As I've mentioned, the scale difference between dinosaurs in this story's continuity is closer to real life (though not necessarily perfectly accurate). While a fully grown Littlefoot would be much larger than most sharpteeth, there are some who grow exceptionally large in this story, like Red Claw, The Sharptooth from the original movie and others who were capable of facing adult longnecks one on one throughout the franchise. Why the size fluctuation? We'll get to that in this chapter.
Enjoy, and thank you for reading!
Chapter 5
Think Like a Sharptooth
Year 4
Day 32
"Okay, Chomper. You can let go now," Cera declared.
The young sharptooth's mind was somewhere else, barely grasping her statement.
"Huh?" he asked through his teeth.
"You win. Let. Go." she commanded.
Chomper loosed his jaw from her horn. "Oh! I'm sorry!"
Cera stood up straight and shook her horns, more to fling off the indignity than anything else. She felt like a pretzel ... not that she knew what a pretzel was. Chomper was an easy sparring partner when he was half her size, but now? After hitting a growth spurt, he had the strength to bend her into all sorts of awkward positions from which there was no escape. When he got a good grip, it was usually over. He often went for the horns, her pride and glory. She hated that, though the competitive fighter in her refused to say it. Sure, Cera was nearing the end of The Time of Great Growing herself. In fact, she was certain that she was just a tad heavier than he was. That bothered her most of all. It wasn't just his size or his teeth. He was just ... better than she was. He instinctively knew how to get the upper hand, consistently winning at least two out of every three battles lately. Though less than ideal, that wasn't the worst ratio for her, but considering the fact that they fought over multiple rounds, he invariably won overall. The fact that he was so sheepish about his victories irritated her even more, but the thing that bothered her most this time around?
He hadn't even been paying attention, and he still won!
"Should I stop grabbing your horns?" Chomper suggested for the umpteenth time.
"Chomper, don't you DARE go easy on me!" Cera snapped before smiling smugly. "Besides, the girls can take anything you dish."
Chomper was about to ask who 'the girls' were, until he remembered that Cera referred to her horns as though they were dinosaurs. She'd even named them, though he could never quite recall the names.
The threehorn assumed a combat stance. "Okay, let's go again."
"Hold it," Doc interrupted.
"I think we see what your problem is," added Mr. Thicknose.
The teenagers turned their attention to the adults, who had been watching the battles and comparing notes.
"The problem is he thinks like a sharptooth, and you think like something a sharptooth eats," Doc explained.
Cera frowned. She did not like that conclusion. Chomper seemed to like it even less, glancing at his friend before sighing at the ground.
Doc gave him an empathetic look. "It's a good thing you're here to help her out. What you teach Cera might save her in the future."
Chomper's spirits seemed to lift, even if slightly. "Thanks, Sir."
Cera gave him a critical glance. She just called the guy 'Doc'. Chomper insisted on the polite approach. She got the distinct impression that he was intimidated by The Lone Dinosaur, even after all these years. It was strange, hearing Chomper's meek, friendly voice deepen into a mild growl as he grew older. He would often lighten his tone so as to sound less aggressive, especially around Doc. One of these days, she was going to tell him that it sounded more forced than anything else.
"Why do you think it's so hard to break his grip?" asked Mr. Thicknose.
Cera gave him a look that said 'like, duh'. "I'm just not strong enough, I guess."
"No, you're not smart enough," Doc corrected.
Chomper winced. She would not take this well.
Cera gaped at the indignation. "No! No! With all due respect, I am plenty smart! I mean, at least it's not like I'm dumb, and it's not like Chompers a genius or something ... no offence?"
Chomper shrugged his tiny arms. "Eh, I didn't think I was that smart either."
Cera almost flew at him. "Will you STOP being so MODEST!?"
At the back of her mind, Cera noticed Chomper jerk towards her the moment she raised her voice. Usually he winced away, but it was such a fleeting action that she rapidly dismissed it as unimportant. Besides, she was too annoyed to pay attention to such subtle body language. His flight instinct took over and he shrank from her. Now that was the Chomper she knew.
The sharptooth quickly stepped away from the angry threehorn with a nervous smile. "Okay, it's been fun! I gotta go find lunch, bye!"
He made a break for it. Cera looked as though she might give chase.
"You finished breakfast half a nap ago!" she barked.
"I'm still hungry!" Chomper explained.
"Cera, calm down. You too, Chomper," Doc instructed.
The sharptooth froze in his tracks before retracing his steps. "Yes, Alpha ... I- I mean, Sir!"
Chomper was sure to stand a decent distance from her horns, though.
"You need to think like a sharptooth," Doc instructed Cera. "He's a smart fighter. He's always thinkin'. He knows what works and if it doesn't work he tries somethin' new. You think too, but not as much. You fall back on the same techniques - good techniques, but he knows them too well. When things go wrong, you stop thinkin' altogether and try to muscle your way out."
Cera lightly kicked a pebble. She knew that she needed to hear this, even if she didn't like it.
"So ... how do I start thinking like a sharptooth?" she asked.
"If something doesn't work, try somethin' else," Doc instructed. "Don't just throw your strength and training at him. Be methodical. Look for opportunities, note your weaknesses. You can break his grips with mind and muscle. If he confuses you, ask him why he did what he did, how he did what he did. Oh, and show up more often for our Advanced Imagination sessions."
Mr. Thicknose raised an interested eyebrow. "'Advanced Imagination'? Interesting. I'd like to hear about it. Hmm ..."
"What?" asked Doc.
"Heh, call me puerile, but I found myself wondering which of our students will prove to be more formidable."
"We already know the answer," Doc replied with a small smile. "Littlefoot rivals Chomper's resourcefulness. That in mind, I don't have to tell you how he fares against Cera."
The threehorn was practically steaming.
"Remarkable boy, that one," Mr. Thicknose commented, "but don't write off Cera just yet. Her determination is exceptional, even for a threehorn. I believe all she needs is the occasional push in the right direction."
Doc nodded his acknowledgement. "Time will tell, but either way I think we should collaborate more. Our students can sharpen each other, same way we can as teachers."
Mr. Thicknose smiled with a chuckle. "I'm surprised we didn't think of that before! It would be my pleasure."
"Good," Doc finalised. "Now, I'd like to know where you learnt the training Cera's gettin'. It's familiar ..."
"Excuse me, Sir ... um, Sirs," cut in Chomper. "Mind if I come back later? I really am still hungry."
Doc respected Chomper, but nonetheless he gave the sharptooth a borderline wary look.
"Are you not gettin' enough to eat?" he asked.
A mild awkwardness fell upon the leafeaters.
Chomper fidgeted with his claws. "Well ... it's kind of complicated. I've been eating water breathers. Crawlers too, but it's hard to find the big ones. Don't worry, I will. I've figured out that some of them live in nests. I found one and ... kind of ate all the crawlers in it, but I'm sure they're more nests since I'm still finding that type of crawler around here. I just have to find them, that's all."
"Try close to my nest," Doc suggested. "Been seeing a good number there lately. They've been buggin' Darla and I."
"Thanks, Sir!" Chomper exclaimed.
Having faced a few mild crawler infestations, the valley's residents were coming to see Chomper as a manner of pest control. It tempered the disapproval of those who thought a sharptooth had no business growing up in The Great Valley, and Chomper was eager to earn his keep.
"Meet us in two naps," Doc instructed.
"Thanks, bye!" Chomper called as he ran off to do his duty.
Not far on his way, the sharptooth came upon a nest full of recently hatched swimmers, being tended to by their mother.
He smiled at the endearing sight, before finding himself briefly licking his chops.
The mother soon noticed him. Giving the sharptooth an uncomfortable smile and a small wave, she made an attempt to subtly shield her young from his sight. She failed on the 'subtle' part.
Chomper's smile fell. The biggest blow came when he realised he was beginning to drool.
With heavy feet and an even heavier heart, he trudged away from the scene. This crossed the line. He'd made his decision.
Year 4
Day 247
Morning
Skip jumped awake as his burrow shook.
Finally, some excitement!
Make no mistake, the fuzzy creature enjoyed life in The Great Valley, but after growing up in The Mysterious Beyond, sometimes it got a little ... slow. One of his favourite things to do was watch Littlefoot and his friends training over the years, but this? This sounded like a full-fledged battle! Had a sharptooth invaded the valley? He supposed he shouldn't have been happy about that, but if something was going down, it wouldn't hurt to at least take a peek. Maybe he could help in his own small way. Besides, the burrow was beginning to collapse.
Scampering through the entrance (while there was still an entrance), Skip gawked at the sight before him. It was Littlefoot ... wailing on nothing but the earth beneath him.
"Hey, Littlefoot!" Skip called.
Of course, Littlefoot wasn't quite living up to his name anymore. The Time of Great Growing had done wonders in a few short years. He was already two thirds the size of his grandparents, which sometimes made it difficult for him to hear a creature roughly as big as a small dog, Skip fitting that description. The din he made as he pounded the ground with every ounce of his weight didn't help much.
Skip cleared his throat before giving his best shot. "LITTLEFOOT!"
The longneck paused, panting from the exertion. "Oh, hi Skip. Did I wake you?"
Skip looked back at his burrow. He didn't have the heart to tell Littlefoot that he'd probably destroyed half his home to boot.
"Eh, I oversleep anyways," Skip shrugged.
"Sorry, I'm trying to call Chomper with my Earth Whisper," the longneck explained.
"Ain't nothin' whispery about this," Skip commented. "What's up? Somethin' wrong?"
"Chomper told us he was going with Ruby to see her parents, but it turns out Ruby left before he disappeared! He's been acting weird for a while now, especially the past few days! I can't help but worry ..."
Skip scratched his head. "Hm ... and you haven't seen him since yesterday morning, when he left for The Mysterious Beyond?"
Littlefoot almost choked on his shock. "How do you know for sure he-?"
"I saw him."
"Why didn't you-!?"
"Hey, this isn't the first time you guys have wandered into The Mysterious Beyond," Skip parried. "At this stage I'm more accustomed to covering for you than tattling!"
Littlefoot immediately thundered an Earth Whisper, telling Cera where he would be and when to meet him. Yesterday would be a good time. Unfortunately, his other pals didn't understand Earth Whispers, so he had to find them the old-fashioned way.
Skip yelped as he ducked Littlefoot's sweeping tail (not that it swung low enough to hit him anyway). Shock waves ripped through the soil as the longneck thundered off to find the rest of his friends.
"You're welcome!" Skip called after him.
He had half a mind to follow Littlefoot. Tagging along on some of their adventures was the highlight of his life: a rare treat since they never announced plans for their risky escapades beforehand. He still had his burrow to repair, though. The thought of brushing with death (it was bound to happen) and not having a warm home to return to that night didn't appeal to him. Hold on a second ... since when did he care about the finer things in life! Life in The Great Valley was making him soft!
"Hey! Wait up!" he called as he dashed after the, for want of a better word, rampaging longneck. "You need a guide!"
Midday
Skip took a deep breath, savouring The Mysterious Beyond's ever-changing aromas. In The Great Valley, visitors came and went. Some stayed. The occasional resident departed, but other than that not much changed in recent times. Yes, seasons sculpted the valley like clockwork every year, but that was the problem: the clockwork. Out here, the earthshakes hit harder, pounding the land to suit their chaotically artistic vision. Predators and prey were always on their toes in the ever-changing dance of life. However, there was one thing that remained constant.
Red Claw.
"You still have Chomper's scent?" Petrie asked a little too loudly.
Wincing, Skip answered in a low voice, hoping to lead by example. "Yup, and Red Claw's."
"You say that everywhere we go," Cera quietly remarked.
"'Cause I don't want you to forget it," Skip explained. "Sure, Red Claw's not the only sharptooth around here, but he's definitely the biggest."
"Yeah, big enough to take on a fully grown longneck by himself without much of a problem," Littlefoot agreed in an equally subdued voice: no small feat considering his size. "I've seen unusually big sharpteeth before, but Red Claw's almost as big as the one who stalked us when the five of us first met."
"That's because they're rogues," Skip explained. "Most big sharpteeth hunt by themselves, but they were raised in a family and they can call on each other for a difficult hunt. Not rogues like Red Claw. They grew up all alone, so they had to get even bigger to take care of themselves. They usually don't work with other sharpteeth."
Doc had told Littlefoot more or less the same thing years ago, but the longneck wordlessly nodded anyway. Then his mind wandered to Chomper's seemingly never-ending growth spurt. He'd shot past Cera in the last year, and it didn't seem like he was going to stop soon.
"From the look of things, Chomper's gonna be one of the larger ones," Littlefoot commented, "but he didn't grow up alone, so he can't be a rogue. Then how's he getting so big? Hmm ... maybe it's because we're not sharpteeth, and he had to do all his hunting by himself, so it's like we don't count."
Skip nodded. Littlefoot had answered his own question quite conclusively, so he saw no need to add anything.
"Red Claw works with Screech and Thud, doesn't he?" Ducky chimed in. "He's not exactly alone either."
Skip flinched at her 'outside voice'. "They must have met him when he was fully grown. Oh, and he doesn't 'work with' them. They work for him, and they're very good at it, so try to keep the noise down and stay vigilant."
The fuzzy jumped as several rocks tumbled down a hill to his side. He shot Spike a glare.
Having created a miniature avalanche after tugging at a bush growing from beneath the rocks, Spike gave the Skip a guilty glance ... before proceeding to devour the bush ... loudly.
Skip shook his head as they moved on. It was a wonder they'd survived The Mysterious Beyond without him! He updated his mental record of all the things they'd done to draw attention to themselves, right down to their noisy, indiscriminate footsteps. If there were a dry plant or an unstable rock, he could count on someone to step on it. In all fairness, The Great Valley was a pedicured garden compared to jungle of obstacles that was The Mysterious Beyond. Even the plants and geography had an almost conspicuously tame sense of order, and the residents made it a point to keep their environment tidy. The youngsters weren't used to manoeuvring through such a rowdy setting, especially after their growth spurts. Even so, most leafeaters were like walking dinner bells outside of The Great Valley.
He looked back to check on Littlefoot and Cera.
"What?" asked Cera.
"Oh, nothin'," Skip answered. "Just making sure you're still with us."
That statement felt ... weird. Honestly, he was expecting the most noise from those two. Littlefoot was quite massive and Cera had a tendency to stomp for stomping's sake. Sometimes he wondered if she liked feeling the ground shake beneath her feet as she got bigger, but out here? Littlefoot and Cera were like ghosts. He couldn't hear them. He could hardly feel their footfalls unless they were a few steps away. The way they moved ... the way their eyes subtly hunted their surroundings for threats. They weren't acting like leafeaters.
They were acting like sharpteeth.
Skip shook unsettling nature of that thought from his head. Come to think of it, that only made sense. They were trained to fight sharpteeth. Matching wits with a sharptooth meant thinking like a sharptooth to some degree.
Still ... it was creepy.
Wanting to move on from the thought (and kicking himself for being so easily perturbed), Skip decided to elaborate on the rich history of Red Claw. "The big guy prefers to avoid herds, but half the far walkers who travel alone run into him. Few live to tell the tale. It's like he's everywhere. His territory encircles the entire valley. Not the part at the edge of The Big Water, though. Those tiny arms ain't much good for swimming."
Littlefoot raised an eyebrow. "But the valley's huge."
"He, Screech and Thud patrol around it regularly," Skip went on. "Can't figure out how he always knows where to hunt, though."
Littlefoot looked up at a flying nibbler in the canopy. If he hadn't kept his eyes peeled for sharpteeth, he probably wouldn't have noticed it. Upon leaving the valley, he had spotted two grooming each other. One flew off as they drew near. The other one? He was pretty sure the nibbler above them was the same one. He recognised the white speckles on its dark fur.
The nibbler blinked at him before setting its eyes on a grasshopper. The insect caught wind of its would-be hunter and took flight, chased by the flyer.
Cera followed his gaze and smirked. "First the Cornerstones. Then the flying nibblers? Is there anything you're not scared of these days?"
"I'm not scared of the nibblers ... yet," Littlefoot answered. "Although I wonder why they behave differently outside The Great Valley."
Cera shrugged. "They eat dead dinosaurs instead of bugs out here, but I don't see the big deal. Who knows why critters behave the way they do?"
Littlefoot cast the canopy another glance. "They're not just critters. They're little sharpteeth, and what I do know is that most sharpteeth are as smart as we are. They're even smarter in some ways."
Cera huffed. "Yeah, so I've heard."
"I mean, not in all ways, but you gotta admit they're smart when it comes to hunting and fighting," Littlefoot went on. "Take Chomper for example-"
Cera rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. When we're training, he just naturally knows how to think on his feet."
"Yeah, and and he's one of the nice ones!" Littlefoot added.
"Try the only nice one," the threehorn corrected.
Though she had no way of confirming that statement, Cera was feeling a tad disagreeable. She still didn't like the idea of a creature having sharper teeth and a sharper mind than she did.
"If they're so smart, why do we even bother training to outwit them?" she pressed.
"We've outsmarted them before. It's not impossible," Littlefoot parried. "My point is we shouldn't underestimate them."
"Eh, I guess you have a point," Cera conceded halfheartedly. "After all, they've got to at least be smart enough to pick their battles and win regularly ... otherwise, they wouldn't eat." She shook her head in disgust before shifting the subject. "But flying nibblers are barely even sharpteeth. Chomper says they can't speak his language. They're just ... tiny things, like buzzers."
Littlefoot checked the canopy one last time. "I dunno. Maybe that's what they want us to ... I dunno."
Cera gave a slow nod as though she were speaking to a conspiracy theorist oozing paranoia.
Littlefoot sighed. "Nevermind. Let's just ..."
She caught him freeze for a nigh imperceptible moment as his eyes flicked to the bushes.
"What?" asked the threehorn.
"Act casual," Littlefoot instructed.
He sounded normal enough, but the subtle quaver in his voice was not lost on her.
"Huddle up, guys," the longneck instructed.
Catching his drift, Cera sauntered to the opposite side of her friends, managing to keep the tension in her muscles at a minimum. They'd practised this.
"Okay ..." agreed Ducky, confused by the way Cera gently herded her closer to the others. "Is something wrong?"
Littlefoot smiled down at her. "Stay calm. Cera and I will-"
A fast biter exploded from the bushes, brandishing teeth and talons.
Screech.
With the exception of Cera and Littlefoot, the leafeaters froze.
*( ( KRA-KOOOM! ) )*
A distance away, Chomper raised his head, recognising the boom and charging towards it with urgency.
Two fast runners proudly smiled down at their daughter, who had been floored by her mother's swing of a tail.
"Good job, my daughter, good job!" her father commended.
"Yes," her mother agreed. "Although you'd be much harder to knock down as quickly if you moved quickly enough to not be knocked down."
Ruby rolled onto her feet. "Yeah. I've lost some speed, living in the valley. It's a good thing you guys are here to help me find it again."
"You're getting faster," her father stated. "And you'll only keep getting faster if we keep this up on your visits. Let's try again."
Suddenly, the thunder crack met their ears.
Ruby squinted in thought. That noise was somewhat familiar, although it was hard to tell with the way it bounced across the cliffs.
"Sounds like someone's facing a sharptooth," Ruby's mother commented.
Her siblings stared at the landscape beneath the ledge of their cave under Hanging Rock. Their parents joined them, following their gaze to spot trees violently shaken as a massive, unseen form barrelled beneath them.
"That 'someone' is not facing Red Claw, but they will face him when he gets there," her father declared.
Her mother turned her eyes to the sky. "And that brave, crazy flyer's heading where Red Claw's heading again. Ruby! Where are you going?"
The pink fast runner didn't even chance stopping as she bolted down the pathway. "I just realised! That thunder sounds familiar, 'cause I'm familiar with the one who makes it!"
Her parents exchanged glances before her father nudged her mother.
"Take care of the children, Cerise," he requested. "I'll be back."
She returned the nudge. "Stay safe, Cerulean, just as I know Ruby will be safe with you."
Parting with a smile, Ruby's father dashed after her.
It was Screech's turn to freeze.
Cera smirked. Most of her friends were stunned by the ear-pounding sound. It was like thunder. They were sure it was thunder. It took a moment for them to spot Littlefoot's tail drawing back after doing its work. Eyes popped. They had heard grownups do it on occasion. They had heard Littlefoot practising it at a distance, but never this close. Never had they thought that Littlefoot's tail could crack the thunder of a longneck twice his size. Since the beginning, training had been Littlefoot and Cera's 'thing'. Sometimes the others felt as though the two were part of an exclusive club. Training seemed to have its place in a vacuum outside their friendship, but when Littlefoot shattered the air with his tail?
Things were starting to get real.
With Littlefoot and Cera guarding them on either side, the leafeaters' spirits found cause for confidence.
"Screech is alone! He is, he is!" Ducky cheered.
"And Cera and Littlefoot are bigger than he is!" added Petrie. "Teach 'im a lesson, guys!"
Meanwhile, Cera frowned. Screech and Thud always hunted as a pair.
Littlefoot scanned the bushes. Screech tugged at his attention with a snarl, but Littlefoot tried not to focus on him alone. Clever boy, trying to keep all eyes on him.
Even as the others were still speaking, Littlefoot gave the ground a light stomp. When Cera stomped back in response, he discretely pattered the soil with his feet. It looked like fidgeting, but she read his Earth Whisper loud and clear.
( ( Thud is here ) )
Cera replied with an Earth Whisper of her own.
( ( I figured ) )
"Eyes peeled, everyone," Littlefoot warned.
Screech tilted his head at the longneck, clicking the gravel with his sickle-shaped claw. He knew these youngsters. They'd slipped through his claws on many occasions. Now that they were bigger and presumably less 'slippery', he was looking forward to using his wits to take down such sizeable prey ... but something wasn't right. Looking into the longneck's intense, intelligent eyes, he saw that they now had something in common.
A mind with sharp teeth.
Littlefoot opened his mouth to speak sharptooth when Screech released a deafening cry.
Skip shuddered. "He's calling Red Claw!"
The fast biter flicked his gaze at the bushes to his right. Littlefoot followed his gaze. Thud was hiding there? Bad move, giving away his partner's position.
"Watch the bushes on your right," Littlefoot cautioned Cera.
Screech chittered a command before charging. It was a trick!
"Your left! Your left!" Littlefoot corrected.
At the side of her eye, Cera saw the blur. She whipped around, startling Thud with her speed. He scarcely managed to dodge the horns before darting past her. She wasn't the target? Then who-?
"LITTLEFOOT!" Cera called.
The longneck spotted the shadow of the fast biter pouncing from behind him. It made perfect sense. His long neck was more fragile than Cera's. Big as he was, he seemed the easiest, most rewarding target of the two.
They couldn't be more wrong.
Littlefoot swiftly swayed into a dodge. Thud's claws glanced off his back. This longneck was fast!
Screech scrambled out of the way as his partner came crashing down.
Thud was quick to his feet, only to find the longneck's powerful tail wrapped around him. He bit and scratched as best he could. Though flexible, a longneck's tail was built for battle, the tip being one of the hardest parts of their bodies. Though that was always the case, something wasn't right. Never had a longneck's tail so thoroughly withstood his teeth and claws.
Not since The Lone Dinosaur.
Littlefoot could practically see the deadly thoughts racing through Screech's mind as the predator tried to hatch a plan. The fast biters' met eyes in a moment of non-verbal agreement. Without warning, Screech released a heartfelt croon of concern for his friend, just loud enough to be heard.
Thud crooned back, assuring Screech that he was fine.
Cera raised an eyebrow. She'd seen those two in danger before. It brought out fear or anger. It never made them release borderline cute sounds designed to tug at the heartstrings. She huffed. Her heartstrings would remain rigid, thank you very much. However, she caught Littlefoot soften a nuance. Oh please! Was he actually falling for this? ... Maybe that was the point.
Littlefoot cleared his throat. Okay, time for the secret weapon. He rumbled and cooed in the sharptooth tongue, assuring Screech that the fast biter didn't need to save his friend. They could all be friends.
Cera almost laughed. She would bet tree sweets that Screech never, in his wildest sleep stories, had expected a leafeater to speak his language. The look on his face was priceless! If he'd let his jaw hang much longer, something would crawl in there an have babies! She didn't like the way his expression morphed into intent, contemplative silence, though. She couldn't tell if he was considering Littlefoot's offer, or simply rethinking his battle plan.
Screech gave an incensed glare as he growled in accusation: If they wanted to be 'friends', why were they trespassing on Red Claw's territory?
The longneck swallowed. This was his first conversation with a sharptooth, notwithstanding Chomper. Exciting as it was, he had to tread carefully.
Littlefoot undulated his response. Red Claw's territory encircled the entire valley, except for the part that touched The Big Water. How were they supposed to come and go without trespassing?
Screech thought for a moment before throbbing that the longneck had a point. Some negotiation was in order.
Littlefoot couldn't believe it! They were making progress!
Screech glanced among the group, briefly scowling at the fuzzy creature who had eluded their jaws even more so than The Gang of Seven. It almost looked like a quick head count. He remarked that the young sharptooth was missing. Were they looking for their friend?
The longneck hesitated. He knew sharpteeth were smart, but seeing Screech make such a rapid deduction was rather unsettling.
Littlefoot grunted an affirmative.
Thud informed him that they had seen a young sharptooth not long ago: a distance off, but in retrospect he was quite sure it was their sharptooth. He'd spoken with that youngster in the past. He was a good kid. Thud knew where he was heading, and agreed to help them find him, as long as the longneck released him.
Littlefoot carefully considered that. He replied that they already had a guide. The fast biters could point them in the right direction, but he would only release Thud when they called off Red Claw.
Screech's gaze hardened. Nonetheless, he lifted his head and released a long-distance roar before demanding they release Thud.
Littlefoot remarked that he understood Screech's first roar. The biter had addressed Red Claw by name, telling him exactly where they were. Littlefoot did not recognise the second call. Had Screech actually called off Red Claw, or just pretended to do so?
The fast biter gave an indignant snarl before explaining that some of their calls were personal, and would not be understood by other sharpteeth. Besides, why would he endanger his best friend with a fake call?
Thud released a sudden cry, claiming that Littlefoot was crushing him. The longneck insisted that he was not. Thud only squealed all the louder, making it harder for Littlefoot to hear his own thoughts, much less voice them. Suddenly, Thud's squealing ceased.
Littlefoot looked back to see Cera with her horn inches from the sharptooth's neck.
She smiled brightly. "Excuse me. Hi, Thud. I'm Cera. Now shut. Up."
No translation necessary.
Screech fumed an accusation: They were LIARS! They cared NOTHING about friendship! If they did, they would stop hurting his best friend and let him GO!
Littlefoot's gaze snapped to his feet. If not for his Earth Whisper training, he might not have noticed the tremors rippling through the ground. They were subtle, but they were unmistakably getting bigger.
Clearly Skip picked up the same thing. "R-Red Claw's coming! He's coming FAST!"
Littlefoot growled at the fast biters: This conversation was was over! Screech hadn't called off Red Claw! He was just buying time!
Screech growled back, arguing that this was Red Claw they were talking about! There was no 'calling him off', but their alpha would have mercy if the leafeaters would just calm down and-!
The longneck cut him off with a snarl. No! They would be leaving now! They would release Thud later, and Screech had better not follow, otherwise Thud was history!
Screech's eyes fluttered. Had that leafeater just snarled at him? Like an actual sharptooth? Growls were one thing, but this was bizarre, unnerving and altogether unacceptable! He began to protest, but Littlefoot chased him off with a swing of his giant tail regardless of its flailing captive, Thud. He had no intention of ending Thud, but he was betting that Screech didn't know that.
"Skip! Lead the way!" Littlefoot commanded. "We're not leaving Chomper out here! How fast can you track?"
"As fast as I need to!" Skip assured, putting his speed to good use as he darted ahead of them.
"Cera! Clear a path behind Skip!" Littlefoot went on.
The threehorn was already charging behind the fuzzy. "Way ahead of you!"
There was nothing quite like watching a full-grown threehorn tearing through the jungle. Cera wasn't fully grown, but she was close enough and already stronger and faster than most of the adults. Ducky, Petrie and Spike were briefly stunned by the sight as Cera expertly uprooted trees, splintered trunks, flattened bushes, knocked aside boulders and smashed those that refused to cooperate.
"Have you ... done this before?" asked Ducky.
"We've practiced," Littlefoot replied. "Petrie, we need eyes in the sky! If you see Chomper or Red Claw, tell us! Everyone, MOVE!"
Jarred by the urgency in his voice, Petrie flapped above the trees. Ducky and Spike rushed after Cera and Littlefoot followed, guarding the rear.
"I think I know where Chomper's headin'!" Skip called back as he hurried to stay ahead of a rampaging Cera. "There's a shortcut we could use to shake Red Claw, but ... uh oh ..."
"I see Red Claw!" Petrie interrupted from above.
"That shortcut: take us there!" Littlefoot urged.
"Ya know the advantage you had when you were little?" asked Skip. "You were little! You could hide and fit places the sharpteeth couldn't! Now, even your scents are bigger! We can't shake 'em!"
Cera smashed through a boulder and they began to rush through a narrow gap between two cliffs.
"Careful! It's unstable!" Skip warned.
Littlefoot looked back and managed to spot Screech among the bushes. Either the fast biter didn't care enough about Thud, simply didn't believe Littlefoot's threat, or both.
The longneck rose to his hind legs as high as he could to survey their surroundings before spotting a small lake. He knew he'd smelled water, and he'd heard fast biters could swim.
"How deep is that water hole?" asked Littlefoot.
Skip briefly looked back, taking account of the direction in which Littlefoot was staring. "Very deep! Why?"
The answer came when Littlefoot tossed a shrieking Thud across the trees, right into the water, not that anyone could hear the splash from there.
Skip laughed, having seen what happened with another backwards glance.
The longneck pointedly locked eyes with Screech. The fast biter's teeth were gnashed, steam practically pouring from his nostrils. Still, he refused to go and check on his 'best friend'.
Littlefoot spoke to Screech in a snarl. He knew their ruse! If they didn't care enough about each other, they definitely didn't care to be friends with leafeaters!
With that, Littlefoot charged between the cliffs. He saw Screech hurrying after him. Not for long. Slamming his shoulder into an incline, he sent a landslide of boulders crashing between the leafeaters and fast biter.
Screech skidded to a stop, roaring after the infuriatingly elusive prey before heeding the call of a much larger sharptooth.
...
Once they'd reached a more spacious region of the canyon, Littlefoot pounded ahead of Ducky and Spike. They'd think the longneck and threehorn had surprised them enough for one adventure, but Littlefoot and Cera found ways to keep their friends in a constant state of 'whoa!' Seeing Littlefoot train for speed was one thing. Having him easily overtake both Spike and Ducky, sprinting at their fastest, was another story.
With several tons of rocks behind them, Littlefoot figured he was more useful at the front than the back, using his height to spot any unwelcome surprises they may run into. Of course, that was Petrie's job, but an extra pair of eyes and a good, strong tail whack would always come in handy.
"Petrie! Where's Red Claw?" asked Littlefoot.
"I don't see him!" the flyer announced. "Not sure where he went!"
That should have been good news, but Littlefoot didn't like it. He would have been more comfortable knowing their enemy's movements.
His eyes popped. He'd spotted a shadow cast from beyond the next turn. It was faint, due to the thin layer of cloud obscuring The Bright Circle at that time. However, he recognised the form, even the jaws spreading in anticipation. If not for his high vantage point, he wouldn't have seen it.
"Everyone, to your right! NOW!" the longneck commanded.
The others scrambled away from the corner.
Sensing that his prey was onto him, the sharptooth charged from his hiding place and lunged towards Ducky. A powerful tail wrapped around his jaws, clamping them shut before shoving him away from the swimmer.
The sharptooth growled, though somewhat surprised to find his opponent a teenage longneck who still had a fair amount of growing to do. This sharptooth had felled longnecks that size. They were bigger than he was, but all it took was a little cunning and a deadly bite. None had ever caught him mid-pounce, though. He was sure it had been an adult, considering the powerful grip.
Littlefoot figured this sharptooth had slipped past Petrie on account of his stone-coloured scales blending into the canyon.
"You're not Red Claw," he thought aloud, before growling a warning not to follow them, or else.
The sharptooth's face contorted from surprise to disgust and fury. Someone had taught this leafeater to speak?! Abominable!
He threw himself at the longneck.
Littlefoot turned as though to run, only to hammer the sharptooth with a blow of his tail. Practically flying back, the predator smashed into the canyon wall and down came another avalanche. The longneck took off, scarcely escaping the the rocks before they buried the sharptooth.
Exiting the canyon, the dinosaurs found themselves in a much more spacious stretch laden with palm trees. No longer needing to clear a path, Cera surged to full speed, nearly trampling Skip and leaving the others in the dust.
"Cera! You're going too fast!" Littlefoot warned, accelerating to catch up with her.
"Sorry!" she apologised, slowing.
The Earth was shaking.
Sure, four running dinosaurs had a tendency to make it do that, but this was different. Something big was behind them. Even before hearing the ear-splitting roar, they all knew.
That was Red Claw.
"I see him! I SEE HIM!" Petrie shrieked.
Littlefoot looked back to witness the giant sharptooth storming towards them, with Screech and a very wet Thud laced with pond scum racing alongside him. Maybe he and Cera could outrun them, but the others? They were tired. Their speed was already dropping.
"Guess it's on me!" Cera declared with a cocky grin. "Skip, get the others out of here! Littlefoot, keep Screech and Thud from following them! I'll take Red Claw!"
Littlefoot almost choked on his shock. "WHAT?!"
"Your tail's long and fast: better for handling fast biters!" Cera quickly explained, lifting her horns with what they interpreted as pride. "I can counter Red Claw's teeth with the girls! Chomper taught me everything I need to know! Besides, you've still got more growing to do than I do!"
"But ... we wanna ... help!" Ducky panted.
"You're exhausted and you can't fight," Cera snapped. "Do not make me tell you again!"
The swimmer winced.
"But he's Red Claw!" Littlefoot argued. "You can't-!"
Cera rolled her eyes. Did she have to spell it out for him?
Littlefoot's argument was cut short when Cera gave him a glimpse of her inner self. Her legs briefly quavered. Her grin flickered. Fear flashed fleetingly in her eyes. She knew her chances. She would fight with everything she had, but she didn't need to 'take down' Red Claw. She only needed to take him on until her friends got to safety.
Cera's confident grin returned with a vengeance. "Tell Daddy I went out like burning mountain!"
The threehorn skidded into a turn, allowing the others to pass before raging towards Red Claw. Littlefoot followed, his attention on the fast biters.
"Come at me, PINK EYE!" Cera taunted.
Of course, her trash talk meant nothing to sharpteeth, but Cera had one trick up her sleeve. She remembered that forbidden combination of sounds Chomper had told Littlefoot never to say to a sharptooth. She didn't know what it meant, but she'd privately practiced it for years, waiting for the perfect moment.
The moment had come.
Littlefoot's jaw went loose as Cera growled the granddaddy of all 'no no'es in the sharptooth language. Having learnt much more more about the sharptooth tongue since he had first heard it, he'd figured out what that particular noise meant ... in every ... revolting ... detail ...
Cera grinned all the more. Doc had once explained why sharpteeth roared. It was a psychological attack. They did it to stun their prey with sheer terror. Red Claw, Screech and Thud didn't look 'scared', but they immediately slowed to a stop as they stared at the threehorn in abject shock - definitely stunned.
She laughed. This was
better than a roar!
You may notice that Petrie's grammar has improved. That's simply a matter of age, and it seemed logical to me given that none of the older flyers appear to speak the way he did as a kid.
There's a 'Dinotopia: Quest for The Ruby Sunstone' reference in this chapter, as well as a 'Jurassic Park' one. Think you can identify it?
Thanks again for reading!
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). You can expect the second one later today. Without further ado, I give you ...
I think he's trying to explain the phenomena of plot armour and crowd singing, without really realising that they're phenomena in the first place.
. Besides, the first page doesn't exactly fit the bill, but the following ones will! ... Provided I keep this comic going.
! Some of her secondary colour distribution was initially more like Littlefoot's, but I decided to spice it up a bit. I'd love to see people use the amargasaurus species more in fiction. Her dynamic with Littlefoot will hopefully be interesting.