This installment was rather interesting to read as it contained several important if subtle plot developments. At the same time, we see new developments in the grand picture while also witnessing the birth of new friendships. It’s always good to see them being balanced in stories like this even if I felt like certain scenes seemed to drag on a bit.

The rainbowfaces’ situation is rather threatening and they understand the situation perfectly as well. Their knowledge could provide Questor with great power and help him wipe off his competitors with ease. It was only to be expected that they’d try to escape even if only Logos managed to get away. It remains to be seen what happens to her mate but Questor would be rather foolish to kill him now and ridding himself of his knowledge in the process. Questor himself is simply preparing for the inevitable conflict and gaining new allies and that scene was a good way to show that his threat is growing by the day.

About the other major focus, you did a good way of showing the children of the different kinds of getting to know each other, no matter the odds against them. It indeed shows that the ongoing war simply fails to kill their spirits and mood to the same extent as their parents’. Now, it was pleasant to read but I got the feeling those scenes were too long and made this chapter less intense than it could have been. About the development in the Valley, it will certainly offer interesting possibilities for the next chapters.

Overall, this was a good chapter even if it offered relatively few shocks. If I were to offer one piece of criticism, it’s the recent lack of major shocks that would result in a major and dramatic plot twist. Of course, the way you build the plotlines is more impressive than shock value but I’d still say the latter is needed a bit more often. But that’s just my opinion and I’m sure you have something great in mind yourself. Nice job as always!

I’d like to welcome you to LBT fics as well. It’s not often we get more writers on GoF so it’s amazing to see you post a story as well. Anyway, these first chapters were rather intriguing with a solid premise that certainly hasn’t been portrayed in any earlier story. You already created a rather good picture of the threehorn siblings’ personalities which made this story more easily accessible and raised the reader’s interest rather substantially. There were a few issues but I’ll write about those later.

The overall feeling of these installments was very LBT-like and it wasn’t that difficult to imagine the threehorn’s being a real part of the Great Valley. Ptyra’s character in particular stood out in these chapters and the conversation between her and the Gang members were rather interesting. Overall, the quality of writing and scene-building here was rather good considering that this was your first fic posted on GoF. The characters and the atmosphere were easily the best point in this story.

Now, there were also issues as I already mentioned. I agree with Anagnos that the chapters were too short as sub-1k chapters seldom generate any real immersion to what’s happening. The second one was that while the premise was rather original, the themes really weren’t. Of course the threehorn’s racism has to be handled somehow in a story like this but reading those scenes didn’t really feel that fresh.

Despite that, this fic has good potential but I would have liked to get some hints about where we’re going from here. You’ve kept your cards hidden thus far which is not necessarily a bad thing as it leaves more open questions for the reader. This fic has potential to become a really good one and it’ll be interesting to see what you have in store for this story.

This was a very good start for the new season of prompts. The premise here was a very decent one and I quite enjoyed your take on Petrie. Not only do we see him older than usual (thanks for the shoutout, btw) but he’s also put into situations that are a far cry from the normal stuff we see him in. It’s good to see he has found a mate but everything that followed was far from something any of us would want Petrie to go through.

The first scene was a rather tense one and it’s always a pleasure to see Pterano helping his nephew. The epidemic made the premise extremely interesting but we’re soon shown that the sickness isn’t the main part of this fic. The quest to find the flyers capable of helping fight disease is an understandable one but it is here that my slight issues with this story start but I’ll tell more of them later.

Petrie and Marmo’s brief relationship is very well done here and it’s clear that Petrie was ready to for the charge he was given. It’s unusual to see Petrie to be named the leader of anything but you portrayed his ascension to power believably. Marmo’s death was even emotional which is quite remarkable in a short story like this.

I mentioned it before but my issues with this story are mostly with its focus. The premise of this terrible sickness creeping into the Valley offered lots of potential for great drama and that would have been something to see. Likewise, you wanted to show a different Petrie here but in my view, it could have worked even better if you had focused more on something that proved that Petrie truly had become a great leader as opposed to just Marmo’s words. Those are just my preferences but at least to me, they would have made this fic more impactful.

That being said, you did well here. I hope I wasn’t too harsh as your style of writing truly worked here but my point is, you could have focused your scenes a bit better. But overall, this was one of your strongest fics and a promising start to the new year of prompts. Good job, Anagnos!

And here are the last two reviews for Ducky's stories.

Name of Fanfiction: Shorty’s Dark Past
Rating: 8/10
Review: It has mostly been a good experience to experience this story from the start and you’ve certainly improved it in nearly all areas from your original story. Especially Shorty and Littlefoot’s parts are now much more interesting than before and you’ve laid out a solid foundation for what is to come. Many things in this tale show that you have certainly improved as a writer lately but there are certain things I dislike here, namely the characterizations.

Indeed, Shorty and Bron’s relationship is shown pretty well here and their journey holds more emotional charge to it than before. The dialogue is much improved as well so that’s one major argument for this remake’s existence. As for Littlefoot, you’ve replicated the movie scenes well and you’ve incorporated them very well into the new parts, expanding the film’s plot a lot. In that area, you’ve done well.

As for my problems with tis story, I’m sure you already guess them. I absolutely hate Ali in this story and I don’t think that was your aim here. Not only does she darken my day but again, I’m not too satisfied with your characterization of her entire herd but we’ve gone through this before. Yet, my opinion hasn’t changed and because of those things, my rating to this story suffers a bit. Also, the way you’ve postponed continuing Littlefoot’s story due to a writer’s block in that area is not really professional and hurts the story’s pacing.

Overall, I still like this story, though. The coming events are certainly intriguing and it’ll be nice to see the upcoming parts of the fic from a new, improved perspective. I just hope that especially Ali will get more bearable as I don’t remember this kind of distaste towards her reading your old version. In any case, well done thus far.

Name of Fanfiction: Return to the Land of Mists
Rating: 7/10
Review: This story is a bit weird in my view for a few reasons. While the fic offers intense moments and good potential, I do have a few issues with it that I’ve voiced in the past. I’ll mention those later but first, this fic seems to be heading in the right decision. The last few chapters have been an improvement over the older ones but many challenges remain to be overcome for this story to escape its few awkward premises.

The entire storyline around Rhett’s assault as been interesting as it has not only given us a look into the struggle between Littlefoot and Rhett but it has also drawn the attention of the rest of the Valley. The accusations against him are based on a lie which offers many good opportunities for drama in the future. This has given the fic bit of a boost lately and it gives me hope that many of the problems present in this fic may yet be solved.

That being said, in some places this story feels like it is turning many characters upside down just to make them fit into the plot. I know it is a part of your headcanon but again, Rhett, Old One and her herd do not act the way I’d see them acting and Littlefoot’s sudden willingness to fight Rhett in the duel made little sense to me. Sadly, these are some issues I can’t help but feel will be impossible to solve even in the future which isn’t optimal, so to say.

That being said, I’m still interested in what’s to come but in my view, this story hasn’t developed naturally at all and some things seem to happen for the sake of the plot. I do hope
these issues will get smaller as this story progresses and you’ve certainly done good things here as well. Hopefully my comments don’t sound too discouraging and they certainly won’t be a surprise to you. But overall, you’ve done decent job with some issues that should be resolved for this tale to truly make a great impression.

Prelude to a Tense Reunion

”Into the ground, both of you!” Ortin yelped as he heard the ear-shattering cry ringing through the forest. Neither of his companions hesitated to do as they were told and the three looked into the darkness while the seconds flew slowly by. The coldness crept into their hearts as the Cold Time’s night grew ever older but the horrible cry had taken hold of their minds. They had very seldom heard a yell like that from any sharptooth and Glide was the first to voice the trio’s thoughts.

“What the hell was that? It was clearly a sharptooth but… that didn’t sound like some threat to its prey.” She said while gulping, knowing full well what meeting a large carnivore would likely mean. Ortin looked at his friend with a slight frown, knowing that he simply couldn’t do anything brash in a situation like this. They had to move forward carefully or else all their lives could be extinguished within a few horrifying seconds. The boy’s hands shook as he looked at Glide but his voice stayed somewhat calm.

“It didn’t. I… I think it almost sounded like a cry of pain.” He said, seeing as Glide nodded at him carefully. The forest around them had grown almost completely silent and it was slowly becoming clear that the trio weren’t in an immediate danger. Their breaths grew slowly easier and Petrie slowly rose back to his feet and looked around himself in concern. The male’s voice was a weak one as he spoke to his friends, his mind deep in thought.

“It… it come right from where we going! Petrie wonder… did Lenel meet the sharptooth? And if he do… how is he?” Petrie pondered out loud, hardly even seeing his two companions. The boy’s mind still lingered in the meeting with his beloved friend and whether there was anything he could do to Littlefoot. The flyer knew he’d do anything in his power to make Littlefoot truly return to him but… that meant very little. The longneck was a total mental wreck and even Petrie knew changing that would be difficult.

That meeting had been a sickening one for Petrie and he could only wonder just how his old friend really felt. He had lost all of his family and wandering here alone only to face another failure… Petrie could hardly handle the depth of the pain the longneck had to have gone through. Even his own journey hadn’t been nearly as terrible as Littlefoot’s. But even then, he wouldn’t leave the longneck here. He’d save him somehow and show that there was still some place for him to return t…

“If Lenel met that sharptooth, our job is already completed! There’s no way he could have prevailed against a beast like that!” Glide said, soon seeing the shock and pain on Petrie’s face. She couldn’t help but pity the other flyer as she had of course seen everything that he had. The girl had never seen a dinosaur as beaten as the larger male but the longneck wasn’t her primary concern and she would have preferred if Petrie understood the same thing. The latter turned to look at Glide and his expression was a somewhat torn one as he gave his answer.

“You may be right but… what caused that cry if Lenel dead? Come on, let’s take a look..” He said as he slowly started to move towards the yell’s direction. Ortin was about to tell him to stop at first but he decided against it as he listened to the tranquility of his surroundings. Whatever had happened in the forest before them was now over and there was no reason for them to waste any more time here. He spoke to Petrie carefully, hoping not to reveal his own fear.

“Very well, Petrie. But if something odd happens, let’s immediately take off. We cannot take any risks now.” He said, causing the other boy to look at him rather oddly but of course Petrie understood his point. The brown-colored flyer then headed further into the darkness, wondering just what he’d soon see. Had it simply been some kind of accident or would he find Lenel to be dead just like that?

Petrie narrowed his eyes as he saw the trees growing less frequent around him. He was entering some kind of a clearing and he of course realized that that fact alone made his situation even more precarious. After a short while, the boy thought he saw some movement in the dark sky which prompted him to stop in his tracks for a moment but before he could really determine whether he had seen anything, he heard an urgent order from Glide.

“Let’s get on that tree, now!” She said and Petrie trusted her enough to ask further questions. Before he could even land, his breaths quickened as he saw a rather large group of sharpteeth escape through the same spot where the trio had just been standing on. Glide looked at that scene with some fear but she was glad she had been observant enough to sense the danger. Her voice was a silent one as she spoke.

“I could hear their approach as I had tried to listen to approaching danger in case anything like this happened. However, you were right, Petrie. Lenel’s herd is here.” She said as she glanced at the flyers circling over herself. She frowned as she saw just how few they were as there couldn’t be more than ten flyers still alive. Even now, the girl couldn’t help but find that fact a sad one but as she turned to look at Petrie, her expression turned only darker. It was as if the boy had herd nothing about what she had said and she asked him in a stern voice.

“What is it, Petrie? Why don’t you answer me?” She said but instead of giving a real answer to the female, he merely pointed into the distance and whispered in a trembling voice.

“Look there. Lenel and the others really did.” He said, finally making Glide to look at the direction he was pointing at. It didn’t take long for the female to see what Petrie wanted her to see and she couldn’t help but feel her jaw dropping as she saw the brutal and haunting sight in the distance. The mighty sailback the trio had seen before lied dead before them, still held up by some kind of branch. However, Petrie couldn’t even dare to dream that there might be more surprises in store for him.


The scene was beyond unreal to Ruby. Here he was, staring into Stealth’s dead eyes while his blood flowed upon her as a violent stream. She was painted completely red but that didn’t seem to register in her mind in any way. Slowly, her face turned into a smile as she looked at the sharptooth’s face, that smile soon turning into a chuckle and then to full-blown laughter.

She had really done it! The killer of Chomper and her own parents, the sharptooth who had done more than anyone else to ruin her life was finally gone, sent to the next world by her own hands! That laughter turned into a hysteric one as all the hurt, hate and pain departed from her mind, the feeling of utter catharsis filling each part of the fastrunner’s mind and body. She could only imagine the kind of hell that monster was now heading but she hoped that he’d suffer the same pain he had caused her for all eternity!

Carefully, she pushed the branch away from her, causing Stealth’s remains to finally fall into the ground and allowing her to finally breathe more easily. Triumphantly, she walked next to Stealth’s lifeless head, the fastrunner’s claws itching to get her their revenge on the one who the omnivore hated more than anyone else. Ruby knew how unlike her this kind of joy at another dinosaur’s passing really was but on the other hand, even Red Claw had been the nicest of dinosaurs when compared to this bastard. She took one more breath before she finally at Stealth’s remaining eye, tearing its contents away from the socket while crying in a frenzied voice.

“This one’s for Chomper you cursed bastard! And this one is for daddy and this one for mommy! May the ancestors curse you wherever you go as I really hope you go somewhere where you can face the consequences of everything that you’ve done!”


At first, Petrie was sure he had been mistaken. Certainly this fastrunner couldn’t be who he thought she was but once he heard her speak Chomper’s name, his chest started to ache and his breaths grew quicker. It… it simply couldn’t be! Ruby had died ages ago and she couldn’t possibly be here! He had already met one of his old friends and here was another one… It was at this point that some words spoken by Littlefoot returned to his mind.

Was this place somehow messing with his mind? Surely Ruby had died during that chase in the Sand Cloud so the only logical explanation here was that she was a product of his imagination but even then… he couldn’t be sure. Ortin noticed Petrie’s sudden distress and he asked the other boy tensely.

“What is it now, Petrie? What astonishes you about some unknown baby killer?” He asked, seeing how the brown-colored male’s breaths grew ever quicker. Petrie glanced at Ortin and his words were beyond forced.

“She… she Ruby, another one of me friends! But… but Petrie thought she died many cycles of the Night Circle ago.” He said, bringing his right hand to his cheek while he shook his head. Ortin looked at him extremely oddly, the unlikeliness of these two reunions absolutely not lost on him. What in earth was going on? The flyer felt a chill in his back as he tried to make sense of it all. It felt almost as if… as if he and his friends were guided here by some known force… The boy’s thoughts were only interrupted as Ortin spoke to him in a bothered voice.

“But you said they were all dead and now we have already found two of them! What is going on?” He asked, not exactly happy about this development. Longnecks were most often harmless but fastrunners were one kind no other dinosaur really liked. Petrie looked at him oddly before his beak finally started to move into some kind of a smile.
“Petrie not know but… but if Ruby’s here, me have to go see her! Me haven’t seen her in ages!” He yelped but just as he was about to fly towards his old friend, Glide put her hand on his shoulder and spoke sternly.

“Don’t, Petrie. Look. Lenel is coming.” She said, causing Petrie’s nascent excitement to die down completely. Even now, he knew that revealing his and his friends’ presence to Lenel would potentially ruin everything but he had to go see her! Besides, there was another thing that was flowing into his mind.

“But we have to help her! Lenel most likely will only hurt her and Petrie just cannot sit here and watch!” He said, thinking about what had happened to Peak’s children. He wouldn’t allow the brutish flyer to hurt Ruby in any way, that much he could promise! He was again about to head towards Ruby when Glide crossed her arms and deadpanned at the male in a low voice.

“It sure doesn’t look like Lenel’s gonna hurt her. Just see for yourself.” She said, causing Petrie to frown deeply. He looked at Ruby’s posture and indeed, he could see no trace of fear or anxiety within her. That fact made the flyer all the more worried. If Ruby and Lenel were somehow befriended with each other, what would that mean to their friendship… and to his and his new friends’ quest?

Even if the pale flyer had seen it all, he still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. In the face of an utter disaster, a miracle had happened and here he was, still alive along with his mate. Sure, he had lost the vast majority of his followers but even then… he had survived! He could still spend many long seasons with his beloved mate and… and maybe he had proven something to the guardians of this place. Lenel looked longingly at the shining other shore of the water path, hoping he could simply head there and face his fate, no matter what it would be. However, he had one meeting to see through before that: with the fastrunner who had made this all possible.

Yes, he and his flyers had done the fighting but without the omnivore’s idea, they could never have finished the sailback off. They could have hit him again and again but by now, Lenel knew that he and his surviving herd members would lie dead in the ground, their bodies slowly starting to grow ever colder. It was an odd feeling for Lenel: to be indebted to such a lowly creature who almost certainly had only her own interests in mind. In any case, his victory was to a large degree this fastrunner’s doing and as such, he’d have to hear whatever she had to say. The pale flyer slowly turned to look at his remaining followers and spoke to them in a silent and appreciating voice.

“You’ve all done well today. I promise that your reward will be worth all the pain we’ve gone through a thousand times over. Wait here for a moment longer, I’ll be back shortly.” He said, seeing that all of his surviving followers were beyond relieved by a brief moment of rest and Lenel wasted no time heading towards the halftooth who had saved both his life and his heartfelt dream.


Ruby panted deeply as she looked at the terribly mutilated sharptooth head in front of herself. She was beyond happy to be finally to have some form of revenge against the beast whom she had hated more than any other dinosaur in her entire life even if Stealth was no longer here to feel the pain. After a few minutes, Ruby brought her hands to her knees and tried to catch her breath as the fluids and torn pieces from Stealth’s body spread ever further under her. This was a true moment of triumph and one that made Ruby feel more alive than in a long, long time. Slowly, the fastrunner turned to look upwards and whispered into the winds.

“I hope you’re happy now, Chomper, mommy and daddy. This monster will never hurt another dinosaur again. I’ve done all I can for you. Good… goodbye, all of you.” She said with a tear in her eye, emptiness slowly starting to fill her heart. Yes, she had won but… her parents and Chomper were still gone. Yes, she had heard of the emptiness of revenge before but despite that, she couldn’t help but feel the relief and the righteousness as she looked at the dead sharptooth. But even now, she didn’t forget her true mission for a second: she still had to save Arial and killing Stealth had made that task that much easier.

However, there was one thing that slightly bothered her. For a while, it had seemed like Stealth would be able to regain his balance and save himself from his ghastly fate. It… it even seemed like some other dinosaur had pushed him to his death which was something the fastrunner hadn’t expected. Slowly, she walked towards the other end of the tree trunk… and her eyes widened slightly as she saw the sight before her.

Before her lied a terribly mutilated carcass of another fastrunner. Yes, he seemed familiar but she couldn’t quite… oh, that’s right! There wasn’t much left of the poor dinosaur’s  face but his pale blue color reminded Ruby of a dinosaur she saw in one of the darkest days of her life. This was the same fastrunner who had kept Orchid still during the brutal killing of their mother which wasn’t a feat that the girl greatly appreciated. And now that she thought about it, she might have seen him in the battle prior to that monstrous meeting.

However, none of that explained the sight in front of her. The deceased omnivore seemed like he had been pushing the trunk upwards which had then sent Stealth falling to his death as well as why he had been slaughtered like this. But why had he done it? She had known nothing about the halftooth but if it had been because of him that Stealth had met his end, she’d be willing to give him her entire respect. Maybe something had happened between him and his parents while they were all serving Stealth. Ruby brought her mouth close to the dead dinosaur’s ear and whispered softly.

“I’m sorry I never even heard your name but thank you a lot for your help. Your deed will not be forgotten as Stealth’s death was a great victory to all of us and as long as we remember it, we will remember you as well. I thank you from the bottom of my hearts… and Orchid and Arial’s too.” She said as she slowly rose back to her full height, feeling glum for not being able to bid the other fastrunner a better goodbye. After all, he had given his all to bring Stealth down but close to one would ever even learn his name. That fact alone saddened Ruby greatly, causing her to gaze at the lesser lights in deep thought.

As the girl gazed at the dark sky, she noticed the sight of a lone flyer heading towards her. There was no doubt within her mind that this was Lenel and inside, she knew that the coming conversation would hardly be a failure. After all, his mate had apparently spoke favorably of her and if Lenel was planning to dishonor that pact, he would be very unlikely to even bother to come meet her. Ruby took her most ordinary pose these days as she prepared for the flyer’s arrival: a tense, even a hostile one. Even after this victory, bitterness and fear dominated her mind and she wasn’t about to pretend otherwise.


The sight before him hardly made Lenel any more impressed. The fastrunner was even younger than he had expected and he could see no real courage or wit about her. Had he met her under any other circumstance, he would have told her to leave immediately but right now, he had to treat her with some respect. The flyer bowed slightly and asked the obvious question to break the rather awkward barrier between the two.

“Are you the fastrunner responsible for the rather ingenious plot of impaling the sailback on that branch?” He asked, not really expecting a negative answer. Ruby blinked once, slightly taken aback by Lenel’s battle-hardened and scarred form but on the other hand, that shouldn’t have to her as a shock. The omnivore then crossed her arms and looked at the flyer with slight suspicion, not willing to appear as too cordial just yet.

“Yes, that was me. And you are Lenel, the leader of this herd unless I’m terribly mistaken.” She said, locking eyes with the male for a second. The flyer was far from happy about the omnivore speaking to him as his equal but his thoughts were soon moved away from the insolent brat as he noticed another dinosaur approaching, one whose sight filled Lenel with far more joy. Sireia landed on his right side, clearly cringing in pain but the happiness on her face was unmistakable. The female immediately embraced her mate and spoke to her with a sobbing voice.

“You really did it, Lenel! I had already prepared for the worst when I saw how the battle was going!” She said, her sudden outburst of emotion surprising even her mate. He knew very well that Sireia showed her feelings very rarely this clearly but on the other hand, he understood it to some degree. Yes, he was the herd’s leader of course but even without that position, he could only shudder at the thought of being forced to watch as his beloved mate was getting torn apart by some sharptooth. Lenel took a deep sigh as he whispered into the female’s ear.

“But that didn’t happen, my love. I did give you my word about surviving, now didn’t I?” He said reassuringly, smiling as he looked at the lesser lights, for a moment feeling as if they were smiling upon him. Sireia looked at the other flyer in endless happiness before she gave his response.

“You did but it wouldn’t have been possible hadn’t it been for our friend. Thanks a lot, Ruby.” She said as she turned at the fastrunner whose earlier confrontational pose had eased somewhat. She was glad to see Sireia defending her to her mate instead of her being forced to present her own case to Lenel. The girl even gave Sireia a brief smile as she gave her answer.

“It was my pleasure. I had wanted to kill that monster for a long time and once you gave me the opportunity to do that, I was more than happy to be of help. I even gave that bastard bit of extra payback… as you can see.” The fastrunner said, only now realizing how disgusting a sight she had to be right now. She was even shocked herself as she looked at her crimson feathers, never having been this covered in another dinosaur’s blood before. Inside, she realized just what the two flyers’ disinterest in that fact told of the duo but
judging by Lenel’s scars, they hadn’t led the easiest of lives. Sireia didn’t even raise a brow at that comment as she answered.

“I’m glad our interests aligned this time. But why don’t you present your request to my mate? I’m sure he’s ready to return one favor to you.” She said, glancing briefly at Lenel. The male hadn’t heard Ruby’s request just yet but if his mate had been ready to accept it, then it was likely he’d be ready to do the same. The male took a step forward and tried to look as friendly as possible.

“Indeed I am, if it is in my power. I am a flyer worthy of my word so please, name your price for your service.”


Petrie could hardly look at the scene far before him. He simply didn’t want to believe that Ruby was working with his and his friends’ nemesis. As the flyer thought about everything Lenel had done… he almost wanted to vomit as he thought about the fastrunner aiding such a bastard. He hardly even heard his own voice as he whimpered miserably into the air.

“Me no get it… why would Ruby help Lenel? This bad, this really bad.” He said, soon earning an annoyed look from Ortin. The bluish boy was clearly unhappy with the situation and his next words did little to improve Petrie’s mood.

“Because she’s a fastrunner, that’s damn why! They are loyal to no one and they’re ready to band together with any dinosaur as long as they promise them something in return! I hope this teaches you to choose your friends better.” He said frigidly, waving his head while speaking. He liked Petrie a lot but there were still moments where he couldn’t help but wonder just how stupid the other boy had to be. Petrie, however, turned at Ortin and his voice was even colder than the latter’s had been and his eyes flamed with determination.

“Petrie will make you take back those words before the morning, Ortin. Ruby is a great friend and me cannot wait to meet her again but… we don’t know what has happened since me last see her. Petrie will make her see just how bad Lenel really be!” He said, causing Ortin to roll his eyes in annoyance. He then returned to look at the three dinosaurs’ meeting and mumbled tensely at his friend.

“Whatever, Petrie, whatever. Do however you wish as long as it doesn’t make our quest even more difficult.” He said, causing Petrie to again fall into his own thoughts. Yes, he’d do his all to make Ruby see the truth but he still wondered what twists of fate had brought her and Lenel together?


The meeting was starting to feel more relaxed by the moment and Ruby couldn’t have been happier with her two new allies. Yes, they didn’t really care about her concerns in any way but they were still  far cry from unreasonable brutes like Stealth. She could see that despite whatever beliefs they might hold, they were still reasonable and even honorable flyers who wouldn’t seek to slay or enslave her at every possible turn and that fact alone made her chest swell with relief. The girl exhaled slowly before she spoke to Lenel in a soft but decisive voice.

“You have my thanks, Lenel. My request might sound somewhat weird but I trust you’re familiar with the oddities of this place because you must have seen some of them by now.” She said, causing the pale flyer to frown slightly. He then crossed his arms, not at all certain where the fastrunner was aiming at. His voice was a toneless one as he gave his answer.

“Yes, I’m familiar with the forces ruling this place but what is it up to you? If you hold any hopes of claiming them for yourself, you’re up to a disappointment.” He said, his expression growing darker as he spoke. He had no idea how Ruby would plan to challenge him but he wasn’t on the mood to even be wondering about possible new threats. Seeing the flyer’s chagrin, Ruby raised her hands and moved to calm the situation as soon as possible.

“No, you understood it all wrong, Lenel! I have absolutely no interest in claiming any of these powers to myself but you are right that my request has to do with those powers. You see… I lot my sister in this forest and I want her back.” She said, somewhat causing Lenel’s antagonism to subside but it was clear that the light-colored dinosaur was still far from content with the omnivore’s words.

“Lost your sister? I have absolutely no idea what any of that has to do with me.” He said, causing Ruby’s expression to grow more bothered. She looked at Sireia for a brief moment but it seemed like the female flyer had little to add to the conversation right now. Ruby took a brief sigh as she tried to gather her thoughts. This wasn’t a time to ruin her case in the male’s eyes and she knew it very well.

“Well, you see… I didn’t just lose her like that though I. It seemed like some force took control of her body and she run away into the darkness… and when I tried to chase her, I hit a wall of stone that stopped my chase just like that! It was terrifying… it really was… poor Arial…” She said, causing her head to start drooping towards the ground while the girl tried to block the new wave of sadness that was starting to flow through her mind. Sireia took an almost sympathetic expression as he turned to speak to his mate.

“That’s not hard to believe at all, Lenel. Not after what happened to you.” She said, causing the other flyer to bring his hand against his chin. Before this night, he would have considered the girl a liar or insane for even suggesting such a thing but now, he wasn’t even surprised by what he had heard. The flyer looked thoughtfully at the fastrunner and after a while of pondering, asked her carefully.

“Very well, Ruby. But what do you want me to do about it?” He asked, having a very clear idea about the answer he’d receive but he wanted to hear it directly from the omnivore. Ruby rolled her eyes while trying to keep her raging emotions at bay. Lenel still hadn’t agreed to her proposal and she’d have to treat him with respect if she wanted to have any chance of winning his approval.

“Honored Lenel, I want you to tell whatever force took her from me to release her immediately once you win their powers to yourself. I don’t want any further reward for my help and I’ll even aid you in any way I can for the rest of your quest. Please… just save my sister.” She said, allowing a single tear to fall into the ground. She didn’t even try to fake her emotions as she had already far too much on her heart. She looked with some hopefulness as Lenel started to speak again.

“Yes, such a reward would be very reasonable… if it is mine to give. Are you sure your sister is even still alive?” He asked, really wondering on how to answer. He didn’t want to give any promises he couldn’t keep and this conversation wasn’t an exception. Ruby looked at him sadly as she gave her answer.

“All I ask of you is to give it an honest try. That is all I can ask because of course, I cannot ask something you cannot do. If you cannot help in the end, it will be my loss.” She said grimly, not even wanting to think of the possibility that Arial was already gone. Lenel looked at his mate for a short while before he sighed slightly. It was clear that he wasn’t comfortable with the situation and that sentiment was apparent as the flyer whispered to the female.

“Do you think it to be wise to agree? I don’t like to give any promises about my upcoming abilities.” He said, thinking about all the rash decisions and promises he had made in his life. Right now he wanted to believe that his days as an utterly ruthless and emotionless leader had come to an end and he wanted this negotiation to mirror that development as
well. Sireia looked at the male with a thoughtful but surprisingly relaxed expression and her voice was far from a glum as she spoke.

“She said it herself. She understands well that there’s a chance we can’t help but… but she did help even in that case. We have nothing to lose here, my love.” She said, not able to deny that Ruby’s situation was starting to really bother her. That sensation was a new one for her as she had never expected to care about a fastrunner but here she was, genuinely hoping she could save her sister. Lenel nodded silently and again crossed his arms while he prepared to give his answer to the omnivore.

“Very well, Ruby. I give you my word that I will release your sister if I only can. That is all I can promise to you.” He said, causing a weak smile to creep on Ruby’s face. The omnivore bowed again, speaking in a revering voice to the one dinosaur who had given her some hope in a long time.

“You have my utmost thanks, Lenel. May fate be kind on your actions.” She said, not even caring about Lenel’s past deeds. Only the present mattered to her now and right now, the flyer was more than useful to her own ambitions. Lenel nodded at the halftooth slightly before turning at his remaining followers and crying to them loudly.

“It’s time to claim our final reward, everyone! Gather around me and let’s claim what we have sacrificed so much to receive!” He yelled, looking with appreciation as the exhausted and wounded dinosaurs headed towards him. Now, absolutely nothing stood between him and final victory. Either the spirits would acknowledge him with some honor or he’d force them to submit before his might. Even then, he was prepared to make sure that he’d never again fall to some stupid mistakes that would cost even more to his faithful herd. From now on, he’d truly follow in Olres’ footsteps or die trying.

Ruby, on the other hand, looked at the sight with astonishment. She had never before expected to band together with a flyer herd before and he knew just how unlikely such a scenario was. Very few outsiders would ever end up on good terms with their kind and it was especially difficult for a fastrunner. However, she hardly even cared about any of that right now as the only thing she cared about right now was Arial. With any luck, her salvation was drawing close… if she was still able to be rescued.


Petrie was leaning against the tree’s trunk with absolutely no efforts to keep his posture up. He felt as if he had just been beaten up physically and his muscles felt almost hollow as he looked at the gathering of the remaining flyers. Why had the fate thrown an abomination like this before him after everything that he had already had to go through? Not only was he annoyed by Ruby’s inability to see who Lenel truly was but also by the fact that he’d have to listen to his friends bashing the fastrunner for the rest of the night. Yes, he was beyond happy Ruby was still alive but couldn’t their reunion have happened in any better circumstances?! The boy’s head was slowly starting to ache as Ortin muttered silently.

“The group is gathering together again. They seem to be moving on… and the eggstealer seems to be going with them.” He said, not earning even the smallest gesture from Petrie. Glide glanced at the bluish boy, voicing one issue that had bothered her for a while now.

“Even worse, it seems Lenel was right after all. Look in that direction, Ortin.” She said, pointing to her right. The male frowned at her comments but he did as he was told. The male narrowed his eyes and at first he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. He was even preparing to ask what Glide had meant until he finally noticed something. The perfect darkness of the night seemed to be penetrated by a weak barrage of ghastly light. At first Ortin thought it was some odd reflection from the lesser lights but he soon noticed he could hardly even see them. That sight was far away but as he looked ever closer, he noticed that there was some very slight hue of dark white emanating from the other side of the river. He stuttered clearly as he asked his friend.

“Wh… what is that even? It looks… weird.” He asked, not able to answer that question himself. Glide crossed her hands and looked at the direction with a faraway look in her eyes. Her voice was a cryptic one as she gave her answer.

“Who knows? At least it isn’t anything natural. As I said, I’m starting to believe Lenel was right to believe in Olres’ story all along.” She said, even haunted by the sight. All along, she had seen that story as a stupid folly that Lenel believed for some reason. However, this entire forest seemed to be proving her wrong in real time. Ortin was just as astonished by the sight as the girl and neither had he expected to see any supernatural phenomena here. It felt like a sleep story to him and he simply couldn’t believe that he was really seeing the things he had seen. His voice was a weak one as he shook his head.

“I… I think you’re right, Glide. Petrie… I’m sorry for doubting you. You were right in inviting us on this journey.” He said, referring to his earlier objections about casing a children’s sleeping time story. His words finally tore Petrie awake from his thoughts even if his attention was clearly divided as he tried to realize what his friends had been talking about.

“Oh, it okay… Tell again, what you talk about?” The boy said, blinking his eyes as he tried to escape from this awkward situation. Ortin rolled his eyes in slight annoyance as he spoke to the other male in a sharper voice.

“I’m talking about that hue, Petrie! All along, I’ve been wondering about whether you’re a complete idiot for taking us all the way here but right now, I’m starting to believe that we’re living in some kind of story ourselves. But who knows how it’ll end?” He ended with a sigh, causing Petrie to finally rise to his feet and approach his friends slowly. He inhaled briefly before giving his answer.

“Do not thank Petrie about that, thank the flyer who told me about what Lenel was planning! Me just did as me see best and… here we are. But we have to make our move soon or Lenel finally win Olres’ power!” He said, looking as Lenel and his group gathered at the water path’s shore, preparing to head off. Ortin was just about to answer before he was alerted by a sharp, even threatening voice below them.

“Identify yourselves, immediately! Are you friends with Lenel? Answer, now!” That voice caused Ortin’s worries to grow immediately. He knew that voice even if he couldn’t quite identify which flyer it belonged again. The boy slowly turned to look at the speaker, seeing that he was accompanied by a larger host of flyers, all members of his herd. His voice was a fearful but somewhat steady one as he answered.

“N… no, we aren’t! We all hate that monster from the bottoms of our hearts!” He said, his fears only deepening as he saw another dinosaur step forward. The sight of the female almost prompted him to escape immediately considering the circumstances they had last met but when the older dinosaur started to speak, he decided to listen for a moment longer.

“Well, if it isn’t the last heir of Warekli’s line. I did hope you had survived our little chase if only to annoy our “dear” leader.” She said, remembering the time she and Northwind had been given the task to finish Peak’s last relative and his friends down. Ortin frowned deeply at those words, hating to see someone speak that mockingly about his family’s destruction. He nearly spat into the ground as he answered but he didn’t want to poison this discussion before hearing just what the female wanted. His voice was tense but relatively restrained as he spoke.

“I indeed did, Haste. Did Lenel send you here to finish the job?” He asked, already starting to ponder just how Lenel could have learned about his presence if that was true. At the very least it would mean that the trio’s ability to change this night’s outcome would be severely crippled. However, to his relief, Haste’s expression immediately revealed that that wasn’t the case. The older flyer’s expression turned into a calmer one as he gave his answer.

“While I wouldn’t have minded to be able to end your pathetic life, I have no real motive to hurt you, Ortin. As for Lenel, I’m not answering to that fool ever again. I will take him down and I will show that I am the best flyer to lead our herd. What is your business out here?” She asked, not caring about the trio in the least but should they in some way be a threat to her ambitions, she’d have to know about it. Glide stepped forward and answered to Haste even if she was far from fond of the other female.

“How can we know that you aren’t trying to trick us to revealing our plans to you? We have no reason at all to believe you’re still not answering to Lenel.” She said, causing the darker-colored dinosaur’s expression to grow even more annoyed. She wouldn’t waste much more on these children so they’d have to stop playing games with her for their own sake.

“I slaughtered many of his followers with my own hands, Glide! Now, I do not care in the least about your business here but I advise you to stay out of my way because if I even suspect any of you are going to stand against me, I will not hesitate to cut you down like I will do to all who will side with Lenel against me! Is that clear?” She demanded, causing Glide to gulp deeply before she nodded to the higher-ranked flyer. Her voice was rather timid from this news but even then, she knew better than to prolong this conversation further.

“Yes it is, Haste. I promise that we will not cause you or your followers any harm.” She said, cringing deeply inside. Haste narrowed her eyes before mumbling silently as she started walking forward.

“Just make sure that you speak the truth. Farewell to all of you.” She said, leaving the three children to look after her in puzzlement. After a few seconds, a smile appeared on Ortin’s face. He turned to look at Glide and spoke to her in a cheerful voice, clearly excited by this development.

“This is wonderful news! It seems we will have more allies against Lenel than we had expected! And she would be a huge improvement from Lenel!” He said, already thinking about the moment when he’d see Lenel being vanquished from this world. However, he was somewhat bothered when Glide didn’t mirror his enthusiasm in any way. The girl looked back to look at Haste and shook her head slightly.

“I’m not so sure about that, Lenel. Lenel is terrible but… I have a really bad feeling about her as well.” She said, catching Petrie’s interest. The boy turned to look at her and asked her with an unsure voice.

“Umm… why is that, Glide? Do you know something about her Petrie and Ortin don’t?” He said, wondering what could potentially make the female say something like that. Glide returned a concerned flyer to the other flyer, clearly hesitating to say what she had to say but after a moment, she exhaled as a sign of resignation. Her voice was a somewhat confused one but it no longer held any hints of hesitation.

“Ortin should have heard about some of those rumors too. Anyway, it is said that Haste was only waiting to attack her sister her own life in an attempt to win her position as that herd’s leader. I cannot prove it but… the way she sided with Lenel and considering Nira’s death… I don’t trust her at all.” She said, making sure that not even the last members of the older flyer’s host heard what she was saying. Ortin, on the other hand, was growing increasingly agitated at Glide’s words, not at all happy with the direction she was going in.

“So what, Glide? Are you implying that we should cast her aside simply because of those fears? Even if that meant Lenel becomes invincible?” He asked sharply, causing Glide to gulp slightly. It was clear she was beyond uncomfortable with this discussion but she wasn’t about to simply resign it to Ortin. She waited for a few seconds to gather her thoughts before giving her answer.

“Please, Ortin… I know full well what Lenel did but there’s a good chance Haste has murdered her own sister to get her position and now she’s attacking her own fellow herd members! Besides, she is an extremely selfish and cold flyer and at least I don’t want her as my leader. If only both she and Lenel would fall on this night…” She said, her last words being more like a wish than a real proposition. Ortin, however, was still far from happy with the answer and he stepped forward in an almost threatening manner.

“No matter what she’s done, at least she can’t be worse than Lenel! Ruining his plans was our task all along or have you forgotten that, Glide?” He said, his face only a few inches away from that of Glide’s. Petrie was far from happy with the sight and he demanded to calm the other male down before anything unfortunate happened.

“Step back, Ortin! We know Lenel our main enemy but if what Glide tell be true, Petrie don’t want Haste to win either! What you say if we try to continue attacking Lenel but also act against Haste if we can? Is that okay, Ortin?” He said, causing the bluish dinosaur to lock eyes with his friend. It was clear he still wasn’t happy with the situation but as he saw the pleading expressions on the duo’s faces, he knew he had only one real choice. He sighed while turning around, hoping that his friends weren’t making a terrible mistake.

“Very well, Petrie. Let’s have it your way. But come on now, we don’t have any more time to waste!” He said as he took off into the night sky, more than eager to begin the most important part of this quest. Petrie and Glide exchanged glances before heading after their friend with a bothered expression.


The boy cringed deeply as another bolt of pain shot through him. He took a forced breath as he looked before himself, seeing nothing but darkness everywhere he looked. That sight was mirrored in his mind as well as the world that he was in was nothing but a hell to him. The spark of slightest hope caused by the latest vision was quickly starting to fade, causing him to wonder how he could ever have even dared to hope Petrie was really here? It was nothing but a fool’s prayer and he had had enough of them!

But surely, that vision had been a very convincing one. The three flyers had seemed truly sorry for him which was something he hadn’t come to see from the shadows before. Some part of him wanted to believe that one of them had really been his old friend, that there was someone he cared about still alive…

… but there wasn’t. Another tear flowed down Littlefoot’s cheeks as he thought about everything he had lost. Hadn’t his mother been enough? What cursed fate had caused him to lose the rest of his family and his friends as well? Every time the longneck tried to think of the past, another wave of unbearable pain shot through him. This was all wrong! He truly wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and wake up besides, he didn’t have much strength to do anything else either. However… for some reason, he simply couldn’t do that.

Deep in his heart, the longneck knew very well why even if he didn’t think about it in any meaningful way. He had seen enough sacrifice in his short life to simply give up himself now. His entire mind was a mess but his heart was the same it had always been… and even if Littlefoot didn’t want to acknowledge it, it whispered to him ever so silently. It whispered to him to try to save the only thing that still could give him a way out of this most nightmarish of situations. Yet… his mind told him otherwise.

He had already tried to find some meaning in life by seeking this place out in order to win some kind of relief from his endless streak of losses but even that had ended in just another failure and tragedy. Here he was, seriously hurt and alone with no one to turn to. The longneck felt a hot tear flow down his cheek as he thought about the misery of it all. This forest might very well be his resting place for all he cared.

The weakening wind howled within his ears as the longneck noticed something that caught his attention. The white ground sparkles around him were melting into a tiny pond right under his head, the weak light of the lesser lights revealing his reflection in the waters. Littlefoot hardly even noticed I but his breathing stopped momentarily as he saw his face, more miserable than it had ever looked since… since…

…since the day he had met Cera for the third time. The longneck’s heart started beating in his chest as he looked at that sight, almost expecting to hear his mother’s voice again inside his heart like he had on that day. The similarities between these moments were striking but this time, he heard nothing. The boy looked at himself for seconds on end, his hopes of hearing his mother’s voice fading by the second. Yet, that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel anything at all. His heart started to feel warmer than it had in days and it told him that the Petrie he had met only a while earlier was truly who he had claimed to be. As newfound hope started to fill him, he looked towards the skies and saw something that made his expression turn into one of awe while causing new tears to form in his eyes.

Beyond the canopy of the trees, he couldn’t see one but two bright stars twinkling upon him. At first he was astonished by that but almost immediately, he started to weep. The other was the star he had seen ever since his first journey but the other one… it was something he had never seen before and he knew very well what it was. Littlefoot turned to look at the skies, sniffing deeply as he spoke into the darkness.

“I… I don’t think I can do it, mother and dad. I… I just cannot! Not without you… or my… my friends…” He said while letting his head droop back towards the small pond. The brief moment of resignation was soon ended as something happened that the longneck hadn’t expected. The reflection grew suddenly stronger and more surprisingly, he suddenly noticed he wasn’t alone. Petrie suddenly seemed to stand on his left side… and Ruby on his right one while Ducky seemed to be smiling cheerfully on his back! What was this? Was he going totally insane or… or was this something that was meaningful?

Carefully, the boy turned to look back at the sky and the two stars seemed to be slowly fading away. Almost without realizing it, Littlefoot jumped up from the ground and yelled with all his might.

“Mother? Dad? Don’t go! What does this mean?! Please, tell me!” He cried and almost immediately, he felt another wave of warmth emanating from his chest. Suddenly, he felt as happy and calm as he had during the days when his father had come to meet him during the early Spring or when he had still basked in his mother’s love. And at that moment, the longneck realized that even if his parents didn’t talk to him, he knew very well what he had to do. He had never expected to feel this way again but here he was, ready for another adventure or at least trying to find out if there was still some weak life left for him in this sickening world. With slow and forced movements, Littlefoot started to walk back towards the place he had just come from: the dark heart of the Land of the Dancing Waters.


The fastrunner could see her hands trembling slightly as she did her best to avoid tripping on the hard water. She looked at the flyers above herself, doing her best to keep up with them even if this was one of the moments when she wished that she, too, had wings. Despite her pact with Lenel, she had no doubts that he’d leave her should she fall too far behind him and his herd. Besides, she was beyond distressed by the hard water in general. After all, she had tried to lure Red Claw on it in order for him to fall through it into his death. Even if Ruby knew she was much lighter than the sailback, the possibility of her plunging into the frigid waters was one that made her beyond fearful.

However, none of that ever came to be. The omnivore sighed deeply as she felt her foot hitting solid ground again, more than thankful that that part of tonight’s journey was now
behind her. She panted for a few seconds before noticing that the flyers were landing again not far before her. But soon after that, she noticed something that made her frown very deeply. The earlier hue emanating from this shore seemed to be gone and in its stead was something that looked far more concerning.

No forest looked really pristine during this season but the trees here looked as if they had been dead for a long, long time. They seemed to be on the verge of rotting in their place and the air itself seemed to reek with some kind of dread. Suddenly, Ruby felt a powerful urge to simply turn around and run but her sense of duty and her love for her sister made all of that impossible. She took an asking glance at Lenel who wasn’t far in front of her.

The sudden glumness of this place wasn’t lost on Lenel either, of course. The flyer was almost shocked by the sudden change of atmosphere but if this was where he had to go, then he’d walk this path to the end. Besides, he was already growing annoyed by the game these spirits were playing and now, he had had enough of it. The pale flyer cleared his throat and cried into the oppressive air.

“Spirits of this land, I ask you to honor your charge! I survived your vision and I bested the beast threatening my herd! I deserve a clear answer from you on whether or not I am finally worthy of your help!” He yelled, cringing deeply as he looked into the putrid woodland. To his slight relief, it didn’t take long this time for the first lights to appear from the darkness, heading towards the waiting flyer. The earlier reverence was absent within Lenel’s expression but along with it had gone the former arrogance.

Ruby looked at the sight in a mixture of awe and bitterness. She had never expected to see a sight like this but the fact that the spirits were most likely the reason behind her recent struggles as well as Arial’s disappearance made her grit her teeth together in contained anger. The magnificent stream of light again surrounded Lenel and the pale flyer listened closely as the odd voices again filled his mind.

“Your ability to defend your herd was truly remarkable, descendant of Olres, that much we have to give you. But you still think you deserve this blessing after everything you’ve done? After causing the deaths of dozens of your herd members and slaughtering Peak’s family for nothing? Do you think that is something worthy of the most precious gift in this world?” They asked, causing Lenel’s expression to darken slightly. Of course, he knew the answer but on the other hand, there was nothing he could do about that now. The memory of those deeds made him almost weep inside and as he looked at the brilliant sight around himself, he almost wanted to turn around and accept that he had failed once and for all.

However, he had already thought about this question and the flyer managed to save his composure in the last possible moment. Despite his mistakes, this power was still his destiny and he would use them to pay back all of the crimes he had committed during his quest. The flyer’s hands turned into fists and his face grew more tense as he turned to look slightly upwards, crying at the odd beings around him.

“I acknowledge all the mistakes of my past gladly. But that does not mean that I cannot atone for them and face the future as a new flyer! I’ve already tried to treat my herd in a whole new way and I’ve tried to cast away my earlier pride and arrogance. You have seen all of this yourselves, have you not? I would like to ask you, was that vision a real test or was it an attempt to make me run away and abandon my quest?” He asked, willing to finally receive some light to the lights’ “tests”. He wanted hints about whether he had passed them or not as he hated to be treated like a cursed hatchling. It wasn’t long before he received the answer.

“That was indeed a real test and you passed it, albeit barely. Had you been unable to escape your guilt, you would never have woken up again. You were nearly overwhelmed by fear and despair and it was a matter of seconds until you would have fallen right there. Luckily to you, you had something that you cared for more than power, Lenel. That was the only thing that saved you and the one thing that make you different from the likes of Stealth and countless other herd leaders.” They said, causing the flyer’s eyes to flash open as he thought about the last moments of that vision.

Now that he thought more about it, he could remember just what had woken him up from his artificial sleep and that made him speechless for a second. He had been thinking about Sireia who had seemed to pierce the darkness like a distant light of a lone lesser light in the night sky. The male’s breaths grew quicker and he took one step back and he gasped in astonishment. It was true that he had always found his bond with Sireia a close one but to think it truly was she who he cared for most, rather than Olres’ power… it was a surprising but thoroughly happy feeling. He soon relaxed and spoke calmly to the spirits all around him.

“I am happy you think so. I thought I was going to fail that test but it seems that I learned something precious as well. But answer truthfully, did you send the sailback to challenge me? Was that another test?” He asked seriously, really wanting to know whether these spirits had decimated his group here for some arrogant purpose. He did his best to avoid jumping to quick conclusions just yet but it was clear that he wanted to know nothing else but the entire truth. The answer he received wasn’t one that he had expected.

“The sailback arrived here himself in order to try to claim our gift and he truly was a challenge we let you deal with yourself to prove you aren’t some useless weakling who allows himself to be defeated when a powerful enemy comes your way or someone who gives up after something happens that could be regarded as a total defeat. But even if the sharptooth hadn’t come here, we would have tested your strength in some way, that much is true.” They said, causing Lenel’s annoyance to grow ever deeper. Even if he knew that challenging the beings’ motives would hardly help him, he simply couldn’t stay silent.

“You let me deal with him myself? You know as well as I do just how many of my followers died because of that “test”! Are you insane?” He yelled, earning an appreciating look from Ruby. It seemed like the flyer was very different from the stereotypes she had had about his kind and that made her even more thankful about their alliance. She was slightly worried about this conversation as a whole but thus far, Lenel had stood his ground very well. She couldn’t hear what the lights were saying but she could see the conversation was getting more intense by the second. After a few seconds, she could see from Lenel’s face that he was receiving another answer.

“If we were to grant our blessing to the wrong flyer, many more dinosaurs would die under his or her might and that is something we simply are not going to accept. Are you willing to cling to your newfound sense of morality or are you ready to enter the most sacred part of this land?” They asked, causing the male’s beak open in shock. Were they actually offering to bestow this blessing upon him? Despite his many shortcomings, was he actually on the verge of the final victory? Lenel stuttered heavily as he struggled to give his answer.

“D… do… do you mean that I… I am worthy?” He asked, looking around himself in awe. He hadn’t expected to hear those words and he was beyond honored by this development. The spirits suddenly started to gather in front of himself, seeming to merge into one massive sphere of radiance. The pale flyer then heard a more powerful but more encouraging voice inside his head.

“You have great potential, Lenel. Follow us now to he ancient battlefield and there, your quest will come to end. You’ve done very well thus far, descendant of the great Olres. We hope you are able to truly take your place by his side.” The spirits said before they suddenly headed deeper into the forest, leaving the flyers and Ruby standing in the darkness. Lenel breathed deeply, not able to believe what was happening. He panted heavily before quickly whispering to his mate.

“We’ve done it, my love. We only have to claim our prize anymore. And it was all thanks to you.” He said, earning the most appreciating of expressions from the female. However, before she could answer, he turned towards the other flyers and cried to them in a resounding voice.

“We are victorious, my followers! Now, all that’s left is to find the site of Olres’ ascension and a new age will begin! Let’s go, everyone. Let’s join the legends of our kind.” He said as he headed towards the direction the spirits had departed, not willing to waste one extra second anymore. He couldn’t wait to see what a glorious sight would await him. Not one flyer had seen the site of the destructive battle in millennia and it would be he who would become its secrets’ new guardian. The other flyers wasted no time heading after him, each of them knowing that the time when all their suffering would be repaid was drawing near.

None of Lenel’s followers felt that more sincerely than Ruby. She could feel her heart racing in her chest as she entered the heart of the forest, just as excited to be part of this journey as her new companions. Soon enough, Arial would be back by her side and in that moment, she would be able to forgive at least some of her terrible mistakes. Praying that all of that would indeed come true, she headed into the unknown, feeling more optimistic than she had in ages.


Now, Lenel is on the brink of his final victory but he still doesn’t stand unopposed. Haste is more than ready to challenge him and how do Petrie, Littlefoot and Ducky fit into the picture? What is hiding in the very heart of this cursed forest? This chapter was indeed completed in a better schedule than the last one and I’m planning to do one more installment before the first prompt of the new season. I hope you liked the developments of this chapter and see you again soon!

DiddyKF1: Yep, I wanted to draw the comparison to the eighth film with the Ducky scene for that very reason. That used to be one of Ducky’s more difficult moments and these kinds of sequences that build on the developments of the films are often rather enjoyable to read. And at this point, I’d like to draw a clear line between Stealth and Lenel as the latter indeed is ready to go to any lengths to achieve his goals while Lenel, despite his worse moments, at least tries to treat his friends with some respect. The flyer has more humane moments but Stealth is just scum always.

I’m beyond happy to hear you liked the fight as it was one of the more important ones of this story. Ruby indeed achieve a clear triumph after a long period of tragedies but it remains to be seen how far that’ll take her. But Stealth’s era is indeed over and he’s one dinosaur no one is going to miss. And yep, Petrie will be very unhappy to find about Ruby and Lenel as you’ll see in this chapter…

Anagnos: You’re right in saying that the stakes were extraordinarily high for Lenel. He is a real mess overall at this point and there are moments in which he wonders whether he should even try to work towards his goal or simply accept his defeat after understanding the depth of his monstrous deeds. Thus far, he has tried to prove to himself that he can do better and this newfound sense of morality is something Stealth would never have found.

As for any other readers who may have had the same issue, Sireia’s wring wasn’t broken but bruised as otherwise that scene would have been simply impossible. Finally, you’re right that while Jaros did the right thing but it hardly was a clever choice… as you just saw. Thank you a lot for your kind words regarding Stealth as we didn’t really see him for that long in this story but I’m glad he made a clear impact for many readers. Keep those great and detailed reviews coming, Anagnos!

rhombus: You summed the battle up very well as well as the characters’ different motives. Lenel’s uncertainty and fear certainly is a powerful driving force here as well as Ruby’s pure hate towards Stealth. I’m not even sure myself whether that or her love towards Arial is stronger right now but luckily, those goals never closed each other out. As for Jaros, it’s good to hear you found him believable here as well as I was worried he may have come too much out of nowhere.

And yes, Ruby had to her entire imagination here in order to possibly strike out a deal with Lenel but right now, her plan was rewarded. As you said, Stealth’s campaign is over once and for all but even then, there are still various players involved in this fight. The greatest threat seems to be Haste but there are many other things that might still go wrong for Lenel. I’m happy you liked this chapter and indeed, you didn’t have to wait for long for the next one.

Have a happy starday!

Yup, I agree the picture looks pretty solid. While it isn't that complex, Cera's expression alone makes this a pretty decent fir posted drawing. I don't have much critique about it and certainly, this is a promising start for this thread. I just hope to see more detailed works from you in the months to come but for now, decent job.

A Reversal of Fortunes

Is it someone who looks like us?

Is it someone who acts like us?

Is it someone who sleeps beside us In a nest?


Is it someone who speaks like us?

Has a tail or a beak like us?

Or is it someone that we like the best?

Those words from that distant day lingered within Ducky’s mind as she looked at less and less blood leaving her stomach by the second and as the hurting in her head started to slowly die down. The last minutes had been extremely difficult for the swimmer, not so much because of her injuries but because… because of the implications. How could Ruby have done what she did? Ducky sat completely still, her eyes fixed on a large rock in front of herself. All of this felt beyond unreal.

For now, Ducky wanted to be left alone and so she took absolutely no contact with Orchid even if she knew the boy was just as distressed as she was. For now, she only wanted to think about all of this herself. Of course, Arial’s departure bothered the swimmer greatly but for now, her head hurt because she felt something she hadn’t truly heard before: one of her closest friends had cast her aside like some rotten treesweet.

And that brought her back to one of her most heartfelt songs ever. What was her and Ruby’s friendship anyway? Had it ever really meant anything to the omnivore? Deep inside, she knew that she and her friends had started to see each other as family rather than just friends and that included Ruby… and Chomper. But… but all of that was being challenged right now.

Yes, she had practically ordered Spike to get out of her eyes for a long time but… but even then, she had still loved him all of that time. She had never hurt her adopted brother and she headed after him almost immediately after she had left. As for all the times Littlefoot and Cera had fought with each other… she had often felt something irreversible had happened but even despite that, the two headstrong friends had always had it in themselves to forgive each other. As the swimmer looked into the forest, another thought rose to her mind.

Was there still a chance that Ruby would suddenly appear from among the woods and apologize for what she had done? Did she regret her actions enough for her to take this one step? As the girl looked into the darkness, she hoped for that to happen but… it never did. No matter what she wanted, she realized that the fastrunner wouldn’t be coming back. Suddenly, Ducky took a sigh and spoke without she even realized what she was doing.

“Friends shouldn’t hurt others and leave them alone in the middle of nowhere, no no no.” She said as Orchid turned to look at her in surprise. He had been extremely worried as Ducky hadn’t spoken in a long time and he was more than happy to see the oppressing silence finally broken. His voice was a heavy one as he spoke to his last companion.

“Nope. I… I just never thought this would happen. I’m so very sorry, Ducky.” He said, completely resigned to the sickening reality. Ducky looked at him oddly, not immediately understanding what he meant. After a few seconds she gave her answer to the omnivore.

“It isn’t your fault, Orchid. It wasn’t you who made Ruby to leave us like that.” She said while crossing her hands. She shuddered as a cold wind blew towards her from the darkness but even then, that was close to the least of her worries as she looked at Orchid. The boy looked before himself with wide eyes but even then, there was not a faintest hint of anger and bitterness towards his sister.

“It’s just that… I never thought she’d leave us alone. She and Arial are all I have. Surely she knows that we need each other now that… now that mommy and daddy aren’t here anymore. What kind of dinosaur abandons her family like this?” He said with a haunted look, the weight of the situation preventing him from even crying. Ducky looked at him in compassion, surprised by that question. It seemed almost like the boy had just read her thoughts and she answered promptly to the other dinosaur’s question.

“I was just thinking… I almost did the same to Spike once but back then, I was just so mad with him, I was. All through that time, I continued to love him but… it is far different with Ruby. Do you know what we spoke of with her a few days ago, Orchid?” She asked, slowly realizing that the fastrunner’s words had actually been very consistent which was something the omnivore regretted deeply. Orchid looked at her oddly and asked with a meek voice.

“What was that?” He asked, clearly interested by what the swimmer had to say. Ducky took another sigh, clearly uncomfortable with the subject as this entire saga with Ruby had taken away her most sacred beliefs: those of friendship and even family. Never before had any other dinosaur around her explicitly wanted to end their ties to another dinosaur. Before, there had always acted simply because they were enraged or just mad at each other but Ruby… Ruby hadn’t made her aims a secret to anyone.

“She said to me that our friendship will reach an end shortly and that it was never meant to exist for long. I was heartbroken by all of that, I was, but your sister clearly meant what she said. I, on the other hand, always believed that we would be friends forever but I was wrong, yep, yep, yep.” She said, earning a forced sigh from Orchid. The boy moved closer to the swimmer, his voice a silent and saddened one as he spoke.

“That’s what we were taught but… I never wanted that to happen to us. I… I just want the old Ruby back! Not that paranoid, unsure Ruby but the one we both knew!” He wailed, his composure finally starting to break. Even Ducky, who only wanted to believe the best about her friends, was growing worried about her own apathy.

Deep down, she started to feel the same feeling form that had caught her feud with her brother on that distant Cold Time. Yes, Ruby had gone through terrible things but so had damn right she! Ducky grew worried as those sentiments started to grow but after her own journey, she didn’t want to only be Ruby’s caretaker nor the one to whom she’d lay all of her troubles. She deserved what better than that.

“I just wonder what’s left of that Ruby. Never before has any of my friends hurt me nor have they made it clear that they don’t want to see me anymore! No one has to go through that, nope, nope, nope.” She said, all of Ruby’s oddities returning to her mind. Yes, she needed her help now more than ever but the swimmer didn’t have energy for that anymore. All she wanted was to return to her family and try to restart her battered life. However, Orchid turned to look at the female with wide eyes, not able to believe his own ears.

“You cannot be serious, Ducky! We cannot leave her out here all alone! She needs our help! It was only this place that made her act like that! If we just get her out of here, she’ll return to us, you’ll see!” The boy said, clearly not believing his own words. Ducky looked at him with half-closed eyes, clearly far from convinced by what she was hearing. Her voice was a weary one as she spoke.

“How do we know this isn’t what Ruby really wants? She started to act oddly before we even reacheded this forest!” She said, causing Orchid to jump in front of the swimmer, this time speaking in a far more urgent voice. His eyes nearly burned with annoyance and urgency as he spoke.

“Come on, Ducky! You know very well all of it was connected to this place! Just think of the time she blacked out without any reason and when she claimed to have seen all of those odd things! That wasn’t something my sister would do by herself and you know it as well as I do! Ducky, you said that you were bothered by Ruby abandoning your friendship. But if you leave her to suffer because of whatever is affecting her thoughts, you do the same! It isn’t Ruby’s fault any of this happened! She needs our help and we cannot turn our back to her now! Deep down, she is still the same Ruby we both know and I’ll do my all to bring her back!” He yelled, causing Ducky’s interest to finally rise. The swimmer cocked her head and spoke carefully.

“How do you know this, Orchid? I would really want to help her as well but… I do not know how.” She said, a new thought rising within her mind. Even if she didn’t believe she could help Ruby, she simply couldn’t leave Orchid and Arial out here alone. At the very least, she owed it to the old Ruby to make sure her brother and sister were safe before she’d start the long journey back into the Valley. Orchid’s earlier vigor died down suddenly but his determination was still apparent as he spoke silently.

“I just know it, Ducky. I can understand Ruby feeling that she’s only hurt us but I could also see she was acting because of fear that something bad would happen to us. If we somehow get Arial back or help her in doing that, she might just see that she won’t hurt us. Please, Ducky, let’s do this. My sister needs help now more than ever.” He said in a clear but also pleading voice, hoping that the swimmer wouldn’t turn down his heartfelt request.

Ducky, on the other hand, looked at the boy with a torn expression, willing to help him with all her heart but… but she just felt conflicted about it all. Ruby’s words had hurt her beyond measure but even then, the swimmer couldn’t quite deny the younger dinosaur’s point. It was true that Ruby was confused in a moment like this but that didn't prevent a growing burden growing inside the swimmer.

Though, perhaps it was that newfound burden that made Ducky feel her old self waking inside her. As she looked towards the sky, she remembered again just what was at stake here. Spike, Chomper and so many others had gone to the Great Beyond and they were completely out of reach for any of her efforts to help. But Ruby… she was still in this world and despite her recent actions, the fastrunner hadn’t done any permanent harm to her or anyone else around her. Even if Ruby had truly decided to end their friendship for good, she could still try to make sure she’d survive her moment of madness as a final gift to all those who had once loved the fastrunner with all their hearts. Ducky’s voice was a forced one as she started to speak to the male but even then, it carried more certainty to it than it had in a long time.

“You may be right, Orchid. I just hope you are right, I do. But if there is a chance we might still save Ruby from herself, I will gladly take that chance. For the sake of our other friends.” She said, briefly locking eyes with Orchid whose face turned into a wide smile as he nodded at the fastrunner. Deep inside him, he knew he couldn’t ask for more, not after what his sister had done to the swimmer. Orchid then asked the girl with a careful voice, looking at the nasty injury in the other young dinosaur’s abdomen.

“Are you sure you can walk? That was a really nasty hit.” He said, knowing that in a normal situation he would have told Ducky to stay still for far longer. The swimmer glanced at the wound herself but gave no answer at first. She rose to her feet carefully and took a brief step forward, clearly willing to see just what would happen. At first, she felt nothing out of the ordinary… but soon, she nearly fell to her knees as she cringed in pain. Orchid moved to help her and the boy asked his companion with a bothered voice.

“Are you alright, Ducky? Shall we wait for a bit longer?” He asked, already dreading at the possible implications of any delays. The swimmer, on the other hand, forced herself back to her feet, forcing herself to take another breath as she spoke to the fastrunner.

“No… if we are going to do this, we must find Ruby as quickly as possible. I think I can walk just fine, I do.” She said, causing orchid to glance at her with a worried expression but he decided against arguing further with the older dinosaur. He only narrowed his eyes and prayed in his mind as he headed after the wounded swimmer.


The already ghastly situation was growing ever more oppressing for Lenel as the entire scene around him turned into a chaos. Him passing out had hardly made his followers any more confident about their quest but the imminent attack had turned their wariness into total panic. Some of them seemed to be literally running for their lives into the surrounding forest, hoping to reach safety before the sharpteeth tore them to pieces. His hand-picked group was disintegrating before Lenel’s very eyes and he couldn’t help but stare at the sight with a beaten expression. He was beaten, his quest had failed and he’d lose everything he had gained during his life.

Yet… even now, the flyer’s courage didn’t fail completely. He was born to lead his herd with pride and by the Bright Circle, he’d keep that charge until the end! Even if he had failed the spirits’ test, he would never give up on his pride and the sacred task of protecting those who depended upon him. If the lights thought that he’d simply face his fate at the hands of that sharptooth, they’d be terribly mistaken! Lenel suddenly cried at his herd in a loud voice, knowing that he’d have to act quickly if he wanted to save whatever still could be saved.

“Everyone, return here now! We can still prevail if we simply stand strong against this threat! I know that I have committed terrible atrocities against all of you in the past but listen to me one more time! If we don’t work together on this day, this forest will swallow us one by one and all of us will die here and now! After all, we have all fought too many battles for it all to end here.” He said in a much calmer but also gentler voice than before. He was beyond beaten by the newfound guilt lingering within his heart and inside, he was heartened as he saw some of the hesitating flyers suddenly stop and nod at him with unsure expressions. Their thoughts of deserting had vanished for now but some others still continued the flight from the face of the incoming battle. Sireia started to cry at them with an enraged voice even if she never managed to finish that order-

“I will make sure that no traitor will live to see the next Cold Time if th…” She said but her voice died down as three forms suddenly appeared from the forest. It didn’t take even one second until the female yelped in an urgent voice, knowing that there was no time to waste.

“To your wings, all of you! Make sure that none of those bastards will be able to even touch you!” She yelled, looking with a sickened expression as a large sailback appeared slowly from among the woods, a triumphant expression on his face. That moment seemed to drag on forever until the sharptooth let out a loid growl whose purpose everyone present could easily tell. Sireia glanced at her mate, earning an affirming nod from Lenel. The pale flyer knew that any negotiations would more than likely be futile but even then, he’d have to take every chance possible to avoid a bloodbath. He didn’t want to go through any more failures on this night. The flyer’s voice rang through the riverside as he yelled at the predator.

“Stay your attack, sharptooth! I know what you are after but I promise you that you can win nothing by starting a battle here! I am the only one capable of commanding this place’s secrets while you are only wasting your time. Turn back now and I will even grant you a favor of your choice.” He said, knowing that his request would be rejected.

Stealth looked at the smaller dinosaur for a few seconds, knowing that this was the leader the previous flyer had told about. Inside, he was even amused by the fact that the other male still thought that he could bargain with someone like him but even then, he wasn’t going to show his true feelings just yet. Maybe the other dinosaur would accidentally reveal something of interest to him if he only played his game for a moment.

“Do you think you can strike a deal with me, barkbrain? I’d be damned if I believed what a weakling like you told me so for your own sake, get out of my way!” He said, genuinely interested to hear how his counterpart would react to his threat. There was no way a bunch of flyers could stand against him but knowing their stubbornness, the sailback wasn't ready to believe they would just leave this place without any further conflict.

Lenel looked at the carnivore with an annoyed expression, knowing very well the reality of the situation. He could simply give up but… even then, he wasn’t sure about what to do. Inside, he knew he had already failed in his quest but… but no one had affirmed that to him yet. The lights still illuminated the other shore of the water path so they hadn’t completely abandoned him, at least not yet. And in that case… was this another test for him? To try to stand against a sharptooth… and prevail? Inside, Lenel wanted to believe that but there was also another fact lingering in his mind. If he gave up now, he would never regain the respect of his herd and in the long run, he would be as good as dead. He had to try to save this somehow even if he had no idea how. Lenel took a deep sigh as he prepared to answer the other male.

“What I said is the truth. I am the heir to this power so only I can wield them in a way that will benefit all of us. Should you insist on a fight, you would be injured heavily only for you to get severely disappointed or worse. If you strike a deal with me, I will give you the best hunting grounds you can imagine! I give you my word about this and it’s something that you can trust in!” He said, causing Stealth’s eyes to narrow slightly. Whoever this flyer was, he was clearly unaware of just how pathetic his situation really was and that was really starting to annoy the sailback. He still didn’t believe those words for a second and his voice was beyond dry as he spoke next.

“Look at it this way, flyer. You can leave this place now and live to see the morning or you can simply die here and now. The way I see it, you have far more to lose than I have.” He said, causing Sireia to roll her eyes. She gazed at her mate with an enraged expression, knowing very well just how much there was to be gained from this negotiation.

“Just drop it, Lenel! This is a waste of time!” She said, preferring to get to action instead of just delaying the inevitable without a good reason. Lenel looked at the predator for a bit longer, seeing that there was not even the smallest sign of hesitation within them. It was clear that sailback was going to attack him and his followers if they didn’t back down which left only one option left.

The flyer investigated the gathered sharpteeth below him, knowing that he could never beat all of them. The moment any flyer got close enough to the ground, they’d be torn to pieces. Losses were unavoidable but… but none of the smaller sharpteeth looked eager to continue the fight without their leader. If only… if only he’d be able to wound the sailback badly enough, then maybe the others would simply give up the struggle. He suddenly cried at his followers, knowing that this order would end in the deaths of many of his followers. Even then, that was the only chance he had.

“Try to hit at the sharptooth’s eyes and legs so that he can no longer fight! That is our only chance! We must work together but we can still win this!” He called as he dove right towards the larger dinosaur, his entire mind fixed on what he was doing. Yes, he could hate himself later for his failures but he would carry on his charge until his last breath. It wasn’t long until the flyer saw one of the fastbiters jumping towards him as he glided towards the ground but he wasted no time in dodging that hit. The larger sharptooth cringed at that attack, at first looking as if he was going to strike the pale flyer flying towards him.

However, just as he was about to hit Lenel, he stepped to his left, aiming instead at one of the other flyers. Lenel cringed in shock as he saw the sailback impaling one of his herd members with his claws, forcing the poor flyer to the ground with his body broken to pieces. Even worse, that sudden maneuver had enabled Stealth to dodge Lenel’s attack meaning that the other flyer’s sacrifice had been for nothing. Lenel gulped as he realized that this battle would be the most difficult and desperate one he had ever faced.


To the fastrunner’s slight relief, the pain in her head had slightly subsided. It no longer engulfed her entire world and even the confusion in her thoughts wasn’t quite as severe as before. However, that didn’t make Ruby that much more positive as the improvement in those issues made Ruby’s self-loathing only more prominent. There hadn’t been one second during which she hadn’t blamed herself for Arial’s disappearance or about injuring Ducky. She was a total failure and a scourge upon those who for some reason still cared about her but even then, the omnivore managed to keep her focus on the task at hand to some degree.

The darkness was nearly complete around the fastrunner as she forced herself forward, doing her best to find the scent of a sharptooth. The girl still remembered Stealth’s warning and she knew very well that he meant what he had said. The next time he’d surprise her would be the last moment of her life and Ruby wasn’t about to let that happen. She wouldn’t throw her mother’s sacrifice away by doing some stupid mistake.

Despite that, the girl was more than eager to meet Stealth again in the very near future. With any chance, she could help send him to the Great Beyond and that would be the first good thing she ever did since her departure from the Valley on that terrible day. Even then, Arial’s fate was still the most important thing for her and along with her self-hate, one other thought also lingered within Ruby’s mind again and again.

Hang in there for a bit longer, sister! I will save you if it’s the last thing I’ll ever do even if I don’t want it to be the last thing I’ll ever do!

Minutes passed slowly as the omnivore slipped through the forest like a lone shadow, the ever increasing chill making her shuddering worse by the second. In the back of her mind she realized just how ghastly this entire place was. Dead branches were waving weakly in the wind and distant cries made her afraid even in her current condition. Despite that, she didn’t stop for a second. She would find this Lenel and he would help her whether or not he wanted to. Her newfound loneliness was even liberating for the distressed omnivore as for the first time in a long time, she was only responsible for herself. Even then, there was one thing that still bothered her.

She had lost the scent of Stealth’s herd but very curiously, she knew full well just where she had to go. That sensation was a haunting one for Ruby as this time, it was clear that this “knowledge” wasn’t hers. Whatever had caused her earlier mental struggles was still present within her but if it would now help her in finding Lenel, she wouldn’t mind it. Slowly and silently as a shadow, Ruby crept forward, doing her all to hide her presence from any possible hostile dinosaurs around her. At this pace, it wouldn’t take long for her to…

Suddenly, the fastrunner stopped still. She heard a distant cry which immediately caused frowns to appear on the omnivore’s face. Slowly, she continued forward towards the voice and it didn’t take long until the girl realized she had been right. That cry had emanated from a wounded dinosaur and more and more sounds of battle were starting to reach her ears. Ruby crouched even closer to the ground as she carefully peeked under a large branch of a still-green tree whose leaves were all hard and sticky. The fastrunner’s earlier doubts were realized as she saw a group of fastbiters forming a ring around their leader who was being attacked by a group of flyers.

Ruby frowned deeply as she saw Stealth’s large form in the distance, there sight of him making the female tremble in hate. Immediately, she started to pray for the flyers’ victory despite the disgusting words Northwind had told her. Those insults were beyond trivial after everything Stealth had done to her. Slowly, Ruby crept closer to the sight and stopped to investigate it a bit more closely. It was extremely difficult for her to see the colors of the fighting dinosaurs but as she looked at the sight for a few seconds, she was able to notice one dinosaur who stuck out.

In the heart of the battles was one, light-colored flyer whose hue was a highly unusual one for a flyer. It didn’t take long for her to realize that this was the Lenel she had been told about, the dinosaur to whose hands she’d have to lay Arial’s life. Ruby was far from convinced about that but if that was the only way for her to save her sister, then so be it! The only question remaining was… how would she help Lenel win this battle? Without some major help, the flyers wouldn’t stand a chance against Stealth’s onslaught.

Knowing there was very little time to wonder about that, Ruby ran towards a small hill near the scene of the battle, quickly grabbing a large rock from the ground. Knowing that any confusion could very easily cause some real confusion among the sharpteeth, the fastrunner threw the rock towards the back of one of the fastbiters, earning a loid scream from the predator. Ruby immediately crouched again, knowing that it wouldn’t take long for her to be spotted otherwise. However, she didn’t waste much time and threw another rock at another fastbiter but even then, neither of her hits seemed to have any real impact on the course of the battle.

The female cringed as she saw another of the flyers getting torn to pieces, realizing that the fight could end in only one way. She’d have to come up with a new plan or everything would be lost. What could she do, what in earth could someone like her… There it was! A hopeful smile suddenly rose to Ruby’s mind as she noticed a fallen tree near her, its revealed base giving her a new idea. It would be beyond difficult but maybe, maybe it would finally give Lenel a small opening to end this once and for all. Ruby got into work with a more determined expression than in a long time.


Stealth cringed as he felt another wound opening in his back as another flyer tore at his flesh to their best ability. The smaller dinosaurs had made a better stand than the sailback had expected but even then, it would only be a matter of time before they’d run out of flyers to sacrifice. There were only about a dozen of them left and he would be able to stand his ground for a little longer. The pale flyer had no chance of winning and the smaller male seemed to know that very well. The sailback started to see more hints of despair on his opponent’s face as he stopped to catch his breath for a few fleeting seconds. The predator then spoke to his foe in a loud growl, able to hide his pain masterfully.

“It is as good as over. If I were you, I’d already curse the moment I ever started this stupid struggle!” He said as he cried with all his might at the light-colored flyer whose eyes widened at that voice.


However, Lenel was far from ready to give up just yet. The predator’s display of dominance rattled his courage to the core but even then, he would never have lived this long if he had allowed himself to be bested by mere threats. But the truth remained: at this rate, his followers would be slaughtered to the last flyer before they’d be able to deal any meaningful damage to the sailback. There was but one option left at this point. The male suddenly turned at his mate and called to her in a loud voice.

“Sireia, we have to strike at the sailback’s eyes! It is the only way we can force him out of this battle!” He yelled as he saw Sireia nodding in agreement. She knew this to be true of course but she couldn’t hide her rising concern at the course of this battle. She would stand with her mate until the end but she had no idea how the duo could blind Stealth without him being able to cut their efforts short. Even then, there were no other options for now and her voice was a calm one as she called to her mate.

“Very well, dear! Just try to make it through this alive!” She yelled as the duo started their approach towards the sharptooth. The other flyers realized very well that their help was needed as well and if the predator tried to protect his eyes too much, they’d be able to strike at his throat and at his abdomen, causing more and more serious injuries at their opponent.


One dinosaur who was beyond confused about the situation was the fastrunner Jaros. He had been more than unwilling to follow Stealth after his betrayal of his promise to Detras and Pearl, especially as the former one had saved his life during the battle against Dein and Terri. He still remembered his conversation with Detras about his doubts about Stealth and how he couldn’t just trust the sailback to be any better than other sharpteeth.

And where was he now? Trying to fight an endless battle against a foe he couldn’t even touch, hoping that one of them got close enough to him to actually make a difference at all! Yet, as he looked at Stealth’s increasingly severe wounds, the male couldn’t help but feel deep satisfaction at the sight. Jaros would never forgive him for what he had done to Detras and his family, the pain within the eyes of the other omnivore’s children as their mother was about to be executed before their eyes.

No, the sailback had lost the last vestiges of trust he had once held over the halftooth. Jaros knew his life would be forfeit should he ever rise against the rest of the herd alone but maybe, just maybe, there would be a way for him to help turn the tide in a more subtle way…


Even if Stealth knew that the latest assault on him was an act of desperation, that didn’t make him any less concerned. He knew very well that the flyers could blind him if he wasn’t careful and a blind sharptooth would be just a dead dinosaur walking. At the same time, he couldn’t allow many more wounds to be inflicted upon him which made the next few seconds critical in this battle. The flyers were about to utilize their last chance in the battle and they knew it just as well. Stealth felt his heart beating in his ears as he looked at the two flyers dashing towards him as quickly as they simply could. The sharptooth’s claws were itching for a fresh kill as he prepared for the inevitable clash with the two leaders of the last herd of the last herd standing between him and his new goal.

For a fleeting second, Lenel and Stealth’s eyes met each other as the predator suddenly hit towards one of the other flyers, causing her to disengage from the fight for a fleeting moment. After that, Lenel stopped forward decisively, looking as the duo drew ever closer to him. Suddenly, he turned towards Sireia and to the female’s shock, the sailback suddenly sprinted forward and jumped towards her, his head sending her flying towards the ground with a violent force. Lenel’s heart skipped a beat as he saw her mate hitting the ground, the impact causing her to shriek loudly. Lenel’s voice was a desperate one as he yelled at his mate.

“Hold on, my love! Try to get away from his reach!”

Sireia could hardly realize what had just happened as she tried to force herself back to her feet. Instinctually, she brought her hand to her back, looking in disgust as she saw it being painted red with her own blood. Her back was covered with severe bruises and her head ached terribly. Even then, she could hear her mate’s call and quickly, she raised her gaze at Stealth who loomed above her with a murderous expression. Despite her injuries, she quickly spread her wings and painfully tried to take flight… until she realized that her left wing had taken too much damage. She yelped in pain as she looked at the predator moving to deliver the killing blow…

However, none of this was left a mystery to Lenel who looked in growing panic as his mate was getting closer to her death. Even then, he would prevent that by any means necessary and he quickly dashed towards the predator and his speed caught Stealth completely by surprise. The flyer hit the predator’s right eye again and again, the sailback only now realizing his mistake. He had left his guard down for a few seconds in order to finish the female and Lenel had got the opening he needed to accomplish his goal.

The carnivore let out an ear-screeching cry as he tried to force Lenel away from his face but the situation made the flyer far more determined to finish the task. The flyer smiled with a triumphant expression as he saw the white substance of the sailback’s eyes starting to flow down her cheek which meant only one thing: from now on, Stealth would forever be in a major disadvantage and that fact also meant that he and his herd would have a better shot at taking him out for good. Despite his voice being drowned under Stealth’s wails, Lenel cried at his mate in an encouraging voice.

“Now’s your chance! Sireia, get away from his reach now!” He yelled, causing Sireia to look at him in astonishment. She had already thought she was done for and she took many shocked breaths as she looked at the mighty sharptooth’s enraged and pained struggles. Her mate’s deeds was something she would never have expected but here she was, still breathing and able to fight another day. The female wasted no time turning around and running for her life, her own injuries but a distant memory as she basked in the glory of her salvation.


Stealth’s cry of pain wasn’t lost on Ruby either. The fastrunner smiled deeply in the knowledge that someone had really hurt the villain seriously as that was the few things that still improved her mood. The thought of his smug and hate-filled face for once turning into a pain of his own was a glorious one for the omnivore and raised her own motivation to complete her own work. If only she could witness his final fall on this day…

“That’s it! Now that should show that bastard…” She suddenly yelped as she looked at the thick, fallen tree before her. She had spent minutes upon minutes using her claws and the surrounding rocks to make its head as sharp as possible. The omnivore shuddered as he thought about falling against it herself but should the flyers be able to trip Stealth in the right way, this tree could be just enough to penetrate that monster’s innards and send him on his well-deserved journey into the darkest reaches of the Great Beyond.

However, there were still various problems that would have to be solved before that. First and foremost, she’d have to find some way to raise it to a position where it could really hurt Stealth and second, she needed the flyers’ cooperation or it would be close to impossible for the fastrunner’s plan to actually and truly work. Ruby glanced at the direction of the battle, knowing that she’d have to act now if she wanted to have a small chance of realizing her plan. With a worried but hopeful expression, the girl ran towards the sounds of pain and death, praying her momentary hopes wouldn’t be utterly crushed.


Sireia looked at the forest with a fearful expression, sitting down on a nearby rock while praying that the sharpteeth wouldn’t find her anymore. She hated herself for being unable to help her mate in his hour of need but even then, she knew very well that she’d only be a hindrance to him with her bruised wing. It wasn’t broken but it was painful enough to keep her down for now.

The female hit another rock near her, closing her eyes in shame. How could she even call herself worthy of his love if he was this useless on the field of battle? However, she couldn’t help but feel some relief in the knowledge that her mistake had gave an opening for Lenel even if she hadn’t meant to do that. Yet, those feelings of self-pity were soon sank by her genuine fear for her beloved mate ands by the hopes that he’d survive this battle. The female knew very well that she wouldn’t be able to live without Lenel and if he fell on this night, she’d follow him immediately. Yet, she could only hope that wouldn’t come to pass. The flyer crossed her arms as she spoke in a silent voice.

“Please survive this fight, my darling Lenel. Don’t fall before this cursed brute! Do this and I’ll never ask anything of you again…”

“You know Lenel? Then why aren’t you there to help him?” The female eyes flashed open as she heard a young girl’s voice ask her from the shadows. She immediately rose to her feet and turned at the direction of the sound, asking aggressively.

“Who are you? Stop hiding and show yourself! If you wish to finish me off, prepare for a real fight!” She said, more than prepared to fight until her last breath. She had no intention to waste time arguing with Stealth’s minions but as she heard the other dinosaur, her expression softened somewhat. A young fastrunner approached from the shadows and to the flyer’s surprise, there was no trace of hostility in her eyes. In fact, the omnivore was looking more than miserable in every possible way. Sireia’s heart jumped as she saw the mournful expression on her face as well as the ruined tail from which still drooped some pieces of flesh. This omnivore had went through a lot but at the very least, she didn’t look threatening in any way.

“I don’t want to fight you or any others of your herd. In fact I’d like to offer my help to you. Who are you?” The fastrunner asked, willing to hear just how high-ranking a herd member she was actually talking to. She was slightly surprised as she heard Sireia snorting with a slightly offended fashion. She crossed her arms and took a pompous stance as she answered to the omnivore.

“I am Sireia, the mate of the great Lenel himself, and as such, the second most important flyer of our herd. Though, I don’t expect someone like you understanding these kinds of matters.” She said, clearly willing to make clear the duo’s order of importance to the fastrunner. That answer, however, only prompted Ruby to present another question, her hopes starting to rise higher by the second. If she managed to win this dinosaur’s favor, she had a great shot at having Lenel’s ear for this battle as well as whatever came afterwards.

“Why aren’t you fighting alongside him, then? If you really are his mate, then it would only make sense for you to act like it!” She said, knowing that her words could offend the flyer but on the other hand, that could also cause the other female to slip some details to her that she hadn’t originally meant to reveal. However, Sireia was far too clever to fall to the omnivore’s tricks and she kept her calm even if she voiced her chagrin rather clearly.

“You are in no position to judge me, you pipsqueak! But if you really want to know, I got injured in an attack against that sailback and it was only Lenel’s quick actions that saved my life. I regret it greatly but I simply cannot fly with this wing.” She said as she looked at it again, not seeing anything weird about her wing save for a few wounds here and there. Even then, this battle would be a cause of shame for a long time and she’d gave her all if she only could stand with Lenel on this day.

Ruby, on the other hand, could hardly believe her luck. She could easily see that the flyer’s limb wasn’t broken and that meant that she might just be able to help her. Suddenly, the girl changed her voice to a far friendlier one as she realized that her opportunity might just have come. She stepped forward as she spoke softly to the older female.

“Umm… could I take a look at it? I might just be able to help.” She said hopefully but almost immediately, Sireia again crossed her hands and she sounded almost hostile as she next spoke to the fastrunner. She certainly wasn’t allowing this fastrunner anywhere near her!

“I’ll be damned the day I allow an egg-stealer to only hurt me further! Your kind is a cursed bunch of backstabbers and traitors that are no good to any honorable dinosaur! Get out of my sight before I make you rue the moment you ev…” She said but again, Ruby cared little for those insults. She frowned deeply as she looked at Sireia in annoyance, her voice suddenly a much deeper and serious one. She wouldn’t allow the other female to turn her away like this and she decided to interrupt her rant.

“Are you finished yet? I swear that I have no will to hurt you in any way but I very well might be able to make you able to fly again much faster! Which one is it: will you allow me to help you take your place on your mate’s side or will you turn me away, only to be stuck here with no way to help your mate? Besides, if you choose the latter, Lenel will never know of my plan to get rid of Stealth once and for all…” She said, causing Sireia’s expression to fall slightly. She wanted nothing more than to turn the halftooth away immediately… but inside, she knew that that idea would not be the best one.

Only a few minutes ago, she had prayed for a chance to be of further help to Lenel and here she was given that chance, even if it bringing any results was beyond unlikely. But even then, Sireia knew she’d be able to keep the fastrunner at bay if she ever showed one sign of hostility towards her. If there was even a slight possibility that she’d be able to be of help in any way, she owed it to Lenel to seize it. And even if she hated to admit it, she knew halfteeth knew many things other dinosaurs had no idea about. The flyer sighed in resignation was she offered her injured hand to Ruby as she spoke heavily.

“Very well. But be swift about it.” She said, causing a wide smile to appear on Ruby’s face. The girl sprinted towards the flyer, taking a look at the larger dinosaur’s arm. She poked at many parts of it, at the same time glancing ay Sireia’s reactions. The fastrunner knew that she’d have to be as gentle as possible right now and she breathed deeply as she tried to find the damaged part of the other female’s limb. Ruby snorted slightly as she suddenly saw Sireia’s cringe growing more profound and at that point, she knew she’d have to make her move. She tried to sound kind but firm as she spoke to the other dinosaur, hoping she’d be reasonable enough to actually listen to what she had to say.

“Sireia… I know what’s wrong with your wind. I think I can really help you but if I’m going to help you, you’ll have to actually let me help you.” She said, locking eyes with the flyer. Sireia looked at her in annoyance, not liking or trusting the omnivore in the least. Even then, she hadn’t attached her yet and her tone wasn’t reminiscent of any other halfteeth she had spoken thus far. Her voice was a dry one as she asked the obvious question.

“What are you going to do?” She said, causing Ruby to glance at the direction of the battle before giving her honest answer. She knew that lying would only get her in trouble and besides, Sireia deserved to know the truth.

“I’m going to put everything within your arm back to their place. It is not broken but what I am going to do will make your wing heal faster. It is something made daddy and mommy taught me a long time ago but I haven’t had the chance to hone my skills in it since. I am not going to lie: this will hurt a lot.” She said, her face radiating nothing but honesty. She looked with a serious expression at the flyer, seeing the growing concern within her face. The flyer clearly knew nothing about what she was going to do but Ruby was glad to see that she wasn’t being rejected right away. Sireia looked at the fastrunner for a long time before speaking in a trembling voice.

“Do what you have to but I warn you: if this won’t help, I’ll make sure you won’t get away with this!” She said, causing Ruby to roll her eyes. She bowed towards the ground and dug a thick branch from under the cover of the ground sparkles and gave it to Sireia. The flyer looked at the girl with a questioning expression when Ruby spoke again.

“Bite at this. And please, try to not yell too much. We don’t want Stealth and the others to learn where we are, now do we?” She said, causing Sireia’s face to darken even further. Ruby bowed and took a firm grip on Sireia’s arm and turned to look at the flyer one more time.

“Are you ready?” She asked, earning an affirming nod from the tan-colored flyer. Ruby took a deep breath as she tightened her grip further, hoping she still remembered how this was done. She had managed to do this operation only once but that had been five Cold Times since that day. Even then, Ruby’s thoughts moved quickly to Arial and inside, she decided that she would succeed here for her sake.

With a quick move, Ruby pushed the bone against the ground, putting more pressure on the area near the flyer’s elbow. Ruby cringed as Sireia started to whimper miserably but even then, the older female managed to avoid crying in pain. This encouraged the fastrunner somewhat but at the same time, something happened that made her gulp in fear. The bone moved back to its previous position, causing the omnivore to grit her teeth. Her effort had failed and she wasn’t in any way certain how many more Sireia would give her. Ruby’s forehead tightened as she thought about what her father had told her.

It was true that these kinds of things didn’t always succeed at the first try but… but she had to try to imagine the right position the bone and the muscles were supposed to be. Most often, the bone would stick in its right position but it would sometimes be difficult to find it. Ruby narrowed her eyes as she prepared for her second try. Sireia breathed deeply as she prepared for another jolt of pain and this time, she didn’t even manage to keep her voice down. Ruby looked at her with an apologetic expression, speaking to her in a praying voice.

“Please, stay quiet. This won’t take long…” I hope, Ruby added inside her head. Only now did she realize how little idea she had about how any of this was supposed to work but she couldn’t turn around now. She had to succeed or her hopes of ever winning Lenel’s trust would collapse altogether. The fastrunner prayed within her mind as she felt the bone moving again, hoping that this time her efforts would be rewarded at least to some degree.

Tears started to fall down Sireia’s cheeks and she cursed the fastrunner with every part of her soul and body. She had never agreed to this kind of voluntary torture before and she had absolutely zero trust in the fastrunner. Even if what she said was possible, it was clear that she had no idea about what she should actually do. If she failed, the omnivore would certainly regret the two ever meeting each other… However, it wasn’t long until Sireia’s dark thoughts were interrupted by another wave of agony.

Ruby shuddered as she felt her operation halting. It seemed as if the flyer’s arm was declining to move further but Ruby knew that she was moving it in the right direction. The bone would simply have to move further! Knowing that she had no option but to do her best, the omnivore increased her pressure greatly, praying that she wouldn’t be boing the mistake of her life. She could see that Sireia was in extreme pain but she couldn’t help but admire her ability to hide her cries of agony. But all of that would be in vain unless…

Suddenly, the omnivore’s eyes flashed open as she felt Sireia’s arm move suddenly towards the ground. At this point, the flyer couldn’t help but let out a horrifying shriek but even then, Ruby only stared before herself in awe. Sireia’s arm was in its normal place and it seemed to stay that way at least to an acceptable degree. The fastrunner hardly heard Sireia’s next words as she yelled to the younger female.

“That was it! Get out of me you useless bastard! Soon, you…” She started but to her extreme surprise, Ruby didn’t seem moved in any way. The latter even found the nerve to smile to the flyer and speak to her in a happy tone.

“Before you do anything rash, try how your arm feels because before you’ve done that, you don’t know whether I failed or not!” She said, causing the tan flyer to frown deeply. Her hand still ached and she could see no way how the fastrunner had been of help. However, for some reason she stretched her arm and to her extreme shock, she felt only slight aching instead of the earlier torture. She gasped as she brought her other hand to touch at the injured spot and she couldn’t help but feel stunned as she realized it felt almost normal. Sure, it would truly heal only after a longer time but she could move the limb almost normally. She slowly turned at Ruby and whispered to her in awe.

“Whatever you did seems to have worked after all. I don’t have any idea how you did that but it seems like your kind is good for something despite what I said earlier. You have my gratitude, fastrunner.” She said, even trying to give the other dinosaur a weak, fleeting smile as she realized just what this could mean. She might be able to rush to her mate’s help after all and that was something she couldn’t help but be grateful about. Ruby looked at the flyer for a few seconds before she gave her answer softly. She wasn’t in any way interested in the other female’s health in any way but she noticed she was on the verge of making a powerful ally.

“It was my honor, Sireia. Now, are you willing to listen to my proposition and to ask your mate to save my sister once he is victorious?” She said, already knowing that she’d receive an affirming answer. She could see that despite her vainness, Sireia was a flyer worthy of her words and that fact alone made some small hope swell within Ruby’s heart. Sireia crossed her arms and looked down at the omnivore very clearly but there was no malice within her voice as she spoke.

“Well, speak quickly! You are worthy of my help but know that I won’t agree to absolutely anything even now.” She said, causing Ruby to roll her eyes briefly. She was far from excited about the way these flyers acted but that wouldn’t prevent her from reasoning with the higher-ranked female.

“Well, this is my plan. Listen carefully as we have only one chance to succeed…”


Deep gasps escaped Lenel’s mouth as he again regained some altitude in an effort to get away from the range of the sharpteeth. Again, he had failed to deliver a decisive blow against Stealth and both he and his followers were growing increasingly exhausted from this seemingly never-ending battle. Despite his earlier success in ruining the sailback’s eye, he had since lost all the momentum he had gained and he couldn’t help but start to feel chill forming in his heart. Unless he could decide this struggle soon, he would be on the slow but certain path to defeat.

But what else could he do? He still was no match for a sharptooth and his followers’ morale and courage was starting to fail. With a sickened realization, Lenel came to the conclusion that he had to rally his herd for one more charge and that would either end in Stealth’s or his own demise. The pale flyer closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, knowing that his hopes of ever fulfilling his lifelong dream were thinning from slim to none. Even then, he’d be damned if he allowed any opportunity escape from his grasp and with an agitated voice, he turned at his followers and cried loudly.

“Everyone, gather around me! We have to take him out now, no matter the cost! I know it’s dangerous but it’s our only…” He yelled but before he could finish, he was suddenly interrupted by a voice he hadn’t expected to hear. The male’s heart jumped to his throat as he slowly turned to look at the direction of the speaker, his face turning into an astonished smile as he saw his mate’s familiar form in the distance.

“Don’t do it, dear! Don’t throw it all away like this!” She yelled as she flapped her wings again, her face revealing the depth of the pain that flying was causing to her. However, the mere fact she was flying caused Lenel to gasp in astonishment, knowing that the female’s wing had been seriously strained. He stuttered as he tried to form some kind of an answer that mirrored his feelings.

“Sireia… how? I saw what happened!” He cried, frowning as he saw the ever-growing agony on Sireia’s face. He could very well see that she couldn’t stay airborne for many more seconds but her herculean efforts to return to him filled the male with astonishment and appreciation. The tan-colored dinosaur tried to reach her mate but as she tried to get ever higher, her right wing suddenly seemed to give in, almost plunging her to the ground. However, she managed to only barely stabilize her position and Lenel wasted no time rushing to her side. He looked the female in the eyes and tried to speak to her but Sireia had decided not to show any more weakness in front of his mate or the herd.

“One… one fastrunner fixed my wing just enough for me to be able to take off but… but I can’t fly for much longer. Anyway, that fastrunner has a plan that might just help us beat Stealth once and for all.” She said, even now astonished by Ruby’s idea. It could be just what she and her mate needed at this point and at the very least, it gave them some chance to pull this off. She panted heavily as she tried to stay airborne long enough to tell everything she knew to the light-colored dinosaur. Lenel frowned slightly as he wondered how to answer, having no idea about what had made Sireia believe some halftooth could be of any help to them.

“My love… you know we can’t trust their kind. A fastrunner is most likely just toying with us until he or she has the options to sink their claws to our backs! Certainly you know…” He was about to start but at this point, Sireia took a more confrontational expression and spoke in a more serious voice, not willing to argue about this issue.

“No matter her aims, do you perhaps have better ideas on how to proceed? We’ve already suffered enough setbacks as it is and I sure am ready to take any help I can receive right now!” She said, hoping that the male wouldn’t be too upset by her tough words. Lenel, however, gulped as he looked his mate in the eyes, understanding her point more than well. Even if he hated to admit it, he had no good idea of his own and if the omnivore had won his beloved mate’s trust, then she had also won his. Lenel’s voice was a meek one as he gave his answer.

“Go on then, dear. What do we have to do?”


Stealth spat into the ground as he looked at the flyers, hating these kinds of situations. Yes, he was on the verge of being victorious but at the same time, he had no way to finish Lenel off now. As long as the smaller dinosaurs circled above him, all he could do was to wait for him to descend toward him in some suicidal effort to take the battle to him. The sailback was no stranger to battles but this kind of crap made his blood boil.

Even then, he would never be foolish enough to let that kind of rage lose his concentration and caution. No matter what, he wasn’t going to make some stupid mistake and throw his efforts away for nothing. The sharptooth already cursed his eye without an end but that didn’t worry him as much as he would have expected. After all, he could well live and survive with only one eye and he’d make the flyers pay for what they had done very soon. In an effort to taunt his opponents a bit, the predator called to them menacingly.

“Come back here and let me finish this! No amount of planning and plotting will save you now so just face your fate or get out of my sight!” He yelled, looking as Lenel slowly turned to look at him. There was something within the flyer’s expression that worried him slightly but even then, Stealth never forgot the fact that he had no reason to worry. The carnivore revealed his teeth as the smaller dinosaur started to speak.

“What if I ordered you to do the same, Stealth? Do you think you would obey to my command? Though, I’d advise you to do so as in other case, it is you who might soon journey to the Great Beyond.” He said in a rather confident voice which caused Stealth to stomp the ground in annoyance. This charade had gone on for long enough and he was more than ready to end it all.

“What if you would for once stand behind your words and show me just how you plan to do that? I’d much rather just move forward here than argue with a fool like you!” He cried, hoping the other male to react to his words in some way. As the duo’s eyes locked on each other, both of them knew that something would happen in the near future, something that would settle this battle once and for all.


This impression wasn’t lost on Sireia either. She felt her heart beating in her ears as she looked at the grim expression on her mate’s eyes, surprised just how easily he had accepted Ruby’s plan. Though, it seemed pretty clear that he had been desperate for some, any new idea on how to beat Stealth. Now, however, Sireia realized that the moment that would decide everything was quickly approaching. With a sickening realization, the female flyer realized that her wings wouldn’t be able to carry her for more than a few seconds and that meant. She’d have to land somewhere safe and leave the rest to her beloved mate. She cringed deeply as she looked at the other flyer, trying to retain her composure for a bit longer.

“I… I have to land now but please, promise me you will not fall victim to this brute! Promise me that you will prevail even after everything that has happened!” The female pleaded, causing Lenel to frown briefly. Of course he couldn’t be quite sure about whether or not he could keep that kind of promise but as he looked at his mate’s eyes, he suddenly realized he would not fail her. He would beat Stealth and he would return to Sireia, no matter what. The pale flyer nodded at his mate before speaking silently.

“I do, my love. I promise that to you.” He said before turning at his followers and crying to them loudly.

“Follow me and together, we’ll send this beast into the next world! We can do this but whatever you do, don’t hold anything back and follow my orders at every moment! Come now and don’t hesitate to give this battle your all! For Olres and for all our kind!” He yelled as he suddenly plunged downwards towards Stealth, feeling determination starting to swell within him. Suddenly, he felt more than confident about being able to pull it off but even then, he knew he’d have to avoid any mistakes. The fastrunner’s idea could work and if she would actually do what she had promised, Stealth would certainly head to the next world soon enough… and he’d be able to live on with his beloved mate.


“Prepare to strike down each and every barkbrain you can! Do not give them a chance to pull of some lucky trick like last time!” Stealth cried as he prepared for the inevitable. The seconds dragged slowly as he looked at Lenel approaching and inside, the sailback couldn’t help but wonder what madness made the flyer believe he still had some hope in this battle. Stealth could see Lenel wasn’t stupid nor did he see the expression of a dinosaur who was ready to die on Lenel’s face. He had to have some idea the sailback didn’t know of which was something that made Stealth grit his teeth in frustration.

The sharptooth felt the wind hitting his back with a slowly increasing force which wasn’t something he was particularly happy about. That would only enable Lenel to improve his mobility which of course made him a more difficult target. But right now, the most pressing question was where the flyer would hit first. The wind was more favorable to the smaller dinosaur on the carnivore’s right side but on the other hand, Lenel could go the other way in an effort to surprise the other male. Stealth had already lost too much today because of the flyers’ tricks and he decided to land his first blow on his left side, believing Lenel to attempt some kind of surprise maneuver with which the flyer could try to gain an advantage. Stealth knew he was taking a risk but this simply was a situation in which he had to do as his instincts told him. He cursed the flyer who had turned out to be such a pain but even then, he was ready to face the other male one last time.

However, it was almost immediately after the predator made his move that he realized he had made a mistake. Lenel had decided to head for his right side after all and it wasn’t long until the carnivore felt a stinging pain in his stomach. Once again, the flyer had outsmarted him and again, he was no closer to getting rid of that cursed pest.


Lenel gave a slightly triumphant smile as he looked at the new wound he had caused but even then, he knew that was only the first step in order to getting rid of the cursed sailback. He could see the surprise on Stealth’s face as he didn’t immediately escape his reach after dealing the hit. Instead, the pale flyer started to circle around the sharptooth, hitting him again and again but both of the combatants knew that none of them would do any truly serious damage to the sailback.

However, to Stealth’s extreme shock, the other flyers replicated their leader’s moves, suddenly assaulting him with all their might. Almost instinctually, the sharptooth took a step back before suddenly striking at one of his foes down with a quick and savage hit. The smaller dinosaur let out a horrified cry as his back was impaled by Stealth’s claws but even then, the predator continued to take more and more steps backwards…

“Don’t ease the attack for a moment! Go on until you can’t go on anymore!” The flyer leader cried as he tore into Stealth’s soft neck flesh. The predator immediately hit towards the flyer but before that blow landed, Lenel was already gone. Stealth gritted his teeth, looking with an annoyed expression as he realized that his followers were too short to still get the flyers. They were just close enough to deal occasional attacks but also high enough to be safe from the smaller predators. Of course, Stealth could have just crouched and let the others join the fight but he knew that would hardly be helpful in maintaining his respect in the eyes of his herd.

But of course, Stealth knew he could finish these pipsqueaks one by one even if he’d get more seriously injured than he would have wanted. Even in this moment of frustration and shock, Stealth couldn’t help but wonder just what the flyers were attempting to do…

Suddenly, the sharptooth gasped as he felt his leg suddenly drop off from some small ledge, only to again touch the solid ground a bit lower. He frowned slightly as he thought about that development, wondering what was going on. He couldn’t afford to turn to look backwards but even then, he remembered this entire opening was completely flat… except the river!

The predator’s muscles tensed as he leapt forward, hitting a few of the flyers on the way. Panting heavily, he quickly turned around and looked at the sight in front of himself. He couldn’t believe he had been that close to being plunged into the river’s frigid waters and most likely into the next world. The sharptooth panted in shame as he faced the flyers again and he was glad to see the alarmed and despairing expressions on their faces. Slowly, Stealth’s face turned into a slight smile and he taunted the smaller dinosaurs with a hate-filled voice.

“Your little trick has failed, you sorry excuses of barkbrains! Now, your last chance for victory is gone so you may just give up now!”


Despite the expression on his face, Lenel’s chest swelled with newfound hope. Stealth was doing just as he had expected and the sharptooth didn’t even seem to suspect something was still amiss. That fact alone made Lenel feel more confident than ever during this fight but he knew very well that this struggle’s outcome was still undecided. With a loud but purposefully alarmed voice, he cried to his followers.

“Don’t give up now! We might be going down today but if that’s our fate, we might at least face it with pride!” He yelled as he dashed towards Stealth, knowing that the other flyers wouldn’t be discouraged by his words. They had heard Sireia’s plan and they knew that they were on a track for triumph. Stealth frowned again as he saw the flyers attacking with newfound vigor, not having expected them to be this damned resilient. They really were fighting until the end and that was something he couldn’t help but admire. Even then, it was time to end this once and for all and it was apparent that the flyers had finally realized just how hopeless it was for them to go on with the fight.

Even then, he couldn’t help but cringe at the violent charge and again, new hits and wounds were inflicted all upon his body. Lenel himself flew right towards his throat and Stealth suddenly stopped still to focus on finally dealing with the flyer leader. Lenel had turned out to be a fiercer fighter than he had expected but now it was time to end him once and for all. The sailback hit right towards Lenel but the flyer managed to dodge it. He stopped right in front of Stealth, tearing into his throat with all his power. Stealth twitched at that pain and just as he was preparing to deliver the decisive blow at the other male, the sharptooth did what the flyers had hoped all along.

Behind him opened a large thicket that was completely shadowed by the dark night of the Cold Time and Stealth couldn’t even begin to imagine that there was something in there that he should know of. The flyers had been the only hostile creatures he had seen and he couldn’t smell any possible threats anywhere around him. In an effort to gain a better balance to dealing with his last foes, Stealth took another step backwards… and his eyes flashed open in shock.


Ruby held her breath as she looked at Stealth’s foot landing on the pair of large trunks that she had placed on the ground only a while earlier. Even better, he had stepped over the rock holding the tree trunks in balance which made her practically shudder with excitement. She had never dared to dream her plan would actually work but she was, only one step away from victory. She looked closely from the bushes as Stealth struggled to retain his balance… and after a few moments, he seemed to be on the verge of succeeding. If Stealth didn’t fall now, her last chance of sending the monster that had destroyed his family into the Mysterious Beyond would be forfeit. Ruby’s hopes was falling by the second… at least before something truly unexpected happened.


This night had been a total disgrace and Jaros knew it. The sharptooth he had followed for seasons by now was unable to decisively beat a few flyers and he could see a similar sentiment rising among his herd members. They regretted not being able to help their leader but on the other hand, Stealth’s performance had been beyond disappointing. However, none of that mattered to the distressed omnivore as he looked at his leader struggling to stay on his feet. He could see the worried and expectant looks on the flyers’ faces and he could easily tell that there was something going on behind the scenes he knew nothing about.

However, whatever that was, it had something to do with Stealth’s downfall and that was something that made the male frown deeply. Ever since his savage slaughtering of Pearl, Jaros had known that this wasn’t a dinosaur he’d be willing to follow anymore. Once upon a time Stealth had offered an alternative to the other brutal sharpteeth of the Mysterious Beyond but now that most of them were gone, he could see Stealth for what he really was: another brute who’d kill anyone in the most disgusting way possible to advance his own needs.

His hands turned into fists as he made his decision. He still remembered just how Detras had saved his life in the previous battle and this was his chance to repay the courage and kindness shown by the late fastrunner on that terrible day. Even if none of his family was here to see that repayment, he could take some relief about knowing he had done the right thing. Suddenly, he started to run towards the sailback, determined to pay back his debt to the fastrunner who had been so much better than he was in every single way.


The sharptooth’s heart beat in his chest as Stealth tried to avoid falling into the ground. He was surprised by the amount of wit his enemies had shown and he had never expected them to actually go this far to bring him to the ground. That of course would make him far too vulnerable but something here made him even more confused than before. At what point had the flyers had the chance to pile these trucks here over the rocks?

They had been engaged in the conflict from the start and they simply couldn’t have done this. And even then, this didn’t look like something a flyer would. It was far more like… like a plot of a fastrunner, a thought that made Stealth suddenly cringe deeply. There was only one hostile fastrunner he had seen in a long time so… could this be Ruby’s doing? The sharptooth cursed at leaving the damned brat alive as of course he should have known she’d be nothing but trouble!

He was just about to let out a loud growl as he prepared to jump off from the wobbly trunks but before he managed to do that, something happened he hadn’t been able to foresee. The trunks started to decisively rise in front of him, again threatening him to send him plunging backwards. His mood grew even worse as he turned to look downwards, seeing who was responsible for this development. Even now, he hadn’t expected to be betrayed by one of his own even if he had never had any respect for someone like Jaros. Stealth’s voice was an alarmed one as he cried to his followers.

“Kill the traitor, everyone! DON’T WASTE ANY MORE TIME!” He cried and his followers wasted no time doing as told. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing as none of them had ever thought they’d see their companion turning on them like this. Jaros knew he was done for but before the others reached him, he prepared for one last herculean effort. His voice wavered as he pushed the trunks ever higher, knowing they’d send Stealth falling into the darkness. He had no idea whether that meant anything but he wanted to hope his sacrifice would mean something.

“You were a good leader once, Stealth, but I simply won’t follow a cruel murderer who holds no respect for the lives of any other than himself! The Mysterious Beyond deserves better than the likes of you!” He yelled as he pushed the branches up, feeling as Stealth finally started to fall forward…


Ruby couldn’t believe her luck. For a moment it had seemed like her idea would fail after all but then Jaros had come seemingly out of nowhere to send Stealth plunging into the ground… right towards her. Ruby looked as Stealth’s form started to fall towards her and immediately, she moved to support her secret weapon with all her might. She had placed the large branch she had found earlier on a pile of large rocks, making it point towards the night sky. It seemed relatively innocent at first glance… but Ruby looked in expectation as Stealth’s back fell ever further towards it. The fastrunner had spent a long time making the massive branch’s head ever sharper in order to make it as deadly as possible.

Seconds passed slowly as Ruby waited for the inevitable impact… and when it came, it was only barely that the girl managed to hold the branch in place. She had hidden its other head under a smaller pile of rocks to make supporting it easier and in this moment, Ruby was more than glad she hadn’t that detail of her plan unexecuted. She looked in astonishment as blood started to drop all around her as the massive branch sank ever deeper into Stealth’s chest. The fastrunner looked at the sight in awe, not able to believe her own eyes. Her plan had been a resounding success and it wouldn’t be long now before Stealth would journey into the Great Beyond.


It cannot end like this! It simply cannot! Not after everything I’ve been through!

Stealth’s mind was working in overdrive as he tried to force himself back to his feet but the terrible pain in his chest told him what he already knew: many of his organs were crushed and the haze of death was already settling in his eyes. Deep down, he still hoped that some miracle happened and that he’d be able to continue to lead his pack for seasons to come… but even now, he noticed that his limbs were denying his orders. This truly was the end.

Despite that realization, there was no growing fear inside the sailback’s mind. He had achieved his lifelong dream and at the very least he’d head to the next world as the victor over several of his old nemeses. Yes, this was a death he could accept even if he had hoped to achieve so much more. Deep inside, the sharptooth was able to find some poetic justice in being finished by someone who was so much like him: a lifelong survivor intent on avenging their fallen family.

But even now, he wouldn’t regret any of his actions… only his inability to prevail in this battle. But his earlier disgust at Ruby had started to turn into some kind of respect as he realized just how badly she and Lenel had outplayed him. The predator’s mouth even turned into a slight smile just before the last muscles in his body relaxed and his body drooped lifelessly over the sharpened branch and the lone fastrunner still holding it upwards.


With Stealth’s end, another major threat to our main characters has been removed and Ruby has achieved one of the few things still able to bring her solace. However, the struggle for the Land of the Dancing Waters is far from over and more twists are still to come until we find out just what will happen at the end of this night… Sorry for the long wait, everyone, but a lot has happened since the last chapter, namely a trip and a sickness. In any case, I hope to get the next installment out quicker.

Anagnos: I’m very happy you liked this chapter overall despite the obvious problems you pointed out. The pace indeed quickened a lot as we need to finally get the show going to prevent the plot starting to feel to slow. As for Littlefoot, yes, his appearance came quickly but I had to reasons for it. First of all,  I just had to introduce him at tis point for the sake of the plot so it might be some bad planning on my part as well.

But secondly, I’ve always tried to keep the next scene of this story as a surprise in order to keep the reader enthralled and I wanted to show that not all absolute surprises are tragedies. I had hoped that scene would fit the narrative but I can see why it may not be the most satisfying sequence ever. And yeah, that line is now removed. As for Lenel, your guess about his test may not be exactly correct but that’s a question left for later. Overall, thanks a lot for the review!

DiddyKF1: Yep, Lenel hasn’t been doing exactly well. Haste’s true potential remains a mystery but in the last chapters, the male has really had a rough time keeping his dream alive. As for Littlefoot, yes, that scene was very dark and I had expected a somewhat critical response to it. I know killing his family like this would be harsh but on the other hand, Littlefoot’s current state needed a good reason. I’d like to point out that he’s arguably doing worse than Ruby as she at least still recognizes her friends and has some goal in life.

As for Lenel’s situation, yeah, things aren’t looking good. He manages to regain some momentum in this chapter but how far will that lead him? That is still an open question and one I hope will be an interesting one in the next chapters as well. I’m also happy you look forward to our main duo’s reunion even if that has to wait for a moment longer.

rhombus: Yep, it was clear from the very start that Littlefoot would be the main focus of this chapter and the feedback about the scene seems to be rather clear. I explained my reasonings for making him appear that abruptly but even then, I’m happy that it wasn’t too bothering to you. As for Littlefoot himself, he seems to be suffering from some kind of extreme version of the mental breakdown haunting Ruby. Whether or not there is still some kind of salvation possible for him remains to be seen.

While your observations about Lenel are mostly true, we still don’t know how his story will end. Yes, his past has been a disaster but as long as he’s alive, he may still claim the ultimate prize. As always, thanks for the kind comments!

OwlsCantRead: Chapter 18  indeed was a dark one and probably one of the most important ones of this fic. Dein and Terri’s attack and Greentail’s injury indeed will have long-lasting implications in Ruby’s story and I’m glad to hear you found that chase an intense one. Yarel and Greentail never wanted any of this but the duo’s future is something you’ll find out in time. As for your comments about Ortin and Glide, their relationship with Petrie is a complex one and it’s better to leave out any possible spoilers for now. Overall, I’m glad to see you continuing to read this fic and I look forward to hearing your further thoughts about this fic.

Thank you a lot for the decision, rhombus! I had expected Anagnos' story to win but at least now my banner looks more complete. In any case, we'll see if I'll reach this milestone again next year... or whether I'll even add a sixth star.

This was a pretty solid chapter even if it left me with a bit worried feeling. While it’s good to see that the grown-ups have agreed that Rhett has to be punished, the fact that it took a chapter for us to approach that point makes me believe that the coming punishment won’t necessarily be as easily imposed as it should be. I’m quite sure there will be untasteful surprises in the store in the upcoming trial.

Ali’s nightmare was written solidly and it was very easy to share her horror and despair about Littlefoot’s fate. I’m not exactly sure about whether that scene was really needed but it showed how things would have been if the battle’s outcome had been different. As for the next scenes, I’m happy to see Littlefoot will be alright even if he is seriously wounded.

However, it is the next scene that left me puzzled. Of course it makes sense that the grown-ups are shocked by the news but it would make little sense for the structure of the story to have this chapter included if everything went smoothly. Considering your version about Ali’s herd, it seems likely that many of them, including the Old One, will defend Rhett and who knows what happens after that. That is my main takeaway here and it’ll be intriguing to see how the speculated meeting will actually go.