Okay, this is a day I thought would never happen for years but here we are. I've made a couple of drawings that I've released on Discord already but I know that not everyone uses it so I might as well post the ones I've done thus far here too. I'll put the newer ones first to give you a better first impression.













I'll also share this one failed drawing which I didn't quite finish as I rage quit because of Petrie's beak but I thought showing my mistakes hurts. It's the attached one. However, I won't be taking criticism of it.



In any casy, I hope you like especially the first two pics and i hope to put more stuff in this thread in the near future.

A Glider’s Long Day

The young glider shivered slightly as the sky water continued to pour all over him. He was already beyond wet but it seemed like the water wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. That fact made Guido more disappointed than he had expected as only last evening he had thought he’d finally be able to go with his parents to see the supposedly beautiful lake in the mountains not far from his home. He had wanted nothing more than to see it today but he already knew the answer to his question as he asked his mother nervously.

“Uhh… I think this weather implies… hehe, that we’re going nowhere, am I right?” He asked, the disappointment more than clear in his voice. His parents were only waking up from their sleep and the boy saw the rather resigned looks on his parents’ faces. The female narrowed her eyes as she rose to a sitting position, the weather immediately confirming her answer.

“I’m sorry, Guido, but we don’t have a choice. Trying to make such a journey now would be too dangerous. The waters will be flowing down from the mountains more quickly than you can imagine and there is a chance we wouldn’t be able to find safety from them before we’re forced to land. It would be difficult even for a flyer.” She answered gently, hating to see the disappointment on her son’s face. She knew just how badly he had waited for a chance to see more places and to widen his little world but time and time again, either the weather or a sharptooth had delayed the family’s efforts. Guido sighed deeply as he shook his head, not really knowing what to say.

“B… cannot we fly long enough? It shouldn’t be that difficult to glide from one hill to another, mom!” He said but almost immediately, he was answered by his father whose expression was rather soft and understanding. He wanted to make the boy happy as badly as his mate did but that didn’t change the facts in any way. His voice was clearly bothered as he spoke even if he tried to sound as comforting as he simply could.

“We don’t want to take any risks. Yes, we might succeed but what if the winds take you away and we’re not quick enough to save you? What if that wind takes you far away from
us right into a sharptooth’s mouth?” He asked, knowing that Guido would see reason. He was a clever child even if his nervousness and awkward expressions made him a bit worried about his future. The younger glider sighed deeply as he crossed his arms, not really able to argue with that point. He had seen enough sharpteeth in his life to know that that wasn’t a threat to be overlooked. Before him lied another boring day of doing nothing but lying around and searching for food with his parents. His head drooped towards the ground and he crossed his arms as he gave his answer.

“I… I guess. I just wish it wasn’t like this every single day. Mom and dads, it’s so unimaginably boring out here!” He said in a loud voice, the frustration clearly apparent in his voice. His mother looked at him sadly and she bowed to his level as she gave him a comforting look.

“I know, my son. I know. But we’ll go when it’s safe for all of us. I promise.” She said, meaning every word she said. She looked at the weeping skies sadly, hoping that it would pass sooner rather than later. Guido looked at her with a slight smile, not really having anything more to say. His voice was silent one as he gave his answer.

“I… I guess so. I just cannot really wait to finally get there.” He said but almost immediately, he heard a voice that made his eyes grow wide.

“Hey, Guido! I don’t know what you’re up to but there’s no reason to be like that this morning! After all, there’s a lot we can do!” A female asked said, causing Guido to look at her in clear surprise. His mouth turned into a careful smile as he spoke to the newcomer, welcoming her and her friends’ arrival wholeheartedly.

“H… hi, Brighthue, Ikal and Dalia! It’s so good to see you here! Did something special bring you here?” He said with a nervous voice, causing Brighthue to smirk in slight amusement. She glanced at her friends and her voice was more than determined as she gave her answer.

“Well, do we need a real reason for that? We just thought this would be a good day to ask you to have some fun.” She said, causing clear cheer to rise within Guido’s chest. He had seen those three gliders only twice before and while they had done many things he hadn’t been fond of, like doing far too brave tricks while gliding, those days had still been a very welcome change from his normal days. He stuttered heavily as he gave his answer.

“Oh, that’s great. I’m more than happy to join you as… as I don’t have anything else to do. Do you have anything special in mind?” He asked, wondering what waited for him this time. However, it wasn’t Brighthue who gave the answer but the other boy on her right side.

“Not yet but I promise you it will be great. Come on now, Guido!” He said, causing the greenish glider to turn at his parents and speak to them eagerly.

“See ya later, mom and dad! I’ll be back before the dark!” He said but before he turned back towards his friends, a gesture from his father caused him to stop for a brief moment. H cleared his throat as he put his hands on the other glider’s shoulders and whispered to him silently.

“I know you want company, Guido, but I have a bad feeling about those three. Are you sure you have to go with them?” He asked, causing Guido to frown deeply. The younger male looked at his father oddly and his voice shuddered slightly as he asked the obvious question.

“Wh… what do you mean? I mean, they’re quite okay.” He said, hoping his new friends wouldn’t think of him too badly due to this delay. However, his father looked at Guido in clear worry but he sighed just before he spoke again.

“That might be true and I’m not telling you to stay here. Just keep my words in mind and remember everything we’ve taught you and if something they want to do goes against them, then decline immediately. Are we clear?” He said but immediately afterwards, the other girl named Dalia cried in clear boredom at the other young glider.

“Well, are you coming? We have better things to do than wait the whole day!” She yelled to which Guido answered promptly before speaking to his father.

“Yes, I won’t keep you waiting for much longer! And dad, I’ll remember. As I said, see ya, um, later.” Guido said before joining the three other gliders. His father looked after him in clear worry but he knew better than to deny his son from joining them. He could only hope that his fears were misplaced as he watched at his only child disappearing into the distance.


“What did your dad tell you, Guido? Something boring, most likely.” Ikal asked, causing Guido to look at him with an unsure look. He wasn’t going to reveal the truth and besides, he wanted to get into more interesting topics.

“Yeah, pretty much. He just told me to be careful but… but that goes without saying. Anyway, how have you been doing?” He asked, still wondering just what kinds of lives the trio actually had. They had never really answered his questions which bothered Guido slightly but he had never wanted to push that issue. It wasn’t long before Brighthue deadpanned the answer, still clearly unwilling to indulge the boy’s curiosity.

“Pretty much the same way as always, Guido. But none of that is important right now. What have you learned with your family thus far? I mean, in terms of gliding and stuff?” She asked, something within her tone unnerving the boy a bit. He stuttered slightly as he tried to give a clear answer.

“I… I’m not sure. The standard stuff, I’d say.” He said, really wondering what the girl was getting at. Dalia looked at the boy for a few seconds before continuing from where the other girl had stopped.

“But apparently they weren’t going to let you do anything on a day like this? A true glider is able to fly in any weather and this isn’t an exception!” She said, making the male to grow ever more nervous. He really wanted to know what the others were willing to say.

“B… but they always say that I have to know when it’s safe and when it’s not! They always tell me that there is no reason to take any more risks than necessary!” He said, knowing that he was speaking the truth. Brighthue moved closer to him, her expression darkening slightly as she prepared to give her answer.

“But what if that risk is something you have to take to escape some danger? Are your parents that much scaredy-eggs that they deny you the chance to learn something actually useful?” She asked, making Guido to gulp as he listened to those words. In one way, he understood her point but… he also couldn’t ignore his father’s words only a while earlier. He didn’t want to upset him but… neither did he want to sound any worse than his companions.

“They… they just want what’s best for me. Why would they do something bad?” He asked, not really knowing what to expect. Brighthue narrowed her eyes and approached the boy slowly, clearly more than willing to get this conversation really rolling.

“How am I supposed to know? Maybe they don’t think you are able to do anything that requires true skill? Something that not any glider is able to do.” She said, causing Guido’s nervousness to grow ever more profound. He raised his finger into the air as he tried to give some kind of a coherent answer.

“Th… that’s not true! They know I can do whatever I want… uhh, at least I think so. Now that I think of it, I never asked them.” He said while quickly turning to look behind himself in growing doubt. Yet, he wasn’t given much chance to reflect on what he had heard before Dalia moved forward and poked him slightly even if Guido could tell that it wasn’t a friendly gesture.

“Well, do you want to prove them wrong? Because we’d certainly want to see that!” She said, earning affirming nods from her two other friends. Guido looked at the trio, more than willing to prove his worth to them… before his rational side finally managed to break out.

“I… I cannot do that! Dad forced me to promise that I’d do nothing that they wouldn’t want me to do and that’s a promise I’d want to keep!” He said, trusting his parents more than this trio. However, what happened next was something he hadn’t expected, much less wanted to hear. The three other gliders approached him and started to chant in unison one single word.

“Scaredy-egg! Scaredy-egg!” They went on, causing Guido to cover towards the ground in shame and fear, seriously distressed at what was happening. At this point, he knew he had only two options: either he’d agree to the trio’s demand or he’d leave them and return home and forget all about them. The boy knew inside that the latter option was the correct one but… but even then, he wanted to keep the idea of having new friends alive. And he certainly wasn’t a scaredy-egg! In a prompt burst of fear and determination, he spoke at his companions in a silent voice.

“Okay… okay then. Tell me what I need to do and I’ll do my best. Promise.” He said while trying to calm the situation down. A slight smile rose to Brighthue’s face as she turned around and waved the male to follow.

“I’m glad to hear that, Guido! Now, follow me and I’ll show just what you need to do.” She said, immediately being followed by her two companions. Guido tried to gesture his discontent but that gesture died down before he could form one word. With a nervous sigh, the boy followed his companions towards a streak of hills to their north, hoping he hadn’t just made a serious mistake.


After a walk that seemed to last for hours to Guido, the four gliders stopped on a low cliff overlooking a smaller plateau below them. The sky water beat mercilessly at them and Guido was more than shivering as he tried to fight against the beating wind. His voice trembled as he demanded to know just what he had agreed to.

“What… what are we doing out here? Just tell me so that I can get along with it.” He said, looking almost pleadingly at the others. Ikal looked at him with a sharp smile as he walked near the edge of the cliff and nodded downwards towards the ground, clearly gesturing Guido to look down there. The greenish boy gulped in growing fear but did as he was told. He nearly yelped in fear as he saw a distant form lying not far below him, surrounded by three smaller dinosaurs. Guido immediately backtracked from the edge, bringing his hands to his face as he whispered his answer.

“Th… they are sharpteeth! We have to get away from here, now!” He said while he prepared to obey his own command but Ikal’s words froze him still. He looked at the other male threateningly, clearly ordering him to stay still.

“You will use your skills and jump right on that fastbiter’s back and do your best to stay on her back as long as you simply can. She always sleeps this time of the day with her hatchlings so we knew just how we’d have to test you. After you can last no longer, you will glide to safety and we’ll meet again somewhere out there. If you can do this, we’ll accept you as one of us.” He said, his expression radiating nothing but honesty and decisiveness. Guido’s expression turned ever more fearful as he backtracked again, struggling to form any coherent words as he spoke to the others.

“You can’t mean…. Oh, I do get it. A nice job, guys, but it’s getting a bit old. What do you say if we just leave and… umm, forget about this?” He said, trying to form some kind of smile which failed pitifully. Dalia rolled her eyes as she gave her answer.

“I had expected you to already realize that this isn’t a joke. Now, get down there and prove you’re not the loser your parents think you are!” She said and those words shattered any illusions the male had had about his companions’ honesty. However, he also knew that doing as they wanted would be utterly crazy and before he even thought about it, he turned around and started to walk away from the others.  His voice was more than sickened as he spoke.

“Never! I won’t risk my life for nothing! Keep y…” He started but he was interrupted by Brighthue who grabbed his arms and turned him around. She looked directly at his eyes and this time her voice dipped with threat as she addressed him.

“We came all the way here to keep you this chance, Guido. Do you really want to let us down like this?” She asked as Ikal and Dalia approached the duo, their gestures confirming to Guido just what were his options. Either he’d do as they told or they’d beat him up good… at the very least. A few tears flowed down his cheeks as he realized just where his naivety had taken him. These weren’t his friends and they were up to no good no matter how he looked at it. Why hadn’t he listened to his father and simply ignored these trio this morning?

However, Guido knew more than well that thinking about his mistake would get him nowhere right now. He gulped as he thought about whether to agree to the ultimatum or not. Would he want to return home bloodied and miserable or would he risk ending his life in the sharptooth’s claws? Would he take the risk to survive unharmed or would he take a certain beating? At first he thought he’d take the latter option but some voice deep within him called for him to prove the trio’s bullying wrong and show that he was more than capable to look after himself. Almost instinctually, the boy said the words that would probably seal his fate.

“Um, okay. I’ll do it.” He said to Brighthue’s clear amusement. She finally released Guido’s arm and the two other children stopped still, signaling that the threat was over for now. The girl then nodded towards the cliff and spoke in a carefree way.

“Well, in that case you better start. There’s no reason waste any more time, is there?” She said, again making the boy feel beyond miserable. For a fleeting second, he wondered whether he should take a run for it but he had to admit he’d never be able to outrun the trio. Inside, he knew that his choice was made and with a heavy heart, he walked towards the edge and looked at his task. The fastrunner’s back was relatively open and it wouldn’t be difficult to hit it. However, he knew more than well just how fast and merciless fastbiters truly were and that fact alone made his heart run cold.

However, he couldn’t turn back now. He had to do this to escape this situation without serious repercussions. Guido knew he’d never want to see that trio again but for now, he was forced to do their bidding. Apparently they thought that this somehow would make him a better glider, a thought that made him feel a bit sad for them, but that wouldn’t really help him right now. For a fleeting moment, the boy closed his eyes and spoke in his mind to those who he had already wronged.

Mom, dad… I’m sorry for not listening to you. I just hope I’ll get a chance to make it up to you one day.

Those were his last thoughts before he leapt over the edge and spread his wings, looking at the still-sleeping predator with fear-filled eyes. He knew the hatchlings made her even more dangerous but that was likely what his companions had counted on. He could hear some half-hearted cheers behind him but he gave them no heed. The only thing he wanted right now was to get this debacle over with. He tried to slow down his plunge to his very best ability and second by second, the carnivore’s back grew ever clearer from the sky water. Just before the impact, the glider gulped deeply, praying he’d see the evening.

To absolutely no one’s surprise, the moment he touched the sharptooth’s scales, she twitched heavily as she tried to repel anyone who would threaten either her or her children. The predator was clearly more than surprised by the fact that she hadn’t been assaulted by any of the kinds that could actually threaten her but that didn’t change much. She’d get the pitiful pipsqueak who had dared to attack her like this and nobody would stand between her and that goal!

Guido, on the other hand, was shuddering in fear as the sharptooth’s left eye managed to get a good sight of him. Remembering Btighthue’s words, Guido jumped towards her neck and tried to get as good a grip as he only could. Realizing just how difficult it was to get rid of the arrogant brat with her claws. the fastbiter ran towards the nearby wall of rock, trying to crush her tormentor but just before the impact, Guido managed to throw himself away from the harm’s way.

However, that wasn’t the end of his worries. The carnivore let out a powerful growl as she prepared to hit the wall again in an effort to finally get the glider but Guido managed to get from her back just before the hit. Knowing that he’d have to get back to her back in order to keep the vheers of his companions coming, he immediately plunged back towards the sharptooth but… she was faster than he had expected.

She moved away from his path and before Guido realized it, he had hit the ground with the sharptooth suddenly towering over him. The boy stared at her revealed teeth in fear and as soon as his mind registered what he was looking at, he let out a powerful scream.

“Brighthue, Ikal, Dalia, come to help! NOW!” He cried but the only thing he heard from the trio was Brighthue’s distressed call to her friends.

“Let’s get out of here, guys! I wouldn’t want to be around here once they realize what happened to him!” She cried and almost immediately, the trio was gone. Guido shuddered in fear as he realized the full extent of the situation, not really able to believe just what was happening. Here he was, looking death itself in the eyes while those he had regarded as potential friends had left him to face his fate alone. For a moment, he had been ready to give up but… but he couldn’t.

He simply wouldn’t allow himself to die because of his inability to listen to his parents and they didn’t deserve to hear that he had died like this! The boy’s eyes flashed open and in a blink of an eye, he rolled away from the way of the predator’s claws. He panted as he looked at them sinking into the spot he had lied only a few seconds earlier. Knowing he had no time to waste, he ran  towards the high cliff not far in front of him, knowing it was his only way of escaping this horrific situation. However, the sharptooth wasn’t about to just let him run away and she immediately leapt towards the glider, more than ready to cut his pathetic attempt to escape short.

Guido almost thought his heart would break out of his chest as he felt the larger dinosaur’s breath in his neck, doing his best to get away from this monstrous situation as soon as possible but just in time, he realized he simply couldn’t get away was enough. He quickly turned around, just in time to see the predator’s mouth open before him. For a moment, he felt he was looking into the maw of death itself but even then, he knew better than to freeze still. The boy jumped into the air, just high enough to be able to jump above his foe’s mouth after which he concentrated all his strength to kick his way to safety.

The boy’s eyes widened as he flew through the air on his back, praying within his mind that he wouldn’t drop into the rocky ground and that he had kicked hard enough to get past the cliff and into the gaping nothingness. Seconds passed very slowly as Guido prepared for a heavy impact against the ground but… it never came. Instead, he continued falling and as he opened his eyes, he saw the sharptooth look at him in annoyance not far above him. He had made it! He had managed to escape from that certain death!
However, it didn’t take long until the next step of his plan again became clear to him. His ever-increasing speed almost caused the glider to panic but by calming his nerves, Guido rolled around and spread his wings, looking with growing fear at the approaching ground beneath him. He yelled in frustration as he searched for the right currents of air in the middle of the sky water.

“Get up now, Guido! You have to get up!” He cheered for himself and it didn’t take long before he finally felt his momentum changing from falling into gliding. His plunge slowly stopped and Guido let out a deep sigh as he realized that once again, he had escaped from a looming death. Now, all he had to do was…

“Aaahhh!” The young dinosaur suddenly yelped as he felt as if some giant hand had suddenly grabbed him and thrown him into a distance as the winds took him by complete surprise. He yelled in pain as he felt himself hitting the mossy ground, the vegetation making the landing softer than could have been expected. However, Guido could feel his consciousness failing for a few seconds before he raised his head up from the ground, trying to remember just where he was and as he did so, he felt beyond miserable.

Here he was, lying in some forest alone without a real idea which way home was. In this moment, he understood perfectly just why his parents had done their best to avoid flying in a storm like this and with every passing second, he missed his parents more and more. He was alone with no one to turn to and he was supposed to find his way back alone… only because he had been unable to listen to his father’s advice! In a moment of outburst, the boy turned towards a nearby tree and hit his head against it violently, hating himself more and more by the second.

He brought his hand to his head and cringed as the pain spread everywhere within his body, the reality slowly beginning to kick in again. With fearful moves, the glider turned to face the distance, knowing he had to somehow figure how to me forward. The cliff where he had faced the sharptooth was still above him and he and the others had climbed to it from the direction that was to his right now. But they had taken many turns before they had even started the climb and the boy felt his head starting to ache as he thought about what to do. Even if he knew it was a terrible risk, he decided to cry into the skies the only thing that could offer him an easy way out of this situation.

“Mom! dad! Please, tell me you hear me! Just come get me out of here!” He yelled but to absolutely no one’s surprise, nobody answered to him. Even worse, the boy knew that that cry could very well have alerted sharpteeth to him and he knew he had to move quickly to escape possible danger. Knowing that even this wind alone could carry him, Guido spread his wings and took to the air, whimpering inside as he looked at the ever-thickening sky water.

However, it didn’t take long until the glider’s troubles started. The winds almost felt like they were about to tear him apart but somehow, he still managed to keep his course at least to some degree. He tried to keep his eyes open against the beating winds and even more difficultly, the boy tried to stay rather close to the ground in order not to miss any possible landmarks far below him. But even now, it was a struggle to see anything in this horrific weather and but bit by bit, the glider’s spirit started to break under the sickening circumstances. After many minutes, the strain that finally broke his resistance finally arrived.

It was a powerful gust of wind that took him completely by surprise. Guido’s eyes widened in fear as he felt himself losing every last bit of control he had had over his movements and to his utter shock, his speed only increased second by second. Guido felt as if his heart was going to explode at any second as he tried to draw breath. At this point, he no longer had any idea where he even was and he felt himself being pulled ever further and further away from home. Even if he wanted to believe otherwise, he was growing ever more confident that he wouldn’t be seeing his parents ever again, a thought that made him beyond appalled by his own mistakes.

However, the glider knew he had to prevent himself from falling into utter despair just yet. He was still alive and he knew just how badly he was missed back home… and how badly he wanted to survive this ordeal himself. Guido gritted his teeth as he tried to do his all to prevent the very worst from happening.

Minutes passed on ever so slowly and bit by bit, the sky water seemed to stop and the visibility around him slowly starting to improve. He was still far too high to see anything but to his slight optimism, he no longer seemed to fly in utter darkness. Yet, that optimism was quickly turned to further peril as the boy suddenly realized he was being pulled downwards towards the ground. He cringed deeply as he saw a range of mountains appearing far below him, making him panic as he saw their sharp peaks waiting for him like the sharptooth’s mouth he had witnessed only a while earlier. In his growing desperation, Guido closed his eyes and spoke silently to himself.

“If only I could just… if only I could just return to the morning and see that none of this ever happened! I wish I had never met those three! I just wish I had spent all my life safe from them, safe from cursed gliders that only…” He started but before Guido could twitch a finger, he saw a large branch heading towards him and just like that, it hit his head, making the poor boy’s world turn black within one second. However, unknown to him, the still-powerful winds continued to take his unconscious body a bit further… until it dropped him into the grassy ground, his body rolling a few times before coming to a complete halt.


“Wh… what happened? Oh… my head…” His own words were the first thing Guido heard as he slowly started to wake up from the impact. He blinked a few times as he rose to a sitting position, his vision returning only after a short moment. What he saw was a high wall of grass all around him, surrounded by looming mountains in all directions. The glider felt his head hurting horribly and he could feel a very noticeable swelling at the spot where the branch had hit him. However, he couldn’t remember just what had happened to his head… or why.

For a few moments, the boy couldn’t do anything but stare forward, that feeling beyond haunting to him. Wh… where was he? Who was he? The glider’s mind was beyond blank at this point and he felt his breaths grow more and more alarmed as he looked around himself. Was this place his home? To his own extreme shock, none of this seemed familiar in the least but considering he could hardly remember his name, that was close to the least of his worries.

For a moment, the glider felt as if he was going to panic. He had seen much in his/her life, but nothing had prepared him for this: to wake up in an alien place with no one to turn to nor even a faintest idea how he had got there. That fact alone made him shudder in fear but it simply couldn’t be helped at this point. He had to move on from this point on, no matter what. After a few seconds, however, one realization appeared to his mind that made his breaths grow a tiny, fleeting bit better.

He had no idea how he remembered it but his name was Guido! So he had to be someone after all! It was all so very unclear but even then… he had a name! Maybe if someone could tell him a bit more about this place, he’d be able to…

Thud!

The glider’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he heard a loud sound of impact on his left side. He immediately turned to look at that direction with wide eyes but as he saw the sight before him, he relaxed immediately. In front of him lied a flyer about his age and he was clearly more than shaken by his fall but otherwise he seemed to be unhurt. The glider cleared his throat as he moved to the other boy’s side and asked him nervously.

“Uhh… I don’t know how to ask this but… where are we?” He asked as he grabbed the flyer’s hand to help him up but to his utter shock, he was visibly shocked by his gesture and before the greenish male could say anything else, the flyer jumped into the bushes next to him with clearly fearful eyes. Guido was left looking after him dumbstruck, not having expected such a reaction from the other dinosaur. However, that didn’t discourage him as after all, it was clear he hadn’t meant any harm. Slowly, he started to move after the flyer, hoping he hadn’t escaped too far.

However, when he finally managed to get through the thick bushes, the sight that met him was one that he hadn’t expected. Yes, there was the flyer still looking at him with horror but around him, there also was a longneck, a swimmer, a spiketail and a threehorn. And towering over them was an even larger group of grown-ups, all of them staring at him with deep interest and slight concern. In this most awkward of situations, the glider could only speak the first words that came to his mind.

“Sorry, did I scare you? I have that effect on folks sometimes.”

Here’s my response to Gang of Five’s January prompt. It turned out to be shorter than I had expected and it’s far from my most ambitious works. I’ve had pretty rough two weeks and I’m sorry if that can be seen in this story. Still, I’ll try to get the next short story out somewhere later this month so see all of you with that story.

The Birth of Something Beautiful

”And that was when I saw it. A completely green tree star hanging all alone in the canopy of those dead trees and… and mother gave it to me. It was one of the most wondrous things I had seen in ages during our journey in that wasteland, wondrous enough that I decided even against eating it. It was for long my last memory of her… until the sharptooth crushed it a long time later. But the moment I received it was one of my most precious memories, especially about my mother.” Littlefoot said with a slightly gloomy voice as he looked at the towering form of his father. The duo were lying in the ground, remembering the certain someone both of them missed greatly. Bron looked at his son with a long face, not waiting for long to give his answer.

“All of that sounds so much like her. Your mother was one longneck who always found something good or beautiful in even the most difficult of situations.” He said, his eyes returning to days long since past. A slight smile rose to his face even if he regretted it deeply he hadn’t been there for his family when they had most needed him. The younger longneck looked at his father for a short moment before giving his answer to Bron’s words.

“She indeed did. I was very young back then but still it felt like nothing bad could happen when she was near me. That the Great Valley would magically appear behind every gorge or plain… Of course it wasn’t true but at least she kept my hopes alive.” He said, not able to hide his sadness as he thought about those days. Even now, hardly a day had passed how very wrong her death had been.

One moment, everything had been just fine, she had stood there besides him and encouraged him forward and then… and then, she had been nothing but a dead pile of flesh on a cliff overlooking the gorge left by the Great Earthshake. That feeling caused his face to fall towards the ground and a feeling of deep emptiness take hold of his heart. Bron looked at the boy in the light of the late evening, feeling the warm wind blow against his massive form. He regretted having to prevent Shorty from attending this meeting but really, this wasn’t his business. His voice was low as he answered to Littlefoot.

“And that was all she most likely wanted, Littlefoot. And she succeeded in guiding you here after all.” He said, already having heard of her appearances to Littlefoot since her passing. He had a hard time believing them but if Littlefoot really believed in those claims, who was he to tell he was wrong? After a while, the younger longneck spoke to his father again.

"I guess so too. But dad… I’ve been wondering about one thing. You’ve never told me about your own past with mother. You’ve never told what kind of life you lived or when or when you even met. I… I know nothing about any of that.” He said, looking curiously at his father. Bron looked at the boy in slight surprise, not having expected to hear such a question. He stuttered somewhat as he tried to find some kind of an answer.

“I… I… never thought about that. Maybe I thought… that it wasn’t important, that you weren’t interested.” He said but almost immediately, he realized just how stupid that answer actually was. And indeed, Littlefoot was far from happy with those words.

“Not interested? Of course I’m interested in that, dad! After all, you are my parents and it’s odd I know nothing about either of you! Even my friends do know a lot about their folks even if many of those stories are quite horrible.” He said, his voice dropping again suddenly as he thought about especially Cera and Petrie’s family history. Bron looked at his son with a bothered look, really struggling to find a good answer to that remark. After a brief moment, he finally started to speak again.

“Not many dinosaurs have been lucky enough to have survived without many, painful losses. But Littlefoot… I can tell you about me and your mother if you really want to. I guess I owe to Tranquil at least that much.” He said while looking towards the sky, his mind already preparing for a return to his long-gone youth. Littlefoot’s eyes widened in expectation as he looked at his father, more than interested to hear his story. The boy was still slightly taken aback by Bron’s mention of his mother’s real name as he had never heard it before but even then, he had already heard it many times before. He then spoke to Bron in a happy voice that dipped with expectation.

“Then tell about your past home and how you met mother! I’ve always wondered what kind of place could have been our common home if the green food hadn’t started to die like it did.” He said, looking at the older male in deep interest. Bron looked at him for a long time, wondering just how he should start his story. He then looked at his son and took a deep breath as he gazed at the distant Roaring Falls.

“Littlefoot… the truth is that I used to be a Farwalker in my youth as well so maybe it was just my destiny to be one later on as well. My herd travelled far and wide and we went through many adventures back then. I was living with my own mother and brother during those days and I loved both of them greatly. However, as I entered the Time of Great Growing, I slowly realized that I yearned for something more than just endless wandering around the Mysterious Beyond. And before I knew it, I was given the opportunity of my life I had secretly looked for…


The young longneck looked around himself in awe, not having expected this place called the Emerald Grove to look this grand. Sure, he had seen many beautiful places in his life and he could still remember the endless, green plains of his childhood but the dramatic mountains surrounding this place as well as the lush vegetation all around him made him smile more deeply than he would have expected. And to be honest, he had waited for this for so long as it seemed like the steppes of the Mysterious Beyond were growing dryer by the day. Bron smiled as he looked at his brother as he stopped in the middle of a deep gorge in the middle of this small sanctuary in a dying land.

“I can’t believe this place is still this green, Beros! I was slowly starting to believe we’d never see a place this full of green food again!” He said, panting slightly as the weeks of endless wandering finally reached their end. The other boy nodded at Bron and agreed to his statement without any delay.

“Me neither. It’s almost scary how fast the green food is dying everywhere… but there’s no use worrying of that now. The Grove is every bit as beautiful as mother promised to us.” He said as he looked at the massive female accompanying the herd’s leader in reporting of the herd’s arrival to the permanent inhabitants of this small but beautiful land. Bron glanced at a wide river next to himself, happy to see that he wouldn’t have to worry about thirst during his time here. He then turned back at his brother and spoke to him in approval.

“It seems like they have no real objections to us getting in. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind at all if we stayed here for a short while longer, at least long enough that wandering out there no longer means going for days without end without any kind of food!” He said, a longing look forming on his face. Beros, however, frowned at the other boy’s comment, clearly disappointed by his brother’s words.

“Just drop such thoughts already, Bron! Our family has always been one of Farwalkers and believe me, it wouldn’t be interesting in the least to spend your whole life in just one place. And really, there is still enough food out there to sustain us for many seasons so just cut the whining.” He said in a voice that didn’t carry a hint of malice or anger but rather slight frustration. Bron, however, wasn’t completely fond of his only sibling’s attitude as he made it seem like he thought he knew everything. Bron loved him deeply but the thing was that there were time when started to get on his nerves. He sighed deeply as he looked at the grown-ups talking about some things and praying it wouldn’t be long until he could get to properly recovering from the long journey.


A curious looked formed on the juvenile longneck’s face as she stared at the large herd gathering below her. She was sitting on a large cliff overlooking the wide clearing and she investigated the newcomers with a curious look. These days there seemed to be less Farwalkers every day and the reason wasn’t lost on her. Ever since the arrival of that other group of newcomers, there plains around the grove had turned grey and barren and she had heard that surviving out there was getting more and more difficult by the day.

And she could very well see it. Most of the Farwalkers were beyond skinny, nearly mere shadows of the longnecks of the Grove who were mostly plump and well-fed. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for them but she also admired their courage to traverse the endless and hostile reaches of the world. Without them, it was most likely that the small sanctuaries of the leaf eaters like her precious Emerald Grove would turn into their own little worlds who knew nothing about what was going on outside them. Then again, Tranquil had absolutely no wish to join them as long as she could just stay here in peace.

She could see her own herd reacting the same way she was: with deep curiosity. She looked at the newcomers, her gaze stopping for a moment at two youthful males not far from her who looked more than happy now that this leg of their journey was below them. She could only wonder what kind of stories they and other Farwalkers like them gad to tell…
Suddenly, Tranquil’s eyes widened in shock as she realized that the ground was starting to give up under her feet. She yelped in alarm as she headed towards the ground with a host of many small rocks…


Bron breathed more calmly by the second as he looked at the increasingly friendly expressions on his herd leaders’ faces. It was clear at this point that he and the others wouldn’t be told to turn on their heels and head back to the hostile wastelands behind them. He could already start to imagine the feeling of being able to sleep in peace from the
sharpteeth for a few nights and to not feel like his stomach was burning due to h…

CRACK!

The boy’s heart sank as he felt the loud crash not far behind him. It sounded like sky fire but the shaking of the ground itself told the male that wasn’t the case. He turned to look at the direction of the sound and he frowned in shock as he looked at the pile of rocks and a juvenile female lying among them. However, before he could even react to the sight, Beros snapped at him in alarm.

“Don’t waste time, Bron, and let’s go help her! She might be hurt!” He said but before he could finish, Bron was well on his way. For as long as he could remember, he wasn’t one to allow others to suffer around him if he simply could avoid it. He panted in worry as he stopped by the female’s side and asked her urgently.

“Are you alright? That was a really nasty drop!” He asked, immediately able to see that she wasn’t seriously hurt. She was groaning in clear pain but she moved and acted normally which made the boy breath much more easily. Beros stopped beside him to wait for the incoming answer. Tranquil looked around herself, clearly shocked by the accident. Her voice was a worried one but otherwise, there was nothing wrong with it.

“Ouch… that really hurt. Cursed cliff… of course it had to break under me.” She said as she looked at her body which was covered in painful but mostly harmless cuts and scratches. The two males looked at her but this time, it was Beros who spoke first.

“I’m glad to hear that. It could have been far worse but it seems you had a lot of luck with you.” He said, his friendliness also registering within Bron’s mind. He seemed genuinely concerned about the female and… and to be completely honest, the boy started to see why. The girl’s greyish-purple skin and her eyes suddenly made his breath grow more forced and her hurt but self-confident movements told Bron that this longneck was a far more interesting one than any he had met before. He looked at her in silence as she finally gave her answer.

“I guess so. But I’m sure you’ve had far more crappy injuries on your journeys than my few scratches. Where did you come from?” She asked, clearly willing to move on from herself. She cringed in pain but she already knew it was nothing serious and she didn’t want the two males to look down upon her. Bron gulped as he heard those words, the odd feeling within him growing by the second. He had never felt this way around another dinosaur but even then, a thought from deep inside him told what it was: the beginnings of a crush he had seen many members of his herd to go through. He moved closer to the girl and spoke to her in a warm voice.

“We came from the plains to our west beyond which there were a few places still green. However, I am just happy to be here for now. My name is Bron.” He said, trying to fight against blushing. He couldn’t help but be amazed at the sudden appearance of those feelings but maybe this was an answer to his increasing annoyance with the life of a Farwalker. Tranquil looked at him with a neutral look before speaking to him in a soft voice.

“Nice to meet you, Bron. My name is Tranquil and I’m glad you like it here in the Emerald Grove. I’ve heard other Farwalkers also compliment its beauty.” She said as she looked at the high mountains reaching towards the sky. The two boys looked friendly and kind enough towards her despite the female’s unusual entrance. Yes, she’d gladly enjoy the duo’s company while they’d stay out here. Beros looked at the girl as he answered to her in a similar tone as his brother.

“And why wouldn’t they? I really doubt the places we’ve visited thus far are even close to this place’s grandeur. Also, my name is Beros. Do you have any siblings?” He asked, causing Bron to look at his brother oddly. He didn’t sound like himself at all and the gleam within his eyes made him increasingly bothered. The boy was surprised as he saw a hint of sadness flash within Tranquil’s eye as he heard those words but he was too fixated on the discussion to pay that much heed. The girl waited for a few moments before she gave her answer.

“Why yes, I do. I have two brothers and one sister. But if you’d excuse me, I’d prefer to go home for now. I’ll see you two later!” She said with a bothered look, causing Bron’s heart to drop suddenly. The sudden change in the mood of the girl was really profound and he couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with her. He started to speak in a soft and compassionate voice but before he could finish, his brother interrupted Bron abruptly.

“Very well, Tranquil. I hope you have a good day and…”

“I hope so too but would you perhaps like to meet me a bit later? In the evening perhaps?” He asked, freezing Bron’s world completely. His brother was interested in Tranquil after all and… and it had been he who had first asked her out! The brownish longneck stared before himself in shock, dreading to hear Tranquil’s answer. If Beros was able to make a good impression on her… the boy started to pant slightly as he thought about all of the implications.

The female, on the other hand, frowned slightly at those words. It was clear she wasn’t completely happy with the question but after a moment, her expression softened slightly. Her voice was still a silent one but it wasn’t nearly as sad as it had previously been. In the end, she was somewhat interested to learn to know Beros a bit better.

“I see no harm in that. See you later, Beros!” She said, leaving Bron to look after her wit a longing gaze. The world seemed to disappear around him as he thought about all of it. Had he just missed the chance of his life time? Would the evening’s meeting be successful and his brother and Tranquil would really find each other? Or would he receive another chance in the future? Those questions swirled within his mind as he thought about how to continue from now on. However, those thoughts were soon interrupted by the other boy’s casual remark.

“Well, it seems like the others are already heading deeper into the grove, Bron. There’s no reason for us to waste time here.” He said in a friendly way, seemingly oblivious to his sibling’s inner turmoil. Bron glanced at him briefly, seriously wondering whether Beros was simply teasing him or if he hadn’t paid any attention to him. Even then, his voice was cold as he gave his answer.

“Nope, there isn’t, Beros. No reason at all.” He said as he started to approach his mother, causing his brother to give him a confused and slightly annoyed glance. He soon followed the other longneck, more than ready for the evening’s meeting.


Littlefoot looked into the distance with a thoughtful look. He hadn’t expected to hear such a story but even then, he had had absolutely no idea what to expect from the start. To hear about his parents’ youth… something about it felt so strange. To him, they had always been some kinds of beacons of wisdom and comfort that it seemed odd they had once been young. But even then, there was one thought that bothered him most of all.

“Well… did you find out what was wrong with, mother? Because I have some kind of feeling that wasn’t the only time you two met.” He said, the outcome of the story more than obvious to him. He hated to hear that his mother had some inner sorrows but even then, it was clear she had got over them later on. Bron smiled at his son’s remark, not really surprised by the question. He took a brief sigh before he answered to the younger male.

“I did, Littlefoot. She had similar sorrows as the rest of all dinosaurs but I’ll tell of that later on.” He said, looking at his son for a while. Littlefoot was clearly more than eager to present more questions and he was clearly struggling to decide what to ask first. Soon, he cocked his head and broke the silence again.

“Alright. But I wonder… you never told to me you had a brother, either. That’s more than a little weird, dad.” He said, having expected to hear of Beros already before now. Inside, he was getting a chilling feeling as the first, obvious reason for his absence rose to his mind. Bron’s expression took a faraway look to it as he stared into the far distance. However, as he noticed the concerned look in his son’s eyes, he gave him an approving look.

“As far as I know, he isn’t dead, Littlefoot, so don’t worry. It’s just that we haven’t met each other in a long while because we decided to walk different paths in our lives because… well, you’ll learn of that soon.” He said, causing the boy to breath a bit easier. Even if he had never met this Beros, he would still have hated to hear of another part of his family that had headed to the Great Beyond before their time. However, he still couldn’t hold back his flood of questions.

“I’ll look forward to it! But… where was this Emerald Grove? How did you get to know mother better? Wh… what happened next?” He asked with an excited voice, one that made Bron’s lips turn slightly upwards. He looked his son in the eyes before continuing to speak again.

“You’ll get all the answers in time, son. I promise it.” He said, causing Littlefoot’s eagerness to turn into a silent respect as he prepared to hear more of his father’s story. Bron looked at the sky as he started to speak again.

“In any case, that evening I was quite worried about it all as I waited for Beros’ return in our temporary sleeping place…


A deep frown could be seen on Bron’s face as he looked at a small group of hills in the distance. Somewhere out there was his brother spending the evening with tranquil while he was forced to sit here and wonder just how all of it was turning out. He absolutely despised his situation and it took all of his willpower not to start kicking rocks or crying to the skies. However, his mood wasn’t lost on one particular dinosaur whose voice soon reached the boy’s ears.

“You can tell me what’s wrong, Bron. I thought you would be overjoyed to finally have a real rest but I can clearly see you’re not alright. You don’t have to hide anything from me.” She said, causing Bron to sigh deeply. His mother had no idea where Beros really was and he was in no mood to tell her any of it. Of course he appreciated her concern but this was something he’d have to get through by himself.

“It’s okay, mom. You don’t have to worry about me.” He said while cringing his teeth together. He hated the fact that he was having these feelings towards his brother as he loved Beros as well but… he simply hated how he had came between him and Tranquil. Why hadn’t he simply stepped aside and allow him to have this evening alone with her? Bron’s mood fell by the minute and it wasn’t helped by the older longneck’s next words.

“You are clearly not okay, Bron. Everything was well when we got here but after that, it seems like you had just given away all of your tree stars. Is it because of your brother’s absence?” She asked, just thinking how badly her son had wanted to reach the Glade. To her, Bron’s worries were a true enigma and she wanted nothing more than to make the boy feel better. However, she was taken aback as Bron turned around and shouted at her with a loud voice.

“Not everything is about him, mom! We don’t have to talk of him even when he’s not here, do we!? He asked, suddenly starting to feel beyond miserable as he saw the shock and hurt within the female’s eyes. He immediately knew that he had done wrong as the older dinosaur spoke to him sternly.

“I don’t know what’s the problem with you, Bron, but that isn’t how you speak to me! I thought I had taught you at least that much!” She said, looking at the male with a deep frown. Bron’s gaze fell and he let out a deep sigh and he shook his head sadly as he answered.

“I know, mom, and I’m sorry. But anyway, I’m as fine as I could be. Just leave me alone for today, please.” He said, causing the female to look him deep in the eyes. She could see clearly that there was something that deeply bothered her son but it was also clear that he didn’t want her help. That bothered her greatly even if she knew that was an unavoidable fact of life when your children reached the Time of Great Growing. She shook her head in clear loss as she spoke to the boy again.

“Do what you want then, Bron. I don’t know what to do with you.” She said as she turned around, clearly upset by all of it. The boy looked after her with a clearly saddened look as he didn’t want to anger his mother like this. His burst of anger had come out of nowhere but something had snapped within him as he heard about his brother and he couldn’t deny that he cared about him and Tranquil far more than about his mother right now.

Minutes passed slowly and once in a while, Bron glanced at his mother’s massive form in the distance, observing as she slowly fell to sleep. Deep down, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall to sleep like this. He knew he’d have to see just how Beros and Tranquil’s meeting had gone or he’d never find peace on this night. He realized very well just how pathetic his thoughts were: here he was going to stalk on his brother and the one he loved and hope their plans would fall apart. But even then, right now he didn’t care.

After enough time had passed, Bron rose to his feet and headed to the direction the two lovebirds had earlier headed, hoping he’d find them soon enough. With any luck, his mother wouldn’t even notice his absence which made the boy breath a bit more easily. He cowered as he walked forward, knowing very well that some other dinosaur would spot him but on the other hand, his nightly walk was none of their business.

If the situation had been even a bit different, Bron wouldn’t have been able to ignore the beauty around him. The light of the Night Circle cast the woodland with its ghastly light and reflecting itself in the tiny streams flowing on the mountains around central plain of the Emerald Grove. The place was indeed worthy of its name as a poetic dinosaur would indeed have been able to see it as a shining emerald in the middle of the slowly dying world. However, Bron only saw Tranquil within his mind’s eye, praying he wouldn’t have his dreams crushed like this.

It wasn’t long until the juvenile longneck saw the edge of the forest but at first, he wasn’t really paying it much heed. He was preparing to storm out into the open but soon enough, he stopped in his tracks. He saw movement in the hills not far from him and he immediately crouched into the ground. His heart started to pound harder by the minute as he noticed that his initial guess had been correct. Beros was heading back to his family’s sleeping place alone, meaning that his date with Tranquil had already come to its end. He let out a sigh of relief at that thought but otherwise, he stayed still and watched as his brother walked past him, not noticing the other male hiding under the lush bushes of the forest.

Bron counted the seconds as Beros disappeared into the woodland himself and after noticing that he was gone, the boy suddenly walked out of the cover of forest, wondering just what had happened between his brother and the female but in the end, he realized he wouldn’t be able to find it out today. At the very least Beros hadn’t seemed like he beyond joyful but that would be a question best left for tomorrow. The boy let out a deep yawn as he realized that he still had a chance in this game of love. However, when he turned around, he heard a voice that caused his heart nearly jump to his throat.

“Bron? What are you doing here? It’s already very late!” A feminine voice asked, causing Bron’s neck to turn at its direction slowly and with very forced moments. He could only barely calm his mind as he saw Tranquil walking towards him in the darkness. He stuttered slightly as he answered to her, praying he wouldn’t say anything too stupid.

“I… I was just having a stroll alone. It isn’t often one can have those in the Mysterious Beyond.” He said, trying to give the girl a slight smile. Tranquil looked at him oddly, his composure not really convincing anyone of his honesty. She could see immediately that he wasn’t speaking the truth but for some reason, that fact didn’t make her upset in the least. She stopped close to the male before speaking to him.

“I can believe that. Do you like it here?” She asked, willing to see if the other young longneck would reveal more of his cards. Bron felt more than sick for being interrogated like this but he had no option but to get through this meeting somewhat smoothly.

“Of course I do. As I said, this place is simply wondrous! But… did you like my brother? I mean… did the meeting go well?” He asked, causing Tranquil’s eyes to narrow slightly. Bron couldn’t determine the reason for that quite yet but he was more than interested about what kind of answer he’d receive. Tranquil inhaled deeply before giving her answer.

“In many ways I did. Beros was quite fun and it was nice to have someone to talk to. I’m not sure about him yet, though…” She said, causing Bron’s heart to swell deeply. Tranquil seemed to be hesitating deeply about something which had to be whether or not to meet the male again. Bron looked at her oddly before asking the next question, knowing he’d have to word it very carefully.

“Wh… what do you mean by that? Did he do something wrong?” He asked, really wondering what the female would say next. However, when she did answer, Bron saw the same hint of sorrow and sadness within the girl as before that made his own face fall steeply.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Sometimes it just felt like… well, it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter.” She said, her mood turning from happy to nearly broken a matter of seconds. Bron hated to see her like this and he took a brief sigh before he finally asked about the issue that had bothered him the whole day. Maybe, just maybe, there would be something he could do to help her with whatever was bothering her.

“Wh… what’s wrong, Tranquil? I already saw you like this earlier in the day and again now. Wh… why did you get so sad?” He asked, hoping he’d receive a clear and straight answer. Tranquil cringed her teeth for a brief moment before speaking to the boy again. She regretted the fact that she couldn’t hide her own emotions any better but on the other hand, she was happy someone asked her about her feelings.

“Y… you’re not interested in that, Bron. I’m quite sure of it.” She said, trying to get past this conversation as soon as she could but the other male wasn’t willing to give up just yet.

“I really am, Tranquil! I wouldn’t have asked otherwise. Please, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me do it!” He said in an urgent voice, taking an almost pleading look. He hoped that the girl wouldn’t turn him away but if that would be her wish, he would have no option but to accept it. The girl looked at the male for many long seconds, clearly torn on whether or not to tell him of her feelings but after a while, she shook her head and sighed very deeply. Tranquil looked Bron in the eyes as she soon gave her answer.

“Bron… I’m not stupid. I know what most longnecks of our age want more than anything: to find a mate with whom they can spend the rest of their lives. I could see that Beros wants it as well and… and deep down, I’m no different. However, I can’t help but feel disgusted by it all. You see… I already had someone in my life with whom I would have shared everything but… he left this world far too early.” She said as she allowed a single tear flow down her cheek. Bron moved to stop it and the girl didn’t move a muscle to stop him from doing so. She stood practically motionless, a look of deep sadness lingering within the bottom of her eyes. The boy looked at her with an understanding look, regretting deeply that not even she hadn’t been able to avoid the pain of loss. His voice was barely a whisper as he tried to comfort the grief-stricken girl.

“I’m so sorry, Tranquil. What happened to him? He asked the obvious question, praying it wouldn’t upset her further. The female’s gaze fell further but her breaths grew calmer, implying that she was increasingly ready to tell the boy everything he wanted to know.

“Well… it wasn’t a long time ago when we were exploring the upper reaches of the mountains surrounding the Grove as we had often done. We both wanted to know just what lied up there and those trips were also a great way for us to spend a lot of time together. We weren’t too worried because no sharpteeth would be able to follow us through those narrow passes and deep gorges. We hardly could do it ourselves but somehow we managed. Yet… yet…” She started to weep more by the second and Bron could very well see that this conversation upset her greatly. He moved to hold her in a steady position and his whispered to her ear gently.

“It’s alright, Tranquil. You don’t have to tell me if…” He started but the girl wouldn’t allow her to finish she cast him aside and forced herself to calm down before she spoke again.

“No, it’s completely alright. I owe it to Strongtail to tell the truth about what happened to him. We were slowly approaching one of the peaks after spending weeks to finding the best routes there from here and… and that was when our mistake was finally shown to us. We never thought that… that a large herd of sharpteeth flyers would attack us out there.
If we had only thought… thought about them before heading out there, he’d… he’d still be…” She sobbed as she thought about all of it. One moment he had been a living and breathing dinosaur and only a few seconds later, he was only a cooling pile of flesh… Tranquil cast the tears from her eyes as she heard Bron speak to her in clear confusion.

“But… how could a flyer ever hurt our kind? Sure, they can cause some nasty wounds but… but aren’t they too small to kill a longneck of our age?” He asked, thinking about the times the dinosaurs of his herd had told him how such cowards waited for a chance to attack a young hatchling or a sick, elderly longneck because they were unable to prey anyone else. However, when Tranquil finally spoke again, she was clearly not too impressed with his analysis.

“That is complete crap, Bron. Remember that we were on narrow cliffs surrounded by steep drops to most directions. We could hardly fight back and even then, there were dozens of them. Even I nearly died because of the wounds they dealt to me and I only survived because… because he stayed behind and took the most of their attacks. Poor Strongtail… The last time I saw him he was but a battered husk of a longneck who was already covered in his own blood…” She said with teary eyes, those memories clearly hurting her deeply.
A look of horror could be seen within her eyes and Bron’s blood ran cold as he thought about all of it.

It was very conceivable that Tranquil wouldn’t wish to find another mate so soon after such a disaster and he gave a brief breath as he relaxed after hearing the sickening tale. He hated the fact that he had absolutely nothing he could do to really cheer her up and the things he could say were beyond generic. Yet, he could only hope that would be enough.

“I’m so very sorry to hear that, Tranquil. Far too often our common journeys are cut short by the Circle of Life but… if we stay in the past, we won’t have a future. I’m sure Strongtail would only want you to be happy. When did all of this happen?” He said, praying that he had said the right words. Tranquil looked at him sadly and after a few moments of sorting you her own thoughts, he gave his answer.

“About two cycles of the Night Circle ago. I’ve tried to get over it but when I met you and your brother, I could immediately see that you liked me and… and deep down, I felt the same but it was at that point that those memories returned to me. it was because I feared I would completely break down that I wanted to get out of that situation. And I know I’m not honoring his sacrifice fully but… but it’s just so difficult to accept that he’ll never return to me. And that he’d somehow be angry at me for getting another potential mate… Those are just some thoughts that have been swirling in my mind.” She said, causing Bron to narrow his eyes steeply. Those words caused him to feel even worse for the other longneck and his words reflected them perfectly.

“I’m so very sorry about all of that. I’ve seen many others lose a loved one in my herd but luckily, I have been spared from that. But Tranquil, if you ever need someone to listen, I will be there. I promise you that.” He said, causing the female to look right at his eyes with unreadable expression. It was clear that she was torn on how to respond to him and her expression was a highly conflicted one. However, deep inside she started to feel a warm feeling spreading. Something within the boy’s presence calmed her greatly and slowly, she
started to even smile.

“Thank you for that, Bron. But I think it’s time for me to go to sleep. At this rate, we’ll banter here until the morning.” She said with a forced smile, causing Bron to look at her with deep appreciation. He then took a step towards her and spoke to the girl with a comforting voice.

“Yep, I agree. But would you like to meet again tomorrow? We could just…” He started but soon enough, Tranquil cut him short with a sharp voice.

“Not tomorrow at least. We’ll go watch the sight of the Night Circle turning blood red tomorrow evening and I’d like to rest well before that.” She said, causing the male to freeze momentarily. His cheerfulness died down immediately and he took even a downtrodden expression as he spoke to the other young longneck.

“Oh… okay. See you some other time, then.” He said as he turned around, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time he’d meet Tranquil before he’d have to leave the Grove for good.
The girl looked after the boy with a faraway look, one that Bron would have greatly approved had he seen it. Deep down, tranquil started to realize that while Beros had been a fun and interesting companion, Bron had understood her far better and that meant the whole world to her. She gave a faraway sigh as she turned around, preparing for sleep. The next
few days would very likely be the most important ones in her life.


Bron cringed deeply as he moved through the darkness, his momentarily great mood evaporating greatly. His brother still had the upper hand in the fight for Tranquil’s heart and that in turn made Bron feel beyond sick. He gulped as he thought of the various ways he could take the initiative like giving Tranquil some gift or presenting his feelings to her in some other way…

“Bron, stay there. We have to talk.” Those words made Bron’s blood run cold and he quickly turned to look at the direction of the sound. The last bits of his good mood died down as he saw Beros approaching him with a clearly bothered look and one that immediately told the tone of the coming talk to Bron. The latter took a slightly confrontational pose as he saw his brother stop not far in front of him.

“About what, Beros?” He merely said, his mind quickly putting the pieces together. Somehow his brother had seen what had happened and that hardly meant anything good for him. Still, he wouldn’t bow before the other boy, no matter what. The slightly larger longneck looked Bron for a long time before speaking.

“I’m quite sure you know what I’m talking about, brother. When I saw that you weren’t out there with mother, I of course tried to come search for you and it wasn’t long until I saw you with her.” He said matter of factly, not yet revealing his real aims. Bron snorted briefly before speaking in a mocking tone.

“And what if you did, Beros? You don’t own her nor me and I have the right to speak with anyone I want without hearing you whine about it!” He nearly cried, not willing to even argue about this issue. Either his brother would accept that he wouldn’t receive everything he wanted in this world or he’d learn it the hard way. Deep down, Bron still loved his brother but for the first time in his life, he was ready to defend himself against anyone who would take what he loved away from him. The other male’s expression fell quickly and this time he started to approach Bron again but the latter didn’t take one step back.

“Bron, let me make a few things clear for you. I’ve always loved you deeply and I’d never, ever want to hurt you in any way. However, Tranquil agreed to meet me first and I’m sure she did it because she has already chosen me. So, stay out of my business or you’ll be sorry before too long. Understood?” He asked with a stern voice but Bron wouldn’t blink in the least. His voice was beyond cold as he gave his answer.

“Over my dead body, Beros. I will defend myself against any of your tricks or threats.” He said slowly, the duo’s eyes locked in this fateful moment. Neither of them wanted a fight but neither could they back down like this. However, it wasn’t long until Beros got enough of all of this and he spat on his brother’s foot in disgust as he spoke.

“I’m not in the mood to play with you right now. But mark my words, Bron. Give up on this folly now or regret it later. Good night, brother.” He said as he turned his back on the other male and started to head back towards his sleeping place, leaving Bron to look after him with an expression that was a mix between outrage and despair. Was there still a way for him to win Tranquil’s heart without burning his relationship with his only sibling? Even if Bron knew what he’d do in the next days, he still couldn’t help but feel more miserable than in ages.


“I’m… I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, dad. It was already bad enough to me to fight Shorty those few times but to think that Beros threatened you like that…” Littlefoot said with a deep frown as he thought about it all. Yes, he had heard that sometimes males may act terribly over their love but never before had he really given any thought to that. Bron looked at him with a faraway look as he gave his answer.

“Yes, it was a terrible moment and one I still haven’t completely forgiven that to him. While I was also very angry at the moment, I would never have gone to threaten him over that. Littlefoot, should you ever find yourself in a similar spot, remember to always allow the girl to decide her future mate as that is the only fair and peaceful way to solve these kinds of problems.” He said glumly, looking his son in the eyes. He had seen more than enough bloodshed over love during his life so he wanted nothing less than to see the boy descend to that level of savagery. Littlefoot thought about it for a few seconds before frowning deeply.

“Dad… I think I have some feelings towards Ali, a member of one Farwalker herd and it’s true that seeing her like some other longneck more would really hurt me but… but her happiness is the most important thing for me. If I won’t be good enough, it’ll be my fault, not hers.” He said, a deep longing filling his heart as he thought of his old friend. Where could Ali be these days and could it be that she was thinking of him in the same way? A slight smile rose to Littlefoot’s face as he thought about her, not able to deny that his
father’s story brought her vividly to his mind. Bron nodded at the child approvingly, having expected nothing less from him.

“That’s good, Littlefoot. I can’t stand anyone causing discord and violence in my own herd over something like this. It isn’t worth it for anyone.” He said, willing to make this point as clear as possible. However, Littlefoot’s mind had already moved on to other, more somber matters.

“I never knew mother had gone through such a loss of her own. I… I don’t know what to think of it.” He said, not able to avoid pondering about the obvious implications. Had she thought of his fate and what kind of the pain she had went through herself after she had realized that it would be her last day? Inside, he knew he had done all she had simply to protect him but maybe… just maybe she had known just how badly her loss would hurt him. Bron nodded wearily, knowing just what Littlefoot meant.

“It really hurt her greatly. I could see that it had left a great mark upon her but I don’t think we talked about it anymore save for a few times. I’m certain she had long since accepted the obvious but wounds like those will never truly heal. But your mother was one dinosaur who was able to forge a way forward no matter the cost to herself. He demonstrated just that to you.” He said, more than proud of his old mate. She had been one of the strongest longnecks he had ever known and inside, he was more than grateful that her courage had lasted until the very end. Littlefoot took a greatly bothered look as he thought about all of it.

“She indeed did. But the more I listen to you, the more I realize just how right I was when I asked you about her. I knew nothing about mother. In a way… she was like a complete stranger to me.” He said, knowing inside that those words were but a folly. Even then, he hadn’t even known her real name nor anything of her past. But even then, Bron’s next words made his heart jump immediately.

“Littlefoot, you knew her better than anyone. Nobody else knew just the depth of her love and her hope and I can honestly tell you that those were her very best and most profound qualities. Tranquil was truly a great longneck.” He said with a heavy voice, his own longing for her growing by the second. Inside he cursed that his failed journey had robbed him of so many seasons to spend with her but as he thought of Shorty and his herd, he knew that those sentiments were far from true as well.

The younger male, on the other hand, shuddered as he thought about all of it. The way she had taught him all he needed to know and the feeling of love she had given him… they suddenly made the boy realize something. Yes, he had indeed known just what lied deep within her heart and that was the part that mattered. Everything else was just details that made him appreciate her even more but inside, Littlefoot realized he already knew the truth about her, a thought that made a wide smile appear on his face. He then answered to his father in a warm voice.

"You know what, dad? You are completely right. She was the best dinosaur I’ve ever known and I’m beyond happy that I got to know her for as long as I did.” He said, his heart swelling greatly as pride filled his thoughts. He couldn’t have been prouder about his mother nor more grateful to her, not just because of her sacrifice but also about everything that had happened before that. Bron looked at him in approval, deciding that now would be the right time to continue his story.

“I agree with all those words, son. I really do. In any case, my next day was far from the most exciting one or at least it was until Beros and Tranquil’s meeting. I wasn’t there with them but your mother told me everything about it…


An expectant look could be seen on Tranquil’s face as she looked at the darkening sky, more than eager to see just what would happen soon enough. Beros claimed that the Night Circle would turn blood red and cast its surroundings in a similar hue. The duo lied on a large rock on one of the hills five minutes’ walk from the central plain of the Emerald Grove, looking at the Night Circle shining its pale light over the land. Tranquil’s heart was filled with a flurry of differing emotions as she looked at the sky, listening to the boy’s words.

“I’m certain you’ll love it, Tranquil. The Night Circle will turn into a glorious hue of red, a sight that we don’t see every day. Our herd has been talking about it for a few days by now. I’m not sure how it works but some elders in our herd can predict it by looking at both the Night and Bright Circle’s movements.” He said dreamily, more than happy to share this moment with the girl. His previous fight with his brother was far away from his mind right now, entirely dedicated to enjoy this moment of peace with his crush. Tranquil looked at him oddly before speaking to him in a genuinely excited voice.

“I’ve heard of such things as well but not many in our herd have given it much thought. I’ll be more than happy to see just how it’ll look in my own eyes.” She said, causing Beros to glance at her briefly. The boy truly enjoyed her company but a certain thing shadowed his thoughts. he knew his herd would be on the move soon enough and he wasn’t ready to part ways with them just yet. So those facts left him with only one question, one he had to present right now.

“Tranquil… I have one question for you.” he said in a serious voice, causing tranquil to look at him oddly. There was something in his voice she didn’t like in the least but even then, she wouldn’t simply cast that question away.

“What is it, Beros? Ask me anything you want.” She said, locking eyes with the male. The latter gulped slightly but kept his expression steady. His voice seemed to belong to someone else as he finally presented his question to the girl.

“Well… you certainly know that we Farwalkers are moving forward tomorrow or the day after and I’ll go on with them, no matter what. But… I wouldn’t want to lose you when we finally leave. I ask of you Tranquil… would you want to come with me? I’d be beyond happy to have you on my side on all the adventures we’ll go through in the seasons to come and I’m sure you’d love it as well.” He said with the sweetest smile he could give her. He meant every last word he said and the feelings within his heart were genuine and he prayed with his every cell that he’d receive a positive answer.

That question seemed to stop Tranquil’s world completely. At first, she prepared to agree without any hesitation but almost immediately she realized the full implications of those words. She felt extremely warmly towards Beros but… she had just met him yesterday. And her parents and siblings… was she prepared to part from them just yet? Suddenly, she started to think of all that she’d lose probably for good and those thoughts made her shiver slightly.

And then there was another thought that rose to her mind. Even if she accepted, she’d give her agreement to Beros alone, leaving Bron completely alone at that point. And… at least judging by their first meeting, Bron had been a really sweet longneck and… and even if the girl didn’t want to acknowledge it just yet, his willingness to understand her inner feelings meant her more than she had initially thought.

The male looked at her with a bothered look, not having wanted to see her hesitate this much. It was more than clear that something bothered her very deeply but for now, he only wanted her answer. He put his foot on hers and whispered to her silently.

“What’s wrong, Tranquil? I promise that I’ll protect you from all who would do you harm.” He said, those words hardly registering within the girl’s mind. Even now, he was thinking about himself but on the other hand, who was she to judge him in a moment like this? She turned to look at him and just as she was about to giver her answer, she turned to look at the Night Circle and yelped to her companion in excitement.

“Look, Beros, it’s happening! The Night Circle is changing its color!” She yelled and indeed, its familiar white hue was giving way to a hue of pink which was more than an unnatural sight for any dinosaur who hadn’t seen it before. The night was almost completely dark and the increasingly red ball in the sky created more than an eerie sight. Tranquil looked at it in clear enchantment, not having really known what to expect.

The boy, on the other hand, suddenly lost most of his interest on the unusual phenomenon. He knew Tranquil had just used it as an escape path from his question which was in a way understandable but something that upset him clearly. He couldn’t just demand the answer from as that would only make him look like a complete jerk. For now, he had to simply accept his situation and hope that he’d het a new chance before long.

“An amazing sight, isn’t it? I’ve only seen it once before myself and it may take many, many Cold Times before we’ll have another chance to see it. Many other kinds believe it is an ill omen but ours most often just accept it for it is.” He said, trying to keep his increasing worries at bay. He had to keep his calm if he wanted to have another shot in winning the girl’s heart. Tranquil looked at the sky with wide eyes, asking the obvious question haunting his mind.

“I wonder why it does that. There has to be some explanation for it.” She said, not willing to even guess if her companion knew the answer. Beros shrugged slightly as he heard those words before giving his answer.

“Nobody knows. It most likely has something to do with the movements of the Bright and Night Circles but other than that, we don’t know.” He said, causing Tranquil to frown deeply. She was slightly disappointed with the answer but decided against pushing it further. Seconds turned into minutes as the blood red Night Circle shone over the world, the sky reflecting its gruesome hue. However, the color started to slowly fade away, growing weaker ever so slowly. Tranquil looked at the sight in slight disappointment, looking at the sky sadly as it turned back to its natural blackness. Beros took a brief sigh as he voiced the obvious.

“That was that, Tranquil. Weren’t you happy we were here to see it?” He asked, hoping he’d receive a somewhat positive reaction from the female. Tranquil looked at him with a deep smile and after a moment, gave her answer. Yes, she had enjoyed the display very much and something within Beros’ presence made her feel happier than she had felt in ages.

“I certainly did. Beros, about your earlier question… Yes, I think I….” She started to speak but before she could even get to the most important part, her eyes flashed open as she felt the ground starting to tremble below her. Immediately, her gaze turned towards the peaks around her and her heart started to grow cold as she realized what was happening. Immediately, she rose to her legs and cried at the male.

“It’s an earthshake, Beros! Let’s get away from here before rocks start to falling on us from the upper reaches!” She cried, immediately heading towards the path to the central plain of the Grove. Earthshakes were far from rare in these lands and Tranquil knew very well what could happen to a careless traveler in these hills during one. Beros cursed deeply at his luck, knowing very well that the answer he had been waiting for had been only a few seconds away from leaving the female’s mouth but this cursed Earthshake had robbed him of his chance to finally get rid of one of the biggest challenges of the life of a longneck. He spat his curses before following Tranquil, seeing very well that her alarm wasn’t a joke.

The girl, on the other hand, gasped in shock as she looked at the rocks starting to fall everywhere around her, knowing that even one of them would be enough to crush her body completely. With every second, larger stones started to roll on the path but even then, Tranquil had to pray she wasn’t too late.

However, it didn’t take long for her to realize she was asking for too much. She stopped in her tracks as she saw a massive boulder break off from the mountainside, dropping straight towards the spot only a bit in front of her. The girl took a few steps back in fear as he boulder hit the path which was at that point overlooking a misty wasteland on the Glade’s eastern side.

Tranquil cringed as the boulder obliterated a large section of the path and another, even greater shock registered on her face as she felt the ground below her starting to break because of the rock’s impact. She tried to jump to safety but it was already too late. She screamed in fear as she found herself dropping into the abyss, a mass of rocks hitting her body with nasty force. Her cry voiced the very fear that these could be her last moments in this world.


Bron, on the other hand, felt beyond miserable. He lied in the ground, listening to the conversation of the herd’s elders. First, he was forced to just waste time here instead of spending it with Tranquil and now, he was hearing even more bad news. His expression turned into a disgusted one as he heard one elderly female answer to the other adults around her.

“I’m glad all of you agree. We have to take a look on how the regions to our south have been affected by the Great Dying and because of that, we cannot stay here for much longer. I propose that we’ll be in our way when the Bright Circle reaches its zenith tomorrow. Are we in agreement?” She asked but before long, a younger male asked her with a serious voice.

“I agree with you on most of what you said but we can’t simply head out there without knowing exactly where we’ll be going. We’ve all seen that the plains around us are dying and if we won’t reach any green place like this within a few weeks, the food won’t be the only thing that’s going to die!” He said, those words causing many concerned looks among his companions. Each of them knew he was right as the life of a Farwalker had become extremely dangerous and tasking as of late.

However, none of that mattered to Bron. His thoughts were fixed around Tranquil and the fact that at this rate, he’d have to say his goodbyes to her tomorrow morning, a thought which made him beyond miserable. He had no idea what to think in a situation like this but at least his emotions were telling him to reject that scenario.

But how exactly? He couldn’t meet the girl today and in the morning, Beros had most likely already conquered her heart. The boy sniffed slightly as he thought about it. Maybe he had been too weak and hesitant to even earn someone like Tranquil. Maybe it would be his part in life to grow old alone like any male as pathetic as him would be doomed to do.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed open as he heard a loud rumbled followed by a distant cry from among the mountains. Even if the voice was barely audible from that far away, he knew just whom it belonged to. It was Tranquil and she was clearly in trouble! Even before he could start to think rationally, he had risen to his feet and cried at the adults.

“It’s tranquil, one of the children of our host herd! We’ve got to help her if she’s in trouble!” He cried before turning around and running towards the sound of the call. He could hear his mother’s voice echoing behind him but the boy didn’t even listen to them. The only thing he cared about right now was saving the girl he loved, no matter the cost.


Every part of her body ached as Tranquil opened her eyes. She immediately realized that she was lying in some kind of body of water, even before she opened her eyes. She let out an alarmed gasp as she finally forced her eyes open and the sight was every bit as hopeless as he had thought. She could see dark water and sky everywhere around her, their monotony only broken by a few threes in the distance. However, the girl also soon realized that it wasn’t a lake she was lying in but rather a bog. As she realized that, she spat the disgusting tasting mud from her mouth as she heard a familiar voice call to her.

“Tranquil! Can you hear me? Please, tell me you’re alright!” Beros’ alarmed cry cried to her and the female couldn’t help but cringe as she turned to look upwards and call to the boy.

“I… ouch, I’m as well as one would be after that drop! But I have to get out of here soon or else…” She started but the words died down in her mouth as she realized just where she was. This marsh was only a short way away from the Grove but it was like a whole different world. This place was highly feared by her herd for very good reasons, ones that manifested themselves to her soon enough. A look of horror could be seen within her eyes as she started to see quick movement within this realm of shadows. And it was at that moment that she let out a loud screech.


As she heard that another call, Bron started to feel even more horrified. Only a dinosaur who was certain that death was approaching her would let out such a voice and he only doubled his efforts to run as fast as he only could. And soon enough, his efforts were awarded by the sight of his brother who was quickly running towards him. Bron wasted no time demanding the obvious question from his brother.

“Where is she? And don’t you dare any kinds of games this time, brother!” He cried and to his slight relief, he could see no trace of despise or threat within the other boy’s gaze. Beros panted deeply as he gave his answer to his only sibling.

“D… down there, Bron! She’s surrounded by bellydraggers and… and I can see no way to reach her! We’ve got to find some path that…” He spoke but he was soon interrupted by his brother. Bron couldn’t believe the other longneck’s failure to act in a moment like this and he didn’t hesitate one moment before he gave his stern answer.

“Screw any paths! She needs our help now!” He cried and without any hesitation, jumped over the edge of the cliff but tried to slow his fall by getting some kind of footing in e small cracks within the hillside. Beros looked at his brother and at first, he was about to tell him to get out there and start being somewhat reasonable. However, his heart told him that his brother was right this time. Tranquil’s life could literally depend on a few precious seconds and his own fears mattered nothing when the life of her love was being threatened. He immediately followed Bron’s example and headed into the heat of the fight that he knew could very well result in his demise.


A look of horror was painted on Tranquil’s eyes as she looked at the three predators quickly surrounding her, their gleaming eyes yearning for her death. She tried to look for any ways to get out of this nightmare but the darkness and her lack of time prevented her from trying to figure out any of kind of escape. She covered in fear as first of the bellydraggers leaped towards her and with a quick move, she managed to dodge the attack. However, just when she thought she had saved herself, she saw the gaping maw of another bellydragger opening in front of her. Even if she wasn’t a child anymore, she was still just small enough to be taken out by a trio of the massive bellydraggers.

For a fleeting moment, she thought her days were numbered as the beast’s maw got closer and closer to her. However, just when it was about head for her neck, something happened that she hadn’t been able to foresee. The carnivore suddenly let out a loud screech as it was sent flying to its side. Tranquil looked in surprise as she saw both Bron and Beros stand in front of her, the former speaking to her urgently.

“Follow us, now! We’ve got to get out of here!” He cried and he wasted no time turning around to head somewhere that was at least a little further away from the beasts. However, the girl’s question caused him to frown deeply.

“But… we can’t get out from here! At least I haven’t heard of any way to escape from this marsh! Our herd has always tried to stay as far away from here as possible!” She cried to which Bron simply cringed deeply. His heart was beating wickedly as he tried to think about what to do. It was true that the wall seemed to be quite steep anywhere which left him with only one chance. He knew it’d be a long shot but at least the earthshake had already ended.

“In that case, let’s try to climb back up! It’s our only chance!” He cried as he looked at the large cracks in the wall. He knew very well that the bellydraggers wouldn’t be able to even attempt such a climb and even for a longneck, he knew it would be a herculean effort. Beros looked at him in shock and cried in clear disbelief.

“You can’t be serious, Bron! We’ll never b…” He spoke but this time, Bron didn’t want to hear whining.

“We have no options so we have to at least try!” He yelled as he took a good footing in the lowest crack, immediately aiming for the upper one. Tranquil looked at the boy in clear concern, not having the slightest confidence that his plan would work. However, she could understand his point perfectly well and she headed after him, hoping that survival wouldn’t turn out to be a mere fool’s hope.

The three bellydraggers, however, were far from ready to see their prey escape like this. The trio looked at each other while smiling deeply. They then surrounded the hill under the longnecks and started to batter the mountainside heavily. They knew that together, they’d have a very good shot at ending the leafeaters’ escape once and for all. The wall started to shudder worryingly as their bodies hit into the rock again and again and Bron’s expression turned into a fearful one as he realized that his grip on the wall was starting to slip. Beros saw it and with a horrified voice, he spoke to his brother.

“Bron, look out! You’re about to drop!” He cried but before Bron could answer, the worst-case scenario happened. With a loud cry, the male felt his grip finally fail completely and he could only look in fear as he started to drop back into the ground… and into the bellydraggers’ gaping mouths. He was already saying his last prayers, more than sickened that this would be his end.

He had already hoped that he’d be able to grow old with Tranquil and to have many children with her but… but no, he’d die here, no one mourning him soon enough. Well, at least his brother and Tranquil would live happy lives themselves and maybe she’d remember him one day for saving her from certain death. A single tear escaped from Bron’s right eye as he headed back to the deep.

However, one certain dinosaur wasn’t about to allow that to happen. Tranquil could see Bron’s drop in complete slow-motion, each second of his plunge seeming to stretch forever. This was a dinosaur who had come to her help as soon as he had heard her call even if she had only rejected his wishes to even meet her. The one who had tried to understand her even if she had tried to push him away… Suddenly, a look of determination rose on the girl’s face as she cried to the other longneck.

“Bron, don’t give up! Hold on for a little longer!” She yelled as she suddenly turned around and jumped towards one of the bellydraggers, deciding she simply couldn’t let this happen. Bron had shown nothing but kindness towards her ever since they had met and Tranquil could never again see herself as even a decent dinosaur if she let him to die here.
Bron on the other hand couldn’t believe those words. Tranquil simply couldn’t risk her life because of him, not after she had practically escaped from death’s jaws! He was just about to answer her when he realized there was no time for that. He suddenly kicked at the wall to prevent himself from falling into the beast’s gaping maw. He cringed as the creature’s teeth dug into the bottom of his foot but he still kept his attention on what he was dong. The boy landed into the water heavily, seeing two of the bellydraggers preparing to finish him off for good.

However, that didn’t come to pass as Tranquil suddenly stepped on one beast’s head, shutting its mouth with her foot. She then hit the other one with her tail, wailing in pain as the third one used the opening to tear into her left side. She cursed as she hit it with her tail, blood pouring into the dark waters. However, she then spoke to Bron urgently, her voice leaving no room for any kind of disagreement.

“Rise up, Bron, so we may get out of here! Follow me!” She yelled as the three beasts recovered from their initial shock. The boy looked at the other longneck in shock, not believing she had actually come back here to save him from his ghastly fate. However, there was one thing that hanged in his mind greatly.

“Thanks for that, Tranquil but you shouldn’t have come here! We can’t climb the wall all the way up as those bastards would just do the same trick over and over again!” He yelled, that fact causing his gratitude to turn into horror. Tranquil glanced at him briefly as she ran, calling to him angrily.

“Well, then we’ll have to find another way! I’m not leaving you here and that’s final!” She yelled and even if Bron hoped it wouldn’t come to this, he was still slightly happy that the girl cared for him this deeply. That knowledge alone caused him to smile wider than he could remember in a long time.


Beros panted heavily as he looked at the display below him. He had just reached the top of the wall after a long climb but he felt far from victorious. He wanted nothing more than to help Tranquil survive the encounter but no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t come up with a way to get her up from there in time. He was more than annoyed by his brother’s appearance but even then, the male realized fully just how pathetic it would be for him to be jealous towards his brother in a moment like this.

And none of that mattered if Tranquil met her end on this day. His expression was a mask of fear and he felt his mind breaking in two… until he saw something that made his hopes rise slightly. A huge boulder just against the wall and with any luck, he should be able to… Suddenly, a look of hope rose to the boy’s face as he called to the duo below him.

“Tranquil, Bron, there’s a large boulder not far in front of you! Climb on it and I’ll throw a large pile of vines to you!” He cried as he ran towards a nearby tree to get them. However, he could hear loud footsteps in the distance, telling him that he wasn’t the only one willing to save the two juvenile longnecks.


Those words caused Bron’s eyes to narrow slightly as he simply couldn’t decided whether or not to believe anything his brother said. He hated being forced to think like this but after yesterday, he simply wasn’t able to trust him like he used to. However, it wasn’t long before he saw the boulder Beros had spoken of. A look of slight relief rose to his face as he headed towards it, praying that salvation wouldn’t be an empty hope after everything he and Tranquil had gone through.

Tranquil cringed as she jumped on the side of that massive rock, realizing that even it was a bit too slippery to climb easily. However, after a while of struggles, she was finally forced herself on top of it, helping the boy immediately afterwards. She lowered her tail for him and Bron wasted no time accepting the aid he was given. One of the bellydraggers then attempted to attack him but he managed to force himself away from its range just in time. The two looked at each other in approval for a fleeting moment before Bron cried to his brother.

“Beros, throw us the cursed vines! We can’t last here for much longer!” He cried, praying that his brother wouldn’t fail him now. However, it wasn’t long before the duo saw a pair of vines dropping towards them from the above. However, they were far from as strong as Bron had hoped and he immediately yelled to his brother in fear.

“Is that all you got? This won’t be strong enough to carry us!” He yelled, knowing that was the case. However, the other boy’s answer made him feel beyond miserable.

“That’s all there is here! Don’t waste any more time there!” He yelled as he looked at the bellydraggers climbing to the boulder, knowing his brother and crush didn’t have a choice but to leave that place now. Bron then looked at the girl, exchanging encouraging glances with each other. If this was the end from either of them, they’d know that they had at least done everything in their power to safe each other. The duo looked at the attacking bellydraggers in fear, knowing their time was up. Bron took a deep breath as he grabbed at the vine, praying he was wrong about it being able to carry his weight.

After a few seconds, his heart was starting to feel a bit more hopeful as the vine was still intact and he was already his tail’s length above the bellydraggers. They looked at the longnecks in clear annoyance, more than outraged that their meal had just escaped. However, there was still a chance that one of them would fall to them and at that moment, they’d finally have their reward.

Tranquil shuddered as she pulled her upwards, more than horrified by the situation she now found herself in. She could hardly believe that her very life depended on that one narrow vine and if she’d ever hear a snap, she ‘d know it’s all over. The edge of the cliff grew ever closer but just as she had dared to hope she’d reach safety, Beros cried to the duo in horror.

“They’re weakening by the second! Bron, Tranquil swing yourselves towards the wall or you’ll fall!” He yelled in fear, causing the two other longnecks’ hearts jump to their throats. Yes, it was still possible they could climb the rest of the way but to their horror, that particular spot was largely devoid of any cracks or spots where they could receive a decent footing. However, Bron managed to find one and to his slight delight, he could still see the female by his side. However, the way upwards seemed far too difficult for them to even try it. Any attempt to get higher would most likely result in them simply falling into the ground… with lethal consequences.

Bron looked at Tranquil, able to see very well that her strength was being depleted also. They couldn’t hang there for much longer but if they had no choice but to get upwards anymore… Bron looked at the girl and spoke to her with a sickened voice.

“I… I guess this is it. We can’t stay l…” He started but his voice was suddenly overwhelmed by a loud bellow from above them.

“Kids, grab our tails and we’ll pull you up from there! Bron, hold on for a bit longer!” The boy’s eyes widened as he looked at the cliff above him, not able to believe his luck. He had never expected to see that his mother had followed him out here but apparently his quick departure had raised many questions within her. He quickly cried back at her, affirming that he understood the situation.

“Very well, mom, but please hurry! We can’t last much longer!” He cried, for the first time in ages lamenting his quickly expanding size.  A few seasons ago climbing had been much easier but even then, that was one of the downsides of his kind. He looked in expectation as he saw the massive tail quickly dropping ever closer to him and as it reached his height, he took a deep breath as he grabbed it, seeing that Tranquil did the same with his own father.

The boy looked in fear at the three bellydraggers far below him which were clearly seething with anger, finally realizing that their meal was finally out of their grasp for good. They turned around furiously, heading back to the marsh, hoping that they’d never have to go through a disappointment like this again.

Bron nearly collapsed into the ground as he finally felt solid ground below him. The sensation felt sweet beyond words after that horrifying climb and one that he had for a moment thought he’d never feel again. He slowly turned at his mother and spoke to her in clear shock.

“Thanks a lot, mom. I had already thought that… that we wouldn’t make it.” He said, looking at the older longneck in deep relief. However, it wasn’t she who answered but rather Tranquil’s father whose voice was beyond stern as he spoke to Bron and Beros.

“It has hardly been a day since you came to the Valley and already you nearly sent my daughter into the Great Beyond! What is the meaning of this?” He asked, trying to tone his anger down slightly for his daughter’s sake. He had seen just how happy the girl had been when she had spoken of the Farwalker boy but he wouldn’t allow this to happen again. Beros gulped slightly but he didn’t run from his responsibility in a moment like this.

“I… it was all because of me. I wanted to show her the red Night Circle but… but things got out of my control.” He merely said, the rest of his words dying within his mouth. Tranquil looked at her oddly but decided that those words wouldn’t sit well with his father. She suddenly stepped forward and spoke to the older male.

“He means that there was a big Earthshake which broke the path a bit further in that direction! It wasn’t his fault that all of this happened, it was just bad luck, daddy! He and especially Bron did their all to save me even if that meant they’d get hurt instead!” She said, the scene turning into more of a mess by the second. Bron and Beros’ mother suddenly turned at her children and looked at each of them angrily.

“And neither of you told me about any of this! Do you have any idea just what I would have done if I lost both of you without even knowing what happened to you!? Do you, Bron and Beros?!” She cried in a shocked voice, not able to believe the duo had actually just done what they had. However, this time it was Bron who stepped forward to explain.

“I’m so sorry, mom. The thing just is that… both of us wanted to win Tranquil’s heart and… we didn’t want anyone else to know of it. It was already a bad enough mess without you getting involved.” He said, his heart aching as he spoke those words. At this point, it was likely that his last chance of winning the girl’s love had died so he might just as well take any punishment the older female would give him. She looked at the duo with a suspicious look and she also sniffed deeply before giving her answer.

“I’ve had to look at idiotic males fighting each other for some girl’s love my entire life but I had at least hoped that my own sons would be above such disgusting behavior. I… I’m more th…” she started but at that point, Tranquil decided to step forward. She was far from happy with the older dinosaur’s words and right now, she had made her choice. She felt more resolute inside than she had felt in ages and the two brothers’ presence made her more than happy. Tranquil looked at Bron’s mother’s eyes and spoke softly.

“WIth all due respect, I have to disagree with you. I never saw them fight each other because of me and they even worked together to save me. And besides, their efforts weren’t for nothing.” She said, knowing she wouldn’t be able to step back anymore. She had revealed her feelings in front of everyone and she’d stand proud through this meeting, no matter what.

Bron’s heart dropped as he heard those words. D… did Tranquil actually mean that? Was she still ready to accept either his or his brother’s bid to be her future mate? Bron didn’t even notice he was shaking as he thought of the possibility. Seconds seemed to stretch on forever as all dinosaurs present waited for someone to say something, anything. Tranquil’s father’s eyes were wide open as he stuttered the only words he could form at this point.

“Wh… what do you m… mean? Are… are you really saying that…” He said, the implications of those words not lost on him. However, he was glad the girl decided to save him from this most awkward of situations by answering his question.

“Yes, I am. Bron and Beros, I’m beyond thankful to both of you for helping me and I really like both of you very much. Beros, thank you for taking me to see the red Night Circle and for your willingness to meet me so many times. You truly are a great longneck and one anyone would be happy to spend their lives with.” She spoke, everyone present listening in complete silence. However, at that point it was obvious to everyone what the female was about to say next. Bron’s heart raced wildly in his chest as she turned to look at him with a warm smile. Her words were like the sweetest sounds of the early Warm Time’s wind to him as he listened to what he said.

“But Bron always understood me better and he never overlooked my wishes over his own. You risked everything to help me and you were there to comfort me when I told of Strongtail. Bron, I will be happy to be your mate if you only accept me.” She said, causing the boy to shudder deeply. He tried to speak but not one sound seemed to be able to his lips. Slowly, he started to move forward towards the other longneck and as the two embraced deeply, he spoke to her in a wavering voice.

“Thank you so much, Tranquil. I love you.” He spoke as the others looked at the sight.
Beros stared at the two with wide eyes, his entire world starting to break around him. H… how dare she? He had done far more to her than his brother! Any sane dinosaur would have chosen him! It shouldn’t even be a question! At first, he nearly started to rush at his brother and to claim what was his and to show Bron that he had meant what he had said
last night. Rage boiled within his mind… until it died down completely.

Who would that earn him? He’d just earn both Tranquil’s and his mother’s eternal wrath and disdain and besides, it wasn’t Bron’s fault. It was his own. Slowly, he realized that he had only cared about himself all along and that he had never cared about anything the girl had said. He was truly a pathetic loser, one who was supposed to spend his life alone and forgotten. At the very least his brother would be able to keep Tranquil happy far better than him. With beaten and resigned movements, Beros turned around and moved away from the others, weeping inconsolably as the depth of his failure registered in his mind.

However, his brother’s emotions were a complete contrast to his. Bron felt like he wasn’t even in the same world anymore, as if he had moved to land of eternal happiness and joy. As his body leaned against Tranquil’s, all of his worries seemed to pass away and he could very well feel similar sentiments forming within the girl’s mind as well. He didn’t care about the two other longnecks around them, his moment of endless happiness drowning all of his other thoughts. He didn’t even think of his brother and his triumph over her, only
about the one he loved. That moment was soon interrupted as his mother asked him in a wavering voice.

“B… but we already decided we’d get on the move by tomorrow! We can’t stay here for any longer.” She spoke, her mind filling with deep fears about what kind of an answer she’d receive. Tranquil was just about to speak when Bron cleared his throat and turned at the two adults with a wavering voice.

“Mom, I’m so sorry but… it’s time for me to start my own life. Tranquil’s father, I’d like to ask you to allow me to stay here with your daughter.” He asked, not knowing what kind of an answer he’d receive from either of them. Their eyes as well as Tranquil’s were locked upon the boy who prayed that he wouldn’t have to argue about any of this anymore. He loved Tranquil and he knew she’d stand with him as well. The girl looked at him in shock, never having expected to hear those words. Of course, she’d be happier if he were here but the tension hung in the air as Bron’s mother and his father prepared to give their answers. After a moment, the older female asked her son with a grave voice, clearly hurt by all of this.

“Bron, my boy… Do you have any idea how those words make me feel? Only half an hour ago, everything was well but now, you are asking me to leave us, forever? How can you do this?” She asked, a hint of anger apparent in her voice. It seemed like she was on the verge of tears, the sudden escalation of things more than sickening her. However, her son’s answer calmed things down greatly. His voice was equally saddened as hers but even then, he knew he was making the right decision.

“I know, mom. I should have told you about all of this earlier and I don’t pretend to justify any of that. But… our elders have also told us many times that when you see something of great value in your life, you have to pursue it without any hesitation. And that’s what I’ve decided to do today. I’m sorry about it but I promise you that we’ll see each other again. Please, mom, I hope you understand.” He said as he looked at the older female in the eyes. At first, she was about to rebuke him again but on the other hand, she couldn’t have been prouder of him.

No matter how badly she would have wanted to convince herself otherwise, Bron was no longer a child and deep down, she understood it was his time to decide just what he wanted from life. Even if it hurt her greatly, she realized that it was time for their ways to part. If Bron seriously loved this girl, all she could do was to hope he’d be happy with her and that their relationship would be a lasting one. She lowered her neck to the boy’s level, speaking to her softly.

“Very well, Bron. I understand. I just hope you know what you’re doing.” She said with a teary voice. The situation felt so very unreal but he was old enough to make these decisions for himself. He then nodded at the female, his heart swelling in happiness.

“I do, mom. Thank you for understanding but at least we’ll still have a chance to say goodbye in the morning.” He said, not noticing Tranquil looking him with an excited look. She couldn’t believe her luck but there was one last thing that made her somewhat worried. With a careful look, she turned at her father and asked him with a soft voice.

“Certainly he can stay, dad? Please?” She asked, not really believing he’d decline her plea. Sure, few longnecks had moved to the Grove lately but she had never heard that her home was closed to any outsiders. The older longneck looked at her with a worried look, clearly torn about her question but as he stared at his daughter’s gleaming eyes, he realized there was no way he could refuse. He rolled his eyes briefly before finally giving a sigh of resignation.

“I have to ask the others, Tranquil, but I doubt any of them will say no.” He said, meaning what he said. Tranquil’s face turned immediately into the widest possible smile as she yelped her thanks to the older male before turning back towards Bron and running towards him as quickly as she could. The two then nuzzled each other, knowing that the time of yearning and longing was over and more than sure that they’d be together for as long as they lived, through calm and storm. This was the best day of both of their lives and one that they would never forget.


The night wind started to get colder by the minute and Littlefoot didn’t even realize that he was slightly shuddering. The Valley was completely still, not a breath of wind to be felt under the brilliant, pitch black sky. The boy was simultaneously moved and saddened by that tale, thinking solemnly at what would happen in the coming Cold Times for his parents after the tale’s conclusion. However, his thoughts were suddenly snapped short as he saw the surprisingly sad look on his father’s face. She asked him softly while cocking his head.

“Umm… dad? What’s wrong?” He asked, already guessing what made the older male feel so miserable. And indeed, Bron looked at the sky while shaking his head in clear sorrow.

“I wasn’t worthy of my own words, son. I wasn’t there with her until the end. I can’t help but feel that I wasn’t worthy of the love she always gave me.” He said, such words making Littlefoot more surprised than he had felt in a long while. He had never seen his father question himself and the boy had always seen him as an eternally resolute and encouraging leader. What he saw before himself was a far cry from that, a testament to how badly his mate’s loss still hurt him. However, Littlefoot wasn’t about to let him dwell in such thoughts.

“You truly were, dad. We all did just as she would have wanted and I’m sure she would have wanted it no other way. At least not after seeing all the good you’ve done to your herd. It was a great story, dad. Thanks for telling me at least a bit more about mother.” He said with an emotional voice, treasuring each of his father’s words deeply. He had always yearned to hear something like this and he couldn’t help but feel happy that his parents had been able to share their lives after those events. Bron lowered his gaze at hi son, speaking to him silently.

“Yes, that’s what I’d want to believe. But on the following day, my herd indeed left the Grove and even if Beros would have wanted to avoid meeting me, we still agreed to end our rivalry right there. I’ve only met either of them once since then and while my mother has already most likely passed away, I wouldn’t mind meeting my brother after all these seasons. I lived in the Grove for a long, long time happily with your mother until the Great Dying finally reached it as well and after that… Well, you can guess that part.” He said, concluding his story with a heavy voice. Littlefoot could only look at him with a silent respect as he spoke to the older longneck.

“Gee. leaving your family like that must have been tough. I don’t know what it would f…” He started before realizing the obvious parallel in his own life. He suddenly felt very awkward as he looked at his father, suddenly realizing he had made the different decision than he had after their original reunion. Suddenly, the boy started to wonder whether Bron had thought of any of it back in the day but almost immediately, he relaxed. Returning to the Valley had been his choice and one he hadn’t regretted for one day. And indeed, Bron nearly chuckled as he answered.

“Don’t worry about that, Littlefoot. I don’t know if I did the right thing but I do know that the love of your life is a better reason to abandon all you’ve known than an old longneck like myself. I understand completely.” He said, relaxing the atmosphere between the father and son considerably. However, there was no more thing that lingered within Littlefoot’s mind.

“If you say so. But dad… there’s one thing that I’ve been wondering. Have you ever had the feeling that whenever you think of mother, one of the tiny lights in the sky seems to twinkle right back at you?” He asked, wondering just what kind of an answer he’d receive. He had never told about it to anyone before and even now, he hesitated about it greatly. Bron looked at Littlefoot oddly, clearly pondering what kind of answer he should give. He frowned deeply as he spoke to the child, a little disturbed by what he had said.

“No, I haven’t. Nor have I heard of such a thing in my life. But I believe you if you claim such a thing as you were the most precious thing to her. She was such a kind and powerful soul that I wouldn’t be surprised if she looked over us even more than most of our other passed loved ones. I don’t know what to say but if you speak the truth, know that you are still guarded by the best dinosaur either of us have ever known.” He said, Littlefoot’s words giving him courage. He couldn’t say if what he told was true or if it was a child’s wishful thinking but it was something he wanted to believe at least.

Those words made the younger dinosaur smile deeply as he looked at the sky, the familiar twinkle immediately reaching his sight. Whether it was really his mother looking at him or his imagination, he really didn’t care. As long as he was able to feel her presence in his heart, he would be content with his place in the world. Littlefoot thought about all he had heard for a brief moment before starting to yawn deeply. The older male looked at him kindly as the boy started to speak.

“Thanks for the story, dad, but I think it’s really time for me to go to sleep. It’s awfully late.” He said as he rose to his feet, a gesture soon replicated by his father. Bron looked at the boy happily while he spoke to him.

“Thanks to yourself for listening to me for this long, son. I might even tell you more in the two days we’ll still stay in the Valley, if you want to.” He said, earning an eager expression from the boy. He managed to hide his fatigue for a while longer as he turned around to has towards his family’s sleeping spot.

“I’ll look forward to it, dad! But bye for tonight. thanks again for everything!” He yelled as he headed into the plains of the dark Valley. Inside, he was beyond glad by the tale he had just heard as for the first time, he knew something about his dear mother’s younger days. But equally as strongly, he felt curiosity and expectation within his heart as he thought of the story’s conclusion, only able to wonder just what his parents had felt in that most beautiful of moments. And deep inside, he started to wonder if he’d ever be able to share such happiness with Ali in the seasons to come or would Beros’ fate be his? He gulped in fear as he thought about that but for now, he decided to ignore those worries.
What really mattered was that in the next few days, he’d be able to share more similar evenings with his father and to bask in the happiness he felt with his presence. And indeed, the boy couldn’t deny that he was more than expected to find out just what kind of feelings he’d find once he and Ali got a bit older. But for this evening at least, he’d dwell in the happy memories of his mother and the careful excitement for the first time he’d truly find love in his life.


And so concludes my July prompt. I must admit that I was far from excited to do another romantic fic  but when all was said and done, I’m quite happy with this story. It took a long time to write but it was also delayed because of me being a bit busy and due to a personal tragedy. Anyway, I hope you liked this “short” story which got a bit longer than initially planned and see you again with my next short story. I doubt I’ll do another chapter for Separate Ways before the next prompt and I ask for your patience on that story. As a reminder to everyone, I use the setting and the name for Littlefoot's mother that I introduced in The Promise for a Better Future.

A Father’s Hope, A Son’s Failure

Grey sky puffies hung heavily over the rolling meadows which were nestled high in the mountains overlooking the surrounding plains. A wide lake glimmered in the middle of those lands but none of that mattered to a certain youthful flyer whose gaze was only fixed upon one mountain rising directly before him or rather a cave inside it. He had flown for hours on end after receiving the message he had feared for so long.

He had long known that his father’s life was approaching its end but it had always seemed like he would be able to last at least another day. However, today it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to escape that fate for any longer and the young male knew he had to be on his side on that moment.

He panted heavily as he landed on a small ledge at the mouth of a small cave where he was greeted by an old flyer whom he had grown to respect and even like over the seasons.
The younger dinosaur wasted no time turning at her and asking in a worried voice.

“H… how is my father, Brighttail? Is he still alive?” He asked, praying he wasn’t too late. The female flyer looked at the other dinosaur for a few seconds before nodding at him glumly.

“He is but he is growing weaker by the second, Liras. The word that this will be Olres’ last day has already spread far and wide and it is heartening so many have gathered here today.” She asked, waving at the scene below the duo. Liras frowned slightly as he looked below himself, only to see hundreds of dinosaurs of all kinds gathered here to bid their savior to his last journey. Liras gasped at that sight but before he could answer, Brighttail spoke to him softly.

“But for now, go see him. He doesn’t have much time left.” She said to which the male only nodded briefly before doing as he was told. He had visited his father countless times during his illness and he knew exactly where he would be. He walked for a short while before he noticed a pile of leaves that were carried inside to make the great leader’s last days as comfortable as possible. However, Olres wanted to show no signs of weakness even now and he had managed to stay in a sitting position, albeit with the help of a few stones around him. Liras asked his father meekly as he stopped before him.

“H… how are you, father? Is… is there something I can do for you?” Were the only things he could say right now. He had been told to come here as quickly as possible and that told him very clearly that there was something important Olres wanted to tell him besides just last goodbyes. Liras had clear idea what that was but truth be told, he didn’t quite look forward to that if it were true. Olres’ eyes opened slowly and he managed to hide his pain masterfully as he spoke.

“Thank you for coming here this quickly, my son. I… I indeed want to tell you something before… before I’ll join my old friends so listen carefully.” He said, causing a worried glance to appear to Liras’ face. This situation was one he had feared for so long and to finally see his beloved father to pass away before his very eyes. That situation was already nightmarish enough without any extra surprises.

“I just wish I could do something more, Olres. There must be some way for you to live at least a while longer. I… I don’t want to lose you.” He said, trying to hold back his emotions. He fought back against his tears and he knew very well that they would flow before this meeting was over. Olres smiled slightly as he forced himself into a slightly more
comfortable position.

“My time has come, Liras, there is no helping that. Trust me, I don’t want to pass on either but I have to ask you to take my place… and my duty.” He asked, causing the younger flyer to take an odd look. Of course, he had always known that he’d have to one day assume his place as the herd’s leader after Olres but what was this duty he was talking about? He cocked his head sadly, hating to see the withering, fatigued face of his dear father.

“What do you mean by that?” He merely said, feeling his words getting stuck in his throat. Olres leaned slightly forward and gestured Liras to approach him. The latter did as he was told, dreading to learn what his father was going to say. Liras was a highly hedonistic and unambitious flyer and he had a bad feeling that whatever he’d hear would make maintaining those traits that much more difficult. Still, he respected his father and his deeds enough not to question whatever he was going to hear.

“I have never told of it to anyone, my son, but I have carried one duty for dozens of Cold Times now. You know everything about the great war and what happened during it but I have always maintained that my part in it was simply because of my own wisdom and strength. Alas, that is not true.” He said, suddenly cringing as another wave of pain washed over him. Liras moved to help the older flyer but Olres simply cast him away. Liras knew better than to question his father and simply decided to allow him to continue.

“I know you will have a hard time believing it, my son, but my knowledge and determination were not from this world. They… they were granted to be by… by my old comrades as well as my enemies who fell on that day, on that wide plain in the middle of the Land of the Dancing Waters.” He said, taking a deep breath as he allowed his body to relax a bit more. Liras frowned deeply at those words, starting to shake his head as he looked at his father in clear pity. So, it really seemed like his mind was also growing fainter as his end neared. Liras walked closer to his father and spoke to him softly.

“It is alright, dad. Just try to relax and then we can…” He spoke with saddened eyes but before he got any further, Olres suddenly cast him away and spoke in a surprisingly robust voice considering his condition.

“I’m serious, brat! I remember it as clearly as yesterday! The ones who died in that great battle were there and they told me that… that I was worthy of making sure nothing like it would happen. They gave me all their wisdom and I was able to prevent the end of our kind as well as the death of countless other dinosaurs. Look at me, Liras!” He said, forcing the younger flyer to look at him even if he looked ready to weep as he looked at the increasingly forced breathing of his father. Even Olres’ eyes started to fade away but even then, his voice was sharp as he started to speak to his only descendant.

“That is the duty I have to pass on you! The fallen made me promise to pass the charge of using their guidance to my own children in order to make sure nothing like that hell will never happen again! It is required of you to keep this as a secret you will only pass to your own child far in the future but if need be, you must not hesitate to ask for their help! My son, our kind is still on the brink extinction and it could easily be wiped out if the groundwalkers would band together. There are some who would tell you to take back what once was ours but I ask of you, do all in your power to keep the peace and secure a future for us… for all the flyers!” The old flyer spoke in a pleading voice, staring right at Liras with a completely serious expression.

The younger male, however, was left wordless as he heard his father’s request. He simply couldn’t believe what he had just heard but… it was clear that Olres’ mind was still sharp and that he wasn’t lying. Liras trusted his father without an end and decided against pushing back against his tale. As for the rest of his plead, he realized immediately that he’d keep that part as he was far too lazy to even dream of leading his herd to any kind of war. Liras let his head fall slightly as he took his father’s hand and looked him back in the eyes as he spoke.

“I promise you, father. Trust in me: I will never allow our kind to descend to that level as long as I live. And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I’m just…“ He was about to start when he suddenly noticed Olres starting to cough weakly, gasping for air. Liras rushed to his side, trying to help him take another breath but he then noticed the older flyer merely give him an encouraging nod. Liras finally felt a warm tear flowing down his cheek as he felt his father’s breaths growing fainter by the second. He started to sob deeply and in this terrible moment, he whispered to the older flyer’s ear.

“Thank you for everything you did, dad. I love you.” He said as he noticed Olres closing his eyes slowly, letting out one, long breath before turning completely still. Liras fell to his knees, starting to cry next to the dead flyer, not able to believe this dreaded day had finally arrived. To most, Olres was a name that raised hope and faith in the future but to Liras, he was just… his father. All the memories of their times together, all of the lessons he taught him… the young male felt tears flowing down his cheeks as he looked at the content smile that had been Olres’ very last expression in this world.

Minutes passed on slowly as Liras slowly started to accept the inevitable. His father was gone and with his passing, he was now the leader of the herd… and apparently some kind of guardian of Olres’ secret. Liras knew he had been trained for this day all his life but that didn’t make things any easier. Yet, he knew what his charge was now. He’d have to inform of his father’s death… and assume his rightful place. Trying to force back his tears, Liras walked back to the mouth of the cave where he was again greeted by the elderly Brighttail, Olres’ old friend and a deputy of the herd. She looked glumly at Liras and stated the obvious fact she could read from Liras’ face.

“I can see his life has ended, Liras. Am I correct?” She asked, looking as the younger flyer took a deep breath and nodded at her. Liras gulped deeply, not really even wanting to do the next part but for now, he accepted it as something he knew he had to do for his father’s sake. The youthful flyer walked to the edge of a nearby cliff and glanced at the members of his herd as well as to the lone members of other kinds who had been sent to honor the great flyer’s passing. Yet, Liras’ face was a tired and lifeless one as he spoke, equally bothered by his sorrow as well as his pure distaste at holding any kinds of speeches.

“To my utmost sorrow, I have to tell you the horrible truth. Only a short while ago Olres passed into the Great Beyond. I was there by his side and he died as he lived: even in his last moments, he asked me to make sure our kinds will forever more stay in peace with each other. I intend to fulfill his simple request as a small payment for everything he did for us as the leader of my father’s old herd and as his successor. I thank you all for gathering here and I will give him the farewell he deserves this evening. That is all I have to say now.” He spoke dully but even then, he could hear nothing but cheers for his new position and manifestations of great sorrow.

Liras, however, turned around and took a deep sigh, already cursing his new position with all his heart. He’d fulfill his duty but even then, his expression told Brighttail that he prayed deeply this part would never have been his. He slowly walked away to a silent spot, hoping to gather the courage to recover from his great loss and to face the future that inevitably waited for him.


A slight smile formed to the flyer’s face as he gulped down another large berry and felt the rays of the Bright Circle fall upon his body. Liras looked at the wide plains before him with a content look, not willing to ask for anything more than his daily dose of good food, bathing and pretty females. During his leaders as the leader of his herd, the flyer had grown very fat and he knew there were many ugly rumors about him among his followers. However, he knew his authority wouldn’t be questioned due to the name of his father and that fact provided him with the peace of mind he wanted. Liras slowly brought another berry to his beak but before he could swallow it, he heard a sweet voice speak to him.

“Do you have a brief moment, daddy?” Was the simple question to which Liras sighed slightly but even then, the smile on his face never left. He turned to look at the young girl whose large eyes seemed to stare right into his soul. The older dinosaur spoke to his daughter in a soft but determined voice.

“If you’re willing to wait a while, I guess. But not just yet.” He said simply, not willing to rise from this comfortable spot for nearly any price. However, the younger dinosaur was far from content with the answer and she moved closer to Liras and this time, her voice was far more annoyed.

“That’s what you say every time but then something else happens and you’ll forget everything about me, Terin and Highsoar! It has been ages since you’ve taught us anything or even played with us!” She cried, causing the male to rise to a sitting position with a slight frown, forced to admit his daughter wasn’t wrong. He loved his children deeply but… but there were times when he’d simply hope some other member of the herd could watch over them a bit more. However, he had promised this much to his late mate and if there was one thing Liras was, he was an honest and loyal flyer. He glanced at the sky before he gave his answer.

“I’m afraid you are right, Valia. There’s just so much work… but I guess I can spare a while to you and the others, if that’s what you really want.” He said while speaking to the girl. A surprised smile rose to Valia’s face, not having expected his father to actually accept her request. Her eyes widened as she gave her answer, already turning to head towards her siblings.

“Thank you so much, daddy! Come, foll…”

“Liras, we have something you have to hear without any delays! It is beyond urgent!” A female voice, which belonged to a flyer called Amber, cried as she landed in front of Liras, accompanied by Brighttail and a third deputy called Pari. The fat flyer looked at the newcomer dryly, rolling his eyes as he looked at her.

“Well, what is it now, Amber? I hope you’re not wasting my time.” He said but before the female could answer, Valia cried to her father in an enraged voice.

“B… but you promised, daddy! You can’t just…” She cried but before she got any further, Liras snapped at her, clearly not willing to hear the rest of his daughter’s objection.

“And I won’t break my word, Valia! I promise you that I will deal with this interruption soon enough so just wait here. I’ll be back before you know it.” He said while giving the younger flyer a quick wink. The girl was clearly unimpressed by her father’s words but even then, she was happy that he hadn’t completely forgotten his promise. The three deputies looked at Liras in clear displeasure but they knew their chances of changing his behavior were beyond low. They turned around to head for a quieter place and Liras wasted no time following them.


Heavy panting accompanied the highest-ranking dinosaur’s landing as his heavy bulk was making flying increasingly difficult for him. Still, Liras decided against giving that any thought as the only thing he wanted right now was to simply get over this meeting as quickly as possible. He took a stern expression as he asked Amber sharply.

“Well, what is it? I expect it to be something of more importance than what you usually tell me.” He said, frowning deeply as he looked at the smaller female. She had long despised Liras’ attitude towards leading but even then, she knew he was her only chance of wielding at least some power within the herd. Knowing that, Amber wasted no time giving her answer as respectfully as possible.

“I’m sure it is, honored leader. Not far to the south, large herds of spiketails and threehorns have engaged in a violent battle over a fertile plain and it seems like it’ll be an extremely bloody struggle. Liras, I beg you, order your herd once the battle is over and finish what remains of those cursed landwalkers and take back what once was ours! We can still reclaim our place in this world if we just take the right opportunities!” She spoke, looking Liras in the eyes all the while. The male’s face darkened as he heard those words but before he could answer, Brighttail snapped at the other female.

“Just forget it, Amber! Liras, please don’t listen to her. This isn’t what your father would have wanted. Honor his memory and prevent as much of this bloodshed as you simply can and those herds will be forever allied to ours! Olres showed us the right path and we have to follow it as closely as we simply can!” She spoke, causing Amber to give her a beyond annoyed look. She snapped back at the older female toxically, having long hoped that she’d finally head to the Great Beyond.

“Olres’ path would only lead us to grow old and die in these pitiful lands whereas the entire world is our birthright! We have to…” She started but Pari cut her short in a low and even mournful voice.

“You know that is simply not possible, Amber. We have no choice but to stay here and hope that one day our children will be far more numerous than they are today. Liras, I have to agree with Brighttail on this issue.” He spoke, causing Liras to roll his eyes. He had already heard enough and this meeting had ended up right as he had expected.

“All three of you should know very well by now how I’ll answer! Amber, propose more bloodshed one more time and I’ll relieve you of your duties for good. We’ll never regain what we lost and even if we could do it, I wouldn’t risk the future of our very kind for such a folly. Brighttail and Pari, you should also learn that we do not exist to solve some pathetic landwalkers’ problems and possibly be drawn to their stupid feuds in the process! We are not going to act in any way when it comes to that conflict!” He cried, earning appalled but unsurprised gazes from his deputies. It was clear none of them were content with the answer but only Brighttail was confident enough to speak against her leader.

“But we can’t pass this opportunity! Liras, if you are even nhalf the leader your father was…” She started but the male wouldn’t let her finish. His voice was frigid as he gave his answer, regretting he even needed his deputies’ help in securing his rule.

“Don’t tell me about how my father would have led! He might have had his role in our history but I am simply willing to secure our safety in the best way I can! Olres entrusted me with this burden, not you! Is that clear?” He asked, looking at the elderly female in the eyes. Brighttail knew very well that the only reason Liras did nothing regarding this issue was his own laziness and lack of ambition but she also knew there was nothing she could do to change his mind. The old female bowed, barely able to hide her disgust and disappointment about what Olres’ once-celebrated son had become.

“Very well, my leader. We will do as you say.” She said, each of the deputies radiating disappointment and annoyance about this meeting. Liras, however, smiled slightly, more than glad he could now keep his promise to his daughter. Maybe this day wouldn’t be utterly wasted after all.


The wind whistled within the flyer’s ears as he prepared to land onto the familiar plains below him. He was more than glad to be back as he absolutely hated these kinds of meetings with other herd leaders who wanted to meet him simply to say that their relationship with Olres’ heir is strong enough. Not only did Liras find them boring, he couldn’t stand the clear hypocrisy of his peers. None of them wanted to achieve anything concrete in addition to consolidating their position in the eyes of their followers. Even then, that meeting was now done and he’d gladly spend the rest of the day quietly without further interruptions…

“Dad, at last you’re here! We’ve waited for you for hours!” Liras’ eyes widened as he heard the young boy’s voice. Of all the things he had wanted to hear on this moment, the alarmed voice of hi son was one of the last ones. He landed besides the younger flyer and answered him urgently.

“What is it, Terin? What’s wrong?” He asked, waving his companions to leave the scene. The boy looked pleadingly at his father and spoke to him in clear alarm and sorrow.

“It… it is Valia, daddy! She has got really sick since the morning!” He said, causing his father to kneel to Terin’s height and placing his hands on his shoulders.

“What happened? Where is she?” He asked, staring deep into the child’s eyes. Terin gulped as he spoke, even tears starting to slowly form in his eyes.

“I don’t know why but as we woke up, she started to vomit heavily and she is too weak to do anything! Let’s not waste any more time!” He cried, the older flyer doing immediately as he was told. Suddenly, everything felt so very empty as he could very well see just how horrified Terin actually was. If anything happened to Valia… no, he’d have to believe that she’d be well in the end. He counted seconds as he noticed his son slowly starting to land near the family’s sleeping spot. The fat flyer’s eyes widened as he saw the small form lying on a rock, clearly in agony over whatever was wrong with her. Liras wasted no time heading to her side, raising her hand with his hand.

“I’m here, dear. How are you feeling? Please, answer me!” He pleaded as he felt that the girl’s forehead felt like it was burning. He could immediately see that she was extremely weak but he was heartened as he saw her slowly opening her eyes. That moment brought great relief to the older flyer even if Valia’s voice was beyond meek.

“Daddy… is it you? I… I’m just f…” She said before her voice failed completely and she fell back to her old position. Liras’ heart skipped a beat but noticed immediately that she was still alive. He was just about to call for help when he saw a familiar flyer approach him from beyond. The leader had seldom needed the healer’s help but it seemed like he had already taken a look at the sick girl. The old dinosaur’s wrinkled face was beyond grave as he addressed the heavier male.

“Your sons already asked me before and I’ve already done everything I could.” He said extremely oddly but those words only served to annoy Liras further. He immediately addressed the old flyer and demanded him in a threatening voice.

“And? Don’t test my patience and just tell me how long it’ll take for her to recover and what we can do to shorten that time!” He said, not willing to believe what he’d just heard. The healer looked at Liras with his nearly-blind eyes and he coughed briefly before he answered the higher-ranked flyer.

“That is something I’m afraid I can’t tell you, my leader. Her illness is a very dangerous one and I must admit I’m not sure how to fight against it.” He said, causing Liras’ heart to drop immediately. Was the old fool trying to fool him? He had been long-respected within the herd but here he was, telling that he wouldn’t be able to help this one time his help was actually needed? Liras walked closer to the other flyer and revealed his teeth in clear threat.

“Nonsense! No one here knows more about helping others than you do! Now, get to work or I’ll banish you from our herd this very moment!” He cried but the older flyer merely sighed deeply as he gave his answer.

“Do it if you have to, Liras, but you have to understand that even I have limitations to what can I do. Valia’s fever might very well go away by itself but every moment things stay like this, it’ll become more and more likely she won’t be able to recover. I’m sorry, honored leader, but that is the whole truth.” He said, making liras’ previously confrontational expression turn into resignation. Of course he knew that the other dinosaur didn’t have a real reason to lie to him but… he simply wasn’t willing to accept the truth just yet. He quickly snarled at the healer before turning back to look at his daughter whose breathing seemed to be becoming more and more difficult by the second.

“Be on your way, then, and make sure to stay away from my path for a long while! Go, now!” Liras looked as the healer nodded sadly and did as he was told. The former ignored his departure, instead kneeling by Valia’s side, praying deep within his mind as the seconds passed slowly.

I’ll do my all to make sure you’ll be okay, Valia. I promise this to you.


However, things didn’t seem to be getting any better by the time the Bright Circle rose on the following day. Liras had stayed by his daughter’s side the whole time, his two sons sleeping a little further away from their sister. To make things even worse, Valia was showing no signs that her fever was growing weaker, if anything, it had grown worse. Inside, Liras had already started to give up hope, the old healer’s words haunting his thoughts without an end. Valia’s sickness had come like a sky fire out of the blue and in less than a day, it had brought the little girl to the brink of her last fight.

Another tear fell from the obese flyer’s eyes as he looked at the hapless sight, not willing to accept that this was really happening. His three children were the old things that still remained of his dear mate who had been surprised by a sharptooth on the previous Cold Time. He had ledged to protect their children after that tragedy but now, it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to keep even that promise. Liras started to weep deeply as he bowed towards the girl, speaking to her in a trembling voice.

“Valia, I’d do absolutely anything to make you feel even a little bit better… and to make sure you’ll get through this. Absolutely anything…” He sobbed, regretting that he didn’t receive even the slightest sign from the girl that she had even noticed his presence. At this pace, the final farewell would come all too soon, not even two seasons after the departure of his mate. The flyer’s beak fell deeper by the second… before his eyes suddenly flashed open.

There was something he could do after all! His father’s secret was still his to guard and if the spirits had been able to teach so much to Olres, then they certainly could tell him how he could save his beloved daughter! Hope suddenly seemed to surge into Liras’ heart as he thought about his last meeting with this father. He knew just where to look for that help and at this moment, the flyer didn’t even consider questioning Olres’ story. He suddenly flew a bit further downhill from his daughter and called one certain flyer to attend him. it wasn’t long until he saw Brighttail’s familiar form approached him, the previous disappointment still evident in her voice. The female’s voice was heavy as he addressed her leader.

“What is it this time, Liras? Ask and I will do my best to make things so.” Her face revealed no excitement at whatever was coming but when Liras finally gave his answer, the older flyer’s eyes widened immediately.

“Brighttail, you have been my and my father’s most loyal servant for as long as I can remember and I’m willing to reward it with a special honor. I’m leaving the herd for a day or two and I am appointing you to safeguard it in my stead.” He said dryly, willing to start his journey as quickly as possible. It would take him at least one day and night to reach the Land of the Dancing Waters and he wanted to waste as little time as possible. Brighttail jaw dropped as she tried to stutter some kind of answer.

“B… but the herd needs Olres’ heir to lead them! You can’t just leave like t…” She started but before she could any further, Liras stepped forward and snapped at the female in a voice that confirmed he wanted to hear no further objections.

“Right now, someone another needs me far more than this herd. Accept my charge or I’ll pass it to another of my deputies.” He said simply, knowing that Brighttail wouldn’t be able to decline that request. She tried to say something but after a few seconds, she sighed in resignation before giving her answer.

“Very well, my leader. I’ll do it. But at the very least, tell me where you are heading to! We deserve to know at least that much!” She asked, not liking this in the least. She had little confidence within the male and these kinds of decisions only reinforced that impression. The fat flyer, however, just turned around and gave a short and ambiguous answer.

“It is something I cannot tell you, Brighttail. May the Bright Circle smile upon you in my absence.” He said before taking off, only the elderly female’s worried eyes on his back. All her life, Brighttail had tried to help Liras on his journey and she even genuinely cared for him but slowly, she was accepting the fact that he could never be the leader the herd deserved. She shook her head before heading to inform the rest of the flyers about what had just come to pass.


The dawn was a rather cold one even if there was not even the slightest hint of a breeze in the air. To Liras, it seemed like all the air in the world was standing still as he looked at the wide forests below him. He hadn’t stopped to rest for a moment since his departure from his herd and he panted deeply, cursing that he was forced to carry his heavy belly the entire time on this long flight. However, to his relief, he knew he had already arrived in the Land of the Dancing Waters as he looked at the wide rivers below him. Far in the distance, a heavy rumble of the falling waters could be heard, causing a slight smile to appear on the flyer’s face. He had heard so many stories about this place from his father that he knew just where he was heading to. Great relief flowed through his body as he turned his wings downward, able to simply glide the rest of the way to his destination.

A slight frown appeared on the male’s face as his feet touched the ground as he could see nothing but ordinary forest everywhere around him. He wasn’t sure about what he had expected to see but this was rather underwhelming. Even then, Olres had mentioned that the battle had been waged near those two falling waters as this place had been on the path leading to the last strongholds of the flyers on the nearby mountains. This was the right place but… where were the spirits Olres had spoken of? Right now, this didn’t seem unlike any other woodland he had seen before and that made the flyer’s earlier optimism take a serious blow.

However, that momentary discouragement didn’t last long. After all, what would prevent any dinosaur from walking here and reveal his father’s secret if everybody knew of it? There had to be a reason Olres had entrusted him with this secret and made it his duty to wield this secret with wisdom. A slight grin rose to the flyer’s face as he turned his gaze slightly upward and called into the dark dawn.

“If anyone hears my words, know that I am Liras, the son and heir of the mighty Olres! If that means anything to you, reveal yourselves to me at once!” The flyer wasn’t sure what to expect but he couldn’t deny his disappointment as he received no signs that he was doing anything else but shouting by himself in the middle of nowhere. If the situation was any less serious, he would have most likely just turned on his heels and forgotten about this pitiful trip. However, his daughter’s life was at the balance and he simply couldn’t leave this place just yet. He shouted again, his voice louder than before.

“My father passed the duty of guarding this place to me during his dying breath and I am more than willing to use your, the respected dead’s, power to keep order and balance in our world. I ask you to hear my request now!” He said, looking for any movement around himself. He only prayed his calls wouldn’t lure any sharpteeth towards him but this was a risk he was willing to take. Liras’ courage was already starting to fade as he heard a whisper which already resembled a breath of the wind in his ear.

“Olres will be missed forever as there will never again be other flyer like him. It remains to be seen if you are even worthy of calling yourself his son…” Liras frowned deeply at those words, slowly noticing light spots of light around himself. His heart started to beat faster and faster as he looked at that unnatural sight but he stood his ground without his expression giving a glimpse of any kind of fear and hesitation. He gave his answer in a steady voice, knowing he wasn’t in any kind of danger as his father would have mentioned it before his death.

“I cannot say if I’m worthy of that honor and right now, I don’t care. All I care about is saving my little daughter, Valia, who is in the danger of succumbing to a vicious disease. I came here to ask you to tell me how to save here as my father told me you hold tremendous wisdom about practically every question a flyer will face it in their lives.” He said, holding his breath as he waited for an answer. Everything would depend on it even if Liras tried to close the possibility of the spirits declining his request away from his mind. He looked with concern as the lights started to gather around him but even then, he was ready to face whatever was to come. The next voice he heard was a low female one but he couldn’t say from which direction it was coming.

“You want us to save your daughter? Certainly, your father told we helped him only to end that endless bloodshed that threatened to exterminate the flyer kind as a whole? The bloodshed that had already killed tens of thousands of other dinosaurs? What makes you think we are going to solve your petty personal problems?” She asked, making Liras’ heart drop immediately. Yes, he knew his request was different than his father’s had been but the male wasn’t going to listen anyone calling his request “petty”. His voice trembled as he gave his answer, hoping he could get his message through as soon as possible.

“I am aware of that, yes. However, my kind isn’t in conflict right now and I have no need for those kinds of requests. It is because of that that my request is humbler but in any case, I ask you to fulfill it, in the name of my father and everything good in this world.” He said, his confidence starting to slowly fail. The situation didn’t feel all that promising and he wasn’t receiving any signs that his journey would be a success. That impression was only reinforced by the reaction his words received. Another one of the lights approached the flyer and spoke in a dry voice.

“In the name of your father? We gave your father the permission to pass the word forward but the reason we helped him was that he was a flyer whose heart held not one trace of malice, or treachery towards another dinosaur and he was willing to strive for a common goal without tiring. The same cannot be said of you.” He said, causing Liras’ frown to only deepen. The long flyer looked around himself in annoyance not liking what he had just heard. He cleared his throat and answered without any hesitation.

“My past deeds are none of your business and even if it were, you’d still be mistaken. I’ve dedicated all my life to keeping my herd safe and allow the flyers as a whole recover from what my father was forced to go through! I’ve fulfilled the duty he gave me and I’m proud of what I have accomplished!” He bellowed, hoping to end this discussion before it got any further. Inside, not even the fat flyer himself believed his own words but he didn’t care about it in the least. Yet, he’d soon regret that outburst dearly as another of the lights joined its companions.

“All you’ve accomplished has been to turn yourself into an obese bellydragger and there is nothing worthy of your father’s pride in your “accomplishments”! You have kept the peace but in the process, you’ve abandoned the other kinds to their fates! You allowed the spiketails and threehorns devastate each other those few cycles of the Night Circle ago even if you would have had the power to stop it! Your father would have acted as would have any flyer worthy of our help!” The voice cried, finally causing Liras’ sentiment darken completely. Inside, he knew that was true. He had refused to act simply because he didn’t want to force himself to commit to such an ordeal. The male’s composure started to fail and his jaw shook slightly as he bowed before the lingering spirits and spoke to them in a slow, pleading voice.

“You are right. I haven’t failed my duty but neither have I been even close to being the leader Olres was. But please, do not punish my daughter for it. She hasn’t done any of the mistakes I have. I pray you to help me this one time.” He spoke as he looked at the circling lights around himself which seemed to stop still. Only now he realized that there were hundreds, even thousands of those lights around himself, confirming his father’s words without a doubt. These were the victims of the great battle, willing to help those who would genuinely want to make the world even a slightly better place in order to make sure nothing like that war would come to pass ever again.

Seconds passed slowly and Liras slowly closed and opened his eyes as he waited for the answer. Inside, a clear fear started to rise within him that his request would be rejected but that didn’t make the eventual confirmation any easier. It wasn’t long before another female voice spoke to Liras in an apologetic but determined tone.

“Liras, this meeting as good as over. Even if we could trust you that you won’t use any knowledge we would give you unwisely, you simply are not worthy of our help. Besides, there are some things in life that you simply have to accept. Leave and return on the day you are worthy of our pride.” The voice said, making the entire world freeze around Liras. It… it simply couldn’t end like this! There was no way he could give up his quest because a few self-centered spirits wouldn’t help him even if they had all the power to do so! Something seemed to give in within Liras as he suddenly stepped forward and yelled in loud, thundering voice.

“Olres gave me the charge of using your power wisely and by the Bright Circle, that is exactly what I am planning to do! I order you to help me as the guardian of this forest and the safekeeper of this world! Now, stop this nons…” He started but as he shouted, the lights started to disappear one by one until the male was left bellowing back into the air. It wasn’t long until Liras realized his folly and before he could even think of what had happened, he felt tears starting to flow down his cheeks. His only hope had just betrayed him and here he was, left only with the option of returning to witness his daughter’s death. Desperate wails rang through the woodland as Liras fell to his knees, sobbing inconsolably.


Within a few hours, the skies answered to the usually-smug flyer’s sorrow. One drop of sky water followed another until the entire land was buried under a curtain of heavy sky puffies. One couldn’t even see the canopy of the trees from the ground as the water battered the forest but right now, Liras didn’t even truly scare he could only stare at a wide fast water, looking at his own reflection in disgust and regret. He hadn’t even noticed the passing of the time, his mind only dwelling in the memories of his times with his daughter.

Right now, he would have given anything if he could have changed even one of the times he had declined to spend time with his children in order to simply indulge his own sedentary lifestyle. Inside, he knew that Olres would shake his hand in disappointment if he saw his son right now but the only thing Liras wanted only to save his sole daughter from her fate but… but there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

Not the best healers of his herd could do anything to help her and even his last resort had failed him. A hateful grin appeared on his broken face as he thought about the recent
meeting, outrage building inside his mind. It was true that he himself wasn’t worthy of anybody’s help but Valia certainly was! In this moment, Liras cursed bitterly as he thought about his “duty”, all of it only making him feel more miserable. He had been the guardian of this secret but even it had turned its back at him! They had themselves said he wasn’t worthy of his father’s position which certainly wasn’t something that made Liras feel any better.

Inside, a small voice told the obese flyer that this simply wasn’t the end. There was still time to accept the spirits’ words and to become the flyer his flyer had always wanted. However, that voice was seriously challenged by his bitterness against everything that had happened. He had been given this charge he had never wanted after which his daughter was being taken away from him by some cruel twist of fate and now he was being told it was his fault he couldn’t save her? Liras spat in the middle of his own reflection that was already being obstructed by the sky water. This was just complete crap and no matter what, he wouldn’t accept the blame for the spirits’ ref…

Suddenly, the entire sky was lighted by a massive bolt of sky fire that hit the forest on the other side of the fast water. The following sound made the dinosaur’s blood run cold but even then, he couldn’t care about it in the least. Soon enough, he’d have to start his journey back and simply accept that which he simply couldn’t accept. For a brief moment, Liras even thought that drowning himself into the river would be a better alternative… unless he realized the growing blazes caused by the sky fires in the nearby areas. The flames reflected from Liras’ eyes as another idea suddenly formed within his mind.

With any luck, he would be able to find some long branch that was only partly burning and bring it back to the spirits part of the forest and demand them to pass their knowledge on him if they wished to save their home. A clear grin rose to Liras’ face as he thought about his upcoming triumph before he suddenly remembered his father’s words again. He was the protector of this forest, one that was supposed to wield this gift for the good of his herd and for the good of his kind. His request had already been rejected and inside, the flyer knew his father would never have accepted his plan. And sure enough, an unmistakable sting of guilt arose within him, pleading not to take this radical step from which there would be no return.

Even then, Liras knew his decision had already been made as he thought about the pitiful form of his sick daughter. He would leave no stone unturned in his effort to save her and no ghost or even his father would stand in the way of a goal this righteous!  A determination very seldom seen within the slothful leader radiated everywhere around him as he took off towards the burning forest, a failure not even appearing as a real possibility within his mind.

The temperature rose tremendously the closer Liras got to the flames and he realized that he’d have to be beyond careful if he wanted to avoid burning his lungs from the many clouds of smoke everywhere around him. The flyer’s breaths grew increasingly painful and Liras knew he’d have to get away from here before…

Suddenly, one detail within the corner of his eye caused the flyer to dash to his left with all his might. Liras could even feel the fire touching his feet as he dodged the falling branch that nearly took him down below it. The flyer panted deeply as he tried to catch his breath, seldom forced to stress his body like this. He looked at the fallen branch, more than thankful he had managed to avoid getting hit by it but it didn’t take long before he realized that it was just what he was looking for. Only a small part of its base was burning and it’d take many minutes until it would be entirely consumed. Liras took a deep breath as he approached the branch, hoping he’d be able to carry its weight for this distance.

At first, it felt like he wouldn’t be able to lift his burden off the ground and he nearly gave up that effort in growing frustration. However, he also realized that the branch was growing lighter by the moment and soon enough, he finally managed to take off, sweat already dripping down his cheeks. Being forced to carry both his own and the branch’s weight was almost too much for his wings but somehow, he found the courage to carry on as he thought about everything that was at stake here. He’d force those damned ghosts to cooperate with him and in the process, take the position that had always been his birthright!

Liras cringed deeply as he flew over the river, his eyes fixed on his goal that was growing closer by the second. Soon enough, he’d be able to get rid of his burden and his family would stay together for many more seasons… the tubby flyer could already feel the flames starting to burn his feet as he dropped the branch to the foot of one of the larger trees, more than pleased by the fact that the sky water was growing weaker by the moment. Liras prayed deeply as he looked at the branch, praying the fire would spread to the nearby tree after which his plan would be a guaranteed success.

For a moment, it seemed the fire would simply die out as it grew weaker by the second. Liras was already preparing for another failure… before a few sparks could be seen in the tree, followed by increasingly thick smokes… and finally small flames. The fire was reflected by Liras’ eyes as he crossed his hands, an unbelieving grin forming on his face. He had done it! Soon enough, this entire woodland would drown in fire and at that point, the spirits would be in his mercy! In this moment, Liras truly believed his father had been capable of practically anything and he wasn’t in any way concerned about his ability to stop the fire in the coming minutes.

The flyer took a few steps back as the flames spread to other trees, also engulfing the green ground easily. Liras rose to his wings and cried with a clear triumph in his voice.

“If you do not want to help me willingly, you won’t leave me with any choice! Now, help me to douse these flames and tell me how to save my daughter! This is your last chance!” He cried, looking as more and more of the forest caught fire. At first, there was nothing unusual to be seen but this time, he wasn’t taken aback by that fact in the least. However, when the inevitable happened, none of it went the way flyer had expected.

One by one, the lights reappeared from the burning forest but Liras couldn’t help but realize that some of them were vanishing into then air alongside with the trees, one detail making him more than a bit disturbed. Were the ghosts somehow connected to the forest itself or was that just some odd coincidence? Even then, he wasn’t given much time to ponder such things before the lights surrounded him completely. This time, it felt like he was hearing the despising words of thousands of dinosaurs at once but he didn’t take one step back. It felt like his entire body had frozen still as he heard the answer.

“We already knew you were an embarrassment to your father but you’re doing everything in your power to ruin his name as well as well as that of all flyers! We will never bow to any of your demands and now, you will pay the price for your deed!” The voices cried but even then, Liras didn’t feel even the slightest hesitation, instead looking at the swirling lights with a defiant expression.

“I don’t care what you think but you have no choice but to help me! Your other option is to burn to the ground alongside with your home!” He cried, willing to see his gamble to the end. However, when he received his next answer, he finally realized he had failed.

“Most of us will survive this but we will make sure no flyer like you will ever again cause an outrage like this! In order to save your father from even more shame, we will relieve you of your “duty” and put you back to your rightful place in this world! Get out of these lands you bastard!” Liras suddenly felt his entire world starting to spin and his consciousness to fail as the lights started to engulf his entire vision…


The first thing that greeted the flyer’s returning consciousness was the repulsive taste of mud which was flowing into his beak. Liras could hardly even tell whether he was awake or not as he started to move his fingers and hands. The day had already ended and Liras could see darkness swiftly falling upon the land. He was mostly submerged by the wet soil and he shivered in disgust as he noticed large ground crawlers running on his wings and his back.

However, that sensation wasn’t even close to being the worst thing in the once-proud leader’s mind. His felt completely empty and he couldn’t even really say why he was here or what he was doing. Yes, Valia had fallen sick and he had tried to help her by… by trying to find that something which had given Olres the power he had needed in his own struggles!

For a short while, Liras tried to again rise to his wings until the rest of what had happened fell upon him. He had failed and… and now he couldn’t remember even distantly where all of that had happened. That part of his memory had been completely wiped away, replaced by an endless sense of failure. Even now, Liras realized that whatever had happened had been something sickening but even worse were the implications.

Now, he had no way to save his daughter and even worse, Olres’ words returned to haunt his thoughts. It had been up to him to safeguard his father’s secret but now… now he just knew he had failed that promise for good. If another one would one day come, he’d be powerless to stop it and in the process, he had robbed his kind from one of its most potent defenses. Liras started to sob as he allowed his head drop back into the mud as the full implications of his failure filled his mind. He wasn’t worthy of his position, worthy of his children, hardly even worthy of living.

But even then… Liras knew his herd deserved to know what had happened to the one they had been taught to see as their savior one day. Olres’ memory was too important for them for him to just throw it away for good or at least without any kind of final goodbye. And if he were to be accepted back by his children and his herd, he’d just might well attempt to one day repay his debt to those he had harmed and failed and to strive to be the flyer he had been supposed to be. With his mind full of regret, Liras rose to his wings to confront whatever was waiting for him.


The following day was already growing old before Liras could see the familiar hills rising far within the distance. His fatigue was even worse than before but this time, he didn’t care. The flyer’s heart was heavy with the knowledge of what would await him as he had barely been able to accept his mate’s passing. Inside, he wasn’t even sure whether he could face the reality anymore but he owed it to everyone, including his father who charge he had pitifully betrayed.

His heart froze as his feet touched the soft grass as his gaze focused on the small form not far for him. He could already see that his daughter’s life had ended not a long time ago. Liras could feel tears falling down his cheeks as he walked besides the poor flyer, kneeling by her side and weeping silently. He had already accepted what would await him out here
but even then, it didn’t make looking at her closed eyes any easier. The flyer could only weep bitterly as he spoke silently.

“Goodbye, my daughter. I did what I could… I’m just so sorry…”
He stood still for many more seconds, not even noticing two young flyers approaching him from behind. The duo stopped by their father’s side and asked him with teary eyes.

“Where were you all this time, daddy? She… she’s gone! Valia’s gone!” The two voices cried simultaneously, immediately confirming Liras’ fears. The male took a deep breath as his heart broke in two and he embraced his two sons.

“I know, Terin. I know, Highsoar. I did my all… I’m so sorry.” Was all he could say as his eyes landed on the small flyer not far from him. He could see the truth with his own eyes. He had already been forced to accept the inevitable… but the sorrow of his children was something he could hardly bear. Highsoar looked his father in the eyes, crying to him with all his might.

“Why weren’t you here, daddy? You could have saved her if you hadn’t ran away!” He cried, causing Liras to sniff his sobs away for a moment. The younger flyer’s childish comment mixed with the sick reality… Liras nearly lost his entire composure as he struggled to answer.

“Sometimes you simply can’t change some things, my son. This was one of those times.” He simply said before he saw another flyer landing beside him. She wasn’t someone Liras wanted to meet right now but he knew better than to drive her away. Brighttail looked at her leader with worried eyes and spoke to him carefully.

“Thank goodness you’re back, my honored leader! I know my timing is far from optimal but I just wanted to tell you that the herd is yours to lead once again. Shall I take my leave or do you wish something of me?” She asked, already preparing to take off. At first, Liras was preparing to accept her request but then one thing rose to his mind. He didn’t break his embrace with his remaining children as he answered to the elderly dinosaur.

“Tell the others that from now on, I will make sure to lead for the good of our herd… for every last of us.” He said as he nodded sadly at his children. The two boys glanced at Liras with an unsure look but Brighttail gave the male a brief smile. She had learned during her long life that sometimes a personal tragedy would lead to a great change within a dinosaur and it seemed like whatever had happened during Liras’ absence, she felt a wave of hope washing over her that she hadn’t experienced in countless seasons. She nodded at Liras in approval before she spread her wings.

“I will, honored Liras. With pleasure.” She said before taking off and within a few seconds, disappeared into the darkening evening.

And thus concludes my Gang of Five May prompt response. It is a fic that I hope tells a bit more about Separate Ways’ backstory as I felt the Land of the Dancing Waters needed some more explaining before appearing in my main story. I’d like to hear some thoughts whether the main premise behind that land worked in the least as it will also have a great role in the Separate Ways soon enough. That being said, I also hope you liked this story and see you with my next chapter.

A Lovely Deal

A worried look rose to the sharptooth’s face as he looked behind himself, cursing that his journey had turned into this damned mess. He had feared from the very beginning he might be trespassing some other predator’s territory but he had still hoped to pass through these lands undetected. Yes, he knew that he wouldn’t have stood by either if some potential competitor had invaded his old territory either but those thoughts were buried beneath the urgency of the moment.

Roar!

Again, that haunting sound could be heard from the distance, telling the young sailback that he didn’t have any opportunity to linger here any further. The larger predators had caught his scent from an unbelievably faraway distance and being forced to flee from his chasers made Sprinter more enraged than what he had expected. He was a sharptooth, for the ancestors’ sake, but he knew more than well that he could never stand against two two-footers, no matter how hard he tried. Not only were they much longer than he was but much more powerful and ferocious as well. Sprinter knew he had to find shelter from these green plains soon enough or his journey would end far faster than he would have wanted.

The predator’s eyes explored the lands before him, looking for the place direction to flee towards. The landscape sloped just enough to block his line of sight towards the distant horizon, making his attempts to escape to safety that much more difficult. The carnivore knew he didn’t have a chance to even think of stopping to take a short breather as judging from his chasers’ cries, they couldn’t be more than five minutes behind him. Soon enough, they’d reach him and at that point it would be all over for him…

The sharptooth suddenly jumped to his left as he heard a violent rumbling voice near him. He immediately ran further away from his previous spot as he saw a massive pile of rocks collapsing from a rather high hill next to him. For a moment, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to escape the rockslide and he already took the last leap forward, already expecting himself to be buried under the rocks for good. However, seconds passed and he still felt nothing but the soft grass of the early Warm Time below him. Carefully, the sharptooth turned to look behind him and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw that the slide had stopped only a few inches from his hindlegs. He had made it! He had managed to escape from even th…

“Detras, it’s your turn now!” A female voice cried and before the predator got a chance to even think about the meaning of those words, he felt a terrifying smell invade his nostrils, one that nearly made him vomit immediately. He turned to look back forward and saw a light-blue male fastrunner run away from him, having thrown a handful of wet stinkweed over him! Almost immediately, Sprinter realized the implications of the cowardly halftooth. Apparently these pitiful fastrunners were in alliance with his chasers and they had just marked him for certain death! This horrifying smell wouldn’t leave him in days, at least now without water and there was none of it to be seen anywhere nearby.

Sprinter cursed as he looked at the fleeing coward, wanting nothing more than to head after him and finish him off for good but he heard another roar behind him and knew he had no time to try to catch the cursed halftooth, no matter how much he would have wanted. The sailback took a deep sigh as he rose back to his feet and headed forward, hoping to find something, anything that could save him from this pitiful fate.

Minutes passed as the sharptooth felt his heart beat desperately in his chest, not allowing him to forget that everything was at stake here. Once in a while, he looked over his shoulder to see if the predators were getting close enough for him to see them behind him and time and time again, he could sigh in ease as he didn’t see a sign of them. However, as he again wanted to check if his luck would last at least for a while longer, he saw the two menacing finally in the far distance. So, his time was really starting to run out. He was already preparing to say his final prayers as he turned to look forward, not expecting to see anything of worth. But his eyes widened in shock as he saw the sight he had waited for for so long.

A few trees rose from the ground in the distance and as more seconds flew by, Sprinter could see that those few trees were only the first signs of a massive forest before him, larger than any he had seen in his life before. Unconsciously, his legs started to pick up the pace even faster as the promise of salvation seemed to appear before him. He looked before himself frantically, frowning at the agonizingly slow pace with which the forest was drawing closer.

And even if his mind tried to ignore the horrifying reality, he started to hear the footsteps of the predators starting to reach his ears, causing him o slowly pray that he could still live through this nightmare. He cursed deep down that the larger sharpteeth were faster than he was but with the stinkweed all over him, it wouldn’t matter anyway, most likely. Still, his primal instincts denied him the thought of giving up in this grand struggle for life, so precious yet so fragile.

A frantic look rose to his mind as the trees started to rise all around him, the male knowing he was still in grave danger. Sprinter swallowed as he tried to look for a new way forward but everywhere he looked, only more trees met his gaze. He frowned as he continued running forward, hoping he’d be able to find something, anything that would save him from the ghastly fate that was growing ever closer to him. Suddenly, he saw that the ground before him turned into a steep slope downwards and without looking what lay before him, Sprinter jumped forward… only to find himself crashing into another dinosaur before falling into the ground, his whole world darkening for a moment. Immediately afterwards, he heard an astonished and angered cry.

“What in the name of the Bright Circle are you doing, you moron? Get your stinking ass away from me or you’ll be sorry soon enough!” An agitated voice cried and slowly, Sprinter’s sight started to return and almost immediately afterwards, he realized he was lying on another dinosaur of his kind and a female one at that. He let out a brief curse before he rose back to his feet and answered to the female in a voice that seemed to compromise none of his pride.

“If you weren’t wandering around here without preparing for all possibilities, you would have deserved anything that came our way! So stay out of my business!” He said with a hissing voice, knowing that he had no time to argue with the slightly shorter sailback. The female frowned at him and waved him off with a sharp gesture that communicated nothing but disgust at the male.

“I’ll do so gladly! But you better stay out of my territory or I’ll make sure you won’t get away with this little the next time!” She said as she turned around, preparing to leave. Sprinter was just about to do the same when one detail in the other sharptooth’s answer rose to his mind? This was her territory? That meant that she should know this forest more than well and if that were true… At first, Sprinter tried to swallow those thoughts and move on by his own but he knew he had no options if he wanted to live through this terrifying chase. If he fell here, he’d have no pride to protect, anyway. With forced movements, he turned back at the other sailback and snapped at her with an even hostile voice.

“If this is your territory, then tell me where I can find a river, lake, anything to wash this cursed scent away from me! There are two two-footers after me so hurry up!” He said impatiently, hoping with every part of his mind that the female wouldn’t waste any precious time. At first the latter seemed to only look him oddly and for a brief moment, it seemed like she was about to run away and save herself from meeting the larger sharpteeth. However, after a few seconds, a weak smile crept to her face as she looked at the other sailback.

“Is that so? And is there any reason why I should help you and risk their wrath? I have enough problems without having two-footers as my enemies simply because of saving you.” She said, her playful look infuriating Sprinter without an end. He was already preparing to run away on his own but even then, he knew he needed her help. The male took a quick step forward and hissed in anger.

“I have no time to play your stupid games! Just name your price and be done with it! They’re coming and if you waste any more time, they’ll count you as my ally or something and it won’t end well for you either!” He spoke, narrowing his eyes in anger. The female gave him a quick snort and spoke in a more serious if just as unfriendly tone.

“Very well. I’ll help you escape but in exchange, you’ll hunt for me for the next cycle of the Night Circle! And I’d caution you against trying to flee during that time as I have many allies around here.” She said, looking at Sprinter closely. At first, the male nearly declined the offer as a cycle of the Night Circle was a far too long time for him to waste here, only to bring food to this insufferable female! He would be able to move on and claim his own territory in a far less time and there was absolutely no way he’d stay here even for a d…

Roaaarr!

Immediately, Sprinter was returned into the real world and he still couldn’t ignore the help he so desperately needed. He cringed deeply as he finally answered to the other sailback in the only way possible.

“Alright! Lead the way and don’t waste any more time! We’re in enough danger already!” He cried and the female merely nodded in approval as she turned around and headed to her left uphill towards a small clearing in the middle of the forest. At first, Sprinter was about to interrupt his companion and ask whether she was only playing fool with him. In the way he saw it, rivers seldom lied in the higher slopes of any land but even then, he knew he’d have to simply trust the slightly shorter sharptooth as even if he didn’t want to admit it, she was his only hope at this point.

The shine of the noon’s rays almost blinded him as he ran uphill, something that hardly improved his mood right now. He was running out of breath after his long escape from the larger sharpteeth but if fate would smile on him, he would be able to rest soon enough. And if he wouldn’t, he’d make the female regret her betrayal before the end. He quickly glanced after himself, only to see movement between a few distant trees and he immediately decided he didn’t want to see anything more. However, after a few seconds he heard the words he had waited for a long time.

“There’s the westernmost of this woodland’s rivers! Get in there, quickly!” She whispered to him, knowing that she and her companion was really running out of time. Sprinter didn’t even dare to answer as he ran into the water, rubbing himself in an effort to wash the horrible scent from himself as quickly as possible. The female looked behind herself, counting the seconds her companion had left before the two would have to move on. She could see the larger sharpteeth drawing ever closer and when they were the length of four longneck away from her, she cried to the male in alarm.

“We have to get away from this place! Now, follow me!” She cried and Sprinter wasted no time doing as told. He only hoped he had washed enough of the scent away that the two-footers wouldn’t be able to track him down anymore. The female felt fear growing within her mind but the salvation was so very close… She eyed around herself frantically and after a short while, she called to the male beside her.

“Quickly, come here! We have to hurry!” She cried as she headed into a nearby bush, knowing that the two-footers were only a couple of seconds behind the sailbacks. Sprinter looked at his companion in horror but he knew he had only one hope left. He looked at the thick vegetation all around him… until he felt a terrible smell fill his nostrils even if the smell wasn’t quite as horrifying as that of the stinkweed. It was at that moment that the shorter predator spoke again, this time even more sharply than before.

“Into the ground, now! Let us crouch away from here but silently!” She said as she followed her own orders. At first, Sprinter was about to question the wisdom of her words but as he heard the two-footers’ steps growing more hesitating, he realized that his companion’s plan seemed to be working. He cringed as the spot where he had been only a few seconds ago was penetrated by the beasts’ claws but now, he was already being hidden by the sheltering grass. After a few seconds, he saw the other sailback wave him to finally stop completely, apparently in order to avoid their chasers from even being able to hear them.

Sprinter felt his own fears gather in his head as he listened to the steps of the sharpteeth who seemed to be tearing the entire grassland to pieces and the two sailbacks prayed that they simply weren’t willing to tear the enormous area into nothingness. After a few seconds, she realized the risk was simply too great and she again whispered to the male.

“They’re heading away from us. Let’s get away from here!” She said as she made her way right in the opposite direction of where her chasers were going towards. Sprinter wasted no time doing as he was told but to his utter relief, he couldn’t hear the footsteps of his chasers following her anymore. After a minute of running, he finally realized something he had prayed for for so long. He had lost the two sharpteeth and… and he was alive! It was something he hadn’t even dared to hope for in the darkest moments. He panted as he finally stopped behind the female and spoke to her slowly.

“W… we made it! We really made it!” He said as he looked at the canopy of the trees, seeing the small flickers of daylight breaking into the ground. The female slowly looked at the male and answered in a firm and self-confident voice.

“Dein and Terri have been a curse to everyone in these lands and I’m happy to deny them any prey. It’s not like they weren’t yearning for my blood already, anyway.” She said as she looked at the male, spitting into the ground before her. Deep down, she also wasn’t willing to allow any of her kind being butchered if she could only help it but she wouldn’t ever allow that sentiment hinder her ability to stand her own ground in the circle of life. Sprinter narrowed his eyes as he felt one more shiver creep up his spine.

“I can imagine. It’s one thing to protect your own territory but to head after every stranger who simply happens to trespass there… those cursed two-footers are more despicable than a bunch of helpless longneck hatchlings!” Sprinter spoke, cursing the fact that his kind had very little to do against the larger and much ferocious predators. The female crossed her arms and smirked slightly as she answered.

“Or perhaps they saw you as an easy prey. Considering how you fared without me, I cannot blame them.” She said with an ironic smile, causing Sprinter’s face to fall further. He wasn’t in the mood to take the bait and he merely answered silently.

“Very funny. I’ll force you to take back those words in due time.” He said, not liking the other sharptooth’s tone in the least. The latter frowned at his words but didn’t react to them in any direct way. She merely snorted as she spoke.

“That is, if you’ll still have the will for that after one cycle of the Night Circle has passed. But before that, I’d advise you against breaking your word. And considering that I nearly died helping you, I want my first meal now!” She said with a surprisingly serious face, causing Sprinter to stare at her with a hostile, even bitter expression. However, he was a sharptooth of his word and even then, he knew he needed at least some sense of safety here in order to investigate this forest and its surrounding lands. He had come from the western wastes to escape a bitter drought and he had no allies, no friends nor any idea where he was so in the end, his pact with the female wasn’t as bad as he had originally feared. He sighed as he answered, still having his misgivings about practically serving another member of his own kind.

“As you wish. After all, that was our pact.” He said with a resigned look as he prepared to turn around, just thinking of how difficult it would be to hunt food for both himself and the female but in the end, that couldn’t be helped. He was just about to sprint into the woods to search for prey before he suddenly heard his companion speak one last time.
“Oh, there’s one more thing you should know. If anyone questions why you’re doing here, tell them you have a deal with Whiteclaw.” She said as she looked at the male stop for a moment. The male then answered to her in the most obvious way possible.

“I will. Also, my name is Sprinter. I’ll be back soon enough.”

Sprinter looked at her for a short moment and nodded wearily before he disappeared into the foliage of bushes and branches.


She took a deep breath as she smelled at the warm wind of the afternoon, a strange feeling making itself known in her stomach. As long as she could remember, she had never had the luxury to simply stop still for a moment and to revel in her situation of relative safety. Most of the time, she was forced to either hunt herself or fight against some invader but the two-footers had already left and for the former part, well, that wasn’t up to her this time. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about her situation, never before the Woodland of Plenty living up to its name to this very extent.

Yes, the male’s appearance had been a wondrous gift to her and one that she had gladly accepted. Not only had he made her next weeks much easier but the truth also was, thee were times when she had felt lonelier than she wanted to be. She knew her kind seldom met each other, much less appreciated those meetings but Sprinter’s practical and firm approach to life had made her respect the male slightly. Yet, he hadn’t been able to avoid being pushed to the brink of death by the larger sharpteeth and she wouldn’t give him an easy way out of the fair deal the two had made. She had done her part, not it was his turn to do his. She leaned against a nearby tree to think about her luck as she heard a familiar voice coming not far from her right.

“This better be good enough for you, Whiteclaw. Because I am not going to listen to you whining about my catch.” He said as he dropped a still-warm carcass of a juvenile domehead into the ground before the female. Whiteclaw looked at the dead dinosaur with a slight frown, not expecting the male to be this swift in his hunt. She rose to her legs with slow movements and walked in front of Sprinter as she seemed to inspect her next meal. After a few seconds, she finally addressed the other sharptooth in a consciously unsure look.

“I know the domeheads around here aren’t too difficult to catch, especially the younger ones. In any case, I don’t think I have any reason to decline this offering.” She said, causing Sprinter to cross his arms in clear annoyance. He had already had enough of the other sailback for today and he snapped a sharp and annoyed response.

“How shocking you weren’t going to boss me around any further. See you at some point but hopefully not anytime soon. I’m done for today.” He said, cursing the way his journey had turned out. This certainly wasn’t something he had envisioned in the morning but at the very least, he was still alive. However, just as during their previous meeting, the larger sharptooth’s departure was interrupted by Whiteclaw.

“Do as you please but you may stay in my territory while you are here. We don’t want you to cause another scene, now do we?” She asked with a cheeky grin, causing Sprinter’s eyes to widen slightly. He hadn’t expected to hear those words as it was extremely rare for a sharptooth to allow someone who isn’t a member of their family to sleep on one’s territory which meant at least that Whiteclaw didn’t see him as some kind of a threat. He slowly turned back at the female and spoke to her silently.

“You have my gratitude for that even if it is more than fair.” Those were the only words he spoke and they were rather well received by the female. Sprinter then turned around, wondering why it was that he simply couldn’t feel any bitterness at the female even after she had put him through such a humiliating deal. In fact, he could even feel a slight smile creep to his face as he walked into the forest.


Heavy drops of sky water bashed the canopy of the trees mercilessly, the howling wind ringing eerily among the woods. The morning was still young and the Bright Circle was only starting to climb to the sky but the streams of water in the ground slowly tore Sprinter awake from his slumber. He coughed slightly as the cool wind and water bashed his body, the sudden coldness being the first thing he noticed as his mind started to return from the realm of sleep stories. He looked around himself, seeing that the entire woodland seemed to be filled with slight mist, a new sight for the former denizen of the dry wastes.

It didn’t take long before Sprinter rose up and headed to make sure there wasn’t danger anywhere nearby, just in case. The wind showed signs of easing but the sky water didn’t seem to grow any weaker. Sprinter had never seen the falling water form streams like these, thinking glumly how the dry plains had bloomed after even a few drops of water and how much he and his brother had loved that sight. The sailback stopped for a moment as the memory of his family returned to his mind. He missed them greatly as his youth had been a rather quiet and happy one, even unusually so for one of his kind.

The predator’s mouth turned into a slight smile despite the grey cloud that seemed to hang over the entire world this day. He would have gladly stayed with them for a while longer but even then, he was a sharptooth and the call of adulthood and freedom was also a strong one for him. When the time of seemingly never-ending dryness came, both he and his brother, called Greysnout, knew that the time to leave the nest had finally come. And despite the challenges that had come his way, Sprinter was happy it was now his life and his choices that would decide what kind of future waited for him.

He frowned slightly as he turned to look to his right, the direction where Whiteclaw’s nest lied in. He still hated serving her like this but during the five days that had passed since his arrival, he had come to somewhat appreciate her presence, no matter how badly he despised the way the two had initially met. Despite that, she treated him like her equal and her rather serious yet kind demeanor had made him happier than he had expected more than once. Inside, Sprinter knew their ways would part, maybe for good, within a few weeks but until then, he’d do his best to repay his debt in full. A slight sigh escaped his mouth as he started to head towards her nest, hoping the sky water would end before it would engulf this entire woodland under itself.

Sprinter looked as the silhouette of the large, unusually long tree appeared before him, marking the spot where the female slept most often. However, as he came ever closer to it, he realized that Whiteclaw was nowhere to be seen. He frowned deeply at that realization, wondering where she had went this early in the morning. Inside, he couldn’t care less, though. The longer she was missing, the more time he would have before he’d have to listen to her demands about anything. He was just about to turn around and go explore the seemingly fertile northern areas of the woodland when he suddenly heard something that caught his attention.

“Is there anyone out there? Come help me out of here, now!” Sprinter’s eyes widened as he heard that call, recognizing Whiteclaw’s voice immediately. Her voice sounded rather urgent and alarmed and the male sailback knew immediately her call for help wasn’t a prank. He immediately headed towards the direction of the sound, deeply wondering what
he’d find.


The sharptooth cringed deeply as she took one step after another backwards, looking at the growing river before herself, full well knowing that it was only a few meters after which her back would touch the wall of stone behind her. The stream was growing wider by the second and with a disgusted thought, she wondered what would happen after the rushing river would take her along with it. She could swim but that would be of no help if she was slammed against some pile of stones and knocked unconscious. The female gulped as she realized she was in very real danger right now.

“Anyone, help me! I won’t last long!” She cried as she felt the edge of the river already touch her toes before taking another step backwards to buy herself more time. The sky water wasn’t about to stop anytime soon which meant that this rising water would only get from bad to worse as more time passed. She cursed herself from coming here on a day like this but the river had risen far quicker than she could ever have expected. The predator had absolutely no idea who would even want to save her and inside, she was already preparing for the inevitable.

“Whiteclaw! Is that you?” She heard a male voice call and she immediately looked at the call’s direction, seeing a sharptooth’s vague form looking at her from a nearby cliff, the sky water obstructing his features but his identity still wasn’t a secret to the female.

“What do you think, Sprinter? Get me out of here before the river takes me along with it!” She cried, causing the male to bring his left hand under his chin. Now that he thought about it, this was a good chance for him to get rid of his debt and of a possible rival for good and no one would ever even know about it. For a moment, Sprinter thought of the territory he could claim as his own after the female’s passing and she slowly smirked as he thought about what kind of luck he was having right now. He was just about to turn around and leave the other sharptooth to face her inevitable face when he suddenly stopped and cringed deeply.

Something deep within him rebelled against the logical course of action, some part he had tried to bury under his sense of pride and bitterness. No matter how he tried to tell himself otherwise, he didn’t want to see Whiteclaw die here and now as despite her demand, she had never treated him unfairly or in a hostile way nor had she ever tried to make him her servant or anything like that. And even deeper was one feeling that Sprinter shad felt for a few days by now but today seemed to radiate through his entire body.
Something that cried out against his plan to leave the female to die here, alone and forgotten. And a truly dependable ally could be of great help to him in the seasons to come, the rational part of the sharptooth’s mind reminded him. For a few seconds, Sprinter seemed to stand still and he was only awakened by a loud call from the alarmed female.

“Sprinter, don’t waste any more time! Please, I need your help!” She called and the words she used seemed to tell Sprinter the honesty and pureness in her call for help and it didn’t take long before he finally snapped out of his thoughts. He then called to the other sharpteeth as he started looking around himself.

“I’ll try to look for something! Hold on for a few moments longer!” He called as he ra into the woods, trying to find something that would help in this hour of need. At first, he could only see more sky water that seemed to be falling by the minute but after a short while, he saw something that caught his attention. A long vine was hanging from a nearby tree, one that could possible help him save Whiteclaw from her fate. He immediately jumped towards the vine and with one, strong blow he tore it from the tree. He smiled slightly as he looked at it falling to his arms and soon enough, he turned around and headed back towards the female.


A deep frown formed on Whiteclaw’s face as she tried to fight against the fast water that was quickly drowning her feet under itself. It wouldn’t be long now until it would take her with it and at that point, things would get really dangerous. She looked pleadingly at the edge of the nearby cliff, wondering whether Sprinter would return at all. She knew very well why he would want to get rid of her and inside, she really wondered if that would be her end. Inside, she cringed at the fact that she would most likely let Sprinter die if the situation was an opposite one and just claim the territory for herself. It was how most sharpteeth would face this choice and panic started to rise within her as she prepared to face head on her final journey.

She looked in disgust at the rising waters, not having expected today to turn out like this. She had hoped to die of old age after many more Cold Times but then some cursed twist of fate brought this tragedy upon her. After a few more moments of struggling to climb up the cliff, she finally relaxed completely, preparing to face her inevitable fate. She closed her eyes slowly and wished that all of it were over… before she felt something touch her shoulders. Before she could turn around, she heard Sprinter call to her.

“I was just in time! Now, get up before I’ll change my mind!” He called with a slight grin, not seeing any value in even trying to hide what had flashed within his mind as it wouldn’t come as any surprise to any predator. Whiteclaw looked at the vine, cringing as she wondered whether it could support her weight but in the end, she knew she had absolutely no choice. She narrowed her eyes as she grabbed the thick vine and started to climb upwards, praying that she wouldn’t find herself collapsing into the raging river.

Sprinter looked at the female in worry, cringing as he tried to keep the vine from slipping from his hands and dooming Whiteclaw once and for all. He panted deeply as he felt the muscles in his arms aching but he knew more than well the stakes. He counted the passing seconds, knowing it wouldn’t be too much longer before she’d see the other sailback appear before her. He looked at the darkened skies, trying to draw his attention away from his aching arms and hoping this ordeal would be over once and for all. Slowly, he lowered his gaze back towards the cliff… and nearly dropped the vine as he saw the top of the female’s head appear before him. He quickly moved closer to her and spoke to her urgently.

“Now, take my hand!” He said and the other sailback wasted no time doing as told. Whiteclaw felt every part of her body tremble as she felt herself being battered by the cold wind, the threat of immediate death still lingering over her. However, most of her worries were swept away as she felt the male’s hand meet hers, her fears starting to drift away immediately after seeing Sprinter’s eyes. She thanked the Bright Circle and the lesser lights from the bottom of her heart as she felt her body being pulled to the dry ground, her belly touching the soft grass as she forced herself further from the cliff. Sprinter asked her in worry as he looked at her.

“Are you alright, Whiteclaw? That was quite a mess you got yourself in!” He asked as he saw the female look at him in utter relief. His concern was more than clear to the female who waited for a few more seconds before she rose to her knees and answered the male’s question.

“Y… yes, I got out of there just in time. Th… thank you, Sprinter.” She said simply, giving him a brief smile. Sprinter suddenly felt more awkward than he had in a long, long time and for a moment, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to form any kind of coherent answer. Finally, he found something to say but he immediately knew it wasn’t the most natural way of moving forward.

“I guess this means you’re ready to cut our deal by two weeks, yes?” He asked, causing Whiteclaw to take a more sympathetic look as she looked at the sharpteeth. She couldn’t help but like him and his clear anxiety made her smile even deeper. Her voice was rather soft as she answered.

“Usually, that should be asked before you ask someone as afterwards, they seldom have reason to accept such proposals. But this time, I’m ready to do that, Sprinter. After all, without you I would most likely be dead by now.” She said with a slight chuckle, causing Sprinter to frown even deeper. He looked at her with slight embarrassment for a moment before clearing his throat rather loudly. He just wanted for this meeting to end as for some reason, he could only feel deep unease by Whiteclaw’s side. He looked at the female oddly as he turned around, clearly preparing to leave.

“Uhh… thanks for that, I guess. But I should… umm, go for now. See you later!” He said, cursing himself as he headed off. Whiteclaw momentarily raised her hand as she saw the male heading off before she took a brief sigh and turned around with a resigned look and headed in the opposite direction of where the male had disappeared.


The sky water fell for two days without an end but it did end, eventually, making way for many more days of the shine of the Bright Circle. In many ways, that seemed to reflect Sprinter’s mood as he spent the days exploring the land and meeting Whiteclaw’s allies one by one. Those were happy days for him and he could see Whiteclaw also looking happier than she had when he had first met her. Yet, there was one, single thought lingering within his mind as he thought about one particular day to come… one that seemed to
be coming far too quickly for both of the sailbacks…

Whiteclaw’s expression darkened starkly as she looked at the male before her. She knew just what his business with her was and she simply couldn’t force even the slightest of smiles on her face as she observed the male’s rather stoic face. Sprinter’s voice was moody and low as he spoke but it still held his former decisiveness.

“It has been two weeks since I came here and considering our deal after I saved your ass, I consider my debt repaid in full.” He said, the tone of happiness and relief that could have been expected completely absent from his voice. The female glanced at him for a while before she walked closer to him, speaking to him as naturally as she could.

“So you have. You are now free to do however you please, Sprinter.” She said, looking at him sadly. If even a modicum of her usual vigilance had survived her horrifying anxiety, she would have seen that he felt exactly the same way she did. Sprinter nodded at her briefly, trying to find any words to say. He would have wanted nothing more but to tell everything he had to say to the female but on the other hand, his mind screamed against trying to portray anything that could have been interpreted as weakness to the female.

“Indeed. And umm, well I guess it’s time for me to go. After all, that was my plan all along. Thank you for your hospitality but I cannot linger here any longer. It is your territory after all.” He said, preparing for the possible answer. However, before Whiteclaw could even think about any possible answer, she felt a certain set of words escape her mouth that had come from somewhere deep within her.

“There’s no need to. You can stay here as you want to. Actually, umm…” She started to stutter as she looked at the male who looked at her with glassed eyes. Whiteclaw tried to find something that could make up for her unthought words but she simply couldn’t form another word. Sprinter, on the other hand, tried to make some, any sense of the female’s comments but no matter how he looked at it, he knew there were only a few possible explanations for Whiteclaw’s words. Only one’s family, their trusted allies or… or a mate could be allowed to stay on one’s territory and only the last one of those possibilities made any sense in this situation. Sprinter took a few steps back before he spoke in a wary, even fearful voice.

“A… are you sure? I… I mean, do you mean it?” He asked, looking at Whiteclaw’s face in expectation. The female, on the other hand, frowned deeply, knowing full well what Sprinter meant with those words. So, her proposition was out in the open and there was no way to take it back anymore. Of course, she could cast it aside with some kind of lie but her heart told her to finally speak up her mind. She sighed deeply as she looked at the male in the eyes and started to speak.

“Sprinter… I’ve met many sharpteeth in my life but thus far, most of them have only wanted to try to show everyone around them just how ferocious and strong they truly were. But you… ever since you arrived here, I could see you were different. You never wanted to prove to be better than anyone else and unlike them, you showed your loyalty by saving me when you had absolutely no reason to do so and that is exactly why… why I’d like to ask you…” She took a brief moment to gather her courage as she prepared for her final admission. Sprinter looked at her unmoving, knowing full well what was coming. He felt his heart beat furiously within his chest as he heard the female starting to speak again.

“I’d like to ask you, do you wish to become my mate?” She finally said, her vision seemingly starting to spin as the emotion of the moment washed over her as she had finally managed to say to words she had wanted to say for days. Now, all she could do was to hope she hadn’t estimated her situation wrong and that Sprinter truly saw things the way she thought he did.

The male took a few moments to allow the impact of those words sink into his mind. All the feelings he had tried to escape from or throw aside returned to his mind as he looked into the female’s deep green eyes and her sweet smile that seemed more beautiful to him now than anything he had seen before. This was exactly what he had wanted to hear in his dreams and in this moment, he cursed himself for nearly walking away from Whiteclaw without ever voicing his own feelings in any way. Had it been up to him, he would have headed off and, and… those thoughts felt like a bad dream as he looked at Whiteclaw and started to speak.

“I don’t know at which point I realized it but very quickly after I met you, I in a way dreaded this day when I should leave this place for good. There was something within you that
I couldn’t help but adore but I was just too shy to tell you anything about that and I am more than sorry about that. But as for your own question… yes, I really do wish to be your mate. It would be my honor.” He said with a wide smile which was very quickly returned by the female. The two locked eyes tightly before slowly taking each other’s hands and heading to adore their newfound feelings. Neither of them would have traded this day for anything else and neither did they ever regret this decision made on this beautiful day.

This is my response to the February prompt. Now, I admit I may be up an explanation about who the characters are as I doubt most would remember them. They are Stealth’s parents from Farewell to a Changing Land, one fic I did nearly two years ago. This story will be loosely tied to Separate Ways soon enough and already, I wanted to show that Chomper’s parents have had a long feud with the sailback family which might somewhat explain what happened in the last chapter of my main tale. On a rather more negative note, I’ve been forced to decrease my writing pace considerably due to developments in my real life. Anyway, tell me what you think of this one and see you with the next chapter of Separate Ways!

One Fallen, Two Torn Apart

A slight frown appeared on the flyer’s face as his eyes sought at a certain tiny, dead forest somewhere far below him. His efforts to search some food for his mate had been completely for nothing, not even a flicker of green to be found in this endless monotony of gloom and darkness. It had been weeks since he had eaten properly himself but that mattered little to Tuulen right now. All that mattered was to try to help his beloved mate and the soon-to-hatch children survive through these hellish times. The flyer coughed slightly as he breathed at yet another patch of ash falling from the fire mountains far in the distance. Yes, things seemed bleaker by the day and inside, the deep-brown flyer couldn’t help but feel his concerns for his family’s future grow every day. If things continued like this, there was no telling…

“Returning empty-handed again, Tuulen? It seems like you have a lot to learn in finding green food!” The male flyer’s eyes widened slightly as he heard the familiar voice. Hope and slight embarrassment filled him as he turned at the speaker, the sight of the lighter-colored dinosaur who was quickly diving lower to the ground in order to join the other male.

“Anywhere I looked, all that had once been there was gone. But I see that you were again luckier than me, Pterano. Thanks for your help, again.” He said, not able to hide his relief as he saw the small pile of withered green that Pterano carried with his legs. Even if he would have wanted to find it himself, the most important thing was that Volant wouldn’t have to starve while guarding the nest. The other male grinned slightly at him as he nodded towards the small forest that appeared far in the horizon, implicating that their destination was growing close.

“How many times have I told you that you have to search for water, no matter how long it takes, my dear Tuulen? Though, you have done more than your fair part in keeping my sister safe and for that, you have my thanks as well.” He said, turning his gaze back forward, a slight smile of happiness in his eyes. The other flyer glanced at him, relaxing somewhat as he heard those words of gratitude. Even if he had been somewhat suspicious of his mate’s brother joining them in the way to the Great Valley, he had grown to like the other flyer during these months of hardship. He was more than a little pompous and even arrogant but he meant well and he was an invaluable help in helping both him and Volant move forward on this march of misery. He then looked at the gathered herds of dinosaurs below him, regretting that he and his mate were forced to join these landwalkers but it was true that there was safety in numbers. He snorted slightly as he prepared to land on the tree he knew Volant was waiting for him as he answered to Pterano one more time.

“I’ll do my all to help her reach the Valley. You know that, Pterano.” He said simply, hoping in his heart that he’d see it one day as well but he couldn’t help but wonder if he and his companions were in truth only chasing a rumor, a myth. But all of those thoughts disappeared from his mind as his feet touched the cold stone cliff and a rather low but clearly female voice spoke to him.

“Thank goodness you’re back! I was already starting to worry if something had happened!” Volant spoke to Tuulen who panted slightly as he tried to catch his breath after the long flight. His eyes immediately turned towards the group of eggs next to her mate but he still asked the same question he had presented many times before.

“We’re both safe, thanks to the Bright Circle. Has anything happened here? How are the little ones?” He asked urgently, each day surprised by the amount of fears that had gathered in his mind during those long hours he was forced to stay apart from his mate and children. Volant took a somewhat tense look but there was nothing there filled the male with alarm.

“If I heard right, there was another egg stealer that tried to sneak upon the swimmers but that bastard was apparently crushed before he could do anything. We’ve been safe here but… I’m just so worried that one of them or some cursed sharptooth flyer will try to steal one of our eggs. If one of them dare show their faces here, I’ll… I’ll…” Volant tried to look confrontational but she succeeded only in underlining her own fearful thoughts. Tuulen frowned slightly as he prepared to answer but it was then that Pterano landed beside him and joined the conversation in the direct way he often did.

“Here you go, sister. It wasn’t easy to find but it’s at least something.” He said simply, not willing to bring his part in finding them up as he knew more than well what was at stake.  Not even a flyer like him was arrogant enough to make himself seem more important like he was on a time like this. Volant gave him a brief smile as she took the pile of green food from her brother’s hands and answered to him warmly.

“Thank you, Pterano. At least we should now be alright for a little bit…” She was suddenly cut short as a massive bolt of sky fire suddenly illuminated the entire scene, soon to be followed by the familiar rumble. Almost immediately afterwards, sky water started to fall with an unusually violent force as another flash of sky fire lighted the sky. Volant frowned as she looked at the skies, the incoming storm somehow managing to escape her notice. However, it took only a second for her to remember her charge and without another thought, she turned around as she cried to the two males.

“Help me make a better shelter for the eggs! We cannot afford to risk one of them getting washed into the ground by the sky water!” She cried as she started to gather rocks around the eggs, knowing the dangers that this weather might pose. She had already secured the nest masterfully but there was absolutely no chance she’d take even the slightest of chances. It wasn’t long before the three flyers nodded to each other, knowing that the eggs were safe, no matter what. Tuulen gave his mate a smile as he raised the last rock to safeguard the eggs.

“That was that. Don’t worry dear, they’re safe from an…”

Crack!

He started before he was interrupted by sound that made his heart skip a beat. He could hardly move his head towards the eggs, his mind racing at the implications of what he might see soon enough. Even if that moment felt like an eternity to the flyer, to an outsider it would have seemed like Tuulen nearly fell as he forced himself to turn towards the eggs… only to see a widening crack form at one of them. He was completely taken aback by the development and it was Volant that spoke first.

“Tuulen! I… it’s happening!” She only cried as she brought her hands to her chin as the egg started to shudder more and more by the second. The two mates moved closer to each other in order to welcome their first child into the world together. The expectation was more than tangible in the air as Pterano cast a warm smile towards the two fresh parents as he slowly fled further away from them. He would relish witnessing this moment but he knew more than well that this wasn’t his day: it was that of his sister and her mate.

Volant’s eyes were nearly glassed as she saw a tiny beak suddenly appearing from the shell, soon to be followed by a small hand. After that moment, it took only a tiny effort for the hatchling to break the already-weakened egg and after another blow, it collapsed into pieces. A deep smile appeared on the female’s head as she looked at the newborn boy who looked around himself in confusion and distress. She bowed towards her and spoke to her child in a warm voice.

“Hello there, Gust! Come here. I don’t mean ill to you.” She cooed softly as she nuzzled the hatchling softly, soon to be followed by her mate. The newborn flyer seemed frightened at first but soon his expression softened as well. Tuulen spoke to his child with a similar tone as he looked at the tiny flyer into the eyes.

“Aww, you are even more adorable than I expected. Say hello to your mommy and daddy.” He said as the hatchling looked at the two, only giving a brief squeak in answer. Volant and Tuulen chuckled as they closed beaks, giving each other a long snuzzle that both of them would last forever. However, both of them disengaged from it at the very same moment as they heard another cracking sound… followed by yet another. Volant’s eyes widened in shock as more and more of her ten eggs started to shudder and squeak under increasing pressure. Volant could only stutter in wonder as she saw two more of her children break their way out of their shelters, joining their brother.

It didn’t take too long until each of the children save for one had managed to escape their former prisons. Tuulen was more than overjoyed by the occasion… but the single remaining egg weighed his heart in a moment that would otherwise have been the most joyous in his life. He knew more than well what an unhatching egg usually meant: that the baby inside had succumbed to one of the countless dangers that waited for each and every dinosaur even before they could even see the light of the day for even the first, pitiful time. Tuulen sighed slightly as he tried to take his eyes away from the failed egg, already dreading the job of getting disposed of it soon enough. This was a time for celebration and he wouldn’t waste his children’s first moments simply to mourn something that wasn’t their fault. He was just about to turn at the newborn flyers… when he suddenly saw that top of the remaining egg fly off with a greater force than the others.

“Look, dear! The last one will hatch after all!” He cried as he suddenly moved towards the other egg, expecting the rest of the shell breaking down at any moment. That sight also cast away the lingering sorrow that had forced its way into Volant’s heart. However, what happened next was something that neither one of the two flyers had expected: they saw the tiny beak peek out of the egg but it was as if the hatchling consciously tried not to damage its home any more. That sight made Volant more than amused as she landed next to the last egg and looked at the hatchling but when she moved closer to him, the baby flyer cowered deeper into its egg in order to hide from the menacing form, starting to shudder heavily. The female looked somewhat concerned by that and she took a more serious but still warm tone as she spoke to the boy.

“I’m not going to harm you. It is completely safe to come out. Now, come on.” She said encouragingly, frowning deeply as her son seemed to hesitate even after her words. Tuulen also moved beside her, trying to brake the ice between the parents and the tiny flyer. However, seeing the two massive forms gather around himself, the hatchling quickly felled his egg to its side and tried to creep away from his parents. That sight hurt Volant slightly as she hated the thought that her child would fear her but she knew better than to attempt to force him to accept her. That would hardly end well for either of them. Instead, she warmly cooed to him ago, offering her hand as she spoke.

“It’s alright. Come to see your mommy and your brothers and sisters. There’s far too much to celebrate to act like that, now isn’t there?” She said, slowly approaching the child, ready to close him in her embrace and slowly but surely, it started to look like she was going to be successful. The newborn brown flyer started to be on the verge of calming down and his eyes started to even have a longing hint to them. Volant’s heart started to swell as she saw her son starting to force his way towards her… but at that very moment, another massive flash of lighting penetrated the sky, causing the hatchling to jump in horror backwards… just far enough for him to feel the solid rock below him starting to collapse, weakened by the endless battering of skywater. The boy let out an alarmed squeak as it felt the ground disappear from within him, casting the child into the seemingly endless abyss. Volant cried horrifyingly as she immediately jumped on her wings.

“No! Someone, save him, now!” She shouted, dreading that she’d never again see the last of her children, a thought that already made her panic uncontrollably. However, just as she was about to dive over the rocky cliff, she saw something that made her calm down immediately. The sight of her brother appeared before her, an alarmed but happy sight on the male’s face.

“I thought he was going a bit too close to the cliff… and well, I happened to be close enough to save him because of that. Here he is, Volant.” Pterano said as he carefully dropped the tiny form in his right leg into the ground. Volant and Tuulen wasted to time embracing the hatchling, the former being the first to speak.

“Never do something like that again! We nearly lost you but… the most important thing is that we didn’t.  Thank you, Pterano.” He said to the male who merely nodded in approval. The boy was still more than horrified but now, he seemed to more than welcome his parents’ company. Tuulen gave him a brief nuzzle as she tenderly asked his mate.

“We had an unbelievable luck, Volant. All of our children were able to hatch, even if this one left us with a lot of worrying. What should we call him?” Tuulen asked, knowing more than well that the two had thought of countless names during their weeks of waiting but he felt like this hatchling would have the most promise in the future. Volant took a deep breath to calm herself before she raised her eyes at the raging skies, her face looking illuminated by the still-continuing skyfire. After a moment, she returned to look at the hatchling who finally seemed to give his first, careful smile. Volant returned it immediately and the next words she spoke came as if she hadn’t even said them at all.

“I’ll call this one Petrie. I think it fits him well, don’t you think?” She said, earning a nod of approval from her mate. Tuulen again nuzzled his mate briefly before speaking to his son briefly.

“Then it’ll be so. Petrie, I’ll look forward to seeing what you’ll become one day.” He said, smiling as the battering of the rain started to slowly ease. Even then, the two flyers knew this day was but major test for them and their children in this long journey of faith. Yes, neither one of them would never forget the first day of their children but inside, both of them knew it’d be a miracle if they all made it together to the Valley. But Volant was encouraged by this small miracle before her and it shouldn’t be impossible for more of them to be waiting just outside the corner.


The dawning day was a hazy and a rather cold one with slight mist covering the entire land under it. A cool wind blew through the dead landscape, battering the unsheltered dinosaurs as if it consciously wanted them harm. Yet, even this was a welcome break from the ash-filled, hot weather that had often been the companion of the flyer family. None of this was lost to Volant whose first reaction to the new day was the constant shuddering she felt as she escaped from the realm of the sleep stories. Her first thought was the very same as it had been in the past four days: to make sure that nothing had happened to her beautiful children. She could hardly draw breath as she looked at the baby flyers sleeping beside her but her fears eased as she noticed that each one of them was safe and sound.

Even then, that relaxation was only temporary as all of the memories of the past days returned to her mind. Out here, she simply couldn’t afford to think for a moment that things were well if she wanted that her children to be able to see tomorrow. However, after a few seconds she noticed something that caught her attention. Where was Tuulen? It wasn’t rare that her mate woke up before her but it still filled her with slight fear. Slowly, she rose to her feet, making sure not to wake any of the hatchlings up. At first, the mist prevented her from seeing much past her beak but soon, she saw the familiar form a bit further away in the distance. She frowned somewhat as she called to him.

“Tuulen, come here! What in earth are you doing out here?” She called, full well knowing she couldn’t leave her children unprotected. The male wasted no time doing as told and it was mere seconds until he landed in front of her mate. Tuulen frowned as he looked into the hazy horizon while addressing his mate in a careful voice.

“I was just trying to sort out my thoughts, dear. I woke up a long time ago after Fairwind had wet her nest and well, I changed the grass she lied on as I had to.” He said simply, something clearly bothering him clearly. It was obvious that it wasn’t that incident that lingered within his mind but even then, Volant was somewhat saddened to see her mate act like this. He was a father now and he couldn’t let his own worries darken all of his days. Volant moved closer to him and addressed the male in a silent voice.

“Well, you have my thanks for that. But, Tuulen, listen to me. I know the times are difficult but we cannot act all the time like this day is our last. The kids know if something is wrong as well as we do and I don’t want our worries darken their first days as well. Besides, you simply cannot give such an answer when I ask what’s bothering you. I can see that there’s something wrong and especially on days like these, we have to be honest with each other.” She said softly but firmly, willing to get her mate to open up. She was more than grateful for Tuulen’s concern for his family and for his help in tending to the hatchlings’ needs but he let his own fears overwhelm him more of often than necessary. The larger flyer’s face fell for a short moment but almost immediately afterwards, he relaxed again.

“It is the swimmers, dear. I heard earlier today that the sharpteeth are growing bolder than ever in their efforts to have our children as easy meals. U… Ura told me that she has already lost three of her children to those bastards. And the longnecks nearly lost their only baby to an egg stealer. I don’t know about the other herds but I’d be astonished if they were without any losses.” He said, letting his mate to form some kind of meaning to those words within her mind. Volant’s face turned into a frown, knowing that those bastards were on the move but she hadn’t really heard about the swimmers. He then nodded at her mate as she gave her answer.

“That doesn’t come as a surprise but that is exactly the reason why we cannot let fear take over our minds. The sharpteeth will use any opening they’ll have and to prevent them from forming, we three have to do our all. And besides, we’re lucky as flyers as only some of the sharpteeth can even reach our nest. I’m happy you watch over the situation but please, stop wandering away on your own. It puts you in danger as well and I don’t know what I’d do without you. I need you to get through all of this.” She said as she joined hands with the male. Tuulen would have wanted to simply throw away his gloom but there was still something that prevented him from completely calming down. However, he was more than willing to help his mate by at least trying to act more responsibly. He sighed as he spoke to Volant.

“The same, my love. But… it’s just… damn, what am I even complaining about? All of us are in the very same situation. And if those pitiful landwalkers can handle it, then can we.” He said with a smile, not able to escape his thankfulness for being able to escape at least some problems the other kinds simply couldn’t. Volant smiled at her mate’s words as she spoke, also knowing how blessed her and her children’s luck was.

“Indeed, dear. We’ll just have to make sure we will never be surprised by the sharpteeth and we’ll be fine. But even then, we only have a cycle of a Night Circle until we’ll have to get moving. This place simply cannot sustain us longer than that. That is what I worry about the most.” The female said, knowing that the day of departure would come far sooner than she expected. Also, she knew that the hatchlings would never fly by then which meant long days of carrying them on her back along with the two males, a thought that made her cringe already. She was taken aback as Tuulen chuckled at that comment.

“Well, that is a problem best left for that time. After all, that is still a worry of the future.” He said with a wide smile, realizing just how quickly the tables had turned between the two flyers. Volant looked at him with a surprise but after a while, she joined her mate’s laughter and shortly after, answered him.

“I guess so, Tuulen. I guess so.” She said as she turned to look at her children that were slowly waking up. Yes, this would be a day filled with work and dangers but the female knew that there would be anything she couldn’t get over. Not as long as she had her mate with her.


The day aged slowly as the haze seemed to only grow denser by the minute. There were very few sounds to be heard and in many ways, each of the flyers could have been forgiven for thinking that their nest was floating in white nothingness. That in itself wasn’t a reason of worry to any of the three adults but they knew that it would force them to keep an even keener eye at their surroundings. Pterano was thinking with a smile at her sister’s hatchlings, still determined to give the parents more space with them. However, there was something he didn’t like in the least. The day had been far too calm and for some reason, he felt a slight unease rise within him. Completely unexpected to the two other flyers, he finally spoke to Volant and Tuulen.

“We have to take a brief look around us. The chance that some cursed baby killer would use this mist to their advantage is simply too great.” He said glumly, knowing he had a point. In many ways, he hated being forced to rely on his sister like this as he loved the freedom he had maintained all his life… thus far. When he had heard of the Valley, he knew that his best option had been to join up with Volant and her mate on this journey but there were times when he felt like the two didn’t consider all the things that had to be considered while making decisions, unlike him. Tuulen frowned slightly as he answered, walking closer to the lighter-colored male.

“Are you sure, Pterano? I mean, the weather is rather ghastly but it also makes things harde…” He started but he wasn’t allowed to finish the sentence when Pterano cut him short.

“It makes the work of the sharpteeth much easier, my dear Tuulen. I’ve seen in my life that they are much better in planning than you might think. They might very well use this mist to attack us.” He said firmly, leaving little room for disagreement. Volant frowned somewhat but any thought of incoming threats made chills creep down her spine. But even then, she wasn’t completely convinced of her brother’s idea and she answered to him immediately.

“That might be, brother, but we also have to remember that it makes things more difficult here and besides, you might get surprised yourself out there! The risks are simply too great!” She said with a pleading voice, dreading the prospect of being forced to guard the hatchlings alone while the others were going Bright Circle knows where. Tuulen frowned as he looked at his mate, knowing full well that her argument was valid. However, he also trusted Pterano and inside, he had already made up his mind. He lowered his hand on Volant’s shoulder and spoke to her softly.

“I promise you we will be back shortly. I pray we will be safe but we all know we have to first make sure the children aren’t falling under any harm.” He said slowly, earning an ever deeper look of concern from his mate. The female was nowhere as confident of the plan as her mate but even then, she couldn’t find no real reason to try to deny the two from doing what they felt was right. She sighed slightly as she looked at the two males.

“Very well. But make sure to return as soon as you can.” She said simply and immediately, Pterano gave her a brief smile before he spoke to his sister.

“Oh, you may trust us, Volant. We wouldn’t give any sharptooth the joy of besting either of us.” He said with a smirk which however didn’t make Volant any more relaxed. However, she nodded to the two as a matter of understanding. Tuulen took a brief breath before he spoke his last words before taking off.

“Very well. We will meet again soon enough. I promise it.” He said and only a few seconds later, he was gone. Volant looked after the two for a moment until she suddenly heard a cry from behind her. A more hopeful look rose to her face as she turned around, knowing she’d do her best to look after the children until her mate and brother would return to her.


Tuulen looked around himself, noticing that the mist was slowly starting to grow weaker. It still made flying a rather risky affair, though, and he forced himself to move at a speed which only barely allowed him to retain his altitude. He was barely flying at the height of a longneck’s back as that was his own chance if he wanted to spot any possible threats in the ground. He knew Pterano was not far to his left, investigating the land as well. There was no reason to move too far from their nest as any menacing group of sharpteeth or egg stealers would likely already be at a striking distance from the nest.

As he looked at the dead ground below him, the look in Volant’s gaze returned to his mind. He truly regretted not being there with her now as he also wanted nothing more than to stay beside his children as much as possible. Still, he knew that this was his part as a flyer. Most males weren’t even supposed to stick with their mates, instead moving to look for other females in order to father as many children as possible. Many had frowned at his decision to stay with Volant for good but there was no other place he wanted to be and he knew Volant felt the same way. Even now, he had looked after the hatchlings far more than any other flyer male he had met in his life.

Many thoughts swirled within his mind as he moved past the nests of the other herds, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The moist, cool air made his back shiver as he saw skeletons of fallen threehorns through the ghastly mist even if he already knew they were there. Minutes passed without him seeing anything but shadows about his travelling companions and inside, Tuulen knew he was already getting too far from the nest. Any sharptooth he’d meet here would be of no threat to him or his family. Suddenly, he let out a loud shriek to Pterano, ordering him to turn back as well.

However, this time the two would also scour the surroundings of the cliff that was their nest, knowing that it would also be a potential place for the villains to strike. However, Tuulen started to slowly relax as he knew that the most pressing fears of an attack had now passed. He knew Pterano had been right with his fears but his long, solitary life had probably made him more fearful than necess…

Suddenly, he saw something that made his blood run cold. That sight was very vague and surely, certainly it couldn’t be… but it was. The male frowned deeply as he saw a group of four fastbiters heading towards his nest with a quick pace. At first, he prayed they were soon turning away from that path and head towards some other herd but those thoughts were quickly dashed. They were moving forward with deadly decisiveness, leaving little room for uncertainty about their destination. Tuulen felt a grip of fear take over his mind as he looked at them, realizing there couldn’t be more than a few minutes until they’d reach Volant and the children. He had to act now but a few worries rose to his mind.

He couldn’t take four of them out by himself and even worse, he couldn’t call Pterano without alerting the bastards of his presence. Furthermore, there could be other sharpteeth sneaking nearby in cases like these. But even then, he didn’t have a choice. No one else would take out this threat but him and this is exactly what he had come out here to do. The flyer took a deep breath as he prepared to strike, ignoring all the thoughts that reminded him of everything that could go wrong in the next few seconds.

Concentrating all his power into the coming dive, Tuulen plunged himself downwards, willing to seize this advantage to his best ability. It was only less than a second before the hit that first of the sharpteeth turned around, alarmed by the whizzing sound of the attacking flyer. A massive thud could be heard as the male collided with the first of the juvenile sharpteeth, sending her rolling into the ground. As Tuulen moved to attack her throat, he called to his companion with all his might.

“Pterano, come help me, now!”


That call also reached the ears of someone Tuulen had hoped it wouldn’t. Volant was just feeding the small pile of green food to the hatchlings when she heard her mate’s cry which immediately froze her in her place. So, something had indeed gone wrong and… and that could only mean that there was someone threatening her children! She turned around, thinking of helping Tuulen in whatever threat he was dealing with. However, as she heard the alarmed chirping of her children, she realized that simply wasn’t possible. If she threw away all of her caution, anyone could just come and kill all of her beautiful babies. Remembering her charge, she crossed her arms and spoke to the cool wind.

“Please, be alright, Tuulen. Please come back to me as soon as you can.”


That sound immediately woke Pterano from his growing sense of safety which he had tried to lull himself into. He could hear the fear and urgency within Tuulen’s voice and he wasted no time heading towards the voice. He knew that time was off the essence and he already dreaded what he would meet when he reached the other male. But in the end, this only meant his instinct had again been correct and without him, the sharpteeth would have attacked the nest without any difficulty. That thought brought more than a little solace to the flyer but for now, it was drowned under the fear of the situation.

Even if the mist was starting to break up at an ever increasing speed, it still took a short time before the light-brown male caught the sight of his sister’s mate and the sight hardly was the one he had hoped to see. He was just trying to rise to his wings while standing over the corpse of a dead fastbiter. Pterano was impressed by Tuulen’s fierce attack but before he could reflect any more of the situation, he noticed something that alarmed him without an end. A slightly older fastbiter leapt out of a nearby bush, heading straight towards the darker-colored male!

Pterano could easily see that Tuulen would never be able to escape from the beast’s claws and it was also clear that the predator had been on the watch, waiting for a situation like this. However, Pterano wasn’t about to let that happen. Not only was he afraid of his sister’s reaction but he also respected, even liked Tuulen greatly. He gathered all the speed he could in order to tackle the carnivore to his side… just inches separating the beast’s teeth from Tuulen’s wings. The latter took a deep breather, already having counted himself as a certain goner. He then cried to Pterano who also made sure to disengage from his hopeless melee with the fastbiter.

“Th… thanks, Pterano! I already thought it was all over for me.” He said even if he knew the fight was far from over. However, just as Pterano thought he, too, was safe, he felt a searing pain within his right thigh but to his relief, the sensation of being pulled back to the earth didn’t follow the initial rush of pain. In other words, he was still alive and he’d receive another chance to help his sister’s mate.

Tuulen, on the other hand, knew that his work was far from done. The sharpteeth gritted their teeth at him but they still wouldn’t give up their quest to attack Volant and the children. And now that their presence was known to the fastbiters, he knew he had but one choice left. He quickly let out a wicked cry, knowing that even the other herds would hear it. Even if he despised the thought of being to forced to rely on the other kinds for help, the flyer knew that their fight against the sharpteeth was a common cause for all of the leafeaters. The sharpteeth realized that their situation was growing dangerous and each of them sprinted towards the flyers’ nest. Tuulen frowned in alarm, knowing that the situation was a difficult one but it appeared that once again, he would have to do his all to at least delay the fastbiters.

“Pterano, aid me again! With any luck, we’ll receive aid soon enough!” He cried as he started to circle around the predators, trying to find any chance to strike. To the male’s despair, he couldn’t seem to find one which meant that he had but one choice. With a deep sigh, he plunged closer to the predators, preparing to do his all In order to foil their plan. A fear of pure determination was glassed on his eyes as he face one of the fastbiters, knowing that his attack could turn out to be a terrible mistake. Yet, he simply didn’t have a choice at this point.

That sight alarmed Pterano far more than most things he had seen in his life. Was Tuulen completely insane? He simply couldn’t… Ugh, what could he himself do in a situation like this? Pterano had learned in his life and simply sacrificing oneself without a good reason was never an answer even if he had to respect the other male’s courage. He took a forced sigh as he headed after the lighter-colored flyer, knowing he could never again face his sister if he let her mate fall without helping him.

The fastbiter did its best to force the flyer further away from him, knowing he’d have to keep up with his companions or his hopes of living through this hunt would be pitiful at best. The flyers realized this and Tuulen knew he had to do something more in order to buy more time. After a few seconds, an idea rose into his mind as he remembered some of the characteristics of a cliff close to his family’s nest. He immediately took more speed in an attempt to gain at least some distance between himself and the fastbiters. Pterano was taken aback by the other male’s sudden change of mind but he wasted no time following him wherever he was heading to.

Tuulen frowned deeply as he saw the pile of loose rocks lying on the mountainside, smiling as he looked at the narrow passage to his nest. As he saw Pterano approach him, the flyer cried to him in a loud voice.

“Quickly, help me throw these rocks down and the sharpteeth will be delayed slightly!” He cried as he started to push against the smallest rocks, knowing he had but a few seconds before the sharpteeth would reach the pass. He started to frown in fear as he couldn’t seem to get even any of he boulders start rolling down the hill. Pterano, however, wasn’t about to give up and he immediately headed towards a larger rock, knowing it would do the trick far more easily. He cried to the other male as he hit against the rock, ignoring the pain of the collision completely. At the same time, he cried to the other male.

“Get out of the way, Tuulen! Here it comes!” He cried as the mountainside started to collapse into the small pass. The darker-colored male looked at the sight in surprise as he jumped to his wings quickly, looking in astonishment as the small pass was blocked by the rocks in a matter of seconds. An instant smile rose to his face as he saw the sharpteeth stopping immediately, realizing the situation immediately. However, before any of them got a chance to think what to do next, a loud roar could be heard from behind them.

“You should have just stayed away, you despicable child killers! I’ll make sure you’ll never get another chance to come prey upon us!” Tuulen looked in relief as he saw a large, female threehorn rush towards the fastbiters with an astonishing speed. The sharpteeth realized immediately that they couldn’t stand against this foe and instinctively, tried to the other direction to make good of the name of their kind. However, the male flyer realized immediately that he simply couldn’t allow that idea to pass. He called to his companion as he moved to cut the predators’ flight.

“Pterano, come help me! We must not let them escape!” He cried as he dashed to block the fastbiters’s way, hoping that they were too panicked by the threehorn’s appearance to attack him with their full ferocity. Pterano gulped deeply as he did as told, regretting that this day had turned out to be this dangerous. Still, he’d see it through, no matter the
cost.

The sharpteeth looked in fear as the two flyers landed in front of them even if they knew that in usual circumstances, they’d be goners in less than a minute. Now, however, they didn’t have any time to spare before their chaser would crush them all and so they tried to bypass the leafeaters completely. However, they were not about to let that happen and without any regard for their safety, they tackled two of the predators into the ground, ignoring the deep wounds the alarmed beasts managed to tear into their sides as both of them fell to the ground. Tuulen was just about to flee to safety from the fastbiters’ claws… when he heard a horrible thud merely inches from his head. When he opened his eyes, he only saw the crushed remains of the two fastbiters’ chest, obliterated by the mere weight of the threehorn’s stomp.


The sounds of the fight made Volant feel more miserable by the second as she knew full well just how much was at stake. She could tell that her mate and her brother were giving their all to keep her and the children safe but her inability to help them was more than torturing to the young mother. She wanted nothing more than to go help her companions but for much of the battle, she wasn’t even able to see what was happening so very near. However, as time passed, the mist started to dissipate just in time for her to see the collapse of the low pass between her and the sharpteeth.

At first, she had been more than relieved by that sight and Stronghorn’s arrival had more than turned the tables on the villains. She crossed her arms to look at that sight, already forcing her to accept that things had turned out the very best way. The predators were being chased away, her children and companions were safe… until she saw something that dashed her raising hopes immediately.

She suddenly saw a massive sharptooth flyer circling the sky around the scene of the battle, clearly searching for something to eat. At first, Volant wanted to cast the creature aside as they often attacked smaller dinosaurs or corpses unless they were extremely desperate, but after a moment, she could see it was looking straight at the fighting flyers! Just as Tuulen and Pterano had forced the fastbiters to the ground, Volant felt stomach drop immediately. The flyer quickly started to dive towards the fighting dinosaurs with a terrifying speed.

What happened next seemed to pass in a tiny flicker of a second in Volant’s mind. She knew the males wouldn’t hear her cries out there and the urgent fight would prevent them from seeing anything that happened around them. And without her help… Volant’s heart jumped into her throat as all of her thoughts were wiped away by the sight that was transpiring before her eyes. Not even the cries of her children reached her ears as she headed to save her mate at any cost. She looked at the sharptooth flyer approach Tuulen quickly, so agonizingly quickly… and all that she could do was to cry with all her might.

“Tuulen, for the Bright Circle’s sake,  watch out, now!”

The distant voice of his mate made Tuulen turn his gaze towards her but the threehorn’s intrusion had robbed him of the precious seconds he would have needed to safeguard his own back. Pterano managed to lock his gaze on the other male… just in time to see the massive predator sink its claws into his sister’s mate, snapping his neck with one, quick bite. Tuulen himself had just time to glance at the dinosaur who would be his demise. He barely even felt pain as the predator flushed out his life… but not before he saw the alarmed look of his mate. Suddenly, a wave of melancholy and hope flushed over him as one, final thought invaded his fading mind.

Be well, my love. And all my children… I hope you have a good life. You’ll never know how much I would have liked to stay with you longer.

Before he or anyone else could do anything, the sharptooth headed back towards the skies with the lifeless remains of the flyer who had only a few days earlier celebrated becoming a new father. A flyer who had shared this journey of faith and despair with his companions. The flyer who would never again rise to his wings or meet his children. Volant nearly collapsed into the ground and only instinctively, she managed to avoid dropping into the ground. Her mate… her beloved mate… this simply couldn’t happen… it just couldn’t! However, this wasn’t nearly the last shock as she heard another cry meet her ears.

“Turn back now, Volant, damnit! For goodness’ sake, go save the children!” Pterano cried as he immediately as he looked in outrage at Volant. He was overwhelmed by the loss of Tuulen but even now, he was beyond appalled by his sister’s actions. Only with forced movements, Volant managed to turn around, not willing to see what her brother had meant. The sight that greeted her was one from her worst nightmares. A pair of smaller sharptooth flyers had just landed around her nest, the frightened chirping of her children piercing the air. Volant’s eyes widened at that sight and she let out a screech like which only few dinosaurs had ever heard. Tears already started falling from her eyes as her mind raced horrifyingly and she flapped her wings like never before. How could she have done this? This was just what she had pledged to avoid to herself ever since the hatching of her children and she had ruined everything within a matter of seconds. She cried before her in a vague attempt to calm herself down.

“Hang only a moment longer! I’m coming!”


The small hatchlings were completely helpless against the predators, each of them able to only follow in horror as they saw the first of their siblings torn to pieces before her eyes. Some of them were frozen in their place whereas others attempted to miserably flee. One of them, the one his mother had named Petrie, tried his best to get further away from the massive monsters threatening everything he had ever known. Where was momma? Where was daddy? Where were those who were the only sources of comfort in this odd, wide world? The tiny flyer shuddered inconsolably as he looked at the bloody display before him, not able to make any sense of it. The only thing he knew was that he was threatened by a force like nothing he had ever known and some instinct within him cried him to flee, no matter how weak it still was within the young hatchling.

However, that moment was a short one and even if the sharpteeth did their best, they knew their window of opportunity was closing quickly. They quickly stepped forward and tore two other hatchlings’ bodies open and swallowed most of their torsos before quickly heading out into the open skies, making sure to leave quickly enough in order to not leave any chance for the devastated mother to follow them into the still-lingering mist. They knew that even now, there was no reason to take any risks that would ruin their thus far successful hunt and they couldn’t care in the least about what kind of pain they were leaving behind them.

The female felt a choking grip around her throat as she landed beside her nest, choking bitter tears inside as she looked at the broken bodies of her three children. The sight of their unseeing eyes on their ruined faces would haunt her forever as would their ruined, half-eaten bodies that were lying in sickening positions, each of them crying for their mommy in Volant’s eyes. The only thing that prevented her from completely succumbing to her inner pain were the frightened voices of her surviving children. Her walking was forced and unnatural and her voice was anything but reassuring as she closed the living hatchlings into her embrace, attempting to stay strong for their sake.

“It’s alright children, it all over now. Please stop crying…” She spoke before breaking into consolable tears, knowing that the three corpses lied just before her, and that they were dead because of her. Her presence seemed to calm the children somewhat but it was clear they understood at least something about what had happened. Even in her collapsed mental state, she heard a silent sound as her brother landed behind her. She had absolutely no strength left to open her beak but to her relief, it was the male who spoke first.

“I’m so very sorry, Volant, for everything. Should I… I take the children away?” He asked in an equally mournful voice, tears falling from his eyes as well. That moment felt unreal for both of the siblings: both of them felt like their hearts were screaming to allow to burst their pain out but Volant managed to still retain part of her composure in order to help her children begin to calm down and Pterano wanted nothing less than to bring more pain to the hapless mother. Volant twitched noticeably as she heard those words, still not willing to accept their cause as anything more than a bad dream that would wear away soon. However, she soon turned at the male, lingering tears filling her eyes as she nodded at him, knowing she wouldn’t have the courage to do that. Pterano walked closer to her before asking her another question with an even more silent voice than before.

“When I return, I… I can look after them. I know you…” He said but he was immediately rebuked by his sister. Volant waved her hand dismissively, taking several more seconds before she could form any words.

“No, I… They need me. Leave us be, brother.” She said, not able to think anything else but her own guilt. Pterano would have wanted to press his point further but decided against it. He merely gave the female a sad nod of approval as he raised the three dead children from the ground and headed down from the nest, knowing that her sister needed some time to sort out her thoughts… as did he.


An appalled look rose to Pterano’s face as he lowered the children into the ground. Finally, the gates of his own emotions were opened as he no longer had to keep a brave face up for anyone. This wasn’t how any of it was supposed to go! The flyer leaned against a nearby tree, letting himself fall to a sitting position as he buried his face in his hands. This wasn’t the grand journey to the paradise he had thought it would be. Now, his trusted companion was gone and the dead bodies beside him disturbed him even deeper. He had seldom been as inconsolable as when he spoke to the remains of the children who would never see another day.

“Rest well, children. I’m so sorry I couldn’t help any of you. Uncle Pterano wasn’t strong to do what I had to. Just… forgive me!” He wailed, some part in his mind pointing towards the obvious fact that what had happened was his sister’s fault, not his. If she hadn’t left the hatchlings, these poor flyers wouldn’t lie beside him lifeless! Yet, even then, he couldn’t even bring himself to put the blame to Volant as even he had been in love long ago… and he knew that no dinosaur would just stay still while watching their mate being slaughtered before their eyes.

It would have been shocking to any observer to see the usually so-proud flyer in his condition but even now, Pterano wasn’t one to give up. He would miss Tuulen greatly but now, the most important question was to how to move forward. Inside, he took great pride that it had been idea to search the nest’s surroundings that had prevented an even worse disaster. In fact… so very often, it had been him who had helped the two other flyers in so many different things, from searching for food to handling their relationship with the other kinds. That feeling of self-confidence swept away some of the worst sorrow within the male’s mind even if he still knew that the most horrifying task lay before him.

With a heavy sigh, he raised the three children with his legs and headed towards a nearby hilltop. There, they would have the easiest time embarking on their final journey to the Great Beyond and the light-brown flyer knew that was all the closure he or anyone other could get in this sickening situation. He cringed as the breeze rose suddenly but that mattered little as he lowered the corpses to the wind-beaten hill, raising his gaze towards the still-grey heights. He looked at the sight for a few moments before he whispered to whatever would be up there listening to his final lament.

“Have a good flight, children. And Tuulen… please look after them.”


Her heavy panting started to slowly ease as she saw the worst panic disappear from the eyes of her children. Inside, Volant’s entire body ached with her mental anguish and even now, being forced to stay strong for the hatchlings made her more than sick. She would have just wanted to jump from the cliff and escape the pain of this world but she simply couldn’t do that not now. She trembled noticeably as for the first time since the accident, a certain name rose to her mind.

Tuulen, where are you when I need you? Please, come back to me! Please…

She fell to her knees as she thought of their first encounter on a range of mountains far to the south on a time of mating of the flyers. Not once had she regretted her choice and Tuulen had been all she could have asked for… This simply couldn’t be true! He had to be alive! And even worse, she couldn’t bear to turn around now to see the bloody and gory stains behind her even if her brother had done her a great service, one that no parent, or an uncle, should be forced to do in their lives. She thanked her luck that the children were far too young to really understand the full weight of everything that they had seen… but, all of those slightly hopeful thoughts were washed away as the female realized what would follow.

This had all been her fault… all of it! She could have just forced Tuulen not to go and at the very least, she could never atone for leaving the children to die! What in the name of the Bright Circle had she thought she was doing? Volant knew she didn’t deserve to live after what she had done but she simply couldn’t force herself to live her adorable babies all alone in this world. Inside her, only a tiny flicker of hope flickered: the hope of one day being able to watch her children grow safe in the Great Valley. She and Tuulen had sworn to do their all to continue their line and to give their ancestors some reason for pride.

Volant had never been one to see her family as some kind of responsibility but now, as she looked at the faces of the children whose lives she had brought into danger, she could see no greater purpose than to safeguard their future. It had to be some kind of charge brought to her by the Bright Circle or the lesser stars of the sky, even if she had already failed some of her hatchlings miserably. Volant raised her teary eyes at the sky, praying for some kind of hints about how to move forward. Even now, the Great Valley was her only hope for salvation but how could she even hope to reach it without her beloved mate? How could she continue to live, knowing that the blood of her babies was in her hands? Minutes passed slowly as the evening grew darker, soon to hide the battered family under its cover. All sense of time was lost to the female until she suddenly a silent voice behind her.

“It is done, Volant. The children are on their way to a better place now.” Pterano said, not really expecting his sister question his long absence in any way. He had needed more time to gather his thoughts and courage to have this discussion he needed both of them needed to have. Without Tuulen, nothing would ever be the same again and both of the flyers knew it more than well. At first, Pterano thought his sister wasn’t going to answer him but after many moments, she finally turned her gaze at the male and spoke in forced, teary gasps. Her initial success in suppressing her emotions started to finally break as the children fell to sleep one by one.

“Brother… Pterano, I know it’s all my fault. Don’t make things any worse.” She said, her mind dwelling over and over again in the very moment she leaped from the nest to save her mate. She knew that second would return countless times into her nightmares. Pterano’s eyes widened at first until he realized just how his sister saw his presence. After forcing himself to calm down, he took a sigh as he approached the female.

“You know I wouldn’t do that, dear sister. I know you understand just what happened.” He said simply, willing to help his little sister face the reality in the eyes. He knew just how important it was not to try to sugarcoat facts in the Mysterious Beyond even if his words made Volant’s sobs even worse. He stopped beside his sister before speaking to her again. This time his face let out more of his true emotions as he raise his gaze at the grace of the night sky.

“Tuulen was a great flyer. I never knew him as well as you do but I could see how much you trusted each other and how he gave his all to keep us safe. I’m happy you could call him your mate.” He said, a faraway glimmer deep within his eyes. Volant finally looked at the spot where he had fallen, grateful that it was no covered by impenetrable darkness. She fought to take another breath in her moment of despair, saying the only thing she could to his brother.

“I… I loved him more than anything else! He… he was beside me all these seasons… If only I could have said how much I cared for him…” She wailed, looking at Pterano in despair. The latter took a sigh as he turned towards Volant and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I know, sister. I know. All of us would have deserved as much but sometimes, that is just not possible. We all know how the Circle of Life works in unpredictable ways. We all knew how unlikely it was that we all would reach the Great Valley together. Didn’t we?” He said gently, thinking of the days their precious Hanging Heights were wiped of each and all green food. Every flyer there had thought that it would be the end for all of them but… cycles of the Night Circle had passed and yet all three of them persevered. However, the female’s next words were ones that Pterano had never expected to hear.

“And we would have if you hadn’t forced himself to follow you on that stupid quest! Without your idea he would still be with me! As would the children!” Volant cried, her expression suddenly turning into an accusing one. Pterano’s eyes widened as he tried to understand the full depth of Volant’s accusation. Inside, he wasn’t completely taken aback by it as he hadn’t expected Volant to face the truth that easily. But that didn’t prevent her words from hurting him as he, too, had lost a trusted friend as well as nephews and nieces.  He frowned deeply and raised his voice as he stepped forward to confront his sister.

“I can’t even tell how you must feel, sister, but I won’t accept your unjust accusations! You know as well as I do that without my warning, those bastards would have sneaked upon us uncontested and probably even kill us all before we could raise a finger! Is that what you would have wanted?” He asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Volant’s expression first turn into a confrontation one. However, what happened next melted Pterano’s heart completely. He could see slowly but surely as Volant faced the truth, all of her earlier efforts to deny it collapsed slowly but surely. After a short moment, Volant collapsed against her brother, trying to form any words in her moment of total helplessness.

“They… they’re gone! Pterano, what can we do? We can’t go on without him but… we cannot stay here! We… we’re doomed…” She said as she cried against the male’s chest. Pterano couldn’t help but feel his own horror rise as well. He fought to keep himself calm in order to make some sense of it all and with herculean efforts, he managed to voice his thoughts. His voice shuddered horribly as he spoke to the female.

“No, we’re not, sister. Not as long as you remember why we go on.” He said, hoping to help his sister to begin her road to recovery. At first, his words had no effect on the bluish flyer but soon, she managed to give some kind of an answer.

“You know I’d die in order to save even one of my babies as well as I do! But that didn’t help Tuulen and it won’t help me!” She cried as she looked her brother in the eyes. Pterano forced himself to calm down enough to give his answer. His loss wasn’t as severe as his sister’s and he saw this moment as some kind of responsibility for her little sister.

“It can if you give your all for them. You know that the Night Circle and the lesser lights are looking over us even now. Even Tuulen might still help you one day when you least expect it. Our lives are full of losses but I’ve seen many wondrous things as well. Just try to see them no matter how difficult that may be. Remember some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.” He said, trying to raise some courage within his sister. In some way, he took courage from the fact that he seemed able to help Volant like this… like he had helped her mate as well. Even if he tried to push that thought to the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but feel his decisions and deeds had been correct far more often than those of any other dinosaur he knew. Maybe time would come when he’d be able to use those skills to the benefit of even more dinosaurs… part of him even seemed to know it.

Volant took a deep breath as she disengaged from her brother’s embrace, looking above her with a longing gaze. She knew Pterano spoke those words simply in order to cheer her up but even then, what choice did she have? Deep down, she knew she wouldn’t let down her children and in that case, she had only one choice: to reach the Great Valley. And on that journey… even the traditional beliefs could be better than the endless despair and sorrow that she knew she’d dwell in forever. She looked at her brother mournfully, knowing that this was a day whose shadow would linger over her forever.

“I doubt there are any of those on the way but maybe, just maybe, you might be right, brother. I just wonder if we still have what it takes.” She said, taking each breath as slowly as she simply could. Pterano let himself to also calm down a bit as he gave his answer.

“I promise you we do. I won’t let anything like this happen ever again.” He said as the brother and sister gave each other an understanding nod in the late evening which slowly turning into full-fledged night. The lesser lights were reflected within Volant’s eyes as he looked at a new star she could swear she’d never seen before.

Let that be true. Farewell, my love. May we meet again one day.


“And then what happened, uncle Pterano? Did the sharpteeth get what they deserve?” The young boy asked in excitement as he looked at the older flyer who was completely drawn into his storytelling. Petrie enjoyed these moments without an end as his uncle really seemed to live a life of adventure and excitement. He could see that all of his siblings were just as drawn into the tale as each of them greatly savored these moments their uncle was with them and not dealing with the other kinds. Pterano’s eyes widened slightly as he heard his nephew’s words, not wasting any time in answering to the young boy.

“But of course, my dear nephew! It was with my help they ever knew of the sharpteeth and were able to stop them before those villains got the chance to even get a close to the spiketails. Trying to keep them alive has helped us as well even if, between all of us, all of them are more than a little bit slow-witted and slow to learn how to best defend themselves. But please, don’t tell that to the threehorns.” He said with a slight chuckle, proud of his work in making the other herds trust his guidance in slaughtering each and any sharpteeth that got even a step too close to the herd. He was more than amazed that since that horrible day five Cold Times ago, no more tragedies had come to pass and he didn’t hide the fact that he found himself worthy of most of the thanks about that fact. His moment of self-love was soon interrupted by one of the girls.

“But momma has told us that not all sharpteeth are those pitiful fastbiters! She has told that there are also many large and much scarier ones out there! Have you ever seen of any them?” She cried, causing some of her siblings to shudder at mere thought of those massive monsters. Even Pterano frowned at the mention of the two footers but before that, he knew it was his duty to rebuke the child’s earlier comment.

“I have but so that any of you won’t have any stupid thoughts, there is nothing pitiful about the fastbiters either! A flyer who thinks that won’t live long because if you give them even a small opening, they will tear you to the ground and before you know it, you are torn to pieces that will find themselves in their bellies within a few seconds! Is that clear?” He said with a surprisingly threatening voice, causing some of the younger flyers to cover in fear. Pterano knew this wasn’t the kind of stuff Volant would want him to tell the children but he couldn’t afford them to underestimate any sharptooth. Seeing that his message appeared to have reached the kids, he relaxed slightly before he continued speaking.

“That is right, my nephews and nieces. They will not hesitate to do just that. As for the larger, two footer sharpteeth, stay as far away from them as you simply can. There is something our kind can do against the fastbiters but against a two footer, consider it as a kind of storm that kills anything in its path. Those are some of the most horrifying dinosaurs there are but as in many different things, our kind is blessed. Unlike those poor foolish landwalkers, we can see a two footer far, far away. And I tell you, use that gift and you’ll survive for far longer.” He said, earning worried looks from the children. Their mother had never gone this far too make them scared of the sharpteeth but then again, their uncle was often much more straight than she was. Petrie looked at Pterano in expectation as he presented his next question.

“But certainly you can still stand against them, uncle! You’ve told you can do anything!” He said, earning a slight look of hesitation from the older flyer. Pterano knew he might have given some answers in the past that might not have been completely true but when it came to these things, he wouldn’t lie to the children about things that might one day be questions of life and death.

“Well, Petrie, that is a question that…”

“That will have to wait for another day! The other herds are already on the move and we have to make sure not to fall behind!” Volant’s sudden voice broke the silence and Pterano’s face fell as he realized his moment of rest was now over. He enjoyed telling his tales to the children without an end and he could easily see that they felt the same way. Still, he regretted these moments had to be so brief but even now, there little time so waste during this endless march of death and hope. He took a brief smile as he heard the collective “Awww” from the children but even then, he knew his sister was right.

“Listen to your mother, kids. You know that we have to stay with the others for our own safety. Now, let’s go!” He said while saw most of the children took a deep breath before they rose to their wings. However, a lone figure was left standing to the lifeless ground, taking the same old look of embarrassment and pleading as he looked at his mother. Volant’s face fell as she walked next to Petrie and spoke to him in a heartfelt, even pleading voice.

“Petrie… you know this simply cannot continue. You know I nor your uncle cannot carry you forever. Your brothers and siblings learned to fly already before the last Cold Time.” She said, not a flicker of accusation in her voice. However, her son looked even more desperate than he had before and his voice was a far cry from the one he just used to address his uncle.

“Petrie know that… but… it just too difficult! Me simply fall to the ground each time me try and me no want that!” He said, knowing of his precarious situation within his family. However, something in his mother’s tone told him that today’s speech wasn’t similar to the previous ones. His mood only grew darker as he heard his uncle’s voice speak to him.

“She’s right, Petrie. You have to do this soon or we won’t be able to protect you. I wish it weren’t so but I am only telling you the truth, nephew.” He said glumly, earning a look of even surprising anger from the boy. Volant was slightly surprised by her brother’s words as she had wished that there would never be need for such threats within her family. Pterano looked in shock as Petrie snapped back at him immediately.

“Petrie know all of that and it doesn’t help that you tell things like that! Things already bad…” He said but before he could finish, a sudden cry from one of his siblings interrupted the conversation.

“Just snap out of it, Petrie! We have a long enough flight before you whining about everything!” One of the girls cried, causing Volant to cringe deeply. She knew that there was some bad blood forming between Petrie and his siblings but she also could see why the other children were frustrated with their brother. She crossed her arms as she spoke to her son pleadingly.

“I’ll carry just this time but listen to me, Petrie. We’ll wake up tomorrow before the Bright Circle rises to the sky and we won’t stop until you learn to fly or at the very least glide. Hop on, my son.” She said as she saw a deep sigh from Petrie before he took a firm hold of his mother’s shoulders. He couldn’t help but feel humiliated for being forced to resort to this but he simply didn’t have a choice. Volant only prayed she could do what she had promised. She exchanged glances with her brother before they took off, managing to hide her look of slight resentment towards the male.

She was far from content with her brother’s actions in the past days even if she had thus far hidden her sentiments from her brothers. Yes, Pterano had been an invaluable help in the times following Tuulen’s passing but… it even seemed like the male thought it was up to him to tell her and the children what to do even if he himself spent more than his fair share of time with the other herds. Volant loved him with any reservations but it seemed that some kind of ambition grew ever stronger within Pterano by the day. Even then, she’d see this day to the end as her poor son needed more of her help than her brother needed rebuke of his surprising sentiments. Volant took a brief sigh as she looked into the horizon, praying the Valley wouldn’t be too far away anymore.


“There were a few bellydraggers around that small river we passed a few hours ago but otherwise, this land seemed completely free of any sharpteeth. You may all be at peace.” Pterano said as he glanced at the three longnecks before him. Usually, he disliked talking to them as for some reason, they seemed far more hostile towards him as some of the other herds but even they had accepted his help in telling of any sharpteeth and slowly but surely, it seemed like the massive dinosaurs seemed to understand just how valuable an ally he really was. The foremost of the three longnecks took a slightly more relaxed look as she answered, looking longingly towards the setting Bright Circle.

“That’s at least a slight relief. Thank you for your help, Pterano. My Littlefoot seems to have had just enough excitement already for today.” She with a slight laugh as she quickly glanced at the tiny form sleeping on her back peacefully. Pterano took a slightly forced smile as he glanced at the boy before addressing the female again.

“I think most young ones have, Tranquil. In any case, don’t let down your guard for a moment. I couldn’t see those villains but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any here. In the end, our survival is up to each of us.” He said, more than happy with the slight network of safety he had managed to create between the herds. It had successfully repelled many of the sharpteeth, making Pterano feel a bit easier. He had managed to end further tragedies after the one so very, very long ago and in doing so, he had again proven his capability as a leader. In fact, he was a leader, at least after all he had done to form at least a modicum of cooperation between the herds. Maybe, he would soon get a chance to prove his worth to everyone.

Inside, however, the flyer’s confidence turned into fear very quickly. He had never been able to accept his inability to save his sister’s mate on that day and he knew he’d do his everything to prevent history from repeating itself. Not only had he managed to forge something new in these horrifying days but he had also successfully been able push his self-blame away, something which was more than precious to him. The longneck looked at him and nodded approvingly, knowing she’d never put her complete trust on any flyer on issues that had any importance for her or her son’s safety. She then turned away from the flyer before giving him her last answer of the day.

“That goes without saying, flyer. Stay well.” She said somewhat coldly, causing Pterano to frown deeply. He was slightly annoyed by the longneck’s antics but in the end, that was nothing new to him. She and her kind were always so self-confident but at some point, they’d always see just how invaluable he was to them and all of the herds!

The flyer took a brief breath to calm himself down before he took off from the ground, knowing it was time for him to return to his sister after another day of flying and scouting for any sharpteeth. He was more than weary but he only relished that sensation as some kind of proof that he was doing the right thing. It wasn’t many minutes until he landed near Volant’s nest only to see she and the children were already asleep. Noticing this, Pterano looked at a distant hill before turning his gaze at the skies.

It was often on nights like these that Pterano often seemed to reflect on his efforts. Nobody could deny the help he had provided many of the families after their horrible losses at the claws of the predators, including his own. He only prayed that those deeds could one day provide him with some kind of absolution from his inability to stop Volant on that distant day. If he one day could lead the herds and the Valley, he could for the first time prevent any further losses to the sharpteeth and on that day, certainly he could forgive himself of his former failures. A look of longing could be seen within Pterano’s eyes as he felt a warm sensation within his chest: yes, this was his place in the world, his destiny, and he would see it through. A hopeful thought rose within his mind as he looked at the lesser lights, knowing he had their favor for the rest of his days.


However, unlike the other male had initially thought, not all of the children were asleep in this hour. Thinking of the coming day, Petrie couldn’t banish the endless nightmares swirling within his mind. He had managed to fall asleep once but it was only minutes until he found himself falling helplessly towards the ground, waking up only seconds before his frail body would be crushed into pieces. He had already felt miserable before but after that sleep story, he simply couldn’t force himself to rest anymore. He frowned deeply as he rose up in order to take a brief walk.

What in earth be wrong with Petrie? Why can all me brothers and sisters fly but me not? Petrie have wings just like them and me not different from them in any other way!
He thought as he brought his hand to his right wing, not able to understand what he did wrong. If his mother was right, he simply had to get the air below them as in that situation, he would fly as if he wasn’t actually even trying to do that. But each time he tried anything, he couldn’t seem to wind any breeze to hold him up with obvious results.

However, his mother and uncle’s ultimatum today had hit him even more than she probably had realized. Petrie frowned deeply as he thought about his uncle’s words: if he couldn’t fly, they couldn’t protect him anymore. But… they couldn’t mean that! They just couldn’t! But… if actually were true, could they actually abandon him at some point? His thoughts grew ever more fearful as he saw the shadow of a large male flyer in the horizon that couldn’t belong to anyone else but uncle Pterano.

Inside, Petrie would have wanted to just go seek guidance from him but then he remembered that he agreed with his mother and there was no way around it: this was a challenge he’d have to get over himself. He gulped as he looked at a small branch close to the ground, figuring he could try to practice a bit by himself. He grabbed at the sides of the tree and forcefully, tore himself upwards towards the branch. His eyes turned into a look of horror as he looked towards the ground, hoping that this try wouldn’t end the same way as all of the previous ones. He smelled at the wind, trying to figure where the best breeze would blow and he already spread his wings into what he thought was the best position for him to stay in the air. He took a deep sigh… until he heard a voice that made his blood run cold.

Roaaarr![/i]

“Ahh! Sharptooth!” He cried as he suddenly collapsed around the branch, shivering greatly. That sound was far louder and malevolent than any he had ever heard thus far in his entire life, the threat clear to anyone. Even in his panicked mind, the boy realized the voice had come from rather far away but close enough that the beast was attacking some family of the massive herd. Even now, some poor soul was forced to confront that beast of legend, one that Petrie had still hoped to be nothing more than some scary story his mother had come up with. However… there it was, somewhere in this very forest!

Immediately, Petrie dropped from the branch, ready to go to his uncle for any guidance on how to act in this situation. The young flyer had run this fast very seldom in his life and his pace only seemed to grow faster as form of the older male appeared closer and closer by the second. However, what came next froze him in his place completely. Many pillars of smoke suddenly fought their way away from the earth around him, engulfing him in their burning symphony. In this moment, he could only cry from the bottom of his heart.

“Uncle Pterano! Help me!”


That sound had stunned Pterano more than nearly any thing he could remember. A two footer… here? H… how could that be true? He had made sure that at least those massive monstrosities weren’t supposed to be anywhere nearby! And if that actually were true… he’d have to go see that everything went the best they ever could. However, those thoughts were completely interrupted as he suddenly heard the violent rumbling everywhere around him, not able to believe what was happening. An attack of a sharptooth and an earthshake on the same day? He gulped as he rose to his wings, the sound swallowing Petrie’s voice completely. He’d have to join his sister and make sure nothing worse would happen.


The sight of his uncle departing made the boy more panicked than he already was. He had never been forced to fend off himself in times of danger and that fact hardly helped him in this dangerous moment. However, it were his instincts that told him to jump through one of the pillars of smoke and to ignore the momentary pain they caused. Even now, he had to find his mother and uncle if he wanted to escape from here alive. He headed after his uncle, again lamenting ow pitiful his speed was compared to that of his family.


None of the developments within the herd were lost to Volant who immediately feared the worst. She had been torn wake from her uneasy sleep in a way few flyers would have wanted. However, she was happy that the best was nowhere near her but she looked in horror at the quickly spreading divides that were quickly moving through the landscape… even towards her and her children! She quickly turned to them and started to speak.

“This doesn’t look good at all children! Prepare to rise to you…” She started but she was cut short as her eyes widened almost unnaturally as she saw the empty spot within her nest, knowing full well to whom it belonged to. She wasted no time looking around her utterly devastated, crying in an alarmed voice.

“Petrie, where are you!? Come here if you hear me!” She cried but the Night Circle’s light revealed no trace of her poor, beloved son. At first, she was at a loss of what to do but it wasn’t long before her brother appeared into her line of sight. She didn’t know whether he had anything to say and frankly, she didn’t care at all. She immediately flew towards her and gave him a firm and clear command.

“Take the kids to safety, Pterano! Petrie is missing and I have to find him before it’s too late!” She cried as she flew with all her might. Pterano looked at her in surprise and tried to ask her a question.

“He… he is? Allow me to…” He started but Volant cried back, her voice even more hostile than before.

“Do as I told you! I’ll do this alone!” She cried, hoping she was right. Her heart ached as she thought about the situation, her mind racing in order to try to come up with some explanation where that poor boy was. He often slept less peacefully than his siblings so it wasn’t inconceivable that he would have wandered somewhere to calm down… especially on a night like this. A sting of guilt arose within the flyer as she realized that Petrie’s disappearance could very well be her fault. Another roar penetrated the land, this one even more furious than the last, making the female even more fearful than before. She wouldn’t let Petrie join his three poor siblings. She simply wouldn’t.


That scene was like one out of a nightmare for Petrie. He ran as fast as he could but he kept on tripping on some roots that were sticking of the ground, knowing a murderous beast was somewhere behind him. It seemed like the forest just went on and even then, would his family still be out there for him? Or… or had they finally decided they had had enough of a weakling like him and left him to defend himself? No, he simply wouldn’t believe that just yet. They had to be there searching for…

“Petrie, where are you? Oh Petrie, answer me!” The flyer heard his mother call, raising the young male’s spirits greatly. He tried to jump up and down to draw her attention as he answered her call.

“Petrie here, momma! Please, come before the sharptooth will get me!”


That voice made the female twitch as she turned to look at the forest below her. Where was he? The voice hadn’t come from far away so he had to be just below her. She immediately asked for his whereabouts and when she heard his call again, she immediately plunged towards the ground, finally seeing the tiny form all alone in the dark night. Seconds seemed to pass by so very agonizingly slowly but moment after moment, Petrie’s form grew closer. She panted urgently as she landed beside Petrie and spoke to him in an alarmed voice.

“Hop on, Petrie! We don’t have much time!” She cried as the boy gave her a warm smile and prepared to climb to her back. His voice was beyond happy as he spoke to the older dinosaur.

“Sure thing, momma! Let’s get away from h…” He started before a slight crack suddenly opened in the ground, another breath of smoke blowing Volant to her back. She screeched in fear as she felt Petrie lose his grip from her back before being blown back into  towards the increasingly violent ground. Volant’s eyes widened with fear as the crack suddenly widened even further, spitting even more of its burning cover into the air. Petrie looked in shock as her mother disappeared behind the wall of smoke, trembling even more than the raging ground around him. He wasted no time rising back to his feet and crying towards the direction her mother had been only a few moments earlier.

“Momma, please come get me! This place getting far too dangerous!” He cried but before anything more could happen, something happened that would haunt Petrie for a long, long time. He suddenly felt a massive branch hit his head while more of the ash in the air started falling above him. He hovered for a few seconds before his consciousness failed him, leaving the boy to lie in an ever-growing pile of ash fallen branches. His beak was just left sticking out of the pile, preventing him from suffocating but making spotting him a more than tricky job even in daylight.


The sudden eruption of the smoke made Volant’s world collapse momentarily as she looked at the wall that seemed to have swallowed her son completely. She gasped in despair as she rose to her wings and attempted to head towards the spot where she had last heard his voice. Second after second passed but only the ever-worsening spits of the burning smoke made her search more desperate. She cried with all her might as she tried to see a sign of her beloved child.

“Where are you, Petrie? Please, cry with your might!” She cried as she circled ever lower to the ground but no matter how she tried to investigate the area below her, the darkness and black smoke blocked much of her line of sight. She whimpered in fear as she heard no response, her mind not willing to accept the most likely outcome. All these seasons, she had struggled without her mate believing that one day, the fate, the ancestors, or some force would reward her with the paradise she had searched for for so long. Her already-stretched mind simply would not accept such an outcome!

Volant frowned deeply as she dived towards the ground even if she knew such an endeavor was more than risky but she would take any risk in this horrifying situation. She landed to the ground, looking around herself urgently, her eyes widening with fear as she looked at the ever-growing chasm that seemed to grow ever more horrifying by the second. She again cried for her son, praying that she would again hear his innocent voice while she started to run around that area, trying to find any sign of Petrie. And indeed, a new sound reached her ears but not in the form she had hoped for.

The sharptooth’s cry rang over the forest once again but that sounded like a desperate cry of horror more than any threat. That horrible wail again divided the female’s attention and it was only a matter of seconds that she managed to avoid being hit by a falling tree which seemed to crush anything that was still standing around Volant to nothing. After that, another barrage of smoke was released from the hellish chasms around the flyer, finally causing Volant to again rise to her wings. She looked at the scene once more, the flaming smoke and crushed soil reflecting from her eyes. If Petrie hadn’t managed to answer and he was in the hotspot of this cataclysm… tears started falling from Volant’s eyes as she spoke slightly.

“Please forgive me, Petrie. I… I did my best but it… it just wasn’t enough.” She said as she turned around, leaving the tiny form of his son lying in the pile of ash, the young flyer left to fight for each breath and when the day would dawn, the boy would face a situation which would change his life forever.


The flyer’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at the enormous gorge before him, not ever expecting to witness anything like this. It seemed like the entire world had been torn in two like the earth and the sky. He could see that the children were at least as shocked as he was and there were many more gasping families all around them. Nearly all of the herds were slowly gathering together, not one of them willing to face this catastrophe alone. And most of them were not in better situation than the flyers were. Pterano frowned in concern as he looked at the direction she had parted ways with his sister, praying that she’d bring his nephew back here safely. His thoughts were interrupted as an elderly male voice called behind him.

“Thank goodness so many of you are safe! Have any of you seen Tranquil? We haven’t seen her since the sharptooth fell down there and we can’t find her or Littlefoot anywhere!” He cried but Pterano didn’t even think of answering the longneck. Thankfully, it was a female threehorn voice that answered the longneck even if it was in a way that made even the flyer cringe.

“None of us care about your problems in the least, longneck, as long as Cera is also out there!” She cried, causing the longneck to answer in a somewhat agitated voice. Pterano’s eyes were locked on another herd of threehorns slowly being pulled into the abyss by the collapsing round, their cries haunting the light-brown flyer greatly. He slowly pulled his wing before the children, speaking to them as gently as he could.

“Don’t look, children. That sight would only return in your sleep stories.” He said, feeling his heart beat terribly in his chest. So many were already lost today… hopefully, none of his family would have to join those poor fools that were falling into the gorge, none of them never to be seen again… Suddenly, his eyes caught the sight of something that made him snap out of his melancholy. It was Volant but… Petrie was nowhere to be seen! As she grew closer, Pterano could see the look of sorrow on her face, confirming everything to the male. So, this day of tragedy indeed would also touch the flyer family in the most horrifying way possible. As Volant landed, Pterano gave her an understanding look as he confirmed the inevitable.

“So you weren’t in time to save him?” He whispered, earning a broken nod from his sister. Volant looked at the other dinosaurs mournfully before answering her brother.

“I failed him… just like I did the other three.” Was all she could say, the look in her eyes finally making something snap within Pterano’s mind. Despite his best efforts, something like this had happened and like back then, it was all due to the bad choices of others! If Petrie hadn’t wandered away, if Volant had been quicker and if the herds had chosen their sleeping places more carefully, all would be well. He gritted his teeth together as he spoke to Volant one more time.

“Then, all I have to do is to make sure that won’t happen again.” He said simply before rising to his wings, looking in anger at the longneck and threehorn whose fight seemed to be spreading across the herds. However, at this point he saw nothing of it, all of his concentration being put into his next words. He stopped above the two and his voice rang through the herds as he started to speak.

“All of my respected companions! As all of us know, we have been on this journey for six Cold Times and during that time, all we have received for it has been death and suffering. Our world has been a place of danger before but just think of all the times the sharpteeth have attacked us before! Think of this day! Did any of it have to come to pass? Most of it could have been avoided if we hadn’t tried to only protect our own families! What if we had worked together from the very beginning, for our common good?” He cried, his mind darkening as he looked at the outraged faces of some of the dinosaurs. Yes, he knew not all would approve of his words but right now, he didn’t care of any of it. He knew he was a born leader and only he would be able to see this charge through. He frowned deeply as one of the spiketails cried to him in annoyance.

“Get lost, flyer! In case you didn’t notice, we have far more important things to think than your senseless ramblings!” He cried, causing Pterano to fly closer to him and answering him in an annoyed voice.

“In case you didn’t notice, we are all in the same situation and if you think you are somehow special, then you are terribly mistaken! And with a mindset like that, we are bound to face a tragedy after another until there are none of us left! You might not remember but my sister has lost her mate and four of her children and I want to do my all to ensure that will never happen again! That’s a promise I’ve made her many times.” He said, lowering his voice as he looked at the spiketail grit his teeth towards the smaller dinosaur.
Volant, on the other hand, stared her brother in shock. Yes, she had noticed Pterano grow more confident and self-centered by the day but to think he’d try to elevate himself to being the leader of the herds… and with her and her sons and daughters’ expense! The flyer felt her hands to turn into fists as anger built inside her towards her brother, the female being able to accept this move from him. He would hear about this very, very soon.

For a moment, the scene was silent before the female threehorn moved towards him with teary eyes. Pterano was even taken aback by the change in her composure, knowing her mostly as a near mirror of her mate, always more than ready to defend her pride and that of her family. Now, however, her voice was broken with sorrow as she spoke to the flyer.

“Then what is it that you are proposing? How would you strive to keep our children safe?” She asked, disturbing the flyer with her calm voice. However, Pterano didn’t allow that to bother him for much longer before he gave his answer.

“I have helped all of you to keep the sharpteeth for as long as I can remember. We have had much successes and I promise, I’d do much better if more would help me in return. For many seasons, we have followed the Bright Circle without any deeper thought and we still haven’t even reached the stone that looks like a longneck! I say we take a new course close to our original one but from now on, we work as one. I ask all of you, follow me and I promise you, I’ll lead you into the Valley without one more tragedy!” He cried, knowing that the die was now cast. Either his words would be met with applause or jeers but at least he had now offered these dinosaurs a better future. He could only hope that they would be smart enough to take this chance. He looked at the female longneck who was slowly walking towards him, more than interested in what he’d hear.

“I hate to admit it but the flyer is right. Much of the losses we’ve went through are simply due to our inability to look after each other. I assure you, I have no more wish to work with you than any of you but still, I cannot help but agree that my grandson could still be alive if we had looked after each other in our time of need. If you wish to do the same, I propose that we work more closely together from now on.” She started, earning a wide smile from Pterano. However, when the elderly longneck saw that, she took a darker expression and spoke to the male.

“However, if you believe there’s any reason for us to follow you, you are badly mistaken. I respect your work, Pterano, but you have shown none of the qualities of a leader. And I cannot say I’m too happy with even your help as you didn’t even spot the sharptooth that took my daughter and grandson’s life. I cannot blame you for that but neither does that make you any worthier of our trust.” The longneck said bitterly, earning many nods of approval from the other dinosaurs. Some of them were disturbed by the larger dinosaur’s first proposition but surprisingly many were confused about what to believe. Pterano himself was devastated by those words and he tried to give some kind of answer.

“B… but… I said I cannot see everything! If there had been anything…” He started before being silenced by one of the spiketails.

“Just save it, Pterano. You aren’t capable of leading any of us! But longneck… I think you are more right than you might even realize. We… we need to work together if we are to get out of here alive!” He said in a serious voice, causing Pterano to try to give his answer but before he could even attempt to speak, another cry drowned the flyer’s voice below it.

“What crap! I ain’t joining with some cursed flatheads or spiketails that would only keep me down! We will be continuing like we’ve gone thus far!”

“But we cannot! Didn’t you hear just what they said?” Another voice cried, each of them making Pterano’s attempts more difficult. After a few more tries, his face fell completely and he took a deep sigh before turning back. Perhaps those idiots didn’t realize his worth just yet but they would soon enough. And then the next disaster would strike, he would be ready… and he would point out just why he was they key to all the herds’ survival. Only a short time of waiting and then, he’d lead the others to paradise! The flyer nearly smiled as he landed near Volant, speaking to her contently.

“What a shame it is that the others don’t have true vision! But they will soon have, sis…” He spoke before he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right cheek. His eyes widened immediately as the agony spread across his head as he looked at Volant whose angry face immediately returned the male to reality.

“Be ashamed of yourself, Pterano! Petrie’s body must still be warm and you are already trying to benefit from your nephew’s death! What is wrong with you, brother? Why are you doing this?” She said, her voice a mix between hurt and anger. Her eyes were moist as she crossed her hands, not knowing how this speech would end or whether she could ever forgive Pterano of his unbelievably greed and insensitiveness. The male stuttered severely, trying to find anything to say.

“B… but… I did all of this to you and Petrie’s sake! I should have led us all from the start! That way, Tuulen and the poor children would still be alive! I only want to ensure that no one else has to die!” He said in a stunned voice, not expecting anything like this from his sister. He had expected her to understand, even support him but this was something he had never anticipated. However, his words only made Volant more frustrated.

“Led us all from the start?” Do you even hear yourself, Pterano? Even now, you have spent too much time with those weaklings, time you could have spent helping me and getting to know the kids better! It isn’t Tuulen’s fault they have never had a father but it is your fault they don’t even have a real uncle!” She cried, knowing she was being even too harsh on her brother but this wasn’t the first time she had voiced her displeasure at Pterano’s unwillingness to assume a larger role in the family. The male, on the other hand, gasped deeply as he took a few steps, backwards, not willing to understand what he was hearing. Was Volant actually claiming what he thought she was? He lowered his head on his sister’s level and nearly growled at her.

“You dare claim I’ve left you alone with the children? I’ve done my all to them in more ways than anyone else and yet you dare accuse me of not caring about you enough?” He said, not willing to listen to such crap from anyone, not even his “dear” sister. Volant frowned even deeper as she answered, not wanting a fight in the least but she simply had to do this for the sake of her family.

“Yes, I do! You seem to believe that any of these landwalkers care about any of us and even a hatchling knows what kind of trash that is! We can only help ourselves but I also like to think that either those who came before us or the Bright Circle itself wishes to see us reach the Valley! The world works in many mysterious ways but at least they wish to help us, unlike your so-called allies!” She shouted, happy that the other sounds drowned hers to anyone else but her brother. The male gave an annoyed snort as he spoke, willing to show his disdain for his sister’s words.

“Those who came before?” Good sister, at least my ideas have some real impact to our survival, unlike some hollow beliefs! They might help us in our times of need, I admit, but you cannot simply put your survival on the basis of mere guesses!” He said, his expression turning even to a mocking one. Volant looked at him in growing outrage as she spoke.

“At least it has allowed me to focus on helping the children whereas you have mostly just bragged about your so-called deeds! Just admit it, Pterano. you are not a leader of any herd but my brother and as such, a part of our family! Please, drop your ambitions from our sake!” Volant begged, her rage turning into near-pleading. She didn’t want to lose Pterano but she wanted to make him see reason. The male looked at her frustration as a new call reached his ears.

“Then it’s settled! From now on, we go on as one herd and we’ll make all our decisions together! This way, we will make sure that all our knowledge will be put to good use! Come my friends, we still have a long way to go! But first, we have to search for any more survivors that… that still might be alive out there.” The elderly female longneck said in a heavy but uplifting voice. She still harbored hopes to see her daughter alive out there even if she knew just how horrifying her wounds had been.

Those words suddenly changed everything within Pterano’s mind. So, that was how it would be. He knew that working together would only end in more mistakes which would really open a new opportunity to him. There was no reason to keep arguing with Volant when he would soon be able to show her his full abilities and the salvation he would bring. When he would show just what he would achieve, she would finally throw away her beliefs and join him at last! Pterano already saw all of this in his heart as he sneered silently at his sister.

“Very well, sister. I see what you mean. Please forgive me for my mistakes and we can go on together, all of us.” He said while looking at the children. His words would have seemed half-hearted to a blind bellydragger but even if Volant didn’t feel confident at all about her brother’s words, she knew there was absolutely no way she could keep the conversation going and get any more concessions from him. For better or worse, the siblings at least seemingly had found some common ground.

“I do, Pterano. But please, don’t force me to take this issue up ever again.” She said, her anger slowly turning to sorrow again as she remembered what had made this moment so much more painful than the last ones. She would have wanted to go search for Petrie again but even now, she knew it would achieve little. Pterano, on the other hand, crossed his arms as he looked at his sister, the knowledge of Petrie’s loss also returning into his mind. But even more, another thought flowed within him. He would play Volant’s little game for a little longer to buy himself another opportunity to take control of the herd. Those dreams gleamed within the male’s eyes as he followed his sister to the first meeting of the herds.


And indeed, it didn’t take long for that another opportunity to arise. The Bright Circle rose and fell beyond the horizon three times and no matter how the dinosaurs tried to find any signs of the rock that looked like a longneck or the Mountains that Burn, they were nowhere to be seen. Even worse were the scenes that followed when the true losses of the Great Earthshake made themselves known to the herd. Not one eye had been dry on that day but for many, that confirmation had only been what they had expected from the very beginning.

But the real shock was that the next days had not seen a major improvement for the herd. The sharpteeth suddenly seemed much more aggressive and daring than before and Stronghorn and her children had only been some of the casualties of those days of horror and regret. Yet, the herd persevered one challenge after another even if voices of dissent grew stronger by the day. Only to boil over when the group of dinosaurs found themselves in a large pass whose opposing mouth had been completely blocked by a massive pile of rocks that had collapsed from the nearby mountainside. Mr. Threehorn stepped forward and looked at the rest of the herd accusingly.

“I said we should have stayed far from this place in the first place! I’m here only because I am bound to idiots like you!” He said, the thought of walking all the way back with his ever-deepening hunger and the still-aching pain over the loss of his mate weighing in his mind heavily. He frowned even deeper as Ura stepped forward and answered to him in anger.

“Don’t blame us, you stupid hornface! We have to follow the Bright Circle and this was the closest we could to get doing that! We couldn’t know the pass was blocked!
A deep sigh escaped Volant’s beak as she sat down on a small rock to follow yet another fight between the families. It had already happened so many times before she couldn’t even bring herself to complain as the horrible sensation of hungered grew stronger in hers and the bellies of her children. She did her best to ignore it even her vision was getting blurred from that weakness. She tiredly exclaimed at the kids, trying to stay as calm as possible.

“Sit down, kids. It seems we’ll take a brief pause here.” She said, looking at the strengthening discord before her. She listened wearily as her children started to complain as they so often did.

“Again? We should just leave them and reach the Valley ourselves, momma!”

"Can those stupid landwalkers do nothing but fight?"

“Momma! I’m hungry!”

Pterano looked before him in rising interest, realizing that the discontent in the herd’s actions had never been higher than now. He sat beside the young flyers and quickly answered to them while starting to form new plans in his mind.

“Just stay still, kids. Complaining won’t get us out of here any faster.” He said while glancing at Volant nod at him in slight approval. She then looked at her children and affirmed her brother’s words.

“Your uncle is right. We don’t have a say on who we’re travelling with but I promise that you’ll get all the food we’ll find. Just be patient.” She said, knowing how very little weight her words held. Still that was the best she could now so that was what her children would have to be content with. There was a bit more silent whining but eventually it died down. A look of interest rose to Pterano’s mind as he heard a new call that escalated the situation considerably.

“You couldn’t find your way out of a cave even if there were more openings out of there than I have spikes! Just admit it, longneck, you don’t know anything that is of worth to anyone!” A spiketail cried, causing a terrible uproar among the gathered dinosaurs. It was clear that none of them wanted to give any power to the other herds and it was that fact that made him tap his fingers together in excitement. Now was his time. Now was the time for him to make his move or bid farewell to his destiny forever. He suddenly rose to his feet before glancing at Volant with a deep smile.

“I’m sorry but I have more things to do, sister. Things that will be to all of our good, whether or not you believe it.” He said before quickly dashing into the air, opening Volant’s eyes wide. She stuttered horribly as the male started to flap his wings, the outrage making her mind boil.

“B… but… Pterano, come back! You promised me that… Please, just give it up…. arrgh, just go if you really want to so badly for all I care!” She cried as she kicked a nearby stone, cringing at the pain. She looked at her brother’s form that was so quickly growing more distant. Volant hit a nearby rock with her hand, cursing it all. She had done her all to show her brother what was truly important and he had apparently decided to ignore the point completely. Now, all she could do was to watch him get completely crushed again, only to have the same old conversation with him.

“That’s the last time I’ll take any orders from you, swimmer! It would be best for all of us if you just left and never bothered us again with your crap!” One voice called as Pterano landed on a cliff above the herd, clearing his throat to make the absolute strongest impression he could.

“Now, if I could have your attention, I told all of you this day would come! That we’d find ourselves under threat again, all of us starving because together we are incapable of finding food! Did I not tell that all?” He cried, crossing his hands in a display of authority and decisiveness. The fighting seemed to stop momentarily as Mr. Threehorn sighed and cried to him back.

“Can you not simply take the hint, flyer? None of us needs, even less wants, your help so just get lost!” He cried, preparing to continuing his fight against the others. Pterano snorted briefly as he ignored the threehorn’s words and continued to speak.

“Just look where you are now! On the verge of a large fight that will solve nothing! Is this how you want to spend the rest of your days or how you want your children to take their first steps in life? I may only be an uncle but I know my family deserves better than this!” He cried, hoping deeply that his words would find some fertile soil this time. It didn’t take long before a certain hollowhorn turned at the flyer in a weary look before giving his answer.

“Everyone, he is right. This isn’t how our unity was supposed to work. He has done nothing but good for all of us in the past season and today has shown me he deserved a chance to continue proving his words right.” He said, completely fatigued by the never-ending discord between the herds. It didn’t take long before one of the other gave her support for the hollowhorn’s words.

“As much as I hate to trust a beakface, nothing he will do can be any worse than this! At the very least he could have investigated that this pass was a dead end instead on insisting on exploring it like a moron!” She snarled towards the longnecks who returned her hostile look.

“Don’t you think you’re being unreasonable? At least our common decisions make us responsible for our own act…”

“If you ever took any responsibility for your bossy and misguided attitude, you’d never speak to us again, longneck!” A clubtail cried, rousing many cries of support and outrage. Pterano frowned as he saw this, knowing he’d have to keep the focus on himself. He cried again, willing to widen his appeal among the gathered dinosaurs.

“Now, I must agree that the longneck has taken a far too big part of the discussions of the herd but he has even had some good points on some occasions for all of us. However, he and his mate have also made countless mistakes that many of has have been forced to pay for. I cannot thank you enough for putting your trust on old Pterano, you two. As for you others, if you wish to get away from this sickening, never-ending wandering, now is your chance to decide!” He cried, looking in excitement as a few other dinosaurs stepped to the sides of the hollowhorn and spiketail, ready to give their new leader a chance he so very much had asked for.

As seconds passed, more and more of the families stepped forward, earning many looks of surprise and astonishment from the others. Even Pterano stared at his success in disbelief, not expecting this many dinosaurs to follow him. But even through this all, he kept his expression unmoving as he followed the events, knowing that appearances meant everything on times like these.

None of this was lost to Volant of course and her surprise was even more profound than many of the others’. How could those fools follow her brother without him showing any idea how he would reach the Valley any faster? Were they truly that desperate? The female’s breaths grew heavier as she looked at Pterano, knowing she couldn’t follow her only remaining sibling on this journey. She knew the stories of the Valley’s supposed location as well as the others and she would only follow her own intuition instead of serving anyone, even Pterano, mindlessly. She owed that much to her fallen mate and children. She looked carefully as Ura cried to the defectors after the movement between the groups had stopped.

“You know as well as we do that he doesn’t know anything more about the Valley’s location than we do! You will only doom yourselves by following him!” She cried almost with a plead, earning an annoyed answer from one of the thicknoses.

“Anything is better than being forced to fight with you and the other morons all day! Keep your crappy herd and perish for all I care!” He cried in bitterness, earning a look of pride from Pterano. The flyer’s triumph, however, was far from complete and he widened his eyes as he turned at Volant, calling to her happily.

“Your place is on my side, sister! Join us and we can be on…” He started but before he could even finish his sentence, he was cut short. He was severely taken aback as Volant spoke in a mournful but firm voice.

“I won’t, Pterano. I told you not to do this and I owe it to my dear Tuulen and to the Bright Circle to give my very best shot at reaching the Valley and… following you isn’t that way. I’d say I’m sorry for saying this unless I didn’t know I would be lying.” Volant said, her words earning a look of surprise and shock from Pterano. He knew of Volant’s earlier hesitation but he had expected her to join him once she’d see his success. To hear her still attack him… and before the others made his blood boil as he was beyond disgusted she’d risk the life of her children simply because of her pride. Yet, if fate would be merciful, maybe she would receive another chance to join him before it would be too late. He frowned somewhat as he answered bitterly to his sister before addressing his new followers.

“So be it, my “beloved” sister. As for those of you who made the right decision, let’s get going! I promise that before the day turns to night, none of us will be hungry and it will only be a little more until the Valley opens before us! Onwards, my friends! Our salvation awaits!” He cried as he listened to the shouts of cheer from his followers. He rose to his wings as he moved to the head of his herd, ready to lead them to their, and his, destiny. This would be his hour of triumph, this would be his apology to Tuulen and Petrie… and indeed, it would be his answer to his sister’s arrogance and complacency. A wide smile radiated on his face as he headed to his new adventures, knowing he’d return from them victorious.

Volant, on the other hand, looked at the departing form of his brother with glassed eyes, left to wonder whether she had only added another disaster to her long list of failures. Something within his brother’s voice had told her that he truly believed in himself and maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong to doubt him. Even then, what was done was done, and in the eyes of all that was good in this world, she’d have to persevere. She took a brief sigh as she glanced at her children and spoke to them softly.

“Let’s go children. We still have a long way to go.”


This is my response to Gang of Five’s December prompt. I know it’s extremely long for a short story but in all honesty, there was just so much to go through. The further I got with this story, the more I started to wonder why it hasn’t already been made before. There has been one portrayal of Petrie’s hatching (I still felt like I had to include that scene in this fic though) but the fate of his father and Volant/Pterano relationship before the seventh film have been completely overlooked. Even then, I truly hope I made some justice to those premises with this story! I think I’ll do the January prompt right away so there will be a little more waiting before we’ll see the next chapter on Separate Ways. But even then, I really hope you liked this one! I certainly enjoyed writing it!

The Road’s End, The Friendship’s Rebirth


”Take that back!”

”Never!”

”TAKE IT BACK!

“NO!”
A flash of red rage flushed through the young longneck’s mind as he looked at the arrogant threehorn before him. How dare she insult him and his mother after all they had done to even help her live this long? Ever since his meeting with Ducky, Littlefoot had tried to be the calm and encouraging one among his friends and always help them through these dark days but the actions of the threehorn before him finally broke the line. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Littlefoot charged towards Cera and in a mere fraction of a second, the duo were rolling down a rocky hill into the chasm of dryness and gloom that had started the argument in the first place.

Almost immediately, the girl regained her composure and even in her shock about how the situation had escalated, she took the upper hand in the fight. She quickly grabbed the longneck by his chest and hit it towards the wall during their slide, causing the boy to already leave a red trail by the hillside as they quickly reached the bottom of the small gorge. Cera narrowed her eyes as she looked at Littlefoot catch his breath after his nasty injury but the burning rage in his eyes wasn’t abating in the least. He slowly started to speak as he restarted his assault towards his adversary.

“You’ll pay for that, Cera. You’ll pay for every harm you’ve brought us…” Littlefoot said as he ran towards the threehorn who immediately lowered her head to deter any direct assault from the softer-headed boy… but to her astonishment, that attack never came. Just before he was about to hit Cera with his charge, he quickly hit at a large rock with his tail which collided with Cera’s side with a violent force, causing the threehorn to give up his defense in shock for a moment. It bought the brownish longneck to begin his true assault to completely overwhelm his opponent and to finally make her pay for insulting his mother who had passed on to him the five dinosaurs’ only hope of ever surviving this hellish time of death and withering. He quickly turned Cera to her back and hissed to a him with a real threat.

“Take it back, Cera. Now.” His nose nearly touched that of Cera’s who looked at his adversary in equal disdain. Always, this stupid flathead had been there to play the hero and always attack anybody who had the never to question his line of reasoning. Not to even mention denying the sharptooth’s survival for so long and attacking her headlong for questioning his mother’s misguided words. No, she wouldn’t give up to this arrogant upstart. It was an anathema to all her father had taught her to be and a true threehorn wouldn’t surrender even in a bad situation such as this. Suddenly, she kicked upwards with both her legs, hitting at Littlefoot’s belly and sending him rolling to his side. She quickly rose up and decided to push her newfound advantage as far as she could.

“In your sleep stories, flathead! You or your stupid mother will never again tell me what to do!” She cried as she hit her opponent’s legs with her horns, only worsening his previous injuries. Cera nearly locked him in her grasp before Littlefoot regained his stance and stop Cera’s attack. With a quick move, he moved to face Cera and managed to stop her attack by stopping her head with his own. The longneck cringed in desperate pain as the girl’s crest and horns dug into his flesh, knowing full well this was a fight in which Cera would have a terrifying advance against him. For a brief moment, the boy thought about slowly backing down and simply conceding defeat…

No, that wasn’t an option. Not after all that had happened. His mother’s wisdom was all that was left of her and he simply couldn’t let her memory down like this. As Littlefoot looked at Petrie, Ducky and Spike’s terrified faces, he also remembered their fates were in his hands. He’d have to win this fight and prove that only he could lead them into the Great Valley. The longneck would have wanted to cry as he felt his warm blood flowing down his own face but he forgot all of that as every last of his muscles stiffened to their absolute limit. In a second of blind rage, Littlefoot started his push and Cera’s eyes widened in fear as the longneck started to push her back one step at a time. Cold shivers ran down her spine as she realized she was losing her balance and that her situation grew more dire by the second. Littlefoot grinned in triumph as Cera suddenly fell before him, completely awestruck by the boy’s sudden stroke of brute strength. Cera was beaten: all that remained was to put her back in line.

Cera, on the other hand, couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Had a flathead actually beaten her, a threehorn? The disbelief and shame were apparent in her mind but even through this complete humiliation, she wasn’t about to give an inch to the longneck, no matter what would come to pass. So she immediately returned her gaze to her normal one and screamed right at Littlefoot.

“You’re leading us the wrong way! You’ve done so the whole time!” She cried at the enraged longneck who seemed nothing short of murderous at this point. The girl’s outburst helped very little his mood and his voice was even sharper than before when Littlefoot gave his answer.

“My way, my mother’s way, is the only one that leads to the Valley. If any of us leave that path now, none of survives through all this, Cera.” Littlefoot said as the threehorn looked at him, her breathing intensifying by the minute. It was clear that the conflict was far from over just yet.

“So you say! Only a longneck would be stupid enough to follow the Bright Circle all day aimlessly! I’d find the right path in a few moments!” She cried, doing all in her power to turn this defeat into a victory. However, Littlefoot had finally reached a point the threehorn hadn’t foreseen. He seemed to be on the verge of beating the threehorn for good but refrained from that plan in the last possible moment. Instead, he raised his gaze and twitched his head aggressively as he answered.

“Then go, Cera. None of us ever wanted you with us anyway! All you’ve brought to us is arguing and stupid attacks at all of us! We’ll do far better without you!” He cried, not thinking in the least about the implications on the group as a whole. The two dinosaurs had all but forgotten the silent trio following the scene with horror in the distance. None of them were prepared for this display of brute force but it felt like each of their mouths were simply sealed in place. Ducky glazed at the scene, her eyes twitching with restrained tears whereas Petrie shuddered in fear, seeking support from Spike’s leg as they waited how this argument would end. None of them wanted to lose a friend but the tension between Littlefoot and Cera had been tangible for days. Ducky, Petrie and Spike could only follow this terrifying scene develop in front of their eyes, completely powerless to stop it.
Cera, on the other hand, was completely taken aback by Littlefoot’s outburst. Had he actually told her to get off after all she had done? After she had saved her friends from the sharptooth? Well, that would be just fine! If this insufferable longneck and his faithful followers were so intent on moving on, that was alright for her! She had only joined them in order for some company and protection from the sharptooth but if they were so willing to send her off, then let them! Cera’s tone softened considerably as she answered but the deep hate lingered in her voice.

“You wouldn’t survive a day without me! Don’t you realize you would have already gone to the sharptooth’s belly if it wasn’t for me?!” She cried but it did very little to appease the longneck. Littlefoot only lowered and slowed down his voice as he gave his last command.

“Get lost. Spread your filthy lies somewhere else.” He said while hitting the threehorn one last time with his tail, the situation infuriating him without end. Even if Cera’s words were inexcusable, his own use of violence also disgusted the boy bitterly. He had given all for his friends and now he was beating them up like rocks! It wasn’t fair but Cera had crossed the line a long time ago. If she forced him to do this, so be it. Cera slowly rose to her legs and hissed back at the longneck.

“Remember this when you and your sorry friends find yourselves in his shadow, Littlefoot! When I unite again with my family in the Valley, I’ll remember everything you threw away!” She said before finally turning away, raising her tail as a gesture of defiance. Her face retained its arrogance and no hint of regret could be seen in it. Her expression was a complete contrast to that of Littlefoot’s whose enraged look slowly wore off, revealing a static and desperate mask of sorrow which hid countless conflicting thoughts behind it.

Why did it have to go this way? I did my best to keep things good but… nothing was ever enough. Cera will never make it alone but there’s nothing more or anyone else could have done.

A silent sniff could be heard from the longneck’s nose as he fought to keep his sobs at bay. He had just sent Cera to her end and that thought was a completely crushing one for the young longneck. He would have wanted to simply break down but he’d have to stay strong before the rest of her friends. He’d have to keep them knowing only he could lead them forward and ensure…

“Cera! Don’t go! We need you!” The longneck’s thoughts were suddenly stopped as Petrie ran past him after Cera but there was indication that the threehorn had heard any of his cries. Ducky was on the flyer’s heels but both of them stopped immediately when Littlefoot spoke to them, his voice more serious than ever before.

“Don’t go, you two. She already made her own decision.” Ducky and Petrie looked at their friend, completely stunned by his words. First he had sent her away and now he claimed that it was her fault? Ducky moved closer to Littlefoot and spoke to him ever so softly, her voice dipping with concern and disbelief.

“Why did you sended her away? We always did everything together until now, we did, we did.” She said, clearly at the verge of tears. Petrie’s stunned eyes only reinforced the sense of fear and sorrow among the duo and for the first time since the fight, the cloud of outrage seemed to drift from the longneck’s mind at least to a degree.

“You heard what she said, Ducky. We couldn’t listen to her lies forever. I hoped things would end differently for her but… not this time. But come one, we have to move on! The Valley cannot be far away any more!” He spoke, willing to put this sickening issue behind him. He cast pleading looks at his three remaining friends and with equally terrified look, Petrie cast one last look at Cera’s quickly disappearing form. He took a brief sigh before deciding to follow Littlefoot to whatever direction he was planning to go. He was the only one to know the way to the Valley after all.


Silence reigned supreme for the next few hours as the four young dinosaurs forged their way forward, ever higher to the mountains overlooking the tiny gorge far below. The way up was perilous and it was by sheer determination that any of them could make the way upwards after days of the infernal hunger that had turned out to be the dinosaurs’ eternal companion during their whole lives. The loss of Cera certainly dampened each of their spirits but Littlefoot’s unselfish leadership and the knowledge that the valley had to be near them brought them the courage to move on.

However, Ducky felt the exhaustion make its way to her limbs at a terrifying rate. Even after all their time together, Littlefoot had never revealed how exactly he knew the way forward. Of course, tales of the Valley had caused her family to embark on the migration with the other herds but not once had ever mother or father even attempted to tell her anything of it. It was as if nobody knew anything about their mystic destination yet everybody was ready to risk everything to reaching it. None of that had ever made any sense to the swimmer but those thoughts had grown only more profound since the fateful fight between Cera and Littlefoot. With a careful voice, she spoke to the longneck who was walking not far in front of her.

“This isn’t right, Littlefoot, no, no, no! Why did you send Cera off like that even if she might have known the way to the Valley like you do? I mean, what is the Valley anyway? No one ever told me anything about it and I’m getting tired of all the fighting over it!” She spoke, holding back her emotions at the whole situation. Littlefoot turned to look at Ducky wearily, frowning as a pile of dust flew straight into his eyes. He had prayed that he wouldn’t have to explain himself any further but apparently the swimmer didn’t see things the same way. With a sigh, he gave his answer while trying to avoid this unsavory conversation from turning into any kind of an argument.

“So am I, Ducky. But you heard how she attacked my mother! I couldn’t let it go on like this but I never wanted to send her away, either. It all just… happened.” He answered, his voice dying completely as he said the last sentence, realizing that his actions had been far from what he had ever intended. However, the silence didn’t reign for long as Ducky pushed on with her point.

“I never heard what happened to your mom but… you said she knew the way to the Valley. But how did she know it when no one else ever said to really know the way there! It does not make any sense!” Ducky said while really wondering about how Littlefoot had obtained his knowledge of how to reach the Great Valley. This time Littlefoot stopped and he faced Ducky tightly as he gave his answer.

“Mother always spoke of following my heart but it never made sense for me either. I don’t know anything about the Valley but I know my mother was right when she ordered me to search for the rock that looks like a longneck and the Mountains that Burn. We are on the right way, Ducky. I may not know how the Valley looks or where it exactly is but I know it’s there.” He said, recalling at his last days with his mother and only barely able to hold back his tears. He knew very little of the Valley but his mother had said it to be there so it simply had to be. Her and his grandparents’ hopes rested upon him and he wouldn’t let them down, not now. However, Petrie decided to join the conversation which hardly raised the longneck’s mood any.

“But how? Petrie know your momma important to you but that still doesn’t mean be right about this! We gone very far and found nothing!” Petrie spoke in clear worry, his trust in the whole quest slowly starting to crumble. He could hardly take another step and his whole body was nearly paralyzed by the terrifying hunger. For a moment, Littlefoot’s eyes narrowed again in slight chagrin, a wave of anger flowing through him. However, he decided to give his answer.

“We’re getting closer, Petrie. My mother was the wisest dinosaur of them all and if she said something, it…” The longneck suddenly stopped his answer as his eyes caught the sight of something that stole his attention. Streams of pure fire were flying through the skies, one after another. They seemed to penetrate the cloudless heights with their brilliant glow and almost immediately, Littlefoot ran towards the nearest cliff to see what was going on. Behind it opened a round and deep lake but what really caught the boy’s attention were a series of mountains in the far distance which were releasing their flames almost continuously. An ominous aura of red was glowing around them which only confirmed the thing to Littlefoot he had wanted to confirm.

“The Mountains that Burn… it really is them… and it only proves we’re going the right way!” The longneck spoke excitedly, his friends immediately following him to witness the sight. However, neither of them were completely confident of the find. Littlefoot frowned heavily as Petrie crossed his arms and muttered his thoughts about the distant mountains.

“They look nice but… they mountains that spit fire, not mountains that burn.” The flyer said, immediately prompting another comment from Ducky.

“It could be only a nicer way of telling the same thing but then again, we’ve seen many Mountains that Burn already. I’m not sure if this is telling we’re going the right way, no, no, no.” She said with a slightly mournful way to which Littlefoot immediately responded. His tone was an extremely annoyed one and he turned around even before he opened his mouth.

“It does! Come along and you’ll see soon enough that the Valley is no longer far away!” He said, angered that both of the two seemed to completely dismiss his advice and instead try to find something to whine all the time. Well, their tone would be very different when they’d finally find the Valley…


Yet, that prediction never seemed to come true. The day turned into a night followed by another day and another night. What made things even worse was that the earth itself grew ever the more dryer and it seemed to crack under the feet of the four dinosaurs. No water was to be seen anywhere and the sprawling network of mountains and passes never seemed to give way to any easier terrain. Those mountains were completely devoid of any green food and the very thought of the Great Valley seemed to drift further and further away by the hour. Even Littlefoot had to admit that moving his limbs was becoming more of a struggle with every step he took but it was way worse with his friends. The lighthearted chatter and small acts of friendship had all but ended since Cera’s departure which made the situation all the more desperate.

A wheezing groan escaped from Ducky’s lips as she took a brief stop at a top of a small hill. The last rise had nearly spent all her strength and what prize had received for any of it? Only another panorama of the dry and burning hell that the world had turned into. How long could she go through this terrifying march, especially that Littlefoot didn’t seem to know any more than she did. The faces of her parents and siblings drifted through her eyes nearly continuously as it was they and the happier times her family were a proof that kept her going. Had they already reached the Valley? That possibility was a happy one for her but would she ever able to join them? She couldn’t wait for a chance to embr…

Roaaar!

Suddenly, a distant voice washed over the small group like a Cold Time’s wind over a lonely flower on a frigid plain. Ducky would have wanted to simply run for her life but the voice was far too weak for the beast to be on her and her friends’ tail just yet. The four immediately ran under a nearby cliff, willing to hide themselves just long enough to avoid another dreadful encounter.

“Did any of you see him? The sharptooth is somewhere on the hill around us.” Littlefoot whispered as his eyes scoured the landscape around him. The mountains made it hard to get a good view of the surrounding lands as it allowed only glimpses of the many winding trails forming the maze this part of the Mysterious Beyond was.

“I didn’t, Littlefoot. Maybe the sharptooth is just passing b…”

“Get lower! Now!” Petrie hissed as the four friends immediately obeyed to the surprising cry. Littlefoot was about to question the other boy’s outburst when Ducky suddenly whispered.

“There he is.” And sure enough, after the following gaze, Littlefoot realized that the duo had been correct. The sharptooth looked like little more than a crawler that far below the small group but it was still undoubtedly him. And to the longneck’s worry, it was apparent that the predator was on a hunt but not on him or his friends. Even then, the situation was extremely oppressive and Spike’s fearful whimpers didn’t help any. Yet, now that they knew where the sharptooth was, they could try to escape from his grasp for good. With slow, careful movements, Littlefoot rose to his feet and spoke to the others.

“Come! We should get away from here before he needs an appetizer!” He said while glancing at the killer of his mother, the never-ending hate and hurt gleaming at the bottom of his eyes. That was the creature that had robbed his happy days from him and driven him to this fearful race against death and starvation and worst of all…

At that point, the sting in the young longneck’s heart forced him to simply move forward from his dark thoughts. For now all that mattered was to get out of here as fast as possible. He gritted his teeth as he ran down a narrow path which would likely lead as far away from the sharptooth as possible. It sloped steeply downwards and after some time, it would lead to a plain that was reasonably flat and would provide the small group enough time to lose their monstrous chaser for good.

However, it didn’t take long until the path quickly turned to the left, complicating the friends’ initial plan. They didn’t have any time to hesitate of course but even then, the horrifying fear in their minds grew worse every second they spent in this place. The sharptooth was a terrible enemy and just as easily, he could leap from the top of any of the surrounding rocks and end their desperate struggle once and for all…

To the four dinosaurs’ luck, after a short while, another path branched away from the larger one which apparently lead down from the mountains. Each of them were more than thankful for this slight fortune but just as they were about to head towards safety, another voice from the distance suddenly reached the small group’s ears. It sounded like a whisper but each of them immediately realized to whom it belonged. Petrie’s voice was completely dumbstruck as he started to speak.

“That funny! Me think me heard a voice just like Cera’s and…”

“It is Cera, Petrie! And if it’s Cera, then….” Even after the duo’s fight, the longneck would never have had hoped Cera to end up facing the sharptooth alone. And even worse, it was he who had sent her away! If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself for that most terrible of mistakes. At this point, he didn’t care to wait whether his friends were following him as he ran with all his might to save the situation and the first dinosaur he had ever thought of as a friend.


Desperate sobs and fatigued panting accompanied Cera’s frantic flight. All thoughts in her mind had merged into one flux of chaotic fears as once again, her life was forfeit due to this cursed monster. How could she have let this happen once again? She had used all the skills her father and mother had taught her, all the skills a threehorn would need to create a path forward for herself in this desolate world.

Yet, none of that had been enough. She had been found nonetheless and the realization that she had absolutely no idea of her destination had worsened her condition only further. But she wouldn’t give up before her final breath was done and…

And at that moment, Cera saw something that raised her spirits for a short moment. It was a small path leading a bit higher towards the hills which was too small for the sharptooth to climb! It would offer her a way to once again cheat the beast and prove that she was worthy of being called a threehorn! The sharptooth’s shadow was already above her but with some luck, she’d reach safety and prove that she didn’t need any self-righteous fools to accompany her!

With an expectant grin, she jumped to the first rocks, willing to win every last second in this race she could. She quickly reached for the cliff reaching upwards but all too soon, the threehorn realized she wasn’t quite quick enough. The sharptooth jumped right behind her and immediately blocked the girl’s attempt to escape from his grasp. Cera screamed as the predator sank his claws deep into Cera’s sides, causing countless deep wounds into the young dinosaur’s sides. At this moment, Cera knew it was all over.

However, another dinosaur present wasn’t yet ready to agree. Littlefoot could see Cera’s injuries but as long as she was alive, there was hope she’d make it through this. The longneck looked at the scene from the upper reaches of the hills and he knew only one way to save his friend from this nightmarish scene. He quickly ran down the trail and with all his might, he jumped against the sharptooth’s hand, prompting it to momentarily release Cera from its grasp. The threehorn looked in shock, both mental and physical, as her friend and adversary miraculously appeared to save her from apparently nowhere.

“Littlefoot! How…”

“Don’t ask anything! just go if you want to survive!” The longneck cried as he saw the sharptooth recovering from the initial shock. Immediately, Littlefoot followed Cera but he could already see the effects of her wounds on the threehorn. She was limping increasingly badly but she would escape from this situation… she would have to…
Just as the two were reaching the point beyond which the massive predator wouldn’t be able to follow them, Cera’s speed suddenly fell. Littlefoot would have wanted to do something but right now, her fate was now in Cera’s own hands.

The threehorn’s gaze was increasingly hasty but safety was so close, so very close. Surely, she’d reach it in a matter of moments… The heavy weariness and sickening feeling that spread across Cera’s body made what came next much easier. At first, it felt like a scratch on the back of her tale which then felt like something sank into her flesh. She could feel the pull backwards but oddly enough, her body didn’t seem to react to it in any way. There was no pain, no panic… but she was still pulled awake from her weariness as she realized what was happening. Littlefoot’s gaze as he looked at her was one she’d never forget as long as she lived but even now, the thirst for life present in every living being awoke from its slumber within the threehorn. With a desperate, violent pull she reached for the safety and after a short struggle, she felt the terrifying pressure leave her body. With a quick sprint, she reached for Littlefoot, overjoyed by her survival. At least until the pain finally shot through the numbness and shock that now was the threehorn’s world.


That was a sight which made Ducky scream as soon as she, Petrie and Spike reached the hapless scene. Each of them had been completely surprised by Littlefoot’s abrupt disappearance and they had had to search for the way Littlefoot had used during his frantic run and they had reached the fateful scene only now… only to see what had happened to one of the dinosaurs the three had called their friend.

There was very little left of Cera’s orange tail, most of it torn to pieces by the sharptooth’s vicious teeth. Only some disgusting pieces of bleeding meat hang from the bloody stump. In addition to that, her sides were completely covered by the marks of the sharptooth’s claws, blood flowing from them in an alarming rate. The predator itself was stuck on the lower slopes of the hills but it mattered little as it had already claimed a potential victim. Cera panted between her screams, only able to mutter a few words before her mind finally blacked out after her massive injuries.

“Why… why… did we have…. to fight like that? I… I’m….” She said before collapsing to the ground. Littlefoot looked at her with terrified eyes, not willing to believe what had come to pass. In a matter of seconds, Cera would be gone but not if he only could prevent it in some way! He turned to his friends and cried to them in alarm.

‘”We have to cover her wounds! Quickly now, search for some leaves to stop the bleeding!” Littlefoot cried, not thinking clearly in this moment of horror. He immediately started to search for something to help Cera but despite their shock and sorrow, Ducky and Petrie realized there was nothing they could do now. Ducky whispered to the longneck who was on the verge of losing the rest of his composure.

“There are no leaves around here, Littlefoot! There… there’s nothing we can cover her wounds with.” The swimmer said while walking closer to the threehorn whose condition was getting beyond grave. Littlefoot’s eyes widened as he heard those words, not willing to believe his ears. Was Ducky truly suggesting just abandoning Cera here? Was she insane? He immediately answered to the smaller dinosaur with an outraged voice.

“There’s something we can do, Ducky! You know Cera wouldn’t have given up on us!” Littlefoot knew how ridiculous his words sounded after the duo’s fight but again and again, Cera had sought him and his friends out and helped them against the sharptooth. However, it was Ducky’s next words that finally broke his courage.

“She would not have, no, no, no. But without any green food or something else, there’s nothing we can do but to… but to hope for the best.” Ducky tried to sniff back her tears, knowing that it would take a miracle to save Cera at this point. She had always reveled in making new friends but lately, her and her companions’ lives had turned into an ever worse nightmare. All her times with Cera and the others flowed before her eyes, slowly beginning to wonder if all their dreams would start to turn into false hopes.

Littlefoot looked at Ducky with an unmoving face, unconsciously hiding the storm in his mind from the gazes of others. His body fought for a chance to help Cera but slowly his mind was forced to accept the truth. His mother had taught him how to try to stop his own bleeding but none of that was possible in a dry, lifeless hellhole like this. And that meant only one thing… Littlefoot dragged his gaze from Ducky and looked at the cliffs, trying to salvage at least parts of his composure in this terrible moment.

“This… this is all my fault! I sent her away and… and if I hadn’t been so blind, all would be alright right now! Why did I have to ruin everything again!” He hit his paw against the cliff, looking at the form of the slowly departing sharptooth. He had never wanted to lose Cera but the knowledge that this time, the potential loss of the threehorn truly was his fault made him feel more miserable than ever since the aftermath of his first meeting with the cursed sharptooth. This time, it had been him who had sent Cera out there even if he had the choice of simply forgiving her transgressions. Petrie and Ducky exchanged brief glances as both of them would have wanted to comfort Littlefoot in his hour of need but on the other hand, both of them knew this indeed was his mistake and in the bottoms of their hearts, disdain for the longneck’s actions was starting to swell. Despite that, Petrie soon approached and spoke in a surprisingly serious voice for him.

“Cera not gone yet. Maybe we should look after her until she gets better.” He tried to cheer up the desperate longneck but Littlefoot’s answer was far from what he had expected. The longneck understood the full direness and his tone was even overtly toxic as he answered.

“We cannot do that, Petrie! Or did you already forget your hunger?” He snapped, knowing full well that even without Cera’s injury, his and his friends chance of survival had been a fleeting one at best. The Valley had to be out there but his and his friends had to reach it quickly if they ever wanted to reach the paradise they had dreamed of all their lives. However, the pleading looks of his friends told that they were more than willing to defend Cera as long as they were able but it was Spike’s next gesture that surprised the longneck the most. He walked to Cera’s side and licked her cheek quickly and then cast a pleading look at Littlefoot. The latter looked at him with a bothered look, the spiketail’s honesty and concerns touching the distraught boy deeply. The silence stretched on for a few moments until Littlefoot took a deep sigh and spoke to his friends.

“Very well. If you wish to make things even worse, it’s all fine for me! I like Cera as much as you do but we should move on. I’ll see all of you soon.” Suddenly, the longneck turned around and headed back towards the trail he and his friends had initially used to reach the cliff. He hated everything about himself and the situation this and for the first time in a long time, the longneck was completely lost. Silent sobs and shocked cries could be heard behind him as for the first time in his life, Littlefoot turned his back completely to the task bestowed to him by his beloved mother.


It didn’t take long for him to reach the highest parts of the mountains again. The boy had helplessly wandered the winding paths and trails in an effort to clear out his thoughts but anywhere he went, the sight of Cera leaving after the duo’s fight and her injury flowed through his mind. He had made a terrible mistake and the rest of his friends had received only unkept promises for following him after all his mistakes during their journey. He was a complete failure and a monster who didn’t even deserve to reach the Great Valley if he ever even received that chance.

The longneck collapsed over a flat stone in utter exhaustion and fear, his entire mind an endless pit of self-hate and regret. There his friends were looking after Cera while he was only lying here, doing nothing but only making things worse by the minute. Perhaps it would all be just better if he leapt down from the cliff and let his friends finally be free of him. Yes, that would solve so many different problems for everyone…

Littlefoot…

The boy twitched noticeably, completely taken aback by the sudden sound. It sounded as if a thousand rays of the Bright Circle fought their way through a seemingly never-ending curtain of sky puffies on a cold day. As if a happy memory fighting its way through from the realm of oblivion. Yet, that was a voice Littlefoot would know in a matter of seconds even if dozens of Cold Times would pass by. His face shot up in complete shock and he saw a massive cloud hanging over the red sky which took a familiar form. A form of a female longneck. Almost immediately, the voice repeated such as softly.

Littlefoot…

Yes, he was not mistaken this time. With ashamed and wavering movements, the longneck rose to his legs and with a slight stutter, spoke to the cloud.

“Mother... I - I tried to do what you told me, but it's just too hard. I'll never find the Great Valley.” Was all he managed to say and slowly, his head slowly dropping downwards from his complete shame. He didn’t know what he expected in this situation but he was overjoyed by even having a chance for this conversation. From the back of his brows, Littlefoot followed the cloud’s movement and for a short while, nothing happened. The longneck was already resigned to the fact that he didn’t deserve an answer but suddenly the cloud seemed to gesture him to look towards the setting Bright Circle.

After a moment of hesitation, he looked at the growing shadows that the mountains were painting upon the endless plains. There was nothing to be seen: no trace of the Valley or green food, absolutely nothing. Littlefoot sighed and shook his head at that sight, knowing it was unlikely he had the strength to even reach that horizon. Everything seemed beyond impossible at this point and slowly, he turned to look at the form of the longneck and whispered to it pleadingly.

“What do I have left to do? Please tell me, mother.” He asked while trying to fight back his feelings. To the longneck’s horror, after a few seconds, the cloud seemed to start drifting
further away from into the wide sky. He immediately rose up and cried towards it in a voice that sounded nearly panicked.

“Don’t go, mother! Don’t go!” He cried helplessly as the cloud seemed to slowly disintegrate between his eyes. Littlefoot continued his cries at the sight, knowing that even her mother had rejected him after his terrible deeds. That was, until he suddenly heard an ever so faint voice deep inside him.

“You know the way to the Valley, Littlefoot. And you know you have already walked it to the end.” Those words seemed to come from somewhere from the flux of his own thoughts and heart but they did little to ease his situation. He had already walked the way to the Valley? But how? This simply couldn’t be the Great Valley! This was some kind of hellish range of dried mountains in the middle of nowhere! Had his mother told him this completely senseless advice or was it another one of his own deluded thoughts caused by all these days of despair and fear? What the hell was he supposed to think about all this?

The longneck’s breathing grew more intense by the second as he thought about everything that had happened during past hour. Only now, he realized he had no idea how far away the Valley actually was or whether it truly existed at all. Whether it existed at all… those words made Littlefoot suddenly look pleadingly towards the skies but the cloud had completely vanished into the dark sky, not a trace of it to be seen. Had it been his mother’s voice he had heard, like he had not long after her death? If it were, then… then she couldn’t help him anymore. And in that case… in that case, what could he really trust in? Had her mother actually been wrong from the beginning? That was a thought that he had simply wanted to put away all his life but he didn’t know whether he could do that anymore. At the very least, did he have the right to…

“Littlefoot? You should not run away like that! You have acted very strange lately!” A voice suddenly drew Littlefoot from his thoughts. Petrie quickly jumped over a nearby rock, followed closely by an equally concerned Ducky. The longneck stared at them and immediately demanded in a surprisingly hostile voice which drew its force from Littlefoot’s very fears.

“What are you doing here? You were supposed to look after Cera!” He said, completely dumbstruck by his development. However, his concerns were quickly addressed by Ducky.

“Her wounds no longer bleeds as badly as before and she is still breathing. I think she will live through all this, yep, yep, yep! Spike will look after her for a while. But we came here because I and Petrie are very concerned about you, we are.” The swimmer said with a weak smile which nonetheless heartened Littlefoot to a degree. If Cera truly was doing as well as Ducky said, it truly would be a miracle in the middle of this endless gloom. However, the last part of her comment wasn’t one the boy felt comfortable answering just yet.

“That’s great news, Ducky! I knew Cera was strong but it seemed like an injury even she wouldn’t survive. I’m happy she keeps proving me wrong.” He simply said, hoping the two would leave their questioning for a while. He still had a lot to understand himself and if possible, he’d solve his problems himself. However, Ducky wasn’t about to let that issue pass this easily.

“You are proving us wrong, Littlefoot! Ever since you sent her away, you haven’t been yourself! It’s like you’ve been afraid all the time about what you are doing, you are! You have stuck to yourself and when we first met, you would not have ran away when one of us was hurt! We all know something’s wrong!” The swimmer finally revealed her true intention but to her surprise, no immediate rebuke could be seen from Littlefoot. In its stead, he turned to look at Ducky with sad eyes and took a long, bothered sigh. He no longer looked annoyed, only completely wearied by his mental fatigue. In the end, what could he win if he simply kept running away from the truth and continue lying to those who trusted in him? No, this was the time to break the silence and only pray that his friends would not be harsh on him.

“Ducky… Petrie… I’m happy you came to look for me. I could not have asked for better friends than you. But you are right that a certain thing has bothered me in the past days. Ever since I met you, I thought I was doing what was the best for all of us, that I truly knew the way to go. However, ever since I sent Cera away, and even a bit before that, I really started to understand what this journey would take from all of us. And… the truth is that I no longer know whether I’m doing anything right anymore.” He sighed briefly, taking a brief pause while investigating the duo’s expressions. Especially Petrie looked surprised and after a moment, he opened his beak.

“B… but you’ve always led Petrie forward! You know the way to the Valley and you always help us when you can, Littlefoot!” He said, using the longneck’s actual name this time instead of the usual flathead. Even if he had joked on his behalf, the flyer had come to trust Littlefoot from the beginning with all his heart. Seeing him like this bothered Petrie without end as Littlefoot had always done his very best to hide his sorrows from his friends. However, after his many weeks of lone wandering after he was separated from his family, Petrie welcomed anyone who claimed to know the way forward. He looked in worry as Littlefoot answered quickly and with a clear frown on his face.

“Thanks, Petrie. I always thought I knew the way to the Valley but we’ve already passed the rock that looks like a longneck and the Mountains that Burn and we’re still not there! All the way, I trusted that my mother was right about the Valley and that I only had to follow her words. But lately, I don’t even know if we’re on the right path. Or whether the Valley exists at all.” The longneck said under his breath, knowing that the die has been cast with his last admission. He looked as Ducky put her hands on her cheeks in shock and as Petrie jumped a few steps backwards in fear. The flyer dropped behind a smaller rock and looked from behind it, his words wavering slightly.

“Of course the Valley is real! Momma and me family always talk about it! Everybody talk about it! How can it not be out there!?” He asked, not even willing to think about the issue by himself just yet. That possibility left very few goop options for anyone so they simply couldn’t accept such a horrible chance. Ducky glanced at Petrie in similar sentiment and then spoke to Littlefoot.

“So did my family, Littlefoot. And your mother knew a whole lot about the Valley and where it is! But how could she know so much about something that isn’t really there? It does not make sense, it does not.” The swimmer said, causing Littlefoot to think about it for a moment. The magical moment of her telling that some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart returned to his mind and he still understood none of it. He would have wanted nothing more than to simply follow her words and prove them right but now he simply couldn’t. Instead, he answered in a way that would have been unthinkable for him only a few days earlier.

“I don’t know. Maybe she heard from it from some dinosaur who didn’t tell the truth or maybe the Valley was only an old story among the herds that has since turned into this same, dry hellscape, if it ever existed at all! In any case, she was wrong the whole time despite promising me that the Valley was there!” Littlefoot said as he suddenly hit a large rock with his foot, gritting his teeth as the results of that outburst of rage made themselves known. Both of the smaller dinosaurs stared at him dumbstruck before Ducky once again spoke in a voice that was barely louder than the weak breath of wind that flew over the desolate plains as if a wandering spirit trying to find solace before passing on.

“Littlefoot… What are you trying to tell us?” The swimmer’s words would have haunted the longneck without end if his own mental state wasn’t so badly bruised and ruined. Now, it was only another question that, despite its simplicity, forced him to tell the truth about his so-called leadership. He slowly rose to his feet as he spoke, preparing to leave the scene as soon as he could. The longneck was prepared to face the judgement of his too friends but he still didn’t want to dwell in this monstrous situation any longer than he had to.

“I’m trying to tell you that… that I don’t know what to do anymore. I cannot ask you to follow me anymore if I don’t even believe myself that I know the way. I’m glad you came this far with me but this is the end of the road for me. Even if I wanted, I couldn’t walk for more than a few hours before collapsing.” He said sadly to his companions while looking at the pale form of the Bright Circle which was soon preparing to set for this day. Petrie could only stare at the other boy, unable to handle all the implications of the longneck’s words. If the valley wasn’t real and he and his friends didn’t have the strength to reach it…

“But you have to walk for many more days, flathead! And if you don’t know the way, Cera does! She has always said so and Petrie believe her! Me cannot believe you took us this far and only now tell Petrie we went this way for nothing!” The flyer said angrily, earning a tired look from Littlefoot. He no longer cared about Cera’s claims but even then, she had never seemed to have a real explanation to her directions. The flyer’s last words upset him slightly but right now, he knew he deserved every attack and insult that was coming his way. Ducky’s initially worried look seemed equally unsure but her expression, too, darkened quickly as she realized what her friend had been up to.

“I never believed you’d do this, Littlefoot! You lied to us all the time and you even sent Cera away even if you didn’t know any better than she did! We all spent days heading nowhere and spent our last strength only because you didn’t tell us you were wrong! That was not nicely done, no, no, no!” The swimmer crossed her arms as she voiced her thoughts but she received no immediate answer. Littlefoot only looked at the two, his expression carrying only one message: a heartfelt “sorry”. However, it wasn’t enough for the two as Petrie whispered to Ducky.

“Let’s go see Cera. At least now we know she was right the whole time.” The swimmer nodded to Petrie’s words and shortly, the two turned back and headed towards the place they had left Cera and Spike. Littlefoot followed their departure and as long as they were out of sight, he buried his head in his paws and started to cry bitterly.


An impenetrable weakness and terrible pain were the only things that accompanied the threehorn as her mind slowly fought its way back from the world of sickly dreams. At first, she didn’t even realize who or where she was, the overwhelming pain stealing all of her attention. The rays of light slowly broke the horrifying dominance of pain in her senses and slowly, her eyes started to recognize stones and small crawlers in the ground. Finally, her last memories returned to her mind and almost immediately, she shot up to look at her tail but she quickly found that wasn’t her brightest idea.

She suddenly felt many jolts of pain firing in her sides, but before she could completely reopen her wounds, she suddenly felt a foot stepping on her chest which quickly stopped her struggles. She turned to look at the other dinosaur and she was beyond surprised to see it was Spike. The spiketail looked at her in clear worry and then looked at her tail, after which he shook his head sadly. His look haunted the threehorn greatly and it was only now that she realized that she was lying in a pool of dried blood and the mere amount of it made her want to scream immediately. However, her body was barely in a situation to move and almost immediately, she felt her head fall down in fatigue. After a few seconds of forced panting, she asked her companion weakly.

“Where are the others? Have they… moved on?” She asked, realizing that it was what any sensible dinosaur would have done. Her mind was too taxed to think what Spike was doing here in that case so that was merely a question she unknowingly skipped. To the threehorn’s relief, however, Spike shook his head and nodded towards the pass leading deeper into the mountains. Cera sighed slightly, only now realizing how pathetic she had to look to Spike. However, that thought vanished very quickly from her mind as she forced herself to look the current situation at the eyes. She was severely injured and humiliated in the middle of nowhere and she had only proven that she couldn’t survive alone. Littlefoot and those who had followed him had fared far better than she had and that was the thought that finally broke her composure. She was just about to continue her rest when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from near her.

“You’re awake, Cera, you, you are! I’m so glad for it!” Ducky cried as she spoke to her friend. Cera gasped in surprise and with a weary look, answered to the swimmer.

“I guess.  But I should not have been outrun by the sharptooth. Threehorns should be better at everything than those brainless monsters. And go on, tell me I shouldn’t have insulted Littlefoot in the first place. Make it all the more miserable.” Cera said, not finding anything she could defend her pride at this point. However, what she heard next drew her interest far more closely.

“But Littlefoot wrong all the time about the Valley!  He tell Petrie and Ducky he never really knew if the Valley is real or not! Luckily we have you, brave Cera!” Petrie smiled widely as he looked at the larger dinosaur, doing his best to avoid thinking about the last meeting and the disappointment towards Littlefoot. For a moment, an idea rose to Cera’s mind. What if she could beat the flathead after all and pay back the humiliation of driving her away? Maybe she would have her chance after all? She was just about to speak when another thought hit her like the most massive of boulders.

Littlefoot didn’t know where the Valley was? All this time, she had tried to show she alone knew the way but it had all been just to show that she knew everything better than the longneck. But if he didn’t know the way… then nobody did. For a while, Cera simply stared before her, making the two smaller dinosaurs increasingly worried. When Cera finally spoke, her voice was one nobody had ever heard from her. It was fearful and anxious but even now, Cera didn’t reveal all of her thoughts. She’d keep at least the appearance that she had once been a real rival to Littlefoot and that she actually cared for the others from the beginning.

“Even if I was in a condition to go anywhere, you saw what the sharptooth did to me! I cannot lead anyone anywhere and I never could.” She said while turning away from the duo. Ducky looked at her in utter shock, never expecting to hear such words from Cera. Immediately, she moved closer to Cera and nearly pleaded her to answer.

“But… but you have to help us! You always told us to follow you and…” The swimmer started but she wasn’t allowed to finish her words before Cera snapped back at her.

“I was an idiot back then! I never knew where to really go! I’m just as lost as the rest of you which makes things even worse!” The threehorn said sternly, the sudden realization that there was now absolutely no rescue from this terrifying hellscape and her acceptance of her own powerlessness weighing heavily upon the poor threehorn.
Petrie looked at the threehorn, slowly starting to realize what the conversations with Littlefoot and Cera meant. If nobody really knew where the Valley was, there was no way any of the five friends would reach it and if that was the case… Suddenly, a pressing fear took a grip within Petrie’s chest and he started to whimper silently.

“Then… we’ll never reach the Valley… oh, why does this have to happen to Petrie?!” The flyer whimpered while Ducky glanced at him in growing anger, her nerves slowly getting stretched to their very limits. She was far too overwhelmed by Littlefoot and Cera’s words to really know what to think. To think that all that had happened to her and her friends since they met had been for nothing and that at least two of her friends had cheated her this whole time was something even she couldn’t stomach. Suddenly, the outburst that had been building within the girl manifested itself in ways her friends hadn’t expected.

“But still you had to fight and argue with the rest of us whenever you could, Cera! If you never knew anything, you have really been just a whimpering burden to us this whole time! I… I… this is just too much! I’ve had enough of this, I have!” Ducky said before quickly turning around and running away from the scene. Cera looked after her wide-eyed and even if the situation weighed upon Petrie heavily too, he also left for his own, needing some time to think in this terrifying nightmare.


Mama… papa and my brothers and sisters… Why can’t all of you just be here instead of my “friends”? You must all be in the Valley already while I’m just here, hungry and alone. Why can’t I be with all of you?

The chaotic memories of the Great Earthshake tearing her away from her family and the earth splitting in half under her very eyes returned to her mind as she did her best to still remember the faces of her beloved family. To think that she might have seen them for the very last time back then was a monstrous thought. If her mother had been here, she’d know what to do as she always had. She had always been taught to trust other dinosaurs with all her heart and following Littlefoot had been very easy for the young swimmer. Until today, she had come to see this journey as a temporary horror, something that would pass quicker than she knew it but now she knew better. She was never going to reach the Valley or reunite with her family.

Ducky inhaled thankfully as a cold breath of wind greeted her face. The swimmer was sitting upon a small rock overlooking the wastelands beyond which the Bright Circle would soon be setting. The hunger was slowly consuming all of her senses and it had been a struggle to even reach this spot. The wind was a sweet reminder of the beauties of this ruined world but it did little to help her escape from her inevitable fate. Of course, this possibility wasn’t something she hadn’t known until now. During her young life, the swimmer had lost four siblings to the hardships of the journey but never before had she thought she’d join them like this.

She had come so far and it was a terrifying thought for her that in the end, reaching the Valley would be impossible. If she had only been a bit more careful, she would have been able to stay with her family from the beginning and none of this would have ever happened! However, that thought surprisingly to her brought another thought to her mind. Some part of her didn’t want to wish for everything that had happened after separation from her family to simply disappear. A small part of her wanted her to acknowledge that even after Littlefoot and Cera’s revelations, no part of their time had been for naught. But how couldn’t they be if it all had to end like this? However, it didn’t take long for her mind to answer that question.

Again she was playing with Littlefoot witch the cracks in the ground and earning her first laughter in days. Again she was helping Spike to hatch from his egg and witnessing his first steps in this world. And again she was climbing above all the piles of ash, she and her friends helping each other in the way even her family rarely had: knowing each of them had to make it and no one spared their efforts to each other. Even Cera, despite keeping her distance from the others, helped the others on without her usual brashness which on that had escaped her notice but now she realized its meaning. She had wanted the journey to succeed but in the end, everybody had made mistakes. Not least Ducky herself.
If she had only resigned to the role of following others without questioning her own helplessness, who was she to blame her two friends who had actually tried to make something good out of this gloom? Yet, none of that changed one fact: unless a miracle happened, she wouldn’t be in this world to watch the next setting of the Bright Circle. She’d never see her family again but even now, a slight flicker of hope flashed in the back of her mind. One that gave her the last bits of courage she needed to go through all this.


The longneck’s tears slowly run out, leaving Littlefoot to mourn his fate in complete silence. He had betrayed his only friends who had trusted in him and in process, he had doomed himself and the future of his herd as well. This was a fitting end for his life of failure, alone and starving in this dry and darkening mountain. He tried to again imagine riding on his mother’s back, knowing he was safe from all the dangers of the world: from hunger and from sharpteeth. Yet, no matter how much he tried to imagine it, that vision stayed only what it truly was: a hopeful glimpse of his lost happiness.

However, the words he had found in his heart still bothered him without end. Did it actually tell him that the Valley had been a mirage all this time? Despite everything, he wanted to think his mother had known better than to chase something that didn’t exist but if she never knew more about the Valley, she had to have only heard of it in rumors or something like that… or perhaps she knew it wasn’t there to begin with.

That thought made Littlefoot cringe. None of the other herds knew nothing more and it was most likely his family had only gone along with the others to even this small hope of survival. However, it had proven to be a false hope. The world was truly dying and no Great valley could escape that fact. Yet, he, too, realized another thing he hadn’t thought about. Maybe, just maybe, his chance to find new friends and to help them in the past days was far more than he could have asked in this life. For more than a few times, he had been happy with his new companions and he wanted to believe they felt the same way he did. Suddenly Littlefoot’s famished mind realized that his overwhelming sadness was slowly giving way to a brief smile to the longneck’s face. Yes, despite everything, his life had been one worth living. With herculean efforts and bittersweet thoughts, the longneck rose to his feet and slowly moved to search for the others, willing to make peace with them once and for all.


The flyer’s thoughts were not unlike those of his friends. Despite the unsavory revelations, he knew how lucky he had been to have a part in this journey at all. His body felt like each step could be its last but he wanted to simply make sure Littlefoot and Cera would forgive him for his and Ducky’s outbursts. He walked slowly towards Cera when he finally saw Littlefoot walking right towards him. At first he thought about whether he should hide from him to avoid any further drama but in the end, he knew he had only one option. With a meek voice, he suddenly moved before Littlefoot and asked him carefully.

“Petrie very sorry about what me said. Me know now you only did what you had to.” He said in a voice that the longneck heard only barely. Littlefoot took a brief pause before answering and when he did, he even gave a brief if weak smile to the flyer.

“You don’t need to apologize, Petrie. I didn’t do the right thing at all. I cannot ask you of this but, Petrie, could you forgive me for what I’ve done?” The longneck asked, looking hopefully at the flyer’s expectant eyes but before he could answer, he felt something that at first shocked him without an end. A warm touch suddenly hit his left cheek and when he turned to look at the newcomer, he realized it was Spike who had decided to greet him in his own way. The lick made the boy giggle slightly before he answered to the spiketail who had lightened the atmosphere in a matter of seconds.

“Thanks for that, Spike. I think Petrie and Ducky told you what we spoke about, didn’t they?” The longneck asked carefully but his fears were immediately washed away as the spiketail gave him another lick on his face. Even in this terrible moment, the slight relief made him giggle as he looked at Spike’s approving face. His melancholy lifted for the moment, he raised his left foot and waved at his companions eagerly.

“Well, come on. Let’s hope Cera and Ducky will be able to move on.” He said, the longneck’s mouth slowly turning into a frown again, the finality of this day gripping his heart with a merciless force.


A disgusted look rose to Cera’s face as she slowly pulled her body onward. Her sides hurt enormously but she was done lying in the middle of her own, dried blood. It was bad enough for all her dreams getting crushed like this but she wouldn’t accept lying helpless any longer, despite the pain it caused to her injured body. It was a small testament to her being a threehorn who was never supposed to give up or run in the face of danger. Those thoughts were over now but at least she could still uphold her dignity to some degree.
Forced gasps escaped from the girl’s dried lips as she fell down to the ground, looking with regret at what remained of her tail. The thought of it accompanying her all her remaining days was a haunting one but on the other hand, that wasn’t a long time if she didn’t find the Valley. Once again, the feeling of loss returned to her mind as she thought about her family she would never rejoin. All the siblings she would never play with again… Those thoughts made her slowly sob and silent whimpers escaped from her mouth as she cried.

“Goodbye, dad. I tried to be like you but… I wasn’t strong enough. And mum and the others… you don’t know how much I’d like to be with all of you!”
She bawled as she thought about the times when she had stupidly thought she could find her family just like that, without any problems. Her earlier pride had led her to this dark place from which there was no escape. All she could do was wait for…

“What is it Cera? Did you hurt yourself even worse?” A male voice called from behind her and sure enough, small trickles lied in the ground to mark the trail she had used when she dragged her way away from her original lying place. With a slow movement, she turned to face Littlefoot and to the latter’s shock, the primary expressions on her face were that of fatigue and surrender. Her voice wavered as she spoke.

“I didn’t but who cares even if I did? I mean, it doesn’t matter anymore. If we don’t reach the Valley, nothing matters anymore!” She said, trying to avoid accusing Littlefoot at this point. She didn’t have the right for that after all that had happened during the last days. She wouldn’t have wanted to concede this directly to the longneck but in her current condition, she simply didn’t have the strength to go on. Littlefoot’s expression darkened as he heard those words and cast a long glance towards the western horizon. After a moment, he answered sadly to the threehorn.

“We can’t go on anymore, Cera, it’s true. I had wanted to carry on my family’s hopes but it seems all we believed in was simply not true. I’d give anything to make things better than that but it’s impossible now, Cera.” He said, sadness creeping its way into every corner of his mind. Cera looked at him in disbelief and after a moment, she stuttered to him with an unsure voice.

“How can you be so calm, Littlefoot? We’re going to die and all that we did was for nothing! Don’t you realize that?” Cera suddenly cried, that knowledge quickly starting to overwhelm her. The thought that she’d never leave this place nearly drove her over the edge and only barely did she manage to calm herself even to some degree. After a short while, Ducky walked towards her and spoke to her softly.

“Of course we do, Cera, but not all we did was for nothing. I at least will ever forget the story of your meeting with the sharptooth or about the way you joined us those four night ago.” The swimmer said, willing to let Cera do her own conclusions. The swimmer was of course just as grief-stricken as the threehorn but her previous talk with her friends had made her accept the fate that was befalling upon her. The loss of her family was something she had prayed to avoid but without it, she would never have found her new friends. However, Cera didn’t look too convinced just yet and her answer sounded more like a growl than a normal answer.

“But it doesn’t matter if those memories won’t pass to others after us! Dad will never know what happened to me and… and even if he did, I would have wanted to get a chance to one day become like my parents. There were good times on our journey but they just weren’t worth all that we will lose.” She said, just thinking about all her coming Cold Times that would never come to pass. All the joys and sorrows and future glories… all of them were just swept away because of this cursed change which was killing the world ever so slowly. The others knew that her point was a correct one and Littlefoot had to fight back his own tears as he spoke again.

“It doesn’t, Cera. Simply the chance to live safely in the Valley with my grandparents would be something I’d do anything to experience. To simply see the faces of my last family is something I’ve dreamt nearly all the time. But you know what, Cera? We could have died just as well during the Great Earthshake or in the jaws of the sharptooth many times before. Many of us have already lost brothers or sisters during the past Cold Times. But we didn’t and because of that, we lived longer than many of our folks did. And if this is how it has to end, I’m so happy I’ll be able to share it with all of you.” The longneck spoke, looking at all his friends one by one. His voice wavered with emotion and all the other four dinosaurs returned his approving gaze. He had voiced all of their thoughts about why they had decided to forgive the longneck and the threehorn for their former antics.
Even Cera could only stare at Littlefoot in astonishment, not expecting him to speak like that after all that had happened. His honest and heartfelt words seemed to suddenly sweep her fears as she thought about what he had said. Together, the two had gone through many challenges and dangers and despite their disagreements on many issues, thy had created something that truly mattered. Even if nobody would know of those efforts in the coming weeks, it didn’t mean at all that the five friends’ efforts were for nothing. They had gone to their absolute limits to help each other and to find the legendary Valley which was far more than most of the poor souls in this withering, dying world could say. Cera could even smile slightly as she answered to Littlefoot, knowing she was lucky to have shared these times with her friends.

“You know, Littlefoot? So am I. In the end, things could have turned into something far worse. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused earlier and I am happy that you still consider me…. a friend.” She said while wondering herself how she was hearing herself say that. However, all of the others were just as overjoyed by the threehorn’s words as she was surprised by them and almost promptly, Littlefoot moved to nuzzle his friend after which he was followed by every one of his friends. Even through the last struggles, the five had wanted nothing more to finally share one moment of genuine friendship and even Cera, despite her injuries, slowly rose up and moved to embrace Spike and Littlefoot as the five friends decided to give each other this one, final gift.


That moment seemed to stretch on forever as for the first time in days, the hunger and fear gave way to the feeling of warmth and love. In this moment, each of them knew that while they would lose so much, they had gained something truly priceless in return. Slowly, they turned to look at the setting Bright Circle, knowing this was the last time they’d ever witness this miraculous sight. Despite that, there was no despair, no sorrow, only a thankful silence as the five friends finally let them embrace go and to catch their breath in the middle of the weakness caused by the hunger. Nearly wordlessly, each of the five dinosaurs fell down to the ground, panting in utter exhaustion. Unless a miracle happened, this place would be the one their journey would end in.


Hours passed slowly and the evening slowly turned into a night. Sky puffies slowly formed into the dark skies but the rising wind moved them quickly through the endless skies. The cool breath brought some relief to the young dinosaurs as it was a great, priceless change from the burning heat of the day. It was enough to wake Petrie from his weak slumber and the flyer breathed deeply at the sweet air. He yawned with great efforts as he turned to look into the surrounding plains, his fading mind regretting only one thing.

Petrie would have wanted to fly so badly in the sky like all me brothers and sisters! Momma always say it the greatest feeling in the world but… maybe Petrie wasn’t meant to do it at all.

He thought while glancing at his friends slowly. He smiled at the memory of Ducky comforting him about his inability to fly and cast a brief glance at the swimmer whose breaths seemed to be growing weaker by the minute. Of all his friends, he was the most grateful to Ducky for always being there for him to help in times of hardship and sorrow. The swimmer was his closest friend and he was more than happy that she was still by his side. However, the numbness that had taken control of the flyer’s body slowly spread into his consciousness and piece by piece, the flyer’s mind started to shut down due to the terrifying effect of hunger. Slowly, his breaths grew weaker and weaker… until they stopped altogether.


And so it continued. As the night grew older, the four remaining dinosaurs’ bodies continued to weaken even further and one by one, their spirits moved on from this mortal coil. Next was Cera whose wounds had already made her more fragile than the others. The threehorn and flyer’s passings were not unnoticed by Littlefoot, Ducky or Spike but each of them were now powerless to even express their feelings to each other. For them, it was like a vague dream that seemed so very unreal and changed into even more unclear visions as time passed. Even the hunger seemed to dissipate, replaced by pure numbness.

The night was nearing its end when it finally was Ducky and Spike’s time. The two were lying side by side as they had created a stronger bond than most of the others. In many ways, Ducky considered Spike her brother already and she was glad to be on his side right now. The duo’s hearts beat nearly in unison before they slowly stopped altogether. The scene had turned absolutely silent except for one, last dinosaur’s wheezing gasps. Littlefoot was finally woken up as the first rays of the Bright Circle met his eyes. It felt like something he had never felt before, its warming light comforting him in ways he had never before known. It was as if a fulfilled dream that came crashing down on the hapless longneck but as the sickly dream drifted away, he remembered where he was. With forced movements, He looked around him and was more than happy to see all his friends were still there, only waiting to awaken from their own slumber… except that they simply weren’t. Almost immediately, Littlefoot realized that none of them would be waking up.
However, that knowledge didn’t hit Littlefoot as hard as he thought. At first, his taxed mind could only stare at his friends as he felt his own time approaching quickly. He was shocked beyond measure by this development but his body was in no condition to bear his emotions anymore. Only a simple… it was not even a thought but rather a feeling rose to the longneck’s mind as the sight of the Bright Circle started to fade before him. The memories of all their times together were his only companion on this lonely journey as his breathing grew more and more forced. The last sensation Littlefoot felt in this world was his mother’s tail slowly embracing him and finally putting him to sleep like she had done so many times before.

And with a deep sigh, Littlefoot joined his beloved friends in the immortal reaches of the Great Beyond.

And this is my answer to the June prompt based on one of my co-participant’s prompt “What if the gang never reached the great valley? Write a story in which the gang of five do not reach the great valley. Is it going to be a tragic tale of failure, will our heroes still end up with a happy ending? It is all up to you! You may start the story at any time of the LBT 1 movie which also means you are completely free to choose at which point of the story things begin to deter from the original storyline" so this story is slightly AU. Even then, I hope I made promise to this idea! Now, I’ll concentrate on my main stories for this month. Anyway, I’ll look forward to hearing your comments about this fic and see you again with a heavily-delayed chapter on Petrie’s storyline in Separate Ways!

The Perils of the Deep

The distant sounds of the buzzers could be heard over the gentle lapping of the river’s waves. The pale light of the Night Circle cast its silvery glow over that serene and harmonious sight as the wind waved the surrounding grass gently. The beautiful night and the beautiful moment with his friends prevented a young longneck from being able to drop the weary but wide smile from his face as he cast a quick glance behind himself, looking at his friends who one by one were returning to the realm of sleep stories. He was more than grateful to each of them for coming to share the lesson of loneliness’ futility in one of the most memorable evenings he could remember. He would join them soon himself but first he wanted to speak with his new friend for at least a while longer.

“I’ll have to go sleep soon too but thanks a lot for showing me something only a swimmer knows well, Mo! At least I now know there’s also life in places I didn’t know before.” Littlefoot said as the memory of the song he and his friends had shared circled in his mind. He had never seen star swimmers before and in many ways, they were far unlike any creatures he’d seen before. He simply marveled at the waters around him, only thinking about what else was living under the seemingly calm surface of the slowly-moving river. The bright-colored swimmer suddenly jumped into the air before diving into the depths, only to appear a few seconds later.

“Neither did Mo know a lot about land walkers before meeting you! None of my kind knows what it’s like or what lives on those hills far from the water! Swimmers can’t go there just like Littlefoot can’t go into Big Water! There could be new creatures to have fun with but Mo will never know.” The large swimmer said with a mockingly saddened expression. Littlefoot laughed at his antics, looking at the Smoking Mountains fuming in the distance. He had never thought of it before but it was true that they were something that Mo could never go to where he could. However, his mood fell somewhat as he realized that there was a clear downside to his own situation and that wasn’t something he hadn’t given a thought before.

“There sure are, Mo. The land continues far further than you can even imagine. I guess the more we try to learn about the world, the more we just realize how little we know about it. When we decided to sing to cheer ourselves up today, the song in fact was something we had sung before because Cera and Ducky feared about what monsters were living in the Big Water.” Littlefoot begun to chuckle as he thought how silly it must seem for Mo for someone to fear his home so but a lot had changed since then. The swimmer seemed exaggeratingly stunned by this revelation before he started to growl in a mock threat.

“It is so scary in the Big Water! You will be eaten even when you’re far away from the shore! Grrr!” He said as he swam quickly closer to the longneck. The latter begun to shudder heavily, as he struggled to hold back his laughter in order to avoid waking up his friends again. Mo also laughed as he thought about what his new friends had actually feared in the past. However, the larger dinosaur’s next question changed the entire course of the duo’s talk.

“That’s what we thought back then! But, Mo, I wonder when you spoke of the mountains, is the Big Water as deep as the Smoking Mountains are high? And what kinds of creatures live far under the surface? That’s something I and my friends can never find out for ourselves.” The longneck had hardly finished until Mo’s face fell completely, immediately turning into a serious, even fearful one as he turned to look into the direction of the Big Water. Littlefoot found his sudden change of behavior surprising, even worrying as the seemingly untiring swimmer began to stay still, a haunted look on his face. Littlefoot immediately spoke to him, willing to find out what was wrong.

“What is it? Did I say something wrong?” The boy asked, prompting the yellow-purple dinosaur to look at him with a bothered voice.

“It not you, Littlefoot, but… Mo’s kind never want to think about what lurk far below us. The deep parts of the Big Water are something not even my kin want to go to.” He said as he tried to fight back his own fear. It was clear that whatever was bothering Mo had unsettled him deeply in the past. The longneck gulped as he realized his mistake but he still wanted to know more about the issue. He’d probably never get another chance to know about the Big Water and he wanted to realize it now, no matter what he’d hear.

“Wh… why is that? Isn’t the whole Big Water the same everywhere? What is so bad about the deeper parts of it?” The boy asked, eager to learn ever more about the things he hadn’t heard of before. Mo looked extremely bothered but he could see the excitement in his friend’s eyes. This was a tale that he had dreaded for a long time but Littlefoot deserved to hear it if he really yearned it.

“Everything is wrong with it, Littlefoot! I can tell you about it but are you really sure you want to hear what Mo have to tell?” He asked, willing to make sure this was really something the longneck wanted to know. A small gust of wing created small waves on the water’s and made Littlefoot shiver a tiny bit as he heard his usually funny friend’s dead serious words and immediately, a certain sense of dread seemed to emanate from below the river’s surface but Littlefoot decided against surrendering to his own most likely irrational fears. With a resolute voice, he gave his answer.

“I do, Mo. I’ve seen a lot of places many wouldn’t want to go to but no longneck has ever heard about the Big Water before. Tell me what you know!” He tried to be encouraging to his aquatic friend and Mo took a deep breath before he began his story. He looked at his friends in the eyes as he did his best to remember how this particular legend of his kin went.

“Very well, Littlefoot. This is a story Mo heard when me a young swimmer as a warning why we should never dive into the distant depths before. All of this happened a long, long time ago when Mo’s kin was threatened by a big, burning cloud of smoke and hot water from a mountain beneath the waves of a distant part of the Big Water. We swimmers tried to escape that terrible place but just as it seemed everything was well, they reached the Great Water Path which is one of the places Mo’s kind want to always avoid at all costs! There were two swimmers, however, who had decided that they weren’t about to be stopped from trying to find a way through it…


The adolescent swimmer looked before himself in deep curiosity and slight worry as the powerful, swirling whirlwind of water engulfed the entire area before him in all directions. The young dinosaur looked at the rest of his water kin as they seemed to be deep in argument about which to do. The burning smoke of the terrifying fire mountain could be seen in the far horizon and even now, all of the swimmers knew they were far from safe. The lethal heat would reach them before the evening but Azurefin simply didn’t see any alternatives to the plan he had in mind. And he was more than happy that his sister seemed to agree with him on this.

“That arguing will go nowhere, Azurefin! Wol more than ready to go now!” He turned to look at the speaker who was an orange-colored, slightly larger swimmer. The two siblings had gone through much together and despite their relatively young age, both of them were respected swimmers within their herd and they were known as extremely capable and brave dinosaurs among the others. The blue-colored male turned to look at his sister who seemed just as impatient as he was even if both of them knew that it was very possible that neither of them would return from this journey.

“You’re right! I just want to escape from that cursed cloud of death but are you ready for this? I don’t know what is going to wait us in there but once we go into the quick flow of water, we cannot turn back. But if we survive, we’ll be more than heroes!” He tried to smile expectantly, a gesture which was returned by his sister. She looked at the tube-like formation of water which could be seen in the distance and it was the one which could help the two find their way through the dangerous flux of fighting and conflicting flows of water. The others were true afraid to enter those treacherous flows but the two siblings were more than ready for this challenge.

“It isn’t everyday when we can try to move through such challenging waters, Azurefin. But it could be fun!” She said with an expectant smile before she turned around and emitted a long, ear-screeching call to the rest of the herd of swimmers. They immediately stopped their seemingly never-ending arguments before they immediately headed for the interrupting swimmer. They immediately begun to circle around her, bombarding her with annoyed questions.  

“Why you interrupt the meeting? Things already bad enough, Wol!”

“Stop shouting! We don’t have much time!”

“If you don’t want to join the talk, then at least stay silent!”
Wol looked in growing annoyance as the other swimmers gathered round her and her brother, shouting at them without any real goal in mind. She had always hated the others’ never-ending banter and arguing. True, it was mostly playful jabber which usually ended in a consensus so she didn’t usually mind those arguments that much. However, she still didn’t want to listen to these accusations so she span around and raised her voice to catch the others’ attention.

“If you only listen, you’d already know that me and Azurefin are going to find a way for us all through that crazy whirlpool!” She declared with a slight smile as all of her kind were, despite the many dangers in their lives, fun-loving and optimistic dinosaurs. Even on this hour which potentially preceded her death, she wanted to keep her calm and happy composure. However, the others immediately flinched in fear and moved quickly deeper away from the duo, one of them beginning to stutter in clear astonishment and fear.

“B… but you cannot! None of us is strong or smart enough to brave that swirl! You’d be crazy to even try!” She declared, looking at the others and it was clear that all of them seemed to agree with her. The two hadn’t told the others of this plan yet and the rest of the herd had immediately dismissed that possibility as a complete folly. However, the two brave siblings seemed to be mostly amused by the others’ reaction. Wol answered to the others as she thought at their expressions when they’d return. Of course, even a bright-colored swimmer like her knew fear but when it came to trying new challenges, she and her brother were ready for nearly anything.

“Maybe but we think there is a way through the circling water path! There seem to be a small stream which heads into it safely and then we can try to force our way to the other side! It’ll be great!” She declared, already willing to get to work. However, she was momentarily taken aback when an older female approached her and spoke in an unusually serious voice to their kind.

“And that small stream can immediately crash you against a cliff and make you all flat and dead! Or a sharptooth who knows these waters can catch you before you even know it! I know young ones want to try to do everything to prove their worth but don’t do this! We still have time to go another way!” The speaker was a red-colored, elderly swimmer who clearly seemed worried for the duo’s safety. There was no one who could stop them from this endeavor but she still wanted to persuade them to abandon their insane plan. Azurefin felt a moment of doubt flicker into his consciousness as he thought about those words but before long, he knew the siblings’ decision had already been made. He moved closer to the older swimmer and spoke to her in a soft but still playful voice.

“Don’t worry! We’ll be back before you know it! There have been many places we thought we couldn’t swim in but it was always okay! We just have to get into the fast water and…” At this point, he was quickly interrupted by the elderly flyer whose seriousness silenced everyone else for a short while.

“Azurefin is too young to know it but the Great Water Path is one of the scariest places our kind has seen! It is filled with dangerous turns and treacherous side flows! Many have tried to swim through it but they haven’t returned from its swirling waters! You don’t have to join them!” She pleaded but at this point, Wol decided that she had already spoken enough. She quickly snapped back at the elder swimmer and ended the argument.

“Wol and Azurefin already made up their minds! We’ll leave very soon and then you’ll see there’s nothing to fear! You just wait!” She declared, earning a fearful but accepting nod from the older dinosaur. The other swimmers relaxed their composures somewhat when one of them quickly approached the two again.

“You two are very brave to try this! Because of that, we wait for you until the Bright Circle’s rays reach the deepest depths it can reach. After that, we will swim away without you if the others agree.” There was a chorus of cries from the gathered swimmers, all of them intrigued to find out whether the two were ready to go where no swimmer had gone before. The two siblings glanced at each other, knowing there was no turning back now. Yet, all that they felt was appreciation for each other’s presence on the hour of this ultimate challenge.


Many frowns appeared on Littlefoot’s face as he looked at the Night Circle’s rays casting its light on the calm river slowly flowing towards the Big Water. No matter how he tried to see it, Azurefin and Wol’s reasoning didn’t make any sense to him. They didn’t sound like stupid swimmers at all but he couldn’t come up with an explanation to their willingness to take a seemingly unnecessary risk. Noticing that Mo took a brief pause, the longneck momentarily rose from his lying position and asked his friend the question swirling in his mind.

“Thanks for telling me this but… there’s something I don’t quite get.” He said, earning a curious look from the swimmer.

“And what that, Littlefoot? Mo tell everything Mo know about this.” He asked, willing to hear what bothered his landwalker friend. Litllefoot tok a quick breath before opening his mouth.
“I… I just don’t realize what made the two insist on making their decision. After all, they had no reason to… I mean they didn’t need to take that risk. I can tell this story doesn’t have a happy ending so why did the two get themselves in that danger if they didn’t need to?” Littlefoot felt somewhat awkward at the thought but if they were anything like Mo, he could understand the rest of his kind acting strangely but not like this. The swimmer looked at the other dinosaur for a moment before he remembered longnecks didn’t think like his kind did.

“That because we often do what we think is the funkiest way to do things! Mo’s kind doesn’t think fear the most important thing and every now and then, we like to see what we are capable of! Still, swimmers no search for danger and Azurefin and Wol made a mistake because their kin feared the Great Water Path. But Mo still understand that they only wanted to help and earn the others’ appreciation while showing what they can do!” The bright-yellow swimmer declared as he jumped into the air once again, trying to put more emphasis on his words. Littlefoot raised his gaze to the skies and shook his head slightly with a weak smile in reaction to the swimmer’s antics before returning to look at his friend.

“I still don’t understand, Mo. We’ve always been told to stay as safe as we can and to never search for anything which could become dangerous. But I guess that’s just us landwalkers.” Littlefoot chuckled as he once again thought how different Mo’s kind’s view of life was to his own. He couldn’t understand how someone wouldn’t do his or her all to live as long life as they only could but then again, as the rainbowfaces had said, there was so much for him to learn about the world and other dinosaurs too, it seemed. Mo nodded deeply before he whispered his answer.

“Mo think so too as we swimmers want to live as fully as we can but we’d also like to grow old in time! But if Littlefoot want, Mo wish to continue the story!” He said in expectation, prompting the longneck to immediately realize ow badly he had interrupted his friend.

“Oh, please go on. I really look forward to hearing what happened, even if I fear I’m not going to like the ending.” He said, his mind wandering in the possible continuations for Mo’s tale. The haunted look returned to Mo’s eyes as he prepared to resume his tale.

“So, Azurefin and Wol waste no time preparing for their journey! The Bright Circle shine deepest in the water when it highest in the sky so the two have only more than… was it called an hoooour?.... to call the others. But neither of them have any fear when they see the mighty water path under the surface of that distant part of the Big Water…


The roaring sound hummed in her eyes as Wol looked into the circle-shaped fast water. She could already feel its pull but she still felt no remorse for her situation. She quickly looked behind herself and saw all of her family and friends looking at her in a mixture of pride and worry. But there was no time to waste as every second that passed made the siblings’ success ever more unlikely. She quickly turned around and addressed them for the very last time.

“We call water kin when we find the way through the Great Water Path! Wol promise!” She said as a chorus of encouraging words greeted her ears. Azurefin looked at her in expectation as he whispered to her silently.

“It time to go, sister. Let’s give it our all!” He said and the female answered to him with a smile. Both of them remembering the time they were given, the two took long breaths and quickly headed towards the swirling, fast-moving current of water. At first, it seemed like a gentle pull of a wave had grabbed them and guided them forward but after a moment, the pull only intensified and seemed to close them into a tunnel-like space. This was to be expected but it was at this point that both of the siblings realized there was no turning back anymore. The current had them in its grasp and it was far too powerful for them to even dream of escaping from its grip. Yet, that was of no concern to the two.

Azurefin’s teeth gritted together as he followed his sister, taking utmost care that he’d be able to fight against any surprising pulls that could catch him off-guard this quickly. Simply keeping his calm and trying to stay in course for now were the easiest part of the ordeal. At this point, they were only swimming in line, looking as the world around them turned into a raging flux of swirling water and bubbles.

His sister felt her heart pound in her chest in excitement as her speed only increased the deeper she got into the water path. The initial flow that pulled them inside slowly started to dissipate and gradually, she felt the sheltering tunnel around her disappear and the scene around her to turn into the mighty flurry of dancing streams, each of them only waiting to pull her and her brother down. But she wasn’t about to let that happen. All that she’s have o do was to swim to the other end of the water path and then search for a place to exit it. She quickly called to Azurefin who seemed somewhat battered by the intense pull of the current.

“It’s not that far, brother! Let’s just try to force our way out and that’ll be that! We can do this!” She cried as she slowly but surely pulled her way forward, the other side of the massive tunnel-like current, the great pressure of the water making her advance extremely forced. Every now and then, she shortly let the current take her further in order to gather more speed. For a few times, she thought she had heard her brother call to her but the humming, violent stream made any communication impossible. Here, it was every swimmer for themselves.

Yet, against all expectations, the other side of the current drew quickly closer and Azurefin stayed on her side the whole time. As she looked at the approaching edge of this hellish whirlwind, she begun to think why in earth other swimmers feared this place so. It would be only a few, short moments before she’d be able to get away from here and claim her reward. Only a few more bashes and…

One second Wol was pushing her way forward and the next another, treacherous current hit her like a boulder, completely catching both her and Azurefin off-guard. Her whole world seemed to turn upside down as the new fast water threw her everywhere like a small leaf in the wind. In a matter of mere moments, she had lost all control of her own movements, now only able to watch as her speed only increased as she was taken away by the current.

Neither was the other swimmer in any better situation. The male floundered in growing panic as he saw his sister to be in the same situation as him, on their way to some unknown place. However, the duo’s horrifying wait didn’t last long before something slowly appeared in the horizon. It was immediately clear that it was something massive and dark but it was even worse than they initially had expected. It was a terrifyingly high cliff beyond which lied an endless expanse of darkness. Another step into the endless abyss which lied far beyond the safe, hospitable waters of the Big Water. Azurefin’s eyes widened in fear as the current seemed to fly over the abyssal depths below but that wasn’t even the worst part of this whole disaster.

The smaller current which had grabbed the swimmers inside it wasn’t about to follow the tunnel of swirling water into the distant parts of the Big Water, rather it soon took its own course. It was like a small ray which shot out of the colossal submerged flow of water, one that seemed to be drawn away from it by some mysterious force. Immediately, the two were pulled away from the Great Water Path, only to be drawn into another smaller but just as violent stream which instantly headed downwards into the newly-opened dark. Only now, Azurefin realized the folly of their initial quest as it was told that the Great Water Path had countless of tricks which would surely surprise even the most vigilant of swimmers given the chance. Would he and his sister become the next victims of this terrible place? Or would they survive this and only make their quest that much more famous?

Regardless of what would happen later, the two swimmers knew they’d have to regain some sort of balance and control over their bodies. It took herculean efforts for the male to keep his calm as the welcoming cliff behind him grew ever more distant and his surroundings that much darker… and colder. He slowly managed to turn his face into the right direction and against the mighty pull of the underwater river, he begun to move his fins to see if he could someway affect his own movement. To his immense surprise, his tail’s movements managed to slightly change his direction, just enough for him to have some hope of attempting to guide his quick advance. Still, he looked in fear as the slowly disappearing form of his sister was still unable to regain her balance and the stream still silenced anything he would try to tell the female. Unless…

Azurefin suddenly put all of his efforts into moving to his sister’s side before they’d get too far from the surface. His efforts managed to increase his speed only marginally as his own efforts were nothing compared to the raw, brutal force of the world. Yet, he slowly caught up to his sister whose struggles seemed to be losing all of their focus. He quickly slapped her with his fin, catching her attention. Seeing that he had managed to gather himself, she immediately begun her own efforts to replicate his achievement. However, there was still one thing she forgot completely. To mind her surroundings.

“Wol! Look out!” He cried as he saw the stream slowly starting to move to a more stable position. Apparently, the two were reaching the bottom for now and… Suddenly, a sight that made his blood run cold met his eyes. Out of the darkness suddenly appeared a massive wall and it stood immediately on the duo’s path! He looked at the horrifying sight in fear, fully knowing that even if his sister managed to regain control of herself, there would be no escape. Except if…

“Get hold of yourself now, sister! We’re in for a ride!” He cried as he saw a darker part in the middle of the wall which could only mean that some kind of cave opened before them. Wol turned to look at the spot immediately and to her shock, she realized what her brother had meant. It would be only a few more seconds before she’d be crushed against the rock if she wouldn’t be able to gather herself. With one, mighty push, she pulled her body upwards as a final effort to enter the cave alongside her brother. She already expected to feel the unspeakable pain of her body being crushed to nothing by the sharp stones of the underwater mountain and to know that it would be the last time that awaited her in this world… but it never came.

To her immense surprise, Wol suddenly realized she had made it. Her one effort had sent her upwards, towards her brother who was likewise overjoyed by this development. At this point, neither of the two could see anything but they could here and feel each other’s location at all times. Even then, her momentary sense of safety was as fleeting as her li9fe in the case she had failed in her last ordeal. Judging by the way the water flowed around her, there were some kind of sharp obstacles on her way, ones that could finally end this folly of a mission for good. Knowing Azurefin was on her side, she’d give her all to make it true this journey.

The male was likewise glad to see that his headstrong sister was still alive but he realized that they were still far from safe. Completely blind in an unknown cave moved by the merciless fast water wasn’t one thing any swimmer would want to go through. He violently pulled to his left to escape a formation of sharp rocks, only to be forced to immediately be forced into another tunnel which led ever deeper into the unknown. Another sharp turn took extreme care and luck for the two swimmers to avoid clashing against each other and potentially losing their balance for the last time.

Their faces turned into masks of terrible horror, the two moved through the long cave flawlessly, only barely able to make their way through the narrow pathway. Yet, slowly Wol was able to feel the current beginning to weaken slightly but only when a wave of calmer water hit her fin did she realize why. The tunnel’s mouth was approaching quickly and the quickly weakening grip of the fast water could perhaps offer them a chance to escape this madness. Hoping at least the message would reach Azurefin, she cried to him with all her might.

“Brother, leave the current when we come out of the cave! It’s our chance to escape the fast water!” She cried and even if it was clear that Azurefin didn’t hear her words, he realized something was about to happen and when he noticed the same things his sister had, he knew what he had to do. However, the utter darkness caused additional worry to the two swimmers as there was no way to see that there were sharp rocks hanging from the mouth of the cave, positioned perfectly to open a massive, lethal wound to a poor fool who had already thought he had managed to survive the stream. However, both of the siblings realized them just in time to manage to pull their bodies downwards and after that force themselves to the left in order to escape this horrifying mess they had gotten themselves in.

Azurefin’s breath was completely spent as he realized he had managed to escape from the nightmarish current. The sense of freedom and the lack of all-encompassing pressure waas gone but soon he remembered something important. The fast water’s roar was still powerful but it no longer drowned every sound under its violent force.

“Wol, are you there? Say something if you’re okay!” The swimmer looked at the darkness around him, feeling increasingly worried how he and his sister were going to escape this place. However, a tiny bit of his fear was washed away as he heard a weak and shocked voice near him.

“I am, I am, brother. I wouldn’t want to go near any fast waters again for weeks after that!” Her voice sounded mostly dizzy after the terrifying ride but it was clear that she wasn’t hurt, at least seriously. Azurefin moved towards her voice, willing to make sure the two wouldn’t get separated in these abyssal depths. His voice wavered as he spoke, full well knowing that there was no way of telling what horrors lay around them, only waiting for the right moment to strike and end the swimmers’ struggles forever. He whispered to the female as he was quite confident they were as close to each other as normal.

“W… we in the deepest parts of the Big Water now! We have to get away from here before some creature notices we’re here!” He said, looking above himself in distinct longing. There wasn’t the slightest trace of light to be seen even above him which cast an extremely ghastly and terrifying feeling for the young dinosaur. As an additional curse of this place, he only know realized he was shuddering heavily from the cold, the frigid waters’ cold grip creeping its way deep into him. After a few seconds, he heard his sister answer to him.

“Maybe we should but don’t you realize what this means? We survived the Great Water Path and we even found a way through it!” She cried in slow realization, the eeriness of the depth not bothering her as heavily as her brother. Azurefin frowned at her words, however, and disbelief dipped from his words as he answered.

“And? The others won’t want to go through what we did and…” His answer was cut in short as Wol decided it wasn’t worth finishing.

“Of course not, silly, but we know in which direction it is and we cannot be too far from the others yet! There could be a way back under the Water Path we just don’t know yet!” She said, realizing the implications of their success. With a bit of patience and perseverance, they could still do this.

“And then again there might not be! Don’t you realize there could be a sharptooth just behind you right now? It could just swallow you and you’d never know it! Is it a risk we’re willing to take?” He asked, wanting to believe his sister’s words but fear was getting a grip of his heart. Wol snorted in answer as she began to make her way towards the direction where the Water Path most likely was.

“At least I am! Wol didn’t come this far to turn away now! I’ll do my all to see this to the…” Suddenly, her voice was buried under an unspeakable bellow which suddenly seemed to drown the whole area around it. The surrounding cliffs only made it ever louder and the sickening voice seemed to only become stronger the longer it lingered. Even the female swimmer felt sick as she looked at the direction of the voice but even she couldn’t see anything. She had heard the voices of massive swimming sharpteeth in her life but they were nothing when compared to the monstrosity which swam in these same waters. Yet, she wasn’t giving up yet. She merely whispered in a more restrained voice to
Azurefin who was utterly devastated by the voice.

“Let’s go. The longer we linger here, the more likely it is to find us.” She whispered, earning a quick nod from her brother. The two knew their very lives hung in the balance but the hope of glory pushed them forward in this scene of utter darkness.


Mo’s words made Littlefoot shiver as his mind’s eye imagined the endless darkness and coldness of those depths. The swimmer’s tale was even worse than something he had imagined the Big Water to be in his worst sleep stories. A place of eternal blackness and freeze which was home to the creatures Petrie and Ducky had once been so afraid of. He could only imagine what was to come in his friend’s tale.

The swimmer, on the other hand, had taken another short break to gather his thoughts and catch his breath. The first parts of his story were something he could imagine going through if he ever could return to his home again but it
was here where the tales of those distant depths began. He asked one, brief question from the longneck before he’d continue to recount this feared myth of his kin.

“You see, Littlefoot? The Big Water full of dangers if one doesn’t know how to avoid them! By the way, how much of this did you know before? Do landwalkers know anything about Mo’s home?” The swimmer asked, interested to hear if all he had told at this point was new to Littlefoot. The landwalker looked at the swimmer before looking a distant flying rock which momentarily lighted the night sky.

“Nothing really, Mo. In fact, I didn’t even know that it gets darker the deeper you go in those waters. We kinda knew there were massive swimmers down there but all of those are only tales of our own. Still, I’m more than happy I cannot go there as it sounds terrifying. No offense. B… but I’ve been wondering… what if you get even deeper than that? Is it even possible?” He said, momentarily shaking the feeling of fear from his shoulders. He was willing to hear the rest of the tale but the question about whether the two siblings had reached deepest of depths rose to his mind. To his surprise, Mo shook his head before the faraway look returned to his eyes.

“Mo will get to that later but nobody knows about that. Wol and Azurefin sure thought back then they were at the lowest point beneath the waves at this point but… well, Littlefoot will hear soon. They began their journey back to the rest of the swimmers but it wasn’t easy down there…”


Even swimming itself was slowly becoming a struggle as the waters around her felt increasingly heavy and the constant moving by the cliffside made the duo’s advance extremely slow. The Great Water Path was most likely far above the two which proved that Wol’s theory could indeed be correct. There could well be one small spot in the upper parts of the bottom that could go under the current safely. There was no way to tell how much time had passed since their departure as there was no trace of the Bright Circle to be seen but it was unlikely that more than half of the promised time had passed. At this pace, they could soon…

RUMBLE!!!

Instinctually, the swimmer shot up as the massive sound suddenly engulfed the whole area, followed by a hissing sound that seemed to stretch forever. The following sound resembled that of swimming belly slider but the voice preceding that changed everything. She quickly stopped to speak to her brother as the hissing didn’t seem to stop at all.

“Wh… what’s that? It come from below us!” She asked as Azurefin seemed to try at the surrounding water. Even if the female didn’t see, his face turned into a frown as he turned to look downwards.

“And it feels warmer than before. Could it be…” He asked himself as he moved quickly downwards, willing to see what lied below. All the while, his surroundings shed any remnants of the earlier cold. Suddenly he stopped as the water around him begun to smell pungent and bitter. He began to look around himself, realizing by the way the water behaved that the entire area around him would be filled with the same warmth which would have in any normal situation given him courage but now, his heart sank as he realized where he had smelled this reek before.

“Let’s get away from here quickly, Wol! They are smaller fire mountains than the ones that destroyed our home but we cannot know when they are going to spit their fire at us!” He cried as he headed towards the direction they had formerly been heading towards. Most often the fire mountains lurked in depths even the swimmers couldn’t find them but apparently this was one such place. Even if it wasn’t a lethal threat right now, Azurefin completely dreaded the mere thought of those monstrous things being this close to him.

Wol looked into the dark below her and decided there was nothing to be gained from lingering in this dangerous place. She headed after her brother before she suddenly noticed slight movement from somewhere before her. She suddenly stayed still, just in time to avoid being seen by this mysterious creature. She slowly continued to head after her brother before she whispered to him shortly.

“No, wait! What is that thing?” She said as the sight faded again into the blackness but slowly she moved towards the direction she had seen the small trace of life. However, the sounds that soon reached her ears froze her still. It was a sound of something being slowly dragged away, accompanied by a soft, gurgling voice which made the swimmer’s blood run cold. The smell that reached her nostrils reminded her from something but she couldn’t quite close her mind around what that something was. Maybe… yes, that’s right!

It was a similar smell to those small, many limbed creatures lying in the deeper waters which mostly waited for something to reach them and then close those limbs around them to catch the prey. If she remembered right, they were called Inkspewers due to their defense but all she had seen before had been far smaller. She could only follow in horror as the scent of the apparent of the creature’s next meal faded away. Realizing there was no way of knowing whether the creature was sated, she headed after her brother, attempting to shake the image of some swimmer like here being chewed to pieces by such monstrous creatures, never to rejoin her kin again. Knowing she wouldn’t be allowed to lose her focus for even a moment, she put all of her concentration into shielding the core of her mind from the horrors of this unknown world.


The minutes passed slowly as the two swimmers made their way through the pitch-black expanse of water, listening to the Great Water Path raging far above them. At this point, both of them only hoped to survive this most terrifying day of their lives. Occasionally, some terrifying roar or odd sight made the two search shelter within the many caves of the cliff but still, ever so slowly, the two approached the other end of the powerful current above them. The two had apparently found some kind of small underwater canyon moving below the Water Path which had apparently been hidden from many others because their fear of this place of nature’s wrath. Maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to make their way back home and tell the others that there was another chance to escape from the rage of the fire mountain. But all of that was unsure until the path through this abyss was finally found. Yet, as the moments slowly passed and the canyon started to open into the wide, seemingly endless expanse of water once again, the duo’s hopes began to really rise again.

“We almost there, Wol! It’s time for us to rise to the surface again and to tell the others that we found the way!” Azurefin spoke in great relief, willing to believe he had been through the worst on this quest. His sister’s expression told without a doubt that she was pondering about her brother’s proposition. It was true that they had already passed the massive current above them so there was no real reason for them to linger here any longer. She turned at her brother’s direction and answered to him in similar hopes.

“You’re right, brother. It shouldn’t take too long to reach…” Suddenly, the same voice the two hard earlier returned, the otherworldly cry immediately prompting the duo to quickly escape into the crevices of the cliff, praying that the unknown creature would just leave them in peace, whatever its intentions. The two looked into the complete, endless darkness, their blood roaring in their ears. However, it was nothing when compared to the sight of a distant, dark fin quickly passing by in the distance. Azurefin looked in horror at its mere size as it was something his kind had never seen before. The fin had only flashed in the distance but he had already seen enough. The creature had to be countless of times bigger than even the mightiest of swimming sharpteeth at the upper reaches of the Big Water and even the longnecks were nothing when compared to this monster. Azurefin would have wanted to close his eyes and imagine to be once again in his home, spending one of those endless happy days with his kin. However, he knew better than to escape the reality he had voluntarily got himself in. After a minute had passed, he quickly whispered to his sister who was just as panicked as he was.

 “Let’s go before that creature returns. I wouldn’t want to face it again.” He said as he slowly moved away from the tiny cave and with a terrifying feeling, began to head straight upwards. Wol concentrated all of her willpower into following him as the two prayed in their minds that nothing would stop their flight at this point. For the first time in their lives, the two felt completely hopeless hanging in this utter darkness without being able to do anything to defend themselves. There was no trace of that mysterious creature anywhere but it was more than clear that it didn’t mean it wasn’t lurking somewhere nearby. Yet, even in this moment, something caught Wol’s eye, something she hadn’t wanted to see.

“Look there, Azurefin. Tell me that it isn’t true.” In the middle of the darkness opened a wide cliff, one they hadn’t seen before. But it was the realization about what lied beyond it that shocked her greatly. There was no ground there, meaning it was yet another step into the depths of the Big Water which only pointed into one possibility: the two weren’t nearly even at the Big Water’s lowest floor and there was no way to tell what monstrosities lied down there. Maybe it was something she wasn’t even supposed to know but even her small moment of fear and wonder was one thing she couldn’t have afforded in this merciless place. The last thing she heard was a panicked gasp from her brother, but the following warning never reached her ears. He immediately tried to reach her but the shadow fell upon her far too quickly for him to be able to do anything to help her. Wol, for the briefest of moments, could feel a warm embrace around her before the massive jaws of the sharptooth cut her small, frail body into two before then closing the mouth that would her tomb forever.

Azurefin tried his all to get his dear sister out of the harm’s way but there was nothing he could do. Just as he was about to reach her, the row of teeth close and the male was left looking at the sight, completely in loss of what to do. Only a few, short seconds earlier, Wol had been here and just like that, it was all over. The realization came slowly to him and a flicker of unimaginable pain hit his heart. A few tears formed in his eyes as he looked into the monster’s face, devoid of any emotion or thought whatsoever. Even then, he knew he didn’t have time to linger here any longer as the grey-colored, flat-headed creature turned its attention at him, prompting the smaller swimmer to turn around and make his escape and carry on the fruits of his and his sister’s last day together. Everything felt like some kind of bad dream to Azurefin and no sensible thoughts rose to his mind before he felt a blow to his left side.

Three of the beast’s teeth sank into the swimmer’s underbelly but instinctually he moved he dashed away from the death’s embrace. His body twitched in endless pain but no matter what, he’d pass on the knowledge of this place to the others. He had never swam this quickly before in his life and knew that he’d never do so again either. At all times, he feared that his chaser would catch him and cut his escape for good. But it never came. Slowly but surely, careful flickers of light started to again smile on his face but it served only to reveal a tear-filled, broken swimmer who already begun to feel his body beginning to weaken.

Only a few minutes earlier, seeing the sweet rays of the Bright Circle again had been his greatest wish but now, it didn’t bring him any happiness. His sister was gone and so would he soon enough. He didn’t even want to watch at his wound but he could very well tell it was lethal. After a dash which seemed to last for an eternity, he finally landed on the same cliff near the Great Water Path where the treacherous current had swept them into the abyss only less than an hour ago. Azurefin panted heavily as he fell into the soft sand, the warmth of the water around him bringing him some relief in this dark hour. He then released the loudest call he could at this point, hoping it would reach his herd and enabling him to ensure the two swimmers’ search hadn’t been for nothing.

The following wait was filled with fleeting images of his life and friends he’d possibly never see again. Even the death of his beloved sister seemed nothing more like a dream at this point and deep down, he was relieved that the sharptooth’s hit would reunite him with her soon enough. In a way, the two had succeeded in traversing a place no swimmer like him had never before. Maybe, just maybe, that was something to be grateful for. He seemed to slowly be drifting away when he heard a shocked voice above him.

“Azurefin, you made it! B… but where’s Wol? Is… is she…?” The red-colored swimmer was the first one of the group of his fellow herd members who saw him but she couldn’t see what was wrong with the male. Azurefin’s gaze rose upwards and he was more than relieved to hear most of the herd arriving around him. Their happy yet concerned faces made him feel slightly better but his voice’s weakness surprised even the swimmer himself.

“Wol’s gone. A sharptooth got her down there and… and Azurefin too. My whole belly is sliced open.” He said as the others finally noticed the pools of blood around him which were quickly drawn away by the currents around him. The others gasped audibly, only now realizing he didn’t have much time left. One of them, the same older and purple-colored female who had warned him earlier, moved closer to him, willing to give Azurefin a chance to tell what he had to tell.

“What happened? Did you find the way through the Great Water Path?” Those were the obvious questions which Azurefin had of course expected. Slowly and with an increasingly forced voice, he slowly recounted his tale to the others whose gazes communicated disbelief and compassion to the young male. None of them could have imagined their home being surrounded by such a hellish place. It seemed like they were supposed to stay here, near the surface after all. Also, it seemed like their fear of the Great Water Path had always been correct. Just as he had finished his tale, one of the other swimmers asked one question to clarify Azurefin’s point.

“I’m so sorry, Azurefin, but at least you found the way through the current! You managed to do it after…” At this point, the injured swimmer glanced at the speaker in clear anger and disapproval. It hurt him to speak this quickly but he had already made up his mind about this. If anything, he and his sister had only found an answer to the question why no swimmer should venture back there, no matter what. This one warning would be the two siblings’ legacy.

“No we didn’t. I ask of you, go the way you were planning to go. Down in the depths wait only horrors and monstrous swimmers. We… you must never return there. Wol and I already paid for our mistakes. Please… don’t do the same.” After those words, the horribly maimed swimmer breathed deeply, moving his fin for the very last time before his head fell to the sandy ground, the latest victim of the mysterious depths under the calm surface of the Big Water.

...

The Promise for a Better Future

The air felt increasingly cold around the longneck as she looked into the horizon beyond which her mate had disappeared not so long ago. His steps could still be seen in the dry ground but their endless journey into the distance only deepened Tranquil’s fears about her own situation. Bron was gone, chasing his own vision about where the Great Valley was located. Tranquil had told him that he was going astray but the male wouldn’t listen to him. Now, she was left alone with her aging parents but it wasn’t herself Tranquil was so concerned for.

In the past days, she had increasingly come to accept the fact that she indeed was pregnant. That fact alone brought immense joy upon the longneck but even then, she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to take care of a child in this hellish time without her mate. Bron had hoped to see the baby’s hatching but the dying of the world around them seemed to grow quicker by the day. Bron had believed he could protect his family best by trying to see if the tales he had heard about the Valley would prove to be true.

The female longneck sighed as she looked at her parents who were standing behind her, looking at their daughter in concern. Tranquil knew they needed her to be strong at this time as they were getting too old to survive by themselves. Without Bron, she was forced to carry on their family’s legacy with pride and that thought only brought another, more confusing thought to her mind. She had once imagined becoming the leader of the herd. But not like this… not like this. Not with only her grandparents as her followers and certainly not on this most testing of times. Her mother slowly approached the younger longneck and spoke to her soothingly.

“It’s alright, Tranquil. We’ll see him again. But before that, we have to work together. It’s still a long way into the Great Valley and we have to continue our journey soon.” The elderly female said as Tranquil slowly turned to look at her, her mind growing increasingly fearful for her situation. Her eyes held a deeply conflicted expression as she turned to face her mother.

“I’m not sure if I’m ready for this, mother. What if he’s right? What if… what if it’s we who are going the wrong way? I owe it to my child to do my best but… I’m not sure what that is.” The longneck’s mind had been a flux even before her mate’s departure but after he was gone, she began to feel the hopelessness and decay of the land around her really starting to creep into her. However, those thoughts were momentarily interrupted by another, this one male, voice.

“We know the right way and I’m sure he’ll return once he realizes his mistake. It’s regrettable that he chose to leave us but that cannot be helped. We have to reach the others before it’s time for our grandchild’s birth.” A warm smile rose to the massive dinosaur’s face as he thought about the joy of seeing the baby’s hatching. An additional relief was that the herds would gather together for the duration of the birth of their children which would protect them from the sharpteeth for the duration of the earliest days of their lives. However, the younger dinosaur wasn’t nearly as optimistic as her father.

“B… but what if things only get worse? I… I don’t want to see my baby suffer all his or her life from hunger and thirst! And we can still be only heading to a wasteland and towards the mouths of the sharpteeth! I know it can’t be helped but I don’t want to see my child born into such a nightmare!” The terrifying images of her own and her unborn hatchling’s slow starvation burned in her eyes as she looked around herself. There were still some patches of green to eat here and there but there hadn’t been sky water for weeks and even the Bright Circle itself seemed to slowly be dimmed under a cover of hazy darkness. Indeed, it seemed like the whole world was collapsing around her at a time when she should act like a beacon of hope and trust to a young boy or girl. And she… she was far from sure whether she’d be able to carry on with this massive charge. Her mother, however, approached her slowly and put a comforting expression to her face.

“Don’t worry about that, my daughter. It’ll be alright. You’ll come to see that you’ll be able to do quite a bit when you have a young one who depends on you. I know it more than well, Tranquil. Things weren’t quite as bad when you were born but I was still forced to overcome my limits trying to protect you during your early childhood. You might remember that you weren’t exactly a stranger to dangers.” The elderly longneck chuckled as she looked at her daughter’s gloomy face which brightened slightly as she turned to look at her mother. The male looked at Tranquil with a similarly warm expression and continued to where his mate had left off.

“I still wonder whether you’ll disappear somewhere when we turn our backs on you. Besides, you can still relay the most important thing to our grandchild: the hope of the Great Valley’s existence.” He said, trying to make the soon-to-be mother recover her sight of the small herd’s entire situation. Tranquil forced her breaths to calm down but there was just so much that could go wrong, so horribly wrong.
She answered to her parents in a meek voice, growing ashamed by her own cowardice at the situation. She had most often been seen as a wise and calm longneck but those were the times when she had been responsible only of herself and her parents but this was something the female wasn’t prepared for: to actually ensure a happy childhood to her child. She already loved him or her greatly but that love only worsened her fears. What if she would be a terrible parent who could only bring pain and sorrow to her offspring?

“I know that but… we don’t really even know if it’s there and… and… I could live in safety within our beloved Emerald Grove where everything was peaceful before… before the fire mountain spit its wrath. B… but my child won’t have any of that and I’m not sure whether we’ll even make it to the Valley. It… it’s just not fair for him or her!” Tranquil said as she looked at her parents’ faces. The two looked at each other and nodded in resolution, deciding to tell something to their distressed daughter. It was the male who begun to speak first.

“Tranquil… The Grove was a wondrous place, it’s true, but we always knew we couldn’t stay there forever. The whole land around it had begun changing around it and when you were born, all of the surrounding plains were still lush and green. Do you still remember the time when the Farwalkers told us of the Valley for the first time? You were awfully young back then.” The male said, making the younger longneck fall into her thoughts. She could remember flashes of that meeting as it was always a great occasion when the Farwalkers visited their distant home. However, knowing that her memories were blurred and vague at the very best, she merely shook her head. Her mother took a sigh and begun to speak, prompting Tranquil to follow the traces within her memories to that distant, faraway day…


The young girl smiled in excitement as she jumped from one boulder to another in a small clearing in the upper hills of the Emerald Grove, balancing carefully as her legs struggled to find a good foothold on the massive boulders. The childish excitement of testing her limits with these games was apparent in her eyes as she looked at the next rock near her, preparing to take her next leap towards it. Slowly but surely, the rocks moved deeper towards a cliff overlooking the lower slopes of the small grove, opening into a potentially dangerous fall. However, that was part of the fun for the girl… or at least it would have been hadn’t her game been interrupted by a sudden call.

A low bellow could be heard ringing from the walls of the hills, at first scaring the longneck. Maybe a sharptooth had sneaked on her family or someone had hurt themselves? However, as the echo begun to die down, she realized that there was no sound of urgency or fear in the voice. It sounded more like a greeting but who was her family greeting? Suddenly, her lonely games disappeared from Tranquil’s mind and she quickly ran down the narrow, grassy ramp by the mighty mountains towards the opening of the grove near the increasingly dry plains around the small refuge of life.


The meeting was already in full swing as the small longneck reached the place where the lush meadow surrounded by the mountains suddenly turned into the open steppes which were covered only by tiny, stunted grass. However, the concerning sight quickly departed from the girl’s mind as she heard a call from her mother whose form could be seen in the distance.

“Hey, Tranquil, I was already wondering whether you’d show up at all, you little rascal! Come greet our guests, I believe you’ll find their stories quite interesting!” The older longneck said as the group of Farwalkers looked in amusement as Tranquil ran towards the small group of dinosaurs in excitement. The child loved to hear about the lands outside her home and it wasn’t everyday dinosaurs like these simply walked into her beloved Emerald Grove. The girl looked at the small herd of longnecks in deep interest and spoke to them as her mother ordered.

“Hi, everyone! Where did you come from? Who are you and where are you going next? How was your journey?” Tranquil knew her questions were overwhelming for the still-weary Farwalkers but her genuine excitement at their arrival seemed to amuse many of the wandering dinosaurs. Their expressions seemed a bit too worried and serious for the longneck and one, yellowish longneck was about to answer when her father cut him off, chuckling slightly at his daughter’s questions.

“That’s a bit too many questions for someone who has wandered for days to get here, don’t you think? I think we should let them rest and…” At this point, the longneck looked at the longneck with an expression that demanded silence from the larger dinosaur. He then answered the duo quickly afterwards.

“No, no, it’s alright. We are weary and tired, that’s true, but there is also something we need to tell all of you. To answer your questions, little lady, I’m afraid I cannot say our trip was an easy or pleasant one. The plains all the way from here to the Small Water were once covered with forests and dancing streams but they have grown increasingly thin. And as a result of the disappearing green food, the sharpteeth have grown more aggressive and dangerous than ever. We nearly lost two of our members to them the other day.” The longneck said with a cringing face, saddened by the sight of the girl’s terrified face. However, the concerning developments had begun many Cold Times ago and he knew the longnecks deserved to hear the truth. Tranquil, her parents and the small group of other longnecks all gasped as they heard those words. Had the change affected the whole region up to the Small Water? It was one of the largest lakes known to any dinosaur and it lied five days’ journey from the Grove. Shortly, one of the other longnecks asked in fear from the longneck.

“B… but surely it can’t get much worse than this, can it? I mean… at least a part of the green food must survive these dark times, don’t they? Our precious Grove is safe from this worrying trend but it’d be a shame if the rest of the world got swept away!” The longneck spoke in a haunted voice but the other dinosaur’s voice did little to calm her fears.

“None of us can say for sure but thus far huge parts of the land have been swept away by this cursed phenomenon. And to be sure, it is more than likely that this small grove will face the same fate if things don’t change soon. I’m sorry
but that’s a fact.” The longneck followed in an apologetic look as silent gossip begun between the residents of the small valley. Tranquil’s earlier excitement had turned soar as the tales of the Farwalkers took an unsavory turn. The distant lands she had often dreamt about were dying and the same would happen to her home? Tranquil turned to look in fear at the other longnecks when one of them rebuked to the Farwalker in anger.

“I don’t know what you’re up to but we won’t have a bunch of strangers spreading their lies among us! The world may be changing but there’s no use in coming to scare us with hasty predictions!” The dinosaur yelled, his gaze penetrating into the wanderer in agitation. The Farwalker returned the gesture but kept his voice low.

“We just tell you what we’ve seen in our journeys and there’s no reason to get angry because of it! I, too, would regret the Great Dying spreading here but there’s no telling what happens during the next Cold Time or the one after it! There are stories about entire herds being wiped out because they lingered in their homes for too long. This world once held many sanctuaries of great beauty and harmony but they are being wiped out with an astonishing speed! I’ve seen it myself.” The old longneck’s eyes held a clear look of loss as he remembered all the places he had been to and all the dinosaurs he had met. Tranquil’s mother looked at the longneck with a conflicted expression, trying to find something to say even now.

“Then what do you think we should do to prepare for this disaster? Join you? If you think we’ll just…” At this point, another of the Farwalkers stepped in and answered in a calmer voice to the female.

“Right now you have to do nothing but mind the changes around you. And when your home begins to die, seek out a distant land, one that has remained untouched all this time. We’ve heard it is a refuge for dinosaurs who wish to call one place their home. For us Farwalkers, however, adventure and exploration is the way we want to spend our lives.” The younger male said, looking at the residents of the Grove in slight apology. At this point, Tranquil’s eyes flashed wide open as this one promise of eternal seTranquilty seemed to resonate her greatly. She ran towards the Farwalkers and once again, spoke out everything that was swirling within her mind.

“What is that place and where is it? Have you ever seen it yourselves?” The girl asked carefully, willing to know everything the wandering dinosaurs knew. The herd’s leader looked at his followers and after exchanging a few words with them, he turned to look back at the small dinosaur.

“No, we’ve never seen the Great Valley by ourselves as, as my deputy said, don’t search for just one place to live in. We have heard whispers of it from several dinosaurs on our journeys but there’s one meeting I remember most clearly. Fifteen Cold Times ago in the far western lands, we met an ancient swimmer who claimed to have visited the Valley when he was but a hatchling. Back then the world was fair and bountiful which meant he didn’t have to stay in the Valley but he had later heard that despite the areas surrounding that place turned to dust, the land of waterfalls, grassy meadows and endless food has lived on. The swimmer was too old to return there but it was his legacy to offer this journey to anyone willing to undertake such a quest for life.

The swimmer seemed to have problems remembering exact details from the Valley but if I remember right, he told anyone who searches that beautiful land to follow the Bright Circle where it touches the ground. It’ll be a march of ultimate faith and it’ll take many Cold Times for you to reach it from here. However, it’ll be the only safe haven for your children and grandchildren in this fading world.” The longneck ended his tale on this note and after a few moments, a few of the denizens of the Grove seemed to begin chuckling audibly. A complete stranger coming to tell them to leave their ancestral end? The Farwalker had to be out of his mind! However, Tranquil’s father soon cast a glance that silenced those voices immediately and then turned to look at the wanderer again.

“We appreciate your message, my friends. However, our home is still perfectly fine and we cannot embark on such a march! Our children and elderly king wouldn’t stand a chance! I’m sorry but we cannot accept your offer.” He said, feeling a mixture of respect and puzzlement within him at these words. However, the wanderer’s next words were the once Tranquil would remember for the rest of her life.

“Suit yourselves but the time is running out. When your young ones reach adulthood, this grove will be a different place and if you still wish to disregard my words at that point, it’ll be too late. This world is a place of great happiness and plenty but to continue to revel in them, you have to think further than tomorrow. Remember that when this land’s time runs out.” All of the denizens of the Grove looked at each other in fear, not knowing what to make of the Farwalker’s words but there were three among the audience who took those words by heart. Even a fool’s hope would be better than to resign to despair and this Valley offered a perfect metaphor for that. Back then, they had hesitated without end but the fate forced their hands before long.


“Today might be a rough one but as the Farwalkers told, there is always tomorrow and it is for that day that we have to work for. We remember how you beamed with joy and life in those days and I’m sure our grandchild welcomes whatever life we will give him, as long as he or she can believe in a better future. Do you understand, dear?” The elderly dinosaur concluded her and her mate’s story. Their daughter’s face was beyond thoughtful as she relived those days of newfound threat and a promise for salvation. The pictures of her carefree games, endless adventures and the ever-present joy she could see around her during those times seemed to bring relief to the longneck and she slowly understood what she would have to do. Suddenly, the void left by her mate’s departure seemed to start to disappear as she realized the impact the Farwalkers’ courage and her still-unborn child’s smile had upon her. She had made it through a lot already and with her parents’ help, she felt like she could face the dark, long path that sill lied before her.

“Th… thank you both. For being for me already back then and for continuing to support me. If my son or daughter is going to be strong enough to make it through this, I’ll make sure to help in any way possible. Just like you two did with me.” Already, the happy memories invoked by her parents made her eager to finally meet her child but it would take many cycles of the Night Circle before the egg would hatch. The three longnecks nodded at each other, turning their gazes on the distant, empty horizon where the Bright Circle was setting swiftly. The elderly male spoke one last time before the small herd continued their trek.

“Of course, Tranquil. We’ll all ensure that the child’s childhood will be as happy as possible. But we have to move on. Somewhere behind those plains lie the Rock that Looks Like a Longneck and the Mountains that Burn and our destination. We have no time to waste.” And with those words, the three longnecks once again set their sights into their fabled prize, the distant, mythical land safe from all evil and hardships that seemed to envelop their entire lives these days. However, the journey itself would only bring additional tragedies as three longnecks would indeed reach the Valley after many Cold Times of marching but that group wouldn’t be the same one which had started this seemingly endless march towards life.

And here's my response to the January's prompt challenge!. It's a brief story (my shortest fic in fact) but I hope it still manages to shed some light to the premise! This is a simple tale about Littlefoot's mother's (called Tranquil in this story) doubts and fears about her coming motherhood as well as well as one, fateful, meeting from her own childhood. In any case, I hope you like this offering and any thoughts are welcome as usual!

It was on this day one hundred years ago that the Finnish senate declared the country’s independence from the fledgling Soviet Russia. Finland had been an autonomous Grand Duchy inside the Russian Empire ever since it was captured from Sweden during the Napoleonic wars in 1809. That time had usually been calm and the first real effort towards Finnish secession started around 1900 when tsar Nicholas II embarked on a spree of laws limiting Finnish autonomy and after many turbulent events (like the general strike of 1905 and the revolutionary parliamentary reform of 1907 as well as the Russian revolutions) and with the help of the First World War, the country found a chance to gain its independence. In the absence of a dominant political force in Russia, the senate led by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (who would later serve as the third president from 1931 to 1937) declared Finland an independent republic on December 6th 1917. The search for recognition was a difficult one but on December 31st just before the dawn of the new year, Lenin recognized Finnish independence , a move which was soon followed by the rest of the international community.

Sadly, the newborn country descended into a short but brutal civil war which ended in the defeat of the socialists. However,  after it, Finland started a quick transformation from a backward, agrarian country into a wealthy, Nordic nation through social democratic reforms and the final national unification following the Winter War against the Soviet Union. I wished to make this occasion known to everyone here as this century has mostly been a huge success from a Finnish perspective. Despite the country's numerous problems (and there's a lot of them), I’m happy to live here and I truly hope we can look at the country’s history in the same manner after the next 100 years!