does...Oh, and this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBAM0O3ujgI) soundtrack that I've been throwing around a bit is what I've always imagined taking place during Chomper and Seizon's fight. :slap Oh well, please review and comment etc!!! :smile
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Whoa! The powder keg exploded :wow
Before I start, is 'brethren' some ancient word similar to 'brother' in meaning?
No fic without a good ol' earthshake eh? :p No worries, that was a good move and I shall point that out below the review itself.
So Al and Lini are trapped. Oh my.. Seizon... now who's the rockhead here? :rolleyes: Seizon has become antagonistic..
How can you evil thing interrupt the flow of the fight using a flashback!?! :lol Well, the flashback itself is really worth a smile :smile Saureen being terrified of insects?!? Brain-sucking butterflies?!? :DD You put that nicely! Not to mention you managed to do the transitions smoothly.
So Giga's from LBT 5? :idea cool. Whatever Zyro has discussed with the Old One and Bron, you won't tell us I guess :exactly
Uh oh... Kai knows it and Tria has to pay the prize or whut?!
The other rockhead, Ulciscor... :slap I wonder why he didn't drop Tricia.. Knowing you, Toby, we'll see sooner or later :smile
Well, Seizon eventually wins and Lini & Al free themselves but what now? Well, the last scene was one of your best ones so far, Toby. The whole chapter is just awesome as usual just a little bit more awesome (may it be there is a climax in awesomeness of the chapters? :lol:)
Seizon being abandoned by the pack was a forecastable thing but I haven't exactly guessed that you meant this with major changes within the pack :angel
Okay, so the earthshake is well placed for the following reasons:
- Al & Lini get trapped so there's only one individual left that could intervene, Saureen.
- It provides a good situation to reveal Seizon's priorities
That being said... I bow down in front of you, keep writing awesome chapter's such as this one!
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Yes, brethren does mean brother. :DD
Glad you liked it, and don't worry - we haven't seen the last of Seizon, not by a long shot... :angel
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*OMG* *GAWK* *GASPETH*
...
I dunno if I can find the words to describe this chapter. It's just so--- everything!
Well okay, let's start with the jaw-dropping moment at the end: I'm just surprised that it ended like this (ended?? XDD) with Seizon just blatantly denying everything and forging on nonetheless. His arrogance is something to be admired in a way :DD
But then-- GUH! It's getting harder and harder to feel bad for him when he does things like this!
And that moment with Tricia... AHA!! Found a spot of weakness, have we? *evillaugh* Again, I find it hard to beleve that Ulciscor would in fact kill a child, that's just something even the most hard-hearted of criminals balk at. So tricia's probably safe, right.... RIGHT?!?!
You've done it again, Dosu - an enjoyable, emotional trainwreck of a read and I'm loving/writhing at every second of it!! XDD
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Glad to hear it! :lol And don't worry, you shouldn't have long to wait until the next chapter...
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Here we go, at long last, the next VV chapter! Will discuss the content at the end. Until then, ENJOY!
Chapter Nineteen: Help is at Hand?
“He’s back!!!”
It was a shrill cry, one quite uncharacteristic of Ichy as he flapped in sudden a wave of drunken excitement over the heads of larger sharpteeth.
Xal’s eyes narrowed at the enthusiastic sharpbeak above his head.
“Ferox?” he asked slowly, Gigas and Redclaw remaining in a stony silence.
“No,” Ichy replied impatiently. “Not him.” He perched precariously on Xal’s nose.
“I’m talking about Seizon,” he explained. “He’s heading towards the forest as I speak!”
For the first time in a very long while, something akin to pure, non-malevolent joy and delight manifested itself into an expression on Xal’s face, and his eyes widened also with the same emotion.
“Excellent! I was beginning to wonder what had happened to him…we can now finally get things moving. The revolution begins here…”
“What about this Zyro person?” Gigas questioned. “Won’t he get in the way?”
“Not if he knows what’s good for him,” Xal shot back. “Besides – we have the ambassador now…”
“Sorry Xal!” Ichy piped up, now dispiritedly. “But the ambassador isn’t with Seizon.”
“What?”
“That’s not the half of it,” Ichy continued. “Nobody’s with him at all…not even Saureen.”
*
Despite dreading the reaction from his stepfather when he informed him that his entire pack had abandoned him, Seizon had nevertheless loyally dragged himself back to the Fanged Forest, if only to re-group and consider the next best course of action.
As he approached the sheltered conifers which marked the forests’ beginning, he noticed three large sharpteeth emerge from the trees to meet him. One of them was unmistakably his stepfather Xal, with the mid-blue body and blood-red sail on his back. To one side of him was a tall, green plated slashclaw that Seizon didn’t recognise and the third…
As soon as Seizon recognised the third, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at said Sharptooth. On top of everything else that had happened, his disbelief was beginning to mount to an incredible height, almost so he could barely think straight anymore…
“Well, Seizon?” Xal’s voice cut across his thoughts. With some effort, Seizon turned to look at him. Xal didn’t seem angry, but there was a slight frown on his face, one that would have filled Seizon with a wave of guilt at his stepfather’s disappointment if he hadn’t been so transfixed with horror at the Sharptooth that he hated.
“Where is everyone else?” Xal continued.
“First and foremost…” Seizon replied, swallowing slightly. He pointed at Redclaw.
“What the hell is he doing here?”
“Hm?” Xal glanced over at Redclaw. “Oh right…of course, you weren’t to know. Redclaw came to us to offer his allegiances, because he had nothing else left. I was reluctant to enrol him at first, but Gigas here…” he gestured to the slashclaw on his right. “Convinced me that Redclaw may prove useful…and he is. He is providing us with both muscle and vital information about our enemies. But Seizon – I want to know why you’ve come back here alone.”
“Right…” Seizon wasn’t entirely convinced about Redclaw, but he supposed that Xal wouldn’t have allowed him to join his army without good reason.
“I’m sorry Xal…” he continued. “But the ambassador, Chomper, was reluctant to come back with me. He battled it out – I won, but then Saureen and the other members of my pack announced their intentions to leave as well…” His mouth took on a contorted, pained expression. “I couldn’t stop them, they all left…”
The moment came back to him – their ever shrinking sillohuettes in the distance, all having told him the same thing – we can no longer follow you…
He clenched his fist. They would see – once the revolution came round, they would all see how wrong they were, and would rejoice at the sight of him…
“I see…” Xal nodded, and rolled his eyes skyward to consider his options briefly. Gigas gave him an odd look. He couldn’t quite understand why Xal was being so lenient with this brat – not only was he late, he had failed in his mission completely. Xal should have punished him severely…and yet he wasn’t. He supposed there must be some sort of family connection between the two of them that prevented Xal from being so severe, but in his time, Gigas reflected, that had never stopped him…
He looked over at Redclaw to see if he were thinking the same thing as him. His expression was unreadable, and Gigas guessed that he didn’t want to seem treacherous to Xal at this point.
“Do you know where they went, Seizon?” Xal asked.
Seizon shook his head. “I’m not even sure they knew…but I will find them, I promise!” He now looked up, his eyes bursting with determination.
“You should have thought of that beforehand!” Gigas snapped at him. “You should have gone after them instead of returning here empty-handed!”
“Trying to convince them again would have done him little good,” Xal assured Gigas. “I personally think coming here in an attempt to re-group was a far better strategy.”
“True…” Gigas admitted.
“The problem remains, however,” Xal continued. “That they will continue to resist us. Particularly Saureen, once she learns the fate of her grandmother and father.”
“Tyra and Ferox?” Seizon murmured. “What happened to them?”
“They were being insubordinate and declaring their intentions to leave,” Xal replied. “A familiar story, I’m sure you’ll agree…Ferox escaped and we were forced to kill Tyra.”
Seizon nodded and felt a rush of sympathy towards Saureen. It must be terrible having family that don’t understand what’s good for them…he hoped she would have a better life once the revolution began…if they could find her…
“Therefore,” Xal continued. “We will have to bring them here by force.”
Redclaw’s eyes lit up.
“Whatever works,” Seizon agreed. “It’s for their own good. But how are we supposed to find them?”
“I may be able to help you out there,” Redclaw said suddenly, stepping forward.
“Who asked you??!” Seizon growled at him.
“Let him talk,” Xal rebuked Seizon.
“It goes back to Ichy’s report from when he encountered you all at the Cave Network,” Redclaw explained. “The description of one of those involved matches very closely to one young Sharptooth whom I know to be associated with Zyro…”
Xal glared at him. “And you didn’t think to tell me this before?”
“I figured it would have been easier to see how events unfolded from there,” Redclaw replied defensively. “And it would have given us a better insight into how these pacifists operate!”
“I could have told you that,” Xal countered. “You still should have let me know.”
“Who’s Zyro?” Seizon asked.
“An obstacle,” Xal said simply. “But if this child was indeed working for Zyro, it’s highly likely that he’s taken the ambassador and the others to where he is.”
“Who was this person?” Seizon demanded.
“I’m not sure of his name,” Redclaw admitted. “But he’s a young crunchbiter with stripes…”
Images of Al immediately flitted into Seizon’s mind, and his rage grew. Al would certainly not get away with taking his pack from him…how could he have not have known he was a spy??
“Right…” Seizon murmured, pummelling his fist into the ground. “So our top priority is finding Zyro?”
“Quite,” Xal agreed. “It may make infiltrating the Great Valley even easier – it’s been taken over by Ulciscor, and so removing all possible enemies at any time is a good move. But once we find these pacifists…it may be difficult getting them secure.”
“Now, this is where I might be able to help you,” Gigas spoke up, grinning. “I know somebody in that pack as well…”
*
Dust and small pebbles rose up around the sharptooth’s feet as they continued to walk and trudge towards an unspecified destination. Chomper, who was, along with Saureen, aiding Lini by supporting her at either side reflected at how suddenly and quickly Al, who was walking in front of and taking them to their destination, had taken up this leadership role.
Chomper supposed he had always taken Al for granted. He had always been the quietest member of the group, always calm and mellow without any other particular personality traits. Chomper had previously been so worked up about the issues surrounding Pyron, Nyhca and Seizon that he hadn’t had a lot of time to give Al much thought, which made it all the more shocking about what he and Lini had said the previous night.
“I don’t believe this!” Chomper protested with severe indignation. “If we can’t go back to the Valley, where are you suggesting we go?”
“There is a Sharptooth,” Al replied patiently. “Who will be able to explain to us everything that is going on. He commissioned me to join this pack to ensure everything was kept safe and sane, and I promise you he does not hate leaf-eaters.”
“Are you talking about Zyro?” Lini asked, her face suddenly alight with interest as supposed to contorted with pain.
“Yes,” Al replied, smiling a little. “He will be our safe haven at last.”
Zyro, it turned out, had sent Al undercover into the pack to keep an eye on things, whilst reporting back to Screech and Thud – something Chomper hadn’t been entirely sure about. Apparently, Al had lost contact with them, meaning that they had had to flee their outpost near the Valley for some reason. Therefore, the Valley was an unsafe zone.
Al had spoken about Zyro with some admiration, and yet for some reason it didn’t seem to Chomper as though this was the same sort of bond Seizon and Xal shared, and as everything he had heard of Zyro and Shark made him like them even more, he had decided to go along with it. All the same, he was still a little uncertain about what was going on.
He glanced across Lini at Saureen, who had been largely silent since they had walked out on Seizon. He could understand how painful the whole experience must have been for her – she had known the obnoxious bladeback since they were infants and had seen more of the light and dark of him than the rest of them had. It was impossible to tell quite what she was feeling about it, and even less so about the meeting with this mysterious Sharptooth.
Then, Lini spoke, as though she were reading both their minds.
“I know what you two are wondering,” she said softly, an albeit pained smile creeping across her face. “Wondering whether you should trust another individual you’ve never met?”
Chomper and Saureen just listened and waited, confirming her suspicions.
“There’s no doubt it’s strange,” Lini admitted. “But following someone in life, even if it’s for a short amount of time, will help you get skills and trains of thought to follow…”
Chomper was instantly reminded of how he had instantly imprinted on Littlefoot following his birth, and he nodded understandably.
“That’s provided,” Lini added, her smile slipping slightly. “You follow the right ones. From what I’ve heard of Zyro, he seems to have the right idea about these things…”
“He managed to get Screech and Thud in their place,” Saureen interjected suddenly, remembering now how the two fastbiters had sounded as though they were trying to help Seizon and give him advice when he had taken Chomper from the Valley. “If he can get them to act like rational individuals…”
“Exactly,” Al turned back to them smiling. “I understand why you might be suspicious, but I advise you all see Zyro before you make your decisions. Right now, we’re headed towards the Rocky Heathland, and area which I was told was the ideal place to rendezvous if the Valley scrutiny tactic didn’t work.”
*
Littlefoot gave a small sigh as he flopped his neck onto the ground to join the circle of him and his seven friends. Well, six – Spike was a short distance away from the rest of them, eating stolidly from a large bush and enjoying the companionship of Opal. Their spiketail kinship really seemed to have kicked in.
“Anymore word on what Zyro and the other sharpteeth are saying?” Cera asked to no one in particular.
“Nothing,” Ali admitted. “Apparently, they’re still sitting tight and waiting. But I’m bored of waiting!” She flopped her neck onto the ground in a similar fashion to Littlefoot’s.
“You’re saying you really want to go to war?” Shorty asked, puzzled. He seemed to have gotten over failing the test now, and was much calmer.
“Well, no,” Ali admitted. “But…well…if what they’re saying is true, we need to free the Valley from this Ulciscor!”
“Agreed,” Littlefoot replied. “I think my dad recognises the name from somewhere.” He frowned. “He won’t tell me anything about it though…”
Petrie, getting bored and slightly weirded out from this constant war-talk, had allowed the wind to catch under his wings and was drifting off slightly into the sky. Where they were sitting was on the edge of the heathland, where they liked to be to overlook the whole area, seeing the longnecks and sharpteeth lying side-by-side. Old One and the others allowed them to go there, provided an adult leaf-eater went with them, and Opal was their favourite choice of chaperone due to how well she got on with Spike. As Petrie drifted and gazed at the land in the distance, he noticed some distinct figures on the horizon. As they moved closer, he could make out their number (four) and when he peered closer, he saw something that caused him to almost fall out of the sky.
“Whoa…!” he gasped, hardly able to form words with his astonishment. Gathering his thoughts together, he quickly dived back to the group. There could be no mistaking the purple one…
“IT’S CHOMPER!!!” Petrie screeched, borderline hysterical.
Heads instantly snapped his way. Even Spike, with a mouthful of leaves, turned to look at him in wide-eyed curiosity.
“Huh?” Cera muttered.
“What?” Ruby responded.
“What do you mean?” Littlefoot asked.
“Chomper – he’s coming over to heathland!!!” Petrie replied in earnest. He took off again. “Follow me!” He called to them. “Me show you!”
The seven children all rushed in the flyer’s wake, Opal following them and bringing up the rear. Over the crest of the hill they stood on, they could see the figures coming along the horizon in more focus now. Four small sharpteeth, one of whom was…
“It IS Chomper!” Ducky yelled in delight. “It is, it is!!”
Recognition hit the rest of them, and despite the presence of other sharpteeth, euphoria immediately spread throughout their beings, shining outwardly on their faces. He was safe…
In a unanimous movement, the children began to gallop towards their long-lost friend.
Of course, the galloping was not going to go unnoticed by the other party either. As soon as Chomper heard the familiar cries of delight quickly coming his way, he quickly raised his head to see the sight for sore eyes that he had desired for so long. Quickly but gently releasing Lini, he mustered the last of his strength that had been diminished by his constant walking, and sprinted at full-pelt towards the party coming to greet him.
Al watched with some surprise as Chomper soared past him, but smiled along with his two other companions when he saw the cause.
Littlefoot and Chomper finally met in the middle of these two groups, wrapping their bodies around each other in an ecstatic embrace of brothers separated for too long.
“Littlefoot…!” Chomper whispered in a kind of hoarse euphoria.
“Welcome back Chomper!” Littlefoot murmured back, his joy as conspicuous as ever.
Eventually, the two of them released each other, and Chomper quickly turned to greet all his other friends in a similar fashion, including Ali and Shorty.
“Chomper, we’re so glad, yep, yep, yep!” Ducky cheered enthusiastically.
“Good to see ya, buddy!” Cera grinned.
“You too!” Chomper laughed back, as Spike gave him an excited lick.
“I have to say,” Al smiled back at the equally beaming Saureen and Lini as they watched this joyful reunion from afar. “This has turned out even better than I expected. I didn’t know they were going to be here too! Isn’t it great when that happens?”
“I know!” Lini cooed appreciatively.
“They all look so cute together!” Saureen agreed, smiling in spite of herself and her constant worry about Seizon…
Shaking this off, she then said to Al,
“Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves?”
Al’s smile slipped slightly.
“I guess so,” he admitted. “But we’ll need to get Chomper to do the introductions…”
“But Chomper…” Ruby murmured to him, wiping her eyes as he released her. “What’s happened to you?”
“It’s a notoriously long story,” Chomper replied honestly. “At the moment…I’m just so glad I’m here!”
This statement was greeted by more smiles from his friends, and they moved in on him in a massive group hug.
“Nice to see you two again as well!” Chomper added to Shorty and Ali. “But I suppose it begs the question…what are you all doing here?”
“Well,” Littlefoot sighed. “THAT’S a long story as well!”
“Really?” Chomper replied absent-mindedly, staring over the horizon. “So, who’s that?”
He was referring to Opal, who was still back where the Gang had left her, and she was now watching this exchange from a distance rather awkwardly. It wasn’t as though she mistrusted Chomper – but she felt that watching this way was being rather intrusive on an issue that was obviously just about the kids. All the same, she couldn’t help but feel connected to these children somehow. The attitudes of the longnecks in the herd weren’t impolite, but she never felt as though she had much place among them, even just as another adult.
“That’s Opal,” Ruby replied. “She’s a travelling companion.”
“And she’s far better than our last one,” Cera added, rolling her eyes. “You’ll understand what I mean once you hear what’s going on…”
“So…” Petrie piped up, looking nervously at three approaching figures. “Who’re they?”
Chomper turned around to where Petrie was looking.
“Oh! Sorry guys, I almost forgot!”
He strode up to Al, Saureen and Lini with an apologetic though jovial look in his face. He then turned back to his leaf-eater friends whilst gesturing to his Sharptooth ones as he spoke.
“Guys, these are Saureen, Lini and Al – they’re my really good friends who helped me get here!”
He smiled at them, and they grinned sheepishly back. Of course, they couldn’t understand a word he was saying – he could have been violently slagging them off for all they knew.
Then Chomper switched to Sharptooth.
“Guys,” he said again, now addressing the remaining members of what was once Seizon’s pack. “These are my friends from the Great Valley – well, not all of them…anyway, Saureen, you’ve already seen them right?”
Saureen nodded. Chomper smiled mysteriously back at her and began to gesture at the leaf-eaters, who were watching patiently.
“This is Littlefoot, Cera, Ruby, Spike, Petrie, Ducky, Ali and Shorty,” he explained.
Lini frowned.
“A lot to remember isn’t it?” she asked in a stage whisper. Not that it mattered due to the barriers of language.
Chomper chuckled.
“You’ll get used to it soon enough,” he replied.
“Well, now we’ve got the introductions out of the way,” Al continued, a more serious expression fixing itself on his features. “Could you ask them to lead us to Zyro, if he is indeed here? We have a lot to talk about…”
*
Zyro was positively overjoyed to see that the four young sharpteeth had managed to make it here safely. He jubilantly congratulated Al on his work, politely welcomed Saureen and Lini and then turned to Chomper.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Chomper,” he smiled. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Yes, likewise,” Chomper replied, looking Zyro up and down with some admiration. After what Al had explained to him, he didn’t quite know what to expect of Zyro, but he had to admit, now seeing him, Zyro conformed to the heroic leader title extremely well – he just shone awesomeness even just from his colouration scheme, Chomper couldn’t keep his eyes of the dazzling blue and white scales, almost as impressive as Saureen’s, though Saureen’s case was different, of course…
“I will admit,” Zyro went on. “That you had many of us worried. Including…” he inclined his head.
Chomper followed Zyro’s gesture with his gaze. His mouth fell open when he saw who was being referred to. It had been over a year since he had been forcibly separated from them by Redclaw, and he could see that, in all their time apart, they had taken on the burden and scars of a wandering sharptooth’s life. And yet, they still greeted him with the same old loving smiles that he had grown to only associate with his loving parents.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. He just ran, ran faster than his tired frame could logically be expected to move. He ran straight into Rhea’s open arms and allowed her to lift him up to nuzzle him as tears flowed freely down both their faces.
“Oh, my son…” Rhea purred, absolutely overcome, holding tightly to Chomper like he was a newborn. As Chomper purred in reply, he saw his father, out of the corner of his teary eye, approach them. He was blinking furiously.
“I’m not crying,” he said, smiling weakly at Chomper. “I just have something in both of my eyes…” Grinning at his father’s all-too-familiar wit, Chomper twisted around to hug his massive nose, at which Ross purred too.
“The Great Circle of Life is truly a wonderful thing…” Chomper murmured to his parents. “As quickly as it divided us it brings us together again…”
“Indeed,” Rhea agreed, sniffing him uncertainly. “But it brought you back far dirtier than when you left us! What on earth have you been doing?”
“All sorts of things?” Chomper shrugged. “Please – you don’t have to wash me now!”
“Oh yes we do!” Ross replied firmly as Rhea placed Chomper on the ground. “We wouldn’t be fulfilling our duties as parents otherwise!”
Inevitably, Chomper found himself writhing and squirming in discomfort as his parents’ tongues lapped every inch they could reach. Lini found it all absolutely hilarious.
“When’s it my turn?” she snickered, and Chomper wasn’t sure whether she meant being licked or doing the licking, and then decided he didn’t even want to know.
“If you’re just going to snigger,” he complained. “You might as well have the full works yourself!”
As Ross and Rhea finished up washing their son, Ruby stepped nervously forward.
“Chomper,” she said, swallowing slightly. “I think it just needs to be said…”
“What does?” Chomper asked, looking at her puzzled.
Ruby hung her head.
“I want you to apologize to your parents for not watching out for you the way I should have done when you were taken…” she replied. But her expression quickly changed to horror when she saw Ross and Rhea notice her and immediately stride straight over.
“Oh n-…look…I understand you might be…” But she faltered when the two huge sharpteeth bent down to her level and nuzzled her gently between their snouts, purring as they would to their own child.
Rhea emitted some tranquil, low growling sounds, which Chomper translated for Ruby, who was speechless with astonishment.
“She’s thanking you for looking after me all this time,” he beamed, his delight at this turn of events shamelessly displayed. “It seems that they don’t blame you any more than I do.”
Amongst the sharpteeth, another family reunion was taking place.
“So glad you’re here dad!” Saureen smiled as she and Ferox nestled each other. “But…” she looked around confused and the absence of a familiar blue form. “Where is granny?”
Ferox’s smile transformed completely. His eyes had lost their merry twinkle that had ignited upon seeing his daughter and they now carried an empty look in them.
“Saureen,” he said, in a voice as controlled as he could make it. “Could I talk to you privately please?”
*
Thud sat idly on the heath, taking in its fresh smell as the wind billowed around him. He also gazed over the lip of the small hill he sat on, watching a father and daughter’s embrace as they mourned the loss of Tyra, weeping quietly in private.
“It’s strange to consider it?” Thud commented as Screech sat down beside him. “That Tyra’s gone…she always seemed to be winning her battle against old age…”
“It wasn’t age that killed her though…” Screech frowned. “It was Xal’s thugs!”
“Exactly,” Thud smiled. “I’ve got to admit, it’s very her, isn’t it? Dying by fighting against something. In all our time in the Fanged Forest, I always found her the easiest to get on with…”
“She wasn’t too amused to discover we’d joined Redclaw though, did she?” Screech murmured.
“True,” Thud admitted. “But if anything, that’s what made her so impressive…”
There was a short silence.
“Why did we do it, Thud?” Screech asked despairingly.
Thud considered for a moment.
“We weren’t really part of the group without Maya,” he admitted. “And after her passing, I guess there was little else we could have done…”
“But Redclaw though?”
Thud smiled weakly.
“Perhaps we just needed to feel strong again. Have the backing of someone formidable. He needed the companionship as much as we did, after his brother…”
“Why would he have missed him though?”
“Hey.” A sombre voice cut across their conversation, and they both turned to see Al with a dissatisfied glower on his face.
“Al!” Thud grinned rather impishly at him. “How’s it going?”
“I could be better,” he shot back. “I only come here because Zyro sent me to tell you that he is going to make an announcement en masse, and needs everyone present.”
“Got it…” Screech nodded. “I’ll tell you what – you’ve done an impressive job in leading them all back here.”
“Quite,” Al agreed. “No thanks to you two – abandoning me in my time of need…I never asked to work with you, I only did because I knew it would be the most beneficial way of achieving Zyro’s goal. Now, he may think you’re worth reforming, but I know better.” An ugly look crossed his face before he turned away.
“That’s a bit primitive of you Al,” Thud remarked.
Al stopped in his tracks.
“What did you just say to me?” he snarled.
“What I mean,” Thud continued, rising to his feet. “Is that someone who is as rational and intelligent as you should not believe certain individuals are beyond redemption.”
“Is that so?” Al replied coldly. “Or is that just a fallacy thugs make up to try and make themselves feel better?”
“Ah, Al,” Thud continued to smile, further irritating his quarry. “Your headstrong and independent nature – your desire to do the right thing, and your inherent mistrust of all those who seem to be the perpetrators of injustice…it reminds me strongly of someone else.”
Al glowered.
“I swear, if you’re talking about-”
“Our sister,” Thud cut across him smoothly. Screech looked uncomfortable, but Thud continued. “I’m sure you would have liked her Al. Your viewpoints on everything were remarkably similar…” he closed his eyes. “And if I’m honest,” he continued. “If she could see what we’ve become, she would turn in her grave.”
Al nodded, unsure of how to respond. Eventually, turning away, he managed to mutter,
“Well…at least you didn’t say Seizon.”
*
The gathering was immense. Chomper stared around in awe at the crowds of leaf-eaters and sharpteeth, all waiting patiently, showing no sign of fear of the other, all united in a single cause. It was incredible! The sight of such a union and a mutual alliance between dinosaurs of radical difference was a harbinger of joy to Chomper in such a way he could barely describe. Seeing this harmony, he was reminded of a few words once whispered to him…
“Chomper…please…don’t let your dream die. It’s still possible, I know…a world where leaf-eaters and sharpteeth can live in harmony.”
Pyron had certainly believed in him. He had believed that Chomper would have been able to bring it about. But, Chomper, observed, almost welling up at the prospect, it looked as though he didn’t have to. Such had already been accomplished by this fantastic person. He gazed up at Zyro, and wondered whether he had any flaws at all. He certainly couldn’t see any from where he stood.
Zyro noticed Chomper gazing up at him and turned to smile down at him apologetically.
“Sorry about putting you on the spot like this,” he said. “But I feel it would be better if I can address both groups virtually at the same time, so they’re both on the same wavelength. And you’re the only other bilingual here.”
“Bilingual?” Chomper frowned. “What’s that?”
“It means you have the ability to speak two languages,” Zyro smiled. “Like me, you can speak both flattooth and Sharptooth.”
“You can speak flattooth too?” Chomper squawked, eyes boggling. Zyro was still full of surprises, it seemed. Where would they stop? Not noticing the gaze of sheer admiration, Zyro continued.
“Yes. But I think your friends and fellows would benefit from hearing something from a familiar face, whilst my own community would rather here something from me. Therefore, when I address the group in Sharptooth, I’d like you to translate for your leaf-eater companions. Is that alright?”
“Sure!” Chomper grinned back, nodding eagerly. “I’m ready!”
“Nice!” Zyro smiled at Chomper once more before addressing his community.
“Alright everyone!” he called over the chatter of the sharpteeth who all settled down at once.
“Now that everyone we were anticipating has arrived here, we can set our plans in motion to liberate the Great Valley from Ulciscor!”
Chomper translated for the eagerly listening leaf-eaters, and a great cheer arose from them.
“We shouldn’t be too hasty,” Zyro continued, with Chomper translating. “Because these youngsters have travelled for so long, they will need time to rest and recuperate before we go marching off to war…”
“Why do the kids have to come with us?” Rhea demanded. “I don’t want my son in any more danger than he needs to be! And I’m sure…” she turned to Ferox. “You’d agree with me concerning your daughter?”
Before Ferox could respond, Zyro jumped to answer her question.
“I understand your concern, Rhea,” he insisted. “But we can’t leave them behind, even with chaperones to watch over them. I don’t want this group to be divided over long distances. They will be safer with us as we travel, and once we get to the Valley, they can be taken to a safe location as the battle commences.”
“What did she say?” Ruby asked Chomper.
“Oh, she just asked if it would be safe for us to come to the Valley for the duration of the battle,” Chomper replied. “And Zyro replied that it would be better for the group to be united than divided.”
“I agree,” Littlefoot said firmly. “I don’t care what anyone says…I’m not letting this Ulciscor, or…” his face contorted in loathing. “Or Kai get the better of my grandparents or anyone else in the Valley!”
“Hear hear!” Cera cheered.
Bron sighed as he looked down at his determinately righteous son, torn between pride and despair. The boy had no apathy in him at all…just like a certain someone who was once his best friend. The similarities were uncanny, but Bron was certain Littlefoot would not go down the same path as his uncle if he knew the truth…he knew he would have to tell him soon.
Zyro continued, with Chomper continuing to translate.
“For a few days, we shall all have the chance to rest,” Zyro assured. “So therefore, during that time, I think we should also investigate into what’s going on in the Valley currently.”
Following this translation, Old One spoke up.
“If I may Zyro,” she said. “I may be able to help you out there. I have a very trusted messenger, who may be able to investigate the goings-on in the Valley and tell the populace of the impending liberation front…”
“Do you really think it will be wise to parade what we’re doing though?” A longneck asked her. “We don’t want Ulciscor getting wind of our plans…”
“Don’t worry,” Old One assured. “The messenger knows better than that – besides, he’s used to espionage.”
“Good,” Zyro nodded. “I would much like to meet this messenger, but apart from that, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Switching back into sharpteeth, he addressed his community.
“I think that’s all,” he said, Chomper providing the translation for the leaf-eaters. “Everyone go and enjoy yourselves. Rest, spend time with your families, relax, but most of all, PREPARE.”
He paused for effect before dropping his voice to an even more serious tone.
“Make sure you’re ready for this,” he advised. “Because before the week is out, we’re going to be marching off to fight. And it’s going to be tough. You must make sure you’re prepared. Are you with me?”
There was pause finishing this statement and the translation. But then, both sides, sharpteeth and flatteeth alike, issued a mighty war cry, one of determination and jubilation, one of courage and unity, one that was music to the ears of Chomper and moved him to tears.
Zyro smiled at the sound of this enthusiasm, and spoke over the noise. “In that case, I wish you all the very best!”
And so the group disbanded, and as Chomper, wiping his eyes, went to join his friends, he could still feel the adrenalin pumping through his veins. He was on the verge of the greatest and most dramatic moment of his life, the great zenith of everything he had worked towards so far, and his only wish was that him, his friends, his family, all the members of this herd, every Sharptooth in the community and every single Valleian would pull through and come out on top at last.
*
Topps could not believe his eyes.
He hadn’t even been imprisoned all that long, and yet the Valley was now unrecognisable. Gone were the pleasant green pastures and leaves, as vegetation had been taken by Bludgeoners in order to force others to work for their food sources. The Valley did not look right without its everlasting green. Only a few bits of moss could be found here and there to stop the Valleians from simply starving to death. But that wasn’t the worse of it. What had made to Valley truly alien to him now was the fact that the joy had been drained from it. No longer was the air full of the laughter and whooping of happy children as they played and wrestled each other in the dirt. There were no happy and content adults as they sat around, chewing on plants and discussing the latest gossip. This was no longer a Great Valley. It was just a Valley full of miserable, tired and thin leaf-eaters, slaving away to serve their monstrous despot. Ulciscor had the Valley in his iron grip, and had sucked all the joy from it and everything that had ever made it great.
Desperately trying to find some reason, Topps turned to look at Dorian, but to his discomfort, the latter’s eyes were just full of knowing despair.
He of course, had seen this all before.
“There is little we can do at present,” Dorian told Topps quietly. “But right now you should go and speak to your wife.”
Topps swallowed, but nodded and steeled himself. “Yes…” he replied. “Perhaps you’re right…”
The two of them parted ways and Topps set out to his old nest.
His heart leapt to see Tria and Tricia at the spot, chewing silently on a few ferns they had, but Topps couldn’t shake off how utterly defeated they both looked. Even Tricia, as young as she was, seemed to know that something was up…
Topps cleared his throat.
“Uhm…hello Tria.”
Tria looked up in surprise.
“Oh…hello…” she managed.
Tricia’s reaction was considerably more rewarding. With a cry of ëDaddy!’ mixed in with some toddler jargon, she came charging up to him and immediately embraced his leg, nestling up to it. Smiling serenely, Topps bowed his head and nuzzled her gently.
“She’s been pining for you for ages,” Tria remarked, slowly walking up to them both. “I told her that for the moment, you…had to go away.”
Topps nodded.
“Well, I’m back now, so-”
“But Topsy,” Tria cut across him. Every word seemed to cost her great pain, but she still said with determination and purpose. She fixed him with a meaningful look.
“I should never have been in the position to tell her that in the first place,” she said. “Poor kid – how am I to tell her what really happened?”
Tricia looked up as Tria began to speak to Topps in more condescending tones. These sounded familiar, but they were far from what she wanted to hear…
“Come on, Tria,” Topps said earnestly. “You’ve seen what’s happened to the Valley and what is still happening. It just wouldn’t have been me to stand idly by and watch.”
“No,” Tria admitted. “But sometimes for the sake of your family you need to bury your feelings deep down and continue doing what you have been called to do.”
She turned away from him, and as she did so, Topps noticed for the first time, the scars of gouge-marks down her skin.
“Where did they come from?” he demanded, wide-eyed.
“Hm?” Tria looked. “Oh, them…that was Kai. He had discovered a little insurgent group which involved babysitting that I was involved in.” She sat down. “Because you weren’t here to divide parental duties with me…”
Topps rolled his eyes.
“Tria, please…” he said. “Can you stop turning everything on me? I promise…” A snarl became pronounced upon his features. “Next time I see Kai, I’m going to kill him…”
Tria gave a hollow laugh.
“Good luck with that!” she replied. “And how long will it be until you meet Kosh’s fate?” She closed her eyes and bowed her head.
“Listen…Topsy, I loved you…I always found your desire to fight for everything you care about very touching, sweet and romantic. Cera helped convince me of that with the whole little longneck issue.” She smiled briefly. “But there comes a time when you can no longer solve everything with your brawn, and maybe it’s your failing to recognise that that has led to your losses…especially where family is concerned.”
Images of Trinity’s untimely death flashed uninvited into Topps’ mind, coupled with that of his daughters’ fates…he shook his head defiantly.
“Don’t your dare…” he growled, his voice now taking on a more dangerous edge as his rage grew. “Suggest to me that I’m responsible for the death of my wife and children!”
“I know it may not be my place,” Tria replied, as firmly as she could muster. “But it does make you wonder how they all managed to pass in such a short space of t-”
“SHUT UP!!!” Topps roared at her. “YOU KNOW NOTHING!”
Tricia trembled and quaked as her parents’ argument fired up. She gazed from one to the other, frozen in fear and emitting little whimpers as the tears began to leak from her ears…
“I knew them!” Topps snarled. “I knew them and I loved them and I did everything I could for them. I spent my life walking with them…how can you-?”
“But I knew Trinity as well,” Tria cut across him. “Don’t you remember? And I knew Cera…”
Topps’ retort died in his throat at the mention of his and Trinity’s youngest daughter.
“Are you insinuating that she’s dead?” he eventually asked in a hoarse whisper.
Tria sighed and avoided his gaze.
“How should I know?” she said helplessly. “Whether she’s alive or dead, I really hope she’s in a better place…”
There was a brief pause.
“But the fact still remains, Topsy,” Tria continued. “That it can’t go on like this. We may have worked well together a long time ago, but it’s just not the same anymore…”
She let her sentence hang in the air. Eventually, Topps nodded.
“You’re right,” he said. “Maybe it’s for the best…”
And with no proper valediction, he turned and walked slowly off into the distance.
Determinately tearing her gaze away from him, Tria fixed her eyes on her daughter, who, to her sudden stab of despair, was looking up at her mother with nothing more than fear and misery.
Upon seeing this, Tria could suddenly envision how Tricia’s world was slowly destroying itself around her, in the midst of all of Ulciscor’s actions and her parents’ arguments. At this, Tria herself broke down into tears.
“Oh…Tricia…” she sobbed, nuzzling her daughter and holding her close. “How could it have come to this?”
On his way away from them, Topps heard the sound of his mate’s tears. No, he reminded himself. His ex-mate’s. He was not part of her world anymore, and he could not step across that threshold. He could only observe…
But Topps Threehorn does not do well observing. And now the whole reality of the situation was crashing down upon him, drilling a hole into his heart so deep he wished the whole thing would just dissolve under his weight of despair. He had reached the end of the line – he was a complete failure of a threehorn, of a life form in any sense. His bigotry and his cruelty and his irrational actions had led him to this, where he had failed two wives and lost many daughters. He had failed Trinity, Tria, Cera and Tricia, those of the Valley he had always sworn to protect, and above all himself. What was he now? Whatever it was, he hated it…
And so Topps collapsed to the ground under his great burden, and his dry racking sobs filled the still air of a Valley that was once great.
*
“How come I didn’t see you at the meeting?” Old One asked accusingly.
The messenger turned to look at her disdainfully.
“I have already given you my reasons, my dear,” he said stubbornly. “Considering everything that I’m about to do, I’d rather the children were left out of the picture.”
“Come now, Pterano,” Old One coaxed. “You can’t hide yourself from them forever, you know. I’m sure they have no grudge against you now…”
“You underestimate the attitude of the threehorn girl,” Pterano murmured.
Zyro was watching the exchange between the two of them with a slightly non-plussed expression.
“OK,” he said. “Sorry, but you’ve completely lost me here…you have a history with the Valley?”
“Yes,” Pterano replied shortly. “But I have no wish to explain it now. Old One will fill you in I’m sure.” He spread his wings. “I have a Valley to get to!” He took off and hovered slightly above the heads of the longneck and Sharptooth before turning back to them and frowning slightly.
“I still don’t get why you’re using me!” he declared.
“Because you know the Valley and its habitants, Pterano!” Old One called back.
“But I was banished!” Pterano retorted. “Twice, in fact, they hated me so much!”
“Believe me,” Old One said to him. “After everything that’s come to pass with Ulciscor, you’ll be welcomed back like a hero.”
*
Chomper stroked his chin in concentration as he listened to the growls.
“Alright,” he said. “That’s very good, but you might want to try doing it so that your throat doesn’t kill quite so much…”
On a rather unusual whim, Chomper had decided to give out language lessons to his friends, both leaf-eater and Sharptooth alike, considering it would be advisable to break down all language barriers between his two groups of friends now that they were going to spend more time with each other. He had started by attempting to teach Saureen, Lini and Al the leaf-eater language, and they had been able to pick up simple words and phrases fairly well. Chomper was impressed by how they had done – almost as well as Nycha when he had taught her to speak leaf-eater during that night on White Mountain. Satisfied with their skills, Chomper had then turned to his leaf-eater friends, hoping they would be able to pick up the Sharptooth dialect with similar ease.
They didn’t.
Their language attempts were fairly abysmal – at least not to the standard of the others. Chomper found that the best by far was Shorty, who had been able to growl his own name almost instantaneously, followed by a few other phrases.
“How do you do it?” Ali asked, gaping at him in a combination of annoyance and awe.
Shorty, smiling at being the centre of attention for once, simply replied,
“I don’t know…I guess it’s just one of those things that people can get to grips with easier than others…”
Ali smirked and rolled her eyes.
“Careful,” she teased. “You might not be able to hold your head up if it gets any bigger!”
Shorty laughed.
“Even if I am get of the hang of this language thing, there are many things others can do with ease that I can’t,” he said. “For example Ali…” he blushed slightly. “You are far better in the looks department.”
She smiled back.
“Aw, thanks Shorty,” she said, and they both turned to see how Littlefoot was doing.
Littlefoot, Chomper noted, was picking up the words alright, but not so much the pronunciation. His attempts at growling were punctured by the hoarse groans he emitted.
“You don’t want to give yourself a sore throat!” Chomper advised. “Admittedly, it is difficult, considering sharpteeth tend to talk from their throats, whereas leaf-eaters err…from their chests.”
Littlefoot coughed.
“Eh, sorry Chomper, I’m going to give it a rest for today, my throat really is killing me…but after I have a drink we could all play something?”
“Sure,” Chomper nodded. “Taking into account Lini’s leg, how about Pointy Seed Bowling? And Cera…” he turned to her.
“I’m going to win this time!”
Cera grinned wryly back.
“Challenge accepted!”
And so the twelve of them began their game, which, despite the obvious barriers between language (albeit improving) and species, Chomper could see, just as he did when he played with Pyron, that this didn’t seem to matter. He smiled at the prospect of being united under a single simple game, and how that idea could be applied to the rest of the world. His smile quickly faded when Cera beat him however…
Eventually, they all settled down for the night. Despite their complicated arrival, they had quickly been able to devise sleeping areas for themselves – Littlefoot and Shorty slept with Bron, whereas Spike and Ducky took up night refuge with Opal. Ali was with her mother, and Old One had kindly offered to provide night companionship for Cera, Petrie and Ruby. Chomper was with his parents, and was accompanied by Al, whereas Saureen was with Ferox, along with Lini.
Soon, as the night closed in and only the gentle whisper of the wind could be heard, one young dinosaur found her sleep patterns a little disturbed. Eventually, Lini sat up blearily and gazed at her injured leg in annoyance. That rock must have fallen on her harder than she had realised, and it kept on throbbing when she tried to sleep. She was about to wake Saureen and ask for advice, but then decided against it – Saureen was still in mourning about her grandmother and probably didn’t want to be shaken out of a well-earned rest. Therefore, Lini eventually decided to go and help herself to a drink of water and perhaps splash a little water on her leg also, in an attempt to soothe the pain.
Slowly, so as not to wake her sleeping companions, Lini stood up and quietly limped over to the water-source in the heathland, near the trees. The water was undeniably refreshing, but as she gazed into the smooth and reflective surface, she couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. Slowly, she tilted her head back and sniffed the air.
Yes…there was definitely a Sharptooth scent in the air, one that was actively moving around in the trees. If this was one of Zyro’s community sharpteeth, what were they doing?
Curiosity getting the better of her, Lini crept into the small forest, following the scent of this mysterious Sharptooth, careful not to snap too many twigs. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt that to make any noise would be dangerous, and the realisation sent a chill up her spine.
Eventually, the source of the aroma came into sight. It was a medium-sized, jet-black Sharptooth with gleaming yellow eyes, and, oddest of all, a triangular fin protruding from the base of its tail.
Before Lini could give a single greeting, the Sharptooth fixed his gaze upon her and she found herself struck down and frozen by his piercing stare.
After a few moments of stare-off, the Sharptooth leaned down to her and whispered.
“Is this the dwelling of Zyro?”
Lini found her body sag in relief. She remembered how Al had told her of how sharpteeth would often go looking for Shark and Zyro for shelter. This must be the case for this one too!
“Yes,” she smiled. “He’s asleep at the moment, but once morning comes, I’m sure he’ll be glad to meet you.”
“Pity,” the stranger replied, now looking Lini up and down. “I don’t think I’ll stick around for that long…”
“How come?” Lini asked, but her answer came to her when she looked over his shoulder and saw a pair of gleaming red eyes…
“Because, Lini,” a new menacing voice said. “We didn’t come for him.”
These words seemed strangely distant to Lini. They were echoing around her as the whole forest seemed to sway, the world almost dissolving before her. Dread began to fill her heart and crush it to pieces as she continued to gaze, transfixed with horror and these horrifying red eyes, whom she knew belonged to the one she hated and feared the most in the world. More so than Xal, more so than Redclaw – to Lini, whatever the situation was, him coming into now had made it a hundred times worse. After everything that had happened…HE couldn’t be here too!
“G-Gigas…?” Lini managed to croak.
“Yes,” Gigas grinned. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with us…”
Lini’s screams were muffled as the gang of Piercers, most of which that had been hidden nearby, leapt upon her and restrained her with ease and expertise. Lini soon passed out and her head slapped pitifully onto the cold forest floor as she was dragged off into the night.
~0~
Well, there you have it...and yes, Lini knows Gigas! I suppose that explains whatever dark little secret she had back at White Mountain, yes? ;) It's all part of Seizon and Xal's plan, whatever that may be, and I guess you all hate Seizon now, but just tell me what you think of him here anyway! Things haven't improved for Topps and Tria it seems, unless...Pterano?
Anyway, I'm going to shut up now, give me your thoughts, and THANKS FOR READING! :DD
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Wow, what a release at last :lol:
Here are my thoughts:
Well, I thought Seizon's return to Xal wouldn't be that smooth to be honest :wow Knowing Xal, he could have beaten him as well...
Obviously, he has to catch up with things (and I can tell he's not amused hearing them).
So Al has taken the leadership now... considering he's the only one not physically or mentally hurt that makes sense. I assumed Lini, Chomper and Saureen would trust him and Zyro.
Ahh, that scene HAD to be in this chapter XD This came out really well if you ask me :yes Oh, gotta love see them getting to know each other :smile
Ah, but first Chomper needs to meet Zyro :smile Ross, you ain't cryin' for suuuuure :exactly I love that scene! Ruby is forgiven as well, she is even appreciated for taking care of Chomper all the time even though she failed at his important occasion.. Oh, and Saureen... and who's that messenger...?
So... Screech and Thud used to have a sister, eh? Interesting... :idea It's no wonder that Al is a little pissed...
Another powerful scene you pinned on paper (well.. screen) there :yes A unified army of both leafeaters and meateaters, Chomper's dream...
Awww, Topsy alone 4eva... Poor him, Tria's actually right though. Knowing you, however, I bet they'll eventually become a pair after the battle...
The messenger is... PTERANO?!? Now that's a surprise, I admit :p Old One knows how to motivate him ^^
Well, of course Chomper just couldn't translate all the time... so teaching each party the respective languages makes sense :yes
NOOOOOOOOO, NOT LINI TOO!!! If you dare, Toby... :anger
Well :smile Overally, this chapter is really, really well done again. I like how you always incluse a little humour here and a little analysing (or thinking) there without it being too obvious (like in my fic...)
Keep it up! I'm eagerly awaiting the next one :yes
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Thanks. :p Might be a while though I'm afraid...
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As long as it comes one day, I won't complain :p Good work needs some time to be done after all ;)
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Finally, the waiting is over! :lol: Sorry it took so long...but anyway, here it is!!!
Chapter Twenty: Open Jaws
The whispering of the wind and the rustle of the leaves, the cry of animals into the ghostly night…
Tetsugaku opened his eyes and frowned. All of this commotion and noise was an incredible distraction to him. All of his attempts to think and immerse himself in thought were punctured and harshly prevented by the noises of the world.
From reports hailing from the heathland, it appeared that Opal was settling in well, and getting along with all of the longnecks and children. What was worrying, however, was that her memories still seemed reluctant to return to her. She had no idea of her connection to the Valley, and if she were truly to be the one to overthrow Ulciscor, she was nowhere near ready. Things were moving at a snail’s pace, Tetsugaku concluded, and if things didn’t start to happen soon, it could all end in chaos…
He glanced at the other two rainbowfaces sitting either side of him to see what their take on this was. His mate, Hoshia, was sitting with a frown on her face and a furrowed brow. It was clear that she had come to the same conclusion that he had. On the other side of him was a slightly younger rainbowface with an ornate navy and paler blue body pattern by the name of Keibetsu. His eyes were closed, and it was apparent that the noises of the night were not perturbing him.
The three of them were sitting upon the top of a cliff that was directly facing the Night Circle, considering how far they had come.
“Things are moving too slowly,” Tetsugaku insisted. He stood up in an attempt to ease his mind a little. “Opal is still lost and confused…and Ulciscor maintains his hold upon the Valley!”
“But Chomper and the others have allied with them,” Hoshia commented. “Once they have all rested, they should begin battle?”
“But to start war with Opal still ignorant of her true self?” Tetsugaku shook his head. “The results could be disastrous!” Hoshia didn’t reply, but bit her lip in thought.
Then Keibetsu spoke.
“We could always intervene a little,” he remarked, not turning to face them. Tetsugaku gazed at him reproachfully. This upstart had been commissioned to shadow him, and despite his deep philosophy, Tetsugaku wondered how Keibetsu could be so blatantly ignorant sometimes.
“That is expressly forbidden,” Tetsugaku reminded him coldly.
At this, Keibetsu turned to him with a slight smile on his face.
“No offence or anything,” he said. “But that’s never stopped you…”
“The time concerning the fake stone of cold fire on top of Threehorn Peak was entirely different!” Tetsugaku protested. “There was very little at stake…”
“Bar the lives of several small children…” Hoshia quietly reminded him, also getting to her feet.
“But it wasn’t us who saved them from the mountain!” Tetsugaku insisted.
“True,” Hoshia replied, her voice becoming firmer. “But it was you who lent them food in the middle of the-”
“I wasn’t talking about that,” Keibetsu interrupted. “I was referring to how you saved Opal from Ulciscor’s henchmen when they went after her, Ronan and her unhatched son all that time ago. She would have met the same fate as Ronan if you hadn’t stepped in…”
One of Tetsugaku’s eyes had developed a twitch. “How do you know so much about that occasion?” he demanded defensively.
Keibetsu turned away. “It’s not like it’s something that was kept quiet. The point I’m trying to make is that, with your record, you’re not really one to discipline someone about the rules of non-intervention.”
“I agree…” Hoshia murmured, and Tetsugaku rounded on her, looking hurt.
“However, Keibetsu, how exactly are you suggesting we intervene?”
“Just tell her,” Keibetsu replied. “Plain and simple. Just tell her straight what she is and what she’s got to do-”
“No,” Hoshia cut across him, shaking her head. “No, that simply wouldn’t do at all.”
“Why not?” Keibetsu demanded.
“What sort of sense of purpose would that give her?” Hoshia admonished. “Apart from the fact that he brain, still recovering from the amnesia, might be able to handle this revelation, how we she feel if her sense of purpose was rigidly dictated to her? It could even give her a superiority complex, which is the last thing we want given the circumstances.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
“We’ll leave her to find it out on her own,” Hoshia replied, sitting back down.
“WHAT??” Tetsugaku looked aghast. “Are you really sure that’s wise?”
“What goes around, comes around,” Hoshia replied. “The Great Valley will not let her forget her role, and nor will her maternal instincts let her forget Spike. And if she discovers this for herself, it will give her a sense of purpose that will make her feel like a figure within the world itself as supposed to some tool of higher authority.”
She closed her eyes and said nothing more, leaving Tetsugaku and Keibetsu to consider what had just been said.
*
Uninvited, several cries of indignation rose up in various places amongst the vast groups of longnecks.
“Ridiculous…!”
“We need to get moving now!”
“How can he stand there…?”
None of them had ever heckled a Sharptooth before, and it was almost as if they had forgotten that it was Zyro’s nature to kill their kind for a living. However, their indignation was only matched by Zyro’s who promptly yelled back at them.
“I repeat!” he roared over the hostile crowd. “We cannot move from this place until Lini is recovered. I am not prepared to begin this war until everyone is back where they belong. You may think I should not bother with this one person, but would you feel differently if this one person was you?”
Confused mutters broke out, something along the lines of uncertainty, but none of them yelled out anything that was particularly hostile anymore. Well, that was something.
As the groups disbanded, Zyro gave a great sigh and slumped himself against a nearby tree, every inch of him feeling drained and overused. He hadn’t bargained on this.
Earlier that morning, Ferox had come to report that Lini had gone missing. He had of course searched feverishly throughout the surrounding area, but there was no sign she had ever been anywhere near them. Zyro had conducted another search, despite its lack of necessity, before finally announcing that they would not begin to mobilize themselves until Lini was returned to them. It hadn’t gone down well with some of the leaf-eaters, and Zyro wasn’t sure what he would have done if they had decided to rebel…
Zyro sighed again and gazed up at the sky. Shark sure was a trusting individual – so trusting in fact, did he not even realise that the one he had selected to lead these sharpteeth may not have been the right person after all? Zyro wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take – those among him were resisting, he had a missing child…and he was planning to lead a liberation force into the Great Valley? His egotism must have gotten the better of him…
“Everything alright?”
Zyro looked up at the soft, considerate voice, and saw Opal, the mysteriously afflicted spiketail.
He smiled at her feebly.
“Not particularly,” he replied honestly. “What with everything that’s occurring, I don’t know how much longer I can last…and just yesterday I was giddily confident.”
“It’s strange how events can shake your self-esteem,” Opal commented. “I wouldn’t worry about the hecklers. Despite how they react, they do know the value of every individual in this force.”
“Yes,” Zyro agreed. “But what if this is the enemy’s tactic? Preventing us from mobilising by taking one of our own from us?”
“I agree,” Opal nodded. “That’s certainly the way many minds work…but if we don’t bother to go after her, what makes us better than them?”
These words had an odd chilling effect, despite the impeccable truth that they also carried. Zyro nodded and stood up.
“OK…well, even though Old One’s chief messenger has gone to inform the Valley of our imminent arrival, I have a few more who may be able to locate which way Lini has gone, and that may inform us of who took her…”
“You don’t think she went off on her own, do you?” Opal suggested uncertainly.
Zyro considered briefly.
“No,” he decided. “From what Al’s told me, she’s got guts and a heart as big as her grin. She’s not one to run away – besides, it’s more dangerous out their alone than it is with us.”
He gazed reproachfully at a group of longnecks in the distance.
“Don’t worry about them!” Opal insisted. “If you need any help with crowd control, I…I have experience.”
Zyro glanced at her.
“Really?”
“Yes…” Opal frowned slightly, but continued nonetheless. “It’s just starting to come back to me. I used to live in the Valley. I had a high position of authority before my family and I were removed by Ulciscor.” She shook her head. “I still don’t remember too many of the details, but once I return, I may be welcomed back with more of a greeting than I bargained for.” She smiled slightly. “And as for Ulciscor…we’ll see who’s laughing then!”
*
There was nothing to it – he just needed to remain silent.
Hyp swallowed and continued his attempted retreat through the undergrowth. He had assumed this part of the Valley was safe – nobody ever went near Saurus Rock! Sharpteeth sometimes even made their homes here…
Suddenly, it came to him. How could he have been so naÔve? Of course, Ulciscor and his thugs relished in the appearance of sharpteeth because of their joy of slaughtering them! That probably explained why there was a Bludgeoner, only a few metres from him, cold eyes surveying the landscape. If he was found here, there would be no way out of it this time. He was dead.
Slowly, Hyp continued his inconspicuous retreat. Slowly, carefully, inch by inch…
Snap.
Dammit, Hyp cursed mentally. Trust that twig to be in the wrong place! Was this really how it all ended?
The Bludgeoner had heard the noise, and now his gaze focused on the tall ferns Hyp was crouching in. Was there still a chance he could hide? The answer came to him when the monstrous longneck strode directly over and raised his sinister tail. Hyp ducked, but that was going to do him little good now. The tail swiped across the vegetation slicing the top half clean away and revealing Hyp in the full view of daylight.
The Bludgeoner glared down at Hyp and grunted.
“The official order for the Bludgeon Brigade from Ulciscor through Kai is that we are to kill you on sight,” he informed the quivering dinosaur. Then he closed his eyes.
“But who cares what Ulciscor says?” he muttered, settling himself down on the ground and casually chewing on a dismembered fern.
Hyp stared at this eating dinosaur for a second or so, until he had to do a double take.
“I’m sorry…” He mumbled, shaking his head slightly. “But did I hear that correctly? Did one of Ulciscor’s elite actually just basically say he couldn’t give a toss?”
The Bludgeoner scoffed.
“OK, let’s get a few things clear,” he replied, swallowing his mouthful of plant matter. “First off, I am hardly one of Ulciscor’s elite. Me, along with the rest of the Bludgeoners, are just expendables, that Ulciscor can shake off if necessary without a second thought and no regrets. Kai is the elite. He’s Ulciscor’s most trusted associate. But other than that, yes - that is basically what I said.”
Hyp was at a loss for words. The Bludgeoner didn’t seem particularly fazed, and continued to munch on the vegetation rhythmically. Finally, Hyp found his voice again.
“If you don’t care about Ulciscor, why are you even part of the Bludgeon Brigade?” he asked.
“At the time, I felt inclined,” the Bludgeoner replied simply. For the first time since he had discovered him, his eyes rested back onto Hyp.
“You need to understand where we all came from – The Brigade, I mean, and what our relationship with Ulciscor actually is.”
“Alright then,” Hyp nodded, squatting down. “So tell me.”
“We were once a herd,” the longneck continued. “You may have noticed all us Bludgeoners are the same species with distinguishing features.” He raised his clubbed tail to emphasize his point. “That’s because…well, we were rather exclusive in our membership of the herd.”
“How come Ulciscor got involved then?” Hyp questioned, scratching his head. “He’s not the same species as the rest of you.”
“You’re absolutely right,” the Bludgeoner agreed, nodding slightly. “And because of that, he had his work cut out for him when he tried to win us over. And he managed that by fending off the most feared predator in the region.”
“Who was that?” Hyp demanded.
“Blackclaw,” The Bludgeoner replied. “From what I’ve heard, Valleians tended to refer to him simply as ëThe Sharptooth’ because of how he single-handedly dominated the area and all sharpteeth within it. Including the infamous Redclaw, whom we believe is his younger brother.”
“And Ulciscor fended him off?” Hyp asked incredulously. It was one thing to see Ulciscor executing or picking on hapless leaf-eaters, but it was quite another to imagine him in a battle with a full-grown, monstrous and feared Sharptooth. This new dimension of Ulciscor’s strength and power sent a shudder down Hyp’s spine. Had he actually defeated this beast?
“Well, not alone,” the Bludgeoner admitted. “But he certainly helped avoid any fatalities during the fight. To us, it was an incredible achievement. For us, it seemed he could easily be…the Lone Dinosaur…”
The longneck paused, biting his lip as he hesitated to continue. Hyp could see the struggle going on in his tiny eyes – here was someone who knew wholeheartedly of the consequences of their actions, and even though they weren’t directly affecting them, the guilt of what had happened since their Bludgeon Brigade’s meeting with Ulciscor was clearly gnawing away at him from the inside.
“And we were content to go with whatever he said,” the Bludgeoner continued. “We believed the Valley should be free from sharpteeth, and we were used to segregated herds…we had no idea what he really had in mind. At least, I didn’t…”
“Listen,” Hyp offered, attempting sympathy he didn’t even know he had. “We all make mistakes. We all fall for lifestyles we think is right. Moping over for them for ages afterwards isn’t going to change that – we’ve got to take action to put right what we made wrong!”
The Bludgeoner sighed and shook his head.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “It’s not that easy for me. It’s one thing and expected for the Valleians to have mutinous feelings towards Ulciscor, but it’s quite another for someone who’s supposed to be on his side! And I’ve been harbouring these feelings at least since Ulciscor’s fall following the Battle of the Great Valley. But none of them would let me leave…I’m as trapped as your are…”
He trailed off into a sullen silence, and Hyp sat and thought about what had been said for a while. Finally, he spoke up.
“But you’re already in the process of making it right!” he insisted, and the Bludgeoner looked down at him, puzzled.
“How so?”
“Well, I’m still alive,” Hyp explained. “And I highly doubt you’re going to tell Ulciscor, or Kai or Shock, or whoever that you’ve found me?”
“Of course not…” the longneck muttered.
“Exactly…” Hyp nodded. “So it’s in these subtle ways that you can be useful to the resistance movement. What’s your name?”
“Uriah,” came the reply. “But…”
“So, Uriah,” Hyp interjected. “You can provide us with sparse inside knowledge, be our double agent as it were, allowing us to find out what’s really going on with this phony Lone Dinosaur!”
“You don’t understand!” Uriah was distressed. He finally stood up and paced around in his frustration. “You’ve tried to resist before, and look where it got you! Just accept Ulciscor has won, and try to remain hidden…”
Hyp glared at him.
“Somewhere among the craggy rocks in the mountain walls that surround the Valley,” he said. “Is an unjustly dumped body a great hero who died resisting what he despised. Kosh would turn in his grave if he knew how much his brethren continued to suffer. And I know that the Valley has friends out there, as I do, that care too much for us to let this continue. Whether Ulciscor is overthrown in one cold time, two, twenty, or maybe even tomorrow, I firmly believe that the resistance will not cease until it is accomplished.”
Uriah was quiet after that. Hyp, with righteous anger still boiling in him, continued to glare.
“Listen, Uriah,” he said eventually. “Whether or not you want to be part of that resistance is up to you. But please consider where your conscience lies.”
Little did they know that their aid was already on the way, in the form of a wandering flyer that had been banished some time ago…
*
If Topps had believed his day couldn’t have got anymore outlandish than it already was, he was mistaken, for he had now laid his eyes upon somebody who’s association he had left far back in the mists of time.
“Pterano???” his voice was a half-strangled gasp. “What…what are you doing here? You were banished!”
At the last word, something of a smile crept onto the flyer’s beak.
“Ah yes, there’s the old threehorn I know!” he remarked. “But I hope you will not be so hostile once you’ve heard what I have to say…”
“No, Pterano, you’re listening to me,” Topps replied, shaking his head forcefully. No matter what may have happened between him and Tria, he wasn’t about to let that destroy his professional manner with which he hoped he addressed his fellow dinosaurs.
“For your own sake, get out of here now,” he commanded. “You don’t understand what’s happened here recently, we’re-”
“Under the oppression of some monstrous longneck named Ulciscor,” Pterano finished for him. “Yes, I know…”
Topps broke off, and his eyes widened.
“How?” he demanded.
“The movements of this ominous individual have been thoroughly scrutinized, my friend,” Pterano replied. “Don’t worry – we are coming to liberate you.”
Topps scoffed.
“Coming to liberate us…” he muttered condescendingly. “Yeah, like there’s any hope for us. This flathead has the Valley in his iron grip, and no one has been willing to stand against him since…well…anyway, Pterano, get out while you still can. You can’t liberate us on your own, and Ulciscor won’t take kindly to you when he sees you.”
“I know he won’t,” Pterano replied. “But I’m not worried about that. What I am concerned about is that this message is passed on to everyone else under the tyranny so they don’t live in despair!”
“I’ve already told you-” Topps began.
“I know what you told me!” Pterano interrupted forcefully. “And you wouldn’t have told me it if you had let me finish. So, Mister Threehorn – for once in your life – shut up!!”
Topps opened his mouth to retort furiously. He wasn’t used to be spoken to like this, much less from someone who had been banished for his crimes against the herd. But then an ominous little voice, sounding very much like Tria’s, crept across his mind.
“Sometimes for the sake of your family you need to bury your feelings deep down and continue doing what you have been called to do.”
Now, Topps realised, that had more than one meaning. Maybe it was time to shut up…yes, his pride had been dented by how Pterano had so callously admonished him, but in the grand scheme of things, what did that matter?
His family certainly included Tria, Cera and Tricia, but it was not limited to them. He had long since known that everyone in the Valley belonged to one single spirit, one community; united by…he wasn’t even sure. But it was something – something strong, which had made him determined to fight in the first place. He had gone the wrong way about it, but that was all going to change…even if Pterano had nothing worth saying, it would still be worth listening – for the sake of everyone else.
Topps closed his mouth again and nodded, prompting the flyer to continue.
*
And continue Pterano did, passing on the news, first to the threehorn, and then allowing, through both their influence, the message to pass through the Valley like wildfire. But although wildfire may explain how quickly it was passed on, the method was anything but.
Now the carriers of this message were careful. This newly lit beacon of hope was all they had left, and all they could hold onto in the hope Ulciscor wouldn’t take it from them too. The Bludgeoners didn’t know a thing, but by the end of that day, everyone in the Valley who abhorred Ulciscor’s authority, even Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, Hyp and Uriah, has learnt the truth.
An army of liberators was on their way, a union of leaf-eaters and sharpteeth, united by their single common attitude of hatred for those who oppressed, and their desire to strive for an equal and free community. Not only were some old friends among them, but so were their children. The children of the Valley were coming back to reclaim their home for not just their own sake, but for everyone living in it and outside it as well.
“Do you think Ulciscor will learn it from someone?” Aster murmured nervously to his wife, as they carefully watched their son in the distance, deep in discussion with Kai, a dissatisfied frown on his face.
“What we have just learned will be hard to force out of anyone…” Arianna replied. “But even if he did, there’s little he can do to us…even if he takes our lives, it’ll be those who are left behind who will still be liberated from him…”
The last word caught in her throat a little as she found herself welling up. It was a great tragedy for any parent to be so forcefully and fundamentally opposed to their offspring. Yet it was also true that Ulciscor may be so far gone now, that disposing of him was the only possible option…she swallowed hard and steeled herself.
“I do not mean to sound pessimistic,” Aster continued. “But how can we know to trust Pterano?”
Arianna didn’t answer for a while, continuing to watch the tyrant of the Valley and his best lieutenant’s discussion. After a pause from them, Kai strode away, a faraway smile on his face, looking for all the world like a child daydreaming and watching clouds.
“Pterano knew what our situation was,” Arianna said finally. “And he knew that the children weren’t with us – he even gave us an answer as to where…I doubt he could have known without information from one who deeply cared about our well-being. Besides – as far as I know Pterano, while he may have many faults, he would be one of the first to resist against this monster, and would not betray us in the face of this oppression…” she drew a deep shuddering breath.
Aster turned to look at her, his eyes transformed with determination.
“Yes…you’re right…and feel no guilt about calling him a monster, for that is what he is…” he gazed back at Ulciscor. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s no son of mine…”
Unlike his crony, Ulciscor looked mildly disturbed, he had his head to ground, his eyes wrought with anger and worry. It seemed that the pressure was finally getting to him. He knew he couldn’t remain in this position for long – the populace hated him too much. Something would have to give soon.
And knowing that there was an even bigger force at play, ready to help topple him with great gusto made his stress even more pleasurable for the onlookers.
*
A tranquil breeze whistled through the treetops, sending leaf after leaf spinning gently and serenely to the ground. The woodland that surrounded the Rocky Heathland was the number one place where anyone in that area with the intent to relax would head straight to, and although it provided a welcome relief for the eleven young dinosaurs from the tensions that were radiating from the unsteady Vegimeat Alliance, an ominous association lingered here.
From what could be detected via scent trails, this had been the last place Lini had gone to before she vanished. For those with noses to detect it, they could smell her distinguishing aroma even now, sending their minds reeling back into memories of her, and filling their hearts with an ache of sorrow and growing concern…
In an attempt to diffuse the tension, and also because he was simply hungry, Spike took a generous bite of a nearby bush, before grunting and gesturing to Al, who was sitting nearby him, as an invitation to join the feast.
Al, who had been staring into space at this point, his eyes unfocused, slowly turned his rigid head towards the beckoning spiketail. Clenching his fists slightly, he made himself a silent resolve.
“No matter how bad things may be getting, I’m not to turn on the leaf-eaters. It would be a betrayal of Chomper, a betrayal of Zyro, and betrayal of Shark, and in all honesty, a betrayal of Lini. I will make do with other meat around here. Now, just calm down and politely decline…”
Al gave a rather-to-obvious sheepish grin and gestured to the plants Spike was munching happily at.
“N-no thank you…” he murmured, stuttering slightly as he attempted to grasp the flattooth dialect. “Don’t l-like…plants…” He was already heading away as Spike nodded understandingly.
“Shorty,” Ali was saying, as Shorty too began to quietly munch on some leaves. “Do you know whether the sharpteeth are going to break off their alliance? Has your dad said anything?”
Shorty shook his head.
“Nope, nothing, as far as I can detect, it’s still…uncertain.” He tried his best to avoid Ali’s gaze as he said this. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like what he would see…her eyes were simply beautiful, shimmering pale blue like Big Water on the clearest day. But to him, to look into those eyes would be to stare directly into her soul, and see everything about her, including how she felt about him…and Shorty felt as though the stare upon him would be too judgemental…something he wouldn’t like. And it was Ali’s approval he wanted more than anything else.
To content himself as he chewed, he gazed across at the rest of the group. Littlefoot, Ruby and Cera were all flopped on the ground, perhaps fearing their pacing in their undergrowth with their large bodies would disturb the peace. Ducky and Petrie were having a whispered discussion near Ruby, Saureen was sitting down against a small tree, resting her back and looking into the clouds, her thoughts elsewhere. Chomper meanwhile, had been pacing on the spot, wringing his hands and emitting loud exhalations through his nostrils. At Shorty’s he words, he let out a deep growl of frustration, and pummelled his tiny fist into the dirt.
“No!” he said forcefully, and everyone turned to look at him. Chomper, although feeling all the eyes upon him, didn’t look up, and merely scraped his claws more forcefully into the dirt as the current situation reverberated and escalated throughout his mind, pounding on the walls of his skull. Lini, snatched from their midst, and now the entire alliance was falling apart.
“We have come too far…” Chomper muttered, continuing to punish the ground more, pressing his hand deeper. “We can’t disband this alliance. What would it mean for us then?” He looked up at his friends, feeling the tears once more forming behind his eyes.
“We would be…separated once more…” he murmured. “And what would it mean for the Great Valley?”
There was a pause as everyone let this nefarious question sink in, but after a moment, Littlefoot rose to his feet. He held his head upon his mighty neck high in pride and gazed at Chomper with a face that was at once filled with both long-lasting friendship and a ferocious determination.
“I know what you mean Chomper,” he said earnestly. “And therefore, I think this is one of the reasons that, no matter how bad the tensions get…the alliance won’t disband.”
Chomper looked back at him, eyebrow raised, not looking so much sceptical, if anything, more hopeful.
“Yeah,” Cera added, also standing up, a rare sweet smile present on her features. “I agree. Despite our differences, we have the common goal of rescuing the Valley, and we know we have to hold together for that.”
Chomper felt a warm smile, almost though he caught it from Cera, spreading over his face now.
“I’m sorry if I gave you any doubts,” Shorty relented, looking a little guilty as Chomper turned to him, though smiling all the same. “I concur with these two. No shared ambition of this scale is going to drive us apart.” His face twisting into fierce loyalty, and he slammed his front foot into the ground, feeling the might radiating from the displaced earth. “If we’re not going to take down Ulciscor, then there’s nobody else that will!” He could feel Ali’s admiring eyes upon as he said this, and refrained from looking at her as the heat rose up in his cheeks.
Chomper beamed and nodded.
“Thanks guys…you’re right…” Sighing happily, his attention was suddenly taken by something small he saw scuttling along the ground, which instantly took him back to the Valley. It had been so long since he had eaten insects, they almost seemed to be part of it – those were fantastic those sunny afternoons! Running around with all his friends, playing everything they could think of, the warmth of the Bright Circle bathing them lovingly – the cool of the water as they splashed and laughed their way through it…and of course, snacking on any tasty little insect morsel he could find along the way. He sighed. Ulciscor would never get away with taking that from him, he decided. His reign would end soon…just after they found Lini…
But as he looked closer at this beetle-creature, he noticed, what with the red colouration and distinguished black spots, that he had hit the jackpot.
“AWESOME!!” he suddenly cried, diving forward and snatching the creature from the dirt, where it wriggled helplessly in his hand. “I haven’t had one of these since I was on the island!” He took a deep a blissful sniff of it, taking in the spicy aroma. “It’s the best of the best, just wait until you all see it…!”
Everyone in the vicinity was staring at him incredulously. It was interesting how quickly his moods could be changed…Cera simply rolled her eyes and settled back down on the ground. But Saureen’s reaction was by far the most prominent.
She had begun to approach Chomper during his concern about the alliance splitting up, but upon seeing the squirming bug clutched in his claws, she had felt its legs crawling all over skin. Gulping, her eyes wide and fearful, she had recoiled rapidly, pacing backwards until she slipped and fell heavily to the ground.
Now all eyes were on her. Nobody had the slightest idea what was going on, and Chomper only made it worse when he approached her.
“Saureen…you OK?” he queried.
“Mmm…” Saureen could only mutter in reply, her eyes still on the insect. “Yeah…just…just keep that away from me OK?”
“Huh?” Chomper gazed, puzzled, at his potential prey. “Why?”
“I’m scared, OK?” Saureen murmured, not looking directly at him as she stood up, trembling from head to toe. “I’m scared…I really don’t like insects. As such, I first had to learn how to hunt fish from…well…I just don’t like insects.”
“OK…” Chomper nodded, still looking slightly puzzled, and downed the bug in one gulp.
Saureen panted quietly as she held herself against a tree, her skinny arms clinging to each other defensively, still shaking and trembling as though sitting amongst the snow. Despite the relief that the insect was now out of sight, that was the least of her problems. What would Chomper and Al think of her now they knew she was scared of insects? She could still feel the onlookers giving her funny stares, and she could have sworn Shorty understood every word she said. It was a joke – absolutely laughable. Whoever had heard of a Sharptooth, top of the food chain and born to strike fear into the hearts of other dinosaurs that was terrified of insects??? Once Zyro had gotten wind of this, she didn’t think he’d be particularly happy either with the weak link that was now presented to him.
Only one person had never judged her for her phobia. Only one had ever brushed it off as just a personality habit. That same person who had taught her to hunt fish, and it really worried Saureen that she had come that close to mentioning Seizon’s name, something that she knew was a taboo amongst this group…
Al took a deep breath.
“OK,” he said, trusting Chomper to translate it for the leaf-eaters. “I’m going to go now, and talk to Zyro, see if he can keep me informed in what’s going on.”
“Oh, can’t you say?” Shorty replied, in almost perfect Sharptooth. Al gave him a small smile and replied,
“No…I don’t know how long I can stay around here without thinking too much about…her…” He sighed once more and waved. “See you all later…” He quickly sped away to the valedictions of his companions.
“He seems…I dunno…a little off at the moment…” Ali commented, squinting as she watched him go.
“Well, Lini’s disappearance must have shaken him up,” Shorty replied simply.
“I know…” Ali replied. “But still – he seems…I dunno, more distracted than everyone else…”
A scurry of wings and footsteps on her head told her that Petrie had perched on her head.
“Me think there may be a reason for that!” he told her, chuckling slightly.
“Petrie!” Ducky said accusingly, coming up next to Ali. “We do not want to poke fun at this bad situation, nope, nope, nope!”
“Me know…” Petrie relented. “But me just think that Al likes Lini in a ëspecial way!’ His emphasis on the words made Ali gaze up at him, completely non-plussed.
“You think?” she muttered, but as Petrie slid off her neck, she found herself growing more pensive about it. It was true – it did make sense, and considering what else was on her mind, it seemed all the more appropriate…
“Your way with words presents a way of wording to be reckoned with Petrie!” Ruby grinned, somewhat ironically. “But yes, I agree with you.”
Ali turned to her.
“Ruby…have you ever been in love?” she asked. It seemed nonsensical to dance around with euphemisms and mince terms – just be direct, she told herself.
Ruby, though grinning sheepishly, nodded.
“I don’t know if it was love,” she admitted. “But back when I was living with my parents, there was a boy fast runner who…” she sighed and giggled slightly. “Well…it’s a rather long story. But if there’s one thing I know about boys…” she leaned forward to whisper in the longneck’s ear. “They will never be direct about anything…so don’t look for the obvious signs!” Ali stared at Ruby as she stepped back.
Could she have possibly been reading her mind?
Chomper meanwhile, not wanting to be drawn into such a conversation, walked a little distance away from the rest of them. Here, he could hunt for more insects out of sight of Saureen, therefore not creeping her out. Although admittedly, most of the insects here were…well, extremely hard to catch.
Chomper gave a great sigh as a beetle scurried up the bark of a tree, therefore out of his reach. Looking for just a few insects sure was exhausting…he took a deep inhale as the wind rustled through the trees once more, and took in the exciting mixed aromas of the air, including one that, for some reason, reminded him of getting his head struck with a rock…
Rock…?
Chomper stood stock still as the scent registered in his brain. It was unmistakable. A fated meeting, beginning with him knocking Chomper out and…but what was he doing here??
“Saureen!!” Chomper hissed. “Come over here! I promise there aren’t any insects about…I just need to see if you can smell something!”
“Smell what?” she asked, wandering over, now having stopped trembling.
“When the wind blows in our faces,” Chomper instructed, trying to keep his voice steady as his heart pounded against his ribcage. “Tell me what…or who, you can smell…”
Saureen did as she was instructed, and Chomper, his heart rate still excessive, looked to see the transformation her face would go under when she smelled what he had smelt.
His prediction wasn’t far awry, and her eyes flew open in shock with her face tensing up when the realisation hit home.
“No way…” she whispered. “It can’t be…what’s he doing here…?”
“Well…” Chomper growled, flexing his arms. “I want him to tell us exactly that!”
Saureen turned to him and moaned softly in exasperation.
“No Chomper!” she protested. “You mustn’t!”
“He is not going to ruin our lives any longer,” Chomper replied firmly, sniffing the air once more. “He’s moving…” he observed. “In…” his eyes swivelled to a direction slightly east of them. “That direction!!”
And without warning, he leapt up from the log he was perched on in a rapid and unrelenting pursuit of the unwelcome scent.
“Chomper…?!” Saureen squawked, her voice hitting several octaves higher.
“COME ON, GUYS!!!” Chomper yelled at the top of his voice, causing everyone else to look up.
“Huh?” Cera uttered. “Where’s he going?”
“Chomper!” Ruby called after him, giving chase, the other eight soon following suit.
“No time to explain guys!!” Chomper informed them as they sprinted through the undergrowth.
“That’s a pity…” Shorty muttered under his breath.
Feeling like he was losing the scent, Chomper skidded to a halt, sending everyone behind him into a pile-up.
“Chomper!!” Saureen wheezed, attempting to disentangle herself from Littlefoot’s tail. “You’ve got to let it go!”
“I can’t!” Chomper insisted, sniffing forcefully around for the trail. “He shouldn’t have come anywhere near us…we made it specifically clear…and I want to know why…sniff, Saureen!!”
Reluctantly, Saureen joined in the scent detection, until they had pin-pointed it.
“GOT IT!!” Chomper roared, his face with an expression on it to make any small animal flee turned towards the new direction. “Come on, let’s go!”
“But Chomper!” Ruby protested as the ten of them continued to gallop along. “Whatever’s happening, wouldn’t it be better if we got Old One, Zyro or one of the other grown-ups to deal with it?”
“There’s no time!” Chomper called back. As he dashed through the trees, every one of his senses were alert…he could smell the one he was pursuing, he was sure he could distinctly hear him crashing through the undergrowth ahead of them. He could almost see a bladeback’s shadow at every turn they made, near every tree they ran past…all he knew was that they were getting closer…
With a great gasp, the young dinosaurs burst out from the woods, finding themselves both in the blazing sunlight and scorching rock of a much more desolate area.
“Chomper!” Littlefoot gasped, gazing around. “We’ve come too far, we’ve gotta go back…!”
But Chomper wasn’t listening, because at that moment he had charged. He had seen, ahead of them, a small cyan shape in the distance that was unmistakable, and as he drew closer, Chomper’s rage only increased.
“SEIZON!!!” he screamed as his quarry’s amber eyes came into view.
But they weren’t full of malice, or of an arrogant air and swagger that Seizon normally carried. They were wide open, and filled with anxiousness, concern and humility. Then, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Chomper…” he began.
But Chomper didn’t care. All he knew was that he hated Seizon, perhaps more than anyone else he could think of right now. It was Seizon’s fault that two noble and amazing fastbiters who Chomper had felt as close to as siblings now lay dead in their graves, and Seizon had been prepared to leave two more to their fates, just because of some stupid worldview he shared with his elusive stepfather. And Chomper didn’t want Seizon near anyone he cared about ever again.
And so, he charged straight into him, knocking him to the ground. As the two sharpteeth rolled in the dirt, Chomper heard screaming behind him, telling him to stop…but he refused to stop. He couldn’t stop…this was Seizon he was dealing with. Chomper eventually leapt to his feet and pushed Seizon back to the ground, placing his foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up.
“You picked the wrong time to come crawling back!” Chomper snarled at him.
“Chomper, please!” Seizon pleaded, his eyes continuing to display his worry and fear, which shook Chomper up a little slightly – this bladeback seemed to be only Seizon in appearance.
Seizon held up his hands.
“Come on – hear me out!” he insisted.
“Who’s this?” Ali asked, as the rest of the group gathered around Chomper and his quarry.
“His name’s Seizon…” Saureen replied, and Chomper was surprised to hear her new grip of the flattooth language. “He was the one who…” she paused for a moment as she struggled to translate in her head. “Took Chomper from the Valley originally…and we left him because…well…we’ve had our ups and downs.”
Chomper snorted.
“Mainly downs,” he growled, continuing to glare at Seizon.
Seizon, despite not understanding the exchange that had just gone on, continued to try and plea his case.
“I know I could say sorry a thousand times and it not mean anything,” he said. “But it’s still the truth. I was wrong – I can see that now. What I’ve done was…unforgivable…”
Chomper just frowned, not entirely sure where he was going with this – Seizon had practically worshipped Xal and his ideals. This change of heart seemed very…sudden.
Saureen gently nudged Chomper off of Seizon and bent down to face him. As she did so, she saw his amber eyes soften, and a small, relieved smile of recognition and the security of something familiar form on his face. Upon seeing this, Saureen had to look away – it was the least she could do to supress her rising sense of guilt. She had shouted, screamed and hollered abuse at him when he had left…and here he was, still grinning as broadly as they day he had taught her to fish, all innocence…
“So, you’re sorry for what you did,” Saureen murmured. “OK – what about Xal?”
“Xal??” Shorty exclaimed suddenly in his native tongue, having followed the conversation in Sharptooth. He turned to his fellow leaf-eaters.
“Wasn’t Xal the one Zyro warned us about?” he asked.
“Yeah…” Littlefoot agreed, nodding. “The one he said wanted Chomper to help him take over the Valley…for his own purposes.”
“So wait…” Cera murmured, her face twisting into a snarl which she then glared at Seizon with.
“Are you saying this guy is in league with him??”
“Oh yeah…” Chomper growled maliciously. “Which is why we all left him in the first place.”
Seizon couldn’t understand what was being said here, but he got the basic impression when he realised every one of the leaf-eaters was now glaring at him with a loathing almost to Chomper’s standard. Swallowing nervously, he turned back to Saureen.
“Look…I was really deluded. About Xal. I was wrong…h-he was- is wrong…”
Saureen drew back, eyes stretched wide, but speechless as she took in what he had said. Conversely, Chomper’s eyes narrowed, and he drew even closer, without shifting his gaze from the apologetic bladeback.
“Say that again…?” the twoclaw murmured.
“Xal was wrong…” Seizon repeated, getting unsteadily to his feet, now that he saw Chomper made no move to stop him. Shorty was busy translating for the benefit of his leaf-eater friends, and they gained similar expressions of surprise, and also didn’t desire to stop him.
“I went back to the Fanged Forest,” Seizon explained, his voice full of earnest, as he flamboyantly wrung his hands to emphasize his point. “And reported back to Xal… and once I heard everything he had done, and was planning to do…I knew I couldn’t stay there anymore. He’s even allied himself with Redclaw!”
Chomper, Saureen and Shorty gave theatrical gasps following this statement, followed by the rest of them once the translation had been made.
“I may have worked loyally for him before,” Seizon continued, his voice growing more distraught by the second. “But I refuse to do so anymore…Chomper…” he turned to him, his amber eyes filled with sincerity. “I’m really sorry I took you away from the people you care for.”
That could have meant the Great Valley populace, it could even have extended to Pyron and Nycha, but Chomper could almost feel the apology radiating from him…it seemed he had truly turned over a new leaf…though it was early days, and Chomper, nodding dismissively, still felt it wise to be cautious.
Saureen on the other hand, beamed a broad smile that set her emerald eyes twinkling, and quickly stepped forward to put her arms around the one she once called brother in a warm embrace.
“It’s good to have you back Seizon…” she murmured. Seizon didn’t respond.
“We know that everybody makes mistakes,” Ducky piped up, climbing down from Spike. “And it is best if you can put them behind you, it is, it is!”
“What did she say…?” Seizon muttered to Chomper.
Chomper reluctantly translated. He was still unsure what to make of Seizon’s apparent regret. He chanced a glance at Littlefoot, who merely shrugged. Of course, he didn’t have the foreknowledge that made Chomper so unwilling to forgive Seizon as quickly as Saureen seemed to be…then again, she knew him even better.
“Seizon,” Chomper said levelly, suddenly remembering another issue at hand. “In all your wanderings from the Fanged Forest to here…have you seen Lini anywhere?”
“I may have done actually…” Seizon replied, shrugging. “Why…?”
All grudges aside, Chomper stepped quickly towards him, his face shining in earnest.
“She’s missing,” Chomper explained quickly. “She’s gone missing from the Heathland, and we need to find her before we march on the Valley. It’s vitally important. Where did you see her?”
“It was about…” Seizon turned to look at the horizon from where he had come from. “At that point where…tell you what, I think I can find it again, come on and I’ll show you.”
Against his better judgement, Chomper followed without a second thought, Saureen closely beside him. The eight leaf-eaters all exchanged looks, shrugged and followed after them.
“Is she OK?” Saureen asked tentatively.
Seizon looked down at the ground.
“Not sure,” he replied. “We’d better get there quick…”
And so they walked on in silence, feeling they had nothing to say. They had only one desire within them – to find their lost companion. But eventually, with constant walking, and nearing a shady oasis, Petrie flew close to Chomper’s ear.
“Me not want to be a party pooper…” he murmured. “Buuuuuut we seem to be going too far from Heathland!”
Chomper considered for a moment, before nodding.
“Please tell your friend we need to get there soon, or we’ll be lost!!”
Chomper nodded, and tapped Seizon on the shoulder.
“Hey, Seizon,” he said. “If it’s any further we’re going to have to go back and get help from the adults. So, is it too far? Because we need to make a decision now!”
Without hesitation, Seizon turned to him and fixed him with a steely glare. This glare caused Chomper to recoil, because those penetrating amber eyes were the ones he was used too. The eyes had lost their sympathy and apology. Now they were cold and ruthless.
“You’re right Chomper…” Seizon replied, his voice also taking on a cold, hard quality. “I think this is far enough away. Now we can get to business.”
For a moment, the other ten had no idea what he was talking about, but all became clear when Ducky let out a horrified scream. With dread flooding every inch of them, they slowly turned their heads in the direction she was quivering at.
A tall, savage-looking, jet black Sharptooth over twice the height of Littlefoot was leering down upon them, saliva dripping, eyes gleaming. They noticed a strange triangular fin near the end of its back, but weren’t thinking too much of it now. On an impulse, the ten of them turned to run in the opposite direction…only to be blocked by a second one of these finned sharpteeth, this one slate grey. Like the other, it didn’t seem to be intending to attack…yet. It was more like hemming them in.
As the gang watched in rising panic, more of these sharpteeth began to surround them, coming from nearby rocks, or under trees in the oasis. It was, to be put bluntly, an ambush, and they all quickly came to the conclusion that the mastermind of this ambush was amongst them. Chomper, dread still dominant over his emotions, turned to look Seizon dead in the cold eyes. They told him everything he needed to know.
“Piercers,” Seizon said simply, completely unperturbed by these ravenous beasts. “Members of an elite division known as the Piercer Platoon, as commanded by Xal. You may have heard of them from your beloved leader. Either way, Xal put a few under my authority, because he knew you’d be hard to reign in.”
Now the dread was gone. Even as all his friends quaked and panicked around him, and even though he should be very afraid, now all Chomper felt was anger, fury, rage…uncontrollable rage. For a few seconds, he had trusted Seizon…but he had betrayed them, stabbed them in the back. He felt no remorse. He was nothing more than a low-life traitor – that was how Xal had made him.
With a roar of all his compiling emotions, Chomper charged straight at Seizon, not caring that Seizon had essentially bodyguards with the presence of the Piercers, bodyguards who could rip him apart in a second. All he wanted was to make Seizon pay.
Again…
But in Chomper’s blind fury, his charge wasn’t overly effective. Seizon merely pushed out at Chomper’s head and shoulders, sending him careering backwards onto the ground. Unperturbed, Chomper leapt to his feet and made to go after him again, only to have a Piercer grab him and pin him wordlessly to the floor.
“You’re all far too trusting,” Seizon informed them, a small smirk creeping onto his face. “Oh, Chomper…I had high hopes for you. I thought you would have seen the light long ago…” He knelt down, and extended a foreclaw to grab Chomper buy the chin, so they were once again eye to eye. Chomper glared and let out a guttural growl, his canines bared. Seizon simply ignored this.
“But instead, you keep forcing me to take extreme measures. Now I have to drag you to the forest. And you, in your selfishness, you’ve landed your friends in it too…”
At these words, Chomper forgot his anger with a jolt of horror to the stomach. He turned his head to look behind him, to see all the leaf-eaters he had brought with him pinned under and held secure by the Piercer’s, who were indifferent to their struggles. Although they were not attempting to eat any of them, they were more than capable, and all Seizon (who they were watching closely) had to do was give a single word of command…
Chomper’s eyes shifted to Saureen, the only one amongst them who wasn’t attempting to struggle against the one who held her captive. Her eyes seemed strangely unfocused, and were staring at the ground, in abject despair, tears beginning to form in them…her mouth was beginning to also tremble.
Realising the misery and guilt she must be feeling for trusting Seizon so easily, Chomper wanted to try and comfort her, but under restraint, it was difficult to do so…besides, he was worried about the fates of all his other friends…and, he realised, why just them? He wouldn’t put it past Xal to endorse cannibalism.
“Where’s Al?” Seizon demanded, frowning for the first time since he had captured them and pacing amongst them. “I wanted to have a few words with him, that treacherous little bast-”
“He’s not here…” Shorty snapped at him in sharptooth. Seizon broke off to look at him, amazed.
“Wow!” he exclaimed, a grin returning. “So Chomper managed to teach the livestock how to speak! OK then flathead…actually that doesn’t really apply…where is Al?”
“He’s in the Heathland,” Shorty shot back. “Are you prepared to go there?”
Seizon’s smile slipped and he turned away.
“In answer to your earlier question Chomper…” he continued, sweeping past Saureen whilst determinately not looking at her. “Yes – I’ve seen Lini. We have her.”
“I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!” Chomper roared in anguish.
Seizon ignored him.
“We realised taking one of your precious companions would have been an ideal way to get you out into the open,” he explained. “Because we still need your input. Having said that, all of your flattooth friends will probably come in useful for our Valley infiltration, so therefore, we’ll keep them alive. For now at least.”
At least that was one weight of their chests, but as the ten felt themselves wrestled to their feet by the Sharptooth thugs, they knew that they could not avoid whatever fresh horrors awaited them.
“The revolution begins here,” Seizon told them all, his eyes now alight with zeal. “Xal’s dream of a Sharptooth utopia will soon be made real. And once we get you to the Fanged Forest, you will be our key! Don’t worry – your Valley will be liberated soon enough!”
And with a small smile that ignored all the glares it attracted, Seizon turned on his heel and began to lead his prisoners and their detainers eastwards.
~0~
And there you have it! :DD Really hope you enjoyed, and well...things are heating up! Seizon's returned, and, well...he really hasn't learnt much has he? Everyone is getting ready for war and the characters' thoughts are all over the place! :blink: :lol
Anyway, please give me reviews and THANKS FOR READING!
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This chapter was long awaited and it was definitely worth waiting a little longer than usual ;)
It begins very easy-going with the Rainbowfaces. It's nice to finally learn more about the death of Ronan :)
Hmm, Zyro has probably decided correctly, but will it hurt the alliance? AND WHERE THE HECK IS LINI!? :cry
Now... that little chat between Opal and Zyro was fairly... promising? :smile Opal may know more than we are supposed to believe...
(It's slowly getting more interesting... )
Gosh Hyp! He sure knows how to run into the right guys... literally.
Pterano and Topsy... it had to end in a quarrel but then again Topsy could have teared him apart faster than Pterano could squeek... What's more important is the news the Flyer is telling the cantankerous Threehorn.
Ah, I can totally understand the Grandparent's opinion of Ulciscor...
(here comes the climax...)
The scene with Spike and Al... it's nice to see Al's thoughts :smile Spike just HAD to offer him some food.
Shorty, Shorty, Shorty... :rolleyes I was already awaiting that moment where some... love thingy's make the whole thing even greater :lol: It does always work... it does for you, it does for me (spoiler :o)
“Nope, nothing, as far as I can detect, it’s still…uncertain.” He tried his best to avoid Ali’s gaze as he said this. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like what he would see…her eyes were simply beautiful, shimmering pale blue like Big Water on the clearest day. But to him, to look into those eyes would be to stare directly into her soul, and see everything about her, including how she felt about him…and Shorty felt as though the stare upon him would be too judgemental…something he wouldn’t like. And it was Ali’s approval he wanted more than anything else.
You worded that paragraph excellently :yes
Chomper's being a little moody here eh? :D From crying to going banana due to finding a crawler...
Saureen is scared of insects!!! :nyah I can so imagine any random Sharptooth bullying her for that :angel Funny scene...
Those hints... :lol Ruby's sentence is very Ruby-ish which is good.
(Here we go, ACTION!)
The whole Seizon scene... a masterpiece :wow Pretending to have changed only to betray them... a wise move... not for Seizon though, I reckon...
Love it! :exactly
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O-M-G! And I'm only sorry I didn't read all this sooner :o
First of all, you should have heard my whoop of joy when I saw that Pterano had an appearance. W00t w00t!
Also, really love how the sharpteeth and the flatteeth are getting on, it's really spirit-lifting to read how similar their plights are and how much they want to work together.
Aha! there's a mole in Ulciscor's briagde... Uriah. I'f I'm not mistaken, that's a Biblical name, and if I'm not anymore mistaken, the story involving this Uriah didn't end well... please tell em there's no reference. On second though, don't tell me, AAAAGH!:O
For some reason, I still think Topps and Tria can work this all out... and shame on thee if my feelings are misguided, lol!
But ohhhhh no, he did NOT! SEIZON!! That does it, I'm drawing him as a paper child! *rage rage rage* HOW COULD YOU?!
Errrrgh
Great work as always^^
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Lini's remorse
OK, here's a preview for the next chapter, as it's taking so long. It's not the full thing, but...hope you enjoy it anyway!
Lini drew sharp, harsh breaths, sounding notoriously loud in the silence of her confinement. She could feel the sinister re-awakened throbbing of her leg as it lay twisted beside her, and the damp earth beneath her scales. It seemed that the information they had wanted to extract from her hadn’t been anything they didn’t already know, making her brutal interrogation somewhat pointless. But it wasn’t as if she cared. No stinging bruises on her skin, no agony in her damaged limb could begin to compare to the pain that lingered within and incarcerated her heart and soul.
She had liked to forget – she had tried her hardest to forget about the Lini that once was – the one who used her possessive nature not to console or protect, but to control and dominate. But just spending an hour with Gigas was enough to remind her that that Lini definitely existed once upon a time, and no denial would ever change that.
“The sight of blood drove you wild…” Gigas’ savagely pleasured voice had echoed inside her skull. “For anyone to bleed got your juices going…you considered a perfect day to be bathing in the blood of your tortured victims, many still alive as you controlled them…”
Lini gave a dry racking sob, clenched her eyes shut and tried in vain to block out this unwelcome conscience. But now it was giving her a new message – her incompetence had led her to be captured, and, just as Xal had said, this would lure everyone else out. She was the bait for the trap, and if anything happened to her friends from hereon in, despite her best efforts, it would be her fault entirely. If so, she didn’t even know if she would be able to live with herself. She wouldn’t be able to face waking up every day, knowing the great evil she had committed. She was disgusting, and if there were no friends left that she needed to support, she would be better off dead…
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Well, I already told you what I think of that short passage but I'm going to post it here as well so that everybody knows (and for easier access; I doubt you'd find that comment in the chat in a year).
"Well, first of all, we finally get a life sign of Lini (I don't recall one, that is :smile). The passage is sort of mysterious because parts of it I don't get yet but I'm sure that they're hinting at Lini's past (she's the only one of the group whose past is still pretty much unknown). Oh, and her thoughts are fittting very well because she, without the intention to, leads her friends into a possibly deadly trap.
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And here it finally is!!! I don't actually know how long it's been, but anyway, here is the next VV chapter!
It's a fairly long one, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'm completely happy with it. This chapter contains a lot of significant events and references (as will be the case with pretty much all chapters from now on, as we are approaching the climax) and I don't know if I've done the significance justice. :rolleyes: Still, I shall let you decide...
Chapter Twenty-One: Prisoners
Lini drew sharp, harsh breaths, sounding notoriously loud in the silence of her confinement. She could feel the sinister re-awakened throbbing of her leg as it lay twisted beside her, and the damp earth beneath her scales. It seemed that the information they had wanted to extract from her hadn’t been anything they didn’t already know, making her brutal interrogation somewhat pointless. But it wasn’t as if she cared. No stinging bruises on her skin, no agony in her damaged limb could begin to compare to the pain that lingered within and incarcerated her heart and soul.
She had liked to forget – she had tried her hardest to forget about the Lini that once was – the one who used her possessive nature not to console or protect, but to control and dominate. But just spending an hour with Gigas was enough to remind her that that Lini definitely existed once upon a time, and no denial would ever change that.
“The sight of blood drove you wild…” Gigas’ savagely pleasured voice had echoed inside her skull. “For anyone to bleed got your juices going…you considered a perfect day to be bathing in the blood of your tortured victims, many still alive as you controlled them…”
Lini gave a dry racking sob, clenched her eyes shut and tried in vain to block out this unwelcome conscience. But now it was giving her a new message – her incompetence had led her to be captured, and, just as Xal had said, this would lure everyone else out. She was the bait for the trap, and if anything happened to her friends from hereon in, despite her best efforts, it would be her fault entirely. If so, she didn’t even know if she would be able to live with herself. She wouldn’t be able to face waking up every day, knowing the great evil she had committed. She was disgusting, and if there were no friends left that she needed to support, she would be better off dead…
*
Boasting? Grand team speeches? Just generally talking about Xal?
These were all things Chomper had come to associate with Seizon. Here was a Sharptooth who liked to talk a lot - that was something he made clear from the very start. He was arrogant, always spoke his mind and argued forcefully if anyone dared to suggest his opinions may be a little awry. Yes, this was a Sharptooth who loved to talk.
And now?
It was incredible to behold, but as Seizon led his prisoners guarded by their Piercer guards across the flat earth, the Bright Circle staining the sky blood red as it descended above them, he wasn’t saying a word. He wasn’t even holding his head high at this point, in the confident swagger he usually betrayed, or even the malicious determination he had revealed when imprisoning them. He simply seemed to be lost in thought.
But he wasn’t the only one, Chomper reflected bitterly. Despite this observation, he had little thought to spare for whatever Seizon may be thinking. His concern was the predicament he had managed to carelessly get himself and his nine friends into. How could he possibly have trusted Seizon, the one who had once struck him in the face for insulting his insane stepfather, a stepfather, Chomper realised with a sudden stab of dread, they were on their way to right now?
And surely, Chomper thought desperately, chancing half a glance behind him, attempting in vain to see past the Piercer that was positioned at the rear; surely Zyro or Al or Bron or someone must have noticed they were missing? Shouldn’t they be sending a search party after them? He turned to Saureen in an attempt to confide these misgivings with, or perhaps to console her – either one would do, though it would be difficult under the gaze of the Piercers…even though they hadn’t given an order for silence…
But Saureen’s expression told him everything he needed to know, and his heart sunk even lower into the depths of despair that engulfed him. Nobody would have noticed their absence as of yet – they were still too busy debating the next best course of action, and by the time they reached that verdict, the issue at hand would have increased tenfold. Chomper forced himself not to think of an angry and paranoid longneck crowd convinced that the sharpteeth were conspiring against them, perhaps some sharpteeth thinking likewise, and a whole load of infighting this once-strong alliance to save the Valley…
Almost in an attempt to distract him from his own unwelcome thoughts, Chomper chanced a glance at everyone else, marching along so stolidly. Their expressions were largely unreadable, other than nerves of course…he couldn’t tell whether they were secretly absolutely livid at him for his careless actions. He didn’t know whether he could live with himself if that were the case.
Carefully, he began to walk in step alongside Spike, and addressed a terrified-looking Ducky, who was on his back.
“You alright?”
Ducky looked directly at him, her sky-blue eyes upon his red ones, and she promptly swallowed and shook her head.
A knot tightened in Chomper’s chest. His friends clearly had no time to play the blame game now – they were too worried about their trepidation, and who could blame them? They were, after all, about to be lead into a lair dominated by their natural predators…
This thought seemed to jolt Chomper into a new nightmarish scenario that he couldn’t erase from his mind. Making a brash decision, he barged straight to the front of the marching group, blocked from going any further by the Piercer at the front, who grabbed him and held him in place. Struggling furiously, Chomper yelled openly and defiantly at Seizon’s retreating back.
“I AM NOT GOING TO CO-OPERATE WITH YOU SEIZON, ESPECIALLY IF YOU THREATEN MY FRIENDS!! IF YOU EVER LAY A HAND ON THEM, I PROMISE, I WILL KILL YOU!!!!”
Seizon stopped dead in his tracks as these defiant words echoed through the empty landsacape, and Chomper couldn’t tell what he was thinking without seeing his expression. Then he heard the young bladeback sigh.
“It’s really upsetting Chomper,” Seizon said, at Chomper could genuinely hear the note of sadness in his voice. “We could have been really good friends…it’s a pity you chose to make things more difficult for yourself…and everyone else?”
“Me???” Chomper yelled back, his temper rising, even though he knew this sort of reaction is exactly what Seizon wanted. “And what about you, allowing two members of your own pack to die? That made it easy for them did it? And you’re still just going to be sitting safely in your little comfort zone, far removed from it all, planning more death…”
“No!”
Chomper stopped abruptly. It was from Seizon that the utterance came, and now the bladeback in question had wheeled round to face Chomper. Chomper was taken aback to discover that he had actually struck a nerve with this individual – Seizon’s amber eyes were aglow with anger and wild distress, his teeth gritted and his fists balled. It normally took a mention of Xal to get under Seizon’s impervious skin, and Chomper wasn’t even deliberately trying to irk him. This surprise kept Chomper in a silence as he watched Seizon eye him aggressively from between the arms of the Piercers, all of whom were simply surveying the scene with mild interest. Seizon’s eyes swept the rest of Chomper’s companions, except for Saureen, whose eye contact he seemed to be avoiding, before he took a deep breath.
“Comfort zone you say? Comfort zone?? You really have been living in your sheltered little Valley for too long rockhead. The Fanged Forest is not a cosy little paradise, it can be as dangerous as you can imagine, because it’s one of the many front lines of this war!”
“War?” Shorty suddenly exclaimed in sharptooth.
“Yes, war, bark-breath!” Seizon snapped at him, his eyes quivering for a moment on him in apparent trivial curiosity. “And I have to say Chomper, that’s quite a feat teaching them to talk…I just hope your skills can be put to better use…”
“What war?” Shorty demanded.
“The endless and bitter war we face on all sides by the likes of your grass-gorging herds!!!” Seizon snarled back. “With them charging across the landscape unkempt, the Fanged Forest can often be no safer than anywhere else…we were attacked there…” And finally, though it seemed to cause him great pain to do so, Seizon fixed his eyes upon Saureen and said loudly,
“Saureen – you tell him!”
Saureen too, who had been brooding in her own thoughts, looked up at him, startled.
“Well…yes…we were…” she murmured slightly.
“So there we are!!” Seizon snapped at Chomper, eyes immediately coming back to him.
Chomper hesitated for a short moment, wondering how quite to respond to this. Perhaps what he had said had been insensitive to Saureen (he didn’t much care about offending Seizon), but that was really beside the point…
“And as for a planning more deaths…??” Seizon had leaned in closer to Chomper now, so they were almost nose-to-nose, and suddenly, his eyes had taken on a more pained expression, and his jaw drooped a little.
“It was never my intention to let Pyron and Nycha die…” he murmured, avoiding Chomper’s gaze. “I don’t know how often I have to tell you that, and whatever you say about my priorities, you don’t think I see their faces everytime I close my eyes? Hear their voices across a silent landscape?”
His voice began to crack a little as he said this, and he moved back from Chomper. Chomper heard a sharp intake of breath from Saureen beside him, but hardly noticed it, as he was too busy staring at Seizon. Did Seizon even realise that he had just spoken Chomper’s mind? Did he know that that was exactly how Chomper felt about the untimely passing of their fastbiter companions? Suddenly, Chomper felt more connected to Seizon than he had in a long time…but this moment soon passed when he voiced new curiosities.
“If you feel so remorseful about what happened,” he said slowly. “Why are you still taking orders from Xal?”
Fury flashed in Seizon’s amber orbs once more.
“It’s got nothing to do with him, alright?” he howled, a primordial hissing growl being heard from his throat as he shouted. “It’s my own failings as a leader – there, I admitted it! But it’s all in the past now – right now, we’ve got a job to do, one that’s going to make sure NOBODY else close to me dies…”
“Seizon…” Saureen spoke at last. “What about my grandmother?”
The expression that passed across Seizon’s face at these words told Chomper everything he needed to know – this was the one subject he had wanted to avoid at all costs. Saureen, quite deliberately it seemed, just let the silence hang nastily in the air – even the Piercers began to look uncomfortable.
“Saureen…” Seizon said at last, staring down at his feet. “I don’t want to discuss that right now…you can…you can ask Xal yourself…when we see him.”
“I don’t want to hear his thoughts on it…” Saureen replied quietly, her emerald green eyes quite expressionless. “I know what he did and why he did it. I want to know what you think…”
“I’ve tried not to think about it!” Seizon replied defiantly, or as defiantly as he could manage – he still didn’t look at her, but turned his back and began to walk. “Come on, let’s go!”
“He’s having doubts,” Saureen told Chomper firmly, speaking in flattooth so that the Piercers, chivvying them along, couldn’t understand them. “I can tell – he hasn’t got a clue why someone he admires so much would kill someone who cared for him so…” her voice trailed off a little sadly and she closed her eyes. “Honestly Chomper – I don’t think he’s a bad person at all…he’s just got the wrong view of the world.”
“Well, if he’s as pure as you claim,” Chomper replied, failing to keep the impatient and irritated edge out of his voice. “Why is he still following Xal this blindly, even at the costs of others???”
“Maybe he’s scared…” Saureen looked a little worried now as she watched Seizon walking ahead of them. “Scared of what Xal will do to him if he declared his intentions to leave…”
“No, it’s not that,” Shorty chipped in.
The other nine children all being guarded by the Piercers swivelled their heads to look at him in astonishment.
“What makes you so sure?” Chomper demanded.
Shorty sighed.
“Well, it’s obvious isn’t it?” They all looked at him blankly, so Shorty continued. “If you’ve spent all living memory with no parents, the first person to come along and offer voluntarily to take up that role creates a debt you feel you can never pay back. The connection Seizon has with Xal is something that none- well…some of us can’t understand. There’s something deep within it, and Seizon, whatever his feelings on matters may be, has no greater affection than that for his stepfather, and wants nothing better than to please him, even at the sake of his own values.”
“That’s…deep, Shorty…” Ali remarked. “How did you…how did you come up with it?”
Shorty simply shook his head, indicating he didn’t want to discuss it further. Indeed he didn’t want to indulge on how he knew this simply from first-hand experience, but he saw Littlefoot give him a knowing look and a small smile, which Shorty managed to return.
With his watery blue eyes fixed on the form in front of him, Shorty began to consider. His friends were a blessing - was for certain. But he had always known there were would be divides between him and them, divides which weren’t entirely unique to him, but for reasons that his experience with upbringing was simply different to them.
Shorty had never known his parents. He was too young to remember anything about them, or even how he had lost them. Sometimes, during the night he would lie there and forcefully burn images of what they may have looked like on the inside of his eyelids. A father, with a crafty smile, perhaps ready to go on adventures with his son – explore a dark and shadowy forest, creep up to a smoking mountain, or maybe simply sit him down and give him sound advice about girls. And a mother, so gentle and loving, with a smile as warm as her body, as she bent down to nuzzle him. In the wilder fantasies, Shorty would feel her tongue, tenderly and lovingly washing him, maybe gently scolding him for getting himself dirty, but with such a scold only because of how much she cared…how much she loved him. But it was the realisation that this love was imaginary, and these wonderful figures that ran wild in Shorty’s head were not real, and now they were dead, would never be real, that made the very worst experiences of all.
It still made the boy wonder how he’d ever managed to survive his early years at all, as he had spent them completely alone – wandering from place to place, on a constant search for food, water and shelter, always just escaping the shadow of a predator, or a natural disaster. There were moments of fear, where he’d cry out for his parents, followed by moments of resentment and anger, when he would sometimes scream at them, even with no ears to hear, demanding to know why they had to die on him, why they had had to leave him, without at least leaving someone to look after him…followed by remorse and guilt for his anger at those who had maybe even died saving him…how was he to know?
Most herds were unsympathetic – mothers would anxiously shepherd their precious darlings away from Shorty if he had approached, looking at him like he was some sort of monster.
And so of course, the first person to look at him in a different way instantly became Shorty’s favourite in the whole world. He would never forget that fateful day, when he had tried to take on the responsibilities of looking after a few small hatchlings (with parents, I might add) himself, when he had looked up and first seen Bron.
“Was Seizon the same?” Shorty wondered, as he watched him. He could never tell – but he for one knew that he would always do whatever Bron wanted, because Bron had been the first to drag him out of the hell that he was living, make him feel like he had some importance. Of course, soon after that, came Littlefoot and Ali and all of the herds. But Bron had been the first, and Shorty doubted he would have had the same connection he did with the others if he hadn’t had that connection with Bron to begin with.
“He gave me a purpose,” Shorty realised. “He gave me a reason to continue living…even now, I think I might be simply living for him. But when I think back to where I was before, it’s actually chilling to consider how far gone I might have been, or how anyone could have misled me. If someone had made me feel wanted, what would I care if their ideas were a little insane? What they matter to me is what’s important.” Shorty could imagine Seizon’s amber eyes before him now, and he knew – he had seen it when Seizon had been talking. Xal had something in Seizon that could never be taken away, because of what Xal had taken away from Seizon – the same in Shorty with Bron, reflected in both their eyes – their stepfathers had taken away the feeling of inadequacy, uselessness and helplessness. And there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for them at all.
No matter what it was.
“Getting through to Seizon with a dedication like that is going to be very hard,” Shorty concluded, as he watched Seizon lead them up towards some shaded conifers, and the Bright Circle disappeared below the darkening horizon. “But for his sake, it may be up to me to make him see sense…”
*
“You can’t be serious…”
Zyro gazed up nervously into Bron’s thunderstruck expression and waited for the axe to fall.
“You mean to tell me…” he murmured, chewing on the words in an attempt to stem his rising panic. “That now my two sons are missing as well as almost everyone else???”
“I can assure you we are sending scouts out to find them as soon as we can,” Zyro told him, attempting to maintain the steadiness in his voice.
If he had thought that these words would calm Bron, he was gravely mistaken. On the contrary, the longneck’s face twisted into an even more livid and horror-struck expression, and he emitted a bellow of frustration and rage.
“Scouts???” he roared at Zyro. “What good are they going to do now?? You sent them out to look for the other girl, Lini, as well, and that has yielded nothing either!!!”
Bron didn’t seem prepared to play the blame game – even as he stamped and paced and grunted loudly at every spare second, most of it seemed to derive from panic and stress. It was therefore unfortunate that many of the other longnecks took these expressions of raw emotion as an incentive to get riled themselves. They of course had their own opinions about the Sharptooth community’s motives, not to mention the reason for the disappearance of eight leaf-eater children as well as three sharpteeth. But as co-operative herd members, they knew better than to allow their opinions colour their judgement for the sake of the herd as a whole – now however, Bron’s panic over this development seemed to be the permission they had been waiting for.
“You monsters had better come clean as to what you’re doing!!!” snarled one particularly outspoken longneck, stepping forward to glare at the sharpteeth facing him. None of them except for Zyro and Al, of course, could understand a word he was saying, but the body language was enough – raised tail and pawing at the ground with a face twisted with the anger that was now being sent as a ripple through the herd. More longnecks began to raise their own aggressive objections, each one spurring on the next.
“They’ve been manipulating us from the start!!!” growled another one, addressing the crowd as a whole, jabbing his tail forcefully in the direction of the sharpteeth with the same sort of malicious tendency as one would stab someone through the heart. An audible near unanimous agreement rose up from his fellows, far louder and more violent sounding than the previous. Eyes of molten fury swivelled onto the Sharptooth crowd, most of whom drew back instinctively. Al was left, hovering awkwardly between the withdrawn crowd and Zyro, looking nothing short of petrified. Behind his widened purple eyes was a furious and violent jumble of emotions, pricking into panics and insecurities he wasn’t even aware he had, and even as the herd of angry longnecks grew steadily angrier, each one about ten times his size or more, only one thought shone through his numb and horrified brain:
“This is all my fault…it’s all my fault…I shouldn’t have left them…now they’ve gone the same way as Lini…” And when her face broke into his line of thoughts, he simply couldn’t bear to think anymore. The stabbing pain that tore through him then was far from physical.
“We can’t continue to treat them as friends any longer!!!” came another scream from the longneck herd. This particular scream came from someone whose insides were also being torn to shreds my mind-numbing panic – Ali’s mother. As though blaming someone would lessen her grief, she was now glaring directly at Zyro with a look normally found only on true murderers.
At these words, another wave of pugnacious bellows rent the air, and as one, these longnecks began to march forward. The foremost one however, soon found his way blocked by his own matriarch.
“OK, that’s enough!” Old One snapped as she struggled briefly against the weight of the angry longneck. “I understand your reaction but we need to consider a proper plan of action…” she turned to look at Bron, who was staring into space with a vacantly horrified expression. He clearly was barely aware of what had just unfolded. Deciding to snap him out of this morbid trance, she called,
“Bron! Help me out here…”
“What do you think you’re doing??” hissed a voice of slightly amused incredulity just behind Al, and before he could turn to see who was speaking, he found himself seized and dragged backwards. He was deposited amongst the withdrawn Sharptooth crowd, and between two fastbiters who changed his expression from a mortified one to one of deepest dislike.
“What was that all about?” he snapped furiously.
“Haven’t you seen the size of those longnecks?” Thud asked him, sounding matter-of-fact and utterly relaxed. “With them in this mood, they could crush you to death…”
“And we wouldn’t want to get Zyro on our case if we allowed that to happen,” Screech replied, exchanging a mildly amused smirk with his brother.
“Oh, very amusing,” Al growled in a tone that suggested the complete opposite. “But in case you haven’t noticed, the crisis we have on our hands is of the priority right now, and if you can’t suggest anything worthwhile to help resolve-”
“Oh, but my poor pugnacious puffed-up pliosaur, I think we can…” Thud cut across him, still just as calmly. “If you think about it, we as sharpteeth have a natural ability for tracking and detection that the leaf-eaters lack. That’s because we tend to use it to sniff them out…”
“Yeah,” Al responded, growing irritated. “But so do the scouts Zyro sent out, and they haven’t been able to track down Lini or the others…” The words caught in his throat as soon as Lini sprung to mind again.
“That’s true,” Screech agreed, not reacting to Al’s sudden shift in mood. “But pinpointing individual scents can be difficult when you don’t know the specific individuals particularly well. If they are, or were once close to you, you should be able to determine the individuals both being taken, and doing the taking.”
Al looked up at this.
“Are you saying…?” he said slowly. “That you think you know who’s behind this…and you haven’t told-?”
“We have been speculating,” Thud cut across him once again. “But we chose not to say anything to Zyro, as not only does he not have enough trouble at the moment, but we don’t want just a hunch blown out of proportion.”
“So…?”
“So, use your brains son! You’ve been Zyro’s spy from the beginning, and have been up close and personal with those liable to try and make use of prisoners of war. Bottom line, it was their mistake to trust you so much, as you can continue to use your familiarity for our advantage to find out where the missing ones are…”
Twigging onto what was being said, Al gave a small nod.
“Alright…but you’d better be on the level here…”
With that said, the three sharpteeth slowly slipped away.
*
Even with the carnage and violent chidings from the longnecks beginning to simmer down, the effects of everything that had come before to cause it was still being felt. Opal stood some way apart from the rest of the crowd, watching the confrontations intensely, nothing but blind panic and confusion rushing through her head.
She should help. She must help. But what was she to do? There was nothing she could do to stop angry crowds, not since…
She shut her eyes and groaned at something that may have been a vague and misty memory attempting to penetrate her skull. It was like having a persistent headache. The noise of the heckling spread by paranoia and fear…something that lay primordially permanent and sometimes dormant in everyone and something nobody could control…and she herself, powerless even in her grief to prevent dangerous ideas spreading and far more dangerous events taking place…
Dangerous ideas…always so popular in a time of panic…and that was it. That was what had led to this.
Barely consciously aware of it, Opal found tears beginning a silent yet sustained flow down her face and dripping to the ground with morose impact. This shock of coming to terms with her past however now made her choke on her sobs as the tears continued. She didn’t want to remember, it hurt too much…and yet she was unable to stop – every frame of that time she had spent before her amnesia, each single memory of it was a cruel reminder of everything she had done so badly wrong, every tragic mistake she had made…how much she would rather stay forgetting…or even, she resigned miserably, much rather she was dead…
Even as this thought crossed her mind she found a small, gentle hand press against her side.
“Try not to let it weigh you down too much. Just cry it out for a minute…sometimes that’s all anyone needs.”
Opal recognised the voice immediately. Beyond all rational explanation, Hoshia the rainbowface was standing by her side, speaking to her in a soothing and gentle way, like any close family member would, her words determined to cause only comfort.
Tetsugaku and Keibetsu were standing some distance away, keeping a respectful silence as they watched Hoshia continue her soothing conversation with Opal. They had all agreed to allow her to deal with this alone, although Tetsugaku was frowning in concentration as he strained to hear what was being said.
“Have you been following me all this time?” Opal eventually asked, closing her eyes in attempt to stem the flow of both tears and memories.
“Well,” Hoshia replied, a small smile creeping onto her lips. “That would be telling wouldn’t it?”
Opal couldn’t even bring herself to roll her eyes. Instead, she fixed them up at the twilit sky and muttered,
“At least now I understand why you didn’t tell me before…”
Choosing to ignore this, Hoshia then asked,
“How much has come back to you?”
“Everything,” Opal whispered in a traumatized tone. “The role I was expected to perform…Omendric and how he sacrificed himself for everything he believed in…Ulciscor…” she choked back a sob. “And how I didn’t have the spine to stick around and challenge him…! I just fled the place, dragging Ronan with me…suppose it makes sense that Ulciscor sent his henchmen after us…they…they killed Ronan and our unhatched child, and I, cowardly scum that I was, should have died with them!!!” Tears once more leaked out like burst drains.
Hoshia patted her on the side again.
“Now, that isn’t true,” she assured. “You dying along with Ronan would have done nobody any good. Now that you remember everything that happened, you can help overturn Ulciscor like I’m sure you wanted to do so long ago…”
Opal nodded vigorously, tears still falling.
“I did…I did…but I hadn’t the guts…”
“Oh, but you do,” Hoshia contradicted her, so forcefully that Opal turned to stare. “Yes – your determination to be on the front line in your amnesic state is proof of that. Before you just didn’t realise you had it in you. Perhaps you expected your kin to deal with all of the problems for you.”
Opal gazed down at the ground, considering…
“If you feel the need to redeem yourself, then you can secure a victory over Ulciscor,” Hoshia continued, gazing with a near-motherly pride at the spiketail.
“But how?” Opal demanded desperately. “The kids are missing, and-”
“They will find them,” Hoshia promised. “And once they do, you are the one they will be looking to. You know I’m not allowed to reveal too much…but…well, as a native Valleian who has been within the core of its governing body, a certain someone is duty-bound to accept requests from you to help…”
The one to whom Hoshia was referring sprung to Opal’s mind immediately.
“OK…but I don’t know where he is…”
“No, you’ll have to stay here,” Hoshia advised. “A messenger will do it. A Sharptooth flyer may cause a communication problem, so…” she cleared her throat a little awkwardly before glancing back at her two rainbowface companions. “We – that is to say, me, Tetsugaku and our acquaintance – will be willing to carry the message for you.”
“But how will you find him?” Opal demanded. But even as she said it, she thought she knew the answer.
“That would be telling,” Hoshia replied, smiling as Opal said it in unison with her.
“Yeah, alright…” Opal murmured. “Well…thank you…”
“But this is imperative,” Hoshia continued. “We cannot tell him anything of our own accord – the message has to come direct from Valleian authority. So, tell me exactly what you want me to say.”
“Well…” Opal drew a breath. “Basically that he must come to our aid. The Valley has been subjugated by a tyrant and we together must overthrow him. Let him also know about our alliance with the sharpteeth so that no confusion arises…”
“No problem at all…” Hoshia smiled once more. “Now – I have no doubt he will be with you accordingly. But there was one flaw in your memory.”
“Yeah?” Opal glanced around at her, surprised.
“Your unhatched child did not die alongside Ronan,” Hoshia said quickly. OK, technically, she wasn’t meant to tell her this, but the temptation was irresistible.
“But…”
“You will find them once the rescue takes place, I promise!” Hoshia assured, and with that, turned and walked away, leaving Opal staring after her, lost in her own thoughts…
*
Zyro felt his body physically sag by the relief he felt that the short moment of rowdy dissent was over. Old One, and, despite his distress, Bron had managed to calm the hoard down, even Ali’s mother, although her breath was still coming in shallow rasps. As he tried to figure out another course of action, he heard someone speak his name.
“Umm…Zyro?”
It was Al, and the larger Sharptooth turned to look at the youngster expectantly. He was looking slightly apprehensive, a complete contrast to Screech and Thud, who stood behind him, looking rather smug.
“Go on, Al,” Thud encouraged. “Tell him what you know.”
What Al said after that was the best news Zyro had been hoping for. Grinning so broadly at the three sharpteeth Al was sure he’d strained his jaw muscles, Zyro turned back to the longnecks and called,
“OK! Listen up everyone, we have some important information!”
To his surprise and relief, all of the longnecks listened obediently, though some did so with a visible bad grace. Prompting Al to translate for the sharpteeth as best he could, Zyro continued.
“I have just been informed that a persistent and sustained scent around the area which the children disappeared is that of Seizon – Xal’s stepson. It seems almost inevitable that they were brought to the Fanged Forest, Xal’s own centre of operations. Screech and Thud here still roughly know the way to the forest, and…yes?”
Old One had raised her tail. Zyro prompted her to speak.
“Yes…if they were aware of the location, why did you not simply storm his operations earlier?” she asked.
“Well, like an uncalculated assault on the Valley, it would have been too risky,” Zyro replied. “Honestly, I think this whole thing may be a little too easy…” he looked slightly uncomfortable. “But obviously we don’t have much choice. Now, to avoid detection and to make this whole operation easier, I don’t think we need too much of a large force.”
“I concur,” Old One agreed. “Some of us should stay behind to maintain our ground, and then regroup when the rescue team return with the children…presumably at that point we should march on the Valley?”
“Yes,” Zyro agreed. “At that point we should have disabled Xal’s forces enough to ensure they won’t be a problem when we try to overthrow Ulciscor. After we return, we shall briefly prepare, and begin…”
There were mutters amongst the crowd, the mixture of nerves and excitement that would follow any announcement like this.
“I shall remain here,” Old One declared. “And begin to organise factions.”
“Certainly,” Zyro nodded. “And with you holding the fort, there is no reason for me to remain here myself. I volunteer to lead this rescue operation.”
“Are you sure that’s a wise decision?” barked a disgruntled longneck. There were mutters of agreement.
“Of course,” Old One replied, her glittering eyes fixed upon Zyro. “I cannot allow you to conduct this mission with sharpteeth only.”
“Of course not,” Zyro responded agreeably.
Old One turned to Bron.
“I presume you will want to be part of this mission?” she queried. Bron nodded furiously.
“As I’m sure will you, Fumei?” Old One then queried to Ali’s mother, glancing her head back. Fumei also nodded, her shock still leaving her largely silent.
Nodding, Zyro turned to the sharpteeth.
“Screech and Thud, obviously I’ll want you two with me to show me where to go,” he told them. “Remember this is your chance to redeem yourselves.” The two fastbiters nodded, and then Al spoke.
“Zyro – I’d like to come as well.” Zyro frowned.
“I’m not sure that’s wise, honestly,” he told Al. “You’ve already been put on the front-line of danger often enough, it’ll be safer if you-”
“Please,” Al pleaded. “I can be useful. I understand Seizon’s mannerisms and things…and I feel somehow responsible too…” Lini flashed through his mind once more. Could it be possible that they had taken her because he had revealed too much? “I need to see them!”
Zyro looked carefully into the desperate purple orbs for a while before relenting.
“OK…” he murmured slowly. “But if we get into a fight, stay in the background, alright? Don’t try and take Xal head on or anything…”
Al nodded to show he understood. Still glancing back at him every few moments suspiciously, Zyro then turned to Ross, Rhea and Ferox.
“Considering your children are the ones who have been taken, I’m sure you’ll want to accompany us?” They nodded, all staring into space with a fierce determination. Ross’ jaw was set – Rhea had an expression similar to Fumei’s, but still just as furiously determined…
“Ferox,” Zyro commented. “Umm…considering your history with Xal, it might be dangerous for you to show your face around the Fanged Forest again…”
“Xal doesn’t hang about,” Ferox told him shortly. “It’s dangerous for anyone to show up at the forest with intentions of challenging him. For me it’s no different. Besides…” he drew in a deep breath. “My daughter is at risk…what else can be done?”
Not arguing any further, Zyro nodded and turned back to Old One.
“OK, I think we’ve got our rescue team, so…”
“Wait!”
All heads turned underneath the now starry sky, as Opal came striding forward, looking nervous but determined all the same.
“I would like to be part of this rescue team also,” she said.
Zyro shrugged.
“Certainly,” he said. “Umm…any particular reason?”
“Well…” Opal bit her lip. “I do actually have some important information that I wasn’t able to give before due to my amnesia.” She swallowed. “It concerns Ulciscor…”
The information she revealed at that point positively blew the minds of everyone listening.
*
The shimmering silver light of the Great Night Circle cast a beam down to the opening of the infamous Fanged Forest. The Piercers that surrounded the young captives paused and stood, watching the dark trees. Seizon stood in front of them, practically within the mouth of the forest already. He too was silent, keeping a wary eye upon the treetops, and how the leaves rustled as the wind gently caressed them. It seemed such a fitting breeze. All of the young dinosaurs taken captive chose to remain silent also…it only seemed right. And yet it didn’t stop them shivering in the wind with the intense fear that dominating their beings. Petrie and Ducky clung to Spike’s shivering scales, desperate to for warmth or comfort of any kind. Behind them, the other leaf-eaters in the group huddled closer together, sharing far more than body-heat as they stood, clinging to the comfort that stemmed from the feeling of not being alone…
Chomper and Saureen did not join in this mass huddle – for a reason they couldn’t voice, it just seemed unfitting for them to do so. However, they still stood close to one another, shoulder to shoulder, just grateful for having someone else by their side, and even though Chomper was still carefully scrutinizing Seizon’s every movement, he internally expressed a great wave of gratitude that he found Saureen’s small and warm hand in his own.
It wasn’t much longer after this that Chomper noticed Seizon’s nostrils flare, condensed air rising up in a wispy cloud into the night sky. At around the same time, he felt Saureen’s hand tighten and tense around his own. Both of them had detected something.
Or someone. And Chomper knew perfectly well who they both knew. Only one individual would generate such intense and yet polarized emotion in both of them – in Saureen’s case fear, in Seizon excitement. Chomper swallowed hard as a shiver of foreboding ran the length of his spine. Hoping to avoid too much panic when the moment finally came, he turned around and whispered furiously to his leaf-eater friends.
“He’s coming!”
“What?”
“He’s…”
But Chomper broke off when he heard the branches above him creak as they were brushed aside and a colossal form emerged from the Fanged Forest. Maybe Chomper had gotten used to the presence of Seizon, a bladeback his own size, but this one seemed even more unnaturally large than any he had ever seen. The crystalline and scaly blue skin that covered his body was a darker shade than Seizon’s cyan, but the glittering contempt and malice that penetrated so fiercely in his amber eyes spookily resembled Seizon’s own mannerisms, made even more impressive when you considered that they were unrelated. A tall, menacing skin sail of a deep, blood-red rose along his back all the way to his titanic, muscular tail, which swayed slightly behind him. So this was Xal. After weeks of hearing him spoken about, he had finally laid eyes upon him. And to be fair to Seizon, Chomper noted, he could easily imagine this individual commanding respect.
The Piercer’s standing in front of the group of prisoners stood respectfully aside to give Xal a clear view, whilst Seizon edged closer to Xal’s side, his eyes shining in admiration and pride. For a few seconds, Xal surveyed his captives, his eyes lingering on Chomper longer than any of the others. However, then his face broke into a smile, one that lit up his eyes as well, so they were shining just like his stepson’s. It wasn’t a friendly smile, but neither was it one filled completely with malice. It was more a smile to oneself, and narrow display of sharp white teeth, an expression of cunning, craftiness and plotting. Chomper felt himself give an involuntary shudder, and gripped onto Saureen’s hand harder. He could feel the others draw around him too – he could feel their skin trembling against his. They were clearly more frightened of Xal than he was, but the thought that they were still drawing near him for a sense of community spirit and close comfort, rather than pushing him out to face this dangerous individual was a very reassuring one, and shone a small light of hope into Chomper’s darkened thoughts.
Xal now turned his attention to Seizon.
“Excellent work Seizon. I knew you had it in you. This will prove Gigas wrong, I’m sure…”
“Thank you…!” Seizon spoke in a way Chomper had never heard him do so before. It was revere and adoration of a sensational capacity. Chomper didn’t think he had ever seen such idolatry, and the thought made him frown slightly. Xal was a dangerous enemy, and if the worst came to the worst, he would have to been killed – what would that do to Seizon? Chomper didn’t know if he could bear to see that…
“So…” Xal now fixed his eyes upon Chomper, snapping him out of his thoughts at once. “This is ëThe Ambassador…’ the extraordinary Sharptooth who has made seamless friendships with flatteeth due to being hatched by some.” His eyes briefly flickered over to the leaf-eaters standing alongside him.
“Let them go…” Right, what was he saying now? Chomper had just found his voice, slightly higher and more pathetic than he was used to, being openly defiant to this titanic Sharptooth. What was he thinking??
But Xal simply chuckled.
“I could, I suppose,” he said. “However, I’m sure they will come in extremely useful in getting you to do what we want.”
“How do you work that out?” Saureen demanded. Her voice was far stronger than Chomper’s had been, but then again, Chomper reminded himself, she did know Xal fairly well.
“It’s simple,” Xal replied, now fixing her with a menacing stare. “I know he would never do anything to put his friends at risk. With them at my complete mercy, he will find he has no choice but to co-operate.”
Chomper gulped and he felt his own knees weaken. Xal was absolutely right of course – he could not let Littlefoot and the others be harmed over this…he would have to help Xal all the way, or else…
“Well, Saureen,” Xal now spoke, cutting across Chomper’s thoughts once more. “How is your father?”
A flash of anger mixed with tears suddenly blossomed in Saureen’s jade eyes, he bared her fangs but still did not move forward, squeezing Chomper’s hand so hard it felt like she cut off the blood supply.
“Oh, he’s great!” she snapped, ignoring how her rational mind was trying to beat down this reckless courage. “He’s still alive, at least, not like my grandmother and now Lini…!”
“Lini is perfectly fine.” It was not Xal who spoke this time, but Seizon. He was looking at Saureen with an expression of genuine concern, but this didn’t stop Saureen in her tracks.
“You can shut up and all!” she snarled at him, receiving a very hurt look in return, which she ignored. “Can’t you see Seizon??? He’s got you wrapped around his little finger, doing everything for him, just because he knows you can and will! He’s not got anything for you, he’s just using you as a stooge and-”
“You’re wrong!!” Seizon snarled back, his own anger coming into fruition now. “Xal has something for every sharptooth, if you’d only understand-”
“Enough.”
At Xal’s command, Seizon fell instantly silent. Xal had been watching this argument with minimal expression, and now said simply to Saureen,
“How extraordinarily like your grandmother you seem to be Saureen…it was for this very defiance that she had to be removed…”
An expression of deepest loathing now possessed Saureen’s face as tears continued to cascade freely down it. But she didn’t give another retort. Dropping Chomper’s hand, she turned at the first attempt of comfort – Ruby was beginning to put her arm around her. Responding at once, she wrapped her arms around the fast-runner in a fierce embrace. Xal, meanwhile, was gazing back into the forest, looking around at…something.
“But…she’s going to live…right?” Seizon was now asking, looking from Saureen and back to Xal, all anger seemingly forgotten. “I mean…she doesn’t really know what she’s saying…”
“Yes,” Xal agreed absent-mindedly. “I see no reason why she shouldn’t be spared…but hold up, I think we have company.”
He was right – at that moment, two more enormous shapes emerged from the forest, depositing themselves either side of Xal. Seizon, looking disgruntled, moved out of the way. The captives’ eyes widened when they noticed the two henchmen presenting themselves. One was Redclaw, and despite having been forewarned that he was now working with Xal, it didn’t stop Chomper feeling a stab of horror when he saw this monster. The other was a green plated slashclaw Sharptooth, who Chomper felt he vaguely recognised…
“Hold on!” he yelled. “I know you…you’re the one who attacked me and my parents on the island!”
The slashclaw grinned.
“Gigas…” he hissed. “How pleasant to see you again…though I would have thought you would have known I was here? The traitor Ferox surely told everyone?”
That was true, Chomper suddenly realised. Why had nobody told him about this? But he dismissed these thoughts and turned to his leaf-eater companions, seeing if they showed any sign of recognition. They seemed to, but now Ali was nudging Littlefoot and Cera, and gesturing frantically to a large green bellydragger slowly ambling towards them, with a white sharpbeak on its head. Apparently, there was some more recognition going on there.
“Hm, apparentley not…” Gigas appeared to answer his own question. “Either way, I knew we had to move fast…it’s why I took back that brat Lini…”
Chomper’s head snapped around.
“You know her??”
“Oh yes, we go way back,” Gigas replied, his smile now becoming even more demonic. “And how she did wrong us…it felt good to make her pay, even if I had to stop short of ending her life.”
Chomper just stared at him for a few seconds in open-mouthed revulsion and horror, before shifting his gaze to Redclaw, who was grinning in a similar fashion, then shifting it to Xal, who looked completely indifferent, until finally letting his gaze fall onto Seizon.
“How can you stand here Seizon???” Chomper demanded of him. “Standing amongst these murderers and savages? How can you stand amongst Lini’s kidnapper, who’s attacked me before? How can you stand with the one who’s brought so much misery to the Sharptooth and flattooth families of this area so many times?? And please tell me how you can stand with the one who has allied himself with these individuals????”
Seizon sighed and gazed at him.
“Xal will control and reform these two,” he told him. “And when that happens, we will all be at peace…”
“DO YOU EVEN BELIEVE THAT???” Chomper roared, positively beside himself. “OR ARE YOU JUST REPEATING WHAT HE’S SAYING????”
Xal coldly fixed his gaze on his two right-hand men.
“I’m growing tired of this insolence,” he told them. “We need to shut Chomper up. Take out two of the leaf-eaters, ONLY one each, mind, and then we’ll see what he has to say.”
With a great sense of delight, Gigas and Redclaw began to approach them. Chomper’s expression changed at once.
“No!!” he cried in panic. “No, please…I’ll…I’ll…”
His voice had no profound effect whatsoever on the two sharpteeth, but one did, which suddenly called out completely unexpectedly.
“So Xal…how much do you yourself care for Seizon???”
Gigas and Redclaw froze in their tracks and gazed, along with everyone else at Shorty, who had just exclaimed the utterance in Sharptooth. Even Xal, who seemed relatively stoic, was now also staring in shock. His jaw twitched slightly.
“I do care…for him…” he murmured, not sounding particularly sincere.
“Right…” Shorty nodded, his heart pounding furiously fast. OK, it had been reckless, but he had to think of something fast.
“Extraordinary…” Xal murmured. “These leaf-eaters may prove more useful than I first anticipated…OK, change of plan. Spare the flatteeth – Ichy and Dil, take them to the holding caves and guard them well until we can decide what should be done.”
Gigas and Redclaw, looking thoroughly disappointed, nevertheless withdrew, as Dil lumbered forward.
“Chomper and Saureen,” Xal then said, fixing his glittering eyes upon the two young sharpteeth. “You can go with Seizon to join Lini…with several Piercer guards of course…”
It could have been a lot worse. Chomper felt like praising Shorty for managing to save them like that, but even as the others were led away and some Piercers moved in on him and Saureen, he still panicked – they were trapped as prisoners of war, and whilst Xal debated on what to do with them, with Seizon playing as his loyal pawn, what could they do?
“She’ll be glad to see you, y’know…” Seizon muttered as he led the way deeper into the forest. Chomper merely gave him a disgusted look and glanced back at Xal, who was staring up into the night sky, no doubt lost in thought once more.
~0~
Well, there it is! Yes, everything's been happening - Opal's memory returning, her sending an important message to an elusive individual (though no doubt you've probably guessed who) and well...here is Xal! And Shorty is drawing parallels between himself and Seizon, and well...Lini...! Yeah, anyway, please tell me what you think, I can't confirm when the next chapter will come, but hopefully there won't be as long a wait this time.
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The chapter already starts really nice with Lini. She appears to be hurt but otherwise alright.
Chomper is finally having an important talk with Seizon and I must say that Seizon's reasoning is very credible and understandable. Chomper is obviously worried about his friends and especially about Saureen. I believe he likes her :smile
Anyway, the most interesting part of the first scene is undoubtedly Shorty's part. He seems to have a connection to Seizon that might prove useful :)
Uh oh... The alliance is endanered! :o If it breaks, all will be lost! I wonder what will happen next...
So Al *might* be able to find the missing ones? I'm excited to see where this leads to too. :yes
Opal regains her memory! This is an important development! The bit sounded a little mysterious. What the the rainbowfaces up to? :idea
Hmm, a rescue team? Sounds like there will be some action soon :DD Oh, and Ali's Mum got a name just like in my Shorty fic :smile
Xal... Well, the last scene is really great. There is a lot of anticipation in the air :yes For a moment I considered who would die most likely but then Shorty "saved" them. Oh, and Chomper and Saureen are cute together :wub:
I once again have to tell you that I really like your writing style. You are fairly descriptive but not overdoing it and you're using an advanced choice of words, many of whom I maybe should try to add to my vocabulary :smile
Great chapter! Worth the long wait! :exactly
Seizon stopped dead in his tracks as these defiant words echoed through the empty landsacape, and Chomper couldn’t tell what he was thinking without seeing his expression
Landscape.
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Whenever villains and their villainous plots are announced and stick around for a whole scene, I start shaking with anger, with anxiety, you name it. It takes real writing skills to draw that kind of emotion from your readers ;)
I don't really know how to explain it, but Seizon seems... beaten down. It may just be me. And whoa, there!! Go Shorty! That's showin' 'em! Impressive too, speaking in Sharptooth ;)
Aha! Rescue and Strategizing! Things are getting done fast :DD
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How do you mean beaten down? :p
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Ah, here it is finally! :rolleyes: In actual fact, I decided to make this a chapter when it was originally part of another chapter, but it would take too long, so I decided to shorten the wait and make two chapters out of one. For this reason, this is shorter than the previous ones, but at least you get to find out about Lini's past...
Chapter Twenty-Two: Lini’s Lament
The image was a parody.
More than a parody, it was a blatant and barefaced mockery. For the first time in near months, Saureen was finally feeling a sense of familiarity with the steps she took into the undergrowth of the Fanged Forest, the path lit by the silver of the Night Circle. It was a path she had taken many times before – the steps came naturally. But this time, it was not one of those pleasant days basking in warmth where she would be free to run around, or play with Seizon, or spend time with her family. Times where there were no Piercers at every step, or any massive sharpteeth with backgrounds in bloodlust and savagery were long gone, it seemed. The steps she now took were just a ghost of the days that once were. On the plus side, at least there were no butterflies…
Only one other shared this sense of ghostly familiarity, although it was difficult to tell – Seizon, for such a colourful individual, had the most awkward habit of being hard to read sometimes. As when he was leading them to the forest, he was remaining silent, simply leading the way, the Piercers’ footsteps coinciding with his. Saureen’s frown became slightly more contemplating as she examined the sea-green sail of her old friend. That exchange between them and Xal…what had it meant for him?
Chomper’s thoughts were preoccupied by other things – as far as he was concerned, Seizon was too far gone, and therefore only contemplating on how he could serve his stepfather further. No – Chomper’s thoughts concerned Lini.
On the hand, the anticipation to see her again and the relief that she was still alive provided welcome respite from the harsh reality of the situation. Even as a prisoner, it would have been a lot worse if he hadn’t been fellow prisoners with people he truly cared for. This in mind, he felt a longing for Littlefoot and the others to still be with them.
But on the other hand, what Gigas had said about knowing Lini of old was harrowing – still hanging over his head like a migraine. What history did they share? Now he came to think of it, Lini was the only member of the pack whose past he knew absolutely nothing about. Why had she so determinately hid it? What was she ashamed of?
Swallowing nervously, Chomper made to ask Saureen what she knew of Lini’s past, but before he could, Seizon spoke up.
“Well, Chomper – first impressions on Xal?”
Chomper and Saureen’s thoughts were cut short as they shifted their eyes to Seizon, who had stopped right in front of them, gazing back at them, the same slightly saddened look in his amber eyes. But Chomper’s sympathy was gone. He glowered at Seizon, and found his teeth involuntarily baring, his upper canines getting exposed.
“What do you think?” he snarled. “Don’t keep on asking in some delusion that you’ll get a different answer, because it’ll always be the same. Xal is a dangerous lunatic, and so is everyone who supports him!!”
At this, the two Piercers began to bare their teeth also, but they hung back from any physical retaliation after a signal from Seizon.
Saureen, her mind ticking, watched this exchange take place. She had learned by now that trying to intervene in confrontations between Seizon and Chomper were pointless. However, the signals she was getting from Seizon were no longer threatening. It was obvious he did not want to attack Chomper anymore…so…?
Seizon grunted, turned away, and continued to walk, muttering to himself,
“Always determined to see the one point of view…”
Saureen frowned slightly. What did he mean by that? Obviously, his opinion on Xal was different to theirs, but he spoke almost as though he considered there to be many legitimate points of view…
But Saureen’s thoughts were soon forgotten when Seizon led them into a clearing and she caught sight of Lini.
Although it had only been a matter of around twenty-four hours since they had last set eyes on Lini, the amount of change that had occurred during that time was visibly immense. Even though the ruby-redness of Lini’s scales was still clear, they were covered in mud and earth from the forest floor, something that made her look quite diminished. Her bright blue eyes no longer sparkled with the happy-go-lucky compassion that was synonymous with her, and the bags that were under them now might have belonged to Old One. Her leg that had been injured by the rocks back when the pack had abandoned Seizon looked painfully contorted, and she had a forepaw on it as though in an attempt to ease the pain. Most prominently of all, she was imprisoned.
It seemed like a strange way to imprison her, as Chomper felt it would have been far too easy to break out. But she was done so underneath a huge felled tree, at a forty-five degree angle and with its tangled roots exposed and creating a complex knotted cage which housed Lini. Despite looking more miserable than Chomper had even seen her, or indeed, probably anyone, her eyes lit up faintly with what may have been hope or simply recognition when she caught sight of Chomper and Saureen.
“Lini!!” they both chorused, running up as quickly as they could to the knotted root network. For them it didn’t matter that the space beneath the roots was big enough to house them both also, or that rushing up here was simply an invitation to be imprisoned. Right now, all the two of them wanted to do was to get to her, just to prove that she truly was still alive.
It took both of the Piercers and a third that had apparently been guarding Lini up until this point a lot of strain to lift the tree roots enough for them to shove Chomper and Saureen underneath. Saureen vaguely noted that it would be too heavy for her, Chomper and Lini to lift, but at the moment this didn’t matter, for as soon as she and Chomper were under the roots, they flung themselves at Lini, clinging to her in crushing embraces that made all three pairs of eyes well up.
“We can hold them here now,” one of the Piercers muttered to the third guard. The guard nodded and strode off into the undergrowth, leaving the other two and Seizon to guard the three young sharpteeth. Seizon gazed into the cage and smiled slightly, but didn’t say a word as Saureen continued to breathlessly talk.
“Lini…! Oh thank God…you had us so worried…”
Lini swallowed and spoke for the first time.
“Where’s…Al? And the others…?” Her voice was cracked and mournful, something that allowed a chill to sweep through Chomper’s being.
Seizon scoffed.
“Al is a filthy traitor. You’re all better off without h-”
“Shut up!!” Chomper snapped, thumping the root cage. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t weaken the incarceration. Seizon did, however, fall silent.
Saureen, determinately ignoring the exchange, spoke softly to Lini.
“Everyone’s fine, although everyone except Al is here with us.”
Seizon muttered something under his breath, though nobody noticed.
Lini nodded, before staring down at the ground. Before the other two could even register what she was thinking, large, wet tears began to leak from her eyes and drip dismally onto the ground. Chomper went numb with shock – he had never seen Lini like this before, she always had such a cheerful disposition…what the hell had happened in their day apart?? Saureen however, had seen this before. Swallowing hard, she cast her mind back to White Mountain, when Lini had saved her from the fastbiter tetrarchy member Mei. A fit of unfathomable and uncontrollable rage had overtaken her and she had finished by snapping Mei’s neck. And after that she had simply broken down.
“Nobody who needs others’ pain to make themselves happy…should be kept alive…you should understand…”
That was what she had said, Saureen noted. At first, she had believed Lini was simply talking about the matter in general – but no, the entire issue had been a lot more personal, that much was clear now.
Saureen glanced at Chomper, who stared back at her with a look of mingled alarm and helplessness. Saureen gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile before bending over to place a small hand on Lini’s shoulder.
“Lini? What’s up?”
Slowly, Lini raised her tear-stained eyes to look at them both.
“You should spit in my face.”
Chomper frowned.
“What?”
“I mean it…” Lini was looking at them in earnest. “Both of you should spit at me. It’s what I deserve.”
“Don’t talk like th-”
“But why stop at spitting?” Lini’s breaths were coming sharp and shallow now. “You might as well attack me, pin me to the ground and tear my throat out.” She drew a shuddering gasp.
“After all…” she muttered. “A few years back, that’s what I would have done to you…all of you…”
Chomper once again stared at Saureen, his alarm even more pronounced, before shifting his eyes back to Lini, once again in silent floods of tears. Saureen too had her jade eyes stretched wide in mingled shock and fear, and for once she was at a loss for words.
Seizon had hung onto every word of this conversation from his dutiful guard position. Although he had his back to the three conversing sharpteeth, his mind was ticking and reeling from everything Lini had said. Although Gigas had made it clear he knew Lini from somewhere, he had never been any clearer than that, an irritating knack which had given Seizon a persistent thirst for further knowledge.
“Whatever the deal is, it’s caused her a lot of pain.” Seizon thought to himself. “And something that unsettles Lini is a frightening concept to grasp. Though if that creep Gigas is involved, I can hardly blame her…”
And so, he strained his ears, silently begging Chomper or Saureen to prompt Lini into telling the story.
But they didn’t have to.
Eventually, Lini managed to regain some of her composure, and she wiped her eyes and gazed up at the two tyrannosaurs.
“I’m going to tell you everything…” she said, and although her voice shook, her message was as clear as day. “I owe you that at the very least. I only hope you will not hate me after I have told you, though I can’t say I would blame you if you did.”
Chomper and Saureen both nodded, eyes still fixed upon her. Lini took a deep shuddering breath before beginning.
“I guess I should probably start with a bit of background. You two might be too young to remember it, so I’ll have to explain…either of you ever heard of the Sharptooth Civil War?”
Seizon, from his position outside the makeshift cell, felt his pulse rise and his amber irises widen in recognition. Almost immediately, his thoughts took him back to something Xal had once told him, in regard to the revolution…
“Eykion was the victor,” Xal said bluntly, as his stepson gazed up at him in awe. “You weren’t around back then, but the Sharptooth Civil War was brutal – with all the rival gangs and packs, you never knew where you stood…but Eykion had the greatest cause, and everyone rallied around him. Even Blackclaw, his greatest rival, backed down once he saw what a following Eykion had managed to gather…”
“And that’s why you’re continuing his work??” Seizon chirped. “Right??”
“Exactly…” Xal replied, his eyes growing misty. “Eykion’s ideals were different. He didn’t just want to assert his authority; he wanted to change the world. To end the war, and all wars to come…”
So, Lini was old enough to remember that war? This reality intrigued Seizon, and he continued to listen.
“I think I’ve heard of it…” Saureen murmured uncertainly. “It was this big war that went on during the rise of the drought and just before the Great Earthshake, yeah? Or was it after…?”
“Before,” Lini replied quietly. “Although I know some belligerents still continued to target their enemies after the war essentially came to an end…”
“My parents mentioned a war…” Chomper murmured, frowning slightly in concentration as he tried to remember exactly what they had said. It had been quite a while back, when they were living on the island. “They told me stories from their childhood, and occasionally referred to a war…”
“They may have been refugees,” Lini replied delicately, her breathing now coming in shorter rasps. “The point…the point is…there were refugees, and then there were actual fighters…”
“What was this war all about though?” Chomper asked.
“Sharpteeth,” Lini said simply. “Look at us – without any Great Valley to sustain us, we’re left to scrape out a living as best as we can. Some sharpteeth became powerful, of course, with huge numbers at their command…when resources were plentiful, they never really needed to go into open conflict…but then of course…”
Lini sighed dismally, and rubbed her eye with her hand.
“The drought came. The land changed, and soon all sharpteeth became very worried for their lives. Paranoia spread, and competition for food and hunting territory became even fiercer. Thus begun the war…this was before Shark and Zyro’s Great Sharptooth Community as well, so most refugees, those without massive armies to back them, were at a loss at what to do, and had to travel alone, and scared…”
“How long did this go on for?” Chomper asked, his mind reeling in the information, images flashing before his eyes of small sharpteeth running for cover as massive ones lined up troops on a battlefield…
“Only a couple of years, from what I’m told,” Lini replied. “At least, the time when it was fully open war. But there were…” A tear began to form in her eye once more. “There were so many casualties…many not from fighters. I’m fairly sure Al’s parents were victims of this war – he never knew them. And the pack camped out at the Grand Cave Network-”
Chomper gave an involuntary shudder.
“It’s likely they were all orphans of the war as well.”
“Yeah…” Chomper murmured, a vague memory floating back to him. Although he clenched his fists slightly as Pyron’s killer swam into focus before his eyes, her words to him he remembered most of all.
“Yuti…she said that her parents were killed right before her eyes by a rival gang of sharpteeth. She mentioned the earthshake, so I suppose she was a victim of the aftermath though…”
Lini nodded.
“Still count as victims of the war. The effects…we still feel today…”
Saureen frowned slightly.
“Lini…?” she said tentatively. “Where exactly is this going?”
Lini choked back a sob.
“Well…” she muttered, managing to control herself by drawing shallow breaths. “Many of the participants in the war had greater forces than others. They were eventually all usurped by Eykion’s Revolutionary Army that Xal was part of, but anyway, the most feared ones were the forces of Blackclaw. I’m sure you would have heard of him – Redclaw’s older brother, from what I can gather, and a legendary Sharptooth rumoured to have gone one-on-one against the Lone Dinosaur. Another group with a terrifying reputation was that of…well…Pyron and Nycha’s pack, led by the bloodthirsty tetrarchy…”
An uncomfortable shudder went around all those listening, as they tried their best to forget Pyron and Nycha’s untimely demises.
“And then there was Gigas’ army,” Lini finished, her voice becoming more rapid as her emotions began to take hold again. “And I hatched within that faction. I was raised within it. And I was turned into a p-a perfect k-killing machine…” Amidst rapid breathing, a single tear hit the ground.
“And when I say that, I don’t just mean a hunter. Oh no – I mean a torturer. Butcher…MURDERER. I WAS A DAMNED MURDURER…DURING THE COURSE OF THE WAR…” Lini was practically screaming the last part as the wave of tears overtook her, and the air was filled with her racking sobs.
It had suddenly got very cold. Both Chomper and Saureen had chills invading their entire being, and even Seizon, unseen by them, had gone numb with shock.
Eventually, Chomper began to speak.
“B…but…this is the same as what I told…I told Nycha. Just because standards were set for you by heartless rulers, doesn’t mean you had to…”
“You’re not getting it!!” Lini snarled at him, her leaking blue eyes actually flashing with what was unmistakable anger. Chomper was dumbfounded. What had happened to the Lini he knew? She was NEVER angry…though admittedly, given what she had just said, it seemed that there was a lot they didn’t know about her.
Lini bowed her head.
“It wasn’t a case of me not complying with the standards set by Gigas and the other leaders,” she explained quietly. “In fact, the opposite was true. Even before the most open parts of the war, I was hunting down rivals of our gang. Fellow sharpteeth, whose pleas for mercy I c-could hear as I sank my…my claws in…”
Chomper and Saureen were now at a complete loss for words, staring unblinkingly at Lini is mesmerisation now coupled with fear.
“Every day it was the same…” Lini muttered, now not looking at them, tears falling thick and fast. “Every day there were more defenceless sharpteeth to capture and slowly t-t…torture…to death. Some were my own age…” Even with just staring at the ground, Lini’s own eyes widened and her mouth went slack with the absolute disgust of her own actions as she spoke them.
“I completely understood that they were fellow sharpteeth. I completely understood they couldn’t fight back. I completely understood they were feeling pain…but something just didn’t click!! For the first few years of my life, all I knew was…how to enjoy myself…by torturing my peers to death…”
The sobs were overtaking her speech now.
“I pulled out their guts and slowly ate them in front of them…I gouged out their eyes with my claws…I did all these things just because it was the done thing, and not only did I not stand up to it, I didn’t even c-care it was wrong…”
With this in mind, she absolutely lost it.
At that very moment, Lini threw back her head and emitted a howl that tore through the night and everyone listening to it like a blade. This was no ordinary howl of pain or one of anguish. The scars of the Sharptooth girl who had emitted it were too deep for something so simple. This was one of the purest agony of the soul, the feeling of deepest hatred for oneself and everything she was. No joy or margin of error or self-satisfaction was to be found anywhere in this sound. The very noise of such despair and misery made Seizon cringe and bite into his finger. Both Chomper and Saureen dropped to their knees and Saureen was moved to tears. Even after this very howl, Lini was still not finished. Now she screamed her self-loathing to the night air.
“I’M AN EVIL MONSTER AND I SHOULD NEVER I HATCHED!!! I HATE MYSELF, I HATE…I DON’T EVEN DESERVE TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR AS YOU, THOSE WHO HAVE ONLY EVER SHOWN ME KINDNESS. EVEN XAL IS NOT THIS LOW, HE HOLDS BACK. NOT ME…I’M SICK, AND I’M DISGUSTING, AND I WISH I WAS DEAD. THAT’S THE VERY LEAST I DESERVE. I WANT TO DIE RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!”
And she collapsed onto the earth, curled up in a foetal position, sobbing forcefully in earnest, screaming and crying and hoping beyond anything else that anyone, Chomper, Saureen, Seizon, or even one of the Piercer guards would come and end everything.
For a few moments nobody said anything as Lini continued to wallow in her own self-disgust. Eventually, Saureen found her voice again. Wiping a few tears of her own from her eyes, she said softly.
“So…what’s changed?”
Lini paused in her screeching sobs to contemplate what Saureen had said.
“What…what do you mean?”
“Well, the Lini you just described is about as different from the you we know as possible…” Saureen explained. “And until now, you’ve never let the guilt destroy you before. So…what happened?”
Lini sniffed her sobs back a few times to gather her composition to answer.
“One day, as the war came to a close, I simply ran away,” she said. “I didn’t want to fight anymore. Maybe I regretted killing others, or maybe I was just fed up of doing the same thing over and over…but one day in my exile, I encountered a family of fastbiters…
“At that point…it just occurred to me…I didn’t have to kill them…but there was more to it than that. They were nuzzling each other, the way families do…and suddenly, everything seemed very familiar…”
Lini bit her lip as she strained to find some of her very earliest memories – those of her own parents.
“Yellow…” she muttered distractedly.
“Huh?”
“My mother was yellow…” Lini murmured. “I don’t really know what happened to her, she sort of disappeared when I was young…but the fastbiter mother was yellow too. And then…” she choked back another sob. “It just occurred to me…they didn’t just talk the same as me, or scream the same as me…they also had feelings…they had their own values and agendas. I had lived in such a self-centred view, I didn’t understand the concept of…well, the value of any life…” At this point, she became quiet.
“And so…?” Saureen prompted.
“So it just sunk in…I may have cried a bit…I don’t know…but eventually I…well, I found Seizon’s pack…I sort of forgot quite how monstrous I was…but then he came for me.”
“Gigas…?”
“Who else? He told me…we’re the same. And he’s absolutely right. Everything came back to me. I saw a reflection of myself in him – we are the same…” She sobbed.
“We are both heartless monsters with no regard for life. We don’t deserve to be with people who have values and feel love…!” She let out a great cry of despair once more. “AND THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD KILL ME NOW!!!! TAKE OUT ONE MORE PIECE OF PATHETIC SCUM, PLEASE…!!!”
These pleas were suddenly cut short when Chomper placed his claw on her.
“No,” he said simply.
Saureen glanced at him, unsure of what to say.
Lini looked up at him.
“Wha-?”
“I will not satisfy your request,” Chomper replied woodenly, turning away. He had a faraway expression fixed on his face, frowning slightly as thoughts were ticking away inside him. His initial shock had apparently worn off, and now he was beginning to consider what Lini had said…and done…
Realising this, Lini waited for the eruption to come.
But it didn’t.
Instead, Chomper turned back to her, the same stoic expression present on him. And when he spoke, it was not with a particular warmth or coldness.
“It seems interesting to me that someone who’s had a relatively recent revelation on the value of life should be so dismissive of her own,” he said simply.
It was just a remark, but Saureen and Lini’s expressions grew more puzzled as they watched him. Chomper closed his eyes and thought for a little longer.
Then Lini spoke.
“But I deserve it…” she whispered. “I’m a monster…”
“Oh really?” Chomper questioned, now moving closer to her. “Then prove it.”
“H-?”
“Kill me.”
“What??? No!!!” Lini’s tearful blue eyes looked suddenly appalled again. She was absolutely horrified, and that reality, oddly enough, relieved and satisfied Chomper. Saureen, twigging to the point he was getting at, suddenly smiled.
“See…?” she whispered to Lini. “You can’t do it either.”
“Exactly.” Chomper said, nodding. “And you’d probably find it easier, considering your size and strength. But neither of us will move into the kill, because we’re not monsters.”
“But…” Lini was adamant. “I killed so many in cold blood when I was younger…”
“Very young,” Chomper added. “You were told from birth that torturing and killing was the way of doing this. You had no idea what you were doing, and when you found out, the reality terrified you.”
Chomper then smiled at her, and in spite of herself, Lini found new warmth spread through her being. She still didn’t understand though. Chomper, to her, was not making sense.
“What do you mean?”
“Once you were old enough to see what you had done,” Chomper continued. “And when you had come face to face with the one who brainwashed you into thinking it was the right thing, you broke down. You died inside. You even wanted us to kill you…and why? Because you understand, Lini!”
At this, he actually seized her shoulders and made her look into his eyes.
“You understand the value of life, and you care for it. You can feel everything everyone else feels. You’ve escaped being brainwashed into not feeling it forever. And that makes you very different from Gigas. You are not the same.”
Chomper took a deep breath and blinked back tears.
“Believe me Lini, I am so sorry for the way you’ve been brought up. I can’t even imagine anything so…vile…but remember this - there is a reason you can no longer kill the way you did before. There is something very important stopping you. Something you always had in you and…you were just made not to see it before. This is the same reason me and everyone else was drawn into coming here, and why we so delighted upon discovering you were here. It’s the same reason my parents marched into the Great Valley the day I hatched. It’s the same reason we are all banding together to save the Valley we either grew up in, or for many, have never even seen. We can all love…”
At this final word, Lini seemed moved. At long last, her mouth twitched upwards into what could probably be called a smile. The sight of this broadened Chomper’s grin, and he enthusiastically continued.
“The only reason you can feel such remorse is because you are not a monster. Gigas does not remorse, he relishes in the suffering he causes. But you understand differently. You are not him – you are Lini, one of the nicest people I know, who would be the big sister to the whole world if she could. I know you’re weighed down with despair at the moment, but things are always darkest just before the dawn. The love we feel for each other…” He shot a quick glance at Saureen before blushing and turning back.
“The love we feel for each other, for our ways of life, for the Great Valley and its values is what brings us together. Its how we know we’re not monsters…it makes us mourn in one voice when our…when our companions have fallen…and it makes us sing in one voice when victory is secured…we know what you did Lini, but it’s not the same you now. There’s no way it could be…this is the Lini I know, and I feel this will be the one to stay for a very long time.”
As he finished this speech, he saw Lini begin to tear up again. Beaming shamelessly, Saureen went over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Chomper soon did the same.
As the three of them sat there, still imprisoned in the moonlight, Lini voiced something else that had been on her mind.
“Will Al think the same way?”
“I’ll put it to you this way,” Saureen whispered. “If he feels the same love for you that you do for him, there’s no doubt.”
Seizon, leaning against the knotted root cage, listened to the end of this exchange in silence. His mind was ticking over. Eventually, he raised his amber eyes to the starry sky and scowled.
“So, it’s one rule for her, and another for me.” He thought. “Yes, Chomper, we all make mistakes. Forgiveness is a virtue, but why not for me also?” Perhaps it was because he wasn’t so ready to abandon his own ideals, Seizon reasoned, but that didn’t mean he didn’t regret his foolhardiness…not to mention the loss of Pyron and Nycha…
Seizon closed his eyes and felt a single tear slide out from under his eyelid. He furiously wiped it away, and stalked off into the forest. The Piercers were still guarding, they would be fine without him. Under a sheltered tree, Seizon set himself down, still thinking hard.
“I do wish they didn’t have to see Xal as an enemy,” he thought wistfully. “Things would be so much simpler otherwise.” He gazed up at the sky. “You’re absolutely right Chomper – love is a powerful thing. And it is because of that that I can’t abandon Xal in his hour of need. Not only military support does he need, but emotional as well…because I don’t want just his worst side to be seen…”
~0~
So there we are! :o
Now, I'm a little worried that the way this was written (little bit at a time) has made this of slightly less impressive quality...but I'll leave you to decide that...thoughts? :D And yes, the next chapter will involve major fight scenes...
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Wow, now that's Lini's dark past... I can't imagine how she could maintain an almost Ducky-like behavior in terms of cheerfulness while having killed countless fellow Sharpteeth in her younger days. This is a very emotional scene and it, apparently, didn't leave Seizon unimpressed either :p. He is not as evil as the recent updates indicated after all...
A fighting scene you say? Can't wait to see that! :D
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I only wish I could get it to you sooner. :blink:
I am unbelievably distracted and busy at the moment, but I'm just letting you all know that VV is still underway, and it's about three quarters done, though my mathematics are terrible. So yeah, the last few chapters (about 7 maybe? 8?) will be largely action packed and bringing the story to a climax and hopefully to tie up loose ends. Well, I say that, but a sequel is in mind...
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Hopefully Chomper will be ok and be able to stay with his Leaf Eater friends. How is he taking the death of his friend?
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Neeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww chapter!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha, bet you all thought I was finished with this, didn't ya? Ha, don't count me out just yet!!!
:lol: :lol
I should point out that most of this isn't proof-read, so...just bear that in mind...OTHERWISE PLEASE ENJOY!!!
Chapter Twenty-Three: Skirmish in the Fanged Forest
Who was this plucky little longneck, who, in a second language, spoke with such command?
Ichy, perching on Dil’s nose, kept his eyes fixed on Shorty as he and the rest of the leaf-eater gang were escorted to a place of confinement. Or, if you wanted to be crude, storage.
It wasn’t as if being bilingual was something far-fetched and out of reach. Ichy and Dil themselves had picked up the leaf-eater dialect when they were both trapped together in the Land of Mists, but only so it was easier to pick out prey. For their prey items to learn what they considered a more sophisticated language was something else – not to mention the way his simple words had affected Xal…
“What do you think?” Ichy asked of Dil in an undertone.
“I’m thinking I want your twittering voice to cease forever…” Dil growled. “What do you mean?”
Ichy scowled.
“That flathead. The green one – how does he carry such command in his voice? He was able to change Xal’s mind. Xal’s! The one who could end his life with a single word…how? How did he know exactly what points to probe?”
Dil considered for a moment.
“Maybe…” she eventually murmured. “Maybe…if we get him into his comfort zone, make him relax a little…he’ll be willing to tell us?”
“A freezing cold cave used for storing food is hardly a comfortable place.” Ichy retorted. “But I guess we can try…”
Unlike Chomper and Saureen’s confinement, Shorty, Littlefoot and the others found themselves led to the opening of a small cave, somehow imbedded into a hill near the other side of the forest. No Piercers were guarding it, which seemed strange, until as the young leaf-eaters approached, their nostrils began to fill with the unmistakable stench of…
Spike, first to smell it, stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening and emitting frightened noises. The rest hardly needed to ask why when the odour of ancient carcasses came to them as well.
“These caves were used as…well, storage for food quite a while back. Relax, everything in there is dead, mostly skeletons. They all died a long time ago…” Ichy was now hovering above the petrified youngsters, unsure of how best to convince them to go in. Eventually Dil came to his rescue, emitting loud growls and snarls, causing the young leaf-eaters to hurry into the cave quickly, shooting scandalised looks at the two mismatched sharpteeth as they did so. Once they were in, Dil quickly waddled over to a large boulder, roughly spheroid in shape, at one side of the mouth of the cave and, using her brute strength, managed to roll the stone over the entrance, but leaving a small crack to peer through – she and Ichy still wanted to probe answers out of Shorty.
The eight young leaf-eaters, shut away in the dark and the cold, with just a thin slice of silver moonlight giving them illumination, all shivered, before exchanging looks and preparing to make use of their surroundings. Shorty immediately flopped onto the cave floor, his neck to the ground, eyeing the prowling belly-dragger and hovering sharpbeak outside intently. Ali carefully lay down next to him, her eyes upon him, feeling as though it would be inappropriate to say anything. Littlefoot lay nearby, watching them both, his eyes occasionally wandering to see how the rest of his friends were doing. Cera had not settled down – she was busy pacing back and forth, edging between the carcasses and faced away from everyone else, her expression hidden. Only Ruby had a fixed gaze on her. Spike, Ducky and Petrie meanwhile, had huddled together for warmth, in the way they always did, clinging to their routines in act of defying the dramatic and traumatising events of change that now surrounded them.
“Good...”
Ichy landed on the ground beside Dil and also peered through the gap, a sinister gleam in his yellow eyes only matched by the smirk on his beak. “Glad to know you’re all getting comfortable...you’ll soon be used to this after all...”
The youngsters shivered at these words and averted his gaze, with the exception of Shorty, who grew a small, satisfied smile and replied almost instantly.
“Well,” he said in fluent sharptooth. “That just goes to show how much you know...”
All of the other youngsters minus Cera shot him a glance following his words, and each of them felt a simultaneous rush of admiration that he was able to speak for them all so defiantly. Ali gave him an extremely warm smile and closed her eyes in a slow, affectionate manner reminiscent of a kitten.
Ichy’s smile slipped slightly, but he didn’t retort and react immediately. Instead he continued to survey Shorty’s seemingly calm expression, and found that on closer inspection, there was definitely a contrasting emotion, tucked forcibly away behind those blue eyes. One that Ichy normally saw just before he ended the life of whichever unfortunate animal was his prey.
Fear.
Upon noticing this, his smile returned ten-fold.
“Well,” he said superciliously. “There are a few things I’d like to know. Your linguistics. You speak fluent sharptooth, and that to me, is quite an achievement. How did you manage it?”
“Teaching,” Shorty replied simply. “We had a great teacher.”
“And that would be...?”
“Chomper...!” Littlefoot suddenly cut in defiantly, surprising even himself. When Ali turned to watch him, he shook off his inhibitions and continued, now addressing the puzzled avian expression watching him from the mouth of the cave.
“No matter what you may call him, or need him for, you’ll find that he has so much more to give. And you’re not going to take that away, whatever you do to him...”
Shorty nodded appreciatively, and soon everyone else was getting their opinions in.
“He is our true companion, he is!!” Ducky declared boldly.
“That for sure!” Petrie added, fixing Ichy with an expression of profound dislike. “He not abandon us for anything!”
“And what about you?” Shorty asked, eyes narrowing with amusement. “What role do you two play in this grand plan?”
For once, Ichy was lost for words.
Dil chuckled darkly.
“Well, look at that Ichy! Looks like they’ve suddenly grown backbone. How will you respond to that?”
Ichy frowned and turned away from the cave mouth.
“I have no words left for them...” he muttered, walking some distance away before sitting down, his back defiantly turned. Dil just gazed at him with mingled amusement and curiosity, before settling down in front of the cave herself, her gleaming red eyes half-open.
“What I want to know,” Shorty continued, now in a softer tone and in leaf-eater. “Is where you lot know them from?”
Ruby, taking her eyes off Cera briefly, simply shrugged, but Ali answered.
“Way back when I first met Littlefoot, we had to go and get the Night Flower from the Land of Mists for his grandpa,” she explained. “Those guys were there, chasing us around for a lot of it...they seemed to be desperately hungry, now I think about it...”
“That’s very true...” Littlefoot agreed, craning his neck to keep them both in earshot whilst feeling it would be awkward to move closer. He wasn’t quite sure where this idea came from, but part of him was nudging and whispering at him to stay still.
“I wonder,” Littlefoot continued, turning to glance at the mouth of the cave. “How did they end up here, working with Xal?”
“Maybe Xal just has a habit of picking up all the dispossessed...” Shorty murmured, his mind reeling. “No wonder Seizon follows him so blindly...”
Littlefoot and Ali were now both gazing intently at him.
“You think that’s the reason?” Littlefoot asked. Shorty shrugged.
“All I know is that a dedication to someone who gave your whole life meaning isn’t something you can shake off easily. Probably not at all in fact.” He sighed.
“I know exactly how he feels...it’s just a shame that the one he chooses to pledge his life to someone who will waste it. Perhaps that’s Xal’s greatest strength – turning ordinary dinosaurs into weapons because he knows they’ll do anything for him...”
He relapsed into silence. Bar Cera, all his companions were watching him, wide-eyed, as though he were about to blossom into something paradoxically miraculous. But after a few more moments of silence, Littlefoot spoke up.
“But how do you know Xal doesn’t feel something for Seizon?” he asked carefully. “He is his stepfather after all – that’s got to have a deeper and more profound meaning than, say, the reasons Redclaw and the others are working with him.”
“Believe me,” Shorty answered at once, now fixing his gaze upon his stepbrother. “I know and understand the deep and profound meaning fatherhood of any kind has. And you may be right – but so is Chomper. Xal is mad and dangerous if he even considers forming an alliance with Redclaw and this Gigas character, no matter what he may mean to Seizon. As similar as mine and his cases are, they’re also different. Because there are some who it’s worth putting your faith in.”
He gave Littlefoot a small smile before placing his head back on the floor. Ali, who was already monumentally close to him at this point, moved her own head atop her neck across the cave floor so it was touching Shorty’s.
“I always knew you’d grow to understand,” she whispered, flashing him a bright smile that caused heat to rise in Shorty’s cheeks.
“Oh?” he managed to mutter back.
“You’ve spent a lot of your life learning to put your faith in many individuals,” Ali replied, her eyes moving across the features on his small head. “Starting with Bron – but you don’t like to talk about it, and perhaps for that reason you forget how much the rest of us have grown our faith in you.”
Shorty didn’t respond. He just kept watching her, eyes still wide. Ali, still smiling, lifted her head up and placed it on top of his.
“Never forget who else you mean something to,” she continued. “Because it’s often more than you think...”
Shorty closed his eyes, and despite the trepidation, allowed his delight and raw emotions flood his brain and leak a broad grin across his face.
Littlefoot, watching them, lowered his head to consider his conflicting thoughts and feelings. Part of him was resentful, feeling as though an angry turbulence inside him would be eased if it had been his own head, rather than Shorty’s, that Ali was now resting. But the other half knew that Ali only spoke the truth, one that beat in sync with his own heart and how he felt about his stepbrother. Eventually, he also closed his eyes, considering the words Shorty had previously spoken.
“There are some who it’s worth putting your faith in.”
Littlefoot had known them since he had gone out to find the Valley long ago. And since then, the number of those individuals had just kept growing.
Satisfied that this part of the conversation was over, Ruby carefully approached a secluded Cera, whom she had been watching with notable concern since they had arrived in the cave.
Upon nearing the threehorn, Ruby was somewhat surprised to see that her teal eyes were dry. But as she sat down beside her, the truth became clear. Not only were those eyes dry, they were completely lacking of almost anything. Cera looked like something of a shell of her old self, and that sight was more grating to Ruby than a fresh waterfall of tears would have been. This shock must have shown, as Cera gave her a contemptuous glance and murmured,
“Problem?”
Somehow this snark gave Ruby new hope, perhaps as though giving some evidence Cera was still there, and could still be reached. Ruby swallowed hard before speaking.
“Just...came to talk...”
“Oh? Why’s that?” Cera’s expression was completely devoid of curiosity.
Ruby hesitated, wondering briefly whether this talk would be completely futile after all – but something in the back of her mind, something she couldn’t quite pin a name to was coaxing her to continue, gently soothing and massaging her, whispering to her, encouraging her...
“Well, I’m just worried about you...” Ruby told Cera earnestly.
“Worried?” Cera repeated, her mouth twisting into an expression of disbelief. “Just about me? You should be worried for yourself...actually, there really is no point...” she shifted her eyes to the ground and fell silent.
“No point?” Ruby queried, attempting to lower her head to talk to Cera face to face. “No point to what?”
Cera didn’t answer straight away. She first replied by growling angrily under her breath and turning away from Ruby, before she spoke in a hoarse, almost dead tone.
“There’s no point in anything now...we’ve fallen into the hands of these psychos, and soon enough they’ll be fighting off those other psychos at the Valley. Whoever wins it’s going to result in us all getting killed one way or another. That alliance isn’t coming for us, and it won’t last. Even if by some impossible chance we get out of this alive, back at the Valley...”
She drew a sharp breath, in a pitch that Ruby recognised as being very close to one attempting to hold back tears. She felt a frown forming in sympathy, and Cera continued, now in a mortified whisper.
“Dad and Tria...they’re not going to ever want to get back together...”
“Hey, come on now!” Ruby protested. “What makes you think they’re-?”
“They’re under an insane oppressor!” Cera snapped at her. “My dad’s probably already tried to unseat him, and then Tria would get angry at him, and I can’t...he might even be...” she broke off, her breathing rapid and shallow.
Ruby, edging closer to her, began to attempt to formulate soothing sentences in her head. C’mon, think! She told herself.
“You really shouldn’t give up before anything’s started, you know,” she told her quietly.
“Started...?” Cera muttered back, looking up at Ruby in disbelief. “So, we’ve nearly been drowned, heard our Valley’s been subjugated, had to join an alliance, got kidnapped by sharpteeth...when will this start then Ruby?”
Despite her obvious irritation at Ruby’s hesitant optimism, Cera nevertheless leaned tiredly upon her in support. Ruby, laying a comforting hand on her neck frill, said gently,
“When I said ëstarted,’ I was referring to the fighting back – the resistance.”
Cera gave a sceptical noise.
“You may disagree,” Ruby continued, now smiling weakly. “But I’m sure the very smallest of things can reignite your hope. That’s what I’ve come to expect from residents of the Great Valley...”
*
The re-ignition of hope may have come sooner than either of them had expected.
Seizon, for whatever reason, had declined to return to where Chomper, Saureen and Lini were being held, leaving them to be guarded by the two Piercers alone. This made things a lot easier.
They didn’t know quite how the discussion begun, but after hearing about what Lini had done during her childhood, Chomper had been adamant that Gigas needed to be brought down just as much as Ulciscor, and after rekindling their hope with his motivational speech, they had begun to discuss possibilities for escape.
Now, obviously, such freely open chatter about such a thing would normally have caught the attention of the Piercers who guarded them, but, completely aware of this, Saureen had prompted the debate in a different direction, or rather, a different language.
Xal had failed quite prominently to do his research on leaf-eaters and how they communicated. Up until very recently, he had just assumed it was a simple language of animalistic livestock. Hearing Shorty speak in fluent sharptooth had changed all this, but his foot-soldiers hadn’t got the memo. The Piercers guarding the three of them didn’t recognise flattooth language for what it was, and merely heard a series of grunts that they probably refrained from listening into to preserve some dignity. Either way, they completely ignored the sounds as the three young sharpteeth conspired against them.
“I haven’t really considered escape before now...” Lini murmured, sweeping her eyes over the knotted roots that incarcerated them. “I think I was just hoping I would die here...but as a far as I can tell, there isn’t an easy way out...”
“Well, there’s a difference between a way out, and an easy way out,” Chomper replied optimistically, his eyes also sweeping over the roots.
“I’m not sure that the way out is the problem...” Saureen put in, shifting her gaze nervously onto the guards. “The point is, once we do break out, they’ll be over us in seconds...”
Chomper nodded, and sat down in the middle of the prison to consider this.
“Maybe there’s more than one way out...” he said slowly. “If all three of us escape in different directions...”
“If there are such different directions...” Saureen mused.
Chomper frowned and furrowed his brow, staring at the ground and hoping for some solution to present itself. In his mind, he played through several different scenarios, each one fairly abysmal, and ending inevitably with the pair of Piercers coming down hard on the three of them...
On the three of them...
On the...wait a minute...
And in that next second, it came to Chomper like a thunderbolt that illuminated his consciousness. It should have been obvious from the start! It was simple numeracy.
His sudden stroke of inspiration showed in the goofy and now giddy smile he gave his two companions, who, through looking quizzical, prompted him to explain.
“It’s pretty simple, actually,” Chomper elaborated in an undertone, despite the fact that the Piercers could not understand him. “We just need a diversion.”
“A diversion?” Lini frowned. “How?”
“What’s the betting these two have checked these roots for weaknesses?” Chomper prompted. “They don’t know which parts of the roots are escapable from and which aren’t. Even if there’s only one route to escape, they don’t need to know that. There are two of them, and three of us, so...”
“So if we all make to escape through different parts...” Saureen added slowly. “They won’t know which of us is making the actual escape, and who’s just causing a diversion...”
“They couldn’t risk leaving it to chance!” Chomper replied, grinning. “Not if they don’t leave one of us covered!”
Saureen frowned.
“It’ll become quite obvious though as soon as one makes their escape,” she said. “And what about the two left behind?”
Chomper’s smile faded somewhat, and he resumed pacing the length of the prison.
“OK...” he said uncertainly. “Well, perhaps only one diversion is the answer...yeah, that might work! If one of us makes a big thing of trying to get out, the Piercers will want to make sure that that edge is secure...and in the meantime the other two can escape...”
“And what about the one making the diversion?” Lini queried in a low voice.
“They’ll come out soon after, just as soon as the Piercers realised they’ve escaped...and...give pursuit...” Chomper’s rambling slowed as he hit this realisation. “Well, it’s probably best to have a pre-prepared escape route, so it’s easy for...”
“I think you’re missing the giant longneck in the glade,” Lini interjected bluntly. “Who’s going to create the diversion?”
There was a pause. Saureen’s eyes flickered from one to the other nervously. Lini sighed.
“I told you before you should have left me behind,” she said quietly. “I’m perfectly willing to help you two escape-”
“Lini, we’re not leaving you behind!” Saureen said firmly.
“How am I supposed to make a speedy getaway on this?” Lini demanded, prodding her injured leg. Saureen didn’t seem to have an answer for this. Chomper, however, steeling himself, provided one.
“I think it’ll be much easier to do so should you not be the diversion,” he told Lini firmly. Lini simply stared back at him, blinking her bright blue eyes in sceptical despair. How he hated seeing her like this! If nothing else, it would be worth getting the old Lini back. He continued.
“You know it’s got to be me...” he said carefully. Predictably, Saureen and Lini both began to protest.
“Think about it!” Chomper said loudly, chancing a nervous glance over at the Piercers. “If I don’t manage to get away, I’m sure Xal will...well, he’ll want me alive for his Valley infiltration plan. You two...probably don’t carry the same convenient protection.”
Saureen and Lini glanced at each other, apparently unable to think of a suitable counterargument.
“And Lini,” Chomper added fiercely, looking her dead in the eye. “I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself in such a way. Maybe it can be heroic, but honestly, there’s definitely something off about it...”
Unbidden, images of Pyron’s final moments as his blood and life ran from his body worked their way into Chomper’s mind. But he brushed them aside, and continued.
“We’re going to do this. As soon as we escape from here, we’re going to save the others, and then we’ll make it back to the Rocky Heathland, and with the alliance of liberators we will march on the Valley and free it from Ulciscor’s grasp! So, let’s get started!”
The stars continued to twinkle unconcernedly down on them as they walked as subtly as they could in the semi-darkness, inspecting the roots that imprisoned them carefully, and gently nudging them and testing to them to see which ways they would bend, how they would pick apart, if they snapped. Lini hadn’t said anything following Chomper’s message to her, but he was confident his words had gotten through. She was moving with almost as much deliberate speed as Chomper and Lini, testing the roots with gusto more reminiscent of the self he remembered. And it was her who had struck the gold they had been looking for.
A network of knots on the opposing side to where Chomper and Saureen had been placed beneath to hulking tree was visibly less complex than others that surrounded it, and snapping through the finer twigs with her claws, it soon became clear that a little digging would allow space to slide through and make a hasty exit.
“There’s no way they won’t notice though...” Lini sighed, gazing at the Piercers.
“There might be a way...” Chomper said thoughtfully. “As long as we take turns digging this as quietly as we can, it may just look like we’re still looking for a way out...”
And so began the next phase – the three of them continued to shuffle around, but taking time around the looser sets of roots to dig away at the earth beneath, using their tails, or, taking a larger risk, their claws. Lini was the most effective digger, having a larger tail and claws than the other two, and although it took a while, so much that Chomper felt fairly dizzy after the whole affair, soon the hole was dug, large enough for two of them to squeeze through and bolt.
Nervously, the three young sharpteeth looked once more to the Piercer guards. Incredibly, they hadn’t noticed the massive gaping escape route. They were in fact, seated on the ground, their forearms tucked beneath them, not even looking directly to their prisoners. Perhaps part of it might have been at the speed and volume the escape route was dug – things that happen at a slower rate are a lot less noticeable, though presumably their hearing was still pricked up. They had looked over several times during the youngsters’ rounds of the prison, when they made a noise more jarring than expected on some of the tighter roots. This diversion tactic might have been better suited to their quarry than they expected.
Chomper, inhaling heavily, looked over at the two girls. They were already in position, and, to his immense relief, were smiling, albeit nervously. Chomper returned the smile, winked on an impulse, and then turned to a spot in the opposite direction to the escape route.
He charged.
He hammered straight into the dense roots and began to claw and bite at them in earnest. The effect was unbelievably beautiful, and immediate. Even as the tree they were incarcerated under shuddered under Chomper’s bombardment, the two guards leapt to their feet, and following immediate adrenaline instincts, both instantly rounded on Chomper, pressing their snouts towards the roots he was attacking and snarling warningly at him.
Then things started to go a little wrong.
The entire prior happened in the space of about five seconds, and in that same time, even amongst his growling at the hapless though tough roots, Chomper heard the unmistakable sound of snapping twigs and scuffling movement that meant Saureen and Lini had fled through the escape route and into the dense starlit forest. This was also noticed by the Piercers.
Giving a cry of shock and anger, one of them immediately straightened up and headed for the other side, the other following suit quickly after. Realising he only had seconds, Chomper bolted for the escape route, pleading as he felt the cool night air on his face that he would taste the air for longer...
STOMP.
The second Piercer had decided to take a quicker route to follow his companion, climbing straight over the ancient and crooked tree and landing right in front of Chomper as he tried to make his escape. Skidding to a halt, Chomper put all of his effort into launching himself haphazardly at the opposite direction, just missing his quarry’s jaws as they came down...
Chomper bounced off the root networks that had held him captive previously and hit the ground running, tearing off into the undergrowth with the Piercer in hot pursuit...
The other Piercer had gone immediately in the direction of Saureen and Lini, which was now the opposing way to which Chomper was now running at top speed. In hadn’t gone quite according to plan, but things could have been a lot worse. Chomper only hoped that Lini’s leg wouldn’t slow the girls down, and also that this running blindly into a forest he barely knew would achieve anything.
*
The thudding of their feet and their sharp breaths was all Saureen could hear. Dark blurs of the forest rushed past her in a haze as she struggled to support Lini during their run. Whilst Lini was doing her best to maintain the speed, Saureen could tell she was in pain. Her wheezy breaths and the way her face was contorted told her as much. But they couldn’t stop now. The Piercer was still hot on their heels. They had to keep at it...all the same...
Saureen had no clue where they were headed. They were just running aimlessly, determined to leave their pursuer behind. Although she knew the forest well, everything was far too hazed and dark to determine where they were...and what had happened to Chomper?
Lini seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
“Where are we going??” she demanded hoarsely, in flattooth as a precaution.
“Umm...” Saureen could not fathom a response, and instead raised her head to take a sniff of the night air, hoping to catch a familiar scent. But even as she did so, she felt the firm ground slip from beneath her foot as it caught itself in something – possibly a tree root, or even the edge of a mound. But whatever it did caused her to fall, crashing headlong into the ground and beginning to slide uncontrollably downwards. A heavy thud nearby as the dark forest spun and tumbled around her told her that Lini was on the same downhill journey she was.
Both girls’ fall was broken as they crashed into a convenient clump of bushes, nestling inconspicuously into the branches and foliage. Saureen, panting heavily, attempted to ease herself into a more comfortable position, testing her limbs. She was bruised, but nothing broke.
“You OK?” she gasped to the mass right next to her which was no doubt Lini. Lini groaned.
“Mmm...maybe...my leg seems to be fine, which is a bonus, but...” The bushes creaked as Lini shuffled around in panic.
“Where’s the-?”
“Ssh!” Saureen advised, keeping her ears pricked up for the sound of the Piercer. Aside from the wind gently caressing the leaves upon the trees, the forest was largely silent. Both girls strained to hear something more, until the deathly quiet of the wood was almost defeaning...
“C’mon, Saureen. We’ve gotta move!”
This urgent coaxing came not from the forest, but was a blurry memory suddenly regurgitated back into Saureen’s conscience. Many months ago now, when she and Seizon had experienced a similar downward tumble as they had escaped the Fanged Forest, being pursued by Ulciscor’s murderous right-hand. During their most recent great escape, Saureen had neglected most thought of Seizon, and she had no idea why her mind was forcing her to relive the times when Seizon had been a figure of great compassion and courage, even to an admirable state, before he become just another of Xal’s pawns...
Her distress must have shown, for Lini was now gazing at her through her sapphire eyes with concern.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about it...” Saureen murmured, forcing herself to forget about Seizon for the time being. There would be time to worry about him once they had escaped the Piercer.
Having not heard anything, Lini put her nose into action, taking a few sniffs of the air, before freezing, horror-struck.
“What?” Saureen breathed.
“Bellydragger...” Lini murmured back. “We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place...”
Saureen paused, trying to come to terms with the revelation, but she eventually sucked in some air and said bluntly,
“We don’t know for sure the Piercer’s still there. And well...bellydraggers aren’t the most nimble creatures on land...maybe we’ll be lucky?”
Lini didn’t respond. Saureen flashed her a nervous smile, and began to disentangle herself from the bush.
Cautiously edging around it, she beckoned for Lini to follow her, which she did, groaning slightly and she put weight on her still painful leg.
But before either of them had time to think, a great rapid thudding heralded the approach of the Piercer previously chasing them in their direction. He had been waiting them out, and was now making a beeline for Saureen. Abandoning all rational thought, Lini reacted on instinct and threw herself at the twoclaw. Her heavy body effectively shifted Saureen’s body out of harm’s way, wrong-footing their quarry momentarily, and giving them the chance to hare off...
They were only running for a few seconds when they recognised a large, green shape in the semi-gloom. Dil, on the other hand, could hear and smell them, but they had no idea who they were.
“Ichy!” she snapped. “What’s going on?”
Ichy was caught completely by surprise. He was speechless as he hovered above Dil, gazing open-mouthed at the sight of the chase, and just as his mind was registering that there had been a security breach, Saureen and Lini had bolted past Dil, and the Piercer was attempting to corkscrew round her as well...
Dil, caught off guard, let out a yell of shock and reared up, momentarily knocking the Piercer aside.
“Hey!” he growled. “Groundscraper...!”
But this kefuffle was what another group had been waiting for. Even as Saureen and Lini tried to sidle their way around what appeared to be a stone wall of some kind, they noticed a massive boulder fall inches away from them, and in the next second, a great mass of young leaf-eaters emerge from the cave at a rapid speed, with Spike in the lead.
Ducky from her position on Spike’s back, noticed the two young sharpteeth and beckoned to them.
Well, they didn’t need asking twice.
Exchanging grins of relief, the two girls joined the great exodus with the eight leaf-eaters, only to have the Piercer and bellydragger continue the chase...
*
The previously still night was now being split apart by sounds of confrontations and pursuits, but for Chomper, the only sound was his sharp breath catching in his chest as he fled from the Piercer, darting his way through the foliage for any hope of wrong-footing the predator...
Noticing an opening between two trees, he flung himself bodily into the gap. Focus! He forced himself to scrabble through the undergrowth, working his way beneath tangled trees. The Piercer had noticed, and was attempting to give chase without little concern, although the tangled vegetation was slowing him down considerably. Edging away as quickly as he could whilst still trying to keep his quarry in sight, Chomper allowed his eyes the briefest of darting for anything that would give him an edge. In a place so full of trees, an irregularity caught his eye first – a bent tree with the potential to be snapped. It was thin enough for him to snap it, but thick enough to potential subdue the aggressor...
Chomper didn’t even contemplate the unlikely convenience until he was position at the trunk. He could certainly work through the bark, but it would take time, and he got the feeling the slowly but steadily approaching Piercer with a mix of malice and determination set firmly in his expressions would reach him first. So, he had two choices – take the gamble of landing this on him or just run...?
Chomper, even noting the stupidity himself, found himself chewing through the bark. He couldn’t be sure the Piercer wouldn’t eventually catch up with him however, and besides, he was getting tired of running.
He wanted to fight back.
“I’ve been watching at the sidelines for too long!!” he mentally screamed as he chewed and gnawed ferociously through the trunk. “Before, I would preferred that, but when I stood idly by, I let Pyron die...”
He closed his eyes as the image flashed before him, but no tears fell.
“And I could only stand and watch as Nycha fell...”
Again, the unbidden image. But the eyes remained dry and the teeth kept working.
“Even though I lost against Seizon it felt good to be finally doing something. And I’m not going to stop now!”
But Chomper’s jaw was beginning to ache. The tree didn’t seem to want to fall yet, and...the Piercer was almost upon him.
Chomper’s eyes widened, even as he continued to chew on the bark as best he could...it was no good. He’d soon be out of range for him to land one on his head...he’d have to run for it...
And then the Piercer’s expression changed.
It was incredible, but all of a sudden, his eyes widened, he grunted in what might have been pain, and he twisted around the look behind him.
He had stopped dead in his tracks.
On an impulse, Chomper fought through the pain and finally felt the last bark remnants splinter beneath his powerful teeth. The trunk creaked ominously, and with a beautiful satisfaction, the tree tipped, working its way onto the cranium of his deadly enemy. A loud and dignified thud of wood hitting skin was heard, and both tree and dino crashed to the ground in a final and resolute clunk that Chomper could have sworn made the leaves on the surrounding trees quake.
Edging his way back through the foliage and past the unconscious form to where he had been previously running, Chomper found the source of what had distracted the Piercer long enough for him to make the significant blow. He immediately recognised the purple eyes peering nervously into the trees and the distinctive orange-yellow body with the dark stripes...
“Al!” Chomper gasped, numb relief flooding his being as he pitched forward. Al obviously had the same idea, and the two met at long last, holding each other in a crushing embrace.
“Chomper...!” Al muttered, apparently lost for words. His eyes were wider than Chomper had ever seen them, and he was grinning as he released the other sharptooth.
“How did you get here?” Chomper asked weakly.
“Never mind that,” Al said shortly. “Where are the others? Are they OK? And...” his voice had suddenly hit an extremely fearful tone. “Did you...uhh...is Lini...?”
“Lini’s fine!” Chomper said quickly. “She’s alive and well...but...we got separated...”
At this point, Chomper had felt like explaining what she had told him and Saureen, but upon seeing Al’s giddy relief and amorous eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Lini would eventually tell him herself, he was sure...
Not to mention, he wasn’t entirely sure what had become of her and Saureen, or indeed any of the others...
“I’m not sure about the others,” he told Al truthfully. “I think...I think they should be fine...”
“Well, let’s hope so,” Al said seriously. “Because we’ve finally arrived.”
“What-?”
“Zyro organised a rescue team,” Al said quickly. “Don’t worry, everything’s OK now. You’re all going to be fine. We arrived at the mouth of the forest see, and we encountered the three big sharpteeth – Xal, Redclaw, and that other one. They all seemed quite upset, apparently everyone managed to escape...”
“Wait, really?” Chomper’s face lit up.
“Yeah, according to what the sharpbeak had told them. But anyway, Zyro and the others confronted them, and I was able to slip away.”
With the noise of his own pursuit gone, Chomper could now hear, somewhere in the distance, the grunts and growls of dinosaurs clashing...
“We’ve got to find the others and bring them to the mouth,” Al said forcefully, grabbing Chomper by the shoulder. “Then we can all get outta here...”
Chomper nodded, and the two of them began sprinting off back whence they came, but even as they rounded more bends, a small figure skidded in front of them, blocking their way.
Chomper and Al simply stared in shock, having recognised the sail-backed figure instantly.
Seizon’s features were illuminated by the light of the Night Circle, his amber eyes heavy with disapproval and an almost hungry dislike. But most of the last part was concentrated on Al.
“Oh, that’s a sight to drive me wild...” he murmured, his voice positively dripping with venom.
This slightly odd statement gave Al pause.
“Happy to see me, Seizon?” he enquired.
“Only in the sense that this gives me a chance to pay you back in full!” Seizon retorted, and without warning he plunged straight at him. Caught off guard, Al staggered backwards, forcing Chomper to leapt aside as the two struggling sharpteeth cantered past him, Seizon eventually slamming Al into a nearby tree.
“You treacherous bastard thought you could get one past me?!” Seizon demanded, placing his foot heavily onto the dazed Al’s chest.
A ripple of anger past through Chomper as he watched Seizon, and was quickly spurred into action. Letting out a guttural raw, he bit hard into Seizon’s side. Distracted, Seizon twisted around to engage him in combat, biting down onto his neck. However, due to the position he was in, the grip of the bite was limited, and Al was able to deliver a well-placed bite onto Seizon’s flank.
Seizon emitted a howl of pain and struck Al with his tail with as much force as he could muster, before slashing a gouge onto Chomper’s head. Chomper reeled back, blood beginning to trickle down the sides of his face, noting that Seizon had once more launched himself at Al, snapping and slashing in a frenzy. Al was countering with bites as well, before twisting round and swatting Seizon with his tail. Not letting this perturb him, Seizon bit down on Al’s tail, and even as Al attempted to bite and slash at his adversary, Seizon was countered with his own powerful claws, leaning into Al in an attempt to topple him.
His body filling once more with adrenalin and fear, Chomper charged blindly in with his head lowered, and soon felt his hardened skull connect with Seizon. Caught by surprise, Seizon gave a snarl of rage as the three sharpteeth fell to the ground, rolling in and dirt as they all detached themselves.
Leaping to his feet, Seizon glared at his two adversaries.
“I want you to keep out of this one Chomper!” he snapped, flexing his arms and briefly inspecting his injuries. “I don’t have as big an issue with you. At least when you wanted to usurp me, you were honest.” He glared murderously at Al. “So, working with the pacifists all this time??”
“I had to keep my task hidden!” Al replied irritably. “It’s called being undercover. It’s not like you had to enrol me in your pack.”
“And as it happens, Sezion...” Chomper growled. “I do have a big issue with you. No matter you and Xal might want me for, I’m going to stick by my friends.”
At this, Seizon sighed.
“It’s admirable, this loyalty you display to these herbivores,” he said. “There, I said it. I just wish you felt the same way about my own loyalties...”
None of them had time to consider this further however, as at that moment, a loud growl of triumph caused them all to turn their heads.
Two distinct forms were approaching them through the moonlit forest, eyes glowing with an aura that only meant doom. One was a Piercer that Chomper recognised as the other who had previously been guarding him. The other was a vehement and distinctly malevolent looking bellydragger.
“Ah, I can smell ëem now!” Dil crowed to nobody in particular.
“Hm...this isn’t the group I had hoped for though,” the Piercer remarked, frowning somewhat.
“Nevertheless, this is the most important one!” Seizon told him jovially, grinning in a slightly psychotic way. “Remember, we need to keep the twoclaw safe. As for this one...” he shot Al a nasty grimace. “I’m not so fussed...”
But the night was not done with sudden occurances, for at that moment, a shrill cry of “Chomperrrr!!!” in the leaf-eater tongue caused all five present to look up.
Petrie had appeared above them, circling and flapping quite erratically.
“Petrie?” Chomper called to him. “What...?”
“Don’t worry, we brought back-up!” Petrie told him cheerfully, pointing off into the forest in the opposite direction to where Dil and the Piercer were.
Chomper looked...and his mouth fell open.
Striding into view, and knocking smaller plants to the ground as though they were twigs was the lone female spiketail, Opal, and hurrying in her wake were Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Ducky, Ruby, Shorty, Ali, Saureen and...
“Lini!!” Al let out a joyful cry quite uncharacteristic of his mellow self and launched himself straight at the slashclaw, who returned the hug with a matched enthusiasm, but only stared at the ground as he licked and nuzzled her passionately.
“Get behind me!” Opal called to Chomper. Upon closer inspection, Opal’s eyes betrayed the look of someone who’d aged about thirty years since their last meeting, but they were also filled with a determined resolve. Not waiting to be asked twice, Chomper hurried to her side.
“But...!” Seizon gazed wildly around at the sudden party. He was now stuck between two angry masses of dinosaur, and it was quite possible that Dil and the Piercer’s surprise was the only reason they hadn’t charged and flattened him already. But it was only a matter of time.
“Seizon!” Saureen called to him. “Come over here!”
“Yeah!” Shorty agreed, watching him closely.
Chomper could see that Seizon was tempted, but as the Piercer and the bellydragger both charged forward, he simply flung himself to the side.
Opal stepped forward to engage her adversaries and the result was titanic. In a single instant, she had raised herself onto her hind legs, emitting a bellow of maternal power, and Dil instantly skidded sideways to avoid being flattened. At the same time, the Piercer had gone around her to apply a bite to her flank, but his teeth had barely brushed the spiketail’s hide when Opal had swung her tail round, tipped with lethal thagomizers and struck the predator in his side. Opal brought her front legs back to earth with a momentous rumble as her two attackers fell at either side.
Splattering blood across the ground, the Piercer nevertheless went in for another attack, this time aiming for Opal’s head. She was quick to notice and twisted around, holding her tail high before striking it down directly on top of the aggressor’s skull. The Piercer fell to the ground, and as Opal swung round to reengage Dil, who was coming at her cautiously, mouth slightly open, her tail collided with the Piercer’s head once more. A rather sickening crack was heard and the Piercer did not get up again.
Opal was emitting bellows none of the onlookers had ever heard before as she and Dil pushed their heads close to one another, Dil roaring almost as loudly. Both fighters were poised on their toes, Opal having raised her tail, prepared to strike if necessary. But Dil got their first.
Swinging around as much as her heavy body would let her, she brought her own powerful tail straight into Opal’s side. An almighty smacking sound ripped the air apart and Opal staggered. The blow had been completely random – Dil, with her eyesight impaired as it was, had mustered all of her brute strength into an attack that had nevertheless been devastatingly effective, as Opal collapsed onto her side.
The young dinosaur’s mouths fell open in horror, as they watched the bellydragger, with a malicious grin plastered over her face, place her front feet onto Opal’s vast stomach and applying a savage bite.
Opal emitted a shriek of pain, but even as she felt warm blood begin to run down her side, she felt her thoughts travel immediately to the youngsters hiding in the foliage. And, in particular...
Mustering her strength, she strained to stagger to her feet, striking Dil in the face with her heels as she did so, and Dil once more leapt aside to avoid being squashed. Opal was back on her feet and bringing her tail around for another strike.
However, it simply struck the ground as Dil, in a completely unpredictable move, and reared up herself, placing her paws upon Opal’s shoulder and biting onto one of the plates on her back...
But Opal knew this to be merely a scratch upon a surface that ran much deeper. Swinging her tiny head, she brought the hard little skull into the bellydragger’s side. As Dil fell to the ground, Opal found the opportunity she’d been waiting for. Raising her tail up, she brought it finally and decidedly down onto her enemy’s back.
Dil screamed in pain as her blood flecked the ground, and she quickly staggered backwards from the victorious spiketail.
“Go to blazes!!” she roared, before cantering off as quickly as her legs would allow.
A great cheer rose from the watching children as Opal came back to join them, a warm smile now adorning her battle-scarred form.
“Giving what she told Zyro, I had no doubt she had it in her...” Al thought, now easily picturing Opal as matriarch of the Valley. “I want to let the others know...but I’m sure she will, in time...”
He glanced over at Lini, who was suddenly standing stock still, an expression of utter dread having taken residence.
“Lini...?” he asked, shocked. “What...?”
“Smell the air...” she gasped, and at this, many of the others looked around.
“He’s here...” Lini finished in a horrified whisper.
Al, Chomper and Saureen all sniffed, and...
Unbidden, the sight confirming the scent appeared through the trees, toppling them without concern. Opal’s expression joined the children’s shock as Gigas and Redclaw stepped into view, eyes glaring, teeth gleaming...Chomper could see Seizon crouching some distance from them, and even he was looking horrified by this turn of events.
In spite of her fear, Opal stepped in front of the young dinosaurs, raising her tail, prepared to fight to the death if necessary. But this only broadened Gigas’ grin.
“I get the feeling the spiketail means to go down stubbornly,” he told Redclaw, who nodded.
“Well, I have no qualm about speeding up the process...”
“And what about the small twoclaw?” Redclaw asked of his companion. Gigas sighed.
“If we must keep him alive...” he said with a tone of regret. “I’m sure the others aren’t quite so necessary...”
But even they were not allowed to continue in their desired activity, for an intense and rapid rustling heralded the approach of yet more dinosaurs into the vicinity. All eyes were drawn to three emerging figures: Zyro, Screech and Thud.
Upon seeing his two former minions, Redclaw gave a roar of rage and made a beeline straight for them. The two fastbiters were quick to respond and leapt upon their old companion, sinking their claws deep into his hide.
Zyro meanwhile, and leapt at Gigas, sinking his teeth and foreclaws into his side, and leaping back when Gigas had swung around to counter him. He aimed to bite the crested sharptooth straight into his torso, but Zyro leapt to avoid to jaws and purposefully landed on the aggressor’s head, sinking his hindclaws as much as he could into Gigas’ reinforced head. For a sharptooth half Gigas’ size, Zyro seemed to be holding his own well, making the best use he could of his speed and agility to counter the slashclaw’s brute strength. Screech and Thud too were subduing Redclaw to the best of their abilities – even if one was thrown to the ground, the other knew just which points of the twoclaw to attack next...
“Opal!!” Zyro yelled, corkscrewing his body around as he narrowly dodged Gigas’ formidable claws. “Get them all to the mouth of the forest!!”
Nodding, Opal turned to the twelve young dinosaurs and wordlessly gestured in the direction whence their saviours had come.
Even as they galloped in a direct path through the forest, Chomper couldn’t help but glance back.
“What about the others??” he gasped.
Even as he spoke, he noticed, in the growing distance behind him, that something was wrong. Taking advantage of an opening, Gigas had swung his mighty tail straight into Zyro, who had collided painfully with a tree, and slid down the trunk...
And now Gigas was coming for them.
The sight of this red-eyed, slavering, sadistic monster charging at them through the trees was enough to make Chomper scream in terror.
“We’ve gotta get....!” he managed to pant, and the others, noticing the danger, mostly emitting similar screams, picked up the pace. Opal glanced behind her, ensuring none of the children were between her and Gigas’ drooling mouth, and considering her options...
On an impulse, she stopped still and swung her tail with all her might, catching Gigas underneath the chin. It had an effect – her quarry did stagger backwards, but he then lunged. Opal was only just able to avoid his jaws as they clamped shut at her, and she quickly ran also.
But help was at hand, for as Opal caught up with the kids, she noticed another part of the rescue committee coming their way.
“Dad??” Littlefoot and Shorty both cried in unison. Bron couldn’t help but smile as he noted Shorty’s automatic use of the term. He had Fumei were walking side-by-side, bodies together so as to negate injury. Even Gigas could see he had his hands full with the two fully-grown longnecks now approaching him. He stopped charging and emitted a titanic roar, which shook the forest and sent small animals fleeing for their very lives. He aimed bite at Fumei’s leg, but she quickly stepped away and Bron brought his head crashing into him, sending him skidding backwards.
Bron and Fumei then wordlessly intertwined their tails, and revolved on the spot, sending more trees crashing to the ground like dominoes, before finally smacking their conjoined tails straight into Gigas, who was knocked off his feet and rolled haphazardly across the forest floor.
This was the first of a great many signs of join to the rest of the party, who now noted that the mouth of the forest was close. Without the obscuring trees that the two longnecks had now swept aside, they could see Xal and a group of Piercers engaged in momentous battle with Ross, Rhea and Ferox. Where before Ferox had quailed under Xal’s tyranny, he now charged and snarled and scraped at him with Ross battling at his sight. As for Rhea, Chomper could see clearly how his mother’s ferocity had saved him so many times, as the Piercer’s toppled around her, laying nary more than a cut to her hide.
Heavy footfalls heralded the approach of someone else.
“Good – Bron and Fumei, keep him subdued!” Zyro had apparently recovered from Gigas’ temporary stunning, and was now rushing to aid the other sharpteeth.
The twelve kids could only watch in awe as the seven adults battled the hoards of the Sharptooth Revolutionary Army, denying their dogma, and with a determined courage that what they were doing what was good and right...and these were sharpteeth and leaf-eaters working side-by-side. Chomper couldn’t help but smile, and turned to Littlefoot, to share this moment, for he too, looked quite content...
But this contentment didn’t last, for the kids now realised that very soon, this formidable battling and fighting and gritty violence must be repeated at a much larger scale, as they took on Ulciscor and his terrifying armies in an attempt to liberate the Valley...
“Xaaaallll!!!!”
The howl came completely unexpectedly, and they all watched as a much smaller figure rushed through the undergrowth and laid a significant bite onto Zyro’s tail. Zyro staggered back and gazed, thoroughly non-plussed, at Seizon, was now skidding backwards, glaring at the adult sharptooth with a bitter determination.
Bron and Fumei had turned and made moves towards Zyro as soon as they had had heard the cry, but they stopped in bewilderment when they noticed Seizon.
But Xal was clearly angry.
“Get back Seizon!” he snapped, barging Ross and swatting him with his tail as he attempted a counterattack. “We cannot break rank now!”
Just this small shift in movement however, allowed an opening to be made, and one individual had made use of that opening.
With blinding speed, too quick for anyone else to react, Gigas had slipped through the defences the adults were creating and had approached the kids. Even as they scattered, Gigas kicked out, catching Saureen. Even as she was winded, and suspended in mid-air, Gigas slammed his foot into her, and pinned her up against the tree. This horrific sight had turned every eye in the vicinity, and everyone was frozen.
“I feel we should make an example of this particular attack on our sovereignty!” Gigas snarled, leering closer to the terrified Saureen.
“NO!” Chomper couldn’t stop himself. Neither, apparently, could Seizon, who emitted to exact same scream at the same time as him. But he couldn’t think too deeply into it now.
Saureen...
No...
He couldn’t think, his mind was clouding over. Not Saureen, not her too...
“Gigas...” Xal spoke slowly, in an almost uncertain tone. “I don’t think that’s a necessity...”
He was gazing at the trapped Saureen with an almost sickened look, swallowing nervously. Gigas twisted his head round to look at him in disbelief.
“There’s no way they won’t do anything if we-”
Gigas had diverted his attention for long enough, for now both Ferox and Zyro were on top of him, Ferox biting into his neck with a blind fury, and Zyro pushing against him so that his grip on Saureen was loosened. Saureen manage to squirm free and dropped to the forest floor, where Chomper quickly ran to greet her and pull her, almost as a nervous wreck, back to the group.
Gigas managed to squirm free from his attackers and took several steps back, still fixing them with a pugnacious glare.
The four adult sharpteeth and three adult leaf-eaters moved as one to surround the children in a protective defence barrier, and Zyro, seeing Screech and Thud, scarred but determinately alive, quickly rush from deeper within the forest to join them, realised that any break for freedom they were to make would have to be soon.
“Don’t try and fight it Xal!” Zyro yelled at him. “There is no way this can last. Follow us and you will be faced with the full fury of our alliance, which is still alive and well. It’s over. You cannot counter us anymore.”
Xal, who was now standing next to a positively livid Gigas and a somewhat nervous Seizon, narrowed his eyes at this statement, but did not reply. At this, Zyro gave the signal.
At his signal, the rescue team with their rescued hostages amongst them fled out of the mouth of the Fanged Forest and into the open night air, noting with the utmost relief that the mission had been a complete success. All they had to do now was prepare to march upon the Valley.
Gigas made to charge after them, but Xal held him back. Attacking the formation as it was, with the large sharpteeth in front and longnecks at the rear would have been foolish and possibly suicidal.
“You talk a good game, Zyro...” he thought, watching the retreating group get smaller. “But do not discount our victory yet. Do not underestimate our ingenuity. The night is still young enough for a new offensive to be in play...and woe betide you should you be on the wrong end of that when the time comes..."
~0~
OK, now, for some reason, this won't let me bold/italicise/underline some parts of the text, so sorry about that...
But anyway, there you have it! And it's finally beginning, the operation to liberate the Valley from Ulciscor! How will it go down? You'll have to wait and see...
So yeah, don't know when the next chapter will be. Hopefully it won't be as long a wait, but you can never be sure. Ugh, exams...
ANYWAY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT, SORRY FOR THE POTENTIAL SYNTAX ERRORS AND POOR EDITING, AND THANKS FOR READING!! :D
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Yay! New chapter! :DD
So the Gang got imprisoned too. The conversation between Dil and Ichy and the Gang is very interesting. Right now I can't quite remember what Shorty had said to Xal previously but it's remarkable how much bravado he's able to maintain in his rather unfortunate situation. Speaking up in front of Xal was even more so an act of bravary.
Ducky, Petrie and Spike react to the situation by seeking warmth and comfort of each other though later they join Shorty as well as Littlefoot and Ali. Cera is curiously not swearing and raging about the situation, trying to do something about it, but retreating into her thoughts. Ruby's main attention is on Cera rather than on Ichy and Dil. She shows here how much she cares about her friends by showing support and relying on the experiences she gathered.
What Cera predicted concerning Tria and her dad, she really assumed correctly and her worries are justified. Ruby wouldn't be Ruby though if she didn't try to give her some hope.
Also what's going on between Ali and Shorty? :o :p
Ah, I thought Chomper and Saureen wouldn't wanna stay imprisoned :smile Lini still hasn't fully recovered from her fit of self-loathing as she's still considering herself lower and less worth than her friends. She is a selfless dinosaur but so are the other two. Her bad leg disqualifies her for being the one of them distracting their guards for she wouldn't get away. Chomper on the other hand...
Ahh, action! :D You know that I like your action scenes a lot :p At first things seem bad with Chomper getting separated from the girls but then things improve when the girls rescue Littlefoot and his friends.
Then things really seem to escalate :D That was some awesome battle!!! And, judging by what is yet to happen, this was just a small fight...
Looking forward to the next chapter no matter if I have to wait a week, a year or a decade :lol
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I like this story a lot. Thrills, intrigue and high-octane battles.
But there are places where you forget the characters are dinosaurs, not humans.
Also, Ulcisor is a pretty interesting villain; he's Adolf Hitler in a Longneck's body.
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And we're back!! Here's the next chapter that I hope you will very much enjoy?? :p
I should point out that this chapter is only partially proof-read, and it contains battle tactics that are probably horribly thought out. Please forgive me for that... :( This is also the chapter where I put all my up and coming potential ships to the test, so that's probably a load of rubbish too...but I'll let you decide that. Hopefully the title itself should generate some sense of excitement... :lol
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Eve of War
Skywater was a cover-all.
It soothed all the senses, and Seizon, sitting amongst a clump of ferns gazing dismally at the shapes of the three adult sharpteeth, discussing and arguing about the next course of action was glad for how the now fairly intense rainfall was obscuring his visibility, drowning out Gigas’ brusque and aggressive tones, making the foliage smell fresh, and splashing gently against his scales...
Seizon had to admit to himself, even allowing the rain to wash over him, as though cleaning his mind, that he wasn’t sure where this would go next. The sight of Saureen being pinned up against the tree by a slavering Gigas was still burned into his consciousness and made him almost want to cry every time it flashed across his mind...
Only he wouldn’t. Crying was not for him. He was, as Xal said, an ëapex hunter.’ And apex hunters don’t cry.
Well, if that were the case, being an apex hunter was incredibly difficult.
Seizon closed his eyes and tried his best to return to his own feelings. If he were honest with himself, he had never really considered the dangers involved in being part of Xal’s army. He hadn’t expected one of Xal’s underlings to turn upon his own friend so...easily. It was a horrifying prospect. Was this necessarily the fault of Xal?
No...
It was his. Or rather, it was his own naivety. When envisioning the revolution, it had always been him and Xal, and maybe Saureen and Chomper and whatnot if they behaved...Seizon’s dream had always reflected on the old stories Xal had told him about Eykion and the great escapades of sharptooth revolution against Ulciscor and other oppressive leaf-eaters. It had been something they were doing together. It had been about someone who had cared for him, including him in something for the first time...
No, he would not cry.
But in Seizon’s vision, it had all been perfect. Through their resolve and familial affection, he and Xal had conquered the world. In this vision, there was no room for the likes of Redclaw, the monstrosity who had terrorized all dinosaurs for so long, or indeed Gigas, who, judging by his own observations and Lini’s stories, was even worse. How could a dream get so scuppered?
Even amongst the rainfall, he heard a small something land next to him. Turning, he noticed Ichy, whose feathers were sodden, necessitating a constant twitch.
“I take it Xal’s utterly devastated?” he asked briskly, turning to nip at something on his wing.
“I don’t really know,” Seizon replied honestly, now watching the sharpbeak. “I mean, the escape was pretty...thorough, but he seems to be maintaining his calm.” Seizon smiled admiringly. “Certainly compared to the other two...”
“Well, what doesn’t anger them?” Ichy muttered distractedly, attempting to ease his sodden form beneath a large fern, wringing out his feathers as he did so. “Their impulsiveness and tendencies to channel their anger into everything they do is what makes them great lieutenants.”
“You really think that’s all Xal’s looking for?” Seizon asked, a littler sharper than he had meant. Ichy’s eyes met Seizon’s, and, realising he had enticed the young bladeback’s defensive attitude, averted his gaze and simply shrugged. Satisfied, Seizon gazed back at the form of his step-father, obscured and muffled by the heavy rain.
“Who knows? I guess they’re good at what they do...but they don’t seem like the sorts with same vision...” Seizon scowled and looked down at the observant Ichy. “What do you think?”
“Me?” Ichy shrugged. “I have no idea. All I know is that I’m here to follow Xal, not the other two. He’s been the first person to give me any hope in a long time...and Dil too...” A faraway smile passed across his beak, and Seizon continued to watch him intently.
“How is Dil anyway?” he asked. “I saw she took some pretty heavy damage from that spiketail...”
“Oh, she’ll be fine!” Ichy replied, with a dismissive wave of his wing. “She’s been through far worse...and this time she didn’t lose an important one of her senses...” He gave a slightly dry chuckle, and shifted his eyes to the ground.
Watching him now, Seizon was forcibly reminded of Nycha, and her desire to avoid recollections and hangovers from her past. Upon memory of what he now knew, his insides became heavy with a leaden feeling of regret, and he concluded that the more he knew about the ones he worked with, the better. It was so easy to see these individuals as pawns in a larger, greater plan, but even with that in mind, they had their own feelings and agendas too. Not to mention stories to tell.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Seizon said carefully, watching Ichy for any sign of reaction. “You and Dil – you’ve got to be the strangest pair I’ve ever come across, and you argue all the time. How come you’ve stuck together through all this anyway? Where did you come from? And...well, what’s up with Dil’s eyes?”
Ichy gazed up at him reproachfully, and didn’t speak for a few seconds. Then he sighed.
“When the new dawn we’ve been hoping for arrives...or at least when things are more stable than they are right now, I’ll explain it all. But even then, I don’t know if it’s my place...” he shook his head. “For now, let’s just say we’ve both been through it. Like, badly. We joined together for mutual benefit. I was on my own and in a place where getting hold of food was very difficult. She had similar problems due to an incident which left her nearly completely blind. By working together, I could locate larger prey, and she could kill it. We didn’t like each other, as you can imagine, but...” she smiled slightly. “Neither of us will admit it to each other...but after all this time, there is definitely a grudging respect growing...maybe one day we’ll even be fond of each other.”
Seizon grinned approvingly.
“That’ll definitely be something worth seeing!” he remarked, getting to his feet.
“Where are you going?” Ichy demanded.
“I want to see what the next course of action is,” Seizon replied, his eyes now intently fixed upon Xal. “There’s no way he’s giving up just yet...”
He walked carefully forward, the rain still cascading around him, until he was in earshot of the three large sharpteeth. They seemed to be arguing, both Redclaw and Gigas in indignation at something Xal was saying. Intrigued, Seizon tiptoed closer.
“I can only guess that those two longnecks came from a much larger herd!” Redclaw was saying. “This goes without mentioning Ulciscor’s entire army!”
“I am well aware of the destructive power of longnecks,” Xal replied, fairly calmly, although there was a bite of impatience to it as well. “They managed to wipe out my entire family. And I have fought Ulciscor myself, if you remember.”
Redclaw fell silent, but Gigas just shook his head in disbelief, smiling all the while.
“You’re planning to go after them as quickly as possible? Follow them to the Valley and somehow defeat both them and Ulciscor’s forces? Relax, Xal, there are much less convoluted ways of bumping yourself off...”
“And what else do you suggest we do?” Xal demanded. “I for one am not willing to sit here after getting this far.”
A flash of lightning illuminated Gigas’ perplexed features momentarily.
“Well, how do you suggest going about doing it?” he asked irritably. “We’re down on Piercers as it is...”
“I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m proposing,” Xal replied. “If you would allow me to explain?”
Gigas fell silent, nevertheless watching Xal with a pronounced scepticism. Xal did not avert his gaze as he continued.
“What I have in mind is not a full-on attack. You’re right – that would be far too risky. What I’m planning is something more subtle, which will get us what we want with limited man-power.”
He turned to gaze out of the mouth of the forest, watching the rain splatter and hammer to the ground.
“We will follow them at a distance, all the way to Valley without them noticing and allowing them to penetrate it for us. Or rather, for me.” He turned to his two lieutenants. “You two will not be accompanying me.”
It was evident in their facial expressions and gestures that Gigas and Redclaw didn’t appreciate being told this, and made to object.
“If,” Xal cut across them dangerously. “Something were to happen to me out there, I will need you two to be safe in continuing my ambitions.”
There was a stunned silence punctuated only by the rain. Even Seizon was mystified. Xal had made it clear to him on many occasions that he was only working with these two for necessity’s sake. Asking them to continue the legacy...? Then again, he supposed he didn’t have an awful lot of choice. Seizon held his tongue.
Entirely unexpectedly, Xal then turned to Seizon.
“Seizon,” he said briskly. “Do you know where Ichy is?”
“Oh, right...” Seizon replied, caught off guard. He hadn’t even realised Xal knew he was there. “He’s just back there actually...” He pointed back to where he had been sitting moments before, and, vaguely noticing the form of the sharpbeak watching him, beckoned.
Ichy flew over.
“Yes?” he asked expectantly, looking up at Xal.
“It’s very important I have you with me,” Xal told him seriously. “I will need an eye in the sky, to keep track of our location and our quarry.”
“Sure thing...” Ichy nodded. “Just give me instructions as per the occasion...but...”
“But what?”
Now Ichy looked uncomfortable.
“It’s just...well, with things like this, it’s normally easier to have someone by your side. Someone you’re used to working with...”
“What’s your point, Ichy?”
“Well...” Ichy shifted his eyes to the ground. “I’d like to request Dil accompany us.”
Seizon grinned at that. Xal on the other hand, simply looked annoyed.
“I’m afraid that would be unwise,” he said sternly. “She’d slow us down. Especially if she’s injured.”
“Oh, she’ll be fine!” Ichy said hurriedly. “I can get her to move at our pace, I’m sure! And she’d be useful in case combat is necessary!”
Xal gazed at him in mild interest.
“You really insist upon keeping her at your side?”
Ichy nodded. Xal continued to gaze at him for a while, his amber eyes momentarily flicking over to Seizon.
“Alright,” he relented. “But if she lags, you’re going to have to leave her behind.”
“Got it!” Ichy replied, grinning in a rather relieved manner. “I’ll go and let her know!”
As he flew off, Seizon stepped forward.
“What about me?” he asked.
Xal’s gaze fixed on him.
“Why would you want to come?” he asked curiously. “No offence, but I don’t know if you’d contribute much...”
“I’m aware of that...” Seizon admitted. “But...I have personal scores to settle. Besides...I want...to stay with you...”
He couldn’t bring himself to look Xal in the eye as he said this.
“Seizon,” Xal said seriously, and Seizon immediately found himself frustrated at the lack of emotion behind the way Xal spoke his name. “We’re talking about entering the Great Valley. Right now, there is probably no place in the world more dangerous for a sharptooth.”
“The same could be said for you,” Seizon replied, gazing back up at him.
Xal gazed at him for a long time, until something that might have been the beginnings of a smile flickered briefly across his features.
“OK,” he said. “But...on your own head be it.”
By this time, Gigas and Redclaw had returned to the depths of the forest. Dil soon came lumbering into view, a scar quite visible of her back, and Ichy perched atop her head.
“Are you sure about this?” she demanded grumpily of Xal. “We’re not much of an attack force.”
“Never mind attack right now,” Xal replied evenly. “For now our primary concern is keeping close tabs on the battle. However, we will be joined by an attack company soon enough...”
Seizon frowned.
“But I thought most of our Piercers were out of commission...?”
“Oh, I mobilized a reserve force a while ago,” Xal replied smirking slightly. “Just in case it were a necessity...we can follow our dear friends back to their rendezvous before following them to the Valley, by which time we will have our squad. Although beforehand it will be better to create a low profile, once they’ve regrouped they will be in a group so large, they won’t notice a few dozen Piercer’s in pursuit some distance away...”
“Where are these Piercer’s stationed?” Seizon asked.
Still smirking, Xal gazed upon him.
“I owe it all to you really, Seizon. We’ll find them at the Grand Cave Network.”
*
The sky water was beginning to die down; something that Ducky wasn’t sure how she felt about. The constant hammering of cold water upon her as she lay on Spike’s back may have been the only thing keeping her awake.
She emitted a loud and prominent yawn. Opal gave her a sideways glance.
“I know,” she said soothingly. “I know you’re tired. But you can sleep for ages once this is over.”
Ducky nodded.
“Therefore, we should get it over with quickly! Yep...yep...” she faltered, and allowed herself to slump back onto Spike’s back. Opal watched the two of them intently, wondering vaguely how she was going to reveal her identity to Spike.
“There’s no easy way...” she concluded. “I just hope he understands...”
Zyro was walking at the forefront of the group, his eyes darting over the horizon. Chomper was watching him with interest.
“Aren’t we returning to the Heathland?” he asked.
“Old One thought that would be a bit of a trek,” he explained. “So she agreed to move everyone halfway. We would agree on a route to the Valley from there...ah!”
Chomper too had spotted the distant silhouettes of a large mass of longnecks and sharpteeth. It was very hard to miss – normally such animals didn’t gather side-by-side. He smiled at this thought.
Old One also expressed a warm smile as the group approached her.
“Glad to see you’ve all made it out,” she said earnestly. “If anything had happened...”
“I will admit I’m surprised at how successful it was,” Zyro agreed.
“So, are we going then?” Al asked Zyro.
“Patience,” Zyro told him. “We can’t just march blindly off. We have to know what we’re doing...”
Old One had already called a few burly looking longnecks to her side, and requested that Bron and Opal also join her.
“Screech and Thud,” Zyro beckoned to them. “I want you to listen carefully too.”
“What about us?” Chomper asked, gesturing to the other eleven youngsters and the remaining adults.
“Get some rest,” Zyro told them firmly. “You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, and there’s still more walking to come. After we’ve finalized our plans, we’ll all take a brief break and then we’ll run it past you.”
The youngsters obeyed these instructions, thanks in part to gesturing of the older dinosaurs. Ross, Rhea, Ferox and Fumei all ushered the children away, as the herd leaders and their lieutenants discussed their battle preparations.
“The messenger you saw me send will have already informed the residents of the Valley of our intentions,” Old One explained. “So, they’re likely to be stirred into action when they hear of our approach. We will meet with the messenger there, and he will act as a means of communication between us and the Valleians until we’re inside.”
“And how exactly are we doing that?” Bron asked. “I take it you were drawing up ideas?”
“I was,” Old One agreed, extending her tail and drawing a rough diagram of the Great Valley in the mud. “Now, we know that Ulciscor has a knack for building up all the mountainous walls of the Valley using the manual labour of its residents, until it’s less of a Valley and more of a fortress! It’ll make it difficult to get past those particular walls, but I get the feeling that Ulciscor will be concentrating his efforts on reinforcing one of the sides of the Valley in particular.” She gazed up at the watchful circle.
“Let us not forget that Ulciscor’s regime was brought down once before,” she said.
“By Xal...” Bron murmured.
“Exactly – or at least, the group that Xal now represents,” Old One continued. “And Xal resides in the Fanged Forest, to the East of the Valley. Therefore, it would make sense for Ulciscor to focus most of his effort on the east wall, which means we should attack him via the west side.” Old One marked this on her diagram.
Bron made a sceptical noise.
“It does sound promising, but this is Ulciscor we’re dealing with,” he said, his memory unwillingly flashing back to a much younger figure, yet still tall and intimidating...
Bron, shaking his head, continued.
“If he’s been attacked before, and there’s whisper of revolution amongst the populace, it’s likely he’d increase efforts on all of the walls, not just the east. That would make more sense...”
“It really depends on how much time he had,” Zyro mused. “And he’d probably go for the east first...”
“Should we really be going for a single offensive though?” one of the longnecks at Old One’s side queried. “After all, there are lots of us – I think we should make use of the numbers. Have different groups of us attack at all sides. I think that would be preferable...”
“It’s true that we do have numbers on our side,” Zyro agreed. “However, the Bludgeon Brigade is just more professional at this kind of thing. They’ve been trained to be soldiers and thugs, whereas we are just herds...they are much more likely to pick us off if we are in smaller groups, nullifying our numerical advantage. I personally think going for a single offensive is better, and hopefully overwhelming Ulciscor and his troops through sheer numbers. Meaning...” he looked more uncomfortable now. “Meaning we need to find a place we can strike and make use of our vast group. We don’t want to get funnelled in, that would be a disaster...”
“This is why I suggested the west side,” Old One agreed, nodding to her diagram in the dirt.
“But how can we be sure to get a clear shot?” Bron asked. “He may have fortified that...”
“Well...” Opal began, and everyone turned to look at her. Looking slightly nervous, she nevertheless continued.
“I’m just thinking...Ulciscor also has a habit of keeping prisoners...”
“So, we should free them too?” Old One queried.
“This just keeps getting better...” another longneck sighed.
Opal shook her head.
“Well, obviously, yes. But there’s more to it than that. From what I remember, he imprisons them in the Secret Caverns, yes? Those caverns are a network that runs through the mountains walls of the Valley.”
“The caverns won’t make it easier to get through if we want a single, large offensive...” Bron pointed out.
“I know,” Opal agreed. “But having hollow tunnels is likely to make a mountain wall weaker. Ulciscor would have made some effort in trying to counter this. It’s a shot in the dark, but I think he’d have to choose which side of the Valley he’d want to reinforce by blocking the Caverns with rocks, and which side he’d want to keep the Caverns free to place prisoners. And my guess is...”
“...that it would be the east wall he’d want to reinforce!” Zyro finished, cottoning on, and gazing at Opal with blatant admiration. Then he turned to look expectantly at Bron.
“I think it’s our best option,” Old One concluded, also watching Bron for a reaction. He sighed, and nodded.
“It’s decided then,” Old One said briskly. “We’ll have to go a slightly more obscure direction, but once we arrive at the west wall, my messenger will greet us, and hopefully he can confirm what we’re hoping. Then, with help from the prisoners, we can work on getting a safe route into the Valley.”
“Alright,” Bron said. “But assuming all this works, what will we do once we’re inside?”
“Well, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be pressing in on one side, and the Valleians on the other,” Old One replied. “Then we can drive them out through sheer numbers, as Zyro said.”
“What about Ulciscor?” Bron asked. “What happens to him?”
Old One sighed.
“Whatever is necessary. And let’s brief everyone and inform them that we’ll be aiming for him specifically. He and his lieutenant Kai are our targets.”
Opal, satisfied that the plans had been finalized, wandered back over to where the children were resting. It was only as she approached that she realised all was not well...
*
The time had finally come for Lini to explain everything. The entire experience filled her with paramount dread, but with Chomper and Saureen and her side, she had finally begun to recant the tale of her past to the gang. At least, this is what she claimed, but her primary intentions were obvious – although she couldn’t look him in the eye, she was directly facing Al as she spoke, nervously wringing her claws together, and looking apprehensively at him once she had finished. On one side, Saureen held onto her arm, whereas on her other side, Chomper soothingly rubbed her back and watched Al for a reaction.
She had spoken in sharptooth, and Shorty nearby was translating as best he could for the leaf-eaters, as Lini’s rapid talking a shallow breathing had made it difficult for them to keep up. Shorty himself had a slight frown on his face, but looked up Lini after they had both finished and nodded solemnly. Most had expressions of similar understanding, although Cera was looking slightly resentful.
“Hang on...” she murmured in an undertone. “Is she saying that she actually...”
“Shush, for now, Cera...” Ruby whispered to her. She was watching Al closely. Cera sighed, but uncharacteristically did as she was told.
Al himself, with all eyes upon him, simply looked vacant. He was looking at Lini, but his purple eyes betrayed the look of someone far away. Eventually his focus shifted to the ground, and he said, rather sullenly,
“Lini...why are you telling us this?”
“W-why?” Lini repeated, caught off guard. “I...well, I thought you should know. I thought you should all know.”
“Is that so...?” Al murmured back, still staring into space. However, he soon snapped his eyes back upon Lini, and suddenly, their expression was angry. Lini felt a thrill of foreboding and a wave of cold pass over how as Al peered judgementally at her, the corner of his mouth curling.
“Why would we want to know about this?” he demanded of her with an almost venomous quality to his voice. “It would have been much better for you if we had kept this under wraps, so we don’t find out what you really are...” He looked her up and down, something he had previously done with considerable warmth. All of that had vanished now.
“Al...” Lini gasped, her eyes widening and her whole body trembling. “Please...don’t...”
“How could you, Lini?” Al snapped. “I thought I knew you. I thought you were so...sweet and innocent. But you took the path of the likes of scum like Gigas, and decided to torture and kill your fellow sharptooth??”
“Now hang on!” Saureen interjected, stepping forward to face Al, looking equally angry. “Do you mind laying off with those remarks?” For now Lini was openly crying, emitting shallow breaths in a futile attempt to stem the flow of tears that fell from her azure eyes. Chomper, still rubbing her back, was attempting to comfort her, but throwing Al a scandalized look as he did so.
Saureen, still glaring at Al, continued.
“Do you even care how she feels about it? Chomper and I...” Saureen glanced around, and then back at Al.
“Chomper and I had to persuade her not to kill herself!”
She could have sworn she saw a brief flicker of something softer pass over Al’s expressions, but the moment was fleeting, and he just stared coldly back at her.
“You were willing to forgive her, then?”
“Yes!” Saureen snarled. “Why the hell aren’t you?”
“Because I know the measure of some sharpteeth!” Al snarled back. “I thought you would be aware of this by now!”
“Well, I have to say...” came a slightly apprehensive voice. Cera may not have grasped the sharptooth language as easily as Shorty, but she was still able to follow the general gist of what was being said. Heads turned to look at her.
“Weren’t you all a bit quick to forgive...?” she asked, glancing at Saureen and Chomper. “I mean...I’m sure Lini does regret, but it all seems a bit...”
“Thanks for that!!” Saureen snarled at her, now striding in her direction. “But we don’t need him to be thrown a bone!”
“There’s no need to be like that!” Cera replied, firing up. “I’m simply saying that I think you’re being a bit too lenient...”
“That’s easy for you to say!” Saureen snapped. “But you weren’t there, with us, you didn’t see how she was...how could we not be??”
“Thanks Saureen...” Lini murmured, sniffing heavily. “But I can speak for myself.” She glanced at Cera.
“You don’t have to forgive me...” she said simply. “In fact, I don’t know why I expected anyone to...”
Cera looked uncomfortable, but didn’t say anything. Instead, Ruby leaned closer to her.
“Cera...surely you have regrets?”
“Well, yes!” Cera agreed. “But...hmm...” she fell silent.
Ducky was now looking at Lini, smiling sympathetically.
“I am really sorry for what happened to you, I am. I could never judge you for it, no, no, no.” Spike also nodded his agreement. Petrie also gave affirmations, nevertheless shuffling quickly to Spike’s side.
“I won’t hold you to blame either,” Littlefoot added, shrugging.
“Me neither,” Ali affirmed.
Even as Lini gave them small smiles, Al grunted with a combination of bemusement and disdain.
“Well, I am holding you to blame,” he said simply, gazing at Lini with a similar coldness. “I can’t just forget the whole thing this easily. I’m afraid no matter what you try and say, you can’t pretend this didn’t happen.”
“When did I even say that??” Lini demanded, horrified.
“You acted like it,” Al replied, coolly. “All smiles, acting like the big, supporting group member, and all this time you were no better than-”
“Stop it!” Now Chomper was glaring at him.
“Don’t even finish that sentence! I don’t want to hear it.” He marched forward and eyed Al furiously.
“Why the hell are you being like this? This is not the Al I’m used to, you’re normally so level-headed and...” he broke off, the reality of what he was experiencing hitting him.
But Al’s strange mood did not waver.
“I thought you, of all people, Chomper, would understand the very nature these so-called apex predators. Heartless, calculating...”
“This is Lini we’re talking about!” Chomper snarled back. “She had no real idea what she was doing – her morals and worldviews had been shaped ridiculously by the likes of Gigas-”
“Are you really using upbringing as an excuse?” Al demanded. “It doesn’t change someone’s choices, Chomper. She was still acting as a free agent.”
Chomper gave a hollow laugh.
“You really want to call her a free agent? Well, she is now, for sure, which is why she’s no longer in the act of systematic k-killing...” he stuttered somewhat on the word, but continued. “And you’re saying that the way someone was brought up doesn’t matter? Are you going to tell me that Nycha was in the wrong, no matter what the Tetrarchy did to her and her family?”
The memory of Nycha returning to him, Chomper’s emotions took over considerably – his voice was raised to a considerably carrying volume, and there was a deep growling element to it now, alarming is leaf-eater friends and causing Al to take a step back.
“Such a shame you didn’t get to tell her that before she died!!” Chomper roared, his voice heavy with sarcasm and potential foam beginning to form at the sides of his jaws. “I’m sure she would have loved to know it was all her fault!! It’s all easy for you to say isn’t it? You don’t even have a family!!”
This last sentence had an obvious stinging effect. At once, Al’s purple orbs reignited their rage, and he too began to growl.
“You know what??” he snarled. “I’m starting to think Seizon was right about you. You’re too naive, you understand the first thing about how to conduct yourself against your enemies. It was little wonder you were powerless to prevent Pyron-”
Chomper didn’t let him finish his sentence. Barrelling into him with an ear-splitting roar of rage, Chomper had Al on the ground before the latter even knew what was happening. He could vaguely hear his friends panicking and calling his name, but right now he didn’t care. He was snarling, and Al was snarling back, their jaws moving in on each other’s throats...
“Enough!!”
A huge leg had stamped into their midst, forcing them apart and rolling on the ground, shaking their heads in bewilderment. Chomper and Al sprang up to see the form of Opal striding towards them, casting a surveying eye over the twelve youngsters. Chomper glanced back at the others. Although their gaze mainly concerned Opal, they kept glancing back at him, looking quite concerned.
“Alright...” Opal murmured, gazing at them all and sighing heavily. “I heard most of that, and quite frankly Al, you’re being ridiculous.”
Al looked up at her indignantly.
“What do you know?” he demanded.
“Considering my own husband was killed by sharpteeth,” Opal replied patiently. “Quite a bit. I know exactly what sharpteeth do and the desperation of their situations that lead them to do certain acts...I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s experienced this.”
Littlefoot nodded meekly. But Cera, looking suddenly confused, spoke up,
“Hang on...you have a husband?”
“Actually, in my time, I’ve had two...” Opal murmured. She shook her head hurriedly.
“Right now, it’s irrelevant. My point is Al, I’m astounded. I thought Lini had taken you. Or rather, taken your heart.”
Al didn’t say anything. His line of vision was now focused on Zyro, somewhere in the distance, in discussion with Old One. Lini was still gazing intently in his direction however.
“I hate to break it to you,” came a voice. “But he’s always like this.”
All thirteen of them, caught completely off guard, turned to see Screech and Thud standing behind them, looking completely relaxed and slightly amused by the situation, despite their noticeable injuries.
Opal, the only one amongst them who had no knowledge of the sharptooth language, allowed Chomper to translate for her, before asking,
“How do you mean?”
After receiving the translation, Screech laughed loudly, and Thud replied,
“Just because he’s completely blameless, he thinks everyone who has done something regrettable in their entire lives is completely beyond redeeming. Never mind that Shark and Zyro’s vision is to help sharpteeth who are in desperate situations, or that we were instrumental in saving everyone’s butts...no, we were once with Redclaw, so we are the scum of the earth!”
“I see,” Opal murmured, after receiving Chomper’s bitter translation. “Al, it’s great that you such an absolute view of the world’s morality, but maybe it’s time you grew up.”
“What??” Al snapped his head round, suddenly angry again.
“Everyone has some blemish in their past,” Opal went on. “You can’t just push others away via that particular judgement. I have a great regret that I have, up until recently, forgotten entirely...”
All eyes were on her now. She couldn’t not explain now...she sighed.
“I once lived in the Great Valley,” she said. “A long time ago. My husband, Omendric, led the Valley until his death, upon which Ulciscor took his advantage. In our desperation, and our cowardice, I and his brother, Ronan, fled.” She closed her eyes and gave a sad smile. “I get the feeling I was the one who persuaded him to turn his back, but we soon both forgot, trying to ignore the horrifying tales coming from the Valley under Ulciscor’s suffocating regime. We even got together ourselves, and had an egg. But then one day he came for us.”
“Who???” Littlefoot asked in awe.
“Ulciscor’s greatest follower...” Opal replied bitterly. “The fabled stinging longneck, the one called Kai.”
Cera made an appropriate noise of disgust.
“I don’t even know quite what he wanted,” Opal admitted. “By then I was sure Ulciscor’s regime had fallen. But he attacked us. Relentlessly...took out Ronan, and I was sure I was taken out too...I woke up with the rainbowfaces with no memory of who I was.” She sighed. “I think it was payback for running when I did. From this heap of regret, however, I’m glad one thing went right.” She now, drawing deep breaths and heart hammering, finally lowered her eyes upon Spike.
“I’m glad my child survived. And I’m glad he went on to live happily, with those who cared for, and loved him. And I’m glad...that I finally got to meet him.”
For a brief second, everyone just stood in a silent confusion. Then the penny dropped.
“Wait...!!” Cera looked scandalised, glancing from Opal, to Spike, and then back again. “You mean...?”
Ruby made a soft ëohhh’ of understanding, and simply smiled.
Spike was staring back at Opal, completely motionless, his heart pounding against his ribcage, his mind numb with disbelief. Eventually, his lips moved.
“M...ma...”
“I know you might think this is a bad time,” Opal went on hurriedly, tears now beginning to leak from her eyes. “I know we can’t rekindle a proper connection having spent all this time apart, and I know you feel far more connected to the one you now call mother, but...” she gulped. “But soon we will be marching off the war, and although hope is high, we have no guarantee what will happen. The only real certainty is that Ulciscor will not be pleased to see me. And if I go, I’d like to let you know beforehand...and live in hope that what’s connecting us is the one thing we have over Ulciscor. The fact that we’re all here because we believe in each other...” She glanced briefly back at Al. “That we are all connected by a common goal and the love we all have. The love we all share. There is real love here, I can tell...”
Her words sent a shiver through the group of youngsters, who all glanced at one another in equally appropriate ways.
“It gives me some joy knowing that, even if the Valley itself doesn’t survive, what it stood for will continue on for a long time...” she finished, gazing at them all with a very solemn pride.
Al, allowing himself to me momentarily swept away, turned back to face everyone.
“Maybe you’re right...” he murmured. “And I’m sorry for what I said concerning Pyron...he was my friend too...”
Without looking Lini in the eye, he turned his back on her.
“I’ll allow some bonding to go on, if you believe it should,” he said monotonously, before beginning to walk away.
“But Al!!” Lini called, speaking up again after a long silence. “What about us??”
Al paused briefly, before continuing walking away without a word to her.
*
“Yep, this is definitely the place...”
Seizon’s confirmation caused another, slightly far away grin to settle over Xal’s face.
“The Grand Cave Network...” he murmured. “So many stories I’ve heard...and now it will be the key to our victory.
He strode towards the entrance, Seizon carefully following. Ichy and Dil were nearby, resting against a conveniently placed rock.
“Anyone would think you were hurt!” Ichy observed, smirking slightly.
“I’d like to see how you’d come off in a fight with a spiketail!” Dil retorted, twisting her head around to squint at her wounds. “Ichy, why did Xal want me out here anyway? I’m hardly going to fare well in a fight with Bludgeoners!”
“Oh, he knows I have great authority over you,” Ichy replied dryly. “It’s my tactical skills he wants. Besides...” his tone of voice now changed. “Once he gets what he wants, you’ll be in immediate priority. It’ll be useful in finding...you know...”
“Don’t insult me,” Dil growled. “As if I would forget my own daughter! And what about you? I take it you have agenda too?”
“I thought I did,” Ichy admitted. “But maybe that’s quite considerably gone...I don’t think anything I do will hold any weight...”
“Damn it, Ichy!” Dil sighed. “Will I ever be rid of you??”
Ichy simply smiled, but didn’t reply.
Back at the mouth of the cave, Xal was peering intently into the network. It was still a few hours until sunrise, so he could barely see a think. Sniffing intently, he growled, and said in a carrying whisper.
“The average leaf-eater is the great oppressor.”
Slightly confused at this, Seizon jumped when he heard a reply coming from the cave.
“But the average sharptooth is a sibling to unite with. Well, Xal, you took your time.”
“It was necessary,” Xal replied, now looking more relaxed. “What’s this network like?”
“Bizarre,” the voice replied. “It floods half the time, and there were a pack of young misfits jealously guarding some shiny stones.” At this, both bladebacks noticed a small, slightly whitish object come flying out of the gloom, landing with a clatter at Xal’s feet. Seizon peered round to take a good look at it, and felt his heart briefly stop.
It was a small, sharptooth’s skull. And not just from any sharptooth. This skull was immediately distinguished by its short and deep shape. And the two horns atop it...
Seizon remembered how he had told Nott that he never should have messed with Xal. And how those words had literally come back to him. He felt a stab of sympathy, but it was short lived. Nott had had it coming. Besides, there were more important things to worry about.
Now striding into view was a jet-black Piercer, with several narrow red lines upon her back. Her eyes were a deep, blood-red also, and she was looking at Xal quizzically.
“So what’s the issue here?” she asked.
“It’s quite simple, Zoe,” Xal replied. “We’ve got to follow a large alliance of sharpteeth and flatteeth to the Great Valley, and wait until they and Ulciscor’s forces have all but destroyed each other before heading in ourselves.”
“Sounds like sheer suicide,” Zoe replied boredly. “But it might work. Once you’re in control of the Valley, assuming that’s even a possibility, I’m hoping my own agenda will be considered?”
“As with everyone’s desires, yes,” Xal nodded curtly.
Seizon was watching this exchange with a coupled fascination and outrage. This Piercer, whom he had never seen before, was speaking to Xal as though he were nothing...
“Show respect!!” he snarled at her. “Without Xal, your goal will never be realised!”
Zoe looked at him coldly.
“And what do you want out of this revolution of his?” she asked.
Seizon quickly changed the subject.
“What was it you said to her at the beginning?” he asked Xal.
“A passcode,” Xal replied briskly. “One of Eykion’s sayings. Helps us keep track of each other. Now, I need to help Zoe mobilize the Piercers, go and make sure those two...” he jerked his head in Ichy and Dil’s direction, “know what we’re doing...”
Seizon obediently walked over, his mind working furiously. So, Xal’s pledge was to help all those who helped him revolt with whatever issues the world had given them? It seemed perfectly in sync with the world he had envisaged; he just hoped there would be room for his older friends in that world too.
On the subject of old friends, he noticed a lilac feather sticking out of the ground nearby. It looked a bit worse for wear, but it was definitely Nycha’s – the very one she had plucked from her head to place on Pyron’s grave. After a great many weeks, he was finally back here.
“Fallen companion?” Ichy asked quietly, as Seizon knelt down upon the mound of earth.
“Yeah...” Seizon muttered absent-mindedly, gazing at the single feather intently.
He placed his hand upon the earth, staring hard at the feather, as his mind rolled back to Pyron.
“Forget Al, you were the real peacemaker...” he thought solemnly. “Goodness only knows what you’d say to me if you saw me now, Pyron. Would you rebuke me? Or just tell me to continue, trying to get the best result possible...” Seizon glanced at Xal, whom was in deep conversation with Zoe, as many more Piercers, possible numbering thirty, milled around, preparing...
One objective, Seizon told himself. One objective...and then everything followed on from that...
*
The early hours of the morning continued to trend until obvious signs of pre-dawn were upon the dinosaurs that inhabited the Great Valley. With the clouds rolling over, and the stars beginning to disappear, a light breeze whistled harshly through the largely bare trees, the branches creaking...
The signs would have been obvious, but most Valley inhabitants were asleep, their dreams disturbed my mingled excitement and fear. They had all heard the whisper of liberation, but their lives were still ruled by a monstrosity who could take their lives with a single command...
Movement existed solely in the form of this monstrosity. Ulciscor was wide awake, pacing back and forth at the bank of the watering hole were the Thundering Falls gushed abundantly, and gazing at his reflection. Nearby, his parents slept, guarded by fanatical and loyal Bludgeoners.
Ulciscor knew that they were talking of liberation and rebellion. But finding the source of this rumour and crushing it was a lot more difficult. It had seemingly come from nowhere. If these dinosaurs had rekindled some backbone, then it could prove disastrous for his plans. Maybe some new measure was necessary.
Ulciscor considered. What new measure would keep them under his thumb?
There were their children of course – but kill them and they would have nothing left to lose...although keeping them hostage and holding to a ransom of their undying obedience...yes, that would be better!
Ulciscor smiled to himself, but this smile was short-lived, when he remembered the enemies he had beyond these walls. He knew it were only a matter of time before their forces were scraped together once more.
“I have fortified the Valley...” he told himself firmly. “The East mountain wall is blockaded with solid rock. If those sharpteeth do return, we will be forewarned...”
But if, Ulciscor continued to himself, if there are enemies on all sides, where would he expand next? His plan had always been to fortify the Valley and expand his armies...
“Everything just moves so slowly...” Ulciscor thought mutionously. “If I am to rid the world of the curse that is sharpteeth, I will have to expand my horizons beyond the Great Valley...”
At that moment, he heard a rustling and heavy footfalls heralded the arrival of another at the water’s edge. Peering through the darkness, he saw the distinctive form of his greatest lieutenant, looking very content.
“Where have you been?” Ulciscor demanded.
“Just been cleansing the area,” Kai replied nonchalantly, lowering his neck to drink. “Managed to uproot what looked to be a family group of sharpteeth.” A small grin appeared on his face. “Took only a few minutes to deal with them all.”
“We have Bludgeoners for that!” Ulciscor snapped. “Bludgeoners that are stationed on the exterior of the Valley to watch for any approaching force. Their job is to deal with sharpteeth, I need you here! What if something important had come up? But by all means continue to enjoy your sport!”
Kai, raising his head, glared back at the iron-grey longneck.
“I am merely keeping myself occupied,” he growled back. “I have been asking constantly if there’s any other task you require of me. What with sending me to the Fanged Forest and tailing your nephew, I thought you had planned further ahead. But there is simply nothing left to do. They all live in fear of us, why do I even need to enforce it? Shouldn’t we be cleansing the land of sharpteeth, as you always pledged to do??”
“It’s not as simple as that,” Ulciscor replied shortly, now striding around the water’s edge to be closer to him. “But you are right – it is time we got things moving.”
“Oh really?” Kai watched him closely. “How so?”
“It’s time we rallied more leaf-eaters to our cause. Only the pure stock, of course. But I get the feeling I’ll need to retrace some of my steps from the past.”
“Like when you recruited me?” Kai murmured, a look of what may have been reminiscence passing across his face.
“Technically, yes.” Ulciscor replied. “But I’ve been wandering for a long time, and with something as vital as this, it may result in digging up many ghosts. I’ll have to head off myself, alone. I don’t want to draw every eye.”
“And what of the Valley?”
“Oh, that’s where you come in.” Ulciscor’s smile of malice had returned. “Sorry, did I not mention?”
Kai’s eyes grew wide.
“Yes – because you have generated a great sense of fear and order into the Valley’s populace!” Ulciscor told him, continuing to pace.
“They all live in abject terror of you. Everywhere you go, they call you the longneck that stings, or words to that affect. I know you can control a crowd, and you can fulfil my noble goals. When I leave in a few days time, I will be leaving you in charge. You can do that for me, yes?”
“Oh yes!” Kai’s eyes were gleaming and he was practically salivating with excitement. “Yes sir, I won’t let you down!”
“Good,” Ulciscor said. “Now, go and get some sleep. I don’t wish for you to be wandering from the Valley again without permission, alright?”
Kai bowed his head, and with a grin wide enough to swallow his entire face, strode away, leaving Ulciscor to gaze at his reflection once more, his mind elsewhere.
*
The ghostly shape loomed into view against the inky black sky, but its identity was unmistakable. The destination had been reached.
Chomper knew their journey must have been considerable. Dawn could only be an hour or so from breaking, but the long trek of the large group of longnecks, sharpteeth, one spiketail and few random kids had left him much time to think. He supposed it helped that Rhea had insisted on carrying him atop her head for a lot of the journey so that he could get some sleep, and had gone strangely deaf when he pointed out that she needed her sleep too.
Even as tired as he was, there was no way Chomper could have slept. With every step the great liberating alliance took, Chomper’s panic had mounted. It was just beginning to occur to him what faced them – they, along with everyone he knew in the Great Valley were about to do battle with a group of murderous longnecks in the sheer hope that this would someone leave a decisive victory? It seemed the only option given what he knew about Ulciscor, but all the same, there was a good chance many of whom strode amongst him wouldn’t make it to see the next sunset. What if was Old One, the wise and aged longneck who carried such maternal power? What if it was Zyro, the bilingual and agile sharptooth whom had taken such responsibility on his shoulders? Or maybe even Opal, the once leader of the Valley, and Spike’s real mother? His heart sank even lower when he came to terms with the possibility that it could be either one or both of his parents. Of the casualties of the battle, it could also be Littlefoot, Saureen, Ruby, or another one of the friends he held so dear...
When these kind of thoughts struck him, he had persuaded his mother to lower him to the ground, so he could walk off some excess stress, and spend some time with the friends he had conglomerated. Although none of them spoke much, there was a mutual recognition and appreciation that walking with each other was something they wanted to do, just to linger more with each other before the inevitable battle. Saureen walked close beside him, in the close wake of Ferox, whom kept glancing back to check she was still with him. Saureen’s hand was easily visible by her side, and Chomper, remembering what Opal had told them about their love holding them together, grew curious sensations and felt the overwhelming desire to take hold of it, and squeeze it tight, if just to remind her that he was still there...?
But he refrained. Maybe it would just seem out of place. He had no clue. Was there love permeating amongst their group? Well, yes, definitely, but Chomper was still unsure whether she had been referring to the love you feel for true companions who will always have your back, or the love you feel for someone who you want to spend your life with...? Maybe both. Chomper was pretty sure Ali and Shorty had that kind of relationship – they hadn’t left each other’s side since the Fanged Forest. And Lini and Al had that too – or, they had done. Al had still refused to speak to Lini, and by extension, any of them, walking ahead by Zyro’s side. Chomper felt only a great boiling anger for Al’s self-righteous attitude, but all that bubbled away into cold terror and guilt when he wondered how he would feel if Al were to fall in the ensuing battle without them having reconciled...
And yet all this fear, guilt, anger and the dawning of brewing love largely evaporated from Chomper to be replaced with adrenalin and anticipation once he had caught sight of the unmistakable shape – Saurus Rock stood, lonely but stubborn, against the dark sky. Many months after being forcibly taken from it by a pair of enthusiastic young sharpteeth, he was back home at last. It was hard to believe that beyond the glorious mountain walls he knew so well, was a terrifying and oppressive state that they had come to aggressively resist against.
This sign had obviously been noticed by everyone, as the large marching alliance had come to a sudden halt.
There was silence, except for a few sniffs coming from Zyro.
“OK...” he breathed, though the alliance could hear quite clearly. “We’re facing the West wall, although we can detect a few guards directly ahead. Part of Ulciscor’s Bludgeon Brigade. Before we can get anything done, we’ll need to take them out. Quickly and without drawing too much attention. If you don’t mind me saying so, I think sharpteeth are the best option.”
“How so?” A longneck asked.
“Firstly, we’re smaller,” Zyro explained. “Secondly, we can find our way around the dark with our sense of smell. We have the advantage over them. Thirdly, they are more likely to expect sharpteeth to attack them. It’ll seem less suspicious, and there will be less of a desire to report this strange mishap and just initiate a slaughter.” He had a slightly grim smile as he finished.
After gathering a few medium-sized sharpteeth, including Screech and Thud, Zyro fled quickly but silently off, advising the group to follow him slowly. As they did so, they began to hear the sounds of angry grunts, snarls and thuds, whilst vision was limited. As they drew nearer, the sounds grew louder, until there was a resolute and final thud that sounded like it was caused by considerably more than a body falling to the ground. As they continued their approach, Zyro crept back to them, looking windswept, but noticeably pleased.
“We got a little hand,” he panted, inclining his head towards a figure clearly visible against the wall of rock.
“Pterano!?” Petrie gave a strangled gasp, repeated by many of his friends.
“Quieten down, now!” Pterano advised, nevertheless accepting the hug that Petrie offered him as he zipped towards him. “Yes, Old One recruited me for this task. I’ve been hanging with her herd for quite a while...”
“How come you never said anything??” Cera demanded, casting an accusatory eye over at Old One. Old One merely smiled.
“Pterano preferred anonymity for now,” she said simply.
“Yes, but I figured I would have to show myself at some point, and why not drop a rock whilst you’re at it?” Pterano remarked, gazing at the nearby body of a Bludgeoner, its skull clearly flattened by a fairly sizeable rock. Most of the group averted their eyes.
“In any case,” Pterano also tried to detract attention from the slightly grisly scene. “I have managed to recruit a rebel in the Valley for the task of getting you all through this wall. I left him up there...” He quickly flew upwards to the top of the slope, and upon his descent, carefully carried a figure clinging to his leg.
“Hyp?” Littlefoot exclaimed, craning his neck as soon as he recognised the features. “What...what have you been doing?”
“What anyone would have done!” Hyp replied stubbornly, staggering slightly as Pterano set him down. He gazed curiously up at the liberation force, looking slightly alarmed at all the large sharpteeth.
“According to Hyp, one of the Bludgeoners has defected,” Pterano exclaimed. “A chap called Uriah, who has informed us that this wall is where the prisoners are kept-”
“Now, hang on!” Cera protested. “How can we be sure he’s not just trying to trap us all??”
“Hmm...” Old One looked thoughtfully at her, before turning back to Pterano and Hyp.
“She has a point, you know,” she remarked. “What evidence do you have...?”
“Uriah came to me even before he heard there was rescue force on its way!” Hyp explained dismissively. “And kept me hidden whilst everyone else is baying for my blood! Besides, I have previous. I’ve seen Ulciscor imprison leaf-eaters in here!”
There was a lot of muttering at this, before Old One spoke up.
“So, now we attempt to get a clear way through this wall and free the prisoners at the same time.”
“But how?” Zyro looked troubled. “Doing both at once will draw an enormous amount of attention, and we’re pretty close to losing this cover of darkness as it is...”
Old One nodded, frowning, and turned back to Hyp.
“Couldn’t Uriah station himself at the other side to help everyone through?” she asked.
“He has,” Hyp replied. “But he doesn’t want to blow his cover until the entire force has got through, which might be a little difficult...”
“Couldn’t he offer to guard the caverns himself?” Bron asked.
“Ulciscor doesn’t allow it,” Pterano explained. “He’s been getting increasingly paranoid. He requires them always to work in at least pairs, and tends to switch these pairs around so no double conspiracy can happen...”
This led to more, much longer muttering. The leaders were pretty baffled by this turn of events, and it was several minutes before Opal walked over to Zyro and whispered in his ear.
Frowning prominently, he gazed at her.
“Are you sure she’s up to it?” he asked.
“Oh yes,” Opal nodded grimly. “She seemed very enthused when she told me, actually. And we know that someone moving through the caverns can’t be anyone very large, or indeed a sharptooth, as any one of Ulciscor’s followers would kill them on sight. And she promises that, timed correctly, she’s sure it could work.”
“It does seem promising,” Zyro admitted. “But it’s taking an awful risk...”
“We’re running out of time,” Opal reminded him, still looking grim.
Zyro sighed, gazed up into the sky as though asking for forgiveness, before saying,
“Ruby?”
Ruby immediately stepped forward, her face shining with anticipation. Adults on either side of her drew back to let her through.
“Yes?” she asked eagerly.
“I think your idea could be put into action...”
Ruby grinned.
“Excellent.”
“Wait, what idea is this?” Old One asked abruptly. Zyro was about to explain when Ruby cut across him.
“No, I know there’ll be protests – and we don’t have time to waste protesting.” She immediately strode to Pterano and whispered hurriedly in his ear. Pterano frowned, but nodded, and quickly took off.
“Wait!” Chomper stepped forward. “What is this??”
“In short, I’ll be heading into the caverns,” Ruby replied. “Chomper, relax – it’s something I’m very much used to, and the next stage of operations can take place from there...”
“Which I think we all should know,” Old One said sternly. “This is very poor form...”
“Zyro will fill you in,” Ruby explained quickly, gazing around the wall she was facing for an opening. “Right now, we don’t have time...”
“Well,
-
And here's the rest! :DD
*
“Isn’t Hyp also coming?” Cera asked, struggling over an inconveniently placed rock, as she and Ruby crept as carefully as they could against the shadows of immensely dark caverns.
“Shortly,” Ruby assured her, peering into the gloom, her mind working furiously.
“If you’d like to inform me what exactly you have planned?” Cera asked impatiently, walking closely to her and gazing at her reproachfully. Ruby glanced back and sighed.
“OK – for the time being, we’re going to have to bypass the prisoners.”
“What? Why?”
“We have to find something, quickly. “It’ll all make sense...”
Cera sighed.
“So how come there aren’t any prisoners down this cave?” she asked, her mind snapping unintentionally to her father. She had no doubt he would have kicked up a fuss. The idea made her smile briefly, but it quickly vanished when she remembered that Ulciscor was unforgiving. And what would Tria have said?
Even in the darkness, Ruby could see Cera had her mind in unbidden and unhelpful places, so she continued.
“The reason this cave is so devoid of prisoners is because Ulciscor didn’t want it used as a prison. If you remember, how we got in offered very little resistance from the rock. It’s far too long a tunnel to block off completely, and he doesn’t want the inmates escaping into the Mysterious Beyond. Besides, I think we’ve been moving steadily upwards since we’ve entered the cave. Therefore, the mouth of this cave, likely unobstructed, it’s somewhere high up...”
More walking soon proved her correct. The smell of the night air greeted them, and small cave mouth awaited them.
“And finally...” Ruby breathed, gazing out into the Valley. “We’re finally back, back in the Great Valley, our home to come back to...although it looks like we’re back somewhere else...”
Cera could only agree as she gazed across the dark landscape she had lived in for so long. So much vegetation had been ripped from its place, the trees bare and ghostly...it was almost like the shell of the Valley she knew. Instinctively, she found herself drawing closer to Ruby. Ruby did not resist.
“What now?” Cera whispered.
“Well, we need to climb down,” Ruby replied.
“Into the Valley?” Cera asked, alarmed. “What if we get noticed?”
Ruby didn’t answer. Instead, she carefully began to lower herself down from the place whence she had come, clinging to the rock gingerly, slowly descending. Cera, rolling her eyes, nevertheless closely followed.
It would have felt good to find solid ground again, but Cera’s legs nearly gave way once she had reached it. She would never admit it, but her knocking knees gave it away – she was terrified. Ruby didn’t look all that much better.
“N-now what?” Cera asked, her teeth chattering.
“Now...?” Ruby looked as though she was considering the matter. “Well, now we investigate where the prisons are...”
She reluctantly began to walk off, keeping close to the rocky areas at the perimeter of the Valley, Cera closely following, keeping an eye out for...
“Stop!”
A great ice block had slipped perilously into Cera’s stomach as she heard the imperative. Without really thinking, she broke into a canter, crashing clumsily into Ruby. The two girls rolled haphazardly onto the ground, coming to a stop and noticing two powerful, spiked club-tails in their path.
Two Bludgeoners stood before them, opaque and grotesque against the black sky, the slight breeze whistling through the largely dead grass at their feet. The leaned closer, examining their two new captives with apparent interest. One of them looked carefully at Ruby, and, when the other’s gaze was fixed on Cera, gave her the shadow of a wink. That one was surely Uriah. The knot in Ruby’s chest loosened slightly.
“Well, this is unexpected,” the other Bludgeoner remarked. “These are just children. But I’ve never seen them before. What about you, Uriah?”
Ruby felt Cera exhale in relief beside her, although she was still at a complete loss as to what was going on.
Uriah shook his head.
“There are certainly no fast-runner families within the Valley, Beck,” he replied. “My guess is these two may have come in here from beyond.”
“Beyond?” the Bludgeoner called Beck looked at Uriah, alarmed. “Are you sure?”
Uriah shrugged.
“If they are, we should probably take them to Ulciscor, and see what he’d have us do with them,” he said carefully.
“Right...” Beck didn’t look overly happy with this decision, but seemed to reluctantly agree, and nudged the two girls rather roughly with his tail.
“Get up you two, and come with us.”
Cera couldn’t help but constantly glance at Ruby as they walked. Her mind was working furiously. Had this been part of Ruby’s plan? What the hell was happening? Ruby just kept her head down, and her expression determinately blank.
But even with her mind in the state it was, Cera soon realised the direction they were headed, and recognised the Thundering Falls at once. And standing at its bank, turning to gaze at the approaching Bludgeoners could only be Ulciscor. Even Cera had to admit he commanded a certain awe with his presence.
“What is this?” he demanded, shifting his dark-eyed gaze to Cera and Ruby. “Who are they?”
“We found them near the Great Wall,” Beck explained. “Uriah assumed they may have come from beyond the Valley...”
“Right...” Ulciscor gazed down at them with such a sheer contempt that Cera thought she would surely keel over from the pure force of it.
“I’ll have you know far-walkers are not welcome here!” he snarled. “Especially as you seem to have come from a mixed herd. You will get no pity from me, I assure you.” He turned to the two Bludgeoners.
“I want you to take these two-”
“Wait!” came a gloating call from nearby. “I know them!”
Cera followed the voice across the water, and upon sighting its source felt a hot, ugly wave of hatred rise within her like a snake rearing from grass. Kai, looking positively thrilled at the sight of her and Ruby captive, was gazing directly at the scene with a sadistic merriment.
“They were amongst the group friends with the sharptooth,” he spat out the last word with considerable venom. “I thought you were dead...I thought I’d got rid of all of you back at the fast water. Along with...well, you know who else was amongst them, Ulciscor.” He nodded respectfully in his leader’s direction.
“I see...” Ulciscor frowned. “Then that means they could all still be alive...” he scowled heavily. “That means there is a potential liberation force on its way...” he suddenly looked mortified.
“Who did you come here with??” he bellowed, striking the two of them hard with his tail. The force knocked the two girls, winded, to the ground, and they both tasted blood. Despite this, they both got back to their feet with a bitter resolve.
“You won’t get anything out of us!!” Cera roared back.
“That’s right!” Ruby agreed, oddly reckless. “We have standards!”
Ulciscor was now livid. He was about to raise his tail again, when Uriah spoke up.
“I know it may not be my place sir, but given the circumstances, I think execution might be the most appropriate option.”
Cera’s mouth fell open in horror, not registering Ruby’s tiny satisfied smirk.
“W...wha...?” she gasped, apparently too appalled to speak properly, gazing at Uriah, who would not look at her.
“I disagree...” Ulciscor replied. “If they are part of an attack force, I want to found everything I can from them. They require significant interrogation...”
“Well, an example has to be made,” Kai offered. “Why not get rid of one of them, and keep the other for questioning?”
“Hmm...” Ulciscor turned back to look at them. Cera could not believe how casual he was at the prospect of killing.
“Yes...I’ll keep the threehorn. She is a four-footer, and therefore must be held in higher regard than the fast-runner.”
“WHAT???” Cera screamed. “NO, YOU CAN’T, I REFUSE, DON’T YOU DARE-”
Beck struck her hard in the back, and she collapsed again, thudding to the ground and feeling a trickle of blood escape from her mouth.
“It’s nearly dawn...” Ulciscor observed, raising his head towards the sky. “When the Bright Circle rises, we will stage the execution with everyone watching. I think throwing her off the Great Wall will be a very well received method...” he smiled. “Until then, these two need to be held within the caverns under heavy protection, in a place that we know is inescapable. And I need a full investigation into where they came from. It could be that these two were sent as scouts and the rest of the attack force has not fully amassed where they came from, but I don’t want to take chances.”
“Don’t worry,” Uriah said immediately. “I was patrolling where they were came from, I know the area. I’ll amass a search team to investigate where they could have got in.” Ulciscor nodded, and Uriah strode away.
“Kai and Beck, take these two to the caverns. They will be held there briefly until the execution.” He gazed up at the sky. “The light is already coming. It should not be too long. Hopefully this will be enough time to stay ahead of our enemies, whoever they are.”
Cera was in a state of numb horror as she was dragged away, although she vaguely noticed Ruby didn’t look all that worried...
*
The cave itself was much more compact that the previous, winding, freely spacious cavern they had entered through. This claustrophobia did not help Cera’s case, because right now, she was so on-edge she could not even begin to think what do with herself. Pacing out her frustrations in this small space did her absolutely no good. She felt as though she was on the verge of breaking, and wanted nothing more than escape, not just from the cave, but from everything...
Ruby, in contrast, was sitting quite still, gazing at the boulder that stood in front of the cave, apparently contemplating. She did, however, look round when Cera emitted a particularly loud frustrated yell.
“Cera...” she said uncertainly. “How’s your back?”
“Wha...?” Cera looked momentarily stunned.
“That Bludgeoner struck you pretty hard...I can clearly still see a mark on it...” she sighed.
“Never mind that now!” Cera rushed hurriedly to her side, her face slack with torment. “You’re going to be killed, Ruby! You hear me? You will literally be killed in just a short while – and I have no idea how the others are going to reach us, Uriah betrayed us, everything failed and-”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong,” Ruby interjected.
“What???”
“Nothing failed,” Ruby said, now smiling slightly, shifting her gaze back to the boulder. “Everything worked out exactly how it should have done.”
A brief silence hung between the two as these words registered to Cera. Ruby was still smiling. Then, with a snap of rage and a roar of dismay, Cera ground her head straight into Ruby’s side, capsizing her off her plinth and crashing to the ground.
“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF PLAYING YOUR STUPID MIND GAMES!!!” Cera snarled at her. “WHAT THE HELL, EXACTLY, IS GOING ON WITH THIS PLAN OF YOURS?? Don’t just brush it aside like I’m meant to understand, because if you’re to face death like that, you really think I’m going to take it lying down?? I’m not as stupid as you think, you know!!”
Ruby’s expression now read one of shock and concern. She looked up at Cera, who was panting heavily with furious tears forming in her eyes, and she gave the threehorn a weak smile.
“I don’t think that,” she assured her. “And yes, you’re right. It’s probably time I explained what’s going on.”
Cera, looking mildly surprised, gulped and nevertheless nodded.
Ruby got to her feet.
“The alliance will come for us,” she said earnestly. “Just as they did in the Fanged Forest – we needed to find a way to get into the Valley without Ulciscor noticing. It is therefore deliciously ironic that by drawing attention to ourselves, Ulciscor’s attention was drawn from ourselves.”
“How do you work that out?” Cera asked.
“Some of forces are being led by Uriah to investigate a location far from where the alliance is working a route into the Valley,” Ruby explained. “See, Uriah didn’t betray us – he did exactly what he was meant to and is now diverting attention from the main assault. And soon, Ulciscor will gather all of his forces and all the residents of the Valley for one of his favourite spectacles.”
“You mean your execution...” Cera murmured, a distinct quiver in her voice.
“That’s right!” Ruby agreed, smiling at her nervously. “A shot in the dark, but he’s going to be so distracted organising this, he won’t realise what he’s meant to be focusing on...don’t ask me how that works, but it seems as though Ulciscor puts what he considers justice and honour and before reason.”
“So that was your plan??” Cera looked more anguished than ever. “A wild speculation on the off chance that everyone would behave the way you thought and would result in you getting killed???”
“Oh, Cera!” Ruby placed a hand on her. “There’s every chance the alliance will get through in time to save me! That was the idea, anyway...they’re currently working through the caverns and freeing prisoners at the same time. Eventually, they’ll rescue you, and use their new found intricate tunnel system or whatever route they’ve managed to dig into this wall to come and rescue me. But even if they don’t, I’m not...well, too concerned...”
“Don’t say that!” Cera grunted, tears beginning to form again. “How can you even say that?? We need you, Ruby...we all do...”
Ruby gazed at her, looking positively radiant and considerably moved. She beamed at her.
“Well, thank you Cera. But my point is, it’s this Valley I’m willing to die for. I remember when I first came here, I found a lot of you residents close-minded, and frankly, a little dense.”
“Hm?” Cera looked up at her. “And...?”
Ruby grinned rather impishly.
“Well, that’s it...but actually, there’s something here that I couldn’t even begin to fathom. The fact that you all live together in such a large group with such relative harmony. You even let a sharptooth live here. That’s really progressive!”
“Yeah, then there’s my dad...” Cera sighed. “He’s hardly harmonious...”
“And yet,” Ruby insisted. “He always comes into his own when anyone he cares about, extending to everyone in the Valley, is in danger. And perhaps he ought to be reminded of that from time to time. Just in case it’s something Tria needs to be aware of...”
“Tria...!” Cera sighed, failing to hide her tears once more. “Who knows if they even look at each other now...”
“Maybe you’ll find,” Ruby said soothingly, “That there are chances to repair these kinds of things. And the Cera I know is not going to take any of it lying down!”
Cera looked up to see Ruby continue to smile. This, perhaps more than anything, made her sniff back her tears and hold her head high.
“It’s like Opal was saying...” Ruby continued. “She understands the Great Valley Will...and love that’ll keep us together...and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to preserve that from the likes of Ulciscor.”
“Yeah...” Cera murmured, watching her closely. “Yeah, I think you’re right...but you’d better come out of this one alive, Ruby! If you die...” she gave a weak little smile. “I’ll never speak to you again...”
“I think that’s fair!” Ruby agreed. Her smile slipped slightly, however, when she heard movement outside the cave. “It’s them...they’re coming for me...”
Both girls’ expressions immediately transformed to one of a chilling, mutual fear, but Ruby quickly shook it off.
“I’ll see you soon, hopefully...” Ruby muttered quickly, moving towards Cera. “The alliance should find you any minute, and then you can go round the other side of the Valley to help me. Remember what I said...keep those Valley spirits fighting. It’s the one true advantage we have over him.”
On an impulse, she leaned over and planted a brief kiss on Cera’s forehead. Cera watched in silence as the boulder rolled away, and a glaring sunlight punched them in the eyes. Squinting, she saw Ruby being dragged out with a smile by two Bludgeoners, who quickly rolled the stone back, and Cera was left alone in the semi-darkness, nevertheless hearing movement in the caves beyond, and thinking very carefully about every Ruby had said and done. Everything was conclusive.
The time had finally come.
~0~
Cliffhanger! Sort of...well, hope you enjoyed - to be honest this felt like a bit of a mess when writing...sorry if you were expecting a battle - this was all about continuing character arcs before the battle! :nyah However, I can confirm the title of the next chapter is THE BATTLE FOR THE GREAT VALLEY, so you can all look forward to that! :smile
Let me know what you thought about this one, and as always, thanks for reading!!
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I seem to have lost control of chapter lengths... :wow
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I hope reading this will restore my interest in reading and reviewing fanfictions- something I've terribly neclected these past weeks and months :oops
Ichy's conversation with Seizon reveals a lot about his relationship with Dil. The way you have portraited it here is quite similar to how I imagined it to be. More of a partnership in order for each of them to have a significant advantage in spite of their differences and mutual dislike... But, as the (german) saying goes: You love the one you tease/annoy/insult :p
Xal's battle strategy seems to be well thought of. Obviously he couldn't take on both forces but, knowing both forces would probably start a battle for the Great Valley themselves, he'd just have to wait and take on the weakened survivors ^^
But Xal's not the only one with a good plan here ;) I must say you've managed to have these characters have a very good discussion with good arguments and also good counter arguments. I just vaguely remember how a good discussion has to be structured and how you can get your point across (or sabotage the point of others) from my german lessons back in school and what I've being taught I can see in this debate :yes
Also I have a feeling Opal and Spike will have a very interesting (and one-sided :D) conversation later on...
Dun dun duuuuuuun, and there we go :D Wow, these few paragraphs really made me smile like crazy! Opal would've been such a loving mother to Spike, yep, yep, yep! She's a really great character I just realise as I just read this...
When I read about Lini revealing her past I thought I'd already heard about this but then I realised she had a different audience this time. Al wasn't with her when she first did so to Saureen and Chomper (and Seizon) but oh this makes so much of a difference! I was expecting a lot but NOT this! I love being surprised :smile
This quite energy-loaded conversation is excellent! It just flows so... naturally and the reactions of everyone just fit perfectly! Well, except for Al extremely acting out of character (as far as I can tell) but I'm sure there's also something in his very own past which causes his so extremely negative response to the dinosaur he actually had feelings for... Well, I'm kinda glad Opal interrupted this eventually... could've ended bad ^^
Hmm, right now I'd really want to hear Seizon think about Pyron and Nycha. He sure seems to feel grief about the loss to some degree...
Ulciscor leaving the Valley and Kai in charge? Oh dear! :DD I'm sure this is a negative development... only for which party? Time will tell...
Okay, so whatever Ruby's plan is, it's crazy :p I'm really excited to find out what she was planning all along...
Oh dear, oh dear, Ruby is nuts but her plan is genius! You know this whole sacrifice thing really reminds me of Naruto. The Great Valley will to preserve everything the Valley stands for is kinda like the will of fire of Konoha ninjas. Eh yeah... just something I associated with this part of the chapter :p
It's so sweet to see Cera show her soft side ^^ I know you mentioned some RubyxCera stuff would be in here so I wasn't that surprised but still... a daring move of you. I see it as a kind of kiss siblings or best friends would share, not as a romantical thing...
Anyway, you've told me earlier you're struggling with your writing... Well, after reading this chapter at last (due to the fact that I can't sleep tonight...) I'm very positive you'll make it! This was an awesome read even without action (mostly). I'll have enough of that in the next chapter(s) ;)
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So, against what I wished for, this has turned out to be even longer than the last bloody chapter. :rolleyes: I would say this trend probably won't continue, and I don't think it will, but still... :lol
Now, this is either the most epic moment in the entire story, or just a heap of contrived nonsense. I'll let you decide. It is proofread, but it might still be awful.
If it isn't, have music for action/sad scenes and whatever on stand by, just for the extra epic feel. :lol
And of course, like last time, this needs to be divided into parts...
Chapter Twenty-Five: Battle for the Great Valley
The dawn air was still cool to stand in, gentle and soothing breezes counteracting the renewed glare of the Bright Circle as it crept up the sky to gaze upon the Great Valley, largely bare with coarse hard earth. This Valley displayed many echoes of the past – it was a place of resilience recovering from floods and fire, devastation and despots...yet now it faced the prospect of the single greatest act of bloodshed in its history.
The dawn chorus gave an ironically sweet melody as the two Bludgeoners with their condemned prisoner in tow, marched through the Valley up to a centre point, high upon the Great Wall where Ulciscor, pacing with a hungry smile on his face, was relishing in what he planned to do to those who defied him. Once again, everyone would see. And this time nobody would dare try and retaliate.
“This blow will be considerably stronger,” he told Kai with a prominent eagerness. “The clubtail was loved, yes, but he was considerably past his time already. By removing a young, well-received and respected child of the Valley, they will all know that I stop at nothing.”
“Well conceived,” Kai complimented, bowing his head slightly. “Unfortunately we still have no sign of the others. Uriah hasn’t found anything...”
“That can wait,” Ulciscor assured him. “Because after we’ve demonstrated this, there will be no shortage of leaf-eaters willing to do anything I ask them...”
He glanced over at his parents as he said this. Aster and Arianna were surrounded by a circle of Bludgeoners as always, but neither of them seemed able to look at him. They had their eyes tightly closed, and were leaning against each other, apparently savouring not being able to see the reality of their captivity. Well, perhaps they’d respond more once their grandson had been secured. Ulciscor tore his gaze away from them and surveyed his dominion with a perpetual relish.
Other Bludgeoners were gathering all the residents of the Valley in the wake of the two flanking Ruby, and despite their defeated obedience, they were all gazing at the captured fast-runner in unbridled horror.
“No way...”
“They can’t possibly...”
“What about the other kids? Did they find them?”
“Surely Ruby can’t have come back here alone...” Dorian Thicknose murmured to Topps. “The others...what happened to them...?”
“Hmm...” Topps looked thoughtful. “Maybe they gave these guys the slip? Maybe Ruby’s taking one for the team...no, that can’t be...what do you think?” he turned to Tria, his voice betraying a slightly hopeful edge that she would try and engage him in conversation.
Tria, having scooped a trembling Tricia atop her head, was transfixed by Ruby’s predicament, tears visible in her eyes.
“I only hope...” she said with a quaver in her tone, “that none of the other kids have to be near this...”
They were the only words he was able to get out of her.
High upon a sloped peak overlooking the more desolate areas of the Mysterious Beyond was where Ulciscor stood, gazing over the precipice. Although its route into the Valley was sloped, to the Mysterious Beyond it was a sheer rock face, a good dizzying height from which Ulciscor had dropped several dissidents during both his tenures. Its effectiveness never wavered. He smiled at this thought.
He turned around to see his subjects watching him with a mingled disgust and fear. The atmosphere was fairly crowded, with many Bludgeoners actually having to stand on the slope behind the Valleians rather than on the peak, but he knew by now how well he could control a crowd. Nodding to the two Bludgeoners directly in front of him, he watched as they responded by flinging Ruby to the ground at his feet. The crowd of Valleians gasped, but Ruby made to get to her feet without making a sound.
Kai, his face alive with malice, responded at once. Stepping quickly forward, he placed one of his front feet on Ruby’s back and pressed down, not so as to crush her, but hard enough for her to emit a sharp cry of pain. The gasps returned.
“There you are fast-runner!” Kai declared superciliously. “Right in the dirt where you belong! Don’t even think about standing in the presence of Ulciscor, the Lone Dinosaur!”
The Bludgeoners stationed to the sides all announced their loud approval, in what appeared to be a very rapid, short chant. Ruby noticed Uriah out of the corner of her eye, imitating his peers, but nevertheless looking slightly nauseous.
“OK, that’ll do,” Ulciscor informed his cheerleaders, although the look on his face didn’t fool any of the Valleians. He motioned for Kai to take his foot off Ruby’s back, but looked down on her with the same expression Kai wore.
“This child,” he told the crowds, and was delighted to see that Aster and Arianna were now watching with abject terror. “This sprightly two-footer who thinks she is equal to the great longnecks has returned to the place she was once allowed as an immigrant in a foolish attempt to usurp me. I don’t yet know the full extent of this conspiracy, but after I have made this demonstration, I’m sure all of you...!” he eyes swept the terrified Valleians, “will be willing to obey me. Willing to do what I say when you realise what will happen to any rebel, be they old or young...” his eyes returned to Ruby at the final word.
There was silence, punctured only by a gust of wind the sent a shiver through every witness.
Ulciscor continued.
“I have been warned,” he told the crowd. “By a very trusted source...” he nodded to Kai. “That this individual is quite resourceful and not to be taken lightly. I have therefore prepared something for you to ride in your descent.
Ruby glanced at the two Bludgeoners coming towards her – and her eyes widened when she noticed the slab of wood they had produced, interlaced with vines...
She almost smiled at that – Ulciscor really wasn’t prepared to take any chances. But her primary concern now was any sign that rescue was on its way...?
The crowd continued to watch as Ruby was bound by her arms and legs to the wooden slab. She found herself impressed at how these Bludgeoners could manage it without hands. Obviously Ulciscor had chosen them carefully too. As the slab was raised up, her heart caught in her throat when she saw many of Valleians shedding very prominent tears...she wished she could send some sign to them, assuring them that all was not lost...but to be honest, she wasn’t all that sure herself.
The wood with her attached was pushed, upright, straight towards the edge of the precipice. She swallowed nervously at the sight, and then turned her head to where Ulciscor was watching her.
“And so it ends!” Ulciscor informed everyone loudly. “This particular interception. No more wannabe dissidents will cross my borders! Any last words, fast-runner?”
“Actually...yes,” Ruby replied, twisting her head as best she could to address the Valleians.
“Whatever ends here this day,” she told them, her mind frantically making it up as she went along, “We can allow no victory for this poser, no triumph for anything he stands for. This Valley stood for so much longer than he ever did, and will continue to stand long after he withers away. Whatever the outcome, there will be only one victory. Not of individuals, but of an idea, a single, free-floating love which will keep all true Valleians, alive and dead together, and cast out the ones unworthy of this truth!”
There was silence as she finished, and she was delighted to see that Ulciscor was giving her a very strained smile, the true rage evident in his eyes.
“Well!” he said, attempting to bite back the venom. “Now for what we all came for!” he raised his tail.
“Wait!”
By some bizarre turn of events, it had been Kai who had spoken. He had placed his own tail near Ulciscor’s, in a gesture for him to pause.
“What?” Ulciscor demanded impatiently.
“Allow me!” Kai said enthusiastically, throwing Ruby a filthy glare. “I have a personal score to settle with this one. I have to repay her for giving me the slip the way she did.”
Ulciscor’s expression had become fairly blasÈ.
“Knock yourself out,” he said simply, walking away from the edge.
Kai, grinning like a maniac, swung his tail in an arc through the air, and brought it straight into the back of the slab of wood, sending the entire thing, including Ruby, flying off the edge...
There were gasps from the Valleians, and in that split second, Ruby, suspended in the air and starting to plummet found herself accepting her fate...
But in the very next moment, she found herself caught by something, and flying sideways off round the walls of the Valley...
“Hey!” Kai roared, and as one, everyone single person on the precipice, from the Bludgeoners and Valleians to Ulciscor himself drew to the edge to take a closer look at the unorthodox turn of events.
Ruby’s heart was aglow as she found herself flying to now visible safety.
“That could have been quite nasty,” Pterano remarked. “But now we’re all assembled...”
It was quite visible to the group gathered on the precipice now. Having previously been just out of sight, a winding slope had been dug through the caverns just to the side of them, which led right up to the point where they stood. And all of them watched in either utter jubilation or transfixed horror as Pterano placed Ruby right in the middle of an enormous collection of dinosaurs – even as they gazed, the Valleians could see Ruby enthusiastically greeting Cera, who stood next to Littlefoot – Aster and Arianna leaned to get a closer look, hardly daring to believe it. More relief was etched in the hearts of parents as they also saw Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper, Hyp...and that wasn’t the half of it. Several more kids including unfamiliar sharpteeth, Ali and Shorty stood there, and with them Bron, Old One...a huge force of longnecks and sharpteeth, even the two notorious fast biters, Screech and Thud, who had inexplicably freed Ruby from the vines. And Dorian emitted a louder gasp than anyone could have thought possible when he recognised a spiketail standing beside the kids, looking just as determined as everyone else.
Ruby looked up at the thunderstruck Ulciscor and grinned.
“The extent of the conspiracy?” she called, her voice carrying even from that distance. “Quite excessive!”
No more preparation was necessary. Zyro took one look at the great force he was part of...and gave the order to charge.
Up the newly dug slope charged several hundred tonnes of determined and resolute dinosaur, Zyro and the faster sharpteeth in the lead. With a great bound, Zyro leapt up onto the precipice, a great roar leaving his mouth as he latched himself onto the neck of the nearest Bludegoner, who gave a cry as his neck was bent backwards, snapping almost instantly. Zyro let his opponent fall off the edge as he moved onto the next one, with more and more sharpteeth following, and soon longnecks too...
Ulciscor, screaming in defiance, attempting to retaliate, his great tail swinging in an arc, knocking a few smaller sharpteeth to their deaths...but there simple wasn’t room for an open battle here, and on an impulse, many of the Valleians soon caught onto the idea.
This was their salvation.
Topps responded first, charging headlong into the nearest Bludgeoner, who crashed to the ground, and was prevented from getting back to their feet when Bron struck them in the head hard with his tail. Topps nodded in thanks, and turned to another. Soon, every other Valleian of appropriate age was battling off their tormentors – some, like Dorian and the threehorns, were ramming Bludgeoners as hard as they could. Others, like Ducky’s mother and other hollowhorns and swimmers were making use of the tools they found around them to battle them off. Petrie had reunited with his mother in the air, and they, along with Pterano and Petrie’s siblings, were directing the battlers from above.
However, the battle-space was far too cramped. The other kids were trying to make good of getting to help the adults, but most of their contribution involved leaping out of the way to avoid getting crushed. Despite all of the precautions, this area still wasn’t ideal...
Chomper found himself rolling away from yet more pounding feet, before skidding to a halt before a Bludgeoner that raised its tail before...
It grunted in pain and Chomper noticed Al clinging to the longneck’s clubbed tail by his teeth.
“Chmper!!” he grunted. “Take ne lgs!!!”
Wondering briefly whether Al had decided to bury the hatchet with Lini, Chomper nevertheless obeyed, grabbing hold of one of the Bludgeoner’s front legs with his jaws, though to little effect. However, he saw Saureen take the other front leg, and with a loud roar that echoed around the cramped space, Lini charged straight at the Bludgeoner and used her powerful maws to crush its neck...
The Bludgeoner fell, and Chomper saw, to his indignation, that Al was already rushing off. He didn’t have time to consider this however when he caught sight of his parents, moving in on Kai...
He rushed blindly forward, gasping a little too loudly when both his parents were struck hard in the face by Kai’s spiked tail, little droplets of blood dripping onto the stony ground. He felt someone grab his arm, and suddenly, Saureen was right next to him, breathing heavily into his ear.
“Leave them, we need to get-”
But she stopped short when she saw Ferox also move into Kai. Kai turned his snarling face to him, but creating a blind side which Zyro took advantage of, leaping forward and clawing his neck...
Shorty, Ali, Cera and Ruby were all doing their best to wrong-foot their opponents, Ducky and Spike were at Opal’s side, but Littlefoot had given them all the slip when he had noticed two individuals being restricted movement a lot more considerably than anyone else.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” he called, perhaps a little unwisely. In the brief second that Aster and Arianna caught sight of him running towards them, Ulciscor had also noticed, and moved forward to close the gap...
Bron skidded his way in front, raising his tail and fixing Ulciscor with a steely glare that did not waver.
Ulciscor gazed just as unwaveringly back.
“Well then, Bron...” he said quietly, apparently entertained. “Show me what you’ve got...”
Bron swallowed hard, looking desperately for an opening. Ulciscor however, had turned his head away.
“We need to fall back,” he told Kai urgently. “There’s no way we can unleash the full force of the Bludgeon Brigade in these conditions.
Kai nodded.
The next couple of events was almost surreal. Ulciscor had struck Bron hard in the side with his head, but after that had quickly stepped away, with Kai and all the Bludgeoners following suit. The Valleians and the alliance had been so intertwined with the events that they failed to notice this retreat until they had all passed them.
But Ulciscor was not heading into the Mysterious Beyond. He had led his forces hurriedly down the slope whence he had come, back into the Valley. And, Littlefoot had noticed with mounting horror, he had taken his grandparents with him!
He made to canter after them, until he found Bron gripping his tail with his teeth.
“Not yet,” he muttered. “We need to consider this properly...” Littlefoot sighed, but nodded.
The fighting had ceased, with the alliance members and Valleians, discussing – quite loudly – the next course of action.
“What are we waiting for?” Topps demanded of the group at large. “Let’s go after them, and finally make them pay!”
This suggestion was greeted with considerable enthusiasm.
“Please wait!” Opal called desperately. “We must be careful!”
“Who put you in charge?” Topps demanded. “We’re all very thankful for what you’ve done...but I don’t even know who you are...”
“Well, I do,” Dorian said. Heads snapped to him.
“She is Opal – once a member of a family who led this Valley, back in the old days. And unlike Ulciscor, they ruled with compassion and care.”
“Dorian...?” Opal was looking at him in utmost disbelief. “Is that you?”
Dorian grinned rather sheepishly.
“Once leader or not, she’s right,” Old One informed them, now stepping forward, apparently having not been as quick to rush to battle as some of her younger colleagues. “We know that Ulciscor’s army is one of sheer ferocity, and we can’t just charge blindly. So far we have taken out a sheer minimum of Bludgeoners. This battle is far from over.”
“Well, yes, I get that...” Topps agreed. “But, I have to ask...” he glanced sideways at Zyro.
“Why all the sharpteeth, exactly?”
“Did Pterano not inform you?” Zyro asked him tiredly, to which many of the Valleians were taken aback. “We’re here to help.”
“They want Ulciscor gone as much as the rest of us,” Old One continued. “They are willing to work with us. What about you?”
“I’m perfectly happy...” Dorian said earnestly.
“So am I,” Tria added, glancing at Topps as she did so. One by one, every other Valleian gave their approval, concluded by Topps nodding and agreeing.
“Alright,” Old One looked around carefully. “Then we must all decide what to do next...”
“How about we just ask this one?” came a slightly savage voice. One of the longnecks from Old One’s herd was approaching a kneeling Bludgeoner, who was apparently trembling in fear. Although that Bludgeoner looked vaguely familiar...
“Relax!” Pterano quickly flew down to them. “This is Uriah, the one who allowed us in. I presume you’ll be fighting on our side fully now?”
Uriah swallowed.
“Yes...and I get the feeling Ulciscor will launch a counterattack – Bludgeon battle formations have been devised for such an occasion. I can take you through them, but we must act quickly.”
“What’s more,” Bron turning to the group at large. “It would appear my parents-in-law have been taken captive by Ulciscor.” Old One nodded.
“Do you have any idea why that might be...?” she asked. Bron shook his head quickly. He could feel the eyes of many Valleians upon him. So...Ulciscor had told them...
The attention didn’t linger on him for very long, as announcements for new strategies came into fruition. Sighing, he glanced over at where Littlefoot, Shorty and all the others were uniting under a promise that they would all return to each other once this was over...clearly there was something that he would have to return to in the depths of his past before this was over...
*
On grand plains surrounded by bare trees stood Ulciscor, an army around him, watching him pace furiously.
“How could we not have noticed the attack force?” he snarled at Kai.
“Evidently someone has betrayed us,” Kai answered coldly, glancing at the Bludgeoners, who flinched at his glare. “I don’t see Uriah amongst this group...”
“Oh, he was always a weak-willed one!” Ulciscor declared savagely, kicking a fairly dead clump of ferns.
“Should I kill him?” Kai asked hopefully.
“Kill all of them,” Ulciscor replied earnestly. “Any dinosaur, sharptooth or leaf-eater, male or female, young or old that shows ANY sign of resistance! Those that cower and surrender you can spare, but anyone who still has a fighting spirit in them must go. Except...” he glanced over at his still guarded parents, “...Littlefoot. I wish to speak with him. But I must draw him out. Both him and Bron, so I need to retreat for now. I’ll take these two...” he gestured to his parents, “with me, and after that I will leave a little earlier than planned, hopefully to return to a Valley fully back under my control and with fresh ideas on how to take on the rest of the world.”
“Ulciscor...” Arianna spoke with a quaver, but her eyes upon him didn’t shift. “You underestimate the will of Littlefoot and Bron...”
“Wills can easily be broken,” Ulciscor retorted.
“But is the will on an entire Valley so hard to break?” Aster added.
Ulciscor didn’t reply. He instead amused himself by looking at Kai’s unbridled eagerness.
“I leave the Valley in your capable hands, Kai,” he said simply. “Does it feel like something you could rise to?”
“Just watch me...” Kai replied. He turned, and inclined his head back in the direction where he knew the opposing army had gathered.
“Bludgeoners!” he roared. “Long Phalanx Formation, tails overhead!!”
The majority of the Bludgeoners surrounding him, led by the scarred Shock, immediately dropped into the formation where each guarded the one next to him, poised perfectly, tail ready...
“CHARGE!!” Kai’s nearly hysterical scream echoed throughout the Valley, and as the huge formation galloped off, Ulciscor turned back to his parents, with two Bludgeoners still guarding them.
“Well,” he said, failing to hide his glee. “Let’s get you two to a sanctuary...”
*
“I’d estimate we have about minutes...”
“Then let us be concise. But honestly, I think the kids are the main concern here...they come first...”
The Alliance had gathered in a corner of the Valley to the West. Discussion was fast and feverish, they knew they didn’t have time to waste, but the decision that was unanimous that the kids should be taken to a place of sanctuary.
“But how will we know what happens?” Littlefoot asked Bron earnestly. “You’re all going to be out fighting, we can’t be sitting alone not knowing...”
“You’ll have adults with you,” Bron assured him. “The ones that want to sit this one out. I know it’s not ideal, but nothing about this is...”
“You seem really distracted...” Shorty observed. “Everything alright...?”
Bron just gave him a solemn smile.
Meanwhile, Opal, who had previously been deep in discussion with Dorian, found herself being approached by a slightly apprehensive looking swimmer.
“Hello...?” Opal said uncertainly.
“Hi...” the swimmer replied. “My name is Azura...I’m Ducky and Spike’s mother...”
Opal could have sworn her heart momentarily stopped.
“Well...nice to meet you...” she managed.
Azura nodded. A brief, awkward silence hung between them.
“I presume you’ve been informed about my story?” Opal asked eventually.
“Yes...” Azura nodded. “It’s...it’s good that you’ve come back after all this time...but...”
“I don’t want to take your son away from you,” Opal said hurriedly. “I mean, there’s no way I could possibly recreate the bond you’ve grown over all these years...”
“I’m not...” Azura paused, unsure how to respond to this. Eventually she simply nodded, looking somewhat relieved.
Opal smiled at this noticeable change of mood, and cast an eye over to Spike, standing beside Ducky and their numerous siblings, gathered with the rest of the small children caught in this catastrophe.
“He’s a good kid...” she said honestly. “Being raised somewhat...” she seemed uncertain how to word it, “...unconventionally seems to have no effect on him...you must be very proud. And on that I must congratulate your parenting skills. They seem remarkable.”
“Thank you...” Azura gave her a warm smile. “I’m sure would have done the same if given the chance...and look, I don’t want you to be a stranger to Spike. I’m sure he would understand – I know I would – if after all this is over...you can visit and spend time with him regularly. Spiketail stuff...if such a thing exists?”
Opal chuckled.
“I’ll see if I can dig deep,” she replied. “And thank you Azura. That gesture means everything to me...”
Among the kids ready for their safe haven, one such child was still being adamant.
“Dad,” Cera was saying with an almost over-the-top sincerity. “I just need an answer...you and Tria...are you to still...y’know...?”
When Topps didn’t answer, Tria, who had been watching them, walked meaningfully over.
“Cera, I think what you need to understand is that these kind of relationships can be put under serious strain. It’ll be OK, I can still see you-”
“I knew it!” Cera snapped, with a kind of blend between savage triumph and determined anguish. “I can’t believe this, after everything you-”
She paused when she remembered what Ruby had told her.
“We need to be united against Ulciscor!” Cera declared. “We need to be united in love...love’s going to save us...! Or something...”
But she was saved the necessity to continue when Pterano flew back to them, giving a panicked cry.
“They’re on their way!” he declared loudly.
There was instant uproar at his words.
“OK!” Old One yelled over the noise. “Who has the children??”
“They’re right here!” Zyro yelled back. “I’ll take them to the-”
“That’s no good Zyro!” Old One replied loudly. “We need your skills in this fight!”
Zyro swallowed hard, it suddenly dawning on him that he was seriously neglecting his duty. If Shark had expected him to lead the community...he shook the thought off...
“I figured they would need protection!” he said honestly. “But I will be back!”
“I’ll stay with them!” Hyp’s father stepped from the crowd to join him. “I know I’m not going to be much use fighting...but I’ll promise to keep them all-”
“Excellent, fine!” Opal interrupted, stepping in place behind the crowd of kids. “I’ll defend them from the rear!”
“Cera, you need to go!” Topps commanded, as Ruby dragged his protesting daughter back with the others. Noting that both his daughters we protected, he charged straight at the approaching Bludgeon Brigade, the majority of the Alliance following in his wake. He could see the Bludgeoners rigid determination in their eyes...
The tails swung down...
Topps felt the heavy clubs make a connection, but the pain was somewhat dulled as he continued to push against the great mass of dinosaur. The formations were rigid, but if he could just make an opening...
Dorian was soon helping him on the other side, and so was Tria, and many other ceratopsians and a few large sharpteeth, until the formation of Bludgeoners began to falter...
Kai was swinging his spiked tail like a baton, seemingly uncaring whom it hit. Ross found himself struck round the face again, but ignored the blood dripping from his face, and aimed a bite straight to his leg. Kai snarled at him and flung his neck down onto the twoclaw, knocking him to the ground. Kai reared up onto his hind legs and was about to bring his front limbs crashing down when Rhea and Ferox charged headlong at him, knocking him backwards and hitting the earth with a momentous rumble.
“Aim for his throat!” Rhea roared, but found herself receiving a faceful of Kai’s leg as he got unsteadily to his feet.
But help was at hand. Pterano had taken to the skies with his sister, and they were all calling out as many commands as they could, seeing the battlefield the panoramic way they did, even some areas of the grass that were slowly getting stained red.
Some of their forces had been taken down. But Bludgeoners had fallen too, and if they continued to press on...
Uriah had heard Pterano’s distressed cry when he noticed Kai gaining an upper hand, and he had, against his better judgement, bolted towards him. Kai noticed him, and, with a cry of indignation, had thrusted his tail in his direction. The spikes made immediate contact, penetrating the delicate skin of Uriah’s neck. Uriah howled as the blood dripped down, and Kai wasn’t finished. Swinging his tail like a mace, he launched Uriah straight into the air. Eyes were drawn as the renegade Bludgeoner spun freely through the air, raining blood down onto allies and enemies alike, before coming to resolute thud onto the ground, motionless.
“This’ll be the end for you, you treacherous bastard!!” Kai screamed at him, charging in his direction, scattering fighters as he went.
WHAM.
Bron had charged at him, and had collided with him just in time. Kai, off-balance, staggered sideways, and Bron barked out a quick command to two longnecks to drag Uriah out of harm’s way.
“I’ve got somewhere else I need to be!” Bron declared, quickly sprinting off. “I’m sorry! But Ulciscor’s somewhere here!!”
Kai watched him go, a devious smirk playing about his face. Just as Ulciscor had predicted...
The battle raged on around them, Bludgeoner and Alliance member continuing to fall alike. Some Valleians were determined that they had broken through the Bludgeoners’ formation...although many Bludgeoners had regrouped into them...
Screech and Thud, meanwhile, found themselves in a severe bit of trouble. They were facing just one Bludgeoner, but one that seemed to have hit a mode of berserk behaviour that could not rival any they had ever seen before. Evidence of its devastating effectiveness lay at said Bludgeoner’s feet – a medium-sized sharptooth, a close colleague of Zyro’s, now bloodied, bruised and unmistakably dead.
“You’d think we’d get some help??” Screech asked his brother, leaping bodily backwards to avoid a mighty swing from their foe’s powerful tail.
“Forget it!” Thud replied brusquely, cantering sideways to avoid being crushed by the Bludgeoner’s limbs. “We’re feared by everyone here!”
Taken advantage of the distraction the Bludgeoner briefly had, Screech gave a glorious jump straight onto its head. Although it bellowed and reared, Screech clung on, digging his sickle-claws in, drawing a slow trickle of blood...
“The flanks, Thud!” he roared to his brother.
Thud quickly sprinted around the squat longneck, but didn’t jump quite in time. He gave a gasp of considerable pain as the tail struck him squarely in the chest. He felt a rib snap, and when he hit the ground forcefully, a torrent of blood erupted from his mouth.
“Thud!!”
Screech sprung immediately off the Bludgeoner, and although it pursued him, he skidded to a halt to where his brother lay, spitting a few remaining drops of scarlet bitterly to the ground.
“I should be fine...” he grunted. “At least...if that wasn’t coming towards us...” he gestured to the fast approaching Bludgeoner, its tail raised...
But a second, larger tail struck it hard before it could make its mark on the two fastbiters. He keeled over, and two pairs of front legs stamped down upon it, squashing its murderous resolve for good.
Screech and Thud gazed open-mouthed as Old One stepped off her defeated enemy, and glanced at the two of them.
“Don’t think we’re forgetting anyone,” she said firmly. “Now take those looks off your faces, we have a battle to win!”
Screech and Thud hadn’t a clue what she was saying, but the fact that they sprung up at once meant they got the general gist.
*
The shouts, bellows, thuds and roars from battle carried over some of the thickets via the Great Wall. Zyro was rushing past, determined to aid his allies as soon as possible. He did, however, keep a close eye on the kids in pursuit. If he lost any of them...
As soon as his ears heard something out of the ordinary, he stopped in his tracks. The kids, hitting him with something of a loud kafuffle, groaned and demanded to know what the deal was.
“Don’t you hear that...?” Zyro asked uncertainly. Once everyone was silent, the noises became much clearer. There was a rumbling...a cascading...potentially even a collapsing coming from...
“It’s coming from the wall!” Chomper realised, staring wide-eyed up at the rocky construct.
“Rockslide...!” Zyro suddenly gasped. “Quick, get out of the way...!”
After a split-second, everyone realised the danger and flung themselves in a combination of a flying leap and a gallop away from the tumbling rocks...however...
The great stone structures hit the ground with a almighty cracking sound which echoed all around, and many a young dinosaur found themselves rolling in an almost blinding dust...
Cera found herself clinging as hard as she could to her half-sister, the best she could do, paralysed as the boulders made impact, cracking into pieces and sending debris in all directions at once.
“Tricia!” she gasped. “Hold on!” Tricia cowered into her hide as the dust settled...
“Cera...?”
Cera looked up, and to her relief, saw Ruby standing before, looking extremely shaken.
“What was that?” she asked feebly.
“No idea...” Cera stood up, Tricia still clinging to her leg.
Ruby looked around.
“The others? Where are the...?”
“Aaahh!! No, we fine...”
“Yep, yep...yep...”
Cera and Ruby could only stare as Petrie, Ducky and Spike removed themselves from a small pile of rubble. But that staring soon turned to relieved laughter.
“But seriously...” Ruby’s laughter faltered. “What happened to...?”
“Shorty?? Littlefoot??” Ali’s distressed calls told them everything they needed to know.
“Who else is missing?” Cera demanded, rounding on her.
“Saureen...and Chomper!” Lini was now gingerly emerging from behind a bolder coughing slightly, looking aghast.
“And Zyro...” Al was walking towards Spike from behind.
“Zyro??” Hyp’s father was getting to his feet, dusting himself off. “How are we going to...?”
“We’ll find a way!” Opal was now striding towards them, looking shaken but determined.
They all turned to look at her, and Spike, in spite of the situation, found himself smiling.
“I presume they all might be trapped on the other side of this...” she murmured, looking at the new, slightly slumped formation the rocks from the Great Wall now made. “Let’s hope they managed to get out OK...”
These chilling words swept through the listening dinosaurs for a few moments, until Opal broke the silence.
“The fact still remains that we need to get you lot to safety, and we-”
“Ah, to hell with that!!” Cera had barked loud and clear, and now strode towards Opal, not caring that everyone was watching her.
“We have been involved in this far too much from the beginning,” she told Opal firmly. “I don’t know quite how I could sit tight after all this. I’m coming to the battle.”
“You can’t,” Opal said, horrified.
“Just try and stop me.”
Opal simply sighed.
“I’m afraid I have to agree...” Ruby stepped forward to stand at Cera’s side. “Our friends are trapped over there, and I feel that to do nothing would be just a considerable blow to them...”
“Yeah...” Ali said shakily, glancing over at the mounds of rock, but coming to stand by Cera all the same.
As the small group of determined young kids gathered, Opal almost felt like laughing.
“How,” she asked, as she swept her eyes over Cera, Ruby, Ali, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Lini and Al. “Did I know it was going to be you lot?”
“Predictability is good!” Cera assured her.
Opal sighed, and glanced over at Hyp’s father. He was nodding, him and Hyp having been able to effectively gather the much smaller children to them.
“We promise to get them to safety!” was the assurance Opal was given. “There are no Bludgeoners this side of the Valley!”
Opal sighed and nodded.
“I guess there’s no point in stopping you...” she said, looking down at the determined eight. “Alright...but keep out of the direct line of assault. Follow me carefully...”
As this resolute march to battle commenced, Lini despaired to see Al continuing to not meet her gaze.
*
NEXT BIT ABOUT TO COME...
-
On grand plains surrounded by bare trees stood Ulciscor, an army around him, watching him pace furiously.
“How could we not have noticed the attack force?” he snarled at Kai.
“Evidently someone has betrayed us,” Kai answered coldly, glancing at the Bludgeoners, who flinched at his glare. “I don’t see Uriah amongst this group...”
“Oh, he was always a weak-willed one!” Ulciscor declared savagely, kicking a fairly dead clump of ferns.
“Should I kill him?” Kai asked hopefully.
“Kill all of them,” Ulciscor replied earnestly. “Any dinosaur, sharptooth or leaf-eater, male or female, young or old that shows ANY sign of resistance! Those that cower and surrender you can spare, but anyone who still has a fighting spirit in them must go. Except...” he glanced over at his still guarded parents, “...Littlefoot. I wish to speak with him. But I must draw him out. Both him and Bron, so I need to retreat for now. I’ll take these two...” he gestured to his parents, “with me, and after that I will leave a little earlier than planned, hopefully to return to a Valley fully back under my control and with fresh ideas on how to take on the rest of the world.”
“Ulciscor...” Arianna spoke with a quaver, but her eyes upon him didn’t shift. “You underestimate the will of Littlefoot and Bron...”
“Wills can easily be broken,” Ulciscor retorted.
“But is the will on an entire Valley so hard to break?” Aster added.
Ulciscor didn’t reply. He instead amused himself by looking at Kai’s unbridled eagerness.
“I leave the Valley in your capable hands, Kai,” he said simply. “Does it feel like something you could rise to?”
“Just watch me...” Kai replied. He turned, and inclined his head back in the direction where he knew the opposing army had gathered.
“Bludgeoners!” he roared. “Long Phalanx Formation, tails overhead!!”
The majority of the Bludgeoners surrounding him, led by the scarred Shock, immediately dropped into the formation where each guarded the one next to him, poised perfectly, tail ready...
“CHARGE!!” Kai’s nearly hysterical scream echoed throughout the Valley, and as the huge formation galloped off, Ulciscor turned back to his parents, with two Bludgeoners still guarding them.
“Well,” he said, failing to hide his glee. “Let’s get you two to a sanctuary...”
*
“I’d estimate we have about minutes...”
“Then let us be concise. But honestly, I think the kids are the main concern here...they come first...”
The Alliance had gathered in a corner of the Valley to the West. Discussion was fast and feverish, they knew they didn’t have time to waste, but the decision that was unanimous that the kids should be taken to a place of sanctuary.
“But how will we know what happens?” Littlefoot asked Bron earnestly. “You’re all going to be out fighting, we can’t be sitting alone not knowing...”
“You’ll have adults with you,” Bron assured him. “The ones that want to sit this one out. I know it’s not ideal, but nothing about this is...”
“You seem really distracted...” Shorty observed. “Everything alright...?”
Bron just gave him a solemn smile.
Meanwhile, Opal, who had previously been deep in discussion with Dorian, found herself being approached by a slightly apprehensive looking swimmer.
“Hello...?” Opal said uncertainly.
“Hi...” the swimmer replied. “My name is Azura...I’m Ducky and Spike’s mother...”
Opal could have sworn her heart momentarily stopped.
“Well...nice to meet you...” she managed.
Azura nodded. A brief, awkward silence hung between them.
“I presume you’ve been informed about my story?” Opal asked eventually.
“Yes...” Azura nodded. “It’s...it’s good that you’ve come back after all this time...but...”
“I don’t want to take your son away from you,” Opal said hurriedly. “I mean, there’s no way I could possibly recreate the bond you’ve grown over all these years...”
“I’m not...” Azura paused, unsure how to respond to this. Eventually she simply nodded, looking somewhat relieved.
Opal smiled at this noticeable change of mood, and cast an eye over to Spike, standing beside Ducky and their numerous siblings, gathered with the rest of the small children caught in this catastrophe.
“He’s a good kid...” she said honestly. “Being raised somewhat...” she seemed uncertain how to word it, “...unconventionally seems to have no effect on him...you must be very proud. And on that I must congratulate your parenting skills. They seem remarkable.”
“Thank you...” Azura gave her a warm smile. “I’m sure would have done the same if given the chance...and look, I don’t want you to be a stranger to Spike. I’m sure he would understand – I know I would – if after all this is over...you can visit and spend time with him regularly. Spiketail stuff...if such a thing exists?”
Opal chuckled.
“I’ll see if I can dig deep,” she replied. “And thank you Azura. That gesture means everything to me...”
Among the kids ready for their safe haven, one such child was still being adamant.
“Dad,” Cera was saying with an almost over-the-top sincerity. “I just need an answer...you and Tria...are you to still...y’know...?”
When Topps didn’t answer, Tria, who had been watching them, walked meaningfully over.
“Cera, I think what you need to understand is that these kind of relationships can be put under serious strain. It’ll be OK, I can still see you-”
“I knew it!” Cera snapped, with a kind of blend between savage triumph and determined anguish. “I can’t believe this, after everything you-”
She paused when she remembered what Ruby had told her.
“We need to be united against Ulciscor!” Cera declared. “We need to be united in love...love’s going to save us...! Or something...”
But she was saved the necessity to continue when Pterano flew back to them, giving a panicked cry.
“They’re on their way!” he declared loudly.
There was instant uproar at his words.
“OK!” Old One yelled over the noise. “Who has the children??”
“They’re right here!” Zyro yelled back. “I’ll take them to the-”
“That’s no good Zyro!” Old One replied loudly. “We need your skills in this fight!”
Zyro swallowed hard, it suddenly dawning on him that he was seriously neglecting his duty. If Shark had expected him to lead the community...he shook the thought off...
“I figured they would need protection!” he said honestly. “But I will be back!”
“I’ll stay with them!” Hyp’s father stepped from the crowd to join him. “I know I’m not going to be much use fighting...but I’ll promise to keep them all-”
“Excellent, fine!” Opal interrupted, stepping in place behind the crowd of kids. “I’ll defend them from the rear!”
“Cera, you need to go!” Topps commanded, as Ruby dragged his protesting daughter back with the others. Noting that both his daughters we protected, he charged straight at the approaching Bludgeon Brigade, the majority of the Alliance following in his wake. He could see the Bludgeoners rigid determination in their eyes...
The tails swung down...
Topps felt the heavy clubs make a connection, but the pain was somewhat dulled as he continued to push against the great mass of dinosaur. The formations were rigid, but if he could just make an opening...
Dorian was soon helping him on the other side, and so was Tria, and many other ceratopsians and a few large sharpteeth, until the formation of Bludgeoners began to falter...
Kai was swinging his spiked tail like a baton, seemingly uncaring whom it hit. Ross found himself struck round the face again, but ignored the blood dripping from his face, and aimed a bite straight to his leg. Kai snarled at him and flung his neck down onto the twoclaw, knocking him to the ground. Kai reared up onto his hind legs and was about to bring his front limbs crashing down when Rhea and Ferox charged headlong at him, knocking him backwards and hitting the earth with a momentous rumble.
“Aim for his throat!” Rhea roared, but found herself receiving a faceful of Kai’s leg as he got unsteadily to his feet.
But help was at hand. Pterano had taken to the skies with his sister, and they were all calling out as many commands as they could, seeing the battlefield the panoramic way they did, even some areas of the grass that were slowly getting stained red.
Some of their forces had been taken down. But Bludgeoners had fallen too, and if they continued to press on...
Uriah had heard Pterano’s distressed cry when he noticed Kai gaining an upper hand, and he had, against his better judgement, bolted towards him. Kai noticed him, and, with a cry of indignation, had thrusted his tail in his direction. The spikes made immediate contact, penetrating the delicate skin of Uriah’s neck. Uriah howled as the blood dripped down, and Kai wasn’t finished. Swinging his tail like a mace, he launched Uriah straight into the air. Eyes were drawn as the renegade Bludgeoner spun freely through the air, raining blood down onto allies and enemies alike, before coming to resolute thud onto the ground, motionless.
“This’ll be the end for you, you treacherous bastard!!” Kai screamed at him, charging in his direction, scattering fighters as he went.
WHAM.
Bron had charged at him, and had collided with him just in time. Kai, off-balance, staggered sideways, and Bron barked out a quick command to two longnecks to drag Uriah out of harm’s way.
“I’ve got somewhere else I need to be!” Bron declared, quickly sprinting off. “I’m sorry! But Ulciscor’s somewhere here!!”
Kai watched him go, a devious smirk playing about his face. Just as Ulciscor had predicted...
The battle raged on around them, Bludgeoner and Alliance member continuing to fall alike. Some Valleians were determined that they had broken through the Bludgeoners’ formation...although many Bludgeoners had regrouped into them...
Screech and Thud, meanwhile, found themselves in a severe bit of trouble. They were facing just one Bludgeoner, but one that seemed to have hit a mode of berserk behaviour that could not rival any they had ever seen before. Evidence of its devastating effectiveness lay at said Bludgeoner’s feet – a medium-sized sharptooth, a close colleague of Zyro’s, now bloodied, bruised and unmistakably dead.
“You’d think we’d get some help??” Screech asked his brother, leaping bodily backwards to avoid a mighty swing from their foe’s powerful tail.
“Forget it!” Thud replied brusquely, cantering sideways to avoid being crushed by the Bludgeoner’s limbs. “We’re feared by everyone here!”
Taken advantage of the distraction the Bludgeoner briefly had, Screech gave a glorious jump straight onto its head. Although it bellowed and reared, Screech clung on, digging his sickle-claws in, drawing a slow trickle of blood...
“The flanks, Thud!” he roared to his brother.
Thud quickly sprinted around the squat longneck, but didn’t jump quite in time. He gave a gasp of considerable pain as the tail struck him squarely in the chest. He felt a rib snap, and when he hit the ground forcefully, a torrent of blood erupted from his mouth.
“Thud!!”
Screech sprung immediately off the Bludgeoner, and although it pursued him, he skidded to a halt to where his brother lay, spitting a few remaining drops of scarlet bitterly to the ground.
“I should be fine...” he grunted. “At least...if that wasn’t coming towards us...” he gestured to the fast approaching Bludgeoner, its tail raised...
But a second, larger tail struck it hard before it could make its mark on the two fastbiters. He keeled over, and two pairs of front legs stamped down upon it, squashing its murderous resolve for good.
Screech and Thud gazed open-mouthed as Old One stepped off her defeated enemy, and glanced at the two of them.
“Don’t think we’re forgetting anyone,” she said firmly. “Now take those looks off your faces, we have a battle to win!”
Screech and Thud hadn’t a clue what she was saying, but the fact that they sprung up at once meant they got the general gist.
*
The shouts, bellows, thuds and roars from battle carried over some of the thickets via the Great Wall. Zyro was rushing past, determined to aid his allies as soon as possible. He did, however, keep a close eye on the kids in pursuit. If he lost any of them...
As soon as his ears heard something out of the ordinary, he stopped in his tracks. The kids, hitting him with something of a loud kafuffle, groaned and demanded to know what the deal was.
“Don’t you hear that...?” Zyro asked uncertainly. Once everyone was silent, the noises became much clearer. There was a rumbling...a cascading...potentially even a collapsing coming from...
“It’s coming from the wall!” Chomper realised, staring wide-eyed up at the rocky construct.
“Rockslide...!” Zyro suddenly gasped. “Quick, get out of the way...!”
After a split-second, everyone realised the danger and flung themselves in a combination of a flying leap and a gallop away from the tumbling rocks...however...
The great stone structures hit the ground with a almighty cracking sound which echoed all around, and many a young dinosaur found themselves rolling in an almost blinding dust...
Cera found herself clinging as hard as she could to her half-sister, the best she could do, paralysed as the boulders made impact, cracking into pieces and sending debris in all directions at once.
“Tricia!” she gasped. “Hold on!” Tricia cowered into her hide as the dust settled...
“Cera...?”
Cera looked up, and to her relief, saw Ruby standing before, looking extremely shaken.
“What was that?” she asked feebly.
“No idea...” Cera stood up, Tricia still clinging to her leg.
Ruby looked around.
“The others? Where are the...?”
“Aaahh!! No, we fine...”
“Yep, yep...yep...”
Cera and Ruby could only stare as Petrie, Ducky and Spike removed themselves from a small pile of rubble. But that staring soon turned to relieved laughter.
“But seriously...” Ruby’s laughter faltered. “What happened to...?”
“Shorty?? Littlefoot??” Ali’s distressed calls told them everything they needed to know.
“Who else is missing?” Cera demanded, rounding on her.
“Saureen...and Chomper!” Lini was now gingerly emerging from behind a bolder coughing slightly, looking aghast.
“And Zyro...” Al was walking towards Spike from behind.
“Zyro??” Hyp’s father was getting to his feet, dusting himself off. “How are we going to...?”
“We’ll find a way!” Opal was now striding towards them, looking shaken but determined.
They all turned to look at her, and Spike, in spite of the situation, found himself smiling.
“I presume they all might be trapped on the other side of this...” she murmured, looking at the new, slightly slumped formation the rocks from the Great Wall now made. “Let’s hope they managed to get out OK...”
These chilling words swept through the listening dinosaurs for a few moments, until Opal broke the silence.
“The fact still remains that we need to get you lot to safety, and we-”
“Ah, to hell with that!!” Cera had barked loud and clear, and now strode towards Opal, not caring that everyone was watching her.
“We have been involved in this far too much from the beginning,” she told Opal firmly. “I don’t know quite how I could sit tight after all this. I’m coming to the battle.”
“You can’t,” Opal said, horrified.
“Just try and stop me.”
Opal simply sighed.
“I’m afraid I have to agree...” Ruby stepped forward to stand at Cera’s side. “Our friends are trapped over there, and I feel that to do nothing would be just a considerable blow to them...”
“Yeah...” Ali said shakily, glancing over at the mounds of rock, but coming to stand by Cera all the same.
As the small group of determined young kids gathered, Opal almost felt like laughing.
“How,” she asked, as she swept her eyes over Cera, Ruby, Ali, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Lini and Al. “Did I know it was going to be you lot?”
“Predictability is good!” Cera assured her.
Opal sighed, and glanced over at Hyp’s father. He was nodding, him and Hyp having been able to effectively gather the much smaller children to them.
“We promise to get them to safety!” was the assurance Opal was given. “There are no Bludgeoners this side of the Valley!”
Opal sighed and nodded.
“I guess there’s no point in stopping you...” she said, looking down at the determined eight. “Alright...but keep out of the direct line of assault. Follow me carefully...”
As this resolute march to battle commenced, Lini despaired to see Al continuing to not meet her gaze.
*
“Chomper!”
In the briefest of moments after he had come round, Chomper found himself hoping desperately that this had all been a dream, that he woken up in the unspoilt Secret Caverns, in the safety of the Valley...but the panicked way the voice called him soon snapped him out of this outlandish fantasy. Opening his eyes, he became distinctly aware of how much his head hurt.
And yet he saw the figure of Saureen swim before his eyes, gradually focusing, her face very close to his...maybe this was a dream after all, attempting to reflect his primal desires...
Dismissing this thought, he blinked furiously, until all the other figures around him swam into focus. Littlefoot and Shorty were standing behind Saureen, watching him anxiously, and when he sat up, Chomper noticed Zyro a few feet away, examining what looked to be an enormous immovable boulder.
“Are you alright?” Saureen asked Chomper tentatively.
Chomper vaguely nodded and gazed around at his surroundings. Large boulders were most of what he could see. He couldn’t even determine what part of the Valley he was in.
“What happened...?” he asked blankly.
“There was just this massive rockslide...” Shorty replied, who was also examining the surroundings carefully. “I get the feeling we’ve been separated from everyone else...”
“Seperated?” Chomper looked wildly around. “How?”
“That rockslide changed the entire geography of this area,” Zyro explained, now walking towards them. “I just sincerely hope everyone managed to avoid it in time. We’re lucky to be alive. I managed to get myself half buried in rock.”
“And you were completely buried!” Littlefoot explained, looking somewhat shaken. “We had to pull you out...”
Chomper suddenly became aware that it hurt to move too much.
“Can’t we find the others...?” he asked uncertainly.
“I have no idea,” Zyro replied honestly, chancing glances in several directions. “Right now I really don’t know how we’re going to work our way out of this maze. My nose took a few hits earlier, so trying to sniff the others out may be tricky...I presume yours is in no state either?”
Chomper gingerly touched his nose and winced, before shaking his head.
“Mine’s kind of OK...?” Saureen offered, tapping it apprehensively. “But...” she took a few sniffs of the air. “The winds from the Mysterious Beyond and making it difficult to pinpoint them...”
“The Mysterious Beyond?” Littlefoot looked nervously round at Zyro.
“Could that rockslide have caused such a massive hole...?”
“Maybe.” Zyro shrugged. “What I’m concerned about right now is not what the rockslide caused, but rather what caused the rockslide.”
“How so?”
Zyro sighed heavily.
“I don’t know if was set to collapse already – what with Ulciscor packing it in a few places with rocks and us carving a route into the Valley through it...but of course, this is quite ominous, considering someone once collapsed a Valley wall before...”
The four youngsters’ faces all twisted into expressions of mingled shock and horror.
“You really think they followed us here??” Shorty asked incredulously.
“I have no idea,” Zyro admitted, inwardly cursing himself for his ineptitude. “But we need to regroup, and to find where exactly we are, we need to get to higher ground – we need to go up onto the slopes and mountains. You lot stay close!”
He turned tail, the other four hurrying to catch up. The rocks and stones crunched and clattered beneath their feet as they climbed to higher ground. The injuries they had sustained from the rockslide didn’t much help matters, but they were thankful they hadn’t run into any Bludgeoners either...
As soon as they had reached a more level embankment, with sloping walls and steeper drops paving the way to the Mysterious Beyond, they stopped to rest. Panting, Zyro surveyed the young ones carefully.
“I can’t believe how careless I’ve been...” he thought desperately. “I hope I can at least manage to keep these four alive for the duration of this battle, even if I’m helpless to do anything else...”
“OK, Saureen,” he said, once they had paused for long enough. “Smell anything now...?”
Saureen took a deep sniff of the air...and gasped.
“Zyro, there’s a...!”
Before she could finish her sentence, a great thudding sound reached their ears, matched by the horrifying sight of a sharptooth leaping into view right next to Zyro. The triangular fin above it’s hip was unmistakable – it was a Piercer.
Zyro immediately swung round and swatted the Piercer hard with his tail, but the Piercer merely rolled to the side where the momentum of the impact took it, and got back to its feet, heading wordlessly back to Zyro.
Zyro aimed a bite straight at the Piercer’s shoulder, but soon the children’s terrified warnings heralded a second attack from behind. Another Piercer launched itself from seemingly nowhere and sank it’s teeth into Zyro’s flank. Biting down hard onto the other Piercer’s shoulder, Zyro kicked out with his free leg, catching the biting Piercer with his toe-claws on the side of its face. In the brief second in which it let go of Zyro’s flank, Zyro raised both legs high into the air, and launched himself in a mid-air rotation over the Piercer he was biting and bringing his legs slamming down on top of it, knocking it satisfactorily to the floor with a howl, before turning and grabbing the other Piercer by the neck with his jaws, twisting back round, he threw it with all his strength into the Piercer he had previously floored, which had been getting back up. The animals collided and slid unceremoniously back down the slope.
The children gazed at Zyro in awe, but Zyro was panting heavily again, considerable bite and claw marks visible on his skin. He also had his gaze fixed firmly on a horizon somewhere along the top of the embankment. The children followed his gaze, some of their worst fears confirmed.
“That’s hardly surprising,” Xal said nonchalantly. “I remember your battle skills when you attacked us, Zyro. Impressive for someone not of our revolutionary stock. It’s extremely lucky for me that we managed to trap you. And Chomper as well? This is surely a sign...”
“How did you manage this?” Zyro demanded, testing to see if the bite-marks on his flank would take his weight.
“The same way as last time,” Xal replied simply. “I knew there would have been a point somewhere in the wall that would allow it to collapse if I probed the right place. All this is working to my advantage...” And now he smiled, a slow grin that eventually left him looking quite dangerous.
“Down there in the Valley, all of your forces and all of Ulciscor’s forces are busy slaughtering each other. Soon, almost no resistance will be left. And I have taken the liberty of sending some highly skilled Piercers down there to watch for the correct moment to take out the leaders swiftly. But for you Zyro, I think I’ll take great pleasure in taking you out myself.”
Now more Piercers were appearing at Xal’s side, looking straight ahead, obviously very determined.
“Keep Chomper and Saureen alive for now,” he told them. “I don’t care about the longnecks, do what you want to them...”
The Piercer’s charged.
“Stay behind me!” Zyro roared to the youngsters, leaping the counter the charging predators. But Xal got there first.
“I don’t think so!”
Impossibly, he had quickly charged forward himself, knocking Zyro to the ground before Zyro had a chance to inflict serious damage to the Piercers. And now Xal was blocking Zyro’s path to them.
“Your fight lies with me, Zyro,” he told him firmly.
Two Piercers aimed their jaws directly towards Littlefoot and Shorty, both of whom had sprinted rapidly away. Chomper and Saureen had rushed to behind the predators, hoping to do their tried and tested biting from behind tactic, but their quarries were pursuing the longnecks, faster than the two young sharpteeth had anticipated.
Running to catch up, Saureen found herself launching straight at the nearest Piercer, latching onto its tail with her jaws. The Piercer staggered, twisting around to dislodge her, and in that moment, Shorty made use of a tactic he had introduced before when fighting sharpteeth. He curled himself into a tight ball, and when the Piercer’s foot came down upon him, it tottered, slamming into the rocky ground forcefully.
Littlefoot, meanwhile, was directly facing the other Piercer, almost as though squaring off. He could see the sharptooth was ready to charge, so he needed to think quickly...but upon seeing Chomper sidle up next to him, he knew what had to be done...vaguely, anyway...
Head bent low, Littlefoot charged, Chomper right behind him. The Piercer charged at the same time, and the two met, Littlefoot driving his neck straight into his foe’s torso, and Chomper, who had leapt onto Littlefoot’s back at the same time, jumped up at brought the top of his skull crashing heavily up into the Piercer’s chin. The force of this knocked the Piercer backwards, Chomper falling with him, until Littlefoot pulled him back, grabbing his tail with his teeth whilst the Piercer crashed into a rather distinctively large rock.
“Thanks...” Chomper gasped, rubbing his head.
But it wasn’t over yet. The two Piercers had got gingerly to their feet, but their expressions quickly changed. Their eyes weren’t fixed on the kids, but at some point behind them. They nodded, and quickly turned tail, heading down the slope into the Valley and away from them...
“Seizon???”
Saureen’s dumbfounded gasp should have been enough, but the other three inevitably found themselves turning around to see the predictable sight. A distinctively cyan bladeback, with the sea green sail and amber eyes, Seizon stood upon a sporadic rock jutting out of the mountain wall, watching them closely.
“Hi guys...” he murmured, his eyes darting over them.
“I should have known...” Chomper growled. “So what do you want?”
Seizon leapt down from his rock, and walked towards Chomper quite calmly, his eyes nevertheless darting furtive glances over the rest of his companions.
“I couldn’t have had those Piercers wasting time with you lot. I get the feeling personal scores need to be settled.”
“Right now??” Saureen looked anguished. “Is this really the time, Seizon??”
“I see no better time...” Chomper’s scarlet eyes were fixed on Seizon’s amber ones. Seizon gave a small smile at his words.
“But...!” Saureen, losing the capacity for words momentarily, chanced a desperate and foreboding glance over at Zyro and Xal. They were in close combat, the bodies interlocked and pushing hard and fast, with Xal’s bulk proving an advantage. Even in the struggle, Zyro kept on finding his eyes drift to the young ones. This would all be for nothing if they didn’t make it out of this unscathed...and he couldn’t be sure what Seizon would do next.
Seizon, as it happened, was following Saureen’s gaze to the wrestling adults, having broken eye contact with Chomper.
“I know it seems bleak now...” he murmured to her. “But as Chomper pointed out, we can’t prolong the inevitable. It all needs to end here or the consequences will be even direr...”
“Is that your plan then?” Chomper growled, his gaze on Seizon not wavering.
“Yes, as it happens,” Seizon replied, turning back to Chomper with a relish. “We have taken advantage of the time you are the most vulnerable, and struck at where you are weakest with your defences down. And you can complain about it all you want, but the victory will be for us all!”
Saureen tore her eyes away from Zyro and Xal.
“Us all?” she repeated blankly back at Seizon. “Since when has this been for all of us?”
“This is the chance I’m giving you!!” Seizon told her forcefully, his eyes bulging slightly manically. “Provided you play your cards right...” he swallowed. “You and Chomper...you will be allowed to live in the new world in paradise!”
There was a momentary silence. Chomper couldn’t help but feel he’d heard it all before, but the awkward fact was that Seizon seemed to really believe it. The sound of Xal’s growls some distance away from him made him consider the possibility that Xal may not be so merciful...
“And what about us?”
It was Shorty who had spoken this time, in the sharptooth language. Walking nervously forward, Littlefoot closely behind, he looked Seizon directly in the eye, posing the challenge.
“I...” Seizon was obviously thrown by this question. Shorty didn’t remove his gaze, and Seizon was forced to look away, turning instead to watch at the distant form of his stepfather, locking claw-to-claw with Zyro.
“...I don’t know...I guess, if Chomper is agreeing, you can all be spared...”
So it came back to that ultimatum did it? Chomper could feel the weight settle into his stomach, as the cold worry and terror that had been somewhat diminished by the anger in Seizon’s arrival returned with a vengeance. Ruby and Lini, Cera and Ducky...Al, Petrie, Spike, Ali, his parents, the Old One, Opal, Bron and everyone in the Valley was still out there, fighting to the finish. How could he even be sure they were still alive? But one thing was for certain. If they weren’t willing to take Ulciscor lying down, they weren’t going to let themselves be held to ransom by the likes of Xal and Seizon either...
He was saved this retort however, when Saureen, moving far closer to Seizon than she’d been in a long time, grabbed onto his shoulder and made him look at her.
“If you’re desperate to bring us into a better world,” she told him carefully, “come over to where it’s safe! The Alliance we’ve formed is very warm and welcoming, and you will find peace there once this is over. Without having to threaten your friends.”
Seizon looked back her for a long time, obviously feeling that what she had told him was quite heavy stuff, and he needed time to consider. Chomper was watching him agonisingly closely, and he could tell Shorty and Littlefoot were doing the same, waiting for a reaction.
Seizon eventually swallowed and closed his eyes.
“Look, Saureen...it isn’t that simple...”
“Isn’t that simple??” Saureen looked positively agonised, her face collapsing in despair. “What’s not simple about it?? You don’t want to threaten us, do you? Come on, please, PLEASE tell me that’s not what you want!”
“Saureen, believe me, I want a lot of things!”
Now Seizon’s voice struck a nerve with Chomper. He could feel his eyes widening and his pulse quickening. All of a sudden, Seizon had dropped his pompous swagger of a voice. Now his voice was racked with pure emotion, practically strained with the way it felt, all of Seizon’s emotions fighting ruthlessly to get out, and, judging by the way Seizon stepped back from Saureen’s grip on his shoulders, closed his eyes and drew a shuddering breath, Seizon was fighting just as ruthlessly to keep his emotions in.
“I think I know where you’re coming from...” Shorty murmured, intently scrutinizing the bladeback, who was now looking resolutely gazing up at the sky. After giving a contemptuous sniff, Seizon dropped his eyes upon the longneck.
“Oh yeah? What do you know?”
“I know you’re doing this all for Xal’s satisfaction.”
“Satisfaction...?” Now Seizon was glaring, issuing a deep growl which, for whatever reason, made Saureen, Littlefoot and Shorty all immediately think of Chomper.
Seizon took a step towards Shorty, who recoiled his neck slightly, but stood his ground.
“What do you know???” Seizon hissed at him. “You think you can stand there and judge me, you insolent livestock!!”
“That’s enough!!” Chomper’s curiosity had once more given way to anger, and he had rammed sideways into Seizon, who roared loudly and twisted around to knock him to the ground with his claws. Chomper immediately leapt up at launched himself at Seizon, sending the two sharpteeth rolling into the dust, clawing and biting at each other...
“Stop that!!”
Chomper and Seizon had their bodies locked together, rocking on their tails as they attempted to rear up at each other, pushing against each other with their heads...Seizon slashed at Chomper’s muzzle, to which Chomper emitted a cry of pain, giving Seizon the chance to disentangle himself, whilst simultaneously knocking Chomper aside. Chomper thudded onto his back forcefully, but despite being winded, he staggered back up again, and made to charge back at Seizon, Seizon prepared to do the same...
“BOTH OF YOU STOP THAT!!!”
In the briefest of seconds before Chomper and Seizon had collided, a figure had stepped between them, and now Saureen was pushing against the two hot-blooded sharpteeth from either side, her leg extended to block Chomper from moving forward, her arms once more on Seizon, and the glower she gave him was enough to give him pause long enough for...
“Help me out!!”
At once, Shorty and Littlefoot had stepped forward, Littlefoot snaking his tail around Chomper and manoeuvring so as to pin him to the ground. From his immobile position, Chomper could see Shorty doing the same to Seizon, despite the latter’s loud protests.
Saureen, however, had a look of furious determination on her face as her eyes swept them.
“You really think I could stand by and watch a second time...?” she breathed. “No...standing around and letting things happen...that’s over for me now...”
Chomper couldn’t find it in his frame of mingled numb disbelief and admiration to be irritated at his predicament.
“Now that I can be sure you two aren’t going to beat each other to a pulp right now,” Saureen continued. “We are going to sort this out, once and for all. And in a proper, civilized manner. Because as sure as I live, I will not allow the people I love to be lost today.”
*
AND SOME MORE TO COME... :oops
-
FINAL CHUNK. :lol:
Upon the grand plains of the Valley just a short distance from the Thundering Falls, shattered fragility continued to reign supreme.
More and more bodies fell to the ground, many not getting up again, with screams of pain and anguish tearing the air apart, even as hurried instructions were given by both sides, and the ground was getting noticeably redder as time went on.
Breaking through phalanxes and other Bludgeoner formations with her allies, Old One distinctly felt that they were making progress, and beginning to dwindle the forces of oppression. But even if that were the case, there were still many issues that wouldn’t go away.
The most obvious one was right in front of them. Kai had undoubtedly caused the majority of casualties on their side, and he was showing no sign of relenting. It seemed obvious to those who had the misfortune to look him straight in the eye that he had been ordered to slaughter without exception or mercy. And he was loving every minute of it. Even now, as four sharpteeth surrounded him, preparing to take him down from all sides, he reared up, slamming his limbs down and swinging his spiked neck and tail from side to side, sending the luckier attackers fleeing for their very lives. Bringing down an enemy with this array of armoury would be no easy feat.
The other problem was Ulciscor, who had not been seen since the beginning of the battle. What’s more, he held Aster and Arianna captive, two respectable longnecks Old One knew personally. She was aware that Bron had gone in pursuit of him, but she had no idea if he’d be able to bring down the tyrant by himself, and furthermore, what if Ulciscor’s retreat had led him to the children’s sanctuary...?
Many of the other Alliance fighters, however, found themselves hardly perturbed by this. Every fibre of their consciousness was focused on the task ahead of them – destroying the guardians of terror, preventing them from seizing control once more...
Topps in particular, was forcing himself not to think of anything else. Any time his mind tried to make room for his relationship with his ex-wife battling alongside him, or attempted to wander freely over to his daughters, he stopped it in his tracks, and forcing it back to the Bludgeoners.
One such Bludgeoner was twisting his body as he encircled the threehorn, attempting to get a good shot with his powerful tail at the unprotected parts of Topps’ body. Topps however, kept staring his quarry in the face, not giving him the chance. Horns and frill forward, Topps took advantage of an opening and charged, ploughing his brow horn straight into the Bludgeoner’s upper thigh. Nonetheless howling, the Bludgeoner twisted and struck his tail into the threehorn’s side, with enough force to send Topps careering backwards, rolling over in the dust with an audible rumble.
Completely dazed and disorientated by this unexpected capsize, Topps struggled to return to his feet, the Bludgeoner advancing on him all the while...
The Bludgeoner hadn’t apparently not anticipated quite who had been watching the threehorn’s back all this time, and so therefore was almost knocked to the ground himself when Tria ground into his shoulder blade, wrestling with all her strength, determined to keep the Bludgeoner’s focus on her for as long as possible. Unfortunately for her, in this contest of sheer brawn, the Bludgeoner’s mass was beginning to prove more than a match for her. This would have proved potentially fatal if not for another dose of reinforcement at that time.
The Bludgeoner, whilst pushing against Tria, felt a sharp, heavy blow to his flank. It was not as severe or sharp as it could have been, but it was enough to cause him to stagger, and this briefest of pauses was enough. Seeing the grey threehorn get back to his feet, Tria readjusted her position, and with her on one side of the Bludgeoner and Topps on the other, the two of them rammed straight into their foe.
The longneck howled as the unmistakable gush of blood fell upon the threehorn’s frills, and after said threehorn’s stepped back, the Bludgeoner fell with a final thud onto the earth.
“Well...” Topps gazed down at the bleeding body, looking slightly nauseous but otherwise pleased. “I think that might be proof enough Tria, that we still make a pretty good...”
But Tria wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were upon their anonymous ally, the one who had momentarily distracted the Bludgeoner, and her mouth had fallen open in horror.
“Cera...?” she whispered hoarsely. “What are you doing here?”
For Cera, after giving the Bludgeoner one look of grim determination, was now gazing up at her father and stepmother with a considerably warmer expression.
“Cera??” Topps echoed, now watching her too. And in that framed moment, it seemed as though the battle had vanished around them. Only the three of them existed, all watching each other with more tension than had ever been mustered before. The battle that raged around them may not have concerned them at all.
Of course, this battle had had several more surprise arrivals. Petrie had taken to the air to join his mother and uncle in directing the Alliance, much to their surprise, and Azura, noticing Ducky and Spike moving through the cascade of sharpteeth and leaf-eaters, cried out in shock.
“I’m sorry!” Opal assured her as she stepped through the fighters, swinging her tail at a Bludgeoner. “They insisted on coming!”
“And you listened to them??” Azura demanded, now moving as quickly as she could towards her children.
Opal frowned.
“Well, I told them to stay out of the main fight...” she said. “But I’m sure they feel they can prove useful at the sidelines...”
At the sidelines, in fact, Ruby, Ali, Lini and Al were already mobilizing every practical weapon they could get their hands on – from every stone and boulder to every twig and tree, everything went, as they all hurried to get it in preparation.
Noticing Ruby signalling from a short distance away, Petrie’s mother smiled, nudged Pterano, pointed, and then turned to Petrie.
“Petrie,” she said. “I don’t approve of you coming back here, but you’re going to have to do something very important. Are you listening?”
“Uh...yes!” Petrie squeaked.
“Your friends have very kindly prepared some rocks for us,” his mother explained. “Pterano and I and probably some of the other flyers are going to take the most suitable ones and drop them on the Bludgeoners from here. They’re too heavy for you, but you need to make sure you continue calling out advice and warnings from your panoramic view. You understand?”
Petrie gulped.
“Yes...yes, me do!!” he declared, turning his eye to the battlefield, scrutinizing it intently.
Pterano chuckled.
“He’ll be fine,” he assured his sister as the two of them flew off.
The battle was highly prominent on everyone’s agenda at the moment. But Cera had one more thing on her mind.
“Maybe you’ll find that there are chances to repair these things. The Cera I know is not going to take any of it lying down!”
Considering the life-threatening situation that had been at hand, Cera wasn’t about to forget Ruby’s words in a hurry. Perhaps it only went to show how impulsive she could really be, but everything in her gut told her that the time was now to make sure these two buried the hatchet – if there was even a hatchet to bury in the first place, but she hadn’t liked how little those two had interacted in the brief time she’s seen them since the return to the Valley.
“Cera, you can’t be here!” Tria told her in a mortified whisper. “And where’s Tricia?” she quickly glanced around as if expecting her tiny daughter to spring up amongst the fighters.
“She’s with the others,” Cera said quickly. “She’s fine, and protected...but we couldn’t wait!”
“We?” Topps repeated, glancing around and catching sight of several of the other kids. “How was this even authorized...?”
“It was our choice!” Cera replied defiantly. “This is our Valley as much as it is yours. Besides, I needed to do something else.” She took a deep, but a brief breath, before saying,
“You two can’t split up! It’s not an option!”
For the briefest of moments, the two adults just stared at her in dumbfounded disbelief. Then a sharp cry of pain nearby jolted them back to where they were.
“Cera,” Tria said hurriedly. “This is hardly the time...besides, we’ve discussed this...”
“Then I’ll make it quick!” Cera insisted. “Tria, I know you’re angry at dad, probably from being...well, reckless...but...” she gazed at her father with an admiration so deep that Topps was slightly taken aback.
“It’s only because he cares! So...so much!”
“I know that...” Tria murmured, glancing over at Topps, and at the fighting continuing behind him. “But in this kind of situation, he needs to learn to be more careful...”
“If we continue to fight though,” Topps countered firmly, looking directly at her with an unwavering stare. “Then that kind of situation is no longer an issue. You were thinking about the only future we could see before us. One dominated by Ulciscor. Now there is a new future ahead, as long as we pull through!”
He could his speech was having a desired effect. Tria was watching him with a pained expression, clearly torn, and biting her lip.
“He is deeply in love with the Valley,” Cera coaxed, staring so hard at Tria it was almost painful. She didn’t even want to blink, she was so eager for a reaction from her stepmother.
“Because he’s dedicated to his family,” she continued. “He really is! He may be...” she chuckled weakly. “Grumpy and sarcastic and whatever, but he really loves us, he does, so much!!”
“I do...” Topps agreed, also watching Tria, who was staring at the ground.
“From the moment you arrived at the Valley...” Cera continued, rushing her words slightly now. “He saw the opportunity to recreate a family. And I admit, I didn’t see it before, but I can now. I may have been hostile and just plain bratty, but that’s because I couldn’t see anyone...replacing my mom.”
“Cera...” There was a prominent quaver in Tria’s voice, her expression now transformed into one of considerable sorrow as she gazed despondently at her stepdaughter. “I never meant to try and replace her...”
“I know!” Cera insisted. “You’re just...stepping into her role. And I know that now, I do...Tria...I...I love you. It’s taken me a long time to realise but...” Cera drew breath, and as she did so, she noticed it was a shuddering one, to accompany the tears that were now flowing from her eyes. Once upon a time, Cera would have made every effort to conceal these, but right now, she didn’t care. The fact that both Topps and Tria had their astonished eyes on her was enough to coax her to continue going, no matter how hard she cried.
“You’ve stepped into the role, quite seamlessly...” Cera murmured, smiling broadly in spite of her tears. “It was never about replacing my mother...you both sit side by side in my consciousness, and now I have no qualm about also calling you mom...”
She couldn’t continue, but she didn’t need too. Tria had stepped forward, and had allowed Cera’s head to rest upon her knee, still crying, but Tria was sure they were good tears. In response, she shed a few of those good tears herself.
“Now I’ve heard it...” she muttered. “I’ve realised that’s been something I’ve wanted to hear for a long time...” she turned to Topps.
“I think Cera’s made a considerable case,” she remarked. “And she’s right...I do still care you Topsy.” She sighed. “How about this? If we make it out of this alive, will you consider giving it all another go? And I mean all of us. As one family.”
Cera didn’t think she had seen a smile so broad on her father’s face in years.
“Oh yes,” he said. “I think I can accept that.”
But the smile very quickly vanished.
At that moment, a Bludgeoner, clearly not happy with the lack of fighting enthusiasm they were showing, had charged straight at them, swinging his murderous tail...
“WATCH OUT!!” Topps had made to move his wife and daughter out of harm’s way, but not in quite enough time. The Bludgeoner’s tail made contact with his neck frill, issuing a rather small cut, but as the tail continued to plummet, it knocked Cera flying, and both Topps and Tria saw the distinctive flash of blood.
“CEEEERRRRAAAA!!!”
Rushing to their daughter’s side, their bodies sagged with relief when they noticed her getting to her feet.
“I’m fine...!” Cera grunted, spitting a mouthful of blood to the ground. “I’m just a little...”
But the Bludgeoner was determined to finish the job.
“Topsy, he’s coming back!” Tria yelled, rounding on the adversary.
But a saving grace came in the form of a large rock. It had fallen quite literally from the sky, and had landed neatly atop the Bludgeoner’s head. With so much weight on one end of the body, the longneck overbalanced, and he pitched forward, the rock flattening his skull.
“And there’s a lot more where that came from!” Pterano declared, circling above them. “You lot alright?”
“I could be better!” Topps snapped back. “Does this mean I’m now indebted to you?”
Pterano smirked.
“Don’t forget it threehorn!” he called, as he flew away.
Topps shook his head in a disgruntled manner, and Cera was sure he would have yelled some more well-chosen words after Pterano, but then her mind shifted to the panicked cries and hurried footsteps heading her way.
“Is she OK??” Ruby cried, skidding spectacularly in front of the threehorns before bending down to inspect Cera’s injuries. Cera rolled her eyes.
“You’re really worried about just a scratch when you staged your own execution and charged straight into the middle of this battlefield? Priorities, I see, Ruby...”
Ruby smirked and shook her head.
“You charged in here before I charged in here,” she told her. “But I guess you had your priorities too...”
Still smiling, she gazed up at Topps and Tria.
“Can you get her somewhere out of harm’s way?” Topps asked her sincerely. “I think she’s done enough for us right now...” he glanced at his wife. Tria nodded.
“Yes. I’m sure we can rely on you, right, Ruby?”
Ruby nodded, her hand resting upon Cera. Satisfied, the two adult threehorns turned tail back into battle.
“Huh!” Cera pouted. “I still think I could have done a lot more...”
“Well, we still have things we need to do,” Ruby replied as the two of them ducked and ran beneath the limbs of the adults, the Alliance dinosaurs providing cover and a barricade for them against the Bludgeoners. “We may be too small to take care of things here, but we’ve managed to get our hands on weapons that might be just as effective...”
By now they had left the thickest parts of the battle behind, and had made their way over to a mound of rocks, not dissimilar from the massive formation left by the previous rockslide. Many wounded sharpteeth and leaf-eaters lay around, being tended to by the best of their abilities by some smaller dinosaurs that lacked the brawn to take on Bludgeoners. On the subject of Bludgeoners, Cera was momentarily alarmed to see one amongst their wounded, but on closer inspection it had turned out to be Uriah.
“Still alive...” Ruby muttered as she looked over at him. “But I don’t know for how long...”
As for dinosaurs standing amongst the rocks, Cera was relieved to see Ali, Spike, Ducky, Lini and Al firmly out of harm’s way, with Pterano and Petrie’s mother still swooping down to pick up medium-sized rocks to drop upon the enemy.
“They may be effective from the air,” Ruby told Cera. “But pushing them with the right speed and from the right distance might be enough to make them good land weapons too.”
“How do you work that out?” Cera asked sceptically, looking at where Ali, Spike and Lini were poised behind a spherical boulder. “We can’t exactly get a rock all the way over there from here...”
“You’d be surprised,” Ruby replied earnestly, gesturing to an elaborate, winding slope that the rock rested upon. “This one’s too large for the flyers to drop, but using the same principle we use when we play Pointy Seed Bowling...”
“These would be larger than your average pointy seeds.”
“You’re hilarious, Cera.”
Ruby stepped slightly forward, surveying the battlefield with nearly a squint, as though watching out for something in particular.
“We’re awaiting your signal,” Ali told her.
Ruby nodded and continued to watch the battlefield intently, and Cera turned to gaze too, watching the thuds and tail whips and bites and slashes and stomps...from where they were standing, they saw Ferox squaring off against a Bludgeoner somewhat bulkier than the average...
“Hold it...” Ruby murmured.
The Bludgeoner stepped forward, causing Ferox to back down slightly.
“Now!”
At Ruby’s command, Ali and Spike and Lini pushed with all their strength against the boulder, sagging as it eventually gave way, dropping and rolling with surprising speed down the slope, continuing this trend along the ground, directly to the path of the Bludgeoner. Although it had lost some of its velocity, Cera could only stare as it ploughed with considerably dynamic force straight at the legs of the Bludgeoner, causing it to collapse as its legs virtually snapped beneath it. Ferox quickly subdued it in this state.
Cera turned back to Ruby, wide-eyed.
“My turn now?” she asked tentatively.
It had, of course, transpired that Ruby had designed this slope largely by herself, but Cera was happy to leave that role to her. It was the massive rocks she wanted to take care of. As she had told Ali, with a grin far wider than was surely normal upon her face, if they had planned to send rocks rolling and sliding towards their foes without her, they could only hope to get lucky.
And so they continued, gathering rocks and sending them forward, timing it as best they could so as not to hit their allies. Whilst there were some successes, which sent them all whooping and hugging in a frenzied state of celebration, other times such rocks fell short, one even ploughing into and knocking down a tree.
“Hang on, I’m sure those Bludgeoners weren’t there before...”
Ali was craning her neck, watching the battlefield with a renewed worry.
Ruby also looked over, and her eyes widened.
“Yes...those one’s making a formation right there...those are definitely new...”
She winced after a sickening crack and thud was heard, implying such a formation had proved effective.
“How are new ones coming along?” Cera demanded. “I thought they were all here...”
“All of them except the ones Ulciscor took with him,” Ruby agreed. “But he may have been more cunning than we thought. They were stationed at every side of the Valley as well as within. We only took out those on the west wall, and even some of them might have got away. It would have been difficult to tell in the dark. I think he may have stationed a few elsewhere so as to hem us in and attack from other places. It doesn’t help that it’s been extremely difficult to work out how many there are in the first place...of course, as we have the superior numbers, he’s got to make use of tactics...”
Ruby trailed away, before turning back to her closely watching friends.
“In any case, the more of them we take out, the better. We might need to get Petrie or some other flier to see how many are stationed elsewhere in the Valley.”
The rocks that Ruby had organised needed continual adjusting should their attacks be affective, and Al, being of a small stature, had taken it upon himself to do that. But it was here that he was approached by someone he was yearning to take his mind off.
“Al...?”
Al looked up and stared at Lini for a few seconds before ducking his head down again.
At first, Lini found herself desiring nothing more but to dissolve in a wave of tears again. But upon realising this, her mood changed. Quite suddenly, this particular act of cold shoulder gave birth to a renewed burst of fury.
“Dammit, Al! What is wrong with you? This is just ridiculous!”
Al’s eyes snapped up at her again.
“Is it...?” he muttered. “I don’t know...”
He turned away.
“Why can’t you even look at me?” Lini demanded, grabbing his arm.
Al emitted a strangled yell and leapt away from her grip as though he had been burnt. Lini, slightly shocked, withdrew her hand.
Al continued to stare at her, his purple orbs wide and slightly frightened. Drawing a deep breath, he continued,
“It’s just...you can’t pretend that...” he shook his head. “Lini, this really isn’t the time, there’s a war going on...”
“Exactly,” Lini insisted. “So we could never get this chance again. We seem to be safe now, but if those Bludgeoners continue to take down our fighters...and then there’s him...” she nodded at Kai, who was currently crushing a hapless sharptooth beneath him.
“How can we be sure that either of us is even going to make it out of this alive...? I know I don’t want to die thinking that you hate me...in fact...” she gazed down at the ground, ringing her hands together. “That’s probably the last thing I want...and the Al I know...well, he wouldn’t want me to die knowing that the last thing he said to me was that I was as bad as the likes of Gigas...”
To her relief, she could see Al was taking this in. He too was watching the ground, but looking immensely contemplative and concerned. He sighed.
“Look...” he said. “It’s more about-”
He broke off. Suddenly his expression was alert, and quite panicked.
“Do you smell that...?” he muttered.
Lini sniffed the air...and gasped, a knot of dread forming in her stomach.
“They followed us...?” she whispered.
“The wall collapsing...” Al murmured. “It makes sense...he’s done it before...”
And without another word to her, he strode past Lini and back up the slope to inform Ruby of this new development.
The first visual signs of this development came at Petrie’s end. Upon his vantage point in the sky, he too had noticed that more Bludgeoners were joining the battle, attacking at random angles. But he didn’t have time to dwell on this when he heard another flying sentinel giving out instructions.
In sharptooth.
Gasping, Petrie swooped higher, and gazed down at the unmistakable sight of Ichy, hovering above the battlefield, issuing orders to...
With the battle of full swing, full of animals colliding and throwing up dust, it was only the observers at the side and in the sky that noticed the sight. A squad of Piercers, that couldn’t have numbered much more than twenty, was nevertheless in a ready formation just behind the fighters. And very soon, they were amongst it too, weaving in and out of the larger animals, barely noticed by anyone...
“Get the commanders!” Ichy yelled. “Take them out first! Go for the spiked longneck, and the matriarch of the alliance! And whilst you’re at it, take on those large sharpteeth. The spiketail needs to go too!”
Zoe, who held the command of this group, received the order and turned to her followers.
“I’m going for the spiketail. Get Dil to assist you with the old one. Then we can take on the stinger together...”
“LOOK OUT!!” Petrie called to the forces below. “Look out for sharpteeth with the-”
But he broke off when he noticed Ichy flying towards him.
“I’d watch your mouth, gnat!” he snarled.
Petrie zipped off, thankful for the timely arrival of his mother and uncle. Upon landing at the sidelines where his friends were, he saw that they had noticed too.
“What we do??” he asked them desperately.
“Maybe...” Ducky looked thoughtfully at the battlefield. “Maybe if they’re fighting the Bludgeoners too, they’ll help us?”
Al shook his head.
“There aren’t enough of them to take the Bludgeoners head on,” he said. “This is a sneak tactic. Most of the fighters probably haven’t even noticed a third party’s joined. They’re trying to weaken us both, by taking out some of the leaders. And that includes Opal and Old One.
Indeed, even as the Bludgeoners continued their assault upon the alliance, worryingly starting to push back, Opal found herself mobbed.
Zoe had aimed straight for the flank, her teeth scraping off the spiketail’s skin, and allowing a small trickle of blood to begin, slowly getting larger. Opal howled and kicked out, managing to subdue the Piercer for now but suddenly discovering that many more were upon her, preparing to bite, claw and otherwise bring her down.
She of course recognised them, and her immediate reaction was to cry out a warning to everyone else that this battle had gotten more complicated, and unbelievably so.
A Bludgeoner approached the wrestling throng, and brought his tail down amongst the Piercer’s sending some flying and crashing to the ground with bone-snapping crashes. For a brief, wild moment, Opal thought that this one buried the hatchet, until it brought its tail down upon her instead. Raising her own tail, Opal swung it like a baton, allowing the spikes to pierce the Bludgeoner’s skin as best she could. Only the smallest fleck of blood was visible, but when the Bludgeoner leaned in again, Opal twisted her whole body around and delivered a powerful blow, which sent it tottering backwards, its long neck getting close enough for the ground for Zoe to take advantage. A quick swipe of the claws and the Bludgeoner’s throat was cut, leaving Zoe and her minions to get back at Opal.
Opal, still bleeding slightly at the hip, backed away with her tail raised, but it suddenly occurred to her that her eyes should also be on Bludgeoners. With this haze and now three opposing factions, this battle could easily become a bloodbath quicker than first realised...
“If Hoshia went to find him, why hasn’t he come?” she found herself thinking.
“On my signal...” Zoe told her followers, eyeing Opal hungrily. She licked her chops. “Make sure you cover the back and I’ll go for the head. Once this task is finished, I’ll see what sort of world Xal has in- AAGGGH!!!”
She cried out as she felt something barge hard into her. Struggling to stay balanced, she turned to her gaze upon a bright red adolescent slashclaw...
“Lini???” Opal cried in horror. “Go! Get out now!”
One of Zoe’s followers made for Lini, but Lini kicked it hard in the face, an adamant determination on her face that gave Opal a slight chill...
“Get out of here!” Lini turned Opal’s words back on her. “After what you did for me...what you told us...you’re not going to die here...”
She cried out in pain as Zoe bit into her back. The two of them began wrestling, twisting and snarling and biting, and Opal, stunned by Lini’s words, found herself simply standing there and watching...
Lini kicked Zoe with her toe claws, leaving definite red impressions, but as she found herself in the perfect position to deliver a killer bite, something in the back of her mind, maybe the image of whatever yellow sharptooth it was that day, or maybe an individual purple-eyed crunchbiter gave her pause. And she hesitated for too long.
Zoe knocked her head away and twisted around to deliver an almighty slash with her claws, straight up Lini’s chest and up her face. Blood went flying immediately, droplets of scarlet shimmering in the air, and more of it dribbled down Lini’s neck as she coughed and choked...
Another of Zoe’s associates rammed into her, knocking her to the ground a short distance away, a trail of blood running the length of it as it continued to run down her chest, face and mouth...
Zoe’s chance to do any more damage was stolen from her as Opal finally came back to her senses and rushed into action, with Azura evening up the odds, delivering mighty tail whacks to the other Piercers around her. But Lini seemed fairly motionless.
“LINIIIII!!!!!!!!!”
That uncharacteristic hysterical cry was enough to rouse her. Suddenly Lini found herself aware of where she was once more, despite her now somewhat blurry vision and light-headedness. From where her head was hanging, she saw Al running towards her upside down, his breath coming in short pants. He dropped to his knees beside her.
“Lini, I’m sorry, you’ve got to stay with me, please, PLEASE!”
That seemed a fair enough request, Lini reasoned. It was strange then, that this slipping away feeling was so enticing...
“Al...” she tried to speak, and found herself choking on more blood. “I’m sorry...instincts kicked in again...”
“We’ve all done that!” Al garbled. “And I’m sorry. I really am. I’m just not used to this. I’m not used to people I know turning out to be...my life’s just been so haphazard and unpredictable with no family, I’ve tried to regiment things, and I’m sorry I didn’t...I know I can’t regiment you, because it’s not...it’s just...Lini, I love you, you CAN’T DIE...!”
Al’s face and voice seemed to be fading somewhat, but Lini still managed to smile.
“Who knew it would take something like this to get it out of him?” she thought. She also thought about mustering a reply, but suddenly, that seemed to no longer be a normal feat. Lini just sighed, smiled and closed her eyes.
Al held her still head between his arms and gazed down at her, almost willing himself not to react. After all, he was meant to be the calm, collected one, especially when he spied on Seizon. He needed to remain strong. But that was impossible. Like it or not, the tears came thick and fast, falling from his face freely and onto hers...after everything that had happened...and it had all been for nothing...
Ruby, who was standing behind him along with most of the others, bent down and felt Lini’s arm and chest.
“She’s not dead...”
Al sat bolt upright.
“Are you sure...?”
“Yes, she’s breathing. But...there’s something not quite right about it. We’d better get her some help.
Al gazed down at Lini’s motionless form.
“Keep those instincts going, Lini...” he pleaded silently with her.
As Lini was drawn in to join the injured, Ali found herself fixating on a particular part of the battle. She had been working her way around the perimeter of the mass of fighting dinosaurs, watching the clashes and hearing the roars, and she noticed Kai ploughing his way quite effectively through members of the Alliance, smaller bodies falling at his feet...it appeared that the Piercers were not going after him yet, still focused on perhaps the less violent ones. She could also see Old One fighting her own personal battle. Knocking aside the Piercers was easy enough for her, but she was struggling to wrestle her limbs free from Dil’s jaws, who seemed determined to bring her down at whatever personal cost.
But as Kai ploughed through, he was getting closer to the edge where Ali stood.
And where a tree stood.
It was tall, but thin, and like the other trees in the Valley, stripped of its leaves so that Ulciscor had a monopoly on the food. Ali was plotting, and she found it a deliciously ironic idea to have these violated trees get their own back. It would have been more effective had her fellows been here to help her, but she needed to make a decision quickly. Kai, pursuing a smallish sharptooth, was getting ever closer...
Ali threw her weigh against the tree, feeling it beginning to bend slowly towards the desired location. Kai was approaching, completely oblivious, his eyes focused on the potential murder ahead of him.
Come on...
The tree gave way. Ali stumbled against the outcrop it stood upon, nearly falling, but watching it in triumph.
Except it had dropped too early. The trunk thudded resolutely into the ground, separating Kai from his victim, giving the sharptooth time to run. Kai, however, was not beneath the tree, and he now looked up at Ali with a loathsome murderous intent.
Oh...
Ali leapt off the outcrop just in time to avoid Kai’s tail ploughing into it. She fled as Kai gave pursuit, but she soon realised with a thrill of terror that Kai was considerably faster. In no time, she felt the spiked tail of Ulciscor’s enforcer lift her off her feet and cut into her hide. With a yelp she fell back to the ground with a heavy blow. Winded, she attempted to stagger up, and felt her leg scream in protest. Wincing, she looked down at it and noticed a shining cut beginning to ooze with blood.
She was soon looking up instead however, as Kai’s enormous shadow loomed over her, his yellow eyes glinting with a very real and sickening joy.
“You’ve got something of a youthful rebellion in you,” he observed, rearing up onto his hind legs, his front legs perfectly poised to crush her. “You’re about to wish you never did...”
Even if her leg hadn’t been completely useless, Ali felt she couldn’t have moved, glued to the spot as she was with a sheer, cold, numbing fear...
WHAM.
A powerful, muscular tail had struck Kai in the stomach, sending him tottering backwards. Snarling, he leapt back up to engage Ali’s saviour in combat.
Although the bite marks on her leg were visible, it appeared that the Old One had shaken off her carnivorous attackers with considerable ease. Back at the battlefield, Dil lay noticeably bruised, a panicked Ichy attempting to coax her up.
“Old One...!” Ali managed to gasp.
Upon hearing her, Kai made to go back to her, apparently determined to finish the job he started, but Old One rammed into him, pushing with all the strength her body still carried.
“Get her out of her!” Old One roared.
Almost at once, Ali heard the pounding footsteps of a longneck in a hurry. She looked up to see Fumei bend down before she found herself lifted off the ground by her tail.
“You youngsters should never have come back...” Fumei muttered to her as she carried her off back to the sides. “But you truly do have courage...”
Old One smiled at that, even as her limbs began to quiver with the force she was wrestling against.
Screaming with rage, Kai slammed his head into her side. She gasped and staggered.
“Why don’t you just shrivel up??” he snarled at her, stamping and creating a considerable cloud of dust. “Why do you keep coming back and interfering, you useless old fossil??”
At that, Old One felt she had to chuckle.
“Oh, you really are clueless. You really thought that after everything you did, nobody would speak out or act in retaliation?”
Kai swung his neck at her, but she was ready for him this time. Turning remarkably quickly, she brought her tail up to block the blow, and Kai withdrew his head, looking considerably shaken. Ignoring the fresh cuts on her tail, Old One continued.
“These dinosaurs are not taking instructions from you,” she said firmly. “You’ve managed to get to them and their lifestyle and their children, and you really think they would take it lying down?”
Kai reared up. Against possibly her better judgement, Old One also did, feeling a strain in her muscles as she had not done in years. The two longnecks collided together, a great slab of many tonnes of muscle coming together, and the two wrestled face-to-face.
“This is why we beat it out of them!!” Kai hissed at her. Old One had to admit that her age was proving a handicap when it came to this kind of contest. Kai knew this too, and his malevolent grin grew as Old One fell to the ground.
By now, this scene had several onlookers. Even the Bludgeoners, knowing it better to conserve their energy, had paused and were watching their field commander slamming his legs down onto the ribcage of the old matriarch.
Old One yelled out in considerable pain, but gritted her teeth and kicked out with her front limbs at the oppressor, who slipped and gave the old longneck time to get back to her feet.
“And that is why they continue to fight back!” Old One roared back, swinging her head and slamming into Kai’s side. Shrieking in a way that suggested borderline insanity, Kai retaliated, his neck crashing forward like a medieval mace. Old One stood her ground.
“And is the younger generation who suffers the mistakes of the older...” she reflected, as she and Kai resumed their shoulder-to-shoulder wrestling.
“We, who constantly enforced the idea of every herd and every species to their own...”
Her mind brought her back to her much younger days, days when she sheltered beneath her parents massive limbs, watching the other dinosaur species with mingled awe and fear...
“We, who could never bear the idea of change...”
Their regimenting had felt normal to her, she realised. How had she even been able to spare that small sharptooth Chomper the day she chased him?
“And the children of her herds couldn’t bear to be seen with the others...”
She remembered the stories Ali had told her, about how her first meeting with Littlefoot had been scuppered by his choice of friends...
“But how they’ve adapted!”
No wonder Ulciscor had chosen this Valley for his sick experiments. He must have been mortified at the idea of new ideas and species mingling. Co-operation...harmony...diversity...tolerance. The beacon had been handed to the younger generation and how they had sought to change the old ways! Well, Old One thought, I salute them. And I abhor any of those who try to force it back!
She slammed her head on top of Kai’s, who bit into her leg, but his teeth quickly slid off. She charged forward, and he slammed his neck onto hers. She almost found herself rearing again when the crushing blow came.
Kai had swung his monstrous tail straight at her legs. Gasping, she felt her knees buckle and herself crash to the ground. Her front legs were bleeding, and she wasn’t sure if she could move them again.
All around her, the onlookers were transfixed. Well, if she was going to go down...she swallowed. When she went down, she wanted to make sure her allies knew what was on her mind. They couldn’t give up...
Kai struck her again, this time scraping his spiked tail across her body and neck, inflicting cuts and allowing a gentle spray of scarlet on the ground. Perhaps the fact that he enjoyed torturing his victims was something of a double-edged sword.
“Everyone stay back!” Old One ordered, and there was an outbreak of muttering, even as Old One smiled at them all, the blood running down her face.
“But Old One!” Ali called from her location at the sidelines. Old One swallowed. She hoped that this would not renew Kai’s desire to murder her. But Kai thankfully seemed too focused on the older dinosaur. He slammed his tail down on the back of her neck, forcing her to bend her head forward.
“You can’t go, we need you!!” Ali protested, her face stricken with horror. Her heart was pounding with guilt. If Kai hadn’t gone for her, she wouldn’t have had to come in and blatantly sacrifice herself...
“Many more noble dinosaurs have died here today,” Old One continued. “And none of them have had an audience. And I’ve lived a long life. It’s time for you all to do the same.”
Kai struck her neck hard again, and her legs gave way, her neck sinking to the ground. Kai was deliberately prolonging the final blow to make sure everyone was watching. Old One turned her eye to a very specific face in the crowd: that of Zoe, the Piercer who had ordered her death. She saw the Piercer look straight back at her and give the smallest of nods. At this, Old One knew everything was in place. With her gone, she could focus fully on Kai, and may even prove to be a useful ally in said battle after all...potentially.
Old One continued.
“In my long life I may have led a herd, but I think the true accomplishments come from the Valleians and all their children. They have taken great steps towards acceptance and community. That is what will kill the poison seeping through this Valley. I know it. I just hope you can forgive me for being stuck in my ways for so long!”
She twisted her head to look at her allies, and she beamed broadly, tears beginning to slide down her face and washing away the blood.
“Give a dying old fossil a break, and promise me you’ll fulfil my wish in continuing this progression for the rest of time! This is your generation now, be the best you can be!”
This seemed to content her allies as much as they could be given the situation. They nodded almost simultaneously.
“If we do,” Ali said earnestly. “It’ll be down to your guidance.”
Old One chuckled slightly.
“That idea makes me quite content,” she said warmly.
Kai reared up.
“I only hope this is the last kill you’ll ever make...” Old One thought as she closed her eyes.
“Justice will catch up with you in the end...”
Kai brought his front feet smashing down upon the Old One’s skull, the audible and sorrowful crack marking the matriarch’s grand life with a resolute and final note.
*
This tranquillity was completely wrong.
Bron could hear the battle in the distance, the cries of pain and anguish...and here, the breeze blew calmly as if nothing was awry. But of course, the breeze had never been affected by this in the past. What really bothered Bron was the fact that he felt that tranquillity would soon be shattered by Ulciscor’s appearance. He was surely near...
Bron continued to walk, some of the grass around coming up almost to his knees. Nearby too were trees that gently bowed and creaked in the breeze, some even still with their vegetation. Ulciscor would have wanted to remove most easily accessible vegetation, so therefore...
“Bron, I’m right here.”
Ulciscor had spoken the words with no real emotion, just as a simple instruction, and as Bron turned to see him standing in a vividly green clearing with a few trees surrounding him, he couldn’t help but still see the highly confident young longneck he had met so long ago. Only this time, Ulciscor held his parents captive behind him, guarded by two Bludgeoners. Bron watched their expressions with increasing despair. He didn’t think he had ever seen them look so defeated.
“You may be wondering why the two of them aren’t bothering to fight back?” Ulciscor asked mildly, chancing a glance at his parents. “It’s because they know it’ll be much worse for everyone else in the Valley should they do so.”
Bron took a step towards them.
“But you gave Kai and the Bludgeoners to kill without discrimination, surely?” he queried.
“Everyone except their grandson,” Ulciscor corrected him, also walking towards his quarry. “Whilst they’ve still got that last bit of hope left, they want to hang onto it.
“Hmm...” Bron murmured, beginning to walk round, knowing it was inevitable that the two longnecks began to circle each other, each eyeing the other with mingled apprehension and interest.
“Ahh...” Ulciscor breathed. “How long has it been, Bron, since I’ve seen your features?”
“I don’t know if this is really the perfect time for a memory lane,” Bron replied.
“We’re far from that battle, Bron, we might as well. I still remember when it was the three of us...”
Bron found himself clenching his teeth a little harder. He knew who that third person was.
“You, Saura and I. Inseparable, at least until I went off to fulfil my destiny as the Lone Dinosaur. And then she fell.”
Bron swallowed.
“You don’t need to tell me, Ulciscor. I daresay I found out before you did. And made sure I completed my role as father.”
“You?” Ulciscor grinned, the two longnecks still continuing that slow, perfect circle. “And you don’t even live in the Valley? Because from what I heard, all that time from Saura’s death to Littlefoot venturing off to find the Valley, you were never there.”
Bron shifted his gaze away, Ulciscor’s taunts ringing in his ears. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Aster and Arianna.
“Does Littlefoot even know why?” Ulciscor asked, eyeing Bron unwaveringly. “I’m sure he asked why his own father never showed up. What did you tell him? See, I can’t be certain, but I’m fairly sure I know what happened...”
“He forgave me,” Bron snapped. “He forgave me Ulciscor, and he will not forgive you.”
“I’m sure he did forgive you,” Ulciscor replied levelly. “If you fabricated some lie to cover your tracks. But what will he think when he discovers his father’s a coward-?”
“YOU SHUT UP!!”
He made towards Ulciscor, but skidded to a halt when he saw the Bludgeoners make threatening moves towards Aster and Arianna. The look in their eyes told him that they had been listening and contemplating very carefully.
Ulciscor looked completely nonchalant.
“OK then, Bron. I understand this is important to you, so how about this? I want to teach my sister’s child the way I think the world should be run-”
“He’ll never listen to you...”
“Let me finish!” There was a sharper quality to that command. Bron fell silent.
“Obviously you want your son to stay with you. And your parents-in-law...if you can fight me and come out victorious, I shall leave them behind when I take my temporary departure.”
“So, you’re fleeing?”
Ulciscor chuckled.
“No...I would have done this regardless of whatever attack was thrown my way. And it doesn’t concern you. However, if you can win against me, I shall release them back to you. If not...”
“We are all going to win, Ulciscor. Get that in your head.”
“You’re sure?” Ulciscor’s malicious grin had been replaced by a scowl. “You still haven’t quite got the measure of me yet, have you? Still, will you accept my challenge?”
Bron paused, staring back at Aster and Arianna. If he refused, there could be no telling what happened to those two. With the rest of the party far away, he doubted they could be otherwise rescued in time...and yet...he simply didn’t trust Ulciscor not to pull something on him at the last minute...
“What about Littlefoot?” Bron asked. “If I win, will you leave him alone also?”
Ulciscor blinked.
“Sure.”
Of course Bron didn’t trust him for a second. Nevertheless, this would buy everyone valuable time. Hopefully, Littlefoot was safe, and would remain so until the victorious alliance would inform him of said victory...before coming for Ulciscor? It was a desperate gamble, but eventually Bron nodded.
“OK...I accept your challenge...”
“Before you do...”
Bron snapped his head in Arianna’s direction, unable to hide his astonishment. Ulciscor also turned, apparently having not expected it any more than Bron.
“I just want to say, Bron...” Arianna murmured, her head down. “That...we don’t blame you in the slightest...”
Aster nodded.
Under different circumstances, Bron’s mind would have been set greatly at rest upon hearing this. As it was, he simply licked his teeth nervously and nodded.
“Alright,” Ulciscor continued briskly, watching him closely. “So you will accept the challenge to complete our unfinished business?”
“Yes...” Bron replied firmly, poising himself, lowering his neck and raising his tail.
“Excellent...” Ulciscor returned, also raising his tail. “Let’s see...”
Not wishing to give Ulciscor the chance to attack first, Bron kicked dirt behind him and ran forward, turning a bringing his tail swinging down...
Ulciscor brought his up however, countering the blow and sending minute vibrations and a slight dull ache up the tails. Bron could see a gloating smile sparkling behind Ulciscor’s dark eyes, and he stood back to prepare for another attack.
The two longnecks began to circle each other once more, their heads low. Eventually, they collided, pushing shoulder to shoulder and emitting loud bellows. Bron slammed his neck into Ulciscor’s side, causing Ulciscor to snarl and rear up for the briefest of seconds, forcing Bron to withdraw his neck. The two collided again, wrestling briefly, but this time Ulciscor had already raised his leg, and brought it painfully down upon Bron’s shoulder. Even as Bron yelled, Ulciscor raised both his legs and brought them down upon Bron, who managed to drop and roll over to put up his own front legs in a counter. The sound of creaking bones was audible even as Ulciscor dismounted and turned tail, swatting the unstable Bron who was attempting to get back to his feet. The whipcrack left a distinctive mark and the brown longneck skidded along the ground, cracking into a nearby tree and toppling it easily.
Ulciscor, still on his feet, was unable to hide his glee as Bron staggered up. Bron, determined not to show his resistance fading, nevertheless felt his mind ticking over into a panic.
“Ulciscor has trained himself to be a killer...” he thought desperately. “He offered me this challenge because he knew I wouldn’t win...”
But why not prove him wrong?
Bron charged once more, swinging his tail around again and striking Ulciscor. However, Ulciscor had ducked and allowed his sturdy back to take the brunt of the force, and twisting round, he kicked out at Bron with his back legs. Even as Bron teetered again, Ulciscor shot his neck forward and struck Bron’s head with his own.
Bron hit the ground with a loud thud and distinctive rumble, and, perhaps as an extra measure, Ulciscor struck his face hard with the whip end of his tail. Bron emitted a hiss of pain as a fleck of blood sprayed the ground before him.
“No...”
Bron tried to heave his heavy frame back up, but Ulciscor’s foot held him in place.
“Looks like you were only second rate after all!” Ulciscor crowed, glancing back at his parents briefly to make sure they knew the score. “Bold of you, but ultimately that doesn’t really count for anything!”
What else could be done? Bron could only stare at Ulciscor’s leering face and wonder what he had in store...
“We’ve had an interesting run, Bron,” Ulciscor informed him, a dangerous smirk playing about his lips. “But I’m afraid I don’t have time to cling to any old nostalgia. As I move on, I will leave you behind. You’re certainly not the first to perish beneath by limbs, but granted you will probably be the most notable. Goodbye, ëlittlefoot’!”
Up he reared, legs poised over Bron’s head. Bron closed his eyes, sending his wishes to Aster, Arianna, Littlefoot, Shorty and all the rest. He would have resisted more, but honestly...he had wanted to reunite with Saura for a long time, if only to let her know...how sorry he was...
But today was not that day.
Because even as Ulciscor prepared to murder his brother-in-law, the impossible happened. He was knocked off his feet and sent crashing onto his back by a tree. A heavy trunk and literally been flung at him full-on. Someone had uprooted it. Someone very desperate to stop Ulciscor.
Bron, managing to gather his strength, propped himself up and gazed, wide-eyed at his saviour.
Aster and Arianna’s mouths had fallen open as the gazed, not noticing the Bludgeoners, who, also staring, were shifting nervously.
Ulciscor, wrestling himself free from beneath the branches, raised himself back up to his feet to look his attacker in the eye. His eyes widened too, and his mouth twisted into a scowl of fury.
“It’s you...” he muttered. “Why the hell are you here?”
For there, standing a short distance away, the grass swaying in the breeze around his ankles, was Doc, the fabled Lone Dinosaur. Doc, his expression fairly collected and yet with a furrowed brow, turned to his head slowly to fix his gaze upon Ulciscor.
“Why?” he repeated in a deep, slow voice that commanded presence. “My reaction is akin to a parent responding to the tears of their children. And I believe that you, sir, are the cause of those tears.”
“Me??” Ulciscor emitted a short, harsh laugh. “I have made this Valley truly great, stretching my resources and expanding my ideas, whilst you have disappeared off the face of the earth!”
“It’s certainly true that I have been absent recently,” Doc agreed. “And for that I give the children of the Valley my humblest apologies. But once I heard of the goings-on, I knew my return had to be imminent.”
“Who told you?” Ulciscor demanded.
“It’s perhaps an old, out-of-touch system,” Doc replied. “But as...” he looked briefly troubled, before continuing, “as a known guardian of this Valley, members of the dynasty that once ruled it have the authority to give me orders. Opal sent me a rainbowface as a messenger, telling me to come to the aid of a liberation army and to overthrow a tyrant.”
“A tyrant?” Ulciscor repeated, looking increasingly nettled. “Opal is most definitely out-of-touch. If I had known she had survived Kai’s attack, I would have made sure she was the first on the list to go...”
“But as it happens,” Doc interrupted, his voice quavering with a renewed, tranquil fury. “You didn’t know. And now it is my duty to remove you from this Valley by whatever means...”
Ulciscor scowled, apparently biting back a scream. But he stood his ground.
“You’re also out-of-touch,” he told him. “For everything I’ve done for this Valley, I should be called the Lone Dinosaur.”
At that, Doc actually smiled. But it was a smile that was considerably humourless.
“You really want that title? It’s a lot less of a glamorous one than you know.”
“Not when I carry it. And you cannot remove me from this Valley; you no longer have the ability.”
Doc simply moved his legs, so they were more splayed and sturdier, and slowly raised his tail.
“We’ll see,” he said quietly.
~0~
Finally! So...thoughts? I have to admit I'm not sure about this chapter, everything feels a bit of a mess, but I've hopefully managed to include the character development I meant to. A few twists and a bit of death, I know, and well...there's more to come. Hope you'll join me next time, and thanks for reading!
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One of the posts went through twice.
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Which one? I can't see it.
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I think it was removed. I was looking through the story earlier and the part that began with:
On grand plains surrounded by bare trees stood Ulciscor, an army around him, watching him pace furiously.
“How could we not have noticed the attack force?” he snarled at Kai.
“Evidently someone has betrayed us,” Kai answered coldly, glancing at the Bludgeoners, who flinched at his glare. “I don’t see Uriah amongst this group...”
“Oh, he was always a weak-willed one!” Ulciscor declared savagely, kicking a fairly dead clump of ferns.
“Should I kill him?” Kai asked hopefully.
Had appeared twice. I didn't scroll up to reread the chapter; I was going down the entire time, and when this part came up yet again, I was perplexed and checked and saw that, indeed, the message was posted twice somehow. I think one of the admins might have caught it and fixed it.
Either that or maybe I'm just going crazy. :p
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Ah, OK, well, thanks for pointing it out anyway. :DD
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Okay, this chapter seems to be enormously long but my experience tells me this is a good sign :yes
Somehow I knew Ruby wouldn't be slaughtered (after all, help was near-by) but still there was an eerie atmosphere. She is so brave :)
Then, FINALLY, the battle starts, yay! :DD Ulciscor's retreat is bad because the alliance loses their advantage of surprise attack. If the Bludgeoners manage to regroup and organise (and I'm pretty sure they will...) then I see red...
Quite a touching scene between Opal and Ducky's Mum. A fight for Spike is the last we'd need in this situation.
Things aren't quite as settled in Cera's family though...
Ulciscor doesn't fight, how very interesting...
And there we go, round two of the battle. Quite a nasty fight there but what else did I expect? :lol
Zyro, Opal, Hyp's Dad and the children really get themselves into trouble. Not on purpose, admittedly... Well, looks like everyone sneaked around getting crushed to death by boulders. Excellent use of a random event (or... not all that random :p) to make things more exciting by the way. You managed to separate the group. It just so happens that the right members of the group bump into Xal and his army... and Seizon. Honestly, as soon as I realised Seizon was up to no good, I tried to guess who could die in this... knowing that a few characters are not meant to survive this battle :p
I'll just read the rest and see if I'm right (or the next chapter will tell...)
And the other group of children enters the main battle...
First of all, creating such an emotional and heartwarming scene as (possibly) the reunition of Topps and Tria, counselled by their daughter Cera, in midst of a raging battle that both just barely escaped temporarily thanks to Cera's distraction, is quite something :)
(Puh, that sentence is long...)
To make use of words as a weapon you need to know how to use them and when (or when not...). You as a writer managed to give Cera just the perfect words to make an impact on not just her family ;)
If you want to, you can have Cera convince them with weak words but that might not convince the reader... You know, what I'm really trying to say is in short: I love your wording! :p Not just in this scene...
The others also make themselves quite useful. Rolling boulders down a slope right into their enemies is certainly a method to cause damage without engaging in combat.
Cera's humour sure hasn't taken a hit when she did earlier :DD Also what is it with Ruby and Cera? Ruby is astonishingly protective over Cera there... is that what you once told me about?
Lini and Al still don't get along as well though it's not like with Seizon or the Threehorns... I don't quite get Al's drift but then again he's always been a bit mysterious among the group.
The arrival of Piercers at the main battlefield stirres things up a bit. Their strategy is quite clever and, in case they take out Kai, could alter the result of the battle significantly... doesn't seem like it though.
Damn, I didn't see that coming...
It would've been a honourary way to part from the world, having fought bravely to protect Opal and, of course unintentionally, having gotten these words out of Al she wanted to hear. However, just when I was ready to accept her death, you give me a slight bit of hope again :) Of course it's good to see Lini yet in the world of the living but the moment would've also suited her untimely death very well. Hence I wonder what made you spare her (unless things just get a slight delay...)?
And I see it's really getting more intense now. Ali almost getting crushed and then... Well, all I can say is I somewhat predicted the outcome of that fight right while not exactly having her on my death list. She fought bravely and got an epic final scene preceded by an epic wrestling match with Kai. It may sound slightly crazy to cheer here but: Well done! And RIP Old One! May your fighting spirit and your will to get away from the old ways live on in the next generation :yes
Bron has finally found Ulciscor, about to rid the world of his presence. However, it seems like Bron is not meant to complete this task (nor does he seem to be strong enough to do it...). What a surprise, wow! Always appearing when he is needed most, that's Doc - the TRUE Lone Dinosaur :yes
Well, I don't think this chapter is messy at all. It's quite organised for being about such a wild and continuously changing battle :yes
I really enjoyed the read and I just want to read on! :DD
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Here's the next chapter...again, unexpectedly long, but whatever...mostly proof-read...I think...
Chapter Twenty-Six: One Bladeback's Calling
Chapter Twenty-Six: One Bladeback’s Calling
They had all left.
Somehow, all of them had moved on from this place and he had missed it completely. That gang he followed, that pack...they had finally managed to give him the slip. The young bladeback sagged to his knees and looked across the empty horizon in despair. They had all left him...
Of course, he had never been there’s to abandon. Just trying to scrape out a living, he had followed in the wake of any sharpteeth he could find. He depended on them, but they never depended on him, and as he had just seen. They didn’t care for him...it seemed that nobody did...
Well, his parents may have done. But he could barely remember them...they may have abandoned him too. Maybe that was his role in life. To be abandoned...
The bladeback dropped his gaze to the ground and screwed his eyes tighter as tears began to blossom. Curling up into a foetal position, he knew it was hopeless to even consider someone else coming to look after him, to feed him, to hold him like a parent would. Maybe this world yielded people who cared. But he was one of those who nobody cared for. The misery and injustice burned within his gut like a wildfire, flaring up each time he was reminded of just how alone he was...
Maybe all he could hope for now is to die in his sleep...
This was the last thing that occurred to the bladeback before an enticing aroma hit his nose. The wind had blown in the right direction just at the right time. A fresh kill was nearby. Sure, a large sharptooth would not want him trying to steal it, but he had trained himself to scavenge whenever nobody looked his way...
From the hard, rocky ground, the bladeback stood up, his stomach urging his nose on, as he began to wander in the direction of the smell.
On the day itself, the walk had seemed enormous. And it probably was. But somehow, remembering it each time made the walk seem shorter. And all that he liked to focus on now is what he found at the end.
A longneck soon met his eyes, sprawled as much as such a large animal could be sprawled in a narrow canyon like this. It presumably had been killed after being hemmed in this tight space – a clever tactic, considering the sharptooth beginning to feed from it had very few abrasions.
The youngster moved slowly in on the carcass, desperate to get at the food...however, the elder noticed first.
Growling slightly, the adult sharptooth raised his head and gazed directly at the youngster. The youngster froze in its gaze, but eventually the adult simply shrugged and bowed his head, continuing to eat.
The youngster paused, uncertain what this meant. This was later clarified when the adult spoke again.
“Well? Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Huh?” the youngster was thrown. “You’re going to let me...?”
“This old beast could fill the stomachs of a whole pack,” the adult replied. “I know neither of us will go hungry even if we stuff ourselves silly.”
His voice seemed so calm and sincere, that the youngster felt a lot more comfortable approaching this stranger. As he ate he continued to gaze up at the adult sharptooth, impressed by his hospitality. He could see this adult was a bladeback like him, and was even a similar colour, although his sail was distinctly different.
After a few moments of silence, the adult spoke again.
“So...why are you here alone anyway?”
“It’s...” the youngster found it difficult to articulate a response. “It’s...how it’s always been. That’s just how it is.”
The adult nodded.
“Orphaned, huh?” he said sagely. “Me too. My whole family were killed a long time ago. I had to bury my own little brother and sister...”
“Bury...?”
“It’s what sharpteeth do with their dead. A decent way of hiding them away from the cruelty of the world and it’s savage injustice.” Now the adult looked transported. Suddenly an angry snarl had appeared on his face as a sharp contrast to the previous mellow attitude.
“Don’t expect any preamble from me kid,” he continued. “Because the world is a cruel place. It’s awful, and we sharpteeth often get the short end of the stick...”
That resonated in everything he had ever observed, the youngster realised. He sniffed a few times, the tears returning.
“Are you crying?”
“Huh?” the youngster looked up and hurriedly wiped the tears away. He didn’t even know why. For some reason, he didn’t want the stranger to see it. Something in his tone had suggested that it was not something he should be doing.
The stranger was now casting the youngster with a judgemental look.
“Crying never solves anything,” he said. “As an apex hunter, you do not cry, that much is very important. Your prey and your enemies will take it as a sign of weakness. That’s a fact.”
Then however, his expression softened.
“Well, that’s interesting...we have the same eyes...” the adult leant closer to examine this phenomenon in greater detail. “What’s your name?”
“Seizon,” the youngster replied. This was one detail from his earliest days he did remember.
“My name is Xal,” the adult replied. “And let me tell you something, Seizon. I know I said the world is an awful place, and it is. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Someone very wise once tried to change the world, and I want to follow in his footsteps. Soon, the time will come when sharpteeth everywhere will take our place as lords of the land, and nobody will ever have to go through the pain we have ever again. I plan to make this happen. Do you want to make it happen with me?”
The prospect of the world Xal described ignited something within Seizon. Grinning for what felt like the first ever time, he nodded.
As he did so, skywater began to fall. Both bladebacks looked up at the steadily increasing rainfall, and Xal smiled down at Seizon’s enraptured expression.
“Skywater,” he explained. “Weird phenomenon, but a sure sign the natural order will continue. And it shows us we should continue too. There’s a forest not far from here, called the Fanged Forest. Named after its great environments for sharpteeth, and the sharpteeth there all respect me. I can introduce them to you. I guess I can step up to be your father figure for now. What do you say?”
Seizon did not need any more persuading. For the first time in his life, he was wanted. He mattered. And he was going to make sure he proved that to that person who had given him a purpose, not matter what the cost.
*
The present-day Xal was panting as he surveyed his opponent carefully. This sharptooth was comparatively dwarfish, although the scratches currently burning on the bladeback’s neck reminded him that he shouldn’t just discount Zyro due to his size.
Zyro too was watching his adversary closely. Xal had a fierce power in his claws and muscular forelimbs. He had been very close to slitting his throat twice during this battle, and if he wasn’t so careful next time...
Zyro charged. Xal brought his long, narrow head down to counter him. The two sharpteeth clashed and began to push against each other, both growling and digging their toe-claws into the ground in any attempt to maintain balance and grip. With his focus heavily on this particular wrestle, Zyro barely noticed Xal’s clawed hand come swinging at him out of the corner of his eye. Zyro closed his eye just in time with the claws to make contact, cutting a deep gouge in the side of his face, running past his closed eye and drawing blood, which Zyro felt drip onto his foot. Howling, he withdrew his head, and as Xal’s form fell forward, Zyro twisted his neck and planted a bite upon the bladeback’s. Emitting several short snarls, Xal swiped at him and attempted to twist around to get a better shot with whatever weapons he could mobilize, but Zyro leapt quickly backwards with all appropriate speed as Xal turned to face him once more.
“Keep him away from the kids...” Zyro thought desperately. “That’s the most important thing...”
But all this fighting and twisting and jumping had taken the two sharpteeth to a spot were the children trapped on this side of Valley with him were no longer visible, among harsher, jagged rocks, with ridges leading to sinister looking stone teeth and sheer drops right over the egde of the all itself. As for children, Zyro could still smell them, and he hoped that was a good sign, but he was fairly sure Seizon’s scent was somewhere there too...
“My tenure as acting leader is all over if anything happens to them...” he told himself dully. “And it’s not like I don’t deserve it either...”
“Your resistance is futile, Zyro!” Xal crowed. Zyro’s eyes snapped back to him. For possibly the first time, Xal looked distinctly elated. Before, when he had been encountering him in the Fanged Forest, Xal had maintained a fairly stoic demeanour, in a sharp contrast to his murderous allies. Now, however, he seemed to have a cause of jubilation. He certainly had had no hesitation in explaining his plan to him, because, as he said, there was nothing he could do to stop him.
“By the time we have finished up here, Zoe and the Piercers she leads will have taken down all the leaders of this destructive conflict!” Xal continued. “All of their followers will quake in disarray, and have no choice but to submit to me!”
Zyro offered a weak smile in return.
“I’m not sure if you’ve quite got the measure of those who live in this Valley,” he said. “They are determined, Xal, and they are loyal. I’m sure they will not submit so easily to a bloodthirsty dictator when they were in the act of removing another one.”
Xal emitted a short, harsh laugh.
“You underestimate my intentions for these leaf-eaters and how I intend to change the world,” he retorted. “I have not been so foolish as to assume a completely smooth transition. Besides, Zyro, you have been wrong before.”
Zyro blinked.
“I’ve been...?”
“Wrong!” Xal spat at him, a grin quite unlike him forming over his expression. “You were wrong Zyro! Wrong to think that our role to play in this was over! Wrong to think we could not challenge you anymore! Those words are now haunting you. And consider this – the lives you care about can still easily be held to ransom.”
Zyro felt his breath catch in this throat as he heard the last statement. Swallowing hard, he silently gave his best wishes for every individual ally he still had in the Valley.
“Well,” he murmured, crouching low and raising his tail. “We’ll see if it comes to that...”
He charged forward once again.
*
Chomper couldn’t help but be impressed by how Saureen had managed to handle the situation. Both he and Seizon were completely incapacitated, and she held all the cards. Nevertheless, the torment that was contorting her features that Chomper had admired for so long was impossible to ignore.
“Saureen!” Seizon protested, his anger beginning to grow more evident. “Can you stop and think for a minute? Do you realise how much this – how much all of this – hurts me to do?”
“Hurts YOU??” Saureen screeched, throwing Seizon an expression of superlative fury which caused him to fall silent at once.
“Hurts you...?” Saureen repeated in a tormented whisper. “Oh Seizon – you really have been wrapped up in everything you’ve been asked to do. Maybe that’s where the self-centred arrogance comes from. Or maybe it was always with you. I don’t know!”
She turned around and paced back and forth briefly before rounding back on him.
“But now it’s my turn to be self-centred. Because maybe it’s time you spared me a thought for how much this is hurting me. Your old friend...” Her eyes became briefly far-away, but she quickly inhaled and continued.
“Your old friend who’d done nothing but stand by you since before the beginning of this ridiculous mission. Yes, I left eventually, but if you took a second to consider, just once, what I thought about that? It was the fact that you didn’t think that I had to leave you. And I had been trying...trying to keep this pack together. Instead, I was helpless to watch as it scratched itself to pieces. Actually, forget it...I couldn’t prevent anything...”
Angry tears were welling up in her eyes now. Chomper, from where he was restrained, swallowed and felt his heart do a giddy dance of pity.
“Saureen...?”
But Saureen held up a hand to silence him.
“And then Seizon, my grandmother was killed. And you continued to make the same mistakes. And now I’m at the brink of losing everyone else I care for. It’s about time I stood up and tried to make a change. So don’t you dare talk to me about hurt. Because it’s not just what’s happened to me that’s hurting. It’s what I could have prevented...”
She drew breath and fiercely rubbed her eyes, ignoring the stunned silence from the four boys. Sighing, she then turned back to Seizon.
“But...actually, do talk to me about how it’s hurting you. That’s what this is about. Because I don’t want that to affect you anymore...it’s something I could have prevented, but...”
“Saureen, I’m sorry...”
Seizon had finally found his tongue again, although his eyes were firmly fixed on the ground, heavy with shame.
“Mmm...” Saureen merely grunted. “My point is Seizon...if you’re so sorry, why do you insist on constantly trying to break us? Destroy the people and institutions we love? Why don’t you just abandon Xal?”
Seizon looked up at her, and Chomper was shocked to see the beginning of tears glistening in his eyes too.
“Don’t you see...?” he said in a mortified whisper. “I can’t...abandoning Xal...it’s like abandoning life.”
“What?” Saureen peered back at him, frowning indignantly. “Life?”
“Yes!” Seizon retorted, sounding as though confirming what he had said was causing him great pain. “Xal is the first one who ever gave my life meaning. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be alive to say so. Look at Chomper here...” he shot Chomper a scathing look. “He has everything. Not only two loving parents, but a whole Valley of leaf-eaters that doesn’t care that he would normally hunt them, and loves him for every pointless thing he gives them. And of course, Saureen, in more ways than one, he has you too.”
“What...?” Saureen gulped back at him, a pink tinge appearing on her cheeks, caught completely off guard. Chomper too was beginning to find the atmosphere had suddenly become unusually hot.
“Don’t try and deny it,” Seizon sighed. “I’ve see the way you two are with each other. It’s just like Al and Lini. All I can say is this...” he glared at Chomper. “You’d better look after her!”
“But don’t you get it Seizon...?” Saureen said quickly. “You don’t just have Xal. You have me, and my father, and Chomper and the other members of our pack...”
“You quickly abandoned me,” Seizon reminded her. “The tides of life and companionship are quick to change. Only Xal’s care has ever remained constant. I still care about you guys...even if you now couldn’t care less about me...”
“That’s not true!” Saureen insisted desperately.
“Besides,” Chomper remarked savagely. “Xal only cares about what you can offer him as the most loyal and unwavering follower. His care for you doesn’t extend to who you are.”
Seizon glared at him, a penetrating glower that made Chomper drop his brusque tone and made him want to sink into the ground.
“Well, if that’s the case,” Seizon murmured bitterly. “Then I might as well have died as an egg.”
“No!” Saureen cried automatically. The look she gave Chomper at that point told him that the very same thing had crossed her mind. Chomper too had felt a creeping, unwelcome sense of familiarity from last night, when Lini had, drowning in her misery, begged them to kill her. He had never expected Seizon to be full of this kind of self-loathing. Did all his sense of self really depend so much on Xal?
Chomper glanced nervously around. He had no idea where Xal and Zyro had gone. As for the rest of the battle, everyone might already be dead, he couldn’t possibly know...
Now a new voice had been added to the conversation.
“I know exactly how you feel...”
Shorty was putting his gifted grasp of the sharptooth tongue to use again. At his words, Seizon gazed up at him contemptuously.
“Don’t be so-”
“That feeling of having to live up to every single thing they talk about,” Shorty continued. “That feeling that you would be falling through a vast, empty blackness of your loneliness and insignificance if they weren’t attached to you by the thinnest cord?”
Seizon had stopped talking now. His staring at Shorty was suddenly awed.
“They’re the centre of the universe,” Shorty continued. “Not you. It’s them who call all the shots. No way are you ever going to abandon them, that would be like stabbing yourself in the neck. They are your life-line; you depend on them so much...”
He paused, gazing out across the horizon, it suddenly occurring to him not only how much Bron meant to him, but that he was out there in the Valley, facing some battle...he might even have passed...but he couldn’t think like that. Not right now...
Seizon too was very pensive, and upon seeing this, Shorty relaxed his hold on him. Seizon simply stayed in the same spot, his eyes far away, mouth slightly open. Suddenly he caught himself.
“Musn’t cry...” he muttered. “Apex hunter...” He gazed around at his eagerly watching quarries.
“Essentially...that’s correct...” he murmured, his eyes darting around restlessly. “That’s exactly how I feel about Xal...he spoke to me when nobody else would. Let me eat from the same carcass as him. Until then, I had no essence of self, or family, or belonging anywhere. He gave me that. And if I can’t return any favour to him, what good am I?”
“But Seizon...” Saureen began tentatively. “Just because he happened to be the first one to give you meaning doesn’t mean you should always measure your worth in how you serve him...”
“Maybe not,” Seizon admitted. “But what else have I got? It’s as good a way as any. Besides, I feel like I owe it to him. If you could look past your own world-views, maybe you could see all the good he’s trying to do...”
“All the good??” Chomper, who had been listening intently, now felt a ripple of anger once more. It seemed that they were once more back to the same old story.
“You keep on saying that!” Chomper declared with some desperate exasperation. “But he’s planning to kill his way into an authority of the Valley, enslave leaf-eaters, keep them just as giant food sources...!”
“Will you grow up??” Seizon shot back at him, his own temper rising. “They ARE giant food sources! So, apparently they can talk and are your friends. But unfortunately it doesn’t change the fact that if we don’t eat them, we die.”
“There are other sources of meat!” Chomper shot back. “Insects and crawlers and...”
Seizon gave a hollow laugh.
“Insects and crawlers, huh?” he repeated, his eyes running over Chomper’s figure. “No wonder you’ve always looked malnourished. You really think your parents attained their massive size from eating insects and crawlers? You think Saureen, or Zyro, or Lini have spent all their lives eating insects and crawlers? Saureen is afraid of them for one thing...”
Saureen was avoiding his eye. Chomper desperately tried to block out Seizon’s words. This was an inconvenient truth that had been creeping up on him a while now. But he would not accept it. Not right now, anyway, there was far too much to deal with...
Except...
“Although you are developing, I can tell,” Seizon continued, scrutinizing Chomper’s form closer. “You can tell yourself you’re an honorary leaf-eater, Chomper, but you’re coming to the age now when your true heritage will show. I mean, I’m dying to know how you managed to maintain yourself and Nycha when you went after her on White Mountain.”
The image was already in place. That leaf-eater Chomper had struck down without a second thought. But surely, surely, he told himself, he had allowed his instincts to take over out of concern for a companion?
A sharptooth companion...
“And even then, back at the Cave Network...” Seizon was choosing his words carefully now, but was determined to get his point across.
“How did you escape Nott’s henchwoman? She was formidable, we all know that. I’m sure she wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you too...but who knows, the death of one of her own can get our blood-lusting instincts going...”
“SHUT UP!!!”
Saureen had automatically stepped forward, catching Chomper before he lunged at Seizon. Panting hysterically, Chomper staggered backwards and caught Littlefoot’s gaze. His expression was uncertain – he simply looked blown away, but the look he gave Chomper...? Chomper couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but...no, not Littlefoot. Not his closest defender, from accusations from Cera, the Valley residents, Doc...now could not be the time that his closest friend, his brother, learned to mistrust him too...
“Littlefoot...?” Chomper managed to croak.
Littlefoot paused briefly before giving a reassuring, but half-hearted smile. This did very little to quell Chomper’s fears, and it was only when he felt Saureen’s hand upon him that he made himself return, at least for now, to the issue at hand.
“Seizon,” Saureen continued levelly. “We both know that food is not the only reason Xal kills. Remember who you’re talking to...”
“That had nothing to do with me,” Seizon said shortly, looking away from her.
Saureen sighed.
“Surely if you’re involved, than Xal is?” she queried. “That’s pretty much what you’ve been saying...”
Seizon didn’t answer immediately. The five of them stood there in silence momentarily, the breeze whistling past them the only sound...nobody could have possibly deduced that a fierce battle was raging in the Valley below them. Their concerns lay elsewhere.
Seizon still didn’t look at any of them, his amber eyes were fixed on an unremarkable point somewhere in the clear blue sky. But he spoke quite clearly.
“As I’ve said, I need to be of some use. And if nobody else is willing to save him, then you can bet your life I will, or die trying.”
The other four glanced at each other, all exchanging the same taken aback expression.
“Save him?” Saureen repeated, drawing out each word, attempting to extract meaning. “Save him from-?”
“I know his methods aren’t perfect!” Seizon interrupted, his eyes now tightly closed as though each word was an agonising effort. “And I know he’s hurt...a lot of people. But don’t we all...? Didn’t Lini do that to a lot of dinosaurs too? And yet you still support her unwaveringly.”
“That’s different...” Saureen gave her companions an uneasy glance, apparently hoping for back-up. “You heard how horrified she was about her own actions. Xal’s still at it.”
“Lini did what she did for the wrong reasons!” Seizon argued, now turning to face her. “But Xal’s view is still noble. That’s why he persists...underneath it all, I know he’s still good...so I need to do whatever I can. And if that means struggling on with his new world, and standing by him just to make sure he doesn’t become like Redclaw or Gigas, I feel it is my calling to do that. That’s my dream...to save him like he saved me. If anything else, I’ll see his dream become a reality...”
Another silence followed this speech, at which Seizon turned back to stare at the horizon. He was breathing heavily – Chomper could see his shoulders rising and falling prominently and methodically. It was evident to him that this kind of emotional display was not something Seizon had been raised to make use of. But now it was all out in the open, and he would let nothing stop him from achieving his dream. There was nothing more to say.
Dreams! Chomper sighed and exchanged a look with all his companions. Saureen, smiling uncertainly at him, began to edge towards a silent Seizon, apparently hoping to provide some comfort. Dreams were apparently extremely volatile and dangerous things. Weren’t they the reason every single dinosaur was gathered in the Great Valley on this fateful day? Because dreams had clashed?
It was the dream of the dinosaurs of the Valley living in harmony and peace, clashing with Ulciscor’s dream of a world where his kind were on top and anything different was ground into the dirt. This was to say nothing of the dream that Xal had, and because of how he felt towards him, Seizon’s seemed to be little more than helping Xal achieve his. He presumed that that was how saving Xal would progress anyway.
“Chomper...please...don’t let your dream die...”
Dreams could also be powerful and inspirational things. It had been something to set Pyron’s mind at peace, at least. And if he had decided Chomper was worth saving, then so was his dream...
Chomper stepped forward, his jaw set, breathing heavily through his nostrils.
“Seizon...” he spoke as clearly and calmly as he could, although the look given to him by both Seizon and his companions told him that his tone hadn’t been without its business-like bite.
“I understand where you’re coming from,” he said. “I’m sorry that your childhood has been this way, and that you feel inadequate. And I admire you for trying to change Xal, or at least helping him achieve some form of happiness. But I’m afraid this doesn’t change anything.”
Saureen gave him a look of mingled worry and exasperation. Seizon narrowed his eyes.
“Meaning what, exactly?” he demanded.
“Your dream is your dream,” Chomper replied. “And it’s a powerful one. But I have a dream of my own. And it was Pyron’s dying wish that I never let that dream die. And I’m sorry, but I hold more value in his words and wishes than those of Xal’s.”
Seizon nodded, an expression of resigned adversity firmly in place. He knew what Chomper was getting at.
“My dream is for leaf-eaters and sharpteeth to live in harmony and peace together, and there to be no more hate or oppression. And as long as my dream and your dream stand in opposition to one another, we will always be enemies, Seizon.”
Saureen, growing considerably more agitated, chanced a glance at Littlefoot, who shrugged. Shorty, from behind her, was staring at Chomper with a kind of mute disbelief.
Seizon was ignoring these frantic gestures and gazing directly at Chomper, who too had an unwavering focus. With the amber locked onto the red, they both read expressions that managed to progress from hostility, to regret, to resigned determination and back to hostility again.
“Yeah...” Seizon agreed, his upper jaw twitching and exposing some of his canines. “I guess we will be, Chomper...”
*
There could be no preamble, no preparation for this face-off. It was as though fate had pulled the strings to bring these two together. The one who claimed to be the Lone Dinosaur, but showed no signs, and the one who never claimed it, and yet showed all of them. It was absolutely no contest for Aster, Arianna and Bron for a decision on who they wanted to win. The question was, was Ulciscor fully aware of what he was taking on? And more to the point, was Doc?
For a moment, it seemed as though time had stopped. Both grey longnecks were poised with their legs apart, tails raised and necks low. Both pairs of eyes had locked onto each other. There was almost no flicker of movement, no sign of either of them making the first step towards the other...
Then it all happened at once.
The two mighty longnecks charged and collided, their heavy bodies slamming into each other with the force of a landslide. The two began to push and wrestle, exerting all their strength. And it almost seemed impossible to see, but Ulciscor was beginning to slowly slide backwards, leaving skid marks on the earth. Finally, it seemed he was in over his head.
Perhaps realising this, Ulciscor emitted a snarl of distaste and retracted his neck only to slam it into Doc’s shoulder. Doc recoiled, but only for the very briefest of seconds, and in the next second, the two longnecks were on their hind legs, rearing to incredible heights and slamming into each other once more.
Once again, the two of them wrestled and pushed the other, grunting and sweating, eyes still locked onto each other with considerable determination. Once again noticing he was slowly sliding backwards, Ulciscor swung his neck around once more. His head struck Doc’s shoulder with a considerable thwacking sound, but Doc simply retaliated with swinging his own neck around like a mace. It was the longer of the two, and Ulciscor exerted a loud bellow of pain as the Lone Dinosaur’s head made contact.
Dropping back onto all fours, Ulciscor rammed into Doc’s exposed underbelly. Caught off balance, Doc dropped, but rolled quickly back onto his feet and swung his mighty tail quickly back around as Ulciscor charged at him again. The tail hit its mark expertly well, and the force of it sent Ulciscor careering back and landing with a considerable thud onto the ground.
Predictably, the gasps from the onlookers came quickly and loudly. It was almost incomprehensible that Ulciscor had been knocked off of his feet. And yet the sight was there, quite plainly, with the benevolent saviour who had toppled him standing with his tail poised for another round. This sight rekindled the long overdue hope, and Aster exchanged a glance with Arianna as they both realised that the time had finally come to act.
Arianna turned on the spot, in such a way that she was soon standing with her side touching her husband, but facing the opposite direction. As soon as the Bludgeoners had noticed this change, the two elderly longnecks lunged forwards, ramming into the Bludgeoners guarding them and battering them with their necks. Caught off guard, they noticed one Bludgeoner fall rather quickly, it’s companions staggering. But they weren’t above retaliating either.
One of the Bludgeoners near Aster swung his own clubbed tail in an arc through the air, it hitting Aster squarely in the neck. Aster grunted in pain as he recoiled his neck. Although he initially feared this would throw his wife off balance, his fears of defeat at the hands of these thugs were soon diminished when Bron rushed forward, and rekindling his strength, barged straight into the Bludgeoner, knocking him to the ground.
Meanwhile, Ulciscor was back on his feet, shooting Doc an ugly look before swinging his tail forward. Doc ducked the blow and brought his own tail round. Ulciscor anticipated this counterattack and raised his own tail, the two clashing and emitting a loud smacking sound.
The two turned around the face each other again, and, perhaps fearing the worst, Ulciscor hastened to make the first move, clubbing his neck into Doc’s side. Visibly recoiling but standing his ground, Doc returned the favour.
This barrage continued for a for seconds before Ulciscor reared up, his front limbs preparing to take down his adversary, but Doc had already stepped aside, avoiding the range of the legs. Ulciscor slammed them onto the ground and trotted forward, bellowing in rage as he attempted to rear again.
He was caught off-guard however, when he felt two mighty weights crash into the side of his frame, knocking him effortlessly to the ground. He could only gape at the sight of his parents standing above him, their faces set with grim determination.
At this, Doc managed to smile.
“It’s refreshing to see that the willpower has not been completely flattened by the forces of oppression,” he remarked.
Ulciscor snarled and kicked out at his parents, giving him enough time to get back to his feet. Glancing around, he noticed with some considerable anger and panic that the Bludgeoners he had taken with him were no looking much the worse for wear, and he was now surrounded by four large, determined longnecks no longer threatened by repercussions.
“You disgust me...” he hissed at them. “Look at all our power and might and you allow your lives to be ruled by lesser species?? By sharpteeth???”
“I pity you, Ulciscor,” Arianna sighed. “You’re completely blind to true toil. Maybe one day, you’ll see that the world does not revolve around you, and nor do ideals always come to light.”
“Not that it is an ideal we hold to...” Aster added.
“And why?” Ulciscor demanded, raising his tail and desperately trying to think of some solution to his problem. He had no intention of being taken to task by these pacifists. “For so long, you’ve told great legends of longneck endeavours...why should I be blamed for taking action on this front??”
“Taking action is always the hardest choice,” Doc reflected. “The consequences of it live with you forever. I wonder if you have a conscience, and if so, when it realises what you’ve done, the pain would surely and you...”
Scoffing loudly, Ulciscor spun impulsively, swinging his tail in the vain hope he would somehow defeat his adversaries. However, they were all able to block his attack and ram him in unison, knocking him to the ground once more.
It appeared the tides were truly begin to turn in the favour of the Alliance, but some determined individuals still had their parts to play. For all a sudden, the four longnecks who had taken down the Valley’s tyrant felt a sharp pain emanating through their flanks. The four previously defeated Bludgeoners were determined to continue their goal through to the bitter end.
With sudden yelps of pain, the four longnecks turned to engage their attackers, and in that single second, Ulciscor took his chance. Longnecks are not built for running over distance, but when they need to, they can bolt. And this is what Ulciscor did.
By the time the longnecks had subdued the Bludgeoners more effectively, he was already out of sight. Bron cursed loudly.
“Now it was all in vain!” he fumed.
“Bron...” Aster murmured, looking at him uncertainly. “He was preparing to leave anyway. And we have assured he gets away with no allies. Kai will definitely stay – you should have seen his reaction when Ulciscor told him to watch the Valley.”
“That’s not the point!” Bron snapped. “The fact is he has still got away, just like last time. We cannot have a repeat of this takeover sometime in the near future. I’m going after him...”
He made to gallop off, but Arianna quickly stepped in front of him.
“We cannot afford to lose anymore,” she said firmly. “Bron, I know this is personal for you, but how do you think we feel?”
Bron didn’t answer, but looked away in discomfort. Arianna watched him sadly.
“Right now our most important task is to protect everyone else. Once we have the Valley secure again, then we can focus on him.”
Bron nodded, still averting her gaze.
“I agree,” Doc nodded. “From what I understand, the main battle is raging somewhere else in the Valley. We need to quell Kai’s supporters.”
*
Unfortunately, Kai may have been more dangerously savvy than they thought.
As the crack signifying Old One’s death rang out across the battlefield, the group of Piercers, led by Zoe moved as one towards Kai. But Kai had somehow got wind of this – at the very least, there were Bludgeoners on all sides prepared to defend him in positions perhaps too convenient to be simply by coincidence. In any case, Kai was ready for the few Piercers which did manage to make it towards him. With a satisfied grin firmly back in place, he raised his tail ready to batter them into submission.
Upon seeing this onslaught of enemies locked in a fight to the death, the members of the Alliance found themselves uncertain of their position, and what their next move was. Old One’s words had left them with something of profound meaning in the hearts...at least they had thought so...did she have any instructions for what to do now...?
The Bludgeoners further from Kai were all rushing forward to be closer to him, either to drive the Piercers away or regroup. It was an unanticipated move, and any dinosaur that got in their way was generally the worst off.
“We need to find Cera!” Tria told her husband earnestly, as he quickly side-stepped to avoid being trampled by such a rampaging Bludgeoner.
Topps nodded.
“Is she still at the sidelines?”
“I’d presume so, but...”
“Good!” Topps was now striding away. “She’ll be safe there. We need to deal with these guys...”
“Topsy!” Tria reprimanded him. “Have you forgotten what they can do in such a tightly-knitted mob like that?”
Topps stopped a looked back at her, noticing as he did so just how haphazard the Alliance now was.
“We’ve completely lost formation...” he muttered, and hurried back over to his wife’s side.
It wasn’t just in their minds that the safety of the children featured so heavily.
“Ducky! Spike!” Azura was weaving past her various dinosaur allies, desperate for a sight of the youngsters – with the opposing dinosaur factions now as mixed as they were, this was proving difficult.
“They better not have wandered back onto the battlefield...” she thought desperately, as another swimmer galloped past her.
Her stomach gave a light leap of relief when she caught a glimpse of them in the distance, out of harm’s way, but unfortunately her fixation with watching out for them blinded her to the dangerous signs of all the other dinosaurs running in the opposite direction. One Bludgeoner had been the furthest from Kai when he was finishing off Old One, and so now he was desperately eager to be getting back to his commander’s side.
Perhaps too eager.
And when Azura got in his way, he ploughed on through like a tank.
Azura felt herself bouncing off the thick hide of the squat longneck and falling inevitably to the ground. Evidently seeing her as a deliberate obstruction, the Bludgeoner fixed her with an ugly look and swung his tail down towards her.
It all happened in a single, dreadful moment.
The spikes that tipped the club of the Bludgeoner’s tail drove directly into her throat with a distinctive sound of piercing flesh and splashing blood.
But that horrendous sound was nothing compared to the long, drawn-out, utterly horrified scream that issued from Ducky as her mother was struck down...
The Bludgeoner made to inflict more damage, but at that moment, Opal had come charging out of nowhere, and, in a moment of blind, vengeful instinct, had swung her own tail, the long spikes piercing the Bludgeoner’s head. The longneck fell instantly, and as his lifeless form flopped to the ground, Opal could see that the blood-stained form of Azura was stirring.
“Azura...!” Opal could hardly think of what to say. Reality hadn’t quite caught up with her yet. Her heart was hammering horribly and her head was spinning as she gazed down at the swimmer with blood pouring from her mouth...
“Come on, Azura, you’ve got to stay with...stay with us...help!” Opal suddenly called out, looking desperately around for someone, anyone...
“You’ve got to stay!!” she insisted to Azura, as tears gushed once again uncontrollably from her eyes. “We NEED you Azura...Spike and Ducky, they need you, and so does the Valley Azura...HELP!!” she yelled again, but only Ducky and Spike were anywhere near her. They of course had run over, and were now gazing in speechless horror at the form of their dying mother. In the case of Ducky at least, never before had such paramount horror filled her eyes. The laughter and cheer that normally dominated her face was miles away...
Azura’s eyes shifted towards the two youngsters gazing at her, and she reached out a hand, which Ducky gripped at once, tears falling thick and fast as she tried to gather herself to speak.
Opal’s first thought was to leave this family to grieve, when she felt that Azura’s other hand had gripped her face. Looking down, she noticed Azura’s eyes were on her now, and although they were filled with tears, they didn’t look entirely grief stricken. And suddenly, Opal knew. Although the swimmer’s throat had been cut, what she was saying was coming quite clearly.
“OK...” Opal managed to whisper, still unable to stem the flow of tears. “I understand...I can only thank you for doing such a wonderful job with looking after Spike...now, in return, I promise to look after Ducky and all the others. Your kids will be my kids Azura. And one day, we will all be reunited...”
Azura seemed quite satisfied with this. Smiling in spite of her bleeding mouth, she closed her eyes. A few seconds later, the arms she had outstretched had gone completely limp.
At this, Ducky gasped and threw herself onto Azura’s chest, weeping loudly and bitterly, apparently still so incapacitated with grief that words had failed her. Spike rested his head next to hers, apparently attempting some gesture of comfort whilst tears rained from his own eyes. Opal just stared down at the swimmer’s body, before leaning down and planting a kiss on her forehead.
Quite a crowd had gathered now, most looking just as shocked and horrified. But it had done a fairly effective job of separating the Alliance members from the others. Kai had a very clearly set battle on his hands. And he wasn’t sure he liked it. It would have been far easier to let his enemies destroy each other...
Zoe herself launched herself at his back leg, hoping to topple him, but Kai merely kicked out, sending her flying backwards and rolling considerably, and sending dust flying. An eager Bludgeoner ran over to her to finish her off.
And that just about did it for the Alliance. Just the sight of this Bludgeoner, when one just like it had ended the life of a mother so abruptly...without any preamble...And now to see one of its fellows so eager to join in the murder game?
Topps reacted first, roaring in rage and charging at both the Bludgeoner and Piercer. His horns made contact with the longneck’s shoulders and he flung it clean off its feet. But by this time, another Bludgeoner had come forward to help, and in that respect, another Piercer to back up Zoe. And more Alliance members had come to back up Topps...
Once again, it was suddenly a messy melee, with Zoe, stung at her inability to take down Kai, was now aiming for a previous objective. She made for Opal, biting into her flank, but she quickly learnt that Opal was not yet in the mood to be played with like this. Zoe had to literally drop to the ground to avoid being decapitated by Opal’s thagomizer.
But with many Piercers now following Zoe’s lead, Kai seized on the golden opportunity, and sent a whispered order among the Bludgeoners to withdraw. They did so, so seamlessly, that by the time the battling dinosaurs had noticed their absence, their long-necked adversaries were nowhere to be seen. Besides, they had much more important issues on their hands.
But this clumsy alliance was not ready to break yet. A new surge of energy rippled through them as they battled against the Piercers, welcoming in new methods of taking down these foot soldiers. Topps, Tria and Dorian Thicknose were content to charge straight at them, knocking them many rows at a time haplessly to the ground. There were of course, plenty of large sharpteeth amongst the Alliance too, and Ross, Rhea and Ferox could not be touched by the Piercers, who soon realised the tides had turned against them. Amongst those fighting off the Piercers, even Cera, Ruby and Ali had charged in, using whatever implements they could to get one over their adversaries – sometimes even their bodies were enough.
“For Ducky and Spike...” Cera thought desperately as she ploughed into one Piercer’s upper thigh. She knew perfectly well what losing a mother was like, as much as she tried to forget...
Pterano, Petrie and his mother were now attempting to rejoin the Alliance on the ground, but it was proving difficult – one Piercer even leapt at Pterano, jaws ready to close around his head...
...before said predator was instantly floored by Topps.
“And now, Pterano,” he smirked. “We’re even.”
Pterano simply sighed.
Eventually, Zoe realised that her entire army was being rendered utterly extinct.
“Now what??” she thought desperately.
“Should we retreat?” Zoe heard the voice in her ear, and turned to see her fellow Piercer lieutenant, Iris.
“Retreat?” Zoe hissed back at her. “No! We still have to complete this for Xal...”
“Xal is not going to win this,” Iris insisted. “And just remember what we’re doing this for. It won’t be any good if we don’t get out alive...”
Zoe glanced back at Iris and suddenly it all came back.
It was all due to her that she was doing this.
“Fine...” she murmured back. “But never mind rallying everyone. We need to get out of here as soon as. Anyone who wants to follow will do so if they can...”
“That’s it!!” Thicknose panted, as the few dregs of the Piercer faction fled. “We won!”
A cheer rose from the Alliance, but it was quickly stunted as Topps yelled over it.
“Yeah, we managed to deal with them, but where the hell has Kai gone? And all of those Bludgeoners...and you forget Ulciscor is still somewhere out there too!”
“Didn’t Bron go and deal with him?” Opal asked.
“How should I know what he managed to do?” Topps shrugged. “The point is, this battle isn’t over until every last one of those nutjobs is out of this Valley! Let’s go!”
“Wait, Topsy!” Tria approached him.
“We need proper strategy before we can go blindly charging off. Yes, I know this has already happened, but we’re gaining ground. Soon there won’t be anywhere else for them to run. First off, we should probably regroup with Bron and the longnecks.”
“But we don’t know where they are!” Topps insisted.
“Well, the sharpteeth here have good senses of smell...” Ruby remarked, stepping forward. “They could probably track both them and the enemy.”
There was a murmur of agreement at these words.
“Bearing in mind also,” Tria continued. “We have a lot injured and...”
She glanced hopelessly at the immobile bodies scattered around them, not needing to say the last word.
“We should probably take a minute before we regroup.”
Topps sighed.
“Fine...but is everyone aware of this?”
“Don’t worry, dad,” Cera insisted. “Chomper taught us all how to speak sharptooth. We can inform these guys of what’s going on...”
Over at the sidelines, Al was continuing to watch these exchanges take place, having not left Lini’s side since she had fallen. She was now awake, but hadn’t said a word, evidently still weak worse for wear. The cut Zoe had administered to her was still very visible...
Uriah, the renegade Bludgeoner, also lay nearby, apparently sleeping off his injuries. It was only now, Al realised, how lucky those two had been. The lifeless swimmer’s body said it all...
Opal was now walking over to him, still looking noticeably shaken.
“We’re...uhh...planning to move on in a bit,” she told him. “We’re going to need your help in locating everyone. Is that OK?”
Al nodded, and gently poked Lini.
“That OK with you?” he asked tenderly.
“Yeah...” she muttered, sitting up unstably. “Should be...”
Upon sitting up, however, she nudged Al and pointed something out.
“Uh, we should be ready to go in a minute...” Al told Opal, his eyes now fixed on the rather dejected and uncertain looking bellydragger and sharpbeak in the distance.
“There’s something we’ve got to do first...”
*
MORE IN NEXT POST...
-
“Come on, just stop...”
Saureen’s increasingly panicked tones did little to waver the two sharptooth boys, fixing each other with cold glares and calculating the remaining possibilities in their minds. Seizon’s amber eyes were not overly forth bearing, but Chomper felt he knew that an act of aggression wasn’t far from his mind at any time.
After all, if he considered himself an apex hunter, this was always near the top of their list.
Saureen looked around at Shorty and Littlefoot, imploring them for help. But they could only shrug. Controlling two sharptooth entering their greatest growth stage was not something they had any confidence in, but upon realising this, Littlefoot was actually quite taken aback. This was Chomper he was talking about – the one he had hatched himself, had Chomper really grown that much beyond his control?
Saureen seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
“You’re Chomper’s oldest friend, right?” she demanded of him in the flattooth tongue. “You can surely calm him down...?”
Littlefoot chewed his tongue nervously.
“Err...Chomper...?” he attempted.
Chomper’s head snapped to him immediately.
“Yes??”
“Umm...don’t you think you should give it a rest?”
Littlefoot hadn’t been anticipating the great wave of sadness that suddenly filled the young twoclaw’s eyes. Taken aback, he quickly attempted to repair whatever mistake he had made.
“Chomper...I mean, don’t...” he faltered.
“Littlefoot...” Chomper murmured, paranoia about the leaf-eaters judgements on him still dancing around in his mind. “Don’t you get it...? I’m not giving this a rest, because he certainly won’t.” He jabbed a claw in Seizon’s direction. “I’m doing this all for you! I will never stop trying to defend the ones I love...”
“And neither will he,” Saureen added, switching back to sharptooth so that Seizon could understand. “And that’s just it...the ones you love are so important to you, neither will win, and-”
“Saureen,” Seizon interrupted, tearing his eyes away from Chomper. “Stop trying to force this coalition! It’s not going to happen. I’m not leaving Xal. You must understand this. Why are you so obsessed with making everything around you right???”
Saureen could only stare back at him, mouth slightly open.
“I think I know what it is,” Seizon continued, walking towards her. “You can’t face conflict. You never know what to do. You can’t even face simple insect prey! It’s like I’ve be telling you for years, you need to grow up!”
Saureen continued to stare back, the harsh words nevertheless making some impact on her hide.
“Don’t take it out on her!” Chomper snapped, striding over at once and grabbing Seizon’s shoulder.
Seizon immediately pushed his hand off without looking at him.
“Get off me, scavenger. Look Saureen, I’m only saying as it is because I care about you...you’re...like my sister. And the time needs to come where you decide who’s side you’re on.” He glared at Chomper.
“I’m fairly sure I know already who you’re going to choose, but...”
Chomper gave a short, harsh laugh.
“That’s right. She saw the light a long time ago.”
These words managed to push Seizon over the edge. Roaring in rage, he leapt at Chomper.
“No, don’t!!” Saureen cried.
The twoclaw and the bladeback once again rolled around in the dirt, biting and clawing at each other. Getting some leverage, even as Seizon scraped at his snout, he thought he had managed to pin him down, but Seizon simply raised his legs and kicked Chomper off of him with all his might.
Chomper landed with a heavy thud, and Seizon leapt at him again. At this point, Chomper lost his balance and tumbled over a sloped edge, the two rolling onto a precipice jutting out over what was otherwise a sheer drop, overlooking the passage between the Great Valley and the Mysterious Beyond.
Saureen hurried over to the edge, Shorty and Littlefoot hot on her heels as they gazed down at the wrestling sharpteeth.
“What are we going to do??” she demanded of them both.
“Just don’t panic...” Shorty assured her.
“Let me try something...” Littlefoot murmured, turning around and making to ease his tail over the edge.
“No, don’t!” Saureen groaned. “If you fall and hit them, the three of you could end up...”
Chomper had fastened his teeth around Seizon’s shoulder. This was proving to be a winning move, and although Seizon clawed at his head, a powerful kick to the stomach knocked Seizon off his feet, and Chomper, breathing heavily in near-victory, leered over him.
But the sight of Seizon lying there made him suddenly stop and think...what was he doing?? It seemed those predatory instincts really had taken over...
He was sorely tempted to just slump to the ground at let Seizon finish him, when his adversary suddenly said something quite interesting.
“Hey...do you smell that...?”
Chomper frowned at the sight of Seizon’s panicked expression as he sniffed the air. Following suit, he came to realise just what it was that had panicked him.
“Ulciscor...” he breathed.
“He must be fleeing...” Seizon murmured, darting his eyes around for any kind of escape mechanism.
“Guys!” Chomper called up to the three watching dinosaurs. “It’s Ulciscor! You need to get out of here!”
Their reaction was predictable enough. After visibly jumping in shock, they all spoke over one another and attempted hopelessly to reach down after them.
“What’s he doing here??”
“We need to get you up!!”
“Oh no...”
“Can’t you scale up this??” Littlefoot asked down.
“Uhh...” Chomper examined the slope. As luck would have it, it was concave, meaning climbing back up would be virtually impossible.
“I don’t think so...”
“Chomper!” Seizon hissed, tapping him and pointing. Chomper looked around and felt his stomach disappear.
Ulciscor was standing barely metres from them, now staring at them on their little outcrop in apparent surprise.
Seizon glanced behind Chomper.
“We’ll make it if we jump...” he muttered, finding himself flashing back, bizarrely, to the day he and Saureen were chased from the Fanged Forest.
“Jump?!” Chomper shrieked. “Jump where...?”
In the few seconds in which Ulciscor had been staring at them, something had registered in his mind.
Sharpteeth.
Sharpteeth should not be allowed to live. No matter how young they were.
His eyes narrowing in hatred, he charged towards the two of them.
Chomper opened his mouth, meaning...he had no idea. He supposed he thought he could reason with this monster, but obviously there was no hope in that. However, as he did so, he felt something grab him tightly around the chest, and a second later he was soaring through the air to another rocky ledge to the left of the other, this one lower down. Seizon had leapt to avoid Ulciscor’s killing blow, and against all reasoning, had dragged Chomper with him.
“You alright?” he asked Chomper as he tried to find his bearings.
“Uhh...” Chomper began, but suddenly Seizon cut him off.
“No time!” he said, grabbing him again. Ulciscor was making his way back over to them.
“This way!” Seizon began to scale the rocky wall, this area being a lot easier to climb up. Chomper followed him as best as he could, but just when he thought the edge was in sight, he felt his tail being yanked down. Twisting his head round, he saw, with a thrill of terror, that Ulciscor had got hold of him using his teeth, and was preparing to drag him down, eyes alight with malice...
“Chomper!” Chomper heard his name called in both languages as Seizon grabbed his hand and Littlefoot rushed forward and lowered his tail for Chomper to grip hold of.
Suddenly allies, Seizon and Littlefoot engaged in this tug of war with Ulciscor, until Chomper pulled his hand free of Seizon’s grip and joined it with the other on Littlefoot’s tail. Noticing this, Seizon leaned further down to support Chomper’s body as he was pulled up, his tail slipping, fairly painfully, from Ulciscor’s grip.
Chomper flattened himself onto the even ground once more, spying Saureen looking at them incredulously.
“Weren’t you two just trying to kill each other?” she demanded.
Before either Chomper or Seizon could ponder their actions, something completely unexpected happened.
Ulciscor spoke.
“You don’t know how much your actions sadden me, Littlefoot,” he said gravely.
Littlefoot, completely perturbed at being addressed, simply gazed down at the iron-grey longneck.
“What?” he said bluntly. “How do you know my name?”
Ulciscor smiled at that.
“I had a feeling Bron hadn’t told you. Or your grandparents...or even your mother...”
Littlefoot was distinctly aware of everyone’s eyes upon him. He didn’t like where this conversation was going, but he knew that the longer he kept Ulciscor talking, the better.
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
“I was the one who came up with the nickname, ëLittlefoot,’” Ulciscor informed him, smiling at the increasing horror on the youngster’s face. “Yes, Bron and I were playmates. Why? Well, I met him just before he met my parents and sister. He eventually married my sister, and they had a child.” He scowled. “A child who lowers himself to befriend lesser species, and helps preserves the dirt of sharpteeth...yes, I’m your damn uncle. And you’d better accept your legacy...”
Littlefoot could barely hear him. His ears were now filled with something of an angry buzzing, the world beginning to sway around him. He stepped back away from the edge, wanting nothing better than to collapse on the ground and never move...
“You’re lying.”
Littlefoot was suddenly broken out of his stupor when he noticed Shorty step forward, glaring down at Ulciscor.
“Don’t think we don’t know about you,” he snapped. “Deception’s second nature to you. There isn’t an honest bone in your body. This can’t be true.”
Littlefoot’s heart gave a little skip of hope. Yes, of course, that made sense...
Ulciscor gave a hollow laugh.
“Why not ask Bron yourself? I’m sure he reacted very obviously when he heard what I had done. And remember who I decided to keep by my side?”
“My Grandma and Grandpa...” Littlefoot suddenly realised, his heart sinking again.
“Family matters,” Ulciscor simply said. “But I don’t have time to try and convert you yet, Littlefoot. I have cleansing to perform.”
So saying, he swung his tail through the air until it struck the edge of the precipice. Amongst yelps, the five youngsters dashed away from the aggressor.
“Any solutions??” Seizon asked the group at large.
Saureen couldn’t help but smile at this sudden change of allegiance.
“Are there any caves in this area?” she asked.
“Well, yes,” Chomper replied. “The caverns run through the walls here. How will that help?”
“If we can push some of the rock from the other side outwards...” Saureen continued, glancing at her companions for a reaction. “I don’t know, would it work?”
“Potentially...” Shorty shrugged. Littlefoot still looked utterly devoid of any emotion other than pure shock. Chomper wished he could think of a word for comfort. One thing he definitely knew was that as Littlefoot had spent so long not judging him for the things he did, there was no way he’d judge him on the basis of his family.
“OK...” Seizon peered carefully at the edge. “Longnecks, see if you can find an entrance. We’ll keep him occupied?”
“Occupied??” Chomper repeated. “How?”
“He wants sharpteeth to kill, right?” Seizon replied grimly. “Don’t worry...I’m also not prepared to lose anyone...” he held out his fist, as if expecting them to put their claws together with his.
Chomper glanced at Saureen, who smiled back, and obliged. Chomper, frowning slightly, followed suit.
“Now...” Seizon murmured, looking a little pale. “To work...”
How they managed, none of them had a clue. But it was strange, Chomper reflected, as the three of them dodged and weaved Ulciscor’s blows. It had been a while since Seizon had commanded them against an adversary, and to be back in that old feeling felt...well, he wasn’t sure. But Seizon’s determination was almost frightening. He knew what had to be done. Chomper supposed he showed the same dedication to everything else that he did to Xal. The drive that they felt reminded him very much of the days of battling off Nott’s pack or the tetrarchy. But this time, with no tragedy at the end.
The three of them heaved a collective sigh of relief as they noticed the rocks collapse towards Ulciscor as he sprung out of the way. It had worked...and now they were, relishing the victory, somehow all back on the same side...
Ulciscor was now nowhere to be seen, having quickly exited the Valley, apparently wishing to make his escape as rapid as possible. Still, Chomper could only feel further triumph and satisfaction surge through him as Shorty and Littlefoot reunited with them, and they all flopped, somewhat lazily into a little alcove away from the unstable rocks.
“You see...” Saureen murmured, looking hard at Seizon. “This kind of companionship does work. I thought we had established that a long time ago.
Seizon sighed.
“Look...” he said carefully. “You know I still care about you...it’s just...I need to protect Xal at all costs, and stay by his side.”
Chomper, who had been sliding down against a rock, suddenly sat up.
“Well...” he said uncertainly. “I think I may have had an idea about that.”
Seizon quickly turned to him.
“Yes?”
Chomper wasn’t entirely sure why he had had the idea. Maybe it was seeing how easily Seizon could get something if he set his mind to it. All he knew was that, if Seizon wanted to save Xal, he probably could, no matter what the circumstances.
He took a deep breath.
“Supposing we win...” he explained. “Instead of finishing off Xal, like I think had been planned...maybe we should suggest to the leaders of the Alliance to simply capture him.”
“What???”
It was evident Seizon was becoming defensive again, so Chomper had to hastily continue.
“The thing is, the Great Sharptooth Community are desperate to reform other sharpteeth, so as their prisoner who will very thoroughly be convinced to rebuke his old ways and join ours. And of course, you could easily be the one to ultimately convince him, Seizon.”
Chomper could tell, once again from his eyes that Seizon was considering this carefully.
“Me...?” he eventually muttered. “Why?”
“Why?” Chomper repeated, smiling a little. “Didn’t you say yourself, you wanted to save Xal? Try and convince him to strive towards a new dream?”
Seizon once again lapsed into silence.
“I suppose...” he said eventually. “If I can.”
“Look at it this way,” Chomper continued quickly, now getting into his stride the same way he had done before with Pyron, Nycha and Lini. “We all know we’re not going to get you to leave Xal. And to be honest, we don’t want to. We know you can do this!”
Speechlessness was not something Chomper had ever associated with Seizon, but for some reason, he felt Seizon’s open-mouthed silence was a good thing.
“I agree,” Shorty chipped in. “I know what it’s like to have someone you feel connected to this world by. Why not change their lives as they’ve changed yours?”
“We know you don’t want to cause death and destruction, really,” Saureen intoned, laying a hand on Seizon’s arm. “You want a bloodless transition into the new order of harmony, and I can tell you’re tempted by our way of thinking. It’ll be you who takes Xal into this as well...”
“It’ll be another great step into having more allies against Ulciscor,” Chomper continued, now shuffling closer to Seizon. “You know it makes sense, and even if you feel worthless, just remember what you can do when you set your mind to it. If you can save the one who saved you, then you, Seizon, are simply unstoppable...”
He faltered to see what Seizon would say next. In fact, Seizon stood up, and paced around a bit, before facing the group at large. The other four’s eyes were upon him. Even Littlefoot had stopped stewing over the revelation he had received. He knew that could wait.
And suddenly, slowly, and with the air of someone who had been waiting forever for this, Seizon smiled. It wasn’t an amused smirk or a malevolent grin. This was a genuine smile of someone who had found and worthwhile solution at last. Very quickly, Chomper, Saureen, Shorty and even Littlefoot found themselves smiling too.
“Yeah...” Seizon muttered, still smiling giddily. “Yeah, it does make sense...look...Chomper...”
And without warning, he dropped to Chomper’s level and enveloped him in a tight hug.
Chomper returned the favour, smiling reminiscently as he did so about the strange idea of coming full circle. Seizon was the first member of the pack he had met, but whilst he had hugged Lini, Pyron, Saureen, Nycha and then Al, such an embrace, so comrade-like, so brotherly, seemed very absent from Seizon.
“Thank you...” Seizon murmured into Chomper’s shoulder. “For such a scrawny twig-arm, you seem to have the most strength of all of us...”
He had come full circle.
Chomper laughed at that. Seizon released him and went to hug Saureen.
“You’re right guys...” he eventually said, straightening up. “We’d better see what we can do about that, then...”
*
Zyro rammed into Xal’s shoulder, the latter snarling and skidding, raising his claw for a strike...
But Zyro, viciously determined to get on with his job of protecting the kids, had found the solution to his problem. Carefully, he had edged Xal towards the edge of yet another precipice in this death-trap of an outcrop, once which contained sharp stalagmites, upright and standing to attention, lethal tools that would end the life of this terrifying revolutionary leader...
And said leader hadn’t yet noticed.
Zyro charged straight at Xal’s abdomen, sending him backwards considerably. So much so in fact that Xal slipped over the edge...but before he hit the sharp, death-dealing ground, he clung onto the edge with his foreclaws. He attempted to hoist himself up, but Zyro’s toe-claws kept him down.
“And now this is it,” Zyro told him in a voice of forced calm. “I have a job to do, and I don’t appreciate you interfering. I will not let you disrupt this liberation, Xal. These Valleians are good and noble with optimistic goals and dreams. Maybe you should try a few sometime.”
Xal grunted, but noted himself that he too was in quite a dire situation. At this, Zyro almost found himself laughing.
“Poor Xal,” he said reminiscently. “You used to be with such big crowds. Eykion’s in fact, and you helped bring down Ulciscor the first time. But times have changed. Being part of the biggest bully gang now longer translates well for sharpteeth living in fear. They want something new. And you’re so desperate to cash in on their fear, that you would lower yourself to work with the likes of brutes like Gigas and Redclaw. It’s despicable...if only you could see yourself...”
“See myself?” Xal repeated, looking thoroughly irritated. “If only you could see yourself! You have no idea what you’re doing!”
Zyro frowned.
“Maybe I do surround myself with brutes,” Xal admitted. “But it’s the only way anything gets done. It’s why Ulciscor took over so easily. And why should I care for these leaf-eaters? For me, they’re food, and nobody wants to be friends with food. It’s my way of catering for who I know will be victorious that got me where I am today...!”
He faltered on the last sentence when he remembered his trepidation.
“Where you are today?” Zyro repeated coolly. “Take a good look, Xal. I can’t waste any more time. It’s the end of the line for you...”
As he raised his foot to dislodge Xal’s fingers, Xal felt a drop of cold sweat run down his face.
And this cold sweat was detected.
*
Not far from this event, in an alcove, Seizon suddenly stopped smiling. The smell of sweat had entered his sniffer. And not just any sweat. The sweat of someone he knew better than anyone in the world. Xal was in terrible danger.
“What’s wrong?” Chomper asked, noticing the change in expression and feeling his panic mounting.
“Sorry, Chomper...” Seizon murmured. “Change of plan. There’s something I’ve got to do...”
He leapt out of the alcove with near impossible speed.
“Seizon??” Saureen stared at him. “What are you doing??”
“You two continue the good fight,” Seizon said earnestly. “And...I hope you’ll be very happy together. Love you mean it!!”
And with another burst of incredible speed, he raced off into the distance.
Chomper clambered out of the alcove.
“What...?”
*
Xal continued to cling desperately at the edge as, under Zyro’s influence, he felt them slipping away...
“Is this how it ends???” he thought desperately. “Someone has to continue this...”
But Zyro hadn’t counted on one particular thing. And now, suddenly, something barrelled into his foot. This was the foot that wasn’t pinning Xal down and he had no idea what it was. But it had bit him.
The impact made Zyro teeter, and, with a sudden jolt of realisation, he had slipped over the egde...
Steering his body as best he could, he avoiding Xal and managed to cling to a piece of the edge parallel to him, his body suspended above the stalagmites below. But as Xal heaved himself up, they both saw the fate of what had caused Zyro to fall...
Seizon had slipped off of Zyro’s foot and he fell, freely through the air momentarily before striking the jutted spikes.
And one burst out right through his chest, blood spilling everywhere.
Even as Zyro and Xal looked down in horror, Seizon gave Zyro one look of smug satisfaction, before shifting his eyes towards his stepfather.
“Xal...” he managed to croak, before a fountain of blood erupted from his mouth, his head rolled back...
And he lay motionless.
For a few seconds, only a shocked silence rang out in the air between the two sharpteeth. Then, Zyro noticed with bewilderment, a sick smile forming over Xal’s face. It was a kind of smile he had never seen him do before. It seemed, almost...empty, more insane...Xal’s eyes told the same story as he gazed down at Zyro, the amber orbs shimmering with malice.
“So, ëend of the line for me,’ is it?” he said. Then he chuckled mirthlessly.
“Wrong again, Zyro.”
~0~
:o
Umm...thoughts?
:lol
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The first scene shows a completely new side of Seizon. He hadn't always been the self-confident and determined Bladeback. He used to be a nobody and that's why his loyalty to Xal is stronger than anything else... because Xal gave him a purpose to exist...
Zyro and Xal... I wonder who's going to kill the other... :p
Wow, that conversation between Saureen, Chomper, Seizon and the two Longnecks was quite impressive! However, it seems like Seizon is not going to change... what now? Are they going to fight? Continue talking? Or just... leave? Time will tell I suppose...
Oh, Ulciscor gets his ass kicked, hooray! :DD Too bad he managed to escape...
Oh... poor, poor Ducky :( Now she is an orphan and so is Spike. Opal is going to take them in but I suspect especially Ducky will take a lot of time to cope and mourn. There's one thing I missed in this scene... Ducky's perspective. Well, maybe you saved that for later :p
Seizon is a good guy again?! That was... unexpected :D I think Ulciscor made a huge mistake there because now there's a great chance of the Alliance converting Xal and his people to take down Ulciscor :p
Okay... that was even more unexpected... I didn't know ending a chapter with the very opposite of a cliffhanger could be so damn effective! Oh I was just beginning to like him again :p Now who shall knock some sense into Xal if Seizon can not?
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Here we go, new chapter! That might be a record update time...
This one is considerably shorter than previous ones, so hopefully it's something you can finish quickly. :lol Hope you enjoy...
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tipping Point
Had he won?
Technically, no. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.
Ulciscor briefly turned to take another look at the Valley. So he had been chased out once again, and this time under more formidable circumstances. It was time to draw up another battle plan.
Sighing, the longneck continued his trek onward. So far, no search party had been sent after him Apparently Kai had kept them occupied for now. This was good news. Ulciscor smiled to himself.
Never had he found a longneck so eager to step up to control everything he saw before him. Never also, had he found one so likely to lose himself in his sadism, malice and insanity. This is what made Kai such a useful tool – loyal, eager, insanely dangerous...and one who would ultimately dispose of himself.
“Let him do so...” Ulciscor decided. “He means nothing to me. If he chooses the path of destruction, that’s his own lookout. For more long-term goals, ones that will truly decide our destiny, I’ll have to select someone else...”
With this thought in mind, Ulciscor, steeling himself for a long journey, began his long overdue exodus.
*
It was almost inconceivable.
Zyro had previously trusted himself to maintain a clear head during this entire event, but even he had to admit, even hanging above certain death, he was too shocked by the young bladeback’s actions to do anything.
It seemed so senseless...but apparently his dedication to Xal had driven him on...it was admirable.
But it was also depressing.
By now, Xal had managed to hoist himself up, now standing over Zyro, the roles from before completely switched. And what disturbed Zyro the most was how little Xal had reacted.
From what he had been told, Seizon had been Xal’s stepson. Well, if that was the case, it may have been a role Seizon had seriously miscalculated the commitment of. Xal was screaming in fury or weeping silently. He just stood there...
Although there was definitely something different.
Xal’s eyes had become strangely fixed, perpetually wide and creepy looking. His leering mouth wore a similar expression, and there was wild, excited-sounding muttering issuing from it.
“Time...and now it begins...”
He gazed down at Zyro, who was at a loss to explain the muttering.
“Too late...but...you’ve not only given me my life, but Zyro’s as well...”
He raised his foot.
Suddenly throwing himself back to reality, Zyro bit hard into Xal’s ankle seconds before the bladeback had knocked him onto the same spikes that had impaled Seizon. Xal emitted a loud roar of some newly insane rage, and staggered back, giving Zyro the leverage he needed to climb back to the edge.
Xal leaned backwards and kicked out at Zyro. Being the smaller sharptooth, he was launched into the air, rolling back over another part of the jutted precipice. Fortunately for him, he managed to slide neatly into an area without any of the stone teeth, although they were in close proximity.
Zyro’s eyes were drawn to the limp corpse of the young bladeback still impaled upon them, and he found his claws involuntarily clenching.
But there was no time to waste. A loud crunching sound above him indicated the approach of rocks Xal was trying to drop on him. Making a split second decision, Zyro leapt in the air to catch the rock under him, dislodging Seizon’s body with his head as he did so, before catching him in his arms.
Xal roared loudly again and leapt down to face Zyro on the rock, but Zyro had already done another flying leapt back over to the precipice, managing to scramble up whilst still holding Seizon in the crook of one arm.
Managing to run to some spot where he wasn’t at risk of falling, Zyro set Seizon’s body to the ground and gazed at it. His eyes were still open, and though they were as empty as the rest of him, they still strongly resembled Xal’s.
Zyro sighed.
“I swear,” he thought to himself desperately, “this is the last child who’ll die under my watch.”
With the body carefully set down, he passed his hand over Seizon’s face, closing his eyes one last time.
Another loud, maniacal roar heralded Xal charging at him once more, and so, carefully placing himself in front of Seizon, Zyro launched himself again at the bladeback, now determined to finish the job.
*
Gone...gone...
She had gone...
Ducky could barely move from where she sat, still holding onto her mother’s limp embrace, not caring that the flies were circling, a barely registering that she could never hold her again...
But it couldn’t be true. Her senses must be lying to her, playing the cruellest joke they could think of.
Her mother was always there. She had always been there. Ducky knew of course, that she must have started life like everyone else, but it had never seemed that way. To her, her mother was the proverbial infinite. Everything related to her somehow. There had never been a time when she had considered a life after her. How could she continue now?? It was impossible...
Spike had already moved away. Apparently he needed some time for himself – Ducky couldn’t blame him. She, on the other hand, wanted to stay here, intertwined with her mother for all eternity, even though, deep within her, she knew she had gone to a place where she could not respond to her. Never hold her close, never dry her tears.
That had all gone forever.
Elsewhere, the Alliance members were preparing to move out. The sharpteeth were either resting or sniffing the air in the hope of locating their allies, and the leaf-eaters were otherwise sitting around or tending to the wounded. Some distance from them, Al and Lini carefully approached two dejected individuals, looking similarly injured.
Ichy noticed them first.
“Hey, Dil...” he nudged her.
“Huh? What?” Dil suddenly looked up in panic.
“It’s those two from Zyro’s community...they seem to be coming to...I don’t know, finish us off...?”
“I can’t believe Zoe left us behind!” Dil fumed.
“Oh what do you expect??” Ichy demanded. “We’re the dregs of society, nobody cares about us!”
Al and Lini exchanged looks as this conversation reached their ears. Slowly, a smile crept onto Al’s face, something that Lini, scarred and wounded though she was, soon returned.
“You know,” Al said, and Ichy broke off, staring at him in sudden fear.
Still smiling serenely, Al continued.
“The feeling of not being cared about or having to fend for yourselves is how a lot of us started out,” he said.
Ichy suddenly looked confused.
“A lot of...?”
“A lot of sharpteeth in this community,” Al said. “You know – the one we represent. The idea is taking in sharpteeth who feel like they’ve had to do desperate things to stay alive, and being hospitable, not hostile...” he sighed, and glanced apologetically at Lini.
“Even after being accepted without question, I forgot for a while that it was my duty to do the same.”
Lini smiled at that, and stepped forward quickly to embrace him, resting her chin on top of his head.
“Consider me,” she continued to Ichy and Dil, who were now paying rapt attention. “In every other situation, I would have been shunned, feared and hated, for everything I’ve done, and those I associated with. But we don’t judge or condemn...this sharptooth community focuses on meeting the needs of every sharptooth who comes to us. The dispossessed, the desperate, and we’re not trying to revolt against the leaf-eaters or declare war on them. We’re just here to help.”
“Are you trying to say...?” Dil began incredulously. “That you’d accept us into this community and alliance?”
“But it’s not up to them!” Ichy snapped defensively. “They can’t possibly know what Zyro will say...!”
“He’ll say yes,” came another firm voice. The other four looked over to see Screech and Thud strolling casually towards them, albeit with numerous minor injuries.
“Zyro’s been faced with much worse cases than you two losers,” Screech smirked. “He allowed us in, didn’t he?”
Ichy was about to retort, then noticed the size difference and decided against it.
“I would definitely consider it,” Thud added seriously. “You two look like you’ll need it...you might have to apologise, and work to make things right with everyone else, but it’s definitely worth it in the end...”
Al sighed.
“I agree...” he said eventually, not looking at the two fast-biters. “And...I guess I’ve been wrong about you two as well...”
“Wow...” Screech murmured, eyes and grin widening. “Was that an apology from Al? There really have been ground-breaking changes here today, haven’t there?”
“I might pass out,” Thud agreed.
Ichy and Dil glanced at each other, both aware of the other’s minds ticking over.
“Well, I don’t care what you do,” Dil said eventually. “But I’m definitely joining up. What else have I got to lose?”
“Your dignity!” Ichy insisted. Dil, who had waddled over to Al and Lini, simply rolled her eyes. Lini was still watching the sharpbeak.
“I think after what happened, this is the only way to regain any dignity...” she said pensively. “So, what about you?”
Ichy paused momentarily, averting his gaze from all the eyes upon him. Eventually he sighed a lot louder than was necessary.
“Yeah, I’ll join up,” he said, feigning nonchalance as he took flight and perched on Dil’s head. “Someone’s got to keep this one in line, anyway.”
Dil gave a hollow laugh.
“Ichy, you fell nowhere near that line to begin with,” she said.
Content that a settlement had been reached, Al and Lini walked off to the rest of the Alliance to check the progress.
“I know doing that might not make up for the way I’ve behaved,” Al murmured guiltily, staring at the ground. “But it does feel good to finally step up to what I’m supposed to do...”
Lini couldn’t help but smile at that.
“We’ve all had something to learn, Al,” she assured him, her eyes wandering over the post-battlefield.
“Ultimately, I’m just glad we’ve all taken aboard what we need to...it’ll help us getting used to each other. And I think it’s when we’re all connected that we’re the strongest.”
Her gaze was fixed on a small swimmer crouching by her mother’s body, who had now been joined by Cera, Ruby, Spike, Ali and Petrie, all of them crowding around Ducky just to hold any part of her they could reach, muttering soothing words and assurances that she would never be alone.
*
“Where did he go...?”
“How could we have lost him?? This place is so featureless...”
Shorty and Littlefoot were rearing up on their hind legs, and stretching their necks to gaze over the horizon as best they could.
“Please don’t panic you guys,” Shorty tried to assure Chomper and Saureen, who had taken Seizon’s rushing off as a dire sign. “I’m sure he’s...hang on...”
The other three turned to him at once.
“What??” they all demanded.
“It’s Zyro and Xal,” Shorty replied. “I was wondering where they had gone...”
“Maybe Seizon went to try and convince Xal to surrender, or Zyro to make a truce...?” Littlefoot suggested uncertainly.
“Well, if so, he didn’t do a very good job,” Shorty replied. “Zyro and Xal are still fighting...and pretty brutally come to that...”
He dropped back onto all fours and exchanged an uncertain look with his friends.
Saureen, looking ready to pass out, swallowed hard.
“Something’s not right...” she murmured. “We need to go and find him...”
*
As the burning light of the Bright Circle baked the rocks beneath them, Saureen couldn’t help but glance back every other second, scrutinizing the empty horizon in great trepidation and fear...
“Saureen!” her companion in front of her said impatiently. “That old longneck’s lost us. We can’t smell him anymore. Stop panicking!”
Saureen rolled her eyes and jogged to catch up with him.
“Come on, Seizon!” she insisted. “You saw what he did to the Forest; that was some serious attack!”
“I know,” Seizon replied, his expression faraway and apparently disinterested. “This is why we’re going to complete this mission for Xal! Then it’ll all be worth it!”
“OK...” Saureen murmured, grabbing him by the arm and sitting him down. “Then are you going to tell me what this mission’s all about?”
Seizon stared, mildly surprised at her insistent expression for a few seconds, before breaking into a grin and chuckling somewhat.
“Good point! Well, our first task is to gather a pack.”
“A pack...?” Saureen was taken aback. “But...how? We’re just kids...”
“Yeah, well, it’ll be a pack of kids our age,” Seizon replied earnestly. “Wanderers, those without a family or a home. There’ll be a lot of them, trust me...”
As his last sentence he trailed off, Saureen couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of sorrow. Not only for the truth he spoke, but also for the rather personal truth – Saureen knew exactly what origins Seizon had had himself. He was now gazing up into the sky, as though to suppress painful memories and upon seeing that, she instinctively hugged his arm.
“Huh?” Seizon gazed down at her. “What...?”
“It’s just...I know how much it means to you...” Saureen replied releasing him and smiling broadly. “Giving these sharpteeth something worth treasuring, y’know?”
Seizon smiled back and stood up.
“Well, it’s all for Xal,” he said. “Besides, I’m not about to let anyone fall victim to that spiked longneck. Certainly not my kid sister!”
Saureen, also getting to her feet, rolled her eyes.
“Just don’t do anything stupid,” she warned him. “I don’t want you to lose sight of what we’re meant to be doing, and what we have that’s worth living for.”
She knew that Seizon’s recklessness was bound to make something go awry. Seizon however, just grinned back at her.
“C’mon, Saureen!” he said jubilantly, now walking off. “There’s always something worth living for...”
*
What did those words mean now...?
This was all Saureen could think of as the world around her swayed, pivoting around one, impossible, awful sight.
“No...” she whispered.
Chomper beside her was completely silent, apparently too shocked to even react. Shorty and Littlefoot, behind them, were also standing in a silent horror, before turning away from the grisly sight.
“S...Seizon...!” Saureen managed to wail, and in a moment of blind stupidity, ran over to where his body lay, trying to keep her eyes away from the gaping hole in him.
She dropped to her knees and ran her hand over his face. It wasn’t yet cold, but even the immobility was enough to make her shudder uncontrollably.
Chomper slowly walked over to her, expression still not changing from completely mute horror. He gazed down at her, willing himself to react, to comfort her somehow. But he couldn’t find anything to say. He couldn’t even find any comfort in himself. He looked down at Seizon’s body. It had been completely senseless! They had just found a suitable agreement, and he went and did this?? It had all been for nothing...Chomper couldn’t even begin to go through it in his mind – he felt that such thoughts would send him into an even deeper depression. And so, expression vacant, he continued to stare down at Saureen.
Saureen apparently had no trouble expressing herself. She continued to gaze for a few seconds at Seizon’s body, tears welling up in her eyes, her teeth clenched as she tried to control them.
And then she gave in.
Throwing back her head, she emitted a wailing sob so loud and so painful, that Chomper had to turn away, cursing himself for not finding any words of comfort to give.
Saureen continued to wail and sob bitterly, the sound ringing out like a fatally wounded animal across the rocky ledges.
“Dammit Seizon!!” she screamed, pounding the ground with her fist. “How could you have done this?? I thought you had something worth living for??!! Was that all a lie? Was what we meant to you a lie? Was everything we told you about what you had to stick around for a lie too? Why does nothing we say ever get through to you...? You’re so stubborn...and now this has happened...!”
Through her tears, she surveyed, momentarily pausing in her sobs, Seizon’s expression, still as immobile and lifeless as ever. Saureen then broke down again.
“I don’t care what you thought of yourself...!” she choked, throwing her head down onto his corpse. “You were my brother, and I still needed you...why don’t you understand?? You never understand what others think of you...how could you do this...?”
Because there was no doubt in any of the minds of the young dinosaurs what sort of act had led to Seizon’s death. There could only be one thing that would let him risk his life this way...
Zyro couldn’t have failed to notice the kids’ arrival, and his relief that they were all still alive barely registered when he noticed how they had reacted to the sight of the body.
“How many times has it been now?” he thought miserably. “How many times have they lost one of their own to a senseless act?”
But he had lowered his guard for too long.
Courtesy of Xal, a massive tail swat combined with a kick sent him crashing over in the direction of the kids.
Shorty, immediately noticing the danger, ran forward to nab Saureen with his teeth, dragging her out of the way, whilst Littlefoot coaxed Chomper to follow him also.
“Kids, you need to get somewhere safe...!” Zyro told them unnecessarily, getting up to once again counter the approaching, snarling Xal.
Under the shelter of a nearby rock, the kids couldn’t feel comforted though. A great, vast emptiness had settled into both their minds and hearts, hardly daring to believe what had just taken place, and listening to Saureen’s subdued, but continuing sobs.
*
“Ah, I can see the longnecks!”
Pterano’s cry sent a ripple of joy amongst the members of the Alliance below.
“But hang on...” Pterano was squinting with some surprise. “There’s a fourth one with them...”
Most Valleians were surprised to hear this, but were even more surprised when the identity of the longneck was revealed.
“Doc!” Opal was suddenly smiling as she trotted to greet him.
“Hello there, Opal...” Doc smiled slightly himself looking down at the spiketail. “Sorry I’m late – and that I rushed here instead of where you needed me. But Ulciscor is no longer in the Valley.”
And outbreak of muttering indicated both relief and joy amongst the Alliance members. But some of it was soon replaced with confusion.
“Thanks for subduing him,” Opal said. “But what about Kai?”
“I’m afraid we haven’t seen him,” Arianna replied, walking to join her fellow Valleians. “Apparently, Ulciscor was always planning to leave, but he left Kai in charge.”
“This isn’t very reassuring!” Topps argued, pacing around nervously. “Kai still has a pretty sizeable group of Bludgeoners at his command, and now he’s gone missing!”
More muttering broke out, and as the flyers prepared to fly higher to see if they could catch sight of him, Cera turned to Ruby.
“Do you think he may have decided to run away as well?”
“I don’t think so...” Ruby replied, looking suddenly quite afraid. “Cera...you know how we heard that the Bludgeoners invaded through the Hidden Canyon?”
“Yeah...?”
“Isn’t that where we decided to hide the children?”
Suddenly understanding what she was getting at, Cera quickly spread the word amongst the rest of the Alliance. The panic mounted instantly, and the unanimous decision of the next direction was made.
*
“OK, this is the area where we parted ways,” Opal panted, gesturing to the multitude of fallen rocks. “Kai could easily have made his way back here...”
“Right!” Topps’ face was set. Terrified as he was, he still paced with a determination that was quite frightening. “I’m going to the Hidden Canyon – anyone else wishing to come with me to rescue our kids, come to me now, I’m not waiting.”
He was quickly joined by Tria, Doc, Cera, Ruby and several others. Opal hung back, wishing to stay with Ducky and Spike, but still sighed as she looked around at her shaken and worried allies.
“They’re not the only concern here...” she murmured. “We’ve no idea where Zyro and the kids he was with are...we can only assume it’s somewhere behind here...”
She gazed at the rocks behind her, and broke off, with new thoughts suddenly becoming known to her.
“I wonder...”
*
Xal bit hard into Zyro’s shoulder, blood being drawn instantly, although Zyro decided he didn’t have time to nurse his injuries. He quickly slashed Xal’s nuzzle with his own foreclaws before jumping up and kicking Xal in the chest with both of his feet. Upon freeing himself from the grip of the bladeback’s jaws, he skidded to Xal’s side, taking his long, powerful forearm in his jaws and performing another flying kick.
A loud crack echoed across the still terrain, as Xal was sent rolling in the dust, screaming in pain, coming perhaps a little close to the sheltering children, although this time he had more to subdue him.
Getting gingerly to his feet, he stared at his smarting arm and attempted to move it – he couldn’t. It hung limply at his side, barely clinging to its aching joint.
Zyro approached him, looking exhausted, but triumphant.
“There...” he panted. “I’ve dislocated your shoulder. I can easily do the same to your other arm if you want to continue this pointless scrap, but I seriously think you should just give up. You’re out of solutions.”
Xal had to admit that he seemed to be in a pretty bad fix as it was. As of yet he had no reply to give Zyro.
But he didn’t need to have one. At that moment, another voice, mocking and full of unbridled malice came clearly towards them all.
“I wasn’t expecting a sharptooth half your size to do you in quite so thoroughly, Xal,” it continued, as the eyes of Zyro, Xal and all the kids were drawn to its source.
“I must confess myself quite disappointed.”
Standing there, not far from where Xal and Zyro’s fight had taken them, looking sadistically invested and quite unperturbed, and inexplicably speaking in the sharptooth tongue, was the spiked longneck, Kai, surrounded by a huge gang of Bludgeoners, all set and ready to unleash his terrifying bidding...
~0~
So there it is...
:wow
The next two chapters of this fic will be the last - it's been quite a journey. :DD
So, how will this battle conclude? What does Kai have in store, and how can he speak sharptooth? This and other questions will be answered next time... :p Otherwise, please comment and thanks for reading!
-
Wow, that chapter was goooood again :smile
The scene where Saureen is mourning Seizon's death is really powerful and Ducky's scene wasn't much different. Poor, poor Ducky :( And poor Saureen :p
The conversation between Al and Icky and Dil was interesting. Al really seems like a new dinosaur here. he's acting so unlike himself - in the last few chapters, that is :p
Oh, and Zyro finally won the fight! However, he's in an even worse situation now... THAT CLIFFHANGER!!! EPIC !!! :DD
And Ulciscor saves his ass and disappears :nyah
-
OK, before I present you with the penultimate chapter, I feel I should mention something.
What goes down here is not entirely original - it's rather considerably inspired by other things in fiction, representing parallels that may be a bit more excessive than what is normally advisable. Having said that, I promise the entire story isn't a rip-off, and this ending does still work for the character arcs built in this fic, possibly even better than the character arcs originally built for it...either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please forgive my...inspiration... :lol
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hunters in the Rain
“What?!”
Xal’s demanding query suddenly reminded the other five of the inherent mystery. Their minds had been so focused on the horrifying trepidation that now faced them - Kai had found them, isolated an area as this rockcrop may be, and he had them outnumbered at least ten to one. He was standing there, leering and apparently encouraging the Bludgeoners to do the same, not hastening to make short of this cleansing, the way Ulciscor did. Kai’s preference, apparently, was to draw out the suffering as much as he could.
Having said that, Xal, still standing with his arm limp, had raised an interesting point.
“How come you can speak our language now?” he demanded of Kai.
Kai chuckled nastily, and Littlefoot’s hatred of him was reinforced. Had he really trusted this guy, not so long ago? Upon realising this, suddenly everything made a horrible sense – Ulciscor had asked Kai to spare him, back when he had joined him and the Gang. There seemed to be undeniable truth in Ulciscor’s story now...still, it didn’t seem like that was an issue that would be plaguing him much longer. It was doubtful the six of them standing there would ever have any problems again...at least once Kai had finished drawing out his sport...
“Ignorant even to the last,” Kai replied, still in the sharptooth tongue, looking delightedly at the glower Xal was giving him. “Now, you say? I’ve known of your stupid species’ language for ages. Ulciscor never questioned my seemingly super-sensory abilities when it came to tracking sharpteeth, he just relished in its usefulness. After having spent many weeks in my early life stuck in a maze-like canyon, with sharpteeth all around me, I eventually began to discover that their roars had more complex meaning than I first thought...”
Now, this was unexpected. Obviously Kai liked the sound of his own voice, but his potential victims were all listening, mildly intrigued by this discovery. Littlefoot distinctly remembered how his time spent with sharpteeth both young and old led him to discover that they were indeed sentient like other creatures and even formed loving families. It had helped him grow closer to others, and, he suddenly realised, may even be the reason he was here now, helping protect the lives of some sharpteeth close to him. He gazed at the back of Chomper’s head and even felt a tiny glimmer of joy ignite in him. Somehow, however, he felt that Kai’s story would not have quite such a happy ending. And sure enough...
“With this knowledge, I knew that wiping sharpteeth from this world would be easier than ever before!” Kai crowed, his yellow eyes glinting madly. “Now I knew exactly what they were planning and could step in and stop it. Their strategy for hunting something, the hiding places for their offspring, I scuppered all of their plans. It’s something you overlooked Xal!”
Xal simply grunted, casting his eyes down.
“Thinking I wouldn’t be able to see through your pathetic strategy? Yes, I could hear every single order those stupid Piercers were hollering at each other. It was how I and my force were able to slip away and leave them and that invading Alliance to finish each other off...” his eyes briefly settled on Zyro as he said this. “And that’s also finished. I personally killed that old longneck matriarch.”
“No...” Shorty whispered, sinking to his knees.
Kai still looked utterly jubilant. His bragging may have left him open to attack, but he was prepared to believe none of them would try to launch themselves at him when he had such considerably back-up, all of whom were waiting patiently, despite not understanding a word of this conversation.
“And now we come to you,” Kai continued, staring hard at them all. “There’s a little fewer than I hoped for, but I realised the Piercers had to come from somewhere. And here’s my reward...you have no fight left in you, Xal. Incredible, isn’t it? And to think you wanted to change the world! Well, your world-changing ideas will be going out not with a bang, but with a whimper...” His grin broadened and he licked his lips.
“I cannot wait for your filth to finally be finished...”
Zyro glanced sideways at Xal.
“Are you sure you don’t have any more Piercers in reserve anywhere close?” he muttered to him.
“If I did, you wouldn’t be standing there, Zyro,” Xal replied flatly. “That’s a fact.”
“Right...” Zyro sighed, and quickly turned to look at the children.
“When it comes down to it, you may have to run...” he whispered.
The four kids all glanced at each other, knowing he was probably right – there didn’t seem to be any other option at this time.
However, what happened next changed everything.
Kai had been walking slowly towards the six of them, his Bludgeoners following at a distance, all tails raised, and Kai looking positively insane, when he stopped, having spotted something on the ground in front of him.
Looking closer, the four of them kids suddenly felt their hearts leap into their mouths. It was Seizon’s body...the fight had forced them all behind it. Seizon was now just lying there unprotected...
“Ah, I’d almost forgotten,” Kai said suddenly, now in leaf-eater. He was glaring down at the small bladeback. “I remember you, you little bastard. Thought you’d give me the run around, eh? Thought you’d try and defy me in completing my mission?” If they had had any doubt about Kai’s insanity before this, all of it was driven from them now. Kai was practically foaming at the mouth and his eyes were popping as he muttered hateful remarks to the body.
“Completely gave me the slip...so smug in your damn victory, huh??” he snarled. “Well, now who’s laughing? Time I repaid you in full...”
And so saying, his face twisted in an ugly scowl of loathing, he jerked out one of his front feet and kicked Seizon’s body roughly into the air, where it twisted and flailed aimlessly for a second before landing unpleasantly face down on the hard earth.
The kids, horrified, gasped immediately with such an intake of breath it was as though they too had just personally been kicked through the air. Zyro gritted his teeth but suppressed other reactions and Xal’s eyes merely followed the body’s progression before casting themselves downward again. Chomper, however, suddenly found he couldn’t take his eyes off of Seizon. The emptiness that had filled him since they had discovered his fate was now being replaced with something quite different...
“Well, look at that!” Kai chuckled, turning to the Bludgeoners and prompting them to laugh with him. “Powerless before me! My only wish is that I had finished him off myself...I would have made him suffer even more...”
As he stepped forward once more, suddenly something inside Chomper’s brain snapped, reminiscent faintly of just after Pyron’s death. Before he even considered anything, he found himself screaming.
“GET AWAY!!!!!”
Rage and hatred like he hadn’t felt in such a long time had suddenly burst forth from him, suppressed for far too long. Ignoring the shocked reactions of his companions, he charged blindly forward at Kai, roaring and snarling.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU SCUM!!!”
He broke off as he felt Zyro grip his jaws around his tail and yank him back.
“Stop!” he told him firmly, glancing nervously up at Kai, who had his eyes fixed on Chomper, an ugly expression making itself known. “There’s nothing you can do for him now...”
But now Chomper had something else to occupy him. Now that he was closer to Xal, he found himself staring – the expression in his amber eye was utterly unfazed, almost completely empty. Why hadn’t he screamed in rage himself? He was just standing there, certainly not looking like one who had just seen his stepson’s body be kicked so callously around. From the back of his mind, an unwelcome phrase came back to him – something he himself had said earlier.
“Xal only cares about what you can offer him as the most loyal and unwavering follower. His care doesn’t extend to who you are.”
He had mainly been spouting that just for the sake of argument...but did they really hold the same truth he had thought? A wave of cold suddenly rose up inside of him. If that were true, Seizon had died for a lie...
“Well, Xal?” Chomper demanded. “What about you?”
He gazed carefully at the bladeback, who was still staring blankly across the horizon. Then, however, he blinked and turned to him.
“What?” he said. “What do you mean?”
“Seizon!” Chomper cried, pointing at the body. “What are you going to do about what he’s doing to Seizon??”
Kai had paused in his approach, apparently interested in where this discussion was going. He turned to the Bludgeoner next to him and whispered,
“I wonder what they’re now going to cling to when they have nothing left...”
Ignoring this, Chomper’s attention was still fixed on Xal, hardly daring to believe what was now seemingly being confirmed before him.
Xal looked quite confused.
“What can be done?” he asked. “Seizon’s dead.”
“He-!” Chomper exclaimed, momentarily too shocked to speak. “He still deserves respect!! Just like the respect he’s shown you for so damn long!”
“Respect...?” Xal repeated the word as though it were utterly foreign to him. “You really have been living away from your own kind for too long...the loyalty Seizon showed to me was because he feared me. I lived off of intimidation. This is very often the way such a balance of power works. But now...”
He trailed off. Chomper was still staring open-mouthed at him, his latest words bouncing around his head. Xal had missed the point completely...
“Balance of power...?” Chomper repeated.
Xal didn’t reply.
Chomper exploded.
“BALANCE OF POWER??” Chomper screamed at him. “IS THAT HOW YOU THINK NOW, IS IT?? IS THAT WHERE THIS REVOLUTION OF YOURS HAS BROUGHT YOU???” He paused, drawing deep, heaving breaths, his rage constantly attempting to boil over.
“I can’t believe how badly you’ve missed...everything!” Chomper eventually concluded, gazing back at Seizon’s body and feeling his eyes beginning to sting. “Seizon...lived for you...and it’s not because he feared you, it’s because he loved you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! He’d always put you first, never heard a word against you. You can dress it up how you like, but I refuse to let you dismiss him like that...”
Some of Seizon’s words came back to him now.
“He’s great. He’s got big plans for us. For all of us.”
“Everything he ever did...” Chomper continued. “Everything he ever worked towards, it was all because of you...!”
Upon hearing footsteps behind him, he turned and saw Saureen cautiously approaching them, gazing up at Xal.
“He’s right...” she murmured. Xal stared straight ahead, and so she continued. “Even if it wasn’t necessary for the mission, he would always go out of his way to do things to you. Even go to war against another pack, interpreting what they’d said as an insult towards you...”
“If he insults us, he insults Xal. There’s no way he’s getting away with this...”
“And it wore us down...” Saureen murmured, her eyes moistening again. “We eventually left him over it, but I thought at least you’d be grateful for his commitment and courage...”
Xal still didn’t look round, but he didn’t interrupt either.
“Even at your cruellest,” Saureen continued, biting her lip as a painful memory took hold. “He still tried to justify everything you did. And assured us that, if nothing else, he would make you better.”
“I need to do whatever I can...I feel it is my calling to do that...that’s my dream, to save him like he saved me.”
“And I know how he felt...” Shorty added, carefully walking forward also. “Because I too have a stepfather who took me in when nobody else would. A life without you wouldn’t bear thinking about. And believe me when I say that the love for someone who gave you a purpose doesn’t go down easily...”
“But you don’t care!!” Chomper was gazing up agonisingly at the vacant expression Xal wore. “After everything he did and wanted for you...you can’t bring yourself to give back...all because of this balance of power and revolution you’re so obsessed with! You couldn’t see what was right in front of you...”
Chomper could no longer hold them in. Fountains of tears began to leak from his eyes, even as he creased his face in attempt to maintain his composure.
“I’ve seen this new sharptooth community,” he sobbed, “but that’s something quite alien, isn’t it? This is how most sharpteeth are, right? Only cold and self-serving and because of the cruelty of the world, never seeing beyond themselves! If I had never been hatched in the Great Valley, would I have become like you...?”
He stared at Xal briefly as the thought occurred to him, before turning his teary eyes back to Seizon.
“But Seizon had someone else to serve...he threw his life away for you! For you and your precious dream! Nothing else mattered to him but to make you happy, and you didn’t even care...you never even...” He gulped before continuing. “Seizon never gave up on you! And no matter what problems I may have had with him, I still think he’s worth ten of you any day...because he had a commitment. You’re just cold...”
He dissolved in a wave of tears, sniffing heartily and, for a moment, wanting nothing more than just to go and lie beside Seizon and wait for the inevitable.
“So...he really did feel something...?”
Xal had spoken at last. And his voice seemed softer...more emotional...
Chomper looked up and soon found his mouth open in disbelief.
A stream of very real tears was leaking from the bladeback’s eyes. He seemed to be crying silently, but there could be no mistaking his expression.
“Chomper...you really don’t know what a weight that is off of my conscience...”
He briefly glanced around, taking in Kai’s thoroughly amused surveillance, before turning to face the young twoclaw.
“I remember now...I took Seizon in partially because I pitied him, but also because I wanted someone to remind me exactly what I was fighting for – those dispossessed, just like him, who would hopefully one day find a new home...”
He sighed.
“But I got so wrapped up in what I was doing, for someone I looked up to, I began to forget. And bless him for trying to make me remember...but all this time I thought he was staying with me out of fear. At the time, I didn’t know how to connect. And once he died, I may have lost control – it was almost like a metaphor for me losing my way, something that I never anticipated...nor indeed me failing to see, as you so rightly said, what was right in front of me...”
He drew a great hearty breath, before finally allowing his eyes to settle on the body of his stepson.
“You know his heart broke for you, right?” he said, gazing at Chomper before glancing back and Saureen. “He cared for you so much – he never wanted you hurt. Again, I thought it was fear keeping him going, but you say it was love...? That really puts it all into perspective...”
He turned his eyes back to the ground.
“Well, I feel content that the revolution ends today...I’ve seen the causalities and scars it can cause. Not just physically, but emotionally too. I’ve gone too far. I am now content to stop...I don’t know completely what Eykion wanted, but it isn’t this. And nor do I.”
Chomper was staring at him open-mouthed, completely dumbstruck. His eyes followed Xal’s stream of tears as though he had never seen any before.
“What, this...?” Xal asked, chuckling slightly as he gestured to his tears with his good arm. “Are you really so surprised to discover that I have a soul after all? Well...I can’t have given you the best impression, but I’ll tell you this now – apex hunters can cry, and even we who hide behind our teeth and claws do indeed have souls. No matter how much we go through life and try not to care, try to hide that simple and very obvious fact, we always fail...or, at the very least...”
He smiled briefly.
“I have certainly failed.”
Saureen and Shorty exchanged looks before retreating back to the shelter of the rock, from which Littlefoot was gazing, incredulous. Zyro had been listening to the whole exchange in silence but now looked satisfied. Chomper, meanwhile, just stood there, gazing up at Xal.
Xal’s eyes lingered for a while over Kai before turning to Chomper and smiling.
“Even though I know you hate me,” he said, quite calmly. “How about doing me a favour Chomper?” he extended, as best he could, his dislocated arm.
“How about putting my arm back in my shoulder? It’s just a simple twist, and you’ll be able to feel where it goes? I have one more score I need to settle.”
Chomper hesitated. He glanced over at Zyro, who smiled grimly and nodded.
Chomper swallowed and as he attempted to exert his strength to fix Xal’s arm, he heard the bladeback begin to mutter once more.
“For Seizon...”
A pronounced click was heard, and with his arm fixed, Xal rounded on Kai, venom in his eyes.
Then he charged.
For having been fighting for a good while, the speed at which he moved was unbelievable. Kai even had to do a double take as Xal rocketed towards him. After neatly dodging around Seizon’s body, the bladeback leapt at the spiked longneck, sinking his teeth into his shoulder and digging his foreclaws in.
Kai screamed in rage and pain and kicked out, knocking Xal over, although he was back on his feet almost instantly, gaze fixed and jaw set. Noting what he was up against, Kai called wildly to the Bludgeoners.
“Take him!” he roared, and the Bludgeoners eagerly moved forward. “He can’t take us all!”
Forget it, Kai told himself, as he edged his way in amongst his foot-soldiers. There was no point in risking severe injuries on just one enemy. He’d wait until Xal was dead before moving in on the rest.
But Xal would not be taken down. Roaring and snarling like a berserker, he was kicking, clawing and biting any Bludgeoner who stood in his way. He only had one target, and yet one or two Bludgeoners fell dead at his feet, their throats slit...
Kai was watching this carnage in alarm, and took several rapid paces back the way he had come, continuing to glance back at Xal as he did so.
Chomper, Zyro and the others were too watching this in astonishment, frozen to the spot.
“Is he trying to get back into the Valley?” Zyro thought as he watched Kai hurry away. “I don’t think he’ll have the time...”
He predicted correctly.
Now leaping from the struggling Bludgeoners, Xal blocked Kai’s route back into the Valley and rammed into him, nearly knocking him off balance. Kai grunted angrily and struck out with his neck, briefly scratching Xal, but not enough to perturb him. Continuing to push, shove and swipe at each other, they ended up making their way over to yet another precipice, although this one was considerably higher, and led to a sheer drop right into the barren lands of the Mysterious Beyond. Kai, noticing the danger, quickly decided to change his tactics. Quickly turning, he struck Xal hard with his tail. This strike had a much more profound effect than any of his attacks before, and Xal was flung to the ground right in the path of a few Bludgeoners still brave enough to help Kai out.
As Xal scrambled to his feet, one of the Bludgeoners swung his tail expertly and precisely, driving the spiked club straight into Xal upper thigh. An audible crack echoed across the terrain and Xal gasped as he felt his femur grind into his insides. As he staggered around and attempted to stay upright, the longnecks drew back, apparently waiting to see what he did next. Their answer came when he coughed throatily and blood seeped from his mouth.
The sight was apparently one of great euphoria to Kai. Throwing back his head, he roared with a laughter that sent chills up the spines of everyone listening, echoing insanely around, utterly devoid of anything that would give anyone else joy.
Kai settled his manic, yellow eyes onto the bleeding bladeback.
“Well, what else did you think was going to happen?” he demanded in sharptooth. “What a joke! You really think you could take us all on?? If this is the way you’re planning to go with dignity, you’re greatly mistaken!”
He carefully approached him.
“I just hope you think carefully about how much of a dead end your life was as you die,” he told him shamelessly.
Xal raised his eyes and fixed him with a steely glare which gave even Kai pause.
“What good advice,” he said. “I hope you do the same.”
Kai could only laugh at that.
“I’m not going today,” he said confidently. “And I have no regre-”
He broke off and screamed in pain. Whilst he was talking, Xal had raised his arm in a swift motion and clawed deep into the longneck’s eye.
With blood splattering from his now closed eyelid, Kai began to scream sharptooth profanities at Xal, at which the Bludgeoners were reluctant to step forward.
This was all Xal needed.
“Maybe you’ll regret it when you go to meet your victims!” Xal snarled, clawing at Kai’s neck.
“What are you talking about, scavenger???” Kai screamed back, swinging his tail around once more. But Xal ducked beneath it and planted a hefty bite into Kai’s flank, kicking him over as he did so.
As Kai crashed to the ground, the eyes of all watching, still frozen to the spot, gazed as Xal leered over him and took his front leg in his jaws, the very leg that had kicked Seizon.
Kai howled and attempted to get back up, but Xal’s tugging and clawing at the limb prevented him from doing so. He even swatted Xal several times with his tail, but it was at the wrong angle to provide a significant blow, and even as Xal felt his injuries begin to take hold, he continued to claw and tug at the leg...
Chomper, watching from afar, was suddenly reminded of his violent, vengeful actions towards Yuti after Pyron’s death, and he found he knew what would happen seconds before it did.
Kai emitted a ear-splitting, terrible scream of pain as, with a horrible, jarring, ripping sound of flesh and sinew, Xal triumphantly wrenched his leg clean off, and held it in his jaws as it continued to splatter blood over the ground. Swinging his head in an arc, he flung the still pulsating limb away, and it soared over the heads of the Bludgeoners, who scattered and let it land in the middle of them, twitching briefly before becoming still.
Kai, whose eyes were still wide, but now with fear, was staring at his gaping, bleeding hole where he once had a leg, before looking up, horrified, at the bladeback that approached him.
Xal coughed once more, spilling more of his own blood, but chose to ignore it. He glared down at Kai with a sadistic triumph.
“I’m sure the dead all go to the same place...” he panted. “Think of all those who’ve been sent there because of you. I hope the reunion is a happy one.”
“No...” Kai whispered, mortified. “Please...you can’t...”
Xal lowered his head and rammed the maimed longneck with all his strength. Reasonably quickly, Kai found himself sliding towards the sheer drop.
“Gaah, no!!” he howled, attempting to grip to the edge with his remaining front limb. But it was hopeless. With one last, gigantic push, Xal felt the spiked longneck’s weight go slack, and Kai fell over the edge. He screamed, twisted and splattered blood as he fell, before he finally hit the hard ground head long. With a mighty crash and a distinctive crack of his neck, he finally stopped moving.
A very stunned, shocked silence fell over the area. All of the kids were gazing the distance past the Bludgeoners and onto Xal open-mouthed, having been unable to make any sort of movement for a good minute or so. The Bludgeoners had also been similarly transfixed, now watching the bladeback, unsure of what to do. Xal himself was looking over the edge at Kai’s mangled body. Finally satisfied, he turned back to fix his gaze upon the Bludgeoners.
Just this single act made them all recoil, and they continued to watch him in terror as he slowly trudged back towards them. But his progress was slow and uncertain. He could feel his internal injuries beginning to take hold. Once again coughing, he emitted another torrent of blood from his mouth before raising his eyes up to the horizon. The terrified Bludgeoners had cleared a path enough for him to focus on one sight in particular. The body of a small bladeback.
“How...?” he muttered to himself. “How did I not notice...?”
And then he collapsed.
Chomper, finally closing his mouth, turned, somewhat unnerved to his companions. All of them wore similar expressions to him.
Zyro gazed at them all and sighed.
“Right...well, now we-”
“Hey!” cried an angry voice.
The five of them looked back up to see a Bludgeoner stride to the front of the group. It was Shock, and his voice, speaking his native tongue, the only one he knew, seemed to command an authority otherwise hidden. The other Bludgeoners had rallied behind him now, and they were all leering at Zyro and the youngsters with the same malice Kai had displayed. Shock had his tail raised, and they noted the distinctive blood on the spikes of his clubbed tail. He had delivered Xal’s crushing blow.
“With Ulciscor gone and Kai dead, I think that makes me in charge!” he declared, glowering at them. “And I’m not prepared to allow everyone else to give me the run-around. Now that the Valley is rightfully mine, I think it’s time we reclaimed it!” The other Bludgeoners cheered enthusiastically, at Shock, grinning turned back to Zyro and the kids.
“Starting with you...”
And with that, they charged.
The thunderous sounds of them all approaching left our heroes clueless. Zyro turned to them all, willing himself to give some useful order when he was caught off guard. A shadow briefly passed over them, before what casted it landed in front of them and rammed straight into Shock. Shock gasped in pain as all the Bludgeoners stopped to take a good look at what had blocked them.
It was Topps.
“One thing...” he grunted, trying to ease his horns out of Shock’s shoulders. “You’re forgetting...”
And when Chomper and the others turned to look behind them, they saw everyone.
All of the members of the Great Valley, including Cera, Ruby, Ducky, Spike, Petrie, Ali, Tria, Mr Thicknose, Opal and most of their families, along with all the sharpteeth of the community, including Al, Lini, Ichy and Dil, and with them were all of the longnecks from Bron and Old One’s herd, including...
“Doc?” Littlefoot murmured.
But everyone here, cramped as it was, and some trailing back down the wall into the Valley, seemed very determined to make their message known.
“That’s right!” Opal declared. “If you really want this Valley, you’re first going to have to go through all of us!”
All of them...? Chomper couldn’t help but grin inanely as he looked at this gigantic group, all working together in such cohesive harmony. A group he noticed, that was much more gigantic than the remaining Bludgeoners, all of whom were now looking quite horrified.
Topps flung Shock to the ground, and he was instantly trampled upon by fleeing Bludgeoners, scrabbling as best they could over more climbable exits off of the Great Wall, all of them scaling haphazardly. Even as the Alliance began to give chase, fighting off some of the hardier Bludgeoners they found that eventually all of Ulciscor’s soldiers and enforcers were working their way into the Mysterious Beyond and galloping away at top speed, not even looking back.
Not a second has passed before the jubilant cry of victory was declared, with the Alliance members cheering and hugging one another, dancing and holding their loved ones close, a single, relieved, estatic thought going through all of their minds:
It’s finally over...
Chomper, Saureen, Littlefoot and Shorty all instantly went over to Cera, Ruby, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ali, Lini and Al.
“Oh, we’re so glad you’re all OK!” Ali cried, nestling her head onto Shorty.
“Same here!” Saureen agreed, clinging tight to Lini.
After greeting the others, Chomper rushed over to his parents, both beaming and nearly weeping with joy as Rhea scooped him up in her arms and nuzzled him tight.
“Oh, you’ve been so brave...” she whispered. “It seems you’ve flown the nest a lot sooner than we’ve realised...”
Chomper frowned somewhat at that, but whispered back,
“Not for lack of wanting to stay with you for as long as I can...”
Nearby, Saureen was reuniting with Ferox in a similar fashion, and Littlefoot and Shorty immediately trotted over to Bron, Aster and Arianna. However, the look Littlefoot gave all these adults and the one they exchanged with both him and each other told them what they needed to. It would appear things still needed to be cleared up here...but for now, he decided, as he nuzzled his grandparents, was time for celebration.
Topps strode to the front of the jubilant group and spoke up.
“Ulciscor will rue this day forever, and the day he first came to us!” he crowed. “We are victorious, and those who fell today would be proud of what we’ve accomplished. Let’s continue to make them proud!”
A cheer of enthusiastic agreement met this speech, and, with some of those words hitting home, Zyro excused himself from the company of Opal and Doc and wandered over to the form of a large bladeback some distance away, now beginning to stir.
Once he had arrived at his side, Xal stopped struggling to move and lay there, his eyes closed.
“So...” he said eventually. “Sounds like its over. Congratulations.”
“Yeah...” Zyro agreed, casting an eye over the celebrating alliance. “And we owe you our thanks too – not only did you take out Kai, but you drew him here. Otherwise, from what I heard, he would have gone after the otherwise unprotected young ones we had in the Hidden Canyon.”
“Great...” Xal murmured. He coughed once more, more blood dripping from his maws. “Zyro...?”
Zyro looked down at him.
“Is there...” Xal closed his eyes again briefly and continued. “Any hope for me...?”
Zyro considered momentarily, once again surveying the Alliance.
“There are many here skilled in healing and treatments...” he said mildly. “One of them may be able to see what they can do.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Xal replied. “I want a straight answer – is there any hope for me?”
Zyro exhaled heavily.
“From what I’ve seen of these kinds of internal injuries,” he replied. “No. The damage is too great. I’m afraid there probably isn’t anything we can do for you.”
“Right.” Xal looked quite content about this.
“In that case, Zyro, I have a favour to ask. A last request, if you will.”
Zyro gazed down at him again.
“Yeah?”
“Bring him to me...” Xal was averting his gaze, but spoke quite clearly. “Before I go, I need to see him one last time. I feel that it would greatly set my mind at rest...”
Zyro took one hard look at him, before gazing back across the horizon at the small form of Seizon. He then turned back to look at the sharptooth that was once his enemy. He felt that tears were beginning to form in his eyes.
“Sure,” he said.
With purpose, Zyro began to walk back over to where Seizon lay, past Kai’s severed leg which a few sharpteeth were now beginning to eat from. But the chatter died down and all eyes were upon him was he approached the body of the small bladeback.
Chomper, Saureen, Lini and Al all crept gingerly forward as Zyro picked up the body and turned him over. Thankfully, Kai’s kick had done minimal damage to him – Seizon still looked quite at peace.
Zyro turned, carrying Seizon’s body, and as he walked back over to Xal, the watching Alliance members felt several drops of water hit them. This skywater increased into a sustained drizzle, but none of them felt it right to complain about.
Chomper heard Saureen choke back a sob next to him, before she whispered exactly what was on their minds.
“Seizon loved skywater...he saw it as the pinnacle of serenity and nature...”
Chomper wordlessly put his arm around her, and she rested against his shoulder.
Lini however, curiously leaned forward.
“Do you think that’s him...?” she asked carefully. “Is he trying to say something from...beyond death...?”
This was an intriguing question, one none of them had the answer to. Zyro wordlessly placed Seizon’s body next to Xal, and stepped quickly and respectfully away.
Although they were keeping their distance, everyone moved forward to watch the rain hammer and flow around these two bladebacks as they lay there, not entirely sure what this was for, but feeling compelled nonetheless.
Xal turned his dying body as best he could towards Seizon.
“Hi, Seizon...” he whispered, his eyes raking the small form. “I guess...we’ve really had the run around, eh? You and me...for a long time, just trying to make the world a better place. Seizon...I’m so sorry I forgot you. I promise that I now know my mistakes, and how you felt. I wish I could...have been there the way you needed me too...that would have changed a lot, I’m sure. I hope you can forgive me...”
“Ah, I’m sure he had that in his heart...” Ichy murmured to Dil, who quickly shushed him.
Xal raised his hand to hold Seizon’s face, to gaze into it. Expressionless as it was, Xal still felt drawn to it.
“There was skywater falling when we first met...” he whispered. “And it’s falling now...does that mean anything...?”
“I’m...sure it does!” Chomper apparently couldn’t hold his tongue anymore, but Xal wasn’t about to shut him up, so he continued. “I think...Seizon’s trying to say...the way he feels about you hasn’t changed. It continues in the same way, just like the skywater.
“Hmm...” Xal mused. “You may be right...”
A drop of the falling rain hit Seizon’s eye and rolled down his face, looking very reminiscent of a tear. Xal’s own eyes were moved to tears at this sight.
“It’s only fitting,” he said. “That you’d be the one I’d want to spend my last moments with...” He put his other arm around Seizon and held him close.
“My greatest defender, my most loyal companion, and above all...my son. I hope to see you soon...”
And with that, smiling in spite of himself, Xal closed his eyes, and the watching Alliance was left with just the sound of the pounding rain, washing around the two bladebacks. It was only when the skywater stopped when they realised that father and son were reunited once more.
*
“Is this just the way things always have been?”
Saureen’s question was an interesting one, and even though he was otherwise distracted, Chomper tuned his ears in.
The Hidden Canyon felt like a suitable location to bury the fallen. The Valleians had figured that provided they blocked off the back entrance to the Mysterious Beyond, there was no reason that others couldn’t go here as they pleased to visit their lost friends and relatives.
Nearby, Ducky, Spike, Opal and their siblings were placing a multitude of flowers on the grave of Azura, whereas Ali and Shorty were visiting the rather large one, marked by a boulder, of the Old One. Chomper would have spent his time paying his respects to them too, but right now, he was too focused and subdued.
As he heard Saureen’s question, he was scraping a sharp piece of rock over the large one that marked this grave. Eventually, he was satisfied the image on the rock resembled what lay beneath it – two bladebacks, one large and one small, in each other’s embrace forever.
Saureen, placing the flowers she had picked down, turned to look at Ferox and Zyro.
“For sharpteeth, I mean,” she continued. “Have we always been just so self-serving, so...unaware just what others have to give us?”
Ferox and Zyro exchanged uncomfortable glances.
“Well, this is what we’re trying to change,” Zyro insisted. “It’s the reason Shark founded the Great Sharptooth Community in the first place. We’re doing all we can to change what’s been the status quo amongst sharpteeth since...well, forever.”
Chomper’s claws tightened over the rock he was holding.
“I certainly remember what it’s been like,” Ferox said, picking up his daughter and holding her close. “Though that wasn’t to say there weren’t exceptions. Both your mother and grandmother were great examples of sharpteeth who broke through that and began to learn that there’s more to life than yourself. Eventually, many do learn that lesson, even it’s too late.” He sighed and gazed at the gravestone.
Chomper now turned to face them.
“Well, if that’s the life sharpteeth can expect to face, then maybe I don’t want to be one!” he growled. He gazed at the ground mutinously. “I never asked to be this! Seizon was absolutely right – it’s impossible to maintain such an easy relationship with leaf-eaters...” he trailed off as the possibilities returned to him in a creeping and unnerving way.
Zyro sighed.
“Well, nobody else managed it quite as well as you,” he said, now turning to leave. “You’re actually something of an icon and a model for this Community to work around. And it’s because various leaf-eaters knew you that we were able to form this Alliance in the first place. Just think about that for a second.”
Chomper stared after him, the words he had just said starting to sink in. He supposed...that was true in a way...
Ferox set Saureen down and turned to leave himself. Saureen approached Chomper, Lini and Al also drawing close.
“Do you want to go back now?” Lini asked tentatively.
“Give me a minute,” Chomper replied pensively, his eyes now fixed on the carving he had made.
The other three nodded and Saureen briefly squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek before moving away. The spot where she had kissed him burned, and there was a jubilant, floating feeling in the pit of his stomach. But he could focus on that later.
He sighed heavily. He supposed he would have had to face the inevitability of sharptooth life sooner or later. Seizon had been a wakeup call – not only for what was ahead of him, but what he needed to focus on.
As Chomper walked away from the grave and back to the main part of the Valley, he took one last, long look at the image of the two bladebacks.
“I just hope...” he murmured. “That your case, Seizon, will be the last...”
And with that, he left the fallen in peace.
~0~
So, there is the conclusion to the battle! I hope you enjoyed. The next chapter will be the last...what did you think...?
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This chapter was deep...
Xal is not as heartless as I thought. He made a big mistake, he didn't understand Seizon until it was too late :( His ultimate death scene was absolutely brilliant though. It just feels right the way he went... trying to make up for all the bad he's caused and trying to make up for all the love he didn't show all these years.
So Kai has been destroyed as has been any resistence from the remaining Bludgeoners. His death was probably the only truly uplifting thing about this chapter while the rest of it rather caused this odd feeling... I always get it after watching a truly emotional and deep movie, it just leaves me sitting there struck and paralysed with what I've seen or, in this case, read. It's that sort of sad feeling that actually feels so damn good! So yeah, you've officially managed to make a huge impact on my mood with this chapter and I thank you for that!
I think one more thing I should mention is Chomper here. His thoughts at the end of the chapter are quite important I think. They could be especially important if there is a sequel to this story planned. What happens to Chomper now? He has realised the difficulties of living together with leafeaters and it seems like he knows what to do next... which is leaving the valley with Saureen, Lini and Al. Just a feeling there :)
Anyway, I don't think I've ever managed to review this so soon after a chapter was published. Usually it takes me a decade or two :lol
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So, this chapter's a ridiculously long one again! Why do I keep doing that? I have no idea...
It's finally here, the final instalment of Venatione Venatus!! It's been a hell of a long journey, and to be honest, so has this final chapter. I've had an on-off relationship with it, and to be honest, I'm still not sure I'm happy with it. But at the end of the day, it's still the zenith of a project that's almost three years long, and for me, that represents something important. So, here it is, the final chapter, split over two posts again because of the length... :lol
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The End of the Beginning
“So, it was really that simple?”
“Yes. I get the feeling our boosted numbers greatly contributed to our victory.”
“Excellent...”
The enormous pale grey sharptooth that lay sprawled on the ground look quite exhausted, but smiled with such a genuine merriment that the sharptoothed flyer next to him smiled herself.
“There can be little greater news to hear after coming round,” Shark said earnestly, raising his head with some effort to gaze up at the clear sky. “I shall have to give Zyro my greatest congratulations.”
“I’ll let him know, shall I?” the flyer replied. “He’ll be very glad to hear that you’re OK as well.”
“In a moment, Dacti,” Shark replied. “You’ve had a pretty exhausting day, I’m sure. Get some rest and get something to eat. I’d also like to hear more details about what happened. You mentioned something about Xal...?”
“Yes,” Dacti replied, shifting her wings and she got into a more comfortable squatting position. “He helped us out greatly, actually.”
Shark’s eyes widened considerably.
“Well...” he murmured, staring at Dacti with something near to wonder. “You’d better tell me everything.”
*
The atmosphere of the Great Valley as the day wore on was definitely one that was lively and busy. The Bright Circle hung in the centre of the sky over a huge landscape full of dinosaurs of all kinds, both plant-eater and meat-eater, mostly happy that it was over.
And yet, there was definitely something else in the air, something that was difficult to place. Perhaps it was uncertainty – the Valley still showed scars of its oppression, the earth very bare and desolate from where it’s vegetation and had stripped and monopolized. Someone had managed to find the vegetation that Ulciscor had stocked, so starving wasn’t an issue, but the image was a lot more difficult to ignore.
As for the residents, it had only just occurred to them that leaf-eaters and sharpteeth were standing side-by-side, neither having any desire to attack the other. It was quite bizarre, and though they mostly weren’t mingling, the closeness meant that they very often caught the others eye. A sharptooth, eating from the body of a Bludgeoner would briefly gaze up only to lock eyes with a resident Valleian, munching of tree-stars just a few feet away. The looks they gave each other were fleeting, but the presence still lingered. Neither was entirely sure how they felt about it, but they always reminded themselves that they had helped each other unseat a great evil.
Whilst most members of the Alliance were recovering, over at the Rock Circle, three individuals were waiting, preparing to begin a meeting shortly. Doc was merely gazing at the horizon, apparently disconnected from the goings-on, whereas Opal and Zyro were deep in discussion.
“Well,” Opal breathed. “I think there’s going to be much rejoicing over the fact that the battle is over. Though I’m sure you’ll concur that the war is just beginning?”
Zyro sighed and nodded.
“I don’t know quite what form it will take,” he said. “But Ulciscor managed to escape, and I certainly don’t think that Gigas and Redclaw are going to let go of all the power they’ve gained just because Xal is dead. We’re all going to have to be on our guard.”
“Do you have a strategy following this?” Opal asked him.
Zyro cast his eyes downward.
“Sadly, no,” he replied, trying to ignore the growing feelings of guilt. “Ever since what happened to Shark, the plan has always been to simply stop Xal’s plan from going through. Ulciscor made things more complicated, but it was all part of the same kind of thing. Now that that’s over, I’m not entirely sure what I should do next...”
He trailed off, and an awkward silence settled over the area. When Zyro glanced up at Opal, he knew she was thinking the exact same thing, something we was dreading being brought up.
“Well...” Opal murmured. “I would say you’re welcome to stay here...at least for a while.”
Zyro nodded swiftly.
“I promise I wasn’t planning for us to stay here long-term,” he replied. “But for the time being, we can’t think of any other course of action...”
“Of course,” Opal agreed. “You’re our allies, you’ll always be welcome here...”
Another awkward silence.
“But of course, the Valley is quite crowded...” It wasn’t Opal who spoke this time, but Doc, and the spiketail and the sharptooth glanced up at him. The longneck’s eyes were still on the horizon as he continued to address them.
“As of now, everyone’s quite packed together, and I get the feeling that Bron is planning to stay long term, and the rest of his herd with him, now that their other leader is dead. I also think I will stay.”
“You will?” Opal was surprised, but looked quite happy also.
Doc looked down at her.
“Yes,” he replied. “I get the feeling the danger the Valley now faces needs my constant watch. With this in mind, the Great Valley will be crowded as it is, even without the sharpteeth still here. That, and I get the feeling everyone would be...well, uncomfortable with sharpteeth living here long term.”
Zyro cast his eyes to the ground. He knew Doc was right, as much as he hated to admit the reality.
“Chomper was one thing,” Doc continued. “This is quite another. I know we have our mutual respect in how we’ve helped each other out, but I honestly don’t think sharpteeth and leaf-eaters were made to live together.”
Zyro looked up at this.
“They may do so one day,” he said defensively.
Doc turned his eyes to him.
“Maybe,” he said tiredly. “But until that day comes, I’m afraid I don’t think you and your community staying here is an option.”
Zyro sighed and turned to Opal, who nodded a little sadly. Zyro sighed again.
“Alright,” he said. “I guess I’ll address the issue at the meeting, but as of now, I really-”
He broke off when he heard someone cry his name in the sharptooth tongue.
“Dacti?” he exclaimed as he saw the flyer land beside him. “I haven’t seen you since the battle, what...?”
The two of them exchanged a brief conversation in sharptooth, before Dacti flew off and Zyro turned to the two leaf eaters, smiling very broadly about something.
“I’ve just received news that Shark has finally woken from his coma and is responding well,” he told them.
“Oh!” Opal gasped softly. “That’s great!”
“Yes,” Zyro agreed, unable to contain his grin. “And with your permission, he should be coming to the Valley in a few days. This is great news for the community, now that the true leader has returned.” He smile faltered a little, but he hitched it up again. “It should also make our long term plans a lot easier to finalize.”
*
Night was slowly creeping in, the stars shining down onto a very different Great Valley to the one of the previous night, so interspersed as it was with plotting and the fear of dying in battle. Whilst that mood was certainly gone, in the hearts of many, a different uncertainty was hanging. There was case of leaf-eaters lying down to sleep next to sharpteeth. Still the boundaries and feelings were not entirely clear. Also, the absence of one particular swimmer was very noticeable to her orphaned children, and even as they settled down against the warm hide of Opal, they knew that it would never be the same.
Chomper too didn’t feel like sleeping at this moment. His heart was still laden with questions and concerns. He sat at the mouth of the Secret Caverns, gazing out at the Great Night Circle as it shone innocently down, completely oblivious to his plight. Chomper sighed and cast a glance back into the cave. His parents had insisted on sleeping with him and Ruby tonight – obviously they wouldn’t turn down any chance to be beside him. Thankfully they hadn’t noticed his own restlessness – he didn’t much feel like being interrogated tonight.
He cast his mind back to earlier that day and what Ruby had said to him, seemingly out of blue. He guessed he had been as subdued as he was now.
“Don’t worry if you can’t sleep tonight. Everyone’s going to have a lot on their minds.”
Well, she had still managed to get to sleep quickly enough. Maybe the dreams that blessed her contained a certain threehorn. Well, it was alright for her, Chomper though grudgingly. She hadn’t seen the look of resigned determination of Seizon’s face when he had dashed off to commit a final sacrifice. She hadn’t seen Kai savagely kick his body. She hadn’t seen Xal turn and reveal he was openly weeping, or rush off for a final sacrifice himself. At these thoughts, Chomper felt a sudden wave of guilt surge through him. How dare he come down on his friends who had been through so much for him? And how dare he moan about what he had seen, when it had been Seizon who had suffered and died, Xal who had suffered and died, Azura who had...
He turned away from the mouth of the cave and crept back inside. He wasn’t going to get any answers sitting here, and certainly not tonight. He needed to forget about it for now. He settled himself down at his mother’s side – she herself was sleeping peacefully, her deep breathing rhythmic and serene. Feeling her body warmth as he closed his eyes, he told himself to just let go, and imagine more peaceful things – skies filled with puffies, pleasant green fields, Saureen...who he now realised must be agonising over Seizon’s loss even more than he was.
Chomper opened his eyes and was tempted briefly to go to her now and try to offer words of comfort – she, Ferox, Lini and Al were in an area not too far from the cave entrance. But then Chomper realised he had no idea what to say, especially in the state he was in, and, well...his parents wouldn’t be forgiving if they had found out he had been awake all night. Sighing, Chomper rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes once more, eventually drifting away into a slumber, albeit very uneasily.
It was strange, Chomper reflected. He could have sworn the cave had had both his parents and Ruby in it. Now it was just him. But he couldn’t ponder further due to the intense light streaming into it from the outside. Shielding his eyes, Chomper had to admit that it was a very beautiful sight, also warm and enticing – probably the Bright Circle, it was morning already. He slowly crept out to the mouth of the cave, but what he saw next gave him pause.
This couldn’t possibly be the Great Valley – as beautiful a place as the Valley was, there was no way all of the plant life could have grown back in such a short time. Rolling green hills dominated the landscape complete with rivers and waterfalls, a gentle breeze lapping at the grass and bringing the fresh aroma into his nostrils. Furthermore, whilst the Valley had a clear boundary, despite being a large area, this paradise seemed to go on forever. And it was quite devoid of dinosaurs.
Chomper frowned. What was going on? Where was he? Surely such a gorgeous-looking place would be teeming with life? Well, he supposed he should go and investigate. Slowly, he stepped out of the cave.
“Well,” said a familiar voice in the sharptooth language to his right. “There’s one individual I’ll never get tired of seeing.”
Chomper’s eyes widened and he turned in the direction of the voice, hardly daring to believe it.
“Pyron...?”
The fastbiter smiled. There could be no mistaking the orange plumage and the bright green eyes. Or indeed the smile. But this Pyron looked a lot less worn. His eyes shone even brighter than they had done when he had been alive, and his smile even broader. There was also no wound in his chest and no blood. He looked complete and whole.
“Hey, Chomper,” he said. “It’s great to see you.”
“Pyron...!” Chomper hastened towards him, but paused.
“But...you died...” Chomper murmured, looking the fastbiter up and down.
Pyron’s smile didn’t waver.
“Yes, I did,” he replied. “And yes, I am still dead.”
Chomper was silent momentarily, allowing that to sink in.
“So...am I dead too?”
Pyron chuckled.
“No!” he assured. “You were just lucky enough to pay a brief visit.” He then stepped forward and wrapped Chomper in a tight embrace. Chomper reciprocated – it had been far too long since he had felt this brotherly hug. But he was still unsure of what to make of everything. After releasing him, Pyron then began walking off in the direction of the seemingly endless paradise. Chomper quickly followed, questions exploding in his head.
“So...where exactly are we?” he asked gazing around.
Pyron considered.
“To be completely honest with you, I’m not actually sure,” he admitted. “But I think we’re all satisfied with the answer that it’s where the deserving get their happy ending.”
“All...?” Chomper repeated.
“Yes,” Pyron replied, but he didn’t breach the subject further, and so neither did Chomper.
They soon arrived at a shimmering sapphire waterhole, that looked so inviting Chomper had to resist the urge to dive right in. He instead looked back at Pyron, whose smile was still broad.
“Ah, remember our waterhole antics?” he said reminiscently. “That was some real fun...”
Chomper nodded, a small smile creeping onto his face too.
“Yeah...right after that game of Pointy Seed Bowling!”
“Which I won,” Pyron added mischievously.
“Yeah?” Chomper countered, now grinning. “Well, I was malnourished!”
The two shared a laugh, but Chomper’s quickly faltered when reality snapped back to him. He looked back into Pyron’s eyes and remembered how the light had faded from them...he was talking to someone who had died a long time ago.
Very soon, he found himself choking back a sob.
“Whoa!” Pyron’s smile vanished as he leaned forward, grabbed Chomper by the shoulders and gazed at him in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m...so...sorry!” Chomper gasped, clenching his eyes tight as tears flowed down. “I...never meant...for you to die...it was my fault, I...”
“No!” Pyron said sharply, so suddenly that Chomper stopped crying and stared back at him. Pyron looked very insistent now.
“You are the last person I want to feel like they’re to blame for...what happened...” he said. “You were so kind and helpful to me. You gave me hope where I was starting to lose it. How can I possibly hold anything against you??” He sighed.
“I know you’ve been through a lot...” he continued. “But...y’know...there’s so much good you’ve been doing. And by everything we stand by in the world, you need to continue doing them, Chomper. Y’know...the help you’ve been to me has paled in comparison to how much you’ve helped others.”
“What others?” Chomper asked, but his answer came to him when he felt something thump him on the back. Pyron also felt something on his back and the two turned to see...
“Nycha...” Chomper murmured, his mouth falling open at the sight of her.
The lilac plumage and eyes identical to Pyron proved it definitely was her – but she otherwise looked radically different from most of Chomper’s memories of her. There was a huge lease of life in her, and she was grinning a grin so broad it almost swallowed her face. She practically glowed with joy as she stood there, and the way she gazed at Chomper was not one of cold indifference, but of utter radiant delight.
“Oh, and my other brother has dropped by!” she crowed, wrapping Chomper in a crushing embrace. “How are youuuuuu?”
Chomper couldn’t think of anything to say. His eyes shifted over Nycha’s shoulder to Pyron, who had a beam on his face almost as big as his sister’s.
“You see?” he said quietly. “You brought my sister back. Back to her lively self. Something I can never thank you enough for.”
“That’s quite right!” Nycha agreed, now seizing Chomper and Pyron by the wrists. “Come on, brothers of mine, what are we waiting for??”
She pulled the two of them into the water, and, for quite a long time, Chomper left his hang-ups behind him.
For a while, it was just the three of them, splashing each other and playing and laughing, siblings reunited at last...Chomper was suddenly the happiest he had felt since first leaving the Great Valley. It was almost an unfamiliar feeling, he could barely put words to it. He never thought he would be able to spend such a good time with both fastbiter siblings, both radiantly and unwaveringly happy...and they were saying it was down to him...?
This thought gave him pause, and Pyron must have noticed this.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked. Nycha also stopped her impressive backstroke to listen in.
“I just...” he sighed. “I wish you were both still with us...”
Nycha nodded, looking a lot more nonchalant than Chomper would have expected.
“Well, these things can’t be helped,” she said simply. “I’m just so glad I was able to make my final day something worthwhile. Thanks to you, of course.” She patted his arm affectionately.
“And you don’t need to worry about us now,” Pyron added. “We’ve found peace. It might not look it, but this place is actually quite busy to us. You just can’t see who you never knew.”
“There was a great reunion a while back,” Nycha added, beaming. She waded to Chomper’s side and grabbed the back of his head, directing his gaze to a point somewhere on the horizon.
“If you look very closely...”
As Chomper continued to stare, they suddenly came into view. Very out of focus though they were, he could suddenly see two distinct shapes in the distance. They were of two adult fastbiters, one red, the other a brilliant silver.
“We’re now far from the reach of the tetrarchy,” Nycha continued. “And now we can be a proper family once more.”
Chomper smiled at that.
“But Chomper,” Pyron continued, now wading closer to him also. “We have something important to tell you. I know you’re feeling guilty and broken right now...but you can’t give up. This path you have chosen - to lead leaf-eaters and sharpteeth and everyone in the world closer together - is not one that can be wavered from.”
“Yes,” Nycha agreed. “We’re sure you have the potential to do it. So you need to maintain focus until it’s done. Because if there’s one individual in the world to usher in this new age, who better than you?”
“Me?” Chomper replied, looking scandalized. “How am I meant to change the world? I’m just a kid, and there’s going to be a big war, and...”
“It will take time,” Pyron agreed. “And I know it’s not going to be easy. But...you want to do it, right?”
Well, there was only one answer to that.
“Yes,” Chomper admitted. “Yes, more than anything...that’s what I want.”
Pyron and Nycha beamed again.
“We never doubted you for a second!” Pyron crowed, thumping him on the back.
“And when it’s all over,” Nycha added. “We’ll be here to bring you home.”
Chomper’s emotions got the better of him as he found himself smiling and crying at the same time. He pulled the two fastbiters into a threeway hug that lasted a good few minutes.
“Just in case you needed more convincing,” Pyron continued as they released each other. “There’s someone else who’d like to speak to you.”
The two of them gestured to the bank of the waterhole. Chomper felt he knew who it was, and felt a mingled explosion of warmth and nerves when his guesses were confirmed.
Seizon also looked uninjured and whole, but his gaze was awkward and not quite fixed. Evidently he still possessed the hang-ups he had in life. Smiling somewhat at that, Chomper got the feeling he would soon be as content as Pyron and Nycha. He waded to the edge and climbed out, soon face-to-face with Seizon.
“Hi...” Chomper managed.
“Hey,” Seizon returned.
A brief pause.
“Well, I just thought I’d say,” Seizon continued, still not quite meeting his gaze. “Thank you. You were right. You were right all this time. I could never have predicted quite how right you were. And thanks to you, I’ve also found peace...”
He gazed into the distance, to where Chomper could see, with a lot more clarity, another cyan bladeback, this one with a blood-red sail, standing there. Xal looked up at Chomper and gave him a brief nod.
“Anyway,” Seizon continued. “It’s all up to you now. The three of us might have found peace, but there’s still three sharpteeth alive who need your guidance. I guess what I’m saying is – I’m handing my pack over to you. It’s yours now.”
Chomper smiled and nodded.
“Thanks for the trust you’ve placed in my abilities,” he said. “I’ll try not to disappoint.”
The two extended claws and shook on it, grasping the other’s arm briefly in a final and clinching agreement and reconciliation.
“Thank you Seizon...” Chomper said, sniffing back his tears. “And goodbye.”
“Until next time Chomper,” Seizon agreed, and as his gaze shifted away, Chomper knew he was fighting back tears too. He then quickly slid into the water to join Pyron and Nycha.
“So, good luck Chomper,” Pyron said, waving. “Look after Al...”
“And Lini,” added Nycha.
“And of course Saureen,” Seizon said, inclining his head knowingly.
“And not forgetting yourself,” Pyron finished. “We all miss you, but we know you’re going to do great. So stop blaming yourself and start changing the world.”
The three of them all raised their hands in valediction, and Chomper followed suit...
Before finding himself suddenly back in his cave in the Valley, right next to his mother where he had fallen asleep.
Chomper quickly sat up, his mind reeling. Had that been just a sleep story then? It had been much more vivid than a sleep story...
This brief consideration didn’t trouble him long though – it had felt like much more than a sleep story, and even if it wasn’t, he was sure that that was what the three would have told him if they had been around to say it...
Chomper lay back, blinking tears back furiously, going over what he had seen in his head. He still remembered it all quite clearly – unlike most sleep stories, no details were slipping away.
Leader of the pack...?
His thought process was interrupted when a familiar scent entered his sniffer. He quickly sat up again to see Saureen framed in the mouth of the cave.
“Saureen...?” Chomper queried, standing up and walking over to her. “What are you doing here...?”
“Umm...” Chomper had rarely seen her look so awkward. She was wringing her hands and looking anywhere but him.
“I was just...sure my dad and the others would be fine...I was...a lot more worried about you...”
Chomper could only stare.
“Me...?” he repeated.
“Yeah...” Saureen continued, now looking at him with apologetic eyes. “You’ve been really subdued since the battle, and...well...I thought you could use a bit of comfort.”
Silence fell between them before Chomper broke into a huge grin and leaned forward, wrapping the other twoclaw in a tight hug.
Saureen, quite taken aback, nevertheless wrapped her arms around him too.
“I was quite worried about you too,” Chomper admitted.
“Hmm...” Saureen replied uncertainly.
The two broke apart.
“If you want to stay here now, I’m definitely not going to say no,” Chomper continued, walking back over his spot and settling down. “But don’t worry – I’m feeling a lot better now.”
“Right...” Saureen murmured, quickly settling down beside him. “That’s good. How come?”
“Let’s just say,” Chomper said, as he nestled his head close to hers. “That the encouragement and love from old friends never truly leave you.”
-
And the rest!!
*
The next morning, it was almost as though a mood had melted.
The novelty of leaf-eaters and sharpteeth temporarily living side-by-side had worn off almost entirely. All that seemed to be in the air was joy.
“Hey, Tricia! Leave some for the rest of us!” Cera scolded mockingly as her half-sister devoured a pile of treestars. She paused at Cera’s words and looked up at her curiously. Cera grinned back.
“Nah, kidding. Go on right ahead, I can get my own, you’ve earned it.”
“I completely agree,” Tria beamed, walking over. “But it’s not like you, Cera, to forget how much you’ve done!”
“Yeah, well...” Cera chuckled somewhat. “It tired me out enough that now I’m not in the mood to start an argument about treestars.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Tria nodded. “But in all seriousness – what you did was amazing.”
Cera looked up at this, caught off-guard.
“It was immensely brave of you, not mention so obviously heartfelt!” Tria continued. “You’ve managed to cement me and your father together possibly even stronger than before. And I’m sure he’d praise you too...” She glanced over her shoulder as Topps strode into view, looking pensive. “...if he wasn’t still trying to decide what he thought about the recent decision made.”
“You mean Pterano being allowed to stay in the Valley?” Cera asked.
“Yeah,” grunted Topps, making his way over to the rest of his family. “Loyal to us he may be, and yes, he did help us out, but he still needs to bear in mind what he once did, and that it’s not easily forgotten!”
Cera grinned. Her father was back to his old self. Ulciscor had failed to drive it from him.
“But anyway,” Topps continued, his tone changing. “Cera, Tria’s right. What you’ve done, not just for us, but throughout this entire ordeal is nothing short of...well, amazing.”
Cera shifted her eyes to ground, trying not to look too pleased with herself.
“It’s nothing less than I would expect of you,” Topps said, the fatherly pride shamelessly radiating from him. “You truly are...your mother’s daughter...she would be proud.”
Cera had fixed her eyes on a tiny bug crawling on a treestar that sat by her sister, but she heard everything that was said. It seemed to be an odd thing to bring up, but she supposed this close to the end of the battle, emotions would be running high, and she was therefore unsurprised to find herself tearing up at her father’s words. She could tell they weren’t sorrowful though, as it was quite plain to her that what was said was completely true...
Cera raised her head to Topps and Tria, her eyes still swimming with joyous tears, doing little to try and hide them.
“She’d be proud of you two as well,” she told the threehorns. “Even if you did have to work quite a bit at it.” She stood up and made to go off to meet with her friends, but she turned back briefly.
“How lucky can I get? My father and two mothers glowing with pride for me? Brilliant...”
Her parting words were the sweetest sounds to both threehorns’ ears.
As she cantered enthusiastically over to the watering hole, she sighted upon something else that could only make her day better – or rather, someone.
“Hi Ruby – what are you doing off away from the others?” Ruby grinned and folded her arms.
“I could ask you the same thing. I was just coming to find you.”
“Well, you know,” Cera grinned back. “Family meeting. You can’t be with me every waking hour as much as you want to...”
It was only when Cera saw the fast-runner’s smile slip slightly when she had realised the insensitive faux pas she had made.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry!” she squawked. “Look...umm...I’m sure they’re...”
But now Ruby was laughing.
“Cerrrraaaa...” she coaxed, poking her playfully in the forehead. “You need to relax. My family are probably fine. I know I have no idea where they are, but we’ll find them. Besides, I already told you, I also have family here.”
“Hmm...” Cera murmured, gazing up at her. “I would probably do well to remember that.”
“Yep,” Ruby agreed. “Now, let’s go and join the others.”
*
With the reserved and guarded attitude of both leaf-eaters and sharpteeth melting, nowhere was this more apparent in the watering hole by the Thundering Falls, where at its heart, twelve young dinosaurs were enjoying their morning with no regard held for species boundaries.
Shorty and Ali stood in the very centre, their necks nearly entwined as they fought off torrents of water sent at them by Cera and Ruby. Cera snorted dismissively as Shorty sent a minute shower in her direction via his tail, but upon seeing Ruby was subject to a slightly larger wave from Ali, called Chomper over to help.
Laughing raucously, Chomper made his way over clumsily, tripping upon reaching Cera and falling head-first into the water. Cera sighed.
“You see, this is what becomes of bowling Pointy Seeds with your head...” she said flatly.
“Hmm!!” Chomper retorted. “And of course, you never use yours!”
“Mine’s reinforced!” Cera insisted.
“Oh yeah?” Saureen had joined the banter. “Well...we have the stronger teeth...!”
“I’m fairly sure that has little to do with bowling...” Ruby remarked, smirking slightly.
“Yeah? Well none of this has anything to do with a water war!” Chomper added. “And you’re going the wrong way about it if you want our help-”
He broke off as Shorty sent a torrent cascading over his head.
Watching from the bank, Al rolled his eyes, smiling slightly, and turned to Lini.
“It’s almost like they haven’t just been in a massive battle...they’re going to exhaust themselves pretty quickly...”
Lini glanced back at him.
“Maybe so,” she agreed. “But whatever...I’m going to join them!”
“What?” Al looked alarmed as the slashclaw slid into the water. “But you’re still...” he couldn’t draw his eyes away from the scar running up her chest.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Lini said dismissively, grabbing his hand. “I’m a slashclaw, I’m built to last! Now come on in!”
Al’s lightweight frame offered little resistance as Lini dragged him in. Surfacing and spitting out a fountain of water, he gazed at her reproachfully.
“You’re really not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
Lini grinned back.
“I would have thought you had the measure of me by now!”
On another embankment, two other youngsters lingered, not entirely sure whether their current state of mind allowed them to join in. Ducky, from her position just behind Spike’s head bit her lip and embraced his neck with a clingy tenderness. Spike made a noise of mingled consolation and appreciation.
Upon spotting them, a small flyer flew over and perched gently on Spike’s back.
“Hi guys!” Petrie greeted, perhaps in a tone too overly-cheery.
Ducky attempted a smile back. “Hi Petrie...” she returned.
Petrie looked long and hard at her before gazing out over the water at his laughing, splashing fellows. He rubbed the back of his head pensively as it occurred to him a more gentle hand might be needed.
“Just saying...” he began uncertainly. “Don’t feel you have to do anything you not up to...buuuuuuut...we’re all here for you should you need us, and...we all really glad you here with us too. After all that happened...”
He became lost for words after that, but Ducky turning back around and smiling warmly at him told him he didn’t need to say anything more.
“Thank you Petrie...” she managed. “We’re definitely glad you’re still with us too...”
That may have been as far as the conversation could have gone, but Petrie nevertheless felt inclined to stay. Carefully, he slid down Spike’s back to be closer to the swimmer, something her body language told him she didn’t object to in the slightest. She allowed herself to rest against her flyer friend, offering a friendly wave to the members of the gang out in the middle of the water, who cheerily and enthusiastically waved back, content that she and her was at least being provided with adequate consolation for now.
There was just one prominent absentee from this little gathering. Cera found Littlefoot quite a distance away from the Thundering Falls, lying neatly upon a small rock, surveying the plains of the Valley at the bottom of the hill below him. She couldn’t help but notice Bron upon those plains, conversing, somewhat distractedly, with a member of his herd.
Cera approached the young longneck boldly.
“You really can’t put this off forever, you know,” she said bluntly.
Littlefoot turned back to her, not seeming surprised, merely thoughtful.
“Yeah, I know,” he agreed. “But...what if I don’t like what I hear?”
“Well, it’s not going to change the situation either way,” Cera reasoned, squatting beside him. “Honestly, I think finding out Ulciscor is your uncle is the worst part of it – and you’ve got that out of the way!”
“But how can you know?” Littlefoot sighed. “The more I think about it, there’s so much about all their lives I don’t know. My grandparents’ lives, my dad’s...my mother’s...I just want the truth.”
“Then demand it,” Cera insisted. “Look, Littlefoot, I’m no stranger to how stubborn and difficult families can be when they want to.” She smirked slightly. “But if you don’t stick your foot in and tell them how it’s going to be sometimes, you may not end up changing anything.”
She could tell he was listening. That concentrated expression said it all. She pressed forward.
“You taught me a while back how it’s not worth trying to prevent circumstances changing, and that all you can do is hold onto those you love and care about,” Cera said. “And I KNOW your dad and grandparents love you. It’s obvious.”
“It’s true,” Shorty added, also strolling over. “Dad’s been desperate to talk to you ever since the battle. Now’s as good a time as any. And whatever he tells you, we’re not going to think of you any differently.”
“Exactly,” Cera agreed. “To us, you’re always going to be the overly whimsical flathead we know and love.”
Littlefoot smiled at that.
“Thanks guys,” he said, standing up. “You’re right. I’ll...I’ll go and speak to him now.”
“Awesome,” Shorty grinned. “Tell us all about it afterwards.”
Littlefoot quickly trotted down the hill.
*
As soon as Bron saw his son come cautiously but quickly towards him out of the corner of his eye, he immediately excused himself from the conversation with his herd-mate.
He turned to face Littlefoot, but immediately found the first eye-contact immensely awkward. Both longnecks averted their gaze, before slowly shifting it back towards each other.
Bron sighed deeply.
“I suppose I have a lot to tell you,” he said finally.
Littlefoot nodded.
“I...I just want the whole truth,” he replied.
“Yes, of course,” Bron nodded. “Let’s go somewhere a little more secluded shall we?”
The two of them quickly retreated beneath the shade of a clump of trees nearby, sitting down carefully, with Littlefoot waiting in earnest to hear Bron’s story, and Bron struggling to decide where to begin.
“First off,” he said eventually, “...yes. Ulciscor is your uncle. He’s your mother’s brother.”
“Right...” Littlefoot thought he knew this was coming, but he felt his heart sinking horribly anyway. He sighed.
“Why...why didn’t Grandpa and Grandma ever tell me about him?” he wondered aloud.
“I wouldn’t blame them for it,” Bron told him. “As far as they knew, he was never coming back to them, and it was something they were quite content about. They reasoned that you’d grow up never needing to know you had such an uncle, or what he did...they just wanted to protect you. You understand that, I hope?”
“I guess...” Littlefoot admitted. “But he did come back.”
“Yes,” Bron agreed. “Something none of us saw coming. But even before then, I’m afraid his existence did have a profound effect on your meeting with me. More specifically, why I haven’t been with you or your mother for all of those years.”
Littlefoot looked up, startled.
“But you said it was because...”
“I omitted a lot of details from that story,” Bron said quickly, closing his eyes in apparent shame. “And I’m sorry. But you asked for the whole truth, and so I’m going to tell you know.”
Littlefoot still had many more questions, but he reasoned he could wait until he heard his father’s explanation before he asked them.
Bron exhaled loudly again, and rolled his eyes up to the sky before settling them back on Littlefoot to begin.
“I first met Ulciscor and the rest of your family in a well-known area for longneck story speakers to go and exchange fables,” he said. “Your grandfather, of course, was one such speaker, and as you can imagine, I was immensely intrigued to meet his son! To me, everything bold, confident and grand about your grandfather was reflected in Ulciscor, and this had a tremendous attraction to me. I see you, Littlefoot have done great in inheriting your family’s strength. You made your way to the Great Valley when you were barely a hatchling! That’s definitely something to be admired. But I was never a strong character like you in my youth. I was always shy and retiring. The nickname ëLittlefoot’ probably stuck around because I always trod so lightly upon the world, being constantly outshone by the likes of Ulciscor and your mother. I didn’t mind - I thought they were great and I was honoured to be their friend. But I get the feeling my lack of strength compared to them contributed strongly to what happened next.”
Littlefoot nodded, but something didn’t quite click to him about this story.
“But...if you were so shy then, how come you’re now a herd leader?”
Bron smiled sadly at him.
“Because I learnt the hard way about shirking responsibility,” he replied.
“As time went on, our family units mingled. Soon enough, my family was travelling with yours – we were all united as one great herd, and amongst it, there was such a wide pool of young longnecks. It was fantastic...”
Bron was gazing up at the sky, very visibly reminiscing, and it didn’t occur to Littlefoot to hurry him along. He figured it was probably best he took his time with his stories.
“We all had a great number of friends,” Bron continued after a short pause. “Though I always found it was the three of us – me, your mother and Ulciscor who were the most inseperable. And to be honest, I felt honoured, because Ulciscor was immensely popular amongst our group...for the most part. The point was, he was bold and he just wouldn’t let go of his vision...”
*
Ulciscor looked upon his fellow youths with an increasingly wide smile. He had told himself he didn’t care what reason they were listening for, as long as they heard the message.
“Whereas my father told of great legends, I will tell of how they will come about!” he called to the group. “I foresee a day when we mighty longnecks no longer have to live in fear of sharpteeth splitting apart our herds and killing our children. That day will be the first of many greatest days in our history!”
There was an outbreak of muttering at this. Some seemed very eager to see the day Ulciscor spoke of come about, but most seemed sceptical such a thing was even possible.
“Ulciscor, what are you talking about...?” Saura queried, stepping forward among the crowd.
“Come now, Saura!” Ulciscor insisted. “Surely I can rely on my sister, of all people, to help me out in my mission?”
Saura pulled an immensely dumbfounded expression.
“Mission?” she repeated uncertainly. “Why do you feel it’s your duty to try and change the world?”
Ulciscor laughed at that.
“You should listen to more of father’s stories!” he replied bluntly. “They often feature a great longneck hero changing the world. That’s what we need to aspire to be.”
“But they’re just stories...” Saura replied, but she went largely unheard amongst the new outbreak of more excited muttering.
“I know there are others here I can rely on,” Ulciscor continued, pacing excitedly. “What about you Bron? Bron? Where are you...?”
Bron nervously stepped forward.
“Yeah!” Ulciscor grinned broadly at him. “I know you’ll be up for this!”
Bron seemed a little uncertain, and Saura spoke up in the silence.
“Come on, Ulciscor, you don’t have to decide anything yet! We don’t have time right now.” She looked positively amused. “And Bron...don’t do something just because he tells you to, yeah...?”
Bron chuckled nervously at that.
“Yeah, yeah...probably a good idea...” He couldn’t help but stare as Saura beamed at him.
Ulciscor sighed as the group of longneck youths dispersed. Frowning, he reasoned he should try a different tactic next time...
*
“Maybe Ulciscor’s ideas, were, at this time, as dangerous as they are now, maybe not,” Bron continued mildly. “I don’t know. At the time I had other things on my mind. Growing older as I was, someone else dominated my mind all day every day.”
Littlefoot smiled for the first time since Bron began his story.
“You mean my mother.”
“Yeah,” Bron smiled back. “Amazing she was. Fun, kind and always full of life...and for a lot of the time, I kept on telling myself I had no chance with her. She was the daughter of Aster the great story speaker, after all, and she was much sought after, by most of the longnecks our age. And of course, being longnecks, they were all about their strength.” He gave a hollow laugh. “And there was me constantly tripping over my own feet. But it turned out your mother was after something quite different – the showy types really weren’t for her. And I got my lucky break at one point when I had to defend a group of hatchlings from a gang of fast-biters...and definitely ended up the worst off...”
“Wait, really?” Littlefoot looked aghast.
“Yeah...” Bron frowned. “I’m still not sure why they were unsupervised – must have been a blip in our babysitting rota. The point is, I was taking a stroll on the outskirts of where our herd was resting, and I saw the hatchlings...and then I saw the fast-biters. Well, I had to do something...but even as I charged in, it occurred to me that I wasn’t exactly the best at holding my own. And, sure enough...”
*
Bron gasped as the fast-biter plunged it’s toe claws into his leg, and he staggered, eyes widening as he felt his other legs give way beneath him. Within seconds, he was on the ground.
It might have seemed a good idea at the time – the hatchlings had fled, hopefully back towards the herd – but now he was in serious trouble.
The lead fast-biter began climbing its way up Bron’s neck, saliva dripping off of its teeth, prepared to make short work of this kill...
But suddenly it found itself flying backwards with the force that had just rammed into it. Bron felt mingled relief and embarrassment flood him as Saura stepped neatly over him whilst knocking the other fast-biters away. A few more well-placed stamps and tail whips sent the sharpteeth retreating back whence they came.
Saura quickly and anxiously turned back to Bron, who was attempting to rise to his feet.
“Are you alright?” she asked breathlessly. “What happened?”
“The little ones!” Bron blurted out. “Nobody was watching them, and I saw the sharpteeth and...”
“What, and you held them off on your own?”
“I didn’t have any choice!”
There was an awkward pause, and it suddenly occurred to Bron that he wasn’t in the most maintainable position to defend his actions, given that he was a little too busy bleeding all over the ground. Saura continued to watch him curiously, before smiling and shaking her head.
“Did you even know any of them personally?” she asked.
Bron sighed.
“You probably think I’m an idiot...”
“No,” Saura insisted. “Don’t reduce your actions to that, please.” She was now preparing to walk back to the herd, but did however, turn back and look at him.
“Feel like spending tomorrow with me?”
*
“And the rest was history,” Bron finished.
“Wow!” Littlefoot remarked. “Sounds fantastic! Umm...what did Ulciscor make of it?”
“He seemed to be very happy, actually,” Bron admitted. “In fact, when we first announced we were a couple, he went on for hours about how happy he was that his sister had found, in his words, a suitable partner.” Bron sighed. “But even with the blessings he gave us, there was no doubt that as time went on, and as your mother and I grew closer, we grew further apart from him. He was no longer rousing everyone with great speeches or ideas, he became very reserved. During the celebration after which your mother and I became official life-mates, I think he barely said a word. And it was after that I found him preparing to leave.”
*
“Ulciscor...?”
Ulciscor turned back to see Bron plodding up to him, looking utterly perplexed. Well, of course. It could only be Bron. Always with the best intentions, but completely dense.
“Hello, Bron,” Ulciscor replied. “Shouldn’t you be with Saura?”
“Well, at the moment, I’m a little more concerned with what you’re doing,” Bron said earnestly. “I just saw you making your way over this hill...where are you going?”
Ulciscor sighed.
“I’m leaving the herd,” he said. “I’m sorry Bron, but I feel my calling is elsewhere.”
“Calling...? What...what do you mean?”
Ulciscor considered for a moment, gazing up at the evening sky with the insects flitting across it.
“It’s almost like the story of Persephone,” he decided eventually. “Yeah...you remember that one, right?”
“Vaguely...?” Bron murmured.
“Yes – she was one of the biggest longnecks ever, but she found that, despite her immense size, there are still many things she couldn’t do. Like change the wills of others, and get them to do what she wanted. Minds and thoughts are apparently something uncontrollable.”
“Oh yeah...” Bron nodded. “It was a morality tale, I think, about independence and being true to yourself. But what has that got to do with...?”
“Well, you shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” Ulciscor interrupted.
Bron frowned.
“But...it was your father who first told it to us,” he said uncertainly.
Ulciscor smirked at that.
“Well, I’ve grown to learn my father may not be right about everything. And my wanderings and research have led me to understand that in the original story of Persephone, she was right. She was unable to tame the minds of her other herd-mates, and so they didn’t heed her warnings about some terrible catastrophe. Apparently the area they were in was too perfect to leave, a lush green Valley that never ran out of food! And so they didn’t see what they didn’t wish to see until it was too late.”
“Right...” Bron was still immensely lost on the relevance. “So...?”
“So, I think the story itself is a warning,” Ulciscor said seriously. “A warning of failing to see what you don’t want to see, and preparing yourself before it is too late.”
“What are you talking about?” Bron asked, though he felt he knew where this was going.
“Sharpteeth!” Ulciscor snarled the word as though it caused him great pain. “The stain upon the Earth that will haunt us forever unless we take action! It have tried many times, to drop subtle hints that a dead sharptooth is the only good kind, and something you should all be aspiring to. You all noticed the sharptooth corpses laid around the area haven’t you?”
“So that was you...??” Bron was thunderstruck. “Damn, we thought it was some horrible illness sweeping the place! Did it occur to you that we’ve already moved three times more often than we normally do?”
“Well, hopefully this news will set your mind at rest,” Ulciscor said dismissively. “But come on, Bron – you must see it!”
Bron sighed.
“I mean...yes, I dislike sharpteeth as much as the next longneck, but we’ll deal with them when needs must, we don’t need to bother with them most of the time, they don’t need to be big parts of our lives. And apparently they may also be part of the circle of life. This one-track minded mission you have is just...”
“Just what?”
“Excessive?” Bron suggested. “And you really don’t need to expose the kids to dead bodies so often...”
“Oh really?” Ulciscor snapped back, his voice and tail raised. “And what about those who see their own parents’ dead bodies because of sharpteeth? What if any child of you and Saura would have to see that, hm? Then who’s side will you be on???”
Bron took a step back, and Ulciscor sighed, lowering his tail again.
“You see, I need to go and find myself,” he said quietly. “And I think I should go discreetly. Please send my best wishes to Saura and my parents. And the best of luck to you too.”
He began to walk away.
“Wait, Ulciscor!” Bron called, but the other longneck would not turn around, and Bron realised he didn’t know what else he could say.
*
“Sometimes I do get the feeling that, if your mother had seen him leave, she may have been able to persuade him to stay,” Bron sighed. “And maybe what followed wouldn’t have happened.”
Feeling a surge of sympathy at his father’s expression, Littlefoot spoke up.
“You can’t know that,” he insisted. “He...he probably always had it in him.”
Bron half-smiled.
“Maybe you’re right,” he admitted.
“Anyway...we didn’t see him for ages after that. We assumed he may have just settled down somewhere and got on with his life. We never thought he’d actually go through with what he’d been promising for years. Then, we began to hear the most dreadful stories about a lush and beautiful Valley, under the oppressive rule of a terrible longneck tyrant by the name of Ulciscor...”
Bron paused, biting his lip hard, his eyes heavy with the painful memories.
“At first, we thought to ourselves, ëno...it can’t possibly be him. Even he couldn’t go that far...’ But, eventually, the evidence was just too hard to ignore. Descriptions of the tyrant mentioning his iron-grey skin and dark eyes, just like Ulciscor. His speeches contained words identical to the ones Ulciscor had made, and he displayed the bodies of dead sharpteeth in the same manner...all the while forcing others to bend to his will.
“Hearing all of these terrible stories about someone you used to know was bad enough, but then things slowly began to get worse. The land began changing – areas that used to flow with bountiful water and green meadows became dry and desolate. It was getting increasingly difficult to find food, and it didn’t help either, that, at that time, sharpteeth were rallying themselves up into warring factions and killing each other en masse, with we terrified leaf-eaters caught in the middle. In those days, losing one herd member a week was pretty much a minimum mortality rate.”
Littlefoot gasped. “How did you manage to get through it?”
“I still don’t know,” Bron replied, shrugging. “Of course, the Great Valley was famed for its fertility and protection against sharpteeth, but with Ulciscor there, it was still a terrible place to live. It did briefly cross our minds that, as family of his, we would have been treated decently, but we soon decided that our consciences would never be the same if we were treated like family whilst those around us were treated like dirt. And...well...in those days of death and uncertainty, we suddenly found ourselves with another unexpected issue.”
After wondering briefly about what said issue could be, Littlefoot suddenly realised, and Bron’s smile told him he was right.
“Yeah...we had a clutch of eggs on the way. In the hostile environment, we were certain most wouldn’t survive, but we had a tiny glimmer of hope that we would have at least one...and of course...” he chuckled somewhat. “we did.”
“Hmm...” Littlefoot nodded. “Quite...”
“But that’s when the disagreements started,” Bron sighed. “Because we had to make a unanimous decision about what was best for us all. It was in my interests to get as far away as possible. But your mother and grandparents disagreed. They insisted Ulciscor’s regime wasn’t built to last, and it would collapse due to his own insanity or even his conscience. But I was...to be honest...rather scared.”
*
“When Ulciscor’s regime falls-”
“If!” Bron retorted.
Saura scowled prominently.
“As I was saying...when Ulciscor’s regime falls, all of the herds will be headed for the Valley. It’s the best place for our child or children to grow up.”
“But not whilst Ulciscor’s there!” Bron insisted. “And even if he is destined to fall, we can’t wait around for it with a vulnerable clutch of eggs!”
“But Bron,” Aster spoke up. “You’re suggesting taking the remnants of the herd off into the East towards what exactly? It’s a much bigger risk travelling with vulnerable eggs, especially when you don’t even know what you’re going towards.”
“I quite agree,” Arianna remarked. “And you’ve heard the whispers around the place – Ulciscor’s Valley is close to breaking point.”
“But even then!” Bron insisted, pacing around emphatically. “Who’s to say this Valley’s even the right place?”
Saura and her parents exchanged startled looks.
“Bron...” Saura said, in a considerably softer tone. “Look at me.”
Bron reluctantly looked into her eyes.
“You’re scared...” she said, almost awed.
“What?” Bron said abruptly. “No, I’m...”
“You’re scared at what everyone in the Valley will say. Or what everyone else will think. Or even Ulciscor coming for us because he knew us? You’re scared of something anyway.”
Bron didn’t reply.
“Oh, come now!” Saura said, carefully approaching him and resting her neck on his. “You don’t need to be scared. We’re with you. And you’re going to be a father!”
At that, Bron’s frown deepened.
“But this is madness!” he persisted. “What other fathers have to be scared of the murderous reputation of their own brother-in-law? It’s not something I want my child to be subjected to either. I’m not prepared for that kind of...”
“Kind of what?” Saura pressed.
Bron was silent, not looking at his wife or parents-in-law even though he could feel all their eyes upon him. When he spoke, it was with the falsely cheery air of blatantly changing the subject.
“Anyway, I’m sure that we can find a new home if we search long enough!”
“Really...” Saura’s voice had grown distinctly frosty. “Well, if you want to search for one, you’re on your own. Because my child is going to be raised in an environment we know is safe when the time comes.”
*
Littlefoot felt his heart sinking even deeper than it had at the start of the story. He was sure it must have settled somewhere near the base of his tail.
“So...you did leave them...” he muttered.
“It remains, to this day, my biggest regret,” Bron replied, sighing heavily. “I don’t have any excuse...please know that I departed on somewhat harmonious terms. We both promised we’d keep an ear to the ground, with her listening out for a new place in the east, and me listening out for news of Ulciscor. Though I think that proves to me I was simply afraid of him more than anything else...” He lapsed into a brief silence.
“Anyway, unfortunately, I lost my way quite a bit, and by the time I had heard that Ulciscor had fallen, it had been a few years since it had happened. Upon realising this, it really hit me hard about what a terrible blunder I’d made. I kept on thinking about how much I loved Saura and that I had missed out on my kid’s early years. But of course, by the time I got back, the Great Earthshake had struck, and your mother...”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
“The rest of the story is pretty much as you know it,” Bron continued. “Upon meeting Shorty and other hatchlings, I kept on reminding myself not to run away from my responsibilities. I managed to accumulate a herd with my persistence, but it was only when I finally met you after all those years that I first thought I’d been given a second chance. And even then I could only hope, considering her parents had and that she’d christened you with my old nickname that Saura had, in her final days, managed to forgive me for what I had done.”
A long silence fell over the two longnecks, Littlefoot gazing at a spot on the ground close to his father, but his mind elsewhere. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how much of his early life had been stolen from him. Not knowing his father, having his mother defend him from a sharptooth alone, and a delayed migration to the Great Valley...it all came back to Ulciscor.
As the wind whistled through the branches above him, Littlefoot could only hear a distinct buzzing in his ears as his numb brain tried to engage with what he had been told.
Then Bron spoke again.
“I expect you’re wondering why I didn’t tell you all of this before, Littlefoot,” he said quietly. “And well, I probably I knew I should have told you the whole story rather than the severely edited version you ended up with. You had a right to know. But...well, just seeing you, so bright, optimistic and good-natured in spite of everything that had happened...I just thought...especially as it was largely down to me that you went through it that in the first place...it really wasn’t fair to add yet another weight to your already heavy load. The way I saw it, right then, you had quite enough to deal with as it was...”
At this, Littlefoot finally looked back up at his father, and took in the sad smile he wore, as well as a single tear trickling down the side of his neck.
*
The wind howled harshly through the sky-scraping mountains at the perimeter of the Great Valley, scattered shingle and stones rolling and clattering across the desolate stones. The blandness of the scenery fell short however in the face of three figures, secluded and close together, discussing in earnest the events that had taken place.
“Well, that’s it then,” Hoshia said quite contently. “We only had to make a minimum contribution after all – things worked out the way they should.”
Keibetsu nodded respectfully.
“It would appear minor changes are all that’s needed to get the result you want,” he observed.
Hoshia sighed and exchanged a look with her frowning mate.
“That’s not quite the point we were getting at,” Tetsugaku told Keibetsu, who shrugged.
“So, what’s the next course of action?”
“Nothing yet,” Hoshia said simply, gazing at the Valley a considerable distance below her. “Things are back in balance for the time being. They should be able to figure things out themselves.”
“I agree,” Tetsugaku affirmed. “There will be no need to fan anymore flames. It could easily make the situation worse.”
Keibetsu nodded.
“Fair enough. Still, this Valley is one area you’ve observed and intervened in quite a few times. I’m a little concerned about what The Empress will make of this latest contribution.”
A slight shiver passed through the bodies of the rainbowfaces that had little to do with the wind.
“Well...” Tetsugaku murmured. “We can explain ourselves as best we can, and she will be assured in the knowledge that we will withdraw for a good while.”
“Yes...” Hoshia agreed. “We have no reason to linger with these dinosaurs for much longer.”
Keibetsu smiled.
“OK – I should point out, I will vouch for you,” he said earnestly. “You seem to be very eager to get things moving...you have a craving for change...” He gazed intently down at the Valley.
“That’s an admirable trait if ever there was one...”
*
“So...what did you say to him then?” Cera asked.
Littlefoot took a good look at his eager audience of eleven and smiled.
“I told him I forgave him...”
Bizarrely, this seemed to be an answer not all of them were expecting. Cera turned to exchange a surprised look with Shorty, and was a little frustrated to see that he was smiling. She instead turned to Ruby who was nodding contently. Unable to see anyone with the same expression as her, she turned back to Littlefoot.
“Just like that?” she asked.
“Well, yeah,” Littlefoot confirmed. His friends had been just as shocked as him to hear of Bron’s actions, so he found it imperative that they understood his take.
“He made a mistake,” Littlefoot said simply. “We’ve all done that – and whilst his had quite a few consequences, I can tell he’s really sorry, and what he’s done since then has made up for it considerably.” He shrugged.
“He may not be the same hero I always saw him as, but is at least someone who wants to change themselves and others for the better. And I’d be lying if I’d say I wasn’t proud to call that someone my dad.”
These words seemed to convince Cera, and she grinned broadly.
“Yeah...I know that feeling...”
“So, anyway,” Littlefoot continued. “What’s this I hear about Shark coming to the Valley? He’s the one who founded the sharptooth community right? When’s he coming?”
“Should be very soon actually,” Al replied. “Let’s go and see if we can see him arrive.”
*
Chomper could see immediately how Shark had managed to control such a large community of sharpteeth. Not only was he enormous, but his face shone with a kind of grandfatherly benevolence that Chomper had only seen in a few others before. Shark just had the air of someone you would trust instantly, and his words reflected that kind of trustworthiness perfectly.
“First I must thank the residents of the Great Valley for the hospitality, not only to me, but the rest of my kin,” he gestured towards the sharpteeth. His flattooth language was also perfect. Chomper couldn’t help but gaze at him with awe in whatever he did. This was the sharptooth that had near enough achieved his dream. He wanted nothing more than to gush about what it meant to him to this Shark character for hours on end. Shark gave the impression that he would listen too.
With Zyro translating for the leaf-eaters, Shark began to set out his plans of where to take the sharptooth community next.
“There are some wastes to the East,” he said. “Lands that have not seen much rain or much in the way of any life for a long time. But several smaller sharpteeth live there, desiring to be out of the way of the bigger ones. We must introduce ourselves to them carefully and ensure they don’t join Gigas or Redclaw. And they will only be the beginning. Whilst our allies here gather their strength and become a beacon of hope, we will travel and recruit more help, and hopefully in good time, we will be able to eliminate the threats to us, both leaf-eating and meat-eating, and begin to...well, attempt to live in harmony.”
Shark gave a slightly sad smile before turning back to the leaf-eaters and addressing them.
“I understand for you it still must be quite hard,” he said. “And you’ve been great to us – but don’t worry, very soon, we’ll be gone, but we’ll remain in touch. It must be daunting having so many sharpteeth in your Valley.”
“Well, for many, it was daunting with just one,” Topps spoke up, nodding at Chomper. “But I guess we’ve all grown to care for him as one of our own.”
Chomper couldn’t help but feel a rush of gratitude towards Topps – he was the last person he had expected to say such a thing.
“Hmm...” Shark pondered, looking over at Chomper, who felt slightly star struck. “That makes me wonder – will Chomper be remaining here?”
Chomper’s immediate thought was, ëof course! The Great Valley’s my home!’ But when Zyro posed the question to his parents, their reaction was quite different.
“No,” Rhea said firmly, catching everyone by surprise. With the appropriate translation provided, soon every Valleian was muttering among themselves.
Chomper felt quite a sharp jab to the stomach at her words.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” he demanded.
Rhea looked straight at him, her eyes full of resolute stubbornness.
“You only came here in the first place because it was necessary to protect you,” she said. “And your father and I missed you every single day after that. This Valley has done a good job in protecting you, but now it’s time for you to continue your journey with us. This Sharptooth Community is utterly brilliant – and we want you to share in that experience with us.”
“But...” Chomper gazed around at his companions, all of whom were looking just as perplexed and shocked as he was. “What about my friends?”
Rhea sighed, and Chomper could see in her eyes a reflection of some of the sadness she was putting him through. But at the same time, her orbs shone with the determination that this was necessary.
“We owe them our gratitude, and you’ll see them again sometime soon. But...” she looked helplessly at her husband, who seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
“But it’s probably time you started spending more time with your own kind,” Ross said. “So you know how to deal with them, and how to become...what you’re aiming towards.”
Chomper growled in frustration.
“Well, what if I said no?” he snapped back. “What if I told you I wanted to stay here?”
Rhea emitted a loud growl herself, which quickly shut Chomper up.
“You’ll do as you’re told,” she said firmly. “I’m sorry Chomper, but we’re not budging of this decision.”
Chomper could only gaze helplessly open-mouthed at her. She did not turn back to look at him, and seconds later, Chomper had dashed away from the council meeting, furiously blinking back the tears that were forming against his wishes.
*
The Thundering Falls had always been such a beautiful sight, Chomper reflected. Ever since he had first arrived in the Great Valley, in had been his go-to place for when he needed some distraction from whatever was going wrong, or just a peaceful spot to relax.
It was a shame he wouldn’t be able to see it every day. And after working for so long to get back to the Valley too...
There was a fantastic spot just near the watering hole that was covered with large clumps of bushes and other vegetation. Even though it was near the busiest spot in the Great Valley, Chomper knew that only those he wanted to would find him here.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the gentle voice of Littlefoot carried its way across the way towards him.
“Chomper, are you here?”
“Mhm...” Chomper confirmed. A brief pause, before a shaking of leaves and a snapping of twigs proceeded Littlefoot emerging from the clump of bushes before him.
“Wow, it’s quite a tight fit in there...” he remarked.
He was soon followed by Ruby, who was then followed by Cera. And after them came Petrie, Ducky and Spike, followed by Shorty, Ali, Saureen, Lini and Al.
So they all came...Chomper sighed. He didn’t know what they had made of the fuss he had put up earlier.
But all eleven of his friends before him looked genuinely concerned.
“Sorry you had to hear about it like that Chomper,” Littlefoot said, sitting down next to him.
“Yeah – but we had no idea it was coming either,” Ruby added.
Chomper sighed.
“I...really don’t want to leave...” he said simply. “I’ve been part of the Valley for so long...it just won’t seem right...”
His friends seemed a little lost for words.
“What do you think I should do?” he asked them, helplessly.
“Well...” Ducky pondered, and Chomper stared. He hadn’t expected her to speak up so soon.
“Obviously we want to have you with us,” she said. “We do, we do – it’s just...”
“Do you think it best for you...?” Petrie finished.
“Best for me?” Chomper repeated. “What do you mean?”
“I think,” Saureen said, and Chomper’s eyes flicked to her instead. “He means...do you think it’s the right thing for you to stay here when there’s so much opportunity for you to make progress in the Community?”
She quickly walked past the rest of the Gang and sat directly in front of him. Chomper was drawn to her gaze.
“I can’t tell you what to do,” she said simply. “But I think it would really benefit us – that is to say, me, Lini and Al – to have you with us.” She smiled slightly. “Because we’re definitely going to be going with them. The Valley’s nice, but we feel we truly belong elsewhere. And we feel like you belong with us too. In...in Seizon’s absence, and even before, you were such a guiding beacon of light. You helped us, and we feel like you’re very much part of us now. Like...the new leader of the pack.”
Leader of the pack...now Chomper remembered. Seizon had told him that he was handing the pack over to him, because he trusted him. Dream or not, Chomper still couldn’t shake the feeling that he nevertheless owed him what he had promised. He had wanted to define sharpteeth in a new way, and what would be the best way to do that? Well, in a sharptooth pack, no doubt...
Littlefoot spoke up again.
“Whatever you decide Chomper, I want you to know, that we’ll always be your friends. Location and time can’t change that, no matter what...”
“That’s right...” Ruby agreed, also approaching him. “You’re going to be on our minds every day after you depart, and when you return, it’ll a reunion long in the making.”
“Yeah, Chomper!” Cera added. “And just so we know you’ll be thinking of us in the same measure, we got you a little something we found on the way here...Spike, do you still have it?”
Spike nodded and flicked his tail upward, sending a small object careering in Chomper’s direction, stopping right in front of him. Smiling in spite of himself, he picked it up.
It was a reasonably sized pointy seed, with some of its points removed – nevertheless, the ones that remained persisted their route around the seed, symbolising a continued connection he had with some very special leaf-eaters. It was a connection that he knew wouldn’t die.
“It not much...” Petrie admitted. “But we were hurrying, so...”
“It’s perfect...” Chomper replied, beaming. “I don’t know if I can think of anything better to remind me of the perfect friends I have...all the games we play and the connection we share...” He felt himself tearing up slightly, so he sucked in a deep breath.
“You’re all right...” he muttered. “It’s important I do this...and thanks for reminding what I have to come back to when the time is right...”
The Gang smiled.
“No problem,” Littlefoot said honestly. “It’s the least we could do for one of our own.”
*
Under the starless night sky with branches bending in the breeze, an adolescent pale green twoclaw observed them, and, with a smile, knew she had found the forest she had been looking for.
Disregarding the wind blowing past her, she strode towards the mouth of the forest, wondering how long it would be until the residents smelt her. Sure enough, very quickly, two large sharpteeth were blocking her path.
“Who are you??” Gigas snarled.
The twoclaw smiled.
“I am your only hope,” she replied. “I know the two of you have recently lost a good chunk of your forces. You face a war against two large parties you can’t possibly defeat. This is unless you adopt my strategy...”
Gigas and Redclaw glanced at each other, each uncertain what to make of this arrival.
“Are you saying,” Redclaw said slowly. “That you’re offering us your allegiance?”
“I offer more than that,” the twoclaw affirmed. “I offer the truth. And the only sure path to victory.”
“You’re talking drivel!” Gigas snapped. “How can we be sure you know what you’re talking about?”
“You can’t,” the twoclaw admitted. “But that’s not my problem. You don’t have any other choice but to ally yourselves with some other force. And I offer my own – the strongest – willingly. Don’t throw away such a golden opportunity.”
Gigas and Redclaw again glanced at each other.
“Well, before we make our decision,” Gigas said slowly. “You’d better tell us everything.”
“I’d say that’s reasonable,” the twoclaw admitted. “Listen carefully...it may be a lot to take in...”
*
The day had finally come. Chomper could hardly believe it. He’d only been back in the Valley about a week, and he was already leaving it in what seemed a much shorter time. But...he knew it was necessary.
Al and Lini seemed very excited to be going on what they considered a grand and epic journey.
“Finally, a group I can relate to...” Lini sighed. “And all that land out there and sharpteeth to meet...AAAAAHHH, IT’S GONNA BE AWESOME!!”
“Hold on a minute,” Al chuckled. “It’s not a holiday. It’s very important work we’ve got to do...”
“Oh, hush!” Lini retorted. “Anyway...don’t deny that you’re excited too!”
Al smiled.
“Yeah...this community’s the closest to family I’ve ever found,” he said. “So this, admittedly, won’t seem like work at all...”
Littlefoot meanwhile, was also buzzing from the news he had just been told.
“So, you’re going to be staying until further notice?” he excitedly asked his father.
“Yeah,” Bron smiled. “The whole herd is – it shouldn’t be too crowded once the sharpteeth have gone. Should give you and Shorty more time to bond. And Ali too of course.”
Littlefoot beamed.
“That’s brilliant! Hey, Grandpa, Grandma!” he called to his grandparents, who had just walked over. “Dad says he and his herd will be staying!”
“Yes, Littlefoot,” Aster nodded. “He already told us. We already told him he doesn’t need to prove himself anymore, but I guess he just has that kind of rebellious spirit.”
Bron laughed at that.
“You’re perfectly welcome here,” Arianna added. “Stay as long as you need.”
But Chomper found himself unwilling to leave his cave. Maybe if he ignored it, the inevitable would go away...?
That illusion was shattered as soon as Ruby entered the cave.
“Come on Chomper, everyone’s gathering to see you off! And they can’t do that without you there!”
Chomper continued to stare at his pointy seed gift.
“But what if we’re delayed coming back to the Valley?” he asked helplessly.
Ruby sighed.
“You can’t know what’s going to happen. Except that you’re going to stay in our hearts forever, and I hope you feel the same.”
Chomper sat up, considering her words carefully.
“Yeah...yeah, you’re right...”
The gathering of the sharpteeth at the pass out of the Valley was enormous, and Chomper gazed at Shark and Zyro leading the way. Opal, along with many other Valleians, said their goodbyes as they passed.
“We are grateful to everything you’ve done!” Opal told Zyro, who smiled, nodded and waved as he left.
Chomper’s parents hung back, waiting for him to say his goodbyes.
Lini, Al and Saureen quickly made their valedictions known to the eight leaf-eaters, before stepping respectfully aside and allowing Chomper his chance.
Chomper stared for a long time at his friends, his mouth dry and his stomach squirming, wondering how he’d have the strength to do this.
Shorty spoke first.
“Well, see you around Chomper.”
“Yeah,” Ali added. “It was great meeting you again.”
Chomper smiled and embraced them as they both leaned in. He then turned to the others.
“Take care of yourself,” Ducky said, and Chomper found himself hugging her too. And then Petrie.
“Good luck!” he croaked as he found Chomper squeezing him a little too hard. Chomper, apologising, turned to Spike.
“See you around Spike,” he said, gratefully accepting the enthusiastic lick he was given.
“Bye, Chomper!” Cera said. She paused awkwardly for a moment, before relenting and accepting the crushing hug Chomper gave her.
“Hey,” Cera said weakly, trying to hide her growing tears. “I bet the time before we see you will be so short, you won’t even have time to be a better bowler than me.”
Grinning in spite of his own tears, Chomper turned to hug Ruby.
“You’ve been such a good friend, and thanks for looking after me...” Chomper murmured into her shoulder.
“The pleasure was all mine,” Ruby replied. “I hope you succeed in what you do...”
Finally, Littlefoot.
The two of them stared for a few seconds before Littlefoot sighed.
“What can I say?” Littlefoot asked. “I watched you hatch, and now...now it’s time for you to fly the nest.”
Chomper nodded and wiped a tear from his eye.
“You’re my best friend in the whole world, Littlefoot...” he said, sniffing somewhat. “I’m never going to forget you, even if I’m gone fifty years!”
“Me neither...” Littlefoot replied, and the two of them shared the tightest and longest embrace so far. After releasing him, Chomper slowly made his long walk back over to his parents, who smiled down at him and began their exit.
Chomper found himself staring back after his friends as he left, but when Saureen put her arm around him, he found his troubles were beginning to seem a lot smaller. He put his own arm around her. At least the company he had for this long exodus was great also...
As the Gang watched the last of the sharpteeth depart for the Mysterious Beyond, Ruby found her heart sinking. It was only when she felt Cera move closer to her and touch her side when she felt her stress levels lessening. She noticed Littlefoot still had his eyes fixed on the pass to the Mysterious Beyond, his expression troubled.
“He’ll be fine,” she whispered to him. He turned to look back at her.
“Yeah...” he agreed. “Yeah, I know he will.” He gave a deep sigh as he noticed no sharptooth on the horizon could be properly seen anymore.
But as the Gang slowly retreated back into the Valley to start a new round of bowling, Littlefoot knew, whether Ulciscor returned in a year, or ten, and whether Chomper and the sharpteeth would return in time to stand against him once more, he was confident that Chomper had it in him to change what needed to be changed. And no matter what changed, this alliance its days would not be forgotten – after generation upon generation, each would still pass on to the next the tale of their ancestor’s triumph of their Valley, long ago.
~0~
And there it is...I hoped you enjoyed Venatione Venatus!! :DD
It's been an incredible, and often frustrating journey, but thanks for those who have been with me since the beginning. It certainly wouldn't have finished without your kind words. :lol
Is there a sequel in the making? Maybe, but I don't have any plans to start it yet. In the meantime, it'll be fun to see you speculate...
Please let me know what you thought, not just of this chapter, but the entire story. And of course, thanks for reading.
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So here it is... the end of a journey I was following since the very beginning...
Well, Shark regained his consciousness, apparently... It'll be a very welcomed surprise for a certain Sharptooth :yes:
Weird, how leafeaters and sharpteeth live together in peace after the battle... It's interesting to see Doc's negativity towards sharpteeth has decreased considerably. He still doubts a coexistance is possible but he's dropped his hate towards them.
Chomper meeting Pyron, Nycha and Seizon in his sleepstory? Why how awesome is that!? :lol Seems like they're in dino heaven and quite happy there. I love this scene, it's perfect! Finally, unsaid things could be said and Chomper can now focus on his great aim to unite sharpteeth and leafeaters...
Also, I wonder if Saureen got Chomper's cryptic words... :idea
Cera must feel great, being praised by her parents like that :p Ruby's comment made me laugh though ^^spike
Well, they just fought a war but still they possess enough energy and they still have enough childishness in them to have a good ol' water war :DD Lini is recovering surprisingly quick, nothing can bring her down anymore, huh?
Ah yes, poor Ducky and Spike. You could have focussed on the pain they're going through a little more but this little scene is still neat and quite heartwarming... Petrie is such a good friend for Ducky.
Cera's comment about Littlefoot lmao :DD Looks like he's going to get quite some story told by Bron... whether he'll like it or not.
Well, that was some story... I'm amazed by this backstory to be honest. It looks like Littlefoot understands though and he doesn't seem to blame Bron for his failures.
There's one thing I caught... So Littlefoot has realised just how Ulciscor has ruined his childhood. Wouldn't he be out for revenge at some point? :p
Wait, the Rainbowfaces are Aliens in this fic too? :p
Chomper must leave... I thought he may have to make this decision by himself but it looks like his parents took the liberty to decide for him... much to his displeasure...
Chomper has some truly amazing friends, huh? :) Also, technically he's a pack leader now. How awesome is that!
Oh, a stranger trying to ally with the likes of Redclaw and Gigas? Not good... :p
Oh, there it is... time to say good bye. Not only to Chomper... I will also have to say good bye to this story because it's finished :DD
Well, trust me, this story is incredible! I love it and I think this is not the first time I mentioned this... You often doubt your abilities as a writer but you can be truly proud about this story! Your writing style is great, your use of words very good and you just know how to make this story both exciting, dark and humorous. Also, I feel like I should point out your OCs are all very interesting characters. I can only plead that to keep up writing those great stories... that being said... I hope there will be a sequel. You've made many preparations for a sequel in this final chapter and there are simply too many open plots to consider this to be over for good :p
So yeah... keep it up. You rock! ^^spike
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I don't consider it a finished project, but I have no idea when, or even if, I'll get to work on a sequel... :blink: